ã€ŠGetting My Ex-wife Backã€‹


 Chapter 1 Goodbye, My Ex-husband

    ¡°Tell me, what do you want from me?¡± In the luxurious presidential suite of the five-star hotel,Hansen Richards¡¯s bushy eyebrows were slightly twisted. He satzily and casually on the leather sofa and crossed his perfect long legs. As if he was as noble as a king, he asked coldly without any expression on his handsome face.

    Jenna Murphy was so heartbroken. She had long gotten used to his indifference and alienation, but her heart still felt painful as if it had been cut by a knife!

    The corners of her mouth twitched and her eyes darkened. She smiled faintly and said straightforwardly, ¡°I agree to divorce.¡±

    Hansen was stunned and was very surprised by her answer. His cold and dark eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked up at her.

    Jenna stood in front of him in a deep V-style white chiffon skirt with a bare shoulder. The skirt fit her beautifully. Her long hair fell in flowing ringlets over her shoulders, which made her look casual but elegant, and there was a quiet smile on her face.

    How could a woman who was talking about divorce be so calm and smile so brightly? It was just what she wanted!

    Anger flickered in Hansen¡¯s eyes. He wore a cold smile on his face!

    ¡°However, I have a condition.¡± Jenna licked her red lips, as if she had made up her mind, ¡°I want 50 millionpensation.¡±N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.

    Sure enough, she was well prepared and ambitious!

    Hansen gave a cold smile, and his handsome face was full of contempt and disgust. Wasn¡¯t she just for the sake of money? It had been expected!

    He slowly lit a cigar and took a deep breath. Surrounded by smoke, Jenna couldn¡¯t see his expression clearly!

    ¡°Since when did he start smoking?¡± Jenna was secretly shocked. He never smoked before, and there was a light and fragrant scent of mint on him that charmed her!

    The pain in her heart gradually spread out, as if a needle was stuck in her heart and the pain densely surrounded her!

    In order to have the courage to say this, she had been constantly persuading herself since she came out of the hospital.

    Three years ago, Hansen proposed a divorce, but she didn¡¯t agree!

    When she was still very young,Jenna had been in love with this indifferent and handsome man. For many years, loving him seemed to have be a part of her life. Even if he was as cold as frost and hated her, she had never thought about getting a divorce. Instead, she went to America alone to avoid the divorce.

    But a few days ago, she received a phone call from the hospital. Her father died in a car ident and her mother was still lying in the hospital.

    The disdain in Hansen¡¯s eyes made her heart hurt. But at the thought of the huge amount of medical expense, she really had no choice!

    An uneasy and impetuous atmosphere enveloped them.

    Hansen silently put out the cigarette butt, and his keen eyes rested on her bare cleavage .

    Jenna left him for three years. How many men had she been with in the past three years? How horny was she? How could she dress up like this to seduce him today? Was she really shameless to this extent for money?

    The anger in his heart was like boilingva. His eyes were cold, but his sexual desire was aroused,which made him feel hot.

    It seemed that sinceHansen sawJenna, his desire had begun to surge!

    ¡°As long as you sleep with me for one night, I will agree.¡± He put his long arm on the back of the sofa, tilted his head slightly, and gave her a cold gaze, with a scornful smile onhis perfect lips.Hansen had an innate domineering temperament.

    What did he take her for? Jenna gasped and shivered!

    It had been three years, and he hated her even more!

    Jenna felt a coldness rose from her heart. All expectations had vanished from her mind. Her beautiful face turned pale, and she felt all her efforts were all in vain.

    Yes, he would never fall in love with her. It was just her wishful thinking and she was asking for humiliation!

    After three years of hard work in the United States, she had learned the character of being able to take temporary set backs!

    ¡°Deal!¡± Jenna raised her head slightly, took out the signed divorce agreement from the delicate purse and handed it toHansen,¡°Mr. Richards, no pay no goods. After tonight, we will have no rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Very good!¡± The veins on Hansen¡¯s forehead twitched. He smiled coldly and crooked his finger at her.

    Jenna endured the humiliation and took a small step forward, with a smile on her face as always, charming and lovely!

    Hansen stared at her straightly. At that moment, he seemed to see her sadness and helpless. He didn¡¯t know why there was a strange pain in his heart.

    It must be an illusion. Because within a second, Jenna¡¯sface was full of charming smiles, which made him extremely disgusted!

    How could he care about such a woman?

    Jenna saw her fear in his dark and cold eyes!

    Her heart was beating fast. At this moment, she really wanted to turn around and run away, but this idea was denied by herself!

    ¡°Please me.¡± Hansen¡¯s voice was cold and overbearing. He leaned against the sofa, slightly raised his head and loosened his cor. He was so indifferent that no one wanted to get close to him.

    Please him? Jenna was at a loss.

    After being married for so many years, he was always moody and cold to her. The marriage between them had already existed in name only! If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he was drunk that night after they got married¡­

    ¡°What? You don¡¯t want to do this? If you don¡¯t like it, please go out of here. I don¡¯t have much time.¡± Seeing Jenna standing still, Hansen said coldly.

    Fine! Jenna gritted her teeth and her face turned red. She suddenly bent over and picked up his face to bite his lips.

    Her red lips pressed against his cold lips with a faint fragrance. Hansen was absent-minded for a moment.

    This was the first time she had taken the initiative to kiss him since they got married. But this was not a kiss. It was as if she was gnawing at a bone. When he thought that she was pretending to be innocent, he felt an unknown anger. He suddenly turned his head, and Jenna¡¯s kiss hadn¡¯t fall on his lips. She slipped and fell into his arms.

    ¡°You can¡¯t wait to throw yourself at me?¡± Hansen¡¯s voice was cold. He was full of hormones and his hot breath sprayed on Jenna¡¯s face. Before she could get away, he lifted her up with his arm and threw her on the soft bed.

    Hansen¡¯s hands quickly tore off her dress.

    Her fair and smooth skin and perfect figure showed up in front of him with a fatal temptation!

    ¡°This is what you are willing to do.¡± Hansen gave a sneer, and he suddenly bent his head and kissed her!

    He had experienced how good it felt as early as that night. However, the more beautiful a woman was, the more she was good at disguise. He hated her very much!

    But this time it was almost impossible for her to get his tender treatment.

    Jenna felt a great deal of physical pain during the intercourse, and she felt heartburn. She used to be infatuated with him, but he only treated her coldly and rudely.

    This night was just a deal! Jenna knew it very well!

    Since there were some things that must be paid, then she should be happy, so she was painful and joyful! What¡¯s more, she had always loved the man in front of her!

    When Jenna gradually regained consciousness, it was already early in the morning, and Jenna felt a tearing pain all over her body!

    She trembled and got up to put on her clothes neatly. She frowned in pain, but she disguised with a fake smile.

    Jenna had a bright eyes that narrowed when she smiled, which made everyone like her.

    Just like now, although her family was broken up, even she and Hansen,who she had loved before, was no more than flirting, she still smiled calmly.

    Hansen was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, with the faint yellow light shining on him. His tall and straight back looked a little lonely, and his eyes were deep and indifferent!

    Was it finally over? Jenna felt rxed, but her heart was so heavy that she could not breathe! The future would be very difficult, and all this was just the beginning. There were still many things she had to do¡­

    ¡°Can I leave now?¡± Jenna said to Hansen word by word with a cold look on her face.

    After a few steps, she turned her head again. She raised the check in her hand and smiled at Hansen Richards, who was staring at her with no expression on his face, ¡°Goodbye, my ex-husband!¡±

    Jenna waved at him gracefully and left lightly.

    Hansen¡¯s body was a little stiff, and his eyes were very gloomy!

 Chapter 2 Shameless Kinship!

    In thergest hospital in A City, the white sheet set Sara Garver¡¯s face terribly pale. She frowned even as she was in aa and her face was full of horror.

    Jenna Murphy¡¯s face was haggard, and she held her mother¡¯s hand tightly. Her slender fingers were white in effort, and she clenched her teeth, feeling sad!

    The operation was very sessful, andSara¡¯slife had been saved!

    In order not to dy the best time for treatment, Jenna begged Director Harris, a good friend of her father¡¯s, in the past few days. She promised that she would pay back the money in time, then the hospital agreed to operate on her mother.

    It was just that after the operation, her mother had been in aa!

    Jenna was devastated when she thought of all this, but she suppressed the desire to cry. She turned and walked outside. she needed to go home to get a change of clothes.

    The 28th floor of Heartfly Community.

    The bell rang, awakening Jenna¡¯s almost decadent will. She walked out of the elevator in a daze, and severalrge suitcases were thrown out of the door. The house was aze with lights, and there were several people in it.

    What was going on?

    Jenna was stunned and her heart beat faster. She ran a few steps into the living room.

    In the well-decorated, wide living room, uncle James Murphy¡¯sfamily was looking around the living room, and everyone was very excited.

    ¡°Daddy, I have never dreamed that such a gorgeous house will belong to us from now on.¡± Minnie Murphy was very excited, and her face, which looked a little like Jenna, was full of greed and vulgarity. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and she smiledfortably and happily.

    ¡°Yeah, it never urred to me that there would be such a good thing.¡± James agreed with a smile.

    ¡°Dad, mom, Minnie, look who¡¯s there?¡± William Murphy suddenly cried out in horror.

    Everyone¡¯s head instantly turned to Jenna, who was standing at the Hidden Latch. Her face was as pale as snow, and she looked weak. She looked at them calmly and sharply.

    ¡°Well, Jenna, you¡¯re here.¡± James Murphy was stunned for a while, then he came to himself and smiled awkwardly, ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, okay, I have something to tell you.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s mouth curved into a cold smile.

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s like this. Your father died in a car ident. ording to the ancestral system of the Murphy family, theMurphy family¡¯sproperty has always been handed down to man, so these houses, stock and some property can only be given to William.¡± James exined without shame.

    ¡°Really? But mywyer told me that this is my father¡¯s property, which should belong to me. You are forcing me to do so. Please leave now, or I will call the police.¡± Jenna raised her eyebrows, looking cold, and her tone was harsh.

    Would she be scared of them?

    Of course not!

    Jenna had always been different!

    When her father was alive, he supported James¡¯s family selflessly. But now her father died just a few days ago. And they hade to invade her property, and they came with great pomp to plot her fortune! Jenna was very disappointed.From N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Jenna Murphy, don¡¯t be ungrateful. It¡¯s your honor to talk to us now. Let me tell you, My father¡¯s name is written on the property ownership certificate of this house! All your property should belong to us! If you are not convinced, you can call the police. I¡¯m afraid that the police wille at that time, you will be the one who is driven out of the vi because of the trespassing.¡± Minnie stepped forward with a big smile on her face, staring at Jenna with herbeautiful eyes and saying triumphantly.

    Sure enough, they had already nned everything, andJenna had no chance to resist at all!

    Jenna finally understood what a real shameless person was!

    Anger surged in her heart, and her hands clenched and then loosen.

    Her father Javon¡¯s portrait was ced in the middle of the living room. He had big eyes and bushy eyebrows and a loving smile on his face!

    Jenna¡¯s eyes turned red the moment she saw her father¡¯s face. She felt a lump in her throat and felt like a knife was cutting it in her heart.

    In front of the dark red TV cab, Jenna carefully picked up her father¡¯s portrait and gently touched it. Hansen¡¯s contempt and coldness suddenly appeared in her mind.

    Fortunately, even when her father passed away, he still didn¡¯t know her marriage with Hansen was in name only. That made her feel more at ease, at least her father rested in peace!

    The melodious ringtone of the mobile phone rang out of time!

    ¡°Hello,¡± Jenna habitually said.

    ¡°Half an hourter, I want you to be in my office.¡± Hansen¡¯s deep maic voice was always so overbearing.

    Didn¡¯t they already got divorced? Why should he boss around! Jenna snorted in her heart, but a bright smile appeared on her face. She asked in a sweet voice,

    ¡°Hansen, what is it you want to see me about?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s voice was soft but loud enough for everyone in the living room to hear clearly.

    In an instant, the living room was so quiet that even the sound of a needle falling to the ground could be heard.

    Jenna seemed to be able to hear their flustered heartbeats, and a disdainful sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°What do you think, my ex-wife? Don¡¯t you want this divorce certificate? Or you want to use it as a chip to get money from me?¡± Hansen¡¯s words were full of sarcasm. Jenna¡¯s heart suddenly tightened, her face turned pale, and soon she regained herposure. She smiled sweetly and said, ¡°Hansen, wait for me, I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±

    After saying that, she hung up quickly!

    The expression of James¡¯s family changed, and Minnie¡¯s face was full of jealousy!

    He was Hansen, the president of the Richards Group. He was one of the top ten influential figures on the world¡¯s wealth list. He was a famous young talent! In A City, he was the only one who had great power. He could get everything he wanted!

    Of course, they couldn¡¯t afford to offend such a person!

    However, those with discerning eyes knew the rtionship between Jenna and Hanse was titr. They had already nned to hit her when she was down.

    But Jenna was talking to Hansen intimately just now. Was it a rumor?

    ¡°Of course, that apartment belongs to you and your mother. You can live well in the future. I¡¯ll help you if there is any difficulty. After all, we are still family.¡± James smiled and threw the real estate certificate of the apartment in the suburbs to her.

    ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you still the wife of the president of the Richards Group? This bagatelle matters nothing to you.And after all, you¡¯re still a member of our Murphy family. You should think more about us if you have any benefits in the future.¡± William¡¯s mother was also taking pleasure in her misfortune and said shamelessly.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were as sharp as a knife, and she sneered coldly!

    ¡°Auntie, uncle, I¡¯ll give you three months to return all the things you¡¯ve taken from my father to me. Otherwise, we¡¯ll meet in court. Don¡¯t me me for being merciless.¡± She held her father¡¯s portrait in both hands and looked at their eyes coldly. Her voice was cold. She was not cowardly, but calm, which made them more panicked and dare not to look at her. They all avoided her eyes.

    Jenna picked up the apartment property ownership certificate on the ground and held her father¡¯s portrait tightly. She took her luggage and left step by step while they looked at each other.

    She was very hurt, and hatred filled her heart.

    Love, family affection, all disappeared. Her expression was so calm. Her body seemed to have run out of strength.

    She was not afraid of them, and she knew how to protect herself, but she really didn¡¯t have much energy to think about it now. After all, these were not the most important things. What¡¯s more, they had already proved the truth. Now for her, what she needed was patience and time!

 Chapter 3 Humiliation and Heartbroken

    ¡°Lady, who are you looking for? Do you have an appointment?¡±

    Jenna had just arrived at the reception when Hansen¡¯s secretary asked coldly and arrogantly.

    Jenna felt sad. After being married to Hansen for many years, no one knew that she was the wife of the president, and no one recognized her. Even for this ce, she had never stepped foot in. Today she was here, but she was to get the divorce certificate.

    ¡°I was invited by Hansen.¡± Jenna¡¯s voice was cold. They all bullied the weak and feared the strong.

    Sure enough, when the secretary heard the name of Hansen, she hurriedly picked up the phone.

    ¡°Lady, please go in.¡± Soon, the secretary smiled, and she politely waved her hand at Jenna.

    Jenna walked past her and went straight to the president¡¯s office.

    Inside the luxurious office with a frame, the windows were bright and the tables were clean. It was very unique.

    Hansen was a very tasteful man. His life had always been exquisite and delicate. Although the frame of the office was luxurious, it was not vulgar at all.

    The red wide desk was on one side. In the opposite beige leather sofa, Hansen leaned back on the sofa. Aria McAdams, who had a delicate figure, was sitting on his thigh, with her hands around his neck, and her whole chest was attached to his broad chest.

    The two of them were passionately kissing each other.

    Jenna was stunned. Her whole body trembled. It turned out that the reason why he specially asked her toe to the office to get the divorce certificate was just to humiliate her.

    Feeling sore and ufortable in her heart, she turned around and was about to leave.

    ¡°Stop.¡± Hansen shouted coldly. Although he kissed with Aria as if there was no one else, he had seen Jenna.

    Jenna¡¯s heart hurt, and her footsteps were so heavy that she couldn¡¯t take a step.

    ¡°Babe, you go out first.¡± Hanse finally ended this hot kiss. His long arm fell on the waist of Aria, and his big hand moved restlessly.

    ¡°Why, honey?¡± Aria was well-behaved and gentle, pouted her mouth and acting cute.

    ¡°Be obedient.¡± Hansen frowned slightly and said in a colder tone, ¡°I have something else to do. I¡¯ll take you to pick up your father¡¯s giftster.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Aria opened her eyes wide and her eyes were full of excitement. She was overjoyed and stood up obediently.

    Hansen really agreed to see her father. In this case, he agreed to marry her! Aria blushed with happiness on her beautiful cheeks. Her eyes were bright. Finally, this day wasing.

    Hansen smiled slightly, but his eyes turned to Jenna.

    Aria¡¯s heart was like filled with honey and she left with satisfaction. When she passed by Jenna, she raised her head and looked disdainful.

    Soon, there were only two of them left in the office.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was already numb with disappointment.The strong scent of Aria has persisted, as if it were a reminder of what had happened.

    Jenna was very ufortable and felt a little dizzy.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the thing?¡± She calmed herself down and stretched out her hand. She just wanted to end it as soon as possible and avoid being humiliated! She didn¡¯t want to stay in this ce any longer.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Hansen smiled evilly and stood up gracefully from the sofa, slowly approaching her. His handsome face was full of inquiries, and ridicule, ¡°You are in such a hurry to divorce. Have you already found your lover?¡±

    Jenna was angry in her heart, but she smiled sweetly. Looking at the slight smile on his mouth, she suddenly wanted to p him. It was he who forced her to divorce all the time, but now it turned out to be her anxiety.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we are no longer rted. Please respect me.¡± She was expressionless. Her eyes were as cold as ice, and her voice was hard. This was the first time for her to speak so harshly to him in all these years.

    Hansen was shocked for a moment, and his eyes darkened, How dare Jenna talked to him like this? But soon he realized they had divorced. His throat was slightly tight, and a trace of loss shed in his heart.

    He stared at her with burning eyes, rememberingst night, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep with me again tonight? How much do you need? I¡¯ll satisfy you.¡± His majestic body came closer and closer. He held her delicate chin with his fingers and smiled evilly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it!¡± Jenna nimbly shed and avoided his touch. Her face turnedpletely pale. She was trembling all over and said in a harsh tone, ¡°Give me the certificate.¡±

    B*stard, even if they got divorced, he would not forget to humiliate her.

    Falling in love with him was her disaster in this life!

    The delicate woman in front of him avoided him as if she was avoiding the jinx, which made Hansen very ufortable.

    It had always been a woman who took the initiative to flirt with him. Although Jenna in front of him looked delicate and weak, she was always calm and indifferent, which made him feel vexed.

    He slowly walked to the desk, picked up the divorce certificate that he had prepared, and handed it to Jenna. He said coldly, ¡°Remember, if you tell grandma what happened between us, I won¡¯t forgive you. You should know what I am capable of.¡±

    Threatened? Jenna was cold but quick! Grandma was the most respected person for Hansen. At that time, he was also ordered by his grandmother to marry her.

    She turned around and blinked her bright eyes, which were full of determination. She smiled calmly and raised her eyebrows, saying, ¡°Mr. Richard, you think too highly of yourself. From now on, we will be passers-by.I won¡¯t interfere with you.¡±

    She reached out her hand to grab the divorce certificate in his hand, turned around, and left, leaving a decisive back for him.

    As soon as the elevator door was closed, Jenna¡¯s disguise disappeared in an instant. She was so sad that she could not stand up straight. She squatted down and buried her face in her palm, and her tears burst out.

    Her heart still hurt.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t yield to fate, you have to face up to difficulties in adversity!¡± Javon¡¯s words lingered in her ears.

    Jenna gradually regained consciousness from the pain and numbness in her heart.

    The dazzling light came, and the elevator door slowly opened.

    The tall figure shed in. It was familiar. The strong hormones lingered in the narrow elevator, which made her so panicked that she raised her head.

    Hansen¡¯s gloomy and handsome face appeared in front of her.

    After a moment of shock, Jenna was about to run away in a hurry.

    Hansen¡¯s powerful big hand quickly grabbed her arm. Jenna was very thin, as if it would break as soon as her arms were pulled. The strength in his hand was unconsciously softened and constrained her in front of his chest. Their breaths were connected, and he could smell her unique fragrance. He hesitated, but there was a trace of anger in his heart. She was obviously such a fragile woman, but she was more proud and cold than anyone else!

    ¡°Half a monthter, it¡¯s grandmother¡¯s 90th birthday. Grandma clearly wants to see you. I hope you cane.¡± Hansen hesitated, and his tone was a little stiff.

    Was this asking her for help?N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.

    Hansen didn¡¯t know what Jenna did to charmed grandma. Today, his grandma actually to tell him that she was going to see Jenna at her birthday party.

    He respected his grandmother very much and did not want to go against her will. After all, she was already 90 years old. So he deliberately asked her to get the divorce certificate. In fact, he was begging her. All in all, they had already divorced.

    ¡°Please let go of me.¡± Jenna frowned slightly and turned her face to avoid his breath as much as possible. She felt sad. She had been married for so many years, and he had never been so active to approach her. Now she was divorced. For his grandmother, he was begging her. Jenna said, ¡°You should let Aria go. In any case, the truth wille to light.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s beautiful face was pale and thin, and her eyes were desperate and cold. The words she said were indifferent and decisive.

    She was sad and desperate. At the moment when the elevator door opened, Hansen saw a fragile and sad Jenna. Over the years, he treated her like nobody and never paid attention to her. But at that moment just now, he could feel her sadness.

    He let go of her hand unconsciously and took a step back.

    Jenna ran away as if she had escaped from him.

    She stumbled away, and she seemed to fall down the next second.

    Hansen suddenly had a concern in his heart, ¡°Did something happen to her?¡±

    ¡°You deserve it, Jenna Murphy! It serves you right to be sad.¡± Then the sudden hatred rising from his heart covered up the inexplicable worry.

 Chapter 4 Conspiracy and Doubt

    In the night ofA city, the dazzling lights reflected the halo in the night sky, and the starlight was sparkling. The pedestrians on the street passed by in a hurry.

    Jenna strolled along the busy street, lost in thought.

    The wide LCD screen on the business square was ying the scene of beautiful and sexy Aria being interviewed alone, which attracted everyone¡¯s attention.

    In the past three years in America, she could know from some exclusive entertainment magazines that there was a woman stay with Hansen, who was Aria. Aria had been with him for three years. To be exact, after she had left, Aria was with him.

    She, Aria, and Hansen were all ssmates of University C!

    During university, Aria was a famous beauty. She was sexy, beautiful and enchanting. She was the dream lover of all men. However, Jenna always disliked her and felt that she was hypocritical and scheming. So Jenna didn¡¯t want to have too much contact with her.

    But at that time, Aria was very enthusiastic about her. For a period of time, they almost became good friends who told each other everything!

    Jenna felt a stabbing pain in her heart. She did not understand why Aria woulde to Hansen¡¯s side.

    ¡°Miss McAdams, I heard that you¡¯re the lover of Hansen Richards,the president of the Richards Group. You¡¯ve been with him and support him secretly for three years. Is that true?¡±

    Aria smiled nomittally and gently opened her red lips, ¡°Please leave us some private space, thank you!¡±

    ¡°Miss McAdams, can you tell us which stage your rtionship with Mr. Richards is in? Is it true that you have got a marriage certificate in Ennd?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Let¡¯s not talk about my rtionship today. Please pay attention to the press conference of the Richards Group.¡± Aria smiled sweetly and said charmingly.

    ¡°Miss McAdams, I heard that you¡¯re going to enter the entertainment circle. Is that true?¡±

    Aria smiled generously, ¡°It will happen when it happens. If the time is right, it may be possible!¡±

    ¡­

    Jenna breathed a sigh of relief, and the light shed away in her eyes.She turned away from the screen.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, you have to be prepared. There are a lot of doubtful points in this car ident. I am afraid it will be difficult to get any results in a short time.¡±Lawyer Boltonfrowned and said with a heavy expression.

    Jenna¡¯s hands were slightly clenched, trying to keep calm.

    Her father, Javon, the Minister of Finance of A city, was a famous figure in the officialdom not long ago. But on the night before the election of the head of the Finance Department, on the way home, his car was knocked over by a strange luxury car that suddenly rushed over.

    The news report was just a brief introduction, and even no one knew that the person in the car ident was Javon,the candidate of the future director of the Ministry of Finance.

    Such a miserable car ident has gone unnoticed!

    Obviously, this was a deliberate cover-up, and all media news was blocked.

    This was definitely a conspiracy!

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were full of caution, and her nails sank into the flesh, but she felt no pain.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, it¡¯s a pity that you father can¡¯te back to life after death.¡± Lawyer Wang¡¯s words were heavy and helpless, ¡°Without definite evidence, the police can¡¯t get involved.¡±This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    The blue sky and white clouds outside the window were beautiful like always, but Jenna seemed to be suffering in the living hell, and her heart was full of endless bitterness.

    Her father was very upright, and there was not much savings in her family. From childhood to adulthood, her father had strict requirements on her, and he did not give her much material enjoyment.But her father taught her a lifelong lesson in how to behave. Her reserved words and deeds, cheerful and lively personality, and calm style of doing things were all formed by her father¡¯s influence.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, we can only see an unlicensed luxury car on the police¡¯s surveince camera!¡± Lawyer Bolton opened the folder, took out a photo from it, and handed it to her.

    Jenna took the photo with trembling hands, and her fingers seemed to be stiff due to the force of bending.

    Her bright eyes filled with tears.

    She fixed her eyes on it. In the photo, her father¡¯s car was knocked over and blood was all over the ground!

    Tears rolled down her face silently, blurring her eyes. She stared at the photo with her eyes wide open, not wanting to let go of any suspicious details!

    Suddenly a chill rose from the bottom of her heart, and her eyes were fixed on the luxury car, which looked so familiar!

    Her face quickly turned pale!

    Others didn¡¯t know about this luxury car, but she remembered that it had appeared on the day of her marriage!Even though the color of the car had changed and the license te was gone, but she still recognized it.

    It was a car produced by the Richards Group overseas. It was a limited edition luxury panica, and there were only five in the world. Two of them were in A city, and one was in the Richards Group.

    Could all this have something to do with Hansen Richards?

 Chapter 5 A Beautiful Female Designer

    Jenna stood up in shock!

    Based on Hansen¡¯s hatred for her, what could he not do? And all of this showed that only powerful people could control this conspiracy!

    Obviously, Hansen had the right to do so!

    Jenna suddenly felt cold all over, curled up into a ball, and her face was as pale as paper.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, what¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡± Lawyer Bolton asked worriedly when he saw Jenna¡¯s pale face and trembling body.

    After a long time, Jenna shook her head silently, and the light in her eyes was no longer dim. There was a zing light in her eyes, and her long eyshes were slightly trembling, covering up all her thoughts.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, if this is really what you did, I will never forgive you, and I will make you pay for it.¡± Jenna¡¯s mouth curved into a cold smile.

    In the conference hall on the 88th floor of the ptial Triumph International Hotel.

    Hansen, wearing an expensive suit, sat in the chief seat. His sharp and deep eyes fixed on the scene on the projector.

    An SUV noble model with smooth elegant lines appeared on the Superwide projector screen in all directions.

    All the executives of theRichards Groupsat respectfully, looking straight forward and silent.

    Hansen, who was at work, was no longer impetuous. He was very serious and pursed his mouth. He was gentle and elegant.

    However, he was strict with thepany¡¯s executives. The staff of the RichardsGrouphad a deep understanding of it. They must be very careful in doing things without a single mistake, or they will be demoted in sry and position. In Hansen¡¯s opinion, there were only employees who were serious about their work and there was no subordinate who could only tter. He knew how to make good use of others and the employees could only be judged by their achievements.

    It was because of this that the Richards Group was growing so powerful under Hansen¡¯s leadership that no one couldpare to it.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, ording to the investigation, this modern SUV car is thetest design of the car designer of Jing Rui Company in the American headquarters. As soon as it is on the market, it has been popr with the people in Europe and America. The order has reached more than 100 million yuan.¡± Perrie Peterswho was wearing professional suits, reported clearly and skillfully.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Mr. Richards.The car quickly became a global hit and its sales are steadily in the first ce. It¡¯s more popr than our new model.¡± Jose Trenton, the assistant, said nervously and worriedly.

    Hansen¡¯s eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and no emotion could be seen on his expressionless face. He stared at the car on the projector and lost in his thought.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    As soon as he saw the car, his eyes lit up and a smile of approval appeared on his face. The design of this car was really wonderful!He was fascinated by the car.

    For a long time, he had never found a car model that he was satisfied with, but when he saw this design, hepletely understood!

    ¡°What kind of a person is this designer?¡± He looked calm. After pondering for a while, he gently opened his mouth,

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it is very surprising that this designer is actually a female. It is said that she is very young and beautiful.¡± Jose did not hide his inner surprise, appreciation, and his young and handsome face was full of worship.

    ¡°A female?¡± Hansen leaned forward slightly, feeling extremely surprised. He pointed at the meeting table with his finger, and then he looked at the screen again with his deep and divine eyes.

    A young and beautiful woman could design such a noble and generous car, and could also cater to the admiration of men to the car. Such a woman should have a lot of ideas. Hansen stared at the perfect car, and he was thinking about something.

    It had to be said that the appearance of this model was smooth, which was his style. It almost exined the model of the car in his ideal.

    What kind of woman could have such talent?

    ¡°This car has a good name called modern Adia. It¡¯s given by the designer. It¡¯s said that she designed it for her beloved man.¡± Perrie exined seriously, ¡°Coincidentally, she is from A city. Now she has returned to A city.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Hansen had an idea. He raised his head slightly, and there was a mysterious expression on his side face.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see her in three days.¡± There was a sh of light in his eyes. He held the back of the soft chair with his fingers, leaned back, and opened his mouth slightly.

    Hansen had a unique sense ofmercial information. ording to his intuition, this female designer would be a rare talent. Now, although there were many cars in the Richards Group, there were not many products that could really catch the eyes of the public. Now that the Richards Group was in the period of transition, he couldn¡¯t miss such an opportunity.

    Whatever he wanted, he would get. What¡¯s more, no one could resist the temptation of a big sum of money.

    The Moon River Mansion was quiet and deste.

    Jenna had stayed here for a whole day. She curled up in front of her father¡¯s tombstone. Her heart was broken, she was painful and sad.

    She sat still, like an ice sculpture in the snow, as if it would melt into water at any time.

    ¡°Daddy, I can¡¯t make Hansen fall in love with me. He will never love me. We are divorced.¡± Her voice was small and weak, like a mosquito buzzing. Jenna¡¯s lips were dry and cracked. She hadn¡¯t eaten or drunk for a day and night. She didn¡¯t feel hungry at all. She could only feel heart hurt.

    ¡°Daddy, I don¡¯t want to tell mommy, I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll be sad.¡± Jenna opened her dry lips and said hoarsely, ¡°Daddy, I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with him anymore, and I don¡¯t want to see him anymore. But, the car that hit you to death belongs to the Richards Group. I know the car. I can¡¯t be wrong. I can¡¯t let you die for injustice. Only by working in the Richards Group, can I have the opportunity to find out the truth. No matter who killed you, I will make him pay the price!¡±

    Her fingers were tightly holding the cold tombstone, and blood flowed down from her tender white hands. Drops of blood dripped on the white marble, and she bit her red lips until they turned white.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to, I don¡¯t want to do this, but he is a devil.¡± She cried in a low and depressed voice, and there were no tears in her dry eyes.

    Even if she was humiliated and was treated like nothing, she could take it. But no matter what, she couldn¡¯t bear him kill her respectful father, her closest person in the world!

    She buried her head deeply on her knees and wept.

    She was almost sure that if it wasn¡¯t him, it would be someone connected to the Richards Group! And who else would hate her except him?

    The sunset was very red in the evening.

    She stood up slowly, her thin fingers brushing the hair on her forehead, and her pale face was full of determination.

    She gently took out her mobile phone from her bag and made a phone call.

    ¡°Mr. Trenton? I promise you.¡± Her eyes were cold, but her voice was soft and generous.

    ¡°Well, very good.¡± Jose¡¯s excited voice came from the other end of the phone, ¡°Miss Murphy, I will report to Mr. Richards immediately. Thepany will send a car to pick you up tomorrow. Mr. Richards will meet you personally.¡±

    Jenna sneered, and replied softly, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Having married Hansen for many years, she knew that he liked the car. In order to suit his tastes, she also fell in love with the car. She was all alone for many lonely days. Only these cold car models apanied her. She devoted herself to the design of the car. She wanted to design a car that Hansen wanted to drive, maybe in this way, he would notice her.

    Of course, a luxury car was matched with a proud and noble man like Hansen. During the three years in America, she devoted herself to the study of men¡¯s preference. Finally, she got the essence!

    Every time people looked at her with all kinds of puzzled eyes, she smiled slightly. Of course, a woman learning the design of a car seemed to be unusual, but she didn¡¯t care about others¡¯ thinking.

    She wanted to design a unique car for her beloved man, which made him surprised, appreciative and even fall in love with her.

    She really did it!

    The car she designed not only caused a sensation all over the world but also attracted his attention. He wanted to hire her, but she didn¡¯t love him anymore.

    She didn¡¯t know what he should think when he saw that the person he wanted to hire was her. A mocking smile appeared on Jenna¡¯s face, and her eyes were cold.

    ¡°I¡¯ll only stay here for three months. Don¡¯t worry, daddy.¡± Jenna once again crouched down and stroked her father¡¯s smiling face on the tombstone, muttering¡­

    The spacious office was elegant and noble, which was very consistent with Jenna¡¯s character.

    Jenna was wearing a pure white professional suit. The long skirt made her figure more graceful. Her waterfall-like hair naturally hung down on her shoulders. Her smooth skin was shining like jade, and there was a confident and decent smile on her face. She looked gentle and refined.

    She stood in front of therge floor-to-ceiling windows on the 86th floor and looked into the distance.

    Once again, she stepped into the Richards Group. She had be the female designer of The Richards Group, who was honored as a distinguished guest.

    The work card on the dark red desk bore the ¡°Chief Designer Jenna¡±, which was respectable.

    There were a light and polite knock on the door.

    There was a sh of malicious light in her bright eyes in a sh. Her voice was indifferent and warm,

    ¡°Come in, please.¡±

    The smart and capablePerrie came in.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, do you like this office?¡± Perrie asked with a smile on her face. For some reason, she always felt that this elegant and beautiful young designer in front of her, although her smile was gentle, she had a chill that kept people at arm¡¯s length.Perrie did not dare to get close to Jenna. But after all Jenna was a female designer hired by the Richards Group at a high price. She did not dare to offend Jenna at will, otherwise, President Richards would fire her.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, this is what President Richards specially selected and arranged for you. President Richards said that you can design a model that all men are keen on, then you must be different. He thinks you are both intelligent and beautiful. President Richards appreciates you very much. He is afraid that you are not used to staying here, so he specially selected this office for you. We hope you will like it.¡± The shrewd and capableSpecialAssistant Peters¡¯s words were soft.

    Hansen personally set up an office for her? Jenna¡¯s heart beat faster, but her expression was calm and there was an invisible sarcasm at the corner of her mouth. If he knew that the talented designer was her, would he be furious?

    The designer he had spent so much effort to hire turned out to be his ex-wife, whom he had always looked down upon. He should be very angry.

    The corners of Jenna¡¯s mouth were slightly quirked up. He¡¯s got what he deserved.

    For the sake of thepany¡¯s interests, Jenna had no idea he would go to great lengths to cater to other people¡¯s preferences! Thinking about it, the Richards Group that he led could reach such a level that no one could reach today, it was also that he paid the hardships and efforts that ordinary people did not have, and came step by step.

    It was just that in the process of his business, she did not stand with him, nor did she support him. He only had the beautiful and sexy Aria by his side, and the person he loved was not her.

    She thought of his contemptuous eyes and felt upset again.

 Chapter 6 It Was You

    ¡°Miss, this is the first time that Mr. Richards has picked out an office for an employee.¡± Perrie spoke in a soft and alluring voice, then politely gestured for her to leave. ¡°Mr. Richards invited you to go to his office and discuss a few business matters as well as your contract.¡±

    Perrie ryed the real reason why she was here, then politely left the office.

    My contract? Jenna Murphy¡¯s face was cold as ice. She had no intention of signing onto the Richards Group. She only nned to stay here for three months. Once she got what she wanted, it might not even take three months for her to leave A city and the Richards Group forever, and to settle down in the United States with her mother.

    At the thought of settling down in the U. S., Jenna suddenly felt a strange pang of pain in her heart. She gently knitted her delicate wispy eyebrows together and let out a long and cool sigh. Then she calmed down and walked to Hansen Richards¡¯s office.

    His office was on the right of the 88th floor, upying half of the area.

    When Jenna appeared again in front of the secretary at the front desk, the secretary¡¯s eyes were full of amazement and confusion.

    The woman in front of her was beautiful and refined, and her elegance was revealed through her casually graceful movements. Although she was a little aloof, unlike how hot and sexy Aria McAdams was, President Richards seemed to be more into ice queens like her, judging by the women who often apanied him in recent years.

    She quickly picked up the phone.

    Jenna walked over calmly.

    The stately and majestic dark crimson office door was slightly ajar.

    Jenna took a deep breath and raised her small hand.

    ¡°Pleasee in.¡± A deep and attractive baritone voice spoke from the inside.

    Completely different from thest time, a pleasant and faint aroma greeted her as soon as she pushed open the door. It was the smell of genuine freshly-picked flowers. There were several bunches of brightly-colored flowers on the coffee table in the corner, they were gorgeous and wonderfully fragrant.

    Hansen was sitting in front of his desk and focused on the documents in his hands. His handsome and luxuriant ck hair was slicked back, and his sharp facial features were absolutely impable. He looked aristocratic and regal.

    A man like him was like a dazzling star in the sky. He would always be the center of attention no matter where and how he showed up.

    He was carefully examining the documents. His dark and dashing eyebrows were furrowed slightly from time to time, and his thin red lips werepressed into a good-looking line. Jenna had never seen him when he was working. Hansen was no doubt even more mature and attractive when he was like this.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment. She didn¡¯t expect her heart to still flutter when she saw him. D*mn it, how could she still feel this way? They had nothing to do with each other now.

    She sighed a little and shook her head. Then she entered with a light-footed walk and an indifferent expression.

    Hansen, who was buried in the documents, raised his handsome face just in time. He was a long-time professional who knew to remain alert.

    ¡°You? Why are you here?¡± His eyes instantly widened, and his beautiful thin lips parted out of indescribable shock.

    The silvery-white business suit made Jenna¡¯s pretty face look a little pale, but it also made her look a bit more delicately alluring.

    ¡°You have a good memory, President Richards. You invited me here, yet you are asking who I am. Looks like I am not wee here. I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± There was a sarcastic glint in Jenna¡¯s smiling eyes as she shrugged her shoulders and made a resigned face, then turned to leave.

    ¡°Stop.¡± Hansen came to his senses and growled, ¡°You¡¯re the designer?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why can¡¯t I be?¡± Jenna stopped and dramatically turned around. She looked into Hansen¡¯s astonished eyes and asked in a feisty tone.

    Hansen stood up in shock!

    How could this be possible? The person he wanted to hire was actually her!

    Turns out it was her. No wonder she was from A city! Why didn¡¯t he think of her at all? This was all too surprising! Hansen struggled to believe his own eyes.

    Jenna coldly watched his surprised expression and didn¡¯t say a word. She had fantasized about this day countless times, she had dreamed that he would be surprised and impressed by a car that she designed. But now that the day was finally here, she didn¡¯t feel happy at all. She didn¡¯t even want to see him in front of her!

    Even a man as experienced and knowledgeable as Hansen was shocked beyond disbelief.

    She was no longer the woman who lowered her head in front of him. She was no longer the woman who lived and crouched under his every breath. She was now a woman with her own pride. Like right now, she was a world-ss female designer who was headhunted and offered a huge pay to work with them!

    It felt like a dream, but it was real.

    Jenna had a professional smile on her face. She lowered her eyes and looked calm.

    Hansen stood three steps away from her. He was wearing an impable tailor-made suit on his statuesque body, which towered imposingly above her. He looked down at her with his 6 foot 2 stature and the regal air of a king, but he couldn¡¯t conceal the disbelief inside him.

    She had such a frail and petite body and a small little head, yet she could design a high-end car that would make countless men go crazy? Who was this woman? Her face was tiny, but her bright eyes shined like glittering stars that were sparkling with wisdom.

    He took a step back. A strange feeling surrounded his heart as he stared at her.

    She stood there indifferently, but coldness and hostility subtly radiated from her.

    She was by his side as his wife for so many years, yet he practically ignored her. He felt like he was meeting her for the first time today. What did he miss out?

    In an attempt to hide the panic in his heart, his tall and statuesque figure walked to the wine cab and took out an upside-down goblet. The scarlet liquid slowly poured down from the bottle. He elegantly picked up the wine ss and gently swayed it, before he raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.

    By the time he looked up again, there was already an enchanting smile on his face.

    He released the hovering anxiety in his heart, along with lingering yet hidden feelings at the bottom of it.

    Turns out she was doing good, not as terrible as he had imagined!

    She was back and working under him now. Fantastic. His lips curled slightly as he sneered on the inside, let¡¯s see if she¡¯s really that impressive!

    ¡°The Richards Group only hires outstanding talents. It doesn¡¯t matter who that person is.¡± Hansen lightly shook his index finger. There was an imperceptible smile on his lips. He acted just like a boss who was speaking to his subordinate. ¡°The most important thing is outstanding work from her in the future. You can rest assured that I will separate my professional life from my private life, and you are no exception. I judge my employees ording to their performance.¡±

    Hansen spoke in time as if to dispel Jenna¡¯s concerns, saving both of them a lot of trouble.

    Jenna loosened her grip fromthe hem of her clothes. She forced a smile on her face, but there was a trace of leftover fear in her heart. How could she achieve her goal if he decided to let her go just now?

    ¡°Please sit down! Let¡¯s talk about the contract.¡± Hansen gracefully sat down on the sofa and pointed to the seat next to him.

    Jenna nced at the seat beside him with her pretty eyes, hesitated for a moment, then sat down on the sofa opposite of him.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    She was indifferent, distant, but polite.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes darkened. She kept a distance from him as if he was a stranger to her, it was obvious that she had a grudge against him. A slight smile appeared on his lips.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there¡¯s no need to sign a contract right now. As far as I know, the employees of yourpany all have a three-month internship period beforehand. I don¡¯t think I should be an exception.¡± Jenna softly turned him down.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Hansen was very surprised. He slightly narrowed his long and handsome eyes and watched her with his deep gaze.

    The woman wasn¡¯t wearing any makeup on her delicate little face, but she still looked incredibly pure and beautiful. Her frail shoulders trembled slightly, and her skin was as white as snow. The determined and cunning glint in her clear and glistening eyes was especially attractive to him, and made his heart skip a beat.

    The wonderful images from that night suddenly shed through his mind. His entire body stiffened, and he felt like there was a fire burning inside his body. His throat was dry, and he was strangely restless.

    As a man who has been with countless women, he was secretly surprised that his ex-wife has aroused a primal desire inside of him from the moment she appeared. It almost made him lose control, and he couldn¡¯t feel this passionate emotion even when Aria threw herself onto him.

    He sat squarely and straightened his face to cover his embarrassment.

 Chapter 7 Negotiation and Flirtation

    ¡°Seems like you are eager to leave at any moment.¡± He stared at her and said coldly.

    Ha! Jenna Murphy secretly sneered. She would never have stepped into this room and faced this devil if she didn¡¯t have to, no matter how ceremoniously they invited her. She hated being near the man who killed her father. A cold glint shed across her eyes, and she felt a dull pain in her heart. She gritted her teeth and didn¡¯t say a word.

    The excitement surging in Hansen Richards¡¯s heart rapidly cooled down. His gloomy face was covered with frost, and his voice was scarily frigid. ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten days to design five luxury model cars that will impact the global market. One of them must surpass the Modern Idia. Can you do that?¡±

    He looked at her with his unreadable eyes as his thin lips slowly parted.

    Five models in ten days? Was he intentionally challenging her? Good ideas are inspired by everyday life, and it wasn¡¯t something that could be created overnight.

    Looking into his demanding and contemptuous eyes, Jenna knew that she had to knowingly walk into the trap.

    ¡°Yes I can.¡± She gritted her teeth and added emphatically, ¡°But you have to agree to my request as well.¡±

    Another request? How dare a subordinate make a request to the boss? Hansen was very displeased. He leaned against the back pillows as he tapped on it with his fingers, and his eyes were ice cold.

    Jenna did not look at him.

    The Whalen Overseas Group was the Richards Group¡¯s biggestpetitor in product globalization. The Whalen Group has be more powerful than the Richards Group in the global market thanks to the extreme poprity of the Modern Idia, which was designed by Jenna. But the famously ambitious Richards Group was not going to back off because of that.

    The uing press conference was basically an attempt to challenge the Whalen Group. As far as she knew, the Richards Group currently didn¡¯t have any spectacr model cars that could win over the global market at the moment.

    She wasn¡¯t worried at all that Hansen would refuse!

    ¡°There are two limited edition Panika luxury cars manufactured overseas by the Richards family that are in A city. I want them.¡± She said calmly without missing a beat, but her eyes were fixed on his handsome face, determined to catch every single one of his micro expressions.

    If what happened to her father really had something to do with him, there¡¯s no way that he could hide it perfectly without flustering at all.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were calm, but his pupils contracted ever so slightly. Sparks of light bursted through his inky pupils like lightning among stormy dark clouds. He leaned forward and closed his fingers in his palms. The cold and silent light in his eyes gradually became less harsh, and took on a tinge of curiosity. The muscles on his face rxed, and a faint smile shed across it.

    Other than his usual detachment, there wasn¡¯t any kind of notable loss ofposure on his face. If anything, he looked incredibly calm!

    Jenna was a little disappointed, but also a little hopeful at the same time. To be honest, she didn¡¯t want to believe that Hansen would really be so vicious and cruel. There was no reason for him to be that heartless, even if he hated her.

    He lit a cigar and took a few long drags. His handsome face was partly hidden by the smoke, his eyes were dark, and his expression was unreadably silent.

    Jenna¡¯s chest suddenly tightened. She couldn¡¯t see through him!

    Jenna heard his deep and sonorous voice calmly cutting through the tense confrontation, ¡°I¡¯ll agree to that.¡±

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Jenna let out a sigh of relief and choked on his smoke, so she coughed softly.

    ¡°Very well, I hope that our coboration will be pleasant.¡± She smiled, stood up, and turned around to leave.

    An arm that was strong as iron suddenly wrapped around her slender waist, immediately stopping her movement.

    A spark of anger shed in her eyes, and she red at him.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s lips curled into an enigmatic smile, and his hand was still around her waist. He looked down at her with unfathomable eyes.

    Jenna didn¡¯t expect him to treat his employee so disrespectfully in his work ce. She had heard that he was a very stern and serious boss, but it looked like she believed those rumors too easily. She was so shocked that she opened her red lips and was about to throw a fit at him.

    But he pressed his burning hot lips against her rosy lips and aggressively stole her breath in the blink of an eye!

    Her nostrils were filled with the scent that she was once madly obsessed with, and she instantly felt woozy. She struggled, but he only tightened his grasp. He greedily took in all of her soft fragrance and charming beauty.

    Jenna¡¯s head was buzzing, and it was bing more and more difficult for her to breathe. She felt like that her chest was going to explode. What made her angrier was that she was still obsessed with his smell, even now. Her subconscious mind wasn¡¯t resisting him at all, she didn¡¯t even want to push him away.

    ¡°If you¡¯re so capable, why did you ask for such a huge sum of money from me in the first ce? Or are you just a greedy and fickle woman by nature?¡± After a long while, he finally left her lips and enjoyed the aftertaste, but his words were full of ridicule.

    His flippant words were vicious and it violently cut into Jenna¡¯s fragile heart. Her head instantly cleared up. He was just humiliating and ying with her. A sh of anger appeared in her icy eyes and she forcefully pushed him away.

    ¡°Please behave yourself, Hansen Richards. You will regret it if you humiliate me again.¡± Jenna was extremely upset as she shouted at him and rushed out of the door.

    ¡°I will regret it? Haha.¡± Hansen snorted, and the corners of his lips curved into an attractive smile. Her threat was as scary as a tickle. He watched her frantically run out of the room, and a hint of mischief glimmered in his eyes.

    He crossed his arms and thought for a moment. Then he walked to his desk and dialed the phone. ¡°Send AlvinRobertsonin.¡±

    A few minutester, a tall man with bronze skin and sharp eyes walked in.

    ¡°Greetings, Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Alvin, I need you to go to the United States right now. Find out about the three years that the designer spent in America and make a detailed report of it.¡± Hansen looked in the direction where Jenna left and gave a clear set of orders.

    ¡°Yes sir, I¡¯m going to book a flight right away.¡± Alvin Robertson nodded and quickly left.From N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen sat down on the sofa again, but his mind was somewhat dazed. This woman has seemingly changed to an unbelievable degree during her three-year absence from his life.

    Or has she not even changed at all? Did he underestimate her in the past?

    Did he really miss out on something?

    Jenna anxiously rushed back to the office and ran into the bathroom. She put her hands on the smooth marble sink and looked up at herself in the mirror.

    Her cheeks were scarlet red, and the rosy lips that were kissed by him looked beautiful and alluring, his scent even lingered on them!

    God d*mn it. She desperately washed her lips over and over again.

    How, how could she let him kiss her? There was nothing left between them.

    She couldn¡¯t let him touch her ever again. This was her principle and her pride. They had nothing to do with each other anymore. The only reason why she came here today was to find the murderer who killed her father, that was all!

    His mocking and condescending eyes shed before her, and she felt a sharp pang of pain in her heart. How could she be so cheap?

    She spent the entire morning in a state of anxiety. She was staring at the model car on herputer screen, but her thoughts were a jumbled mess. She was supposed to design five model cars that would impact the world within ten days. Could she really do it when she felt so terrible?

    Jenna caressed her cheeks, which were still burning hot. She ran into the bathroom and turned on the fancy and spotless sink faucet so she could ssh her face with cold water. Then she wiped it dry and put on some light makeup to go out for lunch first.

 Chapter 8 Know Your Place, F*ck off From the Richards Group

    There was the crisp sound of high heels stepping on the floor. It sounded urgent and loud, mixed with arrogance and brashness.

    Jenna Murphy frowned slightly when she heard this unusual sound of high heels hitting the ground.

    The strong fragrance of expensive imported perfume drifted into the room, and Jenna looked up.

    Aria McAdams¡¯s sexy and beautiful figure walked in. She was wearing a rose-colored short pencil dress, and it had a deep plunge in the middle that almost reached her navel, making her look erotic and alluring. Her long and wavy luscious blonde hair was casually draped over her shoulders, and her hot and plump red lips were sensual to the extreme.

    Her skinny high-heels lengthened and slimmed down her body shape. With her striking attractiveness, she was fitting for the title of the woman behind Hansen Richards, the president of the powerful Richards Group.

    Aria¡¯s face was arrogant but her eyes were gloomy. She bore into Jenna with her cold and disdainful eyes.

    ¡°Why did youe to work at the Richards Group, Jenna Murphy?¡± Aria haughtily and petntly demanded an answer. She looked extremely angry with her flushed cheeks, and her narrow eyes red menacingly.

    She looked like she was going to swallow Jenna alive!

    Jenna avoided her contemptuous eyes and smiled coldly, then sat down on the sofa in front of her desk before she replied casually, ¡°Is there a problem, Ms. McAdams?¡±

    Aria had a very special position in the Richards Group. Everyone knew about her rtionship with Hansen, and therefore no one dared to offend her openly.

    Of course Jenna knew that she was arrogant and confident because Hansen had her back, but she had also heard that Aria was indeed a great help to the Richards Group back in the day. When the Richards Group was stuck in a precarious situation three years ago, she secretly used her father¡¯s connections to staunchly support Hansen and managed to stabilize the steady decline of the Richards Group¡¯s stock market shares, giving Hansen room to breathe.

    Hansen¡¯s affections for her didn¡¯te out of nowhere.

    ¡°You need to understand that Hansen has never loved you, and even hated you. I know you still love Hansen, so give up. You two are divorced, it¡¯s all over now, Hansen would never fall in love with you. He is going to marry me soon, because we have always been deeply in love with each other. You really shouldn¡¯t havee back to work here. If you have any brain cells left, know your ce and f*ck off immediately.¡± Aria was perturbed by Jenna¡¯s indifference and shouted furiously at her.

    Jenna¡¯s heart twitched, as if it was sliced by a knife and rubbed with salt. The pain made chills run through her body and stuffed up her throat.

    She was telling the truth. Hansen had never loved her, he loved Aria.

    There was a frosty glint in Jenna¡¯s bright eyes, and her expression was callous. ¡°Oh, I forgot to tell you that I was headhunted by the Richards Group to work here as a designer. Hansen wanted me to work here. So you should ask President Richards about this or ask him to fire me. I¡¯m at your disposal.¡±

    Her eyes were extremely calm and there was a lighthearted glimmer in them, as if she didn¡¯t care about anything, including the marriage between Aria and Hansen.

    Aria¡¯s cheeks reddened even more. She pointed at Jenna and bellowed, ¡°How dare you threaten me with Hansen¡¯s name? Just because we used to be ssmates doesn¡¯t mean that you have the right to ignore me. My position and contributions to the Richards Group are unparalleled, even Hansen has to watch his tongue in front of me. I put in so much effort for the Richards Group, and I will not allow you to ruin it or waste it idly. You¡¯re nothing but an ex-wife, and you never would¡¯vee back if you had an ounce of self-respect! Have some shame! No one knows that you used to be the president¡¯s wife, but everyone knows that Hansen loves me and is going to marry me, so you can stay here if you want to be humiliated!¡±

    After saying all that, Aria twisted her slender waist and turned to walk off, but she only took a few steps before she looked back again with a scornful face and mocked,

    ¡°And you say you¡¯re a car designer? You¡¯re so stupid you don¡¯t even know how to seduce Hansen, I don¡¯t believe for a second that you designed that car, I know you got some sleazy guy to help you! Remember, you might be able to deceive Hansen with your little tricks, but not me! You¡¯re nothing but a cheap b*tch to Hansen, and he wouldn¡¯t even spare an eye to look at you.¡±

    If Jenna had been humiliated like this in the past, she would have trembled from rage and lost the fight. But her heart was now much stronger than before.

    She looked calm, and there was a mysterious flicker in her glistening eyes. Her long eyshes fluttered mischievously.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you still remembered that we were ssmates, Ms. McAdams! I wonder which one of us is truly shameless. I went to the United States three years ago, and I remember a certain someone brazenly pestering my husband. Do you dare confess how you became Hansen¡¯s partner?¡± Jenna stood up, her eyes shot daggers into Aria, and she exuded a forceful andpelling aura.

    Aria¡¯s face turned pale, and a trace of panic shed through her heart, but she quickly calmed down.

    She looked arrogant, like a queen looking at a despicable subject of hers, and said sharply, ¡°Stay here if you can, Jenna Murphy. Try not to let me catch you tripping. Just wait and see, if you want to be humiliated, I will happily oblige.¡±

    With a sullen face, Aria turned her slender waist around and slowly walked out.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes reddened as soon as she entered Hansen¡¯s office. She threw herself into Hansen¡¯s arms like a red butterfly, looking as sad and upset as she could be.

    Hansen was standing in the office and speaking on the phone with a serious expression when Aria suddenly pounced on him and wrapped herself around him. He furrowed his handsome eyebrows slightly and his eyes shed with displeasure.

    ¡°Aria, I told you to be careful of your behavior in the office, why won¡¯t you listen?¡± Hansen hung up the call and asked in a clearly unhappy voice.

    He has talked to this woman about this several times, that she had to pay attention to her words and actions in the office and the work ce, but she just won¡¯t change. She would publically disy her affection everytime she saw him, no matter the asion. In fact, the more people there were the more excessive she became, as if she wanted the entire world to know.

    ¡°I just missed you, Hansen.¡± Aria nuzzled in his arms and said sweetly.

    Hansen shook his head a little and gently pushed her away, then said calmly, ¡°Well, tell me, who wronged you this time? Who angered you now?¡±

    Aria¡¯s round and watery eyes were covered in mist. ¡°Hansen, why is that b*tch back and working for the Richards Group? Why?¡±

    B*tch? Hansen paused for a moment but quickly understood. His face darkened and he walked straight to the sofa to sit on it. Then he said casually and tly, ¡°Aria, you can¡¯t call her that in the future. She is now a top talent that was headhunted by the Richards Group, a world-ss automotive designer. Ourpany needs talents like her right now. She will be treasured by thepany as long as she can bring profit to us. Be careful of your words from now on.¡±

    ¡°Treasured?¡± Aria¡¯s heart stiffened and she suddenly panicked. She trembled and threw herself into Hansen¡¯s arms as she cried, ¡°Hansen, you said that you never loved her, you said that you hated her, how could you treasure her?¡±

    Aria was stunned by this sudden change. She just couldn¡¯t understand why Hansen was defending her if he hated her and never loved her.

    ¡°Aria.¡± A strange emotion shed through Hansen¡¯s heart when he talked about Jenna. He pulled away the woman in his arms and spoke in a colder voice, ¡°Aria, she is just a designer hired by thepany. In mypany, no matter who she is, as long as she is truly capable, we will treat her equally. This is my work ethic, and also the employment principle of the Richards Group. You should understand.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s patience had reached its limit, but he was still trying to persuade her.

    ¡°Hansen, I wouldn¡¯t have minded if you hired ten other women, but not her. Please fire her, I¡¯m begging you, do it for me, okay?¡± Aria pleaded with tears in her eyes, ¡°Hansen, have you forgotten your father? He is still lying in the hospital all because of that woman!¡±

    Thunder exploded inside Hansen¡¯s heart. He flinched and was stunned for a long time.

    Feeling the obvious change in his body, Aria smiled smugly and continued to stir up his emotions, ¡°Hansen, this woman is more cunning than you think, I can tell that she¡¯s a piece of work. She is definitely holding a grudge against you after the divorce, and she will absolutely use any chance to take revenge on the Richards Group. Get rid of her, Hansen.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s stiff body gradually rxed. His eyes glinted as he snapped, ¡°Enough, Aria, you are at a work ce, don¡¯t get your personal grievances involved. I never listen to others to make my decisions. Watch what you say and what you do and learn to respect others in the future. I don¡¯t want to hear any bad rumors.¡±

    When Hansen finished, he stood up with a sullen face and turned to walk outside.

    Was she kidding? Why would the respected president of the Richards Group be afraid of a woman¡¯s revenge?

    More importantly, The Whalen Company would gain even more of an advantage if he fired her. He was a shrewd businessman, and he was perfectly aware of the pros and cons of everything.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

 Chapter 9 Welcome Bash

    Hansen Richards¡¯s harsh words made Aria McAdams¡¯s face turn pale. This was the first time she was seeing Hansen get mad in front of her in a long time, and it was because of that woman. Her heart was burning with rage.

    She was well aware of Hansen¡¯s upromising personality, so she knew that she couldn¡¯t bring up this problem in front of him again. Otherwise, the engagement would be in danger if she pissed him off.

    She had put in so much blood and sweat and worked so hard for her marriage. Everything was going great, until this woman unexpectedly appeared like a ghost from the past, and was even invited to work at a Richards Group office. How could she let it slide? She couldn¡¯t let this woman ruin her bright future.

    She didn¡¯t want to, and couldn¡¯t afford to miss out on such a perfect opportunity.

    She loved Hansen, who could only belong to her.

    They were already divorced, and Hansen had agreed to marry her, that was enough. There was no need to push things too hard!

    Aria wiped away her tears and did a new makeup look. A radiant smile appeared on her face, but the light in her eyes was cold as ice.

    ¡°Jenna Murphy, just wait and see how I¡¯m going to deal with you. I will kick you out of the Richards Group forever.¡± She cursed in her heart.

    Inside the fanciest karaoke in A City, the room was dark as colorful lights shed around this super fun and lively party.

    Jenna emotionlessly sat in the corner with a resigned smile on her face.

    The Richards Group threw a party for her tonight to celebrate her bing a member of thepany.

    She didn¡¯t want toe at all, but Perrie incessantly pushed her to go. The assistant was extremely stubborn, so she had to force herself toe. Most importantly, she knew that Hansen would never bother to take part in events like this, so it didn¡¯t matter since she won¡¯t see him anyway.

    The morous noise andughter made Jenna¡¯s head buzz with dizziness, and she also felt very nauseous. She stood up and walked out of the room. She looked lithe and graceful in her light green dress.

    The karaoke suite was connected to an empty outdoor stage. Lush green trees swayedin the breeze beside the stage, and a crescent moon was hanging high in the sky.

    The faint aroma of French red wine wafted through the wind. Jenna walked out of the private room as a breeze mixed with the smell of fine wine blew past the wisps of hair in front of her forehead, cooling her down a little. She rxed her eyebrows and let out a sigh of relief. She was in a much better mood now.

    This high-end club was the most expensive and luxurious spending facility in A City. Every single person who entered this ce was a top-ss elite of A City, the ce was exclusively for the wealthy and superior. The Richards Group, which was the top financial group in A City, threw all kinds of parties here every year, including their annual new year party and all the wee bashes.

    It was an amazing honor for every young talent in A City to be able to work at the Richards Group.

    Jenna casually walked through the club. As the darling daughter of the Murphy family, she was used to ces like this.

    Silvery sounds ofughter streamed into her ears like floating clouds.

    Jenna stopped dead in her tracks, and her eyes were shrouded in a dim light.

    Aria, who was extravagantly dressed up, was walking gracefully towards her with her sylphlike figure, and her prettyughter flowed through the air.

    There was a charming and confident smile on her face, the smile reached her eyes and sparkled. However, Jenna could feel an ominous chill from the shining light in her glistening dark eyes.

    They encountered each other on this narrow path and stood face to face!

    Jenna¡¯s heart suddenly sank and she avoided eye contact with her.

    But the other beautiful figure next to Aria made Jenna¡¯s eyes widen even further. Jenna was bbergasted when she met her arrogant gaze.

    The woman standing beside Aria was wearing a sexy slip dress and extremely heavy makeup on her face. She looked obscenely morous, and was ring at Jenna with cold disdainful eyes and a cocky expression.

    ¡°MinnieMurphy, why are you here?¡± Jenna eximed.

    The hazy lights reflected on Minnie Murphy¡¯s stunning yet still adolescent face, making her look strangely ethereal.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here?¡± Minnie raised her eyebrows and replied defiantly and insolently, ¡°Did you think that you were the only one who deserved to be at fancy ces like this?¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Jenna was speechless for a moment. She didn¡¯t expect Minnie to be this shallow, and the reality made her feel incredibly sad. Although her uncle¡¯s entire family had betrayed her and stolen her family¡¯s wealth, Minnie was still her cousin and a member of the Murphy family after all, she at least deserved to be admonished.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.

    But why was Minnie hanging out with Aria? She had just turned eighteen years old, shouldn¡¯t she be in school?

    Aria was a careful, arrogant, and vicious woman. Someone as ambitious and blindly focused on climbing the socialdder as Minnie wouldn¡¯t understand the danger she is in.

    Minnie¡¯s eyes were filled with admiration as she stood happily beside Aria and desperately ttered and fawned over her.

    Jennaughed grimly on the inside. She could at least give her some advice.

    The Richards Group had booked the whole ce for tonight. This was supposed to be the night where all the men and women could freelyugh and y and de-stress and release themselves with no holds barred, they were having the time of their lives!

    But as soon as Aria arrived, the entire room fell silent. Everyone watched her movements. No one expected Aria to be here, she usually considered herself to be above employee parties such as this one.

    ¡°Hello, Ms. McAdams.¡± Everyone unanimously and respectfully greeted her.

    Aria raised her head and smiled slightly. She nodded and looked like a queen.

    ¡°Jenna, where are you going? Are you satisfied with tonight¡¯s wee bash?¡± Aria¡¯s face was stered with smiles as she blocked Jenna¡¯s way and asked in a concerned tone, like a boss greeting their subordinate.

    Jenna was unfazed and smiled indifferently, but her eyes looked towards Minnie. She reached out and grabbed Minnie¡¯s hand. ¡°Minnie,e with me. You shouldn¡¯t be here, go home now.¡±

    She put in so much strength that she gripped onto Minnie and was about to drag her outside.

    Minnie forcefully shook off Jenna¡¯s hand and pushed her hard, then furiously spat at her, ¡°F*ck you JennaMurphy, who do you think you are? How dare you shoo me away? I¡¯m with Ms. McAdams, and what are you? You¡¯re just Hansen¡¯s ex-wife that he threw away, and you¡¯re somehow still shamelessly staying in the Richards Group. You¡¯re a hag who was abandoned by a man, who gave you the right to poke your nose in my business?¡±

    Minnie¡¯s face was filled with disgust as she shouted loudly and announced to the world, ¡°Did you think that Hansen would fall in love with you if you nted your feet in the Richards Group? Dream on.¡±

    She scowled at her with her smug eyes, and her face was full of conceit and contempt.

    Jenna was pushed away and fell heavily onto the ground. She identally bumped into someone who was holding a wine ss behind her, and the ss was also shattered into pieces on the ground with a loud crash.

    All the onlookers were stunned! Soon after, all the people present whispered,

    ¡°So she is Mr. Richards¡¯s ex-wife that people were talking about.¡±

    ¡°Tsk tsk. I heard that Mr. Richards hated his wife and never went home.¡±

    ¡°So she was the unloved wife. I heard that she never appeared together with Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°But she isn¡¯t as ugly as people said she was! She¡¯s really pretty and elegant. Why didn¡¯t Mr. Richards like her?¡±

    ¡°Ah, what a poor woman. Still thrown away by Mr. Richards in the end.¡±

    ¡­

    She was surrounded by all kinds of awfulments. All of them turned their eyes towards Jenna on the ground, and their eyes contained surprise, wariness, contempt, sympathy¡­

    No one took the initiative to help her.

    They wouldn¡¯t dare to attend to the woman who was hated by Mr. Richards himself!

 Chapter 10 Embarrassing

    Jenna Murphy fell to the ground, and the contempt in people¡¯s eyes made chills run through her body. She felt a piercing pain in her palm, and a warm liquid began flowing out. She knew that it was a broken piece of the wine ss that pricked into the flesh in her palm.

    She was so numb that she barely felt the pain!

    Her face was as pale as snow, and the forced smile on her face gradually stiffened. Fortunately, the shing neon lights weren¡¯t very bright in this moonlit night, so the unbearable pain on her face was somewhat concealed.

    She was the one who asked for it. She deserved to be humiliated!

    It was her fault for being nosy. Minnie Murphy was right, who gave someone as pathetic as her the right to mind another content person¡¯s business?

    Tears welled up in Jenna¡¯s eyes as she clenched her teeth. She stood up under the curious gaze of all the onlooking Richards Group employees and acted as if nothing had happened.

    Hansen Richards had suddenly appeared by the entrance at the rooftop. There was an unreadable glint in his eyes as he seemingly casually watched from the outside.

    Everyone was watching the dramatic scene, and no one noticed Hansen¡¯s arrival!

    It wasn¡¯t until Jenna walked through the crowd and went outside did these people saw Hansen standing at the entrance.

    Jenna¡¯s footsteps were weak, and her red lips were tightly shut as she walked out step by step.

    Hansen¡¯s body was like a hulking iron wall that blocked her way out. The unique minty fragrance on his body mixed with the faint smell of tobo diffused in front of her. Despite the mixed smell of strong perfumes in the air, his special and pleasant smell still rushed straight into her nose.

    Jenna immediately realized that Hansen was also here!

    Her heart became even colder.

    He was here to see how much of a fool she was. He must have seen what had happened just now. In fact, he might¡¯ve been the one who secretly made Aria McAdamse over and humiliate her. Wasn¡¯t this exactly what he wanted?

    A steam of pressure rushed to the top of her head. Everything in front of her was swaying, and her body was about to fall.

    ¡°You¡¯re here, Hansen.¡± Aria¡¯s dark eyes instantly sparkled when she saw Hansen. She quickly ran forward and pressed against Hansen, then wrapped her hand around Hansen¡¯s arm to cling to him.

    ¡°What happened? Why are you all standing around?¡± Hansen scanned the scene with his intimidating eyes and asked coldly. He was wearing an expensive white T-shirt and a pair of ck cropped pants, and his hair was handsomely slicked to the side. Casual clothes still looked regal and imposing on his tall and well-proportioned body.

    ¡°Hansen, Miss Murphy had a dispute with her cousin Minnie and they were fighting.¡±

    Aria said in a sickeningly sweet voice and observed Hansen¡¯s expression carefully. When she saw a hint of suspicion in his eyes, she winked at Minnie.

    Minnie was still lost in a daze from meeting the unbelievably handsome Hansen Richards that she had only heard about.

    The attractive and wealthy Hansen Richards was the ideal husband for countless socialites in A City, and also the dream lover of many young girls.

    Minnie hadn¡¯t imagined meeting him here tonight in her wildest dreams, and she was at a loss for words. Aria shot her smiling but frigid eyes towards her, and Minnie finally snapped out of it when she saw the cold glint in her eyes. She quickly wreathed herself in fawning smiles before she chimed in, ¡°Mr. Richards, Ms. McAdams brought me here to have some fun today, but I was scolded by my cousin who tried to hurt me. I quarreled with her because I was so angry. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask everyone here.¡±

    A strange glimmer shed across Hansen¡¯s eyes, as if he only just saw Minnie standing in front of him and staring at him like a creep. There was a hint of surprise in his eyes. The delicate face of the girl in front of him did look a lot like Jenna, but the light in her eyes was far less intelligent and wise than Jenna¡¯s, and there wasn¡¯t any trace of Jenna¡¯s uniquely refined elegance on her.

    He raised his handsome eyebrows and nced indifferently at the feeble woman standing in front of him, who looked like a candle in the wind. A condescending expression appeared on his face.

    He didn¡¯t expect that this woman would get into a violent fight in public without any regard for her reputation. From what he knew, although Jenna could sometimes be a little harsh, she was never this vulgar.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He looked daggers at Jenna with his icy eyes as he asked in a frigid voice.

    A sad and self-deprecating smile appeared on Jenna¡¯s face. The wound in her palm from being stabbed by a shard of ss was burning with pain. Failing to endure the pain, she clenched her hands and feebly leaned against the railing in the corridor like a fragile porcin doll.

    However, there was still a cold smile on her face. Her head was calm and rational, and she didn¡¯t say a word. She just emotionlessly looked into his eyes.

    She has been exhausted for the past few days and hasn¡¯t had a single good night¡¯s sleep. She was suffering and miserable even in her dreams.

    She didn¡¯t even bother to dispute Minnie¡¯s nderous ims. Hansen obviously didn¡¯t see everything, but he had never believed her anyway.

    It was useless to argue, and an exnation would be even more futile.

    The humiliation was no longer a big deal to her, not to mention it was from Minnie, whom she was extremely disappointed by. Nothing mattered to her anymore, especially not what Hansen thought about her!From N?velDrama.Org.

    Minnie was clearly instructed by Aria to do this. When she was standing up, she saw the smug smile on Aria¡¯s face from the corner of her eyes.

    She was just so tired!

    Blood slowly dripped down between her fingers, and Jenna¡¯s dark eyes were filled with nothing but endless cold. No one cared about her injury. Hansen was looking at her with callous and scornful eyes.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect a top-tier world-ss designer to be so narrow-minded and vulgar. How embarrassing.¡± Hansen¡¯s icy voice sent shivers through Jenna¡¯s whole body. She¡¯slike a fragile flower being destroyed by the wind and snow, which would fall apart the next second.

 Chapter 11 An Extraordinary Man

    ¡°Jen.¡± The air magically carried a deep and pleasant voice into Jenna Murphy¡¯s ears.

    Like ripples on the peaceful surface of ake, or a bright star shining in the dark night sky, it brought a brand new sense of hope to everything.

    Jenna¡¯s body froze for a second before she raised her head. Who else would call her by that nickname?

    Could it be that he was here?

    A tall and handsome man in a suit and leather shoes was walking towards her. His face was filled with a gentlemanly and charming smile, and the pools in his soft eyes were unbelievably soothing. He looked gentle and graceful, and he exuded a regal and mysterious air from head to toe. Unlike most typical men in positions of power, he was quietly and effortlessly refined and elegant in a serene manner. There was no question as to his social status, for his noble visage couldn¡¯t have possibly been cultivated overnight.

    He became the center of everyone¡¯s attention in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°Jen, it¡¯s really you! I finally found you!¡± The man smiled calmly and his eyes were as warm as fire. His bright eyes were soft and his face was full of tenderness.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen¡­ Ray.¡± Jenna was stunned for a moment before she came back to her senses. Her eyes were shining like glittering stars in the night sky.

    She felt a warmth in her heart, as if a door inside of it had been opened. All of the pressure was released at once, and she felt a sense of peace and tenderness in her heart.

    ¡°Ray, why are you here?¡± She asked in pleasant surprise, with a natural and soft smile on her face. She looked so peaceful and warm as all the coldness in her body disappeared in an instant, as if she had changed into a different person.

    Hansen Richards¡¯s face immediately darkened when he saw Jenna¡¯s radiant and warm smile. He had never seen such a bright and cheerful smile on Jenna¡¯s face. Her smile was always so stiff and cold in front of him, like a stubborn iceberg that refused to melt away. But Hansen suddenly realized that her inhospitality might¡¯ve only been directed at him.

    Her pure and rxed smile waspletely out of his reach. Fury roared through his mind as he stared daggers at them.

    ¡°Why did youe back without asking for my permission, Jen?¡± The man passionately gazed into Jenna¡¯s pale little face. A protective urge ran through him as he looked at her frail appearance. He couldn¡¯t help but caress her head with his hand as he gently admonished her.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Jenna was lost for words. She could only murmur hazily as if she was still in a dream.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Jen? You don¡¯t look so good!¡± The man fixed his eyes onto Jenna¡¯s painful face and twisted eyebrows. He was so worried that he stroked her eyebrows with hisrge hand.

    ¡°Ray, nothing¡¯s wrong, I¡¯m fine.¡± Jenna smiled softly. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we ran into each other here! What a coincidence!¡±

    ¡°It is quite a coincidence.¡± The man nodded and his eyes darkened. ¡°Were you nning on never going back if I hadn¡¯t found you?¡±

    ¡°Rayan Whalen, oh my god, he¡¯s Rayan Whalen.¡± Someone suddenly yelled after a short period of silence.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe Rayan Whalen¡¯s here!¡±

    The crowd stirred. They looked restless, with an inexplicable excitement on their faces.

    Rayan Whalen was the president of the world-renowned Whalen Group. Hispany operated in every popr industry all over the globe. They were mainly known for producing luxury vehicles, and his wealth was immeasurable!

    The president of the Whalen Group, Rayan Whalen, was a legendary figure across the world. He was young and handsome and famously enigmatic. No one had ever witnessed him at any public event.

    Rumor has it that he also has connections in illegal organizations, and that many current political leaders relied on his rich financial resources to help them in their elections. Being such a famed figure in both business and political spheres definitely gave hispany a mysterious reputation as well.

    Rayan Whalen was such a fabled man that his existence was almost a legend.

    And it was precisely this legend who appeared out of nowhere on such a seemingly ordinary night. What¡¯s more, he was being affectionate and intimate with the equally powerful Hansen Richards¡¯s ex-wife.

    This was more than enough to tantalize the imagination of everyone in the room. They all watchedwith great interest what was probably the most exciting dinner bash in their life.

    The air in the room was unsettling.

    The pain in Jenna¡¯s palm caused her eyebrows to furrow further and her face to turn whiter.

    She stood on her feet but faltered and almost fell over.

    Rayan quickly reacted and caught her with lightning reflexes, then gently pulled her to him. Jenna¡¯s frail body copsed in his arms and leaned against his chest.

    ¡°Jen, are you okay?¡± His eyes were dark as he asked anxiously.

    Jenna felt dizzy, but she was fully conscious of what was happening.

    They were too close to each other right now, it was a bad idea for them to act like this in public. Not to mention, some people here have already recognized him. She broke away from him and supported herself with the metal railing by grabbing onto the round iron pole with her palm.

    ¡°Ouch!¡± She screamed, and the excruciating pain in her hand made her forehead break out in beads of sweat.

    ¡°Jen, your hand¡­what happened to your hand?¡± Rayan¡¯s expression immediately changed as he reached out to grab her soft and fragile hand.

    He had witnessed Jenna being pushed to the ground by that unkind woman just now. He wanted to rush in and help her up as soon as he could, but he didn¡¯t because he had no idea that her hand was injured.

    That was when Hansen Richards walked into the room!

    He wanted to see how the object of Jenna¡¯s love and affection would treat her. He was surprised to find that not only was Hansen indifferent and distrusting towards her, he would also rather believe another woman than Jenna.

    He felt relieved and so much more determined!

    Hansen was too foolish to cherish a wonderful woman like her, but he wasn¡¯t that stupid!

    He still remembered that when Jenna was designing that luxury car, she had told him that she was designing it for the love of her life. Rayan was secretly disappointed at the time, thinking that the man she loved must be the happiest man in the world to be loved by such an intelligent woman, and that he must cherish her more than anything in the world.

    But today¡¯s discovery gave him a glimmer of hope. Turns out her feelings werepletely unrequited. So he stepped up.

    Listening to Jenna ying the piano was his favorite thing to do back in the past. Her fragile and delicate ivory white fingers were slender and nimble, and wonderful melodies would flow out from between her beautiful fingers as they danced across the piano¡­

    He couldn¡¯t bear to see it wounded.

    He gently pried open her small hand, and saw a bloody cut across her entire palm that was covered in ss shards.

    ¡°How did this happen?¡± He roared with anger in his eyes. He red daggers at Hansen, then grabbed her delicate hand tightly to drag her away.

    ¡°Stop it, Ray.¡± Jenna weakly protested. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m not that fragile, it¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s okay about this, you stupid girl? You still can¡¯t take care of yourself. Go to the hospital with me.¡± Rayan growled, feeling overwhelmingly protective towards her. He pulled her outside, giving her no more chance to speak.

    Jenna was no match for his strength. She was brought into his arms and moved along with him.

 Chapter 12 Head-To-Head

    Hansen¡¯s hulking figure blocked the entrance like a brick wall. His face was livid as he arrogantly and aggressivelyfaced them. He stood tall and straight with a stiff yet still handsome face, and there was rage between his eyebrows.

    The air in this room froze once again.

    The cold light in his eyes violently contracted, shooting out streaks of fierce res thatnded on Rayan Whalen¡¯s hand around Jenna and threatened to tear it into pieces.

    Rayan returned an icy smile as his soft eyes gradually sharpened and took on a hint of slyness.

    Two powerful and clearly hostile men were going head to head. Something dangerous could break out any moment in this atmosphere.

    A shiver ran down Jenna¡¯s spine. Hansen and Rayan were already sworn enemies when it came to business, it was a terrible idea for them to confront each other like this right now, especially since she seemed to be the cause.

    She didn¡¯t want to be aughing stock for what happened today, and was even more afraid that today¡¯s events were going to appear tomorrow in the headlines of A city news, or perhaps even global news.

    She tried her best to break free from Rayan¡¯s arms. For some reason, her subconscious priority at the moment was not to embarrass Hansen.

    Rayan was an aristocratic man to the bone. He was met with people ttering and fawning over him wherever he went. He was such a powerful and influential figure that he had no fear in his heart towards Hansen, who had the entire A city under his thumb.

    No matter how much power Hansen had, he was still limited by the bounds of A city, whereas Rayan had taken root in a powerful foreign country a long time ago. No one would win if Hansen challenged Rayan¡¯s authority.

    Jenna had always kept a low profile and didn¡¯t want anything unfortunate to happen under her watch. All she wanted to do was smooth over everything and get out of here as soon as possible.

    Hansen marched over to her with no emotion on his face. He arrogantly red at Rayan and reached out to aggressively wrap his arm around Jenna. He took her hand and held it in his own, but with almost no care for the wound on her palm as he rubbed her hand.

    He was deliberately dering his ownership. He was showing Rayan that he could carelessly possess and even trifle with what Rayan cherished the most, while Rayan couldn¡¯t do anything but stand and watch.

    This was his advantage.

    Rayan¡¯s face darkened, but his expression was as waveless as a peaceful ocean. He remained perfectlyposed as he said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you two are divorced, Hansen Richards.¡±

    His words were quiet yet extremely potent, and immediately caused Hansen¡¯s body to stiffen. The fierce glint in his eyes gradually focused onto Rayan like bolts of lightning as he parted his lips, yet he couldn¡¯t force out a single word.

    ¡°Please move aside. I am going to take Jen to the hospital, and you have no right to stop me.¡± Rayan¡¯s tone was indifferent, but his mannerisms were incredibly imposing. ¡°A man who is incapable of discernment does not deserve a woman as pure and noble as her.¡±

    The muscles on Hansen¡¯s face twitched as he tightened his grasp on Jenna¡¯s hand, causing her to gasp from the pain. The veins on his forehead throbbed as he said coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t need the assistance ofan outsider to handle the injury of mypany¡¯s employee.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart froze over. She was nothing but apany employee to him. He was doing this to protect the image of hispany, he has never cared about her.

    Rayan¡¯s face clouded over more and more as he watched Jenna¡¯s pale and painful face. But he soon caught sight of Jenna looking at him like a poor little rabbit begging for mercy. Her sorrowful expression sent a ripple through his heart, and the rising anger in his chest slowly died down.

    He could never bear to see her suffer! Yet she must be suffering tremendously in this moment!

    She was begging him not to confront Hansen here.

    She was clearly well aware of Hansen¡¯s character.

    His expression gradually softened, and a hint of tenderness crept into his heart. This woman has always refused to show her weakness or ask for help in front of him, no matter how much pain she was going through. She was probably only begging him for Hansen¡¯s sake.

    He only learned of her father¡¯s tragic death when he arrived in A city. He was filled with endlessmentation, and felt an even stronger respect and sympathy towards her.

    He could understand her eyes and her every movement. He would always perceive andprehend everything about her and cherish them in his heart.

    Since she was begging him, the only thing he could do was to protect her and save her from embarrassment!

    But her injury¡­

    The light in his eyes gradually became soft and gentle, even tinged with concern. Rayan smiled at Jenna and winked.

    Jenna quickly caught the drift. She was relieved and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

    ¡°Hansen, Jen needs to be taken to a hospital immediately for the wound on her hand. Please take her there right now, or at least if you still consider yourself to be a man. I don¡¯t believe it will be beneficial for the Richards Group¡¯s reputation if word gets out about how you abuse your employees!¡± Rayan said solemnly. His words were stern but justified.

    Rage red up in Hansen¡¯s heart. He didn¡¯t mind taking pity on a woman, but he could never let someone else order him around, especially not a man like Rayan.

    They have been flirting with each other and ignoring Hansen¡¯s authority in front of all his employees this whole time, his reputation has already been tarnished.

    ¡°Rayan Whalen, I don¡¯t care how much power you have, but I am in charge in A city. I will make you pay if you harrass mypany¡¯s employee again.¡± He sneered disdainfully as he spat out these words, then he grabbed Jenna and strode off.

    ¡°Let me go.¡± Jenna began to struggle as soon as they left Rayan¡¯s sight.

    ¡°Stop moving.¡± Hansen growled as he tightened his grip. Resentment smoldered in his eyes and heart.

    He specially permitted Perrie to throw this wee bash for her tonight to celebrate her joining the Richards Group. Yet she didn¡¯t show any appreciation, and even caused a fight during the party on top of flirting with his business rival Rayan Whalen.

    Rage flowed through his heart likeva and spread to his hands. He gripped her with his iron fist, as if he wanted to embed her into his flesh. When his arm brushed against her soft bosom, the wonderful sensation made his body heat up and lose control like a spark burning up a field.

    Jenna struggled fiercely, but the more she struggled, the more intense his agitation became.

    Hansen marched outside and opened his car door, then stuffed her into the back of his luxury Hummer.

    ¡°You¡¯re dead, woman. How dare you flirt with my opponent while you¡¯re in mypany? Tell me now, why did youe to work at the Richards Group? What is your n?¡± Hansen pinched Jenna¡¯s chin with his hand and forced her to look at him. He bent down and furiously interrogated her.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Forced to meet his gaze, Jenna retorted sharply. ¡°You invited me yourself.¡±

    Her bright eyes were determined and candid.

    Hansen gazed deeply into her eyes which glistened like clear pools of water, attracting him like a forbidden fruit. The longer he looked at her, the more it rattled his heart and made him feel like he was going to fall for her at any moment.

    Her luscious dark hair fell past her shoulders and spread around her, and the cream-colored leather cushions set off the smooth fairness of her porcin skin as she trembled slightly.

    Hansen¡¯s throat felt dry as he watched her. He licked his lower lip and gradually lost control of himself. He took off his T-shirt with both hands and revealed his strong and muscr chest.

    He bent down and forcibly possessed her rosy lips. He pressed their lips together over and over again as he reached the edge of no return. The only thing he cared about in this world right now was to let her melt away in his hands and make her feel the inexplicable anger and agitation inside of him.

    Jenna felt dizzy as her body burned under the scorching heat of his body. Pleasure was beginning to take over when she suddenly snapped back to her senses as her entire body flinched. There was nothing between them anymore.From N?velDrama.Org.

    No, she couldn¡¯t let this happen!

    What about her principle, what about her pride? What was she doing?!

    She tried her best to resist him by beating his body. His pale skin was stained with the blood in her palms, yet it looked hauntingly provocative.

    The car wobbled from the fight on the inside. Passerbys nced at the car and shook their heads.

    It was just car sex, no big deal!

 Chapter 13 Spellbound

    But how could a feeble woman like her fight against Hansen¡¯s passion and powerful body? All Hansen wanted to do right now was to have her and possess her.

    She yed her trump card in a panic, ¡°Aren¡¯t you in love with Aria McAdams, HansenRichards? Aren¡¯t you going to marry her? How can you do this to her?¡±

    Hansen froze and stopped ravaging her body. His senses gradually returned, and he raised his eyes which were scarlet red with desire.

    That was when a slow and haunting ringtone rang through the car.

    Hansen slowly let go of Jenna and stood up. He took out his mobile phone from his pant pocket. He frowned when he saw that Aria¡¯s name was disyed on the widescreen.

    ¡°Where are you, Hans?¡± Hansen answered the phone. There was a trace of pain in Aria¡¯s sweet and sugary voice.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Aria.¡±

    ¡°Hans, my stomach hurts. It hurts so much.¡± Aria painfully eximed on the other side of the phone, ¡°I want to see you, Hansen. Don¡¯t leave me behind.¡±

    Aria pleaded softly as she gasped from the pain.

    Hansen froze with a strange expression on his face. He was reminded of a scene from three years ago, when Aria stayed up all night with him in his office toe up with a way to save the struggling Richards Group.

    That was also when her stomach pains began. He could never forget how the excruciating pain tormented her, and how she desperatedly clinged onto him as she cried and screamed with a ghastly pale face. The memory was burned into him forever, and it overwhelmed him with guilt every time he remembered it. That was why he was so tolerant of everything Aria did.

    ¡°Aria, lie down first, don¡¯t move, I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± Hansen gradually came to his senses. He put on his t-shirt as he consoled her and was about to turn around and run back to the club.

    Something tugged at his thoughts as soon as he took a step. He looked down at the woman who was lying in the car seat and felt incredibly frustrated.

    Jenna was silently lying on her side in the car seat like an injured kitten. Her clothes were a mess, and her bloodless face was scrunched up in pain. Her long eyshes cast a soft shadow underneath, making her look even more fragile.

    Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat, jumbling up his mind.

    This god-d*mn woman needs to stop ying the innocent victim. He knew she was doing it to gain attention from men.

    She seemed pure and lovely on the surface, but deep down, she was more cunning and fake than everyone around her!

    Something shifted in Hansen¡¯s eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he took off towards the club.

    Glistening tears flowed out from Jenna¡¯s eyes. Her face was white as paper, but a hauntingly beautiful yet sorrowful smile appeared on it as she listened to Hansen¡¯s footsteps fade.

    The truth was that Aria was the only love of Hansen¡¯s life. Always has been, always will be. She was nothing but a woman who was abandoned by him. Even though for a moment she dared to dream that what he did tonight meant that he still cared about her, even if just a little.

    She was wrong.

    He left immediately when he heard Aria¡¯s name and received her phone call.

    When will she learn to let go of these ridiculous fantasies?

    Jenna forced herself to get up and sorted out her clothes. She staggered towards the main road to stop a taxi and escape this ce.

    Aria was curled up on a bench on the first floor of the club. The lips on her agonized face were pale, and her hands were covering her stomach.

    Minnie Murphy was crouched down beside her. When she saw Hansen hurrying towards them, she shouted excitedly, ¡°Ms. McAdams, Mr. Richards is here!¡±

    Aria was pleased, but she only grunted softly. The disappointment on her face was greater than the agony. She wanted Jenna to make a fool of herself tonight, but thest thing she expected was for Rayan Whalen to turn up out of the blue.

    A young man as handsome and sessful as Rayan came all the way here to find Jenna and shower her with affection? Jenna got to show off big time, and put an unprecedented amount of pressure on Aria. Looks like it was not going to be so easy to get rid of Jenna.

    It was pretty impressive that she got two of the most coveted men in the world to fight over her.

    Aria felt her heartbreak when Hansen¡¯s face turned livid as he shot daggers into Rayan with his glowering eyes. Why would he act this way for another woman? Did Hansen have a change of heart? Did he fall in love with Jenna?

    Hansen left her behind and walked past her with Jenna in his arms. Hepletely ignored her in that moment, as if she didn¡¯t even exist.

    She chased him down the stairs with raging fire in her eyes. When she saw the refitted Hummer rocking back and forth not too far away, all the blood in her body froze. She was driven to the brink of madness as her stomach began churning a storm.

    But Hansen rushed over as soon as she called him. A hint of color reappeared on Aria¡¯s pasty face as her lips curled into a smug smile.

    He loved her and cherished her dearly. He rushed to her as soon as he knew that she was having a stomachache. She knew that Hansen couldn¡¯t be that heartless, she knew him better than anyone!

    ¡°Are you okay, Aria? How bad is it?¡± Hansen could see from a distance that Aria was curled up on the cold iron chair on the first floor of the club. She was holding her stomach with both hands. Hansen¡¯s chest tightened at the sight of her, and a sense of guilt washed over his heart. He ran to her and held her in his arms as he gently asked if she was okay.

    With tears in her eyes and pain written all over her face, Aria wrapped her hands tightly around Hansen¡¯s waist and buried her face in his arms. ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m begging you, please don¡¯t leave me behind. My stomach hurts so bad.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll never leave you behind.¡± Hansen gently stroked her head with hisrge hand and stood up while carrying her. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital right now.¡±This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Why did you go with that woman and leave me here alone, Hans? She¡¯s a subus, even Rayan Whalen was seduced and manipted by her. You don¡¯t know what she¡¯s capable of, don¡¯t mess with her.¡± Aria turned her pale and miserable face towards Hansen and gazed at him with a heartrending expression.

    Hansen trembled andtightened his embrace. There was a trace of shame in his eyes as he said gently, ¡°I can¡¯t have others believe that I mistreat my employees.¡±

    Was that true?

    Aria felt bitter in her heart, but she didn¡¯t want to say anything more. She just hugged him tightly as if she was afraid that he would fly off somewhere.

    Hansen nced at Minnie, who was standing on the side and looking lost, then said softly, ¡°Your sister injured her hand. Take her to the hospital.¡±

    After that, he carried Aria away.

 Chapter 14 Marissaâ€™s Rage

    Minnie heard what he said and stood still for a while. Then she couldn¡¯t help but sneer. Why should she care about that b*tch¡¯s injured hand?

    Minnie couldn¡¯t believe that Jenna Murphy had managed to seduce someone as handsome and powerful as Rayan Whalen. She was seething with jealousy and hatred when she saw Rayan doting on her. What a natural wh*re and seductress, she wished that Jenna had died from the pain.

    Hmph! Did Jenna really think that nobody knew that she forced her way into the Richards Group and pestered Hansen just so she could take back her father¡¯s property through Hansen¡¯s hands? F*ck her. She was bound to fail. As long as Aria McAdams was still alive, Hansen would never fall in love with or helpJennaMurphy!

    Minnie saw through Aria¡¯s scheme from the very beginning. Of course she wasn¡¯t in that much pain, she was just acting to get Hansen¡¯s attention. But Hansen rushed over as soon as he received her call. Which meant¡­

    That Aria was the one that Hansen truly loved and cared about. He was at her beck and call, while Jenna meant nothing to him!

    Minnie was delighted. She chuckled and happily hummed a song as she strode off with lighthearted footsteps.

    Today she learned that Hansen and Jenna were already divorced. How wonderful! She was finally relieved from the anxiety of stealing her family¡¯s property, so she left in a great mood.

    The night was dark.

    The one and only Richards family manor in A City was aze with lights.

    The Richards Manor was an opulent symbol of power and status in A city. The overall color scheme consisted of yellow and oranges, and it was built with white marble bricks imported from Italy. The words ¡°Richards Manor¡± were engraved in pure and blindingly bright 24k gold. Every single inch of this grand townhouse was made from material imported from all over the world, which were made into the most stylish and ingenious top-ss designs, generously showcasing the wealth and influence of the Richards Group.

    The driver came out to wee Hansen as soon as he drove his Hummer inside the Richards Manor.

    ¡°Young Master.¡± The driver courteously took the car key from Hansen¡¯s hand then went to park the car.

    The butler came up to him in a hurry and said, ¡°Young master, the madam is waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Hansen nodded and walked inside.

    Inside the luxurious living room of the Richards Manor, all natural mica stone tiles glowed softly under the gentle light of the ceilingmp. Hansen¡¯s mother Marissa Sotomayor was sitting elegantly on the expensive leather sofa. She was wearing a light blue cheongsam and her hair was tied up in a high bun. Her delicate and refined facial features were still alluring, and her slender neck looked as beautiful as ever under the light of the ceilingmp.

    She wrapped her five pale fingers around the fine tea cup and put it near her mouth so she could gently blow on it. The steam rippled away from her as she opened her mouth and took a sip, then put it back on the tea table. Her movements were elegant and wless, perfectly revealing her status as ady of high society.

    Marissa Sotomayor was a famous socialite inA citywhen she was young. She was renowned for her beauty. While Trevor Richards conquered A city with hispany, Marissa apanied her husband and tirelessly worked on the Richards Group behind the scenes. She even took advantage of her own family¡¯s power to solve problems for the Richards Group.

    She never rested, even when she was pregnant with Hansen. The media snapped countless pictures of Trevor, the sessful businessman, gently looking after a fabulous young woman beside him.

    She was once well known for thoughtfully apanying her husband to all sorts of ces and events with a big pregnant belly.

    As the Richards Group flourished even more with the passage of time, Marissa weed the most magnificent time of her life. Her son Hansen had inherited all of his parents¡¯ strengths. Not only was he a handsome and attractive young man, he was also a decisive and powerful businessman, and no less capable than Trevor.

    She couldn¡¯t have imagined how wonderful her life would be. Her husband and son were both so outstanding. What more could she ask for?

    Just as they were about to hand over the Richards Group to Hansen, the old madam of the Richards family, who was also Marissa¡¯s mother-inw, arranged a marriage for her son. He was going to marry Jenna Murphy, the daughter of the deputy financial executive Javon Murphy.

    The old madam announced that Hansen had to marry her. Otherwise, she would not allow Hansen to inherit the ancestral property of the Richards family.

    Marissa was shocked, and Hansen was furious. Although Trevor did not object, he also expressed his displeasure by frowning.

    Trevor was not the only son of the Richards family. Hansen also had an uncle, ude Richards, although he had already established his own family and developed a separate business.

    However, thend deeds and estates of the Richards Group actually belonged to the Richards family. Although Hansen had done a great job of running the Richards Group under his own name, the inheritance of the Richards family was still a significant matter. All of his current projects were built upon the foundation of the inheritance, and he could not ignore the role that his grandmother yed in this.

    Hansen was astute enough to clearly judge the pros and cons, and more importantly, he respected his grandmother above everyone else. He was a rare and promising gem in his grandmother¡¯s eyes. He was infinitely betterpared to his uncle¡¯s children!

    So he reluctantly epted her request!

    The 90-year-old grandmother of the Richards family appeared in public for thest time at Hansen and Jenna¡¯s wedding three years ago. After that, she retreated to take care of herself and enjoy the rest of her life, and never met up with anyone ever again!

    For that reason, Hansen did not want his grandmother to know about his divorce from Jenna. His grandmother was not doing great. Maybe everything would work out if they kept the secret under the covers for a while.

    ¡°Mom, did you want to talk?¡± Hansen¡¯s handsome figure walked into the living room. Heid on the sofa and squeezed his eyebrows with both hands. He was still physically and mentally exhausted from appeasing Aria just now.

    The servant served a cup of hot tea. Hansen took it and took a sip, feeling much more rxed.

    ¡°Hansen, where were you tonight?¡± Marissa asked slowly with beautiful makeup on her face.

    ¡°Aria had a stomachache. I took her to the hospital.¡± Hansen replied calmly with a tired face. He stood up and was ready to go upstairs and rest.

    ¡°Hansen, stop.¡± Marissa stood up and ordered Hansen, who was about to head upstairs and slightly impatient. Her voice was stern as she said, ¡°I heard that you invited that woman to work at the Richards Group.¡±

    Hansen put his foot back on the floor and his body flinched. There was a glint in his eye, then he turned back around.

    ¡°Mom, she¡¯s an important talent. The Richards Group needs talents like her right now. Our products are at a critical transitioning stage. I did it to benefit the Richards Group.¡± Hansen patiently exined. He knew that his mother did not like Jenna.

    During the few years after Jenna married into the Richards family, his mother was never happy with her and nitpicked everything that she did. Jenna¡¯s mere existence annoyed her and she never showedJennaany kindness. It got even worse after his father was hospitalized after the ident. She made a mountain out of every molehill and couldn¡¯t even stand the sight of Jenna.

    This wasrgely why he didn¡¯t object when Jenna fled to the United States, nor sent anyone to find her.

    ¡°Are you out of your mind, Hansen? Have you forgotten that your father is still lying in the hospital? It¡¯s all that woman¡¯s fault. She¡¯s just your ex-wife that you abandoned. How dare you ask her toe back? Have you really gone mad?¡± Marissa gritted her teeth and said in a trembling voice, ¡°She¡¯s a scarily cunning woman. She had grandmother under her thumb. Grandmother still doesn¡¯t know about your divorce, you can not give away the ancestral inheritance of the Richards family. Your dad and I devoted all of our blood and sweat into the Richards Group. We can¡¯t let this womane back and mess up everything.¡±

    Marissa was firm yet imploring, and she was almost begging him by the end.

    The truth was that she felt guilty. She had never shown an ounce of kindness towards Jenna since the beginning of their marriage. She did not believe that a woman like her could devote herself to the Richards Group, nor did she expect this woman to be so talented that she could design a globally popr luxury car.

    She had to stop all of this. This woman almost destroyed the Richards Group three years ago, and she couldn¡¯t let the same thing happen again.

    ¡°Mom, I am the president of the Richards Group. Shouldn¡¯t I be in charge of the affairs of thepany?¡± Hansen held Marissa¡¯s shoulders with one arm and put his head close to her ear. Seeing Marissa¡¯s anxious and worried face, he smiled grimly and tried to persuade her as they walked, ¡°Mom, I am an adult now. You have to trust me. I am the famed president of the Richards Group. You think I would let some woman destroy thepany on her own? She¡¯s just a gold digger, so I¡¯ll give her what she wants. We¡¯ll take what we need from each other, that¡¯s all, so why not? Most importantly, if I didn¡¯t fight to have her, she would¡¯ve returned to the Whalen Group, and that would¡¯ve been a disaster for thepany for sure. I¡¯m a businessman, I can judge the opportunity costs. Trust me.¡±

    Was that true? Marissa was held by her son and felt much more relieved, but she was still skeptical. However, the anger on her face gradually faded and her face softened quite a bit.

    Hansen smiled a little. With his arm around Marissa¡¯s shoulders, he pressed her down onto the sofa and continued gently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mom. Look, we can¡¯t let grandma know about our divorce, right? It¡¯s for the best that she works under mymand. That way, she won¡¯t be able to run wild and I¡¯ll be able to control her. You don¡¯t have to do anything but enjoy your life and take care of dad in the hospital so that he¡¯ll wake up as soon as possible.¡±

    Marissa sat down on the sofa with her son¡¯s arm around her, and a loving smile gradually appeared on her face. There was nothing she was more proud of than her son Hansen. Ever since Trevor was hospitalized, Hansen became the only light in her life. She would never let any woman destroy everything she had. Her heart finally calmed down when she heard her son¡¯sforting words.

    Hansen wearily went upstairs and walked to his bedroom. He stopped in his tracks when he passed by a door in the center that was decorated with gold.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Something tugged at his heart as he stared at the shining golden door frame with his dark eyes. He hesitated for a moment and pushed open the door.

    This was his wedding room with Jenna. He walked into this three year old wedding room.

    The wedding room was just as fancy and extravagant as he remembered, even the big red celebratory poster was still in the same ce. His eyes were hazy and his heart trembled a little bit.

 Chapter 15 Cruel Memories

    Hansen scanned the still extravagantly decorated wedding room with his dark and strangely lightless eyes.

    He was married to Jenna for four years, but she only lived in the Richards Manor for one. She fled to America for the remainder of the marriage.

    She stayed in this room for the entire year she spent in the manor, but he never stepped into it again after their wedding night.

    His mind shed back to the night they got married. He entered the room in his drunken stupor and ravaged her body without restraint out of vengefulness and hatred. The memory from that night had been subconsciously burned into the back of his head this whole time.

    That amorous night had taken root in his subconscious mind. If that weren¡¯t the case, he wouldn¡¯t have asked Jenna to spend another night with him when she reappeared before him after three whole years.

    He felt as if someone was seductively caressing the desire in his heart, causing a rush of blood through his body. He copsed onto the soft bedding that was imported from Italy, and held his forehead as countless thoughts raced through his mind.

    When he looked up again, he saw that his handsome face looked flushed in therge dressing room mirror. Feeling frustrated, he unbuttoned his shirt but suddenly widened his eyes at a certain realization. Right below his neck, his chest was covered in crimson red. He touched the sticky liquid with his hand and knew that it was blood.

    He frantically took off his clothes and stood in front of the mirror. His muscr and fair-skinned upper body was covered in frightening blood red streaks. A pale and fragile face appeared in his mind, with blood dripping from her delicate fingers. He felt as if sharp ws were digging into the flesh of his heart. She got the blood on him when she was struggling underneath him inside the car a few hours ago.

    He originally intended to take her to the hospital and dress the bloody wound on her palm, but he was inexplicably taken over by his sudden burst of rage and desire!

    He sprang up and rushed out the door.

    His mighty Hummer rumbled and growled, crushing Hansen¡¯s heart under its wheels.

    He started the car and rushed outside. He visited several hospitals in a row, yet failed to find Jenna.

    He wandered around the streets in his impressive refitted Hummer, turning more than a few heads.

    God d*mn it, is her hand okay? Is she already home?

    With a heavy heart, he drove aimlessly through the streets and alleys. He hoped to see her pretty and delicate figure, but the thought made him smile bitterly. He couldn¡¯t understand what he was doing.

    A deep and quiet river surged across A City. In a dark and hidden corner, a breeze blew past drooping willows and brought a little bit of coolness.

    Jenna sat gloomily with her arms around her knees, and her eyes looked like dead ash.

    A collection of beer bottlesid silently around her feet.

    It was only in this quiet corner that she could take off her disguise, show her real self, and lick her wounds.

    A few hours ago, she came to the hospital alone. She went through the busy procedures of getting her wounds cleaned, medicated, and being put on a drip.

    There were ss shards in every inch of the wound, some of them were broken and rubbed in when Hansen grabbed her hand. Each piece of ss dug into the flesh, and the excruciating pain ate into her heart and bones.

    It took the doctor three whole hours to clean it up. She clenched her teeth and didn¡¯t even make a sound.

    After finishing the drip, she looked at her bandaged hand, but was too scared to go home because she didn¡¯t want her mother to worry.

    Her mother was far stronger than she imagined. After learning about her father¡¯s tragedy, she did not cry nor curse the world. She simply slept with Jenna¡¯s father¡¯s urn for seven days and nights, then she never brought him up ever again.

    Jenna brought a dozen cans of beer with her to the river bank.

    It was the dead of night, no one was around except for a few couples.

    She sat in the same position for god knows how long before her whole body became numb.

    When she was still in A City years ago, she would alsoe to this familiar river and sit quietly when she was going through a hard time.

    She opened a can of beer and raised her head to drink.

    She was always sober, but not today!

    She couldn¡¯t relieve her heartache and misery! The palm of her hand was burning like fire. She needed to drink away her sorrows and numb her senses so that she won¡¯t feel the pain anymore.

    An entire bottle of beer quicklynded in her stomach. It wasn¡¯t very strong alcohol, but since Jenna was straight edged, she was quickly flushed and began feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

    Sheughed, swung her arm, and threw the beer can in her hand towards the river.

    Her nerves were rxed and her heart felt so much better!

    The pain was nothing!

    With another ¡°pfft¡±, she forcefully opened another can of beer and watched as the white foam streamed out from the opening, and felt like her stress was being released as well. She raised her head and downed the whole can.

    She was 25 years old this year, and was no longer the naive little girl that she used to be. She hasn¡¯t felt joy ever since she married into the Richards family. Her wonderful youth disappeared forever like a phantom, a reflection in the water.

    In addition to Hansen¡¯s indifference to her, she also had to endure the endless humiliation and torment given to her by the Richards family.

    She shook her head and wiped her face with her hand. Her face was full of tears.

    Three years ago, she was pped by her mother-inw not long after she married into the Richards family. At the time, Hansen stood beside her and watched her coldly as if he was watching a joke.From N?velDrama.Org.

    She did not cry or make a fuss, almost like she was an obedient child bride.

    Even the workers and housekeepers of the Richards family scorned her due to her mother-inw¡¯s bullying and Hansen¡¯s neglect.

    Aria McAdams was free to openly and proudly enter the household as she pleased. Jenna¡¯s mother-inw, Mrs. Richards, was always delighted to see her and greeted her with warm smiles.

    Although Aria wasn¡¯t with Hansen yet, she had already captured her mother-inw¡¯s heart.

    But Jenna¡¯s mother-inw only showed her apathy and disdain in response to everything Jenna did and never offered her any warmth, as if everything about Jenna¡¯s existence was wrong.

    She didn¡¯t know what she had done wrong and didn¡¯t know how to please her mother-inw.

    She happily married into the family because of her love for Hansen, but she waspletely unprepared for the reality of living in a ruthless family.

    Hansen saw her as a gold-digger, and his mother-inw regarded her as her enemy. Her father-inw never said much, but he remained indifferent to her.

    The event that happened three years ago caused her father-inw to faint from rage, and he was still lying on a hospital bed even now.

    But she really didn¡¯t know what was going on. She couldn¡¯t exin herself!

    There was no more room for her in that house.

    Her father did not allow her to divorce, not to mention the grandmother of the Richards family. Faced with Hansen¡¯s threatening eyes, she had no choice but to escape to America.

    She wasn¡¯t really sad or reluctant to leave that cruel and loveless home.

    Except for hergrandmother.The grandmother of the Richards family was a kind-looking woman who was well into old age. Although her eyes were already cloudy and senile, there was still a glint of wisdom and insight inside them.

    She liked Jenna.

    It was under her absolute order that Hansen had to marry Jenna!

    When Jenna married into the wealthy family, she only received warmth and kindness from the grandmother. But the grandmother¡¯s love for her only made her mother-inw hate her even more.

    Her husband almost never came home, and his eyes were always cold as ice when they looked at her.

    Through the brutal days and nights, her onlypanions were her model cars.

    Her painful heart was always in turmoil, like it was burning in purgatory. When she thought of the grandmother, she felt a small warmth in her heart and her face gradually rxed.

    It¡¯s been three years. How was the old madam doing?

    After more than several bottles of beer, she felt like her head was going to explode, and was so nauseous that she could vomit.

    Hansen¡¯s Hummer stopped at the entrance of the Heartfly Community.

    But he was too scared to get out, let alone visit the family.

    As the son-inw of the Murphy family, he had never visited them once in all these years, nor did he ever fulfill his responsibilities as a husband.

    He had a guilty conscience and was afraid of intruding the family. He was afraid of seeing Javon Murphy¡¯s reproachful eyes and Sara Garver¡¯s unhappy face.

    He just couldn¡¯t bring himself to their door.

    After a moment of silence, he drove off in the car.

 Chapter 16 Dream Girl

    The night breeze was chilling!

    Hansen drove his car to a dark area of the river in the city. He rolled down the bulletproof window of his car and lit his cigar.

    The night wind blew in from outside the window, sweeping through his thick ck hair, and carrying with it the wisp of smoke as it went out of the window on the right. He looked at where the smoke disappeared. His eyes were gloomy, as dark as an endless well.

    He deeply inhaled the smoke and then exhaled it. The fumes thendisappeared into the dark night. The dim light fell on his handsome face, seemingly surreal.

    When he raised his head slightly, a pure and beautiful girl in a white tulle dress appeared in front of his eyes. He couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    It was when they were in their second year at C University.One day, during sunset, the rays illuminated the lovely campus, enveloping it in warmth.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    Feeling bored, he slowly walked back and forth to the library to kill time.

    As soon as he stepped into the library, he bumped into a girl. She was wearing a white tulle dress with her hair scattered over her shoulders, with an innocent smile on her beautiful face. She was holding a book in her hand.

    She¡¯s like a fairying out of a dream with her brilliant smile.

    At that time, Hansen felt something bright in front of his eyes. His dark eyes were shining,as if he finally met the girl he had been looking for in his dreams.

    During their encounter, the girl blushed and smiled shyly when she saw him.

    Looking at her ck pupils, Hansen¡¯s heart trembled. His face and ears turned red in an instant.

    When the girl passed him by, she left a string of crispughter.

    Since then, he had kept this girl in his heart. She was beautiful and innocent, and as pure as an angel.

    He began to think of ways to get close to her and inquire about her information. He knew that she was Jenna Murphy, the daughter of Javon Murphy, the minister of the National Finance Department of A City. She had just enrolled at the university!

    His life seemed to be injected with newfound energy. He was in high spirits, and his hope began to bloom.

    But it never urred to him that such a pure and beautiful woman was actually so dissolute. If he hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes¡­ He wouldn¡¯t have believed it.

    The more beautiful a woman appeared, thehigher the possibility of her being a two-faced, cunning, and ugly woman on the inside.

    This was the conclusion he came up with from Jenna.

    Just like how all beautiful things would eventually be destroyed, the burning fire in Hansen¡¯s heart was extinguished, his passion was gone, and his beautiful image of her no longer existed.

    He had made up his mind to forget her. She was just a dissolute woman, an ill-mannered and arrogant female, how could a man like him care about her?

    However, fate disrupted his life once again, like a calmke unexpectedly stirring up waves.

    When he graduated from university, Hansen¡¯s grandmother had arranged a marriage for him. s, the betrothed woman was Jenna!

    The woman with a beautiful appearance but an ugly heart.

    He was angry, disgusted, and reluctant, but it was useless!

    For this, he plunged into despair for a period of time, but he finally epted it!

    It was not until now that he realized a trace of fantasy he still harboured for her, deep down.

    It was not that he didn¡¯t have any feelings for her at all. On the contrary, he had imprinted her deep inside his heart!

    Otherwise, with Hansen¡¯s character,he would not marry the woman even if his grandmother forced him to.So what if they threaten him with the right of inheritance to the Richards Group? With his capability and methods, what could stop him?!

    Moreover, marriage was once in a lifetime, and if he wasn¡¯t happy about it, how could he just let it be?

    He epted her in grief and anger and married her. However, he could not control the anger in his heart and wanted to punish her as revenge.

    On the wedding night, he got drunk and he plundered her purity rudely. He was full of resentment and discontent, and he was ready to punish without restraint.

    Sure enough, she was not a virgin as he expected!

    She had probably given it to some random man in the past!

    It was widely rumored that Javon waspeting to be elected as the head of the Department of Finance, so he tried to marry his daughter to the Richards family for their influence and financial resources, all for the sake of a higher position.

    Hansen¡¯s contempt for Jenna became more and more intense, and the thorn that had been buried deep in his heart caused him to escape from this house, and from her.

    From then on, he was as cold as ice to her and never walked into their bedroom.

    Their marriage was just for show.

    He finished his cigar very quickly.

    Hansen put out his cigar and his eyes were sharp and deep!

    Over the years, he slowly realized that Jenna was actually a stubborn and arrogant woman. A woman like this would never be a dissolute person.

    Perhaps there could be a misunderstanding in this matter. He wanted to talk to her. After all, those who had experience in the business world knew that peace was the most important thing of all,and if a misunderstanding was cleared out, maybe everything would just turn for the better.

    While he was thinking about it,three years ago, a sudden incident shattered his ns.

    For this reason, Hansen almost went crazy.

    When his father was hospitalized, his mother felt so sad that she fell ill. This was all because of that woman.

    With a ¡®bang¡¯,the annoyed Hansenthrew his cigar butt and punched into the leather seat.

    ¡°Wow, this girl seems really good, her skin looks tender and smooth.¡± Two fat and tanned men in construction suits were approaching Jenna from the embankment. Their eyes were shining like hungry wolves, and their faces were filled with lust.

    They had been staring at Jenna in the dark for a long time, and their eyes were shing with cold and hungry light. After making sure that this woman was in a drunken state, they revealed creepy smiles on their faces.

    ¡°Jack, when she¡¯s drunk enough, it¡¯s our turn to shine. We can finally enjoy!¡± one of the men said as he rubbed his hands together.

    ¡°Yeah, not only can we enjoy it, we can get some money too. I really didn¡¯t expect that we got lucky tonight.¡± The dark-faced man¡¯s face lit up. He raised his arm and wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth with his hand. His yellow teeth were revealed between his lips. He giggled and approached Jenna.

    It was alreadyte at night.

    Jenna drank nearly ten cans of beer in a row,and her face was all red. She threw the beer can as she cried andughed, but then her consciousness gradually slipped away and she was too drunk to stand up. She leaned against the pole by the river, and her cheeks were red as tomatoes. She muttered, ¡°Dad, I really can¡¯t hold on any longer. What should I do? What should I do?¡±

    As she said this, she burst into tears again.

    The two figures got closer and closer, but Jenna couldn¡¯t sense the danger at all.

 Chapter 17 How Dare You Touch My Woman, Youâ€™re Courting Death

    Two rough hands touched her delicate face.

    ¡°Babe, are you feeling horny? We will satisfy your lustter!¡± the two evil voicesughed unscrupulously.

    Jenna pushed the hand away in a daze and shouted, ¡°Go away!¡± Then, she turned over and fell asleep again.

    The amber streemp illuminated her lovely face. Her petite blushing face looked so alluring.

    ¡°D*mn, this girl is hot! Why don¡¯t we go somewhere to ride her all night?¡± One of the men was aroused and whispered his lewd thoughts, while the other one nodded in agreement.

    The man bent over and carried Jenna up, and his buddy looked around and whispered, ¡°Hurry up. Let¡¯s go before anyone sees us.¡±From N?velDrama.Org.

    As she was hoisted up to the man¡¯s shoulder, Jenna felt unwell and her stomach churned. She started throwing up, spitting away a few mouthfuls before she woke up. She opened her eyes in a daze and saw that she was being carried away by two lecherous men! She knew she was in trouble, and immediately sobered up from fright!

    ¡°Let me go, help!¡± She struggled desperately in terror.

    The lecherous men did not expect Jenna to awaken, and her shrill screams pierced through the night conspicuously. Frightened, they sped up their pace as they carried her into a dark alley.

    ¡°Help! Someone help me!¡± Jenna waspletely scared out of her wits as she screamed loudly. ¡°I¡¯m doomed!¡± Bad thoughts were buzzing in her mind, and she was extremely afraid of what would happen next.

    Hansen smoked another cigar in the car,his handsome face could not hide his exhaustion. He nced at the night sky with his dark eyes and was ready to start the car and leave.

    Just as he started the car, in his rearview mirror, he caught a glimpse of two men rushing into a dark alley with a woman in their arms. Then, he heard Jenna¡¯s pitiful screams¡­

    ¡°Help!¡±

    His whole body trembled, and malice shed throughhis eyes.

    Jenna¡¯s desperate cry sent chills down his spine, and he immediately realized something was wrong.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Without thinking, he opened the door and ran forward as he shouted.

    The two men were running fast as they carried Jenna away. In a bright sh, a handsome young man appeared before them. His gaze was as sharp as lightning bolts, staring at them fiercely.

    Facing his sharp gaze, the perverted duoshuddered in fear. One of them was so scared that his legs were shaking.

    ¡°Who are you? Mind your own business.¡± One of the men propped himself up and asked fiercely.

    Seeing that their lewd ns were about to be ruined, the strong man with Jenna on his back shot a fierce look. He rolled up his sleeves and red back at the imposing young man.

    Hansen smiled coldly and disdainfully, looking rxed. However,when his eyes fell on the man¡¯s rough hands that were carrying Jenna, Hansen turned murderous.

    How dare they touch his woman! These hooligans were courting death!

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were gloomy, and his sharp lips were slightly curled. His gaze shed with menace.

    The hooligan suddenly felt the young man rush over, and before he could react, he had been hit by a heavy punch. Just like that, he fell straight down and he couldn¡¯t get up.

    The hooligans didn¡¯t expect that the young man was the mighty Hansen Richards, a legend in A city. More surprisingly, Hansen had once won a Taekwondo championship.

    The other hooligan threw Jenna aside,with a fierce look on his face. He took off his coat, showed his tough abdominal muscles, and approached Hansen.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s thin lips were like drenched in the cold frost, and the light in his eyes condensed into a ray of light. As he blinked, it extinguished, and he struck quickly, as fast as lightning.

    The burly hooligan didn¡¯t even react in time and was already heavily punched in the eye. With a wail, blood spurted from the corner of his eye. He covered his eye with his hands and screamed in pain.

    Another heavy kick came, as fast as lightning.

    As soon as Hansen pulled back his fist, his alluring figure rose into the air and kicked right at the hooligan¡¯s chest. Then, he kicked hard on the hooligan¡¯s knee, and there was a loud ¡®crack!¡¯

    The burly man fell to the ground heavily, one of his legs were broken.

    All his movements were done in one extremely fluid motion. His actions were fast, urate, and ruthless, just like his murderous mood!

    ¡°Ouch!¡± The two menid on the ground, wailing and screaming!

    ¡°Get lost!¡± Hansen roared.

    The two hooligans knew that they couldn¡¯t defeat him, so they scrambled off the floor as if they had just received a pardon from a death sentence. The hooligan with the broken leg had to lean on his buddy as they fled.

    ¡°Humph!¡± Hansen dusted off his hands, scoffed, and walked toward Jenna.

    ¡°D*mned woman!¡± Hansen cursed in a low voice, gnashing his teeth with hatred. This woman actually fell asleep on the ground amid such a ruckus.

    He held back his anger and squatted down.

    The woman¡¯s cheeks were red, and her soft hair was ruffled, covering her face. Her low-cut dress was wet from the beer, and it was tightly attached to her fair skin¡­ Her delicate neckand chest rose and fell slightly as she breathed. She looked extremely seductive.

    This d*mned woman! Couldn¡¯t bear to be lonely, so went drinking in the middle of the night huh? At such a ce? In such a sexy outfit? Look at all the mess now!

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were burning with anger, and his heart was seeping in fury.He bent down to pick Jenna up with his strong arms around her slender waist. He unconsciously increased his strength, even his teeth were grinding in rage.

    Why did he save such a woman like this? She deserved to suffer!

    ¡°Humph, humph!¡± Jenna felt the pain in her sleep. She snorted softly, and she suddenly sniffed a familiar masculine scent. She felt more at ease and fell into a deeper slumber, witha smile appeared on her face! Jenna knew that she could only feel this way in her dreams, when Hansen would willingly approach her, and give her warmth.

    She was happy to continue sleeping that way, enjoying his embrace.

    At theCollier Manor.

    It was the tallest apartment in the city, located at a prime location. The entire roof had a European style and the building was in the shape of a W. The building was d in luxurious marble, glimmering, and pristine.

    Hansen owned a unit on the 18th floor, and it measured more than 200 square meters. It was a private ce where he would often rest, as it was in the middle of the bustling city, and it was not far from thepany. He could get to the office leisurely on foot.

    Because of this convenience, in the previous years, whenever he did not go home, he would be spending the night here.

    He pressed the button of the elevator with Jenna in his arms. As soon as he entered the elevator, two men stared at them with a suspicious look on their faces.

    At this time, Hansen was holding a quiet and sound asleep Jenna in his arms. She leaned her head on his chest. Her hair was messy and her clothes were in disarray.

    They looked really indecent and suspicious.

    Hansen¡¯s face started to burn a little, he had never felt so embarrassed.

    ¡°You¡¯re dead, woman!¡± He cursed under his breath with a burning rage in his heart.

    Fortunately, it was alreadyte at night, and they did not meet anyone else, saving Hansen from further embarrassment.

    As soon as he entered the house, he threw Jenna on the sofa roughly.

 Chapter 18 Slapped

    Hansen, who was a clean freak,now reeked of alcohol, and his face was very gloomy.

    He rushed into the spacious bathroom, filled the bathtub with water, took off his clothes, andy in itfortably. The warm water surrounded him, and his nerves gradually calmed down.

    Didn¡¯t he hate her? Why did he care about her so much? He should have let the two dirty men take advantage of her, it had nothing to do with him.

    Why did he rush to her without thinking?

    Wasn¡¯t he looking forward to her being humiliated and defiled by others?

    Was he moved by her pitiful and vulnerable appearance, or was it because he could not bear to see her be humiliated? Or did he care about her from the bottom of his heart?

    As he pondered this, Hansen sunk to the bottom of the bathtub and let the water engulf him.

    After a long bath, he changed into clean pajamas with satisfaction. He was in a much better mood!

    He habitually went to the living room to get himself a cup of hot water, but his eyes fell on the woman who was sleeping on the sofa.

    Her clothes were disheveled and reeked of alcohol. Her dress was stained with dirt and her sweat-dampened hair was sticking to her forehead. Her cleavage exposed, but she slept soundly like a baby. This version of Jenna, free from pretense, was gentle and innocent, like a perfect doll. Her long eyshes and rosy cheeks highlighted her lovely face, as she slender arms crossed against her chest adorably.

    Hansen thought of the girl from his dreams, and at that moment, Jenna looked exactly like what he imagined.

    ¡°Now, this is what a real woman looks like!¡± Hansen¡¯s lips curled.

    With air-conditioning, the living room was very cold. Would she feel cold if she slept like that?

    There was a slight excitement in his heart but he was really puzzled. She was such an unpleasant ex-wife, and he had already done his best by saving her from danger, so why was he still thinking so much?

    He hesitated, but in the end, he still couldn¡¯t bear to leave her. He put his cup on the coffee table, went over to her as he carried her and walked to the bathroom.

    Jenna, who was still asleep, crawled into his arms and leaned her head against his chest. She was as docile and obedient as a kitten as she snuggled into his arms.

    Hansen¡¯s body was stiff, and there seemed to be a fire burning in his body. In an instant, his whole body rose to a higher temperature,but he calmed his mind and concealed his anger.

    He wanted to ignore her, but he was worried that she would catch a cold. This woman had iting, it was already sote at night but she still went to the riverside and got drunk on top of that. She had no sense of danger at all.

    He filled the water in the tub and threw her into it.

    The woman was floating on the surface of the water, weak and helpless¡­ Like the autumn leaves falling lonely in the wind.

    Jenna, who was soaked in warm water, coughed a few times, feeling insecure. Her hands moved restlessly in the air.

    Hansen looked at her with his arms across his chest and his head tilted. The woman in the waterstill slept soundlyalthough her hands were moving wildly.The steam swirled around her. After thinking for a while, he finally bent down.

    He held her head and cleaned her. Then he took a towel and wrapped her up. He took her to bed, lowered his head, and covered her with soft silk sheets.

    Jenna was too tired, andtogether with the influence of alcohol, she didn¡¯t know what was happening at all.

    Hansen shook his head and was about to leave, but he was suddenly grabbed by a tiny hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯te near me.Hansen, save me!¡± Jenna was crying in her dreams, muttering to herself.

    Hearing her whine in her sleep, he was stunned for a moment. He was confused and had an inexplicable feeling in his heart.

    Her voice was so lonely and helpless, which made him a little sad.

    He couldn¡¯t help but bend down and stroke her face with his hand to wipe away the tears on her face.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Their faces were very close to each other, so close that he could even smell her sweet breath. Her flushed, drunk face was so charming. Her previous bright eyes were covered with two curves of long eyshes. Her red lips were like ripe cherries, revealing a hint of allure.

    He felt hot all over his body, and a stream of air rose up. He suddenly lowered his head and pressed on her red lips.

    Jenna fell deeply asleep, but the two dirty men still lingering in her subconscious before she fainted were horrifyingly magnified in her mind.

    She gradually sobered up as she felt the heat on her face,and she suddenly used all her strength to push away the man above her. Sitting up, she raised her hand and pped him.

    ¡°B*stard! How dare you bully me.¡± Jenna sat up and pped the man hard. She had a splitting headache and couldn¡¯t open her eyes. She flopped down and fell asleep again.

    The crisp p fell on Hansen¡¯s face. His mind and rationality were in a mess,so his reaction was certainly dampened. As a result, he did not avoid getting pped in the face. He was incensed! He had never been pped before in his life, but now he was humiliated by this disdainful woman.

    Things took a turn!

    He got up and touched his own face, and his anger gradually subsided. He looked down at the woman who had fallen asleep again. With bloodshot eyes, he reached out to choke her.

    He thought that as long as he exerted a piece of his strength, he would kill this lustful woman, then he would not be so annoyed anymore.

    Ahem! Ahem! As he choked in her sleep, she couldn¡¯t breathe properly and she started to cough violently.

    The anger in Hansen¡¯s red eyes gradually ebbed. He loosened his grip, mmed the door, and walked out of the room. Then, hey on the sofa grumpily.

    He must have gone crazy. Why did he save such an infuriating woman?!

 Chapter 19 Where Is This Place?

    It was a good night¡¯s sleep!

    Jenna opened her eyes. Her beautiful eyes looked bright and energetic because she had a satisfying sleep. She rubbed her eyes and looked around for a while. Then she rubbed her eyes and looked up again.

    In fright, Jenna jolted from the bed, and screamed.

    ¡°Where is this ce?¡±

    Before she faintedst night, Jenna remembered two wretched men carrying her away. So, they must have defiled her! Thinking of this, Jenna felt a chill all over her body and quickly checked her body.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.

    Sure enough, there was only a thin bath towel that was wrapping her. She felt cold all over, but she was slightly puzzled too. Things were not as bad as she thought. At least, her lower body did not feel ufortable at all!

    ¡°Where am I?!¡±

    It was a luxurious bedroom, bright and clean,fortable and gorgeous. This was not what the two wretched men could have. Was it possible that she was sold to a brothel?

    She hurriedly rolled over and got up as she looked around for her clothes.

    However, she didn¡¯t find it. She pulled open the wardrobe and found that there were only men¡¯s clothes inside. There were well-made suits and a row of designer T-shirts, seemingly like the bedroom of a person with exquisite taste.

    Jenna¡¯s heart throbbed instantly. Could this be Hansen¡¯s bedroom? Or perhaps it was Rayan¡¯s? No, Hansen had already gone to take care of his beloved Aria, how could hee and save her? It must be Rayan. Only he would pity her, only he could have possibly saved her!

    Her heart was undting. Immediately, she picked up a T-shirt and opened the bedroom door.

    The T-shirt was long and big enough to cover her petite and slim body. It covered her thighs, just below her b*ttocks. The T-shirt was of good quality, soft andfortable.

    It was really arge and luxurious apartment. Every piece of furniture was fashionable and ssy, magnificent to behold, and luxurious to the touch.

    Jenna looked around with her beautiful eyes, trying to search for the tall and majestic figure.

    The door on one side of the living room opened. A handsome dark-haired man in a suit came out with an expensive tote in his hand, looking like he was just about to go out.

    ¡°It¡¯s you¡­¡± Jenna recognized him with a stiff smile on her face.

    It turned out to beHansenRichards!

    This was Hansen¡¯s home, a home outside of the Richards Mansion!

    She had been his nominal wife for several years, but she had never heard of this ce!

    Hansen had no expression on his face and his eyes were cold. He was about to go out with his bag in his hands. When he passed by Jenna, he behaved like he just noticed her, and stood still reluctantly.

    ¡°You saved me?¡± Jenna asked in a low voice. She lowered her head and lowered her eyes, holding the lower hem of her clothes with her hands. There was a trace of uneasiness and expectation in her eyes!

    Jenna couldn¡¯t believe that he would leave Aria behind to save her!

    Hansen raised his handsome eyebrows with his unique aura and arrogance. He looked down at her and said coldly, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be such a b*tch! Let me tell you,you¡¯d better do well at work from now on anddon¡¯t humiliate mypany.¡±

    His slender body walked out, but he turned around after a few steps.

    ¡°It¡¯s not far from thepany here. Go and get breakfast yourself.¡±

    After saying this, he did not look back as he mmed the door.

    Jenna was stunned. Her face fell immediately.

    What did he mean? Even though she had seen disdain from his eyes many times before, this was the first time he called her a b*tch like that!

    She felt so bitter inside.

    ¡°If I¡¯m a lowly b*tch, so his Aria must be noble and precious? If he hates me so much, why would he save me?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask him to save me!¡± but she held all those words back.

    But at the thought of being defiled by the two wretched menst night, Jenna shuddered.She was terrified, and secretly felt fortunate that Hansen saved her!

    The Swiss wall clock showed that it was almost time for work. She washed up in a hurry, found her clothes, and headed to thepany.

    She bought a nutritious breakfast outside and brought it to thepany.

    When the people in thepany saw her, they all looked at her with strange eyes. Once they met Jenna¡¯s eyes, they would look away in a hurry, as if she hadmitted a crime.

    Jenna acted like nothing happened and remained calm.

    Richards Group upied ten floors of the whole building. From the 78th floor onwards, it all belonged to Richards Group, packed with talented individuals.

    The elevator stopped at the 78th floor.

    Jenna held her bandaged hand. When she thought of the fact that she didn¡¯t go homest night, she wondered if her mother was worried. Jenna should call her upter!

    The strong smell of Lae perfume drifted in as the elevator door opened, and Aria McAdams walked in with a delighted face.

    When she looked up and saw Jenna, Aria smiling eyes turned red instantly as if they were set on fire, and her face darkened.

    Aria¡¯s raised her head arrogantly and observed Jenna rudely. Jenna just stood there calmly, an imperceptible coldness shed in Aria¡¯s eyes.

    Jenna forced a smile and turned to look at the elevator ceiling.

    Aria¡¯s face turned red from annoyance. At this moment, the elevator bell rang and the door suddenly opened!

    Jenna¡¯s mouth curved into a smile and she walked out quietly, leaving Aria behind.

    The elevator door closed.Aria clenched her fists and her eyes were cold.

    ¡°What happened? Did you slip upst night?¡± She took out her phone.

    ¡°D*mn it!¡± After a while, Aria gripped her phone tightly. The shiny elevator door reflected her angry twisted face.

    Jenna sat in the office, recalling how she got out of dangerst night and how Hansen saved her.

    When would Hansen give her two cars? She didn¡¯t want to drag this out for too long. Lawyer Bolton said that the used car was the key to their breakthrough.

    She could not stay here for too long. She would not be able to hold on any longer. She would copse.

    There was a soft and polite knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Jenna said softly and raised her head.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, how¡¯s your hand?¡± Special Assistant Peters came in. Looking at Jenna¡¯s bandaged hand, he felt ashamed and asked uneasily.

    Jenna was in a daze. When she looked up, she saw Miss Peters¡¯ timid and worrying eyes.

    Miss Peters was good at her work. She was capable and delicate. She was also meticulous and considerate!

    Jenna couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I really didn¡¯t expect something like this would happen. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t force you to go,¡± Miss Peters said in a low voice, feeling a little uneasy.

    ¡°I¡¯m really fine.¡± Jennaforted her with a smile. Finally,there was someone who still remembered her injury. A trace of warmth shed through her heart and she felt a little relieved. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Miss Peters?¡±

    The special assistant heaved a sigh of relief. She nodded and said, ¡°There will be a routine meeting this afternoon at 3 p. m. This is a meeting for the executives of Richards Group. Mr. Richards wants you to attend as well.¡±

    ¡°I see! Got it!¡± Jenna understood why Miss Peters came to her and nodded her head in agreement.

    Miss Peters bowed and was about to leave. However, she hesitated for a while and pursed her lips. Finally, she made up her mind to take a step forward and said in a low voice.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, you have to watch out for Ms. McAdams. That woman is two-faced¡­She¡¯s very cruel and merciless. However, Mr. Richards trusts her, so you¡¯d better be careful!¡±

    Jenna raised her head, and the light in her eyes flickered, but her heart was warm. She was moved by Miss Peter¡¯s kind warning. Miss Peters would not usually show concern to people she was not close to.

    It seemed that Hansen¡¯s subordinates were not all power-hungry and greedy people, showing Hansen¡¯s good eye in choosing people.

    It was just that he would never know how to appreciate Jenna, this might be one of his shorings.

    Jenna smiled bitterly.

 Chapter 20 Give Tit For Tat

    Time passed very quickly, and it was quiet in the morning. At noon, Jenna tidied her desk and got ready to head out for lunch.

    There was a staff cafeteria at Richards Group, but Jenna didn¡¯t want to go there. She didn¡¯t want to stay too long inthis troubled ce, so she took the elevator and went to eat at an outside eatery.

    She went to the employees¡¯ elevator and waited quietly. There was an employee elevator and a special elevator in Richards Group. Thetter was reserved only for Hansen, Aria, Marissa Sotomayor who was Hansen¡¯s mother, and the other higher-ups.

    The elevator quickly arrived from the top floor. When the elevator came from the top floor, it was usually empty. She worked on the 86th floor, and the only floor higher than that was the 88th floor, where Hansen¡¯s office was. The 87th floor was not numbered due to superstitious reasons.

    Jenna walked in when the elevator doors opened. When she looked up, she saw Minnie wearing the pale red secretary¡¯s suit of the Richards Group. She was ying with thetest iPhone in her hand. She looked down at the phone screen with a smile on her face.

    Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She blurted out, ¡°Minnie, why are you here?¡±

    Hearing the question, Minnie raised her head and saw Jenna, who was full of curiosity. She smiled and said with disdain, ¡°Why, can¡¯t I be here? If you can stay at Richards Group, why can¡¯t I? I am younger and more beautiful than you are. Ms. McAdams trusts me and Mr. Richards likes me very much. Of course I have to join Richards Group. Is there anything wrong with that?¡±

    She was straightforward and iparably arrogant.

    Jenna felt sad. After what happenedst night, she already knew what Minnie¡¯s intentions were. She felt a chill in her heart, then she smiled coldly and said, ¡°Minnie, if you are that ignorant, then I have nothing to say. However, as your cousin, I want to remind you that at your age now, your focus should be onpleting your studies in school rather than trying to climb up to a higher ce and taking shortcuts. I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll lose everything in the end, and it will do no good to you.¡±

    When she finished her words calmly, the elevator bell rang. She turned around, stepped out of the elevator door, and walked outside.

    ¡°Jenna, stop,¡± Minnie shouted angrily from behind. ¡°You¡¯re just jealous of me because you can¡¯t get Mr. Richards¡¯ love. Anyone who thinks like you will only end up like you, a woman that men would easily abandon.¡±

    Her words humiliated Jenna, who stopped and turned around to face her. Her eyes were gloomy and cold. She stared straight at Minnie; her eyes were fixed on her as she approached her.

    When she was a child, Minnie was afraid of her brilliant cousin who excelled in every aspect. Although she was upset about it, she did not dare to show it. Now, however, she was the one who started to talk rudely, and when faced with Jenna who was stronger and morepetent, she felt intimidated and guilty. She was forced to step back as Jenna stepped forward. She was in a panic as she stammered:

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of studying?There is no guarantee that you can find a job after graduation. It¡¯s every schrs¡¯ dream to get into apany with good benefits like the Richards Group. My choice is the right one. Moreover, Ms. McAdams thinks highly of me. With her support, what should I be afraid of? Who are you to control me?¡±

    As she said this, Minnie felt confident again. She stood up straight, plucked up her courage and looked back at Jenna¡¯s eyes fiercely.

    ¡°What, what do you want? Let me tell you, if you want to get your family¡¯s money back by using Hansen, stop dreaming. Mr. Richards won¡¯t help you. You only have a beautiful face. If you can do it, then I¡¯m sure that I can too. I¡¯m much younger and more beautiful than you are.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart felt like it was pricked by a sharp needle, but she would no longer feel sad for such a shallow woman. She waved her hand that was wrapped in white gauze and said coldly, ¡°Minnie, which path you want to choose is your business, but let me warn you, behave yourself and don¡¯t y tricks in front of me,otherwise, I won¡¯t let you go. I¡¯ll remember this.¡±

    As she was touching her injured hand, she felt as if a cold light had shot straight into her heart. Minnie stared at her indignantly, but she didn¡¯t dare to say anything more.

    Jenna sneered and turned to walk toward the round floating tform.

    A gentleman stood outside the building; he looked sophisticated and elegant. The sun was high in the sky, illuminating him with ayer of gold, and he looked dazzling in the sunlight.

    He smiled slightly, and his pleasant voice was full of charm.

    ¡°Jen.¡±

    Rayan stood next to an expensive Rolls-Royce and looked at her with a smile.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen.¡± Just as Jenna walked down, she was stunned for a moment. Then she reacted and walked quickly to him. ¡°Brother Rayan, why are you here?¡±

    She raised her head slightly and looked up at him. There was a hint of yfulness on her face, and she smiled faintly.

    Rayanughed heartily. He looked at Jenna¡¯s hand and asked with concern, ¡°Jen, how is your hand? I couldn¡¯t find you anywherest night.¡±

    Last night?

    Jenna felt ufortable and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m alright.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you have to be fine.¡± Rayan¡¯s eyes were full of pity. ¡°I still want to listen to you ying the piano.¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡± Jennaughed, the dark blue tint of his car reflected her red lips, revealing a row of neat crescent-shaped teeth. The sun prated her face, but it did not prick her eyes. It turned her face into a charming red color, and all the sad emotions faded away. She looked at the light in the distance with curved eyebrows. ¡°Young Master Whalen, as long as you want to listen, I¡¯m willing to offer my services at any time.¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Rayanughed heartily again. ¡°Jen, let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll bring you to try some French food. Let¡¯s try the French cuisine in A city and see if it tastes good.¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡± Jenna was a little hesitant asit was her lunch break. There was a meeting at three o¡¯clock in the afternoon too.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not far away. It¡¯s just nearby and it won¡¯t affect your work.¡± Darkness shed through Rayan¡¯s eyes. He nced at the towering building, and a sense of loss rippled through his heart.

    He really did not expect that Jenna, who had returned to A city, would actually return to work at Richards Group. He was very upset and he wanted to know why she had done so.

    Why would she choose this ce where she had suffered so much humiliation? Was it only for Hansen?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, let¡¯s go,¡± Rayan smiled gently and opened the door.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    Jenna no longer hesitated and got into the car.

    She was grateful to Rayan from the bottom of her heart. When she left A city three years ago, she had escaped without a single penny from Hansen. In the three years she spent abroad, she devoted herself to study car design. The savings she brought from her mother¡¯s family were all used up. After that was gone, she had to go out to find a job to support her studies.

    When she was looking for jobs with her car design model, however, she was disappointed that no one would appreciate her work.

    It was dark that day when she stood by the river, holding her car design. She was disheartened, cold, and hungry. She didn¡¯t know what to do, and her expression was gloomy.

    Not far away, stood a man dressed in a casual denim T-shirt and a cap. He was dressed casually, but there was a brilliant aura about him.

    He was calm and elegant, and he had a faint smile on his face.

    On that day, after seeing Jenna¡¯s design, he had a long chat with her and encouraged her with his words.

    Then, her luck changed. Thepany called, and from that point onwards, she became the designer for the Whalen Group.

    In less than a few months, the car model she designed climbed to poprity all over the world!

    Just when she had a taste of sess, something happened to her family!

    She had no choice but to rush back!

 Chapter 21 Fated to Meet

    ¡°I ordered steak. This is the best restaurant around. What else do you need?¡± Rayan picked a quiet corner near the French windows and sat down.

    The famous restaurant was elegant and expensive, and romantic songs were ying gently to add the ambiance.

    The French windows, adorned with delicatece curtains, were surrounded by green leaves, and the beaming sunshine was very dazzling.The table was next to the window where they could look out to observe the hustle and bustle of city life.

    Jenna sighed in her heart,and her eyes began to water!

    Amongst all the people in the world, Jenna was so lucky to have found such a caring man who looked after her.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Rayan stared at her with a smile on his face. Over the past few years, he often ate with Jenna. Although she always had a faint smile on her face, he knew that she was not a superficial woman. She had secrets she kept in her heart; she just didn¡¯t tell him about them.

    He had once asked her, ¡°How did youe up with such a creative design?¡± He was really curious. How could a woman have such an ingenious idea? His dark eyes were dark, piercing straight to her heart.

    She didn¡¯t hide the truth from him and said what was on her mind, ¡°I designed it for the man I loved.¡±

    He was very disappointed, but he didn¡¯t say anything. After all, he did not meet her until muchter, after she had already found a man she loved.

    Later, he followed her to A city and he only recently learned about her miserable past. She had suffered a lot, but she never showed any sadness.

    She was still like that, even now!

    If she was bold enough to honestly say what was on her mind, maybe she would feel a little better, but she would never do that.

    The steaks were served.

    Jenna held the fork and looked at Rayan¡¯s curious eyes. She sighed and asked with a smile, ¡°Brother Rayan, how long will you stay in A city?¡±

    Rayan skillfully cut the steak and put it into his mouth to taste it. He nodded and smiled, appreciating the vor.

    ¡°The steak here is not bad at all. Cooked to a medium-well, it is tender and delicious.¡± He put down his cutlery, poured the French red wine, and raised his ss. ¡°Come, let¡¯s have a drink.¡±

    With a hollow ¡®ng¡¯, apanied by the crisp sound of the ss, the corner of Jenna¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°Brother Rayan, cheers to you. Thank you for taking care of me. I¡¯ll drink this ss of wine, but I can¡¯t drink more than this. I have to go to work in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Rayan was straightforward. He raised his head and drank it in one breath.

    Jenna also downed it.

    ¡°Jen, why are you working at Richards Group?¡± After drinking a few sses of red wine, Rayan¡¯s eyes were a little red. He stared at Jenna and asked seriously.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Jenna was ufortable, but she didn¡¯t know what to say. After a long pause, she ate a piece of steak and said seriously, ¡°Mr. Whalen, I have something that I need to do there, that¡¯s why I went back to Richards Group. It has nothing to do with business. Please believe me, I won¡¯t stay at Richards Group for too long. I know the rules in business, and I know what to do. I can draw a clear line between work and personal affairs.¡±

    Her tone was light, but very sincere. She looked at him with her clear eyes revealing a pang of sadness. It seemed as if her sorrow would be spilling over at any time.

    Rayan¡¯s heart tightened and he nodded hurriedly. ¡°I believe you. I will stay in A city for the time being, before I return. There is another important reason why I¡¯m here. I am worried about you.¡± Saying this, he took out a gold card from his pocket and pushed it towards Jenna.

    ¡°Jen, this is your bonus. The car you designed is popr all over the world. ording to thepany¡¯s regtions, this is the reward you deserve.¡± Rayan¡¯s face was solemn.

    Jenna was stunned and she looked at the gold card in front of her. There were ten million dors in it. ording to thepany¡¯s regtions, this was her reward!

    It was a pity that the money hadn¡¯te sooner. Disregarding Hansen¡¯s contempt, Jenna had sold herself to him in order to obtain better treatment for her mother. Later, she also agreed to his request for a divorce.

    It was all toote!

    But this was fate!N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.

    Her fingers stroked the gold card and trembled slightly.

    She felt extremely ufortable and wanted to say something, but she couldn¡¯t.

    As soon as she looked up, she saw Hansen walk in with Aria. They were holding hands.

    His handsome face was like a piece of art, while Aria was sexy and charming.They were a gorgeous couple.

    For a moment, Jenna was in a trance. She hurriedly lowered her head and started cutting her steak, but she did it messily.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± The waiter saw Hansening in and hurriedly bowed down to greet him. Soon the manager followed him, nodding and bowing with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Bring us something to eat. Hurry up. I have a meeting in the afternoon.¡± Hansen gave a brief order.

    ¡°Okay, Mr. Richards,please wait for a while.¡± The manager quickly nodded and briefly reported the situation of the restaurant to him.

    Just then, Jenna realized that the ¡®Phyllis River¡¯ restaurant was under Richards Group. She really should have thought that in A city, Richards Group would own businesses in every major industry. They had influence over all industries.

    She stood up and wanted to leave.

    Rayan held her injured hand and shook his head at her with a smile.

    Hansen and Aria were coincidentally seated across from them. However, Jenna believed that he didn¡¯t do it on purpose as Aria kept holding his arm as she stood on his right to block his view.

    As soon as they sat down, Hansen saw Jenna who was eating steak with her head down. She bowed her head low, as if she was deliberately avoiding him.

    Hansen¡¯s body froze and his eyes darkened. He looked at them with his sharp eyes.

    Jenna immediately felt like there was a thorn in her back, as if she was sitting on pins and needles.She felt ufortable all over.

    ¡°Hansen, I want a ss of aloe vera juice to detox. Do you want some?¡± Aria softened her eyes and looked at Jenna and Rayan. An imperceptible smirk shed across her face. She asked in a low voice, but her body was close to him.

    ¡°Give me a bottle of a fine red wine.¡± Hansen did not answer the question and his mood changed.

    The waiter brought the red wine and steaks as quickly as he could.

    Hansen waved his hand and the waiter left.

    He skillfully unscrewed the bottle cap and poured a ss of the red liquid.

    He stood up.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, what a rare sight it is to see a world-renowned financier like yourself visit a small restaurant like this.¡± Hansen clenched his wine ss and walked over gracefully.

    Rayan smiled faintly, stood up, and responded politely, ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m ttered. Please take a seat.¡±

    ¡°Come, let me toast you. Cheers.¡± Hansen raised his handsome eyebrows confidently but not ostentatiously. He raised his head and drank it in one breath. Then he sat down on the seat next to Jenna casually.

 Chapter 22 Defeat

    ¡°¡­¡± Rayan was slightly stunned.There were always bootlickers every day, but he rarely metpetitors like Hansen.At this time, however, Hansen was smiling and toasting him. He really sat down when Rayan invited him to. Rayan could feel the tension in the air, as if Hansen was challenging him.

    Rayan was born to be a powerhouse, so he smiled politely at the moment. He raised his ss and gulped down the wine. He said generously, ¡°I really didn¡¯t know this was your territory, Mr. Richards. If I had known, I would have invited you to join us for lunch.¡±

    The wine slipped into their mouths and down their throat. Hansen¡¯s eyes narrowed and he smiled. Rayan also drank the wine in one gulp.

    At this time, they looked peaceful and friendly, as if they were good friends that just reunited.

    However, Jenna didn¡¯t think so. She felt an invisible pressure that made it difficult for her to breathe.

    Guns and clubs, swords and spears!

    As if she could smell the hostility in the air, she wanted to stand up and slip away.

    However, Hansen seemed to have seen through her mind and stretched out a leg in front of her. It seemed that he did it on purpose, but his eyes did not even look at her from the start.

    Jenna¡¯s breathing became shallow again as she thought,¡°What does he want?¡±

    They were just having a meal. What was wrong with having ameal together as friends? Although she worked under Richards Group, she didn¡¯t sell her body. He really was too controlling.

    Of course, Jenna understood the sensitive nature of her work. After all, she was in the same industry, and she had even worked for thepetitors before.That would understandably make people worry.

    Sure enough, after putting down his wine ss, Hansen, who had never taken the initiative to pour wine for others, unexpectedly replenished Rayan¡¯s ss. Hepletely ignored Jenna and seemed to have forgotten the confrontation between themst night!

    He didn¡¯t blush nor did he look nervous. Instead, he was unceasingly courteous.

    Rayan was able to restrain himself very well. Since Hansen was polite to him, he also responded courteously. The two of them drank together,and the atmosphere seemed very harmonious.

    Jenna had never seen Hansen socializing in public. When she saw them talking about casual topics and asionally smiling politely, she felt like a weight was off her shoulder.

    Aria sat opposite them and looked at them with a cold expression.

    In front of so many people, and in the presence of his beloved, he had to think about his own reputation. Moreover, this was his own shop, he couldn¡¯t ruin his reputation!

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, I heard that you¡¯re going to get married soon?¡± Hansen asked casually, his eyshes drooping slightly after drinking a few sses of red wine.

    Jenna, who was cutting steak with her head down, suddenly shuddered and dropped the fork in her hand. It fell on the te with a ¡®nk¡¯!

    Rayan was about to get married? Why didn¡¯t she know about it?

    Hansen¡¯s seemingly casual remarks sounded harsh in Jenna¡¯s ears!

    Since she had first met Rayan, she had never asked him about his personffairs, nor did she want to ask him about them. They had been getting along well with each other.

    But today, after that d*mned Hansen said it so casually, she was still surprised! Although she had never loved Rayan before, with her natural sensitivity, she felt it was too sudden and she was even slightly disappointed.

    After all, they were so close,so why didn¡¯t he tell her that he was about to get married? She didn¡¯t want to be overly close to an engaged man, much less cause any scandals.

    ¡°Rayan, don¡¯t forget to invite me to your wedding,¡± Hansen said. Jenna dropped her cutlery, and Hansen saw her disappointed face. He sneered in his heart, but he squeezed a sincere smile on his face. He maintained a natural expression as if he didn¡¯t even hear Jenna dropping her utensils on the te.

    However, Rayan¡¯s expression changed!

    When he heard the sound of the fork dropping from Jenna¡¯s hand, he felt a twinge in his eyes. A trace of panic shed across his face, and he looked at her with a little guilt.

    Jenna knew that she had lost herposure.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She hurriedly picked up the fork, but out of the corner of her eyes, she nced over at Hansen who was sitting next to her. She happened to catch his eye, and Jenna¡¯s face was burning hot. She hurriedly looked away.

    The smile on Hansen¡¯s face became more obvious. In Jenna¡¯s opinion, it was a scornful and mocking smile, as if he wasughing at her for crossing the line and associating intimately with a married man.

    Annoyance, displeasure,and all types of feelings surged. Jenna felt ufortable and scared at the same time, as if her whole body had been stripped naked by him and her bare self was exposed in the open.From N?velDrama.Org.

    This self-righteous guy must have thought that they had a rtionship. However, what did it have to do with him? Did he have toe and rub it in her face?

    ¡°Jen, are you okay?¡± Rayan asked. Jenna¡¯s face was red and she looked ufortable. It made him nervous and he asked thoughtfully, ¡°The steak is already cold, how about we get another te?¡±

    At this time, after hearing Rayan¡¯s concern for her, Hansen turned his head, acting as if he just saw Jenna sitting next to him.

    There was a ¡®friendly¡¯ smile in his ck eyes. The smile was full of sarcasm andcency. His smile was so bright that Jenna gritted her teeth and wished she could punch him blind.

    ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯m already full,¡± she quickly lowered her eyes and said in a low and weak voice. The corner of her eyes fell on Hansen¡¯s five slender fingers, which was holding onto a wine ss. His beautiful finger was tapping nonchntly on the wine ss, and it made him look proud and arrogant.

    She really couldn¡¯t stay seated anymore.

    Hansen smiled calmly andlooked at Rayanin front of him,who was showing a flurry of emotions. The world talked about this man being gentle, elegant, rich, young, promising, handsome, and confident.

    However, when it came to Jenna, he felt panic, confusion, pain and love.

    This d*mned woman was really good at ying tricks!

    Through a man¡¯s intuition, he understood the meaning in Rayan¡¯s eyes.

    Hansen¡¯s heart was boiling with anger.

    ¡°I¡¯m done eating. I¡¯m leaving.¡± Jenna stood up at the right time and said politely.

    ¡°Jen, wait.¡± Rayan saw Jenna stood up and was about to leave, so he hurriedly sprung to his feet.

    ¡°Since you have finished eating, I won¡¯t bother you anymore.¡± Hansen also stood up and smiled. He reached his hand out to Rayan like a gentleman.

    Rayan hesitated for a moment and reciprocated his gesture in the end.

    The two slender hands clenched together.

    Rayan was concerned about Jenna, and all his attention was on her. When he saw her exiting, he wanted to rush after her.

    However, Hansen¡¯s grip on Rayan¡¯s hand became tighter. Rayan wanted to get rid of his hand, but he was so strong that he couldn¡¯t loosen his hand, yet he couldn¡¯t just throw it off too. He could only hold it with a grudge and watched as Jenna left, step by step.

    His eyes were sharp, and he understood what Hansen was doing, so he stared at Hansen closely.

    They saw hostility in each other¡¯s cold eyes. First, it was slight, and then it intensified.

    Sparks gradually appeared in Rayan¡¯s eyes. He hadpletely lost this round.

 Chapter 23 Distracted

    Jenna ran back to the office and closed the bathroom door of the inner suite. She leaned against the door frame and exhaled a long breath.

    She saw herself in the mirror and realized that she looked flustered. Her face was red, and her chest was pounding like a rabbit. She couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed.

    She said to herself, ¡°Jenna Murphy,what did you do wrong? Why are you so flustered? Aren¡¯t you just going to beughed at by that b*stard Hansen?¡±

    ¡°What the hell is going on!¡±

    ¡°If mere a mocking eyes of him could make I loseposure, then what am I going to do in the future?¡± She asked herself.

    She took a deep breath, shook her head, and walked to the bedroom. She then casuallyid on the wide soft bed.

    The chandelier on the ceiling dangled in the air and made a kaleidoscope of shapes akin to butterflies. The decoration on the ceiling was like a cloudy blue sky. As Jenna opened her eyes and watched the ¡®butterflies¡¯ ying on the blue sky and clouds, she couldn¡¯t help but drift away in thought.

    ¡°Humph,¡± Jenna heard a cold, demon-like voice with a disdainful sneer.

    She was so shocked that she turned her body over and sat up.

    Hansen was standing in front of the suite with flushed cheeks, as if they had been dyed with red wine. He looked at her in disdain and mockery.

    ¡°How did you get in?¡± Jenna asked loudly.She was taken aback by surprise. She quickly took the pillow from the bed and held it tightly in her arms. When she entered the bedroom just now, she closed the door and locked it on purpose! How did he get in?

    Hansen raised the key in his hand, which he thought was very funny. ¡°This is mypany. Of courseI have the key. Who can stop me from entering any room I want?¡±

    He smiled waywardly and slowly approached her.

    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Jenna inched back with a vignt look on her face.

    Hansen smiled evilly and looked down at Jenna. Looking at Jenna¡¯s eyes, he gently raised a gold bank card in his hand and sneered, ¡°Is this the money you sold your body for again?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Jenna¡¯s expression suddenly changed and she was in shock. It turned out that in panic, she had forgotten to bring with her the bonus that Rayan gave to her. She didn¡¯t know how Hansen had it in his hands. Wasn¡¯t this another chance for him to mock her again?

    ¡°Give it to me,¡± she jumped up and reached out to grab it.

    Hansen raised his hand slightly, soJenna failed to grab it and fell on the bed.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Jenna red at him angrily, her eyes shed at him as if they were scissors. She wanted nothing more than to slice him up.

    ¡°Unreasonable, this man is so unreasonable!¡± Jenna felt so upset that she was going to cough out all her organs!

    His handsome face suddenly came over and stopped in front of her. His fair fingers gently lifted her chin. It seemed gentle, but on closer look, it was like there was a knife hiding in his eyes. He pressed his thin lips together and revealed a smile.

    ¡°Tell me, how much did you sell yourself for? Do you really need the money that much?¡±

    His cold eyes looked straight at her, as if he wanted to see through her, but his hand held it tighter and tighter until her whole chin was in his palm.

    After all, she was once his wife. Would his woman be so poor that she had to sell herself to survive?

    He had justpensated her with arge sum of money!

    Hansen was furious in his heart,and his eyes were screaming caution!

    Jenna felt a sharp pain in her chin, as if it was going to be dislocated. She felt a chill in her heart and pped his hand away. Her face suddenly turned red, her delicate eyebrows tightened. ¡°Hansen, you¡¯ve gone too far. We are divorced, you have no right to control me. Why do you have to insult me like this?¡±

    ¡°Insult?¡± Hansen raised his eyebrows and said with a mocking face, ¡°You must be disappointed! The man you like has a woman he loves. You are just someone else¡¯s toy. If I am right, you must be angry with the embarrassment, and now you have nowhere to vent your anger, am I right? Don¡¯t look at me like this, I¡¯m just telling you the truth.¡±

    ¡°You b*stard.¡±

    Jenna gnashed her teeth, she was extremely sad and disappointed. They didn¡¯t even have the slightest trust for each other at all. Why was she still in love with him?!Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    She really was stupid!

    So stupid that after being humiliated by him again and again, she still had a glimmer of hope for him.

    Her eyes turned red. She looked at him coldly, and a few words jumped out of her teeth. ¡°Hansen, I must have been blind to even be with you.¡±

    ¡°Humph!¡± Hansen smiled coldly and remained unmoved.

    He exposed her but she was still acting like she was wronged. What for?

    His long arm was like pincers trapping her. He dragged her to the soft bed so that she could not move. He crossed his legs over and pinned her. His eyes were red and vicious as he said fiercely,

    ¡°Woman, how much do you want? Sell yourself to me, I¡¯ll satisfy you.¡±

    His big palm began to strip her clothes, and Jenna¡¯s eyes showed fear as she struggled and resisted.

    Her struggle caused his body to heat up.

    He thought that he must be crazy! He must have turned crazy because he was too angry at her! Otherwise, how would he lose his mindpletely?

    This d*mned woman, ever since she appeared in front of him again, his life had beenpletely chaotic. He was no longer as calm andposed as before. His thoughts were always in a mess,and his heart in disarray.

    He just wanted to hold her down and release everything he felt!

    ¡°Hansen, let me go.¡± His animalistic nature had really frightened Jenna.

    She wouldn¡¯t allow her dignity to be vited. She mercilessly pushed him away with her hands, and the wound on her palms that had been bandaged the night before was torn open again, fresh blood was flowing out.

    ¡°Hansen, you are such a rascal, a punk down to your bones. You only know how to bully women. What kind of man are you? I¡¯m going to sue you,¡± Jenna shouted at the top of her voice.

    ¡°So what if I am bullying you? You want to sue me? Go ahead!¡± Hansen went crazy. He tore off her clothes, stretched out his hand, and grabbed her limbs as he pressed them on top of her head. His hot lips bit her lips and began to frantically guzzle it.

    Tears flowed out of Jenna¡¯s eyes. She tried her best to shout, ¡°Hansen, how are you going to face Aria like this? Don¡¯t forget, you two are going to get married soon.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s body suddenly froze. Jenna¡¯s words woke him up from his madness. He was stunned. Jenna took the opportunity to push him away and ran out of bed.

    The gauze on her palm was dyed red by her blood. She squatted on the ground, held her hand as she cried out loud.

    Hansen¡¯s face turned a little pale. ¡°Let me warn you again. Stay in thepany and don¡¯t provoke those men. Otherwise, I won¡¯t let you go so easily. You should know what I can do.¡± After a long time, Hansen stood up and held back the desire in his heart. He threw the gold card on the bed as he eximed with anger.

    ¡°Who are you to control me? Rayan is my brother. He helped me before, we are innocent.¡± Jenna raised her red and tearful eyes as she tried to clear her name.

    ¡°Brother.¡± Hansen couldn¡¯t help but sneer. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a fool? How can a man give a woman money for no reason?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not him who gave me the money, it¡¯s hispany¡¯s reward. I should be rewarded for my car design, so why can¡¯t I take it?¡± Jenna bit her lip and argued loudly. Her eyes were full of tears, like broken beads falling. Her shoulders were shaking from being emotional.

    Hansen was stunned!

    Jenna held the bleeding wound on her palm and cried bitterly. With tears in her eyes, she shouted, ¡°Hansen, get out of my way. I don¡¯t want to ever see you again.¡±

    Her pale little face was covered by pain and despair, her whole body was shaking. Her beautiful eyebrows were wrinkled into a ball,and the blood-red gauze in her palm was ring.

    Hansen took a step back and felt an inexplicable panic!

    He stared at her in a daze, not knowing what to do.

    ¡°Get out, get out!¡± Jenna yelled at him, her face overflowing with anger.

    Hansen felt like he was trapped at the bottom of the foggy cliffand was lost. After taking a step back, he turned around and fled.

    He rushed into the office and fell down on the sofa. He held his head in his hands and his mind was in a mess. His mind was full of Jenna who had tears running down her pale face.

    What was wrong with all this? Why did he lose his mind?

    He rushed into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and let the cold water run from his head to his toes. The heat in his body gradually cooled down, and his consciousness gradually recovered. However, he became more annoyed after he regained his rationality!

    Why was it so hard for him to control himself every time he saw this woman?

    He felt like he¡¯s an arrow in mid-shot,and he could not stop himself at all. The desire in his body was as strong as if it had been confined for a thousand years before it was released.

    Perhaps he was really wrong. He shouldn¡¯t have requested that she return to thepany to work!

    The light in his eyes was as dark as an abyss, he couldn¡¯t solve this problem he created!

    He was waiting for Alvin Robertson toe back!

    Jenna held her bleeding palm and squatted in front of the bed, crying. She pressed hard on the palm of her hand as she let the bone-chilling pain pierce through her heart.

    If she held on, it might not take long for everything to end!

    She had to hold on!

    There was a gentle knock on the door.

    Jenna clenched her teeth and held back her tears.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, Mr. Richards told me that you tore open your wound. He asked me to bring you the hemostatic ointment and gauze.¡± Miss Peters walked in. She looked at the red patch on Jenna¡¯s hand and a trace of surprise shed across her face. She saw her disheveled clothes and seemed to have understood something.

    She didn¡¯t say anything. She just picked up Jenna¡¯s wounded hand and looked at itcarefully as she triedto remove the gauze to apply the medicine on her.

    ¡°No need, I¡¯m fine. The bleeding stopped.¡± Jenna said lightly. She took the hemostatic ointment in her hand and threw it into the garbage bin with a ¡®bang¡¯.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Miss Peters smiled awkwardly and looked as if she had been put in a tight spot. She had no choice but to say, ¡°If you are all right, then I¡¯ll leave.¡±

    Jenna nodded.Miss Petersshook her head and sighed as she left.

    She took the gauze and wrapped it around her hands until her palms were covered with a thickyer of white gauze, until there was no trace of blood. Then sheid on the bed and fell asleep.

    At three o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    At the conference hall on the 88th floor.

    Therge LCD screen was showing the car design that the high-level designers of Richards Group came up with in a few days and nights.

    Hansen attached great importance to the press conference that was going to be held. In the past few days, all the executives of Richards Group and the staff were all working on this.

    For this event, Hansen used almost all his efforts and did everything himself.

    Only by leading their businesses to the whole world could they have a bigger chance of survival. This was key to the turning point for Richards Group.

    In order to go above thepetitors and grasp first ce in the world, he specially designed these high-ss luxury cars in the country. He wanted to invite all the rich people from countries all over the world for this event, and if he could win their favor and get the contract signed sessfully, it would be the most powerful breakthrough for their overseas business.

    More importantly, if Whalen Group wanted to suppress him, there would be no chance for them to do so!

    As long as it could continue like this, Richards Group could take over the global market, and Whalen Group would be inferior to them in terms of producing luxury cars.

 Chapter 24 Incapable

    At three o¡¯clock, Hansen walked in on time, dressed in a sharp suit.

    All the executives of the Richards Group stood up and held their breath.

    During meetings, Hansen had always been very punctual. He never thought that leaders should arrive a few minuteste; he felt that such an act was very pretentious.

    Therefore, he had always been punctual, and he did not allow his staff to bete either.

    When Jenna woke up and rushed over, the meeting was about to start!

    Hansen looked at Jenna, who was standing at the door sheepishly. Her eyes were red and swollen. Her hands were wrapped with white gauze, and she was holding a notebook in her left hand.

    ¡°Come in and sit down,¡± he said calmly, pointing at the empty seat next to him.

    Jenna walked inquietly, but she was stunned in her heart.

    She did not expect that her seat would be by Hansen¡¯s side.

    Aria McAdams was sitting opposite her.

    She was dressed up enchantingly, her almond-shaped eyes exuding confidence and pride.

    She looked at Jenna with her sparkling eyes, blinking slightly, as if to show off her superiority. She then said sternly,

    ¡°Miss Murphy, the meeting is held at 3 o¡¯clock. I think Perrie has already made it clear to you. Please follow thepany rules from now on.¡±

    Her face was full of righteousness and the words she chose were merciless. Jenna sat quietly, not looking at her.

    ¡°Humph!¡± Hansen snorted and red at Aria, whose face suddenly darkened at his reaction. Seeing the upset expression in his eyes, she stopped talking.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get started,¡± he cleared his voice and nced at Jenna¡¯s wound. This woman was sitting next to him, but she tilted her head to the other side, facing away from him.

    The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

    She must have done it on purpose! Thinking about what happened at noon, she must still have a grudge against him.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, all the equipment has been prepared, including the things needed for the party. Please take a look, sir.¡± PerriePeterswas dressed in a professional suit,and she looked shrewd and capable. As Hansen¡¯s special assistant, she acted swiftly and was verypetent. Her elegant makeup and beautiful temperament perfectly represented the professionalism of Richards Group.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Hansen nodded. He took over the list handed to him by Perrie and looked at it for a while. Then he handed it to Aria beside him.

    Aria took it from him with her slender fingers. She smiled lightly and said, ¡°Mr. Richards, don¡¯t worry. This venue is under my protection. It¡¯s in line with the upper-ss style both in the country and also abroad. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be satisfied.¡±

    Hansen nodded. He was very assured of this. As the daughter of the Mayor McAdams of A City, she had been influenced by various fashion events since she was a child. She had unique tastes in fashion and trends. It would not be difficult for her to design and set up a venue like this.

    ¡°For the press conference this time, we will mainly focus on the sale of luxury cars. We must make sure it covers the global market. This year, the main project of Richards Group is to expand throughout the whole of Asia, take over the global market, and seize new opportunities.¡± Hansen¡¯s slender fingers knocked on the table. His words were clear, with a distinct aggressiveness and determination.

    Jenna really didn¡¯t understand what Hansen wanted from her. Logically speaking, even an executive who was not under a contract would not be able to join in theconfidential meetings rted to thepany¡¯s trade secrets. She was merely an unofficial staff member.

    However, Hansen asked her toe to the meeting.

    He even made arrangements for her to be seated beside him.

    She really couldn¡¯t understand his intention, but she tolerated it, because it didn¡¯t matter too much to her.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, these are some recent designs from the Richards Group¡¯s designers. Please take a look, sir.¡± Newman Grotefrom the design department stood up and walked over. He handed over a stack of designs with both hands and respectfully answered Hansen¡¯s questions from time to time.

    Hansen¡¯s sharp eyebrows twitched slightly; he was thinking while he asked his questions. No emotion could be seen on his face.

    After a long time, he turned his head to Jennawho had been sitting there silently.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, would you like to have a look at these designs?¡± His dark eyes were deep and inquisitive.

    Jenna had been sitting there quietly. She saw how Hansen was looking at Aria; his eyes were full of admiration. However, when he turned to ask for her opinion, the light in his eyes was unreadable, and she could even feel suspicion.

    He obviously didn¡¯t trust her!

    Jenna sneered in her heart.

    Only then did she understand why Hansen asked her toe. It was becausehe did not trust her.

    Originally, this would have been her home and she would have had a responsibility for thispany. Now, however, she had nothing to do with this ce. She even felt that it was ridiculous for her to sit here.

    The corner of her mouth twitched. She stretched out her left hand to take it and flipped it casually. Without further thought, she tore it into pieces and threw it into the trash can beside her.

    ¡°Jenna, what do you mean by this?¡± Aria¡¯s face was full of anger and she immediately shouted, ¡°What kind of attitude is this? You obviously do not respect other people¡¯s efforts. You should know that this is the work of several of the senior designers in ourpany. It took them a long time toe up with the designs, but you just carelessly threw it into the trash can like that. Who gave you the courage to do so?¡±

    Jenna gently blew the scraps of paper in her hand and blinked her beautiful eyes. Unexpectedly, she shot a yful grin at Aria¡¯s righteous face.

    She ignored her anger.

    Everyone stared at her. Some were puzzled, some were dissatisfied, and some were even angry.From N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen was also looking at her with his dark eyes, his sharp eyebrows were like dark peaks. His expression was calm and there was a glint in his eyes that made him look elusive.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, can you give me an exnation?¡± A middle-aged senior designer stood up andseemed very unhappy with her actions.

    In the Richards Group, everyone respected him. He was the one who developed these designs. He spent several nights and racked his brain, but Jenna tore them up in front of Hansen without even looking at them properly. It was obvious that she didn¡¯t give him the respect he deserved.

    Moreover,she did this in front of Hansen, which really embarrassed them.

    A woman could be talented and a little arrogant, but to be so direct and unreasonable was uneptable.

    There were whispersing from the rest of the people.

    In all the meetings that Hansen had hosted, no one but Jenna had the guts to be so presumptuous!

    They all looked at Hansen.

    Hansen¡¯s expression was surprisingly calm,and he was not as strict as he used to be with an employee. Everyone in thepany knew of their past rtionship, and they were trying to guess what he would do.

    Aria was also sitting next to him. Was it really okay for an ex-wife to share a meeting room with a mistress who was about to be his official wife?

    The atmosphere was eerie.

    Hansen snorted and looked at all the people present with a dignified gaze.

    In an instant, everyone fell silent.

    The male designer also sat down.

    Jenna stroked her chin with her hand and shook her head slightly. Her gaze metHansen¡¯s inquisitive eyes.

    As if she was superior to Jenna, Aria, stared at her aggressively.

    Jenna smiled faintly and said calmly, ¡°Mr. Richards, if I¡¯m not mistaken, you emphasized that you want this car design to reach the global market, am I right?¡±

    Hansen sat up straight as if he hadn¡¯t been sittingfortably. His slender legs were dangling, and his big hands were ced on the armrest as he leaned over to her and nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. These designs may be considered luxurious in A city; they might also be eptable in our country. However, if you want it to be epted globally, it will be difficult. As they do not meet international standards, they are of course, useless and should be thrown away.¡± Her tone was calm and concise.

    During her three years abroad, she learned that these kinds of domestic cars were not magnificent enough. Many of them were fancy and looked exquisite, but in fact, they were burdensome. They were not practical and could not satisfy the needs of the foreign market.

    When she walked in, she had already seen the design model on the screen and she rejected it immediately!

    It was difficult for people who were fixed in their ways to change their minds, especially middle-aged people.

    Only when it waspletely destroyed could it be re-established. If it still existed, it would unconsciously affect their way of thinking.

    Locally manufactured designs would never be able to break through this limitation!

    So when she nced at it, she had already understood!

    ¡°How arrogant!¡± Aria¡¯s heart was filled with anger. She smiled scornfully and asked disdainfully, ¡°In that case, please, Miss Murphy, show us your designs and let us learn something from you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any,¡± Jenna shrugged her shoulders and answered briefly as she looked at her aggressive gaze.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any?¡± Aria sneered, her heart full of disdain. She said with a forced smile, ¡°In that case, you must have simply drawn your previous designs, or maybe you don¡¯t have the ability at all.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all possible,¡± Jenna did not deny it but she was sincere. That car was designed for Hansen. She was currently in a bad mood and did not know if she could design a better model. Therefore, she did not hide anything and answered in a straightforward manner. Her eyes were bright and her expression was calm.

    However, her keen observation was not fake. At present, that was what she could do.

    ¡°It was your idea to ask me toe, I didn¡¯t ask to be here,¡± she said calmly.

    ¡°As expected, she is a fraud.¡± Aria thought as she smiled brightly and looked at Hansen with her beautiful dark eyes.

    This time, he should know that this woman was not that good at all. She wasn¡¯t capable of anything,and he shouldn¡¯t be mesmerized by her appearance. She was just lucky that time. Aria felt happy in her heart.

    At this time, Hansen¡¯s expression was so unreadable that no one could tell what he was thinking.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget your responsibilities.¡± He turned his head to stare atJenna¡¯s faceand snorted.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll always remember, but don¡¯t forget your promise, Mr. Richards. It may be a simple matter for you, but I still haven¡¯t gotten it for a few days now. For me, inspiration isn¡¯t something thates whenever I want it to. After all, good inspirationes from life, it is the sediment of life, and you just cannot rush it.¡± Jenna raised her eyebrows and smiled harmlessly. She answered in a neither humble nor overbearing way.

    The cold and tight feeling in Hansen¡¯s heart suddenly disappeared and he feltforted.

    He immediately avoided her smile and turned around.

    D*mned woman, how could she smile so happily at a time like this? Was he already unsalvageable? Whenever he watched her every move, his imagination would run wild.

    Unbelievable!

 Chapter 25 Best Friendâ€™s Anger

    He sat up straight, cleared his voice, and said in a calm voice, ¡°MissMurphyis right. Ourpany strives for the best. If they are not fine works, we should throw them away. Now I announce that from today onwards, we will rebuild the design department. MissMurphywill be the manager, and all the designs will have to go through her. Only when she says yes will the design be approved. I hope to see a new batch of designs before the press conference.¡±

    As soon as he said this, everyone present was bewildered. Mr. Richards assigned such an important design project to MissMurphy, a neer. A model design should be a very important trade secret for a car manufacturingpany. Was this eptable?

    Moreover, thidy was his ex-wife and she used to be a designer at Whalen Group. She was obviously very close tothe president of Whalen Group.

    They were wondering if Mr. Richards liked her or Aria better.Perhaps he liked both of them!

    Everyone was confused, but they did not dare to refute it. Nobody dared to refute any of Hansen¡¯s decisions!

    Not only was Aria upset, her face turned green all of a sudden.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen and Jenna were actually saying things that she couldn¡¯t understand during the meeting. When did they be so intimate?

    Since this woman appeared, Hansen seemed to have changed a lot!

    She had to hurry up and think of a way to drive this dangerous woman away.

    The sun was setting in the west and it was dyed red. It fell on the wall of a building in the city, searing it with its rays of light.

    At six o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    Jenna walked out of the office right on time.

    She drove her Beetle and called home first thing.

    ¡°Aunt Lee, is my mother alright?¡±

    Aunt Lee was Jenna¡¯s mother, Sara Garver¡¯s rtive, she had even been the Murphy family¡¯s nanny when Jenna was very young. It could be said that she brought Jenna up,so Jenna had a very close rtionship with her.

    After Sara¡¯s ident, she stayed withJenna without hesitation. Jenna was very touched. Of course, with the fifty million dorpensation from Hansen, her life would not be too difficult.

    ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry. Madam is much better now. Except for the fact that she can¡¯t walk, everything else is normal,¡± Aunt Lee answered kindly.

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Aunt Lee. I will be backte tonight. Don¡¯t wait for me for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Miss, take care of yourself when you¡¯re outside. Remember toe home earlier,¡± Aunt Lee reminded her.

    ¡°Well, okay.¡± Just as Jenna hung up the phone, it rang again.When she saw ¡®Hannah Adames¡¯ disyed on the screen, she couldn¡¯t help smiling.

    Since she returned to the country, she never really smiled genuinely.It was time for her to rx today!

    At this time, the sunset painted the small building downtown with a thin, velvetyyer oforange-gold.

    ¡®Gently Cafeteria¡¯wasthe most romantic and warmest ce to taste coffee in A city.

    The coffee beans were sourced from Brazil. They didn¡¯t use fake goods andwas fully authentic, but it was also very expensive.

    Of course, the people who coulde here were all rich young masters, wealthy youngdies, and officials.

    All the upper-ss members of A city knew about the ¡®Gently Cafeteria¡¯, and everyone knew the female owner of the coffee shop, the beautiful Hannah Adames.

    Hannah was already 26 years old, but she was not married, she didn¡¯t even have a boyfriend. The men who were circling around her now couldn¡¯t even be regarded as her official boyfriend.

    Her coffee shop was where all the young masters and popr girls hung out in A city. Late at night, Hannah wouldn¡¯t personally visit a lot of people, but Jenna was one that she would.

    Hannah only had one best friend, and she had only acknowledged her alone, and that was Jenna.

    Both of them could talk about everything, as if they could see each other clearly and appreciate each other.

    Jenna never admired a lot of women. It was rare to see an upper-ss woman like Hannahwho had experienced all kinds of things in the world and still bore a good temperament. She regarded her as her soulmate.

    For example, there were a lot of upper-ssmen who wanted to sleep with Hannah, but Hannah would make friends indiscriminately. She was very strict with her choices of men and she could see through men very clearly.

    When Jenna married Hansen, she shook her head and sighed, saying that an innocent woman would be destroyed from then on.

    Sure enough, Jenna, who got married into the Richards family, had never been happy. She was like a little flower amid the rainstorm, already destroyed before it could bloom.

    She didn¡¯t have a good impression of Hansen. She thought he was a dominant, controlling, and self-righteous guy. He was the kind of person who thought he was talented and rich, a person who had no respect for people.

    ¡°D*mn it. If I didn¡¯t call you, are you not going to see me?¡± After seeing Jenna,the usually gentle Hannah hapletely lost herdylike image and scolded her.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes turned red. She deliberately hugged Hannah in her arms and said aggrievedly, ¡°Boss Adames, pleasefort me. I¡¯ve been suffering so muchtely!¡±

    Hearing this, Hannah held her face up and looked at her closely. Then she pulled her into the room and threw her on the wool carpet on the ground. She put her hands on her hips and scolded loudly, ¡°What a fool! How dare you go back to work at Richards Group? What do you mean by that? Aren¡¯t you courting death that way?¡±

    This was the real Hannah. Only when she was with Jennawould she be bold and fearless, and her image would take a 360 degrees turn. She would show her true colors, like a shrew in anger.

    This was what they were used to and agreed upon. They both knew each other too well. There was no need for them to pretend, they only had to be straightforward and direct, and say whatever they wanted to say!

    Jenna liked this kind of simple and genuine friendship. It was rare to have a friend like that, she cherished this hard-toe friendship more than ever.

    ¡°It¡¯s sofortable!¡± Jenna fell down on the wool carpet,id down rxed andughed happily.

    ¡°Are you stupid? There is no one good in the Richards family. Take Hansen for example. He is a proud and arrogant guy. In terms of rtionships, he is purely an idiot. It¡¯s alright if you want to y around with a man like this, but you can¡¯t get married to him. Unless you can control him, otherwise, you will suffer a lot! And your mother-inw, she always thinks that she is the most important person in the world and she doesn¡¯t like anyone. Only an idiot woman like Aria would tter her and make her happy.¡±

    Hannah acted as if she was teaching a precious lesson andbegan to badmouth on Hansen again. ¡°Look at that fool, he is so supercilious that he actually took Aria as a treasure. That woman is vicious and sly like a fox. He will regret sooner orter if she traps him up. You still seeks for torture? What the hell is wrong with you? Can¡¯t you take care of yourself a little bit more?¡±

    Hannah was so mad that Jenna did not live up to her expectations, she gnashed her teeth and pointed at Jenna. In her eyes, although Jenna was smart, she turned into a fool when she met Hansen, her IQ would drop to a negative value.

    ¡°Stop criticizing me, okay?¡± Jenna held Hannah¡¯s leg and said pitifully, ¡°I¡¯m here to ask forfort. Bring me good coffee and entertain me. Otherwise, if I die, you will not have any friends.¡±

    Looking at Jenna¡¯s pale face and weak body, Hannah sighed and said, ¡°I know something happened in your family. I also sympathize with Uncle Murphy, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t inform you at that time, I¡¯m scared that you won¡¯t be able to hold on.¡± Speaking of this, her eyes turned red. She crouched down to hold Jenna, patted her shoulder, and whispered, ¡°Let bygones be bygones, it will get better in the future.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached when she heard that, she couldn¡¯t help but burst into tears.

    ¡°Hannah, Hansen and I are divorced,¡± she sobbed and said in a low voice, her eyes sparkling with tears.

    ¡°I know. It doesn¡¯t matter.It is going toe sooner orter. Hansen is a b*stard. It¡¯s a good thing that you divorced him.¡± Hannah seemed to have expected that this day woulde. She patted Jenna¡¯s shoulder andforted, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so stubborn. There are so many men in the world. Tell me whoever you want, you can count on me.¡±

    ¡°But, Hannah, my father died so suddenly. I just can¡¯t ept it,¡± Jenna stammered.

    Hannah was shocked to hear that. She took Jenna¡¯s hand and asked suspiciously, ¡°Did you go back to Richards Group because of your father? Do you suspect Hansen was involved?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were full of confusion, she just stared at Hannah in a daze.

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s impossible,¡± Hannah felt sorry and sighed repeatedly, ¡°Jenna, can you tell me what happened in the Richards family three years ago? Why did you suddenly go abroad? Later after that, I called you, but you were just crying. What happened exactly?¡±

    Jenna looked like she was in a blur as she shook her head nkly.

    ¡°Hannah, if I knew what was going on, I wouldn¡¯t have gone abroad, but I can¡¯t exin it. Hansen won¡¯t believe me either. I can¡¯t make it clear, so I could only escape. I didn¡¯t want to get the divorce,¡± Jenna muttered to herself.

    ¡°Sigh!¡± Hannah shook her head and sighed, ¡°Jenna, let bygones be bygones. Listen to me, don¡¯t work at Richards Group anymore. It¡¯s tooplicated there, you can¡¯t handle it, and Hansen is such a j*rk, it will be very dangerous!¡±

    As she spoke, she personally picked the best coffee beans, grounded them, and then made coffee herself.

    Jenna had always been used to drinking coffee without sugar and milk. She just wanted to enjoy the original taste of coffee. She was not afraid of bitterness at all. She would even think that sweetness woulde from the coffee when it was rich enough. That type of feeling was unparalleled, and that kind of enjoyment was too wonderful!

    When the fragrant coffee aroma came out of the delicate coffee pot, Jenna was intoxicated!

    She forgot all her troubles and pain all of a sudden.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± After making the coffee, Hannah sat on the sofa next to Jenna and talked while she sipped on the coffee. ¡°I felt something strange about your father¡¯s death too, but I noticed in my cafee that people in the upper ss know a lot of news here. However, no one knows anything about your father, not even the slightest rumor. Maybe you are really thinking too much.¡±

    Hannah said in a low voice, ¡°Although Hansen is a little bitplicated, his career is sessful and he is a noble. It is impossible for him to kill your father. Is it even necessary for him to do that?¡±

    ¡°But he hates me and only wants to divorce me. He thinks that I destroyed his love life. He hates me,¡± Jenna said painfully.

    ¡°Even so, it¡¯s doesn¡¯t mean that he would kill your father. As far as I know, although Hansen is scheming and ruthless, it¡¯s just in the business world. He draws a clear line between love and hate; he is also very shrewd. He would not be heartless toward someone who is not his enemy,¡± Hannah analyzed carefully with her sharp eyes.

    ¡°But he treats me like his enemy!¡± Jenna thought to herself sadly and kept herself silent.

 Chapter 26 The Perfect Man

    ¡°Jen.¡± A deep male voice came from outside the room.

    Jenna was so shocked that she raised her head. Rayan Whalen was standing gracefully in front of the door of their room with a smile on his face.

    Hannah was shocked too. Her fault! She had forgotten to close the door. But when she turned around and look at the man by the door, her bright eyes were shining and her face was glowing. Her fangirling mode was on.

    ¡°You are RayanWhalen,¡± she stood up all of a sudden and stammered.

    Rayan smiled and nodded. ¡°Miss Adames, may I sit down and have a cup of coffee?¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course you can.¡± Even Hannah, who was ustomed to seeing big shots, was also excited. The legendary Rayan actually came to her coffee shop. If this news was spread out, the cafe would definitely attract more customers!

    ¡°Please sit down. I¡¯ll get some coffee right away.¡± Hannah was so excited that she dashed to the cab. There were not many people who could put Hannah in such a hurry.

    ¡°Rayan, why are you here? Is it a coincidence again?¡± Jenna was very surprised.

    ¡°Of course not. I have been standing at the door waiting for you to get off work. When I saw you drive here in your car, I followed you.¡± Rayan spoke honestly, his eyes were bright and clear.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Have you been here for a while now?¡± Jenna was shocked.

    ¡°Nope. When I came in, I saw the media reporters secretly taking pictures, so I avoided them andid low for a while,¡± Rayan looked calm as he said it with a smile.

    ¡°Jen, I¡¯m sorry for what happened at noon,¡± he said in a deep voice with a gentle look on his face.

    Jenna looked at his eyes in astonishment. She wanted to say that she was not bothered about it at all, but she could not say it out loud.

    There is a type of man who is tolerant, generous, mature, and stable. Even if he had gone through hardships, he had never been a hedonist. Rayan was an example. In his eyes, there was a kind of essence that was built through years of experience. There was a kind of maturity, a kind of wisdom.

    Jenna thought that even if she couldn¡¯t exin it clearly, he could still understand her.

    She had never inquired about his personal affairs!

    Just like now, when she looked into his eyes, his eyes were still very clear, just as before. He remained unchanged in his temperament.

    But this time, Rayan was different. He didn¡¯t understand her. He cared about her and wanted to exin it to her!

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to listen to my exnation?¡± He asked in a low and maic voice, expectation swirling in his eyes.

    He never thought about exining his personal affairs to a woman. This was definitely a special case, and it was just for Jenna.

    Since he was young, he hung around with businessmen from all over the world. He experienced all kinds of things and seen all kinds of people, but there was never a woman who could touch his heart like Jenna did.

    He came in a hurry from Europe and followed her, just to seek one chance.

    It was not easy for him to meet someone who could tempt him. If he did, he wouldn¡¯t want to give up that easily.

    Unless she could find a better ce to be.

    But she couldn¡¯t, at least for now.

    He was worried about her situation!

    In fact, this was the first time he couldn¡¯t help worrying about a woman from deep inside his heart.

    Jenna held the coffee in her hand. The rich, dark coffee made her fair fingers look bright and gorgeous. She swirled the cup in her hand and lowered her head without saying anything.

    She then looked up with a bright smile and said softly,

    ¡°Rayan, everyone has their own life. You don¡¯t have to exin anything to me. For someone as brilliant as you are, it¡¯s not surprising for you to have a woman who loves you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know at all?¡± Rayan looked into her eyes,and he felt a trace of loss cutting across his heart. If she could care about it a little or be mad at him, he would be happy. But what she was like right now was just dull, as if she was heartless and unperturbed.

    The person she loved was still Hansen!

    He sighed in his heart.

    ¡°Coffee is here.¡± Hannah was very happy to serve the coffee that she grounded by herself.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re so lucky, you just got divorcedand a handsome and powerful man is here to pursue you. You should cherish him. I can see that he likes you. When he looks at you, his eyes are particrly soft and bright. There are a lot of special feelings in his eyes. I dare say that if you be with him, he will definitely take care of you. He is absolutely different from that b*stard, Hansen.¡±Hannah dragged Jenna away and told her sincerely when Rayan walked away to answer his phone.

    Jenna heard her and smiled slightly. She shook her head. This Hannah was really something, she just assumed everything as she saw fit.

    ¡°Stop spouting nonsense. He already has a girlfriend. Stop joking around, it seems like he¡¯s going to get married soon,¡± Jenna hurriedly corrected her.

    ¡°Silly girl, so what? Every sessful man has a few women. As long as he likes you, as long as he¡¯s willing to make you his wife and take care of you alone in the future, why should you care about these things? No matter what happens, he could only have one wife,¡± Hannah said indifferently and repeated, ¡°Remember, don¡¯t lose this opportunity, don¡¯t let go of such a good man.¡±

    It was almost 10 p. m. when they finished their coffee. Jennaremembered that she had to go to work tomorrow, and her mother was still waiting for her at home, so she said goodbye to Hannah and left.

    With Rayan by her side, they matched up gracefully and elegantly, an attractive pair. They caught everyone¡¯s attention.

    He insisted on sending her off.

    Jenna was a little scared at the thought of the experience the night before, so she stopped refusing him!

    As the night breeze blew gently, Jenna returned home under Rayan¡¯s care.

    That night, she had a dream. In the dream, she was married again. She was married to the world¡¯s richest man. He cherished her like she¡¯s his treasure. But when she woke up, she realized that it was just a dream.

    She looked at the night sky and was lost in her thoughts.

    She was thinking to herself,¡°It is not a bad thing for a divorced woman like me to meet a brilliant man like Rayan. Moreover, he cares about me and treats me like his own treasure.¡±

 Chapter 27 Punish This B*tch

    Early the following morning, Jenna was still in a trance when she went to work at the Richards Group.

    She deliberately put on her formalskirt from Richards Group, with her hair in a high bun and light-colored high heels. She knew that Hansen liked it when she wore light-colored high heels, it would make her beautiful legs look very slender and feminine.

    Her whole body was a fresh sight and beautiful, it made her look like eye candy.

    The office door was slightly opened, and Jenna felt that it was a little strange. She rememberedclearlythat she closed the door when she got off work yesterday.

    She pushed the door open.

    And raised her head.

    What she saw got her stunned at the spot.

    An exquisitely well-dressed woman in her forties with no wrinkles on her face, appeared before her. She was wearing a charming light blue dress, and was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper elegantly.

    Her every move flowed with grace and sophistication.

    ¡°Mom¡­ Aunt¡­¡± Jenna eximed. She never expected that Hansen¡¯s mother, Marissa Sotomayor, hade to thepany early in the morning and was now sitting in her office.

    It seemed that she came looking for her.

    Jenna soon came to her senses. ¡°This must not be a small issue if she is here so early,¡± she thought in her heart and she felt a chill.

    Jenna could feel that Marissa¡¯s whole body was exuding hatred towards her, even thoughMarissawas just sitting here.

    Marissa had always shown her dissatisfaction and disgust for Jenna on her face. She even didn¡¯t bother to cover it up.

    She had always been eager to persecute Jenna. It seemed that the more she hurt Jenna, the happier she would be.

    Jenna¡¯s heart felt bitter and ufortable. Of course, now that she had divorced Hansen, she didn¡¯t have to act ording toMarissa¡¯s will anymore!

    ¡°Auntie,since you came to my office so early in the morning, you must have something important to tell me?¡± Out of courtesy, Jenna put down the bag in her hand, poured a ss of water, and handed it to Marissa with a smile on her face.

    Marissa did not take the ss. She closed the newspaper and looked at Jenna with her sharp eyes. She pointed to the sofa opposite her and motioned for Jenna to sit down.

    Jennasat down calmly as she had nothing to feel guilty for.

    ¡°You two are already divorced,¡± Marissa said word by word as if she was giving Jenna a deliberate reminder. Her tone was so cold that it pierced Jenna with a chill that ran down her spine. Jenna forced a smile on her face and replied, ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Mm, that¡¯s good,¡± Marissa said faintly, and suddenly her tone became harsh, ¡°Since you already know, why are you stilling to work at Richards Group? If I remember correctly, there is no one in thispany who treats you well, what is your purpose for doing this?¡±

    ¡°Hmph! At least she indeed has some self-awareness!¡± Marissa sneered in her heart.

    Jenna¡¯s forceful smile faded and her expression gradually changed. When she spoke again, there was already a cold smile on her face. Since Marissa had revealed her motive foring here, there was no need for Jenna to pretend anymore.

    ¡°Auntie, I think you should ask your son. He was the one who asked me toe here,¡± Jenna replied coldly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t use Hansen on me. He can¡¯t withstand your temptation, but I can. My mind is very clear.¡± When she heard Hansen, Marissa¡¯s face no longer had any kindness.

    ¡°Let me tell you, Richards Group is the blood and sweat of Hansen¡¯s father and mine, I will not allow anyone to destroy it. If you want to y any tricks, you will have to go through me.¡± Marissa¡¯s face was stiff and her words were tense.

    Jenna felt suffocated. The cold air was like frost whistling through the cold wind, one would shiver with a chill as soon as one touches it. She took a deep breath and looked at Marissa.

    ¡°Auntie, are you saying that because you have a guilty conscience? Hansen gives me a sry, and I¡¯m working for thepany because of the money. There is nothing wrong with that, but all you do is think negatively of people. Do you think everyone is as narrow-minded as you?¡± Jenna retorted mercilessly.

    She saw that every crack on Marissa¡¯s delicate face contained her anger. Her face was flushed and her eyes were wide open. Marissa shouted, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t think that the Richards Group will beg you just because you know something about car design. Let me tell you, we have plenty of money. We don¡¯t care about the money a b*tch like you brings us. Hansen hired you just because you are a shallow woman who is greedy for money, you can be rid of with just a little money. But I¡¯m not like him, if you want to y tricks, I¡¯ll immediately kick you out.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna could not help butugh out loud in anger. ¡°It seems that Auntie, you are still as self-righteous as you used to be. You still think that everyone in the world has tovish to you.¡±

    When Marissa called her a ¡®b*tch¡¯, that was when she hadpletely crossed the line. Looking at her flushed face, Jenna suddenly smiled and said, ¡°Old woman, who are you to call me a b*tch? Do you think you are very noble? Do you think you¡¯re smart? Well, Grandma doesn¡¯t like you either. In her eyes, you¡¯re also a b*tch. Even Grandma has never treated you as a worthy person, so who are you to call me a b*tch?¡±

    Jenna thought of how unfortunate she was for already suffering so much anger early in the morning. It seemed that as Hannah said, she really shouldn¡¯t have gone to work at Richards Group;she was looking for trouble upon herself.

    ¡°You¡­¡± When Marissa heard what Jenna said to poke at her sore spot, she was so angry that her whole body was shaking.

    In this life, who Marissa feared most was Hansen¡¯s grandmother. It was well-known that they were not on good terms; they even made the headlines in the past.

    Back then, because of Hansen¡¯s grandmother, she was pped by Trevor Richards. That was the only time they argued as husband and wife. Because of that, Marissa did not have a good impression of her mother-inw. Jenna picked at her old scars, and the past surfaced in her mind. Her face turned livid with anger.

    Jenna was no longer the woman that could be easily bullied like she used to be. She sat there quietly, her eyes were as cold and calm as water.

    Marissa was used to being pampered, she had listened only to good words. But when Jenna provoked her, she felt like the earth started to spin hastily.

    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong?¡± A red figure shed in from the door. Aria McAdams rushed over in a hurry. Seeing that Marissa wasn¡¯t looking good, she hurriedly squatted beside her and asked with concern.

    ¡°Aria.¡± Marissa¡¯s tense face immediately softened when she saw Aria. She pointed at Jenna and said angrily, as if she saw her lifesaver,¡°Aria, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re here. This b*tch had the guts to insult me.¡±

    ¡°Mom, you¡¯re a noble, there¡¯s no need to argue with these kinds of people. Don¡¯t get angry, your health is more important. I still want to serve you in the future,¡± Aria hurriedly stroked Marissa¡¯s back with her hand and persuaded her in a soft voice. Her face was full of smiles and she was gentle and considerate.

    Marissa immediately beamed,¡°Aria, you¡¯re so sensible and considerate. When I see you, I feel much better. By the way, is Hansen here? I want to discuss your marriage with him today.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Aria¡¯s face shone brightly. She looked very surprised and her eyes were shining.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s Hansen¡¯s blessing to marry such a virtuous and considerate wife!¡± Marissa took Aria¡¯s hand with love, patted her shoulder, and said with a smile. She looked at Jenna, who was sitting there indifferently, and her face darkened again.

    Jenna really couldn¡¯t sit any longer. She stood up and was ready to leave.

    ¡°Wait, Jenna,¡± Aria was trying her best to please Marissa. When she saw Jenna was about to leave, she suddenly stood up and shouted, ¡°Jenna, how dare you offend the president¡¯s mother. You¡¯re just a staff in thepany, how dare you be so rude. That¡¯s too much, I¡¯m now officiallymanding you as Vice President, that you apologize to Mother.¡±

    Aria shouted harshly, her eyes were aggressive.

    Apologize? Jenna found it ridiculous. She didn¡¯t do anything. She was insulted by Marissa as soon as she returned to the office, now Aria actually asked her to apologize. Did she really think that she a pushover?

    ¡°Why should I apologize? This is now my office, but you were the ones who came in here and caused a scene.Now you want me to apologize?Isn¡¯t that ridiculous?¡± Jenna turned back with a face full of ridicule.

    ¡°How dare you! Jenna, you are too rude. Don¡¯t assume that with Hansen behind you, you can do whatever you want in thepany. You are so insolent that you don¡¯t even respect Hansen¡¯s mother.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes shed with a sharp light. She deliberately emphasized Marissa¡¯s role as an elder, which enraged Marissa again.

    ¡°Aria, don¡¯t abuse your authority however you want. Let me tell you, I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, and I will never apologize,¡± Jenna stood still and said it loud and clear.

    Jenna wanted to see what Aria could do to her.

    ¡°Oh wow,how dare you disobey the Vice President¡¯s orders?¡± Aria sneered and picked up her phone, ¡°Security? I¡¯m Ms. McAdams. Come and drag away a disobedient employee over here.¡±

    After saying that, she smiled sinisterly and looked at Jenna gloatingly. Then she walked up to Marissa with a charming smile on her face and said, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be mad. I¡¯ll deal with this b*tch for youter.¡±

    Marissa felt relieved, showing a satisfied smile on her face.

    After a while, two security guards arrived.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, what can we do for you?¡± The security guards asked respectfully.

    ¡°Get this woman out of here. Not only did she not obey orders, she even had the guts to insult Mr. Richards¡¯s mother. She¡¯s outrageous,¡± Aria ordered angrily.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the two security guards answered. When they saw Jenna standing in front of them, they were stunned for a moment. This was the new designer thepany hired at a high price who was also the head of department for the new design department. They didn¡¯t dare to drive her away. What if Mr. Richards med them?

    ¡°Why are you standing there? Hurry up!¡± Aria shouted, ¡°What are you afraid of? Mr. Richards¡¯ mother is here. Do you think Mr. Richards would go against his mother?¡±

    When the two security guards heard that Mr. Richards¡¯s mother was also there, they had no choice but to walk toward Jenna and said as they were ordered to, ¡°Miss, please go out. We don¡¯t want to make things difficult for you.¡±

    Jenna looked at Ariawho was proud of herself, and then Marissa who was staring at her indifferently. Suddenly, Jenna wanted tough.

    Did she really want to stay in this ce?

    But she couldn¡¯t leave, at least not for the time being.

    ¡°Who are you to ask me to leave? Ask Hansen toe. If he tells me to leave, I¡¯ll immediately do so,¡± Jenna stood still and said coldly.

    ¡°Quick, get her out of here,¡± Aria was almost screaming. At this time, there were a lot of staff gathering in the corridor and watching this scene not knowing what was happening.

    The two security guards could only walk up to her and were about to drag Jenna away.

    ¡°Stop, what¡¯s going on here?¡± Hansen, who rushed over after hearing the news, shouted in a deep voice. The man¡¯s voice was full of anger.

    When Marissa saw her soning over, she could finally let out her anger. She walked up to Jenna and pointed at her as she said, ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re here. I will show you this woman¡¯s true colors today. She had the audacity to call me a b*tch. I have lived to this age and I have never been insulted like this before. You have to bring justice for me.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s true. This woman had the guts to insult Mother. Fortunately, I came in time. Otherwise, she might even do something dangerous,¡± Aria immediately ran up andined to Hansen with a delicate look on her face.

    Jenna looked at them coldly.From N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen had never believed her, so she didn¡¯t feel the need to exin.

    If Hansen took this opportunity to drive her away, she would ask for the two Pagani luxury cars that he promised her.

    Although the two cars were expensive, they were not very valuable. As long as Hansen was willing, it would be a piece of cake for him to give them to her!

    Jenna was ready to leave. In fact, she didn¡¯t want to stay in this ce any longer.

    ¡°Mother, this is an office, you used to be the leader of thispany. You should tell me if you want toe here. It¡¯s not going to look good if you cause a nuisance in a staff office!¡± Hansen pushed Aria away with his hand and walked to Marissa with a helpless look on his face.

    ¡°Hansen, are you ming me?¡± Marissa was unhappy when she heard what her son said. With a cold look on her face, she stuffed the newspaper into Hansen¡¯s hand and said angrily, ¡°Look, what¡¯s on this? If it wasn¡¯t because of these bad rumors, I wouldn¡¯t have rushed here in such a hurry. I was just worried about you and thepany.¡±

    Marissa breathed heavily and red at Jenna with anger.

    Hansen suspiciously opened the newspaper. What he saw turned his face livid.

    On the headlines of the entertainment news.

    It was a picture of Rayan Whalen holding Jenna in his arms intimately.

    A handsome Rayan, looking down at the woman next to him with affection, with his arms on her shoulder, as if he was afraid that she would get hurt.

    The woman¡¯s delicate body was almost enclosed in his arms, and she even had a happy and sweet smile on her face.

    Behind them was Gently Cafeteria.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were burning with anger and blue veins popped out of his forehead. He threw the newspaper in front of Jennafiercely, his eyes were as sharp as lightning.

    Jenna looked down and was stunned!

    Her picture with Rayan was so eye-catching that her face turned red in an instant. Only then did she know what Marissa was reading in the newspaper when she first entered the office.

    Jenna then remembered that when Rayan followed her out of the cafest night, there were a lot of people in there. Rayan was worried that Jenna would be bumped into, so he protected her with his tall bodydeliberately. At that time, Jenna only felt a sh of white light, but she didn¡¯t think much about it. Now that she thought of it, it must be someone who secretly took photos of them.

    The huge red title on the front page of the entertainment news was writtenclearly, ¡°The richest businessman in the world, Rayan Whalen, and Hansen Richards¡¯ ex-wife, Jenna Murphywereholding each other intimately.¡±

    Jenna suddenly felt dizzy. All of her strength was used up during the argument before. She chose to close her eyes and didn¡¯t want to bother herself with this news.

 Chapter 28 Their Wedding

    ¡°Hansen, as you can see, this woman is a staff of ourpany, but she¡¯s having an affair with our biggestpetitor. She obviously had an ulterior motive. We can¡¯t let her stay in the Richards Group, let alone appoint her as the manager of the design department!¡± Aria grabbed Jenna¡¯s arm and spoke confidently.

    Hansen¡¯s face became livid, and his gloomy eyes were staring at Jenna.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on here?¡± A man in a suit and leather shoes came in, his hair was slicked with hair gel. On his handsome face was a charming smirk.

    ¡°Norton, why are you here?¡± As soon as Marissa saw this man, her face darkened in displeasure, but she still squeezed out a smile.

    However, Norton Richards smiled carefreely. Without looking at anyone else, he walked straight towards Jenna, raised his hand, and patted Jenna on the shoulder,¡°Jenna, you¡¯re back, why didn¡¯t you tell me about it. Luckily, I unintentionally heard Auntie mention it. I came here as soon as I heard.¡±

    Norton spoke in a casual and soft tone as if he was Jenna¡¯s close friend, but there was a condescending feel in his that sounded as if he was trying to prove a point to Hansen.

    Jenna moved to the side and dodged him.Norton tried to pat her on the shoulder again, but he missed as well. He was stunned and couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re still the same as you were in University,cold and indifferent, keeping people away from you.¡±

    ¡°Norton, anything I can do for you?¡± Jenna was very surprised when Norton arrived.

    When she was still in university, she had a persistent admirer and that person was Norton. At that time, he was enamored with her and pestered her all day long. There were several times when he was drunk and almost molested her, but she cleverly avoided him. Jenna did not have a good impression of Norton. She always felt that he was very calctive and always had ulterior motives. She liked people who were decisive andpetent in their career but led a simple life, just like Hansen.

    Norton was the son of ude Richards of the Richards Group. At that time, Old Master Richards stipted that all the descendants of the Richards family had to take on the path of politics or business. This meant that one of them would have to venture into politics and the other, into business. At that time, the Old Master took a fancy to Norton¡¯s scheming mind, so he wanted ude¡¯s heir to get into politics. On the other hand, he liked Hansen¡¯s quick and decisive character, and he had a unique sense ofmercialism, so the Old Master cultivated him to be in business.

    Of course, as the ancestral wealth of the Richards family was distributed per person, he would not be biased toward anyone.

    The Old Master thought that young people were not stable enough before they got married. Therefore, he made it clear that the family wealth would only be distributed to the descendants of the Richards family after they had a family of their own and a sessful career.

    It turned out that the Old Master was wise.

    As expected, Norton excelled in politics and he became the head of the Ministry of Finance at such a young age. His goal was clear, he wanted to take over the position of the mayor of A city.

    Meanwhile, Richards Group, which was led by Hansen, was also unparalleled in A city andit dominated the whole city.

    If thete Old Master of the Richards family knew about it, he would certainly be happy with the decision he made.

    ¡°Norton, why are you not at work? What are you doing here?¡± Hansen¡¯s expression was even darker. He didn¡¯t like his cousin ever since they were little. He always felt that his mind was too calctive, he was temperamental and too cruel.

    ¡°It seems that you all care about me very much. I didn¡¯t expect to meet so many of you. I only wanted toe and see my ex-sister-inw,¡± Norton smiled at Hansen and emphasized the ¡®ex-sister-inw¡¯ on purpose. ¡°It seems that I havee across some fun.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s expression became even darker, and his eyes were piercing.

    Norton was very secretive in other aspects, but his love for Jenna was clearly sensed by Hansen. He sawNortonthoroughly during their University days.

    The past shed in his mind, and he became even more furious.

    The light in his eyes was cold, and he slightly squinted his eyes. His eyes were as deep and thoughtful.

    His red lips twitched all of a sudden,¡°Jenna is a designer hired by ourpany. It¡¯s inconvenient for guests to meet her at work right now, and you, the head of the Ministry of Finance, are here to visit a female employee in ourpany during working hours. Do you think it¡¯ll be good news if this gets out? Don¡¯t forget what Grandpa told you back then.¡±

    Hansen gave him a strong warning, and he even mentioned his grandfather. At that time, the Old Master made it clear to Norton that family interest was his priority. So Norton must marry Sabrina Delia, the only daughter of General Delia from the army. It didn¡¯t matter who he loved; this was an order he had to obey. Moreover, he must be clean with his marriage, so as not to affect his political career.

    When Hansen warned him, Norton¡¯s face darkened. He looked at Jenna and said, ¡°Of course, I came here for work pertaining to the Richards family.¡±

    The muscles on Hansen¡¯s face twitched and a mocking smile appeared on his face. Did he think I¡¯m a fool? Did he think he could hide the fact that he liked Jenna? Suddenly, he smiled lightly and said to Aria, ¡°Aria, it¡¯s time for work. You can go and inspect all the departments and punish anyone who breaks the rules.¡±

    His voice was not loud, but all the staff in the corridor suddenly dispersed. Very quickly, everyone was back at their desks.

    ¡°Mom, since you¡¯re here, you shoulde and sit in your son¡¯s office for a while,¡± Hansen held Marissa¡¯s hand and smiled gently. Although it sounded like he was trying to persuade her, he did not allow her to reject his request.

    Marissa was born into a wealthy family and had always experienced theplexity of the business world. She knew that if the incident today was leaked, it would not be good for thepany. Moreover, even Norton came over. He had always been hostile towards his own family, and no one knew whathe came here for. She decided to follow Hansen and left.

    Soon, there was only Jenna in the office.

    It was not until everything around her was terribly quiet that Jenna sat dejectedly on the soft chair in front of the desk, curled up and closed her eyes.

    She didn¡¯t know why Hansen didn¡¯t drive her away immediately,and she didn¡¯t know what he was thinking. Was it because Norton came to help her? Maybe he would settle the score with herter?

    After staying in the meeting room for more than half an hour, Norton and Hansen left.

    As soon as he came in,Marissa started to persuade Hansen,¡°Hansen, just listen to me and fire that woman. Even if she has great capabilities, she won¡¯t prioritize the Richards Group, she won¡¯t really do anything for Richards Group. Stop grasping on hope! Think about it, Whalen Group is such a goodpany, and Rayan is so good to her. Why didn¡¯t she just stay and work for thepany? She loves money; the money from Whalen Group is definitely not less than ours. Think about it, you can figure it out.¡± She added, ¡°Moreover, she is such a troublemaker, she has so many men swirling around her, this wouldn¡¯t look good for thepany.

    Hansen¡¯s face was as dark. After a moment of silence, he nodded and said, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯ll make sure you are satisfied with the results.¡±

    Marissa nodded with satisfaction.

    ¡°Hansen, since I am here today, I would like to arrange the marriage between you and Aria. Mayor McAdams has been calling me for a few days. Although he didn¡¯t mention it, I know what he is hinting at it. He just wants you to marry Aria quickly. You are a man, Aria has been with you for so long, she is not young anymore. It¡¯s time to be responsible for her. What do you think?¡± Marissa sat on the sofa and put her hands on her knees, looking dignified.

    Hansen frowned slightly and a trace of coldness shed in his bright eyes. His expression was hard to read. He then said lightly, ¡°Mom, can you just take it easy. I have my own ns for these things. By the way, Grandma¡¯s birthday ising soon. It¡¯s her 90th birthday this year. Shouldn¡¯t we do something about it?¡±

    Hansen answered perfunctorily and changed the subject. He didn¡¯t want to talk too much about his marriage. He never liked to be forced by others, especially in marriage. Just like how his grandmother forced him to marry Jenna in the past, it proved that they had never experienced happiness after their marriage.

    He thought of marrying Aria before,and he was also preparing for it, but he didn¡¯t like to be forced. He would feel like his life was being controlled and it didn¡¯t sit well with him.

    Mayor McAdams and Marissa talked on the phone; he suspected that they were trying to force this marriage. He didn¡¯t like the idea of this.

    ¡°You only look up to Grandma,¡± Marissa was upset when she heard Hansen mention his grandmother. She was suddenly displeased and said with a flushed face, ¡°She already said that she didn¡¯t want anything grand for her birthday. She is old now and she only wants peace. She doesn¡¯t want to be disturbed. She already saidthat on the day itself, we can just have a gathering for close rtives.¡±

    Speaking of this, she suddenly remembered something and asked in a serious tone, ¡°What¡¯s the situation of the Camphor Tree Vi right now? It¡¯s quite a big project. You know that the luxury cars at Richards Group have not gained a firm foothold worldwide. Right now, the real source of money is in A City¡¯s real estate. This project is not a small one, it can¡¯t be taken lightly. Also, Mayor McAdams said that he will take care of anything that happens in this area.¡±

    Hansen became more and more agitated with what Marissa was saying. Originally, Camphor Tree Vi was a long term investment of Richards Group, located in the green hills. Several years ago, Hansen had a unique vision and handpicked some real estates, so he bought them. In the past two years, the municipal construction of A city was ongoing and was about to construct the subway. Land prices were rising all the way, it seemed like he was going to make a lot of money soon, but something bad had happened.

    In the past few years, the local residents of the Green Mountain Town visited the higher area and they wanted to move the nearby garbage disposal incinerator to somewhere closer to Green Mountain. It was a nightmare for Camphor Tree Vi.

    One could only imagine the consequences of having a garbage disposal incinerator so close to a high-end vi area!

    If this suggestion was approved by the City A government, it meant that these high-end vis would be unpleasantly close to a garbage disposal incinerator. That way, before they could worry about selling the vis, the prices alone would decrease significantly.

    The Camphor Tree Vi was located next to the Green Mountain Lake. With clear water and green mountains, it was a good area. More importantly, it was not far away from town. It was definitely the highest-end vi area in City A. There would be thousands of vis surrounding the Green Mountain Lake and it would be a great feat in history.

    That would be the gathering ce for the elite people of City A.

    It was originally a good idea.The first phase of development was already ongoing, and the sales were doing great, but due to the sudden arrival of the garbage disposal incinerator, everything was dyed.

    This had already given Hansen a huge headache. Norton was here today about this matter too.

    With the protection from Aria¡¯s father, perhaps the location of the garbage disposal incinerator would be moved, but¡­ As Hansen was deep in thought,Aria suddenly walked in with herhourss figure.

    When she saw Hansen, her cheeks immediately turned pink and her almond eyes looked delicate. She wanted to get close to Hansen, but because Marissa was there, she had to walk toward Marissa first. She put her arms around Marissa¡¯s shoulders and said coyly, ¡°Mother, my Dad said he is nning for a meal together with both our families this weekend. What do you think about this?¡±

    ¡°Alright, okay,¡± Marissa, who was in Aria¡¯s arms, immediately smiled and answered, ¡°I¡¯ll leave this matter to Hansen. He is a man, he should arrange this.¡±

    Aria tilted her head and looked at Hansen. He was sitting in front of the office and looking at theputer. His face was calm and there was no objection. She felt happy inside.

    ¡°Alright, you all need to get to work too. I have to go. Madam Parker has invited me to go for a facial with her,¡± Marissa said as she stood up and walked outside.From N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll send you,¡± Hansen stood up.

    ¡°No need, you continue your work. I have a butler,¡± Marissa refused tly. Before, she used to work hard in thepany, day and night. Of course she knew what hard work felt like. She took the initiative to leave. If it weren¡¯t for Jenna, she wouldn¡¯t have bothered them here.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± As soon as Marissa left, Aria ran to Hansen like a gust of wind. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the face, ¡°Hansen, my Dad said that we¡¯ll have dinner together this Saturday and we¡¯ll settle our marriage. Hansen, I¡¯m so happy. We¡¯ll never be separated for the rest of our lives.¡±

    Aria looked at Hansen with teary eyes, and then leaned her head on his chest. She was very happy inside. She could not wait any longer. She had to hurry up and make Hansen marry her. This was the only way she could feel at ease.

    The man in front of her pulled her away calmly and replied ndly, ¡°I see.¡±

    Hearing how Hansen agreed to it,Aria blushed. As long as he said yes, she would not care about his attitude. Men were always like this. They liked to pretend to be cool. Moreover, for a noble man like Hansen, he wouldn¡¯t be too excited about marriage.

    ¡°Aria, I¡¯ve said it many times. You should behave your self at work,¡± Hansen said again, his handsome face was covered with gloom.

    ¡°Hansen, we will soon be husband and wife, we are not just ordinary friends. Besides, there are no outsiders here. Why do we have to be so restricted?¡± Aria pouted. In her heart, sheined, ¡°Hansen, would you die if you flirt for a bit?¡± But she was soon stunned.

    Hansen¡¯s eyebrows were tightly knitted and his face was tense.

    ¡°Aria, let me ask you. It was you who told my mother about Jenna working in Richards Group, wasn¡¯t it? You showed the newspaper to my mother today too, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s voice was not loud, but every word was cold. He was dissatisfied. In fact, he was not questioning, he was ming her with certainty.

    Marissa never had the habit of reading newspapers in the morning. When she woke up in the morning, she would take a walk in the garden,have breakfast afterwards, and then proceeded to apply her makeup. Reading the newspaper was something she did in the afternoon.

    At that moment, Aria¡¯s face turned pale and her heart tightened. She paused for a moment and threw herself into Hansen¡¯s arms with tears in her eyes.

 Chapter 29 Crazy Norton

    ¡°Hansen, yes, I did tell Mother, but it was because I was too worried about you. Hansen. Since that woman came to Richards Group, I feel like you don¡¯t love me anymore, and you don¡¯t care about me. I¡¯m scared that that woman would take you away from me, I¡¯m even more afraid that she would have bad intentions to destroy ourpany. After all, Mother is wiser than us. I didn¡¯t say it on purpose. Hansen, believe me, forgive me, I did all this for the sake of Richards Group.¡±

    Aria nestled into Hansen¡¯s arms with tears in her face. She looked like an innocent little girl, her eyes filled with grief.

    Even though Hansen was very stubborn, he was still touched by a woman¡¯s tears. The anger in his heart suddenly disappeared and his hand instinctively patted her back.

    What he felt beneath his hands was just skin and bones. Indeed, she seemed to have lost a lot of weight recently. She was no longer as curvy as she was before.

    Still, a woman like this was more feminine. She was passionate and knew when to act coquettishly instead of pretending she was capable of everything in front of men. Even if she made a small mistake, men would still forgive her.

    Jenna¡¯s indifferent face and her cold eyes, full of hostility appeared in front of him. He could not help but sigh in his heart. Jenna was not like Aria at all.

    Did she have to be as cold as ice? Even if a man was interested in her, he would be put off by her coldness.

    He was unsure. As he would be marrying Aria, they were going to be together for the rest of their lives,therefore he should trust her more and be more tolerant of her.

    His face softened, but right before his eyes, the image of Jenna smiling brightly at Rayan appeared, and a faint anger rose in his heart. No, she only treated him coldly, and all her hostility was only for him.

    He decided that there was still no fate between them after all!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aria. She is just a designer I hired. Ourpany needs her. For now, only if we can suppress the Whalen Group, then our luxury cars will be able to do well. You know that real estate is no longer being sought-after, luxury cars are going to be the trend. We can¡¯t let go of this opportunity,¡± Hansen seemed to beforting her, but it felt like he wasforting himself.

    The warmth from his palm passed to Aria¡¯s body making her feel cozy andfortable. Aria was overjoyed as she smiled. It seemed that all the grievances she felt had disappeared.

    It seemed that it was the right move to bring Marissa here. She had gained aplete victory in this match.

    At least Hansen was willing to tell her what he had in mind, and he also personally agreed to their marriage. Their rtionship had moved to the next step.

    ¡°But, Hansen, that woman doesn¡¯t have the capability. You¡¯ve heard it. She designed that model because she was lucky. She doesn¡¯t have the ability to design at all. She admitted it herself!¡± Even though Aria felt happy with Hansen, she still mentioned it because she was upset that Jenna was still around.

    ¡°Even if she really can¡¯t do anything, I still want to put her in Richards Group for a while. As long as she doesn¡¯t go back to Whalen Group, it will be beneficial to ourpany,¡± Hansen touched her face and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know what to do.¡±

    Aria blinked her eyes and was finally satisfied. She kissed him on the lips sweetly and smiled charmingly. She stretched her slender neck around his neck and whispered in his ear, ¡°Hansen, I know now. I won¡¯t be jealous anymore.¡±

    For a whole day, Jenna was anxious.She did not see Hansen, nor did anyonee looking for her. The farce that happened in the morning ended just like that.

    She didn¡¯t know what Hansen would do to her, but she didn¡¯t care.

    The sun was going down and there was a slight breeze. The autumn of A city seemed to have started earlier than usual.

    The dull sound of high heels stepping on the floor sounded in the parking lot. Jenna carried a delicate little bag, her moderate-length dress wrapped her buttocks and her slender waist, sculpting her slim physique and enhancing her curvy body shape.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± A shadow came out from one side. The dim light of the basement illuminated the man¡¯s straight body. There was a vague and strange expression on the man¡¯s face. His tall nose shrouded part of his face in the shadow.

    ¡°NortonRichards,¡± Jenna eximed in surprise and stopped walking. She looked around and fear rose in her heart.

    ¡°Norton, what¡¯s the matter?¡± She took a few steps back and asked tly. She did not feelfortable with the situation and wanted to leave quickly.

    Norton looked at the calm and indifferent Jenna, and there was a strange expression on his face.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯ve been in the Richards family for four years, and you¡¯ve already divorced Hansen, haven¡¯t you?¡± Norton stared at her intently, not letting any expression of hers escape him.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jenna did not hide her feelings and admitted frankly.She wanted to hide as far as she could from him. She did not want to be entangled with him too much. She had never loved him before, and she never would.

    ¡°But, these years, the Richards family has treated you badly, especially that b*stard, Hansen. He never treated you as his wife. He is overbearing and arrogant. Why did youe back? Why didn¡¯t youe to me? You know I¡¯ve always liked you.¡±

    Norton was being overbearing. He looked gentle on the outside, but inside, he had a fierce aura. It caused Jenna to take a few steps back.She felt a dangerous and odd feeling in her heart and she wanted to escape.

    ¡°So¡­ What do you think I should do?¡± Jenna clenched the bag in her hand and asked coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re now the head of the Ministry of Finance, you¡¯re a government official. Don¡¯t ruin your career because of a small mistake.¡±

    ¡°Leave him, leave Richards Group,ande to me. Trust me, I¡¯ll give you happiness.¡± Norton advanced step by steping closer and closer to her.

    Jenna retreated again, but she said in a serious tone.

    ¡°Norton, I¡¯m your sister-inw. It¡¯s not good for you to talk like this.¡±

    ¡°Sister-inw? Go to hell!¡± Norton spat fiercely, the gentle side of him disappeared. His body suddenly trembled, his fists clenched, and fire was burning in his eyes. He was jealous and angry!

    ¡°That¡¯s because Grandma was biased. She gave you to him. You should have been mine. I mentioned you in front of her, but she was old and confused, that was why she gave you to him. He didn¡¯t deserve your love at all. He didn¡¯t deserve you.¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    The more he spoke, the more indignant he became. He suddenly grabbed Jenna¡¯s hand and said in a mad tone, ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m the only one who loves you. I thought about you every night when you were not in the Richards family, and I went abroad to look for you, but I couldn¡¯t find you. Now that you¡¯re back and divorced, we can be together openly. Don¡¯te to the Richards Group again. I¡¯ve seen what happened this morning. Hansen will marry Aria soon. You two don¡¯t stand a chance anymore.¡±

    The muscles on his body stiffened. He held Jenna¡¯s hand tightly, and his eyes turned red. Jenna suddenly felt that the basement was so quiet that she hated it. She didn¡¯t like this feeling.

    A whiff of custom-made French cologne hit Jenna. Jenna¡¯s heart trembled, she felt chills all over her body. The inexplicable horrible feeling from the past rushed at her and her face turned pale instantly.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ll treat you well. Trust me.¡± Norton¡¯s hand stroked Jenna¡¯s beautiful hair. His voice was deep and he looked like he was enjoying himself.

    ¡°Let me go.¡± Jenna was frightened by Norton¡¯s infatuated expression.

    She stayed at the Richards Group mansion for a year. Every time she saw Norton, he would be in a suit and in his leather shoes, looking like a gentleman. When he was in University, he always looked at her passionately. However, wasn¡¯t it the same for every man who went through puberty? As long as he wasn¡¯t doing anything over the top, he was still considered normal.

    Moreover, ever since she married Hansen, he hadpletely ignored her.

    But Jenna was terrified by what Norton looked like today. It was not love, but some kind of possessiveness. Had he already gone astray? Or¡­

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to a ce.¡± Norton¡¯s face was full of excitement and his face was flushed as he dragged her away.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to go.¡± Jenna¡¯s heart was full of fear.

    What she experienced during university a few years ago suddenly appeared in front of her. It felt like time went back, and the feeling of fear was so simr.

    She was weak though, how could she go against Norton who was taller and stronger than she was? He held her tightly and dragged her to the front of the car.

    ¡°Let me go,¡± Jenna cried out anxiously. Her high heels were dragging on the ground, and she lost her stability. Her ankle was twisted. Her palm and ankle hurt so much that her face turned pale.

    She fell to the ground and tried her best to struggle.

    In a fit of panic, Norton¡¯srge hand reached out for her waist and he lifted her to carry her away.

    Jenna was so anxious that she kept fluttering her hands and feet. Her face was flushed from her fear.

    ¡°Let her go,¡± a low and angry voice broke through the air and made a rumbling sound in the dim basement.

    Jenna was relieved to see that Hansen was there.

    Norton¡¯s body trembled and his whole body froze. Before he could react, the sound of a punch was heard. He received a hard punch to his face and he fell to the ground. His brain instantly sobered up.

    Hansen was standing in front of them. His face was dark and his eyes were like sharp arrows, which gave Norton chills all over!

    ¡°Ouch!¡± Jenna fell to the ground andnded on her butt.

    ¡°Norton, what are you doing?¡± Hansen¡¯s body moved toward him like a beacon, and his eyes were fierce.

    He was very clear about what his cousin was trying to do. The memories came back to his mind andthe light in his eyes was even fiercer. If he didn¡¯t guess it incorrectly, it was Norton whom he saw on that night at school.

    Even if he didn¡¯t love Jenna, this woman still married him. Her chastity was given to this animal in front of him, which ruined his pride as a man. Moreover, it was in the Richards Group mansion. He had wanted to get his revenge a long time ago.

 Chapter 30 Arbitrary

    Norton, who was already on the verge of extreme anxiety and excitement, was awakened by Hansen¡¯s sudden shout. Before he could react, he was punched. When he looked up at this angry Hansen, his face looked a little pale in the basement where the lights were not so bright. He was very discontented about it.

    He didn¡¯t expect Hansen to catch him at a ce like this. Even if he wanted to hide himself, he couldn¡¯t hide the panic on his face.

    At a time like this, he didn¡¯t want to spread this kind of news all over the city. He was a government official, his reputation was very important.

    More importantly, he could not let his grandmother know about this. Otherwise, his inheritance for the Richards Group would be withheld if he upset his grandmother.

    Although his grandmother was already 90 years old, her mind was still clear. Moreover, she was still holding the Old Master¡¯s will in her hand, which meant that her right to speak was very effective.

    Why should Hansen get all the benefits? His Richards Group was so rich and powerful. Although he was the head of the Ministry of Finance, his sry was still limited.

    Wasn¡¯t it because Hansen just didn¡¯t want him to get anything? Otherwise, why would hestill keep an eye on him everywhere he went and would even try to get stop himeven when he obviously didn¡¯t love Jenna anymore!

    He clenched his fists and got up. He was obviously angry, but he didn¡¯t dare to resist loudly. Even his back was not as straight as it was just now.

    Hansen remembered his expression. He could not help sneering and snorted contemptuously.

    He quickly adapted to the situation and slowly calmed down. With a stiff smile, he said, ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re here.¡±

    Hansen snorted and said, ¡°Norton, you are a government official, but you are so reckless that you even harassed a divorced woman. Do you think this is good for you? If this news gets out, what will Grandma think if she knows about it? What will happen to your career? You are so smart and shrewd, why do you keep making the same mistakes?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s words hit his sore spot. His face turned pale and his eyes darkened. He clenched his fists and his lips twitched slightly.

    He gave Hansen a sinister look and then he looked at Jenna, who was sitting on the ground. He had no choice but to say, ¡°Big Brother, since you two have divorced, I think I would like to marry her. There is nothing wrong with that. Moreover, I am more qualified than you now.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Hansen couldn¡¯t help sneering, ¡°Grandpa¡¯s will has clearly stated that you can only marry Sabrina Delia as your wife. Your wedding is now in preparations, would you dare take the risk of losing everything and marry your cousin¡¯s ex-wife? Can you do that?¡±

    Norton¡¯s body trembled, and he opened his mouth only to exhale;he couldn¡¯t inhale anymore.

    There was a faint smile at the corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth, he said faintly, ¡°Besides, you were just the head of Ministry of Finance not long ago. If you want to end your career, you can do whatever you want. But think clearly, General Delia is not a very kind person.¡±

    Norton, who had never revealed his true emotions, was now stunned!

    ¡°Coward,¡± Hansen snorted and sneered. Then he came over, picked up Jenna and walked toward his Hummer.

    Norton watched helplessly as Hansen took Jenna away.

    ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± Jenna grimaced at the pain on the soles of her feet. She couldn¡¯t help but feel curious about what he was going to do.

    Hansen had no expression on his face. He put her on the back seat and started the car. From the rearview mirror, he saw Jenna¡¯s painful face and asked sarcastically, ¡°Are you upset because I separated you from your first love?¡±

    ¡°What the hell?¡±Jenna thought as she listened to his sarcastic voice and felt helpless.

    When did Norton be her first love? He was really good at surmising. Whenever he saw something, he would expand his imagination to the dirtiest possible situation. It really saddened her.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything,does that mean I¡¯m right? You feel guilty,¡± Hansen said coldly and sarcastically.

    Jenna was toozy to argue with him. She lowered her head and rubbed her feet as her eyebrows frowned.

    ¡°If you know that you would suffer, why would you still want to meddle in these things? Why can¡¯t you be morepliant? You deserve it.¡± Hansen¡¯s words were even more vicious.

    Jenna was so angry. She shouted, ¡°Stop the car and let me down. I want to drive back by myself.¡±

    Hansen looked indifferent and pretended he didn¡¯t hear her.He didn¡¯t take her words seriously at all.

    Jenna was determined to get off the car. Now that Norton was gone, she was not afraid anymore. Besides, she was in a hurry to go home to see her mother.

    ¡°Did you hear me? Stop the car!¡± She shouted again.

    Hansen¡¯s ears twitched.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent my men to take your shabby car to the trash pile. From now on, you don¡¯t have to drive anymore,¡± he said calmly, as if he was talking about the good weather today. His expression was calm, but it stunned Jenna.

    That car was a birthday gift from her father, Javon Murphy. Although it was cheap and not luxurious, Jenna had always liked it and was reluctant to throw it away, and when she drove this car, it put her in a good mood.

    She didn¡¯tck any money now, but she had never thought about changing her car. Her father was no longer here, this car was her only memory of him. She had always been low-key, she never pursued material things, let alone the quality of the car. She just wanted to use the car until it couldn¡¯t move anymore, repair it, and then keep it.

    But she never imagined that that b*stard, Hansen, would dispose of her treasured car as he wished.

    This devil, this madman, he was too overbearing. No matter what he did, he never considered other people¡¯s feelings or opinions. He always took it for granted.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna was so mad that she was going crazy!

    ¡°Ah!¡± With a scream, she picked up the bag in her hand and threw it at the window. She kicked the car door and she was furious. At this time, if Hansen was not driving, she would have definitely rushed at him and killed him.

    ¡°D*mned woman, you¡¯re crazy.¡± The Hummer was shaking. Hansen saw from the rearview mirror that Jenna¡¯s face was flushed red and she was out of control. There was a fire surging from his heart. He stepped on the brakes, pulled over at the left side of the road, and parked his car in the trees.

    ¡°Hey, are you trying to kill yourself?¡± The cars beside him were all stepping on their brakes at his sudden stop. All of them rolled their windows down as they met Hansen¡¯s scary eyes and his million-dor Hummer. They immediately silenced themselves and left quickly.

    ¡°D*mned woman, what on earth are you trying to do? Wasn¡¯t it just a broken car?¡± Hansen was as angry as a bull. He grabbed Jenna¡¯s hand and dragged her to the middle of the seat and imprisoned her at the back of the car. He shouted angrily and pulled open the dashboard with one hand. He took out a check from the drawer and threw it on her face. He said disdainfully, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just money? I¡¯ll pay you.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s blood was rushing to her face, her eyes were red. Tears were dripping down her face. She desperately tried to retract her hand, but she was grabbed tight by Hansen. She lowered her head and bit his hand hard andHansen had to let go of her because of the pain.

    She picked up the check, tore it into pieces, and threw it on his face without even looking at it.

    ¡°Hansen, you are not human. You are arbitrary and self-righteous,¡± she shouted with a hoarse voice, ¡°Let me go. I don¡¯t want to be with a demon like you. I want to find my car.¡±

    Scraps of the check fell on Hansen¡¯s handsome face like snowkes. He was shocked. Jenna¡¯s face was full of tears, the light in her eyes was like an injured deer looking at a hunter who hurt it. Other than anger and resentment, there was also unfamiliarity.

    He had never seen Jenna losing her mind. Being in the Richards family¡¯s manor for a year, no matter how harsh his mother talked to her, or how he sneered at her, she had always been obedient and silent. There were several times when he saw her clench her fists, gnash her teeth, and thought she would cry out, or evenmit suicide. But she was like a stone sinking into the water, and even before a ripple could form, she was always calm.

    Even when the servants and workers bullied her and disrespected her, she held back her anger and stayed calm.

    He used to think that she was a log and had no anger in her.

    However, he could now see the anger in Jenna, who was raging. He saw the sadness and the disappointment in her face and it made him worried, scared even.

    This was the first time he was afraid of a woman¡¯s tears. What¡¯s more,it was from a woman whom he hated.

    He really didn¡¯t expect that she would care so much about the broken car.

    As a manager of the design department in Richards Group, she actually drove a cheap Beetle car to work. Moreover, she was his ex-wife. Even the ordinary employees of thepany drove better cars to work. Not only would it humiliate him, it humiliated Richards Group too. He really couldn¡¯t bear it.

    D*mned woman, now that she was divorced, she must be trying to gain sympathy. Or she could be trying to show the public her grievances so that they could sympathize with her and think better of her. That way, people would think that he treated her badly. Perhaps she wanted to gain sympathy from other men and subsequently seduce them!

    He nced at the woman sitting in the back seat of the car, his heart was filled with anger. The fire rose high again!

    Then he took a look at her slender fingers. Ever since they got married, she never wore the wedding ring, there was not even a trace of it on her ring finger.

    These few years abroad, she must have been saying that she was unmarried. Even a man like Rayan was seduced by her!

    He suddenly started the car and the Hummer growled and rushed forward.

    Along the way, he kept honking constantly. The Hummer thundered down the busy streets, scaring other cars away. Even the traffic police who were patrolling were rmed. However, when they saw that it was Hansen¡¯s car, they all shook their heads helplessly.

    Hansen set up an ount at the vehicle administration office. Whenever he had a fine, it would be paid immediately.The traffic police couldn¡¯t do anything to the rich Hansen.

    It was just money, and Hansen had a lot of it;he didn¡¯t care at all.

    The car soon drove into the inner circle, the Hummer going wildly all the way. Even the crying Jenna was stunned. He must be crazy!!!

 Chapter 31 Iâ€™m Not That Stupid

    ¡°Madman, what are you doing?¡± Jenna forgot about her sadness, her whole face went pale and she tried to stop him.

    Hansen had no expression on his face. His eyes were fixed to the front, and the Hummer was racing at a high speed.

    After a while, the car arrived at a suburb. Jenna looked outside.

    She saw arge number of abandoned vehicles piled up against the wall, with a sign saying ¡®Vehicle Administrative Services¡¯. She immediately understood.

    He had brought her here to find her car.

    ¡°Go and look for it yourself. If you find it, just drive it away. I will call them to let them know,¡± Hansen stopped the car and said angrily to Jenna.

    Jenna was ecstatic, her tearful face showed a pure and lovely smile as though a little girl just received her favorite doll.

    She rushed down and could not wait to get inside.

    Hansen looked at her in astonishment as she ran out of the car. He had a strange feeling in his heart. It became increasingly hard to understand this woman. It didn¡¯t look like she was acting on purpose, but she indeed made him to give her a check that could buy ten of those cheap, broken cars.

    He shook his head. This woman really puzzled him!

    Soon, Jenna drove the Beetle out slowly.

    Hansen touched his forehead with his hand and a sinister look appeared in his eyes. He opened the door and walked out.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯ll head home first,¡± Jenna rolled down the window and greeted Hansen, who was standing next to his car, with a smile on her face.

    Hansen¡¯s face was dark, and one of his hands quickly reached out to grab her arm.

    ¡°Get down,¡± he ordered in a deep voice.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Jenna was shocked. Before she could understand what was going on, she saw Mike, the driver for the Richards family, standing outside politely.

    What was happening?

    Jenna was still in a daze. Hansen reached out his other hand, unlocked the door from inside, andpulling Jenna down like a baby chick.

    Mike, the driver, got in her carquickly, fastened the seat belt, stepped on the elerator, and drove the Beetle away.

    ¡°Hansen, what do you mean by this?¡± Jenna was so shocked that she couldn¡¯t speak coherently, so she yelled at Hansen angrily.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to keep the car for you first,¡± Hansen said, ¡°From today until the day youplete the car design, you can¡¯t leave my sight.¡± His fair fingers lifted her chin lightly. He lowered his head, and looked into her eyes with an evil smile on his face. He said word by word, charming and overbearing, ¡°From now on, you are going to eat and sleep with me. I¡¯ll supervise you personally. I can¡¯t trust youpletely.¡±

    She must have heard it wrong;it must have been her hallucination. Jenna shook her head in disbelief.

    However, Hansen ignored her and took her by the arm and walked toward his car.

    No, she did not hear it wrongly. She was being controlled by him and he was restraining her personal freedom!

    Was there now in the world now?

    How could he do that!

    She was about to spew her words of resistance.

    However,he stood in front of her with a dark look on his face and exhaled a hot breath.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m a fool. You came to mypany to work as the head of design just so you can get a hold of thepany¡¯s secret, and then hook up with Rayan behind my back. Who would believe you? Who knows if you¡¯re a spy he sent? Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m so easy to fool. For a shameless woman like you, I need to exercise extra caution. From now on, you can only belong to me. I will only feel safe if I do this.¡±

    When he said this, Hansen did not feel like he was being too much. Then he saw her biting her lips and trembling with anger, her face was as red as rouge. She opened her mouth but could not make a sound. Then he smiled softly and said in her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t feel too bad. I know this kind of woman like you. If I trusted in a flirty woman like you, that would be a joke. It wasn¡¯t luck that got Richards Group to where it is today!. You better not fool around, and don¡¯t try to y any tricks.¡±

    As soon as Hansen said this, his face suddenly became icy, and his eyes were gloomy.

    With little strength, he lifted Jenna up and walked to the Hummer. He reached out to take out a stack of papers from the seat and said in a tone ofmand, ¡°Sign it.¡±

    Jenna waspletely stunned. She didn¡¯t know what had happened. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand so tightly that she couldn¡¯t get rid of it butcould only follow him. She saw the word ¡®Contract¡¯ on the paper and immediately had a bad feeling.

    She struggled with all her might and opened her mouth to shout.

    His hot lips immediately sealed her red lips, biting on it, tossing and turning, and then sticking them together perfectly, stopping her from making a sound again.

    He upied her every breath, and she struggled to breathe.

    Hansen held the back of her head with one strong hand, continued to bite her lips, and grabbed her little hand with his other hand.

    Jenna felt he¡¯s holding his finger and then ced some wet liquid on it. But her brain went nk. Soon she felt his hot palm grabbing her index finger and it was forced to press down hard on a piece of paper.

    Her fingerprint!

    At this moment, she was so angry that she almost fainted. She was almost unconscious and she fell down softly.

    Hansen let go of her lips, breathed a sigh of relief, then he stuck his lips on hers again. Suddenly, Jenna felt that there was some fresh air in her lungs and she gradually regained her consciousness.

    She opened her eyes. Hansen had a proud and bright smile on his face. There was a loud noise in her mind. She pushed him away and hurriedly looked at the car seat.

    The fingerprint of her index finger was right on the contract, ring in a blood-red color.

    She was so shocked that she picked up the contract and looked at it with widened eyes. It turned out to be an employment contract for Richards Group.

    Having her fingerprint on the contract meant that she had signed the contract.

    All of these, done in one breath,and all done within the duration of his forceful kiss. He did not want to get her approval at all!

    Jenna was totally pissed off.

    And that d*mn b*stard was standing in front of her, smilingcently, as if he was still enjoying that kiss!

    Jenna finally learned that there was such a scoundrel, such an unreasonable person existed in this world. She thought she had gone crazy.

    She threw herself at Hansen and tried her best to snatch it.

    Even if she died, andeven if she couldn¡¯t beat him,she wanted to bite him at least. He should know that being bullied did not feel good.

    Hansen was in a good mood,so he didn¡¯t expect Jenna to pounce on him like this. She scratched him on the neck and he became very irritated.

    This woman¡¯s strength was nothing to him!

    He grabbed her hands, threw her on the back seat, and pressed himself on top of her. He warned her fiercely, ¡°Woman, if you struggle again, be careful of what I¡¯m going to do. If you stay put, all this wouldn¡¯t have to be so bad.¡±

    Jenna was so frightened by his words that she did not dare to move.

    This guy could do whatever he wanted. His body temperature felt incredibly hot at the moment, Jenna knew the consequences if she reacted wrongly, so she just stayed put.

    A smug smile appeared on Hansen¡¯s face. He stood up and looked at Jenna from head to toe with his good looking eyes. He said inly, ¡°For a woman like you, even if you were given to me, I can¡¯t even bother to care . Don¡¯t worry, as long as you¡¯re obedient, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re safe.¡±

    He closed the door and started the car. The car growled and headed towards downtown.

    Beast, demon!

    Jennaid on the back seat. She wanted to cry but she had no tears. Right up till then, she admired Hannah very much.

    Thinking of Hannah¡¯s analysis of Hansen and her advice,she felt that Hannah was extremely profound!

    She was digging her own grave. She couldn¡¯t me anyone else!

    Jenna waspletely defeated in this battle of forces!

    At the Collier Manor!

    Jennaid on the sofa and didn¡¯t say anything.

    She waspletely different now! ording to the terms of the contract, she had essentially sold herself!

    Unless Hansen let her go, or when Richards Group no longer needed her design, only then could she leave the group.

    This was her sadness, the sorrow she beckoned on her own.

    Hansen was sittingzily on the sofa with a triumphant smile on his face, holding the newspaper and reading it with satisfaction.

    His slender legs were crossed, and he looked at the woman beside him from time to time with a satisfied and pleasant smile on his face.

    Jenna was lying on the sofa in a light green skirt, motionless, like a lifeless doll.

    All her clothes were specially made by him, which were conservative and modest.

    Hansen didn¡¯t like her off-shoulder and low cut clothes, he thought that only in this way could she be slightly restrained and looked less flirtatious.The light green color of her skirt made her look like the grass that had just grown through the soil in spring, so delicate that she needed protection.

    The light red suit on her body was bright but not harsh on eyes, she wouldn¡¯t look so cool with it, which made him feel some warmth! The skirt¡¯s hem was just right and wasn¡¯t lower than her knees. Otherwise, it would be like a butterfly flying into a garden, one wrong move, and the bees woulde circling the whole day, disgusting!From N?velDrama.Org.

    The warm light shone on the golden and splendid living room. It was warm and quiet. Hansen suddenly felt peaceful and satisfied. It was a feeling that he had never felt before.

    The corners of his mouth couldn¡¯t help but curl up slightly. He took out his work notebook and sat calmly on the sofa with his legs crossed, looking elegant and calm.

    The keyboard was ced on hisp and his slender fingers were typing on it. He was working hard, but he was in a very good mood and soon got into the flow. He finished all the work that was piled up for a few days in just a moment, he was extremely efficient.

    Jenna was lying on the sofa.

    She did not cry or make a fuss.

    She lookedquietlyat the man beside her.

    Hansen¡¯s whole body and mind sank into his work. His thick sword-shaped eyebrows stretched, and a charming smile appeared on his beautiful side face from time to time. His strong body, porcin-like skin, and handsome face were transmitting a kind of charm.

    Jenna gradually became confused. Wasn¡¯t this what she always wanted? She once longed for this kind of warm and quiet scene. In the year when she slept alone.Every night, she was eager to see him, hoping that his tall and majestic figure woulde back to apany her.

    Even if she could only have sat there quietly with him, she felt at ease.

 Chapter 32 A Gift

    A woman would want her beloved husband to be with her every day,and to spend all his time with her. She had been longing for this moment for so long.

    But now, she actually experienced what she had been dreaming of for just a fleeting moment. However, she felt extremelyconflicted!

    She knew he loved Aria, but he was about to marry her!

    For Hansen, Jenna was just a woman he had abandoned. Now, for the sake of hispany, he used his power to threaten her. She was merely a tool whom he had used to bring profits to hispany.

    Jenna felt a throbbing pain in her heart.

    That year in university, as she exited the library amidst the setting sun, she ran into the masculine and handsome Hansen. He smiled at her, and his eyes seemed as if they could see right through to her heart.

    Jenna blushed!

    Actually, that was not the first time she saw him. She remembered that when she first met him, she was only fifteen years old.

    That day, her father had brought her to a party. She saw the grandmother of the Richards family who took her hand and asked her questions from time to time. However, her eyes were glued to the handsome and shy boy beside her. His mysterious temperament, steady behavior, and those eyes attracted her attention, but he never looked at her at all.

    He just kept staring outside, and did not pay her any attention at all. At that time, she felt disappointed.

    Perhaps since then, her fate had already been decided!

    All the way to the traumatic heartbreak she was experiencing now.

    She took a deep breath. With a scene like this, deep down in her heart, she didn¡¯t even resist him. Even if there was only one night, even if he was to marry Aria tomorrow, she would enjoy this feeling.

    This was something that runs true for women. Once a woman falls in love, they would lose themselves, in a way that was almost akin to sacrificing themselves.

    Jenna was like this now. She already felt that she was irredeemable.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Suddenly, Hansen had already finished his bath and came out of the bathroom. He was wearing simple pajamas, and they were of brilliant quality. The smooth andfortable linen lined on his fit body, the mint scent from the shampoo pervading faintly.

    This kind of scent once made Jenna obsessed and intoxicated! If it was three years ago, how happy would it be for her, but now they were like strangers.

    Jenna woke up and realized that tears were flowing out from the corners of her eyes. She licked her red lips and felt bitterness at the tip of her tongue. Her nose also felt numb, and she lowered her head.

    Suddenly an image shed through her eyes. It was him holding Aria and speaking softly. His soft words pierced Jenna¡¯s fragile heart.

    Hansen sat up on the opposite side of the sofa with an indescribable feeling rising in him.

    She was crying!

    She must be feeling sad because of the contract she signed today. He sighed in his heart. Running a business was like strategizing during a war.

    How would he allow her to stay at thepany if shewas reluctant to sign the contract? Not to mention, she was going to be able to ess confidentialpany information.

    This was not in line with his character. Since he had promised, he had to sign the contract. This was his principle. It was also thepany¡¯s principles.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as long as you canplete the task and keep your promise, the reward Richards Group will give to you will not be worse than Whalen Group. Trust me.¡± His eyes were burning, and his words were as resolute as iron.

    The bitterness in Jenna¡¯s heart snowballed. In his eyes, it was always about money and interests!

    There was a sneer at the corner of her mouth. She stood up and faced him coldly.

    Hansen raised his head slightly and looked at her from head to toe. There were circles of mes in her eyes, which seemed to set her dark and deep eyes on fire.

    He could see the anger building up within her, however, it gradually dissipated.

    He saw disappointment, despair and coldness in Jenna¡¯s eyes.

    This d*mned woman was always like this. He was talking to her in an agreeable manner just now, but she didn¡¯t appreciate it and was even so hostile to him.

    Hansen admitted that he had never forced a woman before, but now, his means might have been too overbearing. This was also the first time he used such a method to keep a woman by his side.

    He would not admit to it, however. He always thought that he was not wrong to behave that way!

    ¡°From tomorrow onwards, your office will be on the eighty-eighth floor, right beside mine. The design department will be set up tomorrow. The next few days will be tiring, you have to get yourself ready, go to bed early.¡± Hansen was not used to Jenna looking down at him, so he immediately stood up and ordered solemnly.

    ¡°You will sleep in the bedroom next to mine. If you need anything, you can tell me at any time.¡± Hansen took the lead in walking into the bedroom. After a few steps, he threw over a gold card and said, ¡°If you need anything, just get it for yourself.¡±

    He left,but his unique mint smell was still in the air.

    Soon, the lights in his bedroom went out.

    Jenna didn¡¯t take his card and went to sleep in her own bedroom!

    She didn¡¯t need anything as the house had all sorts of supplies. Hansen had prepared all the daily necessities for her, including her personal toiletries. All of them were of high quality.

    Their workentered an intensely busy mode¡­

    In the next few days, Jenna and Hansen went to thepany almost at the same time. They stayed with each other almost every day and began to prepare for the key project of the press conference which was the design of the car model. It was as if they were preparing for battle.

    Hansen was like a madman when he was working. He could stay in front of theputer all night and do everything on his own.

    Jenna¡¯s design department moved next door to his office. He stayed in his office almost every day and supervised it personally, which made the staff of the design departmentin. Which employee would be willing to have their boss standing next to them and stare at them all day?

    Under his supervision, all the staff of the design department had entered a state of extreme seriousness.

    Jenna also began to focus fully on her work.

    For several days and nights in a row, Jenna, who should have been very tired, was in high spirits. There was no trace of exhaustion in her.

    ¡°For you.¡± Back at the apartment in the evening, Jenna was still racking her brain in front of theputer, but Hansen came in with a cheerful face and handed her a box.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She lifted her head and her face was full of confusion.Hansen was behaving normally these days and did not harass her. It could be said that he was very gentlemanly and was modest and polite. Although he would asionally argue with her about work matters, it was still eptable to Jenna.

    Jenna¡¯s demeanor was much better, she didn¡¯t treat him as coldly as she did at the beginning.

    ¡°Have a look.¡± Hansen had a sly smile on his face.

    Instinctively, she thought that it should be a gift.

    But why would Hansen give her a gift? Jenna felt it was a little unbelievable.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    She slowly opened it up. The living room dimly lit up with warm lights, and the setting was a little dreamy. The box was packagedexquisitely. At a nce, Jenna could tell that it was something expensive.

    A sh of gold emanated from her hands, shining brightly. It then shed a dazzling white, stunning Jenna immensely.

    It was thetest iPhone with gold iid with a row of diamonds. The phone wasglittering brightly.

    At this time, the light in the room was not particrly dazzling, but the shiny diamonds glittered incessantly. It was exquisitely crafted, and each of the heavy diamonds was perfectly cut.

    If she guessed it right, it should be a custom made phone, something that could not be purchased on the market.

    The gift made her heart swell and she felt touched, but also a little sad.

    In her memory, this was the first time Hansen gave her a gift. They had known each other for such a long time, but this was the first time that he had taken the initiative to give her a gift.

    She blinked her eyes in disbelief, as she inhaled sharply. Her breathing was hoarse and every breath she took twisted her nerves.

    She pursed her red lips and her hands trembled slightly. Was this excitement?

    ¡°It¡¯s Saturday today. Go to bed early, you don¡¯t have to work overtime. I¡¯m going to bring your design department somewhere tomorrow for a field trip,¡± he said calmly. There was nothing special on his face. He did not feel like it was inappropriate for him to give her a gift like that. On the contrary, he felt like it was normal.

    Jenna listened to his indifferent tone, and the enthusiasm that had just surged in her heart suddenly subsided.

    Yes, for someone as wealthy as Hansen, a gift like that diamond phone was verymon. What¡¯s more, he must have given many gifts to other women already, so this gift was not a big deal at all.

    She took a deep breath. Fortunately,she managed to suppress her tears.

    Could she be a little more steadfast? How could she turn so emotional because of some little gift?

    Jenna felt ufortable in her heart. She felt a little annoyed by her embarrassment. She despised herself for how she felt!

    A melodious ringtone sounded¡­

    ¡°Hansen, where are you? Hurry up. My parents are waiting,¡± Aria said anxiously on the other side of the phone.

    ¡°Oh, okay. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Hansen answered the phone while lowering his head as he picked up the bag on the sofa. He was ready to go out.

    Jenna only realized that he was going out that night. She looked at him carefully and found that he was wearing a neat and expensive custom-made suit on his slender body. This suit was ordered through a well-known brand from abroad. Every part of the suit was crafted exquisitely. There was nothing excessive on it, and it made his well-built body look good and his hair looked very neat.

    For him to dress up like this, it was very likely that he was going to attend a formal asion.

    A sense of loss shed through Jenna¡¯s heart for no reason.

    In the past few days, they had been together every day and she had gotten used to it.When she saw him going out, she felt inexplicably sad.

    In order to not let him see through it, she lowered her head in a hurry.

    Carrying the bag, Hansen walked to the door.

    ¡°Oh right, please pass me that folder,¡± Hansen, who had just walked to the door, turned his head and told Jenna politely.

    Jenna endured the pain in her heart, raised her head, and looked around for the folder.

    ¡°It should be in the bedroom,¡± Hansen told her after thinking for a while.

    He stood by the door and waited for her. The moment Jenna stood up, she felt that the whole ce was empty.

    Hansen¡¯s bedroom was filled with luxury goods. There were not a lot of things but everything was in order.

    A foldery on the mahogany stand. The cover was nk. She didn¡¯t know what kind of documents were in it. It was heavy.

    Jenna picked up the folder and walked out.

    ¡°Aria, order the dishes first and take care of your parents. I¡¯m still stuck in traffic, I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± Hansen was talking on the phone as he faced towards the door, so he didn¡¯t notice Jenna approaching.

    Jenna stiffened.

    It turned out that he was going to meet Aria¡¯s parents.

    Jenna¡¯s heart instantly felt as if it had been pricked by needles. All this time they had been together,and she seemed to have gotten used to it. As he was leaving today, it felt as if she suddenly woke up from a dream. She couldn¡¯t get used to it for a moment.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Hansen put away the phone and took the folder from Jenna. He turned around and was about to leave. The moment he left, he turned around and nced at Jenna. He asked in surprise, ¡°Are you feeling unwell?¡±

    ¡°No, no.¡± Jenna was stunned and shook her head in a hurry. Then she raised her head and smiled. She stretched out her hand and waved, ¡°Bye.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s dark eyes looked deeply at her beforehe turned around and left.

 Chapter 33 Repeated Nightmare

    Jenna stood with her back against the door for a long time. She felt lost and her heart was in a mess.

    Aria¡¯s father was Mayor McAdams of A city, who had power and influence.The shrewd Marissa Sotomayor also took a fancy to her. On the other hand, what was her worth? Now she could only be considered an unfavored daughter of an eminent family.

    She suddenly recalled the loneliness in her mother¡¯s eyes, only then did she realize that she had not been home for a few days.

    It was time for her to visit home.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    After Hansen left, the big house became even emptier. It was extremely cold and quiet.

    Jenna was in aplicated state of mind and was not in the mood to work anymore. After packing up, she turned around and walked out.

    As the night wind blew against her, her mind became clearer, but a bleak smile appeared on her face.

    When she returned to Dongshan Square, her mother had already fallen asleep. Jenna crept in, afraid of waking her mother up.

    ¡°Jenna?¡± Her mother¡¯s voice could be heard clearly,ing from the bedroom.

    Jenna was surprised. It turned out that she had not fallen asleep yet.

    She had no choice but to reply as she walked in softly.

    Sara Garver was lying in bed, wearing a coat. The light in the room was dim so that her face could not be seen clearly. However, the light in her eyes was much brighter when she saw Jenna.

    ¡°Jenna, why did youe back sote? Where is Hansen?¡± Sara waved at Jenna, who was standing at the door. She looked behind her with anticipation in her eyes.

    Jenna knew what she was thinking, so she had to go over and forced a smile. ¡°Mom, Hansen still has something to do at thepany, I¡¯m also very busy, I came here just to visit you. I¡¯ll be busy again tomorrow, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯te to visit you for a few days.¡±

    Sara¡¯s face was slightly pale, and her hair looked like it turnedpletely white overnight. She looked old. She was once very energetic, but her past self was nowhere in sight. Now that her whole legs had been amputated, so she had to be bedridden.

    ¡°Jenna, tell me, did something happen between you and Hansen?¡± Sara¡¯s lips trembled, and her heart was filled with great panic and uneasiness. She was not a fool. Since Sara gave her only daughter to the Richards family,Hansen had never visited heralthough the grandmother of the Richards family would gather both families to have dinner together every year.

    His excuse would be how busy he was with work, every time.

    Even when they sat down and had dinner together, she could tell that they were not close. But after all, Jenna was still staying in the Richards family. The Richards family hadn¡¯t mistreated her, so she felt that she shouldn¡¯t say anything!

    However, three years ago, after the Richards family¡¯s incident, her daughter told her that she was going to study in the United States. Although the elders of both families would still have dinner together, Marissa was very cold andindifferenttowards her.Moreover, in the past three years, no one from the Richards family had evere to visit her. She knew that something must be wrong.

    Every time she asked Jenna about it, she would be as calm as nothing¡¯s serious about it.

    But she knew Jenna was hiding something. She did not dare to ask or mention it. She was her only daughter!

    Every time she thought of this, she would feel heartbroken. It didn¡¯t matter if something happened to her. When her husband got into trouble, she could bite the bullet and go through it, but she could not bear that her only daughter was not living a happy life.

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t think too much. Hansen is busy with the press conference,and I¡¯m working with him every day,¡± Jenna answered in a hurry.

    Her mother could no longer endure any disasters. Although she never showed her pain in front of Jenna, they were still mother and daughter. She could also feel the pain and uneasiness in her heart.

    She must never let her mother know about the matter between her and Hansen. She had to keep this a secret.

    ¡°Mom, look, this is the phone that Hansen gave me.¡± Jenna bent over and put her arms around her mother¡¯s shoulders to show off deliberately. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a burst of pain in her heart.

    Sara looked at the phone in her daughter¡¯s hand and was a little doubtful.

    However, only her husband could give her such an expensive phone.

    ¡°Mom, look, this is when I was working with Hansen. There¡¯s a lot of work in thepany now,and Hansen is too busy. He wille to see you when he has time. I will be very busy during this period too.¡± Jenna purposely took several videos of herself when she was working with Hansen to show it to Sara.

    In order not to cause suspicions, she insisted on going home every day except for the days when she just came back from the hospital. These days, she chose not to go home every day, just because she was worried that Sara would know about her divorce with Hansen and feel sad about it.

    As long as she could endure through this period of time, she would move to the United States with her mother. It would be better for her if she finds out about itter rather than sooner.

    The mother and daughter were chatting in the room, and time passed before they knew it.

    Her cell phone suddenly rang. She held the fruit in one hand and hurriedly picked it up with the other hand.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Jenna¡¯s mumbled, her mouth was still stuffed with grapes.

    ¡°Where are you?¡± A low and maic voice sounded,and it carried with it a trace of anger, as if he was questioning her. Jenna panicked and threw the fruit in her hand on the bed.

    ¡°Have you forgotten our agreement? Have you forgotten the contract? It¡¯s only been a few days and you can¡¯t stand it already?¡± Hansen taunted on the other side of the phone in a weird tone.

    Jenna was stunned, but she soon recalled the d*mned contract.

    But wasn¡¯t he with Aria¡¯s parents? Shouldn¡¯t he be staying with Aria to enjoy their night together?

    Even though it wasn¡¯t considered early, he wouldn¡¯t have already gone back to his apartment, would he?

    Jenna was surprised.

    ¡°I called the house phone, but no one answered. Don¡¯t think you can do whatever you want behind my back,¡± Hansen continued to scold on the phone.

    So that was how it was,and Jenna¡¯s face suddenly darkened.

    ¡°Is that Hansen?¡± Sara¡¯s eyebrows stretched out, the weight in her heart was suddenly lifted. Her eyes were shining, but the smile on her face came from the bottom of her heart.

    Seeing her mother¡¯s happy smile, how could Jenna disappoint her? She smiled at her mother and nodded. She felt bitter in her heart, but she stayed calm and said sweetly, ¡°Hansen, I¡¯ll be back soon. You should wash up and sleep first.¡±

    She hung up her phone and put her arms around Sara¡¯s neck. ¡°Mom, you can rest assured now! Hansen is waiting for me. I have to go back. You must stay happy, after I¡¯m done with work, I will take you to the United States and get the prosthesis for you. By then, you will be able to stand up together.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± The haze on Sara¡¯s face faded and she smiled brightly,¡°Jenna, you¡¯re not young anymore. You should be gentle and considerate when you¡¯re with Hansen. Hansen is a famous public figure, he has a noble identity and is not like any ordinary man. It¡¯s the greatest achievement for a woman to grab a man¡¯s heart. No matter how capable a woman can be, she won¡¯t be happy without a man¡¯s love. As your mother, I hope you can be happy in this life, I¡¯m still waiting to have a grandson.¡±

    Jenna quietly turned her back to pack her things up. She was afraid that she would cry if she stayed any longer. She could not make her mother sad anymore. This was the only thing she could do right now.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m leaving. Hansen is waiting for me.¡± She brushed her messy hair and turned off the lights in the room as she smiled and said softly.

    ¡°Okay, go quickly,¡± Sara said with a gratified smile andid back down.

    Jenna left as quickly as she could.

    Just as she walked out of the house, her tears fell like broken beads,and she almostgot choked up.

    She called for a taxi and rushed to Collier Manor.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Under the osmanthus tree at the gate of Collier Manor square, a tall figure was walking toward her. His footsteps were quick, ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re really living with him?What is this all about? This is unfair to you!¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes were red, his voice was empty and he was a little hesitant when he spoke.

    Jenna was shocked. When she opened her eyes and saw that it was Norton, her face turned pale. She took a few steps back and looked at him coldly.

    The smile on Norton¡¯s face froze. It was as if his heart was crushed by a car. She never cared about how he treated her andcared for her. No matterhow much he wanted to treat her well, she was always wary and indifferent, as cold as ice.

    He took a step forward, and Jenna took a step back. When he stepped forward, she retreated again.

    ¡°Norton, what can I do for you at such ate hour?¡± She said in a cold voice.

    The smell of his custom made cologne charged into Jenna¡¯s nose. Jenna suddenly felt cold from the soles of her feet and her whole body began to tremble.

    It was this cologne again, the smell that once harassed her like a demon.

    Now, whenever she smelt it, she would tremble all over.

    Everything she had forced herself to ignore and forget was all brought back to her because of the smell of this cologne. Itforced her to remember the events of that horrible night.

    In the second year, it was a summer nightwhenthe evening breeze blew gently andthe willows swayed.

    On that night, she went to a ssmates¡¯ birthday party with Hannah Adames. However, when she stepped out of the door, she realized she forgot to bring her purse with her.

    She hurried back to the dormitory. When she passed through the bamboo forest at the back of the mountain, she was suddenly grasped by a pair of strong arms from behind her. Before she could scream, those hands covered her mouth.

    The man picked her up and walked to a dark corner. Suddenly, he tore her clothes apart.

    She struggled to scream, but the man took out a handkerchief and stuffed it in her mouth.

    Her world was instantly filled with darkness, fear, and despair. All kinds of emotions flooded into her mind.

    Her face was covered with tears as she thought that she would lose her chastity.

    The crisp sound of footsteps created a strong rhythm on the smooth and clean floor as it approached them. The man panicked; he hadn¡¯t even taken off his pants.

    ¡°Hm, humph.¡± A heavy voice sounded, seemingly with a hint of anger.

    The man was extremely anxious and he stopped everything he was doing.

    Jenna felt relieved. Taking advantage of when the man was panicking, she pushed him away and ran away with her clothes in disarray.

    Until today, she still remembered thesound of the unknown man and that distinct cologne smell of the man who tried to molest her.

    She had never known who the footsteps belonged to. But it was like a light shone in the dark, that¡¯s the hope for her back then. She was grateful. It was the man standing in the dark who saved her and kept her innocent, but she didn¡¯t know who he was.

    She didn¡¯t know who the molester was. She could only remember the smell of the cologne. In order to find out the smell, she had gone through countless perfume and cologne ces in the country but she still couldn¡¯t find it. Later, she found out that it was from a cologne shop in the United States. Only then did she discover that it was a custom made cologne and not anyone could get it.

    Norton rushed over and grabbed Jenna¡¯s weak hand and said softly, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be stubborn. Leave Hansen. It¡¯s not going to work out between you two. He is going to marry Aria soon. Both families met each other and they are discussing about the marriage now.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face suddenly became pale. Hansen really went to Aria¡¯s parents to discuss their marriage.

    She pursed her thin lips and had a smile in her eyes. She wanted to get rid of his hand, but his hand was so strong and he held her tightly. With a gentle pull, he wrapped her into his arms and almost took advantage of her.

    It was a horrible feeling.

    Jenna was in a panic. She struggled hard and asked in a trembling voice, ¡°So it was you that year?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±Norton¡¯s body shook, a sinister smile appeared on his face. Hisughter was cold, and his breath was ragged.

    ¡°Jenna, I miss you so much. Be good, listen to me.¡± His breathing was fast, his hand quickly grabbed her chin,and his lips were about to stick onto hers.

    Jenna reached out her hand and threw it hard at him, but he held her hand firmly. She couldn¡¯t even move.

    His lips were about to approach hers again.

    It was like her dream was being reyed. There was a rhythmic and decisive sound of footsteps approaching them, but this time was different, her savor was not just standing in the dark.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± A cold voice came from the man¡¯s mouth. A pair of powerful hands quickly pulled Norton away and threw him down to the ground.

    Norton was mmed to the ground with his head facing downwards, his vision blurred.

    ¡°Hansen, you are going to marry Aria very soon, why do you care!¡± Norton got angry and stood up to shout at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re going to marry Sabrina soon. Jenna is the designer hired by the Richards Group, you can¡¯t mess around with her. If you do it again, I will ask Grandma to punish you ording to family rules,¡± Hansen scolded harshly.

    ¡°Fine. Hansen, I¡¯ll remember this.¡± Norton covered his face and ran away in disgrace.

 Chapter 34 Got Injured For Him

    ¡°You really are something. I¡¯ve been out for only a few hours,and not only did you leave the house, you even hooked up with your first love.¡± Hansen said coldly, ¡°Let me tell you, Norton is an important figure in the officialdom of the Richards family. His future is promising. A woman like you better not get close to him anymore, otherwise, his future will be ruined.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s voice was not only viciously cold. Jenna hadn¡¯t even recovered from the shock, but the only things she heard were the words he spat out from his thin lips. It hurt her so much that her heart was about to cramp up.

    The shop below the apartment was ying mournful songs. Jenna¡¯s eyes were full of tears as she silently walked upstairs.

    Hansen¡¯s powerful footsteps followed closely behind. Jenna¡¯s expression changed. Could it be that the man standing in the darkness that night was him? Was he the one who saved her?

    No, it was impossible!

    Every time she saw him on campus, he would always keep a straight and a cold face. Why would he even save her?

    It was alreadyte at night.

    Jenna looked dull and depressed, sitting on the sofa in a daze.

    After taking a shower, Hansen saw her sitting on the sofa looking sad.

    He felt unhappy in his heart.

    ¡°This d*mned woman either has her soul out of her body or her mind out of her head. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking every day. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s still thinking about her first love, Norton, that poser!¡± he thought.

    Thinking of Norton, Hansen became even more angry.

    Norton was aplicated man, his means could be despicable. Maybe Jenna couldn¡¯t see through him, but Hansen could.

    The reason why he stopped him from approaching her was actually to protect her, but she didn¡¯t appreciate it!

    His eyes were unfathomable and the corners of his mouth curved into a cold smile. He walked over to her and sat down. He asked coldly, ¡°What are you thinking about? Are you still thinking about your first love? Where did you go just now?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face was forced to look into his deep eyes. Her heart ached, and she blurted out,

    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Her eyes were bright and clear.

    Hansen¡¯s thoughts shifted slightly.

    He was not being too much to say that Norton was her first love!

    When they were in university, he was like a fly circling Jenna, but this woman seemed to be pleased with it.If he hadn¡¯t seen it more than once, he would not have been able to see her true face so quickly!

    He could see that the hint of softness in Norton¡¯s cunning eyes was only for Jenna.

    Her chastity must have been given to him!

    Every time Hansen thought of this, the anger in his heart would burst out, even his heart would feel pain.

    ¡°Shameless couple,¡± he cursed in his heart. He was so angry that he turned around and took out a bottle of drink from the refrigerator. He opened it and downed it at once.

    The woman who married him gave the best of her to another man, and it was right in front of him. He was resentful.

    But his mind was clear now. After all, they were divorced, there was no longer any rtionship between them. There was really no need to argue about these things in the past. It was really unnecessary to destroy the peace that he had spent so much effort to build in the past few days.

    Thinking of this, he took out a bottle of drink from the refrigerator and handed it to Jenna.

    ¡°You must be thirsty!¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna was caught up in her thoughts. She sat still, turned her face coldly, anddid not speak or took it.

    ¡°Stubborn? Your lips are clearly dry!¡± Hansen¡¯s anger, which had been suppressed by the cold drink, had piqued again. His face was upset and his outstretched hand was hanging in the air. He retracted his hand and angrily drank from the bottle.

    When he was with her, it seemed that there would always be endless anger that couldn¡¯t be controlled.

    ¡°Go to bed early. We have to go out early tomorrow.¡± After saying thiscoldly, he rushed into the bedroom and mmed the door.

    The lights in the bedroom went out soon.

    Jenna also stood up and went back to her bedroom to rest.

    Green Mountain Town, a town nearest to A city, was famous for the green mountains and the Green Mountain Lake. Green Mountain was known as the green lung of A city. The air was fresh, the environment was beautiful, and it was suitable for people to live in.

    Green Mountain Town was also thergest car manufacturing site under the control of Richards Group. There were many factories in the suburbs of the Green Mountain Town, and Richards Group¡¯s car manufacturing factories were everywhere.It was a veryrge scale project.

    The surroundings of Green Mountain Lake had already turned into a group of vis that the Richards family was about to develop, and its factory had also dominated the remote suburbs of Green Mountain.

    As a result, Hansen was very famous in Green Mountain Town. Most of the residents of Green Mountain Town worked in Hansen¡¯s carpany.

    The car model Jenna designed was sent here overnight for them to work on in overtime. In order to avoid any mistakes and prevent unnecessary losses, Tobey Richards, the manager of Green Mountain Mobile Company, gave the report to Hansen yesterday. Then, Hansen brought the staff of the design department and a group of trusted people to visit thepany.

    At the headquarters of the Green Mountain Mobile Company, Tobey was standing at the door with his staff to wee the arrival of Hansen and the others.

    Tobey was a distant rtive of Marissa¡¯s. He was smart and capable.Marissa trusted him, andhe was also an outstanding person from the Richards family. He had been working for Marissa and Trevor all this while. He was considered a senior of thepany. When thepany was handed over to Hansen, he didn¡¯t take credit for himself. He would always talk politely in front of Hansen and was ready to serve. Hansen had never thought of recing him.

    A group of people surrounded Hansen and walked toward the office of thepany.

    Some news media heard that Hansen wasing for an in-person inspection, so they also followed along. Some local residents and staff were excited about Hansen¡¯s arrival,and they all wanted toe over to see Hansen¡¯s handsome face.

    After all, Hansen would only appear on TV and news all year round, it was rare for him toe to the factory for an inspection. Besides, his mysterious private life would often appear on the headline of entertainment news, which brought them some excitement.

    Hansen was in high spirits ashe appeared in front of everyone with an extraordinary aura. Seriousness was showing on his delicate face, looking dignified and noble.

    In an instant, spotlights shed and the crowd was in amotion.

    Since he was used to it, he was calm andposed. Although he was upset with the press for creating a big deal out of nothing, he had something important to deal with first. He nced at the crowd and strode into the room.

    Jenna walked behind Hansen andher heart was beating wildly. For some reason, she felt a strong sense of uneasiness.

    Suddenly, there was an unusualmotion in the crowd, and a sense of danger came to her. She could not help but be shocked, and a sense of foreboding rose quickly.

    ¡°Hansen, go to hell.¡± A loud shout came from the crowd close to them. Jenna looked up and saw a man in his thirties, his eyes were red and he looked like he came for blood.His face was wildly distorted and he held a sharp dagger in his hand and rushed towards Hansen fiercely.

    ¡°Hansen, careful,¡± Jenna screamed in an instant, horror flooded her from head to toe. Seeing the sharp knife aiming at Hansen¡¯s neck, she felt nervous and screamed. She rushed over and tried her best to push Hansen away.

    Hansen was pushed a few steps forward by her and he avoided the sharp knife, but Jenna couldn¡¯t dodge it. The knife in the man¡¯s hand fell from above and it pierceddirectlyinto Jenna¡¯s back.

    Jenna screamed,and a great pain emanated from her back. She was in so much pain that her body curled into a ball as she fell softly to the ground. She cried, and her red lips gradually turned pale. In a second, she lost the strength to cry.

    Hansen wanted to rush forward with all his heart. He didn¡¯t expect to be attacked by someone. Suddenly, he was shoved forward by a force. He stumbled a few steps forward, and he heard Jenna¡¯s miserable cry. He reacted quickly and realized something had happened. He turned around in an instant, and his eyes lit up. Then he kicked the man who was holding the knife.

    The knife fell and the man screamed. He was kicked far away and he stumbled to the ground.

    All of a sudden, the crowd was in chaos, screamsing from every direction.

    ¡°Quick, catch him,¡± Hansen shouted at the security guards who were rushing over.

    Several strong security guards immediately rushed over and subdued the attacker who was lying on the ground. Some of them called the police, and soon police cars arrived.

    Hansen¡¯s heart was beating fast and he exhaled. He looked down and saw Jenna lying on the ground.

    He was dumbfounded.

    He quickly squatted down, picked her up, and shouted in a trembling voice, ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Warm liquid flowed through his palm. He stretched out his palm and saw that it was covered with blood. The red almost burnt his eyes out!

    Her face was as pale as a piece of paper, she almost lost her consciousness.

    ¡°Jenna!¡± He screamed and felt great pain all over his body. There was only darkness in front of him.

    Jenna heard Hansen¡¯s cry from a distant dream and opened her eyes. She saw that Hansen¡¯s face was very close to hers, and his face looked like it was full of pain. She asked weakly, ¡°Hansen, are you okay?¡±

    After asking this question, she seemed to have exhausted all her strength. Her eyes gradually dimmed and she fainted.

    ¡°Jenna!¡± Hansen was going mad as he shouted. He picked her up and ran outside,¡°Quick, go to the hospital.¡±

    He roared in a frantic manner.

    The car started quickly and rushed toward one of best hospitals in A city.

    Hansen held the weak woman tightly in his arms. She was too thin. Her body was so light like a cloud drifting in the sky, as if she would leave him at any time. Her hands were full of the blood flowing out of her body; it was warm and sticky.

    He felt as if her bloodstains were poison-like vines wrapping around his hands and they were slowly tunneling into his organs. They wrapped around him and he felt a throbbing pain throughout his body.

    He pressed down on the blood vessels closest to her heart and kept calling her name. At this moment, he saw the verge of life and death. He could feel the panic and reluctance in his heart, the eternal pain, gnawing at his heart like a giant tooth.

    That kind of pain really made him go crazy for a moment.

    Jenna felt a chill all over her body. She was in a daze, but she didn¡¯t feel any pain. The only thing she could feel was coldness. The bone-chilling coldness, as if she was pierced by an ice furnace. It was so cold that she trembled all over.

    In her mind, her father smiled at her lovingly, her mother¡¯s sad face kept shing, and a vague handsome face appeared, but she could not see his eyes clearly.

    Who was he? She looked at him with a smile. His bright eyes were breathtaking.

    Gradually, those bright eyes changed. It looked cold, sarcastic, full of contempt and disgust.

    Her whole body was trembling, and she felt colder and colder. It seemed that something warm and familiar was trying to warm her up, but it was useless. It was freezing.

    She thought that she was going to die! Those evil and cold eyes were getting closer and closer as she lost her consciousness.

 Chapter 35 Why Did You Save Me?

    An emergency operation was ongoing.

    Hansen sat on the bench outside the operating room like an ice sculpture. The scene of Jenna pouncing on him, pushing him away, and defending him from the knife attack shed in his mind.

    His expression was dull and his heart was in a mess.

    Why did she block the knife for him?

    At such a dangerous moment, she rushed over regardless of her own safety and blocked the knife for him. Didn¡¯t she know that it was dangerous? Was he worth it?

    The door of the operating room opened, and Hansen stood up in a hurry.

    ¡°How is she, Director Brooks?¡± he asked eagerly.

    Director Brooks took off his mask, the crow¡¯s feet at the corner of his eyes wrinkled together, and then they stretched out again. His tone was as rxed as he could possibly be,and there was a smile in his tone, ¡°Mr. Richards, don¡¯t worry. The patient is not in danger anymore. Fortunately, the wound is not too deep, her organs were not hurt. She will be fine after some rest for a period of time.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Hansen breathed a sigh of relief, his tight face softened,¡°Director Brooks, you have to cure all her wounds at all costs. She got injured for me, I have to take the responsibility. Use the best medicine you can.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards,¡± Director Brooks responded as he nodded politely.

    After a while, the nurse wheeled Jenna out of the operating room.

    The woman lying on the bed had no trace of blood on her delicate face, her lips were pale. She seemed as weak as a kitten as sheid quietly, which made people want to look after her.All the coldness and hostility disappeared, a great pain then swept through Hansen¡¯s heart. He suddenly felt that this lifeless woman was very unlikeable, he would rather have the fierce woman stand in front of him, looking at him coldly and arguing with him.

    All the hatred and dislike for herfaded awayin his heart.

    He thought, when she woke up, no matter what she had done, he would not hate her or be disgusted with her anymore. He wanted to get along with her. Even if they could not be husband and wife, there was no need to be enemies.

    Jenna felt like she had slept for a thousand years. It felt as ifshe had fallen into the bottom of the cliff and was smashed to pieces. She felt like she had gone through a fight with death, and she struggled to open her eyes.

    White, pure white.

    The white curtain, the white sheets, and the smell of medicine filled her nose.Ever since she was a child,she had been afraid of the smell of medicine, she despised it!

    In the empty room, it was silent. When she opened her eyes, she saw the oxygen cylinder on the bedside table and the white bottles hanging on the bedside table. The pure white bottles were dripping down,looking like her mother¡¯s tears.

    She struggled to get up, but the pain on her back made her exim.

    Her lips were dry and cracked, her whole body was in pain. There was no one in the huge room.

    Where was she?

    Her memory slowly came back, and she remembered that she was injured. In order to save Hansen, she stepped forward to protect him, and the knife stabbed her instead.

    Why? Why did she save him?

    At that dangerous moment, she seemed to have rushed over without thinking. When she saw the bright knife aiming at his neck, she instinctively rushed up to him without hesitation. What kind of force prompted her to proceed with no regard for her life?

    Maybe, she must be reluctant to watch him die. She wanted to repay the debts she owed him, and she wanted to find out the truth about her father¡¯s death.

    No, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.

    She didn¡¯t want to lose him. She just wanted him to be fine, and she would endure it even if he would only be mad at her.

    After getting along with him these few days, she realized that she was more and more unwilling to leave him. She did not want to lose him and she feared this feeling.

    No, she shouldn¡¯t feel like that. There was no rtionship between them anymore!

    He was about to marry Aria. That was who he loved! He had nothing to do with her!

    She took a knife and was injured for him, but he didn¡¯t evene and see her.

    Sheid alone on the bed. When she opened her eyes, she could only see the white room and felt the terrible silence in the room. She didn¡¯t want to feel this way. She was so scared.

    Her back was in pain as if it were on fire. She bit her lips and tears flowed out silently.

    No one came to see her, no one sympathized with her. They must beughing at her for overreacting and saving a man who didn¡¯t love her. Did she really think she could get even an iota of love from him if she saved him?

    How could this be possible?

    Aria¡¯s cold and mocking face shed in front of her eyes. Hansen was holding her hand intimately, and his handsome face was looking exuberant.

    When did he ever look like that when he was with her?

    Why was she so stupid?

    A mixture of emotions all surged up,some she had felt before andothers she had never experienced. It was getting darker and darker outside the window.

    She turned her face to the side and sobbed in a low voice.

    She would rather die like this, than to be lonely and sad in the future.

    The door opened silently.

    Hansen came in with a lunch box.

    As soon as he walked in, he heard her low and suppressed crying sound, and his heart tightened.

    She was awake!

    He had never heard Jenna cry so sadly. Her cry was suppressed, her sadness came from the bottom of her heart. The cry sounded so sad and lonely.

    His heart also trembled, a different sense of loneliness and sorrow welled up in his heart.

    He walked over slowly and gently put the lunch box on the bedside. He bent down to look at her.

    Her eyes were closed tightly, her tears kept pouring out like a flood, and her nostrils were ring and constricting as she breathed gently. She looked like an aggrieved wife.

    ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± He gently stroked the tears on her face and asked softly.

    The crying Jennafelt a soft hand touching her face and heard an unbelievably gentle voice asking her a question. It was his pleasant voice with deep maism, and paired up with the unique mint smell on his body, they entered her heart. Just like a hot spring flowing through her dry heart, and her heart was inexplicably filled with joy and warmth.

    She opened her eyes, her big eyes full of confusion and disbelief.

    Hansen was staring at her bright eyes. The light in his eyes was gentle and deep, the previous hostility and disgust had disappeared. His eyes were full of gentleness and it even had some emotions that she could not understand clearly.

    They looked at each other. At that moment, Jenna really felt as if she had seen this a long time ago and was familiar with this look. She felt like everything was connected.

    At least at this moment, she did not regret saving him.

    ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± He asked softly again and adjusted her quilt with his hand. The temperature in the room was not too low. He was afraid that the air conditioner would exacerbate her dehydration since she lost too much blood, so he deliberately raised the temperature.

    Jenna bit her lip and shook her head.

    ¡°It must still hurt. You¡¯re crying out of pain, I¡¯m going to call the doctor,¡± he sighed softly and was about to walk outside.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt,¡± she answered softly, ¡°No need.¡±

    Hansen stopped walking and thought for a moment,¡°Yes, too much anesthesia is not good for your health, especially for women. Just endure it. The doctor said that you¡¯ve lost too much blood and you need to gain more. Besides, you¡¯re too weak. I¡¯ve asked the kitchen staff to brew some chicken soup for you. You can¡¯t eat anything solid for now. Just endure it, you can eat some tomorrow.¡±

    While speaking, Hansen took out the chicken soup from the thermos cup and put it on the table at the bedside.

    ¡°You¡¯re too weak. I¡¯ve already asked a doctor to prescribe you a series of tonics. You should improve your health when you get out of the hospital,¡± Hansen said in a low voice.

    Jenna stared at him nkly.

    Hansen, who had never taken care of others,looked a little clumsy when he was doing these things, but in Jenna¡¯s opinion, all this was a lovely scene to behold.

    As the effect of the anesthesia gradually subsided, Jenna¡¯s back was swollen and hot, and it was excruciatingly painful. Even when Hansen held her up gently, Jenna still felt so much pain that she inhaled deeper and cried out.

    Hansen held her in his arms and supported her with one hand on her back, avoiding the wound. He picked up the spoon with the other hand and slowly fed the soup into Jenna¡¯s mouth.

    After drinking some hot soup, she finally felt a little better, andherplexion looked healthier.

    Hansen gently put her down and let hery on her side. He lifted her clothes with his hand and checked her wound. Then he called Director Brooks to ask him some questions. After making sure that everything was alright, he let Director Brooks go.

    Jenna felt dizzy. She had lost too much blood and felt her strength drained,so she fell asleep again.

    At night, the cool autumn wind arrived.

    Hansen went into the bathroom and took off his suit. Under the bright light, he realized that his ck suit was covered with bloodstains. It was her blood, and the metallic smell of blood filled the bathroom.

    His hands were shaking!

    He went out and made a phone call. After a while, his assistant, Frank Lee sent him a well-made suit. He went into the bathroom and took off all his clothes and threw them into the garbage bag.

    He turned on the shower head and stepped into the shower.

    His mind was filled with what had happened today. He could not forget it and his mind was in a mess.

    After taking a shower, he sat in front of the bed and looked at Jenna absent-mindedly.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.

    Until it got veryte, and he fell asleep in front of the bed.

    When Jenna woke up in the middle of the night, she realized that she was sleeping in a warm embrace. He was hugging her with his strong arms. He may be afraid that she would turn over and affect the wound sohe held her to maintain her position.

    His heartbeat was steady and strong, the familiar smell of his body hastened into her nostrils. His aura gathered together and condensed into a stream and dashed straight into her heart. It got her addicted like a poppy flower.

    She thought that she was irredeemable.

    When everything ended in peace and all the mysteries were unraveled, would she be happy again?

    Tears flowed down her cheeks uncontrobly. She knew that she was too weak, she just wanted to cry.

    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Hansen, who was sleeping vigntly, was awakened by the sound of her sniffing. Hearing her crying softly, he hurriedly asked,while his big hand gently stroked her back.

    Jenna¡¯s heart trembled. She buried her head in his broad chest, her shoulders couldn¡¯t help trembling.

    She thought they might go their own ways in the future, that they would never see each other again in this life, so she wanted to stay longer in this moment.

    Hansen felt her back burning.

    He frowned, and the cries of the woman in his arms made him even more confused.

    He gently lifted her head out of his arms, held her chin, and looked straight at her with aplicated and deep look in his eyes, ¡°Tell me, why did you save me?¡±

    His words were like a hammer beating at her heart. Why did she save him?Would he understand? Would he know? The person he loved was not her.Of course he would not understand why someone would do something for the person they love. What was the point of saying it?

    She did not need any sympathy.

    Hansen inhaled deeply and looked at her. This woman, who had just burst into tears, gradually cast a shadow in her eyes after hearing his question. She looked so disappointed, lonely, and aggrieved.

    He could not help but lower his head and gently kissed her on the lips. He just wanted to give her a kiss, no more. He kissed the tears away and sealed her lips with love, adore, and tenderness.

    This was the first time that Hansen took the initiative to kiss her. It was totally different from before, his kiss was so gentle,it was from the bottom of his heart. She wasintoxicated.

    The air in the room stopped flowing, what could be vaguely heard was their breathing. His was harsh and heavy, while hers was soft and smooth, but they were simultaneously gasping.

    She did not resist, and then slowly responded to him.

    His hand was holding tightly and strongly on her back. With her reaction as consent, he kissed deeper, and soon, they were entangled with each otheron the bed.

    It was not until a long timeter that he let her go.

 Chapter 36 Calmly

    Jenna was exhausted and sweating all over. Her cheeks were flushed from excitement. Hansen¡¯s hand touched the sweat all over her body. He said in a low and angry voice, ¡°Why did you save me? I am a man, I don¡¯t need a woman to protect me.¡±

    His words were full of anger, and he was feeling upset.

    Jenna¡¯s fantasy about him was instantly shattered by his words.She thought he was so anxious because he was afraid that after she had saved him, it would be a burden on his back. He was afraid that she wouldtch shamelessly on him from now on.

    After all, the person he loved was Aria. They were getting married soon.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t save you on purpose. I was afraid that after you got hurt, I wouldn¡¯t be able toplete designing the car, then I couldn¡¯t leave Richards Group. I was even more afraid that I couldn¡¯t find the two cars.¡± Jenna felt bitter in her heart. She gritted her teeth and finished her words in one breath.Then, as if she had used up all her strength, she copsed in Hansen¡¯s arms.

    Hansen trembled and lifted her chin.

    Her face was as pale as a piece of paper.

    ¡°Tell me, what do you want those two cars for?¡± His eyes were gloomy, and his tone suddenly cooled down. He looked at her directly.

    Jenna opened her eyes and quietly looked at the dark aura around Hansen¡¯s body. She was silent, but her heart felt like it was being shed by a knife.

    Hansen looked at Jennawho was silent. Shey weakly in his arms, her face was as gray as ashes. However, her eyes were showing courage and determination. He was startled by her serious look, and even more by her unreadable thoughts!

    It was obvious that she was weak, but the light in her eyes was so stubborn. He had the desire to grab a piece of sanding paper and grind away the stubbornness in her eyes.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.

    Perhaps she was only like this when she was with him. Whenever she was with another man, she would be gentle like a pet. She knew how to be gentle, but not toward him.

    A faint anger rushed up from the bottom of his heart.

    However, when his palm touched her hot back and her painful breath, they reminded him of the decision he made in his heart during the day.

    Even if they weren¡¯t meant to be husband and wife, they shouldn¡¯t be like enemies.

    He suppressed his anger and hugged her tightly.

    He felt that the woman in his arms was drenched in cold sweat. Even her hospital gown was soaked!

    He sighed, put her down, and brought over a basin of hot water.

    Jennaid softly on the bed. Hansen wrung the towel and wiped off her sweat. Finally, he took out a set of clean clothes to help her change.

    Jenna refused to let him help her change.

    However, Hansen smiled and joked, ¡°What are you pretending for? I have seen every inch of you. I won¡¯t eat you,I¡¯m just helping you to change. You¡¯re in such a state, what else can I do? Besides, you¡¯re so irritating that it¡¯s off-putting!¡±

    Jenna became even angrier when she heard that. She turned her head and ignored him, but she was not as strong as him. She had no choice but to let him help change her clothes. Later, Hansen hugged her and she fell asleep.

    When Jenna opened her eyes again, it was already dawn.

    A ray of sunshine came in from outside the window. Itwas warm, and it painted the white color of the ward with ayer of golden light.

    Although the ward was no longer so cold, Jenna felt the pain on her back getting worse. Every time she moved, she gasped at the stab of pain.

    Hansen was standing on the balcony and making a phone call. His slender back was like a pine tree, straight and verdant. He slightly raised his head, and his neatly-tailored suit made him look majestic.

    After a while, there was a knock on the door.

    Jose Trenton walked in, looking a little anxious.

    ¡°Tell me,¡± Hansen came in and ordered coldly in an iron-like voice.

    Jose looked at Jenna lying on the bed and reported in a low voice, ¡°The man is a local resident of Green Mountain Town. The original garbage incinerator was built next to his house. A few of his family members died one after another due to cancer. Some experts said that the deaths were rted to the incinerator. Recently, the local residents heard that it won¡¯t be relocated because of Camphor Tree Vi. In the end, he med everything on Richards Group. He was furious and decided to vent everything on you. From what he said, he wanted to take you down so that the government would notice this issue.¡±

    Hansen was silent and his face was a little gloomy. He waved his hand, and Jose left.

    He lit a cigar and walked to the balcony. Jenna looked at his back. The sun shone on his body and made him seem lonely.

    After he finished the cigar, he came in.

    ¡°Are you hungry? I¡¯ll bring you something to eat. Have a good rest in the next few days, and don¡¯t go to work,¡± he talked softly with a smile on his face. The evil look he had just now was nowhere to be seen.

    Jenna was in a dilemma, but she couldn¡¯t say a word.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± After a long time, she looked down, slightly raised her head, smiled, and said softly.

    Hansen was stunned.

    It seemed that it was the first time that he had seen her smile in a long time. Unlike the forced, faked smile in the past, her expression was natural and real. Her smile was faint and her dimples were showing. It was charming.

    The corners of his lips instantly curled up. This woman finally thanked him, although she didn¡¯t look very willing.

    It turned out that she knew how to smile after all.

    ¡°You were injured because of me, it¡¯s my duty to take care of you.¡± Hansen smiled slightly, but his tone was calm.As he looked at the wound on Jenna¡¯s back, his eyebrows slightly frowned.

    He stood in front of her and then sat down at the foot of her bed. Looking at her bright eyes, he was a little moved. Although she was injured and was crying in his arms in the middle of the night, her eyes were still as clear and bright as before.

    For so many years, he had watched her being ignored by his mother in the Richards Mansion. Even the workers did not take her seriously. He had deliberately neglected her and would not stand up for her. Because of his hatred for her, he had adopted apletely indifferent attitude. He had not even given her a penny. In the end, she still managed to get through it and even seeded.

    Her eyes were still clear, which gratified him the most.

    ¡°Take good care of yourself. Grandma¡¯s birthday ising up. I hope you can attend her birthday banquet. Grandma has always been nice to you,¡± Hansen thought for a while and said sincerely.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was instantly reced by a burst of sourness. She looked down and thought for a moment, then asked faintly, ¡°How is Grandma?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Hansen¡¯s inky eyes shone with a hint of unclear emotion as he replied seriously.

    Jenna lowered her eyes. After a while, she said softly, ¡°Okay, I promise you.¡±

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth were slightly quirked up. If he remembered correctly, this was the first time in all these years that they had such a peaceful conversation.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to work now. I¡¯lle to see you whenever I have time.¡± Hansen looked at his cell phone, stood up, and smiled at her. He then walked outside.

    Hansen left in a hurry. Jenna stared after him until his slender figure could no longer be seen.

    In the morning, Hansen would ask people to send her all kinds of food and fruits. Jenna¡¯s wound was still hurting and she had no appetite. She just slept.

    When she woke up again, it was already eleven o¡¯clock in the morning. She was lyingzily on the bed while watching TV.

    The news was broadcasting what had happened yesterday at Green Mountain Town. Jenna suddenly felt a chill in her heart. She remembered something and called home.

    If her mother saw this news, how sad would she be? What if she became anxious? She made the phone call in fear. Fortunately, Aunt Lee brought her mother out that day to exercise, so she didn¡¯t know the news.

    Jenna quickly told Aunt Lee what had happened and told her to keep it a secret from her mother. Aunt Lee was very worried. She talked to Jenna while she wiped away hertears. Only after Jenna had sworn that she¡¯s doing fine now thatAunt Leewas relieved. After a long time, she said happily, ¡°Miss, your mother is happy today. A handsome man told her that he is your friend from the United States. He has been chatting with your mother. It¡¯s the first time that I saw her smiling so brightly.¡±

    Aunt Lee was talking on the phone with great interest, but Jenna was shocked.

    ¡°A friend from the United States? Who¡¯s that?¡± Rayan¡¯s tall figure shed before her eyes. ¡°Could it be him?¡± she thought.

    The door of her ward was opened and a slender man came in with arge bouquet of white lilies in his hand. The flowers were delicate and fragrant. As soon as the man walked in, she could smell the flowers instantly.

    Jenna instantly felt refreshed.

    They were her favorite white lilies.

    The petals were crystal clear and were so white that they were spotless. However, they were still dripping with dew, giving off bursts of fragrance.

    ¡°Jen.¡± Rayan, who was gentle and masculine, walked in quickly. He looked at her deeply, his face full of worry and his heart was aching. ¡°What happened? How could such a thing happen?I was shocked bythe news this morning¡±

    He talked as he put the flowers on her bedside table.

    Jenna looked up and saw that his eyes were full of worry, warmth, and concern. A warm current flowed through her heart.

    He knew something had happened to her, but he had apanied her mother all morning. Did he do it on purpose in order to keep her mother from knowing that she was injured?

    Indeed, such a thoughtful person like him would like to do such a thing, but how did he know where she lived?

    As if he had seen through her mind, Rayan smiled. He looked at her with his bright eyes and blinked,¡°I guess you know. I¡¯m the one who apanied Auntie this morning. Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t want her to worry about you.¡±

    He said it lightly and naturally, without any embarrassment.On the contrary, Jenna was the one who was embarrassed to ask how he knew about her family¡¯s address.

    ¡°The news of the President of Richards Group, Hansen Richards, who was being attacked yesterday had caused the share price of Richards Group to drop drastically. The market is experiencing a panic sell,¡± the broadcaster was reporting on the financial channel on TV.

 Chapter 37 Furious

    Jenna¡¯s face changed when she heard that, and she looked straight at the TV screen.

    Rayan raised his handsome eyebrows, looked at the TV, and then back to stare at Jenna¡¯s stiff expression. His eyes were obviously filled with worry, and a trace of gloom shed through his pupils.

    Sighing lightly, he smiled faintly and said, ¡°Jen, don¡¯t worry. Hansen will settle this matter. He¡¯s the president of the Richards group, we should trust him.¡±

    How wouldHansensettle this? It was a test of his wisdom and sincerity. Rayan¡¯s eyes were bright like a spark.

    Perhaps after this, he would get the answer he wanted, and Jenna could see her future path clearly. She would know whether what she had done was worth it or not, and she should know how to carefully choose her future.

    Rayanwas waiting for such an opportunity so that everyone could see the truth and their hearts clearly, including himself.

    ¡°Jenna, promise me,¡± Rayan sat down on the edge of the bed and said seriously, ¡°If you can¡¯t get the answer you want after this, please choose your future path carefully. You need to be responsible for yourself. Do you think you can deceive your mother for the rest of your life? Remember, no matter what you need or what kind of life you want, as long as youe to me, I will provide everything for you. I am a man and I will never break my promise. I am so lucky to meet you in this life. I will treasure you and do anything for you, including marrying you.¡±

    Rayan¡¯s words were sincere. Jenna believed that he was speaking from the bottom of his heart.

    She smiled bitterly in her heart. She also wanted to end everything as soon as possible. She wanted to run away and never return to this ce where she had suffered so cruelly. She was afraid that the longer she stayed here, the more unwilling she was to leave him. That would be endless torture for her.

    Perhaps, after this matter, Hansen would marry Aria immediately, and she would find her life partner somewhere else. Or perhaps, everything would be like as she expected. Then, she would punish the murderer without mercy, and no one would be able to bear the consequences.

    Could it be that Rayan had already foreseen the oue,so that was why he said such words?

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were full of confusion, like a panicked and lonely rabbit who lost its way in the fog. What did he mean by saying this? Was the ending that obvious?

    Anyway, she had to thank him. He spoke the truth in his heart and helped her when she was in a hole. He was not the only one who was lucky to know her¡¯she felt that she was extremely lucky to have met him too.

    Rayan was smart, elegant, and well-mannered. He never gave empty promises. For him, actions spoke louder than words. He was good-hearted and rarely showed off on purpose.

    However, once he said something or started something, he would see it through the end. He had never gone back on his words.

    She was well aware of that.

    She was lying on the bed, but the light in her eyes was clear. She looked at him with a smile and thanked him for his honesty.

    Rayan understood the look in her eyes. The smile struck deep into his heart. He bent down and pulled out a puff of cotton candy from behind his back. He smiled gently and said, ¡°Silly girl, I can¡¯t believe there are still such silly people in this world. Here, have this.¡±

    Cotton candy? Jenna¡¯s eye glowed. Although she was an adult, she adored cotton candy, but it was not because of how delicious it tasted. When she was young, whenever she went out with her father, she would always ask him to buy it for her. The cotton candy spun around at the center, as white and clean as the clouds in the sky. When she put it into her mouth, the sweetness was tasty and refreshing.

    The memories of being held by her father while eating cotton candy would remain in her heart forever. Whenever she saw cotton candy, she knew that she missed the sweet taste of the cotton candy and the feeling of being doted on. It would also remind her of her father.

    ¡°Lie down. I¡¯ll feed it to you. You just have to bite.¡± Rayan carefully took the cotton candy and handed it to Jenna¡¯s mouth. He was extremely careful. The cotton candy was in front of her. She opened her mouth and took a bite. It melted in her mouth and tasted sweet, just like before.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s on your lips,¡± Rayan smiled dotingly. He took the paper towel from the bedside and gently wipe it off for her. He was extremely warm and gentle.

    Jenna smiled and took another bite.

    Rayan saw that although her face was pale, her lips were still red and her teeth were white when she smiled. She was as beautiful as a doll. He was in a daze and was distracted from what he was doing. He kept wiping her lips with the paper towel and forgot to let her have another bite.

    Jenna burst intoughter. When Rayan realized, he felt embarrassed and smiled awkwardly.

    The atmosphere in the ward was harmonious and happy.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.

    It was not until a heavy knock on the ss door of the ward was heard that they came to their senses. They looked at the door at the same time.

    Hansen was standing by the ss door with a lunch box in his hand and his face was dark.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned pale, and she suddenly felt like a storm was about to break out.

    Rayan stood up calmly. After the previous encounter at the restaurant, he gained a better experience. This time, he just nced at Hansen, who was standing at the door with an ugly face. He pulled his wrinkled suit and whispered to Jenna, ¡°Jen, take good care of yourself. I¡¯ll leave first. I¡¯lle back to see you when I¡¯m free. Please call me if you ever need anything.¡±

    Jenna could feel the tension in the air. She was afraid that something would happen between them. After all, she couldn¡¯t stand up, so she nodded gently.

    Rayan smiled at her gently and calmly walked past Hansen. When passing by him, he politely nodded to him.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re here.¡± Jenna looked at him. In the morning, they still spoke calmly, so she took the initiative to speak.

    ¡°Bang!¡± With a cracking sound, Hansen threw the delicate lunch box onto the ground. His handsome face was stiff, and his tone was cold and evil, ¡°Very good. It turns out that you have already eaten. I suppose you don¡¯t need these anymore.¡±

    The lunch box was thrown onto the ground and the meals spilled all over the floor. She could smell the delicious food. She looked and the ground and saw her favorite food, chicken wings, and squab.

    She couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. How could he know that she liked these dishes? Perhaps he had bought them coincidentally?

    ¡°Hansen, Brother Rayan was only there to see me. I was injured¡­¡± Jenna¡¯s lips trembled as she tried to exin.

    ¡°Enough.¡± Hansen came closer and his face was as cold as frost,¡°I know clearly what a flirtatious woman you are. There¡¯s no need to exin anything.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face instantly turned pale, her lips trembledalong with her body.

 Chapter 38 Care

    ¡°I never expect you to behave yourself, but now that you¡¯re my employee, you¡¯re still getting close with my biggestpetitor. You don¡¯t care about your reputation at all. Do you think it¡¯s good if rumors arise? Fine. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be grateful to you just because you saved me. Let me tell you, I don¡¯t need a b*tch like you to save me,¡± Hansen gnashed his teeth. His words were cold as ice. Jenna felt a chill down her spine and even her wounds felt like they were frozen.

    ¡°You b*stard,¡± she clenched her teeth and said with hatred, ¡°Hansen, I didn¡¯t expect you to be such a superficial and vulgar man.¡±

    What did she do wrong? Rayan was someone who helped her when she was in trouble. If it weren¡¯t for him,she wouldn¡¯t have been able to achieve today¡¯s sess.Could she be the world¡¯s top designer?

    She was sad, disappointed, and penniless when she was in the United States. Where was Hansen at that time? Didn¡¯t he forsake her while he was embracing another beauty?

    Today, she was injured. It was natural for him toe to see her. What did she do wrong? She had not vited the rules of the Richards Group, nor had she revealed any of their secrets to Rayan. As the designer of Richards Group, she had tried her best!

    How could he insult and nder her like this?

    Tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn¡¯t make a sound. There was not only sadness but also coldness in her heart.

    At such a dangerous moment, she rushed forward to protect him without thinking. In the end, not only did he say such vicious words, but he even disdained her.

    Her heart was aching.

    ¡°I¡¯m superficial and vulgar?¡± Hansen sneered, ¡°Does it make your Brother Rayan noble and elegant? And is your first love fair and honest?¡±

    When he thought of Norton and Rayan, he was furious.

    One night when he was in university, he stood behind her and saw Norton holding her intimately. The two of them hugged each other in the dark, and he saw everything that they did.

    Later, to his surprise, she became his wife, but she had already lost her chastity to that d*mned Norton.

    His status as her husband did not mean a thing at all!

    This dirty, filthy woman.

    He didn¡¯t want to take pity on such a woman. Even if she was injured for saving him, he still would not do so.

    He mmed the door and left.

    On the 88th floor of the International Kinsey Center, the atmosphere in the spacious and luxurious office was dull and silent.

    Hansen frowned while holding a report in his hand and read it meticulously.

    Alvin Robertson stood respectfully beside him.

    It took a long time for Hansen to finish reading the report. It was a report about Jenna¡¯s life abroad.

    The report was detailed, but there was nothing special about it.

    On the report, it said that Jenna studied car designing alone. She had only started working in Whalen Group six months ago andhad been spending all her time studying beforethat.

    She worked hard and studied hard. There were no other scandals of hers.

    Only then did he remember that he had never given Jenna a single penny when she was staying in the Richards¡¯ Mansion. At that time, he hated and disliked her, and never thought of giving her any money.

    Then how did she spend the past few years back then?

    He flipped through the pages with his slender fingers and finally found it. Jenna had been looking for a job everywhere, and at her lowest point when she was penniless, she met Rayan by chance.

    His fingers were shaking.

    When she was in such a difficult situation, Rayan appeared beside her. If she had fallen in love and relied on him, it was just human nature. When she was at her lowest, where was he as her husband?

    What right did he have to criticize her? What right did he have to humiliate her?

    Wasn¡¯t he the one who had unintentionally encouraged her to ept Rayan and developed such a good chemistry between them?Wasn¡¯t he the onewho pushed her away to Rayan¡¯s side?

    Yes, he had long been disqualified.

    Originally, he wanted to get along with her and just remain as friends. He didn¡¯t want to quarrel with her and to hate each other every time they met.

    However, he couldn¡¯t help it. Whenever he saw her with another man, he would lose control of himself and be consumed by rage.

    In fact, her life abroad was really ordinary. It could even be described as miserable.

    Complicated emotions constantly surged in his heart, and it seemed to be boiled by saltwater. His handsome face gradually twisted, and his eyes became gloomier.

    He stood up and ran outside. He even forgot to give orders to Alvin and to ask him, ¡°Who was her beloved man whom she designed the luxury car for?¡±

    He ran down the stairs and started his Hummer. He then rushed towards the hospital.

    At noon, he was burning with anger. He ordered the doctors and nurses in the hospital to give the woman their cold shoulder, and to leave her on her own.

    What the hell was he doing?

    Richards Group was one of the shareholders of the hospital. Everyone in the hospital, from the Director to the doctors and nurses, would not dare to disobey his orders.

    Why did this happen? He felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife!

    He drove recklessly and kept honking along the way, causing the cars in front of him to dodge in fear.

    As soon as he arrived at the hospital, he stopped the car and ran to the ward.

    Still gasping for breath, he pushed open the ss door.

    Jenna was lying quietly on the bed.

    He heaved a sigh of relief.

    He didn¡¯t dare to stop but hurried to her side.

    Soon, his heart went up his throat. Jenna was lying in the hospital bed. Her cheeks were red, her eyes were tightly shut, and her lips were dry and cracked.

    His heart sank to the bottom.

    He reached out and hugged her. Her whole body was hot, and the wound on her back was swollen. There was blood seeping out of the wound. He saw her dry cracked lips parting slightly, like she was saying something. He leaned over his ear and heard her muttering in a low voice, ¡°Dad, Dad.¡±

    The air that came out of her mouth was hot, and it burned his ears.

    There was a rumbling sound in his mind, and he subconsciously tightened his arms around her, as if he wanted to merge her into his body.

    He pressed the bell by the bed and shouted angrily, ¡°Doctor! Nurse!¡±

    In an instant, the hospital was in a panic.

    All the doctors and nurses came over. When they saw the murderous intention in Hansen¡¯s eyes, they were reeling in fear and dared not speak.

    He had ordered them not to care about Jenna, but as doctors and nurses, it was their duty to save lives and to help the injured. No matter what other people said, they all had the responsibility to treat the patients.

    However,this time around, they really didn¡¯t hear the bell ring. They didn¡¯t hear her asking for help.

    It was not a fatal disease, but a knife wound. If she was not feeling well, they woulde over as long as she pressed the button of the bedside.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    However, throughout the afternoon, they didn¡¯t hear any bell ringing.

    Jenna¡¯s wound was inmed, and blood was flowing.The fever caused by the infection of the wound and it could be life-threatening.

    The doctor immediately began to disinfect her wound and gave her an IV drip.

 Chapter 39 Birdâ€™s Nest

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the patient has lost too much blood and her body is weak. She needs a blood transfusion.¡± When Dr. Brooks saw Hansen, whose eyes were scarlet and his face looking twisted in pain. He was confounded.

    Rumors had been swirling that Hansen was surrounded by innumerable beautiful women, and that he was soon going to be married to Aria McAdams, the great beauty in A city. A few days ago, reporters photographed him having dinner with Aria¡¯s parents and discussing the wedding. However, the scene in front of him was that Hansen¡¯s eyes were fixed on the weak woman in the hospital bed, and he looked like his heart seemed was full of sorrow.

    Why was he so nervous about her? Was it because she saved him? Or did he actually love this woman, his ex-wife?

    Although Dr. Brooks was surprised, he did not dare to specte too much. After all, it was Hansen¡¯s personal matters.

    The personal affairs of sessful people were usually mysterious and eventful. As a doctor, he should not specte about gossip.

    However,even he could see that this woman on the hospital bed was very important to Hansen.

    ¡°Transfer the blood then! Use mine!¡± Hansen roared and rolled up his sleeves.

    ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± Dr. Brooks said calmly, ¡°There is a rule in the hospital that all the blood must be taken from the blood bank, not directly from someone. The reason why I tell you this is that the patient needs blood transfusion and her family members must be notified of this matter.¡± At this point, he quickly ordered the nurse to take the blood sample.

    Hansen sat down disappointedly. His hands were entangled in his thick hair, and the pain in his heart instantly spread throughout his limbs and bones.

    If something really happened to her, would he feel at ease for the rest of his life?

    He just said that he wanted to get along well with her. Why did they still quarrel?

    He now understood the root of the pain in his heart. Although he didn¡¯t want to admit it, he had no choice but to do so.

    He actually cared about her!

    Jenna was undergoing a blood transfusion. The doctor also gave her an injection for her fever.

    Soon the red color on Jenna¡¯s face faded away, and a strange white color showed, which was terrifying.

    Hansen sat in front of the bedstaring at her thin little face, and stroking her hand with his eyes closed.

    He kept an eye on her and even forgot to eat.

    He sat there in a daze. After a long time, he fell asleep in front of her bed.

    He was awakened by a burst of soft groans from the bed!

    He raised his head.

    Jenna was staring nkly at the ceiling with her eyes wide open and her eyebrows tightly knitted. Perhaps it was because of pain, she gritted her teeth and whimpered softly.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± Hansen asked in surprise.

    Jenna turned to look at him and stared at him.

    It seemed that she was recalling something, but at the same time, she looked as ifshe wanted to see through to his heart.

    Hansen felt a rush of inexplicable panic, and he did not dare to look at her bright eyes directly. She looked at him absent-mindedly. Her clear eyes seemed to beckon him to fall in love at any time, which made him feel an inexplicable guilt.

    Sure enough, after a while, the light in her eyes gradually extinguished, and an icy coldness gradually enveloped her eyes.

    She turned her head and didn¡¯t look at him anymore.

    Hansen knew that she woke up from thea and remembered what had happened in the morning, as well as his cruelty.

    She hated him.

    He was not angry at all.

    He took the expensive bird¡¯s nest soup sent by the hotel from the bedside table and gently propped up her body. He held her head softly and whispered in her ear, ¡°You are weak. Have some bird¡¯s nest soup, it¡¯ll help with your recuperation.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were cold, and she looked like a wooden dummy. She didn¡¯t even look at him, let alone answer him.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth were slightly turned up.

    He held her in his arms and blew in her ear,¡°Do you want to eat it by yourself, or do you want me to feed you?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s ears were itchy. She turned her head and said coldly, ¡°Get out of here. I want to rest. I don¡¯t want you pretending to be nice here.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think that I am pretending? I sincerely hope that you will get better soon. Don¡¯t forget that we signed a contract. I have a lot of things to do and I still need your cooperation. Before the design is finished, I will personally supervise you and sleep with you.¡± Hansen was overbearing, but his tone was gentle. Although it sounded bossy, it was not just an order at all.

    Jenna had long seen through his capricious mood, so she didn¡¯t intend to respond to him.

    Hansen stared at her, and he tugged at the corners of his mouth. He picked up the soup, took a big sip, pulled her little face over, and covered her dry red lips.

    His lips were on hers, and the soup on the tip of his mouth moistened her lips. It was sticky and she felt a little breathless. He gently bit her, but the picture of him kissing Aria suddenly shed through Jenna¡¯s mind. Suddenly, she felt nauseated. Before she could resist, he pinched her nostrils.

    She opened her mouth and the warm and greasy liquid entered her mouth, mixed with his saliva. She made an ¡°ah¡± sound and the liquid slipped into her stomach with a gurgle.

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± Hansen was satisfied to see Jenna drinking the bird¡¯s nest soup. He chuckled and said, ¡°Do you want me to feed you like this or will you eat it yourself?¡±

    He asked with a faint smile. However, his tone was not negotiating at all, but rather, threatening.

    Jenna knew that she couldn¡¯t defeat this strong and reckless man at all. He had always been supercilious and could do whatever he wanted. He was determined to make her drink!

    If she did not listen to him, she would have to taste more of his saliva. It was best if she just obeyed him.

    At any time, it was an easy act for him to teach her a lesson. On top of that, her resistance was simply not worth mentioning.

    She red at him and opened her mouth.

    ¡°Yeah, good girl.¡± Hansen was satisfied andughed out loud. He took a spoonful of the bird¡¯s nest and fed it to her. He didn¡¯t feel relieved until she swallowed all of it.

    ¡°That¡¯s more like a woman,¡± Hansen said with a wicked smile on his face.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were wide open, and she felt helpless.

    After finishing the soup, she felt that her energy wasing back into her body. She curled her lip and ignored his trick. She turned her head to look at him and said softly, ¡°You should go back. I can stay here by myself. I don¡¯t need you to take care of me.¡±

    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t rushed over this afternoon, what would have happened to you?¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes became more and more resentful. He said with anger, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you call a nurse yourself if you didn¡¯t feel well? You¡¯re not a child anymore.¡±

    Jenna felt suffocated in her heart, and the anger rushed to her head. D*mn it, she had heard him shouting at the nurse outside, ¡°Ignore that b*tch, let her die on her own.¡±

    He was the one who gave the order, but now he was here trying to be the nice guy. She didn¡¯t want to bother with him at all.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Hansen looked at Jenna who was flushing again. Cold sweat was running down her forehead. Her shoulders were shaking, and she was breathing heavily. He was in a panic. He quickly put his hand on Jenna¡¯s forehead and pressed the bell at the head of the bed.

    Within a short time, Dr. Brooks and the nurses came over and busied themselves for a long time.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the patient is now weak. Please do not agitate the patient. It would be bad for her recovery,¡± Dr. Brooks invited Hansen to the side and whispered, but the emotion in his eyes was unclear.

    Hansen was stunned, and a trace of shame shed in his eyes, but he cursed bitterly, ¡°You d*mn woman.¡±

    After hearing Hansen¡¯s words, Dr. Brooks rushed to Jenna¡¯s side and nervously looked at her. He could not help but shake his head.

    After confirming that she was fine, Hansen sat down in front of the bed, opened a steaming thermos, and ordered aggressively, ¡°Have some oatmeal.¡±

    Jenna closed her eyes as if she had fallen asleep.

    Hansen bent down and stared at her. The blush on her face had notpletely faded. Her eyes were tightly shut, but her long eyshes were slightly trembling. She didn¡¯t look like she was asleep at all. He couldn¡¯t help butugh in his heart.

    ¡°Stop pretending to be asleep. I will supervise you in person theseing days. From now on, you have to follow my order. Finish the food and cooperate with the doctor. I want you to get better as soon as possible,¡± he whispered in her ear in amanding tone.

    After saying that, he scanned her from top to bottom. She kept her eyes shut and ignored him. He was a little annoyed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be ungrateful. You are the only woman in the world that I have personally taken care of. Don¡¯t y coy, my patience is limited.¡±

    He was so arrogant and overbearing,behaving as if it was a great gift that he was going to take care of her.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask you to leave. I don¡¯t need your care. It¡¯s my own fault that I saved you. It has nothing to do with you.¡± Jenna closed her eyes. Her voice was weak but firm.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Hansen almost jumped up because of her words. The suppressed anger in his heart was ignited again. He wanted to fly into a rage, but when he saw Jenna lying in bed weakly, he swallowed the anger.

    ¡°Jenna, why are you so stubborn? Shouldn¡¯t women be more gentle?¡± He suppressed his anger, cleared his voice, and said with difficulty, ¡°I have thought about it these days. No matter what kind of conflict we had in the past, we should have let it go and talk peacefully. Even if we can¡¯t be a couple, we can still be friends. Why do we have to be enemies? I have decided that no matter what you did or what harm you brought to me or my father, I will forget all this. After all, we are still young, and we have a long road ahead of us. Don¡¯t worry, as long as you stay in thepany, I willpensate you well. If you decide to leave, I will not force you to stay. However, you still have to honor the contract. Just like any other employee, the contract is for a year. It¡¯s thepany¡¯s regtions.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were deep,and his tone was gentle and calm.

    He was tired. Since she appeared in front of him, he had been in a mess. His life was also in disarray. He really needed to calm down.

    He warned himself not to provoke her. This woman had already impacted his life, and he was going to marry Aria. They should lead their own lives, but he couldn¡¯t control himself and wanted to involve himself with her matters.

    Even he himself couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on.

 Chapter 40 Mysterious Ward

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯ll say it again. I didn¡¯t do anything to hurt you and your father. As for what happened that day, I have no idea.Simrly, for our marriage, it was not my intention as well, It was grandma¡¯s order. If you¡¯re hurt because of this, I can only apologize. However, you¡¯re not the only one who got hurt. What about me?¡± Jenna said word by word with a cold smile on her lips.

    As she was talking about her sad past, she began to cry. Her shoulders trembled, but her eyes were full of stubbornness.

    How could she admit to something she had not done? She did not have anything to do with what happened three years ago. She had no idea what had happened at all!

    ¡°Okay, okay. It¡¯s my bad for bringing it up.¡±Hansen thought of Dr. Brooks¡¯ words when he sawthat she was stirred, so he nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°Let the past stay in the past. Now, take good care of yourself and eat something.¡±

    Hansen was extremely annoyed. He really didn¡¯t want to talk about the d*mned past anymore.

    He picked up the oatmeal again and said seriously, ¡°From now on, you have to be obedient. Eat something. Tell me, do you want me to feed you or open your mouth by yourself?¡±

    There was no room for negotiation.

    Jenna remained silent.

    Hansen¡¯s patience was chafed. He scooped up a spoon and put it into his mouth. When he was about to put it into Jenna¡¯s mouth, Jenna said weakly and timely,

    ¡°I¡¯ll eat it myself.¡±

    Hansen smiled in his heart, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a beautiful curve. ¡°Look at you. Even if you¡¯re stubborn, you still have to listen to me!¡± Hansen thought.

    ¡°I can handle it.¡± Jenna was very stubborn.

    When Hansen saw that she was willing to eat, he was happy and could not help feeling smug. He saw that although it was inconvenient for her to move her right hand, her left hand was fine. He was afraid that she would be emotional, so he went along with her.

    He gently held her in his arms, pulled the tray over to the bed, and put the oatmeal on it. Jenna used her left hand to pick up a spoon and ate it. After she was done eating, she was sweating all over.

    ¡°Stubborn.¡± Hansen, who was beside her, snorted discontentedly and forced her to drink some soup. Only then was he satisfied.

    After the meal, Hansen put the things away. When he turned around, he saw that Jenna was supporting herself to get up, and there was a painful expression on her face. He asked in a hurry, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Jenna pouted and ignored him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. Be obedient. Or I¡¯ll give you a sponge bathter,¡± Hansen frowned and coaxed her.

    ¡°I want to go to the bathroom,¡± Jenna blushed and mumbled.

    Hansen was stunned for a moment, then suddenlyughed out loud. He stretched out his long legs, came over, and reached out his hands to pick her up.

    Jennay in his warm arms and was held by him like a porcin doll. She felt ufortable.

    She snuggled up in Hansen¡¯s arms as if she had no bones. As soon as Hansen touched her body, a long-lost repressed desire slowly rose in his body. He couldn¡¯t help swallowing his saliva, and his face turned red.

    He gently put her on the ground, held her with one hand, and opened the toilet cover with the other hand. He was about to help her take off her pants. Jenna grabbed him with her left hand, and she was blushing.

    ¡°It¡¯s better if you leave,¡± she whispered with a red face.

    Hansen was stunned and thought of something. With a grin on his face, he whispered in her ear, ¡°Why are you being shy? I¡¯m familiar with every part of you!¡±

    Jenna was shy and anxious, and she rolled her eyes at him.

    However, Hansen did not listen to her. He helped her take off her pants and sat her on top of the toilet bowl.

    Jenna was blushing and she said angrily, ¡°If you don¡¯t go out, I can¡¯t pee.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll turn around, okay?¡± Hansen turned his face to the side and smiled.

    ¡°No.¡± Jenna answered very seriously, ¡°How pleasant do you think the smell will be?¡±

    ¡°D*mned woman, I¡¯m worried that you might fall down,¡± Hansen snorted in his heart and walked out.

    He went to the shower room to fetch arge basin of warm water and ced it in front of the bed. When he heard a noise behind him, he hurriedly turned his head and saw Jenna slowly moving against the wall.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. Don¡¯t you know how to call for me?¡± He yelled discontentedly. He walked over and picked her up. Then he walked to the bedside and gently ced her on the bed.

    He bent down, lowered his head, and wrung the towel. He stood up and started wiping her body.

    ¡°You can¡¯t bathe for two days. The wound needs to be kept dry. Hold on,¡± he exined while he wiped her body. Didn¡¯t all women prefer being clean? He was also worried that she couldn¡¯t bear being dirty.

    He wiped her body gently and meticulously, especially when he was near the wound. The action in his hand was as gentle as the spring breeze.

    Jenna watched as he carefully and attentively wiped her body. The expression on his face was as if he was cleaning an extremely precious work of art. The light in his eyes was clear. She could not help but feel warm in her heart.

    It seemed that he could actually take care of people. He was gentle and considerate, which was really unbelievable. She was secretly surprised.

    After wiping her body, Hansen went to the shower room to take a shower. Then he came back and forced Jenna to eat some fruit. He sat on the sofa at the side, turned on hisptop, and started working. Soon, he was immersed in his work.

    In the early autumn night, it was quiet, warm, and peaceful.

    Jennay quietly, thinking about what he had said today and the way he gently took care of her. She was lost in thought.

    ¡°Even if we can¡¯t be husband and wife, we can still be friends.¡± This was what he said. However, could they be friends again?Perhaps that was all he wanted from her.

    She made up her mind and stopped thinking about it. Since there would not be an ending, there was no need to think too much.

    Her eyelids were gradually getting heavier. She slowly closed her eyes. When she woke up in a daze, she saw lights in the room. There was a burning pain in her back. She groaned in pain and fell asleep again.

    When she woke up for a moment, she was still sleeping in his warm arms. He put his big palm behind her and held her so that she would not turn around and press on the wound.

    She had never felt so peaceful before, and soon, she fell asleep again.

    In the next two days, Hansen really took care of her personally. He made sure that she ate, took the medicine, and drank the bird¡¯s nest soup. Jenna had to finish all the food that he had brought for her. Otherwise, he would use his own way to make Jenna eat obediently.

    Jenna knew that she couldn¡¯t defeat him, so sheplied obediently.

    The wound gradually turned into a scab, and she was feeling better. She could finally walk on her own.

    On the third night, Hansen had something to do. After seeing that she had finished eating, drinking the bird¡¯s nest soup and medicine, he forced her to have some fruits. Only then did he leave the ward.

    Jenna called home for a bit. After that, she went out for a walk.

    Her ward was located in the most luxurious and quietest building in the hospital. It was in the center of the hospital. It was different from the wards, more elegantly decorated.

    There were only a few wards on the whole floor, and the patients all stayed in their own room to rest. The corridor was empty, and Jenna did not dare to go far. She was worried that Hansen would be anxious if he did not see her when he came back. Therefore, she only walked along the corridor.

    In the long corridor, the windows were open. The air was suffused with the fragrance from magnolias and chrysanthemums.

    She breathed a sigh of relief and walked slowly.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Soon, she reached the thest ward in the corridor. She thought it was the end, but then, she saw a corridor extending to the right. It was long and there was an extrarge ward at the end of it.

    She felt a little strange. This section was covered in red carpet. It felt warm and the ward looked extremely high ss.

    Outside the window in front of the corridor, there was a tall magnolia tree. The tree was tall and thick, and its branches and leaves had extended through the window.

    At night, the wind was blowing strong. If the window was identally closed, it would crush the flowers on the tree branches.

    She smiled, stretched out her hand to push the branches and leaves outside the window, and closed the window quietly. When she turned around, she looked up at this big ward.

    The environment here was quiet. Not only the carpet, but even the windows were covered with a warm red color. The lights in the corridor were hazy. It was really a rare great ward.

    The curtains of the ward were green. The door to the ward was closed and Jenna could not see the patient staying in it. Whoever stayed in it must be someone rich or high ranking. Jenna felt tired after walking around and decided to walk back to the ward.

    ¡°s, he has been in aa for so many years. It¡¯s a pity that he could not enjoy his life,¡± a nurse¡¯s voice came from behind. Jenna was surprised. Looking at the direction of the voice, she realized that there was a special medical room with nurses in it.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a waste to have money and power. The most important thing is still to be healthy,¡± another nurse echoed.

    Jenna¡¯s body suddenly became cold, and a strange sadness rose from the bottom of her heart. She suddenly felt a pain. She clearly knew that they were talking about someone else, and it had nothing to do with her, but she still felt extremely ufortable.

    She hurried back to her ward and felt goosebumps on her back, as if there were a pair of eyes staring at her from behind.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± While Jenna was fantasizing and feeling ufortable, Hannah¡¯s voice sounded.

    Jenna raised her head and looked into Hannah¡¯s eyes.

    It was only then that she remembered how Hannah had called and scolded her today. She had already told her that she woulde visit her tonight.

    She hadpletely forgotten about this matter. She scratched her head and giggled at her.

    ¡°Jenna, you really are a fool. Let me see how serious your injury is.¡± Hannah helped Jenna into the ward with difficulty. Then she ran to close the door of the ward like a gust of wind. Hannah looked at Jenna and said, ¡°Tsk, tsk, look how thin you are. There is only one woman like you in the world who is willing to block a knife for that b*stard.¡±

    As Hannah said this, she started lifting Jenna¡¯s clothes to see the wound. Jenna had no choice but to listen to her.

 Chapter 41 Unclear

    ¡°Jenna, when I saw the news from the TV that day, I wanted to rush towards Hansen and fight him,¡± she said sadly. She looked around the room and asked angrily, ¡°How could that b*stard Hansen left you here alone?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it!¡± Jenna thought of Hansen¡¯s attentive care for her these days and quickly defended him.

    ¡°Jenna,don¡¯t tell me that you are still looking forward to remarry him? Are you doing this to impress him?¡± Hannah looked at her as if she was an alien and asked incredulously.

    Jenna felt bitter in her heart and gave a wry smile.

    ¡°Hannah, it¡¯s true that I love him, but that¡¯s just a matter of the past. I joined Richards Group for my personal affairs. I¡¯ve already given up on things that have nothing to do with this. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have agreed on the divorce.¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes looked a little emptyas she tried her best to exin.

    Was that really the case? She couldn¡¯t figure it out herself.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why did you save him? Are you stupid? Aren¡¯t you afraid of death?¡± Hannah was skeptical and could not understand it.

    ¡°Hannah, stop asking. Even I can¡¯t exin it myself,¡± Jenna shook her head with a begging look in her eyes.

    ¡°All right. Jenna, you are such an excellent and intelligent woman. Any man will love you. It¡¯s his loss that he doesn¡¯t love you. Such a shallow man like him can only see a vulgar woman like Aria McAdams. You don¡¯t have to be sad,¡± Hannah sighed and gently ced the flowers into the vase on the bedside table. Then she peeled some fruits for Jenna. They started chatting, and Hannah tried to cheer Jenna up.

    With Hannah¡¯spany, Jenna¡¯s boredom was relieved. The two chatted andughed. After a while, Hannah received a call from Gently Cafeteria. She then got up and left.

    After Hannah left, the empty room became even quieter. Jenna felt weak all over her body and only wanted to sleep. She remembered that she had not taken a bath for several days, and her body felt sticky everywhere. Today,seeing that Hansen was not here,she could finally take a bath.

    She didn¡¯t dare to use the bathtub, so she could only hold the showerhead with her hand. Since she could not bend her right hand much, she had some difficulty showering.

    ¡°Who is living in that ward?¡± She thought. Jenna¡¯s heart was rolling with an unclear emotion, and she decided to go to take a look tomorrow.

    While she was thinking about it, she suddenly heard the door open gently.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Jenna was shocked and asked in a panic. She hurriedly took a bath towel to cover herself and looked at the door warily.

    The bathroom was filled with steam fog.

    Hansen appeared wearing a casual T-shirt and a pair of slippers. He wasleaning against the door with an evil smile on his handsome face.

    ¡°Who asked you toe in? Get out.¡± Jenna covered her chest with one hand, feeling embarrassed and annoyed. She turned her back and shouted at him.

    Hansen touched the corner of her mouth with his hand and smiled evilly. He looked at her with a sly smile, but his eyes were fixed on the ugly knife wound on her back. There was a warm halo in his eyes. It was bright and warm.

    He stared at her without blinking his eyes, showing no intention of going out.

    Jenna waited for a long time, but she didn¡¯t hear any noise. She got a little angry and turned around with a sullen face. The moment she turned her head, she saw that his burning eyes were staring at her back. She knew that he was looking at her wound. There was only untainted pity in his eyes, and nothing else. Her heart moved.

    The cold air floated in from the outside.

    She shivered.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that you haven¡¯t recovered from your injury yet? How can you take a bath alone? Come on, I¡¯ll help you.¡± Hansen didn¡¯t care about the feelings and opposition from Jenna. He came in boldly with one hand holding her and the other taking the showerhead from her. His hand gently stroked her wound like water, ¡°Is it still painful here?¡±

    Jenna was lost for a moment. She stared nkly at his dark ck eyes and shook her head stupidly.

    Hansen turned on the shower head and began to help her bathe.

    Jenna grabbed the showerhead in his hand so suddenly that she felt like she got an electric shock at that moment, and shook her head in horror.

    ¡°Silly girl, the wound hasn¡¯t recovered yet. It will be infected. Let me do it. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t eat you,¡± he wasforting her while teasing her. He forced her to turn around and picked up the showerhead to help her wash her back.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t win against him, so she turned her back to him. Her face was red with shame.

    ¡°Tell me, do you like me?¡± Hansen cleaned her back and wrapped his arms around her. He whispered by her ear, with his alluring voice.

    ¡°No.¡± Jenna was flustered and kept shaking her head to deny it.

    ¡°Really?¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes were deep. He stared at her eyes closely, as if he wanted to see through her, ¡°Then why did you save me?¡±

    He asked again confidently, and there was a bright smile on his handsome face, which was full of temptation. His body temperature seeped through her skin little by little, and then into her organs. Jenna felt that her heart was beating faster and her breathing was a little rapid.

    ¡°Did you fall in love with me now?¡± There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes. With a shameless smile on his face and warm arms around her, he held her tightly.

    Jenna¡¯s body froze and she stammered,¡°Nonsense¡­ You can go out now. I¡¯m done showering.¡±

    She hurriedly took the bath towel and wrapped herself tightly in it. In a flurry, the bath towel fell off several times, causing Hansen to chuckle.

    Fortunately, Hansen was not so shameless. Seeing that she was uneasy, he walked out.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned red and she put on her pajamas. Then she walked out of the shower andy on the bed, her thought was totally running wild.

    What did he mean by asking her this? Didn¡¯t he know if she loved him or not? She had already spent her best years with him. What could it be if it wasn¡¯t because of love? Was it just for fun?

    However, did it matter now if she loved him or not?From N?velDrama.Org.

    Could it change the fact?

    It was impossible.

    Shey down sulkily, turned sideways, and her mind was buzzing with thoughts.

    The faint scent of the shower gel wafted into her nose, and Hansen was seen finishing his bath and came out.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± He climbed onto the bed and looked at her.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± she said. Jenna¡¯s mind was a little heavy.

    ¡°You¡¯re a scheming woman. Can¡¯t you tell me what you¡¯re thinking? After all, I¡¯ve taken care of you for so many days,¡± Hansen said seriously. Hey down beside her, held her in his arms, and reached his hand into her clothes to touch her wound.

    Jenna remained silent and closed her eyes.

    She knew that nights like this, nights that belonged only to the two of them, would notst long.

    Shey quietly in his arms, breathing his scent, and became more and more afraid of the feeling of loss in her heart.

    Forget it, they should just stay like this tonight!

    Time would always alleviate everything.

    His hot hand slowly moved to the front, but stopped at a sensitive ce. She could feel his body temperature gradually rising. She knew that danger wasing, but Jenna did not want to resist at this moment. She thought, even if he wanted her now, she would not resist at all. After all, he was the only person in her heart. Although he did not belong to her, she was willing to give him everything.

    Hansen¡¯s breathing was a bit heavy.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never loved me, have you?¡± He asked softly. His fair fingers flicked her messy hair, and her skin was as smooth as jade. He could not help but lower his head and nibbled her fleshy earlobe.

    As the hot breath sprayed in her ear, a strange feeling gradually came over her body. She felt dizzy and her brain was getting more and more confused.

    His lips slowly moved to her mouth until hepletely covered her lips. He gently bit her lips, which was overbearing and warm. Jenna closed her eyes, and there was a warm-colored night-light in the room. The autumn wind outside the window blew suddenly into the ward, bringing a little chill, but Jenna felt hot because of his warm chest. She couldn¡¯t help but wrap her hands around his body and hugged him tightly.

    After receiving her silent response, Hansen¡¯s breathing became deeper. His lips were as hot as fire. He unfastened them from her lips and moved all the way down along her neck, gently and enthusiastically.

    Jenna felt a warm current exploding all over her body. As she felt aroused, she couldn¡¯t help but moan when he was close to her chest. It was a temptation that made her intoxicated, and she couldn¡¯t extricate herself. He was like a devil who could make her lose her mind.

    The melodious ringtone of the mobile phone began to blow up at this time. The phone rang again and again, and it was annoying.

    Hanssen¡¯s hand froze on Jenna¡¯s back, and her whole body trembled. The man and woman who had beenpletely intoxicated just now woke up in an instant. They opened their eyes in a daze, and their expressions all turned dull.

    The mobile phone stopped ringing.

    Hansen breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his head to look at Jenna¡¯s bright eyes and blushed cheeks. His heart was in a flutter.

    He had already known of her beauty. Her facial features were exquisite, but they were perfectly pieced together. It was like a work of art.

    What was worse, her beauty waspletely different from other women. Her beauty was innocent and clean, which was unforgettable. It was like crystal clearke water seeping into his blood, nourishing every part of his body, and pulling him down uncontrobly.

    Such a woman was too distracting for him. Besides, she was smart, and it made him feel insecure. It was better to have a woman like Aria. Although she was beautiful, her mind was simple. He didn¡¯t need to spend too much effort on her, and his life would not be in a mess.

    Now, Hansen felt that he was in such a dangerous situation. He wanted to give up but he kept moving closer to her.He wanted to escape but his eyes were riveted. He had no idea how long this feeling would continue on for.

    ¡°You¡¯re my destiny¡­¡± The mobile phone rang again.

    Hansen gradually came to his senses. He sat up and reluctantly looked for his mobile phone on the bedside.

    Aria¡¯s name shed across the screen.

    He frowned andlooked down at Jenna who was silently lying down. He then stood up and walked towards the balcony.

 Chapter 42 Feeling Wronged

    ¡°Aria, it¡¯s alreadyte at night. What¡¯s the matter?¡± He said in a calm and unhappy tone. He was annoyed by the woman who pestered him all day long.

    ¡°Hansen, I haven¡¯t seen you for a few days. What are you doing? I miss you, I want to see you,¡± Aria pouted and said in a sexy baby voice.

    Hansen¡¯s eyebrows furrowed even deeper. He suddenly felt that her voice was really annoying and harsh. He yawned.

    ¡°Aria, it¡¯ste now. Go to sleep. I¡¯ll bring you out in a few days,¡± Hansen cated her unwillingly.

    ¡°Hansen, what are you doing these days? Today, I went to see the wedding dresses with Mom. I found one that¡¯s beautiful and suitable for me. Hansen, can youe here now? I¡¯ll bring you to see it now,¡± Aria said excitedly and brimming with expectation.

    Hansen was stunned, as if a bucket of cold water was poured from his head. The fiery desire inside his body waspletely extinguished.

    His dream was cut off, and it was cruel and sharp.

    In the dark night, the cold wind was piercing straight into his neck. He stood in a daze, and his eyes were dark and deep like a well.

    Jenna was lying on the bed. After Hansen left, the temperature seemed to drop. It was so cold that she hated it.

    She didn¡¯t like this feeling at all.

    He stood on the balcony, making a phone call. He lowered his head from time to time, as if he felt guilty and uneasy.

    Jenna¡¯s heart went sour and filled with bitterness.

    Needless to say, it must be Aria who called him.

    Outside, he was talking romantically with Aria.

    She felt her stomach churning and it came up her throat. She felt sick.

    A moment ago, he was still indulging in pleasure with her. But the next second, he was gently talking to another woman. He looked like he was telling sweet words, trying to please her or lie to her.

    This feeling was not good at all, it was even disgusting!

    Jenna¡¯s excitement, intoxication, and fantasy were instantly shattered.

    She felt a chill down her spine.

    Hansen pushed open the balcony door and walked in. His tall figure brought in a gust of cold wind.

    Jenna closed her eyes and pretended to have fallen asleep.

    Hansen put down his mobile phone and lifted the quilt with his hand.

    However, Jenna was holding the quilt tightly. She held it so tightly that her fingers were intensely pressed together. Hansen could even see her fingers turning white because of how hard she was grabbing at the quilt.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He was a little displeased. She was obviously resisting him.

    ¡°You should go,¡± Jenna opened her eyes and said coldly, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here with me.¡±

    Her attitude was cold, and her tone was colder.

    Hansen looked at her cold and determined face. There was no trace of blush on her face, it was even a little pale. Her eyes were cold, without any warmth. When she looked at him, there was a hint of disgust.

    A feeling of shame and anger rose from the bottom of his heart, and his face was flushed with anger.

    He was the superior Mr. Richards, but now he personally served and took care of her. How dare she turn a blind eye to him? When had he ever been despised by a woman like this?

    He put everything down just to stay with her. However, she gave him the cold shoulder.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because you saved me, you can do whatever you want. Let me tell you, it¡¯s my duty to apany you now. I don¡¯t want to owe you anything,¡± Hansen was annoyed and his voice became cold.

    It was as she had expected.

    He came to take care of her just because he didn¡¯t want to owe her any favor. He didn¡¯t want her to pester him. He wanted to make sure that she had nothing to do with him in the future.

    The more she thought about it, the colder her heart became.

    ¡°That¡¯s really not necessary. You don¡¯t owe me anything. I¡¯ve ruined your love life. I have already repaid you by taking a knife for you. You can go now. From now on, we don¡¯t owe each other anything,¡± Jenna¡¯s voice was as cold as iron.From N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen suddenly felt his anger rushing to the top of his head, and he couldn¡¯t suppress it no matter how hard he tried. He felt ufortable in his heart. He grabbed his suit on the head of the bed and said coldly, ¡°You asked me to leave on your own. Don¡¯t me me for being cruel.¡±

    With a loud thud, he rushed out like a gust of wind and heavily mmed the door.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was smashed to pieces by the heavy m of the door. She felt a heart-wrenching pain inside of her.

    She clenched her teeth.

    He had his own lover, so she shouldn¡¯t force him to stay with her just because she had saved him. She did not want to feel as if she was trying to take him away using scheming means.

    She would never stoop so low!

    ¡°Hansen, you don¡¯t love mebecause you¡¯re a blind airhead,¡± she said to herself.

    She didn¡¯t need it;she didn¡¯t need his charity!

    His footsteps gradually faded away until there was no sound left. All that was left were emptiness and loneliness.

    He left to find Aria, but what about her?

    In the past few days, she forgot to ask him about the whereabouts of the two cars. Did she really forget or was she refraining from asking? Sometimes she would think that if he really killed her father, would she really be cruel enough to tear him into pieces?

    This question had been running through her mind for a long time. She did not dare to think about it. She wondered if she had to make a decision in the future,would she be able to do it?

    Destion, sadness, disappointment, loneliness.

    Different emotions welled up in her mind. In the darkness, the loneliness turned into tears.

    She buried her head in the quilt and sobbed gently, letting the tears flow.

    All the sadness in her past had turned into tears. She cried in a dark and sorrowful way.

    She didn¡¯t stop crying until the quilt was pulled away from her. A rousing minty smell camealong with the cold wind that entered the room. She stopped crying and looked at the man standing in front of her with bloodshot and swollen eyes.

    Hansen was looking down at her withplicated eyes.

    ¡°Are you crying? Why?¡± He stared at her and asked. Maybe it was because his face was still red from the anger just now, but he held the quilt tightly. He was afraid that she would clutch tightly at it and prevent him from getting into the bed.

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Jenna was baffled. She didn¡¯t expect him toe back. She was as embarrassed as a little girl who had done something wrong. Her eyes were shining with a fragment of light, and there was a little expectation in it, but her face was still full of tears.

    Hansen reached out a hand to hold the back of her head and approached her face.

    ¡°What on earth are you thinking about? What do you want me to do?¡± He looked at her as if she was a little girl who had been wronged and had been bullied. He was frustrated. He had already exited the door of the hospital, but suddenly, he remembered that she had a high fever in the afternoon. He was worried and decided to turn back. When he entered the ward, he heard her sobbing under the quilt. He opened the quilt just to see her crying pitifully and helplessly.

    She was the one who drove him away! Why did she feel wronged? He was frustrated.

    Jenna was embarrassed. She would never admit that she cried because she was afraid of loneliness.

    ¡°I like to cry. It¡¯s none of your business,¡± she lowered her eyes and sniffed.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Hearing her reply, Hansen was rendered speechless. He held the back of her head tightly, pulled the quilt away, andid down.

    Jenna tried to push him away, but Hansen grabbed her hand and kissed her hard.

    As he kissed her face, the tears on her face were dried up by his hot lips. It was no longer wet, but smooth and tender.

    The warm current in the depths of his heart began to emerge again. He was not satisfied with such a kiss and gradually moved to kiss her on the lips. At this moment, there was only pity in his heart, the pity that came from the bottom of his heart. Even he was surprised that he would pity her.

    They hugged each and kissed each other passionately. They hugged each other tightly until they felt like their breath was out of rhythm. Only then did they let go of each other.

    After a long kiss, Jenna was physically exhausted and panting.

    After the kiss, Hansen held her in his arms. He didn¡¯t say anything, nor did he have more desire. He hugged her tightly and could feel that she was weak. He was afraid that she could not bear his vigor, so he hugged her tightly and fell asleep.

    A new day came.

    When Jenna opened her eyes again, it was already daytime. The golden sunshine shone through the curtains. It was so beautiful in the ward. For the first time, Jenna felt that the hospital was not so terrible, and even beautiful.

    Hansen had already got up, he was not in the ward.

    She slowly got up and washed up. After a night of deep sleep, she felt much better. Standing in front of the dressing mirror, she saw that her face was unusually bright and radiant, as if there was even a smile at the corner of her mouth.

    Her body was getting stronger and the wound was no longer as painful. She was in a much better mood and wanted to leave the hospital. She still had to work on the car designs. After lying in the hospital for a few days, she came up with some ideas for a perfect design. She was inspired and wanted to draw it out as soon as possible.

    Just as she sat down on the hospital bed.

    The door of the ward opened. She thought that Hansen was here to send her breakfast, so she raised her head happily.

    With a cool air in the early morning,Marissa and Aria swaggered in,dressed up and decked out with full make-up. Jenna instantly felt that the air around her became cold, and she could feel the palpable tension.

    Her face suddenly turned pale.

    Marissa was wearing a light blue dress, noble and elegant, dignified and generous, but the light in her eyes was as cold as frost. Aria¡¯s face was full of gloom, and her eyes were spilling viciousness.

    ¡°Mom, this shameless woman has been pestering Hansen these days. He¡¯s so distracted by her that he didn¡¯t even go to thepany. He stayed here with her all day long, and even I can¡¯t see him,¡± Aria held Marissa andined with a sad and wronged face.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Marissa snorted and gently patted Aria¡¯s hand,¡°Do you think you can take Hansen away? In your dreams!¡±

    She sneered, her face full of disdain.

    Aria held her and walked toward Jenna arrogantly, looking down at her condescendingly.

 Chapter 43 Protect

    ¡°B*tch, tell me. Did you n the incident so that you could save my son and gain his sympathy? You are trying to gain his attention,aren¡¯t you?¡± Marissa asked fiercely.

    ¡°No, Auntie, I didn¡¯t.¡± Jenna looked at Marissa¡¯s evil eyes and felt helpless. Taking into consideration how Hansen took care of her these few days, she referred to Marissa as ¡°Auntie¡±.

    However, in Marissa¡¯s opinion, Jenna was pretending to be friendly and trying to seduce Hansen. Marisa could feel the love Jenna bore for her son. She thought that Jenna was eyeing the Richards family fortune, and that was why she would not let Hansen go easily. She would try to seduce him with all her means.

    She couldn¡¯t stand by and watch this happen. She must stop it.

    ¡°B*tch, stop giving excuses. I know what you want to do. I won¡¯t let you seed.¡± Marissa had no expression on her face. She felt that Jenna was disgusting for pestering her son.

    ¡°Mom, she took a fancy to the status and wealth of the Richards family. She pestered Hansen and wouldn¡¯t let go. What should I do?¡± Aria said sadly, holding Marissa in her arms. ¡°Now Hansen won¡¯t even talk to me. I haven¡¯t seen him for many days.¡±

    Aria looked at Jenna with bitter hatred. Her eyes were fixed on Jenna and were about to burst into mes.

    She had not seen Hansen ever since the news on TV came out a few days ago.Even when she saw him in thepany, he was in a hurry and dealt with her only perfunctorily.

    Last night when she called him, he even refused her stiffly. It was hard for her to swallow this anger. She went to the Richards Mansion early morning with an excuse to discuss the Camphor Tree Vi. She then changed the topic and provoked Marissa into feeling angry. Marissa had long disliked Jenna, so she was triggered into rushing to the hospital with Aria.

    Jenna could clearly feel Aria¡¯s intentions. However,she really did not want to waste time arguing with her.

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t tolerate her. It¡¯s just that this woman is really hateful. She is just so scheming and evil. Look at Dad. He is still lying in the hospital¡­¡± Aria pretended to be generous, but her words were straight to the point.

    She deliberately mentioned the words, ¡°Dad is lying in the hospital.¡± Sure enough, it triggered something within Marissa. Her expression turned ugly and the anger within her began to soar.

    Jenna clearly heard this sentence and her nerves instantly tightened. The image of the luxurious ward shed across her mind and her whole body trembled.

    ¡°Could it be that the person who lives in that ward is Uncle Richards?¡± She thought to herself. Her face turned even paler as she waspletely stunned.

    Three years ago, Jenna saw Trevor Richards fainting in front of her with her own eyes. At that time, she was scared out of her wits.

    After that, Hansen appeared in front of her with a livid face and his furious eyes while Marissa grabbed her crazily.

    At that time, she had been scared witless.She didn¡¯t know what to do!

    Since then, three years had passed. She had never seen Trevor again. She didn¡¯t know which hospital he lived in and didn¡¯t dare to ask. She tried to forget the terrible scene that day and didn¡¯t want to remember it any longer.

    It was not until she saw the ward yesterday and heard the nurses¡¯ words that she was reminded of this scene.

    Now that she had heard what Aria said, she finally understood where that feeling came from.

    Marissa was so angry that her head was buzzing because of Aria¡¯s words. She was reminded that her husband was lying on the hospital bed because of Jenna. Now, her son was even entangled with her. She no longer could control her anger and she lost her mind. She raised her hand and was about to p Jenna¡¯s face.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were blurred and she was in a trance.

    ¡°Mom, what are you doing?¡± Just as Marissa¡¯s palm was about to hit Jenna¡¯s face, a strong hand quickly reached out and grabbed her hand. Hansen shouted angrily while he took hold of her hand with an ugly expression.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re here,¡± Aria said with her face full of surprise. When she saw that Hansen was holding breakfast in one hand, and Marissa¡¯s hand in the other, the joy in her heart subsided. Her face was as pale as ashes.

    Sure enough, not only did Hansen take care of this woman in person, he even stood up for her.

    Jenna deliberately blocked the knife for him, and that really touched him. He took care of her in person for a few days. When she called him, he just showed his impatience.

    Since when did Hansen take care of a woman in person?

    She was stunned and was burning with jealousy. She nced at the weak woman sitting on the bed and said unwillingly, ¡°Hansen, this woman is very scheming. She deliberately set up a trap to pretend to save you. Don¡¯t be deceived by her.¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± The anger on Hansen¡¯s face became more obvious. He shouted angrily and asked Aria, ¡°Do you have any evidence that she set up this trap on purpose? Without evidence, you are merely gossiping here. When did you be such a woman?¡±

    There was a loud boom in Aria¡¯s head, and she almost couldn¡¯t stand straight!

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯ve been blinded by her. You¡¯re actually speaking up for this woman. When did this happen?¡± Marissa broke free from Hansen¡¯s grip and cried out bitterly, shing a look of regret.

    ¡°Mom, why are you here?¡± Hansen was already very impatient. ¡°You are a nobledy. How could you be so illogical? You saw it on TV that day. Jenna saved me at that time. If it weren¡¯t for her, the person lying on the bed now would have been me. She saved me, so I took care of her. It¡¯s just natural. Do you want the public to think that the Richards family are so heartless?¡±

    Marissa was shocked for a moment, but she soon sobered up. Her face rxed and she realized that she had been too impulsive just now.

    However, she just couldn¡¯t believe that Jenna would risk her own life to save Hansen. As Aria said, she must have an ulterior motive, but it hadn¡¯t been discovered for the time being.

    She snorted coldly and rebuked, ¡°Hansen, I came here today not only for her, but also for your father. This woman is not a good woman. You are going to marry Aria. I hope you will stop seeing her to avoid gossip. Besides, even if she saved you, you can give her money or hire someone to take care of her. You don¡¯t need to take care of her personally!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Hansen. Since she saved you, just give her money. Isn¡¯t she fond of money? You can even ask me to take care of her. I will treat the person who saved my husband well.¡± Hearing Marissa¡¯s words, Aria understood and hurriedly carried on.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s good enough if you don¡¯t cause trouble for me. You don¡¯t need to interfere with my matters. There¡¯s nothing else here, please leave now.¡± Hansen was stubborn like a bull, and he was very annoyed.

    ¡°And you, don¡¯t involve my mother for no reason in the future. If you have that much free time, do something in thepany.¡± Hansen turned his face to Aria again. ¡°Didn¡¯tyou used to say that you were nning to further yourself in the entertainment circle? Go ahead. I¡¯ll call Director Cookter. He¡¯ll definitely make you famous.¡±

    At this point, Hansen had already ordered them to leave.

    Marissa could not believe how her son¡¯s attitude towards Jenna had changed so much. Several days ago, whenever Jenna was mentioned, his face was crammed full with disgust and impatience. But now, his attitude toward her had changed dramatically. Not only did she not see any trace of malice, but she could even see a hint of pity in his eyes.

    Was everything about to change?

    Marissa left the hospital and she was very upset.

    Mr. Chilton, the driver, had been waiting downstairs for a long time.

    Aria was even more furious. What did Hansen mean by agreeing to let her develop herself in the entertainment circle?

    In the past, she asionally mentioned it in front of Hansen. She loved performing since she was a child, but her father didn¡¯t want her to be a public figure. He only hoped that she could find a good husband to marry. After she met Hansen, she had given up on this idea. However, she had only mentioned it in front of Hansen once. At that time, Hansen didn¡¯t say anything and just said that he would think about it carefully.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    But today, he actually mentioned it in front of everyone.

    Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

    Did this mean that he loved her or was he trying to let her go?

    Aria couldn¡¯t figure it out. She was feeling uneasy. She felt that everything had taken a turn for the worse, especially after Jenna appeared.

    When she thought that she could lose Hansen, the best marriage partner in A city, she was irritated.

    So what if she became famous in the entertainment world? In the end, her hope was to marry someone as handsome and rich as Hansen.

    If she lost him, what could she do even if she became famous worldwide?

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t lose Hansen!¡± she screamed in her mind.

    She had poured so much effort into him. How could that woman snatch him away easily without doing anything?

    It was impossible!

    Aria drove with her teeth chattering. She had done so much, but he still turned his attention to Jenna. How could she let it go?

    She was in a foul mood.

    ¡°My mother cares too much about my father. Don¡¯t worry too much, she was too impulsive today.¡± Hansen looked at Jenna¡¯s pale face and exined with guilt. Fortunately, he came back in time and prevented his mother from hurting her. Otherwise, he would really be uneasy. After all, Jenna was injured because of him. His mother had pped her a few years ago. At that time, he stood aside, but he could not stop her in time. In fact, whenever he thought of the scene that day, he felt guilty. There was no way that he could tolerate such a thing again today.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were empty as she shook her head,¡°Hansen, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s have breakfast first,I¡¯m going back to thepanyter. I have to deal with the press conference. The doctor said that you should stay in the hospital for two more days for further observation. Rest in the hospital. If you¡¯re bored, go down and take a walk. I¡¯lle back when I have time,¡± Hansen said gently and left in a hurry afterwards.

 Chapter 44 Goodbye, Trevor Richards

    Jenna sat on the bed in a daze. She didn¡¯t pay much attention to Hansen¡¯s words, but Trevor¡¯s face kept shing in front of her eyes. For many years, she had always wanted to see him, but she didn¡¯t have the courage to.

    Today, he appeared to be so close to her. This was an opportunity, and she should go and have a look.

    She must have a look at him.

    She stood up and couldn¡¯t help walking towards the corridor ahead.

    The closer she got to the ward, the slower and heavier her steps became. Her heart was beating fast.

    The green-colored curtain strictly covered the room. Jenna felt that the interior was like the inside of an iron bucket. Even the air in the room was gray and dull.

    She didn¡¯t dare to step in.

    She stood in front of the door and hesitated for a while, then she opened the door gently.

    The spacious and clean ward was filled with all kinds of flowers, which were not as dull as expected. The windows on the south side were all open, and the air in the room was fresh andfortable. This high-ss ward was indeed the best ce for someone to recuperate.

    On arge white bedy an old man in his 60s. He was tall and thin, and his face as pale as paper. He was lying calmly with his eyes closed, as if he was sleeping. If one did not look carefully, they would not realize that the person was Trevor Richards, who once dominated the business world.

    Now that he was lying quietly, he was no longer as majestic as in the past. However, his distinctive facial features were still the same.

    Was it her fault?

    Jenna¡¯s heart suddenly tightened. It was so heavy that it fell straight down.Her breath was strangling her throat like a wire, and she was almost hyperventting.

    ¡°Dad¡­ Uncle Richards, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to do that. I really didn¡¯t do it. I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on myself.¡± Jenna suddenly bent down and held Trevor¡¯s cold hand, crying bitterly.

    For many years, this was the only thing she felt guilty about in the Richards family. Although it had nothing to do with her, she couldn¡¯t let go of this in the depths of her heart. Whenever she thought of this,her heart would be heavy and she would panic.

    Why? It was supposed to be a wonderful event. Why did it turn out to be such a tragedy?

    Was it wrong for her to marry into the Richards family?

    If she did not marry into the Richards family, none of this would have happened. Therefore, it was right for them to hate her. She was a sinner!

    She married Hansen because she loved him. However, she knew nothing about the Richards Family. Was it all her fault?Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Holding Trevor¡¯s hand, she couldn¡¯t help sobbing, ¡°Uncle Richards, I have divorced Hansen. I won¡¯t disturb you anymore, and I won¡¯t let the Richards family lose face. I beg you to get better as soon as possible. Only when you get better can I be at ease and leave without worries.¡±

    She cried out loud, not only for him, but also for her poor father.

    The tragic death of her father, and the unconscious Uncle Richards in the hospital bed, why did all these things happen?

    If what she had imagined was true, then when would this revenge and hatred end?

    At this moment, her heart suddenly calmed down. She had lost all traces of hatred!

    If Hansen was the one who set up that car ident, she would not me him now! After all, he had suffered the same pain, and his pain was even more painful than hers. Every day, he had to face the cruel reality that his dad whom he most respected was in aa. He must have been suffering.

    She stopped ming Marissa. She lost her beloved husband. She must have a lot of hatred inside of her.

    At this moment, the world was quiet, and so was her heart.

    Everything returned to the beginning.

    She wondered if she should leave and go to an unknown ce to spend the rest of her life with her mother.

    No matter what was between her and Hansen, it was in the past. It was impossible for them to go back to the past.

    This was life!

    It was her life!

    Rayan¡¯s words sounded in his ears.

    ¡°Jen, if you figure things out after this incident, you must choose your own life in the future¡­ You cane to me. I will definitely give you a satisfactory life, including a marriage.¡±

    His words were appropriate. A person who had never apanied her throughout her life could see her so thoroughly, but she could not. She fell for him again and again, to the point that she could not feel her own heart anymore.

    Even if they couldn¡¯t be husband and wife, they could still be friends. Hansen said so.

    No, they couldn¡¯t even be friends!

    Could they really ignore these living and cruel facts? It was impossible!

    She cried sadly, feeling that her whole life¡¯s worth of tears seemed to have dried up in these few days.

    The sound of footsteps came from outside the door.

    She wiped her tears and stood up.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, you must get better as soon as possible. I¡¯ll go first ande to see youter.¡± Jenna shook his hand again and choked with sobs. Then she nced at him again and turned her head away, gritting her teeth.

    ¡°Ah!¡± She screamed.

    Hansen¡¯s face was livid and blue veins bulged from his forehead. He looked at her as if there was a knife hidden in his eyes. It felt like he wanted to kill her.

    Last night, they were acting intimately. But at this moment, Jenna was afraid of Hansen. He was like a raging lion.

    ¡°Hansen¡­¡± Jenna¡¯s face was pale and she murmured in fear.

    ¡°What are you doing here? To make fun of us? Who asked you toe?¡± His words were cold. He rushed over and grabbed her arm. ¡°What are you doing here? I have decided to forget about the past. Why are you still here? Why did you let me see you here?¡±

    He roared angrily, and the fire in his eyes was about to set aze.

    ¡°No, Hansen, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± Jenna shook her head desperately with a pale face.

    ¡°What else do you want?¡± Hansen lost his reason and roared. He gripped Jenna¡¯s hand tighter and tighter, and the anger in his heart was getting stronger and stronger. He threw Jenna to the cold floor of the ward, and the bone-chilling pain came from her arms. Shey on the ground and could not stand up again. Her face was full of tears and she couldn¡¯t make a sound.

    ¡°Let me tell you, you are not allowed toe here in the future. You are not qualified toe here. Get out of here! Don¡¯t let me see you again,¡± Hansen shouted angrily, staring straight at Jenna who was lying on the ground. The light in his eyes was getting more and more terrible. He could not stay here any longer. If he stayed any longer, he could not guarantee that he would not kill her.

    He exhaled heavily and looked at Trevor, who was lying quietly like a dead man. He tightened his fist and rxed. After that, he finally turned around and rushed out as if he was escaping.

    Jenna thought that she would faint. She was in so much pain that she felt numb.

    At this time, footsteps came.

    ¡°Young Madam, why are you here?¡± A middle-aged woman eximed in surprise. Jenna raised her head and saw a wrinkled face.

    ¡°Aunt E,¡± she said numbly.

    ¡°Young Madam, get up quickly. It¡¯s cold on the ground.¡± The middle-aged woman helped her up, looked at her crying in pain, and sighed,¡°The Young Master must have lost his temper just now. I just saw him in the corridor. He stormed away in anger.¡±

    Aunt E helped her to the sofa and sat down. She sighed again.

    ¡°Young Madam, it¡¯s hard for him too. No one would be in a good mood seeing their father in aa like this. You should be more considerate. After all, we are a family. We can talk things out.¡± Aunt E poured a cup of water and handed it to Jenna. She then passed her a paper towel.

    ¡°I understand.¡± Jenna nodded,¡°I don¡¯t me them.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Aunt E nodded and asked with concern, ¡°Young Madam, when did youe back? When are you going back to Richards Mansion?¡±

    Aunt E used to stay with the grandma of the Richards family. Later, after Jenna and Hansen got married, grandma moved her to the Green Jade Garden where Hansen lived. Therefore, she could be regarded as the only person who was good to Jenna in the Richards family.

    After Jenna went to the United States, she automatically applied to take care of Trevor.

    Jenna pondered. She remembered that Aunt E was grandma¡¯s servant and would definitely report to grandma. It was not appropriate to let grandma know about her divorce with Hansen. She promised Hansen, so she smiled and said, ¡°I just came back, and I will go back soon. I will go back to Richards Mansion on Grandma¡¯s birthday.¡±

    ¡°I see. No wonder I haven¡¯t seen you in the Richards Mansion,¡± Aunt E suddenly realized and said. When she heard that Jenna was about to leave, she thought for a while and finally said,

    ¡°Young Madam, it¡¯s not a good idea for you two to live separately. After all, the Richards family is your family now. The Young Master is still young. You¡¯d bettere back. As a family, you two should sit down and talk peacefully. Everything will pass. You¡¯ll get through all the diffcultie.¡±

    When Jenna heard this, her nose twitched. Could she go back? Obviously, that was impossible. However, Aunt E didn¡¯t know the truth. Jenna could not tell her the truth, so she could only keep silent.

    ¡°Old Madam is always talking about you. Last time, I saw her telling Young Master that she must see you on her 90th birthday. Otherwise, she would not let go of the Young Master,¡± Aunt E continued with a smile on her face.

    Jenna was flustered when she heard that. She mumbled, ¡°How is Grandma?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine. She¡¯s already 90 years old but she¡¯s still alert. She still has sharp ears and bright eyes. She knows better than anyone else,¡± Aunt E smiled.

    ¡°Good, that¡¯s good.¡± A smile appeared on Jenna¡¯s face.

    ¡°Young Madam, listen to me. Come home.¡± Aunt E suddenly grabbed Jenna¡¯s hand. ¡°No matter how good it is outside, it can¡¯t be better than at home. What¡¯s more, your husband is home. Grandma has been talking about wanting to hold her great-grandchildren.¡±

    Jenna was stunned. It felt like the words were describing the reality of another world.

    She sat there in a daze.

 Chapter 45 Dinner Together

    ¡°Young Madam, if you don¡¯te back, Aria McAdams will rece you.¡± Aunt E was suddenly slightly nervous as she said, ¡°That woman is scheming. She managed to brainwash Madam now, even the Young Master listens to her. I heard that Madam is preparing for their marriage. She wants Hansen to divorce you so that he can marry Aria. Their only fear is that the Old Madam will object. If she did, it would be tough for them to get married. However, Aria is determined to marry into the Richards family. She even told Madam that she loves Hansen a lot and she doesn¡¯t mind that he has a wife. She is willing to be his second wife.¡± She continued, ¡°Her words touched Madam¡¯s heart and Madam promised her that even if the Old Madam objects, she will let her marry the Young Master and stay in the Richards Manor. Young Madam, don¡¯t be silly,e home. While the Old Madam is still alive, she will definitely support you. Many young women dream to be the wife of the handsome Young Master. Think about it, Aria is Mayor McAdams¡¯ daughter but she¡¯s willing to be his second wife. You should take advantage of the fact that the Old Madam still has power and a say in the family. Moreover, the Old Madam fancies you, don¡¯t waste this opportunity.¡±

    Aunt E was nagging, and Jenna felt bitter but she couldn¡¯t say anything. She just listened and responded vaguely. Then, she walked out of the ward.

    Aunt E grew up in the Richards¡¯ Manor. She saw with her own eyes how the men in the rich and powerful Richards family took second wives. Hansen¡¯s grandfather himself had a second wife. ude¡¯s family was the descendant of the second wife, Madam ncy.

    However, Trevor and his wife had a good rtionship. Marissa kept a close eye on Trevor so they did not encounter such a problem. Moreover, Trevor was naturally a loyal person. He did not want to see Marissa sad, so he never thought of marrying a second wife.

    However, ude married a second wife. She tantly moved into the family home. In fact, it was normal for men from wealthy families to openly marry a second wife in A city.

    Although the monogamy system was preferred, for the wealthy families, they did not care much. Everyone knew it well and was used to it. Furthermore, both the men and the women were willing to do it. Some women knew clearly that the men were married and had official wives, but still willingly married them.

    It was too much of a temptation to marry into a wealthy family. As long as the second wife gave birth to a son, they would have no financial worries for the rest of their lives. They would live a good life as wealthy families weremonly generous to the second wives.

    For example, in today¡¯s entertainment industry, many female celebrities marry into wealthy families as second wives. They still acted happily and proudly. What¡¯s more, the wives all got along well with each other.

    Aria was the daughter of Mayor McAdams. Itwould be ridiculous to say that she was willing to marry into the Richards family as a second wife.

    Not to mention, she was an arrogant woman, always looking down on most people. As Mayor McAdams¡¯s daughter, it would be an embarrassment for her to be married as a second wife.

    The fact that Aria told Marissa how she was willing to be a second wife was just to gain her favor.

    Jennay in the ward for a whole day silently. She did not even take a step out of the ward.

    Hansen never came back.

    She fell asleep early and had different dreams. When she woke up again, it was already daytime.

    After packing up, she notified the nurses and was discharged from the hospital earlier than expected.

    She didn¡¯t go anywhere. She just took a taxi to the Collier Manor.

    Since Hansen would suspect that she might betray thepany, she did not go anywhere. She would stay in the apartment so he could rest assured.

    In the past few days, she had already thought of a perfect design for a new car. She wanted to draw it out quickly.

    Back at the apartment, she turned on theputer and began to work hard. She quickly got into the zone.

    In the afternoon, she went out to buy some groceries and then came back to cook for herself.

    She hadn¡¯t cooked for a long time. Today, she wanted to cook a few delicious dishes for herself.

    The big kitchen was clean. Hansen had never cooked. That was right, how could a man like him cook? What¡¯s more, he could easily find whatever he wanted to eat.

    Jenna washed the vegetables and prepared some pasta.

    She deliberately turned off her mobile phone to concentrate on cooking.

    In the evening, Hansen hurried back.

    As soon as he entered the door,he froze at the fragrant smell of food for a moment.

    The kitchen was connected to the living room. Hansen took a few steps and saw the woman who was busy in the kitchen. She was wearing an apron and her hair was casually hanging on her shoulders. Her hands were cutting vegetables skillfully, while she took nces from time to time at the soup that was boiling in the pot.

    He couldn¡¯t get his eyes off her. Last night, he worked overtime to produce the invitations for the famous financial groups to attend the press conference for the new productunch. He had to personally make some calls in order to show his respect. He was so busy that he had no time to go to the hospital. When he was done with work, he was so tired that he fell asleep on the sofa.

    After finishing his work this afternoon, he thought of Jenna who was in the hospital. He rushed to the hospital but the nurses told him that she had already been discharged from the hospital.

    At that time, he was in a panic. Yesterday, he treated her rudely in his father¡¯s ward. Would she get into trouble after being emotionally triggered likest time? After all, he didn¡¯t visit herst night.

    He quickly called her but her phone was switched off.

    In a hurry, he searched everywhere. He even called Hannah, but he was scolded by her. Even Hannah had no idea where Jenna was.

    He was rendered helpless and came to the apartment with a ray of hope. He didn¡¯t think she would return to the apartment. Based on their confrontation these few days, he would expect her to go somewhere he could not find her. Perhaps, she would have gone to Rayan Whalen forfort.

    He sullenly came back and saw something unexpected. Jenna had already returned to the apartment and was cooking in the kitchen.

    There was a trace of joy in his heart arousing.

    Leaning against the door, he looked at her skillfully cutting vegetables and cooking, but his mood was inexplicablyplicated.

    Jenna was a nobledy from a famous family, but she didn¡¯t have the delicate and reserved manner that a typicaldy from a rich family would have. She had never put on airs and had a calm personality. Except towards him, she was modest and gentle to everyone. She never bullied others nor was she conceited.

    He thought that maybe his grandma liked this about her and wanted him to marry her!

    The pot was steaming, indicating that the steamed fish was ready to be served. She turned off the fire and opened the lid as shewanted to take out the fish.

    ¡°Be careful.¡± Hansen saw that she didn¡¯t put anything on her hand before taking out the fish from the pot. The fish was steaming hot, she would definitely be scalded. He screamed in a hurry.

    Sure enough, when Jenna¡¯s hand touched the side of the te, she felt the heat and quickly jerked her hand away.

    ¡°Look, you almost got scalded.¡± Hansen hurried forward and grabbed her hand. Seeing a small blister on her delicate fingertips, he couldn¡¯t help nagging at her.

    Jenna raised her head in surprise, only to see that Hansen had actuallye back.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± She smiled at him and quickly ran cold tap water on her finger.

    ¡°Why did you get discharged in advance? You¡¯re bold enough to discharge yourself without my consent.¡± Hansen deliberately put on a poker face. He thought of how worried he was when she hid herself and cried alone, and wondered if she would fall ill again like thest time.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now. I don¡¯t need to stay in the hospital. Besides, I still have work to do. I¡¯ve been down for a few days,¡± Jenna answered indifferently. Then she raised her head and smiled sweetly. ¡°By the way, I guess you haven¡¯t eaten yet. Let¡¯s eat together. I¡¯ve made your favorite dishes.¡±

    Hansen was stunned. She smiled brightly and her teeth were showing. She didn¡¯t look like she was unhappy. It was as if she did not remember him scolding and shouting at her in Trevor¡¯s ward the day before.

    He couldn¡¯t understand this woman. She would burst into tears and cry sadly when nothing had happened. However, she was being scolded yesterday but she was acting indifferently now. She really was a freak!

    Perhaps it was because of guilt! After all, she was the culprit who caused his father to be like that.

    He was relieved!

    Jenna quickly ced the dishes on the table. Hansen took a look and it was really all his favorite dishes. She even prepared his favorite mushroom soup.

    ¡°Come, let¡¯s have some red wine.¡± Hansen happened to be hungry and was so excited that he opened a bottle of expensive red wine.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna sat down and smiled, generously agreeing.

    ¡°Come, eat this. This is your favorite steamed fish.¡± Jenna picked up a piece of fish and put it on his te.

    ¡°How do you know that I like to eat this fish?¡± Hansen asked with burning eyes, staring at her.

    Jenna froze a little before she smiled, ¡°I heard from the workers at home.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes dimmed, and he raised his ss, ¡°Come, Jenna. If I remember correctly, this should be our first meal together. A toast to you.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Jenna raised her ss slightly, but she felt bitter inside. They had been married for four years, but this was the first time they had eaten together alone.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.

    It used to be so cold and distant between them.

    They were probably the weirdest couple in the world!

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry. I might have hurt you in my dad¡¯s ward yesterday. I was emotional and couldn¡¯t control myself. I promise that this will never happen again. Like I said, forget everything in the past. Come, cheers.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes were a little reddish. He was ming himself, then he downed the ss of wine.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, let bygones be bygones,¡± she shook her head and finished her ss of wine too.

    ¡°Come, eat some.¡± Hansen brought a piece of chicken to Jenna¡¯s mouth. Jenna opened her mouth generously. He smiled slightly and put it into her mouth lightly.

    The twoughed at the same time, the atmosphere was fun and harmonious.

    For the first time, Hansen felt at home in this apartment.

    ¡°I have something to say.¡± The two spoke at almost the same time, then froze at the same time,ughing almost simultaneously. ¡°You speak first,¡± he said.

    ¡°You should go first.¡± Jenna wanted to hear what he had to say.

 Chapter 46 Argument

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go first then,¡± Hansen thought about it and did not object. ¡°Jenna, you know that our marriage was far from perfect at the beginning. There were many unfortunate events. All these years, I might have ignored you at times and failed to fulfill my duties as a husband. I hope you don¡¯t take it to heart. I hope you don¡¯t me my mother for the way she treated you too.¡±

    Hansen paused and took a sip of wine. He then continued, ¡°I know I can¡¯t give you the happiness you want. I couldn¡¯t do it in the past and won¡¯t be able to in the future. Therefore, I won¡¯t push you. After the press conference, you can tell me what you want. I will try my best to fulfill your requirements.¡±

    He was serious and careful. Perhaps he was afraid of hurting her. He used his words carefully, but Jenna certainly understood what he meant.

    She felt bitter in her heart, but there was a moving smile on her face.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m done. Now it¡¯s your turn,¡± he looked up at her with his deep eyes.

    At this time, Jenna had just finished drinking red wine. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were pink and tender. She looked beautiful.

    Hansen was lost in thought looking at her. He thought that he was not meant to be with a woman like her. There were too many things between them. It was not easy to sit down, eat, and talk as calmly as today.

    He sighed in his heart. Perhaps it was fate.

    ¡°Actually, I thought of the same thing,¡± Jenna smiled slightly and understood what he meant. The person he wanted to marry was Aria, and the person he loved was her. He was now only worried that she would interfere with their lives.

    She was not a fool; of course she understood.

    ¡°Hansen, I don¡¯t regret saving you at all. I¡¯ve thought about it in the past few days. Many things should also be put down. I don¡¯t n to ask for those two cars anymore. You can rest assured that I will do my best toplete the design. I¡¯ll ensure that the press conference will be held sessfully and that you will get good results. Please believe in me.¡±

    Her eyes were bright. She looked calm and rxed.

    Hansen looked at her bright eyes, but felt a bit disheartened.

    He had a lot going through his mind and was a little distracted. The sour taste swelled in his heart, slowly bing thicker. He picked up the wine ss in his hand and finished it off.

    During dinner, they were peaceful and friendly. They tried to maintain the courtesy and boundaries between friends.

    After dinner, Jenna cleaned up and continued with the car designing on herputer. Hansen also worked seriously.

    For three days in a row, Jenna went to thepany during the day to discuss with the design staff, and came back alone at night to continue thinking about the designs. Finally, at the end of the third night, shepleted all the design drawings.

    She was so exhausted that she fell asleep on theputer desk.

    When she was asleep, she felt someone picking her up. That embrace was warm and familiar. She fell asleep soundly and when she opened her eyes, it was already the next day.

    Hansen was carrying his bag and was ready to go out.

    ¡°Hansen, I have finished the designs. I would like to reiterate some specific points.¡± Jenna stopped Hansen before he walked out of the door, ¡°Please give me ten minutes during the press conference to exin about the designs. I will handle this part myself. I have to do this, please believe in me. I will make the audience understand the performance and superiority of each car as soon as possible.¡±

    She looked at him confidently.

    If she did not seize the opportunity to propose this idea to him at this time, after he returned to thepany, he would be too busy to talk to her. Besides, the press conference was to be held soon. She had to coordinate with the person in charge in advance so that there would be no mistakes during the press conference. She did not want to trouble Hansen by then.

    Hansen wore a nice suit which made him look slender and tall. He had woken up early in the morning andwas lively. His eyes were particrly energetic. He nodded and said, ¡°Yes, your designs are indeed well crafted. I like one of the designs a lot. You can do as you nned. I will call Aria and let her know.¡±

    Jenna blinked her eyes, smiled lightly and nodded.

    Hansen also smiled at her, then he left.

    At the convention center of the magnificent International Kinsey Center.

    The event was named ¡°Spread Our Love With Cosmic Hybrid Car¡±. The press conference and the charity event were in preparation.

    Aria was busy at the scene, directing sternly from time to time.

    She wanted the best decorations for the venue so that it would have a high-end atmosphere.

    After all, many business people and celebrities would be attending this press conference. It was not the same as ordinary banquets. It was important for the image of Richards Group.

    When Jenna walked in, Aria was gesticting with several supermodels.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, I won¡¯t need car models for the presentation. I have my own arrangements,¡± Jenna walked up calmly and said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need car models?¡± Aria raised her eyebrows and looked at the few invited supermodels that were standing by her side. Her face was disdainful and dissatisfied. ¡°Do you think your designs are so highly sought after by the people? It¡¯s funny. Nowadays, packaging is important. Tell me, what auto show does not feature car models? I invited these supermodels because I care for Richards Group. But now, you¡¯re telling me you don¡¯t need them? It¡¯s ridiculous.¡±

    ¡°I will thank Ms. McAdams for your effort. However, I do not need any models. I designed the cars and I have my own ns. I hope you can cooperate with me.¡± Jenna was unimpressed by her cynicism. She shook her head, shrugged her shoulders, and gave him a helpless expression.

    To tell the truth, she hated how the domestic auto shows were. They always hired models who were scantily d to hype up the event. She wondered whether the people who attended the shows were here to look at the cars or the models.

    It was undeniable that this could attract the attention of men, but the real function of the car would be overlooked. After the novelty was over, they would see the car in new light. Then, once they realized that the car was not what they liked, they would regret it. This would create a bad impression on thepany.

    It was a low-end way to promote cars. For people who really understood cars and loved cars, they would not care about these things. The most important thing was what they thought about the car. How the car brought them convenience in life and making them feel like owning the car was like having their beloved person by their side.

    Jenna wanted to attract these guests. These people would really appreciate a car for what it was, and they would not buy a car for no reason. They would only buy the best. After that, many people would follow suit and this would create a huge demand. Slowly, the public would be sucked in by the trend and they would also purchase the same cars.

    The hardest buyers to target in the market were the high-end and exquisite people. Jenna was eyeing their potential.

    She wanted to attract their attention.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Therefore, she would not let Aria¡¯s cheap packaging ruin her intention.

    ¡°No way, this is thepany¡¯s standard arrangement. I am fully in charge of this. I can¡¯t let someone without any understanding of marketing handle this,¡± Aria rejected it immediately.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, I don¡¯t care what you are in charge of. However, I will not let anyone else dictate my presentation. Otherwise, it will ruin my efforts. I don¡¯t need your consent.It has already been decided,¡± Jenna put on a smile and said confidently. It was as if her words were final. It was like an order.

    Aria¡¯s face suddenly darkened. At Richards Group, no one dared to rebel against anything she wanted to do. The only person who had the power was Hansen.

    Although it might lose money, but as long as she had decided on it, Hansen would never deny her ideas. She did not believe this would change today.

    ¡°How dare you? You¡¯re just a manager in the designing department. You dare to ignore my authority as the Vice President? The arrangements were made a long time ago. The supermodels are already here. We have spent so much on this event. Can you afford it?¡± Aria was arrogant and refused to budge,¡°If the press conference fails, will you be responsible for it?¡±

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, don¡¯t forget, the theme of this press conference is luxury cars. The luxury cars that I have designed,¡± Jenna did not show weakness. She smiled coldly and took out her mobile phone.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m in the convention center now. I need you toe over immediately,¡± she spoke calmly but her tone was as if she was giving orders.

    Jenna dared to order Hansen around? This made the busy staff at the scene curious. They all stopped their work, stood up, and looked directly at this side.

    Aria¡¯s blushed and gritted her teeth.

    After a while, sure enough, Hansen hurried over. He was talking on his cell phone, indicating that he was busy with business.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± Aria saw Hansening and rushed up, hugged his arm, and pressed her entire chest on his body. ¡°Hansen, that woman is causing trouble. The procedures for the conference were already confirmed a long time ago, but she rejects it and wants to change it.¡±

    Jenna stood there and looked at them coldly.

    Hansen ended the call and removed Aria¡¯s arms from his body. He gave out a faint smile and said, ¡°Aria, get me a cup of water. I want to see for myself.¡±

    Aria was originally smiling when she saw Hansen. However, when she heard his words, the smile on her face gradually disappeared and she frowned. He asked her for a cup of water as soon as he was here. It was obvious he was trying to drive her away!

    Something was not right!

    However, she chuckled and still followed his order.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry. I was too busy and forgot to tell her,¡± Hansen understood as soon as he walked in. He had forgotten what he promised her in the morning. It happened because of him, so he sent Aria away to exin to Jenna.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Jenna smiled generously,¡°Hansen, you would know. Everything I do has a meaning to the design. If things don¡¯t go as I nned, it will lose its meaning.¡±

    A cheeky smile appeared on Hansen¡¯s face. He blinked slightly, leaned over his head, and whispered, ¡°I believe in you.¡±

 Chapter 47 A Twist

    ¡°You¡­¡± Jenna took a step back as her face blushed. There were many people staring at them. How could he tantly ignore the fact that people would gossip? Their rtionship was not normal to begin with, but he still did not pay attention to his actions.

    ¡°Hansen, the water is here.You should drink it, I have already cooled it down for you,¡± Aria walked over quickly and stood in between them.

    All Jenna could see was Aria¡¯s sexy back and hips.

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Hansen seemed to be really thirsty and finished the cup of water. Then, he handed the cup to the staff on the side and hugged Aria¡¯s shoulder in one hand, smiling, ¡°Aria, please share your ns with us again.¡±

    Aria was delighted. With a smile on her face, she chuckled audibly, ¡°Hansen, you promised to bring me on the stage. Don¡¯t forget about it.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± As he appeased her, Hansen¡¯s eyes nced at Jenna who was standing behind her.

    Aria happily repeated the ns for the press conference.

    ¡°About that,Aria, move the promotion of the car designs to the peak timing. Also, leave ten minutes for Jenna to do her presentation,¡± he said indifferently. Although his tone was soft, there was no room for objection.

    ¡°Hansen, why? This will affect the signing of the contract,¡± Aria eximed, looking surprised.

    ¡°Of course it won¡¯t affect it.¡± Jenna was impressed by Hansen¡¯s ingenious arrangement. Originally, she only wanted to present in person, but Hansen arranged her presentation at the climax of the event. It would definitely yield unexpected results.¡°It will not affect the flow of the event, and it will definitely give the cars great exposure. It¡¯s the perfect arrangement¡±, she added.

    There was a slight smile on her face, almost unnoticeable. In business, Hansen was really smart. It was not by chance that his businesses were sessful. He was the reason behind the sess.

    ¡°Hansen, I am in charge of the entire press conference. You have never rejected my nning before. Are you doing this because of her?¡± Aria¡¯s expression turned ugly and sheined unhappily.

    ¡°Say no more. It¡¯s decided,¡± Hansen¡¯s tone became colder, the smile on his face gradually faded. He said, ¡°I still have something to do, please cooperate with Ms. Murphy.¡±

    When he finished speaking, his phone rang. He answered the call with one hand and put the other hand into his trousers pocket. He then walked away slowly.

    Aria looked embarrassed. She stared furiously at Jenna.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, arrogance is a disease. You have to cure it. Don¡¯t pretend to understand what you don¡¯t understand. This is not very good for your beloved man. A man like Hansen will not be fooled by your little tricks,¡± Jenna said indifferently while looking at Aria¡¯s murderous gaze.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t get ahead of yourself. No matter what, you¡¯re just someone that Hansen has given up on. He will not fall in love with you. I will not let you seed,¡± Aria cursed in her fury.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jennaughed out loud, ¡°Well, I can¡¯t do anything if you don¡¯t like me. Hansen was the one who hired me. He begged me to be his designer. What can I do? He likes my designs!¡± Speaking of this, Jenna took a step forward, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to worry about my ten minutes. A shallow woman like you will not be able to understand my designs. Therefore, I really do not need you to intervene in anything.¡±

    Jenna looked away from Aria after this. She picked up the catalog and read it. She asked one of the staff, ¡°Who is in charge of the video projection? Ask him to look for me at the Design Department.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ms. Murphy.¡± As Hansen had already given his permission, the staff agreed instantly.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes lightened, and there was a silky smile on her face. She raised her head slightly and walked past Aria. ¡°Ms. McAdams, I was once Hansen¡¯s legal wife, unlike someone who relies on conspiracy and tricks and might still fail to get the title. I don¡¯t mind that someone wants the man I refused. Perhaps your effort may not evene to fruition!¡±

    Jennaughed softly, shook her head, and walked away.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Aria shivered all over. Her face was pale and her heart felt like exploding. She almost fainted.

    Some of the staff members wereughing softly at the scene.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, about the two cars that you asked me to look for. One of them is still parked in thepound of the A city¡¯s city hall. It was originally used by the city¡¯s secretary, but due to restrictive measures, he has stopped using the car. The other car was originally parked in Green Mountain Automobile City, but strangely, the car went missing. No traces of it could be found,¡± Alvin reported while standing straight with his face full of doubts.

    ¡°What?¡± Hansen raised his head in shock.¡°It¡¯s missing? Isn¡¯t it parked at Green Mountain Automobile City? How can it be missing?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards, I also thought that it¡¯s strange.¡± Alvin couldn¡¯t hide his skepticism and said strangely, ¡°After that, I called Calvin and said you sent me here. Calvin took me and looked around, but we still couldn¡¯t find it. However, I noticed some suspicions.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s hands were twisted together. He leaned into his chair and his eyes darkened. He had a skeptical look on his face.

    Jenna had repeatedly asked for these two cars,so what was going on? Why would she want these two cars?

    Although she had made it clear that she did not want these two cars anymore at dinnerst night, he felt confused. The two cars were outdated models. It no longer had any meaning to Richards Group. He was not that stingy. As he has promised to give her the cars, he would do it. He did not want to owe her a favor.

    This morning, he immediately ordered Alvin to bring the car out of Green Mountain Automobile City. He thought of giving her one of the cars tonight. However, Alvin brought him the news when it was almost time to get off work. It shocked him.

    ¡°The car couldn¡¯t have flown away?¡± He couldn¡¯t help mumbling.

    ¡°No,¡± Alvin replied affirmatively, ¡°I found the car there. However, it has been modified and painted red. Even the engine number was erased.¡±

    Alvin¡¯s words shocked Hansen to the point that he sprung to his feet.

    ¡°What did you say? The engine number was erased? Who dared to do such a thing?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I really don¡¯t know. This is just what I found in the Automobile City. I only found out after getting a professional technician to check it out. As for who did it and why, I have no idea at all,¡± Alvin said embarrassedly.

    ¡°D*mn it,¡± Hansen scolded loudly.

    The luxury car was a global limited edition produced by Richards Group a few years ago. Due to the limited technology, they hired foreign designers and technicians to produce the car. Only five units were produced globally inmemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of Richards Group¡¯s establishment. The founders of Richards Group started the business decades ago. On the fiftieth anniversary, Hansen even ordered the production team to hasten the manufacturing of the cars.

    The quality of the luxury cars was great. Hansen ordered for one to be put into the Green Mountain Automobile City formemoration. It didn¡¯t matter how much it was worth, since the Richards family could afford it easily. The car was used when Hansen married Jenna, so the sentimental value was greater than its actual value. However, the car also consumed a lot of fuel, so it was not the best for daily use.

    At that time, Richards Group gifted one of the cars to the city government, so it was not surprising that one was stationed in the city hallpound.

    Hansen originally thought that Jenna wanted the car as a souvenir from their marriage. After all, he drove this car when he married her back then.

    That day, when she made the request, he thought about it for a long time before agreeing to her. Since he had agreed to it, he didn¡¯t want to break his promise. But now, he wasn¡¯t sure anymore.

    He lit a cigar, took a deep breath, and stood in front of the window. There was a sharp look in his eyes.

    Could there be something behind this?

    Why did she insist on these two cars particrly? Now, it did not seem that she wanted them as a souvenir. Their marriage had always been her nightmare. What was there for her to reminisce about?

    ¡°Alvin, continue investigating this matter. Now that the press conference is about to take ce, I cannot focus on this matter. I hope to get an answer before my grandma¡¯s birthday. I want to know who dared to destroy my car, and also the reason for that.¡± He was silent for a while before he sternlymanded Alvin.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    ¡°Okay, Mr. Richards,¡± Alvin nodded and agreed.

    ¡°Also, did you find any clues about the attack on me at the Green Mountain Automobile City?¡± Hansen¡¯s voice was cold. Obviously, he didn¡¯tpletely believe that it was only due to the man¡¯s impulse. Hansen had a hunch that someone had nned this incident. As for the purpose, he had no idea for now.

    Alvin shook his head again, ¡°Mr. Richards, for the time being, it looks like the man did it because of his personal vendetta. I haven¡¯t found out if anyone else was behind this.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face was gloomy, the light in his eyes were flickering.

    ¡°Alvin, continue with the investigations in secret. Report to me immediately if there are any updates.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Alvin agreed and left.

    Hansen inserted his hands into his trousers pockets, his face was nk as he lookedat Alvin¡¯s back. He gradually slipped into deep thought.

    Alvin Robertson was a member of the special forces in the army. Hansen spent a long time to find such a capable person. Alvin was his confidant and secretly worked for him.

    Not many people in Richards Group knew about AlvinsinceAlvin did not have to stay in the office. He moved around and only Hansen¡¯s secretary had his number. However, even the secretary did not know what Alvin¡¯s job was.

    If even Alvin had said that the issue was tricky, maybe it was something really troublesome andplicated?

    Jenna had buried her head in front of theputer for several hours. She was perfecting thementary. She only had ten minutes, so she had to be concise and highlight the superior performance and characteristics of the car, apanied by the illustrations. This was of utmost importance.

    Hansen walked slowly and steadily into the room, and sat on the sofa. He looked at her with his head tilted, a cigar in his mouth.

    Jenna was so focused on work that she only raised her head when she smelled the cigar.

    Hansen was sitting on the sofa, staring at her. However, instead of saying that his gaze was burning, it was mysterious. His gaze was deep, but it was not focused. His pupils were ck, but they had glimmers of lights within them.He was looking at her but not focusing on her.His attitude could be described as friendly, but it was missing a little sincerity. It was not exactly normal either. He stared in her direction without moving an inch. He did not even look away while smoking the cigar.

    At this time, Jenna felt that it was creepy.

    Recently, he had been courteous to her, and sometimes it could even be considered as amiable.The most important thing was that he had stopped being condescending to her, and regarded her as a normal friend. For the above reasons, she smiled at him.

 Chapter 48 Whoâ€™s She?

    Hansen smoked his cigar while looking at Jenna with his head tilted. He was indifferent to her beautiful smiling face.

    Could it be that he had gone crazy after a few days of being normal?

    She deliberately coughed and cleared her throat. She looked into his eyes while putting her head on the table, trying to determine whether he was looking at her. Something did not feel right. ¡°You are not going to go back on your word, are you? I have already finalized the manuscript. I will not let anyone else intervene with my designs. It¡¯s useless for you to go back on your word now.¡±

    She reached out and shook her hands in front of his eyes.

    In the past few days, she discovered something about Hansen. He generally did not smoke. Whenever he smoked, it was likely that he had encountered some problems. What problem did he encounter today? It must have had something to do with her since he was in her office.

    Thinking of the discord between herself and Aria this morning, Jenna thought that Aria must have gone to Hansen andined about her. He must havee here to vent on behalf of his beloved woman!

    Thinking of this, Jenna shivered. She did not like it when Hansen was mad. She got up and was ready to slip away.

    Today, Hansen refuted Aria in front of everyone at the Convention Center and supported Jenna. Now, the people in thepany was saying that Hansen still had feelings for his ex-wife, and that Aria was about to fall out of favor.

    Aria was so angry that she had cried a river.

    Would Aria let Jenna go?

    Jenna packed up and saw that Hansen was still staring at her. She could not figure out what was going through his mind.

    She made up her mindthat if Hansen wanted to hand over her designs for Aria to promote them, she was ready to go berserk and destroy them. She would not let her hard work be squandered like that.

    ¡°Stop.¡± Just when Jenna was about to walk out of the office, Hansen stopped her in time. He walked toward her and stretched out his hand to grab her. With a little pull, Jenna fell into his arms.

    He dropped his cigar, and touched her face gently. He smiled evilly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, how could I go back on my word? Come with me, I will treat you to dinner.¡±

    ¡°Dinner?¡± Jenna broke free of his arms, and was a little puzzled. She did not believe that he only wanted to have dinner after staring at her for such a long time.

    ¡°Of course, otherwise, what do you think I want to do?¡± He smiled evilly and turned his eyes to Jenna¡¯s chest. She was wearing a professional suit. Although she didn¡¯t show her chest, the button on the shirt was directly under her breasts. The camisole underneath made her skin look white and snowy, which attracted Hansen¡¯s eyes.

    Hansen felt his throat dry, and gulped unknowingly as he thought,¡°D*mn it, how can she look so good in a professional suit?¡±

    The few years that they were married, why didn¡¯t he realize the beauty she possessed? He ignored her for many years and now all he could do was look at her. Thinking about this, Hansen felt a little regretful.

    Jenna rolled her eyes at him.If he wanted to have dinner, did he have to act so strangely?

    ¡°Yesterday you cooked for me. Today I¡¯m returning the favor,¡± he smiled, trying to conceal the embarrassment.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Hansen dragged her hand and walked out.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,¡± Minnie smiled when she saw Hansening out. When she realized that Hansen was dragging Jenna with his hand, her face became dull.

    She looked at Hansen dragging Jenna into the special elevator, and then the elevator went directly down to the basement. She felt resentful.

    The rumor going around was that Hansen was still in love with his ex-wife. It seemed that it was not only a rumor but the truth.

    Red, yellow and blue neon lights spread out from the middle of the screen and gradually gathered back. The ripples were like the water lines on the blue sky, dreamy and dazzling.

    The three big words, ¡°Sky Blue Restaurant¡±, radiated a dazzling light from afar.

    This was a popr restaurant in A city. Many of its customers were sessful people in the city. It was said that the women that came with the male customers were rarely their wives. The women that came here were usually rich and would spend a lot of money. They came here just to find love. It would be too insulting to say that they were the mistresses.

    The mood in the restaurant was always romantic and warm.

    Hansen walked in with Jenna, and of course the waiter recognized him and immediately greeted him.

    Jenna followed Hansen but she felt ufortable. Indeed, she came here to find love, but what did he think of her?

    The lights were blurred, misty, and unreal. The music was ying softly in the background.

    Hansen ordered several dishes without even asking for her opinion.

    This had always been his style, overbearing and domineering.

    Fortunately, Jenna was not a picky person. She could eat anything.

    When the delicious dishes were served, Jenna was surprised. Most of the dishes that he had ordered were either her favorite food or Hansen¡¯s.

    How did he know what her favorite food was? It didn¡¯t look coincidental!

    ¡°Come, drink some red wine.¡± Hansen asked the waiter to uncork an expensive bottle of red wine and poured a ss for both of them.

    The pleasant dinner began in a peaceful atmosphere.

    Hansen was a courteous manandhe was gentle and considerate. From time to time, he dished out the food into Jenna¡¯s te. The two often clinked sses, and Jenna¡¯s cheeks were blushing as if they had been soaked in red wine.

    ¡°Come, open your mouth.¡± Since Hansen drank some wine, his face had also begun to blush and his eyes blurred. He leaned over, hugged Jenna¡¯s shoulder, and handed the food to her mouth.

    Jenna turned her head and frowned.

    ¡°Come on, why don¡¯t you y along? Look at other people, who else has a bitter face like yours?¡± Hansen hugged her, smiling evilly, blowing in her ear.

    To an outsider, he looked like a flirt. Jenna was a little annoyed and felt ufortable. She looked around and saw that the couples around were tightly hugging each other. It felt like that was the norm. They were the odd couple out instead.

    Jenna took a deep breath. In order to blend in, she allowed him to hug her.

    She was in his arms, but her eyes kept looking around. She was embarrassed.

    Under the warm light, the couples in the restaurant did not attract her attention, but suddenly, the figure of a woman caught her attention. What surprised her most was that the woman¡¯s eyes were focused on her.

    The woman just sat there indifferently, and graceful as autumn leaves. Her movements were quiet and calm. The woman just looked at Jenna quietly, and the light in her eyes was intriguing.

    She was beautiful, but something about her was different from other women. She was noble, elegant and charming.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t help but look at her. In such an environment, she sat alone, without any hint of being ufortable. Jenna didn¡¯t know whether it was her temperament that attracted her, or the fact that she sat alone. The woman reminded Jenna of herself.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Suddenly, there was a touch of sadness in her heart that reced that strange feeling.

    Jenna felt awkward being here.

    Shouldn¡¯t she be sitting like the woman?

    ¡°What are you thinking? Concentrate.¡± Hansen touched her face with a little dissatisfaction.

    Jenna rolled her eyes at him and took the wine ss. The scarlet liquid stained her little hands red.

    ¡°Drink it.¡± She brought the ss to his mouth.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Hansen bit his ss with his mouth and finished the whole ss.

    ¡°I¡¯m done eating. I¡¯m leaving,¡± she said lightly.

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Hansen wrapped his arms around her tightly. He whispered softly into her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to tell me?¡±

    He looked at her faintly. Jenna looked back at him in amazement. She wasn¡¯t sure what he was talking about. She shook her head and turned around to look at the woman. However, the seat was empty. The woman had left unnoticeably, as if she had never been there before.

    Jenna was stunned.

    Was she dazzled? Was the woman just an illusion?

    The uneasiness in her heart spread over. Jenna stood up and walked out.

    A city.

    Huge banners and colorful advertisements were all around the city. The media was promoting the ¡°Spread Our Love With Comic Hybrid Car¡± event. It was an event with a press conference and charity activities.

    The day had finally arrived.

    At the first floor auditorium in International Kinsey Center, there was a long red carpet that led directly to the center stage. The center stage was the auto show. The huge screens disying the car designs were set up and yed in all directions. A huge round table surrounded the stage. Everything was set up ording to the international standard. There would be arge reception after the press conference.

    It was undeniable that Aria had unique tastes. As the daughter of A city¡¯s Mayor McAdams, she grew up in a superior environment. She had talent in the fashion field that not many people possessed. For example, the decoration of the event was well designed. It integrated different styles and showed off an elegant, noble, and romantic feel catered to the elites. It could easily guide the guests into a perfect state, and they would end up signing contracts with the organizers.

    The guests today were well known international and domestic financial groups. It was said that the private ne hangar of A city was fully parked. Naturally, all news media were dispatched from all over the city!

    In the brightly lit conference room, wealthy merchants and businessmen from various countries walked in from the red carpet, and the scene was extremely generous and warm.

    A melodious song flowed in the air.

    ¡®Let Me Go¡¯

    For this event, Hansen had put in a lot of effort.He wanted his business to expand internationally and to root itself firmly in the international market.

    This was a crucial time for Richards Group to transform in order to upy arger market share and to lead the pack. He hired Jenna, the top designer, to design the new luxury cars and used the charity events to attract giant consortiums around the world.

    If he could gain the favor of these consortiums and signed the contracts sessfully, it would be the first move to break through internationally.

 Chapter 49 Press Conference

    When Hansen appeared at the event holding Aria¡¯s hand, the reporters who gathered around immediately rushed forward and started taking photos of the couple.

    The cameras around shed non-stop, shining on the beautiful couple!

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I heard that you proposed to AriaMcAdams. Is this true?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I heard that you knelt down to propose to Aria. That¡¯s so romantic!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, can you tell us when your wedding with Aria will be scheduled?¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, Mr. Richards, where are you going to hold your wedding? There are rumors that you have already obtained a marriage certificate in Ennd, is it true?¡±

    The crowd of reporters kept throwing questions at them.

    Hansen and Aria were surrounded by many media reporters, with multiple microphones pointed at them.

    Hansen had spent all his energy and effort on this event. He had utilized a lot of manpower and material resources, but he did not expect that the media was more interested in his private life than the event. It really annoyed him.

    Aria smiled proudly;she was happy.

    She had to persuade Hansen to hold her hand when they arrived. In such an important event, she was happy to appear alongside Hansen in front of the financial magnates and political figures. It was not a typical asion. She hoped that the media would make a big deal out of it so she could let the whole world know that she was Hansen Richard¡¯s fiancee.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, noments.¡± Hansen was expressionless. He looked at Alvin and hinted at him. Alvin quickly ordered the bodyguards to block off the reporters and opened up a path for them to walk through. Hansen quickly grabbed the delighted Aria and strode into the convention center.

    All the media reporters in A city knew that the private life of Hansen Richards, the President of Richards Group, was a mystery. Despite good news circting around that he was going to marry Mayor McAdams¡¯ daughter, Aria McAdams soon, it was still only a rumor. Some senior reporters still remembered the low profile wedding from three years ago. All of them were confused and curious. They all worked hard, trying to uncover the truth.

    Now, every reporter rushed into the venue of the press conference, waiting for an opportunity!

    The press conference officially began after a burst of passionate songs.

    ¡°Cosmic Hybrid Car,bined with the many excellent qualities of today¡¯s automotive industry. Safe, environmental-friendly,fortable, minimal fuel consumption, fashionable, distinguished designs, elegance, and nature-friendly. It¡¯sfortable and spacious, just like Richards Group¡¯s pursuit of quality, excellence, wealth, cultural importance,safety, and health.¡± The event emcee exined gracefully, ¡°The project signed here today is the oue of the joint efforts of Richards Group Automotive and various parties. Now, please wee on stage, the President of Richards Group, Hansen Richards.¡±

    There was warm apuse from the audience.

    A melodious song yed softly in the background.

    The spotlights shed alternately, and Hansen, dressed in an expensive, hand-made suit that fitted him perfectly, walked calmly towards the center of the stage.

    ¡°I would like to thank all our distinguished guests foring today. Wee to Richards Group. I hereby announce that Richards Group¡¯s first-ever ¡°Spread Out Love With Cosmic Hybrid Car¡± event has officially begun.¡± His voice was powerful and maic. It was concise and simple, which suited his status and style of doing things¡­

    Jenna stood under the stage and watched quietly. There were many distinguished guests including ambassadors of different countries, presidents of multinationalpanies, famous entrepreneurs,acquaintances from abroad and within the country, Mayor McAdams, and a number of political figures. Major local and foreign media were present too.

    Aria¡¯s father was dressed formally, presented as Hansen¡¯s future father-inw. He sat beside Aria and Hansen.

    Jenna suddenly felt that all of this was so far away from her. It was a totally different world.

    The confusion and chill that she felt made her feel empty. Why did all this matter to her? She was just a passerby. Everything was just going to happen as nned.

    Tonight, she would fulfill her duty and exin her designs. But afterwards, where would she go?

    ¡°Next, let¡¯s wee the world-ss designer, MissMurphy, to exin about the cars she designed,¡± the emcee announced.

    ¡°MissMurphy, is it really her? She designed the cars?¡±

    ¡°I heard that MissMurphyis a close acquaintance of Rayan Whalen, one of the richest men in the world. Why is she in Richards Group?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the Adya that she designed were hugely popr around the world. The sales were off the charts. It was indeed well designed. I like it very much.¡±

    ¡°I heard that she is a beautiful woman?¡±

    Commotion ensued.

    The audience were busy whispering to each other.

    Jenna gently lifted the elegant dress with her hand, and walked towards the stage.

    She was calm and confident, with a shining smile on her face!

    The cameras shed non-stop and the audience fell silent. Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on her.

    Jenna looked ssy and pure, and her movements were elegant. The white, deep-V, and off-shoulder dress was like a blooming lily. The dress tightly hugged her body and there were no excessive decorations on it. She wore light makeup which showed off her delicate features, and her eyes were bright and untainted. The simple look did not affect her beauty, but instead showed off a mixture of ssic and modern fashion. It was unforgettable.

    All the men were mesmerized by her!

    In order to highlight the cars, she deliberately chose a light dress so that she wouldn¡¯t be the center of attention. On the projector, her presentation was concise and highlighted the car¡¯s merits. In order to show off the car, she even dimmed the lights and hid herself in darkness a few times.

    Nheless, when the dimmed light turned on again, she still attracted everyone¡¯s attention.

    Aria¡¯s face was almost distorted.

    Standing on the stage, Jenna was like a quietly blooming lily. She looked noble, serene, and gave people a pleasant feeling. She was absorbed in the presentation and her speech was on point. Her voice was pleasant, bereft of any dramatic effect, and was natural. In the end, she became the bright spot, the main character of the whole event.

    The car she designed was even more vivid and all-epassing.

    This had always been the case. At university, on the student stage, she would attract the envious eyes of all her ssmates. As long as Jenna stood next to her, everything else will fall into the background in an instant.

    Jenna just stood quietly, but like a maic field, she would attract all the eyes lingering on Aria onto herself. Suddenly, she was no longer visible and her shine dimmed.

    For a long time, Aria refused to ept it, and she was burning with hatred. In the past three years, without Jenna, she lived a beautiful life! Unexpectedly, when she was about to seed, she came out like a ghost, out of nowhere!

    ¡°Bravo! Well done!¡± Thunderous apuse broke out from the audience, and many people apuded loudly.

    As Hansen guessed, after Jenna¡¯s presentation, the following signing ceremony was very sessful.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Jenna¡¯s design, the Modern Chindya, an off-road sedan, had set a new record. This car managed to attract the attention of many financial groups, and somepanies even signed contracts worth hundreds of millions. It was hundreds of millions of units. The number far exceeded that of Whalen Group¡¯s Modern Adya.

    After the signing of the contract, it would be put into production. This would drive Richards Group¡¯s production up and strengthen Richards Group¡¯s financial position!

    As a result, Richards Group¡¯s luxury car sales would be on the top of the world!

    The contract signing proceeded in an orderly manner.

    It was a great sess! It was foreseeable that Hansen would make billions from these deals, not including the unquantifiable business ie. It seemed that the choice to hire Jenna was the right one. He was indeed a genius in the business world. For such a man, sess was inevitable.

    Hansen sat proudly on his seat, smiling from time to time, talking elegantly like a gentleman. He was in a good mood today!

    ¡°Dear distinguished guests and friends from the media, we will now proceed to the next event of the evening, the charity event. Now, let¡¯s wee the President of Richards Group, Mr. Hansen Richards and the Vice President, Miss Aria McAdams on stage!¡± The emcee announced themencement of the second event after the contract signings.

    The charity event was not only a chance to help people, but it was an opportunity for sessful people to be remembered. Hansen skillfully used this opportunity.

    Warm apuse sounded.

    The low and elegant music flowed slowly.

    All the media raised the cameras in their hands!

    Under the dazzling lights, Hansen and Aria appeared in front of everyone. However, the business people were still immersed in the signing ceremony. Their focus was to make a profit after all. They were still busy looking at the designs.

    Hansen held Aria¡¯s hand, his suit was on his slender and tall body. His face was radiant, full of alluring smiles, and his handsome face was shining with awe-inspiring spirit. His eyes were quiet and his manners were calm.

    He raised his hand and waved towards the audience, but his bright ck eyes suddenly turned gloomy after ncing at the audience.

    The personable Rayan Whalen was in the audience, looking at him and Aria with smiles in his eyes. His eyes were clear and bright.

    Hansen suddenly felt dull. This man, a wealthy businessman, was of course invited to this event. He sat in the unobtrusive position he had arranged for him from the beginning to the end, but he was indifferent. He even showed a determined expression, and on his face hung a confident smile.

    He didn¡¯t like this feeling very much.

 Chapter 50 Awkwardness

    When Jenna stood on stage like an angel while she was presenting, Rayan¡¯s eyes hardly left her. His face was full of appreciation and indulgence. Hansen noticed this and he felt ufortable.

    He understood the meaning of Rayan¡¯s smile.

    This was a provocation.

    Since Hansen had Aria with him now, Rayan could pursue Jenna openly. That was why he was smiling so brightly.

    ¡°D*mn,¡±Hansen cursed in anger from the depth of his heart.

    Jenna came down from the stage and saw Hansen walking up the stage holding Aria¡¯s hand. Hansen was energetic, and Aria smiled brightly. Jenna felt it was an eyesore to see them walking together.

    She felt as if her heart was filled with rocks.

    Today, he had sessfully signed a big contract. The transformation of Richards Group was perfectly executed.

    She would have nothing to do with this anymore in the future. He did not need her anymore.

    There was no reason for her to stay here, she thought to herself.

    ¡°Jen,¡± Rayan approached her gracefully with a gentle smile on his face.

    ¡°Brother Rayan, you are here too,¡± Jenna turned her head and was met with the bright eyes looking at her deeply. The admiration in his bright eyes was obvious.

    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re here. I would definitelye to see you.¡± Rayan was gentle and courteous,¡°Jen, you have done it again. Losing you is my biggest loss and also the loss of the Whalen Group. I wonder if I still have a chance to invite you back?¡±

    His words were half-joking and half-serious. Jenna was clear about it and couldn¡¯t help smiling.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯ssitoutside,¡± Rayan brought it up in time. Jenna was feeling ufortable and wanted to rx. When she heard his suggestion, she agreed to it and followed him as they walked outside. Anyway, whatever happened here from now on had nothing to do with her.

    The celebration party soon began.

    On thewn outside, there were long buffet stations. Each station had their own senior chefs and bartenders to cater to the tastes of the younger crowd. The indoor banquet hall was even more luxurious. Exquisite wine and alcohol were disyed on the tables. There were also desserts and pastries from around the world. Everyone would definitely find something they fancied.

    Generally, the more senior crowd stayed in the banquet hall. Jenna didn¡¯t like the dull atmosphere, so she just stood outside.

    Rayan stood close by her side.

    Light music yed and the atmosphere was enchanting.

    ¡°Cheers!¡± Rayan picked up the champagne in his hand and raised the ss to Jenna. Jenna changed into a fashionable dress during the break. She looked cheerful and lively.

    She smiled faintly and raised her ss.

    Her lips had just touched the ss, but before the champagne could slip into her mouth, she stopped her movements.

    Her eyes were fixed in front of her, and her heart was about to jump out. There was an embarrassed look on her face.

    Hansen was walking towards her in his suit, with a rose-colored corsage on his chest. The edges of the corsage were lined with a circle of bright violets.

    He looked personable, noble, and elegant.

    He stuck one of his hands in his trouser pocket, and held a ss of champagne with the other one hand. He walked steadily, with a convergent and confident smile on his face. He looked exuberant and charming.

    Jenna suddenly saw the chill in his eyes. Although he had a smile on his face and he greeted other people from time to time, Jenna felt that his eyes were shooting straight at her, like a ball of thorns.

    There was a trace of inexplicable tension, but she quickly felt relieved.

    Aria was still on his arm!

    If she guessed right, he should havee over for a toast out of courtesy.

    Sure enough, someone stopped him and greeted him. He clinked sses and toasted with them politely. Aria stood beside him as the hostess and conversed with the guests.

    Jenna smiled bitterly in her heart!

    Why did she still think of him?

    She should stop having thoughts about Hansen. It had nothing to do with her. He had already said that he would agree to her request after the press conference.

    He was letting her go, letting her live the life she wanted. He was also liberating himself. After all, he had a beautiful woman on his arm.

    How could she not understand?

    After all, they had to start over with their own lives.

    She gave a helpless smile.

    Rayan looked at her deeply, and he didn¡¯t look away for a second.

    The expressions on her face fell into his eyes and his heart. He was deep in thought.

    What kind of woman was Jenna? Although he had only known her for only about half a year, he was clear.

    She was the strongest, most motivated, most tenacious, kindest, most capable, and most conscientious woman he had ever met. Before her, he had never seen such a woman. Her temperament was low-key and noble, and even if there were thousands of lights shining on her, she did not show a hint of hypocrisy.

    In fact, what attracted him was not her stunning appearance. He had seen many beautiful women. Few women could attract him simply because of their beauty. What he valued more was her wisdom. Her beautiful qualities, simple and unpretentious, deeply attracted him. He fell head over heels for her.

    He had not known her in her first twenty-five years, so there was nothing he could have done.

    However, she still had a long life in front of her. If he could be with her, what a wonderful thing it would be!

    Therefore, he would not give up. Unless she was married and was living a happy life!

    However, she was still stuck in the past. He was patient enough to wait for her, for the day she would willingly be with him.

    Just now, when Jenna saw Hansen walking out holding Aria¡¯s hand, he picked up the pain in her eyes.

    This meant that she had not let go yet. She still needed some time.

    Time could make people forget everything; he firmly believed in this.

    There was no need to be in a hurry.

    ¡°Jen, drink some champagne,¡± he said softly.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Jenna raised her ss and stopped looking at Hansen and Aria.

    She smiled at Rayan.

    ¡°Aria, go inside and entertain your father for me. Take good care of him,¡± Hansen handed the champagne to Aria and smiled gently.

    Aria¡¯s heart sank as she took the champagne. She was unwilling. When she saw how Hansen¡¯s burning eyes fell on Jenna, she felt bitter in her heart. Today, she had arranged for the emcee to introduce her as Hansen¡¯s fiancee when they went on stage, but in the end, the emcee introduced her as the Vice President of the Richards Group.

    She was furious. After she inquired about it, she found out that it was Hansen who made the change. At that time, she was burning with anger and was full of grievances.

    However, Hansen¡¯s exnation was that he didn¡¯t want the media to focus on this matter and take away the spotlight from the press conference. She had no choice but to swallow her anger.

    But now, he was trying to send her away, which made her feel very dissatisfied.

    However, she just smiled and nodded,¡°Okay, my father is talking to some politicians in the banquet hall. You have toe quicklyter. It¡¯s only polite to do so.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s smile was a little stiff. He patted her shoulder and said, ¡°Okay, sorry for the trouble.¡±

    At this time, it was alreadyte at night. The weather was hot during daytime, but once the night came, Jenna felt cold.

    She didn¡¯t want to see Hansen and Aria acting intimately, so she turned her back against them.

    Suddenly the ss in her hand was taken away, and a strong aura surrounded her. Jenna quickly realized who wasing and turned around in surprise.

    Hansen grabbed the ss in her hand and smiled broadly at Rayan, ¡°Mr. Whalen, thank you foring. Here¡¯s a toast to you.¡±

    Hansen took the ss and drank it.

    Rayan¡¯s face was full of smiles, and he also politely clinked his sses and finished the drink in his hand.

    Jenna¡¯s hands were empty, and she was annoyed. There were so many sses of champagne on the table but Hansen just had to take the one in her hand. She did not know what he¡¯s up to, but she knew he did it on purpose!

    The melodious music began.

    ¡°Jen,e, let¡¯s dance.¡± Rayan saw the hostility in Hansen¡¯s eyes. While the music sounded, he reached out his hand to Jenna.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna was in a bad mood. She could only watch as Hansen and Aria hugged each other. However, he came over to cause trouble when all she did was sitting alongside Rayan. She was angry, so she took this opportunity to leave him.

    Although Hansen was not interested in her and did not like her, it didn¡¯t mean that no man appreciated her.

    She put her delicate hands in Rayan¡¯s palm. Rayan smiled, grabbed her hands, and pulled her forward.

    ¡°Rayan,¡± Hansen smiled. He stretched out his long arm and pulled Jenna into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and his hand fell right on her chest.

    Jenna suddenly became furious. Hansen actually put his hand on her chest in front of many people.

    He did it on purpose! He wanted to humiliate her in public!

    Rayan¡¯s eyes darkened!

    Jenna¡¯s face was full of anger. She was about to lose her temper when she heard Hansen¡¯s words.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, why are you here with my employee? Don¡¯t you have to apany your fiancee?¡±

    His voice was deep and clear with charm, but it was extremely harsh to Jenna¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Fiancee? Rayan¡¯s fiancee?¡± Jenna¡¯s body stiffened and there was a surprised look on her face.

    ¡°Is Rayan¡¯s fiancee here?¡±Jenna was surprised in her heart and started looking around.

    A woman was sitting at a table not far away. She had long curly hair and behaved nobly and elegantly. She looked like she was in her thirties. Her face was delicate and beautiful, and she was quietly looking at Jenna with a ss of champagne in her hand.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    There was a faint sadness on her face, but the light in her eyes was calm.

    Jenna¡¯s breathing became shallow in one second.

    Where had she seen this woman before?

    Soon, she came to her senses.

    Wasn¡¯t this woman the one she saw in Sky Blue Restaurant that night?

    At that time, the woman just sat there quietly and looked at her.

    She did not say a word.

    Jenna felt a chill in her spine. Only then did she know why she always felt that there was a pair of eyes staring at her.

    It turned out to be her, Rayan¡¯s fiancee.

    She just kept staring at Jenna. Did she know about their rtionship?

    She was so embarrassed that she wanted to bury her head in a hole.

    But on second thought, why would she do this? There was nothing between her and Rayan!

    She didn¡¯t destroy their rtionship, so why did she panic?

    Rayan also looked back at her. There was a sh in his eyes and his face instantly turned gloomy.

    He looked at Hansen, whose eyes were full of pride and with sparks bursting. Finally, he walked towards the woman.

    ¡°Are you disappointed?¡± After Rayan left, Hansen asked sarcastically. His hand was still on her chest, and he had no intention of taking it away at all. The light in his eyes was cold, ¡°Who told you to wear this! Are you trying to seduce married men?¡±

    His words were vicious, but the most hateful thing was that there was a hint of pride in his voice.

    Jenna was so angry that her lungs almost exploded.

    Only then did she understand why he was so kind to invite her to dinner that day. He wanted Rayan¡¯s fiancee to see her. What a wicked man.

    She thought that after spending so many days together, he would be more human-like. She did not expect that he would be so mean to her. It was too much.

    Was it fun to watch her being embarrassed?

 Chapter 51 Shameless

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business how I dress up. Who do you think you are? Why do you care?¡± She nced at him and retorted grumpily.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± Hansen snorted. When he was still standing on the stage, he saw how Jenna and Rayan were being intimate, talking andughing together. When he finished speaking on the stage and looked around for her, he saw that she had changed into a sexydress and was making herself unobtrusive, together at the corner with Rayan. When they talked, she smiled charmingly.

    Even when she saw him, she pretended that he didn¡¯t exist, which lit up the anger in him.

    Fortunately, he had prepared this move a long time ago. He wanted her to give uppletely!

    His ex-wife ignored him but flirted with another man. No wonder she divorced him as soon as she returned to A city. It turned out that she found a man who was better than him.

    She wanted to leave him. She wanted to live a happy and peaceful life, but he did not want her to achieve that.

    The jealousy in him kept swelling, and he held her tight.

    He did not mind being called mean or narrow-minded. Anyway, he could not stand seeing her being close with Rayan Whalen. If she married Rayan, not only would he lose face, but hispany would also be affected.

    He saw her value today. The luxury car that she designed had catapulted him a few spots up the ranking of the world¡¯s richest men. He didn¡¯t want to lose this golden goose.

    In fact, there was a more terrible feeling in his heart. Aslong as he saw her with another man, he would feel panicked and restless. This feeling made him very ufortable and frantic.

    When she wore sexy clothesand showed a hint of her cleavage, it made the men around her lose their minds and circle her around like sharks.

    Today, on stage, he deliberately made her wear a dress that was not low-cut. However, she still attracted everyone¡¯s attention. He could feel that those d*mned men were staring at her and fantasizing about her.

    It made him extremely ufortable.

    He took a deep breath and lowered his voice, but he could not suppress his anger,¡°I¡¯ve told you before that you should pay attention to what you¡¯re wearing. You can¡¯t wear such clothes.¡±

    ¡°What? Who are you to decide what I should wear?¡± Jenna felt like he was being too unreasonable. She said fiercely, ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t cross the line. It¡¯s too much. Don¡¯t forget what you said. After the press conference, you would agree to my request.¡±

    She actually went against him openly. It made Hansen even more furious.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you are still in mypany. Your every move reflects on the image of thepany. When you dress like this, you are seducing men and disgracing thepany.¡± He was being unreasonable as he spoke his words overbearingly, holding her tighter.

    He put his arms around her chest. Although it was getting dark, there were still a lot of people looking at them. Jenna was embarrassed and angry.

    Her dress was only slightly revealing, but he tried to find faults with her. He even used thepany¡¯s regtions to lecture her.

    Then what about his Aria? She was wearing a sexy dress. Her undergarments could almost be seen, but Jenna did not see himining about her. It was unfair!

    Jenna lowered her head and bit hard on the hand that was grabbing at her breast. She took advantage of the moment when Hansen was in pain, broke free from his arms, and ran outside.

    He was so hateful. She was going to leave this ce and the Richards Group altogether.

    Since she had already made up her mind to abandon the two cars, she did not intend to pursue it anymore. Besides, she had sessfully designed the cars that he wanted. She hadpleted her duty.

    There was no point in staying any longer.

    She ran all the way back and rushed into Collier Manor.

    She began to pack up her things. Her own clothes were not here; all that remained here were the ones Hansen had ordered people to tailor for her. She did not want them.

    The most important thing was her workptop and some important drawings. She wanted to leave overnight,and to never see him again.

    ¡°Bang!¡± There was a loud bang on the door.

    Hansen rushed back exasperatedly.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± His face turned pale when he saw theptop bag in her hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m going home. I quit. I won¡¯t stay in yourpany anymore.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t look at him at all. She stood up straight and shouted loudly.

    She wanted to quit and leave? Could he let her go that easily?

    An evil smile appeared on Hansen¡¯s face. He turned his eyes and asked fiercely, ¡°Did I agree to it?¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    What? Didn¡¯t he say that he would agree to her requests? How dare he try to act dumb now? Jenna was not stupid, and she said angrily,

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t forget that it was you who made the promise to me that day. After the press conference, you would agree to my request and let me leave.¡±

    She argued for a reason and her face turned red.

    ¡°Did I promise to let you go? Think about it, I only agreed to one request.¡± Hansen suddenlyughed out loud, and he smiled proudly. Jenna clearly saw the evil smile in his eyes, and she was angered. However, after thinking for a while, she realized that was indeed what he said, and she couldn¡¯t help but be stunned.

    Hansen was even happier!

    In fact, he did mean that when he spoke to Jenna that day. At that time, he also figured that they should go their separate ways. It would be bad for them to be tied together.

    However, he did not like how Jenna wanted to leave him in such a hurry. Therefore, he went back on his words.

    ¡°You, evil, shameless, b*stard.¡± After a long time, Jenna came to her senses and realized that she had been tricked by him, so she couldn¡¯t help roaring.

    She didn¡¯t expect that Hansen would go back on his word. Although they didn¡¯t say it clearly that day, they both knew what they had meant. But today, he twisted his words as he liked.

    Hansen smiled smugly and did not care about Jenna¡¯s criticism at all.

    ¡°Tell me, whatever you want, I¡¯ll satisfy you tonight.¡± He grabbed theptop bag in her hand and threw it onto the sofa. Then he sat down leisurely behind her and asked arrogantly, shamelessly.

    Jenna was spitting fire in her heart. If the fire could burn him, she was sure that Hansen would have turned into ashes instantly.

    ¡°What if I asked you to die?¡± In a hurry, she gritted her teeth and said fiercely.

    However, as soon as she said that, she was also stunned. How could she say such vicious words? She must have been mad at him, so she spoke without thinking.

    Hansen felt a chill in his heart. He stared at her eyes and asked in disbelief, ¡°How dare you curse me? Do you want me to die? Since when were you so cruel?¡±

    Jenna was instantly speechless, and her mind became clearer.

    ¡°You¡¯re the shameless one, going back on your word.¡± She breathed a sigh of frustration and fell down on the sofa with her face pale.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t promise you anything. I just said that I would promise you a request as a reward to you. Don¡¯t forget that you have signed a year¡¯s contract with me.¡± He was a little discouraged and felt that he was not forthright enough, ¡°You have also promised me to attend grandma¡¯s birthday.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I wille to see you on grandma¡¯s birthday, and I never break my promises,¡± she replied annoyedly.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about it after grandma¡¯s birthday. I promise you that I would fulfill one of your requests. You¡¯d better think about what you want and tell me;I will do it for sure,¡± he said these words without shame and left. In order to prevent her from going back on her word, he took away theptop bag.

    Jenna wanted to cry but she could not. She sat on the sofa and was angry. The scene of Hansen holding Aria in his arms kept shing in her mind. She felt a sharp pain in her heart. What on earth did he want by doing this?

    How the h*ll could he be so kind as to agree to her request? Thest time when he kindly invited her to dinner, he was still acting intimately at the dinner table. It turned out that he only wanted to show it to Rayan¡¯s fiancee so that she could make a fool out of herself.

    She would no longer believe in his so-called kindness.

    She went into the bathroom and took a shower.Still fuming in anger, she went to bed early.

    She was sound asleep when she heard softughter beside her. She couldn¡¯t help but be shocked.

    In a daze, she opened her eyes and saw Hansen walking in with a red face and his whole body reeking of alcohol. Then he leaned on the bed and looked at her with his head tilted.

    ¡°Hey, you are in the wrong room,¡± Jenna was so scared that she sat up and shouted.

    The light in the room was so dim that Hansen couldn¡¯t even see the color of Jenna¡¯s silk pajamas. He could only see her snow-white skin, pink cheeks, and sleepy eyes.Her mouth was wide open in shock.

    ¡°This is my house. How can I go to the wrong room?¡± Hansen belched and grinned.

    He was drunk and his eyes were blurred. His handsome face was not as domineering as usual. Even his eyebrows were rxed. He giggled and tilted his head to look at Jenna. He looked like a naughty child, cute and childish.

    However, at this time, Jenna didn¡¯t think so. She could even smell the dangerous scent on his body. She had experienced his unusual temperamental. She immediately shouted, ¡°Hansen, you are in the wrong room. Please get out of here.¡±

    However, Hansen didn¡¯t listen. He simplyy down on the bed and rolled toward Jenna.

    Jenna was so scared that she waspletely awake. She got up from the bed and stood on the ground.

    ¡°Hey, drunkard, get off the bed.¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t figure out how much he had drank, but seeing how drunk he was, she couldn¡¯t help but be angry and anxious. She shouted at him.

    ¡°Jenna,e here. I have something to tell you.¡± Hansen rolled over and tried to hug her, but she was not there.He was disappointed. He waved his hand at Jenna, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not drunk.¡±

    Not drunk? Did he think she was stupid? A drunk person would never admit that they were drunk. His tongue was tied and his limbs were out of control. He was clearly drunk. Who in the world would believe that he was not drunk?

    She just stood there and stared at him grumpily.

    ¡°Who told you to drink so much? You will only hurt your body ifyou got drunk. Don¡¯t you know that?¡± She asked in distress, her face blushed. He had always been a gentleman these days. He must be acting like this because he was under the influence of alcohol!

    ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± Hansen was notpletely drunk. His face was glowing as he asked with a smile.

    ¡°Who is worried about you? Go away, I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± When Jenna realized that she had talked too much, she got anxious. She was even more afraid of causing his misunderstanding, so she urged him to leave.

    Hansen squinted at her embarrassed and anxious look. She looked very cute at the moment. Her tender and pink face was really beautiful and charming. He couldn¡¯t help but be stunned. She looked just like the girl in his dreams.

    ¡°I just want to talk to you. Come here,¡± he said while waving his hands, begging her toe near him.

    Jenna nced at him from the corner of her eyes. He didn¡¯t look domineering and forceful. He even looked a little cute, and what was rare was that he was begging her. She couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised and ridiculous at the same time. She said with a serious face, ¡°I have nothing to say to you. Go to sleep. We have to go to work tomorrow morning. It¡¯s gettingte.¡±

    ¡°No, Jenna, you don¡¯t have to go to work tomorrow. I¡¯ll let you take a few days of leave so that you can have a good rest. The press conference was very sessful. Thanks to you, I don¡¯t have anything to do for the time being.¡± Hansen was drunk and his eyes were blurred. He was breathing heavily and his words were bing incoherent, ¡°I¡¯ll take you out for a few days to rx, okay?¡±

 Chapter 52 Warm Breakfast

    ¡°Is this what you wanted to tell me?¡± Jenna looked at him suspiciously.

    ¡°Pour me a ss of water first, okay?¡± Hansen leaned on the bed and loosened the tie on his neck. His mouth was dry and he was begging for water.

    His face was as red as a tomato and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked like he was feeling ufortable. She thought of their wedding night, and he seemed to be drunker than this. She was ovee with emotions and couldn¡¯t bear to see him suffer. She quickly poured a cup of warm water and brought it over.

    ¡°Here.¡± She approached, ¡°Get up and drink.¡±

    Hansen really sat up obediently. He took the cup with one hand and drank it. Jenna was about to leave when she saw a long arming at her. She was so scared that she screamed. His arm was so strong that she couldn¡¯t move after being grabbed.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± He put his face close to her neck, which scared her and made her scream.

    ¡°Jenna, are you afraid of me?¡± He smiled shamelessly.

    ¡°Who the h*ll is afraid of you!¡± Jenna reached out her hand and pushed him hard. Suddenly, she screamed and was held up by him. He ced her on the bed.

    ¡°Now you can¡¯t run away!¡± He was having fun and was about to pounce on her.

    ¡°Hey, you drunkard, don¡¯t do this!¡±

    Jenna was so scared that her eyes widened. When she was about to wail, she heard a ¡°whoa¡± sound. A strong pungent smell quickly filled the room, which was unpleasant.

    Hansen actually vomited on the bed!

    Oh my god! What the h*ll!

    Jennamented. Just as she was about to get up, she heard him making the noise again and the pungent smell became more intense.

    Hansen fell onto the bed and began to throw up everywhere.

    Immediately, on the bed, Jenna¡¯s body was covered with his vomit. The smell of alcohol and stomach acid mixed up with the digested food was extremely unpleasant.

    She would probably have to throw the bed away.

    Jenna hurriedly ran out of bed to get a stic bag so he could vomit in it, but when she came back, he had already finished vomiting. He had already fallen asleep.

    His body and the bed were covered in vomit, and the bedroom was in a mess.

    Jenna could no longer sleep.

    She got a hold of herself and cleaned up the room and the bed. She then wiped Hansen¡¯s body with a wet towel and changed his clothes for him. It was already way past midnight when she was done.

    Hansen had already fallen deep into his slumber.

    After she was done cleaning Hansen, Jenna went to take a shower. In the end, she slept on the sofa and covered herself with the quilt. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep the moment sheid on the sofa.

    When Hansen woke up, it was already almost noon. His stomach was not feeling well. When he opened his eyes, he found himself sleeping in Jenna¡¯s bedroom. He could not remember what had happened the night before. However, he vaguely recalled that he vomited on Jenna before he fell asleep.

    Where was she?

    If he was sleeping in her bed, then where had she gone to sleep?

    He hurriedly got up, brushed his teeth, and walked out. There was no one in the big living room. He felt empty in his heart. Did she get angry and run away? She had always been so narrow-minded that she would do something inexplicable when she was angry.

    He was a little worried, but then he heard some noiseing from the kitchen.

    As he walked closer, he felt that the atmosphere in the kitchen was steaming hot. Jenna was wearing an apron and standing in front of a bubbling pot. She was stirring it.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± Jenna said.

    Hansen was stunned for a moment. It was as if there was a pair of eyes on the back of her head. He couldn¡¯t help but smile and walked toward her.

    ¡°That looks good.¡± He looked into the pot and saw the oatmeal in it. He felt that his appetite was stimted and he cried out happily.

    ¡°Did I say that I made this for you? You¡¯re thinking too much,¡± Jenna held back herughter and rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°If it¡¯s not for me, who is it for?¡± Hansen ignored her and smiled cheekily. He reached out and put his arm around her shoulder.

    ¡°You¡¯re annoying.¡± Jenna got rid of his hand. ¡°Go out and wait. It¡¯ll be ready soon.¡±

    A smile appeared on Hansen¡¯s face. He sat quietly in the living room. He grabbed the newspaper and started reading.

    In the newspaper, the press conference held by the Richards Groupst night was widely reported. On the headlines on the front page, Jenna who was dressed in a gown presenting the car designs, appeared in the most obvious spot.

    It seemed that Jenna became famous overnight. The car that she designed was being promoted everywhere:on magazines, the inte, and various advertisement boards. The photo of Jenna in her long white dress and long hair was reported on different news channels.

    Hansen smiled and turned to the entertainment page casually. As soon as he looked at it, his face darkened instantly.

    On the entertainment headlines, Rayan was standing next to Jenna. The two of them were smiling at each other, and beside the photo, along paragraph describing their affection for each other was written.

    The uing marriage between Hansen and Aria was also widely publicized, but the most popr news was the rtionship between Jenna and the mysterious Rayan. They were the focus of the reporters. After all, it was a rare opportunity to see Rayan in person. However, he had been repeatedly photographed with Jenna in A city. It was not an easy scoop.

    The reason for the divorce between Hansen and Jenna was also widely circted by the major newspapers.

    Hansen was a little annoyed and threw away the newspaper in his hand.

    ¡°Time for breakfast,¡± Jenna quickly set down the dishes and shouted at Hansen, who was sitting on the sofa absent-mindedly.

    Hansen was annoyed. He lit a cigar and put it in his mouth. The expression on his face was unpredictable. Jenna¡¯s calling startled him. He stood up and walked toward the dining table. He took a look at what was on it.

    Oatmeal, soybean milk, toast, ham, sausage, and hamburgers were served. They looked good and smelled amazing. The unpleasant feeling in Hansen¡¯s heart was quickly reced by the appetite rising from the stomach. Only then did he realize that the need for oatmeal was strong after a hangover.

    ¡°Have some oatmeal. It¡¯s good for your stomach after a night¡¯s drinking,¡± Jenna¡¯s gentle voice sounded like a flowing spring. She put a bowl of oatmeal in front of Hansen and whispered in a gentle and pleasant voice.

    Hansen nced at her indifferently. Was she also this close to Rayan when she was with him?

    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m sorry aboutst night. I¡¯m sorry to have troubled you.¡± There was a smile on his face, and it was rare for him to utter such words.

    ¡°Did he also know how to apologize?¡± Jenna smiled bitterly in her heart. She had never expected that this man would know how to apologize. However, he had apologized to her several times recently. Perhaps he had begun to respect other people.

    ¡°Smoking and drinking are harmful to your body. Drink less if you can.¡± Jenna lowered her eyes as she drank the soy milk. Her voice was soft.

    Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He took a spoonful of oatmeal and raised his head to look at her. He smiled and said, ¡°Like we discussedst night, you can make a request. Tell me. I will try my best to satisfy you.¡±

    A request? Jenna thought of the quarrelst night,about his arrogance and his unreasonableness. He knew it very well, but now he asked her again on purpose? He was pretending to be nice. If she really mentioned it, would he agree to it?

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any requests. It was my responsibility. I don¡¯t need them.¡± She took a bite of the hamburger and replied casually.

    Hansen frowned slightly and looked at her discreetly.

    She concentrated on eating her breakfast and looked as if she had nothing to ask for. She was also very charming.

    After a few mouthfuls, he finished the bowl of oatmeal. He pushed the bowl to Jenna and looked at her.

    ¡°Go get it yourself.¡± Jenna understood what he meant. Hansen had never served his own food when he ate in the Richards Manor. The workers standing on the side would refill his food in time. Today, it was already quite polite of him to push the bowl toward her, but Jenna didn¡¯t bother to tend to him. She just rolled her eyes at him and sat still.

    ¡°No, I want you to. I¡¯m the boss. You have to listen to me,¡± Hansen said shamelessly.

    ¡°We are not at work now. Why should I listen to you?¡± Jenna resisted.

    ¡°This is your work for the next few days. Your task is to serve me. There¡¯s nothing for you to do in thepany now. So you will just have to serve me.¡± Hansen was shameless, with a cheeky smile on his face.

    ¡°In your dreams. I won¡¯t do it. I¡¯m a designer, not a nanny,¡± Jenna strongly protested. These days, she was so busy that she was exhausted. Now that she hadpleted her work, she finally had some free time. She was not foolish enough to take care of Hansen, this big baby.

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to fill it for me, then forget it. I won¡¯t eat it anymore.¡± Seeing that Jenna was unmoved, Hansen couldn¡¯t help but put down the spoon and stood up to leave.

    ¡°You¡­ your body is yours.¡± He really stood up and wanted to leave. It was obvious that he was showing his attitude. Jenna secretlyined. He really was like a child. She thought of how much effort she put into preparing breakfast. It would be a waste if he did not eat them. It was not worth it.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    She suddenly stood up and took the bowl.

    When Hansen heard that, he caught a glimpse of her picking up his bowl from the corner of his eye. There was a faint smile on his face. He sat back proudly.

    ¡°Here,¡± Jenna filled another bowl of oatmeal and put it in front of him begrudgingly.

    ¡°Good girl!¡± Hansen suddenly became excited. He picked up the bowl and started eating. Jenna pulled her face and pouted, feeling ufortable.

    ¡°Tell me, what do you want? You can pick whatever you want. As long as you say it, I will give it to you.¡± After he finished the oatmeal, he wiped his mouth with a paper towel and praised loudly.

    As a nobledy of a famous family, Jenna dressed casually and simply. There was nothing valuable on her. She had never worn valuable jewelry or diamonds. She did not even put on a ring. She looked just like a girl next door. However, her temperament was extraordinary. Even if she did not embellish herself like that, she could still attract men¡¯s attention.

    Hansen even felt that her casual look was her pretending to be innocent. That was how she had gotten men to sympathize with her.

    Was there any woman who disliked jewelry and diamonds? It was impossible.

    She felt wronged when she married into the Richards family. Even after all the humiliation, she was unwilling to divorce. Didn¡¯t that show how she was just a greedy person? After three years of not meeting each other, the first thing she did when they met was selling herself for a huge sum of money. Didn¡¯t this prove that she was just a gold digger?

    Other people might now know, but he knew clearly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you that I don¡¯t need it,¡± Jenna frowned and said impatiently.

    She had money now, and she really did not need anything else. ording to the contract, she would also get a highmission from the car design she did for Richards Group. She was never a materialistic person, which made it even more impossible for her to ept gifts from him.

 Chapter 53 Grandmaâ€™s Wish

    ¡°Really? Don¡¯t me me for breaking the promise. I have already promised you, but you¡¯re the one who¡¯s giving it up.¡± Hansen squinted at her as if he didn¡¯t believe her.

    Jenna didn¡¯t bother to exin to him, so she stood up to clean the table, behaving as if he didn¡¯t exist.

    Hansen¡¯s mobile phone suddenly rang. He took it out and walked aside with a gloomy expression.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you?¡± Aria asked in a coquettish tone.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± There was a hint of displeasure in Hansen¡¯s tone.

    ¡°Hansen, you promised me that you would take me out for a few days after the press conference. When are we going? Why don¡¯t we go to Maldives?¡± Aria said excitedly and was looking forward to it.

    Did he promise her? Hansen was stunned for a while. How could he not remember?

    ¡°Well¡­ Aria, I have something else to do now. Let¡¯s talk about it when I¡¯m done with my work!¡± His sword-shaped eyebrows were tightly knitted, and his voice was indifferent.

    ¡°Hansen, Mom said that we should go back to Richards Manor for dinner today. Come and pick me up.¡± Aria still refused to back down,¡°The press conference is over. Mom said that you haven¡¯t been home for a few days. She said we must go home for dinner today.¡±

    Aria¡¯s face was full of joy, and she was very happy in her heart. After the press conference was done, and ording to the schedule, it should soon be time for Hansen to discuss the marriage with her!

    ¡°Aria, go there yourself. I have something to do today. I¡¯ll go back when I¡¯m done.¡± Hansen brushed his hair absent-mindedly, but his eyes were fixed on Jenna, who was walking towards him. He quickly gave Aria a perfunctory answer and hung up the phone.

    Jenna saw all his actions. She walked over and said calmly, ¡°Mr. Richards, I have some private matters to settle today. I need to ask you for leave.¡±

    After saying that, she didn¡¯t care whether he agreed or not. She walked toward the bedroom and was ready to change and head out.

    ¡°Wait, where are you going?¡± Hansen pulled her arm and said with a face full of dissatisfaction, ¡°Who said you could go? I haven¡¯t approved!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± Jenna shook off his hand and raised her voice,¡°Although I have signed a year¡¯s contract with yourpany, it doesn¡¯t mean that I am selling my body. I have my own freedom, okay?In the beginning, you were worried that I would disclose thepany¡¯s secrets, but now that the press conference and the designs have beenpleted, what¡¯s there to worry about? Can¡¯t I even go out?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good, and her voice was cold,¡°Besides, Mr. Richards, I¡¯m going to move out in two days. Please tell me if there¡¯s any work within the contract¡¯s term.I¡¯ll try my best toplete it.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, you think I will serve you? Dream on. Go to your Aria. She should be the one doing these things!¡± Jenna thought to herself.

    After she finished her words solemnly, she turned around and walked lightly toward the bedroom.

    ¡°Move out?¡± Hansen¡¯s heart was suddenly emptied.He would not allow this!

    She walked into the bedroom and mmed the door hard.

    Her figure was light and decisive, as elegant as the wind.

    Hansen was stunned. The scene of her being together with Rayan after she moved out floated in front of his eyes. His heart was filled with inexplicable confusion.

    Would he care about this?

    Would he, the Young Master of the Richards family, be concerned about an ex-wife that he didn¡¯t like? That was impossible.

    He shook his head.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    It was just a little ufortable. It was obvious that she deliberately said this to agitate him. How could he care about such a woman?

    However, he felt as if his heart had been hollowed out. It was empty and ufortable.

    ¡°D*mned woman, how dare she go against me! Does she ever take me seriously?¡±

    Hansen snorted. He didn¡¯t like the feeling of this woman opposing him.

    She wanted to move out? Impossible!

    However, he was clear that she had only signed a year¡¯s contract. There was no reason for him to force her.

    He sat down on the sofa disappointedly.

    After a while, the door opened and Jenna walked out.

    She was wearing a midi scarlet dress. The waist was tightly fitted, but her shoulders and back were not exposed. She was wearing a white coat and her hair was tied into a ponytail. She looked delicate and charming. She had a casual smile on her face, and it made her look very cute.

    Even so, Hansen felt that it was harsh on his eyes.

    ¡°Are you trying to seduce men again with this dress?¡± When Jenna walked past him, he spoke sourly and sarcastically.

    The smile on Jenna¡¯s face suddenly froze and she stopped her pace. She red at him and said, ¡°Unreasonable.¡±

    Jenna didn¡¯t want to argue with him. She said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ll look for a house in the next few days. I¡¯ll move out as soon as I find it. By then, I won¡¯t contact you anymore.¡±

    Hansen was stunned!

    He was nning to bring her for a vacation in the next few days. He wanted to buy her some jewelry and enjoy some activities that women would enjoy. Unexpectedly, not only did she not appreciate it, but she also wanted to move out. He felt angry and immediately said coldly, ¡°Do you n to move in with Rayan? It¡¯s a pity that his fiancee came to you. You should be careful. It¡¯s not easy to break up their marriage. Let me tell you, it¡¯s not easy to be a mistress. You might not even be his second wife. Rayan¡¯s fiancee is Hilda Smith, the daughter of Jonas Smith, the most powerful gang boss in the world. I¡¯m afraid that she won¡¯t ept you so easily.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s words were sarcastic, but it revealed an important fact. The rumor going around was that Rayan was active in both the legal world and the underworld. It turned out that his fiancee was from the underworld. The rumor was true after all. Jenna was shocked and could not help but gasp.

    However, she really couldn¡¯t bear to see the smug look on Hansen. How could he assume that she was his mistress? It was very hateful! She couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Who said that I¡¯m going to look for him? I¡¯m going back to school today. Besides, there¡¯s nothing between us. Don¡¯t think negatively of me in the future.¡±

    Jenna said this angrily and left in her high heels.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes turned slightly, and a beautiful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

    In the Ink Garden of Richards Manor, chrysanthemums were blooming in profusion. The evergreen trees were vigorous and green. Although it was already early autumn, there was no trace of autumn in the Ink Garden except for the blooming chrysanthemums.

    The garden was clean and spotless.

    There was a vi to the south of therge garden. It was three-stories tall, and even though its exterior decoration looked a little old, it showed off the value of the vi. The old-fashioned building, which was located in the downtown area, had been listed as a key cultural inheritance of the country. It was passed down from the ancestors to the present generation. The Richards Manor had an extraordinary charm. It had been through a lot but it was well preserved.

    It was said that this vi was designed by a famous building designer in the past. It was a typical quaint building in A city. The history behind the Richards family was depicted on it.

    Some people estimated that the unique garden-style building of Richards Manor and its location in the golden area had already made it a priceless asset. Not to mention the other properties that were owned by Hansen Richards.

    That was why the Richards family had attracted so many people¡¯s attention.

    Vivian Delia,Hansen¡¯s grandmother,sat on the lounge chair by the window. She was already 90 years old. Despite her age, her ears were sharp, her eyes were bright, and her bones were strong. She was dressed in a dark red suit. The shirt was embroidered with a luxurious phoenix and a dark red pearl. She wore a pair of ck trousers, looking noble and dignified.

    A middle-aged woman ina pair of sses wasdressed in the work suit of the Richards family. She was standing by her side and reading the newspaper with a soft voice.

    Grandma Richards closed her eyes and looked as if she was asleep.

    ¡°Meroy, have you finished reading?¡± Grandma Richards asked. Her special care staff, Meroy, thought that she was already asleep.

    ¡°Yes, Old Madam,¡± Meroy replied softly and respectfully.

    ¡°Is Hansen here yet?¡± Grandma Richards suddenly opened her eyes, which were shining with the sharpness umted over the years. She didn¡¯t look like a 90-year-old woman at all.

    Just then, footsteps could be heard.

    ¡°Old Madam, the Young Master has arrived,¡± Meroy smiled and said softly.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Grandma Richards nodded. ¡°Let him in.¡±

    Meroy acknowledged it and went out quietly.

    Hansen was standing outside with an uneasy look on his face.

    ¡°Meroy, how is grandma doing these days?¡± He saw Meroy and greeted her politely. Today, when he came out of the apartment, he received a phone call from Meroy. She saidthat Grandma Richards had something to talk to him about.

    Usually, grandma would not bother for him for no reason. Moreover, grandma lived in seclusion all year round and did not care about the family¡¯s matters. At this time, what kind of things did grandma need to talk to him about? Thinking that he had not seen her for a long time, he felt a little uneasy.

    Deep down in his heart, he respected his grandma very much. She would never me a person easily, nor would she force others to do anything. However, he was a special case!

    Four years ago, Grandma Richards ordered him to marry Jenna. It was decided that his marriage would not be blissful and that his love life would be ruined from then on.

    At that time, he was in great pain, anger, and resentment, but he could do nothing about it!

    He was indignant.

    Until now, he was still upset at being tortured by that woman every day! This was the aftereffects brought about by his grandmother¡¯s decision.

    He always thought that his grandma was wise, but at that time, she made him marry Jenna. Not only was she unwise, but in Hansen¡¯s eyes, it was a wrong decision. It was this wrong decision that shamed the Richards family three years ago. The Richards Group was in a precarious situation, and his father was lying in the hospital. Even Jenna was not happy. Because of this, he rarely visited the Ink Garden in recent years.

    In his heart, he was somewhat dissatisfied with his grandma and still held a grudge against her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Old Madam is in good health.¡± Meroy smiled,¡°Let¡¯s go in. Old Madam is waiting for you!¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Meroy.¡± Hansen felt a little relieved and walked toward the old woman who was lying in the room.

 Chapter 54 Grandmaâ€™s Disappointment

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m really relieved that you two can move forward together.¡± Grandma Richards continued to say happily, but the light in her eyes was exposed little by little, ¡°Hansen, I have read some rumors about you two not being on good terms in the newspaper. I called you here today to tell you that although it¡¯s normal that as a public figure, you¡¯ll have more rumors than the other people, it¡¯s not good to have too many rumors. It threatens the stability of your family and the reputation of the Richards family. I think you should know better than grandma.¡±

    Grandma Richards¡¯s gaze slowly turned to Hansen. ¡°I know that you¡¯ve been ming me for so many years. But child, three years have passed. Are you sensible now? Do you understand my intentions?¡±

    Hansen was getting more and more confused, and even his expression was a little stiff.

    Three years ago, when Jenna went to the United States, his grandma knew about it, but she didn¡¯t oppose it openly. She didn¡¯t even ask him about it and didn¡¯t force him to bring her back. She just asked the people at home to s to Javon¡¯s family during the holidays, which cated Javon and the others, and preventing them from putting the me on her.

    He thought that his grandma would have already realized her wrong decision and would not force them anymore. However, what she said today was not the case at all!

    Grandma had been staying in the house all day long. Although it looked like she didn¡¯t care about whatever was happening outside, she knew some things better than anyone else.

    He didn¡¯t understand why she didn¡¯t stop Jenna from going to the United States at that time,and for so many years. If she really wanted them to be happy, it was not wise for them to be apart for such a long time. She could havemanded him to bring Jenna back, but she didn¡¯t.

    Now, he could not understand Grandma Richards¡¯ words at all.

    ¡°My child, it¡¯s been three years. Have you grown up?¡± Grandma Richards held his hand. She knew that her grandson was shrewd in his career, but he was childish in love. She did not ask too much from him, but by forcing him to marry Jenna, she had done her duty.

    Many years ago, when she first saw Jenna who was still a little girl, she believed that Jenna was the most suitable one for her grandson, Hansen. She thought this was a beautiful thing, but she did not expect everything to be derailed from the n. Everything was beyond her imagination. For so many years, this was the pain she had hidden in her heart! Whenever she thought of this, she would feel sad.

    After all, a couple had to stay with each other for the rest of their lives. How would they be able to cherish their rtionship without going through all kinds of hardships?

    They had to rely on themselves to walk the path of life ahead. No one could help them.

    But at this moment, everything was still unclear. Her grandson was still muddled.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Grandma, I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡± Hansen started panicking. Did he grow up? Was grandma saying that he was not being mature and sensible enough? If not, what else did she mean?

    ¡°Hansen, I have heard a lot of bad rumors about you and Jenna. You are a man. I will ask you today, and I hope you can tell me the truth,¡± Grandma Richards¡¯ eyes were bright, and she asked word by word.

    Hansen became flustered.

    ¡°Grandma, I¡­¡± He stammered. It seemed that grandma must have gotten the news of his divorcewith Jenna. Otherwise, she would not have asked so.

    ¡°I guess I won¡¯t be able to see my granddaughter-inw in the future.¡± Sure enough, Grandma Richards¡¯s face was full of disappointment. She muttered to herself, ¡°It seems that everything is true. Jenna, you have already given up on my grandson. Are you going to choose someone else? You promised me in front of your father!¡±

    Heartache was showing on Grandma Richards¡¯s face, and her murky eyes were sparkling.

    Hansen was frightened when he heard this. Originally, he wanted to hide it from her, but now the media was too involved. He even thought of the possibility that some malicious people could have deliberately disclosed the news to her.

    Norton Richards¡¯s face surfaced before his eyes. This cousin, who had always been hostile to him, was always jealous of him. He would not have passed on such an opportunity to bring Hansen down.

    Thinking of this, Hansen was furious. Norton had circled around Jenna like a fly. If he hadn¡¯t taken away Jenna¡¯s virginity, he wouldn¡¯t have disliked Jenna so much.

    The hatred in his heart was stirred up one after another!

    ¡°Grandma, actually, I have divorced Jenna.¡± Hansen could not suppress the anger in his heart. His mind was burning, and he did not want to hide it deliberately. He admitted in a low voice, ¡°Grandma, please understand my difficulties. I really can¡¯t stand it anymore. Have you ever thought about my feelings? I am a man, and that woman really doesn¡¯t deserve to be my wife. She is always flirting with other men. You know what is written in the newspaper. She is now flirting with Rayan Whalen, the biggestpetitor of our family. Our Richards Family should never ept such a woman, but you asked me to marry her. Grandma, it¡¯s unfair to me. I¡¯ve been tormented for years.¡±

    With an animated expression, Hansen took his grandma¡¯s hand. While he was criticizing Jenna, the uneasiness in his heart was infinitely increased. He didn¡¯t know why he lost control of his emotions again. It seemed that as long as he mentioned Jenna, his emotions would be out of control. His calm heart would be disturbed, and even his behavior would be inexplicable.

    Perhaps he didn¡¯t think so in his heart, but he was not willing to admit it, and he didn¡¯t want to admit defeat now. Otherwise, he would be looked down upon by his grandmother. His years of persistence would be in vain.

    ¡°Hansen, you really haven¡¯t grown up yet.¡± Grandma Richards shook her head and sighed,¡°Rayan knows what a treasure she is and knows how to appreciate her. Three years have passed, and yet you are still the same. You even became more confused.¡±

    ¡°No, Grandma, although I divorced her, I won¡¯t allow her to leave mypany. I understand what you mean.¡± Hansen was busy expressing his stand, ¡°And she has promised to visit you on your birthday.¡±

    Looking at Hansen trying to exin himself, Grandma Richards smiled bitterly in her heart.

    ¡°Hansen, you don¡¯t understand me at all. I¡¯m already old, what¡¯s the point of seeing someone else¡¯s wife? What I want to see is my granddaughter-inw. Let me tell you, Hansen, I will only recognize Jenna as my granddaughter-inw. Even if you marry someone else, I won¡¯t acknowledge her.¡± Grandma Richards sighed in her heart and said seriously, ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t have to consider my feelings to marry a woman you like. However, except for Jenna, I will not allow another woman to stay in Richards Manor. Your grandpa passed the manor to me, and this is an immutable fact. I will definitely have a say in this.¡±

    Grandma Richards did not like being disobeyed. Especially regarding Hansen¡¯s marriage, she was extremely stubborn. She meant what she said. Hansen firmly believed it. He could not help but feel a headache.

    ¡°Grandma, it has already happened. We are divorced. Please put yourself in my shoes. Think of the life I have been through these years. Grandma, I used to listen to you. I hope you can consider my feelings this time.¡± Hansen felt ufortable. He was in a mess and could not figure it out. He just pleaded bleakly.

    ¡°That¡¯s because you brought it upon yourself!¡± Grandma Richards¡¯s eyes gleamed brightly, but her words were sharp.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m worried that you won¡¯t be able to get her heart for the rest of your life!¡± She looked at his nk expression and her heart was in pain. She was so worried that he would refuse her choice, but he would never understand her painstaking efforts and could not see her intentions.

    Four years ago, the marriage caused Hansen to gradually drift away from Grandma Richards. He no longer came to see her often, and her outstanding grandson became more and more indifferent to her. This made her very sad, but she insisted on it. After all, it was for his own good!

    She thought that one day he would understand her painstaking efforts. At least he would understand after this press conference, but she did not get the news that she had been waiting for. Instead, what came was the earth-shattering truth.

    Instead of paying attention to Jenna, he went further away. Was her arrangement wrong? For such a long time in her life, she felt the bleakness and helplessness of reality for the first time.

    ¡°Hansen, I don¡¯t have much time left. I don¡¯t expect anything else. You¡¯re an adu

 Chapter 55 Nightmare

    ¡°Did you say that Jenna wille see me on my birthday?¡± Grandma Richards asked again when she saw Hansen walking out with his head lowered.

    ¡°Yes, Grandma, she promised. She will definitelye.¡± Hansen stopped his pace. With a bitter smile on his face, he answered with certainty.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Grandma Richards nodded and began to rest with her eyes closed.

    As he strolled in Richards Manor, all the good memories of his childhood came to his mind. Grandma held his hand with a smile, and grandpa stood beside him and looked at him with a smile.

    As the autumn breeze blew, he suddenly felt so sad that he wanted to cry. For the first time, he felt that his grandma had abandoned him. Even the Richards Manor had also abandoned him!

    Why did this happen? Was it all because of that woman? What did she do to make his grandma trust her so much that she was willing to give up on her own grandson?

    He clenched his fists. Unknowingly, he had stepped out of Richards Manor.

    His modified Hummer was especially conspicuous on the busy streets. Hansen drove the car with no destination in mind. All his life up until today had been considered sessful, yet he was lost and confused at this moment. He had a weird feeling in him and it seemed like there were a lot of things in his heart that he couldn¡¯t let go.

    There was no doubt that he was a failure in love.

    In fact, his grandma had alreadypromised. Even after divorcing Jenna, she was nning to give him his share of the inheritance, butcounting out Richards Manor.

    However, Hansen felt unhappy. He felt very sad, as if there was a thorn in his heart!

    He really didn¡¯t care about Richards Manor. Grandma still loved him. Anything rted to the Richards Group was still his. The only thing missing was the right to inherit Richards Manor. After splitting the inheritance, he would probably get a few vis in the city center. This amount could be easily gained by hispanies¡¯ earnings within a year.

    However, that was his home, a home that he grew up in. That feeling could not be measured by money. Now, he was like a child who felt that no matter how outstanding he was,he couldn¡¯t be acknowledged by his teacher. His heart was sour.

    On the shaded path, a beautiful figure was walking alone. Her figure was beautiful but lonely, which made his heart tremble.

    It was her, that d*mned woman!

    This woman, who made him painful and uneasy, who disturbed and messed up his life.

    He clenched his teeth.

    Perhaps if he didn¡¯t know her, he would be very free and easy now. However, they did meet.

    There was a hint of derision in Hansen¡¯s eyes. Seeing her walking slowly and raising her head slightly, he seemed to be able to see a proud smile on her face.

    He let go of his foot that was stepping on the elerator.

    ¡°Where is she going?¡± Hansen couldn¡¯t help but ask in his heart.

    The sign of C University stood in front of her, which reminded him of what she said when she went out this morning. She wanted to go back to the campus to have a look.

    D*mn, why did he drive the car here for no reason? He was secretly shocked!

    He skillfully held the steering wheel in his hand, but his eyes were fixed on Jenna, who was walking in front of him.

    Should he go in with her? The years at C Universitywere the beginning of his nightmare. All this while, he never returned here because he didn¡¯t want to recall this nightmare.

    Soon, he squinted his eyes. His long eyshes covered the light in his eyes, and his eyes were fierce.

    A tall man was quietly following Jenna, keeping a certain distance from her.

    Hansen¡¯s heart beat faster.

    It was Norton Richards!

    Could it be that she came here for a date with Norton? After all, Norton was her first love. Perhaps she still could not let go of him. She knew that he would nevere to the campus. She must be afraid that he would ruin their date, so she chose to meet with Norton on the campus.

    C University was the best private school in the whole city. Trees were nted everywhere on the campus and the scenery was beautiful. It was the best ce for men and women to date when they were in university.

    How could they choose to date here?N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Hansen¡¯s inexplicable anger rose from the bottom of his heart again. Was she trying to avoid him by not telling him about the date?

    He would not allow them to do as they wished.

    Without hesitation, he drove into the campus and followed them slowly.

    Jenna was slowly wandering on the campus of C University. The breeze was blowing and the fragrance was lingering, she felt rxed and happy.

    For many years, she had never walked into the campus. When she came here today, she didn¡¯tactuallyknow what she was thinking about.

    She didn¡¯t want toe, but she still came in the end.

    The campuswas still as quiet and peaceful as it used to be four years ago.

    All the beautiful and terrible memories gradually came to her mind. Why did shee here? Was she trying to figure something out?

    ¡°Jenna, what are you thinking about?¡± A demon-like male voice came from behind. It sounded strange and sinister.

    Jenna trembled and turned around in surprise.

    Norton was wearing casual clothes and a cap, standing behind her. His eyes were full of tenderness and obsession.

    Jenna took two steps back and asked in horror, ¡°Norton, why are you here?¡±

    The long cap covered more than half of his forehead, and his tall figure blocked the bright sun. Jenna was standing under his shadow.

    She felt a chill down her spine!

    ¡°Jenna, do you still remember this bamboo forest?¡± Norton leaned forward and asked as he walked. It was as if he was trying to dig Jenna¡¯s heart out with his hooked nose and make her remember the past.

    Bamboo forest? Jenna looked around. It turned out that she had already walked into this bamboo forest unknowingly.

    The green bamboo forest had grownrgerpared to the one in her memory. As it was autumn, the bamboo forest had faded its previous green and turned yellow, so she did not recognize it.

    The horrible memory, apanied by his gloomy words, was entangled in her mind, just like a poisonous snake sinking into her heart. She felt a sharp pain in her.

    Her face began to turn pale, and the light in her eyes grew colder.

    ¡°Was it really you that night?¡± Her voice was so soft that it could not be heard, but her anger was overwhelming. Her face was twisted with anger.

    ¡°Jenna, weren¡¯t you also very happy?¡± Norton was flustered in his heart, but he was smirking. This bamboo forest was his best memory. Every time he dreamed about it at night, he would call out Jenna¡¯s name and think of her warm and soft body. It was the first time he touched a woman¡¯s body. Although he did nothing, the wonderful feeling had been deeply embedded in his mind and he could not extricate himself from it.

    ¡°You despicable b*stard.¡± His words were no less harmful than poison, and itmade Jenna¡¯s heart ache. She was angry. It really was him. This shameless man, who brought her nightmares and sphemed her dignity. How dare he say such disgusting words.

    She would be happy? What made him think so?

    At that time, she didn¡¯t even have the experience of holding hands with a man, but she was hijacked here. Although he was not able to do anything,but for Jenna, it was a nightmare. Her good feelings for men disappeared, and she even felt fearful of them. Her life then began to be cast into the shadow of misfortune.

    ¡°Jenna, I love you, don¡¯t you know?¡± Norton¡¯s face started to blush unnaturally and there was a hint of coldness in his infatuated eyes. He approached her step by step, and Jenna felt a gust of creepiness filling the air. She wanted to run away, but she stood firm and her eyes were cold. She was no longer the weak little girl that she used to be.

    ¡°Norton, if you dare to approach again, I will ruin your reputation today. I am only a woman who is full of gossip. If you dare to be rude to me again, I will reveal the matter of you molesting me here that night to the media.¡±

    Jenna clenched the bag in her hand and said with a fierce voice.

    Norton stopped in his pace andughed out loud, ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re still so childish. Did I do anything to you? Who can prove it? We were both willing at that time! Besides, we didn¡¯t do anything!¡±

    ¡°You are shameless! D*mn it! How could you vite me? I had nothing to do with you.¡± Jenna¡¯s words were harsh as she shouted, ¡°Who said I was willing? It was just your wishful thinking. Norton, please stay away from me in the future. Keep a distance from me, or I will go to city hall to expose that you have harassed me several times.¡±

    Jenna knew that ordinary media could not scare him, but he was greedy for power and he cared about his career. She could see this from Hansen¡¯s warning towards him.

    She turned around and was about to leave. After all, it was still daytime, and there were still a lot of students walking around the campus. She was not worried about what he could do to her.

    She didn¡¯t want to see this man anymore. She had never hated a man as much as she did now. She felt that he was disgusting.

    The scent of his distinctive cologne made her even more ufortable.

    In the future, she would never want to see him when she was alone. This despicable and unpredictable man.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t leave.¡± Seeing that Jenna was about to leave, Norton was anxious. Yesterday, at the press conference, he saw her standing on the stage, shining like a queen. She was like a dazzling star, which drove him crazy.

    As he was sitting under the stage, he looked at her and could no longer hold it in. He was dreaming about her all night long. He dreamed of holding her beautiful body and indulging himself with her body as much as he could.

    When he woke up in the morning, he could no longer contain himself and was lost in thought. He could no longer work in peace.

    D*mn it, Hansen. If it weren¡¯t for him, he would have married her, and he would be living a happy life with her now.

    It was Hansen who ruined his love and his life. He was not willing to give up.

    He didn¡¯t think that he needed to marry Sabrina Delia, who had a military background, to advance his career. He believed that if he married Jenna, he would still have a smooth career.

    Therefore, he had to fight for it.

    In the early morning, he waited outside Collier Manor for her. Knowing that the d*mned Hansen would not let her go easily, he deliberately set up grandma so she would request to see him!

    How could he miss this great opportunity!

 Chapter 56 Truth Uncovered

    ¡°Jenna, are you looking for a ce to stay?¡± Norton called out to her with a smile on his face.

    Jenna turned around in shock,¡°You¡¯re following me?¡±

    This morning, she indeed went to several real estate agencies.

    A hint of happiness shed across Norton¡¯s face. If she could move out of Collier Manor, it would be great.

    She intended to move out andit indirectly proved that she did not love Hansen anymore, which made him ecstatic.

    ¡°Jenna, you don¡¯t have to find anymore. I have an apartment in Maden Town. You can stay there!¡± His voice was full of expectation and surprise.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment and sneered, ¡°Norton, I told you that you and I will never cross paths again. Do you think I will stay in your apartment?¡±

    ¡°Do you think that my apartment is not as good as Hansen¡¯s? Or do you think that I¡¯m not as rich as Hansen and won¡¯t be able to satisfy your appetite? You women are indeed greedy,¡± Norton¡¯s eyes were red and his face twitched, and he gnashed his teeth.

    Jenna suddenly felt that the man in front of her was too scary. It was not his face that horrified her, but his twisted mentality. Such a perverted man was simply disturbing!

    She didn¡¯t want to stay any longer. She just wanted to leave immediately. A man like that would only give her nightmares if she got involved with him and she didn¡¯t want that feeling.

    ¡°Let me tell you, I won¡¯t let you go so easily. I want you to return to my embrace obediently,¡± as if he had read her mind, Norton said with a vicious tone behind her, which made Jenna¡¯s hair stand on end.

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡± An overbearing and cold voice sounded faintly and calmly from their backs.

    It was obviously such a cold voice, but Jenna still felt the warmth and she turned her head in surprise.

    Hansen¡¯s tall and slender figure was leaning against a pole. He wore a T-shirt and denim jeans.A ray of sun was shining down on him and he waslookingnguid and dazzlingly beautiful.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± Jenna whispered and looked at him, thinking ¡°Why is he here?¡±

    Hansenyed with the car keys in his hand,with an unparalleled smile on his face, and unpredictable light in his eyes. He hooked his finger at Jenna, but his eyes were looking at Norton.

    Jenna walked toward him without hesitation. At that moment, she felt much more at ease with him by her side. Norton had always been scrupulous about Hansen. If he was around, she would be much less troubled in the future.

    ¡°Norton, try it if you can,¡± Hansen said faintly but with an iparable deterrence. Norton, who had just stood tall, subconsciously shrank his neck and even his face turned pale!

    His eyes were filled with frustration and despair.

    Hansen smiled coldly, stretched out his long arm and wrapped around Jenna¡¯s waist. With a slight push, Jenna fell into his arms.

    His fingers pinched her chin lightlyand he was looking down at her.

    Jennawas blinking her thick, darkshes and looking at him with a hint of anxiety with her hands clutching his clothes tightly,wondering what he was up to! Even though she was afraid that Norton would pester her, it didn¡¯t mean that Hansen could do whatever he wanted.

    Hansen smirked and held her slender waist tightly with his strong and powerful arms. His lips suddenly pressed against hers, biting wildly and rampantly.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned a little pale as she could not escape from Hansen¡¯s embrace.

    They were on the university campus and Norton was staring at them.

    He didn¡¯t care about anyone else and kissed her openly without hesitation.

    Her heart pounded fast, and she looked at him with her eyes wide open.

    ¡°Cooperate with me,¡± Hansen whispered with his hot breaths sprayed over her ear. Although she did not agree with what Hansen was doing, no doubt the best way to make a man give up was to show that she had fallen for someone else.

    She wrapped her arms around his waist, responding to his kiss.

    ¡°She¡¯s my woman. Even if I don¡¯t want her, it¡¯s not your turn to snatch her away. Remember that,¡± after the kiss, Hansen let go of Jenna and looked at Norton¡¯s stunned, gloomy face. He announced in a pretentious way that his thin lips curved into a seductive arc, and the words that spilled from his mouth made people feel as cold as if they had fallen into an ice cave. Even the blood around him would freeze.

    He carried Jenna in his arms and walked toward the Hummer.

    ¡°Nice!¡± Some students who were watching pped their hands and cheered. Some people took out their mobile phones and began to record. The crowd was uplifted.

    That was the first time that Hansen had ever kissed her in public, and also the first time he had ever said that she was his woman.

    Although Jenna knew that knew he didn¡¯t mean it and they were just acting in order to deter Norton. However, in spite of his identity, he still dared to openly dere it in front of others. Although the deration was not perfect, it still made Jenna feel warm in her heart.

    Somewhere along the line, Norton had already left in disappointment!

    Hansen closed the tinted window and turned on the air-conditioning. The people outside could no longer see what was going on inside, and the onlookers were leaving.

    ¡°You are a promiscuous woman. It took you so little time to seduce another man! I¡¯ve already warned you not to be involved with my cousin, but you just don¡¯t listen. How shameless can you be?¡± Hansen didn¡¯t hear their entire conversation as he was in the car. When he saw that Norton¡¯s face was not normal and seemed to be threatening Jenna, he was worried that she would be taken advantage of, so he came out of his car. Although he was puzzled, he still had a sharp tongue.

    ¡°Hansen, will you die if you don¡¯t humiliate me?¡± Hansen¡¯s words woke Jenna up from her dream in an instant.She sat up with tears welling up in her eyes and roared angrily.

    ¡°Have I wronged you? You adulteress. You even came to this ce for a date. Don¡¯t you think that no one knows the scandalous things you did in the past,¡± Hansen sneered.

    Jenna¡¯s face was pale and she was stupefied,¡°Scandalous things? What do you mean? What scandal have wemitted before?¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Hansen snorted and said disdainfully, ¡°Just admit that you did it. Why do you pretend to be aggrieved?¡±

    Jenna could not take it anymore. She pointed her finger at Hansen with her eyes wide open, saying, ¡°Hansen, make it clear. What did I do? What do you know about that?¡±

    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll save you some face. Since we know about it, what¡¯s the point of saying it out?¡± Hansen lit a cigar, took a deep breath, and then spat it out. Smoke filled the air in the car.

    Jenna was exasperated and baffled. She really couldn¡¯t take this bullsh*t anymore.

    ¡°Hansen, make it clear to me today. Otherwise, I will not let you go. I will never allow you to insult me like this. There is indeed no good person in the Richards family,¡± Jenna¡¯s face was flushed red and she was on the verge of losing her mind. She pounded her hand on the seat and yelled at Hansen.

    ¡°Enough,¡± Hansen shouted in a low voice, ¡°What rights do you have to nder my family? Why don¡¯t you take a look at yourself?¡±

    Jenna even cursed at the Richards family. Hansen was furious as anger pulsed through his veins.

    ¡°What nder? Your family members are all bullies,¡± Jenna burst into tears as she recalled being m*lested by that b*stard, Norton, in her sophomore year. She suffered from nightmares for several years throughout her university life and now she was humiliated by the b*stard Hansen. She could no longer hold back her tears at that point.

    ¡°You said that my family members bullied you?¡± Hansen turned his head around and said with anger in his eyes, ¡°After what you did to the Richards family, you dare to say that my family bullied you?¡±

    ¡°Hansen, you are such a b*stard, just like Norton. I was blind,¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes were full of tears. Her eyes were red and she trembled as she said, ¡°During my sophomore year, right in this ce, Norton hid in the dark and took me here to m*lest me. If it weren¡¯t for the man that saved me, my virginity would be ruined. I didn¡¯t know who the man who kidnapped me was until he admitted it himself just now. Only then did I know that it was Norton. Isn¡¯t that considered bullying? Isn¡¯t he shameless? All these yearsI¡¯ve had nightmares just thinking about that man.¡±

    As Jenna spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. Her face turned pale and her hands trembled.

    ¡°What? Norton took you here by force back then? You did not do it willingly?¡± Hansen was dumbfounded and asked in disbelief. He stood in the dark that year and couldn¡¯t see their faces clearly. He saw Norton¡¯s hands moving around on her body. He just thought that the students in the university were very open-minded. As long as they did it willingly, it was fine in this era. If the woman didn¡¯t want to, why didn¡¯t she shout out loud?

    As such, when Jenna told him that Norton had forced her, of course, he did not believe that.

    ¡°Of course, no matter how cheap I am, I won¡¯t be with someone like Norton. I have never liked him at all. He is too despicable. That year I went out with Hannah and realized that I forgot my purse. I ran back to the dormitory but little did I expect Norton was hiding behind the rock when I passed by. He rushed out and took me by force. He tied my hands behind my back and carried me here with malicious intentions,¡± Jenna still felt scared when she thought of that horrible night.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. You are not a child. Didn¡¯t you know how to shout for help?¡± Hansen sneered as he thought that thewoman in front of him was really good at making up stories.

    ¡°He stuffed my mouth with a piece of cloth. How could I shout for help?¡± Jenna¡¯s face was terribly pale, and her eyes were still filled with fear.

    Hansen was stunned. He put out his cigar and looked at her, trying to see through her thoughts through her eyes.

    If that was the case, then it meant that Norton did not take her virginity. Then, who did it?

    His pupils contracted, and his eyes narrowed slightly as the light in his eyes grew colder and colder.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why didn¡¯t you report him?¡± he asked coldly.

    ¡°Do you think I didn¡¯t want to?¡± Jenna sneered,¡°But I didn¡¯t even know who it was. Do you think it will do good to my reputation if I reported this matter? I only remember the smell of the cologne. For so many years, I went around looking for it, only to learn that it was a custom made cologne from France. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t buy it at all. When I smelled this perfume in the underground parking lot that day, I suspected him at the time. I came over here today just to verify it, but I didn¡¯t expect to meet him here. He even admitted it himself. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask him.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face was getting gloomier and gloomier, as if he was caught up in some memories. He was lost in his thoughts.

 Chapter 57 Boat Trip

    In their sophomore year, Trevor returned from a business trip to France and brought back two bottles of cologne. He gave one bottle to ude at that time, but unexpectedly, Norton was the one who used it.

    It was strange that he had only used it once. So why was he using the cologne now?

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were red and sheughed at herself, ¡°Of course, you never believe me. There¡¯s no point in me saying so much. Just let me go. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you believe it or not. It has been so many years and it doesn¡¯t make much sense to talk about it. Besides, there is nothing between us anymore. You don¡¯t need to believe me. In fact, I just want to thank the man who stood in the dark and saved me. Although I don¡¯t know who he is, I would still like to thank him.¡±

    Jenna observed Hansen while talking. In fact, for a moment, she almost believed that the man in the dark was him, especially when she heard him saying that he saw she had a date with Norton there;she was almost certain that it was him.

    However, Hansen¡¯s expression was indifferent, as if he didn¡¯t hear her words or perhaps, he didn¡¯t believe her at all.

    After a moment of silence, he didn¡¯t let Jenna out of the car. Instead, he started the car, skillfully turned the steering wheel, and the heavy Hummer moved out nimbly and lightly.

    He was blessed with the talent of driving. Jenna looked at Hansen skillfully maneuvering the steering wheel. The heavy Hummer was like a toy in his hands. He was driving it with such dexterity that he was able to drive it through the trafficso deftly that he was quickly leaving the other cars far behind.

    ¡°Hey, where are we going?¡± Jenna saw that the car was not heading towards Collier Manor, so she was a little worried. She was nning to go home to see her mother.

    Moreover, Hansen was a guy who didn¡¯t always y by the rules and his actions were simply unpredictable.

    As expected, he stared at the front, took out his mobile phone, and said lightly,

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    After that, he threw his mobile phone on the seat, turned the steering wheel skillfully, and drove even faster toward the highway. Jenna was even more panicked. She thought ¡°Are we leaving the city? Where is he taking me to?¡±

    After driving for a distance, the car came to an embankment lined by green trees. As Jenna looked out, she saw a quaint but modern-fashioned building appeared in front of her.

    It turned out to be a big clubhouse.

    Why did he bring her here? All the while, whenever he decided on something, she had no way of resisting. He was always so strong and domineering.

    It really was a beautiful ce. It was indeed a beautiful scenery with a small hill and verdant greenery behind the clubhouse. When she got out of the car, she heard the sound of waves hitting the coast.

    ¡°There¡¯s the sea!¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t help but cry out in joy in her heart.

    She eximedthat there was such a nice view not far from A City.

    Was A city just a stone throw away from the sea? She had never heard her father mention that before.

    There were mountains and seas. Could it be that he was on vacation? Had he already prepared it beforehand? She couldn¡¯t help but look at him.

    Hansen was wearing white casual shoes, light blue jeans, and a white T-shirt, making him look youthful and carefree. He deliberatelybed his hair in a fashionable Western-style, revealing half of his forehead. It showed off his handsome face and gave off a naughty vibe.

    He gently flicked his fringe with his fingertips and mmed the car door.

    Someone who looked like a manager immediately rushed over with some waiters and bowed at Hansen.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Hansen didn¡¯t even look at them. He had one hand in his jeans pocket and the other holding his phone. He spread his legs out and walked towards the building with a decisive and powerful pace, simply suave and imposing.

    The manager hurriedly went to the front to lead the way, as he instructed the waiter to go up and inform the other staff members of their arrival.

    ¡°Wee, Mr. Richards,¡± a row of hostesses wearing revealing clothes stood in front of the main lobby and greeted Hansen with their heads down. Their voices were sweet and their eyes were full of spirit.

    Hansen just looked at the changes in the elevator number,oblivious to the fawning beauties, and looked indifferent.

    Jenna followed closely behind him. Looking at his serious appearance, Jenna couldn¡¯t help butugh in her heart. Men were all like that. They still pretended to be indifferent when they met with the beauties. They pretended to be pure and innocent, but in fact, they were simply lustful beings driven by sexual desires.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Young Master Wyld and the others are in the ¡®Green Ocean¡¯ private room. I¡¯ll take you there!¡± The young manager moved at the same pace and bowed, trying to please Hansen.

    Hansen took out his mobile phone and waved his hand,¡°I¡¯ll book the whole venue today. Everyone on duty will be tipped one thousand dors. Keep it on my tab,¡± he calmly instructed the manager.

    When the manager heard that, he immediately smiled, nodded repeatedly and stepped aside.

    Jenna snorted in her heart and followed him calmly. She was no longer in a hurry to ask him what he was doing there. Since they were there, she couldn¡¯t leave alone. Moreover, Hansen had always been conceited and didn¡¯t care about her feelings at all. Even if she protested, it would be in vain.

    It¡¯s better to wait and see. Let¡¯s just take things as theye.

    Stepping out of the elevator door, Hansen walked towards one side, looking very carefree.

    The decoration there was truly extravagant. Although Jenna had seen the world, she was still amazed by the ingenious design.

    The row of private rooms at the back were all facing the sea and next to the lush green mountains. There wasa ss corridor leading directly to the sea where Jenna could see a luxury liner floating on the blue sea.

    The sun was shining brightly, reflecting on the surface of the sea. The waves werepping against the coast, and a flock of seagulls weresoaring over the vast sea.

    Everything looked so calm and peaceful.

    When Hansen took her into the private room,she realized that the scene in the private room was terrible.

    Three men were lying on the sofa in disheveled clothes. They were all incredibly handsome, but looked unruly.

    ¡°You¡¯re still sleeping?Get up,¡± Hansen went up and kicked them. They yawned one by one and got up wearily. One of them came up and hugged him, crying, ¡°Hansen, how could you wake us up early in the morning? It¡¯s too much.¡±

    Hansen lifted him up and threw him on the sofa, ¡°What are you talking about, it¡¯s already noon.¡±

    The guy who was thrown on the sofa said, ¡°Hansen, we were up all nightst night. It was supposed to be your celebration party, but you stood us up. We had so much fun here all night. Didyou think we would be energetic today?¡±

    ¡°Hansen, this guy even had fun with two womenst night. It¡¯s a miracle that he¡¯s still standing up,¡± another man also opened his sleepy eyes and smirked.

    Jenna looked at the three people and secretly sighed, ¡°It¡¯s these three guys again!¡±

    She could still remember it was only the third day since they got married. That night, she waited for Hansen to return home but she couldn¡¯t see him and fell asleep sadly. But then, she received a call from Hansen in the middle of the night, ordering her to rush over immediately.

    At that time, she was ecstatic that Hansen called her over.

    She had not seen him in the past few days. She was very delighted to receive a call from him, thinking that he was showing her goodwill!

    However, when she rushed over happily, she found Hansen was with those three guys and he was drunk.

    He ordered her to toast to the three of them. From their words of unting, she understood that they were betting on whether she would be angry at her new husband for staying out all nightand whether or not she would obey him.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    At that time, Hansen said confidently that as long as he called her, she woulde over obediently and make a toast to them. She would do whatever he said without anyints.

    At that time, Jennawas very much in love with Hansen. Even though she knew that the reason why Hansen had called her there just for the sake of a bet, she still made a toast and satisfied Hansen¡¯s vanity in every way. However, what she did not expect was that after she finished all those things, Hansen drove her out without hesitation.

    That night was also the only time in the four years of marriage that Hansen called her. In other words, it was also thest night during the marriage that Jenna saw him. After that, he had disappeared without a trace.

    In the future, he would nevere home at night. Even if he came back, he would never enter her room.

    Jenna could not feel any warmth at home. She was helpless and had nowhere to go. She locked herself in her room every day. In the beginning, she still had expectations of Hansen, but after seeing him with a cold look in his eyes and a bad attitude, she stopped looking forward to it and spent all her time in front of theputer.

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached at the thought of the past. Today, he brought her to his friends again. Perhaps he intended to tease her again. Otherwise, he would not be so kind.

    Thinking about that night with the strong wind and the cold of winter, he drove her out just like that, not even asking the driver to send her home. In the middle of the night, she walked alone on the street and couldn¡¯t even find a taxi.

    He was not worried at all about what might happen to his newlywed wife on the street in the middle of the night.

    At that time, she was heartbroken. That night, she realized that he did not regard her as his wife, not even as a passer-by. She wondered if there was a newlywed husband in this world who would be so indifferent to his wife.

    He hadpletely abandoned her!

    That night, she walked for a long time before she found a taxi. After returning home, she fell ill andy in the brocade quilt, crying secretly. What was even more unexpected was that she had not received such a ¡°treatment¡± since then.

    She was like a blooming flower in the corner and could no longer attract his attention. She did not know what she had done wrong to receive such miserable treatment.

    ¡°Jenna,¡± the three unruly men finally noticed that a woman hade into the private room and that she was Hansen¡¯s ex-wife. They were surprised and could not understand what Hansen was thinking. However, from the newspaper, they read about some rumors about them. Seeing Hansen brought her over, they took it in stride and politely greeted her.

 Chapter 58 Out of The Blue

    ¡°Young Master Richards, where did you have funst night? You left us here and now you¡¯re waking us up so early in the morning. How could you be so mean?¡± One of the guys said while lying on the sofa, rubbing his eyes.

    Hansen walked over and kicked his butt.

    ¡°Get up. What time is it now? Be serious, all of you. The day is only getting started.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± All of a sudden, those guys opened their eyes and asked with great joy, ¡°Are we still going on an expedition to the isted ind? Are you going to invite the celebrities along?¡±

    Hansen sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, rolled his eyes at them, and snorted, ¡°You wish. I don¡¯t want those celebrities with us on this expedition. Bring your wives and call them over quickly. Hurry up.¡±

    Hansen began to give orders.

    ¡°Why?¡± The three guys looked surprised and began toin, ¡°We rarely get together this year as we¡¯ve been busy every day. It¡¯s a rare chance for us to have time to rx, but now you¡¯re asking us to bring our wives with us? How can we have fun like that? How ufortable!¡±

    Theyined one after another, their faces full of reluctance.

    ¡°What I said is an order. Hurry up, or you don¡¯t have to go anymore,¡± Hansen looked impatient.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t,¡± the guys shook their heads hurriedly when they heard that. The expedition to the isted ind shown on TV was sponsored by the Richards Group. It was currently the most popr entertainment.

    There were several small inds in the sea, all of which had been bought by Hansen. Ordinary people would not have the chance to enjoy it and could only watch it on TV or pay a lot of money. However, without Hansen¡¯s approval, they would not be able to go to the inds either.

    This kind of show was currently the most popr program on TV. The shows would invite popr celebrities toe to the inds for some adventure. It was exciting and an effective way of advertising. Of course, only Hansen coulde up with the brilliant idea.

    They had been wanting to try the ind adventure for a long time, but Hansen wouldn¡¯t let them in, so they could not do anything. Finally, Hansen had agreed to it and they were all over the moon.

    Sigh, even if the celebrities were not invited, they were all yboys. The invited celebrities might have already slept with other people, so they didn¡¯t care much about them either.

    They all took out their mobile phones.

    Jenna knew the three of them. The one in the middle, wearing a red T-shirt, was Frederic Newton, the son of A City¡¯s financial magnate. The one to his left, who was still lying, was David Wyld, the son of A City¡¯s municipal party secretary, and the one to his right was Chester Richards, the country¡¯srgest manufacturing magnate.

    Frederic was Hansen¡¯s childhood friend. The three of them listened to everything Hansen said. When Hansen gave an order, they would obey his orders without hesitation.

    At that point, Jenna understood why Hansen had brought her there.

    Was he going to take her out on a trip? Would he be so kind?

    Thinking of how he toyed with her a few years ago, she still had a lingering fear. However, Hansen told them to only bring their wives today, which was beyond her expectation. She looked at him in silence.

    ¡°Quickly go and clean up the mess, lest you make a fool of yourself in front of your wives. If word gets back to our homes, we will be in trouble,¡± Chester, who was most afraid of his wife, stood up and shouted at them.

    There was a burst ofughter in a moment, and even Hansenughed.

    Chester started from scratch and his wife had been by his side along the way. His wife was smart and capable, and in fact, he respected her very much. Although he asionally yed outside, he never brought a woman home for the night. They had two sons and a daughter together and lived a happy life. Although he yed around asionally, he never wanted to be misunderstood by his wife.

    David hadn¡¯t gotten married yet, so he invited a woman he was close with. He intended to marry her, but the idea was opposed by his father, Zach Wyld. Therefore, he could not do anything but to put the matter aside.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Now I¡¯ll give you a chance to look good so be sure to perform well,¡± Hansen sat on the sofa, with his legs slightly crossed and his eyes smiling.

    Although theyughed along with the others on their faces, they secretlyined in their hearts.

    Frederic was the one who started the event, so he was naturally the most enthusiastic one. After a while, he took out a gun from the room and was eager to have a try.

    ¡°No, there are rules on the ind.Each person can only prepare something and the deadline is three days. This is different from how you used to do it so you guys better be prepared,¡± Hansen saw the real gun in Frederic¡¯s hand and quickly stopped him. Sometimes, Frederic would act rashly. If he took the gun with him, something bad might happenter.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be unreasonable. I just want to try the real thingand have an exciting adventure,¡± Frederic was full of bitterness and frustration.

    David, the youngest of all, was ying dead on the sofa initially when he heard what Frederic said. He was adventurous and his blood began to boil after hearing that. He was getting excited and looking forward to the expedition.

    It seemed that she was going to stay on the ind for a few days. Jenna¡¯s heart was pounding fast. In fact, she was not against the idea. The ind was uniquely scenic and more attractive than the suburbs.

    It seemed that although Hansen worked very hard, he also yed hard.

    Only those who knew how to enjoy life could work so hard!

    With a smile on her face, she met Hansen¡¯s gaze on her. She blushed and turned her head away.

    Her expression did not escape Hansen¡¯s eyes. The corners of his mouth were slightly quirked up, learning thatshe really did like the event he had prepared for her.

    The doorbell rang, and the manager came in with two women.

    One was Chester¡¯s wife, Carol, and the other woman was Frederic¡¯s wife, Annie.

    Carol was decent-looking and looked a little mature. She had a smart and capable look and was always polite to everyone. On the other hand, Annie, who was in herte twenties, was dressed in finery, of average looks, and yet seemed affluent.

    Jenna knew that the marriages of the rich and powerful families were not based on love, but only on political and family interests. It¡¯s obvious that Annie was not Frederic¡¯s type. They had to marry each other for some specific interests, which was why Frederic always yed around with other women frequently.

    Jenna greeted them politely with a nod.

    They looked at Jenna from top to bottom with a dry smile. Jenna knew that they must know her identity. After the press conference, it was impossible for anyone from A city to not know who she was.

    She, a divorced woman who had been jilted by a man from a wealthy family, was naturally not on their level. The most important thing for women from the wealthy families were their identities as the first wife to their husbands.

    The status of the first wife in the family was unshakable. No matter how much a man was having an affair outside, the wife was always in the most conspicuous position, especially in A City. Although the men could fool around with other women, there could only be one first wife.

    Therefore, the first wives would, more or less, look down upon women who were mistresses or concubines. They could not experience the feeling at home during ordinary times, but once they were brought out to such asions, it was time for them to shine, which could be seen when they looked at Jenna.

    ¡°Sit down, all of you,¡± of course, none of those escaped from Hansen¡¯s eyes. His sword-shaped eyebrows were slightly furrowed and his cold gaze swept over them. He pointed towards the seats next to them, and his voice was calm, but his tone made people feel uneasy.

    Of course they knew of Hansen¡¯s prestige. Their husbands had a lot of businesses that relied on the support of the richest man in A city. They did not dare to offend themercial tycoon who was developing rapidly. Hansen¡¯s economic clout had grown considerably with the sess of the press conference alone.

    As expected, they were all smart people. Hearing Hansen¡¯s words, they quickly understood and took back their disrespectful gazes on Jenna. They smiled politely at Jenna and motioned for her to sit down before daring to sit down.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯ll have to go easy on us during the expedition. Our wives are not very dexterous and know nothing about surviving in the wild. They are not as smart and capable as Miss Murphy,¡± Frederic had already noticed Hansen¡¯s expression, so he understood and hurriedly ttered him with a smile.

    The coldness in Hansen¡¯s eyes flickered away, and he proudly held his head up and epted thepliments generously.

    Regardless of who he brought, as long as the woman he brought with him was one who was invited by him, he would not allow others to look down on her. That was Hansen¡¯s personality.

    In the middle of the conversation, two more women came in after a knock on the door.

    It would have been better if Jenna hadn¡¯t look asshe was so shocked that her face turned pale after seeing those who entered.

    One of them was David¡¯s girlfriend, Gina, who looked sweet and cute, while the other person left Jenna in a daze.

    She was Rayan¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Hilda.

    Her long hair was tied up to her shoulders and she was wearing a fine chiffon dress, which showed off her elegance in her actions.

    Jenna never expected to meet her there.

    After a while, she finally understood!

    It seemed that Hansen was looking for an opportunity to humiliate her again.

    Since when did he be so kind?

    There was a cold smile on her face.

    At that moment, Hansen was shocked to see Gina had walked in with Hilda as he never thought that Gina would bring Hilda along.

    This time, he really did want to bring Jenna out for a vacation. He didn¡¯t have any ill intentions. After all, Jenna had been working hard for the press conference. He just wanted to reward her and had no intention of embarrassing her.

    But that¡¯s apparently not the case anymore!

    When he saw the cold light in her eyes and the cold smile on her face, he panicked!

    Jenna stared at him with her cold eyes, which made him very awkward. But on second thought, it¡¯s not like he purposely invited her over and he had no idea at all. Why should he be misunderstood by her?

    ¡°Miss Smith is also here,¡± although Chester was surprised, he greeted Hilda politely.

    Everyone in the circle knew that Hilda was Rayan¡¯s titr fianc¨¦e. She was not only the fianc¨¦e of the god-level figure but also the daughter of the global mafia boss, Jonas. They would not dare to offend her at all.

    Hilda smiled brightly as shegreeted everyone. She reached out to shake hands with Jenna and thedies. She was polite and didn¡¯t have any prejudice towards Jenna at all. She was even very friendly to Jenna.

 Chapter 59 Explanation

    ¡°Since Miss Smith is here, shouldn¡¯t we invite Rayan as well?¡± Frederic asked.

    ¡°Yes, Rayan should be here,¡± Chester also chimed in and turned his eyes to Hansen.

    Hansen tightened his long fingers and leaned slightly against the sofa. His eyes swept over Jenna¡¯s sullen face. No one could tell what was on his mind.

    After a long time, he said calmly to Hilda, ¡°Just do as you wish.¡±

    Hilda blushed and took out her mobile phone.

    Jenna clenched her fists tightly as she thought ¡°Hansen, do you think it¡¯s fun to do this?¡±

    Hansen smiled bitterly in his heart and reached out to take the cigar handed to him by Frederic. He lit it up and took a deep breath. With the cigar between his fingers, he turned on theputer and started tapping his fingers on the keyboard and suddenly said, ¡°The weather is fine today. It seems that it may rain for the next two days.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be afraid of rain. It¡¯s even more excitingthat way,¡± said Chester, who was brave and lofty-spirited.

    The door of the private room was quickly pushed open, and Rayan¡¯s tall figure appeared at the door.

    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Jenna, who was sitting on one side, and a bright light shed across his eyes.

    ¡°Jen,you¡¯re here too?¡± He smiled faintly on his handsome face and opened his thin lips with his eyes filled with excitement and anticipation. Since he left her at the banquetst night, he couldn¡¯t find her again. He didn¡¯t know what had happened to her. He didn¡¯t expect that Hilda would follow him to A City, let alone show up atst night¡¯s party. He was looking for a chance to exin things to her!

    Moreover, Hansen¡¯s attitude towards Jenna was very unfriendly that night, which worried him a lot. Now that he saw that she was fine, he was relieved.

    With a gentle smile on his face, Rayan just nodded and greeted everyone pleasantly before walking towards Jenna without hesitation, without even looking at Hilda.

    ¡°Brother Rayan, you¡¯re here!¡± Jenna opened her red lips slightly and smiled. She thought that Hansen was trying to embarrass her and thus shewould not let his wishe true. There was nothing between her and Rayan, but Hansen tried to embarrass her and let her make a fool of herself. Since she did nothing wrong, she was not afraid of Hansen.

    ¡°Brother Rayan, sit down,¡± she stood up to give her seat to Rayan. Her voice was sweet and soft, as if she deliberately said it to Hansen.

    Hansen¡¯s face darkened instantly, and a trace of anger shed in his eyes, but soon he calmed down.

    ¡°You d*mned woman,trying to provoke me? I¡¯ll make you sufferter,¡± he gritted his teeth and felt angry in his heart, but his face was indifferent.

    Rayan stood next to her and smiled gently. He shook his head and said, ¡°I like standing,¡± then he spoke softly, ¡°I prefer standing next to you.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyes lit up and her eyes twinkled as she smiled happily.

    Men like Rayan were always humorous. No matter what he said, he would make people feelfortable, unlike Hansen, who was entric and had never said anything decent.

    After Rayan arrived, Jenna rxed a lot, and smiled from ear to ear.

    At least, she felt that there was someone who would treat her well.

    Hansen felt that he had lost face so he stood up with a cold face.

    The woman he had brought along was talking andughing with another man while ignoring him, which made Hansen feel embarrassed. However, he also knew that Jenna was ming him for inviting Hilda and obviously, she was deliberately taking revenge on him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he stood up straight, taking the lead and walked out of the room.

    Hilda stood there awkwardly, with a dry smile on her face.

    Even Frederic could see the subtle rtionship between them. He could not guess Hansen¡¯s thoughts, neither could he suppress the excitement in his heart.

    He thought that Hansen hated his ex-wife, but he still took her with him. When Rayan and Jenna acted intimately in public, he seemed to be indifferent. ording to his experience, the more Hansen acted as if he was indifferent, the more likely he was pretending. Frederic had already known that Hansen invited them on the expedition because he wanted to please Jenna. When Annie and Carol looked at Jenna with a hint of disrespect, his eyes were full of killing intention!

    He must still be in love with his ex-wife. Although they were divorced, maybe he¡¯s going back on his word. Thinking of that, Frederic almostughed out loud.

    Others might think that Hansen liked Aria, but Frederic had been friends with Hansen since they were kids. It would be a mistake to assume that he did not understand Hansen at all.

    A woman like Aria was definitely not Hansen¡¯s cup of tea. It was just that Aria pestered him constantly. On the contrary, a woman as elegant and pleasant as Jenna was more to Hansen¡¯s liking. The only problem was that he could not face his feelings honestly.

    Jenna and Rayan were talking andughing with each other so naturallythat theypletely ignored Hansen. Judging by the situation, she might have given up on Hansen. He secretly eximed in his heart ¡°This is interesting. Hansen is in trouble now!¡±

    Not only was Rayan apetent rival, but Hansen was the one who pushed Jenna into another man¡¯s arms. Things were slowly getting interesting.

    Frederic thought ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re such an arrogant guy. You deserve to suffer.¡±

    Frederic was so excited.He eximed secretly ¡°Hansen, serve you right! You have always gotten whatever you wanted, including women. However, Jenna is not the same. She is indifferent towards you. I want to see how you would deal with this.¡± Frederic was curious about how Hansen would act in his attempt to get back his beloved woman!

    He smiled smugly and cunningly on his face. Ever since he was a child, Hansen had always appeared in front of him with absolute strength and advantage. He had long wanted to defeat Hansen to see what he would look like when he lost. Thinking of that, he even let out a wickedugh.

    The group quickly boarded the luxurious private liner. Suddenly, the cabin began to bustle with activity. The attendants had already prepared food and were waiting in the cabin.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Hansen ordered the captain who was standing next to him.

    The captain agreed and walked towards the control room.

    The women on board were proud of their noble status and often hung out together. They were familiar with each other and naturally sat together to enjoy the scenery. Jenna couldn¡¯t talk to them, and she didn¡¯t like how they acted. She felt ridiculous and disdainful of their thoughts of being proud of their husbands.

    Therefore, she walked out of the cabin and stood on the deck, looking out at the view!

    ¡°Jen, it¡¯s windy here. Be careful not to catch a cold,¡± Rayan came out with a ss of red wine and handed it to her, ¡°Drink some wine to warm yourself.The wind here is cold and dry.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jenna took the red wine from his hand and leaned against the railing. Since he entered the private room, Jenna had been attracted by his elegance and nobleness. The soft and friendly atmosphere made her feelfortable and natural. She felt fortunate that he was around too otherwise she would have been miserable!

    She secretly sighed that Rayan was so much easier to get along with than Hansen. When she was with him, she was happy and rxed. Meanwhile, whenever she was with Hansen, he would either provoke her or ridicule her. Sometimes, she felt like fighting with him.

    Her nose was red from the sea breeze and her cheeks were also blushing. Her white skin was fair and looked snow-white and delicate against the blue sea, which was extremely beautiful.

    She gently shook the ss and slowly swallowed the red wine.

    Rayan gracefully held the red wine ss, and the scarlet liquid did not move in the ss. Jenna sighed that a man like Rayan was born to drink red wine, just as Hansen was born to drive.

    Even the posture of his fingers holding the wine ss was so beautiful that it was naturally noble. The blood-red liquid was shining in the ss, which was extremely dazzling. With his affectionate and gentle eyes, it revealed his noble and extraordinary identity, making many women fall for him.

    For example, Hilda, who came for him from far away without anyints. She must love him deeply. How courageous she was! Even though Rayan was as cold as ice to her, she had noints at all.

    Jenna admitted that she couldn¡¯t behave as Hilda did, and she didn¡¯t want to take her lover away from her!

    When she fell in love with Hansen, she kept it to herself. At that time, they were already husband and wife but she never dared to follow him openly and even pester him. It was even more impossible for her to chase after him across thousands of miles. She had always been passively waiting for him to take the initiative to approach her. If he did, she would be ecstatic. If he didn¡¯t, she could only swallow her tears.

    She had never been so bold to fight for his attentionor dare toexpress her feelings.

    That was just how she was.

    Therefore, she was not Hilda, and she was destined not to get a perfect love. Even though she was in love with Hansen for years, she would rather take the bullet for him rather than tell him how she felt. It was because she really loved him from the bottom of her heart.

    By no means would she ever be bold enough to reveal it, because she was not confident enough. She would rather bury it at the bottom of her heart forever, never to be known by others.

    ¡°Jen, are you willing to listen to my exnation?¡± Rayan looked at Jenna¡¯s blushing face. Although she smiled slightly, she was not as lively as usual. The only thing in her eyes was loneliness. He didn¡¯t want to see such an expression, because his heart would hurt. He really couldn¡¯t bear to let her have a trace of sadness.

    ¡°What?¡± Jenna was awakened by Rayan¡¯s words, looking at him with a smile on her face andher eyes full of doubts.

    She didn¡¯t understand what he said? He smiled bitterly, but he didn¡¯t care. He didn¡¯t want to waste any more time like this. He wanted to make it clear to her.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Jen, it¡¯s like this,¡± he cleared his throat and said very seriously, ¡°I would like to exin about my fianc¨¦e, please believe me. Although I knew her before you, it doesn¡¯t mean that I will love her and marry her. I will handle the engagement with her. Now I just want you to trust me. Do you understand when I say it like that?¡±

    He spoke in a low, maic voice, which was very pleasant to the ear.

    Jenna was soon influenced by his vibes. His words were so pleasant, gentle, and tender.

    Hisfianc¨¦e was in the cabin, but he just confessed his love to her.

    She was moved and her heart felt warm. However, his words were so sudden that she didn¡¯t know what to say.

 Chapter 60 Voluntary Choice

    ¡°Rayan, your fianc¨¦e is not feeling well. She¡¯s seasick,¡± Hansen came out of the cabin and stood behind them. The sea breeze blew his ck hair to his forehead. His eyes were bright and his face was full of ¡°concern¡±. Jenna nced at him and said, ¡°Brother Rayan, why don¡¯t you check on Miss Smith first? It¡¯s very ufortable to experience seasickness.¡±

    Just when she didn¡¯t know how to answer him, Hansen came out. Perhaps that was good as she could avoid the topic for the time being.

    Upon hearing that, Rayan turned around and said with a faint smile, ¡°Mr. Richards, I only think of Hilda as my little sister. I will naturally care for her if she¡¯s not feeling well. However, there are some things that I will not give up easily.¡±

    Saying that, he clenched his red wine ss, and gave a smile. He drank the wine and walked away.

    Hansen¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed. How could he not understand the message that Rayan sent out? He was very displeased. He initially wanted to have fun for the next few days and reward Jenna for her hard work. However, he did not expect that everything would be messed up.

    ¡°You¡¯re really scheming,¡± Hansen sneered at Jennaafter Rayan left.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that. I am nothingpared to you,¡± Jenna almost scoffed out. He had repeatedly tried to humiliate her. Did he ever consider her feelings? She also had dignity. She had thought that he would be kind enough to let her enjoy herself for a few days, but it seemed that he was totally using the opportunity to humiliate her.

    Her patience had worn out. There was really no need to submit to his wishes, which would only make him more rampant.

    At that point, she did not want to talk to him anymore. She nced at him indifferently, turned around, and wanted to follow Rayan back into the cabin.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hansen was flustered with rage. He grabbed her arm and asked, gnashing his teeth. His face was as dark as rain clouds.

    Jenna ignored his furious expression and said disdainfully, ¡°You know what¡¯s in your mind. Why are you putting on a show?¡±

    ¡°Woman, listen to me. I didn¡¯t mean to invite Hilda at all. I didn¡¯t know she woulde, nor did I expect that Gina would bring her here. This time, I meant to just take you for a good time. Believe it or not, I¡¯m not as despicable as you think,¡± Hansen¡¯s expression was dark.

    ¡°Really? I guess I should thank you then,¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes were full of mockery as she said sarcastically. She shook off his hand, nced at him and turned away.

    She would not take his words for it as she thought she was being set up by Hansen. How could there be such a coincidence in the world? She was sure that he was nning on how to humiliate her after that. With her previous experiences, she would never be stupid enough to believe him again.

    Hansen was exasperated as he had never felt like that vexed before. In Jenna¡¯s eyes, his kindness had turned into malice and she had no intention of believing in him at all. They had be like that!

    ¡°Every person going to the ind can only bring two sets of clothes, two knives, a signal re, and a survival pack. We¡¯ll set off from the trail in front ande back here three dayster,¡± the staff on the ind were exining seriously.¡°This expedition is couples-based. A man will be paired with a woman. It will be a test of tacit understanding, cooperation and whether the two are on the same page. The winners will be awarded a mystery gift.¡±

    ¡°Okay, no problem,¡± Chester was eager to try. He was confident that he and his wife, who had been with him through thick and thin, would have no problem aplishing such a task.

    Frederic and David didn¡¯t say much. After all,both had rather conspicuous rtionships with their wives.

    However, things didn¡¯t go as expected with Hansen and Rayan. Initially, if Rayan hadn¡¯te, Hansen would certainly be paired with Jenna. However, after Rayan came, the tables turned.

    Rayan publicly dered that Hilda was only his little sister. As soon as he said that, Hilda¡¯s face was gloomy and she kept quiet. She stood there with a bleak face. Hansenhad a smirk on his face, looking inscrutable.

    If that was the case, then who should they be paired with?

    Everyone was standing there, staring at them, and their faces were full of yful expressions.

    ¡°Who are you going to pair up with?¡± Frederic scratched his head and asked.

    ¡°Get lost,¡± Hansen¡¯s sharp eyes nced at him, full of arrogance.

    Frederic stirred up the trouble and smiled evilly.

    He had long been used to Hansen¡¯s yelling so of course he wouldn¡¯t mind. But as far as he was concerned, he had seen Hansen get angry many times and yet this was the first time he seemed so vexed. He thought to himself ¡°Hansen, you are going to get youreuppance these days!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, how do you think we should be paired up?¡± Rayan asked Hansen politely.

    ¡°Is there even a need to ask? You should be paired with whoever invited you here!¡± Hansen replied grumpily.

    ¡°But I don¡¯t think so,¡± Rayan had a smile on his face, as if he was deliberatelypeting with Hansen and he was not modest at all. He continued, ¡°The other people¡¯s pairing definitely made sense. However, the four of us are currently single and have the right to choose. Shouldn¡¯t we choose our pairings willingly? Why don¡¯t we ask about thedies¡¯ wishes?¡±

    Ask about their wishes? Hansen felt a burst of guilt for no reason.Jenna resented him and had no good impression of him at all. It was already a blessing that she was still around!

    She misunderstood him, thinking that he invited Hilda to embarrass her. She definitely hated him. If they were to ask her opinion, it was highly unlikely that she would choose to pair up with Hansen. Just as he was about to ask Hilda, he heard Rayan asking Jenna first,Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Jen, who would you like to be your partner on this expedition?¡±

    Rayan¡¯s gaze was soft and gentle. He stared at her without blinking, with expectation in his eyes.

    Everyone thought that Jenna would choose Rayan. After all, they seemed to be verypatible. Besides, Rayan was much more caring and considerate than Hansen. Everyone knew that Jenna would choose Rayan.

    Jenna was about to answer when she saw Hansen staring at her. Although his face was full of inexplicable gloom, there seemed to be some kind of expectation in his bright eyes. Her heart moved slightly, and she didn¡¯t know who to choose at the moment.

    She opened her mouth slightly but didn¡¯t utter a word for a long time.

    ¡°Brother Rayan, I asked you toe. I¡¯ll apany you. We shouldn¡¯t make things difficult for her,¡± Hilda had already seen through the truth. Although Rayan denied their rtionships in front of everyone and she was bitter in her heart, she did not show her anger. Instead, with a smile on her face, she even helped Jenna get out of the predicament.

    There was no doubt that she was smart. She didn¡¯t think that she would lose against Jenna. In that instance, she decided to be generous!

    Rayan also saw Jenna¡¯s dilemma, and felt a bit lost. He thought she would choose him without hesitation, but she did not. She was worried about Hansen.

    He had no choice but to turn his head around and said to Hansen, ¡°How about this, Mr. Richards? We¡¯ll be fair and just. We¡¯ll draw lots to decide who gets to partner with whom. Let¡¯s leave the decision to fate.¡±

    ¡°All right,¡± Jenna nodded hesitantly, but she was perplexed. She had always been decisive, but this time she hesitated. She was also curious to know what fate would decide for her.

    ¡°How about we flip a coin?¡± Rayan chuckled at Hansen.

    At that point, the three other couples came around. They clearly felt the tension in the air and watched with amusement.

    A cold light shed in Hansen¡¯s eyes, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. The smile made Jenna feel a chill down her spine.

    Hansen took a step forward, stretched out his arm, pulled Jenna over, and said softly, ¡°How about this? I will discuss something with ourpany manager, Ms. Murphy, first ande backter.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed Jenna¡¯s arm and walked to the side.

    Everyone knew that he was worried that he wouldn¡¯t be paired with Jennaandhad something to tell her. After all, he was the one who brought Jenna there and they were in the samepany, so it was only normal for him to tell her something.

    After a while, they came back.

    Rayan was ying with the coin in his hand. When he saw them return, he smiled and was about to say something, but Jenna lowered her eyes and said in a low voice, ¡°Brother Rayan, you don¡¯t have to flip the coin. I¡¯d like to be with Hansen.¡±

    When she said that, everyone was a little surprised and disappointed. Initially, they wanted to see Hansen being embarrassed, but Jenna announced that she was willing to be paired up with Hansen, leaving them all a bit baffled. At the same time, they suspected that Hansen must have pressured her, so they all looked at Hansen in suspicion.

    Hansen put his hands in his pockets and shrugged at everyone nonchntly. He seemed to be confident as if to say that she had agreed to it herself and he had nothing to do with it.

    A trace of disappointment shed in Rayan¡¯s eyes. He looked up at Jenna with puzzlement, only to see her clear eyes looking at him guiltily with a trace of grievance and helplessness.

    Shaking his head, he pretended to smile indifferently and said, ¡°Since Jen has made her own choice, I will respect it. All this while, I have always respected your wishes.¡±

    He said generously and nodded towards Hilda,¡°Then we¡¯ll be together as a team.¡±

    Hilda¡¯s eyes were bright and she smiled slightly and blushed, as if she had known the oue.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go,¡± Hansen regained his face and was in high spirits. However, he deliberately ordered Jenna, ¡°You¡¯re in charge of carrying the things.¡±

    He pointed to the luggage on the ground, turned around and walked forward.

    Jenna picked up the luggage on the ground, carried it obediently, and followed closely behind him, fearing that she would be abandoned.

    Seeing that, everyone shook their heads and smiled. Hansen really had a way with Jenna. No one knew what he had said to her but Jenna, who was angry with him at first, immediately changed her attitude and obeyed him.

    Rayan¡¯s eyebrows smoothed and furrowed again. After a moment of contemtion, he walked quickly towards the front.

 Chapter 61 Bullying A Woman

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Rayan walked quickly and caught up with Hansen. He stared at Hansen sternly, ¡°I don¡¯t care about what you said to Jen and what tricks you used. Since she chose you, I will respect her choice.However, if you cause her any trouble and make her suffer any grievance in the next three days, I will not let you go.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Hansenughed and turned to Jenna and asked, ¡°Ms. Murphy, could you tell Mr. Whalen if I¡¯ve forced you?¡±

    The colour drained from Jenna¡¯s face. She forced a smile at Rayan and said, ¡°Brother Rayan, it¡¯s my own choice. It¡¯s none of his business.¡±

    She looked at Rayan with pleading eyes and shook her head.

    Rayan saw that there was nothing more he could say. He reminded again, ¡°Jen, if he bullies you, be sure to call me right away and I¡¯ll be right over.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Brother Rayan,¡± Jenna smiled sweetly at him and nodded.

    Hansen walked away first. When walking past Rayan, he quietly moved aside, with a confident smile on his face, showing thathe was much more aplished.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll see each other in three days,¡± Rayan was full of helplessness and was reluctant to part with her. He felt that he could only be strong and energetic when he¡¯s with her.He just wanted to keep her in his sight. However, she had left with the arrogant Hansen and he felt extremely ufortable with that.

    If it weren¡¯t for Jenna¡¯s sake and the pitiful look on her pale little face, he would have taught Hansen a good lesson. Hansen¡¯s means were extraordinarily wicked.

    ¡°Remember, you have to follow me and listen to my instructions in the next three days. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for whatever happens. Also, don¡¯t think that you can do whatever you want with Rayan¡¯s backing. It¡¯s useless. He is just a nobody. If he dares to provoke me, who knows what may happen to him. Also, I must win against the other couples in this event,¡±Hansen dered to Jenna with absolute confidence,after reaching an open space on the ind.

    Jenna stared at the arrogant Hansen with her eyes wide open. There was nothing she could do. After all, she was always at a disadvantage in front of him. He had always been in charge of everything. What else could she do except to obey him?

    She roughly knew that during these three days, they had to go over three inds. Each ind had a checkpoint they had to go through. After reaching the checkpoints, there would be food and amodation that they had to find by themselves. If they wanted to return to the starting point after three days, they had toplete the challenges within two days and spend thest day heading back to the starting point.

    The three inds were closely connected. They were verdant and lush with greenery and trees. The ind had been developed by Hansen and all kinds of road signs had been set up, even the main road was concrete. There were a lot of fruit trees nted on the ind, and many small animals were raised, including some wild birds flying above the sea. Walking along the road, there was the aromatic scent of the sea and nts which made them feel rxed.

    The helicopter hovered in the sky from time to time. It was ready toe down to the ind at any time to rescue any tourists who set off res.

    Only Hansen, a freak, coulde up with such a wonderful entertainment project.

    Although Jenna didn¡¯t agree with him on the surface, she was actually amazed.

    She stole a nce at him and saw that he was rolling up his sleeves and also his trousers. It seemed thathe was getting ready to move.

    ¡°First, we will have to climb over that mountain toreach the other side of the ind. Remember that there will be equipment needed to go through to the second ind along the way. As you climb, watch carefully for ces with little yellow gs. There are five of them, but only one of them is real. The other ones are distractions.¡±

    He exined as he instructed.

    Jenna looked at the first ind. There was a mountain which wasn¡¯t that high. However, the road was winding and there were rocks blocking the way. There was barely a path to walk through. She could not help saying, ¡°Isn¡¯t this just for fun? Obviously, there is a way around the mountain. Why would you want to climb the mountain?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face darkened as he rolled his eyes,¡°Didn¡¯t I say that you should listen to mymand? Although it¡¯s just for fun, we should follow the rules while enjoying ourselves. Otherwise, why did wee to the middle of the sea? Isn¡¯t it better to walk on the streets? Also, this is apetition. It will be way slower to walk around the mountain. Besides, the little yellow gs are on the mountain.¡±

    Jenna thought Hansen had a point and did not say anything more. However, looking at the mountain road full of thorns and rocks, she was in a state of shock. This d*mned Hansen did not tell her that they would be going for an expedition. She was in her high heels. How could she climb the mountain?

    ¡°Hey, shouldn¡¯t you be the one carrying these things?¡± She shouted grumpily. Of all the pairs, the men were the ones who took things, but when it came to their pair, Jenna was the one who took things. She felt aggrieved.

    Hansen looked at her from top to bottom with an evil smile on his face,¡°You deserve to suffer for dressing like this. Let me tell you, this is a punishment for not knowing what¡¯s good for you. You must carry it. Be smart and tter me for the next three days. If I am happy, maybe I will make your life easier. If you can, just call Rayan and see who is more powerful.¡±

    At that point, he was getting carried away, whistling softly and climbing up the mountain. His footsteps were light and his pace was fast.

    ¡°B*stard, how could you bully a woman!¡± Jenna picked up a stone and threw it at him. The stone hit Hansen right on the back, and a ck dot suddenly appeared on his white shirt.

    Hansen didn¡¯t expect that Jenna would dare to sneak up on him.He couldn¡¯t help but be angry. He turned around and saw Jenna crouching on the ground. Her shoulders were shaking and her face was buried in front of her chest. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t tell whether she was crying orughing.

    ¡°Hey, how dare you sneak up on me, you are dead meat,¡± he cursed angrily, but he was a little uneasy in his heart. He didn¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with her. She was already behaving like that before they started climbing the mountain. If they were like that for the next three days, it would be a miserable adventure. Everyone would also think that he was bullying her.

    He turned around and squatted down. He saw that her shoulders were shaking and she was breathing heavily. Thinking of the scene of her crying in the hospital, he felt nervous.She was crying because of such a small matter. He was the one who was attacked but she was the one crying. It was really preposterous.

    He grabbed the things from her hand, looking annoyed, ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll take it, lest people say I¡¯m bullying a woman.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s shoulders trembled even harder.

    ¡°Hey, get up, let¡¯s climb up quickly. Don¡¯t push your luck. Even my patience has a limit. No matter what activities I take part in, I will only win, not lose. Don¡¯t you drag me down, or I¡¯ll make you pay,¡± Hansen threatened her and leaned over to pull her up.

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Hansen pulled Jenna up and she had to raise her head. Hearing herughter, Hansen looked at her suspiciously. Her eyebrows were curved and her smile was bright. Her face was flushed from holding back herugh. Even her ears were red and she was breathing hard. Hansen stared at her and was so dazed by her charm that he even forgot that he was angry.

    Jenna took the opportunity to shake him off and climb up the mountain.

    By the time Hansen came back to his senses, she had already been climbing for a while. She was not a spoiltdy. When she was young, her father often brought her for climbing and hiking activities. Although she was in her high heels, it was easy for her to scale the mountain.

    Seeing her willowy figure moving forward gracefully step by step with her slender waist and her light steps, Hansen¡¯s heart began beating rapidly.

    ¡°You d*mned woman,¡± Hansen cursed and chased after her.

    The two of them chased after each other all the way and soon traveled quite a distance.

    ¡°Hey, woman, look out for the yellow gs by the road. We need the tools for the second ind,¡± Hansen reminded her when he saw the yellow g.

    However, Jenna didn¡¯t even look at himandjust kept moving forward.

    Hansen was so frustrated that he grabbed the things and searched for the yellow gs alone. However, he couldn¡¯t find any tools after a few attempts and had to go back in low spirits. He saw Jenna sitting on a rock, holding a banana leaf in her hand and fanning herself. The smile on her face was somewhat mocking, disdainful, and contemptuous.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Hey, what is the meaning of this?¡± Hansen was very displeased and asked with a cold face.

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m justughing at your stupidity!¡± Jenna raised her head slightly and smiled brightly withher face flushed after the heavy exercise.

    ¡°How dare you say I¡¯m stupid?¡± Hansen had never been treated with such contempt. Now, he was being ridiculed by the annoying woman. Of course, he would not ept it.

    ¡°Tsk. Every man has a fool in his sleeve,¡± Jenna continued to deride him, ¡°Can¡¯t you see that the yellow gs in front of you are the same?¡±

    When Hansen thought about it, they were indeed the same. Of course, the yellow gs were all the same. What was so strange about that?

    ¡°That¡¯s why I said you¡¯re stupid,¡± Jenna suddenly jumped down and walked toward a dense bush. After a while, she waved at him with a yellow g in her hand. Hansen was stunned and walked over to her.

    There was a small, ck wooden box on the ground. He quickly squatted down and looked at it, only to find that the box was locked. Just when he was frustrated, Jenna threw a key at him.

    Hansen tried opening the box with the key. Sure enough, the wooden box was opened. Inside the box were a key, a pair of pliers, and some rope. He was overjoyed. He raised his head and asked unwillingly, ¡°You didn¡¯t even look around. How did you know that it was here?¡±

    ¡°Who said I wasn¡¯t looking?¡± Jenna nced at him,¡°I saw it a long time ago but once I saw that you found nothing after the first one, I knew that the others would be the same.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious! They all have the same marking, so they must not be the right one. But this yellow g is different. The marking on it is a circle, and the key is tied to the gpole.¡±

    Jenna exined confidently. Hansen was suddenly enlightened and cheered in his heart.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so observant. Not bad, very smart,¡± Hansen nodded, and there was a faint smile of approval in his eyes. It was a sincere, naturalpliment that came from the depths of his heart.

    Jenna was delighted to hear that. It was not easy to win Hansen¡¯s praises!

    The smile on her face was cozy and even a little smug.

    ¡°Hurry up, we have to make it to the other ind before dark, otherwise we¡¯ll have to sleep out in the open,¡± Hansen looked at Jenna who was a little proud, and was influenced by her bright smile. Suddenly he felt that he would actually like to see her smile more. He was pleased to see her smile so brightly when she was with him.

    He was secretly shocked. Since when did he care about her smile?

    He continued to climb forward. The road ahead was more difficult than before. Since Jenna was wearing high heels, it was even harder for her to climb up the mountain.

 Chapter 62 Disrespectful

    ¡°Hang in there.This is the most difficult part of the trail. After this, we will reach the mountain top. The road down the mountain will be much easier,¡± Hansen easily climbed ahead and encouraged Jenna.

    It seemed that he could encourage other people too! He was even caring and considerate, which was really rare to see. Jenna smiled.

    Standing on the top of the not-so-big mountain, all of a sudden, the horizons were widened with the vast azure sea in sight. It was hard to distinguish which was the sea and which was the blue sky. The sun was hanging high in the sky, giving off a dazzling light. The turquoise sea, with its surface that was as soft as silk, with ripples and waves asionally, was vast and boundless. The beauty of the dusk left Jenna in a daze as she eximed and recited a poem about the beauty of nature.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Hansen stood beside her and looked around. His thin lips were slightly curved and his eyes were bright and beautiful. His expression was exceptionally appealing.

    Jenna felt a sense of unreality in her heart. Would Hansen actually care about whether she liked it or not?

    She liked it very much.

    She breathed through her mouth and removed all her frustration through her breaths. She stretched her body and muscles. The cool autumn wind quickly dried the sweat on her forehead. From her beautiful eyes, one could see there were thousands of thoughts in her mind!

    Suddenly, Jenna sadly realized that beautiful things could hardly arouse her interests as they used to. She always felt inexplicably depressed. She sighed and looked down.

    It was because she had experienced too many vicissitudes of life and was at a loss for what to do. Her senses had gone numb!

    ¡°Why are you sighing?¡± Hansen turned his head slightly and asked.

    Her beautiful facial features were so stunning under the sunset, and her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed. There were endless worries in her mind, and the sadness on her face could not be concealed.

    An idea came to his mind whenhe suddenly thought of what his grandma had said. Unspeakable annoyance drifted through his mind, and he turned his head and stared at her.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    He had an impulse to reach out to touch her face to get rid of her sadness. Just like his first time meeting her, there seemed to be many stories to be told from her bright eyes. The stories that he couldn¡¯t understand, or stories that weren¡¯t his.

    Which beloved man did she design that luxury car for?Was it Rayan?

    The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he was.

    She must have been very unhappy in those years of marriage. Was he the one who caused her sadness and pain?

    How on earth did such a weak body survive? Even when she was smiling, he could see a trace of hidden pain on her face.

    He was slightly moved. Had he hurt her?

    The weight of life was too much for anyone to bear. There were too many obstacles in front of them. He didn¡¯t want that, but no one wished for that either!

    Looking at the vast sea, he suddenly felt that they were just a small part of the world, like the grass. However, grass would die and resurrect repeatedly, but they only had one life. The time that had passed would nevere back. Now, they were still running in the dark. They could not see where their future was and did not know when they should stop.

    Hansen suddenly fell silent.

    ¡°Hansen, what happened to the two cars?¡± Jenna did not forget that question. When they were at the foot of the mountain, he pulled her aside and asked her, ¡°Do you want to know about the two cars?¡±

    After he said that, he just smiled eerily. At that time, Jenna was so creeped out that she had goosebumps.

    Could it be that Hansen had brought her to the ind for more than just pleasure? That was why she had chosen him without hesitation.

    Although she had already nned to give up on it, that¡¯s what she came to Richards Group for in the first ce. It was really unrealistic to say that she had given uppletely. After all, it was rted to her father¡¯s feud! Her father¡¯s cause of death was unclear. If she was to me for causing Uncle Richards to be in a vegetative state, it was unintentional. However, if someone had nned to murder her father, that was intentional murder, which was of apletely different nature.

    After getting along with Hansen for so many days, she felt more and more that Hansen was not such a ruthless person. Moreover, he knew thew. Although he was scheming, it was only in the business circle. To kill a person, especially Jenna¡¯s father was so obviously suspicious, it waspletely unnecessary and impossible, just as Hannah had said.

    If it was for Trevor¡¯s sake, she might not really take revenge on him.What if it wasn¡¯t Hansen who did it?Wasn¡¯t the purpose of her staying by his side all the while was to get to the bottom of it?

    Whether or not to seek revenge, she had to figure it out!

    If it wasn¡¯t Hansen, then she must avenge her father! Jenna respected her father the most. Besides Trevor, she did not owe anything to anyone else. She had never done anything illegal and her father had always been a respected government official and had never offended anyone. Who would do such a thing to him? Even her mother had be wheelchair-bound.

    The pain on her face could not be suppressed, and there was an exceptional torment in her heart, as if there were countless ants biting her all over.

    ¡°It seems that if it weren¡¯t for this reason, you wouldn¡¯t have chosen to follow me, right?¡± Hansen¡¯s voice became colder, with a trace of displeasure.

    Jenna looked at him strangely. Was he upset about that? Would he care about who she would have chosen?

    He had always hated her and wanted to stay away from her as far as possible. All those years, he had avoided her deliberately and wanted to humiliate her and make fun of her. She was not a fool. How could she not understand?

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he be happy if I didn¡¯t choose him?¡±

    However, at that time, his face was darkened and it seemed that he was displeased. Jenna was a bit baffled for a moment.

    ¡°Hansen, tell me, have you found the two cars?¡± She could not care about anything else. She wanted to know about the two cars so badly. After all, the car was stained with her father¡¯s blood.

    As Hansen¡¯s gaze on her wasgetting colder and more unpredictable, Jenna¡¯s heart suddenly pounded wildly and she felt very uneasy!

    ¡°Tell me first, what do you want those two cars for?¡± The cold light in his eyes was almost harsh.

    Tell him? Didn¡¯t he know or was he trying to set her up? The pain and sorrow in her clear eyes flowed out little by little. She clenched her fists and clung onto her clothes. She gritted her teeth and said word by word, ¡°Hansen, do you really not know what I want those cars for?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were full of desperation and pain!

    Hansen felt that things were not as simple as he thought. She had a reason for wanting those cars. The cold light in his eyes gradually built up, and he was at a loss for what to do under her gaze.

    ¡°Do you think I should know?¡± he asked probingly.

    ¡°Hansen, I am being serious now. Please tell me the truth,¡± Jenna stared at his face and did not let go of any of his subtle expressions. She really wanted to know the answer. If it really had nothing to do with him, perhaps the problem would be much easier to solve. She hoped that would be the case.

    ¡°What do you want me to tell you?¡± Her distrustful look made him ufortable. She never wanted to reveal anything to him. The look on her face showed that she was wary of him, which made him very annoyed!

    As anger pulsed through his veins, his face was expressionless again, ¡°A woman like you is truly puzzling. If you tell me, perhaps I can help you get them back. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me if the cars are never to be seen again. My patience is limited, and I don¡¯t have so much time to care about these idle matters.¡±

    He said coldly and turned around to walk down the mountain. Since she was unwilling to tell him, it meant that she was disrespectful to him. As the Young Master of the Richards¡¯ family, he did not need to be so submissive. If she did not tell him, it would definitely be her loss!

    Jenna¡¯s expression was very obvious. She would not tell him because she was wary of him and had her concerns.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± He snorted. He was Hansen Richards. As long as he wanted to know about something, no one could hide it from him. It was only a matter of time.

    He gradually walked away, but Jenna was rooted to the spot. She was shocked and could not figure out what was going on.

    What did he mean? Never to be seen again?

    Did he mean that the two cars were missing? Or was he not going to give them to her?

    An ominous premonition arose. She suddenly felt a chill down to her spine and decided that she had to ask clearly!

    ¡°Hey, what do you mean?¡± She quickened her pace andfollowed closely as she asked nervously.

    Hansen was not happy, so he ignored her and walked forward alone.

    The sun was setting, and the golden sunshine covered the ind with ayer of gold. The ind was empty and quiet. Jenna suddenly felt that the ind was terribly quiet and foggy, addingan element of mystery to it.

    With the chill of autumn, the blowing of the sea breeze, and the setting sun, Jenna felt cold. At the same time, she felt an inexplicable sense of fear.

    They would have to make it to the second ind to find a ce to eat and sleep before dark. She looked at the setting sun. It was already getting dark and they had just been dyed for a while. Could they make it in time?

    ¡°Hurry up, it¡¯s getting dark. It¡¯s very dangerous to sail at night,¡± Hansen was walking ahead and a little anxious. Jenna was moving so slowly as if she didn¡¯t understand the danger, which annoyed him. The only way to the second ind was by boat. They had to row the boat themselves without any staff members around to help.

    Jenna was terrified, so she agreed and also picked up her pace.

    Her high heels made a muffled sound as she stepped on the unstable road down the mountain.

    Hansen¡¯s footsteps were fast, and he just rushed forward. Although she was walking as fast as she could, Jenna still felt cold. She remembered that there was a jacket in her bag. She wanted to take it out to keep herself warm, but she couldn¡¯t catch up with Hansen who was holding the bags.

    ¡°Ouch!¡± Although the downhill road was not as difficult as the uphill road, it was easier to fall down because of the shift in the center of gravity. Jenna was careful. Although she walked slowly, she still stepped on a small stone, and her feet tilted to one side. Her ankle twister and she fell to the ground in an instant. She was in so much pain that she screamed and groaned.

    She squatted down and rubbed her ankle with her hands. When she stood up again, she was grimacing in agony. When she looked up, she saw that Hansen had already disappeared. She could not help but feel sad and discouraged. That guy really had no sympathy at all and had already gone off on his own. What should she do? Looking around, she was still halfway up the hill and a long way from the boat below.

    He had probably gone down the mountain.

    She didn¡¯t expect any kindness from him. His gloomy face and words about the two cars when they were at the mountain top made her feel a chill down her spine.

    Perhaps he wanted to get rid of her. He hated her so much that it was probably his n to leave her alone to meet her end.

    The sky was getting darker, and she was cold and scared. Her ankle was red and swollen, and she slumped on the ground disappointedly.

    The signal res and clothes were all with him, and she had nothing with her. Unless he kindly returned to save her, she might kick the bucket on the ind. She was not on the main road, but halfway up the mountain. Even if there was an asional patrol at the foot of the mountain, she would not be found!

    She closed her eyes in despair as she was thinking. Why did he suddenly mention that car? Didn¡¯t hee to have fun? He must have deliberately set up a trap. He knew that she was investigating the cause of her father¡¯s death. He was afraid that the truth would be exposed, so he wanted to kill her.

    Otherwise, he would have reminded her to change her high heels. Instead, he intentionally brought her here.

    ¡°Hansen, you b*stard. Even if I die, I will not let you go. How can you bully me like this?¡±

    Jenna cursed in panic. Gradually, her voice became softer. It was getting darker and darker and it seemed like she would be left alone on the ind for the night.

    Just then, her mobile phone rang.

    As if she had seen the light in the dark, she was surprised¡°How did I forget about my phone?¡±

    No, she would not die. The mobile phone was the bestmunication tool. Rayan was also on the ind. If she asked him for help, he woulde to save her. He would not let her die.

    ¡°Jen, where are you now? Are you all right?¡± As expected, Rayan¡¯s soft voice came from the phone. Jenna rxed and was very excited. She almost burst into tears.

    ¡°Jen, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Hearing Jenna sobbing, Rayan¡¯s heart sank and he asked nervously.

    Tears rolled down her cheeks. She sniffled and was about to speak when a big hand reached out and grabbed her phone. She suddenly smelled a familiar smell of mint in the cold breeze.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you deliberately stay here to call your lover?¡± His voice was irritable and cold.

    Jenna looked up in astonishment, only to see Hansen grabbing her phone. His forehead was sweaty, and he had a worried look in his eyes. However, his face was masked by anger and contempt, expressing his annoyance and fury.

    ¡°Can you stop pretending? Why are you still making phone calls here? Do you want to seduce him so badly? Don¡¯t forget that there¡¯s a woman by his side,¡± Hansen was furious, and his voice was cold and vicious.

    Jenna nchedand tottered to her feet,bearing the pain in her ankle.

 Chapter 63 The Cave

    ¡°Hansen, you b*stard. You only know how to bully women. What kind of man are you? Do you think everyone is as despicable as you?¡± Jenna was full of anger. If it weren¡¯t for him, how would she have ended up in such a state? He walked away and intentionally left her there. If she didn¡¯t ask for help, she could have really died there. She almost roared.

    Hansen had never been yelled at by a woman before. He could not suppress his anger. When he had just walked to the foot of the mountain, he looked back but did not see Jenna. She did not follow him. Looking back, there was only the grass and trees and Jenna was nowhere to be found. He could not help but feel panicked.

    When they were going up the mountain, she walked quite fast and even walked in front of him. Therefore, when they were going down the mountain, he was relieved and headed towards the boat hurriedly, thinking that she would definitely catch up. He focused on getting to the boat before dark and did not pay attention to anything behind him. He was worried that it would be dangerous if they went on the boat at night, so he sped up his pace. Only when he reached the foot of the mountain did he realize that Jenna was missing.

    He was worried and anxious ashe hurried back. He ran around looking for her and when he finally saw her, she was sitting on the ground calling someone on the phone,ining and wailing. It was obvious that she must be talking on the phone with Rayan. He was so angry that he started cursing her as he grabbed the phone.

    ¡°I¡¯m despicable? I didn¡¯t do anything to you,¡± rage overtook him and he shouted angrily, ¡°You are such a promiscuous woman. Even in this situation, you are still thinking of seducing men and you¡¯re thinking you did nothing wrong!¡±

    Promiscuous! Jenna hated hearing that word the most. That word was humiliating and made her feel ufortable. Hansen, you are a dead man!

    ¡°B*stard,¡± Jenna gritted her teeth, picked up her handbag, and threw it at Hansen. As she threw it, she cried, ¡°Hansen, you are so unreasonable. The hatred between us is absolutely irreconcble.¡±

    Hansen stretched out his hand to block it with a dark face. Jenna picked up the bag and threw it at him again and again.

    Jenna thought ¡°Even if you¡¯re so full of yourself, I won¡¯t be afraid of you. If you annoy or humiliate me, I¡¯ll make you pay.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy, that¡¯s enough,¡± Hansen grabbed her bag and shouted angrily, ¡°It¡¯s getting dark. Do you want to die here?¡±

    He was so strong that Jenna was dragged along. She could not stand steadily with her injured ankle and she fell to the ground.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Just as she was about to fall to the ground, Hansen grabbed her quickly and shouted angrily.

    ¡°Ouch!¡± Although she escaped the fate of falling onto the ground, she twisted her ankle again, which made her scream out in pain.

    At that time, the phone in Hansen¡¯s hand began to ring again. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that it was a limited-edition, diamond-studded phone that he gave her, he would have smashed it against the ground.

    He let go of Jenna, but she was unsteady on her feet and fell to the ground. Her buttocks were in pain after she fell on the small rocks on the ground. However, she didn¡¯t care much. She just clutched her ankle with her hand, her face paled.

    Only then did Hansen notice that her ankle was injured. He lowered his head and pulled her hand away, he saw that her ankle was swollen and bruised. He finally realized that he had wronged her. He breathed out a sigh of relief and his anger subsided a little.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Although his voice was still very cold, it was not as angry as before. There was also a little warmth, and it was no longer so harsh.

    ¡°Go away. It¡¯s none of your business,¡± Jenna was full of anger and said coldly.

    ¡°You¡¯re so stubborn. I¡¯m leaving then. Just wait to be eaten by the wolves,¡± Hansen snorted,¡°Don¡¯t think that Rayan can save you. He is already on the other ind. Now, we are the only ones left on this ind. Don¡¯t be naive. I¡¯m the only one who can save you now. Do you understand? How dare you put on such an attitude.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this what you want?You had long wanted me dead. So wouldn¡¯t it be better for me to die?¡± Jenna said sadly and sniffled.

    ¡°You d*mned woman, what do you mean? You think I did this on purpose?¡± Hansen was so agitated by Jenna¡¯s words that he was jumping up and down,¡°If I wanted to let you die, would Ie back? When did you be like this? I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re thinking about at all. It¡¯s unreasonable.¡±

    Hansen was furious, and Jenna was also upsetThe two calmed down and no longer confronted each other.

    The sky was about to turn dark, and there was only a little faint light left.

    ¡°Ah, it seems that we can only sleep in the wilderness tonight. It¡¯s really unlucky to have a woman like you,¡± Hansen looked around and sighed. The mobile phone kept ringing. He angrily switched it off and threw it into her bag. He bent down to pull her up. After taking a few steps, Jenna¡¯s face was covered with cold sweat. Her feet hurt so much that she could not walk.

    ¡°Troublesome,¡± Hansen muttered and carried her in his arms. He then quickly walked down to the foot of the mountain.

    It waspletely dark by the timethey reached the foot of the mountain. Hansen shook his head as he looked at the hazy sea in the dark.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce to spend the night,¡± his voice was helpless.

    Jenna sat on a rock at the foot of the mountain, and the sea breeze kept blowing. As night fell, it was getting colder on the ind. She took out the jacket from her luggage bag and put it on. Fortunately, it was a tracksuit, so she felt better.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we fire the signal re?¡± Jenna proposed timidly as she stared at Hansen, who was staring at the sea in a daze, knowing that she was a burden to him.

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking of giving up? Shame on you,¡± hearing Jenna¡¯s words, Hansen threw a contemptuous look at her.

    Jenna did not dare to say anything after hearing his words. She knew that Hansen had always beenpetitive. No matter what he did, he would not easily admit defeat. If he fired the signal re, it would mean he had lost. As proud as he was, he would definitely not do such a humiliating thing.

    s, she was afraid that his reputation would be ruined by her. Jenna shrunk herself and dared not speak again.

    ¡°Stay here and don¡¯t move. I¡¯m going to look for a suitable ce to spend the night,¡± Hansen snorted and left.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Although the road at the foot of the mountain had been developed into a concrete road, there were still a lot of worms crawling out when the night fell. The sound of the wind blowing and the trees rustling could be heard clearly in the dead silence environment. The darkness engulfed her slowly as her fear grew. Jenna was cold, hungry, and scared. After Hansen left, she was even more frightened. She only hoped that he woulde back soon.

    After a long time, she heard footsteps in the dark. When she raised her head, she saw Hansen walking over with joy on his face. She couldn¡¯t help feeling happy in her heart.

    ¡°Did you find a ce?¡± Her eyes were full of anticipation.

    Jenna looked at him expectantly. Hansen nced at her, and a sense of satisfaction suddenly rose in his heart. She was relying on him, and his self-esteem rose exponentially along with asense of righteousness.

    ¡°I did find a cave, but it might be cold at night,¡± Hansen¡¯s pride was satisfiedand his voice was surprisingly calm as he regained his manly pride in front of Jenna.

    His voice was maic, which was pleasing to Jenna¡¯s ears. It turned out that he liked that kind of woman, one who relied on him. However, she never used to be an overbearing woman either!

    He was not interested in her anyway.

    Hansen walked over and bent down to pick her up and headed for the cave. Jenna felt warmth in his embraceand she no longer felt the cold nor the icy wind. She indulged in the scent that made her swoon and for a moment there was actually a feeling of blissfulness.

    She nestled her head in his arms and listened to the sound of his powerful heartbeat quietly. She was convinced that he didn¡¯t mean to bring her there to kill hernor was it some kind of premeditated n. It was all just a coincidence.

    The deep cave was at the foot of the mountain, and some parts within the cave were covered with cement. It looked like there were some ns to develop the cave but it was discontinued. There was a stone table and several stone benches in the cave. The cave was dark and deep. There was a streetmp outside the cave, and the weak light shone into the cave.

    ¡°We can only spend the night here,¡± Hansen saw Jenna snuggled in his arms and somewhat looking at him obsessively. He could not help but smile, ¡°What are you looking at? Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯m that handsome?¡±

    Jenna was awakened by his quip. She came to her senses and blushed as she hurriedly withdrew her gaze and looked around.

    Hansen smiled and put her on the stone bench. He opened the bag he carried with him, which contained a first-aid kit with some ointment for bruises.He took a ball of cotton and wet it in the sea outside. He walked back and handed it to Jenna. ¡°Compress it with something cold first and apply the ointmentter. You will be fine tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jenna whispered and took the cotton ball from his hand and applied it to her ankle. Sure enough, after covering the swollen ankle with the wet cotton ball, the pain subsided. After a while, Hansen handed the first aid kit to her. Jenna applied the ointment on her ankle and felt better.

    The next problem was her hunger. Jenna felt that her stomach was all empty. She was so hungry that she was dizzy!

    She had been walking for the whole day and she was exhausted and sleepy. Now, she was scared, cold and even more hungry. She could only lie on the stone table, feeling cold and ufortable.

    ¡°Humph, you¡¯re so spoiled,¡± Hansen started to be sarcastic again, ¡°Survival in the wild is about training one¡¯s wilderness survival skills, otherwise it would be better to stay at home.¡±

    ¡°If you are so capable as you say, go out and find something to eat. It¡¯s better than mocking me here,¡± Jenna looked disdainful and unyielding, ¡°You¡¯re the owner of these inds. Of course, you know there¡¯s a cave here. It¡¯s not a big deal. How could you im to have survival skills if you can¡¯t even find food?¡±

    ¡°Are you looking down on me?¡± Hansen frowned, and his tone was a little grim. His face was full of resentment.

    Jenna was amused to see him aspetitive as a child. She couldn¡¯t help butugh in her heart. She covered her mouth in the darkness, held back herughter, and said nothing.

    Shey on the stone table and felt boredasHansen went out again.

    After a while, seeing that he hadn¡¯t returned, she was a little anxious.

    It was pitch ck outside. He was not really looking for food in the dark,was he? There could be danger in the mountains. Thinking of that, she was worried and she regretted provoking him just now.

    After a long while, just as Jenna was bing very anxious, she heard footsteps again. She was delighted to see the streetmp at the entrance of the cave dimmed and a fishy smell wafting into her nostrils. Hansen was walking in with something in his hand. She took a closer look and her eyes lit up.

 Chapter 64 Rare Warmth

    ¡°Ah! Fish,¡± she cried out in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to you,¡± he saw her surprised expression and smiled smugly as he ced the fish on a stone bench.

    Jenna stood up happily on one foot. She squatted down to have a look and saw a few big fish. Wow, if they were fried or made into fish soup, they would taste delicious. Thinking of that, she felt even hungrier.

    ¡°Did you really get them from the sea just now?¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t help admiring him and asked with great interest.

    ¡°This is just a piece of cake. Grandpa once left me in the special forces for a year. This is nothingpared to back then,¡± Hansen said casually and nonchntly.

    Jenna was aware of his skills. When they were in university, they went on an ind for an internship. She had witnessed his survival skills. When she fell in love with him, she always admired him from the bottom of her heart, but he didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Hansen, can you go to the mountain to get some firewood? I want to make some fish soup,¡± Jenna¡¯s bright eyes glistened in the dark.

    Hearing her request, Hansen felt hungry and obediently walked out of the cave.

    Jenna took out a small knife from her luggage. She handled the fish skillfully. When Hansen came in with the firewood, she had already put the fish into a stainless steel cup.

    ¡°Please clean this at the beach and bring back some water,¡± Jenna said with a smile.

    Hansen put the firewood in the cave and took the cup from Jenna. Without saying anything, he went out. When he came back, the cave was illuminated by a fire and was much warmer. A simple rack was set up above the crackling firewood.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    She took the cup from Hansen. As there were too many fishes, she took some out and put the cup on the rack. She stoked the fire and added firewood from time to time.

    ¡°You know this? I didn¡¯t expect that.¡± The fire was burning in the cave andHansen felt warm. He looked up and saw that Jenna was stoking the firewood seriously. She had to move the wood asionally to make sure that it kept burning.

    The fire made her face flush red, which was exceptionally charming.

    ¡°There are still a lot of things that you don¡¯t know about me,¡± Jenna did not even look up as she exined, ¡°When I was in America, I worked hard while studying. During the holidays, I would work in a restaurant. I cleaned the tes, washed and cut the vegetables, and even washed people¡¯s clothes. I have done all kinds of work.¡±

    Jenna said it casually. She didn¡¯t feel embarrassed or ufortable, but Hansen was dumbfounded.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask me for money? You could have called your parents. You¡¯re their only daughter, I¡¯m sure they can afford to give you money,¡± Hansen said.

    Jenna was stupefied. Would he have cared for her if she had called? Although it sounded nice that she went abroad to study, her wealthy husband did not give her any money. If she had told her parents, how could she hide her failed marriage?

    It was easy for him to say!

    Jenna was caught in the sad memory. If Hansen did not mention it, she would have been fine. But once he mentioned that sad topic, she felt pain in her heart.

    Her eyes were slightly red, and she lowered her head to maintain the mes and did not speak any more.

    Hansen noticed her silence and sorrow and stared at her.

    Her thin and delicate figure was lonely and sad. She waspletely enveloped by loneliness and looked weak. For no reason, he felt his heart aching and had an impulse to embrace her in his arms tofort her, but he held back and sighed.

    In the past few years, both of them had lived miserable lives. However, he felt that she had had a harder time than him.

    He recalled his grandmother¡¯s words again and looked at her in silence. If Grandma Richards knew that Jenna had been so unhappy for the past few years, would she regret the decision she made back then?

    ¡°Grandma, if I were to do what you want, or if we were to remarry, would she still be happy? Couldshe be happy?¡±

    ¡°No, it would only hurt her more deeply. After all, there were insurmountable barriers that stood between them. There was no possibility of a rtionship between them!¡±

    Hansen silently denied the thoughts in his heart. He had thought about whether they could get back together again, especially when he saw Grandma Richards¡¯ sad and disappointed look, he swayed.

    However, after thinking for a long time, he still thought it was impossible!

    An unhappy marriage with both parties being tortured and in pain would not end well. It would be more unfortunate to force them to get back together. Even if he had to go against his grandmother¡¯s wishes, he could not be so selfish.

    The fish in the cup was boiling and steamy and the aroma of the fish filled the air.

    Hansen took a deep breath and his stomach started grumbling. Heughed at himself.

    Jenna took a piece of cotton and wrapped it around the cup handle and took out the fish from the cup. She ced it in front of her and started picking out the bones carefully with the light from the fire.

    Hansen was not in a hurry either. He was a man. Of course, he would let her eat first.

    He sat quietly on the side, ready to make another cup after she had finished eating or perhaps just ate whatever she could not finish. Although he was particr about hygiene, he couldn¡¯t care much given the circumstances they were in.

    She carefully picked out the fish bones. She was fully focused and cautious, fearing that she might miss out on a piece of bone.

    ¡°Here, eat quickly. It¡¯s almost cold. Although I have picked out the bones already, it¡¯s dark here, so you have to be careful of the bones when you¡¯re eating,¡± Jenna handed the fish soup to Hansen and reminded him softly.

    Hansen was startled. Was she picking the fish bones for him instead of herself? She was being cautious and careful for him?

    He really couldn¡¯t believe his eyes;how did she know that he disliked bones when he ate fish?

    Hansen liked to eat fish, but he disliked the hassle of removing the bones. Therefore, he usually wouldn¡¯t eat fish. In the past, when he ate in the Richards Manor, the servants would debone the fish for him. As far as he could remember, he had never eaten alone with Jenna in the Richards Manor, except for a few times for breakfast.

    He didn¡¯t know how she knew that he didn¡¯t like fish with bones. In fact, he didn¡¯t dislike it. He just felt it was troublesome and time-consuming. When he was busy with work, he didn¡¯t even have time to eat.

    ¡°Hurry up, I still have to cook after you¡¯re done,¡± Jenna saw Hansen staring at her face in a daze. She thought her face was covered with ck ash, so she hurriedly touched her face with her hand and urged him with a little embarrassment.

    Hansen took the cup in astonishment. Looking at the fish steaming in the cup, he was still in a daze. He had to admit that at that moment, he was touched. He didn¡¯t expect that after so many hardships, she would treat him without any prejudice. Having just taken the knife from him and picking out the fishbone for him, he couldn¡¯t understand why she did that.Was he really worth it?

    She was so careful and focused when picking out the bones. She was doing that to a man who had hurt her before and didn¡¯t love her. Was she a saint?

    ¡°Eat up,¡± Jenna was so anxious that she said, ¡°If it gets cold, it will be fishy. It won¡¯t taste good once it¡¯s cold.¡±

    ¡°You can eat first. I¡¯m not hungry,¡± Hansen was a little confused. Finally, he came to his senses and handed the fish soup to Jenna.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Can you just finish it? Stop messing around,¡± Jenna¡¯s face was dark and she said unhappily, ¡°I like to eat fish with the bones intact. I will pick out the bones in my mouth. Only then I get to taste the original vors of the fish. This cup of fish has already been deboned. I don¡¯t like it. Hurry up and finish it.¡±

    In order to ease Hansen¡¯s concerns and get him to eat quickly, Jenna gave a reasonable exnation. Sure enough, Hansen no longer refused after hearing her exnation and began to eat generously.

    ¡°Is it alright?¡± Jenna asked with a smile.

    ¡°Yes, it tastes delicious,¡± Hansen nodded and praised sincerely.

    Jenna was happy in her heart and smiled with her eyebrows quirked up.

    Hansen looked at her while eating, and his mind was full of thoughts.

    He finished the meal soon. Jenna quickly stoked up the fire and started cooking.

    When Hansen saw her spitting out the fishbone while eating, it looked like she was really enjoying the favor and he suddenly thought in his heart that he would not be that picky anymore.

    He went out of the cave to pick up some dry firewood and added it in. His stomach was filled and he felt better. The cave was warm and no longer chilly.

    After finishing the fish soup, Jenna sat by the fire and added more firewood. She felt warm sitting by the fire. After a day of climbing, she was feeling sleepy and her stomach was no longer hungry, so she just wanted to sleep.

    ¡°Come here,¡± Hansen sat against the wall of the cave, which was padded with dried leaves, as well as the ground. He waved at the drowsy Jenna.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jenna opened her eyes wide in bewilderment and looked at him in confusion.

    ¡°Come here. Do you think you can sleep well like this?¡± Hansen¡¯s tone was a little bossy, but it was still warm.

    ¡°I¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t figure out what he meant. She just looked at him and said incoherently. Suddenly,her sleepiness wore off quite a bit.

    ¡°Hurry up,¡± Hansen¡¯s expression darkened. His straight eyebrows furrowed and he slightly nodded his head. He ordered her to go over his side as he could not stand up because if he did, the dried leaves on his back would fall and it would feel cold sleeping against the wall. However, Jenna did not understand his meaning, which made him very impatient.

    Seeing that he was about to get angry, Jenna had no choice but to move over to him. She was afraid to ruin the peaceful atmosphere they had.

    She was so tired that she didn¡¯t want to quarrel with him. She just wanted to have a good rest. They still had to continue with the exploration the next day!

    Just as she was about to reach Hansen, she stopped. She didn¡¯t think she had to go any further. If she went any closer, they would be next to each other.

    Hansen suddenly stretched out his long arm and wrapped it around her waist. He pulled her close, making her sit on his legs as she fell steadily into his embrace.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. It¡¯s very cold at night. You¡¯ll sleep in my arms tonight,¡± Hansen¡¯s deep maic voice was full of charm.

    It was only then Jenna understood what he meant and blushed abruptly.

    ¡°That¡¯s not good. Let me down, I can sleep,¡±she struggled, blushing as she exined.

 Chapter 65 The Mysterious Cave

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. Be good. I won¡¯t eat you. Besides, it¡¯s not the first night we¡¯ve been like this. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything. Another night won¡¯t make much difference. It¡¯s better for both of us to keep each other warm than to resist the cold alone, right?¡± His voice was a little sneaky but soft. His arms were warm, and Jenna was subconsciously unwilling to leave as soon as she touched them. As a woman, she could not resist his voice, let alone his handsome and charming look.

    His hands wrapped around her waist and gently stroked it, but he didn¡¯t do anything else.

    He unzipped her tracksuit and wrapped his arms tightly around her body. Jennay close against his chest. It was so warm that she did not feel cold at all. Jenna had never felt so warm andfortable before.

    The warm hand moved gently around her waistwith a tingling and soothing sensation. Jenna squirmed and stiffened. She didn¡¯t know where his hand was going to move to. Her woman¡¯s instinct told her that the hand didn¡¯t seem to be so nice. Sure enough, his hand was reaching into her clothes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Jenna¡¯s face quickly reddened and she quickly stopped him. The fire in the cave was getting dimmer and was about to go out. Slowly, they were surrounded by increasing darkness.

    ¡°Don¡¯t,don¡¯t what?¡± He chuckled and his lips moved closer to her face. Jenna quickly ducked her face away from his warm breath and hid in her clothes.

    ¡°I¡¯m very tired.Don¡¯t move,¡± Jenna spoke softly in embarrassment. A few days ago, she used the wound on her back as an excuse to escape his embrace. Now, she could have fought back but she didn¡¯t move. On one hand, it was cold in the cave and it would be colder after midnight. It was better for them to hug each other for warmth. That was her exnation. In fact, she didn¡¯t want anything else. Although snuggling in his arms was very warm andfortable and she didn¡¯t want to leave at all, if he went too far, she would still resist. After all, they had aplicated rtionship.

    He held her tightly so that she could not move, but his hand was roaming over her back. Her skin was very smooth and delicate. The touch from Hansen¡¯s hand was veryfortable. His hand moved around her back but stopped when he caressed her scar.

    ¡°When it¡¯s time, go for aser treatment to remove the scars,¡± he said softly. It was a pity to have an ugly scar on her delicate back!Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    He sighed as if he had caused her the scar. No matter what her purpose was, she had taken the knife for him. When he thought of her courage and fortitude at that time, it would make his heart race.

    Jenna nestled against his chest. When she heard his rapid heartbeat slow down, she felt that he was uneasy and concerned. Was he ming herself or worried about something? In fact, she had never thought about making him feel guilty or uneasy. She had taken the knife for him willingly and didn¡¯t need him to worry about anything.

    She sighed in her heart and was speechless.

    She slowly closed her eyes as sleepiness overwhelmed her. When she was about to fall asleep, she heard a faint voiceing from the sky, which felt unreal, ¡°Jenna, in the future, would you still remember me?¡±

    Jenna opened her eyes in a daze. The cave was quiet and there was no sound. It must be a hallucination. She closed her eyes andy quietly in his arms but she felt less sleepy.

    Suddenly, an inexplicable sense of loss and silence arose in her heart.

    There was no doubt that they would go their own ways in the future. They would have their own partners in their lives. The journey would be a part of their memories. It would all be in the past. When she grew old, would she still remember him? Would she still remember their marriage, those unfortunate events and the fact that she blocked a knife for him?

    It felt like she was going to forget about that now. It was so terrible and painful that her mind had already been emptied automatically.

    Jenna felt her whole body stiffen, and the cave was quiet.

    A long timeter, Hansen did not hear her answer. He understood that the woman in his arms would have another man to love her in the future. Perhaps Rayan would marry her. He was sure of that. He had no doubt about Rayan¡¯s sincerity. He was a real man, and Hansen knew that better than anyone else. If Rayan wanted to marry her, even Hilda could not stop him!

    The thought of her marriage with Rayan or other men and that she might give birth to children for them shed an inexplicable feeling of confusion and loss into his mind.

    She did not answer him, which meant that she would not remember him at all. She would forget everything about himpletely in the future. He was nothing in her heart. The more he thought about it, the more panicked he felt.

    He thought she deliberately didn¡¯t answer him, and that she wasn¡¯t asleep. After he asked the question, he felt her stiffen.

    ¡°Will you hate me?¡± He asked unconsciously. She probably would hate him. Over the years, he had not given her any warmth and had ruined her love life and humiliated her repeatedly. She would hate him the way he used to hate her.

    This time, Jenna heard it clearly and opened her bright eyes wide. Would she hate him? She should have. She had given him her best years, but he had brought so much harm to her. However, if he had nothing to do with her father¡¯s death, she would not hate him. She couldn¡¯t do it. After all, she had loved him affectionately. She had no regrets. What was wrong with loving someone? There should not be hate.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t hate you,¡± she shook her head in his arms and answeredzily.

    Although her voice was soft, it was firm. When Hansen heard it, he was not surprised. Instead, he had a feeling of loss. She did not even hate him, which showed that shepletely ignored him in her heart. People often said that how deep the love was was equivalent to how much hatred one should have when love faded away. Since she had no love nor hatred toward him, it was natural that she would forget him.

    However, Hansen always felt that the woman in his arms had a strong connection to him. It would not be over between them.

    ¡°Jenna, can we still be friends in the future?¡± His eyes were dark and deep, and he slowly asked in a low voice.

    Friends? Jenna¡¯s sleepiness had disappeared. Could they still be friends in the future? She found the answer in Trevor¡¯s ward that day. It was obviously unrealistic. Maybe not long after, she would not only leave him, but she would also leave A city and disappear from his sight forever.

    It was unlikely for them to be friends. They should make up their minds to cut everything off and start new lives separately. They should get it over with and not drag their feet, which would be bad for both of them.

    It took her a lot of courage and perseverance toe to that decision. Could they still be friends?

    ¡°No, we can¡¯t,¡± she answered quickly and firmly.

    Hansen¡¯s heart trembled. She answered so quickly and determinedly. Women were really cold-blooded animals. After all, they were so close before. How could she be so decisive?

    What a horrible feeling it would be when everything between them would fade away and there would be nothing left between them.He suddenly felt unhappy and he did not like the feeling. He felt that the woman in his arms should apany him further in his journey of life in the future.

    They fell into a long silence.

    After a long time, they said at the same time, ¡°Go to sleep.¡±

    After saying that, both of them were stunned at the same time and couldn¡¯t helpughing out loud.

    ¡°Take out your hand,¡± Jenna protested softly. Since they couldn¡¯t even be friends, she didn¡¯t want to leave more unforgettable memories between them,lest it takes more effort when they try to forget each other.

    ¡°No,¡± Hansen refused. He didn¡¯t want such a feeling to disappear too quickly. He wanted to be greedy and enjoy the feeling of having no barriers between them. It was pure and somewhat intoxicating.

    ¡°I¡¯m really tired. Please,¡± Jenna struggled to sit up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. If you move again, are you trying to make me do something?¡± Hansen threatened her in her ear.

    His breath was hot, and Jenna was not surprised at all that he would do something out of line.

    Feeling his rapid breathing and rising body temperature, she really dared not move, for fear that he might actually make further moves. After all, he was a man.

    Hansen seemed to have won, and the corners of his mouth were slightly tilted.

    The fire in the cave gradually died down, and darkness surrounded them like a bottomless pit. Jenna¡¯s eyelids were closed, and she started feeling sleepy again. She found afortable position in his arms and curled up and was about to fall asleep.

    ¡°Are you cold?¡± In a daze, she asked uneasily. After all, it was getting colder in the cave.

    His breathing was steady and rhythmic. He did not answer her.

    He should be cold. Jenna became more anxious, but her eyelids were so heavy that she was about to fall asleep.

    ¡°Go to sleep. Don¡¯t talk so much,¡± he was impatient, as if she had interrupted his sleep.

    Jenna closed her eyes, no longer worried. and soon she fell asleep.

    When the golden sunshine came in from outside the cave, she opened her eyes and felt veryfortable under the warm sunshine.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake. Get up quickly,¡± Hansen said. Although he enjoyed holding her like that at first, his whole body was sore and numb after.

    Jenna blinked her eyes and looked around. When she saw Hansen¡¯s tired face, she couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. Did he not sleep well? At that time, she realized that her arms were tightly wrapped around his waist and she was still in his arms. She couldn¡¯t help blushing and quickly stood up.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did you sleep well?¡± She asked a little uneasily.

    Hansen stared at her with aface full of remorse. Jenna kept hugging him all night, saying that she was cold. She woke him up several times from his dreams. He then held her tightly. At dawn, she clung to his waist tightly. Afraid of disturbing her good sleep, he moved to sit under the sun. He could hardly sleep while waiting for her to wake up.

    How did she have the nerve to ask if he had a good sleep?

 Chapter 66 The Shocking Evidence

    Hansen nced at her indifferently and walked out of the cave.

    Jenna was embarrassed. Knowing that she had disturbed his sleep, she stood up and looked into the cave. It turned out to be a deep cave where there seemed to be sounds of water flowing. She couldn¡¯t help but feel curious about what kind of cave it was.

    ¡°Alvin, how is it?¡± After walking out of the cave, Hansen picked up the phone.

    After a while, his face gradually became darker, his sword-shaped eyebrows were tightly knitted, and his gaze became sharp and unfathomable.

    ¡°Ah!¡± At that time, Jenna¡¯s scream came from the cave. It was a sharp cry. Hansen¡¯s heart sank, and he hurriedly kept his phone and ran into the cave.

    There was no trace of Jenna in the cave, and her screams were more likely to havee from the depths of the cave. He felt that something bad must have happened so he quickly ran deeper into the cave.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t,¡± when Hansen rushed to the depths of the cave, he was shocked!

    Jenna cried out sadly, ¡°Car, the car.¡± She was about to jump forward.

    Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Jenna was about to jump off when Hansen rushed over and grabbed her hand in time and pulled her backwards.

    ¡°The car, the car,¡± Jenna got up from the ground like a madman and was about to jump down again.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough of this madness!¡± Hansen¡¯s face was livid as veins appeared on his forehead. He shouted and violently pushed her to the ground. He was furious and shouted, ¡°Do you want to die?¡±

    In front of them was a river of unfathomable depth, dark and eerie. Hansen could not see how deep it was and had no idea where it led to. If Jenna jumped into the water, she would probably lose her life. He was afraid that he would not be able to save her by then. He was almost out of control looking at how Jenna was acting.

    ¡°The car, the car!¡± Jenna gripped the stones on the ground with both hands, pointed at the river, and cried out heartbreakingly. Her face turned pale, and she was on the verge of breakdown.

    Car? Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat!

    Just in case, he reached out his hand to pick her up and held her tightly in front of his chest. He turned on the shlight on his mobile phone with one hand and shone the light downwards. On the riverbank, a red car was hanging precariously on a protruding stone. It looked like it would fall at any moment.

    Obviously, if it wasn¡¯t for that stone, the car would have already fallen into the river and been washed away.

    He took a closer look at the car, and realized it was the same Panacea Limousine that she had requested from him.

    His facial expression froze and his pupils contracted. The strength in his hands increased as he held Jenna tightly and strode out of the cave.

    ¡°Let me go, I want the car,¡± Jenna struggled and cried out in his arms as Hansen held her tightly, not letting her break free.

    Outside the cave.

    He threw Jenna on the beach, only to find that sheid on the sand softly and motionless.

    He lowered his head to look at her.

    She had actually fainted!

    ¡°Alvin, send a helicopter here right away,¡± he dialed the phone and ordered in a deep voice.

    Soon, a helicopter hovered above his head, and Alvin came out of the helicopter with several bodyguards. Hansen gave a few simple instructions before lifting Jenna, who had fainted, and boarded the helicopter.

    The helicopter flew skyward.

    When Jenna woke up again, she was lying on a big soft bed. She looked at it nkly and felt very familiar.She was in Collier Manor.

    She was back!

    Was the adventure on the isted ind over? Why did shee back?

    Shey on the bed in a daze for a while, and the memory began to emerge.

    Her face gradually turned pale, and all the pores on her body contracted. Slowly, she curled up into a ball.

    She saw the car, the one that had run over her father. It was on the riverbank of that river in the cave. It was going to fall off and be washed away. If that happened, she would lose the only evidence she had found.

    Her father died miserably like that. There was no more evidence!

    She felt depressed and miserable. Someone had deliberately attempted to destroy the evidence.

    Her father¡¯s death was rted to that car. It was a conspiracy! Hansen had once used that car to marry her, and the same car was the direct cause of her father¡¯s death.

    The situation was bing clearer and clearer. Who was it? How could that person be so cruel to kill her most respected father? If that person was dissatisfied with her, he shoulde at her. Why did he do that to her father?

    Jenna was so heartbroken andin so much pain that she was sweating all over. She remembered that she wanted to rush to the river to retrieve the car when Hansen pulled her back and threw her onto the ground. Did he do that on purpose?

    Did Hansen have something to do with that? Why did he bring her on the expedition to the ind? If he intended to destroy the evidence, then why did he let her find the car? What did that mean?

    Jenna struggled to get up and ran towards the living room. She wanted to confront Hansen and find out what¡¯s going on!

    The living room was empty. Her mobile phone rang in the room.

    She returned to the room.

    ¡°Hansen,¡±she called him in a hurry.

    ¡°Jen, it¡¯s me,¡± Rayan¡¯s gentle voice sounded over the phone with a trace of anxiety, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I heard you crying on the phonest night. This morning, we saw a helicopter flew by. I heard from the staff over there that you fainted. Are you okay?¡±

    Rayan asked hastily. He, who had always been calm andposed, was also in a mess. His tone was no longer so calm, but full of anxiety.

    Jenna was stupefied. Last night, she was reallyining to him. She thought that Hansen had left her behind all alone and wanted to kill her, but she slept in his armsst night. She couldn¡¯t exin it. After all, it had nothing to do with him. How could she exin it clearly?

    ¡°Brother Rayan, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine now,¡± she hurriedly reassured him. Her mind was overwhelmed and too preupied to exin in detail.

    ¡°Jen, did he abuse you or hurt you? What did he do to you?¡± Rayan was still worried.

    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t. Brother Rayan, don¡¯t worry. I have something to do now. I¡¯ll talk to you again when I¡¯m free,¡± she said perfunctorily and hung up the phone in a hurry, but she was getting more anxious.

    She wanted to see Hansen and ask him clearly to get to the bottom of it. The car was there, and she couldn¡¯t let it fall down as the evidence would then be destroyed. She felt more and more determined to make things clear.

    Suddenly, the door of the living room was opened and a womandressed in a Richards¡¯ family¡¯s uniform walked in.

    ¡°Young Madam, you¡¯re awake.¡±

    ¡°Larry? Why are you here?¡± Jenna yelled. Larry was the servant who took care of her when she was staying in Richards Manor. She was in charge of Jenna¡¯s meals and amodation.

    ¡°Young Madam, Young Master said that you are not feeling well andordered me to take care of you for a few days,¡± Larry was in her thirties. She was polite and always did things in a simple and precise way. She was very sharp and courteous.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the Young Master? Where is he? I want to see him,¡± Jenna asked anxiously.

    ¡°Young Madam, the Young Master said that you¡¯d better stay here and rest for the next few days. Don¡¯t go anywhere,¡± Larry said politely, but her words were firm. After that, she went into the kitchen and took out the porridge, bread, and cheese sandwiches. She put them on the table and said softly, ¡°Young Madam, please have your breakfast.¡±

    Larry was standing beside her. Although she was being respectful, her whole body exuded an aura of awe. Jenna couldn¡¯t tell whether she was there to take care of her or to monitor her! She had to sit down first because she was hungry.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    A dazzling pink Lamborghini was roaring through the streets and caught the attention of everyone around it. The woman who drove the car was sexy, cold, and elegant and undoubtedly looked fashionable with her sunsses on.

    The car headed towards the majestic A city Finance Department. Aria casually parked in thepound and went straight into the office of the director of the Finance Department.

    The spacious office was simple and unpretentious without any unnecessary decorations.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so diligent. This office is really simple and in. Tsk, tsk, tsk. You really are a good servant to the people!¡± Aria walked into Norton¡¯s office and sat down on the sofafortably, crossing her legs as she spoke.

    The simple office was even simpler than a middle-level leader in the Richards Group. Who would believe that he was really a righteous and honest government official? As expected, they were good at pretending. Aria¡¯s heart was full of disdain and sarcasm.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Norton looked up and saw Aria sitting on the sofa. His face suddenly changed, and he asked with great surprise and anxiety.

    Aria put her bag on the sofa and slumped against it. She had an evil smile on her face. She was wearing branded clothes and was dressed in finery. It looked simply ipatible with the gray and whiteyout of the office.

    Norton was a little dumbfounded. Seeing such a sexy womane into his office openly would make people wonder what their rtionship was.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He cleared his throatand acted as if he was doing official business.

    Aria raised her eyebrows and chuckled, but her voice was very sarcastic, ¡°Mr. Norton, you sound like I¡¯m not weed here!¡±

    She stood up and walked enticingly towards Norton, who was sitting at the desk.

    The smell of perfume was getting stronger. Norton was a little flustered and stood up at a loss.

    ¡°What, what are you going to do?¡± He walked around her andheaded for the door to close it.

    Aria snorted. People who didn¡¯t know him would think that he was an honest and uncorrupted man.

    ¡°Norton, why bother?¡± Aria smiled coquettishly and walked towards him.

    As soon as Norton closed the door, Aria arrived in front of him in the blink of an eye. She dragged his hand and sat on the sofa with her charming eyes and enchanting smile.

    ¡°Aria, please take note of your image. This is an official government office. You should behave yourself,¡± Norton sat down on the sofa opposite her and sat straight, looking upright and righteous.

    Aria couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. She reached out her hand with red fingernails to touch his shoulder as she brought her face over. She sneered and said, ¡°Forget it, Norton. You don¡¯t have to pretend in front of me. It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re pretending in front of Jenna. Do you think I don¡¯t know what kind of person you really are?¡±

 Chapter 67 Staying in Richards Manor

    ¡°You¡­¡± Norton was annoyed and infuriated. His face was livid and full of disgust.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Aria snorted and said, ¡°Norton, people like you don¡¯t have the right to dislike me. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you have done. Let me tell you.I¡¯m well aware of it.¡±

    Norton¡¯s body stiffened and his expression changed. A cold light shed in his eyes and he asked in a cold voice, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Aria took her hand off his shoulder and sat upright. She said with a smirk, ¡°What is done by night appears by day.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Norton stood up with his sullen face as he shouted.

    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t say anything. What can I say?Why are you feeling guilty?¡± Aria waved her hand and smiled maliciously.

    ¡°Tell me, what the h*ll are you doing here?¡± Norton was relieved but he was already very impatient.

    Aria took off her sunsses, raised her eyebrows, and smiled charmingly,¡°Mr. Norton, why are you so agitated? Take a seat. Sit down and I¡¯ll talk slowly. It¡¯ll be good for both me and you.¡±

    Helplessly, Norton had no choice but to sit down in suspicion. His body was still stiff.

    ¡°Tell me, my future sister-inw,¡± said Norton with a mocking smirk on his face.

    Hearing the word ¡°sister-inw¡±, Aria¡¯s face turned pale and shewas no longer smiling.

    ¡°Norton, I¡¯m telling you clearly right now that Hansen can only marry me and I will be his only wife. You have to help me,¡± Aria said firmly, word for word, without any smile on her face.

    Norton was stunned for a moment and said with a sinister smile, ¡°That¡¯s strange. He¡¯s already divorced Jenna as you wish, and your parents have met a few days ago. Who else will he marry if he doesn¡¯t marry you?¡±

    There was a trace of uneasiness, nervousness, and anger on Aria¡¯s face, and her eyes had a sharp gaze.

    ¡°But, I¡¯ve heard that Grandma Richards will only acknowledge Jenna. Even if I marry Hansen, I wouldn¡¯t be acknowledged as one of the family members,¡± she said with hatred and resentment.

    ¡°I see,¡± Norton let out a sigh of relief andughed. He thought to himself, ¡°If such a person like you were epted into our family, it would be a disgrace to us. It seems that Grandma is wise enough to think of this.¡±He shrugged andsaid indifferently, ¡°It is not a big deal, isn¡¯t it? Why do you care about this? Isn¡¯t it good enough that he¡¯s yourwful husband and you¡¯re his wife? Acknowledgment as our family member is just an illusory thing. What¡¯s the big deal? You don¡¯t lose anything by not being in it.¡±

    When Aria saw Norton¡¯s carefree expression, she could not help but feel anxious.

    ¡°No, Grandma must acknowledge me. Even if I am the legal wife, I will feel ashamed. I am the daughter of the A City Mayor McAdams, but I am not acknowledged by the family. I will even lose the right to inherit Richards Manor. I can¡¯t let this happen. My father will be embarrassed if this happens,¡± Aria solemnly stated that she was determined to get it.

    Norton sneered in his heart. For a woman like Aria, even he wouldn¡¯t acknowledge her as a member of the Richards¡¯ family, let alone his grandmother. Now, it was even uncertain whether Hansen would marry her or not. Since Jenna came back, Hansen seemed to be obsessed with Jenna and had grown cold towards Aria. Only a fool like Hansen would agree to marry her. As for Norton, he would not even consider taking Aria as his concubine.

    When Hansen looked at Jenna, there was something burning in his eyes. Norton was a man as well. Of course, he knew exactly what it was intuitively.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself,¡± Norton scornfully said, ¡°It¡¯s still up to a woman to keep a man¡¯s heart. I can¡¯t do anything about these things. Of course, if Hansen promised to marry you, he¡¯s already giving you a lot of face. You¡¯d better not push your luck. Otherwise, if you end up with nothing, don¡¯t me me for not warning you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Although Norton¡¯s words were unpleasant to the ear, they were exactly what Aria¡¯s concerns were. Her face started to darken.

    Aria was no match for Jenna at all. Norton despised Aria even more and said with a cold face, ¡°Aria, you shouldn¡¯t be too greedy.¡±

    ¡°Norton,¡± Aria bristled at Norton¡¯s dismissive attitude,¡°Don¡¯t be too full of yourself. We had a deal. You get Jenna and I get Hansen. We have to help each other. You are mocking me now. Stop pretending. Let me tell you. Ever since Jenna came back, Hansen¡¯s attitude towards her was obvious. Jenna had always loved Hansen. You¡¯re nothing to her. Don¡¯t think that you will be fine if I don¡¯t get Hansen. He will definitely go after Jenna. In the end, you will end up with nothing too.¡±

    Norton had already expected Aria¡¯s words. Since he saw Jenna¡¯s attitude towards him, he knew the truth. However, he would not give up. Even if he had to marry her as a concubine, he would make her follow him willingly. What Aria said was right. Even if Jenna did not love Hansen, she would never fall in love with him.

    In order to make Jennapletely give up on Hansen ande to him willingly, it would not be easy without Aria¡¯s help. Thinking of that, his expression changed, ¡°Tell me,what do you want from me? ¡±

    ¡°Norton, I heard rumors that Grandma Richards was going to give Jenna the inheritance of Richards Manor that belonged to Hansen. Think about it, Grandma Richards was thinking of giving the inheritance to an outsider but not a Richards.It just doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± Aria narrowed her almond-shaped eyes and said in a low voice unwillingly.

    ¡°You know a lot of gossip,¡± Norton was shocked. He had never heard that, but Aria, an outsider, knew about his Grandma¡¯s decision first. She was indeed scheming, despicable, and malicious. That woman only wanted to be the Young Madam of the Richards¡¯ family. She was more vain and possessive than anyone else. Although Hansen was rich and powerful, she was not even willing to give up on the assets. She was nothing like Jenna. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he loved Jenna, he would prefer Jenna as his sister-inw as meeting such an insatiablewoman would not even be good for himter. He asked Aria, ¡°So, what do you want to do?¡±

    ¡°Norton, cooperate with me and let me stay in Richards Manor,¡± Ariamanded forcefully, with no room for discussion.

    ¡°Do you really think that I am that capable?¡± Nortonughed,¡°My father doesn¡¯t even have the right to change Grandma¡¯s decision, let alone me. Moreover, you are marrying Hansen, not me. What can I do?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Since I want to be Richards¡¯ family¡¯s Young Madam, I must live in Richards Manor and be acknowledged as part of the family. You have to cooperate with me. I have my own way,¡± she stood up and said coldly, ¡°Norton, I know all the things you have done. If you don¡¯t cooperate with me, you will meet your end miserably.¡±

    At that point, sheughed and picked up her handbag on the sofa. She gave Norton a flying kiss flirtatiously and walked out of the office.

    Norton was shocked and panicked. He stood there for a while,unable to get his head back on straight.

    What on earth did she want to do? What did she know about what he had done?

    Aria walked downstairs arrogantly. Hmph, Norton, don¡¯t think you can go back on your words. She came to his office from time to time just to give him warnings so that he would feel scared!Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    She was driving her Lamborghini towards the International Kinsey Center when she was informed by her secretary, Minnie, that Hansen had returned to the office. She hadn¡¯t seen him for several days after the press conference. Ever since Jenna reappeared in front of him, he had grown impatient with her and his patience with her was diminishing by the day. His burning gaze had never left Jenna. Even when he was setting up the venue for the press conference, he was favoring her. She was very upset and afraid of losing Hansen.

    She did not believe that she would lose. She had to win.

    In the office on the 88th floor of International Kinsey Center.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s been taken care of,¡± Alvin walked into the office and reported.

    ¡°Good,¡± Hansen had a serious look on his face, and his gaze was as sharp as a sword. ¡°Alvin, find out the reason why Jenna wanted that car and what is the story behind it. I want to know the answer as soon as possible.¡±

    Why did Jenna not care about her own life and rush recklessly toward a car that was about to be washed away by the river? Hansen had many questions in his mind. He now believed that she did not love money but cars instead. However, it was illogical that she would regard the car as being more important than her own life.

    Her actions were too bizarre. Hansen had reason to believe that there must be some secrets that he didn¡¯t know about. He could no longer let it go. There was something hidden from him, and it was just under his nose. Moreover, it had something to do with the Richards Group! He had a bad feeling about it!

    Alvin nodded and left quickly.

    As soon as he walked out, he came face to face with Aria. However, he did not even look at her and walked straight past her.

    ¡°Hansen, who was that person? How could he be so rude?¡± Aria was very displeased. She came in and yelled at Hansen. Hansen was staring at theputer and his fingers were busy tapping on the keyboard.

    ¡°Aria, why did youe in here without knocking on the door?¡± He frowned and his face was full of displeasure. The woman in front of him was so unruly. She thought that she could do whatever she wanted just because he trusted her. Hansen disliked it and found her attitude annoying.

    ¡°Hansen, we are getting married soon. Why do we have to be so formal?¡± Aria came over and gently put her hands on his neck and rested her breasts on his body. Her voice was coquettish and seductive.

 Chapter 68 Please Be Serious

    The strong scent of Aria¡¯s perfume entered Hansen¡¯s nostrils, and he could not help but frown slightly.

    Jenna also used perfume, but hers was very simple and fragrant. It would make people want to get close to her.However, Aria¡¯s perfume was too pungent and he couldn¡¯t get used to it.

    Hansen was surprised to find that since he had hugged Jenna, he had lost interest in other women. Even when Aria, whom he once regarded as feminine, threw herself at him, he was not interested andeven felt disgusted!

    Whenever he touched Jenna¡¯s soft body, he was on fire all over and couldn¡¯t help wanting more. He was afraid of that terrible feeling of his life turning into a mess and making him feel like he was being manipted.

    He liked to be free and did not like to be tied down, which made him feel restricted, but he could not help thinking about her and what she was doing at present. He thought of her every twinkle and smile. When he saw her chatting andughing with another man, he was extremely ufortable.

    Of course, he would never admit that it was jealousy.

    ¡°Aria, go sit on the sofa first. I¡¯m working,¡± Hansen pushed her away and said impatiently.

    ¡°Hansen, when are you going to settle the matter that you promised me?¡± Aria refused to let him go.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Go sit on the sofa or get out,¡± Hansen continued typing on the keyboard and did not even raise his head. His voice was cold, and his face was expressionless.

    Aria was startled. Hansen exuded a cold aura, as if he didn¡¯t want her anywhere near him. She stood up, full of grievances, but she dared not offend him.

    She recalled one time when she offended him;he was as cold as ice and he ignored her for a month. There were numerous women who appeared by his side during that time. He only returned to his original state after Aria took the initiative to apologize and beg for his forgiveness. Since then, she didn¡¯t dare to upset him anymore.

    Aria reluctantly sat down on the sofa and felt bored.

    Hansen lowered his head and buried himself in his work, as if he had forgotten her existence.

    After a long time, she could not stand it anymore. She cleared her throat to remind him that she was still waiting for him in the office!

    Hansen frowned, feeling that her voice was very unpleasant. He still remembered those nights he spent with Jenna in Collier Manor. They were both busy with their own work and didn¡¯t even realize that it waste at night and he worked efficiently.

    But now, Aria was just sitting there and he found her raucous!

    He was really unhappy and annoyed. The feelings made him more and more disgusted.

    ¡°Hansen, where are we going for lunch?¡± Seeing that it was almost noon, Aria thought that she could finally have lunch with Hansen. She wouldn¡¯t be disturbing him she thought. She had been waiting in the office for a while and she was bored to death!

    ¡°Okay, the Phyllis River,¡± Hansen finally finished his work. He turned off hisptop, raised his head to look at her, and answered straightforwardly.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Aria¡¯s face lit up. She stood up happily and walked towards him. She was about to wrap her arms around him, but as she got close to him, she seemed to think of something and withdrew her hand, looking at him with some unease.

    Hansen noticed it and chuckled, then he generously stretched out his arm to her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said gently. Aria quickly reacted and wrapped her arm around his. The two walked out in an intimate manner.

    The joyful music was ying slowly.

    Hansen ordered a bottle of red wine for him and Aria, and they began to eat.

    ¡°Tell me, what do you want from me?¡± Hansen was not stupid. Aria definitely had something in her mind. There were things that he had to face.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± Aria drank a ss of red wine, and her face began to heat up. It was not easy for her to have such an opportunity. She blinked her almond eyes and said coquettishly, ¡°Hansen, regarding the Camphor Tree Vi, my father¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to talk about this. I will find a way to solve it. You don¡¯t have to worry about it,¡± Hansen took a sip of red wine, looked at the scarlet liquid in his ss, and said calmly. He was a man, and he didn¡¯t need Aria¡¯s help to solve the problem. Although the problem was quite serious, he could certainly set it right if he wanted to. It was up to him to make up his mind about it!

    ¡°Hansen,¡± Aria¡¯s face darkened. She had thought that he would treat her differently with her father¡¯s power to help him solve the problem with the Camphor Tree Vi or at least, he would give her face, but he denied it. Not only did he not need her help, but he didn¡¯t even ask her for anything.

    ¡°But I promised Mom that this matter would be taken care of and that it wouldn¡¯t make things difficult for Richards Group,¡± Aria thought for a while and said sincerely. She knew that Hansen could solve the problem, but he would have to put in extra effort. If her father could solve it for him, it would not be so troublesome.

    ¡°Aria, don¡¯t repeat the same topic. We are all busy,¡± Hansen was unhappy again.

    Aria could only keep her mouth shut and looked at him with a face full of grievances,¡°Hansen, my father has asked about our marriage several times. When can you give me an urate answer?¡±

    Hansen gently shook the red wine in his hand, drank it in one gulp, and asked slowly, ¡°Is it you asking or is it your father? If it¡¯s just your dad asking, then ¡­¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s what my doubt too,¡± Aria was afraid that he would say something bad, so she changed her words immediately. The truth was that she was really the one asking.

    Hansen breathed a sigh of relief and poured another full ss of red wine. He held it in his hand and said casually, ¡°Aria, I have something to say to you today.¡±

    He had something to say too? There was a soft glow in Aria¡¯s eyes, and her face was full of excitement and anticipation. She knew that since Hansen had promised her, he would not go back on his words. It seemed that he had not forgotten about the agreement between them. Was he going to propose?

    ¡°Aria, you should know that I am just a divorced man, and you are still young. Don¡¯t you feel aggrieved to be married to me?¡± He lifted the red wine ss in his hand, smiled and asked gently.

    Aria¡¯s face was full of happiness, without a hint of grievance. She shook her head hurriedly and swore, ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re so amazing. I even want to marry you in my dreams. I¡¯m just afraid I don¡¯t deserve you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so modest. It¡¯s not good,¡± Hansen shook his head slightly, took a sip of red wine, and said very seriously, ¡°Aria, I am afraid that you will be wronged if you marry me.¡±

    He blinked his bright eyes with a smile, but his words were iparably sincere.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t feel so,¡± Aria was a little anxious and shook her head desperately.

    ¡°You have to think it over. Your father is Mayor McAdams. Your marriage is linked to his reputation. You may not care about it, but he will,¡± Hansen sighed, ¡°You know, I am a descendant of the Richards¡¯ family. There are some things that I can¡¯t help myself with.¡±

    He smiled helplessly and his face was full of destion.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Aria was shocked and she turned her body. She held the ss in one hand and leaned against the table with her other elbow. She was worried that her hands would tremble, and she was even more worried that he would turn her down.

    ¡°Aria, I can be with you, but I can¡¯t give you the title that you deserve.If you want to be with me, you can only be my concubine. You will not be able to live in the Richards Manor. You will not be able to attend any family events and you will not be recognized as our family member,¡± Hansen said very seriously, ¡°You should tell your father these things and consider them carefully. This is a big event in your life and you can¡¯t afford to be sloppy. Forgive me, my hands are tied too.¡±

    Concubine? Aria was dumbfounded. As far as she knew, Grandma Richards didn¡¯t say she would be a concubine. She just wouldn¡¯t allow her to live in the Richards Manor and recognize her as their family member. Since when was she only to be a concubine?

    The words which came out of Hansen¡¯s mouth made her ufortable.

    In fact, as long as they registered for marriage, they would be awful couple, which was what she thought. As for being recognized as their family member and the right to live in the Richards Manor, it would only be a matter of time. Grandma Richards was already in her nies. Once she had passed away, and when she was pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child, could he deny her rights? Her children would be recognized in the Richards¡¯ family tree, how could she, as their mother not be? She had already thought it through.

    ¡°No, Hansen. Grandma just said that I can¡¯t live in the Richards Manor and my name won¡¯t appear in the family tree if we got married. However, we can get registered legally, we will be awful couple. Other things don¡¯t matter as long as you are by my side,¡± Aria¡¯s face flushed as she corrected him.

    ¡°How do you know this?¡± Hansen¡¯s face darkened. Except for his grandmother, he was the only one who knew about the content of their conversation. Moreover, it was their family¡¯s private affair. How could an outsider like her know about that?

    Aria¡¯s expression suddenly changed. She realized that she had spoken too much. In fact, she knew that Hansen hated people ying tricks behind his back. She found out the truth only after she bribed a servant of the Richards¡¯ family, but now she let it slip and had to cover up, ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m just guessing. In the past, when ude married a concubine, there was a rule that they were not allowed to move into the Richards Manor and that her name would not be recorded in the family tree. However, after the Old Master has passed away, Norton and his sister eventually moved into the Richards Manor. Norton¡¯s mother, Maria ncy¡¯s name was also added into the family tree.¡±

    If it was just a guess, it was still reasonable. Hansen¡¯s face softened and he reminded her, ¡°Aria, think about it carefully. She is still a concubine until now. She only moved in because ude¡¯s wife was infertile and with the approval of Grandma. She has lived such a shady life for more than 20 years. Can you live in such disgrace? Moreover, once Grandma is gone, there won¡¯t be any elders who will agree to let you move in. Think about it, it may be an endless wait.¡±

    Hansen was helpless and frustrated. It was true. In fact, he was in a dilemma. He was about to be abandoned by his family. How could he not worry about that?

    He was a man, a descendant of Richards¡¯ family. He was supposed to be the family heir. How could he not be concerned about that!

 Chapter 69 The Secret In The Study

    In ces like A city, especially for the gentry, if a woman married a man and couldn¡¯t be recognized in the family tree, although she was legally registered as thewful wife, in reality, everyone knew that she was only the concubine. That fact had long been a consensus.

    How could the man in charge of the family have no wife on the family book? Unless he only loved her in his life, or else, he would definitely marry someone who would be recognized in the family tree.

    If the rtionship with the woman failed in the end, or if the woman could not give birth to a son in the future, for the sake of his family¡¯s interests or about the continuity of his descendants, the man could marry another woman, get registered in another country and bring her home. As long as she was acknowledged by the elders, she could be the rightful wife. In the end, the first wife would be the de facto concubine, after all, she was not acknowledged in the first ce.

    Everyone knew about the risk. Aria was not a fool. How could she not know?

    Although the gentry were very generous and open to concubines, a concubine is still a concubine. They couldn¡¯tpromise on the interests of the mistress.

    People in the gentry were always the backbone of society, and many rules had long been changed by them. Although the state advocated a monogamy system, the rule had long failed to satisfy the need of the gentry to expand their families. They would start another family outside and give birth to other children. As for the problems that were brought to the society, it was not in their consideration. After all, money could solve most problems.

    Hansen was a progressive thinker and was never interested in marrying a concubine, which was a popr practice among the gentry. He always thought of following his father¡¯s footsteps, to marry one wife and have a happy marriage. Since he chose to love a woman, he should give her the best. It would be irresponsible of him if his wife were to live a shady life. He had witnessed countless conflicts within women in a family. He disliked it and he felt that it would affect his quality of life.

    It was precisely why Hansen had resented Jenna. He hated her for taking away his wife¡¯s position, which cast a shadow over his future love.

    It should be noted that if a woman married a man without the family¡¯s acknowledgment, it was something very embarrassing in A city.

    Even if the man had married her, it would be dishonorable and disgraceful to the woman¡¯s family, not to mention the prestigious Richards family. Everyone knows the rules about concubinage set by the gentry. Therefore, no one with a good family background would like their daughters to be married as a concubine.

    ¡°No, Grandma said that you can marry me as the first wife. Hansen, you are divorcedand we can be awful couple. Besides, Mom has promised that she would let me live in the Richards Manor,¡± Aria¡¯s face began to turn pale and tears were welling up in her eyes.

    ¡°Aria, as I said, I have no say in this. Please make it clear to your parents as well,¡± Hansen helplessly shook his head.

    Aria¡¯s heart was aching and shewas very ufortable. She knew that if Hansen only married her, they could be free of those worldly things. However, if Hansen married another woman in the future, it wouldplicate things in the future.

    However, she had Marissa¡¯s support. After Grandma Richards passed away, she would have the chance to move into the Richards Manor. Of course, all of those were based on the premise that Hansen loved her and supported her.

    However, was Hansen still in love with her? She did not know whaty in store for her, especially after Jenna appeared!

    Jenna stayed in the Collier Manor for two days and did not see Hansen at all. He did not answer her calls which annoyed her. When she wanted to go out, she was stopped by Larry, saying that Hansen wouldn¡¯t let her go out because he didn¡¯t want her to have any more idents.

    She stayed in the Collier Manor with Larry keeping a close eye on her. She hadno chance of going out at all.

    Even Jenna, who had a good temper, was full of grievances. What was Hansen thinking? Was she ced under house arrest?

    The longer she stayed, the more annoyed she became. Did Hansen really have something to do with her father¡¯s death?Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Since he had been living in the apartment for so many years, if there really was something, he would have left some clues behind. After thinking for a while, Jenna decided to investigate first and headed towards Hansen¡¯s study.

    There were six rooms in the apartment. She had been into Hansen¡¯s bedroom. It was simple and there was nothing special, but she had never been to his study. Usually, it was kept locked. These days, after staying in the apartment, she knew where he kept the keys.

    A bunch of spare keys were put in a storage room. Jennawalked over, found the keys, and opened the door to the study.

    It had been some time since someone stepped into the study. The room was filled with the smell of mildew. There was a thick curtain and light could barely get in.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a study? Why is it so dark?¡± Jenna felt more and more strange about the ce. She murmured and became curious.

    When she opened the thick curtain, dazzling light came in. Jenna slightly squinted her eyes and opened the window. The fresh air flew in and she felt morefortable.

    There were several rows of ck wooden shelves, and there were indeed a collection of good books. There were some books that Jenna wanted to read, and unexpectedly she found them there. Some of the books were limited edition and were hard to find. Some were unique and were of extraordinary significance.

    There were only books in the study, and she could not find anything suspicious. She could not help but be a little disappointed. However, she was delighted to see so many good books.

    Jenna was browsing through the bookshelves, and an entire morning had passed before she knew it.

    She didn¡¯t find anything suspicious. When she was about to leave the study, she saw a shelf that was covered with a piece of red cloth. She wondered why he had to cover it with a piece of red cloth. Was there anything strange?

    When she walked towards the shelf, she felt her heart thumping for no reason, as if she would discover some unknown secrets, which made her feel mysterious.

    She slowly unfolded the red cloth and gasped. It turned out that the stack was not ordinary books but a stack of hardcover notebooks. They looked like diaries, some of which were already old.

    Could those be Hansen¡¯s personal diaries?

    She suddenly became curious. Things written in the diaries were their personal and true thoughts. If her father¡¯s death had something to do with him, something might have been written in those diaries. She might as well have a look.

    Her hands were trembling.

    It was hical to read another person¡¯s diary. However, she had to do it as it could be rted to her father¡¯s death!

    She picked up one of the diaries and flipped through it. A photo suddenly fell out of it. She was stunned!

    The photo fell to the ground. Jenna looked down and was dumbfounded.

    The photo on the ground was a picture of her when she was in university. She was wearing a white dress and her hair was long. She had a bright smile, which made her look cute and lovely.

    Why was her photo in his diary? It was from such a long time ago!

    Jenna felt a little incredulous. She barelyhad any interaction with Hansen in university. The only time she met him was in the library. During that time, the smile on his face was bright and gentle. Her memory of his slightly shy look was still fresh in her mind!

    When she was still young, she had seen him several times when she went to visit Grandma Richards in the Richard Manor with her father. However, Hansen¡¯s eyes were always on someone else and he didn¡¯t even look her in the eye.

    Even when Grandma Richards asked him to introduce himself to them, his eyes were also indifferent. Usually, it seemed that he didn¡¯t care about her at all and didn¡¯t even look at her.

    How did he get a photo of her in the university?

    Jenna was confused for a moment. There was an album below. When she opened it, she saw a young and handsome boy. He looked just like when she saw him as a child. He was charming and handsome, with a smile on his face and a little shyness in his smile. Jenna was in a trance when she touched the photo. Suddenly, she took a trip down the memoryne as she indulged herself in her thoughts.

    A lovely smile spread across her face.

    The album was filled with Hansen¡¯s photos from elementary school through to university, including his university graduation photos. Since they were from the same university, there were some shared memories between them.

    Touching the photos, Jenna seemed to have returned to her university days. At that time, she was so happy to have her father¡¯s protection, but now!

    Thinking of her father, the tingling pain in her heart began to spread within her. She closed the photo album and slowly opened the diary. The diary was thick, and Hansen¡¯s memories from junior high to university were recorded in it!

    It was wrong to peep at others¡¯ privacy. Jenna had a feeling that she wasmitting a crime. Her face was burning hot, but if she found what she needed, she would not care much.

    [One day¡­

    The night was dark and bottomless, but it didn¡¯t prevent me from seeing the truth that should have been clear.

    I stood in the dark and watched her making out with Norton. They were still on campus, and they were so tant and unscrupulous. They were simply adulterers. She looked like an innocent woman, but how could she be so sl*tty? Yesterday, she was cuddling another boy, but now, she was doing such a thing with Norton. I even overheard Norton saying that he would pay her after that. What a sl*t!

    Everything was just an appearance. From now on, I will never believe that woman again. The woman who looked innocent on the outside but was actually unsophisticated and good at disguising herself.]

 Chapter 70 Thorn In The Heart

    Jenna waspletely stunned. She read each line carefully. It turned out that the man standing in the dark that night was really Hansen. Hansen was the one who saved her from Norton¡¯s assault.

    There were mixed feelings of surprise and joy in her heart, but there was also a dull pain.

    How could it be so coincidental? He just happened to be there!

    She felt his anger through his words. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder, even if she had acted intimately with Norton, even if it was consensual, why was he so furious?

    Did it mean that he had started hating her since then? However,they weren¡¯t engaged then. It had nothing to do with him!

    Why did he keep her photo?

    She counted on her fingers and flipped the diary to the year when she was in her senior year. That was when he was ordered to marry her soon after graduation. She actually wanted to know how he could have married her while bearing such a grudge.

    [One gloomy day.

    I never thought Grandma would make such clumsy mistakes. She asked me to marry that woman. That sl*tty woman, I want to fight against my fate. That woman had a pure and innocent appearance but was iparably filthy inside. Why should I marry her!]

    Jenna saw Hansen¡¯s powerful handwriting, line by line, full of hatred, disdain, and disgust. Jenna¡¯s name was even crossed out several times.

    The pain that had been buried deep in her heart began to spread again. It was so painful that she could not breathe, and her lips also turned pale.

    Just as she thought, he hated her and hadn¡¯t had any affection for her from the start!

    She couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. Obviously, he had hated her since university,even before she was married to him. Then why did he marry her in the first ce if he hated her so much? Even if Grandma had given the order, he could have resisted. Why hadn¡¯t he resisted to the end?

    If he had resisted more, maybe they would both be happy now.

    She remembered the night of their wedding. He was drunk and forced himself on her. It was unrestrained and brutal. Now she learned that it was his malicious revenge. It was cruel torture, without any warmth norpassion. That night was like a nightmare. She fainted and when she woke up, she wasying naked on the bed. She was not even covered with the quilt and she never saw him again.

    Jenna¡¯s heart throbbed again, and tears streamed down her face.

    She thought that if she continued reading, she would go crazy.

    Heavy footsteps wereing her way and she felt a sense of danger. She panicked and quickly raised her head.

    Hansen¡¯s livid face appeared in front of her. He stared at the diary in her hand, and his sharp gaze seemed like he was going to kill her.

    Jenna hurriedly closed the diary. When she looked down, she noticed that he was clenching his fist tightly. He was clenching his fist so tightly that the straps of the briefcase in his hand wrinkled. It looked like he was enduring pain!

    There was a great panic arising from her heart.

    ¡°What are you doing? Why did you break into my study?¡± He roared angrily. The anger on his face was so intense that it seemed to melt her, ¡°You vile, ungrateful woman.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s angry voice shook the whole house. Larry, who was busy in the kitchen, ran out in a panic. She was trembling and didn¡¯t know what had happened!

    Hansen handed the briefcase in his hand to Larry and said, ¡°You can go back to Richards Manor now. Remember, don¡¯t tell anyone that you¡¯ve been here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Young Master,¡± Larry carefully took the briefcase in Hansen¡¯s hand and put it in another study. She hurried out and headed back to Richards Manor.

    Hansen grabbed the diary in her hand and gnashed his teeth,¡°Tell me, what on earth are you trying to do?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were teary, and she was in a daze.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s wrong and immoral to read other people¡¯s diaries? What do you think I should do to you?¡± He took a step forward. The dangerous atmosphere was overflowing, and his scary appearance seemed that he wanted to swallow her alive.

    Jenna was also filled with anger the past few days. After Hansen yelled at her, she came back to her senses.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just take a look at your diary? What¡¯s wrong? Did I break thew? Hansen Richards, what do you mean? How can you lock me up here?¡± She did not show any sign of weakness. She was full of anger and questioned him incessantly.

    ¡°How could you exin this with such a straight face?¡± Hansen had lost his mind because of Jenna¡¯s resistance. He took Jenna¡¯s hand and shouted angrily, ¡°What on earth do you want?¡±

    ¡°Is there something shady in your diary that can¡¯t be seen? Did you do something bad?¡± Her arm was hurting. Jenna instinctively fought back. She tried to shake off his hand and shouted at him.

    ¡°Very well, you made a mistake and still don¡¯t know how to correct it. It seems that you really need to be punished. I am too kind to you!¡± Hansen¡¯s anger flourished even more at the thought that she had wanted to choose Rayan on the ind, ¡°Today I will let you know the consequences.¡±

    His arm wrapped around her waist. He lifted her up and walked into the bedroom. He then threw her onto the bed and quickly took off his clothes, revealing his strong and lean muscles.

    ¡°Lunatic, what are you going to do?¡± Jenna felt dizzy and had a bad premonition. At that time, he looked like a mad man who had lost his mind. She tried to get up in a hurry but it was toote. As soon as Hansen¡¯s burly body rushed towards her, his powerful hands ripped off her clothes and pinned her down. He said fiercely with red eyes,

    ¡°Woman, don¡¯t test my patience. I am not a kind person. You have crossed the line several times. What do you want to do? Tell me, are you doing all these to deliberately seduce me and climb into my bed? Well, today I will satisfy your wish.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case,¡± Jenna pushed him, shouted, and struggled desperately, but unfortunately, the disparity in strength was too great, and it was useless. He pressed his body against her and she could not move an inch.

    She was ashamed, angry, and furious! Sorrow and helplessness arouse in her heart. She clenched her teeth.

    On their wedding night, he treated her brutally and rudely like this. It was as if he had lost his rationality. She fainted several times, but she could still ount his rudeness to his drunkenness. That day, she sold herself to him, and she let him do whatever he wanted to her. If she hadn¡¯t relived the horror of her wedding night countless times and her heart had been strong enough, she didn¡¯t knowhow she would have survived.

    Was the same thing going to happen to her again today?

    No way, she would not let him have his way!

    ¡°Hansen, you devil, b*stard, narcissist.I despise you. If you want to vent, go find Aria,¡± her eyes were full of tears as she cursed bitterly.

    ¡°Stop mentioning her. It¡¯s useless. At least she¡¯s cleaner than you. Don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll let you off the hook. Let me tell you, I¡¯m just going to have you right now and then throw you on the streets, what can you do to me?¡± Hansen¡¯s face was red and his body temperature kept rising. His eyes were radiating cold and fierce light.

    What a b*stard! Jenna was so angry that she was trembling and bursting into tears.

    ¡°Hansen, if I am not clean, wasn¡¯t it because of you? Since your Aria is clean, why don¡¯t you go to her? I have already told you that Norton was the one who abducted me that night. Since you don¡¯t believe me, it doesn¡¯t matter. But let me tell you, today I will never let you seed. Even if you were the one who saved me that night, I will not be grateful. Men of the Richards family are all b*stards,¡± her nails sunk into his flesh, and she wanted to vent all her hatred back at him, ¡°Today, if you dare toy a hand on me, I will make you pay back tenfoldter.¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    She was shuddering all over, and the sweat and tears had soaked the skin on Hansen¡¯s chest. Hansen was confused, and he didn¡¯t even know what he was doing.

    ¡°Stop pretending. If you¡¯re so pure and innocent, then who did you lose your virginity to?¡± He pinched her chin with his hand and was mad with hatred. The veins on his forehead bulged.

    Virginity? The heart-wrenching pain shooting up from her chin couldn¡¯t divert her attention from Hansen¡¯s words that shocked her. Her virginity? She fainted that night and woke up on a tidy bed. She did not see any blood and thought Hansen had thrown away the dirty sheets. Did she not bleed that night?

    Forgetting the pain and hatred,her eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment.

    Although the culture in A city was more open-minded, women from famous families were expected to bleed on their wedding night. Otherwise, they would be despised by their husbands. Besides, both men and women in A city had deep-rooted thoughts that if the woman¡¯s first time was not with her husband, their marriage would not be harmonious. It was a consensus among everyone, including the women themselves.

    Men cared about it, and women cared about it too. Although they knew that it was unfair to women,it was the social reality in A city.

    Jenna waspletely puzzled, and her face was full of bewilderment. It turned out that she did not bleed that night. No wonder Hansen hated her so much. But what was wrong with her? She had always taken good care of her virginity. Except for that night when Norton tried to force himself on her, she did not have anything to do with other men.

    Then what on earth was going on?

    ¡°Admit it. You¡¯re a sl*t. Stop pretending,¡± Hansen did not hide the disgusted gaze from his eyes. His face was filled with sarcasm, as if he had seen through her tricks.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve never been with any man except you.¡± Hansen¡¯s mockery and disdainful smile made Jennae to her senses instantly. She understood the crux of the problem. She couldn¡¯t let him misunderstand her like that. Even if they would be on their own in the future, she couldn¡¯t let him think she was a sl*t. She gathered all the energy in her body in her hands,and she pushed him away with all the strength she could muster, screaming angrily.

    Hansen was pushed aside and rolled over, and his senses grew clear. He felt a dull pain in his heart and closed his eyes.

    In fact, he didn¡¯t care about those things, did he? However, he was a man, and the woman who married him was not a virgin. Where was his dignity? Despite the fact that he was well-educated and had some physiological knowledge, he couldn¡¯t get over it deep in his heart. In fact, his disgust and dislike for her for so many years existed because of that factor.

    However, everything was in the past, right? Why even bring it up? Was it just because she shouldn¡¯t be reading his diary?

 Chapter 71 Something Fishy Going On

    D*mned woman!

    She secretly read his diary! She was despicable!

    Hansen was furious because Jenna must have read what he wrote in his diary and found out that the man standing in the dark that night was him.

    In an instant, he felt that his secret was uncovered. All his deep, dark secrets were exposed to her, leaving him in a wretched state of disgrace and embarrassment.

    This woman really didn¡¯t not have any basic manners. Didn¡¯t she know that she should not intrude on other people¡¯s privacy?He cannot keep her around anymore! Hansen stood up angrily and said coldly, ¡°You should leave now. Go as far away as you can, and never let me see you again, you vile woman.¡±

    As soon as he finished his words, he mmed the door and rushed out angrily.

    Suddenly, the room went dead silent and Jenna¡¯s mind was nk. Why did this happen? Why did God treat her like this? She felt heartbroken and despaired. Her heart could not no longer be at peace anymore. She was a dirty woman.

    The thought haunted her like a demon. She quickly packed up her things and left the ce resolutely. She had initially nned to move out and had no intention of staying there. Now, she could finally leavewith peace of mind and determination.

    The autumn wind howled wildly as the blustery wind blew at the pedestrians. Everyone was hurrying back to their warm homes, however, she did not dare to go home to face her mother. For the past few days, her life had been messed up by Hansen and she still hadn¡¯t found a new home yet. For a moment, she did not know where she could go.

    Her father¡¯s death had left her in a state of despair, but what could she do? At that moment, she realized that there was nothing she could do about it. Even if she knew Hansen was the culprit, so what? All the evidence had been destroyed. She knew that the reason he brought her to the ind expedition was to tell her to stop dreaming and to stop her futile struggles. The truth would never be revealed now that he had destroyed all the evidence.

    All her efforts were in vain. He had only treated her more harshly and been more merciless in his mockery.

    She walked on the street in a daze. Suddenly, she was pushed over by someone and nearly fell to the ground. She hurriedly held onto a tree by the roadside and lifted her confused head. She then saw the words ¡°Maternal and Child Health Center¡± in front of her.

    She recalled that morning after the night of their wedding. When she woke up, she could feel the pain in between her legs which made her shudder. No one cared about her, and no one would ask her about it. The pain gradually became more intense and she was unable to walk because of the excruciating pain. She had no choice but toe to the hospital alone.

    ¡°Miss, you must control yourself when you and your husband get intimate. Be careful and don¡¯t just crave that momentary pleasure. Look, this is torn. You¡¯ll be needing stitches, otherwise the wound will be infected,¡± the doctor said as he winced at the sight of it. Then he added, ¡°This is going to hurt a little. You have to bear with it,¡± then he shook his head again and muttered, ¡°Young people nowadays really are so uninhibited.¡±

    Jenna could still remember clearly the distressed and disgruntled expression of the attending doctor.

    Sheid on the cold operating table that day, biting her lips. Blood flowed from the corners of her mouth. When she felt the needle prated into her skin, it brought her not only physical pain, but also bone-deep grief into her heart!

    She had five stitches that day!

    Stitches? Jenna suddenly returned to her senses and thought of something. She had to have five stitches and her wounds were allcerated. How could she not be bleeding? Even if she did not bleed during her first intercourse,there should have been blood from her wounds. She remembered that the bedsheets did not have any bloodstains when she woke up that morning. There wasn¡¯t even a single drop. How could it be possible?

    ¡°No, there must be something fishy going on. There¡¯s got to be some kind of misunderstanding here!

    She had an intense headache and her heart was pounding. There must be blood. She was an innocent woman, and it was her first time. How could there be no blood?

    She smiled. After a while, she cried again, and her whole body was weak.

    If there was blood, so what? If there wasn¡¯t, then what?

    Both she and Hansen were high achievers and they knew about physiology. They were modern youths and they knew that people in their generation were not concerned about whether their partners were still virgins or not. Besides, there were a lot of women around Hansen. If a woman had lost her virginity and had no ce in the society, then what should those women whom Hansen had slept with do?

    Men were always so selfish and unreasonable. Jenna was tired of the social stigma against women. She hated the ce, and she hated Hansen.

    She had been back to A city for so long and what did she get? She could not find any evidence of her father¡¯s death. Besides being physically and mentally tortured, she had not gained anything.

    She had overestimated her ability. In fact, there was nothing she could do. At that point, she was over Hansen.

    She thought that it was really time to leave and wanted to take her mother with her!

    Since her father had already passed away,she and her mother should move on and live better lives!

    She wanted to reach for her mobile phone in her handbag, but she was shocked to find that it was missing. She remembered that she had taken her bag with her when she came out earlier. Why was it gone?

    She realized that it must have been stolen when she was pushed earlier. At that time she was in a daze and her things were taken by the thief.

    She had a wry smile on her face. Could there be anyone more unlucky than her? She was penniless!

    She looked up nkly and saw that there were some shops up ahead. She went from shop to shop and eventually found a kind shop owner who lent her his mobile phone.

    Her hands were trembling as shewas holding the phone!

    She did not actually know who to call. All she had in her head at the time was a string of phone numbers. After the call got through, there was a gentle, pleasant male voiceing from the other side of the line.

    Rayan¡¯s voice was always heartwarming to her.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s wrong? Where are you?¡± She had only greeted him softly on the phone. Her voice was also a little husky but he could immediately recognize her voice and asked her anxiously.

    Jenna was touched. Out of all the people she knew, he was the only one who was always understanding, caring and considerate of her. She thought that that was the bestfort that God gave her. If it weren¡¯t for Rayan, she would not have achieved what she had. She should appreciate and cherish such a man.

    After hanging up the phone, within a few minutes, Rayan came to fetch her in his Rolls Royce.

    When Rayan¡¯s tall and dashing figure appeared in front of her,she seemed to be in a dreamlike trance,a little absent-minded.

    ¡°Jen,¡± Rayan was shocked by the appearance of the woman in front of him. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were dull and she seemed confused. She stared at him nkly. and he was frightened by the look in her eyes. What look was it? Fear, despair, loneliness, grievance, and a sign that she had given up on life.

    What kind of situation did a woman have to be in to be like this? He knew she had passed out in the cave that day, and that the helicopter had taken her away.

    ¡°Hansen, you b*stard!¡± He secretly cursed in his heart, ¡°How can you be so cruel to a woman whowas in love with you!

    What he didn¡¯t understand was, why did Jenna want to stay in Richards Group and be by Hansen¡¯s side? Was it just because she loved him? However, every time he saw her aggrieved and distressed eyes, he couldn¡¯t force the question upon her!

    She had already contributed a lot to the Richards Group, but Hansen was still not satisfied. He was so cruel to bully a weak woman like her. He really couldn¡¯t understand what Jenna¡¯s secret was that he held in his hands and why she was so obsessed with such a b*stard.

    Others did not value Jenna, but he did. He wanted to protect herand not allow anyone to bully her.

    Jenna¡¯s face was pale and tears were rolling down her cheeks. She looked at him pitifully and said, ¡°Brother Rayan, please, please help me sort out my mother¡¯s passport? I want to leave this ce.¡±

    Rayan¡¯s heart was in pain as if it was encircled by tiny wires, tightening by the second and suddenly he felt a burst of pain. This silly woman, she should have seen the truth earlier. Why did she have to wait until she was in so much pain to finally see what was happening?

    He sighed and held her in his arms. He wiped away the tears on her face, nodded, and walked to the car with her in his arms.

    In the silent autumn night, the cold wind whistled. Jenna was sitting on the leather couch in the living room of the townhouse, looking sad and lonely. Rayan was wearing a loose white sweater and casual pants. He came over with a box of coffee beans in his hand.

    ¡°Jen, I¡¯ll make the coffee,¡± he smiled slightly.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Jenna smiled and said generously, ¡°Brother Rayan, let me y the piano for you then.¡±

    She knew that Rayan enjoyed listening to her ying the piano while drinking good coffee. Listening to the beautiful music and tasting the coffee, he would smile charmingly. He would be intoxicated and fall into a state of rxation.

    Like Hansen, Rayan was an exquisite man and with expensive tastes in life. If Hansen was as bright as a diamond, then Rayan was definitely the highest-quality of ancient jade, smooth and elegant, pleasing to the eye.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s a great honor,¡± Rayan smiled and sat down in front of the coffee machine with a longing look on his face.

    Jenna¡¯s fingers danced on the piano, and soon, a wonderful melody could be heard. Rayan was drinking his coffee,caught in the moment, and his eyes were full of fascination.

    He knew that such skills could not be mastered overnight. The way she yed the piano was different from the others. It was far more beautiful and richer in content than the ordinary music masters. Her notes were simple and had unpretentious feelings, fresh and elegant. The music she yedlightly entered people¡¯s mindsand slowly devoured their hearts.It cleansed people¡¯s souls and aroused people¡¯s love for beautiful things.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    He loved that kind of piano music and admired a beautiful woman like Jenna. He did not need her to be his woman. It was enough to just sit and admire her in silence. His thought was at apletely different level, which was totally ipatible with secr love.

    Therefore, his love for Jenna was noble. He appreciated her from the bottom of his heart and did not have any malicious intentions. Hethought that the slightest malicious thought would defile her noble heart.

 Chapter 72 Her Misfortune

    Hansen sat on the couch in the office, feeling depressed and annoyed.

    It was alreadyte at night and he did not know where to go. His heart felt empty and he was exhausted and weary.

    He opened the door to the bedroom in his office and went to take a cold shower. After finishing his takeaway meal, he sat on the couch and started smoking a cigar.

    After a while, his phone rang. He reached for his phone and answered it as he ced the phone near to his ear.

    ¡°Hello,¡± the person on the other end of the line greeted.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,¡± Alvin¡¯s low and deep voice drifted into his ears, ¡°I¡¯ve found some important information.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s eyes turned cold. After thinking for a while, he immediately ordered, ¡°Come here immediately. I¡¯m in the office.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Alvin answered and hung up.

    Hansen looked a little anxious. His eyes darkened and he was inexplicably nervous.

    Before he even finished smoking his cigar, Alvin had already arrived.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, things don¡¯t seem entirely right. Ms. Murphy really didn¡¯t join the Richards Group just for the money,¡± Alvin immediately said as he walked into the office, ¡°Through my investigation, I have discovered an important piece of information today. Ms. Murphy¡¯s father, Javon, died some time ago.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Hansen stood up at the sudden news and snapped at Alvin, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? This is a matter of life and death. This is not funny.¡±

    Alvin¡¯s expression was indifferent. He said confidently, ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m telling the truth. I¡¯ve just finished my investigation today and went to the Criminal Investigation Public Security Bureau to confirm it.¡±

    Chills began to run up from the soles of Hansen¡¯s feet, to the top of his head.

    ¡°Is it true that Javon Murphy is dead?¡± Hansen asked in a low voice again, ¡°How could this be possible?¡±

    Javon was a very influential administrative official in A city. How could it be possible that he had not heard the news of his passing? He followed the news every day.Magazines, newspapers, and even TV news, did not broadcast the news. How could it be possible? That was no way.

    He didn¡¯t believe it. He shook his head and muttered to himself.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s absolutely true!¡± Alvin assured Hansen when he saw that he refused to believe it, ¡°I didn¡¯t believe it at first either, butter, Cornell, the Director of the Public Security Bureau, personally showed me the file. It was only then that I believed it.¡±

    ¡°How did he die?¡± Hansen stubbed out his cigar and sat up straight. His face was a little pale, and he became more solemn and looked nervous.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, based on the surveince camera footage released by the Public Security Bureau, he was hit by a luxury car, which Ms. Murphy should have known. The car was a Panica made by the Richards Group. If I¡¯m not mistaken, it should be the one that was originally parked at Green Mountain Automobile City. The color of the car has been changed, but the exterior remains the same. Ms. Murphy is well versed in designing cars, so I¡¯m sure she recognizes the car.¡±

    So that¡¯s it! Hansen was suddenly enlightened.When Jenna saw that car at the riverbank that day it made sense now thatshe didn¡¯t even care about her life and tried to rush down!

    It turned out to be rted to her father¡¯s death!

    She came to the Richards Group just for the car! As for the other car, it was just for the purpose of investigation!

    ¡°It¡¯s strange because Javon was not amoner. Why didn¡¯t the media disclose anything about his death, not even a word? It¡¯s truly remarkable!¡± Hansen slumped on the couch, puzzled, as he asked Alvin.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, this is where I find it tricky. Obviously, this is a conspiracy. Someone must have deliberately covered up the truth,¡± Alvin said almost certainly.

    Hansen¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed, and his gaze was deep and sharp. He spoke in a low voice.

    ¡°So, you also think that Javon¡¯s death has something to do with that Panica we had in the Richards Group!¡± He turned his gaze to Alvin.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s hard to say before there¡¯s any definite evidence,¡± Alvin hesitated and was cautious, not knowing whether something should be said or not.

    It turned out that Jenna came back to work in the Richards Group to investigate the truth behind her father¡¯s death. It seemed that she didn¡¯t really want to work in the Richards Group. How could a divorced woman return to her ex-husband¡¯spany! His mother¡¯s suspicion of her was correct!

    Hansen had an enigmatic smile on his face, but his heart was inexplicably sad and empty.

    Javon was dead. His father-inw was dead. At that time, they probably hadn¡¯t divorced yet, whichmeant that he was still his son-inw at that time, yet he didn¡¯t know!

    Not only did she not tell him, even though she suspected the car from hispany, she didn¡¯t tell him that either. What did that mean?

    Hansen was very upset.

    Did she suspect that it was him? Maybe she didn¡¯t regard him as her husband at all.

    That was why she came back in a hurry. It turned out that something had happened but she had no intention of telling him at all?

    There was a bitter smile on his face, mingled with self-mockery and helplessness. She treated him just like a passer-by.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Ms. Murphy¡¯s mother was also seriously injured at that time. Later, she had an operation and her lower limbs were amputated at the knees.So actually, Ms. Murphy is in quite a pitiful situation,¡± Alvin said sympathetically. As Hansen¡¯s special assistant, he knew that he didn¡¯t have the right to speak up, but he had watched Jenna¡¯s every move. To be honest, he admired women like her, who could endure the hardships and continue living their lives. She buried the bitterness in her heart, not letting anyone know, but still wanted to fight against Hansen and the overbearing Richards Group. He was impressed by her tenacity and perseverance, and admired her intelligence and thought it was time to voice out his opinions.

    If she had been an ordinary woman, she would have copsed long ago. Moreover, she had designed so many perfect car models for the Richards Group and was even willing to risk her life to protect Hansen. Even though he wasn¡¯t at the scene that day, he had seen everything in the media. How much courage did it take for such a woman to do so? Moreover, they had already divorced, and Hansen didn¡¯t seem to treat her well at all.

    Hansen¡¯s face turned pale, and he could clearly recall in his mind, Jenna¡¯s pale face crying next to him that afternoon, and his heart suddenly tightened.

    That night, when she looked for him, she asked for 50 million dors inpensation. Did it have anything to do with the matter?

    Hansen was silent.

    ¡°You go ahead and keep an eye on things and keep me posted on anything that happens,¡± he waved his hand and Alvin left sensibly.

    The gaze in Hansen¡¯s eyes became intense and gloomy. Things were really getting more and moreplicated! It seemed that these things were rted to the Richards family!

    If word got out, all of this will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the Richards Group.

    He couldn¡¯t help but sneer at the thought of someonedaring to y dirty tricks under his nose. At present, the situation was veryplicated. The engine number of the car had been deliberately erased. Even if the car was handed over, the police would not be able to suspect the Richards Group. The situation was very unfavorable to Jenna!

    Moreover, there were no witnesses nor evidence in the Richards Group. Everything was still a mystery.

    However, Javon¡¯s death must have had something to do with the Richards Group.

    Hansen was anxious again at the thought that Javon¡¯s death had something to do with hispany!

    In the past few days, he had ordered Alvin to look into the car. Unexpectedly, he alerted the enemy and the car was deliberately moved to an isted ind with the intention of destroying it which coincidentally happened to be blocked by a stone on the riverbank. Obviously, the criminal was deliberately trying to destroy the evidence and cover up the truth.

    He stood up and looked at the city lights in the distance. He recalled Jenna¡¯s teary face as she struggled and cried under him. Suddenly, he felt as if his heart was burning. He turned around and ran outside.

    The Collier Manor was empty!Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Everything that belonged to her was missing! All the things she brought with her were gone!

    She was gone!

    He remembered the words he said to her. He told her to go as far away as she could and that he did not want to see her ever again.

    The uneasiness in his heart grew. For the first time, he was consumed with guilt and he felt the bitterness in his heart.

    He took out his mobile phone and tried to call her number several times in a row. However, he could not get through and it seemed like her phone had been switched off.

    Where did she go?

    After thinking for a while, Hansen ran downstairs and started the car and headed toHeartfly Community.

    Javon was dead. That kind and amiable man was dead. For so many years, he had always thought that Javon wanted to be the head of the Ministry of Finance, which was why he had arranged for his daughter to marry him. He had never gone over to visit them and was never friendly towards them. However, every time the two families went on holiday, he was always smiling, without prejudice.

    ¡°Hansen, although status and wealth are important, the most important thing is character. Some things can only be seen clearly through time. I think you will understand my painstaking efforts in the future,¡± Javon had told him thest time he saw him. They had met in the back garden of the Ink Garden andhe deliberately found an opportunity to meet with him. He ignored his indifference and said the sentence earnestly.

    At that time, he thought that he was pretending to gain benefits for his daughter! He did not think too much about the meaning of his words.

    However, that sentence still had an effect on him. It was then that he began to think about his marriage and decided to improve his rtionship with Jenna. He wanted to have a good talk with her and try to get along well with her. After all, he also realized that the fewer enemies he had, the merrier his life would be.

    However, what happened afterward was out of his control. How was he supposed to endure when something like that happened? It was not that he was cold and merciless, but it was just unforgivable. He was also a human being, and he also had his emotions, to love and to hate. He was really not to me for all this!

    If Jenna didn¡¯t take the initiative to seek a divorce when she came back from abroad, he would have nned to let bygones be bygones and epted her as his wife. However, the woman¡¯s pride and stubbornness were extraordinary and had pushed his limits several times. Sometimes he even felt that even if these things hadn¡¯t happened, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to live together peacefully. They were both toopetitive and aggressive.

 Chapter 73 She Already Moved Out

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Javon¡¯s home,¡± Hansen said to the guard, as the car pulled up at themunity gate.He didn¡¯t hesitate this time. Even if Sara was furious with him, he was still going to pay her a visit.

    The guard was a lean old man, wearing a pair of reading sses. He looked at him with a gleam in his eyes as his eyes slowly widened. If he was not mistaken, the man was Mr. Richards, one of the most renowned men in A city.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, nice to meet you!¡± He smiled at Hansen and greeted him politely. Hansen took out his wallet and handed him a few hundred dor bills. He leaned his hand against the window and asked lightly, ¡°What¡¯s Javon¡¯s house number?¡±

    He had only been to the neighborhood once since he married Jenna. He had even forgotten the house number!

    The old man happily put away the money and thanked him. When he heard Hansen¡¯s question, his face suddenly changed. He opened his mouth and said awkwardly, ¡°Mr. Richards, Minister Murphy¡¯s family moved out of the area after the car ident, and I heard that his house has been transferred to his younger brother, James. I don¡¯t think you will be able to find Javon¡¯s family here.¡±

    Moved out? It was beyond his expectation. Hansen¡¯s heart was cold and he asked coldly,¡°When did this happen?¡±

    ¡°Not too long ago. Anyway, they have really moved out of here,¡± the old man thought for a while and said very seriously. He also had heard some rumors about James taking away Javon¡¯s house and driving Jenna and her mother out of the house but he didn¡¯t dare to say anything. He knew that Mr. Richards did not like Minister Murphy¡¯s daughter. If he said anything else, he would be in trouble.

    There were some things that they, who worked as security guards, could not say indiscriminately. If they wanted to keep their jobs, they had to be careful about their words. It would be best if they didn¡¯t provoke influential figures like Mr. Richards.

    Hansen¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, and his gaze was sharp and cold, ¡°Do you know where they moved to?¡±

    The old man shook his head and repeatedly denied, ¡°Well, Mr. Richards, you know that we are just security guards.This is someone¡¯s private affair¡­¡±

    Hansen started the car and drove away before he could finish his sentence. It was only a waste of his time talking to those people.

    He didn¡¯t expect that they would move away. Now, it would be difficult to find them!

    The car turned on the street again, and the Hummer growled from time to time. He passed by the streets and alleys, and through themercial areas. Of course, he found nothing.

    He began to be more and more anxious, ¡°Woman, where have you gone? How dare you run away without my permission? You¡¯re dead once I find you!¡± He hadpletely forgotten that he was the one who drove her away!¡±

    He hated it so much but there was nothing he could do.He had no clue as to where Jenna and her mother had moved to! That¡¯s when he realized that he did not know much about her despite the fact that they had been married for a few years.

    He stopped the car at the river bay. He had already been driving around it a few times, and there was no sign of her. At that time, he hoped that he would be able to find her there, just like when she was drunkst time. However, she wasn¡¯t here and he was sure it was impossible to find her.

    Suddenly, his mobile phone rang. He took out his phone in a hurry and saw that it was Marrisa.

    ¡°Hansen,how long has it been since you came back to see me? I thought we agreed that you woulde back for dinner once a week,¡± Marissa was happy to finally hear Hansen¡¯s voice, but she still couldn¡¯t stop herselfining.

    Hansen was upset thus he coaxed her in a gentle voice, ¡°Mom, I¡¯lle home to see you when I can, I¡¯m busy right now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always busy. You¡¯ve forgotten all about me. Let me tell you, Aria¡¯s parents will being to the Richards Manor tomorrow. You muste back then,¡± although Marissa wasining, she was still smiling happily and was kind.

    ¡°Mom, why are they visiting us?¡± Hansen frowned, and his voice sounded a little unhappy.

    ¡°To discuss your marriage of course, you silly child. What else would they be doing here? You are not young anymore. You need to quickly set a wedding date. I am still waiting for a grandchild. Now that your father is in that state, I am always anxious. Please listen to me ande back tomorrow,¡± Marissa said dotingly.

    Hansen found his mother¡¯s words jarring to the ear. There were only three days left until his grandmother¡¯s birthday. However, they were so anxious to talk about the marriage.Did they want to upset his grandmother on purpose? Anyway, the man had to take the initiative when it came to the marriage proposal. After being married once, he was not anxious to get married so soon. It was better to be prudent in life.

    Marissa hadn¡¯t reallyughed since his father¡¯s ident, and he didn¡¯t want to disobey her too much. He held his annoyance back and agreed with Marissa.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Hansen, remember to dress up well tomorrow. You have to rely on Mayor McAdams to deal with the matter of Camphor Tree Vi,¡± Marissa instructed. However, Hansen¡¯s face turned red and his eyes were full of anger. He hated it when they used the Camphor Tree Vi matter to threaten him.

    Did he still have to rely on that kind of rtionship for what he wanted to do? What a big joke! Not to mention that he had a n to deal with it at present;even if he didn¡¯t, he would not let his marriage have anything to do with the secr things. He was looking for a lifetime partner, not a marriage forcibly made for political interests. He despised the political and loveless coupling of the gentry for political gains.

    The Camphor Tree Vi matterwas not a problem for him. If he couldn¡¯t even handle such a thing, how could he live in A City in the future?

    He casually replied to his mother and turned off his mobile phone. Then he turned around and drove around the river again. There was still no sign of Jenna. He felt a little depressed. His mind seemed to be focused on this woman.

    The next day, just as Hansen was walking out of the elevator, Minnie, who was dressed very seductively, greeted him with a smile, ¡°Good morning, Mr. Richards.¡±

    As she spoke, she reached for his briefcase and said in a flirtatious manner, ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯ve just made you a cup of your favorite tea.¡±

    Minnie¡¯s face was covered with heavy makeup, and she somewhat resembled Jenna¡¯s face when it was full of ttering smiles. She grinned from ear to ear. However, Hansen could not find a trace of the elegance and grace that was unique to Jenna.

    Hansen stared at her. They were cousins, but she gave him a different vibe from Jenna. He could see some resemnce to Jenna on her face, but that feeling made him disgusted. When Aria decided to rece his secretary, he didn¡¯t even object. Maybe that was because he saw some resemnce of Jenna on her face.

    He actually cared about Jenna. As much as he didn¡¯t want to admit it, he had to face his own feelings.

    ¡°Secretary Murphy,e to my officeter,¡± Hansen¡¯s gaze left her face and said calmly.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze had been fixed on her face for a long time, and there was a conspicuous look in his eyes for the first time. Her heart started racing in her chest, she was overjoyed. Of course, if she knew what Hansen was thinking, she would have been exasperated. What she heard was his gentle words, which were as sweet as honey.

    What did it mean that Hansen would even ask for her? Could it be that he had a crush on her? If she could win his favor, it would be a dreame true for her.

    She then reapplied her makeup to make sure she was well presented. Then she walked over slowly and knocked on the door. She asked softly, ¡°Mr. Richards, may Ie in?¡±

    ¡°Come in,¡± Hansen was sitting on the couch with a cup of tea, while he read the newspaper with his legs crossed.

    The tea leaves in the cup were fragrant, even if she was standing far away from him, she could still smell the aroma of the tea as it entered her nostrils. She walked in gracefully, with a charming smile on her face.The dress fitted her perfectly and her flesh-colored undergarments underneath were quite revealing and so conspicuous that Hansen most probably would have seen it.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze fell on her breasts. He paused for a moment and squinted slightly, but then he suddenly recalled the day he held Jenna¡¯s waist. Even though she was wearing acy white shirt underneath her suit and it was not revealing, it still caught his eyes. What a sight it would be if she could wear a dress like this like Minnie? Gradually, a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

    Although he had only done it twice with Jenna, it made him feel like he had lost his soul. As long as he thought of her soft body, his heart would start racing and he couldn¡¯t help himself.

    He just looked at Minnie¡¯s breasts and was left in a trance.

    Minnie was delighted. Was Hansen really interested in her? Then her bad days were numbered! He had been staring unblinkingly at her breasts ever since she walked into the room. It seemed that men were all like that, greedy and lustful.

    She smiled sweetly and deliberately took a couple of steps forward. Her breasts swayed, which was very seductive. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he was a man with self-control, he would have rushed up to her and knocked her down then.

    Hansen took a sip of tea nonchntly. When he saw Minnie, who was standing next to him, he smiled evilly. The tea was steaming hot as the steam drifted across his seemingly smiling face. He lightly tapped the teacup with his nails and slightly raised his head.

    ¡°Secretary Murphy, where do you live now?¡±

    He asked indifferently. His face was as calm as ever, and no one could tell what was his intention.

    Minnie was stunned. She couldn¡¯t understand what he meant and felt a little nervous. Did he already know that her family had stolen Jenna¡¯s property and now he wanted to get it back for her? No, his expression did not show that he was unhappy at all. It was far better than his expressionless face when he was wearing at work.

    Moreover, she had not seen Jenna go to work for days. Rumor had it that she had been fired by Hansen.

    She thought that he was just casually asking.After all, it was not a great way to start a conversation by asking whether she had had her breakfast or not. What¡¯s more, the question was subtle with a lot of hidden meanings!

 Chapter 74 You Must Come To Work Tomorrow

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Mr. Richards would care so much about his subordinates. I am really touched,¡± Minnie gently said as she was trying to guess what Hansen was thinking.

    A warm smile appeared on Hansen¡¯s face again, and he hooked his finger at her.

    Minnie¡¯s whole body went limp and she almost fell into hisp. Hansen quickly reached out to hold her with one hand and whispered, ¡°Secretary Murphy, steady yourself. It will be bad if you get hurt. This is an office and it¡¯s not a good reputation to seduce your boss.¡±

    Minnie¡¯s face changed, and she immediately understood what he meant. Immediately, she blushed as she steadied herself.

    Hansen smirked and slowly stood up. His fingers suddenly slid over her delicate face as he gently lifted her chin. He smiled charmingly and said, ¡°Of course, if I want to, then that¡¯s another story.¡±

    Minnie immediately widened her bright eyes and looked at him as she blushed shyly.

    ¡°Tell me, where do you live now?¡± His voice became softer,ced with seduction.

    ¡°I, I¡¯m now staying on the 28th floor of Block A in the Heartfly Community,¡± she answered without thinking.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Hansen smiled calmly and said gently, ¡°Do you live with your sister?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s dark eyeswinked and he smiled seductively. Minnie looked at him in fascination. Such a handsome and powerful man, she would be overjoyed if he fell for her,even if it was just to be his mistress.

    Hansen saw through Minnie¡¯s infatuated expression. He sneered in his heart and gently squeezed her hand. Minnie didn¡¯t react until she felt the pain. She stuttered, ¡°No, that b*tc¡­¡± Just then, she saw the coldness in Hansen¡¯s eyes and he was obviously displeased. She quickly corrected herself and said, ¡°She and her family have already moved out.¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    ¡°Moved out?¡± Hansen raised his eyebrows slightly and stared at her, asking, ¡°Where did she move to?¡±

    ¡°I have no ideaeither,¡± Minnie was not stupid. At that time, she fully understood that Hansen had called her in just to find out where Jenna lived. She was indignant. However, when she saw Hansen¡¯s face getting darker and his expression getting colder, she couldn¡¯t help but shiver. If Hansen was unhappy with her being his secretary, he would have driven her out of the Richards Group.

    Wasn¡¯t it just an address? If he wanted it, she would give it to him. Then, her job would not be in jeopardy.

    However, she just couldn¡¯t believe that Hansen was not interested in her. She was younger and more attractive than Jenna. Who would not like her? She smiled sweetly when she thought of that and said, ¡°Mr. Richards, to be honest, I know where she lives. However, you know that she will not like it if I give that information away. It would cause me trouble in thepany if she gets mad at me. After all, she is the manager, and I am just a secretary. I dare not!¡±

    She frowned and smiled charmingly.

    Hansen snorted in his heart. He rolled his eyes and put his arm around her shoulder. He nced at her with a warm smile on his face and nodded in agreement, ¡°Yes,you have a point. You¡¯re young and capable. You should not be working as a secretary. Well, you do know that there are plenty of other job openings here in the Richards Group. How about this, from tomorrow onwards, you will be promoted to the manager of the Public Rtions Department. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Minnie¡¯s eyes gleamedand her face was emitting a seductive glow. Did that mean that she would be a manager too? That¡¯s great! She was finally on par with that b*tch. She never thought that she would be able to be a manager so soon. Minnie tried to contain her excitement, leaned over to him, and said coquettishly, ¡°Mr. Richards, you treat me so well. Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards, I will give my all for thepany. Please trust me.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Hansen nodded with a chuckle.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, she has actually moved to an apartment on the 20th floor of the Eastern Square. Although it¡¯s a little far from here, it¡¯s not hard to find her,¡± Minnieughed out loud, then stepped forward and boldly took Hansen¡¯s hand, ¡°Mr. Richards, if you need anything, you can always find me. I assure you that I will be able to fulfill ALL your request.¡±

    Minnie¡¯s words were too ambiguous. There were several meanings behind it. How could a smart man like Hansen not get the message? He gently caressed her face with his fingers and smiled warmly. He nodded and said lightly, ¡°I understand. I will not treat you badly. Now, off you go.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Minnie smiled happily and briskly turned around. After a few steps, she turned back and said, ¡°Mr. Richards, don¡¯t forget your promise.¡±

    The smile on Hansen¡¯s face gradually widened as it reached his eyes. He just nodded gently.

    He then walked towards hisputer topose a formal letter. After typing for a while, the paperwork for the appointment of Minnie as the Public Rtions Manager waspleted.

    He turned off theputer, stood up slowly, and walked outside.

    Minnie stood at the secretary¡¯s desk with a smile on her face, obsessively watching his tall and handsome figure walking into the elevator.

    An ordinary-looking Maybach was parked in the square downstairs at the entrance of Eastern Square. Only those people who knew about cars would know the true value of the car. Hansen, who was wearing a pair of sunsses, sat in the car calmly. He didn¡¯t open the window. He just stared at the two figures downstairs.

    The woman, dressed in a light yellow knitted sweater,was holding a grocery bag. Her hair was hanging over her shoulders,and there was a rxed smile on her face. There was a handsome man beside her and he looked very protective of her.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes flickered with rage when he saw the scene. He was so furious that he clenched the steering wheel so tightly that the veins on the back of his hands popped out.

    He thought that she would be sad but it turned out that she couldn¡¯t wait to leave him and hispany, just so she could be with this man.

    He also could not believe that she actually suspected that he was the one who killed her father!

    She had regarded him as such an evil person, but to Rayan, she was tender, gentle, and considerate. For so many years, she refused to get a divorce but as soon as she came back, she agreed. Even a fool could tell what was happening. Did she think that he was stupid?

    The little bit of guilt and pity in his heart were gone in an instant. In order to find her, he hadn¡¯t slept well all night and was even worried about her safety. However, in the blink of an eye, she threw herself into another man¡¯s arms. She was really a b*tch!

    It was right for him tobel her as a sl*t. Hansen once again believed his intuition.

    He started the car and drove towards them.He twisted the steering wheel lightly and the car drifted 180 degrees and stopped in front of Jenna and Rayan.

    The car had a ferocious momentum to it.

    Jenna was startled. She did not recognize the car. She frowned and was a little annoyed.

    Rayan quickly stood in between her and the car, and his eyes showed his unhappiness.

    When the car door opened, Hansen came out in a domineering manner. His eyes were covered by the sunsses, and he gave off a very hostile vibe.

    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡± Jenna cried out in shock. What was he doing here? Who gave him the address?

    Jenna could feel the coldness slipping down into her spine. She felt the fearing out of her pores.

    ¡°How did you know where to find me?¡± She asked coldly, with a sullen look on her face.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Hansen snorted,¡°As long as I want to know, there¡¯s nothing that I can¡¯t find out. Have you forgotten who I am?¡±

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t be too proud and arrogant. As a man, you shouldn¡¯t bully women,¡± Rayan¡¯s gaze was sharp and cold,¡°If it weren¡¯t for Jen, I would have beaten you up a long time ago, you b*stard.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Hansen smiled coldly and stared at Rayan maliciously,¡°If you have the guts, you can go ahead and hit me. But let me tell you this Rayan, this is A city, not any country abroad. This is my territory. You ought to think it through. If you didn¡¯t have Jonas¡¯s backing, will you still be that powerful? Now, he has seen your true colors and knows that you have abandoned his daughter. Do you think he will still support you? Without his support, who do you think you are?¡±

    Rayan frowned and his face darkened. He smiled coldly as he reached out and held Jenna in his arms. He said firmly, ¡°Hansen, listen to me. Even if I were to lose everything, all I need is her. I never cared about wealth and status. I only care about my beloved woman. I have never loved Hilda so I am not having an affair. I am not as pathetic as you, who only knows how to bully women.¡±

    When Rayan thought of the pitiful appearance when he saw Jenna a few days ago, any man would feel sorry for her. However,Hansen was indifferent and toyed with her maliciously. He clenched his fists and said more firmly, ¡°Hansen, you are an ignorant and rude b*stard who once had a lovely wife but didn¡¯t know how to cherish her. Not only that, you were proud that you bullied women. I feel shameful for you. Let me tell you, I will take her away soon. From then on, she will never cross paths with you.¡±

    Rayan¡¯s words were determined, firm, and righteous. He didn¡¯t take him seriously at all.

    Hansen was so livid that his blood boiled.He was so exasperated that even his eyebrows were deeply furrowed

    He never thought of himself as an impulsive person. However, once he saw the two of them together,he thought that he would lose his mind. At this time, he raised his eyebrows, his face was extremely cold, and his words were harsh, ¡°Rayan, then you¡¯ll have to try. I want to see whether you can get what you want.¡±

    He stared coldly at the sight of Rayan¡¯s hand on Jenna¡¯s shoulder. If he had been able to shoot the arrows in his mind,Rayan¡¯s hand would have been riddled with holes.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, you have signed a one-year contract with thepany but I have not seen you at work for several days. Do you know what happens to people who don¡¯t show up to work?¡± Hansen was arrogant and said without shame. He held his chin with a sinister smile and said casually, ¡°As far as I know, your mother is suffering from severe kidney disease and I think you know what is at stake.¡±

    At that point, heughed and made light of the situation, ¡°Ms. Murphy, if I don¡¯t see you at work tomorrow, I think you should know very well what the consequences will be.¡±

    Hansen turned around after warning her and got into the car gracefully. He gently took hold of the steering wheel, and the car let out a low growl and sped away, swirling up a cloud of dust. The pedestrians were startled and tried to stay out of his way.

    Jenna¡¯s face instantly turned pale and she almost fainted in Rayan¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Beast! Devil!¡± She muttered the words from her mouth before she trembled and burst into tears.

 Chapter 75 Public Humiliation

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s going on?¡± Rayanwas distraught at the sight of Jenna crying. He had never seen Jenna crying so desperately before.

    In the past, even if he saw her crying, it was just a silent cry. She would never cry uncontrobly like this. He did not know what Hansendid to push her to this point.

    Driving out from the basement parking lot, he helped Jenna into his car and drove her back to his vi.

    It was no longer appropriate for her to go home in that state. He did not want Sara to worry. He had no choice but to take her back to his home and find out what was going on.

    In the past few days, after numerous attempts tofort her, Jenna finally smiled brightly again. However, she looked dull and lost again as she had been a few days ago.

    For the first time, Rayan felt really helpless. Never before had he felt so helpless. He had great power, yet was unable to protect the woman he loved. He couldn¡¯t do anything to stop Hansen from bullying or torturing her.

    When they arrived at the vi, no matter what Rayan asked, Jenna only sobbed and didn¡¯t know what to say. She just shook her head at every question he asked. He really had no way to get an answer out of her.

    Early the next morning, when he got up, he found out that Jenna had already left. She left a note saying that she had gone to work at the Richards Group and told him not to worry.

    As soon as he read the note, he quickly ran out in hopes of catching up to her. However, there was no one outside. He was so angry that he punched the wall.

    Jenna thought about it all night and finally made the decision to continue working at the Richards Group.

    On the 88th floor of the International Kinsey Center.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Hansen sat at his desk in a good mood and leisurely drank his morning cup of tea. He was in a very pleasant mood. A whileter, the receptionist downstairs called to say that Ms. Murphy hade to work.

    He almostughed out loud when he heard the news. The smile on his face was very bright and calm.

    If she wanted to fight against him, she was looking for death. If she didn¡¯t listen to him, of course, the consequences would be terrible. She should know how powerful he was now.

    ¡°Ask her toe up and see me,¡± he told the receptionist as he continued smiling.

    After putting down the phone, he then crossed his arms and ponderedfor a while beforehe picked up the phone again.

    Jenna had just gotten into her office and was just about to settle down when the secretary, Tess, knocked on the door and came in. She said with a smile, ¡°Ms. Murphy, Mr. Richards is looking for you.¡±

    Jenna agreed indifferently without any surprise. Hansen had never had a good impression of her and never thought about letting her go. Seeing how angry he was the day before, Jenna guessed that he was probably going to humiliate her again!

    She never expected that he would let her off the hook easily, but there had been moments of harmony between them the previous days. She blushed at the thought of those nights when she had slept in his arms,thinking that if he had any humanity left, he wouldn¡¯t be too cruel to her.

    After tidying her clothes, she was surprised when she looked up and saw that Tess was back as her secretary again.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, Secretary Murphy has been promotedto Public Rtions Manager.So, Mr. Richards asked me toe back as a secretary,¡± Tess exined politely with a smile.

    Jenna suddenly understood. She could not help but frown. She could not believe that Minnie had been promoted so quickly. It was just that the position of Public Rtions Manager was not an easy one to take, and it might not be a good thing for her to take up such a pushy and controversial position at such a young age. However, she did not want to say anything. After all, it had nothing to do with her.

    The door of Hansen¡¯s office was left ajar. Jenna stopped at the door of his office and did not walk any further.

    ¡°Oh, Mr. Richards, you¡¯re so bad,¡± Minnie¡¯s soft voice came with a light gasp. Jenna was so shocked that her eyes widened. Minnie was sitting on Hansen¡¯sp and her slender legs were hooked around his waist. Her shirt was unbuttoned, revealing her breasts to Hansen.

    Hansen was smiling evilly. His hands were roaming all over her body, making Minnie moan from time to time.

    Jenna was so disgusted and almost threw up. She turned around and was about to walk away.

    ¡°Stop,¡± Hansen shouted at her, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Jenna stopped and stood rooted to the spot. Hansen was bing more and more absurd. In the past, he had never been so tant in the office before, and he was even rumored to be serious. However, he had changed his ways and was bing too ridiculous.

    She thought, ¡°I should just go in. If I offend him, my mother¡¯s illness will be incurable. It¡¯s not something that can be managed with money and power.I¡¯ll have to go in even though I know I will be humiliated.¡± She swallowed and reluctantly stepped into the office.

    ¡°You can go now,¡± Hansen said tly to Minnie, who was sitting on hisp.

    ¡°But I¡¯m not done yet,¡± Minnie¡¯s legs were still hooked around his waist, and she was acting like a spoiled child.

    ¡°Get out!¡± Hansen¡¯s voice suddenly became cold as he shouted. Although his voice was very low, Minnie was startled at his tone. His eyes were dark and they seemed to be shooting daggers at her. Minnie nced at him and felt a chill down her spine. She shivered in fear. She hurriedly stood up, put on her clothes, and walked away in a fluster. When she passed by Jenna, she stared at her.

    ¡°You. Come here,¡± Hansen squinted at her and hooked his fingers at her. He red at her gloomily and said, ¡°You¡¯ve ruined my fun. Tell me, what should I do to you?¡±

    ¡°Ruined his fun? What was he talking about? He was the one who summoned her and now he was saying that she hade over to disturb him on purpose. This must be a joke. Who would want to witness such a scandal in the office?¡±

    She moved her feet and took a step forward. She stood still and said righteously,

    ¡°Mr. Richards, please be clear. It was Tess who asked me toe here on your orders and now you are brazenly confusing right and wrong.¡±

    Jenna raised her head slightly and sneered. She didn¡¯t even bother to look at him. It was outrageous. Her only fond memory of him had just beenpletely destroyed.

    ¡°I see. How dare Tess use my name to make youe here? It seems like she does not want to work here anymore.¡± There was a hint of coldness in his eyes, and he said gloomily, ¡°It seems that I have to deal with these disobedient employees properly, otherwise, they would think that they can walk all over me.¡±

    As he spoke, he stood up and walked to the phone on his desk and was about to call the HR manager.

    ¡°Wait,¡± seeing that he was really going to call the HR manager and have Tess fired, she couldn¡¯t bear it. All the discerning people knew that Hansen was deliberately looking for trouble with her. Even if Tess had the guts, she wouldn¡¯t dare to take the risk. At the moment, she sneered and said coldly,

    ¡°Mr. Richards, if you have any grievances against me, just take it out on me. Why do you want to get innocent people involved?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it seems that you are quite righteous and know how to think about others. It¡¯s really rare!¡± Hansen, who was walking towards his desk, turned to her and said, ¡°Very well, since you interrupted my fun and are willing to plead on behalf of Tess, then I will let her go for your sake, but¡­¡± He touched his chin and said with a flirtatious face, ¡°You see, I¡¯m on a roll, and you¡¯ve disturbed me for no reason. Then you have to be the one to satisfy my desire. Well then, how about you take your clothes off?¡±

    He said casually and indifferently, as if it was no big deal. However, when Jenna heard his words, she was so shocked that she raised her head and gave him a stunned look.

    If she were to be yed by him like what he did to Minnie, it would have been better to just kill her!

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy, Hansen,¡± her voice quavered in fear.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± He leaned over with his beautiful bright eyes and asked coldly. When he got close to her, he saw that her eyes were swollen. Although she was wearing some makeup, he could still tellthat she had spent the night crying. His heart suddenly ached. His heart went soft and he nearly wanted to pull her into his arms tofort her.

    The guilt that had been deep in his heart and his pity for her misfortune suddenly overtook him. He felt a burst of pain in his heart and almost couldn¡¯t hold on.

    However, she looked at him coldly, ignoring him. She obviously didn¡¯t take him seriously.

    In an instant, his temper sparked.

    This woman even suspected that he was the one who killed her father! D*mn it!

    Once she left, she threw herself into Rayan¡¯s arms. It was as if he did not exist at all. If he didn¡¯t punish her today, suppress her self-esteem, humiliate her and ruin her reputation, she would never understand how powerful he was¡­

    Today, he was going to make her strip in his office and have his way with her to humiliate her. He absolutely believed that since she had decided toe back to work, then she would have to obey and bear with all his torments.

    ¡°Take off all your clothes and please me here,¡± he sat down on the couch again and ordered her coldly.

    ¡°Hansen, have you lost your mind? Are you still a human?¡± Jenna cried out.

    ¡°I am not a kind person, and you know that. What¡¯s more, you have repeatedly crossed the line. Why should I let you off the hook and let you live a happy life?¡± Hansen said indifferently with a cold face. He continued to be brazen and said, ¡°Of course, if you please me, maybe I¡¯ll stop embarrassing you and make your life better. Tell me, why do you always have to fight against me?¡±

    ¡°Scoundrel, shameless,¡± Jenna gnashed her teeth, ¡°What do you mean by fighting against you? You¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t know how to respect others.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still stubborn. Very good. It seems that your mother¡¯s life is only at the mercy of God. I¡¯m giving you a chance,¡± Hansen¡¯s anger was aroused by her. He tilted his head and looked at her coldly. He didn¡¯t believe that he would not be able to get his way with her today.

    ¡°You, despicable¡­¡± Jenna cked out and almost fell to the ground. The colour on her face instantly drained.

    She did not believe that a person could be ruthless to such a point. They had agreed before that they should get along well with each other. Even if they could not be husband and wife, they could still be friends. However, he hadpletely changed.

    He had be unrecognizable to her. In the past, she had thought he wasn¡¯t so bad before, but now she hadpletely changed her opinion and thought he was awful!

    ¡°Hurry up and take it off, I¡¯m not that patient,¡± Hansen lit a cigarette, took a drag, and slowly exhaled. The corners of his mouth were curved into a roguish smile.

    Jenna stood still and stared at him. If one¡¯s gaze could kill people, Hansen would have been dead long ago.

 Chapter 76 Please Let Me Go

    Hansen leaned back and spread his hands on the couch. Hansen lit up another cigar and took a puff. Then, he looked at her before taking another puff and looking at her again. He was indifferent to the grief and indignation on her face.

    Jenna endured the bitterness and said in a pleading tone, ¡°Hansen, do you really have to do this? Didn¡¯t you say that we should try and get along with each other? So, let¡¯s talk it out, what would it take for you to leave me alone?¡±

    Tears started rolling down her cheeks. She was suffering inside.

    She wondered why God was so cruel to her.

    ¡°Are you begging me now?¡± This was the first time Hansen had ever heard Jenna¡¯s words of supplication with such a humble tone. He was slightly moved as he looked up at her.

    Sure enough, her facewas devoid of indifference, and instead, filled with grief, despair and sorrow.

    She just stood there, like a stalk of grass in the autumn breeze, delicate and pitiful, as if it would wither away at any moment. The pain in his heart grew after being suppressed by the surging anger. After a moment of silence, he beckoned to her.

    When Jenna saw that his face was slightly rxed, she then believed that he wouldn¡¯t be that bad,and walked up to him slowly.

    Hansen reached out and pulled her hand forcefully. Soon, she fell onto hisp. His fingers lifted her hair, admiring her nervousness and low voice. His anger gradually dissipated. He slightly raised his lips, pinched her earlobe, and said faintly, ¡°Since you¡¯re already begging me, then I won¡¯t make things difficult for you, lest people say I¡¯m inhumane.¡±

    Because it¡¯s the truth! Jenna snorted in her heart, he said he would not make things difficult for her yet he made her do such a humiliating thing. He¡¯s even worse than a j*rk.¡± However, she heard him continue to say calmly, ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll give you a chance. Is there anything you want to say to me?¡±

    ¡°What do I need to tell you?¡± Jenna raised her head in confusion. She was already begging for mercy. Did she need to repeat herself? After thinking for a while, she opened her mouth and said, ¡°Hansen, please do not make things difficult for me and my mother in the future. I¡¯ll listen to whatever you say, okay?¡±

    She had decided that she would put up with him for the sake of her mother. Anyway, she had long lost her dignity in front of him, so she really could not care about it anymore.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that,¡± Hansen shook his fingers, and his face gradually turned cold again.

    Not that one? What else did she have to say?Jenna could not figure it out and shook her head nkly.

    ¡°Really nothing?¡± Hansen asked coldly.

    Jenna thought about it again. She really couldn¡¯t understand what he meant. She had no clue what exactly this perverted guy wanted her to say. For a moment, she couldn¡¯t figure it out, so she just sat there nkly.

    ¡°Well, since you really don¡¯t know, let me tell you slowly,¡± Hansen put his arm around her waist and raised his eyebrows with no expression on his face, ¡°Starting today, you¡¯re moving back to Collier Manor. Your job from now on is to sleep with me until I get bored, and then I¡¯ll slowly teach you how to respect me. ¡±

    What?Jenna was stunned. She had thought that he would really be kind enough to let her go, but instead of beating around the bush, he became more absurd and wanted her to sleep with him every day.

    Then what was she? A mistress or a prostitute?

    Her whole body stiffened, and the smile on her face disappeared. Anger started to stir within her and she gradually became pale. She was almost helpless.

    Hansen¡¯s hand was roaming on her face with a smug grin on his face. He just wanted to see her look helpless and aggrieved.

    She, who had the audacity to suspect that he had killed her father, was abominable to think of. He couldn¡¯t vent his anger, and he firmly believed that she wouldn¡¯t learn her lesson until she was punished.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you go for the time being. You have to move back to the Collier Manor first. Remember to make dinner and wait for me toe back. Remember that your job is to serve me. Be good. Then, I will promise you that I will find a solution for your mother¡¯s illness. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being heartless. Remember, don¡¯t y any tricks to provoke me. From today onwards, you have to draw a clear line with Rayan. Don¡¯t ever let me see you hanging out with him again. You should always remember that you¡¯re now a member of the Richards Group and my mistress. I think you know what it takes to do your part in both jobs well.¡±

    Jenna waspletely dumbfounded. She had no idea what she was doing. She wondered why she even bothered him when she came back to get divorced. Wouldn¡¯t it have been much better if she had taken her mom and run away?

    However, now that she thought about it, even if she went far away, she would still have to find her way back to treat her mother¡¯s illness. Ifshe went far away and devoted herself to making her mother happier, would her kidneys ever recover from the injury? Then again, how could her mother be happy after losing her husbandand being away from her homnd? It was impossible¡­

    Why did it have to be like this? Why?

    There were no more tears in her eyes. She sat there in a daze, thinking of various scenarios in her head. All those what-ifs. Hansen¡¯s palm rested on her waist and he asked evilly, ¡°Why are you not leaving? Do you want me to take you right here?¡±

    Jenna was so shocked at the sound of it that she came to her senses. She hurriedly stood up from hisp and ran away in disarray.

    The corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth rose high when he saw her run away in a hurry.

    He stood up, put his hands in his trouser pockets, and paced back and forth in the room.

    Then, he slowly headed outside.

    In one of the best hospitals in the country. Hansen sat across from the Director¡¯s desk in the Director¡¯s office. His eyes were calm and dignified while Alvin stood quietly next to him.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Sara¡¯s rtive would definitely be an ideal donor for kidney transntation for her blood type.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t work,¡± Hansen simply interrupted. He knew that Jenna didn¡¯t have many rtives from her mother¡¯s side, and only Jenna and her family would be the ideal donors. Jenna¡¯s pale face shed before his eyes. If she were to donate her kidney to Sara, what would the consequences be?

    He interrupted Director Pricealmostwithout thinking, but he felt an eerie coldness in his body. It was as if the knife cutting Jenna¡¯s kidney was instead cutting his. There was even a glint of anger in his eyes. He would never allow it.

    Director Price could not help but smile.The rumored calm and collected Mr. Richards was not calm this time. He had interrupted him eagerly before he could finish his sentence. It seemed that he still had some feelings for his ex-wife.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Jenna¡¯s blood type doesn¡¯t match Sara¡¯s. So, the only way we can find Sara a new kidney is to wait for a donor,¡± Director Price added slowly.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Hansen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After thinking for a while, he realized that Jenna must have already known that her kidney was ipatible and that she could not be the donor. Otherwise, how could she be willing to put down her dignity and beg him? He couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed again at the thought of it. She came to beg him reluctantly every time.

    He sincerely wanted to cure Sara¡¯s illness. Although Javon¡¯s death had nothing to do with him,it was still rted to the Richards Group as the car belonged to them. Although investigations were still ongoing and he did not know who the murderer was, he still felt guilty. He wanted to make up for it. He knew the pain of losing a loved one. Wasn¡¯t his father lying in a hospital bed right now? He had never felt at ease during the past few years.

    He genuinely wanted to cure Sara¡¯s illnessbut he had to keep Jenna by his side in such a way that she hated him and misunderstood him.Of course, he would not tell her explicitly for the sake of his image. This was his shoring.

    ¡°No matter what, you must find a suitable kidneyfor Sara. I don¡¯t care where the kidney is from or how much it costs. If you need my help, just say it, butif your hospital is notpetent,I¡¯ll find someone else to rece you,¡± he said in a dignified and cold tone.

    The words made Director Price break out in cold sweat. What Hansen meant wasif he failed to find a kidney for Sara, he would lose his position as the Director of the hospital. He knew that Mr. Richards was a man of his words. He could only respond cautiously and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards. I will do my best to find the kidney.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Hansen nodded, stood up, and held his head high, ¡°Then, I will wait for your call.¡±

    He stepped out of the office in an imposing manner. Alvin followed closely behind him and strode out of the hospital.

    ¡°Alvin, from today onwards, I want you to send someone to keep an eye on Rayan and I want you to personally keep an eye on Norton,¡± Hansen calmly instructed Alvin as they got into the Hummer.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Alvin did not show any surprise on his face and simply nodded. Although he did not know what Hansen¡¯s motive was, he knew that Hansen¡¯s cleverness in his career and his life was unparalleled. He had his own reasons for doing so. Aa a subordinate, he would just have to obey and do as he said.

    Just as the Hummer pulled up at the Collier Manor, Hansen¡¯s phone rang. It was Marissa.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you? Mayor McAdams and his family have already arrived at the Richards Manor. You have toe back quickly. Be mindful of your manners,¡± Marissa urged him with a smile on the other end of the phone.

    Hansen¡¯s hand, which was holding his mobile phone,trembled. He was stunned for a while. He¡¯d actually forgotten about it!

    He quickly hung up the phone and looked towards the upstairs room of the Collier Manor, and thought for a while.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Alvin, you can leave first. Remember what I told you.¡±

    Alvin quickly got out of the car and hailed a taxi.

    Hansen got into the driver¡¯s seat and gently gripped the steering wheel. Then, he turned the car around and headed towards the Richards Manor.

    Jenna had gathered her mobile phone andptop bag. She said that she was moving back to the Collier Manor, but in fact, she was just going there to please him.

    After work, she took a taxi to the Collier Manor. She went downstairs to buy some groceries before heading upstairs.

    There was still some food left in the kitchen from the other day when Larry left. However, it was already beginning to turn bad. She put on her apron and began to prepare dinner.

    Only when she was busy could she forget the reality. Her heart was no longer aching, and shecould catch her breath.

    Her mother¡¯s operation had been sessful and she had been out of danger. However, she just received a call from the hospital saying that her mother¡¯s kidney had been damaged because of a car ident. Even though the doctors had thought it would be fine, unexpectedly, her mother, who was depressed, did not get better. On the contrary, her kidney started to fail.

    Not only did she have to go to the hospital regrly for dialysis,but she would also need a kidney transnt.

    The donor¡¯s kidney was not something that could be exchanged with money and power. At present, they would have to find a donor within the country as this kind of organ donation was still prohibited in foreign countries.

    Jenna had already gone to the hospital to get tested but it turned out that her kidneys were ipatible with her mother¡¯s.

    A few days ago, the good news came from the hospital that a matching kidney source had been found during the screening process. When she was happy, she didn¡¯t expect that the devil, Hansen, would intervene. They were only able to find this donor with Hansen¡¯s help.

    Obviously, Hansen already knew the reason why she came back to work in the Richards Group.

    On that day in the cave, she saw the car and had rushed up to it recklessly. How could the astute Hansen not notice the problem?

    No matter who nned this, whether it had anything to do with Hansen or not, she was not going to let anything happen to her mother. Her mother was her only rtive left in the world after her father passed away in the car ident!

    She wanted to save her mother and she couldn¡¯t offend the b*stard, Hansen, for the time being!

 Chapter 77 A Visit from the McAdams Family

    ¡°D*mn you, b*stard!¡± Jenna cursed. He knew about her mother¡¯s kidney disease. Of course, there¡¯s nothing he wouldn¡¯t know if he wanted to. Furthermore, the Richards Group was one of the shareholders of the best hospitals in the country. If they annoyed Hansen, never mindtreating patients, the Director would also lose his job.

    When Trevor was being treated in the hospital, it was rumored that Hansen was not satisfied with their treatment n and immediately fired the Director of the hospital. Hansen hated her to the core. She really could not afford to offend him for the sake of her mother.

    There was no other way. Jenna was at Hansen¡¯s mercy!What could Jenna do about it?

    As soon as Hansen drove into the Richards Manor, he saw the butler standing at the pathway entrance to Green Jade Garden, anxiously looking around. When he saw his car, his eyes lit up and he greeted him with a smile.

    ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re finally back!¡± The butler was beaming with joy.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes darkened and he walked straight past him towards the Green Jade Garden.

    Thergeornate living room had obviously been deliberately decorated for Mayor McAdams¡¯s arrival. The entire house, including the living room, it had been cleaned and the house was immacte.

    Several servants lowered their heads as they stood quietly along the hall, awaiting orders.

    Heartyughter could be heard from time to time.

    Earl McAdams, dressed in an expensive suit and gold-rimmed sses, was sitting in the main seat. He was about 50 years old and was asmart and capable manwith a rosyplexion and a beer belly. He was talking andughing with Marissa from time to time.

    Georgia Bird, Earl¡¯s wife, dressed in a fashionable andelegantoutfit.Her facial features were very simr to Aria¡¯s. From time to time, she wouldugh along with them. Aria was sitting next to Marissa, asionally ttering and pleasing Marissa, who was all smiling.

    They were chatting andughing in the living room. It was a joyful atmosphere.

    As soon as Hansen walked in, Aria stood up and ran towards him excitedly. She said with a bright smile on her face, ¡°Hansen, we¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡±

    Marissa also stood up and smiled.

    The corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. He gently held Aria away and whispered, ¡°Aria, they¡¯re all there. Go and sit down properly.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, they are my parents. It¡¯s no big deal,¡± she pouted as she raised her head and looked at Hansen with happiness and sweetness on her face.

    Hansen looked down at her beautiful face. Suddenly, the image of Jenna¡¯s pale face, red, swollen eyes, and a pained expression shed in his mind. His body shook violently. He was so inexplicably disturbed that he nearly forgot to exchange greetings with Earl.

    ¡°Aria, Hansen just came back from a busy day. Don¡¯t pester him. A girl should learn to be considerate and take care of a man,¡± Georgia chided Aria.

    ¡°Mom, Hansen doesn¡¯t mind,¡± Aria smiled yfully and made a face at Hansen.

    ¡°Hansen, hurry up and say hello to Mayor McAdams,¡± Marissa looked at her son¡¯s expressionless face and reminded him with a smile. When Hansen finally came back to his senses, a polite smile appeared on his face. He walked over to the couch and sat down with Aria next to him.

    ¡°Uncle, Auntie, nice to meet you!¡± He spoke softly, very polite but at the same time, he kept a certain distance.

    Earl was slightly surprised as he sat upright with a magisterialpresence, but the young man in front of him was no less imposing!

    He sat calmly and wasposed, with his head slightly raised. He picked up his cup of tea from the table and took a sip. When Earl asked him questions, he looked up at him politely and answered him calmly. Even though he had experienced many weird things in officialdom, he still could not read him. His eyes were calm, deep, but notpletely clear, and even mixed with a hint of unpredictability in them.

    He was very courteous to the elders, but he didn¡¯t tter them too much. He was neither humble nor arrogant. He spoke with respect, just like how someone from the younger generation should, not overly coquettish but also not to be underestimated either.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    On the other hand, his daughter, Aria, waspletely intoxicated. Her eyes were full of infatuation and love for him. She looked like she was drunk in love. However, seeing that Hansen was not interested in her, his heart sank.

    ¡°Hansen, you are the young talent and pride of our A city. We, as government servants, are proud of you!¡± Earl cleared his voice andplimented Hansen. He was obviously praising Hansen, but also implicitly highlighting his role as the Mayor to remind Hansen not to let his daughter down. He was a man of honor, and his daughter was not easy to be bullied.

    Hansen took another sip of tea and said with a faint smile, ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re ttering me. I am just carrying the torch for my family. I¡¯m not worth mentioning. I am not like Uncle, who¡¯s in the officialdom. You get whatever you want and everyone respects you. Now, that¡¯s really something.¡±

    Earl¡¯s eyelid twitched. Hansen¡¯s words seemed very respectful, but he felt that it didn¡¯t sound quite right. He was there to talk about his daughter¡¯s marriage, not topare his status with that of Hansen. He deliberately highlighted his identity for fear that Hansen would snub his precious daughter. However, Hansen went along with him and keptplimenting him while demeaning himself to the point of worthlessness.

    What was the meaning behind his words? Did he mean that he was not good enough to marry Aria?

    Although he was a bit displeased, Hansen didn¡¯t say anything explicitly. He was so experienced that he didn¡¯t change his expression. Heughed and praised loudly, ¡°You indeed have a bright future ahead of you. You¡¯re still so young yet you talk with a high level of thought.¡±

    ¡°Thank youMayor McAdams for thepliments.¡± When Marissa heard Mayor McAdams repeatedly praising Hansen, she grinned from ear to ear and answered, ¡°Now that Hansen is back and it¡¯s gettingte, let¡¯s have dinner first. We will discuss their marriage after dinner.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Georgia echoed with a smile.

    Soon, everyone was all smiling and standing up.

    Hansen smiled in response and stood up as well. Aria clung onto Hansen as she took his arm. They all headed towards the dining room.

    The servants were busy preparing dinner in an orderly manner, and all of them were cautious. There was a sumptuous dinner served on the longwooden table. In a friendly atmosphere, the two families began to dine happily.

    ¡°You guys take your time. I¡¯m going upstairs first,¡± Hansen said politely as he excused himself after taking a couple of bites. A servant handed him a hot towel. He epted it, wiped his mouth, and stood up.

    ¡°Hansen, why are you eating so little? You should stay and eat more,¡± Aria quickly grabbed hold of Hansen¡¯s hand and said anxiously.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m already full,¡± Hansen slightly pursed his thin lips and smiled gently. He was gentle and polite, ¡°Aria, you should stay and apany your parents. I have something to do and have to excuse myself first.¡±

    Earl¡¯s eyes darkened, and his face was calm. He quietly picked up a fish and put it on his te, but his eyes were on Hansen, and he slowly spoke out,

    ¡°Hansen, you must know why we are here today. I know that there are a lot of things going on in yourpany, but since you¡¯re home, it means that those things can wait, right?¡± Earl said as he put the fish into his mouth. His lips moved slightly. After a while, he politely spat out the fishbone onto his te. He gently bit a few times, swallowed the fish, and stretched out his hand. He continued, ¡°Of course, this marriage is between you and Aria, and we as her parents cannot say much about it. However, you should know that she is our only daughter and we are somehow not at ease until we are certain that you are right for her. Please understand our feelings as her parents.¡±

    The servant, who was standing aside, hurriedly handed him a warm towel. Earl took the towel, wiped his mouth, and ced it lightly on the te on the table. Heughed and then stood up immediately.

    All the movements were elegant, noble, perfect, and impable.His nobility was unparalleled.

    The room was so quiet that even the sound of a pin falling on the ground could be heard.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on the fish bones on his te. A small fish, which only took a few seconds, was spat out of his mouth. It was theplete skeleton of the fish, not a single bone was missing. Everyone was stunned at once.

    All his actions were captured by Hansen¡¯s eyes. His eyes were dark and inexplicable, but his heart was very conflicted. He had aplicated indescribable feeling. His thoughts were unusual, and his smile was stiff.

    ¡°Yes, Mayor McAdams is here today to discuss your marriage. Hansen, you can¡¯t leave tonight. Anything important has to be put on hold. Your marriage is something that we have to discuss thoroughly. This is a life-changing event. You can¡¯t be sloppy,¡± Marissa smiled and quickly stood up as she tried to calm the situation.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes shed with irritation. After thinking for a while, he replied quickly.

    The magnificent, gleaming chandelier in the living room was transforming into a colored aperture on the beautifully sculpted ceiling, shimmering and refracting the light, bringing a smooth, soft, perpetual glow of warmth and peace to the entire living room.

    Hansen sat on the couch as he sipped on a cup of tea. The soft light made his attractive face appear even more handsome and charming.He was wearing an expensive hand-made suit, which made him look noble. He sat quietly and calmly.

    ¡°Hansen, you and Aria aren¡¯t getting any younger and the two of you have been together for a few years. Since we are here today, it¡¯s time to talk about your marriage!¡± Earl brought up the topic when he saw that Hansen still had no intention of speaking up after sipping on his tea.

    After taking another sip of tea, Hansen slightly frowned and asked, ¡°Uncle, I¡¯ve already made it clear to Ariast time. I wonder what your opinion is.¡±

    Georgia, who was at the side, pulled a long face and said to Marissa with some displeasure, ¡°Marissa, our Aria, who is well-educated and polite, is a nobledy from a famous family. No matter what, the Richards family can¡¯t treat her unfairly. How can she not be recorded in the family tree and be acknowledged as one of your family members after their marriage? You know, we are all respectable people. Even if we don¡¯t care about it, if word gets out, we will still be ashamed.¡±

    Georgia was a little agitated. Aria was their only daughter and because her husband was a government official. They had to take care of his image. However, she could not take things too far. She already thought that her daughter was at a disadvantage if she married Hansen because this was his second marriage. However, she could not do anything as her daughter was infatuated with him. Besides, her daughter was more than capable of being married to Hansen as the first wife, but now it turned out that Hansen would marry her with her status as a concubine. She couldn¡¯t get over it in her heart, not to mention how the world might perceive them.

 Chapter 78 His Ideal Home

    ¡°Ah, Georgia, this is not what Hansen or I want. You should know that Hansen¡¯s grandmother is still alive andshe is the only one who has the final say in family matters, especially in the RichardsManor. After all, the Richards Manor is left to her by the Old Master. We¡¯re helpless too!¡± Marissa exined desperately.

    Georgia¡¯s face was getting darker, and Earl¡¯s gaze was sharp. He was used to seeing such a bigmotion. Nevertheless, he always kept hisposure.

    ¡°Hansen, I want to listen to your opinion on this matter. I want to hear what you have to say,¡± he spoke softly, but he was staring at Hansen. If Hansen was not calm and courageous enough, he would not be able to speak his mind.

    However, Hansen said calmly, ¡°Uncle, you know that this is my second marriage, and I am also a descendant of the Richards family. I can only listen to my elders in some matters. I have already made it clear to Aria that day and asked her to think thoroughly.In the beginning, I didn¡¯t want to talk about this, but now that we¡¯ve talked about it, I can honestly tell you that I can¡¯t disobey Grandma and I don¡¯t want to either.She is the one who has the final say in the Richards Manor. Since I am the descendant of the Richards family, I should respect the ancestors of the Richards family and I can¡¯t afford to be cursed for being ungrateful.¡±

    He said politely and sincerely without any hesitation. His grandmother¡¯s birthday was in two days¡¯ time. He initially did not want to discuss anything about the marriage as he did not want his grandmother to be upset on her birthday. However, now, he could not do anything about it since they had already brought up the topic.

    Earl narrowed his eyes and nodded in agreement. He solemnly said, ¡°I never thought Hansen would be so filial to his elders.I¡¯m impressed. It¡¯s very rare for young people nowadays. However, have you ever thought about it? Last time, you also married Minister Murphy¡¯s daughter on your grandmother¡¯s order but your married life had been unhappy and that¡¯s what led to the current ending. Are you sure you want to go down that road again?¡±

    Marissa heard this and thought of the past. Her face darkened and she couldn¡¯t help but chimed in,

    ¡°Mayor McAdams, this matter is quite simple actually.As you know Hansen¡¯s grandmother is old and Hansen is filial, we don¡¯t want to disobey her just yet, but we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happenin the future. Hansen is devoted and will only marry Aria. He will definitely treat her well in the future. You can rest assured about this. As long as I am here, I can guarantee it.¡±

    Everyone could understand the meaning behind Marissa¡¯s words. She meant that, once Hansen¡¯s grandmother passed away, she would be the eldest in the family. She would make sure that Aria gets the title she deserved. After all, when there is a will, there is a way.

    ¡°No, Mom, it is not as simple as you think. You have to take it seriously, or it will be unfair to Aria,¡± Hansen didn¡¯t think so. He sat up straight and was very dissatisfied with Marissa¡¯s statement as he immediately corrected her seriously.

    Earl was not stupid. Marissa¡¯s statement was just an empty promise. There were too many variables in this matter. Hansen¡¯s cautious attitude spoke for itself. He had been in politics for many years, he knew too well that many things change in an instant. How could he do such an impossible illusory thing with no guarantee? After all, it was his only daughter¡¯s big day they were talking about. Therefore, he could not afford to be sloppy.

    He adjusted his sses and his pupils constricted. He said calmly, ¡°Since Grandma Richards¡¯ 90th birthday will celebrate her nieth birthday the day after tomorrow, we shoulde over to celebrate it. It¡¯s not easy to live until this age. Our family shoulde over and help celebrate Grandma Richards¡¯ birthday. Since Hansen is having a hard time, we can¡¯t force him. Let¡¯s talk about itter.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Georgia was about to speak when she saw Earl standing up and saying, ¡°Georgia, it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s not disturb them any longer. We¡¯ll head home first.¡±

    Aria was very unhappy. She did not expect that they could note to a conclusion. She thought that with her father¡¯s help, they would be able toe up with something. She didn¡¯t expect that they woulde up with nothing. She was disappointed and disheartened.

    She didn¡¯t want to leave and wanted to stay with Hansen in the Richards Manor. However, Earl looked at her sternly, so she couldn¡¯t resist.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Earl¡¯s said seriously. There was a hint of unhappiness in his words. She couldn¡¯t go against his orders. He thought that if his daughter kept pestering a man, she would demean herself.

    When Georgia saw Earl¡¯s attitude, she had to go forward and take Aria by the hand, pulling her away from Hansen.

    ¡°Hansen, do you think we were a little disrespectful to Mayor McAdams?¡± Marissained to Hansen with anxiety and worry after the McAdams family left.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched. He was in a state of indifference and did not take it seriously. Marriage was not child¡¯s y. He had learned that from his previous marriage. This time, he must point out the important matters and make a thorough understanding of the things that should be rified, lest they all regret thingster.

    ¡°Mom, marriage is a huge deal and no one can change what Grandma has decided. We have to make it clear first. It is not good for us to hide it,¡± Hansen was very dissatisfied with Marissa,¡°Mom, I think I did the right thing and I think Mayor McAdams understands. Besides,these are my private affairs, so please don¡¯t get involved in the future.¡±

    After saying that, Hansen ignored Marissa and walked outside.

    ¡°Stop, stay right there! What are you talking about?¡± Marissa was embarrassed by Hansen¡¯s words. She shouted at Hansen, who was about to go out, ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good. Thest time I listened to your grandmother, I allowed that b*tch to marry into our family and make a mess of our house. Why should we listen to her now? What era are we in now? She still has that old school mentalityand wants to control your marriage, with no regard for your feelings. There is no such thing in the world. Do you think this is a feudal society? Let me tell you this, you are my son and I will not let history repeat itself again.¡±

    Hansen stood still. His eyes turned cold as he turned around and said to Marissa, ¡°Mom, Grandma doesn¡¯t care about me. She allows me to make my own life choices, but Richards Manor belongs to Grandma. Grandpa left everything to Grandma andshe has the right to decide, that¡¯s a fact that no one can change. She is the only elder in the Richards family. We can choose to leave, choose to live our own lives, and choose not to inherit the Richards Manor, but are you willing to forgo everything? Would Aria be willing to let go? Even if I never marry again in my life except for Aria, without Richard Manor, she would not be able to be recorded in the family tree;she will always be a concubine. Do you think she would be willing to marry me?¡±

    The strange light in his eyes shone, and he said solemnly, ¡°Mom, please stay out of my affairs from now on. You should just live your own life and take good care of Dad. Also, when Jenna lived in Richards Manor, ask yourself, we didn¡¯t treat her fairly either. We cannot me her entirely, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    After saying that, Hansen stepped out of the house and soon disappeared into the night.

    Marissa¡¯s face suddenly turned pale. She stood rooted to the spot and couldn¡¯t speak. She watched as Hansen walked awayand took a step back in shock.

    Had her son, Hansen, changed? His behavior was getting weirder and weirder these days. Even she, as his mother, couldn¡¯t understand what he was thinking. Perhaps her son had sided with that woman? She stood there bewildered.

    Below Collier Manor.

    As soon as Hansen parked the car, he eagerly headed upstairs. At the thought of a woman waiting for him in the once deserted house, the corner of his mouth raised slightly.

    As he stood in front of the door and was about to open the door, he suddenly remembered something. After hesitating for a while, he put the key away and gently knocked on the door instead.

    After the light but clear knocking on the door for a while, there was no response. It was eerily quiet! He frowned when no one answered the door. Suddenly, he felt dread in his heart and a sudden thought shed across his mind. Did she not listen to his orders?

    Or maybe she didn¡¯te back at all and had already run away!

    How dare she!

    Thinking about it, Hansen¡¯s heart beat fast and he cursed with chagrin in his heart ¡°B*tch, if you dare to disobey me, I¡¯ll punish you!¡±

    He quickly took out his key and unlocked the door.

    The windows in the living room were all slightly ajar allowing the fresh air to circte in the house. The thin window screens were green. The warm light softly shone on the crystal-shaped ss dining table in the dining room, creating a yellow halo. The house smelled fresh and clean. There was a bunch of fresh white lotus flowers, which was Hansen¡¯s favorite, ced in a porcin vase on the coffee table, emitting a refreshing fragrance of flowers.

    Hansen seemed to be in a dream. A warm and peaceful home was exactly what he had always been looking forward to and what his heart had longed for, for so many years. Finally, after so many years, he was able to experience this kind of feeling. Although it was below his expectations, he was still delighted.

    The corners of his mouth rose slightly again.

    Jenna had fallen asleep on the dinner table. She was still wearing the same yellow sweater that she wore yesterday. She huddled in front of the dining table, a lonely figure.

    Hansen¡¯s back stiffened for a while, and he was a little stunned. Only then did he remember that he was the one who had asked her to prepare dinner and wait for him toe home. He totally forgot to inform her of the change of ns.

    Has she eaten yet?

    As he approached the table, he saw that there were four dishes and a bowl of soup, all of which were his favorites. However, they were all cold now! It seemed like no one had touched the food.

    Did this mean that she hasn¡¯t eaten yet?

    He was slightly surprised. He quickly reached out and gently nudged her, ¡°Jenna, wake up.¡±

    Jenna spent the whole night, crying. She was extremely exhausted. As soon as she got into the house, she was busy preparing dinner. She waited for Hansen toe back, and sat at the dining table to please him. She didn¡¯t know what it would take for him to leave her alone or if he would cure her mother¡¯s illness, but there was nothing she could do but wait.

    Right now, she hated the person who caused the ident. All the misfortunes in her life were caused by this car ident. Her father¡¯s death, her mother¡¯s injury, and her kidney disease¡­Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    She didn¡¯t dare to think too much about it. She was afraid that she would copse!

    After waiting for a long time, Hansen didn¡¯te back. He was probably with Aria or he had gone to a nightclub. She was a little happy. Would that mean that she wouldn¡¯t have to sleep with him?

    He hadbelled her as a sl*t. Did it mean that he would never touch her?

    She consoled herself, but she didn¡¯t dare to go against his will. Her mother¡¯s illness depended on him, and she didn¡¯t dare to upset him. She just sat at the table waiting for him and unexpectedly fell asleep.

    A warm big palmnded on her. Someone nudged her. She opened her sleepy eyes and saw Hansen¡¯s deep ck pupils, and his handsome charming face. She was dumbfounded, and soon jumped up in fright.

 Chapter 79 Coercion and Lure

    ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± she mumbled, ¡°The food¡­ is cold. I¡¯ll go and heat it up.¡±

    She panicked and quickly picked up the dishes and headed towards the kitchen, avoiding him like the gue.

    Hansen looked at her and did not stop her. There was a soft, warm smile on his face.

    He walked to the couch and put his briefcase down. Then he sat down and turned on therge LCD screen TV. He clicked on the news channel. After a while, the aroma of the food drifted over which made his stomach growl. Only then did he realize that he was actually hungry.

    When he was at the Richards Manor, he only took a couple of bites of dinner because he had no appetite to eat. However, now that he smelled the aroma of the food, he felt hungry.

    ¡°It¡¯s ready. Let¡¯s eat,¡± Jenna ced the dishes on the table and spoke softly.

    Hansen stood up happily and walked to the dining room.

    On the table, there was a steaming hot bowl of soup. It was obvious that it had been boiling for quite a while, which exined its fragrance. The smell of it made his stomach growled even louder. He was very satisfied and sat down dly. He picked up the bowl of soup and was about to drink it. However, he realized that Jenna was still standing beside him, with her head down, not saying anything.

    ¡°Have you had your dinner?¡± He turned to look at her.

    Jenna shook her head with a cold face.

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you grab a seat and join me?¡± He ordered. He had totally forgotten to inform her about his change of ns and should have asked her to eat first without him. He didn¡¯t expect that she would wait for him to start dinner. When he saw how thin she was, he couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed. How could a woman be so thin? And her little face was so beautiful, but so uninteresting and indifferent.

    Her expression was as cold as ice. He was very displeased with her attitude.

    Jenna remained rooted to her spot and said in a low voice, ¡°No, thanks. You go ahead and eat. I¡¯m not hungry.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s eyebrows twitched, his face and eyes darkened. He said with some annoyance and dissatisfaction, ¡°I asked you to sit down for dinner. Do you need me to repeat myself?¡±

    Jenna thought, ¡°This guy looks upset again!¡±

    Jenna looked at his face, which was full of anger. If she were to trigger him any further, she would be the one to suffer. From her seesaw battles with him, she had gained a better understanding of his character. Obviously, if she wanted to live a better life, she¡¯d better not provoke him, a temperamental beast!

    So, she sat down.

    ¡°Next time, you can cook whatever you like. You don¡¯t have to care about me. I¡¯ll eat anything.¡± Seeing that Jenna had finally learned her lesson, the sullenness on Hansen¡¯s face only gradually faded away. He said amiably as he scooped some food and put it on her te. He smiled evilly and said, ¡°Eat more, otherwise how will you have the strength to please me?¡±

    As soon as he said this, Jenna¡¯s whole body trembled. She immediately lost all of her appetites. She looked up and red at him. There was a fire burning in her eyes. Hansen knew that she resented him, and she must be cursing him in her heart.

    The corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. He continued eating his meal with a look of indifference and poise.

    ¡°Come on, eat up. What are you looking at me for? Do you want to please me now? If you want, I¡¯m always ready,¡± Hansen joked lightly.

    Jenna was annoyed, but she just kept on staring at him. There was anger, helplessness, and even hatred in her eyes.

    Hansen was so calm andposedas heslowly tortured her. His face expressed an abominable expression of ¡°What can you do to me?¡±

    Jenna red at him with hatred again. She lowered her head and ate silently, looking a little depressed.

    ¡°Eat more, otherwise,I¡¯ll get worse if you upset me,¡± when she heard his threat again, she couldn¡¯t help butin in her heart. ¡°Does he not think about anything else? Why does he always keep these things in mind? Are all men like this or is he the only one who needs to have his brain rewired?¡±

    ¡°What do you think is the best thing that a woman can give to a man? No matter whether it¡¯s revenge, gratitude, or exchange, there¡¯s only one thing which is their bodies. What can a man do when he stays with a woman?¡± As if he had read her mind, Hansen deliberately approached her and caressed her fleshy earlobe with his hand as he exined evilly, as if he wanted her. That was something every normal man would want to do, and he couldn¡¯t be med for that.

    Jenna stared at him with her eyes wide open, but she repeatedly denied it in her heart. What he said was wrong. She had known Rayan for so many years, why was he not as vulgar as him?

    Rayan was always so gentle and polite. He never had any malicious thoughts in his head. Hansen was simply the only one who was so evil.

    Of course, it was already very kind of him to not humiliate her in front of others. When she met him, she could only hope for the best.

    ¡°Come on, eat up. Be good and make me happy. That way, you¡¯ll be able to live a peaceful life.¡± She hadpletely lost her appetite under his coercion and lure. She reluctantly took another bowl of rice before he would stop.

    After dinner, Jenna collected all the dishes and headed towards the kitchen but Hansen stopped her and handed her a business card.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to wash them. I¡¯ve hired a part-timer cleaner who wille and clean the ce every morning. You don¡¯t have to do any of this yourself. You just need to cook for me and sleep with me. This is their business card. If you need anything, you can call them anytime.¡±

    He deliberately emphasized the word ¡°sleep¡± andughed maliciously, which made Jenna¡¯s hair stand on the back of her neck. She blushed and did not dare to look at him.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to take a bath,¡± he rested on the couch for a while. Then he turned off the TV and saidzily to Jenna.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go and draw a bath,¡± Jenna spoke helplessly and extremely reluctantly.

    The bathroom in his bedroom was nearly as big as a house. It was well-organized and spotless. There were tons of imported shower gels and shampoos, neatly and orderly arranged,as well as some unpronounceable imported men¡¯s cosmetics.

    Jenna filled the bathtub with water and tested the temperature. Then she brought in a set of pajamas that he usually wore. When she turned around and was about to go out, Hansen walked in.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Jenna screamed and hurriedly turned her back. He actually walked in naked. His muscles were strong and lean, his skin was fairer than a woman¡¯s, and he stood tall in front of her. Even Jenna, who had seen his body twice, couldn¡¯t help but take a second look at him. This guy was truly God¡¯s favorite, with almost all the best aspects a man could have in him.

    If it weren¡¯t for his devilish personality,even she would have fawned over him.

    She had previously savored that body twice before. In the past, she never dared to look closely at his body. At that time, there seemed to be nothing else except pain. That kind of feeling was not pleasing at all, and it gave her a terrible experience.

    However, Hansen was obviously amused and delighted. The moment she turned around and caught a glimpse of his face, she saw his lustful face, as well as the wicked smile and dark glow in his eyes.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was pounding wildly, and her whole body stiffened.His long arm reached for her from behind, and he pulled her close to him. She could clearly feel that she was being pressed against something somewhere. She shuddered in fright and her stiff body began to shiver.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave. Come and take a bath with me,¡± his lips came close and his hot breath reached her ears, which was soft and sloppy. He wrapped his hand around her slender waist and said in a very seductive tone.

    Jenna was frightened and her voice began to quaver as well. She blushed and said timidly, ¡°Hansen, please don¡¯t do this. Anything but this.¡±

    Hansen smiled evilly and hugged her tighter and tighter. He put his hands on her slender waist and said as he was enjoying, ¡°Unfortunately, this is the only way a woman will be able to meet the needs of a man.¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t do this. I¡¯ll design more models for youter to offset the debt, okay?¡± Through the mirror in front of her, she could see that he had his hand wrapped tightly around her waist. Both her skin and face were flushed.

    No, where had her boundaries and dignity gone? In this situation, she couldn¡¯t just let it go. At the very least, she had to try to fight for it. With a glimmer of hope, she looked at him with pitiful eyes and begged him. She was talking about the pros and cons, trying to tempt him.

    Moreover, he really needed her designs.

    However, soon she was disappointed. It was written on Hansen¡¯s face with the words ¡°I just want to sleep with you¡±. The glimmer of hope in her heart was brutally annihted by him.

    She could still remember the excruciating pain from the previous two times very vividly. Every time she thought of it, she would tremble and shudder in fear.

    She didn¡¯t know that the more pitiful she looked and the more violently she trembled, the more she would arouse his sexual interest. His body temperature was getting higher and higher. She could feel it even though their skins were separated by her clothes. Her skin was about to burn up due to his body heat.

    ¡°Hurry up, take off your clothes,¡± Hansen ordered in a hoarse voice. It should be noted that the delicate body in his arms was trembling violently, which stimted every nerve in his body. It was as if he was being fondled by a soft little hand. His whole body was sore and he was burning from the inside out. If he didn¡¯t let it out, he was sure that he was going to explode.

    It seemed that Hansen was determined to have his way with her tonight. Jenna¡¯s heart broke into a million pieces. Suddenly, the image of her mother¡¯s depressed and sad face, and her father¡¯s bleeding body flooded her mind.

    She gritted her teeth and her hands were trembling. It was so embarrassing to take off her clothes in front of him. She had been forced to take off her clothes twice. She thought that she would never have to experience such humiliation ever again, but she didn¡¯t expect that her worst nightmare woulde true.

    It¡¯s the kind of thing that only a perverted man like Hansen would be interested in. For her, it was nothing but pain and embarrassment. It was the same as losing her dignity when she was being stripped naked!

    ¡°Why are you dilly-dallying? Do you want me to make you do this more than once?¡± His patience was wearing thin. His eyes were dark and soft, but his words were vicious. This time, he just wanted to see her get naked in front of him. He wanted her to know that he could control her and that he was her master. She would have to obey him unconditionally in the future.

    He believed that he could control her in this life and that she would never be able to leave him.

 Chapter 80 What Do You Take Me For?

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to,¡± Jenna was shocked by his words and she shook her head in panic. She had no choice but to unbutton her shirt with her trembling hands. However,the buttons seemed to be against her and she could not unbutton them. Suddenly, she admired her courage for being able to offer her body to himst time.

    ¡°Are you testing my patience?¡± Hansen looked at her indifferently. Although he was itching to ravage her, he forced himself to hold it in. There was a coy smile on his face with his eyes scanning her body. He admired her nervous little woman¡¯s appearance.

    The process could not be rushed. it could bepared to winemaking. It¡¯s like a fine wine that grew more aromatic and intoxicating the longer it was kept. Hansen enjoyed the process very much.

    What a lecherous man!

    Jenna really wanted to turn around and p him. This d*mn guy!

    The clothes she was wearing were the conservatives ones that Hansen bought for her.The buttons were in rows, so tiny and so numerous that it took Jenna a long time to undo two of them.

    However, when the two buttons were undone, her breasts were exposed. He was tempted at the sight of her fair skin. Hansen could no longer hold back his excitement. There was a surge of lust pulsing through his veins; a fire was raging in his body, and he had butterflies in the stomach.

    He ripped off her shirt and pinned her down.

    ¡­¡­

    Jenna¡¯s brain was already fuzzy, unable to distinguish whether she was in a dream or in reality. Perhaps that was good. She was able to forget about the pain. When she felt the pain in her lower body, she opened her eyes, and tears slipped down quietly from her eyes. This was the third time, and she still felt the pain. In fact, the pain in her heart was far greater than the physical pain.

    This time, Hansen was slightly different from the previous two times. He was just as crazy, but he was much more gentle. He took care of her emotions, especially when he saw her tears; he knew that she was in pain. Then, his actions would be much gentler, and he would even caress her consciously to ease her difort.

    Jenna could feel his gentleness, but she was still upset. The pain in her heart was like a scar, being peeled off little by little as if someone was rubbing salt into the wound.

    The shower took nearly three hours. Hansen was like a trapped beast. He didn¡¯t care whether she was exhausted or not; he just wanted to ravage her. He didn¡¯t stop until she begged him, saying that there was nothing left in her tank.

    She couldn¡¯t remember how she walked out of the bathroom. It seemed that Hansen was the one who carried her out. Her whole body was so limp and her legs were so sore that she couldn¡¯t even stand up.

    On therge-sized soft bed, Jenna was curled up in the brocade bed. Hansen¡¯s hands were wrapped around herwithhis body spooning hers. Although she could feel that his body temperature was still a little high, it felt very warm.

    Jenna was like a doll in his arms. She didn¡¯t dare to move. The entire room was very quiet. She held her breath and didn¡¯t even dare to breathe loudly. She was worried that even if she made a slight movement, she would awake the beast again.

    One could never judge a book by its cover. He was a tyrannical beast with endless energy inside with a gentle appearance on the surface. From her injuries on her wedding night, to her offering her body to him, and then to sleep with him today, she had never been better. He was more and more energetic. However, she was already used to it, so she could take it very hard!

    Hanseny content and rxed. His hands were roaming over her smooth skin, and the contact made his lust surged once again. He was surprised by his madness and endless desire for her. No one could bring him such hearty pleasure except for the woman in his arms.

    He thought that he was not fond of women¡¯s figures. However, as long as he was faced with this woman¡¯s body, he would have inexhaustible enthusiasm, as if every cell in his body had been activated. The passion was high and uncontroble. Only when she was under his body could his needs be alleviated.

    Jenna was exhausted and her body was aching. She felt that his body temperature was rising again, so she deliberately moved away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Hansen said softly. His voice was especially gentle. Jenna was in a trance. Wasn¡¯t this exactly what she had been looking forward to for so many years? On the wedding night, she woke up from her sleep, hoping that he would hug her andfort her like this. However, at that time, he was distant. Now her wish hade true, but why did she feel sad and heartbroken?

    ¡°Are you not leaving?¡± She urged in a low voice.

    ¡°Where am I going?¡± He blurted out in surprise.

    ¡°Back home to Aria,¡± Jenna said coldly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you call me a sl*t? Why are you stilling to me? You should have gone to your Aria instead. She is pure. You should have stayed with her, not with me.¡±

    Hansen was stunned. He didn¡¯t expect Jenna to say such a thing at this moment. He suddenly felt annoyed and said grumpily, ¡°D*mn you woman! Can¡¯t you be a little romantic?¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m telling the truth. You¡¯re not young anymore. Are you still dreaming?¡± Jenna sneered.

    ¡°D*mn you woman. Why do you have to keep going on and on about it?¡±

    Hansen sat up, and the pleasurable feeling that rose from his body was dissipated by her words. He was very annoyed and said angrily, ¡°You¡¯re just provoking me so that I would let you go. Let me tell you this, no way!¡± At this point, a lustful look appeared on his face again. He stroked her smooth skin with his hand and said without thinking, ¡°All I am interested in right now is your body. Even if you are a sl*t, it will not hinder my sexual interest. Every sexual affair is like this. Come to think of it, you seem to suit the role of a mistress really well.¡±

    At this point, he even smiled proudly.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    ¡°Scoundrel,¡± Jenna shuddered with anger and cursed through gritted teeth, no longer feeling the slightest bit of affection for him.

    Her face was filled with pain and sadness. Hansen suddenly felt that a part of his body was missing and his heart was torn apart. He turned over and pinned her down. He held her delicate chin with his hand and said viciously, ¡°Woman, why do you have to dampen my spirits?¡±

    ¡°Get out of my way,¡± Jenna punched him hard, her eyes full of tears. She said angrily, ¡°B*stard, one day you will get your retribution.¡±

    Her words were full of hatred, and her eyes darkened, which made Hansen tremble with fear. However, the sensation brought by the woman¡¯s struggle made the adrenaline surge in his body continue to thrum within him.

    What a joke. As the Young Master of the Richards family, why would he still care about a woman¡¯s retribution? He was confident enough that he could keep an eye on her for the rest of his life and make her inseparable from him. Even as his mistress, as long as he did not get tired of her and needed her, she would never be able to escape nor could she do anything to him.

    She would always have to weep and plead beneath him.

    He reached out and grabbed her hand and put it on top of her head, bending over to kiss her¡­

    He hit her hard. He spent an enjoyable time with her over the night and had his ways with her repeatedly. Only until he had reached his limit and felt exhausted did he hold her and fell asleepcontentedly.

    Jenna woke up and then fell back asleep again. When she opened her eyes, she felt that her entire body was sore. The bright autumn sun was shining through the window. The warm sunshine shone on the bedsheet, and the warmth and passion ofst night had subsided in the air.

    She sat up and looked around to see thatHansen had already left.

    After sitting there for a while, she dragged her sore body out of bed. Her mind was full of images fromst night, and she felt extremely ufortable. She rushed into the bathroom, filled the bathtub with water and dippedherself in it. She kept on trying to remove the marks left by him. Her whole body was covered with hickeys and bruises, which were very conspicuous.

    ¡°Hansen, what do you take me for? Am I just your toy? Just because you managed to snag me at a good price and you¡¯re not happy. It does not mean you can do whatever you like.¡±

    She thought bitterlyof why she had fallen in love with such a demon before.

    ¡°Hansen, one day, I will make you pay. I¡¯ll pay you back for all the humiliation and pain you¡¯ve inflicted on me.¡±

    Everything, all the humiliation she had suffered, was caused by the car ident. If it weren¡¯t for that car ident, she would probably still be abroad. She would probably have gotten over Hansen, or would probably have learned to ept Rayan. However, because of that car ident, everything had changed. Her father had died and her mother was suffering.

    She secretly made up her mind. Since things hade to this, she must get to the bottom of everything. She must n her revenge ordingly and she must pay back what others had done to her. She was innocent and never owed anyone anything.

    She was pure and had never lost her virginity prior to their marriage, but she was still regarded as unchaste by Hansen. Why was it like that?

    All she could think of was Hansen¡¯s disgusted look. Even if it was just for a fight, she had to figure out everything.

    Anger gradually welled up in her chest. She could tolerate being trampled on countless times, but she was not willing to give up her pitiful self-respect and dignity. Otherwise, it would be the same as dying.

    She desperately scrubbed her body thoroughly, just to remove all the marks that Hansen had left on her to humiliate her.

    She was a woman of self-esteem, a woman of integrity.She was equally disgusted by men who despised her, even if she once loved him dearly. She would not have a good impression of him anymore.

    After scrubbing her body for a long while, she felt as if her skin had been scrubbed off, and there were traces of red marks on her delicate skin.

    She didn¡¯t know how long she sat in the water beforeshe finally came out of the bathroom andwalked to the bed in a daze. She felt her legs were sore and there was a sharp pain. She guessed it must be because she had scrubbed too hard just now.

    She was tired and weak and just wanted to sleep. She lifted the quilt and crawled onto the bed. Soon, she fell asleep again.

 Chapter 81 His Care

    Hansen was sitting in his office as he dealt with thepany¡¯s business affairs in high spirits. In the blink of an eye, the morning flew past.

    At noon, the sudden thought of Jenna at home made him smile.

    He headed downstairs and went straight to Collier Manor. He did not seem tired fromst night. Instead, he was full of energy. He has never felt this energized. He had a slight smirk on his face when he recollected thoughts ofst night¡¯s incident.

    As he opened the door to the living room, a wave of silence greeted him. It was as if no one was at home. Suddenly, he felt a tightness in his chest.

    The part-time cleaner has alreadye and cleaned the house. The house was spick and span, but it was also filled with the eerie sound of emptiness.

    Where was this woman?

    After pondering for a while, he headed towards the bedroom.

    On the spacious andfy bed, he could see the woman sleeping peacefully on it as her hair syed out on the pillow. The quilt was tucked under her long slender arms. The top two buttons of her pyjamas were unbuttoned as her slender calves were exposed from underneath the quilt. The rest of her body was covered in a well-made silk nightgown.

    The sight of her legs was enough to bring back memories fromst night when she wrapped her legs around his waist. It was enough to awaken his desire for her. He wanted to pounce on her and ravage her all over again.

    The view in front of him was out-of-this-world. For the first time, Hansen felt that it was nice toe home to a woman in his bedroom. It was very wonderful to have such a beautiful woman to spend the rest of his life with

    For the first time, he felt that his grandmother had made the right decision for him. His grandmother had always loved him, so there was no reason for her to hurt him.

    He slowly walked towards the bed. Her beautiful face was slightly flushed, and there was ayer of sweat on her forehead. Her fringe stuck to her forehead, which highlighted her smooth, unwrinkled forehead. Hansen smiled slightly and sat down gently. He gently swept her hair off her forehead and wiped away the sweat. His desire for her was off the charts. He was afraid that he could not contain himself, so distracted himself by reaching out and wiping her forehead again.

    He tried his best to hold himself back. He had tortured her enoughst night, so he wanted her to have a good rest.

    He now had her wrapped around his finger. He was not worried one bit that she would ever think of running away from him.

    For a moment, he secretly wished that Sara would not recover from her illness. He knew that the only reason she listened to him was because of her mother. He was afraid that once she recovered, Jenna would be hostile towards him again, vanishing from his sight.

    She was frowning in her sleep. Hansen could tell that she was in some sort of agony. His heart trembled slightly and he reached out to smooth the frown, but he didn¡¯t know what to think. He sighed inwardly, turned around, and left.

    Jenna didn¡¯t expect that she would sleep till noon, but she was not in deep sleep. While she was asleep, she seemed to sense someone sitting next to her, but she was too exhausted to open her eyes.

    Suddenly, the doorbell rang. She hurriedly got up, put on some decent clothes, and rushed to open the door. However, before she opened the door, she looked through the peephole and saw a man wearing some restaurant¡¯s uniform, as he patiently waited at the door with a few boxes of take-out in his hand. She was a little taken aback.

    ¡°Miss, I¡¯m here to deliver takeout.¡± The man shouted through the door.

    Jenna opened the door and said curiously, ¡°I didn¡¯t order anything.¡±

    The delivery man was startled. He took out his receipt and briefly scanned through it again. He was assured that he hade to the right ce. Then he grinned and said, ¡°Miss, I¡¯m pretty sure I came to the right house. A man ordered this for you. He has already paid for it. I¡¯m pretty sure that I am right.¡±

    Did Hansen order this? How did he know that she had just woken up? Did he install a camera in the room?

    Jenna felt a chill run down her spine and hurriedly epted the delivery. She closed the door and realized that she was in fact famished.

    She ced the takeout on the dining table and headed for the bathroom. Because she rushed out of bed to meet the delivery man, she did not realize that she was in pain. However, as soon as she entered the bedroom, she felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. It even hurt when she walked, which seemed more severe than what she thought when she woke up earlier today.

    She couldn¡¯t help but frown. Even after lunch and going to the bathroom a few times, she still felt ufortable and was getting a little ill at ease. Later, she felt a chill run over her entire body. It was as if she was going to fall sick. So she hurriedly got changed, hailed a taxi, and headed to the women¡¯s and children¡¯s hospital.

    She was assigned to the same doctor who treated her three years ago. However, she had aged a little. There were a few strands of white hair in her head, but she was sprightly. Jenna did not dare to look at her, as she was afraid that she would recognize her. It would be embarrassing for her.

    Fortunately, the attending doctor briefly nced at her and did not seem like she remembered her. Jenna knew that her surname was Jules because everyone called her Dr. Jules. After she examined Jenna, her expression was calm. When she saw the uneasiness in Jenna¡¯s face, sheforted her in a soft voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯smon for young people like you to have this kind of injury. You guys have a very healthy s*x life. Anyway, it looks slightly infected. It should be fine in two or three days if you take your meds. Remember toe for a follow-up. Don¡¯t worry too much about it. ¡±

    Dr. Julesforted Jenna as she wrote her a prescription.

    Jenna¡¯s beating heart finally calmed down. When she heard Dr. Jules said it was not that serious, she sighed with relief inwardly. After thanking Dr. Jules, she headed to the consultation room and went to pay her medical bill.

    Jenna could see many peopleing and leaving the ce as she stepped on the esctor. There were all stages of mothers with their children. There were also some men apanying their pregnant wives. Jenna took the esctor and headed to the second floor to pay for her medical bill. She lowered her head in fear of being recognized. Her heart was full of endless bitterness.

    She knew that even if she died of some sort of illness or tortured to death by him, he would not take pity on her. This was her life, petty, and humble.

    After paying her medical bill and collecting her medicine, she suddenly felt a little ufortable. She quickly bought herself a bottle of water and took her pills. Then, she felt the urge to go to the toilet, so she hurriedly shoved the bag of medicine in her handbag and dashed to the washroom.

    When she came across a narrow passage, a cold wind blew in her face. The chill ran down her spine, just like the pain she felt this afternoon. She shivered all over and shrunk her neck.

    Suddenly, she could hear the sound of high heels clicking against the floor. The sound of it made her body freeze up. The sound of the high heels clicking was distinctive from the ordinary ones. It sounded loud and harsh. Jenna detested the sound of it.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    However, why did the clicking sound, sound so familiar? She couldn¡¯t help but frown slightly. When she looked up, she was shocked for a moment, like a deer caught in the headlights.

    The woman in front of her was wearing a sexy miniskirt, which barely covered her butt. She was carrying a dainty limited edition bag as she strutted. Needless to say, this woman was Aria.

    Walking next to her was a young man in a white coat. The two were talking andughing as they walked towards the front building.

    Jenna noticed that Aria had a bag of medicine in her hands.

    Was she also here to see a doctor, furthermore, a gynaecologist?

    Jenna immediately realized what was going on. She came to see the gynae? What¡¯s going on?

    All of a sudden, sheughed at herself. Jenna, herself came to visit the gynae, so why couldn¡¯t Aria visit the gynae too? She was Hansen¡¯s woman, and they were going to get married soon. So, it was normal for her toe for a check-up. Instead, it was weird for Jenna to be there.

    There was a bitter smile at the corner of her mouth. She suddenly thought back to Hansen¡¯s night with her. He was a very demanding man, he had to be satisfied every night. If Aria didn¡¯te to visit the gynae, she did not want to imagine what would happen. She was the perfect example, she spent one night with Hansen and looked at what happened to her.

    She shook her head and felt increasingly ufortable. At this moment, her phone suddenly rang. There were not many patients walking along the corridor at this time. The sudden sound of her mobile ringing was abrupt and harsh. Jenna panicked. When she looked up, she saw that Aria was about to turn her head when she heard the ring. When she realized that she was going to turn her head, Jenna quickly rushed into the toilet.

    After entering one of the cubicles, she took out her mobile phone in a panic. When she saw that it was Hansen, she couldn¡¯t help but fume with anger. At the thought of this man¡¯s beastly behavior thatnded two of his women at the gynaecologist, she felt sick.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± She suppressed her anger and asked coldly.

    ¡°Where are you?¡± He also heard the unhappiness in her voice. He frowned and asked aggressively.

    ¡°I have some errands to run.¡± She answered in a low voice. When she heard his voice, she became more and more impatient, but she could not ignore him.

    ¡°What errands do you have to run? Why didn¡¯t you ask for my permission? Did you not learn anythingst night?¡± She didn¡¯t know if she was the pain in her body that made her feel annoyed. In short, Hansen¡¯s voice sounded ice-cold, sending shivers up her spine.

    ¡°What the h*ll is going on? Is it necessary to report to him her every move? This is getting out of hand. This guy is a control freak! He is being way too unreasonable. His Aria is in the hospital as well. If he dares to, he should go and find her. This man is such a coward.¡± Jenna thought to herself.

    As soon as she was outraged, she hung up the phone. She needed to pee. She was afraid that he would pester her, so she hung up.

    By the time she stepped out of the hospital, it was almost dark. Jenna strolled along the street and thought of Collier Manor. She couldn¡¯t help but shiver. Must she go back so soon? She shuddered at the thought of going back there. She didn¡¯t want to be tortured by Hansen. She didn¡¯t want to see his sinister face.

    In such a big world, could she escape? Unless he hadpletely tired of her, she would not be able to escape. The only way she could live a good life is to obey all of his orders.

    With a slight sigh, she reluctantly hailed a taxi and headed back to Collier Manor.

    As soon as she opened the door, she saw Hansen sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper quietly. The warm light reflected on his handsome face. It was a devil-like face, but Jenna could sense that he was in an unpleasant mood. When she came in, he didn¡¯t even raise his head. It was as if she was invisible.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that he thinks that I am invisible. That way, I don¡¯t need to bicker with him,¡± Jenna thought to herself.

    ¡°Come here.¡± Just as Jenna was about to sneak past him and walk towards the bedroom, Hansen spoke, and his voice was very dignified.

 Chapter 82 Where Do You Feel Uncomfortable?

    Jenna was taken aback and immediately froze in her spot. She was bitter and did not want to walk over.

    ¡°No.¡± She stood there, looking up at the ceiling with a cold look.

    What the h*ll was going on? This woman not only dared to hang up the phone but also dared to defy his order!

    ¡°Come. Over. Now.¡± Hansen dragged his tone, sounded more dignified. A slight hint of impatience could be in his voice.

    Jenna rolled her eyes at him and had no choice but to take a couple of small steps towards him.

    ¡°Hand it over to me.¡± He reached out with an apathetic face.

    ¡°What?¡± Jenna was puzzled and stared at him nkly. What did he want? She had nothing on her except for the bag that she was carrying.

    ¡°Your bag,¡± he said as he spat out those two words.

    Her bag? Did he really say that he wanted her to hand over her bag? That was her personal belonging. It was her handbag. Why did he want it? Why should she give it to him?

    Jenna held her handbag tightly and moved it away from him. She forced a smile on her face and pretended not to understand. ¡°What bag? I¡¯m not carrying a bag.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jenna was puzzled and stared at him nkly. What did he want? ¡°Hurry up.¡± Jenna could feel his irritation creeping upon him. His eyes were shing an unfriendly look. He looked up at her, and his eyes were sharp. Jenna could sense the danger in his eyes. She was no stranger to this look. She met those eyes justst night. They were fatal. Although he was in the living room, it was still deadly.

    She helplessly took a couple more steps forward and reluctantly handed him the bag.

    ¡°Swoosh!¡± Hansen snatched the bag and poured out all the contents in the handbag: an umbre, a mobile phone, and a wallet. There was no makeup in the bag. Then, he saw a stic. When he opened it, he saw a medical report as well as some medicine.

    ¡°Did you go to the hospital?¡± He was a little shocked and looked at her with his deep and bright eyes.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna blushed, and she reached out to grab the bag. Hansen quickly raised his hand and wrapped his other hand around her waist. Jenna fell into his arms. ¡°What happened? Tell me. Why didn¡¯t you tell me that you went to the hospital?¡±

    His words were gentle. He looked a little concerned. If it wasn¡¯t for his terrible behavior over the past few days, Jenna would have been moved by him. After all, it was sofortable being in his arms. He gently hugged her, and her small frame fitted perfectly in his arms.

    Hansen¡¯s face was full of concern, but this was a rare and odd sight to Jenna. She did not believe that he would bepassionate. These days, he kept changing often, which gave her headaches. Many times, she would be convinced by him, but in the blink of an eye, he would be an unreasonable devil, making her feel puzzled.

    Therefore, she would not be deceived by his current appearance, nor would she be moved by him. If she did, she would have no backbone!

    ¡°My matters are none of your business.¡± She said indifferently with a cold face. When she entered the door just now, he looked like he was angry, but now, he seemed so concerned. Anyone who believed him would be called a fool!

    ¡°It seems that you did not learn your lessonst night. It looks like I need to discipline you again.¡± He frowned, his eyes full of displeasure. Sure enough, the little bit of warmth on his face disappeared in an instant. Jenna was not surprised at all. He was a person who turned hostile in a blink of an eye.

    He leafed through the medical report in his hands. After browsing through it for a long time, he still couldn¡¯t understand.

    Jenna took the opportunity to grab the medical report while he was in a daze. She blushed and said, ¡°This is a woman¡¯s illness. What do you know?¡±

    A woman¡¯s illness? Why did she visit the doctor? He has never heard her mention it before.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Hansen was even more curious. Suddenly, he thought ofst night and asked in a low voice, ¡°Did I hurt youst night?¡±

    Jenna tore herself away from his arms and silently walked towards the bedroom as tears started to pool in her eyes. She didn¡¯t want to exin to him, nor did she want to talk to this disgusting guy. Although she felt much better after taking her medicine, she still felt a little uneasy.

    Hansen followed her to the room. When Jenna was about to enter the bathroom, he reached out and blocked the entrance.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t close the door, so she just stared at him in rage.

    ¡°Why do you feel ufortable? Let me have a look at you.¡± He said seriously.

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Go away.¡± Jenna blushed furiously. She was frustrated and ufortable. She just wanted to go to the bathroom. However, Hansen stood at the door and gazed at her fiercely. She was flooded with rage that she frowned and spoke to him angrily.

    Hansen did not miss the look on her face. He knew that she felt difort somewhere. When he saw her flushed face and her eyes full of grievance, he thought for a while and let go of the door. Jenna sighed in relief. She closed the door in a hurry and sat on the toilet. She was in misery. She sat there for a long time, but nothing happened. It was getting more and more painful. Then, she suddenly thought of Dr. Jules¡¯ advice. She had told her to apply the ointment, and that meant she had to take a shower first.

    She endured the difort between her legs and walked out of the bathroom. Then, she opened the wardrobe full of all kinds of well-designed pyjamas prepared by Hansen. They were all sexy and revealing. After staring at it for a while, she finally picked a slightly conservative one, and then hurriedly walked to the bathroom. She locked the bathroom door, turned on the shower, and started to wash up.

    Hansen was sitting on the couch in the bedroom as he carefully examined the medicine in his hand. He seemed to have figured out something. After a while, he heard the shower being turned off. His eyes darkened as he stood up.

    ¡°Ah, why did youe in?¡± Jenna was wiping her body. When she heard the sound of the door, she was caught off-guard. She saw Hansen¡¯s tall figure appear at the door, staring at her with burning eyes. She wrapped herself with a towel frantically. She was fretful that he would go wild likest night. She really couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and it was too sore.

    There were still drops of water hanging on Jenna¡¯s face, and her wet hair was sticking to her forehead. Her fair skin was glowing, which made her look drop-dead gorgeous.

    D*mn woman. Hansen swallowed and forcibly suppressed the desire to take her. He entered the bathroom, turned on the light. Ignoring Jenna¡¯s opposition, he picked her up and ced her on the lounge chair in the bathroom.

    He took out the ointment carefully and forcibly examined her. He was surprised to find that the ce was red and swollen, and her sharp eyebrows instantly wrinkled into a straight line. His eyes were full of pity and uneasiness. His expression was somber, and his eyes were bright. It was not until she saw his rxed face that she felt relieved.

    He took out a cotton ball and squeezed out the ointment to carefully apply it for her. Carefully and gently.

    Soon, she felt a cooling andfortable sensation. The burning pain gradually subsided, and her body and mind began to rx.

    After applying the medicine, he picked her up and carried her to the bed. Then, he ced her on the bed, took the quilt, and covered her. He whispered in her ear, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hurting youst night. It looks like an infection. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll be careful next time.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s voice was gentle and considerate. He seemed genuinely sorry. Jenna thought that it was her mind ying tricks on her. It was as if she was dreaming.

    However, the difort on her body soon faded away. She looked at him with some perplexity. If he could be as calm as he was on their wedding night three years ago, and had taken the initiative to care for her and love her, maybe there would be no misunderstanding between them. They could be like all newlyweds, having a blissful marriage and living happily ever after.

    However, in the end, fate was not on her side. Everything was just a ¡°what if¡±.

    She lowered her gaze and was speechless.

    ¡°Have a good rest tonight. I¡¯ll take you shopping tomorrow. It¡¯s Grandma¡¯s birthday the day after tomorrow. You have to go to Richards Manor with me. You can¡¯t dress like this. Grandma will think that I¡¯m not treating you well.¡± He said with a smile on his face.

    At this moment, Jenna once again felt that Hansen was her husband. The light in his deep eyes was bright and natural. It was beautiful, and it also felt perfect.

    ¡°Well, are you?¡± Jenna turned her face and thought bitterly.

    Hansen quickly stood up and said, ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ll take a bath first, and then we¡¯ll go out for dinner.¡±

    He walked towards the bathroom. Jenna remembered that she hadn¡¯t had dinner yet. The pain in her body had subsided a lot, and she felt hungry. Jenna got up and found a light blue long-sleeved sweater to put on. She was wearing tight jeans, with her hair hanging over her shoulders. She chose not to wear any makeup. Although she did not have any makeup on, one could see that her facialplexion was smooth.

    When Hansen came out of the bathroom, he saw Jenna standing in front of the mirror. The soft light reflected on her small face. Shebed her hair with one hand and held a hairpin with the other. She rolled up her long sleeves. The tight jeans made her slender legs look elongated. She was as thin as a rail, flexible and charming. Her slender body was stunning.

    It seemed like presence lit up the whole bedroom.

    His heart throbbed slightly, but there was a hint of displeasure in his heart. How many men would be attracted by such an elegant and beautiful woman walking on the street? He wondered how many men abroad were attracted by her for so many years.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jenna saw Hansene out. He wore a cozy cotton sweater and a pair of tight jeans, which made him look slender and dazzling.

    Jenna nced at him briefly and looked away frantically. After all, this guy was wearing the same clothes as she did. They looked like they were wearing matching outfits. If they went out like this, she was sure people would start talking.

    ¡°That was quick. Don¡¯t women always put on makeup when they go out?¡± He came over and wrapped his arms around Jenna¡¯s waist. His thin lips were slightly upturned, and he looked intimately at her. He remembered that when he took Aria out, she spent hours putting on her makeup, but this woman was her total opposite. She was barefaced.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like wearing makeup.¡± Jenna said lightly, inwardly talking to herself, ¡°Do you think everyone is Aria McAdams?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Hansen said nonchntly. He couldn¡¯t help but nce at her. The woman¡¯s face was delicate and beautiful, her skin was smooth, and her lips were red even without makeup. Even if she didn¡¯t wear makeup, she was drop-dead gorgeous. When he thought of their rendezvousst night, he couldn¡¯t help but touch her waist. The touch made him trip with guilt.

    Jenna¡¯s waist was ticklish. She moved and tried to break free from his touch. Unexpectedly, he tightened his grip on her. Her waist fitted perfectly in his grasp. He then guided her out the door.

 Chapter 83 He is in a Good Mood

    ¡°Look at you. You look so conservative. Don¡¯t pretend to be a nun. Do you want to seduce and hook up with more men?¡±

    He chuckled and teased her.

    Jenna rolled her eyes at him and cursed inwardly,

    ¡°Hansen, would it kill you if you did not humiliate me for once?¡±

    Although she scolded him in her heart, she did not dare to show it on her face.

    She just lowered her head and allowed him to lead her outside.

    ¡°Can you please look a little lively? Who will want to look at your face if you looked so gloomy?¡±

    Hansen was unhappy and dissatisfied.

    Jenna was speechless.

    She had no choice but to lift her head high and force a smile.

    As the two of them stepped into the elevator, a few people smiled at them and whispered:

    ¡°Acoupleofhappyhusbandandwife.¡±

    When Jenna heard their words, she muttered to herself. What part of them looked like a happy couple? It was evident that she looked awkward because he demanded her to look lively!

    She raised her head.

    Hansen smiled smugly.

    ¡°Why was he smiling?¡± Her face was slightly flushed.

    Below the apartmentplex, there was a row of brightly lit shops. Most of the shops there were thriving asughter filled the air. Couples were all over each other, enjoying the buzzing atmosphere.

    Hansen wrapped his arms around Jenna. It made them look like an intimate couple.

    An exclusive Rolls-Royce was parked at an eye-catching spot. The owner of the car was wearing a suit as he shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked like a gentleman. He leaned against his car. His well-defined facial features made him look like a generous and noble man.

    ¡°Rayan, he¡¯s here!¡± Jenna saw him as soon as she walked out of the elevator. Her heart suddenly raced at the sight of him. ¡°Why was he here? This meant that he probably knew that I was living with Hansen.¡±

    Her face began to burn. She wanted to walk over, but Hansen held her tightly by her waist, which limited her movements.

    She knew that Rayan noticed them. His face fell at the sight of them together. Jenna felt ufortable. She opened her mouth to say something but hesitated.

    ¡°Oh look! Your ex is here!¡± Hansen tightened his grip around her waist, and there was a calm smile on his face. He was not in a bad mood. He was in high spirits, which mirrored his mood ever since they left the house. The expression on his face was like a spring breeze

    Jenna felt ufortable all over and stared at Rayan with a dull look.

    ¡°Jen, how are you?¡± Rayan walked up to her as hepletely ignored Hansen. He looked at her and asked, with a concerned look on his face. There were pain and uncertainty in his eyes. Ever since she left so abruptly yesterday morning, he had been a little restless. After thinking for a while, he was even more bewildered about Jenna¡¯s words and deeds. He was worried that Hansen was threatening her.

    He went over to the Richards Group early this morning to look for Jenna. However, the people there informed him that Jenna did note to work today, which made him panic. He did not know what was going on with Jenna. The image of her pale face and tear-stricken eyes clouded his head. He was extremely ufortable and restless. He managed to track Hansen, and it led him to this ce.

    Sure enough, it did not take long for him to see them walking down together. They looked verypatible and intimate. It seemed like their current rtionship was different than before.

    Rayan¡¯s heart sank. His face looked bleak.

    ¡°Rayan, I¡­¡± Jenna felt pressured, but she didn¡¯t dare to say anything because Hansen was here. The other day, he had already warned her to draw a line with Rayan. Every time he saw Rayan with her, it would make him furious. Now that he was here, she was petrified.

    ¡°Oh, it looks like I am in the way. Please continue.¡± Unexpectedly, Hansen caught on to the situation and said open-mindedly. Jenna then realized that Hansen had already let go of her waist. He had also turned around and walked to one side, allowing them to have a private conversation.

    Jenna knew him like the back of her hand. Although he was talking andughing now and may seem generous, deep down, he was irritated. The more he behaved like this, the more she dared not create any trouble. Her mother¡¯s life was in his hands. Even if she was scared to death, she would not dare to do anything stupid. She took a step back and said with some uneasiness, ¡°Rayan, I am fine. Hansen is treating me very well. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    She said aloud as she peaked at him from the corner of her eyes. Hansen was probably tuning in to their conversation even though he distanced himself from them. She knew that he was pretending to be kind to her, so she deliberately raised her voice so that he could hear clearly. She did not want him to suspect anything. She knew he never trusted her.

    ¡°Jenna, can you please tell me what happened? You can trust me. I can help you just as long as you tell me what¡¯s going on.¡± Rayan whispered in a soft voice. His words were sincere.

    His words touched Jenna. Deep down, she was scared to death. However, even with his power and influence, he would not be able to help her mother.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    She shook her head and said softly, ¡°Rayan, you can go. If I need anything, I¡¯ll look for you. Please, do note and find me anymore.¡±

    Jenna looked at him with her big, watery eyes, pleading with him. After saying this, she turned around and walked toward Hansen. She stood next to him as if she did so willingly.

    Rayan looked at her frail body as she walked away from him. Her beautiful hair was blown into a mess by the autumn wind. She looked very delicate and lonely from behind and he was worried for a moment. In his heart, he felt that she had drifted away from him. It seemed that she would nevere back. Hansen held her slender waist as she buried herself in his arms. They looked like they were a match made in heaven. They were the perfect pair, and he had nothing to do with them.

    It was not that he didn¡¯t want to help her, but she willingly chose him. Noints, even deceiving him. What could he do? Every time he looked at her pleading eyes, he would be helpless. He didn¡¯t know where to start, and he was lost. He couldn¡¯t force her like how Hansen forced her.

    The disappointment and helplessness that he felt in his heart forced him to get into the Rolls-Royce and drive away.

    Hansen was in a surprisingly good mood today. He was proud of Jenna. They looked very intimate, and everyone could tell that they were in a rtionship. However, little did they know, their rtionship wasplicated.

    This time, he should be willing to give up.

    A knowing smile appeared on Hansen¡¯s face. He lowered his head and looked into Jenna¡¯s sad eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Shouldn¡¯t you be happy that you got to see your ex? I didn¡¯t disturb you, did I?¡± He said lightheartedly and ced his hand around her waist again.

    Jenna nced at him. Did he know in advance that Rayan was waiting for her downstairs? Was that why he pretended to be so intimate with her and took her downstairs? She found it suspicious that he was in such a good mood today when he looked angry most of the time. The more she thought about it, the more it got on her nerves. However, there was nothing she could do about it.

    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± He asked mellowly.

    Jenna pulled a long face and said, ¡°Will you be willing to bring me to where I want to eat?

    ¡°Of course! Just tell me what you want. I¡¯ll take you there.¡± He let go of her and was about to walk to the basement parking.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like eating anything.¡± All she wanted to do today was have a good rest. She wasn¡¯t interested in anything else.

    Jenna nced at him.Wasn¡¯t Hansen going to take her shopping tomorrow? Grandma Richard¡¯s birthday was in a few days, and she hadn¡¯t figured out what gift to get her. It seemed like tomorrow was going to be a busy day, so she was fine with having anything for dinner tonight. ¡°Let¡¯s just grab dinner somewhere close. I¡¯m not that picky. You can choose whatever you want,¡± she uttered.

    ¡°You are really easy to please. It seems that you are my perfect match. What¡¯s more, I don¡¯t need to spend much money to please you.¡± He smiled faintly and made a joke. Jenna rolled her eyes at him.

    There was a decent restaurant just around the corner. Hansen brought her into the restaurant. Jenna looked through the menu and made her order. Within minutes after the waiter brought out her food, she devoured it. Hansen did not say anything and just ate his dinner. After that, they went home.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading back to my bedroom now, is that okay?¡± Jenna shivered at the thought of their activitiesst night. Furthermore, she had just applied medicine on her wound, so she felt a little ufortable. After sitting on the couch for a long time, she was getting a little sleepy. So, she forced a smile and attempted to excuse herself.

    ¡°No.¡± Hansen denied her request without hesitation. ¡°What did I say to you the other day?¡± He looked livid.

    That day? Jenna felt a shiver run all over her body. That day, he said that he wanted her to sleep with him every day. Oh my god, every day!

    Jenna¡¯s heart was thumping against her chest. Not to mention that she was injured.Didn¡¯t he know that women would usually feel unwell for a couple of days every month? If every night was likest night, will she be able to walk out of the Collier Manor alive?

    It seemed that he had read her mind. The corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched, but he stayed silent.

    Jenna was helpless. She walked into Hansen¡¯s bedroom as if she was risking her life doing so. After a while, she found a set of pajamas that were not too revealing. She quietly went into the bathroom to change. While Hansen was drinking water, she quickly climbed into the bed andswiftly wrapped herself in the quilt.

    This pervert was the one who bought all of her clothes. Most of her pajamas were very thin and revealing. She might as well not wear anything at this point. However, her casual clothes were more conservative. Some even covered her until her neck.

    Sheid on the bed with her eyes closed and buried her head in the quilt. She mentally prepared herself to be tortured by that man again in a moment. She was shaking like a leaf. She felt increasingly ufortable as sheid underneath the quilt. Her face and ears were all red.

    Soon after, she heard the sound of Hansen¡¯s footsteps. After a while, he switched off the bedroom lights, leaving only the nightlight on. The dim warm light was shining in the bedroom, which made the atmosphere slightly romantic. Jenna was wondering what kind of wicked guy had designed those lights, when even sleeping had to be so sensual.

    When she heard the sound of Hansen taking off his clothes, she clutched the quilt to the front of her chest more tightly, trembling with fear.

    Suddenly, she felt a rush of cooling air on her back. Soon, she felt his warm body approaching hers. He wrapped his strong hands around her and hugged her. Jenna¡¯s body went stiff as she heard his rapid breathing. Her heart was beating fast. The only thing she hoped for was that he would be gentle.

 Chapter 84 Pick A Gift

    Hansen buried his head in her neck and breathed in her fragrance. After a long while, nothing happened. None of what she had imagined happened. She could not help but feel a little strange and blinked in confusion.

    ¡°Hurry up and go to sleep.¡± He whispered hoarsely into her ear.

    Sleep? Does it mean that he was not going to torture her tonight? Jenna was even more confused. She turned her body in his arms. She wanted to meet his eyes to make sure that he was not messing with her.

    ¡°What are you doing? Are you not able to fall asleep? Do you want me to torture you?¡± He held her tightly and asked strictly. This time, he looked angry. What¡¯s more, Jenna was in his arms, which was no less than provoking his desire. He wanted nothing more than to trap her under his body and tear her apart so that he could satisfy his hunger.

    However, he was genuinely worried about her body and suppressed his desire.

    Jenna was sure this time. She was sure that he had no intention of hurting her. It turned out that when he asked her to sleep with him, he actually wanted her to sleep with him without any hidden motives. Jenna secretly cheered in her heart and replied hurriedly, ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll sleep right away.¡±

    After she replied to him, she shut her eyes and silently hoped she could go to her sleep right away. She was grateful to him. It seemed that he still had a conscience.

    However, Hansen had his hands wrapped around her. She could feel the radiation of his body heat. After a while, she could feel herself starting to sweat.

    Jenna didn¡¯t dare to move because she was afraid that she would agitate him. After all, she could feel something pressing against her. However, she was already sweating all over and was about to copse. She felt very ufortable.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± After a while, Hansen could feel her drenched in sweat in his arms. Her body kept shaking as she tried hard to bear the heat. He couldn¡¯t help butugh, so he had to ask.

    ¡°It¡¯s burning in here.¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t bear the heat. So, she had no choice but to tell him.

    ¡°You¡¯re so troublesome.¡± Hansen let go of her and snorted discontentedly. ¡°Go wipe your sweat and change into a fresh set of pajamas.¡±

    Jenna heard it clearly. She let out a sigh of relief and got up in a hurry as if this was an order.She found another set of conservative pajamas to change into and then climbed back into bed to sleep. This time, Hansen resumed his hold on her. She sighed in relief. She faintly heard his even breathing and instantly knew that he had fallen asleep.Finally, she was able to fall asleep at ease.

    The entire night, she slept soundly. When she woke up, the sun was streaming in through the windows. Without looking at the clock, she knew that it was alreadyte morning.

    Hansen was sitting on the bed lifelessly as he rested his head against the headboard. He sat there calmly, with no expression on his face as his eyes fell on Jenna.

    She frantically rolled over and got up. Her bright eyes met Hansen¡¯s tired eyes. There were actually dark circles around his eyes.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t help but be startled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him? Did he not sleep wellst night?¡±

    He looked like he was sleep-deprived. The dark circles around his eyes were prominent. Could it be that he had not at all sleptst night? How could it be possible?

    She panicked and looked at him uneasily, only to realize that he was staring at her chest. He looked hot and bothered. When she looked down, she couldn¡¯t help but scream. She hurriedly took the quilt and covered her chest. Damn pajamas! It exposed nearly half of her chest. It was too revealing.Wasn¡¯t this just asking for it?

    She hurriedly got up, wrapped herself up with the quilt, and darted to the bathroom. She ran so fast that she almost ran into the ss bathroom door.

    When Hansen saw her scramble, he couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud.

    This woman was remarkably attractive! He felt distressed the whole night. He managed to control himself and did not touch her. If it wasn¡¯t for her injury, and if he had not helped her apply the ointment, he would have had his way with her. He would have trapped her under his body and made her beg for mercy.

    However, the moment he thought about her frail body, he really couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. Wasn¡¯t a woman supposed to be like a flower? No matter what he did, he had to be careful. Otherwise, she would wither too early. It was the first time he felt pity for a woman, and the woman was evenhis ex-wife whom he once despised. He has never expected this situation at all.

    Hansen was impressed by his perseverance. He didn¡¯t expect that he could bear the pain for the entire night when his desires nearly overtook him. He didn¡¯t touch her. He was usually very impulsive. His desire for her was through the roof and it still hadn¡¯t subsided sincest night. He was still feeling somewhat ufortable.

    By the time Jenna came out of the bathroom, she had already changed into a fall outfit. She was dolled up in a pastel yellow coat over her dark olive green sweater paired with a denim skirt. The skirt hugged her hips perfectly, which highlighted her morous figure. Her eyes were sparkling from the sufficient sleep that she hadst night. Her skin was radiant and her cheeks were flushed, which made her look stunning.

    Hansen stared at her motionlessly, and his eyes were somewhat blurred. This woman could even make a man like Rayan fall head over heels. The more he looked at her, the more he wanted to be with her. Every time he saw her, he wanted to pull her into his chest and have his way with her. He couldn¡¯t control his desire. This feeling was scary. He was bing afraid of what he was capable of doing when he lost his control.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go and make breakfast.¡± She felt a little embarrassed when she saw Hansen staring at her. It was as if his eyes could see through her. She looked away and was about to head to the kitchen.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to do that. Let¡¯s go out and grab breakfast.¡± Hansen finally came to his senses and said calmly, ¡°We still need to go shoppingter.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Jenna nodded. ¡°Then, you should go and get changed. I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡±

    ¡°No, you have to help me,¡± Hansen saidzily as he reached out his hand.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jenna was confused. Since when did he be sozy? Did he need her to help him put on clothes?

    ¡°Hurry up.¡± Hansen was getting impatient. Last night, he had been tortured by her throughout the entire night. He had to suppress his desire. He was full of unpleasant feelings and nearly lost his mind. Now he had to find a way toe up with some sort of payback. He was not willing to let her off the hook so easily.

    Jenna didn¡¯t understand what he meant, so she just walked up to him. He stretched out his hand. It was obviously a signal from him to ask her to help him put on his clothes, right? What else could it be? Perhaps a hug?

    She grabbed a soft sweater from the wardrobe and a pair of trousers.She then brought it over to where he was sitting.

    Jenna reached out to help him take off his pajamas. Just as her hands briefly brushed his chest, he immediately grabbed hold of her hands. ¡°What are you doing? Are you trying to seduce me? What are you trying to do by walking over and immediately taking off my pajamas?¡±

    He said with a menacing voice and asked with a fake smile. There was a hint of mischief in his eyes.

    Jenna was stunned. Didn¡¯t he want her to help him change out of his clothes? What did he mean when he stretched out his hands then?

    ¡°I thought you wanted me to help you change into your clothes. Then, shouldn¡¯t I take off your pajamas first? ¡± She exined as she blushed.

    ¡°Oh, is that it?¡± Hansen pretended to understand what she meant. He smiled and asked, ¡°If I pout, then what does that tell you?¡±

    He asked deliberately and pursed his lips.

    ¡°You¡¯re being silly. I can¡¯t be bothered to help you now.¡± Jenna angrily threw aside his clothes and turned around to leave. As soon as she took a step, Hansen stretched out a hand to pull her. Jenna stumbled and fell on the bed.

    ¡°Why are you so impatient? If you continue to be like this, how are you going to make me happy?¡± Hansen stroked her face. His voice was a little cold.

    ¡°What the h*ll do you want?¡± Jenna¡¯s temper sparked as she demanded.

    The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

    ¡°Well then, you can help me take off my clothes.¡± He suddenly changed his tone when he realized that Jenna was about to lose her temper. She then reached out to help him change out of his pajamas. He didn¡¯t say anything, but he managed to take advantage of her.

    Jenna helped him put on his clothes carefully. When it came to taking off his pants, Jenna refused to do so. However, Hansen did not want to do it himself and kept pestering her to do it. In the end, Jenna had no choice but to do it.

    Although she did not want to take care of such a big baby and did not like that he took advantage of her, as long as he did not torture her in bed, she was willing to obey all of his orders.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Helping him change clothes was not an easy task. Jenna sighed in relief and was about to leave. Hansen suddenly pulled her by the waist, lowered his head, and went in for a kiss. It was a very passionate kiss and he caught her off guard. She was so angry that she tried to push him back, but she was trapped under him. Jenna was so angry that her face turned red, and she red at him.

    Hansenughed and let go of her. He pulled her up, and they walked to the living room hand in hand.

    The part-time cleaners were already here to clean the house. They walked past both of them as they talked andughed.

    At this moment, they were thinking, ¡°If so many things hadn¡¯t happened, they would probably be living happily ever after together.¡±

    ¡°Today, your task is to help me pick a gift for Grandma.¡± Hansen informed her as they got into the Hummer.

    ¡°Why? I haven¡¯t even decided what I was going to get for Grandma.¡± Jenna objected and felt a little headache. She didn¡¯t know what kind of gift she should pick for grandma. She couldn¡¯t even decide what to give her, so how was it possible for her to think on his behalf as well?

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Anyway, you are in charge of this matter. If grandma is not satisfied, I will say that it is your idea.¡± Hansen shot back.

    ¡°Can you not be so petty?¡± Jenna was full of dissatisfaction. Now, they had nothing to do with each other. Why should she take the me?

    ¡°Youe up with some ideas or else you¡¯ll die.¡± Hansen drove the car leisurely and freely.

    Jenna frowned and racked her brains.

    They headed into the city. Soon, they arrived at the Vogue Gift Shop as they walked into the store together.

    Jenna nced over the store. Back when she lived in the Richards Manor, Grandma Richards was the only one who protected her and was the only one who treated her well. She wanted to pick something nice for her. Besides, she managed to live till this age, so every birthday from now on was very important.

    Hansen put his arms around her waist nonchntly and apanied her as she scanned the gifts on disy. The intimacy disyed between them was like that of a couple.

    Handsome men and beautiful women turned heads wherever they went. Everyone was staring at them. Even the paparazzi were taking pictures of them together.

    Hansen did not feel anything out of the ordinary, but Jenna was flustered. She wanted to push Hansen away, but he whispered in her ear, ¡°You are in such a hurry to draw a line with me in front of the paparazzi. Do you want to keep a clean reputation to hook up with other men?¡±

    Jenna couldn¡¯t wait to kill him, but after thinking about it, since she has no more dignity left in A city. It didn¡¯t matter if people started to gossip about her again. In the future, if she ever wanted to leave, she could only go to a ce where no one could recognize her. That was the only way she could live a regr life. She would just have to let him do whatever he wanted.

 Chapter 85 I Must Marry Him

    In the grand living room of the McAdams Manor.

    ¡°Aria, are you sure you want to marry Hansen?¡± Earl asked, frowning at Aria, who was sitting on the opposite couch. He was gripping a newspaper in his hand, and his face was as pale as a ghost.

    ¡°Dad, I love him. I must marry him.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes were red and swollen. She replied with certainty, ¡°Dad, I have been with him for so many years. We have so many memories together andI love him. Why can¡¯t I marry him? Where else would I be able to find such a good husband like him in A city?¡±

    Aria was in denial, and was deeply unhappy.She was determined to make Hansen her husband no matter what.

    ¡°s.¡± Earl shook his head, sighed. Then he saidas he handed the newspaper to Aria., ¡°You better take a good look at this for yourself. It¡¯s your decision after all. Don¡¯t me me for not giving you a head¡¯s up.¡±

    After Aria took the newspaper and looked at it, she said casually, ¡°Dad, I know about this. The paparazzi have been taking a lot of pictures of him and his ex-wife together these days. What about it? He has no feelings for her anymore. In fact, he loathes her, and besides, they are already divorced.¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Aria, how do you know that Hansen does not have feelings for Jenna? Look at this photo. This is what a happy couple looks like. They are smiling, looking all lovey-dovey. How can you tell that he hates her?¡± Earl¡¯s eyes were dead-serious. He looked at his smitten daughter and felt a little heartbroken for her.

    If Hansen loved his daughter, would he bear to hurt her? Would he even refuse tobel their rtionship? This was not gentlemanly at all. If a man did this, there was only one exnation: he was either ipetent, or he didn¡¯t love the woman at all. However, Hansen was not ipetent, so it must be thetter. He, as an observer, could see this as clear as day. However, his daughter who was deeply in love with him, could not see this.

    Through his conversation with Hansen, he understood his intentions. All these were just an excuse. He knew that he did not want his daughter to get married. He was the Mayor of City A, yet his daughter wanted to marry Hansen as his second wife. He was furious at the thought of it. His excuse was that Grandma Richards opposed the marriage, but Earl didn¡¯t think so. Grandma Richards can disapprove of their marriage, but Hansen was the one marrying her. If he loved her and wanted to marry her, he would do everything in his power to make it happen. He wouldn¡¯t hesitate at all.

    A man like Hansen was smart, arrogant and woulddare to do anything he wanted to do. If he put his mind to something, no one would be able to stop him. However, with regards to his marriage with Aria, he adopted a state of disregard, which further angered Earl.

    As the Mayor of A city, the McAdams family was considered a rich and powerful family. Furthermore, Hansen was a divorcee. His daughter was smart and beautiful, which was more than enough for him. On the other hand,Hansen was not very enthusiastic about their marriage. Earl was embarrassed as his family had to initiate the topic repeatedly despite being the bride¡¯s family. Was his daughter so mean that no one wanted to be with her?

    That was why he forced Aria toe home with them that night after going over for Grandma Richard¡¯s birthday celebration.

    He did this for several reasons. First of all, he wanted to give Aria a chance to calm down and let her think through Hansen¡¯s motive. He was trying to persuade her against marrying Hansen, at least until Hansen proposed to her himself. If Hansen loved her, he would know what to do.

    As a matter of fact, he did not want his daughter to marry such an outstanding man. That was not a good thing for women. Secondly, he wanted to try to change Grandma Richard¡¯s negative perception of his daughter.

    There were not many wise elders who would refuse to change their minds once in the presence of Mayor McAdams. Besides, his daughter¡¯s marriage to Hansen would only boost the reputation of the Richards family.

    Moreover, he wanted to save his daughter from embarrassment. After all, a bride¡¯s family could not always obey the groom¡¯s family. It would only bring shame to the family. That was the reason why he had asked his daughter to go home with them that night. He wanted to know how Hansen would react.

    However, he was disappointed by his actions. Not only did Hansen not take the initiative to meet up with his daughter, but he recently saw a lot of pictures of him and his ex-wife together in the newspapers. What did it mean then? What was his daughter to him?

    Therefore, he decided to convince Aria to give up the idea of marrying Hansen. His daughter did not need to marry a man like that. They had a reputation to protect. He had to protect his family¡¯s honor and let Hansen take the initiative to either propose, or cancel this marriage. How could his daughter be a mistress?

    ¡°Dad, men are all so unfaithful. The news used to report about him having a woman around him, and it was obvious that it was that woman who pestered him. I have to admit she is beautiful so I am not surprised that he would take advantage of her. Once he gets bored with her, he will automaticallye back to me. After all these years, I know him inside out. I¡¯m sure that he hates that woman. They separated after a few years of marriage. I know what¡¯s going on.¡± Aria exined, not taking it seriously.

    ¡°Aria, are you sure that Hansen truly loves you?¡± Earl muttered, his eyes gleaming. He stared at Aria and asked sincerely.

    Aria was stunned. She raised her confused eyes and looked at Earl. Her face was a little embarrassed. After a long time, she affirmatively said, ¡°Before Jenna came back from abroad, I was sure that Hansen had feelings for me.¡±

    ¡°What about now?¡± Earl¡¯s voice became harsher.

    ¡°Now, now¡­ I am not too sure, but aren¡¯t all men like this?¡± Aria hesitated. She didn¡¯t know how to answer her father. Her eyes were full of anger and dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Ridiculous,¡± Earl shouted. He held up his gold-framed sses with one hand and said bitterly, ¡°Aria, I¡¯m so disappointed in you. Do you know what love is? You¡¯re going to marry him, but you don¡¯t know whether he loves you or not. How can you not know? How can you be so sloppy when ites to marriage? You are our only daughter. You¡¯ve always got what you wanted ever since you were young. You¡¯ve never got mistreated. However, you¡¯d rather suffer all these grievances than be alone. Why can¡¯t you be more reserved? What¡¯s more important than self-respect? How about this? Let¡¯s drop this topic. Just tell me what kind of men you¡¯re into, and I will ask my secretary to go and look for one for you? What do you think?¡±

    Earl was dead set on his decision. Nothing could make him change his mind.

    Aria didn¡¯t listen but felt embarrassed and afraid. She suddenly burst into tears, choked with sobs, and hugged herself tightly. She said with tears in her eyes, ¡°Dad, I love Hansen. I¡¯ve loved him for so long. I have spent so much time and energy on him. I will not give up, even until the day I die. He must marry me, otherwise, I will not let him go. Dad, please help me. Please let me marry into the Richards family.We are so close to the finish line.I must be his wife, I must be able to live in Richards Manor, and I must be recognized as part of their family.Otherwise, dad, I would rather die than to marry someone else.¡±

    She said while weeping continuously.

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Earl¡¯s eyes shed with rage. A sense of grief and annoyance rushed to his head. He almost passed out due to anger. What hurt him more was that he understood a cruel fact: his daughter¡¯s love for Hansen was deep. However, Hansen didn¡¯t love his daughter. Instead, he would rather give her the title of a mistress. His only daughter loved him with all of her heart, but he didn¡¯t care about it at all. It was too disrespectful for him.

    ¡°Earl, don¡¯t me Aria. It¡¯s not wrong to love someone. All young people are like that. What¡¯s more, my daughter ismitted when ites to love. This kind of feeling is rare and precious. What kind of person is Hansen? How dare he look down on my daughter? How dare he treat her like this?¡± Georgia came and hugged Aria as she wiped the tears from her own face. She was so angry that she gnashed her teeth.

    The sight of his wife and daughter in tears made Earl¡¯s heart very anxious. He stood up with a gloomy face and walked towards the balcony. He narrowed his eyes.

    Ever since they brought Aria back from the Richards Manor, she had been absent-minded and sad every day, and now she was wailing as if she was dying. Earl finally understood what was going on in her mind.

    However, he restricted her and did not allow her to find Hansen. He just wanted to see what Hansen¡¯s true intentions were. Unfortunately, his worst nightmare hase true!

    Hansen did not have any reaction. Instead, he recently became closer to his ex-wife,pletely ignoring Earl¡¯s daughter.

    What should he do? He couldn¡¯t bear to see his only daughter be so devastated. As she said, she had loved Hansen for many years. He couldn¡¯t stop his daughter¡¯s love for Hansen. Was he just going to watch as his daughter threw herself at a man who had no interest in her?

    Earl¡¯s heart sank, and he felt an unprecedented dilemma. In the officialdom, he was free and easy. However, he feltpletely helpless this time.

    By the time the sun rose, people in the Richards Manor began preparing for the day.

    It was Grandma Richards, Vivian Delia¡¯s 90th birthday. Although Grandma Richards repeatedly told everyone that she just wanted to be able to pray to the ancestors and have a reunion dinner with the rtives, all the workers in Richard Manor began to get busy.

    The Richards family manor was located in the golden district of A City, and it was arge, old-fashioned garden in the modern city. It was centered on the ink garden and was surrounded by flower gardens and luscious trees. The thousand-year-old trees and all kinds of rare nts were picked from all over the world. The garden pavilions were very simr to the ancient gardens. After it was repaired a few times, and some modern elements were added, it became even more beautiful. It was like a fairytale. Some people have said that entering the Richards family manor was like entering a dream.

    There was an enormous clubhouse in the middle. It was equipped with a jacuzzi, gym, and all kinds of entertainment facilities, which were exclusively for the masters of the Richards family. The Richards family did not have many descendants. Old Master Richard had two sons and two daughters. His two sons were Trevor and ude. ude married his second wife, and together they had Norton and Andrea. Trevor only had one child, Hansen. As for Old Master¡¯s two daughters, even though they had gotten married, they would stille back quite often. They did not like to be away from the family.

    Therefore, in Grandma Richards¡¯ opinion, the descendants of the Richards family were not very prosperous. She was eager to have grandchildren.

    Especially Hansen, whom she introduced to Jenna as soon as he graduated from college. She had hoped that they would get married and start a family, but things went contrary to her wishes. Her heart had been broken by them ending their marriage.

    Grandma Richards was sitting on a rocking chair in the Ink Garden,wearing a luxurious vintage robe. She was resting with her eyes closed.

 Chapter 86 Birthday Celebration

    ¡°Old Madam, it¡¯s time to take your medicine,¡± Meroy came over with a small capful of medicine and a ss of warm water, remindingher in a low voice. She knew that Old Madam was just resting her eyes and she could hear whatever that was going on.

    Grandma Richards opened her slightly cloudy eyes and sighed,¡°It¡¯s fine even if I don¡¯t take this medicine. I know I don¡¯t have much time left. However, I am still a little worried. I¡¯m old and fine with death, but there are some things that I cannot let go of.¡±

    She said it in sorrow. Tears were running down her face.

    Meroy, who had been by the Old Madam¡¯s side for a long time, knew what she was worried about. Sheforted her in a soft voice, ¡°Old Madam, you¡¯re a very lucky person. Everything will be fine. Don¡¯t worry too much. Your health is the most important thing right now.¡±

    A gentle breeze swept across Grandma Richard¡¯s silver hair, blowing strands across her forehead. She, who had always loved dressing up, just put on some simple clothes andhad no intention of dressing up. Her ruddy face was covered with a strange sadness.

    ¡°It seems like it¡¯s time for me to take action. Otherwise,Hansen won¡¯t be able to be true to himself. After so many years, Hansen still can¡¯t understand. There are some things that I can¡¯t me others for. It¡¯s all my fault,¡± Grandma Richards said sadly, ¡°If I don¡¯t get to see the Richards Group flourishing and making amends in my lifetime, I¡¯ll feel ashamed of myself and of the Richards family. I¡¯m worried that I do not have much time left and will not be able to live to see that day.¡±

    Grandma Richards¡¯s expression was sorrowfulwith tears streaming down her face.

    ¡°Old Madam, today¡¯s your birthday. You shouldn¡¯t say things like this. Good things are yet toe. You are still very healthy and strong. You will live for over 100 years. Don¡¯t worry. Theyoung masters are shrewd. They can take care of themselves. I¡¯m sure they can live on their own. Old Madam, just be happy and enjoy the rest of your life. Your grandchildren wille to visit you shortly. You are very fortunate to have such filial children and grandchildren, and you¡¯ve also been blessed with much wealth. People must be jealous of you. Old Madam, you are truly blessed,¡± Meroy quickly offered Old Madam someforting words when she saw that she was in tears of grief.

    Grandma Richards sighed and said with a bitter smile, ¡°People may think that I have infinite glory,but in fact, no one knows the sorrow behind it. No one knows that the Richards Manor has survived many years of glory and humiliation and that it was eventually preserved thanks to the Old Master. Now, if the descendants of the Richards family do not continue to work hard, I¡¯m afraid that the Richards Manor will go downhill.¡±

    Meroy was stunned and did not understand why the Old Madam said that.Although there were not many descendants of the Richards family, there were at least two young masters who were doing exceptionally well. They were very respectable and renowned in society. Old Madam¡¯s words were a little exaggerated which might be because older people saw things differently. She immediately exined, ¡°Old Madam, you¡¯re overthinking. Now the eldest young master of the Richards family is now in charge of the Richards Group, and the second young master is also the Director of the Finance Ministry. There must be a lot of people who envy them! I¡¯m pretty sure there are a lot of people in A city who wish to be in your position.¡±

    Grandma Richards burst into tears again when she heard Meroy¡¯s words,¡°Meroy, you just don¡¯t see things clearly. There are some things that I know very well deep down.¡±

    After she said that, she closed her eyes again.

    Meroy was a little worried when she saw that Old Madam was not in a good mood. She then helped her up and gave her her medicine before reading the newspaper for her. When she flipped to the page about Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s news, her face lit up, even her voice sounded cheerful.

    However,the Old Madam¡¯s eyes remained closedand she didn¡¯t speak, as if she was asleep.

    Meroy thought that she was asleep, but she had a strange feeling in her heart, however, she did not dare to ask any questions.

    When Hansen drove back to the Richards Manor with Jenna in his Hummer, Jenna was still in daze; it was as if she was in a dream. She looked around in disbelief. Was she really back at the Richards Manor?

    When she returned to her former home after three years, everything seemed to have changed. She was no longer a member of this family, but why did she always feel that the grass and trees were still so familiar? This ce, where she had been humiliated, seemed to have a great connection with her.

    She smiled bitterly,feeling a little bored and empty.

    ¡°You should get down and wait for me. Remember not to go anywhere else,¡± Hansen stopped his car on the broad, clean asphalt road in the center of the manor and ordered Jenna. Jenna nodded, opened the door, and got down from the car slowly. She was met with the sight of a beautiful vintage style garden surrounded by European-style vis. The trees provided shade and greenery for the vis, which was a wonderful sight.

    Jenna stood there indifferently and her bright eyes were as clear as water.

    Butler Maud came out in a hurry to wee her.

    ¡°Hello, Young Madam,¡± he greeted her after seeing Jenna get down from the car. He was stunned at first, then came over and greeted her with a smile. Although he had heard a lot of rumors about Jenna and Hansen, he dared not neglect her as Jenna had arrived in Hansen¡¯s car. As a butler, he had always been shrewd and would not miss out on formalities.

    ¡°Butler Maud, it¡¯s nice to see you again,¡± Jenna nodded at him graciously. Even though there were not many servants who respected her when she stayed in the Richard Manor, she maintained the courtesy she should have, regardless of how they treated her in the past.

    After a while, Hansen came out of the parking lot.

    ¡°Butler Maud, where is Madam?¡± He asked calmly.

    ¡°Young Master, they have gone to the Ink Garden. She told me to wait for you here and to send you over to the Ink Gardenas soon as you¡¯ve arrived, so as not to displease Old Madam,¡± Butler Qiu answered cautiously.

    ¡°They?¡± Hansen was stunned and suspicious.

    ¡°This, Young Master¡­¡± Butler Maud nced at Jenna with a hesitant look and mumbled.

    ¡°Come on, tell me. Don¡¯t stutter,¡± Hansen was very impatient.

    ¡°Young Master, Madam is apanying Mayor McAdams and his familyto pay their respects to theOld Madam first,¡± Butler Maud knew that there was no way to hide this matter, so hehad to speak up and answer.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes darkened. Did they actuallye? He thought that they would back out since that night. After all, he had made himself clear and told them the truth. He had thought that for the sake of Mayor McAdams¡¯ reputation, they would note over again. He did not expect that they would actuallye to attend Grandma Richard¡¯s birthday celebration like they said they would.

    Outsiders were not invited to Grandma Richards¡¯ birthday celebration. Would their presence upset Grandma Richards? He didn¡¯t want her to feel sad today.

    When he thought of this, he couldn¡¯t help but hold Jenna¡¯s hand and quickly walked toward the electric car that was parked on the roadside.

    A chill ran down Jenna¡¯s spine when she heard their conversation.Jenna felt as if her entire body had been hollowed out, and her heart was filled with bitterness. This time, she came to the Richards Manor only to see Grandma Richards, the person who had once protected her while she was here. She did not expect to see Aria. How awkward would that be?

    However, now an awkward situation was ahead and she had to face it. She was an ex-wife who was about to meet Hansen¡¯s soon-to-be wife, Mayor McAdams, the mayor of A city¡¯s daughter. She was nothing but a down-and-out girl, who was now Hansen¡¯s ything and mistress. When she came here today, not only was Butler Maud surprised to see her, even she, herself felt that it was weird for her to be here.

    Once Hansen heard that Aria was here, he rushed to the Ink Garden impatiently. Just now, he was still carefree along the way and being his usual sarcastic self. If it was not because of Grandma Richard¡¯s order, he would not have brought her back to the Richards Manor.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Hansen drove the electric car towards the Ink Garden whileJenna sat in the car and admired the beauty of the trees and flowers in the Richards Manor as she gradually calmed down. Perhaps after today, she didn¡¯t need toe back here anymore. With so many people present, the awkward situation might onlyst a few moments.

    The Richards Manor was really big with a vast green garden all around. The vis were built in a circle and in the middle of it all was the Ink Garden, an ancient vi. Each vi was equipped with a small garden, which was connected to the Ink Garden. It took them more than 20 minutes to get to the Ink Garden by car. If they were to travel the entire circle, it would probably take them more than an hour.

    Although she had stayed in the Richards Manor for a year, she had never finished exploring the entire ce. Firstly, the ce was too big. Secondly, she felt that she was a nobody and did not dare to wander around the ce. She always felt out of ce no matter where she went in the Richards Manor. She used to be the titr Young Madam, but now she was just the woman whom Hansen dumped and was ridiculed by the others. It was a terrible feeling.

    Hansen could feel the silence and coldness of the woman beside him. He turned his head and saw the dry smile on her face, masking her sadness. His heart ached at the sight of her and he felt a burst of unspeakable difort. She was probably thinking of the awkward situation that she was about to encounter. He reached for her hand and offered her an encouraging, friendly smile.

    Was this to please her? Was he worried that she was going toin to Grandma Richards? She lowered her eyes and reluctantly smiled back at him.

    Until Hansen led her out of the electric car, she still had a surreal feeling. If it wasn¡¯t because of Hansen, she would have made a spectacle of herself. She probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to find the ce as she was so distracted.

    In the living room of the Ink Garden, both the buildings and furniture were antique and in a retro style. The couch was luxurious yet practical. The middle of the couch consisted of several long cubes assembled together, with an openwork pattern etched into the back of the couch. The backrest of the couch was iid with gold and was in a mahogany wood color, which made it look noble and calming. The two sides were surrounded by four separate couches, all of which were of simr openwork designs. The chairs in the middle of the living room were arranged in a row.

 Chapter 87 Grandma Richardsâ€™ Summons

    At this time,the chandelier in the living room was turned on and the ce was brightly lit.

    The front-row seat in the living room was empty. It was arge mahogany upholstered couch that had been Grandma Richards¡¯ seat.

    There were many masters and descendants of the Richards family sitting in the back rowwithoutany outsiders, not even Marissa¡¯s family or ude¡¯s wives¡¯ families. Even when General Delia wanted to send Sabrina over, Grandma Richards turned him down.

    Since Trevor couldn¡¯te, ude would naturally be the master. He was sitting in the middle of the back seat, and both of his wives were sitting on either side of him. Trevor was the eldest among his siblings in the Richards family, but because Trevor was bedridden and in a vegetative state, and also because Marissa was a woman, she had to sit behind ude. In their family, wives were valued by their husbands, and if their husbands were absent, they would naturally lose their positions in the family.

    It was because of thisthatMarissa had some prejudices towards Jenna as she was the one who had put her husband in the hospital. Ever since Trevor was admitted to the hospital, whenever there was any family gathering, she never really had a genuine or happy smile on her face.

    As for Grandma Richards¡¯ daughters, one was temporarily staying in the Richards Manor due to her husband¡¯s downfall and the other one was sitting in the back row with her husband.

    The next row was the descendants of the Richards family. Norton was sitting on the left and Andrea was sitting next to Norton. The two main seats in the middle were for Hansen, but there was only one seat left as Aria upied one as she waited for Hansen toe over.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Earl and Georgia were seated as the guests of honor.However, this was all because of Marissa, who wanted to make sure that Grandma Richards recognized Aria as her future granddaughter-inw in front of everyone at the birthday celebration.

    All the workers of the Richards family had arrived, but they were all standing without a sound in the side room connected to the living room.

    When Hansen appeared in the living room holding Jenna¡¯s hand, almost all the eyes in the living room fell on them with all kinds of expressions on their faces. At first, they were looking at their faces, but soon, their eyes fell on their interlocked hands. He held her hand tightly, determined, and did not care about what people were saying.

    Jenna felt very embarrassed and awkward under their gazes. There were all kinds of gazes such as contempt, indifference, disdain, resentment, calm, and inscrutable. However, none of them disyed any warmth or affection. Just like three years ago, she was still despised and unepted by those in the room.

    The only difference this time around was that Hansen held her hand throughout, even when he saw Aria, he did not let go of her hand.

    He didn¡¯t take Jenna to his seat because Aria was sitting thereandthere was only one empty seat left. So he took her hand and sat down in a separate chair next to the couch.

    Aria had been waiting for Hansen next to his seat. The moment she saw Hansen, her face lit up and she was overjoyed. However, her face soon darkened!

    Her eyes were fixed on Hansen as he walked into the room. He held Jenna¡¯s hand tightly and his eyes were gentle and caring as he looked at Jenna. Aria¡¯s eyes soon filled with resentment and hatred.

    She turned her head and looked at Norton, who had a tense look on his face and was ring at Hansen¡¯s hand on Jenna¡¯s. His hands were on his knees, gripping his pants tightly and the veins on his hands had popped out. He gritted his teeth and did not make any sound, and no expression could be seen on his face.

    ¡°Coward,¡± Aria was amused yet angry at the same time. Suddenly, she felt relieved as there was nothing to be afraid of. She was not the only one who did not want to see them together. She wanted to know how long they were going tost. Deep down, she despised Norton who loved Jenna but did not dare to openly pursue her and didn¡¯t want to think about how to win her heart. He kept his eyes on them and yed tricks behind their backs. He was really a sinister and despicable sc*mbag.

    Jenna felt a little ufortable at the others¡¯ gazes on her. If she had not promised Grandma Richards that she woulde, she would have definitely turned around and bolted out.

    Hansen, on the other hand, seemed to have read her mind. He kept holding onto her hand as if he was afraid that she might run away.

    Jenna thought, ¡°He must be afraid that I would run away and he would break his promise to his grandmother, otherwise, why didn¡¯t he go over and sit with Aria? Instead, he¡¯s apanying me.¡±

    She had no interest ining over to stick her nose into other people¡¯s family affairs in the cold and aloof Richards Manor.

    Everything was just for show. After today, she might not need toe back here ever. She was just going to let other people think what they want to think andsay what they want to say. Why should she care about them?

    While she was thinking about it, Meroy came out.

    Everyone immediately turned their attention to Meroy.

    Meroy was wearing a red dress and looked lively. After she came out and greeted the masters, she informed everyone of Grandma Richards¡¯ request, ¡°Jenna, pleasee in. Grandma Richards wants to have a word with you.¡±

    Everyone looked surprised, with incredulous expressions on their faces when they heard her words. Grandma Richards only wanted to see Jenna alonebefore paying her respects to the ancestors? What was the purpose of this?

    They had all been sitting and waiting for a long time and Grandma Richards hadn¡¯t asked them to go in to talk even when Marissa informed her that the McAdams family was there to visit her. However, not long after Hansen came in with Jenna, Grandma Richards had requested to have a word with Jenna. What were her intentions?

    Aria¡¯s face darkened. Initially, she had Marissa¡¯s permission to sit next to Hansen. Anyone with discerning eyes knew her intentions. However, after Hansen came in, he did not respond to her. Instead, he walked over to another seat and sat with Jenna. Now, Grandma Richards had evenpletely ignored her and her children and grandchildren and only invited Jenna in. Wasn¡¯t that a p in the face?

    What could this woman have done in order for Grandma Richards to favour her so much? Knowing that Hansen and her were already divorced and she was no longer part of the Richards family anymore,why was Grandma Richards still treating Jenna so well? Even with Aria¡¯s father by her side, it was not enough to make Grandma Richards ept her. She had lost her face and even Earl¡¯s face was lost and looked sorrowful and mysterious.

    Even Hansen didn¡¯t understand it. He just turned and looked at Jenna nkly, who was sitting beside him.

    Jenna herself was even more confusedanddid not understand why Grandma Richards would want to see her only. She knew that Grandma Richards liked her, but no matter how much she liked her, she was still an outsider. Moreover, she was no longerthe daughter-inw of the Richards family. Did Grandma Richards like her more than her own grandchildren? This was something that she wouldn¡¯t believe.

    After Jenna left, Aria walked towards Hansen and sat next to him, full of grievances and tears in her eyes.

    Hansen was still in shock and did not notice her at all.

    Everyone in the living room was silent. ude¡¯s second wife was discreetlyughing at Marissa and Aria. Marissa was in such a hurry to invite Aria¡¯s family over and everyone knew her intentions. However, it seemed like her efforts were in vain. Grandma Richards was not willing to ept Aria after all.

    It seemed that Aria was longing to be the Young Madam of the Richards family. Hansen had not said anything and yet she was so anxious. She was really thick-skinned, but they just smiled in their hearts and didn¡¯t show it on the surface.

    However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, Jenna stayed in the room for more than an hour. At first, they all waited patiently, butter, they all got impatient and startedining.

    Finally, as everyone waited,Jenna finally walked out from the room.

    Her face was a little pale, and the light in her eyes was not clear and she looked a little absent-minded. She just stood there with her eyes looking down. She caught a glimpse of Aria sitting next to Hansen from the corner of her eyes. She did not walk towards them, instead she walked to a quiet corner and stood there alone. She was trying to hide herself, not wanting anyone to notice her.

    Hansen took a deep look at her as she didn¡¯t walk towards him. In addition to being a little cold, her expression was indifferent, absent-minded, and distracted. He had no idea what Grandma Richards had said to her. However, he knew that it was more than a simple catch up since she had been in the room for more than an hour. He wanted to go over and ask her what happened, but Aria held his arm and it was unpleasant to push her away in front of so many people, so he had to sit down.

    After a while, Meroy came out again and said loudly, ¡°Grandma Richards wants to invite Mayor McAdams toe over and have a talk.¡±

    This time, there was an uproar again!

    Everyone turned and looked at Earl.

    Aria¡¯s heart perked up. Grandma Richards had finally invited them for a talk. It seemed that Grandma Richards had finally figured it out and was willing to acknowledge her the granddaughter-inw of the Richards family. When Aria saw Jenna¡¯s nched face, she immediately understood that the reason why Grandma Richards invited her in first was to inform her that she had been officially removed from the Richards¡¯ family tree and had decided to pass the title over to Aria. Otherwise, why would Jenna look like that?

    Wasn¡¯t it obvious now that Grandma Richards had invited her father to have a talk? She was so excited that her hands began to tremble.

    Earl was very calm. He stood up and walked towards Grandma Richards¡¯s bedroom. When he walked past Hansen, Hansen was inexplicably worried and his eyes drifted to the corner again and looked at Jenna, who was standing there silently. She stood there alone and she looked lonely. There was a kind of inexplicable sadness in his heart. Did Grandma Richards break any bad news to her when she went in to talk with her? Did she really want to remove her from the Richards¡¯ family tree? Was Grandma Richards finally going to acknowledge Aria?

    What¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t he use to have his heart set on her leaving him? Didn¡¯t he want her name to be removed from the Richards¡¯ family tree? Then where did the feeling of fear of losing here from now? What was wrong with him?¡±

    He looked at her again, but she just stood there silently and did not even look at him. It seemed that she had forgotten him, and she seemed to have forgotten that he brought her here. For a moment, he was exasperated, as if anything rted to her would make him feel uneasy.

 Chapter 88 Grandma Richardsâ€™ Decisions

    ¡°Miss McAdams, Grandma Richards only wants to see Mayor McAdams. Please sit back down,¡± Meroy¡¯s voice brought Hansen back from his daze. He looked up and realized that Aria intended to follow her father inside, but was politely stopped by Meroy.

    Aria¡¯s face darkened and she looked unhappy. She had no choice but to return to her seat and sit down next to Hansen.

    ¡°Hansen, why does Grandma Richards want to see my father?¡± She smiled sweetly and asked in a low voice.

    Hansen nced at Jenna as he shook his head and replied in a troubled state of mind, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    He really wanted to know what Grandma Richards had said to Jenna. He did not want Grandma Richards to change her liking for Jenna. He hoped that Grandma Richards would continue to love her. However, as he realized this, even he was taken aback by the feeling. He did not even bother to ponder over Aria¡¯s question.

    About 20 minutester, Earl emerged from the bedroom. His expression was calm and aloof, and his eyes behind his gold-rimmed sses wereelusive.

    ¡°Dad, what did Grandma Richards say to you?¡± Aria leaned over and asked in a low voice. Earl¡¯s expression was so subtle that he just looked at her with a meaningful look, but he didn¡¯t say anything.

    Aria was apprehensive. If it was good news, her father would definitely have told her, but he didn¡¯t, not even the slightest sign of it.However, there was no sign of that utter disappointment in her father¡¯s eyes either. His expression was as calm as ever, not even a sign of anything. The uneasiness in her heart was slightly relieved.

    After a while, Meroy came out with Grandma Richards from her room.

    Grandma Richards was sitting in a wheelchair, wearing an old-fashioned vermilion dress. Her white hair was fluttering in the wind, but she was hale and hearty. Her face was flushed, and she was smiling. There was no sign of tiredness on her face.

    ¡°Hello, Grandma,¡± Everyone stood up and greeted her.

    ¡°Hello, everyone,¡± Grandma Richards was grinning from ear to ear. She waved at everyone and everyone sat back down.

    ¡°Mayor McAdams, sorry to have troubled you. Thank you for taking the time out to celebrate my birthday with my family. I am very grateful!¡± Grandma Richards politely thanked Earl, the only outsider among the attendees. Her voice was full of gratitude. Earl hurriedly stood up and smiled at her, saying calmly, ¡°Grandma Richards, it is your 90th birthday after all. It¡¯s my pleasure to be here.¡±

    At this time, everyone began to wonder. What was Grandma Richards up to? Wasn¡¯t she always against his daughter marrying Hansen? Now she was acting like this so did she finally approve of their marriage? Did she just invite Jenna over to disassociate her from Hansen? If that¡¯s the case, Jenna would be able to turn over a new leaf. The moment they thought of this, they felt sorry for her. Some gave her sympathetic nces, but many more were disdainful looks.

    Marissa was over the moon. It seemed that her son¡¯s marriage was finally settledand she could begin getting ready for the wedding!

    ¡°Today is my birthday. I am not getting any younger and not as energetic as I used to, therefore, I will not be able to apany you young people for long. I have a few important announcements to make. Then, my family will apany me to pay respects to the ancestors. After that, I¡¯ll go back to rest,¡± Grandma Richards paused for a while. She was a little tired because she had consumed too much energy today.

    She took a deep breath and waved Meroy over. Meroy immediately took out a red booklet from the side of the wheelchair.

    Everyone in the living room sat up straight, stretched their necks, and held their breath. All of a sudden they became nervous, not knowing what decision Grandma Richards was going to announce. In the quiet living room, Hansen¡¯s heart was pounding in his chest as he looked at Jenna, who was still standing in the corner silently. He felt anxious and uneasy.

    What would he do if Grandma Richards were to announce that her name was officially removed from the Richards¡¯ family tree?

    If that was the case, didn¡¯t it mean that he was going to lose her forever? He would never be able to have her anymore. The image of the good moments they shared the night before yesterday shed through his mind and he was getting nervous.

    Meroy slowly opened the red booklet in her hand and read it aloud and clearly,

    ¡°I, Vivian, on behalf of the ancestors of the Richards family, would like to announce that firstly, Hansen Richards¡¯ right of inheritance of the Richards Manor will all be transferred to Jenna Murphy.¡±

    As soon as the decision was announced, the living room suddenly burst into an uproar. Everyone started to discuss among themselves.

    ¡°What does this mean?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.The Richards Manor is the Richards family¡¯s ancestral property but what¡¯s the point of giving it to an outsider when you don¡¯t even give it to your own grandson?¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Only the grandchildren of the family can inherit the Richards Manor. Even Andrea does not have a share. How can you give it to a divorced woman?¡±

    ¡°This woman really has a lot of tricks up her sleeve.¡±

    ¡°We cannot agree to this¡­..¡±

    ¡­

    Hansen returned to his senses. When he heard his grandmother¡¯s words, he could not help but feel relieved and rxed. An imperceptible smile appeared on his face and Aria saw the smile. She was seething with anger.

    ¡°Secondly, from today onwards, Jenna will move back to the Green Jade Garden in the Richards Manor and continue to stay in her original vi.¡±

    As soon as the announcement was made, everyone was shocked again. What was going on? Weren¡¯t Hansen and Jenna already divorced? How could she still stay in the Richards Manor?

    ¡°Mom, I have something to say,¡± Marissa couldn¡¯t take it anymore and was the first to raise her concerns. The sight of Jenna was enough to arouse her anger.Now she was going to move back to the Green Jade Garden, which meant that she had to see her everyday! Did Grandma Richards do that on purpose? She knew that she didn¡¯t like Jenna yet she still made such a decision.Grandma Richards really did not care about her at all. The Green Jade Garden was her house that was why others did not bother much, but she could not care less!

    Marissa did not like Jenna andshe couldn¡¯t let the woman step foot into the Green Jade Garden.

    ¡°Mom, Jenna is no longer legally married to Hansen. This is awful society after all. How is it possible for her to move back into the Richards Manor?¡± Marissa retorted affirmatively again. Her mother-inw had always liked to oppose her and she could no longerremain silent.

    Since the decision did not affect the rest of the family, the other family members just stood aside and watched.

    Grandma Richards, with a gleam in her eyes,cleared her throat, looked at the infuriated Marissa, and said slowly, ¡°This Richards Manor is my property and I am the one who gets to make these decisions. If there¡¯s any of you who is not happy with my decision, you can move out of here,¡± She swallowed and said solemnly, ¡°I would also like to state again that Jenna will remain in the Richards family tree as my granddaughter-inw. It is not easy to remove her from the family tree. I am just doing things ording to the Richards family¡¯s tradition. As for Jenna¡¯s and Hansen¡¯swful rtionship, it is none of my business. I have exined everything to Hansen. I have told him that he is free to marry some other woman but she will not be allowed to enter the Richards Manor. The Richards Manor is my property and I¡¯m happy to give it to whoever I want. I don¡¯t need to hear any of your remarks.¡±

    Grandma Richards¡¯ words made Marissa¡¯s and Aria¡¯s faces turn ck. There was also a terrible expression on Norton¡¯s face and only Earl was calm. He stood quietly and looked at Hansen.

    The expression on Hansen¡¯s face was different from the others when he heard Grandma Richard¡¯s decision. First, he was nervous, then delighted when he heard her first announcement, and now he was silent. He didn¡¯t seem to have much oppositionand that¡¯s what scared Earl the most.

    To be honest, Grandma Richard¡¯s decision did not really matter. Wasn¡¯t it just some family asset?What he wanted to see was Hansen¡¯s attitude towards everything. After all, Aria was going to live with him for the rest of her life.

    ¡°Next, the thirdannouncement is regarding the marriage between Aria and Hansen. Grandma Richards has agreed to let Aria stay in the Richards Manor for three months. We will only make a decision after three months.Grandma Richards has already discussed this matter with Mayor McAdams.¡±

    As soon as this was announced, everyone was dumbfounded again.

    Marissa and Aria were starting to look noticeably better. It seemed that Grandma Richards had taken everyone¡¯s feelings into ount and did not go to the extreme to no point of no return.

    At this time, everyone was whispering in their hearts.It seemed that Grandma Richards¡¯ birthday celebration was to announce her decision regarding Hansen¡¯s marriage. It seemed that she was tantly willing to allow Hansen to marry a concubine. As for who would be the first wife and who would be the concubine, it was all up to those two women.

    After Grandma Richards announced the decisions, ording to the Richards¡¯ family¡¯s rules, they needed to pay their respects to the ancestors, and outsiders had to leave. Because Aria was not married to Hansen and her name was not in the family tree, therefore Earl walked out with Aria sensibly. However, because he had important business to attend to, Earl decided to leave first while Aria remained there.

    ¡°Aria, this is the best I can do. If you really love Hansen and want to marry into the Richards family, then you have to do your best to prove yourself. I have faith in your ability. If you need anything, you can call me. From today onwards, you don¡¯t have to go home. You can just live in the Richards Manor. Good luck, my daughter. I will ask your mother to arrange for someone to bring you your clothes,¡± Earl said to Aria. In fact, this was his only choice. These days, Aria had lost her appetite and cried every day. She was his only daughter and naturally, he could not let go. Although it would not be the best way out, it was only for the best for his daughter.

    Although he had not decided what to do prior to his visit,Grandma Richards was finally willing to give his daughter a fair chance. At least, his daughter still stood a chance. If he didn¡¯t allow her to try, she wouldn¡¯t give up. No matter what the oue was, she had to give it a try. Anyway, it was only three months, which he could afford to wait. If the oue was unfavorable, then he would never allow her to fool around again.

 Chapter 89 Letâ€™s Meet at Gently Cafeteria

    Only Grandma Richards herself knew what was in her mind. Up until now, she still could not see how much Jenna loved her grandson. She heard that Jenna took a bullet for him. However, under the current situation, the reason why she came back to the Richards Group was veryplicated. Her grandson was so excellent, and she did not want her grandson to find a woman who did not love him. There were things she had to observe more closely.

    She was Grandma Richards after all. How could she take the outsider¡¯s side? It was just that people did not understand her intentions. If Jenna really liked her grandson, she would fight for him. She wanted to see what she was going to do. She wanted them to discover their true feelings for each other.

    Of course, Grandma Richards had a hidden agenda,which was only clear to her and not to anyone else.

    ording to the Richards family¡¯s tradition, Grandma Richards brought all the descendants of the Richards family, including Jenna, to pay their respects to the ancestors. Jenna was walking beside Hansen in a daze.

    On the ancestors¡¯ tablets of the Richards family, she saw her name engraved together with Hansen¡¯s on a jade stone, profoundly conspicuous. The jade was hard and full of mottled yellow light. With the vicissitudes of time, it seemed that they were connected to each other.

    The jade stone was as hard as a rock. At that moment, sheactually had a sense of belonging in her heart that she never had before, as if she was born to belong to this family.

    Now Grandma Richards had given her Hansen¡¯s right of inheritance of the Richards Manor, in an apparent attempt to protect her. At least with that, the servants would treat her better and not treat her with disdain in the Richards Manor. Moreover, with her name still on the ancestral tablet, she was still the titr eldest Young Madam in the Richards family.

    ording to the Richards family¡¯s tradition, any womanwhose name had been engraved on the ancestral tablet, would not be removed no matter what. It was because the family had an ideology ingrained in them that divorce was not allowed unless there was a valid reason. However, it was not something that the parties involved could decide.

    It was just that.

    Could she truly ept the things that Grandma Richards had given to her?

    Could she be able to stay in the Richards Manor?N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Jenna did all the rituals in a state of confusion and in a trance. Fortunately, Hansen took care of her and held her back, so that she didn¡¯t embarrass herself.

    After worshipping the ancestors, it was time to have dinner.

    There were not many people. The servants prepared about a dozen tables and a big main table. Grandma Richards sat on the main seat, ude sat on her right while Marissa sat on her left. While Hansen was nked by Jenna and Aria on either side, Jenna sat between Hansen and Marissa, which made things awkward. The thought of her moving into the Richards Manor made her feel ufortable.

    Everyone was eager to offer tea and gifts to Grandma Richards, who epted them with a smile and gave them a red packet in return.

    Jenna just got Grandma Richards a luxurious bath towel, while Hansen bought her a maic sleeping pillow, which, of course, was Jenna¡¯s idea.

    Grandma Richard did not care about the value of the gift. She justepted each and everyone with a smile on her face.

    After receiving the gifts, Grandma Richards only drank a few mouthfuls of soup before she felt tired. She then got into her wheelchair with Meroy¡¯s help and left.

    Everyone was ustomed to eating the delicacies of fancy food. How would they have the appetite to eat these kinds of food? Once Grandma Richards left, they hurriedly took a couple bites of food. Then, Marissa and ude¡¯s wives got up and left.

    After Marissa left, Jenna felt much more at ease.

    ¡°Hansen, have some of these,¡± Aria, who sat on his left side, said with a coquettish voice as she put a piece of food onto his te.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Hansen was in a good mood and thanked her.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me, Hansen. From now on, I will help to serve you your food, what do you think?¡± Aria hooked her arm around his happily and said in a sweet voice, ¡°Hansen,will youe with me to get my luggage after dinner? I¡¯ll be moving into the Richards Manor today and I still have a lot of things in my parents¡¯ house.¡±

    Aria boldly saidas if she had already married into the family.

    Jenna lowered her head and continued to eat silently. She suddenly became grouchy at the thought of her and Aria living together in the Green Jade Garden.

    She didn¡¯t like this woman very much, and she even hated her. Whenever she saw her, she would lose her appetite and feel revolted.

    ¡°Here, try some of the roast duck. It was specially delivered from Capital City,¡± Sensing the loneliness of the woman beside him, Hansen took a piece of roast duck and ced it onto Jenna¡¯s te.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jenna smiled and politely thanked him.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth quirked slightly when he heard her thank him.

    Aria¡¯s face darkened. She held Hansen¡¯s arm tightly and said, ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m done eating. Will you go get my stuff with me?¡±

    When Hansen came to his senses, he frowned slightly and said, ¡°Aria, you don¡¯t have to purposely go and collect them. If you need anything, just tell the butler to get you new ones. You can keep those back home and use it in the future. I have to go back to work after this meal.¡±

    ¡°No, Hansen. I¡¯m not used to using other things. There are some things that you cannot even get in this country and I can¡¯t buy them abroad at the moment so I¡¯d better go back and get them,¡± Aria pouted with an unhappy face, ¡°Hansen, today is Grandma Richards¡¯ birthday. You don¡¯t have to go to work. Please apany me for today.¡±

    Aria shook Hansen¡¯s arm and refused to give up. Hansen was pestered by Aria and had no choice but to promise, ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll send you back to your parents¡¯ house but you¡¯ll have to make your own way back here.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± When Aria saw that Hansen agreed, she was so delighted that her smile reached her eyes.

    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s going to be a good show in the future,¡± Andrea said, while she bit into the crab.

    ¡°Andrea, can you keep your mouth shut?¡± Nortonsnapped with a serious face towards Andrea in dissatisfaction.

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m talking about you. I also want to know who will be the wife and concubine in the future,¡± Andrea threw away the crab in her hand and said mischievously. She wiped her hands and turned away.

    Hansen understood what she meant by that and he couldn¡¯t help but be annoyed. All he wanted was a simple life, but he didn¡¯t understand why his grandmother would allow Aria to move in for three months. Was it because she wanted to protect Mayor McAdams¡¯ reputation? When he turned his head to look at Jenna only then did he realize that she had already left.

    As he stood up, he saw that Aria stood up at the same time. Then she reached over to grab his hand and walked out together.When he looked around for Jenna, she was nowhere to be seen. At the same time, Aria was gently tugging his hand, and he could not move, so he had no choice but to follow Aria.

    Jenna got in the electric car and drove away. Soon, she was outside of the Richards Manor and was walking on the side of the road. She was in a terrible mood but at the same time, she did not know where to go.

    She thought that she would never have toe back here, but she never expected that Grandma Richards would ask her to move back into the Richards Manor. In fact, she also wished to move into the Richards Manor instead of living with that b*stard Hansen every day. At least, everyone knew that, and she wouldn¡¯t suffer so much humiliation out in the open. Moreover, with Grandma Richards¡¯ protection, Hansen wouldn¡¯t dare to be too presumptuous in the Richards Manor.

    She hailed a taxi and headed back to Collier Manor to pack her belongings.

    After a while, her mobile phone rang. She was in a bad mood, but she answered anyway. Soon, Rayan¡¯s voice came over from the other end of the line, ¡°Jenna, are you free today?¡±

    Jenna looked at the chandelier on the ceiling absent-mindedly, and she became even gloomier. She actually had forgotten all about Rayan!

    When she thought of moving back into the Richards Manor, and perhaps it would be difficult to see Rayan in the days toe, she felt a little disheartened.

    After all,she was still nominally Hansen¡¯s wife in the Richards Manor. So, she had to be particrly careful with her words and deeds.

    ¡°Brother Rayan,let¡¯s meet at the Gently Cafeteria!¡± She said softly after thinking for a while.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Rayan quickly replied. She could hear that he was very happy.

    Jenna packed up a few things and walked out of the door. Finally, she turned back and looked at the Collier Manor. Suddenly, unforgettable scenes shed through her mind.

    The night before yesterday,she and Hansen had spent a passionate night together in the apartment.

    The feeling had changed from difort initially to an inexplicable one. She didn¡¯t know what had changed but she had a bad feeling in her heart. At this moment, she actually realized that she still loved him. She had never gotten past the thought of him.

    Suddenly, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

    How was she going to erase all the memories between them in the future? The more marks he left on her, the more difficult it would be to forget this feeling. Now that she thought about it, she would agree to Grandma Richard¡¯s request, wasn¡¯t she also trying to get rid of him?

    Now it was very good.With Aria obsessing over him in the Richards Manor, he shouldn¡¯t be spending any time with her anymore.He was just obsessed with her body for the time beingwhich was very normal for every man. That was not much of a surprise. After all, the person he loved was Aria. Now that he had Aria to vent his lust, she would be able to live a normal life like how she used to.

    To be looked down upon by everyone and being left alone in her room? Wasn¡¯t that what she wanted?

    She thought to herself that it wouldn¡¯t be long before this was over.

    ¡°Jenna, are you crazy? You¡¯re moving back to Richards Manor? What are you thinking?¡± Hannah eximed when she found out what Jenna was going to do. Fortunately, they were in a private room, so others couldn¡¯t hear her.

    Jenna gave her a bitter smile,¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like this. I don¡¯t have a choice. I have promised Grandma Richards and I need to fulfil my promise. Believe me, it won¡¯t be long before I move out for good.¡±

    She exined as gently as she could.

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, only a fool like you would do that,¡± Hannah sighed repeatedly and said with exasperation, ¡°You¡¯re about to move into the Richards Manor. You will have to face Marissa and Aria, who are cruel and vicious,every day. I don¡¯t believe that you¡¯ll make it out of there alive with those two around. Can you think about this thoroughly? Are you willing to give up your life just because Grandma Richards has given you Hansen¡¯s inheritance? You have to figure out which is more important, money or life? Even if you have gotten the money, how are you going to spend it if you are dead? Aria is a vicious woman and she won¡¯t let you off the hook. Anyways, if you need anything, do not hesitate to call me so that I know if anything bad happened to you.¡±

    Jenna felt a chill running down her spine when she heard that. Hannah hadn¡¯t changed one bit. She always liked to speak her mind but couldn¡¯t she put it in a better way? Jenna was in a foul mood!

    She rolled her eyes at her.

    When she looked up, she saw Rayan¡¯s tall figureing in. He was wearing a white turtleneck sweater and strode in with his well-defined handsome facial features. His handsomeness attracted everyone¡¯s attention in the cafeteria and everyone could not help but stare at him.

    He did not even bother to take a nce at them.

    With a charming smile on his face, he walked straight towards Jenna¡¯s private room. Soon the door of the private room opened, and his handsome figure walked in. The woman¡¯s sigh came from outside the room, ¡°Hey, I will be able to die as a happy woman if I can charm Rayan and spend a night with him.¡±

    That was what all the women were thinking.

 Chapter 90 Big Bully

    ¡°Rayan, you¡¯re here,¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes lit up and she shouted joyfully. Then she nced at Jenna and seemed to have understood something. She suddenly said, ¡°Ah, you guys are here on a date. Well, I won¡¯t be the third wheel. I¡¯ll give you two some privacy.¡±

    Hannah said and winked at Jenna as she walked away with a smile.

    Jenna shook her head and smiled.

    ¡°Jen, how have you been?¡± Rayan sat down and his eyes were full of concern. He suddenly reached out and took her hand in his,expressing his concern, anxiety, and thoughtfulness in his bright eyes.

    Jenna was shocked and wanted to withdraw her hand. Unexpectedly, Rayan tightened his grip on her hand, preventing her from pulling away.

    She had no choice but to allow him to hold her hand. Her eyes were filled with emotions. She giggled at him and said, ¡°Brother Rayan, when will you be heading back?¡±

    ¡°Why? Do you want toe with me?¡± Rayan¡¯s eyes lit up and he thought that was the reason why she asked him out.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment and immediately remembered something. She shook her head in a hurry and whispered, ¡°Brother Rayan, you should go back to America. Yourpany is there. You shouldn¡¯t waste your time staying in A City anymore.¡±

    Rayan understood her words. His eyes darkened and he said in a low voice, ¡°Jen, have you already made your choice? After that incident, have you finally seen the truth? Do you know what you want?¡±

    His series of questions made Jenna speechless and her heart ached, but she didn¡¯t know how to answer him. Did she see it clearly? That day in Trevor¡¯s ward, she saw it clearly. Whether she still loved Hansen or not, it would not affect her decision. However, she couldn¡¯t leave now, she had to stay. What made it worse was the fact that she couldn¡¯t tell him.

    She had a disheartened look in her eyes. She slightly pursed her red lips and felt very ufortable.

    The helplessness and anxiety in Jenna¡¯s eyes did not escape Rayan¡¯s eyes. He was sure that Hansen was threatening her which exined why she chose to be with him. He really wanted to help her, but she kept everything to herself. Was she worried that he could not do it? He was confident enough that as long as Jenna chose him, he would surely have a way to deal with Hansen. The b*stard obviously did not know how to cherish her, and he had long wanted to teach him a lesson.

    ¡°Tell me, what is Hansen threatening you with?¡± Rayan looked concerned and asked earnestly.

    ¡°No, nothing,¡± Jenna shook her head in panic,¡°I volunteered to do all of this. Brother Rayan, trust me, you will always be the best brother in my eyes.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s tears rolled down her cheeks unnoticed as she spoke. She sobbed and said, ¡°Brother Rayan, from now on, I will move back to the Richards Manor. Brother Rayan, you should go back. Maybe one day I will go to you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re moving back to the Richards Manor? Why?¡± Rayan hardly dared to believe his own ears as he stared at her in disbelief and yelled, ¡°Are you crazy? You know how worried I am, why don¡¯t you tell me anything? You should know how powerful I am. There is nothing in this world that I can¡¯t do.¡±

    ¡°No,Brother Rayan. It¡¯s really not what you think,¡± Jenna shed a lot of tears. Perhaps only in front of him could she cry out with peace of mind. When she thought about hering days in the Richards Manor, she was really unsure, nor did she have the courage to face those bad people in there, but she had no choice. It was her life.

    What she was most worried about and what she hated most about herself was that she still had feelings for Hansen.

    ¡°Do you really love him?¡± Rayan finally calmed down and asked in a soft voice.

    Jenna shuddered and looked up at Rayan with teary eyes. Her face was pale and her lips parted, but she didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t force me, please don¡¯t,¡± she said nkly, shaking her head.

    Rayan looked at her pale face with his worry in his eyes and said slowly, ¡°Well, you know, I will never force you to do anything you do not like, but I will not give up until I see it with my own eyes. I will leave this country tomorrow but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be back. If you need my help, I am just one phone call away and I¡¯ll be right back. As I said, I will not give up until I see that you are living happily ever after with my own eyes. And, you know that I treat Hilda as my sister. The person I love is you. I will do anything for you if youe to me. She will not be able to get in the way.¡±

    Rayan turned around and left after saying those words.

    Jenna stared at his back as he walked away. She thought how good it would be if she could really choose him at this moment. He would definitely cherish her. Even though she still had feelings for Hansen, he would not love her back. It was just her wishful thinking. She knew what she had to do to make the right choice.

    But, could she? No!

    First thing she needed to do was to change into a red bedsheet.

    Jenna carried her bag and slowly walked out. She hailed a taxi by the road and headed towards the Richards Manor.

    She closed her eyes and felt a splitting headache. On the way to the Richards Manor, there were numerous asions where she wanted to tell the driver to turn around and go back. She really didn¡¯t have the courage to go back, but after thinking for a long time, she gritted her teeth and finally arrived at the entrance of the Richards Manor.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    She carried her bag and walked inside slowly. The guard immediately knew who she was when he saw her. He had heard the news that Grandma Richards had given her Hansen¡¯s inheritance of the Richards Manor. He greeted her with a smile, ¡°Young Madam.¡±

    Jenna thought to herself, ¡°After all, everything has changed. It should be better this time. It won¡¯t be that bad.¡±

    As soon as she stepped into the living room of the Green Jade Garden, she lowered her head and walked towards the stairs. She just wanted to hurry into her own room without facing anyone.

    Aria, dressed in a red sheepskin jacket, was standing on the stairs, looking down at her with her red lips and heavy makeup on her face. She was very eye-catching. Her long leopard-print boots reached her knees. She was wearing a short miniskirt, and sexy stockings which were all exposed to Jenna.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯ve moved back to the Richards Manor and keep pestering Hansen, he will marry you again. Let me tell you, I won¡¯t let you seed. Hansen is mine. No matter how smart you are, it¡¯s useless to y any tricks under my nose. I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t think about trying anything funny,¡± she said coldly. She walked proudly down the stairs. When she passed by Jenna, not sure whether it was intentional or not, she bumped into Jenna, who almost fell down. If it wasn¡¯t for the banister beside her, she would have fallen down the stairs.

    She was too vicious. She was simply a big bully and her actions were intolerable.

    ¡°Stay right there,¡± She stood firm and shouted.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aria was shocked by Jenna¡¯s angry words. She stood still and turned her head around. A sense of guilt shed through her heart, but she still raised her head and asked arrogantly.

    ¡°Aria, let me tell you this. You are you and I am me. If you want to win Hansen¡¯s heart, then it¡¯s up to you. However, please don¡¯t provoke me, and don¡¯t pull tricks behind my back. Although I¡¯m not a kind person, I will not let you bully me. If you dare,e to me! I¡¯ll show you what¡¯s karma and retribution,¡± Jenna said sternly, words by words. Then she stared at her face and said in a low voice with a wicked face, ¡°There are some things that I will find out on my own. Don¡¯t try to be smart. Don¡¯t shoot yourself in the foot.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Aria was shocked at her expression, and there was a sh of fear in her eyes.A momentter, she looked up and saw Jenna staring daggers at her, which made her quickly take a step back. She almost fell down when she missed a step. Fortunately, she held the banister beside her in time, so she did not make a fool of herself.

    In an instant, the situation overturned. When Aria came to her senses, Jenna had already walked upstairs,ughing out loud.

    Aria¡¯s face instantly turned red and she was trembling with anger. She pointed at Jenna and scolded, ¡°Shame on you. Let me tell you, don¡¯t talk nonsense. I am not afraid of you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna turned around lightly and said in a cold voice, ¡°Oh, I forgot to tell you that if you really love Hansen, you¡¯d better keep an eye on him and win over his heart. I don¡¯t mind giving him to you, but I¡¯d like to see if you have what it takes.¡±

    Aria¡¯s gaze, which was so full of murderous vibes, was quickly reced by a warm look. Her face was instantly filled with grievance and pity. Her big bright eyes were full of tears, and she felt aggrieved.

    The changes in her expression were tremendous. Aria should be afraid of Jenna. While she was still surprised, she suddenly felt a bad vibe. A familiar mint fragrance lingered behind her. Her heart skipped a beat and her eyebrow twitched as she felt something bad was happening.

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty confident, aren¡¯t you?¡± As expected, she heard a cold voice behind her.

    Ah! Hansen.

    Jennaturned around in shock and saw Hansen standing behind her with a cold face.She instantly understood why Aria¡¯s face suddenly had suddenly be so innocent and docile. It turned out that she saw Hansening.

    She was pretending to be pitiful.

    ¡°Wow, she really knows how to put on an act!¡± Jenna gritted her teeth and cursed in her heart,but inwardly she cried out as she knew she had angered the beast again.

    ¡°Where have you been?¡± Hansen looked at her coldly. This woman had instigated Aria to seduce him, but she said she didn¡¯t care about him at all. Hansen was so infuriated that he was about to explode with rage.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t go anywhere. I just went back to the Collier Manor to collect my things,¡± she answered with a little uneasiness. Hansen apparently only heard thest sentence of what she had said. She cursed in her heart ¡°D*mn it. I¡¯m so unlucky.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face was getting darker and darker. He stretched out his hand to grab her and walked down the corridor. At the moment when Jenna was pulled away by him, she saw the smug smile on Aria¡¯s face.

 Chapter 91 Replace The Bed Sheets With Red Ones

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t care about me, huh? Very good,¡± Hansen dragged Jenna back to their wedding room, threw her down on the bed, mmed the door shut, and said fiercely, ¡°You are really a cold-blooded woman. You don¡¯t have any feelings for me? Let me ask you this, did you promise Grandma that you¡¯ll move back to the Richards Manor just so you can avoid me? What exactly did Grandma say to you?¡±

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s not like that. It was a slip of the tongue. I didn¡¯t say anything to Grandma. No, she did not tell me anything. Didn¡¯t she announce to you guys what she told me?¡± Jenna said with a bitter face, trying to rify herself.

    ¡°Is that so? Looks like you¡¯re bing more and more ill-behaved. It seems like you have not learned your lesson,¡± Hansen¡¯s gaze was unamiable and he ignored her exnation. Rage seared through him as he stared at her with burning eyes.

    How dare this d*mned woman say that she didn¡¯t care about him? He was Mr. Richards after all, how was it possible for him to be disliked by women? That was too insulting to him.

    She said that she did not care about him, eh? Then, he was going to make sure it would be engraved in her memory.

    As he spoke, he took off his clothes. Jennastared at him in shock and trembled in fear.

    Her eyes followed his every move as he took off his clothes and she could clearly see that he was aroused. She was so frightened that she repeatedly begged for mercy, ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m sorry. Can you please let me go?¡±

    ¡°Let you go? Do you think I am easy to be pushed around? There¡¯s no such thing! It¡¯s toote for you to admit your mistake,¡± Hansen sneered,¡°I¡¯m telling you, since you do not care about me, it means that we don¡¯t have enough intimacy and s*x and I¡¯ll make it up to you in the future. Don¡¯t think that just because we are no longer in the Collier Manor, I can¡¯t do anything to you. The same rules still apply. You cannot escape the fate of sleeping with me. I¡¯m in a good mood now and I want you. So, just be good andy down. Struggling will not get you anywhere.¡±

    His pupils were dark and a dangerous vibe emanated from his whole body.

    ¡°No, Hansen. We are in the Richards Manor,¡± Jenna cowered and retreated further into the bed. The man in front of her was like a raging lion, as if he would bite her into pieces and gobble her up at any moment. Fear throbbed inside her!

    When Hansen heard that, heughed and jumped onto the bed. He was like a hungry hawk pouncing on the poor little chick. He pinned her underneath his body. His fingers grazed her chin and said yfully, ¡°So what? Richards Manor is still my home, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t forget that here, you are still my wife. I can do anything to you! Who dares to say anything?¡±

    With a proud look on his face and a big smile on his face, Jenna¡¯s head began to throb with pain.

    ¡°If you bully me, I will tell Grandma,¡± Jenna was so desperate that she had no choice but to use Grandma as her shield.

    After saying that, Hansen smiled even more devilishly, ¡°Well, go ahead and tell her then. I want to ask her whether I am allowed to touch my own wife or not?¡±

    Heughedso wickedlythat Jenna¡¯s head hurt even more and her whole body trembled violently.

    ¡°Hansen, you did it on purpose. You know that we are no longer awful couple!¡± She resisted timidly.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Hansen¡¯s face instantly darkened and his face became serious, ¡°Have you forgotten about our current rtionship? You are my mistress now. I can do whatever I want to you, whenever I want. You have no right to say no. Don¡¯t forget about your mother.¡±

    ¡°No, Aria¡­¡± Jenna wanted to say that Aria was outside. This was the Richards Manor. The person he was going to marry was Aria. If he did this, he would be doing her a disservice. However, before she could say anything, Hansen had already pressed his lips onto hers and she couldn¡¯t say another word.

    ¡­

    After a long time, Jenna felt sore as if her whole body had been run over by a truck. She was soaked with sweat and her skin was pink and tender. Shey on the bed, tired and silent.

    This guy was not an ordinary beast. He wanted her like a madman, taking what he wanted from her, and exhausted her. Shey on the bed and couldn¡¯t stand up anymore. She even felt dizzy when she tried to sit up.

    Hansen sat on the bed and smoked. His face was unsightly as he exhaled the smoke from his mouth.

    Jenna coughed lightly as she choked on the smoke. She covered her nose with the quilt.

    Hansen turned his head and looked at her. After a moment of silence, he stubbed out the cigarette in his hand.

    He got out of bed, opened the window and stared out of it.

    Jenna felt ufortable covering her nose with the quit. It was filled with the smell ofsemen and sweat. She had no choice but to stick her head out the quilt. Soon, the fresh air from outside filled the room. As soon as she stretched out her head, she could feel the fresh air and took a couple of deep breaths.

    Hansen was standing by the window. From behind, he looked lean and gentlepletely different from the man who had just ravaged her like a beast. He stood so nobly and quietly as if he was apletely different person, as if he had nothing to do with what had just happened.

    Jenna even had an illusion thateverything that had just happened to her was a dream.

    However, the bath towels, as well as their bedsheets were all covered with their body fluids from the aftermath of their passionate lovemaking. The evidence was crumpled into a pile of mess and it was so obvious to the eyes.

    It was such a mess. She did not want anyone else to clean it up for them.

    It would be bad if Larry came and cleaned up the messter. Her subtle rtionship with Hansen was already spective enough.

    It would be even more embarrassing if someone were to see this, and her face flushed red at the thought.

    She stood up with shaky legs and began to change the sheets.It was a king-sized bed and she was so limp that it was a challenge for her to pull the sheets off.

    ¡°Someone will clean it upter. You don¡¯t have to do anything,¡± Hansen turned his head at the sound of the noise and saw that she was struggling with the sheets. Her delicate body looked like she was about to copse at any time. He couldn¡¯t help but frowned and said.

    Jenna paused for a moment beforeshe began to pull at the sheets again. She didn¡¯t want the servants to see these things. It was very embarrassing for her.

    Hansen stared at her as she stubbornly pulled at the sheets with force. After finally pulling the sheets off, she stuffed them into the washing machine and busily tidied up the messy bed. The light in his eyes grew darker and darker.

    She was so careful with these things because she didn¡¯t want people in the Richards Manor to know about their rtionship, but they were husband and wife, so who would think she was innocent?

    However, he did not say anything. He cursed in his heart¡°You d*mned woman, do whatever you want. Let¡¯s see how much energy you have. This is what you¡¯re willing to do.¡± He walked towards the bathroom, turned on the shower and started to clean himself up.

    When he emerged from the shower,Jenna had already cleaned up the room. The bed was spotless, white and clean. Jenna was so tired and she was sweating profusely. Then, she went into the bathroom to take a shower.

    Hansen sat on the bed. The sight of the white sheets made his eyes sore. He remembered on the night of their wedding, he too emerged from the bathroom like he did and saw the white sheet, which was as white as snow. There was nothing on it andhe did not see any bloodstains as he had expected. At that moment, his heart sank.

    After a while, he walked to the wall and rang the bell.

    ¡°Hello, Young Master,¡± Larry came in at the sound of the bell and greeted him in a low voice.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    ¡°Larry, from now onwards, please rece all the white sheets in this room with red ones. Don¡¯t use the white ones anymore,¡± he said coldly.

    ¡°Yes, Young Master,¡± Larry was startled and understood what Hansen meant. She quickly nodded her head.

    Soon, therge and soft bed was covered in dazzling red sheets, which made the sumptuous room feel much more festive.

    When Jenna came out,she saw that all the sheets she had carefully made had been changed to red, and was startled for a moment, as if she had remembered something. Her face suddenly turned pale and there was a pained expression on her face.

    At this time, Hansen was in his study, browsing through the Inte on hisputer. His expression was very calm. He was in good spirits, not at all tired from his recent indulgence, and his handsome face was so radiant that one could not look away.

    When Jenna walked in, he raised his head and met her eyes. After looking at her for a second, he averted his gaze calmly, and the pain in Jenna¡¯s eyes shed away.

    None of them could forget the thorn in their hearts.

    The doorbell rang, and Jenna opened the door of the study.

    ¡°Young Master, Miss McAdams is asking for you,¡± Larry stood outside and informed him.

    Jenna was suddenly stung by Larry¡¯s words. She stepped to one side, and Hansen stood up and walked out.

    The room returned to dead silence.

    She looked around the room. Everything was the same as before as if no one hade in since she left and everything seemed to stand still until she moved in again.

    She could feel the sour feeling in her heart, making her unable to breathe. She felt weak all over and crawled back to the bed. She actually fell asleep. When she opened her eyes again, it was already dark. It was so dark that she could not even see her fingers. The room was also deadly silent. When she opened her eyes, she once suspected that she had entered an isted dark world and she was alone in the world. She looked around in the darkness, running in search of some light.

    However, she was still in the dark. It was not until she was fully awake that she gradually realized that she was in the Richards Manor.

    She hurriedly got up. She felt a little hungry.

    After putting on her clothes, she walked out of the room.

    Sure enough,it really was a different world outside her room.

    It was still the same in the corridor, but when she walked out slowly, she heardughtering from downstairs in the living room. It was Marissa¡¯s and Aria¡¯sughter. Aria was deliberately sweet-talking to Marissa. Herughter was ttering while Marissa wasughing from her heart.

    Jenna hesitated and walked down. If she wanted to go out, she had to walk past the living room.

    When she appeared at the stairs,theughter in the room stopped.

    She walked down the stairs, trying to keep herposure, and wanted to go to the kitchen to ask if there was any food left.

    Obviously, they had already eaten. They always served their meals on time in the Richards Manor. At this point, there¡¯s definitely no food left, and as usual, no one had asked her to join them.

 Chapter 92 His Company in The Night

    ¡°Oh, Mom, why is that woman so thick-skinned? She and Hansen are already divorced and yet she still wants to move back to Richards Manor. Do you think she wants to remarry Hansen?¡± Aria was peeling an orange and with her nails painted red.She dug deep into the orange as she deftly peeled the flesh.

    ¡°Here, Mom. Have some oranges,¡± Marissa epted one slice, ced it into her mouth, and swallowed it. She looked at Jenna with disdain and snorted, ¡°She is still as unruly and uneducated as before. Oh Aria, if only she was half as sensible and considerate as you, then it would be great.¡±

    It was obvious that Marissa was delighted that Aria had moved into the Richards Manor and kept herpany. The formerly quiet and cold house finally felt warm and cozy and she loved the atmosphere very much.

    Jenna knew that it was pointless to argue with them. So, she just walked away.

    She just quietly walked straight into the kitchen to see if she could find something to eat.

    There was no one left in the kitchen, so she had to cook something on her own. It was sote and she did not expect that there would be any leftovers. She just wanted something to fill her stomach.

    Jenna opened the refrigerator and took out an egg and some tomatoes. She was going to make herself a bowl of noodles.

    ¡°Young Madam, you¡¯re really back!¡± A surprised voice came from behind. The voice sounded familiar. When she turned her head around, she saw Aunt E¡¯s smiling face who looked overjoyed.

    ¡°Aunt E,¡± Jenna was very happy to see her, which should be a good omen for her, as she could finally find someone to talk to.

    ¡°Good, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re home. It¡¯s always better being at home,¡± Aunt E had just gotten back from the hospital with a lunch box in her hand. She put the lunch box on the kitchen cab and came up to her, saying, ¡°Young Madam, you probably haven¡¯t had your dinner. Here, sit down. Let me do it.¡±

    Aunt E took the ingredients from her and pulled her aside to sit down. She had been with Jenna for one year, so she knew what she was going through. It was highly likely that none of the servants informed her that dinner was served. Sigh, everyone in the house was a snob.

    ¡°Young Madam, I heard the news as soon as I came back. Old Madam has given you the right of inheritance of the Richards Manor. That¡¯s great!Old Madamhas always treated you very well,¡± Aunt E said happily. Initially, Aunt E was serving the Old Madam so naturally, she knew that thetter had always liked Jenna.

    ¡°No, Aunt E. It¡¯s just a small part of it,¡± Jenna sat at the table in the kitchen and corrected her with a smile.

    ¡°Oh, Young Madam. Even a small part of the Richards Manor is worth at least hundreds of millions of dors. You can¡¯t buy yourself a garden like this even if you are rich,¡± Aunt E said enviously as she ced the noodles into the boiling water.

    Jenna smiled and said nothing. In fact, she did not really care about the inheritance of the Richards Manor. She was not short of money anyway.

    ¡°Young Madam, Butler Maud called me over just now.He wanted me to serve you as I used to. I was overjoyed when I heard it,¡± Aunt E smiled happily.

    ¡°Really? You¡¯re going to take care of me?¡± Jenna was a little surprised. It would be much easier for her to stay in the house now that she had Aunt E. It seemed like this must also be Grandma¡¯s idea.

    ¡°Of course, from tomorrow onwards, I won¡¯t have to go to the hospital to take care of the Master. Butler Maud has already arranged for someone else to go,¡± Aunt E said as she ced the bowl of noodles in front of Jenna.

    Jenna¡¯s depressed mood was finally lifted a bit. She even had the appetite to eat now. The bowl of noodles that Aunt E made smelled so good that she devoured the entire bowl quickly.

    ¡°Young Madam, let me tell you a secret. You have to watch your back in the future. Most of the servants here have been bribed by Aria. They are all on her side. No matter what you do in the future, you have to be more careful. This woman is determined to be the Young Madam of the Richards family. She has already won the hearts of most of the people here. Even Madam has been charmed by her,¡± Aunt E whispered to Jenna as she looked around and handed her a napkin.

    Jenna was stunned for a while, and soon she smiled bitterly. How could she not know this?

    ¡°Madam likes it when people tter her and also when there¡¯s someone to apany her. Since Master got into the ident, she has been very sad and lonely. You sometimes have to just give in to her. She has a sharp tongue, but deep down she is kind, and in fact, she is afraid of loneliness. Old people are like this. As long as Young Master likes you, she will change sooner orter. It¡¯s just that she is now charmed by Aria and hasn¡¯t seen your sincerity,¡± Aunt E whispered, ¡°I know you have high self-esteem, but after all, Madam is your elder. There are some things that can¡¯t be helped. Furthermore, Aria has Madam wrapped around her fingers and now Madam ispletely blinded by her.¡±

    Aunt E just nagged and warned Jenna in a low voice asJenna listened carefully.However, she did notpletely agree with some of her words, for example,that she wanted to fight for the position of Young Madam of the Richards family.She was grateful that she had someone to talk to. She nodded with a smile. Aunt E¡¯s mood also brightened up when she saw that she had finally understood.

    This Young Madam had always been indifferent. She obviously liked the Young Master, but the others just couldn¡¯t see what she wanted. She always looked indifferent, so the Young Master couldn¡¯t see through her heart either.

    In the past year, the Young Master stayed out almost all night. Aunt E saw that Young Madam often hid in her room and cried secretly. However, once she came out, she always had a smile on her face. Even when Young Master was at home, Young Madam was also like that. Men would lose their patience with this kind of woman over a period of time.

    Although the Young Master treated Young Madam coldly,Aunt E knew that the Young Master still cared about her, especially ever since Young Madam came back from America.The Young Master¡¯s behavior towards her was much better. When Young Madam got injured and hospitalized, the Young Master called Aunt E and asked her to make some soup and brought it to the hospital on several asions.

    Although she knew that the only reason Young Madam was injured was because of the Young Master, Aunt E could see it in his eyes that he treated her differently this time around. It¡¯s just that there were still many things between the two and they still couldn¡¯t read each other¡¯s feelings. She didn¡¯t know when they would finally admit their feelings for each other and reconcile. To be honest, E was worried about them and it was a little difficult for them to get along well. After all, they were both very hard-headed and thin-skinned people.

    Not to mention the fact that there was Aria, who was eyeing for the chance to grab the Young Master!

    After finishing her bowl of noodles, Jenna walked past the living room and headed back upstairs. She was not used to seeing their faces, much less try to ingratiate herself with Marissa.

    ¡°Stop right there,¡± Marissa shouted at her.

    Jenna had no choice but to stop and turn her head around. For a moment, she hesitated whether she should address her as ¡°Mom¡± or ¡°Aunt¡±.

    ¡°You used to stay here before, therefore, you should know the rules here. You ought to know what time dinner is served and what time to do other things. I don¡¯t ever want to see youing to the kitchen sote to cook and eat. We are respectable people. I don¡¯t want others to say that we are bullying or trying to starve you. Of course, we won¡¯t send someone to call you for dinner every day. After all, I¡¯m still here. I, as an elder, need not anyone¡¯s invitation for meals, not to mention you, don¡¯t you agree? Besides, the servants are very busy and have plenty of other things to do,¡± Marissa walked up to her and said scornfully. Her dark red dress set her off like a dignified duchess and she looked condescending.

    ¡°Okay, I understand,¡± Jenna smiled. Her voice was gentle and she tried to be as meek as she could.

    When Aria heard that Marissa was scolding Jenna, she smiled.

    Jenna went back upstairs, locked herself in the study, turned on herputer and began to work.

    As soon as she logged in into her email, she saw that she had a new email in her inbox.

    She opened it and saw that it was from Rayan. Inside was a ticket for his trip. He was flying back to America the next day.

    Suddenly, she wanted to cry.

    Rayan was leaving. The man who treated her like a family member was about to leave. He was no longer going to be in A city. Suddenly, her heart felt empty and a teardrop fell onto her hand. It was warm, and more tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrobly.

    Sheid her head on the table and cried. Then, she replied to the email with a few words, ¡°Bon voyage.¡±

    Since they were not destined to be together, it was better to see him off and wish him well.

    She could see that Hilda was a very good woman, wholoved Rayan very much. If Rayan married her, she would definitely treat him well and be very considerate of him.Jenna was going to be a thing of his past. That was all. She had lost her virginity to someone else. She really did not want to give him any hope.

    At night, sheid on the bed alone and fell asleep. Hansen did not return. Even if he was back, he would have been with Aria.

    She thought that from then on, she would be spending the nights alone in the room again.

    Early in the morning, she felt something pressing against her chest. It was warm and heavy. When she tried to push it away, she realized that it was an arm.

    When she was about to turn over, she suddenly thought of something. She was shocked and sat up in a hurry. When she saw the person who was sleeping beside her, she couldn¡¯t help but yelp.

    ¡°What are you yelping at?¡± A low groggy voice sounded. It was a maic sound.

    Jenna was in a state of shock and asked in surprise, ¡°What are you doing in my bed?¡±

    Hansen took his arm off her and saidzily, ¡°Why are you making such a fuss? This is my home. Where else am I going to sleep if I don¡¯t sleep here?¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Obviously, he wasn¡¯t ready to wake up yet. He didn¡¯t even bother to open his eyes.

    ¡°But, how did you get in here?¡± Jenna was still in disbelief as she clearly remembered that she had deliberately locked the doors, including the study room, before going to bedst night.

    ¡°I was just about to ask you that. Why did you lock all the doors? This is my home. In Richards Manor, you¡¯re my wife. If I don¡¯t sleep with you, who else am I going to sleep with?¡± He said like a rogue, making Jenna speechless, looking as if she, the wife, had abused her justifiable husband.

    Jenna, however, felt that it was pointless to say anything to him. It was clear that they had already divorced and it¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t know, but he still deliberately did that. He was such a b*stard.

    Somehow, she felt a little happy when she realized that she did not sleep alonest night. This was the second time that Hansen had slept with her on this bed in their wedding room. Even though she had been asleep and was unaware of it,she still had a sweet feeling of happiness.

 Chapter 93 Am I That Annoying To You?

    ¡°Lie down and sleep with me for a while,¡± Hansen reached for Jenna¡¯s waist and pulled her towards him and she fell onto him. Hansen ran his hand along her body and suddenly reached into her clothes.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Her entire body tensed up at the feeling of his hand on her skin. This guy¡¯s breathing began to quicken as his eyes turned dark. She felt a sense of danger.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Hansen gave her a wicked smile. His voice was extremely ambiguous.

    ¡°B*stard, let go of me!¡± Jenna said desperately. She reached out and wanted to push his hand away. She was so annoyed with his touch as he was touching all of her sensitive spots.

    ¡°Stop moving. If you move again, I am going to have my way,¡± Hansen threatened in a hoarse voice.

    Jenna immediately dared not move. She believed that this aroused man would really ravage her like he said he would.

    ¡°Finally, you¡¯ve learned to obey my orders. Well then, I¡¯ll let you go,¡± Hansen eventually took his hand out from underneath her shirt as he smiled with satisfaction. He then turned and looked at the clock on the wall and said, ¡°Get up now and have breakfast. From today onwards, you¡¯ll have to follow me to the office.¡±

    Jenna got out of the bed in a panic as she was told. When she heard hisst words, she couldn¡¯t help but stare at him and asked, ¡°Do I still have to go to work?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Hansen raised his eyebrows and said discontentedly, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m going to support you for the rest of my life? Who do you think I am? A phnthropist? You are now living with us. Your food and clothes are provided. Of course you¡¯ll have to work for me in return.¡±

    He spoke righteously and Jenna could not deny it.

    Jenna, on the other hand, thought that staying at home all day with Aria, that annoying woman, was not a good thing. It would be nice if she could go to work in thepany.It would also be convenient for her to go out if she wanted to,thereforeshe agreed to Hansen¡¯s idea.

    An array of sumptuous breakfast foods was served on the dining table.

    When Hansen walked downstairs with Jenna, Aria, who was waiting at the dining table, looked very unhappy. Last night, when she called Hansen to ask where he was, he told her that he was still swamped with work in the office. However, he had obviously spent the night with Jenna. Judging by their intimacy, she didn¡¯t even need to think to know what had happened. Her heart was in a mess.

    When Marissa saw Hansen, her face was full of love for her son.

    ¡°Here, take a seat,¡± Hansen reached out and put his arm around Jenna¡¯s shoulders and sat her down next to him with a charming smile on his face.

    ¡°Hansen, here, have a bowl of porridge,¡± Aria said affectionately. She was not willing to be left out. She quickly sat down close to Hansen and ced a bowl of porridge in front of him.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Hansen reached out to stroke her face gently as he grinned.

    Jenna ducked her head and picked up the soymilk in front of her to drink. Such a scene made her very ufortable and she wanted to leave the ce.

    ¡°Hansen, you should spend more time with Aria when you have the time. She¡¯s been looking forward to spending some time with you,¡± Marissa reminded her son when she saw Jenna and Hansen walk down the stairs together. They looked very intimate and she immediately knew what had happened. She didn¡¯t want Mayor McAdams to call her toin that Hansen was neglecting his daughter.

    ¡°Understood,¡± Hansen ate his porridge and answered casually as he nced at Jenna from the corner of his eye. She was silently drinking her soymilk while munching on the custard buns, as if she hadn¡¯t heard them. He felt a little ufortable. He frowned when he thought of what she had said the day before. Did this woman really not care about him? Their rtionship was extraordinary. How could she be so cold-hearted?

    When Jenna was done with her breakfast, she quickly excused herself. The electric car was parked at the entrance of the Green Jade Garden. When she looked up, she saw Norton sitting in the car.

    Why was he here? How could it be so coincidental? Jenna looked back and saw that Hansen hadn¡¯te over yet!

    In order to preserve the air quality in the estate, all the cars in the Richards Manor were parked in the underground garage, and each of the houses was equipped with electric cars. Obviously, Norton deliberately bypassed the Green Jade Garden.

    Jenna stood still and turned around to wait for Hansen. Jenna didn¡¯t have a good impression of himand was even reluctant to even speak to him.

    ¡°Jenna, aren¡¯t youing?¡± Faced with Jenna¡¯s indifference, Norton didn¡¯t care at all and shamelessly asked.

    ¡°No, you can go ahead. I want to wait for Hansen,¡± Jenna answered coldly.

    Norton scrunched his face and his eyes were full of anger, but he quickly calmed down.

    ¡°The electric car in the Green Jade Garden has broken down. There will not be any others except mine. Hop on quickly,¡± he said calmly.

    It turned out that their electric car had broken downand the butlerhad specially arranged for the two gardens to temporarily share one electric car.

    However, Jenna still did not move. She looked back at their house, hoping that Hansen woulde out soon.

    She didn¡¯t know whether Hansen was stuck with Aria or Marissa. After a while, he still did note out of the house.

    ¡°Jenna, do you really hate me that much?I love you with all my heart,¡± Norton asked. Even though her back was facing him, it was so delicate and charming that it tugged at his heartstrings. Even in his dreams, he would think of her body and wanted to hold her in his arms and fall asleep.

    It was just that she was drifting further away from him. Her attitude towards him was getting colder and colder and she was distant from him.

    ¡°Jenna, I have something to tell you. I think you would want to know about ittoo,¡± Norton¡¯s tall figure stepped out of the electric car and walked towards her. He stood behind her and whispered.

    Jenna was stunned. The cold air that she felt as he walked over made her very ufortable. What would he have to say? It was probably something meaningless.

    She was so cold that she didn¡¯t even want to turn around.

    When Norton saw that she was cold and did not even want to talk to him, he sighed, as if talking to himself.

    ¡°It seems that I was getting you wrong. It¡¯s unnecessary. Forget it. It seems like you¡¯re not interested to know about your father¡¯s death.¡±

    He sighed with regret, shook his head and walked towards the electric car.

    ¡°Wait, what do you mean?¡± Norton¡¯s words were like a bombshell that made Jenna¡¯s whole body jolt. She hurriedly turned around and shouted at him.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    A sinister smile appeared on the corner of Norton¡¯s mouth.He leisurely sat on the electric car with a briefcase in his hand and looked at her with a forced smile.

    ¡°Hop on. If you hop in, then I will tell you everything slowly. You know, it¡¯s not good to discuss this matter aloud.¡± He said slowly and politely, and his reasoning sounded very fair.

    Jenna was anxious and she turned around and saw that Hansen hadn¡¯te out yet. After thinking for a while, she walked towards the electric car.

    ¡°Tell me, what exactly do you know?¡± Jenna no longer hesitated and approached him. She did notpletely believe him. Sheasked him with a cold stare.

    Norton ran his fingers through his coiffed hair and sat upright. He looked ahead with an aquiline nose and an eerie smile on his face, which gave Jenna goosebumps.

    This was the first time she had ever heard an outsider talk about her father. It was a sensitive subject for her. For such a long time, she had been eager to get to the bottom and find out what happened to her father.

    ¡°Calm down. Hop in first,¡± the corners of Norton¡¯s lips curled up as he spoke.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t hold herself back. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what he was trying to do, but he was in no hurry. It was as if he had her at her weak spots and was slowly torturing her to have his way with her.

    Since Hansen hadn¡¯te out yet, he must have been entangled by Aria and couldn¡¯t get rid of her.

    After a few more moments of contemtion, she lifted up on her heels and sat next to him. Then, she looked him in the eye, ¡°Can you tell me now?¡±

    ¡°Ahem¡­ what should I tell you?¡± Norton retorted with a forced smile. His gaze was enigmatic.

    ¡°You lied to me?¡± Jenna was exasperated that this man was so unpredictable and brazen that he¡¯s trying to get close to her by bringing up the whole story about her father.

    However, she soon felt that something was wrong. No one in the Richards Manor knew about her father¡¯s death. Even until now, she was not sure if Hansen knew about it. How did Norton find out about her father?

    Just now, his expression was so confident and her intuition told her that he must know something!

    At that time, Hansen¡¯s slender figure finally emerged from the house with his face full of happiness. However, when he saw Norton and Jenna sitting together, his eyes darkened.

    ¡°Ah, lie? That¡¯s an awful word to use me of,¡± Norton nced at Hansen, who was walking towards them. Hatred shed through his heart. He tilted his head towards Jenna and whispered affectionately, ¡°Jenna, I love you. Why would I lie to you? You can¡¯t even tell who is actually lying to you. He¡¯sing, I cannot say more. Let¡¯s talk about it when we have a chance.¡±

    Nortonughed and Jenna could feel his hot breath in her ear. Jenna felt numb all over her body and turned her head only to find Hansen was walking closer to them.

    What did he mean by that? Who lied to her? Jenna was left in a daze and couldn¡¯t figure out whether he was telling the truth. She was lost in her own thoughts.

    ¡°Norton, what are you doing here?¡± Hansen was clearly displeased. From afar, he could see their intimacy and they whispered to each other. His face was already gloomy but Norton was still smiling happily, as if he had Jenna¡¯s affection. This made him feel annoyed and the thorn in his heart began to pierce his heart again. His voice was indignant.

    ¡°Hansen, the electric car in Green Jade Garden has broken down. I deliberately came here to give you a ride,¡± Norton smiled even more wickedly when he heard Hansen¡¯s angry voice.

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Hansen said in a cold voice as he nced at Jenna, who was sitting beside him. His eyes shed a hint of sternness. He reached over and pulled him out of the car, ¡°Then you can wait here first. We¡¯lle back for youter.¡±

    Hansen pulled Norton out of the car with a little force and yet Norton, who was tall and burly, actually fell onto the ground. Hansen smiled coldly and snortedas he stepped up and sat down beside Jenna and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The electric car was soon started up and off they went.

    Norton stood up from the ground angrily. A cold light shed across his eyes and a smirk appeared on his face.

 Chapter 94 Appointment

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you to stay away from Norton. Why didn¡¯t you listen?¡± In the Hummer, Hansen¡¯s eyebrows were tightly knitted and his face was full of displeasure.

    Jenna was upset and spoke up in frustration, ¡°Please be more reasonable, will you? If he wants toe over, can I chase him away? Besides, he¡¯s a man,do you think I have the strength to do so?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s your reason?You wouldn¡¯t be sitting so close to him if you didn¡¯t want to, did you? Did he force you to sit next to him?¡± Hansen said sarcastically, ¡°You don¡¯t even think before you do anything. You two looked intimate. Everyone in the Richard Manor knows who you are. Do you want the whole world to know that you are an unchaste woman who doesn¡¯t know how to behave and loves to stir up trouble?¡±

    Anger welled up in Hansen¡¯s chest. If he hadn¡¯t covered up what happened three years ago,would she still be standing here in the Richards Manor or would Grandma have trusted her so much?This woman didn¡¯t know what the consequences would be. She should have known that many people were staring at her and waiting for her to make mistakes. If she still didn¡¯t know how to restrain herself and if Grandma Richards found out what happened three years ago, she would definitely revoke her inheritance of the Richards Manor.

    In fact, he was trying to protect her by asking her to do so, but her face was full of grievances andshe didn¡¯t appreciate it!

    It was so heart-wrenching!

    An Audi suddenly stopped in front of their car. Hansen was so annoyed that he honked his horn, causing everyone to look at them.

    Jenna felt wronged in her heart, but she didn¡¯t dare to tell him the real reason why she got into the electric car with Norton. She was irritated by his arrogance. She just sat there with a long face and her cheeks flushed.

    She understood what he meant. Even if she told him the truth, he still wouldn¡¯t believe her.

    He would never believe that she had nothing to do with what happened three years ago. Perhaps her lost chastity had already been imprinted on his heart and had been deeply buried in his heart. All his distrust in her was probably due to the fact that she did not bleed when they had their first intercourse on their wedding night. He firmly believed that she was not a virgin when she married him. He even thought that she was a fickle-minded woman, so he naturally med her for what had happened three years ago.

    No matter how hard he tried, he would not be able to get rid of the anger in his heart.

    ¡°Do you really want to leave when you haven¡¯t sorted things out with Hansen? Tell Grandma, do you love him or not? Do you want your life to be overshadowed? When you have the ability to get the answers, why do you choose to run away?¡± Those were the questions Grandma Richards asked when she called her into the room yesterday. The series of questions left her speechless and yet her mind was suddenly enlightened!

    It was time to let the truth be known. Although she knew that the problem between her and Hansen was never about the misunderstanding about her virginity,Hansen¡¯s humiliation of her character and his contempt for her made her feel extremely ufortable, as if something was choking her!

    In order to get him to concede and to clear her name, she would have to at least prove that she was still a virgin when she married him. She had to have evidence. Nothing could be more persuasive than evidence!

    She must let him know that she had always been a virgin. It was his fault for misunderstanding her the way he did! As for whether he would ept her or not, whether he loved her or not, that was another separate matter!

    The reason for returning back to the Richards Manor was to find out what was going on. If she didn¡¯t uncover the truth, she would not be able to make Hansen clear his doubts of her, let alone the usation that he had imposed on her¡­

    Hansen might not love her, but he was in no position to insult her!

    With her father¡¯s tragic death, her mother¡¯s illness, and her current situation, his misunderstanding, and disrespect for her had already made her entire world fall apart. She had no reason to remain silent anymore.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m going to buy a car today.¡± After a long silence, Jenna finally spoke up just when the Hummer was about to reach the entrance of International Kinsey Center.

    Hansen¡¯s face was cold and he didn¡¯t speak.

    Jenna was also depressed and pulled a long face. The harmony they had earlier in the morning was gone.

    Of course, just because Hansen didn¡¯t say anything, it didn¡¯t mean that she wouldpromise. Now thatHansen had confiscated her car and the Richard Manor was a huge estate, it would be difficult for her to go out without one.

    She took the elevator to the 88th floor with Hansen.

    The office of the Design Department was still located next to Hansen¡¯s office. When Jenna opened the door, she was surprised to see some changes. All the staff, as well as the equipment in there, were gone. This ce was turned into an independent and luxurious office. Although it was slightly smaller than Hansen¡¯s office, the interior decoration was somewhatparable to his. Moreover, it was clean andluxurious without being gaudy, which was very much to her liking.

    Jenna was stunned.It had only been two days since shest came to work. How could there have been such a drastic change, or was she in the wrong office?

    ¡°Come over to my officeter,¡± when Hansen was about to push open the door of the office, he suddenly remembered something and calmly said to Jenna who was standing by the door. At the sight of her surprised and confused expression, the corners of his mouth curved into a beautiful smile.

    ¡°Me?¡± Jennawas perplexed and terrified.

    She slowly walked into the office.

    She much preferred the current look of the office rather than the previous one.The designer¡¯s office was much better equipped now than it was before.She stood there in a daze. She didn¡¯t know what Hansen meant. After thinking for a while, she put down her bag.

    Perhaps this was not her office, or maybe he thought she was too much of an eyesore and wanted to move her to the 86th floorter. However, there was nothing wrong with that. Wouldn¡¯t it be more to her liking not to stay with him?

    She gave a wry smile and was not in the mood to think about those things. She didn¡¯t even take a sip of water and headed for his office.

    Hansen was already used to drinking a cup of tea as he casually browsed through the newspaper on the couch. His thick ck hair highlighted his facialplexion, which made him look very handsome.

    Jenna knocked on the door lightly and walked in cautiously only after when he agreed to let her in. In fact, she still had a lingering fear in her heart. She had all kinds of feelings, and a bad omen.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, what can I do for you?¡± She asked professionally as she slowly approached him.

    Hansen took a sip of tea and read the newspaper seriously. He was elegant and dignified. She stood right in front of him, but he didn¡¯t even raise his head to meet her eyesas if she didn¡¯t exist.

    Yesterday, this man was still pounding away at her. They were seamless and intimate. However at this moment, he was sitting in his office, aloof and distant, as if he had never known her before.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was full of mixed feelings and she couldn¡¯t do anything to deal with his arrogance!

    However, this was his territory, the territory of a powerful person. She was just a small fish and had to do what he said!

    ¡°Mr. Richards, what can I do for you?¡± Jenna, who had been standing there helplessly for a long time, asked again.

    This time, Hansen finally raised his proud head.

    ¡°Why did youe over so soon? Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m busy? Or, did you miss me?¡± Hansen suddenly burst intoughter and asked an inappropriate question. He had a sly grin on his face, which was really annoying.

    If she hadn¡¯t been used to his weird behavior, she would have been at a loss. However, she was already used to it and said seriously, ¡°Mr. Richards, is there a mistake about my office?¡±Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    She had to make it clear whether the newly refurbished office was hers or not. She was not used to such an opulent office.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Hansen looked at her with a deep look and was not in a hurry to speak.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if that isn¡¯t my office. I¡¯ll just move out now,¡± she said faintly and turned around to leave. She had already known that it was a mistake. Fortunately, she had the foresight, so she did not make a fool of herself.

    ¡°Come back!¡± Hansen shouted in a low voice and stood up discontentedly. This woman was always presumptuous. He didn¡¯t even answer and she was self-assured. She was too presumptuous!

    ¡°There¡¯s no mistake,¡± he said in a serious tone, giving her a meaningful look. He walked past her and straight to his desk, saying, ¡°From today onwards you will be the Vice President of thepany. You are in charge of the design and marketing part.¡±

    He said indifferently and took a file out from his desk drawer.

    Jenna was dumbfounded. She must have misheard him!

    ¡°Vice President of thepany? He appointed her as the Vice President of thepany?¡± Jenna still felt like she was dreaming and stared nkly at him.

    ¡°Are you not willing to ept this position?¡± Hansen stared at her face and asked. He found her dumbfounded look a little amusing.

    ¡°Meas the Vice President of thepany?¡± Jenna spoke up again. It was incredulous. This must be a dream! She had already felt lucky that this guy did not humiliate her. How could it be possible that he had promoted her?

    Jenna was so taken by her look that she didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. Hansen smiled slightly and stepped forward. He waved his hand in front of her and said casually, ¡°Didn¡¯t you spend three years in America? After all, you¡¯re a youngdy from a famous family. How could you have no such knowledge? You¡¯re like a country girl who hadn¡¯t seen much of the world.¡±

    He was a little angry. This woman looked at him as if she was looking at an alien. Obviously, she did not believe him, which made him very ufortable.

    ¡°I¡¯ll email the official announcement to all the departments immediately. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do a good job.¡± In order to ay her worries, Hansen showed a charming smile and said gently. He turned around and took out a bunch of keys from the drawer and handed them to her. He said, ¡°This is thepany car that is assigned to you. The documents in this file are about some of your main job responsibilities. Have a look at it. Also, your share of the profits from the model of the luxury car you designedst time has already been allocated to you. I have instructed the finance office that they will give you a 5%mission of the profit on all orders for the car you designedand the finance team will then calcte it on time.¡±

    It felt like luck was on her side. For a moment, she was at a loss for words!

    If he gave her 5% of the profits, it would be a lot of money. He actually kept his promise. This amount had exceeded that of the Whalen Group.

    However, the day before yesterday, he publicly humiliated her in the office and almost put her through hell. However, today he was ttering her with all of the good news that she couldn¡¯t believe it.

    Didn¡¯t he always not trust her? How could he entrust such an important role to her? The design and marketing were the keyponents of thepany. Wasn¡¯t he afraid that she would mess up or ruin thepany? If he already knew the reason she joined thepany, then, was this a test for her?

    Or did he only do this because she had slept with him? It seemed that men really were animals who thought with their lower bodies.

    Judging from the modifications to the office, this decision was not made on a whim. The decision must have been made a long time ago.

 Chapter 95 The New Broom

    ¡°Remember, work hard. Don¡¯t disappoint me,¡± Hansen stared at Jenna¡¯s rigid face. He came over and wrapped his arms around her waist and smiled evilly, saying, ¡°Of course, not only do you have to do a good job in thepany, but you have to be even better when you get home. Sleep with me and make me happy.¡±

    He deliberately emphasized the word ¡°sleep¡±, which frightened Jenna that she returned to her senses. She was blushing and embarrassed!

    Hansen burst intoughter.

    ¡°You mean that I¡¯m in charge of the Marketing Department? What about Aria then?¡± Jenna asked in a daze. If she remembered correctly, Aria was the one who was in charge of the Marketing Department. Now that she was in charge of that, what was Aria¡¯s role? She was really puzzled and full of doubts. Was he going to marry Aria and not let her go to work? Did he want Aria to live happily while she ved away? When she thought of this, she suddenly became dejected.

    ¡°You just have to do your job. Don¡¯t ask anything else,¡± when Hansen heard her mention about Aria, he looked a little unhappy and said lightly. After saying that, he went straight to his desk and sat down. He turned on theputer and worked, without looking at her again.

    If he didn¡¯t want to talk about it, so be it. She didn¡¯t expect much anyway.Jenna thought for a while, then turned around and walked out.

    Soon, the news of Jenna¡¯s appointment as the Vice President of thepany spread through thepany. Everyone was talking about it, but Jenna¡¯s excellent performance at thest press conference was evident to everyone, and there wasn¡¯t much disagreement about her appointment.

    Jenna started to take over the Marketing Department of thepany. Not only did the Richards Group sell luxury cars, they were also involved in the real estate industry, which were the hottest and most popr industries of the day. They had business dealings in almost every industry, which was evidently shown in the marketing record she received.

    She was going through the stack of information that was given to her. All the client information from both the Public Rtions Department and Marketing Department that the Richards Group dealt with were given to her. The information was very important to ensure a smooth management of thepany.

    Why did Hansen choose her? Was it really just out of trust?

    Jenna stillhadn¡¯t figured it out and it just didn¡¯t feel real.

    However, she had spent three years working in America as a car designer in Rayan¡¯spany and as the distributor for the Asia market after all. It was no doubt that she had umted a lot of working experience. Although she looked delicate and beautiful,she had a wealth of experience.

    Wasn¡¯t Hansen looking down on her?Shewas going to prove him wrong.

    She didn¡¯t need to spend much time in the Design Department. She was in charge of that department all along, so she didn¡¯t have to worry too much about it.

    However,after a morning of sorting and analysis, it became clear that the Marketing Department had a number of problems, both in terms of management and in terms of marketing and sales.

    It was not that the Marketing Department was difficult to handle. In terms of luxury cars, she did not have to worry. Although she was not familiar with the A city market, she was very familiar with the European and American markets. Now that she had those orders from the press conference, there was no need to worry too much about small domestic orders.

    What was difficult was the real estate industry.

    There was a big problem, which was theCamphor Tree Vi. The construction of this high-end vi was currently on hold,with only the first phase being developed. Furthermore, this vi was one of the Richards Group¡¯s long-term investments,which if developed properly,would build an even stronger foundation for the Richards Group in A city. If this project failed, even if the Richards Group was rich, it would badly affect them financially.

    She wondered whether Hansen had a solution.It was obvious that this problem must be solved! She frowned! However, what she saw next made her mind sink!Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    The cars of the Richards Group dominated the domestic sales, but their overseas sales werergely in the red. No wonder Hansen had put all his effort into bringing her back to design luxury cars, regardless of the cost. It turned out that this was the reason. She breathed a sigh of relief.

    Even if the domestic real estate industry was making profit all year round, if the Camphor Tree Vi was not properly developed, it would still result in a deficit.

    These two industries were the core industries for the Richards Group. It had been handed down from generation to generation. However, when Trevor took over thepany, they were basically breaking even and did not continue to flourish as the previous generations once had.

    Now all those projects that were churning in the revenue for thepany were the new industries that Hansen had decided to venture into when he took over thepany. Under his leadership, thepany had been involved in many new industries such as restaurants, games, software, and so on. All of which had good results, which could be seen in the marketing strategy handed over by Minnie.

    One could imagine how much hard work and effort Hansen had put in when he first took over the Richards Group! He had not only brought Richards Group out of the doldrums but in just three years he had slowlyhelped thepany be one of the wealthiestpanies, thanks to his wise and fastidious approach.

    Perhaps it was also because he realized that they cannot forget about thepany¡¯s roots. Three years ago, he had the foresight to buy a piece ofnd in the Green Mountain Town and intended to construct high-end vis that were rare in the whole city and even in the world. It would have been such an ambitious goal, and if it had been developed sessfully, it would not only have revitalized the old Richards Group properties, it would have brought the Richards Group into a period of glory.

    However, the Camphor Tree Vi was a bombshell with an unpromising and uncertain future.

    Jenna suddenly understood why Grandma Richards agreed to let Aria live in the Richards Manor. Obviously, Grandma Richards, who didn¡¯t like Aria, was wise enough not to offend Mayor McAdams for now.

    It was a stop-gap measure!

    However for her, it was a double-edged sword. For a moment, her heart sank!

    At noon, Jenna ate while she watched the TV in her office.

    A City¡¯s entertainment news headlines were overwhelmingly about Aria and she could see striking reports at random!

    The hottest uing movie of the moment, Rapunzel, directed by Director Cook, was officially in the pre-production stage. The casting of the female lead, for which Director Cook was personally responsible, was now open to the public, starting with a prime-time slot on television.

    The show was actually a warm-up to build up hype for the movieand for promotional purposes.

    The major TV media all said that this movie was funded by the Richards Group and that the lead actress had been elected. The actress would be Aria, the woman whom the president of the Richards Group, Hansen, was going to marry. The so-called casting was just for show and hype.

    The news alone was enough to bring the rtionship between Hansen and Aria back to the forefront.

    Jenna remembered that when she saw Hansen this morning, he was reading the newspaper. At that time, he so happened to be reading the entertainment section. So, was that really the case?

    She flipped through all the Marketing Department documents and saw Aria¡¯s signature but the recent signatures had been changed to Hansen¡¯s. Did this mean that Aria was actually leaving the Richards Group?

    When they left the Richards Manor this morning, she didn¡¯t see Aria following them out. So, what was Hansen nning to do?

    Although she had many doubts running through her head, when she asked Hansen this morning, it seemed that he did not want to disclose anything. If he wanted to tell her, he would have done so. However, since he did not want to say anything, then there was no point in asking.

    However, Jenna was in a good mood. She did not really care what Aria did, at least she didn¡¯t have to run into her every day in the officeand that alone was enough to put her mind at ease!

    Jenna took over her role in the morning and swiftly called for a meeting right away in the afternoon.

    This was the first meeting Jenna had held ever since she was appointed and it involved everyone from both the Marketing and Design Departments.

    As soon as she was appointed, she immediately appointed two new managers in the Design Department. She promoted Perrie, who was just an assistant manager and appointed Cornell, a veteran of the Richards Group, as the new manager. There was a manager for each of the Marketing, Public Rtions, andSales nning Department. She reced all the assistants assigned to each manager and further assigned them different roles. She believed that everyone should have more to do, so that there was a clearer division ofbor and more responsibilities for each person.

    Unconsciously, she switched the executives in both departments and repositioned all the people who had been under Aria.

    This move might seem unimportant to others, but it was crucial for Jenna. It would be much more convenient for her to do her job in the future. Except for Minnie, all the staff in the departments should be able to do what she said.

    As soon as she went back to her office, she summoned all the managers and asked them to give her a brief run down about their jobs in hand.

    Jenna sat in front of her desk. She flipped through thetest batch of design drawings handed over by the Design Department with ease. Because the models were mainly domestic cars, there were not too many problems. She nodded her head in agreement with almost all of them, except for a few that were dismissed as superfluous.

    ¡°Mr. Forbes, have these orders been handed over to the production team?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Murphy. It¡¯s all in production and we¡¯ll be able to see the results soon,¡± Nathan answered confidently.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Jenna nodded and took the report from Minnie.

    Jenna looked up and asked, ¡°Ms. Murphy,what is the Public Rtions Department¡¯s main project for this week?¡±

    Minnie seemed to be still reeling from the news of Jenna¡¯s appointment as Vice President of thepany. She was so full of resentment that she didn¡¯t expect that this b*tch would be promoted to the Vice President position so quickly and she had to report to her. She was very displeased. Initially, her only way up was to depend on Aria, but things changed so quickly. Aria left thepany and went off to do some sh*tty TV show.

    What did all this mean? She was so resentful that she despised Jenna from the bottom of her heart!

    ¡°Well, at this stage, it¡¯s mostly about the Camphor Tree Vi and a couple of PR campaigns for games,¡± she answeredzily, not caring about it.

    Jenna frowned. The problem with the Camphor Tree Vi situation was beyond the reach of the Public Rtions Department. As far as she knew, Aria was nning to use her father¡¯s, Mayor McAdams, influence to solve the problem.However, apparently, she had already left the position and this no longer had anything to do with her. She couldn¡¯t figure out what exactly Hansen had in his mind.

 Chapter 96 Back Her Up

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, this morning, Mr. Wyld from the Finance Department informed me that the Public Rtions Department has been spending a lot of moneytely and asked me to look into it properly. I¡¯m just wondering what sort of expenses require such a huge amount of money,¡± Jenna¡¯s expression was serious. On the very first day, she was approached by Mr. Wyld, the manager of the Finance Department, who wanted her to manage the Public Rtions Department and avoid unnecessary expenditures.

    A look of panic shed in Minnie¡¯s eyes, but she confidently said, ¡°Ms. Murphy, these expenses were submitted by Ms. McAdams when she was here. This amount is not that bigpared to what the Richards Group was earning. Richards Group is earning millions of dors, yet you guys are being petty about such a small amount? Of course, if you don¡¯t believe it, you can call Ms. McAdams and ask her. There are receipts for every expense, so you can go ahead and check them.¡±

    Her voice was very loud and her face was indifferent. There was even contempt and disdain in her eyes.

    Jenna frowned and looked at the summary report in her hand. She sneered in her heart. Was this even considered as a summary report?Not only was her work a mess, but even her several signatures were also all crooked and unreadable. How did she manage to get through university? Obviously, she was not serious about her studies. She probably didn¡¯t study hard at all and just wanted to get a leg up. Her mentality was very dangerous for a woman who had no real talent.

    She didn¡¯t understand why Hansen wanted to hire her. Even though she was beautiful and he needed someone to help out with dinner dates, he shouldn¡¯t have hired her as the manager. She was barely even qualified to be a PR person.

    Jenna pointed to a piece ofnd on the outskirts of town and asked about the expenses, ¡°The building for thisnd was already bid and it should be the client who relies on us. What¡¯s the justification for spending 100, 000 dors on public rtions for it?¡±

    Thisnd was a piece of property owned by the Richards Group. Since there was already subway ess, they wanted to build a small condominium and a shopping mall. Hansen had ordered the Marketing Department to organize an auction and had been prompted to select someone based on the results of the bidding. Moreover, it was a project wherein the developers should get on thepany¡¯s good side. Minnie had actually withdrawn 100, 000 dors of PR fees this week. Moreover, Aria approved and signed off the expense.

    When Aria was in charge of this matter, she didn¡¯t have a hand in it. However, now that Jenna had taken over the department, she couldn¡¯t leave it alone. If she was right, Minnie probably hadn¡¯t figured out what the project was about and just thought it had something to do with thend, so she thought she could get some benefits out of it.

    Judging from her current outfit, with her secretary¡¯s sry, it would probably not be enough to meet her monthly expenses.

    Ignorant and stupid.

    She picked up the phone on the table and dialed, ¡°This is Jenna. Is this the Finance Department? Would Mr. Wyld pleasee to my office now?¡±

    Minnie did not expect that Jenna would actually investigate the matter and on her first day as the Vice President as well. Minnie began to tremble and her face turned pale.

    She had already squandered all the money, but she didn¡¯t expect that Jenna would check on her now. Her hands trembled for a moment and her arrogance was gone.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, Aria was the one who signed off on this expense. It wasthe manager who asked for the kickback.I won¡¯t admit it even if you find out,¡± Minnie panicked and stammered.

    ¡°Oh really? Then give me the manager¡¯s number. Thepany already allowed him to bid at such a low price, yet he even wants a kickback from thepany in private. I¡¯d like to see if he still wants to take on this project or not?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes flickered with irritation and said coldly.

    Minnie became even more flustered when she heard that. If they found out the truth, she would probably be kicked out of the Richards Group. It seemed that the b*tch was deliberately targeting her.

    At this time, the other managers were still in the room. However, she could not care more and shouted angrily, ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re doing this on purpose. You¡¯re just trying to embarrass me and bring me down. This thing happened when Ms. McAdams was around, and it has nothing to do with you. Now you want to investigate me just because we have an old score to settle. Thisis obviously disrespectful to me. You hate me. I¡¯m going to tell Mr. Richards that you¡¯re not worthy of being Vice President.¡±

    At this point, she was still so reckless and bad-tempered. She was really childish.

    Mr. Wyld came over quickly.

    ¡°Mr. Wyld, please tell Ms. Murphy about the bid for thend in the eastern part of the city and tell her if she still needs to give amission to the developer for thatnd?¡± Jenna ignored Minnie¡¯s rant and smiled politely at Mr. Wyld, who was walking in and asked lightly.

    Commission? Was there such a thing? Mr. Wyld was stunned. He said hurriedly, ¡°Ms. Murphy, this piece ofnd has already been auctionedst year. Mr. Chan kept pestering Ms. McAdams to let him win the construction right of thisnd at a low price. How could she possibly give him anymission? It¡¯s already good enough that we did not ask him for a reevaluation.¡±

    Mr. Wyld¡¯s words made Minnie speechless. Her face was pale and she was exasperated as well.

    Jenna now fully understood, and her heart was bitter. She recalled that as a girl, Minniedidn¡¯t study hard in school, and when she entered society, she still thought of herself as self-righteous. She simply didn¡¯t know the dangers of society at all.

    Ever since Minnie became the Public Rtions Manager, she had spent millions of dorswithin the span of a few days!

    If she was right, it was Aria who deliberately allowed her to get these benefits, so that she could trap herand ckmail her in future.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Aria had been in thepany for several years. How could she have been unaware of such an obvious mistake? The fact that she would even agree to her nonsense was clearly purposeful.

    However, Minnie, who was in front of her, didn¡¯t understand what was going on and even thought that she was deliberately targeting her.

    It¡¯s important to know that such corruption and such an amount of money couldnd Minnie in jail if it was reported.

    ¡°Jenna, you b*tch, what right do you have to investigate me? Don¡¯t think that if you pester Mr. Richards, he will marry you again. Don¡¯t dream about it. Mr. Richards doesn¡¯t love you at all. He loves Aria. Now that you have the authority, the first person you investigate is me. Youpletely disregard your family. How despicable and shameless! Let me tell you, I won¡¯t be afraid of you nor will Ipromise,¡± she shouted. Obviously, now that this matter had been exposed, she could no longer live a rich life. She was ashamed and infuriated.

    In front of so many other managers,Minnie tantly scolded and humiliated her. Jenna was so angrythat her face flushed red and she felt dizzy. She was sad that she had such a sister.

    ¡°Minnie, keep your ignorance and vulgarity in check. Today, you not only cling to your mistake, but you refuse to change and even humiliate me in public. Well, I¡¯ll let everyone see your ugly side. Don¡¯t think it¡¯s easy to pick on me,¡± Jenna¡¯s face was pale, but she calmed down. She red at her, and said coldly.

    Jenna was calm, persistent and steady, and her awe-inspiring aura could not be underestimated.

    Minnie was frightened. She looked at the managers standing around her. They were expressionless and ignored her. She knew that these people were all newly appointed by Jenna and they were obviously on her side. She was clearly the underdog.

    However, she didn¡¯t intend to admit defeat. After all, she was appointed by Hansen.

    ¡°It seemsthat you are deliberately targeting me and just want to get back at me. B*tch, let me tell you this, I will not go easy on you,¡± Minnie hated Jenna and cursed her, her voice getting louder and louder.

    Jenna held the report in her hands and her face darkened. Just as she was about to lose her temper, she heard a shout.

    ¡°How dare you!¡±

    Everyone turned around and saw Hansen standing at the door. He looked very serious withhis eyes burning with rage.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,¡± Minnie¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw Hansen walking in. She thought that she finally had someone to back her up because after all, she had been appointed by Hansen.Thus, he definitely would not ignore her and allow Jenna to stomp on her, ¡°Mr. Richards, this b*tch doesn¡¯t deserve to be the Vice President of thepany. The moment she was appointed, she appointed new managers. She also wants to find faults with me and deliberately check on my ounts. Mr. Richards, you have to call the shots here!¡±

    Minnie walked up as she spoke. Her eyes were filled with tears and grievances.

    She did not even see the coldness in Hansen¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes shed with coldness again and he asked menacingly.

    Minnie stood rooted to the spot.

    She initially wanted to get close to him and let him call the shots, but she was shocked by his eerie aura. His face was cold, and his eyes mirrored his expression. She could feel an aura of fury emitting from his entire body that rejected her.

    Minnie no longer dared to approach him. She just stood there in a daze and timidly looked at the inscrutable man in front of her.

    ¡°I heard someone cursing from my office just now. This is terrible. If this gets out, won¡¯t the Richards Group be aughing stock? Isthe quality of my staff in the Richards Group really that bad?¡± Hansen, whose tone was quite stern, walked in calmly, nced at everyone who was standing, and finally, heid his eyes on Minnie.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡­¡±Minnie trembled inside. She took a few steps back and wentweak in the knees.

    ¡°Who was cursing in here just now? Come forward yourself,¡± Hansen nced at Jenna¡¯s face, which was flushed with anger. He slowly walked to the couch and sat down. Then he knocked on the back of the chair and said coldly.

    The room remained silent.

    Jenna sneered. She said coldly, ¡°Mr. Richards, there are always some people who don¡¯t know their ce. They don¡¯t care about the reputation or the interests of thepany and do illegal things. They won¡¯t repent until they die. I never thought that Mr. Richards, who is always kind and good at judging people, would also make mistakes.¡±

    Jenna beat around the bush and made a sarcastic remark, which made Hansen feel ufortable.

    This d*mned woman was so angry that she even dared to scold him. Hansen secretly sighed buthe had to admit thathe did not thoroughly and rationally think through it when he appointed Minnie as the Public Rtions Manager. He just wanted to use her and get her to let the cat out of the bag. Wasn¡¯t he doing this for Jenna?

    He thought, ¡°Today, you ridicule Minnie in front of so many people which also put me in an awkward position. You b*tch, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson when I go home tonight. How dare you taunt me!¡±

 Chapter 97 Smart and Capable Woman

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I didn¡¯t do anything illegal. All of my expenses were approved by Ms. McAdams when she was around. However, this b*itch took advantage of her new position in thepany and retaliated against me,¡± tears started to roll down Minnie¡¯s cheeks. She looked pitiful and was full of grievances.

    ¡°B*tch? Who are you scolding?¡± Hansen suddenly stood up and slowly approached her. He reached out and gently lifted her chin. His expression was cold as he demanded, ¡°It seems that you are the one who cursed in Ms. Murphy¡¯s office.¡±

    Minnie¡¯s jaw dropped. At first, when she saw Hansen approaching her, she was expecting him to take her side. However, when he got closer and she saw the expression on his face, her entire body began to tremble. The fingers holding her chin were cold, without any warmth, just like his voice.

    ¡°Do you know why I allow you to continue working in thispany?¡± He stared at her face coldly and asked.

    Minnie shook her head nkly, not knowing what he meant.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I wanted to give face to Jenna, so I gave you this opportunity, but it seems like you do not know how to appreciate it. Not only that, you don¡¯t even know how to respect your superiors. Do you really think that ourpany still needs people like you?¡± Hansen¡¯s expression was so cold that it seemed to freeze her.¡°Since you¡¯re Vice President Murphy¡¯s cousin, I¡¯m going to let this matter slide. However, you¡¯re fired. From now on, you¡¯re no longer an employee of the Richards Group.¡±

    After that, Hansen looked around and said in a cold voice again, ¡°Whoever dares to gossip in thepany or disobey their superiors¡¯ orders will be fired immediately. The Richards Group does not need such mediocre employees.¡±

    After that, Hansen turned around and walked away!

    Minniewas so stunned that she almost fainted on the spot.

    The rest of the staff members kept quiet, but they all understood that Hansen was building up Jenna¡¯s credibility. His message was clear:Whoever dared to disobey Jenna¡¯s orders would end up like Minnie, or even worse. After all, Minnie was Jenna¡¯s cousin.

    After Hansen left, the room remained silent. Even Minnie was quiet and had nothing to say.

    Jenna understood why Hansen did that and she was touched. In fact, it was the best thing for everyone if he sent Minnie away like that, especially for Minnie herself. After all, if one really wanted to check the ount books, not only would Minnie have to pay back thepany,she would also most likely end up in jail. Obviously, he was concerned about her and for the sake of thepany¡¯s reputation, so he let this matter slide and fired Minnie.

    However, Minnie didn¡¯t think so. She stood rooted to her spot and did not want to leave.

    The rest of the meeting was going on much smoother. Now that Hansen had issued a warning, no one would dare to disobey her. They all listened to her instructions with respect and obeyed her instructions.

    ¡°Jenna, I beg you! Please do not kick me out of thepany,¡± Minnie saw that everyone had left and started to be scared, knowing that she had been fired from the Richards Group, but she did not want to leave. She knew she would not be able to find a job as good as this in A city once she left thepany. She went straight to Jenna and pleaded, ¡°Jenna, you know that I dropped out of school and can no longer continue my studies. If I lose my work, I will be unemployed. Jenna, I beg you. Please, I cannot lose this job. Can you please ask Mr. Richards to allow me to continue working in thispany? I promise that I will listen to all of your orders.¡±

    It was toote to be scared now! Jenna sighed in her heart, shook her head, and solemnly said to her, ¡°Minnie, Mr. Richards fired you today for your own good.He¡¯s not going to hold you ountable anymore. You should be happy. It¡¯s better for you to go home and enroll yourself back into school or find a job and start working from the very bottom. It¡¯s not easy to work here. The Richards Group is tooplicated and you are not academically qualified to continue working here.¡±

    Jenna tried her best to persuade her. After all, she was still young and still had time. Fortunately, she took over the Marketing Department, or else she would have been ckmailed by Aria and would have to pay a high price. That woman was extremely vicious.

    Minnie suddenly became very dejected. Obviously, Jenna was not willing to help. Her departure was already a foregone conclusion, but clearly, she was not willing to leave this ce. Her eyes suddenly shed with rage and she viciously scolded, ¡°Jenna, you have guts! You fired me on your first day as the Vice President of thepany. There is no family affection between us. Don¡¯t get too cocky. Let me tell you, since you aren¡¯t going easy on me, I also won¡¯t let you off the hook so easily.¡±

    She said fiercely. Then she stormed out of the office and mmed the door shut.

    ¡°Ignorant,¡± Jenna shook her head and sighed slightly when she saw that she was unrepentant.

    Jenna was just promoted to Vice President. Everyone knew that Hansen had driven Minnie out of the Richards Group as a show of support for her. From then on, no one dared to look down on Jenna anymore. Jenna relied on her own strength and managed to familiarize herself with all the work in the Marketing and Design Departments in less than 2 weeks.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    She discovered a number of shorings and made a series of changes that saved the two departments more than 300, 000 dors a month, in just half a month. Hansen looked at her with new eyes and was secretly happy.

    When the sun was rising in the morning, Jenna arrived at the office on time, and none of the Richards Group¡¯s Marketing and Design departments staff werete. The moment she stepped into the office, they stood up and greeted her loudly.

    ¡°Good morning, Ms. Murphy!¡±

    ¡°Good morning,¡± Jenna nodded and smiled slightly. She loved this kind of office culture. Everyone was in good spirits and efficient. She made it a rule for every employee to sign in at the front desk of the Design and Marketing departments before going to their respective workce to start their days.

    She too was not exempted from this rule. She had to sign in just like everyone else. Then, she saw all the managers lining up with their respective reports to give her a run down for the day.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, the amusement park in the western part of the city will open tomorrow. The marketing team has prepared all the proposals. Please take a look,¡± Mr. Forbes was the first toe up and said respectfully.

    ¡°Okay. Just pass it to the secretary. I¡¯ll look through it immediately,¡± Jenna said briefly.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, there¡¯s only one month away until the shares of the Logistics Park are listed, but Gxy Heights is having some problems with the capital,¡± Sylvia, the newly appointed Public Rtions Manager reported.

    Jenna frowned and narrowed her eyes. She walked to herputer, tapped her fingers on the keyboard and retrieved the information about the Logistics Park. She browsed through them and instructed decisively, ¡°Go ahead with our ns. I will immediately give the financial advisor, Frederic Newton, a call.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Sylvia Swinburne was the top student studying in the field of management in University A in City A, and shewas handpicked by Jenna to join the team. She was smart and had a good temperament and her own opinions. She was also a tactful person. After receiving Jenna¡¯s instructions, she left immediately.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, Mr. Chan is about to start construction on thend in the eastern part of the city, but yesterday the Quality Inspection Department found out that he bought a lot of building materials from theBluming Construction Material Company.Everyone knows that thatpany provides substandard and inferior products, which is a major issue for the reputation of the Richards Group and our Marketing Department if we proceed with this. Do you want to report it to Mr. Richards?¡± The supervisor of thepany, Rory, walked up with a solemn look.

    These kinds of issues were not within her jurisdiction at first, but at that time, Aria participated in the bidding and had connections with the Marketing Department. Now that she had taken over Aria¡¯s role, she could not let this matter slide. She thought about it for a while and immediately ordered.

    ¡°We won¡¯t be using those low-quality materials. The Richards Group doesn¡¯t cooperate with such an unscrupulous developer. How about this, let¡¯s hold another auction for thend. Work with the finance team to find out the irregrities in the bidding of thisnd and make it null and void. I will make it clear to Mr. Richards then.¡±

    Her orders were very straight forward. She was very decisive.

    Rory was stunned for a moment and reacted immediately. He was shocked. Obviously, Jenna was much more astute and capable than Aria. To be honest, when this piece ofnd was being auctioned, he was very opposed to Mr. Chan¡¯s appointment; hegave off the impression of a dishonest man. Somehow,Mr. Chan had managed to get on Aria¡¯s good side which was how he got the project.

    After all, the project was a long-term development n and the Richards Group¡¯s reputation was on the line. He was much more relieved now that Jenna, who was steadfast and selfless, was in charge.

    As soon as the elevator reached the 88th floor, the advertising manager who had been waiting on the side came up and said, ¡°Ms. Murphy, about the car models, we are going to sign a contract with the Art College. Mr. Koch, the principal of Art College, is here to discuss the contract. He is waiting in the office.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I got it.I¡¯ll be right there,¡± Jenna answered as she walked forward.

    At this time, Yetta, the Director of the nning Department, came forward to stop her and said in a hurry, ¡°Ms. Murphy, the proposal of Creative City has been rejected. They said that it was not trendy, not good enough and it needs more work. They want you toe up with another n and then send it to them personally¡­¡± In the end, the voice of Director Turner lowered.

    It was obvious that he was trying to pick on her just because she was newly appointed!

    Jenna gave a scornful smile andChester¡¯s sly face shed before her eyes. She said calmly, ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it again. Tell him that I¡¯ll personally send it to him in three days.¡±

    Hmph! He wanted to pick on her thinking that she didn¡¯t know anything because she¡¯s just getting started?This cunning businessman saw the Richards Group¡¯s press conference go off without a hitch and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to do some automobile business, didn¡¯t he? After all, one could make a huge profit from the automobile industry. She didn¡¯t care about his business in the Creative City.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, the models that yourecedhave been making trouble in thepany, saying that they wille to youter.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna had already reached the door of the office and was about to open the door when she heard this. Then, she turned around to look at the secretary with a smirk. She had a vicious look on her face and said, ¡°Go and tell them that the underground boss in A city is looking for escorts. Ask them if they are interested. It pays well there!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the secretary was shocked and hurried away after receiving the order.

    Hansen was sitting in front of the surveince video in his office and was observing her every move, from the moment she stepped foot into the office and dealt with each and every situation. A smile of appreciation appeared on his face.

    This d*mned woman!

 Chapter 98 Obey Me

    She had just taken over Aria¡¯s position for less than half a month, and she was already making huge progress. She even corrected many of the ws, giving the entirepany a makeover within such a short period of time and eliminated some of the defects he¡¯d been trying to fix.

    Sure enough, he was right to promote Jenna.

    From the surveince video, he could see that Jenna was wearing a suit. Her silver-white mid-length suit made her torso look slender. The mid-length skirt that she was wearing outlined her pretty, sensual hips perfectlyand the outfit was paired with white high heels, which stepped on the ground rhythmically. Her soft waist twisted, and on the smooth tiles,the sound of her high heels rang all the way to the cashmere carpet in the office.

    The sound of Jenna¡¯s high heels clicking was very different from Aria¡¯s. It sounded like the person was very calm and confident rather than impatient and arrogant. The sound of it would not make people feel ufortable. In fact, they were even reassuring.

    From the moment Jenna stepped into the Richards Group to the moment she settled the issue with the models, her movements were so natural. She was quick and decisive, and never sloppy. The corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth curved into a beautiful curve and the word ¡°queen¡± shed through his mind.

    Needless to say, this woman really had the temperament of a queen. Although she seemed like a quiet person all those years when she had been working in the Richards Group, she was neither servile nor overbearing. She was calm and collected and he had noticed that long ago. He had deliberately overlooked her potential earlier because he despised her. Now he was finally willing to give her a fair chance.

    Hansen was intrigued by her imposing personality. He didn¡¯t look away from the monitor until her figure disappeared in the corridor. Then, he looked at the wall opposite him.

    He was just a wall away from her, and she was sitting right across from him, so what could she be doing?

    Hansen imagined her beautiful bodysitting in front of aputer, reading a document, or making a phone call.In fact, she was also a workaholic like him. Since she became the Vice President of thepany, she insisted on driving herself to work every morning. She exined to him saying that she wanted to maintain professionalism, lest people say she was in his good graces and depended on him to make a living.

    When Hansen heard her exnation, he didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. However, he thought that she was right and couldn¡¯t me her, so he let her have her way.

    However, in doing so,he would be spending a lot of time away from her.

    What made him angrier was that she even cited being busy with work as the reason for not allowing him to touch her. Even if she did allow it, he could only touch her only once, making him ache for her every day. He sometimes even wondered if she was using this as an excuse to avoid him. He was so indignant that he could not wait to dismiss her as Vice President immediately.

    He stroked his chin and thought for a moment. Then he looked at the wall again. Suddenly, he had a light-bulb moment and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He slowly stood up.

    When he entered Jenna¡¯s office, she was buried in a pile of documents, frantically looking for something. She was sweating and her cheeks were flushed. When Hansen walked in, she didn¡¯t pay attention to him or maybe she didn¡¯t even know that he had entered her office.

    Hansen cleared his throat and looked serious.

    ¡°Stop messing around. Go y on the side,¡± Jenna didn¡¯t even raise her head and kept looking in the drawers. Then, she flipped through the documents on her table, looking very anxious.

    Hansen was not happy that he was sent away like a child.

    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± He asked in a dignified tone.

    Jenna was startled when she heard his voice. She raised her head and realized that it was Hansen. In the past few days, there was a young graduate in the Design Department who woulde up to her office to ask questions on the pretext of asking for advice. She thought that it was he who had walked into her office, but now, it turned out to be the beast.

    She was a little flustered, and her forehead was covered with sweat. Her face was flushed and her eyes were wide open. She blinked her bright eyes, which made her look very cute.

    ¡°Oh sorry, Mr. Richards. It¡¯s just thatI spent the whole nighting up with new designs and copied it over with a USB sh drive, but now it¡¯s gone, and I can¡¯t find it. It¡¯s really urgent,¡± Jenna wiped the sweat on her forehead with a tissue and was very anxious.

    Hansen leisurely put his hands in his pockets and raised his eyebrows. He used her lightly with a smile on his face, ¡°Is this how you work? You seem very forgetful.¡±

    His words made Jenna¡¯s face even redder. She opened her mouth and couldn¡¯t speak. There was nothing she could do. He had found out her mistakes and she could only ept his scolding for losing the USB drive.

    Hansen enjoyed seeing Jenna¡¯s flustered appearance and felt happy in his heart. He slowly leaned over and said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you want to ask me for advice when you can¡¯t finish the job?¡±

    Jenna found his words were strange. She looked up and saw his deep ck eyes. She looked into his eyes and asked timidly, ¡°Does it mean you can help me finish my work?¡±

    Hansen loved her silly expression and was tempted by her gaze. He reached out and ced his hand on her waist and leaned over to ridicule her, ¡°Look at you, you don¡¯t put your heart into your work, not to mention your life. How are you going to please me?¡±

    As soon as he said this, Jenna immediately understood what he meant.His dissatisfied expression in the past few nights appeared in her mind. Of course, she was not that stupid. She blushed and tried to get rid of him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. Obey me and you will live,¡± Hansen said yfully. He suddenly retrieved the USB drive from his pocket and showed it to her, ¡°Look, is this what you¡¯re looking for?¡±

    The USB drive that she was looking for was sitting in his palm. Her eyes lit up and she reached out to grab it. Hansen quickly pulled back his hand, away from Jenna.

    ¡°Give it to me. It¡¯s mine,¡± Jenna reached out and grabbed his hands with all her strength. She used all her strength to try and pry open his hand. Hansen exerted a little more strength, and his fist did not budge at all.

    Jenna was discouraged.

    ¡°You overestimated your own abilities,¡± Hansen sneered sarcastically and walked towards the couch with his arms around her waist.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jenna was now seated on hisp, and being held like a doll.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°How did my USB get into your hands?¡± Jenna was very puzzled, but she couldn¡¯t figure it out. She just asked curiously.

    Hansen reached out a hand to stroke her hair and said in an indecent tone, ¡°If you can please me more, I¡¯ll tell you. Otherwise, maybe this will happen again.¡±

    Jenna was chilled down to her spine by his words; it was as if he had taken it away on purpose.She thought to herself, ¡°D*mn it, he must have done it on purpose!¡±

    However, how did the USB drive manage to end up in his hands? Jenna couldn¡¯t figure it out. When she heard that he wanted her to please him more, it reminded her ofst night. She was trying toe up with new ideas in the study, but he kept making trouble beside her, urging her anxiously.

    He must have snuck it out of her carry-on bag when she was in the bathroom!

    Jenna was furious. She had been looking for it for the entire morning. More importantly,she felt guilty that she hadn¡¯t done her job properly.However, it was all his doing.

    With a sullen look on her face, she looked up and was about to question him. However, by the time she wanted to ask, she realized that his hand was already underneath her clothes and was reaching for her sensitive spots.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s working hours.Can you stop thinking about s*x all the time? You pervert,¡± Jenna grabbed his hand to stop him from going any further. This rascal, his hand was so warm that her temperature had also risen up.

    ¡°What are you talking about? I am a man after all. What else can I think about ifI¡¯m not thinking about this?¡± Heughed.

    Jennawas disgusted by what she heard.He always had beautiful women to apany him every day, but he was still desperate for her. Which man could be so energetic and lustful?

    ¡°For so many years, you¡¯ve had beautiful women by your side, and a gorgeous beauty named Aria, but I never thought you, Mr. Richards, would be so dissatisfied in your s*xual life,¡± Jenna scoffed, with a hint of disgust in her tone.

    Hansen¡¯s face immediately turned ck when he heard that. This d*mned woman, how dare she feel disgusted by him? She didn¡¯t really think he was having an affair with these women, did she?

    However, he didn¡¯t want to deny it. He replied proudly, ¡°I just love sleeping with you. I need to sleep with you every day. What are you going to do about it?¡±

    He was being unreasonable again. Jenna remembered that she had a lot of work to do today, so she didn¡¯t have time for this, so she held out her palm and said, ¡°Mr. Richards, I have to get back to work. You know that I have a lot of work these days. Could you please return the USB drive to me?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that you can¡¯t. It¡¯s just that I must be satisfied first. Otherwise, I¡¯ll not only punish you if you don¡¯t finish the job, but also torture you just the same,¡± he sneered and winked smugly.

    ¡°What on earth do you really want?¡± Jenna was helpless. After all, there were still a few projects to work on. There were people waiting for her in the conference room to talk about the contract. The next day was the weekend. No one would be working the next day.Now that she was at work, she wanted to get the work at hand done.

    ¡°Think about it. Once you¡¯ve made up your mind, I¡¯ll take you to visit your mother tomorrow afternoon,¡± he tried his best to tempt her. His face was full of smiles.

    Visit her mother?Jenna¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°Hansen, does it mean that my mother¡¯s going to have surgery soon?¡± She raised her delicate face and looked up at him with expectation.

    To be exact, Jenna¡¯s expression at that time really moved Hansen. He had never seen her such a vivid expression. She looked anxious, beautiful, and hopeful. However, there was still a trace of pain in it, which made his heart inexplicably sore for some reason.

    His face darkened. After thinking for a while, he said in a deep voice, ¡°Jenna, we found a matching donor, but your mother is depressed and grief-stricken. Her mental state is not fit for surgery, and it seems like she does not have a strong will to live. I heard from Dr. Brooks that although her left kidney was indeed injured in the car ident, if the patient has been in a good mood and is actively treated, the surgery will be unnecessary, but her condition now is¡­¡±

    At this point, Hansen was a little heavy-hearted. He didn¡¯t continue. When he saw Jenna¡¯s face, it instantly turned as white as a sheet and hereyes were full of pain. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to continue.

 Chapter 99 I Agree to Your Request

    ¡°Mom.¡± Jenna clenched her fists tightly and felt a sharp pain in her heart. Her mom loved her dad so much and had relied on him a lot. Her father¡¯s tragic death had hurt her tremendously. It was a miracle that she still had the will to live. Her parents always had a good rtionship. For a long time, Jenna had been convinced that no couple loved each other as much as her parents did. Their love was evesting.

    Warm tears began to spill from her eyes. She gritted her teeth so hard that her lips turned white. Her heart was filled with pain.

    Poor mother.

    She could no longer control her emotions. She buried her head in his chest and burst into tears. This was the first time in a long time that she had cried her heart out. When she just got off the ne that day and saw her father¡¯s body covered in blood in the hospital, she did not cry. When she saw her mothering out of the operating theatre, she just silently shed tears.

    This was the first time she cried uncontrobly. She really could not suppress her emotions any longer.

    Hansen¡¯s shirt was now soaked with her tears.

    Hansen remained silent.

    He had a solemn look on his face. After a long time, he reached out and held Jenna tightly in his arms. He remained silent the whole time.

    ¡°Hansen, can you help me with something?¡± After a long time, Jenna forced herself to hold back her tears. She raised her head, sniffled, and begged in a pleading tone.

    ¡°What is it? Just tell me.¡± Hansen¡¯s tone was gentle and there was a hint of pity in it.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing.¡± Jenna took a deep breath andposed herself. Her voice was hoarse because she had been crying. She said, ¡°Hansen, my mother doesn¡¯t know about our divorce and everything that happened between us. Please help me keep this secret from my mom. She has suffered too much. I don¡¯t think she can handle any more bad news.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s bright eyes were full of sadness, which made Hansen feel extremely sad. He looked down at her. Sara only had one daughter. He knew how Jenna felt and knew that Sara couldn¡¯t handle any more heartache.

    Their eyes met. Jenna¡¯s eyes were pleading and full of expectation.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were deep and there was a hint of light in them. If Jenna was not mistaken, she saw pity and some unknown emotion in his eyes.

    He sighed, reached out his hand to stroked her hair. Then he said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I promise you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna raised her eyebrows in surprise. Her eyes were still filled with tears. Her eyes lit up like a ray of sunshine that slowly pratedyers of clouds and mist. The sunshine dazzled in her eyes.

    Hansen felt that she was genuinely grateful. She felt a sense offort and pleasure from being trusted and appreciated. He winked, smiled, and nodded.

    ¡°Thank you, Hansen.¡± She ced her arms around his neck and leaned forward. Then, she kissed him on his lips. It was soft and quick. Just as she was about to lift her head, Hansen suddenly ced his hand behind her head and brought her lips back to his. He kissed her passionately.

    His insistent mouth parted her lips.

    Jenna did not resist. She allowed him to kiss her and even tried to kiss him back. She knew that her feelings were mixed with gratitude for him.

    Their kissing intensified, sending wild sensations through their bodies. It was as if they were the only people in the world.

    The world suddenly became a wonderful ce. Although Jenna was worried about her mother¡¯s condition, she was in a surprisingly good mood throughout the morning. There was rare joy on her face. Even her secretary, Tess, could feel her happiness. Tess watched Mr. Richards walk into Jenna¡¯s office ande out with a huge smile on his face after a long time. She immediately knew what they had been doing in there.

    Honestly, she was hoping that Mr. Richards and Ms. Murphy would get back together. After all, Ms. Murphy was much better than Ms. McAdams. Moreover, Ms. Murphy seemed more suitable for Mr. Richards.

    ¡°Alvin, is there any progress these days?¡± Hansen asked. His eyes were sharp, and he stared at Alvin, who was rushing over.

    Alvin¡¯s tanned skin seemed tense. There was a strange look in his eyes. He pondered.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I have been following Norton over the past few days, but I haven¡¯t found anything suspicious so far. I only know that he approached Jenna several times, but Jenna avoided him at all costs. I have nothing else to report besides this,¡± Alvin thought carefully for a while and said.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes darkened and he nodded. He was aware that Norton liked Jenna.

    ¡°And, Mr. Richards, I realized that Norton and Aria are getting close these days,¡± after thinking for a while, Alvin suddenly said and observed Hansen¡¯s reaction.

    Hansen¡¯s expression was of indifference. He smiled and said, ¡°They were ssmates, so it¡¯s normal that they¡¯re close to each other.¡±

    In fact, he didn¡¯t really care about their rtionship. However, if Jenna was close to Norton, he would get jealous. However, he had not noticed this.

    ¡°I see.¡± Alvin was relieved when Hansen exined it to him.

    ¡°One more thing, Mr. Richards. Rayan has returned to the United States,¡± Alvin suddenly remembered something that would be pressing to Hansen, and said in a hurry.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Hansen seemed indifferent and he answered lightly, but there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. However, he did not show it on his face.

    ¡°Then you must focus all of your attention on following Norton and those people who have connections to the car. You must find out who killed Jenna¡¯s father.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes were full of determination. His face was cold as he pictured Jenna crying in his arms.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Alvin nodded. However, after a while, he lowered his voice and said, ¡°Mr. Richards, I always thought that this car was rted to the Richards Manor. If we want to investigate, we may not be able to leave Richards Manor. If I¡¯m not mistaken, someone else has been following up with this car these days.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Hansen was shocked. Who else cared about this? So far, Jenna¡¯s father¡¯s death had not been announced in the media and Jenna hadn¡¯t told anyone about it. It could be said that no one in the Richards Group knew about it. The reason he did not mention this to Jenna was that he was worried that she would be sad, and he did not want to alert other people before there was any solid evidence.

    However, who else in the Richards Manor would want to investigate this? Could it be Norton?

    ¡°Do you know who the person is?¡± Hansen asked hurriedly.

    ¡°I have no idea. However, this person seems to know what they are doing. They seemed quite experienced but they could also be the police. All we can do now is a guess.¡± Alvin, who was from the special forces, certainly knew how to read people. He could tell at a nce if they were experts or not.

    ¡°Police? If it¡¯s the police, it¡¯s totally possible. After all, this ident has been reported to the police.¡±

    However, if the police could actually find out who did this, would Jenna go back to the Richards Group to investigate this on her own?

    Clearly, Jenna did not believe that he would help her. Could it be that she had secretly hired someone? She also moved back to the Richards Manor and willingly endured the humiliation. Could it also have something to do with this matter?

    No matter what, this matter was rted to the Richards Group and a life had been lost, so he did not let his guard down. He always liked to take the initiative and did not want others to control him.

    ¡°We must recruit more people to help us with this matter. We must hurry up and find out before the police do. If someone from the Richards Groups did indeed have a hand in this ident, it will affect our stock value. If you find out anything, report to me immediately.¡± His sharp eyes were like arrows as he ordered in a deep voice.

    Alvin quickly agreed and bolted out of the room.

    There were more and more signs showing that Javon¡¯s death was not an ident. Obviously, Hansen now realized that the reason Jenna promised Grandma Richards that she would move back to the Richards Manor was so that she could investigate this matter. Did she already know who had killed her father?

    He couldn¡¯t help but touch his lips. He could still taste her on his lips. It was so sweet that he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about when they were making out on her office couch just moments ago. He could feel her sincerity. If she didn¡¯t suspect him, then who else in Richards Manor did she suspect had killed her father?

    He always felt that the man in the Green Mountain Automobile City was not an ordinary person. There must be someone secretly urging him.However, despite handing him over to the police, he had not revealed anything. He felt a burst of anxiety when he thought of this.

    Early in the morning at the Richards Manor, the sky was clear, the air was fresh and there was a gentle breeze. There was a hint of coolness in the air.

    Jenna went for a jog around Green Jade Garden. After jogging a couple ofps, she was panting like crazy and was already drenched in sweat. Only then did she realize how unfit she was since she had no time to work out due to her busy schedule over these past few weeks.

    The rich autumn glow sprinkled from the sky, and the luxurious and chic vis were embedded in the Richards Manor like mushrooms. The roof dazzled in the sun as if it was made of gold and shining ss. The door que seemed to be ted in gold by the sun, and the entire scene seemed like a dream.

    Jenna walked slowly. It was as if she was exploring a kingdom that didn¡¯t belong to her. The cold wind blew and the sweat all over her body seeped through her sportswear, making her shudder.

    She made a quick dash into her bedroom.

    Hansen continued his normal routine. He had already gone to the gym for a workout that morning.

    Jenna went into the bedroom, took out a set of pyjamas, and went to take a cold shower.

    Because she had to go to work in thepany every day and had gradually found some fun at work, she did not think that staying in Richards Manor was as horrible as before. Now, the biggest difference was that Hansen would alsoe home on time. Maybe it was because of Aria!

    Whatever the case was, life was really much better than before except for the annoying Aria.

    Today, she wanted to make some adjustments to the car design that she hade up with. Although she worked in the Richards Group,designing cars was her passion. This was her bread and butter.

    As for the Richards Group, she was not sure how long she was going to work there, and there were so many things¡­ As long as she thought of this, she would feel extremely depressed.

    She bought herself a few new sets of pyjamas. After all, they were in Richards Manor. It was inappropriate for her to wear skimpy pyjamas there. This was one of the good things about living there. She didn¡¯t have to wear the pyjamas that Hansen specially bought for her and she didn¡¯t have to worry about Hansen turning into a s*xual beast.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

 Chapter 100 Interrogating Larry

    The pure cotton pyjamas with cute little animal prints on them that Jenna was wearing made her look cute and cuddly. Her long hair was still dripping with water as she had juste out of the shower. Her skin was fair and slightly flushed. It was also very smooth.

    As soon as she came out of the bathroom, she saw that Larry was tidying the room for her. She was capable and focused. It seemed like she did not notice Jenna standing right behind her.

    Jenna leaned against the door frame, crossed her arms over her chest, and quietly observed Larry as she made the bed.

    Larry bent over to observe the sheets first, and then touched them with her hands. After a long while, she reached out and skillfully pulled off the sheets. She took the new red sheets that were piled up next to her and gently spread them out. The red sheets went up into the air like a fiery cloud as it slowlynded right in the middle of the mattress. Larry gently shook them and the sheets fell perfectly into position, which amazed Jenna. Next, Larry squatted down and expertly folded the corners of the sheets.

    She managed to change the sheets in less than a minute.

    Furthermore, she was not panting, her face was not flushed, and her expression was calm. Sure enough, she was a pro in changing sheets.

    Jenna stared at the red sheets without blinking.

    It took her more than ten minutes to change the sheets the other day and by the time she was finished, she was sweating all over, but Larry did it effortlessly. Jenna was mind blown but she did not say anything.

    Every morning, the servants of the Richards family would go and tidy every bedroom in the Richard Manor; a task which was insignificant to them.

    Jenna¡¯s mind drifted off into a daze and some pictures shed across her mind over and over again. It made her suspicious. The images of the red sheets kept popping into her mind and she was slightly stunned.

    After making the bed, Larry turned around to tidy the table. Her eyes swept around. It was as if she was looking for something. She didn¡¯t look like a person who was trying to tidy up the desk.

    Jenna¡¯s face instantly darkened.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± She coughed slightly.

    ¡°Ah¡­ Young Madam, you¡¯re here.¡± Larry shrieked and was frightened by Jenna¡¯s voice. When she turned her head, she saw Jenna standing behind her. Panic shed in her eyes.

    She blinked her smiling eyes, but the coldness slowly poured out from her smile.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Am I not allowed to be in my own room?¡± Her tone was gentle and she took a step forward, but her words were overwhelming.

    ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Larry¡¯s face was a little pale, and she hurriedly denied it with a smile. ¡°This is your room, of course you¡¯re allowed to be here. I-I was too focused on tidying that I did not realize that you were in the room. I¡¯m really sorry that I did not greet you.¡±

    She was frantically trying toe up with an excuse.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You¡¯re the one cleaning up my room, so I should thank you instead.¡± Jenna smiled faintly and slowly sat down on the couch. She crossed her legs slightly, reached for a grape on the coffee table, and popped it into her mouth. All it took was one bite and she could taste the sweetness of the grapes. Then she gave Larry a slight smirk, revealing her teeth covered with grape juice. It made her look like a vicious siren.

    ¡°Come here.¡± Her face slowly darkened, and her eyes gradually became sharp. She waved Larry, who was smiling dumbly at her, over.

    No one knew why Larry looked scared. Her entire body was trembling. She obediently walked over and asked in a low voice, ¡°Young Madam, what can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid of me?¡± Jenna popped another grape into her mouth. She looked up at Larry and asked. She thought that she did not have the upper hand among the people here at Green Jade Garden. Even this beautiful servant was above her. She was surprised that Larry was even afraid of her in the first ce.

    ¡°No, Young Madam, you are very modest. We, as servants, like you very much.¡± Larry quickly smiled.

    ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s good then.¡± Jenna suddenlyughed. How could she not feel that? It was good that they did not bully her, but they were snobbish. However, she maintained her smile and said, ¡°I was afraid that you guys did not like me and would speak ill of me.¡±

    ¡°No, why would we?¡± Larry asked, feeling even more ufortable.

    Jenna knew that even though those people working here in the Richards Manor were servants, but in fact, their sries were much higher than those of average employees in a normalpany. They not only had all the necessary insurance, but also had generous rewards. It was normal for their servants to earn more than ten thousand a month. For those who did not mind being a servant, this was a pretty decent job.

    Therefore, if the servants did not have any special connections, they would not be able to work in Richards Manor.

    ¡°Larry, you¡¯re Madam¡¯s distant rtive, aren¡¯t you?¡± Jenna asked lightly, seemingly unconcerned.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Larry wascent for a moment when she heard Jenna¡¯s question.Madam Marissa had the most authority inGreen Jade Garden. No one could do anything to her except for Madam Marissa herself. Aria too had to tter her. Therefore, she tried topose herself with this thought. Marissa didn¡¯t like Young Madam. She didn¡¯t need to be afraid of anything at all.

    She even heard that the Young Madam and Young Master were divorced. It was just that Grandma Richard liked her a lot and that was why she kept Young Madam around. Once Grandma Richard passed away, Young Madam would be nothing. Therefore, it was a no brainer for her to obey Madam Marissa.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes shed and she said very affectionately, ¡°Since you are Madam¡¯s rtive, that means that you are also my rtive. Therefore, I should call you by your first name.¡±

    There was a hint of contempt in Larry¡¯s eyes, but she repeatedly said, ¡°No need. Young Madam, you don¡¯t have to be so polite.¡±

    ¡°Larry, since you are Madam¡¯s rtive, you should consider Madam¡¯s interests. You should know how to protect the reputation of the Green Jade Garden, right?¡± Jenna¡¯s voice became even colder. It was as if she was going to explode at any moment.

    Larry was not used to it at the moment. She felt a chill run all over her body and she looked up with sharp eyes. Suddenly, she shivered;she discovered that the gentle woman in front of her had changed. The light in her eyes was no longer modest and unfathomable, and her behavior had be much more sophisticated. She could not be bullied at will.

    She looked at Jenna in a daze and didn¡¯t know how to answer.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    ¡°Larry, let me ask you, what were you expecting to find on my sheets? What were you trying to feel? Also, what were you looking for on my desk?¡± Jenna suddenly stood up and asked angrily. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to be a servant? As far as I know, the servants of the Richards family will usually go through a training phase when they firste in. Do you want me to teach you all over again?¡±

    Anger overpowered Jenna and her expression was cold. She demanded as she walked toward Larry, who was backed into a corner.

    ¡°No, Young Madam. You must have made a mistake. I was just cleaning up. I wasn¡¯t looking for anything.¡± Although there was a look of panic in Larry¡¯s eyes, she did not want to admit anything. She lookedold and decrepit.

    Jenna knew that she would not admit it, as she had expected.

    She took a step back and said with a cold smile, ¡°You don¡¯t have toe up with any excuses; it¡¯s useless. I saw you with my own eyes so it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t want to admit it. However, let me warn you, I already know that you did something behind my back. You don¡¯t have to take me for granted. I don¡¯t need you to promise me anything,¡± she said slowly, and her face became more and more gloomy. ¡°I think you probably already know that I have one-third of the right to inherit Green Jade Garden and this was given to me by Grandma Richards. Yes, Madam can keep you around and treat you well, but don¡¯t forget that I have the authority to make decisions now. You look like you are about 40 years old. If you don¡¯t appreciate working here and you don¡¯t wish to retire here, then I am willing to amodate you. If you are kicked out of Green Jade Garden, do you think anywhere else would offer you such a high sry?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s words alerted her and struck fear into her heart. What Jenna said was true. If she left Green Jade Garden, was there any other ce that would ept her?

    Obviously, of the heirs in Green Jade Garden, although Marissa had the most authority, Grandma Richards did announce the inheritance that she gave to Jenna. Even Hansen himself did not have a share, much less Aria.

    Even if Marissa didn¡¯t like her, the inheritance that Jenna received was final and no one could change Grandma Richard¡¯s decision. If Jenna wanted to drive away a little servant, it was totally possible.

    ¡°Young Madam, I really didn¡¯t do anything. I serve you wholeheartedly. Please don¡¯t get rid of me!¡± Larry¡¯s face began to turn pale, and her whole body was covered with cold sweat. She didn¡¯t have enough confidence to speak. She was the breadwinner of her family and if she was driven out by Jenna, that will be the end of her life. This was something that couldn¡¯t happen.

    ¡°Very well. You can act all innocent, but let me tell you this: Since I dared to confront you, it must mean that I have some evidence. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to admit it. Just wait for the day when I expose all of your dirty tricks, then we¡¯ll see whether you get to keep your job here in Richards Manor or not,¡± Jenna said coldly.

    Cold sweat began to form on Larry¡¯s forehead. Her hands began to tremble. She looked at Jenna with a terrified look and asked anxiously, ¡°Young Madam, what¡­ do you know?¡±

    ¡°If you have no ulterior motives, would you be so scared?¡± Jenna sneered in her heart. She asked calmly, ¡°What do you want me to know?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I really don¡¯t know.¡± Larry shook her head desperately.

    ¡°Aunt E,e over now.¡± Jenna picked up the phone on the wall to inte Aunt E.

    After a while, Aunt E walked in. When she saw the look on Larry¡¯s face, she instantly understood everything. With a stern look on her face, she walked over and asked respectfully, ¡°Young Madam, what can I help you with?¡±

 Chapter 101 The Truth Came to Light

    Jenna smiled faintly and said, ¡°Aunt E, there is something that I need to rify today. Please cooperate with me.¡±

    Aunt E understood and smiled. She said seriously, ¡°Yes, Young Madam. As long as you ask, I will tell you everything.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna nodded and sat down slowly. She smoothed the sheets on the bed over and over again with her soft hands, and then slowly revealed the red sheets inside. A red rose bloomed in the middle of the sheets, like a bloody demon.

    She didn¡¯t speak, but just stroked the red sheets with her hand. Suddenly, she felt a pang in her chest, as if she had been stabbed in the heart. The scene from her wedding night was vivid in her mind. Until today, her heart was scarred. That night was too painful and she fainted because of the pain. She couldn¡¯t erase this feeling until now. Up until today, she still tried to refuse Hansen¡¯s advances. If she couldn¡¯t figure out the reason, there was no way she could continue on with her life.

    She raised her head and stared at Larry. Larry¡¯s face was as white as a sheet and her whole body was shaking. There was a hint of panic in her eyes. Obviously, she had figured out what Jenna was nning on asking her.

    However, she pretended to be calm and suppressed the panic in her eyes. She couldn¡¯t admit it. If she admitted it, she was sure that she would get kicked out of Richards Manor. She couldn¡¯t lose this job. She had no choice. Young Madam, I have no choice but to keep denying your words.

    However, things would not go so smoothly this time. Apparently, Jenna did not intend to let her go.

    Her consciousness wavered and she held on tightly. When a person faced a dangerous situation, their instinct to protect themselves would be on high alert.

    ¡°Aunt E, may I ask you, do you know who came to change my bedsheets on my wedding night three years ago?¡± Her eyes were burning with anticipation.

    ¡°Young Madam, I was drunk on that night. When I woke up, it was already noon the next day. It wasn¡¯t me, but I am pretty sure Larry would know,¡± Aunt E thought and answered earnestly. Then she turned her head to Larry and said harshly, ¡°Larry, you have been in charge of cleaning the rooms all this while. It must have been you.¡±

    Larry wiped the sweat from her forehead and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Young Madam, it¡¯s been three years. I can¡¯t recall who did it.¡±

    Can¡¯t recall? Jenna almostughed out loud and said coldly, ¡°Larry, you are not that old. How can you not remember?That was Young Master¡¯s and my wedding night. You may forget about other things, but definitely not that night.¡±

    Larry had an ugly smile on her face. She replied, ¡°Young Madam, I really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to say.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jennaughed again. She tightened her grip on the rose and said with a sad smile, ¡°Larry, I treated you as a sister, so you¡¯d better think about it carefully. Let me tell you, I have already obtained the surveince video of the Green Jade Garden from the security room. Do you still want to deny that it was you in the corridor that night?¡±

    What? What video? Larry was stunned. Young Madam was really powerful. She was no longer the weak woman who would get bullied by the servants. It seems like Larry¡¯s bad luck wasing. However, the video most probably only recorded her cleaning the room. There was probably nothing else on the video.

    ¡°Young Madam, I remember now. Yes, I was the one who changed the sheets, but I didn¡¯t do anything else. It was my duty to change the sheets anyway. I¡¯m just wondering what you are trying to imply?¡± Larry seemed to remember something and said suddenly.

    Jenna sneered in her heart. If she didn¡¯t mention that she had the video, would Larry remember? Would she never have remembered?

    ¡°Well, Larry, do you remember what time you came to change the sheets? Was there anything on the sheets?¡± Jenna went straight to the point, and asked righteously.

    Larry thought hard and long, and she kept shaking her head. ¡°Young Madam, I really don¡¯t remember. I didn¡¯t see anything on the sheets. When I took the sheets out, I immediately threw them into the washing machine. I didn¡¯t notice anything.¡±

    ¡°Larry, I didn¡¯t expect you to be such a vicious woman.¡± Aunt E couldn¡¯t help but burn with anger when Larry still did not want to admit it. She scolded, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of being struck by lightning? From the video, we saw that you walked out of the room with a bag. Although we couldn¡¯t really see in detail what it was, you yourself should know. Why do you have to lie to your conscience? You only think about yourself. Have you ever thought about what kind of pain you¡¯ve put Young Madam through all these years? Young Master has wronged her all these years. Do you not feel any guilt?¡±

    Aunt E really did not expect the servants of Green Jade Garden to be so vicious that they would do such a thing without remorse. When Jenna called her into the room and secretly asked this question, she suddenly realized what the problem was between Young Master and Young Madam. If she had known this earlier, she would not have gotten drunk that night even if she was beaten to death. To put it bluntly, Young Madam had suffered the most throughout these years.

    Although Young Master did not say anything, and even Marissa did not know about it,one could see Young Master¡¯s psychological stress and the grievances Young Madam had suffered. Although the rich and powerful families were open-minded, they also ced great importance on this.

    Aunt E was an elder and her thinking was much more conservative. This matter was very important to her and she could not stand Larry¡¯s evil intentions. That day, she was determined to ask Larry to hand over the evidence, otherwise, she would have gone and ransacked her room in an attempt to find the evidence.

    ¡°Tell me. What was in that bag?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes were filled with irrepressible pain. She asked with a cold face, ¡°If you don¡¯t exin it clearly today, I will tell Grandma Richards. I will use my authority to kick you out of the Richards Manor.¡±

    Larry¡¯s expression changed from fear, to anger then to looking like she was going to be sick.Finally, she was stone-faced. She stood still, not saying anything.

    ¡°Of course, if you tell me, I will allow you to stay in the Richards Manor, and I will continue to trust you. After all, you are one of Richards Manor¡¯s long-serving employees. In fact, this is not a big deal and it¡¯s really nothing. However, this is rted to my dignity and reputation, therefore please tell me the truth. Furthermore, I have the medical records from the hospital. I know everything.¡± Jenna breathed a sigh of relief. Her tone softened a lot and her face was full of pain.

    She was a young person in the modern world, so this was not really a big deal. She would not be conservative to this extent. However, when she thought of Hansen¡¯s disgusted eyes when she told him that Norton had wanted to rape her that night. He did not believe her. He scolded her for being so flirtatious. She couldn¡¯t stand it. She wanted to prove her innocence and restore her dignity. She wanted not only to get his love, but to prove that she was innocent.

    From time to time, Hansen would give her a disgusted look and used her of not being a virgin on their wedding night. That was why he had lost all faith in her.

    Larry knew that she couldn¡¯t hide it from them any longer. She hesitated and thought about the consequences of telling the truth.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Larry, don¡¯t be confused. Think about it. Who does the Young Master stay with now? Whose hands is the inheritance of Richards Manor in? Aria doesn¡¯t have anything. She will only be living in Richard Manor for three months. And with Grandma Richards still around, it¡¯s impossible for her to move in. You are smart and have the opportunity to redeem yourself. Don¡¯t miss such a good opportunity. Young Madam is giving you a chance. As long as you tell her the truth, she will forgive you and keep you safe.¡±

    Suddenly, Larry burst into tears. She crawled over and hugged Jenna¡¯s leg, and said sadly, ¡°Young Madam, I will tell you everything, but you have to promise me that you will not kick me out. My whole family depends on me. I am the sole breadwinner of my family and my family is in a tough situation, so I had no choice but to do this.¡±

    Sure enough, Jenna¡¯s face was full of pain. It turned out that she had really been set up three years ago.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m a woman of my word. Your family is in a tough spot, so I¡¯ll help you,¡± Jenna held back her grief and anger and said calmly.

    ¡°Young Madam, in fact, I felt guilty for doing it. It has been so many years. In the past, whenever I hear you cry in the room, I will feel a rush of guilt. Therefore, I didn¡¯t destroy the sheet, but hid it in order to return it to you to prove your innocence in the future. At that time, I med myself for being money-minded,¡± Larry said with regret as she cried.

    Aunt E was so angry that she nearly wanted to knock Larry down.

    Now that the truth hade to light, Jenna had a splitting headache. It was as if someone had punched her in the gut so hard that she couldn¡¯t breathe.

    ¡°Young Madam, I really didn¡¯t know such a thing would happen. You have been wronged for so many years,¡± Aunt E said bitterly. ¡°Young Master has truly misunderstood you. It turned out that someone has set you up. You can¡¯t me the Young Master. In fact, every man cares about it. What¡¯s more, Young Master is a man with pride. Now, justice has been restored. Young Master is finally able to let go of that grudge he has been holding against you. He will definitely make peace with you in the future.¡±

    She said with pity and sighed deeply. Although so many years had passed, Larry still kept the evidence and it was now much easier to solve this problem.

    Was that true? Was that the only reason he had misunderstood and rejected her for so many years? Would he really care about this if he really loved her?

    Jenna was sneering in her heart, and her stomach was churning; it was as if she was about to throw up. However, she simply smiled faintly and said softly, ¡°Thank you, Aunt E.¡±

 Chapter 102 Face to Face Confrontation

    She slowly walked downstairs and wandered around Richards Manor. The center of the manor was connected to the periphery of the garden. There was an ind in the center of the garden. Although it was not big, it was natural. The trees on the ind, the green grass, and small flowers connected with the blue sky, creating a beautiful scene.

    She could hear crispughtering from the gym in front of her. Even from a distance, she could recognize Aria¡¯sughter. Obviously, she was apanying Hansen in the gym.

    There was a rock garden in the middle of the ind and there was a secluded sitting area in the midst of it. She didn¡¯t want to stay in the bedroom. Aria and Hansen were staying together in the same room and their bedroom was just next to hers. Whenever she stayed in the room, she could hear Aria¡¯s fakeugh. She knew that Aria did it on purpose and it infuriated her. She needed to calm down.

    She hid herself at the sitting area and opened herptop.

    She opened her email and saw that she had an email in her inbox. She clicked on it and realized that it was sent by Rayan.

    It was only then that she remembered that Rayan had left A city about 2 weeks prior. The email was very short. There were only a couple of sentences, and thest one was to ask how she was doing. She smiled slightly and gave a short reply, ¡°Rayan, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m doing well.¡±

    Then she buried herself in work. Only work could allow her to forget about all her pain. Hansen probably knew how much she had been through. Although they didn¡¯t rify it, his attitude toward her was much better. Not only did he appoint her as the Vice President of thepany, he no longer treated her coldly when they were in the Richards Manor. He even slept by her side every night and Aria was not pleased about it.

    Sometimes, he would onlye to bed when she was fast asleep buthe always hugged her, which seemed to have be a habit.

    However, as long as Jenna thought about him being intimate with Aria, she would feel disgusted and would not want to go anywhere near him.

    Time passed slowly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let Hansen misunderstand you, and don¡¯t carry the pain with you. Don¡¯t do anything that you will regret in the future!¡± That was what Grandma Richards warned her when she called Jenna into the room on her birthday.

    At that time, Jenna¡¯s heart was in a mess. Of course, she wanted to know the truth. However, things were getting more and moreplicated. Would she ever find out the truth?

    She was waiting for the opportunity.

    For the whole morning, Jenna¡¯s heart was in a mess. Sometimes, she stared at herptop in a daze, and at other times, she looked up at the sky in a daze. When the clock in the Richards Manor struck 12 p. m., her head was still dizzy and her heart was still conflicted. She wasn¡¯t sure whether she should tell Hansen about what she had found out. She thought, if he trusted her and loved her, even if there were no such things, he would still be like before.

    However, he didn¡¯t love her and they were divorced. Was there any use telling him?

    Just let it remain a mystery.

    She then decided to hide the sheets.

    In the Richards Manor, the atmosphere was very lively.

    When Jenna walked in with aptop in her hand, she saw Marissa and Aria sitting on the couch as they chatted andughed. Hansen, who was sitting at one end, was reading the newspaper. He smiled and nodded at them from time to time to express his response.

    Jenna quietly walked past them, not wanting to disturb them.

    However, someone had no intentions of letting her go so easily.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    ¡°Look. Someone doesn¡¯t even want to say hi when she walks past us. How arrogant. Does she really think she is a rich princess?¡± Aria asked snobbishly.

    A cold light shed in Jenna¡¯s eyes. She wanted to just ignore her, but Marissa spoke up.

    ¡°Come here,¡± Marissa bellowed. There was no warmth in her tone. She still did not like Jenna even though her son¡¯s attitude towards her had changed. However, she did not purposely make things difficult for her either.

    It was because ever since Aria and Jenna moved into the Richards Manor, Hansen came back home almost every night. Marissa was very happy to see so many people in the house.

    Jenna stopped and helplessly walked toward the living room with a smile on her face. She politely called Marissa ¡°Auntie¡±. She had decided to call her this after careful consideration. Marissa was arrogant and looked down on her as the daughter-inw of the Richards family. She had no intention of humiliating herself by calling her ¡°Mom¡±.

    Marissa pulled a long face and replied with a hum, which meant that she agreed.

    Hansen, who was reading the newspaper, lifted his head and looked at her with deep eyes.

    Jenna was no longer the same girl she was four years ago. After all, so many years had passed and she had struggled abroad for three years. She had also been in situations much more humiliating than this. This was nothing to her. She had learned long ago how to stand up for herself.

    ¡°Hansen, have a bite of this.¡± Aria immediately ran over to Hansen when she saw him staring at Jenna. She was wearing expensive fur clothing and deliberately tied her wavy curls into a ponytail, which made her look young, lively and beautiful.

    She reached out and hooked her arm around Hansen¡¯s as if she was afraid that Jenna would walk over and sit next to him.

    ¡°Young Madam, you haven¡¯t eaten yet?¡± Aunt E came over and asked with concern.

    She seemed to have lost track of time and had missed lunch.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before? I told you that you muste and eat with us at mealtimes. Everyone else is busy as well. Don¡¯t think that just because you are the Young Madam, other people will amodate you,¡± Marissa frowned andined discontentedly.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You don¡¯t know where you stand. You pretend to be noble and virtuous but all you are is a sl*t,¡± Aria snorted disdainfully.

    Jenna felt like someone was stabbing her in the heart over and over again, and her entire body was now covered with blood. She couldn¡¯t take it anymore when the image of the white sheets with blood stains shed in front of her.

    Originally, she wanted to let it go since Hansen and her were over. It was fine with her if others didn¡¯t know, as long as she knew the truth.

    However, this shameless woman had to interfere in everything that she did and insulted her over and over again. It pulled the rug from underneath her. If she didn¡¯t vent her anger, she would probably suffocate to death.

    Jenna smiled coldly, stared at Aria, and said in a harsh voice, ¡°Aria, what did you say just now? I dare you to say it one more time.¡±

    After being questioned by Jenna in such a loud voice, in front of so many people, Aria was about to lose her cool. She just wanted to take advantage of Jenna. After all, since she had moved into Richards Manor, she realized that Hansen never touched her and only slept with Jenna at night. It was hard to vent her anger.

    Furthermore, she learned from Minnie the day before that Hansen had appointed Jenna as the Vice President of thepany and reced her. At first, she was dissatisfied, but now she wanted to take the opportunity to humiliate Jenna and make her angry.

    However, she didn¡¯t expect Jenna to NOT let her go this time. She tried to seize her words.Jenna was not easy to be bullied. Even if Hansen despised her, she couldn¡¯t care less. Aria stood up and walked over. She pointed at Jenna and shouted angrily, ¡°I called you a sl*t. B*tch, what are you going to do about it?¡±

    She stared haughtily at Jenna when she was done. She had to show the servants of Richard Manor who was the boss. She could not let Jenna bully her like this. If she did not hit back, where was she going to hide her face?

    p. Jenna raised her hand and pped Aria across the face. She scolded, ¡°B*tch, let this p serve as a reminder of all the bad things that you have done.¡±

    Both Aria and Marissa were shocked; so were Hansen and all the servants of Richards Manor.

    The usually calm andposed Young Madam unexpectedly pped someone, and the person that she pped was Aria.

    Aria was stunned. She stood still and all she could see were stars. When she finally came back to her senses, she couldn¡¯t help but burn with rage. Ever since she was little, no one ever dared toy a finger on her. However, today, she had been pped by Jenna. How could she not get angry? She roared at once and flushed. She picked up the stool beside her and hit Jenna fiercely.

    ¡°Stop.¡± Hansen did not expect that such a thing would happen. He did not expect that Jenna, who was usually calm andposed,would actually p Aria. He totally did not see iting until Jenna pped her. When he saw Aria pick up the stool next to her and was about to hit Jenna, he quickly reached out and grabbed hold of the stool as he shouted angrily.

    ¡°Hansen, this woman pped me!¡± Aria wailed.

    ¡°Aria, you should have watched what you said. Why did you have to call her a sl*t?¡± When Hansen heard Aria calling Jenna a sl*t, he felt that it was uncalled for. He demanded as rage overtook him. After all, Jenna was also his woman; she used to be his wife. How could Aria call her a sl*t? He burned with anger.

    ¡°That b*tch is a sl*t.She is a whore. Yes, I have to let everyone know that. Hansen, you¡¯re a little biased, aren¡¯t you? She was the one who hit me first, yet you me me for being harsh,¡± Aria cried.

    Jenna trembled with fear after getting scolded by Aria. The thorn in her heart kept on prickling. She built up the courage, ran toward Aria and said, ¡°Well, since you called me a b*itch and a sl*t, then I¡¯m going to expose all of your bad deeds. Then, everyone will know who the real b*tch is!¡±

    At the end of her sentence, she almost couldn¡¯t suppress the anger in her heart and shouted exhaustedly,

    ¡°Aunt E, can you please bring the sheets over and ask Larry toe here now. Today, I want everyone to know the truth and that I did not p her for no reason. You are the one who forced me to do it. I am also a human being and I have dignity.¡±

    This time, everyone in the room was stunned again. They didn¡¯t know what Jenna was going to do. Even Hansen was shocked and he raised his head. He looked at Jenna in surprise.

    ¡°B*tch, let me go.¡± Aria had been spoiled ever since she was young. After Jenna pped her, she was already so angry that she lost her mind. She didn¡¯t expect that Jenna had other things to say. She suddenly stood up and shoved Jenna. Jenna stumbled backward and fell to the ground with her mouth agape.

    Herptop flew out of her hand andnded elsewhere. She toonded heavily on the ground.

    She felt pain shoot through her entire body. Her body flushed and she clenched her teeth.

    Hansen was shocked. He was stunned by Jenna¡¯s words and did not react for a moment. By the time he heard a muffled sound, Jenna had already fallen to the ground.

    The marble floor was very hard. It was painful even thinking about it.

    He was about to walk over to help her up when he saw her grit her teeth as she struggled to get up.

    At this moment, Aunt E was walking down the stairs with Larry as she held what used to be white sheets. The white sheets had turned yellow due to age.

    Everyone was staring at them.

 Chapter 103 In Distress

    ¡°Here you go, Young Madam.¡± Aunt E¡¯s expression was solemn and she looked bitter.

    Jenna¡¯s self-esteem, personality, and dignity were about to be exposed to everyone. Her heart ached so much that she had to exin this matter in front of everyone. It was as if she was finally going to strip herself of the pain.

    However, even if she didn¡¯t want to, there would be some people who forced her to take this step,

    ¡°Larry, tell everyone how Aria incited you to rece my bedsheets on my wedding night. Let everyone know who the real b*itch is. A woman can be this shameless. Not only does she not know how to repent, but she actually wants to give me hell. I will not tolerate this anymore!¡± Jenna¡¯s face was pale as she said with determination. Although there were tears in her eyes, she was still smiling.

    Larry lowered her head. She stood at one side and her entire body was trembling.

    ¡°Come on, tell everyone. Help Young Madam restore justice,¡± Aunt E urged.

    Hansen looked at the yellow-stained sheets and then realized something. His face began to turn pale, and there was a strange light in his eyes.

    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± He yelled at Larry.

    Aria, who was crying, also began toe back to her senses. When she saw Larry standing in front of her and heard Jenna¡¯s words, she suddenly understood, and panic was written all over her face. She stared at Larry and shouted, ¡°Larry, what nonsense did you tell them? If you dare to say anything, I will ask Madam to kick you out of the Richards Manor.¡±

    When Larry heard this, she couldn¡¯t help it anymore. Obviously, Aria was pushing all the me on her and she was the most likely to be a scapegoat. When Larry raised her head, Hansen and Marissa looked at her with anger and confusion. Thankfully she still had some conscience and she finally told everyone what had happened.

    It turned out that three years ago, Aria was not happy when the man that she loved decided to marry Jenna. It was a grudge that she could not let go of. She had been spending a lot of time in the Richards Manor and had already won over Marissa. When she knew that Marissa took a liking to her, she broke down in tears. Marissa could not bear it and allowed her to stay in the Richards Manor as Hansen¡¯s friend for two days.

    That night, she used a lot of money to lure Jenna¡¯s personal servant, Larry, giving her 30, 000 dors. Her only request was to rece Hansen and Jenna¡¯s white sheets without Hansen knowing, to give him the impression that Jenna was not a virgin.

    She knew that Hansen was very particr about his women. He didn¡¯t like to touch women who slept around.

    ¡°Young Master, Madam, please forgive me. You all know that my family was in a tough situation. I have to admit that I was money-minded at that time. I genuinely feel guilty for making Young Madam suffer all these years.¡± After saying this, Larry¡¯s face was full of tears as she begged them.

    ¡°Larry, you¡¯re ndering me. I have nothing to do with it. Don¡¯t use me of something that I didn¡¯t do!¡± Aria pointed at Larry and cursed while gnashing her teeth.

    Larry¡¯s face instantly turned pale. She pulled Marissa and said, ¡°Madam, please believe me. I know I deserve to go to hell. I shouldn¡¯t have been so greedy. I felt so guilty when I realized that I¡¯d put Young Madam through so many years of suffering. Please forgive me. Please don¡¯t kick me out. I will never do it again.¡±

    At this point, Hansen finally understood what was going on. His eyes were shining and his expression was profound. He reached out and snatched the sheets from Jenna¡¯s hand, but he didn¡¯t open it. He just said faintly, ¡°This matter is over. You can all leave now.¡±

    After that, he took the sheets, walked past Jenna and went upstairs.

    Obviously, Marissa understood what had happened and she sent everyone away. She looked at Aria incredulously and said, ¡°Aria, what were you thinking? How could you do such a thing? You¡¯re ady from a noble family. You¡¯ll only tarnish your own reputation. You know, Hansen hates these kinds of people. Now, you¡¯re in trouble.¡±

    ¡°No, Mom, I didn¡¯t do it.¡± Aria instinctively defended herself. When she saw Marissa¡¯s eyes full of pity and me, she knew that she could no longer hide the truth. She could only cry and admit. ¡°Mom, I love Hansen so much. I can¡¯t lose him. This was the only way I could think of so that Hansen will dump that b*tch and fall in love with me. Please, Mom. I¡¯ve learned from my mistake. I will not do it again.¡±

    Marissa shook her head and sighed. She helped Aria, who was lying on the ground, to her feet andforted her softly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. After all, it¡¯s not a life-and-death thing. You should be more careful in the future. I will try and talk to Hansen.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mom.¡± Aria was relieved by Marissa¡¯s words and a smile appeared on her face.

    In the bedroom, Hansen was gripping the sheets tightly in his hand. Unexpectedly, his mood was gloomy. He sat there silently and did not open it for a long time.

    In fact, he didn¡¯t care. He didn¡¯t care about her past. He didn¡¯t care about what happened to her in the past. He had already decided to let it go.

    Over the past few days, he had appointed her as the Vice President of the Richards Group. He entrusted her with the most important work of thepany. Could she not feel it?

    This was their private affair. How could they discuss this matter in front of everyone? How embarrassing was that!

    A long timeter, with heavy thoughts, he stared at the stained sheets with a burning gaze, and finally opened it.

    He was shocked to see what was on the sheets. There was arge bloodstain in the middle, and next to it was an evenrger bloodstain. It nearly stained more than half of the sheets.

    His hands, which were holding the sheets, began to tremble. A rush of uneasiness came crashing into him.

    What on earth did he do that night? How rough was he that he made her bleed so much?

    He had hurt her so much!

    D*mn it!

    His mind was filled with the image of her crying under his body. How could her delicate body bear his roughness? What on earth was he doing? How could this be? He remembered that he drank a lot that night. He was restless and wanted revenge. One could imagine what good he was with such a mindset.

    His heart was trembling non-stop, and it began to ache. He was in so much distress that he couldn¡¯t breathe.

    He suddenly stood up and ran outside.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Aria rushed to him with red and swollen eyes. She leaned against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. She ced her face against his firm chest, acting like a spoiled child and sobbing. She kept saying, ¡°Hansen, please, let me exin. I didn¡¯t mean to do it. It¡¯s just that I love you so much. I did it because I love you. I didn¡¯t mean to harm anyone at all.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s body tensed slightly. He quickly pushed Aria¡¯s arms, which were wrapped around his waist, and pulled her to the couch beside him and sat down.

    He sat down face to face with her.

    ¡°Aria, do you still not understand? If you truly love me, you would not care about these things. It was very naive and stupid of you to have done such a thing!¡± His face was dignified, and the light in his eyes slowly shrank, but his tone was serious. ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize to me. The person that you¡¯ve hurt is Jenna. You should apologize to her.¡±

    ¡°But, Hansen, I really did this only because I love you. Don¡¯t me me for this,¡± she said timidly, with tears flowing down her face. She gave him a pitiful look.

    ¡°Enough.¡± Hansen stared at her and growled, and his eyes were burning with rage.

    ¡°Aria, I have a question for you. There were several times when someone sent me a message on my phone in university saying that Jenna was dating a man. Were you the one who sent those messages?¡± Hansen stared at her intently and the light in his eyes was horribly cold.

    At this moment, Aria felt a sense of disappointment. She was panicked and puzzled. She whispered.

    ¡°Hansen, I always thought that you disliked Jenna. Don¡¯t you despise her? I¡¯m the one that you love, right?¡±

    Her eyes were cloudy and empty. She sidestepped Hansen¡¯s question.

    Hansen immediately understood. When he saw her face, her eyes looked a little frightening, but he remained silent for a while. In the end, he didn¡¯t say anything. He stood up and walked out.

    Jenna¡¯s room was empty.

    He rushed down the stairs.

    The living room was empty.

    ¡°Aunt E, do you know where Young Madam went?¡± A bad feeling suddenly arose in his heart as he shouted in the direction of the staff dormitory which was connected to the living room.

    Aunt E quickly ran out.

    ¡°Young Master, isn¡¯t the Young Madam upstairs in her room? I saw her go upstairs.¡± Aunt E saw Hansen¡¯s gloomy face and realized something. Panic surged through her. That day, Jenna did not seem well. Aunty E thought that she went upstairs to get some rest. However, since Young Master asked her this question, it meant that she was not in her room. Did she go out? Was she not able to ept things?

    ¡°Where did she go?¡± Hansen growled. ¡°Go and find her.¡±

    Aunt E panicked and did not dare to think any further. She knew that Jenna had strong self-esteem. Such a private matter was exposed in front of so many people. She did not know much pain she had suffered. After being lied to for so many years, how could she be in a good mood? How did she not think of this!

    She hurriedly called ¡°Young Madam¡± as she rushed upstairs.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were sharp. He took out his mobile phone and dialed Jenna¡¯s number.

    Her phone was still on. Hansen breathed a sigh of relief, but no one answered it. No matter how many times he called, no one answered. He was in aplete state of panic.

    Fortunately,her phone had a GPS system built into it. He turned on his GPS and finally managed to track Jenna. Soon, his face darkened and he bolted out of the house.

    ¡°Woman, if something happens to you, I won¡¯t let you go that easily!¡± Hansen cursed in his heart. ¡°It¡¯s been so many years, yet you have not learned to behave nor have you learned to please me. I hate it when you¡¯re like that, you know?¡±

    He was full of anger!

    Wasn¡¯t it obvious?

    I have never mingled with any other women all those days when I was with you. Even in the three years when you were not around, I only had a superficial reputation. I have never really loved any woman. I have already handed over all the secrets of the Richards Group to you. Was this not proof that I trust you? Do I have to tell you in person that I trust you?Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    I am a man, and men care a lot about their pride. Don¡¯t you understand? Silly woman!

    He gripped the steering wheel hard. The Hummer let out a powerful roar, and the car immediately sped out of the estate.

 Chapter 104 Just Want to Forget About the World

    In the luxurious and majestic nightclub, the ancient Roman and modern stylesplemented each other. The ck paint on the wall made the nightclub look dark and unpredictable.

    Jenna sat at the bar. Her face was red and her eyes were empty, disying all her vulnerabilities.

    When the bartender handed her a cocktail called ¡°Rainbow Light¡±, she did not hesitate and she drank it in one gulp. After three sses in a row, she had no idea where she was.

    All she could think of was the sheets and the hatred in Hansen¡¯s eyes. The bitterness in her heart was getting stronger and stronger. It was useless. Even if she was innocent, he would not care about her. He had never trusted her. Even after she revealed the truth, he walked away. He even went to console Aria instead of her.

    Who was she to him?

    Jenna suddenly felt the effects of alcohol. She felt a burning sensation in her stomach. She staggered to stand up, and her vision was blurry. She could not differentiate if the people around her were good or bad, or even whether they were men or women. She smiled foolishly and her eyes were full of tears. Her body was so weak that she didn¡¯t have any strength at all, and soon she fell down again.

    In her world, there was no tomorrow. Her head was filled with her father¡¯s death, her mother¡¯s illness, and the endless feeling of sadness and loneliness. No one cared about her.

    Just like Hansen.

    He used her for her talent in designing cars and was only infatuated by her body. He had no genuine feelings for her. Why did she have to fall in love with him? Why did she marry him? If she hadn¡¯t done all that, she would probably be much happier right now.

    This was her sadness, her life.

    ¡°Hansen, you b*stard. You are hypocritical and arrogant. Do you think that I will suck up to you as Aria has? Do you really think that I want to be your wife?¡± Jenna¡¯s mind drifted as she muttered to herself, ¡°Let me tell you, I will not. I¡¯ve always looked down on you. You used my mother¡¯s illness to threaten me, and you always shout at me and you always abuse your power. What kind of man are you? I despise you! Even if you don¡¯t love me, I¡¯m pretty sure someone else will!¡±

    ¡°One more round,¡± she gestured and shouted at the bartender. She wanted to drink all her sorrows away.

    ¡°Miss, you are drunk,¡± the bartender walked over and said when he realized that Jenna was drunk. He knew that she was not a regr customer here and that she just so happened to pop in for a drink. It was not a good thing for a woman to drink in such a ce to relieve her worries, so he kindly reminded her.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not drunk. I¡¯m still sober. Let me tell you, I have a lot of money and I will not shortchange you,¡± she raised her hand, patted the table and cried. Then, she took out a gold card from her pocket. ¡°There is enough money in here to pay for another round.¡±

    The bartender shook his head and knew that there was no way to dissuade her. His duty was to not meddle in the guests¡¯ business, so he made her another drink as she requested.

    ¡°Man, it¡¯s hot in here.¡± Jenna, who had never drunk any cocktails prior to this, felt that her body temperature was rising. She pulled at her cor in an attempt to get rid of the heat. She was wearing a conservative outfit that Hansen bought for her, and even her neck was covered. It was really hot. She tore open the clothes at her neck with great force, revealing her elegant neck.

    ¡°Wanna bet that after this drink, she¡¯s going to pass out?¡± A man with dark eyes had been staring at her the entire time. He was sitting on a ckcquered wooden chair, and nking him on either side were two intimidating-looking men. They were staring at Jenna like a wolf eyeing its prey. They had evil smiles on their faces. The bodyguard spoke to the man who was sitting and staring at Jenna with eagle-like eyes.

    ¡°This girl looks familiar. She¡¯s not bad looking either. I feel like I¡¯ve seen her somewhere before,¡± the man on the other side said doubtfully and thought for a while.

    Brock Moore, the boss of the underworld in A city, was sitting in the middle. He was about 30 years old. There was a long scar on his cold face, and his thick ck eyebrows formed a straight line across his forehead. He had a standard square face and dark skin. At this moment, he was touching his chin with his right hand as he stared at Jenna, as if he was thinking about something.

    ¡°It¡¯s really getting hot in here.¡± Jenna ripped open her clothes. Her clothes were so tight that only her vicle was exposed. Even then, it was elegant. Her snow-white skin was glowing under the light. All of her actions were influenced by alcohol and she had lost all rational thoughts. The sight of her made all the men at the nightclub turn their heads. They were ready to pounce at any time.

    Immediately, a few men approached Jenna, and their eyes were fixed on her chest. They kept staring at her chest and couldn¡¯t wait to pounce on her and find out whaty beneath those clothes.

    ¡°Miss, is there anything I can do for you? Can I help you forget about the world?¡± A man held a wine ss as he gently swirled the red wine. His words were very frivolous.

    The other man had already reached out and touched her head. He smiled evilly and said, ¡°Miss, it¡¯s no fun getting drunk alone. I¡¯ll apany you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be very happy.¡±

    ¡°Go away and don¡¯t touch me.¡±

    Jenna felt light-headed and she could not control her movements. She wanted to get rid of the man¡¯s hand, but she realized that she did not have any strength when she raised her hand. She was feeling extremely tipsy but she knew that she was not drunk yet. She knew that those men that approached her were not good people and she immediately regretted it. She shouldn¡¯t havee to such a ce to get drunk.

    However, it was toote now. She had lost all sense of control now.

    ¡°Miss, this is my strong suit. I¡¯m good at apanying women like you who want to forget about the world. Come on, finish this first.¡± A man grabbed her hair, raised her head, and ced the ss near Jenna¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to drink.¡± She felt extremely light-headed. She shook her head and murmured.

    However, the other big hand reached out and grabbed her chin. He held her chin firmly in ce and she could feel her jaw beginning to hurt. She immediately opened her mouth and drank all the contents of the ss.

    After finishing that ss, Jenna waspletely drunk.

    There seemed to be a volcano erupting in her stomach and her vision began to be fuzzy. The whole room was spinning. She fell limply on the bar and couldn¡¯t raise her head anymore.

    ¡°Haha! She¡¯s been fooled. Looks like she has lost her consciousness. Come on fes, let¡¯s bring her to our room and have some fun.¡± The men began to jeer and they wanted to carry Jenna into their private room.

    ¡°Boss, are you going to let those men trample over her? What a waste,¡± the man beside Brock said sympathetically.

    The scar on Brock¡¯s face was twisted and there was light in his eyes. With an enigmatic smile, he said lightly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she won¡¯t die.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, with a bang, the door of the nightclub was kicked open, and a gust of cold wind rushed in.

    The slim man was dressed casually, and he looked calm and sharp. His handsome face was full of anxiety and uneasiness.

    As soon as Hansen rushed into the nightclub, the aggressive momentum from his body and the noble aura from him attracted the eyes of many girls, causing them to scream, ¡°Woah, look at that handsome man! What a stud!¡±

    ¡°Hey handsome man,e over and hang out with us!¡± They rushed over and shrieked. Their faces were full of infatuation, and they couldn¡¯t wait to get their hands on Hansen.

    In a ce like that where people were drunk, sincerity and seriousness were the least present. All these men and women came in here just to have fun. Therefore, when a handsome man like Hansen showed up in that kind of ce, he would most definitely attract the attention of all the women. They were all in high spirits.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes swept across the room. Then he pushed away the women that were surrounding him and walked towards the bar with no expression on his face.

    Soon.

    Rage seared through him and his eyes mirrored his rage.

    Several men were about to carry Jenna into their private room.

    Jenna was drunk and her face was flushed. Her head was against the table and her beautiful hair covered her face.

    D*mn it, the top part of her shirt was ripped open and her vicle was exposed. Although it did not expose her chest, what was beyond her vicle was far more interesting. Any man would want to tear off her clothes and have a look at whaty beneath the shirt she was wearing.

    Hansen¡¯s face was as dark as coal.

    His eyes were burning with rage. It was as if he was going to kill someone.

    That man¡¯s dirty hands were actually touching her shoulders. There was another man holding up her legs. His eyes were full of malicious intentions.

    ¡°Bang!¡± Hansen picked up a wine ss from the wine cab and threw it at the back of the man¡¯s head.

    ¡°Ouch!¡± The man screamed as the wine ss hit his head. It broke into tiny pieces as it fell to the ground. Immediately after, he could feel the pain. The man realized that he had been attacked and he reached behind to touch his head. He couldn¡¯t help howling, ¡°Who the f**k did that?¡±

    Hansen sneered coldly and picked up another ss from the table. He exhaled and squinted his eyes.Heurately threw it at the hand that was touching Jenna¡¯s shoulder. In an instant, a loud yelp could be heard and blood started flowing out of that man¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Oh crap! They are about to fight!¡± Someone at the bar screamed. Then, all the men and women started screaming. The nightclub suddenly became very chaotic.

    Hansen breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the ss from the table. He held two in one hand. He looked sideways and was about to throw the ss at those men. The men were so scared that they immediately held their heads and ran away. They shouted wildly, ¡°Where¡¯s the security guard? Someone wants to kill us.¡±

    ¡°Coward,¡± Hansen sneered as he spun the wine sses in his hand. As the wine sses spun, they emitted a dazzling mysterious light. His fingers were very nimble. He looked calm, and soon he threw the sses at the men who were running away. Their foreheads split open as soon as the ss hit them. The nightclub was shaken by their screams.

    Hansen pped his hands lightly and walked toward Jenna who had fallen to the ground. He squatted down and held her in his arms.

    Several strong security guards quickly rushed over.

    One of them, who looked like a security manager, came forward and was shocked to see Hansen. He froze for a moment. When he realized what was going on, he politely greeted him with a smile on his face, ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯re here!¡±

    Hansen raised his eyebrows. He stared at Jenna, who had fainted in his arms, and said coldly, ¡°I want to see your manager.¡±

 Chapter 105 Write a Review

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± The security manager understood and hurriedly held up the walkie-talkie in his hand. When he saw the men in a pool of their own blood, he immediately knew that he could not provoke Hansen. He hurriedly called all the guards toe over and control the crowd while he went to find the manager himself.

    A sweaty Mr. Freed rushed over and saw Hansen¡¯s face as well as the woman in his arms. His legs nearly gave way and his whole heart sank.

    It was known that Mr. Richards was one of the shareholders of this nightclub.

    All it took was one word from him and this ce would immediately close down. He could also pull all of the money he had invested in this ce and this ce would go bankrupt.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯re here. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte.¡± He put on a smile in an attempt to calm the situation.

    When he saw that the men were still cursing even though they were held down by the security guards, his eyes flickered with irritation and he cursed angrily, ¡°You guys are useless! How can you allow these men toe in here to cause trouble? Hurry up and escort them to the security room.¡±

    After receiving the order, the security manager did not dare to disobey the orders. Soon, the guests and security guards all left.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, no one told me that you were here. Please forgive me if I have offended you,¡± Mr. Freed apologized sincerely with a charming smile on his face.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were dark. He snorted and spat out a few short words, ¡°This ce will be shut down effective tomorrow!¡±

    He announced coldly. Then, he picked up the woman in his arms and strode away.

    Mr. Freed immediately stood there with his face as white as sheets.

    The hustle and bustle gradually faded, and everything sank into silence.

    By the time Jenna woke up, it was already the morning of the next day. She opened her eyes and immediately regretted it when she saw the light. A familiar scent tickled her nose.

    Although she had a splitting headache, she felt a little queasy,

    Her intuition told her that she was not in the Richards Manor.

    Where was this ce?

    After slowly adjusting her eyes to the light, Jenna finally opened her eyes.

    At the Collier Manor!

    She was in Collier Manor!

    She had returned to Collier Manor. Who brought her here? What happened the night before?

    She looked down and realized that she was wearing a sexy nightdress.

    Who had changed her?

    She vaguely remembered that she was drinking away her sorrows at a nightclub and had met some evil men the night before. After that, everything was a blur. Was it Hansen who saved her again?

    She turned around, got up, and ran outside.

    There was not a soul in the huge living room.

    However, there seemed to be a noiseing from the kitchen.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    She quickly ran into the kitchen.

    The slender and stalwart man was busy in the kitchen. Although he was clumsy, there was a lot going on in the kitchen. The man was stirring something in a pot. His movements were careful and focused.

    Jenna was stunned. She could not believe her eyes.

    The dignified Young Master of the Richards family was personally cooking breakfast.

    Was he making porridge? Did the sun rise from the west?

    She once heard him say that men do not need to enter the kitchen to cook. Such a man was worthless!

    However, look at what he was doing now!

    He was breaking his own rule! He was cooking in the kitchen. Did he change his mindset?

    Jenna instantly felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She was a little touched by his gesture.

    She knew that he was cooking breakfast for her.

    In fact, Hansen knew that Jenna was there.

    He could hear her footsteps but he did not turn around.

    It was not until Jenna came closer that she saw the steaming porridge in the pot and saw the green leaves floating on it that her stomach began to growl. Then she realized that he was cooking porridge for her.

    Was she touched? Of course she was.

    However, Jenna still couldn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°You should go and take a shower. The porridge will be ready when you¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°Did you cook this for me?¡± She asked timidly.

    He didn¡¯t make anyment. His face was expressionless, but he didn¡¯t deny it.

    Jenna still seemed to be floating on the clouds. She felt that this was a dream. It was not until he said, ¡°Why are you still standing here? Go and take a shower!¡± that she came back to her senses.

    He did not turn around to look at her the whole time she was there. It was as if he had eyes at the back of his head. He knew her every move.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Jenna braced herself and agreed. Then she turned around and left.

    Although she still felt a little queasy from the night before, when she saw the porridge, her appetite surged and her stomach began to growl. Then, it hit her when she realized that she did not eat anything the day before.

    Hansen actually cooked porridge for her. She was touched and shocked.

    He personally cooked her porridge. Although it was only a bowl of porridge, it meant way more than if he were to take her out to have an expensive meal. After all, he made it himself.

    After she took a shower, she went out to the dining table.

    Hansen had already ced the porridge on the dining table. There was an array of pastries on the table. Obviously, except for the porridge, everything else was bought.

    The white porcin bowl was filled to the brim with porridge, along with some leaves on top. Jenna¡¯s appetite increased at the sight of it. After eating two bowls of porridge, she began to wolf down the exquisite pastries.

    She was devouring whatever there was in front of her. She didn¡¯t even have time to look at Hansen¡¯s expression.

    ¡°Slow down or you¡¯re going to choke.¡± Hansen really couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. It was as if she hadn¡¯t eaten for a few days and was just released from prison. She looked so hungry that he had to remind her to slow down because he was afraid that she would choke.

    In fact, what he said was true.

    Jenna hadn¡¯t had a decent meal since she moved into Richards Manor. She lost any appetite that she had the moment she sat at the dining table. Especially when she had to face a woman like Aria, she really had no appetite to eat. Even if she ate, she didn¡¯t know what it tasted like.

    Today, she could finally have a good meal. Now that he thought about it, it was better for them to stay at the Collier Manor.

    ¡°Were you the one who brought me backst night?¡± Jenna was satisfied with the meal. Then, she suddenly remembered what had happened the night before and she asked him timidly.

    Hansen sat on the couch with no expression on his face. He was frowning and his face was cold. What made Jenna tremble was the cold air that emitted from his body. It was frightening. ording to her intuition, he was angry and upset at her.

    He crossed his long legs and read the newspaper out of habit. He didn¡¯t even look up at her.

    Jenna was a little embarrassed and didn¡¯t know whether to stand or sit.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t he just cook porridge for me? What¡¯s so great about it? It¡¯s no big deal. I¡¯ll cook it for you next time. Why does he look so pissed all of a sudden? D*mn it!¡±

    She was a little discouraged.

    When she thought of the reason why she wanted to get drunk the night before, she felt bitterness in her heart. Her nose twitched, and her eyes turned red.

    ¡°Yo-you should  about your behaviorst night. Make sure you write it properly, until I¡¯m satisfied,¡± he suddenly raised his face and ordered her coldly.

    ¡°What? A review!¡± Jenna screamed. Why did she need to  about herself? What did she do wrong? Why should she listen to him?

    Who was he? Was he her father?

    Jenna stood still and didn¡¯t move! She didn¡¯t take it seriously.

    ¡°Why are you still standing there?¡± Hansen¡¯s face was more gloomy and he stared at her. He was shooting daggers at her with his eyes. Jenna felt that her body was riddled with wounds and bleeding.

    ¡°Why should I ? What did I do wrong? It was Aria who framed me. Why do I need to do it? Anyway, you will never believe me. No matter what happened, even when you know the truth, you still choose not to believe me. I¡¯ll just have to bear with you for the sake of my mother. I despise you and look down on you. You are a bad guy who can¡¯t distinguish good from evil.¡± Jenna¡¯s heart was stabbed multiple times. She was so agitated that her chest heaved and she ranted out of anger.

    Hansen¡¯s face instantly turned livid, and there was a terrible look on his face. He stared at her and shouted angrily, ¡°It seems that you still don¡¯t know where you were wrong. Very well, I will tell you. Today I¡¯m going to show you until you understand what is right and what is wrong, what should be done, what shouldn¡¯t be done, and then I will let you go.¡±

    He stood up and looked at her with a cold face.

    This indignant face made Jenna feel a burst of guilt for no reason. Her previous confidence and integrity gradually faded away, and her momentary impulse also calmed down. After her mind cleared, she felt a little scared.

    Did she say something wrong just now? Should she not have said those things to him?

    She looked at him with some fear in her eyes and slowly took a couple of steps back.

    She turned around and was about to run away.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t stay here. It¡¯s too scary!¡±

    The man in front of her looked gloomy. He would definitely tear her apart! She didn¡¯t want that.

    However, there was no way to resist this strong man.

    Hansen¡¯s long arms quickly rested on her shoulder, and she could not move in an instant.

    ¡°Hansen, do-don¡¯t¡­¡± Jenna held her chest with both hands and pleaded.

    The pain in her bright eyes was so obvious. She looked at him miserably.

    She was afraid of him!

    Thinking of this,

    Suddenly, there was a trace of pain in Hansen¡¯s heart. He thought of the bed sheet with blood, and the anger in his eyes slowly faded away.

    She was very afraid of him now. She was afraid that he was going to take her to bed. She must have been traumatized by his roughness in bed on their wedding night. It left a deep cut in her memory.

    She must have been extremely upset. That was how she ended up drunk in a nightclub.

    ¡°It¡¯s not entirely her fault!¡± He reasoned to himself.

    However, no matter how sad a woman was, she should not have gone to that kind of ce. She should know what kind of ce it was. It was a ce where degenerated human nature went to die.

    If he hadn¡¯t arrived in time the day before, it would be a miracle for her toe out of there alive. Even if she dide out alive, she would be scarred for life.

    That was where the underworld gathered. If they offended those people, would they still be able to live a peaceful life?

    At the thought of this, anger ripped through him again.

    Who would not encounter some setbacks in their life? If everyone lost all sense of themselves and became self-destructive after experiencing setbacks, would there be anyone left in this world?

    He thought it was absurd.

    What was more, he had actually moved on from that incident. In fact, he didn¡¯t care about that anymore.

    However, he was disappointed with the way she handled the situation.

 Chapter 106 Love and Hate

    ¡°Go and  until I am satisfied. Otherwise, I am going to make you suffer today. I will show you how powerful I am,¡± he spoke again in a cold voice.

    His words were filled with determination and his tone was so cold and hard that she couldn¡¯t oppose his instructions.

    Just now, his eyes were filled with tenderness, but at that moment, it was as hard as steel.

    He was always ruthless and cruel toward her.

    She waspletely discouraged. With tears in her eyes, she gritted her teeth and had to say yes. Then she walked towards the bedroom.

    She was very pitiful. Hansen saw the look on her face when she was trying to hold back her tears, which made his heart ache. He sympathized with her. Her expression was lonely and bleak,sad, and helpless. In an instant, he had the urge to run forward and hold her in his arms tofort her. However, the image of Brock, who had been staring at her the whole night, shed through his eyes, and he resisted the urge.

    Why did Brock go to the nightclub? Generally speaking, he rarely came out, so what was he doing at the nightclub?

    As soon as he entered the nightclub the night before, at a nce, he saw Brock sitting in the middle of the crowd. His eyes were dark and fierce. It seemed like he was staring at someone. Hansen followed his eyes and realized that he was staring at Jenna. That was how he managed to find Jenna.

    He calmly looked at her as if he was deep in thought. His malicious intentions could be seen.

    Although no one could read what was going on in his mind, ording to Hansen¡¯s intuition, there must have been a reason why he was at the nightclub. If he didn¡¯t show up, it was very likely that he would have taken Jenna away and wouldn¡¯t let those drunk men trample over her.

    However, if that happened, Jenna would be in a far more dangerous situation. No one could tell if she woulde out alive or not. Even if he wanted to send someone to save her, it would have been toote.

    Whenever he thought of this, Hansen would be afraid.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what this d*mned woman is up to!¡±

    Going to nightclubs to provoke these people was like jumping into a fire pit! She couldn¡¯t even differentiate between the good and the bad. That was why she had to  about her behavior.

    An hourter, Jenna still hadn¡¯te out of her bedroom.

    Hansen went in to check in on her. She was drawing circles on the paper.

    When she saw Hansene in, she looked up at him with her bright eyes, but there was clear resistance in her eyes.

    ¡°Are you not done yet?¡± Hansen¡¯s face darkened, as if he was reprimanding a primary school student.

    ¡°Hansen, no, Mr. Richards, I really don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done wrong. I won¡¯t admit to something that I didn¡¯t do. Even if you kill me, I will not confess.¡± Jenna¡¯s beautiful eyes were full of stubbornness. It was also filled with grief and indignation.

    Hansen looked at her eyes and felt pain in his heart. He asked indignantly, ¡°You really don¡¯t know why I asked you to write a self-review?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know.¡± Jenna nodded with some confusion in her eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re a smart woman, but sometimes you¡¯re still a little slow.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was dark. He asked angrily, ¡°Why did you go to the nightclub to get drunk?¡±

    Uh¡­ Jenna was at a loss for words at the moment, but mixed feelings welled up in her heart. She felt a little guilty, lowered her head and murmured, ¡°I was in a bad mood. Am I not allowed to go there and have a drink?¡±

    ¡°Of all ces, you chose to go to that ce? Does everyone think ofmitting suicide when they are in a bad mood?¡± Hansen was almost dizzy. ¡°Do you know how dangerous it was for you, as a woman, to go to that ce? If I hadn¡¯t arrived in time, do you think you would still be standing here, talking to me? You need to review your actions. You¡¯re not allowed to go to that kind of ce ever again. Do you think I¡¯m making things difficult for you on purpose?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s words were loud and clear. Jenna was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses. It turned out that he was angry because she went to the nightclub. However, at that time, she was really depressed. Who would understand her feelings?

    Jenna slowly lowered her head. Although there was fear on her face, she was unwilling to give up.

    ¡°Even if anything happened to mest night, I will have to me it on myself. It has nothing to do with you,¡± she murmured in a depressed mood.

    ¡°Yo-you¡¯re so ungrateful! You¡¯ve failed me.¡± Hansen¡¯s expression hardened. He was burning with rage. He grabbed Jenna and was about to pick her up.

    ¡°Hansen, you have no right to care about me. I do not appreciate your kindness. There has never been a person who really cares about me. Believe me. There¡¯s no difference to me if I was dead right now.¡± Tears flowed down her cheeks, and she couldn¡¯t make a sound.

    ¡°Do you want to give up? Do you want to die? When did I say that I don¡¯t believe you? If I have no faith in you, do you think that I would be willing to appoint you as the Vice President of thepany? Do you think that I would be willing to entrust you with such an important role? You don¡¯t even realize it. You¡¯re a very experienced woman, but you are still such a fool!¡± Hansen ced her down. He was furious!

    ¡°No, Hansen. You never have faith in me. You despise me from the bottom of your heart. Otherwise, why did you request to change the sheets from white to red? If you didn¡¯t mind it, why use me of being flirty and seductive? Isn¡¯t it enough that I exined everything?¡± Jenna stood firm, sneered, and asked loudly.

    This was the reason for her heartache, and it was also the knot in her heart.

    He said that he didn¡¯t care about anything. He made it sound so pleasant, and he even imed to believe her. However, none of his actions showed that he trusted her; he treated her as if she was nothing.

    Don¡¯t think she¡¯s a fool!

    Thinking about it, which woman in this world would be willing to ept her husband using her of being flirty? Which woman would not care about this? She was also a person with dignity!

    Jenna¡¯s questions stunned Hansen. He stood there in a daze.

    There were all kinds ofplicated emotions in his heart.

    Yes, did he really not care?

    Why did he feel ufortable when he saw the white sheets? Why did he think of her as an unscrupulous woman when he saw her with another man? Didn¡¯t all this mean that he actually cared about her? Although he had epted it in his heart, his words and deeds really hurt her.

    He was also responsible for her pain.

    ¡°I just want to prove my innocence. Why is it so difficult? Even when the evidence is right in front of you, you still don¡¯t believe me. My heart aches. I am depressed and I deserve to die. You don¡¯t need to pretend that you care about me.¡± Jenna smiled sadly and pointed at Hansen and said sarcastically. ¡°You dare to say that you don¡¯t care. You¡¯re a hypocrite. I know you. Well, I admit that it¡¯s all my fault. My existence is a mistake. I should not have married into the Richards family. I should not have married you in the first ce! Are you satisfied?¡±

    After saying this, she turned around and rushed out with a sad smile.

    That was enough. It didn¡¯t matter!Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    She didn¡¯t care about her reputation anymore, and she didn¡¯t expect anyone to understand her.

    This was her life!

    A strong hand quickly grabbed her. He ced his long arms around her waist, and he picked her up.

    ¡°Let go of me! Leave me alone!¡± Jenna pushed him hard, but she couldn¡¯t shake him off at all.

    Hansen held her even tighter until she could not move.

    His hot lips suddenly lowered and he kissed her lips. He kissed her passionately, kissed her tears, and kissed her pain. He did not say a word or exin anything, but his eyes were warm.

    His kiss was overbearing yet gentle, strong and lingering, like the spring wind blowing, as he slowly captured her heart. This waspletely different from his previous demand. She could feel his sincerity and passion.

    Jenna was so shocked that she opened her eyes wide to look at him. The light in his eyes was vague, with confusion and disbelief.

    She also saw the tenderness in his eyes, soft and lingering. Jenna seemed to have never seen such an intoxicating look before and she looked at him stupidly.

    ¡°D*mned woman, do you know how anxious I was when I couldn¡¯t find you yesterday? I rushed over the moment I realized that you were at that nightclub. I was only worried about you. I asked you to  just to make you realize your mistake. I want you to be stronger and know how to protect yourself. No matter how angry you were, you should not have done such a dumb thing.¡± But he would only me her in his heart.

    ¡°Never ever step foot into those ces again, do you hear me? What problems are you able to solve by going to those ces?¡± He whispered in her ear. His voice was gentle and sweet. Although she knew that he was ming her, yet his tone was not usatory. On the contrary, he was gentle and affectionate, which made her feel intoxicated.

    He looked down at her with glinted eyes. Jenna could see a different kind of light in his eyes. It was different from that of the past. It showed care and love.

    It seemed like she had been yearning for it for a long time and had been eager to see it for a long time.

    Did she finally get to this day?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll bring you to visit your mother,¡± he whispered in her ear and said thoughtfully.

    ¡°Visit my mother?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up, and the haze inside was swept away, just like a warm breeze blowing over the water. Jenna felt ripples in her heart, and there was dazzling light in her dark eyes.

    ¡°Visit my mother?¡± She asked in disbelief.

    Hansen¡¯s heart throbbed.

    He gently stroked her hair and nodded with a slight smile.

    All the grievances seemed to have disappeared at this moment, and Jenna¡¯s heart was beating fast.

    Sara was lying on the bed. Her face was pale and her eyes were closed. It was as if she had fallen asleep. Her hands were filled with needles, and her lips were purple.

    Shey quietly with a nk expression, as if she was not interested in what was going on around her.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Jenna saw Sara¡¯s haggard face as soon as she entered the hospital. She felt a pang in her chest and burst into tears. She held her mother¡¯s hand and sobbed.

    Why did her mother have to be like this? Why did God treat her like this?

    She gritted her teeth and burst into tears.

    Sara heard Jenna¡¯s voice and opened her eyes. There was a sh of light in her hollow eyes.

 Chapter 107 You Can Entrust Her to Me

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re here,¡± she parted her chapped lips and spoke with a hoarse voice. There were also dark circles around her eyes.

    However, soon, her eyes were fixed on one person, and didn¡¯t move away for a long time.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Hansen greeted her eyes with a slightly apologetic smile, then spoke warmly.

    Mom? Did he just address her as his mom? Jenna was surprised; his voice was so natural and warm, it even made her suspect that it was not from him.

    Anyway, she was already grateful to Hansen for agreeing to keep their marriage a secret from her mother, but she had never expected him to call Sara ¡®mom.¡¯

    Now he greeted Sara so naturally and Jenna felt his sincerity. At least he honored his promise and tried to fulfill it.

    However, Sara just stared at him. She did not respond nor look away for quite some time.

    She did not look surprised at all, there wasn¡¯t hope at all in her eyes; they were lifeless even with a hint of death. Her gaze made Hansen feel guilty, and the guilt and self-reproach in his heart made him feel very uneasy.

    Knowing the underlying meaning of the gaze and withstanding the nerves in his heart, he put the supplements and flowers on the bedside table, then reached out and put his arm around the shoulders of the crying Jenna. He whispered, ¡°Jenna, is she okay? Why are you so sad? Are you trying to make your mother sadder with this look? Now that the source of the kidney is being identified, everything will get better soon so be happy, will you?¡±

    Even though he said that, he still felt ufortable. After all, it was the first time that he addressed the woman in front of him as ¡°Mom¡± ever since he got married. He had nevere to visit this nominal mother-inw before. Therefore, Sara might not have a good impression of him either.

    However, his words reminded Jenna who was feeling sad.

    She quickly wiped her tears away and disyed a sweet and rxed smile, then said to Sara, ¡°Mom, cheer up. Hansen has been searching for kidneys in the world after learning of your illness, and now he has finally found one. With the kidney, Mom, your illness will be cured soon, so you must be strong and don¡¯t waste Hansen¡¯s effort. We really need to thank him for his efforts!¡±

    Jenna¡¯s tone was cheerful and rxed, and she sounded very happy, as if her marriage with Hansen was harmonious and affectionate.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m sorry that I could not visit you earlier. I have been too busy during this period of time, so please forgive me.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was ashamed, and he took the opportunity to speak.

    But Sara¡¯s face didn¡¯t have too much expression.

    She was not a fool. Her daughter had been married to him for years but had he ever fulfilled the responsibilities of a son-inw? She was not demanding more from him, but he could not even do the least as a son-inw.

    She had been in bed all these days. Although Aunt Lee deliberately concealed things about Jenna, she had learned from the news media that her daughter had been living unhappily after marrying him, and¡­ they had divorced.

    This huge blowpletely crushed her.

    Knowing that her daughter was trying her best to hide the truth from her, she also pretended not to know anything, but such a blowpletely crushed her confidence. Her love for her husband and her worry for her daughter caused her to suffer from depression, and her illness started to deteriorate over time.

    Now that she suffered from kidney disease, she no longer cared anymore as she had lost all hope.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    At that moment, Rayan came over to apany her. Although he didn¡¯t say anything, she saw Rayan¡¯s sincerity. Rayan was not inferior to Hansen at all. What was more important was that he loved her daughter and would treat her daughter well. If her daughter managed to find a good husband, she would be happy for her.

    But it did not work out as she had hoped. The person her daughter loved was still Hansen. She knew her daughter¡¯s thoughts as her mother. The truth was really painful for her to swallow. Her husband was already no longer around, and the only daughter she had was in an unhappy marriage.

    ¡°Oh my girl, why are you being such a fool?¡±

    Tears slowly fell from her closed eyes, and she tilted her head to one side.

    ¡°Mom, you have to stay happy. Now that the kidney is ready and the surgery will be done soon, everything is moving in the right direction. However, the key is that you have to be happy, optimistic, and follow the instructions from the doctor. You will get well soon,¡± Jenna held Sara¡¯s hand tightly and said seriously. ¡°Mom, you are my closest rtive in this world. You can¡¯t leave me behind. How am I supposed to live without you?¡±

    Jenna choked up again when she said this.

    Sara¡¯s gaze slowly moved to Jenna. She held Jenna¡¯s hand with her pale hands, and she held it firmly, with love in her eyes.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m already this age so I guess it¡¯s alright for me to go and apany your father instead. However, you are the one whom I¡¯m most worried about.¡± Her voice trembled, and her face was full of mncholy.

    ¡°No, mother, you are still young. You are my only family member. You must be cured. You can¡¯t go. What will I do without you? You can¡¯t leave me!¡± Jenna¡¯s heart was aching. She held Sara¡¯s hands even tighter and she could no longer restrain herself from crying.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t say that. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here.¡± Hansen frowned. Some women were sentimental and emotional at times. Sara was already in this state and instead of forcing a smile, she cried even more to provoke her mom¡¯s sadness. He then hugged her tightly, lowered his head and whispered in her ear.

    Jenna immediately came to her senses, shed a smile, and said, ¡°Mom, you lie down first. I will go to the bathroom.¡± After saying this, she covered her face and hurried into the bathroom to freshen herself up.

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry, as long as I am here, I will definitely try to cure your disease,¡± in order to make Sara feel better, Hansen took a step forward and said gently.

    Unexpectedly, Sara¡¯s face still had no joy, and the mncholy on her face had be deeper. Her dark eyes stared at Hansen¡¯s face and calmly asked, ¡°Hansen, my illness is not important, but I really need to know something. Can you tell me the truth?¡±

    Hansen was stunned, and a trace of panic shed through him. He was already aware of what she wanted to ask, and his whole body became a little stiff.

    ¡°Mom, just ask if you have any questions. Don¡¯t overthink on your own. I used to be busy and had no time to visit you in the past. I will visit you often with Jenna in the future, so don¡¯t worry,¡± he said in one breath in order to dispel her doubts, so that she no longer over-worried.

    However, Sara was not dumb. She knew about her disease. Although the suitable kidney was ready, no one could guarantee the chance of her leaving the operating theatre alive. The chances of her seeing Hansen were limited too. So she didn¡¯t want to miss this rare opportunity.

    ¡°Hansen, are you and Jenna divorced?¡± She didn¡¯t have much time and energy to beat around the bush, so she asked him straightforwardly. Even though Hansen was mentally prepared, his expression changed when he was asked this.

    Indeed, they had divorced, but he had promised Jenna to keep this secret. Furthermore, how could he bear to tell Sara the truth right now, looking at her condition? Besides, he felt that he could no longer live without her nowadays, and he was afraid of losing her as well.

    Therefore, he quickly shook his head.

    ¡°That¡¯s not true, Mom. Who told you so? Jenna and I are in a very good rtionship, how can we get a divorce? You shouldn¡¯t even think about such a thing,¡± Hansen said with a face full of certainty. ¡°Mom, think about it. Jenna is the daughter-inw of the Richards¡¯ family, and she was appointed by grandma. How could she divorce me? Even if I want to divorce her, my grandma will not allow me to do so. Therefore, Mom, please do not overthink about something that will never happen. Don¡¯t worry, as long as I am here, I will protect Jenna.¡±

    Sara¡¯s face gradually began to show some vitality. She almost believed his words even thought she had doubts initially. It was indeed true that she had seen Jenna¡¯s name engraved on the family¡¯s chart and a grand ceremony being held. Furthermore, she now witnessed both of them being so intimate in front of her.

    She should really believe Hansen.

    After all, the news media were just good at making groundless usations; they were not trustworthy.

    Soon, her heart was relievedand her face became a lot more vivid, showing a happy smile.

    Jenna was standing next to the bathroom, listening to Hansen tell a nice story that made her mother feel at ease, but there were mixed emotions in her heart. His story sounded so real and natural that even she herself had believed it. If she hadn¡¯t experienced it personally, she would have thought that everything before was merely a dream.

    Unfortunately, the story he told Sara was a fake one.

    Of course, as long as her mother was convinced, everything else no longer mattered.

    ¡°Hansen, can you promise me one thing?¡± Sara¡¯s heart was at ease, and even her voice became more loving. She spoke softly and was begging him.

    ¡°Okay, just say it,¡± Hansen nodded without thinking and said warmly.

    The vitality on Sara¡¯s face became more and more vivid, and her eyes became clearer.

    ¡°Hansen, promise me that no matter what happens in the future, you will take care of my daughter and love her with all your heart. Even if I pass away, I can leave at ease too.¡± Her voice trembled slightly, and her eyes were full of prayers¡­

    The light in her eyes was so enthusiastic and eager that Hansen was slightly overwhelmed by her gaze. His heart was so heavy that he was almost out of breath. He looked serious and stared into Sara¡¯s eyes. He pondered for a while and said solemnly, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry, no matter what happens in the future, I will take care of her. You can entrust her to me.¡±

    Sara finally had a happy smile on her face. With tears in her eyes, she said over and over again, ¡°Okay, great, thank you.¡±

 Chapter 108 The Joy of Being a Woman

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, this is what I should do,¡± Hansen bent down a little and said seriously. ¡°Mom, you must also promise me to stay happy every day, go through the treatment, and take care of your body as well as possible. .¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± The weight in Sara¡¯s heart was finally relieved. She smiled and readily agreed.

    Hansen asked the Director toe over. He listened carefully to the Director¡¯s exnation, then repeatedly told him to treat Sara¡¯s illness seriously and cautiously. He almost made the Director write a guarantee letter before he ended the conversation.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was beating wildly at the time. She stood at the door of the bathroom and watched Hansen deal with everything. Everything seemed unreal to her as if she was dreaming.

    She couldn¡¯t figure out how true his words were when he was speaking to her mother, but no matter what, he fulfilled his duty, and her heart was full of gratitude towards him.

    Sinceing out of the hospital, Jenna had not spoken. She was depressed and felt uneasy.

    After the consultation with the Director, the operation was scheduled to be performed one monthter. Throughout this period of time, they would focus on getting the patient¡¯s body and mind adjusted to the best possible condition, so as to strive for a sessful operation.

    ¡°From now on, you wille to visit your mother every day. If I have time, I will try my best to apany you,¡± Hansen drove the car and spoke softly after seeing Jenna sitting quietly behind in a low mood.

    Jenna understood what he meant, nodded, and said softly, ¡°Thank you, Hansen.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched slightly without saying a word.

    As the car headed toward the outskirts of the city, Jenna looked restless and didn¡¯t pay attention to anything. The car stopped at a beautiful and quiet ce and it was clear that they had arrived at a high-end resort.

    ¡°Hansen, what are we doing here?¡± Jenna asked in a puzzled manner.

    Hansen got out of the car and put his arms around her shoulders and said ambiguously, ¡°Taking you to the hot springs here so that you can rx.¡± Then he chuckled in her ear and said, ¡°I did what you requested and I bet I did great. Shouldn¡¯t you reward me with something?¡±

    His expression was ambiguous and ascivious aura exuded from his body. Jenna already knew his intentions without even thinking.

    Sure enough, he was just performing in her mother¡¯s ward just now. He was not sincere at all.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was ufortable and the parts of her body where his hands were on immediately stiffened. She became extremely ufortable and nervous in a moment.

    Hansen felt her tension, thought of something, and hugged her tightly.

    ¡°Are you afraid that I want you?¡± He asked softly in her ear.

    Jenna¡¯s face blushed. Over these days, as long as she thought of it, she would feel ufortable, as if there were ants all over her body and she could not stay calm at all.

    She was not a conservative woman. She knew the joy of love between men and women, moreover, she did love him, but the feeling Hansen gave her previously was too painful. The pain had long reced those pleasures, and even left a shadow in her heart. What was more, shecked experience in such matters, and certainly did not feel any pleasure.

    With a trace of annoyance in her heart, she drove him away and walked forward alone.

    Hansen had a nice smile at the corner of his mouth, but a trace of guilt surged in his heart.

    He stepped up again and took her into his arms.

    ¡°Take a good break this weekend and I will go to work tomorrow. I have already booked the hot spring ind over there. There will be no one else, only the two of us. Don¡¯t worry.¡± He smiled and walked forward with her in his arms.

    Walking into the hot spring building, she saw hot springs of all sizes and the surrounding was misty and steamy.

    The bathrobe was warm on her body. Facing the early autumn sun, Jenna suddenly felt relieved all over, and the depression in her mother¡¯s ward was slowly disappearing.

    Hansen took her to the other end of the ind where it was even more secluded. From a distance, the smog and the steamy mist could clearly be seen. Before getting any closer, the strong smell of sulphur was obvious too.

    ¡°This is our special,natural hot spring without any artificial substances; feel free to enjoy it.¡± Hansen¡¯s body heat wafted to her face. He spoke gently while holding her slender waist. He was very gentle, and his mood was rxed. Even his words and the hands around her waist were soft, and his male voice was so pleasant.

    After entering the hot spring pool, Jenna immersed herself in the beautiful atmosphere really quickly, and her mood waspletely rxed.

    She really enjoyed it.

    The hot spring water level only reached their waists. It was warm and smooth, and the surrounding inds had lush grass, verdant trees, and red leaves glowing like the sunset, exuding bursts of warmth.

    Hansen jumped in naked.

    There was arge ssh of water, and the drops of hot spring water sshed on to Jenna¡¯s bathrobe. She also felt the warmth at her feet.

    He plunged into the hot spring and swam towards the middle of theke with his athletic figure.

    ¡°Come down.¡± After a while, he turned his head.

    Jenna was still standing on the shore and showed no signs of joining him. He almostughed at her, so he urged, ¡°Why are you still standing there? It¡¯s a pity that you don¡¯t get to feel this warm hot spring water. Come on,e down. I won¡¯t eat you.¡±

    Jenna shrank her neck and tilted her head to look at him. It seemed like she could see a hint of darkness in his clear eyes. Who said that he would not eat her alive. With all her past experiences, it was very likely to happen, even if they were at such an open ce.

    He might very much do so.

    The rxed muscles tightened up again. Her cheeks were red, and her heart was beating wildly.

    She was not mentally prepared for it yet.

    Hansen smiled and plunged into the water. After a while, there were no signs of him. Jenna looked strangely at the misty hot spring.

    A force struck her, and a big hand held her bathrobe with force, dragging her into the water. Jenna screamed and fell down into the hot spring pool.

    The salty sulphurous hot spring water overwhelmed her. Her nose was blocked so she could not breathe. She was also coughing non-stop but she heard Hansen¡¯s teasingughter.

    The d*mn guy tookadvantage of the moment that she was dazed and dragged her into the water!

    Jenna got angry and pushed him violently before saying angrily, ¡°Hansen, are you trying to murder me?¡±

    ¡°Am I?¡± Hansen was shocked by her angry expression, and quickly denied. ¡°It was just a joke.¡±

    D*mn, how was this a joke? She was now very ufortable with the pungent water attacking her senses.

    Hansen immediately put his arms around her, ripped off her bathrobe, and threw it to the shore.

    The warm water immediately infiltrated her body, and her whole body was itchy like it was being swept by countless hands. Her body slid against a strong and smooth chest. The other body was very warm and theyers of heat burned her skin into a faint red color.

    ¡°Sorry, don¡¯t be angry; it was just a joke.¡± Hansen saw her flushed cheeks and the anger in her gaze, so he had to stroke her head and apologized softly.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Jenna was surprised that he was apologizing in such a gentle way, and her irritation disappeared.

    Hansen took her to swim towards the middle of the pool.

    Jenna always felt that they were acting too dangerously, and wanted to get rid of him. But soon, she heard his domineering words, ¡°Don¡¯t move or I¡¯ll eat you alive.¡±

    She immediately stopped moving.

    Hansen was amused, but there was a faint disappointment in his heart. Her body seemed to be really afraid of him and was repelling him. As long as he touched her skin, he would feel her extremely tensed muscles.

    ¡°Are you this afraid of me?¡± His big palms were all over her delicate and fair porcin-like skin as he asked solemnly. He was frustrated as he could not make her feel happy andfortable. He knew that he had hurt her before and left a very bad shadow in her heart, but he just couldn¡¯t restrain himself. He wanted to enjoy her body again; he couldn¡¯t help himself. Of course, he also hoped that she could feel the same joy and happiness.

    Therefore, he wanted to improve the situation, and he needed to bring her into the world of joy once again.

    His big palm gently caressed her wonderful body, and the ce where he touched her brought her tremors. Jenna felt an unprecedented touch and fell into a burst of unwarranted tension. This feeling made her tense, and there was fear in her eyes. She begged softly, ¡°Hansen, please let me go. I am afraid of pain.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s body froze, and he quickly realized that he was being rude to her, and his heart was filled with guilt.

    ¡°No, it won¡¯t hurt anymore, trust me,¡± he whispered softly, and began to kiss every inch of skin on her body softly, delicately, and tenderly. It was like a lover¡¯s kiss, hot, passionate, unrestrained, with a unique tenderness. He knocked Jenna¡¯s heart open little by little like a spring breeze, with intoxication that moved her.

    As his kiss deepened, Jenna¡¯s whole bodypletely rxed. The numbness filled her body, giving her a feeling that she had never had before. With the elerated flow of blood, that intoxicating feeling infiltrated her whole body very quickly. It got into her blood, and then flowed to her heart. She felt as if she was on cloud nine, and that she was floating on dazzling, colorful clouds.

    She felt joy, an unprecedented joy; she couldn¡¯t help but groan softly. Her hands were wrapped around his muscr body, and her nails sunk into his flesh.

    When Hansen slowly entered her body, she no longer had any pain or difort. Instead, she felt an unprecedented feeling and even couldn¡¯t wait for him to break in to fill her void. She opened her heart to amodate his passion. It also made her experience the happiness of being a woman.

    Even if all this might not be real, even if this experience would soon end, even if everything was just a dream, at this moment, Jenna still felt satisfied, and her experience was real in this realm.

 Chapter 109 A Storm of Jealousy

    Although she could not be sure if Hansen really loved her or not, his passion was so real, as was the desire that was so strong that he wanted her so badly.

    To her, the feeling was satisfying and very real. She even became obsessed with this feeling, hoping to have it forever. She hugged him tightly and wanted to have him forever too. Although the possibility of her seeding was very small, she still thought that she should fight for it so that she wouldn¡¯t have any regrets in the future.

    She really loved him and didn¡¯t want to leave him at all. They were already closely connected physically and also mentally.

    If she lost him, she might never feel happy again.

    They entangled themselves fiercely in the hot spring until the night came. In the countless violent collisions with Hansen, she was repeatedly on cloud nine, experiencing the ultimate pleasure of being a woman.

    A woman being with her beloved man was the happiest thing ever.

    She had it now, even if it was just a sh in the pan, she didn¡¯t mind at all. As the song lyrics goes, ¡°As long as you own it for a moment, it does not need to be forever.¡±

    Aria stayed restlessly in the Richards Manor all day. She could not be at ease as long as Hansen was absent.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    She kept calling his cell phone, but the only reply she got was the same annoying voice that sounded repeatedly, ¡°Sorry, the number you have dialed is not reachable at the moment.¡±

    He must be with that b*tch, and loving scenes of both of them together shed across her mind. Her heart burned with jealousy.

    Frustration, anxiety, hatred, and jealousy were overwhelming her at the moment. She was so irritated that she couldn¡¯t even bother about her image that she used to care about the most.

    Until the evening of the next day, when Hansen and Jenna appeared in the living room of Richard¡¯s Manor with their hands inteced, it was as if she finally saw a strand of light in the midst of extreme darkness. However, the light faded away pretty quickly.

    Her eyes fell on the tightly intertwined fingers of Hansen and Jenna, and her heart was aching as if she had just been stabbed with a knife. One did not need to know rocket science in order to know what had happened between them.

    This b*tch finally overtook her. She won the battle, and she had won Hansen¡¯s heart.

    They seemed to be so intimate as if their souls had connected. Hansen¡¯s face was full of happiness with an uncontroble smile on his face. The joy and happiness he had right now were different from when he was with her.

    Aria became sadder, and her whole body shivered.

    The feeling of losing gave rise to hatred in her heart. She wished she could smash Jenna into thousands of pieces to relieve her hatred, but she did not show it.

    There was only one thought in her heart: To fight back and retaliate.

    ¡°Hansen, you are back.¡± The spark in her eyes shed, and she ran over like a gust of wind. Shetook Hansen¡¯s hand and walked toward the dining room. ¡°I bet you must be hungry. Come and eat. I have personally cooked for you your favorite sweet and sour pork.¡±

    She spoke as she dragged him by the hand toward the dinner table.

    Hansen didn¡¯t see the scheming look in her eyes. His hand was interlocked with Jenna¡¯s fingers, and with the drag, Jenna was also pulled a few steps away. Without noticing, Hansen let go of Jenna¡¯s hand and they were torn apart.

    Jenna suddenly felt the pain as if her limbs had been disconnected from her, and her heart ached for a moment.

    Hansen could not refuse Aria¡¯s enthusiasm, so he could only get dragged by her and sit down at the dinner table. However, he too cast a disturbing look at Jenna.

    ¡°Have a seat too,¡± he said to Jenna gently.

    Jenna stood frozen for a while and her gaze became a little confused. She then finally sat down gracefully on Hansen¡¯s right side.

    ¡°Hansen, try the sweet and sour pork I made.¡± Aria said sweetly as she picked up the softest and juiciest tenderloin and put it into Hansen¡¯s bowl.

    ¡°Sweet and sour pork, my favorite?¡± Hansen was a bit astonished. It seemed like he didn¡¯t like this dish, so how did Ariae to this conclusion?

    However, it was always difficult to refuse her enthusiasm.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± He had to smile slightly, picked up the meat in the bowl, and put it into his mouth. He chewed it, and then nodded and praised, ¡°Not bad.¡±

    Thement made Aria so excited that her haggard face suddenly glowed. She whispered, ¡°Hansen, since you like it, I will make it for you every day, alright? ¡±

    Hansen¡¯s mouth was overwhelmed with the sweet and sour taste and he felt ufortable. Hearing this, he couldn¡¯t help but choke. His throat tightened and he was forced to swallow the oily meat. He only felt nauseous and his face flushed.

    ¡°Hansen, what¡¯s wrong? Are you choking? Come, drink some water.¡± Aria saw Hansen¡¯s flushed face and her rose-colored lips clenched. Her face looked embarrassed. She panicked and hurriedly passed him the water.

    Hansen took a few sips of the water to calm the greasiness in his stomach.

    From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Jenna lowering her head while eating, but the corner of her mouth was carrying a faint hint of ridicule. Hansen couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed, ¡°You, woman, how dare you tough at me?¡±

    ¡°Come on, Jenna, eat some of this,¡± Hansen deliberately picked up a piece of spicy chicken, another dish on the table, with one hand, but he reached out another hand from under the table to hold Jenna¡¯s hand.

    Jenna looked up and saw that it was a piece of spicy chicken, thenined in her heart. She never ate such spicy food before but the thing in front was hot and spicy. How could she eat it?

    She raised her eyes and caught the smug smile at the corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth. She quickly realized that he was deliberately punishing her and she red at him irritably. Jenna then smiled gently and saidunhurriedly, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Richards, for caring for me. It¡¯s my pleasure that you personally pick the food for me. I must eat it or I¡¯m not giving you face. There¡¯s someone else who wants it so badly but does not have this opportunity, right? Mr. Richards?¡±

    After speaking, she opened her mouth slightly, and said to Hansen, ¡°Mr. Richards, since you¡¯vee this far, please feed me as well.¡±

    Hansen was stunned. He didn¡¯t expect Jenna to not be shy at all, but also y along with him. For a while, he hesitated. Her red lips were delicate and beautiful, and her slightly opened mouth was very seductive. If she really could not bear this spicy and oily piece of chicken, her face would be burnt in spiciness momentster, and it would be very ugly!

    Moreover, the moment he thought of her sweet lips that he had kissed, his whole body was inexplicably hot. He suddenly couldn¡¯t bear to feed her the spicy food, for fear that it would affect his welfare.

    Thinking of this, the hand that was holding the spicy chicken shook slightly, and the chicken fell onto the table.

    Jennaughed, and suddenly pulled out her hand from Hansen¡¯s big palm. She picked up her chopsticks and held a piece of sweet and sour pork, then put it close to Hansen¡¯s mouth. She took his arm and said affectionately, ¡°Mr. Richards, it seems like I didn¡¯t serve you well, so you couldn¡¯t even hold a piece of chicken. Come, hurry up and fill your stomach with your favorite sweet and sour pork tenderloin.¡±

    The food was so close to his mouth and she looked at him with her bright eyes fluttering, as if warning him to eat it since he had eaten the piece that Aria had given him.

    ¡°Is she being jealous?¡± Hansen¡¯s heart was shaken and he couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth.

    The sour and sweet taste overwhelmed Hansen¡¯s mouth again, with its slippery grease. Jenna stretched out her palm to gently caress his back and she gently handed over a ss of water whisperingsoftly, ¡± Come, drink some water.¡±

    Hansen had never seen her so gentle and affectionate before. With the water in his mouth, another piece of greasy tenderloin fell into his stomach.

    ¡°Serves you right, you little yboy,¡± Jenna secretly cursed in her heart. The man was just freely prating her body moments before, but the next second, when he saw the beauty, Aria, he even ate his least favorite dish in order to please her. Well, then she would just give him some more food and disgust him.

    Although it was Aria who flirted with him first, if he could stay calm enough, nothing would have happened.

    When she looked up again, Aria was so mad that her face almost turned livid.

    She couldn¡¯t help but wink at her and smile triumphantly.

    Aria was there, looking at her and Hansen who were acting so intimately and totally ignoring her presence. How could she not be mad?

    ¡°This b*tch is so arrogant.¡± Looking at Hansen¡¯s face, it was full of happiness in Jenna¡¯s presence.

    She was even more angry.

    After ring at her fiercely, she got Jenna¡¯s cold and quiet eyes in return. The light in those eyes seemed to be mocking her with deep hostility. Her eyes were calm and sharp, but sophisticated and deep.

    Everything told Aria that Jenna was no longer the one she yed around with three years ago. She had be mature and confident enough to not get bullied.

    Moreover, the strong aura exuding from her made her feel very uneasy, and she was even a little startled. She could even dig into the bedsheets incident, so no one could tell how powerful she was now.

    In this battle, Jenna had a total victory,

    ¡°Hansen, I saw a beautiful wedding dressst time. Since you will be free for the next few days, why note and have a look with me so that I can put it on for you?¡± After eating, Hansen and Jenna were about to go upstairs to rest, but Aria came over, took Hansen¡¯s arm, and acted coquettishly.

    Hansen froze for a moment, and understood what was going on. His gaze became dark, then he pulled her hand away, and said lightly, ¡°Aria, don¡¯t rush. Marriage is not a trivial matter. Your parents and my grandma are all clear about this, so think about it and we¡¯ll talk about it some other day.¡±

    In an instant, Aria¡¯s eyes filled with tears. She pouted, her mood was depressed, and her heart was full of bitterness. He was obviously refusing her, so how could she not notice it?

 Chapter 110 Ariaâ€™s Anger

    Aria thought that he must still me her. The thought of Jenna being the mastermind behind everything made her even angrier. However, it was also true that she was at fault in the first ce. She was even more reluctant to ept the fact that her efforts all these years were all in vain. At the moment, she could not help but stand there looking at Hansen¡¯s handsome face in a daze and her eyes were filled with tears.

    ¡°By the way, how is the film preparation going?¡± Perhaps, in order to take care of her feelings, Hansen changed the topic at the right time.

    These words got her thinking, and she still didn¡¯t understand Hansen¡¯s true intention of sending her into the entertainment industry.

    Her beautiful and silent face had a pair of eyes that were full of resentment. After a long time, she said in a low voice: ¡°Fortunately, the shooting is about to start, but¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great, behave well and show everything you¡¯ve got. Don¡¯t let down my high expectations of you. I believe in you,¡± Hansen continued without waiting for her to finish and encouraged her.

    Obviously, he didn¡¯t want to talk too much about anything else other than this topic.

    Jenna was walking upstairs ahead of Hansen and their conversation fell on her ears. She stopped involuntarily. In fact, she was not interested in their chat, and she didn¡¯t even want to listen to their conversation. She knew Aria¡¯s intentions better than anyone else. Aria just wanted to be with Hansenand to get his affections.

    Since they moved into Richard¡¯s manorat the same time, she had been thinking about ways to pester Hansen all the time, not letting go of any chances.

    And now, the conspiracy that framed Jenna three year ago had recently been exposed, and it was not difficult to imagine Aria¡¯s emotions now.

    Jenna didn¡¯t want to beg for a man¡¯s love like other women would have done. She stopped walking because she wanted to tell Hansen, ¡°Go apany her.¡±

    However, the picture of them lingering in the hot springs the past few days kept shing across her mind, and even her body still had his smell. It was so overpowering that it overtook her ability to speak that sentence to Hansen.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    A heartbreaking pain came out of nowhereand her heart was not feelingfortable at the thought of her pushing the man she loved the most into another woman¡¯s arms. Suddenly, she realized that she was actually not that noble.

    Jenna¡¯s throat tightened immediately, and she started to walk up again. If she couldn¡¯t tell, then she should run away.

    Unexpectedly, a long arm reached over and held onto her waist. Instantly, she could not move anymore.

    ¡°Wait for me.¡± Although Hansen was speaking to Aria, his eyes had never left Jenna. He knew that this woman would be jealous and she was just pretending to be noble and indifferent. He knew her strong self-esteem. Although she found the ambiguous rtionship between him and Aria repulsive, she looked indifferent on the surface.

    It was also that these days, he felt something staying at Richard¡¯s Manor. He had to admit that he hadn¡¯t really cared about her before, and he didn¡¯t even want to see Jenna appear in Richards Manor. Now, he started to notice her and found her feelings very delicate. She could have mixed emotions at times, but her mind was never exposed. Even if she had an idea, she would not speak her mind.

    This woman only liked to save face.

    From the corner of her eyes, he saw Jenna¡¯s face flush and her back was a little stiff. She lowered her head and was about to walk up alone, but her ears were wide open and listening to their conversation. He smiled secretly and stretched out his hand to hold her.

    He became weirder, and the more he noticed her, the more he would realize that she was like a bottomless well, dark and far-reaching. He really wanted to figure out what was inside.

    The more he guessed, the more curious he became, and he gradually realized that as long as her figure left his sight, his heart would be empty, and he would be uneasy.

    Hansen could not believe that he became like this because of her. He initially thought that he was greedy for her body, but now her every move strongly attracted his attention.Jenna¡¯s beautiful figure was also like opium poppy that made him addicted, so much so that he could no longer control himself.

    Jenna had to stand firm.

    She was forced to stand still.

    Jenna would never believe that he would abandon Aria and take the initiative to show his favor to her.

    For so many days, whenever Aria pestered him, he never refused. He would even have a yful smile on his face, as if he really enjoyed it.

    And what upset Jenna even more was that every time when she peeked at him, she would realize that he was also peeping at her.

    She almost thought that he was deliberately antagonizing her, but apart from secretly looking at her, his intimacy with Aria could not be faked easily. It was obvious that he was enjoying Aria¡¯s presence.

    What a yboy!

    For so many years, there had been rumors about him, that there would always be different beauties surrounding him. She, as his wife, was just a decoration before this. It got only worse after they divorced.

    All men were eager to have three wives and four girlfriends. The more women, the merrier, especially for an excellent man like Hansen. He could get as many girlfriends as he liked right now, as long as he was willing.

    However, Jenna had already thought about it, and she couldn¡¯t possibly be his concubine or his ything. As long as the time was right, she would withdraw herself.

    She would not cherish a man who didn¡¯t know how to value her at all.

    The day before, she proved her innocence, and she could not tell how surprised Hansen was at it all. A man¡¯s physical request of a woman was purely for excitement and venting. There were no real feelings at all. Jenna was not a fool and she knew it. She would also not involve herself in any boring rtionships anymore.

    And right now.

    He held on to her, and forced her to be in this love triangle. She felt very ufortable, but thinking of her mother¡¯s illness, she obediently stayed on.

    Hansen walked up and held her tightly in his arms. He rubbed himself against her ears and temples very affectionately, just like what they had done in the hot spring.

    No, this must be an illusion. He must be acting in front of Aria, trying to get her attention.

    Even in the hot spring pool, they were entangled but she didn¡¯t expect too much. He was just interested in her body, and that didn¡¯t mean anything at all.

    What was more, he used to hate her so much.

    But now, this guy¡¯s words were affectionate, gentle and pleasant. He soundedpletely different from the official tone in his conversation with Aria just now. His face even had a sincere smile, and his face was close to her. She could even feel his body heat at this distance. She had goosebumps all over her body all of a sudden.

    Aria¡¯s face changed color again. Her face was paleand her gaze was as dull as dishwater.

    Hansen¡¯s attitude was clearly sending her a message, that his heart waspletely on Jenna¡¯s side.

    In an instant, a feeling of frustration hit Aria¡¯s heart, and she lowered her arrogant head like a soldier who had lost his battle.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze at Jenna was so soft and gentle, and there was somethingpletely different in those hot eyes.

    She lost not only his body, but also his heart.

    Pain haunted her like a shadow.

    In the past two days, she was restless while waiting for him toe home, but it seemed like she had now gotten the answer.

    She was in a terrible mood.

    Aria slowly walked into Hansen¡¯s bedroom andid on his bed with an empty mind. Originally, she specifically asked Marissa to move her into Hansen¡¯s bedroom because she knew that Hansen never went to his room with Jenna. He always slept in his own bedroom after marriage.

    Unexpectedly, Hansen had never slept here since she moved in. Instead, he had been sleeping in Jenna¡¯s room.

    This made her feel even more frustrated.

    Ariaid there without any thought and looked extremely tired.

    Faintughter from the bedroom reached her ears. Hansen¡¯s warm and maic voice was faintly audible like a sound from heaven. She was fascinated and she got up, sat against the wall and listened more carefully. She suddenly heard the sound of the bed shaking andshe became more uneasy and restless.

    It was a quiet night but she could imagine Jenna groaning happily under him, enjoying his passion. She felt like a needle had stabbed her right in her heart. It was so painful that she couldn¡¯t breathe.

    No, Hansen, I love you. You can¡¯t belong to anybody else. You can¡¯t belong to that b*tch! You can¡¯t¡­ you¡¯re mine.

    Her hand held the bedsheet tightly, then muttered to herself in pain and covered her ears with the quilt. However, the harder she pressed the quilt against her eyes, the more attentive her ears would be. At first, she didn¡¯t really hear it clearly, butter, the sound became clearer and clearer, and the sound of the bed shaking seemed to be more clearly audible.

    She felt like she was almost going crazy. She could imagine Hansen¡¯s sturdy body violently hitting against Jenna¡¯s, as well as the hateful woman with a happy smile on her face.

    Her heart was dripping with blood.

    Her eyes were red, her face twisted, and she buried her head in the quilt that still carried the scent of Hansen. She was breathing desperately, in pain. Now she realized that her love for Hansen was beyond imaginable.

    She couldn¡¯t lose him. Without him, she would not be able to live. After all, she spent too much of her youth and energy on him. The feeling was too strong and she could no longer withdraw herself from it.

    She thought that if she did nothing, maybe it would soon be toote, but now Jenna had grandma on her side, so how would she snatch Hansen over?

    This hateful olddy somehow was not fond of her. She would be against her no matter what. If it wasn¡¯t for her, Hansen would definitely marry Aria, but she¡­

    The anger in her eyes ignited a little.

    The next day, Hansen showed up at thepany holding Jenna¡¯s hand publicly. The employees of thepany stood up and greeted them respectfully.

    Jenna was very ufortable with this kind of publicity. After all, she had never been so high-profile before, and she was used to living a low-key life.

    Hansen drove away Aria¡¯sckey, Minnie, for Jenna, and arranged for Aria to join the entertainment industry. In fact, everyone in thepany was talking about it, and secretly guessed that Hansen was actually giving up on Aria by doing so. Some thought that Hansen intended to marry two women at the same time. As for who was the legal wife, they were too uncertain.

    However, as long as it was Hansen¡¯s woman, no one in thepany dared to offend her.

 Chapter 111 Questionable Points

    Therefore, the entire handover process was smooth when Jenna took over the position of Vice President. Furthermore, she was extremely capable as well. Everyone witnessed her performance at the press conference and admired her capabilities.

    There was an unprecedented vitality in the Richards Group.

    After experiencing joy in her career, Jenna¡¯s heart became enriched, and life started to be colorful.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, theunch of the Game City yesterday has achieved excellent results. Mr. Richards alsoplimented our department at thepany meeting today!¡± The Marketing manager, Nathan Forbes, announced the news loudly to Jenna who was walking into the department.

    This was the first time the Marketing Department got apliment from Hansen at thepany meeting. When Aria was the Vice President, Hansen had not criticized them, but he neverplimented them at such a grand meeting before either.

    Jenna gave anomittal smile in reply.

    Hansen¡¯spliment to the department was the result of her diligent work done in order to achieve good sales performance. Hansen, that perfectionist, only spoke based on performance.

    Even though he personally appointed her, he had never been partial to her ever since she started working. He even had higher expectations of herpared to the others. She almost could not take his criticism of her work.

    ¡°Mr. Forbes, are there any updates on the Camphor Tree Vi case?¡± Jenna asked after pondering for quite some time.

    She really couldn¡¯t guess Hansen¡¯s thoughts. In the ward that day, she vaguely remembered that Jose said that the assant was rted to the vi. It had been quite some time but he never took any action, nor did he mention it.

    Was he going to abandon this vi group? Or did he have other thoughts in mind?

    The longer she stayed with him, the more she would feel that she could not understand him. What was worse was thatshe realized that her attachment to him was getting stronger. She had to admit now that she actually cared for him, and may it be the past or the future, she would still care for him. If she was to totally withdraw herself from his life, it would be a painful process for her to forget about the pastpletely.

    But she wouldn¡¯t regret it. There was no big deal in her falling in love with him. She was also selfish at the same time, since the process of forgetting him would be painful. She didn¡¯t n to make the process easy for him either; she wanted him to remember her forever.

    Hansen must feel the same pain that she felt. She was not a noble person and love had always been a selfish matter.

    Now that the affairs of Camphor Tree Vi had fallen into her hands, she should be more proactive in dealing with it, instead of ndly listening to Hansen¡¯s orders.

    She wondered if she could find a solution so that he would be impressed, even though she had nothing in mind now.

    ¡°Vice President Murphy, this matter has always been co-managed by the marketing and sales department. During the first phase of development, almost the entirepany was fully operational. This would have been a very ambitious goal to achieve. Thepany was very excited at that time and we foresaw a glorious future for the Richards Group, but then things got out of hand, and this progress became stagnant.¡±

    Nathan exined and said, embarrassed, ¡°Vice President Murphy, to be honest, everyone used to have hopes on Miss McAdams, but Mr. Richards seemed to not agree with us and eventually did not make any decision. Now that he¡¯s eyeing the luxury cars and that has achieved some results, this project seems to be abandoned as until now, Mr. Richards has not given us any instructions about it. We cannot do anything either,¡± Nathan told the truth and sounded helpless in the conversation.

    Jenna nodded intently. She sort of understood what was going on, and at this moment, the phone rang.

    ¡°Jenna, where are you? I heard that you have already be the Vice President of the Richards Group?¡± Hannah¡¯s yful and sarcastic voice came through the phone. Jenna smiled bitterly, then said helplessly, ¡°Hannah, can you notugh at me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m notughing at you. I have always believed in you. Given your ability, forget the position of Vice President, you can also easily destroy the entire Richards Group.¡± Hannah continued to tease her. Hearing so, Jenna almost rolled her eyes and quickly walked out toward the walkway.

    ¡°Jenna, are you free toe over now? I have something to tell you. I heard a little bit about your father¡¯s death over the past two days,¡± Hannah suddenly changed the topic of conversation and said in a mysterious low voice.

    Daddy¡¯s death! The smile on Jenna¡¯s face stiffened, and she trembled. Shewalked toward the office, turned and walked into the bedroom inside. She closed the door, then asked anxiously, ¡°Hannah, what happened? Tell me quickly.¡±

    ¡°Hey, youe here first. It¡¯s not wise for me to tell you via a phone call. Besides, it¡¯s not convenient for you to talk about this at the Richards Group either.¡± Hannah seemed to be very busy, and the background noise was loud on her side. It was indeed inconvenient for her to talk about it by phone. When Jenna was about to agree, Hannahughed and said, ¡°Jenna, we haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time. I haven¡¯t seen you since you moved to Richards Manor. I¡¯m worried. I have to check your body carefully to see if Hansen has hurt you, or if Aria bullied you or not.¡±

    Although Hannah was joking, Jenna felt warm when she heard it. She smiled and ended the phone call. It was indeed not a good ce to talk here. There were surveince cameras everywhere and several people were around.

    After grabbing her bag, she told her secretary, ¡°I am going out to meet someone.¡± She then quickly stepped into the elevator.

    As soon as she arrived at the garage, she saw Hansen¡¯s Hummer driving out of the garage from the other exit. She hurriedly hid behind a pir and watched the car disappear. Only then did she walk out with ease.

    Where was he going? He had gone missing since the regrpany meeting that morning and he hadn¡¯t ¡®inspected¡¯ her at her office like he usually did. Although she felt more at ease, she also felt a little disappointed with his actions.

    The thought of her looking forward to Hansen disturbing her at her office made her blush.

    In Gently Cafeteria, Hannah personally brewed a cup of imported coffee for her and sat down with her.

    Jenna took a bite of the exquisite pastry in front of her. She couldn¡¯t help it any longer, so she asked anxiously, ¡°Hannah, what have you heard about my father¡¯s death? Please tell me.¡±

    Hannah nced at her from the corner of her eye and was a little displeased. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for your father¡¯s business, how am I supposed to even meet you? It¡¯s been so long and you haven¡¯t even given me a phone call.¡±

    This sentence made Jennaugh, knowing that she was guilty. She hurriedly apologized, ¡°Hannah, you also know that I have been in a bad moodtely. There have been too many things to deal with so I left you out. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make it up to you in the future.¡±

    ¡°Apology epted,¡± Hannah smiled then leaned forward to hold Jenna¡¯s hand and said in a low voice. ¡°Last night, there was someone special at our coffee shop. Guess who?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she blurted out.

    ¡°Brock Moore,¡± Hannah replied directly.

    ¡°Brock Moore? Who is he?¡± Jenna was at a loss. She didn¡¯t know this person. Although her father used to take her to meet some big shots in A City, she had never heard of anyone named Brock. She then went abroadter on and lost touch with A City except for some local government officials and wealthy people.

    When Hannah heard this, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°How can a girl like you not know such a person. How are you going to take revenge?¡±

    Jenna was shocked when she heard it. Could it be that her father¡¯s affairs had something to do with this person named Brock?

    ¡°Can you be more straightforward? Don¡¯t beat around the bush. You are making me anxious!¡± Jenna was so disturbed by Hannah¡¯s words that she became agitated. She became even more irritated when Hannah made that statement, so she yelled, dissatisfied.

    Hannah said confidently, ¡°Gently Cafeteria is an intelligence department. There is nothing I don¡¯t know about in A City. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s only now that I got some news about your father¡¯s death. It seems like someone deliberately blocked the news from spreading. As for the reason behind it, I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    Jenna was not surprised at all as she had guessed it a long time ago, so she calmly asked, ¡°What on earth do you know?¡±Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Jenna, your hypothesis is correct. Your father was indeed killed by someone, but the person who killed your father is so powerful that no one can catch him. I think your father¡¯s death will be a case without clues soon.¡± Hannah was a little bit sad, staring at Jenna¡¯s expression. She said incredulously, ¡°Yesterday, I identally heard Brock¡¯s conversation with someone else in the coffee shop. It seems like your father¡¯s death has something to do with their underworld.¡±

    As if she was struck by a thunderbolt, Jenna was shocked for a while, and her face turned pale. ¡°My father¡¯s death was caused by the underworld?¡±

    Hannah furrowed her eyebrows while resting her cheeks in her hands. Her expression was dull, ¡°You can say so. Think about it, Brock is the biggest underworld leader in A City. It is said that many political figures in the city are closely rted to him. When I served them coffeest night, I overheard them talking about Javon¡¯s death. Although they did not make it clear who the murderer was, it was clear that your dad¡¯s death was rted to them, and they seemed to know a lot about it. Listening to their conversationst night, it seems like someone is investigating the cause of your father¡¯s death, and it is very likely that someone has already suspected their involvement.¡±

    ¡°Dad¡¯s death is actually rted to the underworld?¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t believe this at all. Her father had always been a clean official without any rtion to the underworld. How could he possibly offend them? This was unbelievable.

    She shook her head desperately and kept denying, ¡°No way, it cannot be. Dad wouldn¡¯t offend the underworld.¡±

 Chapter 112 Shame

    ¡°Jenna, I don¡¯t want to believe it either, but after so long, the only time I¡¯ve heard about your father¡¯s death is from them,¡± Hannah said affirmatively. ¡°Don¡¯t be naive, everything is possible. Try thinking about it.Didn¡¯t your father¡¯s death happen suddenly?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Dad is dead. He was indeed killed,¡± Jenna muttered to herself. ¡°But no matter what, it¡¯s impossible that he provoked the underworld.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, I also find it strange, but try thinking about it again. Has your father offended anyone?¡± Hannah kindly asked. ¡°You don¡¯t have to directly offend these people in the underworld. They only work for money. Someone might have hired them to take revenge on behalf of other people. You have to think about it in many ways as there are many things that are beyond imaginable in this world.¡±

    Hannah¡¯s words once again was a reminder to Jenna. She was right. Even if her father did not provoke the underworld, if someone wanted him to die, that person would definitely go to the underworld for help.

    It was not difficult to make the conclusion that the person responsible was intelligent and powerful.

    ¡°Hannah, tell me, what else did you hear? Do you have any clues to help me find out who the murderer was?¡± Jenna asked with red eyes while holding her hand tightly.

    ¡°Jenna, calm down. Now that you know that your father¡¯s death wasn¡¯t natural, the next question is, was it done by Brock and his gang? It is possible, but there is no evidence, and even if you know what they did, you can only report the crime to the police. What else can you do?The police are probably powerless in this, judging by how powerful the mastermind is. We might as well think about this from a new perspective. Why did Brock want your dad dead, and who¡¯s the possible mastermind? You can¡¯t go straight to them and ask them about it. It is impossible for them to even tell you as the rules of the underworld are very strict. You are a powerless and weak woman, but if you can find the mastermind who plotted against your father, everything bes simpler. You can give the name to the police or even expose the name on social media. I think thew can y its role when it reaches this stage. By the way, Jenna, you might as well think about it when you go home. Everything in this world is rted to interests. Ask your mother, whose interest did your father or your family threaten? They are the clues to your answer, and you must figure them out first.¡± Hannah¡¯s analysis was very pertinent. Jenna listened carefully. She too had actually thought about it, otherwise, she would not have joined the Richards Group in the first ce.

    ¡°Jenna, if this matter is only rted to Brock and others, it will be easier to deal with. Try thinking about it. Who is Rayan Whalen? He is one of the world¡¯s richest men, and the global mafia boss Jonas Smith is rted to him. If you ask Rayan to help you out, it¡¯s not difficult for you to find out what has happened.¡± Hannah mentioned Rayan again. It was just that she had a very good impression of Rayan and she thought that Jenna should build her rtionship with Rayan.

    Jenna walked out of Gently Cafeteria in a daze. The only information she got from Hannah was that her father¡¯s death might be rted to the underworld and a person named Brock Moore.

    She didn¡¯t know who Brock was or what he looked like.

    Furthermore, she had just found out that the death of her father was rted to the Richards Group¡¯s car. Was Brock rted to Richards Group as well? Did someone from the Richards Group hire him, or colluded with him, or hate her, thus transferring the grudge onto her father? If so, who would this person be? Of course, it might also be any politician in A City. After all, Javon was a politician, and there was always a possibility for him to offend someone, but all the clues she had now could not interconnect at all, and she was having a headache because of this.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Most importantly, evidence!

    If it really had something to do with the underworld, Rayan might really be able to help her out, as Rayan¡¯s fianc¨¦e was the daughter of the mafia boss, Jonas Smith. Furthermore, Rayan seemed to be unwilling to mention her in their conversations. After all, Rayan was a big shot of the upper-ss society in Europe, and the underworld was just rumored to be rted to him. If she needed a favor from him and involved him in this matter, would he be investigated by Interpol? Hispany was not rted to the underworld at all, but it was likely to be implicated too.

    Besides, she just liked him, but had no love for him. It was unreasonable for her to take advantage of him in this matter.

    No, unless she had no other options, she would not ask him for help. Besides, she was still confused now. She had no clues so it was still too early to go to Rayan now.

    When Jenna¡¯s car drove into Richards Group, the entire Richards Group was already brightly lit. Richards Group that day was full of garden lights andthe fountain was operating. The neon lights were shing in an alternate fashion. The entire ce looked extremely lively.

    She actually spent a couple of hours outside doing nothing after the meeting with Hannah.

    There was a total mess in her mind. She drove the car aimlessly around the streets and had been scolded by several drivers, but she had no idea what she was doing.

    When she walked out of the parking lot, Hansen was standing by the road, waiting for her.

    She stood staring at him in a daze too.

    There was anxiety and worry on his face.

    ¡°Where have you been? I called you and you didn¡¯t answer the phone. The secretary said that you went to a meeting, but I checked that there wasn¡¯t one today.¡± Hansen saw that Jenna was absent-minded and was staring at him nkly. He couldn¡¯t help but frown and question repeatedly.

    Jenna¡¯s confused state was very scary and it was very dangerous for her to drive like this. Hansen was very curious about what had happened and what she was thinking about.

    Awakened by Hansen¡¯s questioning, Jenna finally came to her senses and shook her head nkly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, everyone is waiting for you.¡± Seeing her reaction, Hansen knew that he couldn¡¯t get the answer even if he asked her now. He held her hand and got into the electric car.

    ¡°Wait for me? Where are we going?¡± Jenna asked in a daze, confused.

    ¡°Have you really forgotten everything?¡± Hansen looked at her in dissatisfaction. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he was afraid that his mother would me her, he would not stand here personally waiting for her. What a heartless woman!

    The lights in the garden were shining brightly, and Jenna soon came back her sense.

    In order to strengthen the bond of the Richards family, all the descendants of the Richards family must attend a reunion dinner at the Ink Garden every month. No matter who it was, no matter how important the matter was, all of them had to join the dinner. On that evening, the lights at the central garden must be turned on to symbolize the prosperity of the Richard Manor. This was a rule left by the ancestors, and it had never changed for decades.

    Jenna totally forgot about this.

    She was still a member of the Richards family. Of course, she had to join the dinner as Hansen¡¯s wife. Therefore, Hansen came back early that day but he still saw no signs of her. He was anxious and worried that she would be humiliated by other family members, so he came out and personally waited for her.

    The electric car headed towards Ink Garden.

    At the table sat all the family members of the Richards family. The entire lobby of the Ink Garden was brightly lit, and an exquisite dinner filled the entire table.

    Everyone who was sitting at the dining table seemed to be waiting for her. Grandma was sitting at the seat of honor with her eyes closed, taking a rest.

    Hansen took Jenna¡¯s hand and walked inin a high-profile manner, causingeveryone to look at them.

    No one dared to show their displeasure, but they were secretly shocked to see Hansen protecting her.

    It seemed like this yboy had really fallen in love with his ex-wife.

    Jenna saw all eyes on her, so she felt a little panic in her heart. They were all waiting for her.

    Aria did note, obviously; she was not an official member of the family, so she could not attend a family dinner like this.

    ¡°You rude little kid. I asked Larry to inform you this morning and reminded you not to bete, but you still are. Do you think it¡¯s appropriate for grandma and the other elders to wait for you?¡± Marissa said coldly. It¡¯s already a shame to Green Jade Garden as they had to wait for Jenna for this family dinner. The rule was that everyone must be present before the meal. Marissa was very dissatisfied and thought that if it was Aria, she would have been there on time and she wouldn¡¯t need to worry about it at all. In her opinion, Jenna was nothingpared to Aria, and she would only lose her face.

    ording to the rules, the ancestors of the Richards family always believed that the harmony of the family was the main priority in order to seed in life, and that the family must gather together frequently, so that the family bond could be strengthened for a better family rtionship. After all, harmony was a people-oriented concept. Therefore, this custom had been passed down in Richards Manor.

    Jenna arrivedte as the representative of Hansen¡¯s house as well as the Green Jade Garden. There had always been famous fights between the houses, and they also valued face and dignity a lot. Therefore, Marissa felt that Jenna¡¯ste arrival was a shame to Green Jade Garden and voiced her dissatisfaction at the moment. However, since grandma and Hansen were both presents, in order to quell the dissatisfaction between the houses, the short scolding was necessary.

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly eight o¡¯clock now. We are right on time; we are notte. There is something urgent in thepany today so I let her handle it first. It won¡¯t happen again next time,¡± Hansen responded to Marissa¡¯s scolding on behalf of Jenna while holding her waist. With a grin, he didn¡¯t take it seriously.

    Jenna knew that she was wrong, so she did not dare to talk back. She could only smile and repeatedly apologize.

    She knew that a lot of them did not want her to reconcile with Hansen, and there were a lot of people who wanted to see her make mistakes. In a wealthy family like the Richards family, interests were far more important than family rtionships.

    Hansen took Jenna to greet his grandma.

    ¡°Jenna, is everything okay in Richards Manor? Are you used to staying there?¡± Grandma Richards opened her cloudy eyes and asked lovingly.

    ¡°It¡¯s great, Grandma. Mom and Hansen are treating me well,¡± Jenna gave a smile and responded loudly.

    As soon as the voice fell, she heard someoneughing at her. She felt a little ufortable but her face looked calm.

 Chapter 113 You Must Not Forget Me So Easily

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good, Jenna. If you need anything or someone bullies you, just tell me. Grandma will protect you,¡± Grandma Richards said.

    These words made Marissa look very ufortable. She was very dissatisfied with her mother-inw¡¯s kindness to Jenna. She was supposed to be the most qualified person to ¡®bully¡¯ Jenna in Green Jade Garden. However, Grandma Richards was an elder, so when she said so in front of everyone else, she was basically using her of not managing Green Jade Garden well, which embarrassed her indirectly. At that moment, Marissa had a cold face and stopped talking, but deep down in her heart, she was extremely unhappy with her mother-inw for treating Jenna differently.

    ¡°Grandma, you are too partial. I am your grandson, but you don¡¯t care about me at all.¡± Hansen smiled faintly and deliberately teased Grandma Richards.

    ¡°Just because you are my grandson, I want to treat Jenna well,¡± Grandma Richards nced at him and said deliberately, but the love for Jenna on her face couldn¡¯t be concealed.

    Hansen smiled and touched his head.

    ¡°Take your seats, and let the dinner begin,¡± Grandma Richards said softly to Meroy. Meroy then immediately passed the order to start dinner.

    The people at the table began to eat.

    The moment Jenna sat down at the table, she looked up and saw a pair of twinkling eyes. A hint of weirdness shed across Jenna¡¯s heart, when she noticed this pair of eyes swept through Hansen¡¯s hand that was holding Jenna¡¯s from time to time.

    It was Norton, he was sitting opposite her.

    She was shocked, and was out of her mind once again. She looked dull, and what he said that day shed across her mind. So far, only two people have told her about the death of her father. The first one was Norton and the other was Hannah. Even Hansen was secretive about this matter, and she did not know whether he knew or not.

    What exactly did he know?

    Jenna stared right at him with a serious look.

    It was as if Norton could see what was going on in her mind. He ate the food in no hurry and even smiled at her from time to time.

    ¡°Ahem, Jenna, eat some of this.¡± Their expressions did not escape Hansen¡¯s eyes. His brows were slightly furrowed, his sharp eyes red at Norton. He ced a piece of spare ribs in Jenna¡¯s bowl.

    Jenna recovered, diverted her gaze away from Norton, and started eating carefully.

    In the dark night came the autumn wind that was a bit chilly.

    Jennay on the soft quit, with all kinds ofplicated images in her mind. What had happened that day was rted to her father¡¯s death and her mood was inexplicably bad.

    Hansen¡¯s chest next to her was strong and warm. She was leaning against him and felt the warmth. His chest was also firm enough to hold her up. She was lucky enough to have such a man by her side on such a quiet night.

    She was already used to his presence at night.

    She really wanted to continue relying on him. If there was nothing between them and they could live a life like the rest of the couples in the world, how happy would she be?

    She was wondering if she should tell him about her dad. He probably knew, but he never took the initiative to mention it to her. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t even express his concern even once. He never believed in her and even thought that she was the culprit causing his father to be in the hospital.

    Forget it, her business had nothing to do with him.

    Even if they were lovers, she was just satisfying his request for her body. She came to the conclusion that she should not tell him about it as it was just a trivial matter to him. Her dad had nothing to do with him. Perhaps he might even be a little happy about her father¡¯s death.

    Their current rtionship was really ridiculous.

    The thoughts that arose in her heart were quickly suppressed. She had now chosen to believe in him and that her father¡¯s death had nothing to do with him.

    Hansen¡¯s breathing was slow and steady but the woman in his arms was not asleep. He could feel her stiff back. It seemed like she was still not used to sleeping with him in the same bed. He then stretched his hands behind her back and wrapped his arms tightly around her and buried his head in her soft hair, enjoying his time with her.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Sure enough, she whispered softly.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied softly, and the big palm wandered around her lower abdomen uneasily.

    ¡°Hansen, do you have any ns in mind regarding the Camphor Tree Vi?¡± Jenna closed her eyes, pondered, and asked softly.

    She really wanted to know if he had anything in mind regarding the matter. Rayan¡¯s words suddenly sounded in her mind, that if Hansen could not even get this settled, then he should not dream of being influential in A City. Was the statement true?

    She was a little worried.

    However, moreplex emotions surged in her heart. She was not sure how she was going to forget about him in the future. His love for her was so domineering, leaving a mark on her, that she too wanted to influence him with everything she had, so that she would stay in his memory for life.

    Regarding Camphor Tree Vi, did he want to settle the matter via Aria?

    The thought of needing Aria in this made her feel ufortable. Obviously, the reason Aria was still staying at Richards Manor now was that Marissa was still ttering her and did not dare to go against her. Earl McAdams whom even Grandma Richards could not afford to offend might also be rted to this matter!

    She didn¡¯t like that woman, nor did she like this matter to stay unresolved. She was in a dilemma now.

    If this matter was not resolved, then the problems between them will not be resolved, and things would be left hanging. She hated being in a stalemate position.

    It was obvious that he cared about her. Should she at least fight for their future and happiness? Should she give up easily?

    As grandma said, she should not leave with regret.

    In fact, she saw his kindness and was grateful to him for saving her mother in this way.

    Ever since the visit the other day, Hansen would apany her to visit her mother whenever he was free. He would also sincerely chat with her mother and it was obvious that he cared for her mother too.

    Every night, he would sleep with her gently. In the Richards Group, he really fulfilled his duty as a husband. In fact, if they put aside the problems and issues and only looked into the matter of feelings, they were already living happily in a kingdom.

    They loved and appreciated each other in that kingdom. Theyplimented each other and had achieved a whole new level of love and trust.

    The more Jenna couldn¡¯t control her feelings, the more she wanted to have him, and the more she didn¡¯t want to be separated from him.

    ¡°Shh,¡± he replied softly and avoided the topic. His hands were already moving upward. Feeling as if she was being tickled and burned at the same time, Jenna¡¯s whole body began to be ignited by his big palm, listening to his increasingly heavy breathing. His body temperature also gradually increased.

    She turned around, wrapped her arms around his waist, and kissed his lips. She too began to press her lips against his, actively kissing him back.

    She would not allow him to forget her easily. He should at least experience the same pain she did during the process of forgetting each other, only then would it be fair and square.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    The imprint he left on her was too deep that she might not be able to forget in a whole lifetime, so why was he the only one allowed to take initiative? Couldn¡¯t she impress him more? At least the pain of abandoning her in the future would also be more too.

    She had always been selfish when it came to love.

    Since he was always reluctant to talk about it, no matter how she asked, he would not give her a direct answer. So let it be, even if he was using this opportunity to marry Aria.

    After receiving her response, Hansen¡¯s whole body became more agitated, and his breathing became faster. The woman in his arms had obviously begun to react to his love, and she had gradually enjoyed the pleasure in bed.

    She would wrap her arms around his waist and kiss him softly, which ignited his passion. He originally had a special desire for this body. Now that she was seducing him, the burning sensation in him was even greater.

    His hot lips began to entangle with hers. The woman kissed him back innocently. Although her kiss was stiff, it also aroused his more primitive enthusiasm. He tore off her clothes, and continued kissing her down the neck. He then lingered on her chest for quite some time.

    The passion began to spread in her body quickly. Jenna no longer had to worry about other issues; she left everything behind. Her body was hungry for him too. She then let out whispers that added fuel to fire.

    Now, under Hansen¡¯s constant caress, she could easily experience the joy of love. The jerky and painful past slowly faded away, leaving only the beauty and invigorating pleasure of love.

    She gradually forgot everything and entered a realm of selflessness. She was intoxicated both physically and mentally.

    ¡°F*ck.¡± Hansen took off his clothes anxiously, and his voice was vague. In the beginning, he leaned down, and Jenna hugged him and rolled him over, then pressed him under her body.

    ¡°You are always on top of everything, so let me be on top for once.¡± She smiled charmingly. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was infinitely shy. Hansen was instantly exasperated. This woman had actually wised up and no longer resisted him. She was so talented and was learning fast in bed that his face flushed and he too was excited.

    ¡°You naughty woman, let¡¯s see what I¡¯ll do with you, little fairy.¡±

    Hansen was so excited by her that he became impatient and shouted drily, ¡°Hurry up.¡±

    ¡°Not in a hurry.¡± Jenna was not in a rush. She deliberately tantalized him by lying on his body and touching his face, then she kissed his rose-colored lips.

    How could he not be in a hurry? He was almost dying of his hunger for her.

    Hansen could no longer care. The passion in him had been aroused long ago, and if she continued to tantalize him like this, he will definitely bleed to death.

    At that moment, he hugged her delicate body with his hand, turned over, and pressed her underneath him¡­

    The two were having a joyful time that night, until the point when both of them were exhausted and couldn¡¯t get up anymore. Then,they hugged each other and fell asleep.

 Chapter 114 Unlimited Pampering

    When Jenna opened her eyes, the thick curtains blocked all the light from prating the room, and Hansen was already gone.

    It looked like it was alreadyte morning.

    Shezily stretched herself, then reached out and picked up the mobile phone on the bedside table. It turned out that it was already ten o¡¯clock. There was a message from Hansen on it: Jenna, just rest at home today, don¡¯t need toe to work. Keep your spirits up and wait for me to spoil you at night.

    Spoil me? Go to hell!

    Beast, he had been torturing her over the past few days but he still showed no signs of stopping. How could a man be so energetic as if he had never touched a woman before. It was as if he had abstained from s*x for many years.

    Hansen¡¯s smirk appeared in her mind, and a small smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. She was no longer a little girl. There was no other man besides her other than Hansen, so his passionate entanglement with her, as well as his superb skills, made her excited. She truly tasted the happiness of being a woman, and even longed for it in her heart.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    She sat up and removed her pajamas, only to realize that there were bruises everywhere on her body. They were traces of his love, deep and shallow, covering her neck and body. Some of the old marks had not faded before the new marks appeared. It looked as if her delicate skin was covered in plum blossoms, red, dark, and purple. One could imagine how intense their activities had been for so many days.

    She quickly got up, got dressed, and washed her face. Then she went downstairs to make herself some food in the kitchen.

    As soon as she got downstairs, she met Aria who was wearing a coquettish dress in the living hall.

    She had just returned from being outside. Her face was bleak, haggard, and she had two dark circles around her eyes.

    The two looked at each other in rage since they were enemies to each other.

    ¡°B*tch.¡± Aria¡¯s face flushed and she red as she scolded.

    ¡°Please keep your mouth clean,¡± Jenna replied unceremoniously, facing Aria¡¯s face that was distorted by frustration and anger. She thought of something, then the corner of her mouth involuntarily floated into a smug smile. She raised her eyebrow and showed a kind of arrogance that she did not previously have.

    For Aria, she no longer wanted to tolerate her; this woman was not a good person at all. She plotted against her three years ago and picked on her over everything. It was obvious that it was part of her n to appear beside Hansen. Itmust also be part of her conspiracy that she and Hansen ended up in such a state.

    Jenna no longer wanted to tolerate Aria and there was no need for her to do so. When dealing with someone like Aria, the more she tolerated her, the more Aria would assume that Jenna was afraid of her.

    ¡°B*tch, how dare you be this arrogant in front of me after seducing my man?¡± Aria looked at Jenna with jealousy and cursed at her.

    ¡°Your man?¡± Jenna sneered. ¡°Who are you? His wife or concubine? Or an underground lover? If you are a nobody, then how can you say that I seduced your man? You¡¯re really shameless to use me of this. You¡¯ve been deliberately sabotaging my marriage with Hansen, and now you are here with your false usations.¡±

    Jenna shouted angrily, with contempt on her face. Her words were too sharp that they pierced Aria¡¯s heart.

    Aria¡¯s eyes intently stared at Jenna¡¯s neck like a wolf, and she forgot to strike back.

    Following her eyes, Jenna quickly understood what she was looking at and chuckled.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s so hot here.¡± Sheughed, and tugged the clothes around her neck with her hands. What was shocking was the love-bite Hansen had left on her. Her smile was cold and bloody like a beautiful viper.

    Aria¡¯s eyes were getting redder and redder, as if they were about to bleed. She was like an irrational tigress who had almost gone mad because of the mottled love-bite on Jenna¡¯s neck.

    Sure enough, Hansen had always been intimate with Jenna, and had stayed away from Aria.

    ¡°B*tch, don¡¯t be this arrogant. I won¡¯t let you seed, and you will die miserably.¡± Aria gritted her teeth and her face twisted.

    ¡°Really? Then let¡¯s see who¡¯s the better one here,¡± Jenna deliberately baited her. She smiled and her proud posture exuded a strong aura. ¡°Hey, it would be a shame if someone dies of jealousy and anger by then.¡±

    After speaking, sheughed, turned around, and was about to leave.

    ¡°B*tch, you asked for it.¡± Aria¡¯s anger had taken over and she was furious. She suddenly reached out and grabbed Jenna¡¯s hair from behind and pulled it hard.

    Jenna felt great paining from her head, and she immediately reacted and realized that she was attacked.

    Was Aria bullying her? She learned taekwondo in the past and it was easy for her to deal with youngdies like Aria. She punched with her backhand right in the middle of Aria¡¯s chest, and Aria was immediately beaten to the ground.

    ¡°B*tch, how dare you attack me,¡± Jenna raised her eyebrows and shouted. ¡°Let me tell you, don¡¯t try to pick on me. You hurt me again and again but I have never fought back. I advise you not to provoke me for no reason, otherwise, I will not be merciful.¡±

    pping her hands, she tidied the hair following Aria¡¯s attack, turned her head, and walked toward the kitchen.

    ¡°Dahlia, get me something to eat,¡± she said gently to Dahlia who was busy in the kitchen.

    ¡°Yes, Young Madam.¡± Dahlia was smart. She had already understood the current situation. The Young Madam in front of her was no longer the little girl who could be bullied. If she did not change her stance, she too would be in danger. She quickly smiled and agreed.

    Jenna ate something and went back upstairs again. The previous night was too crazy. Her legs and her body were still weak. She felt drowsy again the moment she entered the bedroom so she fell asleep again. When she woke up, it was already afternoon and she was hungry again. It was already past lunchtime at Richards Manor so she was embarrassed to get more food at the kitchen.

    What should she do? The hunger was too ufortable and she felt weak.

    The phone¡¯s ringtone sounded at the right time, and when she looked at the phone, it was Hansen.

    ¡°Hello,¡± she replied weakly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Haven¡¯t you woken up yet?¡± Hansen¡¯s pleasant voice rang on the other end of the phone.

    ¡°Just woke up,¡± she repliedzily and absent-mindedly as she was thinking of getting food from somewhere else.

    ¡°You have not eaten anything, have you?¡± His voice sounded faintly.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes lit up; how did this guy know? He had always been urate in guessing her thoughts. Could it be¡­

    She stared and opened her mouth in surprise.

    Hansen chuckled slightly. ¡°cker,e out. I will take you out for a meal.¡±

    His tone was understated, free and easy. Jenna felt her spirits suddenly lifted and her eyes brightened.

    Take her out for a meal; did she hear it wrongly?

    Soon there came his maic and pleasant voice, ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. Wait for me at the entrance.¡±

    Joy rose from the bottom of her heart. ¡°Okay, okay,¡± she replied happily, and got up right away. Unexpectedly, this guy had a very delicate heart. Knowing that she would be out of food, he even gave her a phone call. He seemed to have transformed from his cold-blooded personality.

    ¡°Ah, hairy crabs!¡± When the waiter served a big pot of red hairy crabs, Jenna¡¯s eyes lit up, and she was drooling. It was now the time when the peak season for hairy crabs, and Jenna was a great fan of this dish.

    Hansen sat leisurely on the sofa of the private room, opened his notebook, and worked while Jenna ate. He chuckled lightly when he heard her cry and shook his head. When he raised his head, he was startled.

    Jenna was holding the crab with her bare hands. There was also a crab leg in her mouth. She was gnawing desperately and devouring it, as if she wanted to swallow the entire crab alive.

    This way of eating was dangerous!

    Hansen didn¡¯t expect this woman to have such a wolfish side when she ate crabs. She looked really gentle on normal days so he really could not tell.

    He shook his head as he was really worried for her so he reminded her, ¡°Slow down, don¡¯t choke yourself.¡±

    Jenna raised her head and realized that Hansen was staring at the crab in her hand. He was looking at her as if she was the monster. Only then did she realize how ugly she looked. She panicked and threw the crab away and spit the crab leg out from her mouth.

    She identally spat in on her clothes.

    Therefore, she stood up and patted the crab¡¯s leg on her clothes again, and in a hurry, she knocked over the water on the table. She jumped away and the water almost sshed her clothes.

    ¡°Can you please be more gentle? Why do you look like a wild child who has never eaten before?¡± Hansen couldn¡¯t help but smile and his brows eased. It was the first time he saw Jenna like this and he was secretly happy to see this scene.

    Jenna had never eaten in front of Hansen like this. Now that she was caught red-handed by him, it was as if her privacy was exposed. She was nervous and felt very ashamed of herself. She even blushed.

    It¡¯s not that she cared about her image. It was just that she could not eat in front of him without scruples. What it meant was that she had regarded him as her closest person.

    When she realized this, Jenna was surprised.

    After eating, Jenna refused to return to Richards Manor, not wanting to go back and see Aria¡¯s nasty face. Hansen couldn¡¯t force her, so he went shopping with her.

    Jenna really was not a materialistic person. She waspletely different from Aria.

    She was never picky when shopping for clothes. She never cared if it was a cheap brand or not. It waspletely different from Aria¡¯s pursuit of high-end fashion brands.

    Of course, no matter how cheap the clothes were, they could still portray her temperament perfectly.

    Jenna wearing a slightly more sexy dress would attract the wolfish eyes of many men on the street, which made Hansen very ufortable. He immediately took her into a fashion store to change into a conservative outfit and threw the sexy dress away.

    Jenna was dumbfounded by his actions.

    Hansen¡¯s whole body was morous. He was holding Jenna¡¯s waist and enjoying the pride of having a beauty in his arms. It was indeed a great day. Late at night, the two had dinner in a restaurant, and only then did Jenna agree to follow him back to Richards Manor.

 Chapter 115 Upset

    ¡°I think I performed quite well today, so how are you nning to reward me?¡± Hansen climbed under the quilt after taking a bath and hugged Jenna while making his request. He was so close to her that she could feel the heating out of his mouth.

    Jenna was certainly not stupid. She immediately understood what he meant.

    ¡°I¡¯m tiredso, no,¡± she covered his mouth with her hand and said softly.

    ¡°That¡¯s not an eptable answer, I can¡¯t apany you for nothing. Youknow I will never suffer losses,¡± Hansen took her hand away, kissed her earlobe, and said in her ear. ¡°You performed wellst night. I want you to do the same again.¡±

    Last night? Jenna¡¯s face suddenly turned red.

    The night before was way too much¡­ One time was already the limit, but he now wanted a second time? He was addicted! She shook her head and said, ¡°No, no, that was thest time.¡±

    ¡°I have the final say. That was just the beginning. Do you dare to disagree?¡± Hansen¡¯s hands were already under her clothes, threatening her.

    ¡°No, no¡­¡± Jenna¡¯s words soon drowned in his kisses.

    ¡°Hansen, Hansen.¡± In the quiet night, Aria¡¯s charming voice came from the door of Jenna¡¯s bedroom. Her voice trembled andfloated, and she seemed to have drunk a lot of wine.

    Hansen frowned and stopped the intimacy with Jenna. These days, she often pped their door like this, totally losing her dignity as a woman and begging him for nothing. It gave him a headache.

    What was worse was that Director Cook had been calling him quite frequently, telling him that Aria was alwayste for work for no reason. She would always be in bad shape during filming that even a simple scene needed to be filmed multiple times. Not only that, her performance had affected the progress of filming. She was also always drunk and even hit someone on set. Her presence had been a disaster for the crew.

    The decision to let her join the entertainment industry was also his idea after careful consideration.

    She had the talent in acting as well as the potential to be a star, therefore she was well-suited for the entertainment industry. Whereas in the Richards Group, she had no role to y. She did not even have the minimum management skills.

    If it was the past when he had the thought of marrying her, he would at least consider the reputation of the Richards family and tell her to stay at home and not do anything. However, Jenna¡¯s arrival taught him a lot. He realized that a woman must have a career for herself in order for her to live with dignity and lead a more meaningful life.

    He thought that the reason for Aria to constantly pester him and stay at Richards Manor whole day long without doing anything, as well as getting close to Marissa, was because she did not have a career of her own, causing her to be lonely with a lot of spare time. She had a talent in acting. If she could advance her career in this industry and widen her horizons, perhaps everything would be different.

    So he decided to give her a push.

    In fact, Aria had been with him for so many years, and he was very willing to help her too.

    The condition was that she had to be willing to.

    When she brought it up that day, he too immediately agreed because of this.

    ¡°Hansen, open the door. I want to see you.¡± The bedroom door was mmed hard by her, the sound echoing in the corridor, as she yelled outside.

    Hansen had to sit up and say in a deep voice, ¡°Aria, it¡¯s already sote. Get some rest.¡±

    ¡°No, Hansen¡­ I can¡¯t sleep, I want to see you, want you to apany me¡­ Please, Hansen,e apany me.¡± She cried outside. She was crying and shouting till she was hoarse.

    She did not give up on mming the door, so much so that it almost broke from her mming.

    The expression on Hansen¡¯s face was ugly, but after thinking about it, he got up, put on his clothes, and got out of bed. He was really annoyed by her frequent disturbances.

    Hansen¡¯s departure brought Jenna a chilly feeling. She sat up and saw Hansen¡¯s tall figure walking toward the door. He opened the door and Aria immediately rushed into his arms like a little rabbit, trembling and crying terribly.

    As if something important embedded in her body had suddenly separated from her, her heart began to ache sharply.

    What would any woman feel when she saw the man she loved being so intimate with another woman?

    However, what could she do in the current situation?

    What scared her even more was that Aria now looked like a different person.

    Sinceing back from the hot spring, Aria, who realized that she had lost Hansen¡¯s heart, took another approach. After their face-to-face conflict that day, she suddenly changed. She was no longer strong and hypocritical. Instead, she now became pitiful, docile and kind, only to win Hansen¡¯s sympathy and love.

    Hansen was a man after all. After being cold to her for a while, seeing that she had realized her mistakes and sincerely repented,he gradually changed his attitude toward her by treating her slightly better.Her performance was indeed good.

    The clever Aria knew the trick, so she became more and more pitiful. She would pester Hansen as long as she had time. This made Jenna even more ufortable than before. Aria was like a disgusting fly and she could not even use her strength even if she wanted to.

    Even then, she was very affectionate to Jenna in front of Hansen, as if they never had any conflict before, which made Jenna think of her time in college.

    That time, Aria, who was not acquainted with her at all. She suddenly showed Jenna kindness one day and invited her to a meal. Aria was very affectionate, as if they had known each other a long time ago. The simple and kind Jenna didn¡¯t even know why. After all, she didn¡¯t like her very much, but they were all ssmates. Seeing her kindness, she dly epted Aria.

    During that semester, Aria was always there. As long as there were any benefits, she would think of Aria first. She would also share her happiness with her. It was in that year thatshe learned that Aria liked Hansen, a handsome talented person who was in his senior year.

    At that time, Jenna felt quite sad in her heart. In fact, she had secretly liked Hansen for a long time, but because of Aria¡¯s love for him, she was unwilling to also like the same person as her best friend, Aria, so she chose to avoid Hansen.

    In fact, in college, Hansen tried to get close to Jenna several times. Given a woman¡¯s instinct, she felt that Hansen didn¡¯t dislike her.

    However,ter, what made her distressed was that Hansen was getting farther and farther away from her. Every time he saw her, he was always frosty and cold. He didn¡¯t even look at her directly until she walked into Richards Manor, and only then did she realize how much he hated her.

    Her heart was gradually broken.

    Over the past few days, only did she think of it and realize that Aria must have had some scheme to get close to her throughout those days. Although Jenna hadn¡¯t figured it out, she knew that this woman would never do anything without a purpose. If Jenna guessed correctly, Hansen didn¡¯t like Aria very much in the first ce, and even disliked her a little bit.

    Hansen had a proud temperament and a unique appreciation of women. A woman like Aria would never be his preference, but she still approached him step by step, and even got him to almost marry her.

    Now it was the same again. Aria began to approach Jenna like before, and even helped her pour tea in front of Hansen, so that Marissa thought she had changed for the better and evenplimented her.

    Even Hansen was moved by Aria.

    ¡°Hansen, my stomach is so ufortable. Apany me, okay?¡± Aria put her arms around Hansen¡¯s waist and said pitifully. Her face was full of tears and her outfit was in a mess.

    The exquisite Aria who had always wanted branded outfits was gone.

    The pungent smell of alcohol from her drifted straight into Hansen¡¯s nose. He turned his head and pulled away the hands of the woman holding his waist, and said seriously, ¡°Aria, I thought we agreed on it? Don¡¯t go out drinking anymore. It¡¯s already thiste, so it¡¯s very dangerous if you get drunk outside. Your parents will be worried if they know about it.¡±

    Aria raised her face that was full of tears, her cheeks flushed, and said grievously, ¡°Hansen, you don¡¯t love me now? I¡¯m irritated. No one cares about me, and no one loves me at all. Even Jenna does not want to forgive me. I¡¯m just living a hopeless life.¡±Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Saying this, she wrapped her arms around him again, crying bitterly.

    Jenna coldly sat on the bedside and watched her acting. She was so irritating!

    She was the only one who knew Aria¡¯s scheming. Of course, if it hadn¡¯t been for the college experience, she wouldn¡¯t understand it, and would be confused by her appearance too, but now she knew what kind of person Aria was.

    ¡°Nonsense, how can no one care about you? As long as you¡¯re staying in the Richards Manor, we are all responsible for your safety, so you are not allowed to go out and drink in the future,¡± Hansen said sternly. ¡°Today, Director Cook called me and told me about your current situation. I hope you will cherish this opportunity. Don¡¯t be too outrageous, and don¡¯t let me down. For you, this is a good opportunity to build your career. Take it well. You know that the Richards Group has invested 500 million in this film in order to help you embark on your career. You¡¯ll be able to find your worth and be more confident once you have your own career. This is the utmost priority in your life. I hope you can understand my efforts.¡±

    Hansen was advising her patiently, hoping that she would shake out of her current decadent state, but Aria didn¡¯t think so. Instead, she cried and said, ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s not like this. You just don¡¯t want me. You want to abandon me so you are sending me off using this method. I know you.¡±

    At this point, she burst into tears again.

    Hansen was so upset that he turned his head. Jenna was sitting on the bedside, looking at him lightly, as if she didn¡¯t care about all of this, including Aria¡¯s tears.

    He was initially a little worried about her emotions, but he felt relieved when he saw her indifferent appearance.

    She didn¡¯t care, right?

    Thinking of this, he helped Aria to his bedroom.

    That night, Jenna could not fall asleep. She knew that Hansen did note into the room again. She had been sleeping with him recently and her heart was empty now without the warm body beside her. She couldn¡¯t adapt to it, so she could not sleep well. She might have fallen asleep at times but she dreamed of Hansen holding Aria affectionately, and as a result, she would be awakened by the shock of the nightmare.

    The passion that was provoked by him had been lingering in her body, and it hadn¡¯t subsided throughout the night.

 Chapter 116 I Want a Woman That Suits Me the Most

    In the living hall downstairs, Marissa was awakened by Aria¡¯s cries.

    ¡°Hansen, have you ever wondered if it really was a good decision to let Aria join the entertainment industry?¡± Marissa had witnessed everything, and when Aria calmed down, she ordered Larry to invite Hansen down to have a conversation with him.

    She had wanted to talk to him about it long ago, but she couldn¡¯t find this opportunity at all on usual days. Hansen would either apany Jenna or be engaged by Aria. It was difficult for her to find the right time to talk to him about it.

    However, Hansen¡¯s attitude was bing obvious now. He was obviously biased toward Jenna. She felt that it was not that good for him to do so, so she invited him down before he fell asleep.

    ¡°Mom, I really thought it through beforeing to this decision. This is the best for her.¡± Hansen knew Marissa¡¯s mind, so he had to exin patiently. ¡°She won¡¯t be able to have a bright future by staying in mypany. She has a talent in acting and she should be allowed to develop her talent. We can¡¯t selfishly keep her in thepany. We should instead give her an equal opportunity to advance her own career. She will feel a lot more enriched in life with a career of her own.¡±

    Hansen was exining his thoughts rationally.

    However, Marissa frowned. Her face was stern and she solemnly asked, ¡°Hansen, I ask you, are you trying to send Aria away by doing this? You are only doing this out of guilt and you want to make it up to her, right?¡±

    When she asked the question, even Hansen was taken aback. Was his intention that obvious? However, he smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Mom, how can you say that? Aria is now involved in this and she cannot see it from the bigger picture. We can¡¯t allow her to go deeper as it will ruin her future. After all, there¡¯s still time now for her to head towards the right path.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think so?¡± Marissa said sharply, ¡°Hansen, you initially promised to marry her. You also know that the daughter-inw of the Richards family does not need to be outside working as a star. Even an outsider like me can tell that you are giving up on her with such an arrangement. Think about it, how sad Aria is during this period? She is not a fool, she must know what¡¯s going on. Have you ever thought of the reason? Or are youpletely attracted to Jenna now that you are ready to remarry her?¡±

    These words were thrown at Hansen¡¯s heart like a bomb, which blew him up for a while.

    In fact, he had always been following his own feelings all this while. He really hadn¡¯t considered much. Everything that had happened till this date had urred naturally without any thoughts. He had not thought of the consequences either.

    Marissa saw Hansen¡¯s expression of uncertainty and hesitation, and sighed. ¡°Hansen, you are a man. You must be responsible for whatever you do. If you sway so frequently and be this hesitant in rtionships, you¡¯re going to hurt two women at the same time.Besides, didn¡¯t you used to hate Jenna a lot before? Why are you treating her totally different now?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s pupils were as deep as the ocean, shimmering and mysterious.

    ¡°Mom, this is my business. I know how to deal with it, and yes, I hated Jenna before, but you have also seen what kind of woman Jenna isand what Aria did. Never mind who¡¯s right and wrong,I am going to choose a woman who suits me, Mom. Please don¡¯t meddle in my business in the future. I am very confused now, but I know what to do,¡± Hansen said, annoyed.

    Marissa was secretly surprised. As expected, his heart was already biased toward Jenna. Although he didn¡¯t want to admit it, anyone with a discerning eye could tell.

    What about Aria? How was he to answer to Mayor McAdams about her?

    Marissa was not confused. She was irritated by the fact that Grandma Richards valued Jenna a lot, and that she even gave the inheritance of Richards Manor to Jenna. Every time she thought that Jenna was the person her mother-inw liked, she didn¡¯t have much favor for Jenna, partly because she did not have a good impression of her mother-inw either.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t forget, Aria is the daughter of Mayor McAdams, a well-respected person. Don¡¯t offend Mayor McAdams and subsequently cause harm to the Richards Group. You need to keep in mind that Richards Group must not get into trouble. Furthermore, the Camphor Tree Vi issue is still up in the air, and Earl McAdams is in charge of this. If you offend Mayor McAdams now, it will be very troublesome,¡± Marissa persuaded earnestly.

    ¡°There are many women. If you like her, you can keep her. If she really loves you, she will stay for you. She will also act ording to the greater good. I solemnly tell you now: Your official wife must be Aria McAdams. You must marry her as your wife. Of course, if you want to marry Jenna as a concubine and if she agrees to it, I will not oppose it, and you don¡¯t need to worry that Aria will oppose it either. I can prepare her mentally for what¡¯s going to happen. You are a wise man, so you know who to choose.¡±

    Marissa put forward her own point of view concisely, strongly and decisively, leaving no room for Hansen to oppose.

    This made Hansen confused. He also understood what Marissa meant. She wanted him to marry these two women at the same time, and the reason why she agreed to him marrying Jenna was probably because of the inheritance of Richards Manor.

    After getting along these days, other people might not understand Jenna, but he knew her.

    That woman was so proud; how could she marry him as a concubine? Besides, she was still unclear now, and she was just staying here out of purpose. Once she got what she wanted, what was she nning to do?

    Hearing Marissa¡¯s words, Hansenughed bitterly. He was very impatient with Marissa¡¯s arbitrary interference.

    ¡°Mom, I will solve the Camphor Tree Vi issue. There is no need to rely on marriage nepotism to solve it or I will not be able to man up in the future. You should just worry less about my affairs.¡± Hansen left the living hall, irritated, after finishing this sentence.

    Standing downstairs looking up at his wedding room with Jenna, there was only a dim light on. She was probably asleep by now. He then lit a cigar and took a few hard puffs while pondering over what had just happened.

    After a long time, he drove out in his Hummer.

    The next day, Jenna drove to Richards Group early in the morning. She hardly slept throughout the night;the warm chest beside her was gone and she was really not used to it. As long as she thought of him sleeping intimately next to Aria, she would feel sick and nauseous.

    ¡°Good day, Ms. Murphy,¡± as soon as Jenna¡¯s arrived at the entrance of Richards Group, the receptionist at the front desk stood up to greet her brightly. Jenna¡¯s position in the Richards Group now was second to Hansen¡¯s, so she was well-respected by other employees of thepany.

    Of course, Jenna knew that Hansen was the reason she was able to establish her prestige in thepany.

    From time to time, she could also hear somements about her, but she did not say anything. If a woman could be favored by a man, or if a man was willing to support his woman, it was considered this woman¡¯s blessing. What else could she say?

    Besides, no matter how capable she was, it was still a bit difficult for her to win over the hearts of the employees in the Richards Group within such a short period of time.

    However, she was by no means just a beautiful face. Thepany employees also knew that.

    She sat in her office and worked diligently. Soon, the morning passed. After dealing with some matters, she stood up and was ready to head to the hospital to visit her mother.

    She walked out of her office and looked at Hansen¡¯s office subconsciously. The door of his office was closed and the office was quiet. Obviously, he had note to work that day.

    She was slightly let down in her heart,

    These days, he would apany her to visit her mother in the hospital. It had be a habit, but she did not see him at the office that day. Obviously, he was noting with her that day.

    The night before.

    Where did he sleep?

    It was the first night of him not apanying her since she moved into the Richards Manor. Furthermore, she watched him leave with Aria in his arms. Where else could he have slept?

    Even if he didn¡¯t want to be with her, Aria would not let him go easily given how she behaved the previous day.

    Would he be willing to make her so sad?

    These days, Aria came to bother them every day. He was so mean that he ignored her. He must have felt distressed in his heart too. He must have wanted to love her as well.

    Was he bored with Jenna? After all, it was always he who made the requests. Wasn¡¯t he nning to get the most out of her, then eventually get bored of her? Or did he only want her body? After all, they were just making a deal, and he was a shrewd businessman who would not suffer any losses.

    The more she thought about it, the more upset she got.

    Suddenly, Jenna realized that her emotions were ridiculous. Didn¡¯t she hope that Aria would pester him so that he would have no sexual interests in Jenna? Wasn¡¯t she achieving her goal right now? Why was Jenna feeling sad now though?

    She was still unhappy.

    Jenna walked into the private elevator that belonged to her and Hansen, then went straight to the basement.

    She had to visit her mother every day and stay with her as much as possible.

    Obviously, because Hansen had frequently visited her mother with her, her mother¡¯s mental state had improved a lot and her mood had improved too. She was also actively going through the doctor¡¯s treatment.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    That day was the day that her mother needed to undergo dialysis, so she needed to rush over as soon as possible.

    In the hospital, Sara was half-lying in the ward with her face pale, and although her eyes were not like dead ashes, there was only a dim light in her eyes. She was also sad and depressed until she saw Jenna walking in, refreshed.

    Only then did she sh a little smile on her face. She knew that Jenna came to apany her every day to make her happy, so that she would be in good spirits and could undergo the operation as soon as possible.

    Soon, the light in her eyes went out, and it was reced with slight disappointment.

    She couldn¡¯t find Hansen¡¯s usual figure. Her daughter turned out to be alone.

    She worried most about the happiness of her daughter. She was afraid that the news media were right about their marriage. If the news was true, she would rather die.

 Chapter 117 The Forced Smile

    ¡°Mom, do you feel better today? You¡¯re going to undergo dialysister,¡± Jenna walked in with a smile on her face. She caught the disappointment in her mother¡¯s eyes, so she gave her mother a brighter and sweeter smile.

    Sara still looked behind Jenna.

    ¡°Mom, Hansen is a little busy today, so he won¡¯t being to see you, but I wille every day. Look, this is the bouquet of flowers he told me to give you.¡± Jenna smiled and hurriedly exined. She held the flowers in her hand and held them in front of her. At the same time, she put her arms around her mother¡¯s shoulders and acted coquettishly, as if she was still a child.

    A smile quickly appeared on Sara¡¯s pale face. Her daughter was her only hope now. As long as her daughter lived well, she would have noints even if she died.

    ¡°Mom, take good care of your body. We must do the operation as soon as possible so that you can recover quickly. Then I will take you abroad for treatment. We will live a happy life in the future. Dad will be happy to see us living a great life too,¡± Jenna looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window and said with hope.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Sara smiled lovingly and tightened her grip on Jenna¡¯s hand.

    Jenna helped Sara change into a hospital gown. When she sensed the emptiness underSara¡¯spants, she felt sore and almost shed tears.

    ¡°Mom, did Dad offend anyone when he was alive? Or did he provoke someone from the underworld?¡± Jenna held back her grief and anger. After thinking about it, she decided to ask this question. She had never dared to mention it in front of her mother before, but Hannah¡¯s words from the other day bothered her. After thinking about it for a long time, she decided to ask her mother about it.

    Sara¡¯s eyes were a little confused. She seemed to have forgotten everything from the past, including her injuries. Her eyes were hollow and vast, and the sparkling stars in her eyes were like bubbles in the water, bulging and disillusioned. As if they only existed on the water for a moment, or they didn¡¯t even exist at all.

    Jenna suddenly felt scared and full of regret. Obviously, her mother hadpletely and deliberately blocked everything from the past, because it was too painful and she no longer wanted to recall it, so why did Jenna ask about it?

    She quickly changed the subject after feeling regret.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m going to cook some soup for you today. You can drink some soup after the dialysis. Not much, but it will be fine for you to drink a little.¡± She picked up her mother¡¯s hospital gown and threw it into a bamboo basket. Next, she walked out of the hospital.

    There was a kitchen in the suite where light cooking was allowed, and at the moment, she saw Aunt Lee walking in with some groceries in hand.

    ¡°Miss, I bought some vegetables today. You and Mr. Richards can have a meal here with your mother. She is allowed to eat some food after her dialysis today.¡± Aunt Lee smiled and held Jenna¡¯s hand. ¡°By the way, madam¡¯s illness has improved a lot recently, and her spirit has gotten much better too.¡±

    Jenna blinked, smiled slightly, then nodded and said, ¡°Well, I will help you out then, but Mr. Richards will not be here today. He has something to work on since thepany has been busytely.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then you should chat with your mother more. I¡¯ll go and cook now.¡± Aunt Lee was a little surprised that Hansen did note that day. She knew about their rtionship a long time ago, and quickly came to her senses. She then held Jenna¡¯s hand and walked toward the ward.

    Sara was still lying on the hospital bed in a daze. Her eyes were gloomy and unpredictable.

    After a while, the nurse came over and pushed Sara out for dialysis. Jenna followed by her side.The time needed for dialysis was very long and there was a special caregiver assigned to Sara. She repeatedly reminded the caregiver of some important matters and returned to the ward.

    Aunt Lee was busy in the kitchen while Jenna stood at the door pondering.

    ¡°Aunt Lee, you have always been with my parents. I want to ask, do you know who my dad offended while he was alive?¡±

    Aunt Lee was startled when she heard this, and soon understood Jenna¡¯s intentions. She sighed, wiped her tears with her hand, and murmured, ¡°Miss, this matter is over. Don¡¯t mention it in front of your mother. She really seems to havepletely forgotten the past. Now she only has you, and as long as you are happy, she will feel at ease. Miss, listen to my advice, forget the past. You are still young, and you can still get a fresh start.¡±

    ¡°No, Aunt Lee, my father was murdered. I am his daughter. I can¡¯t be so unfilial. I must find the murderer. Otherwise, how can my father rest in peace?¡± Jenna was serious. She continued, ¡°Aunt Lee, I won¡¯t mention anything in front of my mother in the future, and you shall not talk about it, but I just want to ask you and maybe get some clues from you.¡±

    Murdered? Aunt Lee was shocked when she heard this. Her face darkened, and her heart was filled with endless sorrow. How could this be possible? How could a good person like Minister Murphy be murdered?

    ¡°Miss, your parents were invited to the birthday banquet held by Mr. Scott that day. They were all fine when they went out, but on the way back, there was a terrible car ident. Such a car ident is reallymon in A City. I only heard from the police who said that the culprit who caused the ident was suspected to be driving drunk. It was a hit and run and he was not found. Hey, these drivers are indeed hateful,¡± Aunt Lee said as she recalled while plucking the vegetables in her hands.

    Jenna felt sad.

    ¡°Miss, Minister Murphy was very popr. He was also a clean official and would not offend anyone. Miss, don¡¯t think too much. You will get easily exhausted if you overthink this matter.¡± Aunt Lee was still trying to figure it out. It was not a good thing to see a youngdy get caught up in such hatred.

    ¡°But, Aunt Lee, I have found some clues. My father¡¯s death was not natural. It was a murder, so you must tell me what you know,¡± Jenna said seriously.

    What? Was it really murder? Aunt Lee was shocked by Jenna¡¯s words, and she asked with a trembling tone, ¡°Who was the one who murdered Minister Murphy? He had never offended anyone. I might be wrong about other things, but I have stayed in your house for years. I know very well that Minister Murphy had a good personality, and he had never done anything illegal. It is impossible that he offended someone. Who is so cruel to even want him dead?¡±

    The sorrow on Jenna¡¯s face was unbearable, and she said bitterly, ¡°Aunt Lee, even if my dad did not offend anyone, he might still have provoked someone by ident. If my father¡¯s existence harmed the interests of some people, then he or she would want to get rid of my father. I¡¯m certain of this.¡±

    Aunt Lee was even more upset when she heard this. Her eyes were filled with fearful light, and she murmured, ¡°Miss, Minister Murphy was killed the night before the election. Could it be rted to his officialdom?¡±

    Her words too reminded Jenna of something. Why didn¡¯t she think of it previously, but Aunt Lee could easily analyze the situation? However, who was contesting against her father in the election though? If they really killed her father and tried their best to cover their deeds with their power, the whole thing would make sense now.

    However, the car belonged to the Richards Group. All the evidence clearly showed that it was rted to the Richards Group.

    However, who was it in the Richards Group who was rted to the underworld? Or was it someone who deliberately used the iconic Richards Group car to frame Richards Group?

    Thinking about it this way, Jenna felt cold all over again. Wasn¡¯t she the one who was led to Richards Group by this car?

    Evidence was all she needed when it came to this murder.

    She needed evidence!

    Up until now, even though Hansen didn¡¯t love her, he would never hurt her father. Jenna strongly believed this. Her utmost priority now was to find the murderer and avenge her father.

    The dark curtains made the atmosphere in the ward a little heavy.

    Jenna was standing in front of Trevor¡¯s hospital bed with a heavy heart.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, you must get better soon.¡± She sat down while feeling depressed. Aftering out of her mother¡¯s ward, she went directly to Trevor¡¯s ward. This was her second timeing to this ward. She tightened her grip on Trevor¡¯s hand, rubbed it gently, then helped him gently massage his arm. She checked the information on the inte, and knew how to do some light physical therapy for someone in a vegetative state.

    She really hoped that she could get better soon.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, I really didn¡¯t intend to hurt you in the beginning. That matter really has nothing to do with me. I was married to Hansen because I really love him. I did not have any bad intentions. I really didn¡¯t know it would cause such a result. Knowing this, even if Grandma appointed me or my father to force me, even if I did lose hope in love, I would not agree to marry at all. Now, I can only say sorry to you.¡±

    ¡°You must get better and recover soon, or I can¡¯t leave A City, Hansen, or Richards Group at ease. You can rest assured, I am now the Vice President of Richards Group, and I will do my best to manage thepany andachieve your vision for Richards Group. Trust me.¡±

    She gently massaged his body and kept talking to him. She was caught by Hansen the first time she visited Trevor in the ward and she was injured by him then. Now she had already known Hansen¡¯s behavior, so she was sure that she would never get caught again.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, please take your time to heal and recover. Hansen is very smart and capable, and now the Richards Group is on the right track and has made it to the global wealth list. From now on, I wille to visit you every day. My mother is also being treated in this hospital. As long as I am here to visit her, I will also drop by to see and speak with you. Can you hear me? Please, get well soon.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Richards, I¡¯m now living at Richards Mayor again. Grandma is kind to me. I am very grateful to her. The more she¡¯s kind to me, the more I can¡¯t bear to stay.However, I have to do this because I found some suspicious issues, including the incident that happened three years ago. I have made up my mind to rify everything and not let the wicked get away with it.¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t guarantee that I¡¯ll be able to expose the truth. Hansen doesn¡¯t believe me. This is the thing that saddens me the most. Uncle Richards, I know Hansen doesn¡¯t love me, but please don¡¯t worry. We have divorced. This is a fact that no one can change. Although Grandma uses many excuses to make me stay, I know that those are just non-existent excuses. I will not be so shameless as to haunt Hansen, as long as the matter is over, I will leave and I will not hurt him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing my best to take care of Richards Group. Although I am now with Hansen and he misunderstands me and my feelings, I just want him to be happy. If he needs me, I am willing to give my everything. You can rest assured thatonce I know the truth that he and Aria really love each other, I will not prevent him from marrying her. I won¡¯t stop him from seeking his happiness too. Uncle Richards, please rest assured.¡±

    ¡­

    Jenna spoke carefully and suddenly burst into tears. No one could understand the pain in her heart, but her current situation was really difficult, and there were so many suspicious pointsyet to be uncovered.

    She must be strong. She could not cry.

 Chapter 118 The Tortured Heart

    ¡°Uncle Richards, I wille over every day to tell you about theings and goings at Richards Group, as well as about Hansen. I know you are most concerned about Hansen. You must stay happy no matter what. I don¡¯t hate Auntie Marissa anymore. It must be difficult for a woman to see her husband lying in bed.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Richards, if you can hear me, get well soon, so that Auntie can be happy, and Grandma will be happy. Hansen will be happy too. For so many years, Hansen has actually not had a good life. As long as he thinks of you, he will be sad. He has learned to smoke now. You also know that he never smoked before. I think he learned to smoke because of his sadness. So, Uncle Richards, please get well soon. Let¡¯s work together to get Hansen to quit smoking, okay?¡±

    Jenna just sat there massaging him and talking to him softly.

    For several days, she came here quietly and spoke to Trevor. She would sometimes tell him about funny events that urred in thepany, or other achievements as well as her thoughts on certain policies. She would even tell him stuff that she couldn¡¯t tell Hansen.

    After all, she was now the Vice President of thepany as well as the appointed heiress of Richards Manor. It was much easier for her to get things done.

    She apanied Trevor patiently and often looked up information regarding the rehabilitation of vegetative people on the Inte in order to help him recover.

    When night came, Jenna, who had been busy all day, left the hospital andthe sky was already very dark. The colorful neon lights were shining in the city. She walked out of the hospital nkly. She did not know where to go.

    She didn¡¯t want to go back to Richards Manor.

    She hadn¡¯t seen Hansen or Aria in three days. She hadn¡¯t seen them since Hansen left with Aria that night.

    He also no longer apanied her to sleep.

    She slept alone in the empty bedroom, feeling cold inside and out.

    Aria and Hansen were probably sweetly staying with each other by now.

    It was good news too. His attention had been turned to Aria so he would not pester her anymore.

    However, the moment she thought of Hansen¡¯s gentle care of Aria, her heart throbbed.

    From the beginning,she resisted him, until the time when Hansen sessfully brought her happiness.Now, he was quietly leaving her all of a sudden. It had been a roller coaster ride for her emotionally.

    Ups and downs; she was suffering.

    She had to learn to adapt.

    On the spacious street, the colorful screens in front of the high-rise buildings were ying various advertisements, and the gorgeous lights were shining against the night on the street. Lovers were seen hugging each other intimately.

    There were different families and couples who were on the street, walking.

    There was alsoughter from the elders and children.

    There were sounds of singing andughing everywhere.

    Jenna walked slowly down the street, alone and with a heavy heart.

    She had nowhere to go.

    After eating something at a hawker stall by the roadside, she walked slowly toward thepany.

    There was still much to work on the next day. Since she would also be alone in the bedroom at Richards Manor, it made no difference if she slept at thepany¡¯s office. Not only could she finish her work, but she could also spend more time at the hospital with her mother and Uncle Richards.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Moreover, although the bedroom in the office was rudimentary, it was quitefortable. She also had more freedom there as she didn¡¯t have to worry about anything else or look at other people¡¯s faces.She did not need to worry about Hansening homete or where he would sleep.

    Thepany was dark and the ss door of the exhibition hall on the first floor was shut. She turned to the back and took the elevator to the eighty-eighth floor. There were dim corridors with lone lights, and there was no one else.

    She was a little scared and wanted to turn around and leave, but when she thought of the lonely bedroom at Richards Manor, she braced herself and opened the office door.

    She then locked the door and turned on all the lights inside.

    She turned on theputer, made a cup of hot coffee for herself, flipped through the documents, and started typing on the keyboard. Soon, she had immersed herself in the business.

    She gradually forgot about everything else once she started working. Perhaps it was due to thecoffee, but she was very energetic and efficient.

    When everything was done, she stood up, stretched, and looked up only to see that it was already ten o¡¯clock in the evening. Only then did she realize that she had been sitting in the office for three full hours.

    She walked around the room then turned on the LCD TV that hung on the wall. Various pictures popped up on the screen. Jenna then moved her body and yawned with a trace of fatigue.

    ¡°The film ¡®Rapunzel¡¯ directed by the famous producer Director Cook had officially started filming. The press conference was held today. The female lead, Rapunzel, is starred by a neer, the fianc¨¦e of Mr. Hansen who is the President of the Richards Group. The film cost 800 million dors. It is said that Mr. Hansen, the richest man in A City, had invested a lot in this film for his beloved fianc¨¦e. He¡¯s ready to spare no expense to make his fianc¨¦e¡¯s career sessful. Mr. Hansen is really a good husband. During the press conference, he personallyunched the event and held his fianc¨¦e, Miss Aria¡¯s hand throughout. Miss Aria is really living a life that most women are envious of. She managed to walk the red carpet with her beloved man by her side, one who¡¯s also really supportive of her career. Miss Aria is really one of the luckiest women on earth! ¡±

    The host was announcing the news with admiration.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes straightened and stared at the TV screen. Hansen wore a noble ck tuxedo and walked the red carpet with a beautiful and sexy Aria on his arm. The two were affectionate, and Aria¡¯s face was full of happiness. They allowed the news media to take their photos while they constantly cooperated with different poses. Hansen¡¯s face was full of smiles and he looked refreshing and handsome.

    ¡°Mr. Hansen, when will your wedding with Miss Aria be held?¡± After the two got on the rostrum of the red carpet, Hansen gave a speech and walked on with Aria. They were then surrounded by reporters who waited to interview them.

    ¡°Mr. Hansen, are you confident in Miss Aria¡¯s transformation?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Hansen, are you confident that this film will perform well at the box office?¡±

    ¡°Miss Aria, do you think it is difficult to y the role of Rapunzel? Will it be a breakthrough role for you? Are you confident in yourself?¡±

    Aria¡¯s face was full of smiles. She held Hansen¡¯s arm affectionately and lightly parted her red lips. ¡°Thank you for your concern. I have always admired Rapunzel since I was a child. I hoped to have the opportunity to y this role when I was very young. Now, Richards Group has finally given me this opportunity. I will definitely live up to my responsibilities and do my best to perform well. I also want to thank Mr. Hansen and Director Cook for their strong support.¡±

    When Aria mentioned Mr. Hansen, she became shy and coquettish and leaned towards Hansen. They really looked like a sweet couple and Aria was the shy youngdy on screen.

    At this moment, a reporter handed the microphone to Hansen. ¡°Mr. Hansen, can you say something?¡±

    Hansen smiled indifferently. He took the microphone and said without rush, ¡°Miss Aria has a talent for acting. Ourpany is willing to spend a lot of money to support her. Of course, we also see the talent in her. I hope the news industry as well as the audience sitting in front of the TV will encourage and motivate her more so that she can have a breakthrough and present to you a totally different version of Rapunzel. Thank you.¡±

    After Hansen finished speaking. He stopped answering the questions raised by the reporters. After cooperating with the organizer to take a few more photos of different poses, he walked backstage with Aria.

    Jenna looked at Hansen¡¯s nearly perfect figure disappearing from the TV screen.

    Her head began to throb and she supported herself against the sofa.

    Sure enough, Hansen had been with Aria on the film set these few days, and had been motivating her. Look at how considerate his words were, and how intimate and caring his expression was.

    When they appeared in front of everyone, arm in arm, they really looked like a perfect match from heaven.

    And what was she? She looked at herself in her sses, wearing a T-shirt and jeans. She couldn¡¯t be more ordinary; she was just like the rest of the people on the street.

    Aria was in the limelight, and she became a dazzling new star in the country or even the world overnight. However, Jenna was just a youngdy, the girl next door. She was full of hatred, and at best, she was just a ything that Hansen vented his emotions on.

    What qualifications did she have to love him?

    A strong sense of inferiority came from the bottom of her heart. Her body was also weak and she was upset. She was very frustrated and disappointed, and she no longer had the mood to work.

    She cleaned up theputer desk and sat on the sofa with a sense of wonder.

    She then took a set of pajamas from the bedroom and walked into the bathroom.

    Turning on the bathtub faucet, she stood there in a daze.

    It wasn¡¯t until the water over-flooded the bathtub and even soaked her feet that she came to her senses, took off her clothes, and immersed herself in the tub.

    Her whole body was immersed in the warm water, and the scene of the night in the hot spring appeared in her mind involuntarily. Hansen¡¯s enthusiasm, and the thought of their time together overwhelmed her at once.

    Sure enough, the memory he left on her body would be so deep that it would be extremely painful for her to forget him.

    It had only been a few days, but Jenna felt as if a century had passed.

    Now, it seemed like everything was just a dream, a very beautiful dream. When she woke up from the dream, nothing would be left for her.

    Suddenly, she felt utterly cold and her consciousness became vague.

    She must have forgotten something that did not belong to her, or she would be doomed.

    It wasn¡¯t until the chill came from her entire body that she felt that the cold was so real. When she opened her eyes, it was alreadyte at night. She had actually fallen asleep in the bathtub for two hours. The water in the bathtub was already cold.

    She stood up in a hurry, took the towel from the towel rack above the wall, and wiped herself.

    There was a soft sound of footsteps in the corridor, but it was very loud against the quiet night.

 Chapter 119 Do You Miss Me?

    Jenna immediately had goosebumps and her body stiffened.

    The footsteps stopped in front of her office.

    Secondster, there was the sound of a key being inserted in the keyhole, and then the door was gently unlocked.

    Jenna¡¯s heartbeat went wild, and she was trembling with fear.

    She didn¡¯t even dare to speak or breathe loudly.

    Holding her breath, she hurriedly dried her body, took her pajamas, and put them on.

    However, as she was putting on her pajamas, the bathroom door opened.

    ¡°Ah!¡± She screamed in fright, quickly wrapped herself in a bath towel, and turned her back in a hurry.

    Instead of being held around the neck with a knife as expected, she heard a chuckle, followed by a familiar smell of mint lingering in the cold wind.

    She then turned around in surprise.

    Hansen was leaning against the door of the bathroom, with a smile on his face, looking at her with his eyes. There was a hint of evil in his gaze.

    Jenna actually saw his intentions via those evil eyes.

    Suddenly, goosebumps were all over her body, and Hansen¡¯s eyes gradually darkened. He looked like a movie viin.

    ¡°Why did youe in? Get out, quick.¡± She was blushing when she came to her senses, and she snorted in annoyance.

    Why did he break into her bathroom like this while she was taking a shower? Why? Who was he to do so!

    Hansen¡¯s forehead was slightly sweaty and his eyes were staring at her. His voice was dull.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you at the Richards Manor? Why didn¡¯t you pick up my call?¡± He asked repeatedly, as if Jenna hadmitted a serious crime.

    Jenna sneered in her heart, and the news that she had just seen on TV was still ying back in her mind. Her emotions overwhelmed her once again after hearing his questioning tone.

    Who was he to question her?

    ¡°Go out, I¡¯m going to get dressed.¡± She turned around coldly, ignoring his question, and drove him away.

    Hansen was a little surprised.

    She looked angry; did he offend her?However, soon, the corners of his mouth twitched and he rolledhis eyes at her.A smirk appeared on his face ashe didn¡¯t care whether she was angry or not. He waspletely confident in putting out the fire in her.

    ¡°Oh, you are not at fault at all, are you?You neither answered my phone calls nor any of my questions.You even dare to yell at me now. You are now a bravedy, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    He said as he walked toward her, reaching out to grab her.

    Jenna had long been ustomed to his actions. She knew he would act like this and she had learned to remain vignt since long ago. With a flexible move, she slipped out through the gap beside him and into the bedroom, then closed the door on her way out.

    She stayed desperately behind the doorknob, for fear that he might break in.

    ¡°Do you think this can stop me?¡± Hansen didn¡¯t expect that she would be so flexible this time that she managed to escape his hands. He was now very upset at being unable to touch herand a strange feeling surged in his heart. He walked to the door but didn¡¯t rush to open it. Instead, he smiled and said, ¡°I heard from Aunt E that you haven¡¯t returned to Richards Manor for two days already. What a brave youngdy. ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Go away,¡± Jenna felt ufortable and said reluctantly. ¡°Go away and don¡¯t bother me. I need to work.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you at thepany too? Who are you to use me? You¡¯re too domineering!¡± Jenna thought inwardly.

    ¡°Work?¡± Hansen smiled. ¡°Are there so manypany affairs for you to work on?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m serious and responsible about my work. Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s a tiring thing to work for you?¡± Jenna said angrily. ¡°Quickly get out. I¡¯m going to rest. It¡¯s alreadyte and I still have to work tomorrow.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s voice was not heard, not even his breathing.

    Jenna listened through the crack of the door for a while to make sure that he had left. Then she rxed, but a sense of disappointment surged in her heart too. She changed into her pajamas and sullenly opened the quilt before getting ready to sleep.

    She was really exhausted.The moment her head came into contact with the pillow, her eyes immediately closed and she fell asleep within minutes.

    There was a slight noise.

    She was too sleepy to open her eyes, and her reaction was a little slow because of fatigue.

    Soon, the quilt was suddenly lifted, and a hot chest leaned in and embraced her.

    She opened her eyes in shock and saw Hansen¡¯s eyes. He was dressed in pajamas and his body smelled like the fragrant shower gel.

    It turned out that he just went in to take a bath. D*mn it, she thought he was gone!N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    A dark light shed across his eyes, and there was a hint of redness on his handsome face; he was so attractive at the moment.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jenna pushed him hard, shrinking back.

    Hansen sped her tightly, and she was not able to move for a moment.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± He asked softly in her ear. ¡°I haven¡¯t slept with you in a few days. Do you miss me?¡±

    He was scorching hot and He breathed heat into her ears, even going so far to bite her earlobe.

    Jenna was shocked and became awake in an instant. An itching sensation came from her ears, and her whole body began to tingle as a reflex. The fire began to flow through her body, igniting the familiar intoxication in her.

    ¡°Stop.¡± Jenna was annoyed that she would always be so easily conquered by him. All the intimate scenes of him walking the red carpet with Aria shed across her mind. Although there was a strong desire in her body, she still wanted to reject him against her will.

    She was not noble. She could not ignore the fact that this man was cuddling another woman moments ago, but now he was here, wanting to sleep with her.

    He could do whatever he wanted, but she definitely had no quirks like this. She did not want it.

    However, his hand had slipped under her clothes, making her confused and intrigued.

    She wanted to reject him, but she couldn¡¯t help herself at all. This man¡¯s strength was so great that her strength was not worth mentioning in front of him. One of his big hands drifted across her body, and soon, her breathing was heavy.

    He was definitely a veteran when it came to dealing with women. Jenna couldn¡¯t refuse him at all, and soon she groaned softly under his teasing.

    ¡°Only your body is honest. You obviously miss me very much,¡± he joked maliciously in her ear. ¡°Tell me, why didn¡¯t you go home these two days?¡±

    ¡°Home? Did she have a home?¡± Jenna sneered in her heart. There was even a burst of sorrow. His big palm kept lingering over her body, teasing her, and making her feel ufortable.

    Trying to suppress the surging emotions in her body, she said coldly with a hoarse voice, ¡°I have no home.¡±

    No home? Her voice felt sour and weird no matter how it sounded; it sounded like she was angry.

    He did care about her, so he had noticed her emotional changes and he tried to figure out her thoughts.

    ¡°What the hell are you mad at? Who made you feel guilty, my mother?¡± He looked at her red face. There were tears in her eyes. The woman in front of him was crying.

    ¡°Tell me, I¡¯ll stand up for you.¡± He raised his eyebrows while softlyforting her.

    ¡°Stand up for me?¡± Jenna thought she was listening to the Arabian Nights. If his mother really bullied her, would he really stand up for her? What a joke!

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what I¡¯m saying? So, you are not allowed to be angry. Women get old easily when they get angry,¡± he added with a gentle voice, but his hands were moving restlessly.

    Jenna bit her lips and nced at him.

    Her eyes were wide open. There was ayer of tears over her bright eyes, and her face was full of forbearance. It seemed like she was already into it after being teased by him. He then whispered in her ears, ¡°Nonsense, who says you don¡¯t have a home? Isn¡¯t Richards Manor your home? Grandma has given you the inheritance. Yet you im that you don¡¯t have a home?¡±

    ¡°Inheritance makes that ce a home? This is how he understands the word ¡®home¡¯!¡± Jenna thought to herself and smiled bitterly.He would never know what the word ¡®home¡¯ meant to a woman.

    He turned over and kissed her lips.

    Jenna let him kiss her without resisting, and tears fell out of her eyes.

    Hansen¡¯s enthusiasm was like fire, and the cool chill in the air invaded the quilt from time to time, but she felt bursts of heat.

    There was fire flowing through her body, and with his kisses, her head was dizzy and she fell into a burst of sweet happiness.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you are still my wife now, so how can you say that you have no home?¡± His face was full of triumphant smiles, and he bit her earlobe and announced affectionately.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not my home-it¡¯s your home with Aria. It has nothing to do with me,¡± She struggled to resist him, but her body could not help but cater to him.

    Hansen chuckled with satisfaction. It seemed like this woman was being jealous. Women who were jealous were considered cute to him. As long as she did not cross the line, he could still tolerate it.

    Jenna felt even sadder when she heard hisughter. He was mocking her.

    She looked at him persistently with her blurry eyes opened and she gritted her teeth. ¡°Hansen, the person you love is Aria, so why bother to provoke me. Do you think this is fair to me?¡±

    Hansen was taken aback, and when he was about to speak. Suddenly, the phone rang loudly.

    ¡°Go, answer your call. Your Aria is looking for you,¡± Jenna felt sour and her tone reflected her feelings. Taking advantage of the moment he was dazed, she suddenly pushed him away.

    The phone¡¯s ringtone rang again and again, fiercely and urgently.

    Hansen frowned, his face was displeased. He then answered the phone.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you? Come and apany me,¡± Aria¡¯s sad and disappointed voice came from the phone. Hansen¡¯s heart sank immediately. Looking at Jenna who was beside him at the moment, he suddenly had a headache and was confused in his heart.

    ¡°Aria, it¡¯s sote already. Sleep well and don¡¯t cause trouble,¡± he held back his difort and said in a deep voice.

    ¡°No, Hansen, I can¡¯t sleep. I¡¯m so sadand in so much pain. Come over and apany me, please.¡± Aria was crying on the other end of the line. She refused to hang up.

    ¡°Hansen, if you don¡¯te, I¡¯ll die for you.¡± When she couldn¡¯t get a response from Hansen, she then screamed at the phone.

    The expression on Hansen¡¯s face was instantly ugly.

 Chapter 120 When Would Her Sorrow End?

    How dare she threaten him with death! He especially hated such behavior like this.

    He, Mr. Richards was not easily scared by other people. How could he give in to a woman who threatened him with her death? His face was dull, and his voice became extremely cold, ¡°Aria, don¡¯t you know my personality after being with me for so long? Threats do not work on me.¡±

    She was silly and hateful! The expression on Hansen¡¯s face was ugly and he hung up the phone quickly.

    He really didn¡¯t like a woman who dared to threaten him with death.

    She was going tomit suicide! The night was quiet and Jenna could hear everything clearly, but she was not surprised. Would she be willing to die? Jenna wouldn¡¯t believe Aria¡¯s words anyway.

    A sorrowful smile appeared on her face. Hansen was only gone for a while, and now she wanted to die. It was obvious that she was using her little tricks.

    ¡°Leave,¡± she climbed onto the bed, wrapped the quilt tightly around herself, and said coldly to Hansen.

    Hansen threw the phone away and smiled. He knew she was really mad now.

    ¡°Are you still angry? I¡¯ll extinguish the fire for you.¡± He climbed up again, salivating over her. Jenna grabbed the quilt tightly with her hand, stared at him coldly, and refused to let him in.

    There was an ufortable feeling in the lower part of Hansen¡¯s body and he was full of malicious intent. How could he allow it to happen? He used a little trick and managed to crawl in. When he was next to her body, he was full of passion and could no longer control himself.

    Jenna closed her eyes and could only obediently give in. In fact, her strength was far too weak for this strong man.

    There was no other way.

    When she was being teased by him, she had already forgotten everything. Only then did she realize that her immunity to him was so low that he could dominate everything about her at any time, including her emotions. When he entered her body, everything disappeared; she only knew that she was on cloud nine and had lost her directions. It seemed that she could never find her true self again.

    It wasn¡¯t until his cell phone began to ring non-stop that they were brought back to reality.

    D*mn it! The mobile phone again! Hansen was full of anger due to theinsatiability.

    When he was about to press the off button, he saw Marissa¡¯s name disyed on the screen. He was shocked. Why would his mother call him at such an hour?

    He had to answer the phone and he said in a deep voice, ¡°Hey, Mom.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, where are you? Come back quickly.Aria has eaten a lot of sleeping pills and she has passed out now,¡± Marissa¡¯s hurried voice came through the phone. The situation must be very critical that she was quite incoherent.

    What? Sleeping pills! D*mn, She really tried to die! Hansen sat up like a catapult in shock andall the feelings disappeared instantly. He got up from the bed in a hurry, then grabbed his clothes and quickly put them on.

    When he looked up, he saw Jenna¡¯s disappointed and painful face, and her eyes were shining brightly.

    ¡°Why are you leaving so soon?¡±

    She looked at Hansen coldly; she was disappointed.

    ¡°Jenna, she ate a lot of sleeping pills and she¡¯s in a critical condition now. I need to leave immediately,¡± Hansen exined with guilt.

    ¡°Sorry, Jenna, this is a human life after all. I will leave first and I wille to apany you when the timees,¡± Hansen thought silently in his heart.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    After finishing his sentence, he made up his mind and disappeared from Jenna¡¯s bedroom like a gust of wind.

    She ate sleeping pills! Jenna suddenlyughed bitterly and burst into tears.

    All the enthusiasm just now had transformed into endless destion.

    How could she not know Aria¡¯s personality! Would she be willing to die and leave Hansen?

    She did it just to warn Hansen. Other people might not know her tricks, but Jenna wouldn¡¯t be fooled by her.

    Surrounded by the dark night, Jenna turned off themp and immersed herself in the darkness. She felt extremely cold amidst the dark night.

    All her dreams had long turned into tears. Aria¡¯s behavior told her that she would not let her go easily, let alone make her feel better.

    ¡°Hansen belongs to me. He is mine, and no one can take him away from me,¡± Aria¡¯s harsh and cold words echoed in her ears. She could also imagine Aria¡¯s smug smile in front of her. Jenna fell into inexplicable sorrow.

    It was as if she had climbed onto a cliff. She was already thoroughly injured, but she still had to climb upward, otherwise, she would fall off the cliff and be crushed to pieces.

    Although there might be other predators on top of the mountain, she had no choice but to move forward.

    She finally fell asleep and had all kinds of dreams, but no matter how beautiful or unbearable the dream was, Aria¡¯s smiling and arrogant face were always in front of her. She woke upand could not sleep anymore. She could only curl up under the nket, exhausted.

    She didn¡¯t know when her sorrow would end.

    However, she knew that she must end this life as soon as possible. She was already on the verge of copsing.

    The next day, it was published in various newspapers that the movie star Aria had tried tomit suicide because of her rtionship with Hansen. Jenna had be the third wheel in their rtionship. It was Jenna who pestered Hansen, leading to Hansen¡¯s neglect of Aria.

    As a result, all the news media were condemning Jenna, criticizing her for being the third wheel and destroying Hansen¡¯s and Aria¡¯s rtionship. Even people in thepany looked at her with different types of gazes.

    This was especially true for Aria¡¯s fans. They cursed and scolded Jenna with very harsh words.

    If she was walking on the street and someone recognized her, there would also immediately be all kinds ofments and mockery;some would even point their fingers and maliciously insult her.

    Jenna¡¯s mood had been extremely terrible as well.

    After Hansen left, he was not seen for another three days.

    Jenna resisted the pressure and insisted on going to work every day. She also went to the hospital to see her mother and Trevor every day. She was exhausted both physically and mentally.

    That morning, Jenna drove out of Richards Manor and was ready to head to the office.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, Tobey Richards from Green Mountain Automobile City is here at the conference room.¡± As soon as she reached the 88th floor, her secretary, Fiona, reported to her.

    Tobey? Jenna remembered the incident at Green Mountain Automobile City and her heart skipped a beat. She then nodded and said, ¡°Okay, I will meet him right away.¡±

    She looked up at Hansen¡¯s office door and realized that it was closed. It seemed like he hadn¡¯te to work for several days. Although she was alreadypletely disappointed in her heart, there was still a sense of loss. Many of thepany affairs were now handled by her and several capable employees of the Richards family.

    He couldn¡¯t even take care of thepany now because of Aria.

    Green Mountain Automobile City? Jenna sat at the desk and tapped on the table with her hands as she pondered. She was deep in thought. What she understood before was that the Richards Group¡¯s Panika luxury car was at Green Mountain Automobile City. She wanted to know more about it, but unexpectedly, Hansen was assaulted, so she was unable to go on with her n.

    Thinking of this, she stood up and walked toward the conference room.

    In the meeting room, Tobey was having a light conversation with Rudolph, the financial director of Richards family. Although the two of them weren¡¯t speaking loudly, they could still be heard clearly from the outside as the door of the conference room was slightly ajar.

    ¡°Today, Hansen called the financial department again and withdrew a check of 300 million dors to invest in ¡°Mn.¡± I don¡¯t know what his thoughts are. He obviously wants to help Aria kick start her career by doing this, but is that woman really worthy of him? Does Aria really have the ability to act well in this movie? I really can¡¯t figure it out. If he really likes her, just marry her. Why bother with this trouble? I think Hansen will be ruined by this woman soon,¡± Rudolph said in a jealous manner.

    ¡°Does Madam know about it? I think that film has cost Richards Group almost 800 million dors. What magical effects is it going to produce? I remember Mr. Richards once said before that he would not get involved in the entertainment industry, but now, this. What¡¯s going on?¡± Calvin was also a little puzzled, but he quickly continued, ¡°Fortunately, Richards Group now has a footing in the luxury car industry. When we get this batch of orders done, we can make at least hundreds of billions. Then that little amount of money won¡¯t be a problem. Don¡¯t be afraid. Richards Group is considered the wealthiest and richestpany in the entire A City.¡±

    Calvin was confident and ambitious in thepany¡¯s future.

    Unexpectedly, when Rudolph heard this, he justughed and said in disapproval, ¡°Although these luxury cars can make some money, we still have the Camphor Vi Group project on hold. If that project is messed up, then the entirepany is doomed.¡±

    ¡°In that case, Mr. Richards is trying to please Aria. He wants to deal with this matter by building his rtionship with Mayor McAdams, right?¡± Tobey¡¯s eyes shed with a faint light, and he suddenlyughed in realization.

    ¡°If this is the case, then it¡¯s not a loss. I¡¯m afraid that all his efforts will go to drain. Who knows what that kid is thinking. I really hope he does not mess up that vi project. Try thinking about it, if Earl McAdams really wants to solve this problem, the second phase would already have been carried out, but there¡¯s still no news until now despite it being free from any financial crisis. It seems like there¡¯s also another reason behind it. Furthermore, if Hansen wants to please Aria, marrying her is more than enough, but I heard that this kid can¡¯t marry her yet, because of the opposition of his grandma. Although he¡¯s a capable entrepreneur, he¡¯s really a fool when ites to rtionship issues. You see, Richards Group used to make progress but he got Aria in and caused the misfortune. Now, he made his ex-wife the Vice President. I think he will be doomed because of women sooner orter,¡± Rudolph shook his head and spoke with sarcasm.

    Jenna stood by the door and listened quietly without saying a word.

    No wonder everyone who walked into thepany today was all gossiping and they stopped the moment they saw heras if nothing had happened.

    It turned out that Hansen had withdrawn another 300 million dors for Aria¡¯s film.

    Obviously, they were afraid that she would be embarrassed if she found out.

    After all, no one in thispany knew about her rtionship with Hansen.

    Thinking of this, with a helpless smile on her face, she hummed softly and walked in.

 Chapter 121 Take Charge

    ¡°Hey, Ms. Murphy.¡± The conversation in the conference room stopped abruptly, and all eyes were on her. The shrewd Tobey immediately greeted her politely.

    Rudolph relied on his identity in the Richards family, as well as hisposition in thepany. He just nodded at Jenna, then left the room.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, please have a seat.¡± Jenna nodded at Tobey as if she hadn¡¯t heard their conversation at all.

    Tobey sat down at the guest seat opposite her, took out an envelope, and carefully said, ¡°Ms. Murphy, I am here to ask you about some technical issues. The batch of products designed by you has already started its production, but there¡¯s now a little issue regarding the raw materials. At present, the material you requested cannot be found in A City. Besides, there¡¯s this other production issue that¡¯s also troublesome. I¡¯m here today to see if you can make some changes so that we can save a lot of money.¡±

    Jenna looked down at the information in her hand and her delicate eyebrows gradually settled into a frown. Her face became more serious. She said loudly, ¡°No, the process of production that I designed must use the raw materials required. If there¡¯s any technical issue or problems rted to the material, please purchase the raw materials abroad or hire more professional engineers.¡±

    What a joke. This batch of products was the first global automotive product by Richards Group and it was too important for thepany. She would rather make less money to maintain the quality of the products. How could they save money because of some minor difficulties or cost issues? The gains would not make up for the losses.

    She immediately refused him.

    Seeing Jenna¡¯s face, Tobey knew the seriousness of the matter, so he didn¡¯t dare to say more. However, he cautiouslyughed and said, ¡°Ms. Murphy, please report to Mr. Richards the technical and production issue. Now that we have started the production, we will lose more money if it¡¯s dyed any further.¡±

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you raise this question in advance but instead onlye to ask for help now? Does it make sense?¡± Jenna raised her eyebrows and spoke with dissatisfaction.

    ¡°This¡­ Ms. Murphy,¡± Tobey¡¯s expression was a little nervous, and he said, embarrassed. ¡°This is the first time that ourpany is producing such a luxurious car. We¡¯re really inexperienced. Please ept my apology,Ms. Murphy.¡±

    For a moment, Jenna almost saw no hope. Arge organization like Richards Group was still unable to train its own professional automotive talents, and there was also no clear standard operating procedure. Obviously, the car orders must now be transferred to otherpanies abroad that also belonged to the Richards Group. The matter was imminent and she had no time to consider too much. She then made the decision and said, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with this matter. You, immediately select some technicians from the factory and have them be at the airport tomorrow night. They will follow me to the branch abroad to learn their technology.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± seeing that Tobey had his troubling issue solved, he couldn¡¯t help but feel very good, so he hurriedly agreed with a smile and stood up.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I have another question.¡± Jenna stood up suddenly, looking at him sharply. His beautiful eyebrows furrowed,¡°About the Panika luxury car parked in Green Mountain Automobile City. Where is it now? I need it quite urgently.¡±

    Panika luxury car? When Tobey heard this, cold sweat began to drip and his face changed.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, I am really not sure about this luxury car. Mr. Richards has already sent someone to ask, but now this car has disappeared, and it is not in Green Mountain Automobile City anymore. I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m unable to help,¡± Tobey, seeing the increasingly sullen expression on Jenna¡¯s face, hurriedly exined. He feared that Jenna would not believe it.

    A smart person like him knew he couldn¡¯t offend Jenna.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I hope you can think about how the car disappeared and how it was transformed. All in all, this car is very valuable. If it just disappears like that, you will have to be responsible,¡± Jenna narrowed her eyes and said coldly.

    Cold sweat oozed from Tobey¡¯s forehead. Such a limited edition car, even if it had been a few years, still cost at least 10 million in terms based on the current market value. This amount was simply a disaster to him.

    Jenna ignored him and left the conference room with a long face.

    She didn¡¯t believe that this luxury car would be moved to a wild ind for no reason. Hansen didn¡¯t want to check it so she was now using her power to figure it out.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, Ms. Murphy.¡± Tobey caught up to her. His face was full of bitterness, and he repeatedly begged for mercy, ¡°Ms. Murphy, I¡¯m really not at fault in this. You can ask Mr. Richards about this. Although it was parked at Green Mountain Automobile City, if there is any high-level person who wants to use this car, I can¡¯t stop him or her either. I¡¯m not from a wealthy family and I might even go bankrupt if I need to pay for this car!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna sneered. ¡°Let me ask you. Are you the manager of Green Mountain Automobile City? Are you in charge of everything there? To me, no matter who used the car, I have the power to hold the person in charge ountable. As for you, you can also use your power to check on your employees. Thepany¡¯s fixed assets can¡¯t disappear for no reason. Furthermore,it is a luxury car reserved by Richards Group as a memorial piece. This matter is not a simple issue. I will definitely pursue this matter and clear things up. I will find out whose responsibility it is and who needs to be held ountable. Therefore, I¡¯ll give you ten days. You go and find out what¡¯s happening and submit your findings as a report to me.¡±

    When Jenna said this,she turned her head to look at him.With frost in his eyes,she said coldly, ¡°Mr. Tobey, this matter will surelye to light in my hands, and I need to know all the reasons for this. If this car is really not found, you must be held ountable, and I assure you that there will be no sloppiness allowed in this issue.¡±

    After finishing her sentence, she gave him an enchanting smile, then cast an awe-inspiring look at Calvin, showing him her unquestionable determination.

    Tobey was stunned for a while and he left in fear.

    ¡°You think I can be easily fooled? I will never give up easily,¡± Jenna sneered while looking at his retreating figure.

    One day passed.

    Jenna was too busy that dayand it was only with such a busy schedule that she was able to forget all her troubles.

    When night fell, she drove her car into Richards Manor.

    She was nning to go abroad for a few days, so she was back to pack her luggage. She was unsure about whether to talk to Hansen about it or not.

    She hadn¡¯t seen him in several days.

    She thought that since she was given this position, she could make any decision that was within her jurisdiction.

    At present, the foundation of Richards Group could only be stabilized if the problem of the luxury cars was solved first. She had a clear conscience in doing this, and she was doing this for Trevor.

    That night in Richards Manor, it was cold from the autumn wind, and the street lights were dim.

    When Jenna came out of the underground parking lot, the chill brought by the autumn wind made her shiver. The electric car was already waiting aside, and she walked towards the electric car.However, as soon as she saw the person in the electric car, her face instantly darkened and her heart sank.

    Norton was sitting in the electric car with a straight back. Although it was dark, the dim street light shone on his back. His mood seemed strange and unpredictable.

    Jenna stopped in her tracks.

    There was a storm brewing in her heart.

    Norton sat quietly and didn¡¯t look back at her, but his back looked confident and calm.

    A smile appeared at the corner of Jenna¡¯s mouth. It was an enchanting and unpredictable smile.

    ¡°Norton, you are in the car. What a coincidence,¡± she took a step forward, sat in the back seat, and said in a very clear voice.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Norton seemed to have expected that she would take the initiative to sit behind him. He turned his head and smiled slightly. ¡°Hello, Jenna.¡±

    It was a gentlemanly smile, but there was a hint of darkness in his eyes. Although the surrounding was also dark, Jenna still saw the shiny dark spots in his gloomy eyes. They were not representing kindness; instead, it was a sign of warning, with some excessive enthusiasm and expectation for her.

    This made her very ufortable.

    For a long time, Jenna didn¡¯t like his gaze. Even when she was studying at university, he deliberately approached her. Even though he was friendly and dedicated, she didn¡¯t like him. She had no reason to dislike him, but she just did not like him.

    At that moment, she had calmed down, resisted all the unhappiness and weirdness in her heart, and said coldly, ¡°It seems like you were waiting for me on purpose. Fine, just say it if you have anything to say. I was going to talk to you too. ¡±

    ¡°Really? It seems like we have coincided with each other. Great minds think alike!¡± He smiled charmingly, and cocked his head, looking at her with his faint dark eyes.

    Jenna leaned back and frowned. Even though his smile was masculine, she still didn¡¯t like him.

    Generally speaking, in terms of appearance, he was tall and handsome with a manly look, and his profile was somewhat simr to Hansen¡¯s. He was the kind of man who could suffocate women with his beauty. He was also sessful in his career. On those ounts, Jenna should not have disliked him.

    However, Jenna couldn¡¯t help refusing him and hating him whenever she saw him.

    Later, she understood that her instinct was because she didn¡¯t like the smell on his body. The evil smell that he always exuded waspletely different from Hansen¡¯s. Hansen¡¯s masculine and resolute smell made her feel at ease¡­

    However, Norton¡¯s scent was too strong and oppressive, not to mention, pungent. Just like species in nature, not every species were equal;it still came down to personal preference.

    ¡°If you have something to say, say it quickly. It¡¯s gettingte now.¡± She took out her phone and swiped the screen to check the time. She was a little impatient. Dinner was about to be served in Richards Manor soon, and she would not be able to make it to dinner if she waste.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s talk about it outside over dinner. How about that?¡± Norton asked generously and stared at her with a mysterious smile.

    Jenna¡¯s expression became gloomy again.

    ¡°Norton, just tell me here if you have anything to say. Also, thest time you talked to me about my father, you seemed to know a lot of information. Can you tell me that too?¡± Jenna said briefly and quickly. The wind was really cold, and she was ufortable all over.

    However, Norton was not simple either. He chose to keep her in suspense.

    ¡°Jenna, do you think it¡¯s alright to talk here?¡± He looked around while shrugging helplessly and spreading his hands.

    Jenna took a deep breath and looked around. The Richards Manor wasrge in size, but there were not many people. Except for some cars that went in once in a while, there were not many workers there either. However,there was a driver in the electric car. That was it.He was obviously referring to the presence of the driver.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s step aside and talk.¡± Jenna stood up and was about to get out of the car.

 Chapter 122 Nortonâ€™s Thoughts

    ¡°Wait, Jenna, I am practically your brother. It¡¯s not good for us to talk in such a hidden corner either. Aren¡¯t you afraid that someone will tell Hansen that we chatted alone in the dark?¡± Norton also got out of the electric car, but stopped her in advance. ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s go out, find a quiet teahouse, eat something, and then we will have a good chat. Trust me, I won¡¯t do anything to youand my information is definitely worth your time.¡±

    His eyes were very frank and his words were very sincere.

    That was it, she had to go out with him if she wanted to learn about her father. Thinking about her original intentions, she took a deep breath, bit her lip, and nodded. ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Norton was happy to see Jenna agreeing with him. He then walked towards the basement. ¡°I¡¯ll drive.¡±

    There were many teahouses in A City, which werepletely different from restaurants. They had a variety of teas and all kinds of exquisite desserts. The teahouses were usually elegantly decorated with quiet environments. Smallttice-style private rooms crisscrossed the halls. There were also private rooms that were very suitable for lovers and couples.

    A variety of strong tea aromas came from the steaming purple y pot, apanied by exquisite desserts;they were indeed a woman¡¯s favorite. The reason why Norton chose toe here was that he knew Jenna was like typical girls who liked to spend time here.

    There was also once when Jenna epted his invitation and came to the teahouse with Hannah.

    ¡°Jenna, remember, we came to this teahouse before when we were in college.¡± After Norton sat down, he poured tea for her like a gentleman and graciously handed her the menu.

    Jenna epted the menu, but she was surprised. Had she been here with him? How could she not remember anything at all?

    ¡°Yeah.¡± She hummed softly, ordered a few snacks, and ate slowly.

    ¡°Norton, we were also ssmates. Let¡¯s get straight to the point, okay?¡± Jenna took another bite of the cake and spoke in a more peaceful tone.

    ¡°Sure, of course.¡± Norton agreed while holding the cup and sipping his tea elegantly; the fragrance of the tea lingered in his mouth. He always perceived Jenna as an elegant tea that had an endless sweet aftertaste. He was already satisfied just by staring at her. Since meeting her in college, her pure beauty and extraordinary temperament had been deeply imprinted in his heart.

    If it was not for Hansen, Jenna would definitely belong to him.

    He was confident of it.

    However, now, even Jenna had been taken by Hansen. He was unsatisfied.

    Was it because Hansen was richer than him?

    He wouldn¡¯t let Hansen seed. The cold light in his eyes shedand he put on an approachable smile.

    ¡°Jenna, for so many years, you knew what I thought of you. I can¡¯t hurt you, and everything I do is for your own good. After I tell you something, promise me that you will leave Hansen. There will be no future for both of you to be together,¡± he drank a sip of tea and said seriously. Aria would not let her go, nor would she let them live a happy life together. Others might not know this but how could he not know it? If Jenna was still entangled with Hansen, she would only hurt herself more deeply.

    He loved her and did not want to see her suffer more harm, so he had to take action. He must try to persuade her.

    Jenna frowned when she heard it, then repeated herself, ¡°Norton, I am here today for my father, regarding my own affairs. I know what I should do, and I don¡¯t need you to remind me. I don¡¯t want to hear words like these anymore.¡±

    She was very upset in her heart. It seemed like she was hurting him just by being with Hansen, but still, she hated being threatened.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be so stubborn anymore. Can¡¯t you think of the consequences for once? Don¡¯t you know who is really good to you? Who is the one who harmed you, don¡¯t you know?¡± Norton finally made up his mind. He came closer, looked at her bright eyes and spoke deeply.

    Jenna was frightened. She leaned her head back, sat upright, and asked in surprise, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You are a wisedy, so you should understand what I meant.¡± The light in his eyes grew deeper and deeper, and his tone became mysterious.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t understand.¡± Jenna shook her head repeatedly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t understand?¡± Norton sighed suddenly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s no wonder that some women are very dull when they¡¯re involved in such matters.¡± Saying this, he said with great regret, ¡°It¡¯s not your fault either. It¡¯s all his fault for tempting you so much that you lost your way.

    ¡°Who tempted me?¡± Jenna was even more curious.

    ¡°Who do you think it is?¡± Norton no longer wanted to keep it a suspense. He faintly said, ¡°Of course it¡¯s Hansen. Think about it, who¡¯s the one who hurt you the most throughout these years? Who was the one who treated you so badly? Has he fulfilled his responsibility as a husband? Why does he behave like this?¡±

    When Norton said this, he deliberately refused to speak anymore. He was paying attention to Jenna¡¯s expressions and observed her reaction.

    ¡°Norton, if you touch on my rtionship with Hansen again, then I don¡¯t have to stay here with you at all. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll leave first.¡± Jenna got angry then stood up and was about to leave.

    She knew what Hansen was like, and she didn¡¯t need Norton¡¯s provocation.

    She really loved Hansen very much. Until now, she still didn¡¯t want to hear even a few badments about him. This hurt her again. Hansen had hurt her so deeply, causing her to leave her hometown, and he even made her suffer humiliation. However, she just missed him although he didn¡¯t want to even look at her now. Why was this happening?

    The pain in her heart continued to overwhelm her. Norton had made up his mind to make herpletely give up. One of his hands clenched his clothes tightly, but then his other hand stretched out to hold Jenna¡¯s hand, pulling her to sit down. ¡°You are still so impulsive. As long as youe across anything about him, you will lose your mind. You can¡¯t even handle the death of your dearest person, your father. You¡¯re really losing your mind.¡±

    He sighed and murmured.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna¡¯s body became stiff again, and she immediately asked, ¡°Norton, what do you mean? What¡¯s the matter with my father? If you continue to beat around the bush, I will take it as if you¡¯re just fooling me, and I¡¯ll never believe you.¡±

    Norton suddenlyughed bitterly.

    ¡°No wonder it¡¯s often rumored that some women have zero IQ in the face of love. It seems like it¡¯s true.¡± He sighed again and again. ¡°I¡¯ve already pointed it out, but you still don¡¯t get it.¡±

    ¡°Norton, is it fun to make fun of people? It¡¯s not fun at all, and it¡¯s boring.¡± Her voice started to get cold and she wanted to stand up again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go. Sit down.¡± Norton hurriedly signaled her with his hand, picked up the napkin on the table, and wiped his lips. He said regretfully, ¡°Jenna, after all, you won¡¯t believe what I say. You¡¯re now looking for 10, 000 reasons to forgive him, and you¡¯re imposing pain on yourself, even on your loved ones.¡±

    After a long time, Jenna wanted to understand his meaning, and her face turned pale. ¡°You mean, it is Hansen ¡­¡±

    Before she finished her words, she heard Norton reply decisively, ¡°Yes, it is him. Why do you think he¡¯s being so kind as to treat your mother? That¡¯s his trick to camouge himself. He isn¡¯t such a kind person. The person he loves is not you, so why is he being so good to you? Three years ago, it was your fault that his father ended up in a vegetative state. Because of that he hates you so much and has always wanted to take revenge on you. How could he let you go so easily? I heard that the car that crashed into your father belongs to the Richards Group. Think about it, who else in the Richards Group wants to retaliate against you?¡±

    Norton¡¯s words brought Jenna overwhelmed her and she felt surrounded by ice.It was true that she initially approached Hansen because of this too, but over time, she had ruled out the possibility of him killing her father, little by little. She had reasons to believe that Hansen would not kill her father, but all of this was just purely her feelings. Where was the evidence?

    Although his words were somewhat spective, they were logical too, and they were the most direct association that one could think of.

    ¡°How do you know this? Do you have any evidence?¡± Her face was paleand she asked him coldly.

    The look in Norton¡¯s eyes was cold and disdainful.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I work in the Department of Finance now. Of course, I hear gossip. I also have certain evidence for some things,¡± Norton said again in a clear-cut manner, and his words crushed the little hope that was left in Jenna. She closed her eyes, opened them again after a while, and asked calmly, ¡°What is the evidence?¡±

    She was not that stupid. She would not believe Norton¡¯s words out of thin air. He was unpredictable and she didn¡¯t like him at all, so it was impossible for her to believe his one-sided usations.

    ¡°Jenna, do you remember what Hansen said in the back garden of Ink Garden when you and your father came to Richards Group back then?¡±

    Norton further reminded her.

    The back garden of Ink Garden? Jenna couldn¡¯t help but shiver. How could she not remember the incident that day? She would never forget it in her life, because Hansen¡¯s words were too hurtful.

    ¡°Javon Murphy, since you want to marry your daughter to me, you must be mentally prepared. Will she be happy in the future? Will something happen? Don¡¯t me me. Also, about your promotion, don¡¯t count on it. I won¡¯t let you seed, and I won¡¯t make your life easy.¡± Hansen¡¯s words prated her blood like poison, and they couldn¡¯t be cleaned out even after so many years. Of course she would never forget such a terrible memory.

    That was the first time she was at Richards Manor, with the dreams of a girl longing for love. She was taken by her father to see Grandma Richards who was smiling brightly. The entire Richards Manor was so luxurious and beautiful. The golden townhouses ignited her girly dreams. Everything in Richards Manor was so beautiful. Now that she thought about it, the dream she had back then was indeed dazzling.

 Chapter 123 Falling Sick

    However, they ran into Hansen in the backyard of Ink Garden. Jenna would always remember the scene of Hansen being furious. His face was almost red in color;even the muscles on his handsome face were distorted. He looked really terrifying back then. His gaze was cold, without a hint of warmth, and they were full of hatred for her and her father.

    Jenna had met him on campus before, but he usually only had a cold expression on his face. He never looked at her directly, and he would walk away immediately when she was around, as if she was sick with something contagious.

    However, that day, he was so terrifying; even the hatred in his eyes was so strong.

    She was scared at the time, and told her father that she no longer wanted to marry Hansen after they got home.

    However, her father, who had always been open-minded, did not agree.Heinsisted on their marriage, regardless of her objections.

    After so many years, she still did not know why her father insisted on her marrying Hansen despite knowing his personality. Wasn¡¯t he pushing her into trouble?

    Later, she believed that her father sold her to the Richards family for the sake of his career. If she had insisted a little bit at that time, or even threatened to die, perhaps the events thereafter would not have happened at all.

    It was just that she really loved Hansen at that time so she did not insist. She also believed that feelings could be cultivated after marriage.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it clear enough already? What more evidence do you want? It was that car in Richards Group that killed your father. Who else would dare to drive that car out if not Hansen?¡± Norton¡¯s poisonous words prated Jenna¡¯s mind, little by little.

    Jenna¡¯s head was in great pain after listening to him. Her face was pale, and she stood up swaying. Everything including the past and the present was slowly reying in her mind.

    Hansen¡¯s torture and demand on her, his reactions after knowing that Aria attempted suicide, as well as him scolding her for being vicious. He couldn¡¯t see Aria¡¯s tricks, but instead, he used her. Obviously, Aria was the one who had framed her, causing them to misunderstand each other for so long.However, he never even scolded Aria once, and yet he scolded Jenna so badly. Wasn¡¯t everything enough to prove a point?

    He had never said that he loved her. It was impossible for him to love her too. What kind of rtionship did she have with Hansen? She couldn¡¯t even tell herself, but it was clear that it was just a deal between both of them since the beginning.

    However, she was still having fantasies about him until now, even insisting on going her own way.

    She somehow managed to get out of the teahouse and wandered on the road like a zombie. Even her shadow was swaying under the streetmps.

    It was windy, and soon it was drizzling. The weather was cold.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s snowing.¡± Someone in the crowd yelled, and immediately everyone around became excited. ¡°It¡¯s snowing!¡±

    Suddenly, there was an outburst of cheering from the crowd.

    The snow hit her body but she had no response and continued walking aimlessly.

    When she returned to Richards Manor, it was alreadyte at night. She walked into Green Jade Garden in despair. The living room was dark and the workers were already asleep. She gently opened the door and went straight upstairs.

    She changed her clothes then fell asleep with her wet hair.

    As if she had been seriously ill, sheid on the bed silently. Her mind was nk, and she slept until the next morning.

    When she woke up in the morning, the snow had stopped, and the sun was shining brightly again.

    Even the weather was getting stranger every year.

    Jenna felt cold, very cold.

    She still felt cold even after she put on her down jacket. Her head seemed to hurt even more. Her mouth was dry and she could not taste anything.

    She knew that it was because of the cold weather as well as her wet hair the night before; she had probably caught a cold.

    She finally managed to drive the car into the basement of the International Kinsey Center. Her headache was still persistent and got even worse when she was on her feet.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, Mr. Tobey from Green Mountain Automobile City called to ask. He wants to know when the technicians will depart, and who¡¯s going to lead them?¡± Fiona politely greeted Jenna as soon as she saw her.

    Only then did Jenna remember what she had promised the day before. She promised to take the technicians abroad that day. She then touched her forehead and immediately asked, ¡°How many technicians did Mr. Tobey choose?¡±

    ¡°Fifteen of them,¡± Fiona checked the documents and answered.

    ¡°Okay, tell them to wait for me at the airport,¡± she said without hesitation. ¡°You, immediately book seventeen tickets to Los Angeles, then inform Reeva to follow me too.¡±

    This matter must be resolved as soon as possible, and she must personally invite a professional technician back to Green Mountain Automobile City to guide the transformation. Her hard work could not be messed up by Green Mountain Automobile City. She must be responsible for her design as well as for Richards Group.

    ¡°Okay, Vice President Murphy.¡± Fiona went to book the tickets. When Jenna returned to the office, there were some other matters that needed her instructions. Thinking that she would not be around for the following days, she forced herself to arrange the workload for the next few days.

    The morning passed quickly.

    At noon, her head hurt even more. She didn¡¯t want to eat at all. She stood up and went to the hospital to visit her mother as well as Trevor.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, I am going abroad tomorrow in order to solve the technical and production issues of luxury cars. I might have to stay for several days so I will not be able to visit you for the time being. You must be well and get better as soon as possible. Trust me, I¡¯m doing this for the sake of Richards Group. I will definitely make the luxury car project a sessful one, as my apology to you,¡± she exined in a low voice while giving him a gentle massage.

    Trevor¡¯s face was pale, and his entire body remained motionless. After so many years, he hadn¡¯t gotten better, and he was getting older. It would be near impossible for him to recover.

    Jenna walked out, depressed. She had a headache as well as a sore throat, so she bought some medicine for her cold at the hospital.

    In fact, her body had not fully recovered since she got stabbed with the knife. Furthermore, she had been working hard all this while and even got exposed to the rain and cold the day before. Her immune system was already weakened so she felt much worse when she caught a cold.

    After taking the medicine, she seemed to feel much better so she no longer cared about the cold.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, your flight will be at 6 o¡¯clock in the evening. I¡¯ve also gotten you a total of 17 flight tickets,¡± When Jenna returned to the office, Fiona immediately reported.

    Jenna nodded. ¡°Call Miss Peters over to see me.¡±

    ¡°On it.¡± The secretary picked up the phone.

    Jenna walked back to the office, poured a ss of water, and rested her hand on the sofa to support herself. After drinking the water, she felt much better.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, you wanted to see me?¡± After a while, Miss Peters walked in and asked softly.

    ¡°Yes, have a seat.¡± Jenna raised her head, smiled slightly, and pointed to the sofa next to her. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking the automotive technicians from Green Mountain Automobile City abroad tonight to learn their technology. By the way, I¡¯ll also hire one of them toe back to A city to guide our production of luxury cars. You will also follow me there. It is already three o¡¯clock. Go back now and pack your stuff. We will leave on time at five o¡¯clock. Do you have any questions?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Reeva smiled and answered. She was promoted to her current position by Jenna and she had always been very grateful to her. She also graduated with an automotive degree, but her knowledge was not asprehensive as Jenna¡¯s. Thus, she had always wanted to learn more about the automotive industry. She too, admired Jenna¡¯s ability to design cars. After so many days of working together, she deeply admired Jenna¡¯s character and working ability.

    Now that there was such a good opportunity for her to be exposed to the automotive industry in order to gain more knowledge, of course she was happy to seize it. How could she refuse such an opportunity?

    Thus, she immediately responded with gratitude.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Prepare yourself then,¡± Jenna¡¯s head was heavy, so she waved at Reeva. ¡°You¡¯ll need to learn more from them.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Reeva stood up, but she did not leave. She looked at Jenna suspiciously and asked with worry, ¡°Ms. Murphy, are you not feeling well? Looking at your face, you look really ufortable. Should I take you to the hospital first?¡±

    Reeva was a little worried. After all, Jenna and Mr. Richards had an unusual rtionship. She also heard that Jenna had lived in Richards Manor as if they had not divorced yet. She also looked weak these days. Besides, Mr. Richards left everything to her, so it must be difficult for her too.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I caught a little coldst night. It¡¯s just a minor illness.¡± Jenna waved her hand with indifference.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, let me tell Mr. Richards about it, and send someone else abroad. It¡¯s not toote for you to be there after recovering from your illness.¡± Reeva thought about it and was still worried about her. Jenna¡¯s face looked really pale, and if something happened during their trip to Los Angeles, Mr. Richards would definitely put the me on her. She won¡¯t be able to bear the consequences.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± As soon as Jenna heard her mention Hansen, she immediately waved her hand and shook her head. Hansen¡¯s name was like a thorn to her. As long as she heard his name, her reflexes would cause her to be nervous and tense.

    She didn¡¯t want to let Hansen know about her minor illness. She knew her ce in his heart very well. She was not Aria; she was not as weak as her.

    ¡°Then you take a rest first. I¡¯ll go out now ande to meet youter,¡± Reeva said softly, then walked out a little worried.

    She also didn¡¯t understand Jenna¡¯s rtionship with Hansen. It seemed like Mr. Richards didn¡¯t care about her, but he handed over all thepany¡¯s affairs to her. When she was injured and hospitalized, Mr. Richards was extremely anxious. Mr. Richards really cared about her.

    After Reeva left, Jennaid on the bed and fell asleep. Amidst a muddle, she heard someone shout anxiously outside the door. She got up and looked at the clock. It was already five o¡¯clock.

    Oh, she still had to catch the ne.

    She got up in a hurry, but unexpectedly, she almost fell.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy,Ms. Murphy!¡± The voices of Reeva and Fiona sounded anxious outside. Jenna quickly opened the door.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, are you okay? We called your name for almost twenty minutes,¡± Reeva said and stared at Jenna anxiously.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I took some cold medicine and overslept.¡± Jenna smiled apologetically. She hurriedly packed her things. ¡°Quick, we¡¯re going to bete. Tell the driver to wait for us downstairs.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, are you really okay?¡± Reeva asked worriedly again. Jenna¡¯s face was really pale, and Reeva was really worried about her condition. Although work was important, health was always the utmost priority.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, let¡¯s go.¡± Jenna put away her things casually, and hurried downstairs with Reeva.

    Fortunately, there was not much traffic on the road. The car rushed to the airport. The fifteen people were all in the waiting area, anxiously waiting for them. Seeing Jenna and Reeva arrive, they all breathed a sigh of relief and greeted Jenna politely. They then boarded the ne smoothly.

 Chapter 124 Passed Out

    Los Angeles.

    Los Angeles was located in the southwestern part of California. It was the secondrgest city in the country, and also thergest seaport city. The prosperity of this ce was well known to the whole world.

    Richards Group¡¯s automobilepany was based in Stevenson Ranch.

    Stevenson Ranch was located in the northern part of Los Angeles. It was a rtively new city with plenty of greenery and was close to Magic Mountain. The cost of living here was also reasonable.

    It was noon when Jenna arrived at the factory. After taking a break and inspecting the factory, the technicians immediately began to learn the technology at the factory.

    The factory was also responsible for a part of the car design production, but because the factory was not big enough, they had not been making much progress. With regards to this, Hansen had sent a powerful executive here to get things sorted out in advance, therefore the production line was still operating as usual.

    The roads of Los Angeles were very spacious and the poption density was not high. Richards Group had arge-scale factory here, with a lot of investments. Besides, the environment was also nice. It was only because of theck of luxury car production technology that the factory had not been upgraded to a higher level. Therefore, Richards Group was still behind whenpared to Whalen Group.

    Of course, Hansen was aware of this, so he set his sights on this ce. Since he made Jenna the Vice President, of course Jenna understood his intentions better than anyone else.

    He was a shrewd businessman and a sessful man, so how could he not know the weakness of hispany?

    Jenna and Reeva temporarily stayed in the factory¡¯s dormitory.

    The factory manager, Sonny Wilson, reported to Jenna regarding the issues in reforming the factory, as well as their technology.

    Jenna listened to him very carefully.

    Sonny was appointed by Hansen himself. He was very capable. He quickly learned Jenna¡¯s intention. To be honest, he was aware of these problems and concerns a long time ago, but because Green Mountain Automobile City mainly focused onnational products, he did not put forward his personal suggestions. Now that they were undergoing a transformation, the issues had emerged.

    He was also d that Jenna paid so much attention to him, so he also tried his best to cooperate with her.

    With his cooperation, Jenna naturally felt relieved, so she shortened her scheduled visit from one week to three days.

    The key task now was to hire someone named Jersey Levin, an American from Tambend who was extremely experienced in automobile production. He was a talented person in the automobile industry and also had an arrogant personality. He used to serve as the production director of Whalen Group. Because Whalen Group was located in an urban area, there were many foreigners in thepany, so the rtionships among the employees were alsoplicated. Many foreigners did not like people from Tambend, causing him a lot of trouble managing his team.

    He was really talented but could not fulfill his talent on a suitable tform. As a senior executive, he was hindered everywhere, so he was forced to resign. When he left Whalen Group, he was in a very bad mood.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna felt regretful for him and respected him very much. At that time, as the general agent of Asia, she tried her best to intercede with Rayan, and got him some benefits. However, Rayan was concerned about other issues back then so he did not forcefully ask him to stay.

    Therefore, Jersey remembered Jenna. After he left Whalen Group, Jenna contacted him.

    It was a little difficult for her to hire him and bring him back to A city.

    Jenna also knew that these people who stayed abroad had adapted to life abroad;they would not easily agree even if she offered them a lucrative sry given the condition of them migrating home.

    Therefore, she nned to adapt thenking maneuver.

    She was nning to give him the ¡®consultant¡¯ title whichonly required him to return to A City to work for two months each year. Of course, his sry would be much higher than that at Whalen Group. For the rest of the time, he would serve as the Overseas Director of Richards Group¡¯s automobile industry. This would be a reasonable job offer, after all, his main work location was still in Los Angeles.

    No matter how proud a person was, he still needed fame and fortune as long as he was living in society.

    Jenna could see clearly that if he had the talent, he would want to fulfil his talent and potential!

    After lunch, Jenna felt that her headache was getting worse. Her sore throat was also making her voice hoarse, so she had to take some medicine then lie down and rest for a while.

    After falling into a deep sleep, she had a dream that Hansen was marrying Aria in Richards Manor. Aria threw all of Jenna¡¯s belongings out and looked at Jenna proudly and in a domineering way.

    Hansen stood aside and stared at her indifferently, even with mockery on his face.

    She was trembling all over, shivering, and her heart was so painful. There was heavy snowfall. The wind and snow hit her body. Her face was cold and painful, and she wanted to escape, but she couldn¡¯t take any steps and she passed out.

    She didn¡¯t know how long it had been, but she heard an anxious cry in her ear, as if it came from the distant sky. She then opened her eyes with difficulty. Reeva was calling her anxiously, and she sounded like she was about to cry.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Her voice sounded like she was crying, and she touched Jenna¡¯s forehead with her hands.

    Jenna¡¯s cheeks were flushed. She was having a terrible headache, and she felt cold and chilly all over. She knew that she was having a fever.

    She thought that her cold was not a big deal so she did not pay much attention to it. Looking at Reeva¡¯s anxious appearance, she smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can sleep really deeply especially after taking medicine. I fell asleep the moment Iy down.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, is your body really okay? You have a high fever now!¡± Reeva asked with concern. She then gave Jenna a ss of water.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. My immune system may even get better after the cold.¡± She took a few sips of water that Reeva had handed over. She then took out the medicine and ate a few more tablets. ¡°By the way, Miss Peters, have you managed to contact Mr. Levin?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have. When he learned that you want to meet him, he was very happy and agreed immediately,¡± Reeva quickly replied, but she became more anxious and worried. She said, ¡°It¡¯s just that,Ms. Murphy, no matter how important work is, your body is still the priority. You must take good care of your body despite working diligently for thepany. You must know that this body is yours and it needs more care now. If I may, let¡¯s not meet Mr. Levin today. We can meet him tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.¡±

    Reeva was really worried that Jenna would not be able to make it if she continued working, so Reeva could only persuade Jenna sincerely. She was also a woman. It would be very dangerous for her to socialize with a fever like this.Jenna was too eager to excel but it was not worth doing so for thepany.

    ¡°No, since we made an appointment, we cannot simply cancel it. He will think that we are being insincere. No matter what we do, we must do it well.¡± The moment Jenna heard that the appointment had been made, she got up in a hurry and saw that she was runningte. She then became anxious to get dressed and leave.

    Her persistence moved Reeva. Although Reeva was worried, she still couldn¡¯t talk Jenna out of it, so she said with concern, ¡°Since I can¡¯t persuade you, it¡¯s cold outside now. You should wear a scarf and put on more clothes. ¡±

    While talking, she took a thick woolen coat and put it on Jenna, then gave her a scarf. Only then did she walk out with Jenna.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go buy something first. We need to show our sincerity,¡± Jenna knew the meaning of public rtions and said immediately.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll drive then,¡± Reeva first helped Jenna sit down in the back row, then she walked to the driver¡¯s seat and started the car.

    They chose a Tambend style restaurant as the location for the meeting. Considering that he was a little old, he should have a nostalgic feeling towards his home county. Jenna specially selected a private room with the name of A city engraved on it.

    Jersey was not tall. His diligence and perseverance could be seen from his face. His eyes were bright and his personality was calm. He was indeed someone proud. When he saw Jenna, the light in his eyes was a little bright. ¡°Little girl, long time no see!¡±

    He took the initiative to stand up, shook hands with her in a very Tambend style and greeted her with a very intimate expression.

    Jenna smiled sweetly, stretched out her hand, and shook his hand, then asked politely: ¡°Mr. Levin, it¡¯s been a long time since I met you. How are you doing?

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m fine. Just that I get some minor ailments sometimes but no worries, the major ailments are not here yet. Come on, please take a seat,¡± He smiled heartily and said while pointing to the opposite seat.

    ¡°Looking at your energetic gesture, I can tell that you¡¯re living a good life, Mr. Levin.¡± Jenna took the menu and handed it to him.

    ¡°You¡¯re ttering me,¡± he replied politely. Seeing Jenna insist on letting him order the dishes, he immediately ordered a few special hometown dishes.

    It seemed that Jersey not only had a good impression of Jenna, he was also a decisive person. Reeva secretly hoped that he would agree to work in Richards Group.

    ¡°Girl, where are you working now? I heard that you returned to Tambend after designing the carsst time?¡± he asked cordially.

    Jennaughed. Her eyebrows were crooked, and she said in a yful tone, ¡°Mr. Levin, I had something to do so I went back to Tambend. I am already working for Richards Group. I have just arrived in Los Angeles today and I immediately got in touch with you. You¡¯re always on my mind.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for remembering me. Hey, it is rare for young people to be as prudent and sensible as you.¡± He smiled heartily and his face was full of praise. Then, he suddenly stopped smiling and asked with a serious face, ¡± You said that you¡¯re now working for Richards Group. Is that Mr. Hansen Richards from the global wealth list?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Jenna smiled slightly and nodded.

    ¡°Oh, are you not going to return to Whalen Group? You know that both Richards Group and Whalen Group are two powerful and fiercepetitors. If you work for Richards Group, will Mr. Whalen let you go easily? I know Mr. Whalen appreciates your talent a lot,¡± Jersey pondered and asked a little strangely.

    Jenna blushed, knowing what he meant. She smiled helplessly and said, ¡°There are a lot of talents under Mr. Whalen. It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m there or not.¡±

 Chapter 125 Hiring Jersey Levin

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case. ording to what I observed, Mr. Whalen always had a good impression of you. Think about thest incident; it was you who helped me out so that I did not suffer any losses and left thepany with dignity. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten anything. I still need to thank you for this.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Levin, that¡¯s nothing. It was just a small favor. Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Jenna smiled and said modestly. ¡°May I know what you are doing now?¡±

    Jenna asked tentatively, looking at his face. Jersey was someone who knew and loved cars. He had been in the automobile industry for a lifetime and was indeed experienced. If he could work for Richards Group, it would undoubtedly be good news for the Richards Group. Even if they did not need him in person, his experience and insights were already more than enough.

    Many yearster, Rayanmented that thepany had missed two talents at the time, one was Jenna and the other was Jersey. Of course, this was only mentionedter.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting older now, and I have no ns of working anymore. I only have one lifetime anyway, so I n to leave everything to my children,¡± he replied with indifference with a rxed face, but Jenna still observed the regretful expression on his face for not fully using his talents. She smiled and asked calmly, ¡°Mr. Levin, I need a favor from you actually. I wonder if you, Mr. Levin, will be willing to help me out?¡±

    ¡°Favor?¡± Jersey¡¯s eyes unconsciously nced at the gifts she brought over. Those really cost a fortune, and he had already made a wild guess in his heart. He had experienced many vicissitudes, and might really want to take a break. However, he did have a soft spot for Jenna, and if he could really help her out somehow, he would be willing to.

    ¡°I can consider it, but I am just a nobody now, so I¡¯m not sure what you need me for. As long as I can help, I will try my best. It is my honor to be able to help you, and you must have seen something special in me. However, I am afraid that my ability is limited,¡± he said faintly while very modestly humbling himself.

    ¡°No, Mr. Levin, don¡¯t be humble. As long as you are willing to help me, you will definitely be of great help. It¡¯s a favor regarding the automobile industry. Mr. Levin, you have been in this industry for a long time and your experience is very valuable to us. You are also a capable man with ambitious talent. I hope that you, Mr. Levin, can use your talent to do great things, and also achieve some breakthrough in this industry,¡± Jenna exined clearly.

    Seeing his eyelids twitch, she hurriedly said, ¡°Mr. Levin, I am here to invite you to be the production consultant of Richards Group¡¯s Automobile City. We now have arge number of orders for luxury cars to be produced in a rush, but some of our technology is not up to par yet. We hope to get your guidance on this. I wonder if you are willing to help us out?¡±

    Jenna was full of sincerity and her tone was genuine.

    ¡°Mr. Levin, Ms. Murphy is really very sincere in inviting you. She told me to get in touch with you as soon as we got off the ne, and she still has a fever now,¡± Reeva added from the sidelines.

    ¡°Girl, are you sick now?¡± Jersey asked with concern when he heard that Jenna was ill, but he looked embarrassed too. ¡°Girl, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help you, but I am now in Los Angeles. It¡¯s a bit unrealistic for me to go to A City.Moreover, my family is here.¡±

    ¡°I know this, so I¡¯m inviting you to be the consultant. I only need you to be in A city for two months in a year, and you can stay at the Richards Group Automobile City in Los Angeles for the rest of the time. Moreover, your sry will definitely be higher than that of what you used to get in Whalen Group. If you have any other requests, you can voice them out too. You also know that Richards Group not only produces luxury cars, but also has a wide range of interests. Mr. Hansen is very smart and capable. He also cherishes your talent. As long as you agree to our offer, he will meet your requirements,¡± Jenna said solemnly. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to make a decision now. Mr. Levin, you should discuss this with your family first. After all, this is rted to them too. After making a decision, feel free to give me a call. I will wait for your reply. I believe that you will definitely want to pass down the experience as well as the unique insights you have acquired in your lifetime in order to develop the automobile industry.¡±

    Jersey¡¯s eyes were full of hesitation. He did not respond to her immediately.

    Soon, they changed the topic. They discussed car trends in the world as well as some insights of the automobile industry. After talking andughing for a while, Jersey got up and wanted to leave.

    Jenna winked at Reeva and she immediately understood. She then quickly passed Jersey the gifts over the table. Although he tried to refuse initially, he epted them eventually.

    Jenna felt relieved and rxed all over. She also stood up. When she was about to speak, she suddenly felt like the whole restaurant was spinning in the darkness. She could not stand firmly and eventually, she passed out.

    ¡°Hurry up, someone has fainted.¡± There was chaos in the restaurant. Some people were shouting loudly whereas someone yelled for the ambnce.

    Both Reeva and Jersey were stunned.

    In the ward, Reeva was very anxious. Jenna¡¯s cheeks were flushed. She was having a high fever, and she was unconscious. Although she was on intravenous fluid, she had not woken up even after several hours.

    Reeva rubbed her hands and walked around the room, as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof.

    What should she do? They were in Los Angeles where everything looked unfamiliar to her. If something bad happened, she would not be able to bear the consequences. After walking a fewps and thinking about it, she finally picked up her mobile phone and dialed a series of phone numbers.

    No one answered the call in the beginning. After Reeva dialed several times, she heard Hansen¡¯s sleepy voice. He seemed to be sleeping and there was a little dissatisfaction in his voice, but Reeva could no longer care about his feelings. After Hansen picked up the phone, she said eagerly, ¡°Mr. Richards, there is an urgent matter regardingMs. Murphythat I must report to you.¡±

    Ms. Murphy? Jenna? What urgent matter could she have?

    Jenna¡¯s face immediately appeared in front of Hansen¡¯s eyes. He became more aware and nced at the wall clock. It was alreadyte at night. What would happen to her at thiste hour? An ominous premonition suddenly rose, and the sleepiness subsided.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± He asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,Ms. Murphyfainted at a meeting today. She has been admitted to a hospital in Los Angeles. She seems to be very ill and she is still in aa and has not awakened,¡± Reeva said anxiously and was almost in tears.

    ¡°What? She fainted?¡± Hansen sat up in shock, calmed himself, and asked in a deep voice. ¡°What is going on? Speak slowly.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards,Ms. Murphyis now in the Los Angeles Hospital. She passed out this afternoon,¡± Reeva said anxiously, and exined what had happened in detail.

    That woman, when did she go to Los Angeles?He didn¡¯t even know about it. How could she not tell him about it. Thisdy was really making him worry all the time!

    ¡°Hurry up and ask the doctor to take good care of her. Send me the specific location, and I will be there right away,¡± he yelled, got up and got dressed. Hehurriedly dialed Alvin¡¯s phone number. ¡°Alvin, prepare a private jet immediately. I need to be in Los Angeles as soon as possible.¡±

    The ne was flying through the clouds. Hansen was sitting in the cabin. His eyes were sharp but he looked tired and was in a messy state. He left in a hurry, so he didn¡¯t even care about his looks.

    Alvin sat opposite him. He was calm with a witty light in his eyes. After a while, he said after some deep thought, ¡°Mr. Richards,Ms. Murphyfollowed Norton to a teahouse the night before.¡±

    Norton!

    The light in Hansen¡¯s eyes jumped, and a hint of chill shed across him.

    ¡°What were they doing outside?¡± he asked calmly while staring at the clouds.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t do anything. They just talked for more than an hour,¡± Alvin told the truth.

    ¡°I see,¡± Hansen said lightly. ¡°You continue to keep an eye on Norton, and maybe everything wille to light soon.¡±

    There was a cold smile on his face, and no one could tell what his thoughts were.

    Alvin nodded with a very solemn expression.

    Jenna slept really deeply. It was like an unconscious sleep where she hadpletely forgotten about everything. It seemed like she hadn¡¯t taken such a good rest in a long time. She recovered a lot and felt much better after the deep sleep. When she woke up, it was already noon the next day.

    She was surprised to find that she was lying in the hospital. What was going on?

    Looking around, the ward was empty and there was no one else there. After a long time, she finally recalled that she had fainted in the restaurant.

    What was the matter? Wasn¡¯t it just a cold? Could it be this serious despite her young age?

    She turned over and got up. Her head was no longer painful. She just felt sore and weak. Her mouth was dry, and she felt dispirited.

    She poured a ss of water and held it in her hand. She then looked up and saw her pale face in the mirror above the basin. Her face was a little haggard.

    What was this? What about Reeva and Jersey? She vaguely remembered that although he didn¡¯t give her a direct answer in the restaurant, his expression had already told her the answer. If she guessed it correctly, he would ept her invitation.

    However, wasn¡¯t it embarrassing for her to pass out in front of everyone? It was such an embarrassing moment!

    The doorbell rang and she turned her head.

    Her mouth opened wide in surprise as she looked at the person before her in disbelief.

    Hansen¡¯s tall and stalwart figure walked in unexpectedly. His handsome face was a little tired. His casual white turtleneck sweater lined his face beautifully, and he wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a pair of snow-white Sneakers. He indeed looked like a gentleman.

    Why was he here?

    Jenna just stared at him and forgot to speak. She hadn¡¯t seen him for several days. At this moment, a century seemed to have passed when she met him in a foreign country.

    It had been such a long time since she met him, and he now looked familiar yet strange to her.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    He was holding a lunch box in his hand. Looking at her staring at him in surprise, his face was very calm. He nced at her with indifference and he had aplicated gaze.

    ¡°You must be hungry now. Come on and eat something.¡±

    Jenna finally came to her senses. There were thousands of feelings in her heart. She silently drank the cup of water in her hand, lowered her head, and said nothing.

 Chapter 126 Why Is He Here?

    ¡°Mr. Richards, why are you here?¡± Jenna asked in a low voice and a calm tone. Her gaze was even a little cold, and her expression was stiff.

    Jenna would never believe that Hansen rushed here because she was sick. She never had this confidence in herself, and she thought that she was just a nobody in his heart. If he had feelings for her before, then he probably only cared about her body.

    Her stiff expression caused Hansen¡¯s eyebrows to furrow slightly, and he nced at her without answering her question. Instead, he said warmly, ¡°Eat something first.¡±

    He put the lunch box on the bedside table and opened it; the fragrance of the food filled the room. At this time, her body temperature had gone down, and she was indeed feeling a hint of hunger in her stomach. He was very considerate, observant, and caring enough to bring her a bowl of porridge.

    Jenna ate the porridge, thinking about how to clearly exin to him about this visit to Los Angeles, and of course, she would also need to tell him about hiring Jersey.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m sorry for causing you trouble. I didn¡¯t expect to be so ill. I thought it was just a cold.¡± After eating, Jenna packed her things and apologized in a low voice.

    ¡°Why are you packing your stuff?¡± Hansen raised his eyes and looked at her, puzzled.

    ¡°To get discharged from the hospital. I¡¯m fine already,¡± she said.

    ¡°Who allowed you to get discharged? Don¡¯t always take things for granted, okay!¡± Hansen was angry. His face was sullen, and his voice was a little loud. ¡°I don¡¯t need my employees to work their lives away, understand?¡±

    This woman always acted her own way, and she did everything based on her own assumptions; it really gave him a headache. Furthermore, she was also very stubborn.

    ¡°Work my life away? Did you think I was pleasing you by working so hard for thepany? Ridiculous!¡± Jenna thought to herself and remained silent.

    ¡°Go to bed and have some rest now. Wait until I have consulted the doctor before a decision can be made,¡± he ordered decisively, not allowing her to resist.

    Jenna didn¡¯t think that her illness would be a big deal. She just caught a cold and got a little tired, that was all.

    However, Hansen held her down and prevented her from moving, forcing her to lie down on the bed to rest.

    ¡°Lie down properly, and I will settle the score with you when the timees.¡± His face was serious and his eyes were dark when he said those words fiercely.

    Jenna immediately felt a chill, like a blizzard in June. She was panicking in her heart. He had an unhappy expression on his face; it was difficult to talk to him now.

    s, what did she do wrong that he even wanted to settle the score with her? Was she at fault for working for thepany despite having a cold?

    He was really mean, and he was only mean to her. If it was Aria, he would already feel sorry for her.

    She red at him fiercely, then turned her head to ignore the pesky guy.

    Arcadia.

    At the entrance of the manor-style Tamber Steak House, there were lots of people and business was booming. That evening, Hansen took Jenna to the entrance of this beautiful and popr hotel.

    The two waited outside for more than twenty minutes before they were able to be seated.

    It was the first branch of Tamber Steak House in the country. Since its opening, the business had been booming almost every day. People would need to wait to get seats even on weekdays.

    In order to adapt to the environment, the steak recipes here had been modified to suit the tastes of people from different backgrounds and races. Despite this, Jenna nced around and saw thatthere were still very few foreigners, and most of the customers were from Tambend.

    There were many races that made up the poption in this city. Because there were several prestigious schools, the city was a popr destination for those who wanted to migrate for better education. As a result, the houses were also highly-priced due to the strong demand.

    When Hansen came here with Jenna, she was a little surprised. He seemed to know the city very well. She thought that it was rare for him to visit ces like this, so how could he be so familiar?

    ¡°When I was developing overseas branches, I would stay here from time to time to study the market.¡± Perhaps he saw through Jenna¡¯s mind, so he spoke faintly.

    It turned out to be so. Jenna finally understood.

    Her heart skipped a beat. Did it mean that he had been visiting Los Angeles very frequently these few years? It turned out that they were not very far away from each other, but¡­

    Lifting her eyes to look at his profile, the past suddenly reappeared in her mind.

    It was probably that afternoon more than a year ago. When she was looking for a job on the streets of Los Angeles. She saw a man on the street who was slender, arrogant, noble, and indifferent. He was holding a woman¡¯s hand;he had walked past Jenna with ease.

    At that time, she was impoverished, deste, and frustrated, and her eyes were eyeing a recruitment advertisement. Nheless, the figure of this man came into view so clearly.

    With his almost perfect profile, tall figure, and noble temperament, she almost identified Hansen at a nce, but she did not dare toe any closer, or even to speak to him. He was next to a beautiful tall woman. The two of them talked andughed, and his eyes didn¡¯t even notice her.

    Moreover, the man¡¯s body exuded a chill that turned everyone around him away. She didn¡¯t even have the courage to take another look at him, let alone follow him to confirm.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    However, intuitively, Jenna knew that the man was Hansen.

    At that time, she was so desperate. She was about to advance academically, but she had to work and study at the same time due to theck of money. No one could imagine that she was also from a famous family, nor that her husband was a rich man who was well-known all over the world. This wasbecause she didn¡¯t have a single penny.

    She didn¡¯t dare to call her parents to tell them the truth, that her husband did not even give her any money. After being in Los Angeles for so long, no one even came to ask how things were, let alone anyone who cared about her. She did not even know how she made it through the hardship.

    She thought that even if she had concluded that the man was Hansen, she would also note forward to talk to him. After all, the rtionship between them was so strange that he would not care about her even if she was in Tambend, let alone abroad.

    Whether she was experiencing hardship or needed financial assistance, even if she knew the man was really Hansen, she would definitely note forward to ask him for help.

    Her self-esteem would not allow her to do so, nor did she have the courage or the confidence.

    What was more, he had a beauty by his side back then. From behind,that woman from her memory did not look like Aria.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes slowly began to turn red, and she sat there in a daze.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Hansen looked up and saw Jenna staring at him in a daze with a dull expression on her face. No, she was notpletely looking at him. Her eyes were red and her gaze drifted away. He didn¡¯t know what she was looking at. She was totally soulless, exuding an inexplicable sadness. He frowned and couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    What exactly was this woman thinking about? Even when she was with him, she often drifted off like this,pletely out of the present, as if he didn¡¯t exist.

    Suddenly there was a feeling of frustration. Generally speaking, all women who were with him were allpletely obsessed with him, trying to please him. However, the woman in front of him was not focusing on him at all. The rtionship between them had long been different.

    Was she thinking about her lover, Rayan? That face of sadness and loneliness was because of him, and that was it; she was now revisiting a ce full of memories. Of course she would recall the past.

    Suddenly, anger surged in his heart. He had personallye from A Citybecause she had fainted. He was worried about her and apanied her, but she didn¡¯t take him to heart at all. What was going on? When had he be so cheap in a rtionship?

    The expression on his face slowly turned ugly.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Jenna finally awoke from the sour memories, she hurriedly shook her head and was a little incoherent. She then picked up the cutlery and started eating the steak.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I want to exin my reason foring to Los Angeles,¡± Jenna said softly while lowering her head to eat the food. As she hadn¡¯t seen him in A City and she didn¡¯t want to bother him, she made the decision on her own. Moreover, she had not told him about Jersey yet.

    His expression was now dull and he looked unhappy. Even when he was in the hospital, his face was full of displeasure. She thought that his displeasure was rted to this. He had always been strong at work, so how could he allow his subordinates to make decisions without letting him know? She knew it so she took the initiative to talk about it.

    ¡°Eat first,¡± Hansen said shortly. He had always disliked talking about work during dinner.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Seeing the impatient look on his face, she agreed and silently ate her food.

    The temperature in Arcadia was very high. Spring and summer were the only seasons all year round. After eating the steak, she was sweating. She quickly took off her sweater and felt cooler.

    Hansen ate silently. Neither of them spoke too much over dinner. The atmosphere was a bit dull, which waspletely different from those talking andughing at the nearby tables.

    Jenna suddenly became a little annoyed. She secretly med Reeva for informing Hansen about her illness. Obviously, he came reluctantly and was unhappy about it. He was obviously pretending to apany her. Otherwise, how could he get a long face? She didn¡¯t want this at all!

    She didn¡¯t need sympathy or pity!

    It was just a light cold. She was not so melodramatic.

    After the meal, Hansen drove the car. Jenna didn¡¯t know where they were headed. Her head was still a little dizzy so she leaned her head on the seat and closed her eyes to have a rest.

    Hansen skillfully twisted the steering wheel in his hands and drove forward.

    The road was spacious. There were not many vehicles, and he was driving fast.

    ¡°We¡¯re here. Let¡¯s get down,¡± the car stopped quickly, and Hansen spoke to the woman sitting beside him with her eyes closed. He was worried that she would catch a cold while sleeping.

    Jennazily opened her eyes, and soon, her face was full of a surprise after staring at her surroundings. ¡°Mr. Richards, where are we?¡±

    Hansen was a little amused by her exaggerated expression, and an imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He nced at her lightly and deliberately said loudly, ¡°Do you want to spend the night in the car?¡±

    Jenna hurriedly opened the car door and jumped out, but she still couldn¡¯t believe what she saw.

 Chapter 127 Can You Stop Smoking?

    The manor-like townhouse in front of them was magnificent and the two tall spires were luxurious. The milky white exterior walls were matched with dark red bricks; it was a typical European building.

    There was argewn at the entrance decorated with shining street lights, whereas the beautiful bay scenery could be clearly seen at a distance. Jenna could tell that this vi was very valuable at a nce; it probably cost at least 20 million dors.

    Because of the good educational resources in the city, the housing prices were extremely high.

    Whose vi was this? Richards Group?

    Just as she was thinking about it, a middle-aged woman in a servant¡¯s uniform came out in a hurry. She then greeted Hansen politely, ¡°Hello Young Master, the house is all cleaned up.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Flora. You can leave now.We are going to stay here for a few days,¡± Hansen waved at her and said softly. Flora responded with a smile and left them alone.

    Hansen walked toward the entrance of the vi. Jenna was shocked for a while and hurriedly followed behind him.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, where is this?¡± Jenna asked timidly while looking around in confusion. She did not know what else to say. Since Hansen came out of the hospital, he hadn¡¯t said much. The atmosphere between them was really weird.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Of course, such a vi was a trivial matter to Hansen. It was not surprising either if the property was under his name. It was already a phenomenon for people to buy houses abroad, let alone this rich man.

    Jenna kept addressing him as Mr. Richards and her polite tone made Hansen very impatient. Generally speaking, if one addressed him like this privately, it meant that one wanted to draw a clear line between them.

    He stopped and turned to look at her.

    His eyes were very sharp, judgingand scrutinizing her. His dark eyes were very cold, as if they were going to prate her soul. The corners of his mouth twitched, and eventually, he said nothing. Heturned his head, and continued to walk toward the house.

    Jenna looked at him in amazement.

    He seemed very upset, with a chill on his face and an unpredictable temperament.

    ¡°Weirdo,¡± Jenna snorted.

    For a moment, Jenna felt that this man was so far away from her. It seemed like the intimate rtionship between them that happened not long ago did not exist at all. The man who had close contact with her in bed, where was he?

    Jenna was confused and in a daze.

    For a moment, she finally realized what was going on. In fact, she didn¡¯t understand him at all, just as he didn¡¯t understand her. The distance between them was actually very significant. The physical pleasure was only temporary. They were not in each other¡¯s hearts, let alone opening their minds tomunicate with each other.

    This kind of rtionship between a man and a woman was really superficial.

    Like all men and women looking for excitement, once they lose interest in each other¡¯s bodies, they would be strangers.

    Then, they would head in this direction.

    A helpless feeling filled Jenna¡¯s heart, and her heart ached.

    No, it was still different for her as her heart still hurt, but it was probably the case for him.

    She shook her head nkly, but did not stop walking.

    This was a very sophisticated vi. The decoration inside the house was entirely European. It waspletely different from Richards Manor. The atmosphere was modern and the decoration was bright and lively. Therge ceilingmp in the living room was very eye-catching, and the light it emitted Illuminated the entire spacious living room, like daylight.

    Fresh fruits and hot tea were ced on the coffee table in the living room. It was a warm and peaceful ce.

    ¡°Young Master, Miss, these are the fruits that I nted in the backyard. They are organic and very fresh. Please try some,¡± Flora said politely.

    It seemed like Flora could get along with others quite well and was very diligent. She had already gotten everything ready, and the house was also very clean and tidy. Hansen must have told her to do so in advance; he had always been a meticulous person.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t help but nce at him.

    ¡°Thank you.Go take a rest first. We are fine on our own,¡± Hansen smiled slightly and instructed her.

    ¡°Good night, Young Master, Miss. Please let me know if you need me.¡± Flora stepped back politely. She lived in the servant¡¯s room near the backyard which was further away.

    As soon as Flora left, in fact, there were only two of them left in the entire vi.

    ¡°Go to bed earlier,¡± Hansen said to Jenna. He sat on the sofa with a tired face, propped one arm against the back of the sofa, and rubbed his temple with his other hand.

    Jenna saw his tired face and a trace of guilt rose in her heart. After all, he rushed here because of her illness, and she didn¡¯t even thank him till now. After thinking about it, she anxiously said, ¡°Mr. Richards, thank you.¡±

    After saying this, she slipped into the bathroom and took a shower.

    Hansen was stunned and soon came to his senses. His thin lips formed a nice arc, the corners of his mouth were slightly lifted, and then it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

    Jenna just recovered from a serious illness so her body was still very weak. After taking a bath, she climbed into the bed and fell into a deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

    She was thirsty in the middle of the night, so she woke up and went to get herself some water. When she passed by the living room, she realized that there was still light in a room that was connected to the hall. She was surprised and walked quietly to take a look.

    It was a study room and the door was not shut. Jenna peered through the crack of the door and saw that Hansen was sitting in front of aputer, busy working intently. The tiredness on his face was obvious.

    The entire room was filled with smoke. It seemedlike he was smoking again.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank.

    Why was he working in the middle of the night? Jenna was surprised to see such a scene. She was the one who dealt with thepany affairs these days and there was nothing particrly urgent for now. Regarding the production of luxury cars, she didn¡¯t even have time to tell him about it yet.

    Some things needed to be rified, for example, Jersey¡¯s employment. If Hansen was unwilling, things would really get out of hand.

    After thinking about it, she pushed the door open and walked in on tiptoes.

    Hansen was very vignt. Even though he was working hard, he was still sensitive to his surroundings. He raised his eyes and saw Jenna walking in in pyjamas. His face was slightly surprised, then a chill shed across his eyes.

    ¡°What are you doing here? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be sleeping?¡± He asked in a deep and slightly hoarse voice.

    This woman had just recovered from being sick and yet she was not getting a good rest. Looking at how thin her body had be, the expression on his face became uglier as he thought about it.

    However, Jenna approached him and looked at the cup in front of him. The cup was already empty. She picked up the cup, turned, and walked towards the living room.

    After a while, she walked in with a ss full of water and gently put it on the table.

    ¡°It¡¯s sote already.Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet? It¡¯s not good for your body,¡± she lowered her gaze and said softly.

    Her voice was very soft and gentle, with a concerned tone. Of course, Hansen could hear the concern in her voice and he blinked.

    He remained silent.

    He took out another cigarette, lit it, and took a hard puff. The smoke was blown out, and it soon covered his face. Her heart skipped a beat.

    Staying up sote and smoking cigarettes were both causing great harm to his body.

    Was there anything bothering him? After all, they hadn¡¯t been together for many days, and she really didn¡¯t know what he was going through.

    However, she knew the problem between them.

    ¡°Hansen, stop smoking. Shall we talk?¡± She wanted to snatch the cigarette from his hand, but she didn¡¯t dare to do so. After all, she was just a subordinate.

    She could only do her duties and she whispered to him. Having been with him for so long, they hadn¡¯t really talked to each other, or even spoken about what was truly in their hearts. Apart from the physical stimtion, it seemed like they could hardly find anymon ground.

    Jenna was not resigned to this, and there aroused the desire to learn more about him. After paying attention to him for so many years, she could not understand him at all.

    After listening to what Norton said the other night, her heart was dead for a while, but she gradually realized that if she continued to keep her feelings in her heart, there would never be a day when they would speak their minds to each other.

    She had always been an assertive and persistent person. Although Norton¡¯s words had an impact on her, they couldn¡¯t hinder her judgment or stop her from acting ording to her instincts.

    She chose to believe him.

    However, there were still doubts in her heart. Since she had doubts, she knew that she should voice them instead of hiding them like secrets. It was not a good thing if she continued doing so.

    ¡°Do you want to talk about work or us?¡± Hansen was obviously shocked by her words. He raised his head and looked at her meaningfully.

    He never had to worry about a woman¡¯s request to him and he never cared. However, this time, he remained silent, put out the cigarette butt, took a sip of the water ss on the table, and looked at her deeply with bright eyes.

    His bright eyes were wide and far-reaching, and there was a certain expectation in his eyes, as if he had been expecting it for a long time.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was beating faster, and she vaguely felt a certain trust in his bright eyes. She also raised her beautiful eyes to look at him, bravely looking into his eyes.

    ¡°Both,¡± she replied. She indeed wanted to talk to him about both.

    ¡°Well, go on,¡± he said with a smile at the corner of his mouth.

    Jenna¡¯s heartbeat was a bit fast, and she drank a sip of water to calm herself down. She didn¡¯t think too much. She just looked into his eyes and sincerely, eagerly, and even pleadingly asked, ¡°Hansen, can you quit smoking?¡±

    This was what she told Trevor, that she would help him quit smoking. She didn¡¯t want to see him be addicted to smoking. The faint smell of mint when he was close to her used to be so nice, but now, there was the smell of tobo. It did not really bother her, but smoking was really bad for his health.

    She hoped that he would quit smoking. Therefore, she raised this first before discussing work and other private matters.

    Hansen was startled as soon as she said this. He never thought that Jenna would mention this topic to him. In his life, apart from his grandmother and mother, no woman had said simr things to him, nor have they made such a request. Such a request surprised him. Slowly, the light in his eyes softened, and even the muscles in his face rxed.

 Chapter 128 A Step Closer to Unlocking Oneâ€™s Heart

    ¡°You,e here.¡± He waved at her.

    Feeling that he was not as unwilling as she had imagined, Jenna was happy in her heart and took a few steps towards him.

    His long arms moved toward her, and Jenna¡¯s waist was encircled by his arms. He exerted a little force and Jenna¡¯s light body ended up sitting on hisp. He didn¡¯t use much strength, and Jenna did not resist at all; she sat on hisp obediently.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    If her obedience could make him quit smoking, she was willing to.

    ¡°Why do you want me to quit smoking?¡± His big palm stroked her hair and forced her to face him.He spoke with a warm and maic voice.

    ¡°No special reason. Ijust think that smoking is bad for your health.¡± Jenna¡¯s heartbeat quickened. She replied casually, not wanting him to see too much into her;her eyes tried to remain natural.

    ¡°You care about me?¡± He chuckled while looking at her deeply and examining her.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jenna was straightforward. She generously admitted that the rtionship between them had long gone beyond the normal rtionship between men and women. Since they had had an intimate physical rtionship, why couldn¡¯t she care more about his body? What was there to be embarrassed about it? Besides, he was the only man who broke into her life, so it was normal for her to care about him.

    ¡°If you are willing to help me, I will consider it.¡± After thinking about it, he spoke half-jokingly. Jenna saw his yful smile, but he looked serious so she blurted out, ¡°Are you willing to let me help?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s dark eyes carried deep meaning. He smiled andleaned his head against the back of the chair. Helooked at her quietlyand asked, ¡°How do you n to help me?¡±

    Jenna felt embarrassed by his attitude, but she smiled confidently and said loudly, ¡°As long as you are determined to cooperate with me, I will definitely make you quit.¡±

    After speaking, she smiled slyly. Her brows arched andher bright eyes blinked before she smiled, revealing a row of small white teeth. She was indeed a beauty. Hansen¡¯s expression became a bit obsessive and his heart instantly became warm.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll cooperate with you.¡± He almost agreed without even thinking about it, his eyes sparkling.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do a pinky promise.¡± For fear that he would regret it, Jenna hurriedly stretched out her hand and ced it in front of Hansen. He smiled and stretched out his palm gently. Jenna did a pinky promise with him quickly. Hansen was a little absent-minded hugging such a beauty in his arms, so he agreed to everything.

    Jenna didn¡¯t expect him to agree so quickly, but based on her father¡¯s experience when she was still at home, it was difficult for a man to quit smoking. It required much perseverance.

    ¡°Hansen, do you know the reason for meing to Los Angeles?¡± After saying this, Jenna thought that she should tell him about work. She asked him quickly since he was in a good mood now. She didn¡¯t want to get the mefor making the decision without informing him.

    Hansen smiled and didn¡¯t seem to care about the matter very much. With a soft big palm on her waist, he whispered, ¡°You must have had your reason for doing so. I don¡¯t need to know. Since it¡¯s been handed over to you, I trust you. My style is to always trust the person in the position.¡±

    How nice was he to say this? Jenna couldn¡¯t believe her ears. He did not care? Why was he so upset in the afternoon then? He actually said that he wanted to settle the scores with her!

    ¡°Really? You trust me?¡± Her eyes were shining brightlyand she looked up at him, still having doubts in her heart.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hansen stared into her eyes and nodded with a smile.

    ¡°Then why were you so upset today?¡± She asked stupidly.

    Hansen was really speechless. This woman was really stupid. Couldn¡¯t she tell why he was unhappy?

    Hearing that she was sick and had fainted, he hurried over. Didn¡¯t he care about her body? But she was stupid enough to think that he was mad at her. It seemed like their thoughts were indeed too far apartand the gap between them was still veryrge.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t know why I am angry?¡± His eyes darkened and his face stretched again.

    Jenna was a little apprehensive. She had to exin clearly to him about hiring Jersey, so she hurriedly exined.

    ¡°Hansen, I offered Jersey Levin a job on behalf of Richards Group. This person has great experience in automobile production. You must value him. He is a rare talent and it¡¯s difficult for us to get such a talent. Trust me, I¡¯m doing this for the sake of Richards Group.¡±

    She sounded very sincere.

    Hansen continued to stare at her with a deep gaze.

    In the afternoon, Reeva had already told him everything. In order to hire Jersey, she even met him even though she was sick. He was indeed touched.

    If it was really for her own business, it was still reasonable for her to do so, but she was doing it for the sake of Richards Group. It was not really her business. Why did she do this?

    There was a throbbing in his heart, and a bright light shed across his eyes. Richards Group hadn¡¯t always been good to her, including him who ignored her at times. However,she still worked so hard, even when she was sick. What feelings caused her to do so much for Richards Group?

    If he didn¡¯t know her original intention of working for Richards Group, it might still be reasonable, but now he knew it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will,¡± he replied softly. He had heard about Jersey a long time ago and had always wanted to hire him, but because he didn¡¯t know him and he was still in a foreign country, Hansen thought that Jersey would definitely not ept the job offer. Furthermore, he had heard that Jersey was an arrogant person and might not even agree to meet him. Now that Jenna had indeed done him a great favor by inviting Jersey to Richards Group, he appreciated it.

    ¡°Jenna, can you tell me why you are working so hard? I don¡¯t think ourpany deserves your hard work,¡± Hansen asked with guilt. Ever since Aria tried tomit suicide that night, he left in a hurry and had not seen her again. He didn¡¯t even manage to apologize to her. He thought that she would be mad but instead, it was as if she had long forgotten the matter.

    He had been thinking about the choice his grandmother made about his marriage over and over again. Gradually, he felt that she didn¡¯t simply appoint his wife at will. It seemed like she had her intentions in doing so, and his heart was also changing, little by little.

    It was just that there were many things that were still unclear, and he needed further rification.

    ¡°Hansen, I did this for Uncle Richards. He¡¯s in this state now because of me.¡± She lowered her eyes and spoke in a low voice, tears falling down her face, drop by drop, onto his big hand that was holding her body.

    Hansen felt that the tears wear scorching hot, and his hands began to tremble.

    His hands tightened around her and he hugged her in his arms. He immediately saw the pain in her eyes;it looked so painful. His heart trembled suddenly, and sorrow and grief reached his heart.

    This was the first time they were talking about it. It was a topic that widened the gap between them. It was also a thorn in their rtionship that could hurt both of them at any moment.

    Hansen¡¯s heart became heavier in an instant. Surprisingly, he was no longer agitated or angry about the incident. Finally, he had learned to let it go and to face it calmly.

    ¡°Jenna, let the bygones be bygones. It¡¯s already like this, and no one wanted such an oue,¡± he said with great difficulty, trying tofort her, and wiping the tears from her face.

    Her tears made his heart twitch.

    For this, they had both suffered for so long. Wasn¡¯t it enough?

    ¡°No, Hansen.¡± Jenna suddenly stretched out her arm to hold his waist. She raised her small face, and stared at him directly in the eyes. She was very serious and determined. She said decisively, ¡°Hansen, it really was not me. The incident that happened three years ago really had nothing to do with me. It was already like that when I woke up. I don¡¯t know what happened. Will you believe me?¡±

    She enunciated. Her eyes were full of hope and longing to be epted by him.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were deep, and his heart felt like it had been cut out. He sped her head tightly, put her ear to his heart so that she could listen to his heartbeat, and then touched his head to hers. He then said seriously, ¡°Jenna, I believed you a long time ago.¡±

    Believed her a long time ago! Jenna could hardly believe her ears.

    He actually believed her, and moreover, he believed her a long time ago.

    Was it real?

    His tone did not sound like he was joking. The light in his bright eyes was magnanimous and bright, like the starlight in the night, illuminating her heart. She let out a heavy breath, as if she had removed the heavy shackles on her body. She was relieved.

    Anyone could misunderstand her, but not Hansen. This was the least she could hope for.

    In fact, Hansen did not know when he started believing her; it had happened without him realizing. It was an intuition without any reason. Maybe he started to believe her at his father¡¯s ward that day. Especially when he saw the stained bedsheet, he was even more convinced, but he never told her.

    ¡°Silly woman, can¡¯t you feel it? I believed you a long time ago. Otherwise, why would I give you such an important role in thepany?¡± He sighed when he thought of this.

    ¡°Jenna, do you have something to tell me?¡± His face calmed down and he asked slowly. His eyes were a little blurred, but the faint light was sharp.

    He wanted to know when she could tell him the truth.

    He hoped that she would take the initiative to tell him everything, including her purpose in joining Richards Group. He didn¡¯t like a woman to keep her thoughts from him or ignore him. The feeling was very bad.

    He also needed to be trusted.

    Hansen¡¯s question seemed careless or even casual, but Jenna felt very heavy. She was not stupid. After knowing each other for so long, he definitely knew her purpose ining to thepany. However, he remained silentand even trusted her with heavy responsibility. Putting aside his doubts for her, he was waiting for her to exin everything to him.

    He was a shrewd manand also a man with strong self-esteem.

    She didn¡¯t want to hide it from him anymore.

    Since he would trust her with so much, she also felt that she should tell him everything.

 Chapter 129 Do You Still Suspect That I Killed Your Father?

    ¡°Hansen, my father is dead.¡± Jenna¡¯s face was pale and she closed her eyes while the tears flowed from her eyes.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Hansen made a faint ¡°Oh¡± sound, with an unfathomable dim light in his eyes. He raised his hand, and his hand fell on her waist again, as if tofort her. He hugged her more tightly and patted her waist gently. ¡°I already knew.¡±

    Sure enough, he knew. Jenna was fortunate that she took the initiative to speak out todayand she was relieved, but she heard his solemn words, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡±

    His expression became coldand the tenderness on his face disappeared instantly. His eyes became deep and sharp and even had an icy look, which made Jenna feel a little frightened. As if she had done something wrong, tears welled up in her eyes. She tried her best not to cry and her face was so pale that it almost became transparent.

    Why didn¡¯t she tell him earlier? Could she exin the reason clearly?

    How was she going to phrase it? Should she tell him that she had no confidence in himand even¡­ suspected that he killed her father?Furthermore, her original intention of joining Richards Group was to take revenge!

    No, how could she speak this way.

    It was indeed a bit excessive for her to doubt him like this.

    ¡°Humph.¡± Hansen suddenly snorted from his nose. He asked coldly, ¡°Nothing to say? What do you think now? Do you still suspect that I killed your father?¡±

    He just asked her directly. His sharp eyes kept staring at her, almost making her feel ashamed.

    It turned out that he knew that she suspected that he had killed her father.

    ¡°Tell me, is your purpose of returning to Richards Group to avenge your father?¡± His big palm suddenly caught her small and delicate chin. His face was full of frost, and he asked coldly.

    The chill that radiated from his body was about to freeze Jenna¡¯s heart, as if his eyes were an x-ray and he could see right at her heart.

    In front of him, she had nowhere to hide. She was almost transparent.

    Fortunately, she took the initiative to confess that night. Thinking of his unpredictable expression, she was even more confused. He knew her thoughts a long time ago, but he didn¡¯t expose her. Was it because he wanted to save her face or had he other thoughts in mind?

    ¡°Yes, I came back because of this, but I can¡¯t be med for this. Everyone would have done the same thing. He was my father, the closest person to me in the world, who died suddenly. No one could bear doing nothing,¡± she replied in pain while defending herself. ¡°The car that killed my dad was a Panika luxury car from Richards Group. Isn¡¯t this clear evidence? I wanted to find out the cause of death and I didn¡¯t want to let the culprit go easily. My father was innocent and he can¡¯t die like this. me me or hate me, it¡¯s up to you. I will still do it. I have this responsibility.¡±

    ¡°If I wanted to me you, would you still be in mypany now? Would you still be able to stand in front of me?¡± Hansen said coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t jump to conclusions first. Do you think your little tricks can escape my eyes? However, why didn¡¯t you tell me everything? It¡¯s been so long and you didn¡¯t say anything. You think you can sort it out on your own? You think too highly of yourself.¡± His tone was getting colder, and the displeasure on his face became more and more obvious. ¡°I once gave you a chance, but you never intended to tell me. What do you regard me as?¡±

    Hansen stood up suddenly, pulled Jenna to the ground, turned around, and walked outside.

    Jenna was unsteady and almost fell. Hansen had already walked out when she steadied herself on the desk beside her.

    This concluded their conversation.

    They had only managed to discuss the surface of the private affairs, yet he had already left angrily.

    The conversation could no longer go on.

    The deeper level of understanding that she had faintly expected could no longer be achieved.

    But even so, Jenna breathed a sigh of relief.

    All the pain and the previous hesitation seemed to have been put aside at this moment. At least after speaking out, she felt a lot morefortable. The expression on Hansen¡¯s face was ugly; it seemed like he was very angry with her behavior.

    After standing in the study room for a while, she was in a daze, and the sound of water came from next door. Hansen was taking a bath.

    Slowly walking back to her bedroom, Jenna sat on the bed and was in a daze while listening to the movement outside. After a long time, Hansen¡¯s footsteps came out, and then she heard his footsteps walk toward the door of another room. It was followed by the sound of the doorknob twisting, and then everything was calm.

    The night got darker.

    Jennay on the bed and kept tossing and turning. She knew Hansen was angry with her. She felt guilty in her heart, but she also had infinite grievances. She didn¡¯t know how to express herself to seek his forgiveness. He had a thousand reasons to me her for being in hispany with ulterior motives.He could also me her for doubting him. However, she had ten thousand reasons to defend herself. It was just that he no longer wanted to hear her out.

    What about her pain? Who would understand her, and who would consider it from her standpoint? Why didn¡¯t he listen to her exnation?

    If she could tell him, if Hansen treated her well enough, and gave her the confidence to tell him, why didn¡¯t she say so? Why didn¡¯t she let him know? Why bother to hold on alone?

    At that moment, she was like someone drowning in water. She tried to grab onto anything to survive.However, there was no one and nothing for her to rely on.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Every time she thought of this, tears would unconsciously flow out.

    At the very least, she had chosen to believe him.

    So far, she had never asked him or med him. What else should she do?

    In a daze, she woke up and opened her eyes to see that the sun was shining through the bright curtains. It was already bright, and it was a spring day outside. The scenery was really beautiful.

    When Jenna got up and brushed her teeth, Flora had already brought her breakfast. She looked up at Hansen¡¯s room. The door was still closed. Obviously, he was not awake yet. It made sense since he worked till veryte the night before.

    After eating breakfast, Jenna went outside and walked around to enjoy the surroundings. The vi was not a very old building; there was a beautiful view of the bay behind it. The interior was filled with abundant natural light and the building was specially built with the highest quality of craftsmanship.

    There was a garden in the back that was filled with beautiful flowers. In front was argewn with green grass and cherry blossoms that created a nice scenery. In front of the vi was a row of deck chairs and swings. The pure white iron rocking chairs were also elegant.

    Surrounded by expensive trees and a small mountain on the side of the vi, the scenery was really astonishing.

    Flora was busy in the manor by the mountain, and Jenna took a stroll while admiring the scenery outside the vi.

    Flora, from a distance, saw her and greeted her with a smile.

    ¡°Miss, are you used to living here yet?¡± Flora plucked a bunch of red grapes from a nt and handed them to her, then said with a smile, ¡°Try these California red grapes. I grew them by myself. They are very delicious.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jenna took it and said with a smile. ¡°The environment here is very good.¡± After thinking about it, she asked, ¡°Flora, do you usually live in this vi alone?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am guarding the home for Young Master. My son and daughter are both in this country. One has settled down and the other is still in college. I have nothing to do. At that time, Young Master wanted to hire someone, so I applied. I am not fussy. The job is very good. I am used to living here now, and I don¡¯t think I suit my hometown anymore,¡± Flora said proudly. ¡°My son and daughter are both high-achieving college students. They are also living a good life.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really good.¡± The authentic California red grapes were really delicious, sweet, and refreshing. Jenna ate them and praised, ¡°Flora, I admire your life.¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s the blessings from Young Master. In the beginning, I couldn¡¯t adapt to life in this country. Fortunately, I met Young Master and he gave me this job which allowed me to do something useful at my age,¡± Flora said as she wiped her sweat off. She was smiling brightly.

    Jenna saw her cheerful smile and she was immersed in her thoughts again.

    ¡°This vi is newly built, right?¡± She looked around, and asked casually.

    ¡°Yes, it was built around two years ago. This vi is very expensive, and only someone as rich as Young Master can afford it. Normal people can¡¯t even afford to think about it,¡± Flora chatted. ¡°Now that the housing price has risen again, the price of this vi has also increased by several million. Young Master really has good taste.¡±

    Flora said enviously, ¡°Young Master is a good man. It is rumored that this house was bought for Young Madam. Although I have never seen Young Madam, I can tell that she is a blessed woman. The maid who previously worked in Richards Manor told me that Young Madam was in Los Angeles so Young Master bought this vi here specifically for her. It¡¯s just a pity that Young Madam has never been here.¡±

    Young Madam? Jenna was secretly surprised. Hansen bought this vi for Young Madam?Who was this Young Madam? In Los Angeles-was Flora referring to herself?

    She was so surprised that she was in a daze.

    Flora was a wise person. Seeing Jenna¡¯s face change, she immediately realized that she was talking too much. When she thought of Hansen bringing her to stay overnight here, she seemed to think of something. She didn¡¯t even know Jenna, so maybe she was wrong.

    There was a panic in her heart. She was worried that Hansen would me her, so she hurriedly said, ¡°Miss, don¡¯t take it to heart. This is the Young Master¡¯s private matter, so I shouldn¡¯t talk about it.He is a great young man and he¡¯s handsome too.¡±

    Flora¡¯s face looked a little frightened. Jenna¡¯s mind was still confused for a while. After looking at Flora¡¯s expression, Jenna knew Flora had misunderstood, so she said, ¡°Flora, it¡¯s okay. You can call me Miss Murphy from now on. I want to ask you something.¡±

    Jenna thought about the important matter that day and didn¡¯t have much interest in what Flora said about Hansen¡¯s personal affairs. She wanted to ask Flora something else.

    Unexpectedly, Flora flushed when she heard her surname Murphy. She looked at Jenna with bright eyes and asked excitedly, ¡°Miss, are you Jenna Murphy?¡±

    Jenna was surprised. How could she know her name? Obviously, Flora didn¡¯t know her.

 Chapter 130 Unexpected Surprise

    ¡°How did you know my name?¡± She looked at her suspiciously; she was very surprised, and nodded.

    ¡°It turns out that you are Young MadamJenna. I¡¯m sorry for not recognizing you earlier,¡± Flora eximed with excitement.

    Jenna was even more surprised now, and hurriedly asked, ¡°How did you know my name?¡±

    Flora immediately smiled brightly, and replied, ¡°Young Madam, the owner of this vi is called Jenna Murphy. I have to pay for the water and electricity bills every month for this property under this name. How can I not know?¡±

    As she said this, she sized Jenna up and smiled. ¡°It turns out that the owner of the house is here. I¡¯m really stupid for not realizing it earlier. It seems like you and Young Master are really affectionate with each other. You two really make a good couple. I have seen your name here for more than two years, but I have never met you. Today, I finally got to meet you. Young Madam, you are more beautiful than I thought. You¡¯re really a good match for Young Master.¡±

    Flora was very happy and she started to tter Jenna.

    No matter how confused Jenna was, she now understood everything. It turned out that Hansen had bought this vi in her name two years ago, and it seemed like he was going to give it to her.

    She was surprised and delighted for a while. It seemed that when she came to Los Angeles three years ago, Hansen also came. He did not ignore her, but bought this house for her. Maybe he wanted to live in it himself, or he wanted to let her live there; however, his intentions were unclear.

    Maybe he had searched for her, but he just didn¡¯t manage to find her.

    Thinking about this, Jenna¡¯s mood lit up and she felt like the bright sunshine shining on her,fortable and cozy.

    It turned out that she had already owned a vi in Los Angeles without knowing it, but why didn¡¯t he tell her?

    Was he forced her to get a divorce for the purpose of cing her in Los Angeles? Thinking of this, her heart sank again.

    There was too littlemunication between them. They were just specting each other¡¯s thoughts. They never really understood each other and didn¡¯tmunicate effectively. The night before, they finally opened up their hearts a little but it had soon reached a stalemate.

    Feeling anxious, she muttered, ¡°Flora, have you ever heard of a person named Maxson?¡±

    ¡°Maxson? This person is a well-known doctor in this country. It is rumored that he is living in Los Angeles,¡± Flora replied immediately. After telling Jenna about the address as well as some rumors she had heard, Jenna nodded her head and she thanked Flora and left.

    When she returned to the living hall, Hansen didn¡¯t seem to be awake yet. After thinking about it, she walked to the garage and drove a car out, heading towards Los Angeles Airport.

    Night came quietly to Richards Manor.

    ¡°Hansen!¡± Aria rushed towards the second floor and yelled towards Jenna¡¯s bedroom.

    Larry hurried over and said, ¡°Miss McAdams, Young Master and Young Madam are both not here.¡±

    ¡°What Young Madam? Bah!¡± When Aria heard Larry address Jenna as ¡®Young Madam,¡¯ she couldn¡¯t help but be furious. ¡°Is that lowly woman worthy of the ¡®Young Madam¡¯ title? Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±

    Since thest incident was exposed, Larry¡¯s allegiance hadpletely shifted to Jenna¡¯s side. However,because of Aria¡¯s power, and because Madam liked Aria very much, she dared not offend her. Thus,she had to y along and kept smiling at Aria.

    ¡°Let me warn you, I haven¡¯t settled scores with you yet over what happenedst time. Be careful in the future. If you anger me, I will drive you out of Richards Manor,¡± Aria spoke angrily as her eyes widened.

    Larry was so scared that she dared not speak out even though she was furious in her heart.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you. Where did Young Master go?¡± Aria couldn¡¯t see Hansen so she was disappointed. Her daily task these days was to look for Hansen everywhere. If she did not know his whereabouts for one day, she would be restless and ufortable.

    ¡°Miss McAdams, we really don¡¯t know this. Young Master never tells us his whereabouts,¡± Larry replied helplessly.

    Aria rolled her eyes at Larry and rushed into her bedroom angrily.

    She was pacing in the room restlessly, then she suddenly stood up and walked outside.

    An electric car stopped at the door of Green Jade Garden. Just as Norton stepped down, he saw Aria standing under the tree in front of him. She was wearing a sexy red skirt and an expensive fur coat. Her face was heavily made up and her long wavy hair draped over her shoulders. She looked charming and seductive.

    Norton frowned, and a dark light shed across his eyes. He wanted to walk past her, but Aria walked toward him with a seductive smile, and he stopped.

    ¡°Mr. Norton, you¡¯re really busy with work. You really care for the country and its citizens. It¡¯s so amiable and respectable of you to get off work sote.¡± Aria approached with a smile and stretched out her blood-red fingernails to flick the long bangs off her forehead. Her smile was a little scary and sinister under the streetmp.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Norton asked in a deep voice; his face was icy cold.

    ¡°Hey, Mr. Norton, we were ssmates. Must I have a reason to find you? Besides, we used to cooperate well before, so why are you so impatient?¡± Norton¡¯s impatient expression had already been noticed by Aria. Aria smiled calmly, blinked at him charmingly, and stretched out a hand to touch his shoulder.

    Norton stepped back quickly and shouted in a low voice, ¡°Miss McAdams, this is the Richards Manor. Pay attention to your words and deeds.¡±

    Aria¡¯s hand did not manage to touch anything, but she was not surprised at all. Instead, sheughed and said, ¡°Mr. Norton, you are really noble and dignified.¡±

    Norton¡¯s eyebrows shot up and his eyes had a stern look. He wanted to leave the scene as soon as possible, but he heard Aria say coldly, ¡°What a hypocrite. Do you think I am fond of you either? Let me tell you, Brock has already appeared in A City. There are now three forces investigating the cause of Javon Murphy¡¯s death. Don¡¯t think that you will have a good life if my life bes miserable. It¡¯s nearly impossible for you to get Jenna now, and I am afraid that you can hardly even protect yourself.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Norton was stunned. He felt his muscles stiffen, and his heartbeat intensified. There was a dark light in his eyes. ¡°What do you know? Tell me, quick. ¡±

    Aria smiled unhurriedly. She took a few steps forward, stretched out her red nails and stroked the stiff muscles of his face. She thenwhispered, ¡°Norton, in fact, your face is pretty handsome too. It¡¯s not worse than Hansen¡¯s, but why does Jenna not like you? If she likes you, I¡¯ll live a good life too. Why though? You¡¯re both men but why aren¡¯t you as charming as Hansen?¡±

    Aria spoke with her face full of regret andNorton became angrier. His body was stiff and his face was covered with goosebumps after being touched by Aria.

    His nose tilted, and the sulky gaze in his eyes shed away. The muscles of his face bulged slightly and he forced a smile. ¡°Aria, what exactly do you know?¡±

    His tone was exceedingly gentle, and his face was filled with a forced smile.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Let me tell you, we are now in the same boat. It¡¯s a good thing for both of us if we help each other out,¡± Aria smiled coquettishly, and said amicably.

    This made Norton feel sick in his heart. How could he stand being in the same boat with such a dirty and evil woman? That would be too insulting to him, but there was no other way at the moment. This cunning woman seemed to have a lot of his evidence and she was threatening him. D*mn it!

    ¡°What do you want? Don¡¯t you already live in Richards Manor now?What else do you want?¡± He spoke in a low voice, and asked, puzzled, while wondering what she really wanted.

    ¡°Live in Richards Manor?¡± Aria suddenly darkened her face and asked Norton. ¡°Do you really think that everything is fine after I move in? Don¡¯t you see that Hansen has long been fascinated by that b*tch? He only sees that woman now and even sleeps with her every day. Do you really not know that? Don¡¯t you care about that woman? Can you really consider it nothing even if they had s*x?¡±

    Aria asked in an almost shocking manner. It was really hard for her to believe that a man would watch the woman that he loved sleep with another man without doing anything.Norton obviously cared about Jenna a lot; was he really fond of her? Or was he actually just a useless man who could not do anything?

    It was incredible.

    Looking at Norton, she saw that the muscles on his face were twisted, and his eyes were full of pain. She suddenly understood, and could not help but sneer in secret. ¡°Coward.¡±

    ¡°First, tell me what exactly do you know, and how much do you know about Javon¡¯s death?¡± He pulled her to another tree in the dark and asked in a low voice.

    Aria was happy;his actions were what she was expecting.

    At that moment, she smiled contemptuously. ¡°What is done by night appears by day. Your deeds have never escaped my eyes. You are also vicious enough to do this out of love. I was almost fooled by you too.¡± At this point, her face was suddenly covered with frost, and she couldn¡¯t hide her anger. She said angrily, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for your deeds, Jenna would not return to A City. Hansen would have already married me by now. It¡¯s all your fault that my dream was ruined.¡±

    Aria was really mad at this guy who got nothing achieved.

    However, soon, she was rendered speechless.

    ¡°Do you really think Hansen will marry you? Let me tell you, if Jenna did not return to A City, they would not get divorced. If I guess it correctly, Hansen nned to bring Jenna with him and migrate abroad. He probably didn¡¯t want to get a divorce. However, even he himself did not expect Jenna to suddenly return to A City, look for him, and even agree to divorce,¡± Norton said coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t you need to thank me for where you are right now? For being able to live in Richards Manor?¡±

    In Norton¡¯s view, Hansen really divorced Jenna as he wanted to save face. After all, they were all men and he could understand what Hansen was thinking.

    How could such a proud man allow a woman toe to him and talk to him about divorce? His self-esteem as a man made him agree to Jenna¡¯s divorce on impulse. Norton could guarantee this.

 Chapter 131 Ariaâ€™s Conspiracy

    Hansen was not a fool. Jenna or Aria, he knew who suited him better than anyone else.However, Hansen was now confused by the conspiracy and tricks, so he had not recognized the truth. However, Norton was almost certain that Hansen hadn¡¯t fully figured out the truth yet, but one day, he woulde to his senses. By then, he would definitely regret his indifference and ruthlessness toward Jenna over so many years.

    Thinking of this, Norton suddenly smirked. If it was toote by then, he would be able to see him suffering and regretting it for the rest of his life. That would be considered a satisfying oue to him too. If he could not win her heart, Hansen must not get her either. His heart would feel better in this way.

    This¡­ Aria was really speechless. After thinking about it, it was indeed possible, and she was stunned for a while.

    Aria was a stupid woman who was so self-righteous. How could Hansen marry a woman like her? Hansen cultivated her as a star so that he could get rid of her easily. Anyone who was sane could tell that with a nce, but this woman was still pestering Hansen non-stop. The more annoying she was, the further away Hansen would run. If Norton was right, Hansen had already been fed up with her a long time ago.

    ¡°So? What do you have to say?¡± Norton asked her while staring at her coldly.

    Aria¡¯s face turned pale and her tone softened a lot. There were hopelessness, unwillingness, and resentment in her eyes. After pondering for a while, she tugged on Norton¡¯s sleeves and said seriously, ¡°Norton, up until this point, I could only get Hansen to marry me. I have no choice now. I¡¯m not ready to let that woman take Hansen away. I love him. I fell in love with him as soon as I saw him in college. I even swore that I would only marry Hansen in this lifetime. I am also a woman with fame in society; I cannot let him go just like this or I will not be able to live. Norton, please fulfill my wish.¡±

    She was almost begging at the end of her words. The arrogance in her had already disappeared.

    ¡°How can I fulfill your wish? Please be clear. You¡¯re now asking Hansen to marry you. What can I do? I have already done what I could.¡± Norton looked at her helplessly.

    ¡°No, you can y a role,¡± Aria said affirmatively. ¡°I won¡¯t give up now. I need your help.¡±

    Aria¡¯s sexy lips were twitching and Norton was frightened. Could he even y a role in such a matter? Was Aria crazy?

    ¡°Norton, let me tell you the truth. As far as I know, there are two obvious parties that are secretly investigating Javon¡¯s death. One is the police. There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of with them as it will be quite difficult for them to find out the truth. Even if they have any clues, it will all lead them to Brock Moore and you will be safe. However, the other party is Hansen. He¡¯s the most capable one in getting to the bottom of this matter. He¡¯s now sent Alvinto investigate this and he¡¯sgoing full-force. It seems like he wants to avenge that woman. Think about it. If he manages to find out, he will definitely inform the police. You¡¯re also clear about his personality; he will never let you go easily if he figures it out. Therefore, you should work with me on this,¡± Aria talked confidently.

    Norton was terrified, and his eyes were full of anger. The d*mned Hansen was against him everywhere.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you seed. You want to break me down and be the only heir to Richards Group. That won¡¯t happen at all. These properties belong to me. You¡¯ll never get them!¡± Norton was full of anger.

    The light in his eyes was dark and bottomless and he clenched his fists. The harder he clenched them, the stiffer his face muscles became.

    ¡°How do you want me to help?¡± He stared at her and asked word by word.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. Get me pregnant, so that I can be pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child,¡± Aria said in a low and clear voice without ambiguity.

    What? Pregnant? Norton was so shocked that he jumped a step back. This was the role he was ying? What a scary woman. How could she even think of this idea? Was she still in an ancient harem, hoping to win a man¡¯s heart via pregnancy?

    ¡°Are you telling me that Hansen has never slept with you before?¡± He sized Aria up and asked incredulously. This question only shed across his mind for a second and he denied it. He didn¡¯t believe it so he asked it eventually. He really didn¡¯t believe that Hansen would be able to be calm while facing the hot and sexy Aria.

    Norton asked her outright and Aria was flushed with shame. For so many years, she had taken so many initiatives but Hansen had never crossed the line. Their rtionship was ambiguous, and she was still far from getting pregnant.

    Aria became increasingly embarrassed and mad. D*mn it, this Norton even dared to ask her this!

    Suddenly, Nortonughed out loud. Seeing her reaction, he knew that Hansen really hadn¡¯t slept with Aria. She was indeed a miserable woman.

    ¡°What are youughing at? You don¡¯t need to care about my business, you just need to work with me.¡± Aria was very upset. The smirk and disdain on Norton¡¯s face made her feel even more ufortable so she spoke angrily.

    Norton burst into tears ofughter and looked down on Aria even more. She was a woman who had no ability to catch a man¡¯s heart and was nning to rely on such a conspiracy. She would probably end up hurting herself more.

    Aria saw her misery through Norton¡¯s eyes and she clenched her fists.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    At this point, she must get pregnant. As far as she knew, Grandma Richards and Marissa were all looking forward to having a grandchild. The descendants of the Richards family were rtively fewer in numbers whenpared to other big and powerful families. She did not believe that Grandma Richards could still remain indifferent when she saw Aria pregnant with a Richards family¡¯s descendant.

    However, it was not easy to get pregnant either. No matter how she got near Hansen, he would not touch her at all. She knew this better than anyone else. It was obviously impossible to get pregnant, although she wanted it to happen. Therefore, she had to find someone to help without letting the matter be exposed. Norton was the best candidate for this. What was more, she had something on him and it was convenient for her to threaten him.

    As for the detailed n, she was still thinking about it¡­

    When Jenna returned to the vi, it was already afternoon. Hansen was not at home so she took a shower. The sun was shining brightly andJennaid down on a chaise lounge on the frontwn to enjoy the sunlight. Soon, it was sofortable that she fell asleep gradually.

    When Hansen came back, he saw Jenna sleeping on a chaise longue on thewn; she was wearing an adorable set of pajamas, with her silky hair scattered on the pure white chaise lounge. Her fair arms were resting on her chest, and she was breathing steadily. As she breathed, he could faintly see the curves on her chest, and countless beautiful images shed across his mind. He suddenly felt his mouth go dry, and his lower abdomen tightened.

    Her face was flushed by the sun, her naked skin so fair and tender that she looked seductive. A few strands of hair were on her forehead, blocking half of her face, and her long eyshes were also attached to the few strands of hair. Hansen was worried that the hair would cause her eyshes to bend into her eyes and hurt her pupils, so he bent down.

    Then, he reached out to gently brush away the few strands of hair. Her fair skin had be much better with sleep and her look was arousing affection.

    Woman, you¡¯re so seductive!

    He swallowed another mouthful of saliva.

    The afterglow of the setting sun was shining on her and she looked like a fairy that once appeared in his dream, causing him to be in a daze. It seemed like this woman had already be an indispensable part of his life. She had integrated herself into his body; they were inseparable.

    He was staring at her nkly.

    The cell phone suddenly rang with a melodious ringtone. Hansen was shocked, fearing that he would wake her up. He quickly took the phone and walked away.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    ¡°Brother Hansen, you¡¯re in Los Angeles! Great, I want to see you,¡± the crisp and lively voice of a girl rang from the phone, sounding surprised.

    Hansen was only stunned, and a rare tenderness immediately appeared on his face. Subsequently, his whole face became soft and kind.

    ¡°Zoey, study hard in school. I am only here for a few days. I¡¯m going back soon,¡± he said softly.

    ¡°No, Brother Hansen, you¡¯re already here but you still don¡¯t want to see me. It makes me sad. I will never want to see you again,¡± Zoey spoke exaggeratedly and threatened him over the phone.

    Hansen smiled helplessly. After thinking about it, he said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll pick you up then, what time does school end?¡±

    ¡°Hey, are you regarding me as a primary school student? There aren¡¯t many sses at university. Come over now. I am free anytime. I want to eat at Tamber Steak House andbuy some clothes too. I know you will apany me all the way.¡± The girl smiled happily and was lively over the phone. ¡°I know I¡¯m your favorite, right?¡±

    She spoke unobtrusively, speaking her mind.

    However, Hansen didn¡¯t have any displeasure on his face. He agreed to everything she said.

    After a while, Hansen ended the call and drove out quickly.

    When Jenna woke up, it was already evening, and the afterglow of the setting sun was shining on thewn in front of the vi. The green grass seemed to be covered with ayer of gold. It was so beautiful that she couldn¡¯t move her eyes away. The surrounding was peaceful with the beautiful sunset, whereas the blue sky and white clouds made her mood even better.

    Everything was so pleasant and rxing. She seemed to have found her home. She had a long-lost feeling ofing home, and the desire hidden in her heart became obvious. She thought that if it wasn¡¯t for her mother¡¯s illness, she really wouldn¡¯t have returned to A City. She didn¡¯t want to face the annoying Aria, or stay in the cold Richards Manor.

    But this was a dream after all. She would still need to go back one day.

    Jenna wanted to bring her mother to thisnd soon, and then settle down here.

    They would stop worrying about the past. She wanted to live happily and live her own life.

    Looking at the beautiful scenery infatuatedly, she couldn¡¯t bear to leave, so she simply stood on thewn to appreciate it.

    After a while, she heard the sound of a car engine, and the silence of this beautiful moment was disturbed.

 Chapter 132 Feels Uneasy

    Hansen drove all the way into the garage from the small road in front of her.

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s so beautiful here. Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier so that I can stay here over the weekend,¡± the crisp female voice came from the garage with a giggle, and it became clearer.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank a little bit. Her instinct told her that Hansen was back with another woman.

    Her eyes were quickly shocked by the harmonious scene in front of her, and her widened eyes could not believe what was happening for a moment.

    The sweet and beautiful girl was holding Hansen¡¯s arm with a bright smile on her face. Her entire body was almost leaning against his arm. However, Hansen did not even refuse her; he even embraced her shoulders affectionately. The two of them walked andughed all the way towards her.

    When they were closer to Jenna, she saw that the girl was about 20 years old, with fair skin and a pair of cute, bright eyes. Her silky hair draped over her shoulders. In addition to her sportswear, she was also youthful and young, eluding a refreshing andfortable aura. She was totally differentpared to Aria.

    Obviously, Hansen¡¯s love for her was much more explicit. The smile on his face was vivid and charming. The girl on his arm was not unnatural at all, but she was casual. Whereas, Hansen looked like he was ready to pamper her.

    The two talked andughed, as if they were alone. It was as if they did not care about anything else and werepletely immersed in a bubble that only contained both of them.

    When they passed by Jenna, Hansen didn¡¯t even look at her and went straight into the living room with the girl on his arm.

    Jenna stood there, until their figure entered the living room and could no longer be seen;only then did shee to her senses.

    She could clearly tell that she was the same girl from when Jenna met Hansen on the streets of Los Angeles more than a year ago. That girl held his hand and appeared in front of her in the same way. They talked andughed as they passed by her, and she could only stand there in a daze.

    Even though she needed his help at that time, she did not dare toe forward to talk to him, despite the fact that Hansen, at that time, was still her husband in terms of status andw.

    At that time, he already tantly held the woman¡¯s hand and appeared in front of her.

    It was not surprising at all that this was happening now.

    There was a miserable smile on Jenna¡¯s face.

    The little warmth and good impression that she just had for him disappeared. There was only a cold and bitter feeling left. She no longer wanted to go to the living room. She was afraid to see them being so intimate together as they had totally ignored her feelings even if she was standing right there. It would hurt her badly if that really happened.

    She was ready to open up her heart to him, but the reality turned out to be cruel.

    It could be seen that this girl was different from any woman Hansen previously had. This girl was cute and beautiful. She adored Hansen a lot and she probably liked Hansen very much. This could be seen from her eyes¡­Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    He came to America for her.

    ¡°Young Madam, it¡¯s time to eat.¡± Jenna was thinking wild thoughts, and at this moment Flora walked out and invited her in for dinner.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Jenna returned to her senses, nodded and hesitated. ¡°Flora, I¡¯m not Young Madam. Please don¡¯t call me that. I¡¯m just the Vice President of the Richards Group. Call me Vice President Murphy from now on or you might cause some misunderstanding.¡±

    After thinking about it, she corrected her. She thought that that girl¡¯s feelings might be hurt if she heard how Flora addressed her like that.

    Flora was taken aback, and immediately understood. Her face was awkward, but she didn¡¯t understand the reason behind it, so she nodded.

    ¡°You eat first. I¡¯m not hungry yet. I¡¯ll just eat something simple if I¡¯m hungry,¡± she smiled lightly and said to Flora.

    Flora smiled and said cautiously, ¡°Young Ma¡­ Miss, Young Master told me to invite you over.¡±

    Hansen invited her. It seemed like he was doing it deliberately so that he could see her make a fool of herself. The scene of him leaving her angrily the night before reappeared in her mind. Since the incident, they had not spoken to each other. Even when he passed by her just now, he did not even take a nce at her.

    Jenna stood still, not wanting to go in at all.

    As Jenna was not going in, Flora also stood still with her.

    She had no choice but to follow Flora and walked in.

    On the luxurious sofa in the living hall, Hansen was next to the girl; his head was leaned against hers. They were holding a tablet and were ying a game in their own bubble.

    ¡°Quick, quick, kill it! Wow, I won.¡± The girl cheered and hugged Hansen¡¯s then kissed his cheek. ¡°Hansen, you lost, I finally won. I defeated you. Yay, I¡¯m so good.¡±

    ¡°Girl, don¡¯t be proud. I¡¯ll kill youter.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was pampering, and he touched her hand while saying that. It was obvious that he had lost to her on purpose to make her happy.

    The girl didn¡¯t believe it; she pulled his arm and acted coquettishly.

    They were having such a great time that they did not even realize that Jenna had walked in.

    Seeing them having such a great time, Jenna couldn¡¯t bear to disturb them. In fact, she was extremely embarrassed and ufortable just standing there. She was about to lift her foot and walk away.

    ¡°Master, Ms.Murphyis here. Shall I serve dinner now?¡± Flora immediately noticed Jenna¡¯s feelings and asked Hansen for instructions.

    Only then did they both raise their heads, and both of them looked at Jenna. Hansen only nced at her faintly, and then looked away, but the girl stared at her and blinked her bright eyes. She didn¡¯t seem to be hostile towards Jenna. Instead, she was staring at her, blinking and smiling.

    ¡°Zoey, this is JennaMurphy, the Vice President of ourpany.¡± Hansen continued staring at the tablet in his hand and introduced the girl indifferently. Then he looked up again at Jenna who was standing silently. He turned his face to the girl, and said lightly, ¡°This is ZoeyDelia, student of the University of Arcadia.¡±

    Sure enough, she was still a university student. However, Jenna would not be stupid enough to think that university students were all innocent and disciplined. Girls nowadays were very open-minded once they attended university. Forget them, even when she was in college, there were already girls and boys being in rtionships everywhere.

    ¡°Hello.¡± Zoey stood up, ran toward Jenna, took her by the hand, and smiled sweetly. ¡°Sister, you are so beautiful.¡±

    Jenna smiled awkwardly. She felt very ufortable, but Zoey was being so polite and enthusiastic so she couldn¡¯t turn around and leave. She would look very petty if she did so, and it would leave a bad impression.

    ¡°Hello, Miss Zoey, just call me Jenna.¡± She smiled lightly, resisting the soreness in her heart. She replied as gently as possible. Her soft and pleasant voice concealed the pain in her heart.

    Hansen raised his eyebrows, stood up slowly, and walked over with his long legs. He put his arms around Zoey¡¯s shoulders and said with a smile, ¡°Zoey, let¡¯s have dinner.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Hansen,¡± Zoey replied sweetly and smiled innocently at him.

    Hansen smiled dotingly, and walked past Jenna with his arms around Zoey, without lifting his head to even look at Jenna.

    His scent drifted by in front of Jenna, and the doting smile on his face made Jenna¡¯s eyes hurt. It was as if a needle had stabbed her hard in her heart.

    She had never seen him doting on a girl so much. In the past, his face was either indifferent or had a fake smile. She had never seen him smile so widely.

    After suppressing the urge to cry, Jenna smiled bitterly, then walked towards the dining room.

    Hansen took Zoey¡¯s hand and had her sit beside him. He was smiling all the way and was asking her questions.

    Jenna followed, and consciously sat down on the other side of the table, trying to avoid facing them.

    ¡°Hansen, there are meatballs. I haven¡¯t eaten them in a long time. That¡¯s great!¡± Zoey raised her eyes and saw the meatballs on the te, then cried out with joy.

    Coincidentally, the te of meatballs was ced in front of Jenna.

    Jenna picked up her fork, looked at thebig, brown meatballs in front of her, and swallowed her saliva. These meatballs looked really delicious and she had always liked to eat them too.

    The meal that Flora cooked was steak and side dishes like meatballs.

    Zoey had eaten canteen food all year-round, and when she saw the homemade steak and meatballs, she immediately became very excited and had a good appetite.

    ¡°Then eat more.¡± Hansen smiled gently, stood up, took the te of meatballs that were ced in front of Jenna, and ced them in front of Zoey. He then picked up one of the meatballs with his fork and said, ¡± Come, I¡¯ll feed you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Zoey smiled happily. She opened her mouth obediently and ignored the fact that the fork had been previously used by Hansen. She opened her mouth to bite the ball and ate it with a joyful expression on her face.

    ¡°Thank you Hansen, you are so kind to me,¡± she said sweetly as she ate it while smiling charmingly.

    ¡°Little girl.¡± Hansen smiled softly, picked up a few more meatballs, and fed them into her mouth one by one.

    Jenna lowered her head and continued eating. Her eyelids were stinging and heavy, and she dared not raise her eyes to see them feeding each other.

    Throughout the meal, only the two of them talked. Jenna kept her head down and she focused on her meal without saying a word.

    ¡°Hansen, tomorrow you will take me to buy clothes and take me to eat more delicious food,¡± Zoey clung on to Hansen and said coquettishly.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Hansen promised without hesitating.

    ¡°Jenna, you also have to go with us. I want to buy some clothes and I would like you to help me have a look, okay?¡± Zoey suddenly raised her head, turned her face to Jenna, stared at her with a pair of bright eyes, then said sincerely. She was almost begging Jenna to go with them.

    Jenna was feeling ufortable. She really wanted to avoid them as much as possible, and she never expected Zoey to invite her along. It was a big surprise to her. Why would a girl invite anotherdy toe along while she went dating her boyfriend?

 Chapter 133 Jealousy

    However, at this time, Zoey was staring at her with a pair of innocent eyes;her face was full of sincerity that Jenna could not refuse.

    Jenna was really unwilling in her heart so she tried to force a smile and said, ¡°Zoey, I¡¯m not good at givingments, and I¡¯m also busy with something else. You can ask Mr. Richards to go with you.¡±

    Although she spoke in a low voice, her answer was straightforward enough, making it clear that she was refusing.

    ¡°Jenna, please apany me, OK? I want to buy some beautiful clothes. I heard from Hansen that you were in this country for three years. You must know which ces sell beautiful clothes, and your clothes are also very beautiful. Will you please apany me?¡± Zoey actually stood up and walked toward her, shaking her arm while begging her.

    Jenna was at a loss now and thought about it. Would Hansen want her to be the third wheel to the both of them?

    He would be unhappy if she did so.

    Looking up, facing Hansen¡¯s faint eyes, he seemed to agree with Zoey too, and he didn¡¯t seem to mind her being the third wheel.

    Seeing Zoey beg her, she had no choice but to nod her head and agree.

    However, her gaze at Hansen was with somewhat hatred.

    He was the one that wanted to date her, but he asked Jenna to go along and made her feel ufortable. He could actually speak up and ask her not to go, but he chose to keep quiet and not say anything. He was indeed hateful.

    After dinner, Jenna drank a ss of water, sat for a while, then went back to the room. She took a shower and went to bed really early.

    Hansen and Zoey were still ying games in the living room and theirughter could be heard from time to time. They seemed to be having a fun time together.

    Jenna buried her head in the quilt and didn¡¯t want to hear theirughter. However, theirughter was so loud and joyful, it was as if they did it on purpose so that she could hear them. It was really difficult for her to ignore them.

    She was feeling sour and could only toss and turn on the bed. She had already taken a nap in the afternoon. It was even harder for her to fall asleep now.Hansen and Zoey were having a good time in the living hall and there was no ce for her at all.

    She had no choice but to sit up and open herptop and then she started working on the car model design.

    However, she couldn¡¯t concentrate no matter what. What was worse was her inner difort. Even when Aria used to pester Hansen in the past, she was sad too. However, Aria was arrogant and she was not the type that Hansen would like.

    And at that time, she was angry instead of being jealous. Even though she felt ufortable, she could still feel Hansen¡¯s unintentional coldness toward Aria. She also felt more confident in herself seeing how Hansen treated Aria.

    However, now, when facing Zoey, she now realized that her heart was full of jealousy. She felt sour and very ufortable.

    After all, she could tell that Hansen really loved this innocent and beautiful girl. The love on his face and eyes was so obvious that anyone could tell.

    Hansen loving her was more in line with his personality.

    Staring at theptop, Zoey¡¯s sincere smile filled her mind. Zoey¡¯s eyes flickered with a sly and yful smile, but they were so clear and pure that she could make people fall in love with her.

    Jenna felt that Zoey¡¯s face looked familiar for a moment, as if she had seen it somewhere, but for a moment, she couldn¡¯t remember where she had seen her.

    Feeling bored, she closed theptop andid sullenly on the bed. Momentster, she seemed to have fallen asleep. In a daze, she returned to her childhood when her father took her to the banquet and met Grandma Richards as well as the gloomy handsome boy who was standing beside her.

    It was the first time she saw him. He was so handsome and elegant. She didn¡¯t hear Grandma Richards¡¯s question at all and she just looked at him shyly.

    However, his eyes were only looking at a ce outside, smiling; he did not look at her at all.

    Later, as long as she met him, she couldn¡¯t help paying attention to him, only to realize that his eyes would always look at the girl in a white dress who was standing outside; his eyes were full of affection.

    The girl was very well-behaved and very young, much younger than both of them. Her eyes were very attractive when sheughed, and she was very beautiful.

    Jenna suddenly woke up. Her eyes were wide open in the dark.

    She remembered.

    The girl whom Hansen was staring at back then wasZoey Delia.

    The same Zoey she met today.

    They had known each other a long time ago, and he was still very young back then.

    Hansen was already interested in her at that time.

    Yet, no matter what Jenna did, Hansen would never fall in love with her. He would set his sights on another girl, may it be Aria or Zoey, or whichever girl he was going toe across in the future.

    In his heart, Jenna was really nothing. There wasn¡¯t even a corner that was reserved for her.

    If Aria was a great threat to her, then this little girl named Zoey who was at least five years younger than her, could destroy her directly.

    Her heart was so cold.

    It waste at night, and the house was very quiet. It seemed that they were all asleep.

    Jenna tossed and turned over and over again. She was no longer sleepy.

    The girl¡¯s unconcernedughter filled her mind, which made her feel ufortable, and tears were flowing out unconsciously.

    She didn¡¯t sleep much that night.

    When Jenna woke up in the morning, she realized that her eyes were red with dark circles around her eyes. She was a little flustered. She was afraid that Hansen would be suspicious when he saw her. His sneering and sarcastic face appeared in her mind, making her even more ufortable. After applying heavy eyeshadow and foundation, she made sure that it was not so obvious before she went for a walk in the backyard.

    The morning sun slowly rose from the horizon, covering the earth with ayer of gold. Birds and pretty flowers could be seen everywhere, and the air was very fresh. Such a beautiful morning had driven away the haze in Jenna¡¯s heart.

    After walking around the entire garden, she returned to the frontwn.

    She sat on the recliner, however, after a while, she heard the doorbell.

    Looking up, she saw a person who looked like he was a native standing at the fence of thewn wall, waving at her with a newspaper in his hand.

    It turned out that the person who delivered the newspaper was here. Flora should be preparing breakfast at that time.

    Jenna stood up and walked toward him.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She took the newspaper and smiled politely at him. The young man gave her a bright smile, winked at her and left on his bicycle.

    Jenna smiled. She was bored anyway, so she sat on the recliner and read the newspaper.

    The newspapers were in a differentnguage, but it was not a difficult thing for Jenna to read because after all, she was a multilingual person.

    She was reading slowly and suddenly her eyes were wide open. She unexpectedly saw a news report about Green Mountain Lake in A city.

    The report said that the beautiful Green Mountain Lake had one of the best geographical locations in A City. It was so close to the oceans and mountains thus they also had a special water quality. Researchers had found a very special species in theke. It was said to be an endangered species that had been on earth for millions of years and was first discovered back in ancient times. The news report was apanied by photos as well as evidence from scientists.

    Jenna was surprised. Although Green Mountain Lake was not very big, it was also not a smallke. Theke was calm, the water was clear, and it was surrounded by mountains and seas. The water quality there was really good, but was this special species really found there? How could she not know about it?

    Turning to the other page, there was another piece of news, but this piece of news was even more outrageous. It even reported that a sea monster was found in Green Mountain Lake.

    Jenna was even more surprised.

    Only a few days had passed since she left A city, but so many rare species had been found at Green Mountain Lake, and she had never heard of them before. It was too amazing and impossible. She thought that it must be someone else who was spreading rumors.

    She shook her head and smiled. Suddenly, she thought of something and her heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°Miss, it¡¯s time for breakfast. Young Master and Miss Zoey are already awake,¡± Flora walked out of the house and told her.

    Jenna came to her senses after hearing Flora¡¯s voice. She then kept the newspaper and walked towards the living hall.

    Zoey had changed into a fashionable dress, tied her hair into a ponytail, and sat beside Hansen, looking refreshed. Hansen¡¯s hands were on her shoulders and a friendly smile was on his face.

    ¡°Jenna, good morning.¡± Seeing Jenna walk in, Zoey smiled sweetly at her and greeted her loudly.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± Jenna had a lot on her mind, and responded faintly. It was considered a greeting to both of them. She especially put the newspaper at the corner of the coffee table. She knew that Hansen had a habit of reading the newspaper in the morning so she wanted to see his reaction after reading the news. Green Mountain Town was considered his territory, and the Green Mountain Vis also belonged to the Richards Group. After reading such a news, wouldn¡¯t he have some reaction to it?

    However, Hansen only cared about Zoey. The two were intimate, and there was not much reaction from him. He did not even take a look at the newspaper.

    ¡°Jenna, we must shop the whole day today. If you are fond of anything, just tell me, and I will make Hansen pay for you.¡± Zoey smiled happily. It seemed like she did not know about Jenna¡¯s rtionship with Hansen at all.

    Jenna just smiled lightly and did not speak.

    ¡°Jenna, what cosmetics do you use?¡± She asked curiously.

    Jenna was in a moment of embarrassment. In order to cover the dark circles, she had to apply some foundation, but she didn¡¯t expect Zoey to ask about this.

    ¡°I¡¯m not ustomed to using those,¡± Jenna avoided her, dodged her gaze, and responded calmly.

    ¡°Your skin is very good, but she has dark circles under her eyes. It¡¯s a pity. It seems like you didn¡¯t sleep wellst night. Did you?¡± Zoey asked innocently.

    Jenna felt annoyed that she purposely talked about this. She became upset early in the morning because of the question, which made her even more ufortable. She wanted to get angry, but the little girl was so innocent. Zoey was just caring about her and had no evil intentions.

    It¡¯s just that her anger was really umting and she had nowhere to release it. She identally looked at Hansen and met his probing eyes, making her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

 Chapter 134 Are You Sure That Sheâ€™s Sad?

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat, it¡¯ste already,¡± Jenna said anxiously, avoiding the topic. She walked towards the dining hall.

    Zoey¡¯s crispughter and coquettish voice came from behind.

    ¡°Hansen, let¡¯s leave early after breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Okay, baby,¡± Hansen responded gently.

    Jenna did not need to have a pair of eyes on her back in order to know that it was an extremely intimate scene. She just wanted to escape. She really didn¡¯t want to look at their affectionate scene that would drive her crazy.

    The sun was shining outside. The spring breeze was blowing, and the weather was just right. It was neither hot nor cold. Jenna wore a light green dress for such weather.

    Zoey dragged Hansen¡¯s hand with excitement while Jenna quietly followed behind. She tried to walk inconspicuously so that she could stay as far as possible from them.

    It was a short drive from the vi to reach the numerous dining and entertainment facilities in Arcadia city. It was wherethe most prosperous street in the city was also located.

    Zoey was in high spirits and she wanted to look everywhere. Hansen seemed to be in a very good mood too. He was also exceptionally patient with her. They talked andughed happily along the way. No matter what Zoey wanted, Hansen would fulfill all her wishes. His pampering of her was beyond Jenna¡¯s imagination.

    Jenna was forced to follow behind, trying to avoid their intimacy. When she was asked to give her opinions,she would give a few pertinentments and keep quiet for the rest of the time.

    She and Hansen had almost nothing to say. She was deliberately staying away from him. Although she felt sad in her heart, she tried her best to be indifferent with her expression.

    Every time Zoey was fond of an outfit, he would order the staff to get it wrapped up, and then he would give it to Jenna to carry. Gradually, Jenna¡¯s hands were full with all sizes of bags.

    When Hansen was by Zoey¡¯s side, he would speak softly but when he was speaking to Jenna, his expression would be cold and blunt. It seemed like he was still angry with her, or he was totally dissatisfied with her.

    Since the conversation that night, he had been treating her with this attitude.

    The warmth that he had for her before had disappeared, as if he had never known her.

    Jenna thought of their intimacy before this, but now they were like strangers and her heart would throb in pain. Furthermore,the moment she saw Zoey smiling happily, she would feel inferior to her and feel that she had no right to feel sad because of this.

    The news of Green Lake Mountain was being shown on arge TV screen in a store. Throughout the day, they saw simr news at different ces too.

    Jenna heard that many customers werementing on the sea monster in Green MountainLake. Some people showed no interest at all while some expressed curiosity; there were even some who were interested in Green Mountain Lake and expressed their desire to travel there in order to take a look.

    Jenna pondered the matter and thought that regardless of whether the news was true or false, its benefits had outweighed the disadvantages. It was indeed good news for Green Mountain Lake.

    Sure enough, Jenna turned on her mobile phone and realized that Richards Group¡¯s share price had gone up a few percent.

    She looked at Hansen. He was talking andughing with Zoey and showed no interest in the news at all. Jenna believed that he heard the news, but he was not reacting to it.

    The things in her hands felt heavier and heavier. Jenna thought of her mother¡¯s illness as well as Dr. Maxson. All the irritating problems overwhelmed her and she felt annoyed at the moment.

    She did not have much interest in shopping, not to mention seeing Hansen and his little Zoey being so intimate all the time. The ufortable feeling in her heart was getting more intense.

    When passing by a health care product store, she saw a patient rehabilitation machine and bought it. However, because the rehabilitation machine was a bit heavy, she wanted to hand the bags in her hands to Hansen. She turned her head and saw that Zoey was standing still in one spot. She was obviously tired of walking and was making Hansen carry her on his back.

    The moment she turned her head, her tears almost flowed down.

    All the hardships that she had experienced came to her mind. In those years, she was alone and had no money. She had washed dishes in restaurants on this street and even worked as a waitress too. She was willing to do anything just to make money.

    Her husband, that man, was still a rich businessman on the Forbes list. Who would believe that she had gone through such hardships?

    She was back in that ce. She was still the one abandoned by the man and was even forced to see her ex-husband hug another woman. Who was he to do that? Why was he doing this?

    She couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. No matter how beautiful and innocent Zoey was, and how dazzling she looked, Jenna didn¡¯t like her at all. Why did she pretend not to care and follow them out with a sorrowful look and suffer all their intimate scenes?

    She was also a human being. She had her dignity too.

    She immediately walked a few steps closer, threw the bags in front of them, and said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you can carry these yourself. I need to carry something that I have just bought.¡±

    All the bags in her hands were piled up in front of them. Jenna turned around and left decisively.

    ¡°Tsk tsk, she is angry.¡± Zoey was still on Hansen¡¯s back when she saw Jennaing. Just as Jenna turned around, she saw the redness in her eyes and the tears in them. Although she forced herself not to cry, the expression on her face was already very ugly.

    ¡°Leave her alone,¡± Hansen nced at her back with a deep gaze, and said indifferently.

    ¡°Hansen, are you really willing to make her sad?¡± Zoey said softly in Hansen¡¯s ear with her big innocent eyes staring at him.

    ¡°Are you sure she is sad?¡± Hansen didn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zoey blinked and confidently said. ¡°I am sure about this. Based on my instinct as a woman, she must be jealous or disappointed in you.¡±

    Saying this, with a face full of worry, she quietly said to Hansen, ¡°Hansen, are we crossing the line by doing this? It¡¯s obvious that she actually cares about you very much. She loves you. I am not wrong.¡±

    Although Zoey¡¯s voice was very soft and low, her tone was very positive.

    Hansen had an unbelievable expression and he asked seriously, ¡°Are you sure she cares about me, loves me, and is jealous of you?¡±

    Zoeyughed at the confusion on Hansen¡¯s face. She pursed her lips and chuckled. ¡°It seems like you are not much better than her. You are also a boring man who does not express your feelings. You two only know how to keep your feelings inside. You¡¯re really boring, Hansen. I didn¡¯t expect a man like you to be this unpretentious too. It seems like my sister-inw will have to suffer more.¡±

    After speaking, she let out a big sigh and chuckled yfully.

    Hansen stared at Jenna¡¯s back thoughtfully. He saw Jenna carry an item from the health care product store. It seemed to be a little heavy. The item looked a little heavy in her hands, and she was struggling.However, she just looked to one side stubbornly without even looking at them and walked forward; she didn¡¯t even look back.

    Over the past two days, from beginning till the end, her expression was indifferent, as if she didn¡¯t care about anything. She didn¡¯t care about him at all.

    The thoughts were written in his gaze. Zoey¡¯s words had reminded him.

    Woman, you¡¯re so stubborn!Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    There was an imperceptible smile across his face, and his gaze became mysterious.

    She was the woman whom he cared about but until now, he couldn¡¯t even see her heart clearly. He was still wondering if she cared about him, liked him or loved him.

    Although the rtionship between them was no longer shallow, it seemed that something was always missing.

    Had she ever loved him? He was a man, the dignified Mr. Richards. If he couldn¡¯t even figure out if the woman he cared about loved him or needed him or not, wouldn¡¯t it be shameful? If he couldn¡¯t figure it out, what should he do next?

    She was always quiet and gentle. Her expression had always been indifferent no matter who she was dealing with. He couldn¡¯t tell anything based on her expression. If he wanted her body, she would just give it to him and would not refuse.

    However, when he left her, he never saw her miss him. She did not even bother to call him.

    This made him very uneasy.

    What worried him the most was that her father had died, and she was hiding the truth from him; sheeven suspected that he killed her father. Moreover, her purpose in working for Richards Group was not to love him at all; she might even have a conspiracy against thepany. Even though she was staying at Richards Manor, she was reluctant to do so. She did it because of her father¡¯s death.

    As long as Hansen was willing, a lot of women like Aria woulde to him and pester him. It was not difficult for him to get the love of women. He was not willing to continue to pester a woman who did not love him at all.

    Hearing that she had fainted, he hurried over. However, her expression did not look joyful at all. She was shocked instead, as if he should not havee at all.

    However, she smiled so brightly at Rayan. She was also sometimes mad at Rayan, yet she was always indifferent towards Hansen.

    This time, although Hansen still couldn¡¯t figure out her mind, their rtionship could no longer go on. If he only needed her body, he wouldn¡¯t have made such an effort. Now, he cared about her and hoped to get her heart, or even more.

    ¡°Little girl, don¡¯t cause trouble. If you don¡¯t help me now, I¡¯ll tell Uncle that you are not studying hard here so that they will cut off your pocket money,¡± Hansen squeezed her face with his hand and said with a smile.

    Hansen really liked this cousin whom he had been caring for since he was a child. Since childhood, he had liked this little cousin the most. Marissa used to bring her to Richards Manor for a short stay every year. She liked following Hansen around as well. Hansen also took good care of her and fulfilled all her wishes.

    However, Hansen had always regarded her as his biological sister. He had no other special feelings for her.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re so bad.¡± Zoey stared at him, a faint reddish spot appeared on her face where Hansen had pinched her face. She was really good-looking, but her expression looked like she was about to tear Hansen apart.

    Hansen burst intoughter. ¡°Girl, you¡¯re already twenty years old but you¡¯re still so capricious. You might not get a boyfriend at all with this naughty personality.¡±

    ¡°If I can¡¯t get a boyfriend, then you will marry me. That¡¯s what you told me when I was a kid,¡± Zoey said with her mouth pursed and her cheeks puffed. When she was a child, the two of them often yed together. She had always admired this talented cousin of hers since they were young.

 Chapter 135 Her Tantrum

    Since Zoey was very young, Hansen had been treating her very well. He often took her around to have fun and cared about her a lot, fearing that she would get hurt. She was like a little princess to him.

    He could pamper and spoil her, and he was willing to do anything for her. When she was a little girl, she thought that she would marry him in the future. However,when she grew up,it was only then did she know that they were cousins, and it waspletely impossible for them to get married.

    When she realized this, she was very annoyed, and there was always an inexplicable loss in her heart. Zoey became very envious of the lucky person who would be able to marry her cousin in the future.

    When she was still young,Hansen often told her that he would marry her if no one wanted her. Being ignorant at that time, Zoey actually believed the joke and the idea of him marrying her had been nted deep in her heart. Even until now, she was still having trouble getting out of this beautiful dream.

    Therefore, when she saw him get married, she cried violently and was unwilling to attend their wedding. The crying continued until Hansenforted her and suggested that his uncle send her to Los Angeles three years ago. It was also his form of apology for the joke he made when he was young. He really treated her very well because of this. As long as she had any request in mind, he would always try his best to fulfill her wish.

    His pampering and love for her were true, but it was only the kind of love between siblings and Zoey knew it. After all, it was impossible for them to date each other, let alone be husband and wife. After studying abroad, she also slowly understood what was going on and had long woken up from her dream.

    However, the moment she saw Hansen, she would have a really sweet feeling. They were even closer than she was with her own biological brother. From childhood till adulthood, he really treated her like a princess.

    ¡°Little girl, you¡¯re already a grownup but you¡¯re still mentioning things from your childhood.¡± Hansen looked helpless and ridiculed her. As long as he heard her talk about her childhood, he would have a headache. He was too young back then and did not know about marriage at all, but this girl would never let it go easily.

    ¡°Let me warn you, don¡¯t bully my sister-inw. I like her.¡± Zoey smiled innocently.

    She had already noticed that Jenna didn¡¯t know her or who she was. She even regarded her as a love rival. If she guessed it correctly, she must not have slept well the night before, and it was even possible that she cried all night.

    Hansen was really blessed. There were so many women who loved him, and there was such a beautiful woman who loved him so much,yet, heined about her being too ambiguous in expressing her feelings. He must have been used to being superior since childhood and was extremely selfish and domineering when it came to rtionship matters. He could never tolerate a woman who didn¡¯t care about him even if it was only a small matter; she knew the fact very clearly.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    However, she could also tell that Hansen loved Jenna very much too.

    ¡°She does not even treat you as her sister. How can you side with her so quickly?¡± Hansen sneered.

    Zoey blushed, and said angrily, ¡°Isn¡¯t it good for your sake too?¡±

    When she said this, she looked to the front and couldn¡¯t help being shocked. ¡°Hansen, Jenna is gone. Where has she gone?¡±

    Hansen was shocked when he heard the words, and he hurriedly looked around. Jenna could not be found in the crowd.

    There was panic in his heart.

    D*mned woman, where did she go?

    In a hurry, he handed Zoey the car keys and said anxiously, ¡°Zoey, you take the things and go back first. I¡¯ll look for her now.¡±

    ¡°Huh, hoes before bros.¡± Zoey pouted, dissatisfied, when she saw Hansen¡¯s eagerly departing, but then she smiled when she saw her favorite clothes.

    Hansen searched all the way till the end of the street and then looked on several other streets too. However, he saw no signs of Jenna.

    He felt angry and regretful for not telling Jenna the day before that Zoey was just his cousin.

    However, where was this woman right now?

    He did see Jenna carrying a heavy object in her hands so she should not have gone far, but still, Hansen saw no signs of her even after searching the nearby streets thoroughly.

    After looking for her for a while, he felt even more annoyed in his heart. This woman¡¯s self-esteem was too strong, and she would not say anything even if she was mad; she was used to keeping all her feelings in her heart.

    He deliberately did not rify his rtionship with Zoey because he wanted to test her in order to see her reaction, so that he could evaluate his position in her heart. However, he did not expect her to not have any reaction at all and even left them after throwing a tantrum.

    It was a bit far from the vi. Did she know the address to go home?

    She had stayed there for only two days!

    The vi was bought in Jenna¡¯s name two and a half years ago. In fact, he did so because she was new in the country and he knew she would be lonely. Besides, his mother did not like her staying at Richards Manor so he thought it might be better for her to stay in Los Angeles, away from all the conflict.

    He initially nned to live in Los Angeles with her when the Richards Group business expanded overseas.

    However, he didn¡¯t expect her to suddenly return to A City and even ask for a divorce.

    The development of thetter event was beyond his expectation, and was beyond his control.

    After searching for a long time, he still failed to see her, and he didn¡¯t know where to look for her. Just like three years ago when she secretly came to Los Angeles, he bought that vi but could not find her at all. He wanted her to live a better life but all his efforts had been in vain as he did not even manage to find her after trying twice.

    Richards Group hadtoo many matters to deal with back then, so he could only focus on his work, thus he did not continue searching for her.

    The clear river flew out of Santa Anita Park and traversed the northern part of the city. The lush green grass on the two sides of the river was so beautiful. The racecourse was just by the side of the river and many aristocrats were enjoying themselves in it.

    Jenna sat under a tree with a dull expression and scattered thoughts. The tree wasrge with thick leaves and had white flowers growing on it. It managed to cover her little figure under the tree.

    The strong floral scent drifted into her nose and reminded her of certain memories. Her heart felt bitter and the past haunted her again. Soon, she burst into tears.

    She felt so lonely and didn¡¯t know where to head to next. She did not want to see the intimate scene of Hansen hugging another woman or her heart would hurt a lot.

    She just wanted to sit in a ce quietly and be alone. She could stay under the tree and heal herself for a moment at the same time whileposing her emotions.

    She did not know how long she had been there and it was soon noon. She was wondering if they had finished shopping or not. Maybe they were having a meal now or had even gone back to the vi.

    She didn¡¯t want to go back to stay with them, or she would be very unhappy. She preferred to stay under the tree alone, so that she could organize her thoughts without anyone disturbing her.

    In the warm sunshine, she enjoyed the view of the river and she felt more rxed.

    The water here was much cleaner than the water back in A City. She sat there alone for quite some time until she felt hungry. Only then did she decide to get some food.

    She took the phone out of her pocket but couldn¡¯t turn it on. It turned out that she had forgotten to charge her phone the night before.

    Somehow, she heard a voice yelling her name ¡°Jenna¡±. She raised her eyes and saw a figure walk towards her from a distance. Seeing the graceful figure, it seemed to be Hansen. She was startled but did not dare to believe it.

    Wasn¡¯t Hansen having a good time with Zoey? Why was he here looking for her?

    After thinking about it, she found it ridiculous and at the same time, thought that it was impossible. She thenughed at herself for overthinking even after being treated badly by him.

    Soon the footsteps were getting closer and faster. The figure was also panting. Obviously, he was walking in a hurry.

    Turning her head, she saw that Hansen¡¯s face looked flushed, and his hair looked damp. He was obviously sweating and was striding towards her.

    Moreover, his face was full of anger and anxiety. The moment he saw her, there was even a hint of light in his eyes, but it was quickly covered by annoyance.

    ¡°Lady, what are you trying to do? Do you think it¡¯s fun to leave me just like that?¡± He rushed over and yelled at her.

    Hansen was not done scolding her. Thedy had made him look for her for several hours. Anyone would have gone crazy if they were required to look for someone for hours. This woman had really worried him a lot.

    Jenna was shocked by his anger, and soon infinite grievances overwhelmed her. How could he rush up to her and yell at her like that? Who was she to him?!

    She was also a human with dignity. He could not simply insult or scold her just because he was wealthy or domineering enough.

    ¡°Hansen, who are you to use me? Do I have the responsibility and obligation to apany you to pick up girls and carry your stuff? Don¡¯t think that you can do whatever you want just because you¡¯re rich. I will not give in. I am a living person, not your ything.¡± All the grievances she felt spurted out. Jenna could no longer control her emotions so she released thempletely. She burst into tears, resisting loudly, and her thin shoulders trembled from agitation. Her chest undted violently.

    She looked so sad and disappointed.

    Jenna¡¯s expression stunned Hansen. He had never seen her this sad before.

    His anger gradually subsided, and there was a trace of pain in his heart. It was his love and pity for her. He wanted to stretch his arms to embrace andfort her.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, let me tell you the truth. My father is dead and I want to avenge my father so I joined Richards Group. I haven¡¯t done anything that¡¯s against you or thepany. You have no right to insult me. Yet, you look down on me, and I also despise you. Once I sessfully avenge my father, I will leave you as well as thepany for good. I never need to be enved by you anymore.¡± Jenna had lost her mind, and all she could think of now was Hansen¡¯s intimacy with Zoey. Her face was full of tears, and her voice was full of grief and anger. ¡°It is the same every time. When you want to vent your emotions only do youe to me. When you want to insult someone, then you pick on me. Am I not a human being to you? I am also a human being, a living person. I¡¯m not your ve, nor your ything. Hansen, you have no right to insult me.¡±

    It was disgusting. Why should she be humiliated by him? So what if he was rich?

 Chapter 136 The Guessing Game

    Whatever Jenna had just said was indeed her innermost thoughts and feelings. She finally said it all and Hansen instantly felt cold all over his body.

    It turned out that she actually had such an image of him all this while. His love and trust for her turned out to be just venting and humiliating. It turned out that in her mind, he was such a person. It was really a waste of his efforts. The pity and love that rose in his heart disappeared in the blink of an eye. There was only anger and sadness left.

    ¡°Very well, you finally admitted the purpose of working for Richards Group, and you finally admitted that you have other ns in mind other than working for thepany. Sure enough, I did not misunderstand you. This is ridiculous. You totally let me down.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was livid and the blue veins on his forehead were prominent.He clenched his fists hard and hewas obviously on the verge of breaking down too.

    For the first time, he felt the pain of not being trusted. It was such a waste that he trusted her and cared about her so much; he even entrusted her with all matters of thepany. It turned out that her heart was so dark. Now it seemed like his mother was right to be vignt against her.

    Two nights ago, he expected her to repent for her behavior after she took the initiative to speak out. In the past two days, he hoped that she would recognize her mistakes, but what she said just nowpletely contradicted his original intentions. She actually felt that she was just a ything to him. How ridiculous was this perception? Howpletely different was it from his original intentions.

    He wanted to turn around and leave, but his heart was reluctant to do so. These days, as long as she disappeared from his sight, his heart would be frightened.

    But now.

    Her words disappointed him so much.

    She was almost driving him crazy.

    How could she say such ruthless words.

    Jenna stood in front of Hansen who had a gloomy and scary expression. For a moment, she was a little scared, regretting saying such things, as if she had done something wrong. She was a little confused so she stood nkly.

    However, did she do anything wrong?

    Her dad passed away and it was discovered to be rted to Richards Group. Shouldn¡¯t shee to investigate what was happening?

    So what if she did not tell him about it?

    Was their rtionship good enough for her to tell him?

    Based on the hatred she had for him, as well as how he had defiled her, she was already kind enough to not doubt him. Why should she let him know?

    ¡°Let you down? Have you treated me well over the many years? Have you fulfilled the responsibilities and obligations of being a husband? Why should I tell you? What did you give me when I was living in a foreignnd and was hungry and cold and alone? Have you ever given me happiness throughout the four years of our marriage? Have you cared about me? I was just a nominal wife and everyone could see that. Am I a fool who¡¯s so stupid to tell you, the great Mr. Richards, such insignificant things? Since you looked down on me, why should Iask for such treatment?¡± Jenna was shaking all over. Since he had already made such ament about her, she was going all out too. She clenched her fists tightly and her nails sank into her flesh. Her face was distorted in pain, and she spoke word by word, ¡°Me not telling you about it is how I protect myself. Can you give me a reason to tell you everything? Don¡¯t forget, we are already divorced. Who are you to me now?¡±

    Wiping the tears from her face with both hands, there was a sad smile at the corner of her mouth. ¡°To be honest, you are not even qualified to ask me about it. In those years, if Rayan hadn¡¯t helped me, maybe I would have died in thisnd. My life was so petty and low. Even if I lost my dignity, even if it¡¯s just for my mother¡¯s illness, I can ept living so humbly, but I also have my dignity. I have done nothing wrong and none of this is my fault. I have never done anything wrong, especially to you. I am a clean woman. Everything that happened three years ago was none of my business. Therefore, please respect me in the future, or I will avenge myself too, ok?¡±

    At the end, she smiled sadly and said coldly, ¡°If I¡¯m really at fault, then it was my fault for marrying you. I have already paid the price for it so please leave me alone.¡±

    Tears kept pouring out like beads from a broken ne. She blew her nose, wiped off the tears, turned her head, and walked back.

    The three years she stayed here were also the years where she worked extremely hard. It made her understand a lot of things, which made her return to Richards Group, even though she would be humiliated. Nevertheless, this did not mean that she could be bullied, and it did not mean that she needed to suffer his tantrum. All the evidence now showed that her father¡¯s death was indeed rted to the car from Richards Group. She did nothing wrong so she did not need to leave so humbly.

    Just like all the previous incidents that he had encountered with her, Hansen calmed down and kept quiet. He calmly and silently listened to all of Jenna¡¯s words, and pain shed across his eyes.

    ¡°Stop.¡± He reached out and grabbed Jenna¡¯s hand. She was about to leave. He shouted in a low voice.

    Jenna¡¯s hand was held by his powerful big hand and she could not move at all. She smiled sadly, and closed her eyes in pain.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°In your eyes, I am a wicked person who killed your father. Is there nothing else but this? Is this also the reason you have been pretending to tter me these days?¡± He asked in a deep voice while staring at her. ¡°Have you ever cared about me? Have you ever loved me?¡±

    He just wanted to verify this. Everything she said was very clear and he understood it, but now, he wanted to figure out some things so that he knew what choice he should be making next.

    Did she love him? Jenna never thought that he would ask her this.

    The man in front of her, with his face and entire body taut, had his eyes locked on her. He seemed a little nervous, and his gaze carried a hint of hope.

    She was startled and she looked at him with her mouth open, not knowing what to say.

    Would he care about her? Did he care if she loved him or not?

    Did he need it? Did he need her love?

    She did not answer for a long time. She was specting on his thoughts. Seeing the tiredness and a hint of pain in his eyes, she wondered, did he care about her? What about Zoey? His love and pampering of her were real; he was not faking any of it.

    Her heart began to ache again.

    Resolutely, she turned her head, closed her eyes, and gritted her teeth. She said coldly, ¡°No.¡±

    No? Hansen¡¯s body trembled, and a burst of ice rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making his gaze terribly cold. However,he didn¡¯t believe it. After a while, he asked again, ¡°Then why are you sitting here crying? Why do you want me to quit smoking?¡±

    Regarding the purely physical rtionship between them, he could no longer maintain it. Every time they got intimate, he would be more addicted to it. He was worried that he would be unable to get out of it. She was like a circle of vines entangling him, getting tighter and tighter, causing him to be out of breath.

    If his body became addicted to hers, and his mind needed to suffer from such entanglement with her, how was he supposed to continue living?

    Now, his life was in chaos because of her. He was the leader of the dignified Richards Group. His life needed to be calm; it must never be in chaos like this. There were many important things that required his wise discernment. If this went on, he did not know what was going to happen. Furthermore, he was a man, so how could he be trapped by a woman?

    He thought that if she could give him a clear answer now, he would definitely be able to spoil her for the rest of her life. It was indeed his fault that he ignored and neglected her in the past.

    However, it was still not toote now. Everything could still be saved.

    But what he heard was her cold answer, and it seemed like Zoey¡¯s words were wrong. He overestimated his value in her heart.

    ¡°I like crying, so it¡¯s none of your business. I miss my dad,¡± she was a little discouraged, lowered her head, and said with a guilty conscience. Her heart was inexplicably upset. She obviously loved him and had loved him all this time. There had never been other men in her life. If she didn¡¯t love him, would she give him everything she had?However, he didn¡¯t understand, and even came to ask her such a question. What was more ridiculous was that there was this Zoey between them over the past two days and yet, he came to ask her such a question. Was he expecting her to say yes, so that he could mock her with their intimacy?

    She was just missing her father. Hansen almostughed. His gaze was extremely cold.

    ¡°It turns out that you are nothing more than a cold-blooded woman, unrelenting and ruthless,¡± after a while, he finally sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I admit that I was not good to you before, and I am trying to make up for it. I will cure your mother¡¯s illness. Regarding your father¡¯s death, it was indeed rted to mypany¡¯s car, and I will be responsible. No matter who it was who dared y tricks under my management and even killed your dad, I will never cover for him. I will definitely send him to the prosecutors to have him severely punished by thew. Please trust me. ¡±

    After saying this, he reached out and took the rehabilitation machine from her hand. Then he said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve been out. Let¡¯s go home first.¡±

    After he finished speaking, he took the lead and walked forward.

    Jenna was stunned. When his hand took the rehabilitation machine from her, there was not a trace of temperature in his hand, and it was even a bit cold. That warm palm was gone.

    His tall and stalwart figure looked lonely no matter how she looked at him, and for a moment, there was a kind of panic. She seemed to have misunderstood him.

    Her heart was empty, and she became even sadder than before.

    What did he mean about her being a cold-blooded, ruthless, and unrighteous woman? What did he mean?

    She really couldn¡¯t figure it out and wouldn¡¯t allow him to make such ament about her.

    ¡°Hansen, stop.¡± This kind of misunderstanding was like humiliation to her. In addition to the ufortable feeling in her heart, she couldn¡¯t help but scream.

    Hansen¡¯s back froze.

    ¡°Hansen, who are you to say that I¡¯m a ruthless, cold-blooded woman?¡± She was angry and asked loudly. ¡°Could it be that your Aria and Zoey are the only kind, righteous, and caring women around?¡±

    Jenna stared at him angrily, sounding aggrieved and unwilling to ept what he had said.

 Chapter 137 Donâ€™t You Feel Distressed?

    Hansen stood firm, turning around slowly. His dark eyes had a hint of an unknown emotion and a faint smile crossed his stiff face; there was a soft light in his eyes. He approached and looked at her, then asked slowly, ¡°Can I take it that you are jealous now?¡±

    Jealous! As soon as he said this, Jenna was surprised as well. She took a step back and her face was full of embarrassment.

    Did she say the wrong thing, leading him to think that she was jealous?

    However, over the past two days, she was really jealous, and even her stomach felt upset now!

    She didn¡¯t want to admit it.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not!¡± She stammered with her mouth open and her pale tear-stained face was faintly red. Then, it became redder and she didn¡¯t even dare to look him in the eyes. She hurriedly turned her head.

    Of course, her expression did not escape Hansen¡¯s sharp eyes. Her pale and thin face was full of tears. The girl whom he had met in college had a rosy and beautiful face that was full of spirit, but she was infinitely shy. Whose fault was it that she became so thin and pale?

    His woman was living such a painful life. Wasn¡¯t it his fault for neglecting her?

    Suddenly, there was a kind of distress in his heart, and it hurt more and more. The pain made him feel sore.

    He pondered silently for a while.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s head home first,¡± he said and walked forward again.

    Jenna didn¡¯t dare to ask anymore, for fear of leaking her thoughts. It would be very embarrassing if it happened.

    She quietly followed behind him and walked silently. He just said that he would avenge her and help her find the murderer who killed her father.

    He said he would help her, and she believed that he would be able to do it, although she didn¡¯t know that he had been acting secretly.

    This was an intuition.

    Furthermore, if this matter was really rted to the people of Richards Group.There was still hope to get it settled if Hansen intervened in it. If she was working alone, she might be unable to get even a single clue out of it.

    However, why didn¡¯t she feel as surprised as she had imagined she would be after hearing his words? Instead, she felt heavy in her heart.

    Hansen walked steadily ahead of her.

    He already realized that over the years, there were indeed some problems with their rtionship. Putting aside those external factors, the problem between them was really obvious. This woman might look soft and weak on the outside but in fact, she was very stubborn, arrogant, and hard-headed. She was obviously jealous just now, but she refused to admit it. What¡¯s even more hateful was that she joined Richards Group alone to avenge her father. How ridiculous it was. Fortunately, she was lucky enough to have met him, or else, based on her abilities, she might even lose her life while investigating the matter.

    Others might not know the danger in it but he was clear about it.

    When they returned to the vi, Zoey was sitting in the living room ying a game on the tablet. When she saw theme in, she immediately yelled with a smile.

    ¡°Hansen,e and help me. I can¡¯t pass this level.¡± She was upset but was still smiling innocently.

    ¡°Okay, I will help you,¡± Hansen¡¯s face suddenly had a smile, and he softly responded.

    After putting the things in his hands on the cab, he said to Jenna lightly, ¡°Get some rest first. I will inform you when it¡¯s dinner time.¡±

    Taking the sullen expression on her faceinto ount, he didn¡¯t make things difficult for her anymore. He did not care much about her either. He just treated her like a mere acquaintance.

    He turned around and took the tablet from Zoey, then started to help her pass the levels in the game.

    ¡°Quick, quick, kill him!¡± Zoey¡¯s cheerful voice mixed with Hansen¡¯s cheerfulughter soon filled the living room.

    Jenna took a bath and wanted to lie down on the bed to rest, but her head hurt so badly that she couldn¡¯t sleep at all no matter how much she tossed and turned.

    She was a cold-blooded and ruthless woman, and Zoey was a kind, caring woman, right? In order to fulfill her responsibilities, in order to invite Jersey, she almost worked her life away for thepany. In the end, she was just a ruthless and unrighteous woman in his heart.

    And who was being loving and righteous to her then?

    The more she thought about it, the more she could not get past it. She was feeling extremely ufortable about it.

    ¡°Hansen, how is it? Have you reconciled with Jenna?¡± Zoey whispered in his ear as she saw Jenna walk into the bedroom.

    Hansen slid the screen with both hands. A secret smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and said lightly, ¡°Don¡¯t cause trouble. Just y the game.¡±

    Zoey blinked her eyes and was a little confused. They came back together but the expressions on their faces were uglier than before. Didn¡¯t they open their hearts and tell each other the truth?

    Thinking of this in her heart, the moment she thought of the possible drama that was going to happen next, she couldn¡¯t helpughing.

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s have dinner.¡± Zoey took the initiative to knock on the door of Jenna¡¯s bedroom during dinner. Her voice was very sweet.

    Jenna was lying on the bed with a splitting headache, and felt even more ufortable when she heard Zoey¡¯s sweet and happy voice.

    She didn¡¯t like this innocent and lovely girl at all, and she didn¡¯t like herughter. However, Zoey was always provoking her in a kind manner. Zoey¡¯sughter was even so loud all the time. What an annoying girl!

    However, thinking that she did not even have lunch that day, she had to get up.

    She sat at the table and ate, in a bad mood.

    ¡°Hansen, you were supposed to take me to have delicious food today but you left early. You did not fulfill your promise.¡± Zoey pouted and was very dissatisfied.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take you there some other day so that you can have all the food,¡± Hansen responded with a smile.

    ¡°Jenna, you need to eat more.¡± Zoey stared at her with her big bright eyes. She was smiling innocently and looked very kind.

    Jenna looked up and saw Zoey¡¯s innocent face. It was obviously a beautiful and cute face, but Jenna did not like it at all.It was as if Zoey¡¯s smile was full of sarcasm and ridicule andJenna¡¯s eyes hurt just by looking at her.

    It was just that she was so passionate and sincere that Jenna could not bear to respond coldly to her kindness.

    Jenna reluctantly squeezed out a smile and said softly, ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, your face is so pale. Are you feeling unwell?¡± Zoey did not stop caring, but asked intimately.

    Jenna was overwhelmed by her kindness.

    She was obviously very hungry, but she had no appetite, and she had to face them. She felt a beam of lighting from above her head. She raised her eyelid a little, and saw Hansen¡¯s unfathomable gaze, causing her to panic. She just bowed her head and continued eating. Momentster, she left the dining hall and walked toward the bedroom with her head down;her steps were indeed a bit unsteady.

    They seemed to beughing behind her back.

    ¡°Hansen, Jenna seems to be in a bad mood. Her eyes are already swollen, and herplexion is bad. Besides, she didn¡¯t eat much for dinner. Don¡¯t you feel distressed?¡± Zoey swiped the tablet¡¯s LCD screen in her hand while asking yfully.

    Over the past two days, she had been third-wheeling both of them so much that she felt a sense of guilt.

    Hansen¡¯s body trembled, and Jenna¡¯s crying face from the grass area floated into his mind. His heart was inexplicably painful. In fact, he cared about her very much, and he didn¡¯t want to see her feeling sad. .

    However, this woman was so stubborn that she didn¡¯t want to admit that she liked him.

    Who was he? He was Mr. Richards, so how could he care about a woman who didn¡¯t love him?

    The problem between them became more and more obvious. He had been searching for her all over the streets that day, but she still didn¡¯t even know what she did wrong. How were they supposed tomunicate with each other if this went on?

    He was taking a risk. If they could get past this hardship together, perhaps the rtionship between them could be much better.

    ¡°I think Jenna must hate me very much now.¡± Zoey opened her big eyes and looked at the sky with a helpless face. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯d better confess to her.¡±

    They were both women. From Jenna¡¯s expression, Zoey knew that she must be ufortable. She could tell that Jenna loved her cousin, but her cousin¡¯s secretive look made her very unhappy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Hansen threatened.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m leaving. It¡¯s so boring here.¡± Zoey looked helpless, stood up, and wanted to leave.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to leave? Don¡¯t you want to eat more delicious food?¡± Hansen smiled indifferently and seduced her at the right time.

    Zoey¡¯s eyes widened. She turned around and suddenly, she stretched out her arms around his neck and said obediently, ¡°Hansen, I¡¯ll be ready to eat something delicious another day. Why don¡¯t you give me some pocket money? My dad has not been giving me pocket money ever since he saw myst semester results. I am so pitiful now.¡±

    She spoke in a pitiful and sad manner. Her eyes were red, and she looked aggrieved. She was like a little girl who was wronged.

    Hansen was amused by her expression and couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Why do you need so much pocket money in school?¡±

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t you know that the school has a lot of socializing events, and nothing works without money. Besides, I also have a cousin who made it into the Forbes list. If my ssmates find out, they will only think that my cousin is a stingy man¡­¡± Zoey said solemnly.

    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Hansen gave in. He reached out and took out a card from his bag and handed it to her. ¡°Here you go. Count on me then, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Hansen. You are the best.¡± She cheered, put her hands on his face, and kissed him.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen smiled. He had always been very loving and tolerant toward this little cousin since childhood. What could he do, he was her cousin!

    He looked up and saw Jenna walking out of the room, and she happened to be looking at them too. His heart moved. Zoey was hugging him around his neck, kissing his face, and lying on his body. The scene was very ambiguous.

    Zoey had been pestering him like this since she was a child. To her, there were no evil thoughts, of course. He didn¡¯t have any thoughts either. After all, they were blood-rted.

    However, right now, he deliberately stretched out his hand to hug Zoey, and put her on hisp then smiled lovingly at her.

    From the corner of his eyes, he saw Jenna¡¯s face change and she lowered her head. She hesitated and returned to her room.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curved into a beautiful arc.

    ¡°Ah, this is so annoying,¡± Jenna screamed while sitting on therge bed while holding her head in her hands.

    D*mn you Hansen, d*mn you Zoey! I will not take you seriously! Let me forget both of you!

    However, the scene of them hugging and kissing filled her head.

    Sure enough, it was really hard to forget him. Now, it was as if her heart had been set on fire. She felt very ufortable.

    She could no longer watch him to be intimate with other women. She had sunk deep, and if this continued, she would go crazy soon.

    No, she had to leave the next day!

    In order to ignore them, in order to keep from listening to their harshughter in the living room.

    She turned on theputer, clicked a game, and started ying.

    Perhaps she could ignore theirughter and forget about their existence by doing so.

 Chapter 138 Happily Ever After

    There was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Jenna raised her head and stared nkly.

    Flora brought a bowl and walked in; there was something steaming in it.

    Jenna smelled a familiar fragrance, and there was a fishy smell.

    She then stared at Flora nkly.

    ¡°Miss, Young Master said you must drink this,¡± Flora said with a smile.

    ¡°What?¡± The item in the bowl was steaming and it was obviously freshly stewed. Jenna smelled a familiar scentand she looked up.

    It was a bowl of translucent, white liquid with bits of scarlet, and there was a subtle fragrance emanating from it.

    ¡°Miss, this is the red bird¡¯s nest that Young Master brought back today for you. He wants you to continue drinking a bowl every day for the next few days to replenish your body,¡± Flora exined with a smile.

    Red bird¡¯s nest! She immediately recalled that this was the thing he fed her using his mouth in the hospital back then. Her face slowly turned red at the memory.

    ¡°Miss, eat it quickly,¡± Flora smiled and urged.

    ¡°You can put it there first.¡± A faint warmth surged in Jenna¡¯s heart. He still cared about her, but he already had a beauty in his arms, so why he¡¯s acting like he cares about her? Thinking of this, her heart was upset again, so she pointed to the table next to her and instructed casually.

    ¡°Miss, no, Young Master said that I must watch you drink it.¡± Seeing that Jenna didn¡¯t want to drink, Flora became a little anxious and kept urging her.

    Jenna became confused again, not knowing what Hansen meant by this. He was so indifferent to her, but now, he was forcing her to drink the bird¡¯s nest. Was he stung by conscience or was he really cared for her?

    In order not to make things difficult for Flora, she took the bowl and drank the soup.

    The sweet and slippery liquid slipped into her stomach through her mouth, and Jenna immediately felt relieved all over. It was as if new energy had been injected into her body and she feltenergetic.

    Seeing that Jenna had finished drinking, Flora smiled happily, put the bowl away, and left.

    ¡°Flora, um, where are they?¡± Jenna heard noughter in the living room and felt disappointed. They were still having fun with each other just now, but now they became so quiet, as if they had disappeared. Did Hansen take Zoey back to his bedroom? Thinking of it, her heart became sore and she felt even more upset.

    After listening to Jenna¡¯s question, Flora stopped and said with a smile, ¡°Miss, Young Master has gone out with his cousin.¡±

    Gone out? Although it was not as expected, Jenna was still disappointed. She became more surprised that her attachment to Hansen would be this great, so much so that even though he was dating other girls, she still wanted to see him.

    Suddenly there was a burst of excitement in her mind, and she raised her head in surprise and asked, ¡°Flora, what did you just say? Cousin?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Young Master went out with his cousin,¡± Flora replied naturally.

    ¡°Are you saying that Zoey is Young Master¡¯s cousin?¡± Jenna asked with her eyes widened in disbelief.

    Flora was a little confused, and hurriedly nodded saying, ¡°Yes, Miss, Zoey is Young Master¡¯s cousin. They grew up together, so they are quite close. Don¡¯t be surprised, Miss.¡±

    Seeing Jenna¡¯s expression, Flora finally understood so she hurriedly exined with a smile. She could tell that Jenna had been very unhappy these few days.

    Was that so? Now that she thought about it, it was no wonder Jenna found Zoey¡¯s face a little familiar.It was somewhat simr to Marissa¡¯s face! Jenna sighed.

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Jenna continued to ask in disbelief. She clearly remembered that when Hansen had brought Zoey back on the first day, Jenna heard her say that this vi was so beautiful. If even Jenna didn¡¯t know about Zoey and Hansen¡¯s rtionship, how did Flora find out?

    Flora rxed her eyebrows and smiled happily. ¡°Miss Zoey came back and told me in person today. She also told me a lot of funny stories about their childhood. Miss Zoey is very cute and straightforward. She is really a cute little girl.¡±

    Flora made Jenna feel so ashamed when she said so. D*mn, what was Jenna thinking about these days? She even hated Zoey and became jealous of her!

    D*mned Hansen, he didn¡¯t even tell her. He must have done it on purpose so that he couldugh at her reaction.

    Thinking of Hansen¡¯s question that afternoon, his face appeared in her mind again, and her face became redder.

    ¡°I see. Flora, you may leave now,¡± she smiled and said to Flora. Her heart was suddenly relieved, like a rainbow that appeared after a heavy rain.

    In an instant, her whole body rxed, and her entire soul felt relieved. The staleness that hadsted over the past few days had disappeared.

    It turned out that Hansen was not picking up girls. Zoey was just his cousin.

    Remembering that when she saw Hansen when he was a child, his eyes never left Zoey. It seemed like they had a very good rtionship even when they were young, so no wonder Hansen would spoil her and love her so much. It wasno wonder they were this close to each other.

    She actually thought of something else.

    She left the bedroom and walked outside.

    In front of the vi, the hazy moonlight shone brightly, illuminating the grass in front of the vi. The evening breeze was light, bringing a cool wind toward her.

    Jenna suddenly felt that everything was so warm and beautiful. The joy from the bottom of her heart could be seen on her face, and her smile was so bright.

    She stood on thewn, quietly admiring the moonlight in this foreign country.

    A beam of light shone toward her, and Hansen¡¯s luxury car drove into the vi¡¯s garage.

    Hansen walked out of the garage.

    At this time, Jenna was standing on thewn in front of the door, looking at him. Her eyes were as clear as water; she looked so soft that his mood was also relieved.

    The moonlight spilled on her body, making her bare skin shine as fair as snow. Her bright eyes were shining, and there was a hint of an apologetic gaze. The corners of her mouth curved in a shallow smile. Her face was infinitely shy and the girl he used to dream of was finally back.

    At that moment, Hansen felt that all their knots had been untangled, and all the obstacles between them had disappeared. They understood each other and they were in sync, from their heartbeat to their eyes.

    The silence carried more words than they could say.

    Hansen¡¯s heart was full of excitement as she looked at him with so much trust. The light in her eyes moved him, and a wave of heat rose from the bottom of his heart, overwhelming him.

    The woman in front of him seemed to have understood everything.

    He stepped forward to touch her face and he smiled.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re not jealous now?¡±

    Jenna flushed. She was shy and embarrassed, and she beat his strong chest with her fists.

    Hansen chuckled and grabbed her hand.

    Sure enough, he had done it on purpose.

    Jenna lowered her head and her aggrieved tears streamed out.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen¡¯s heart was stunned, and his whole body went soft. He put his arms around her waist, lowered his head, and kissed her face softly. Then, he kissed the tears on her face. There was a burst of pain in his heart.

    Silly woman, she finally understood him.

    His kiss was so soft, full of pity and affection.

    Jenna suddenly felt extremely happy. Although the happiness came a littlete, it was very sweet. Her hands were wrapped around his waist and her face was pressed against his chest.

    No matter what, even if she was going to be addicted to him for her whole life, she did not care anymore. She couldn¡¯t suppress her emotions and love for him;she was going all out to love him.

    She closed her eyes and listened to his powerful but somewhat rapid heartbeat. There was a smile on her lips.

    Hansen was hugged by her, and every cell in his body was ignited. The woman¡¯s body was soft andfortable, making him excited and passionate.

    He reached out and carried her, then ran towards the bedroom.

    As soon as he put her on the bed, he lowered his head and bit her red lips, kissing her hotly, almost wanting to swallow her alive.

    Jenna responded enthusiastically andthe two of them were like two mas attached to each other; they could not be separated anymore.

    ¡­

    ¡°Call me Hubby.¡± After the passionate action, the two of them were exhausted. Lying on the bed, Hansen hugged her tightly, stroking the hair on her forehead while they were soaked in sweat. Her porcin-like skin was full of his love-bites and his marks of love. Watching her lying there, he looked at her full of love and gentleness.

    Jenna was shy and couldn¡¯t say it; the word ¡°Hubby¡± was too far removed from her. It was the first time she heard this worde out of Hansen¡¯s mouth and she could not believe it.

    ¡°Quick, call me Hubby.¡± Seeing that Jenna did not respond, Hansen was a little dissatisfied. He urged, ¡°No? Do you want me to do it again?¡±

    He threatened her!

    No, Jenna panicked when she heard it. She was sore and weak, and her endurance had reached its limit.

    ¡°Hubby.¡± She had to say it in a low voice. Feeling embarrassed again, she buried her face in his chest; her cheeks were burning.

    ¡°Not bad.¡± Hansenughed out of satisfaction. Seeing the shy look on his woman, he felt sad instead. She was originally his wife, but by mistake, they only managed to reconcile four yearster. He felt very regretful.

    For three whole days, they didn¡¯t leave the vi at all. They locked themselves in the bedroom and passionately demanded more from each other, until they reached a state of perfection.

    These three days were the three most passionate days in Jenna¡¯s life. Unlike the past, she finally opened her heart to ept him this time and managed to feel unprecedented love and joy.

    Three dayster, they sped their fingers tightly and appeared on the street. They were like a couple who were deeply in love with each other. Over the past three days, they had not been separated for a moment. May it be in bed or in the vi, they were entangled and inseparable.

    In a fashionable jewellery store.

    Hansen pointed at a very unique diamond ring and spoke to the staff happily.Jenna was deeply attracted by his handsome face at the jewelry shop. He was so charming that she couldn¡¯t bear to look away, as if she was still in a dream.

 Chapter 139 Underwater Passion

    This man, the man whom she had loved since a long time ago, finally belonged to her. She not only had his body but also his heart. The happiness was indeed beyond describable.

    Hansen lowered his head and saw that she was staring at his face in a daze. He couldn¡¯t help but smile, rubbing her smooth and soft hand. He gently said, ¡°Honey, what are you looking at? You¡¯ve been looking at my face all day long at home. Now that we are out, you still want to look at me?¡±

    Jenna came to her senses and hurriedly looked away with a flushed face.

    After a while, Hansen took the diamond ring from the sales assistant and held Jenna¡¯s small hand.Then, he put the dazzling diamond ring onto her ring finger.

    Jenna wanted to withdraw her hand as she was very surprised. She was not used to wearing such a huge diamond; it was too conspicuous.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. Wear it.¡± Hansen tilted his head and looked at it. The exquisite diamond ring was very beautiful on her delicate, porcin fingers. He nodded with satisfaction and said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take it.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, this, let¡¯s not do it.¡± Jenna hesitated. She was really not used to wearing such a ring and it was too dazzling.

    ¡°No, you must wear it,¡± Hansen¡¯s expression turned dark and he dered domineeringly.

    What a joke. How could his woman not have a wedding ring?

    All the women in Richards Manor had different kinds of jewelry that they wore whenever they were out. However, when it came to Jenna, never mind other jewelry, she didn¡¯t even have a diamond wedding ring. She indeed looked poorer than the servants in their family. Forget the past, now that she was the dignified woman of Mr. Richards¡¯s, how could she remain so shabby and cause him to lose his face, let alone the face of the entire Richards Manor?

    Seeing his serious look, Jenna knew that she couldn¡¯t go against him, so she had to wear the ring. At first, she felt very ufortable, butter, it gradually felt like a part of her hand and she got used to it. If she couldn¡¯t see the ring, she would actually feel like something was missing.

    ¡­

    The ne took off from Los Angeles International Airport and flew over the Pacific Ocean for six hours.Jenna saw the silvery beaches, turquoise blue waters, as well as rows of tall, upright palm trees.

    It was Hawaii.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s so beautiful,¡± she couldn¡¯t help whispering. Hansen insisted on taking her here to enjoy for a few days before returning to A City. They were really exhausted over the past few days, so they were here to rx.

    Even though she had once stayed in that country for three years, she had never visited Hawaii. At that time, she was too poor to do so, and she did not have the right mood as well.

    They walked on the endless golden sandy beach, looking at the dense green woods, and the small volcano erupting in the distance. The pineapple fields looked like a green sea and they enjoyed the iparably fresh sea breezeand the pollution-free blue waters.Jenna¡¯s heart waspletely rxed.

    Her snow-white ankles stepped on the sandy beach, and the fine sand massaged the soles of her feet. It was itchy but veryfortable.

    The tiny grains of sand were surprisingly white and beautiful.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna¡¯s tiny feet were even more beautiful. With each step, even the fine sand gave way to her. The golden sunlight shone on her and her beauty attracted many people¡¯s attention.

    Hansen hugged her with a proud smile on his face. His woman was perfect and of course he was happy. He thoughtof those legs wrapped around his waist and the fact that he could touch them freely. There was an uncontroble joy in his heart.

    The sun was shining, and the sky was a clear blue. The sea was a deep green, and not even a single speck of dust could be seen.

    At that time, the both of them were very rxed.

    Jenna was lying on the beach all morning. The beach, the sun and the water, they were all Jenna¡¯s favorites and she was lying downfortably and enjoying it all.

    Hansen onlyid down with her for a while. It was too boring for him so he went off to surf.

    What Jenna never expected was that he was so proficient at surfing, especially since he had a strong and well-proportioned figure. He rose into the sky with the huge waves, flexibly and boldly fighting against the waves; it was like he was a warrior.

    Jenna watched him surfand watched him leave arge number of people behind him, secretly admiring him.

    Around the beach, there were hotels of different sizes and styles. Hansen and Jenna were staying in one of the more modern hotels there.

    After eating lunch, they only had a short time to rest and Hansen dragged Jenna to swim in the sea.

    The colorful fishes were the most beautiful creatures in the ocean.

    Jenna put on her diving goggles and dived into the sea to look at the beautiful coral reefs.

    In the blue waters, the fishes were swimming leisurely around. The fishes here knew that people would not hurt them so they weren¡¯t afraid of the people around them at all.Instead, they swam around the people joyfully.

    ¡°Hey,e and eat this,¡± Jenna ced ck fish food in her palm and gestured affectionately at a beautiful piebald fish.

    The fish smelled the scent, and quickly moved closer, opened its greasy mouth, and swallowed the fish food in Jenna¡¯s hand.

    Jenna giggled.

    Several more bits of food were taken out.

    The scent drifted away, and many fishes swam over, robbing her of fish food.

    The soft fish mouth touched Jenna¡¯s palms; it was itchy and she giggled.

    Hansen¡¯s big palm was stroking her waist, rubbing it, causing her to itch, and she couldn¡¯t concentrate on ying with the fishes at all.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cause trouble, Hansen,¡± Jenna objected and nced at him. This guy would never stop harassing her. They had not been separated from each other for the past days but after a short while, he was here again to bother her and keep her from ying with these cute fishes.

    Jenna pouted andined.

    ¡°You would rather leave your husband alone for those little guys?¡± Hansen turned out to be like a child and became jealous of the fishes.

    What was this?

    Jenna didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry.

    Another group of colorful goldfishes swam towards her and her eyes widened with surprise.

    She hastily took out the fish food to tease the fishes.

    All the fish rushed toward her and kissed her, causing her to giggle and itch.

    Suddenly, a powerful palm pushed her from the bottom of the water and pulled her against his slippery chest.

    The fishes also followed and surrounded them, circling around them.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth were slightly raised, and his big palm lingered on the woman. He then lowered his head and nibbled her fleshy earlobe in his mouth.

    Jenna was amazed by the harmony between the man and the fishes, and was suddenly awakened by a tingling sensation. At that moment, an electric current rushed toward her limbs, making her whole body soft and weak.

    ¡°Hansen, no, I want to feed the fishes,¡± she said softly.

    Hansen put his arms around her, but her hands kept stretching out, causing the fishes to keeping around.

    ¡°Okay, feed the fishes.¡± Hansen gritted his teeth; he was not happy.

    He specially led her to the waters where there were not many people and wanted to have an unforgettable passionate kiss with her. He had long heard that kissing underwater was ecstatic, butthis woman only cared about fishes. However, she was in high spirits and he couldn¡¯t bear to disrupt her.

    The night breeze blew softly and it wasfortable and gentle.

    The colorful Hawaiian night had arrived, bringing a new round of excitement.

    ¡°Are you finished?¡± Hansen asked while looking at Jenna, who was just as carefree as the fishes.

    His hands lingered on Jenna¡¯s body, thinking that the skin on her body was smoother than the fishes in the water. He was getting excited and he wantedto swallow her whole now.

    In normal times, he didn¡¯t have such good patience, but today, they had nothing important to do, thushe had more patience. Furthermore, he felt that passion underwater was like old wine;it needed to be brewed slowly, so he was not in a hurry.

    Imagining Jenna¡¯s soft figure and pretty face underwater, he could not imagine how ecstatic that would be.

    When he thought about it, he felt like the bones in his body became soft in an instant as all the different emotions overwhelmed him.

    Over the past few days, under Hansen¡¯s careful conditioning, Jenna¡¯s face had be rosy, fair and tender. She was very seductive.

    Hansen¡¯s questioning gaze swept overher face. Jenna could feel hisrge hands constantly stroking her, making her heart beat faster and her face turn redder. Looking into his eyes that were glowing with a dark light, she long understood his mind so she deliberately broke away from him and swam away.

    Her body slipped away from his palm like a loach. When Hansen felt his arms empty, his heart sank.

    Little b*tch, how dare you tease me? Are you doing this on purpose to hamper my appetite? You must be out of your mind.

    When Jenna swam away from him, there was a sly smile on her face which did not escape his eyes. This little yfulness made him more excited, and his whole body was full of passion. This woman dared to y these little tricks in front of him, so she was really courting death. The strong desire to conquer her was directly ignited in his heart.

    Woman, you¡¯re still too young to y these tricks on me.

    He plunged into the water suddenly, took a deep breath and swam forward like an eagle pouncing on a chick. He caught her tender white feet and pulled hard. Eventually, the soft loach was back in his arms.

    ¡°No, Hansen.¡± Jenna was caught by him and could not get out again, so she pitifully begged for mercy.

    Her voice was soft, and there was a brilliant blush on her face. It was so dazzling that Hansen couldn¡¯t open his eyes. She was already this charming before they had started, so what if¡­

    The intimate scenes shed across his mind. Hansen was breathing fast, and no matter how much she begged for mercy, he lowered his head impatiently, his burning lips pressed against her red lips, and his hot body wrapped around her tender one.

    They sank to the bottom¡­

    The woman¡¯s hair was floating in the water like floating algae. Her small face was red, and her delicate little face had a pair of bright eyes that were like the stars in the sky. She was indeed fascinating no matter how he looked at her.

    Hansen¡¯s enthusiasm was like fire. He had waited all afternoon, and finally this moment had arrived¡­

 Chapter 140 Stay With You Forever

    Jenna waspletely surrounded. Her whole body was on fire, and her limbs trembled.

    Hansen held her lips in his mouth and he tried to swallow her fiercely. She gradually felt ufortable and could no longer breathe;her chest felt like it was about to explode.

    Hansen realized her difort, and after a while, he let go of her lips and let her take a mouthful of air.

    She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, and the two floated up and down in the water.

    Because of buoyancy, their passion underwater showed no signs of disappearing. They were connected to each other and they had achieved a whole new level of togetherness.

    Hansen¡¯s lower abdomen was frantic and turbulent, as if he had a force in him that he needed to vent.

    With the buoyancy in the water, he mmed into her violently.

    ¡°Look, the volcano has erupted.¡± They vaguely heard deafening shouts in the water.

    Jenna opened her eyes and looked at the bottom of the water.

    Hansen¡¯s passion had reached the peak and he was like a galloping horse on the grasnd, sprinting with all his strength.

    The greatest pleasure struck her body. Jenna felt suffocated, her toes curledand a soft moan caused her convulsions as she felt like she was being twisted into a ball. Hansen came passionately in her body.

    When he reached his peak, Jenna saw a paste of red hot magma flowing out of the volcano.

    The eruption of the small volcano colored half the sky red.

    It was thrilling and spectacr.

    The light from the volcanic eruption illuminated the bottom of the sea. Hansen saw that Jenna¡¯s face and body had reached their peak.She was the most beautiful flower he had ever seen. She was dazzling and owned a ce in his heart, firmly shackling his body and mind from then onwards.

    The spewing sparks all turned into fireworks, scattering one by one, before falling to the bottom of the sea.

    Jenna finally realized what he was referring to when he told her to swim in the sea. It was a new trick for Hansen to be intimate with her. Only he, a lunatic, could think of such a passionate thing.

    However, the pleasure in it also exposed her body and mind to unprecedented stimtion.

    On the beach, Jenna copsed softly.

    Hansen hugged her with a look of satisfaction andfort from the passion.

    On the beach were countless tourists from all over the world. At that moment, they were lying on the beach under the night breeze, enjoying the beauty of the night.

    ¡°Honey, you must be tired,¡± Hansen stroked her hair with his hand and whispered in a low voice. After being in the water for a long time, they were really tired, and the passion underwater had consumed a lot of energy. Jenna was lyingzily and did not respond to him.

    Their n was to enjoy themselves here for three days, and then return to A City.

    Hansen¡¯s hand stroked the diamond ring on her ring finger. The eye-catching diamond glowed softly in the night. He was very satisfied. He picked up her pale porcin-like finger and repeatedly praised, ¡°Well, it looks good.¡±

    Jenna closed her eyesand there was a slight smile at the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°Come on, put it on for me.¡± Hansen took out a brocade box from his bag and opened the brocade box. There was a bright light shining from inside, and Jenna was stimted into opening her eyes. A diamond ring simr to hers appeared in Hansen¡¯s hand. The diamond ring was shining with a soft light, and Jenna¡¯s eyes widened quickly.

    ¡°What is this?¡± She asked in surprise.

    ¡°A diamond ring,¡± he smiled faintly and replied softly.

    Jenna sat up in shock, took the diamond ring in his hand, and looked at it carefully. The diamonds were all so big. Compared to the one in his hand, the two patterns matched exactly.This ring and the one that she was wearing made a perfect pair!

    However, why didn¡¯t she see him buy it that day? When did this happen?

    ¡°Silly girl, what are you thinking? These are a pair of couple rings. There is only one pair in the world. I customized it based on yours. Only we have it. It symbolizes our evesting love,¡± seeing her expression, he exined gently.

    Only then did Jennae to her senses.

    It turned out that when he saw this diamond ring in the jewelry store the other day, he asked the owner of the jewelry store to custom-make another ring. There would be no other identical rings in the world; they were unique.

    No wonder she didn¡¯t see Hansen wearing it at that time; he had rushed to have it custom-made.

    When a courier came to look for him that day, she thought it was something else and didn¡¯t think too much of it. It turned out that the ring was done and it was delivered to him.

    She bit her lip lightly and put the rings together. The soft light of the moon in the night sky excited her, and the hands holding the ring were trembling slightly.

    Hansen¡¯s slender fingers were very seductive in front of her.

    Maybe she was too excited, Jenna tried several times, and only then did she manage to put the ring onto his finger. It was just right,neither too big nor too small.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m only giving you this now,¡± he gently embraced her and kissed her on the forehead while apologizing.

    Suddenly, tears flowed from Jenna¡¯s eyes after hearing him say so. Although this day arrived a little toote, Jenna felt extremely happy.

    She snuggled her head in his arms, held him tightly with her hands, and wept quietly.

    ¡°Silly girl, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Hansen heard her suppressed crying. The apology that had been hidden in her heart slowly emerged. Apanied by her aggrieved cry, he felt more and more flustered. He then sighed heavily.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Jenna blew her nose and shook her head. All the grievances and dissatisfaction disappeared. She stretched out her hands to wrap them around his neck. She kissed his lips, and whispered in his ear, ¡°Hansen, thank you.¡±

    After finally getting her response, Hansen smiled lightly and hugged her tightly.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry, I neglected youst time. Let¡¯s forget about the past,¡± he whispered softly, kissing her lips and tears. After a long time, he whispered in her ear, ¡°Jenna, we will remarry once we get back to A City.¡±

    His words were soft and gentle, but very firm. Jenna¡¯s heart was filled with happiness and she was touched at once;the tears flowed again. She seemed to have an infinite storage of tears in her now.

    In his arms, she held him tightly and nodded with tears.

    Hansen saw her nod and he sighed. With a smile, he wiped her tears and hugged her tightly. He felt extremely guilty in his heart.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jenna, I will repay you twice.¡±

    The woman he deeply loved was scarred all over her body.

    They had lost four years¡¯ worth of time. He didn¡¯t want to lose any more time. He wanted a happy time that belonged to them. He stared at the stars in the sky, and they blinked in the sky, witnessing their promise.

    However, there was an inexplicable heaviness in his heart, and his eyes shed with determination.

    Jenna did not want to think about other matters now. At that moment, she waspletely satisfied.

    She finally got the love of Hansen, and it was so real!

    She could be sure that Hansen really loved her. She also believed in him; he had always been able to get anything done as long as he was determined.

    With his promise, her heart had never been so full.

    The twoid together in an embrace, like Siamese dolls, inseparable.

    At that moment, she forgot Marissa, Aria, even her father who died tragically, and her mother who was undergoing surgery in the hospital. She forgot everything¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry, let¡¯s go and eat.¡± After a long time, Hansen suggested faintly. Jenna nodded, and the two stood up.

    They were indeed a little hungry and they walked towards the restaurant.

    A bronze statue with a beautiful face stood in the front corner of the restaurant.

    Jenna suddenly stopped.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    This was the bronze statue of Queen Liliuokni of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

    She stood before her in admiration.

    Initially, when looking at the statue, Jenna¡¯s heart was still happy and content, but suddenly, it was upied by a wave of unease. The feeling became stronger, and her heart became more uneasy over a long time.

    The lush shadow of a tree was printed on it, and the shadow fluttered.

    The queen spent the second half of her life alone in the Washington mansion surrounded by greenery. Even as the queen, she did not escape the loneliness that most people feared.

    Suddenly there was a feeling, a very bad feeling, rushing into Jenna¡¯s heart. Although it was only a few seconds, it still made her shiver all over.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look, let¡¯s go.¡± Hansen saw Jenna looking at the statue in a daze and found it funny. He was really hungry. He hugged her and left the spot. How could a man notice the delicate mind of a woman? Somehow, he still saw the panic and loneliness in her eyes. He became surprised and turned to look at the bronze statue.

    ¡°What are you thinking about? Your husband is beside you but you pay more attention to a bronze statue, silly woman,¡± he teased her softly.

    ¡°Hansen, do you know who she is?¡± Jenna asked softly.

    ¡°Who?¡± Hansen was not really interested in these bronze statues. Of course, it was a celebrity if she was carved into a bronze statue, but there were many celebrities, so how could Hansen possibly know them all? Besides, there was no need for him to do so. He had been busy with his work and had other things to worry about.

    ¡°She¡¯s Queen Liliuokni of the Kingdom of Hawaii,¡± Jenna exined sadly while looking lonely. ¡°She was lonely for theter part of her life.¡±

    It turned out that this was the reason. It seemed like this woman felt loneliness when she saw the statue. Hansen understood her thoughts and couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. ¡°You woman, are really weird. What is it about you? Do you need to feel sad for her? She¡¯s the Queen. Her situation was much moreplicated than yours. Don¡¯t worry, no matter what, you won¡¯t be a queen.¡±

    Hansen joked with a smileand touched Jenna¡¯s face with his hand. Her face was cold and Hansen couldn¡¯t help frowning, thinking that she was scared by her previous experience and hadnow recalled her memories from the past. He couldn¡¯t help butfort her and say, ¡°Silly girl, you are my wife. I will stay with you forever. In other words, you will be happier than her. Although I can¡¯t make you the queen of Washington, you will definitely be the queen of Richards Manor.¡±

 Chapter 141 Something Happened to Alvin

    With a ¡°puff¡±, Jenna was amused by his words. Although it was ridiculous, his words were heart-warming. He really warmed her heart, and there was no more hurt.

    Jenna had to admit that this was the best promise that she had ever heard. She was almost unsure and could not believe it. Hence, she stopped, took Hansen¡¯s hand, and asked, ¡°Hansen, is it true? Is what you say true? That you will stay by my side forever?¡±

    She looked up at him with her small, surprised face andstared at him, expecting him to say yes. Her voice was so loud, for fear that Hansen could not hear her.

    Everyone passing by the road looked at them. Those who didn¡¯t understand Tambendnguage found them strange, and those who could understand their conversation gave them friendly smiles.

    Hansen was infected by her enthusiasm. Heughed and responded loudly, ¡°Honey, of course this is true. Since when have I lied to you?¡±

    He suddenly bowed his head and kissed her passionately. He wanted to show her his answer with his actions. After a long time, he picked her up and swung her around mid-air.

    Jenna felt like she was in the sky, spinning quickly. She floated up and saw a sky full of stars. They were so bright and beautiful, filling her heart with joy.

    They bothughed happily.

    Their ne flew through the clouds. After the trip in Hawaii thatsted a few days, Hansen and Jenna finally embarked on a flight back to A City.

    The closer they got to A City, the faster Jenna¡¯s heartbeat became. It was not until Hansen held her hand tightly that she calmed down slowly, but somehow, her heart still felt ufortable.

    The two of them interlocked their hands and were very close. Hansen didn¡¯t care whether there was any media personnel around, and he continued to hold her intimately, which made her feel very touched.

    ¡°Hansen, I want to go to the hospital to see my mother first,¡± she leaned against Hansen¡¯s arm and put her head to Hansen¡¯s ear and whispered. She had been away for many days. Thus she was very worried about her mother. The anxious feeling became more obvious as time passed.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Hansen responded readily and thoughtfully.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna smiled happily.

    ¡°Honey, this is what I should do.¡± Hansen patted her hand and gave her a friendly smile.

    The two looked at each other and smiled.

    Jenna put her face on his shoulder and smiled crookedly.

    ¡°Silly woman,¡± Hansen muttered and smiled secretly in his heart. She became so happy after getting her little request fulfilled. She was easy to please and was easily satisfied.

    He only thought about it in his heart as he held her tightly.

    The ne soonnded at the airport in A City.

    Hansen took Jenna through the passage and walked out of the airport.

    Shortly after getting off the ne, his phone started to ring fiercely.

    Hansen frowned, took out the phone from his pocket, swiped the screen, and answered the call.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I have bad news. Something¡¯s happened to Alvin,¡± as soon as he answered the call, the voice on the other end of the phone came through. It was anxious, uneasy, and nervous.

    ¡°What, exin what you mean.¡± Hansen was startled. His face changed and he yelled in a deep voice, but his heart sank.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Alvin was attacked in a basement parking lot just now. He was shot in the chest and is now in aa. He is now in a dangerous condition and he¡¯s bleeding a lot,¡± the male voice exined anxiously over the phone.

    What! Hansen¡¯s breathing paused, and his face turned pale. Alvin was his right-hand man and had worked for him for a couple of years. He had to stay fine and healthy! The cold light in his deep eyes was like sharp lightning. He looked up to see Jenna looking at him nervously, so he turned to the other side and continued the phone conversation.

    ¡°Quickly, send him to the hospital for emergency treatment. He must be fine. I¡¯ll be there soon,¡± he almost snarled with his hurried tone. There was a burst of difort in his heart. Alvin was his right arm and was a very capable person. If he was gone, Hansen would lose his strong support.

    Jenna saw Hansen¡¯s serious expression, and he walked away from her. Knowing that he didn¡¯t want her to hear what he was saying, she stopped following him while trying to guess who was the one that had called him. Secondster, she saw Hansen end the phone call and stride toward her.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry. I can¡¯t apany you to see your mother in the hospital. I¡¯ll be there another day. You go to the hospital by yourself, and then go directly back to Richards Manor. There is a car outside to pick you up,¡± Hansen hurriedly spoke to her, then turned and strode away.

    Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. What had happened? She had never seen Hansen this anxious and nervous before. Although he kept it from her and did not let her listen in on the call, she knew that something serious must have happened or Hansen would not be this nervous.

    What could it be?

    An ominous premonition strung up from the bottom of her heart. Watching Hansen¡¯s back get further away from her, she somehow felt that something was being separated from her body, step by step. She felt pain and disappointment in her heart.

    However, he was a man and hehad his own business to deal with;she couldn¡¯t be following him all the time!

    In the hospital, Sara was sitting in front of the bed and eating some fruits with a smile; Aunt Lee was by her side.

    Seeing Jennae in, Aunt Lee stood up with a smile. ¡°Hello, Miss.¡±

    Jenna smiled. After careful conditioning, Sara¡¯splexion had improved significantly.

    These days, Jenna often sent photos of herself with Hansen to Sara, so that Sara wouldn¡¯t worry about her.

    After all, she needed to recover more before she could undergo the operation.

    The photos by Jenna was not the only reason for Sara¡¯s good mood. Jenna had often sent her simr photos before, but the news from Jenna was always different. This time, the ce that she took the photos was really simr to the photos taken by the news media of her and Hansen travelling abroad. It was published on the front page of the newspapers. In the photos, Jenna was smiling brightly, while Hansen had a doting smile on his face too. Hansen¡¯s affectionate gaze came from his heart, and they didn¡¯t seem to be pretending.

    The updates sent by her daughter were highly consistent with the news media. Only then was Sara relieved and she confirmed that the rtionship between her daughter and son-inw was very good.

    This was what that made her happy, and everything else no longer mattered.

    Therefore, she was now smiling happily.

    Jenna¡¯s face had indeed filled up. Even herplexion was brilliant. Sara was very satisfied.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, I bought a rehabilitation machine from Los Angeles. It is said to be very effective for the rehabilitation of vegetative people. Also, I have arranged for a famous doctor, Maxson, toe and see you. He will be here in just a few days. Don¡¯t worry. I will definitely try my best to cure your illness,¡± Jenna stood in front of Trevor¡¯s bed and said softly. She was massaging his body while speaking.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, I have good news. Hansen has agreed to quit smoking,¡± Jenna said with some excitement.

    She was very pleased that Hansen really fulfilled his promise and quit smoking over the few days.

    Whenever he craved nicotine, he would hug her instead. Jenna was happy. If her body allowed him to correct these bad habits, she was willing to devote herself. Besides, that devotion itself was also very pleasant. Hansen definitely had the ability to make her happy.

    Thinking of this, her face turned red. After hesitating for a while, she spoke in a low voice, but her voice was very faint, ¡°Uncle Richards, Hansen said that he loves me and will apany me through this life. I have also promised Hansen that I will not leave him in this life, because I love him, love him very much. I cannot live without him. Please forgive me.¡±

    ¡­

    Jenna massaged him and spoke to him softly. She stayed with him the whole afternoon, telling him some happy stories, especially the happy moments she had with Hansen. When she mentioned the really funny moments, she wouldugh too.

    Seeing that it was gettingte, she knew that the nursing staff of Richards Manor wasing soon. Thus, she hurried out of the ward and went downstairs.

    What was more disturbing in her heart was her worry for Hansen.

    When they first got off the ne, he hurried away with an anxious face. A few hours had passed, yet she still did not hear anything from him and he didn¡¯t call her either. As long as she thought of this, she felt like her heart was being scratched by a cat, anxious and painful. She couldn¡¯t wait to head back to Richards Manor as soon as possible.

    She knew that as long as Hansen¡¯s affairs were dealt with, he would definitely return to Richards Manor to apany her. As he said, he wanted her to be the queen of Richards Manor.

    Outside the operating theatre of the hospital, Hansen had a gloomy face and a cold gaze. He was standing in the corridor, his tall figure exuding an awe-inspiring air.

    Glenn Welch, the best surgeon in the hospital, was operating on Alvin in the operating theatre.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    The red lights in the operating theatre were shing, and Hansen¡¯s eyes were about to burst into mes.

    His man was actually shot by someone, so it was simply an insult to him.

    Two tall, strong young men in ck were standing beside him.

    ¡°John, what the hell is going on?¡± Hansen asked quietly with his beautiful eyebrows furrowed like twisted ropes.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, this is what happened. Today, we were nning to go out with Alvin to deal with some matters. The moment we got to the basement carpark, a gunshot sounded and it hit Alvin. It was so sudden,so Alvin didn¡¯t have time to dodge and got shot right in his left chest,¡± John, who was slightly dark-skinned, recalled in fear, his face looking horrible.

    ¡°Did you see the person who was firing the shot?¡± Hansen¡¯s face was stiff, his eyes were sharp, and his voice was cold and hard.

    D*mn it, how dare that person fire a gun in broad daylight? It was an extremely bold and arrogant act. Moreover, it happened on Hansen¡¯s territory and his man was the one that was injured.

    D*mn it!

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the man ran away after firing the shot. We searched the parking lot for a long time and didn¡¯t see any suspicious figures,¡± John was very discouraged and answered carefully.

    The blue veins on Hansen¡¯s forehead became obvious, and the cold light lingered in his unpredictable eyes. His face was terribly cold.

 Chapter 142 Miss Him

    ¡°Have the police arrived?¡± Hansen asked.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we called the police, but those useless police officers couldn¡¯t find any evidence at all, and asked they only asked one of our men to record a statement. What a waste of time,¡± John felt helpless.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I think this matter has something to do with Brock. Would you like us to call up our men to teach them a lesson? They are really brave to even try to bully us,¡± another young man was even more anxious and couldn¡¯t wait to take revenge for what had happened to Alvin.

    Hansen waved his hand after thinking for a while; his eyes were gloomy.

    At that moment, he had to first rescue Alvin. He couldn¡¯t let anything worse happen to him.

    He was not so impulsive about taking revenge.

    Obviously, things had be more and moreplicated, but it could also be seen that their opponent could no longer stay calm.

    They even dared to hurt his man!

    They must have noticed that Alvin was investigating the Javon Murphy case.

    Thus, they made a move. This was a warning to him!

    Anyone could imagine howplicated this was. Jenna¡¯s tearful face appeared in his mind again. What kind of pressure had she been living under? If this matter was not resolved, they would never have a peaceful life. Now, they were not sure who their enemies were, but their enemies knew them, and there was still a lot for them to worry about.

    He felt irritated.

    Did they want to prove their strength to him? Hansen had never been afraid. He was very sure that he could definitely solve this one day.

    Jenna¡¯s car rushed into Richards Manor as fast as lightning. Then, she got into the electric car and headed straight towards Green Jade Garden.

    Had Hansene back?

    After she left for a few hours, she suddenly realized that she missed him so much and wanted to see him. They had been together for so many days. Now, she panicked every time they were separated, even if it was just a while. She was even more worried when she saw him left in a hurry.

    The lights in the living room were still brightly lit.

    Marissa and Aria were chatting on the sofa happily. Jenna did not see Hansen anywhere.

    Her heart sank and she walked into the living room. Facing Marissa, she politely said ¡°Hello, Auntie¡±.

    Marissa was wearing a blue dress with dark flowers and a fur overcoat. Although it was already cold outside, it was as warm as springtime inside Green Jade Garden.

    The entire Richards Manor was equipped with a central heating system, which maintained the humidity and temperature in the house, and made people feel warm andfortable.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Marissa responded. She had already heard that Jenna worked very hard in Richards Group, and that she contributed a lot during the press conference. Now, Marissa treated her much better than before.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re back, let¡¯s have dinner together,¡± Marissa spoke lightly.

    As Jenna was walking fast just now because of her worries, her face was very red. Although she looked worried, after being cared for and pampered by Hansen for many days, her appearance had be very attractive, and she looked energetic with her petite body. Even Marissa was secretly praising her.

    She was not just beautiful, but her temperament was also energetic and youthful. This was beyondparison with Aria. No wonder her son couldn¡¯t forget her.

    If Hansen was willing to marry Jenna as a concubine, she would be able to inherit Richards Manor, and at the same time, it would not affect Hansen¡¯s marriage with Aria either. In that way, she will not have to be in a dilemma. This was the best solution for the Richards family.

    Of course, the condition was that Jenna had to be willing to do it. Marissa lifted the corner of her mouth when she thought of this.

    ¡°Aunt E, pour a ss of water for Vice President Murphy,¡± Marissa said to Aunt E who was standing nearby.

    ¡°Yes, Madam,¡± Aunt E said with a smile and left.

    Marissa intentionally didn¡¯t call Jenna ¡°Young Madam¡± in front of her servants. In her heart, Jenna was at most Hansen¡¯s concubine. Only Aria with such a grand status and background was worthy of the address of Mrs. Richards.

    ¡°Jenna, I haven¡¯t seen you in a long time. I heard that you went abroad?¡± Aria asked. She had already figured out Marissa¡¯s thoughts and changed her attitudepletely. She would not let Marissa think that she was a mean person who refused to share her husband with another woman. She still had many opportunities to drive her away in the future anyway. Moreover, it was normal for a man to have a mistress now. Thus, she enthusiastically stood up and said hello to her immediately. ¡°Come, Jenna, let¡¯s sit together.¡±

    Seeing Aria¡¯s red lips, Jenna felt disgusted and sickened from the bottom of her heart. Moreover, Aria¡¯s unusual enthusiasm towards her made her feel goosebumps all over her body. However, now, even if she was unwilling, she couldn¡¯t show it in front of Marissa, otherwise, it would make Marissa think that Jenna was rude.

    What was more, her rtionship with Hansen had be better now. That was why she couldn¡¯t let Marissa have a bad impression of her.

    ¡°Green Mountain Automobile City had some technical problems rted to the car production, so I had to go and have a look,¡± Jenna smiled faintly and replied. Then she sat down on the sofa and asked worriedly, ¡°Auntie, Hansen isn¡¯t back yet?¡±.

    Her furrowed eyebrows clearly showed her anxiety. She was restless after sitting down, and it was obvious that she cared about Hansen very much.

    Marissa was very satisfied with Jenna¡¯s care for her son. She spoke with a rare smile on her face, ¡°Weren¡¯t you with him? Howe you don¡¯t know if he is back? We were about to ask you. We were sitting here waiting for you both.¡±

    She said so many things in one breath, which was also rare during normal times.

    However, Jenna¡¯s heart sank a little, and she didn¡¯t care about her expression at all.

    Aria¡¯s face darkened, but she soon smiled too.

    ¡°I¡¯m calling him,¡± Aria said cheerfully, picking up the phone and started dialing.

    ¡°I am sorry, the number you have dialed is turned off.¡± All of them heard the voiceing from the speaker of the mobile phone, and they were all silent.

    Marissa started to feel nervous at that moment.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay. I forgot that Hansen told me when he left today that he had something to do so he wille backter. Let¡¯s eat first. He probably wouldn¡¯te back for a while.¡± Jenna saw Marissa¡¯s nervous face and seemed to realize something. She thought for a while before she pretended to remember something.

    As soon as she said this, everyone in the room was relieved, especially Marissa. Hansen rarely ate in the Richards Manor all year round. It was normal that he wouldn¡¯t be back for dinner. Since he had told Jenna about it, they shouldn¡¯t worry either.

    Marissa stood up and invited everyone to eat first.

    It was alreadyte in the night, and Jenna was still sitting in the bedroom with an uneasy feeling.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    She held the phone up from time to time, wondering if she should call him or not.

    She remembered that she had never called him because she missed him, but now she not only missed him, but was also worried about him; she couldn¡¯t sleep at all.

    She paced back and forth in the bedroom while listening for sounds in the corridor outside from time to time. It was dead silent since it was already midnight.

    The night felt scarier now.

    The panic in Jenna¡¯s heart slowly increased. Only she knew that Hansen hurried away because something had happened.

    As for what had happened, she didn¡¯t know.

    In the investigation room, Hansen was sitting anxiously. John and a few strong men in ck were standing by one side.

    Deputy Chief Charles Grote sat in front of him.

    Hansen was reading the file in his hand, and he turned on the surveince camera footage from time to time to repeatedly watch the scene of Javon¡¯s car ident.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we are already investigating this case, but we are still at a loss until this day,¡± Charles said helplessly when he saw that Hansen was investigating the matter in person.

    ¡°Really?¡± Hansen sneered, watching the surveince camera footage. He suddenly raised his head and asked sarcastically, ¡°Mr. Grote, you guys are really responsible. Have you found anything suspicious about this case so far?¡±

    Charles thoughtfully nodded and said, ¡°This case? We have some suspicions, but after the perpetrator escaped, the case could not be further investigated anymore.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Hansen snorted and said coldly. ¡°What is impossible to find out? Can you be sure that the person who killed Javon was the perpetrator, not another murderer? You know, Javon is not an ordinary person. The public was not surprised when his death was reported. As a criminal investigator, don¡¯t you think that there is reason for suspicion?¡±

    Charles¡¯s face reddened and he was embarrassed. He looked at Hansen and solemnly said, ¡°Mr. Richards, we are only responsible for investigating the criminal case. We can¡¯t even tell anyone about the case, let alone disclose any information. As for whether the news media knows, that is not something we can control.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Hansen expressed sarcasm with his words and said mockingly. ¡°Of course this is not your business, but did you include this reason when you were investigating the case? It¡¯s such an obvious anomaly. Can you evade responsibility from it just because it isn¡¯t your business?¡±

    The case had been ongoing for so long, yet they didn¡¯t even find any clues; they even put it aside. What made Hansen even angrier was that they even ignored such important clues and said that it was none of their business. They were too careless.

    Charles was very angry, but he still squeezed out a sarcastic smile.

    Hansen looked at him, leaned back, and moved his hands forward. The night was alreadyte.

    ¡­

    ¡°Mr. Grote, I know Javon was your good friend. Don¡¯t you need to work harder to find out the truth for your friend,¡± Hansen sneered and asked.

    ¡­

    Charles¡¯s face was even more displeased. He dared not offend Hansen, but the police were also helpless regarding the cause of Javon¡¯s death. Recently, it had been found that the cause of his death may be rted to the Richards Group, but the vehicle could not be found, so they didn¡¯t dare to offend Hansen.

    After all, Hansen was cunning and savvy. Charles asked a question tentatively.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I am also very sorry about Minister Murphy¡¯s death. What should we do, from your point of view?¡±

    He knew that Mr. Richards was not an easy person to deal with. Although he seemed to be taunting him when he said that, he actually had another intention. Thus, he asked the question carefully.

    Hansen raised his eyebrow and slowly approached the table. He smiled slightly and asked calmly, ¡°Mr. Grote, I wonder if anyone has hinted to you anything about this case?¡±

    Charles was stunned when he heard the words. With a gloomy look on his face, he was ready to speak but the words could note out and he hesitated a few times. Charles looked at Hansen, who was pondering, and Charles continued to keep quiet.

 Chapter 143 The Feeling of Happiness

    ¡°Mr. Grote, if you have something to say, just say it.I came here today to hear the truth,¡± Hansen raised his eyebrows and said with a cold voice. He was very clear about these people. They would try to dy him as much as possible. If there was an order from above, dared they disobey it? Thus, they could only pretend to not know anything. Forget telling the truth, what they were doing to the victim was simply dragging their time.

    A minister-level official died. Since they could manage to block the news from the media, they must be able to take action on the police too. Hansen understood better than anyone else that the fairness and justice of society were determined only by the strong and powerful people.Hence, he was not hoping that they would help him either. The purpose he came for that day was to know if there was any superior person who gave them instructions or hints, so that he could know what to do next.

    Now that his beloved woman right-hand man had been hurt,he could no longer ignore it.

    Charles wanted to speak, but hesitated. He was obviously trying to hide something.

    Hansen leaned back against his chair, looked at him sharply, and sneered.

    Obviously, Charles¡¯s expression had revealed the truth of the matter. It seemed like there were some hidden secrets in this case, and it was definitely a powerful big shot who gave the order. If there was really someone who gave them the order, then he really couldn¡¯t count on them to solve the case anymore.

    Who could it be?

    Hansen¡¯s expression was dark and gloomy, and he stared directly at Charles.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, this matter really is quite troublesome. The vehicle that caused the ident is missing, and we can¡¯t find any evidence. We really can¡¯t do anything,¡±

    Charles knew that Hansen came over to personally intervene in the case that day, and it meant that he was concerned about this matter. However, the order he received was only a verbal statement from above. He did not know who was trying to cover up the case.Hence, he could only sigh and speak helplessly¡­

    ¡°Really?¡± Hansen lifted the corner of his mouth again and asked. He turned his face to the surveince camera footage again. As he got closer, he said, ¡°I think this car looks very familiar. If I am not mistaken, this is the Panika luxury car produced by our Richards Group. I wonder if you, Mr. Grote, think the same way?¡±

    Charles was shocked, and then he solemnly said, ¡°Mr. Richards, you can¡¯t simply say these things. This is very closely rted to the reputation of Richards Group. In addition, there is no real evidence, so we can¡¯t simply make guesses.¡±

    Not to mention that this matter was rted to the Richards Group. They would already have a headacheif it was only rted to a government official. Plus, why did Hansen want to point out his ownpany?Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Charles smiled, but there were a lot of thoughts running through his mind.

    Humph! Hansen snorted and ignored his words. He stood up and said coldly, ¡°Mr. Grote, if you continue to take this casually, when will you be able to find the real criminal?¡±

    Charles held his big belly and his experience as a police officer was clearly shown in his eyes. After spending a long time in this field, he was skilled at guessing the thoughts of others, especially the thoughts of the big shots.

    He secretly guessed Hansen¡¯s thoughts. Did he want to investigate the Richards Group or not?

    Generally, no one in business was willing to get involved in criminal cases, but what did Hansen mean?It was as if he was wishing that they would investigate. Was he determined to avenge his ex-wife?

    ¡°Mr. Grote, Alvin was shot and attacked in the underground garage today. Now, he is lying in the hospital, on the verge of death. No matter what, you have to give me an exnation. Javon is my father-inw. I will never allow his cause of death to remain unknown. If you find it difficult, I don¡¯t mind changing to someone else to investigate this case,¡± Hansen said. The expression on his face had be more ugly, and his eyes were getting fiercer; even his voice was terribly cold.

    For these people, Hansen had to be stern, showing that he didn¡¯t care about their feelings at all.

    Charles admitted that he had seen many big shots, but the majesty and domineering aura of the young man in front of him still made him tremble. He knew what this young man would do if he got angry.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, please don¡¯t worry. We will do our best about today¡¯s shooting case,¡± Charles said as he stood up with a smile.

    Hansen smiled bitterly suddenly and raised his face to say, ¡°Javon¡¯s car ident, Alvin¡¯s shooting; if this police station is just a good-for-nothing then I will personally call the Director of Public Security tomorrow. The Capital City Public Security Bureau will certainlye to rify with you about this case. No matter if there was a hidden hand behind you or not, the truth of this case must be revealed!¡±

    Charles¡¯s face turned paleand he said with a loud voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards, we will set up a special criminal investigation team tomorrow, with the famous detective, Jordan Yates, as the team leader. They will focus on this case.¡±

    Upon hearing Hansen mention the Director of Public Security, Charles was in a cold sweat. The Director of Public Security, Christopher Matthews, was young and promising. He was also Hansen¡¯s good friend. There were rumors saying that the position of the Director of Public Security was controlled by Hansen too. If Hansen really made a phone call to Christopher, then Charles would surely lose his position as the deputy chief. He was still nning to be the chief of this station. How could he bet his future on this case? Thus,he didn¡¯t dare to be careless again.

    Hansen ignored his ttery and hestood up with an expressionless face before walkingstraight out.

    A few bodyguards followed behind him closely, leaving everyone else stunned in the room.

    Charles wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath.

    ¡°John, continue to keep an eye on Norton, but you have to stay low key this time. Also, secretly send someone to search for Brock¡¯s whereabouts in the nightclubs and hotels in A City. If you find him, bring him in alive. You must find the man named Leon too, as soon as possible. Tell me as soon as you get the news,¡± Hansen calmly and decisively gave the order in the car.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were dim and he gazedinto the darkness for a long time.

    Alvin was lying unconscious on a hospital bed. Hansen was really not used to his days without him. Fortunately, Hansen had already cultivated another group of people.

    Soon, the car drove towards the street. In a dark ce, John and the others got out of the car and disappeared from sight.

    Hansen squinted at John and his disappearing figure,deep in thought. These police officers obviously received instructions from above and did not dare to further investigate Javon¡¯s case. However, he believed that they would take it seriously after that day.

    Jordan was a famous detective in A City. If he could investigate this case, then the truth might soon be uncovered.

    In spite of this, Hansen could not only rely on these police officers, who would investigate the case publicly. He still needed to hire gangsters to investigate the case secretly.

    In this way, the two working together and cooperating with each other could speed up the progress.

    Jenna¡¯s daring and resolute face appeared in front of him. He couldn¡¯t help but shake away his thoughts. This woman actually thought that she could find out the cause of her father¡¯s death with her own abilities; shewas too naive and it was ridiculous.

    They had been apart for a few hours, and yet the scent of her body was still on his clothes. Their lingering affection and passion towards each other in a foreign country was still in his mind, as if it was yesterday. A slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

    The car quickly drove into Richards Manor.

    After parking the car, he walked onto the road.

    Although the light from the street was very dim, he could seea figure standing in the dark from a distance.Hansen could easily recognize the thin, tall, and curvy figure with just a single nce.

    Why was she standing here?

    Hansen couldn¡¯t help but be stunned, quickening his pace.

    It waste at night, and the cold wind was howling. The night in A City was no better than in Hawaii. It was a bone-chillingly cold that even made people tremble.

    His face darkened and he walked quickly towards her.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re back.¡± Upon hearing the familiar footsteps, although his tall and stalwart figure was still far away, Jenna immediately recognized him. Sheran towards him, and spoke softly.

    Hansen met her in the cold night with surprise.

    Jenna quickly approached, but she did not dare to move forward. Her thin figure was trembling in the cold wind. She saw the surprise on his face, and also saw the sullen anger on his face.

    She just looked at him with her eyes wide open. Her big, bright eyes were full of worry and concern. She was too afraid of him to scold him so she didn¡¯t dare to move any nearer;it could be said that she wasn¡¯t used to being apart from him.She looked forward to his hug as eagerly as many women would. She missed the moments in his arms anddidn¡¯t want to let go, but she was shy and did not dare to express her thoughts and worries too clear to him.

    ¡°Why are you standing here in the cold wind?¡± He was surprised, but he asked softly, his face filling with sorrow.

    Jenna pursed her lips, not knowing how to answer because she was shy.

    Hansen looked at her expression and quickly understood what was going on.

    He felt a warm feeling rise in his heart. This woman cared about him!

    However, she didn¡¯t dare to approach him, or throw herself into his arms like Aria would do, hugging him and acting like a spoiled child. She just stood there timidly with her worries written all over her face andher nose flushed from the cold. Her cheeks were also bright red, and her shining bright eyes were like diamonds in the night, shing and dazzling, illuminating his heart.

    This kind of implicit concern made him even more shocked. He stepped forward, and held her cold hand.

    When he finally saw this woman cared about him, his heart was warm, and the exhaustion from the busy day suddenly disappeared. It was reced with the overflow of happiness in his heart.

    ¡°Hansen, why did youe back sote? Nothing happened, right?¡± She asked softly. The anxiety on her face could no longer be concealed and she almost cried.

    She looked fragile but she was also very adorable, especially with the concerns and worries that were vivid in her almond-shaped eyes; theyquickly prated into Hansen¡¯s heart.

    Hansen¡¯s heart was warm. He stretched out his hands to tighten his embrace.

    ¡°Silly girl, you will catch a cold if you continue standing in this night breeze with such thin clothes. I won¡¯t allow you to do so again in the future,¡± he said as he smiled indulgently and stroked her cheek with his hand. Her face was very cold and she was freezing. His heart couldn¡¯t help but tremble.His arms involuntarily held her tightlyand his tone was full of affectionate reproach, ¡°Remember, call me in the future if anything happens. Don¡¯t stand waiting for me in the cold night anymore.¡±

 Chapter 144 Great News

    Jenna¡¯s face was pressed against his sturdy chest, and the feeling of happiness rose in her heart. She did not regret standing in the cold wind for so long waiting for her sweetheart. It was worthwhile!

    ¡°I tried to call your phone but it was off,¡± she said. Her face was flushed instantly in his arms, pouting in dissatisfaction.

    Off? Hansen froze, took out the phone from his arms and turned it on to see that there were indeed several missed calls on it. Later, he remembered that he had turned the phone off when he was in the hospital when he was busy.It was no wonder that his phone was so quiet that day. He smiled and walked forward with Jenna in his arms.

    All the people in Richards Manor were already asleep, so it was very quiet now.

    Hansen took Jenna¡¯s hand and walked upstairs lightly.

    He went straight to the bedroom before he hugged and kissed her. ¡°Did you miss me?¡± The tone in his voice was vague, as if Jenna was a sweet cake, and he was already hungry.

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯ste.Let¡¯s go to sleep,¡± Jenna pushed him away gently and said softly. She was really worried about his body.

    ¡°Okay, my wife is so considerate.¡± After Hansen kissed her, he buried his head in her soft hair and smiledfortably.

    Jenna blushed and punched his chest lightly.

    Hansen grabbed her hand, kissed her a few more times, and only then did he reluctantly put her down. Hewent into the bathroomand took a shower.

    He put his arms around her and fell asleep quietly that night. It was the most peaceful and the heartfelt night for them in Richards Manor.

    There was a figure standing in the darkness at the end of the corridor. The night had swallowed her lonely figure.

    A fierce, vicious, terrible gaze shot straight out of her eyes. Her heart was filled with jealousy and anger. Her hands were clenched into fists. She bit her red lips and her whole body was shaking.

    Aria stood in the dark corridor and looked at them; jealousy had already long reced her sanity.

    She knew that they were back since Hansen held Jenna¡¯s hand and walked into the living room of Green Jade Garden.

    They held hands intimately and walked upstairs quietly; she had seen it all.

    They were so intimate and harmonious together; she could even see the happiness and affection on their faces clearly in the dark. They just walked quietly and fixed their gazes on each other, ignoring everyone besides themselves. Forget the dark night, even if it was daytime, they would also ignore Aria who was just standing beside them.

    That expression hurt her heart deeply.

    It seemed like their rtionship had undergone a 180-degree reversal whenthey went abroad. All the problems between them seemed to be all cleared up and their bond was deeper now.

    She had beenpletely abandoned by Hansen.

    Aria clenched her teeth and her fists at the same time.

    Jenna was really capable, huh? Not only did she manage to win Hansen¡¯s heart, she even made Marissa start to look at her differently.

    In the past, Marissa¡¯s face was either disgusted or annoyed whenever she saw Jenna, but now, it seemed like Marissa had started to like Jenna a little bit.

    Could it be that both Hansen and Marissa had a tacit understanding, because of Hansen¡¯s love for her, even Marissa started to like her?

    No, it couldn¡¯t be.

    If this continued to go on,Aria would have no ce to stand anymore in the future.

    She almost couldn¡¯t help but run up to Hansen when shesaw Hansen¡¯s figure just now.

    However, he was holding Jenna¡¯s hand. His face was so gentle as he indulged her. How would he care about Aria at this moment?

    Aria was cold, and at the same time, she had lost her confidence for the first time too.Hence, she didn¡¯t dare to run up to hug him and act coquettishly. Her instinct told her that if she ran up, Hansen would be cold to her and even berate her.

    Aria held herself back, but her heart was bleeding.

    It couldn¡¯t be like this. She had to fight for it, and take Hansen¡¯s heart back!

    The next day, Jenna got up early. To her surprise, Hansen got up earlier than her. When she opened her eyes, he was no longer in sight.

    This made her heart restless again. Even if it was morning exercise, it didn¡¯t need to be so early!

    What did he do?

    Hansen was a private person. There were some things that she couldn¡¯t ask if he didn¡¯t take the initiative to tell her.

    Given his personality, he would never tell women about his worries and problems.

    Jenna understood him well.

    She quickly washed up and headed to thepany.

    ¡°Good morning, Ms. Murphy.¡± As soon as she walked through the office of the design department of Richards Group, Reeva instantly greeted her with a smile. ¡°Ms. Murphy, Mr. Levin¡¯s ne is arriving at noon today.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Jenna replied and shecontinued, ¡°I will pick him up at noon. Please book the most luxurious hotel in A City in advance. The amodation and food provided must be satisfying for Mr. Levin. The banquet in the afternoon must be hearty and have them serve him hometown cuisine.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Reeva responded with a smile. Seeing the energetic Jenna with a healthy face, she knew that she probably had recovered from her illness. She understood everything after remembering that Mr. Richards was so caring towards Jenna.

    The atmosphere in the public rtions department and marketing department was pleasant too.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, there have been a lot of touristsing to Green Mountain City these days. It is said that they have alle to see the Green Mountain Lake monster. It seems like Green Mountain Lake is going to be famous,¡± Sylvia said, full of excitement.

    ¡°Yes, there have been a lot of rumors over the past few days that an unidentified animal was discovered in Green Mountain Lake. Everyone is talking about it now. All the news media are reporting it too! A few scientists have been sent to verify it.¡±

    ¡°The water in thiske and the environment of thiske is rare in this world. Camphor Tree Vi must be even more valuable now since it is located in such a great ce. After it is built, it will surely be bought at a good price, and then thend price will also increase significantly. I think Mr. Richards really has a great vision!¡±

    ¡°I heard that some foreign media are reporting about this too. It seems that Green Mountain Lake has be big news worldwide.¡±

    ¡­

    All the workers and staff were praising this matter.

    This incident blew up all over A City like a gust of wind in the night.

    It seemed that wherever you go, you could hear people discussing it, whether it was in a restaurant, a coffee shop, or a hotel. This situation could be clearly seen at the banquet for Jersey in the afternoon.

    Jenna had countless thoughts in her heart. In just a few days, how did the news spread so quickly? Could it be that this was deliberately hyped?

    What was the purpose of this? There must be some reason for it!

    Regardless, itwas great news, not only for Green Mountain Lake, but also for the property at Camphor Tree Vi. Suddenly, a thought came across her mind. Camphor Tree Vi? That was the idea Hansen came up with. Did he want to solve the problem of Camphor Tree Vi with this?

    It was actually possible.

    Jenna could not help but secretly scream in excitement in her heart.

    If an incineration nt needed to be built in such a beautiful ce, it would surely arouse a lot of opposition.

    The local government must be happy now. After all, this news had improved the city¡¯s reputation.

    Furthermore, the authority should also consider selecting another location for the incineration nt.

    If such a scenic spot was destroyed, it would not only be condemned by the world, but it would also rm the executives in Capital City. At that time, no one would be able to bear this responsibility.

    In all aspects, it was a good thing, not only for the Richards Group, but also for the locals.

    If this was what Hansen meant to do, it was totally possible, and it was consistent with his problem-solving style.

    Thinking of this, Jenna sped up and walked towards the office.

    What disappointed her was that Hansen¡¯s office was closed again, and he still didn¡¯t seem to havee to work yet.

    After spending so many days abroad, Jenna was not as hopeless as before. After all, they had confessed their feelings for each other, and he had made a promise to her too.

    She smiled and started to get busy.

    After so many days, a lot of things had piled up, waiting to be solved.

    Jenna was in charge of almost everything at Richards Group.

    Since Hansen wasn¡¯t in the office, all the decisions had to be made by Jenna.

    Thus, she was very busy all day.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Thinking about Hansen¡¯s previous job, it must be countless times busier than it was now, and as his ex-wife, she never cared about him either.

    Thinking of this, Jenna felt sorry and sorrowful for Hansen.

    With the busy day at work andgiven Hansen¡¯s trust and love, it could be said that Jenna was in a good mood to work.

    She busied herself in thepany during the day. She also took time to visit her mother and Trevor in the hospital at noon. Then, she finally returned to Richards Manor atte night,

    What made Jenna grateful was that no matter how busy Hansen was, he woulde back to apany her at night and sleep with his arms around her.

    Her mind also gradually settled down.

    Although Aria lived in the Richards Manor with them, she had been unusually quiet recently. It was not like her as Aria used to be angry at Jenna whenever she saw her,

    ording to the news, the filming of her movie was going very smoothly and it had entered the promotion phase now.

    Hence, she was also very busy.

    Due to the need for filming, she was not in Richards Manor most of the time.

    Thus, they also avoided some unnecessary awkward moments between them.

    Everything seemed to have moved in the right direction.

    Jenna began to look forward to her mother¡¯s surgery.

    Her mother¡¯s mood was very good recently, and her body was in good health too.

    In the hospital¡¯s intensive care unit room, a well-defined man with high cheekbones, Weldon Graves, was doing a whole-body check-up for Trevor. He brought a set of advanced equipment from abroad, and checked Trevor carefully. He was frowning from time to time; it seemed like he was thinking about something.

    ¡°Dr. Graves, how is the patient? Is there a chance for recovery?¡± After a long time, Weldon put away the equipment and raised his wrinkled forehead. There was some vague light in his blue eyes. Jenna was very anxious and couldn¡¯t wait to ask.

    Weldon gave her a dignified look. He kept his equipment away slowly, waved to Jenna, took her out of the ward, and said with certainty, ¡°Miss Murphy, there is a tumor developing in the patient¡¯s brainstem. The location of the tumor is very deep. My equipment is quite advanced so it could detect it. I rmend that he have surgery. I think if this disease is cured and the patient is treated properly after the surgery, he will recover soon.¡±

 Chapter 145 Earlâ€™s Mind

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes glowed andshe asked in surprise.

    ¡°He does have a high chance, but it isn¡¯t a 100% guarantee. This is up to your own judgment. You can refer to my rmendation. Of course, you can consider it carefully before making your own decision. Because the tumor¡¯s location is quite hard to reach, I suggest the patient go abroad for surgery that is more precise and there will be a lower risk as well,¡± Weldon shrugged his shoulders and made a suggestion.

    Jenna¡¯s face was filled with excitement. Since the problem was found, then everything could be easily solved.

    However, Weldon¡¯s words also made her think twice. After all, this was an important decision, so she still had to tell Hansen and discuss it with him. She dared not call the shots alone.

    She nodded immediately, then she thought of something and asked musingly, ¡°Dr. Graves, I discovered that the patient can move his fingers slightly these days. Does that mean that he is recovering?¡±

    These days, Jenna kept talking and massaging Trevor, and she found that several times, his fingers would move slightly when she was talking excitedly to him. She was about to jump up with joy when she saw it.

    After looking up a lot of information, she knew that this was a sign that a person in a vegetative state had begun to get better, so she decided to cure his illness too. She knew that there was a doctor in Los Angeles who was experienced in this field. Therefore, she didn¡¯t even consider it before she invited him here.

    Of course Hansen didn¡¯t know this yet.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Weldon nodded, smiled. Then he exined, ¡°The biggest reason this patient is in a vegetative state is that a brain tumor grew behind the brain stem, which is suppressing his brain cells. He may be agitated at the time so he fainted right away. The tumor was not big yet at the time, but it happened to be pressing down on the brainstem. Over the past few years, it has gradually grown and can be seen more clearly, but it is very difficult to reach. The risk of surgery is also high. In fact, the patient¡¯s brainstem is still working normally, so he can still perceive the stimulus from the surroundings. Even though he cannot move, he still knows about the people or things around him. Therefore, you should often tell him something interesting to stimte his brain cells.¡±

    With that said, did Trevor actually understand what she said?

    She was a little embarrassed when she thought of what she had told him about everything in life recently, but what she felt more was happiness. If he could recover, it would be the most wonderful thing in the world.

    As for going abroad for surgery, this was not a problem for the Richards family at all, but the risk was extremely high, so this had to be considered carefully.

    Weldon prescribed a lot of medicines and rmended some good doctors and hospitals to her. Jenna thanked him gratefully.

    Considering that Hansen might not believe her, she booked a big room in the hotel for him to rest first, and prepared to bring Hansen over to see his father in person.

    After sending Weldon off, Jenna felt more at ease.

    Jenna decided to tell Hansen the good news that night, and nned to bring him to see Weldon the next day and ask for his opinion.

    Marissa came to see Trevor at ten o¡¯clock in the morning every day. Jenna cleverly avoided her, but whether she should let her know, Jenna was still not sure about this. She thought this should be decided by Hansen.

    On the bed in the government hospital, Alvin looked pale and he had just woken up from aa. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Hansen standing in front of the bed with a worried face. His heart was warm and he started struggling to get up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Hansen bent down and held him down. He continued, ¡°Lie down and rest. Although the gunshot didn¡¯t hit your heart, it was still very dangerous.¡±

    Hansen was full of concern, which moved Alvin very much.

    Although he was a young and strong man, it was also extremely painful for him to even move slightly. He had no choice but toy down again; hewas unyielding and angry as he spoke.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, these people are too hateful. They ignored thew and even dared to kill people in front of everyone. It¡¯s too hateful.¡±

    Hansen resisted the pain in his chest. His eyes were sharp and he lowered his head before saying softly, ¡°Alvin, do you know who¡¯s trying to kill you?¡±

    Frustration shed across Alvin¡¯s resolute face, and he said to Hansen in a deep voice, ¡°Mr. Richards, if I am right, it is the person who harmed Javon. I have been investigating them in secret recently. Apparently, they know about it. They are sending us a warning, telling us not to investigate anymore, and this time, they are here for real and really want to kill me.¡±

    Alvin could barely even speak, but his eyes were full of anger.

    Hansen nodded silently, took out a cigarette, and was just about to put it in his mouth. He suddenly remembered something. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, and then he threw the cigarette into the ashtray on the coffee table.

    ¡°Alvin, thank you for your hard work.¡± He bent down, bowed his head and patted Alvin¡¯s shoulder. Then he said kindly, ¡°Take care and don¡¯t worry about it. I will avenge you. You still have a task after recovering from this injury.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Richards,¡± Alvin replied. He was a little touched. After all, Hansen¡¯s concern was revealed on his face.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, that guy named LeonGarverhas already fled to an overseas gangster organization, so he may be difficult to capture now. It will be difficult to reverse this case too. Mr. Richards, you must be prepared for this,¡± Alvin said worriedly.

    Hansen just smiled indifferently, but the expression on his face seemed to have another underlying meaning.

    ¡°Alvin, how is the Grand Eagles training now?¡± He lowered his head and asked softly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, don¡¯t worry, they are now trained. Ordinary people won¡¯t dare to go near them at all,¡± he said. A lightwith a hint of reliefshed in Alvin¡¯s eyes.

    Hansen nodded.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, even so, they can¡¯t fight the underworld gangsters. They have injuries on their hands and we don¡¯t know where they are,¡± Alvin said. His worries were reasonable too.

    Hansen smiled and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the police will cooperate with us.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Alvin let out a sigh of relief. Seeing Hansen¡¯s confidence, he felt calmer now.

    ¡°The storage location of that Panika luxury car cannot be known to anyone,¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes were dim as he urged Alvin again.

    Thest time Jenna saw that luxury car, she almost killed herself. It made him realize the importance of this car, so he sent someone to salvage it and keep it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no one knows,¡± Alvin nodded and said softly.

    Hansen walked to the window to look at the high-rise buildings in the city and he stayed silent.

    Who wanted to kill Javon? What was the reason? They were rmed by Alvin¡¯s investigation and were obviously flustered, so they were anxious to put Alvin to death, but they made a little mistake. Or did they deliberately let him survive to warn him not to be nosy? If they intentionally let him survive, it was even more terrifying.

    This showed that their opponent was skillful and could control the situation at will.

    Someone must be instructing them behind the whole thing. This car was very likely linked to that person. Thinking of this, his eyes narrowed and he became angry.

    In the living room of McAdams Manor.

    Aria was crying with tears on her face.

    Seeing her daughter¡¯s haggard and painful appearance, Georgia couldn¡¯t help but feel heartbroken.

    ¡°Earl, you must find a way. If this continues, Aria will soon be squeezed out of the Richards Manor.¡± Because of her daughter¡¯s situation now, Georgia, who always dressed up neatly, didn¡¯t even care about her appearance now. She just simply tied her hair and didn¡¯t even apply lipstick.

    Aria cried when she got home that morning. She didn¡¯t even eat or drink. Georgia had already figured out her situation in the Richards Family, and naturally knew the reason for her daughter¡¯s sadness.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°It seems like this woman is really threatening Aria¡¯s position in Richards Family. I didn¡¯t expect her to be so good at scheming. Now, Hansen haspletely turned to her side. Even Marissa¡¯s attitude toward her has improved. Aria ispletely lost now,¡± Georgia said resentfully with fire in her eyes.

    Earl was reading the newspaper, and when he heard Georgia¡¯s words, his face was angry, and he shouted at Aria, ¡°Aria, is Hansen so worthy of your love? Don¡¯t you think he doesn¡¯t love you at all?¡±

    Saying this, the light in Earl¡¯s eyes dimmed, and he looked annoyed by his daughter¡¯s sadness.

    His daughter was bad at handling her emotions. Love required the willingness of both the husband and wife, and this feeling could not be changed artificially by anyone.

    Over the past few days, people said that Green Mountain Lake was the ce where strange creatures had been discovered, and its great environment andmunity were hyped up by everyone too.

    Earl had long lived on thisnd since he was a child. How could he be unclear about Green Mountain Lake? The environment was good, and its geographical location was considered to be strategic too.

    However, it was not very ideal. It could be said that it was a remote ce. It was only because of the new subway line there, plus the real estate economy had overheated over the past few years, that this ce was affected and had managed to improve its reputation.

    Despite this, the entire Green Mountain City was located in a suburban area. Except for Green Mountain Lake, there were still many ces with equal advantages in A city. But only the Green Mountain Lake area had something strange happening. Moreover, the source of this hype was the asional ambiguous photos taken by a person from abroad when they traveled to Green Mountain Lake. There was a high chance that it was intentionally done by someone.

    However, who was this person?

    Earl had a hunch that it must have something to do with Hansen.

    He had to admit that this trick was indeed clever, and it really attracted many tourists. They all said it would bring a lot of curious people there, and they were right. Given the hype of the media, more and more tourists areing these days. Green Mountain Lake might possibly be famous overnight.

    The local government of Green Mountain City was happy about it. They began to submit letters requesting that Green Mountain Lake be included in the nature reserve zone. As a result, the waste incineration nt had to choose another location for construction.

    It was really clever.

    Hansen¡¯s Camphor Tree Vi was not far from Green Mountain Lake. This piece ofnd had been acquired by him at a low price. The building of the vis had also been approved by the municipal partymittee. The first phase of the project had been sessfullypleted and the construction phase could start smoothly soon.

    In this way, it had not only solved the problems of Camphor Tree Vis, but also raised its value. A vi that was built on a nature reserve zone, and equipped with a lot of high-end equipment, not to mention that a lot of people were already attracted to it,at the very least, the house prices will rise, amassing a great fortune.

 Chapter 146 Mean Words

    Earl apuded Hansen secretly in his heart. He admired his intelligence, but on the other hand, he knew that Hansen was not that simple and kind.

    What did that mean?

    It showed that Hansen wanted to solve this problem with his own ability and did not need to rely on him. He also no longer needed his daughter.

    It was obvious why he did this. He was already hinting his answer, whether he would choose Aria or Jenna.

    Boy, you were a man who didn¡¯t want to rely on a woman. This was great!

    ¡°However, you ignored my daughter and want to abandon her. Who do you think you are? If you wanted to trick us, I won¡¯t treat you any better either. I was the dignified Mayor McAdams. If you wanted to trick us, no matter how powerful you are, you still have to ask for my permission, okay?¡± He thought to himself

    In fact, Earl did notpletely oppose Aria¡¯s marriage to Hansen because he had his ns too.

    Of course, Earl was not willing to be just the deputy mayor. He wanted to go further. He wanted to be the mayor of the city. He also wanted the power and money of being a mayor. In A City, Hansen,one of the wealthiest men in the world,was undoubtedly the best candidate to help him. If Hansen could be his son-inw and support him, then he would be able to be the city¡¯s mayor.

    Of course, didn¡¯t Norton also want to be deputy mayor too? Earl was willing to join forces with the Richards family.

    What was more, Hansen was a talented person, good-looking, shrewd, and capable. He was suitable for his daughter too, if she married him.

    He just didn¡¯t expect Jenna to appear in the middle, and of course Hansen¡¯s grandmother was one of the obstacles; she was stubborn. Even if Jenna had great abilities, she was still Hansen¡¯s ex-wife. Without the support of Hansen¡¯s grandmother, she wouldn¡¯t be able toe back to the Richards Family, no matter how great she was.

    It was just that Earl never thought that Hansen¡¯s heart had long belonged to a woman. If Aria didn¡¯t y some tricks on him, he would never look at Aria at all, let alone develop their rtionship until this stage.

    ¡°Dad, I love Hansenand I fell in love with him a long time ago. You know that Hansen also loves me, and promises to marry me. If that woman didn¡¯te between us, we will already be married for a long time now,¡± Aria said with red eyes. ¡°Are you my real dad? Why can¡¯t you support me for once? Let me tell you, if I can¡¯t marry Hansen, I would rather die.¡±

    When Aria said this, she lost control of her emotions again, and she fell on the sofa and started crying.

    When Aria said she wanted to die, Georgia¡¯s face turned pale with fright. She still remembered thest time Aria tried to kill herself by using sleeping pills. She had only one daughter. If anything happened to her, what would she do for the rest of her life?

    Georgia stood up instantly while crying. She pointed at Earl and shouted, ¡°Earl, if something happens to my daughter, I won¡¯t forgive you. If a deputy mayor like you can¡¯t even help your own daughter with this matter, you really don¡¯t deserve to be her father!¡± At that point, seeing Aria run into the bedroom, Georgia worried that she would do something stupidso she hurriedly ran tofort her.

    Then both their cries came out of the bedroom.

    Earl¡¯s eyes were filled with deep and extremely dark light. From the feeling of annoyance at his daughter¡¯s sadness to the feeling of shock, and now he felt a chill creep down his spine. He only had one daughter!

    After a few days of busy work, Jenna finally solved thepany¡¯s problem, little by little. Fortunately, Hansen had cultivated many good workers and they were all obedient and respectful to Hansen. Hansen would only return to thepany every morning for a regr meeting, and then he would hurriedly leave afterward.

    After Jenna took over,they obeyed her as usual.

    In that way, Jenna¡¯s work was not so messy and exhausting.

    That night, Jenna felt a little tired, so she wanted to go back earlier to rest and get a good sleep.

    Just as she walked through the entrance of Green Jade Garden, she identally bumped into a person in the hallway.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Even though it was the other person who walked hurriedly and bumped into her, she took the initiative to apologize first. After all, she hoped for a peaceful life with the people living under the same roof.

    However, the person in front of her was not so friendly. After the ¡°idiot¡± bumped into her, she scolded Jenna fiercely. Her voice was anxious and annoyed. With a harsh and rude voice, she pushed Jenna back hard. At a nce, she seemed extremelycking in manners.

    Who was this person?

    She felt that that person was neither Marissa nor Aria. She was not even a maid from Green Jade Garden.

    After being pushed back by that figure, Jenna stood still, and thought that the rude voice was very familiar. She then looked up and was shocked!

    The hypocritical woman standing in front of her turned out to be Minnie Murphy.

    She was dressed in a sexy dress with heavy makeup and wasstaring at her viciously. Obviously, she did not expect that the person who came in to be Jenna. When she saw that it was Jenna, she pped her hands, smiled coldly, and looked at her with a mean expression.

    ¡°Minnie, how could it be you? What are you doing here?¡± Jenna blurted out, ignoring her rudeness. She was too surprised. How did Minnie get into Richards Manor?

    ¡°Why can¡¯t Ie here? Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯te here with your help anyway. Even though you don¡¯t want to help me, that doesn¡¯t mean that no one wants to help me,¡± she said, lookingcontemptuous and disdainful.

    What did she mean, did she live in Richards Manor now? Listening to her tone, it seemed like she was not just paying a visit here.

    Jenna could not help but furrow her eyebrows. She said with a face full of surprise, ¡°Who let youe here?¡±

    Her dark eyebrows furrowed and a suspicious light gleamed from her pitch-ck eyes.

    Minnie saw through her thoughts. Jenna was looking down on her because she couldn¡¯t find a job herself. However, there was actually someone who did want to hire her.

    ¡°Let me tell you, I am now Miss Aria¡¯s agent and I need to be by her side all year round. That is to say, where Miss Aria goes, I will follow her, okay?¡± Minnie said proudly, but it made Jenna gasp in disbelief.

    Unexpectedly, she woulde back to Aria again. She was really naive and ignorant. Aria had let go of herst timeso why did shee back again now? She was really looking for her own death now and there was no way to stop her.

    ¡°Unexpectedly, you are still so ignorant. She let you gost timebut you still want to look for your own death now. Don¡¯t me me for not warning you, because I have warned you, and I have done my duty,¡± Jenna smiled coldly and said disdainfully.

    ¡°What duty? To drive me out of Richards Manor? Everyone knows that I was driven out by you. Don¡¯t think that I will have nowhere to go if you push me into a dead end. Even if you don¡¯t need me, there are still people who need me. Let me tell you, you didn¡¯t treat me well beforeso I won¡¯t treat you any better either,¡± Minnie said coldly. With one of her eyebrows raised, the light in her eyes was so familiar. Jenna sometimes felt like she was looking into a mirror when looking into Minnie¡¯s eyes. After all, they are both from the Murphy family, and her gaze was so simr to her father¡¯s sometimes. Jenna suddenly felt pain in her heart.

    They were cousins!

    But why was her heart so cruel and so stupid?

    She wanted to get close to Aria and seek her own death. There was no way to stop her, and it could not be stopped.

    Thinking of this, Jenna sighed heavily and ignored her and walked inside.

    From time to time,ughter came from the living roomand she couldn¡¯t help but stop.

    Georgia¡¯s jewelry was all over her body and she looked so noble yet gorgeous. She was sitting on the sofa chatting andughing with Marissa. From time to time, Jenna could hear them ttering each other.

    Jenna felt nauseous instantly, and her whole body felt cold. She just wanted to leave quickly.

    Jenna didn¡¯t like Aria¡¯s mother.

    However, she couldn¡¯t go now even if she wanted to.

    Georgia¡¯s eyes were already looking at her.

    Her face darkened as soon as she saw Jenna andthe hostility in her eyes was very obvious.

    Marissa also saw Jenna. She looked at Georgia¡¯s ck face, understood her hostility, and smiled awkwardly.

    ¡°Marissa, is this your ex-daughter-inw?¡± Georgia¡¯s sharp voice,which couldn¡¯t be any harsher,went directly into Jenna¡¯s ears.

    Was she doing it on purpose? Marissa knew it, but she could only smile, not knowing how to answer.

    ¡°Marissa, your ex-daughter-inw is just so-so. She still matches up in terms of looks and temperamentbut she does not match with Hansen. No wonder Hansen is divorcing her. The difference between them is too big. Hansen is such a talented person, so why would he want such a vulgar woman? They really don¡¯t match, right?¡± Georgia said sarcastically and sneered in a loud voice. Obviously, she did it for Jenna¡¯s benefit.

    Marissa had no choice but to pretend to smile and y along. If she sided with Georgia, she was afraid that her son would me her when he found out. After all,her son had be more and more fond of Jenna. Just in case her son was determined to marry her, she wouldn¡¯t want to offend her daughter-inw either, because she would not be treated well when she got old.However, if she didn¡¯t side with Georgia now, she would make Georgia lose face.

    For the first time, Marissa felt that it was not a good thing to provoke two women at the same time.

    She chuckled and had to pretend to not know anything.

    Jenna obviously had heard Georgia¡¯s words clearly; they were provoking.

    What made her even angrier was that this old woman actually said that she was a vulgar woman. Her pride and self-esteem could not tolerate being humiliated like that. Hence, she immediately got angry, gritted her teeth, thinking that she had better settle the matter politely.However, Georgia continued to speak, ¡°Marissa, I need to rify first. After Hansen marries Aria, this woman must move out of Richards Manor. Sorry butI only want to protect Aria because this woman likes scheming. Aria is innocent and can¡¯t live under the same roof with such a woman, otherwise, Aria will definitely suffer. This matter must be settled, Marissa. Otherwise, I will not agree.¡±

    Jenna liked scheming? Aria was innocent? Jenna almost burst intoughter when she heard it, and the fire in her heart had ignited. It was true what they said, like mother, like daughter.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Jenna didn¡¯t care about if Georgia was the mayor¡¯s wife or a so-called member of high society. She only knew that she was very angry now. If Jenna did not fight back now, she would die of anger.

 Chapter 147 Bad Attitude

    ¡°Madam, please mind your words and be respectful of me. If you say that I am a vulgar woman, aren¡¯t you even more vulgar since your words are hurtful and disrespectful?¡± Jenna took a step forward fiercely. She looked at Georgia coldly, and questioned.

    Georgia med Jenna for Aria being left out by Hansenand she was unfriendly towards her. Her daughter¡¯s misery was all because of Jenna. She had already wanted to scold Jenna since a long time ago. Her words now were considered polite since Marissa was here. Unexpectedly, Jenna actually dared to fire back at her, so her anger erupted immediately.

    She stood up in a second, pointed at Jenna¡¯s face, and cursed angrily, ¡°You uneducated b*tch, how dare you to talk to me like this! In all respects, I am an elder to you. Don¡¯t you know to respect your elders? You are really rude.¡±

    ¡°Respect my elders?¡± Jenna sneered in her heart. She never heard any elders say those words to their younger generation.

    ¡°If the elders are disrespectful to the other peopleor if they think they can wantonly trample over the dignity of the younger generation just because they are older, then there is no need for us to respect such elders,¡± Jenna did not show any weakness and argued rationally.

    Both of them were already in the mood for more fighting.

    Seeing that things were going wrong, Marissa was a little flustered. She stood up and softly persuaded Georgia, ¡°Just forget it, Georgia. Why do you bother to argue with the younger generation?¡±

    Georgia was not satisfied yet and said upromisingly, ¡°Marissa, you must be reasonable and fair now. Make a judgment. How can the younger generations treat their elders in this way? I have never been told that I am disrespectful. This woman is really too vulgar andtoo rude. She has already been divorcedand yet she is still so arrogant in her ex-husband¡¯s house. I really don¡¯t know how your family can stand it. Such a woman should not be here anymore!¡±

    Marissa became mad when she heard it. Georgia was really crazy. She had even cursed her too with what she said.

    How should she make a judgment here? It was obvious that it was Georgia who maliciously ndered Jenna first. How would she find the guts to scold Jenna? Besides, Jenna was the heir of Richards Manor, so how could she drive her away?

    At the moment, Marissa could only sigh and say, ¡°Georgia, we are the elders. Why should we lose our manners in front of the younger generation? Besides, being angry hurts your body a lot. It is really worthless to fight over a small matter.We might as well sit down and talk peacefully so that we can solve the problem.¡±

    Georgia was already crazy in anger. She considered Jenna the thorn in her heart. Now, she wished to uproot the thorn after she saw her.

    However, the current Jenna was no longer easy to deal with. She would not let herself be humiliated in the public.

    ¡°Jenna, how dare you be disrespectful to my mother?!¡± Aria shouted. She was originally filming on the set. She hurried home after she heard that her mother hade to Richards Manor. She was originally going upstairs to change her clothes first but she heard the noise downstairs. When she came downstairs, she happened to see Jenna and her mother quarreling, and she saw that her mother was flushed with fury and her eyes were full of anger.

    Then, the fire in her heart immediately erupted. Those days, she had to greet Jenna with a smiling face even though she hated her, just to act magnanimously in front of Marissa. She had endured those feelings for long enough, and now, even her mother was humiliated by Jenna too. All the grievances and hatred in her heart were all brought up at once. She was unable to suppress it anymore, so she rushed up, pointed at Jenna, and yelled at her loudly.

    Sure enough, she finally showed her real self.

    It seemed that they were deliberately here to cause trouble that day. Jenna sneered, again, extremely disgusted by them.

    They med her without any reasonand they were even so arrogant to Jenna, as if Jenna had killed their family members. They were obviously here to make trouble.

    Of course, Jenna understood that there was no hatred for no reason in this world, but did she deserve to be med for all this? She and Hansen were married before, so why did Ariae here and y her tricks and scheme? Jenna knew exactly what kind of woman she was.

    When Jenna looked up again, she saw Minnie giving her a wry smile as she was standing aside gleefully, as if she was looking at a fool. Suddenly, Jenna felt an inexplicable sadness. Even her family member did not help her now, so who could she count on?

    However, she was not someone who was afraid of trouble. She would definitely fight for herself.

    ¡°Jenna, you and Hansen have been divorced for a long time, but you are still staying in Richards Manor with your tricks to destroy my marriage with Hansen. I didn¡¯t care about these things, but now, how dare you to be so disrespectful to my mother? Let me tell you, I can¡¯t bear it anymore,¡± Aria said. Her eyes were red and burning with anger.

    Jenna felt extremely sadand at the same time, she felt embarrassed for their behavior.

    ¡°Aria, what you said was upside down. I am Hansen¡¯s legal wife and the daughter-inw of Richards Manor, but who are you? At best, you¡¯re just a mistress, and how dare you, a mistress, scold me here right now? Are you not ashamed of yourself? Since the night I got married, you have been nning to murder me, to hurt me! I don¡¯t know how you, as a woman, could be so shameless. Now, you even dare to turn the truth upside down. What a shame,¡± Jenna sneered sarcastically.

    Her expression was calm and her thoughts were clear. Aria soon choked on her own words. All the people in Green Jade Garden knew about the bedsheetsand that what Jenna said was true.

    Aria was already at a disadvantageand saying such words would only make peopleugh at her. There seemed to be servants¡¯ughter echoing in her ears.

    Georgia was more furious as she heard Jenna¡¯s words.Almost all the people there were on their side. Jenna was so weak and lonely, but in such a disadvantaged state, she could still maintain a calm face, neither overbearing nor surrendering, and taunting them for so many reasons.

    On the other hand, she and her daughter were furious, like roosters that had lost a fight.

    Georgia felt colder now. Jenna was really not easy to deal with. What was even rarer was the unique and calm temperament that Jenna carried. She must have attracted countless men¡¯s eyes, while her daughter was almost nothing like her.

    Thinking about this, Georgia waspletely discouraged. Despite their backing for her daughter, her daughter got to where she was. Could she still win? Georgia could hardly imagine it.

    She must eliminate this woman as soon as possible, otherwise her daughter will not have a good life.

    That thought shed across her mind for a moment, and immediately a chill shot out of her eyes.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Jenna, let me tell you, no matter how great you are, I will not let you bully my daughter. I advise you to better pack up your bag and leave early,¡± Georgia shot a terrifying gaze at Jenna and said. Marissa was also a little frightened by her when she saw it.

    They really couldn¡¯t offend that family. Otherwise, there would be endless trouble for them.

    ¡°I¡¯m bullying your daughter?¡± Jenna raised her eyebrows and defended herself loudly. ¡°Please rethink clearly. Who is actually bullying whom? Please be fair and rational. If you don¡¯t know how to differentiate between right and wrong and still want to frame me maliciously, then let me tell you, I am not a weak woman who will be bullied at your will. You can try it if you do not believe it.¡±

    It was like Jenna¡¯s heart was filled with disgusting flies. They were really unreasonable. It turned out that Aria had these bad manners because she had inherited Georgia¡¯s bad character. No matter that they were nobledies or from high society, that was all only their ugly disguise, and Jenna hated it.

    ¡°You d*mned woman. It¡¯s okay if you look down on me, but now, you are even disrespectful to my mother. I can¡¯t forgive you today!¡± Aria¡¯s eyes were red. Her heart would always feel like it was bursting into mes whenever she saw Jenna. She felt her blood rush upwardand it made her lose her mind. These days, she changed her strategy to try her best to endure it, and she even tried to be friendly with Jenna. She had had enough of it, finally, so she let it all out that day. ¡°Minnie, what are you waiting for? Come!¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her fist and was about to hit Jenna. Remembering that she wasn¡¯t able to even hurt Jenna slightlyst time, she was impatient and called Minnie.

    Although Minnie was also a bully, she was still a little scared to really get involved in a fight. After all, this was Richards Manor andthere were many servants around. However,now, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and fight.

    ¡°Stop, Miss McAdams. Mrs. Murphy is Young Master Richard¡¯s lover and the heir of Richards Manor. I think you should think twice before you beat her like this in Richards Manor,¡± Aunt E anxiously stood up in front of Jenna, stopped Aria loudly, and hinted for her not to be presumptuous.

    Aria¡¯s outstretched fist stopped in the air and she was startled.

    Soon, her eyes became fierce again and she roared, ¡°Mind your own business, you f*cking olddy!¡± She stretched out her hand and pushed Aunt E away brutally. Aunt E was thrown to the ground hard and she let out a painful cry.

    Jenna was shocked and was about to help Aunt E up when Aria cursed fiercely.

    ¡°You, b*tch, are looking for death.¡±

    Then she was about to punch her again.

    ¡°Stop!¡± A loud shout came from the doorand a figure rushed in instantly. Before everyone could see clearly, Aria¡¯s hand was severely grasped by another person¡¯s strong and powerful hand. The strength of the big hand was so great that Aria cried out in pain.

    ¡°What are you doing? How dare you beat people in Richards Manor?¡± When Hansen heard the noise in the living room of Green Jade Garden from a distance, and heard Aria¡¯s angry yell, he was instantly shocked. Knowing that things were not going well, he saw that Aria¡¯s p was about to hit Jenna¡¯s face when he entered the room.

    Jenna¡¯s pale little face filled up his mind and he felt pain in his heart. How could his woman be bullied by Aria?Hence, he rushed over quickly and grabbed Aria¡¯s hand. Perhaps, he was mad at the moment,but he grabbed her with arger amount of strength than usual.

    ¡°Hansen, let me go. She insulted my mother first!¡± Hansen held Aria¡¯s hand and she was unable to move. She was very furious as she turned her head and saw Hansen sternly shouting at her. In addition to the stern face, there was also a touch of sorrow on his face.Aria knew that the sorrow was not for her, so her tears flowed down her cheeks right away. She struggled and cried.

 Chapter 148 Canâ€™t Lose Him

    Georgia also didn¡¯t expect Aria to beat Jenna, let alone for it to be seen by Hansen.

    Georgia was a wise person. She knewthat although it might look like she and her daughter had won,in fact, she had lost her stand and morality, and she couldn¡¯t stop it in time. When Georgia saw Hansening in, her facial expression changed drastically.

    One didn¡¯t need to look at Georgia¡¯s face to know that she was very angry at Aria¡¯s behavior, and now, her mind cleared up and she regained her demeanor as an elder.

    ¡°Hansen, let go of Aria. It¡¯s wrong for her to beat someone but you have to take a good look at your ex-wife¡¯s true self.¡±

    Hansen smiled coldly when he heard the words.He politely addressed Georgia as ¡®Auntie¡¯, and then his eyebrows furrowed, ¡°Auntie, I have been watching for a long time. What kind of society is it now? A woman who will beat people at will. It¡¯s not decent behavior, and it is indeed very bad. I hope you will pay more attention to Aria¡¯s behavior and attitude. It¡¯s not such a big deal that this happened here, however, if it happened somewhere else, it will cause a lot of problems.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s words directly drove Georgia and Aria into hell.

    There was darkness in their eyes, and everyone could understand the meaning of those words. Hansenpletely sided with Jenna.

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s no big deal.¡± Marissa looked at their faces and was anxious. Wasn¡¯t this a p across their faces? Marissa tried to change the topic. ¡°Since you are backand your Auntie Georgia is also here, let¡¯s sit down and talk!¡±

    No big deal? She beat people, and it was no big deal?

    Hansen had a headache over Marissa¡¯s two-sided behavior.

    ¡°Mom, do you think this is a trivial matter? She¡¯s beating people for whatever reason. We¡¯re living in modern society, however, this kind of rude behavior happened repeatedly in Richards Group. Mom, I want to ask, are you doing the duty of someone who is managing our home?Richards Manoris also a well-known ce in A city. If this continues, won¡¯t it ruin our reputation?¡± Hansen asked Marissa.

    Marissa¡¯s face was dull and she was annoyed. She thought, ¡°Aren¡¯t they arguing because of you, stinky boy, but you are so fanatical and you are openly ming me. This tone ispletely like his grandma¡¯s.¡± Marissa was very upset at the moment.

    If he wasn¡¯t her son, she wouldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with these messy things. Now that he practically pped her in public, she could only say, ¡°Hansen, these are matters among women. We don¡¯t have to be bothered by them. It¡¯s gettingte, so let¡¯s all go back home.¡±

    Hansen took Jenna, who was standing by his side, and looked directly at Marissa. He said, ¡°They joined forces to bully Jenna. If I didn¡¯te back today, the consequences would be disastrous. Jenna is my woman, my wife. I don¡¯t want to see anyone bully her in Richards Manor, otherwise, I will be ashamed. Mom, obviously you can mediate and handle these things, but you left it to be uncontroble. If it is really uncontroble, you can call a security guard but you continued to fan the mes and do nothing. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you are thinking.¡±

    Hansen said to Georgia, ¡°Auntie, it¡¯ste. We¡¯ll go upstairs first. If you have nothing else to do, go home and rest. I will ask the driver to take you back.¡±

    As he said this, regardless of Georgia¡¯s ugly expression, Hansen walked upstairs holding Jenna¡¯s hand.

    Jenna was worried about Aunt E. She turned her head to see Larry helping Aunt E, and then only could Jenna rest assured and follow Hansen back to the bedroom.

    The night was darkand a bright moon hung high up in the sky creating a beautiful scene.

    As soon as Jenna entered the door, Hansen put her down on the bedand checked her, asking seriously, ¡°Did they hit you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Jenna¡¯s body was turned over on the bed by Hansen¡¯s strong arm, making her whole body ufortable, but her heart was warm.Jenna pouted her lips and said happily, ¡°Hansen, thank you for protecting me .¡±

    ¡°Of course, you are my woman. You can¡¯t get bullied.¡± Hansen was serious and worried. After careful inspection, he reached out and took off Jenna¡¯s clothes.

    ¡°Hansen, they really didn¡¯t hit me, so there¡¯s no need to check.¡± Jenna¡¯s face was red, and she shyly tightened her clothes across her chest.

    Hansen¡¯s face was red, and after drinking a little wine, he was full of anger when he saw Jenna get bullied. But now that seeing Jenna was fine, his anger was gone.

    ¡°No, I want to check.¡± Hansen snorted and smiled. This guy was so powerful. After a while, Jenna¡¯s clothes were taken off by him. Jenna was naked, but fortunately, the indoor heating was turned on. It wasn¡¯t cold, but Jenna was embarrassedand her face was flushed. She suddenly felt that the room was overwhelmed with a sensual atmosphere.

    Who checked injuries like that?Wasn¡¯t he overly concerned?

    Hansen had alcohol on his breath, and he looked her over carefully and made sure that Jenna was not injured. Soon, he was relieved.

    However, after checking, Hansen¡¯s whole body burst into mes and his mouth became dry in an instant. Only then did Hansen realize that since he got home, he hadn¡¯t done it with Jenna for a few days. Thinking about it that way, Hansen felt hot, as if a me was bursting inside him.

    ¡°Is there any meeting tonight?¡± Jenna asked seriously, not knowing what Hansen was busy with every day.

    ¡°Well, the meeting is over. Now, I¡¯m going to have a meeting with you,¡± Hansen replied vaguely, lying on her body at once with his lips and tongue moving all over Jenna. His breathing was rapidand it became heavier and heavier. Hansen couldn¡¯t hold on, so he just hugged her and ran towards the bathroom.

    It took several hours for them to finish after entering the bathroom. In the end, Hansen walked out with a soft and shy Jenna, content. Theyclimbed into bedand the two hugged each other tightly and fell asleep.

    Georgia took Aria home that night.

    In the living room of the McAdams Manor, Georgia was extremely angry. Every breath she exhaled was raging with heat. It had been a long time since Georgia was so angry andnot just by Jenna. She was even angrier with Hansen¡¯s attitude.

    In front of Georgia, Hansen defended Jenna so openly, as if she and Aria weren¡¯t there.

    It was so obvious. Who couldn¡¯t see it?

    Hansen cared about that woman now. Heloved that woman, protected her, and openly called her his wife.

    Her daughter was nothing to him. Hansen scolded Aria. He didn¡¯t love Aria, but when he hugged Jenna, his eyes were full of adoration and love.

    Such a scene, for her daughter not standing it, even someone who was an outsider like her couldn¡¯t stand it.

    It had been more than a month since Aria started living in Richards Manor. It had be obvious that her daughter would not be Hansen¡¯s wife; she wouldnot even be a concubine.

    It was so shameless for her!

    Thinking of that, Georgia was even angrier. The dignified deputy mayor¡¯s daughter was treated as something insubstantial by Hansen. How could she stand that?

    Aria¡¯s eyes were red, and she stood foolishly by the window of the living room, staring in the direction ofRichards Manor.

    The neon lights outside were brilliant, and the night was bright.

    The golden roof ofRichards Manor could be seen. The roof of Richards Manor was very iconic in A City. It had a golden tone which was a symbol of power and status. When Aria was young, she used to lie by the window and look at the magical roof. She had been longing for it until she met Hansen, and that dream seeped deep into her heart.

    Aria couldn¡¯t lose Hansen.

    She didn¡¯t know if it was because she loved him, or the roof, or perhaps her self-esteem was at fault. However, Aria wanted to jump out of that window right then.

    If Hansen was not in her life, Aria would rather die.

    If Hansen was willing to marry her and make her the proper Mrs. Richards, even if he still wanted Jenna¡¯s body and loved Jenna afterward, it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal for Aria. She only needed the title of ¡°Mrs. Richards¡±.

    After all, which man didn¡¯t have a lover outside his home? Let alone a rich man. Jenna could be one of his mistresses.

    As long as Aria was Mrs. Richards, that was enough. She could bear it, but Hansen would not agree to it.

    As a woman, she was already very tolerant, so why¡­

    Tears dripped silently.

    After a long time, Aria finally thought of a way.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    There was a smirk on her face and she was relieved.

    She turned around, picked up her bag and ran outside.

    ¡°Hey, Aria,where are you going at this hour?¡± Georgia saw Aria running outside under the dark sky, and she was so frightened that she hurriedly shouted at Aria.

    However, Aria disappeared in the courtyard like a gust of wind.

    ¡°Earl, will there be an ident if Aria goes out like this? What should I do? She is in trouble now. Hansen won¡¯t marry her.His heart already belongs to that b*tch,¡± Georgia cried, weeping at Earl who happened to enter through the door.

    ¡°Ignorance,¡± Earl scowled and yelled. ¡°My daughter is old enough to take care of things herself. As a mother, you should leave her alone. If she doesn¡¯t experience some injuries, she will not give up. What can we do about these things? You, a mother, even followed her to mess around. Isn¡¯t that self-degrading?¡±

    Earl knew that Georgia had gone toRichards Manor. Marissa called to apologize to him, and when Marissa exined, Earl understood everything. He hurried back, despite having a meeting.

    ¡°Earl, I feel distressed. After all, Aria is a girl. Watching her suffer is ufortable. How can I, as her mother, leave her alone?¡± Georgia also knew that what happened inRichards Manorthat day was not wise, but she did it out of her love for Aria. Only then, she lost her mind and did something wrong.

    ¡°Love is not like this. Originally, Hansen would still have some courtesy toward us. After today¡¯s incident, Hansen would have a reason to stop holding back against us!¡± Earl shouted angrily;the unbearable pain was seen on his face.

    Georgia stood nkly, at a loss.

    ¡°Think about it, Hansen spent 800 million to support ¡®Rapunzel¡¯. What was that for? Everyone knows that it was for Aria, to make her famous. How many men in the world would do this? Regardless of whether he felt guilty to her or for other reasons, in short, he felt sorry for Aria, and he intended to make it up to her. Nobody will know the oue for the time being. Now, Richards Group needs Jenna, and how long will Hansen love Jenna depends on God¡¯s will. A man in a wealthy family is the most unreliable. It¡¯s no surprise that a man loves the body of a woman. Why are you being so eager? It¡¯s really stupid.¡± Earl¡¯s eyes shed with shrewd light, very angry at Georgia for being a troublemaker. However, he could see Georgia standing there with regret and anxiety. Earl just sighed and sat down and the light in his deep eyes was unpredictable.

    That was the most troublesome thing Earl had ever encountered, and it was also rted to the happiness of his beloved daughter, so he understood her feelings.

 Chapter 149 I Want to Have a Happy Night With Him

    It was ten o¡¯clock sharp and the stage lights in the bar flickered. Men and women in sexy clothes were having fun. Faces could be seen from time to time under the flickering light.

    There was no opening, no prelude; all of them were dancing excitedly to the passionate song. The music was loud, and the whole ce was filled with excitement.

    When Aria walked in, the atmosphere had reached its peak. There was noise from the bar and irritating shouts, one after another.

    In a room named ¡°The Moon,¡± Norton¡¯s face was flushedand he was having fun with a youngdy in his arms.

    ¡°Come on, Mr. Richards, finish this ss.¡± The youngdy who was boldly dressed was holding Norton¡¯s hand with her curvy chest pressed against Norton as she handed a ss of wine to him.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Nortonughed, took the ss heartily, and drank it in one go.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be biased, Mr. Richards, you have to drink this cup too.¡± The woman sitting on the other side narrowed her eyes when she saw this, pretending to be jealous and clinging to his neck. She said very charmingly, ¡°Mr. Richards, you have to be fair.¡±

    While speaking, she put the wine ss in her hand to Norton¡¯s mouth.

    Norton smiled wildly, bit the edge of the wine ss, raised his neck back, and all the wine slipped into his mouth.

    ¡°Alright.¡± The two girls sat on hisp. One wrapped her arms around his neck, and the other kissed his mouth. Theyughed so much that they quivered, and one of them said, ¡°Mr. Richards, let us help you sleep. We¡¯ll be sure to help you enter the world of bliss and be happier than the gods.¡±

    Suddenly, there was a bang.

    The door of the private room was smashed open, and Aria appeared at the door,dressed in famous brands, like a star; she wasarrogant and looked domineering.

    ¡°Ah!¡± the two bardies eximed, frightened by Aria¡¯s momentum. They hurriedly slipped off Norton¡¯s legs. Their legs were weak, and they seemed to be unable to stand firm.

    ¡°AriaMcAdams!¡± A youngdy recognized her and eximed.

    With a triumphant smile on Aria¡¯s face, she held her head high. She nced at the twodies with disdain, and shouted with contempt, ¡°Get out!¡±

    The two women looked at each other. Although they had scared looks on their faces, they just looked at Aria and didn¡¯t have any intentions of leaving.

    Aria snorted coldly. Of course she understood the reason.

    Aria opened her bag, took out a wad of money from it, threw it at them, and asked mockingly, ¡°Is it enough?¡±

    The two women stared at the thick wad of money with bright eyes, and hurriedly took the money with their hands. Several of the notes fell to the ground, and they hurriedly bent over to pick them up, then left happily.

    Norton drank a little too much; he was dizzy and high. Looking at the woman standing in front of him, his mind was a little fuzzy. He stretched out his hand, pulled her clothes, flushed, and cried out in surprise, ¡°Jenna, Jenna!¡±

    With a p, Aria beat Norton¡¯s hand away, sneered, and shouted, ¡°Norton, watch out. Know who the hell I am!¡±

    ¡°Coward,¡± Aria snorted coldly in her mind. Unable to get the woman he liked, he got drunk in the bar out of sadness. Norton really wasn¡¯t a man and he was much worse than Hansen. No wonder Jenna looked down on him. Even Aria looked down on him.

    Norton tilted his head and looked at Aria with blurred eyes, blinking constantly. Who was this woman in front of him? She didn¡¯t seem to be Jenna!

    Aria sneered, picked up the ss of water on the table, and poured it on Norton¡¯s head.

    The cold water was poured on top of Norton¡¯s head. It was cold, utterly cold. Norton was awakened in an instant. Rubbing his eyes, he saw a dazzling woman standing in front of him, with a straight face and thick lipstick. Her red lips twitched slightly, and a gloomy chill had filled up her big eyes.

    She was actually Aria.

    Norton woke uppletely now.

    That d*mned woman had followed him. Norton jumped up and asked angrily, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Ariaughed dryly, and said sarcastically. ¡°The famous Mr. Norton came here. If I were to tell people this, who will believe it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going too far. How dare you follow me?¡± Norton was furious. The water on his head dripped down, making him feel depressed. He immediately patted the table and pointed at Aria.

    How could Aria be afraid of Norton? Aria smiled coldly, and sat down on the sofa leisurely, with a full face of contempt. ¡°Mr. Norton, why are you angry? You are drunk here with alcohol. You know, that sweetheart of yours would never know. She is right now making love to Hansen, so what can you do except get angry? A loser can only numb his sorrows through wine. You won¡¯t get anything.¡±N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Aria¡¯s words hit the nail on the headand Norton¡¯s facial expression looked extremely irritated. Norton wanted to choke Aria to death, but she didn¡¯t care. She just raised her cell phone and smiled enchantingly. ¡°I have recorded everything. What reaction would you get if I put it on the Inte?¡±

    ¡°You¡­ despicable.¡± Norton trembled with anger, pointing at her speechlessly. He thought he was mean, butpared to Aria, he was nothing.

    Ariaughed triumphantly regardless of Norton¡¯s furious expression.

    ¡°Mr. Norton, calm down. Since you don¡¯t have the ability, you should cooperate with me obediently. As long as I am well, I will let you get Jenna.¡± Aria stood up and slowly approached Norton and patted him on the shoulder. She smiled very seductively, spoke charmingly, and thenughed again.

    The horribleughter made Norton¡¯s scalp numb and he shivered all over.

    The woman in front of Norton was terrible, and if someone provoked her, they would have endless trouble. It seemed that Norton had to find a way to get rid of her.

    ¡°Remember, take this. No matter what method you use, you must find a way to make Hansen drink it. I will wait for him in the Presidential Suite of the Hilton Hotel at 10 o¡¯clock tomorrow evening. I will have a happy night with him. If you can¡¯t do it, then I¡¯ll have to post these photos on the Inte or go to the police station to expose it.¡± Aria took out a small white stic bag with white powder in it. Shaking it in her hand, she spoke to Norton in a serious manner.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Norton asked in horror, feeling terrified.

    Aria smiled seductively, blinked, and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not roofie or poison. This is just a medicine to confuse him. Hansen is the man I love. I can¡¯t bear to let him die.¡±

    At that point, Norton was stunned. Ariaughed and walked away.

    Norton¡¯s eyes were numbed by the cold air. The muscles on his face were tight, and he had a weird and horrible expression on his face, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He just clenched the bag of white powder.

    If Hansen slept with Aria and Aria was really pregnant, maybe everything would be different, and Grandma might not insist anymore. Thinking about it, wasn¡¯t he just a son of a concubine? And Grandma let Norton¡¯s mother stay in the Richards Manor for Norton¡¯s sake. If that was the case, he would be able to get Jenna.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re wrong for falling in love with Hansen. I will show you what kind of a b*stard he is and what kind of a guilty man he is. Let¡¯s see if you regret your choice.¡±

    Thinking that Jenna would be hurt by this, Norton¡¯s heart hurt unexpectedly.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry, I just love you too much. In fact, I don¡¯t want toand I am reluctant to hurt you, but there is no other way. You are obsessed with that jerk. Only by doing this can I pull you back to my side.¡±

    Norton thought and took the jar of wine on the table and poured the powder into it.

    His mind was full of Jenna¡¯s delicate facial features and the soft body embedded in the depths of his soul. As long as Norton imagined her body, he thought it was so beautiful. Just thinking about it made him inexplicably excited.

    Norton didn¡¯t want to lose her.

    After several cold and rainy days, the sun came out from the east early that day, and the air was very fresh.

    Jenna got up early, but Hansen did not go out that day. Heid on the quilt, asking Jenna to help him get ready.

    Didn¡¯t he just want to use this chance to take advantage of Jenna? Jenna knew him well and didn¡¯t let him seed.

    As a result, Hansen woke up early in the morning and was energetic. He hadn¡¯t been to thepany for many days. That day, he was going to go to thepany to see how Jenna was taking care of hispany.

    As soon as the two walked out of Green Jade Garden, their faces darkened at the same time.

    Norton was sitting in the electric car at the door, looking rxed. Hearing the sound of footsteps, he turned his head. His eyes fell on the closely interlocked fingers of Hansen and Jenna. Norton¡¯s eyes darkenedand he looked away.

    ¡°Good morning, Hansen.¡± Norton moved his eyes to Hansen¡¯s face, twitched the corner of his mouth, and said hello with a smile.

    Hansen¡¯s face was gloomy. His eyes locked on Norton¡¯s face, and he snorted coldly from his nose.

    ¡°Is the electric car broken again?¡± Hansen said with displeasure. His voice was not too warm.

    ¡°Not this time. I just passed by here to find you.¡± Norton continued tough; he was very happy.

    His courtesy made Jenna feel a bit anxious.

    Norton didn¡¯t look at Jenna, as if she didn¡¯t exist, but Jenna was ufortable. Not only did Jenna feel ufortable, it seemed like there was a bit of a particrly bad feeling. As for what it was, she had no clue.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Hansen looked at his phone, as if he didn¡¯t want to talk nonsense with Norton, and just asked him straightforwardly.

    ¡°Of course, but I would like to borrow Hansen for a minute to talk,¡± Norton stepped out of the electric car and said mysteriously at Hansen. There wasaplicated and unpredictable expression on his face.

    Hansen frowned and couldn¡¯t figure out Norton¡¯s thoughts. Hansen was suspicious of Norton¡¯s unpredictable aura and wanted to ignore him, but after the d*mn Norton said that to him, he went straight to the side. As Norton walked, his expression was determined, as if he was sure that Hansen would follow.

    Hansen squinted, groaned, and said to Jenna who was beside him, ¡°Jenna, wait for me here first.¡±

    After speaking, Hansen walked behind Norton.

 Chapter 150 Let Her Be the Queen

    No matter what tricks Nortonwanted to y, Hansen was not afraid of him. Hansen also wanted to understand theplicated mind of his cousin.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes had been watching Hansen leave herand she was standing there nervously.

    Norton had be her nightmare.

    Every time Norton appeared like a ghost, it would make Jenna feel uneasy for many days, and being able to avoid him was something she had nightmares of. That man terrified her; he had such an unfathomable, perverted mind. Furthermore, his behavior was toxic and horrifying to Jenna.

    Norton and Hansen were talking on the other side and Jenna couldn¡¯t hear them at all.

    After a while, Hansen came over but Norton didn¡¯t follow. Norton got in another car and left in advance.

    Hansen¡¯s expression was a bit solemn, but there was no more expression other than that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Hansen walked over and took Jenna¡¯s hand, spoke softly to her, and then they got into the car.

    Since then, Hansen had been silent.

    He was silent even while driving, and the long silence made Jenna even more disturbed.

    His silence was terrible and gloomy, like a dark cloud rolling over from the sky.

    Hansen¡¯s whereabouts were uncertain those few daysand he would not easily tell her anything about what was going on.

    As he was a man, he never cared to tell women anything he perceived to be ¡°men¡¯s¡± matters.

    Jenna smiled bitterly.

    ¡°Hansen, my mother is about to have an operation,¡± Jenna thought for a while, then opened her mouth to break the silence.

    ¡°Okay, I will apany you to see her at noon, and talk to the dean as well,¡± Hansen finally spoke in a soft voice.

    Jenna breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Hansen, Norton has no ¡®official business¡¯ to do with you, right?¡± Jenna asked cautiously, for fear that Hansen would be unhappy.

    Deliberately using the word ¡°official business¡± was very importantbecause Jenna was afraid that Hansen would say that she was nosy. After all, Jenna was the vice president of thepany and had the right to know about its business affairs. Hansen had never liked people asking about his private affairsand his beloved woman was no exception.

    Jenna certainly knew.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it has nothing to do with official business. It was something private,¡± he replied briefly.

    Jenna feared more when she learned that it had nothing to do with businessbut Hansen made it clear that he didn¡¯t want to say more. Jenna was helpless. Thinking of Weldon, Jenna said in a deep voice, ¡°Hansen, I want you to meet someone tonight.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Hansen snorted in surprise and smiled. ¡°Who? Could it be your ex-boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°Hansen, can you not make fun of me.¡± Jenna squinted at Hansen and said seriously: ¡°I want to discuss something with you tonight, but first I must take you to see this person.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s expression was serious. Hansen had to take a look at her. He was just about to speak when his phone rang.

    Hansen held the steering wheel in one hand and the mobile phone in the other. He looked down. It was Alvin calling. The light in his eyes throbbed. He looked up, and they happened to be downstairs of the International Kinsey Center.

    ¡°You go down first while I park the car.¡± Hansen put down his phone, twisted the steering wheel, and said lightly while looking at the rearview mirror.

    Jenna was not done talking, and she had not heard any reply. Meanwhile, Hansen was interrupted by his phone call. Seeing that they were already at the downstairs area of the Richards Group,she got out of the car. Thinking that Hansen would stay in thepany that day, Jenna could only find another opportunity to tell him.

    Throughout the morning, Hansen personally held an executive meeting, and there were many things he had to take care of. Therefore, Jenna had no chance to talk to him alone.

    Jenna managed thepany very well. Everything was organized, and there was nothing she missed. Thepany¡¯s operations were even more orderly than when Hansen was there so hewas very happy.

    It seemed like Hansen really didn¡¯t misjudge Jenna. Notonly was she taking care of thepany, but she also had the ability to manage thepany well. She deserved to be Hansen¡¯s capable wife.

    After spending some time away, Hansen sat in his office and looked through thepany¡¯s documents and reports. Except for a very small number of deficits that were actually due to the market downturn, all others showed that they were profitable.

    After Jersey arrived, Green Mountain Automobile City began to operate normally. In fact, overseas grouppanies were unable to produce such an abundant amount of luxury cars, and some orders with rtively short deadlines had to be fulfilled byGreen Mountain Automobile Cityto save cost.

    What made Hansen happiest was the smooth progress of the work at Green Mountain Lake. Recently, there had been more and more tourists who visited, and they achieved their targeted profit.

    Staring at the video ofGreen Mountain Lake, Hansen smiled slightly.

    Someone knocked on the door.

    Jenna entered.

    Her blush was obviously due to her being very busyand her eyes were filled with unbearable elegant light. Hansen was moved and he smiled and waved at Jenna.

    Jenna approached, but did not approach Hansen too much, keeping a distance from him.

    ¡°Come closer. Why are you standing so far away?¡± Hansen felt empty and he stretched out his hand towards Jenna.

    Was it that far? Jenna looked at the distance between themwhich was about ten feet. For a superior and subordinate, that distance was just right.

    Work was workandJenna didn¡¯t want to be warm and passionate in the office. Even if no one saw it, it was still a bad thing to do. Although Hansen¡¯s office wasrge and the soundproofing was good, it was still a bad thing to do. Jenna was embarrassed.

    Jenna had no choice but to walk a few steps forward.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, here are a few pay stubs to be signed.¡± Jenna spoke in a formal manner.

    Hansen stretched out his hand but did not get Jenna¡¯s responseand he smiled bitterly. His woman had not yet adapted to this affection, and furthermore, Hansen craved for more. Thefeeling of desire and dissatisfaction from that morning reappeared.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Hansen took the file in Jenna¡¯s hand and pulled her into his arms. Jenna¡¯s body quickly fell towards Hansen.

    Hansen¡¯s big palm quickly supported her waist and he stroked her body, stretching his hand underher suit skirt.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t make trouble. This is an office andI still have some formal business to talk about,¡± Jenna protested in a low voice, reaching out to push him away.

    ¡°What are you afraid of? This is mypany. I will fire anyone who dares toment about us. Besides, you¡¯re my wifeso who can say anything about it?¡± Hansen¡¯s lips pressed against hers.

    ¡°Wife!¡± In just a few days, the word came out of his mouth like it had been decades that he had been calling her that. It seemed that Hansen really regarded Jenna as his wife.

    Jenna¡¯s face was flushed.

    When they were in Hawaii, Hansen said that after returning to A City, they would remarry.

    They had been back to A city for many days now. He was busy every day, yet he never mentioned the wedding. However, he referred to Jenna as his wife so affectionately. Did he forget or was he just too busy?

    Should he be reminded?

    ¡°Do you miss me too?¡± Hansen lowered his head and kissed her, then whispered in Jenna¡¯s ear.

    Jenna closed her eyes without answering.

    Hansenughed when he saw her long eyshes twitching. He thought that it was very cute.

    ¡°Jenna,¡± Hansen called softly.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Jenna replied softly, opening her shiny, dark eyes and stared at him.

    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Hansen touched the diamond ring on Jenna¡¯s finger. He stroked it, remembered something, and was about to speak. However, he paused for a while before changing the subject.

    Seeing the diamond ring, Hansen actually remembered that he had promised to remarry Jenna in Hawaii a few days ago. He wanted to mention it at first.

    However, since returning to A city, he had been busy every day and the matter had not been clearly exined to Marissa yet. Besides, the issue with Aria had to be settled as soon as possible so that she could move out of Richards Manor. Currently, the matter between them was not urgent enough.That matter could not be rushed and could only be done slowly.

    What troubled him even more was thatJavon¡¯s case and Alvin¡¯s injury had made the whole matter moreplicated. Hansen was really not in the mood. If those things were not resolved, the problems that were between them would not be eliminated, and they would not be able to live a peaceful life.

    If they remarried, Hansen hoped to give her aplete and luxurious wedding, and he wanted Jenna to be his queen.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    When Hansen called Jenna gently, he saw her open her eyes, with a little hopeful light in her eyes. He understood the light, but he couldn¡¯t point it out. At this time, he couldn¡¯t say it. He had to make sure everything was stable before he proceeded. He disdained men who couldn¡¯t achieve what they promised their women.

    Seeing the light in her bright eyes fade a little bit, as if blown away by the cold air that was blown out of the central air conditioning unit, there was a pain in his heart.

    Maybe Jenna would think that he had forgotten his promise to her, but Hansen actually cared about it.

    Him being busy these days were actually for the sake of this promise.

    In order for them to be together as quickly as possible, including what he said in front of Aria and her mother the day before, his words were hinting for them topletely give up.

    Hansen just didn¡¯t want to tell Jenna about the matters to avoid her worrying.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go out for a meal.¡± He held Jenna as he said softly,¡°Jenna, thank you for taking care of thepany so well.¡±

    Jenna stood still. Since Hansen didn¡¯t talk about the matter between them, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say it either, and she stood there a little dazed.

    ¡°After dinner, we will go to see Mom.¡± Seeing her standing there a little disappointed, Hansen couldn¡¯t bear it. He tried to say something that would cheer Jenna up. Sure enough, when Jenna heard that she would be seeing her mother, a happy smile appeared on her face.

    Hansen smiled, thinking of how he had never met Jenna¡¯s family beforeand how much more smiles she would have had if he did.

    Feeling guilty, Hansen took her hand and walked outside.

    Hansen chose to eat their meal in the most expensive hotel in the city and he chose the most expensive dishes. As long as Jenna hadn¡¯t eaten it before, he ordered it all, even if they just tasted it and then discarded it.

    Jenna was dazzled by the array of food in front of her. Wasn¡¯t it just a simple lunch, which could be had anywhere?However, Hansen insisted on going there and he ordered so many dishes. It was a waste, and it was too much.

    Hansen saw through her mind and just smiled. This woman was not treated well before and was wronged. Now, he must give her the best things in the world topensate her, including every meal. Hansen would not overlook any detail. This was the way he showed his love, so of course she was not allowed to object.

 Chapter 151 I Want You to Meet Someone Tonight

    ¡°Hansen, really, I want to take you to see someone tonight. You must go with me,¡± Jenna was eating delicious food while looking up at Hansen¡¯s handsome face and she spoke very seriously. Weldonwas in a hurry to go back overseas. Before he went back, Hansen had to see him ancd decide on Trevor¡¯s surgery.

    ¡°I have something to do tonight. Can we meet him tomorrow instead?¡± Hansen looked at Jenna sincerely, wondering who that person might be. Jenna didn¡¯t have many rtives, and her only friend wasHannahAdames. Hansen thought of something he had to do that night and replied.

    ¡°But Hansen, it will only take a while. This matter is very important. It should be a happy thing for Uncle Richards too,¡± Jenna said earnestly with her face upright. There was a trace of pleading in her bright eyes.

    Dad¡¯s business? Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Staring at her, he said suspiciously: ¡°Who has something to do with Dad?¡±

    Jenna saw his suspicion and nervousness. In order not to cause unnecessary misunderstanding, she thought about it and exined how she would invite Weldon who was overseas to treat Trevor. Of course, she went to apany Trevor every day, but she never mentioned it.

    Hansen listened carefully. After hearing it, he raised his head in surprise and looked at Jenna in disbelief.

    This woman, she decided on it alone without Hansen¡¯s consent. Trevor was his father and it seemedlike Jenna still hadn¡¯t changed her bad habits. Hansen really didn¡¯t know whether to praise or scold her. Hansen raised his hand, tapped her head, and pretended to be annoyed. ¡°Woman, you¡¯re still like this. You don¡¯t discuss anything with me. Have you not learned enough?¡±

    Jenna lowered her head guiltily and said, ¡°Hansen, I am also not sure. I just want to cure Uncle Richards. Please believe me, I am sincere.¡±

    After speaking, Jenna looked at Hansen and there was a bright light in her dark eyes, which instantly illuminated Hansen¡¯s heart.

    Of course she was sincere. How could Hansen fail to see that?

    It would be great if Dad¡¯s illness could be cured, but Hansen didn¡¯t expect that there was an illness in his dad¡¯s brain. It seemed like the fainting that day was also due to this.

    ¡°Well, I will try my best to make time to meet you and Dr. Graves tonight.¡± Hansen¡¯s heart felt heavyand there was a soft smile on his face. He spoke to Jenna kindly, thinking that this woman was so caring about his father. A trace of warmth flowed from the bottom of Hansen¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Great.¡± Jenna cheered and the two smiled at each other.

    After eating, Hansen took Jenna¡¯s hand and walked outside. When the media wanted to take a photo, Hansen didn¡¯t even frown, and he even greeted the media. He didn¡¯t mind them taking pictures of them eating together.His actions were also high profile, attracting the media¡¯s attention and he pulled Jenna along. She was not used to it at first, but eventually, she became more open about it.

    ¡°You sit here and wait. I¡¯ll bring the car here,¡± Hansen pointed to the leather sofa in the hall and said.

    The air outside of the hotel was icy cold and snow was falling, while the inside of the hotel was as warm as spring.

    Jenna was a little cold so she nodded and sat down in a corner.

    The lobby of the hotel was very quiet although people came and went. On one side was a coffee shop, and on the other was a spa and beauty salon. Next to the front entrance of the hotel was a reservation office and travel agency.

    Jenna sat in the corner and took out a travel newspaper and read it.

    In less than a minute, Jenna smelled a strong perfume, apanied by the tant sound of high heels, which was exceptionally conspicuous in the hall.

    Everyone in the hall looked towards the direction where the sound came from.

    Jenna also raised her head.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    A thin, fashionably dressed woman, wearing an expensive fur coat appeared. Her upper body was draped in a fox fur shawl, and her lower body was in a tight skirt. Leather boots covered her up to her knees andsexy stockings were stretched over her legs. Her wavy curly hair peered out from underneath the shawl. She was sexy and charming.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s Aria McAdams!¡± Someone recognized her and screamed.

    Jenna recognized her at a nce.

    She was secretly surprised. What was Aria doing here?

    ¡°Does she know that Hansen brought me here for a meal?¡±

    Just thinking of this, Jenna felt nervous and uneasy. She didn¡¯t want to confront Aria in public.

    Aria went to the front desk and said a few words, then picked up the door card, pressed the elevator button, and went upstairs.

    Jenna saw the elevator stop on the tenth floor. She mused, wondering what Aria was doing there.

    At that moment, Jenna¡¯s phone rang. It was Hansen calling.

    Jenna answered the phone, hurried out, and got into the car. She headed straight to the hospital.

    In Trevor¡¯s ward.

    It was the first time that Hansen stood in front of his father with Jenna.

    Hansen pressed his fingertips tightly against his eyebrows, rubbed them, and his brows furrowed. The dark light in Hansen¡¯s eyes was deep and he sighed. Every time he saw his father lying there so pale and weak, his heart would hurt. He hoped that his father would get better.

    Hansen used to hate Jenna whenever he saw his father, but now that he had calmed down, he let go of a lot of things and he embraced more peace and stability.

    Hansen¡¯s hand held Jenna¡¯s weak and fragile hand tightly, for fear that Trevor who was lying before them would oppose their rtionship.

    ¡°Hansen, Weldon said that it is possible that Uncle Richards¡¯s illness can be cured, but of course, there are risks in going overseas for surgery,¡± Jenna could not help butfort Hansen when she saw his heavy face. She didn¡¯t like seeing him sad. In her eyes, Hansen was a towering tree, always standing strong.

    However, facing his most respected father, even if he wasa towering tree, he would look haggard and barren. Jenna sighed secretly in her heart.

    It was night time and heavy snow fell.

    On the deserted streets, only a few people were seen. There were only a few pedestrians, and they were all rushing home.

    In a ck Maybach car, Hansen furrowed his eyebrows and stared at the snow fluttering outside the ss window.

    In the back row of the RV, John Talbot and the others sat.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Brock Moore will show up at the Hilton Hotel today. I heard that he has an appointment today and booked a presidential suite. It is estimated that he is going to spend a happy night there,¡± John whispered.

    Hansen had a deep gaze and said calmly, ¡°This time, we must try to catch him red-handed and get him into the dark room of the cruise ship. I will personally interrogate him.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± John was fired up. ¡°If he really sent someone to shoot Alvin, I will have to tear his muscles, skin him, and drink his blood. He¡¯s so boldthat he even dares toy hands on our people. It seems that if we don¡¯t show him any consequences, he won¡¯t know how good we are.¡±

 Chapter 152 Hilton Hotel

    ¡°Mr. Richards, do you want to call the police?¡± Jason asked steadily.

    The chill in Hansen¡¯s eyes shed, then he waved his hand and said, ¡°This is the underworld. We will solve the problem ourselves. We might not get what we want if we call the police.¡±

    ¡°Yes indeed. The police are useless and they always screw things up,¡± the other one replied affirmatively.

    ¡°You guys should leave first. I have booked the room next to his room. Wait for the opportunity to take action. I am waiting for your good news,¡± Hansen spoke as he looked at the snow in the sky. He thought of Jenna taking him to meet Weldon that night.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards,¡± John agreed and hinted to the others to get out of the car quietly. Soon, they disappeared into the snow.

    Hansen took his gaze back until they could no longer be seen.

    He was about to call Jenna and was about to pick her up, but the phone rang first.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you?¡± Norton¡¯s voice sounded expressionless on the phone.

    Hansen¡¯s face darkened. He immediately frowned and said coldly, ¡°Norton, I have something to do tonight. Let¡¯s change it to tomorrow night.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, I have already booked the room. Are you going to bail on me? Of course, it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want thetest information. Without my help, you will never learn the truth about Javon¡¯s death. It¡¯s up to you if you want toe or not. However, be clear that after tonight, the opportunity is gone,¡± Norton said. Then, he spat a few final words, ¡°Meet me on the first floor of the Hilton Hotel, The River suite. I will be there at nine o¡¯clock.¡±

    After saying this, he gave a dryugh and hung up the phone.

    D*mn, it was the Hilton Hotel again.

    Hansen was a little annoyed that everything was happening in the Hilton Hotel that night. It was already 8:40 pm and it was only 20 minutes until the time to meet Norton. He was hesitating when he saw that the phone was shing again. He picked it up and saw that it was Jenna.

    ¡°Jenna,¡± Hansen answered the phone and spoke softly.

    ¡°Hansen, I have made an appointment with Weldon. We will meet in the hotel room at 9 o¡¯clock,¡± Jenna said while standing on the asphalt road in Richards Manor, with snowkes flying above her head. She looked at the gate of Richards Manor from time to time and was a little worried. It seemed like he probably had forgotten about it since Jenna didn¡¯t see hime back yet.

    Hansen frowned and thought for a while.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you now?¡± Jenna didn¡¯t hear Hansen¡¯s answer for a long time, so she asked again.

    ¡°Jenna, I have something to do hereso let¡¯s talk to Weldon and see if we can postpone the appointment till tomorrow,¡± Hansen finally made up his mind and suggested.

    Tomorrow? Jenna was shocked. Weldon valued a person¡¯s integrity very much. He would have returned to the United States long ago but he stayed one more night after her persuasion. The flight tickets for the next day had already been booked too. He had done all this for herso if she missed the appointment that day, she would seem disrespectful to him.

    ¡°No, Hansen, we can¡¯t break the trust other people have in us, and this matter is rted to the condition of Uncle Richards. We have to be faithful to our words, and we can¡¯t forgo etiquette,¡± Jenna was a little anxious as she said. She thought, ¡°No matter how important your thing is, it can¡¯tpare to Uncle Richards¡¯s illness. Can¡¯t you get rid of it?¡± She couldn¡¯t figure it out and continued to speak, ¡°Well, Hansen, if you don¡¯t want to pick me up, just rush to Hilton Hotel Room 820. Weldon is waiting for us there. You wait for me outside the door. I will ask the driver to take me there.¡±

    Jenna was very nervous. She hung up the phone and hurriedly called the butler. After a while, the driver came over and drove Jenna directly to Hilton Hotel.

    Hansen was shocked when he heard the words ¡®Hilton Hotel¡¯. It turned out to be this ce again! It seemed like something was going to happen that night.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Thinking of this, his heart couldn¡¯t help but throb.

    The Presidential Suite of the Hilton Hotel was located in Room 818. It was on the east side of the floor, and there were some VIP rooms on the west side. Room 819 was the room he had booked for John. He did not expect Jenna to book Weldon into Room 820. Those rooms were almost next to each other.

    It was so dangerous!

    Thinking of this, Hansen was flustered and he hurriedly dialed Jenna¡¯s number to tell her not toe, but he couldn¡¯t reach Jenna no matter how he tried.

    D*mn.He threw his phone away, annoyed.

    It was already 8:50 pm at this time, and it was toote to hurry back, so he started to get increasingly worried. It seemed that he could only apany her there to ensure her safety.

    Thinking that there were still a few minutes left, he parked the car and walked toward The River room where Norton wanted to meet.

    The scarlet red wine glowed dimly in the wine ss. Norton sat on the sofa leisurely with his legs crossed. He smiled faintly and twirled the wine ss gently with his white and slender hand.

    The smile on his face was confident. He was still smiling, sitting leisurely, while tasting the red wine with a confident appearance when Hansen¡¯s figure appeared at the door of the private room.

    When he saw Hansen¡¯s uptight expression, the corner of his mouth curved into a bigger smile.

    ¡°Norton, what the hell is it? Say it all out quickly. I have something to do.¡± Hansen was worried about Jenna, fearing that she would meet Brock at the hotel, or that she might encounter something unexpected. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to spend more time with Norton. The reason he hurried over was because of what Norton said to him that morning.Hence, he asked a hasty question before he even sat down properly.

    The atmosphere that night was so weird. The air was filled with uneasy feelings.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t be so hasty. Since you are here,e and sit down first. It is rare for us to get together. We might as well have a drink today and talk about the current affairs in the world. What do you think?¡± Norton was not in a hurry, so he said while holding a red wine-ss in his hand, twirling it lightly, a faint smile on his face.

    Hansen was a little annoyed. How could he have the time to apany Norton to drink now? He was worried about Jennaand hedidn¡¯t even know if she was there already, so he nced at Norton sharply and said sternly, ¡°Norton, show me now what you¡¯ve got. Let me tell you, I still have something to do. If you can¡¯t get it out now, I will assume that you are fooling me today and you will find out the consequences of fooling around with me.¡±

    Hansen smiled coldly. In order to show his demeanor and to subsidize his political expenses, the Richards Group would give Norton arge amount of benefits every month. If he suddenly canceled these, the greedy Norton would surely have a hard time in the future.

    Of course Norton also knew it, but at this time, he didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry. He stood up and pulled Hansen to sit down.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s freezing cold outside. Sit down and warm yourself up with a ss of wine.¡±

    He spoke to Hansen politely with a ttering smile.

    Hansen felt helpless, he was forced to sit down now, and he didn¡¯t intend to sit still because of his worries. He nced at Norton¡¯s happy face once again, then asked while holding back his temper: ¡°Norton, what are you doing now?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Hansen, I did it for your good, of course,¡± Norton¡¯s thin lips were slightly pursed, and he lifted the corner of his mouth slightly. Then he finally said with a caring face, ¡°Hansen, I heard that you are investigating Javon¡¯s case. Is it true?¡±

    Hansen heard that Norton was finally getting to the point, so he sat down firmly, but his eyes were cold as he said creepily, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°Hansen,¡± Norton stretched his voice. ¡°I also live in Richards Manor, and I still have the benefits from Richards Group every month. How can I not know about this kind of matter that is rted to the Richards Group? Besides, Alvin¡¯s injuries were reported all over the news. I am a government officialso why wouldn¡¯t I know this?¡±

    Hansen was slightly convinced by him. The corner of his mouth raised faintly, and he asked in a cold voice: ¡°So, do you know that Alvin¡¯s injury is rted to Javon¡¯s case?¡±

    Norton¡¯s eyes showed that he was dumbfounded for a second but it became clear again in an instant.

    ¡°Hansen, Javon is already dead so why do you still bother to investigate it? I heard that the car that killed Javon was a luxury car produced by Richards Group. You must know that if this is exposed, it will have a negative impact on the Richards Group¡¯s stock and economy. Wasn¡¯t it just a car ident? There are car idents and man-made idents in the world every day. If they are all investigated in this way, it is really not a good thing. Everyone is trying to keep it quiet,¡± heughed helplessly and asked in wonder. After his question, he was afraid that Hansen would have doubts. Hence, he swore, ¡°Hansen, I am telling you all of this for the sake of the Richards Group. After all, I am also from the Richards family.¡±

    What he said also seemed reasonable. He was just kindly reminding Hansen, but it still sounded harsh to Hansen. Hansen said with a dignified expression, ¡°Norton, I would rather not take that money that was made without conscience. I would rather not be an official if I felt guilty. Although the rules of this world are controlled by the strong, there is still fairness and justice in the world. When someone is too evil, he will bear his own consequences in the end. Javon¡¯s reputation is great and everyone knows he was a kind person. The position of the head of the Finance Department originally belonged to him, but suddenly he got involved in a car ident for no reason. Norton, don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s odd?¡±

    Hansen finished speaking calmly, staring at Norton sternly.

    Norton¡¯s face turned dark but he smiled, his expression stiff and unnatural. He hurriedly said, ¡°Yes indeed, you¡¯re right, but Javon¡¯s case isn¡¯t that easy to investigate. Even Alvin has been injured because of it. Hansen, you need to be aware of your safety. Besides, Javon was originally your father-inw. Although you didn¡¯t treat him well, he was still your father-inw, right?¡±

    Norton chuckled, trying to hide his embarrassment.

 Chapter 153 Drugged

    The corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth raised slightly. He approached Norton and said seriously, ¡°Javon was killed on the eve of the election for the head of the Finance Department. Now, Jordan is fully responsible for investigating this case. I think everyone knows who gets the benefit and who gets the detriment in it!¡±

    After speaking, his eyes stared straight at Norton¡¯s eyes like a sword, as if to look straight into his heart to see what he was thinking.

    Norton¡¯s hand that was holding the red-wine ss trembled slightly, and the smile on his face stiffened. ¡°You¡¯re right, Hansen. Come on, warm yourself up with a good ss of French red wine.¡±

    Norton held the thin leg of the red-wine ss and shook it slightly. The scarlet red liquid in the ss tilted slightly and he tilted it toward Hansen, and covered the embarrassment on his face well.

    Hansen nced at the red wine in front of him indifferently, and did not reach out to take it. However, he calmly asked, ¡°What about your things? Show me quickly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s here, don¡¯t worry. Take this ss of wine and I¡¯ll bring it to you.¡± Norton smiled warmly, and his voice was very pleasant. He seemed to be afraid that Hansen had any concerns, so he said heartily, ¡°Hansen, you are the director of the Richards Group. I am nothing more than just concerned about you,¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great, Norton. You are a government official. You are the hope of our family. You can let me know if you have any problems, but I don¡¯t want to hear any bad rumors about you.¡± Hansen reached out and took the wine ss, then looked at him again. He asked seriously, ¡°Norton, do you understand what I mean?¡±

    Of course, Hansen said this after he had done some investigation. He hired someone to follow Norton for a period of time and had not found any weird doubts yet recently. This was very gratifying to him. Javon died on the eve of the election for the head of the Finance Departmentand Norton was the one raking the benefits from his death.

    In other words, if Javon didn¡¯t die, based on his prestige, it was impossible for Norton to be the head of the Finance Department. Therefore, the biggest beneficiary of Javon¡¯s death was Norton. If Javon¡¯s death was to be investigated, Norton would be the first suspect, so that was why Hansen said those words just now.

    From the bottom of Hansen¡¯s heart, he hoped that Norton had no part in this incident. After all, he was a government official and Richards Family¡¯s hope in terms of politics. Of course, Hansen didn¡¯t want him to be an official by using despicable schemes.

    Although Norton was unpredictable, he didn¡¯t seem to be bold enough to kill someone. After all, Hansen was practically his sibling and they had grown up together.

    ¡°Of course I understand that you care about me. I know all of this. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do anything outrageous no matter how disappointed I am. Come on, to thank you for giving me advice, cheers,¡± Norton said gratefully, with a humble smile on his face and a generous demeanor.

    As soon as he finished speaking, he raised the wine ss in his hand.

    Hansen was relieved too when he heard Norton say that. As long as this case was not rted to Norton, it will be way easier to handle.

    Looking at the time, Hansen thought that Jenna would arrive soon, and he smiled slightly.

    Norton drank the red wine in one gulp, took out a paper bag with a yellow cover from the bag beside him, and put it on the table in front of Hansen. Norton said seriously: ¡°Hansen, the information I got from the Finance Department is here. There is a CD, so you can go home and watch it yourself.¡±

    Saying this, Norton looked up and saw that Hansen had not drunk the red wine in his hand yet. A dim light shed in his eyes, and he smiled again. He pretended to be confused and asked, ¡°Hansen, why aren¡¯t you drinking the wine? I wonder if you are still mad at me or you don¡¯t believe in the information I gave you?¡±

    Hansen looked down at the yellow paper bag and looked at Norton¡¯s face calmly. Seeing that his face, which was still smiling heartily just now, was awkward at this moment, Hansen smiled lightly and said casually: ¡°Of course I am not! It¡¯s just a ss of wine. You can¡¯t be poisoning me, right? I will drink it for you.¡±

    After speaking, Hansen shook his head slightly, then drank it in one gulp.

    The red wine felt a little bitter as it slid into his mouth. He frowned, and his eyes nced at the wine ss suspiciously. At that moment, his phone rang. Hansen hurriedly picked up the phone and saw that it was Jenna. The time was just right! He smiled, pressed on the green button, and was about to put the phone to his ear. However, he suddenly felt weak, and he lost all his strength and he couldn¡¯t even lift his arms.

    He felt dizzy immediately and his vision went blurry. He could only hear Jenna¡¯s clear and anxious voiceing from the phone, ¡°Hansen, where are you? I have arrived.¡±

    He wanted to talk, but he felt extremely tired and couldn¡¯t even say a word.

    At this moment, a gunshot sounded in the Hilton Hotel. It echoed throughout the entire hotel, and even the ceiling was shaken.

    The darkness in front of Hansen continued to expand, and there was only one figure lingering in front his eyes. It was Jenna. He shouted in his heart, and fell heavily on the sofa.

    Norton stood beside him coldly, looking at Hansen¡¯s body, and a gloomy smile appeared on his face.

    Hansen, enjoy your night with Aria tonight! Soon, a piece of good news will be delivered to your family.

    He pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and after a while, two men who looked like construction workers came up.

    ¡°Remember, send him to the presidential suite,¡± Norton took out a few hundred dor bills and said to them.

    ¡°Okay,¡± the two of them epted the money and agreed, then they carried Hansen out.

    There were noises and screams everywhere outside, and some guests were screaming horribly, ¡°Oh no! Some robbers have opened fire! Some terrorists have entered the hotel!¡±

    Such a shout made the guests flee in all directions.

    All of a sudden, the corridors and lobby were filled with the sound of the footsteps, panic screams, and the horrible crying voice from being knocked down. The sound was so sharp that the whole lobby was in a mess.

    Norton flicked the dust off his clothes in a hurry, calmly picked up the yellow bag on the table, turned his head, and saw Hansen¡¯s phone shing. He then took it after thinking for a while.

    Jenna¡¯s name was shing on the screen.

    His eyes were dark, and some light was shining from his eyes. An ambiguous smile appeared on his face and he slid across the screen with his slender finger. The line was connected.

    ¡°Hansen, what happened? Where are you?¡± Jenna said anxiously on the other end of the line. She was about to cry.

    ¡°Hey, Honey, don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Norton heard Jenna¡¯s scared voice. His heart hurt, a touch of tenderness shed across his face, and he hurriedlyforted her.

    Jenna was probably frightened, or she never thought that Hansen¡¯s phone would fall into Norton¡¯s hands, so she didn¡¯t notice that the voice on the phone had changed.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you? Nothing is wrong, right?¡± She was scared as she nervously asked again.

    The light in Norton¡¯s eyes dimmed again. He felt jealous, for there was only Hansen in her heart.

    ¡°Honey, I¡¯m okay. Come and find me. I¡¯m in The River suit,¡± he said gently. He quickly turned his eyes away and acted differently. The smile on his face was so bright.

    If he didn¡¯t guess it wrong, the gunshot just now indicated that Brock¡¯s men and Hansen¡¯s men had discovered each other and they had started shooting without any other choice.

    If Jenna still rushed there, Norton was really worried that she would get injured. He was reluctant to let Jenna get hurt, so it would be better to bring her here, and he could also¡­

    Anyway, maybe everything will be different after that night.

    He hung up the phone, whistled at Hansen¡¯s specially designed phone, and his smile became even more obvious.

    The guests inside the hotel were all running out nervously. Recently, there were many reports about terrorist activity on the news. The gunshots in this hotel caused great panic among everyone. They had all lost their minds after assuming there were terrorists in the hotel.

    After all, there were terrorists everywhere in the world, and they were bing more and more rampant. Everyone was afraid that they might be the next victim.

    Fear brought chaos, and the entire hotel was now in extreme chaos.

    The guests were all trying to run out, but Jenna desperately rushed inside, simply because Hansen was waiting for her inside. As long as she could stay by his side, her heart would be at peace and she would not be afraid of anything anymore.

    ¡°Why are you here? Where¡¯s Hansen?¡± When Jenna finally got into the room with sweat all over her forehead, she only saw Norton sitting on the sofa, holding a wine ss, looking at her strangely. His face was flushed; he seemed to have drunk a lot of wine.

    ¡°Jenna, Hansen already left as he had something to do. Come and sit down,¡± Norton said as he smiled and waved to her.

    ¡°Had something to do?¡± Jenna nced around the room, and she immediately saw the phone on the sofa, confirming that Hansen was here not long ago. However,he would never leave his phone behind!

    Norton looked at the phone and he smiled. ¡°Look, his phone is here, I didn¡¯t lie to you.¡±

    He smiled with a calm face.

    ¡°Jenna,e and sit down and have a ss of red wine. It¡¯s messy and dangerous outside now. It¡¯s safe to stay here,¡± Norton coaxed.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna looked at the time. It was already past nine o¡¯clock. She was very anxious. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at Norton to ask, ¡°Where did Hansen go? I made an appointment with him. Usually, he never leaves his phone behind, so why did he leave it here today?¡±

    Norton squinted his eyes, concealed the dark light in his eyes, and looked at the woman in front of him who fascinated him. She was such a beautiful woman, but she only cared about Hansen, and didn¡¯t pay any attention to him. She didn¡¯t even take any extra unnecessary nces at him, and this made him feel so sad.

    ¡°Jenna, sit down. Let¡¯s talk, okay?¡± he stood up and said. He walked toward Jenna with a gentle and eager light in his eyes.

    Seeing him walk toward her, Jenna took a few steps back and looked at him cautiously.

 Chapter 154 Whatâ€™s Going On

    ¡°Jenna, have you fallen in love with Hansen now? Don¡¯t you hate him?¡± Norton looked at Jenna¡¯s vignt face which looked unfamiliar to him, and felt so heartbroken. He asked puzzledly, ¡°He hurt you so badly before so how could you forgive him so easily?¡±

    One could tell from his tone that he was in despair. He had always been tender and affectionate with Jenna, but Hansen was nothing like that in front of her.

    That was not important. What was important was that Jenna could always find a touch of tenderness in Hansen¡¯s eyes. Her eyes and heart were filled with Hansen, and she didn¡¯t care even if Hansen hurt her badly.However, for Norton, she always treated him indifferently like a stranger, which made him feel iprehensible, even more confused, and very unsatisfied.

    ¡°This is my business, I don¡¯t need an outsider to take care of it,¡± Jenna was disturbed by his approach and said coldly. ¡°I just want to know where Hansen has gone now. It¡¯s urgent.¡±

    A painful look shed through Norton¡¯s eyes, and he held the wine ss tighter in his hand. However, he still managed to squeeze out a nice smile onto his face.

    ¡°Jenna, there are some things you need to understand. The more you fall into his trap, the worse it will be for you,¡± Norton tried to persuade. ¡°You know, a man like Hansen is powerful. Can you be sure that he can take care of you forever?¡±

    Jenna was stunned when she heard this. Her eyes went nkbut she quickly ignored him and picked up the phone on the sofa. She stayed away from him quickly, looked left and right, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Norton, did you meet Hansen for anything this morning? Hansen was here because he was invited by you, right? Now that a shooting has urred here, where did Hansen go?¡±

    Norton was a little panicked by her question. It seemed that she was quite smart and knew that Hansen¡¯sing here must be rted to Hansen¡¯s visit in the morning, but so what?

    Did anyone see what he did?

    His eyes darkened. He smiled unpredictably, and said with a chill, ¡°It seems like you really can¡¯t leave him for even a moment. You¡¯re really an infatuated woman. I am afraid that the deeper you sink, the deeper the pain will be. Don¡¯t me me for not warning you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked. Norton¡¯s words surprised Jenna. It was obvious that there were some underlying meanings in these words.

    Jenna¡¯s reaction made Norton very satisfied, and he took a few abrupt steps closer.

    ¡°Jenna, listen to my adviceande to me.¡± He suddenly grabbed her hand and started gasping for air. His eyes were glowing as he said excitedly, ¡°I will definitely not hurt you. I will make you the happiest woman in the world. Just don¡¯t follow Hansen. He can¡¯t give you happiness. Believe me, I have always loved you and will give you the best in the world.¡±

    Norton¡¯s sudden movement made Jenna feel dazedand she regretteding here now.

    However, she was not afraid as long as Hansen was here.

    Norton was very afraid of Hansen.

    However, the situation was obviously not like that. Soon, she heard Norton¡¯s cold voice, ¡°Don¡¯t expect Hansen to save you now. He is happily in the arms of another beautiful woman now. I warned you long ago not to love him with all your heart, otherwise, you will be the one suffering,¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face turned pale, and she pushed away Norton¡¯s hand harshly and said sharply, ¡°Norton, please be respectful. I will tell Hansen and let him take care of you if you dare to touch me again.¡±

    Nortonughed aloud when he heard this, until he cried tears of joy.

    ¡°Jenna, you are still too naive. Let me tell you, Hansen has already left with a beauty, and he won¡¯te here tonight anymore. Please wake up from your dream and ept the truth. He killed your dad, don¡¯t you believe it?¡±

    ¡°Norton, don¡¯t talk nonsense. Hansen can¡¯t possibly kill my dad. I won¡¯t be fooled by you or be deceived by you,¡± Jenna said. Obviously, she would not believe this nonsense at all, but her heart became more and more flustered; where was Hansen now?

    ¡°It seems like you still don¡¯t believe me, but it¡¯s okay. Soon, you will know who treats you well and who betrays you,¡± Norton said as he looked at Jenna¡¯s pale face. He walked over to pick up his coat and put it on. Then he said after turning around, ¡°You better go home. He won¡¯t be here tonight.¡±

    After speaking, Norton stopped harassing her and walked out with confidence. He was not in a hurry at the moment as he was confident in himself. He just took a few steps away before he turned around again and added, ¡°Oh yes, please help Hansen take his phone back too.¡±

    After speaking, he raised his eyebrows at Jenna, smiled mysteriously, and walked outside.

    Hmph, Jenna will surely suffer soon.

    A chilly light shed across his eyes, but the fit was tightly clenched. Hansen, I don¡¯t believe you can get rid of Aria after tonight, and I don¡¯t believe that Jenna can forgive you every time.

    Although Norton¡¯s words made Jenna horrified, he still left and would not touch her anymore. Nevertheless, even greater anxiety hit her now.

    Where was Hansen? Was it really like what Norton said?

    Despite her disbelief, she walked toward the front desk.

    She asked all the receptionists, and the answer she got was ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±. After inquiring, one of the receptionists told her that there was nobody named Hansen who booked a room there.

    Jenna¡¯s heart settled a little bit, but she was more terrified when she wondered where Hansen went, especially after hearing what Norton said. She got even more worried.

    Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she thought, maybe he had gone to see Dr. Graves? After all, they had made an appointment.

    Hastily, she pressed the elevator and went upstairs.

    The number on the elevator increased all the way up, and she recalled everything quickly in her mind too. Norton always said that Hansen killed her father. What did he mean by that?

    And he said Hansen had left with a beauty. Was that possible?

    No, it was totally impossible. They were still together the night before.

    Besides, he promised her that after he came back from Hawaii, apart from her, he would never touch any other woman again. She didn¡¯t believe that he would bring a woman over that night.

    She believed in him.

    When the elevator arrived on the eighth floor, the corridor had already been blocked because of the shooting. The police had rushed over and blocked the scene immediately so she couldn¡¯t get in at all.

    What about Weldon?

    Jenna went to the front desk again and asked about the guests in room 820. Thedy at the front desk replied that he had been transferred to another room. Jenna was relieved and asked curiously, ¡°Miss, who was involved in this shooting? What happened?¡±

    Thedy at the front desk looked scared and exined what she assumed had happened, ¡°I heard that the underworld boss, Brock, fired the gun. As for what happened, we still don¡¯t know. The police are investigating.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Jenna thought for a while, asked for Dr. Graves¡¯s room number, and hurriedly walked toward his room.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Obviously, Dr. Graves was frightened. Seeing Jennae over, he shook his head repeatedly and said, ¡°Miss Murphy, I must go back tomorrow. It is terrible here.¡±

    Jenna was too embarrassed to force him to stay. Knowing that Hansen had note to him, sheforted him with a smile and a few words. She also promised to send him to the airport the next day before she left.

    Weldon returned to his country early the next morning.

    Jenna stayed in the hotel and found nothing so she returned to Richards Manor in a mood. She covered herself with the quilt and rolled around. Finally, she fell asleep tiredter. At dawn, the bed beside hers was still empty. Sure enough, Hansen didn¡¯te back all night, just like what Norton had said.

    Hanseny in the bed and felt hot and ufortable. In his dream, there seemed to be a smooth woman¡¯s body wrapped around him. His lips were covered by something soft, his mind was blurred, and his whole body was hot. After a while, his lower abdomen tightened ufortably, and there seemed to be a fire in his chest, eager to vent.

    This situation seemed to havested for a long time. He tried his best to endure it. His whole body was burning the whole time. His face flushedandhe wanted to press the soft body that was wrapped around his body under him and tear it apart.

    However, he had lost all his strength.

    Jenna, was this woman Jenna?

    No, it was not.

    He knew Jenna¡¯s body scent very well, so who was this woman then? What was going on?

    His head was in pain.

    He opened his eyes and found out that it was already morning.

    ¡°Hansen, you have woken up?¡± The woman said in surprise. Lying on his body, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips feverishly, as if she wanted to melt into him.

    He was unfamiliar with his surroundings. After the whole night of torture, Hansen finally felt a little at ease, but the wave in his body was teased again by the woman¡¯s touch. There was something like turbulentva rolling in his chest that seemed like it was going to explode at any moment.

    ¡°Jenna, is that you?¡± He askedboriously, only to find out that his lips were chapped and there was the smell of blooding out of it. His voice was hoarse too. He felt so thirsty at the moment.

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s me,¡± the woman said as she raised her head tenderly, her smooth arms wrapped around his neck.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you.¡± What was presented in front of him was a pretty flirtatious face, but not the face that Hansen had expected to see. In shock, he turned over and sat up and asked in disbelief, ¡°Aria, how could it be you?¡±

    Aria was shy and she smiled, embarrassed, ¡°Hansen, you are so bad. You were so rude to mest night. Are you going to pretend like it never happened now?¡±

    She pouted, aggrieved. She behaved coquettishly, with tears welled up in her eyes.

    ¡°Aria,st night, I¡­¡± Hansen looked at her and blurted out. He understood the situation very well. He had slept with Aria the night before.

    He looked up at her in disbelief. She was bruised all over and there were hickeys everywhere on her body. Even her lips were red and swollenand she looked so tired after the night before. He instantly knew what had happened that night.

    He looked at himself again, only to find out that he waspletely naked. What was going on?

    Hansen was absolutely dumbfounded.

    He actually had s*x with Aria!

    God knew what was going on!

    He was so frightened and angry that his whole body went stiff.

 Chapter 155 Annoyed

    How could he do such a thing? He had cheated on Jenna!

    That thought immediately appeared in his mind, and his whole body couldn¡¯t help but shudder.

    ¡°Hansen, you are so good in bed, but you really make me feel pain now,¡± Aria said as she leaned against his chest and embraced him. Her face was so shy yet satisfied, and she looked at him affectionately, with pleasure and a little shyness in her eyes.

    Hansen stood up suddenly. His face was pale. He said, ¡°Aria, admit it. I didn¡¯t ask you outst night. I was going to meet Jenna.¡±

    Aria¡¯s face immediately turned dark. She took the quilt and wrapped it around her body. Tears started to well up in her big eyesand she burst into tears. ¡°Hansen, I know you like Jenna and you don¡¯t love me, but yesterday, you slept with me. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t me you. I was willingbecause I love you very much. I am willing to give you everything. I will not force you to be responsible for me in the future.¡±

    Aria started sobbing in pain while she talked. She changed clothes while trembling and looked extremely aggrieved. Her tears started to flow down her cheeks without stopping.

    Hansen was very upset now. The heat in his body was still annoying him. Aria¡¯s aggrieved appearance put him at a loss. What was going on? How could this happen? He was too confused at the moment so he rushed into the bathroom, turned on the cold water shower, and let the water sober him up.

    The icy cold water poured down from the top of his head all the way down, and the chill immediately hit his limbs. The heat in his body gradually subsided, and he slowly remembered what happened the night before.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    The night before, he seemed to be drunk after drinking Norton¡¯s ss of red wine. He was drunk and lost his consciousness, but he heard a gunshot before he fell asleep.

    He opened his eyes suddenly and trembled.

    Jenna, where was Jenna?

    He made an appointment with her the night before, and she came to the hotel when the gun was fired. Did anything happen to her?

    Thinking about that, Hansen waspletely stunned. After a while, he was scared. He hurriedly wrapped himself in a towel and rushed out to find his phone.

    Aria had left.

    This made him relieved.

    She didn¡¯t pester him this time, nor did she want him to be responsible for her in the future. It made him feel a little embarrassed this time.

    But did he actually want to have s*x with her the night before? And did he even want it so badly?

    D*mn! He hit the wall hardbut he didn¡¯t remember anything.

    There seemed to be a woman¡¯s body wrapped around him in his blurry mind, and he felt so hot, but he had no memory.

    But the fact was that¡­

    Aria hadid on Hansen¡¯s body naked. Her body was full of bruises and hickeys. Those things won¡¯t be there for no reason. Besides, what would happen to a woman who got entangled with him like this? Everyone knew what had happened!

    D*mn!

    Hansen became more annoyed the more he thought about it. Besides, he couldn¡¯t find his mobile phone anywhere.

    So he had no choice but to pick up thendline in the room, dial his own phone, and it was connected after a while.

    ¡°Hello,¡± There came a tired female voice from the other end. Hansen¡¯s heart jumped wildly when he heard this voice. It was Jenna who picked up the phone. He was surprised and delighted.

    ¡°Jenna, is that you?¡± he asked in a low voice.

    Jenna heard Hansen¡¯s voice. Her eyes immediately lit up.

    When she first got up, the phone rang. She saw that it was an unknown phone number but still picked up, but there came a female voice from the other end, so she just hung up the phone without a second thought.

    Then the phone rang again several times in a row, then finally the female on the other end stopped calling.

    That was kind of mysterious to her.

    She stared at the phone in a daze. It so happened that the phone rang again after a while. This time it was Hansen. She was pleasantly surprised and asked urgently, ¡°Hansen, where were youst night? How are you?¡±

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m fine. How about you?¡± Hansen asked immediately.

    At the same time, they remembered the gunshots in the hotel the night before. They seemed to be worried about each other. After they knew that they were both okay, they breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Jenna, why is my phone with you?¡± He asked with a little surprise. He really couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on.

    ¡°Hansen, this is hard to exin in simple words. Where are you? Let¡¯s meet up and I¡¯ll tell you about it after we meet.¡± Jenna got up, ready to change and find Hansen.

    However, Hansen on the other end of the line was silent for a while and then he said, ¡°No, Jenna. You should go back to thepany first. I will go back to thepanyter. Let¡¯s talk about it when we meet.¡±

    After speaking, Hansen hung up the phone.

    Jenna stood there, disappointed for a while, and hurriedly walked to the bathroom to wash up.

    After a while, she carried her small bag and went out. As soon as she walked out of the entrance of Green Jade Garden, she saw Ariaing from in front. She was not dressed properly and her face looked so tired, but she looked so energetic at the same time. She even shed a smug smile when she saw Jenna.

    ¡°Jenna, good morning,¡± she said and smiled brightly.

    Jenna felt annoyed at seeing her here. She furrowed her brow, but she still lifted the corners of her mouth and said faintly: ¡°Good morning.¡±

    Jenna didn¡¯t stop while greeting her back. Instead, she just walked past her and continued walking.

    ¡°Jenna, when you see Hansen, tell him that I have returned to Richards Manor,¡± Aria stopped her and said in a charming voice.

    Jenna raised her eyebrows. What did she mean? Was she implying something?

    Was Hansen with her the night before? She remembered that Norton kept saying that Hansen had left with a beauty. Was that beauty Aria?

    As she was still thinking, Aria took off her coat as she yelled, ¡°It¡¯s so hot¡±. In an instant, her low-cutce and gold dress was exposed, and her deep cleavage was very visible. However, what attracted Jenna¡¯s eyes were the hickeys all over her neck and chest. It was too eye-catching.

    Jenna felt a sudden pain in her heart, as if she had realized something, but she didn¡¯t want to believe it.

    It was an early sunny morning after the snow at this point. Forget hot, one would feel extremely cold even if the person was dressed in thick clothes, so she was not hot. She was just deliberately showing her hickeys to Jenna.

    What did it mean?

    Jenna quickly turned her head away. She didn¡¯t want to think about anything in her head, and she walked toward the electric car in a hurry.

    She could hear Aria¡¯s triumphant chuckle behind her.

    Her face instantly turned pale.

    Hansen was sitting on the sofa of the hotel, rubbing his brows with his fingers. He still felt pain in his head.

    He still couldn¡¯t believe what happened that day.

    He raised his hand and picked up the phone that was beside the coffee table and dialled a number.

    ¡°John, it¡¯s me,¡± he said dully.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,¡± John also said quickly from his end.

    ¡°Wait for me at the embankment,¡± Hansen thought for a while and said calmly.

    ¡°Okay, Mr. Richards,¡± John said immediately.

    The wind at the embankment of the moat of A City was cold.

    Hansen sat in the Humvee with no expression on his face.

    After a while, John¡¯s figure appeared beside the Humvee.

    Hansen pressed the opening button, and John jumped up quickly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we missed it,¡± John jumped up and spoke anxiously before sitting down.

    ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s the situation?¡± Hansen said with furrowed eyebrows and a solemn face .

    ¡°Mr. Richards, after we lurked into Room 820 yesterday, we discovered that Brock did not live in the Presidential Suite Room 808 at all, and the front desk did not register his name either. We were quite surprised at that time. So I divided our men into a few groups to secure every exit and waited for an opportunity to catch him, but Brock brought a lot of men with him too. One of our men was spotted by their menst night and they shot our men immediately. After that, the police came and we could only retreat.Brock is still missing until now,¡± John said.

    Hansen frowned further. So Brock must have been to the Hilton Hotel the night before, only to temporarily change his room. It turned out that the Presidential Suite 808 was just a cover. Brockwas worthy of the image of the boss of the underworld; his whereabouts were random.

    ¡°Did any of our men get hurt?¡± Hansen¡¯s finger moved and he asked while holding the steering wheel with his brows raised.

    ¡°Fortunately, we were hiding by the stairs, so it was not so easy to get shot. The bullet only hit the wall.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Hansen sighed in secret and nodded.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, what¡¯s our n for action?¡± John asked with a little guilt, feeling very ashamed for notpleting the previous day¡¯s task.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes shed and he waved his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty, he can¡¯t run away from us. I have set up a trap for him. In a few days, he will fall in the trap obediently, and he will be caught alive. You guys should just act ording to the original n and follow my instructions.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s confident appearance made John secretly surprised and he nodded again.

    ¡°By the way, Jordan has already taken over Javon¡¯s case from today onward. If he needs anything, try your best to cooperate,¡± Hansen thought of something, and said calmly to John who was about to leave.

    John was overjoyed when he heard the words and he nodded again.

    ¡°Okay, you can go now,¡± Hansen said when he pressed his temple with his fingers and waved his hand at John.

    John lightly jumped off the car and quickly took a taxi.

    Hansen sat in silence for a while and drove away.

    In the VIP ward of the government hospital, Alvin was reading the newspaper with one hand when Hansen walked in with heavy steps.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,¡± Alvin called as he put down the newspaper quickly and smiled. His face was a bit nervous, but the look in his eyes was determined.

    He just saw in the newspaper that there was a gunshot in the Hilton Hotel the night before. He was thinking of something just as Hansen walked in with a heavy face.

    ¡°How¡¯s your injury?¡± Hansen said. He walked over, bent over, and stared at his wound, then checked it himself.

    ¡°Thank you for caring. This injury is slowly recovering now.¡± Alvin was very worried about what happened the night before, and he didn¡¯t care about his injury. Alvin hurriedly answered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so careless with yourself. After all, your internal organs have been injured. You must cooperate with the doctor to recover as soon as possible,¡± Hansen said lightly and was very concerned.

    Alvin was a man, but he was still very touched when he saw that Hansen came to check on his condition every day.

 Chapter 156 Donâ€™t Need a Reason to Love You

    ¡°Mr. Richards, my subordinates have found Jennifer¡¯s specific address by following one of Brock¡¯s people named Freddy,¡± Alvin suddenly lowered his voice and said.

    Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, and a dim light appeared in his eyes. He said, ¡°Okay, follow the n. This time, I will catch Brock and avenge you.¡±

    A glimmer of joy shed across Alvin¡¯s eyes, and an expression of gratitude appeared in his eyes.

    ¡°Take care, I won¡¯t let you get hurt in vain.¡± Hansen patted Alvin¡¯s shoulder with a smile. He continued, ¡°If you face any difficulties, just tell me.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Mr. Richards, there is nothing for the time being,¡± Alvin smiled frankly and replied.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, were our men responsible for what happenedst night?¡± He lowered his voice and asked.

    Hansen furrowed his brows and nodded slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they are fine. They just want to avenge youso you have to get better as soon as possible.¡±

    Alvin felt guilty, agitated, and sad.

    Jenna sat in the office anxiously. She had never been so restless before. The images of Aria¡¯s smiling face and the hickeys all over her neck were still lingering in front of her eyes. They were familiar to her because Hansen also left them on her body before.

    After returning from Hawaii, he promised her that he would never touch other women or sleep with other women anymore. Did he break his promise so soon and slept with Aria already?

    Jenna didn¡¯t believe it.

    Sitting in a daze, Jenna even signed in the wrong ces several times when some subordinates brought the documents for her. It made them bewildered but also afraid to ask any more.

    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Richards,¡± Elise¡¯s polite voice said.

    Jenna stood up instantly. She knew that Hansen was back and she grasped the phone in her hand tightly.

    Soon Hansen walked in.

    Jenna stared at him nkly, dumbfounded.

    ¡°Jenna,¡± Hansen said as he walked in and saw Jenna¡¯s familiar figure. He felt a heat in his chest. He stretched out his hand to embrace her and buried himself in her soft hair. He smelled her fragrance, all the troubles in his mind had disappeared at this moment. ¡°Jenna, how were youst night?¡±

    ¡°Last night.¡± These words turned out to be like a needle piercing into Jenna¡¯s body, which quickly woke her up.

    ¡°Hansen, where did you gost night? Didn¡¯t you say that you will go to see Dr. Graves with me? But why couldn¡¯t I find you?¡± She broke free from his arms and asked nervously. ¡°Besides, I ran into Aria this morningand she said she wanted me to tell you that she has already returned to the Richards Manor.¡±

    Aria? Hansen¡¯s body quivered. It reminded him of the pain in his heart again. His eyes shed with a hint of shame and he pulled Jenna and sat down on the sofa.

    ¡°What else did she tell you?¡± He asked nervously.

    ¡°No more.¡± Jenna looked at him, guessing what he was thinking, and shook her head.

    ¡°Jenna, where were you when the gunshot was heardst night?¡± Hansen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Aria hadn¡¯t told Jenna what happened between them yet. He felt a little more at ease but quickly asked another question nervously again. She was the one Hansen worried about the most when he heard the gunshot before fainting the night before. He was scared that she would get hurt.

    Jenna blinked her big eyes in confusion and recalled, ¡°I called you as soon as I arrived at the Hilton Hotelst night. The line was connected, and the person on the phone instructed me to go to The River Room to find you. However, I only met the disgusting Norton there but couldn¡¯t find you.¡±

    ¡°Norton,¡± Hansen¡¯s gaze went sluggish and he uttered this name again. He fell silent for a momentand asked with some doubt on his face, ¡°Did I tell you to go there?¡±

    Jenna nodded firmly.

    ¡°Jenna, did he harm you?¡± Hansen suddenly became inexplicably nervous. He took her hand and asked seriously.

    Norton¡¯s smiling face shed in front of Jenna¡¯s eyes. She shuddered and shook her head nkly. ¡°He didn¡¯tbut I saw your phone. You put it on the sofa but you weren¡¯t there! Hansen, do you know how scared I was? Then I went to find you again, but I couldn¡¯t find you anywhere. Hansen, where did you go? Can you tell me?¡±

    Seeing her anxious and worried face, Hansen felt sad and guilty, as well as heartache at the same time.

    He fell silent. The image that appeared in front of his eyes was the scene in which Aria hugged him, and his heart couldn¡¯t help but throb. Nevertheless, he stretched out his arms and smiled. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I had something to dost night? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine. By the way, is Dr. Graves gone? If not, I will apany you to see him today.¡±

    He changed the topic quickly and touched her head gently, a lovely smile on his face.

    ¡°He¡¯s gone. I¡¯ve broken my promise and I¡¯m very embarrassed that I startled him,¡± Jenna replied faintly, with a self-ming expression on her face.

    ¡°Stupid girl, don¡¯t worry. Since he has already told you all the details, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore if I see him or not. After your mother¡¯s surgery, we will take Dad to go abroad for the surgery, okay?¡± His big palm caressed her delicate face gently, then he kissed her forehead, and said softly.

    ¡°You believe me? Don¡¯t you want to personally ask him?¡± Jenna asked as her bright eyes were full of surprise.

    ¡°Of course I believe you. You¡¯re my wife! Who would I believe if I don¡¯t believe you?¡± Hansen was amused by her silly expression. He was very cheerful now and he temporarily forgot all the unpleasant things that had happened. As long as he could see Jenna, he was in a good mood.

    ¡°I have his phone number. If you have anything to ask, you can call him for a consultation.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t expect Hansen to make a decision so quickly. It was his trust in her. She was very happy to hear it, so she smiled slightly.

    But after only a while, Jenna still couldn¡¯t let go of the doubts in her heart, and she was about to ask further when she opened her mouth. Hansen seemed to see through her thoughts before she opened her mouth. So he immediately lowered his head and kissed her lips to prevent her from speaking.

    He put his arms around her waist and hugged her, then put her on hisp. Then he lowered his head, tossing and turning around with her until she was breathless and unable to speak. Then he let her go and whispered into her ear, ¡°Jenna, I love you. Remember, no matter what happens, I love you. My love for you will never change. Please trust me.¡±

    After he finished speaking, his faint ck eyes met her bright ones, and then he asked softly, ¡°Jenna, can you trust me forever?¡±

    The light in his eyes was like the bright moon in the sky, emitting a clear gleam, and his dark eyes attracted her eyes and her heart at the same time like mas.

    Although there was still a hint of doubt in her mind, she couldn¡¯t ask anymore now.

    Since they were in love, they had to trust each other.

    Hansen had already confessed like this, so it meant that there was a reason why he couldn¡¯t tell her, and she ought to believe him too.

    Thus, she decided to trust him unconditionally.

    Sheughed while blinking her bright eyes, revealing a row of fine white teeth. With the shallow dimples on her right cheek, she looked really charming.

    Hansen alsoughed in relief, then he hugged her tightly, the two smiled at each other.

    ¡°On the 18th day of this month, my mother will have an operation,¡± she said softly while lying in his arms.

    ¡°I know, don¡¯t worry. I will arrange everything,¡± he replied tenderly and thoughtfully. Then he pressed his chin against her small face, which made Jenna feel itchy and she giggled.

    Atst, things just progressed like this.

    After that, Jenna stopped being entangled in the matter, and she didn¡¯t ask about it anymore. Hansen of course did not mention it either.

    The two of them let go of it and moved on, Jenna put all her energy into preparing for her mother¡¯s uing surgery.

    Hansen treated her better now and he became more considerate. No matter what she wanted to eat, or what she wanted, as long as he could get it and buy it, he would give it to her without hesitation. asionally, Hansen would also buy something he thought Jenna would like for her.

    If she really didn¡¯t like it, Hansen would just let her throw it away.

    Gradually, Jenna¡¯s bedroom had gone from being empty to being filled with all kinds of precious and exquisite gifts, especially dazzling jewels. Hansen forced her to wear them on special asions, and he even bought a fewrge jewelry box sets to put in her bedroom for her to choose from.

    In the words of Hansen, his wife was the most prestigious and precious woman in Richards Manor, so she must look more decent than the others.

    For every meal in the Richards Manor, the servants would always make a list for her to order the dishes she liked to eat for the day. As long as she wanted to eat it, even if it was out of stock, they must still try their best to get it for her in every way.

    Jenna once casually said that Los Angeles¡¯ pizza was more authentic and delicious, so Hansen immediately booked a private ne to Los Angeles to buy it. It was still warm when he brought it back.

    Jenna felt really happy. She was literally the queen of the Richards Manor in the following days. No one dared to bully her, including Marissa. Because of her son¡¯s strong affection for Jenna, she did not dare to have any dissatisfaction with Jenna either.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Aria rarely went home during this time. She was busy on the set and did not pester Hansen either, forcing him to be responsible for her. After a long time, Hansen had also forgotten about it. He assumed that she was an open-minded woman, so why would she care about what happened that night? In addition, he did it that time because he was drugged, so she couldn¡¯t me him, right?

    Thinking of this, he was relieved. He had a lot of fun with Jenna those days.

    In the Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Aria was sitting in front of the attending doctor, Donald Colton, and asked with seriousness, ¡°Donald, are you sure that that night was my best time to get pregnant?¡±

    Donald looked at her medical records, nodded, and said, ¡°ording to the detailed records of your menstrual cycle over the past few months, yes. If you had s*x that night, the chances of getting pregnant would be very high. This should not be wrong, please believe me,¡± Donald said confidently.

    Aria felt relieved when she heard that. She let out a sigh of relief, but she was still not at ease. She asked, ¡°Donald, it¡¯s been ten days or so, and there is still no response?¡±

 Chapter 157 A Wonderful Night

    Donald couldn¡¯t help but smile and say, ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. First of all, wait and see if you will experience menstruation this month. If your menstruation this month is absent, then you are basically pregnant, but you can stille to the hospital first for a check-up. It¡¯s very simple.¡±

    Aria was a woman withmon sense, so she knew not to rush it, but the doctor had told her about it, and everything had been carefully nned. She was almost sure that nothing could go wrong.

    She took out a card from her pocket and gave it to him, and returned to the set cheerfully.

    She was not in a hurry. She had the time to waitso she decided to just let them be happy for a few more days.

    Hansen was practicing boxing in the gym of Richards Manor. It was the move called the ¡®Nine Cold Winters¡¯. He was topless, sweating like he had just taken a shower, and the light in his eyes was as dark as the night. His fist hit the sandbag with suppressed anger, as if he wanted to punch through the sandbag.

    When Norton¡¯s tall figure appeared in the gym, he looked up and saw Hansen working out. He saw Hansen¡¯s fists hit the sandbag violently and Norton panicked. He turned his head around and was about to run.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Hansen shouted sharply, came over with a brisk walk, grabbed Norton¡¯s cor and pulled him back. Norton, a tall man, fell to the ground instantly.

    Hansen sneered, and stepped on his back. When Hansen asserted just a little strength, Norton screamed out in pain.

    ¡°Why are you running? Are you feeling guilty?¡± He bent down. The light in his eyes was cold and terrifying as he asked harshly.

    ¡°Hansen, what do you mean?¡± Norton asked with a guilty conscience with his face pressed against the cold ground.

    ¡°What do I mean?¡± Hansen¡¯s anger in his heart became even greater. He sneered and pressed harder against the sole of his foot. His other foot stepped on Norton¡¯s hand and he rotated on it fiercely. Norton howled miserably. Norton tried to turn to get up, but Hansen pushed his knee against his back and twisted Norton¡¯s wrist with his backhand. Then, he twisted Norton¡¯s arms backward quickly after that. Norton couldn¡¯t move anymore all of a sudden, and his face turned pale with pain.

    ¡°Tell me, what drug did you put in my red wine that night?¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes turned red as he yelled.

    What Norton could feel at the moment was only pain. He kept shouting, ¡°Hansen, let me go first! I didn¡¯t put anything in it!¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to fool me? Then I will y with you till the end of the day. It seems like you won¡¯t be honest if I don¡¯t teach you a good lesson.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was cold as he snorted. It had been so many days that Norton had deliberately hidden away from him.

    Did he think that everything would be fine as long as they didn¡¯t meet? That was funny!T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen was staying there that day, specifically waiting for him.

    He twisted Norton¡¯s wrist harder. Norton howled like a pig this time, and rebelled loudly, ¡°Hansen, you are torturing me to get a confession. It is violent behavior. I will sue you and tell Grandma.¡±

    ¡°Really, it¡¯s up to you, but first of all, you have to get out of here today,¡± Hansen said as he grabbed Norton and punched him in the chest.

    He even deceived Jenna to go find Hansen in the room. Who couldn¡¯t see through him?

    What was more intolerable and uneptable was that he dared to drug Hansen.

    Norton was hit in the chest by Hansen¡¯s heavy punch and he almost died.

    ¡°Let me tell you. Jenna is my wife, your sister-inw, so if you dare to approach her with an unruly heart, I will really let you die,¡± Hansen threatened viciously.

    The word ¡®Jenna¡¯ irritated Norton, who bent at his waist and his face was full of pain and sweat. He raised his bloody-red eyes and said grimly, ¡°Hansen, you are a b*stard. You are not worthy of Jenna¡¯s love. You hurt her so cruelly and indifferently. Now, you even slept with Aria behind her back. Let me tell you, she won¡¯t forgive you! If I can¡¯t get her, then you can¡¯t have her either.¡±

    Norton started tough maniacally after speaking.

    B*stard. Hansen was trembling with anger. He stretched out his hand violently and pped Norton while sternly yelling, ¡°No one can take my wife away from me. Just tell me, that night, what kind of drug did you put in my wine?¡±

    Blood flowed down from the corner of Norton¡¯s mouth, and Norton¡¯s face instantly swelled.

    ¡°Nothing, just some aphrodisiac.¡± Norton licked the blood from the corner of his mouth andughed crazily. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aria is your wife. She loves you and won¡¯t drug you with any poison.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you also enjoy it that day? You should thank me. Don¡¯t pretend anymore. You are just a dissolute man who pretends to be a gentleman,¡± Norton said. He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and swallowed it. His face muscles twitched as he sneered.

    ¡°Damn it, how dare you scheme me?¡± Hansen yelled. He was so angry that he clenched his fists, trembling all over. Lastly, he punched Norton in his face. ¡°Let me tell you, if this happens again in the future, I will let you sit in a wheelchair for the rest of your life. Let me say it again, Jenna is my woman, so don¡¯t harass her anymore in the future.¡±

    After Hansen said these words viciously, he let go of Norton, took his coat, and put it on before striding out furiously.

    The wind was blowing strongly and the dark clouds had gathered in the sky above the blue sea.

    On a not-so-luxurious cruise ship, Brock was sitting in a chair on the deck. The cabin was filled with men in tight ck suits. They were all standing respectfully and silently.

    The blue veins on Brock¡¯s face were all exposed, and the scars on his face were twisted.

    ¡°Who was responsible for picking up Jennifer yesterday?¡± He asked with a sullen face.

    The cold wind blew in through the window, making them tremble from the cold.

    ¡°It¡­ it was me,¡± a man replied with trembling legs.

    ¡°Freddy, you again? Come out!¡± Brock shouted sternly.

    ¡°Boss, boss, please forgive me.¡± Freddy¡¯s face was very pale, and he crawled out in shock. Then he threw himself at Brock¡¯s feet and started begging for mercy.

    Brock was notorious for his viciousness, and everyone knew that the woman Brock cared most about was Jennifer Owen. If something happened to her, it would be no different than stabbing yourself with a sword, because you will definitely die.

    ¡°Boss, I really didn¡¯t see anyone following us when I escorted Jennifer back to Fifth Alley yesterday. I beg you to investigate thoroughly. Besides, the enemies were hiding in the darkso you can¡¯t me it on me.¡± He hugged Brock¡¯s thigh tightly and trembled as he talked. His eyes were nk, and his survival instinct made him cry out loud to protect himself, but it was useless. Brock¡¯s increasingly sulky eyes made his heart sink, little by little.

    ¡°Well, answer me, why did you take Jennifer and go to the wrong room that night? Do you know that you almost got me caught by the police?¡± Brock asked coldly. His eagle-like eyes were emitting a bloodthirsty red light, and his face became darker.

    At the Hilton Hotel that day, he had clearly ordered Freddy to escort Jennifer to the presidential suite on the 10th floor. He let the public know that he had booked the presidential suite on the 8th floor, but that was just a cover. In fact, he was going to sneak into the presidential suite on the 10th floor and have a romantic night with Jennifer.

    As night came, he couldn¡¯t wait anymore and he snuck into the room secretly. As soon as the door was opened, a woman rushed toward him with the smell of perfume all over her body. Then the woman started kissing him crazily as she held him.

    At that time, there was absolutely no light in the room. He thought that she must be Jennifer. After all, they hadn¡¯t seen each other in a long time, and it was normal for a woman to crave him so badly.

    Furthermore, the woman was very coquettish. She teased him and made him very eager to start. He fell over the moon immediately since he had already drunk a little Viagra before he came. He hugged her and sprinted frantically toward the bed until the gunfire was heard. It was only then did he realize that his whereabouts might have been discovered by someone. He was frightened in his heart at that time, because the presidential suite on the 10th floor was not registered at the front desk in order to avoid his location being exposed.

    Before that, he had secretly sent some guards to standby in the stairway, and they would notify him as soon as there was something wrong. More and more noise and screams started to sound outside the room. Although the suite had great soundproofing walls, he could still hear the noises outside.

    Realizing that the police had surrounded the hotel, what he wanted to do was to escape. However, the woman didn¡¯t want to let go of him. As he was still struggling, he received a signal from his subordinates, telling him to stay in the room and not move. There were cops everywhere outside, and going out was not a good idea.

    In that case, he could only stay and apany her in the room. He then had a wonderful time that night.

    The woman under him did not seem to be Jennifer. Although he couldn¡¯t tell it at first since he was confused and infatuated, after the gunshots sounded, his mind became sober.

    The woman under him was very lustful and very coquettish, pestering him and she wouldn¡¯t let him go. Brock had seen many women in his life, since there was no other choice at the time, and it was this woman who took the initiative to provoke him and pester him first. He had nothing to be afraid of.

    He was ruthlessly thrust into that woman at the moment, and atst, the woman under him fainted.

    Later, the noise outside gradually became quieter until it became calm. His subordinates sent a message to tell him that the matter outside had subsided, but there were still police patrolling outside, so they asked him to escape before dawn.

    Soon, he turned on the light, only to realize that this woman was not his dear Jennifer! However, she had a very morous and beautiful face that was very familiar to him. After thinking about it, he realized that she was the hottest star in the entertainment industry at the moment, Aria McAdams. Only then did he know why this suite was not disturbed that night. It turned out that the police did not dare to knock on the door of the deputy mayor¡¯s daughter, Aria¡¯s, room to investigate.

    It was really a great love affair!

    Although Brock was shocked, he was secretly happy in his heart. This woman was indeed coquettish. Sure enough, women in the entertainment industry were all hot and spicy. It was a wonderful night. Besides, Aria was a high-ss woman, who grew up in a wealthy family, someone who was really different from Jennifer.

    The more he thought about it, the more excited he was. He couldn¡¯t believe that he had enjoyed a great night with a strange woman under such circumstances. He still had a high libido at that time, so he took advantage of her a few more times before leaving the Hilton Hotel joyfully before dawn.

    It was onlyter that he found out that it was Freddy who made a mistake and led Jennifer to the suite on the 8th floor of the Hilton Hotel, then he was spotted by someone who was hiding in the dark and waiting for them.

    At that time, Freddy was anxious because their whereabouts were revealed, and Brock must be in danger now.

    At that moment, their men who were hiding in the dark fired a shot at the people who are waiting for them.

    It was this gunshot that messed up everything.

 Chapter 158 Donâ€™t Make Her Sad

    ¡°Protect Jennifer and run away!¡± Someone instructed them quickly. Freddy was startled and frightened. At this time, the guests in the guestroom heard the gunshots without knowing what happened, so they all burst out like a swarm of bees. Jennifer was very flustered since she did not see Brock when she heard the gunshot and she ran away with Freddyter on.

    Seeing that their whereabouts were exposed, Freddy knew that Brock¡¯s wonderful night was gonna be ruined, so he had no choice but to escort Jennifer back to Fifth Alley even though he waspletely terrified at that time. Fortunately, Brock didn¡¯t me him for this. In order to make up for it, he took the initiative to pick up Jennifer the night before, but he never thought that this time, he would lose his life.

    In fact, Brock was already full of anger that night at Hilton Hotel, but fortunately, Aria had reced Jennifer to have a wonderful night with him and he didn¡¯t mind it. Although he couldn¡¯t sleep with Jennifer, another woman with a special taste slept with him without asking for anything in return, satisfied him, and coincidentally saved him too, so he put aside his anger for the time being.

    But now, Freddy even exposed Jennifer¡¯s address when escorting her. Brock was so angry with him this time that he swore he would not keep such garbage anymore.

    At that moment, his stern and cold voice sounded vicious, ¡°Someone please throw him into the sea to feed the fishes.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Two men immediately came up, and picked Freddy, who was holding Brock¡¯s thigh and begging for mercy, up like they were lifting a small chick.

    ¡°Boss, please forgive me. I still need to support my family. I can¡¯t die like this.¡± Survival instincts forced Freddy to hug Brock¡¯s thigh desperately and wail miserably.

    Freddy¡¯s sorrowful wailing echoed across the endless azure blue sea, and soon disappeared into the sea breeze. Brock¡¯s face was cold. He shook his leg in disgust and kicked away Freddy¡¯s hands that were holding his thigh fiercely. Heflicked away the dust on his pants and yelled.

    ¡°Quick! Throw him into the sea!¡±

    The two men immediately picked Freddy up and walked toward the deck outside the cabin.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Help!¡± After that, all of them could only hear a thud sound on the ocean, and Freddy¡¯s screams were soon drowned at the bottom of the sea. Some water sshed up when his body was dumped and a few bubbles appeared at the surface of the sea before it eventually became calm again.

    ¡°If someone does anything carelessly again, the consequences will only be worse than this,¡± Brock grumbled and said harshly.

    Everyone stood silently.

    ¡°Boss, the methamphetamine dealer on the border has been caught by the police.The new director of Public Security in the capital, Christopher, has just taken the position recently. He is young and promising. He immediately showed his strictness on his first day at work. The first thing he did was track down more drug traffickers, so it is hard to traffic the drug from abroad nowadays,¡± Brock¡¯s capable assistant, Damon Grint, approached and said resentfully.

    ¡°F*ck!¡± Brock stood up and cursed fiercely. ¡°It seems like it won¡¯t be peaceful in the near future. The police in Javon¡¯s case are suspicious of us too. Now, what¡¯s more hateful is that the b*stard Hansen has also intervened in this case. Javon was his father-inw. Now he insists on avenging his woman regardless of the risk of the Richards Group getting involved in a criminal case. Things are starting to get quite tricky now.¡±

    Brock was very angry. His entire face was livid, and the scars on his dark face were distorted in a very scary way.

    Not only did Freddy not know that someone was stalking behind him, he even sent his woman directly back to Fifth Alley, whichpletely exposed her residence. Didn¡¯t he know that there were a lot of drugs, guns and ammunition hidden in Jennifer¡¯s residence? Such stupid subordinates couldn¡¯t stay anymore as they just cause him more problems.

    It seemed that for the next two days, he would need to take Jennifer back by himself and move her residence as soon as possible. Although he didn¡¯t know who was following them, that ce was already very unsafe.

    Thinking of these troubles, he felt even more furious.

    With a ¡°bang¡±, he picked up a porcin vase beside him and mmed it against the hard floor.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you guys that from now on, hurry up and tell our men everywhere to stop and don¡¯t make trouble for me anymore,¡± he roared. Then he asked coldly at the man named Barrett, ¡°How is Leon?¡±

    Barrett stepped forward and carefully said with a smiling face, ¡°Boss, don¡¯t worry. Leon is now taking refuge at Neal¡¯s ce overseas, and he is very safe.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let him stay there and don¡¯t return to the country for a year or so,¡± Brock grinned and ordered. ¡°As long as he is not caught by them, someone will continue to send us money to spend.¡±

    After saying this, he finally felt better, and heughed happily.

    ¡°Yes, yes, boss, you are so wise,¡± seeing the bossughed, Barrett was happy, and he immediately ttered. ¡°Mr. Brock, don¡¯t worry. Neal is the subordinate of Jonas, the world¡¯srgest underworld organization¡¯s boss. The police in A city is unable to touch him, Mr. Brock. You can be at ease and just continue to take the money.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Brock smiled in satisfaction and waved his big hand. He said, ¡°All of you can rest your mind during this period of time, and recharge yourself. We are going to make a lot of money when the timees. Let¡¯s have a drink together now!

    ¡°D*mn! The weather today is too cold. Let¡¯s have some alcohol to keep out the cold.¡±

    As soon as these words came out of his mouth, the cabin suddenly became lively. Only a few people were still looking at the sea outside the cabin with fear. A life was thrown into the bottom of the sea just now. This was the deepest area of the sea, the legendary Death Territory, and there were man-eating sharks under the water. It was said that there was a whirling vortex under the water there too. As long as a person was thrown in there, it was impossible for that person to survive.

    On the early morning of the 10th of the month, the surrounding temperature slowly rose back up. As the sun rose, a faint golden light covered them like the warmth in spring. The bright sunlight shot onto the golden roof of Richards Manor and made it shine brightly.

    Jenna and Hansen walked out of Green Jade Garden together and they walked towards the electric car.

    Hansen¡¯s hand was holding Jenna¡¯s hand tightly, his face looking a little worried.

    That day was the day of Sara¡¯s operation. Jenna specially picked this day because it was a good date.

    Although she hoped that everything would go well, Jenna was obviously nervous. Her fingers were freezing cold, and no matter how hard Hansen tried, he still couldn¡¯t bring them back to warm.

    He postponed all his ns that day to apany her.

    A green electric car stopped in front of them. Aria was wearing a thick sapphire blue sweater, and it made her look sexy but still decent. She wore a pair of loose fleece warm pants, unlike her usual way of styling. Her outfit that day lookedfy and warm.

    Her wavy curly hair that drapedzily over her shoulders looked so casual yet elegant.

    A strong sense of joy could be seen in her eyes. Seeing Hansen, every part of her body couldn¡¯t help but feel excited.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± she called sweetly.

    Hansen met her early in the morning when she just got back from the outside. He immediately felt ufortable all over his body. After spending a night with her at the Hilton Hotel that night, he would feel ufortable as long as he saw her, and he didn¡¯t even want to greet her.

    However, the more things were like this, the more satisfied Aria felt. It indicated that Hansen still cared about what happened that night.

    This n was right.

    Since the clever Aria knew the reason for this, she never mentioned what happened that night, as if it had never happened before. She really did not need him to be responsible for her, just like what she said to him before.

    ¡°Good morning, Aria.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was a little embarrassed. He couldn¡¯t ignore her since she had called him so he replied and nodded at her.

    Aria was wearing a pair of t warm shoes with exquisite fabrics on the sole, instead of her usual slender high heels. She got out of the electric car carefully and looked at him shyly. She seemed to have something to say.

    But Hansen didn¡¯t take another look at her, and he directly walked over to Jenna and toward the electric car parked at a side.

    Aria bit her lips and squeezed her hand.

    Hansen gently talked to Jenna as they passed by Aria. He took Jenna¡¯s little hand and got into the electric car intimately with her. Soon they disappeared before her eyes like a gust of wind.

    Tears welled up in Aria¡¯s eyes and she was sad and aggrieved. For a second, she thought that she had gone too far. However, it had already happened so she couldn¡¯t retreat. She could only bite the bullet and continue.

    There was nothing in the world that she couldn¡¯t get. As long as it was something she loved, she would rather get it and throw it away than let the others have it.

    She was always arrogant and never gave up.

    Just like thispetition, even though she knew that Hansen didn¡¯t love her, she still would not let him go.

    In the corridor of the hospital.

    The operation was being conducted intensively. Jenna was standing in the corridor outside the operating theatre, anxious and worried.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. You must trust the doctor.¡± Hansen saw her walking around with tense feelings, and she looked so worried yet burnt out. He sighed and pulled her into his arms, gently calming her.

    Jenna leaned her head against Hansen¡¯s strong chest, his steady heartbeat quickly made her feel a trace of peace. Her anxiety gradually subsided.

    ¡°Hansen, my mother is my only rtive in this world. I don¡¯t want to lose her, nor can I lose her.¡± She was sobbing softly in his arms.

    ¡°Silly girl, the technology in the medical field is so advanced nowso your mother will be fine. Besides, don¡¯t you still have me? I am your husband, the closest person to you in the world. Don¡¯t worry, as long as I am here, you won¡¯t be taken advantage of or be bullied by anyone.¡± Hansen patted her shoulder,forting her.

    Jenna closed her eyes and leaned against him quietly.

    The operationsted for five hours, Sara was finally pushed out, and she was soon admitted to the intensive care unit. Now she could only enter the sterile ward first. Theplications associated with the kidney transnt were the most worrying.

    Through the ss, Jenna looked at her mother¡¯s pale face in aa. Her eyes were red from crying, and she clenched her fist.

    Who wanted to kill her family? Who caused the car ident?

    The root cause of all of this was that car ident, and she wanted revenge.

    ¡°Hansen, how is my father¡¯s case going?¡± On the way back, Jenna remembered that Hansen once said that he would give her a satisfactory answer to her father¡¯s death, but now it had been more than a month since he came back. She didn¡¯t hear any news, nor did she hear him mention it. Originally, she didn¡¯t want to mention it anymore, but after seeing her mother¡¯s appearance, she felt so heartbroken that she couldn¡¯t help but blurt out.

    Hansen held the steering wheel in both hands, as if he hadn¡¯t heard her and he didn¡¯t answer her. His face was a bit serious.

    The car drove slowly into the Richards Manor.

    Jennaughed bitterly in her heart, fearing that this case would remain unsolved forever. After all, this case was rted to the Richards Group. Could he really investigate it clearly?

    If Hansen didn¡¯t answer her, that meant that he was not sure, or there was no hope.

    Tears flowed down her cheeks quietly.

    What could she do?

 Chapter 159 A Bad Feeling

    Jenna just drank a few sips of soup during dinner. She really didn¡¯t have much of an appetite.

    Aria was also at home, and her appetite was not very good either. She had just eaten a little bit before she said she was ufortable and went to sit on the sofa and close her eyes to rest.

    Marissa was very nervous with her, and came to take care of her. She asked Aria warmly, ¡°Aria, your appetite has not been good recently, and yourplexion looks bad too. Are you exhausted from work? Or, let Hansen apany you tomorrow to the hospital and have a check to see if you are sick.¡±

    Aria smiled obediently at Marissa, and said shyly, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s nothing big. Maybe it¡¯s too cold these few days and I have the flu.¡±

    Marissa became more nervous when she heard that, and said sternly, ¡°You are Mayor McAdams¡¯s daughter. If something happens to you in Richards Manor, we will be med for not taking good care of you. Please let Hansen apany you to the hospital tomorrow and see the doctor.¡±

    As she said this, Marissa immediately turned her head to Hansen and said, ¡°Hansen, Aria looks very ufortable. Please take her to the hospital tomorrow.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s head was full of Jenna¡¯s pale face. Seeing that she was tired, he understood her feelings now too. He was going to apany her to rest upstairs after dinner when Marissa said this, which made him frown.

    What happened to Aria? He had nned to apany Jenna to the hospital to visit Sara the next day.

    After all, she had just finished the operation. The day before, the director of the hospital told him to find several imported medicines if he wanted to improve Sara¡¯s condition after the operation. Those kinds of medicines were difficult to get, so he was nning to figure out a way to do so the next day too.

    So he said immediately, ¡°Mom, I have something important to do tomorrow. Can you send Larry to apany her?¡±

    When Aria heard it, her nose sniffed. Tears welled up in her eyes again, but she soon put on a sweet smile, and said timidly to Marissa, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m still young and healthy. I¡¯m really fine, so there¡¯s no need to bother Hansen since he is busy,¡±

    Marissa heard Hansen¡¯s words and felt that he was too ignorant. He only cared about Jenna now and treated Aria very badly. Okay, that was fine, but now Aria was ufortable and yet he still did not want to apany her to the hospital. If Mayor McAdams knew about it, he would be so heartbroken. Besides, if something happened to Aria in Richards Manor, they would surely be med.

    Marissa raised her head and was about to stop Hansen, but she saw that he was already going upstairs, holding Jenna¡¯s hand.

    She could only shake her head and give a bitter smile. Shefort Aria, ¡°Aria, if Hansen is busy, then forget it. Don¡¯t worry, I will go with you.¡±

    Aria widened her big eyes with tears and said thankfully, ¡°Mom, thank you. You are so kind to me!¡± After speaking, she stood up and ran to Marissa and wrapped her arms around Marissa¡¯s neck then whispered sweetly, ¡°Mom¡±.

    Marissa smiled brightly the next second.

    The night was shrouded in unfathomable darkness.

    ¡°Paul, how is the case I entrusted to you?¡± Jenna picked up the phone while Hansen went to the shower, and asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Miss, this case is very tricky. We have not even acquired the proof and witnesses yet, so it is really difficult to find out.However, now I have found out that several groups of people are investigating this case. Someday, the truth will definitelye to light. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Paul replied.

    Several groups of people were investigating the case? Jenna was taken aback and asked anxiously, ¡°Then do you know who it is?¡±

    Paul was silent for a while, and he said, ¡°Miss, there is good news right now. It is said that the Public Security Department has officially appointed Jordan Yates as the team leader to investigate your dad¡¯s case. You can have hope in him. It is said that this is all thanks to Hansen¡¯s efforts.¡±

    Hansen? When Jenna heard the name, her heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, ording to my investigation, this case must have something to do with the Richards family. Hansen is currently actively investigating the case and has secretly engaged Brock. One of Hansen¡¯s men, Alvin, was injured. The gunshots in the Hilton Hotel a few days ago were rted to this case too, so Miss Murphy, this case is tooplicated, and my ability is limited. I am afraid that I can¡¯t continue the investigation anymore,¡± Paul said helplessly on the phone. Even though Jenna offered him a lot of money, he really didn¡¯t have the ability to do it.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment. Paul was the most well-known private detective introduced to her by Hannah, and if he was powerless in investigating this case, one could only imagine howplicated the matter was.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, there are too many people involved in this casebut with Mr. Hansen as your backing, I think the truth will definitelye to light one day.However, I advise you not to take everything seriously, and do not take any action without a second thought, as it will be very dangerous for you.¡± Paul hung up the phone after giving her the final advice.

    Jenna stood there in a trance. She did not notice it either when Hansen walked out of the shower.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Hansen walked out and saw that Jenna was standing there in a daze in the bedroom. His heart sank, then he asked softly.

    After a long time, Jenna fixed her gaze on Hansen and asked, confused.

    ¡°Hansen, tell me, will my father¡¯s case ever be solved?¡±

    Her small face was full of expectation and grief, but her eyes were hollow.

    Hansen¡¯s heart sank. After a while, he sighed lightly, then he took Jenna¡¯s hand and said softly, ¡°Jenna, do you still remember my promise to you? I said I would give you an answer that satisfies you. No matter who hurt your dad, I will definitely see that he is severely punished by thew, but this matter is veryplicated. It cannot be clearly solved in one or two sentences. Not to mention that the murderer is difficult to catch, so we need more time. Trust me, okay?¡±

    His tone was gentle. His gaze at Jenna was doting, but his words were firm.

    Jenna looked at Hansen¡¯s tender and considerate eyes and nodded uncontrobly.

    ¡°Remember, in the future, as long as you work and manage the Richards Group well, you are already saving me from those unnecessary worries. You can leave the rest to me. I am your manso I will handle all of it.¡± After saying that, he took her into his arms. He stroked her hair and said earnestly, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. I will do what I promised you. Just follow my n in the future.

    At this point, Jenna also knew that it was impossible for her to learn the truth about her father by her own abilityso she could only put her hopes in Hansen.

    She nodded tearfully.

    Sara¡¯s operation ended very well. As long as they took good care of her, recovery would not be a problem at all for Sara. That brought hope to Jenna and let her believe that as long as Hansen was there, everything would be better. Her mood instantly became a lot better.

    In the evening, Jenna and Hansen returned to Richards Manor as usual.

    The living room of Green Jade Garden was dazzling with a giant chandelier, and the whole living room was brightly illuminated.

    Jenna could already feel a strange feeling before she even walked in. Her heart slowly became uneasy and nervous.

    Fortunately, Hansen was holding her hand tightly, whichforted her anxious feelings a lot.

    Theughter in the living room was very cheerful and harmonious. It could even be heard from a long distance away. When Hansen walked in with Jenna, Marissa wasughing happily with her mouth wide open while holding Aria¡¯s hand. She even ordered Dahlia to bring a soft nket over.

    Aria was blushing and smiling heartily.

    However, the atmosphere felt too weird for them.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± Upon seeing Hansen¡¯s tall figure walk in, Aria blushed and immediately called him shyly.

    Aria¡¯s smiling face was like a needle piercing Jenna¡¯s heart. She was not only smiling, but Jenna also could see a hint of joy and shyness in that smile.

    Her whole body was wrapped in the soft nket. She literally looked just like a protected porcin doll.

    Jenna felt that she couldn¡¯t stay in the living room anymore. The atmosphere here made her very ufortable. Fortunately, she had already had her favourite meal outside. So she decided to greet Marissa politely and she turned to walk upstairs quickly. Her intuition told her that a bad thing was about to happen here anytime soon.

    That feeling was very bad.

    Hansen also politely greeted Marissa, and was about to follow Jenna upstairs to rest. He was indeed mentally tired these days and just wanted to have a good sleep that night.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t go up yet. I have something to tell you,¡± Marissa, who wasughing happily just now, saw that Hansen was treating Aria coldly and was about to walk upstairs, so she hurriedly stopped him.

    What happened that day must be told to him.

    Although Marissa¡¯s tone was not very harsh, it was very solemn, and Hansen had to stop.

    ¡°Hansen,e and sit down. I have something to say,¡± Marissa waved at him and added.

    Hansen frowned. He looked at Jenna¡¯s back who had already walked upstairs. He turned his head again, and walked back to the living room.

    He was apparently not in a good mood, and there was a hint of impatience in his ck eyes.

    Marissa¡¯s face became tense and she started staring at him without saying a word.

    ¡°Mom, since you have something to discuss with Hansen, then I¡¯ll go back to my room first.¡± Aria looked at their faces, and felt quite uneasy too.Hence, she stood up considerably and spoke softly, since she was a clever and sensible woman.

    Marissa nodded toward her with love in her eyes, and said with full affection, ¡°Aria, you can go and rest first, and remember to tell me what you want to eat. If you need anything, just ask Larry for it. If they can¡¯t get it in the country, I will book a private jet to go abroad to buy it for you.¡±

    ¡°Okay mom, thank you for your concern.¡± Aria smiled sweetly and waved her hands toward Marissa and Hansen. She said, ¡°Mom, Hansen, good night.¡±

    ¡°Okay, keep yourself warm and don¡¯t catch a cold!¡± Marissa told her again.

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry about me, I will take care of myself,¡± Aria turned her head and said softly.

    Marissa then nodded in satisfaction.

    Hansen was confused by their conversation. Only then did he feel that Marissa¡¯s concern for Aria seemed a little weird. As for what was wrong, he couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    ¡°You all can go to rest now,¡± After Aria left with a smile, Marissa said to the servant in the living room too.

    Then all the servants also left.

    Soon, only Marissa and her son were left in the living room.

 Chapter 160 Aria Was Pregnant

    ¡°Mom, what are you going to tell me?¡± Hansen asked as his eyes shed with a hint of impatience. His tone was a little reluctant, and then he yawned.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t you know what I¡¯m going to say?¡± Marissa suddenly looked serious and asked.

    She was very disappointed with the irresponsible behavior of her son. It was not a good thing that a man was still emotionally vaciting at this age.

    Hansen was taken aback by Marissa¡¯s words. He suddenly remembered something, and said decisively, ¡°Mom, I have stated it before, and I have already hinted to you too. Is there a problem now?¡±

    Hinted at her? What was that?

    Marissa was confused for a while. What does this mean?

    ¡°Hansen, Aria has been living in our Richards Manor for almost three months now, did you know that? Do you understand why Grandma wants her to live here?¡± Marissa¡¯s face was dead serious. She didn¡¯t understand what Hansen¡¯s current choice was now.

    ¡°I know, but this is Grandma¡¯s decision. How would I know her intentions? Besides, what can I do with Grandma¡¯s decision?¡± Hansen was not interested in these things. He rubbed his temples with his fingers, annoyed, and saidzily, ¡°Mom, can you stop peeking into my personal life? Besides, Aria is willing to live here by herself. I didn¡¯t force her to do so.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, can you be more serious? You are no longer a three-year-old kid. You should clearly know your responsibilities. What are you going to do now to Jenna and Aria?¡± Marissa was stimted by Hansen¡¯s attitude and she asked out loud.

    Hansen was annoyed with Marissa¡¯s countless questions.

    ¡°Mom, I have decided on it a long time ago. Since you also know that Aria has been living here for almost three months, you can now let her go. We can¡¯t keep her in Richards Manor for a lifetime, and she knows it well too. Have I not stated my decision a long time ago?¡± Hansen continued seriously. ¡°You can handle these matters by yourself, right? Why do you want to ask me about it now? I never asked her toe here.¡±

    Marissa¡¯s face turned pale, she was shaking as she pointed at Hansen and shouted, ¡°Boy, what attitude is this?¡±

    Things had alreadye to this point, and yet he could still say such things.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. It¡¯s not my intention for Aria to live here. Then she can do whatever she wants, and I have tried my best to pave the way for her career to. Now that ¡®Rapunzel¡¯ has been released, she will gain her reputation and fame in no time and be sessful in her career. She has her life to live and it¡¯s impossible for her to live in Richards Manor forever. I have already figured it out. If it is an inconvenience for you to tell her, then I will find a chance to tell her in a few days,¡± Hansen said after thinking about it.

    ¡°You¡­ a*shole.¡± Marissa clenched her teeth while her face was full of anger. ¡°Hansen, do you think this is a game and you can tell her toe and leave as you like?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise? Do you want me to be responsible for her?¡± Hansen also raised his voice. ¡°I made it very clearst time already that Jenna is my wife. We will soon remarry, but not for the time being. She is the only woman I love.¡±

    Hansen solemnly dered. He then left after he stood up with an impatient face.

    ¡°Hansen, do you think you can send Aria away in this way? You¡¯re too na?ve. She is Mayor McAdams¡¯s daughter. She has given her chastity to you and now you want to dump her by saying that it¡¯s not your business? Do you think she is an object that you can throw away when you don¡¯t like it anymore?¡± Marissa¡¯s voice trembled with anger. She didn¡¯t expect her son to be so irresponsible.

    When Hansen heard what Marissa said, he was puzzled for a while.

    ¡°Mom, what do you mean by this?¡± He asked nervously.

    ¡°What do I mean?¡± Marissa was heartbroken when she heard this. She asked again, ¡°Hansen, do you really not know what happened? Do you really not understand what I mean?¡±

    Hansen still shook his head, then his face turned pale suddenly as if he realized something.

    ¡°Hansen, let me ask you. Are you sure you don¡¯t love Aria now?¡± Marissa asked again, watching his expression. After speaking, she stared at his face without blinking, as if to see through his mind.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve never loved her before. I just treated her as my sister before. In fact, I have done so much. Can¡¯t you tell? I¡¯ve been hinting to Earl and Georgia for so long and even made a clear statement to Aria. She is a woman. Does she wish for me to refuse her in person?¡± Hansen said. He seemed helpless, but his words were right too.

    Then he suddenly remembered something, and his body froze in a daze.

    All of a sudden, the pain hidden in Hansen¡¯s heart began to rise again, and then he was stunned.

    It should have nothing to do with that, he thought to himself. Aria said that she would not force him to be responsible for it, and he was indeed schemed by Norton that day. He didn¡¯t want to have s*x with her at all, and it was not love either.

    Thinking of this, he solemnly spoke again.

    ¡°Mom, I have already decided. Soon, I will remarry Jenna, and I will give her a beautiful and luxurious wedding.¡±

    That should be clear enough!

    He thought to himself, he had stated it very clearly this time. Marissa wouldn¡¯t be confused, right?

    But Marissa¡¯s face became paler and paler, and her whole body started shivering.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± Marissa stretched her voice and said. ¡°Since you don¡¯t like her or love her, why did you sleep with her? There are a lot of women outside. You could simply choose one from them if you wanted to have s*x, but why did you sleep with her? Do you know who she is? Could she be thrown off by you so easily? Please use your brain to think about it, okay!¡±

    Marissa was heartbroken, anxious and disturbed by her son¡¯s behavior.

    What did this mean?

    Did Marissa really know about what happened that day?

    Hansen stood stiff, as if he was struck by lightning. His face turned livid as he stood in a daze.

    ¡°Hansen, you are really dumb. You always know what your responsibility is, right?¡± Marissa already understood Hansen¡¯s mind from his look, and asked sadly.

    He felt like someone had poured thousands of bottles of poison into his heart and he felt like he was getting bitten by thousands of ants at the same time.

    Aria, you keep telling me that you don¡¯t want me to be responsible for you, and yet you told Marissa what happened that night. What kind of intention do you have? You are so horrible!

    Thinking of this, a fire started in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and asked, ¡°Mom, Aria told you this herself?¡±

 Chapter 161 Terminate It

    ¡°Otherwise, who else would tell me this?¡± Marissa asked coldly.

    ¡°D*mn,¡± Hansen spoke angrily, turned, and walked upstairs to find Aria to settle the matter.

    ¡°Stop,¡± Marissa stopped him in time. ¡°What are you going to do? Is this a gentleman¡¯s behavior?¡±

    Marissa saw through Hansen¡¯s thoughts, and asked two questions continuously.

    Hansen stopped and closed his eyes.

    ¡°Hansen, just admit it if you have done it. Isn¡¯t she just a woman, and you have nned to marry her before?Since that¡¯s the case, take this opportunity to marry her. This is the best solution,¡± Marissa walked toward him slowly and persuaded.

    Marry her? Was this marriage a joke? How can his mother want him to simply marry someone like that? Wasn¡¯t that nonsense? What was more, there was absolutely no love at all between them.

    The anger in Hansen¡¯s eyes began to eruptand he clenched his fists.

    Marissa felt like this conversation was not going well, so she could only persuade him patiently, ¡°Hansen, this is the only way now, otherwise. What else can you do?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by this is the only way? The person I love is Jenna. How could I possibly marry Aria? And if I marry her like this, she would not be happy in the future. Besides, it is irresponsible and disrespectful to her. If I really marry her, then I am really an irresponsible man,¡± Hansen proimed righteously amidst heavy breathing and a flushed face.

    Marissa was shocked and stunned when she heard it. The matter had alreadye to this point and she fully understood Hansen¡¯s heart too, but she didn¡¯t expect her son to be so foolish at making choices. Since he had nned to not marry someone else, then he shouldn¡¯t sleep with her either.

    She suddenly felt that her son was good at everything except his rtionship. She sighed heavily, took a medical record from the coffee table, and handed it to him while saying, ¡°Hansen, see it for yourself.¡±

    The medical records of the Maternity and Child Health Hospital were presented to him. Hansen suddenly felt a heavy pressure that made him breathless, and his heartbeat increased nervously.

    He took the medical record suspiciously, and seeing Aria¡¯s name on it made his hands tremble seriously, and he felt his bad premonition was going to be real soon.

    He slowly opened it, and only after looking at it for a while, his entire face turned pale before his body went limp and he fell on the sofa in a daze.

    How could this happen? How could it be so coincidental?

    He stroked his temples with his fingers as his head started to ache, and he stopped saying anything.

    ¡°Hansen, now you know the seriousness of this matter. Now that the matter has happened, since you are not young anymore, Aria¡¯s pregnancy does not seem like a bad thing either. You know that I have been waiting for a grandson for a long time, right? Hansen, you can¡¯t pretend like it didn¡¯t happen and be sorry for Aria anymore. Since it has happened, there is really no other way for you but to marry her. ept your fate.¡± Marissa saw Hansen lying on the sofa nkly, and she felt pain in her heart. She felt distressed. She sat beside Hansen, patted his shoulder, and persuaded him gently.

    She didn¡¯t expect that such an excellent person like Hansen would actually suffer so much in his life because of marital events. He was unhappy when he married Jenna at the first. She didn¡¯t expect that he would be unhappy marrying Aria now either. What should she do?

    Thinking that all of this was rted to Jenna, a fire suddenly ignited in Marissa¡¯s heart. It was this woman who was pestering her son all the time, otherwise, her son would have already married Aria with peace of mind and have a child a long time ago.However, now, all of it had been ruined by Jenna¡¯s existence.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t be sad. Listen to your mother and marry Aria. Are you worried about Jenna? Don¡¯t worry, I will tell her about it.¡± Marissa stood up and walked upstairs.

    ¡°Mom, stop,¡± Hansen said in a low voice. He said with a sullen expression, ¡°Mom, do you still want to cause me more trouble? This is my private matter. Don¡¯t worry about it. I will solve it myself,¡±

    Hansen stood up and walked upstairs. After walking a few steps, he turned his head and said, ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want Jenna to know about thisand the woman I want to marry is Jenna, not Aria. Please respect my choice.¡±

    After speaking, his eyes shed coldly, and he strode upstairs.

    Marissa¡¯s face turned pale in shock again. She took a step back, faltered, then suddenly felt like the storm was back again. She was at a loss for words.

    Hansen stomped upstairs. Aria was hiding in the dark corridor and looking at him.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± upon seeing Hansen approach with his head down, she whispered.

    Hansen quivered and looked up at Aria who was standing in front of him. His face darkened immediately, and the light in his dark eyes was as cold as ice, which would make one feel chilly.

    He turned his head to look at Jenna¡¯s bedroom. After some thought, he took Aria¡¯s hand and walked toward his bedroom. He closed the door as soon as he entered.

    ¡°Hansen, let me go. It hurts.¡± He grabbed Aria¡¯s hand hard, which made Aria feel pain.

    ¡°Are you really pregnant?¡± Hansen asked while staring at her with his sharp eyes, as if he wanted to see through her. Aria instantly frightened. She looked at him timidly and whispered, ¡°Sorry, Hansen, I didn¡¯t expect to be pregnant either. Don¡¯t be mad. It¡¯s all my fault,¡±

    She said pitifully while looking at him with her eyes. She acted as weak as a child who had done something wrong and was begging for forgiveness from her parents.

    But Hansen was unmoved and he spoke coldly.

    ¡°You know that I was schemed by Norton that day and I took the drug by ident. All of this was not my intention at all.¡±

    He looked at her with his gloomy eyes. He said decisively and firmly, ¡°Aria, listen to me. Terminate the pregnancy.¡±

    As soon as he said this, Aria¡¯s face was as white as paper. Immediately, she trembled and she asked in disbelief, ¡°Hansen, this is your child. Do you want me to kill your child?¡±

    She looked at him like she was looking at a monster. Her face was full with disbelief.

    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Hansen was shocked by Aria¡¯s expression, but he still said seriously. ¡°Aria, you also know that it is impossible for us to be togetherand it is obvious that it is not good for you if you are pregnant now. Besides, there is no love between us. You are still young, and there¡¯s still a long way for you to go. You have just started your career too. At this time, it is unwise to have a child. Believe me, this is your best choice.¡±

    Hansen exined it seriously without ambiguity.

    ¡°Why is it impossible? No, it ispletely possible, and you are going to marry me. If it wasn¡¯t for that woman, we would already be married now. Besides, there is obviously love between us, so how could this be?¡± Aria panicked. Her body went cold as she shook her head and shouted in pain.

    ¡°Aria, I am not worthy of you. You should find a better man,¡± Hansen persuaded her patiently, hoping that she would understand his painstaking efforts.

    ¡°No, Hansen, I won¡¯t terminate it no matter what.¡± She suddenly burst into tears and rushed into his arms, holding him tightly. She continued, ¡°Hansen, I love you. I can¡¯t live without you, and I¡¯m already pregnant with your child. Let¡¯s get married. I would rather die than give up.¡±

    She clung to his clothes with both her hands and cried sorrowfully.

    Hansen¡¯s mind was blown. He stood there in a trance, and it could be said that he was caught off guard this time. He never expected Aria to be pregnant. It only happened once and she got pregnant coincidentally. He was confused from the beginning till the end.

    ¡°Aria, don¡¯t be stubborn. Listen to my words. I willpensate you. You should find your true love. Only then will it be fair to you and you can be truly happy too,¡± after hesitating for a while, Hansen patted her with his hand and said solemnly.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want yourpensation. I don¡¯t want to be a star either. I just want to be your wife, your legal wife. Hansen, I love you. Please don¡¯t treat me like this,¡± Aria shouted hysterically and shook her head desperately.

    Hansen¡¯s face darkened in an instant, and he felt so pressured that he could hardly breathe. Sure enough, what Marissa said was correct. He had no way out now.

    ¡°Aria, you said that you won¡¯t force me to be responsible for you in the future that night,¡± he was at a loss for words, and so he spoke whilecking confidence.

    ¡°Yes, I did say it that day, but I didn¡¯t expect to be pregnant with a child. It¡¯s different now. We have a child. I am not willing to terminate it. Now, you must be responsible for me,¡± Aria sobbed and said. She raised her face that was covered in tears, and asked eagerly, ¡°Hansen, why, why do you want to treat me so coldly now? You promised to marry me before. Is it because of that woman that you changed your mind? Didn¡¯t you ever love me?¡±

    She asked hopelessly, shaking her head and crying desperately.

    Hansen closed his eyes. His heart was filled with bitterness, and his mind was filled with Jenna¡¯s disappointed face, as well as their lovely memories in Hawaii. His heart throbbed, and he finally opened his eyes,

    ¡°Aria, I never promised to marry you before. You can¡¯t me me for this. I love Jenna. In fact, I have always loved her. I have loved her since I was in college. If you didn¡¯t send me those d*mn messages, if you didn¡¯t¡­ It definitely won¡¯t be like this today. I will definitely remarry her, Aria. Since it¡¯s just beginningand the mistake hasn¡¯t fully developed yet, please get rid of it now. It¡¯s the best for everyone.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s head was aching painfully, but his words were sensible. These days, he truly understood who he really loved, and who he wanted to live together with for the rest of his life, so he could not be emotionally vaciting anymore.

    Aria did not expect Hansen to really not have any affection for herand was even so ruthless to her. All the resentment and unwillingness welled up in her heart at this moment, she lifted her head, wiped away her tears, and looked at him coldly. She spoke, ¡°Hansen, I won¡¯t get rid of the child. Let me tell you, even if you don¡¯t want it, I want it. I want to raise this baby by myself and let the child watch this ruthless father when the baby grows up.¡±

    After that, she turned around and continued to cry on the bed.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Hansen was stunned in an instant. Only then did he realize that things were not as simple as he had thought. All he could feel now was helplessness and sadness.

    Before he realized it, he had already walked back to Jenna¡¯s bedroom and sat on the bed in a daze.

 Chapter 162 Revenge for Personal Reasons

    Jenna had already long fallen asleep. Her eyebrows were furrowed in her sleep, and her face seemed uneasy. Hansen sat idly untilte at night before crawling into bed.

    As he justid down, Jenna habitually wriggled into his arms as if she had smelled a familiar smell. She put her face against his chest, and gradually released her furrowed eyebrows from its tension.

    Such a move made Hansen¡¯s heart hurt.

    Deeper guilt came to his heart.

    He had just promised to remarry her, but it suddenly happened, so what should he do?

    That night, Hansen hugged Jenna and couldn¡¯t fall asleep. He tossed and turned around in bed and finally fell asleep, but then he saw Jenna lying in a pool of blood in his dreams. Her face was as pale as a ghost.

    He was shocked and opened his eyes, only to realize that it was already morning.

    The woman in his arms was sleeping soundly. It seemed like she slept very well these days. She usually didn¡¯t get enough sleep. Two strands of hair were resting on her delicate face. Her nose was breathing shallowly and slowly. Her lips were as red as cherries because of sufficient sleep, and a slight smile could be seen at the corners of her mouth.

    Hansen looked at her obsessively, and suddenly felt that this woman would be away from him someday. He felt a heart-wrenching pain in his heart, and started panicking.

    After washing up quickly, he hurriedly left Richards Manor.

    That day was the day Alvin would be discharged from the hospital. Hansen was going to personally pick him up.

    In the conference room on the 88th floor of the International Kinsey Center, Jordan led several criminal investigators into Richards Group early in the morning. There was an order from above that he would be fully responsible for Javon¡¯s case. He didn¡¯t dare to be careless. After analyzing and doing some research on the case, he came to the door with his men decisively.

    In order not to have a negative impact on the Richards Group, they were wearing casual clothes when going there.

    Hansen came to Richards Group after settling Alvin. He heard his secretary, Tess, say that someone named Jordan was looking for him.

    There was a sh of light in his eyes, and he nodded and went straight to the conference room.

    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Richards,¡± Jordan said. He was a medium-sized man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and his eyes were deep-set and energetic. He had a calm and sophisticated behavior. He had three assistants, all of them were middle-aged men full of energy. Jordan saw Hansen enter and he stood up first to stretch out his hand.

    Hansen also stretched out his hand, and they sat down on the conference room stools after shaking hands.

    ¡°Mr. Jordan, how is the case going?¡± Hansen asked right away without any pleasantries.

    Jordan nodded and said bluntly, ¡°Mr. Richards, I heard from Deputy Director Wyld that Javon¡¯s case is very likely rted to the Panika luxury car produced by the Richards Group. I came here today to tell you that we are going to investigate the Pranika luxury car. Please cooperate with us.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Hansen said briefly. ¡°However, this Pranika luxury car is no longer in the Richards Group, and it has disappeared inexplicably. I have not found out yet who used that car.¡±

    Jordan furrowed his eyebrows and was extremely serious.

    ¡°However, I found a car that is very simr to the Pranika luxury car produced by our group in a cave on an isted ind by the seast time. It was only because the colour was changed and the engine number was worn out, so I¡¯m not sure if that was it,¡± Hansen changed the topic. He talked about the car that Jenna found in the cavest time that was almost in the river.

    Jordan raised his sharp eyebrows when he heard it, and said with a smile, ¡°If this is the case, then I will need you, Mr. Richards, to give me that car. I will use some criminal investigation techniques to restore the engine number,¡±N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    ¡°That is fine. I will send someone to take it for youter,¡± Hansen was outspoken and said.

    From here, Jordan could conclude that Hansen hoped that the truth woulde to light. He was confident about it.

    ¡°Okay, since you are so cooperative, then we will work on it quickly too. The keypoint in this case was this car, so we need to do some research on it, and then investigate who might have ess to this car. I will carry out these processes as soon as possible.¡± Jordan was really capable of doing things without wasting any time. He quickly stood up, and after speaking clearly, he left.

    After Jordan was sent away, John called as soon as Hansen returned to the office.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, ording to my info, Brock wille to Fifth Alley tomorrow night to pick Jennifer up in person,¡± John¡¯s voice was a bit vague. Hansen could hear the strong wind on the other end of the line. Obviously, he was calling from a beach. He thought for a while and quicklymanded, ¡°Lead some men to sneak in in advance tomorrow. After Brock is caught, call the police immediately and let the police settle the rest of it. We only need to interrogate Brock.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Mr. Richards,¡± John replied quickly.

    ¡°Alvin has been discharged from the hospital. He can go with you guys tomorrow. You all must listen to hismand,¡± Hansen said in a deep voice.

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards,¡± John said as he was very happy about Alvin¡¯s discharge.

    As soon as Hansen put down my mobile phone, thendline rang, Hansen picked up the phone, and thedy at the front desk said, ¡°Mr. Richards, Mr. Zach wants to see you.¡±

    ¡°Let him in,¡± Hansen said immediately. He didn¡¯t expect these staff members to not even know the son of the mayor. It seemed like they had to be properly trained soon.

    As he was thinking about it, he heard augh from the door. He looked up and saw David Wyld leaning against the door, wearing a denim jacket and looking chic. There was a hint of casualness and freedom on his young, handsome face.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, is it convenient for me toe in?¡± He stood by the door, teasing.

    ¡°Hurry up ande in,¡± Hansen smiled without expression and yelled in an evil manner. Hansen had always been very casual to him who had always been frivolous.

    David walked in without any hurry, sat on the sofa, and crossed his legs.

    ¡°It seems like it is still very difficult to meet Mr. Richards,¡± he squinted at Hansen and said.

    David couldn¡¯t help but smile. He was usually treated respectfully wherever he went. No one dared to treat him badly, but in the Richards Group, no one would tter him, and he could only follow the procedures to do the job. This made him feel shameless, but he had no choice, because this was Hansen¡¯spany.

    ¡°Did youe here to interrogate me or just see me?¡± Hansen leaned back against the chair and smiled without expression.

    ¡°I am here to see you and yet I still need to be treated like this ording to the procedures. It¡¯s so annoying!¡± David raised his eyebrows and looked at Hansen in dissatisfaction. ¡°You are not a friend.¡±

    Hansen instantlyughed and stood up.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so petty, okay, how about let¡¯s have a cup of coffee and some cigars?¡± He walked over and gave David a punch on the shoulder, gritting his teeth.

    ¡°That¡¯s more usible!¡± Davidughed. ¡°Would you, a stingy person be mad if I drank your coffee?¡±

    Hansen chuckled when he heard this, and took him to the lounge.

    ¡°Where is Jenna? Call her here to apany me!¡± David sat down and said. Hansen¡¯s eyes were very unfriendly as he said, ¡°Are you here looking for me or Jenna?¡±

    ¡°Tsk tsk, look, you¡¯re so petty when ites Jenna. Why don¡¯t you juste and sit down? Do you think I will steal your wife? I heard that Jenna has managed yourpany in an orderly manner. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so great, huh? You made Aria a superstar, and let Jenna follow you heartily and she is not even asking to be your wife! It seems like I still have a lot to learn from you.¡± David¡¯s face was full of envy as he said this.

    However, these words happened to hurt Hansen¡¯s heart and he frowned. His face was full of displeasure and immediately darkened.

    ¡°Boy, don¡¯t talk nonsense again. Believe it or not, I¡¯ll drive you out now!¡± Hansen¡¯s tone was harsh and very dissatisfied. David clearly felt his anger. Knowing that he was indeed infuriated, he could just smile and keep quiet.

    ¡°So, how¡¯s the news?¡± Hansen raised his eyebrows and asked after they had a cup of coffee.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid this matter is going to be bad,¡± David¡¯s face also became dark and he said in a puzzled way. ¡°It¡¯s hard to get information from Grandpa these days. The authority has already approved it at first, but I don¡¯t know why it has suddenly stopped now and they said that Green Mountain Lake is just a small remoteke, and there is nothing outstanding there. Therefore, it is not qualified to be a nature reserve zone. If Green Mountain Lake could qualify, then many ces in A city could qualify too. In short, they gave us many reasons and rejected the application.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face grew darker as he heard this. His eyebrows furrowed, and he smoked his cigar heavily.

    ¡°Hey, you should ask Earl about this. Isn¡¯t Aria your girlfriend? Since we have done the preparations, as long as Earl agrees to this matter, with his approval, it could be easily done after he signs on to it,¡± David said, puzzled. ¡°You have such good resources and yet you don¡¯t want to use it, instead, you ask me to seek for news. I really don¡¯t understand. You know that my father has a straightforward personality and has never allowed me to intervene in these things, right? Besides, he is about to retire and refuses to intervene in these kinds of things. I heard that Earl has been active recently. He wants to take the position of the mayor. Although you are quite wealthy, you should also get close to them. You can¡¯t offend them, otherwise, you¡¯re digging your own grave. You need to depend on rtionships to do everything in this city. Even though you have the confidence to break out of A city and globalize yourpany, you should take it seriously nevertheless.¡±

    David talked about it solemnly and it was true, but he said inexplicably at this point, ¡°Everyone says that you are a smart person and want to take advantage of your rtionship with Aria¡¯s father, judging from your rtionship with her. It seems like that¡¯s not the case.¡±

    Hansen was silent as he smoked. Did he need to ask for his help if he wanted to seek Earl¡¯s help?

    It was obvious that Earl was ying some tricks in the middle. Thinking of this, a cold smile appeared at the corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth.

    Obviously, he was taking revenge for his personal reasons.

    Unexpectedly, the dignified mayor of A city couldn¡¯t even differentiate his work and private matters clearly, and didn¡¯t even know what was right and wrong. He even used his power in his work to take revenge on him for a personal reason. It was a bad case if such a person became the mayor of the city. Thinking of this, Hansen despised this kind of behaviour from the bottom of his heart.

    Hansen felt like he was being held by someone with a rope now. The tighter he tightened the rope, the smaller the area he could move, and he could no longer be at ease in his life.

 Chapter 163 Sweet Cotton Candy

    When Jenna woke up in the morning, she realized that it was alreadyte in the morning. She nced at the wall clock on the wall only to discover that it was 9 o¡¯clock.

    D*mn, she slept in again!

    Recently, she seemed to be particrly lethargic, and she felt so tired every day. She didn¡¯t feel energetic like usual; it was probably due to fatigue.

    Jenna hurriedly got up, washed up, got dressed, then ran out with her bag.

    She saw Aria sitting on the sofa in a warm and thick coat with a smug smile on her face as soon as she walked into the living room. She was ordering Larry and Dahlia to bring over all the food and drinks she wanted arrogantly.

    Marissa sat beside her, caring for her.

    Jenna was in a hurry to go to work, so she only said to Marissa, ¡°Auntie, I¡¯m leaving,¡± before she ran off to the electric car like a gust of wind.

    ¡°Mom, you must help me this time. I am pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child now. If Hansen doesn¡¯t want me, then I will surely be the joke of the A City.¡± Aria thought of what Hansen said to her the night before. Shefelt wronged by Hansenand cried.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aria. Hansen is a responsible man who will surely take care of you. Don¡¯t worry about this. Be cheerful! Otherwise, you will affect the child in your womb. That is my grandson.¡± Seeing Aria¡¯s runny nose, Marissa couldn¡¯t bear it and said sincerely. However, her heart was in a mess, and she was not sure about what she said. Hansen¡¯s words the night beforepletely shocked her.

    ¡°But Mom, Hansen asked me to get rid of the childst night.¡± Aria remembered what Hansen said the night before. She felt heartbroken and cried again.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. That b*stard just couldn¡¯t ept it all of a sudden. I will protect you and the child, don¡¯t worry.¡± Marissa was distressed because Aria couldn¡¯t stop crying so early in the morning, so she could only continue tofort her.

    After a while, Georgia rushed into the living room in a hurry. When she saw Aria¡¯s appearance, she immediately pulled her and said with mixed feelings of distress, sadness and joy, ¡°Aria, what¡¯s going on? Why didn¡¯t you tell me you are pregnant? If it wasn¡¯t Marissa who told me about it, I wouldn¡¯t have known!¡±

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m afraid that you will be worried,¡± Aria pursed her mouth and replied.

    ¡°Do I seem less worried now?¡± Georgia pushed Aria¡¯s forehead with a finger and said with pity and love. After speaking, she scrutinized her and asked, ¡°My dear daughter, do you have a good appetite now? How are you feeling? Have you gone to the hospital for a check-up? How long has it been? I rushed here as soon as I heard the news. Do you know that being pregnant is the hardest time in the life of a woman?¡± Georgia looked at her and couldn¡¯t stop rambling. She continued as she was afraid that her daughter would encounter some problems, ¡°My dear daughter, you have worked hard. Look at your pale face. You have be so thin! I am so worried about you. I didn¡¯t ever let you suffer even a little bit before.¡±

    After speaking, she turned her head and said confidently to Marissa, ¡°Marissa, I didn¡¯t expect Aria to be pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child so soon. That¡¯s great. It has finallye to this day. I think Hansen would not object to it either. Now that Aria is pregnant, she should postpone her work first. Since Richards family is so rich and wealthy, I guess you guys won¡¯t care about this, right?¡±

    Georgia said all these to Marissa as fast as a machine gun; her words were very powerful.

    Marissa kept saying ¡°Yes¡± with a smiling face, but her heart became even more stressed. Now that they hadpletely afflicted this family, if it was not handled properly, it would probably affect Richards Group and Hansen. What else could she do now besides smile at them?

    Not long after Georgia arrived at Richards Manor, she started to get busy. She instructed the servants to buy this and that, and even ordered Marissa around like a servant.

    Marissa felt an unprecedented pressure.

    Jenna was sitting in her office dealing with various things. Thus, the morning passed eventually. She did see Hansen apany David out in the middle of the day. After eating something, she fell asleep on the sofa.

    After waking up from her nap, the managers and supervisors from various departments came over with documents for Jenna to sign, and she also habitually asked all the details about the documents no matter what it was. After working in Richards Group for some time, she was familiar with her job now.

    After a long time of being busy, sheid her head on the tablezily atst, tapping the table with her fingers, ying with the fish swimming in the tank. She gradually fell asleep again as soon as she closed her eyes.

    ¡°Jenna, wake up.¡± She only opened her eyes and looked at Hansen nkly when his voice entered her ears and she felt a big hand stroke her head.

    ¡°Hansen, have you finished with your work?¡± She asked, dazed.

    Hansen¡¯s face was a little red. Sweat was running down his forehead and he was gasping for air.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    ¡°Jenna, you didn¡¯t answer the phone when I called you. I thought you were gone. Fortunately, you haven¡¯t left yet,¡± he murmured.

    Leave? Jenna looked outside, and discovered that the streetlight was already shining brightly at this time.

    She shed a little embarrassed smile and said, ¡°Sorry, Hansen. I fell asleep and didn¡¯t hear it.¡±

    Fortunately, she had fallen asleep, Hansen sighed in secret. When he was outside, he went to y golf with David and didn¡¯t notice that it was alreadyte. He called her but she didn¡¯t answer so he thought that she had gone back to Richards Manor already.

    He felt flustered whenever he thought of her returning to Richards Manor.

    No, he couldn¡¯t let her know about Aria¡¯s pregnancy.

    If she knew about it, what would the consequences be? He hardly dared to imagine it.

    After he called Richards Manor, only then did he know that she had not gone home yet and he felt relieved.

    However, the other bad news was that Georgia was there.

    His heart was even more stressed upon hearing that. It seemed like if he didn¡¯t solve Aria¡¯s affairs quickly, Jenna definitely couldn¡¯t go back to Richards Manor for the time being. Georgia and Aria always hated Jenna. They would definitely cause her trouble if they saw her.

    Thinking of this, he rushed to thepany as fast as he could, and as expected, Jenna was sleeping in thepany. Only then was he relieved.

    ¡°Jenna,e, let¡¯s go out to eat first.¡± Jenna¡¯s face was a little pale, and there was barely any colour on her small face. Hansen felt sad as he touched her head and he pulled her up.

    ¡°Hansen, I don¡¯t want to eat. I don¡¯t have the appetite. Let¡¯s go home,¡± Jenna pouted and spokezily.

    ¡°No, look at your tiny face. You are as thin as a rake now. Do you even know how to look after yourself? I think I¡¯m even better at that than you are,¡± Hansen said. He stretched out his hand and hugged her then walked towards the elevator.

    ¡°Hansen, let go of me. This is not appropriate,¡± Jenna blushed, then she shyly and anxiously spoke.

    ¡°What are you afraid of, my wife? Now that everyone has clocked out, no one will see us. Moreover, if there¡¯s someone who really sees us, so what? Can¡¯t I hug my wife?¡± Hansen said as he didn¡¯t care at all. He hugged her even more tightly as if she would fly away at any second. Jenna felt his sincerity and a sweet smile appeared on her face.

    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Hansen put her in the car, fastened her seat belt, and asked carefully.

    Jenna thought for a while, and shook her head. She really didn¡¯t know what to eat, and didn¡¯t want to eat either.

    Hansen didn¡¯t ask further. He took her to many restaurants to let her choose what to eat.

    As a result, he drove the car around the city and found nothing she liked to eat at that moment.

    ¡°Hansen, let¡¯s go to that small shop,¡± seeing that he had been driving for so long, Jenna pointed at a snack bar and said. Seeing that she was finally willing to eat something, Hansen happily parked the car and took her there.

    ¡°We have cotton candy here!¡± The hawker on the side of the road said loudly to attract customers, while stirring the machine in his hand with a stick. Soon, arge white cotton candy was in his hand, and there were customersing to buy it from time to time. His sales that day were quite good.

    Jenna tilted her head and looked at it with an expression of yearning and longing in her eyes.

    When Hansen looked at her and saw her silly appearance, his heart moved slightly. He still remembered the scene where Rayan fed her cotton candy in the ward that day. At that time, she was smiling so happily and sweetly. It was something he had never seen before.

    He had to admit that he was jealous at the time.

    Now her silly appearance made him faintly dissatisfied; was she thinking of Rayan?

    However, he only froze there for a while before he quickly smiled and said, ¡°Jenna, do you want to eat some cotton candy? Let me buy it for you.¡± Now that they had already confessed their feelings to each other, he believed that he had the ability to make her love him again. He believed that he could achieve what Rayan achieved.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jenna nodded obediently and replied.

    Hansen smiled faintly, walked over, and quickly brought a few over for her. But Jenna only picked one and gave the other cotton candies to the other people.

    ¡°Come, let me feed you,¡± Hansen brought the cotton candy to her mouth and said softly.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Jenna said as she looked at his kind face cutely. She opened her mouth and let the sweet taste slip into her mouth. Then sheughed as her fine white teeth gleamed in the night.

    Hansen looked at her in surprise.

    What was she thinking? It was just a cheap cotton candy, and she actually treated it like a treasure, refusing to let go of it. Hansen never saw her behave like that before when he gave her jewelry and essories.

    ¡°Do you like this? Do you want me to buy it for you everyday from now on?¡± Hansen asked softly.

    Jenna blinked her bright eyes. After some time, the light in her eyes gradually filled with pain.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± He was a little scared and asked carefully.

    ¡°My father used to buy it for me when I was young. I was very happy at that time. Later, when I grew up, I never felt so happy again. Now , my father has left me forever,¡± she whispered. Her nose was runny and she lowered her head to hide her tears.

    Hansen was stunned. It turned out that she liked cotton candy because of her dad, not because of Rayan. He was surprised and happy for a while, but then he felt sad for her too.

    After all, Javon¡¯s death was terrible; it was shocking for everyone. Hansen didn¡¯t even have the chance to call him ¡®Dad¡¯ yet before he died and Hansen didn¡¯t know him as his daughter¡¯s husband. It was really tragic.

    Hansen felt guilty.

    Jenna, I will never betray you in this life!

    He stretched out his hand to embrace her in his arms. He held her for a long time, but couldn¡¯t say a word.

    He really had nothing to say, and he also didn¡¯t know what to say.

    The only thing he could do was to hold her in his arms, and to let her listen to his heartbeat and feel his love. He thought she would be able to understand his sincerity and love for her.

 Chapter 164 Promise Me One Thing

    Jenna¡¯s appetite was terrible throughout dinner.

    Hansen hade up with various methods so she would at least take in something. He even changed his preferences for Jenna. Things Jenna loved to eat had now be one of his favorites, too, although he never liked them before.

    After dinner, Jenna noticed they were not heading in the direction of the Richards Manor but in an unfamiliar direction. Surprised, she hurriedly asked,¡°Hansen, where are we going?¡±

    Hansen had a warm smile on his face but he remained silent.

    Jenna was startled to see that smile of his before a realization dawned on her. Instantly, her face flushed red slightly.

    Soon, the car stopped in front of a luxurious vacation vi.

    The bellboy of the vi greeted them immediately.

    Hansen opened the car door and walked to the side. Like an elegant gentleman, he extended his hand to help Jenna get down the car.

    Jenna put her hand gently on his.

    Hansen took her hand and exerted more force, almost lifting Jenna up from her seat.

    ¡°Park the car.¡± Hansen took out a few hundred dors and gave them to the valet who came forward to help park the car. Hansen gently put his hand around Jenna¡¯s slender waist, lovingly embraced her in his arms. They then went straight up in the elevator.

    ¡°We won¡¯t go home today. We will spend the night here,¡± Hansen whispered softly, hugging Jenna tightly.

    A flush crept up Jenna¡¯s face as her long eyshes fluttered like a pair. She stuck close to Hansen as her lips quirked upwards into a bashful smile that made her look all the more dashing.

    After entering an exquisite and luxurious hotel room, Hansen closed the door behind him before he covered Jenna¡¯s plump, sultry lips with his. The air was as hot as fire.

    His lips skimmed across every inch of her skin passionately.

    The undercurrent in Jenna¡¯s body was like raging waves, full of passion as it ignited every cell in her body.

    She just wanted to find her release and give herself entirely to him.

    They were inseparable at the moment. Since she was in love with him, she felt that she must give herself entirely to him so he would never leave her.Perhaps, this was the natural possessiveness of human nature.

    Jenna began to wrap her arms around Hansen¡¯s neck. She pressed against him and responded with his kiss with more passion.

    Jenna¡¯s response drove Hansen into another ecstasy. Their kiss intensified as he sped her waist tightly.

    At that moment, they had forgotten everything in the midst of their ardor for each other.

    Gradually, they decided to get on from kissing for it could no longer satisfy their lust. They began to take off each other¡¯s clothes as their breathing became more erratic.

    Even in the process of undressing, they were never separated; their bodies were tightly glued to each other as they continued to savor each other¡¯s lips.

    When their clothes got caught, Hansen would let out a curse in a low voice as he drew himself away from her for a split second to take off the clothes. Then, he would quickly press his lips onto Jenna¡¯s lips again, sinking deeper and deeper into this sensual paradise.

    There seemed to be thousands of mes in his body. He felt that he was about to be burned into moltenva by his own desire. He got to release it, right here and now.

    Hansen held her tightly, picked her up, and walked towards the bed.

    Jenna was as soft as cotton;she couldn¡¯t escape him as long as he held onto her.

    Jenna¡¯s hair was spread out on the snow-white sheets. Her gleaming skin was as shiny as porcin with a slight tint of flush spreading acrossher already tempting skin, makinghis throat dry.

    Another air of mncholy spread across quietly in him; his love and tenderness for her made his body smolder.

    Hansen had led Jenna into another time and space.

    In this parallel universe, they belonged to each other, and only each other.

    There, they released themselves wholeheartedly.

    Jenna had long since melted in his embrace as she followed his lead.

    His passion and love, on the other, was as fierce as a thunderstorm.

    ¡°Jenna, promise me that no matter what you encounter, you must trust me and believe in my love for you, okay?¡± When they both hauled themselves to the highest point of this unification, Jenna heard Hansen¡¯s maic voice ringing beside her as though itcame from a distant cloud. It sounded like he was begging her; she could hear the hurt in his voice.

    Jenna was in a trance. She felt like she was in an imaginary cloud with colorful lights in front of her. She couldn¡¯t wrap her mind around his words. At this moment, she couldn¡¯t think about anything else as Hansen¡¯s wet lips looted on her. Soon, they entered another level of intimate union.

    That night was quiet and peaceful. Moonlight leaked through the curtains like running water. The air was intoxicated with a scent of honey, drowning the two of them.

    It was the best night in the world. Who would want this to end?

    They indulged themselves in it, again and again.

    They then repeated the entire process.

    It felt as if it was the only night when they could connect as one, to reconcile, and to express their love to each other in the most intimate way possible.

    It was sorrowful, yet addictive. One couldn¡¯t decide whether to die for it or live for it; this conflicting feeling was about to linger in the depth of their hearts forever.

    The two fell into a deep sleep, and when they woke up, the bed was messy and unsightly.

    They seemed to have a long night but they wished for more. When she opened her eyes, Jenna saw Hansen sitting at the bedside, smoking a cigarette. His lonely expression dazed her for a brief moment.

    His dark, downcast eyshes veiled the slight hint of sadness in his eyes. All of a sudden, he turned before his eyes came into contact with Jenna¡¯s sparkling bright eyes. He froze as a gentle smile cracked across his face.

    Jenna stared at him in a trance.

    His bright eyes at this time were twinkling with affection and gentleness. But deep inside, Jenna could see hurt and pain. Her heart could not help but ache for him.

    ¡°Why are you still smoking?¡± The smell of smoke made her cough. Jenna got up and snatched the cigarette from his hand.Displeased, she asked straightforwardly, ¡°Hansen, you promised me that you won¡¯t smoke anymore. You should honor your word.¡±

    Jenna was a little angry that Hansen didn¡¯t care about his health.

    Hansen chuckled helplessly without stopping her snatching the cigarette away from him. She then put it out in the ashtray.

    Hansen grabbed Jenna into his arms and mumbled, ¡°No more next time, okay?¡±

    His voice was very soft, almost humble.

    The once-powerful Mr. Richards was being so humble in front of her. Jenna was touched by his tenderness. Truth be told, she was surprised too. Almost instantly, her entire being was consumed by sorrow.

    What was going on? Why did it feel so weird?

    Jenna couldn¡¯t spot or think of any abnormality. Maybe he was behaving like this out of love. Maybe.

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s about time to go to work.¡± Jenna picked up her phone and looked at it. It was almost nine o¡¯clock; she should head to work.

    ¡°No, Jenna, I don¡¯t have to go to work today.¡± Hansen held her down and said softly, ¡°Jenna, I want to ask you of something. Would you agree?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jenna was a little surprised. Mr. Richards had something to ask of her. Did she hear it wrongly? The inexplicable feeling of uneasiness crawled into her heart again.

    Hansen put his arms around her shoulders, put a thick coat around her, and whispered in her ear, ¡°Jenna, from today onwards, you will apany my dad for his surgery and take care of him in my stead. The Richards Group will be getting some financial investment projects from overseas in the near future. I¡¯ll leave this matter to you, okay?¡±

    Hansen raised it up so cautiously before he added, ¡°Jenna, about your mother, I will ask two professional caretakers to look after her. Leave the rest to me in A city. Believe me, we won¡¯t be separated for long.¡±

    Hansen held Jenna¡¯s tiny hand, his clear eyes sparkling.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank instantly. So, were they going to be separated?

    The thought of separation made her heart hurt.

    Jenna looked at him, and she tightened her lips.

    ¡°Believe me, all this will end soon and we will have the wedding ceremony.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was painted with sincerity. He lowered his head and kissed Jenna softly. ¡°I¡¯ll leave my father to you, because only then can I be most assured.¡±

    It turned out Hansen trusted her.

    Jenna was relieved. Gone was the sadness of parting.

    Looking at his genuine expression, she couldn¡¯t help but nod.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    ¡°Okay, Hansen, I promise you.¡± She buried her head in his chest.

    Hansen had a bright smile on his face as he hugged her. The pain in his eyes shed across his eyes.

    ¡°Jenna, you will only be safe if you leave A city. Trust me, I can give you an exnation soon.¡± Hansen sighed secretly in his heart.

    Knowing that they would not be able to meet for a long time, both of them were upset. They were reluctant to let fate take control of their lives, but they did not have a choice.

    Hansen could use Jennifer to deal with Brock, and then Brock would definitely think of using Jenna to deal with him.

    Jenna was the woman he cherished and hence, his weakness that his enemies would exploit.Hansen must protect her so that she wouldn¡¯t get used by other people to threaten him. He would never expose her to the risk of getting hurt.

    Aria was pregnant. This was probably Jenna¡¯s worst nightmare. How could Jenna take in this news when she was already scarred?

    Furthermore, Hansen had a hunch that Earl¡¯s family wouldn¡¯t let her off the hook so easily.

    Therefore, Jenna must leave A City temporarily.

    This was an imminent matter, and it had been carefully considered by him. As a man, it was his responsibility and his obligation not to allow the woman he loved to be harmed.

    Hansen would be able to fight this battle if Jenna was safe.

    Only when she was safe could he let go of the shackles and brave all the challenges.

    Their separation was inevitable.

    The ne carrying Jenna and Trevor left the runway and rose into the dark sky. When it slowly left A city, Hansen felt as if he was consumed by a ck hole; something that he held dear had left him.

    He watched the ne drawing its dance further away from him and soon, it vanished into the vast darkness. He stood rooted for a while before he turned his head resolutely.

    The winter in A city was particrly cold that year. It was noon when it began to snow heavily. The plume-like snow tumbled down from the sky, bringing bursts of cold to A city.

    Hansen walked in the cold wind as snowkes adorned his brown coat. The bitterly cold wind swept his coat and carried it to dance with the wind, making him look even more unrestrained and handsome.

    He walked into Shawn Hallcalmly. The waiter immediately greeted him and led him into Gelsius Garden.

    Earl¡¯s suit and leather shoes looked pristine. His shrewd eyes were covered with an enigmatic aura under the refraction of his thick sses. The white of his eyes glistened under the light; he seemed exceptionally formidable this very evening.

    It looked as if anyone provoked him would die a miserable death.

    The heating in the room was sufficient. It felt as warm as spring.

 Chapter 165 Earl Turned Hostile

    Hansen took off his coat, shook off the snowkes from his body, and calmly sat down on the chair opposite him.

    ¡°Hi, Uncle McAdams.¡± He nodded politely and behaved courteously, with calmness and determination in his words. He was calm, steady and confident.

    The waiter immediately brought in two servings of medium-well steaks and filled their sses with red wine. Soon, the aroma of red wine and steak filled the air in the room.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Earl replied as he cut the steak elegantly and gently with a smile on his face. He said, ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m sorry.I knew it might not be appropriate to ask you out at this hour. I know you¡¯re probably busy at work recently,¡±

    Earl picked up a piece of steak and put it into his mouth. He then started chewing slowly, and smiled slightly.

    ¡°Uncle, please don¡¯t be sorry. It is an honor to dine with you.¡± Hansen also skillfully cut the medium-well steak, smiling politely. Then he picked up a piece of steak with his fork and put it into his mouth and savored it slowly.

    The heater in the box was turned on.

    After a ss of red wine, Earl took off his suit, loosened his tie and his white shirt, held up the scarlet-red wine in front of him, and swirled it slightly. The liquid shook slightly, and he slowly raised his ss.

    ¡°Come on, Hansen, let me toast you first,¡± he said softly with a peaceful face.

    Hansen slowly put down the fork in his hand when he heard the words, then his slender white fingers also picked up the wine ss that was in front of him. He smiled slightly and said, ¡°Uncle McAdams, I apologize, I should do it first, so let¡¯s toast each other!¡±

    When Hansen said this, he didn¡¯t show any change in his expression, and he looked dignified.

    A dim light shed in Earl¡¯s eyes.

    Toast to each other? With that said, they were in equal positions now.

    That night, in the living room of Richards Manor, Hansen ttered Earl as if he was not worthy of Earl¡¯s daughter, yet Hansen now implied that they were in equal positions. What did this mean?

    There were a lot of emotional fluctuations in Earl¡¯s heart. However, he was experienced and so he didn¡¯t say anything even though he felt dissatisfied. He wanted to see what Hansen would do.

    So far, Hansen had slept with his daughter, but he did not seem to feel even slightly guilty. Instead, his face was full of self-confidence. Although it did not appear to be ostentatious, it did not match the current atmosphere.

    Earl thought that there were two underlying meanings in his expression. Either it was that he nned to marry Aria, so he was confident enough to speak calmly, or Hansen was telling him that he did not care about Earl¡¯s identity; he was not afraid of Earl.

    Earl still couldn¡¯t figure out what it was.

    If a man didn¡¯t love a woman, would he sleep with her? What was more, she was Earl¡¯s daughter. Everyone knew the severity of sleeping with his daughter, so how could one be so stupid as to cause this ident? After all, there were women everywhere. If he did it for a reason, it could only be that he wanted to marry his daughter.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Earl squinted while thinking of this.

    What? You have already slept with my daughter, today if you don¡¯t give me a satisfactory answer, I¡¯ll never let you off the hook!

    At the same time, the two of them picked up their sses and clinked with each other. With a clink, the echo of the sses colliding echoed in the box, and the warm air seemed to freeze and was shattered by the sound of the clink. The coldness immediately filled the room.

    After finishing the wine, neither of them said anything that was on their minds. They just discussed some inconsequential matters.

    There was no waiter in the private room. As soon as Earl came in, he sent the waiter away. Even the food was served personally by the manager. Without knowing Hansen¡¯s intentions, he could not disclose the pregnancy of his daughter to anyone. Or it would ruin his daughter¡¯s reputation.

    Hansen stood up again to pour him a ss of wine in person, and Earl did not refuse. He should be ying the role of the leader on this asion.

    The two of them continued to drink a few more sses. Their faces were a little flushed and they started to feel a little bit drunk.

    Since Earl did not take the initiative to mention anything.

    Hansen didn¡¯t talk about it either.

    They had finished half a bottle of red wine, but didn¡¯t even mention the main thing yet.

    Earl gradually had a bad feeling.

    He thought Hansen was obviously fooling around with him. It seemed that his attitude had not changed until now.

    How could he!

    His daughter was already pregnant with his child!

    IfEarlstill didn¡¯t mention it now, then he was too negligent as a father.

    ¡°Hansen, what are your ns for Aria?¡± After Earl had another ss of wine, the alcohol kicked in, and his mind began to heat up, so he began to question Hansen. He knew that even if Hansen was drunk, he would not take the initiative to talk about it either. It seemed that Hansen had no intention of saying it at all, and Earl was also anxious to finish the matter. Thinking of this, his face was flushed, and he could no longer suppress Hansen with silence. Finally, Earl couldn¡¯t help but ask out loud.

    ¡°Uncle McAdams,¡± seeing that Earl had finally begun to question him, Hansen immediately replied calmly. Then he continued carefully, ¡°Uncle McAdams, you are a member of the officialdom. You should know that some things in the world cannot be forced. I still think that marriage is not a trifling matter. It should be considered carefully. In addition, your reputation is great and you have a great future, so you can¡¯t lose face because of your child¡¯s personal affair, right? A rtionship between two people requires willingness from both of them; they can¡¯t be forced together. Otherwise, it will hurt everyone. I don¡¯t want to hurt Aria, nor do I want to ruin her career. Now her career has just reached its peak. If she bes pregnant at this time, it will be fatal for her. Moreover, Uncle McAdams, I really don¡¯t deserve to be Aria¡¯s husband. She will have a great future and she will definitely find a better man to love her in the future. I really am not the one she should marry. I hope you can take care of your daughter and think on her behalf. If you see this issue thoroughly, you would see the problems here.¡±

    Hansen spoke, full of emotions but not hurriedly,while Earl¡¯s face was livid with anger.

    D*mn, Earl didn¡¯t expect that at this time. Hansen actually dared to fool around with him and say such things. Who did he think Earl was and what was he treating his daughter as? Was he treating them as his ythings? Although Hansen was smart and courageous enough, they were not fools either.

    Since Hansen didn¡¯t want to marry Earl¡¯s daughter, why did he get her pregnant?

    Since she was pregnant now, he needed to be responsible for her!

    How could there be such a good thing in this world where you need not be responsible for a woman after you slept with her?

    Would any responsible man do this?

    Immediately, his face darkened and he rolled his eyes. Then he looked at Hansen in a deterrent manner that could hardly be seen, and he spoke with a cold voice.

    ¡°Hansen, I really didn¡¯t expect you to still talk like this. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so irresponsible! Even if my daughter is stupid and still loves you, I want to ask you, what do you want?¡±

    After speaking, his eyes looked straight at Hansen sharply.

    Hansen suddenly felt as if a lot of cold knives were shot at him, and he secretly let out a sigh of relief.

    However, Hansen calmed his mind and soon, he was not intimidated by Earl. Jenna¡¯s figure shed out of his mind at this moment.

    For their happiness, he must fightat all costs. So he clenched his fists and swore that he would neverpromise.

    Of course, he knew Earl¡¯s intention when he invited him out alone, and the current situation would almost determine the rtionship between him and Aria. This step should be taken carefully, and his mind must be clear when he spoke.

    He finished the red wine in the ss in front of him in one sip, took the hot towel that was on the table, and wiped the corners of his mouth. He spoke very seriously.

    ¡°Uncle McAdams, I¡¯m just saying my real thoughts here. I didn¡¯t mean anything else. Please forgive me if it is offensive, but I think my words are reasonable too. Please consider again, if only for the sake of Aria. You can ask for it if you have any requirements.¡±

    He knew that a government official like Earl was good at scheming. There was almost no chance of winning if he wanted to trick him. Therefore, he did not intend to hide it from him. He just wanted to analyze the current situation and tell him his true thoughts. After all, they were both men, they should be open-minded and look at the bigger picture.

    What was more, Earl was still a mayor and he should know the pros and cons well, so Hansen honestly told him the whole situation, hoping that he would understand what Hansen meant.

    He really has no bad thoughts.

    However, Earl didn¡¯t think so at allthis time.

    After all, Aria was his only daughter. He could not ept that Hansen was being so sloppy. Thus,Hansen¡¯s wordspletely irritated him.

    ¡°Hansen, I have always respected you, and I didn¡¯t have any objections when my daughter was in a rtionship with you. However, I didn¡¯t expect you to do this. It has been very disappointing to me,¡± Earl said. His face was flushed and his neck was red too. The light shot out from behind his sses, obviously full of anger. ¡°I don¡¯t care what excuse you have for sleeping with my daughter, and how you want to abandon my daughter. Let me tell you the truth, I have only one daughter, and she can not be hurt at all.¡±

    Saying this, Earl narrowed his eyes, and said sternly, ¡°If you are a man, you should take responsibility. Since you have the ability to make my daughter pregnant, you should have the ability to bear the consequences. Don¡¯t give me any excuses, even if you were drugged that time. It was you who slept with my daughter, and that is also your responsibility as the man of the Richards family. I only know that my daughter has been humiliated, and the man who humiliated her still doesn¡¯t want to admit it. Let me tell you, there is no such good thing in this world.¡±

    Saying this, he stood up arrogantly, already losing hisposure.

    Hansen¡¯s heart suddenly felt cold, as if he had fallen into an abyss. He could no longer see any hope.

    It seemed to be impossible to solve the problem by reasoning with the family.

    Now they had already decided to me it all on him, even though he was schemed against at the time.

    D*mn Norton!

    Hansen clenched his fists, with fierceness gleaming lightly in his eyes.

    In front of him was Earl¡¯s livid face that was full of anger.

    Hansen had been forced into a dead-end.

    He took a cigarette, lit it, smoked it, and took a few deep breaths.

    Earl looked at this silent young man with surprise in his heart.

    Some time ago, he was still discussing the marriage with their family. How long had it been since he became so reluctant to marry his daughter? Was it possible that young people¡¯s rtionships nowadays were fragile and unstable? Was it only because of his ex-wife?

    Hansen must know that his daughter was pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child. It wasn¡¯t difficult for him to solve it. It would not cost him a lot either. All he had to do was marry Aria and it would all be okay. But why did he look so pressured now? As if it was difficult. Was marrying his daughter a shame to him?

 Chapter 166 Christopher Matthews

    ¡°I don¡¯t care, you have to give me a satisfactory answer today no matter what,¡± Earl didn¡¯t care about his thoughts and said coldly. He was not an easy person to bully. He fell silent after speaking and sat on the sofa.

    Boy, if you need time to think about it silently, well, I¡¯ll wait for you!

    ¡°I wonder what kind of answer you want.¡± After only thinking for a while, Hansen spoke and narrowed his eyes calmly,¡°Uncle McAdams, you know that I am a descendant of the Richards family, and my grandmother is still alive. If you insist on me marrying Aria, she can only be a concubine. Are you willing topromise on that?¡±

    Earl¡¯s ears moved. Concubine? Was Hansen treating his daughter like a beggar?

    It was absolutely uneptable!

    ¡°Hansen, do you think I am a fool? You are already divorced. You can marry my daughter as your legal wife, not a concubine. Do you think you are still living in ancient times and still care about these things? I am a government official. In my eyes, ancestral tablets, genealogy, are all nonsense. As long as two people are registered in marriage under thew, they are husband and wife. Don¡¯t mention these nonsense to me. You think this is still a feudal society and you can have wives and concubines? Let me tell you, it doesn¡¯t work for me here. If you and Aria are registered, then she is your legal wife. That¡¯s it. It isn¡¯t up to you now to choose to marry her or not,¡± Earl¡¯s face was stern as he solemnly dered.

    That was very harsh, and the light in Hansen¡¯s eyes twinkled.

    ¡°Uncle McAdams, I respect you, but I didn¡¯t expect you to describe the ancestral tablet of our Richards family and the genealogy as a mess. I really didn¡¯t expect a dignified mayor to disrespect ancestors and the culture of the citizens like this. If this is the case, then I¡¯m sorry. I really can¡¯t marry your daughter.¡± Hansen was very indignant at Earl¡¯s words in insulting his ancestors. He had originally despised Earl for taking revenge on him for his personal reasons regarding Green Mountain Lake. After hearing such sullen words again today, the sorry feeling Hansen had for himpletely disappeared.

    What Hansen hated most was being threatened. He did not care about the person who threatened him, no matter how powerful that person was.

    The atmosphere there was like a turbulent sea with surging undercurrents.

    The tension between them rose instantly.

    Hansen stood up slowly and looked at Earl condescendingly. He fixed his gaze on his sses. Although Hansen couldn¡¯t see the dark light behind the sses, he still wasn¡¯t afraid of it.

    Earl¡¯s crossed legs stopped shaking slightly and he straightened his back.

    ¡°Uncle McAdams, do we have to make things difficult for both of us?¡± He asked every word as gently as possible, but the light in his eyes was fearless.

    ¡°Hansen, you have to be clear. Who is making things difficult now?¡± Even though Earl was not scared of Hansen, there was an inexplicable guilty conscience appearing in his heart after he was forced to answer Hansen¡¯s question like that. He seemed to be the bully who was forcing them to marry.

    And his daughter was like a cheapmodity that was returned, which made the me in his heart soar instantly and it was extremely ufortable.

    Earl slowly took off his sses and took out a soft cloth from his pocket to wipe them gently. He calmed down a little after a long time;then he put his sses on again. After that, he stood up and spoke.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be reckless and impulsive in anything. It is good to have courage, but you should know your own ability too. I appreciate your talents and that¡¯s why I cherish you like a precious treasure. However,it does not mean that you can keep on challenging my patience.¡±

    Saying this, Earl walked a few steps forward, patted Hansen on the shoulder, and said sincerely, ¡°Hansen, everyone has been young before. It is forgivable for a man to make a mistake sometimes. But you should know your responsibility and know what to do. None of the excuses are real reasons. We are all living in a highly materialistic society, and I just want to see the results.¡±

    Earl rubbed Hansen¡¯s sturdy shoulder with his fair chubby hand and spoke.

    ¡°I did not call you here today to discuss how to solve your problem with Aria. What I wanted to ask is, when is your wedding with Aria to be scheduled? She is pregnant now and can¡¯t wait for you to hesitate. We don¡¯t want to wait any longer either. I will solemnly tell you: You must provide the date of marriage within one month, otherwise, I will tell the media about the scandals you have done. Although you are smart and know how to avoid it, please don¡¯t forget that I am never easy to bully. This is not a small matter. Aria is my only daughter and you should know that parents will do everything for their children.¡±

    Earl almost finished these words with a smile, and he spoke it at a slow pace with his clear voice. However, his tone and the arrogance from his body were all showing his attitude now. His pride was obvious and he would do anything regardless of the cost.

    Obviously, Earl couldn¡¯t hold back his temper anymore, and he was angry.

    This was rted to the happiness of his daughter. He had never been soft-hearted. If his daughter couldn¡¯t get happiness in the future, then what was the point of him being a highly ranked government official?

    Hansen stood stiff. His face was dund he could feel the pressure given by Earl in the atmosphere. Then he squeezed his hand, and stared at the snowkes outside the window. All he was thinking about in his mind was Jenna¡¯s silhouette.

    Earl put on his coat and left calmly.

    He left with some unfathomable emotions on his face and a cold smile.

    He understood that it was not time to turn against Hansen now. Deterrence was always far greater than the effect of turning hostile on Hansen. After all, it was a rtionship issue, and handling a rtionship issue was much easier than a civil case.

    Hansen closed his eyes and stood there without moving, knowing better than anyone else that Earl was only here to give a warning that day. By now, all the news media still did not know about Aria¡¯s pregnancy yet. This was probably his strategy. He said he would tell all the news media about his scandal if the time came.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly when he thought of this. The smile was extremely sad and pitiful.

    This was only a reminder from him. How could it be possible that Earl would simply let him go like this?

    At Cheldar Club.

    Floral wallpaper that was soft and elegant gave off a rxed andfortable feeling to the visitors.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    When Hansen stepped into the luxuriously decorated room of the clubhouse, the handsome face of a young man immediately appeared in front of his eyes.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re finally here,¡± the man said as he stood up, smiled heartily, and walked toward Hansen.

    He was wearing a grey coat with a turtleneck sweater covering his long neck. It made his stalwart figure look great and tall. His face would definitely attract a lot of women and make them fall in love with him.

    ¡°Mr. Matthews, wee to A city. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you here,¡± Hansen also smiled heartily and said.

    ¡°Hansen, we haven¡¯t seen each other in two years.¡± Christopher Matthews shook hands with Hansen.Then,he reached out and hugged him affectionately.

    ¡°It¡¯s an honour that you still remember me,¡± Hansen said lightly.

    Christopher smiled helplessly and replied, ¡°Hansen, can you stop?¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t afford to offend you,¡± Hansen said while pretending to be scared.

    ¡°Hansen, stop embarrassing me,¡± after the two of them seated separately, Christopher said with a little regret. ¡°It has been so long since west met during the election campaign in Capital City. I always wanted toe back to A City to see you, but you know that I couldn¡¯t, right?¡±

    Hansen sighed, agreeing with a smile and continued, ¡°You¡¯re now holding an important position and working hard to contribute to the country and the people. Unlike me, who¡¯s just working to support my family and myself. So, of course, I can sympathize and understand your busyness, and would absolutely support you as always.¡±

    These words made Christopher so embarrassed that he immediately replied while gritting his teeth, ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re still as mean as before and wouldn¡¯t give up the chance to tease someone. I really don¡¯t know how Jenna could endure you all these years!¡±

    Four years ago, Christopher attended Hansen and Jenna¡¯s wedding, and then he went to Capital Cityter. Two years ago, he participated in the election for the director of the Public Security Department. Hansen personally went to the Capital City to support him and canvas the voters. Christopher remembered all of these.

    Speaking of Jenna, Christopher¡¯s eyes were full of envy, and he said bitterly, ¡°You are so lucky to have such a good wife. You should cherish her.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s heart twitched, and a touch of tenderness shed in his eyes.

    Christopher and Hansen were schoolmates back in C University. They were even ssmates who were in the batch before Jenna, but they both had a deep impression of Jenna. Christopher was the only one who knew that Hansen liked Jenna at that time.

    Back then, Christopher also had the intention of chasing Jenna, but once the three of them met on a garden path of the campus, he clearly saw that Jenna¡¯s crystal clear eyes were gazing at Hansen¡¯s face, her gaze full of dazzling light. It was definitely not ordinary. Instead, there was a touch of shyness and tenderness of a young girl in it. Of course, a smart person like Christopher understood the special meaning contained in her eyes.

    From that moment onwards, he knew that he had no chance of winning if he chased Jenna, and he would never ever be the third party in a rtionship.

    ¡°Why do I think that your words are so ironic?¡± Hansen said jokingly. He knew that Christopher didn¡¯t understand his marriage life now and he didn¡¯t n to tell him in detail either.

    Christopherughed. ¡°No matter how ironic it is, I can¡¯t possibly have any intentions for Jenna, right?¡±

    ¡°Boy, let¡¯s go straight to the point. Why did youe to A City? Do you need me to do anything for you?¡± Hansenughed and then asked bluntly. Hansen had never been too courteous to Christopher. He liked to be sarcastic or ironic in front of him, because after all, they had been good friends for so many years.

    ¡°If you really want me to tell you the purpose of meing here, this purpose has something to do with you,¡± Christopherughed and finally went to the point. ¡°I heard that you are investigating Javon¡¯s case?¡±

    Sure enough, Hansen was secretly surprised by the severity of this case, now that the director of the Public Security Department of Capital CIty was involved in it too. Soon, he felt annoyed thinking of this.

 Chapter 167 Donâ€™t Act Recklessly

    ¡°Let me tell you, Christopher, Javon is my father-inw. His case is full of mysteries and I will not let him die in vain. I will definitely solve this case for him and seek the truth. I don¡¯t want you to intervene in this matter. Even if we have been ssmates and friends for many years, I will still turn against you if you dare to stop me,¡± Hansen¡¯s face sank and he said mercilessly.

    Christopher had never seen Hansen so serious. He was stunned, and suddenlyughed.

    ¡°Hansen, do you think I am so useless?¡± He patted Hansen on the shoulder and smiled a little mysteriously. He continued, ¡°And you were wary of me. It seems like you havee to a dead end.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hansen heard Christopher¡¯s words and he was curious, so he looked up at him, puzzled.

    ¡°There are a hell lot of rumours about youtely. Tell me clearly what happened between you and Jenna, then I will tell you what you want to hear,¡± Christopher stopped talking and teased him.

    Hansen was a little angry and said, ¡°Even a dignified government official like you also pays attention to boring gossip and personal affairs? What are your intentions? Do you wish to see how chaotic my life is, so you will feel happier?¡±

    He was a little upset. He thought Christopher didn¡¯t know about his personal affairs at all and didn¡¯t expect him to already know all about it, which really made him feel embarrassed. These personal affairs were the most annoying thing to him now.

    Christopher held back hisugh, and said jokingly, ¡°Hansen, do you know that the first thing I do at work every day is open the newspaper and read the entertainment news about you? Then my mood for the day will be very good after someughs, and I will feel very happy for the rest of the day.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Hansen was irritated by his deliberate jokes. He said, ¡°You, as the director, are not doing your job properly if you are always reading this nonsense all day and getting misled by it. It seems like I have to create for you a few scandals now and see if you can stillugh out loud at that time.¡±

    Christopherughed as he looked at Hansen¡¯s expression. He thought, although it was just a joke, it could be seen that Hansen¡¯s current mood was really bad and chaotic. He was not his usual confident self. It seemed like he was really in trouble now.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Hansen.¡± Although Christopher was still smiling, his tone was more serious. He continued, ¡°Javon¡¯s case is not so serious, and I didn¡¯te to A City for him.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Hansen said as he raised his head unexpectedly, and sighed with relief. As long as it wasn¡¯t rted to Javon¡¯s case, it wasn¡¯t that bad. After all, he hoped that this case would be settled soon instead of involving too many people. That would make him more annoyed.

    ¡°Then why are you here? You didn¡¯t juste to see me,¡± Hansen rxed, smiled slightly, and joked.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I just be here to see you?¡± Christopher was a little dissatisfied and said. ¡°Can¡¯t I just seek some benefits from a rich jerk like you?¡±

    As he said this, Christopherughed again, and he felt it was almost time. Then he got to the point and said, ¡°Hansen, to tell you the truth, although I am not here for Javon¡¯s case, the reason I am here has something to do with Brock.¡±

    ¡°Brock?¡± Hansen raised his head in surprise and suspicion. He said, ¡°As the director of the Public Security Department in Capital City, you are actually getting involved with a small underworld leader in A City? You don¡¯t need to do this. Do you need to personally go into the field? Well, this is really interesting.¡±

    Hearing this, Christopher sighed. His face also became serious, and he was not joking anymore.

    ¡°Hansen, you must know that I have just taken over as the director of the public security bureau recently. Since I am in this position, I must take responsibility. I must eliminate all the criminals, reduce the shorings of thewand make some big achievements. I promised to get rid of pornography, illegal gambling, drug abuse in themunity, in order to rebuild a harmonious and peaceful country for the citizens. In my case, I decided to solve the drug abuse and trafficking problems first. ording to my information, there are currently severalrge illegal drug manufacturing sites in the countryand the factories are built in remote ces in the forest. What¡¯s more, there are more than oneand all of them are connected to each other and their location is a secret. They are a huge organization that is well-organized and purposeful. It is reported that these factories manufacture almost 60% of all the drugs in the country and they¡¯re even rted to the international drug dealers and underworld boss, Jonas Smith. They already have aplete set of transportation, production, and selling procedures. I have also found out that the matter is rted to the underworld leader, Brock, in A City, so that¡¯s why I rushed here in a hurry. I must solve it and I must eliminate them quickly. It is extremely urgent.¡±

    Christopher¡¯s words were bold and powerful and his expression was serious.

    Hansen finally understood what he meant. Henodded, and said, ¡°Christopher, then you are fortunately here in time. Tonight, Brock will go to Fifth Alley to pick up his girlfriend, Jennifer, and evacuate from their hiding spot in Fifth Alley. We can go and take them down together today.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Christopher instantly refused.

    ¡°Why?¡± Hansen raised his sharp eyebrows slightly and said unexpectedly.

    Now that he knew the true purpose of Christophering to him, he started thinking too.

    It seemed that Christopher knew that he was going to take action that night, so he rushed over in time. Sure enough, Christopher was smart, but what surprised him was how Christopher knew his whereabouts and actions. They were investigating Javon¡¯s case in secret, and no one knew his whereabouts and decisions, so this surprised him.

    ¡°Hansen, I know you want to avenge Javon, but you can¡¯t be too hasty. You have to believe us. If you take action tonight, you may catch Brock, but doing so will alert our enemies. At that time, all the information we gathered will be in vain, and our desired purpose won¡¯t be achieved either. It is nothing to catch Brock, but we need to take down the entire drug production and trafficking once and for all, and get rid of thepletely. That is what we really want to do. You have to cooperate with me. You can¡¯t take action tonight. In addition, it is in the city area, so if there¡¯s a fight at that time, some innocent people might get hurt. Besides¡­¡± Christopher said and he took a sip from the cup on the table. Then he continued slowly, ¡°Brock is just a small leader of the entire drug trafficking organizationand there¡¯s still arger organization behind him. Obviously, this is not the best time for us to take action.¡±

    Hansen listened carefully and nodded, but he was pondering in his heart. They needed to find more clues in Javon¡¯s case from Brock. If Christopher got Brock by then, would Christopher be able to interrogate him and find out the truth of Javon¡¯s case? Christopher would only think of making big achievements and might not care about Javon¡¯s case. As he was thinking about it, he heard Christopher speak.

    ¡°Hansen, I understand your thoughtsbut we should think about it from an objective point of view. Javon was an important government official. We did pay attention to his death too. However, I want to remind you that although Javon¡¯s death is rted to Brock, ording to my estimation, Brock is just the kind of person who would take other people¡¯s money andplete the task for them. I¡¯m afraid that you should investigate your men in Richards Group first. It¡¯s useless if you don¡¯t settle your personal affairs no matter how strong your career is. I think you should understand it, and ording to the news I have, this case has already been secretly investigated by someone else. I trust that the truth will soone to light. I have given the Public Security Department in A City an order so that they give me a reasonable exnation to this case after their investigation.¡±

    Hansen was silent and did not speak for a while.

    ¡°Hansen,e, apany me to have some fun.¡± Christopher saw that Hansen was silent, so he couldn¡¯t help but smile and stand up. He pulled him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the Matthews family have had a good rtionship with the Richards family for generations. We will always take care of each other, right?¡±

    Hansen was pulled to his feet by Christopher, and he almost trusted what Christopher had said to him.

    F*ck this, what kind of reason was that?

    Christopher obviously just wanted to make a big achievement and get Hansen to help him solve the case, but Hansen only wanted to avenge his woman! These were two totally different things. He didn¡¯t care about fame and wealth at all. All he cared about was giving Jenna a satisfactory answer and to see her smiling face.

    ¡°Bah, what a big reason, don¡¯t try to fool me with this. I won¡¯t believe it.¡± Hansen retreated with a disgruntled smile.

    Christopherughed, knowing that Hansen was shrewd enough to know his intention.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Do you want to y golf or baseball? I will just follow you,¡± Hansen said calmly. It seemed like Christopher would still worry about him and would take action that night ifHansen didn¡¯t y with him all night.

    Christopherughed. ¡°Okay, if you say so,¡±

    ¡°Hansen, your grandma is very shrewd. She was a famousdy in Capital Citywhen she was young. Although your grandpa had many girlfriends when he was still alive, he still had a soft spot for your grandma. She was far cleverer than the other women. Sometimes, you must listen to the opinions of the elders. If you don¡¯t understand anything, you can ask her for help, because after all, the wisdom of an elder is greater than a young man¡¯s,¡± Christopher thought for a while, then reminded Hansen.

    Hearing that, Hansen was taken aback. His eyes squinted and he seemed to be thinking about something. However, he said nothingand the two walked towards the clubhouse.

    In the Ink Garden, Hansen¡¯s grandmother, Vivian, was leaning against a recliner, resting with her eyes closed.

    ¡°Madam, Irvin is here,¡± Meroy walked in and whispered in her ear.

    Vivian opened her eyes abruptly and said in a low voice, ¡°Let him in.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Meroy said and walked out.

    After a while, Irvin Wace, who was in a jacket, walked in. He was of medium height, his eyes were calm, and his bright eyes were sharp. After seeing Vivian, he shed a respectful smile.

    Paul and Irvin Wace were both well-known private detectives. Anyone with a little background would know thatthey never failed any case they epted.It was said that they were orphans with weird personalities. They never got along with strangers easily. They were both moody too, but they respected Vivian very much.

    ¡°Hi, Grandma Richards,¡± Irvin walked up, bowed slightly, and said softly with a smile.

 Chapter 168 Unfathomable Thoughts

    ¡°Hi, Irvin, I have been waiting for you,¡± Grandma Richards smiled happily and said.

    ¡°Old Madam, I¡¯m sorry to keep you waiting,¡± Irvin smiledinembarrassmentand replied.

    ¡°Please sit down and let¡¯s talk,¡± Grandma Richards pointed to the antique mahogany chair opposite of her and said politely.

    Irvin thought for a moment and sat down on the mahogany chair opposite Grandma Richards.

    ¡°Old Madam, here is all the information you need and all the evidence I have collected. Up until now, the whole case is quite clear.¡± After Irvin sat down, he took out a yellow envelope, bent forward to pass it over and said respectfully.

    Grandma Richards took the yellow envelope with a trembling hand and ced it on her legs. Her eyes were murky and dark with some sparkling lights, but there was a touch of pain in them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get straight to the point. I can hear it,¡± she said in a deep voice.

    Irvin said with some embarrassment, ¡°Old Madam, this matter is the same as you expected. It really has something to do with Norton. Although we did not know what purpose he had to kill Javon, it is indeed true that he was involved in this case.¡±

    Grandma Richards¡¯s face turned pale. Her hands trembled, but the light in her eyes became brighter. After a long time, she murmured, ¡°Irvin, Jenna paid Paul to investigate, right? What¡¯s your n to solve it?¡±

    Irvin sawGrandma Richards¡¯s face turn pale and he was very worried. He said in a hurry, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this, Paul has declined it, and he didn¡¯t tell her the truth either.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Grandma Richards nodded and said painfully. ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s a shame that such an evil thing was done by our family members. It¡¯s all my fault. I am sorry and I am sorry to Jenna. Javon, one day, I will definitely go to your grave and pray for you. I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault that I didn¡¯t educate my child well.¡±

    Grandma Richards burst into tears when she said it.

    ¡°Hey.¡± Irvin sighed secretly. ¡°Old Madam, don¡¯t be sad. Some of your children are kind too, and now your grandson, Hansen, has brought sess to Richards Group, right? There are all kinds of people in this world. It is your blessing to have such an outstanding grandson among your grandchildren, so you should be d and happy for it.¡±

    When Grandma Richards heard this, she shook her head repeatedly and her face became more gloomy.

    She only had two grandsons. Norton took the low road. What karma he would receive from Javon¡¯s case was still unknown. Now, her other grandson was caught in various traps and was still emotionally vaciting. She couldn¡¯t imagine how he would solve this problem by himself.

    This matter did not end there, and there were even moreplicated rtionships in it. Grandma Richards knew it well.

    Her time was running outand this was all she could do. There were some things that Hansen must experience in person to see the things and people in his life clearly. She sighed and said, ¡°Irvin, let¡¯s stop the investigation here and leave the rest to Hansen. I have already done my responsibility.¡±

    Obviously, Grandma Richards said that because she had a n. Now that Paul had declined Jenna¡¯s task, she could only rely on Hansen if she wanted to get revenge. If Hansen had helped her, she would have a better impression of him, so there would be more room for development in their rtionship.

    At least, when Jenna was considering the decisionin the future, she would save face for them for the sake of Hansen¡¯s help.

    This was the only way left.

    ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Irvin smiled. ¡°Old Madam, you are really thinking for them a lot. I hope they will appreciate your painstaking efforts.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already old and this is the only thing I can do for them.¡± Grandma Richards¡¯s words were full of sadness and helplessness.

    ¡°Old Madam, if there is nothing else to do, then I will leave first. Don¡¯t worry, let Mr. Richards absorb it first. I am sure that this matter would surely be resolved properly,¡± Irvin stood up and said with a bow.

    ¡°Okay, thank you. Please don¡¯t disclose this to anyone for the time being. When the timees, everything will be clear,¡± Grandma Richards nodded and said.

    ¡°Well, well, I know. Now that Mr. Richards has already found something out, I believe that soon, he will know everything.I believe he can handle it well,¡± Irvin nodded andforted Vivian.

    Grandma Richards smiled.

    Irvin walked out.

    Grandma Richards watched him walk out with mixed feelings. She rescued two orphans a long time ago in a flood and raised them into adultsand she finally trained them to be two outstanding private detectives. No one in the Richards family knew about their backgrounds either. She could train two orphans into excellent talents, but why couldn¡¯t she raise her own grandson well? This was something Grandma Richards often thought about.

    It was just that she didn¡¯t consider her grandson growing up in an extraordinary family, and theplicated environment around them was different from what ordinary people experienced.

    ¡°Meroy, where is Jenna now?¡± Grandma Richards asked Meroy while touching the envelope on herp.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Meroy smiled and said, ¡°Old Madam, have you forgotten? Young Madam has taken Mr. Trevor abroad for surgery. It seems that Mr. Trevor¡¯s illness really has hopes of getting better. Thinking of this, Young Madamisreally kind and cares about her father-inw¡¯s illness very much, which is really kind and filial. Young Master Richards is really blessed.¡±

    Meroy admired the decision Vivian made. At that time, she didn¡¯t understand why Vivian wanted to give the inheritance of Richards Manor to Jenna. Now it seemed that that move was a brilliant one.

    ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m so forgetful. Jenna sent someone to tell me that day and I have forgotten about it already.¡± While Meroy was secretly thinking of something, she heard Grandma Richards¡¯s answer.

    Thinking of her son who had gone abroad for medical treatment, Grandma Richards¡¯s mood became a lot better, and the worries just now disappeared too. A smile then appeared on her face. Maybe everything would be better if her son could wake up again.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m optimistic about Jenna, but it¡¯s a pity that my grandson is so stupid and didn¡¯t cherish her,¡± Grandma Richards sighed.

    When Meroy heard this, she hurriedly said, ¡°Old Madam, that¡¯s not true. The rtionship between Young Master and Young Madam is very good now. I heard that Young Master has already handed over everything in thepany to Young Madam.She is helping him take care of hispany now. She is very dedicated and the two of them love each other very much now.¡±

    Meroy smiledfortably and was also happy for them.

    A long-lost chill appeared on Grandma Richards¡¯s face. She shook her head and said, ¡°Well, no one can tell now. After this test, if he can solve the problem, then I can finally rest assured.¡±

    There was a dark light in her eyes that Meroy couldn¡¯t understand, and Vivian¡¯s face also had an inscrutable expression.

    Hansen, Jenna, you guys need to face all the difficulties in the future by yourselves. I hope that both of you can advance and retreat together, and face all the problems together. Since a married couple needs to stay together for a lifetime, how are they supposed to stay together until they are old if they don¡¯t experience some hard times together? Grandma Richards looked at the gray sky outside and sighed for a long time. She could only do these things for them. She was not sure about what would happen next, and her heart was anxious and worried about them.

    Knowing that Hansen was going to take action that night, she directly sent someone to tell Christopher to stop him from catching Brock.

    It was not a good thing to catch Brock so quickly. This would hide away the real murderer, and all the charges would fall on Norton alone.

    Although Norton was hateful, he was not extremely bad either. They were all her grandsons. She had the responsibility to protect him.

    Her thought was exactly the same as Christopher¡¯s n to fight the drug mafia, so Christopher came over.

    ¡°Hansen, Jenna, I hope both of you would hold on to each other and go through all of these things together,¡±Grandma Richards thought as she looked out of the window with a silent and solemn face. She did not speak.

    They will only be in love with each other in the futureif they can appreciate the true meaning of love during the hard times, and experience the rise and fall of the Richards familytogether. Back then, the love between Vivian and her husband had also gone through some twists and turns, otherwise, how could their love remain until they were old and grey? How would they go through all the changes together?

    Meroy looked at Vivian¡¯s increasingly dignified face with some anxiety and knew what she was worrying about.However, she heard a terrible rumorthat day. After thinking about it, she whispered, ¡°Old Madam, I heard that Aria is pregnant.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Grandma Richards was shocked! She immediately asked, ¡°Is this true?¡±

    Meroy said incredulously, ¡°Old Madam, I heard it from the servants in Richards Manor. As for whether it is true or not, it is still uncertain.However, now everyone in Richards Manor knows that she is pregnant with Young Master¡¯s child now.Madam Marissa is forcing Young Master to marry Aria every day,¡± Meroy said everything she heard.

    Grandma Richardspletelyfellsilent this time. She sat there for a long time without saying anything.

    The wrinkles on her face that had experienced years of vicissitudes were filled with deep wisdom. Her eyebrows raised, and she asked quietly, ¡°So, Aria is pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child now?¡±

    ¡°Well, Old Madam, it is probably true.It¡¯s just that only Young Master himself knows the truth now,¡± Meroy answered carefully.

    Grandma Richards started pondering. Meroy couldn¡¯t guess what she was thinking. She knew that Old Madam was not stupid and that she must be thinking of some big ideas now. This kind of thing,no one else would know the truthexcept Young Master himself.

    After a while, Grandma Richards lowered her head and seemed to be asleep.

    Meroy was a bit confused. She looked at the problem from her perspective, if Aria was really pregnant with Young Master¡¯s child, it should be a happy thing. In such a rich family, the man could marry the woman as long as the woman is willing. They could go to any country to register their marriage. There was nothing wrong with it. Although Grandma Richards liked Jenna, she won¡¯t dislike her own grandson, right? Wasn¡¯t she eager to have a great-grandson? In fact, there were not many descendants of the Richards Family.

    It was also Grandma Richards who allowed Aria to live in Richards Manor. At that time, everyone was guessing that Grandma Richards wanted to take this opportunity to get Hansen to marry two women.

    However, Vivian¡¯s expression was unfathomable. The others could not even guess what she was thinking about at that moment.

 Chapter 169 Do You Have the Right to Live in Francist Community?

    Meroy went and took a nket for Vivian. When Meroy thought she was asleep, Meroy heard her say, ¡°Meroy, if Jenna returns to Richards Manor, ask her toe and find me immediately.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Meroy hurriedly agreed. Then she asked cautiously, ¡°Old Madam, do you want Hansen toe over and rify things?¡±

    Grandma Richards shook her head and said with a sigh, ¡°No, he wille and find me soon.¡±

    She spoke with confidence. Although Meroy was surprised, she didn¡¯t speak anymore. Of course, she knew that there were some things she couldn¡¯t push when asking.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Grandma Richards yawned after saying this, and she really fell asleep.

    Meroy covered her with the nket and gently stepped aside.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, be careful. There is a branch here,¡± Minnie was walking with Aria under the sun in therge garden of Richards Manor. Aria¡¯s face was full of affection and filled with joy. Minnie kept ttering Aria so that she was always happy.

    Aria, who was wearing a pair of warm and delicate cotton shoes, lifted her feet gently andwalked along the path where Minnie led. Minnie had kicked away all the branches for her. Aria stroked her belly with one hand. Soon, a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, that b*tch hasn¡¯t returned to Richards Manorfor a few days already. Perhaps she is scared as she heard that you are pregnant and knows that she can¡¯t fight with youso she doesn¡¯t have the face to return toRichards Manoranymore,¡± Minnie carefully supported Aria with one hand and spoke with contempt. She was happy that she finally saw that sl*t get her karma.

    Aria was now pregnant. Marissa also promised her already, so what else could Jenna do?Maybe Jenna couldn¡¯t even seed if she just wanted to be Hansen¡¯s lover. How could Aria agree to it? Thinking of this, Minnie showed an evil smile.

    ¡°It was like biting off more than one can chew if she wanted to fight with me. I heard that Hansen sent her away. As long as I am still staying in Richards Manor, I won¡¯t let her seed. Let me tell you, behave yourself. For the time being, don¡¯t go to the set anymore. Just stay with me inRichards Manorand take care of me now. I¡¯ll pay you double the sry. Don¡¯t worry about money.What the Richards Family has is money. If you do a great job, I won¡¯t forget your contribution when I be the Young Madam of the Richards family,¡± Aria sneered and said proudly.

    Hearing these words, Minnie was ted. Her eyes lit up, and she hurriedly lowered her voice and said, ¡°Ms. McAdams, I heard that the Richards family has a set of jewels, called Ocean Heart. They are huge deep-blue diamonds. It is a rare treasure and limited in the world. It once appeared in a movie. I know Grandma Richards has one. It is said to have been passed to the Young Madam of the family. Ms. McAdams, after you marry Mr. Richards, the jewelry will be yours. When that b*tch married Mr. Richardsst time, Grandma Richards didn¡¯t give it to her. From that, we can know that Grandma Richards might not really like her either. If you are pregnant with her great-grandson, she must leave it to you. From then on, you will be the Young Madam of the Richards family. She must give it to you, otherwise, who else would she give it to?¡±

    Minnie spoke with certainty.

    ¡°Great, it seems like you still have some knowledge. It seems that it was correct for me to hire you,¡± Aria said when she gave her a triumphant smile, while caressing her belly with her hand. She murmured, ¡°My baby, you must be strong and fight for me. To take care of you, I don¡¯t even care about my career now. If it wasn¡¯t for fighting with that d*mned woman, how would I possibly get pregnant so quickly now while I still have a good figure?¡±

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, you have a medical examination tomorrow. Should I inform Mr. Richards to apany you to the hospital?¡± Minnie remembered that Aria had to go to the hospital for a medical examination the next day, and asked kindly.

    When Aria heard this, her face darkened. Hansen hadn¡¯t returned for several days. Since she heard that he had sent the b*tch away, he never returned toRichards Manor anymoreand he kept ignoring her too. He either didn¡¯t answer her calls, or he would just reply to her calls perfunctorilyand hang up in a hurry. The more she thought about it, the more she felt aggrieved.Then, she turned and walked toward Green Jade Garden.

    As soon as she approached Green Jade Garden, she saw that an electric car was approaching. Aria saw Hansen sitting in the car at a nce. She was overjoyed and her eyes lit up. Shehurriedly ran towards the electric car.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, be careful,¡± Minnie hurriedly followed up to support her, and deliberately said loudly. ¡°Now that you are pregnant, you can¡¯t run like this. If you identally hurt yourself, Mr. Richards will worry about you,¡±

    As soon as the electric car stopped, Hansen jumped out of the car, but as he heard Minnie¡¯s words, his eyebrows were slightly furrowed.

    ¡°Hansen, Hansen, you are finally back,¡± Aria said. She stepped forward and rushed towards Hansen, and hugged him tightly as soon as she fell into his arms.

    ¡°Hansen, I finally meet you. It¡¯s great. You have to apany me to hospital for an examination tomorrow,¡± Aria said aggrievedly in his arms.

    Hansen had just jumped out of the car and before he could stand still, Aria had rushed over and fell into his arms like a hungry wolf. His heart throbbed and a trace of disgust shed across his face for no apparent reason. For some reason, he wanted to hide away as soon as he saw Aria; he didn¡¯t even want to talk to her. If Marissa didn¡¯t urge him, he would not possibly havee back at that moment.

    ¡°Aria, please take care of your image. This isRichards Manor, and there are many servants around,¡± Hansen shook her hand off and said coldly.

    ¡°No, Hansen, we are about to get married. What are you afraid of? I miss you so much. Since that night, it has been so long. Why didn¡¯t youe to see me? I¡¯m so sad,¡± Aria said in his arms, aggrieved with dissatisfaction.

    That night, he was so strong and so passionate that he made her faint several times. She didn¡¯t believe that he did not love her. That night, she remembered clearly that he was so strong, and if he really didn¡¯t love her, how could he behave like that. Men always liked to pretend, and she could understand that he wanted to care about his own image sincehe was the young master of the Richards family.

    Hearing her mention that night, Hansen was annoyed and embarrassment filled his face. Minnie was standing beside them and secretly smiling.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Ms. McAdams has prepared a lot of good green tea for you,¡± Minnie thought Hansen loved to drink green teaso she tried to help Aria and said.

    Only then did Hansen notice that Minnie was standing next to her, and he was shocked. How did she get into Richards Manor?

    He nced at her sharply and asked in a cold voice, ¡°How did you get into Richards Manor?¡±

    When Minnie heard Hansen¡¯s harsh and indifferent words, she was too scared to speak. She stood there in a trance, only looking at Aria who was thrown into Hansen¡¯s arms with a stunned expression.

    ¡°Hansen, she is my agent. Now that I am pregnant, she will follow me to take care of me,¡± Aria heard Hansen¡¯s dissatisfied voice and hurriedly answered for her.

    Agent? Hansen¡¯s furrowed brows deepened. He heard that Aria had simply hired an agent who didn¡¯t understand anythingand who was arrogant. Her agent offended many advertising agencies and often kept telling the media everything. It caused the crew on the set a lot of problems. He was wondering who it wasand it turned out to be Minnie. No wonder, she always messed up everything.

    Of course it wouldn¡¯t be much better for such a woman to stay by his side, but now he just wanted to send Aria away, so if she liked Minnie, then she could keep her. Anyway, he was ready to leave her as long as she was popr.

    Thinking of this, he felt toozy to make anyments.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Ms. McAdams is thinking about you every day and night. When you are away, she hopes that you woulde back. Ms. McAdams really loves you very much.¡± Minnie saw that Hansen did not speak and thought that he had epted the fact that Aria will soon be his wife. Hence, she was overjoyed in her heart and started saying something tteringly.

    ¡°Really?¡± Hansen said without a smile, ¡°You are quite good at talking. It seems that I have to thank you for your reminder.¡±

    When Minnie heard this, her eyes were full of stars, and her smile became brighter.

    ¡°Aria, stand still,¡± Hansen¡¯s voice suddenly became cold, and a cold light shed in his eyes. Then, he pushed her away.

    Aria was pushed away by him. She looked up and saw his face full of displeasure. Knowing that he was very mad now, she did not dare to mess with him anymore, and just stood aside quietly.

    ¡°Minnie, let me ask you, how did your family get to live in Francist Community? That is Javon¡¯s property, which should belong to Jenna. How can you live in it?¡± Hansen walked over and dragged Minnie to a corner and asked. He questioned her with a gloomy face and the light in his eyes was as cold as ice.

    Minnie was pushed by him and she lost her bnce. Finally, she stood firm by supporting herself with a tree trunk, but she was still dumbfounded and stunned at his question.

    The light in Hansen¡¯s eyes was very cold. He fixed his gaze on her, and the cold air immediately filled the atmosphere.

    The thing she feared the most had finally arrived. She thought Hansen wouldn¡¯t bother about it anymore. She didn¡¯t expect that even though Jenna was not by his side, he directly questioned her. At that moment, her face was embarrassed and nervous. She then anxiously exined, ¡°Mr. Richards, this is the ancestral system of our Murphy family. Since my uncle is dead, his wealth can only be inherited by the Murphy family¡¯s sons and grandsons, while the granddaughters can¡¯t get anything, including me. ¡±

    Why did this sound so harsh?

    Hansen frowned further, smiled, and said coldly, ¡°Is there such an ancestral system in this world? This is the first time I have heard of it. Besides, there is a stiption in thew that stated that Javon¡¯s legacy can only be given to his spouse and his daughter. Who are you and how can you inherit his inheritance? You are so shameless.¡±

    When Minnie heard it, her face turned pale and she hesitated. She couldn¡¯t tell him the reason, but she was not satisfied so she smiled and said tteringly, ¡°Mr. Richards, this is our family affair andour ancestral system. Mr. Richards, you should take Ms. McAdams into the house already. She has been out for a while.¡±

    Hansen pursed his lips slightly, raised his eyebrows, and a chill appeared in his eyes.

 Chapter 170 I Will Not Marry Her

    ¡°Family affairs? Whether it is a family affair or your private affair, I have more right to speak than you do. Don¡¯t forget, Javon is my father-inw, so who are you guys to him?¡± When it came to this, Hansen took a step forward and held out two fingers to lift her chin. He smiled coldly, stared at her and said sharply, ¡°You are robbing and stealing other people¡¯s property. I can¡¯t bear this kind of thing. Also, Jenna is my woman. I will be so ashamed if it is known by others that you bullied my woman.¡±

    Minnie¡¯s face was lifted by his powerful fingers and she couldn¡¯t move. She could only open her eyes wide and look at him in horror.

    ¡°Listen, get out of Francist Community immediately within a week, and return all the legacy to Jenna. Otherwise, in a week, I will ask someone to throw you out of the house directly and the restaurant you opened on Deswin Road will also be closed immediately. Of course, if you don¡¯t want me to do this, then be obedient and return all the properties and assets of Javon¡¯s to Sara and Jenna, and I will pretend that none of this has happened,¡± Hansen shouted sternly.

    This was the first time Hansen had seen such a ruthless and unrighteous family. He thought himself to be a crooked person too, but he was much bettepared to Minnie¡¯s family.

    Since Javon¡¯s tragic death in the car ident, Sara was seriously injured and even had to stay in the hospital for a long time. No one in that family had ever visited them, even after the kidney transnt surgery. It was said that Javon had helped them a lot when he was still alive and took care of them in every aspect. What Hansen didn¡¯t expect was that only a few days after his death, they all rushed to rob all of his properties away.

    They were the most evil and wicked people Hansen had ever seen in his life.

    He always disdained and hated that kind of person. Hansen already had enough reason to hate Minnie since she was hired by Aria, but he didn¡¯t expect Aria to bring such a woman into Richards Manor.

    But now he had to endure it.

    He had no choice, because he had done something he shouldn¡¯t have that night.

    However, he must get justice for Jenna, and especially get it back for her quietly without her knowing. He didn¡¯t know it before, but now, he knew that it was different.

    Such severe threats by Hansen had scared Minnie until her face turned paleand her whole body was frozen. Mr. Richards, who was standing in front of her now, had a stern expression, and the light in his eyes shot at her like a sharp sword, as if he was about to shoot through her.

    Moving out of Francist Community meant that their family would have to live in the dark and small slum again. How was she to bear it?

    Why did he want to do this? They were obviously divorced, so Jenna and her mother could just live in a small apartment. Their family was the one in need of living in a big house. Why did Hansen want to care about this matter? She really couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    Minnie wanted to stand up and beg him, but Hansen had already gone far away.

    She stood there in a trance as if she had lost her soul.

    Aria had already left her behind so she followed Hansen in.

    Marissa was nervously pacing back and forth in the study room. She was finally relieved when Hansen strode in.

    ¡°Hansen, you are finally back,¡± Marissa said as soon as she saw Hansene in. She closed the door tightly then whispered, ¡°How is your father? I went to the hospital today to see him but I was stopped by a nurse. She said that he is doing a special treatment and he can¡¯t see outsiders this month. What is going on?¡±

    Hansen sighed and said casually, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s nothing. I have called a doctor from abroad and he is treating Dad¡¯s illness. You can stop going to the hospital for now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is it?¡± Marissa breathed a sigh of relief, and asked hopefully. ¡°Can the doctor cure his illness? Can your dad stand up again?¡±

    Hansen was unwilling to tell anyone, including Marissa, that Jenna had apanied Trevor to go abroad for an operation. Therefore, he did not tell her about it. If Jenna said that what happened three years ago was not rted to her, then the people in Richards Manor with bad motives would try to do something, so he must guard against it.

    He was not trying to hide it from Marissa, but she would definitely have a big reaction, which was easy to be noticed and used by others.

    ¡°Mom, if it is treated properly, there is still hope that it will be cured. Dad may also stand up again, but all of this is still uncertain. After all, the treatment of this disease has been dyed for too long. Mom, don¡¯t worry. Believe me, he is my most beloved father, and I will definitely try my best,¡± Hansenforted her and hugged her.

    A satisfied smile appeared on Marissa¡¯s face, but she quickly became tense again.

    ¡°Hansen, what is your n about Aria?¡± She asked. She was nervous and uneasy.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Hansen replied as if it was no big deal, then walked toward the desk, picked up a book, and read it.

    ¡°Hansen, stop pretending to not know what I¡¯m saying. This is not a small matter. It is not a trifling matter,¡± Marissa saw Hansen¡¯s unconcerned attitude and she was worried, so she spoke hurriedly and solemnly.

    ¡°Mom, you know that this is not a trifling matterso I can¡¯t be sloppy either,¡± Hansen answered while reading the book seriously, but there was a helpless expression on his face.

    ¡°Hansen, you know what I mean. Aria is pregnant now. The McAdams family won¡¯t let us go unless you marry her,¡± Marissa was so anxious that she grabbed the book in her hand and said again very seriously.

    ¡°Mom, no matter what, I will not marry her. If you want to ask for my decision, I have already made it clear. Now I will tell you again: I don¡¯t want to marry her, and I won¡¯t marry her. She is not suitable for me,¡± Hansen said every wordrighteously.

    Marissa was shocked when she heard it. She took a step back, and her face turned pale. After a long time, she trembled and said, ¡°Hansen, what I don¡¯t understand is why your attitude changed so fast. You had promised to marry her before, Hansen. This is not a game where you can marry and leavesomeone as you please.You are now a grown man. You have to take responsibility. You used to hate Jenna so much, but now you¡¯re determined to marry her again. This is so unreasonable.¡±

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m the only person in the world who knows who is suitable for myself. As you said, I am an adult and I know what is right, what is wrong, what to do, and what not to do,¡± Hansen said impatiently. Obviously, he was not willing to answer any more of her questions.

    ¡°But, Hansen,¡± Marissa¡¯s voice became solemn as she continued. ¡°Do you know that Georgia came over and told me that Earl is angry now? If you can¡¯t tell them the date you want to marry Aria as soon as possible, then you will bear your own consequences. Hansen, we can¡¯t provoke the McAdams family. Earl is a person who likes to schemeso I¡¯m afraid he will take revenge on Richards Group and you.¡±

    Marissa burst into tears when she talked about this. If Earl wanted to make things worse, he could let Richards Group fall into pieces in the blink of an eye. After all, Richards Group was based in A city and theirpany was not yet globalized. If he offended such influential people now, it was tantamount to digging his own grave. Marissa had a lot of when working hard with Trevor, so how could she not know the pros and cons of this?

    Hansen smiled contemptuously and said coldly, ¡°No matter what, he can¡¯t break thew. He is a dignified government official. Everyone in this city is watching his every move. I wonder what he can do to me. I don¡¯t believe that he can really damage ourpany.¡±

    After Marissa heard what he said, her vision turned ck, and she almost fainted. She supported herself with the chair beside her, exhaled a long breath, and said painfully, ¡°Hansen, you are really too naive and you don¡¯t know the dangers of the world. How can politicians like them break thew to take revenge on you? They all y insidious tricks and might kill you before you even notice it. Even if you know that he is the one who brought you down, you still can¡¯t find any evidence to prove it and you can only endure all the pain yourself. These kinds of people cannot be provoked. We can only try our best to coax them if we provoked them.¡±

    Marissa patiently exined to Hansen. Georgia¡¯s face was getting gloomier day by day, and her tone was getting more and more impatient. It seemed like she wouldn¡¯t give up until she achieved her goal.

    Marissa was frightened by Georgia every day. Marissa couldn¡¯t do anything but smile andfort her, but Hansen apparently didn¡¯t know the danger at all. He even said he wouldn¡¯t marry Aria no matter what. What should Marissa do now?

    ¡°Hansen, we have to think about the others too. They only have one daughter. Now she is pregnant, and you are still unwilling to admit it. Anyone who experienced it will do exactly the same,right?¡± Marissa still earnestly persuaded her son. Marissa had only one son, and that was Hansen. She loved her son just as much asGeorgia loved her daughter.

    Hansen¡¯s face was gloomy and it darkened. After thinking for a while, he said, ¡°Mom, leave it to me. I know what to do. You can stop worrying about it.¡±

    Seeing that her son was finally showing signs of making a concession, Marissa breathed a sigh of relief, and looked at his gloomy face. She softly reminded him, ¡°Hansen, the marriages between the rich families are all based on the benefits for both families. This is not a big deal. Doesn¡¯t she just want a title? Give it to her if she wants it. She wants to marry you and is desperately fighting for it.We can do nothing about it. In addition, you made a mistake too. So admit that you were wrong if you have really done something wrong, and take responsibility. If you really like Jenna and are reluctant to let her go, you can let her stay here. You are a man, so I believe you understand what I mean. You don¡¯t need to be bothered by these things.¡±

    Seeing that her son was so haggard, Marissa felt distressed. In her eyes, these things were not important at all. The McAdams family was rich and powerful, and they only had one daughter. Marrying their daughter was not necessarily a bad thing. She heard that although Earl was a government official and might seem honest yet upright, he had countless assets and properties under his name. This was a good thing for their marriage, but why was her son unwilling to do so?

    The so-called love did not exist for the rich. If a married man cheated on his wife, they would not treat it seriously. If his ¡®girlfriend¡¯ was willing to stay, she could too. Or else, why were there concubines in the rich families of A city? In real marriages, whoever was rich and powerful would always have a few women outside. Everyone knew it well. Their family members would also pretend not to know about it, and they would not interfere. Only Hansen was still so stubborn over this marriage.

    Thinking of this, she sighed and said, ¡°Hansen, if you are worried that Jenna will have concerns, I can help you convince her.¡±

    Hansen almostughed out loud when he heard this. Now he finally understood why Marissa disliked Jenna. This was really impossible anyway. After all, they were not women of the same level. How could they stay happily under the same roof?

    Marissa couldn¡¯t understand Jenna, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t understand.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 171 I Want to See Your Face

    ¡°Mom, is status not important to you as a woman? A status is a promise of a man to his beloved woman, and it is also the foundation of a rtionship. If a man can¡¯t even give his woman a status, then what else can he give? You take it for granted, but can you do it yourself? Why should Jenna listen to you? Besides, are you treating her well enough? Do you have the right to ask her?¡± Hansen sneered and continued, ¡°Is it because Javon Murphy¡¯s status is not high enough? Or because her family is now in a state of declination, and not as rich as Aria¡¯s family? Mom, if Jenna chooses to marry me andstays with me for the rest of my life, then I will feel ashamed if I persuade her to be a concubine. You know what? Aria is definitely notparable to Jenna. I would rather lose everything than lose Jenna. I can now finally understand grandma¡¯s dilemma.¡±

    Hansen felt sorry over the way Marissa thought. After saying these words, Hansen strode outside.

    ¡°Hansen, Hansen!¡± Aria was sitting on the sofa waiting for Hansen. Seeing hime down, she couldn¡¯t help but yell at him, but Hansen didn¡¯t even look at her and he walked out right away.

    Aria stood nkly with tears of grievance in her eyes. Ever since she learned that she was pregnant and she refused to get rid of the baby, Hansen was extremely cold towards her;he didn¡¯t even want to look at her or even take a nce.

    ¡°Do you know that Richards Group spent 800 million to build your career?Just when you¡¯re at the peak of your career, you get pregnant and almost ruin my efforts. If this continues, your career will be ruined. It is best for a woman to have her own career, so why don¡¯t you understand my efforts?¡±

    ¡°I only think of you as my sister, and I have never thought about marrying you. If so, it was only because I still had not distinguished my feelings and was confused at the time. I apologize for this and wish topensate you. In order to allow you to own your own career, I didn¡¯t hesitate to spend a lot of money. Consider this mypensation to you.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s words that night flooded into her mind like a tide. He had never loved her. He was so straightforward that Aria¡¯s heart was broken!

    No, that was not the case at all!

    Aria had been with him for three years. Why did Hansen only think of her as a sister? It was obviously not the case.

    Aria sat down in a discouraged manner, and clenched the clothes over her chest tightly.

    In thergest hospital in Los Angeles.

    Jenna stood in front of Trevor¡¯s bed with a haggard face, staring at him motionlessly.

    The man who used to take over the world ofmerce was lifeless; his face was as pale as paper. His eyes were closed, as if he didn¡¯t care about anything.

    The operation sessfully removed the brain tumor, but whether he could restore consciousness depending on the follow-up treatment. Jenna had basically let go of everything these days, guarding him wholeheartedly, and observing him carefully. She was confident that he would be cured.

    Hansen was now working hard in A City and had to help her investigate her father¡¯s case. She could only make him feel at ease by backing him up.

    A faint smile appeared on her face. In order to take care of Trevor, she didn¡¯t even hire a caregiver. She did everything herself. After all, Trevor had just finished the operation and she wasn¡¯t assured by the local nurses.

    That night, whileguarding Trevor¡¯s ward, she turned on theputer.

    Richards Group recently established Richards Group Holdings, which was in urgent need of overseas expansion. Increasing overseas investmentswas Hansen¡¯s second move after the luxury cars.

    There was no doubt that the currency had been depreciating recently. From some aspects, making these investments at the time was ideal.

    However, Jenna did not expect Hansen to be so anxious to get overseas investment, and assigned to her nearly 60% of the Richards Group¡¯s funds when she went overseas; itmade her a little puzzled.

    Although many products of the Richards Group¡¯s industry had begun to be globalized, the momentum was still developing and the market had not fully opened up yet.

    While Whalen Group dominated almost half of the overseas regions, the Richards Group could be said to have no advantages overseas.

    Jenna knew that it was impossible for sessful businessmen to focus on only one region. If they wanted to develop, they had to broaden their horizons and look globally.

    However, the current local situation was very good, and local investment was also very good. If they went for overseas investments in such a rush, would it be a good thing? Jenna could not tell but she felt a little bit worried. She did not know what it was, but a bad feeling would pop up from time to time.

    The phone rang.

    Jenna picked up the phone and saw Hansen¡¯s handsome face. He had a slight smile floating at the corner of his mouth. It was really fascinating.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Jenna swiped the screen, answered the call, and smiled faintly.

    ¡°Jenna, miss me?¡± Hansen followed his usual nonchnt attitude and went straight to the subject.

    Jenna¡¯s face blushed slightly. ¡°Can¡¯t you think of something else?¡±

    She deliberately turned her head to one side, and as expected, Hansen eximed, dissatisfied, ¡°Hey, I want to see your face.¡±

    ¡°But-I-Don¡¯t-Want-To,¡± Jenna simply turned the phone around, dragged her words, and directly opposed.

    ¡°D*mn you little fairy, I dare you.¡± Hansen gritted his teeth anxiously, just wanting to see her magical smile. But instead, she showed him a dark shadow.

    This woman had grown too bold!

    Hansen said bitterly, ¡°If you don¡¯t obey, don¡¯t me me for what I will do when Ie over.¡±

    Jenna giggled. Who was afraid of whom?

    Every night, Hansen would call on time, not only to inquire about Trevor¡¯s condition, but to chat with her. However, to Jenna, it was more appropriate to call it flirting than chatting. This guy just kept talking about missing and loving her. Jenna really wondered whether he had worked hard for so many days, and whether he was investigating her dad¡¯s case seriously.

    ¡°Jenna, show me your face so that I can see if you have gained weight,¡± Hansen started begging her. He had been talking for almost half an hour, but he still didn¡¯t see her face, and he was already itching. Hansen was impatient. He liked watching her smile the most, but this woman didn¡¯t let him.

    ¡°If you want to see me, hurry up and finish the business. I will show you enough.¡± In order to encourage Hansen to quickly investigate her father¡¯s case, Jenna used a trick.

    This woman. Hansen gritted his teeth with anger. Did she really think that Hansen dared note over?

    Coming to her would only take a few hours.

    But he resisted it!

    Jenna showed her face from time to time to make a grimace at him, and then ignored him again.

    Hansen stared at the ck mobile phone screen.

    Suddenly, there was a sh of light in front of him, and Jenna poked her head over. The light in her eyes was bright and her face was full of excitement.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m telling you good news. Today, I saw your dad¡¯s finger move again.¡± Jenna suddenly remembered this happy thing for Hansen. She forgot everything else and poked her head in. In front of the camera, she said excitedly, ¡°The doctor said that this is a good sign of improvement.¡±

    She wanted to see Hansen¡¯s surprised expression.

    Sure enough, Hansen smiled heartily.

    ¡°Thank you, Dear.¡± His voice was very soft and light, like cotton. He just swept away his arrogance, leaving only unparalleled softness. His smile was light, sweet, sensual, and charming.

    When Jenna heard his wonderful voice, her heart would feel like it was flying. Her head would be dizzy, and her chest would be filled with happiness and sweetness.

    She hoped that Trevor would get better soon, so that she could return home quickly and see Hansen.

    ¡°Hansen, the local investment is very good now. Why is Richards Group Holdings so anxious toe overseas? You must know that the overseas investment climate at this time is not as good as the local one. Have you considered it properly?¡± Jenna thought about the business again.

    Hansen was not in a hurry to answer, but he spoke without expression.

    ¡°Jenna, the more the market is down, the more we should take this opportunity toy out the n. If we initiate when it¡¯s already at its peak, it will be difficult to make money. Don¡¯t you agree? My dear.¡± Hansen winked at her, flirtatious and obnoxious.

    Okay, Jenna rolled her eyes, indicating that she had nothing to say, and she was convinced.

    ¡°Jenna, Green Mountain Automobile City has already delivered some orders and received good reviews from customers. I really want to thank you for inviting Jersey over.¡± Hansen saw that Jenna was a little embarrassed, so he stopped joking and praised her.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jenna smiled openly. Her eyebrows were arched,her bright eyes were vivid and charming, and Hansen¡¯s heart was full. He only hated that they were separated by the distance, otherwise he would have his arms around her.It had been a long time since they spent time together. Thinking about it like this, he felt a sense of misery in his heart.

    ¡°Hansen, here, Sonny Wilson also reported good news, saying that the luxury cars have been produced by more than half, and the customer was satisfied. The orders are rolling in from various physical stores.¡± With Hansen¡¯s praise, Jenna was happier, and she was really pleased. After all, the car was her design, and she was happy to see such sess.

    ¡°So, you are my benefactor. Then I will reward you well.¡± Hansen winked in the phone. Jenna pursed her lips and chuckled.

    ¡°Well, Jenna, sleep earlier. Don¡¯t tire yourself. I will start to get busy too.¡± Hansen said as he walked. It was night time on Jenna¡¯s end.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jenna was also a little sleepy, and she yawned. The two said goodnight to each other.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen put away his phone and walked toward Ink Garden.

    That day, Hansen must meet his Grandma. Now he understood the painstaking efforts of his Grandma. He loved Jenna. From the beginning, he wanted to marry her and get the support of Grandma.

    But when Ink Garden appeared before him, he hesitated.

    Given the current situation, could he still face his Grandma? He was in trouble.

 Chapter 172 What Else Do You Want to Say?

    Irritable,Hansen was pacing back and forth in the garden below Ink Garden. Deep down in his heart, he really wanted to enter the house; but he could not muster up the courage to do so yet.

    In the current situation, Hansen must get Vivian¡¯s support no matter what. Vivian had always liked Jenna so much; she would definitely support him.

    As long as Vivian insisted on her way, then Hansen would have the courage and excuse to reject Aria.

    Well then, it depended on whether he could put aside his ego to ask Vivian for a favor.

    Back then,Hansen repeatedly stressed that he hated Jenna, that he didn¡¯t like herand insisted on a divorce. But now, he had to beg Vivian to say that she liked Jenna. Hansen would marry no one other than Jenna. Yet, after all, he was a man. It was going to make him look bad if he kept going back on his word. Oh, how frustrating!

    Hansencontinued topace up and down in exasperation. Christopher had reminded him to ask Vivian for help whenever he encountered a very serious problem. Now that he had indeed encountered a very serious problem, he needed toe and seek Vivan¡¯s help. However, even since the day Vivan arranged his marriage, he had be estranged from her. At the thought of this, Hansen could not help but feel guilty and anxious.

    Hansen continued towalk around the garden. He was embarrassed to go in the house, but he didn¡¯t want to go back empty-handed.

    ¡°Old Madam, Young Master Hansen has been downstairs for a long time. Would you like to invite him in?¡± Meroy had noticed Hansen pacing back and forth downstairsfor quite some time.She knew that Hansen was prideful and was embarrassed to enter the house. Worried that Vivian¡¯s darling grandson would be left out in the cold, Meroy decided to inform Vivian about it immediately.

    However, Vivian didn¡¯t feel perturbed when she heard it.

    Instead, she spoke expressionlessly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. Leave him alone. He has to take care of the troubles he made himself. We are well-known, wealthy people. We don¡¯t condone our members to do such shameful things.¡±

    Meroy immediately zipped her lips.

    Hansen took out his cigarette and took a few puffs before he finally made up his mind and walked upstairs.

    ¡°Meroy, is Grandma asleep?¡± asked Hansen softly. As soon as he walked to Vivian¡¯s bedroom, he saw Meroy watering the flowers on the steps. He remembered that Meroy used to spend her free time whenever Vivian was asleep to water the flowers that Vivan liked.

    ¡°Young Master Hansen, you¡¯re here.¡± Meroy raised her head and nced at Hansen, smiling cordially. ¡°Come in and sit down. It¡¯s cold outside.¡±

    Hansen grinned as Meroy brought him to the guest room. Meroy brewed some good tea for him andtook out some delicious treats. They then had a brief chat; yet throughout the conversation, she never mentioned anything about Vivian. Hansen, at that moment, was clueless on what to do next.

    ¡°Young Master Hansen, try this, the gooseberry that I pickled myself. It is from the century-old tree in Ink Garden. It is good for the lungs. Believe it or not, it does wonders.¡± Meroy picked one with a toothpick and handed it to Hansen.

    Hansen wasn¡¯t in the mood to eat, but Meroy had already handed the gooseberry to him. Hence, he had no choice but to thank her and receive it. He took a bite of it before his expression changed at once.

    What kind of fruit was this? It wasso astringent and bitter! It couldn¡¯t even be swallowed!

    Despite this, Hansen steeled himself to swallow it. He did not spit it out, lest he hurt Meroy¡¯s feelings.

    ¡°Young Master Hansen, don¡¯t despise it because it doesn¡¯t taste good. You will change your mind after a few more bites.¡± Meroy saw his expression. She pursed her lips and added hurriedly, ¡°This is not avable on the market. This tree was specially brought over from India by Madam Vivian. It is a very precious tree. Most people don¡¯t like it at first, but they will love itter.¡±

    Sure enough, after a while, as if Hansen¡¯s mouth was honeyed with sweetness, he felt a refreshing sensation extending down to his throat and then to his stomach. Hansen only then realized the sweetness of the fruit. He couldn¡¯t help but smile and praise it.

    Hansen could not wait any longer. He cleared his throat and spoke, ¡°Meroy, Grandma¡­¡±

    ¡°Young Master Hansen, please wait for a while.¡± Meroy walked to the bedroom. After a while, she walked out and whispered. ¡°Young Master Hansen, Madam Vivian had just woken up. It¡¯s time for her to read the newspaper. I have told her about your arrival. She told you to wait here first. You know, Madam Vivian has to read the newspaper at this time every day. Young Master Hansen, please stay here to wait for Madam Vivian if you have nothing to do. If there is something urgent, you might as well leave first ande back again when you are done.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Hansen smiled and replied, ¡°Meroy,I¡¯ll wait. I am not in a rush anyway.¡±T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Sure, then you can stay here and have some tea and snacks. I will call you as soon as she is done,¡± promised Meroy since Hansen had agreed to wait for Vivan. With that, Meroy took the newspaper and quietly walked into Vivan¡¯s room.

    Hansen was bored; he flung himself onto the sofa as he took anothertwo pieces of pickled gooseberry. Later, Hansen discovered thatthe gooseberry didn¡¯t taste as astringent anymore; instead, it tasted sweet. He actually started loving it.

    Before he knew it, he had waited for two hours.

    Just when he was getting impatient, he saw Meroye out with a smile and said to him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Young Master Hansen, for making you wait for such a long time. Madam Vivian is in a good mood today, hence she requests me to read more for her. You may now enter the room.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. No worries.¡± Although Hansen felt miserable, he had to conceal his actual feelings. He walked in and wondered since when he had to wait so patiently for other people. However,this was his grandmother and she had to be respected.

    It was winter. Vivian was afraid of the cold so the floor was covered with woolen carpets. Hansen took off his shoes and walked in lightly.

    ¡°Grandma.¡± Vivian was lying on the recliner chair and was covered with a thick cashmere nket. Her face was ruddy, and she was in good spirits. Hearing Hansen¡¯s voice, a loving smile spread across her face.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re here to see me.¡± She smiled kindly.

    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ve been a bit busytely so I couldn¡¯t visit you often. Please forgive me.¡± Hansen squatted down in front of Vivian, smiling, to cover up his embarrassment.

    In recent years, the rtionship between him and his grandmother had not been as close as in previous years. He felt ashamed to even think about the reason.

    ¡°You¡¯re so talented, so naturally you¡¯re busy. I will be happy if you can think about me often in your free time,¡± Vivian said lovingly, still smiling.

    Hansen was even more ashamed, his smile tinged with a hint of awkwardness.

    ¡°Hansen,is there anything I can help with?¡± Vivian asked with concern.

    Hansen raised his head and looked into his grandmother¡¯s concerned eyes. For a moment, time seemed to have stopped moving. He felt like he had returned to his childhood. No matter what he did wrong, Vivian would alwaysfort him with a beam, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I trust him. He¡¯s my grandson.¡±

    Vivian had given him so much confidence in the past; he was forever grateful to his grandmother.

    But had he done something wrong now?

    Why did he feel the same as when he was young?

    ¡°Grandma, I just want toe and see you.¡± Hansen didn¡¯t know where to start. He was stuttering as he said,¡°Grandma, Dad¡¯s illness may get better. Jenna has arranged for him to undergo surgery overseas.¡±

    When he mentioned Jenna, Hansen finally had a genuine smile on his face. He was d that he was able to find a topic to talk about.

    Vivian nodded happily. She stared at him and asked, ¡°Hansen, did you let Jenna take care of your father¡¯s surgery?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Grandma.¡± Hansen smiled gently.

    ¡°Do you believe her now? I remember that you hated her very much. You even held a grudge against me because of this.¡± Vivian was being straightforward. His ego was the least of her concern now.

    That question made Hansen ashamed. His face flushed, and he did not dare to face his grandmother¡¯s kind and sharp eyes.

    ¡°Grandma, I was really ignorant at the time and didn¡¯t see the truth clearly. Please forgive me,¡± Hansen lowered his head and said, embarrassed.

    Vivian remained calm, but the kind smile on her face had vanished. She had an expression that Hansen had never seen before; quiet, calm but also sad.

    She was silent for a long time.

    Hansen felt a little uneasy. He raised his head and saw the pain in his grandmother¡¯s eyes. He was shocked and felt an unprecedented chill.

    ¡°Hansen, do you have anything to say to me?¡± The tone in Vivian¡¯s voice was something Hansen had never heard before; deste, helpless,yet,tinged with a trace of tranquility. It hit right into Hansen¡¯s heart. He looked at her anxiously and herweather-beaten face. He then saidseriously, ¡°Yes, Grandma, I want to make it clear. The person I love is Jenna. Actually, the only person I ever loved is her. I didn¡¯t listen to my heart before, but now I know better. I want to remarry her. It was my fault before. I¡¯ve wronged her and you, Grandma. I am asking you to forgive me. I have made up my mind to marry only her in this life.¡±

    Hansen dered solemnly. He thought that Vivian would be happy, for it wassomething she would be happy about.

    However, he was wrong.

    After listening to his words, Vivian didn¡¯t show any joy on her face. It was even gloomier than it was in the beginning. Her eyes shed and her expression fell once again.

    The air felt suffocating, and Hansen felt that it was difficult to breathe.

    Vivian did not smile andfort him as though he was a little boy. He thought he would hear her say, ¡°Hansen, learn your mistake. I believe in you. You will never make the same mistake again.¡±

    Instead, he heard her reprimanding harshly.

    ¡°Hansen, do you have nothing to say to me except this?¡±

    Hansen was confused. Looking at his grandmother, he shook his head nkly.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m asking you. What are you going to do about Aria?¡± Vivian¡¯s voice rang out loudly, making Hansen quickly recover from the state of nkness.

    ¡°No, Grandma. Aria has nothing to do with me. I have alreadypensated her. She doesn¡¯t know how to cherish our kindness. Besides, you¡¯ve even agreed to let her live in Richards Manor. Three months have passedso she can leave now.¡± He was flustered, his words bing incoherent.

 Chapter 173 Pay for Your Own Mistakes

    ¡°Absurd.¡± Vivian was disappointed.

    ¡°Aria is pregnant, isn¡¯t she?¡± she asked, trembling.

    Hansen¡¯s body froze, the sparkle in his eyes vanished.

    ¡°Hansen, is she carrying your child?¡± Vivian raised her voice again.

    Dumbfounded,Hansen couldn¡¯t say a word.

    ¡°Hansen, is this who you are?¡± Vivian said sternly, ¡°You got her pregnant, and then drove her away. What are you? Is this what the men of the Richards family do? How can you do such an irresponsible thing? If others learn about it, what would they think of us? How can you be trusted in the future? How would you lead the Richards Group and grow thepany?¡±

    Vivian¡¯s repeated questioning threw Hansen into a daze, as if he was struck by lightning. His face turned pale as he tried to stand upright, unable to speak a word.

    ¡°Hansen,you have to be a responsible man. Being a good person is far more important than those petty achievements. Never go against your conscience for you are not such a person. Live the life of the man we raised you up to be, so you can live in peace. If you can¡¯t be an upright and kind-hearted person, then how could you lead others and demand from them?We are a distinguished family; integrity and reputation are very important. You are a descendant of the Richards Family, and you must pay more attention to your words and deeds. You are already an adult, so you must be responsible for your own mistakes. No one has the obligation to deal with your mistakes. If you do it, you take it.¡± Vivian¡¯s voice was cold and hard, without any partiality.

    ¡°No, Grandma, the person I love is Jenna. I have never loved Aria. Never. I can see now that the person I want to marry is Jenna.¡± Hansen realized what Vivian meant and hurriedly emphasized it.

    Didn¡¯t Vivian always value Jenna? How could she change at the moment?

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Vivian said sharply, ¡°If you didn¡¯t love Aria, why did you get her pregnant? Don¡¯t you know anything about responsibility? A man should know what he should and should not do. Don¡¯t you at least have thismon sense?¡±

    Hansen waspletely dumbstruck.

    Originally, he came to seek support from Vivian, but it seemed that he was not going to gain what he was after. Even his Grandma hadpletely changed her opinions about this matter.

    ¡°But, Grandma, Aria¡¯s pregnancy was not my fault.I don¡¯t want it to end like this. It was plotted by that d*mned Norton. Grandma, I never loved Aria. Why would I touch her?¡± Hansen was desperate.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll ask you again now. Is the child Aria carrying now yours? You just need to tell me this now,¡± Vivian asked with a slight trembling in her voice.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Hansen was speechless for a while; he recalled the scene when he woke up at Hilton Hotel that night.

    He could not answer her.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    Vivian understood everything at once.

    Norton had been a troublesome child. In fact, for so many years,she had refused to let Norton¡¯s mother, Maria, enter the Richards family. It was not really because of Maria¡¯s family background, but because of her very own behavior. Vivian had sent men to investigate, and neither Maria nor her family had a good reputation. Hence, Trevor was firmly opposed to this.

    After Norton was born, considering that the outside world might not be a good environment for him to grow up in, he was often taken care of in Richards Manor. Gradually,Vivian discovered that Norton had a strange personality and was always confined in his own world; henever expressed his emotions easily.There were even times when he was filled with the wrath of taking his revenge.Just thinking of his growing environment made Vivian worry.

    Trevor seemed to have noticed it too, but he could only train Norton to go into the field of politics for that suited Norton the most. After all, he was quite a meticulous boy.

    They did not have many choices. Besides,ude had no other children.

    Therefore, Vivian took the lead and brought in Maria, and both her son and daughter, so the children could grow up in a better environment and contribute to society.

    However, she didn¡¯t expect that Norton would end up doing that.

    Now, she really had nothing to say except to be sad.

    As for Hansen, she had always loved him, hence naturally, her expectation for Hansen was higher.

    The reason why Vivian opposed Aria in the past was solely based on her own judgement. She was not optimistic about Aria, but now, the situation was different. Aria was pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child; no matter how reluctant Hansen was, this child belonged to the Richards family. It was their flesh and blood.

    As a man,he must be responsible. Since Aria was pregnant, Hansen must take up the responsibility.

    This was her request for Hansen.

    Obviously, Aria had been with Hansen for more than three years. Now that Aria had his child, who would believe that Hansen said he didn¡¯t love her? If Hansen really didn¡¯t love her, why didn¡¯t he say so earlier? Why did Hansen have to say that he didn¡¯t love her when she was already pregnant?

    Aria was not the sole reason that all these things happened. Hansen was equally responsible.

    Furthermore, who was the person behind Aria? It was Earl.

    How could he let go of Hansen and the Richards Group?

    Even if the Richards Group did not copse, Hansen would still suffer in Earl¡¯s hands.

    Vivian knew them all very well.

    She had to guard the Richards Group and Richards Manor for the rest of her life so that her grandchildren could live a peaceful life. She had no choice.

    ¡°Hansen, everything has been caused by your own carelessness. Now no matter who you like or love, it is none of our concern. You are a man from the Richards family. You must never be called ungrateful. You have to bear the responsibilities,¡± Vivian stated nkly.

    Hansen suddenly felt cold all over, and the ck of his eyes continued to expand.

    ¡°No, Grandma, why did you change? You have always liked Jenna, and Jenna is the official girl I should marry with. She was in our Richards family tree, right? Grandma, I should marry Jenna, right?¡± Hansen squatted down in front of Vivan¡¯s legs like a child, lookingat her eagerly.

    Vivian lowered her head while looking at Hansen¡¯s helpless, dejected face and sighed deeply.

    ¡°Hansen, you are so stupid. So what if I like Jenna? Four years ago, I gave you Jenna, but what did you do to her? Didn¡¯t you divorce her? But now, you can marry Aria. You have this opportunity, but you changed your mind and now you want to marry Jenna. Tell me why you¡¯re acting as such. What should I say about your behavior? Now, it¡¯s a fact that I can¡¯t help you with. If I insist on you marrying Aria, I will beughed upon by everyone else.¡± Vivian shed a few tears as she continued, quivering. ¡°Hansen, family trees, genealogy, all these are but tools used by me to wake you up when you lose your way, to make you sober. What era is it now?They are no longer applicable in the face of thew!Earl is a public servant and he naturally knows that we can¡¯t go against thew. Those things are useless now. You have no choice in the face of justice and morality.¡±

    Hansen waspletely devastatedand his whole body went weak. He had a nk expression on his face.

    Jenna¡¯s crying pale face upied his mind. At that moment, Hansen realized that it was very likely that he would lose her.

    The intense grief and anxiety in his heart enveloped him, as well as the pain that went deep into his bone. It felt as if a knife had peeled off his skin and flesh while he was still alive; such pain could make his heart cramp.

    He didn¡¯t know what to do.

    ¡°Child, I have made myself clear. Own up to your own faults. Learn your lesson, and believe that the evil in this world will never win over the righteous. There will always be a day when we will see hope again,¡± Vivian said earnestly andforted him.

    Hansen¡¯s face was emotionless as he stood up.

    He didn¡¯t know how he left Ink Garden. He walked aimlessly, desperate, like a lonely ghost without a home.

    Why was this happening?

    At that time, he was unwilling to marry Jenna, but his grandmother resolutely opposed him. He was in so much pain that he got himself drunk every day and night. At that time, there was at least one reason, an excuse, for him to stay alive.A glimmer of hope forthe girl in his dream made him persevere.Hence, he channeled all his energy into his work and shunted everything else away.

    Now, he wanted to marry Jenna but received opposition from everyone, including his very own grandmother. He would not hesitate if he had to live in infamy for her, or even to throw away all his fame and reputation, just to marry her.

    However, his courage itself was aughing stock. He was too naive.

    He was a descendant of the Richards family. Besides Vivian, his mother did not allow him to do this too. On top of that, society would not condone his actions too for it went against the values they were brought up with. But, what had he done so wrong to deserve this?

    ¡°It seems that Hansen really likes Jenna. He did not fake his pain in his eyes. Madam Vivian, could you really bear to watch him marry Aria? To be honest, Aria is a bad person. Although her status is as prominent as the mayor¡¯s daughter, I don¡¯t like herand she¡¯s definitely not worthy of Young Master Hansen. He¡¯s one talented boy although he may seem a little confused in his own feelings. If he marries Aria in the future, they will not live a happy life,¡± said Meroy while looking at Hansen¡¯s sorrowful figure.

    Meroy thought that Vivian would not be so senile that she couldn¡¯t even figure this out. After all, Hansen¡¯s wife would be leading the Richards family, and in the future, the heir of the Richards Manor. She would have great influence over the Richards family. Hence, she should not be someone sloppy. Unexpectedly, Meroy heard Vivian lecturing Hansen a while ago; she thought that Vivian was just deliberately threatening Hansen.

    Vivian replied, the pain in her voice evident, ¡°This kid realizes his mistake toote. It¡¯s toote. If he didn¡¯t marry Aria, he would have wronged her and faced Earl¡¯s retaliation. He is now in trouble. I can do nothing. No one has to bear the consequences for his mistakes. No one can help him. He has no choice now. Perhaps only God could save him now. Unless the child in Aria¡¯s belly is not Hansen¡¯s, he would have a chance to win this battle. Maybe this is because the Richards family has not done enough good deeds in our life to deserve a wife like Jenna.¡±

    When Vivian said this, she shed tears of grief, despair engulfed her.

    Meroy was stupefied. She thought that Vivian was just scaring Hansen and would find a way to stop this. After all, Vivian liked Jenna, and the couple now had fallen in love with each other. It should be a happy thing for everyone. Therefore, Meroy did not expect such a change. Even Vivian had stopped helping Hansen.

    Could it be that Hansen had no choice but to marry that pretentious woman, Aria? If that was the case, she was afraid that the Richards Manor would no longer have peace in the future.

    She took a deep breath at the thought of this.

 Chapter 174 Throwing a Tantrum

    On the 88th floor of International Kinsey Center.

    ¡°How on earth did you do your work? You can¡¯t even do a godd*mn report?! Redo it.¡± Hansen cursed at thepany director Rory Temple with a dark expression on his face. Then, hethrew the job reports to the ground.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Richards. I¡¯ll tell them to redo it right away,¡± Rory hurriedly lowered his head to pick up the report, said cautiously, and left in embarrassment.

    As soon as he walked out, he ran into the Chief Financial Officer, Rudolph Brown, who was walking in with a financial evaluation report.

    After a while, Hansen¡¯s angry shouts came from the office, ¡°Why should I hire you useless people? You can¡¯t even control the financial risks. You see, the ounts over the past few months have been messy. Hurry, reorganize and study them. If not, you¡¯re fired.¡±

    Rudolph was also an executive of thepany and a rtive of Marissa. Hansen was usually kind to him, but that day, Hansen was being picky. Nothing was good, and his words were vicious, leaving nopassion.

    Rudolph couldn¡¯t hold it anymore. He was almost fifty years old. When he was working hard with Trevor, Hansen was still a little boy! He couldn¡¯t help it and protest.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, these deficits were due to the sponsorship of Rapunzel. The unclear ounts were due to the crew. Mr. Richards, you know thisand now the movie has stopped. We invested 800 million. What should we do with it? No matter what, the money has to be invested in the market so that we can recover some at the box office.¡±

    Rudolph had no good feeling about thepany supporting the film. Now, things were messed up. Aria only said that she was not feeling well, and refused to show up again. With this, the eight hundred million dors were basically wasted.Rudolph had been dissatisfied for a long time. From his perspective, Hansen was so stupid over that decision. His head was probably squeezed by the door, and that was the only reasonable exnation as to why he wanted to invest in that kind of thing.

    Now that thepany experienced a severe deficit, Hansen actually vented this anger at Rudolph. He couldn¡¯t take this ridiculous me!

    ¡°Do you mean that I made a mistake in investment, and I don¡¯t deserve to be the president?¡± Hansen asked with a cold face. Aria¡¯s matter was a pain in his *ss, but Rudolph inflicted it. Hansen was immediately irritated. His entire face was dark like a ck cloud. His eyes stared at Rudolph as if he was about to eat him. ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know the usual working style of your finance department. When you audited thepany¡¯s financesst year, there were a lot of unclear ounts. Thispany is a big business. Just your finance department alone has made a mess of the entirepany¡¯s ounts. Sooner orter, thispany will be destroyed in your hands.¡±

    These words became sharper and harsher, and Rudolph was even more confused by Hansen¡¯s inexplicable fire. He was full of difort that Hansen even turned over the old ounts fromst year. Rudolph stared and asked.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I have had a clear conscience working for thepany for so many years, and I have never done anything that would harm thepany. However, what you are saying today is unreasonable. Even Mr. Trevor Richards did not say that to me at that time. You have an even more bilious temperament than the chairman, and it seems like you hold a grudge against us old guys. Youare deliberately trying to drive me away.¡±

    Hansen was full of anger. Usually, he was always lofty and no one dared to refute him. However, now he was so angry that he immediately patted the table and shouted, ¡°Very well. You have the guts to talk to me like this. I happened to have an ount during the audit at the end ofst year. I just wanted to settle it with you. If it wasn¡¯t for my parents¡¯ sake, I would have investigated you a long time ago.¡±

    After that, he really called the statistics department and asked them to check the ounts immediately.

    Hansen had many confidantes, and many people had been eyeing that position. Usually, a finance director had a lot of benefits, so naturally, people would have caught some evidence.

    After he was checked, within two days, Rudolph was expelled for unclear ounts and embezzling public funds. Until the moment he rolled up and left, he did not understand how he had offended Hansen. These years, he had never seen such a big tantrum. Did Hansen take some kind of drug?

    After Rudolph was asked to check the ounts, the managers who followed him were all treated by Hansen in the same way. He scolded them badly for various reasons. They all stared at him withrge eyes, then they walked away dejectedly.

    They just couldn¡¯t figure it out. The quality of the report was as usual. Hansen had never been angry before, but these days, everything was wrong.

    There was a smarter person. When he saw Hansen picking his fault, he thought for a while and said cautiously, ¡°Mr. Richards, this report was done by Ms. Murphy.¡±

    Just saying this, Hansen¡¯s face immediately softened, and soon he signed it, and the manager went out without any trouble.

    At this time, he understood. It turned out that Mr. Richards¡¯s anger was rted to Ms. Murphy. Thinking about Ms. Murphy suddenly being transferred overseas, it seemed that their rtionship might be in trouble.

    Judging by the way he was angry, it was possible that boss was dumped by Ms. Murphy?

    At this time, the other managers saw that he was the only one who could sessfully pass the report evaluation, so they ran over to ask for tricks. He told a few important people. Sure enough, when Hansen tried to find faults in their reports, they only had to mention Jenna, and Hansen would sign the report.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    In just a few days, the entire Richards Group was filled with danger. Rudolph¡¯s expulsion from the Richards Group made all the employees plunge into a tense atmosphere. The management team was especially frightened, as if they were walking on thin ice.

    Evenpany veterans like Rudolph and Hansen¡¯s rtives could be driven away, so forget the outsiders. They all worked cautiously, not daring to be careless.

    However, some people had said that Rudolph who relied on Marissa usually disrespected Jenna. Mr. Richards might have been trying to drive him away and avenge Jenna.

    All in all, the people inside thepany were panicked and tense.

    A global financial crisis hade unknowingly.

    Jenna sat in the hospital ward and stared at theputer screen for three days in a row, feeling uneasy.

    For three consecutive days, the Richards Group¡¯s stock had three consecutive down-limits. The market caused a major panic, and more rumors about the Richards Group slowly appeared in the news.

    However, this did not seem to happen to just Richards Group alone.

    All newspapers and media outlets were reporting this financial crisis.

    Affected by the international financial situation, Europe was the first to bear the brunt of the financial crisis.

    Overnight, it was as if buildings were about to fall. Manypanies had to change their business model.

    The disaster came so suddenly that everyone was caught off guard.

    Jenna¡¯s mind sped up. She had stayed overseas and naturally was more sensitive.

    After hesitating for a moment, she transferred 60% of the funds of the Richards Group that Hansen brought to her to an Asian financial institution for project hedging, and sessfully won the railway construction in an Asian country.

    For several days, she stared at theputer and followed various news.

    On the second and third days, manypanies were losing money overnight, and news of corporate bossesmitting suicide continued to spread.

    Jenna was frightened, but after careful analysis of the domestic situation, she knew the domestic policies. The country would definitely save the market if such a disaster happened. That is to say that the disaster would onlyst a few days or even a short period of time. Maybe a couple of hours.

    The transfer of these funds and shares of Richards Group sessfully avoided this risk.

    Then, she made a decision to buy thepanies that were about to go bankrupt at a low price before the country rescued the market.

    Although some domestic projects of the Richards Group would inevitably lose some of their market value, after her decision, at least her 60% of shares not only had no losses, but in turn, they couldpensate the shortfall in domestic assets, which was beneficial to acquisition. When the country rescued the market in the future, they would definitely make a steady profit.

    The situation was urgent and it was toote to think, so she called Hansen.

    She made three calls in a row. Each time, she either got aputer recording, or no one answered the call.

    Jenna was shocked, and then remembered that she hadn¡¯t received a call from him for a few days. Her eyelids twitched wildly. Did he meet an ident?

    This thought made her fidget.

    Without further ado.

    At the moment, she paid a lot of money and hired two special nurses to take care of Trevor.

    She immediately booked an air ticket for the day and hurriedly flew back to A City immediately.

    Inside the Richards Group Conference Center.

    The panic of the financial crisis called ck Wednesday was everywhere. Hansen was leading all the executives, sitting in front of theputer screen and staring at the greenish stock market with a gloomy face.

    In response to this sudden financial crisis, they were desperate.

    Recently, his personal affairs had consumed a lot of his energy, and he was in a particrly bad mood. He couldn¡¯t concentrate on facing this sudden disaster at all. He even behaved a little flustered and was at a loss.

    All the senior executives of Richards Group gathered together to stare at theputer day and night, but they could not find a way. They could only watch the market value of the Richards Group shrink or even evaporate day after day.

    The only thing that gave themfort was that the disaster did not affect just their family. Almost all enterprises were affected, but the Richards Group was financially strong enough to withstand it longer.

    After all, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse, and the Richards Group was calmer andrger than otherpanies. Once it passed this test, it would be easier to recover than otherpanies, and it would be easier to stand up in a difficult situation to seize the market opportunities.

    In spite of those who jumped off the building andmitted suicide over the past few days, even though everyone in the Richards Group had a dark face, there was no extreme case.

 Chapter 175 Financial Crisis

    Hansen was smoking a cigarette and sitting in the chief-officer chair, staring motionlessly at theputer.

    However, his mind was churning.

    Some time ago, in order to avoid risks, he had given Jenna 60% of the shares to operate overseas. Hansen wondered what happened to her?

    Obviously, this storm was not just in Europe, but a global one. However, the situation elsewhere was slightly better than in Europe.

    But what would happen to her?

    Picking up the phone on the table, he discovered that the phone was turned off.

    D*mn it!

    His mood was so bad over the past few days. He had plunged into an unprecedented anxiety, and even dared not call Jenna. He didn¡¯t know how to face her.

    He felt ashamed over his actions.

    How could he face her?Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Just thinking about this, he put down the phone again.

    In the past, when Hansen could have had Jenna, he felt that he was the person who suffered the most in the world, and he was cruel to her.

    Then, when he desperately wanted to have her, he found it harder than reaching the sky.

    Grandma¡¯s words told him that the rtionship between them was likely to end.

    No one else could be med for this. He was the one to be med for all this as he was ignorant about what was right and wrong.

    Grandma was right. No one could help him with the mistakes he made. He could only pay for his absurd mistakes.

    He was afraid that he would lose her in this life.

    Of all, Jenna was hurt the most. From the beginning to the present, she suffered countless times more than him.

    To put it bluntly, he contributed to all of her pain.

    He couldn¡¯t even beg for her forgiveness.

    Thinking of this, he squeezed the phone in his hand and closed his eyes.

    Even if he gave her everything, it would be irreparable.

    ¡°D*mn, it¡¯s plunged again, and it will be over if this continues,¡± apany executive uttered a low cry of surprise and panic.

    ¡°Dragged by the international financial sector, the index fell again and hit the lowest number in nearly a decade. It was the so-called ck Wednesday. Securitypanies are all green and the market is covered under a gloomy veil,¡± the TV announcer announced the news with a usual tone.

    ¡°The continued downturn in the stock market has caused some people to lose everything overnight, andpanies with insufficient funds have dered bankruptcy. The market has started panic-selling and a vicious circle has led to a further decline in stock indexes.¡±

    The phone rang everywhere in the office.

    After a while, the office fell silent.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, due to the impact of the financial crisis, several orders were terminated.¡± After receiving the call, Nathan, the marketing manager, took the lead in opening the topic.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the orders for luxury cars have a lot of refund requests because they are unable to pay.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, some shareholders called to ask what¡¯s going on, and some asked to withdraw their shares.¡±

    ¡­

    Hansen took a deep puff of his cigarette and sat still, as if he didn¡¯t care about what happened.

    Retribution, this was retribution.

    Maybe if there was nothing, everything would be better.

    If he could exchange everything for Jenna, he would be very happy.

    He should have nothing. Given his behavior, why should he have a sessful career and a status that would make everyone envious?

    Career, family, marriage, predecessors; everything was twisted together.

    There was a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, which actually gave one the feeling that he was watching a joke from the sidelines.

    Everyone looked at each other and couldn¡¯t understand his expression.

    After Jenna got off the ne, she felt more serious.

    It seemed that after returning to A City, the atmosphere of panic had be stronger.

    She saw that many shops had signs advertising that they were letting out their shops, and shopping malls and restaurants were lifeless.

    Without thinking about these things, Jenna rushed to International Kinsey Center directly after taking a taxi.

    There was an ominous premonition that the Richards Group were encountering unprecedented trouble. Hansen must be in a state of exhaustion now, that was why he hadn¡¯t called for so many days.

    Even if he didn¡¯t call, his dad was next to Jenna. A few days ago, as long as he had time, he would call her and ask about his dad warmly. Now, the atmosphere waspletely wrong.

    When she opened the door of the conference center.

    She saw the smog in the meeting room. There was a cloud of smoke inside.

    The strong smell of smoke wafted over, and the depressing air made one suffocate.

    Jenna¡¯s eyebrows were slightly tensed.

    The moment the door of the conference room was pushed open, a breath of fresh air wafted in.

    Everyone saw the light of hope.

    Including Hansen himself.

    He looked up and saw Jenna at the door. She was dressed in a long crimson coat and shawl. She had beautiful hair and wascharming and full of confidence.

    Her bright eyes looked directly at him.

    There was anxiety and concern in his eyes.

    Hansen¡¯s heartbeat slowed for half a beat, and then began to jump wildly. Then his whole body heated up, feeling an unprecedented excitement. The woman he was thinking of stood in front of him, and he knew how much he wanted to see her these days.

    A huge joy rose from the bottom of his heart and soon rushed to his forehead. The gloominess on his face faded, ayer of blush rose, and his eyes cleared.

    Almost for just an instant.

    Unprecedented courage rose in his heart.

    For their happiness.

    He decided to fight for it.

    If he did not marry Aria, the Richards Group would be hit hardandhis reputation would be damaged. He would be reprimanded by thousands of people.

    Anything could start from scratch.

    As long as Jenna could stand by his side and trust him, that was enough.

    He did not want to lose Jenna, not at all!

    He had never been a good man, and it didn¡¯t matter even if it brought shame upon himself.

    For his beloved woman, he was willing to carry infamy forever.

    ¡°Jenna, you are back.¡± He stood up with a rare smile on his face.

    Suddenly there was a spring breeze blowing through the freezing winter, blowing away the darkness of the room.

    The red figure that was Jenna burned in the quiet conference room like a fire. She walked toward Hansen with a confident smile, and her beautiful eyes swept across the room. She observed everyone¡¯s expression.

    She understood everything.

    It seemed that Richards Group really encountered difficulties this time.

    But was this a big deal to Richards Group?

    Hansen, a big man who had been in the business world for so long, was scared by this little thing?

    What was this financial crisis?

    She slowly approached Hansen like a fire, staring at him with big bright eyes.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were clear, his pupils were shining, and the soft light in his eyes was dazzling. He saw Jenna standing in front of him, smiling yfully and charmingly, and the fire in his heart ignited.

    The way Jenna looked at him felt like she was challenging Hansen.

    What was the challenge? He understood that it was a challenge to adversity, calmness to the difficulties he faced, and he felt that she had a little contempt for him.

    His precious woman had actually scorned him, Mr. Richards. This was depressing!

    At that moment.

    Heughed loudly.

    Smiling confidently, calmly, andfortably, the peculiar calmness that disappeared from him returned instantly.

    Jenna was sure that what she saw was a free, confident, unruly man standing in front of her with ambition.

    She pursed her lips and smiled softly.

    She sat down beside him.

    She opened the notebook in her hand.

    Everyone was relieved.

    They heard Hansen¡¯s heartyugh, which was definitely a joyfulugh from the bottom of his heart.

    The rm was finally lifted.

    They were sure that Mr. Richards would stop throwing tantrums for no reason.

    Everyone saw the sun. It was clear that the snowkes were still flying outside, and there were even more and more omens of disaster. The sky was as dark as night.

    However, they saw the bright sun.

    The tension and decadence was reced with a rxed atmosphere.

    Jenna¡¯s fingers tapped on the keyboard a few times, then she raised her head. Her face had a faint smile on it, beautiful and dazzling.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the biggest opportunity for ourpany is here. Please buy several majorpanies under the Mobile and Wireless sectors immediately.¡± Jenna sighed after sitting down, turning her head slightly, and facing Hansen¡¯s soft and bright eyes. She spoke clearly.

    She said decisively, simply, and with plenty of confidence.

    Hansen could smell the faint white scent of white flowers on her body, as well as her intoxicating body scent. It seemed that he hadn¡¯t smelled such a reassuring scent for a long time, and that was why he was so confused and irritated.

    The lingering breath of the fragrance infiltrated his nostrils, and then slowly soaked into his internal organs. Hansen was so intoxicated and his mind became sober.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, now the market is panicking. Wouldn¡¯t it be abrupt to purchase apany now?¡± Someone questioned.

    ¡°Yes, Ms. Murphy. Ourpany might not even have the ability to acquire thesepanies now. Even if we do, if we continue to decline in the future, it will drag the entirepany down. But if we stay in ce, even if we¡¯re affected, we can at least preserve the centuries-old name of the Richards Group, and it won¡¯t be difficult to revive it,¡± different voices sounded.

    Unexpectedly, Jenna smiled faintly, and her clear voice rang loudly through the conference room.

    ¡°Dear colleagues, ourpany should take this opportunity to acquire more, because not only will we not be damaged, but taking this opportunity would take us to the next level. Haven¡¯t you always been eyeing the mobile and wireless sectors? Their profits and benefits are almostparable to the Richards Group, and they have the backing of their country. They are basically safe. Usually, it¡¯s difficult to purchase them, but now God has given us a chance, which shouldn¡¯t be in vain. Now is the best timing. Colleagues, we need to take risks in order to break through the bottleneck. Normally, even if we wait for decades, we may not be able to get this opportunity. This wave of the financial crisis will notst too long, and the market demand will explode soon after being suppressed for a period of time. This panic is temporary. Don¡¯t worry, it will subside very soon. At this time, it is the darkest hour before dawn. We should take this opportunity to start. The sooner the better. The opportunity will fade if we hesitate even a little.¡±

 Chapter 176 The Apple of His Eye

    ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m afraid the acquisition of thesepanies will cost half of the assets of the Richards Group, and ourpany¡¯s current market value is about to drop by half. This¡­¡± Thepany director, Rory, whispered. Everyone knew what he meant.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about funding. Over the past few days, I have transferred 60% of our shares to a risk-averse financial bond project in a foreign country and I have made a small profit. It¡¯s enough. Trust me. You will see the effects in less than half a month,¡± Jenna, of course, understood their concerns, and she immediately exined.

    When these words were spoken, everyone was pleasantly surprised, and there was no objection.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it. Everyone, get moving,¡± Hansen said calmly, reaching out from under the conference table and holding Jenna¡¯s somewhat cool hand. Jenna raised her head and looked at him with a smile.

    Everyone was busy with their work.

    Before dark, there were rumors everywhere on the news that theRichardsGroup not only survived the financial crisis, but also seized the opportunity to acquire the secondrgest economy in A city. It was worthy of the century-oldRichardsGroup. No one could match them.

    All thepany¡¯s staff started working overtime for a week.

    Hansen and Jenna stayed in the office at the same time, staring at the changes on theputer screen every day, watching various news reports and channels.

    When the market fell into despair, the central government finally took action and began to transfuse 400 billion dors to rescue the market.

    The market quickly stabilized.

    There was a fresh start for everyone.

    Over the next two days, thepany¡¯s phone nearly exploded.

    All kinds of orders were received.

    All businesses in A City and the whole country had fallen into theRichardsGroup, and even the global business orders had increased a lot.

    RichardsGroup began to show another kind of rapid expansion, which stimted domestic demand. They began to build factories and recruit workers, and at the same time,this move saved many unemployed people.

    Jenna knew that once Richards Group was on the right track, they would take up the business like ducks to water, and it would be difficult for it to decline. After this incident, Hansen realized that sticking fingers into every basket was beneficial, because it elerated global progress.

    In contrast, theWhalen Group yed it safe, so the power of theRichardsGroup slowly prated into Asia, and it had developed a momentumpared to the Whalen Group.

    After many days of intense busyness, Jenna¡¯s tight nerves finally rxed.

    Once rxed, she realized that she was dizzy and sweating all over.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, are you okay?¡± When Mr. Wyld sent the report, he saw Jenna sitting at the desk with cold sweat on her forehead. Her face was paleand she looked very tired. However, it was now wintertime and no matter how hot it was, it was impossible to sweat.

    Thinking of thest time she fainted in a foreign country, Mr. Wyld became very anxious.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± Jenna was helpless. She smiled weaklyand even her voice trembled.

    Jenna was saying that it was okay despite her state. Mr. Wyld was secretly anxious.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, hurry up and visit the hospital. These days, you have been busy. I will call Mr. Richards and get him to apany you.¡± Mr. Wyld hurriedly took out his mobile phone to make a call, but was stopped by Jenna.

    ¡°Mr. Wyld, don¡¯t bother him. He is very busy these days. I¡¯m really fine. Now is the critical moment, so don¡¯t dy major events just because of me. I¡¯ll just take a rest.¡±

    Jenna stood up as she talked, and when she stood up, she felt the world spinning. She hurriedly held on to the desk, and after she was stabilized, she walked to the sofa and sat down.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, are you really okay?¡± Mr. Wyld¡¯s voice changed due to anxiety, but he didn¡¯t dare to call Hansen, so he poured a ss of hot water and handed it to Jenna. Jenna took the hot water and drank it. After a few mouthfuls, she felt better. She closed her eyes and rested.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, you are ufortable. Let me apany you to the hospital. If not, Mr. Richards will feel distressed. We all hope you can be well. Do you know that when you were not in the office a few days ago, Mr. Richards was very gloomy and got angry very easily. We all looked forward to youing back every day.¡± Mr. Wyld took a soft nket and covered her with a bitter expression.

    Jenna smiled slightly and said, ¡°So, he was aplete tyrant over the past few days, butI was not here to fight. I am not his nemesis. How am I supposed to control him?¡±

    ¡°Of course that¡¯s not the case. We can see that you are the person Mr. Richards cares about the most. As long as Mr. Richards sees you and smiles, he will be in a very good mood.¡± Mr. Wyld smiled. ¡°It¡¯s so obvious. Everyone can tell from his expression. Mr. Richards really loves you. We now hope that you will stay in thepany and not leave, so that we can go to work as happily as before. And now that Richards Group has a strong momentum, we all admire you very much. You have to be in good health.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face flushed slightly when she heard this. It was exaggerated. How long was she away before it became like this? Jenna was afraid that Mr. Wyld was joking, and she just smiled and shook her head.

    While talking andughing, Jenna¡¯s cell phone rang and when she picked it up. It was Hansen calling. She immediately raised her finger at Mr. Wyld and pointed at the phone to indicate that it was Hansen¡¯s call. She didn¡¯t want Hansen to know that they were talking bad about him.

    Mr. Wyld smiled knowingly. Seeing that Mr. Richards had already called, he felt relieved and left.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± Jenna connected the line, smiled, and said softly.

    ¡°Jenna, are you finished?¡± Hansen¡¯s nice voice rang in her ears. His voice was very low and soft, as if he was socializing outside. It was inconvenient to talk.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jenna smiled quietly and said. ¡°I am done for today so I can rest.¡±

    While talking, she yawned andidzily on the sofa, just feeling bored. Thinking that her body was in bad shape, she felt tired from being busy over the past few days. She felt very sleepy.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you tired.¡± Hansen heard her tiredness over the phone and was very sorry. He said softly, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t leave yet after work. Wait for me to pick you up.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, you should do everything you need to do. I can go back by myself,¡± Jenna said with a light smile.

    ¡°No, wait for me to pick you up. We will go to a ce tonight.¡± When Hansen heard Jenna say this, he was a little flustered and said hurriedly.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    Jenna was stunned. Thinking of thest time, her face turned red, but she was so tired and had been busy for so many days. She just wanted to go home and get a good night¡¯s sleep. It had been a week since she returned to A city. Hansen had been working overtime in thepany every day. Only the day before at noon did he take her to see her mother. Now, Jenna had finally finished her work, so she just wanted to have a good rest.

    ¡°Hansen, I just want to go home and sleep. I don¡¯t want to go anywhere.¡± She pouted and stroked her forehead reluctantly.

    ¡°Hey, just wait for me to pick you up,¡± Hansen coaxed her over the phone. His tone was very persistent. ¡°Jenna, I miss you. You are not allowed to leave alone. I want to be with you.¡±

    He said nervously, as if she would fly away. Jennaughed.

    What was this? She had to wait for him!

    ¡°Okay, hurry up then,¡± Jenna pouted anzily agreed.

    After hanging up, she was bored.

    The people in thepany left one after another. They worked overtime these days, and they were all exhausted. They finally finished their work and all of them hurried home.

    Jenna simplyid down on the big bed in the suite and fell asleep.

    In front of the bright scarlet wine cab, Hansen reached out and picked up a wine ss from the cab. He poured a full ss, and held it in his hand with a cold, sharp smile on his face.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, please have mercy, and let go of our smallpany.¡± Caleb Hodge, the chairman of Shelren Group, was standing in front of Hansen with a full smile, constantly wiping his sweat.

    Hansen raised his head slightly and drank a sip of red wine. Then he picked up the ¡°Icy Rainbow¡± strong liquor in front of him, handed it to Caleb, and said without a smile, ¡°Caleb, drink this ss first.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. Cheers to you, Mr. Richards.¡± Caleb took the alcohol in Hansen¡¯s hands with his fat white hands and drank it.

    ¡°Caleb, you¡¯re not bad at drinking.¡± Hansen took a step forward, patted his shoulder, and smiled.

    ¡°Thanks, Mr. Richards. You are kind.¡± After a ss of the alcohol hit his stomach, Caleb¡¯s tongue rolled up, and his face flushed.

    He admitted that he was not bad at drinking, but after that ss of wine, he was about to get drunk, and he was secretly panicking.

    Hansen nced at him obliquely, and picked up the wine on the table without rushing; Mixed wine was poured from several sses. After a while, a dark blue liquor was held in Hansen¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Caleb, while we¡¯re in the mood,e, let¡¯s have another drink.¡± Hansen smiled, and passed the dark blue liquid in his hand to Caleb¡¯s mouth.

    This was the violent ¡°Blue Devils¡±. Even the best drinker would definitely get drunk after drinking that.

    Caleb already knew that the wine was strong, and the corners of his mouth twitched. He had a long face as he said, ¡°Mr. Richards, please spare the weakling. It¡¯s too strong for me.¡±

    ¡°It seems like you are not extending me this courtesy. You don¡¯t even want to drink a ss of wine. Well, since you are so insincere then you can go,¡± Hansen said lightly.

    ¡°M-Mr. Richards, I¡¯ll drink, I¡¯ll drink.¡± Caleb¡¯s legs trembled, shaking all over. He forced a smiling face.

    ¡°That¡¯s my boy!¡± Hansen smiled, put the wine ss to Caleb¡¯s mouth, then smiled coldly. He suddenly held Caleb¡¯s chin and locked it hard. Caleb felt the pain and he opened his mouth.

    Hansen tilted his hand that held the ss of liquid, and suddenly poured the strong alcohol into Caleb¡¯s mouth. After the ss of strong alcohol reached Caleb¡¯s stomach, he saw countless ck shadows ovepping in front of his eyes, and his stomach was burning and painful. Even people who were ustomed to drinking wouldn¡¯t be able to resist Hansen¡¯s specially prepared alcohol. Caleb began to tremble.

 Chapter 177 You Canâ€™t Bear to Lose Me

    Hansen smiled coldly, pulled his tie, and pushed him against the wall. Fixing his knee against Caleb¡¯s belly,Hansen took out the phone and turned on the recording function.

    ¡°Tell me, who is your boss?¡± He stared at Caleb with cold eyes and spoke sternly.

    ¡°M-Mr. Richards, I, didn¡¯t¡­¡± As soon as Hansen asked, Caleb got so scared that he instantly sobered up, and he began to sweat a lot. He was so scared that he felt as if he was going to wet himself. This couldn¡¯t be said out loud. If he said it, he would never survive in City A.

    ¡°Okay, I see how it is. You¡¯ll still keep your mouth shut. It seems like you haven¡¯t had enough to drink.¡± Hansen sneered as he spoke softly. He then took a ss of already-mixed spirits from the table, brought it to Caleb¡¯s mouth and threatened him.

    ¡°Drink, otherwise I will make sure that yourpany shuts down, and of course, let you carry some debts that you will never be able to pay off for a lifetime. I can¡¯t wait to see you begging on the streets.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s voice was as cold as ice, and his words were full of venom.

    Caleb¡¯s face turned pale. He had heard of Mr. Richards¡¯s tricks before. Numerouspanies like his in A City were ruined in Mr. Richard¡¯s hands. In the end, even when the family properties were sold off, they still had to carry debts their whole lives.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll drink.¡± Caleb shivered while taking the ss with both hands. He then drank it in one go.

    Hansen looked at him and smiled coldly. He didn¡¯t want to make himpletely drunk, but instead, he wanted the man¡¯sconsciousness to be increasingly blurred until Caleb told him what he wanted to hear.

    ¡°Come on, who¡¯s the big boss behind yourpany? How does yourpany make money?¡± Hansen locked Caleb¡¯s fat chin with his hands while his knee was pressed against his stomach. Caleb, who had known nothing but luxury his whole life almost fainted to death from the pain.

    ¡°Mr. Richards¡­ There is really no one. It¡¯s apany I started.¡± Caleb¡¯s consciousness became more and more blurred, but thest trace of his senses still lingered in his mind. He spoke vaguely.

    ¡°Huh!¡± Hansen snorted coldly, stretched out his hand to throw Caleb¡¯s fat body on the sofa, then stepped on his stomach a few times. He lowered his head and said viciously, ¡°Yourpany that does not operate. You sell some cigarettes, alcohol, run some casinos, and you dare toe into the market? I know what kind of business yourpany does. In fact, there¡¯s not even onepany in A city that I don¡¯t know about. y tricks in front of meand you¡¯re digging your own grave.¡±

    Hansen had investigated the Shelren Group for a long time. It basically had no economic benefits. There were not many employees in thepany. Moreover, Caleb operated several casinos, all of which were on the ck market. What was unexpected was that such apany would be listed that year.

    Caleb had already invested a lot of money in order to get thepany listed. But to Hansen, who was rich and powerful, he would only have to lift a finger and such a smallpany would be doomed.

    Of course Caleb knew the pros and cons.

    ¡°Yes, Earl¡­ Mayor McAdams.¡± Hansen¡¯s fierce words continued to pour into Caleb¡¯s ears. Caleb slipped out that name unconsciously. He knew that he was done for, and he was not stupid. If Hansen was to get his hands on hispany, he bet Earl would nevere forward. Earl would soon abandon him and put all the charges on Caleb¡¯s head. In order to keep his mouth shut,Earlwould probably send him to prison.Calebdidn¡¯t know where he would end up.

    Furthermore, Earl was preparing to run for mayor or secretary of the municipal partymittee. They were lucky if nothing happened to thepany.However, if an ident did happen and theirpany¡¯s reputation was threatened,Earlwould definitely do what he could to save it even though it might be cruel.

    At the moment, Calebwas trembling when he said it out loud. Instead of being toyed around by Earl, he might as well beg Hansen to let him go. After all, Hansen was just a businessman. He was not a big threat to him.

    The corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth lifted up in satisfaction.

    ¡°What does yourpany do for Mayor McAdams?¡± He asked, seemingly amused.

    ¡°Moneyundering and collecting protection fees. Each of our casinos has to pay him 30% of bonus every year¡­¡± Caleb spilled the beans on everything.

    Hansen smiled as he put the phone away contentedly. He then let go of his foot that was stepping on Caleb and said, ¡°The next time you see me, don¡¯t worry. I will leave you a way out if you obey me.¡±

    With that being said, Hansen put on a long coat and strode outside.

    He had long heard that Earl dealt with illegal money. Others didn¡¯t know it, but Hansen was very sure of it. Originally, he didn¡¯t want to make this move, but now he must capitalize on Earl¡¯s weakness. If Earl wanted to use Aria to threaten him, or ruin the Richards Group, Hansen would not let him seed.

    He would do anything for his and Jenna¡¯s happiness.

    The lobby of the Richards Group was dark.

    Hansen called Jenna¡¯s cell phone, but no one answered.

    His heart sankand he sped toward the elevator.

    The number on the elevator increased all the way up. Hansen¡¯s heart was in his throat. This woman had not returned to the Richards Group¡¯s mansion, and ifJennadid go back, she would definitely know that Aria was pregnant. What would she do then?

    Now, he was particrly concerned about Jenna¡¯s thoughts. He was anxious andhe didn¡¯t want her to know about it.

    The elevator finally stopped on the 88th floor, and the moment the elevator door opened,Hansenrushed out.

    There was a lighting from Jenna¡¯s office. He sighed in relief. He then knocked on the door but no one answered, so he hurriedly took out the key and opened the door.

    The light was on in the office but no one was there.Hansenthen opened the bedroom door.

    Jenna was lying on the bed and she was asleep.

    She hugged the pillow tightly and she was fast asleep.

    She just slept on the bed, looking lonely and weak. One couldn¡¯t help but feel pity for her.

    The moment Hansen stood at the threshold of the bedroom, he felt pain in his heart, so much so that he struggled to catch his breath.

    Leaning against the door with the back of his head on the door frame, his fists were clenched so tightly until his knuckles turned white and his eyes felt heavy.

    He couldn¡¯t let Jenna go back to Richards Manor. The matter could not be kept a secret any longer although Earl had not spread word about Aria¡¯s pregnancy as he was waiting forHansen¡¯test news.

    However, everyone in Richards Manor already knew about it.

    So if Jenna went back, she would definitely find out about it.

    How long couldHansenhide it even if they didn¡¯t go back?

    What if she knew?

    The thought of her leaving him, her no longer belonging to him from then on,caused a great pain in his heart.

    Hansentook a deep breath, sorted out his messy thoughts, and walked in slowly.

    He sat on the bed, staring at her nkly. He caressed her face carefully, and he sighed.

    Jenna slept very well, so well that she only opened her eyes when he grasped her hand.

    Hansen was sitting in front of the bed with a faint smile on his face. The light glinting in his eyes was gentle; she was a little dazed.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± he smiled faintly and asked indulgently.

    ¡°Hansen, you came.¡± She got up, rubbed her eyes, still sleepy as she looked left and right.

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I haven¡¯t eaten yet. Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you to dinner.¡± He smiled softly.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not hungry.¡±Jennashook her headzily.It turned out that shehad been asleep for so long.

    ¡°No can do.¡± Hansen¡¯s face stretched out. In a reproachful tone, he said, ¡°You¡¯re so skinny. You should eat. I don¡¯t like scrawny women.¡±

    He pulled her up.

    Jenna was unwilling to leave thefort of the bed.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m really not hungry. I still want to sleep.¡± She got under the quilt again.

    ¡°If you don¡¯te out, then I will eat you.¡± Hansen smiled gracefully, lifted up the quilt, and dragged Jenna out.

    Jenna yawned, her face full of reluctance.

    Hansen smiled dotingly.

    He picked her up, unzipped his jacket, and tucked her into his arms. The jacket was very stretchable, and it wrapped around her whole body. He pulled on his coat to cover her.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Jenna leaned her face against his chest and wrappedher arms around his waist. Her legs arched slightly in his coat and she whispered.

    Her voice was very soft, as if it was floating out from her chest. Hansen¡¯s heart twitched as he listened.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What are you doing, little fairy?¡± He couldn¡¯t help asking.

    ¡°Hansen, what did you do today?¡± She asked softly, hiding in his arms and smiling. Her tiny hands moved around his waist. She knew that Hansen¡¯s waist was the most ticklish.

    Sure enough, Hansen couldn¡¯t helpughing. He softly pped her butt, then gritted his teeth while saying, ¡°You naughty girl, you¡¯re causing trouble again. I will throw you away.¡±

    ¡°No, you won¡¯t be so cruel because you can¡¯t bear it.¡± Jenna grabbed him, giggled, and scratched his waist with her little finger. Hansenughed out loud.

    He reached out and hugged her tightly. He then asked bitterly in her ear, ¡°You evil woman, did you miss me? Don¡¯t worry, I will take good care of youter.¡±

    Jenna was stunned when she heard it, and she quickly woke up. Only then did she realize that he was being serious. Initially she was just fooling around. She didn¡¯t think of anything else.

    She had forgotten that the man in front of her was a beast, and he so greatly wanted to have her.

    She really didn¡¯t have the energy toply with his needs.

    Soon, she obediently stayed still.

    Hansen smiled, feeling pleased.

    In the basement, he opened the Hummer. The back row was a resting space with a soft bed. Hansen threw her on the bed and smiled. ¡°Woman, I want you so desperately now. Tell me, what should I do?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face flushed red, and she looked at him as if she was begging for mercy and said, ¡°Hansen, I was teasing you. Let¡¯s not do this, please? I am so tired now.¡±

    Hansen had seen her weakness a long time ago, and he pinched her little nose. He couldn¡¯t bear to joke with her anymore. He then put the quilt over her, and whispered, ¡°Why don¡¯t we stay in the car for a night?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t want to. She wanted to sleep in that big bed of hers. She wanted to sleep soundly like a baby. Sleeping in the car was too ufortable.

    Hansen guessed what she was thinking. He smiled and tucked her in, all the while making sure that she wasfortable under the quilt. After that, he walked to the front seat and opened the car door.

    As they drove away, they finally found a restaurant that she liked.

 Chapter 178 Itâ€™s Either Me or Her

    ¡°Wow, spicy potatoes,¡± Jenna said when the waiter brought the dish to the table. Her eyes glowed immediately. She was drooling as her stomach growled. Then, she epted it and ate like a hungry wolf.

    By the time Hansen came out of the restroom, she had finished eating two small dishes.

    Her mouth was puffy and red from all the spices. She looked very cute.

    ¡°Those things are not nutritious. Eat less of them.¡± Hansen looked at Jenna¡¯s pale face and red lips. She was breathing in and out to soothe the spiciness.

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious. Addictive even.¡±

    He grabbed the potato dish in front of her and put it aside before she could react. Her face sank and she muttered something with pity. After that, he picked up the menu on the table and started ordering.

    When the dishes arrived, she was forced to eat sds again.

    Jenna really didn¡¯t have the appetite for those healthy foods.

    ¡°Hansen, please, I only need some soup and spicy potatoes,¡± she stated as she didn¡¯t want to eat those things he had ordered.

    ¡°No can do!¡± Hansen pulled a long face and furrowed his brows.

    Seeing how pale and hollow her face was, it made him feel distressed.

    Jenna pursed her lips, her face full of displeasure.

    Fine if he didn¡¯t allow it. She would not eat anything then. She would not open her mouth and would just sit there.

    Hansen sighed helplessly. He could only agree, but on the condition that Jenna had to finish a bowl of sd and vegetable soup in exchange.

    As long as there were spicy potatoes, Jenna was happy so she quickly nodded in agreement.

    The two reached an agreement, and the tension in the atmosphere disappeared. They continue to talk for the rest of the meal, seemingly very affectionate towards one another.

    It was not longter when they finished dinner happily.

    After the meal, Hansen took her to Collier Manor.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going back to the Richards Manor?¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t help but ask out of curiosity as they were still not heading toward the mansion.

    ¡°Why would we go back? It¡¯s too crowded. I don¡¯t like it. Let¡¯s go back to Collier Manor. That is our home.¡± Hansen hid his thoughts well enough that Jenna couldn¡¯t really see through them. He was speaking so softly, and once again he had that signature charming smile of his on his face.

    Jenna was slightly stunned, then smiled sweetly.

    Hearing him say that, that ¡®home¡¯ meant the two of them, Jenna thought it was good. She liked it very much.

    The night sky in the city, even though the snow was heavy and freezing, was stunning. The colorful lights exceptionallyplimented the trees in the streets.

    When Jenna got out of the car, even though Hansen gave her his coat, she still felt very cold.

    She hid her neck and face under the wool coat. Standing under the dim streetmp in the basement, she watched as Hansen¡¯s slender figure approached her from the parking lot. She suddenly felt a hint of happiness in her heart.

    After all, that night was a night for the both of them. Only the both of them.

    There was no obstacle between them now. She believed in himand he also believed in her. He belonged to her, and he truly had her. The two of them were in love with each otherand there were no grudges held between them.

    It felt good!

    Hansen was so kind to her, so caring. He made her forget about everything, including Aria.

    It might even feel like they were actually a happy pair, and the woman, Aria, had never appeared.

    Furthermore, they seemed to truly understand each other and had fallen in love.

    Hansen approachedJenna. He saw her looking at him in awe. He smiled and took her in his arms as they walked upstairs.

    As soon as they entered the house, the room was very cold. He turned on the heater with one hand, while the other hugged her tightly against himself. After that, he lowered his head and kissed her hard, wishing to swallow her and have her that instant.

    His other hand found its way into her clothes. Her skin was so smooth and tender to the touch, but when he felt the bones on her side, he felt faintly unhappy. How could this woman be so thin?

    She must have been exhausted for days!

    There was a faint stab in his heart, and his hand moved as gently as the spring breeze.

    Jenna panted. Her cheeks had a tint of pinkand her lips were red and swollen because of their kiss.

    Hansen picked her up and walked to the sofa beforeying her sideways on it.

    His hand wandered over her smooth skin, and not longter, it reached downwards. He teased her skillfully. She opened her eyes and looked at him shyly.

    Her mouth was wide open when he entered her suddenly, seemingly ufortable.

    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± He asked in a low voice. He was about to lean over and kiss her to relieve her difort.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna covered his lips with her hand, her fingers stroked his chin as she said, word by word, ¡°Hansen, you can have me, but if you want me, you can¡¯t choose Aria, let alone another woman. This is my bottom line. Can you do it?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s gaze was dumbfounded. He was staring straight at her.

    Her eyes burned with persistence and stubbornness.

    They were together like this, and she stared at him unblinkingly. At this moment, she still hoped to have his promise.

    She was a woman, so there was no doubt that she was selfish over some things.

    In this life, she had only loved him, so she hoped that he loved fewer people because only then would it be fair.

    Back then, she could ignore him, but now everything was different. She wanted to have him for herself. She wanted him to love only her. This was her selfish desire.

    ¡°Jenna, I have never thought of any other woman. You are the only one in my heart, trust me.¡± His breathing was very rough and heavy; he was a little short of breath. Seeing the persistence in her eyes, his heart ached.

    ¡°Jenna, what I said is true, trust me,¡±Hansenkissed her lips and whispered in her ear. His voice was soft, as if he was begging her to believe him.

    ¡°Okay, I believe you,¡± she ran her fingers across his lips, then through his thick hair, as she replied softly.

    His sincere words made her feel loved, so it was enough. She could no longer think about anything else, so she took the initiative to press her lips against his.

    Hansen¡¯s head became hot, as if there was a fire burning. He couldn¡¯t care about anything anymore. Hence, he fiercely demanded to have her. After being separated for so long, he had missed her every night, and finally she was in his arms. He kissed her red lips fiercely and passionately, not wanting to separate even for a moment.

    After that, he saw Jenna lying weakly with sweat all over her. He couldn¡¯t help but feel apologetic. Knowing that she was tired,Hansendidn¡¯t expect to want her that night, buthe couldn¡¯t control himself.

    Soon he picked her up and walked towards the shower. He then helped her into the warm bed after taking her bath. He took a shower by himself, and fell asleep with his arms around her.

    When Jenna woke up the next day, she received a call from Hansen asking her to rest at home.

    Thinking that thepany¡¯s affairs were mostly settled, she didn¡¯t reject the offer.

    The doorbell rang as soon as she finished brushing her teeth.

    Looking through the lens,Jennadiscovered that the fooddelivery had arrived.

    She quickly opened the door to pick up the takeaway, knowing that Hansen had ordered the meal for her.

    Putting it on the dinner table, she went to have a ss of water first.

    The living room was very warm. She only wore her pajamas and walkedzily over to eat breakfast.

    Opening the delicate dessert boxes, she saw her favorite strawberry tarts and she smiled slightly. She then ate one with her fork.

    As soon as she put it into her mouth, the scent of the fruits filled her nostrils. Suddenly her stomach churned. She was about to vomit. She quickly covered her mouth and ran toward the bathroom.

    Lying on the marble tform, her stomach was surging, and she couldn¡¯t help but want to vomit.

    What in the world? Didn¡¯t she like strawberries? Why did she vomit?

    After a while, Jenna stood up. Resisting the urge to vomit, she thought that maybe the smell of the fruits was too strong. After all, she had only just gotten up and she wasn¡¯t feeling well.

    She walked over to the table, opened another lunch box, and picked up a pastry.

    Before it reached her mouth, she felt another wave of intense nausea. The acid in her stomach was all surging up, and she couldn¡¯t help it anymore. She went straight to the bathroom and vomited.

    After that, she couldn¡¯t eat anymore as her stomach was very ufortable.

    It looked like she was sick again.

    Jenna was a little discouraged, thinking that it was probably due to her fatigue these days and the cold the day before.

    However, when she thought about it carefully, it didn¡¯t make sense at all. The day before, she was in Hansen¡¯s arms. Even if she stood alone in the cold wind, she was wrapped up warmly in Hansen¡¯s coat. There was really no reason that she would catch a cold.

    Fortunately, after a while, she stopped vomiting. Finally, her stomach feltfortable.

    Perhaps it was sudden gastroenteritis. With that thought,Jennadidn¡¯t concern herself with the matter anymore.

    After staying in the apartment for a while, she thought of her mother. After wearing a thick jacket, she went downstairs and took a taxi to the hospital.

    ¡°Miss, James and the others have already returned all the property that was taken from your father,¡± as soon as she walked into the hospital ward, Aunt Lee told her the good news with a smile.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Jenna said in surprise. She remembered thest warning to their family. The date that they said was within three months. It seemed that they had actually fulfilled it.

    ¡°Miss, it is said that Mr. Hansen put pressure on them. They were afraid, so they returned the property,¡± Aunt Lee said happily.

    Jenna blinked, and then it suddenly became clear to her. This family was so greedy. How could they return the property so easily? Those few words were not enough of a deterrence.

    In fact, after that day, she had forgotten about it, and even though they didn¡¯t pay back, it was fine. After all, they were all rtives, plus her uncle was her father¡¯s brother. She didn¡¯t expect Hansen to help her settle this matter either.

    Thinking of Minnie, Jenna felt chills run down her spine.

    If they didn¡¯t dig their own graves, they wouldn¡¯t die. Pitiful people must have done something hateful. For such rtives, what sympathy didJennaneed to have for them? They didn¡¯t treat her as their rtive, so why did she bother feeling sad for them?

    All she had to do now was to smile, and everything would turn out fine!

 Chapter 179 The Cruel Reality

    The winter in A city was particrly cold that year.

    That morning, the wind stopped howling and the rain stopped pouring. Even a little ray of sunlight was seen.

    But just after lunch, there was the fluttering snowkes filled the sky.

    After Jenna ate lunch with her mother in the hospital, she felt so chilly that she kept trembling. For the past few days, Hansen was by her side to warm her but once he left, she realized that the weather was actually cold to the bone.

    She remembered her sable coat, which was one of the authentic treasures from abroad, made from the finest, most exquisite type of fur. It was reallysoft and kept her very warm.

    This coat was the dowry that Jenna¡¯s father gave her when he came back from a business trip to the north. Years had passed but its color was still dazzling. It was also Jenna¡¯s favorite. Even Hansen had praised her for looking graceful and radiant after putting on this sable coat.

    Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on Jenna¡¯s face. She sneezed after standing the cold for a while and decided to call a taxi to head toward Richards Manor.

    The living room in Green Jade Garden was lit with brilliant lights. It was lively there.

    The servants were busy tidying up the living room. Looking from a distance,figures were seen bustling around, which gave off a festive air.

    Was there an event? Jenna was a little puzzled.

    ¡°Gee,how did this b*tch still have the guts toe back?¡± A strange cry sounded from Jenna¡¯s left, the voice full of disgust. Hearing this voice, Jenna got goosebumps.

    It seemed that it had been a long time since she heard such unpleasant words that she had forgotten the humiliation she experienced in the past.

    Her expression changed slightly and she turned her head around.

    Minnie¡¯s face appeared in front of her. She was carrying a very exquisite-looking bag as she looked at Jenna with disdain. Her expression was gloomy and her eyes were gleaming with hatred.

    Jenna was stunned momentarily before she recalled that Hansen had taken back her property from them for her.Losing all those properties all of a sudden,Minnie must be resentful and angry.

    Jenna forced a faint smile onto her face. She had no intention of paying attention to this woman at all. She then turned her head away to enter the house.

    ¡°Tsk tsk, how shameless of you toe to your ex-husband¡¯s house after divorce. Worst of all, you have the guts to destroy other people¡¯s rtionships.¡± Minnie had moved back to the small and humid ce where she used to live before. She was destitute of money and very angry. When she saw Jenna, her anger grew, thinking that Jenna had manipted Hansen to get rid of their family. In her mind, Jenna pestered Hansen just to reim her property.

    Jenna had long been ustomed to Minnie¡¯s indifferent attitude. She didn¡¯t want to in any way interact with herbut her usations were humiliatingand Jenna was not going to let her go for that. She halted and turned around angrily.

    ¡°Minnie, please be respectful. Try to at least not trash other people when you¡¯re not any better yourself,¡±Jennasaid coldly.

    ¡°Respect you?¡± Minnieughed and said, ¡°You slut. Till now, you still don¡¯t feel ashamed. If I were you, I would get out of the manor now. You are a fool foring back.¡±

    Taking two steps closer, Minnie peered at her with disgust and said coldly, ¡°What are you hoping to gain from being by Hansen¡¯s side? Other than those properties, there¡¯s nothing for you. Let me tell you something you might be interested in. Aria and Hansen will get married soon and even Grandma Vivian has agreed. The wedding date is about to be set, you just watch and cry.¡±

    Having said that, sheughed loudly.

    Wedding? As Jenna listened to Minnie¡¯s words, she took a nce at her abominable face.She suspected that Minnie was trying to provoke her,therefore she spoke such nonsense.

    They had done so much to steal her family¡¯s property and out of nowhere, those possessions were taken back by Hansen. They were surely furious and would never give up the chance to humiliate her.

    Thus, Jenna just stared atMinnieand muttered ¡°boring¡± under her breath before walking away.

    Minnie was surprised to not see any reaction from Jenna; no anger, no sorrow, not even embarrassment. She wondered if Jenna really didn¡¯t love Hansen after all. Perhaps,Jennadidn¡¯t want to be the wife of the Richards family¡¯s first son? Could she have other intentions?

    ¡°I tell you, even if you want to be Hansen¡¯s mistress, it¡¯s useless. Aria will not let you go. Don¡¯t think that you¡¯ll have a good life when I live so horribly. Just you wait, you will only be more miserable than me in the future. Miserable. You hear me?¡± Minnie yelled in a viscous tone from behind Jenna.

    Her sinister voice was so sharp that Jenna¡¯s eardrums got a little pained.

    Suddenly, Jenna felt waves of nausea and she wanted to vomit.

    That shrill voice sent chills all over her body; Finally,Jennafelt cramps in her abdomen. Feeling ufortable, she covered her mouth and crouched down.

    ¡°Silence. How dare you speak toYoung Madamthat way.¡± A strict voice was heard from behind. Minnie turned around and was shocked to see a middle-aged woman in Richards Group¡¯s overalls and a pair of sses approaching her.

    She held her head high. Her aura would undoubtedly leave people awestruck.

    Minnie was a little surprised. Who was this servant? She held herposure so amazingly!

    Meroy stared sternly at Minnie, her eyes shing with a sharp light.

    She walked directly to Jenna and squatted down beside her. She then helped her up and said respectfully, ¡°Young Madam, what¡¯s wrong? Are you unwell?¡±

    Jenna suppressed the nauseating feeling and lifted her chin up. Realizing that it was Meroy, she smiled weakly and replied, ¡°Meroy, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Young Madam, you look very pale. Do you need any help?¡± Meroy looked at Jenna¡¯s face with concern and asked uneasily.

    Meroyhas worked with Vivian for a long time, she naturally would like Jenna as much as Vivian did. More importantly, Jenna had a pleasant character. She was bothelegant and noble, which made Meroy truly admire her.

    Jenna could be regarded as ady from one of the rich families but she didn¡¯t disy the indulgence and debauchery that was often portrayed by the rich. She was cautious, diligent, and intelligent in dealing with matters. Truth be told, not many women had those qualities.

    Meroy could see why Vivian valued Jenna so much.

    Vivian, who had experienced the ups and downs of life, was an expert in reading people. It was a pity that Jenna¡¯s life was tough. Meroy felt pity for Jenna who had faced nothing but tragedies after marrying into the Richards family. She felt more pity towards Javon, who had raised her daughter so well but ended up being mistreated this way. The world was unfair.

    Meroy only hoped that Hansen could love Jenna more, but with the current situation¡­

    She sighed lightly asthe light in her eyes dimmed, showing pity for Jenna.

    ¡°Meroy, I¡¯m really okay. It¡¯s just a cold. I will get better soon.¡± Jenna resisted the nauseating feeling that came up once again before lifting her chin and smiled.

    ¡°Your health is the most important thing. If you feel unwell, we must go to the hospital. We have to treat you promptly,¡± Meroy gently advised. ¡°Don¡¯t assume that you will be able to survive because you¡¯re young. A lot of the diseases that appear during old age are a result of negligence when we were young. You have lost a lot of weight recently and you look weak. Take care of your health, alright?¡±

    She spoke seriously and her expression was very solemn.

    Jenna just smiled and nodded.

    Meroy looked up and saw Minnie standing there giving her a once-over, her eyes filled with doubt and disdain. She was inspecting Meroy from head to toe as a sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth.

    Meroy had heard of Minnie before; she was the manager Aria had brought in. Only a few days after she came to Richards Manor, she had already picked on the servants in Green Jade Garden. The servants there hadined amongst themselves but no one dared to speak up.

    ¡°Young Madam, ignore what people say. Some of them have bad intentions. You don¡¯t need to care about those selfish people. Everyone knows the truth. Come on,Young Madam, let¡¯s speak elsewhere,¡± Meroy purposely said loudly as she swept her sharp stare towards Minnie.

    Following that, she helped Jenna to walk to the other side.

    Jenna instantly understood whatMeroymeant. She smiled at her as gratitude, and followed her to the side.

    ¡°Olddy, after Aria marries Hansen, I¡¯ll be sure to deal with you.¡± Of course, Minnie understood the ridicule and mockery in Meroy¡¯s words. Her face was flushed red. She couldn¡¯t help but curse internally. Seeing that they were already far away, she spat on the ground, then turned and walked toward Green Jade Garden.

    ¡°Old Madam has ordered me to invite you over.¡± After Meroy took Jenna away, she made sure that Minnie could not hear them anymore before whispering to Jenna.

    Jenna was stunned.

    ¡°Is Grandma looking for me?¡± she asked softly.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Meroy smiled and nodded. ¡°Recently, Old Madam often talks about you, saying that when I see you, I should ask you to go over to her as soon as possible.¡±

    Jenna felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She smiled slightly and asked with concern, ¡°Meroy, how is Grandma doing?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s okay.¡± Meroy nodded and sighed. ¡°She is fine but she worries too much. She¡¯ll exhaust herself, especially at this age.¡±

    Meroy spoke seriously.

    Jenna felt a little down when she heard it.

    Together, they walked toward Ink Garden.

    Vivian had a soft quilt covering her body and her eyes were closed while she rested.

    When Meroy walked in with Jenna, Vivian was lying on the chair with her head resting on the cushion as if she was asleep.

    ¡°Old Madam, Jenna is here,¡± Meroy quietly walked over and said softly into Vivian¡¯s ear.

    Vivian¡¯s eyes instantly snapped open, she was so excited that she tried to sit up.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Grandma, lie down. You don¡¯t need to sit up.¡± Jenna hurried forward and supported Vivian who was struggling to sit up.

    Vivian was old. Sitting up may be ufortable for her.

    ¡°Jenna, my child, you are here,¡± Vivian said while she reached out to hold Jenna¡¯s hand.

    She looked at Jenna with surprise, love, and anxiety in her eyes. Jenna could even see guilt and regret in her eyes, which was something Vivian shouldn¡¯t have felt at all in the first ce.

    A thought shed across Jenna¡¯s mind. She was confused.

 Chapter 180 Ocean Heart

    ¡°Quick, bring her a chair,¡± Vivianordered Meroy as sheheld Jenna¡¯s hand and stroked it gently.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Okay, Old Madam.¡± Meroy understood her thoughts and smiled slightly. Later, she ced a cushioned stool in front of her bed and sat Jenna down before sayingwith a smile, ¡°Old Madam thinks about you every day, she misses you more than her grandson. She¡¯s very happy to see you today. I¡¯ll let you talk to her now.¡±

    Having that said, she brought hot tea and put it at the side.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna nodded with thanks. Meroy smiled back and exited the room.

    Only the two of them were then left in the bedroom.

    ¡°Grandma, are you feeling well?¡± Jenna asked softly with a smile on her face. She stretched out her other hand to squeeze Vivian¡¯s hand as she saton the stool facing Vivian.

    Vivian¡¯s hands sped her hands tightly, for fear that she would disappear.

    ¡°Jenna, you have suffered. Look at you, you have lost a lot of weight. It is us, the Richards family, that is to me. More so, I have not done my duty to protect you,¡± Vivian said as the tears in her eyes rolled down her cheeks.

    Jenna was shocked. What was happening? Those things were not at all Vivian¡¯s fault. With that thought, she hurriedly took a tissue to wipe Vivian¡¯s tears and whispered, ¡°Grandma, you¡¯ve got it wrong. You have always treated me well. Putting my parents aside, you treat me the best in the world. I can¡¯t thank you enough.¡±

    She spoke sincerely. How lucky she was to have someone like Vivian in this world caring for her.

    ¡°You¡¯re a good girl.¡± Vivian held her hand tight, sighed deeply, and stopped mentioning this topic. After a while, she had thought of something and asked nervously, ¡°Jenna, is my son feeling better?¡±

    Jenna had guessed Vivian¡¯s intention behind inviting her over. She was prepared for it. Then, she smiled and reassured her, ¡°Grandma, please rest assured that Mr. Trevor¡¯s operation has been sessful but the follow-up recovery still needs some time. Despite that, he has a great chance of full recovery. Don¡¯t worry about it, Grandma. ording to the doctor, he is most likely going to be able to stand up again, so please don¡¯t fret. Plus, his hands can already move these days. The doctor told us that this is the first sign of recovery.¡±

    Jenna tried her best to slow down her speech and maintain a rxed and happy expression on her face.

    Sure enough, the dullness on Vivian¡¯s face disappeared. Feeling joyful, she stopped crying and murmured with excitement, ¡°Trevor, please get well soon. Hansen needs you now. Fortunately, you met such a good daughter-inw. This is all thanks to Jenna. I hope you¡¯ll thank her in the future.¡±

    The olddy¡¯s cheeks were flushed red from the excitementand her hand holding Jenna¡¯s gripped even tighter. Jenna too felt delighted upon hearing Vivian¡¯s words of affirmation.

    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t get too excited now. As I¡¯ve told you, everything will be fine,¡± she put her head close to Vivian¡¯s ear andforted her in a low voice.

    ¡°Yes, everything will be okay.¡± Grandma Richards was smiling from ear to ear. She couldn¡¯t calm down as she spoke again and again.

    ¡°Thank you, Jenna,¡± she looked at Jenna and said lovingly.

    Jenna smiled in response before saying, ¡°Grandma, you don¡¯t have to thank me for anything. Uncle Richards fainted three years ago, and it was all because of me. I just want to make up for it. ¡±

    Jenna had an apologetic expression on her face as she spoke.

    ¡°No, you¡¯re not to be med. I believe in you.¡± Vivian was ashamed when she heard Jenna ming herself. She shook her head and assured her.

    If Jenna could forgive her grandson and the Richards family for her sake, she would be contented.

    ¡°Grandma, do you trust me?¡± Vivian¡¯s affirmative words made Jenna feel like crying. Having Vivian¡¯s trustwas the best thing she could dream of.

    ¡°Of course, I never med you, Jenna,¡± Vivian said earnestlyand shook her hand again before letting go of Jenna¡¯s in search of something under the quilt. After a while, she took an old ck bag out.

    What was this? Jenna¡¯s nose was running and she didn¡¯t understand what Vivian was going to do, hence she just watched her, dazed.

    After a while, Vivian took out a wooden box from the bag. With her trembling hands, she opened the box. A delicate crimson brocade box appeared in Jenna¡¯s sight. This box was rtivelyrge and by the looks of the wood, she guessed that it had been made for some years already.

    Jenna was very surprised and didn¡¯t know what all of these meant.

    ¡°Here, Jenna, this is for you.¡± Vivian reached out and held Jenna¡¯s hands as she stuffed the box into her hands.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Jenna was puzzled.

    ¡°Open it and take a look,¡± Vivian said with an encouraging smile.

    Jenna was confused. She looked suspiciously at the brocade box in her hands. She hesitated to open it. Her gut feeling told her that this was probably a very precious thing. Was Grandma going to give it to her?

    On her birthday, Vivian gave her the right to inherit Richards Manor, which made her feel puzzled and embarrassed. She didn¡¯t want to inherit Richards Manor. It would make people think that she was plotting something but Vivian was very determined in giving it to her.

    She tried to refuse but Vivian got very mad and serious. She couldn¡¯t go against Vivian,therefore she still epted it in the end.

    Although she epted it, she felt uneasy. She didn¡¯t want to ept gifts from other people so casually, not to mention that it was such an expensive gift. Besides, the inheritance right of Richards Manor was not something ordinary people could get. Why was she the one to inherit it? As the saying went, no crops would grow without watering them daily. After all, she was not a member of this family, why should she inherit such a valuable property?

    However, Vivian was determined to give it to herand she couldn¡¯t understand why up till the present.

    Now that this thing was in her hands, what would it be?

    Why did Vivian treat her so well?

    In fact, from the very beginning,Jennacouldn¡¯t wrap her head around Vivian¡¯s kindness to her. She believed that she was not a particrly good wife to start with, and she did not benefit the Richards family. However, Vivian favored her. She felt unworthy of the gift Vivian had bestowed on her, that was why she had refused before.

    It was just that none of this was her choice to begin with.

    Maybe, this was fate!

    Thinking about this, Jenna¡¯s anxiety intensified even more.

    ¡°Jenna, open it.¡± Vivian saw that Jenna was in a daze with the brocade box. She knew that Jenna didn¡¯t want to open it. Despite that, she kept urging her to do so.

    Jenna lifted her eyes and saw that Vivian was eagerly looking forward to her reaction. Unwilling to disappoint her, Jenna bit her lower lip and slowly opened the box.

    Rays of light shot from the box, blinding her eyes.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes widened asshe stared at what was inside the box in awe.

    Inside the box was a diamond so big that it was at least fifty carats. It was colored in a rare dark blue, so deep and beautiful. The bedroom was illuminated by the brilliant light emitted from it. Jenna was amazed by its brightness; she was at a loss for words. Amidst the glow, she could clearly see the brilliant shine of the diamond.

    She guessed that a lot of people might have tried to snatch this precious jewelry, and many died over it too.

    She shuddered at the sight of it and hurriedly closed the brocade box.

    ¡°Grandma, what are you¡­¡± She looked at Vivian nervously, her voice trembling.

    ¡°Jenna, this is Ocean Heart, a precious diamond. There are only a few in the world. It¡¯s a treasure of the Richards family. We usually only pass this down to the wife of the eldest son.¡± Vivian paused and held Jenna¡¯s hand which was holding the jewelry with both of her hands. She solemnly said, ¡°Jenna, four years ago when you married Hansen, I should have given it to you. But at that time, the world was against you and even Hansen didn¡¯t want you to have it because he was afraid that it would bring disaster on you, thus I didn¡¯t give it to you. Today, although you have divorced Hansen, I am nothing but happy to give it to you. In my heart, you will always be Hansen¡¯s wife. No one can rece you. It¡¯s just that the world is unpredictable. There are some things even I can¡¯t control. I don¡¯t want the Richards family¡¯s treasure to fall into the wrong hands. If it does, Richards Manor will be in chaos. I have made this decision today to give it to you. Please remember to take good care of it at all times and not let it fall into the wrong hands. Jenna, don¡¯t publicize this either. Keep it private and be cautious as always. I believe you will keep it for me, only you deserve to own it.¡±

    Vivian exined everything in one breath and she was already panting heavily after she finished speaking.

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t ept such an expensive gift.¡± Jenna jumped up in shock and stuffed the brocade box back into Vivian¡¯s hands.

    Such an expensive gift-how could she ept it?

    No, she must be dreaming!

    She shook her head in disbelief.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± When Vivian saw that Jenna refused to ept the gift, her face was instantly filled with sorrow. The light in her eyes also dimmed and her tone got dull. ¡°Jenna, is it that you don¡¯t trust me? Is that why you don¡¯t want to ept my things?¡±

    Vivian¡¯s expression was very sad, even a little depressed.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case, Grandma,¡± Jenna¡¯s heart was beating wildly as she quickly shook her hands and exined nervously. ¡°Grandma, I don¡¯t deserve to have such a precious thing. Now that I have divorced Hansen, I¡¯m not his wife. You shouldn¡¯t pass down such a valuable thing to me. It should be given to Hansen¡¯s wife. I can¡¯t keep it because then I will feel uneasy.¡±

    Jenna really didn¡¯t want to upset Vivian, hence she exined as clearly as possible.

    In the Richards family,Jennawas nothing. Although she had promised Hansen to prepare for a remarriage, they were not making any progress yet. It was unreasonable to ept these precious things. Plus, it was not ordinary jewelry. That was the treasure of Richards Manor which had been passed down for generations,how could she ept it?

 Chapter 181 Grandmaâ€™s Great Trust

    ¡°Jenna, only I have the right to say whether you deserve this or not. Come here.¡± Vivian beckoned to her after figuring out her concerns.

    Jenna approached hesitantly; she was still nervous.

    ¡°Jenna, only you are truly worthy of this jewelry. Listen to me. I sincerely want to give it to you. Just take it for my sake. Take it, otherwise I cannot rest in peace.¡± Grandma Richards took her hand and tears were welling up in her eyes. ¡°My child, the Richards family has done you wrong, including me. I did not protect you. It is not your fault that you divorced Hansen. My grandson is unworthy and stubborn. He doesn¡¯t deserve someone like you. Since you once were a member of our family, I believe that it was fate. So, I am determined to give this jewellery to you. You don¡¯t need to refuse.¡± Vivian paused to catch her breath before continuing seriously, ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m not giving you this jewellery for nothing. I have some things I want you to help me with. ¡±

    When Jenna heard this, she was confused again. What was happening?

    Not only did the uneasiness in her heart not fade away, but it grew bigger and bigger.

    In the midst of her dilemma, Vivian¡¯s deste voice rang again. ¡°You don¡¯t have to hesitate. Hansen wouldn¡¯t find a woman who is more suitable for him than you. I can¡¯t watch after you two anymore. I don¡¯t know what the future holds for you but I¡¯m begging you.¡±

    When Vivian said this, her face was solemn and she took Jenna¡¯s hand with her gaze fixed on her.

    Jenna was very worried.

    ¡°Grandma, anything at all, as long as I can, I will try my best to help you.¡± She avoided Vivian¡¯s sad eyes. Her heart trembled before she said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Okay.¡± There was a glint of light in Vivian¡¯s eyes as she said solemnly, ¡°Jenna, no matter what happens in the future, please forgive my grandchildren and the Richards family. Can you do that for me?¡±

    After Vivian finished speaking, she took Jenna¡¯s hand and looked at her almost pleadingly.

    Jenna¡¯s heart shuddered. Her eyebrows furrowed slightlyand she looked at Vivian in confusion.

    She really couldn¡¯t figure out Vivian¡¯s words. Was she asking Jenna to forgive Hansen for hurting her in the past? She loved him deeply. Love could make one forgive everythingand she had already forgivenHansen. There was no need to give her such precious jewelry for this matter. She was still cracking her head when she heard Vivian sigh and spoke again.

    ¡°Jenna, maybe you won¡¯t understand it now, but one day you will understand my efforts. I only ask you to ept it. Only if you ept it will I feel at ease. If you are unwilling to ept it, it means that you will not forgive my grandson for my sake.¡±

    The look in Vivian¡¯s eyes was almost desperate.

    Jenna waspletely at a loss of words.

    ¡°Please, do it for me. If not, just keep it for me, okay?¡± Vivian begged her.

    Jenna felt like she was having a very bizarre dreamand she couldn¡¯t wake up at all.

    But, the ny-year-old Vivian kept begging her, which freaked her out.

    If she didn¡¯t agree with it, it will hurt Grandma¡¯s heart but if she agreed, how would she herself feel at ease?

    Jenna couldn¡¯t understand what was happening but at this moment, the sadness and disappointment in Vivian¡¯s eyes were so evident that she could hardly refuse.

    It would be cruel of her to let Vivian down. She lowered her head and thought about it carefully. She figured that she would promise Vivian first. If she couldn¡¯t handle it, she would give it to Hansen.

    Thinking of this, she bit her lip and agreed, ¡°Okay, Grandma, I will ept it.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Vivian¡¯s eyes shed with tears of hopeand she said repeatedly, ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Following that, she took out a few pieces of paper from the brocade box and handed it to Jenna with shaking hands.

    Jenna took it and examined it. She saw an invoice and a jewelry appraisal. However, the top piece of paper was what surprised Jenna.

    It was a notarized certificate with Vivian¡¯s autograph on it. On it wrote a clear statement that this jewelry was gifted to Jenna.

    Her hands began to tremble. It seemed that Vivian had prepared everything. It was definitely not a whim.

    Jenna was moved but uneasy. Was she really worthy of this gift?

    Vivian handed her the wooden box with both hands.

    Her hands were shaking, probably because of her aging. It was a bit difficult for her to hold this thing.

    Jenna went to get it from her in a hurry. As the wooden box was ced in her hand, she felt as if there was a ton of stone suddenly put on her shoulders, so heavy that she couldn¡¯t breathe.

    Vivian breathed a sigh of relief after the jewelry was handed over to Jenna.

    She then picked up a yellow envelope from the side of the bed and said seriously to Jenna, ¡°Jenna, regarding your father¡¯s death, I have sent someone to do some investigation and they managed to find some evidence. Even so, it¡¯s far from enough. I am old and can¡¯t do muchbut Hansen will finish it for me. Jenna, I once used this to force you to move into Richards Manor and whether you understood my intentions, I still insist on doing this. In fact, I did this not just to exchange terms with you, but to make you realize some things so that you will not have any regrets in the future. As I¡¯ve told you before, Hansen is a good child. He is righteous and loving. But, he has been in the spotlight since young, therefore he may be a little arrogant and unruly, making stupid decisions sometimes. However, his nature is really not that bad. When he found out about your father¡¯s death, he was devastated and has been actively investigating the cause of your father¡¯s death since then. This envelope only has a little information regarding your father. I n to transfer it to Hansen and let him finish it once and for all. I believe that he willsomedaygive you the answer you¡¯re looking for.

    Vivian¡¯s eyes were twinkling, and Jenna thought she was still strong and capable.

    Looking at the yellow envelope inVivian¡¯shand, her heart kept beating.

    On her birthday, Vivian had agreed to help investigate the cause of her father¡¯s death in exchange for Jenna moving into Richards Manor for three months.Vivianhad promised to give her a satisfactory answer within these three months.

    At that time, Jenna agreed without hesitationand even moved into Richards Manor regardless of what other people spoke of her.

    Now that almost three months had passed, Vivian still did not manage to give her aplete answer.

    ¡°Jenna, it has been almost three monthsbut things are not as simple as you think. Can you wait longer?¡± Vivian asked her seriously.

    Jenna was silent and did not speak.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,no matter what decision you make, I will not force you.¡± Vivian sighed,¡°Jenna, can you agree to one more request?Stay in Richards Manor longer to give Hansen time to find out the truth about your father¡¯s death. Only then do you make a decision, okay?¡±

    Vivian looked at her earnestly.

    Jenna had not fully understood what Vivian meant, nor had she understood the reason why Vivian said that. In fact,she currently had the right to inherit Richards Manor. Moreover, her rtionship with Hansen was very good and she didn¡¯t think about leaving.

    Vivian spoke again,¡°Your father¡¯s affairs will be a bitplicated as you go further into the investigation. I hope that you can stay with Hansen and find out the truth. It will bring justice for your father, and through this, you will understand each other¡¯s feelings and see things more clearly. By then, no matter what decision you make, I will support you and ept it.¡±

    Jenna stood there. After thinking for a while, she reassured Vivian by saying, ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. I love Hansen very much. I don¡¯t want to leave him nor Richards Manor. I understand that I have to fight for what I love.¡±

    She spoke firmly and Vivian was pleased to hear that.

    With that being said, she said goodbye to Vivian and strolled out of Ink Garden.

    ¡°Old Madam, are you just letting her return to Richards Manor like this? For sure, she will know about Aria¡¯s pregnancy. Wouldn¡¯t it be too cruel?¡± Meroy looked at Jenna¡¯s back and recalled Jenna¡¯s encounter with Minnie, therefore she asked worriedly.

    Vivian¡¯s eyes showed a glint of light. Deep helplessness was apparent in her gaze.

    ¡°What can I do? How long can such a thing stay hidden? It is the reality. If Hansen really loves her, he will find a way to make it up to her. If their rtionship reallyes to an end, that¡¯s fate. This is the will of Heaven, what can I do? Poor child.¡± At this point, Vivian wiped her tears as her heart ached for Jenna. ¡°It would be best if I die so that I won¡¯t witness anything. But, I¡¯m still alive. This is really painful for me to watch.¡±

    Vivian spoke with tears streaming down her cheeks.

    Meroy sighed and felt very sad as well.

    The sky was gloomy and snow flew all over the sky.

    Jenna was carrying an inconspicuous ck bag. No one would have thought that this bag contained the world-famous Ocean Heart. Such a rare treasure was in Jenna¡¯s hands at the moment but there was no joy in her heart. Shewas burdened instead.

    In the living room of Richards Manor, Marissa was sitting on the sofa chatting with Earl and Georgia. Aria pursed her lips, frowning every now and then. Every time she frowned, Georgia would reach out to touch her face and ask, ¡°Aria, are you ufortable?¡±

    Aria would then make a face which indicated that she wanted to vomit.

    Marissa would be very nervous for her whilst ordering people to bring things forward from time to time.

    Whenever Aria felt like vomiting, the living room would be in chaos.

 Chapter 182 Why So Foolish?

    ¡°My dear daughter, it is tough for a woman to carry a child. You have to bear it for now. Why hasn¡¯t Hansene back? Shouldn¡¯t he as your husband apany you more when you are pregnant?¡± Georgia was unhappy to see her daughter feeling unwend she began toin.

    At this time, Marissa could only smile and ordered people to bring all kinds of things that Aria liked to eat.

    Aria was like a favored doll, so treasured and immersed in all kinds of love.

    ¡°Hansen is also very inconsiderate. Today is Aria¡¯s birthday and she is pregnant. Even so, I don¡¯t see himing back. No matter how busy he is at work, he should take some time off for her,¡± Georgia nagged, annoyed.

    When Jenna walked in, Aria had just finished vomiting and was whining ufortably.

    Marissa and Georgia were fidgeting around her.

    No one except for a few servants in the living room saw Jennae in. Their jaws dropped to the ground as they whispered to each other and stared at her.

    ¡°Hurry up and take out the birthday cake, champagne, and some fruits. When Young Masteres back, this birthday celebration will begin.¡± Dahlia had her back to Jenna hence she did not see her quietly walk in. Dissatisfied, she shouted at the servants who stood still, seemingly in a daze.

    It turned out that it was Aria¡¯s birthday. No wonder the fancy decorations!

    A mocking smile appeared on Jenna¡¯s face. She saw Marissa busy helping Aria. After thinking about it, she turned around and walked upstairs.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, look, a shameless woman just came in.¡± Just as Jenna wanted to go upstairs unnoticed, Minnie caught sight of her and screamed.

    It was this cry that shocked everyoneand their eyes all turned toward Jenna.

    The moment they fixed their eyes on her, they were all frozen to the spot.

    The living room became quiet, so quiet that they could hear the sound of a needle falling to the ground.

    Jenna immediately felt their gaze piercing through her like needles. Their stares made her skin crawl as if they were about to swallow her alive.

    Biting her lip, she forced a smile and politely greeted Marissa before turning around to leave.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Marrisa, why has this woman not moved away? Didn¡¯t Hansen send her away? Why did shee back?¡± Georgia questioned Marissa, seemingly unsatisfied with what she saw.

    Marissa smiled awkwardly and parted her lips but she couldn¡¯te up with anything.

    ¡°Since Grandma Richards has agreed to their marriage, Aria will be Hansen¡¯s wife. We are nobles. There is definitely no room for peasants like her in this family. How embarrassing if this news spreads out.¡± Georgia¡¯s face turned dark, her voice full of arrogance. She couldn¡¯t wait to throw Jenna out immediately.

    Jenna stood with her eyebrows furrowed and she stared at Georgia coldly. She wanted to see what Georgia would do.

    ¡°Young Madam, are you back?¡± Aunt Ecame out of the kitchen andsaw what was going on. Everyone present was afraid of Aria¡¯s power and dared not approach Jenna. It was rumored that Vivian agreed to the marriage between Aria and Hansen. Jenna was clearly at a disadvantage. The servants would not dare to serve her openly, for fear that it would offend Aria and lead them to punishment.

    Aunt E had disliked Aria¡¯s family since a long time ago. Initially, Vivian assigned her here to take care of Jenna. She didn¡¯t care aboutAria or thepunishment. She just rushed over to say hello to Jenna when she saw her.

    Jenna understood Aunt E¡¯s thoughts. She smiled slightly at her and nodded.

    ¡°Young Madam, let¡¯s go upstairs. Young Master has something to give to you,¡± Aunt E said to Jenna with a smile. Some time ago, everyone here weed Jenna with the brightest of smiles. But, at present, Aria was pregnant and everything changed. Besides, Jenna would feel ufortable in this current situation as Aria¡¯s family would definitely bash her.

    Leaving this ce and ignoring them was the best n. Aunt E said this deliberately while quickly pulling Jenna upstairs.

    ¡°Stop.¡± Aria stood up. She smiled and said very kindly, ¡°Jenna, since you¡¯re here,e sit with us. Let¡¯s have a chat.¡±

    Speaking of this, she pointed to Larry and ordered, ¡°Larry, go and bring Jenna over to let her take a seat.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ This¡­¡± Due to her arrogance and poor attitude these days, Larry didn¡¯t know what to do.

    ¡°Why, are you not obeying mymands now?¡± Aria was furious. She put a hand over her forehead, her face twisted with difort as she felt nauseated right then again.

    Anyone in their right minds would know that Aria was deliberately messing with Jennaand that was why she channeled her anger at Larry, but no one dared to speak.

    ¡°Oh, Aria, don¡¯t be angry. It is not good for the child. This is not a big deal.¡± Georgia saw that her daughter was angry and stood up in a panic. Holding Aria steady, she said to Marissa with a dark expression on her face, ¡°Marissa, Aria is carrying Hansen¡¯s own flesh and blood, your grandchild. You can¡¯t let Aria get angry. Look at that woman, always so self-centered. She doesn¡¯t even treat Aria right. Aria didn¡¯t mind having her sit with us but look at her bad attitude. She treats us as if we¡¯re invisible. Moreover, your servants are absolutely ridiculous. They don¡¯t even listen to Aria. This is awful.¡±

    Her remark made Marissa put on her signature smile. Thinking about it, there was nothing wrong. After all, Aria was carrying her grandson in her womb. She then immediately scolded Larry, ¡°You are ridiculous. Aren¡¯t you an old employee of Richards Manor? It seems to me that you can¡¯t even tell what¡¯s our priority at this point. I will not forgive you if something happens to Aria and the child.¡±

    Larry was so scared by Marissa¡¯s words that she hurriedly walked toward Jenna.

    Jenna exhaled. What were they talking about?

    Did she really not understand?

    Marissa had put it out so clearly.

    Aria was pregnant!

    Moreover, today was her birthday and Hansen wasing over to celebrate with her.

    Jenna stood still for a long time and could not hear any sound in her ears.

    There was only one thing on her mind.

    Aria was pregnant.

    ¡°Young Madam, wake up!¡± Aunt E saw Jenna¡¯s face turn as white as a ghost. Her whole figure was glued to the spot like a statue. Aunt E got very worried and started to shake Jenna lightly.

    Jenna still stood there, her eyes wide open.

    But, her surroundings and everything that was happening showed the fact.

    How could she be so stupid to not understand this? In reality, she refused to believe it; she didn¡¯t want to know!

    However, Georgia wanted to make sure that Jenna would hear it loud and clear, therefore she shouted again.

    ¡°Aria, it¡¯s fine if that woman doesn¡¯t know how to appreciate your efforts. Don¡¯t worry about that kind of woman. After all, you will be Mrs. Richards soon. Don¡¯t associate with these peasants. Plus, you have to let go of your worries because it is not good for the baby. Hansen and Grandma Richards will be happy to have a healthy child in the future. Don¡¯t worry, he is Hansen¡¯s son. Hansen will definitely love him. I bet he¡¯s just momentarily attracted by that brat now but it is only temporary. As long as you give birth to a child with peace of mind, everything will be fine. Hurry up, sit down, and take care of the baby. It is your birthday today.¡±

    Georgia¡¯s voice was louder than ever. Although she was speaking to Aria, she had never stopped mentioning Hansen. It was purposely done to insult Jenna.

    Jenna heard every word, clear as crystal.

    Aria was pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child! She was pregnant!

    Jenna¡¯s head started spinning.

    That voice kept yelling in her head and it kept going louder. It made her suffer from a splitting headache.

    Her face was pale and her body was shakingas if she would fall down at any moment. Jenna¡¯s stomach felt ufortable.

    ¡°Young Madam.¡± Aunt E¡¯s anxious voice rang in her ears. She was holding Jenna steady with one arm as she kept calling her.

    Jenna¡¯s facial expression frightened her. Her face was so pale that there was no trace of blood in it; she was absolutely stunned. Her eyes were hollow, her limbs numb, and she didn¡¯t move. It was as if she was a string puppet.

    Aunt E was shocked. She had never seen Jenna this way before.

    She was too anxious and didn¡¯t know what to do!

    This blow was too harsh for Jenna.

    Of course, no woman could tolerate her beloved man making another woman pregnant.

    Aunt E was very worried that Jenna would fall down and there would be an ident.

    Hence, she firmly supported Jenna with her arm. She was about to cry.

    Georgia and Aria saw Jenna¡¯s reaction, looked at each other and smiled, seemingly very satisfied. This was the most pleasing moment they¡¯ve had in so long.

    After a long moment of silence, the telephone began to ring.

    Everyone hurriedly looked at their cell phones, and soon their eyes turned to Jenna.

    The ring came from Jenna¡¯s bag.

    The melody was very beautiful and pleasant.

    The song soon brought a trace of warmth to the freezing-cold air but Jenna felt nothing except coldness from it.

    The ringtone sounded over and over again, finally pulling Jenna¡¯s thoughts back by a little bit.

    Jenna listened to the familiar ringtone many times a day, and with such a sound, she was slowly pulled back into reality.

    When the phone rang for the fifth time, she finally came back to her senses.

    Opening the bag, she took out the phone.

    Without even looking who the caller was, sheepted the cand brought the phone to her ear.

 Chapter 183 Utterly Disgusting

    ¡°Jenna, where are you?¡± Hansen¡¯s anxious voice sounded through the phone.

    Jenna hadn¡¯t spoken for a long time and a poignant smile gradually appeared at the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°Jenna, speak, where are you?¡± Hansen¡¯s voice became even more anxious. He kept asking over the phone.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna had a sneer on her face.

    ¡°I¡¯m now in the living room of Richards Manor,¡± she said aloud, enunciating each word slowly.

    After only saying a few words, she resolutely hung up the phone, turned it off, and put it back into her bag.

    At this instant, Hansen¡¯s phone fell to the ground ashe was shocked. His heart sank immediately.

    The thing he feared the most finally came even though he tried to cover it up so thatJennawould not find out. In the end, she still did!

    Why, why didn¡¯t she listen to him? Why did she go back to Richards Manor?

    Wasn¡¯t she digging her own grave?

    He was already trying toe up with a n, whycouldn¡¯t she be more patient?

    This thought only stayed for a second before he realized something more terrifying. He then rushed downstairs and sped toward Richards Manor.

    Jenna, wait for me, please don¡¯t do anything stupid! Hansen shouted inwardly.

    Georgia and the others were also in the living room. Would they hurt her?

    Almost no one in that family would help her!

    What would happen to her?

    Anxiety flooded his mind. He ran the red lights along the wayand rushed toward Richards Manor as fast as he could.

    ¡°Young Madam, let¡¯s go upstairs and rest,¡± Aunt E whispered worriedly beside Jenna.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Jenna finally returned to her senses, smiled, and answered briefly.

    Aunt E helped her as they walked upstairs cautiously.

    Jenna¡¯s consciousness was still ck. She couldn¡¯t concentrate and her body felt numb. Aunt E helped her as she walked mechanically. Sometimes she would stumble between the stairs, then Aunt E would help her up and stabilize her, talking softly beside her.

    The whole walk from the stairs to the bedroom, Jenna¡¯s mind was nk. Even as Aunt E helped her sit down on the sofa, her eyes were still empty and they had no focus.

    ¡°Young Madam, wake up,¡± Aunt E said with tears in her eyes. ¡°That family has been that way since the past, always using their power to bash others. You must act wise, Young Madam. Don¡¯t fret about them. Young Master likes you, I know that. Don¡¯t be discouraged or intimidated by them. You have to be strong.¡±

    With tears in her eyes, Aunt E rubbed Jenna¡¯s hands.Poor child! She thought to herself.

    How harsh the reality was!

    Women were most afraid of encountering these things.

    Nevertheless, what was done was done, and they must be strong and face these problems.

    Aunt Ecould only keepforting her.

    But what worriedAunt Emost was that this time, even Old Madam who had always stood by her side to defend her agreed that the Young Master should marry Aria. What did this indicate?

    It meant that Aria would soon be Mrs. Richards. Young Madam would be miserable then!

    Thinking of this, she felt worried for Jenna.

    At present, they could only count on the Young Master!

    But,Aunt Estill didn¡¯t know who the Young Master¡¯s feelings belonged to.

    She even heard rumors a few days ago that it was Young Master who sent Young Madam away due to Aria¡¯s pregnancy.

    If so¡­

    Aunt E barely dared to think about it.

    All she could do at the moment was to apany Jenna during these low times.

    There were no tears in Jenna¡¯s eyes and her senses gradually came back. When she returned to reality, she saw Aunt E beside her wiping her tears with a tissue.

    ¡°Aunt E, I want to rest. You may leave,¡± Jenna smiled at her. She was grateful for Aunt E¡¯spany.

    ¡°Young Madam, don¡¯t do anything stupid. Young Master likes you. Don¡¯t be discouraged and don¡¯t lose your cool. Even though she is pregnant, it¡¯s no use if the baby turns out to be a girl. As long as Young Master likes you, everything will be fine. The more important thing is who is in Young Master¡¯s heart,¡± Aunt E reminded her. She then felt relieved when she saw that Jenna had recovered her senses.

    Women were to be loved by men. As long as there was love from their beloved man, that was enough.Young Master must love Young Madam a lot. Aunt E was experienced in rtionships; she could sense it. Thinking of this, Aunt E was also relieved.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aunt E. I know what to do,thank you for your concern.¡± Jenna nodded and smiled slightly. Even so, she couldn¡¯t help but feel nauseated and wanted to vomit.

    Aunt E saw her tired expression and was convinced that she really wanted to rest.Therefore, she urged her over and over again until Jenna agreed to all the terms and conditions. Only then did she leave.

    As soon as Aunt E walked out, Jenna stood up and quickly locked the door.

    Just as she turned around, her insides turned to jelly. Her stomach was churning. She instantly rushed to the bathroom and vomited.

    Only when she finished vomiting did the nausea subside.

    After she finished vomiting, she was sweating all over and she struggled to get up but failed miserably.

    Putting down the toilet lid, she leaned against it while panting lightly.

    Her mind was still nk; she was lost. She didn¡¯t know what the next step was.

    She wanted to stand up and rest on the cozy bed but she didn¡¯t have any strength.

    When Hansen rushed in hurriedly, he found out that the door was locked.

    ¡°Jenna!¡± he yelled anxiously outside. When there was no response, he took out the key to open the door.

    The door cracked open. He then saw that the bedroom was empty.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna!¡± He was sweating horribly from being in such a hurry as he shouted.

    The bathroom door was closed.

    He ran toward the bathroom.

    ¡°Jenna, are you in there?¡± He knocked on the door a few times. The door wouldn¡¯t budge as it was locked from the inside.

    He was sure that she was in the bathroom, hence he knocked harder. When she did not respond, he looked inside through the gap between the wall and the door. He shouted, ¡°Jenna, are you inside? Open the door.¡±

    Jenna leaned weakly against the toilet lid. Hansen¡¯s anxious voice rang in her ears. She was so weak that she could not even stand up.

    He mmed on the door very loudly. His once so soothing voice sounded so sharp and harsh that instant.

    She covered her ears with her hands and shrieked.

    It was so painful. The sound was so piercing and painful to hear as it echoed inher head. Her head was spinning and her stomach was getting more and more ufortable. Her hands were trembling. She opened up the toilet lid and started puking again.

    She burst into tears as she vomited. Mucus flowed out from her noseand her face flushed red.

    Repeatedly wiping her face with the toilet paper, her nose and lips were rubbed red.

    Hansen heard low noises and running water inside. He didn¡¯t know what was happening, thus he got even more anxious.

    Unfortunately, there was no spare key for the bathroom. He was worried that something might happen to her inside, therefore he knocked on the door harder and shouted.

    Aunt E saw Hansen rush back and knew instantly that he came back for Young Madam. Feeling very pleased and happy for Jenna, she hurriedly followed behind him.

    ¡°Young Madam,Young Master is back to see you. Please open the door,¡± Aunt E yelled outside.

    After a while, Jenna finally calmed down, wiped the dirt on her face, and slowly stood up.

    They were just too noisy!

    She wanted to go out!

    As she opened the door, even when her face was as pale as a ghost, her eyes were calm.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Hansen saw Jenna walking out from the bathroom unharmed. He rushed toward her and hugged her tightly.

    Aunt E smiled, left the room, and closed the door.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡­¡± Hansen hugged her tightly, not knowing what to say.

    Jenna was held tightly in his arms. Smelling the familiar mint cologne, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said coldly, ¡°Let go of me.¡±

    ¡°No, Jenna, I don¡¯t want to let you go,¡± Hansen said in a panic as he hugged her even tighter and muttered something to himself.

    ¡°Let me go!¡± Jenna bit her lip and shouted.

    ¡°No, please don¡¯t do this, Jenna.¡± Hansen held her tightly and shook his head. He felt goosebumps rising on his skin as Jenna spoke with that cold and determined voice. He had never heard her speak in such a way beforeand it terrified him.

    She knew about everything and she hated him.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t. Please listen to me.¡± Embracing her tightly, he lowered his head and kissed her cheek hard. It seemed like the only way to truly have her and let her know how much he loved her.

    Jenna¡¯s body was too weak to fight his powerful arms. She could not escape while he was kissing her.

    His kisses were like raindrops on her face. All the kisses were making her face a little heated up.

    Jenna was heartbroken but she couldn¡¯t bear to refuse him. Thus, she only bit her lips hard and dodged all his kisses, doing her best to show her disinterest in him.

    Hansen was not willing to give up. His lips consumed her lips, his tongue was against her teeth, crazy and persistent. Not longter, she groaned. She was no match for him. Taking advantage of this, his tongue entered. Hepletely possessed her and kissed her contentedly. He figured that this was the only way to have her as his own; this was the only way to not be afraid that she would leave him.

    A drop of tear slipped from the corner of Jenna¡¯s eyes.

    No, she must be cautious. She would not be tricked by his so-called love anymore. She would not allow herself to bepletely controlled and her feelings fooled around with.

    At the right opportunity, she aimed and bit down on his lips.

    She didn¡¯t let go until she tasted blood in their mouths.

    Hansen had gone crazy. Despite having bloodtrickling down the corners of his mouth, he didn¡¯t feel any pain at all and continued to kiss her regardless.

    A strong stench of blood permeated between them. The scent was so horrid that Jenna suddenly felt nauseated again. She didn¡¯t know where the strength came from but she somehow managed to push him away.

 Chapter 184 Disheartened

    With a burp, intense nausea made Jenna vomit onto Hansen¡¯s clothes. She couldn¡¯t control herself. She directly squatted and threw up onto the ground.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s wrong? Are you sick?¡± Hansen was shocked. Ignoring the filth on his body, he hurriedly knelt down beside her.

    Jenna¡¯s cheeks were flushed red and her forehead was beaded with cold sweat.

    Hansen reached out to hug her.

    ¡°Let go of me. Go away!¡± Jenna suddenly stood up and shouted at him.

    Her eyes were cold as frost while she remained expressionless. Her look was filled with disappointment, despair and loneliness, and somewhere inside, a hint of hatred.

    Hansen panicked in an instant. Too scared to look at her eyes, he lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut in pain.

    Jenna calmly walked to the bathroom. As she saw the red blood at the corner of her mouth, she lifted a corner of her mouth.

    She then turned on the faucet, took a towel to wipe off the blood stain from the corner of her mouth, and drank some water.

    After she came out, she opened the closet and wore the sable coat.

    When Hansen opened his eyes, he saw Jenna putting on the coat. Her pale and thin face was shaded under the hood, and it revealed so little that he could only see the coldness in her eyes.

    He shuddered and looked at her silently.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna walked to the side of the bead and stroked the wooden box in the ck bag that Vivian had given her; she seemed to be thinking about something.

    ¡°Jenna, are you unwell?¡± Hansen asked bitterly. He thought of her vomiting moments ago and felt uneasy.

    Jenna didn¡¯t lift her head; she didn¡¯t even want to look at him.

    ¡°If you feel ufortable, shall I take you to the hospital?¡± he asked in a low voice, begging.

    ¡°You make me sick,¡± Jenna replied coldly, her stare sending chills running down his spine. In fact, her face was as cold as ice, and she did not show mercy at all.

    Hansen¡¯s heart sank and his face darkened.

    After a while, Jenna took the bag with her and walked out.

    ¡°Jenna, where are you going?¡± Hansen freaked out. He was frightened of what she would do and he went to grab her.

    Currently, Jenna was behaving so calmly. It scared him. She had never been this calm before. It seemed that she would nevere back once she left and they could never meet again.

    The feeling was so terrible; it made him horrified.

    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Jenna spoke louder. Her voice was so emotionless. She was looking straight at the ground and pulled away from him. That instant, he felt that she would get thousands of miles away from him if she could.

    Such an indifferent Jenna made Hansen feel scared and at a loss of words.

    He was so flustered that he let go of his hand.

    With that, Jenna headed outside.

    Hansen followed behind her closely. All the way, he had his head lowered like a child who had made a mistake, who was trying to beg her for forgiveness. He didn¡¯t dare to approach her, let alone pull her back.

    Everyone in the living room stood up.

    They all looked at Jenna and Hansen.

    Jenna raised her head slightly but her face was still hidden under the sable. Nobody could see her faceand she didn¡¯t look at the faces of the wicked people that made her sick. Without a word, she walked outside with firm steps.

    She didn¡¯t know where to go.

    She just knew that she wanted to leave quickly, otherwise, she would be sick again.

    On the other hand, Hansen did not dare to let her leave alone, therefore he followed her all the way.

    The indifference she radiated made him afraid but the look in her eyes made him even more worried.

    If she had any ident because of this, he would never forgive himself.

    ¡°Hansen, Hansen!¡± Just as Hansen was about to follow Jenna out of Green Jade Garden¡¯s living room, Aria called after him with that annoying girly voice of hers. She ran toward him and grabbed his arm.

    ¡°Hansen, today is my birthday. You promised to celebrate it with me.¡± Watching Hansen going after Jenna, she hurriedly rushed over and took his arm. She looked at him with puppy eyes and pouty lips.

    Her grip was strong; she was pulling him back.

    ¡°Let go,¡± Hansen turned his head with furrowed eyebrows and looked at her sharply as he spoke in a cold voice.

    Aria retracted her hands, shocked by his piercing gaze. Tears then came streaming down her cheeks and she sobbed. ¡°Hansen, you promised me that you¡¯ll celebrate my birthday.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s expression was cold and he said indifferently, ¡°I see. I will have Butler Maud send you a birthday presentter.¡±

    After he finished speaking, he stopped looking at her and chased Jenna immediately.

    Jenna heard Aria¡¯s voice from behind.

    She didn¡¯t want to hear their disgusting conversation,hence she quickly walked out.

    She didn¡¯t want to stay there a minute more, or else, she would have puked ten more times, sickened by them.

    As soon as she got into the car, she asked the driver to get away from there speedily.

    Because of the short conversation with Aria, when Hansen came out, the car that Jenna was in had already started moving, leaving him behind.

    That woman.

    He cursed on the inside. He was worried that something would happen to her but he had no idea where she was heading. Her cold expression toward him shed across his mind, which made him uneasy.

    He hurriedly called Butler Maud.

    Soon, another car from another garage came over.

    ¡°Quick.¡± Hansen hopped into the car and said to the driver,¡°Catch up with that car in front.¡±

    Fortunately, Richards Manor was huge. When Hansen¡¯s car arrived at the gate, he saw Jenna¡¯s car driving out of the underground parking lot.

    He stayed there, watching her car drive past him.

    However, he was not in a hurry then. Since thest time one of the luxurious cars of the Richards Group was embezzled, he had installed satellite positioning systems on all thepany cars. Of course, the car that Jenna was in was no exception.

    He wasn¡¯t worried about where she was going,but her current situation was very unsuitable for a long drive. Feeling anxious, he hurriedly walked to the underground parking lot.

    Aria stood rooted to the ground, watching Hansen¡¯s figure disappearing from her sight.

    Was this the birthday celebration that he promised her?

    He was only giving her a present, and was that it?

    That day, owners from all the gardens of Richards Manor, including Grandma Richards, gave her gifts. Aria was so happy, thinking that Hansen would stay with her for a day as he promised.

    However, she didn¡¯t expect that what he meant was just giving her a simple gift, like everyone else in Richards Manor. Only a gift.

    What did she need the gift for?

    What she wanted was Hansen, for him to spend time with her, not some gift Butler Maud chose.

    Grieved in disappointment, tears came streaming out.

    ¡°Aria.¡± Earl walked up and took her to her bedroom.

    ¡°Dad, I can¡¯t stand this. He only cares about that woman. I want her to be gone.¡± As soon as they entered the bedroom, Aria sprawled on the bed, crying and yelling.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Earl scolded in a low voice.

    Aria stopped crying and looked at Earl in surprise.

    ¡°You silly girl! How could I have such a stupid daughter?¡± Earl was furious when he heard his daughter¡¯s inappropriate words.

    ¡°Dad, how can you say that I¡¯m stupid?¡± Aria retorted with tears in her eyes.

    ¡°Aria, when will you learn to think wisely?¡± Earl sat down and said earnestly, ¡°If you continue like this, you won¡¯t be happy even when you get married.¡±

    What? Aria¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Earl, puzzled.

    ¡°Aria, you can¡¯t rush anything. You have to learn to let go andnot just be stuck here.¡± Earl disliked his daughter¡¯s stubbornness. He exined, ¡°Now what? Grandma Richards has agreed to your marriage, but what does this mean? It means that Hansen will marry you. With the child in your womb, from a moral standpoint, Grandma Richards can only agree. Once she agrees, you will be the Young Madam of Richards Manor. Isn¡¯t this enough? You have everything,what else do you want? All rich men fool around outside. As long as the woman doesn¡¯t have a title, they won¡¯tst long. Plus, you already have the title. For the time being, let¡¯s take it slow. Not to mention that what he has with that woman happened a long time ago. No matter who you marry, you must tolerate their actions and have a forgiving heart, do you understand?¡±

    Earl¡¯s persuasive statement finally made everything clear for Aria. That day, everyone in the Richards Manor came to celebrate her birthday. What did this show?

    It showed that they regarded her as the Young Madam of the Richards family.

    Thinking of this, a happy smile appeared on Aria¡¯s face.

    ¡°Aria, don¡¯t mention wanting that woman to disappear anymore. You¡¯re seeking destruction. Even idiots won¡¯t talk like this. If you do, I will not be able to help you. It¡¯s a blessing that you have gotten what you wanted. In a few days, I will spill some news to the media that you are pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child and that Grandma Richards has agreed to your marriage. The media for sure will put pressure on Hansen. Don¡¯t fret, as long as you give birth to a child, Hansen wille back to you sooner orter with the public pressuring him. He has no other way but to marry you.¡± Earl was confident. He said, ¡°Now, most importantly, you have to be patient. If he wants to hook up with some woman outside, let him be. As long as you give birth to a descendant of the Richards family, he wille back to you eventually. After all, you are his wife.¡±

    This remark pleased Aria. Thinking about it, it made sense. After all, she has gotten a lot.

    Who did Jenna think she was? What they had was just some foolish loveand their feelings would definitely die once everyone found out.

    Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Aria¡¯s face.

    She could finally have Hansen to herself, the man she has always lovedas well as the magnificent Richards Manor and the Richards Group. It didn¡¯t matter what she would need to lose at the moment.

    Let them be together for a few more days! After all, Jenna was nothing but a mistress without a title. Aria thought to herself.

    Aria¡¯s patience would suffice;she had no reason to fret.

    Thinking of this, she held Earl¡¯s hand and walked with him into the living roomughing.

 Chapter 185 Never Forgive

    The snow barged in along with the harsh winds. Jenna would have been swallowed by the snow if she did not have her coat, keeping her warm.

    Standing on the stone bridge, she leaned against a pier made of stone. Under the bridge was the flowing river, its water yet to freeze, its depth unknown.

    She stood on the pier, staring nkly at the gushing current of the river.

    This was a river at the outskirts, its course traversing the whole of A city. Snowkes filled the air; there were barely any people here in this weather.

    She looked at the river silently.One stepforward was all it took. She would leap into the riverand any pain she had would no longer exist.

    However, she stood, unmoving. She merely faced the river as she stared into space.

    Hansen came and saw her standing there, bracing the wind andsnow. Her body was leaning forward slightly.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± He held his breath and felt nervous.

    If she had jumped, he would probably be unable to save her, even if he were willing to trade his life and get as many men he had to the rescue.

    This was a river, not a stream. Its unfathomable depthid below the surface. Anyone who leapt into it would not even think of surviving.

    ¡°Stay away from me.¡± Jenna heard footsteps approaching her.She turned around and pointed at him. Her body wasshivering andcovered in snow, her voice breaking as she screamed.Her frail figure looked like she would fall into the river anytime.

    Hansen¡¯s chest tightened and he looked at her nervously.¡°Jenna, would you please listen to me?¡±Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    He tried to approach her and articted his words carefully.

    ¡°Get lost. If youe any closer, I will jump immediatelyand you will never see me again,¡± she gritted her teeth and said harshly.

    He halted and did not dare to step forward anymore.

    ¡°Jenna,e over here. I have something to sayto you.¡± He waved at her with a smile,showing hope and anticipation in his eyes.

    She looked at him, her icy stare freezing him to his bones.

    ¡°What do you have to say? That Aria is pregnant? Or that you¡¯re preparing to get married?¡± Her voice hung in the air. As if it was a painful curse, Hansen paled upon hearing it. He tried to speak but could not utter a word.

    She saw him grow silent and sneered.

    ¡°You did everything you could to stop me from going back to Richards Manor, just to hide the truth from me. Did you want to keep me obliviousand continue to y with my feelings?¡± She clenched her jaw anddid not stop asking as the questions pained her.¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s not what you think it is,¡± Hansen snapped out of it and denied loudly.

    ¡°Not what I think it is?¡± Sheughed.¡°Hansen Richards,do you still want to lie to me?I was stupid to believe you,again and again, believing that you loved me. How was I so dumb? I will never believe you again.¡±

    Tears started to roll down her cheeks. ¡°What have I done to you to deserve this? Why do you lie to me and hurt me over and over? Just because you didn¡¯t want to marry me? If you wanted to marry Aria, you could¡¯ve told me sooner. I have no objections, but why did you lie to my face? Do you just sweet talk to every woman and make useless promises on how you wanted to marry them? How could you?¡±

    She cried in full force and felt a sharp pain in her chest. She crouched down on the ground, her tears bitter. She bit her lip tightly as she remembered his sweet, deceiving words. ¡®Jenna, let¡¯s get married again when we return to A city. Help me take care of my father abroad, then we¡¯ll have the wedding once you¡¯re back.¡¯

    His lies had sounded so real that she truly believed it.

    But not long had passed since then and Aria was pregnant!

    All of this was ridiculous.

    They were going to get married;even Grandma had given Aria permission.

    Jenna was the only fool in this game of theirs. She was a fool to believe that he would ever love her wholeheartedly!

    What was she doing?

    Why was she so stupid?

    Hansen stood frozen in the snow. He watched Jenna curl up into a ball on the ground andheard her painful sobs, the cries growing quieter. Eventually, shelet out a suppressed cry in the chilling wind.

    He was absolutely heartbroken. His hands clenched into fists, cracking with noises.

    However, he could not go to her as he feared that she would jump off the bridge.

    At the moment, he needed to calm her down and bring her away from the river. He had no time to think about anything other than how to get her toe over.

    ¡°Jenna,could you please calm down?I didn¡¯t want it to turn out like this either,¡± he was still repeating these words after an hour.

    ¡°Leave, I don¡¯t want to see you.¡± She was tired from crouching.She sat on the ground and shouted bitterly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t sit on the ground, you¡¯ll catch a cold.¡± Watching her frail figure sitting on the snowy ground as the freezing wind howled, she looked like she could beblown by the icy wind and fall into the river. Hansen was worried sick that it felt like daggers were driven into his heart.

    How was he going to make her believe what happened at the Hilton Hotel that day? In the current situation, all that he said would be of no use. She would think that he was lying. Her distrust towards him has reached the peak.

    It was not a good time to exin things at this moment either.

    They must leave here as soon as possible!

    Hansen had never felt so helpless before.He did not know what to do to calm her anger and agony.

    ¡°Jenna, can¡¯t you think about how I¡¯ve really treated you all these days?¡± His voice was hoarsebut he tried to reason with her, ¡°Let¡¯s get up.How about I take you to your mother?Every day, she looks forward to seeing you.¡±

    He coaxed, ¡°Your mother has recovered. You have to think about her. Let¡¯s not make her worry, shall we?¡±

    Despite so, his words reminded Jenna of her conflict and dilemma even more. She was about to let her anger loose.

    Hansen was used to being coaxed by others. When it was his turn tofort someone else, he was simply adding fuel to the fire instead,and made things worse.

    Thinking of her mother, Jenna¡¯s sorrow grew greater. If her mother knew about her situation, could she recoverpletely from her illness?

    Tears burst out of her eyes as she stood up. Her gaze was like a sharp de,her voice a poisonous spear as theypierced through his heart.¡°B*stard. What are you thinking? Do you want to anger her to death? You know my mother¡¯s condition. If she knows what happened to me, could she still live?¡±

    Hansen was stupefied. Jenna would brighten up whenever he mentioned her motherbut it did not work this time around! Instead, she became angrier.

    His mind went nk.

    She stood up after crouching on the ground for a long time. That coupled with her anger, she apparently felt dizzy.Her sight was going ck. She staggered a few steps, struggling to regain her footing. She could not see anything clearly.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± He saw that she was about to fall into the riverand his heart thumped. He rushed toward her and pulled her into his embrace. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and quickly carried her away from the bridge.

    Jenna recognized the warm embrace. It was so familiarand for a moment, the desire to be in his arms won over her hatred towards him. She took a few deep breaths and swept the thought away. After that, as if she had touched poison, she pushed him hard with all her might, struggling to run away.

    The desire of wanting to depend on him was horrifying!

    It was enough to ruin her happiness for the rest of her life.She would never stay with him if he married Aria. Forgetting him was the only choice left.

    The more attached she was to him, the more the pain she would have to endure in the future. The striking pain she felt would be a thousand times worse. No one would wish to trap themselves with a broken heart for the rest of their lives.

    ¡°Let go of me.¡± She struggled to escape his grasp. Of course, she was too weak for himbut that did not mean that she would not fight back.

    She decided topletely forget the man in front of her from that day onwards. The man had yed with her feelings and wouldmake her suffer for a lifetime. Once, she had loved him and she found excuses to forgive all his wrongdoings.In the future, she promised herself never to do so again!

    This man was no longer worthy of her heart.

    She kicked around trying to get off of him. When he did not let go, she bit him. She was like an angry lioness confined in a cage.

    Hansen carried her to his car. She must not stay in the snow. Her body was already weak, she would freeze to death if she had stayed any longer.

    He held her tight and headed to the car.

    Suddenly, he felt a sharp paining from his handsand he gasped with his mouth open wide.

    She bit his hand hard as she could, and she was not letting go. He felt that the flesh on his hand was about to be chomped off.

    Resisting the pain,he opened the back door of the car.He got in with his arms still around her before cing her on the soft seat.

    This woman must be really mad. She sunk her teeth into his hand deeplyas if she wanted to vent all her hatred on it.

    It was not until the strong smell of blood filled her nose that she let go, and her whole body copsed on the mattress.

    Hansen saw blood oozing from the deep bite marks on the back of his handand his face fell.

    After turning on the heater, he sat on the seat silently. Jenna curled herself up and did not move an inch.

    He closed his eyes and felt nothing but helplessness.

    Norton¡¯s wicked smile appeared in his mind.

    The despicable man had said that if he could not have Jenna, he would not let him be with her either.Nortonplotted this and tricked Hansen into sleeping with Aria, causing her to be pregnant. His hands were tied, there was no other way but to marry her.

    All of this was Norton¡¯s scheme. He deserved to be stabbed in the guts a thousand times. Veins were protruding on Hansen¡¯s forehead as he thought of this.

    Even if he told Jenna, she would not believe it.

    What would change if she believed him anyway? Just as Grandma said, the incident had happened. As long as Aria was carrying his child, he had to take responsibility. This was the duty of a man.

    He could no longer escape!

    Unless Aria could somehow terminate the pregnancy!

    Thinking of this, Hansen suddenly opened his eyes¡­

 Chapter 186 I Will Live Well Without You

    Jennaid on the soft seat, unable to muster any strength. Her eyes wereden with exhaustion while her face was frighteningly pale. Her messy hair was syed over her face, yet it was not enough to hide her despair and mncholy; they wereclearly visible.

    Hansen stayed silent the whole time.

    He could feel her pain and sadness; his agony no lesser than hers. In fact, it hurt him a lot more than what she was experiencing at that moment.

    He swallowed down the pain and organized the thoughts in his head.

    Earl had forced him to give an exact wedding date.

    Despite that, he was Hansen Richards. He was no prey to other people. It was impossible to expect that he would give in to their pressure!

    He only needed Jenna to trust him. Only with her faith in him would he have the courage to fight back.

    The light in his eyes shed.

    If they would not ept what fate had in n for them, they would have to fight out of it themselves. No one could help them at present, not even Vivian.

    However, Jenna did not have the same thing in mind.

    She had lost her sense of reasoning and her heart was broken. He had let her down.

    Hansen sighed heavily in frustration. He wanted to say something. Anything!

    But nothing came to his mind.

    What could he say? In what way could hefort her?

    Were he to tell her that he would take care of her and that they would be together for the rest of their lives?

    He himself would think that it was insincere to say such things to her, not to mention that she would not believe them. In such a predicament, what else could he promise her?

    Hansen was struck with helplessness once again.

    All his hopes were destroyed ever since Vivian reprimanded him.The n that he was so proud of appeared so na?ve andughable at that instant.

    He thought that Vivian would support him in marrying Jenna. She adored her as much as he did, but at present,she told him to be responsible for Aria¡¯s child.

    These days, it became apparent that he did not love Aria at all. How could he marry her?

    What should he do?

    Hansen mmed a fist on the back of the front seat.He only felt his heart getting heavy and in pain, his eyes bloodshot.

    He took deep breaths and stayed still.

    The small space inside the car was filled with nothing but sadness and despair.

    He had lost track of how long they were sitting in silence as darkness crawled in like a thief.

    Jenna slowly sat up,tidying her messy hair.

    Hansen watched as she ran her nimble fingers through her hair. Her fingers were pale and thin, seemingly inhuman. He recalled the incident in Green Mountain Automobile City where she had blocked the knife for him. Back then, she was willing to risk her life for him with her petite body. Such courage had shocked him and he remained shaken by her actions till this day.

    In fact,at that moment, he was sure about what he wanted. He had decided to be with Jenna all his life.

    Hansen was just too prideful for his own good, or that he was affected by Rayan¡¯s words. He had hurt Jenna repeatedly. He hated and despised himself for being so selfish in the past.

    From the bottom of his heart, Hansen truly wanted to cherish and pamper Jenna for the remaining of their lives.

    Memories of the past shed across his mind one by one.

    His heart began to throb and his face was contorted in pain.

    After Jenna had finished with her hair, she took her bag and stood up.

    ¡°Jenna,¡± he called for her in a hoarse voice.

    She did not give a single look in his direction, her expression calm. It seemed like she managed to gain herposure back.

    ¡°Let me out,¡± she simply said.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± he asked her anxiously.He thought it was time to talk since she had calmed down.

    ¡°That¡¯s my own business.Please let me go.¡± She had no interest in a conversation with him.

    ¡°No, Jenna, you can¡¯t leave.Let me stay with youand let¡¯s talk things out.¡± He panicked and hugged her from the back. He was in no way letting her get out of the car.

    She had a cold smile stered on her face, her voice icy-cold and distant.

    ¡°Please let go of me,I want to leave.¡± She had no more energy to struggle from his grasp. Instead, she just stated her wish to leave.

    He locked her tightly in his embrace, feeling her cold skin against his. There was almost no warmth at and his heart shuddered.

    Not knowing whatforting words to say, he held her just like that.

    ¡°Hansen, let go,¡± shespoke louder as shegrew impatient.

    ¡°Jenna,please don¡¯t be like this. Whatever happens, promise me that you would take care of yourself. Do you remember what you promised me before?¡± he pleaded in agony.

    A promise? Jenna recalled the night before she left for abroad. He whispered in her ear that no matter what happened in the future, she must believe that he loved her.

    All the confusion had started to clear up. She always wondered why he would ask her to promise him such a thing, and why he was acting so strange that night. At that moment, she had finally figured it out.

    Sorrow was tearing her apart. He had known everythingand specifically asked her to go abroad to take care of Uncle Richards. All those arrangements were just to prevent her from finding out that Aria was pregnant.

    Liar. He lied about everything!

    He must have had everything nned. She was an idiot to continue loving himregardless of what had happened in the pastand regardless of the consequences in the future. She could not forgive herself for being this ignorant!

    Jenna chuckled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,I¡¯ll live my life well. I won¡¯tmit suicide, it¡¯s not worth it for a man like you. Rest assured, I won¡¯t hold you responsible for anything. You can let me go now, I¡¯m leaving,¡± she spoke, sarcasm evident in her voice.

    She would not seek death. She never nned to.She was in a daze as she stood on the bridgebut it was not to end her life. She would never do such a thing over love.

    Hansen was the one making all these things up in his mind. Who did he think he was? Had he thought that all women in the world would want to die for him?

    This was too narcissistic of him, was it not? He was indeed a man ustomed to attention from everyone around him. He was so egoistic!

    Jenna¡¯s humiliating words stung him. He felt his heart shattering into pieces and dripping with blood!

    She would not seek death. That alone was a relief.

    He hoped that she could live happily. This was his purest intention. He had gotten the answer he wanted; he should be happy.

    But why was his heart aching?

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, let me go.¡± It was getting dark. Jenna wanted to leave as soon as possible. She did not want to have anything to do with him anymore, let alone falling for him again. From then on, she promised herself to live with pride. To live freely without him.

    Hansen wanted to let go of her but his arms tightened. He was afraid of losing her forever.

    Her voice became stern and with a flip of her head, she knocked him on the face. He groaned from the sudden blow.

    ¡°Please respect me.¡± She gritted her teeth and her eyes were burning with rage.¡°It is shameful for a man to fight with a woman with brute force. You wouldn¡¯t happen to be so rude, right?¡±

    She sneered, repelled by his actions.

    She was so determined in her words that they pierced him in the heart. He felt his energy being sucked out his entire bodyand released her from his arms.

    She quickly broke free from him and got out of the car without hesitation.

    He stared at Jenna until she entered her car. He only came back to his senses when he heard the engine starting.

    She drove off, never once looking back, as if there was a tsunami behind her and she had wished for nothing but to escape.

    Hansen opened the door mechanically, got into the driver¡¯s seat and started the car, trailing behind her.

    What made him feel a little relieved was that Jenna had regained herposure.She would probably not do anything risky anymore. Although her reserved demeanor had scared him, he was d that she had figured herself out. He was fine with her hating him as long as she continued to live her life.

    As long as she was safe and fine, he would be happy.

    Jenna left, and she took his soul with her.

    Unable to sweep away the uneasiness in his heart, Hansen trailed behind her without any thoughts.

    Soon, Jenna seemed to notice him stalking behind. She tried to throw him off several times. Her repulse intent was so strong that Hansen could somehow sense it from inside his car.

    He could only give himself a bitter smile and stopped.

    He then followed from a distance until he saw her heading towards a vi. After searching it up, it turned out to be Cloud Residence, which was Hannah¡¯s home.

    He let out a sigh of relief!

    It would be good to have Hannah by her side. That was the best n for the moment.

    After letting out an exhausted sigh, he watched her car drive into Cloud Residence. He then turned back and drove towards International Kinsey Center.

    Jenna got out of the car, her legs limp.

    Hannah must be at Gently Cafeteria at this hour. Lucky for Jenna, she had a spare key.She opened the doorand instantly copsed onto the sofa.

    ¡°Hannah, I¡¯m at your house. Could youe back early?¡± she called Hannah and said weakly.

    Hearing her lifeless voice,Hannah sensed something amiss and almost yelled, ¡°Jenna, is this still your voice? What¡¯s the matter? Let me guess, got your heart broken or lost your virginity?¡±

    ¡°Hannah, I¡¯m feeling terrible right now.I might be staying at your house for a few days.¡± Jenna hung up the phone before Hannah could respond.She was so exhausted that shey panting on the sofa.

    After a while, Hannah barged into the house and bombarded her with a series of questions.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s the matter? Who hurt you?¡± She entered the house and saw Jenna lying on the sofa as if she had gone through a traumatic event. Her face was pale; she looked horrible. Her hair and body were soaked wet and there were some snowkes on her fur coat. It was a disaster.

    Hannah¡¯s temper erupted like a volcano once she took everything in.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Obviously, Jenna was hurt by that b*stard again.Hansen Richards was the only one who was ever able to hurt her like this.

    ¡°What did that d*mned b*stard do this time?¡± Hannah gritted her teeth and growled.

    Jenna opened her eyes tiredly.¡°I¡¯m done with that b*stard. From now on, I have nothing to do with him. Please don¡¯t mention him ever again.¡±

    Hannah was taken aback by the determination in Jenna¡¯s eyes and the indifference she had on her face. It seemed that she had really given up on him.

    She could not imagine what Hansen did that could have hurt Jenna so badly.Hannahrecalled Jenna being so infatuated with him before. It looked like she was for real this time.

    However, wasn¡¯t Jenna a bit too dumb to only have made up her mind at this instant?

 Chapter 187 Just A Cold

    ¡°First, get up and change. You look horrible.¡± Hannah red at Jenna¡¯s pale and thin face. She helped her up with a pull and demanded her to get a change of clothes.

    Dragged by Hannah, Jenna could only follow her to the shower.

    Hannah gave her a set of cotton pajamas.

    After taking a rxing shower,Jenna put the pajamas on and walked out of the bathroom.

    ¡°Jenna, I have ordered some takeaway. You should eat something for now.¡± Hannah was on the phone in the living room. When she saw hering out, she covered the phone with her hand and told her that.

    Jenna had no appetite. She sat down on the sofa sickly and spaced out.

    After Hannah finished the call, she turned around and saw Jenna sitting thereas if her soul was sucked away. She said, ¡°I had told you to notget involved with Richards Group. But, you didn¡¯t listen. Now look at what happened, you might as well be a corpse. Are you going to continue living like this?¡±

    Jenna listened to her friend naggingand started tearing up.

    Seeing her like this, Hannah understood without uttering any more words.

    ¡°Alright, forget it. What¡¯s in the past is over. For now, you can live here. We can talk when you¡¯re ready. But before that, eat something, okay? I still have some amends to settle at the cafeteria.¡± She knew Jenna was hurt badly, seeing that she was willing to cut ties with a man she had loved deeply.It would not be easy tofort her in a short time. She could only ask her to fill up her stomach and get some rest. The rest would have to wait.

    She opened some delicate-looking lunch boxes while talking to Jenna.

    The aroma of food filled Jenna¡¯s nostrilsbut she instantly covered her mouth. Her stomach lurched as she got nauseated again. Failing to contain herself, she ran towards the bathroom.

    As soon as she ran into the bathroom, she lifted the toilet seat lid and threw up in the toilet bowl.

    Hannah had a big shock and hurried over to hold her. She patted her backand took a ss of water and some paper towels for her. After the vomiting had stopped, she brought Jenna back to the sofa.

    ¡°Jenna, tell me, what is going on?¡± Hannah¡¯s face turned dark as she observed Jenna from head to toe, an inexplicable gaze in her eyes.

    Jenna drank a few more mouthfuls of warm water before cleaning her mouth with a paper towel.

    ¡°Hannah, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just a little tired these days. Maybe I¡¯ve caught a cold,¡± Jenna lowered her head and exined in a low voice.

    A cold? Was that all?

    Hannah tilted her head and looked at her with an expression that Jenna could notprehend. After a while in thought, Hannah asked again, disbelief evident in her voice, ¡°Are you sure you just caught a cold?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve been in the rain in the past two daysandI was in a bad mood. It must be my gastritis again,¡± Jenna said nonchntly, feeling baffled about the fuss Hannah was making out of this.

    ¡°How long have you been like this?¡± Hannah did not think that it was that just a cold. Her sharp eyes stared at Jenna as she questioned.

    Jenna was really bothered by her stare, hence she exined, ¡°It¡¯s really just a cold. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t die. It started yesterday. My mood was terribleandI didn¡¯t have time to go to the hospital. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be gone soon. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Hannah was contemting before she said, ¡°Jenna, your face has be so paleand you¡¯ve gotten awfully thin. This isn¡¯t how a healthy woman would look like. Since you¡¯re unwell, we should go to the hospital to take a look. I¡¯ll go with you tomorrow.¡±

    Hannah was really worried. She dered the visit to the hospital, not givingJenna any chance to reject her offer.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Jenna found it funny that Hannah was overreactingand told her, ¡°Boss Adames, you should hurry off to work now. I¡¯m fine, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. Besides, I¡¯m not a three-year-old, I know my body. Go on now, I¡¯m going to sleep.¡±

    She yawned while talking,her face showing fatigue.

    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case,have a meal first and take a good nap. I¡¯ll check on you tomorrowand you should tell me everything then. I will make sure to beat the cr*p out of himand give you justice,¡± Hannah said righteously as if she was Jenna¡¯s guardian. The corners of Jenna¡¯smouth lifted slightly. She was grateful that her friend was so supportive.

    Hannah nagged on a little longer in a serious manner before leaving.

    As soon as she got outside, her phone rang.

    She saw that it was an unknown number. She was going to ignore it when she realized it was somewhat familiar.

    epting the call, she heard a low male voice speak, ¡°Hello, it¡¯s Hansen.¡±

    With just that sentence, Hannah almost threw her phone away.

    Hansen Richards, that b*stard! He had the audacity to call her!

    Hannah gritted her teethand then she remembered why this number looked familiar. He had called her when he was looking for Jenna before.She scoffed, thinking that he called whenever he needed her help. Jenna just came to her house looking absolutely devastated and terrible,and he had the nerves to be calling her at this moment?

    ¡°Hansen Richards, a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing. Look at how my best friend had be because of you,¡± she thought.

    ¡°Who? Who¡¯s that?¡±Hannahraised her voice whilst pretending that she did not know who he was.

    Did he think that he was above everyone else just because he was the richest person in A city? He would amount to nothing in front of her.

    Hansen was silent on the other side of the line. He understood that Hannah was mocking him to defend Jenna.

    ¡°Hannah, I¡¯m Hansen. Pleasetake care of Jenna for me these few days. I¡¯ll pay you back, any price you want.¡± Hansen was not angered; he only sighed and spoke sincerely.

    Take care of Jenna for him and he would pay her back? Who did he think he was?Such a self-conceited jerk! Hannahhad always disliked him.She sneered, ¡°Who are you? Are we even close? Why should I take care of Jenna for you and let you pay me back? This is absolutely ridiculous. Am I short of money? Listen up, Richards. Jenna is my best friend. If something happens to her, I won¡¯t let you get away with it. I will ruin your reputation and destroy you. When I kick your balls, don¡¯t even dream of ying around with women for the rest of your life because you won¡¯t be able to.¡±

    She hung up the phone abruptly after she finished speaking. She spit to the ground a few times out of disgust, only then did her anger dissipate.

    He had dared to call her;did he think she was Jenna? Did he think that every woman was weak and would let him willingly hurt them like Jenna? Even with that handsome face, he would not be passable to Hannah. She would not fall for his tricks.

    Hannah put her phone into her bag and chuckled coldly before heading outside.

    Hansen remained dumbstruck as he held his phone, the system repeating a series of beeping sounds. A bitter smile formed on his lips. Hannah was really righteous and straightforward.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    Then again, it was great for Jenna to have such a good friend. He was relieved. After all, a true friend did note easily.

    There was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in.¡± He put down his phone.

    The door opened, and Alvin¡¯s tall and sturdy figure entered without a sound.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, ever since Brock took Jennifer awayst time, there has been no trace of them. It seems that news had gotten to him. The police also had the drugs confiscated at the border,¡± Alvin said in a small voice.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes narrowed. He had a serious expression on his face.

    ¡°Did you find out where they moved to?¡± he asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°They¡¯ve transported some guns and drugs overnight this time. They are now renting in a small neighborhood, seeming to have no ns to hide in seclusion. If I¡¯m not mistaken, Brock¡¯s main hiding spot should be on a cruise ship.¡± Alvin lowered his voice and asked,¡°Do we really have to wait for the police?¡±

    Hansen blinked.He tapped his pale, thin fingers on the table as his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

    ¡°Alvin, Christopher is going to barge into a batch of drug dens. If we act at this time, we¡¯ll alert the drug dealers and ruin our n. However, that does not mean that we won¡¯t do anything.Go investigate themdiscreetly andlet¡¯s see if we can find the main den. As for now, we focus on the police sent by Christopher. Find the right timingand finish it properly.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Alvin nodded. A sh passed his eyes, and he said, ¡°Mr. Richards, I found the culprit who shot me in the underground parking lot that day.¡±

    ¡°Who was it?¡±

    ¡°It was Brock¡¯s deputy, Damon, who shot me,¡± Alvin¡¯s eyes were darkand his fists were clenched. He was young and daringand had never been deceived since his debut. He did not expect to fall into the trap of such a trivial character in the underground. He was dissatisfied.

    It was Brock again. Hansen stood up and patted Alvin on the shoulder before calmly saying, ¡°Alvin, rest assured I will avenge youbut not now. We have to find the right timing. After all, people like Brock are nothing in the hierarchy; they are not the mastermind behind the operations. We can deal with them at any time.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Alvin nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯ll do as youmand.¡±

    Hansen nodded and continued, ¡°We must not let our guard down regarding Brock. Keep an eye on the police too. We have to cooperate with them as much as possible if we want revenge. After all, only thew can bring justice.¡± Having said that, he remembered something. ¡°Alvin, send two deputies to investigate the drug manufacturing dens across the country in secret. I was told that the location of the factory is in the forestsand well out of sight. If this factory is not found, the police would not take action for now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards,¡± Alvin answered and left the room.

 Chapter 188 A Male Gynecologist

    Hansen narrowed his eyes. Christopher had been hungry for achievements. For the sake of his track record, he might very well care about himself only and risk ruining their n. Hansen could not just sit there and wiggle his toes while waiting for news. He still had to have certain details for the revenge. He could do nothing except to avenge Jennaand give her a proper answer. He was at the end of his wits to gain her forgiveness.

    Time passed by and night came.He still had the yellow envelope in his hand, unmoving.

    Vivian had sent someone to hand the envelope over to him. It was not until this moment that he found out she was also investigating the case secretly.

    ¡°Hansen, I am old and no longer capable of helping with the case. I leave the rest of the investigation to you. Jenna is a good girl and she deserves the truth. I hope you¡¯ll do your best to bring her justice.¡± She had called him on the phone and exined everything she did. He was stunned.

    It turned out that she had been aware of a lot of things all along. It was shocking to know that an old woman like her already had her hands on this case for a long time!

    Maybe, Christopher knew about it too. Otherwise, why was he dropping hints like that?

    Hansen thought that he was cleverbut he turned out to be the dumbest of them all.

    He gripped the envelope tightly in his hand. Several hours passedbut he remained hesitant in opening it.

    After Alvin left, he sat in the dark,lost in his thoughts. The petite body that once embraced him and gave him warmth was nowhere to be found. It was a foreign memory, a foreign sensation, as if a dream that he was slowly waking up from.

    The thought of not having Jenna by his side ached his heart.

    It was not untilte night that he made the decision to open the envelope.

    A line of words came into view. It was Vivian¡¯s handwriting. He was amazed that his 90-year-old grandmother wrote it by hand. It was a line from a poem, ¡°From the same root they were born, torture amongst left cruelty and forlorn.¡±

    Having read the one sentencewas enough to strike him hard in the guts.

    He looked through the files inside and his hands started to shake.

    He was right. Norton had something to do with this!

    He boiled with anger as he read through his well-hidden misconduct!

    His men had been following Nortonbut they did not find any suspicious information. Despite that, his grandmother managed to dig up the dirt he had done. Norton concealed it so perfectly that it slipped through his grasp.

    He had plotted Javon Murphy¡¯s incident.

    On the night before Javon ran for director of the office, Norton had secretly worked with Brock to design the car ident so that he would be director instead.

    Despicable!

    Hansen felt a buzz in his head. His expression was awful, apparent with burning rage.

    D*mn it!

    How could he be so cruel?

    It was not that he had not suspected Nortonbut they found no evidence. Nevertheless, hewas the most suspiciousand he had the motive tomit the crime.If they were to say that Norton had plotted Javon¡¯s death, everyone would probably believe it.

    D*mn. He clenched his teeth, fire zing in his eyes.

    His phone rang in the darkness.It was from Jordan.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I have something to tell you,¡± Jordan cut to the chase. The police were given a direct order from the higher ranks to solve this case as soon as possible,hence he had to do his best to finish the investigation. And so he did, day and night.

    ¡°Speak,¡± Hansen said in a low voice.

    ¡°I have restored the engine of that car. It was Pranica, Richards Group¡¯s luxury car,¡± Jordan said tly after a pause.

    ¡°Okay.¡± The news was no surprise to Hansen.

    ¡°Also, after checking the fingerprints on the car and retrieving surveince videos in a few intersections, we find Norton very suspicious. Therefore, we will be forming a task force to investigate him tomorrow. I¡¯m just calling to inform you about this beforehand.¡± Jordan hesitated when he spoke about Norton.

    Hansen¡¯s eyebrows furrowedashis expression darkened. He stared at the line written by his grandmother, ¡°From the same root they were born, torture amongst left cruelty and forlorn.¡±

    He kept thinking of Norton¡¯s face that resembled him slightly. His heart was so burdened by the truth that he could not breathe.

    ¡°Alright. Do follow your procedures. You must not protect him for the sake of the Richards familybut you should not wrong him either. Please interrogate him fairly with the appropriate methods,¡± Hansen spoke with difficulty.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards. Under my watch, we would never use an innocent person nor would we let a bad person off the hook,¡± Jordan replied frankly.

    ¡°Okay, good.¡± A bitter smile appeared on Hansen¡¯s face. He ced the phone down weakly.

    He recalled what had happened in the past few monthsand painfully closed his eyes.

    He thought, ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry.I¡¯m so sorry.¡± The Richards family had done her wrong. They had hurt her and her father. He bolted up all of a suddenand ran outside.

    Norton did such a monstrous scheme out of his desire for power. It was unforgivable!

    Hansen started the car and headed straight toward Cloud Residence.

    It was then in the middle of winter. The city was chilling to the bones in the freezing night.

    As soon as he got out of the car, a surge of cold wind nipped at his neck. He exhaled a cloud of vapor.

    The dim street lights of the neighborhood bounced erratically amidst the cold winds.

    Hansen stood outside the vi, staring at the faint light from Hannah¡¯s bedroom. He stood there watching for a long time without making a sound.

    The snow soon gathered everywhere on his body.He was out for only a few minutesbut his limbs were already numb.

    He gazed at the pink curtains of the bedroom for a long time. He knew Jenna was in there.

    Was she asleep? Was she having any nightmares?

    The innocent and beautiful dream girl in college appeared in Hansen¡¯s mind. He remembered her, smiling freely without a care in the world. Every time he saw her, his heart fluttered in full admiration. If he had not been so stuck-up and misunderstood her; if he was wiser in facing his feelings and handling their rtionship; if he had not been such a b*stardand was willing to understand her; what a perfect love they would have had. They would be the destined match that everyone would envy.

    However, this fantasy of his was gone. She had no faults. It was the Richards family, including himself who had hurt her irrevocably.

    A warm tear rolled out of the corner of his eye, which in no time froze to ice.

    The snowfall got heavierasthe wind whistled in his ears.

    Eventually, his body was covered in snow.Snowkesnded on him and melted upon contact with his warm skin. Soon, Hansen literally looked like a snowman. Then,he saw the faint light in the room go out.

    It seemed that hisst glint of hope had disappeared as well.

    His heart sank to the bottom, crushed and broken.

    Rubbing his hands, he took out a cigarette and lit it.

    He finished it and lit another, and he repeated the motion until there were no more cigarettes left to smoke. He moved his numb legs and returned to his car.

    The quiet, dark night swallowed everything into nothingness, including his heart.

    Not knowing how he started the car, Hansen drove away.

    Jenna was restless in her sleep. She had been haunted by her nightmares these days.

    She woke up early the next day, sleepless and sweaty.

    She felt nauseous again when she walked to the bathroom. She tried her best to hold it inbut she was only halfway into brushing her teeth whenher stomach began to churn.

    It was not until she puked everything out that the nausea stopped.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Hannah was awakened from her sleep by the sound of her vomiting in the bathroom. She rushed in and asked anxiously.

    Jenna panted heavily, leaning against the marble sink. She forced asmile.¡°Hannah, I think I¡¯m really sick, very sick.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you many times to take care of your body. We must go to the doctor¡¯s today.¡± Hannah put on a stern face and continued, ¡°If you continue to vomit like this, I can¡¯t imagine what will happen. We must go have you checked.¡±

    She helped Jenna out of the bathroom. Her heart clenched at the sight of her being so weak and frail.

    ¡°You¡¯re a grown-up but you still don¡¯t know how to take care of yourself.¡± She covered her up with a soft nket before taking her to the sofa.In Hannah¡¯s words, Jenna was just hurting herself on purpose. She should have chosen Rayan instead of that yboy Hansen from the beginning.Awoman was simply digging her own grave to involve herself with someone like Hansen Richards, was she not?

    ¡°Come, we¡¯re going to the hospital.¡± After having breakfast, Hannah brought Jenna to her car. Jenna had not touched her food at and she had vomited again.Hannah saw her serious conditionand thought that she must bring her to the hospital immediately.

    Jenna¡¯s stomach was really ufortable,hence she agreed to see the doctor.

    What was out of her expectations was that Hannah had brought her to the Maternal and Child Health Hospital.

    ¡°Hannah, I just have gastritis due to the cold. Why are we at a maternity hospital?¡± Jenna asked weakly, speechless at the situation and her best friend.

    Hannah ignored her anddragged her into the hospital.

    After getting her registered, they queued up and waited for their turn to see the doctor. It was tiring.

    However, Jenna had no choice but toply with Hannah. It was just gastroenteritis and not a major sickness.Perhaps a maternity hospital would not differ greatly from a regr hospital, and could also check her condition. When Jenna thought about it that way, she let Hannah be.

    Finally, it was her turn to see the doctor. Jenna lowered her head as if she had done something wrong like a child. She reluctantly and slowly entered the consultation room, dragged in by Hannah.

    She had always been repulsive towards maternity hospitals.

    ¡°Hello Doctor, she has been vomiting pretty badly. Can you check to see what¡¯s wrong?¡± Hannah looked at the young male doctor sitting at the desk and said with a smile.

    Gosh,Jenna had never heard Hannah talking so gently and politely, her tone almost pleading! And it was for her!

    She was moved and felt even more embarrassedas if she hadmitted a crime.

    Suddenly, there was another nausea surging from her stomach. She hurriedly covered her mouth.

    ¡°Doctor, it must be because I have been too tired these days and caught a cold. I think it¡¯s gastritis. Please prescribe me some medicine.¡±Jennagulped down the nausea and lifted her chin. She was startled when she saw the young male doctor. She had not expected to see any male doctors in a maternity hospital. Fortunately, she was not there for maternal issues. Otherwise, she would be embarrassed to death.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 189 Struck By Lightning

    The young male doctor calmly took the registration receipt from Hannah¡¯s hand and ced it on top ofthe pile of receipts on the table as he nced at Jenna.

    Jenna, too, nced at her receipt. It had ¡®Donald Colton¡¯ stated as asenior physician. She was surprised; it seemed that he was rather skilled in gynecology.

    A man who specialized in gynecology. Although she knew that there were more male gynecologists at present than in the past,she still felt embarrassed.

    ¡°Give me your hand,¡± Donald spoke softly.

    Did gynecologists usually check their patient¡¯s pulse?

    Jenna was puzzledbut he was her doctor after all. She dismissed the thought and reached her hand over.

    Soon, Donald¡¯s warm fingers were ced on her wrists and he closed his eyes slightly. After a moment or two,she saw his eyebrows twitch.It felt as if her pulse started bouncing about too.

    She carefully examined his facebut got nothing from his usual expression.Her heart began throbbing.

    ¡°First, let¡¯s have a check-up,¡± he spoke casually. He typed on the keyboard with his right handand a report slid out from the printer.

    She had to do more check-ups. Was she diagnosed with a cancer of some sort?

    Jenna nervously took the report.

    ¡°Thank you, Dr. Colton,¡± she politely thanked him andHannah helped her outside.

    ¡°What check-up?¡± Hannah grabbed the report. The doctor had signed Jenna up for a urine test. She knitted her eyebrowsbut did not say anything further.

    ¡°You just wait here.¡± Jenna smiled as they reached the restroom on the second floor. The restroom would have an unpleasantsmell; she would not want Hannah to bear the odor.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you outside. Call me if you need help,¡± Hannah remained unassured and stood right outside.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Jenna gave her a grateful smile and entered the restroom.

    The smell came crashing into her faceand her stomach started to surge. She came out of the restroom with much difficulty as Hannah held her to sit on an iron bench.

    When did her body be so weak? Jenna breathed heavily, surprised at herself.

    The test results came out fast.

    While she was still scanning through the report carefully, she heard Hannah speaking beside her.

    ¡°It¡¯s positive.¡±

    What was wrong?She saw the word ¡®positive¡¯ on the sheet.What did it mean?She looked at Hannah in confusion.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re pregnant,¡± Hannah was sullen as she dered, anger visible on her face. She had guessed it beforehand.

    What?Pregnant?

    When those words came out of Hannah¡¯s mouth, Jenna had almost tripped over her two feet.

    She was unable to return to her senses.

    Was she really pregnant? How could it be possible?Soon after, her face turned pale. She recalled that her period had been absent for months.

    She broke into a cold sweat at the thoughtand rushed upstairs to the doctor with the medical report.

    ¡°Doctor, what kind of sickness do I have?¡± Jenna did not know much about physiology and had never paid much attention to those issues either. Nevertheless, her instincts told her that something was terribly wrong. She went to Donald at an instant and handed him the report as she asked anxiously for confirmation.

    Donald promptly took her report and looked through it intently. He gave a polite smile and told her softly, ¡°Miss, you¡¯re not sick. You¡¯re pregnant.¡±

    She was really pregnant!

    Hearing the decisive words from Donald, hervision went ck and she almost passed out on the spot.

    She waspletely crushed by the results!

    How could she be pregnant? At this time, and in this predicament?

    No,there was no way.

    She refused to ept the harsh reality.

    ¡°Doctor, I only started throwing up recently. Just throwing up. It¡¯s just gastritis,please prescribe me some medicine for that,¡± she gulped and exined earnestly, wanting to get her words across.

    Donald put down the pen in his hand and raised his head to look at her.

    The woman in front of him was stunning withan unusual air of grace around her. Her bright eyes blinked as she exined the situation in a hurry, arousing sympathy.

    Such a beautiful woman had be pregnant,her husband would certainly take care of her, would he not? Could it be¡­

    ¡°Miss, please trust us. Our hospital seldom makes mistakes in these tests. We are also professionally trained doctors, we won¡¯t give you false information,¡± he exined seriously as his eyebrows raised a little.

    Jenna had nothing left to say.She copsed onto a chair,her mind in total chaos.

    She could not go on vomiting like this,or else, she would risk getting found out by other people. After contemting for a long time, she asked meekly, ¡°Doctor, I don¡¯t want to vomit. Could you give me some medicine to stop it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Donald refused with a straight face.¡°Miss, this is a normal symptom of pregnancy. You can¡¯t take any medicine, otherwise, it will risk harming the fetus.¡±

    He sat uprightand observed the unusual ¡®patient¡¯ in front of him. The woman did not have the slightest expression of joy on her face. She was pregnantbut her husband was not with her. It seemed that the pregnancy was not nned at all.Such a beautiful womanbut¡­

    He squinted and said, ¡°How about this, I¡¯ll prescribe you some vitamin B6 and some supplements. They¡¯ll relieve the vomitingbut it won¡¯t get rid of itpletely.¡± He looked at her for a while before typing on his keyboard again. Several prescription sheets were then printed out.

    Jenna¡¯s mind was nk. She did not know what to say as she sat numbly on the chair.

    ¡°Every woman who is going to be a mother must understand the meaning of giving birth, and be mentally and physically prepared for it. I suggest you visit some gestation experts. I can only do this much. My apologies but there are patients waiting outside. Please see your way out and get your medicine. Take care of yourself,try not to get too tired or emotional. The fetus can only grow healthily if you are healthy and happy,¡± Donald advised her over and over again as he was her attending physician.

    ¡°Thank you, Doctor.¡± Hannah rushed in about the right time. She took the prescription sheets from Donald and brought Jenna out of the room.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, this b*stard, this a*shole, I¡¯m going to end him once and for all today.¡± She pulled Jenna to a quiet corner at the hospital and started rolling her sleeves up.

    Hannah was furious. Hansen got Jenna pregnant and he broke her heart.This was not something a human would do! Herdisgust towards him intensified.

    This day, she must bring Jenna with her to kick Hansen Richards¡¯ a*s.

    She could forgive the b*stard no more!

    After being dragged along for several steps, Jenna finally snapped out of her daze.

    ¡°No, Hannah.¡± She thought of something and immediately grabbed Hannah.She feared that she would act recklessly, therefore she lied, ¡°Hannah, this child has nothing to do with Hansen. Don¡¯t go.¡±

    Speaking of this, her heart throbbed in pain.

    Aria was pregnantand at this time, she was pregnant too? What would this even amount to?

    Jenna was nning to leave Hansen for good. She would never be the woman who forced a man to marry her because of pregnancy. She was better than that! It was not in her character to do so either!

    ¡­

    After what had happened to Aria, could she really forgive him and return to his side?

    It was impossible!

    If so, her pregnancy meant nothing at all!

    Her mind became messier the more Jenna thought. She needed to calm down and think this through, perhaps it was not the best time then.Nevertheless, she had to stop Hannah from going to find Hansen.

    ¡°Are you hearing yourself? The child is not his?¡± Hannah waspletely confused. Her eyes grew wide and stared at Jenna like she was an alien.¡°Then, whose is it?¡±

    Jenna turned her head away. Her voice was hoarse and hollow.¡°Hannah, this is my business. Please don¡¯t askand please don¡¯t get involved. I appreciate everything you¡¯ve done for mebut this is enough.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Hannah¡¯s sharp eyes seemed to look through Jenna¡¯s lies. She hesitated beforeher eyes burned with mes.¡°Jenna, stop lying to me. It¡¯s impossible for the child to be someone else¡¯s. Only that b*stard,Hansen could get you pregnant. You¡¯re my best friend,I can¡¯t watch you being bullied by him like this. Your father is goneand your mother is ill. If not me, no one will care about you anymore. I can¡¯t watch you suffer.Hansen Richards, he¡¯s not even human.I¡¯m going to smash him into pieces. Even if he dies, I will be sure to stab him in the gutsand demolish his reputation. Then I¡¯ll let him rot in his filth for the next thousands of years and burn in hell.¡±

    Hannah gritted her teeth and flexed her fists, her eyes red.

    When she opened the door and saw Jenna lying on the sofa the previous day,she was covered in snow. Her whole body was soaked wet as the snow meltedand she was horridly pale as a ghost.How was this the beautiful girl she had known? Hansen had destroyed her inside out! If Jenna were a stunning rose, Hansen had plucked all her petals and threw the remaining onto the ground to wither.

    No one except for Hansen could hurt Jenna like this, no other man could ever do this!Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Hannah knew this better than anyone!

    She could no longer bear it this time. If she had let him get away, what about the child in Jenna¡¯s belly? What about her reputation?

    With a firm decision in heart, she grabbed Jenna¡¯s wrist and was about to run forward.

    ¡°No, Hannah, please.I beg you, don¡¯t do this.¡± Jenna desperately pulled her back with all her might. She was crying as she said, ¡°You¡¯re not me, you don¡¯t understand. Please don¡¯t be impulsive.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, are you weak or stupid? Are you seriously going to protect him now? Even if this has happened to you, is he really worthy of your love? If he is, it would kill him to leave you be, let alone let you stay in my house like this.¡±

    Hannah tried to shrug Jenna offbut she could not break free from her grip. Jenna had held onto her tightly,thus she stomped her feet in deep frustration.

    Jenna listened to Hannah and thought of everything she had been through. Her eyes rained tears as she was wholly lost.

 Chapter 190 Silly Woman

    ¡°Hannah, let me figure it out by myself.Please,I¡¯m only staying at your house for a few days. Please.¡± Jenna hugged Hannah desperately as tears streamed down her face.

    Hannah could not bear seeing her in so much pain. Sighing, she stomped her feet and said, ¡°Well, since you have decided to protect that b*stard, I have no choice but to let him go. But I¡¯m warning you, this is no small matter.You must think it through, otherwise, you¡¯ll regret it for a lifetime.¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you so much. I will think it through,¡± Jenna agreed, still tearing up.

    Hannah took a deep sigh. She helped Jenna onto the iron benchand solemnly asked, ¡°Jenna, tell me the truth, is the child in your stomach Hansen¡¯s? Don¡¯t lie to me.¡±

    Hannah stared at her. Jenna and she grew up together, they were basically each other¡¯s reflection in a mirror. They were so simr that they knew what the other had on their mind without needing words. Even though she was certain that it was Hansen¡¯s, she wanted to confirm with her.

    Jenna bit her lips tightly.Her bitter tears reached the corner of her mouth and fell on her hands. She knew that she could never pretend in front of Hannah. After a long time, she said in a low voice, ¡°Hannah, if I tell you, you have to promise me that you won¡¯tinterfere. I¡¯ll solve my own problems.¡±

    Hannah was terribly anxious for herbut she also knew that she was stubborn. This was Jenna¡¯s private matterand she was just a friend. If Jenna disagreed, who was she to step in?

    At that moment, she exhaled and nodded.

    Jenna looked at her friend whopromised her immediately. She did not want to hide from Hannah either. She nodded her head.¡°Hannah, I didn¡¯t think I would get pregnant. I never thought of it. But, I had never been with any other man apart from Hansen. Who do you think the father is?¡±

    It was as Hannah expected.She gulped down her disappointment and smiled bitterly.

    ¡°Hannah, please, just pretend you don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t tell Hansenor anyone. I don¡¯t want anyone to know about this for the time being,¡± Jenna pleaded, her thoughts starting to clear up.

    Hannah was puzzled by her decision.

    ¡°Jenna, why are you doing this?¡± Hannah questioned her, ¡°You¡¯re no Mother Mary, you can¡¯t hide it forever. You¡¯re pregnant for more than a month now. In one or two months, your belly will grow bigger. How can you hide this by then?Eventually, everyone will find outandyou¡¯re the one who will suffer. You know how rumors can ruin someone¡¯s life! People will look down on you for getting pregnant before marriage.This is unless Hansen takes responsibility for you. Please think about this carefully, this is serious.¡±

    Hannah¡¯s words stung Jenna¡¯s heart. In an instant, she was so hurt that she shiveredand her stomach began acting up again. She bit her lips hard until they were palebut she still could not utter a word.

    ¡°Tell me, what happened between you and Hansen?¡± Hannah was perturbed looking at Jenna and she pressed further for answers.

    She knew that Hansen was a high and mighty young master with quite the temper. He was also a jerk towards Jenna in their rtionship.Despite that, no matter the circumstances, a man of a prestigious familywould not get women pregnant this easilyunlessHansenhad wanted to!

    Jenna had been together withHansenfor so long. It was expected that she would get pregnantbut what confused Hannah was that she did not want to tell him. It did not make sense to her!

    ¡°Hannah, please, don¡¯t force me. This is my problem,I will deal with it. Please keep your promise and don¡¯t tell anyone, including Hansen and my mother. I¡¯ll be grateful if you did,¡± Jenna wiped away her tears and said decisively.

    Hannah had no other options. She could have figured Jenna out in the past, but this time around, no matter how she had thought about the matter, she could not understand Jenna¡¯s intention.

    However, it was not her ce to question Jenna. If she had continued to force Jenna, she would be crossing the line. At the time being, she could only agree with her.

    ¡°Fine Jenna, you win. I surrender. I won¡¯t meddle in your business from now onand I don¡¯t want to care anymore,¡±Hannahsaid. She was a bit mad at the fact that Jenna had tossed her kindness aside as if it were nothing!

    What could she do if Jenna insisted to keep it a secret? No one could change another person¡¯s personality, even if they were best friends.

    ¡°Hannah, I¡¯m sorry. Please don¡¯t be mad at me.¡± Jenna grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. Guilt was piling up in her heart and she said softly, ¡°I know I have let you down. You can despise me as much as you like.¡±

    After she finished speaking, she looked at Hannah with pleading eyes and begged for her forgiveness.

    Hannah could not ept that Jenna,whose beauty rivaled the goddesses once upon a time, had turned into this. Her face was colored with a shade of unhealthy yellowand she looked so pale. Furthermore, she was looking all pitiful at her. This was her best friend. She sighed and helped her to stand, ¡°Let¡¯s go home now. Follow the doctor¡¯s instructions and take your medicine.¡±

    Jenna lowered her head. She was ashamed of herself.

    Hannah shook her head. She could not dismiss her worrying feelings,=and she spoke again, ¡°Jenna.I¡¯ll take my hands off thisbut you have to remember my words. If there really is no way, get rid of the child as soon as possible. It¡¯s not toote. But of course, if you still love Hansen and want to be with him forever, he hasn¡¯t remarried yet. Go fight for your own happiness, get him back. He must take responsibility for his doings.Call me if you need me. I have some connections that woulde in handy. Although I can¡¯t make someone famous,it¡¯s not hard to ruin one¡¯s reputation. This is a serious matter. Don¡¯t be confused or hesitant. In the end, you will hurt yourself.¡±

    She said through gritted teeth, ¡°If you let yourself down, I¡¯ll end our rtionship too. I don¡¯t want to befriend someone who can¡¯t even make up her mind, who doesn¡¯t know right from wrong.¡±

    Hannah¡¯s words were painful but they were the truth.

    Tears welled up in Jenna¡¯s eyes. She struggled to stand upand hugged her while saying, ¡°Hannah, it is my honor to have a friend like you.Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll find a way out of this. I know this is no light matterand I won¡¯t be foolish. Please don¡¯t give up on me.¡±

    Hannahughed when she heard her words.She caressed her hand and smiled.¡°Jenna, you will always be my best friend. I¡¯m just worried about you. Don¡¯t me me for nagging.¡±

    ¡°Of course not, I understand your intentions. The luckiest thing that happened in my life is to have a close friend like you.¡± Jenna sobbed.

    Hannah steadied her and said in a heavy voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go now, silly woman.¡±

    Jenna smiled bitterly. ¡°Hannah, even you think I¡¯m stupid.¡±

    ¡°I told you that the IQ of a woman in love is zero.You are so exceptional, I¡¯d say it¡¯s a negative value for your case.Love is nothing good. Fortunately, I am wise enough to not fall in love.¡±

    Hannah ragged on Jenna¡¯s rtionship. Concluding from valuable experience, she was grateful that she was not as foolish as her.

    Jenna was in a bad mood and did not want to argue with her. Besides that, she herself agreed with everything Hannah had said. What was there to argue about?

    The snow finally stoppedbutthe sky was still gloomy. Jenna felt even more vulnerable under the cold.

    After Hannah sent her to the vi, she nagged her for a few more minutes. She had no choice but to leave as she was bombarded with phone calls from the cafeteria.

    Jenna shoved her hand into the pocket of her coat and covered her head with its hood. She had wrapped herself tightly in the warmth of the coat but she was still dazed. She walked slowly with her head down.

    As she took a turn to enter the front door of the vi, she halted in her steps.A pair of shiny, expensive leather shoes and royal blue trousers entered her field of vision. She raised her head.

    Dressed in a decent suit, his once impable hair was in messand his handsome face appeared in front of her.

    Hansen Richards.

    Jenna was at a loss for words.

    She stood woodenly, unable to move. He hade all the way here to find her.

    Hansen was silent like an ice sculpture.Helooked at Jenna witha solemn expression on his facebuthis eyes were shining,looking bright and gentle. The cold wind that blew by made his hair messier than before.

    He was towering over her and his strong build seemed to bring her unique tranquility. Her heart trembled.

    She could notpletely forget about him, not before, not now, not ever in the future. She was uncontrobly in love. It was love that dominated her and gave her the urge to rush into his arms. She did not care if they would have no future. She did not care about the consequences.

    However, the consequences were too harsh this timeand Jenna could no longer afford to bear the unbearable.

    It was time to end their rtionship. It would not do either of them any good if this mess continued.

    Her longing gaze held his face for a moment more before she snapped out of it. Immediately, her face turned into a mask of indifference.

    Hansen looked at her, unmoving. He had been with countless women beforebut never had he fallen for a woman with his entire heart and soul like this. She was his only one. He knew deep down thatthere would never be anyone else.Ever since heid his eyes on her back in college, she had unknowingly imed his heart. Although he had been a jerk to her, he finally understood his feelings for her.

    But, when he realized what his heart desired and made up his mind to cherish her all his life, everything had changed.

    Would fate really be so cruel to tear them apart?

    Would this be the end of them?

    He had once heard people say that the end of a story was the beginning of another. He did not want them to end. If this was the end, he would make sure they start all over again.

    When she first set her gaze on him, he could see starlight in her eyes.In a blink of an eye,she turned as cold as iron, her pale face under the purple hood breathtakingly beautiful. She looked so frail that it broke his heart. He remembered the cheerful smile of hers that made her seem like a sunflower. She was still that flowerbut she had gone through the harsh winter, with distrust and wounds on her. She was still beautifulbut without an ounce of energy.

    This was the woman he loved!

    Jenna had been married to him for four yearsand was still by his side even until this moment.How had she be this way? He was a failure indeed.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen had stayed awake for the entirety of the night before, recalling their rtionship over the past few years.

    He only knew one thing;he could not lose her!

    Her misty eyes used to sparkle like spring water.The light that once shone in them were gradually extinguished, turning into dead ashes.They were now reserved and icyas if she had made up her mind to leave him.

    This made him terrified.

    He had made a mistake, an unforgivable mistake.

    How could he make up for it? He did not know how to plead for her forgivenessbut he knew he could not lose her. At this moment, he only wanted to keep her by his side, even if it meant that he would have to hold her down by force.

 Chapter 191 Donâ€™t You Dare Leave Me

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s go back to Collier Manor.¡± Hansen reached out to hold her, desperate to bring her back to the manor immediately.

    ¡°Let go of me.¡± Her voice was icy cold, terrifyingly distant.

    ¡°Jenna, please, go back with me.¡± His voice was helpless in misery, pleading and begging apparent in his tone for the first time in forever. Her expression was so cold and stoic. Heno longer dared to lift her up and carry her away as he pleased like before. He feared that it would anger her and push her further away from him.

    ¡°Who do you think you are? Why should I go with you? Who are you to me, to ask me this?¡± Jenna sneered. Her words stung him like a sharp dagger.¡°Even if you¡¯re my boss, I had only signed a one-year contract with yourpany. Not you. I didn¡¯t sell myself to youand I have no obligation to follow you. If there are consequences, we can resort to the court.¡±

    Her expression was determined, more than she ever was before.

    Jenna was no longer a fool. She would wake herself up once and for all.

    Hansen¡¯s heart grew cold with her icy voice.

    She thought of him no more than a thief,a passerby in her journey of life.To her, he was probably the most shameless and greatest jerk in the world.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be like this. I love you. I really do.¡± His voice was weak and trembling;the pain that tortured him was evident.

    Loved her? Jenna wanted tough when she heard this. She wondered if this was his so-called love? Being a two-timer, trampling all over her feelings as he wished, was this what he meant by loving her?

    If this was love, every man could have countless lovers and not be called out for it.They would possess every woman they had foundbeautifnd then said that they loved them. Wouldn¡¯t that be ridiculous?

    ¡°Look at everything you¡¯ve done so far. And you think you love me. Should I obey you unconditionally?What a joke.I was so stupid to believe that a man like you would even have a heart. I know it now.You¡¯re a jerk, an absolute scumbag. We have been married for so many years. Ask yourself about how you¡¯ve treated me, how you¡¯ve trampled me all over, and how you¡¯ve destroyed my dignity. I was na?ve before. I thought that you would change,but now, why should I forgive you and go back with you?¡± Jenna grew emotional. With all the past events flooding her mind, it was at this moment when those unpleasant, painful memories came bursting through the door. Her face was flushed from the outburst as she said with a trembling voice, ¡°Hansen Richards, what makes you think I will go with you? Do you expect me to stand around, watch you get married, and have children with another woman? Do you expect me to hide in an affair? Am I just a sl*t to you? From today onwards, I will cut my ties with you. We are nothing but a divorced couple and now, we live our own lives, far away from each other. Please respect my decision. You wouldn¡¯t be so shameless and thick-skinned, would you?¡±

    ¡°Jenna,is this how you see me in your heart?¡± Hansen asked with sorrow.

    She chuckled, her smile sardonic as she retorted, ¡°Of course. You think too highly of yourself.¡±

    His face paled.As if he was scared of something, he suddenly grasped her hand and roared, ¡°Jenna, I won¡¯t let you go no matter what. Don¡¯t you dare leave me. You are mine for the rest of your life. You can only belong to me and no one can take you away from me.¡±

    As soon as his voice fell, his arms wrapped around her tightly.He smiled, a guilty one, and his muscles stiffened under his clothes.

    He had said before that the woman he loved could never leave him.

    Unless he hated her and abandoned her.

    Women were always the eager ones; they would be desperate to please him. How could there be a woman who had wanted to leave him, especially the woman whom he loved so dearly?He would not let that happen.

    As he embraced Jenna, she stood there like a sculpture, not moving an inch.

    She could not fight against him. There was no other way but to let him hold her.

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t get a woman¡¯s heart,thus you¡¯re going to tie her down by your side with force. What great skill you have, do you think doing this can win my heart? That¡¯s too shallow of you,¡± she mocked him coldly.

    Her voice stabbed him in the heart. She did not resist nor struggle out of his hold, she even let him hug her.She was like a lifeless string puppet.Soon, he felt chilly and glum.

    He was sure that just a moment ago, he saw a hint of reluctance in her eyes.

    She still loved him; he firmly believed that.

    Pulling her tightly into his embrace, he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her fiercely. In his memories, every time he kissed her, her anger would melt away and she would forgive him.

    He kissed her with a burning passion but for a long time, he felt her not giving in. It was different this time.

    She was so distant. Even as he kissed her passionately, he could not feel any warmth from her. Apart from her breath on his face, he would have mistaken her as a log. He was already pulling her so close to himand yet she had no reaction.

    Her eyes looked straight at the sky above, unchanging.

    Soon, Hansen was utterly dejected.

    He slowly let go of her.

    ¡°Jenna, why are you being like this? You promised me, you¡¯ll believe that I love you no matter what happens, didn¡¯t you?¡± He shook her andshrieked in agony.

    ¡°I was stupid to have promised you. How could I, after you made another woman pregnant? That¡¯s ridiculous. Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t even think of this simple thing. I¡¯m just a woman,¡± she said coldly.¡°Go away. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other.¡±

    After she finished speaking, Jenna shoved him aside and headed toward the door.

    ¡°No, Jenna.¡± He grabbed her in time and begged humbly, ¡°Jenna, give me time. I need you, please stay with me. Don¡¯t leave me,I will fix everything, okay? I will definitely give you the answer you want. Trust me, only if you trust me would I have the strength to hold on.¡±

    He pleaded sincerely, his eyes still had light in them, radiating warmth.

    She nced back at him. In the past, she would have believed himandsoftened up in no time. This time, it was different. She would stick to her resolve. She would not repeat her mistake.

    ¡°Tell me, what can you do?¡± She red at him, shooting him with unending questions, sarcasm on her face.¡°Are you going to make Aria get rid of the baby, or kick her aside and marry me again? Or would you make me your mistress willingly and follow you around silently? Do you think any of these would work? If I really give you this trust you¡¯re talking about, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll be stoned to death by thousands of people and criticized by millions for the rest of my life. Everyone will see me as a lowly sl*t. Sorry, but I¡¯m not doing that.¡±

    Her eyes were full of disdain, mockery, and contempt; it was enough to make him too ashamed to even look up.

    ¡°This¡­¡± He opened his mouth but could speak of nothing. He fixed his gaze on her.

    She merelyughed with no emotion.

    ¡°But, Jenna, don¡¯t you want to avenge your father? Come back to meandgive me the chance to find out the truth for you. Would you do that?¡± He pulled on thest thread of hope.This was the thing she had cared most about, there was no reason for her to refuse.

    ¡°Of course, my father¡¯s death must be investigatedand you shouldgive me a satisfactory answer. This would be an exchange for me sleeping with you all these years.Nothing in the world is free, right?¡± she said in bravado, not at all vague and shy like she had used to be.

    Was this still the Jenna he knew?

    Sleeping with him? Those words came out of her mouth. He used to tease her with this in the pastbut it was a joke. He never meant it seriously.

    Throughout these years, each time they had embraced each other and spent the night, Hansen would seem yful, sometimes devious as he teased her. However, he poured his heart andtrue feelings into the rtionship. He was sincere and did not fake anything as he held her in his arms. His love for her was genuine and true.

    He thought Jenna understood him.

    He was wrong.

    It turned out that she had always viewed him as a jerk who used her for his pleasure.

    Staring nkly into nothingness, his heart was bitter inside out. All the nights they had been togetherwas only for her father¡¯s death. Sleeping with him was an exchange for the truth. She had no affection for him.

    Were women¡¯s hearts so unpredictable? He had given his feelings, his truest feelings, and haddeeply fallen for her until he could not live without her.

    He stared at her, speechless.

    Jenna saw him open his mouth but said no words.He looked helpless and devastated in heartbreak. Her heart began to pain andher stomach became ufortable again, churning so badly as if her intestines would pour out of her abdomen. She felt nauseous but she forcefully swallowed her saliva.

    The wind howled and the snow became heavier.Snowkes fell onto her hair and face. At that moment, Hansen noticed that her face was even paler than the snow.

    Tears filled her eyesbut she bit her lips tightly to keep them from escaping.

    All of her principles, her resolve, and her reserved demeanor cracked and shattered at that instant. Tears glided across her face,ing into contact with the snow.

    She covered her mouth and forced the nauseating feeling down. Her stomach began to ache and she grimaced.

    ¡°Don¡¯te find me anymore. For the sake of my father¡¯s death, I will go back. Of course, I¡¯ll definitely not return to Collier Manor. There is nothing that I want there. I will go back to Richards Manor. I will not let those wicked murderers, those murderers who killed my father, get away with this,¡± she mustered all her strength that was left and spoke. Her stomach was hurting so badly that she had a painful expression on her face. She gagged suddenly and she covered her mouth tight immediately.

    ¡°Jenna, are you sick?¡± Hansen asked anxiously as he looked at her terrible expression.

    She stopped looking at him, turned around and ran toward the door frantically.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    His heart wasbusting. Seeing that she was about to trip, he hurriedly rushed over to hold her.

    Despite so, she brushed his hand off harshly and looked at him with resentment in her eyes. After that, she rushed into the vi but before she could rush into the bathroom, she vomited in the nearby trash can. She threw up so horribly that she was gasping for air.

    When Jenna saw Hansen, she would think of Aria, that despicable woman. She wanted to gag at the thought. It was absolutely disgusting!

 Chapter 192 Mr. Richardsâ€™ Anger

    Hansen stood outside, staring nkly at Jenna as she disappeared before his eyes. He heard the door being mmed hard. The wind howled louder and the snowfall got heavier. He could hear the sound of vomiting inside the house.

    He did not have the courage to knock on the door. He knew that even if he knocked,it would not open for him.

    After standing in the cold for a while, the noise Hansen heard from inside faded away into a deathly silence. It was then that he walked away.

    His phone rang.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I found another evidence of Earl¡¯s embezzlement of the public funds. Do you want him arrested?¡± John¡¯s voice was full of glee on the other side of the phone.

    Hansen had no expression on his face.

    So what if they found evidence? Even if Earl was arrested, could he abandon Aria? She was pregnant with his child, was there a choice?

    Vivian would not allow it, Marissa would not either. Even Jenna thought it¡¯s impossible.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here for the time being,¡± Hansen said indifferentlyand hung up the phone immediately after. His voice sounded hollow and dead. Sitting in his car, he leaned his head against the steering wheel. All his hopes were crumpled. For the first time, he felt powerless.He felt that his life was a disaster.

    He had never thought that he would face such a dilemma in his life, throwing him off, demolishing himpletely.

    At the mini bar, he drank alone. He had several sses in a row and his head started to feel dizzy.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, why are you here, drinking alone? Did Jenna kick you out of the house?¡± By coincidence, Frederic came to inspect his bar and saw Hansen alone. He was amused and curious about what made him upset, therefore he patted him on the shoulder and teased him.

    ¡°Go away.¡± Hansen was irritated. He snapped at him with bloodshot eyes.

    Frederic was startled by his outburst. It seemed that this young master was really troubled. It was rare to have this special gueste to his bar, hence he hoisted him up and said kindly, ¡°My lord, such a bad temper you have. It must be love bothering you. Come on, let¡¯s y a few rounds. As they always say, bros before h*es.¡±

    Hansen drank a lot and his head was spinningbut Frederic was strong enough that he quickly helped him up.

    When the depressed Hansen was lifted up by Frederic, he thought he was floating on clouds as his footing was wobbly.

    In the VIP room, Frederic called Chester and Zach to rush over immediately. When they arrived, the three of them looked at the drunk Hansen lying on the sofazily, his facepletely flushed. Apparently, he had been drinking a lot and they were all curious why did he drink in the first ce.

    What troubles could the fearless and mighty Mr. Richards have possibly faced? It was very rare that he would get this drunk.

    To them, Hansen was strong and never gave up easily. He managed his image very well too. No matter how busy he was, no matter how many things were troubling him, as long as he showed up in public, he would be dressed smartly in a suit and tie.However, who they were seeing at the moment was a heartbroken man, abandoned by a woman.

    ¡°Hey, Mr. Richards, wake up. Did some woman abandon you and you were ashamed? It seems unlikelybut had you really fallen in love?¡± Frederic shook Hansen¡¯s shoulder and said yfully.

    The waiter brought a hangover pind after a while, Hansen raised his head.¡°Why are you guys here?¡±

    He looked up and saw his buddies winking and making faces at him. He was surprised.

    Fredericughed and said, ¡°Let¡¯s be honest, who was it that had made you so drunk?¡±

    ¡°None of your business.¡± Hansen nced at them with a warning stare, then stood up, about to leave.

    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t leave.¡± The three of them got up and grabbed him at the same time. They then seated him on the sofa forcibly and said with smiles, ¡°Hansen, we heard that you were in a bad moodand we rushed over immediately tofort your wounded soul. It¡¯s not nice to leave when we had speciallye for you, right? We¡¯re all busybut we¡¯re here. To relieve your troubles, we shall sacrifice ourselves to y chess with you all night.¡±

    Someone had earlier on brought in the four-yer chess board and ced it on the table.

    Hansen had no choice but to sit down and y. Time passed by in the blink of an eye, and it was almost early in the morning when they stopped.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I heard that your father-inw is going to be the mayor of A city. We¡¯ve all heard the news. Remember to take care of us in the future,¡± Frederic said with a smirk, holding a chess piece with a cigarette in his mouth.

    ¡°You¡¯re the smartest of us all. You found yourself a bride from a political family. I¡¯m thoroughly impressed,¡± Chester eximed with envy.¡°News is going crazy everywhere, saying that you didn¡¯t hesitate to divorce your previous wife so that you can have the beautiful Aria and even Earl¡¯s power¡­ Heh, I¡¯m just kidding.¡±

    There was a sharp noise asHansen¡¯s chess piece was thrown onto the table harshly.¡°What nonsense are you all on?¡±

    These words struck him right in his heart. The grief, anger, and pain that were suppressed bled out of the perfect mask he had put on. He was furious.

    Everyone jumped at the abrupt noise and they exchanged nces with each other.

    David was the only one who remained calm, not at all startled by his sudden outburst. He nced meaningfully at Hansen¡¯s contorted expression before speakingcasually, ¡°You guys are so mean, can you believe these rumors? How are you all so ignorant like those thugs around the city!¡±Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    ¡°If any of you dare to speak of such nonsense again,know that I¡¯ll cut my ties,¡± Hansen screamed at them angrilyand stormed out of the VIP room.

    Frederic and Chester looked at each other in confusion. They were baffled by his rageand they did not understand where it came from.

    It was just a joke. They had done the same in the pastbut Hansen had never reacted this way.

    However, David sighed faintly and said, ¡°You two brats have offended him hard with the ¡®news¡¯ you heard.¡±

    With that being said, he shrugged, unable to help them.

    Hansen rushed over to his car and drove blindly down the road. After a few rounds in the streets, he was still very upset.

    He took out a cigarette.

    ¡°Hansen, didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to quit smoking? Why are you doing it again?¡± As he lit the cigarette,Jenna¡¯s voice rang in his ears. She had asked him to quit smoking one night. His hand that was holding the cigarette began to tremble as he put it in his mouth and took a few deep breaths. Only then did he manage to calm down.

    His phone in the passenger seat rang.

    It was a call from Marissa.

    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Hansen, where are you? You haven¡¯t been home for many days now. Come back soon,I have something to talk to you about,¡± Marissained over the phone, but there was a hint of excitement in her tone.

    Hansen frowned. It waste at nightand yet she was still awake.

    ¡°Alright, wait for me.¡± He hung up, took a long drag, and drove towards Richards Manor.

    The night was long and cold. Only the dim street lights illuminated the manor. There was inexplicable loneliness to the ce as he observed.

    A brightmp in the living room of Green Jade Garden was on.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re back.¡± He heard Marissa¡¯s voice as soon as he walked into the living room.

    ¡°Mom, why aren¡¯t you sleeping? It¡¯ste.¡± His eyes scanned the living room before theynded on a dark shadow in the corner of the sofa. Marissa was sitting there.

    Ever since Jenna left Richards Manor, he would note back ifMarissahad not called him. He did return the day beforebut it was also for Jenna. After she left, he disappeared again,not even giving a call to his family.

    ¡°Hansen,e and sit here.I can¡¯t sleep.¡±Marissawaved at him andpointed to the sofa beside her.

    His long legs strode over and sat down beside her.

    ¡°Hansen, I just received a call saying that your dad is able to move his arm. The doctor said that this is a sign of recoveryand he might just be able to stand up.¡± Marissa¡¯s face was glowing, excitement in her face and voice.

    He was awestruck. He asked hurriedly, ¡°Mom, who gave you the call?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I thought you would know,that¡¯s why I asked you toe over. Didn¡¯t you say that you asked an expert to treat your dad in the hospital? You even refused to let me visit. If it¡¯s true, then it¡¯s great news,¡± Marissa said in confusionbut her face showeduncontroble joy. If Trevor could wake up, it would be a miracle.

    Hansen was dumbfounded. He then took out his phone and searched. After a while, he walked to a corner and made a call to the hospital abroad; he quickly received an answer. It was the hospital that called them that day. As for how they knew the number to Richards Manor, they informed him that Miss Murphy had told them to deliver the message there.

    After some thought,he finally understood. It seemed that they had notified Jenna and told her about the good news. Despite that, she no longer wanted to care about their affairsand asked the hospital to call Richards Manor.

    ¡°Mom, Dad¡¯s condition will certainly get better.But for the time being, I don¡¯t want anyone to know,¡± he said slowly after contemting.

    He could not hide this from Marissa any longer.She would be the only one to take care of Trevor when he returned.They would have to make preparations for him toe back.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll let you know when I¡¯m done making the arrangements.You can take care of him then. If there¡¯s nothing else, I will go to rest now.¡± He stood up from his seat and headed upstairs.

    ¡°Hansen, what about Aria? Their family keeps calling me every day. I¡¯m done dealing with them.¡± Marissa also stood up. She knew thather son did not want to talk about thisbut she had to tell him.

 Chapter 193 Get Rid Of The Baby

    ¡°Got it.¡± Hansen paused, expressionless. He mumbled the words before he went upstairs.

    He opened the door of his and Jenna¡¯s shared bedroomand jumped when he saw someone sleeping on the bed.

    Could it be that Jenna had returned?

    There was excitement and hope in his heart, and he walked briskly to the bed.

    Soon after, he sighed and shook his head. It was not her.

    It was impossible;why would shee back?

    He thought he went to the wrong room and stepped out of the threshold to examine the door. It was their room, he was sure of it!

    Who was this person? How dare she sleep in their bed!

    He then proceeded to turn on the lights.

    The bedroom was lit up instantly.

    It was a woman. She looked gorgeous,reminding him of Jenna¡¯s face.

    Minnie!

    He recognized her with one look. This was not Jenna, but that nasty woman, Minnie Murphy.

    ¡°How dare you sleep on this bed!¡± His anger red immediately and he roaredat her.

    The woman on the bed was jolted awake with that scream and hurriedly got up. When she saw that it was Hansen, her face paled.

    The man in front of her was furious with a dark expression;it terrified her.Minniewas dumbstruck with her eyes wide open.

    ¡°Why are you sleeping on this bed?¡± Hansen clenched his fists and barked.

    This loathsome woman had the audacity toe into their bedroom and sleep on their bed. She had crossed the line.

    ¡°Get the f*ck out of here,¡± he spat the words, his loud and stern voice echoing in the building. Marissa heard the noise and ran up in a panic, not knowing what happened.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Richards. It was my fault.¡± Minnie was frightened to her senses, shaking as she watched Hansen approach her with a murderous gaze. His tightly-held fists seemed like they would break her neck at any moment. Chills ran down her spine. She fumbled for her clothes and shot up from the bed.

    ¡°You¡¯ve crossed the line. How could Jenna have such a shameless cousin like you?¡± Minnie was forced into a corner of the room. He grabbed her lower jaw andtightened his hold slightly, causing Minnie to cry out in pain.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,please show me mercy. I wouldn¡¯t dare to do this next time around,¡±Minniestruggled to say.

    ¡°Next time? Don¡¯t even think of having a next time.¡± He chuckled coldly and warned in a stern voice, ¡°Get out of here, now. Don¡¯t ever let me see you. If this happens again, I¡¯ll throw you out from the window.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± She nodded in horror.As soon as he loosened his grasp, she hugged her clothes and ran out in a haste. She saw Marissa standing at the door with a gloomy face.

    ¡°Madam Marissa, I¡¯m so sorry,¡±Minniewas flustered and anxious, murmuring an apology.

    ¡°How impudent! Didn¡¯t I ask you to sleep in the guestroom? How did you end up in the Young Master¡¯s room?¡± Marissa had anger written all over her face as she reprimanded, ¡°Where are your manners,dy?¡±

    Minnie¡¯s face was flushed red to the base of her neck and she hung her head low. She kept saying, ¡°Madam, I¡¯m sorry.I went to the wrong room.¡±

    Marissa gave her an icy re.¡°What are you still waiting for? Get out.¡±

    Minnie¡¯s pathetic figure scurried off.

    Marissa ordered Larry to clean up the room again.

    ¡°Mom, did something happen?¡± Aria was also awakened by themotion. She was rubbing her eyes as she walked out of her room,and she saw Marissa standing in front of Jenna¡¯s bedroom.

    ¡°Aria, you should keep an eye on your people. Don¡¯t let those around you be too presumptuous. How can a girl sleep in someone else¡¯s bedroom like that?¡± Marissa saw Aria cameand scolded with dissatisfaction.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mom, what do you mean?¡± She was still sleepy and confused. She then spotted Hansen in the room and her eyes lit up with a smile. ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re back.¡±

    Aria was tempted to run toward Hansen but because Marissa was standing on the side, she had to contain herself.

    ¡°Aria, your agent was rude in her behavior. Do pay more attention in the future,¡± Marissa spoke in a strict voice as an elder in the family. Her son was greatly angered that nightand she was very displeased.

    Aria understood what she meant by then.

    She hurriedly replied with a smile, ¡°Mom, please don¡¯t be angry. She hascked manners,I will have a word with her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you should.¡± Marissa was pleased to hear her answer and nodded. Looking at her belly, her tone softened significantly.¡°It¡¯ste,you should get some good rest.¡±

    However, she saw her looking straight at Hansen, her eyes glowing. She knew what Aria was thinking. Shaking her head, she went downstairs knowingly.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯ve finallye back.¡± As soon as Marissa left, Aria stepped into the room and threw herself into his arms, paying no heed to her stomach.

    Hansen furrowed his brows as he helped her upand said rather impatiently, ¡°It¡¯ste, go to bed now.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. Hansen, I¡¯m feeling so bloated, it¡¯s ufortable. Won¡¯t you stay with me?¡± she spoke softly and lovingly, endearment in her voice.

    ¡°Aria, I have something to do. You go and rest first.¡± He then let go of her and proceeded to open the closet in search of clothes.

    All of Jenna¡¯s clothes were inside. She had taken none of them with her, even the ones where she had worn daily. Her small, pale face shed across his mindand his heart grimaced.

    Thiswas not home without her. He felt his heart growing empty.

    ¡°Hansen, what are you looking for? I can help you,¡± Aria strolled her way to him and offered.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± he replied coldly.

    He only felt annoyed when he saw Aria.He did not even want to look at her, he wanted to stay as far as possible away from her.

    However, Aria had clung to him regardless. The more Aria did this, the more he would think of Jenna. He craved for the warmth of her delicate body against his. He missed having her in his arms. She was gorgeous;the center of all his feelings and emotions. She had him under her spell.

    Not only that, he had yearned for Jenna more and more as days passed by. Just a day of not seeing her would make him feel empty and lost. He could not focus on anything else.

    ¡°Hansen, do you only have that woman in your heart? Do you hate me so much?¡± Aria was full of tears as she sobbed.¡°I¡¯m pregnant with your son. Is this not enough? Is she more important than us?¡±

    She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.She cried as her face was on his back and begged, ¡°Hansen, please, stay with me. I feel so ufortableand I lose my appetite every day. I just want to see you. Please, promise me, even if it¡¯s for the sake of our child.¡±

    Tears rained down her cheeks as Aria pleaded. Her arms were tightly bound to him,never releasing him from her grasp.

    Hansen¡¯s back stiffenedand he was lost, hearing her words that struck him where it had hurt. He stood silent. With thest ray of hope, he pulled her onto the sofa and sat her down. He said, carefully picking his words, ¡°Aria, since you feel so ufortable, let¡¯s get rid of the baby. Now is a perfect time.It¡¯s not toote yet. Otherwise, everyone will suffer in the future. If you agree, I will try my best to satisfy your requests.¡±

    He spoke with a stern and intent look on his face,anticipation in his eyes.

    Such an expression stung her heart. He actually hoped that she would get rid of their child, even if it was his own flesh and blood. He was unwilling to have a child with her.

    Her face slowly turned pale, entangled in disappointment, and the light in her eyes faded.

    ¡°Hansen, do you dislike me this much? You can get rid of your own child just for that woman. How cruel of you.¡± Aria clutched to the fabric of her clothes asthe tears in her eyes flowed uncontrobly.

    ¡°You still don¡¯t understand it. Having a child won¡¯t make a difference. I don¡¯t love you. If you did this, you won¡¯t be happy. You will only hurt the child, yourself, and everyone else. How can I make you realize this?¡± Seeing Aria acting this way, the hope in his heart morphed into nothingness, and his face turned glum.

    ¡°Hansen, listen up. Stop dreaming, I¡¯m never getting rid of the babyand I¡¯ll give birth to him. I will marry you regardless. Even if you are ruthless and cruel, even if you don¡¯t like me, I still want a wedding and a title. This is what you¡¯ve owed meand now it¡¯s time for you to pay. Don¡¯t even think of marrying that woman in this life. You can only marry meand that¡¯s the end of the story,¡± she bit her lip and dered. The light that once glinted in her eyes was absolutely dim.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ ridiculous.¡± He was utterly disappointed. He could never talk things through with her;it was no use. He stood up and said coldly, ¡°Aria, do you think I¡¯ll do as you wish after you¡¯ve threatened me? After being by my side for so long, you should know how I do things. I have never been a person who will give in easily.¡±

    Aria¡¯s face paled again, her knuckles turning white.Her sadness and despair grew into anger. Shesaid loudly,¡°Hansen, you are not a person who sumbs to challenges easily,neither am I. If you don¡¯t love me, why didn¡¯t you say it three years ago? Why did you wait until when I¡¯m pregnant? What am I supposed to do? I¡¯ve made up my mind to keep the child.¡±

    Heartbroken, Aria squatted down, covered her face and cried painfully.

    He had an awful expression. The tension wasvisible on his face as he shouted in a deep voice, ¡°Enough, Aria. Please think about it clearly. Have I said that I loved you in the past three years?Did I ever say I wanted to marry you? It¡¯s you who wanted to stay in mypany. I have always advised and encouraged you to build your own career. I never forced you to do anything because you have been with me during the tough times in thepany. Yes, I did consider marrying you but now it¡¯s clear to me that what I felt towards you was not love at all. If I marry you because of this, it will be unfair to you. It is also unfair to me. Everyone will not be happy.Aria, please think this through. We have to treat marriage seriously. I have experienced it once and I don¡¯t want to repeat the same mistake again. I can try to make it up to youbut please work with me. Don¡¯t force me, okay?¡±

 Chapter 194 Was It A Challenge Or A Show Of Power?

    ¡°ButHansen, I love you, and I¡¯m already pregnant with your baby. Shouldn¡¯t you be responsible?¡± Aria shrieked desperately.

    Hansen was exasperated. No matter what he said, she would not agree to terminate the pregnancy. He was drugged by someone else that night;it was a trap, it was not his intention. Even he himself was confused. How could they keep such a baby?

    His head was aching. Why could she not wake up to her senses? Whywas she using a baby to threaten him?

    This was what he had despised most in his life.

    ¡°Aria, you know that night was a mistake. Norton drugged me, it was not my intention at all. Please calm down and think carefully. Stop using the baby to threaten me. Doing this won¡¯t do you any good,¡± he said with a dark face and left with a m on the door.

    After that, Aria fell onto the ground!

    His footsteps faded into the silent nightand she began to feel frightened. He would not do as she wished even when she used their child to threaten him. Was it true? She did something wrong, didn¡¯t she?

    Thinking of this, her whole body began to tremble.

    If she insisted her way, would the future hold any happiness?

    She knew Hansen very well. He was never afraid to do what he had said. It was obvious, looking at how he treated Jenna all those years.

    But, what could she do? Apart from marrying him, there was really no other way!

    In fact,it would be more painful if she did not marry him.

    When he had agreed to marry her, Hansen did not refuse as strongly as he did at present, now that he wanted to get rid of their child. How could it not be love? It was all because of that woman.

    The media already knew that she was Hansen¡¯s woman. How could she survive all the rumors if they did not marry?

    No, she would take this until the end!

    She would not let Hansen and Jenna seed. She would make sure of it.

    Aria gritted her teeth, her eyes glowing with hatred.

    In the office of the Municipal Party Committee.

    Earl returned to his office after a meeting. His secretary, Mr. Evans, came over and reported that the director of the Public Security Department, Louis Garver, was asking to see him.

    Earl adjusted his sses and his eyes rolled around. He then said softly, ¡°Let him in.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Mr. Evans stepped back and closed the door lightly.

    After a while, Louis came into the room in a set of casual clothes.

    ¡°Mr. Garver, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Earl gestured at the door and asked slowly.

    Louis got the hint and closed the door immediately. Having checked whether it was tightly closed, he then walked forward.

    ¡°Come on, sit here.¡± Earl stood up and walked to the sofa in the living room.He pointed at the space beside him.

    Louis sat down cautiously. His body leaned forward as he said in a low voice, ¡°Mayor McAdams, something happened to Shelren Group. The Chairman, Caleb Hodge has dered bankruptcy.¡±

    What? Earl¡¯s eyes twitchedbut he still asked calmly, ¡°Tell me in detail, what happened?¡±

    ¡°Caleb came to me yesterday in dread, saying that Shelren Group was taken over by Richards Group. Everything happened in a rush. A lot of information has fallen into the hands of Hansen Richards,¡± Louis exined in a low voice.

    ¡°What? Hansen?¡± Earl heard his nameand his face darkened, his voice cold.

    ¡°Yes, Mayor McAdams. Caleb said that he had bought hispany, and ording to Hansen, he mentioned that for the sake of you,he paid more than the price so that Caleb didn¡¯t lose as much money,¡± Louis was uneasy as he replied.

    Very well, Hansen Richards!

    Earl¡¯s face was as dark as coal in an instant.Hansen already knew about his dirty work in Shelren Group, he even called him out!

    Was it a challenge or a show of power?

    Knowing that he was trying topete for the position of mayor, Hansen was secretly nning to ckmail him with what he found.

    The gleam in Earl¡¯s eyes jumped,his gaze deep and inexplicable.

    Hansen Richards. It seemed that he was still unwilling to marry his daughter. Had he started to take action?

    Earl sneered.

    Shelren Group was just one of his invisible pawns. Did Hansen think that he had found his weak spot? That was too pathetic.

    ¡°Mayor McAdams, Hansen is young and bold.I don¡¯t know what he intended to get out of this. Although this matter does not pose a fatal threat, him knowing such a thing would not do us any good. After all, he has quite the influence in this city. Now, he has gotten the goods on us,¡± Louis said worriedly.

    Earl just smiled and waved his hands.

    He knew Hansen¡¯s ns. All of this was nothing more than a bargain for not wanting to marry his daughter. He would not take any action for the time being. Besides, a mere Shelren Group would not be enough to tear him down.

    With a faint smile, he calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°But, Mayor, the young man shouldn¡¯t be underestimated. It is said that he knows of our other weak spots. It seems that he has specifically targeted youbut I don¡¯t understand why.¡± Louis was puzzled.¡°I just don¡¯t understand. Your daughter has moved into Richards Manor and is about to marry him. But, what he did was really bizarre. Although it¡¯s not a threat yet, it¡¯s definitely not a friendly act.¡±

    There were more things that he found out? Earl¡¯s knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists tightly, and his voice was a bit chilly.

    Hansen had actually held plenty of information just to go against him.

    He had guts.

    Even so, courage did not necessarily lead to sess. How could Earl allow him to destroy everything he had worked so hard for?

    He was young, and sess in his business had contributed to his stubbornness and arrogance. He should know that acting on emotions would not do him any good!

    Some things wereplicatedand yet Hansen dared to confront him openly? He was indeed too young. Did he think that with his career sess over the years, he could have everyone kneeling before him?

    Had it not been for his daughter, he would have ruined Hansen entirely.

    Earl had a vicious look in his eyes. He said in a deep voice, ¡°This is no big deal. Just clean up our traces carefullyand withdraw thosepanies. Hansen can¡¯t do anything to me for now.¡±

    He thenughed.

    Louis was bewilderedbut Earl¡¯s hearty smile made him feel relieved. He bade goodbye and went out.

    Earl had an ugly expression on his face as he glowered.

    It was apparent that Hansen truly disliked his daughterandhe really made his move. In order not to marry Aria, he did not hesitate to risk going against him!

    Anger sparked in his eyes.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You useless thing. Who allowed you to sleep in Jenna¡¯s bedroom? What are you plotting?¡± Aria was irritatedand she yelled at Minnie when she found her.

    Why was she makinga fuss out of it? Was it such a big deal? Minnie could not have cared lessbut she faked a smile as she said carefully, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. Last night, I drank some wine and was not in the right state of mind.I identally went into Mr. Richards¡¯ bedroom.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards¡¯ bedroom? It¡¯s that b*tch¡¯s bedroom,nothing to do with Hansen. You are so ridiculous. There are guest rooms everywhere in the houseand you had to choose that room. Why did you have to mess with him and be caught? Are you trying to cause problems for me?¡± Aria¡¯s face darkened. Remembering that Marissa too had said a word or two about her the night before, she became more dissatisfied withMinnie.

    Minnie knew that Aria was just doing this out of anger as she was rejected by Hansen.She had to be careful,therefore she took on a worried and guilt-ridden expression.¡°Rest assured, this won¡¯t happen again. I was just thinking that since that b*tch won¡¯t dare toe back to Richards Manor,I wanted to stay closer and take good care of you.That¡¯s why I went into that room not far from yours when I was unconscious. Your body is preciousandyou¡¯re even pregnant now.I would never be careless about it.¡±

    Minnie was smart and knew to smear her lips with honey.She had said everything Aria wanted to hear.

    ¡°My body is precious? In Hansen¡¯s eyes, I¡¯m just trash. He can¡¯t wait to throw me away,¡± Aria was reminded of her sadnessand muttered to herself.

    ¡°How is that even possible? You are the daughter of Mayor McAdams.Your identity is more precious than anything else. Mr. Richards is only temporarily seduced by that woman. It won¡¯t be long until he changes his mind and returns to you. Besides, you have his child in your belly. Is there a man who doesn¡¯t like his own child? There is absolutely no reason to not love you, hence you should always be calmand wait for Mr. Richards,¡± Minnie ttered her.

    Aria sighed when she heard that. She hated Hansen for being foolish. Thinking of what he had said the previous night, she felt even more depressed and frustrated.

    ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± Minnie suddenly thought of something.She leaned towards Aria and said,¡°Yesterday, I saw Madam Marissa answering a call,and then she was very happy. She was walking around in the living room, looking like she¡¯s in a good mood.¡±

    ¡°What call?¡± Aria hurriedly asked. She was interestedbut she felt nervous for no reason.

    Minnie tilted her head and recalled the scene, then suddenly pped her hands and said, ¡°Yes,I think they were saying that someone¡¯s arm could move nowand they¡¯re about to get better. I didn¡¯t hear the exact conversation clearly.¡±

    Aria was stupefied and her heart sank. She got up, a little flustered. Her face was pale as she stood nkly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Minnie saw her standing strangely without saying a word. She was confused and called her nervously.

    After some time had passed,Aria finally came back to her senses by Minnie¡¯s call.Fine sweat had beaded on her forehead.

    ¡°What else did you hear?¡± she pulled Minnie¡¯s arm and asked anxiously.

    ¡°No-nothingelse. Madam said nothing after putting down the phone and I couldn¡¯t guess what it was,¡± Minnie shook her head and said seriously. Nevertheless,she was puzzled and curious about Aria¡¯s reaction. What would make her so nervous? There must be hidden secrets.

    ¡°This information is very good, well done,¡± Aria praised Minnie.She took out a pile of cash from her pocket and handed it to Minnie.¡°Keep spying on them and tell me any news immediately. You¡¯ll get more than this next time.¡±

    Minnie epted the money with glee, ¡°Yes, no problem. I will definitely pay more attention.¡±

 Chapter 195 New Hope

    ¡°You can leave now.¡± Aria waved her hand andsent Minnie off.

    Minnie headed downstairsbut she suspected something was going on. What secrets were Aria hiding? It seemed that she cared a lot about Marissa¡¯s phone call, what would it be? There was some mystery in this! She should figure it out and make good use of it. Maybe, she could make a fortune out of it!

    Thinking of this, she touched the thick stack of cash in her pocket and grinned. This was indeed a good day for her.

    After Minnie left, Aria grew restless.

    The heavy snow these few days had the city covered in white.On the other hand, Jenna had been throwing up even with an empty stomach. The pregnancy symptoms gave her no time and effort to think about anything else. She was numb and hollow, the winter coldness and loneliness prating through the skin into her heart.

    Hannah was busy with work every day, squeezing little time totake care of her. Even so, Jenna could not tell her mother nor anyone else about her pregnancy,enduring the pain alone.

    The ache drilled into her heart as she touched her belly. She had be ghastly thin over the course of a couple of days.

    One day, she put on the thick sable fur coat, hid her face in, and went to the Maternal and Child Health Hospital.

    Jenna pleaded to the baby in her stomach, apologizing over and over. She had no intention to give birthnor was she in a great position to do so. She prayed that her child would not me her for being cruel.

    The child came at the wrong time.She could only make such a decision!

    After queuing up for the check-in,she took heavy steps up to the consultation room on the third floor.

    She stared nkly at her waiting ticket. Her appointment was at the same room she had gone to that dayand the attending doctor was again, Donald. Awkwardness grew when she saw his name; she was not used to having a man attend to these matters. Her gut instinct had spoken against itand she felt uneasy at the idea.

    Many patients were outside in the waiting area.

    ¡°Hubby, I¡¯m feeling so unwell,being pregnant is so tiring.It¡¯s all your fault.¡± Next to Jenna was a woman, vomiting from time to time. Sheined to the man beside her, who was taking good care of her.

    The man was gentle and smiling. Heforted, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Honey. It¡¯s all my fault that you have to go through this. I promise you, after you¡¯ve given birth, I¡¯ll take care of the child and everything else, okay?¡±

    He patted her back as he spoke, giving her all of his love. Nevertheless, she was unsatisfied as she pouted and continued to moan and groan about her difort.

    Compared to her, Jenna was simply suffering in hell. Her situation could notpare at all!

    She hid her face under the fur coat. It was as if the stares from other people were poisonous. Should she be caught by those gazes, the venom would sink into her and find its way into her blood, leaving her in agonizing pain.

    She did not dare to look at anyone as if she hadmitted the greatest sin.She did not dare to listen to the woman beside her, herints kittenish in sweet happiness; nor did she dare to listen to the man, enclosing his woman with pure attentiveness and affection. The sight of the couple was a sentence to Jenna, the sentence of failing to remain a virtuous woman.

    She was pregnant before marriage.

    Any woman would fall into the depths of shame and ridicule if such a thing were to happen in A city. Not to mention that she held her head high in pride.She was hopelessapart from escaping reality and tending to her wounds alone.

    Tears quietly stained her coat. Jenna curled up on the iron bench with her head loweredand sobs were stuck in her throat.

    ¡°Dad, I have yet to avenge you. I can¡¯t give birth to the child so selfishly,¡± she thought.

    This was unfair to the child.

    She shall trust no one from now on. She would avenge her father with her ownbare hands, andbring him and her mother justice. With that,he would finally rest in peace.

    After this day, she would get back on her feetand never be deceived again.

    ¡°Child, the stars are to me for this. You havee to me when they are not aligned,¡± shemented. Should there be another life, a reincarnation, she hoped that the baby would be born into a better family.

    Her fingers hidden in her long sleeves stroked her stomachand she felt the nausea welling up again, urging her to vomit.

    She was about to stand when there were sounds of footsteps.

    The people waiting in the lobby saw shes of golden in front of their eyes, and all of them turned their heads and looked.

    They saw a beautiful woman in fashionable clothes, apanied by an elegant, elite woman of high society. Behind them were four servants. She swayed out of the elevator, heading towards the lobby.

    Jenna felt the unusual atmosphere in the air,therefore she raised her head a littleand looked out through the gap in her hood.

    She quickly lowered her head in a hurry and hid her face under the hood as best as she could. She did not dare to look up again.

    It was Marissa and Aria. They came to the hospital, presumably for an examination.

    Wasn¡¯t this too much of a coincidence? Of all the times she coulde!

    She actually met this despicable woman!

    Jenna felt her heartbeat in a mess,her entire body in uneasiness.

    She did not want Aria to know about hering to the hospital, let alone for them to find out about her pregnancy. She shut her eyes tight and tried toe up with a n, her brain running on high speed.

    ¡°Dear patients, Dr. Colton will not be avable this morning. He has a prior engagement booked by another patient. Your consultations will be canceled or changed to another doctor in the afternoon.¡± Shortly after Aria went in, the head nurse came over and made the announcement.

    ¡°Why? Then what about us?¡±

    ¡°Is being rich everything? We came here first. Why send us away when they just arrived?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve been in line since early in the morning. Finally, it¡¯s almost my turnbut this happened. This hospital is bullsh*t.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what a snobbish hospital. They will see the wealthy at an instantbut ignore us, the ordinary people¡¯s illnesses. This is so hical.¡±

    ¡­

    Opposition from the crowd burst out.

    The head nurse saw them dissatisfied and she knew that it was the hospital to me. She could only keep on smiling as she apologized, ¡°Sorry everyone, today is a special asion. Dr. Colton is the patient¡¯s special care and it was booked long ago. Today is the patient¡¯s examination day.Please forgive and understand us. Everyone may choose another doctorore back in the afternoon. My apologies, we¡¯re sorry.¡±

    ¡°In the afternoon? You say it as if it¡¯s easy. What should we do at noon? We have to go back to work in the afternoon too. They are all pregnant women bearing a child,and we have been sitting here and waiting for such a long time. If something happens, can the hospital take responsibility for it?¡± A man stood up and protested loudly.

    Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, the nurse said anxiously, ¡°Alright then,please sit down and wait patiently. I¡¯ll go and ask my manager about this.¡±

    The head nurse hurried away after speaking.

    Jenna could not sit there and wait anymore. It seemed impossible to terminate the pregnancy on this day.

    She was already in a terrible state. Her feelings were in conflict and anxiety, and she was in a bad mood. She could not risk being recognized by Aria and Marissa. All of these things have piled up on herand she could no longer stay here. Jenna quietly stood up and walked toward the elevator, hunching over as soon as she entered the space. She covered her mouth and tried her best to endure the nausea.

    Her stomach was churningand it was awfully ufortable. She waited for the elevator to stop and rushed out. She then ran toward the trash can, supported herself with a hand on the wall and vomited violently.

    There was cold sweat on her forehead and she was seeing dark spots.

    She fumbled for a ce to sit down, took a few deep breaths, and closed her eyes to rest for a while. Only then did she feel a little relieved.

    As soon as she calmed down, a baby¡¯s cry sounded in her ears. It became louder and louder, and there was more than one.Her eyes widened in surprise and when she looked up, Jenna saw that she had reached the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department.

    She had forgotten to press the downward button in the elevator, therefore the elevator brought her here coincidentally.

    The cries of the newborn babies hit her along with a hint of warmth. For a moment, there was a peculiar feeling in her heart that she had never experienced before.

    She subconsciously reached for her lower abdomen.

    In front of her eyes, the faces of adorable infants began to appear. A small smile crept across her face.

    As if under a spell, Jenna stood up slowly.

    There was a gym in the corridor towards the delivery roomwith several swimming tanks in them. The colorful little floating tubes warmed up the atmosphere.

    Several young mothers were standing outside the ss window looking at the tanks, showing affectionate and knowing smiles.

    Jenna slowly approached them, only to discover that there were many newborn babies in the swimming tank of the gym ¡®swimming¡¯ in it.

    A pink and tender face so smallwith eyes closed slightlyand skin a little wrinkledfortablyid in a swim ring. He was quiet and rxedas if still in his mother¡¯s womb, so at ease.

    A few yful ones were almost dancing, punching and kicking in the water. They looked so cute.

    The troubles and hardships of the past few days had seemed to disappear.Jenna lifted the corners of her mouthand her eyes shone with light. The sight of these newborns were mes, instantly melting the cold in her icy heart, leaving a pool of warmth.

    All she felt was being touched and a passion toward life.

    She ced her hand on her stomach once more. A warm feeling came rushing from the bottom of her heart.

    Her child wasthe closest person to her in the world. Why would she get rid of her child?

    What wrong had the baby done? A precious life should not be forced to an end this way.

    It was the fault of the grown-ups. The sacrifices should not be borne by innocent lives. How cruel would this be,what was she doing?

    Her father was gone and her mother was seriously ill.Who else in this world could she rely on?

    Why should she get rid of her only, dearest child? What a despicable idea.

    No, she could not do this.

    She loved her child. This thought was intensely strong, pounding in her being at the moment, just like all the women who were about to be mothers.Apart from excitement and being moved, there was joy in her heart. It was a tiny being of life, it was her flesh and blood. The closest person to her in the world.

    All her bad thoughts hadvanished. In this one moment, Jenna decided that she was going to give birth to the child.

    She would not use this child to threaten Hansen. She would notlet him know about its existence either. She was capable of raising the child without his help.

    After the child was born, it would be her family. She would no longer be alone, she would have a child who could apany herand they would depend on each other. Together, they would pull through the hardships in the world.

    Maternal love was great and invincible. She believed that there was nothing she could not ovee with her love. She was not afraid of death, she would not be afraid of any suffering! Her pride, shame, and ego could all go to hell!T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    With this enthusiasm, Jenna tore the medical records and waiting ticket apart beforeresolutely walking out of the hospital.

 Chapter 196 Is She Alright?

    The fluttering snow stopped fallingand the northern winds stopped howling. The hidden sun was almost visible beyond the thinyers of cloud and mist.

    Even the air was full of such a warm essence.This was all because of the motivationthat the little being in her belly had brought her. Jenna felt that the weather was not as cold anymore.

    Quickening her pace, she walked forward.

    No matter what, she had seen hope.

    There would be mountains after mountains in front of her in the future, and she would be criticized and ridiculed by those haunting stares and rumors. But, all of those will mean nothing. She was the one living her life, she had the choice to ignore those useless usations thrown at her.

    As for Aria, she had absolutely no idea.

    They were both women and they were pregnant.

    She was reluctant to get rid of the child and insisted on giving birth to him. Aria must have been in the same shoes. Since she had gotten pregnant, Hansen should be responsible. Asking him to marry her waspletely justified. Who would have hoped that their child was born without the love and care of its father?

    Walking slowly back to Cloud Residence,Jenna looked up and saw a man standing under the tree. He was dressed in a fine ck suit and his calcting eyes were shining bright, unable to see through the underneath.

    It was Paul!

    She stopped in her tracks.

    ¡°Hello, Miss Murphy,¡± he greeted her with a faint smile.

    She was surprised. What was he doing here?

    ¡°Paul,are you looking for me?¡± she asked in astonishment as she stepped forward with uncertainty.

    Paul smiled slightly and nodded.¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± An unusual feeling struck her at the momentand she could not help but blurt out the question.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, I am here today to suggest that you return to Richards Manor,¡± he spoke withlittle emotion in his voice.

    Richards Manor?Her heart flinched as she heard that.

    She had no longer wanted anything to do with Richards Manor, let alone go back there. She felt her heart ache just by hearing the name of the ce. However,on the way back from the hospital, her heart had troubles and thoughts tied in a thousandconvoluted knots. She pondered for a while before asking calmly, ¡°And the reason is?¡±

    He shrugged with hands in his pocketsand shed a rxed smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. You have an inheritance right in Richards Group. Just by this, you should go back. Besides-¡±

    He abruptly stopped and took out a cigarette to light it, inhaling it deeply.

    ¡°Besides what?¡± Jenna¡¯s heart was beating faster than normal.She asked hurriedly before he could continue to speak.

    ¡°Besides, your father¡¯s death has something to do with Norton Richards. It¡¯s confirmed from the current investigations. As of now, he has been detained by Jordan for further investigation. However, I reckon he will be bailed out of jail in these two days. If so, there will be no way to progress the case. Although there is nothing you can do, I want to remind you not to depend solely on the police. If they are reliable, you wouldn¡¯t have found me in the first ce. You can still count on Hansen but he¡¯s not in a great ce currently. If you want to discover and reveal the truth about your father¡¯s case, I suggest you go back to Richards Manor first. You will know why I am telling you this in the future. Some things are veryplicated and I can¡¯t exin them, you¡¯ll just have to see for yourself. Miss Murphy, you¡¯re a clever person, I think you¡¯ll understand what I mean.¡±

    This seemed to make a lot of senseand it was exactly what she intended for. Before her belly got any bigger, she had to avenge her father as soon as possible.

    Only in this way could she n the next step.

    ¡°Why are you telling me this? Who sent you here?¡± she asked calmly. Her mind was going through his words carefully.

    Paul gave her an amused smile and replied frankly, ¡°No one asked me toe.I¡¯m limited in my capabilitiesand I couldn¡¯t im the high rewards you have offered me. However,since I have taken over your case, I have the responsibility to inform and remind you. This is my usual practice. Well, I have said everything that needs to be said. You should figure it out by yourself. I¡¯ll go on my way.¡±

    After he finished, he turned around without looking at Jennaand swiftly disappeared from her field of view.

    She was bewildered, standing nkly in the wind for a long time. Only when she felt her body freezing did she slowly walk into the vi.

    Reaching her bedroom, she was tired and drowsy. She fell into a deep sleep immediately.

    After another day and night of cracking her brain, Jenna had finally decided on her future path.

    She refused to be negative and defensive anymore. Her mind was full of the baby. Sometimes she could not stop smilingand sometimes she would talk to her child while stroking her belly.It seemed that ever since she came back from the hospital, her vomiting had also decreased significantly.Both her body and mind were rxed.

    Perhaps, Paul had been right with his words. Her priority was to avenge her father, then she would think about the rest.

    By then, she would leave A city with her mother and the child in her belly. She would leave this sad ce forever.

    It was apparent that she could no longer stay here.

    Before anyone could sense that she was pregnant, she must find out about her father¡¯s death as soon as possibleand then disappear without a word.

    After having rested for another two days, the nausea symptoms subsidedand Jenna began to pack up her things.

    Hannah¡¯s Audi drove into Cloud Residence like the wind. Having parked the car, she brought a few cans of imported milk powder for pregnant women and stepped out of the vehicle.

    It was gettingte and she was in high spirits that day. It was the holidays, a day to celebrate, hence she came back early, bringing a lot of things to spend this asion with Jenna.

    She was humming to a tune, about to walk toward the gate with her handful of things. Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of a dark figure standing nearby. The figure was tall and lean, and from one look she knew it was a man. He stood silently, looking in the direction of a bedroom on the upper floor of her house.

    She knitted her brows.

    Which man had dared toe and stand outside her house? And to be peeking at the bedroom, such a pervert!

    What was he up to?

    She was never afraid of anything.She had her ways to get rid of anyone she wishedeven if she was facing terrorists, so to speak. Dealing with an ordinary man was a piece of cake.

    She raised her head high before walking toward the dark figure.

    When she got closer, she found that he was standing upright, staring at the window of the bedroom without even noticing her approaching.

    He had a woeful gaze and his expression was rigid. The snow piling on the trees fell on his coat, white apparent against the dull ck of his outfit. He stood there like a statue in the night.

    The small clouds of warm vapor exiting from the nose was the sole indicator that the man was alive.

    D*mn it.

    It was that scumbag, Hansen Richards again!

    Hannah growled. The scenes of Jenna being so painful and ufortable throwing up every day shed across her mind. She had cursed him hundreds and thousands of times in her heartand her anger towards him had reached her limits. At this point, her eyes were burning with rage that she could burn him to ashes on the spot.

    This b*stard actually dared to stand dubiously in front of her house!Inwardly, she screamed at him for being a dirty studand to go to h*ll.

    ¡°Hey, who allowed you to stand here in front of my house?¡± She put her bags of things on the ground, arms akimbo, and yelled at him with insults, ¡°You b*stard, why are you here? Are you trying to break in or peek in? Let me tell you that I¡¯m not in the least bit interested in sc*mbags like you. Leave now or I will call the police.¡±

    Her anger flooded the air around the house. Hansen was still staring at the bedroom window in a daze before he was startled by her roar. Shaking off his thoughts, he saw her big eyes ring at him with hatred. She looked like she could not wait to kill him right then and there. She was nota figure not to be messed with!

    He sighedand a rare, apologetic smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°Hello, Hannah.¡± He gave a friendly smile.

    ¡°Humph,¡± she snorted and kept a stern face, not showing him any courtesy at all.

    ¡°Spit it out, what are you doing standing here?¡± she questioned him coldly.

    Hansen just smiled bitterly.

    Hannah was Jenna¡¯s friendand she was one he did not dare to act up in front of. It was not that he was afraid of herbut he had never forgotten about her genuine friendship with Jenna. She was there for Jenna when he was not, protecting and taking care of her. It was not easy to have such a good friend these days. He truly respected herand therefore he was especially polite towards her.

    ¡°Hannah, I don¡¯t mean any harm. Please believe me,¡± he exined with a friendly smile.¡°Actually, I-I just want to see if she¡¯s doing fine?¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so? I have to thank you for your concern on behalf of Jennathen,¡± she taunted with a sneer on her face.¡°Come on,cut the fake stuff.Don¡¯t call me Hannah. My name is not something a sc*mbag like you can simply speak with that dirty mouth of yours. I¡¯m not Jenna,I won¡¯t care about all your sweet talk.Please,do call me Miss Adames in the future; get this in your head. Also, you don¡¯t deserve to ask about her at all, you don¡¯t even deserve to care about her. If you still want to save the pathetic bit of your dignity that¡¯s left, then leave. Otherwise, I will call the police. On second thought, I might as well call the media to spread some exciting news.¡®Mr. Richards having a secret fetish of peeking women through their homes.¡¯ Or ¡®Mr. Richards harassing women and being a d*ck, refusing to leave a woman¡¯s house¡¯. I don¡¯t think you would ignore these, would you?¡± Hannahughed and took out her phone to make calls.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen could no longer maintain his pleasant expressions; he waspletely knocked down by her insults. He understood that she had no good impression of him. She had witnessed how he treated Jenna these years. He admired her for standing up for Jennaand respected her for her loyalty to their friendship. He would never be genuinely offended by her.

    ¡°Miss Adames, may I ask if Jenna is alright at the moment? She was unwell for the past few days. Is she getting better these days?¡± he asked sincerely as he looked at her with guilt and expectation in his eyes.

    Hannah was taken aback.

    He knew that Jenna was sick. Did he find out she was pregnant? Her eyes darted around before shelifted her chin up to meet his gaze. With a cold expression, she asked, ¡°Did you know that she wasn¡¯t feeling well?¡±

    Had Jenna yet recovered?Hansen wondered. Hannah¡¯s question caused his heart to jolt. That day, he had seen her vomiting several times.

    ¡°Yes, I saw her throwing up that day. I was going to take her to the hospital but she refused and insisted toe to you,¡± he exined nervously.

    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± She narrowed her eyes and spoke in a tone of distrust, observing him.

    He was perplexed under her staresand grew increasingly anxious.¡°Miss Adames, is she alright? Did she go to the doctor?¡±

    D*mn it! It turned out to be like this.

    This jerk really did not know about Jenna¡¯s pregnancy!

 Chapter 197 The Decision

    Hannah suddenly let out a groan and rolled her eyes.

    It seemed that this man was ruthless on top of being an idiot. He did not even know that his woman was pregnant and he still had the audacity to ask about her health.

    Thinking of how Jenna had pleaded her so miserably, she only spat onto the ground and said bitterly, ¡°F*ck you. You know she¡¯s sickbut you still hurt her. You left her in pain and tears. You¡¯re no man.¡±

    Hansen listened with his never-faltering smiling face, not daring to have any hints of anger.

    ¡°What kind of a man are you, standing here? Do you really care for her? As far as I can see, you are ying with her feelings. If you¡¯re sincere enough, you should ask for her forgiveness in person and take care of her the best you can. Ask me my a*s, you only make me feelfake. You arrogant jerk, hurry up and leave. Jenna doesn¡¯t want to see youand me sure as h*ll don¡¯t either; you only taint my poor eyes.Pleasedon¡¯te again, you¡¯re not weed here. If you dare to disturb us again, I¡¯ll call the paparazzi over. I¡¯ll smear your face with dirt and ruin your reputation. I¡¯m reminding you that I¡¯m not Jenna. You don¡¯t stand a chance against me,¡± Hannah spat out the words like bullets out of a shotgun, leaving no space for him to interrupt in between.

    After putting Hansen in his ce, she picked up her things on the ground and turned to walk away.

    ¡°Bah, this sucks. What bad luck to have this scumbag harasses us on such a good day,¡± she purposely raised her voice as she left. Obviously, she spoke the words loud and clear to humiliate him.

    Hansen stood there helplessly, staring at her distancing figure.

    He did not dare to offendHannaheven after she had bombarded him with all the yelling,nor was he in any way angered. He was only worried that he would never see Jenna again.

    It was the holidays. ording to the rules of Richards Manor,all members of the Richards family must gather in Ink Garden for a reunion dinner. He felt an emptiness in his heart; he had wanted to bring Jenna back for dinner. Judging by the circumstances, this would be impossible and he feared that it would be difficult to even meet her once.

    Feeling depressed, he walked out of Cloud Residence and drove around the streets before returning to Richards Manor.

    That year¡¯s reunion dinner was doubly bleak.

    Vivian was glum with a heavy heart.

    Norton had not returned to Richards Manor for days as he had to cooperate with the police investigation. In fact, he had been detained. It was certain that he would not make it to the dinner.

    Naturally, Jenna would not be joining either.

    Aria was allowed to joinand she was the only one at the entire table who was smiling brightly. She sat next to Hansen and stuck to his side tightly, practically glowing.

    Hansen merely stayed on his seat,his face void of expression as he drank sses and sses of wine.

    Vivian was disheartened to see this situation,thus she excused herself from the table early.

    After she had left, ude felt even worseand his family followed suit not longter.

    The reunion dinner was deserted, not an ounce of a joyous atmosphere. In fact, there was a depressed sadness throughout dinner.

    ¡°Larry, help Aria back hometer.¡± Marissa did not want to stay here for a long time. Worried that Aria would catch a cold while being pregnant, she muttered a few words to Larry before leaving.

    ¡°Hansen, stop drinking. Alcohol isn¡¯t good for your body.¡± Aria stayed beside Hansen, not wanting to let go of this once in a blue moon opportunity. She sped his armand persuaded worriedly.

    ¡°Leave,¡± he said coldly and chugged a whole ss of wine.

    ¡°No, Hansen, I want to stay here with you. If something is troubling you, please tell me and I¡¯ll help you.If you needpany, I¡¯ll just stay beside you. I¡¯m willing to give you anything.¡± She caressed his face, her nails a striking red. She stared at him with longing and said softly. Her fingertips glided across his face and chin, before pausing on his lips to stop him from drinking.

    ¡°Go away,¡± he pushed her hand away and said in disgust,remaining unmoved to her offers.He continued to drink wine one ss after another.

    ¡°Hansen, pleasestop drinking, okay?¡± She saw that he had not taken even a bite of the food.He merely drank wine until his face reddened and his eyes grew with more agony. Her heart ached for him as she loved him after all. Shecould not bear to see him in such pain.When she thought that every time he was sad was because of Jenna, she felt increasingly irritated.

    In the pastwhen he married Jenna, he too was unhappy. At that time, he was depressed to the point that he drank one ss after another on their wedding day, just like this. Now thatthey were divorced, he did not need to care about her anymore,yet he was still unhappy and drinking. Why on earth was he acting this way?

    Why could Aria not get him to drink for Jenna, to linger for her?

    The jealousy in Aria¡¯s heart grew into a poisonous treeand she was dissatisfied even more.

    She would not lose to Jenna¡¯s beauty,but why was he hung up over that woman?

    Clenching her hands, Aria grabbed the bottle of wine and poured one full ss for Hansen. After that, she looked at him with doe-like eyes and pouty lips. ¡°Hansen, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t love me but you have to cherish your body. Our baby and I are counting on you. Hansen, stop now, okay? I¡¯ll be here with you. I can give you whatever she can give you.¡±

    Speaking of this, she buried her head on his arm and sobbed.

    Hansen was already muddled from all the drinking. Initially, he knew that it was Aria sitting next to him. But after a couple of drinks more, he started to lose his consciousness. Looking into the eyes of the woman in front of him, his mind was full of Jenna.

    ¡°Jenna, your body isn¡¯t well, go back and rest.¡± He shook his head, grabbed the woman in front of him by the hand, and slurred through his words, ¡°Jenna, why won¡¯t you believe me?I¡¯ve only ever had you in my heart. You promised me that day that no matter what happens, you would believe that I love youbut why has it changed?¡±

    He held Aria¡¯s hand, his face awfully red. He reeked of alcohol as he muttered his pleads.

    Aria¡¯s face paled at once.

    Sure enough, there was only that woman in his eyes and his heart, and his love had all been given to Jenna at present!

    Anger took up the form of a lump stuck in her throat. Aria felt miserable.

    An eerie light shed in her eyes.After a while, she smiled sweetly and said softly, ¡°Hansen, stop drinking. I have always believed in you. Come, let¡¯s go home.¡±

    She was afraid that he would speak more while drunk, therefore she stood up hurriedly. Shegestured towards Larryand both of them helped him up.

    Butler Maud was daydreaming at a corner. Upon seeing this, he hurried over and said with a smile, ¡°Miss McAdams, since you are pregnant, let us take care of Young Master.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Aria¡¯s strength was really limitedand he was indeed too heavy for her to support.

    Butler Maud beckoned another security guardand they carried the drunk Hansen toward Green Jade Garden.

    When Hannah got upstairs, she saw that Jenna was packing her things.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s this for?¡± she was mortified and asked hurriedly.

    ¡°Hannah.¡± Jenna looked up at Hannah, who stood in front of her with a face full of surprise, question, and disbelief.She smiled and said, ¡°Thanks for all these days, my best friend. I¡¯ve been a nuisance while I stayed here.¡±

    Nuisance? What was she saying?

    Hannah¡¯s eyes fell on her stomachand her face darkened.

    ¡°What do you mean? Doyou want to leave?¡± she asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jenna nodded andtook Hannah¡¯s hand.¡°I¡¯m leaving tonight.¡±

    ¡°Leavingfor where?¡± Hannah was unhappy, her brows furrowed as she questioned.

    ¡°Richards Manor,¡± Jenna replied in a low voice, her gaze empty.

    ¡°What?¡± Hannah cried out loud as if she heard an absurd joke. ¡°Going back to Richards Manor, are you out of your mind?¡±

    Hannah then ced her hand on Jenna¡¯s forehead, muttering to herself, ¡°No fever, that¡¯s weird.¡±

    Jenna was speechless and amused. It was not only Hannah that felt weird about her returning to Richards Manor,even she herself found it unbelievable. However, the things that happened in the past few days had cleared up her confusion. She had thought it through, long and hard, and she had to go back. She had a feeling something was bound to happen soon.

    A long timeter, Hannah saw the determination in Jenna¡¯s eyes and understood that she was serious.

    ¡°Jenna, what do you really mean? Youe and go whenever you like without discussing it with me. Are we still friends?¡± She was displeased.

    ¡°Hannah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jenna pressed her lips tightlyas pain shed in her eyes.She exined slowly, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the hospital and see my mother first.Then, I¡¯ll return to Richards Manor.¡±

    She had not seen her mother in a long timeand it was the holiday season.It was only right that she went for a visit.

    ¡°Jenna, have you really figured it out?¡± Hannah asked again, unwilling to believe her.

    The question stung Jenna¡¯s heart hard. The pain prated into her like a poisonous snake¡¯s fangs. Slowly,the pain spread throughout her body. She simply nodded and wept.

    She had been thinking about this issue for daysand finally made up her mind. There were some things that could not be exined clearly to Hannah.She could only squeeze Hannah¡¯s hand.¡°Hannah, I know you¡¯re the one who cares for me the most. It is the greatest honor of my life to have a good friend like you. Thank you for being here for me butsome things are difficult to exin at the moment. Justtrust me,I will not go back to be humiliated. I am already an adult. I have my own measures, please don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    As she was about to finish,her nose was runningand the tears that were stopped with huge efforts just a while ago had fallen again.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Hannah let out a heavy sigh and said sadly, ¡°Jenna, if you insist on doing this,there¡¯s nothing I can do. I can¡¯t tie you up and force you to staybut I really am worried about you. You are not just a single person now;you have a child in your belly. The situation is worse than before. If you return to Richards Manor again, I can¡¯t help but feel that you¡¯re jumping off a cliff.¡±

    Hannah felt helpless. She understood that Jenna wanted to avenge Javon, but could a weak woman really do it? Even Paul could not have done anything about it; what could Jenna do? However, her stubbornness was one big headache. She was a rock that she could not persuade.

 Chapter 198 Make You Want Me

    ¡°Jenna, listen to me. If we can¡¯t change something,let¡¯s just move on. People can¡¯t live in hatred for the rest of their lives. There are things that we must learn to let go. If you had listened to my advice from the beginning,you wouldn¡¯t end up in this state.Think about it, what did you gain from all of this? Except for knocking yourself up, nothing,¡± Hannah persuaded Jenna eagerly.

    As long as Jenna met Hansen, she would fall apart; she would not be in her right mind. This was what worried Hannah the most. Unless Hansen really loved Jenna and was willing to be with her until the end, it was impossible to bring justice to Javon. But, it seemed that this was not the case at present. Two days ago in her cafe,Hannahheard a terrible rumor that Aria was pregnant!

    She thought of Jenna at the moment. Her soul was wounded and hurt, and she hade to her for help. It must be rted to this rumor. If so, it meant that it was true. Wasn¡¯t going back to Richards Manor digging her own grave?

    The only people in the Richards family that she could rely on were Vivian and Hansenbut currently, even Vivian has changed her mind for the sake of the family¡¯s reputation. Hansen, on the other hand, was a b*stard and a coward;he made two women pregnant at the same time. How could she believe that Hansen would treat Jenna as his one and only? It was obvious that he wanted to enjoy the pleasure of having women around him. He had two-timed and taken the two women to satisfy his ego of being a Casanova, as well as using them as tools to bear heirs for their family. Hannah was enraged when she thought of this. She could not wait to skin him alive.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    To Hannah, Jenna was innocent and beautiful, graceful and untouchable. She imagined that if Jenna and a maniptor like Aria served the same husband, they would probably rip each other¡¯s hair and drown in jealousy every day. As long as she thought of this, Hannah would feel disgusted as if she just swallowed a worm. Her impression of Hansen instantly sunk into the depths of the ocean. He was a scumbag with corrupt morals and he had no sense of responsibility.

    Jenna¡¯s mouth formed a bleak smile. ¡°Hannah, you are not me, you don¡¯t understand the pain of losing a loved one. But, I have personally felt it. As a child, if I cannot avenge my dearest person, what¡¯s the point of living?¡±

    These words sounded tragic and decisive, making Hannah frightened.

    ¡°Hannah, thank you for your kindness. However, I have already decided, please don¡¯t worry about me.¡± The pain in her bright eyes faded away, reced by determination.

    Hannah had nothing to say. After a long time, she hugged Jenna tightly and whispered in her ear, ¡°Jenna, promise me, no matter what, you must protect yourself before anything else. Some things cannot be forced. You are my only best friend and I don¡¯t want to lose you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Hannah. I¡¯ll be fine, don¡¯t worry.¡± Jenna smiled with tears in her eyes. ¡°I still have a child in my stomach. Even if I don¡¯t think about me, I would always put my child first.¡±

    She hugged Hannah back tightly and the two embraced and wept. Hannah felt powerless, she could not alter Jenna¡¯s persistence and she was even more shocked by her decision.

    ¡°Jenna, I wish you all the best.¡± Apart from blessings, she could not say anything else.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna smiled, let go of her, and picked up her bag.

    ¡°Look, I bought these imported milk powder for you. Take it.¡± Hannah stuffed the milk powder into Jenna¡¯s bag before holding her hand and walked out with her.

    Jenna smiled and had no objection. Hannah insisted on sending her off. Jenna walked behind her with her head down as she sighed in her heart.

    ¡°By the way, Hansen was here earlier on.¡± When they got downstairs, Hannah remembered her encounter with Hansen. After contemting it for a minute or two, she decided to tell Jenna. She hoped that Jenna would know about Hansen¡¯s feelings, not wanting to hide it from her.

    A hint of surprise shed across Jenna¡¯s face and she soon shifted back to her indifferentposure. The light in her eyes was crystal clear, she was calm as if she hadn¡¯t heard it. Except for a faint ¡°Oh¡±, she said nothing else.

    Hannah watched her and she was relieved.

    It seemed that Jenna was able to deal with Hansen calmly at the moment; this was good! Only in this way could she not be blinded by her emotions.

    Hannah started her Audi and Jenna sat in.

    They drove away.

    Snow fell and somended Jenna¡¯s hair before disappearing.

    After having dinner with her mother in the hospital, Jenna took heavy steps towards Richards Manor.

    Fortunately, her mother¡¯s condition was very good. Aunt Lee had told her that Hansen would visit her mother every day these days. Jenna just sneered at that.

    She was going back to Richards Manor again and her heart was as heavy as lead. Soon, her steps became wobbly.

    In Green Jade Garden of Richards Manor.

    ¡°Okay, all of you go down,¡± Aria said to Butler Maud who helped Hansen upstairs.

    Hansen was sprawled across the bed and the room was instantly filled with a tang of alcohol. His cheeks were flushed red.

    He kept pulling his tie that was stuck, yelling, ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s so hot, can you help me untie this?¡±

    He smelled Jenna¡¯s perfume. Yes, this was their bedroom. He recognized this smell, a smell he would never forget.

    Aria¡¯s face paled again.

    That night, he had been treating her as Jenna.

    She originally wanted to bring him into her bedroom but he was so drunk. When they passed by Jenna¡¯s bedroom, he stood still and just pushed the door in, refusing to move afterward.

    Aria couldn¡¯t help but let Butler Maud help him in.

    In no time, she gathered her thoughts andposed herself. No matter who Hansen was thinking about at present, she must be Mrs. Richards; she must be his woman. His only one. He was drugged previously. This time, she would make him want her willingly.

    ¡°Let me help you, Hansen,¡± she said softly and climbed into bed. Laying on his sturdy chest, she gently caressed his face with one hand and helped him loosen his tie. She then started unbuttoning his shirt one by one.

    Not longter, his muscr frame and sexy abs appeared before her eyes.

    She gulped. He was so sexy, so charming. Seeing this, she thought of the night at Hilton Hotel. Her face turned red instantly and her breathing began to fasten. Voice trembling,she whispered softly, ¡°Hansen, are you hot? Do you want me? Come have me.¡±

    She put her face very close to his, her soft fingers gently rubbing, stroking circles on his chest. Slowly, they moved all the way down. Her voice was soft and seductive.

    ¡°Jenna, what are you talking about?¡± Hansen was flushed by her hands moving all over his body. He was so tempted and felt so hot, his lower abdomen bloating ufortably. But, the voice was too soft and he couldn¡¯t hear it clearly.

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s me. I like you, I love you, and I want to give myself to you.¡± Aria lowered her head and blew out a warm breath. Her body was pressed against Hansen¡¯s, her sexy red lips biting his lightly, teasing him. She bit his delicate lips and her hands kept stroking his sturdy body. Gradually, the tip of her tongue slipped into his mouth, and her hands began to reach lower and lower.

    Feeling his reaction, Aria blushed and her heartbeat was thrumming so loud in her ears.

    Aria refused to believe that Hansen wouldn¡¯t love her, that he wouldn¡¯t want her. That day, she was going to have him right then and there. She would make him yearn for her body, her warmth, her kisses. He would never be separated from her again.

    Aria bit his lips yfully. The tip of his tongue came out of his mouth, and she heard him panting and asked, ¡°Jenna, is it really you? Have you returned to Richards Manor? Have you forgiven me?¡±

    These questions were poison to Aria¡¯s ears and angry sparks shone in her eyes.

    D*mn Jenna, d*mn you!

    He had refused to admit that he had slept with Aria that night. She won¡¯t be so stupid anymore. That night, Aria wanted him to remember crystal clear how he had wanted her.

    Bending her head, she ced her lips at Hansen¡¯s ears. With a seducing nce, she whispered softly.

    ¡°Hansen, I love you and I want you.¡±

    Her soft fingers circled his abdomen, teasing him. They then moved down again and she began to take off his pants.

    Hansen had a terrible headache and his whole body was very ufortable with the touch of her fingers. He didn¡¯t know why he was reacting this way.

    But, something was wrong. He knew it in his heart.

    The woman on top of him was too proactive.

    This was not Jenna.

    In his memory, every time he asked to have her, she would get all shy and jerky. She seemed to be scared, not at all how she was at this instant. This was not her.

    She was still angry, why would she bother him?

    Thinking of this, he had to get up but he halted as he felt cold underneath. It seemed that his pants had been taken off. All dizzy, he couldn¡¯t get up.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked hoarsely.

    Aria was shocked by his questioning. Turned out, he was notpletely drunk.

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s me. Just now when we made out, you said you wanted me. How can you forget it so soon?¡± Aria pretended to be dissatisfied and said pretentiously. Before he could respond, she pressed her lips to his again, kissing him passionately.

    Such a bold move and an explicit confession alerted Hansen that something was wrong. He opened his eyes and saw Aria¡¯s enchanting face in front of him. Instantly, he got up in shock.

    However, Aria didn¡¯t intend to let go of him yet. She wrapped her body around him like a snake, clinging to his body.

    Hansen got up, dizzy and weak, but Aria soon wrapped her arms around his neck to keep him down. He was pushed onto the bed once again and Aria¡¯s body was pressed tightly against his.

    Aria was overjoyed in her heart. ¡°Hansen.¡± She panted and hugged him tighter.

    At this moment, the door clicked open.

    Jenna opened the door and walked in with a bag over her shoulders.

    She gasped at what she saw!

    On the bed, there were two tightly entangled bodies. The man was almost naked with only a pair of shorts. The woman was a mess. Her hair, her clothes, they were all untidy. Worst of all, she could see her bare body from afar.

    ¡°Ah-¡± Jenna screamed out almost without thinking. Did she go to the wrong room?

    Retreating a few steps, shelooked at the door again. Yes, this was her bedroom.

    Who dared to do such a nasty thing in her bed?

    Her cry also awakened the men and women entangled on the bed.

 Chapter 199 Get Lost

    Aria had wrapped her arms tightly around Hansen,not allowing him to shrug her off. He immediately recognized Jenna¡¯s voice. He was overjoyed and could have bolted up in an instantbut Aria would not let him as she clungto him like deadly vines.

    When Jenna opened the door, Aria smirked as she saw her pale and surprised face. This was such a golden opportunity.As long as Jenna gave up, she believed that it would not be long before Hansen came crawling back to her. He was a man with needs after all.

    With this scene ofthem entangled around each other,Jenna would certainly be heartbroken and give up on him.

    She deliberately pulled his neck tightly and movedher handsaround his waist.She spoke coquettishly, ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t get up. Let¡¯s do it again, alright?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s head was still strikingly painful. Nevertheless,the sight of Jennaing into the room was real. He saw it clearly with his own eyes. He grew surprised and excited.

    She really came back!

    The immense surprise had him thinking of nothing else. Still half-drunk, he did not even notice that a woman was pressing onto him. His unusually clear, bright eyes only looked at Jenna.

    Disgusting. They were doing it on her bed. Jenna was appalled.

    Although Jenna¡¯s vomiting has subsided a lot, the sight before her elicited a wave of nausea from her stomachand she wanted to throw up.

    The pain in her heart had nowhere to escape, no ce to be let out.Her rage boiled in heras if she was about tobust. Her face and neck were red from the blood rushingand she could no longer hold back her anger.The words came straight out of her mouth, trembling.

    ¡°Get lost, b*tches,¡± she roared.

    She would not care that in front of her were a young master and an elitedy. In her eyes, they were a mere pair of sickening cheaters.

    She did not want to see them;she wanted them to get out that instant!

    This was her room.

    Hansen saw her cold, piercing gazeand he felt a pang in his heart. He finally realized that something was wrongand lowered his head to look at himself. What he saw had scared him awake from his drunkenness.

    The situation in front of him was absolutely awful and unbearable to watch. He panicked as if he had a ticking time bomb tied to himand tried tothrow the woman off.

    Aria would not let him have his way. She was determined to have the scene of them imprinted in Jenna¡¯s mind. She gripped him tightly,groaning and moaning that he had made her ufortable.

    Hansen¡¯s heart grew cold in dread.

    He could never exin this even if he gave up his life!

    He had never been so pathetic.

    D*mn it, how could he have drunk so much wine?

    He shook off Aria¡¯s arms forcefullyand shouted angrily, ¡°Get off. Let go now,would you even look at yourself!¡±

    Hastily, he jumped off the bed and got dressed.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re back. Why didn¡¯t you inform me in advance?¡±

    Soon, he felt that the question was inappropriate. What was he saying? If she had told him in advance, would she not catch them on the bed¡®having an affair¡¯? His face reddened in shame.

    The grief and anger in Jenna¡¯s eyes were quickly concealed. These days, she has grown stronger. She could endure the absurdity of it all.

    It wasn¡¯t a big deal!

    Aria had be pregnant with this anyway!

    She stood there coldlywith an expressionless face.

    ¡°Jenna, let me exin.¡± Hansen nced at the messy sheets,panicking to exin himself.

    Jenna sneered and turned her face away.¡°Please leave, this is my room.¡±

    What was there to exin?

    Jenna had not forgotten that she saw him fully aroused at his groin when she entered. That was nothing unusual to men. They loved it so much that they could not wait to have different women each day. All those nonsense he said about loving her was b*llshit, she was a fool to have believed him.

    However, it would be impossible to trick her again in the future.

    ¡°Hansen, you were saying that you wanted me so badly just now. Now that she¡¯s here, you¡¯re scared. This isn¡¯t a big deal. Even if she sees it, it doesn¡¯t matter. We are about to get married, everyone knows this.¡± Arianguidly put her clothes on. Feeling pleased with Jenna¡¯s reaction, she faked aint with pouty lips.

    She sent a confident and deadly re toward Jenna, treating her as a lowly mistress who had disturbed their eveningand stepped in between their rtionship.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank and she clenched her fists until her fingernails bit into the flesh.

    But, she was not knocked down.

    This was her room.

    Hansen had disrespected her by fooling around with another woman on her bed. She remained calm as usual, speaking with authority, ¡°This is my room. Please get out of here, otherwise, I will not hold back.¡±

    ¡°Your room? You were divorcedand you dare to say that this is your room?¡± Aria sneered.

    Jenna put down her bags. A stern gaze shed across her eyes and she walked towards her.¡°Are yousaying that you want me to kick you out?¡±

    Jenna stood her ground. She picked up the phone in her hand, seemingly ready to make a phone call.

    Aria had no idea what she was nning to do. She was a little scared at this pointand she remembered that she had never won against Jenna even for once.

    She also knew that Hansen would never take her side.

    Dressed properly, she masked her face into a coquettish smile. She had won, why bother at this moment?

    ¡°Oh Jenna,I¡¯m so sorry. I drank some wine and ended up in the wrong room.But, Hansen was too eagerand I love him so much.That¡¯s why we didn¡¯t manage to notice we were in this room.You¡¯ll understand, right?You¡¯ve always been so generous, you wouldn¡¯t take it to heart, would you?¡± she smiled and taunted, purposely adding fuel to Jenna¡¯s fire.

    Her words disgusted Jenna, urging her to throw up.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Aria. What are you on about?¡± Hansen¡¯s face darkenedand yelled at her.¡°Shut up and get out now.¡±

    How could he not understand this woman¡¯s motives? He had not expected to be taken advantage of after he was drunk. D*mn it.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m only telling the truth.¡± Aria already had the victory. Pouting her lips, she hopped out of the room in a good mood.

    The messy bed sheets were too painful to take in.

    ¡°You, get out as well.¡± After Aria left, Hansen stood still on the spot. He looked at Jenna with a face of guiltbut could not get himself to say anything.

    Jenna did not want to listen to his useless exnationand ordered him to leave.

    ¡°Jenna, you, is your body alright?¡± Ages had passed beforehe asked. He had no ns to leave. After waiting for so long, he finally got to see the woman he thought of day and night. How could he get out just like this?

    ¡°Get out, now,¡± Jenna sternly spat the words, her face full of ice. She did not want to see him. Otherwise, she might throw up immediately.

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s talk, please?¡± Hansen pursed his lips slightly, almost begging.

    ¡°Get out of my sight.¡± It was unnecessary to talk to him. How could she still talk to him after what she saw?

    Perhaps it was because she used a lot of strength and her emotions had overwhelmed her, she felt a bloating pain at her lower abdomen. Stroking her belly with one hand, she grabbed a pillow on the bed and threw it at him.

    ¡°Get lost, get out of here.¡± After aiming a pillow at him, she yelledand threw anotheruntil there was nothing left on the bed.

    Sheid on the bed panting.Her face was paleand her forehead was full of cold sweat.

    ¡°Jenna,¡± Hansen whispered in fear as he looked at Jenna¡¯s weak appearance. He felt a pain so unbearable digging his heart hollow but any exnation was useless. Only him leaving could calm her down.

    After thinking about it, he walked out with his head hung low.

    As soon as he reached the threshold,he saw Aria standing at the end of the corridor smiling at him,her face smug. His face darkened and he walked toward her.

    ¡°What are you doing? What is it that you want?¡± he clenched his fists and growled.

    ¡°Hansen, I love you. I don¡¯t mean to do anything else. Didn¡¯t you also love me andwant me earlier on? If it wasn¡¯t for that woman barging in, we would still be in bed now.¡± She smirked, seemingly pleased as she stared at him with big eyes.

    His head was throbbing, the rims of his eyes red.

    He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Aria,everything you do will be of no use.These won¡¯t change my heart. I think you understand that.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    He red at her hard, then resolutely turned to leave.

    Aria watched from the back as his lean figure disappeared at the end of the corridor. She suddenlyughed, a venomous gaze in her eyes.

    Jenna Murphy, what nerves she had toe back.Aria would drive her out of Richards Group once and for all. This time, she must put Jenna back into her rightful ce.

    Finally, everything was quiet.

    Jenna called Aunt E to help her tidy up the bed. She then went into the bathroom to take a shower.

    After Aunt E had thoroughly cleaned up the room, she noticed that Jenna had note out of the bathroom for a long time. She approached the bathroom door in worryand heard that there was no sound of running water inside. Anxious, she was about to knock on the door when she heard a suppressed cry. Her heart shudderedand she let out a long sigh. With that,Eshook her head and left the room.

    That night, Jenna was constantly having nightmaresand she felt the bloating pain from her belly. Somewhere in the middle of the night, she sensed a big hand touching her belly. Suddenly, the hand transformed into a w and squeezed her belly hard. She gasped and got up with her eyes opened, petrified.

    The room was dimly lit and terribly silent.

    She breathed heavily while rubbing her belly with her hand. Fortunately, it was just a dream.

    She felt fear snaking into her heart.

    It was not until this moment that she knew the child in her belly had be a part of her. They could no longer be separated. This sudden realization made her heart throb like never before.

    She shifted her body and exhaled.

    Suddenly, a hand stretched out from behind and pulled her into an embrace.

    What was it? She flinched in shock.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s the matter? Did you have a nightmare?¡± A warm body pressed against her backand she heard a mesmerizing, warm voice in her ear.

    The voice was slow, gentle and soothing with a tint of pity in his words.

    Without even thinking about it, Jenna knew who it was!

    Why did she not think that he woulde in? D*mn it!

    She struggled to get up.

    However, his chest was glued to her back,his arms wrapped around her tightly.She waspletely enclosed by his embrace. Her nose was filled with his distinct, minty scent. It used to make her intoxicated, but at this time, she felt nauseous.

    The sound of his heartbeat was so clear that her heart somehow started speeding up too.

 Chapter 200 Nightmare

    ¡°Go away, who let you in?¡± She was furious, clenching her teeth. It seemed that she was not dreaming.Was it his hand on her belly?T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Thinking of this made her shudder.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t.¡± Hansen hugged her tightly in his arms and stroked her skin with his hands. He was nervous and excited, warm sweat on his palms as he touched her.

    ¡°I know you hate meanddespise me.I know that I don¡¯t deserve your lovebut I really love you, believe me. Call me cruel or a jerk, I would ept everything.Just please, don¡¯t push me away, let me stay with you. You were shouting in your dream that your stomach hurts. Do you know how worried I am?¡± he said sincerely, exhaling deeply before reaching out to stroke her hair.

    His steady breathing rang in her earsand his arms tightened around her until she could not move.

    His gentle words broke her heart into a thousand pieces. All their memories in the past reyed in her mind, one by one.Her heart was stabbed by a knife, a painful torture to the whole of her body.

    Did she shout in her dream that her stomach hurt?

    She had been feeling a faint swelling in her stomach these past two daysas if her abdomen was about to be stretched open. She was bloatedbut she did not dare to see a doctor. She did not know what was going on.

    It must have beenhis hand on his belly that caressed herwhich made her have the nightmare.

    Why was it a nightmare? It was his child, why did she dream of that? It was horrible.

    Hansen took her hand and gave it a squeeze as her familiar scent filled his nostrils. At this moment, his heart found peace. Even though he could feel her trembling in his arms, seemingly unwilling,he did not want to let her go. It did not matter if she had scolded or hit him, he would be fine.

    He had never felt that he ever begged someone so humbly beforebut he was willing to do it for Jenna.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes stared helplessly into the darkness.

    The door lock must be changed tomorrow,she thought.

    She had no energy to resist the strong manand her struggles were of no use.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to hate you more or make me feel sick, please get out of here, now,¡± Jenna bit her lips in his arms and said bitterly.

    She would not allow herself to fall for the same trick again. She would never be touched by his gentle and tender acts after she was cheated on once, let alone be moved by his affection.

    Sheid straight, her body stiffening under his touch.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be like this. Trust me.¡± Hansen was mortified by her indifferenceas if she was pushing him into a dark abyss. His heart would never be at peace.

    This feeling was awful.

    Taking a deep breath, he flipped her over to face him.

    He ced his hands on her pliant waist.

    The cotton fabric of her pajamas was soft. It gave afortable touchbut he felt the stiff muscles under the clothes.It was all tension without a trace of heat.

    His heart ached knowing that she was paining inside.

    He craved to keep her tightly in his arms like this for fear of her disappearing. He just wanted to stay this way for a while, to hold her for just a short while. This was him being selfish, this was his greed.

    As if unwilling to lose her, he began to kiss her as his hands slipped under her clothes.

    He worshipped her with passionate kisses. He kissed her, slowly moving downwards, hoping that he would keep her heart this way. In the past, as long as he overpowered her like this, she would listen obediently like a kitten.

    He had still hoped for it, not wanting her heart to grow further from him.

    The kiss deepened and he began panting heavily.

    Hisrge palms caressed her waistuntil her stiff body eventually softened up, taking on a trace of warmth. Only then did he slow down with his adamant kisses on her lips, letting them go. His lips trailed along her neck all the way to her chest. Lingering at the area and savoring her for a long time, his hand rubbed her inner thigh before sliding down. When he reached the thin piece of fabric, he paused. His blood was boiling.

    He simply stopped before it could go any further. He tried to calm down his heavy breathing, then moved his hand to her belly.He stroked it lightly and asked in a low voice, ¡°Does your stomach still hurt?¡±

    She yelled about having a stomach ache in her dream. It was not fake,he heard the pain in her words and he did not want to hurt her anymore. He suppressed his feelingsand asked her gently.

    If it had been in the past, Jenna would be full of joy, but not at present.

    She closed her eyes, not an answer from her. She was still lying as straight as a log.

    ¡°You should always keep warm since women often have stomach aches. Otherwise, it would be tough when you give birth,¡± he spoke softly,his voice soft as honey.

    Jenna shuddered when she heard thetter half of his sentence. Her body was already about to rx before tensing up again.

    Did he like children? Currently, Aria was pregnant with his child;he¡¯s happy, wasn¡¯t he?

    What about the child in her womb?

    She remained silent. With her back toward him, sheid lifeless like a corpse. She did not want to care about him.

    ¡°Jenna, I know you hate me. Please give me time, I will solve all of this. Would you support me?¡± He pulled out his arms and just hugged her tightly.

    It appeared like he would not want her that day.

    That was great.

    Jenna breathed out a sigh of relief.

    If he forcefully wanted her, she would not be able to stop him. She had decided that she would give in to him onest time. They would not have chances like this againandshe had once loved him so deeply.It would not matter had he wanted her at this moment.

    As long as she did not surrender her heart to him, it was enough.

    Her mind gradually became crystal clear. She had lost all her happiness, even ruining her own life for him.

    She gave away her life,reputation,body and heart.In the end,it hade to this.

    What about Hansen? She did not know whether he had truly loved her as she did for him. She no longer wished to know.

    Any resistance was a waste of time,hence she rxed and went to sleep.

    Why did she bother with things that were set in stone? If he had wanted it, have it he shall. However, Jenna had made the decision. Starting from the next day, she would not let this situation continue.

    At least, she must protect herself first.

    Hansen¡¯s slender fingers ran through her hair. The woman in his arms did not react at allnor did she make any effort to resist. Hisheart felt sour,a bitter smile visible at the corner of his mouth. He started tearing up.

    Jenna hated him. She hated him with extreme distrust.

    He figured that she must have given up on him entirely. She waspletely disappointed in him!

    A deep sense of frustration and defeat welled up in him. When did his life plunge so badly until he became this pathetic mess? He could not protect his beloved, let alone do anything about the current situation. How could he get out of this disaster?

    Hansen thought in anguish.

 Chapter 201 Her Decision

    ¡°Hello, Auntie. Since everyone is present today, I have something to say.¡± Early in the morning, the whole family sat at the table for breakfast. Jenna only took some porridge and started speaking in a solemn tone.

    Marissa raised her head and looked at her. Not knowing what her announcement would be,she had a perplexed gaze.

    She did not expect Jenna to be willing toe back on her own.

    Naturally,once she was back, Hansen returned to the manor as well!

    ¡°Alright,I¡¯m listening.¡±Although she did not prefer to discuss matters over meals, Jenna appeared determined and firm.

    Hansen also lifted his head and took a nce at Jenna.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    She was sitting far away from him at the dining table.Her expression was cold and indifferent,regarding him as invisible air.

    What did she want to do?

    ¡°Auntie, from today onwards, the entire second floor of Green Jade Garden belongs to me only. Please have everyone else move out. No one should break in without my consent. This will be my private area,¡± Jenna spoke the words softly but her voice was clear as crystal.

    Everyone was dumbstruck.

    ¡°Who do you think you are?How dare you want the entire second-floor to yourself!That¡¯s ridiculous,¡± Aria screamed, her face full of disgust.

    Hansen lowered his gaze and kept silent on his seat.

    ¡°May I ask why you¡¯re doing this?¡± Marissa asked in confusion with her eyebrows furrowed.

    There were about six rooms on the second floor.Other than Hansen¡¯s bedroom, there were also two guest rooms. Currently, Aria and Minnie lived there. As for the third floor, it was the master bedroom. Before Trevor¡¯s ident, it had belonged to him and Marissa. But, soon after the ident, Marissa simply sealed off the third floor and moved to the master bedroom on the first floor to prevent herself from being sad. The basement was a bar, which was not suitable to stay in.

    ¡°Auntie, first of all, I am the heir of Richards Manor. I have my shares in Green Jade Garden. Naturally, I want to have my own space. Secondly, I don¡¯t want certain people living on the same floor with me;it makes me feel unsafe. This is my legitimate right, hence I ask you to respect my decision,¡± Jenna replied tly. Herposure was neither awkward or embarrassed. She was decisive and firm.

    ¡°Mom, are you hearing her? She¡¯s kicking me and Hansen out,¡± Aria argued with a piercing, high-pitched voice while sheined to Marissa.

    Marissa¡¯s face darkened. How could she not understand Jenna? Jenna did not want to see Aria, therefore she would get as far away from her as possible. As a woman, how could she not understand her feelings?

    However, the first floor was mainly upied by the living room. Although there were three or four rooms, they were not as huge andfortable as the ones on the second floor. In fact, the rooms were next to the servants¡¯ chambers, making it inconvenient to act as they pleased. Would Aria agree to this?

    ¡°Auntie, what I said today is not a negotiationbut a decision of mine. The reason I¡¯m telling you now is that I should respect you as an elder. At the same time, you are also the heiress of Richards Manor, thus I deemed it necessary to inform beforehand.¡± Jenna saw Marissa being in a dilemma as she spoke. It seemed that Marissa had not fully registered her decisionand did not know what to do. It was expected that she would not agree to it. However, Jenna stood her ground and spoke calmly.

    ¡°Mom,did you hear her? This woman is too arrogant. She is divorced from Hansenbut still dares to act up in Richards Manor. She¡¯s terrible.¡± Aria was not stupid. She had guessed Jenna¡¯s intention, which was clearly to kick her out. However, she was the one who was marrying Hansenand she would be the Young Madam of Green Jade Garden in the future. Why should she be chased away by this b*tch?

    Besides that, now that she was pregnant with Hansen¡¯s baby, she should have the most powerful voice in this household. Why should she, a precious, protected, pregnant woman be kicked out? Jenna was asking for too much!

    Jenna merely smiled coldly. Sheslid a hand into her pocket and took out a few sheets of paper. She then opened it, showed it to everyone on the table, and said calmly, ¡°Look at this carefully. This is a legal document stating my inheritance of the manor. It had long been notarized and the manor is now under my name. In fact, I have consulted awyer long ago and he told me that I have the right to upy the entire second floor. Today, I¡¯m just informing you, not discussing. I hereby solemnly dere that I want to have the second floor all to myself. Now, please get the hint and move all your belongings after the meal. After all, we would not want to be aughing stock. I wonder how the peoplewouldreact if they found out that we quarreled over such things. I have hired a servant to clean the house and a bodyguard to watch the door, hence I hope that we all respect each other and not fight over this matter anymore.¡±

    After she finished speaking, she took the papersand wavedthem in her hand. She then smiled and put it back into her pocket.

    She was obviously trying to drive people awaybut she had made that known in such a tactful manner.

    Aria¡¯s nostrils red. Pointing a finger at Jenna, she yelled as she looked at Hansen, ¡°Hansen, look at her doing whatever she wants, forcing everyone to listen to her. She is going to drive you and me away. Say something.¡±

    Hansen continued to eat breakfast at his ownleisure pace, drinking sses of milk one after another.

    He was indifferent to Jenna¡¯s decision. In fact,he had no objections at all.

    Hearing Aria screaming bloody murder at him, he casually picked up a slice of bread on the table and took a big bite. Chewing it, he said vaguely, ¡°I¡¯m in no ce to speak, I¡¯m not thendlord. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t have a say in this.¡±

    Aria¡¯s anger grew as she heard his response. It was apparent;he was taking Jenna¡¯s side. He wanted to kick her out too. Instantly, she faced Marissa and cried with tears in her eyes, her nose running. She pleaded, ¡°Mom, you have to help me. I still have your grandson in my belly. I¡¯m used to sleeping in Hansen¡¯s roombut now she¡¯s trying to kick me out. Where can I possibly move to?¡±

    After that, she took a tissue to wipe her tears. Her face was full of resentment,she looked awful.

    Aria was sitting right next to Marissaand her crying made Marissa feel helpless. She patted her on the shoulder andforted,¡°Aria, stop crying, it¡¯s not good for the baby. Don¡¯t worry, take your time.¡±

    While she spoke, she looked at Jenna and tried to persuade her, ¡°Jenna, I know you are angryand you also have your rights and decisions. But, you can¡¯t do this without putting yourself in our shoes. This ground floor is too humid.Although the room at the south wing isn¡¯t small, it¡¯s not well renovated. It¡¯s inconvenient for Aria to live on the first floor as a pregnant woman. Although you have the rights to Richards Manor, you can¡¯t have the final word. Don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Marissa¡¯s tone was as gentle as possible and her speech was considerately polite.

    ¡°So,Auntie, do you want to redistribute the assets now and rify the respective ownership rights?¡± Jenna replied, ¡°It is clearly written in Hansen¡¯s inheritance papers that the second floor, the Richards Group¡¯s gym, and the main house of Ink Garden will be handed over to me after Grandma passes away. It is written clearly in ck and white. I think you would understand what I mean here.¡±

    As soon as these words were spoken, there were gasps and widened eyes in the room.

    Vivian actually gave Jenna the ancestral property of the Richards family- the priceless Ink Garden. This was the most valuable property in Richards Manor. Not to mention, it was also the center of power of the Richards Manor. This was the greatest and most valuable inheritance, what had Vivian meant by doing this?

    Could it be that she was too old to think straight or did Jenna manipte her? It was unbelievable that she was so trusted by Vivian to the point where she would do this.

    Marissa was so shocked that her jaw dropped and she cursedVivianinwardly for being so biased. This property should have belonged to her son but instead, it was given to this woman who did not share theirst name. Now that Aria was pregnant, Hansen had to marry her. However, the most important inheritance in Richards Group was given to Jenna. Those properties would no longer belong tothe Richards family. This should have been given to Hansen. Vivian must not be thinking straight to side with an outsider.

    Aria was burning in jealousy.

    She did everything she could to marry Hansenbut currently, the most important property of Richards Group had been given to Jenna. What was in it for her to marry at this point?

    Even the second floor of the Green Jade Garden was Jenna¡¯s. Where would she live after she gets married into the family? If Grandma Richards really wanted to make it up to Jenna, there were so many other vis in Richards Manor that she could grant her. Why did she have to do this?Ink Garden was the center of power and politics.She wondered how she would stand in Richards Manor in the future.

    Moreover, in this way, it was almost impossible to get rid of Jenna. Judging the current situation, Aria was fortunate to not be driven away by her!

    What was this? Was there anything worse than this?

    Anger and jealousy overwhelmed Aria.Her vision went ck and she almost fell.

    ¡°Larry,help Miss McAdams onto the sofa.¡± Marissa saw Aria¡¯s reddened face and her shaking stance. She was worried about the child in her belly, therefore she hurriedly called Larry overto help.

    Larry rushed over and helped Aria onto the sofa.

    Hansen finally finished his breakfast. He stood up slowly as if nothing had happened.¡°It¡¯s gettingte, I¡¯m going to work.¡± He was about to leave.

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave, Mr. Richards.¡± Jenna stopped him in time. She took out an envelope from the bag and handed it to him. She looked at him and said inly, ¡°Mr. Richards, starting today, I¡¯m resigning.¡±

    Resignation? He was shocked.

    ¡°No,¡± he quickly rejected without even thinking about it.

    ¡°There¡¯s no option for you to decline. I¡¯m quitting.¡± She snortedand stated as a matter-of-fact, ¡°It¡¯s not my concern whether you agreed to my resignation. This is final and I only signed a one-year contract with yourpany.¡±

    ¡°But, your contract has not yet expired,¡± he hurriedly retorted,panic evident on his face.

    ¡°So what? I am willing to bear the consequences of breaching the contract. Please charge me however you like. But may I warn you, don¡¯t forget that you forced me into signing the contract. Mywyer told me that it can be regarded as invalid if it was not signed on the principle of mutual consent from both parties. Even if I breached the contract,that means nothing. ording to the agreement, I¡¯ll just pay you somepensation. This is not illegnd not a crime,¡± she replied.

 Chapter 202 Kick Them All Out

    Hansen was dumbfounded at her words. Jenna was out of her mind, he thought. She was determined to distance herself from him.

    Soon, a greater surprise came.

    ¡°Also, Mr. Richards, please move out of the second floor before you go to work.You¡¯re the CEO of Richards Group, no one would me you for being a littlete. Furthermore, I believe you¡¯d prefer to move out your belongings yourself. Surely it won¡¯t take too much of your time.¡±

    What?He had to move out too?

    Hansen could hardly believe his ears.He thought that Jenna hated Aria and wanted to kick her out. It was great newsbecause he did not like Aria either. It was a blessing for Aria to stay away from them,therefore he had no objections to Jenna¡¯s demands and allowed her to continue.

    ¡­

    It was at this moment that he realized Jenna had meant everything she said. Not only did she want to drive Aria away,but she also took this opportunity to force him to leave!

    He recalled the night beforewhen he forcibly slept beside her on the same bed. He remembered her disgusted face and resistance against him.

    Of course, he knew that she hated himbut he never expected her to be so serious. Not only did she hate Aria, but she also hated him!

    She looked like she was going to drive them all away!

    There was a helpless, wry smile creeping up the corners of his mouth.

    ¡°Please start moving right away, the men I hired will arrive soon. If all of you have not moved out by then, I have no choice but to get security to throw your belongings,¡± Jenna slowly spoke with her soft, clear voice.¡°And you, take away your things as soon as possible.¡±

    She turned her head at Minnie who stood by the side and said coldly. She then whirled around and flipped her hair in an arrogant mannerbeforeheading upstairs. The remaining people were utterly ignored.

    ¡°Mom, what should we do? Do I really have to move?¡± Aria asked and wept, her expression terrible.

    Marissa had no decent expression on her face either.However, Jenna did have the power to do so based on her inheritance rights. Judging by her actions and demeanor, Marissa knew that she had made the decision long ago, thinking it through and through. If Jenna insisted, there was nothing that she could do.

    Since Vivian gave her the rights to inherit,she could do whatever she pleased.They could only me Vivian for this.

    Marissa sighed and sat down on the sofa dismally.

    She thought that Jenna just could not stand Aria and wanted to get rid of her.To her surprise, even Hansen was forced to move away.Jenna had shown her true colors. It seemed that she was maniptive.Perhaps she had nned this long ago; she kept mentioning thewyer. She must have made up her mind from the start.

    What a misfortune to their family!

    Marissa sat in annoyance. Her head was hurting as she had to face Aria¡¯s cryingand Jenna leaving them with no mercy. That day was truly suffocating for her.

    Hansen stood woodenly before leaving his briefcase on the coffee tableand walked upstairs.

    Jenna was cleaning the roomwhilehumming, seemingly in a pleasant mood.

    Hansen came up and stood by the door, staring silently at her.

    Jenna threw a nce at himzily and continued with her cleaning, not paying attention to him at all.

    ¡°Jenna, do you really want to do this?¡± he asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°Of course.¡± She packed his things without lifting her head. She carefully searched the room to make sure she did not miss out on any of his belongings.¡°Hurry up and move your things, I¡¯ll only give you one morning. After that, I will start throwing them off this floor.¡±

    ¡°Would you dare?¡± He was riled up and immediately objected, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you this, the others can move outbut I¡¯m not leaving. Don¡¯t forget thatyou¡¯re still my wife in the Manor.It¡¯s my right to sleep with youand you too, are obliged toply with my needs.¡±

    He thought of something as he said this. He had a subtle grimace; his good-for-nothing mouth was acting up again.

    ¡°Really?¡± Her smile was icy.¡°You can try and see whether I dare.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll really do this?¡± He looked at her in disbelief.Her thick eyshes flutteredand there seemed to be a small, amused smile on her dainty face.The sight of her like this caused tiny sparks of fire in his heart;he was itching to hold her and kiss herright there and then. However, the woman in front of him was like a stunning rose with sharp thorns. If he dared to touch her, he would be pricked all over and bleed out.

    ¡°Are you ridiculous?There¡¯s nothing that I wouldn¡¯t do.You¡¯re afraid that I¡¯ll hurt your sweetheart, aren¡¯t you?If you¡¯re so worried about her, then move out quickly. As long as you clear everything before 12 noon, you can rest assured that I won¡¯ty a finger on Aria and your baby.Please have some senseand hurry up,¡± Jenna voiced coldly.

    Hansen¡¯s face darkened. This woman! All his feelings were for nothing. She had misunderstood him as some jerk.She did not understand him at all.All his burning, warm passions went unregardedand he was returned with a cold reply.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re in Richards Manor, you are mine. Sure, Grandma gave you the right to inherit the manor. But, you¡¯re also the official daughter-inw recorded in the Richards family¡¯s genealogy book; you¡¯re still my wife. If so, you are to listen to me. I¡¯m not going to move away and you can¡¯t do anything about it. If you insist, we shall go to Grandma and let her be the judge.¡± All of a sudden, Hansen was throwing tantrums like a child. His thin lips were pressed together as he acted unreasonably like a rascal.

    ¡°You are really ridiculous.¡± Jenna smiled coldly. She then took out the divorce papers from a box and dangled them in front of Hansen. She said sharply, ¡°In case you forgot, you¡¯re actually my ex-husband. We¡¯re divorced. Quit talking about some genealogy book and ancestors and lineage. Do you think you¡¯re of some royal family to be even speaking of such things? This isn¡¯t medieval times. The divorce certificate is the onlyw and thew is higher than anyone else. If you dare to vite me again, I¡¯ll call the police. Do whatever you want if you aren¡¯t afraid of being humiliated. One more thing, I have hired two masters in martial arts to guard the second floor and they¡¯re starting work this evening. I want to prevent certain thieves and perverts from breaking in. Sorry that you have to do this, ex-husband. But, hurry the f*ck up, don¡¯t waste everyone¡¯s time.¡±

    She mocked him as her ex-husband, waving the divorce papersin front of him.He saw her pale face on the documents and it made him feel like sharp thorns were pricking the most delicate part of his heart,the pain wrenching. He reached out to grab the papers.

    Jenna had expected thisand she dodged him swiftly. She ced the papers back into the box and locked it before standing up, meeting his eyes coldly.

    Her gaze was extremely distant and harsh. Hansen saw himself in her eyes.He saw how shameless he was,traces of frustration and pain evident on his face.

    His heart sank,making him lose all his energy.

    ¡°Jenna, you are so cruel,¡± he muttered asthe shine in his eyes faded.

    ¡°I¡¯m cruel?¡± she sneered.¡°The Richards family has hurt me plenty. Is what I¡¯m doing cruel?Your family, all of you are heroes. I can never win against you all,I can only protect myself. Go to your sweetheart, Aria.She¡¯s Mayor McAdams¡¯s daughter;she¡¯llbenefit you and the Richards family the most. She¡¯s the one you¡¯re looking for, not me.From now on, we have a clean break. Stop wasting your time here.¡±

    She lifted her chin in arrogance and disdainas if to prove her determination.

    Hansen felt a big tear in his heart. He raised his head in dejection, deep pain in his eyes.

    ¡°Jenna,are these your truest thoughts? You¡¯ve always looked at me this way, haven¡¯t you?¡± He stared at her intently, trying to see through the mask she put on.¡°You never loved me, right?¡±

    Her heart trembled.She looked away, averting from his gaze. In a calm and chilly voice, she replied, ¡°Please don¡¯t waste my time. Move away as soon as possible. I have a lot to do.¡±

    She was determined to get rid of him. Since there was no future for them, why bother? It would only hurt them more deeply.

    He indeed saw her resolutionand his heart was aching buthe was unwilling to let go.

    ¡°Jenna, give me some timebeforemaking your decision.Please?¡± he asked sincerely after taking a deep breath.

    ¡°No, move away now. Some things can¡¯t wait,¡± she said in nonchnce.¡°Also, please keep your promise and give me an answer regarding my father¡¯s death. Nothing more would be needed from you.¡±

    Hansen looked at her,not moving an inch. His dark orbs held nothing but helplessness.

    ¡®Some things can¡¯t wait.¡¯He understood what she meantand a bitter smile formed at the corner of his mouth.

    Soon, Jenna cleared all his clothes, not missing out the little things that belonged to him. It seemed that she wanted topletely erase him from her life.

    But, was it really that easy?

    Hansen stood still.

    Aunt E and Larry came up.

    ¡°Young Madam, there are a group of people downstairs saying that they are here for you,¡± Aunt E stood by the door and greeted Hansen before she informed Jenna.

    ¡°Alright, let them in,¡± Jenna replied loudly from the inside of the room.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Aunt E answered and went down.

    ¡°Larry, have those two servants ready to clean up this floor,¡± Jenna called Larry in and gave her instructions.

    Larry nodded with a big smile.

    After a short while.

    Hansen saw two young women walking up the stairs.The women did not look tacky. They wore standard housekeeping uniformsand they had fairly good manners.

    It seemed that Jenna was really in a hurry to get them out, having hired the servants so soon.

    Hansen was disgruntled.

    They had been in love for so long.Was he so undeserving for her to even think of himjust for a little bit?

    There were the sounds of heavy footsteps.

    When Hansen looked up again, his face paled.

    He saw two tall and muscr young mening upstairs.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Nelson Yeager, a gym coach. Miss Murphy hired us to protect her.¡±

    ¡°Hi.I¡¯m Haward Lyons,also a gym coach,here to protect Miss Murphy as well.¡±

    The men saw Hansen staring at them with stern, unfriendly eyesand they were confused.They briefly introduced themselves out of courtesy.

    Hansen was so crossed that his head hurt.

    He would bitterly ept the fact that he was driven out of his bedroom by Jennabut she even had two young men to guard the second floor. This was his territory. What was this even!

 Chapter 203 To Guard Against Thieves And Perverts

    ¡°The two of you will guard at the stairs on the second floor. I¡¯ll call you when I need something.¡± Jenna heard the noise. She walked out and said inly to the two men.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Nelson and Haward responded. Theywondered in their hearts, ¡°The luxurious Richards Manor was already heavily guarded.Why did she hire them?¡±

    However, they would not spend the time to guess about what was going on in such a prestigious, big family. The sry was pretty good anyway.

    ¡°What are you thinking, having two men in the house? Are you nning to cheat?¡± Hansen¡¯s expression was nasty and his eyebrows were snapped together as if he wanted to knock some sense into her.

    Jenna gave him a sidelong nce and spun around,her back facing him. She then strutted into the room and said loudly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me just now? To guard against thieves and perverts.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s the thief? Who¡¯s the pervert? Be clear with what you say.¡± He was so mad that his head throbbedand his stomach was churning.His whole body was burning with rage. He reached out and grabbed Jenna¡¯s hand, asking her viciously.

    ¡°Let go of me.¡± Her eyes fell on his handand she said sternly, ¡°Do I have to call my two bodyguards now?¡±

    Hansen was shocked. If Jenna really asked the two men toe and take hold of him,even if he won against them,he would be aughing stock to the servants and the outsiders. Even so, he was reluctant to confront her and hurt her feelings. As he thought about it, he let go of his grasp willingly.

    But, she was obviously insulting him.

    He was the only man in the entire Green Jade Garden.The so-called pervert that she spoke of must be referring to him!

    She actually regarded him as a pervert.

    Moreover, it was absurd to call two men over to protect her from him.

    Jenna took advantage of the moment he let go of her handand backed up a few steps. With a sneer on her face, she reminded him, ¡°Don¡¯t me me for not reminding you. Once the time is up, if you haven¡¯t moved out, I will throw your things away.¡± She curled her lips and snorted, ¡°I¡¯ve only been away for a couple of daysand it seems like half of my stuff in the bedroom is gone.I doubt it¡¯s safe here. Since there are thieves in the house,I¡¯ll definitely have to guard against them.¡±

    When she checked her belongings, she realized that some of the jewels Hansen had gifted her from before were all gone, especially the precious diamonds. This reminded her of Ocean Heart given to her by Vivian, which was a rare treasure in the world. Who knew what would happen if word got out.

    There were rumors that Vivian has such a rare diamond. Whether it was true or not, no one had ever seen it. It was not that she wanted to have this jewelry all to herself but Vivian trusted her with it.This meant that Vivian must have had her own reasons. She must at least do her best to protect it. She was nning to return it to Hansen in the futurebut she could not exin further at present.

    Something from her room was stolen? Hansen was surprised.Who would dare to do so?

    He suddenly remembered the night when Minnie slept in Jenna¡¯s room.

    The servants in Richards Manor were well aware that the Manor did not tolerate any stealingand they would be fired if they did so.These dirty acts were probably rted to Minnie.

    It was not surprising that she could do such a thing. After all, she was a woman of spoiled morals.

    He had no intention to care about this at this instant.One thing for sure, he was jealous. He wanted to defend his rights as her man.

    With two guards standing at the top of the stairs on the second floor, staring at him all day long, how could he feel at ease?

    Even if there was an elevator, he was ufortable thinking of seeing them everyday.

    Jenna really would not let him be at peace for even a moment!Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, are we just going to let her kick us out?¡± Minnie was standing in front of Aria with a face of dissatisfaction.

    Aria watched as the group of people walked upstairs. Raising her head, she saw two young men standing guard at the top of the stairs of the second floor. They appearedas if they would not hesitate to drag her out if they had to. She was dumbfounded.

    It seemed that Jenna was for real this time!

    But, Vivian had given Jenna the inheritance rights,therefore she hadplete authority in the manor. There was no way to disobey her!

    Now that Hansen¡¯s entire being was fixated on her, it was impossible to count on him.

    As for Marissa, with Vivian¡¯s inheritance document, she could not do anything either.Aria saw her face flushing red from anger and knew that she had no way.

    ¡°Jenna is something indeed.Grandma Richards had given her the most valuable things in Richards Manor within a few years. She really is maniptive;she has her ways,¡± Aria muttered to herself.

    ¡°True,¡± Minnie said bitterly, ¡°However, don¡¯t be discouraged. There are so many good things in the Richards family. This doesn¡¯t mean anything. Ocean Heart is a priceless treasure, let alone the Richards Group. You are pregnant with the heir of the Richards family. If there¡¯s someone that deserves these, it¡¯s you. Grandma Richards will not be so stupid as to not leave anything for her grandchildren. Since these things are given to Jenna, let her have them. These are just some old vis.Richards Group has so many other properties and fixed assets that cost a fortune.We mustn¡¯t fret over this little money.¡±

    Minnie was right and Aria nodded in agreement. Even though her father was the deputy mayor of A city, their property was less than one-thousandth of Richards Group. Just thinking of this was enough to excite Aria. Moreover, Hansen was so talented and poised that any woman would fall for him.

    ¡°Well said, I really don¡¯t have to be afraid of her. It¡¯s just that I feel ufortable seeing her. Look at that, she hired men to stand there, specifically to deal with me. As long as she is here, my life won¡¯t go well,¡± Aria nodded and said sadly.

    ¡°Hey, Ms. McAdams, we must be patient. There¡¯s still a long way to go. Just bear with it for a little bit,¡± Minnie reminded her gently.

    ¡°Alright then.Minnie, you bring the servants up to pack our things and move down. Hansen will be kicked out anyway. As long as he¡¯s with us, it doesn¡¯t matter if I stay on the first floor.Idon¡¯t need tosee Jenna¡¯s face too. My baby, you¡¯d be happy to stay with your father, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± When Aria thought of Hansen being kicked out by that b*tch too,she felt extremely happy. Stroking her belly, her mood lightened a lot.

    At this point, Minnie could only move downstairs. She looked up to see the men standing at the stairs, afraid that they would throw their things down at any time.

    She hurriedly brought Dahlia and a few servants along with her. It took them a while to pack their things before moving them down. When she reached the first floor, she groaned.

    It turned out that the rooms on the first floor were usually unupied. The ones to the north were piled up with sundries. The ones to the south were not as bad, but they were only a few single or double bedrooms.The tiles on the floor were marble, unlike the second floor, which was covered with imported cashmere carpets. The rooms on the second floor were also luxuriously decorated and extremelyfortable.

    Having to move all of a sudden from the warm second floor to the in and cold first floor, Minnieined angrily.Aria was fuming as wellbut she swallowed her wrath down!

    After all, Hansen had to move here too!

    As long as he wasing over,Aria had no objection.

    After all, she would not see Jenna and Hansen was closer than ever to her.

    Having looked at the rooms on the first floor carefully, Aria directed the servants to clean up the master bedroom in the middle and put her belongings in.She let Minnie live in the small room next to hersso that she could call her over at any time.

    Marissa¡¯srge bedroom was separated from the other rooms, located on the right side of the first floor, facing the south garden. Theyout was warm and luxurious,aplete opposite from the rooms on the left. Marissa had gone out after breakfast for some unknown business.

    After all the hard work, Dahlia and the others had cleaned up the whole floor. Aria did not want to move in.Sheidzily on the big sofa in the living room, thinking about how to deal with the predicament.

    Suddenly, she saw Hansen storming down.

    He strode toward the sofa with a terrible, stern expression.

    Earlier on, he was forced out of Jenna¡¯s bedroom. All his belongings were thrown out like ragsand the same happened to him. The corridors were full of his clothes. He was a clean freak.Seeing that his suits were then thrown in the corridor like trash, he was utterly insulted. Since he was a kid, no one in Richards Manor had dared to treat him this wayexcept for Jenna.

    In the five rooms upstairs,his belongings were the only ones left after Aria¡¯s things were cleared out. He did not want to move,hence Jenna threw everything to the corridor. He was so angry that he was about to explode with fury. If it were not for the affection and loving memories they had in the past, he would really take action against her.

    Jenna was really stubborn with not an ounce of mercy.

    It was hard to admitbut he was indeed driven out of his room.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Aria noticed his furious faceand she was in secret glee. Needless to say,Jenna had angered him. This was to Aria¡¯s advantage.

    It served Jenna right for acting up, that b*tch!

    As long as Hansen hated Jenna,Aria didn¡¯t mind if Jenna had the right to inherit Richards Manor!

    Wouldn¡¯t it be easy to get rid of a divorced woman with so many people unhappy with her?

    The time hade for Aria to win back Hansen¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Hansen, why be angry with that kind of woman? It¡¯s not worth it,it¡¯ll only affect your health. Isn¡¯t it just because Grandma Richards gave her the inheritance rights? Let¡¯s go talk to herand let her find a way to take it back,¡± Aria said softly as she leaned toward him. Her hands stroked his back, gentle and soothing.

    Hansen loosened his tie in exasperation. After taking a few huge gulps of water, his anger subsided.

    He must have been really angry with Jenna as he could not calm down despite sitting still on the sofa.

    Even as Aria held him and soothed him, he did not listen to a word she said. He did not notice that she was practically glued to him.

    ¡°Young Madam, do you really want to throw this down?¡± Larry¡¯s timid voice sounded from upstairs.

    Hansen felt another headache forming and raised his head.

    He saw Larry standing next by the corridor railing with a pile of his clothes. The two servants hired by Jenna each held a pile of things and lined up behind her.Meanwhile, the two bodyguards were standing expressionless with a threatening demeanor,protective and fierce.

    What frustrated Hansen even more was that Jenna was standing by the railing too.She looked down at him with a chilling smirk.

    At that instant, an ominous feeling grew in Hansen.

 Chapter 204 Chaos In Green Jade Garden

    Jenna folded her hands in front of her chest and her silky hair rested on her shoulders. Although her face was pale, her unique beauty and charm could not be concealed. She gazed at him, her re icy and piercing.

    To be precise, she was squinting at Hansen and Aria. Aria¡¯s arms were snaked around Hansen¡¯s waist as she clung tohim. Her round eyes were full of innocence and grievance, looking like a petite girl being bullied.

    Jenna clenched her fists, her stare sending chills running down spines.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, there are three minutes left before twelve o¡¯clock.Listen up, if you don¡¯te up and move your things, I will throw them down,¡± she tilted her head slightly, looked at the pair with disdain, and said mercilessly.

    Hansen almost lost his mind at that moment. This woman was crazy mad!

    She dared to throw his things down? She had absolutely no regard for him!

    Aria was shocked, masking her face with grief and fearbut her heart was jumping in delight.

    Hansen was stubborn and people needed to tolerate him, not the other way around. If Jenna started acting all pitiful and weak, he might have fallen for her and tried to make her happy. However,with the current bold act she had put on, he would soon be sick of her. Aria chuckled silently.

    Sure enough, Hansen¡¯s expression changedpletely. He pointed at Jenna with his fingerand said in agitation, ¡°You dare to do this? Do itandsee what I¡¯ll do to you. You¡¯re absolutely ridiculous.¡±

    Aria¡¯s heart overfilled with delight. She raised her faceand for a split second, she saw Jenna staring at her hands around Hansen¡¯s waist.A thought popped up in her head based on her instincts as a woman. The next second, she tightened her grip on Hansen¡¯s waistand threw herself into his embrace, yelling in fear, ¡°Hansen, she¡¯s so fierce and violent.I¡¯m so scared.¡±

    Hansen was snapped out of his rage by Aria¡¯s actions. He looked down andpaled immediately. Aria basically glued herself to him. ¡°Sh*t''¡± he eximed inwardly. He was about to push her away, only to hear, ¡°Time¡¯s up, throw them down!¡±

    Suddenly, all the expensive suits in Larry¡¯s hand dropped onto the lobby of the first floor. Soon, they were scattered all over the ground.

    ¡°Quickly, keep up. Continue dumping,¡± Jenna ordered the two servants standing behind Larry.

    A servant took a step forward with something in her armsand hurled it down with her hands.

    A load of Hansen¡¯s briefcases and shirtsdropped again, allnding on the floor of the living room.

    ¡°More, throw it.¡± After the servant in front left, another servant in the back followed suit.In her hands were bags full of Hansen¡¯s shoes andsocks, and not to mention, his favorite branded sneakers.

    With a shove, they fell to the first floor. Even his toothpaste and toothbrush were not spared.

    Hansen was on the verge of exploding with rage. He saw all his clothes and belongings messily scattered on the floor of the living room. He began to see dark shes and almost fainted out of anger.

    ¡°Ah! What¡¯s that?¡± Marissa was on her way in with Georgia. As soon as they entered, they heard a loud thud. A ck object was heading toward them, causing Marissa to shriek in shock.

    Fortunately, the object fell straight onto the floor in front of them without hitting their heads.

    It was a ck leather shoe.

    What in the world was going on?

    Marissa was dumbstruck andpletely clueless.

    Georgia screamed dramatically as she took in the messy living room. She realized that something bad had happenedand she saw her precious daughter on the sofa with a pitiful look on her face.Her heart clenched.Could it be that her daughter was hurt?

    At lightning speed, she rushed toward Aria and shouted, ¡°Aria, are you hurt?¡±

    WhenGeorgiagot closer, she saw that Aria was clutching onto Hansen and trembling with fright. Her face was full of fear but her eyes revealed nothing of sorts;there was even a hint of joy.

    Georgiaunderstood immediately!

    With Hansen protecting Aria,nothing would happen to her.

    Since her daughter was safe with her man,Georgiawould not be so stupid to approach them and ruin this opportunity for Aria.

    She straightened up and nced at the living room.

    She felt a cold gaze directed toward herand looked around based on her instincts.

    The sight gave her another shock.

    Georgia was appalled.

    The scene before her was unprecedented!

    Jenna, along with a few servants, were looking at them coldly from the second floor.She also noticed two men at the top of the stairs watchingthem.

    What was this?

    In no time, Georgia was clear of the situationand a mocking smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She wanted to see Marissa¡¯s reaction.

    Jenna had made such a mess, she doubted that Marissa would just sit by and watch.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Marissa scolded harshly. Shewalked a few steps closerand scanned the littered living room. Her face flushed red instantly.

    Who did this? All the things on the ground belonged to Hansen. Whoever had the audacity to throw away all of his things did not know who they were dealing with, not to mention thatshe had seniority in Green Jade Garden. Someone did this ridiculous act without her permission;this was too much!

    ¡°Auntie, it was me.¡± Jenna¡¯s voice floated down from the second floor and Marissa raised her head in shock.

    Jennastood upstairs, her expression nonchnt and natural, carrying an air of authority with her.

    Having heard this, fury roared through Marissa¡¯s mind.

    She had promised Georgia that she would apany her to buy baby products for Aria¡¯s child.When Jenna made that request in the morning,she did not think about it in detail, let alone expect her to really take action.Even Hansen was kicked out,all his things being thrown away in this fashion.

    She would understand if Jenna had hated Ariabut she was so indifferent and ruthless toward Hansen too. Marissa was infuriated.Jenna was crossing the line, making thehousehold in chaos.

    She nced at her son. He had a dark expressionbut he was still glued dumbly to the sofa, not doing anything. Aria was holding onto him tightly.

    At that moment, Marissa had had enough. She had always been high and mighty;she would not ept any of this.

    There were plenty of other women who were infatuated with Hansen and he could have had any of them. Jenna only had the inheritance rights from Vivianand she had dared to be so presumptuous. Jenna truly had no respect for her.

    In fact, Marissa was the head of the family.Everything that happened in Green Jade Garden needed to have her consent.

    If she would ignore such behavior,she did not deserve to be the head of the family!

    ¡°Auntie, I have already reported this to you this morningand told everyone about it.But, some people just won¡¯t cooperate, thereforedon¡¯t me me for being rude,¡± Jenna immediately exined.

    ¡°Mom, this woman is too shameless. She kicked us all out. What¡¯s even worse is that she also forced Hansen out. All this is just because she has Grandma on her back.Doesn¡¯t she know what dignity and mannersare?¡± Aria would never let go of this opportunity to ruin Jenna.She took the lead andined loudly to Marissa.

    ¡°You, you¡­¡± Marissa pointed at the two men standing at the top of the stairs, the two servants, and the mess in the room. Sheshouted with trembling fingers, ¡°Jenna, this is too much. Even if they didn¡¯t move out, is it necessary to dump their things like this? What kind of behavior is this? This is absurd, not an ounce of ss.This is lowly behavior. You dare to be so presumptuous when you live in our manor?When you eat, drink, and sleep on our grounds? You¡¯re awful.If I don¡¯t use my authority as an elder today, the reputation of Green Jade Garden will be ruined.¡±

    There were rules in Richards Manor, same went to the Green Jade Garden. Rules werews that kept people in check. If she let Jenna continue with this act, wouldn¡¯t the entire manor be in chaos?

    Marissa yelled and scolded, her face reddened. She was going to call the butler.

    Hansen finally snapped out of his daze by Marissa¡¯s stern voice.

    When he looked up, he saw Georgia¡¯s confident smirkand felt a chill in his heart. At this time, his thoughts hadpletely cleared up.

    Georgia and Aria had no good intentions towards Jenna. They were smart to take the opportunity to disrupt Green Jade Garden and they would not stop trying until Jenna was gone.

    ¡°I¡¯m just defending my legitimate rights. You are the head of the familybut I am not a member of the Richards family. I think you know this better than me, Auntie,¡± Jenna walked a few steps along the railing and said calmly. She pointed at the two guards next to her and rified, ¡°My living space is tooplicated and dangerous.There are not only thieves, perverts, but also a group of people who want to hurt me at any time. They want nothing more than for me to die.I had no choice.In order to protect me, I hired these two bodyguards. I hope you can understand that in the future, they will guard my safety all day. If things get out of control, I will not hesitate to hire more of them.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? This is not a market but the Green Jade Garden of Richards Manor. There are security guards here to protect you. Is it necessary to hire two outsiders to stand guard at home? There are women, not to mention pregnant women, in this household. Don¡¯t you see this?Yet, you hired such two men.Are you trying to taint our manor? You are behaving ridiculously and I won¡¯t allow someone like you to stay here,¡± Marissa pointed straight at Jenna and angrily scolded.¡°Everyone else¡¯s household is all peaceful and harmonious but you have made ours a disaster. Unbelievable.¡±Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    After speaking, she shouted to the servant, ¡°Dahlia, have Butler Maud call a few security guards to get these two men out of Green Jade Garden.¡±

    The servant who was standing aside watching themotion quickly bowed and left.

    ¡°Stop. Come back,¡± Hansen said sternly. Dahlia, who was about to leave, halted in her steps and looked at Marissa.

    ¡°Hansen, take a good look. This is the woman you love with all your heart.Do you see what she has done to our house? Look at this. Your clothes and belongings are all scattered on the floor. Do you think she respects you? Today, I must teach this woman a lesson. Don¡¯t think that just because Vivian gave her the right to inherit the manor,she is free to do whatever she desires. If I don¡¯t give her a lesson, what¡¯s going to happen to us in the future?The house will be a mess,¡± Marissa approached Hansen and told him bitterly, hoping he would return to his senses.

    ¡°Mom, you¡¯re right.Hansen, this woman is too outrageous. Look at her, she doesn¡¯t even respect you and Hansen,¡± Aria spoke beside Marissa,adding fuel to the fire.

 Chapter 205 Peace And Quiet

    ¡°If you dare to put a finger on them, I will call the police immediately.¡± Upstairs, Jenna had already picked up her phone.

    ¡°Call the police?¡± Marissa mocked.¡°You can try that. Let¡¯s see if the police can get past the front gate of Richards Manor.¡±

    When Marissa said this, her face was full of arrogance.She dismissed Jenna¡¯s threat, not the least bit affected by the police.

    ¡°Enough,stop this.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was terrifyingly gloomy. He was about to stand upbut Aria wrapped herself close around him. He swept his stern gaze at herand it sent goosebumps crawling all over her skin.Scared, she withdrew her hand instantly.

    ¡°Clean everything up and put them in one of the rooms on the first floor. Have a room prepared for me,¡± he approached and instructed the servants. They hurriedly started tidying up the living room.

    ¡°Mom, this is all my fault. Jenna did it because I refused to move.This matter should end here,¡± he looked at Marissa and said with little emotion.

    ¡°Hansen, are you crazy? That¡¯s your bedroom, how could she upy it entirely?¡± Aria objected when she heard this.

    ¡°Yes, Hansen. You¡¯re the Young Master of the Richards family, how can you be driven away by a woman? If news gets out, you¡¯ll be ridiculed.¡± Marissa¡¯s eyes opened wide in surprise as she wasperplexed.

    ¡°Mom, Jenna did nothing wrong. The second floor belongs to her. It was us who took advantage; it was us who vited her space. It makes sense that we should empty the rooms now. There¡¯s nothing wrong with this,¡± he responded tly, not caring about it at all.

    Marissa could not believe her eyes and ears. There was something wrong with her son. Could it bethat he was under Jenna¡¯s spell?Why did he simply surrender and obey her?

    ¡°Hansen, look at the two men standing upstairs. How are we supposed to live like this? Most of our family are women except you. What about us? Those men would stare at us every day, do you really think this is fine?¡± Marissa questioned, frustrated with Hansen.

    Hansen nced at Jenna. She was wearing cotton slippers and thick pajamas,all covered up. He could barely make out her figure under theyers of clothing.

    Well, at least her clothes were alright;they were conservative. Fortunately, she was not wearing the revealing nightdresses she had at Collier Manor, which showed off her curves perfectly. Only he would be able to see that. If she walked around in this house in that fashion, he might gouge the eyes of those two guards out that instant.

    As for now,the situation seemed fine to him.

    Furthermore, Georgia and Ariawere obviously hostile towards Jenna. Even if she had not hired the bodyguards as she lived alone on the second floor, he would have done it for her.

    Special times called for special measures.It was not a bad thing for two more men to be protecting Jenna.

    Hansen looked at Jenna standing upstairs casuallywith her chin slightly up. She spared no nces at them, her face unconcerned. However, she was clearly listening to the conversation. It looked like she was paying attention to him speakingand he could not help but find this amusing.

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s the fact. This is her territory. If she insists, we can¡¯t do anything about it. Actually, there may really be people in this house who would harm her. She¡¯s just protecting herself,we should not interfere with that. After all,Grandma has already given her the second floorand the people she hired didn¡¯te to the first floor, did they?¡± he spoke again.

    ¡°Marissa, Hansen, it¡¯s not good to tolerate her acting this way. Even Hansen has been kicked out. She would probably be chasing all of you out of the house next.¡± Seeing that Hansen was actually defending Jenna, Georgia was very displeased. This would be a great disadvantage to Aria, hence she immediately stepped forward and spoke up.

    Marissa opened her mouthbut she was speechless to hear Hansen taking Jenna¡¯s side. The anger boiling inside her did not subside.

    Hansen smiled faintly andlooked around.¡°The first floor is not so bad. I can sleep on the sofa.You all can figure the rest out.¡±

    With that being said, he walked to the sofa and picked up his briefcase, ready to head off to work. When he passed Georgia, he said as if he had thought of something, ¡°Auntie, how about this? If you think that it¡¯s not good for Aria to live on the first floor, maybe you can consider moving out of this house. I can help her find a better one outside. What do you think?¡±

    Hansen spoke in a serious tone and kindly provided her with suggestions, asking for her opinion. He even had a caring and considerate smile!

    Georgia was startled.She did not know how to answer.

    ¡°You may take your time to think about it. If Aria really needs it,you¡¯re wee to tell me at any time,¡± he added before leaving coolly.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°B*stard.¡± When Georgia had registered what he meant, she cursed silently. He was in love with Jenna, he hadpletely taken Jenna¡¯s side.Perhaps Jenna and he had discussed putting on an act for them. Or maybe,they wanted to use this opportunity to get Aria to leave.

    Obviously, Jenna could be so outrageous and bold because of Hansen. If he had not pampered her and allowed her to do so, this would not work. His thoughts were solely and entirely focused on Jenna.

    He did not love Aria at all.

    Thinking of this, Georgia¡¯s heart grew coldand her expression turned awful.

    Aria was even more dissatisfied, crying and shouting, ¡°Mom, what should I do? I don¡¯t want to live on this floor. It¡¯s so dark and humid, I fear that it would affect the baby.¡±

    She wiped her tears and pleaded with Marissa.

    Despite that, Marissa was also helpless herself. Obviously, she was in a bad mood as well.

    The living room was quickly tidied up by the servants. Marissa had to shut an eye to what Jenna did because of Hansen. After all,the second floor was given to Jennaand it seemed that she had no better reason to change her mind.

    ¡°Georgia, since Aria doesn¡¯t like this building, maybewe should consider searching for another house for her?¡± A long timeter, Marissa had no choice but to force an awkwardughand asked Georgia gently. Georgia¡¯s expression was nasty the whole time.

    She pulled a long face, looking as if she was going to swallow Marissa whole.

    Marissa¡¯s head was screaming in pain. She deeply realized that it was nothing good for a man to have many women.At present, both of her son¡¯s women were quarreling in front of her. Both were not easy to deal withand she was on the middle ground.She was tired of thisbut Hansen did not care about the troubleas if it was none of his business.If she had forced and pestered him for an answer, he would simply ask for Aria to move out.

    She had nothing to answer them except to suggest Aria leaving.

    ¡°Marissa, it seems that you also want to send Aria off and dismiss her, don¡¯t you? I didn¡¯t expect you all to do such a thing,¡± Georgia spoke, her voice icy and glum, giving Marissa a deadly re.

    Marissa¡¯s face paled, not knowing how to exin.

    ¡°Aria, listen to me. We¡¯re going to stay hereon the first floor. You will give birth to this child no matter what;let¡¯s see how they want to send us away by then.We shall see if they would even dare to finish us off if they want to get rid of us so much. I shall let everyone in A city see how unreasonable and ill-mannered the Richards family is.¡± Georgia could not hold back her anger. She deliberately raised her voice as she spoke to Aria.

    Aria also understood. She wiped away her tears, bit her lip and nodded in silence.

    There was still a glimmer of hope in her heart, which was thatHansen also lived on the first floor. Although he said that he would sleep on the sofa, she did not care. As long as he would not be in the same room with Jenna, she was fine.

    Jenna looked down at them from the second floor, a cold smile on her face.

    Meeting with Aria¡¯s and Georgia¡¯s vicious stares,Jenna raised one of her eyebrows andchuckled. She thenflipped her hairand turned around before hopping into her room casually.

    It was all peace and quiet at the moment. The entire second floor no longer had Aria¡¯s strong perfumeand she would not be disturbed by Hansen. It was simply too satisfying for Jenna.

    Moreover, she was vomiting from time to time. At present, there was no need to worry about being discovered.

    She slowly walked into the bedroom and closed the door.

    All of Hansen¡¯s belongings in the bedroom were thrown awayand there were no traces of them anymore. The space in the bedroom belonged entirely to her.

    Slightly scanning the room, she realized that the bedroom was too big. It was so big that it scared her a littleand even made her feel sad. Her heart was in pain from the emptiness.

    Jenna understood the reason for this feeling, this bitterness in her heart. However, she quickly bit on her lips and crawled into her bed.

    She was so tired and drowsy. She just wanted to have a good night¡¯s sleep.

    She fell dead asleep that night. Aunt E prepared her favorite chicken wings and some porridge at noonbut she had no appetite. She merely took a few bites before she returned to sleep.

    When she woke up in the afternoon, she felt better.

    Turning on theputer, she started car-designing again. It seemed like this was the only way to forget the painful reality.

    The night had arrived without anyone knowing.

    Jenna did not go downstairs to eat.

    She did not want to see those people, let alone have dinner with them, and allow herself to be mocked by their hurtful words.She heard from Aunt E that Georgia decided to stay at Richards Manor for the night to take care of Aria.

    Hearing this, Jenna was even more reluctant to go downstairs.

    After working on a car design for a long time in front of theputer, she was exhaustedand went to bed early.

    In the dark night, she curled herself up between the sheets and fell into deep slumber.

    Hansen would not apany her anymore. Not only did she have two bodyguards currently, but she also changed the door lock. He could never get in.

    She realized that he seemed to have stayed by her side in this bedroom ever since she moved back infollowing Vivian¡¯s orders.She recalled his sturdy chest that always warmed her cold body. It had once warmed her heart in the dark night.

    All of these were just memories of the past this instant!

    Warm liquid flowed down from the corner of her eyesand it soon reached her lips.It tasted bitter. Those were her sad tears.

 Chapter 206 He Tricked Her

    Loneliness encircled Jenna when shey in bed at night. She woke up several times in the middle of her sleep.

    She felt scared being alone.

    Not knowing how she would endure such long nights alone in the future, she wondered when would days like this end.

    She stroked her belly with her hand.

    There was always a faint, bloating pain in her belly. She felt as if it was going to blow up at any second. She looked up information from the inteand found that this was a normal sign during the development of the fetus. Her belly was going to be like a huge, round cannonball.

    The more she thought about it, the more afraid she became.

    After two days of rest, she was ready to start her n. In any case, she should not stay in Richards Manor for too longand she must leave before her belly got bigger.

    It was said that winter nights were very long. Jenna had nothing to do all day, somehow dozing off into dreand every now and then. Thus, she woke up quite early in the morning.

    She stayed in her bedroom for a whole day the day before. This day, she thought of taking a walk and breathing in the fresh morning air.

    When she was about to head downstairs, she swept a nce at the sofa.

    The day before, she remembered hearing Hansen say that he would sleep on the sofa at night.

    As if to verify it, her eyes subconsciously nced at the sofa.

    It was still early.The living room was terribly quietand there was no sign of Hansen sleeping on the sofa. There was not even a trace of ruffled nkets or so. It was just empty.

    She was so na?ve to truly believe that he would sleep on the sofa alone!

    She seriously needed to snap out of her fantasies!

    Jenna quickly looked away from the sofa.She turned and walked toward the garden outside.

    In the winter morning, the air was cold and humid.

    Having been so used to staying under the warmth of the heater in Richards Manor, it was difficult to get used to the striking chillness outside.

    As soon as she walked out of the house, she was attacked by the cold wind. Fortunately, she had put on the sable coat in advance.

    Then, she strolled along the gravel path in the garden.

    A thinyer of frost covered the withered flowers in the garden, even the evergreen nts were coated by the snow. Their drooping leaves made it seem like they had lost their spirit.

    After all, it was mid-winter; all she felt was defeat and utter loneliness.

    Jenna sighed softly,nostalgia creeping up in her heart.

    There was a snow-white gravel road in front which would lead her directly to the gym.

    She stood there, her thoughts far away.

    Her legs had carried her here unknowingly.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    She remembered that Hansen used to go to the gym at this time in the morning.

    But, the road was empty that day.She did not see his tall and strong figure in his branded sweatshirts. Now that she thought of it, he must still be sleeping in bed with Aria!

    What man was willing to leave a beautifuldy in his arms ande out to exercise on such a cold day?

    There was a wry smile at the corner of Jenna¡¯s mouth, her heart shuddering in fear.

    She could not believe herself. She had thought of that d*mned b*stard againand came all the way here.

    Was she waiting for him, hoping to see him?

    What kind of ridiculous thought was this! It was too terrifying!

    Thinking of this, she could not help but be dumbfounded.

    The d*mned Hansen had upied such a big part in her heart that all she could think of was him!

    She wanted to forget him but she was drowning in her love toward him;there was no escape.

    The bitterness in her heart grew deeper and deeper.

    Hurriedly, she fled back to her bedroom.

    After three consecutive days of the same routine, Jenna just stayed in her room all day. There was no way she could go out as she would vomit from time to time.

    She did not want anyone to know about her pregnancy, hence she hid in the room.

    In the past three days, she did not see Aria, nor went down to see Marissa. Of course, she did not see Hansen either. It was as if her world had gonepletely mute.

    The Richards Manor was also quiet.

    The world waspletely silent.

    In order to let herself forget about everything and to relieve the nauseating sensation, she chose to spend these days in front of theputer as usual as she concentrated on car designing.

    One day, she was entirely focused on making changes to her car design and she realized that she had been working untilte night.

    Suddenly, an email notification popped up on the lower right corner of theputer screen.

    Taking a closer look, she saw that it was from abroad.

    Her heart skipped a beatand she quickly opened the email.

    It was sent by Rayan.

    The moment she saw his name,she felt like they had not seen each other for centuries.

    How much time has passed ever since he left A city?

    After careful calction, Jenna realized that it had been several months.

    They never contacted each other since thenand she seemed to have forgotten himpletely. It was only at this moment when the message popped up did she remember him. He was the man who had treated her the best, more than anyone else.

    An apologetic feeling surged up in her heart.

    The email was short, with only three lines. It read, ¡°Jenna, how are you? It¡¯s been a long time.I¡¯ming to A city, see you then.¡±

    The three sentences were enough to make her gasp.

    Rayan wasing back?

    Her heart pounded.

    What would she do?

    How could she have dared to see him?

    In a mere few months, she had changed so much!

    Moreover, she was pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child! The d*mned Hansen Richards!

    How could she exin it to him?

    No. She could not meet him. It would only make him look down on her even more!

    Feeling nervous, Jenna hesitated before responding with a message, ¡°Rayan, I¡¯m doing fine. Thank you for asking.¡±

    Just like that,the reply was sent.

    She did not mention anything about himing to A city. She was too embarrassed to meet him. How would she even bring it up?

    After sending the message, she stood up and felt her throat running dry.She went to have some water.

    When she walked over, she found that the ss was empty.

    That night, Jenna was easily thirsty for no reason.It was unusual.Aunt E had brought her a jug of water before going to bedand she finished it in less than two hours. She had even felt a little hungry. Although she had been throwing up these two days, she still had her appetite. Often, she would get very hungry and craved for sour food.

    Looking at the clock on the wall, it was already one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    At this time, Aunt E had already fallen asleep.Jenna would not ask her to get up so that she could bringher some water and food as she was old.

    There was no other way,therefore she decided that she would go to the ground floor herself. She was really not used to drinking from the water dispenser. Every time she drank it, she would have diarrhea. She had to ask Aunt E to boil some water and bring it up.

    Putting on a coat, she took the jug andturned on the lights in the hallway,tiptoeing down the stairs.

    The water heater was in the dining room,which was connected to the kitchen.

    She could get something to eat in the kitchen while she waited for the water to boil.

    Jenna¡¯s mouth tasted bitteras if everything she ate had drastically changed vors.She clearly disliked sour food beforebut she craved them all the time at present. Instead, she found the sweet desserts that she loved in the past disgusting.

    It was bizarreand she was worried that she would hate desserts in the future.She wouldn¡¯t want to!

    She liked sweet treats the most when she was young.

    It seemed that pregnancy was no joke.

    She came to the living room in light stepsand walked toward the dining room.

    She heard the sound of faint breathing.

    Jenna was taken aback and searched for the source of the sound.

    She saw a person lying on the sofa without a nket, snoring.

    With a single nce, she knew that it was a man. The lights in the living room were dimbut she was still able to make out who he was.

    It was Hansen whom she had not seen for several days!

    Why was he sleeping in the living room?

    Startled, she looked at him.

    Although there were heaters indoors, it was freezing outside. He should have had a nket with him. The interior was rtively warmbut it was still only 20 degrees Celsius. The temperature would get even lower in the middle of the night.

    Nevertheless, this was none of her business!

    Shoving her feelings aside, she turned around and was about to leave.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t go.¡± As she wanted to head toward the dining room, she heard Hansen calling in a low voice. He was mumbling as if he was sleep-talking.

    She frozeand her footsteps paused.

    ¡°Jenna, please, don¡¯t go,¡± he murmured.

    She flinched, her legs growing too heavy to move.

    She could hear that it was him talking in his sleep. His voice was very soft with a hint of sadness and begging.

    Was he dreaming of her?

    Her dainty hands fell on her belly. No matter what had happened, this man was the father to her baby. He left such a deep mark in her heart. Whether it was humiliation or affection, it was not one to be easily forgotten.

    How could she be so cold?

    Despite that, she had made up her mind to forget about all of this!

    She looked at him, a plethora of feelings welling up in her. She figured that he would catch a cold lying there in that manner.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna, please don¡¯t go,¡± he turned over and called for her softly.His breath was heavyand it seemed that he was in deep sleep.

    She stood in hesitation.

    She eventually went to take out a nket from the nearby storage room. She quietly walked overand covered him up. Then, she was prepared to leave, promising herself that she would never be a busybody again.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t go.¡± She had just turned around whenher hand was grasped.

    What? He wasn¡¯t asleep!

    The moment he grabbed her hand,she cursed in her heart. In an instant, herworld was spinningand she had been pulled into a big, strong embrace.

    ¡­

    Before she couldprehend what was going on, she wasid down on the sofa as Hansen positioned himselfabove her.

    ¡°A*shole,wereyoufaking it?¡± She felt dizzy from the anger. She was flustered asa shade of red appeared on her face.

    The smell of alcohol came out of his mouth. He had taken somebut it looked like he did not drink much as she saw the light in his eyes. They were clear as day.

    ¡°Jenna, did you miss me? You still can¡¯t forget me,can you?¡± Hansen grinned while he touched her face, feeling a little proud.

    ¡°I did not!You b*stard, let me go immediately.¡± She was so vexed that her nostrils red.

    D*mn it, he tricked her!

    This man was awful!

    ¡°No?Why did you cover me with a nket then? Stop denying it.¡± His face glowedandhis eyes were shining, bright and tender.Hansen was very pleased that Jenna had cared for him like this.He knew that she still held him in her heartand he was in immense joy.

 Chapter 207 I Was Just Hungry

    ¡°You b*stard, you actually tricked me!¡± Jenna was furiousand said fiercely, ¡°I wish for nothing more than you to be dead. How would I even do that? I was just hungry andI came down to find something to eat. I thought you were someone else, that¡¯s why I covered you with the nket.¡±

    When she said this, she felt extremely wrongedand tears were welling up in her eyes.

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Hansen observed her, not believing her words. After a while, he smiled again.¡°Jenna,stop lying. There¡¯s only one man in this house,you must¡¯ve known it was me. You can¡¯t hide anything from me.¡±

    He leaned down, about to kiss her.

    Jenna blocked his lips with her hands. She was blushing but fortunately, the lights were dim and he could not see it.

    She had been determined to slowly forget him.

    She was disappointed in herself. When she saw Hansen on the sofa like that, she took pity on himand covered him with the nket.

    The single movement was enough to make him misunderstand.

    She was too pathetic. How could she do such a pathetic thing!

    ¡°Stop dreaming. I feel disgusted just looking at a yboy like you. How could I be so kind? Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself,¡± she sneered and insulted him.

    ¡°Jenna,are you really so cruel?Did you really wish I were dead?¡± His face darkened.He looked down at her angered, reddened face,her eyesfilled with sad tears.His confidence disappearedand hurt reced the glee in his eyes as he asked softly.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what Isincerelywant,¡± she responded and bit her lips.¡°That¡¯s what you get for tricking me.¡±

    ¡°Trick you? Me?¡± he was shocked and cried out. She was the one who woke him up when she came close to him. He was always a light sleeper.

    Frederic dragged him to ate dinner that dayand he returned homeafter having a drink or two.He wanted to go up to the second floorbut was stopped by the two guards, therefore he simplyid on the sofa and fell asleep. After that,he was stirred awake when he felt the nket on him. At that moment, he caught Jenna¡¯s faint body scent. Excited, he grabbed her and refused to let go.

    In fact, he really did fall asleep. It wasn¡¯t a lie.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    At this instant, she was saying that he had nned this on purpose.

    She was really sensitive and unpredictable indeed!

    He moved closer to her face. Hestared into her eyesand said seriously, ¡°Jenna, I have never lied to you. I was, and am sincere about everythingbut you won¡¯t believe me.¡±

    He was sincere? Who would believe in him!

    He was clearly pretending to be asleep, trying to gain her sympathy. She was a fool to fall for that lie. Jenna thought to herself.

    ¡°Let go of me,¡± She did not want to argue with himand said coldly, ¡°Whether you did it on purpose or not, I don¡¯t care.I have nothing more to say to you.¡±

    She did not want to be seen with him in this wayand just wished to leave quickly.

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± H0e began to act as he pleased.¡°You came to the ground floor, to be on your own. I won¡¯t miss such a good opportunity. It¡¯s not my fault asI didn¡¯t sneak into the second floor.¡±

    He looked absolutely shameless and unreasonable.Jenna was finally in his arms;he would never let her go!

    ¡°You¡­¡± Jenna was exasperated. Sure enough, this man was a rascal; he knew no shame at all. She stretched out her hands and pushed him hard.

    Hansen had a light chuckle.He grabbed her hand, rubbed it gently, and put it next to his lips to take in her scent.

    Her hands were silky soft. He savored the feeling of them, and her body under him was warm and pliant. It felt great. All the desires he used to hold back sumbed to the surface.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t move. I miss youand I want you.¡± He lowered his head and blew in her ears. His burning lips began to press on her neckand his hands slid to her bosom.

    How many days had he not touched her? The burning urge and longing for her roiled inside him.

    He had missed her, had wanted her, and he was crazy about it.

    He craved for their bodies to melt together, to once again reunite.

    However, the woman under him had made up her mind to never let him touch her again. Her eyes were full of wrath, looking like she wanted to murder him. Being stared like this,any feelings would have extinguishedbut he still continued.She belonged to him;she could only belong to him in this life. He was infatuated with her body, and most of all, he wanted to have her heart back.

    He wanted her to love him. He did not want to let her go, ever.

    ¡°Let go of me.¡± Hansen kissed her passionately and tore open her clothes. His warm hands gripped her bosomand he panted heavily. Jenna panicked, knowing that he could not think straight this instant. She was pregnant;how could she withstand this?

    Not to mention, they were in the living room.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t let go, I¡¯m going to shout.¡± She figured that as long as she shrieked loudly, not only the guards but everyone on this floor would wake up. Even if Hansen was tempted to have her, he would not be so dumb to do it here!

    Sure enough,he stopped and raised his head.

    ¡°Jenna, if you want an audience,you may shout all you like. I don¡¯t care even if everyone sees us,¡± he said, staring into her eyes with intent.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, you¡¯re not human;you¡¯re not a man. You know nothing but to toy with women and force yourself on us. If something happens to me, I won¡¯t let you get away with this if something happens to me.¡± Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed in a low voice.

    What did she mean?

    Hansen was dumbstruck by her words. The look in her eyes had anxiety and terror, even a hint of resentment. What on earth was she afraid of?

    He instantly froze.

    ¡°Let me go, you b*stard.¡± She then pushed him away with all her might.

    ¡°Jenna,what are you thinking about?I just miss you;I just want to love you.I have no bad intentions.¡± He held her hand as her tears made his heart ache.

    She resisted him so much that his desires died down. He was even more shocked when he saw her unyielding expression. It was like he was the big, bad wolf who wanted to gobble her up. His heart grew cold.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t cry. I won¡¯t touch you.¡± He let go, pulled her in his arms, and coaxed, ¡°Let me sleep with you on the second floor. I will be with you just like we used to, okay? I promise to listen to you and I won¡¯t do anything to you. I¡¯m worried about you sleeping alone.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Jenna was choking in tears. She refused without hesitation.

    ¡°I just want to stay by your side, I don¡¯t want you to be lonely. I won¡¯t do anything,really, trust me. I¡¯ll never go against your wishes,¡± he promised and swore.

    As if she would believe him!

    How could Jenna believe his nonsense? She said coldly, ¡°No.¡±

    Even if she wasn¡¯t pregnant at the moment, she still wouldn¡¯t agree to it. She has gone too far to give up again.

    She struggled to get out of his arms.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go, Jenna, let me apany you for a while more.¡± He hugged her tightly. As long as she was not in his arms for a day, he would miss her like crazy and felt nothing but emptiness. Once she goes back to the second floor, it would be difficult to have such an opportunity again. He really could not bear to let her leave.

    ¡°Let go of me. I¡¯m hungry, I¡¯m going to eat.¡± Jenna was finally relieved as he stayed still and did nothing. Despite that, she was unable to get out of his grip.

    At her words, Hansen remembered the heaviness in his heart. He had heard her saying that she was hungrybut got carried away by his feelings. Now that she mentioned it again, his heart sank.

    Could it be that they did not give her food in the past few days when he was away, therefore she had to sneak down in the middle of the night to find something to eat?

    Just by thinking about it, anger shed across his eyes.

    ¡°Jenna, did they not give you food?Not even the chicken soup I asked Aunt E to make for you every day?¡± he asked in fury.

    Chicken soup? She was stunned. No wonder Aunt E made all kinds of delicious and healthy food for her. Of course, there was chicken soup every day. It turned out that Hansen was the one who gave the orders.

    She understood why she had been given such luxury these days. It turned out to be Hansen¡¯s favor.

    However, she was barely moved by his act.

    ¡°No, Aunt E does it every day.¡± Although her tone was unpleasant, she did not resist anymore. She only lowered her headand answered in a civil manner.

    ¡°Oh.¡± He breathed a sigh of reliefbut asked puzzledly, ¡°Then, why are you still hungry? Was it not enough? I¡¯ll tell her to add some more tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I just don¡¯t like it,¡± she felt that her temper and anger were all gone, and replied in a fluster.

    He caught the glimpse of panic in her eyesand the corners of his mouth rose slightly.This womandid not even dare to say anything about her meals. This was probably the reason people in Richards Manor could treat her so badly.Guilt and heartache crept up in his heart.

    ¡°Then, what do you want to eat? Tell me, I¡¯ll let them cook for you,¡± he whispered as he picked her up and rose from the sofa.¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you outside to eat.¡±

    He held her firmly with both arms and was about to walk outside.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to,¡± Jenna was afraid of waking up the othersand she declined in a low voice.

    He would not listen. He carried her, took thecquered ck fleece next to the sofa, and wrapped her up in it before heading outside.

    As soon as they were outside, the cold wind hit Jenna¡¯s neck, so cold that she tucked straight into his arms. Hansen failed to resist a smile on his face.

    At thiste hour, all their drivers have gone off work. There was only one left on duty. He made a call to Butler Maud. Not longter, a car drove in.

 Chapter 208 Hansen Got Lucky

    ¡°Put me down,I want to go back.I don¡¯t want to go out to eat.¡± Jenna onlyhada coat on herandshe did not dare to get into a struggle with him for fear of revealing her pajamas. She merelyined in his arms. It was sote and so cold;she did not want to go outside. She just wanted to go back to her bedroom.

    ¡°No,¡± Hansen interrupted her tly.He was decisive.¡°You have to eat out. Look at your face,it¡¯s like a starving beggar on the streets. People might think that the Richards family had abused you.¡±

    The driver had brought the jeep out of the underground parking lot. Hansen gave her no chance for objectionand he picked her up, getting into the car.

    He just would not put himself in other people¡¯s shoes, Jenna thought. It was sote, yet he still ordered Butler Maud and the driver to work for him. He was really inconsiderate of his servants.

    Hansen settled her on the soft bed in the back row, where the heaters were turned on. It was very warm.

    He went into the driver¡¯s seat and started the car.

    They then head towards the most luxurious hotel in A city.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat anymore. I¡¯m not going out wearing pajamas,¡± Jenna resisted, pouting her lips.

    Her lips were shiny red and looked full from the kiss they had a while ago on the sofa, leaving Hansen absolutely smitten. He looked at the rearview mirror and smiled.¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? Anyone who dares to gossip about my woman will be done for. Besides, you don¡¯t have to take care of how you look in front of others. You¡¯re already mine;are you trying to seduce other men? Well, you can forget about that. As long as I¡¯m alive, no one will be able toy their fingers on you. All you have to do is stay with me from now on.¡±

    Hansen said half-jokingly and half-seriouslyas if he could dictate everything about her.

    Jenna sighed and cursed herself forgoing downstairs that night. She could not lose herself to him and his gentle, sweet words. She could not do this.

    It was midnight and there were not many guests. When Hansen carried Jenna in his embrace to their private room, not many had seen them.

    There was nothing strange about young, passionate couples hugging each other, let alone be criticized by others.

    However, she noticed a few waitresses casting eyes at her, most of them were full of envy.

    ¡°How about steak?¡± Hansen asked.

    ¡°No,it¡¯s too meaty.¡± She shook her head.

    ¡°Salmon?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s too fishy.¡±

    ¡°What about creamy chicken soup with dumplings?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s too greasy.¡±

    ¡­

    After more than a dozen expensive dishes being disapproved by Jenna, Hansen grew a little agitated. He asked the waiter, ¡°Whatever signature dishes you have, I¡¯ll have them all.¡±

    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s almost midnight. These are the only dishes avable,¡± the waiter answered softly with a professional smile.

    ¡°Is there any more sour radish?¡± Jenna asked as she stared at a small dish on the table. She took it piece by piece with her fingersand finished the dish in no time, feeling extremely satisfied.

    ¡°Yes, yes, there is.¡± The waiter nodded quickly.

    ¡°Then bring a few more of these.¡± She drank a sip of water whenever she ate a piece of sour radish. Hansen frowned at the sight. This woman was unbelievable. He had brought her to such a high-ss hotelbut she asked for the side dishes instead!Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Stop eating these, they¡¯re unhealthy. Look at your face,there no glow on your skin. Can¡¯t you have some nutritious food?¡± He reached out and snatched the two dishes from her. Frowning slightly, he spoke in dissatisfaction.

    ¡°No, I want it.¡± Jenna grabbed another on the table and ate it hurriedly.Hansen could not stop her, herefore he just let her be.

    After the main courses were delivered, Jenna only took a few bites of the dishes no matter how much Hansen persuaded her. He sighed in distress.

    Seeing that it waste, he carried her out to the jeep after their meal.

    Soon after he started the car, he heard Jenna in the back murmuring, ¡°I want plums and peaches.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± he promised right away. After making a U-turn, he drove towards a grocer.

    The fruits weremon in the city and easily avable. However, most of the shops were closed at midnight.They finallyfound a small grocery shop after plenty of driving around. When Hansen turned his head to check on Jenna, he saw her sleeping soundly at the back of the car.

    Shaking his head, he got out of the car aloneand bought the remaining fruits in the store, putting them in the trunk. The fruits were not as appealing as he liked, since the fresh ones were sold off during the day. Nheless, it was in the middle of the night. He could not expect the remaining ones to be good. Maybe Jenna would not want to eat them when she woke up, then he would buy some fresh ones the next day.

    He realized that she was not only acting strange recentlybut often, she ate food that she usually would not eat. All her favorite foods did not catch her eye anymore.

    Suddenly, he thought of himself.

    She had probably loved him in the past. What about at present? Would she push him away like how she dismissed her favorite foods?

    His heart grew heavy and bitter.

    Despite that, he made up his mind.

    As long as he was sincere, as long as his love was real, he was confident that he could touch her heart.

    Early in the morning, Jenna was sleeping drowsily until she felt a hand on her chest.The palm was warmand it felt quitefortable. Flipping to one side, she felt a wall. She touched the wand felt muscles and bones!

    When she opened her eyes,she gasped as she saw Hansen¡¯s handsome and charming face right in front of her.

    He was sleeping soundlywith a content smile on his face.

    Where was she?

    A single look told her thatshe was in her bedroom on the second floor.

    D*mn it.

    He merely brought her out for a few slices of sour radishand this happened?

    Did she let him in just like this? Unbelievable!

    She sat up in a huff, her eyebrows knitted together, and her eyes were wide open.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, get up.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Hansen was awakened by Jenna. With his eyes shut tightly, he yawned before askingzily.

    ¡°Get up and get out of here. Who let you sleep here?¡± she questioned in rage.

    ¡°You¡¯re loud, would you stop? Just let me sleep for a while, I¡¯ve been so tired these days!¡± he did not think much and simply muttered.

    He had been tired these days? She sneered. No wonder he did not harass her these couple of days. Was he ying around with other women every night? Or perhaps, he was tired from spending the nights with Aria!

    ¡°No, get upand get out!¡± she yelled with a firm tone.

    Despite that, heid on the bed like a corpse. It was impossible for him to get up, let alone leaving the bedroom.

    Jenna got anxious and hit him on the chest.

    Even so, she failed to cause any harm as Hansen gripped both her wrists without any effort. She was then pulled onto his chest.

    Hansen held her waist with both his hands andopened his eyes. A smirk formed on his face as he teased, ¡°Are you testing my patience such early in the morning? You know I can¡¯t resist you.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ rascal.¡± He wrapped his hands around her waist. She could not move andpanicked, embarrassed under his firm grip. It would be risky if this continued.

    It took so much of her effort to achieve peace in her personal space. She was worried that all the hard work would be gone upon his intrusion.¡°If you don¡¯t leave, I¡¯ll call the guards.¡± The rims of her eyes reddened and her face was full of anger.

    ¡°Jenna, please stop this, okay?¡± Hansen looked at her face. It was pale;she looked frail and weak in agitation.His heart clenchedand he stopped teasing her. His tone softened as he spoke to her, ¡°Jenna, why are you getting all worked up?We came back reallytest night,thus I sent you back here. Let¡¯s not act so distant from each other. Honey, have a good rest with me.¡±

    While speaking, he turned aside and took Jenna into his embrace. He then proceeded to cover them both with the quilt before shutting his eyes to sleep.

    ¡°You have to leave.¡± She did not listen to him at all. Instead, she pushed him with full determination.She identally fell into his trap and let him have his way the night before. He was even in her bed at this moment.If this went on,everything would be in vain. She ordered, ¡°If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll shout for my guards and throw you out of here.¡±

    She gritted her teeth and spoke, about to shout.

    ¡°You, do you have to do this?¡± Hansen turned over and suddenly pressed on her body.He threatened her, ¡°If you want to screamand give me a hard time,I¡¯ll want you right now.You can ask them to throw me out andwe¡¯ll be kicked out together.As long as you won¡¯t be embarrassed by this, what am I afraid of?¡±

    He slid his hands into her clothes, once again invading the territory on her bosom while he sealed her words with his lips. His hands were roaming all across her skin.

    Jenna was furious as she struggled desperately. It was early in the morningand she was feeling very ufortable with her stomach. She was raging at Hansen. Just as he released her hands, she immediately took the chance to scratch him fiercely.

    She did not know where she had scratched him.She only heard a cryand she was released from his hold as he fell onto the bed.

    When Jenna looked at him,she saw a few bloody scratches on his right cheek extending all the way down his neck. He was ¡®lucky¡¯ this day!

    ¡°You! Are you trying to murder your husband? Did you have to do that?¡± He felt a burning sensation on half of his face. He cupped it with one hand and cried out.

    ¡°You deserved it for being a jerk,¡± Jenna blurted, ncing at the bloody marks on his face.He looked like a messand she was very much pleased.

    ¡°You are really cruel,¡± he remarked through gritted teeth.

    She turned around and got up. After putting on some clothes, she stood beside the bed with one finger pointing at the door before saying coldly, ¡°Get out, and you shall nevere in again. Otherwise, the consequences will be worse than this.¡±

    Hansen looked up and saw the anger in her eyes. Itwas obviously directed toward him. Chills ran down his spine. Why was such a gentle and frail woman so cold?

    Even if they were divorced, did she not have any feelings for him? The night before, he came backte at night just so he could get her something to eat. Currently, the tables have turnedand she hadpletely changed. She even wed at his face until they saw blood. How could he go out with a face like this?

    He groaned.

    ¡°Get out, get out of herenow,¡± Jenna insistedand gave the final word again.

    Hansen did not dare to anger her further.He eventually got up and put on his clothes before fleeingaway.

 Chapter 209 Take Care Of Your Father-In-Law

    ¡°Keep an eye on him.Never let this man step into the second floor in the future.¡± Just as Hansen walked down the stairs, Jenna¡¯s voice sounded from behind. He turned his head and saw her standing right thereinstructing the two guards, her face emotionless.

    Such a cruel woman!

    He stared at her bitterly.She looked down on him from above the stairsand he saw a victorious hint of a smile in her eyes.

    After this incident,he waspletely defeated and never dared to sneak into her room again.

    Although he missed her deeply,itching to hold her and be by her side, he did not mess with her anymore.

    He hated and loved her at the same time;there was no way to make her give in. For the first time, he felt powerless to a woman.

    After eating, Jenna picked up her bag to go visit her mother at the hospital one day.

    She walked to the parking lot and started the car.

    As soon as she reached Richards Manor¡¯s entrance, she saw Hansen¡¯s jeep driving toward the gate.

    She shot a cold re at his car, turned the steering wheel slightly, and stepped on the gas pedal.

    Her simple sedan dashed straight out of the gate, quickly passing him before turning right.

    Hansen was caressing his wounded face in the car, the scratches still stinging.Then, he saw Jenna¡¯s caring from behind. He was wondering where she was headingbut she sped past his car in a blink of an eye.

    Frozen in his seat, he registered what had happened. The fact that she wanted to get rid of him made him grit his teeth. She was always treating him as the enemy!

    He clenched his jawbut wascurious about where she was heading. She had resigned from hispany; where could she be going?

    ¡°Aunt Lee, is my mother doing well these days?¡± As soon as Jenna stepped foot into the VIP passage, she saw Aunt Lee walking out of the elevator with a bag of thingsand greeted her.

    ¡°Miss, you¡¯re here,¡± Aunt Lee responded to her with a smile.¡°Madam is doing quite well. Her appetite is great these daysand she had a speedy recovery after the operation. Most importantly, she¡¯s very happy and cooperative with the doctor, therefore everything¡¯s fine. Even the doctor says so.¡±

    Jennaughed in delight as she heard it.

    ¡°Hansen has done a lot too.In fact, we have to thank him for this,¡± Aunt Lee said with a smile again.

    When Jenna heard her praising Hansen, her heart sank to the bottom and her face fell.

    He had indeed done a lotbut there was no need to be praising him so exaggeratedly, she thought in secret.

    ¡°Hansen oftenes over to visit. He always apanies and cheers your mother up. Whenever we need something, he will get it right away. There was this rare, imported medicine, and he instantly got it for her when he heard it. He is really not an ordinary person.¡± Aunt Lee thought thatJenna was indeed blessed to find such a capable man.

    She was worried about their marriagebut seeing that Hansen treated Jenna so well, she waspletely relieved.

    However, waves of frustration were piling up in Jenna¡¯s heart.

    This jerk actually took advantage of the situation to win her mother¡¯s heart. Her determination topletely cut him off was shaking in indecision again. She was annoyed at that.

    ¡°Miss, I heard that Mr. Trevor¡¯s illness has improved. Yesterday, I heard a rumor that a VIP patient came in. At that time, the whole hospital was prepared and on its guard. I didn¡¯t know who it was but the nurses said that it was Mr. Trevor. He came back from abroad and happened to be admitted to the hospital yesterday. It turned out that Mr. Trevor had secretly been sent abroad for treatment two months agoand now, he was transferred back,¡± Aunt Lee said in huge excitement.

    Jenna was in a daze.

    Trevor has returned!

    She was utterly heartbroken when the phone call came to her from the hospital that day. Therefore, she asked them to call Richards Manor instead. She initially wanted to ask for Marissa¡¯s opinion butwho knew he hade back so soon!

    He returned to Tambend the day before!

    It meant that Hansen went to pick him up. No wonder she had not seen Hansen these days. It turned out that he flew out of the country to bring Trevor back!

    Thinking of this, her heart throbbed.Perhaps, she had misunderstood Hansen!

    In fact, when she thought about it, it had been almost half a month since they slept together at the Collier Manor. If Hansen had not touched Aria, it meant that he had not been with women for a considerable amount of time at present.That was why he was impatient and eager the night before.He was always active and full of energy;how did he stand such a long time suppressing himself?

    She could not help but blush. It had been a habit of this yboy to mess around.Now thatAria was pregnant, she would like to see howhe would hold back his aching desires!

    The blood-stained scratch marks on his right face shed across her mindand she smirked in glee.

    Trevor¡¯s illness should have gotten better. Perhaps, she would go visit him!

    They arrived at the ward swiftly.

    ¡°Mom,¡± Jenna sweetly called Sara, who was sitting on the bed and ran to hug her.

    Sara smiled brightly when she saw Jenna, her eyes were full of fondness.

    ¡°Mom, you look well,it seems like you can be discharged soon.¡± Jenna smiled as she observed Sara, full of joy.

    ¡°Hansen said that I can¡¯t be discharged for the time beingand I need to stay in the hospital some more,¡± Sara said with a smile. ¡°Today, he¡¯s transferring me to arger ward. I¡¯m going to move outter.¡±

    ¡°What, move out?¡± Jenna was surprised.¡°Move where?¡±Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    ¡°Hansen told us that Madam is going to therge suite on the eighth floor,¡± Aunt Lee who was standing asideanswered with a smile.

    The eighth floor? Wasn¡¯t that the floor where she was hospitalizedst time when she got injured? It was the best suite in this hospitnd Trevor was also there. Did Hansen arrange it on purpose?

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank.

    What was he nning to do?

    This ward was already good enough,why move there? Was he nning to keep her mother here forever?

    Jenna¡¯s thoughts were flooding her mindwhenthe head nurse and a few nurses came in. She said with a smile, ¡°Madam, following Mr. Richards¡¯ orders, we will help transfer you to another ward today.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sara smiled brightlybut Jenna¡¯s face was dark as coal.

    She could not bear to disagree as she watched how happy her mother was.

    However, if she agreed, she was afraid that Hansen had some other intentions.

    It took them only a while to transfer her to the ward.

    When Jenna reached the eighth floor, she almost fainted out of anger.

    Her mother¡¯s ward was right next to Trevor¡¯s.She believed that this was not a coincidence.

    She had just sat down in the ward for a while before she heard Hansen¡¯s voiceing from the corridor.

    ¡°Director Price, my mother-inw, and my father both live on this floor.The security must be specially strengthened. If anything happens, I will hold you responsible.¡± Hansen¡¯s cold voice sounded in the corridor. Jenna heard it crystal clear.

    Mother-inw? He said it very seriously as if Sara was really his mother-inw.Jenna gave a cold chuckle. If he had done this in the past,everything would have never happened. There would be no such thing as Aria being pregnant.

    Who was he faking around for?

    ¡°Rest assured, Mr. Richards.This is a special wardand our hospital prioritizes it a lot,¡± Director Price promised, his expression and tone full of confidence.

    Soon, they moved toward Trevor¡¯s ward.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, congrattions. It seems that Mr. Trevor will be able to fully recover soon. It is a blessing.¡± Director Price¡¯s voice could still be heard by Jenna in the next ward.

    Jenna stood with her head down, her feelingsplicated.She was happy for Trevor¡¯s recovery. After all, she would feel better if his illness was cured. On the other hand, she was worried about the current situation.

    She was unsure whether it was a good or bad thing to arrange their wards this way!

    There were a lot of strawberries and caramb in the ward. She remembered asking for fruits the night beforebut she fell asleep afterward and did not get to eat them. When she went out that morning, she saw a lot of fruits stacked in the bedroom.

    Her stomach didn¡¯t feel right that day and she was afraid that her mother would notice. Hence, she simply picked up a few strawberries and popped them in her mouth.

    ¡°Mom, do you like it here?¡± Out of nowhere, Hansen walked in with a pleasant smile. His eyes swept to Jenna and his smile widened.

    ¡°Very good, it¡¯s great here.¡± Sara smiled and beckoned to him, ¡°Come over and sit down.¡±

    He walked toward Jenna and stood beside her before saying casually, ¡°Mom,just tell me if you need anything.If you¡¯re not satisfied, tell me that too.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, I will.¡± Sara nodded in approvnd suddenly asked solemnly, ¡°Hansen, how is your father¡¯s illness?¡±

    Hansen nced at Jenna who had her head lowered and was busy eating fruits. His voice softened as he stated, ¡°Mom, my father¡¯s recovering quite well. He is able to move both arms now. It shouldn¡¯t be long until he can stand up again. After all, he has been in aa for so long, it will take a while for him to recover.¡±

    His voice was firm and certain. Jenna secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°I also want to thank Jenna for this matter. She was the one who brought such an excellent doctor from abroad to treat my father.¡± He then smiled and shifted his nce to Jenna who was sitting on the side.

    ¡°I see.¡± Sara heard and became even happier.¡°Your father was sick, Jenna would certainly do her best as his daughter-inw.¡±

    With a heartwarming and proud smile,she turned to face Jenna.¡°Jenna, Hansen has done a lot to help me with my condition. From now on, his father will live next to me, therefore don¡¯t forget toe to visit and take care of him, alright?You should be caring as his daughter-inw.¡±

    Jenna was dumbstruck when she heard her mother.

    On the other hand, Hansen¡¯s smile widened even more.

 Chapter 210 Did You Two Fight?

    ¡°Jenna, did you hear that?¡± Sara saw her daughter sitting in a daze, not even giving her a short answer, and grew anxious.She raised her voice and asked again.

    Jenna flinched from the sudden question and saw Hansen staring at her with a smirk on his face. She immediately understood what he meant by this arrangement.She had to smile bitterly and agreed with her mother.

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry, I understand.¡±

    Sara sensed that Jenna¡¯s promise was unconvincingand was a little dissatisfied. Jenna really did not know to gain people¡¯s favor. The least she could do was to be more enthusiastic in front of her husband to win his heart. She sighed in her heart and shot a disappointed look at her.

    ¡°Do you hear that? Please take good care of my father from now on,¡± Hansen nodded and whispered to her ear.

    Jenna rolled her eyes at him and Hansen chuckled.

    ¡°Oh, Hansen, what happened to your right face?¡± Sara gasped when she saw the scratch marks on his face.

    Hansen was taken aback and hurriedly covered his face with his hand. Then, he smiled and exined, ¡°Mom, do you mean this? I was scratched by a stray kittenst night.I¡¯m okay.¡±

    ¡°Oh dear,why are you so careless? Have you gone to the doctor? It will be troublesome if the scratch causes an infection. You have to clean it well,¡± Sara asked with concern in her eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ve been to a doctor. It¡¯ll be fine in two days,¡± he replied with a polite smile.¡°The kitten was ferociousst night asit¡¯s got some attitude, thus it scratched me quite badly.¡±

    He bbered about the situation in exaggeration.Jenna¡¯s face was flushed red with anger.

    This b*stard. His mouth was running wild,just one step to using her directly.

    His leg was beside hers,therefore she secretly stretched out her handand pinched him hard.

    Hansen yelped, his face contorted in pain as he bent forward.

    ¡°Hansen, what¡¯s wrong? Does it still hurt? It¡¯s best you go and get some painkillers from the doctor,¡± Sara said with concern when she saw his painful expression.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll teach that kitten a lesson tomorrow. Mom, you have a good rest, I still have something to talk to Jenna about.¡± He beamed while clenching his teeth, making Saraugh, amused at the situation.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Sara smiled. ¡°You are very busy, you mustn¡¯t always put work aside. Don¡¯t worry, Jenna will take care of your father. Before that, I still have something to say to Jenna. I¡¯ll let her go find you after.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll wait for her outside.¡± He nodded,ncing at Jenna before going out.

    ¡°Jenna, tell me, did you fight with Hansen?¡± Sara asked with a serious face as soon as Hansen left.

    ¡°Mom, there¡¯s no such thing.¡± Jenna cried for innocence, ¡°Everything¡¯s fine, we¡¯re doing good.¡±

    Jenna quickly offered an exnation in order to dispel her mother¡¯s worries. She did not want her mother to know about what was going on.

    ¡°Nonsense,you¡¯re lying again. I¡¯m your mother, I know when you lie to me.¡± Sara¡¯s face darkened. She feigned anger and reprimanded Jenna.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m not lying.¡± Jenna was speechless. Hansen, this b*stard! He hadpletely managed to get her mother on his side!

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ve been through the same thing,why wouldn¡¯t I know?¡± Sara sighed astears filled her eyes.¡°Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t know that you¡¯re definitely the one who scratched Hansen¡¯s face. You should be gentle and considerate, not fight with your husband. It¡¯s not good for others to see. Besides, Hansen is also a well-known figure. With his face like this, how can he go out and meet people?All men have their ego and dignity after all. If your mother-inw sees this, she¡¯ll hold a grudge against you too. You should never act like this again.¡±

    Sara advised her sternly.

    During these days,Hansen came to visit her every day. On the contrary,Jenna did not visit that often. Looking at the efforts Hansen put into taking care of her, Sara guessed that he was trying to please her so that she could get Jenna to ept him.

    Young couples usually fought over small things. As long as it was not a matter of principle, it was fine. Furthermore, Hansen was trying to please her, which showed that he loved her daughter. Jenna had the higher ground. Therefore, despite the worries, she felt happy for Jenna.

    Looking at Hansen¡¯s face that day, it was obvious that they had not made up. Since they were both there, she tried to persuade Jenna to forgive her husband. It was better for women to be gentle.

    Jenna was dumbfounded by Sara¡¯s words. How could she tell her, let alone reveal the truth? She did not want to worry her,hence she immediately replied, ¡°Mom, I understand. There is really nothing between us, we¡¯re fine. It¡¯s not what you think it isand I know the line. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s no problem, then it¡¯s good.¡± Jenna did not look like she was lying and Sara felt relieved. She then took Jenna¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be annoyed at my nagging. I just want the best for you. I only have you. I¡¯ll be happy if you¡¯re happy. Everything else is not important, do you understand?¡±

    Tears welled up in Jenna¡¯s eyes. She nodded, stepped forward, and hugged Sara as she choked.¡°Mom, I know.Don¡¯t worry, I will live well. Please get better yourself too. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be happy either.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I will,¡± Sara replied with adoration. A smile appeared on her face and tears were rolling down her cheeks.

    Jenna hurriedly wiped away the tears from Sara¡¯s face. It would not be good for her mother to be sad whilst in recovery, thus she forced a smile on her face andforted, ¡°Mom, take care. When you¡¯re fully recovered, I¡¯ll bring you out for a trip. I have to go now.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Sara promised, her face no longer sad.

    Jenna quickly slipped out of the room. She could not stay here anymore, otherwise, she would make Sara sad again and it was not worth it.

    She bumped into someone as soon as she walked out.

    ¡°What are you doing, running into me in a hurry?Do you miss me this much?¡± Hansen was standing outside when she ran into him.He took the chance to hold her in his embraceand teased her.

    ¡°Are you still speaking nonsense with your yboy ways? Would you like your left cheek to be the same as your right?¡± Jenna broke free of his grasp and threatened him with a deadly re.

    ¡°What did I do this time?¡± Hansen grunted and threw his hands over his head.

    ¡°I should be the one asking this. What are you nning now?¡± Jenna walked to a secluded ce for fear that her mother would hear it. Soon, she turned around to face Hansen whilst gritting her teeth.

    ¡°Jenna, do you hate me this much? Look at you, you seem like you just can¡¯t wait to murder me.¡± Hansen¡¯s lips were slightly pulled up as he said in an entitled manner, ¡°Mom did tell you to take care of your father-inw. Hence, from now on, I will hand my father over to you until he recovers.¡±

    Hansen was not at all embarrassed or guilty when he said it.

    ¡°Why should I?¡± Jenna rolled her eyes. ¡°Am I your nanny? There are so many servants in the Richards family, just let them take care of him.¡±

    Jenna was very angry about Hansen as he did whatever he wanted without consulting her. He moved her mother next to Trevor¡¯s ward without her consentand currently, he demanded her to take care of Trevor. He was bossing her around.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re my wife, why would I treat you as a nanny? I never thought about it that way. I just want you to take care of my father. What¡¯s wrong with you taking care of your father-inw? I don¡¯t trust anyone else with this.¡± Hansen wrapped his arms around her shoulder, his tone sincere.

    He did not trust anyone else? Jenna narrowed her eyes. What did he mean?

    ¡°Jenna, believe me,I have my reasonsbut I¡¯ll have to trouble you for the time being.¡± His bright eyes blinked slightly, they were full of rity.

    ¡°But, not many people in Richards Manor know about my mother¡¯s illness.Having my mother next to your father¡¯s ward will risk letting people know,¡± Jenna was worried and refused.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t allow anyone here except my mother. My mother is oldand it¡¯s inconvenient for her to take care of my father at the moment, so please take care of him, alright?¡± Hansen then added, ¡°My mother will find out about your family¡¯s situation sooner orter.We can¡¯t keep your father¡¯s incident a secret to her forever either, right?¡±

    Jenna lowered her head and said nothing.

    ¡°Jenna, remember that for now,you must not let anyone know about my father¡¯s recovery, okay?¡± he suddenly lowered his head and whispered in her ear.

    She was shocked and looked up at his ck orbs. The light from those eyes was so attractive that she could not bear to tear her gaze off of them.

    After a while, she nodded and questioned, ¡°Why?¡±

    He smiled and held her shoulders.¡°This is the only way to go now, you will understand why soon.¡±

    Jenna was silent.

    ¡°Alright, I promise you.¡± she looked up and replied with a firm tone after a while.¡°However,you have to promise me that you¡¯ll find out the cause of my dad¡¯s deathand bring the murderer to justice.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Hansen¡¯s face suddenly turned solemn.He stayed silent for a while before speaking, ¡°Jenna, I will take you to see Norton now but you have to promise me to stay calm.¡±

    His tone was too grave.

    A sharp and cold light shed across Jenna¡¯s eyes.She looked at the gloomy sky outsideand walked forward alone.

    Hansen followed closely behindand said nervously, ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry.I have misunderstood you all this time.It¡¯s all our fau

 Chapter 211 I Never Planned To Kill Him

    Jenna walked with her head down. She did not speak.

    Hansen followed closely behind, inexplicably nervous.

    Her silence bothered him.

    Jenna walked slowly as he trailed behind her.

    She quickened her pace and he followed suit.

    The gloomy atmosphere was suffocating.

    Jenna smiled coldly with infinite sadness in her heart.

    Hansen was not worried about her. He was only afraid she would not forgive Norton and take revenge on him!

    Paul had told her that day thatNorton was involved in her father¡¯s deathand that he would be released on bail soon.

    At this moment, Jenna understood Vivian¡¯s painstaking efforts. She had given her the inheritance rights of Richards Manorand the priceless Ocean Heart. To put it bluntly, she did all of this as an atonement on behalf of her grandson.

    It seemed that Vivian had known the truth a long time agobut did not tell her. Instead, she did all these to make it up to Jenna. She really was an experienced one.

    She had said it before. She hoped that one day in the future, Jenna would forgive the descendants of the Richards family for her sake.

    This was well yed on Vivian¡¯s part.There would never be any elders who passed down valuable inheritances to outsiders, who sided with those who are not of their own blood. However, such valuable properties were not given to her grandchildrenbut Jenna, who had no biological rtions with the Richards family. In the eyes of outsiders, she was so lucky to be adored by Vivian.Perhaps, they would think that she was a deceiving woman, who manipted Vivian into giving her these inheritance rights.

    Only Jenna knew how this betrayal hurt.

    She had to admit, Vivian really seeded in moving her by doing so.Ever since Paul informed her about this, she did not question Nortonnor did she thought of plotting revenge against him.Instead, she resorted to escape from reality, not once asking about the truth.This was because she thought of Vivian.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re nning to release him on bail,right?¡± she halted in her steps and asked coldly. There was no trace of expression on her face that he could read.

    ¡°Jenna, why do you think so?¡± Hansen asked in surprise.

    ¡°What else can I think? Norton is your brother, a descendant of the Richards family. You have the responsibility to protect him and bail him out of jail if you have to.Even if he really killed my father, you can¡¯t really bring justice to my family and I. I knew this a long time ago, how powerful families like yours work. Since my father¡¯s ident, I have seen and experienced a lot. Turns out, those people whom my father had taken care of,his subordinates, his friends, and colleagues, hid from us as if we had the gue. They feared that I would borrow money from them and trouble them.My rtives took advantage of this to snatch away all of my father¡¯s assets. My mother and I could only be chased away. My so-called husband from an elite family was just standing on the sidelines, watching me fumble in torture.Today, I finally know the murderer of my father. But, I can¡¯t take my revenge because the d*mned criminalis my ex-husband¡¯s brother, Vivian¡¯s grandson.I have received the favor of the Richards family;I am no more than a dog who epted my master¡¯s help and kindnessand I can¡¯t bite back. I can only forgive Norton Richards, otherwise, I¡¯ll be criticized, I¡¯ll be shamed. I knew this a long time ago. I had known this long ago.¡± Jenna stepped forward against the wind. She had an ugly, sad smile, and her tears slowly streamed down.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes widened and his face turned pale.

    ¡°Jenna, why do you think this way? Although Norton is my family, I promised you before that I would never protect anyone who had wronged you. If I had this thought, I would never investigate the case in the first ce.This case is rted to Richards Group, it will put mypany and the Richards family at a disadvantage. Even so, why did I carry on with the investigation? I want nothing else than to bring you the justice that you deserve.You have to trust me,¡± Hansen exined anxiously. As he looked at Jenna¡¯s pale face,it was as if a sharp knife stabbed into his heart;the pain was unbearable. Ashamed and in a panic, he exined intently, ¡°I will not bail Norton out of jail. Why should I? If he hadmitted a crime, he must bear the consequences of thew. No one should protect him from his wrongdoings. This is the punishment he deserved. I admit that I didn¡¯t know the truth before. I have hurt you but I had never thought of mocking you and leaving you in pain.¡±

    He reached out and took her hand.It was icy-cold that his heart shivered.

    ¡°Jenna, forgive me. If I had known that your father had a car ident, everything would be different. Apart from apologizing, I really don¡¯t know what else to do for you to forgive me. I did not mean what I did;I did not hurt you on purpose. Let me make it up to you, please? Please put yourself in my shoes too. When you came to me, why didn¡¯t you tell me everything? We were still married at that timeand I had the responsibility to go through this with you, but why were you not willing to tell me?¡±

    ¡°Tell you everything?¡± Jenna sneered again, she was utterly disappointed with his entitled and self-righteous behavior.¡°Why should I tell you? Since we got married, have you treated me as your wife? Have you seen my parents as your family? No, you have never. Not only did you not treat them with respect and honor, but you also didn¡¯t even visit them. With such a horrible marriage between us, why should I tell you? For you to humiliate me over and over?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face became paler.He bit his lips but was unable to utter a single word.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    The sky was gloomyand the north wind began to rage once more. The sun had just appeared for a while before it was covered up by the clouds.

    Jenna walked forward, tears filling her eyes. She bit her lips hardand said nothing more.

    Hansen¡¯s followed behind herwith heavy footsteps, staying mute.

    Every step she took, he followed suit.

    When she stopped, he stopped.

    ¡°Don¡¯t follow me,¡± Jenna said coldly.

    ¡°No, I want to,¡± Hansen stubbornly responded.

    She ignored him and walked directly to the parking lot.

    Hansen¡¯s car was not parked there with hers.

    She breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡­

    She opened the door and got into the car before starting the engine, speeding ahead.

    In just a short while.

    When she no longer saw Hansen¡¯s jeep trailing behind her, she finally loosened up.

    She was not dumb to meet Norton together with him. She would never trust him.

    She drove straight before turning aroundand headed directly to the Public Security Department of A city.

    Hansen was sitting in his jeep and watched as her car disappeared in sight. He did not follow her, fearing that she would get emotional and end up in a car ident.

    ¡°Mr. Jordan, I¡¯m here to see Norton Richards,¡± Jenna came to the Criminal Division and told Jordan her demands.

    Jordan was busy discussing a case with his deputies. When he heard her voice, he raised his head in surprise.

    ¡°You are¡­¡±

    ¡°I am Javon Murphy¡¯s daughter,¡± she stated with a calm expression.

    ¡°Oh.¡±Jordan understood immediately. He observed her withsharp eyes.¡°Your father¡¯s case is still in the process of investigating. Although Norton Richards is found to be involved, it would be sloppy to draw a conclusion with the current evidence we have. I hope you will stay calm and control your feelings when you see him.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± she had no choice but to agree, her gaze dark and unreadable.

    There were only simple metal tables and seats in the visiting room. Aside from those objects, it was empty, terrifyingly silent.

    Norton¡¯s handsome face was haggard when he came out with his hands bounded. Beard grew out on his chin and his face was dirty.

    When his eyesnded on Jenna who looked at him coldly in the room, a bright light instantly ignited in his eyes. It spoke of excitement, expectations, surprise, and guilt.

    ¡°Jenna, you came to see me!¡± His face was glowing with excitementand he basically squealed.

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯te to see you.¡± Jenna had no expression on her face, cutting off his hope mercilessly. She simply said, ¡°Why should I see my father¡¯s murderer?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± The light in his eyes faded as he wasutterly ashamed.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to ask you, why did you n for my father¡¯s murder? Why?¡± her eyes were reddened as she questioned in a stern voice.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡­¡± Norton panicked in terror, deep guiltin his eyes. He wanted to reach out to take her hand, only to realize that it was impossible. The cold iron handcuffs were stuck on his hands. The sound of metal shing against each other struck his heartand all the guilt spilled out. He begged with a trembling voice, ¡°Jenna, hear me exin. It¡¯s not, it¡¯s not what you think it is. I had never thought of killing your father.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± she sneered.¡°But, he is dead because of you, and my mother is still in the hospital. Didn¡¯t you kill him? What terrible thing have they done to you? Why did you do such a cruel thing?¡±

    The suppressed anger and pain in Jenna burst out. Failing to keep her emotions in check, she asked angrily, her eyes full of tears. She could only see the blood on her father¡¯s face and her mother losing her legs. If she could, she really wanted to kill Norton with her bare hands at this instant.

    However, another aged voice yelled at her inwardly, ¡°Jenna, please forgive my grandchildren in the future. Please do it for my sake.¡±

    Vivian¡¯s voice kept ringing in her mindand it went straight to the bottom of her heart.

    Jenna was trembling uncontrobly. She hugged her headand cried out in pain.

    ¡­

    In the monitoring room, Jordan was standing silently in front of the surveince screen, his eyes fixated on Norton¡¯s face.

    Hansen also sat in front of the screen, his body all tensed up. He was watching the scene nervously without blinking.

    Charles heard that Hansen hade,therefore he came to apany him personally.

    The sight of Jenna kneeling down and crying immediately spiked Hansen¡¯s nerves. He bolted up from his seat and was about to rush into the visiting room.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, please stay calm. Only at this time can we really see Norton Richards¡¯ true intentions. Let¡¯s wait first. Don¡¯t worry, there are police officers outside the room, we will make sure that he won¡¯t harm Miss Murphy,¡± Jordan held him back and calmly exined.

    Hansen eventually settled down.

    In fact, he had been following Jenna in secret as he wasworried that she would get into an ident. He did not expect her to be so alert. She noticed his carand seemed very unstable as her car swayed from side to side. In order not to agitate her further, he had to hide,then use the GPS to track down her car. He found that she went to the Public Security Department.

    She did not let him bring herbut came here alone.She did not trust him.

    Hansen only smiled bitterly.

 Chapter 212 He Finally Admitted

    ¡°Jenna, really, I didn¡¯t n on killing him. You know that I love you so much, why would I kill your dad?¡± Norton turned pale and said in fear.

    ¡°All evidence points to youand you¡¯re still making up excuses.¡± Jenna knew that he was unpredictable and wild. Of course, she would not fall for his lies.

    ¡°Jenna, trust me.¡± Jenna¡¯s disbelief struck his heartbut he knew that she had no reason to believe him.He could only exin over and over, ¡°Jenna, you have to believe me. I really didn¡¯t want your father will die;I never expected it to turn out like this.¡±

    He suddenly lifted his chin up, his face painted with desperation.

    He said softly, ¡°Jenna, I remember when I first saw you at a banquet in Ink Garden,I was still youngbutI fell in love with you. I swore that I must marry you as my wife. I thought about you every day and wanted to see you. No matter how stupid I am, I would never think of killing your father. This is truly from the bottom of my heart. Believe it or not, these are my genuine feelings.¡±

    As painful memories shed across his mind, he grew despondent.The muscles on his face twitchedbut his eyes still held the love and desire for Jenna.

    She flinched. Staring at him sternly, she then asked with a sneer, ¡°Doyou mean to say that you are used?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± His eyes turned dull, his face full of helplessness and pain.He purposely averted his eyes. After a long time, he said in a low voice, ¡°That car ident was indeed my doing. Your father and I were bothpeting for Head of the Finance Department and I wanted to win so that your whole family would be impressed with me. I wanted to gain your attention and change how you thought of me. I made the wrong decision. I only me myself for hiring Brock Moore to prevent your father from participating in the election the next day. As long as Javon did not participate, he would automatically be eliminated and no one would be able topete against me. Then, I would surely win. I did win but I really didn¡¯t expect Brock to hit your father with a car. They were crazy. This was really not what I wanted. Since finding out about your father¡¯s tragic death, I have always felt uneasy and guilty.¡±

    He finally admitted his crimes. Jenna sneered at his ¡®reasonable¡¯ excuses.

    Norton¡¯s face in front of her was full of fear and lifelessness. He lookedpletely different from before when he was dark, cunning, and unpredictable.She could not help but be a little surprised. She had never seen him looking this way.

    ¡°So what? My dad still died because of you. Do you think your crimes will disappear just by saying that you didn¡¯t want him to die?¡± she questioned furiously.

    Who would understand the pain of losing a loved one? Such a long period of suffering could not be relieved with just one sentence, could it?Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    A living person was gone foreverand her mother was paralyzed for the rest of her life. The tragedy they had to endure was only because of his greed in politics. What more was there to exin?

    ¡°Jenna, I know I¡¯m guiltyand I¡¯m in no ce to ask for your forgiveness. But, I never wanted you to suffer. I have always loved you deeply.All of this is because of me. NowI¡¯m willing to confess my crimes and be punished for thembut I just want to tell you my true feelings. Don¡¯t mistake me, I¡¯m not asking for your forgiveness. I deserve to die for my sins, even dying won¡¯t suffice. I¡¯m beyond grateful that I can tell you what is in my heart and look at you onest time,¡± Norton repented.

    ¡°Jenna, you are the most beautiful and kind girl I have ever seen. I have never regretted loving you,¡± he confessed. Suddenly leaning forward and looking at her intently, he said, ¡°Listen to me, leave Hansen, leave Richards Manor. You won¡¯t be happy thereand that b*stard doesn¡¯t love you the way you deserve it. I admit that I¡¯m no match to himbut I hope from the bottom of my heartthat you can be happy. Run away, Jenna. Run as far as you can. The longer you stay with Hansen, the more you¡¯ll get hurt. They won¡¯t let you go that easily either. Find someone who loves you and whom you can spend this life with happily. Trust me, what I say is true, it¡¯s all for your own good.¡±

    He almost finished these words in one breath, then squinted his eyesas if he wanted to carve Jenna¡¯s image in his heart. He fixated his eyes on her before turning his head away.

    ¡°Jenna,you can go now, don¡¯te to see me again. I have already said everything that needed to be saidand I have reminded you to stay away from them. You can figure out the rest on your own. I won¡¯t beg for your forgiveness. In this life, I can do nothing to pay for what I¡¯ve done.I can only let you down. I will ept the court¡¯s decision nheless.¡± After he said this boldly, he did not look backand returned to his cell.

    Jenna stood there nkly, unable toe to her senses even after he left the visiting room.

    Who did he mean by ¡®them¡¯?

    Was there any other secrets?

    When she wanted to ask him, he had already left!

    No,his words could not be trusted. Jenna shook her head and walked out slowly.

    He was an expert in ying with words and giving hints.Previously, he hinted that her father¡¯s death was rted to Hansen. Fortunately, she had believed Hansen out of love, causing no misunderstandings to arise.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, what do you think?Are Norton¡¯s words trustworthy?¡± Even long after Norton had left the room, Hansen still stared at the screen, unable to clear his thoughts.

    Norton¡¯s words really left him stupefied.

    He was not surprised by his love confession to Jenna but surprised at his advice to her.

    He had never paid attention to Norton¡¯s words beforebut they shocked him this day.

    Was he a b*stard? Could he really not give Jenna the love she deserved?

    He had never thought about this question;he even thought it impossible. Would he not be able to give a woman the love she wanted? He never imagined that a woman would be unhappy by his side. Was he the kind of man who could not even give happiness to his woman?

    No,it couldn¡¯t be.

    That d*mned Norton must be trying to separate Jenna from himsince he could not have her love to himself. He was just jealous. It must be so, Hansen thought to himself.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,¡± Jordan scanned Hansen¡¯s face and called him again softly.

    Charles had some sort of a smile on his face, seemingly amused. The two brothers of the Richards family were really one of a kind. They fell in love with the same woman at the same time. Even when one was in prison, they were still fighting over her.

    ¡°What?¡± Hansen snapped out of it. He raised his head and looked at Jordan.

    A smile appeared at the corner of Jordan¡¯s mouthand he repeated, ¡°Mr. Richards, do you think we can trust Norton?¡±

    Hansen¡¯sposed himself and only then did he think about the matter at hand. He pondered, ¡°It¡¯s very likely to be true. There are still many doubts about this though. We can¡¯t take it lightly. Let¡¯s catch Brock first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we can only do that for now, we can¡¯t rush it. I don¡¯t know when would Mr. Matthews give an order to apprehend Brock,¡± Charles said calmly. He was very nervous about Christopher¡¯s orderand he wanted to impress Hansen too, hoping that Hansen wouldpliment him in front of Christopher.

    ¡­

    In Green Jade Garden, Aria was so depressed that she was restless all day long. She could not keep her feet to herself. Sitting, standing, nothing had calmed her down. Her face was flushed, and her eyes shed with panic and anxiety.

    It was not until Minnie walked in that she let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Are you for sure that Trevor is able to move?¡± she shot her question anxiously at Minnie.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true.¡± Minnie panted, apparently walking in a hurry earlier on.She continued in a secretive voice, ¡°Yesterday, I heard what Marissa said to Aunt E with my own ears.She was beaming. It seems like he will be able to stand up soon. I also went to the hospital just now. Although I couldn¡¯t get in, a friend of mine is working as a nurse there. I asked her and she said that it¡¯s definitely true. After Trevor was sent abroad for treatment, he could move his arms. ording to the doctor over there, he will be able to speak soon.¡±

    Aria¡¯s face darkenedasthe panic became evident on her face,her mind in a mess. When she looked up, she saw Minnie observing her with curiosity. Knowing that she had lost herposure, she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

    Aria wished to be the daughter-inw of the Richards family. However,knowing that Hansen¡¯s father was getting better, she appeared anxious. There must be a secret in this.Perhaps, Trevor¡¯s ident was rted to her! Minnie thought to herself.

    ¡°Minnie, you did a very good job. Although I am the daughter-inw of the Richards family, and of course, I hope that my father-inw will get better too, but I still have to think about myself, don¡¯t I?I don¡¯t want him to recover for now because I¡¯m scared that my wedding ns with Hansen will have to wait.I¡¯m just a little worried.¡± Aria was worried that Minnie would be suspicious,therefore she briefly exined her thoughts. How could she not know what Minnie was thinking about?

    Minnie smiled and nodded but she sneered in her heart. Aria was hiding something. It was obvious from the fact that she was trying to cover it up with some nonsense. One day, Minnie would take advantage of this and ckmail her for money. Thinking of this, a brilliant smile appeared on her face.

    ¡°You go first, I want to rest now.¡± Aria sent Minnie away and sat on the reclining chair to have some alone time. After a while, she picked up her bag and walked outside after making a call.

    ¡°Aria, why didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯reing back?¡± Georgia was surprised when she saw her daughter at her doorstep, happy yet worried that she was bullied by Jenna in Richards Manor.

    But this time, Aria did not look aggrieved. Instead, she looked nervous and flustered.

    ¡°Mom, is Dad back home yet?¡± Aria asked once she entered the house.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Come to the study,¡± Earl¡¯s voice sounded from the living room.

    Aria hurriedly walked towards the studywithout even taking the time to take off her shoes.

 Chapter 213 In The Same Boat

    ¡°Dad, I beg you.You have to bail Norton out of jail, at least temporarily,¡± Aria spoke as soon as she closed the door of the study.

    Earl¡¯s face darkenedand he asked in a low voice, ¡°Why so?¡±

    ¡°Dad, you have to get him out,I need his help.I¡¯m finally pregnant with Hansen¡¯s baby, even Vivian has agreed to our marriage. I¡¯m about to seed. But if Trevor wakes up, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be all for nothing,¡± her face was flushed red as she said anxiously.

    ¡°Would Trevor oppose youor dislike his own grandson?¡± Earl was very puzzled, his eyes full of doubt.

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± She panicked.¡°Dad, please stop asking, I have my reasonsbut it¡¯s hard to exin it now. Anyway, you must help me with this. I¡¯m your only daughter. If you won¡¯t help, you can¡¯t me me when you regret it in the future.¡±

    She threatened in a softvoice, wiping her tears like a baby.

    Earl was surprised. As he recalled from a few years back, Trevor was not particrly fond of Jenna before he went into aa. Besides, it did not seem to be a bad thing if he woke up.What was the reason for Aria¡¯s request?

    She gave him no time for further questions and dashed out.

    ¡°Aria, Aria, where are you rushing off to? Be careful,¡± Georgia shouted at her distancing figure, concerned.

    ¡°She¡¯s still pregnant and she runs off like this, what if something happens to her?¡± Georgia rambled as she went into the study.¡°Earl, why did Aria want to see you? I¡¯m worried looking at her like this.¡±

    There was an inexplicable gaze behind Earl¡¯s pair of sses.He ponderedand rose from his seat, his face glum.

    ¡°Look at you. Aria became this way because you spoilt her since she was a little girl. She¡¯s a grown-up now, you can¡¯t possibly look after her forever,¡± hereprimanded Georgia.

    ¡°Why would you say this?¡± Having scolded by Earl out of nowhere, she felt unhappy, dissatisfaction apparent on her face.¡°She¡¯s my only daughter, of course I¡¯ll dote on her more. What¡¯s so wrong with it? Girls have to be pampered like princesses. Aria is excellent, aren¡¯t you blessed to have a daughter like her? You should be on her side.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± He felt a lump in his throat due to frustration. He pointed at her and said gravely, ¡°You only let her do whatever she wants without realizing the good and the bad. One day, you¡¯ll regret this.¡±

    After he finished, he went out with a m on the door.

    A red Lamborghini stopped at the entrance of the Public Security Department.

    Norton felt as if a century had passed as he came out.

    The weather outside was so good. The sun shone brilliantly and fresh air filled his lungs. He opened his mouth out of his wind took a few more deep breaths greedily.

    He was sick of being locked in that dark and damp cell, interrogated by Jordan every day. Knowing that the case hade to an end, he was ready for his sentence and hadpletely given up.

    He did not expect that he would be released. He stood woodenly as if it was just another foolish dream.

    The windows of the Lamborghini slowly rolled down.

    Aria had a flowery scarf around her head. She had alluring red lipsand big, ck sunsses covered her beautiful, coy face. She was captivating.

    Norton, who had juste out of hell, felt that her face was no longer annoying for the first time.At least, shewas the only one who came to help him out of that terrible ce.

    ¡°Come on. Don¡¯t you want to leave?¡± She took off her sunsses and grinned teasingly.

    Norton stared nkly for a second and finally registered her words. He fumbled with the door and got into the caras if there was a war happening outside and he would be swallowed alive if he were a step slower. A small, smug smile crept on Aria¡¯s face.

    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± she turned the steering wheel and asked casually.

    What to eat? If such questions were asked in the past, he would sneer.But currently, he had been hungry for many daysand prison food was no better than pig food.

    Exquisite and rich dishes shed in his mind, making his stomach growl.

    Aria chuckled even more happily when she heard the noiseing from his belly.

    She then drove to a luxurious hotel. She let him take a shower before heading to the VIP room she booked.

    ¡°You may serve the dishes now,¡± she sat on the sofa gracefully, ordering the waiter after seeing Norton entering. His appearance was then clean with new clothes.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The waiter leftand soon brought back a variety of food, steam stilling out of them.

    Norton did not care about his image anymore. He was famishedand food was the most important thing at the moment. He took some from the dishes on the table and stuffed them in his mouth, gobbling up the food.

    Aria was secretly startled.She thought that life in detention must have been torturing. Even the arrogant Norton, who was also the Head of the Finance Department, changedpletely in just a few days of imprisonment. Thinking of this, her heart shuddered.

    ¡°Have a drink. This is good imported wine. One bottle costs more than ten thousand dors.¡± Seeing that Norton had finished eating,she stood up and went to pour him a ss of wine.

    He took in the rich aroma of wine and felt his mouth salivating. He took the ss from her hand and finished it in one go.

    ¡°Amazing wine,¡± he groaned andplimented.

    ¡°Of course, it must be good wine and good food.Mr. Norton, it¡¯s for you after all.¡± She smiled and sat down beside him. Her rich perfume hit his nostrils.

    He smiled awkwardly, then picked up the cutlery on the table and directed his focus on the dishes. A piece of duck meat just entered his mouth when he heard her asking, ¡°Mr. Norton, now that you¡¯re released, what are your future ns?¡±

    Norton was quickly devouring the food. Hearing this question, he stopped chewingand a trace of panic shed across his eyes. However, the food was so delicious that he only stopped for a while before he continued eating again.

    Aria smiled, ¡°There¡¯s no hurry,the food is all yours. Now you know who treats you well, right?If it wasn¡¯t for me, I¡¯m afraid you would still be in that cold prison now.¡±

    Norton¡¯s eyes showed a faint glimpse of confusion, and soon after, gratitude appeared in them.

    ¡°Aria, thank you. I didn¡¯t expect you to still think of and care for me at this time,¡± he said seriously before picking up a tissue on the table and wiped his lips.

    Aria lifted the corners of her mouth. She asked kindly while sweeping her curly bangs aside,¡°Is it enough? Do you want more dishes?¡±

    Her hands then moved to her belly, stroking it softly.

    ¡°I¡¯m full, that¡¯s enough,¡± Norton shook his head and burped.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re in the same boat. I won¡¯t let you suffer alone,¡± she dered.

    Them, in the same boat? He was frightened by these words. Was he the same as her?

    No. He did not want this.

    He merely hoped that after getting out of jail, he would never do evil things out of his selfish needs again. From then on, he promised himself to live a good life. Perhaps he could get married and have children, and live a happy life like all the other men in the world.

    How could he get involved with her? He refused to.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    He shook his head and said earnestly, ¡°Aria, I just want to live a normal life and nothing else. I am a descendant of the Richards family, I won¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±

    He could keep on daydreaming!

    Aria sneered in her heart.How could there be such a good thing in this world?It was clear that there was so much evidence on him in Javon¡¯s case, how could he be released this easily? How could the case end just like this?

    He did not grasp the situation but wassuch a dreamer. If he was not a valuable pawn to her, she would not have asked her father to bail him out.

    ¡°Do you really think that you can return to life peacefully?¡± she raised her eyebrows and questioned.

    Norton¡¯s hand trembled and he lifted his bewildered eyesbut stated, ¡°Aria, let the past stay in the past. From now on, let¡¯s never think about those nasty things again. It¡¯s a blessing to be able to live in peace. Why bother to chase the impossible?¡±

    He sincerely advised her.

    After this trial, he has figured out a lot of things that he did not before. He just wanted to live happily.

    If he could get away safely this time, he did not want to repeat those things ever again.

    ¡°You can think it this way but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s impossible.¡± She chuckled coldly looking at his expression. It seemed that he had really given up on his old ways.

    ¡°Why?¡± he asked puzzledly.

    ¡°Why?¡± She knitted her eyebrows and her face darkened.¡°You really are an idiot.With your current situation, you won¡¯t be so naive to think that you can get away scot-free, will you?¡±

    He was startled, the sparks in his eyes gradually dimming.However, he was still perplexed.

    ¡°Now that your position as the Head of Department of Finance has been suspendedand Javon¡¯s case has been filed,there must be an oue from it. Do you seriously think that you¡¯ll get away this easily after all the things you¡¯ve done? Don¡¯t be ridiculous. You¡¯re released on bail because the case still has its doubtsand the police can¡¯t give the final confirmation. Once more evidence is found, you¡¯ll be convicted and your life will be over.No one will be able to protect you by then. So, if you want to fight for real liberation, you can only fight for it yourself, do you get it?¡± Aria softly persuaded and analyzed clearly to him.¡°For now, the most important thing is thatwe must prevent them to confirm the case.We must make it so thateverything is just a misunderstanding. After that, no one can do anything to youand you can live your life like you used to.¡±

    Norton just sat theredumbly.

    Aria¡¯s words were somewhat reasonable. In fact, he also understood these. At first, he thought that she used Earl¡¯s power to free him of everythingbut it seemed that that was not the case.

    There were solid evidences showing that he designed the whole ident, how could they release him? Even if the Public Security Department let him go, Hansen would not let him go, neither would Jenna. How was he so na?ve? Did he be stupid after being detained?

 Chapter 214 Sabrina Delia

    ¡°You only have one way to go now,that is towork with me. The victors make history. If we work togetherand havethe power on our hands,everyone will have to follow us. No one will be able to stop us,¡± Aria gave a confident smile and said.

    Work with her? Power? Norton knew what she was afterand he could not help but shudder.

    No, he could not be involved with her again. He would be ruining himself if he continued. Besides, it was such an immoral thing to do.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want the inheritance right to Richards Manor?After this incident,it¡¯s impossible for you to retain your position in the Finance Department. I doubt that Vivian will give you the inheritance right either. Have you ever thought about your future?¡± Her eyes grew icy as she stared at him, asking in a chilly voice.

    She thought that he was dumband she could make no use of this idiot.She had found him to be scheming and maniptive.She did not expect that when something happened, he would give up and be a coward. Although she despised him, she still had to use him,hence there was no other way.She would have to use some threats as negotiation.

    The muscles on Norton¡¯s face twitched.He remained silent, unwilling to deal with her.

    ¡°Well then, I heard an amazing news that Trevor¡¯s recovering. Fast,¡± she leaned close to his ear and whispered.

    ¡°What? Trevor is getting better?¡± He panickedandthe ss in his hands dropped.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She grinned eerilyand continued in a displeased tone, ¡°Why are you panicking? He¡¯s just recovering,at least he can¡¯t speak for now.¡±

    Norton was absolutely dumbstruck by the news as he sat in a daze.

    If Trevor woke up, wouldn¡¯t the truth of what happened three years ago be revealed? If that was the case, Vivian would never forgive himand it was most likely that he would be kicked out of Richards Group.All his assets¡­and the right of inheritance would all be gone. This was the rule set by Old Master Richards before his death. All the properties would fall into Hansen¡¯s hands.

    How hateful this was! How could this happen?

    Hansen¡¯s life was such a smooth ride.He envied that.

    His eyes started to turn red and his hands began to tremble.

    ¡°What are you worried about? It¡¯s not toote.As long as you cooperate with me, we can fix this.¡± Aria was amused when she saw Norton¡¯s cowardly expression. Satisfied, she said lightly.

    ¡°What do you need my help with?¡± he eventually asked after a long time. He also understood why she had bailed him out of jail. Sure enough, nothing came without cost.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll discuss the n step by step.¡± She smiled when he finally agreed.

    ¡°What kind of n?¡± he could not wait and asked curiously.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. I want to be the Young Madam of the Richards family. We drive Jenna out of Richards Manorand let Vivian take back her inheritance rights. As for you, I will keep your position as long as Jenna is gone. Only after then will everything run smooth. At that time, won¡¯t everything of the Richards family be ours? Once Vivian is gone, all her rights and title will belong to the two of us. Although Hansen and I will have more, rest assured, we¡¯re family andI won¡¯t treat you any less. You¡¯ll still be the high and mighty Mr. Norton of the Finance Department. Your past will be squeaky clean,everyone will still admire and respect you. Sounds good?¡± Aria prompted, her words coated with sugar.

    Did Aria want to get rid of Jenna? Jenna¡¯s beautiful face appeared in Norton¡¯s mindand his heart throbbed. He has made a mistake against her. If he did such a thing again, would he deserve to be human?

    ¡°When you have all the power and the money, she¡¯ll be weak and helpless with no one to rely on. If you¡¯re willing to shower her with money, maybe she¡¯ll fall into your arms right away.¡± Aria could guess his thoughts and persuaded, ¡°If you don¡¯t get rid of her, everything in the Richards family will belong to her in the future. Think about it, once she has all the power, can you still have her? That¡¯ll be impossible. Hansen is also madly in love with her. As long as she stays in Richards Manor, you have absolutely no chance. Besides, only if she disappears will everything be better.¡±

    His heart was in chaos. Aria had seen through himand her words rang true. When he met Jenna in the visiting room, everything he told her was sincere from his heart. If he had to hurt her this time, could he really do it?Could he bear to do it?

    They had conflicting interests.Did he have to do this for his future?

    ¡°Aria, let me think about it,¡± he spoke with difficulty, his heart utterly conflicted.If it was not ast resort, he really did not want to do it.

    ¡°You can take your time but we can¡¯t wait until Trevor can speak. We have to deal with him first,¡± Aria reminded him, her gaze vicious.

    Norton nodded. A thousand thoughts were on his mind.

    New Year¡¯s Eve was approaching andspring cleaning has begun in Richards Manor.Everyone was busy.

    Just after having breakfast, Meroy walked over and pulled Jenna to a corner. She whispered, ¡°Grandma called you over.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Jenna asked strangely, ¡°Meroy, what does Grandma want to see me for?¡±

    Meroy smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she just wants to talk to you. She¡¯s a bit secretive at times,I can¡¯t figure her too.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna nodded and followed her.

    Red, white, and yellow plum blossoms bloomed in Ink Garden.Jenna stared at the dazzling plum blossomsand felt her heartbeat quickened.

    That year, she had apanied her father here to meet Vivian. The scene looked just like this. The plum blossoms in the garden were in full bloom, and among the colors, she saw a dashing figure ying the flute in the garden. Her heart had trembled at the sight.

    Perhaps it was these d*mn feelings that had guided her and made her slowly fall into this trap disguised with affection.

    Suddenly, a beautiful figure among the plum blossoms caught her eyes.

    There stood a young and beautiful girl, wearing a shortcquer skirt and a fashionable red zer.

    Jenna¡¯s eyesnded on her.

    Who was she? She was puzzled for the fact that she had never seen her in Richards Manor before.

    ¡°Young Madam, she¡¯s Sabrina Delia,¡± Meroy smiled as she exined when she caught Jenna¡¯s eyes looking at her.

    Sabrina Delia? Jenna tried her best to think of the name in her memories. It sounded a bit familiarbut she could not remember who it was.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never met her, she¡¯s Mr. Norton¡¯s fianc¨¦e,¡± Meroy exined with a smile.

    The woman was plucking the plum blossoms off one by one intently.She was eye-catching from a distance,looking like a dancing butterfly.

    Norton¡¯s fianc¨¦e!

    Who was she?Was she Sabrina Delia, daughter ofGeneral Delia of the militia in Capital City?

    Jenna was stupefied and looked towards her again.

    She was such a young and beautiful girl, holding the flowers in her hands while anticipating for love.Did she know what happened to Norton?

    Norton¡¯s face in the visiting room that day shed across Jenna¡¯s mindand she sighed slightly in her heart.

    Vivian was lying on the couch with her sparse white hair neatlybed. When she saw Jennaing in, she beckoned to her with a smile on her face.

    ¡°Hello,Grandma,¡± Jenna stepped forward and greeted her politely.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Vivian took her dainty hands and smiled.

    ¡°Jenna,e here, let¡¯s have a talk.¡± She was trembling.

    Jenna was nervousbut she also felt dejected.

    Vivian was probably going to speak on behalf of Norton.Sabrina even came here, it was obvious.

    She stood still,her heart heavy.

    ¡°Jenna, is your mother getting better?¡± Vivian raised her cloudy eyes and asked caringly.

    Jenna knew that she was going to beat around the bush, asking about Sara¡¯s condition before getting to the point. She replied with a faint smile, ¡°Grandma, thanks for asking. Mom¡¯s operation was sessfnd she¡¯s getting better now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good,¡± Vivian repeated in excitement.She then asked seriously, ¡°Is Hansen taking care of her well as a son-inw should be?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he treats her very well,¡± Jenna had her small smile and replied inly.

    ¡°It would be nice if he had acted this way in the past.¡± Vivian sighed heavily.

    Jenna lowered her gaze and said nothing.

    ¡°Jenna, I know we have wronged you and I know you have hatred in your heart, but rest assured, time will make it clear for you. I believe Hansen will give you a fair answer,¡± Vivianforted as shenoticing Jenna¡¯s hardened expression.Her heart ached.She must hate the Richards family. Although she did not say anything of it, Vivian felt it clearly.

    Perhaps onlyter she would understand her painstaking efforts.

    ¡°Meroy, go get my things,¡± Vivian turned her head and said to Meroy.

    Meroy agreed and walked out.

    Her things? Was Vivian going to give her something again? Jenna thought.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was beating in her ears. She really could not ept anything from Vivian anymore. Compared with these,Javon¡¯s life was more important. Up to this moment, she never thought of forgiving Norton.She would give up the wealth Vivian had offered herbut she did not say so to not hurt her feelings. She was waiting for an opportunity. As she once said, she would bring justice to Javon, no matter who killed him.

    This was the minimum fairness and justicethatno money could buy.

    While she was thinking about it, she saw Meroying over with a red box and ced it on Vivian¡¯sp.

    Vivian opened the box with her shaking hands. There were ounting files inside as well as a fewrge sets of keys, door cards, and some more.

    What was this?

    Jenna guessed as she saw Vivian waving at her, beckoning to her toe forward.

    She took a cautious step forward and stood still.

 Chapter 215 Jenna Takes Over The Manor

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m getting old. Now,I give you the rights of Ink Garden and the right to be the head of Richards Manor. From now on, this house is all yours,¡± Vivian said firmly, though not loudly.

    What? As soon as Vivian said this, even Meroy was dumbstruck.Jenna was even more shocked.She stood there for a long time,failing to register the meaning of those words.

    Who was she to take over Richards Manor?

    She was merely an outsider. Furthermore, she could be considered an enemy to the Richards family. Norton killed Javonbut Vivian gave her the manor. What did she mean?

    Trust or trial, or perhaps, Vivian was really willing to risk everything for her. Was this a test of her morals? Vivian must be hoping that she would forgive Norton, or did she really trust her?

    Her hand slid to touch her belly.

    She was pregnant at present, was she strong enough to take on this responsibility?

    Or did Vivian already know that she was pregnant with Hansen¡¯s baby? No, this was impossible. No one else knew about the baby except for Hannah.

    ¡°Grandma, I can¡¯t ept this,¡± Jenna was very uneasy and instantly refused. ¡°This is Richards Manor, it¡¯s the property of the Richards family. I¡¯m just an outsider, so this is really inappropriate. You should give it to Auntie Marissa or Auntie ncy. I dare not ept this.¡±

    She continued to decline,refusing to ept the responsibility of the head of the manor no matter what.

    ¡°Jenna,I know that our family owes you a lot.Indeed, you are not technically qualified to be the head of the Richards family. But, please do this for my sake, take care of this family. I have never regretted my decisions. Except you, no one else in Richards Manor is worthy of this power.¡±

    She became even more perplexed when Vivian said this.She thought Vivian was wrong.There were a lot who she thought could take up the title. Take Marissa for example, she was intelligent and brilliant. How could she not be worthy? Besides, she was also fifty years old. She waspletelypetent. Vivian seemed to look through herand she continued.

    ¡°If Marissa was capable, I would have handed the manor to her. After all, she is my eldest daughter-inw.¡± Vivian sounded a little helpless and Jenna felt confused.

    ¡°Grandma, Auntie Marissa is very capable. I heard that she had an important role in the development of Richards Group with Mr. Trevor,¡± Jenna quickly defended Marissa.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. She did put in a lot of effort for Richards Group.¡± Vivian nodded in agreement. ¡°But at that time, she had Trevor by her side. Trevor had a calm personality whileshe was impatientand the twoplemented each other. In addition, Marissa had a strong and influential family, which was the reason they seeded. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m picking on her.She is smartbut she¡¯s too arrogant. She trusts herself too much, especially on emotionalmatters. She could very easily be used to others¡¯ advantage. This is what I worry most about Hansen too, he¡¯s like his mother. Jenna, I trust you and your abilities,and I¡¯m willing to give you the rights to take care of this family. Would you ept my request?¡±

    Vivian took a breath after speaking so muchand looked up at Jenna with hope glistening in her eyes.

    Jenna was dumbfounded. She stood in a daze, not knowing what to do.

    Could she handle it?

    No, never.

    Standing still, her hands stayed by her side.

    ¡°Jenna,would you help me with this favor? In the future, if you want to leave,you may do as you please. But, help me take care of it temporarily, alright?¡± Vivian pleaded again.

    Jenna no longer had the heart to turn her down.

    A ny-year-old woman was begging her, how could she refuse it so cruelly?

    ¡°Jenna,Grandma is begging you. Please ept it,¡± Meroy also understood andjoined in the battle to persuade Jenna. She would be very happy if this home was really owned by Jenna.

    ¡°ButGrandma, you know that it¡¯s impossible for me to get back together with Hansen. I¡¯m refusing your offer not because I don¡¯t want to but I can¡¯t. I¡¯m a nobody to the Richards family. This will just turn all of us into aughing stock,¡± Jenna exined. She was in a difficult position.

    ¡°No, only you can handle this. It¡¯s God¡¯s will to how you and Hansen will turn out in the future, no one can change destiny. But for the time being, I want to ask you out of my own selfishness, to take over this family. Promise me that you¡¯ll help me. Say if you and Hansen are truly separated by then, you can hand it over to another person, okay?¡± Vivian assured.

    What did she mean by truly separated? Jenna wondered. The reality was that they were already totally separated.Ever since Aria became pregnant, it was clear that they have no possibilities of being together. No matter what, it was impossible for her to stay with Hansen.She remained in the manor solely to wait for an opportunity.

    Vivian¡¯s stubbornness really caused her a headacheand Meroy was busy persuading her on the side.

    Vivian was indeed getting old. She was panting heavily after their long conversation.

    Jenna was helpless,therefore she could only take over the master key of Richards Manor.However, she waspletely clueless;she was scared of how she would do this. Her heart felt heavy.

    She could not bear to refuse Vivian, hence she could only sacrifice herself.

    At present, she had to go to the hospital every day to take care of Trevorand alsobe the head of the manor. She had a child in her belly. Who would understand the burden piling up on her shoulders?

    She walked out with heavy steps.

    As soon as she walked out of the gate of Ink Garden, she met a pair of bright eyes.

    The girl in front of her had shoulder-length hair.Her eyes were big and shining, and her face was tinted pink. She looked quiet and elegant. It was a lovely sight. Jenna seemed to like her just by looking at her.

    It was Sabrina.

    She wore a short skirt with leather boots. Not to mention, the crimson zer looked like it was made especially for her, not at all tacky.

    Jenna also wore red beforebut she would never be able to wear it like Sabrina.

    ¡°Are you Jenna?¡± Sabrina smiled sweetly after meeting her eyes, revealing two cute dimples.

    Jenna was surprised. She recalled that this was the first time Sabrina saw her, how did she know her?

    ¡°Do you know me?¡± Jenna smiled politely and asked.

    Sabrina¡¯s eyshes fluttered slightly and the smile on her face was very genuine.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ve heard many things about you a long time ago. It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you.¡±

    Was she sensitiveor was this ridicule or sarcasm that she was sensing?

    Did Sabrina mean that she was famous for her scandal or divorce?

    Jenna nced at her and replied with a faint smile.

    ¡°Sabrina, you¡¯re such a sweetheart. I¡¯m just a nobody. Unlike you,who has a good family background, loved by your parents, and you¡¯re so young and beautiful,I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll definitely be a happy woman in the future, enjoying all the riches in the world.¡±

    After blurting out thispliment, she stepped forward. It was not in her interests to mingle with Sabrina more than this. After all, they were not the same type of peopleand they have nothing inmon.

    Unexpectedly, Sabrina smiled sweetly and wrapped a hand around Jenna¡¯s arm. Her soothing beautiful voice sounded.

    ¡°The cars you designed are simple but magnificent,I like them so much. I bought every car that you designed and I treasure them a lot!¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    She spoke without hesitation and her face was full of admiration,her eyes gleaming with light.

    So this was what she meant!

    Jenna looked at her glittering eyes as if a crystal-clear pond and the light from those ck orbs were so pure and innocent.

    She sighed in her heart. She once had such eyes that twinkled.That was when she viewed the world as dazzling and beautifulbut there were too many distractions and incidentster. Her eyes would not shine as they once did.

    ¡°Thank you, Sabrina, I¡¯m d you like it.¡± Jenna smiled faintly. She shoved down her messy thoughts into the pits of her stomach.

    ¡°May I join you?¡± Sabrina¡¯s pretty eyes were full of expectations. She had no worriesand even her hand on Jenna¡¯s arm was shaking in excitement as she asked.She was endearing.

    Jenna was taken aback, not knowing how to answer.

    ¡°I just want to see how you design a car. I really admire your designs. Please don¡¯t refuse me, I¡¯m a hardcore fan!¡± Sabrina¡¯s small face flushed red with excitement. Her hand shook Jenna¡¯s arm again, utterly enthusiastic.

    ¡°I suppose¡­ it¡¯s okay.¡± Jenna had no idea how to refuse her, therefore she nodded but she sighed slightly in her heart. This girl seemed so innocent,she must have been protected well by her parents, not knowing theplications of the world.Was she going to marry Norton in the future?

    A man like Norton, maniptive, deceiving and just utterly evil in the way he did things. Was he really the match for her?

    Jenna stood, slightly immersed in her thoughts.

    ¡°Thank you, Jenna! I¡¯ll give these flowers to Grandma first.I¡¯ll be right back, please wait for me.¡± Sabrina giggled. She was ecstaticand ran off at lightning speed.

    Jenna continued to stand in a daze.

    Not before long, she saw Sabrina rushing over, holding onto her arm again intimately. She said in smiles, ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s great to be able to see you in Richards Manor. I saw you on TV. You were so beautiful and your designs are striking. I really admire and envy you.¡±

    She chirped like a morning birdwithnot a worry, happy and cheerful.

    Jenna smiled slightly. She was influenced by her enthusiasmand her mood became happier too.

    She had to admit that it was difficult for her to be happy like Sabrina was but happiness was contagious. No one had their lives in control after all.

    An optimistic and positive attitude in life was better than anything else.

    Her hand stroked her belly involuntarily.

    She, too, used to have her beautiful imaginations towards romance. She married into this prestigious family, thinking that she would have a smooth path ahead, and live happily ever after. However,the reality was often cruel and unpredictable. However, people could not stay depressed and give up on everything for the rest of their lives. Life goes on after all.

    It was better to be happy than surrounding herself with sorrow and pain.

    ¡°Sabrina, when did youe here? How long are you staying here?¡± Jenna smiled and asked.

    ¡°I just arrived yesterday. I went to visit Grandmaandshe let me sleep in the Ink Garden. My father wants me to stay in Richards Manor until the end of the New Yearbefore going back to school,¡± Sabrina answered.

    After finishing speaking, she pouted her lips and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve been to many ces in this manor but I haven¡¯t been to Green Jade Garden. I happened to meet you today, so may I follow you there and have a look?¡±

 Chapter 216 A Stunning Smile

    ¡°I see.¡± Jenna could not help but ask, ¡°Sabrina, do youe to Richards Manor often?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Sabrina nodded and said briskly.¡°When Grandpa was still alive, I had to live in Richards Manor for a period of time every year. After I went to high school and got quite busy with my studies, I haven¡¯te back for years. I remember Zoey was here too. We yed together, it was a fun time. I came backst year but they weren¡¯t here anymore, therefore it was not as fun.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Jenna smiled and nodded, making calctions inher mind.The three years Sabrina was in high school was when she married Hansen, and then she went abroad, thus she missed the chance to meet her. That was why they did not know each other.

    ¡°Then you¡¯re very close with Norton, I assume?¡± she asked tentatively.

    Sabrina blushed, ayer of shyness spread across her face as she smiled sheepishly. Embarrassed, she replied, ¡°Yes, we knew each other since young,and we had a great time together.¡±

    ¡°I see!¡± Jenna nced at her blushing face. She did not seem to dislike Norton. Jenna felt pity towards her. Such a reserved girl with good family background. Did Norton hit his head? Or did they knew each other well and he decided to turn a blind eye to her?

    Thinking about this, both of them had already walked out of Ink Garden without realizing. They got onto a car and headed towards Green Jade Garden.

    ¡°It¡¯s really beautiful here.¡± As soon as they got off the car, Sabrina saw the pod trees in the garden. She could not help but gasp in amazement. It was winter, cold and cruel, but these pod trees were still growing so strong. Green pods hung on the trees,looking lush and lovely.

    ¡°Sabrina, let me walk you around Green Jade Garden.¡± Jenna did not want to ruin her excitement,hence she simply gave a suggestion. After all, she was in a much better mood thanks to her.

    ¡°That would be great, thank you Jenna,¡± Sabrina chuckled in agreement.

    In fact, Sabrina was very simr to Jenna four years ago, whether from the circumstances or attitude.Jenna could actually resonate with her.

    The two of them strolled in Green Jade Garden, chatting as they walked. Sabrina seemed to be very interested in the nts. She was looking around, fidgeting with the flowers from time to time, giggling as she did so.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re so capable.¡± Sabrina¡¯s eyes were fixated on a variegated bamboo as shepraised Jenna.

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Jenna was taken aback and smiled casually.

    ¡°Grandma always praises you in front of me,¡± Sabrina blurted out. ¡°She told me that she would make you the master of the manor.She said that you are not only smart but also kind and thoughtful with good manners and that I should look up to you.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why you wanted toe with me.¡± Jenna could not help butugh.

    ¡°This is just one of the reasons. As I mentioned, I really like your car designs. The guys in my university like them too. Many students from my school dream of seeing you one day. Some say they¡¯d probably kneel before you, especially those guys. When they saw youso beautiful on TV, they were basically drooling and making heart eyes.I want to take pictures and videos with you, andshow them off when school starts. I can¡¯t wait to see their jealous faces,¡± Sabrina gulped and stated frankly. She took out her phone while talking.

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna was amused. Although she knew that these words were a bit exaggerated, it was solid proof that people had a good impression of her other than the rumors of her with Hansen. Itforted her that her hard work had been epted by many people.

    Thinking of this, her heart was warmed and her mood lightened up a lot.

    After all, she seeded in her career. Perhaps, her life was not that bad.

    This also meant that she would still survive even if she lived alone with her child in the future. This way, her child could grow up happily.

    The sun made its way out of the cloudsand its rays awakened Richards Manor. Jenna looked up and saw the golden roof of the manor shining brightly under the sun, noble and gorgeous.

    This house was no doubt every woman¡¯s dream. Other women who failed to marry into the Richards family viewed it as supreme glory and wealth, while women like her who married into this family only tasted bitterness and pain.

    ¡°Green Jade Garden is so different than what I expected. It is enormous, plus, it is so close to the central ind and the gym. May I live here with you this year?¡± Sabrina suddenly requested.

    ¡°You want to live here?¡± Jenna raised her eyebrows. Sabrina was Norton¡¯s fianc¨¦e. She should live in Emerald Garden, where Norton lived. She should not be living here.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t disturb you.¡± Sabrina saw Jenna¡¯s hesitance.Her big eyes sparkled as she promised hurriedly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to live in Emerald Garden?¡± Jenna felt that this was out of the blueand asked as she looked at Sabrina.Norton was still in prison. Jenna did not know if she knew about this. If she did not know, then there was nothing wrong with her living in Green Jade Garden. However, Jenna was surprised that she would rather live in Green Jade Garden than living with Norton in Emerald Garden. Did she not love Norton?

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to live in Emerald Garden. The women there are not very easy to get along with,¡± Sabrina seemed to see through Jenna¡¯s mindand added reluctantly. When she lived in Emerald Garden the year before, she felt as if she was an outsider, always ufortable. It was quite a traumatic event for her,therefore she really did not want to stay and watch ude¡¯s two wives fighting every other day.

    Hearing this, Jenna understood what she was thinking,hence she smiled slightlyand said, ¡°You have to learn to adapt. You¡¯ll marry into the Richards Manor soon anyway.¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s bright smile frozeand she whispered meekly, ¡°Auntie ncy doesn¡¯t like me.¡±

    Jenna was shocked. Auntie ncy was Norton¡¯s mother.Has Sabrina had noticed it so early on?

    ¡°Jenna, you are in charge now. You can arrange it for me, right? I just want to have fun this year,¡± the darkness on Sabrina¡¯s face disappeared in an instantasshe chirped.

    Jenna chuckledand said, ¡°Emerald Garden is indeedplicatedbut Green Jade Garden won¡¯t necessarily be any better. Can you handle it?¡±

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re here, I can for sure! There¡¯s a lot I want to learn from you.¡± Sabrina spoke as if there was smeared honey on her lips, every word from her was so pleasing to the ear.

    Jenna thought for a while and nodded.

    ¡°Yay, you agreed.¡± Sabrina pped andughed.

    Seeing that she was hopping around in excitement, Jenna also smiled.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s snap a picture together and make a video now.¡± Sabrina turned on her phone and pulled Jenna in for a picture.

    Jenna was reluctantbut because of Sabrina¡¯s enthusiasm, sheposed with her in front of the camera.

    Hansen had just arrived at the entrance of Green Jade Garden in a car. He was walking in with his briefcase when he heard women¡¯sughter.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    He was surprised.

    Such cheerfulughter seemed to have not been heard for a long time. It was like a bell, the sound so crisp and soothing, and it was veryfortable to hear.

    He had never heard such cheerful and carefreeughter in Green Jade Garden.

    Who wasughing there?

    He was curious,therefore he followed the sounds.

    Two women appeared in sight. They were standing on the gravel pavement in the center of the garden.

    Under the golden sun, Sabrina was in a red shirt and short skirt, posing with her back towards him, taking numerous selfies. Jenna was facing in his direction. She had gorgeous hair and held a dark, red box in front of her. She was coordinating her movements with Sabrina. asionally, she stretched her arms, tilted her head, and did a lot of poses. Theyughed at each other sweetly. It seemed that the two were having a great time.

    Hansen¡¯s eyesnded on Jenna¡¯s smiling face,falling into a daze as he stared at her.

    Only then did he remember that after he saw her smile in the university library that one time, he had never seen her bright and carefree smile again.

    No, sheughed like that when she was with Rayan.

    Only when she was facing him did she faked and forced her smiles.

    Suddenly, there was a burst of sourness and bitterness welling up in his stomach. He could have any other woman in the world smile for him, but not her.

    ¡°Do you need my help?¡± He walked up to them from the side witha charismatic smile on his face.

    ¡°No.¡± Jenna lifted her eyes and saw him approaching with a charming smile. Immediately, her face darkened and she was no longer smiling,refusing him coldly.

    ¡°Oh! Hansen, you¡¯re here too.¡± Sabrina turned around when she heard the voice. When she saw him full of smiles, she called out in surprise.

    She then realizedthat Jenna¡¯s expression was icy cold in the blink of an eye. She seemed like a different personpared to her bright smile just a while ago. Sabrina was shocked at the drastic change.

    Blinking a few times,she looked at Hansen, only to see that he was gazing at Jenna tenderly. He seemed to be used to her indifference.

    She thought the two must have had a fight.

    She called out to Hansen, ¡°Hansen, do you mind taking photos for us? I want to show it to my friends at school.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure, I¡¯m happy to help.¡± He smiled andtook a look at Sabrina¡¯s phone.He handed it back to her.¡°Your camera quality is not good enough,try using mine.¡±

    As he spoke, he put down his briefcase and took out his wide-screen phone.

    ¡°Your phone screen is so big!What brand is this?¡± Sabrina observed his phone. It was extremely thin andmade of metalbut she could not see any brand marks,therefore she asked in surprise.

    He chuckled.¡°I never use other brands. This phone was custom-made by mypanyandthere¡¯s only one in the world. I bet you¡¯ll be amazed by the camera quality.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± She was very curious and returned the phone to him as if she was not convinced.¡°Then let¡¯s try it.¡±

    ¡°Come on, smile.¡± He adjusted his phone, focusing on Jenna and Sabrina.

    Jenna reluctantly gave a small tug on the corners of her mouth.Thephoto was taken swiftly.

    ¡°It¡¯s really beautiful,it¡¯s so clear and pretty.¡± Sabrina ran over and looked at the photos on his phone.Very satisfied with how the pictures turned out, she nodded.¡°Send it to meter.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured. With mehere, everything is the best.¡± He was showing off again, turning his gaze at Jenna.

    She turned her face to one side, showing that she did not care about them at all. More urately,she did not care about him.

 Chapter 217 Your Waist Became Thicker

    ¡°Sabrina,take a photo of Jenna and me.¡± Hansen handed her his phone. He said in a low voice with a grin, ¡°Find a way to make her smile.¡±

    Sabrina was quick to understand his meaning. With a simr grin, she replied, ¡°If I seed, you have to gift me a phone like yours.¡±

    ¡°Nice deal you have there. Sure,¡± he agreed readily and walked towards Jenna.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Jenna gave him a cold re as heid his hand on her waist smugly.

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s take a picture. We don¡¯t even have one, do we?¡± He let out a smallugh as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. He caressed the area lightly and he eximed, ¡°Huh, you seem like you gained some weight.¡±

    Observing her in his arms, he said, ¡°Oh dear, you look so palebut your waist got a lot thicker instead. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re joining those who gained weight in their middle-age so soon?¡±

    He lowered his head to look at her, chuckling as he taunted.

    Jenna flinched. Her waist had changed due to her pregnancy for two months. Did he realize anything?

    ¡°Get your filthy hands off me,¡± she grumbled and red at him.

    ¡°Why are you so hostile? Jenna, you have no mercy even when ites to your dear Hubby.Canyou please learn to rx?¡± He had a smirk on his annoying face, ignoring her anger.

    ¡°Jenna Murphy, you want to leave me? There is no way. I am Hansen Richards, what can¡¯t I do?¡± Hansen thought with glee.

    No woman could refuse him as long as he wanted them.

    Sabrina sensed the tension between the two. She made a face and pointed at Hansen¡¯s hand on Jenna¡¯s waist.¡°Hansen,stop bullying Jenna.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± he pleaded ashe opened his arms wide.¡°Look, I¡¯m not doing anything.¡±

    ¡°You can go to hell.¡± As soon as his hands were off, Jenna pushed him and slipped out of his reach.

    He stumbled backwards as his guard was off, eventually falling onto the ground on his behind.

    Sabrina clicked on the phone in that instantand a photo of Hansen sitting on the ground in embarrassment was taken.

    ¡°Jenna, take a look at this!¡± she shouted in excitement, gesturing Jenna toe to her.

    Jenna was curious. Happy that she got back at Hansen, she walked over and looked at the picture.

    It showed Hansen on the ground with his wrinkled suit and legs spread out. He had purposely worn a turtleneck to hide Jenna¡¯s scratches on his neck. It workedbut the red w marks on his right face could not be concealed. It happened to be the perfect shot;he looked hrious and absolutely embarrassing.

    ¡­

    Jenna had never seen him like this, losing all his charisma and cool. Sheughed out loud with a snort.

    ¡°Jenna Murphy, you yed me?¡± Hansen was utterly humiliated. He bolted up with his teeth clenched in agitation.

    ¡°Wait, what happened to your face?¡± Sabrina gasped. She did not notice the wound on his face until she saw the picture.

    He frozeand hurriedly covered his right face.He was flusteredbut still managed to shoot an intimidating re towards Jenna.

    Look at what she had done, she made him end up like this!

    He wore a bizarrebination of a turtleneck sweater underneath a suit to work this day.The result was that he garnered numerous weird nces from his subordinates in the meeting. At least, he had an excuse that he wore the sweater due to the cold weather.

    Unfortunately, Sabrina did not get the hint. She leaned closer to observe his face and said, ¡°Hansen, you have to apply ointment on theseor else they¡¯ll leave scars. But, did you get these from a fight? That¡¯s weird. I don¡¯t think anyone would dare to hit you, they would be digging their own graves.¡±

    She admired Hansen since she was a child. To her, he could not be reached by anyone. The rest could only look up to him. Nevertheless, he was like a kind, big brother to her.

    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing. Impossible. I just happened to get scratched by a tree branch yesterday,¡± Hansen hurriedly exined. He then found perfect timing and pulled Jenna over to him. He red at Sabrina, ¡± Hurry up and take a picture of us. What you shot just now wasn¡¯t even a picture!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,let¡¯s take some pictures.¡± Sabrina grinned and held up his phone.

    His hand fell on Jenna¡¯s waist again. This time, he learned his painful lesson.He no longer dared to loosen his hold as his arm circled her, walking forward.

    ¡°Smile,¡± he whispered in her ear.¡°If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to tickle you.¡±

    Jenna was exasperated. She was merely distracted for a momentand he had found the chance to catch her.

    ¡°Let me goor I¡¯ll make your left cheek like your right one and embarrass you.Why?Don¡¯t you believe me?¡± she retorted.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t.¡± He held her in his arms andhis hands slid beneath the clothes around her waist.His big, warm hand touched the area, and with a gentle scratch, Jenna choked out augh uncontrobly.

    With a click, Sabrina quickly shot the picture.

    He took a step further and put both his hands on her waist.Jenna could not stopughing.

    After taking several shots in a row,he finally let her go.

    Jenna was frustrated. However, as she thoughtabout it, she and Hansen had never taken many photos together.It was good to have some just to remember.

    ¡°Sabrina, you just arrived yesterday,right?¡± Hansen looked at the photos taken by Sabrina and nodded in satisfaction.

    Jenna smiled so brightly in the photos.She looked beyond gorgeous and her eyes were captivatingbut her face was too pale. It was obvious even from the pictures.His heart clenched at the sight.

    ¡°Yes,I took the ne yesterday,¡± Sabrina replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s great. This time, you need to spend more time with Grandma. She often talks about you,¡± he spoke softly as he smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying. Grandmadoesn¡¯t talk about me, she only talks about Jenna.¡± Sabrina pouted, ¡°She even said that she wants me to learn from Jenna.¡±

    ¡°Learn?¡± He gave her a confused look.

    ¡°Yes, Jenna¡¯s car design is good. Many students in my school, especially guys, like the cars she designed. She¡¯s our idol,¡± she praised Jenna, her face full of excitement and admiration.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Oh.¡± He was happy and proud of Jennabutgrew bitter when he heard that she was popr among the male students.¡°Well, her car design is okay, it¡¯s¡­ eptable. Other than that, there¡¯s nothing to learn from her. Don¡¯t you learn to be stubborn like her, it¡¯s not good for girls,¡± he spoke deliberately.

    He nced at Jenna who was walking with her head down.She was so arrogantpletely disregarding him at all times.If she received so manypliments, he betted that she was all over the moon. He had to put her down a little to get her head straight.

    ¡°No, Jenna is amazing. There¡¯s so much to learn from her. From now on, I¡¯m going to live with her,¡± Sabrina said seriously, not buying his words.

    ¡°You twoare going tolive together?¡± He was quite surprised.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve already agreed,¡± Jenna immediately cut in.

    What? Did Jenna n this on purpose? She forced him to move out and invited Sabrina to stay with herso that she could stop a ¡®pervert¡¯ like him? Did she have to go to these extents to get rid of him?

    ¡°Grandma won¡¯t agree to this,¡± he scoffed with confidence.

    ¡°Grandmahas already handed the manor over to Jenna. From now on, the Richards Manor will be hers to handle.As long as Jenna agrees,it¡¯ll be fine!¡± Sabrina was not in the least bit worried.

    Was there such a thing? Jenna became the head of the manor!

    Hansen was dumbstruck.Why had he not heard of this before?He gave Jenna a questioning look.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be in charge of Richards Manor, starting from today.Grandma has given me the right to be the head of the manor,¡± Jenna reiterated.She tapped the red box with both of her hands.¡°Remember, beware of what you say and what you do, and don¡¯t think about other ideas. They won¡¯t work on me.¡±

    He froze in shock.

    She actually threatened him with the rights as the head of the manorjust to distance herself from him.He was dejectedbut was also secretly happy that she was in charge. He clenched his teeth and said, ¡°I won¡¯t be afraid of you just because you have Grandma¡¯s support. I¡¯m the Young Master of Richards Manor, even she can¡¯t do anything to me, let alone you.¡±

    He looked at her with arrogance.

    ¡°Yeah, maybe you can try and see what happens. Don¡¯t forget what happened that day,¡± Jenna said confidently.¡°If you¡¯re so great yourself, you can ask her to take back my ownership. I don¡¯t care about being head anyway.¡±

    Her words struck him, leaving him standing woodenly without a word.

    Sabrina stood by the side, bewildered at their argument.She had long heard that they were not on good terms. It seemed that it was true. They had just metand she had already seen them fighting,pletely ignoring the fact that she was considered a guest and an outsider at Richards Manor.

    However, she did not think that they had a deep hatred for each other. On the contrary,they sounded like an endearing couple throwing tantrumsand she found them amusing.

    Jenna only snorted as she nced at Hansenbefore walkingforward.

    Hansen followed behind her.

    The three of them then headed towards the living room.

    ¡°Auntie, nice to meet you.¡± Sabrina walked into the living room of Green Jade Garden and greeted Marissa with a smile, looking prim and proper.

    ¡°Sabrina, you¡¯re here. I heard someone talking about you yesterday andI was nning to go see you. Since you¡¯re here already, do stay longer this time,¡± Marissa said with a weing smile.

    ¡°Sure! Auntie,I won¡¯t be returning to Capital City until New Year ends,¡± Sabrina replied.

 Chapter 218 What A Good Excuse

    ¡°Come, sit down.¡± Marissa pulled Sabrina onto the sofa with a big smile.¡°Sabrina, is General Delia in good health?¡±

    She hid no adoration towards Sabrina. Jenna knew that the reason for this was nothing more than a fancy to the power in General Delia¡¯s hands. Thinking of her father, shefelt bitter.

    ¡°He¡¯s doing great. Thank you for asking,¡± Sabrina replied with a smile. Shetook a cup of tea from a servant and saw Jenna still standing. She beamed while saying, ¡°Jenna,e sit down with us.¡±

    Jenna thought about going to the second floor.It was obvious that she did not belong here. She always felt that she was an outsider.However, she was worried to leave Sabrina here alone. After a moment of hesitation, she sat down beside her.

    Hansen put down his briefcase before heading over as well, sitting next to Jenna.He stuck to her so closely thathe might as well sit on her.

    Jenna¡¯s eyebrows were twistedand her body was tense. She was very ufortable with Hansen being so close to her. She moved asidebut the b*stard had to move nearer too. He did not care if they were in the hall. Once she shifted a lot farther,his hand pulled her back to him by the waist. He only used alittle effortand Jenna could not move at all.

    This frustrated her. She gritted her teeth and fury shed in her eyes. It was as if there was a snake next to herand it seemed like his touch was its poison, sinking into her skin at any time.

    She was sitting there with utter difort, wishing to sneak upstairs immediately.

    Hansen¡¯s face only had a slight smilebut his heart blossomed with joy. He scooted a little closerand his built body was almost entirely glued to her.

    He smirked. She wanted to avoid him?He shall see if she could escape this time.

    Jenna rolled her eyes at him.Her knuckles were itching to punch him on the spot.

    Although Marissa was talking to Sabrina, she could clearly see Hansen and Jenna on the opposite sofa. She observed that Jenna had a grudge against Hansenwhile he justtched onto her like an idiot. She sighed inwardly.

    While she was thinking, they heard footsteps approaching.

    After a while, a strong perfume scent entered the living room.Aria and Minnie soon appeared in front of everyone.

    ¡°Mom,¡± Aria came in and greeted with a sweet voice. Her eyes turned towards Hansen and her face darkened when she saw him and Jenna sitting together so intimately. But, in the blink of an eye, she masked her face with a bright smile. This time was different. She did not cling to Hansennor did she sit down beside him.Instead, she sat down beside Marissa.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Sabrina was surprised when Aria called Marissa ¡®Mom¡¯. Did Marissa have a daughter that she did not know of?

    Marissa saw Sabrina observing Aria with a weird nceand she introduced both of them to each other.

    ¡°This is Sabrina Delia,General Delia¡¯s daughter from Capital City, andNorton¡¯s fianc¨¦e,¡± Marissa took Sabrina¡¯s hand and introduced her to Aria with a smile.

    Aria had long noticed Sabrina in the living roomand she cracked her head thinking about who she was before Marissa spoke.

    Was this Norton¡¯s fianc¨¦e who was selected by Old Master Richards?

    She looked at Sabrina. Sabrina¡¯s family background was great and she looked beautiful in person. She seemed like the perfect match for Nortonbut she was obviously too innocent for a maniptive person like him.It was hard to imagine them as a couple aside from looking at their faces.

    Thinking about it this way, there was a sense of contempt in Aria¡¯s eyes.She greeted Sabrina tly.

    ¡°Sabrina, this is Mayor McAdams¡¯s daughter, Miss Aria McAdams.¡± Marissa gestured towards Aria. She nced at Jenna, who was sitting restlessly on the other side with her face reddened. Marissa did not go on further in consideration of her.

    So she was Aria McAdams, the movie star?

    Sabrina nced at Aria. Seeing her with heavy makeupandher face full of arrogance, she did not like her.Besides,she remembered that Aria had greeted her nonchntly. It even looked like Aria had gazed at her in disdain. Dissatisfaction grew in Sabrina, and she, too, greeted Aria ndly.

    This was their first impression of each other.

    ¡°Jenna, can you take me to my bedroom? I want to see how it looks like,¡± Sabrina suggested as she felt that Jenna was uneasy.Jenna immediately nodded in agreement.But when she was about to stand up, she heard Aria¡¯s exaggerated cry, ¡°Hansen, what happened to your face?¡±

    When she cried out, Marissa was startled and quickly looked at Hansen¡¯s face too.

    Hansen cursed. If Marissa saw this, she would definitely get to the bottom of it. If she found out that it was Jenna¡¯s doing, she would hold more grudges against her. Marissa did not like Jenna, and things would only be worse if she knew about this. He instantly stood up and turned his face to one side. He said casually, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m fine. I didn¡¯t see where I was going and got scratched by a tree branch yesterday. It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, your wound looks seriousand the skin is even peeling off. You should make an appointment at the dermatologist to make sure you don¡¯t leave scars,¡± Aria said loudly with a concerned expression, lest others might not know it.

    Marissa grew nervous at Aria¡¯s words. She ran over in a hurry and held Hansen¡¯s face, looking at it carefully.

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just a little scratch for a man like me.What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Hansen was impatient. He also felt it unnecessary for Marissa to make such a fuss.

    However, Marissa was insistent.She observed his face and shook her head.¡°No, it doesn¡¯t look like a scratch from a tree branch. It was clearly scratched by someone. Hansen, who did you get into a fight with?¡±

    ¡°Mom, there¡¯s no such thing.¡± He shook his head in denind stretched out his hand to hold Jenna who was about to take Sabrina upstairs.¡°Jenna, wait for me.¡±

    Hearing Marissa¡¯s words, Jenna realized that if Marissa knew she had scratched Hansen¡¯s face,she would definitely not let her get away with it. Not a moment longer did she want to stay here and get caught. She had no intention to exin anything,therefore she was about to head upstairs with Sabrina before Hansen gripped her wrist.

    ¡°Jenna, is your room on the second floor? Why are there two guards here?¡± Sabrina asked curiously.

    Jenna blushedbut she did not respond. She wanted to break free from Hansenbut she heard him say, ¡°I should head upstairs with you two. I don¡¯t want Mom pestering me about my face.¡±

    Jenna understood that he was trying to prevent Marissa from asking for more details, thus he could only follow them to the second floor.

    What a good excuse.

    Moreover, Jenna realized that she could not do anything about it!

    She bit her lip and walked with her head down.

    When she gave no sign of objection, Hansen followed.

    Meanwhile, Sabrina was looking aroundexcitedly.

    ¡°Mom, what should we do?Grandma has let Jenna take charge of Richards Manor today. If this goes on, how am I supposed to live the rest of my days? What about you?You should be the rightful head of the manorbut now, Grandma gave this outsider the rights to take care of the manor. What is this? How are we going to live here from now on?¡± Aria waited for them to leave before crying out to Marissa.

    ¡°What did you say? Let her take charge of the house? Who did you hear this from?¡± Marissa blurted out in surprise.

    This was such an important matter.Yet, as the daughter-inw who had legally married into the Richards family, Marissa knew nothing about it. How was Jenna worthy to be the head of Richards Manor?This was ludicrous!Marissa was roiling in anger.

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s true. The servant in Grandma¡¯s house, Julian Adams, told me this. It can¡¯t be wrong. Mom, you saw the red box in Jenna¡¯s hand. That must be the documents about the rights of Richards Manor that Grandma had given her.¡± Aria choked through her words. Her eyes were red and even her voice trembled.

    Marissa¡¯s face fell as her expression turned vicious.

    ¡°Aria, it¡¯s alright, there¡¯s no need to rush.Let me confirm the news first.¡± Marissa¡¯s face paled after her dark expressionand her voice was shaking. It seemed that this was probably true. Vivian was too old to be in charge of the manor all the time. Although each house had its owners, they ced the responsibility to be in charge of Richards Manor on one person. This right should have been given to her early onbut Vivian always disliked her and nitpicked on her.

    For so many years, what has been troubling Marissa was her rtionship with Vivian. She was a woman full of prideand she was dissatisfied with Vivian¡¯s behavior. However, Vivian was strong and overpowering. She always had to intervene in everythingno matter big or small. Sheeven interfered with Hansen¡¯s marriage.Marissa had long been displeased by thisbut she held it in, which made her feel ufortable from time to time.

    The major reason she did not like Jenna was because of Vivian, she thought.

    Just because Vivian liked Jenna,Marissa was not fond of Jenna because she had grudges with Vivian. She also let out heranger towards Vivian on Jenna.Despite that,Marissa herself never noticed.

    Aria¡¯s heart sank. The facts could not be clearer. Vivian had already handed over the house to Jenna. It was the truth even after Marissa¡¯s confirmation.

    This was a p in her face.

    In the future, what would she gain after marrying into the family?

    The second floor was given to Jenna, and currently, the house had also been handed over to her.What would Aria amount to? She was just the mother of a childand nothing more.

    The most important thing was that Hansen still did not love her.

    Was such a wealthy life even worth it?

    Aria was dejected. She was full of hatredbut she did not want to give up. Why should she be the one to give up?

    Since they had done this to her, she would let them taste their own medicine.

    Her anger was brimmingand it finally burst, destroying everything in its way.She heard a sound roaring loudly in her ears.

 Chapter 219 Trapped In Quicksand

    As Aria returned to her bedroom, Minnie saw her fuming. Her face was reddened and her eyebrows were furrowed. She hurriedlyforted, ¡°Ms. McAdams, please calm down. That woman is too clever with her schemes, we can¡¯t fight against her at all.¡±

    ¡°The d*mned old woman isalways against me on everything!¡± Aria gritted her teeth and cursed.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, why don¡¯t you use your father¡¯s power to show them a taste of their own medicine? Don¡¯t let them look down on you,¡± Minnie suggested bitterly.

    Aria stared around with a fierce gaze.

    Richards Manor had a long history and a strong foundation, even Earl could noty his hands on it. The only hope left was Camphor Tree Vibut Hansen did not care about it. Ever since his application for it to be an environmental protection zone was rejected by Earl, there was no news about it. Hansen never mentioned it again.

    Currently, Camphor Tree Vi was as if it waspletely abandonedand Hansen seemed to have forgotten about it.

    Aria paced back and forth in the room while a storm was cooking up in her mind.

    ¡°Minnie, do you know what medicines Grandma Richards takes every day?¡± Aria asked with an eerie smile.

    Minnie raised her head and looked at Aria, not understanding where this came from.

    Aria chuckled, raising an eyebrow as she parted herlips to say,¡°She has serious heart disease and has to rely on medicines every day. There must be a person who is responsible for preparing medicines for her. That¡¯ll lead us to Meroy. Think about it, if Vivian doesn¡¯t take her medications one day and dies due to an ident, isn¡¯t this a good ending for her?¡± she said in a low voice.

    What? Minnie was in shockand her heart beat wildly.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, you, what do you mean?¡± she stammered.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Aria replied with her lips curled up slightly.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Minnie came back to her senses and she realized something.Her expression looked terrible andher tongue froze. She could not speak.

    What Aria meant was obvious, that was to kill Vivian!

    Minnie felt the chills by that mere thought. This was a matter of life and death!

    Although she wasgreedy for money and loved to take advantage of people,she would never dare to involve herself in murder.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, you also know that Vivian is already old, so maybe there are not many days left for her. Our focus should be on that b*tch, Jenna.There¡¯s really no need to take the risk on Vivian. Besides,Ink Garden is heavily guarded, ordinary people can¡¯t get in at all. I think it¡¯s better if we think about how to drive Jenna away instead,¡± Minnie persuaded in fear. She would never agree to do that and risk her life for Aria.

    ¡°No, you¡¯re wrong,¡± Aria said in a straightforward manner.¡°Grandma Richards is the root of this matterand everything is her fault. Even if Jenna is driven away, she won¡¯t hand over these things to me. Look at Marissa, she has stayed in Richards Manor all her lifeand she is the daughter-inw of the Richards family for so many years. But, one word from Grandma Richardsand she didn¡¯t get anything. Isn¡¯t it obvious? I¡¯m going to give birth soon. I can¡¯t wait for her to die on her own. These past weeks, she has given that woman the inheritance and ownership of Richards Manor.She did this on purpose for me to give up and leave Richards Group.I¡¯m not a fool,how can I not know her thoughts?She¡¯s too stubborn. She should have died long ago,¡± Aria said furiously.

    ¡­

    Wasn¡¯t it because Jenna had Vivian behind her back that she could be so bold in Richards Manor? Without Vivian, she would be nothing.

    ¡°Butthink about it, if Jenna leaves,even if Vivian wants to give the inheritance to her, she¡¯ll have no way to do so, right?¡± Minnie did not back down and gave her opinion.In fact, she did not hate Vivian.She hated Jenna the most. She hated that Jenna was better than her in everythingand that she drove Minnie out of Richards Group.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°No. Even after Jenna is gone, she won¡¯t hand them over to me. She¡¯ll definitely find another woman she approves of, and then give them to her. She has the right to do so and no one can change that. Only when she¡¯s dead will she not be able to do anything,¡± Aria remarked gloomily.

    Dead?Minnie shuddered, her eyes full of fright. She spoke meekly, ¡°Even if Vivian¡­ ended up like that, we can¡¯t take back what she gave Jenna. Only when Jenna is gone, her rights will be useless and you can live as you please.¡±

    In any case, Minnie did not dare to hurt Vivian. She just wanted to see Jenna fail and be helpless.

    ¡°No, if Grandma Richards is gone, no one can stop Hansen from marrying me. As long as I be the Young Madam of the Richards family, I will certainly have a way to get rid of that b*tch. These few months are the most crucial, I have to kill her now. As long as she¡¯s gone, the things in Jenna¡¯s hands can be taken back slowly. Then, I can deal with her once and for all,¡± Aria stated decisively.

    Minnie gaped at Aria in terror. She took a step back when Aria gave her a sinister stare.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you want to serve me? Now is your chance. How about it? Do what I say. After it¡¯s done, I will not break my promise. I¡¯ll make you a rich woman in A city.¡± Aria stared at Minnie as she brushed her fingers through her wavy hair, grinning.

    The horror in Minnie¡¯s eyes intensified as if Aria had ced a sharp knife on her neck and was going to slit her throat anytime. She could not say anything except for shaking her head furiously.

    An evil smile slipped across Aria¡¯s face. She pursed her lips togetherand smiled brightly.

    Minnie looked at her bloody, red lips and felt chills running down her spine.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help you with this.You knowthat it¡¯s impossible to get into Ink Garden without permissionandI¡¯m not good at this. I can do any other thing for youbutfor this,I think you¡¯ll have to find someone else,¡± she faked a smile and rejected with her words cautiously selected. Her expression was terrible, she wanted to smile but could not.

    She was no idiot, she knew that this was a crime. It was not worth it to get involved for Aria¡¯s sake.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Aria sneered at herand said coldly, ¡°So, you don¡¯t want to help me anymore?¡±

    Her face turned icyand her stern re shot Minnie like an unforgiving arrow.

    Minnie paled immediately. She murmured weakly and began to tremble.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest. You¡¯re going to do it even if you don¡¯t want to.It¡¯s not your choice to make.¡± Aria¡¯s cruel and vicious voice pierced Minnie¡¯s heart like an ax, so scary that Minnie squinted her eyes.She lowered her headbut was still unwilling to work for Aria.She could onlyugh awkwardly and say, ¡°Ms. McAdams, of course, I¡¯m d to serve youbut I can¡¯t do this, I¡¯m not capable of it.¡±

    ¡°You can. In fact, anyone can. It depends on whether you want to do it.¡± Aria did not give her any leewayand continued, ¡°Just to let you know, Julian, Grandma¡¯s servant in Ink Garden, is on our side. As long as you go, she¡¯ll help you.¡±

    Minnie did not expect Aria to have had this n from the start. Her eyes widened in shock, utterly stunned.

    Aria shot her a nce, her expression calm. She walked to a safe, keyed in the password, and took out a stack of receipts. She waved it in her hands while smiling.¡°Minnie, do you know what these are?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± An ominous feeling crept upon Minnie.It was a thick pile of paper. She immediately figured that it was her expense and reimbursement receipts when she was Aria¡¯s agent. Petrifying thoughts shed across her mindand her face was as pale as the papers.

    ¡°These are all the expenses and reimbursement vouchers you faked while you were with me.Don¡¯t assume I had no idea. Do you know how much money these are?¡± Aria questioned with a fake smile.

    ¡°How much?¡± Minnie asked tremblingly. Her body began to numb, even her blood was almost freezing.

    Aria gave a friendly smile andraised her shining eyes before sitting down on the sofa.She crossed her legs and spoke leisurely, ¡°You don¡¯t even remember how much were they? It looks like money came quite easily for you. Look, these are all your autographs when you asked me for reimbursements. I have kept all the evidence, only to use them when you disobey me. You faked quite a lot of invoices. For some, you just filled it with a random name. Don¡¯t think that I knew nothing. The reason why I have not exposed you is to give you a chance to pay me back. If I need your help in the future, I hope you know what to do. As for now, this is such a crucial momentbut you are so ungrateful and chickened out. You¡¯re a disloyal, filthy one indeed. Fortunately, I kept this evidence.¡±

    Aria spat her insults at Minnie, her words full of sarcasm. Sheughed when she saw Minnie stupefied.

    Minnie¡¯s face lost all its color. She finally realized that Aria was not as dumb and easy to please as she had imagined. She had fallen into quicksand, unable to escape.

    ¡°Five million,¡± Aria said word by word, her gaze aggressive and intimidating. After speaking, she stood up slowly and walked forward to Minnie.With one hand touching Minnie¡¯s cold cheek,she spoke in delight, ¡°Minnie, tell me, what will happen to a person who embezzled five million dors?Would they need to stay in prison for life?¡±

    Her voice was gentle and invitingbut she was no less than a demon in Minnie¡¯s eyes, destroying herpletely.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, I was wrong, please let me go,¡± Minnie begged Aria with a trembling voice. Her whole body was shaking as she was pushed to the point of ultimate fear.

 Chapter 220 Youâ€™re Scared

    ¡°Let you go?¡± Aria smiled devilishly. ¡°If I let you go, what about all the money you embezzled?Do you think money is that easy to earn? The filming crew is already in a mess. Because of the excessive loss, someone has already filed a case with the authorities. As soon as the investigation starts,you¡¯ll be done for the embezzlement, not to mention your crimes in the past. It¡¯s impossible to deny it with the evidence and witnesses. Tell me, how can I help you by then? Why should I help you?¡±

    Minnie was struck by Aria¡¯s icy cold words, feeling as if they are an avncheing in her direction.

    She stepped back in fright and fell onto the ground limply, looking at Aria in horror.

    Five million?She had spent all the money.There was no way to get the money back even if she wanted to return it. Hansen had forced her family to return Javon¡¯s assets to Jenna. She could only count on Aria for more money. How could she be able to repay these debts?

    She was frightened on the spot.

    She realized Aria was her only hope and her only way out. She could not afford to offend her!

    She crawled over and knelt in front of Aria, hugging her legs asshe cried.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, please save me. I am willing to do anything you want to repay you but please don¡¯t let me go to jail. I don¡¯t want to be jailed.¡±

    Speaking of this, she sobbed silently.

    A small smile formed on Aria¡¯s face. She lifted her hand from her stomachand gently stroked Minnie¡¯s head.Her voice was gentle., ¡°Oh, what are you like this? Come on, get up, we can discuss the rest.¡±

    Minnie was obviously horrified.It was as if her soul had left her body. She refused to get up and continued weeping.

    Aria¡¯s smile widened.She reached out her hand to Minnieand said, ¡°Get up quickly.Just look at you. If someone saw us, they¡¯ll think I¡¯m ckmailing you. You should have thought about the consequences at the start. How would you seed when you¡¯re such a coward?¡±

    Minnie lifted her eyes and looked at her in uncertainty. Seeing Aria¡¯s stretched-out hand and herposed manner,she also calmed down.

    Earl was the deputy mayor of A city. He could definitely solve this little problem for Minnie. As long as Aria was willing to help her, there was nothing difficult about it.

    ¡°Rest assured, as long as you listen to me, the money is nothing. I promise I¡¯ll make you rich if you do what I say. Only the courageous ones can seed.¡± Aria smiled and pulled Minnie up to her feet. Sheforted her, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that you¡¯ll be sent to jail. As long as this evidence is not handed over, no one will know. For now, there¡¯s not a single person who knows this, except for me. I won¡¯t let anything happen to you.¡±

    It was not until Aria said these words that Minnie settled downbut greater anxiety struck her. If she was asked to harm Vivian, this would be a dead end. She thought of Hansen¡¯s terrifying wrath and began to tremble. At present, she could only see how things would go. Except for following Aria¡¯s orders, she had no way out of this.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, don¡¯t worry, I promise to obey you from now on.Please, you have to save me,¡± Minnie vowed after wiping away her tears.

    ¡°Good, this is what I want.¡± A satisfied smile appeared on Aria¡¯s face. ¡°From now on, all you have to do is to listen to me and I¡¯ll make sure that you can enjoy all the riches in the world. I will surely share some benefits with you. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°But, I really don¡¯t know what to do.¡± Minnie¡¯s eyes were red and swollen, and there was a lingering fear in her heart.

    ¡°No worries, we can take our time, just listen to my instructions,¡± Aria assuredher.¡°It won¡¯t be good for me if our ns are exposed either, so I won¡¯t let you take risks. After all, we are together nowin the same boat. If I die, you die too. We share both honor and disgrace,¡± she said in a pleasant tone.

    She patted on Minnie¡¯s shoulder, handing her a piece of tissue.

    Minnie nodded.

    Laughter and chatter filled the second floor of Green Jade Garden.

    Sabrina and Jenna were lying on the bed and busy looking at some car designs,chatting non-stop.

    Hansen sat on the side,interrupting and teasing the two of them from time to time, and he was often met by their eyes rolling at him.

    Because of Sabrina, Jenna could not kick him out directlyand the three of them stayed peacefully untilte at night.

    ¡°Jenna, which bedroom should I sleep in? Can I sleep in the room next to you two?¡± Sabrina was a little tired and asked Jenna.

    Jenna thought about it and said, ¡°Sabrina, you sleep with me tonight.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Sabrina was bewildered.¡°Where does Hansen sleep then?¡±

    Jenna scoffed, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to stay with me? I¡¯m letting you sleep with me now. Let¡¯s ignore the others.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m against it.¡± Hansen knew that Jenna was deliberately driving him awayand he objected immediately.

    ¡°I think I should sleep next door,¡± Sabrina suggested. The least she could do was not break up the pair.

    ¡°No,¡± Jenna tly refused.¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. He¡¯s supposed to be on the first floor with his family;it¡¯s none of our business. Besides, he and I are no longer husband and wife. I am a happy soul by myself.¡±

    Jenna said this as she picked up the plums on the table. After a while, she realized that she had eaten a whole te and was a little surprised. She hurriedly spat out the plum and went to sleep.

    Hansen felt strange seeing her eating the plums. She was unusual these days,always eating sour food.Besides, it was like her whole personality had changed as well. He pondered as he stared at the te of plums.

    Right then, his phone rangand he saw that it was from Alvin.

    He stood up and excused himself to head out.

    Jenna looked at his exiting figure. He went out after the phone rang, apparently avoiding her. It was probably Aria who called. At that moment, sourness filled up her stomach more than the plums did.

    ¡°Alvin, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Hansen had just stepped out of the living room of Green Jade Garden before asking in a low voice.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Norton was released on bail,¡± Alvin on the other side answered in a deep voice.

    What? Norton came out?

    Hansen had quite a shock at the news. He headed outside.

    ¡°What happened? Who bailed him?¡± he asked in surprise.

    ¡°For now, I can¡¯t find any information on thatbut you may ask Mr. Grote about this, perhaps he knows. However, on the day Norton was released, I saw Aria pick him up. She took him to a restaurantter.¡± Alvin was not sure whether this matter was rted to Ariabut he told the truth about what he saw. At least from his observations, Norton and Aria were very close. Thinking of this, he said seriously, ¡°Mr. Richards, it seems that Norton is rather close with Aria.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s fingers curled up as his grip on the phone tightened. He was silent for a while before he said, ¡°Alright. Send more men to keep an eye on Norton.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Mr. Richards,¡± Alvin replied.

    ¡°How¡¯s the situation with the Grand Eagles?¡± Hansen walked under a big tree shade and asked, looking at the road intersection in front of him.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there hasn¡¯t been news about Brock recently. John has gathered information from civilians about the location of the drug manufacturing den. It¡¯s likely to be the main den. It has been reported to Christopher¡¯s deputies. We estimate for the police to conduct a special operation in these two days. Christopher is rushing here to A city, he will meet you soon,¡± Alvin reported intently.

    ¡°Okay, you guys have done a good job.¡± Hansen nodded in satisfaction.

    A car drove from the main entrance of Richards Manor.

    Hansen stood at the intersectionwitha frown on his face, his eyebrows furrowed.

    His figure seemed even taller under the dim streetlights. He was charismatic in his polished suitwith defined eyebrows and a cold, handsome face. He stared darkly at the person in the vehicle.

    The car came closer with Norton in it.

    Hansen stood in the middle of the road, his expression stern.

    ¡°Hello, Young Master,¡± the driver, Laird Wyld, greeted him politely as the car stopped.

    Hansen nodded in acknowledgment. His sharp eyes nced at Norton who was sitting in the car.

    Norton seemed afraid to look at him with his head hung low.

    ¡°Get out, I want to talk to you,¡± Hansen said calmly, his face expressionless.

    Norton had seen Hansen standing in the middle of the road but he just lowered his head and pretended not to see him.

    He did not want to talk to him at all.

    However, Hansen had stopped him so bluntly thathe had to get out of the car.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    Hansen waved his hand and the car whizzed away.

    ¡°Tell me, how did you get out?¡± He stared at Norton with sharp eyes.

    ¡°Someone released me on bail. You didn¡¯t,you¡¯re even my brother. In fact, you took advantage of this chance. I reckon that there is no point to say more about it,¡±Norton lifted his chin and said sarcasticallyafter struggling to push away the guilt to the back of his mind.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze turned darkerand he asked calmly, ¡°Norton, do you really think it¡¯s a good thing to bail you out of jail at this time?¡±

    What did he mean? Norton flinched.

    ¡°I know you want to keep me in jail andhumiliate me. But, let me tell you something, I don¡¯t care. Anyhow, I¡¯ve lost my job. You wanted for me to be in prison for the rest of my life and lose my inheritance, didn¡¯t you?Sorry to disappoint youbut I came out.¡±Norton suddenlyughed sadly. As long as Vivian was oblivious to this, he could still get the inheritance after time had passed. It was obvious that Hansen did not want him to be released based on his words.

    Now that he was out, Hansen was probably scared!

    Thinking of this, Nortonughed.

 Chapter 221 A Special Banquet

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Hansen shouted in anger. ¡°Idiot, do you think everyone is as shameless as you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m despicable and shameless,sure, but are you any better?¡± Norton sneered.¡°You are not much better than me. I love Jenna but I would never hurt her.However, you deceived her feelings from the beginning.You hurt her andleft her scarred, you¡¯re not a man.Now that Aria is pregnant with your child, you¡¯re stuck with her;she won¡¯t let you go.How much have you hurt her and disappointed her?Don¡¯t you feel sorry?¡± He scoffed.¡°God is fair.If I can¡¯t get her, you can¡¯t either. You know how she is.How would she forgive you?¡±

    When Norton said this, he burst into tearsughing.

    Hansen¡¯s worries were exposed one by oneand a deep pain shed across his eyes, his fists clenched.

    ¡°A*shole,that was all because of you!¡± heshed out in fury when Norton reminded him of the incident at Hilton Hotel. However,Vivian¡¯s words rang in his ears,¡°From the same root they were born, torture amongst left cruelty and forlorn.¡± Norton and he were the only descendants of the Richards family. At this time, Norton was walking on thin ice. As the elder brother, Hansen figured it was his responsibility to give him a hand.

    ¡°Tell me, who released you on bail and why?¡± Hansen tried his best to suppress his anger and forced himself to calm down with all his might. He spoke in a low voice.

    Norton still had a cold smile on his faceand he did not bother to answer.

    ¡°Norton, this is moreplicated than you think. You¡¯re involved with murder,you shouldn¡¯te out at this time. I can only protect you if you listen to meand try to eliminate any suspicions so that you cane out safely and legally. Even if the court decides to punish you, at least you can feel at easeand you can live an honest life after that. Our family is strong. If youe out in the future, you can work in Richards Group. After all, we¡¯re family. We¡¯re the only descendants in the family. We should support each other and work together to maintain our family¡¯s business. You know our businesses are big and need people to take care of them. The crimes youmitted would not affect that but you really shouldn¡¯t be out now,¡±Hansen said earnestly. He hoped that Norton woulde clean with what happened so that he could make the subsequent decisions.

    ¡°Tsk tsk,that was the perfect speech.¡± Nortonughed out loudwith distrust and disgust on his face.¡°Stop acting like a goody-two-shoes. Do you think I believe you? I¡¯m not dumb. I can figure these out on my own.¡±

    His eyes were filled with indifference and disdain. He pointed his finger at himself and growled,¡°I¡¯ve said this a long time ago. I didn¡¯t mean to kill Javon. I ordered Brock to find a way to stop him from participating in the election the next day. That was it. I wanted to prove my abilities. But, the d*mned man actually killed him.What else could I do with that?I¡¯ve said this countless timesbutno one wants to believe me. During these days in detention, none of the Richards came to see me, let alonefort me. Now that I¡¯m out, you¡¯re saying all this fake bullsh*t. You expect me to listen to you?¡±

    The more he spoke, the more emotional he became. His eyes were red when he stared at Hansen coldly, veins on his forehead popping.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.I didn¡¯t go to see you so as to avoid suspicion. You don¡¯t have to believe me but do you not trust your mother? Her eyes are swollen from crying. How could she not visit you? It was the Public Security Department¡¯s ordersand we had to prove your innocence. We didn¡¯t want others to think that just because you are the grandson of the Richards family, we¡¯ll bribe the Public Security Department to let you go,¡±Hansen shouted at his stupidity.¡°If things are like what you said, it means that there¡¯s still more to your case. Although we have not found out about anything, we believe that we can find a breakthrough, provided that you cooperate with us.¡±

    Hearing about Maria, Norton calmed down and came to his senses. However, his eyes soon shed with fear.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    No, he could not go to jail.

    Thatexperience was horrible.

    How would Hansen be so kind to help him? This case had so much solid evidence and he has already settled his charge. From other people¡¯s perspectives, it was impossible to turn the case over. It was Brock¡¯s doing and Norton was the one behind him. He could just me himself for being unlucky. It was useless.

    What happenedhad happened. Thew only judged based on evidence. Everyone understood this and it was no use for Hansen to fake kindness.

    ¡­

    At the moment, he could only use this method to get out of jail. He could not think of any other way.

    Since someone gave him this chance at freedom, of course he had to grasp it. This was the only way.

    Thinking of this, Norton sneered at Hansen¡¯s persuasion.

    ¡°Norton, there are many ways to prove yourself. Why did you use such a method to stop Javon from joining the election? You are harming yourself and everyone else,¡± Hansen reprimanded in utter disappointment.

    ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say. You have Richards Group and your father¡¯s business passed down to you. But, I can only rely on myself in the political scene. Everyone in the office will do anything to get the title. Do you think we can make it just by our work performance? Pathetic,¡± Norton trembled as he spat out the words in despondency.

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m leaving. Don¡¯t waste your energy and waste each other¡¯s time.¡±

    After Norton finished speaking, he stormed towards Emerald Garden.

    ¡°Norton, I hope you can think about what I said and be clear about the situation.Come to me anytime if you need anything. After all, I don¡¯t want you to be wronged,¡± Hansen said after Norton¡¯s back.

    Norton¡¯s footsteps only paused for a while before he continued to move forward, not once turning back.

    Hansen was speechlessand he shook his head.

    Below Green Jade Garden blew a clear and cold night breeze, and the leaves in the streets were rustled by the autumn wind. It wasdull and silent aside from the owls, hooting from time to time.

    Hansen wandered around as he stared at Jenna¡¯s bedroom on the second floor with a heavy heart.

    Norton was right.Aria was pregnant, what could he do?

    He felt sorry toward Jenna, guilty of hurting her in the past.

    He mmed his fist on the tree trunk and shut his eyes in pain.

    When Jenna woke up early in the morning, her stomach was surging, bloated and painful.

    Her morning sickness had improved a lot these daysbut it still happened from time to time every day. What made her feel even more ufortable was that her body was exhausted.She just wanted to sleepand had no appetite. She had not eaten much of the meals that Aunt E brought over. To not risk people getting suspicious, she secretly dumped the food into the trash can.

    Marissa visited Trevor in the hospital every morning,therefore she would only go to the hospital in the afternoon to prevent an unwanted encounter.

    Every morning, Jenna handled the work of Richards Manor with Butler Maud¡¯s help. In the afternoon, she would go to the hospital to apany Trevor and Sara. When she came home at night, she was always exhausted and wanted to sleep.

    Two days passed by in this manner.

    One morning, she woke up and ran to the bathroom as usual to vomit. Only after she recovered did she head downstairs.

    Sabrina was sitting downstairs waiting for her. She was the only guest that Jenna approved to live on the second floor.

    With Sabrina around, Jenna¡¯s days seem to have improved a lot. Even at the dinner table, Marissa¡¯s indifference or Aria¡¯s hateful stares towards Jenna lessened a whole lot because of Sabrina. She had sensed the predicament Jenna was in. Because she liked Jenna¡¯s personality and admired her talents, she stood on her side without any hesitation.

    The servants of Richards Manor were divided into two groups through the incidents of Jenna upying the second floor and Vivian letting her be in charge. One group was on Marissa and Aria¡¯s side. After all, Marissa was the rightful head of the family.Another group saw Jenna¡¯s potential. Vivian and Hansen had always defended Jenna. Thinking that she would seed, they chose her side. The remaining ones who were calm andposed were neutral.

    Jenna did not care about these. Since she did not intend to stay in Richards Manor, naturally,they were none of her business.

    ¡°Jenna, are we going to buy stuff to prepare for New Year?¡± Sabrina asked as she sat on the hammock on the first floor of Ink Garden,looking at Jennawho was looking through the ledgers on the side.

    ¡°Well, New Year is approaching andwe need to buy some goods soonbut let¡¯s leave it to Butler Maud.¡± Jenna sorted out the files and smiled slightly.

    ¡°You¡¯re in charge this year. Would you like to hold a special New Year¡¯s banquet?¡± Sabrina asked with interest, tilting her head.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Jenna¡¯s heart fluttered and she was also interested in Sabrina¡¯s idea. After all, there would be three days during New Year whereeveryone in the Richards family, including their inws, would gather in Ink Garden for a celebration. They would even invite other prestigious families whom the Richards family was on good terms with to the event.

    Come to think of it, Jenna met Vivian for the first time at a gathering in Richards Manor. It was the same forSabrina. Because of the party invitations Sabrina got each year, she got to live in the manor for a period of time.

    Such a gathering was a very special memory to both of them.

    Therefore, when Sabrina proposed this, Jenna¡¯s interest was piqued by it.

    Over the years since Vivian isted herself from the outside world, this gathering had lost its excitement. It was simply just a tradition for everyone to get together and have a meal, and they would go on their own ways after.

    If she could organize this party well, there was no doubt that it would add a little joy to the lifeless Richards Manor.

    It was only about 20 days before New Year¡¯s Eveand it was not toote to prepare for it.

    ¡°Are you interested?¡± Jenna asked with a smile.

 Chapter 222 Drop The Act

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m so down for it.¡± Sabrina jumped off the hammock and said with joy, ¡°Jenna, since you¡¯re in charge,let¡¯s prepare something special that will impress everyone. How about a special New Year banquet?¡±

    Jenna chuckled. Shethought for a while and said, ¡°That¡¯s interesting, I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    ¡°What is there to think about? Alright, that¡¯s final.¡± Sabrina was full of excitement.

    ¡°Sabrina, it¡¯s a good thing to hold an annual banquetbut we should also get Grandma¡¯s consent and look through the expenses in the past few years. We can¡¯t just hop into it without proper nning,¡± Jenna smiled and reminded her.

    Richards Manor had no shortage of moneybut this did not imply that people here would be up for it. Often, these asions were events where people bragged about their riches and sesses to one another, all just so they could feign their pride.

    If the distribution was unfair or favoring one over the other, no matter which part went wrong, it would offend the status of each person in Richards Manor. They would easily associate this event with the inheritance rights in the manor,therefore they would keep an eye on the distribution of these benefits.

    This was a headache but seeing Sabrina full of anticipation, Jenna also got excited.

    ¡°Jenna, you worry too much. Trust me, Grandma will definitely agree. Now, every big family in A city is nning events like this. Last year, FredericNewton¡¯s family spent 10 million on the New Year Day¡¯s celebration. The event was all over the news, even I knew about it despite being in Capital City. Plus, this will be an auspicious event for everyone.¡± Sabrina was very confident. From her perspective, the current Richards Manor was utterly gloomy.They needed to hold such an extraordinary New Year banquet to lighten up the mood.

    Jenna listened andnced at her sideways.¡°Since you¡¯re so interested in this,you have to help me throughout the event!¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Sabrina rubbed her face that was a little red from the cold bite of the wind and said seriously, ¡°I shall do as youmand, YoungMadam.¡±

    After speaking, she got down on one knee, making Jennaugh.

    ¡°What¡¯s the asion?¡± Strong footsteps approached as two tall men walked in.

    Jenna looked up.

    Hansen and Christopher strode in one after another, looking absolutely dashing.

    One of them was wearing a suit and leather shoes, while the other wore the most trendy royal blue fleece coat. They had their hairbed to the back neatly, revealing smooth foreheads. They were especially handsome.

    Why was Christopher here?

    Jenna was surprised. She looked up at him, failing to hide the puzzle in her eyes.

    ¡°Hello, Jenna.¡± Christopher approached Jenna without hesitation and stretched out his hand.

    His eyes were as calm as a quietke. His thin lips curled upwards, looking polite and sophisticated.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Matthews.¡± Jenna only paused for a split second before she shook his hand.

    His hands were very warm against Jenna¡¯s cold ones. His eyebrows were raised slightlyand he gave her hand a firm shake. He looked around the room before his eyesnded on the open window, speakingin a caring and thoughtful manner.

    ¡°It¡¯s so cold today. Why is the window open? No wonder your hands are so cold.¡±

    Jenna panicked a little inside. Sheretracted her handand smiled faintly.¡°We like some fresh air.¡±

    She answered so elegantlywith a slight smile stered on her face.There was nothing inappropriatebut she felt a displeased gaze shot at her.

    She did not even need to guess who it was from.

    She spared no looks at Hansen and smiledat Christopher.¡°Christopher, what brings you here all the way from Capital City?¡±

    Christopher grinned.¡°I¡¯m here to seeVivianand you.¡±

    Jenna smiled lightly. She was used to small talk.

    On the sofa, Sabrina was flipping through a magazine in her hand. She raised her head and smiled at Christopher. ¡°Mr. Matthews, I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here.¡±

    Christopherughed. ¡°Miss Delia, you should have told me that you¡¯reing to A city. Wouldn¡¯t it be more lively if we came together?¡±

    ¡°Oh, please no, you¡¯re a public official who handles important matters. I wouldn¡¯t dare to get in the way,¡± Sabrina waved her hand and said loudly.The two looked like close friends.

    They were both from Capital City andfrom prestigious families. Jenna could figure why they were close with each other.

    She returned to the desk to deal with the ledgers.

    Hansen had a dark expression on his face.

    Jenna casted him no nces since the start, it wasas if he did not exist.

    His face was gloomy and he felt embarrassed.

    ¡°Seems like you¡¯re quite interested in being the head of the household.¡± After a while, he walked over to Jenna and spoke to her.

    Jenna did not respond.

    ¡°You have to be careful when you¡¯re in charge.Handling Richards Manor isnot that easy,¡± he coughed awkwardly and continued.

    ¡°You think I want to do this?Nobody cares about taking over Richards Manor,¡± Jenna closed the book and replied coldly.

    A cold wind hit his face when she shut the book.It felt like a p on his faceand he seemed pathetic, adding to his awkwardness.

    She really showed him no mercy. On top of that, she was rude.

    He nced at Christopher and Sabrina from the corner of his eye. They were chatting away,paying no attention over here. Only then did he feel less embarrassed.

    ¡°Jenna,are you really going to do this to me?¡± He lowered his voice and gritted his teeth.

    ¡°What did I do?¡± Jenna raised her eyes and stared at him. ¡°Mr. Richards, what are you talking about?Are we that close? Why would you think that way?¡±

    She spat her questions as Hansen gaped at her, unable to say anything.

    Were they not close? They had been in the same bed for so many years;they had unspeakable affection towards each other. But at this moment, she denied all of it!

    ¡°Jenna, at least we can get along nicely,¡± he whispered.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jenna gave him a sad smile. ¡°Stop pretending. Who am I to get along with you, Mr. Richards?¡±

    Her smile was stiff and cold, and she looked straight outside the window.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hansen asked,pletely clueless. He felt that she was so angry with him on this day,even more distant than usual.

    She looked at the plum blossoms outside the window, blooming brightly with vibrant colors amidst the snow.

    It was beautiful, she thought.

    Would she blossom that way in this family? Could she forget the past and start anew with them? She felt like she couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°What happened?¡± He frowned. Her face was pale and ashy. There was a trace of pain in her eyesand his heart trembled as he asked.

    She tugged the corners of her lips, turned her head, and nced at him coldly.¡°Did you bail Norton out? You promised this would never happen. Do youcare to exin it now? What more lies do you want to feed me with?¡±

    She red before turning around and looked at him no more.She picked up the ledger and walked towards the sofa on the other side.

    She felt her stomach churn painfully when she asked him that.

    Early in the morning, she had heard from the servants that Norton was back.It was probably for Sabrina!

    In fact, there were not many people in the manor that knew Norton was detainedexcept for Vivian, ude, and Maria. It was kept a secret to everyone else.

    However, when Sabrina arrived, Norton did not show up. Let alone Sabrina, even the servants were guessing where he went.It became more suspicious especially when he was absent at the reunion dinner during the holidays.

    Hansen stood in a dazeand finally understood why Jenna was so cold towards him.

    She really misunderstood him!

    He did not want Norton toe out at this time as well. Everything was not going the way he wanted.

    In her heart, Norton was his younger brother, his family. She had a thousand reasons to think so.

    But, she did not understand his feelings.

    She was the person he loved the most. She was his family.

    Even so, she would not understand, nor would she believe it.

    If it were not for her, he would never investigate the case.

    But since he had started it, no one should be wronged. This was his principlebut she would not understand.

    There was no way for him to exin.

    ¡°Jenna, this is a misunderstanding. I didn¡¯t bail Norton out of jail,¡± he followed to sit down beside herand exined.

    ¡°Drop the act, who else could it be?¡± She looked at the ledgers icily.

    ¡°You,¡± he was dejected, ¡°Are you not willing to believe me at all?¡±

    ¡°Give me a reason to believe you. Who else has the power to do this besides you?¡± Pain and ridicule shed across her eyes.

    For a time, Hansen was speechless.

    He, too, had no idea.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you presume that I don¡¯t know. Javon¡¯scase could have closedbut you insisted on investigating it further. Didn¡¯t you do thisto save Norton?¡± Her eyes grew red and she lowered her head.

    ¡°Jenna, do you really think so?¡± He opened his mouth wide in surprise, staring at her nkly.

    Norton¡¯s case was clearly suspicious. It was not a case which he could close simply. Jordan was unwilling to do so and the legal procedures did not allow it. This was a matter of life and death. How could this case be closed without solid evidence?

    However, Jenna thought the other way.Perhaps, she did not understand at all.That was why she med him for all of this.

    Just then, Meroy came over.

    ¡°It¡¯s so lively here today.I see that things have really changed once Young Madam took over.¡±She smiled.

    ¡°Meroy.¡± All of them went closer to her and smiled politely at her.

    ¡°Old Madam is awake now. If you want to see her, you may go in,¡± Meroy said.

    Hansen could say nothing more to Jenna.He went in with Christopher.

    Meanwhile, Jenna and Sabrina apanied Meroy, chatting with her.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    As soon as Sabrina suggested that they hold an annual banquet, Meroy was absolutely delighted and praised the idea. She was very happy and said, ¡°You youngsters are always so creative.I am sure of this:Old Madam will definitely like it.¡±

 Chapter 223 A Bad Feeling

    ¡°That would be great.¡± Sabrina happily apuded as she stared at Jenna.¡°How about it, Jenna? I told you so.¡±

    Jenna smiled.

    Sabrina had a captivating gaze, glistening with traces of innocence, and her smile was pure happiness. It was unlike Jenna¡¯s smile, which had different meanings behind it.

    After Hansen and Christopher left, Jenna and Sabrina brought forward the idea.Just as Meroy predicted,Vivian immediately agreed and promised to give them 20 million dors to organize this annual banquet. Vivian wanted the event to be as lively and festive as possible.

    Jenna and Sabrina were shocked by her immediate response.

    They couldn¡¯t grasp Vivian¡¯s thoughts. Even when it was her nieth birthday, the family was not allowed to publicize it. It was a surprise that she would invest so much in such amon annual banquet.

    But now that she agreed and was willing to hold such a banquet, Jenna couldn¡¯t say much.

    Soon, the news that Jenna was organizing a New Year banquet spread throughout Richards Manorand the entire manor was filled with excitement. The quiet garden instantly came to life.

    Jenna soon felt the mor of being a master.

    The servants rushed to her and paid their respects to her. They wanted to get some work and benefits from her.

    What was the meaning of holding an annual banquet with 20 million dors, making sure it was festive and joyous?

    It felt like buying happiness, spending money in a unique way.

    Therefore, this opportunity to make a fortune was the envy of many, including corporations that used to earn money through Richards Manor.Every one of them was finding ways to get close to Jenna.

    Jenna was in a position of power, beaming with pride. Her reputation instantly skyrocketed.

    However, she was unaffected. She was neither humble nor proud and did not get close to anyone.

    She knew that all of this did not belong to her.

    The head office of the manor was located in Ink Garden, where Jenna worked every morning.

    After thinking about it for a long time, she nned to set up the banquet on the central ind. She was nning to decoratethe ce as a mysterious plum blossoms garden, along with a plethora of delicious delicacies.She nned to set a stage up and invited famous singers and celebrities.

    Because of the cold weather, they needed tents. There was an observatory in the center of Richards Manor, which was blessed with a gorgeous view of A city. Standing here at night, they could see the whole city glistening with stars along with the jaw-dropping ind view.

    Jenna was the one who thought of this design.

    Sabrina practically shadowed Jenna. She followed her every day andeverywhere, constantly making suggestions. She vowed that they would hold the best annual banquet ever.

    This day, she sat on the hanging rattan chair on a balcony, browsing all sorts of delicacies. She was swinging her feet, contented.

    This hanging rattan chair was her favorite spot, where there was a thick plush quilt, keeping her warm against the chilling wind outside.

    Jenna was afraid of the cold, therefore she sat in the office and worked inside instead.

    ¡°Norton, you¡¯re here.¡± Suddenly, Sabrina¡¯s surprise cry came from the corridor.

    Jenna was stunned and raised her head.

    ¡°Sabrina, are youfortable living here?¡± Norton approached, smiling, and said softly, ¡°How is your father?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. Thank you for asking.¡± Sabrina¡¯s face was painted with a tint of pink. Her expression softened, left with just a small smile hanging on her face, her eyes glistening.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Hey, Sabrina, I initially nned to visit your father before New Yearbut too many things got in the way. Since you¡¯re here, just have fun. I will take you out someday,¡± Norton said gently.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Sabrina replied while fidgeting with her hands, her head lowered.

    Norton¡¯s eyes flickered behind his lenses but there was a warm smile on his face and his eyes nced into the room from time to time.

    ¡°What is Grandma doing?¡± he asked casually.

    ¡°Grandma has been having chest difort these two daysbut she is resting,¡± Sabrina replied with a smile, gaze soft and gentle.

    ¡°Then, everything is fine, right?¡± Norton looked a little nervous and asked with concern.

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a big problem. Meroy is an experienced doctorand she is looking into it,¡± Sabrina smiled and replied.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s good.¡± Norton breathed a sigh of relief with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going in to see Grandma?¡± Sabrina asked with wide eyes as she suddenly raised her head.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s best to not disturb her,¡± Norton hesitated before he said gently. After a moment of hesitation, he said seriously, ¡°Sabrina, I have something to ask you.Can we talk in private?¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Sabrina agreed enthusiastically.

    Norton turned around and walked outside, Sabrina followed behind closely. Both of them walked at a steady pace.

    Jenna pulled the curtains open to watch them.

    From the outside, they looked perfect for each other. One petite and exquisite, the other tall and muscr; a handsome man and a beautiful woman, they were really a match made in heaven.

    It was just that Sabrina was kind but Jenna wouldn¡¯t say the same thing about Norton.Would he cherish this marriage?

    Jenna sighed.

    Based on her instincts, Norton approached Sabrina not to flirt with her. What would it be?Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Sabrina was simple-mindedbut Norton was deceitful. If Norton had any bad intentions, Sabrina would not be able to know.

    Thinking of this, Jenna felt uneasy.

    After a while, Sabrina came over and Norton left.

    There was still a faint blush on her cheeks. She was smiling as if she¡¯d seen her Prince Charming.

    ¡°Sabrina, who was that?¡± Jenna asked, looking at the ount book, acting casual.

    ¡°It was Norton, Jenna.¡± Sabrina was an open bookand the corners of her lips curled up with tenderness.

    ¡°Oh, Norton. It¡¯s about time for him toe see you too,¡± Jenna said calmly.¡°You¡¯ve been at the manor for many days, you probably haven¡¯t seen him yet.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Norton is very busy.¡± Sabrina pouted her lips and said, ¡°However, he said that he will make time to bring me to the movies soon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Jennaughed and raised her head.¡°Was this all he said to you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Sabrina nodded.

    ¡°Sweet. He purposely came to the manor to ask you out.He seems to really like you. You will be very happy.¡± Jenna saw how shy Sabrina was and teased her.

    ¡°No, he just came over to ask about my father¡¯s situation. He wants to contact my father!¡± Sabrina was so excitedthather face turned redand she hurriedly defended.

    Norton was looking for General Delia? Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    Sure enough, Norton did note here to find Sabrina but to ask about her father.

    What did he want to see General Delia for?

    In just a short while, Jenna had a bad feeling.

    She hesitatedbut in the end, she just shook her head and smiled.¡°Norton usually doesn¡¯t visit you but nowhe decides to see you. I bet he is trying to please the old man.Do teach him a lesson to not be so impolite next time. He needs to know how to respect you.¡±

    A slight frustration shed across Sabrina¡¯s face but was soon covered by a sweet smile.

    In fact, she knew that in recent years, Norton was ignorant of her family.Other than visiting her father for Vivian¡¯s sake during the holidays, they barely kept in contact.

    However, she never thought much about it.

    After all, everyone was busy!

    On the vast golf course.

    Hansen, who was wearing a sweatshirt, took a deep breath, straightened his arms, and bent his legs slightly. He held the clubandaimed before swinging. With a muffled ¡°bang¡±, the ball shot out and quickly fell into the hole.

    His posture was very elegant and graceful.

    ¡°Whoa, nice swing!¡± Christopher stood on the side watching how perfect Hansen¡¯s posture was and how urate his shot was. He seemed impressed. He liked golfbut would never be able to strike as good as Hansen, let alone maintain such a perfect posture as his.

    This has be a pain in the a*s to Christopher. If it came to their skillsets, he had to spend more time practicing than him.

    Hansen was naturally talented. No matter what he did, it was perfect. This was what Christopher envied him for. It was for his talents in so many aspects that he has high self-esteem.

    But this time when he came over, Christopher unexpectedly discovered that Norton seemed to be more low-profile. He seemed calmer. He no longer had that aggressive look in his eyes and the signature smirk on his face. Christopher even saw a rare touch of tenderness and sadness in his eyes.

    From this, Christopher was determined that Hansen was having trouble with Jenna! Perhaps, he was going through something.

    Christopher swung the club and struck out the ball. Goal.

    ¡°Christopher,I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯te to A City just to y golf with me?¡± Hansen asked faintly after striking another ball.

    Christopher held the club with his eyes slightly narrowed. After striking the ball steadily, he took a breath and smiled. ¡°I heard that Jenna is going to hold a special annual banquet in the Richards Manor. It is such a rare opportunity. I don¡¯t want to miss it, hence I decided to stay for New Year.¡±

    New Year? Hansen nced at him and mocked, ¡°Come on, our manor is no ce for someone high and mighty like you. Don¡¯t talk nonsense with me.Get to the point. I¡¯m busy.¡±

    What he said was true.

    Since Jenna resigned, work has been piling up. In the past few days, he had to work until the wee hoursevery night. Sometimes, he found himself sleeping in the office till the next day.

    For him to spare time to apany Christopher showed a lot.

 Chapter 224 Trevor Opened His Eyes

    ¡°You haven¡¯t changed much since Ist saw you. No wonder Jenna is mad at you.¡± Christopher picked up the club as he kept talking.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± These words hit the nail in Hansen¡¯s head. Holding the club, his face twisted in angeras if he was about to hit Christopher with it.

    Christopherughed, afraid that he might actually hit him on the head. It looks like Hansen really wasn¡¯t in the mood to joke around. A look of sarcasm appeared on Christopher¡¯s face. ¡°Hansen, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so triggered. You still haven¡¯t grown when ites to rtionships.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t taunt me!¡± Hansen¡¯s face was a little red and he raised the club in his hand, wishing to hit the guy in front of him.

    If it weren¡¯t to go along with him, Hansen would have dealt with the matter long ago. He would have caught that d*mn Brock. Maybe, Aria¡¯s pregnancy wouldn¡¯t have happened.

    ¡°Okay, I surrender.¡± Christopher knew the temper Hansen had and immediately raised his hands in surrender.

    ¡°Say what you have to say. Don¡¯t anger me.¡± Hansen put down his club and hit the ball.

    The ball went straight into the hole.

    Christopher gasped.

    Hansen seemed like he was really in a bad mood.

    Christopher grinned. He heard rumors from the servants in the manor the night before that the current Young Madam was in charge and she even managed to order Hansen around. Not only did she kick him and Aria out of the rooms, but she also threw out all his clothes. Even so, he dared not say anything.

    Unexpectedly, Hansen has found his nemesis.

    But then again, he got a woman pregnant and was living in the same house with her. This wasn¡¯t intimacy; it was adultery at its finest.

    Staring at Hansen¡¯s exasperated look, Christopher shook his head.

    ¡°Hansen, when have you be so easily angered?¡± Christopher chuckled.

    Hearing Christopher¡¯s remark, Hansen¡¯s face turned red. He reached out to grab Christopher¡¯s cor and asked bitterly, ¡°Tell me, what is the n? Don¡¯t let me wait any longer. Otherwise, I will get Brock myself.¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry.¡± Christopher broke off Hansen¡¯s grip and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m here, am I not? We can discuss it. Don¡¯t worry,things will be over soon.¡±

    Christopher grabbed Hansen¡¯s arm and walked outside. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not interested in ying anymore. Let¡¯s go grab a drink.¡±

    In the warm and cozy booth.

    The scarlet liquid swirled gently in the red wine ss, filling their nostrils with an intoxicating aroma.

    ¡°Hansen, we took down a drug den and found several more. I have given orders to close all of them overnightbut it will take some time topletely get rid of all of them. However, you can rest assured that this won¡¯t take long. Brock may have heard the news and he¡¯s hiding. Don¡¯t worry, I will need your assistance when the timees,¡± Christopher filled Hansen¡¯s ss with wine as he exined.

    Hansen snorted and mocked, ¡°I knew that you will not find me for nothing. I¡¯d like to remind you that my deputies found this den. With just this, you should be grateful.¡±

    Christopher gently shook his ss, handed it to Hansen gracefully, and chuckled. ¡°Come onfriend, cheers to you. Thank you for your help.¡±

    After toasting to each other,they held the ss to their lipsand chucked the drink.

    Hansen looked at the wine in his ss, the light in his eyes was dark and deep. He slowly took a sip before saying in a cold tone, ¡°Mr. Matthews, I understand that you want political achievementsbut Javon¡¯s case must be solvedfast. Otherwise, Jenna¡¯s misunderstanding towards me will grow.¡±

    Christopher pondered and said seriously, ¡°Hansen, do you know why Norton was released on bail? Who bailed him? Things are not as simple as you think. Now that the higher ranks intend to remove corruption, this may be an opportunity.Maybe you will need my help then.¡±

    Christopher¡¯s words held a hidden message. He took a deep breath on his cigarette before exhaling. Smoke was all around him. Hansen raised his confused eyes and looked at him.

    What did he mean?

    Politicians had never been straightforwardbut Hansen still asked, ¡°What exactly do you know?¡±

    Christopher picked up a piece of pigeon meat from the dining table, chewed it, and spat it out. He looked at the meat, shook his head, and said, ¡°Hansen, I really don¡¯t know anythingbut I feel that there is more than meets the eye. Therefore, we should not rush through this. Just like this pigeon, it is actually a very in piece of pigeon meat but after I chewed it, it has bepletely unrecognizable. For the same reason, this matter was initially trivialbut someone must be ying tricks behind to confuse us. We have to be patient.Let me stay. I promise you that I won¡¯t go back to the Capital City unless this matter is solved. Sounds good?¡±

    Hansen squinted his eyes for a long time and a t smile appeared. ¡°Obviously, you¡¯re doing this for yourself. I don¡¯t care what you want. But, if you dy this any further, I promise that you¡¯ll be the first one to die.¡±

    Christopher coughed twice, with a bitter smile on his face. He touched his ss and said, ¡°Hansen, I can¡¯t hide anything from you. You have to believe me. We are family friends, what¡¯s yours is mine. Come on, let¡¯s toast and get drunk.¡±

    Hansen was silent and couldn¡¯t resist Christopher¡¯s persuasion. After a few sses of wine, his head became a little dizzy.

    The two began to hug each otherand continued drinking ss by ss.

    After a few more sses, they couldn¡¯t recognize each other anymore.

    After a while, they started calling each other ¡®Dad¡¯ and ¡®Mom¡¯. Later on, they began to toast andughed in each other¡¯s arms.

    In Trevor¡¯s ward.

    Jenna carefully massaged Trevor¡¯s arm and said softly, ¡°Uncle Richards, I¡¯m speaking to you. Can you hear me? Vivian has made me the head of the manor, but don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s only temporary. I will hand it back to you once you get better. I am going to hold a grand annual banquet for New Year this year. In fact, it is also to celebrate your recovery and return to Richards Manor. I look forward to seeing you attend it when the timees.¡±

    Jenna spoke softlyand her words were like a hot spring that flowed slowly, bringing alonga lingering faint fragrance.

    Trevor¡¯s fingers twitchedas if he wanted to raise his arm.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, do you want to say something?¡± She took his skinny hand and leaned close to his face.

    Trevor¡¯s lips movedas if he wanted to say something.

    ¡°I see, you must be thirsty.¡± Jenna smiled. She headed over to take the ss on the table, took a straw, and put it near Trevor¡¯s mouth.

    Trevor¡¯s lips moved slightly and he drank a lot of water.

    Jenna smiled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Richards.You¡¯re cured of your illness. You will get better soon. It¡¯s just because you have been bedridden for too long. It will take some time to fully recover. Take your time. I wille to visit you every day and give you massages.¡± Jenna took his hand. Feeling that his hand was a little cold, she put his hand under the quilt. When she was about to pull her hand out, she felt him gripping it tightly. She immediately looked at him in surprise.

    She witnessed something unexpected.

    Trevor was slowly opening his eyes.

    This was the first time Jenna saw Trevor open his eyes.

    His eyes looked empty and out of focus.

    Even so, Jenna was surprised beyond words.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, are you awake? Look at me,it¡¯s Jenna,¡± she cried out in surprise.

    However, Trevor¡¯s eyes only opened for a while before they closed again. His lips trembled slightlyand his arm moved a little.

    This was definitely a good sign.

    She should inform Hansen.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, do you want to see Hansen? Shall I call him over?¡± Jenna eximed in surprise and did not know what to do. The first person that came to her mind was Hansen.

    But, Trevor only breathed heavily. He was obviously very tired and fell asleep quickly.

    Jenna listened to his steady breathing, secretly squealing in victory.

    Trevor should be able to stand up and speak sooner than she thought!

    After being bedridden for so many years, it was not easy to fully recover.Jenna knew it was a slow process.

    From that day onwards, she insisted oning every daybut she never expected to see Trevor open his eyes.

    His eyes could gradually stay open longer, then he could look at Jenna steadily. Sure enough, as long as he heard her voice, he would automatically open his eyes.

    Then his eyes would clear up and regain focus.asionally, a smile would appear on his face.

    Jenna¡¯s mood was getting better.

    She noticed the encouragement and affirmation in Trevor¡¯s smile, therefore she smiled in appreciation.

    She walked out slowly at the sight of Trevor falling asleep.

    She walked into her mother¡¯s ward after. She talked to her and saw that it waste, hence she left and was prepared to drive home.

    The phone rang as soon as she got downstairs.

    After a day of work, Jenna was exhausted.She epted the call.

    ¡°Jenna¡­ Where are you? I miss you.¡± Hansen¡¯s speech was slurred on the other sideas if he drank a lot of alcohol.

    Jenna frowned.The b*stard must be drunk again. She shut her phone and slid it back into her pocket, not wanting to hear his voice.

    After a while, her phone rang again.

    Jenna looked at it. Hansen was calling her, thus she hung up immediately. She couldn¡¯t care less about him.

    She opened the door and started the car.

    The hateful ringtone couldn¡¯t stop ringing.

    Jenna took her phone and was about to hang up when she saw a foreign phone number disyed on it.

    She frowned, hesitated before she epted the call.

    ¡°Jenna, Hansen is drunk andhe¡¯s throwing up.¡± Christopher¡¯s voice sounded from the other side of the call.

    He got drunk again!Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    Jenna¡¯s face fell.

 Chapter 225 Meeting Rayan Again

    ¡°Who is he drinking with?¡±

    ¡°Me.¡± Christopher¡¯s speech was slurred too. He seemed to have drunk a lot of wine. ¡°He drank six sses today. No, eight¡­¡±

    Christopher was muttering under his breath.

    ¡°Where are you guys?¡± Jenna knew that a drunk person would either chatter non-stop or staypletely silent, therefore she interrupted him and asked unhappily.

    ¡°In the ¡°Autumn¡¯ private room of New Era Restaurant,¡± Christopher was speaking somewhat clearly and he gave the address. ¡°Hansen is very drunk. He can¡¯t drive like that. Call the driver toe over andyou¡¯d bettere to him too. He seemed toreally miss you. He keeps calling your name.¡±

    Jenna fell silent after hearing thisand hung up the phone.

    ncing at the streets, New Era Restaurant was not far from where she was.

    After thinking for a while, she turned around and drove towards New Era Restaurant.

    Hansen was foundpletely flushed in the ¡®Autumn¡¯ private room. He was sprawled across the bathroom floor vomiting. Christopher was not as drunk but he was dizzy.

    When Jenna walked in, the stale air in the room was causing her stomach to churn. She had the urge to throw up.

    ¡°Where is Hansen?¡± she walked in and asked Christopher, who was resting on the sofa.

    Christopher¡¯s cheeks were slightly red. Leaning back on the sofa, he let out a loud burp. His red coat was thrown aside. Jenna could never forget what she saw. It was ghastly.

    She walked in, annoyed whilesearching for Hansen.

    Christopher smiled and joked, ¡°It seems that you still love Hansen; at least his infatuation for you is not wasted.¡±

    ¡°Lame.¡± Jenna furrowed her eyebrowsand her eyes were fuming with anger.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯ve changed a lot. You were not this capable when we were ssmates back then.¡± Christopher smiled and looked at her.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Hansen? If you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯m leaving.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t care to talk to him. She just wanted to leave this ce as quickly as possible. Hansen¡¯s friends were really wildand Christopher was one of them. When they were in college, they would be seen flirting with girls and messing around with them. They were absolute yboys.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you and Hansen are the same. You¡¯re just as impatient as he is.¡± Christopher smiled before he pointed to the bathroom with a helpless expression.¡°He is throwing up inside.¡±

    Hearing this, Jenna looked at the bathroom door and it turned out to be shut tight. She heard a faint sound of someone throwing up. She then asked politely, ¡°Why are you not drunk?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Christopherughed when he heardthat.¡°Let me tell you,Hansen is better than me in everything else other than drinking. I am a public official andsometimes I drink with criminals. Well, how can someone in that position get drunk that easily?¡±

    Jenna bit her lips and said nothing.

    however, her face was full of annoyance. Since he was not drunk, why did he ask her toe?

    ¡°Jenna, Hansen is drunk. I could only call you.I would not be able to handle him if anything happened to him. Hansen is stubborn.What if he insists on driving home? You know I¡¯m no match for him.¡± Christopher seemed to understand what she was thinking. A tang of alcohol filled her nostrils as he opened his mouth to exin.

    ¡°Why did you guys drink?Don¡¯t drink if you can¡¯t hold your liquor.¡± Jenna was frustrated but when she heard the sound of Hansen vomiting in the bathroom,she got anxious.

    ¡°You still care about him.¡± Christopher stared at herand his eyes shed with sadness. He ced his hand on the back of the sofa and tapped lightly. Asmile soon appeared on his face.

    It was fortunate that he did not pursue her when they were in college.Otherwise, he would be embarrassed by her.

    ¡°Who cares about him?¡± Jenna¡¯s face blushed slightly. Sheturned and walked outside,trying her best to hide her blush.

    ¡°Waiter, bring two bowls of soup,¡± she ordered the waiter outside. When she turned around, a tall figure was standing behind her. Startled, she took a step back.

    ¡°Heh.¡± Christopher stood behind her,ughing heartily. ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be afraid. I have something to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± She widened her eyes. This guy had always been unpredictable. He was exactly like Hansen.

    ¡°Jenna, I know about your father¡¯s deathand I¡¯m very sorry. But, don¡¯t worry, Hansen will give you an exnationand it won¡¯t be too long,¡± Christopher said sincerely. Javon¡¯s death was really unfortunate.

    Jenna silently lowered her head.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna.¡± Hansen staggered out of the bathroom and saw Jenna standing with Christopher. He stretched out his hand to shove Christopher aside and held her in his arms. He then kissed her hard.

    Jenna was taken aback.

    ¡°Are you nuts? Let me go.¡±

    Christopher was probably enjoying what he was witnessing.Jenna was both ashamed and anxious. Feeling ufortable, she struggled to push Hansen away.

    This reckless man was really strong, Jenna thought. She was tightly pulled into his embrace. She smelt a tang of alcohol from his lips.She kept struggling, and they were shoving and pulling each other.

    ¡°Gee.¡± Christopherughed openly.¡°Jenna, I guess I¡¯ll leave him to you. If you can¡¯t take control of him, you can call Butler Maud to have someonee. I still have some things to deal with. Adios.¡±

    After Christopher finished speaking, he walked out of the room at lightning speed. Jenna really doubted that he was drunk. He probably got Hansen drunk so that he could ask her toe over.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t move. Let me kiss you.¡± Hansen hugged her, giggling, his breath full of alcohol.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, b*stard,¡± Jenna eximedangrily.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t treat me like this. I wasn¡¯t the one who bailed Norton out of jail.¡± Hansen still had thest of his consciousness. He was hugging Jenna as he murmured. As soon as he said this, he felt his stomach surging and threw up on the sofa.

    He threw up all over Jenna¡¯s bodyand the unpleasant smell filled Jenna¡¯s nose. She covered her mouth and had the urge to throw up too.

    She hurriedly took out her phone and made a call. After a while, Nelson and Haward rushed over.

    ¡°Come on, feed him this bowl of soup,¡± Jenna said to the two.

    Hansen was lying on the sofa. Although he was still talking, he still held her hand tightly.

    It took Jenna a lot of effort to free herself from his grasp.

    Holding the soup, she pinched his nose and forced him to take the soup. After a while, Hansen fell asleep.

    ¡°Send Young Master back to Richards Manor,¡± Jenna wiped her dirty clothes with paper towels and ordered.

    ¡°Yes, Madam.¡± The two helped Hansen out.

    She checked the room. After making sure that nothing was left behind, she went out.

    The night was dark, only to be ignited by the city lights. They were shining so brightly.Jenna couldn¡¯t help but reflect on life. Life was full of prosperity and vicissitudes.

    ¡°Jen.¡± Jenna was walking out of the entrance of New Era Restaurant. She was walking towards the parking lot when a deep alluring voice came from a corner.

    It was strange,yet familiar in some ways.

    Jenna stopped in her tracks. There was a dull look on her faceand her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

    ¡°Jen.¡± The alluring voice behind her sounded again.

    She slowly turned around.

    Rayan was standing under the streemp. He was wearing a simple and casual European-style long windbreakerwith a gray scarf around his neck.Itplimented his elegant look- low-key, perfect, graceful, and carefree. That was what went through Jenna¡¯s mind as she stared at him just standing quietly under the dim streetmp.

    ¡°Rayan, you are here.¡± She showed a stiff smile. She slowly brightened upand her face was filled with joy.

    After receiving the mail from him that night, she forgot he wasing to A city.

    She only remembered the moment she saw him.

    ¡°Jen, it¡¯s been a long time since I saw you. Let¡¯s go for a walk.¡± Rayan shrugged and smiled warmly.

    He looked radiant. Although his eyes could not conceal the trace of loneliness they had, it did not affect how dashing he looked.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna nodded, smiled slightly. She felt slightly apologetic.

    The two walked side by side along the streets of the city.

    ¡°Rayan, when did you arrive in A city?¡± Jenna asked with a smile.

    ¡°I just reached.¡± Rayan¡¯s eyes blinked as he teased, ¡°Look,the first thing I did when I arrived at A city was to find you. Have you already forgotten me?¡±

    He gave her a helpless smileand his eyes showed how awkward he was.

    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Jenna denied with a smile on her face. Guilt sneaked into her heart. In reality,even if she hadn¡¯t forgotten, she already put him to the back of her mind. Her life was in a mess recently.Where would she find the energy to bother about this?

    ¡°Jen, you don¡¯t need to say anything. I know,¡± Rayan said. If a woman cared about her beloved man, could she resist not contacting him for months?

    Obviously, this was impossible.

    As far as her current situation was concerned, she still had feelings for Hansen. Everything was not how he thought would go.

    ¡°Rayan, what do you n to do in A city?¡± She wanted to ask him what brought him here but that would make the situation awkward. Hence, she decided to avoid that question.

    ¡°Nothing much.I¡¯m just worried about you.¡± The corners of his mouth raised slightly as he spoke softly.

    Jenna blushed and said, ¡°Rayan, I am fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    Speaking of this, she lowered her head. She couldn¡¯t help but touch her belly.

    Was she really doing okay? The corners of her mouth formed a helpless wry smile.

    ¡°Jen, you don¡¯t look too good. Iseverything okay?¡± Rayan looked at her pale and sallow face. Her faint smile seemed a little lonely and deste. His heart tightened as he asked gently.

    Jenna¡¯s heart shuddered. She felt tears welling up in her eyes.She lowered her head in fear that her tears would flowand faked a smile.¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just tired asI¡¯ve been taking care of my mother recently.¡±

 Chapter 226 Her Tears Were Not For Him

    ¡°Oh.¡± Rayan nodded thoughtfully. He stopped himself from taking more stepsbefore asking with concern, ¡°Jen, how is your mother?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine.Thank you,¡± Jenna replied in a low voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Rayan was nothing but smiles. ¡°I will visit her one day.¡±

    ¡°Thank youbut there¡¯s no need for that.¡± Jenna lowered her head.She thought that he may not be able to even if he wanted to. That b*stard Hansen ced a lot of guards on the eighth floor. If Rayan went, he would definitely not be allowed into the ward.

    ¡°Jen, you¡¯re still the same after so many months. You don¡¯t take care of yourself enough.¡± Rayan sighed and touched her head.

    It was surprisingly cold during winter this year. After being outside for a while, Jenna felt like an icicle. She couldn¡¯t stop shivering.

    ¡°Jen,are you cold?¡± Rayan saw her trembling slightly. He walked in front of her to shield her from the cold wind.

    The cold wind blew the snow off the branchesand a string of snowkes fell onto Jenna¡¯s hair.

    The snowkes trickled down her hair and fell on her neck.Jenna ducked into her scarf, shaking.

    ¡°Your body hasn¡¯t got better since thest time I saw you. You are still so afraid of the cold.¡± Rayan pitifully looked at herand reached out to brush the snowkes off her head. Jenna felt her hands and feet getting more numb each second. She couldn¡¯t even see the vaporing out of her mouth.

    She stretched out her hand strenuously, removed the snowke from her neck, and brushed it away.

    Rayan grabbed her hand.

    ¡°Your hand is freezing.¡± Rayan¡¯s warm hands squeezed hers. Hebreathed into her hand, trying to warm her up.

    Jenna looked at him, her gaze blurred.

    Her mind was filled with memories of the nights when she was snuggled in Hansen¡¯s embrace. He hugged her and covered her with his coat, wrapping her up like a cocoon.She remembered his warm chest as she rested on his warm chest. She didn¡¯t feel cold at all.It was so warm.

    That night seemed much colder than it was at present.

    She was so cold at this instant.Even though she was wearing a coat, the wind chilled her to her bones.

    She stared at the night sky nkly, her gaze unfocused.

    Tears flowed down her cheeks.

    It hurt so much.

    Rayan was looking at her as his gaze was slowly filled with doubt and pity. He felt an array of mixed feelings.

    She was shedding tears in front of himbut the tears were not for him!

    A hint of jealousy crept into his heart.

    If her tears were for him, he would definitely pull her into his arms and show her the love she deserved. Unfortunately, they were not for him.

    He couldn¡¯t understand her painbut his heart shuddered with every tear she shed.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Jen,¡± he called anxiously, reaching out and wiping away the tears on her face.

    Jenna stood nkly, numb.

    ¡°Jen¡­¡± Rayan called her again.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Jenna finally came back to her senses and her eyes met Rayan¡¯s worried nce.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Rayan asked with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay, Rayan, my stomach is a little ufortable. I want to go home. Let¡¯s keep in contact. Since you came to my city, I should treat you to a feast. I will call you when I have time.¡± She avoided his nce and smiled lightly.

    ¡°Are you still living at Richards Manor?¡± he looked at her and asked seriously.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jenna nodded, very calmly. ¡°Rayan,e to the manor and find me if you need anything.¡±

    Go to the manor to find her? Rayan stared at her in disbelief.He did not seem to fully register what she said. Was she really okay with him going to Richards Manor to find her?

    ¡°Is everything okay between you and him?¡± After a while, he finally asked.

    Jenna stared at the ground, knowing who he was referring to.

    She smiled. Avoiding the question, she replied casually, ¡°I¡¯ve inherited the manor. Me staying there has nothing to do with him.¡±

    After saying this, she felt chills running down her spine. Her stomach was bloated. She had nothing in her stomachbut she did not have the appetite to eat. All shewanted to do was to go home and sleep.

    Rayan¡¯s gaze intensified. Jenna dodged his question, which meant that his assumption was true. He kept silent for a while.

    Why did this woman have to be so stubborn?Was she staying in the manor to find out about her father¡¯s death?

    ¡°Okay, let me send you back.¡± Her face had be palerand she was shivering all over. Rayan was very worried, therefore he insisted on sending her.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble you.¡± Jenna shook her head.

    ¡°No, you are in no condition to drive. Let me see you off. Pleasedon¡¯t make me worry.¡± Rayan was stubborn this time.Jenna actually looked pretty terrible andwould copse any moment.

    Jenna could only agree.

    They got into the expensive Rolls-Royce. The heaters in the car were on full st.Jenna was instantly enveloped in warmthand it took a long time for her breathing to finally stabilize.

    Sheid in the back seat, closed her eyes slightly. Shedid not speak anymore.

    Rayan was silent the whole ride, lostin his own thoughts.

    The car stopped in front of Richards Manor.

    ¡°Thank you, Rayan,¡± Jenna thanked him and got out of the car. She waved Rayan goodbye before walking inside.

    Sitting in the car, Rayan saw her figure disappearing into the depths of the manor. He was silentand the light in his eyes was dull.They held an unrecognizable emotion.

    As soon as Jenna stepped into the living room of Green Jade Garden,her eyes fell on the empty sofa.

    She walked up to the second floor and asked the two guards, ¡°Is Young Master back?¡±

    ¡°Miss Murphy,Young Master has been sent back to the bedroom on the first floor,¡± Haward replied in a low voice.

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Jenna nodded. She wanted to ask him how Hansen was doing. However, she felt it was unnecessary, hence she walked straight to her bedroom.

    She slept soundly that night. In her dreams, she heard the cry of a baby and her heart sank. She jolted from her sleep the next day, obviously still in a trance after another sleepless night.

    ¡°Jenna, where did you gost night? You came back sote.¡± Sabrina came in energetically and asked as soon as she finished getting ready.

    When Jenna lifted her head, she saw Sabrina¡¯s blush along with her charming smile. She looked like a little girl who fell in love for the first time. Jenna frowned when she thought of what she saw the previous afternoon.

    ¡°Sabrina, can I ask you a question?¡± Jenna spoke in a serious tone after hesitating for a while.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Perhaps Sabrina was frightened by how serious Jenna was, shelooked at her curiouslyand the smile on her face disappeared.

    ¡°Do you like Norton?¡± Jenna looked at her and probed.

    ¡°I..¡± Sabrina obviously never expected Jenna to ask something like this so early in the morning. The blush deepened on her face. Shewas so embarrassed.

    Did she like Norton?

    Perhaps she did!

    When she was very young, she often came to Richards Manor. At that time, she often followed Norton around. Many years ago, she knew that Old Master Richards and her father had arranged a marriage between Norton and her. Since then, when she saw Norton, she had theseplicated feelings and wouldlook at him differently.

    ¡°I am his fianc¨¦e,¡± she blushed and replied softly.

    ¡°I know but do you like him?Do you love him?¡± As a woman, Jenna understood Sabrina¡¯s thoughts and couldn¡¯t help but take pity for her. Yet,she still wanted to know how she truly felt.

    ¡°I think so.¡± Sabrina blushed and nodded, her thoughts were slightly fuzzy.

    Jenna felt her heart throb.

    ¡°Does Norton like you?¡± she asked solemnly.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°This¡­¡± Sabrina gave her a somewhat confused face and looked straight at Jenna, not knowing how to answer.

    Norton treated her very well. Whatever she desired, he gave it to her.However, she had never really thought about whether Norton had feelings for her.

    Norton was hard to read. The more she could not read him, the more she wanted to find out. As long as she saw him, her heart would beat like crazy. This feeling was unforgettableand she thought it should be love!

    Sabrina made sense of it this way.

    ¡°Sabrina, you are still young.You will slowly understand. Remember not to get yourself in too tough of a pickle,¡± Jenna sighed and gently reminded her. Thinking of her own situation, she couldn¡¯t help but feel sad.

    Sabrina really didn¡¯t understand what Jenna meantbut she nodded her head anyway. She looked at Jenna, puzzled.

    Jenna didn¡¯t say anything afterward. After all, no two people¡¯s journey would be the same.

    Moreover, she assumed that Sabrina had no idea what was going with Norton at the moment. With that being said, she didn¡¯t want her to get hurt. However, she was busy dealing with her own problems too.

    In the 88th floor¡¯s office of International Kinsey Center.

    Hansen massaged his temples as his head was throbbing.

    He got drunk with Christopher the night before. When he woke up, he found himself in his bedroom on the first floor of Richards Manor.

    New Year was closing in. Work was piling up ever since Jenna resigned.

    Jenna resigned without his consent. It was because of Aria¡¯s pregnancy. She believed that he had betrayed their love,therefore she nned to go against him, which really was causing him a headache.

    But, the most important thing was how much he cared for her andmissed her. Hewas reluctant to confront her in fearthat she would be upset, hence he kept it all to himself.

    After a busy morning,just as he was about toy on the sofa to rx, Alvin came in in a huff.

 Chapter 227 Donâ€™t You Dare Hurt Her

    ¡°Mr. Richards,this time, Christopher took down the drug den and made areallyhuge impact. Currently, the international crime organization has sneaked into A city,¡± Alvin said unexpectedly.

    Hansen sat up.

    ¡°Did you see them?¡± he asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Alvin nodded and assured him, ¡°Earlier today, I sent a small group of people to enter the nightclub. Brock¡¯s den has some movements too.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s eyes narrowed and the light in his eyes sparkled.

    ¡°Alvin, Christopher is going to take this opportunity to get rid of these dens once and for all. There are a lot of them. Last night, Christopher personally led the interrogation and received some intel too. He and his deputies acted overnight;they managed to clear a drug den in A city. Now, it¡¯s not surprising that all the dens in the city have been associated with organized crime. We need to pay close attention to Brock¡¯s movements. When the time is right, we will catch Brock alive, interrogate him and solve Javon¡¯s case,¡± Hansen ordered.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Alvin nodded and asked in a puzzled manner, ¡°But, will Christopher agree?¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Hansen snorted coldly with a weird smile appearing on the corners of his mouth. Hesaid coldly, ¡°If we didn¡¯t need to work with him, we would have caught Brock alive much earlier. We wouldn¡¯t have to wait until now.¡±

    Thinking of the previous night where Christopher made him drunk, there was a trace of hatred in his heart.

    It was normal for Hansen to worry that Christopher would spoil the n.Hansen knew his personal vendetta would have to wait but itdid not mean that he would need topletely listen to Christopher. If anything happened to Brock,Javon¡¯s case would turn cold.

    He could listen to himbut he was the one calling the shots here.

    ¡°If we do it, will it affect the police? After all, it¡¯s a narcotics operationand the crime of obstructing justice is too great to bear.¡± Alvin was worried. Such a crime was serious.

    ¡°That is why I have asked John to have the Grand Eagles spy on Brock. Currently, even Christopher doesn¡¯t know where Brock is hiding. We have to cooperate with the police, catch Brock and bring him to court.¡± Hansen pondered and reminded Alvin, ¡°You must figure out what the police are doing and report to me.¡±

    ¡°Rx, Mr. Richards, I will,¡± Alvin promised.

    Hansen was very tired. He closed his eyesand waved at Alvin to dismiss him.

    Just as Alvin was about to leave, he suddenly heard Hansen ask, ¡°Alvin,is the new evidence on Earl¡¯s corruption that you said thest time still around?¡±

    Alvin thought for a while and nodded.¡°Yes, Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Okay, continue to make the preparations,¡± Hansen instructed lightly.

    Alvin was a little confused. When he found evidence the other time,Hansen clearly said on the phone to stop for the moment.Why was he asking for it again? However, he just nodded in agreement.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Alvin walked out afterwards.

    Hansen knocked on the back of the sofa, stood up, walked to the phone, and dialed a few numbers. ¡°Caleb, did you get the information I asked for?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards,I have almost everything I could get my hands on but some have been transferred,¡± Caleb said with a trembling voice. His life waspletely scr*wed ever since Hansen kept an eye on him. He was living in terror every day and could only hope it would end someday soon.

    Hansen sneered and hung up.

    ¡°Young Madam,time is of the essence on preparing the venue, food,performance, and also theyout of the central ind.This is the first time the manor is hosting such arge-scale annual banquet. It is better to prepare in advance.¡± Butler Maud got nervous after receiving the responsibility to handle the banquetand came to ask Jenna for instructions early that day.

    Jenna was scanning through arge piece of paper. With her eyebrows furrowed slightly, she slowly raised her head.

    ¡°Butler Maud, do you have anyone in mind?¡± she asked slowly.

    Some too many people wanted to butter up to Jenna recently.Everyone was eyeing this event.

    Jenna knew it well but she didn¡¯t say it out loud.

    ¡°Young Madam, quite a few units are rmending themselvesbut you still have to make the final decision.¡± Butler Maud put on a smile.

    Jenna slowly looked through the list Frederic used forst year¡¯s New Year¡¯s banquet in her hand. Back then,it was the talk of the town. Therefore, the banquet enhanced thepany¡¯s reputation. It was indeed a good choice.

    Although it used up a lot of money, it was a win-win situation.

    Jenna used the Vice President title of the Richards Group to get this list from Frederic.

    After makingparisons, she knew what to do.

    ¡°What is Vivian doing?¡± There were footsteps in the hallwayand then she heard a delicate voice that coupled with a strong scent of perfume.

    Jenna immediately felt goosebumps forming on her skin.

    Aria swaggered in with Minnie.

    What was she doing?

    Jenna knitted her brows.

    She felt a sense of difort when she saw Aria.

    ¡°Jenna, little did I know you were that good being the head of the manor.My back was hurting for the past few days, therefore I didn¡¯t visit Vivian. I only found out today that you¡¯ve be the head of the manor,¡± Aria said with a smile, acting friendly while her hands touched her belly, showing off from time to time.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, have a seat. Meroy is not here yet. Vivian may still be asleep.¡± Minnie helped Aria sit as she wanted to be on her good side.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Aria sat on the sofa.

    ¡°Ms.McAdams, sit tight.I¡¯ll pour you a ss of water. You have to stay hydrated especially when you¡¯re pregnant.¡± Minnie smiled and went to the water dispenser.

    Jenna¡¯s office was next to Vivian¡¯s bedroom. Aria could have waited in the living room or the studiobut she somehow decided to sit in Jenna¡¯s office.Jenna was very unhappy.

    She felt strange. Aria usually did not visit Vivian. Why was she here several times a week these days? Was she trying to butter up Vivian?

    Probably.

    Aria was pregnant. From time to time, she would visit Vivian to remind her that she was pregnant with the Richards family blood. Vivian should not forget her.

    Jenna understood this little trick.

    She stood up, packed her things, and left.

    Picking up the small bag on the desk, she raised her head and saw Minnie¡¯s eyes observing around. Her eyes were constantly ncing everywhereand she looked a little flustered.

    Jenna frowned deeper andfelt her heart drop.

    What was Minnie looking at? The room was very simple. There was nothing to see.

    However, her eyes were not just fixed on the house. Sheswept nces at the surroundings even when she poured the water.

    ¡°Cough, cough.¡± Jenna deliberately coughed twice.

    Minnie seemed to be very startled. Her body shivered and panic shed across her face. She quickly withdrew her gaze.

    Jenna stood up, approached her, and stared at her straight in the eye. After a moment or so, she turned around and walked out.

    ¡°That b*tch.¡± Minnie was so frightened by Jenna thatshe scolded bitterly behind her back after watching her walk out.

    ¡°Just let her be for a few days,¡± Aria said softly. ¡°You should also pay attention to yourposure. Don¡¯t act suspicious.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know,¡± Minnie whispered.

    The two sat on the sofa peacefully and waited for Meroy toe.

    Jenna walked out of Ink Garden and felt weird. For the past two days, she felt that the atmosphere here was a little weird.Just as she thought about it, she saw Nortoning from the front as she turned around. Perhaps because he saw her,he didn¡¯t walk over butstopped in his tracks.

    After hesitating for a while, he turned around.

    Jenna was suspicious and didn¡¯t n to let him go this time.

    Since he came out of jail, he had been avoiding her. For a couple of times, he hid or pretended not to see her. This time was no exception.

    Sabrina¡¯s innocent smile floated in Jenna¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Norton, stay where you are,¡± she spoke in a lowered voice.

    Norton¡¯s legs trembledand he stopped in his tracks.

    ¡°Jenna,it¡¯s you.¡± He turned around and greeted her with a smile, pretending as if he had just seen Jenna.

    Jenna sneered in her heart. It was unnecessary to expose him.

    ¡°Norton, I have something to say,¡± she said in a t tone.

    ¡°Alright, but maybe next time? I have something to do now.¡± Norton raised his eyebrowand his nce was a little unfocused. It was as if he was trying to cover up his panic and guilt.

    Something? What could he be doing? He was suspended from workand he was hanging around in the garden all day. Seeing how reluctant he was, she knew that he was making excuses.

    ¡°It¡¯ll only take a few seconds,¡± Jenna said coldly. She didn¡¯t want to waste her time on himbut she tried her best to hold back as she thought of Sabrina.

    ¡°Jenna, I can only say sorry about your father. Believe me, I didn¡¯t want your father to die. I loved you so much and was unwilling to hurt you. How could I possibly think of killing your dad?¡± he whisperedashis whole body tensed.

    All he could feel was fear each time he saw Jenna. He didn¡¯t even dare look into her eyes.

    ¡°Enough,¡± Jenna said coldly. ¡°I didn¡¯te to you for this.¡±

    ¡°What could it be then?¡± Norton raised his head, puzzled, as he heard her response and looked at her face. Only at this moment did he realize how ashen Jenna¡¯s face had gotten. The once beautiful and innocent woman was gone,and her face was full of sorrow and indifference. There was a shadow in those eyes that was once clear. She lost her passionand all this was probably because of him.He said uneasily as he felt a pain in his heart, ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I won¡¯t mind if you hate me.¡±

 Chapter 228 Rayanâ€™s Life

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna smiled nonchntlywith aggressive eyes. ¡°Norton, if you still have your conscience, you will give me a straight answer.¡±

    Norton looked at her silently.

    ¡°Jenna, please let me go, I don¡¯t want to go to jail. I willmake it up to you.Anything you want, you can just ask for it,¡± Norton suddenly begged Jenna as he looked at her in agony.

    ¡°Norton,do you have any dignity?¡± Jenna gritted her teeth and looked at him angrily.

    He was so embarrassed that he dared not look at her, let alone answer her.

    ¡°Let me ask you: do you love Sabrina?¡± Jenna stared at his gloomy face and asked with a heavy tone.

    Sabrina? Norton was shocked by the mention of her name and then he suddenly understood.Jenna came to him for Sabrina, not for herself.

    What was on her mind?She waspletely unreadable.

    ¡°Jenna, I have never loved any other woman in my life other than you.¡± Norton stood up straight, cleared up his thoughts, and told her.

    Jenna frowned. She never liked Norton, never would she believe his nonsense. If it weren¡¯t for Sabrina, she would not even want to talk to him in the first ce.

    ¡°Well, let me ask you. Since you don¡¯t love her, what are you hoping to get from her father? Why did you ask her out? Why are you trying to find General Delia? Is there any ulterior motive?¡± Jenna probed aggressively.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Norton stared at her nkly and muttered, ¡°Sabrina told you this?¡±

    ¡°Norton, don¡¯t assume that everyone else is deceitful as you. Sabrina is kind-hearted and pure. She may be your fiance¨¦ on paperbutto me, you are unworthy of her. If you don¡¯t love her, you have to tell her instead of manipting her like this. It¡¯s unfair to her.¡± Jenna was heartbroken that Sabrina was a pawn in Norton¡¯s game.

    If her assumptions were right, Norton was currently nning to get to Sabrina¡¯s father through her.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t bear to see Sabrina hurt, that was why she would stand up to Norton.

    Norton frowned in panic, his expression stiffened.

    ¡°Let me tell you something, Norton. Sabrina is a good girl. I won¡¯t let you hurt her. I don¡¯t want to see her go through the same things as I did. No matter what you¡¯re using her for, or if you¡¯re nning to use every means to deceive her, I won¡¯t let you seed.¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes were as cold and like piercing arrows. Her words were obsolete.

    Norton stood bewildered as he lookedat Jenna nkly, speechless.

    ¡°Norton, if you still have a heart, leave Sabrina out of this n of yours. She is really innocentand probably loves you. If you don¡¯t want to marry her or have ulterior motives,please let her go. This is my advice to you. If you must do something against your conscience, remember, I will not let you get away with it,¡± Jenna warned Norton again. After this, she ignored him, turned around, and left.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    Norton stood as still as a statue, dumbfoundeduntil Jenna¡¯s figure disappeared from his sight. He then walked away with his head down.

    On the vast blue sea, luxurious cruise ships were floating on the surface of the sea.

    The sea breeze did not affect how warm and cozy the cabin of the cruise ship was.

    There was a tall and handsome manholding a wine ss. He took a sip from his ss, his movements impably elegant, and his whole body radiated an aura of prestige.

    He lightly twirled the wine ssand scarlet-red liquid stained his fingers.

    ¡°Rayan, have you thought about it? If we don¡¯t act now, Christopher will take over my dad¡¯s den in A City. The city is densely popted. We can¡¯t miss such good resources.¡± An elegant woman stood behind him. She was staring at his back affectionately and asked softly.

    ¡°You should already know my ns.¡± Rayan turned around. His eyes shed coldly before saying to Hilda, ¡°I am not interested in this and I don¡¯t want to participate.¡±

    Hilda¡¯s face quickly turned paleand a disappointed smile formed on her face.

    ¡°Rayan, I know you are worried about her and you don¡¯t want to hurt her,¡± Hilda resisted the pain in her and said.Her hand that was holding the shawl trembled slightly.

    After so many months, he still couldn¡¯t forget her.Jenna was the only one in his heart.

    He had never even given her a good nce.

    Why?

    Rayan stood there, raised his head, and downed the wine in his hand.His face was getting flushed.

    ¡°She is so perfect and worth every ounce of my love. Is there anything wrong with it?¡± His eyes were coldand his unforgiving words pierced Hilda¡¯s heart like a knife. ¡°I love herandI am willing to do anything for her.¡±

    Hilda¡¯s face waspletely nched.

    After a long time,Hilda put aside her own feelings and said calmly,¡°Rayan, this is my father¡¯s request. We must make sure the A city police get stopped so that we can get through this catastrophe without a scratch on us.¡±

    Rayan gave an indifferent smileand said nonchntly, ¡°Hilda,as I said, I want no part of this. Please pass the message to your dad. At the same time, I advise you to not embark on this road. It¡¯s not toote to give up.¡±

    Hilda was utterly disappointed. He did not want anything to do with them. For so many years, he was living the good life as she was willing to keep his involvement in organized crime a secret. Although there were spections, this did not affect his reputation. His career was in full swing as he gradually took overinternational territories andter the rest of the world. This marked the beginning of his glory.

    After all, he was a natural when it came to business.He was smart, decisive, and bold, not to mention he had his father¡¯s support. He conquered both the criminal organizations and the market. He was invincible.

    His worth was so great that it could be a myth.

    Now that he retained all these sesses, he wanted to soar on his own andhave nothing to do with her.

    ¡°No, Rayan. It¡¯s not like that.¡± Hilda shut her eyes in pain.¡°If my father hadn¡¯t supported you all these years, could you be where you are today? Could you develop in those foreign countries? Could you gain favor from multiplepanies or even the head of state? Have you ever thought about it?¡±

    ¡°Of course I did.¡± Rayan¡¯s eyes shed coldly as they talked about the past. He took a deep breath and said lightly, ¡°It is precisely because of this that I hesitated until now.However, I¡¯ve decided. I will leave this ce. From now on, I just want to live a normal life. Everything here has nothing to do with me.To make it up to you, I will put severalpanies in major foreign countries under your name.You can also choose to live a normal life like me and get married one day.¡±

    This day has finallye.

    Hilda was starting to get dizzy.

    ¡°Rayan, if you leave my dad, do you really think thosepanies can continue to stay sessful? Don¡¯t be na?ve. Look at thepetitors. They might look sessfulbut what they relied on was the filthy money my father made for them.Nothing is possible without money. Think about it, how did my father stay unharmed all these years? Not one of those sessful people was not involved with organized crime. Why can¡¯t you ept it? All these good things are just a facade. I don¡¯t oppose your pursuit but you can¡¯t leave me. You must know that I have poured out everything I have to love you. I waited for you for so many years.Why are you so cruel? If my father knows about this, he will not forgive you,¡± Hilda exined with tears welling in her eyes.

    Rayan had a prestigious aura. His eleganceand his career were because of her father¡¯s help. Now that he achieved fame and sess, he wanted to abandon them, to abandon this kind of shame, his rtion with the life of crime. He wanted to live a normal lifebut he never thought that he was once a downcast man that even with good looks and brilliant personality, he did not go far in his business.

    It wasn¡¯t until he met her father that the tables turnedand his career skyrocketed. She made him the ssy man he was todaybut now he decided to leave her.

    At first, her dad liked him for his talent and perseverance. Plus, he wanted Hilda to work with Rayan. In the end, her father only wanted to ask him to marry Hilda, nothing more.

    What would her father think if he were to leave them after achieving sess?

    Tears flowed down her cheeks.

    She loved himso deeplyand was willing to do anything for him.

    She did everything she could for him to live his life like a kingbut obviously,all she did meant nothing to him.

    ¡°Hilda, this decision was not made on a whim. I thought about it for a long time. I suppose you know. After going through so much, I have figured it out.A simple life is enough. My life doesn¡¯t need to be extravagant. I would never be involved in drugs. You should know it better than I do. Please inform your father about this.I¡¯m not afraid to pay the price if you choose to not let me go.¡±

    Rayan said as he slid his hands into his pockets, smiling calmly. It wasas if he was talking about somethingpletely unrted to him.

    Hilda gripped the handle of the seat so tightly thather knuckles were turning white.

    ¡°Get on the shore,¡± Rayan ordered toward the driver window.

    The cruise ship immediately drove towards the shore.

    Before going ashore, Rayan turned and said to Hilda, ¡°Do not hurt her.Otherwise, I won¡¯t let you get away with it.¡± He left after.

    Rayan was willing to pull his name through the mud to achieve sessbut he would never be associated with drugs. This was his bottom lineand no one could convince him otherwise.

 Chapter 229 Picking A Fight

    On the 88th floor of International Kinsey Center.

    Hansen was sitting at his desk reviewing year-end reports andannual reviews.He also had to hold a meeting toe up with the budget and n for the uing year. He was very busy.

    It was alreadyte and he was exhausted. He got up and stretched before slumping onto the sofa.

    As Hansen was working overtime, his secretary, Yuri Adams, did not dare to leave and remained outside.

    Hearing Hansen¡¯s footsteps, she hurriedly walked in.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, have a cup of tea.¡± Yuri walked in with a cup of hot tea and offered it to him.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Hansen stroked his forehead.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask for me if you need me.I¡¯ll be outside,¡± Yuri said softly and slowly retreated after seeing Hansen¡¯s nod.

    Hansen raised his gaze at Yuri¡¯s backand a wry smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

    Yuri was initially Jenna¡¯s secretary before Jenna arranged for her to be at Hansen¡¯s side.

    This way, he would have two secretaries.

    Yuri was a student from a prestigious university in Capital City. She was gorgeous, not to mentionshe was capable, smart, and considerate. Jenna actually arranged such an excellent girl to be his secretary.

    It was so generous of her.

    Normally, women would not want another woman around her man. It would be ideal if a man could be his secretary. Jenna, however, was extraordinary. She purposely arranged for him to have two outstanding girls.

    He really couldn¡¯t tell what she was thinking.

    Was he supposed to thank or curse her?

    Maybe she wanted to test him? Hansen was left dumbfounded.

    Her sparkling eyes and her sly smile shed before him. His heart skipped a beat. What was that woman thinking?

    Since Jenna resigned, this floor became a lot duller. Sometimes,he felt bored.

    His heart seemed to have left with her. He was constantly absent-minded even at work.

    Sittingzily on the sofa while holding the cup in his hand, a slight smirk formed on his face as his eyes nced around.

    Jenna was current;y in charge of Richards Manor and she was doing her best. He was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t want toe back to hispany. He should think of some way to trick her back.However, if he failed,he would be buried in work. It was too exhausting.

    He had never felt so exhausted.

    Was it because she was gone?

    He took a sip of the hot tea as he shook his head, smiling.

    He reached for that day¡¯s newspaper.

    Leisurely reading, his eyes suddenly widened.He jumped off the sofa as his face darkened.

    His grip on the newspaper tightened.

    The entertainment section featured a photo ofa couple. A handsome man and a beautiful woman caught Hansen¡¯s eye when he flipped the page.

    Jenna and Rayan.

    How dared she go out with Rayan behind his back?

    How dare she? Unbelievable.

    Hansen felt that his head was about to explodeand darkness shed across his eyes.

    The photo on the newspaper.

    Dim street.

    Rayan and Jenna stood facing each other.

    His eyes were gentleand he was stroking her head. His gaze wapletely focused on her.

    She lifted her faceand she stood in front of him like a little girl, looking at him affectionately. She was basically purring like a cat under his touch. The two looked at each other lovingly.

    Just one nce, Hansen¡¯s face was paleand his head was throbbing. His fist clenched as he held the newspaper,his knuckles turning white.

    Rayan was backin A city!Just brilliant! Hansen thought.

    It didn¡¯t matter why Rayan was back.Hansen would not forgive him if he was nning to get Jenna back.

    He clenched his teethand his eyes were filled with burning rage. He threw the newspapers awayand dashed outside.

    Jenna had the audacity to cheat on him. She messed with the wrong guy.

    Hansen stormed into Green Jade Garden and ran straight to the second floor.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Young Master, please stop.¡± Seeing Hansen, Nelson and Hawardrushed straight up and hurriedly blocked him.

    ¡°Get the f*ck away,¡± Hansen shouted.

    ¡°Young Master, without Miss Murphy¡¯s consent-¡±

    With a loud thud,a fistnded on both their faces even before the two guards could finish speaking.

    Hansen punched both of them simultaneously with both hands.

    ¡°Ah!¡± With two grunts, Nelson and Haward were both hit in the eye. They started seeing things and groaned in pain.

    Hansen shoved them away and rushed in.

    ¡°Jenna, open the door,¡± Hansen knocked on the door and growled.

    Jenna just returned from the hospital and was taking a shower. She didn¡¯t hear anything from outside.

    She felt exhausted every night when she came back for the past few days. All she wanted was to take a nice long bath and rest early.Atst, she could put down the burden she had been carrying and rx.

    ¡°Open the door. I will kick the door down if you don¡¯t,¡± Hansen knocked harder and yelled.

    Jenna was closing her eyes, enjoying thefort of the warm water before she heard a faint door knock. She opened her eyes and listened intently.

    ¡°Jenna, open the door. Otherwise,you¡¯re as good as dead.¡± The door was locked. Hansen couldn¡¯t get in since Jenna changed the lock. He could only knock on the door hard to vent his anger.

    Oh no!It was Hansen¡¯s d*mn voice.

    Why was he here?

    She hadn¡¯t seen him for a few days.Was he drunk and acting up again?

    She trembled at the thought of this and then listened carefully once more.

    She was right, it was Hansen but his voice was different than usual. He sounded bitter as he gnashed his teeth.

    She hurriedly crawled out of the bathtub, wiped her body dry, and put on her pajamas before hurrying out.

    ¡°Jenna, if you don¡¯t open the door now, I will break in,¡± Hansen shouted outside the door,seemingly losing his patience. Jenna was sure she heard anger that she had never heard before in his voice.

    What was wrong this time?

    She walked to the door slowly.

    She stood before the door with her arms around her chest. Let¡¯s see what he could do? she thought.

    After experiencing the brutality in the business worldand the constant humiliation from Aria and Georgia, she built walls around her heart so that she would not get hurt again. With all the confrontation and practice,she had gone through enough to be able to deal with him.

    Now that she was already fully armed, wearing thick armor, her body was ready forbat.

    She firmly believed that she was invincible.

    Even if two hooligans stood before her, she would handle them with ease, let alone Hansen.

    She wanted to see what he was capable of doing to her.

    After not hearing Jenna¡¯s voice, Hansen started to try to knock the door down with his body.

    ¡°Boom, boom!¡± The door was bent by his muscr figure.

    What an ignorant man!

    Jenna sneered.

    She walked closer.

    When he was about to run into the door again, she quickly opened the door and hid to one side.

    Hansen did not expect the door to open all of a sudden.

    Newton¡¯s firstw.

    His entire body mmed straight into the room.

    His feet hit the threshold of the door.

    With a muffled grunt, his whole body fell forward andnded on the ground.

    Jenna lowered her head and looked at him. He fell with his face t on the ground. He was probably embarrassedand Jenna found this exciting.

    ¡°Wow, what a joke!¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t help but smile with her mouth in her hand.

    When Hansen realized that she had anticipated this, it was already toote.

    He was so blinded by jealousy that he did not have the time to think about what to do with Jenna. He only knew that he was mad. He came to her as her husband. This time, he was cheated on, which really insulted him. He was ashamed and infuriated.

    He got up quickly.

    ¡°How could you have the audacity tough?¡± Hansen couldn¡¯t care about tidying up his wrinkled suit. Before he could straighten out his well-groomed hair, he stood up, took Jenna¡¯s hand, and dragged her over.

    ¡°What are you doingbreaking into my room?¡± Jenna was about to get pulled off her feet by his powerful grip. Remembering something, she put her hand on her stomachand scolded.

    ¡°Look at me.¡± Hansen pinched her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes as he ordered bitterly.

    Jenna was forced to look at him. Her angry eyes widened and were directed at him.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were fierce and piercing, and his voice was almost on the verge of rage.

    ¡°Do you know how to be someone¡¯s wife? Did you not know that women should have boundaries? How could you behave this way? Are you that shameless?¡± The me in his eyes shed.Jenna felt like she could be burned to ashes at any moment.

    He pinched Jenna¡¯s chin hard but she still didn¡¯t understand what he was talking about. She couldn¡¯t figure out why he was so angry.

    Such a shameful questioning brought her back to how it was in the past.

    Angry, she brushed off his handand cursed at him.

    ¡°A*shole. You¡¯re crazy.Are you picking a fight?¡± Her arms akimbo, she raised her eyebrow and stared at him with wide eyes.

    ¡°You¡­are despicable.Absolutely disgusting.¡± Hansen pointed to her face and scolded bitterly, ¡°You¡¯re a sl*t.¡±

    What? A sl*t?

    Such indiscriminate usations and insults were unbearable. She was called a sl*t. She was devastated and exasperated!

    How could he say that to her?Who gave him the right to barge into her room like that?

    However, she was concerned about the child inside her.

    ¡°You, get out!I can pretend nothing happened. I won¡¯t even bother to fight with a lunatic like you,¡± she pointed at the door and shouted loudly.

    She had to worry about many things at Richards Manor. She had to take care of Hansen¡¯s father during the day andface the cynicism of his mother when she returned home. There was also a pregnant woman constantly provoking her. Not to mention, she was in charge of taking care of the Richards family.At this moment, this a*shole used her of no reasonand he was not even drunk! He must have meant every word he said.

    This was ridiculous!

    She couldn¡¯t bear living her life like this anymore!

    Every day, she felt like she was walking on eggshells.It was time for her to fend for herself.

 Chapter 230 Level Up

    ¡°Get out!¡± she yelled angrily. The anger she suppressed in her heart waspletely released. She picked up a vase on the table and threw it at him.

    Hansen stepped backward. Thevase missed him and fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think I will let you off the hook today.I won¡¯t leave until I get an exnation.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was pale as he pulled his tie off and threw his suit onto the sofa.

    Right then, he was behaving like a jealous child. He couldn¡¯t get what he wanted and got angry and frustrated. Therefore, he was seeking attention and imed that these belonged to him.

    It was just that this anger was more than that.

    Exnation? Jenna was puzzled for a moment, wondering what he was referring to.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to exin?We¡¯re divorced. Do I owe it to you to exin anything? Hurry up, get out.¡± Jenna had no idea where this wasing from. She pointed at the door and ordered.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Hansen snorted coldly. Hewas unwilling to give up.

    ¡°Let me tell you, Jenna.You can be heartless and choose toignore me.You can even hit me, scold me, andI can take it.But, I will never tolerate you going behind my back to seduce a man. You have a bottom line, so do I. You can¡¯t tolerate me, now I can¡¯t tolerate you either. You owe me an exnation,¡± Hansen spoke in a cold tone, feelingpletely meless.

    Seduce a man?This was absolutely outrageous!

    How could he im that she seduced a man? She heard him say it too many timesand it was unbearable.

    ¡°A*shole, what do you mean? Is this what you¡¯re supposed to say?¡± Jenna was anxious. She seemed to have lost the wordsto use to tell him off. ¡°You came to find trouble. If you came for a fight, a fight is what you will get. Bring it.¡±

    She could not be bothered at this point.She turned towards the corridor and shouted, ¡°Nelson, Haward,e here.¡±

    Nelson and Haward had bruises on their eyes. It was Hansen¡¯s doing. Hearing Jenna¡¯s cry, they had to cover their eyes and walk over in fear.

    ¡°You two, hurry up. Shovehim out,¡± Jenna pointed to Hansen and instructed them.

    ¡°This¡­¡± Nelson and Haward looked at each other, wondering what to do.

    Just moments ago, Hansen caught them off guard and hit them in the eye. With the strength he showed,they were afraid that they were no match for him even if they fought him together. Plus, Hansen was furious at this instant. He held a murderous re, which made them squirm.

    No matter how they looked at it, they felt that it was just a young couple arguing. It was not an actual feud.Looking at how brutal they were towards each other,they would be the ones who ended up paying the price for it. This was a waste of time, therefore even though they nodded, they didn¡¯t take any action.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Jenna saw how timid and guilty they were. Knowing that they could not be counted on, a wave of grief and anger surged in her heart.

    Well, both of them were afraid of Hansen,she could only do it herself.

    If a woman fought with a man, it couldn¡¯t be won with strength.

    A woman¡¯s secret weapon was being aggressive, making the man lose his mind, and then take the opportunity to bite, scratch, kick wherever they could. In short, she needed to use both her hands and feet. She didn¡¯t care about how she did it.She just needed to win.

    She rolled up her sleeves, exposing her lush fair arms. She warned him with onest breath, ¡°Hansen, will you get out?¡±

    ¡°You dared to threaten me with that little strength of yours. How pathetic.¡± Hansen stared at her arm and gulped. He then kicked the door shut. With a disdained look, he reached out to grab Jenna¡¯s hand.

    He grabbed her tightly and pulled her into his arms. He then carried her towards the bed.

    He didn¡¯t want to believe that he couldn¡¯t beat some sense into her. She had the audacity to seduce a man behind his back. What was he going to do to her?

    Jenna was lifted off the ground. She struggled in his arms and screamed, ¡°Hansen, you are not a man.You have no respect for women.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me bullying you?¡± Hansen ced her on the bed. Cupping her chin, he leaned over to stare at her, his eyes roaming over her white neck. His eyes darkenedand he gave her a cold smile.

    Jenna red at him angrily with tears of humiliation and stubbornness. Her two piercing eyes threw daggers at himbut deep in her eyes, there was unbearable disappointment and pain.

    Hansen clearly saw the pain in her eyes. His heart trembled, and he was stunned for a moment.

    Right at this moment.

    Jenna suddenly approached him and bit his chin.

    ¡°Hiss!¡± Hansen called out in pain.

    ¡°Crazy woman, let me go!¡± he yelled, trying to push her away. She bit him hardas if she was devouring his chin.

    He dared not move.

    Jenna took the opportunity to push him onto the bed and climbed over him. Clutching his clothes tightly, he was unable to fight back.

    Hansen had to sumb to her for fear that she would bite off his chin. However, he cursed in his heart, ¡°B*tch,you wait and see what I¡¯m about to do to you.¡±

    As if reading his thoughts, Jenna smiled coldly.

    Right then, a bloody smell flooded her mouth, causing a surge in her stomach. She took the opportunity to spit on his eyes and loosened the grip on his jaw.

    As he was rubbing his eyes, she rolled out of bed, ran towards the balcony, and locked the balcony door.

    Hansen was so angry that he rolled over and got up. Her saliva was still in his eyes, hence he couldn¡¯t see clearly. There was a burning sensation on his chinbut he couldn¡¯t be bothered.He rubbed his eyes and got up to chase after her.

    ¡°You tricked me again,¡± he scolded bitterly. When he stood up, he realized that she ran into the balcony, closed the balcony door tightly,and was looking at him through the sswith a triumphant look on her face.

    Hansen was furious and mmed on the door hard. The door had long been locked and it wouldn¡¯t budge.

    Jenna stood outside and looked at him.Her eyes widenedand she was vignt.

    The two red at each other.

    The tension was at its peak.

    Hansen touched his chinand the aftermath was terrible! He felt several tooth printsand there were bloodstains on his hand.

    This shrew really was something, he thought.Not only did she scratch his face, but she also bit his chin. How could he go out looking like this? If he didn¡¯t give her what she deserved, he would have lost his dignity.

    His eyes grew more vicious as he red straight at Jenna. She was horrified.She knew that he would not let her go that easily.

    Stepping back a few steps, she faced Hansen, who was staring at her with sorrow in his eyes.

    After Hansen¡¯s eyes scanned the surroundings, the anger on his face suddenly dissipated and was reced by a confident sneer.Jenna seemed to be amb waiting to be ughtered.

    He folded his arms in front of his chest as he admired her foolish arrogance.

    Jenna was stunned by how calm he was.

    She would have been more confident if he was furiousbut his calmness made her heart tremble.

    ¡°You can run but you can¡¯t run forever.¡± Hansen sneered and opened the ss window with little effort.

    Jenna¡¯s face suddenly turned pale. She was so focused on the door that she forgot about the window.

    Hansen leaped forward and jumped onto the balcony.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Hansen, if you dare to take another step, I¡¯ll jump.¡± Seeing that Hansen was about to pounce at her, Jenna panicked. She waspointing downstairs and loudly threatened him.

    This frightened Hansen as she stood by the railing;he dared not move an inch.

    ¡°If youe over, I will jump.There¡¯s no lie in that,¡± Jenna pointed to the ground below as she shouted sadly. ¡°Jump?¡± Hansen stared at her, afraid to move, but a moment after, he asked with a smile, ¡°If you die, what will Rayan do?¡±

    With just one sentence,Jenna immediately understood and figured out why he went berserk.

    He found that Rayan was back in A City.

    But, how did he know?

    Did someone tell him that they happened to meetst night?

    Turned out, he was jealousor perhaps afraid of being embarrassed. After all, she was still living in Richards Manor.Their rtionship may seem unclear from an outsider¡¯s point of view.

    They would understand if they knew the root of this matter.

    Couldn¡¯t he ask her before bursting into anger? He just happened to behave this way.What an arrogant jerk!

    It was so irritating that he always doubted herand kept saying that she was promiscuous! What about him? How was she going to bring about Aria bringing pregnant?

    They were once in love and trusted each other with all their hearts.Currently, who was to say who betrayed whom?

    He could be around womenbut she could not even talk to a man?

    He could forget about their promise and get a woman pregnant.Was she not allowed to even say a sentence to a man?

    Pain shed across her face as she thought of it.

    Hansen suddenly turned his backas if he did not intend to catch her anymore.

    She rejoiced in her heart. She quietly unlocked the balcony door and went inside.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see where you are nning to run off to.¡± As soon as she went into the room,Hansen caught her. ¡°It¡¯s time to surrender now.¡±

    Little did Jenna know that Hansen intentionally turned his back. The purpose was to get her to leave the balcony and avoid jumping down from the building.She was in the room, just as where he wanted her to be. She could not escape at this moment.She got anxious from being caught by himand she reached out to scratch his face.

    Once bitten, twice shy.Hansen was used to her tricks, thus he grabbed her hands.

    Jenna screamed. He gripped onto both her handsandlunged her entire body up. She tried kicking him hard.

    Hansen had great strength. Itwas impossible to go against him by force,therefore she could only fight by wit.

    She kicked Hansen¡¯s leg a few times. Although it was not painful, he was very annoyed. He pressed her against the bed, gave her a hard p on her butt, and growled, ¡°If you make another move, I will spank you hard.¡±

 Chapter 231 This Is War

    ¡°Aunt E, Aunt E,e and help me. I¡¯m going to get beaten to death!¡± Jennaid on the bed for a while and cried, ¡°Are my two bodyguards dead? Did I pay them for nothing? I¡¯m going to get beaten to death. Are you guys protecting me this way? I won¡¯t pay you wages anymore.¡±

    Jenna was crying and howling, tears flowing down her cheeks.

    ¡°Hey, what are you screaming about? Who is beating whom?¡± Hansen asked in annoyance. He was flustered by her crying and he rxed his grip on her.

    Jenna took the opportunity to turn around and p him.

    Her handnded right on Hansen¡¯s face and he felt a burning pain.

    The sun must have risen from the west that day. She dared to hit him! Hansen thought.

    Previously, she pped him because he was drunkbut this time she tantly pped him on purpose.

    Scratching, biting, hitting, kicking; he had witnessed every trick of hers that day. Was there a woman more savage than her?

    He pressed himself against her and the two twisted into a ball on the bed.

    Tangled in a mess, Hansen¡¯s foot hit the water ss on the table, causing it to fallto the ground and broke.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The cries and shouting, the shattering of vases and cups falling to the ground shocked everyone downstairs. Marissa ran up in a panic. She asked the guards who were standing thereat the doorwith theirswollennoses and eyes.

    ¡°Madam, Miss Murphy is inside with the Young Master. They are¡­ fighting,¡± Nelson said with a hand covering his eyes.

    Fighting? What an absurd thing to happen!

    Marissa was even more anxious when she heard that, not knowing what was going on inside. She hurriedly urged.

    ¡°Quick, open the door!¡±

    ¡°But, Madam, the door has been locked,¡± Nelson said helplessly.

    Locked? Marissa¡¯s heart sank and her face darkened, hence she took a few steps closer and shouted as she knocked, ¡°Hansen, Hansen, open the door!¡±

    In the bedroom, Hansen and Jenna were busy fightings on the bed;they did not hear Marissa¡¯s voice at all.

    Between the two, Jenna was no match for Hansen; she was overpowered in just a few moves.

    ¡°Hansen, if you dare to touch me, I will make you regret for the rest of your life.¡± Jenna saw that she was at a disadvantage and became furious. She was afraid that he would identally harm the child in her womb.

    ¡°Lady, you secretly went out with Rayan behind my back and you dare to hit me,why can¡¯t I touch you?¡± Hansen¡¯s face was flushed. He finally managed to keep her in check and he didn¡¯t n to let her go.

    He stretched out one hand to hold her hands on the top of her head, and one leg kept her legs in check. With one knee on the bed, he reached out his hand to take off her clothes. ¡°I want to check if you have done anything wrong.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, you are crazy. I did no such thing.¡± Jenna saw that Hansen had such nasty thoughts on top of his barbaric behavior. She got all anxious and angry; she couldn¡¯t help shouting, ¡°You b*stard, you have the audacity to get other women pregnant, yet you dare interfere with my affairs? Besides, we are divorced. This is harassment,I will sue you!¡±

    Hansen was taken aback. His hands halted in the middle of removing her clothes.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    He looked at her with a vicious re.

    ¡°D*mn it, do you have to retaliate against me like that?You are a woman, don¡¯t you understand? I¡¯ve exined it to you a long time ago. I was tricked that nightand I didn¡¯t want that at all. If you want to take revenge, you have other ways to get back at me. But, you are willing to go into another man¡¯s arms. I am really mad at you. Today, I won¡¯t let you go unless I¡¯m finished with you.¡± Hansen burst into rage. The more he talked, the more vexed he got. The veins on his forehead even popped out.

    ¡°You b*stard, you¡¯re not a man. You make assumptions without talking to me first. It¡¯s not what you think.¡± Jenna was frightened by Hansen¡¯s anger. The hope in her heart extinguished. Seeing Hansen¡¯s attitude at the moment,she was sure that he wouldn¡¯t let her go. Sad and angry, she cried.

    ¡°Okay. I am not a man, so Rayan is a man? I will show you today who the real man is. I want him to know that you are a woman I have slept with; let¡¯s see if Rayan wants you after that,¡± Hansen replied savagely.

    He tore off the clothes covering her chestand his hand roamed her chest unforgivingly and forcefullyas if he wanted to vent all his anger on her.

    ¡°Hansen, you b*stard, let me go!¡± Jenna trembled and cried loudly.

    Her beautiful body and her cries got on Hansen¡¯s nerves. He was so irrational and overwhelmed by jealousy that he could not hear her cries, nor did he hear Marissa¡¯s knock on the door.

    His anger that had been suppressed for a long time erupted. He lowered his head and bit her bosom. His hands quickly slid to her genitalia, fiddling with them. He felt that it was tight and there was nothing different from the past. In fact, it was even tighter than before, therefore he felt relieved.

    But, at this point, he couldn¡¯t stop. He ignored Jenna¡¯s cries. There seemed to be a raging desire all over his body and he was about to explode with emotion. There were a thousand voices yelling at him to devour her then and there. He was about to erupt; he just eagerly wantedto indulge her.

    Jenna¡¯s voice became muffledand her fierce cries gradually decreased in volume.

    Marissa heard Jenna¡¯s cries from outside. Her heart went up her throat; she feared that her son would do something stupid.

    She knocked the door harder and shouted with all her might.

    Apanied by Marissa¡¯s yelling, the knock on the door finally brought back Hansen¡¯s sanity by a little bit. He raised his red eyes only to see Jenna¡¯s face pale. Her cry was muffled and her face was nched. She seemed like she was about to faintand his chest tightened.

    Quickly putting on her pajamas, he pulled her into his arms and said, ¡°Jenna, Jenna, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡±

    Jenna was really tired. She was already exhausted from the day¡¯s work. After fighting with Hansen, she had no strength anymore. She was about to pass out at any moment.

    Her shallow breathspletely frightened Hansen. He hugged her tightly and called her name over and over again. His heart trembled. Only then did he regret what he did. Fortunately, he stopped before he went on any further. Deep in self-deprecation, he finally came back to his senses. Hugging her, he was trembling all over.

    Marissa heard the sound in the room and said quickly to the guards, ¡°Quick, open the door.¡±

    The two guards were still hesitating before Marissa shouted loudly, ¡°Why are you still hesitating? If you don¡¯t barge in and something happens, will you be responsible?¡±

    When the two heard this, they were shocked. They couldn¡¯t bear this risk, hence they rushed to break the door open.

    When Marissa broke in, she was stunned by the scene before her.

    The room was a mess; there were broken ss and broken ceramic pieces everywhere.

    Hansen was sitting on the bed holding Jenna in a daze, his eyes unfocused and lost.

    Jenna was lying motionless in his arms.

    Marissa¡¯s heart thrummed in her ears.

    ¡°Hansen, what¡¯s wrong with her?¡± she ran up and asked nervously.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were hollow and there was no response for a long time.

    ¡°Hansen, what the hell is going on? Tell me, are you trying to kill me?¡± Marissa saw Hansen¡¯s pale faceand noticed the scar on his face. She could guess what happened.

    It was not only her son who was injured. What about Jenna? Seeing Hansen so nervous, she wondered if there was something wrong. Her heart immediately jumped to her throat.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Marissa asked nervously, pointing at the woman in his arms.

    She wanted to pull Jenna out of Hansen¡¯s armsbut he held her so tightly that she couldn¡¯t see Jenna¡¯s face at all.

    ¡°Hansen, tell me, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Marissa was restless. She shook Hasen and questioned him angrily. Her heart ached; how could Hansen be so stupid? As long as Jenna was involved, he would lose his mind. It was so disappointing.

    ¡°Mom, she passed out.¡± Hansen was finally made sober by Marissa. He lifted his chin up and said weakly.

    Fainted? Marissa was taken aback.

    ¡°Are you out of your mind? Hurry up and send her to the hospital!¡± Marissa immediately told him.

    This sentence brought Hansen back to his senses. He carried Jenna in his arms and quickly ran out.

    ¡°Wait, Hansen, I will follow you.¡± Marissa saw Hansen in a panic and was worried that something would happen to Jenna. No doubt, at that time, Hansen would be med for it.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll just go by myself.¡± Hansen didn¡¯t have time to wait for her. He was going to send her to the hospital instantly. He then rushed downstairs with Jenna in his arms and ran out.

    ¡°This is a curse on our family!¡± Marissa looked at Hansen¡¯s back and the mess in the room. She shook her head. Later, she ordered someone to clean it before walking out weakly.

    Aria and Minnie were standing in the living room, listening to the noise upstairs, feeling happy on the inside.

    After seeing Hansen rush out anxiously with Jenna in his arms, faint smiles appeared on their faces.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, do you think that b*tch will die?¡± Minnie said gleefully.

    Ariaughed and replied maliciously, ¡°If she is really dead, that would be great. I won¡¯t have to do it myself.¡±

    ¡°That sl*t will only seduce men. Sooner orter, she would be gone,¡± Minnie remarked with wicked eyes.

    Aria smiled shamelessly. When she saw Marissa walk downstairs, she quickly put away the smile on her faceand greeted Marissa with great concern before asking, ¡°Mom, how are Hansen and Jenna? ¡±

    ¡°Jenna fainted. They are always causing trouble.¡± Marissa sighed. Aria and Minnie exchanged nces and smiled at each other, secretly happy.

 Chapter 232 Too Na?ve

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna, wake up.¡± Hansen sat in the car¡¯s back row holding Jenna as he yelled her name. The driver drove to the hospital quickly.

    Jenna was in a deep sleep. In her dream, there was a wicked person chasing after her. She ran until her shins were sore. Halfway through, she fell to the ground and couldn¡¯t get back up.

    There was a voice constantly calling her. It was a voice she was very familiar with, a voice that could awaken her instantly.

    Slightly opening her eyes, she only felt a warm embrace and powerful arms around her. Wasn¡¯t she in her bedroom? Where was she this instant?

    She seemed to be moving forward. She was lifted mid-air and her head became dizzier.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re awake,¡± a surprised cry came. She opened her eyes and searched for the voice until she met a pair of eyes that were filled with anxiety and joy. Those bright eyes were as deep as a well and they were dazzling to the point that it shook her soul.

    Slowly, she remembered what happened.

    Before going to bed, she was fighting with Hansenthe b*stardand he harassed her despite her opposition.

    She was about to sit upbut discovered that her limbs were weak.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t move.¡± Hansen held her down.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we will be arriving at the hospital soon,¡± a professional voice came from the front.

    Hospital? Jenna woke uppletely in shock.

    What happened? Why were they going to the hospital?

    Did she meet an ident?

    Her heart beat wildly.

    Did something happen to her baby? She touched her belly. There was nothing unusual; she felt that her genitalia was dry. There was no blood nor mucus down there. She realized that she didn¡¯t lose her child.

    She breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

    ¡°Let go of me, b*stard.¡± The car finally stopped. Jenna immediately struggled to sit up and pushed Hansen hard. She didn¡¯t want to see him at all. He was a demon, she thought.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t. You fainted. Let me take you to the hospital,¡± Hansen said in fear with one hand caressing her face, seemingly very heartbroken over what he did. ¡°Look at your face. You have lost a lot of weight recently. Let the doctor take a look. Maybe get some prescription medicines to strengthen your body.¡±

    Hansen hugged her lightly; he was full of sorrow.

    He regretted his emotional outburst and his loss of control. In fact, he was reluctant to hurt her. If he didn¡¯t discover that she was dating Rayan, which angered him, even if the sky fell, he would never hurt her.

    See a doctor and get prescription medicines? What a joke! Jenna scoffed inwardly.

    ¡°No, let me go. I don¡¯t need to go to the hospital or see a doctor. I¡¯m not sick.¡± Jenna was unwilling to go to the doctor. If she went, they would all find out about her pregnancy. She didn¡¯t want to let anyone know.

    If Hansen knew that she was pregnant with his child, she was afraid that their rtionship would never be cut clean in the future.

    As long as Jenna thought about serving the same husband as Aria and always being jealous, she would feel disgusted. She never wanted to live a life like this. She wouldn¡¯t bring the child in her womb into this life of endless troubles; this was not who she was at all.

    In fact, she was really tired and went to sleep.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    She and Hansen had intercourse a long time ago. If he insisted on getting his way that day, she wouldn¡¯t have fainted too. She experienced that a long time ago.

    ¡°Listen to me, Jenna. Let¡¯s go to the doctor to do a checkup. You are too thin.¡± Hansen was unwilling to give up. Jenna¡¯s pale face was like a knife to his heart, therefore he held her tightly, almost begging, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jenna. I lost control of my emotions. I promise I won¡¯t do it again in the future.¡±

    In the future? Was there even still a future between them? Jenna sneered but she didn¡¯t say it out loud. Instead, she said, ¡°Just stop speaking. I won¡¯t see a doctor with you even if I¡¯m dying.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Hansen cried out in surprise. ¡°Jenna, I am doing it for your own good. Stop being stubbornand don¡¯t be mad at me anymore. Take care of your body. Then, we can have a child together, okay?¡±

    He wrapped his arms around her, his cheek rubbing against her soft hair and he spoke softly¡­

    A child? With such a sensitive word, Jenna shivered.

    F*ck him for even thinking of having a child with her! Jenna cursed in her heart.

    ¡°How many women do you want bearing children for you? Stop dreaming. Do you think that as long as you are rich, other people wille and bear children for you? Pathetic,¡± Jenna sarcastically said.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Hansen had a hard time speaking. A wry smile appeared on his face. Jenna looked out through the car window with a straight face.

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s get remarried tomorrow, and then we will go overseas to live, okay?¡± Hansen remembered the decision they made in the past. He bought a vi in a foreign country three years ago and they were nning to move over. If it weren¡¯t for Jenna suddenly asking him for a divorce, if unexpected things didn¡¯t happen, maybe they would now be living happily abroad.

    He had always wanted to develop hispany into a multinational one, expanding it to a foreign country, just to be with Jenna there. He wanted to leave everything behind and get a fresh start.

    It was a pity that life was unpredictable and everything was currently chaotic.

    But, they could still do it at present, couldn¡¯t they?

    ¡°Sweet n you have there. I should be grateful.¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. She turned to look at Hansen¡¯s eyes. ¡°What about Aria? What should she do? She is pregnant with your baby.¡±

    Her eyes were fixated on him.

    Hansen opened his mouth. His face was red from being guilty. His eyes gradually dimmed and his fingers dug into his palm.

    ¡°Also, what about my father¡¯s death? You¡¯re too na?ve to have this kind of thought.¡± Jenna frowned and mocked him but her heart was filled with sorrow and pain.

    Fate brought them here.

    Only if she left, maybe everything would be fine then.

    ¡°Let go of me. I want to go back,¡± she struggled and said again.

    ¡°No, Jenna. Please, I beg you to see a doctor. Even if you don¡¯t feel bad for yourself, I feel bad.¡± Hansen was unwilling to let her go and he made ast effort.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Jenna tly refused with a firm voice, leaving him with no hope. ¡°I won¡¯t follow you to the hospital even if you beat me to death.¡±

    ¡°Why are you acting so stubborn?¡± Hansen shouted in pain.

    Jenna ignored him and opened the car door.

    ¡°Jenna, if you really don¡¯t want to go, then at least let me take you to the pharmacist to get some supplements. Looking at how thin you¡¯ve be, it hurts me.¡± Hansen couldn¡¯t force her, he had to let her go. She was so determined that she wouldn¡¯t go into the hospital with him, therefore he had to give way.

    ¡°No, I am leaving.¡± With that, she got out of the car and walked away.

    ¡°Jenna, wait.¡± Hansen jumped out of the car to catch up with her, pulling her arm. ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Richards Manor.¡± Jenna was not at all hesitant. She didn¡¯t know where to go except for the manor; it was the middle of the night.

    ¡°Well, since you don¡¯t want to go to the hospital, I won¡¯t force you. But, let me take you home.¡± He pulled her toward the car.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll just call a cab.¡± Jenna reached out her hand and ordered a taxi. ¡°Please don¡¯t pester me.¡±

    A taxi stopped.

    Jenna opened the car door and got into the taxi.

    Hansen stood by the side of the road and watched the taxi drive away. He felt horrible watching her get further and further away from him.

    Back at Richards Manor, it was alreadyte night. Jenna fell asleep on the bed.

    Early the next day, Sabrina broke into her room as the door was broken.

    With a worried expression on her face, she walked in and asked, ¡°Jenna, I heard that you faintedst night. Is this true?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Jenna saw her anxious look andmanaged to muster a casual smile.

    ¡°But, they all said that you were knocked out by Hansen. Was that really the case?¡± Sabrina was worried. Her bright eyes gave her a once-overand she then asked in disbelief, ¡°Tell me if Hansen did that. I will go beat some sense into himter.¡±

    Out of righteousness, Sabrina clenched her fists tightly.

    Jenna appreciated her concern. There were not many people in the manor who cared about her. However, she had not known Sabrina for a long timeyet. Even so, Sabrina about her so much. It was a rare sight.

    ¡°Sabrina, it¡¯s really no big deal. Don¡¯t worrybecause he can¡¯t do anything to me.¡± She stepped forward and took Sabrina¡¯s hand with a smile on her face.

    The calmness of her face finally dispelled Sabrina¡¯s doubts. When Sabrina saw that she was well, she sighed in relief.

    ¡°Sabrina, did you go out with Norton yesterday?¡± Jenna thought of something and asked.

    Sabrina blushed, slightly shy. She only nodded and answered after a long time, ¡°Yes, Norton took me out on a date yesterday.¡±

    ¡°That must be fun,¡± Jenna said casually.

    ¡°Well, it was okay.¡± Sabrina blushed and smiled.

    ¡°Did he tell you anything? Maybe about proposals?¡± To figure out Norton¡¯s intentions, Jenna deliberately joked. She really wanted to know what Norton wanted to do to Sabrina and what his intentions were.

    ¡°Oh, you make good jokes, Jenna. I¡¯m still a student,I don¡¯t want to get married yet,¡± Sabrina lowered her head and replied timidly.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t be able to help it if he does.¡± Jenna smiled. She sighed in her heart as she watched Sabrina¡¯s shy expression. She knew in her heart that arranged marriages between the nobles had no regard for the child¡¯s thoughts. It depended on the parents, Jenna included. Her marriage with Hansen was decided by Vivian and her father. They did not seek her consent before agreeing. It just so happened that she liked Hansen at that time, otherwise, she would have made a fuss out of it.

    ¡°Jenna, how is the design for the New Year¡¯s banquet?¡± Changing the subject, Sabrina immediately got up and started urging Jenna to n the New Year¡¯s banquet.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and prepare.¡± Jenna took her hand and headed downstairs. After that, they walked toward Ink Garden.

    In the corridor of Ink Garden, Meroy was in deep thought with a white medicine bottle in her hand. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn¡¯t see Jenna and Sabrina when they approached.

    ¡°Meroy,¡± Sabrina approached, smiled sweetly, and called out.

    Meroy remained silent. Her expression was very focusedas if she was thinking about something.

    Meroy, who had always beenposed and courteous, acted so abnormally. Jenna had never seen her this way before. She was surprised. Unlike Sabrina who approached Meroy, Jenna observed her while she stood quietly a few steps away.

 Chapter 233 Vivian Had A Heart Attack

    ¡°Ah!¡± Meroy was taken aback by Sabrina¡¯s call. When she looked up and saw Jenna and Sabrina standing in front of her, she sighed in relief. Immediately, she put away the medicine bottle in her hand and said with a smile, ¡°Young Madam, Miss Sabrina, you are here. Please go in.¡±

    ¡°Meroy, what are you holding in your hand?¡± Sabrina asked when she saw Meroy hurriedly hiding the thing in her hand. She was curious, therefore she asked with widened eyes.

    ¡°Miss Sabrina, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Meroy smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s the medicine Old Madam is taking.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Sabrina noddedand no longer asked any further.

    ¡°Meroy, is Grandma¡¯s heart disease better?¡± Jenna asked with a serious look.

    Meroy returned the look. She nodded and solemnly said, ¡°It¡¯s no unusual thing that Old Madam has a heart condition since she is advanced in age but there is nothing serious about it. Young Madam, Miss Sabrina, please don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for taking care of her, Meroy,¡± Jenna replied sincerely with a sigh of relief.

    ¡°This is my duty.¡± Meroy smiled modestly and left after leading them in.

    Jenna and Sabrina started their work.

    Time passed by quickly. They spent all morning discussing the annual banquet. Butler Maud came to report on his work and various trivial matters. All in all, 24 hours a day was not enoughfor Jenna.

    It was almost noon. Sabrina worked all morning and then she followed the designer to the central ind.

    Jenna decided on a list of dishes to prepare, then sorted out some reports before going back to Green Jade Garden for lunch.

    She looked up and saw Meroy walking in.

    ¡°Young Madam, why don¡¯t you eat here? I have already prepared food for you,¡± Meroy said with a smile.

    ¡°Oh, is it?¡± Jenna didn¡¯t hesitate; she nodded in response.

    The dining room of Ink Garden hadrge windows.

    Mouthwatering dishes were served in the dining room and each dish was heated, steaming and hot.

    Jenna¡¯s stomach growled.

    After her pregnancy symptoms got better, her appetite improved. She always vomited after eating and only started eating again after she finished throwing up. Even so, Jenna insisted on eating something.

    ¡°Young Madam, you must be starving. The weather is freezing cold,hurry up and eat,¡± Meroy stood aside and urged.

    ¡°Okay, Meroy, let¡¯s eat together.¡± Jenna did not hesitate to sit down before inviting her.

    Meroy smiled and sat down beside her.

    ¡°Meroy, just tell me if you have anything to say; we know each other well.¡± Soon after eating, Jenna got up and poured two cups of hot tea. She handed one of them to Meroy, and spoke lightly.

    ¡°Thank you, Young Madam.¡± Meroy quickly thanked Jenna after reaching out to take the cup that Jenna had handed over. ¡°Young Madam, you are so smart. I can¡¯t hide anything from you.¡±

    Meroy didn¡¯t expect Jenna to see through her thoughts so quickly. She smiled appreciatively and led her to the lounge inside.

    ¡°Meroy, is it rted to Grandma¡¯s heart disease?¡± Jenna stopped smiling and asked as soon as they entered the lounge.

    Jenna saw Meroy¡¯s expression in the corridor that morning. Initially, she believed her, thinking that Vivian¡¯s illness would be finebut seeing her specially preparing her lunch, she wondered if there was something she should know, therefore she asked to talk to Meroy in private.

    When Meroy heard Jenna¡¯s question, she straightened up. She looked around, then checked that the door was locked before saying in a low voice, ¡°Young Madam, you are right. There¡¯s something weird about Old Madam and her heart disease.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Jenna was instantly worried and said, ¡°Meroy, please tell me quickly.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°This is a long story.¡± Meroy sighed and said slowly, ¡°Old Madam¡¯s heart suddenly became ufortable in the middle of the night the day before yesterday. She was panting and screaming in pain. Fortunately, I prepared some painkillers in advance. She was okay after taking them. Last night, I dared not be careless. I slept in her room. At midnight, Old Madam felt pain in her chest again. She couldn¡¯t breathe properly and her face turned pale. I woke up from her heavy panting and the movement on the bed. When I got up, I was startled; Old Madam¡¯s hands were spread wide open, her face was pale, and she was very ufortable. This is a symptom of a heart attack. I quickly took first-aid measures, did CPR, and gave her painkillers. Only then did her condition stabilize.¡±

    Jenna was frightened when she heard it and asked anxiously, ¡°Meroy, what¡¯s going on with Grandma? If this is the case, we should send her to the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Sigh. When humans get old, it is normal to have heart diseases. At the time, I was also afraid and insisted on sending her to the hospital. But, when Old Madam woke up, she didn¡¯t agree to that, saying that she didn¡¯t want to worry the others. I am just a servant after all,I can¡¯t make any decisions. There is no other way I could think of,hence I listened to her,¡± Meroy exined thoroughly.

    Jenna was silent.

    Vivian didn¡¯t want to go to the hospital. She probably knew that she was old and she couldn¡¯t afford to go to the hospital for fear that Richards Manor would be in a mess.

    ¡°If Grandma is unwilling to go to the hospital, then she can ask an experienced doctor toe to the manor to take care of her,¡± Jenna thoughtfully suggested.

    ¡°Young Madam, there is something you are unaware of,¡± Meroy hesitated for a while before she spoke in a firm tone.

    ¡°What? Tell me.¡± Jenna was taken aback and her heart sank. Meroy seemed to be hiding another big news from them, thus she asked seriously.

    ¡°Young Madam, Old Madam¡¯s heart disease didn¡¯t happen in just these two daysbut has been a problem for a long time. It has been well-controlledbut it became abnormal these past two days. All of the sudden, she would feel ufortable. I find it strange. You know that she takes her medicine every day. There is absolutely no exnation for her serious condition. I found out that the color of the medicine was different when I gave her medicine this morning. When I came out, I learned that the medicine in the medicine bottle had been switched by someone. Only then did I understand why Old Madam was acting this way,¡± Meroy said painfully, full of fear in her heart. She could not bear the consequences of keeping quiet, therefore she had to tell Jenna.

    ¡°What in the world?¡± Jenna was shocked and stood there, speechless.

    This was ridiculous!

    Who dared do this?

    They dared to harm Vivian; it was terrible.

    This was a crime. In fact, Vivian could die. The people in Richards Manor were really unpredictable. Jenna felt goosebumps forming all over her body.

    ¡°Do you know who did this?¡± Jenna asked in surprise.

    ¡°I have no clue.¡± Meroy shook her head, then took out two medicine bottles from her pocket and handed them over to Jenna. She spoke nervously.

    ¡°Young Madam, look, these two medicines have been changed.¡±

    Jenna took them and examined them carefully. It was the bottle Meroy was holding when she and Sabrina came over in the morning. Meroy was standing there in a trance. Jenna had figured that something was off since then. However, she just thought that Vivian¡¯s heart disease was getting seriousbut never did she expect such a conspiracy!

    She flipped through the instruction booklet of the medicine bottle. It was an imported medicine. It was all in English. After reading it, she roughly understood that it was the medicine Vivian needed to take. However, she didn¡¯t know much about medicines and just stared at them.

    ¡°Young Madam, look, this was originally a white pill but it was reced with a yellow one. I have been giving these medicines to Old Madam for many years. It is impossible that I¡¯m wrong and I am also a doctor. Surely I would know this.¡± Meroy took out two different pills, one yellow and one white, and ced them on her palm. The difference was quite big.

    Jenna¡¯s face became more gloomy.

    At this point, she was not just shocked. What she felt was pure fear and anger.

    If someone deliberately switched this, they weremitting murder, which was simply terrible!

    Her whole body shuddered just thinking about this.

    ¡°How many people know about this?¡± she asked in a low voiceafter thinking for a while.

    ¡°Except for you and I, no one knows yet. For the time being, I am still considering whether to tell Old Madam or not,¡± Meroy said in a mncholy tone.

    ¡°Tell her.¡± After only thinking about it for a while, Jenna made a decision. ¡°We must tell Grandma. Don¡¯t worry, she has encountered a lot in her lifeand she is clear-minded. I think she can bear it, she will have a clear judgment. Since some people are nning to harm her, then they won¡¯t stop until they seed. Let Grandma know about this. Only then, she will be prepared. Maybe she wille up with a n.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Meroy heard Jenna¡¯s words, which were in line with her own thoughts, and nodded her head hurriedly. ¡°Then please go in with me, Young Madam, and tell Old Madam about this.¡±

    Up till this point, they had no other choice. Perhaps, Vivian had a clue on who did this, therefore Jenna nodded.

    The two walked toward Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    As usual, Vivian sat on the bed with her eyes closed, resting.

    ¡°You came!¡± As soon as Jenna and Meroy walked in, Vivian opened her eyes and said.

    Jenna was secretly amazed. Vivian was indeed really clever. She was so alert to her surroundings.

    ¡°Grandma, how are you feeling?¡± Jenna approached and asked softly.

    ¡°Jenna,e.¡± Vivian smiled and stretched out her hand.

    Jenna hurriedly took her hand. It was wrinkled and skinny like a bark. Jenna got a little sad and said, ¡°Grandma.¡±

    She called again softly.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t die this early.¡± Vivian smiled lovingly. The expression on her face was nothing but calm.

    ¡°Grandma, let me take you to the hospital,¡± Jenna leaned closer and said seriously.

    ¡°No, Jenna. I¡¯m old and it doesn¡¯t make much sense to go to the hospital.¡± Vivian smiled and straightened a little with courage radiating out of her. ¡°Besides, my son is still lying there in the hospital. It will only add more trouble if I went too. ¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached as she thought of Trevor and her mother. Tears almost fell from her eyes. She was extremely sad.

 Chapter 234 Someone Switched The Medicine

    ¡°Vivian, I will call an experienced doctor over,¡± Jenna said with tears in her eyes. She was barely smiling.

    ¡°Jenna, there¡¯s no need for that. I know my own body. I won¡¯t die yet.¡± Vivian patted Jenna¡¯s hand and smiled faintly. ¡°Do you have anything to say to me? ¡±

    Jenna was stunnedand she looked at Vivian. There was a gleam in her eyes. She seemed to guess their purpose foring in. At this moment, she was calm, peaceful like a river, fearless of life and death. She was so calm that it made Jenna calm down too.

    Sure enough, she was the most brilliant woman among the rich, the most outstanding woman among them. Although she was old, she was stillposed in the face of life and death.

    That temperament andposure were really not what ordinary people could have.

    ¡°Yes, I have something to say,¡± Jenna answered almost without thinking.

    Facing such an experienced woman, even if they didn¡¯t say it, she must know that they were hiding a secret.

    ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯m listening.¡± Vivian smiled calmly.

    ¡°Grandma, the thing is, the medicine for your heart disease that you take every day has been secretly switched. That was why you had a heart attack over these two days,¡± Jenna told her the truth clearly and loudly.

    Vivian narrowed her eyes and smiled.

    ¡°Is that all?¡± she asked lightly. ¡°This is not new to me. I already knew.¡±

    She had known about it long ago! Not only was Jenna stunned, even Meroy gasped.

    Vivian was indeed not an ordinary person; she knew this and yet was still so calm.

    Meroy secretly rejoiced that Jenna had told Vivian about the situation. Seeing Vivian¡¯s confident expression, her heart became calmer.

    ¡°Actually, there is nothing unusual about this. I have been taking this medicine for several years. It tasted wrong these days,¡± Vivian seemed to understand their thoughts and exined with a smile.

    Jenna and Meroy nodded as realization dawned on them.

    ¡°Grandma, do you have any idea who would switch your medicine?¡± Jenna asked. Since Vivian knew about it, perhaps she would know who was switching her medicine. She should have a vague idea in the least.

    Vivian shook her head and replied with a heavy sigh, ¡°In this world, there are always people who like you and people who don¡¯t like you. People who don¡¯t like you certainly have their reasons. It¡¯s nothing more than what benefits them. I¡¯m old. They want me to die. It¡¯s not a surprise. However, I can¡¯t watch Richards Manor get into trouble, nor can I watch my grandchildren be in danger. I don¡¯t know who harmed mebut for an old woman like me, it doesn¡¯t make any sense to harm me unless they¡¯re nning to snatch the things I hold in my hands. Let me borate another day.¡±

    She spoke facts. Her voice was tand it was no surprise to her.

    Jenna lowered her head, feeling down.

    ¡°Grandma, you have to be careful from today onward. Richards Manor cannot continue on without you. You are the backbone of the manor,please stay safe,¡± Jenna urged.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jenna, I have Meroy beside me. From now on, we will be more vignt. As for you, thank you for taking care of the manor for me. Thank you very much.¡± Vivian smiled kindly. ¡°I¡¯m troubling you, my child. You have been wronged so much over the years,I can only thank you in my heart.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. I will do my best.¡± Jenna felt her heart ache. She reached out to squeeze Vivian¡¯s hand and promised her.

    Vivian nodded in satisfaction.

    ¡°Okay, go back to work. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    Jenna saw that Vivian was tired from talking so much, therefore she walked out with Meroy.

    As soon as they came out, she saw Aria walking in with Minnie.

    ¡°Meroy, is Grandma Richards awake? I¡¯m here to visit her,¡± Aria asked Meroy sweetly, her face full of fake affection.

    ¡°Miss McAdams, we just went in to see Old Madam. She is very tired. I¡¯m afraid she is not in the mood for guests. Plus, it is lunch break now. I would need to ask you toe back another time,¡± Meroy was in a bad mood, she forced a smile and replied.

    ¡°Well, that sucks. Hey, me me for being anxious. I came to see her because I heard that she¡¯s not feeling well. Since it is a bad time now, I mustn¡¯t go in and disturb her.¡± Aria pouted her lipsand then asked with a worried expression, ¡°Jenna, is Grandma Richards okay? Nothing is wrong, right?¡±

    Jenna met Aria¡¯s stare and responded with a faint smile, ¡°Miss McAdams, Grandma has always been in good health. There is nothing wrong with her. How can I not know if Vivian is ufortable? I don¡¯t know where you heard this from. That¡¯s weird.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great. It seems like I heard wrong. That¡¯s good,¡± Aria was dumbfoundedand she immediately put on a smile.

    ¡°Meroy, I¡¯ll leave if there is nothing wrong. Please take care of Grandma,¡± Jenna shifted her nce to Meroy and said with a smile.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Yes, Young Madam. Don¡¯t you worry, I will take good care of Old Madam,¡± Meroy hurriedly replied. ¡°Goodbye, Young Madam.¡±

    Jenna smiled and walked out.

    ¡°Hey, Jenna. Wait up. I happen to be going back too. How about we go together?¡± Aria followed from behind and suggested with a smile.

    Jenna smelled the perfume on Aria¡¯s body and couldn¡¯t help feeling sick. She just frowned and didn¡¯t say much.

    Just then, Sabrina came over in a car. Seeing Sabrina who was blushing, Jenna¡¯s mood improved a lot and her nausea disappeared.

    ¡°Jenna, the designer has already left. Your idea is stunning, even the designer called it extraordinary. You are brilliant,¡± Sabrina said with admiration after getting out of the car.

    ¡°Jenna, it must be great to be in charge of the manor. You are busy all day long, so much that people really think you are the young madam of the Richards family.¡± Aria cleared her throat as she listened to Sabrina¡¯spliment for Jenna. Jealousy erupted inside her. She quickly said with a smile, sarcasmced in her tone, ¡°Hey, I was wondering, why does an outsider like you work so hard in handling the matters of Richards Manor? Anyway, you are already divorced. You¡¯re not a member of this family anymore. In fact, you don¡¯t have the right to do so either. People may find it funny. You can¡¯t just get this title out of hard work.¡±

    This was not only a stab in the heart and straight-up humiliation. Her words were very harsh and Sabrina felt very ufortable hearing them.

    ¡°Miss McAdams, why do you speak such ugly words? No matter what, Jenna was Hansen¡¯swfully wedded wife, unlike some peoplewho got pregnant while they were unmarried. Hansen was actually unwilling to marry that someonebut then she forced the marriage by staying in his house. It¡¯s so embarrassing.¡± Sabrina¡¯s poisonous speech made Aria¡¯s face flush red.

    ¡°Miss Sabrina, you are just a fianc¨¦e. I advise you not to be deceived by some people. It would be bad if you end up miserable like her.¡± Aria red at Sabrina with frost in her eyes, her words sharp.

    ¡°Is it so? Jenna is so brilliant. I won¡¯t have half her abilities even if I tried. Even women like the cars she designs. No one can match this talent, unlike some people who rely entirely on men. If they don¡¯t get the man¡¯s love, they would stick around in the man¡¯s house. Hansen loves Jenna so much. How could it be miserable, right, Jenna?¡± Sabrina said while holding Jenna¡¯s arm. She was smiling brightly like the sun.

    Jenna smiled, looked at Aria¡¯s reddened face, and said disdainfully, ¡°Sabrina, why bother with some superficial and vulgar women? Talking to them is a waste of time. As the saying goes, if you do bad deeds, you will end up doomed yourself. It¡¯s best to face the reality the earlier the better. In fact, we mustn¡¯t do anything illegal lest we bring troubles to ourselves.¡±

    Jenna remarked disdainfully while she slowly pulled Sabrina away.

    Aria froze in ce out of anger.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, what did that horrid woman mean by what she said? Does she know something?¡± Minnie was frightened by Jenna¡¯s words. After Jenna left, she asked out of guilt. She was having nightmares these days and when she woke up, she was soaked in sweat, and then she couldn¡¯t sleep anymore. After a few sleepless nights, she was always in a daze. Besides, she had lost a lot of weight; even her face was pale.

    ¡°Useless thing, you¡¯re as timid as a mouse. You are nothing.¡± Aria¡¯s expression was ugly. Sabrina and Jenna had clearly won the battle earlier on. She was already in a terrible mood but Minnie made things worse. Jenna scared them on purpose but Minnie made a fuss out of it so quickly. It made Aria angrier.

    ¡°Did you do anything shameful? Did you do anything illegal?¡± Aria turned her head and asked.

    ¡°No, no, Ms. McAdams.¡± Minnie¡¯s face went white and hurriedly shook her head.

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t, why did you ask that? All your emotions are written on your face. You might as well be telling others that you havemitted murder. A fish caught without bait. Understand? Since ancient times, whoever has done great things has been cruel, none as timid as you are,¡± Aria reprimanded her.

    Minnie¡¯s face flushed red and her heart trembled. She kept nodding her head and said, ¡°Yes, you are right, Ms. McAdams.¡±

    Aria snorted coldly and the cold light in her eyes shed. Looking at Jenna¡¯s back, her fists were clenched tight.

    In the southern bedroom of Emerald Garden.

    Norton was standing in front of the French windows, looking at the familiar scenery as a trace of panic and sadness blossomed in his heart. Despite his huge frame, he was limping like a dead soul inside. His eyes were clouded behind his lenses.

    A red figure appeared like a ghost on the gravel pavement in the garden.

    Norton¡¯s body stiffened.

    His fingers trembled slightly and his body shook inexplicably. Chills ran down his spine.

    Soon, a knock was heard.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± he asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Master, Miss McAdams is here to see you,¡± the voice of Lily rk, the servant, came from outside the room.

    Norton stiffened and a hostile light shed across his dark eyes. After a long time, he finally said, ¡°Let her in.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Norton,¡± Lily responded and left.

    After a while, Aria walked in gracefully, dressed in a luxurious ruby fur coat. It was one of a kind.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Norton,¡± Aria greeted him with a smile before she sat down on the sofa without his invitation.

 Chapter 235 Donâ€™t Hurt Her

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Norton hurriedly stepped forward to close the door before asking in a deep voice. If possible, he would rather not see her for the rest of his life.

    ¡°Oh please, Norton.¡± Aria smiled widely. ¡°How¡¯s life after being released from prison?¡±

    She asked, all but casual about it.

    Hearing this, Norton shuddered and his voice became lowered.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Aria sneered, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be so na?ve as to think that I would bail you out of jail for nothing, right? You should know that you have to pay for easy days with your own hard work. I assume you understand this.¡±

    Norton¡¯s face darkened and he gaped at her without saying a word.

    ¡°I have some news. Trevor can open his eyes now and his recovery is speedy, he¡¯s almost fully recovered. If you don¡¯t take any action, it will be toote.¡± Aria¡¯s expression suddenly turned icy. Without a frown, she spoke coldly.

    Trevor can open his eyes? Hearing that, Norton got flustered and ominous feelings rushed into his heart.

    ¡°How did you know? Are these true?¡± he asked in disbelief.

    ¡°Can these things be hidden from me? Of course I know,¡± Aria said with a smirk. ¡°This is what the nurse on the eighth floor of the hospital told me. She saw it with her own eyes. Would you say it¡¯s fake?¡±

    Norton¡¯s face fell.

    ¡°If Trevor wakes up, everything that happened three years ago will be exposed. If that happens, you will be driven out of Richards Manor by Vivianand you will not have any share of the inheritance of the Richards family. This has no effect on me. But, for you, the loss would be great,¡± Aria threatened him andughed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that when youe out of prison, you will be living on the cold streets.¡±

    Norton¡¯s face began to twist, his fists clenching tightly. He red at Aria but his eyes were unfocusedas if he was trying his best to endure something.

    After a long time, he calmed down. He then asked, ¡°Tell me, what should I do?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t control what you will do but there is only one result, that is, Trevor can¡¯t wake up. It¡¯s best for him to be in aa forever,¡± Aria spat out her vicious words.

    Norton¡¯s face was tense. He remained silent and did not speak.

    ¡°Norton, don¡¯t hesitate anymore. This is the best opportunity. If we miss this chance, it would be toote.¡± Aria saw that Norton was silent. Fearing that he would be shaken, she spoke in a persuasive tone. Norton hid his feelings so well that sometimes even she couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    Norton¡¯s face was suddenly masked with a sarcastic smile, his eyes full of darkness.

    ¡°Also, Norton, your fianc¨¦e, Sabrina, is very close to Jenna. She does not know her ce at all. I hope you would teach her some manners.¡± Thinking of the ridicule and mockery by Sabrina earlier that day, Aria was full of anger.

    ¡°You¡­ Don¡¯t hurt her.¡± At the first mention of Sabrina, Norton¡¯s face suddenly paled. The silence was swept away and he stood up from his seat abruptly before he warned, ¡°Aria, if you hurt her, I won¡¯t let you get away with it.¡±

    He spoke harshly and stared at Aria with the eyes of a ferocious beast.

    Aria was stunned. This was the first time she saw Norton angry. It was so out of his character. In the past, he would be worried about a lot of things, including getting on other people¡¯s wrong side, therefore he always hid his emotions well.

    What did this mean?

    Was Norton in love with Sabrina? Three years ago, when Aria approached him, he was disappointed and bitter because Jenna left him. He was depressed and lost. Even when she proposed a n to frame Jenna, he was surprised but did not have much reaction.

    But currently, he was just like a furious lion with a death re; it was obvious that he was anxious for Sabrina. His face was gloomy and terrifying as if hurting Sabrina meant hurting him.

    Aria stood up, a little frightened.

    ¡°Of course, if you can cooperate with me, I won¡¯t hurt her. After all, she and I will be family in the future,¡± she replied in a panic.

    ¡°It¡¯s best you remember that always.¡± Norton red at Aria and added, ¡°Sabrina is innocent and kindhearted,I will never allow anyone to bully her.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Ariaughed suddenly. ¡°It seems like you have really grown a lot. Don¡¯t worry, just do your thing. I¡¯m not that stupid.¡±

    After Aria finished with a chuckle, she walked away.

    Norton copsed onto the sofa like a deted balloon.

    The next day, Jenna rushed to Ink Garden early in the morning as she was worried about the heart attack Vivian had. She saw Meroy walking out of Vivian¡¯s bedroom just as she arrived.

    ¡°Meroy, good morning. Did Grandma sleep wellst night?¡± Jenna brought Sabrina along and she couldn¡¯t risk the secret getting out, therefore she asked casually.

    Meroy understood this. She then replied with a sweet smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Young Madam. Old Madam is fine. She slept quite wellst night.¡±

    ¡°Thank you again, Meroy.¡± Jenna breathed a sigh of relief. After getting Meroy¡¯s reassurance, Jenna went to the office to start that day¡¯s work.

    It was the end of the year. Richards Manor was huge, so naturally, the work she had to cover was plenty too. With this, she spent all morning going through piles of documents and reports.

    ¡°Young Madam, someone is looking for you.¡± When Jenna packed her things and was about to leave, she saw the doorman hurrying in.

    ¡°Looking for me?¡± Jenna was surprised. The doorman was supposed to be guarding the main entrance of Richards Manor. It was strange that he personally came here.

    ¡°Yes, Young Madam. Someone was looking for you at the gate. The staff in Green Jade Garden said that you have gone to work in Ink Gardenbut I couldn¡¯t seem to reach the staff in Ink Garden through the phone, hence I had to run over,¡± the guard panted whilst he exined.

    Nobody answered the phone?

    Jenna was surprised. She dialed the phone on her desk. As expected, it was out of service. No wonder she didn¡¯t get any phone calls all morning. It turned out that there was a problem with the line.

    ¡°Who is looking for me?¡± Ignoring the phone issue, she asked with furrowed eyebrows.

    ¡°It¡¯s a gentlemanand he¡¯s very handsome.¡± The doorman was an old man. He was smirking as he praised, ¡°The man is so handsome. I bet his looks can match Mr. Richards¡¯s.¡±

    Jenna was even more surprised when she heard it. Who would be the handsome man be looking for her?

    ¡°Jenna, there is a handsome guy here to see you. Is he your hard-core fan?¡± Sabrina heard thatand her smile reached her eyes.

    ¡°Sabrina, there¡¯s no such thing. Quick, ask someone to fix the phone. It must be the heavy snow over the past few days that caused this,¡± Jenna patted Sabrina¡¯s head lightly and stated.

    Sabrina smiled and made a silly face.

    Jenna walked out of Ink Garden with the guard, got into the car, and drove straight for the manor¡¯s entrance.

    She saw an expensive Rolls-Royce RV from a distance. The cabin was ck and shiny. She didn¡¯t know what it was made of but she knew who it belonged to with just a nce.

    Rayan.

    He actually came here to find her.

    Her heart sank.

    Thinking of the fight with Hansen that day, she panicked.

    ¡°Rayan, why are you here?¡± Jenna walked out of the gate and asked with a smile. After seeing her, the handsome and elegant man quickly got out of the car, looking dashing as usual.

    ¡°Am I not weed here?¡± Rayan joked with a bright smile.

    Jenna smiled bitterly. ¡°Rayan, no such thing! It just feels a little sudden.¡±

    Rayan looked at her. She was wearing only a thin cotton coat,therefore he knew that she had hurried out. It seemed that she did not know he wasing.

    ¡°Hey, I called you a few times but you didn¡¯t pick up. I had no choice but to rush over to find you.¡± Rayan smiled helplessly and shook his head.

    Her phone?

    Jenna hurriedly found it in her pocket. As expected, the mobile phone she had been carrying around was gone. After thinking about it, she realized that she must haveleft it in her bedroomas she rushed out early to check on Vivian.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    ¡°Sorry about that. I left my phone in my room. I turned it off before going to bedst night.¡± Jenna smiled embarrassedly. Only then did she realize the strange feeling she had was her forgetting something that morning. It was actually her phone.

    Rayan¡¯s eyes were bright as he smiled gracefully. ¡°You are really a busy person.¡±

    Jenna blushed hearing this sentence.

    ¡°Rayan, what can I do for you?¡± she asked stupidly a momentter.

    ¡°Do you really not know what I am here for?¡± Rayan furrowed his eyebrows at her and asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Jenna shook her head in confusion.

    ¡°You little fool. Every day, you are busy caring for other people that you forgot yourself.¡± Rayan shook his head with some pity.

    Jenna was even more confused and she stared at him nkly.

    ¡°Gee, Jenna. It¡¯s your birthday.¡± The light in Rayan¡¯s eyes was gentle and a wry smile appeared on his face.

    Birthday? It was her birthday!

    Jenna was really dumbfounded. She thought for a while. It really was her birthday that day; she even forgot her own birthday!

    Had it not been for Rayaning to tell her, she would really be busy working all day and spent her 26th birthday just like that.

    Rayan remembered her birthday; she was in awe and touched.

    At this moment, in this world, except for her mother, he was probably the only one who remembered her birthday.

    He was always so considerate and caring. She remembered the birthday he spent with her the year before. Without him, she might have been lonely. Many times, she wondered if she hadn¡¯t met Hansen firstor if it wasn¡¯t for her father¡¯s car ident, maybe she would have started epting him.

    This was fate¡¯s doing, always messing around with people¡¯s lives.

    She secretly sighed in her heart.

    ¡°Here you go.¡± Rayan took out arge bouquet of roses from the car and handed it to her, smiling politely. ¡°These are the freshest roses, imported from abroad especially for you. It was flown over by a private jet.¡±

 Chapter 236 Jennaâ€™s Birthday

    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± Jenna cried out in surprise. She took the rose with both hands and saw the red rose petals shining under the bright sun. There seemed to be dewdrops on it. She went to smell the roses and the fragrance was intoxicating.

    ¡°Thank you Rayan, it smells so good.¡± Jenna was surrounded by a refreshing floral scent, and her whole body and mind became rxedas if that day¡¯s stress had disappeared.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go have dinner to celebrate your birthday. I¡¯ll apany you to visit your mother in the afternoon.¡± Rayan gracefully gestured for her to hop onto the ride, aforting smile on his face.

    As far as he was concerned, as long as he could see Jenna¡¯s smile, he would be satisfied. Until this moment, she was the only woman who could make his heart skip a beat. The car she designed once impressed him deeply,hence he was very happy to be friends with such a woman.

    ¡°This¡­¡± Holding the roses, she nced toward the gate of Richards Manor, a trace of mncholy shing in her eyes.

    The scene where Hansen went crazy the day before was still vivid in her mind.

    For some reason, at this time, she would still think of Hansen, she thought of that b*stard¡¯s furious eyes; she was even a little scared.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s just dinner.¡± Rayan seemed to notice her worries. He couldn¡¯t help feeling disappointed but he still urged with a soft tone.

    Jenna smiled embarrassingly. Obviously, her concerns were written all across her face. They were just going for dinner. Look, even Rayan didn¡¯t think much about it,why was she making a big deal out of it? Jenna questioned herself.

    This was selfish of her. Furthermore, he took the initiative toe here and celebrate her birthday. Beside him, would anyone else celebrate her birthday? She supposed not. If she rejected this invitation, she would probably spend her 26th birthday in a dested manner that day. She also didn¡¯t want her birthday to pass by bleakly. She turned around and nced at the cold gate of the manor. Lightly biting her red lips, she then smiled. ¡°Thank you in advance, Rayan.¡±

    She got into the Rolls-Royce RV along with the roses.

    She was not Aria. No one would think of celebrating her birthday, let alone in this manor where everyone deemed her insignificant.

    ¡°This br*t, she isn¡¯t picking up my calls.¡± Hansen kept away the phone with some annoyance. He called Jenna several timesbut her phone had been turned off. It was close to noon,therefore he knew that she was busy working in Ink Garden. It happened that his calls failed to reach Ink Garden all day. After thinking about it, he packed his things and went downstairs.

    That day was Jenna¡¯s birthday; he remembered it by heart.

    After so many years of marriage, he really never gave her a decent birthday celebration. He felt guilty in his heart. This time, he wanted to surprise her with a luxurious birthday banquet. This was what he owed her. He also wanted to apologize for his impulsive actions that day.

    When his car was approaching the entrance of the Richards Manor, his gaze focused on an expensive Rolls-Royce parked at the entrance.

    A handsome man was talking andughing with a woman. The woman was hugging arge bouquet of bright roses and she was smiling brightly. She walked toward the car doorand the man opened the door for her.

    He was taken aback.

    Who was in front of his manor?

    For a while, he realized that this luxury car looked familiar.

    As he thought about it, he saw that the woman had bent over and gotten into the Rolls-Royce with the bundle of roses. Soon, the Rolls-Royce started and slowly drove away.

    He was stunned.

    Soon, his face was pale.

    Even if he couldn¡¯t recall whose luxury car that was, he recognized that woman.

    That woman was Jenna.

    Right. That car belonged to Rayan.

    That handsome man must be Rayan. Nobody in A city had this kind of prideful and overpowering auraexcept for Rayan.

    Hansen recently learned that Rayan was in A city.

    It was a nine out of ten chance that it was indeed Rayan.

    A sharp light shed in Hansen¡¯s eyesas if about to spit fire; his face was gloomy. His hands that were holding the steering wheel were clenched tight and he gritted his teeth.

    That br*t, he thought.They just quarreled over this and had a fight a few days ago. Yet, she had forgotten about it already. She let Rayane to the manor¡¯s entrance so openly.

    It was too much! Who did Jenna see him as?

    Hansen drove up quickly, rolled down the window, and faced the guard.

    ¡°Who was here just now?¡± he asked with a nk expression on his face.

    It just happened that the previous guard was off duty. The guard who just came in was a middle-aged man. He stammered when he saw Hansen.

    Hansen was annoyed and drove in. Before he could stop in the parking lot, he got in another car and drove toward Green Jade Garden.

    ¡°Aunt E, where¡¯s the Young Madam?¡± As soon as he walked in, he called Aunt E.

    Aunt E heard Hansen¡¯s voice and hurriedly walked out. With a smile on her face, she softly replied, ¡°Master, Young Madam has note back from work today in Ink Garden.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Hansen asked with a cold smile. ¡°What happened to Ink Garden? My calls couldn¡¯t get through.¡±

    ¡°Oh about that, Miss Sabrina has called the technicians to repair it just a moment ago. She said it was probably damaged because of the heavy snow a few days ago but it¡¯s repaired now,¡± Aunt E quickly replied.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Hansen squinted his eyes, walked to the wall and picked up the phone to dial a number.

    ¡°I¡¯m Hansen, looking for Jenna,¡± he said briefly.

    ¡°Yes, Young Master¡­ I¡¯m afraid the Young Madam has gone out,¡± someone on the line responded cautiously.

    D*mn it. Hansen mmed the phone and walked toward the second floor.

    Nelson and Haward saw Hansen walking up with a dark and scary expression. After learning their lesson, they didn¡¯t dare to stop himand they directly regarded him as invisible.

    Hansen walked to Jenna¡¯s bedroom. Because the door was smashed the day before and they hadn¡¯t had time to fix it, he walked straight in.

    Sure enough, Jenna¡¯s phone was still on the bedside table and it seemed that she had forgotten to take it.

    At this instant, he was sure that the man and woman who were in front of the gate was Jenna and Rayan. It must be them. He was sure.

    Just thinking about it, he was instantly drowned in jealousy. His face flushed and anger was boiling in him.

    That woman. She dared to go against him!

    He took out his mobile phone.

    ¡°John, check where Rayan is now and tell me immediately,¡± Hansen gave a briefmand and hung up the phone.

    He took off his suit and sat down on the bed, sulking.

    He gently rubbed his temples; his head was aching. The most terrible thing was that his whole body hurt whenever he was angry.

    He would knock some sense into Jenna.

    How dare she cheat on him, d*mn it!

    He thought of Rayan¡¯s dashing looks and his signature smile, and he groaned. He could not wait to punch the nasty face that seduced his woman.

    What was more, Rayan tantly came to call on Jenna right in front of Richards Manor. Did they respect him?

    How could Hansen let another man seduce his woman?

    The more he thought about it, the more unstable his emotions became as the me of jealousy burned inside him.

    Looking around the room, he remembered the fierce battle here that day. Only then did he calm down.

    After a while, John¡¯s call came.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Rayan is dining in the VIP private room of Waldo Hotel near the beach.¡± John quickly told Hansen the address.

    ¡°Got it,¡± Hansen replied in a deep voice, hung up and rushed downstairs.

    The waves crashed against the coastline, the surrounding quiet and calming.

    The sky-blue wallpaper was iid with various beautiful murals, which harmoniously blended the tranquility and passion of the sky and the earth, the sea and the shore.

    The scarlet liquid in the wine ss exuded a faint aroma.

    ¡°Jen,e, let¡¯s toast to our friendship,¡± Rayan said with a gentle toast, smiling.

    ¡°Rayan, I can¡¯t drink. I¡¯ll have tea instead.¡± Jenna gave him an apologetic smile.

    ¡°Okay, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Rayan was easy-going and generous.

    He didn¡¯t chug down red wine like othersbut enjoyed every sip of it elegantly. The sweetness of red wine pretty much matched his personality.

    Jenna took the teacup on the table and drank it.

    ¡°Would you like a drink?¡± Rayan asked.

    ¡°No need; I¡¯ll just have some water.¡± Jenna¡¯s stomach still felt ufortable. These days, she would vomit whenever she ate. Even so, she was hungry and had to continue eating. This situationsted for days, therefore she didn¡¯t dare to eat, afraid that Rayan would discover her secret if she threw up in front of him.

    But, Rayan was a little anxious seeing that she didn¡¯t eat much.

    ¡°Jen, is the food not to your liking?¡± Rayan asked thoughtfully, his eyes full of worry.

    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m just not hungry.¡± Jenna shook her head.

    ¡°How can you not be hungry after all the work? Look at your face. You look severely malnourished. Let¡¯s get you a steak. I remember that is your favorite dish,¡± he finished with sympathy. He beckoned to the waiter without seeking her opinion. She really got skinnier,hence she knew that she had no say in this.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t bear to reject his kindness, therefore she no longer stopped him.

    After a while, a medium-well steak was brought over and ced in front of Jenna.

    ¡°Hurry up and eat it while it¡¯s hot,it won¡¯t taste good when it¡¯s cold,¡± Rayan told her warmly.

    Jenna was helpless. Although she didn¡¯t want to eat, she had to eat a little bit, otherwise, it would be strange.

    It should be fine to have some.

    She was indeed starving.

    These days, her stomach was always bloated. She guessed that itmay have been caused by fetal development.

    The steak in front of her was steaming. Its color was so vibrant and attractive, and the intoxicating aroma made her stomach grumble.

    Jenna picked up the utensils and started to cut the steak.

    Slowly, she put a small piece of the steak into her mouth and chewed. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t feel nauseous.

    She continued indulging the delicious food.

 Chapter 237 Jealous

    ¡°Jen, you eat like a fish. A woman needs to be healthy. No matter how beautiful the flower is, it needs nutrition. You must eat more. A woman is a beautiful flower, you see. If the flower does not have nutrition, it will wither. You are exactly in your blossoming age. I have not seen you in a few monthsbut look at how pale you look.¡± Sighing, Rayan shook his head.

    Jenna lowered her head to cut the steak; she felt tears in her eyes. He didn¡¯t know that she was pregnant. If he knew, he would be scared. He would probably ignore herand even look down on her.

    He must have never thought that she would be so cheap!

    Tears welled up in her eyes and she tried her best to keep them in.

    While cutting the steak, lost in thoughts, she was scraping the te.

    Jenna didn¡¯t hear anything. She just cut blindly, not even knowing what she was doing.

    ¡°Jen, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Rayan looked at her in shock. She was not focused on cutting the steak. It was obvious that there was something on her mind. Was there something bothering her? Thinking of this, he couldn¡¯t help asking aloud.

    Jenna was awakened by Rayan¡¯s call. She raised her head in panic and found Rayan¡¯s concerned eyes looking at her.

    She felt stripped bare under his stare, therefore she quickly lowered her head. As soon as she lowered his head, she saw blood streaks on the steak in front of herand her stomach roiled; she felt like vomiting.

    She covered her mouth and ran toward the bathroom.

    She vomited out everything she had eaten, followed by stomach cramps, and then it got out of control. She vomited in the bathroom for an unknown duration. When her stomach was empty, she took in a deep breath.

    ¡°Jen, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Rayan saw Jenna run into the bathroom and did note out for a long time. He seemed to hear the sound of vomiting inside. He was anxious and stood by the door. He didn¡¯t dare to walk in, thus he asked through the door.

    Jenna vomited a few more times. After that, she was panting hard on the marble tform.

    Rayan was really worried. He couldn¡¯t care that much. He stood outside the door and asked, ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s the matter? I heard you vomit inside. Are you unwell? I¡¯m going in now.¡±

    After speaking, he didn¡¯t hear Jenna¡¯s objection, therefore he opened the door and walked in.

    As soon as he entered, he saw Jenna lying on the marble tform, soaked in sweat and her lips were pale-white.

    ¡°Jen, what¡¯s the matter? Are you sick? Come on, let me take you to the hospital.¡± Rayan was frightened. He looked at the woman in front of him and spoke anxiously.

    After asking, he reached out to pull her up.

    Jenna felt dizzy and weak from all the vomiting. As soon as she stood up, she felt that her legs were limp like noodles. She fell straight to the ground.

    Rayan hurriedly reached out and hugged her tightly.

    ¡°Jen, are you okay?¡± Rayan asked when he saw her pale and sallow face. He didn¡¯t know what illness she had. He felt pity and panic for a while, and asked repeatedly.

    Sweat was beading on her forehead.

    Rayan hugged her to support her. He then stretched out his hand and drew a tissue from the dispenser next to her to wipe off the sweat on her forehead.

    ¡°Jen, what have you done to yourself?¡± He sighed and shook his head.

    Jenna was really weak. As she fell into Rayan¡¯s arms, she knew that this was not good. She wanted to get out of his embracebut Rayan¡¯s powerful arms were her only support. He whispered, ¡°Jen, don¡¯t move, you are too weak.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s legs still didn¡¯t have much strength. After the violent vomiting, her head became dizzyand her arms were uselessly weak too. She could only lean against him.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, this is the room.¡± A greeting sounded from outsideand the doorsoonopened.

    Hansen strode in.

    His face immediately twisted in rage.

    What caught his eyes was that Jenna was all over Rayan, seeming so weak and helpless, while Rayan was gently wiping the sweat on her forehead for her. Their movements were as gentle and loving; they really looked like a sweet couple.

    The jealousy that had not calmed down yet soon exploded in Hansen¡¯s being.

    His face was flushed, the veins on his forehead popped out, and his fists were clenched tight.

    ¡°Cheater. I found you!¡± Hansen yelled, strode forward, and threw a punch at Rayan. He pulled Jenna to his side and held her tightly in his arms.

    Jenna, who was still extremely ufortable, didn¡¯t realize what was going on at all. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Abrash man pulled her up with brute force. She fell into his arms. When she looked up and saw that gloomy and terrifying faceand the daunting cold light in those icy eyes, she shuddered.

    Her head was screaming in pain.

    Why did this reckless mane?

    How did he know that she was here?

    It was over. She was doomed.

    That day, because of Rayan, the two had a quarrnd even had a fight.

    Currently, he happened to catch her and Rayan in a suspicious situation. Surely, he held a grudge against her;she could never get him to believe her again.

    Hansen, who was in front of her, red his nose like an angry wolf.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked with all her might, trying to break free from his arms.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t expect me to find you here. Looks like you were busy cheating on me!¡± Hansen suppressed his anger and said coldly.

    Cheating? Jenna was about to faint.

    F*ck Hansen and his absurd thoughts.

    She had dinner with Rayanbut it turned out that to Hansen, that was hermitting adultery. That was too unreasonable of him.

    ¡°Hansen, be careful of what you say.¡± Jenna suppressed the difort in her stomach and reprimanded angrily, ¡°How dare you spy on me?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with spying on you? You are mine. Of course I have to know, lest certain people have evil ideas,¡± Hansen dered confidently.

    Jenna was so speechless when he said ¡®mine¡¯ out loud. She really didn¡¯t have the energy to fight with him,hence she didn¡¯t bother exining.

    ¡°Hansen, let her go. If you want to fight, fight me.¡± Rayan stumbled back a few steps and mmed against the wall from Hansen¡¯s punch. He, who had always been gentle, was provoked by Hansen¡¯s words. Angry, he regained his footing and growled at Hansen.

    ¡°Oh. You both must be a match made in heaven.¡± Hansen was blinded by jealousy and his hands shook with anger. He clenched Jenna¡¯s arm even more tightly and said bitterly.

    He gripped Jenna¡¯s arm so tightly that it began to hurt; she gasped in pain.

    Looking up to see Hansen¡¯s full face of anger, he was indeed very, very displeased. Even his lips turned white.

    He unconsciously held her arm tightlyas if she would disappear if he let go. Her heart throbbedand her heart seemed to have been stabbed by a knife.

    He cared about her.

    If not, he wouldn¡¯t care about her being with Rayan.

    ¡°Hansen, let me go. Let¡¯s go home and talk about it.¡± She softened her tone, biting her lip as she begged, ¡°You¡¯re hurting me.¡±

    However, Hansen¡¯s sanity was on the verge of copsing. He gave Rayan a challenging stare; he couldn¡¯t hear her at all.

    ¡°Hansen, if you are a gentleman, let go of Jenna.¡± Rayan heard what Jenna said and saw the pain on her face. He hurriedly shouted at Hansen.

    ¡°You feel sorry for her. I won¡¯t let go. I will never let go.¡± Hansen was even more stimted by Rayan¡¯s concern for Jenna and sneered, ¡°Not only will I not let gobut I will also make love to her in front of you. I will let you know that she is mine. She has always been. Even if you want her, she¡¯s just someone I slept with-a second-hand toy.¡±

    He finished speaking with a sneer. Holding Jenna¡¯s chin with one hand, he leaned over and bit her red lips, followed by hard kisses, not leaving time for Jenna to catch her breath.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned paler and she fell weakly into Hansen¡¯s arms like a string puppet.

    At this time, she was as soft as duckweed.Even if Hansen skinned her, she would have no strength to fight back. She only felt her lips hurt and they became numb after he bit them over and over unforgivingly.

    ¡°Hansen, you are despicable.¡± Rayan was irritated by Hansen¡¯s cruel treatment of Jenna. Despite how reserved he was on normal days, he took a ss of red wine and smashed it onto the ground.

    It was unbearable.

    Rayan had always hated fighting. He didn¡¯t think force was the best way to solve problems but this time, he really couldn¡¯t bear it.

    It was hateful for a man to seek revenge on a weak woman this bluntly; he did not think twice about her feelings nor her dignity.

    Rayan pulled Hansen aside and punched him in the face.

    With only a dull sound, Hansen felt a throbbing pain on his right cheek. He was dizzy from the blowand fell to the side.

    Even so, he still grasped Jenna¡¯s hand tightly. He did not let go andjust continued grabbing her arm.

    Jenna fell to the ground along with him.

    Hansen¡¯s whole body was entirely on Jenna¡¯s, his weight crushing her bones.

    Rayan panicked when he saw this and hurriedly tried pulling Jenna out of the way, but it was already toote.

    Hansen saw that he and Jenna were going to fall hard onto the ground.

    The skilled Hansen instantly recovered from his dizziness. He saw the shards of ss on the ground, therefore he wrapped his arms around Jenna in a hurry.

    When he fell like this, Jenna was lying in his armsand his bottom fell hard on the broken ss.

    ¡°Ah!¡± a muffled cry came from Hansen¡¯s mouth asall the sharp ss fragments plunged into his bottom.

    The moment Jenna fell in his arms, she realized what had happened. Hansen¡¯s muffled cry rang in her ears and her heart shrank with fright.

 Chapter 238 Mr. Richards Hurt His Butt

    ¡°Hansen, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡± She hurriedly lifted her head while still in his arms and asked him with wide, panicking eyes.

    The tingling sensation in Hansen¡¯s butt made him not only angry, but his body was also trembling in pain. He had never been so wretched before but when he looked up and saw Jenna¡¯s worried re, he was taken aback and understood.

    This woman cared about him.

    At that moment, the anger that filled his heart fadedand he came back to his senses.

    He was not in a hurry to get up, just lying down on purpose. His eyebrows were knitted together in pain as he groaned.

    They were so close to each other. Jenna saw the scratches she left on his face and his chin during their fight. It turned out that the well-dressed Mr. Richards was nothing but ragged and disheveled at the moment.

    Jenna¡¯s heart suddenly softened.

    Seeing that his lips were pale from the stinging painas well as his furrowed eyebrows, she didn¡¯t know how bad the cut was, therefore she hurriedly sat up.

    Unexpectedly, such a move of hers put pressure on his body. The ss shards crushed under Hansen¡¯s buttocks and pierced him deeper. Hansen was not pretending when he hissed.

    Jenna quickly got up. After standing, she looked down at him.Under Hansen¡¯s butt were sharp ss shardsand her face paled when she realized what she did.

    ¡°Rayan, hurry, help him up. We have to take him to the hospital.¡± She quickly turned to Rayan for help.

    Rayan originally wanted to teach him a lessonbut he didn¡¯t expect Hansen to protect Jenna without hesitation. He was indeed a gentleman. Rayan¡¯s anger subsided.

    Following Jenna¡¯s line of sight, he saw the shards on the ground and let out a gasp. He hurriedly bent over to support Hansen.

    ¡°Let go of me.¡± Hansen stood up and brushed off Rayan¡¯s hand as he wasannoyed.¡°You seduce my woman and still, you do this to me. I will get back at you.¡±

    After speaking, he pulled Jenna and limped out.

    Jenna was pulled along by him. When she looked back, she saw Rayan watching her worriedly. She was afraid that he woulde and teach Hansen a lesson again, hence she stated with a smile, ¡°Rayan, you can go back first. Thank you for the meal and the flowers.¡±

    Rayan stood on the spot, silent as he watched them go.

    ¡°I¡¯ll drive.¡± Jenna saw blood flowing from Hansen¡¯s butt and his trousers were stained red. Her heart trembled. The reason why she let him drag her out was because she was worried about him. She helped him onto the soft cushion in the back of the car and let him lie on his stomach.

    Hanseny on the bed as she spoke.

    Jenna went to the driver¡¯s seat and started the car, driving the car carefully.

    ¡°¡®Thank you for the meal and the flowers.¡¯ Ugh, can you two be more disgusting?¡± Hanseny on the soft cushion bed andthought of Jenna¡¯s words to Rayan moments ago. He was jealous,thus he couldn¡¯t help but mock them.

    Here he went again,Jenna thought. She didn¡¯t bother with responding to him.

    This heavy Hummer was difficult for Jenna to drive. It was totally different from her Lamborghini. It was one of the cars from Hansen¡¯spany but in reality, Hansen bought it especially for her. Of course, she only learned about it afterward. This Hummer was way more difficult to drive.

    She gulped, regained her focus and drove carefully, turning a deaf ear to Hansen¡¯s cynicism.

    After a while, a small car suddenly appeared in front of her. Jenna was taken aback and hurriedly stepped on the brake.

    Hansen was caught off guard and almost rolled off the bed.

    ¡°Stupid woman, do you know how to drive a car?¡± Hansen eximed, seemingly shocked.

    Jenna took a deep breath. He shouldn¡¯t me her. This car was a desert off-road model with a high chassis. The front was much higher than ordinary cars. However, Jenna has a petite frame. How could she see the car in front? It was only because she was very focused that she was able to brake in time before they got into an ident.

    Terrified, she made sure that she didn¡¯t hit the car in front and sighed in relief.

    After a while, the car started moving again.

    She obviously didn¡¯t see any vehicles in the front and rearview mirrors, therefore she stepped on the elerator.

    Suddenly, she heard a car honking at her. Jenna waspletely shocked and she immediately stepped on the brakes.

    Soon, she saw a car driving away quickly.

    After those two scares, Jenna¡¯s hands that held the steering wheel began to tremble. She no longer had the nerves to drive this humongous Hummer anymore.

    However, they couldn¡¯t stop in the middle of this road.

    The car horns in the front and in the back rang loudly in her ears, urging her.

    Reluctantly, Jenna started the car again and drove carefully.

    Hansen had a weird taste in cars. Jenna had never encountered a car that was so difficult to drive before.

    She pouted her lips, muttering in her heart.

    She went on driving in this manner, stopping every now and then.

    Soon, Jenna saw a traffic policeman approaching their car.

    Oh no, did something happen? Her heart jumped wildly and she squeezed her eyes shut in fear.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Hansen was lying on the soft cushion and was on a call, busy dealing with an ident. Two days ago, there was an employee from Green Mountain Automobile City who wanted tomit suicide by jumping off the building. Hansen suddenly felt that the car was not moving and it seemed that someone was knocking on the door.

    Putting away his phone, he turned slightly and saw a policeman.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he frowned and asked Jenna.

    Oh no, she must have hit someone, Jenna thought to herself. Trembling all over, she curled up in the driver¡¯s seat, not hearing Hansen¡¯s question at all.

    Hansen didn¡¯t get Jenna¡¯s reply for a long time. Guessing that something was going on, he got up and opened the window of the car.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Richards. I am a traffic policeman in Sky Zone. I¡¯m responsible for this area. This is my work permit.¡± The policeman obviously knew Hansen. He saluted and greeted Hansen politely.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Hansen asked with an eyebrow raised. ¡°Did we vite the rules? You can deduct the payment from my ount if there was a vition of rules; there is enough money in it.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there is no vition of the regtions but this car is parked in the middle of the road, blocking the entire traffic. Currently, this entire district of A city is blocked. This disturbs the overall traffic flow, please cooperate and drive the car to the side.¡±

    At this point, Hansen fully understood.

    Turning to look at Jenna, he saw that she was flushed with sweat on her forehead. Her hands were shaking while holding the steering wheel, her expression frightened.

    He was dumbfounded, finding it funny and pitiful.

    ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯ll drive away immediately,¡± Hansen said to the police before he opened the door and jumped down.

    ¡°Get out,¡± Hansen growled at Jenna.

    ¡°Did I hit someone? How many are dead?¡± Jenna muttered with a hollow re and a full face of terror. Her father¡¯s tragic car ident from before shed across her eyesand her heart trembled.

    Hansen waspletely speechless as he heard her words.

    But seeing the tension and panic on her face, he shook his head and thought a little before carryingher to the soft cushion in the back row.

    The traffic police seemed to understand. He simply smiled and walked away.

    Jenna must have panicked while driving such a big and heavy vehicle.

    Hansen sat down in the driver¡¯s seat, the weight of his body pressing on his wounds. It was so painful that he could not help but hiss. He really couldn¡¯t count on Jenna, he thought.

    He quickly drove toward the hospital.

    It wasn¡¯t until the car stopped that Jenna confirmed that she hadn¡¯t hit anyone and she finally calmed down.

    When Hansen jumped out of the car, Jenna thought of his injury and hurriedly got out of the car. When she saw the bloodstains on his pants, her heart ached. She turned to look at the seat. Fortunately, the blood was not obvious on the ck seat.

    She stretched out her hand to support him and whispered, ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t help.¡±

    ¡°You are useless enough. Not only are you useless, but you also wanted to hook up with a man behind my back. I¡¯ll not let you get away with this,¡± Hansen muttered under his breath as he limped toward the hospital building, biting his lips to the striking pain in his butt.

    Jenna was really worried, hence she did not fight back.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Outside the operating theatre, Jenna was fidgeting with her fingers while sitting on a stic chair. Since Hansen¡¯s butt was injured, she deemed it inappropriate to go in,therefore she sat outside and waited.

    But after more than an hour, the doctor still didn¡¯te out. Jenna thought of Trevor and realized that it was time to talk to him for his physical therapy, thus she stood up and headed upstairs to the eighth floor.

    After all, it was just ss shards. Although it would hurt a bit, it was not life-threatening, and waiting like this was a waste of time.

    After apanying Trevor, Jenna went to her mother¡¯s ward and they talked for a while before she headed downstairs. Hansen was not in the operating theatre anymore by then.

    ¡°Excuse me, where is the patient who hurt his butt just now?¡± she asked in a panic.

    ¡°Are you talking about Mr. Richards?¡± the nurse asked politely.

    Jenna nodded.

    ¡°His injury is quite serious. The ss shards stuck in way too deep,therefore the doctors required several hours. After the operation, he must clean and apply medicine to the wound every day. The doctor advised him to be hospitalized for a few days. He has been transferred to the eighth floor,¡± the nurse said quickly.

    It turned out that this was the case. Jenna took a deep breath. Hansen was really hurt. What had she done?

    Thinking of this, she walked toward the elevator.

    She wondered why she didn¡¯t see him when she came down from the eighth floor earlier on.

    As soon as she arrived on the eighth floor, an angry voice came from award beforeshe even got to the front desk to inquire.¡°Get out, throw all these things away!¡±

    Jenna was taken aback. Wasn¡¯t this Hansen¡¯s voice?

    He must be mad over nothing again.

    Following the sound, she realized that this was the ward she was hospitalized in when she shielded him from the knife.

 Chapter 239 Mr. Richards Is Mad

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get rid of it right away.¡± A nurse ran out holding a bunch of bright-colored roses.

    Jenna was stunned. Where did the rosese from?

    She looked at the ward silently before walking in slowly.

    Hansen was lying on the bed face-down with inexplicable anger, dressed in new scrubs.

    ¡°Hurry up and get me some water. I¡¯m thirsty!¡± He must have heard the footstepsand yelled domineeringly withhis face full of rage.

    He was making such a big fuss over a cup of water. He was hospitalized. Jenna sighed, seeing his annoying attitude. Although Jenna thought this way, she walked to the water dispenser and filled a stic cup with warm water before handing it to him.

    ¡°How do you expect me to drink from this kind of cup? Which manufacturer does this watere from? Is it clean?¡± Hansen nced at the water cup handed to him and growled, his face gloomy.

    Jenna really didn¡¯t know where his wrath came from.She thought that he was being ridiculous, yelling around the hospital.

    ¡°This is the only kind of disposable cup in this hospital. I didn¡¯t bring your cup here. You won¡¯t get it for a while. Can you not mind this? Also, whether the water is clean, you can call the manufacturer yourself to find out,¡± Jenna replied with some annoyance. Hansen had a spirit of a stubborn bull.

    How dare someone talk to him like this?Hansen thought. How daring!

    Hansen was about to get mad but he heard Jenna¡¯s voice. He paused as his eyes lit up and he turned to confirm that it was Jenna who was talking to him. His face quickly became gloomy before he asked fiercely, ¡°Where did you go just now? Did you go find your lover again?¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Jenna was extremely upset at his humiliation. ¡°Unreasonable. You¡¯re a lunatic.¡±

    She settled the cup on the bedside table of the hospital bed with a nk.

    ¡°Drink for your own sake.¡±

    ¡°Are you still being reasonable? I¡¯m hurt because of your lover. Look, I¡¯m hospitalized currently but you¡¯re just leaving me here, running away. Do you think I¡¯m a fool?¡± Hearing Jenna¡¯s annoyed tone, he questioned with anger boiling in him.

    Was it because he didn¡¯t see her that he was angry?

    Thinking about this, Jenna looked at him carefully.

    Seeing him lying on the bed with his back facing her, he really looked a bit like a jealous child.

    She walked out, ran to her mom¡¯s ward, and took her own water ss. She washed it a few times before filling it with water. She tentatively said, ¡°Hansen, this is my cup. It¡¯s clean. Have a drink first. I¡¯ll head back to the manor to get yours for you, okay?¡±

    For a long time, Hansen did not speak.

    Jenna thought that his habit was very difficult to change. He had always practiced utmost hygiene. How would he agree to drink from another person¡¯s cup? It must be a waste of time, therefore she decided to rush back to Richards Manor to fetch his clothes and cup. Before she turned around, she heard Hansen say in a low voice, ¡°Stop.¡±

    She really didn¡¯t know what he was going to do, hence she halted on the spot and responded, ¡°Hansen, I will rush back to the manor now.¡±

    ¡°No, give your cup to me. I¡¯ll drink,¡± he replied in a low voice, the anger on his face disappearing.

    Jenna was startled and asked softly, ¡°You don¡¯t mind?¡±

    ¡°I do. But yours will do,¡± he said lightly.

    Jenna bit her lip and suddenly wanted tough.

    She approached him with the ss in her hand.

    Hansen raised his headand Jenna handed the ss to him.

    ¡°Feed me.¡± He opened his mouth.

    Huh? Feed him?

    Jenna thought she had heard wronglyand looked at him in silence.

    ¡°Hey, do it quick. I¡¯m thirsty,¡± Hansenined.

    He seriously wanted her to feed him. Jenna almost grumbled; she couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes.

    ¡°You hurt your butt, not your hands. Is this necessary?¡± she pursed her lips and objected.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a bit sorry for me. Forget it, I don¡¯t want to drink anymore. I can¡¯t believe I injured myself to protect you.¡± Hansen was very unhappy andined, ¡°Oh, my a*s is so sore. Ouch.¡±

    After that, Hansenid back on his pillow and ignored her.

    ¡°Do you want to drink or not?¡± Jenna stood beside him. She didn¡¯t know what to do, thus she asked again.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll just die of thirst.¡± Hansen buried his face into the pillow, being a rascal.

    ¡°Well, raise your head and I¡¯ll feed you.¡± Jenna knew that he was being unreasonable. She contemted for a while. He must be upset somehow as he had to stay put in a bed in this manner, unable to do anything.

    He needed somefort for his lost pride!

    When she took off the lid of the water cup, steam came outand Jenna blew it gently. When it was cool, she bent over and said softly to him, ¡°Okay,e on, you can drink.¡±

    Hansen turned sideways to face her.

    ¡°How are you supposed to drink like this? It¡¯s better when you raised your head like earlier on,¡± Jenna told him when she could not feed himeven though she was angling the cup.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Hansen suddenly thought of something and said with a bitter face, ¡°I can¡¯t move. My butt hurts so much that I can¡¯t go to my side. I can only lie down like this. Find a way to feed me.¡±

    ¡°How do I feed you? The water will spill.¡± Jenna was a little anxious. ¡°You can turn and lie on your stomach.¡±

    ¡°But my butt hurts, it hurts a lot. I really can¡¯t move.¡± Hansen shed puppy eyes at her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you a straw then.¡± After thinking about it, this was the only method she had left. When she was about to go out, Hansen shouted.

    ¡°Come back! I can¡¯t suck on straws. They¡¯re so dirty.¡±

    Jenna groaned and turned back, saying helplessly, ¡°I¡¯ll help you roll to your side. But, try to be careful not to touch your wounds.¡±

    ¡°No, you need to feed me, just like how I fed you the soupst time,¡± he reminded her with a smirk.

    After fussing over this for such a long time, Jenna finally realized that he was indeed fooling around with her. Her face turned red. She was so annoyed to the point that she wanted to smack his butt hard.

    She didn¡¯t want to feed him like that; how embarrassing!

    ¡°No, you either drink it yourself or don¡¯t.¡± She said angrily, ¡°If you don¡¯t drink, I will pour it outside.¡±

    ¡°Sure enough, you are not sincere. If Rayan was the one injured, you would not behave this way.¡± He said coldly, ¡°Remember how I took care of youst time when you got injured for me. Now, you have to do the same. I am a businessman. I will never strike deals that are not beneficial to me.¡±

    Jenna was dumbfounded.

    His injury was iparable to hers in terms of condition and severity. Nobody wouldpare these two conditionsexcept for him. No one else in the world would.

    ¡°No. You¡¯re ying a trick.¡± She widened her eyes. ¡°I have the choice to not do it.¡±

    ¡°ying a trick? Rayan knocked me onto the ground today. Wasn¡¯t he the one who broke the ss? Do you agree that I am injured because of you?¡± Hansen sneered and asked in one go.

    Jenna stood there, speechless.

    ¡°You asked for it,¡± Jenna said a long timeter, unconvinced.¡°You spied on me. You deserve it.¡±

    She gritted her teeth. Wasn¡¯t she just having a meal with Rayan? It wasas simple as that. What was the big deal? Besides, who was he to interfere so much? What right did he have?

    ¡°You mean I deserve it, don¡¯t you?¡± Hansen was furious. ¡°Well, after I am discharged from the hospital, I will make Rayan kneel down before me and beg for mercy. It¡¯s unbelievable that someone dared to hit me. If it wasn¡¯t for you being around at the time, do you think I would give up like that?¡±

    He said bitterly and gritted his teeth, he was so crossed that the muscles on his face twitched.

    Jenna was frightened by his rage.

    If he got angry, the consequences would not be good. She must try her best to put out his fire of wrath quickly.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll feed you,¡± she said, blushing.

    There was a sly light in Hansen¡¯s eyes as he stared at her coldly.

    Jenna really didn¡¯t have any other options, hence she took a sip of water then bent down.

    Hansen was lying on his side and when she finally aimed right at his mouth, he was reluctant to drink. Obviously, he was fooling around. Jenna was upset and had to pry open his lips with her tongue but his teeth were locked in ce.

    Jenna got crossed; she wanted to bite off his lips.

    Hansen was enjoying Jenna¡¯s prying tongue at his lips and his whole body was numb. When he felt that he had gotten the touch he wanted, he opened his mouth with satisfaction.

    Jenna poured a sip of water into his mouth with a sigh of relief and wanted to leavebut unexpectedly, Hansen bit her lip with his teeth.

    She whimpered.

    Hansen wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged gently. Jenna was caught off guard and fell straight onto the bed.

    Quickly turned over flexibly, Hansen ended up on top of her, chewing on her lips and kissing her hard.

    Jenna was instantly taken hold of by him, unable to move.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She swept a deadly re at him, pursing her mouth. She cursed him in her heart.

    Hansen kissed her contentedly,pletely ignoring her anger. He didn¡¯t let go until he had kissed enough.

    ¡°You deceived me, jerk. You¡¯re not a man.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t have time to breathe. It took her a long time to catch her breath before she scolded him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that I am a man? If not, I can prove it to you now.¡± Hansen was very satisfied with her reaction. With a smirk on his face, he teased, ¡°My woman should take care of me.¡±

    ¡°I am not your woman, Aria is. You are assaulting and abusing me,¡± Jenna furiously retorted.

    She finally figured it out. This little injury was nothing to Hansen. His purpose in doing this was to trick her and bully her. This b*stard. She pushed him hard and hit his chest, thinking that she was cheated again. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

    ¡°Jenna,don¡¯t you understand my feelings for you? Do you have to be so cold to me?¡± Hansen saw her burst into tears. His heart tightenedand he asked her seriously.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    That day, when he saw her holding the roses that Rayan gave her, her smile was bright. But whenever she faced Hansen, she was always unwilling tosmile;she even cried so sadly. It was too frustrating. It brought him a heavy feeling.

    ¡°Leave, I don¡¯t need you here,¡± he turned toy on his side and said sullenly.

    Just one phone call and many women would be willing to take care of him, Hansen thought.

    He really didn¡¯t need this kind of pity.

 Chapter 240 Like A Five-Year-Old Child

    Jenna stood there and stared nklyas Hansen turned his backaway from herwithout saying a word. Somehow, his figure looked lonely.

    As Jenna pressed her lips together, the sensation of his lips still lingered on hers.

    This was the first time he has acted so cold to her since theirst encounter in Los Angeles. She tried to walk away but she just couldn¡¯t.

    Her chest tightened; it was undeniable that she still loved him. When she watched how hurt he was that day, her heart shattered into a thousand pieces

    As she caressed her belly, she turned around and walked out.

    Hansen, who was still lying down on the bed, only began to get up when Jenna¡¯s footsteps were barely audible. His bottom was aching but it was iparable to the ache in his heart.

    She resolutely left him without even looking back.

    At that moment, he felt totally abandoned.

    All he needed was her love, not pity. He wanted her whole heart.

    He was already furious two days ago because of her interaction with Rayan. She really broke his heartwhen she still wanted togo out with Rayan.

    She probably didn¡¯t love him;even if she did, she didn¡¯t love him enough. Whena woman loved a man, could she be so distant and cold? Could she possibly cheat on him?This could only mean that her heart didn¡¯t belong to him alone. This was not what he wanted at all.

    She would not forgive him for the mistakes he made. No matter how he begged or exined, she just wouldn¡¯t give way. There was only one exnation: her heart did not belong to him.

    He pulled the nket up to his chest. Lying on his stomach, he took out a cigarette and started smoking.

    Eventually, he dozed off after an unknown period of time.

    Jenna took a cab back to Collier Manor to packsome of Hansen¡¯s daily necessities in a shopping bag. She then proceeded to buy some groceries and make some fish soup. It was already dark when the soup was done.

    It was raining the whole daywith the cold breeze gently blowing.

    Staring out the window, she nced at the outside world,feeling depressed for some reason.

    Her hand went on to caress her belly.

    A pricking pain pierced her heart like a sharp needle.

    It was her twenty-sixth birthday. At this age, she was no longer a little girl. The child in her belly made her more aware of her future responsibilities and the uing burdens of life.

    Could she do this alone? Would she have the courage?

    She really didn¡¯t know.But one thing for sure, her life was miserable.

    The only man who wanted to celebrate her birthday with her had already been chased away by Hansen.

    That daywas her birthday.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    It was written in the stars that her birthday would be crappy.

    A bleak, wry smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

    She then transferred the soup into a thermal container.

    Hansen was a very sensitive and picky person. He will not use anything that he wasn¡¯t used to. He camefrom a loaded family, hence his picky attitude.

    Jenna thought about this as she went downstairs.

    Leaving him in the hospital alone must¡¯ve made him upset. Jenna was sure that if she didn¡¯t bring him something, he would definitely strike a protest by not eating or drinking.

    She picked up the bag and took a taxi to the hospital.

    He said that she should take care of him as how he did to her previously. Therefore, she would return this favor by taking care of him these few days.

    She didn¡¯t want to owe him.

    There was pin-drop silence in the hospital.

    When she arrived at the eighth floor, Hansen¡¯s ward was pitch-ck.

    She was surprised. Has Hansen asked to be discharged from the hospital out of anger?

    This cannot be good, she thought.He would still need to change his bandages. It was really not a great idea to be discharged this way.

    While thinking of this, she pushed open the ss door.

    She then switched on the wall lights.

    However, the scene in front of her made her heart tremble.

    Hansen was lying face-down on the bed sleeping. She saw cigarette butts in the ashtray beside him.The strong smell of smoke in the room immediately madeJenna cough softly.

    On such a cold day, he didn¡¯t wrap himself warm in his nket. The heater was not turned on either. He could easily catch a cold like this.

    Jenna sighedand gently stepped forward to air out the room. After the smell of smoke subsided, she shut the window back, then turned on the heater and adjusted the temperature back to normal.

    He never took care of himself. Jenna just couldn¡¯t imagine how it was like during the long hard years he worked in the business market.In the years of his downfall, she was not there for him and she did not fulfill her responsibilities as a wife.

    But, she shouldn¡¯t be med as well!

    The young nurses were probably afraid of Hansen and didn¡¯t dare to disturb him.

    She took a nket from the closet and gently covered him with it.

    His faceid sideways andhe was sleeping so soundly.

    Beneath the white light, Jenna stared at him in a daze.

    In fact, he was very fair-skinned, even more than a woman¡¯s, and it was glowing. Such wless skin did not affect his masculinity at all. His air of calmness and fortitude had once caught her heart.

    However, his eyebrows were furrowed even when he was asleep, looking like a very lonely person.

    Jenna sighedand her eyes became a little blurry. He was indeed a lonely mandespite his bad personality.

    Putting the things down gently, she got up to leave. She was afraid that it would be harder for her to leave him if she stayed for too long.

    ¡°Are you leaving just like that?¡± She just turned around when she heard a cold voice speaking.

    Jenna was startled. He must¡¯ve faked his sleep again, she thought.

    ¡°Why did youe back? Didn¡¯t you leave?¡± Hansen asked as he looked at her with distant eyes.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you open your eyes earlier when you¡¯re clearly awake? Is it fun for you?¡± Jenna started to remember what she did a moment ago without knowing that Hansen was awake. Feeling awkward, she couldn¡¯t get herself to speak in a good manner.

    ¡°Please, I really was asleep. You came barging into my room, can I still be asleep? I am a man. How can I be a deep sleeper?¡± Hansen frowned at Jenna¡¯s usation.

    She would never believe him. He really did doze off.He was too tired recently.Just the previous night, he had to deal with an employee whomitted suicide andforted his family members; all theseneeded him to be there in person. He was upied untilte at night. Jenna¡¯s sudden resignation ced a heavy burden on himand it was almost impossible for him to even get a good night¡¯s sleep.What was worse, he got injured that day,hence he might as well get some rest.

    Seeing that Hansen was being so serious, Jenna lowered her head down and no longer wished to argue about it.

    ¡°I brought you some of your things. Have you eaten yet?¡± It was already eight o¡¯clock in the evening; he must have not eaten.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten, I fell asleep just now,¡± Hansen replied in a dull voice.

    ¡°I made some fish soup for you. You should drink it while it is hot.Hopefully, you will get well soon.¡± Jenna thought for a while and walked over to take out his cup, toothpaste, toothbrush, and daily necessities. She then took out the container filled with soup.

    As she was worried that he didn¡¯t know how to open the container,she decided to serve it to him. The smell of the fish soup instantly filled the room ashot steams wereing out of the container.

    Jenna took out the spoon and poured out the fish soup,her actions cautious and her eyes focused.

    Hansen stared at her beautiful face and the way her long eyshes fluttered. Her face was a bit too pale, which made him feel very distressed.

    ¡°Come on, drink.¡± Jenna brought over the steaming-hot fish soup and handed it to him.

    He did not answer but looked at her sullenly.

    ¡°Feed me, then I¡¯ll drink,¡± he spoke lightly after a while.

    Feed him like the way she fed him water? Jenna didn¡¯t want to do it anymore.

    She held the soup without budging.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, then throw it away.I won¡¯t have it.¡± Noticing that she stood nkly on the spot,Hansen knew that she truly didn¡¯t want to. With that, he reached into his pocket to get hispack of cigarettes.

    ¡°Fine, let me feed you. I will use a spoonand you cannot smoke.¡± In the end, Jennapromised.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth slightly curved upwardsand he withdrew the hand that was about to take a cigarette.

    He did not make it hard for her too. Instead, he agreed to her requests.

    ¡°Come on, open your mouth.¡± Jenna took a spoonful of soup, blew on it a few times, and then fed him. Hansen opened his mouthobediently.

    Seeing that there were soup stains at the corner of his mouth, she took a tissue and carefully wiped it off. Her movements were so gentle. Hansen¡¯s heart melted instantly as he looked at her with tender eyes.

    ¡°Can you just focus on drinking the soup?¡± Jenna saw that he was just opening his mouth mechanically whilst watching her face; it madeher blush.

    Outside, the freezing rain was getting heavier as they could hear the raindrops crashing on the balcony windows.

    Hansen suddenly felt that the atmosphere was very warm and peaceful. This was what he had longed for a long time.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll have the soup,¡± he replied and smiled like a silly person.

    Jenna was really amused by his oblivion.

    He didn¡¯t even know what she was asking.

    As the time passed, he took whateverJenna fed him. He even finished the remaining fish residues.

    ¡°If it¡¯s not enough,I¡¯ll order another takeout for you,¡± Jenna said as she realized that he only had some soup.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m hungry,¡± he nodded and replied.¡°But, I don¡¯t want to eat takeouts, I want you to cook for me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already sote. How am I supposed to cook for you?¡± Jenna was annoyed once again. This guy was so inconsiderate of the circumstances. It was her birthday that dayand she had to take care of her ex-husband that she hated so much;who humiliated her before. D*mn it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. If you cook, I will eat. If you don¡¯t, I won¡¯t eat,¡± he replied whilstying on the bedzily.

    Jenna was speechless.

    At this time, someone knocked on the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Hansen answered in a deep voice.

    The door opened and Jose walked inwhile carrying a notebook and a bag in his hands.

    Soon, Jose gave the reports about thepany to Hansen. Jenna figured that Hansen had to burn the midnight oil. Considering that he only drank some fish soup., she decided to head out after a moment¡¯s thought

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± As Hansen listened to Jose, the corner of his eyes had never left Jenna. When he saw her heading out, he asked hurriedly.

    ¡°You guys can proceed to discuss work,I¡¯ll visit my mother at her ward.¡± She turned her headwith a smile on her face.

    Hansen nodded and said to Jose, ¡°Do carry on.¡±

    As their conversation continued,Jenna went to her mother¡¯s ward. She saw that Sara was asleep, therefore she tiptoed to the kitchen. She looked for food in all the cabs and only found some noodles. Fortunately, there were some vegetables too.

    She quickly got busy.

    It wasn¡¯t until a bowl of hot noodles was prepared that she walked towards Hansen¡¯s ward.

 Chapter 241 Once-In-A-Blue-Moon Love

    After Jose left,Hanseny on the bed and continued working on hisputer.

    The heaters in the room were fully turned on. Jenna was already sweating under her sable fur coat. Sweat started to get visible on her nose and forehead. She then ced the noodles on the bedside and whispered, ¡°There is nothing left, there were only noodles. You will just have to eat this.¡±

    Hansen smelled the scent of steaming noodlesandraised his head with a satisfied smile on his face.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± He reached out to hold her hand. Gently cing his lips on her hand, he took a sniff whilesaying, ¡°I¡¯ll eat if you feed me.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Jenna stared at him angrily.

    ¡°I have to work with both hands. As you can see, I don¡¯t really have time to eat.¡± He held a file in his left hand and theputer mouse in his right, seemingly like a preupied businessman.

    Jenna was left speechless.

    Taking off her coat, she got rid of the heatand her hands were more flexible this way.

    She then started to feed him slowly.

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious, my wife is indeed a great cook.¡± Hansen was satisfied to have eaten noodles cooked by herand fed by her. He had a proud smirk on his face.

    Jenna lowered her head and continued feeding him, not giving any responses nor critics.

    Hansen was really hungry. He finished the bowl of noodles she made along with the soup.He even burped a few times after he finished everything.

    Jenna stood up to bring the empty bowl outside.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± Hansen suddenly gripped her armand pulled her close to the bed. ¡°Just forget about it. Aunt Lee will clean them up tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really improper.¡± Jenna tried to break free from his grip but he just wouldn¡¯t let her go.

    ¡°Jenna, please stay with me for a while more.¡± His voice softened as he stared at her pleadingly.

    His beggingeyesmade Jenna unable to object, therefore she put down the bowl and sat down obediently.

    ¡°Happy birthday, Jenna, ¡± Hansen spoke in a gentle tone. He turned sideways and leaned against the nket, reaching out to pull her into his arms, and hugged her tightly.

    Jenna¡¯s body froze as she didn¡¯t expect him to know that it was her birthday.

    She had always assumed that he didn¡¯t know.

    Unexpectedly, he could say it so easily.

    ¡°Did you know my birthday?¡± She was caught by surprise.

    ¡°Of course. How can I not know my woman¡¯s birthday? I can¡¯t stand for you to celebrate it with another manbecause I¡¯ll be jealous.¡± Facing her confused eyes, he chuckled.

    He actually bought her birthday gifts each yearbut he just didn¡¯t give them to her. Her birthday gifts were definitely the best in the world but shedidn¡¯t know that.At present, there should be no woman in A city who could be richer than her.

    Hansen reached out to take out an exquisite box from a bag, handed it to her, and said softly, ¡°Here you go.¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡± Jenna was puzzled.

    ¡°Your birthday present, do open it.¡± Heughed and said warmly, ¡°Jenna, I originally nned to take you on a cruise trip. The banquet was readybut currently, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the best time to do that. Thus, we¡¯ll just celebrate your birthday here. I promise that I will organize the most luxurious birthday parties for you in the future.¡±

    He buried his face in her hair,enjoying its softness and silkiness.

    Jenna held the gift box in her hands but she still didn¡¯t open it.

    She knew that this must be a very expensive gift butshe didn¡¯t want to receive anything anymore.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not a costly gift but it¡¯s very memorable for sure,¡± Hansen exined when he saw her hesitating.

    Jenna carefully opened the gift box. Although the gift box was exquisite, the present was quite ordinary. It was not from a luxurious brand. She breathed a sigh of relief and opened it. Only a check was inside. There was also something insidethat looked like a certificate.

    She was confused and looked at the check, only to find that it was a purchase proof of a premium piano, its price beyond expensive.

    Jenna was dumbfounded.

    People who weren¡¯t in the music industry may not know its valuebut Jenna was very familiar with pianos while growing up,therefore she knew it.

    It was a limited edition piano, the only one in the world. It was used by a certain celebrity before. The pitch was so unique that it cannot be replicated.

    The price of the piano did not do it justice. That was why Hansen said that it would be very memorable. He was right when he said that.

    ¡°Remember to y it for me in the future,¡± Hansen hugged her and said. It took him several years to find this piano, which cost him a fortune. He knew that Jenna yed the piano well but he had never heard her ying it. How could he not support his own woman¡¯s talents?

    Besides, he wanted her to y especially for him.

    He did not want what others have heard of.

    ¡°Thank you, Hansen.¡± Jenna was a little excited and put her arms around his neck. She raised her head and lightly ced a kiss on his lips before saying shyly, ¡°I love ying the piano but I don¡¯t deserve such a great piano.¡±

    ¡°No,only you deserve to y the best,¡± Hansen replied affectionately after kissing her for a while.

    Too bad the roses were gone, he thought. When he first came out of the operating room, he didn¡¯t see Jenna.He assumed that she left while he was being operated in the hospital andbecame furious.

    He originally called someone to send the roses to the ward on the eighth floor but because she was nowhere to be found, he threw them away out of anger. Besides, Rayan also gave her roses. Hansen didn¡¯t bother to give it anymore. Anyone could give those things as gifts. There was no special meaning. He wanted to give the best things in the world to his true love.

    Jenna lowered her head and stayed in his arms; there was happiness blooming in her heart.

    ¡°It¡¯ste, you should go to sleep. I¡¯m leaving.¡± Seeing that it waste, she wanted to get up.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t go. Stay.¡± Hansen sped her tightly. ¡°You must take care of me like how I took care of you before, otherwise, I won¡¯t let you go.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Jenna wanted to tell him that she has to return to Ink Garden to work the next day but she heard Hansen said, ¡°No buts. Your task is to apany me to do everything, whether it¡¯s eating, drinking, or sleeping.¡±

    He gritted his teeth and spoke very tly.

    If it was in the past, Hansen¡¯s words would trigger Jenna and make her angry but after so many fights, she knew this was his way of doing things;she no longer cared about it. He simply wanted her to be with him.

    ¡°Okay, then wash up before you sleep.¡± He embraced her tightly, almost squeezing her breath out. She knew that he would not let her go; she didn¡¯t want to go either. After all, there was a rainstorm outside.

    ¡°Well, you help me,¡± Hansen was happy and mumbled to her.

    He had Jenna in his arms. Pleased, his restless hand caressed and grabbed her chest. Unlike some women whose breasts were too big or too small, hers were just rightfor his liking;they were very soft and firm too. It once made him overwhelmed.

    Especially when she arched her back, her slender waist and sexy bum made it impossible for him to hold back.

    ¡°I¡­ No.¡± Jenna really couldn¡¯t refuse. Hansen got her this time. It might be difficult for her to escape. Last time, he did wipe her body and even bathed her, although the situation was different, he took care of herafter all.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a shower together.¡± As Jenna was being shy, Hansen grinned and lifted her up in his arms before walking towards the bathroom.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± She was flustered.

    ¡°Take a shower with me.¡± Hansen smirked.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll only help you wipe your body.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m so dirty, wiping is not enough. I have to take a shower, otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to sleep.¡±

    ¡°But, I-¡± Her lips were quickly covered by his.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Jenna was panting as Hansen kissed her long and hard, making her moaning softly.

    This instantly set Hansen on fire.

    Hansen¡¯s whole body was hot and he wanted to release his urge. ¡°Jenna, I want you,¡± he told her between breaths. He then put her on the marble tform in the bathroom, hugging and kissing her passionately.

    Since thest time they had sex, he has not made love to her for nearly 20 days. Every night, he dreamt of having her. He craved for her pearly-white skin and her beautiful body.

    ¡°No, Hansen. My tummy hurts, please don¡¯t.¡± Jenna was flushed all over her body from his kisses, every part of her body was red,and her whole body trembled as she started to be in a daze. What flooded into her body and mind were bursts of pleasure. Although she knew her current physical condition, she just couldn¡¯t bear his intense love.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your tummy?¡± Hansen kissed her neck before moving to her chest. He stretched out his hand to caress her belly and asked vaguely.

    Jenna trembled all over. She felt her lower abdomen contracting from time to time, and she was terrified.

    ¡°Hansen, please, don¡¯t do this.¡± She looked at him with eyes full of fright and fear.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Hansen was a little overwhelmed by her pleading and stroked her hair. With an eyebrow raised, he asked inexplicably.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want this. My stomach will hurt.¡± Hansen then wrapped her in a robe as she was lying weakly against him, helplessness evident in her eyes.

    Hansen kissed her softly. Looking at the pitiful woman in his arms, his heart ached. He nibbled her earlobe and said softly, ¡°Jenna, I will be gentle, I won¡¯t hurt you. If you feel ufortable, I will stop, okay?¡±

    At this moment, he was fueled by desire and wasn¡¯t thinking clearly about the meaning of her words. All he wanted was her andto shower her with the love she was worthy of.

    Jenna¡¯s voice slowly faded as he kissed her vigorously.

    She was never able to resist him. This was exactly what Hannah said. Jenna¡¯s nemesis in this life was Hansen. As long as it was him, her principles would fall apart.

    She was too weak for his love.

 Chapter 242 The Caring Hansen

    Hansen kissed her carefully as if she was a piece of porcinand made love to her until the two reached orgasm. Just as the unprecedented sense of joy spread all over Jenna¡¯s body, she heard Hansen whispering in her ears, ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s have a baby.¡±

    The word ¡®baby¡¯ rang like a bell in Jenna¡¯s brain, awakening her instantly. She opened her eyes and got a little frightened.

    Did he like children?

    He might.

    But so what?

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a woman bearing a child for you?¡± The passion they had a moment ago immediatelylost into nothingnessand she started shivering all over her body. These unrealistic expectations hit her hard.

    ¡°No, Jenna, I only want to have a family with you, not with any other woman.¡± Hansen knew what she meantand tried tofort her.

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Jenna suddenly pushed him away and shouted, ¡°Go away, you b*stard. Although you didn¡¯t intend to have a child with Aria, it is still a living being; it¡¯s innocent. How can you abandon it?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s words made Hansen¡¯s heart tremble.

    ¡°Jenna, I only want your child. Forgive mefor this is out of my own selfishness.¡± He caressed her face and kissed her eyes softly, his words showing his pain.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    Jenna didn¡¯t speak, she had no reason to move further into the subject.

    Since she couldn¡¯t let go of him andsumbed before himonce again, what else was there to say?

    The bathroom was full of steam as they began to soak their bodies in warm water.

    Hansen gently rubbed her bodyand when his hands slid to her lower abdomen, he joked, ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re having a tiny belly already.¡±

    These words made Jenna feel ufortable.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go out, I want to sleep,¡± she said with a tired expression. The passion they had earlier on consumed a lot of her energy and she was exhausted.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Hansen pitied her. After they were done, he carried Jenna to the bed.

    He was lying on his side, holding Jenna tightly in his arms, and the two eventually fell asleep.

    This was the first time they slept so peacefully in each other¡¯s arms after their fight thest time.

    It was a peaceful night where they enjoyed a deep sleep without dreams, they had only each other. The next day, they were awakened by the nurse¡¯s bell.

    It was time to change Hansen¡¯s bandages.

    Of course.

    Jenna never expected to take care of him for six days and six nights, feeding him every day and helping him get up from the bed.

    Was his injury really so serious? Jenna thought as she doubted that.

    Hansen, on the other hand, took this opportunity to act brazenly. Jenna was helpless as she could not object; he was injured for her sake.

    With hispanion these days, Jenna slept soundly and even the child in her belly seemed to sense his father¡¯s love.Jenna woke up every morning withher belly bloated. Although she was very hungry, she would feel nauseous after eating something. But after she threw up quietly in the toilet, she wanted to eat again.

    Hansenwas constantly nagging. Ever since eating the noodles, Jenna cooked that night, he insisted for Jenna to continue preparing food for him. Or else, he would starve himself.

    Jenna didn¡¯t have much to do, hence she bought some ingredients, prepared a few dishes, and spent the rest of the day looking after Trevor and her mother. From time to time, she had to serve Hansen who was behaving like a five-year-old. Thanks to the help from Aunt Lee, she was not as tired as she expected.

    When night fell, Hansen held Jenna in his arms.

    As his hand slid across her back, his hand lingered on the scar and his heart ached. He couldn¡¯t help but whisper, ¡°Jenna, why did you shield me from the knife that day? Where did your couragee from?¡±

    That day, she was lying in his arms covered in a pool of blood. He was terrified, shouting at her to wake her up. His body was tense and trembling in fear.

    He was afraid that she would leave him like that;he was afraid that he would never see her again.

    At that moment, he knew.

    He couldn¡¯t live without her. The person he truly loved was her; his love for her was so deep, he could never forget her.

    The fear at that time made him feel grateful at present.

    She survived and she still belonged to him.

    This was why he didn¡¯t care about everything and wanted to have her by his side. He was determined to forgive her past mistakes and love herforever.

    Jenna closed her eyes and said nothing.

    She didn¡¯t want to admit that she rushed forward to protect him because she loved him.

    Otherwise, his self-confidence would be through the roofs again.

    ¡°Why are you not answering me?¡± Seeing her pretending to be asleep, Hansen pouted. He lightly nibbled on her earlobes and his hands slowly moved to her chest to tease her.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t help but moan when his hand touched her sensitive area. With such a soft hum, Hansen¡¯s whole body was lit on fire all of a sudden and he craved for her body again.

    His insides burned with passion as his restless hands roamed over her body, his lips and tongue overtaking hers.

    Jenna opened her eyes and suddenly hugged his neck, begging, ¡°Hansen, I am so tired. Please stop, my stomach is very ufortable.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s heart tightened and he raised his head, his hands frozen mid-action.

    ¡°Jenna, are you unwell? You looked weak these few days. Let¡¯s go to the doctor and let him have a check, ¡± he hugged her and suggested gently.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯m just tired and want to sleep,¡± Jenna said in a low voice, barely audible.¡°Don¡¯t forget your promise. Let me sleep in peace.¡±

    Hansen gaped. Yes, he did promise her.

    She would take care of him, cook him food, even coax him and feed him, provided that he won¡¯t touch her.

    ¡°Well, fine. I¡¯ll let you go this time.¡± He gritted his teeth as suspicion bloomed in his heart. ¡°When you get better, I won¡¯t let you go so easily.¡±

    He had a hard time controlling his desire recently.

    Except for asional quickies, she didn¡¯t agree at other times. He couldn¡¯t bear to disrespect her decisions, hence he could only suppress himself.

    Looking at her determination, he didn¡¯t dare to persuade her further. Thinking of this, he felt annoyed. This woman was a lot to deal with, he thought. These days, he craved for her body, her kisses, the feeling of him inside her. The burning me did not extinguish but burned brighter all night and it was a struggle to hold it in.

    After a while, he heard Jenna snore. Soon, she was off to dreand.

    Hansen smiled helplessly. Fortunately, Jenna cooked a variety of dishes to keep his tummy fullthese days. At night, she apanied him to sleep as well. After a few days, he was more energetic. Furthermore, he seemed to have gained weight.

    However, it was not a good thing that he regained his energy as he has to face such a seductive body appearing in front of him every day. It made his throat dry and ufortable all day.

    Nevertheless, he loved her and he didn¡¯t want to break his promise nor go against her will. He did as he promised but he secretly wondered what was going on with her body. She was weak all day long but she wasn¡¯t sick. She was eating properly but she was always tired and sleepy. He decided to take her to see a doctor soon.

    Since their fight, their days in the hospital were the best days they had. Hansen was actually relieved that he was injured and hospitalized.

    ¡°Jenna, why did you get up so early?¡± Jenna woke up early and Hansen was awakened by the noise. He hugged her and asked in a hoarse voice.

    ¡°Hansen, I have to go back to Richards Manor today. I have to check on Sabrina and the New Year banquet.¡± Jenna pushed him away and replied quickly after getting dressed.

    ¡°Baby, do you still have to worry about these things? I mean, you have such a capable husband sitting here,¡± Hansensaid inexplicably as hestretched his body under the covers.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jenna looked down at him. Hansen seemed quite confident. Could it be¡­?

    Hansen watched her studying him with her head tilted to aside. With a smile, he said, ¡°Baby, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve given it a thought these days when you were here.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes glowed.

    Hansen sat up and motioned her over.

    When Jenna approached, she saw a beautiful mind map on Hansen¡¯sputer. When she took a closer look, it was the design she had in mind for the New Year banquet and her eyes lit up.

    ¡°Baby, don¡¯t worry, I have already contacted someone the past few days. Sabrina can give instructions and make sure everything goes ording to your n. As for you, just stay with me here.¡± Hansen gave her a wink and grinned.

    Jenna breathed a sigh of relief. Hansen was indeed a detailed person.

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so kind of you,¡± Jenna saidhalf-sarcasticallywith a slight smile on her face.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know me well. There are still so many things unknown to you.¡± With a smirk, Hansen pressed Jenna onto the bed and touched her face.

    Jenna stared at him, biting her lip.

    ¡°No touching, you promised.¡±

    Hansen groaned and said bitterly, ¡°Cunning.¡±

    Jenna smiled slightly and slid her hand up to touch her stomach but did not respond to him.

    ¡°Baby, I don¡¯t want to pressurize you but you have to make sure the New Year¡¯s banquet runs well. It is rted to the reputation of Richards Manorand it is also the very first event you have organized since you became head of the manor. It must be done well.¡± Hansen added, ¡°Grandma is willing to spend so much money,you should know how much she expects from you. Of course, you can rest assured, I will fully support you.¡±

    ¡®Grandma¡¯-when this word appeared out of nowhere,Jenna¡¯s heart suddenly started racing.

    Vivian¡¯s heart disease and the reced medicine incident were a big deal.

    In the past few days, Jenna had been calling Ink Garden to inquire about Vivian¡¯s condition. Meroy said that ever since they changed the location of the medicine storage, Vivian¡¯s heart attacks did not happen anymore. Even so,it was still crucial to find out who wanted to kill Vivian.Jenna was afraid something worse would ur if they still couldn¡¯t find the culprit.

    She nced at Hansen, who just shut his eyes, before sitting on the edge of the bed. She hesitated for a momentand said with a serious tone, ¡°Hansen, I want to tell you somethingand you have to listen to me carefully.¡±

 Chapter 243 A Surprise To Marissa

    Upon hearing this, Hansensmiled and said, ¡°Of course, Honey. I¡¯m listening.¡±

    Jenna spoke after giving a deep thought, ¡°Hansen, there¡¯s someone in Richards Manor who wants to harm Vivian.¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Hansen was dumbstruck by Jenna¡¯s words. He immediately put his hand on her forehead and asked, ¡°Jenna, did you have a nightmarest night?¡±

    He looked at her suspiciously.

    ¡°No, you fool.¡± Jenna was clearly annoyed. She then pulled his nket away and pped him on the butt.¡°I¡¯m being dead serious.¡±

    ¡°Ouch, it hurts. Even if you did want to murder your husband, can you please not hit so hard?¡± Hansen hissed and howled.

    It has been several days since this minor injury, did it still hurt like that? Jenna just couldn¡¯t believe him.

    She had tried to tell him about it these few daysbut she got distracted by himand somehow forgotten about it. Finally, when she recalled that the situation was indeed serious, she thought thatit was better to tell him sooner thanter.

    ¡°I was serious. Get up.¡± Jenna frowned.

    ¡°Okay, okay. Let¡¯s talk.¡± Hansen stretchedzilyand Jenna helped him to get dressed as usual.

    Then, she began to blurt out what happened that day.

    Hansen listened carefully and remained silentasa strike of cold light shed in his eyes.

    ¡°Jenna, I get the story now. Don¡¯t spread the news for the moment,¡±he said calmly after a while.

    ¡°I understand.¡± Jenna stared at him.

    His face and chin were scratched by her. There were no bloodstains on the bitemarks but the new skin formed underneath was pale,thus there were little patches of uneven skin tones on his face. Fortunately,the injuries healed very quickly because of the ointments she applied to him the past few days.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you still feeling distressed?¡± Hansen was very pleased with the way Jenna treated his wounds every day. She was so nervous about the wounds on his face and handled them gently. He felt that his injury was totally worth it.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Distressed because of you? You¡¯re such a dreamer. It¡¯s just that the New Year banquet is around the cornerand I am afraid that something will go wrong,there will be others that misunderstand you.¡± After Jenna washed her hands, she prepared warm water to help Hansen wash his face. Then, she took out the ointment and applied it to him.

    ¡°Huh, liar.¡± Hansen pouted as hey on his back, enjoying the gentle movement of her hand on his face. He put his arms around her waist and whispered, ¡°Jenna, you have to be careful in the manor.There are things that you shouldn¡¯t be too serious about. Let me deal with it.¡±

    As he said that,his dark eyes gleamed.

    Now that Norton has been released on bail, there was no way to find out the truth of Javon¡¯s death. Truthfully, he was very worried about Jenna¡¯s safety. If she did not resign and simply stayed with Richards Group, he would not be worried.However, it turned out thatshe had promised Vivian to be the head of Richards Manor.By doing this, she was out of his sight, which made him really uneasy.

    ¡°Jenna, Norton is at home now. He was only released on bail but that doesn¡¯t mean your father¡¯s case is over. There will be more incidents in the future.It was against Norton¡¯s will to go to jail,hence you have to be careful.Do you understand?¡± Hansen reminded her.

    Jenna looked at his concerned face and nodded, having mixed feelings at that instant.

    ¡°Hansen, Hansen.¡± Marissa¡¯s voice came from the corridor.

    Jenna took a few steps back in reflex.

    Every morning for these past few days, Marissa woulde to take care of Trevor. Jenna didn¡¯t want to meet her,therefore she purposely avoided their meeting. But, it seemed that she got to know about Hansen¡¯sinjury and rushed to the hospital that day. Jenna was sure that she heard panic and anxiety in Marissa¡¯s voice.

    Hansen stood up calmly and pulled Jenna into his arms. He gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here.¡±

    As soon as the ss door slid open, Marissa stormed in.

    ¡°Son, I heard that you were injured and hospitalized. Is this true? What the hell happened?¡± Marissa walked in and saw Hansen holding Jenna in his arms. They looked very affectionatebut she just didn¡¯t care. She started walking towards Hansen andgrabbed his hand, askinganxiously.

    ¡°Mom, who told you this?¡± Hansen furrowed his eyebrows. No other soul knew about his injuries and being hospitalizedexcept for him and Jenna. Where did Marissa hear this from?

    ¡°It was¡­¡± Marissa paused abruptly. When Aria told her about this earlier that day, she was instructed that Hansen should not know the truth, hence she hesitated.

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t make a fuss about everything. They¡¯re just rumors,¡± Hansen said with a dull expression on his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m making a fuss? Hansen, are you kidding me? Do I not care about you? You never tell me anything. You are really pissing me off with your attitude.¡± Marissa¡¯s face was red with anger.¡°Your father is still in the hospital and you are the only one that I have.Please, nothing should be happening to you.¡±

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m really fine. Look, I¡¯mstanding perfectly in front of you!¡± Hansen saw that his mother was saddened by the incidentandforted her, ¡°Mom, you should go and take care of Dad.¡±

    ¡°Auntie, Hansen is fine, don¡¯t worry.¡± Jenna saw Marissa getting anxious. She understood her feelings and offered an exnation.

    Marissa looked at Jenna. Hansen only focused on this woman. No matter what, he would rather tell everything to Jenna than his own mother. Feeling down, she sighed before saying, ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you did to Hansen. I¡¯m warning you, if something bad happens to him, I will never forgive you.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank when she heard this andlowered her head. Marissa has always despised her, she really didn¡¯t know how to get along with herbut she had her dignity as well. Marissa never respected herbut she would not purposely try to please heras she still has her own pride.

    ¡°Mom, you¡¯re not making any sense. Jenna has been taking care of me. You should be thanking her. How can you break her heart by saying this? It¡¯s too unfair.¡± Hansen was very upsetandhis tone turned dark.

    Marissa¡¯s face turned pale as she looked at Hansen. ¡°Son, you were seduced by her,it¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re not thinking clearly.¡±

    ¡°Mom, what are you talking about? I have seen much more clearerand now I finally understand Jenna. Dad is now recovering from his illness, all thanks to Jenna.Why are you still being so oblivious?¡± He squeezed Jenna¡¯s hand and slowly said, ¡°Mom, I think it¡¯s time I tell you this. Let¡¯s go visit Jenna¡¯s mother.Her ward is just next to Dad¡¯s ward. Jenna¡¯s father is deadand Norton was the cause of it. Our family owes them.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s words were inevitably hurtful. Marissa could never understand Jenna. He knew that in his heart that because Vivian liked Jenna,Marissa did not have the best rtionship with Vivian.

    At this instant, it was Marissa¡¯s turn to be shocked.

    ¡°Hansen, what are you talking about? Javon is dead? Sara is in the hospital?¡±

    Up till this moment, Marissa didn¡¯t know what happened to Jenna¡¯s family. She only knew that Javon did not be the head of the Finance Departmentand the position had been taken by Norton. The rest was unknown to her.

    ¡°Mom, because of your bias and prejudice against Jenna, I¡¯ve kept lots of things from you. But since you will know these things sooner orter, it¡¯s better for me totell you now.¡±

    Hansen took both Jenna¡¯s and Marissa¡¯s hands in his as they walked towards Sara¡¯s ward.

    ¡°Mom, Sara doesn¡¯t know that Jenna and I had divorced. Thus, bear in mind to not slip that out.It¡¯s only a matter of time that we will be remarried.¡± Hansen suddenly remembered and reminded Marissa in a low voice when they approached Sara¡¯s ward.

    Marissa was still shocked by Javon¡¯s death,hence she hesitantly agreed.

    ¡°Marissa, you are here.¡± Sara saw Marissa, Hansen, and Jennae inand greeted her with a smile. Sara actually didn¡¯t have a lot of affection for this family-inw of hers. For so many years, they never really talked to each otherand every time when they did, Marissa was arrogant. It was evident that she looked down on her. Once, she was very worried that her daughter would be bullied in their family.However, Jenna has neverined for so many years, therefore she let go of this uneasy feeling in her heart. Seeing Marissa this day, for her daughter¡¯s sake, she gave her a polite smile.

    ¡°And this is¡­¡± Marissa asked in surprise when she saw the wheelchair set at the side. She sensed that things were not going well.

    Sara looked at her expression and instantly sensed that Marissa probably didn¡¯t know what happened in their family.

    She just smiled faintly.

    ¡°Bailey, please give up your seat to Marissa,¡± Sara said to Aunt Lee who was standing next to her, then turned around and said to Marissa, ¡°Marissa, forgive me, I¡¯m not in the best position to move now.¡±

    Marissa¡¯s expression slowly changed. She approached Sara, reaching out until she touched her kneesbut she soon realized that the area where her thighs wereempty. Then, her hands shiveredand she was trembling all over.

    ¡°Sara, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know these things happened. No one mentioned them to our family. We are both inwsand I shall do my best to help you.¡± Marissa¡¯s face was pale as she spoke.

    Hansen saw Marissa¡¯s faceand the corner of his mouth instantly curled up slightly. Of course, he understood his mother. Regardless of the cold frontshe put on, she was still kind in nature. This was why he chose to tell her the truth.

    ¡°Mom, this matter has been deliberately concealed, not many people know about this,¡± he exined.

    At this time, Sara also smiled lightly,her expression calm as ever.

 Chapter 244 Happy Times

    ¡°It¡¯s okay Marissa, it doesn¡¯t matter. Things happened and it¡¯s all in the past now. Life is never easybut we can still live through it. No one wanted this to happen but maybe this is how life is. Jenna is stubborn sometimes and it¡¯s our fault.She might¡¯ve caused some troubles in the manor,therefore I asked for your forgiveness on her behalf. I will be relievedif you can forgive her.¡± Sara seemed not to care about her injury and talked calmly. Yet, she was emotional when she mentioned Jenna.

    Hearing these words, Marissa felt ashamed. Everyone had children and daughters. Mothers cared about their daughters. This made sense. She fully understood this feeling.

    ¡°Rest assured, Sara. Jenna is a sensible, smart, and capable child. I like her very much. Don¡¯t get me started on how much Vivian adores her. Not only did she give her the right to inherit Richards Manor, but she is also now in charge of the manor,¡± Marissa said with a smile on her face.

    Sara smiled as she listened.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Jenna may not do her part well,hence I have to ask for your favor,¡± Sara responded sincerely.

    Marissa felt awkward. In the past few years, she has treated Jenna quite badly. Facing Sara¡¯s request, she nodded and did not speakas she felt that she didn¡¯t have the right to respond.

    ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go see Dad. Jenna¡¯s mother is just next door, you cane to visit next time.¡± Hansen cleared up Marissa¡¯s embarrassment just in timeand spoke with a gentle smile.

    ¡°Oh, well then.¡± Marissa still had difficulty digesting the truth disyed to her. She felt that it was surreal. After Hansen cleverly changed the subject, she followed him to Trevor¡¯s ward.

    For the first time in years, Hansen brought both Marissa and Jenna to Trevor¡¯s ward.

    ¡°Trevor, we¡¯re here to see you.¡± Marissa¡¯s eyes teared up when she looked at Trevor. Sitting on the edge of his bed and holding his hand, she choked on words.

    Trevor slowly opened his eyes.

    They gasped and looked at him, unbelievably.

    What made Jenna more relieved was that Trevor¡¯s eyes gained more focus day by day and his face was no longer pale;he currently had more color on him. This was a good sign.

    ¡°Dad, can you see us? Can you hear me?¡± Hansen took Jenna¡¯s hand and took a few steps towards him as he asked softly.

    Trevor¡¯s eyes were not that flexible yet. For a long time, his eyes searched around beforending on Jenna¡¯s face. He looked at her for a long time and his lips parted as if he wanted to say something,but failed.

    His eyes only lingered on her face. Even when Marissa spoke to him, he didn¡¯t respond.

    The light in his eyes was soft and clear, it seemed to have a certain sense of gratitude and appreciation.However, in Marissa¡¯s eyes, it held a different meaning.

    Thest time Trevor fainted was because he got mad with Jenna. This time, would he be triggered again? After his treatment all this while, Trevor was able to recognize people and the outside world.

    If he was really wary of Jenna in his heart, then seeing Jenna may not be a good thing¡­

    But, Marissa never expected that Jenna hade to see him every afternoon and even took care of him more often than she did.

    It was absolutely impossible that he had a grudge against her.

    Hansen understood the meaning in Trevor¡¯s eyes and his heart was filled with excitement.

    Trevor¡¯s eyes definitely showed appreciation and gratitude for Jenna.

    He understood his father well.

    ¡°Dad, wake up. Jenna has prepared a special New Year¡¯s banquetand we hope that you can attend,¡± Hansen¡¯s hand tightened around Jenna¡¯s as he said eagerly.

    Marissa kept looking at Trevor. Seeing that his eyes closed after looking at Jenna for a while, she told them, ¡°Your dad is tired. You should go back and rest.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Mom. We¡¯ll leave it to you.Jenna and I will now leave.¡± Hansen was satisfied with Trevor¡¯s current situationand he believed that he would fully recover soon.

    If Trevor woke up, Hansen would have his support. With that, Hansen believed that the Richards Group would be much easier to deal with despite the difficulties in the future.

    As Hansen was helping with the New Year¡¯s banquet, Jenna didn¡¯t have any troubles. But, needless to say, he currently has an excuse to ask her to stay in his ward.

    On the fifth day, Sabrina came over.

    She shrieked when she saw Hansen kissing Jenna as she had just entered the doorwhile holding a bouquet of flowers in her arms.

    ¡°Wow, get a room. I was wondering why Jenna won¡¯te home these days. Now I understand,¡± Sabrina spoke loudly on purpose at the two who were busy making out.

    Jenna quickly bounced off Hansen¡¯s arms. She was hugged so tightly that she was breathless. It happened that Sabrina did her a favor. At that moment, she smiled at Sabrina and said, ¡°Sabrina, the men from the Richards family are hard to please, you have to be careful. They might be worse than this.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, I forbid you from bullying Jenna all day long. Jenna has many hardcore admirers. If you bully her again, I will tell my male ssmates to beat some sense into you.¡± Sabrina handed the flowers to Jennaand spoke to Hansen in a firm tone.

    ¡°Sabrina, you will be married into the Richards family in the future. If you don¡¯t do me a favor now, be careful that I will bully you too.¡± Hansen was jealous when Sabrina talked about Jenna¡¯s male fans.

    ¡°Who cares? Jenna is in charge, not you.¡± Sabrina stuck out her tongue;she didn¡¯t seem to care at all.

    ¡°Oh,did you forget that Jenna is my wife? Do you think shewillhelp you?¡± Hansen gritted his teeth whilehugging Jennaand asked, ¡°Jenna, am I right?¡±

    Jenna was just about to pour a ss of water for Sabrina. When Hansen suddenly pulled her into his arms,she got so startled that she put her hands on her stomach and her face turned pale.

    ¡°Oh, really? Could you exin why you knocked out Jenna that day? Jenna would be stupid to be biased towards you,¡± Sabrina shot back.

    Hansen¡¯s face instantly fend he put Jenna down.

    ¡°Who said I knock Jenna out? I would never hit women. Where did you hear this nonsense from?¡± Hansen was really annoyed by Sabrina¡¯s false usation.

    ¡°The servants in Green Jade Garden said thisand your lovelyMiss McAdams spread the news everywhere.¡± Sabrina was being fearless and continued, ¡°Why did you bring Miss McAdams to your home? I didn¡¯t expect the men of the Richards family to be promiscuous. If Norton wants to have a mistress, I would rather not marry him in the first ce.¡±

    Those words made Hansen¡¯s face pale.

    ¡°Sabrina, you are still young. Don¡¯t speak such things if you don¡¯t understand.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was cold as ice as he glowered.

    ¡°I do understand. The men in A city are such fools, you think you can get every woman out there just because you¡¯re rich. Taking a mistress even. Do you really think you¡¯re an emperor?¡± Sabrina¡¯s face turned red from her anger at this injustice.

    Hansen¡¯s face turned gloomy;he would just crush her into pieces then and there.

    Seeing that Hansen was going to lose his temper, Jenna hurriedly pulled Sabrina aside and talked with a smile.

    ¡°Sabrina, how¡¯s everything with the New Year banquet?¡±

    Feeling unsatisfied, Sabrina answered, ¡°Hansen is too unfair. He wants you by his side and left all this burden on me. Look at me, my life is so sad.¡±

    Jenna listened, chuckled, and sheforted her, ¡°Thank you, Sabrina. I will give you a generous gift when you get married, how about that?¡±

    Sabrina blushed and turned her face to one side. ¡°Nope.¡±

    Jenna couldn¡¯t hold on to herughter.

    ¡°Anyway, Hansen, you must let Jennae home tomorrow. I¡¯m so busy with this banquet and there are some decisions she needs to make,¡± Sabrina ordered Hansenbut also with a slight begging.

    ¡°No, my injury is not yet healed, she has to take care of me.¡± Hansen was mad at Sabrina¡¯s usation earlier on, therefore he wanted Jenna by his side to take care of him. In his signature arrogant tone, he said, ¡°I have sent someone to follow up on that banquet thing. Don¡¯t worry, everything will go as nned.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t work. After all, Jenna is in charge. Plus, Vivian is asking for her these days.¡± Sabrina wisely brought up Vivian.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°Oh well, the day after tomorrow. We will go home by then.¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Sabrina still wanted Jenna to go back to the manor the next daybut seeing Hansen¡¯s face turning darker, she had to say, ¡°The day after tomorrow it is, don¡¯t break your promise.¡±

    Sabrina talked with them for a while before her phone rang non-stop, hence she had to get up and leave.

    As soon as Jenna sent Sabrina to the door, she heard Hansen yelling, ¡°Jenna, I want to go to the toilet,e and help me.¡±

    Sabrina heard it and gave Jenna a smirk.

    Jenna¡¯s face instantly blushed like a tomato.

    ¡°Hurry up and help Hansen, or else, he might start to hate me,¡± Sabrina said this wittily and left in a hurry.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you go by yourself?¡± Jenna approached him and scolded him. She was embarrassed especially when he yelled at her to help him to the toilet in front of others.

    ¡°No can do.¡± Hansen grinned. ¡°You just want to take this chance to escape, and then you won¡¯t be back until noon. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know your tricks.¡±

    Jenna was taken aback. He was somewhat right. These days, she went to the grocer in the morning every day and she always came backte.

    Each time Hansen thought of Jenna heading out anding back at almost noon, he became angry due to the hunger.But, because he was afraid that Jenna would misunderstand the situation,he didn¡¯t make a fuss out of it although he still felt ufortable.

 Chapter 245 Picking On Her

    ¡°Oh please, I was busy. I had to get you fresh vegetables isn¡¯t it, Young Master?¡± Jenna cried out.

    ¡°No can do. How aboutI apany you to buy groceries today?¡± Hansen said in a very good mood after thinking about it.

    ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t help but nod helplessly.

    Hansen excitedly hopped up, he even took Jenna¡¯s hand and walked to the bathroom door.

    ¡°Just quickly go in.¡± Jenna stood there firmlyand refused to go inside with him.

    He tricked her into going in the day before and hepletely handled her. If it weren¡¯t for her puppy eyes as she considered the little being in her belly, hewould definitely not let her go so easily.

    Hansen knew about her thoughtsand his lips were slightly pursed. Although he wanted her out of his own selfishness, he didn¡¯t force her and walked in alone.

    In thergest supermarket in A city.

    A beautiful couple was holding hands, showing their affection in the cold storage area on the first floor of the supermarket.

    Hansen was dressed in French jeans anda turtleneck sweater, which made himlook slender and tall.His look was dashing.

    Jenna was elegant and exquisite, and she was held and adored by a man like a prized treasure. They were a match made in heaven and soon they became the center of attention.

    ¡°How about this?¡± Jenna asked, picking up a box of packed fresh beef.

    ¡°Yes, I do want to eat steak.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes were bright as he smiled and nodded.

    ¡°I would like to have this too,¡± Hansen said as he picked up a box of green peas. Jenna made the most delicious meat slices with fried peas. The peas were crispy and very chewy.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna was feeling generousand agreed to his request.

    ¡°A bone soup would be nice to spice things up.¡± Hansen picked a big bone marrow and said a little coquettishly.

    ¡°What do you need to drink it for?You are healthy as a horse.¡± Jenna pursed her lips and teased him back with a smirk.

    ¡­

    After a while, the grocery basket was full.

    ¡°Can you finish them?Don¡¯t you try to torture me?¡± Jenna looked at the basket full of their groceries withher lips pursed.

    ¡°Honey, I know that you love me. Surely you¡¯ll do a great job in satisfying my hunger.¡± Hansen beamed with confidence and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will help you. I won¡¯t let you do it alone. I couldn¡¯t stand for you getting tired.¡±

    He vowedwith his hands on her waist caressing, a wicked smile appearing on his face.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Jenna shook her head,feeling helpless.

    ¡°Jenna, you can never leave me in this life. I will always know what you¡¯re thinking becauseI¡¯m a psychic.You will not escape from me,¡± Hansen said and made a grasping movement as helowered his headand threatened softly in her ear. Some paparazzi found them and started to snap photos. Realizing this, Hansen pulled Jenna over and kissed her. He even waved back at the paparazzi.

    The reporter shot more photos after seeing Hansen¡¯s reaction and for a while, the whole scene was blinded by the shes from the cameras.

    Jenna was embarrassed and wanted to hide her facebut Hansen held her chin up and kissed her. Not only was there a lot of paparazzi, but the entire supermarket began to notice and they were soon surrounded with public reactions.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.She thought that he was a total lunatic and unashamedbut she still has dignity.

    She pushed him away and ran outside.

    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Hansen smiledandwaved his hand at the paparazzi. He put his fingers on his mouth and shushed. ¡°My wife is angry, I should get going.¡±

    After saying this, he caught up with her.

    Behind them was a burst ofughter.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, have a look at this. That sl*t and Mr. Richards were kissing in the supermarket.¡± In the bedroom on the first floor of Green Jade Garden, Minnie showed the newspaper to Aria.

    Aria¡¯s face turned dark.

    She had seen it long ago. Since her act as Rapunzel, she has been paying more attention to entertainment newsand she read it almost every day.

    She hasn¡¯t seen Hansen and Jenna for so long. It was confirmed that they were togetherand not only that, but they were also disying their affection in front of the public.

    ¡°Humph, this is only temporary,¡± she sneered. ¡°Listen, they will return to Richards Manor tomorrow. This time, I will make sure that they will never be so happy around each other.¡±

    She didn¡¯t expect thatJenna hadn¡¯t let go of Hansen yet. It seemed that they were in love at the moment. Anger shed in Aria¡¯s eyes and a cold smile appeared on her face.

    ¡°Jenna, do I really have to be discharged today?¡± Hansen was obsessed with his time with Jenna in the hospital that he didn¡¯t want to leave.

    ¡°Is this hospital better than home?¡± Jenna replied. Who would be willing to be admitted to the hospital? Everyone would like to leave as soon as they recover. He was indeed one of a kind.He just couldn¡¯t let go of the hospital.

    ¡°Then, promise me that after returning to the manor, let me live on the second floor with you,¡± Hansenhurriedly took this opportunity to make a request as heremembered this loathsome rule.

    ¡°No can do.¡± Jenna packed up his things and refused.

    ¡°Cannot? Don¡¯t you beg me to stay with youter.¡± Hansen smiled slyly, his chin held high.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t beg you.¡± Jennaughed disdainfully.

    Hansen¡¯s face fell.

    What a stubborn woman, he thought.

    The two returned to Richards Manor at the same time.To be exact, Hansen brought her back.

    After several days of recovery, both Hansen and Jenna¡¯s face had be more lively. The paleness on Jenna¡¯s face was almost gone as well, reced by a tinge of pink.

    When Hansen took Jenna¡¯s arm and appeared at the entrance of Green Jade Garden, it was dinner time.

    Aria and Marissa were both sitting on the sofa in the living room, waiting for them.

    As it was the day Hansen was discharged from the hospital, Marissa had ordered a variety of dishes for him incelebrating his smooth discharge.

    Wasn¡¯t this a bit exaggerating? Jenna wondered.

    Hansen just suffered aminor skin injury. Jenna felt it quite unnecessary. Perhaps, this was what made Hansen so arrogant and self-centered at times.

    ¡°Hansen, are you back?¡± Aria saw Hansen and stood up with a smile. Even though Hansen was holding Jenna¡¯s arm tightly and acting so intimately, she was so used to it and easily turned a blind eye.

    Hansen didn¡¯t look at her but said to Marissa, ¡°Mom, let¡¯s have dinner.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Marissa stood up. After learning about Jenna¡¯s condition in the hospital yesterday, she felt a little guilty towards Jenna.

    She took the lead to the dining room.

    Hansen pulled Jenna¡¯s hand and followed Marissa. Later, Sabrina rushed in from the door like a gust of wind.

    ¡°Jenna and Hansen are back. You kept your promises.¡± Sabrina rushed in and sat down beside Jenna,picking up the cutlery.

    ¡°Oh, Minnie, do me a favor and serve a bowl of soup,¡± she cried out to Minniewho was standing aside and staring at the bos if she wished to sit down and have a taste of it.

    ¡°Me?¡± Minnie was shocked. Although she could not sit with them for dinner, she was still Aria¡¯s manager, not a servant of the Richards family. No one had dared tomand her to serve foodbutSabrina did it.

    She stood still and smiled.¡°Miss Sabrina, this soup is ced right in front of you. I am a bit far from it, maybe you can get it yourself.¡±

    ¡°Is that the case?¡± Sabrina nced at the soup bowl in front of her before she ced it on the turntable and directed it to Aria. She smiled softly and said, ¡°Thisdle is too greasy. I¡¯m scared it¡¯ll ruin my manicure. I just got this for several hundred dors today, thus I¡¯d like Miss Minnie to help.¡±

    Sabrina saidwhileshowcasing her fingers in front of everyone. Looking at the beautifully manicured fingernails, she spoke in a raised voice.

    Was Sabrina trying to embarrass her? It was so obvious there were many servants around, anyone could scoop soup for her but she purposely picked on her, treating her as a servant, and humiliating her. Minnie grumbled inwardly.

    Minnie was angry, her face darkenedand the muscles on her face twitched.

    Aria¡¯s face was even uglier than ever.

    Sabrina was indirectly humiliating Aria too. How she treated Minnie showed how she didn¡¯t have respect for Aria.

    Minnie looked at Aria and stood still.

    Hansen swept a dead re at her and her whole body shook in fright. She hurriedly reached out and picked up the soupdle, quickly scooping up a bowl of soup.

    ¡°Miss Sabrina, here you go,¡± Minnie lowered her head and whispered.

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Sabrina blew the rose prints on her fingers gently and muttered a ¡®thank you¡¯.

    ¡°By the way, Minnie, can you please bring me a ss of water?¡± Soon after Sabrina finished the soup, she picked up a piece of crab meat to eat. While eating, she said to Minnie in a polite tone.

    Was Sabrina still giving out orders? Minnie¡¯s expression turned really nasty. Although she was reluctant, she went over to pour her a ss of water.

    ¡°Ouch, are you out of your mind? You burned me,¡± Sabrina suddenly bounced and yelped. Shaking her hands, her face was aggrieved, ¡°Just great, I just got a manicure. Now, it¡¯s ruined.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Minnie apologized, obviously frightened by what happened. When she took a closer look, most of the water was spilled on herself. She should be the one who should be in pain, not Sabrina who was making a big fuss out of it, lest the world would not know it.

    She had never encountered such an issue beforeand she was stunned for a while, for not knowing what to do.

    ¡°Miss Sabrina, what¡¯s wrong, where does it hurt?¡± Marissa stood up in shock and ran over. Sabrina was a guest of the Richards family and General Delia was still staying in the capital. If something happened to his baby girl while staying in Green Jade Garden, it would be difficult to deal with.

    ¡°Marissa, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just the back of my hand hurts a bit.¡± Sabrina hurriedly smiled calmly when she saw Marissa¡¯s nervous appearance.

    ¡°You are so careless.Is it so difficult to get a ss of water? Luckily, the spill wason the back of her hand. If it got to her face, you may have to face General Deliadirectly,¡± Marissa criticized Minnie harshly.

    Minnie¡¯s face was red, she could only just look at Aria.

    ¡°Mom,please excuse me. I¡¯m done.¡± Aria saw that something was off andfeared that there would be more trouble if she stayed any longer. Thus,she took Minnie with her and hurried away.

    Even before Aria left, Jenna had already lost her appetite. As for Sabrina, Marissa checked on her hand and was relieved that it was a small injury.

    Jenna then took Sabrina upstairs.

 Chapter 246 Sweet Revenge

    ¡°Come on, Miss Delia, where does it hurt?¡± As soon as they entered the room on the second floor, Jenna took out some ointment from the first aid kit and smiled faintly.

    ¡°Come on, that much water can¡¯t hurt me. Minnie was probably burnt. Ha, this is just too easy.¡± Sabrina pped her hands and giggled.

    ¡°You are a real naughty girl.¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t helpughing. She had read Sabrina¡¯s mind. This was a disguise to punish Aria and Minnie. How could Jenna not make sense of it? Even Hansen would have seen it earlybut no one exposed this or stopped her.

    ¡°Tell me, what happened these days?¡± Jenna brought Sabrina to the sofa and asked solemnly.

    ¡°Jenna, nothing can escape your eyes.¡± Sabrina smiled embarrassedly.

    ¡°Of course. Our meek and lovely little princess is obviously mad. Why would youe up with this idea if not so?¡± Jenna said with a smile.

    Sabrina¡¯s face blushed and she smiled. ¡°You know me well, Jenna. These days when you were not here, those sl*ts were on top of their heads. They were always ordering me around Green Jade Garden. It¡¯s my turn to bully them this time. What¡¯s even more hateful is Minnie; who does she think she is? Always ordering the servants around. Yesterday, she evenined about Larry to Marissa. She got scolded horribly. That was not all. These days, she went to Ink Garden from time to time, and tried to befriend the servants there, even Meroy.¡±

    At this point, she became more emotional. Her face flushed and her entire body fueled with resentment.¡°I have never seen such a shameless woman. With Aria, she did whatever she wanted in the manor. Who does Aria think she is? Just because she¡¯s pregnant, she wants the whole world toply with her. I can see that Hansen doesn¡¯t like her at all but she¡¯s still staying here, forcing Hansen to marry her. This is a huge decision, I believe that Hansen would not be so stupid. If he really wants to marry such a woman, it will ruin the Richards Group.¡±

    Sabrina spoke with such righteousness.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes wandered around and gradually, she fell silent.

    ¡°Sabrina, did you say that Minnie would often go to Ink Garden these days?¡± After a while, she took Sabrina¡¯s hand and asked solemnly.

    ¡°Not just these few days,she had started doing this a long time ago. From what I observed, she is very close to one of Grandma¡¯s servants named Julian. She is getting more and more stuck-up each day. Ugh, I hate this. Who is she to do these anyway?¡± Sabrina felt bitter on the thought of Minnie¡¯s snobbiness.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes shed with a cold light.

    Minnie had gone to Ink Garden since the very beginningbut why didn¡¯t she see her before? Did she deliberately avoid her?

    She remembered that when Minnie followed Aria to visit Vivian in Ink Garden that day, she was standing beside Aria, avoiding her stare. Minnie looked suspicious. Thinking about it this instant, Jenna gasped. Could it be¡­?

    She didn¡¯t dare to think about it.

    ¡°Jenna, I heard that Minnie is your cousin, right?¡± Sabrina asked as she appeared to recall something.

    Jenna looked serious and nodded with a sigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s really weird. How can the people who came out of the same ancestry be so different? People will tend to remember your gentlenessbut Minnie is too vulgarto even look at. Humans are so different in their own ways.¡± Sabrina felt a little guilty and asked, ¡°Jenna, are you mad at me for pulling a prank on your cousin?¡±

    ¡°How could I? She is awful. Even if it¡¯s not by you, sooner orter she will be punished.¡± Jenna smiled and patted Sabrina¡¯s hand tofort her worries.

    She stood up and walked to the window, her face slightly solemn. She looked at the dark night sky outside, full of thoughts.

    Minnie was just a pawn of Aria¡¯s.

    If Aria wanted to use her, Minnie could not escape.

    She treated her as the enemy but was so close to Aria. Wasn¡¯t this seeking her own death?

    With a sigh, Jenna¡¯s mood shifted.

    It was just that Minnie was still young and she was from the Murphy family. Like her cousin, Jenna had the responsibility to bring her onto the right path.

    But, would she listen?

    Jenna let out another sigh before falling silent.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re not worried about that cousin of yours, are you?¡± After mentioning Minnie, Sabrina saw that Jenna was frustrated and kept silent the entire time. She couldn¡¯t help but look at her and asked in surprise.

    ¡°Hey.¡± Jenna sighed, shook her head, and smiled bitterly. ¡°Sabrina, I have tried advising her a long time ago. Not only did she not listen, but she also gave me the dirty look. Now, everything is toote. She has to take responsibility for her own actions, no one can help her.¡±

    Sure enough, she was still worried about Minnieand Sabrina was not pleased.

    ¡°Jenna, I didn¡¯t mean to say this but Minnie is a stupid woman. Even if she is your cousin, you should not worry about her. It is just not what family does. Are you sure both of you are rted? You are just too kind-hearted. Don¡¯t worry about her, some people are not worth worrying about,¡± Sabrina reasoned, full of worry about Jenna.

    Jenna understood her concerns and replied with a smile, ¡°Sabrina, go to bed early. Tomorrow, I will check on the New Year banquet you prepared. I can¡¯t wait to see how capable you are in preparing this.¡±

    When Sabrina heard this, she blushed and answered, ¡°If you see anything weird tomorrow, please don¡¯t judge. But, of course, if everything is good, feel free to praise me. It would be better if you expressed your thanks through gifts.¡±

    ¡°Pfft.¡± Jenna was amused. She pinched Sabrina¡¯s face and said with a smile, ¡°Alright. Please go to sleep now.Be prepared for my inspection tomorrow.¡±

    Right then, Jenna yawned as she felt a little sleepy.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± Sabrina saw this andwaved before walkingout.

    Jenna took a set of pajamas and went to the bathroom to take a shower. Her thoughts were only on Minnie.

    If Minnie was the one who changed Vivian¡¯s medicine, it would be terrible.

    This was not something that can be taken lightly upon. This was murder. Once the evidence was conclusive and the crime was convicted, Minnie would not be able to handle it. She may not know the seriousness of this matter at this moment, but if something happened to Vivian, it would be toote!

    Now that Minnie failed to switch the medicine, who knew what Aria would do? She had failed to achieve her goal, she might do something even more despicable. What a terrible consequence that would be!

    Minnie was still young. As a family, shouldn¡¯t Jenna give her a warning? No matter if Minnie really did it, she should be given the chance to leave Aria before making a big mistake. This was the right way.

    After Jenna finished her shower, shey in bedwith troubling thoughts;she found it hard to sleep.

    Feeling uneasy, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that the bedroom was too empty, the loneliness suffocating.

    Hansen sent her back and went out straight away after dinner.

    It is obvious that she was used to his warm embrace. In the hospital, they slept and ate together for so many days. The moment he left, she felt ufortable.

    Was it true that she couldn¡¯t stand being without him?Did she have to beg him to apany her?

    No way!

    Jenna was immediately taken aback by the thought, blushing like a tomato. She cursed herself for even having such thoughts.

    Why did she have to be such a disgrace?It was so shameful that she couldn¡¯t live without a man!

    Touching her bloated belly, there was joy in her heart. There was a life inside her. Her mood lightened. Soon, exhaustion engulfed her and she fell asleep.

    She got up a littlete the next day. When she was brushing her teeth, she saw her sallow face with puffy eyes; she looked like a mess. She was caught by surprise.

    Was she getting old this soon?

    Sabrina came and knocked on the door early in the morning; shewas so excited that she couldn¡¯t stop talking.

    Jenna took her to inspect the central ind and it was true that Hansen was supporting behind. The designer that they hired was very talentedand hepletely designed it ording to Jenna¡¯s requirements, which saved her a lot of trouble.

    ¡°Not bad. I have to praise you.¡± Jenna and Sabrina got into the car and drove towards Ink Garden.

    Sabrina was in a good mood when she heard Jennapliment her.

    ¡°That designer is not bad. He seemed to have known your n a long time ago. Everything was done as you asked. I dare not take credit for this.¡± Sabrina was being very honest.

    Jenna certainly knew the reason behind thisbut she just smiled at it.

    When they arrived at Ink Garden, they got out of the car and walked towards the garden.

    ¡°Jenna, look, Minnie is here again.¡± Sabrina quickly pointed at the two figures in front of them and nudged Jenna.

    Jenna was taken aback and looked in the direction Sabrina was pointing at.

    She saw Minnie standing with a 20-year-old maid in the manor. She didn¡¯t know what they were talking about. It looked like the maid respected her quite a bit. The two spoke very attentively to each other;they didn¡¯t even notice Jenna and Sabrina wereing over.

    Jenna¡¯s eyebrows furrowed.

    ¡°Who is that maid?¡± she stared at them while asking Sabrina in a low voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s Julian.¡± Sabrina curled her lips in loathe.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 247 Julian Adams

    ¡°What is Julian¡¯s job?¡± Jenna asked as she thought for a brief moment. However, she wasn¡¯t able to recall anything about Julian.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s responsible for washing Grandma¡¯s clothes and serving her meals. Besides, she¡¯ll help Meroy serve light refreshments sometimes, and she¡¯s also in charge of the cleanliness of Grandma¡¯s bedroom. Grandma didn¡¯t like many people going in and out of her room, but Julian was handpicked by her long ago since she was deft and efficient in work. Meroy would be with Grandma most of the time but there will be times when she¡¯s unavable too. When she¡¯s resting, for instance. Julian will stand in for her when those timese, that¡¯s why people don¡¯t normallye across her. What¡¯s more, Meroy would be here during holidays or celebrations, therefore most people don¡¯t recognize Julian.¡± Sabrina was able to exin everything eloquently since she was clear with the situation.

    Jenna felt chills down her spine upon hearing this.

    Julian yed an important role in the household. Although she wasn¡¯t always seen with Vivian like how Meroy was, it was as easy as pie if she wanted to attempt something.

    To put it bluntly, she was the closest person to Vivian in secret. But, how did Minniee in contact with her?

    Despite staying in Richards Manor for more than a year, Jenna did not recognize Julian at all. Not to mention that she was much loved by Vivian and she would stop by asionally as well.

    However, Minnie was very different. Not only was she an outsider, but she also got the chance to visit Ink Garden recently solely because she followed Aria everywhere. How could she possiblye in contact with someone so important to Vivian? Besides, it seemed that they were unusually close.

    With doubts in her heart, Jenna took a few nces at them again before following Sabrina to the Ink Garden office.

    They dealt with the issues in the office all morning. With Sabrina¡¯s assistance, it was not a difficult task. At noon, Sabrina answered a call and went out right away.

    ¡°Meroy, is Grandma okay now?¡± Jenna went to Vivian¡¯s lounge wilfully. Meroy was reading the newspaper when she saw Jenna walking in. She stood up hurriedly to wee her.

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s all right,¡± Meroy replied with a smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Jenna smiled. ¡°Thank you for your efforts, Meroy.¡±

    ¡°Young Madam, it¡¯s my job after all. You¡¯re thinking too highly of me.¡± Meroy smiled warmly as she invited Jenna to sit. ¡°Young Madam, you¡¯ve been busy all morning. Sit downfortably for now, please. I will ask someone to serve food for you.¡±

    Jenna thought for a while before she nodded and said, ¡°Sounds great. Just ask the kitchen to prepare some simple dishes.¡±

    Right away, Meroy ced a call.

    After the two sat down, Jenna told Meroy about the current situation of Ink Garden in detail. She knew she would tell Vivian when she had the opportunity.

    After only a while, someone knocked on the door.

    ¡°Pleasee in,¡± Meroy said lightly.

    After a while, the door opened. A young woman in Richards Group¡¯s workwear walked in with a tray carrying four dishes and a pot of soup.

    Jenna looked at her, taking in her fairplexion and pretty face. She looked neat withsteady gestures,her eyes emanating cleverness.

    Right away, she was acknowledged by Jenna.

    People who can be chosen by Vivian were indeed better than ordinary people.

    ¡°Excuse me, what¡¯s your name? I apologize for not knowing everyone here in Ink Garden even though I¡¯m managing the household now, it¡¯s such an embarrassing matter. Perhaps, was there any inconsideration throughout your stay here? That would be unpleasant, you¡¯re taking care of Grandma after all,¡± Jenna asked the woman with a light smile.

    The woman held the tray in one hand skillfully as the other hand served the dishes on the marble table in front of them. This was usually where Vivian and Meroy usually dine on.

    After serving the dishes, she took the tes and cutlery out of the disinfection cab and arranged them in a swift motion. She then took out warm towels and handed them to Jenna and Meroy by using metal tongs. When she heard Jenna¡¯s question, she startled for a brief moment before replying with a humble smile, ¡°Young Madam, my name is Julian. I normally do rough work in Ink Garden and I usually take care of Vivian¡¯s daily meals only.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s certainly not rough work to take care of Grandma¡¯s diet. I did not know that Grandma has such a young and beautifuldy beside her, and I don¡¯t even know your name previously. What a shame. Perhaps, will you join us with the meal today and enlighten me about everything? There are many things in Ink Garden that I am unfamiliar with, feel free to give me some advice in the future.¡± After Jenna heard that her name was Julian, she smiled while inviting her cordially.

    Julian was panicking slightly. Obviously, she didn¡¯t expect Jenna to act close to her. She immediately replied with a smile, ¡°Young Madam, I¡¯m just a servant, it would be against the rules for me to eat at the same table with you. There are strict rules in the manor and I don¡¯t dare to vite them. It¡¯s my blessing to be able to take care of Old Madam. People like me are not well-educated and we are lucky enough to have this job in Richards Manor. If you happen to have any instructions, please don¡¯t hesitate to voice it out! As long as I know about it, I will tell you everything, Young Madam.¡±

    She spoke artictely with a clear tone and had flexible thinking as well. She was indeed a capable person. Jenna nodded in acknowledgment.

    ¡°Young Madam, they have a staff canteen and the food there is not bad. I was going to eat there if it wasn¡¯t for Old Madam¡¯s instruction and also to take care of her. Let¡¯s not make Julian feel embarrassed and allow her to leave instead. You could call for her anytime if there¡¯s anything you wanted to ask,¡± Meroy said with a smile.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s okay. I will not force you into it.¡± Upon hearing Meroy¡¯s words, Jennaughed it off and picked up the silver chopsticks on the table. She looked at it attentively and asked somewhat strangely, ¡°These are silver chopsticks, right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Meroy smiled as she exined. ¡°Old Madam still uses her old things. Not only the silver chopsticks, but the bowls she uses are silver bowls as well. These were rules set up by Old Master Richard back when he was still here.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Jenna immersed herself in her thoughts. She wondered whether Vivian was actually being wary or it was just a in habit.

    ¡°Young Madam, Meroy, I¡¯ll leave for now. After you are finished with the meal, I will be back to clear everything.¡± Sensing that she was not needed for the moment, Julian said sensibly.

    ¡°Sure, you¡¯ve worked hard.¡± Jenna smiled at her and nodded.

    After bowing slightly and showing her respect, Julian turned around and left.

    ¡°Young Madam, are you perhaps suspicious of Julian?¡± After Julian left, Meroy positioned her sses and asked in a low voice.

    Jenna smiled and asked her instead, ¡°Meroy, how is Julian¡¯s usual personality?¡±

    Meroy said after heaving a sigh, ¡°Young Madam, People who Vivian regarded highly of would most probably be nice people. It¡¯s just that people may change over time and people¡¯s minds are often unpredictable.¡±

    Meroy knew that there must be a deep meaning behind why Jenna questioned Julian. In fact, she had also thought about the possibilities as well, however, no evidence could be found in any way she could think of. Moreover, she refused to believe that Julian had the audacity to do so as well. After all, the treatment in Richards Manor was not bad and Vivian usually rewarded her generously. There was absolutely no reason for her to act foolishly like so.

    ¡°Is Julian native here?¡± Jenna asked with a deep voice.

    ¡°Yes, she is. She was a very smart girl. However, she had to drop out of school early due to her poor family background. She pulled some strings in order to work here at Richards Manor. After she acquired the job, she was ecstatic and she cherished it very much. She would work hard and save up every day, and Vivian kept her by her side as she thought highly of her,¡± Meroy exined.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jenna nodded as she fell into deep thoughts. It was logically impossible that she would do such a thing to hurt Vivian. Meroy was not the only one who did not believe in this spection as Jenna¡¯s suspicion towards her reduced upon hearing what Meroy said as well.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that in recent years, her rtionships had been unpleasant and it seemed like many things were weighing in her mind. Her personality changed a lot as well.¡± Meroy heaved a sigh as she exined further, ¡°Both of us have stayed with Vivian for quite a few years already and I believe that I do know her well.¡±

    ¡°She was born fairly attractive, why would it be hard for her to engage in a rtionship though?¡± Jenna asked strangely.

    ¡°It was probably due to her high self-esteem. Although she was not entitled to better choices, she was not willing to conform to lower standards as well. She is twenty-eight years old already. Her precious rtionships never seeded. It was always either her being unsatisfied with her pair, or them looking down on her poor family condition. In short, it was difficult.¡± Meroy sighed.

    ¡°However, she has great looks and the sry for working here in Richards¡¯ Manor was not poor as well. She does have pretty decent qualities.¡± Jenna was puzzled.

    ¡°Young Madam, although that is in fact true, she would not settle with the typical workers. She wished to look for a public official or someone who had some achievements in their career but how would she be up to taste for people like them? There are more women with better qualities than her that matched their choice. Although the pay for working here in Richards Manor was pretty decent, she was only a servant after all and her family condition wasn¡¯t the best. With her high standards, it will be harder for her to be paired once she gets older.¡± Meroy analyzed the situation seriously, which Jenna agreed to.

    Women nowadays all wished to marry a rich husband and be part of a wealthy family, even the worst would wish for someone with a fairly good condition. This was what people yearned for and it was indeed understandable as well. Didn¡¯t the deputy mayor¡¯s daughter, Aria, try her best to be the young madam of Richards¡¯ Manor too?

    Articles on thevish lives of women who married into rich families were constantly reported on A city¡¯s entertainment news, and that made women envy them. Everyone wished to be able to marry into wealthy and influential families, spending their days in extravagance.

    It could sound like it was a simple task but not many actually end up as young mistresses.

    There were only a few young mistresses in A city but quite a number of secret lovers and concubines instead. After all, these women drowned themselves in their own vanity.

    At a random banquet, any one of these young masters and mistresses could be born out of wedlock by secret lovers of men from wealthy families. Although they spend their days in luxury with their bread buttered for life, the misery and hardships encountered when ites to inheritance remain unknown to outsiders.

    With this thought in mind, Jenna¡¯s expression darkened glumly.

 Chapter 248 Fulfilling Her Responsibilities

    After eating, Jenna bid goodbye to Meroy before going to the hospital to visit Trevor and Sara in the afternoon.

    When she got into the car and was about to set off to Green Jade Garden, she saw Minnie walking towards her from afar.

    Unlike in the past, her eyes were not narrowed in a cold-eyed stare upon seeing her. Her expression did not feign arrogance and contemptuous stares were not thrown to her as well. This time around, she avoided her like the gue and immediately turned around in an attempt to leave. It seems that she did not want to meet her at all.

    ¡°Stop right there,¡± Jenna yelled as she got off the car.

    Now that there was no way to avoid her, Minnie froze in her tracks with her back facing Jenna.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Jenna?¡± she turned around in an unwavering manner as she asked mockingly.

    ¡°What are you doing here in Ink Garden?¡± Jenna asked sternly, paying no heed to the sarcasm in her tone.

    Minnie stiffened slightly as her expression tensed up. Soon, she asked coldly, ¡°Jenna, although you are now managing the household, you can¡¯t restrict me from visiting Ink Garden after all. Ink Garden is ptial, why can¡¯t Ie here for fun?¡±

    ¡°For fun? Are you really here merely for fun?¡± Jenna frowned and asked her angrily as she sensed that she was obviously brushing her off.

    ¡°What else could I be here for? Perhaps, did you think that I came to get money?¡± Minnie retorted sarcastically.

    ¡°If you have actuallye to get money, it would be much easier to handle. I¡¯m just worried that it would be miserable if you failed to get money here and sacrificed your lifelong happiness in the process though,¡± Jenna replied coldly with a sneer on her face.

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Minnie asked anxiously. She trembled as panic was evident in her eyes.

    ¡°What could I try to say?¡± Jenna snickered coldly as she continued, ¡°For the sake of the Murphy family, I have the responsibility to remind you that there is no such thing as a free lunch. It is only right to make money with your own ability through legal means. I suppose you understand that dishonesty will not bring you anywhere.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t understand. What exactly are you trying to imply?¡± Minnie seemed unnerved as she took a step back and asked sharply.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand what I mean? Have your years of education gone down the drain along with Grandpa¡¯s teachings? You don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re actually doing and youck basic moral judgments. Why did our family bear such an idiot like you?¡± Jenna took a step forward and questioned sternly.

    ¡°Jenna, you are ridiculous to think that you¡¯re much better and wiser than me. Everything that you¡¯re facing right now just proves you¡¯re oblivious to the danger that you are in. You might not even know what actually happened when things tear you apart someday. It¡¯s really hrious that you believe you are qualified to educate me like this,¡± Minnie said as she gritted her teeth in hatred. Soon after, she broke into wildughter.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned pale upon hearing her words. She bit her lip and shot daggers at her.

    ¡°Minnie, it¡¯s pathetic how you totally ignored my advice and tried to mock me instead. If you insist onmitting wrongdoings despite my kind reminder, don¡¯t regret it then. I am doing this solely for the sake of our family¡¯s reputation and it is your own business whether you choose to listen or not,¡± Jenna remarked disappointedly.

    ¡°Oh, so I should thank you for your kindness then?¡± Minnie scoffed as she continued, ¡°You¡¯re probably begging me just because you feel bad. Sorry to break it to you but it¡¯s impossible for you to remarry Mr. Richards and be the Young Madam once again. Since Aria can get Mr. Richards to divorce you, don¡¯t expect to remarry him. Even if you are in charge of the household now, so what? Your life in honor would notst long. Old Madam is in her dotage and once she meets her end, you will be nothing.¡±

    Contempt and disdain were evident on Minnie¡¯s face as she red at Jenna with a piercing gaze.

    Her words made Jenna¡¯s heart skip a beat. She squinted at Minnie. Could it be that she has really done something?

    ¡°What are you looking at me for?¡± Minnie asked rmingly when she saw Jenna¡¯s piercing stare on her.

    ¡°You do seem guilty apparently. Perhaps, you¡¯ve done something disgraceful?¡± Jenna¡¯s stare at her intensified. She didn¡¯t n to let her off the hook just like that as she questioned again.

    ¡°Absolutely not. What could I possibly do?¡± Minnie retorted harshly after being forced to take a step back due to her interrogation.

    ¡°Minnie, I would like to remind you once again to leave Aria alone. Please don¡¯t vite thew and hurt lives in any way. What goes aroundes around and the evil you do remains with you as well. I suppose you understand how thew works and know basicmon sense,¡± Jenna exhaled deeply, almost earnestly speaking.

    ¡°Nonsense! I did not do anything at all, b*tch. Mind your own business. You will be kicked out of Richards Manor soon anyway, therefore stop being pretentious when your days are ending soon.¡± Feeling disturbed by Jenna¡¯s words, Minnie couldn¡¯t stay any longer. Chills ran down her spine as she took in Jenna¡¯s menacing re. Aftershe retorted viciously, she turned around and left the scene in a hurry.

    Watching her flee the scene in panic, Jenna felt as if her heart was sewn tightly by piercing needles that it eventually suffocated her, making her feel nauseous with dread.

    She got into the car once again and drove to Green Jade Garden.

    Aria was sitting on the sofa in the living room eating fruit leisurely while Marissa followed Georgia out to buy baby products.

    Therge 3D television screen was broadcasting a popr singingpetition program at the moment. Aria was watching attentively as she nodded and smiled from time to time.

    Jenna slowly approached the sofa.

    Aria only spared her a nce with a gaze filled with disdain in her cold eyes.

    Jenna sat down opposite to her and gently tapped on the remote control buttons. The television program stopped abruptly.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What are you doing? Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m watching the show?¡± Aria shrieked out of displeasure as the screen in front of her turned ck in an instant.

    ¡°Of course I can,¡± Jenna said in an unbothered manner. ¡°But, I do have something to tell you now.¡±

    ¡°What a killjoy.¡± Aria put away the fruit in her hand aggressively. With her face full of disgust, she said impatiently, ¡°Just talk, I¡¯m listening!¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Jenna sat upright and said with a serious tone, ¡°Aria, I know what you have in mind as well as what you have thought of and nned for so many years. However, I would like to advise you today that love is not something you can force using ugly schemes or a child¡¯s birth, and it¡¯s not something you can get just by simply plotting it. I am not in the ce to mind what you wish to do but please leave Minnie alone and stop putting her in a dangerous situation. She is still young and she doesn¡¯t fully understand what you¡¯re nning, let alone theplexity of society. It would not work if you wish to use her to achieve your ulterior goals and I will not allow that to happen either. Otherwise, it will not only harm her but also harm you as well.¡±

    Aria was sitting on the sofa indifferently as she checked out her red nails. Upon hearing Jenna¡¯s words, she sat upright in an instant with a fierce re. She then asked with a sneer, ¡°What are you trying to say? Perhaps, you¡¯re here today to seek vengeance from me?¡±

    The corners of Jenna¡¯s lips curled unnoticeably as a scornful smile appeared on her face.

    ¡°Am I that daring toe to you to seek vengeance? You¡¯re the soon-to-be Young Madam of the Richards family and the only daughter of Mayor McAdams after all. How could I dare offend you?¡± Came a sarcastic reply from Jenna.

    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t expect you to be so sensible.¡± Aria sneered as she continued, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you are inly unwilling.¡±

    ¡°Marriage is always destined by fate and nobody could force it. If it was destined to fail, there¡¯s nothing for me to be unhappy about,¡± Jenna said without batting an eye. ¡°I came to you today just because I just want you to spare Minnie. We should all have morals and conscience after all.¡±

    ¡°Spare her?¡± Aria couldn¡¯t help butugh when she heard Jenna say so. ¡°You are hrious. I have never done anything to her from the start, why do I need to leave her alone? From the very beginning, she was the one who begged me and ttered me in an attempt to tread on my heels. I gave her meals and spent a fortune on her. She was drowned by her own greed and brought about her own destruction, so why must I be the one to leave her alone? Besides, I didn¡¯t want her to do anything for me but she was the one lying by my side begging me instead. Go ahead, drive her away if you have the ability to.¡±

    These words were like a poison that sent chills down Jenna¡¯s body. As expected, Minnie was greedy for money and had fallen into Aria¡¯s carefully arranged scheme.

    At that moment, it seemed that Aria had enough information in hand to pose a threat to Minnie. It would be difficult for Minnie to withdraw herself out of this situation even if she wished toter on.

    The ignorant Minnie had repeatedly refused to listen to advice, and now that she burnt her own bridges, no one could save her. It would be absurd to rely on Aria to let her go, therefore nothing else needs to be said. Upon this thought, Jenna felt broken-hearted.

    ¡°Aria, it¡¯s better to spare yourself some leeway in life. I will never let you off the hook if you do anything uneptable. Don¡¯t forget, Minnie is one of the Murphy family after all. If you are trying to challenge me, I will disclose what happened three years ago so that everyone knows who the most hateful person is. You couldn¡¯t possibly have forgotten what happenedst time with the bedsheets, right?¡± At that moment, Jenna could only bet on her baseless spections in hopes to resolve Minnie¡¯s crisis.

    Upon speaking, she stood up adamantly and walked towards the second floor without sparing another nce.

    Aria stood up in fright as her face turned pale. ¡°Jenna, stop right there!¡± she yelled angrily.

    Jenna scoffed coldly and continued walking upstairs.

    The clear sound of footsteps rang behind her as she sensed an intensive aura approaching.

    She could only stand firmly on spot.

    ¡°Make things clear. Why did anything that happened three years ago have something to do with me? What are you trying to do? I won¡¯t let you seed in ndering me.¡± The terror in Aria¡¯s eyes disappearedpletely as she pointed her fingers at Jenna.

    ¡°Why are you panicking? Did I say what you did? Why are you so flustered when I mentioned what happened three years ago? Perhaps, are you guilty?¡± Jenna turned around to face her. With a beautiful smile on her face, she looked straight into her eyes and winked deviously as she questioned her again.

    Jenna was calm and collected as a dominating aura surrounded her.

    Aria suddenly felt an inexplicable irritation. She subconsciously took two steps back due to being overwhelmed by the towering aura. However, she was unwilling to conform just like that. She stood firmly and cursed in a menacing tone, ¡°B*tch, are you tricking me? Don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll be afraid of your schemes. Regardless of whether it has something to do with me, I would never be scared of you, sly b*tch.¡±

 Chapter 249 Stirring Up A Hornetâ€™s Nest

    ¡°God is witnessing all of your virtues and misdeeds. Don¡¯t you want the child you¡¯re bearing to be blessed? Don¡¯t think that everything you do remains unnoticeable by everyone. Justice has long arms. Punishment wille to you, slowly but surely. I hope you can think about it properly.¡± The smile faded from Jenna¡¯s face as she stared at Aria with a gaze as cold as ice, forcing her to take a step back. She then turned around and nned to leave.

    ¡°B*tch, you asked for it!¡± Aria, who was forced to take a step back, became angry out of embarrassment. She felt flustered and displeased by the fact that she had nearly confessed everything when Jenna was threatening her. She immediately stretched out her hand and grabbed her arm in an attempt to haul Jenna back as her other hand tried p her face.

    Jenna¡¯s breath hitched as she felt a strong force nearing her.

    As soon as Aria¡¯s hand caught her arm, she realized what was happening and reacted instantaneously. Instinctively, she tried to retract her hand.

    However, Aria grasped too tightly on her arm out of rage and Jenna had to use a lot of strength to withdraw her hand from her. Due to the fact that Aria was wearing slippers and shaking from anger at the same time, she fell forward as Jenna jerked her arm.

    Before Jenna was able to react after retracting her own arm back, Aria fell forward.

    Her face paled immediately.

    It was toote to stop her from falling.

    ¡°Ouch!¡± With a shriek, Aria fell and hit herself on the floor.

    ¡°My daughter, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Just as Jenna was standing in a state of shock, she heard footsteps approaching them. Marissa followed behind Georgia as they both entered the house. With a sharp eye, Georgia immediately noticed her daughter who fell onto the ground. Screaming in shock, she darted towards them in a split second.

    Suddenly, the living room was in a mess as all the servants ran over in a hurry.

    ¡°Mom, my stomach hurts. My child!¡± Aria caressed her stomach as she cried out loudly. Tears streamed down her face.

    ¡°My dear, don¡¯t panic, let¡¯s go to the hospital right away,¡± It was heart-rending for Georgia to hear Aria cry like this. She felt anxious and frightened.

    ¡°Quick,e and help Miss McAdams up.¡± Marissa was stupefied by what happened before her. Shortly, she came to her senses and shouted to the servants hurriedly.

    The servants came to help Aria up in a panic.

    ¡°Get lost!¡± Georgia yelled abruptly as she shouted, ¡°Marissa, we should send her to the hospital this instant. Just now, I saw that b*tch shoving Aria and causing her to fall down. I will not let go of this easily. For now, it¡¯s our priority to send her to the hospital to make sure that both she and the child will be safe, I wille back to you and settle thister.¡±

    Marissa¡¯s face turned pale in fright. Georgia¡¯s words awakened her and she hurriedly called Butler Maud over.

    In an instant, Butler Maud arranged for a car to enter Green Jade Garden right away.

    At that moment, the family doctor rushed over as well.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    However, Georgia had a cold expression on her. She ignored the family doctor and kept on yelling that she wanted to send her daughter to the hospital instead. She didn¡¯t trust the private doctor of the Richards family at all.

    ¡°Mom, what would happen my child?¡± Aria¡¯s face was pale and her eyebrows scrunched in pain as she asked nervously with tears streaming down her face.

    ¡°Darling, don¡¯t fret. We will go to the Maternity and Child Health Hospital right away; everything will be fine. Don¡¯t worry, if something happens to the children, I won¡¯t let them off the hook easily,¡± Georgia said with a trembling voice as her arms encircled Aria in an embrace. Upon hearing this, Aria¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She slumped into her mother¡¯s arms and sobbed painfully.

    Jenna just stood there nkly. She did not know what happened, let alone what to do. She just stood there in a daze, taking in the chaos happening around her as her mind was nk.

    Aria was almost lifted into the car by everyone. The car was quickly started and they drove to the hospital in lightning speed.

    Jenna remained still in a daze.

    Aria¡¯s child was in danger.

    She could still hear Aria¡¯s sobs ringing in her ears.

    What was she doing?

    How could such a thing happen?

    The child was innocent. If anything happened to the child in Aria¡¯s stomach, how would she feel at ease? Although she did not push her down, it happened because of her.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Sabrina probably heard the news and ran in quickly. As soon as she set foot into the living room, she saw Jenna standing there nkly with a pale face. She realized something was off at that instant.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna!¡± Sabrina shook her shoulders anxiously. Earlier on, she heard the servants moring that Jenna had deliberately shoved Aria and that it was very likely Aria¡¯s child would not be able to survive the fall.

    Upon hearing this, Sabrina became extremely anxious. She didn¡¯t believe that Jenna who was so gentle and frail, would do such a thing. It must be a treacherous scheme that Aria, being the b*tch she was, came up with. She hurriedly ran over to help Jenna.

    After being shaken by Sabrina for a brief moment, Jenna came back to her senses.

    ¡°Sabrina, what happened to the child in Aria¡¯s stomach?¡± Jenna suddenly grabbed Sabrina¡¯s hand and asked anxiously. She failed to realize that Aria¡¯s car might not even have reached the hospital by then and that Sabrina didn¡¯t follow them there. How could Sabrina possibly know?

    However, she was too anxious to think straight.

    ¡°Young Madam, don¡¯t panic, everything will be fine.¡± Aunt E hurried there and helped the anxious Jenna sit on the couch. Seeing her pale face, she persuaded her in distress and concern, ¡°Young Madam, don¡¯t worry. A pregnant woman wouldn¡¯t be so delicate. If I remember properly, I actually fell off the bed several times when I was pregnant with my child, Ned, as well. Everything was all right at the end anyway!¡±

    Aunt E¡¯s words offort did not relieve Jenna¡¯s bad mood at all.

    Her nervousness was evident as her entire body trembled. She shook her head in distress.

    ¡°Jenna, did you really push Aria?¡± Sabrina couldn¡¯t suppress her curiosity. Although she would never believe that she would do such a thing, she asked softly.

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t push her,¡± Jenna quivered in fear as she shook her head nkly and denied repeatedly.

    ¡°Sigh, poor child.¡± Aunt E couldn¡¯t bear to see Jenna condemning herself. To her, even if Jenna really shoved Aria and caused her to fall, it was nothing. After all, Aria was too arrogant and was too much of a bully that it was difficult for a normal person to put up with her arrogance. ¡°Young Madam, don¡¯t me yourself too much. That woman is too much to handle and this is the retribution she deserved.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, Jenna would never do such a thing. She is kind and innocent, she would never bother to do this kind of thing either. It must be that woman¡¯s tricks again,¡± Sabrina said in relief. ¡°Jenna, we do not need to be afraid of her. As long as you did not do such a thing, even if the child could not survive, she deserved it and it has nothing to do with you.¡±

    With this thought, an epiphany hit her and she said with assurance, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jenna. There will be nothing wrong with the child in Aria¡¯s stomach.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Jenna was taken aback and she looked at her in surprise.

    ¡°Jenna, think about it. It was not an easy task for her to be pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child. How would she let the child die like this? She hasn¡¯t achieved her goal yet. Besides, if she nned this to drag you down, she would know the boundaries and would not be so stupid to sacrifice her child like this. However, Jenna, you must be more careful in the future. Now that she has the goods on you, she will definitely not let you go easily. She may threaten you and attempt to destroy you with evil ways. Be careful not to fall into her trap,¡± Sabrina analyzed the situation attentively, and even Aunt E nodded vehemently in agreement.

    Jenna sat there nkly. She didn¡¯t dare to assume anything. After all, it was Aria who grabbed her out of rage. Under such circumstances, how could she be able to think of ying tricks on her? Besides, Aria¡¯s painful shriek upon falling did not seem like it was pretentious.

    After sitting there for a while, she lowered her head silently.

    Aunt E noticed her pale face and weak state, hence Sabrina and she helped her up to the second floor to rest.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you? Please hurry ande to the Maternal and Child Health Hospital. Aria fell down and was admitted to the hospital. The doctor is checking her currently and we do not know how the child is right now.¡± Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he heard Marissa speaking in panic and fright.

    ¡°What? How could such a thing happen?¡± Hansen was holding a year-end summary meeting. Upon ending the call, he hurriedly ended the meeting and rushed to the Maternal and Child Health Hospital.

    In the hospital¡¯s corridor, Georgia stood nkly with rage in her eyes. With anxiousness evident, Marissa was pacing back and forth out of panic. She did not know what to do.

    ¡°Mom, what happened?¡± Hansen hurried over and asked.

    ¡°Hansen, you are here, finally. Aria fell down and is still in the emergency room. Let¡¯s just hope that the child is okay.¡± Now that Hansen rushed over, Marissa¡¯s calmed down and heaved a sigh of relief. The panic was too much to bear. After a few breaths, she exined everything.

    Even if she ignored the fact that Georgia seemed like she would chew her out at any given moment, the tense atmosphere surrounding them made her feel restless. Not to mention that Georgia had a cold expression on her and she was still in rage as well as if everyone in this world mistreated her daughter.

    ¡°Fell down?¡± Hansen scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. Aria was extremely reluctant to abort the child in the first ce. How could she fall so carelessly? It was unreasonable.

    ¡°Hansen, Aria might have had a dispute with Jenna today and a conflict happened. Aria identally fell down.¡± Marissa did not want Hansen to be triggered greatly and remained in a gentle tone when she was talking to him.

    ¡°By ident? It was that woman who pushed Aria down, I saw it with my own eyes. No one could deny it. Everything would be fine if there is nothing wrong with Aria. However, if something happens to her, I won¡¯t forgive her easily.¡± Georgia narrowed her eyebrows as her face was full of anger.

    Marissa nced at her and had no choice but to keep silent.

    Once Hansen heard that it was rted to Jenna, he became rmed and his expression changed immediately.

 Chapter 250 Creating A Scene Out Of The Matter

    ¡°Hansen, you must give me an exnation after we¡¯ve settled this incident. I will not allow this matter to repeat itself. She¡¯s my only daughter and if anything bad happens to her, I¡¯d rather not live anymore. I might as well let both of you end my life when that dayes,¡± Georgia said bitterly with a hint of threat and sadness in her tone. As she talked about it, her pent up emotions became too hard to bear with and she burst into tears.

    ¡°Auntie, no one wanted something like this to happen. Please contain yourself. After all, we are in a hospital. Besides, it¡¯s only natural that we all have our own parents and are all cared for anyway.¡± Upon hearing Georgia¡¯s cries, Hansen¡¯s eyebrows furrowed in displeasure.

    Although Georgia was crying, she heard every single word Hansen said clearly. His harsh words made her feel unpleasant. After all, it was her daughter who was lying on the hospital bed and it was also his child in her womb who was in danger. However, he didn¡¯t seem perturbed about it and his words were even suggesting that he was taking the other woman¡¯s side; this made her feel aggrieved.

    ¡°Hansen, no matter how you defend that woman this time, I will not let it go easily. I saw her push Aria with my own eyes and I will not put up with this mistreatment anymore. We are not from a lowly family and will not tolerate being bullied like this.¡± With puffy eyes, Georgia gritted her teeth in exasperation as she protested to Hansen.

    ¡°Georgia, now is not the time to argue about this matter. Let¡¯s go and check on Aria¡¯s baby. As long as nothing bad happens, everything would be easy to handle.¡± Marissa tried her best to resolve their dispute. She was fearful that Hansen might have bad notions due to Georgia¡¯s aggressive attitude.

    The door of the consulting room was pushed open and Donald walked outslowly.

    ¡°Dr. Colton, how is Aria?¡± Georgia rushed up to him and asked nervously.

    Donald straightened the creases on his white coat and curled his lips to a subtle smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Auntie, it was just some mild spotting. After all, she is only pregnant for around three months and the fetus is not in a stable condition yet. We have carried out an ultrasound test for her and fortunately, the fetus is healthy and has not suffered from any harm. However, she should be hospitalized to take close care of the fetus. Now, it¡¯s best to admit her to a deluxe ward first and I will prescribe her medication right after.¡±

    Upon hearing the doctor¡¯s words, the three of them heaved a sigh of relief at the same time.

    ¡°Dr. Colton, will anything bad happen to Aria and the baby?¡± Georgia asked Donald again out of concern.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as long as they are taken care of properly, there will not be any negative implications,¡± Donald replied gently once again.

    ¡°Thank you. Thank you very much!¡± Georgia was finally relieved and she hurriedly thanked him.

    At that moment, a nurse pushed Aria¡¯s wheelchair out.

    ¡°Aria, are you feeling okay now?¡± Right after Aria came out, Georgia rushed up to her and asked lovingly while her hands caressed her cheek.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Aria saw Hansen who was standing in the hospital corridor at a nce and she was secretly overjoyed. She turned back to Georgia with tears welling up in her eyes as she said fearfully, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m fine now but I¡¯m so scared.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to be afraid of, my dear child. Dr. Colton has already said that it was nothing serious and the baby is okay. From now on, I will take care of you on my own. You¡¯re going to stay here in the hospital and we must stay away from that woman. I am going to protect you from that vicious woman myself. Believe in me, okay? Everything will be fine. I am sure that this child will be liked by everyone when he¡¯s born.¡± Georgia felt something tugging at her heartstrings when saw Aria¡¯s face pale with tears in her eyes. She tried to soothe her by whispering words offort while turning to Hansen. ¡°Hansen, could youe and apany Aria to the inpatient department now?¡±

    Dissatisfaction was apparent on Georgia¡¯s face. Hansen just stood there calmly and looked at them without even saying any words offort. How could he be so ruthless? Aria was pregnant with his child after all.

    ¡°Sure. Leave it to me,¡± Hansen¡¯s eyebrows rxed as he replied gently.

    He took Aria¡¯s wheelchair from the nurse and pushed the wheelchair towards the elevator on the eighth floor.

    The deluxe ward was arranged very soon.

    Aria began her stay in the hospital.

    ¡°Hansen, you don¡¯t need to worry. I won¡¯t me Jenna for this; don¡¯t listen to my mother. After all, she is old now and I am her only daughter. I hope you understand that everything she does is out of her motherly instincts.¡± Aria was resting on the hospital bed.She said softly to Hansen, who was standing silently.Meanwhile, Marissa and Georgia were busy over the hospital bills and prescriptions and hadn¡¯te over yet.

    Hansen stared sharply at her with a stoic expression on his face. He did not utter a single word.

    ¡°Hansen, please. For the sake of our child, let¡¯s get married. If you really like Jenna that much, then stay with her. I can tolerate her existence, as the only thing I¡¯m asking for is a status. My father is the deputy mayor of A city after all, he has a reputation to uphold. This status is very important to us and I am getting it no matter what. I don¡¯t care about anything else, even if Jenna marries you at the same time and bears your children¡­ It¡¯s fine,¡± Aria pleaded to Hansen with teary eyes.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    ¡°Aria, you¡¯re thinking too much. Rest well here in the hospital first and take care of yourself.¡± Hansen felt a hint of annoyance deep in his heart. He pursed his lips slightly as he repliedposedly.

    ¡°But, Hansen¡­¡± Seeing that Hansen did notply with her request, she felt very discouraged. As a woman, she had lowered her dignity and begged him several times but he just refused topromise. She felt that her ego had been seriously hurt.

    She felt gloomy with this thought in mind. As beads of tears ran down her face, she started sobbing quietly.

    ¡°Aria, you were fine before. Why are you crying again?¡± Georgia was greeted with the sight of Aria sobbing sadly when she came back after getting the medication. Meanwhile, Hansen was standing by the window with a calm expression and staring out in a daze, indifferent to Aria¡¯s tears. Georgia did not have time to question him as she walked up and hugged Aria, asking in concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Mom.¡± Hardly restraining her sobs, Aria buried her face in Georgia¡¯s embrace.

    Georgia¡¯s face was tense. For a long moment, she did not say a single word.

    Marissa rushed over to take a look at what happened and she was taken aback. She didn¡¯t know what to say anymore after all the good things she should have said were told. It seemed that there was nothing else she could do tofort them.

    ¡°Mayor McAdams, this way please.¡± Soon, footsteps were heard and the hospital director was seen walking in with Earl; a few people that looked like secretaries came in with them as well.

    ¡°Earl, you are here.¡± Once Georgia saw her husband, she was overwhelmed by her pent-up indignance; the sobs from her daughter in her arms were not helping either. Right after calling out for her husband, tears streamed down her face as well.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± In a sweeping nce, Earl immediately saw Hansen who was standing by the window. His gaze wavered unnoticeably as he calmly asked Georgia, who was sobbing loudly.

    He was calm and collected as if he didn¡¯t take what was happening before him seriously.

    ¡°Earl, Aria almost lost her child today. Someone did this horrible thing to her and you have to take care of it properly. We can¡¯t let it slide this time,¡± Georgia wiped her tears and said straightforwardly, paying no heed to the fact that there was someone else with them at that moment.

    ¡°Oh? Did something like this happen?¡± Earl frowned unhappily as he asked, ¡°Aria, what is going on?¡±

    ¡°Dad, it¡¯s really nothing. I don¡¯t want to hold Jenna ountable for this as we both share a great sister-like rtionship. She did not push me on purpose,¡± Aria wiped her tears with tissues and said weakly as she rested in Georgia¡¯s arms.

    Earl¡¯s eyebrows scrunched up.

    ¡°Marissa, is this really the case?¡± he turned around to face Marissa and asked.

    Marissa¡¯s mouth went ajar as she did not say anything for a long moment.

    In fact, when she followed Georgia in, she saw Aria pulling Jenna¡¯s arm and raising her other hand as if she wanted to p her, while Jenna tried to withdraw her hand in desperation. Perhaps it was because of the sudden force, Aria staggered and fell down. However, in Georgia¡¯s eyes, she saw Jenna shoving Aria harshly and pushing her down.

    It may be because she was standing on the left side of the main entrance when she saw everything while Georgia was standing on her right. Their perspectives were different, therefore they got a different view of the situation as well. Nheless, now that Georgia was affirmative that Jenna shoved Aria and was in a rage, if she told them what she saw, Georgia would definitely be angered and may use her of hiding the truth for Jenna. As the result, the consequences would be even worse when that happens. Therefore, she chose to put up with it for the moment and observe their attitude towards the matter.

    ¡°It seems that this is in fact true.¡± Earl squinted at Marissa¡¯s flustered expression. He gained affirmation and immediately said coldly, ¡°Marissa, if this truly happened, it is an intentional assault. This is not a trivial matter and I will have to take legal action against her.¡±

    Earl said calmly as a hint of viciousness shed by his gaze.

    Legal action? Upon hearing Earl¡¯s words, Hansen and Marissa were stupefied.

    Hansen felt a tug in his heart instantly.

    Jenna was such a mindless woman. How could she be so stupid to be involved in something like this? By doing so, didn¡¯t this situation just give them something to hold against her and drag her down?

    Upon this thought, his fingers balled up to a fist as his eyebrows furrowed. His racing heartbeat was proof of his uneasiness. If this happened to him, he would not be a least bit concerned. However, of all people, it happened to Jenna, the woman he cared about most. This made him unable to keep his cool.

    However, he mentally shook his head and dismissed the thoughts soon after. He knew exactly how of a person Jenna was. Even if she hated Aria, she wouldn¡¯t push her on purpose. Even if she had such vicious intentions,she would not be so stupid to do so. With this thought in mind, he calmed down and regained assurance.

 Chapter 251 I Will Protect You

    ¡°Well, Mayor McAdams, let¡¯s discuss this matterter. I think there must be some misunderstanding.¡± Not only was Marissa surprised, but she was extremely frightened as well. Jenna¡¯s current situation was already miserable enough. If legal action was taken against her, she would be needed to face awsuit and it would cause endless troubles. Moreover, her perception may not be the exact truth, therefore it was best to persuade them to calm down and settle things in private.

    In fact, she didn¡¯t have the courage to tell what she saw as she feared angering Earl¡¯s family. Also, she may be used of teaming up with Hansen to side with Jenna and mistreat Aria.

    The world was unfair and some things could not be helped. Her only priority was to ensure the wellbeing of Richards Group and the Richards family.

    ¡°Misunderstanding or not, I do not care. The consequence now is that my daughter almost had lost her child and was deliberately pushed down by someone. This is already uneptable. Why did she notmunicate calmly and resulted to violence instead?¡± Earl said with a dark expression. His upromising tone made Marissa feel chills down her spine.

    ¡°Uncle McAdams, we haven¡¯t heard the statements from the persons involved as of now. It¡¯s still too early to draw a conclusion. If it was an understandable ident or a misunderstanding, it¡¯s a special case. Fortunately, none of us suffered from any loss, therefore we should consider settling this on good terms,¡± Hansen said calmly.

    ¡°No loss?¡± Earl frowned. ¡°My daughter is now admitted into the hospital. Was there really no loss? It¡¯s a shame how you¡¯re the father to the child in Aria¡¯s womb. How can you treat someone who loves you so much so immorally? This is so disappointing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. It was Jenna who deliberately pushed Aria down.¡± Seeing Hansen tantly defending Jenna in front of Earl, Georgia felt displeased and chimed in as well.

    Hansen took out a cigarette and lit it. He took a deep breath and exhaled the smoke out from his mouth. Amidst the grey smoke, his secretive expression made it hard for them to guess what he had in mind.

    Earl¡¯s gaze wavered behind his spectacles. The corners of his mouth curled up to a cold smile.

    He waved to the director and the personnel beside him, motioning them to leave

    Soon, everyone else who was unrted to the situation left the scene.

    He positioned his spectacles with his fingers andughed dryly. ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re so skilled at brushing people off. Did you seriously think that the current situation can be resolved on good terms? If the problem was not settled thoroughly this time, no one could guarantee that idents like so would not happen to my daughter again. I have only one daughter and I dare not take this risk anymore.¡±

    Upon saying this, he nced at Hansen who had a dark expression on his face. Then, he walked over and patted him on the shoulder as he said, ¡°Hansen, let¡¯s go out and have a good talk.¡±

    After finishing his sentence, Earl walked outside adamantly.

    Hansen hesitated for a brief moment and walked out.

    In the hospital¡¯s reception room.

    Earl was sitting calmly while Hansen stood there almost submissively.

    He had always remained a firm disposition in front of Earl. However, heseemed like he was unassertive this time as this matter was rted to Jenna. If it was only he himself who was involved, he did not need to bother. He could even get on bad terms with Earl without a single care. However, it was a different situation at that moment.

    He had to protect the woman he loved most and keep her away from any harm.

    ¡°Hansen, the date I gave youst time was far gone. I¡¯m sure you saw as well that Aria¡¯s pregnant bump would be obvious in another month. When that timees, it is impossible to conceal anything. You are a man and it¡¯s only logical for you to resolve this matter. It has been so long, haven¡¯t you made a decision yet?¡± Earl asked calmly with an insistent stare.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze wavered as he answered politely, ¡°Uncle McAdams, please be considerate of my difficulties. I really can¡¯t marry Aria. It¡¯s exactly because I am a man that I know what is best for the matter and for everyone as well.¡±

    Earl¡¯s gaze darkened and his eyes stared into abysmal darkness. Suddenly, the muscles on his plump face twitched and his eyes shed. ¡°Apparently, this is what you actually want. Don¡¯t take things too far, youngd. Stop thinking that we are all fools that you can trick on easily.¡±

    ¡°Uncle McAdams, I am sincere. I can¡¯t do anything if you insist on thinking like this but what I want to say is that I have never looked down on anyone. You are an elder and a leader to me, I will always respect you,¡± Hansen said solemnly.

    ¡°Really?¡± Earl sneered. ¡°Let me be honest with you. I have never liked being wordy and I don¡¯t like losing my temper in front of young people but now I can¡¯t hold this in anymore. You¡¯re really challenging my limits.¡±

    Hansen felt that Earl must be hiding something and it was something that he was confident about. Despite being confused, he was not intimidated by his stern aura. He looked at him calmly and spoke with a serious tone, ¡°Uncle McAdams, although I may be conceited at times, I believe that I have never challenged you in any way before. If I caused you difort in any way, please forgive me as I have difficulties that shouldn¡¯t be mentioned.¡±

    ¡°Young man, you really know how to pretend.¡± Earl felt that he was being fooled like a monkey again and he could not suppress his anger anymore. However, years of experience in the political world allowed him to keep his cool as he said coldly, ¡°Fine, Hansen. Then let me ask you, what¡¯s the matter withCaleb Hodge? What¡¯s with Lixon Group then?¡±

    Upon ending his sentence, his face was glum as he looked at Hansen sternly.

    What else could he argue about this time around?

    Hansen was taken aback. His heart sank.

    It turned out Earl knew all about all of this and he was as sly as a fox for using this against him at this moment.

    Hansen stood calmly and thought about how to answer him.

    ¡°Hansen, did you seriously think that you can drag me down just by threatening me with this information and you would not need to marry my daughter? Youngd, you¡¯re too naive and too conceited as well. Let me be honest with you, the information you have right now is not even cogent and I am not directly rted to them anyway. Now that you¡¯ve made my daughter pregnant, you¡¯re leaving anytime you wish to. It will not be possible for you to disregard your responsibility and get away with it this time.¡± Earl smiled deeply and said haughtily, ¡°I will give you three more days now. It¡¯s either you decide on the date of marriage or see how I destroy Jenna and the Richards Group. I will tarnish your reputation so badly that you could never make aeback.¡±

    After Earl said this clearly, he smiled malevolently and no more words were exchanged. He then turned around and left.

    ¡°Uncle McAdams, did you think that it would be good for you and Aria if this issue got big? If these trivial matters were involved in your smooth sailing career, it would be likely for you to lose whatever you have,¡± Hansen smiled and remarked calmly.

    Earl paused in ce and his gaze flickered. He didn¡¯t expect Hansen to take such measures to know about him. However, so what? Does he have the ability to challenge him?

    The corners of his mouth pursed slightly and he looked hostile.

    ¡°Young man, let¡¯s just wait and see.¡± His voice was soft but stern as he walked away leisurely.

    Hansen stood there nkly. Even if he had experienced many workce dramas and went through vicious schemes, he had never felt so appalled and uneasy.

    He did not head to the ward anymore and drove back to Richards Manor instead.

    ¡°Why did youe?¡± Jenna was not in her straight mind at that moment as she sat on the sofa in a daze. Right after seeing Hansen walk in, she asked in shock.

    ¡°Jenna, why did you push her in such a dumb manner?¡± Hansen approached her and sat beside her, holding her hand. Her dainty fingers were cold in his palm and it made his heart ache. Although his words were stern, his tone was gentle and soft as he spoke to her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Jenna lowered her gaze and shook her head. Her voice was very soft.

    She sat alone dejectedly. She looked thin and helpless as if she was a lonely tuft of grass in the wind. Upon the sight of this, Hansen felt a strong pinch deep in his heart as he sighed. He stretched out his hand to hold her in an embrace but she resolutely avoided him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t trust me at all. You had never believed me in the first ce.¡± Her eyes were filled with loneliness and sorrow as she responded nkly.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°No, I do believe you. You are wise and it¡¯s impossible for you to do something so foolish.¡± Hansen¡¯s heart was pained even more. He reached out and held her tightly as he said softly, ¡°Tell me, what exactly happened?¡±

    What happened? Could he believe it if she said she suspected that it was Minnie who switched Grandma¡¯s medicine and that she went to Aria to reason with her as she was worried about Minnie¡¯s safety?

    Even she herself felt that it was not convincing!

    Moreover, if he knew that Minnie was the one who swapped Grandma¡¯s medicine, would he forgive Minnie? Will Minnie be sent to the police for investigation?

    Millions of thoughts shed by her mind but she couldn¡¯t say a single word.

    She looked up and saw Hansen¡¯sbrighteyes looking at her gently. A surge of warmth filled up her heart. She nestled his head in his arms and closed her eyes without saying a single word.

    ¡°Hansen, if I am gone someday, would you miss me?¡± She closed her eyes lightly and asked softly.

    ¡°Nonsense. Where would you go for no reason?¡± Hansen grumbled in a dissatisfied tone. He then said affectionately, ¡°Jenna, rest assured, I will protect you from any harm.¡±

    He hugged her tightly as he muttered to himself in hopes tofort her and encourage himself as well.

    Jenna curled her lips into a sorrowful smile. She didn¡¯t say anything else as she nestled in his arms quietly, enjoying the tranquil and peaceful moment.

    Since Aria was admitted to the hospital, Green Jade Garden was extremely quiet. It was so empty that the silence almost seemed frightening.

    Marissa came home veryte as well.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Hansen?¡± she asked Larry as soon as she entered the house.

    ¡°Madam, Young Master is in Young Madam¡¯s room,¡± came an instant reply from Larry.

    ¡°Ask him toe and see me,¡± Marissa ordered with a straight face.

    ¡°Yes, Madam.¡± Larry walked towards the second floor hurriedly.

 Chapter 252 The Threat

    ¡°Young Master, Madam wishes to see you.¡± Seeing that the door was shut tightly, Larry rang the doorbell.

    Jenna was already asleep at that moment. Despite being in slumber, her eyebrows were scrunched up in fear.

    Hansen held onto Jenna¡¯s hand and sat on her bedside. With a lump in his throat, he looked at her slowly falling asleep. He only stood up when Larry¡¯s voice pulled him back to his senses. With the key in his hand, he stepped outside.

    Changing the door was a hasty decision he made. He kept a key without telling her about it as he was worried that she might be angry about it. Unexpectedly, it was put to use so soon.

    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s the matter?¡± As Hansen walked to the living room, Marissa was sitting on the sofa with asorrowful expression.

    ¡°Hansen, what are your ns?¡± Marissa asked solemnly as she lifted her chin and looked at Hansen¡¯s calm face.

    ¡°What?¡± Hansen furrowed his eyebrows slightly and pretended to not understand.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± Marissa harshened her tone, ¡°Things have escted to such an extent, yet you are still pretending to be oblivious to the issue. Of course, you can procrastinate all you like but Earl would not wait anymore. He has already given an ultimatum today and the date of marriage must be decided within three days. Please consider it properly and stop being foolish.¡±

    ¡°Impossible! He is trying to threaten u, and I will not conform to him,¡± Hansen denied adamantly as his gaze was filled with rage.

    ¡°Hansen, now that something like this has happened, it became an excuse for them to do so, and Earl is very determined this time around. Besides, Aria¡¯s pregnant bump will be showing soon and there¡¯s really no way to hide it anymore,¡± she persuaded sincerely. When Marissa heard Hansen¡¯s refusal, her heart sank.

    ¡°Mom, this is nder.I know Jenna well enough to know that she would never push Aria. She has never been an audacious woman and would not bother about such trivial matters as well. If wepromised on this matter, it would be very unfair to her as it is tantamount to an admission of guilt, which ispletely absurd. I will never let her suffer from any harm,¡± Hansen said angrily and firmly.

    ¡°Hansen, are you really that dumb, or are you acting like it? I do know that Jenna can¡¯t be med for this as well because I witnessed it. At that time, Georgia and I came in almost at the same time, I even stepped into the ce a second earlier. Moreover, the position I was standing on gave me a better view of the entire situation but even if we know that this was nder, does it matter?¡± Marissa said helplessly.

    ¡°Mom, why didn¡¯t you say that when you were in the ward this afternoon? What¡¯s the purpose of saying this right now? This is so unfair to Jenna! How could you be so senseless?¡± Hansen became furious as he stood up abruptly and replied with a loud voice.

    Marissa couldn¡¯t help but let out a gasp when she sensed Hansen¡¯s anger. She sighed and said gravely, ¡°Hansen, only Georgia and I witnessed the entire situation. Could I evene clean about it? If I did tell the truth to them just now, it would only make them angrier and they may even think that I¡¯m covering up the truth for Jenna. By backing them into a corner, the consequences would only be more serious. But now, I¡¯ve left us with an alternative. As long as you agree to their request, they will not continue clinging on this matter for my sake and all of the problems would be resolved as well.This is the best solution for everyone.¡±

    Hansen waspletely speechless. What kind of logic was this? It was a in set-up to frame them.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mom, you are too mindless. It had nothing to do with Jenna in the first ce, why should wepromise? If we did, we are affirming that we did something wrong and it would be much harder for us to clear things up.¡± Hansen felt unpleasant as he massaged his temples in hopes to relieve his throbbing headache. He didn¡¯t understand why Marissa was so afraid of them.

    ¡°Oh Hansen, are you really that dense, or are you faking it? Anyone with a straight mind could see that they are just trying to drive Jenna away so that you could marry Aria. This is their ultimate goal. Even if Jenna did not push her or that such things had never even happened at all, they would obviously still find some other excuse and force another misdeed on her until we drive her away. You must figure out the roots of the matter and fathom out their true intentions in order to resolve the problem ordingly. It¡¯s useless to question what is right and what is wrong at this moment,¡± Marissa reasoned with him as she exined patiently. Her day was full of fright and shock; it was tiring her out. Her chest felt stuffy as she held onto it tiredly.

    Hansen scoffed coldly as the corners of his lips curled up to a sneer. ¡°Could they get what they want just by driving Jenna away? It is impossible. I¡¯ve never thought about marrying Aria. Heck, I don¡¯t love her at all, how could I marry her? The only person I love is Jenna. No matter what, I will fight for our happiness and will not sumb to evil. It is not my character to do so.¡±

    Hansen responded adamantly and heaved a sigh of exasperation. With eyes full of determination, he turned around to leave.

    ¡°Stand right there.¡± Obviously, Marissa did not allow him to leave so easily. She shouted angrily, ¡°Hansen, you can be naive, you can be selfish, but have you ever thought of the Richards Group? Have you thought about how hard we¡¯ve worked for it for so many years? Have you ever thought of how your father and I established this business back then and how much effort we¡¯ve put into it?¡±

    Upon saying this, Marissa¡¯s voice was choked with emotion as tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°My son, you have grown up, and being naive is no longer what you should do at this age. Do you not know Earl? He is as sly as a fox. Could you even escape his carefullyid out scheme so easily?¡±

    Hansen stood there tensely as his eyes stared deep into the darkness outside the door.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯ve heard that Earl is now investigating the information about a piece ofnd you bought in Camphor Tree Vi a few years ago. ording to them, there was an error in the procedure but it was actually not rted to Richards Group. It was the negligence of the government officials such that a particr procedure was notpleted. In fact, we adhered to all of the procedures and terms, and it was a problem with their internal management. This had nothing to do with us. However, Earl is holding on to this now, saying that thend was bought uwfully and that the government has to take it back. He even fired some of the officials. If this is true, I¡¯m sure you understand what it meant,¡± Marissa¡¯s face became pale as she exined seriously.

    Hansen clenched his fists tightly. His knuckles cracked and his expression scrunched up in distaste.

    What a despicable man!

    He gritted his teeth in anger.

    ¡°Also Hansen, Richards Group¡¯s property in A city upies most of thepany¡¯s shares. Except for the newly developed luxury car business and some new projects globally as well as the small number of products that are sold worldwide without needing control from the local government, everything else is inseparable from the jurisdiction of A city. Have you ever thought of the consequences that everything we do brings? Earl holds great power and has wide connections. If he wanted to do anything, Richards Group would definitely be affected deeply regardless of how wealthy we are.Richards Group and the industries established under it are the roots of the Richards family¡¯s sess. As humans, we must have flexible thinking and determination toplete our duties thoroughly. Also, as citizens, we do not have the authority to argue with officials. You must learn to protect yourself and avoid the wicked. In a wealthy family, marriage is never something that is fully based on your own decision and it does not matter whether there¡¯s love. Unless you have the ability to dominate everything, you should still lower your dignity when needed. For the sake of the Richards family¡¯s legacy, please sacrifice yourself this once. As for Jenna, I will give her enoughpensation and would not let her suffer from any mistreatment, okay?¡± Marissa said sternly.

    Although Hansen did not fully agree with her verbose speech, it did reveal truths that he understood very well. Suddenly, his body felt weak and his feet were too heavy for him to move.

    Compensate Jenna? How could theypensate her? No matter what they did, the Richards family owed her too much. He felt so indebted to her that even by saying such words, they were humiliating her!

    ¡°Hansen, Aria is just asking for a legitimate status and it¡¯s for the sake of Earl¡¯s reputation as well. She told me that as long as you marry her, she will not have a problem with you being with Jenna. Even if you choose to set up a family outside, or if Jenna stayed in Richards Manor, she would not be against it. Why are you being so stubborn? If it were to be someone else, they would probably be thrilled to not offend both parties. Besides, you could get the best of both worlds, why can¡¯t youpromise?¡± Marissa sighed as she tried her best to persuade him.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Hansen turned around abruptly. With a sharp gaze, he asked unhurriedly, ¡°If you were Jenna, would you be willing to do so?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Marissa¡¯s face paled as she stuttered. However, she kept her cool and continued, ¡°My child, this is her fate. You could not imagine how much money and what benefits my mother¡¯s family gave your grandfather back when I married your father just to convince him to agree for your father to not marry a concubine. However, Jenna does not have such an ability, which makes it impossible for her.¡±

    Hansen sneered and said harshly, ¡°Mom, to put it bluntly, you look down on her family and that¡¯s why you do not fully support her. Back when she married me, you had never taken her seriously and undervalued her. If you could¡¯ve treated her fairly, Aria would have never openly moved into Richards Manor on our wedding night and those following things would never have happened. It would be impossible for her to force this marriage upon us now as well. To think about it, are you not responsible for all of this? Simply put, it¡¯s a result of your discrimination towards the poor and unconditional admiration towards the rich.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Marissa nearly tripped over as she was shocked by Hansen¡¯s words. Her mouth went agape as her face turned pale. It was only after a long moment that she came back to her senses and yelled furiously, ¡°You br*t, do you even have the right to tell me off? Did I instruct you to impregnate Aria? Four years ago, whenyour grandmother paired you up with her andyou rejected her out of dislike, was I the one who forced the pain and grief on you? Are you not responsible for any of this?¡±

 Chapter 253 Marissaâ€™s Tears

    ¡°Yes, I have to take responsibility as well.¡± Pain shed over Hansen¡¯s eyes as he said dejectedly, ¡°I was the one who had hurt her back then. I admit that I am not a good man and a good husband. However, I havee back to my senses now and I would never do foolish things like that again. I have decided to rpense her and love her with my entire life. But, what about you? Not only did you not regret everything you did, you even helped Aria hurt her. Did you know that your current decision is pushing her over the edge and ruining her lifelong happiness? I will never allow such a thing to happen, nor will I just ignore and forget about it. From now on, no one could hurt her even the slightest and it does not matter even if I had to abandon Richards Group.¡±

    After Hansen said that with a forceful tone, he left resolutely.

    Marissa was left in shock. Moments after, she shut her eyes in pain.

    In the dark corridor on the second floor, Jenna was leaning against the wall, listening to every single word of Marissa and Hansen¡¯s conversation downstairs.

    She stood nkly with her face pale as snow.

    Right after Hansen walked away from her bed, she woke up and followed him quietly to the corridor. She heard their entire conversation. If she was wary of Hansen before and she did not fully believe in his genuineness, then at that moment, she could really feel Hansen¡¯s unyielding love and sincerity to her.

    She believed Hansen would get on bad terms with Earl for her and believed that he would never go against his wish to marry Aria as well.

    It was just that¡­

    A gush of chillness rushed from the soles of her feet and gradually prated into her skin. She felt as if she was immersed in a tank of cold water, gradually freezing her.

    She stood in the dark for a long time until her feet felt sore and numb. She moved back to the room step by step, closed the door, and covered herself with her nket.

    She had a bad sleep. In a daze, she felt like she heard someone outside saying that Richards Group had met their end, that Hansen owed a huge debt, and even Richards Manor was forced to be auctioned by Earl.

    She also faintly heard that Hansen was imprisoned by Earl for refusing to marry Aria.

    She felt anxious and gloomy. She ran around in hopes of looking for Hansen but she couldn¡¯t find him.

    Beside a clear river, the sun was setting soon as rays of golden sunlight shone beautifully on the turf.

    Two men were standing with sharp swords in their handson the turf beside the river.

    The flickering swords dazzled her eyes as she ran towards them with all her strength.

    However, it was toote and they had already started fighting.

    ¡°No, stop!¡± she yelled at them hurriedly. The younger man heard her voice and turned around to look at her. At that instant, the sharp sword pierced his heart and blood gushed out from his chest.

    ¡°No, Hansen, don¡¯t die!¡± she panicked and yelled at him with tears in her eyes. Rushing over to the man with blood all over him, she started sobbing painfully.

    The heart-wrenching pain caused her to open her eyes and a ray of sunlight shone in through the thick curtains. It was dawn.

    Everything turned out to be just a dream.

    She breathed in heavily as beads of sweat trickled down her forehead profusely.

    Images of Hansen who had previously lived a life in glory bing dejected and defeated shed before her eyes. She couldn¡¯t help but think about the tragic situation of Richards Manor being auctioned off, and the man in a pool of blood as well.

    Her heart began pounding loudly. Her hands and feet were cold, and her whole body was trembling as well. Although she was under the thick nket, she was still shuddering.

    It wasn¡¯t until Aunt E¡¯s voice rang from outside that she came back to her senses.

    ¡°Young Madam, have you woken up yet? Madam is looking for you.¡±

    Marissa was looking for her?

    Jennay down nkly for a while and when Aunt E¡¯s voice rang again, she slowly responded, ¡°Okay, Aunt E.¡±

    ¡°Great, breakfast is ready for you, hurry downstairs and eat please,¡± Aunt E urged outside again.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Jenna replied in a low voice.

    After a while, Aunt E¡¯s footsteps faded away.

    Jenna rolled over to the side of the bed and got up. Her stomach bloated ufortably, and she felt a faint tingling pain and heaviness on her lower abdomen. It had been more than a month since she knew she was pregnant, and she hadn¡¯t gone to the doctor for another checkup after that. She did not know the fetus¡¯ condition and her lower abdomen has been swelling ufortably for the past few days. Sometimes, she would experience symptoms of palpitation and shortness of breath as well. However, there are too many things for her to take care of, and she was in a horrible mood most of the time that she had no energy to care about her body.

    After she washed up, she slowly walked downstairs.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re up.¡± When she went downstairs, Marissa greeted her enthusiastically with a smile on her face like never before. She said caringly, ¡°Come, I¡¯ve cooked breakfast for you. Are you hungry? Come on, eat up.¡±

    Jenna froze for a moment as she was not used to Marissa¡¯s enthusiasm. However, she calmed down soon after.

    ¡°Thank you, Auntie.¡± She smiled and walked towards the dining room.

    She only ate some porridge as she did not have much appetite. Then, she walked towards the sofa in the living room.

    Marissa was sitting on the sofa in a daze.

    ¡°Auntie, is there anything I could help you with?¡± Jenna asked softly as she approached her.

    ¡°Ah, Jenna, please sit down.¡± Marissa was startled by Jenna¡¯s voice and suddenly she was brought back to her senses. Staring at Jenna standing in front of her, a surge of panic shed through her heart. She hurriedly held her hand and smiled at her affectionately.

    Jenna sat opposite her and looked at her quietly, waiting for her to speak.

    ¡°Well Jenna, excuse me for this.¡± Marissa smiled embarrassedly and continued, ¡°In the past, I was cold to you because of my prejudice and negligence. I hope you did not hold a grudge about this and please don¡¯t put it to heart as well.¡±

    Jenna seemed to have guessed Marissa¡¯s words long ago. The corners of her lips curled up to a small smile as she said magnanimously, ¡°Auntie, you¡¯re an elder and I am just someone younger. It is only right for the elders to give words of advice to the younger generation. Why would I put it to heart? Don¡¯t worry Auntie, I won¡¯t.¡±N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Marissa held her hand tightly with a smile as she felt slightly moved by her words. After hesitating for a moment, she said apologetically, ¡°Jenna, our family owes you a lot, including Hansen. The Richards family has mistreated you badly. Now, I understood why Vivian would like you to inherit the family and I understood why she liked you so much as well. I don¡¯t want to force you to forgive me. I just beg of you to not hate me and Hansen. You are a great child and you deserve happiness.¡±

    Marissa said in grief and tears were shed when she talked about her emotions.

    Jenna suddenly panicked.

    She had seen Marissa¡¯s arrogance as well as her cold stare and sarcasm; she had also experienced Marissa ignoring her and being ill-mannered to her.However, it was the first time of hers to see Marissa weeping sadly in such a gentle and humble way.

    If harsh words were used against her, or even if violence were inflicted on her, Jenna could adapt to it and not feel unusual about it.

    But, at this moment¡­

    Jenna felt very ufortable.

    Marissa was treating her so politely. She apologized to her and even shed tears.

    What was this all about?

    Jenna had always been soft-hearted and she did not like aggression.

    The fact that an elder was treating her so kindly¡­

    She really couldn¡¯t get used to it.

    She started to feel slightly flustered.

    ¡°Auntie, please don¡¯t say that. I have never hated you and Hansen,¡± Jenna said anxiously as she hurriedly took tissues from the coffee table and handed it to her as she offered words offort.

    ¡°You are a great child, and I know that too.¡± Marissa thanked her as she took the tissue in Jenna¡¯s hand and wiped away her tears. She then smiled earnestly.

    ¡°Hansen loves you sincerely. I can assure you about this. It was his loss for not acknowledging your kindness previously. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be in the dilemma that he is today,¡± Marissa sighed and said regretfully.

    Jenna lowered her head silently.

    ¡°My child, he is a man with hardships. He loves you but he may not be able to give you happiness. You may not understand what I¡¯m talking about right now but you must¡¯ve known about the current situation, right?¡± Marissa hesitated for a brief moment but she knew she had to say this.

    Jenna lowered her gaze and remained silent with no change of expression on her face.

    ¡°I know that you are a good child, you are polite and generous. However, you¡¯ve seen Hansen¡¯s difficulties at the moment. Deep in his heart, remarrying you was the only thing he wished for but the reality is cruel. Now that Aria is pregnant with his child, Earl became very forceful and aggressive. Yesterday, Georgia was affirmative that you deliberately shoved Aria and it was an intentional assault. She wanted to sue you andpress charges to you for it,¡± Marissa said gravely. ¡°Although Hansen wishes to protect you, you should know that they are wealthy and powerful, he can¡¯t even keep himself safe now. I¡¯m afraid he can¡¯t protect you from this mess.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jenna could already understand why Marissa was looking for her.

    ¡°Auntie, I didn¡¯t deliberately push her down, let alone push her. It was her who tried to hit me and I just withdrew my hand out of instinct. It was because of her bad intentions that she wasn¡¯t able to stand properly and fell; this has nothing to do with me at all. They can¡¯t just nder me like this. If they wanted to resort to thew, that¡¯s fine for me as well. I¡¯m ready to face them at any time. I believe that justice still stands in this world,¡± Jenna did not want to be framed so easily like this. She could lose everything she has but she would never ept nders. She wanted to fight for herself and that was why she was able to voice this outposedly with a calm expression on her face.

    As Marissa heard Jenna¡¯s clear and firm words, she sensed her determination and her heartimmediatelysank. She was genuinely worried that Jenna would notpromise and insisted on acting this way instead. With Jenna¡¯s attitude and Hansen¡¯s stubbornness, they might make things worse.

    ¡°My dear child, I know that you didn¡¯t push her. However, you don¡¯t have any evidence. Judging from the way that they clung onto this and forced this misdeed on you, their intentions are obvious and that is to deal with you,¡± Marissa said helplessly. ¡°Earl is a powerful man and we can¡¯t do anything about it. However, Hansen would do his best to protect you. Hansen is my only son. If he fights against Earl for you, not only would the entire Richards Group be at stake, but Richards Manor and Hansen himself would get into trouble as well. Nobody knows how bad things could be. Forgive my selfishness as I am just a mother. In the future, after you have a child, you will understand my feelings.¡±

    As Marissa voiced solemnly, she felt sorrowful and began to wipe the tears on her face again.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank.

    She knew clearly that Marissa took the initiative to approach her that day to persuade her to give up on Hansen and leave him.

    Marissa prioritized the glory and wealth of Richards Group, and she wished to gain Earl¡¯s power as well. As for who Hansen likes, it was not her primary concern.

    Jenna waspletely quiet. Reasonably speaking, Marissa could not be med entirely for this matter. Now that Earl¡¯s family was trying to push them to the edge, her concerns were not unreasonable.

 Chapter 254 Only You Could Convince Him

    ¡°Jenna, I know this is unfair to you but Hansen is now determined to set himself against the McAdams family. If this situation persists, Richards Group will be greatly affected. His father and I did all we could to look after Richards Group and we¡¯ve used our entire lifetime to preserve our family business. We¡¯ve sessfully brought glory to Richards Group. However, a catastrophe is happening soon and I¡¯m unable to convince Hansen, which is why I¡¯m begging you now. Please Jenna, as our former daughter-inw, please consider it for the sake of our family. Right now, you¡¯re the only one who could possibly persuade him and I believe you can do it,¡± Marissa pleaded, her eyes welled with tears as she held Jenna¡¯s hand.

    A poignant smile appeared on Jenna¡¯s face. She understood everything crystal clear, however, she continued sitting there motionlessly like a sculpture. Except for the smile on her face, her body was tensed up.

    ¡°Auntie, how do you want me to persuade Hansen?¡± she asked in a daze.

    Marissa heaved a sigh again and wiped her tears. ¡°My dear, I¡¯m sorry to say this to you but as long as Hansen marries Aria, everything would be resolved. Jenna, marriage is like a siege. You¡¯ve been in it once and I believe you understand that ultimately, a woman needs love from a man in order to be happy. Since Aria just wishes for a status, let¡¯s just give her that, shall we? However, you will always be the person Hansen loves and you are the one he treasures most. We will forever be grateful for what you¡¯ve contributed to our family. Don¡¯t worry, I willpensate you ten times what you¡¯ve originally wished for. I¡¯ll do my best to satisfy all of your requests. Are you okay with this?¡±

    Marissa said as she patted her chest in assurance.

    ¡°If you truly love Hansen, then please justpromise this time and give Aria the wedding she wished for. You could live however you wish to with Hansen as you¡¯re the one he actually loves. I¡¯m sure he will treat you better in life because of this as well! Women can only be truly happy if they are loved by men, others do not matter, right?¡± Marissa stated straightforwardly.

    Jenna wanted to chuckle. However, she couldn¡¯t put herself to do so.

    Marissa¡¯s thoughts were the exact same as what she imagined she would say; she already saw iting.

    It was just that¡­

    If she left Hansen and Hansen married Aria, would everything be truly resolved? Would everyone be able to live in peace just like how Marissa thought? This was probably just Marissa¡¯s wishful thinking.

    Through Jenna¡¯s investigations these days, she discovered that some of ¡®truths¡¯ were not the case at all. If she left, Trevor would probably never recollect himself and Vivian wouldmeet her end sooner.

    If her departure could really bring benefits like what Marissa said, she would consider doing so. Originally, she didn¡¯t n to stay here for long either and this was the ce she disdained the most as well.

    She was thinking of ways to make her departure worth it!

    ¡°Auntie, I understand what you mean. I will do my best. Don¡¯t worry.¡± After a long moment, Jenna said calmly, ¡°However, I can¡¯t leave now. Please spare me some time and I will try to make it fast.¡±

    ¡°Does this mean that you agreed to it?¡± Marissa looked at her in surprise. She couldn¡¯t believe that this was true.

    ¡°Yes, Auntie. I promise you and I will tell Hansen as well. Don¡¯t worry about it, I believe that it will happen very soon,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°My dear, I¡¯m very sorry for you.¡± Marissa felt guilt-ridden as she said sincerely, ¡°I will do my best to persuade Hansen as well. If you need anything, feel free to tell me and I will try my best to satisfy you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I need, Auntie. And if there¡¯s nothing else to talk about, I¡¯ll take my leave now,¡± Jenna stood up and saidposedly.

    ¡°Jenna¡­¡± Marissa stood up as well. She did not have the courage to look straight into her eyes. Her eyes were red as she called out to her hesitantly.

    Jenna gave her a small smile before turning around and walking away calmly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jenna. I do not wish to force you in doing this but Richards Group must survive this hardship. For the sake of our family¡¯s well-being, I had to take the big picture into consideration and I apologize for it,¡± Marissa voiced inwardly.

    She watched Jenna¡¯s frail figure disappear in front of her. For the first time, she was amazed by this woman. Her intelligent mind and magnanimity made her a much better personpared to Aria.

    It was only natural for Vivian and Hansen to admire her. However, everything was toote at that moment. If she had treated Jenna better before and prevented Aria from intervening, perhaps everything would be different as Hansen said and they would¡¯ve lived happily as a family.

    Still, it was toote.

    Marissa lowered her head and sighed deeply.

    The plum blossoms bloomed beautifully and the variety of colors created an aesthetically pleasing sight to see.

    Jenna was sitting on the swing in the plum blossom garden that was especially airlifted from abroad. Swaying on the swing lightly with a small smile on her face, she was humming a sweet tune. It may seem like she was in a good mood, however, anyone who paid attention could notice how pale her face was. The pain etched deep within her eyes could not be concealed.

    Many people did not want to see her staying in Richards Manor and that included herself as well. However, she has to hold on for a little longer as she could not bear to see Vivian being killed by someone. Vivian had treated her very kindly, therefore she must fulfill her responsibilities.

    Although Norton came up with a n and killed her father, she understood well that this had nothing to do with Vivian. Jenna discriminated her gratitude and resentment clearly.

    Richards Group could not be brought down.

    This was what she wished to protect. After all, she was once the daughter-inw of this family, and the baby she was pregnant with belonged to this family as well. She had the responsibility to protect everything from harm.

    If Camphor Tree Vi was taken away by Earl, it would be a serious blow to Richards Group. Moreover, most of Richards Group¡¯s properties were located in A city, and they could not afford to upset Earl, at least for the time being.

    Jenna had already understood this back when she was the vice chairman of Richards Group.

    She couldn¡¯t just watch these things happen in front of her.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    If everything could be resolved by her walking away and leaving everything behind, she would be willing to make it happen.

    ¡°Swinging till the end of the day,¡± she hummed and sang the tune softly. However, the supposedly cheerful tune seemed sad to her no matter how she sang it. After a long moment, she got off the swing and took out her phone.

    ¡°Hi, Rayan? It¡¯s Jen speaking. I would like to ask you to help me with something¡­¡± she spoke briskly as her voice gradually faded into the gusting wind.

    In the Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Aria was resting quietly while Georgia was stirring the bowl of Chinese medicine with a spoon next to her.

    ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want to drink these anymore, it¡¯s too bitter,¡± Aria groaned in displeasure.

    ¡°You can¡¯t, I have prepared candies for you. Now that you have signs of threatened miscarriage, you must consume these medicines,¡± Georgia said with a serious and upromising tone. ¡°My dear, if you don¡¯t want that woman to gain the upper hand, drink these bitter medicines obediently to ensure that the child can be born healthily. You could only have a way out if the child is born, and by this, the people of the Richards family can truly be epting of you.¡±

    Aria pursed her mouth and tried to act cute in an attempt to persuade Georgia. But, when she heard about the child¡¯s wellbeing, her eyes lit up and she took the bowl of medicine from her to finish it all in one gulp.

    ¡°Good!¡± Georgia smiled lovingly as she wiped off the stains from the corner of Aria¡¯s lips and fed her the candy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, after this incident, Hansen will definitely marry you. Yesterday, your dad gave their family an ultimatum that the date of marriage must be decided within three days. Your dad has guaranteed that the date would definitely be settled this time. Darling, just wait patiently and you¡¯ll be the young madam of the Richards family in no time,¡± Georgia spoke confidently.

    A blush appeared on Aria¡¯s face. However, she said uneasily, ¡°Mom, if that woman doesn¡¯t leave and continues to pester Hansen, he will not be in love with me after all. Besides, Grandma Richards had already given her the right to manage Richards Manor, I would not be happy even if I were to marry him.¡±

    Upon saying this, her expression was full of sorrow and she felt down.

    ¡°Oh, Aris, you are so slow when ites to this. Things like this can¡¯t be forced and you have to take your time to make it happen. As long as you be the young madam of the Richards family, when you¡¯re of legal status, wouldn¡¯t it be easy for you to settle off that woman? Most importantly, you must give birth to this child safely. For the sake of this child, Hansen would change his mind sooner orter anyway, so stop thinking too much. As women, we must be able to please men and you can only rely on yourself to do that,¡± Georgia advised Aria lovingly. She wished to educate her about all of the secrets to please men if she could.

    When Aria was smiling contentedly, the doorbell rang all of a sudden.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Georgia asked.

    ¡°I, Jenna,¡± a calm and stoic voice rang from outside.

    As soon as they heard Jenna¡¯s voice, Aria and Georgia¡¯s expressions changed and they looked at each other rmingly. Speak of the devil, what was she doing here?

    ¡°What do you want? You have harmed Aria already. How do you even have the audacity toe here?¡± Georgia opened the door with a cross face as she asked angrily.

    ¡°Auntie, I came here today to have a good talk with Miss McAdams,¡± Jenna replied lightly with a tone that was neither arrogant nor inferior.

    ¡°What evil schemes are you up to? Now that you see Aria pregnant, are you jealous of her? Are you trying to harm her again?¡± Georgia said straightforwardly with an insolent tone in her voice. Suddenly, she felt a strong gaze on her that made her shudder unconsciously. She followed that gaze and saw a tall, handsome man standing not far away from her, staring sternly at her.

    Rayan.

    It was him!

    Georgia¡¯s expression changed. After all, she didn¡¯t dare to provoke Rayan.

    ¡°Auntie, once again I affirm that I have never pushed Aria down. I didn¡¯te over today to quarrel with both of you, nor did Ie to discuss this issue. It is meaningless to do so. I just came over to talk to Aria about our future.¡± Jenna¡¯s face was calm and solemn as she said, ¡°Please leave us alone for a moment, I¡¯ll finish it quickly and it won¡¯t take long.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Rayan¡¯s stare intimidated Georgia that her voice became a lot softer. For a moment, she didn¡¯t know what to do but she heard Aria shouting from inside, ¡°Mom, please leave for a while and let her in.¡±

    Georgia stood still there as she looked at Jenna vigntly as if she feared that she would eat her daughter alive.

    ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t need to fret. She would not dare to do anything to me under broad daylight anyway,¡± Aria smiled triumphantly as she said to Georgia.

    Only then, Georgia left grudgingly.

 Chapter 255 The Negotiation

    ¡°Come on, what do you wish to talk about?¡± Aria asked as she looked at Jenna victoriously. She was grinning from ear to ear.

    ¡°Aria, I did not push you down and you know that clearly. Do you really think that it¡¯s okay for you to lie brazenly like this?¡± Jenna brushed away her fringe on her forehead confidently as she stared at Aria coldly with a menacing gaze.

    Panic shed through Aria¡¯s bright eyes as she felt Jenna¡¯s stare.

    ¡°It seems that you are really here to make trouble today. Let me tell you, it¡¯s a fact that you caused me to be bedridden in this hospital right now and you¡¯ll definitely be convicted for this,¡± Aria scoffed deviously and continued with viciousness evident on her face, ¡°I am not afraid that you will harm me under broad daylight now anyway.¡±

    ¡°I harm you?¡± Jenna sneered. ¡°Do you not know who you are? Could I possibly harm you even if I wished to? You¡¯ve crossed the line for wanting me to confess my guilt and ndering me for no reason. Well, if there is going to be awsuit, I¡¯m willing to fight against you until the end. I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll only bring more trouble for yourself in exchange for nothing. Well, I¡¯m agossip-riddendivorced woman with a ruined family anyway. I don¡¯t mind wasting my time on you.¡±

    Jenna retorted boldly with anexpressionlessface.

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Aria¡¯s face turned pale as she asked in panic.

    ¡°Nothing much, I came to negotiate with you today,¡± Jenna said calmly andposedly. ¡°If you still have some conscience remaining, I wouldply with your wishes. I¡¯ll let this go and you could marry Hansen happily. However, if you insist on doing the wrong thing, I will go against you till the very end. When things progress horribly, you¡¯ll get nothing in return.¡±

    Aria¡¯s gaze flickered as she thought deeply in her heart. Although Jenna¡¯s expression was very calm, her face was pale as snow; Aria could still catch the pain in her eyes.

    It seemed that her father¡¯s pressure was taking an obvious effect. Otherwise, Jenna would not take the initiative toe and talk to her. If that was the case, Jenna obviously came just to negotiate for more benefits in return.

    Aria thought that as long as she could marry Hansen, she would dly listen to Jenna¡¯s negotiation terms.

    ¡°Come on, what do you want to negotiate about? I¡¯ll be listening closely. If I¡¯m in a good mood, maybe I will showpassion and even cooperate with you.¡± Aria raised her brows and smiled triumphantly.

    Jenna¡¯s lips turned pale as she bit them tightly. Aria¡¯s arrogant face made her feel her heart tugging painfully. However, as images of Hansen¡¯s face and his determination during his conversation with Marissa shed before her eyes, she clenched her fists tightly.

    ¡°The reason why you¡¯re doing everything you could to settle me off is because you¡¯re insecure by the fact that Hansen loves me and not you. Moreover, you¡¯re afraid that you may not be able to be Richards family¡¯s young madam,¡± Jenna said and smiled mockingly.

    ¡°B*tch, that¡¯s so arrogant of you. You were the one who manipted Hansen and made him alienate me. If he doesn¡¯t love me, would he even make me pregnant?¡± Aria flushed with anger at Jenna¡¯s words and she retorted lividly.

    However, Jenna didn¡¯t look at her. She continued mockingly, ¡°You are the only one who knows exactly how you got pregnant. It¡¯s normal for a man who has been drugged to do something like this. Only a woman whom nobody likes would use a child¡¯s birth to coerce a man into marrying her. You? The daughter of a prestigious family? Stop being a joke.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Aria pointed her finger at Jenna as she red at her. With her cheeks flushed, she was so furious that her breathing became erratic.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, since you want to be the Richards family¡¯s young madam so much, I won¡¯t really bother to fight with you and I¡¯ll dly give you the status. However, the premise is that you must agree to my terms. This was the actual reason why I came to negotiate with you today.¡± Seeing Aria fuming because of her words, Jenna changed the topic abruptly and proceeded to get to the main point.

    When Aria heard that Jenna was about to give her the status of Richards family¡¯s young madam, her eyes brightened up in surprise and her anger lessened immediately. Her eyes flickered as she said energetically, ¡°What? Now that Hansen abandoned you, you wish to negotiate with me to gainpensation for your loss, right? Let me tell you, I¡¯m not that stupid. Now that Hansen would marry me real soon, is there a need for me to negotiate with you?¡±

    Jenna seemed to have expected thising from her. She smiled confidently and said lightly, ¡°Since you have such confidence, why would you need to use a child to threaten Hansen? Why use your father¡¯s authority to threaten the Richards family? Plus, I believe you know clearly who Hansen actually likes. Besides, you should be clear about Hansen¡¯s character. As long as I am waiting for him here, he would never ever marry you. Even if it meant fighting with your family till the end, he would never change his mind. If you can¡¯t even realize this, it¡¯s pathetic of you and it¡¯s impossible to keep our conversation going.¡±

    Right after saying this, Jenna sneered and turned around to leave the ce.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Aria stopped her in time.

    She pondered with her face in a mix of expressions. In fact, what Jenna said was exactly what she had been concerned about. If Jenna insisted on sticking together with Hansen, she might not be able to get Hansen to love her in her entire lifetime and Hansen would neverpromise to marry her as well.

    With the thought of Hansen fighting against her father, chills ran down her spine.

    ¡°Then tell me, what do you want?¡± After a while, she finally spoke seriously.

    ¡°It¡¯s simple, leave Grandma and Minnie alone, and stop targeting Richards Group. I don¡¯t want to see Richards Group suffering from any loss, including the Camphor Tree Vi,¡± Jenna resolutely said.

    ¡°Oh, it seems that you share a really good bond with the Richards family. That¡¯s so considerate of you to think about the wellbeing of the Richards family.¡± Ariaughed suddenly and sighed mockingly.

    Jenna didn¡¯t want to waste time talking nonsense with her. She shut her eyes tightly and asked in a deep voice, ¡°So? Can you do it?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s very simple. However, what made you think that it¡¯s a must for me to do this? And what¡¯s the reason behind it? Or should I say, what made you think that you have the right to ask me to do so? After all, there¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch,¡± Aria raised her eyebrows and asked back.

    ¡°Of course there is.¡± Jenna knew Aria¡¯s personality well. Without the terms and benefits that she was satisfied with, she would neverply easily. Jenna said solemnly, ¡°If you could do this, I guarantee that Hansen marries you and you¡¯ll be Richards family¡¯s young madam with no trouble. What do you think? Are these conditions not good enough?¡±

    ¡°You can guarantee?¡± Aria looked at her with a skeptical look on her face. Would this woman be willing to give up Hansen and hand over the identity of Richards family¡¯s young madam just like that?

    ¡°Of course. Since I came to negotiate with you, I would definitely have this level of confidence. When the timees, I will do as you wish and disappear from Hansen¡¯s side forever. I won¡¯t be a bother to both of you ever again, and I¡¯ll make him give up on mpletely and notlove me anymore.¡± Jenna tried to remain calm as she spoke. The slight tremor in her voice was evident as she finished her sentence. She tried hard to suppress the excruciating pain deep inside her by clenching her fists tightly and sinking her nails into the flesh of her palms.

    Her face was so pale that not a hint of color was found and her head began throbbing painfully. She felt like losing her consciousness anytime soon, she nearly stumbled and fell.

    Aria stared at Jenna as she tried to identify whether or not she meant what she said.

    As she saw Jenna¡¯s expression, she felt assured. However, she still said, ¡°I can promise you but I have one more request. That is, the inheritance rights of Richards Manor must be transferred to be under my name. If you can do this, I will immediately agree to the deal.¡±

    Aria said unwaveringly as she stared at Jenna like an eagle and eyeballed her.

    What a greedy woman.

    Jenna sneered internally. She did not want the inheritance right of Richards Manor since the start. Since she wanted to leave, she¡¯ll definitely leave without taking anything with her; that was why it was impossible that she would insist on holding onto it. Originally, she nned to return it to Hansen but now that Aria had asked for it, she¡¯ll just give it to Aria. Only if Richards Manor is safe, can Richards Group be safe as well. As long as everything could be taken care of, nothing else mattered.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give it to you. On the day of your marriage with Hansen, I will entrust awyer to send you the transfer letter,¡± Jenna clenched her jaw and said straightforwardly.

    ¡°Great, since you can give such a prompt answer, I¡¯ll be clear-cut with you as well. If you are short of money, I can make up for you, provided that you no longer pester Hansen,¡± Aria¡¯s eyes brightened up as she saidvishly on purpose.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Did you actually think I would want your money?¡± Jenna asked with a sneer. ¡°Did you think that everyone is like Minnie?¡±

    ¡°Good, it¡¯s great that you have a backbone.¡± Aria smiled victoriously and gave Jenna a thumbs-up. ¡°I hope that you stick to your words. I want to hear good news from you as soon as possible as I don¡¯t have much patience.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it will be fast. However, it is not possible to decide on the date of marriage within three days as Hansen could be very stubborn. I am afraid it will take longer than expected but I will try to give you good news within ten days. You must cooperate with me on this point. Otherwise, there is nothing I can do,¡± Jenna said with a clear mind.

    Aria lowered her head and considered for a moment. Soon, she replied resolutely, ¡°Sure, it¡¯s decided then.¡±

    As soon as these words were spoken, Aria was delighted that everything was assured to seed for her.

    ¡°Remember what you promised me. If anything happens to anyone in Richards Group or Richards Manor, I will immediately tell Hansen about our conversation today. I have already recorded everything and I will let everyone know about what happened three years ago as well. Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m oblivious because I will figure out everything someday. It¡¯s best if we all are able to live in peace,¡± Jenna warned her sternly.

    ¡°Rest assured. If I marry Hansen, I am part of the Richards family as well. Of course, I would hope for the Richards family to be peaceful. Why would there be any woman who¡¯s stupid enough to be willing to let problems happen in their own household?¡± Aria replied affirmatively.

    Jenna believed her words. After Aria became Mrs. Richards, she would be a part of that family. There was really no need for her to harm her own family, not to mention that she was pregnant with a baby as well.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was finally at ease!

    Just as she decided to take her leave¡­

    There was a knock on the door.

 Chapter 256 The Truth Untold

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Aria asked loudly.

    ¡°Ward rounds.¡± A nurse¡¯s voice rang from outside.

    ¡°I will take my leave then,¡± Jenna said curtly as she turned around.

    ¡°You¡¯d better keep your word,¡± Aria stared at Jenna¡¯s back and said without a smile.

    Jenna felt a lump in her throat as tears welled up in her eyes. An inexplicable grief rose from the bottom of her heart.

    With a knock on the door, a young male doctor d in a white coat walked in. He met face-to-face with Jenna.

    With just a nce, she recognized the young male doctor in front of her. Thest time she came to the Maternal and Child Health Hospital¡­

    It was the same male gynecologist who treated her.

    She was appalled as embarrassment shed across her face. She then left the scene in a hurry with her head lowered.

    Donald nced at her stoically. His expression was calm and deep but his gaze wavered right at that moment. A slight astonishment shed across his face and vanished almost instantly as he managed to keep his cool.

    As soon as Jenna left, Georgia walked in anxiously. After inquiring about Aria¡¯s physical condition in detail since Donald was there, she heaved a sigh of relief as her mood calmed down.

    ¡°Donald, thank you for your time.¡± Aria was delighted. Her smile was exceptionally bright as she chirped.

    ¡°Was that girl who just went out your friend?¡± Donald, who was about to go out, turned his head around abruptly and asked Aria who was smiling at him in a casual manner.

    The smile on Aria¡¯s face froze for a slight moment. She shook her head, then nodded again.

    ¡°Do you know her, Donald?¡± Aria asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Donald smiled and shook his head.

    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ve fallen in love with her?¡± Aria asked with a charming smile as she continued, ¡°She is indeed a beauty. If you¡¯re interested in her, I can help you in matchmaking.¡±

    Aria chuckled lightly as she said rxedly.

    Donald pursed his lips and said half-heartedly, ¡°Miss McAdams, you must be kidding me.¡±

    Upon ending the conversation, he walked out unhurriedly.

    ¡°Aria, what did that b*tch say to you?¡± Georgia asked impatiently as soon as Donald left.

    ¡°It was nothing, Mom. Don¡¯t worry, because now I¡¯m sure everything will go smoothly for us,¡± Aria said gleefully.

    ¡°Howe?¡± Georgia asked skeptically as she looked at Aria with puzzlement.

    Aria excitedly recounted her conversation with Jenna earlier on to her.

    Upon hearing the entire story, Georgia felt even more suspicious. ¡°Aria, are you sure she can do it?¡±

    ¡°It should be possible.¡± Aria nodded affirmatively as she continued, ¡°Regardless of where she could or not, it is good news for me anyway. Without losing anything to her, I can inherit Richards Manor as well. This is great news! It¡¯s useless no matter how Dad threatens them if Jenna doesn¡¯t take the initiative to leave as it wouldn¡¯t change Hansen¡¯s mind. Only if she cooperates with us can we seed.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Georgia nodded in agreement. With contentment on her face, her mood was better than ever.

    As New Year was approaching, the streets of A city were surrounded by a jolly and festive ambiance. Festive items were ced on sale as peace and joy could be felt anywhere on the streets. Everything was imbued with a sense of joy as a new year was nearing.

    Richards Group carried out their regr meetings and year-end summary meetings in an efficient and orderly manner.

    After immersing himself with work for a few days in thepany, Hansen could finally rx.

    After scrolling his phone for a short moment, his ringtone rang as the name ¡®Jordan¡¯ was disyed on the screen. His gaze wavered and he quickly picked up the call.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, after some time of investigation, the secret behind Javon¡¯s case has been unveiled. Some useful clues have finally been discovered,¡± Jordan said firmly over the phone.

    ¡°Great, please wait for me, I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± As soon as Jordan¡¯s words were heard, Hansen stood up immediately and replied without a second thought. After ending the call, he walked to the parking lot withrge strides and started his car immediately, driving straight towards the Public Security Department.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, take a seat please,¡± Jordan said politely to Hansen who rushed over.

    Right after Hansen sat down, he immediately asked, ¡°Mr. Jordan, have you found any exact evidence? Please talk about it in detail.¡±

    Sensing Hansen¡¯s urgent attitude, Jordan felt pressured as well. Usually, Hansen would never be seen anywhere; only his ex-wife¡¯s case could make him so concerned.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, in fact, the evidence has not been obtained yet. However, something suspicious caught our attention,¡± Jordan said solemnly. He reached out for a notebook, flipped it open, andid it on the table. Pointing on one of the lines, he stated grimly, ¡°Mr. Richards, as you can see here, a financial expenditure of hundreds of billions incurred back when Javon was holding his post before the car ident. However, the whereabouts of this huge sum of money is now unknown. Currently, the listings in the ounts are all fake.¡±

    What?

    Hansen¡¯s mouth went agape with shock as he heard the news. He was unable toe back to his senses for quite some time. Staring straight into Jordan¡¯s eyes, he asked, ¡°Mr. Jordan, is it possible that Javon was involved in some form of economic crime? I don¡¯t think this is possible, though. As far as I know, his reputation has always been very good.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I think so too. However, the transaction of this huge sum of money was indeed done when he held office. The date the fake ount was made was also shortly before his car ident. What¡¯s even more strange is that there was his signature on it. If that was the case, things would be veryplicated.¡±

    ¡°Where did thise from?¡± Hansen frowned as he asked. He didn¡¯t quite believe it.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, this was discovered by the audit department during their process of checking the ounts the day before yesterday. This economic case carries a huge impact as it is almost half of the economic ie of A city. However, this huge sum of money has vanished inexplicably during Javon¡¯s tenure as minister. We can be quite certain that Javon would know the whereabouts of this sum of money and that his sudden death is likely to have a lot to do with the money. ording to the people in Javon¡¯s workce, he was very depressed and taciturn before his death,¡± Jordan told Hansen in detail about their findings over the past few days.

    Upon hearing the news, Hansen was extremely stupefied and overwhelmed. If Javon¡¯s case was in fact rted to this huge sum of money, then it was clear that Javon was murdered. As for the reason he was killed, it could be that they wanted to conceal the truth, or it could be because he was unwilling to cooperate with them and they saw him as bothersome. In short, Norton had been used.

    Who would be able to know Norton so well to the point that they were able to understand his mind and take advantage of him so precisely? They have sessfully shifted everyone¡¯s focus and the me was ced on the Richards Group as well. This was really terrifying.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, don¡¯t worry. Now that this huge sum of money is the tax revenue of the entire city, all of the relevant people have been brought for trial. No matter how big of a conspiracy there was behind it, it would be debunked. I¡¯m afraid that this issue involves well-known and reputable people, and now that it has rmed the superiors, it would not be dismissed easily. However, everything will not be settled so soon as all efforts are still happening in secret for the time being. Not many people know about it, including Norton. Therefore, it is best to not disclose anything for the time being to prevent causing too much of a stir,¡± Jordan reminded Hansen whileforting him.

    ¡°I understand.¡± Of course, Hansen understood what he meant. He nodded solemnly immediately.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect this case to be soplicated. It was beyond my expectations.¡± Jordan sighed andughed in a self-deprecating manner. Regardless of how sharp-minded and intelligent he was, he was not able to find out the person working for Norton, and thisplicated situation was causing him a headache. Now that New Year was approaching, he just wanted to put this case to an end soon. The situation as of now may not seem as simple as he thought but this case has already caught his interest.

    ¡°Mr. Jordan, even if you¡¯d found out that the real culprit behind Javon¡¯s case, please cooperate with us well. This matter caused a great impact, therefore we can¡¯t let our guard down,¡± Hansen felt uneasy as he exhorted him repeatedly. His expression seemed very stern as his attitude was very cautious as well.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Jordan burst intoughter suddenly as he saw his concerned expression. He then handed him a cigarette and said, ¡°Mr. Richards, Mr. Matthews is now cracking down on Brock. I believe after a few attempts, the truth would be revealed very soon.¡±

    Hansen furrowed his eyebrows slightly and waved his hand as he said, ¡°Thank you, but I have quit smoking.¡±

    Quit smoking? Jordan was startled for a moment. He still saw him exhaling clouds of smoke some time ago. Now that he said he quit, hadhequittedjust so easily? That definitely required very strong perseverance.

    Seeing Jordan¡¯s puzzled face, Hansen pressed his lips together. However, he didn¡¯t bother to exin anything.

    This time, he was determined to quit smokingpletely.

    Back when he was in Los Angeles, he had already decided to listen to Jenna and quit smoking but the series of troubles that Aria¡¯s pregnancy brought about made him feel like relying on cigarettes to relieve his sorrows. However, after recovering from his injury in the hospital, his rekindled love with Jenna made him determined to quit smoking.

    Jenna didn¡¯t like the smell of smoke on him. Therefore, he wanted to provide her with only the best to please her.

    However, his heart became more anxious.

    It was exactly because Christopher was cracking down the drug barons that prevented his actions and he felt even more worried about Brock¡¯s safety at that moment. If Javon¡¯s death was in fact rted to such a huge sum of money, would the people who nned to murder him kill Brock as well?

    This was what Hansen was most worried about at that moment.

    If Brock died, many truths might be buried deep down forever along with his death.

    It was a well-nned scheme and it was the best excuse to put the me on someone else as well. First of all, they sensed Norton¡¯s strong desire to take office as the director and knew well that Norton would make an effort to prevent Javon from arriving at the election site. They took advantage of the opportunity to control Brock and made him create a car ident scene where Norton knocked Javon over. Then, they mastered Brock¡¯s whereabouts clearly and cleverly hid the issue from the news media, allowing the matter to be simply forgotten over time.

    Norton¡¯s guilty conscience and his intention to cover up the news from the media made sense to everyone¡¯s logic. Therefore, the people behind all of this raised the game and helped further suppress the news as well.

    Therefore, Javon¡¯s car ident tragedy was just left to be forgotten just like that and it was not until Hansen¡¯s intervention that Norton was exposed.

    However, this matter was still developing and Hansen truly believed that Jenna would get the justice she deserved.

    It was just that there may be something in Javon¡¯s case that Jenna could not ept and he was clueless whether it may happen or not as well.

    If Javon had in factid his hands on this huge crime before the car ident, it was very likely that he was either threatened to some extent and had to do something against his will, or that he could not avoid it at all. After all, he was just the Minister of Finance. If it was an order from his superiors, he could not help it at all. Of course, he could also be killed if he refused tomit such vitions.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Either way, it would be a cruel blow to Jenna.

    As Hansen thought of this, he couldn¡¯t feel at ease. In the future, how could he make Jenna ept her father¡¯s cause of death?

    When the truth was revealed, although Norton would still be involved, the crime he convicted would be reducedrgely. Nheless, this was good news to the Richards family for Norton could stit leastlive.

 Chapter 257 Lump In His Throat

    After stepping out of the Public Security Department, Hansen drove his car to arge za nearby.

    ¡°Alvin, what are Brock¡¯s recent whereabouts?¡± He fished out his mobile phone, put it near his ear as he asked curtly.

    The anti-theft and soundproofing ability of the Hummer was excellent, and his deep voice in the car resonated clearly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Mr. Matthews¡¯ police force wiped out another drug den the night before. Judging from the current situation, Brock is starting to panic now and it is very likely that he will escape overseas at any time. As of now, there are many international mafias in A city and Brock is still under their control for the time being. However, if Mr. Matthews continues to investigate ording to the clues he has, cracks down on everything and annihtes their organizations, Brock is very likely to flee abroad with the international mafia organization,¡± Alvin replied in a deep voice over the phone.

    ¡°We must never let him escape abroad. Seize the timing and be prepared to catch Brock alive at any moment,¡± Hansen ordered decisively.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Roger that,¡± Alvin responded immediately. ¡°By the way, Mr. Richards. Leon, the man who knocked Javon over in the car ident that had fled overseas has returned to the mafia organization in A city. It is most probably because that New Year is approaching soon and he came back to visit his rtives.¡±

    ¡°Great.¡± Hansen smiled coldly as he asked, ¡°Are there any other family members in Leon¡¯s family?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, he is not married and he only has his old mother who lives with him. I heard that he is very filial and he treats his mother very well. There¡¯s a high chance that he came back for his mother,¡± Alvin analyzed pertinently.

    ¡°Indeed. Send someone to guard his door secretly. As soon as he appears, contact the police immediately. I will call Jordan now to tell him about this. When the timees, cooperate with the police and we must arrest him. We could not let him escape this time.¡± After Hansen finished giving orders, he hung up and called Jordan again. With that, his heart was at ease as he drove back to Richards Manor.

    In Richards Manor, because of the special New Year banquet, the festive New Year aura was much stronger than before. Lights and ornaments were hung everywhere, even the air was imbued with a sense of joy.

    Hansen¡¯s stare was deep. The following day was thest day of the three-day deadline that Earl gave him to decide on the date of marriage. He still couldn¡¯t believe that the reputable and honorable mayor would make up lies, and could even go to such lengths to destroy Richards Group just for their child¡¯s rtionship.

    Four years ago, when he first took over Richards Group, there was a dark horse named Simon Martell in A city. He was well known for being wise and his family business was well-established as well. Back then, he had led thepany to thrive in sess. Rumor has it that he offended a prominent municipal official, which led to the fall of hispany. Even as of the moment, they had yet to recover from the disastrous impact.

    It was exactly because of such a precedent that caused Marissa to be so frightened.

    However, Hansen was not afraid at all.

    He had to fight for the happiness of their love.

    Green Jade Garden was empty. It was possibly because Aria was hospitalized, Hansen felt contented with thefortable silence. He felt relieved, both mentally and physically.

    ¡°Aunt E, where¡¯s Jenna?¡± After wandering around the entire second floor to search for her, Hansen asked Aunt E who was upied in the kitchen.

    Smiling warmly, Aunt E replied, ¡°Oh Young Master, Young Madam went out early this morning and she hasn¡¯te back since.¡±

    Went out early in the morning? Hansen was taken by surprise. ¡°Where did she go?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Young Master. Young Madam said that she¡¯ll be home for dinner. Here, this is the broth I specially prepared for her.¡± While answering him, Aunt E opened the lid of the boiling pot and hot steam escaped immediately. It was a pot of chicken mushroom soup.

    As Aunt E opened the lid, the aroma of the chicken filled the entire kitchen.

    As the rich smell of chicken invaded his senses, Hansen suddenly felt a hint of hunger in his stomach and heughed shyly.

    ¡°Young Master, you seem hungry. Take a seat please, I will make some good dishes for you,¡± Aunt E said very considerately.

    ¡°Sure, I will eat at home tonight,¡± Hansen smiled as he replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear! Recently, Young Madam¡¯s appetite seemed to have improved a lot. She is no longer picky as before and she ate more as well,¡± Aunt E said delightedly. Now that Aria was admitted to the hospital, she felt fresh. Without that woman¡¯s presence here in Green Jade Garden, it felt like the entire house was serene and refreshing.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Hansen¡¯s heart fluttered as the image of Jenna¡¯s pale but alluring face appeared before his eyes. It would be stunning if there could be a little more blush on that pretty face of hers. With the thought of this, an affectionate smile made its way onto his face.

    As they were talking, the sound of high-heels ttering rang from behind them. As Hansen turned his head around, he saw Jenna holding a small sky-blue umbre iid with a gold rim. Her smooth, long hair came into view as she entered the house with a delicate sling bag draped over her shoulders, her red coat swaying softly with the soft wind.Her hair was slightly disheveled and her fair features could be seen indistinctly behind her strands of hair. She resembled a red blossom amongst green leaves that was extremely attractive.

    Hansen felt his heart melting as he approached her quickly.

    ¡°Where did you go on such a cold day?¡± he asked, seemingly a little dissatisfied with Jenna¡¯s unsolicited outing. He had already called Sara and was told that she did not visit the hospital ward today.

    Jenna smiled brightly, shing her row of fine white teeth. Her smile was particrly eye-catching under the gloomy sky, but as breathtaking as it seemed, there was a hint of sorrow.

    Hansen stared at her in a daze!

    He would not describe himself as a man who only loves women who had beautiful features. He had seen many beautiful women before, but when it came to Jenna¡¯s pure and innocent beauty, his resistance was particrly low.

    Her actions and smiles would almost always have an effect on his heart and it was difficult for him to resist her. Of course, Hansen was very clear that this was mainly because her temperament and appearance suited his liking a lot.

    There seemed to be many people or things in this world that exist specifically for someone or something. Perhaps, this was what they called a soft spot!

    Hansen believed that he would have a soft spot for Jenna in his entire lifetime.

    Jenna smiled slightly as she put the umbre down and shook the raindrops off it. When Hansen reached out to take over the umbre in her hand, she hesitated for a moment but let him anyway.

    ¡°Your hands are really cold.¡± When Hansen¡¯s hand came into contact with hers as he took the umbre from her, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Although he enveloped her dainty hands and rubbed his against hers, the heat from his palms was not able to warm her hands. His eyebrows instantly furrowed as he asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to not go outside without my permission?¡±

    Jenna ignored him and walked towards the second floor.

    Hansen followed closely behind her.

    The two bodyguards didn¡¯t stop Hansen. To be precise, they didn¡¯t have the courage to stop him and Jenna did not object this time as well.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m talking to you here but you just ignored me. What kind of attitude is this?¡± Jenna¡¯s nonchnt attitude made Hansen impatient and he protested grumpily.

    Jenna walked into the bedroom and took off her red coat. Beneath the coat was ahigh-coredsoft wool sweater. The delicate fur hugged her fair neck, plump breasts, round buttocks, and her waist which became a little thicker but was still slender. Her curvy figure was entuated exquisitely.

    What a tease!

    Upon taking in the scene in front of him, Hansen felt his pants tighten as his body heated up ufortably.

    Withrge strides, he approached her and hugged her waist, letting his warm fingers find their way to her soft hair. His pale fingers slid down her hair as he tidied out her tousled hair. At that moment, he didn¡¯t want to hold grudges on her impolite attitude already.

    Her fair neck and her breathtaking face appeared in front of his eyes. Hansen sensed his stomach grumbling as he felt an urge to eat the woman in front of him up.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Seeing Hansen¡¯s beastly face, Jenna asked with an innocent smile stered on her face.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Hansen did not know what to say as he heard her deliberate negligence and innocent rhetorical question. Looking at her face, he fell into deep thoughts again as his palms which would originally wander around her stopped their actions.He did not continue teasing her.

    ¡°How dare you tease me.¡± Right after Hansen came back to his senses, he couldn¡¯t help but grit his teeth as he said affectionately but aggressively at the same time.

    Jenna blinked her eyes and looked at him with a smile.

    His hand was still on the back of her head, his grip was warm and his entire body exuded super-hot energy as his eyes were slowly clouded by lust.

    ¡°Tell me, did you go out with another man behind my back?¡± When it came to his beloved woman, Hansen couldn¡¯t help but feel suspicious and jealous of everything.

    Jenna blinked innocently as she shook his head with a tense smile on her face. She said in an unbothered manner, ¡°Hansen, stop messing around. I¡¯m very tired and I want to sleep.¡±

    Sleep? That¡¯s nice.

    Hansen shed her a treacherous smile as he replied gently, ¡°I wish to sleep as well, let¡¯s sleep together then.¡±

    With a grunt, he picked her up and walked towards the bed.

    ¡°Let me go, Hansen, you know I didn¡¯t mean what you meant,¡± Jenna said tiredly.

    After negotiating with Aria in the hospital, she was really wasted at that moment, and she really wanted to sleep and rx. However, Hansen obviously didn¡¯t think so. The more Jenna struggled in his arms, the more he was turned on, and the harder it was to resist his urge.

    ¡°Well, can you tell me now why you went out today?¡± Hansen ced Jenna on the bed as he hovered over her. Stroking her hair with one hand, he asked with a suggestive expression, ¡°Quick, tell me. Or else,I¡¯ll eat you up.¡±

    In fact, he was also hungry at that moment. Jenna¡¯s face was full of fatigue and he couldn¡¯t bear to torture her. It was just because the passion that was rising deep inside him was so intense that he couldn¡¯t help but feel like teasing her. Even if that only meant having her beneath him without doing anything, he was satisfied.

    ¡°Stop fooling around, I didn¡¯t go anywhere,¡± Jenna red at him helplessly as she replied brusquely.

    ¡°Did you go on a date with another man behind my back?¡± Hansen tilted his head and looked at her, examining her face. He did not try to conceal his jealousy as he asked uneasily for the second time.

    ¡°I did,¡± Jenna puffed her cheeks as she blushed and affirmed in anger.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± Hansen spoke as soon as her words were heard. He threatened her, ¡°If you dare to seduce Rayan, I won¡¯t let you off the hook if I knew about it.¡±

    Although he had a vicious and threatening expression on his face, an inexplicable panic shed across him internally.

    At that moment, he felt a lump in his throat that he had never felt before, and there was a panic of not being able to dere the woman beneath him as his. It seemed that she would not belong to him at all. It was a strange feeling but he had a bad hunch about it as well.

 Chapter 258 Please, Marry Aria

    ¡°What an overbearing, self-righteous man you are!¡± Jenna warned him. Seemingly not yet satisfied, she immediately scoffed, ¡°Who do you think you are? My heaven, my earth, or perhaps my master? What a joke.¡±

    ¡°Exactly! I am dominating you and you¡¯ll never escape from me in your lifetime,¡± Hansen curled his lips to a devilish smile as he saidselfishly.

    Jenna smiled coldly and her expression tensed up. Her gaze seemedckluster.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare doubt me. Stop challenging my limits,¡± Hansen threatened when he saw that she didn¡¯t believe him at all.

    ¡°Fine, just let me go now. I need to take a bath.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t give him a reply. Her heart was in a mess and she did not feel like engaging in this kind of unnecessary argument with him. She felt really tired. Not only was she physically exhausted, but she was mentally drained as well. She reached out and nudged him weakly as she said, ¡°I¡¯m very tired, can you leave?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Hansen listened to her this time and sat up obediently. He saw the hint of loneliness and sorrow shing across Jenna¡¯s eyes, and her expression full of fatigue made his heart ache as well. ¡°Take a shower first and you can eat after that.¡±

    He was tender and considerate as he said with an almostheart-meltingattitude.

    Jenna was internally distressed. As she was surrounded by his affectionate love, she couldn¡¯t help but think of her negotiation with Aria in the hospital that day. Her thoughts were as messy as a and it felt like the was slowly tightening over time as it reached for her heart. Her heart was aching as the persistently strangled her. She shut her eyes weakly as tears streamed from the corners of her eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, silly?¡± Hansen stroke Jenna¡¯s face gently and soon he came into contact with the drops of warm tears trickling from the corner of her eye. His heart throbbed in pain as he asked hurriedly.

    Jenna kept her eyes shut and said nothing but her tears kept flowing.

    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Hansen was puzzled. He leaned closer and embraced her in his arms as he asked with panic arising from the bottom of his heart.

    Jenna opened her eyes abruptly and wrapped her arms around his neck. She got closer to his ears and whispered pleadingly, ¡°Hansen, marry Aria.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Hansen was astounded. He thought that he had heard it wrong as he sat in a daze. Suddenly, he felt likeughing. This woman must be testing him!

    As he was thinking about how to answer her, he heard her saying in a firm tone again, ¡°Hansen, marry Aria.¡±

    Hansen heard it clearer this time. His mouth went ajar and he was utterly speechless.

    He couldn¡¯t believe his ears. If such words were said by someone else, he wouldn¡¯t feel strange at all, but when it came from her, it almost felt like a dream.

    ¡°Jenna, what nonsense are you talking about?¡± After a moment, he smiled and scolded her gently. Jenna was probably doubtful with herself and that was why she wanted to test him in this way. Although it made him feel ufortable, he understood that she did it because she cares about him. With this thought in mind, he did not feel annoyed anymore and was even secretly happy about it.

    ¡°Marry Aria,¡± Jenna¡¯s unambiguous voice rang in his ears again.

    Three times. She said it three times in a row!

    Hansen heard it clearly and was certain that it was true!

    ¡°Hey, enough joking.¡± His expression darkened.

    ¡°I never joke,¡± Jenna replied indifferently.

    Did she mean it? Hansen looked at her skeptically and checked her out. He then put his hand on her forehead and muttered to himself, ¡°It¡¯s not a fever, are you probably too tired to think straight? Okay then, you should have an early night after eating.¡±

    ¡°No, I want you to promise me first,¡± Jenna stood up from his arms and said categorically.

    As she escaped from his embrace, Hansen felt empty in his arms. Inexplicably, his heart felt empty as well.

    Her words were decisive and it didn¡¯t seem like it was said on a whim. It felt like she had considered it for a long time.

    ¡°Never,¡± he refused upromisingly as he stood up. With a gloomy expression on his face, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t test my patience.¡±

    ¡°No, Hansen, I mean what I said. Please promise me you¡¯ll marry Aria, I beg you,¡± Jenna voiced with a serious expression. ¡°She is pregnant with your child. You should marry her; it¡¯s your responsibility as a man.¡±

    Hansen stared glumly at her, who was standing in front of him. His body froze as his solemn face tensed up. Then, he turned around and said tly, ¡°That¡¯s never going to happen.¡±

    ¡°But Hansen, you should marry her.¡± Jenna¡¯s hand clenched the hem of his clothes tightly.

    If Hansen could agree to marry Aria willingly, she would not need to further hurt him with aggressive behaviors just to make him give up on her. It would be a good oue for both of them.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    However, Hansen¡¯s gaze darkened gradually. He stared straight at her with looks that kill.

    Jenna felt weak at that instant and she felt like she could no longer speak.

    ¡°You are worried about me, right? Are you worried that I will be harmed by Earl?¡± He sighed suddenly as he stroked her hair and asked caringly.

    Jenna¡¯s mouth was slightly ajar.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am a man and will not be harmed by him. Believe me, I can handle everything and I will never allow anyone to hurt you as well. To protect you and to marry you is my actual responsibility as a man, do you understand?¡± he said softly with a gentle tone while holding her in a warm embrace and patted her on the back lightly.

    She must be too tired. She was too tired to even think straight and she wasn¡¯t paying attention to what she was saying, Hansen thought.

    In his arms, Jenna felt a lump in her throat and she felt like she was gonna tear up but she bit her lip tightly and shook her head.

    ¡°Hansen, even if it¡¯s for my sake, please promise to marry Aria, would you? I will be very grateful to you,¡±she said firmly and unyieldingly as she pushed him away stubbornly.

    Hansen¡¯s expression darkened again and there was a hint of annoyance in his gaze.

    ¡°Jenna, take your words back and I¡¯ll pretend I have never heard anything just now. If you continue saying things like this, you¡¯ll really infuriate me.¡± There was no tenderness in his tone at this point as he warned her gravely.

    However, Jenna didn¡¯t give up. She continued insensibly, ¡°Hansen, I mean it, you should marry Aria. Inform her the date of marriage immediately. Trust me, I sincerely hope you do this.¡±

    Enough is enough! Hansen¡¯s patience had reached its limit.

    ¡°Hey, stop thinking that you can do whatever you want and talk nonsense in front of me just because I care about you and I love you. My patience has its limits.¡± His eyebrows scrunched together as his eyes shot daggers at Jenna.

    Jenna¡¯s head was throbbing as she felt a sudden ckout. His eyes were full of rage as if it was filled with gushingva that could hurt her. She bit her lip tightly and lowered her head without saying anything.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ll wait for you on the first floor to eatter. Wash up and go down soon.¡± After a while, Hansen began to speak again.

    He spoke warmly without any anger in his tone.

    Well, this meant that he agreed, right?

    Jenna felt delighted and crestfallen at the same time.

    She was delighted that she was able to convince him but she felt sad deep in her heart. The pain felt excruciatingly real as if it was incised on her heart and it hurt so much that it made her frown painfully.

    Hansen¡¯s tall figure finally walked out of the room.

    Jenna¡¯s tears gushed out of her eyes like a river without an embankment.

    With tears in her eyes, she looked for her pajamas absent-mindedly. After a long time, she found a set of fluffy pajamas, took them out and darted into the bathroom.

    The rushing water drowned her tears and it seemed like it soaked her heart as well.

    She felt an acute pain in her heart.

    Those memories hit her like a freight train and she couldn¡¯t help but think of the traces of them in the past.

    In the future, how could she forget him?

    How could she live alone with their child, does she have the courage to do so?

    But at that moment, she had to push him away with her own hands and push him into the arms of another woman.

    Was this what she wanted?

    She rinsed her body repeatedly as if she was trying to wash away everything in the past. However, she just felt more and more pain in her heart.

    After she finished bathing, Aunt E called from downstairs and told her that dinner was ready.

    Jenna replied and went downstairs.

    Marissa did note back. She was probably staying with Aria in the Maternity and Child Health Hospital.

    Hansen was sitting in the living room reading the newspaper. His expression was the usual, calm and stoic. His thick ck hair was dark and shiny because of the light from the ceilingmp, and his side profile was dashing under the light.

    As he saw her walk down, he raised his head and nced at her with his deep eyes, with an expression as calm as ever.

    ¡°You¡¯re here. Are you hungry? Come, let¡¯s eat.¡± He stood up, held her hands, and walked towards the dining room.

    Jenna felt uneasy. What did he mean by this?

    Why did he seem so nonchnt about this? Did he not even feel a hint of sadness that he had to leave her?

    Without resisting, she let him hold her.

    That day, it was only the two of them having a meal. Since such a peaceful and warm moment would be very rare in the future, she might as well cherish it.

    The two sat down at the dining table.

    ¡°Come on, have some chicken soup.¡± Hansen took the bowl in front of her and scooped up some soup for her eagerly, helping her with the dishes she liked. The atmosphere was warm and loving.

    Aunt E smiled dly as she saw how loving they were with each other.

    As long as the Young Master loved the Young Madam, and as long as he was determined to marry her, the Young Madam did not have to worry about anything. In this, she believed in the Young Master.

    ¡°Eat more, it¡¯s not good for women to be too thin.¡± Hansen, like the gentleman he was, picked up another piece of chicken wings that Jenna liked and ced it into her bowl.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jenna thanked him softly.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled up into a small smile unconsciously.

    They had the meal in a serene and warm, and almost romantic atmosphere.

    After the meal, Jenna returned to the second floor. Hansen did not follow her upstairs as he went out of the door after picking up a call.

    She climbed into bed early and fell into slumber dispiritedly.

    She and Hansen were destined to have no future.

    Her head was painfully throbbing while her stomach was ufortably bloating. She couldn¡¯t think about anything and fell asleep.

    In the middle of the night right when she flipped over, she came into a warm and built chest. Unknowingly, the feeling of that familiar chest had been embedded in the depths of her memory as she habitually snuggled into the embrace. She found afortable position and fell into deep sleep again. When she opened her eyes again, although the thick curtains blocked the sunlight from outside, Jenna knew that it was already quitete.

    She moved in an attempt to turn over and sit up but found that a strong arm was wrapped around her waist. She looked down in shock.

 Chapter 259 Crumbling Willpower

    What? Hansen?

    Jenna screamed in shock.

    She had slept in Hansen¡¯s embrace.

    While she took a closer look, he was sleeping soundly, even her cry didn¡¯t wake him up.

    Frozen in shock, she watched him sleep like a baby in a daze.

    He was in slumberfortably as usual, without any odd expressions at all.

    That day was the third andst day of the deadline that Earl forced him to decide on the date of marriage. Although she had already negotiated with Aria and changed the deadline to ten days, Hansen did not know about it.

    Why did he stille to stay with her?

    Was it just habitual?

    However, his attitude¡­

    Didn¡¯t he worry about Earl¡¯s threat at all? Or perhaps, did he inform them about the date of marriage they asked for when he went outst night?

    She felt uneasy.

    She didn¡¯t know when he sneaked inst night. However, she didn¡¯t want to look into it anymore.

    She sat on the bed dazedly for a long moment.

    ¡°Why did you wake up so early? Lie down and sleep for a while more.¡± Hansen felt the emptiness in his arms and it became chilly for him. Soon, he woke up and saw Jenna sitting in a daze. He stretched out his hand to drag her back into the sheets as he spoke gently.

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s get up,¡± Jenna said with bitterness in her heart as she nudged him.

    ¡°What¡¯s with the hurry? It¡¯s snowing again outside and it¡¯s cold now. Sleep a little longer with me,¡± Hansen repliedzily as heid beneath the cozy nket.

    Seeing that he was still acting slovenly without a concern, she thought about what she told him the day before. However, she had no idea whether he agreed to it, or if he just did not bother about it at all.

    ¡°Hansen, have you already done what I told you yesterday?¡± Ignoring the bitterness in her heart, she asked.

    Hansenidzily with his eyes shut, paying no heed to her words.

    Since Jenna couldn¡¯t get an answer from him, she was even more disinterested to continueying in the sheets. She then struggled to sit up again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Hansen gripped her waist firmly and ordered softly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep anymore.¡± Jenna felt a little annoyed.

    ¡°Do you not feel like sleeping anymore or do you not want to sleep with me at all?¡± Sensing the impatience in her tone, Hansen opened his eyes abruptly and asked gloomily.

    Jenna was taken by surprise. However, she didn¡¯t exin anything and just put up a straight face.

    ¡°Am I that hateful to you?¡± Hansen locked her waist in his arms and made her face him as he stared at her sternly while asking.

    What was going on in his mind? Jenna wondered.

    She was utterly speechless.

    ¡°Can you do what I told you yesterday? Or have you already made a decision?¡± She did not feel like beating around the bush with him anymore. Since she had already said it directly the previous night, there was no need to hide anything. Therefore, she asked straightforwardly.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Hansen threw a question back at her indifferently with a puzzled expression on his face.

    Goodness, did he forget what she said the previous night just like that? Or was he truly unbothered by it?

    Gosh, Jenna felt like drowning in her tears.

    ¡°About what I told you yesterday. I asked you to marry Aria.¡± Jenna felt dejected but she had to ask him patiently again.

    His expression was full of bewilderment and Jenna couldn¡¯t tell that he was deliberately faking it. He must¡¯ve simply forgotten what happened and took what she said with a grain of salt.

    ¡°Do you have a problem with your head or are you out of your mind? Why are you mentioning something so unpleasant in the early morning? It¡¯s impossible, you know.¡± Hansen knocked her head lightly as he scolded her with a gentle expression on his face.

    Jenna was dumbfounded. Not only did he not take her words seriously, but she could also guarantee that this was the first time since he was born that he treated someone with such a good attitude and patience. Moreover, he used his first on her.

    Seeing Hansen¡¯s determination and his slight disdain, Jenna realized that he would not listen to her at all.

    For an instant, she felt d. However, she felt even more anxious.

    ¡°Hansen, I know that you love me and you¡¯re really nice to me, but still, I would like to ask you to marry Aria.¡± She lowered her head and buried her face under the nkets near his chest as she told him dejectedly.

    ¡°Knowing that I¡¯m good to you is enough,¡± Hansen said as he chuckled. He did not know what to do as he saw the adorably indignant expression on the petite woman in his arms. He reached out and stroked her hair, heaving a sigh as he asked softly, ¡°Jenna, you¡¯ve been persistently asking me this; do you have no confidence in me, or are you trying to test me? In fact, you can trust me, I have already said that in my lifetime, I will not marry any other woman except you. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    As he said that, his hands slowly trailed down her undergarments and stroked her there.

    Jenna was immediately turned on by his warm hands. She felt like her body was on fire.

    He would not believe that she truly meant what she said.

    In fact, she herself would not believe it as well. After all, there wouldn¡¯t be any woman in this world who was stupid enough to push the man she loved into the arms of other women.

    However, Jenna was being truthful at that moment. Only she herself knew this best.

    Nheless, Hansen¡¯s confession to her that was filled with determination made her heart feel warm.

    It was enough that he felt like that. She was responsible for protecting Richards Group and she can¡¯t selfishly disregard everything in order to get him. That was not her character.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m telling the truth,¡± she spoke again with an unwavering tone.

    ¡°It¡¯s still early in the morning; stop being a killjoy by saying things like this.¡± Hansen¡¯s hand was lingering on her body and he was already eager to do something. Her words were quickly forgotten as he moved his hands to her sensitive spot. His breathing became erratic. As he flipped around and hovered over her, he gritted his teeth and said bitterly, ¡°Do you really want me to give you some confidence? Or do I have to do you properly so that you stop talking nonsense all day?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t, Hansen,¡± Jenna cried anxiously.

    Hansen smiled devilishly as he pushed her clothes up and dived right down. Their tongues began battling sensually.

    ¡°Hey, you¡­¡± Jenna¡¯s words of resistance gradually lost firmness as his light kiss and teasing made her lose herself in the pleasure.

    On such an early morning, it was snowing outside but it felt warm as spring inside the house as the young couple who just woke up were full of passion and love. Lust filled the atmosphere as a strong desire for each other could be felt and even the strongest determination would begin to slowly disintegrate. As they reached their climax, she heard Hansen¡¯s affectionate whisper in her ear, ¡°Jenna, we will remarry after New Year and I will give you the most luxurious wedding in the world when that timees. I¡¯ll make you the happiest woman in the world.¡±

    At this moment, the walls of Jenna¡¯s heart began to copse. No matter how firm her willpower was initially, it began to crumble. She hugged him tightly, thinking of staying with him like this and fighting with him. She had forgotten Marissa¡¯s request and Aria¡¯s threat.

    Hansen hugged Jenna who was covered in sweat, feeling very satisfied. The blush on her face was fascinating and under his affectionate touch, the paleness on her face was finally reced by a crimson shade.

    He had enough confidence that his woman would be fair and ravishing under his care, and he could afford everything.

    Even when both of them went downstairs for breakfast, they were very affectionate with their fingers interlocked, faces full of contentment and happiness. Even Marissa, who was sitting beside the dining table could feel it.

    The mncholy on Marissa¡¯s face became even more evident.

    After the meal, Hansen hurried away as a phone call came.

    Jenna didn¡¯t dare to face Marissa. Right at that moment, Sabrina came in from outside, pulling Jenna off her seat and left. Jenna was actually begging for it to happen as well, therefore she followed Sabrina and fled away from the scene.

    ¡°Sabrina, I haven¡¯t seen you in the past few days. Were you with Norton?¡± A very serious question came to her mind and she asked Sabrina hurriedly as soon as they got into the car.

    Sabrina started blushing as a shy and flustered expression made its way onto her face. As her eyes curved into crescents with her smile, she nodded sheepishly.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank.

    Up to this moment, she was affirmative that Sabrina did not know anything about Norton¡¯s crime. Although her father¡¯s case had not been settled yet, it was just a matter of sooner orter. When she asked Jordan a few days ago, he implicitly told her the reason the case had not been closed yet, it was because the man named Leon who knocked over her father and caused his death escaped overseas. Only when everyone was caught and when the evidence wasplete could the case be closed. Therefore, Norton would be affected sooner orter and be sanctioned byw.

    Seeing how Sabrina seemed innocently in love, Jenna sighed deeply.

    What was the purpose of Norton approaching Sabrina? This was what worried her most.

    It could never possibly be because of love.

    Could someone innocent like Sabrina understand?

    Just as Hannah said, once a woman is in love, her IQ would turn zero. What¡¯s more, this was Sabrina¡¯s first love.

    Jenna has a deep understanding of Sabrina¡¯s current feeling. When it came to Hansen¡¯s problems, she had no principles at all.

    ¡°Sabrina, what do you think of Norton?¡± she asked carefully, tryingto make an innuendo.

    ¡°Jenna, Norton is a talented person, he¡¯s not very talkative, and he¡¯s very gentle and elegant. I¡¯ve known him since young and I think he¡¯s great. He is very nice to me as well,¡± Sabrina replied seriously after thinking for a moment.

    ¡°Is it because he spends time with you these days and treats you well that makes you think he¡¯s a good person?¡± Jenna continued questioning worriedly.

    Sabrina tilted her head and squinted her eyes as she thought for a while.

    ¡°Not really, he has always been very nice to me. It¡¯s just that his personality is a little depressive and taciturn, but he¡¯s an honest person. In fact, he is not to be med since he¡¯s an illegitimate child and was raised outside. If it wasn¡¯t for Grandma who took into ount that Auntie wasn¡¯t able to bear children, nobody would know when he would be able to be sent back to Richards Manor. Children who grew up in such an environment would inevitably have a weird personality. I feel pity for him and he¡¯s also quite inferior about it as well.¡±

    Sabrina spoke with regret on her face and her expression was visibly moved as well.

    Upon hearing this, Jenna was slightly in a daze. Turned out that everyone¡¯s impression of people was different. She has always disliked Norton, thinking that he was unfathomable, peculiar, and that he acts deviously. However, Sabrina¡¯s impression of him waspletely different to hers.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    ¡°Seems like he will be a good and responsible man in the future, you will be very happy hereafter,¡± Jenna sighed inwardly but still jokingly said.

    Sabrina¡¯s cheeks turned crimson as she turned her face away without saying anything.

    However, Jenna saw a vivid smile on her face.

 Chapter 260 The Mystery In The Ward

    Jenna felt restless all day. As usual, she stayed in Richards Manor in the morning to prepare for the special New Year¡¯s banquet and went to the hospital in the afternoon.

    Hansen was still very busy. He had not returned to Green Jade Garden for the past two days and Jenna did not call to ask either. Sometimes, she felt that she kept the walls in her heart up firmly, so firm that it was enough to conceal all of her longing towards Hansen and she did not tend to miss him easily.

    That afternoon, she came to Trevor¡¯s ward as usual.

    Trevor¡¯s eyes were able to remain open for a much longer time and he was able to move his arms. As soon as he saw Jenna, he would look at her and open his mouth as if he wanted to say something. However, even if he mustered all his strength, he was unable to say aplete sentence.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, you don¡¯t need to rush it. Soon, you will be able to speak properly.¡± Every time when that happened, Jenna wouldfort him tenderly as she helped his limbs with the rehabilitation exercises.

    Now that he insisted on doing rehabilitation exercises every day, he was able to lift his hands and feet, and his gaze was much more flexible as well.

    Right when she massaged his arm, Jenna¡¯s heart began thumping loudly in her chest.

    He should be receiving an infusion. However, where did the needle go?

    Trevor didn¡¯t have a needle injected in his arm.

    She bent down and looked for it attentively. Soon, she found that the needle was removed and it was hanging loosely on the stand as its fluid trickled onto the floor. There was some blood on the back of Trevor¡¯s hand and it was obvious that the needle was removed not long ago.

    She ced a cotton swab on the back of his hand hurriedly as she reached out and rang the emergency bell on the bedside table.

    Soon, a nurse rushed over.

    ¡°Young Madam, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Marian Wyld, the head nurse, walked in and asked hurriedly.

    ¡°Look, Madam Wyld. Why was the needle in Mr. Trevor¡¯s hand removed?¡± Jenna pointed to the needle hanging on the infusion stand as she asked Marian.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Marian picked up the needle and took a closer look. She then checked the wound on the back of Trevor¡¯s hand. Suddenly, her expression changed as she said oddly, ¡°Really? It¡¯s impossible for the needle to be identally detached. Before I left, I remember seeing surgical tape sticking to the back of his hand.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank instantly.

    ¡°Who was here just now?¡± she frowned slightly as she interrogated Marian.

    ¡°Please wait a minute, Young Madam. I¡¯ll call for the nurse on duty toe.¡± Marian hurried away.

    Jenna slumped abruptly onto the soft chair in front of the bed. Suddenly, a bad feeling began to fill her entire body and she felt chills down her spine.

    As she looked up, she saw Trevor working hard to open his mouth as if he wanted to say something.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, are you trying to say something?¡± Jenna leaned closer to him and asked softly.

    Trevor tried to raise his arm as his mouth remained ajar. However, he wasn¡¯t able to speak coherently at all.

    Jenna¡¯s gaze darkened instantly.

    After a moment, Marian walked in with the nurse on duty behind her.

    ¡°Please tell us, Tina. Who came here this morning and who was here just now?¡± Marian asked the round-faced nurse.

    ¡°Let me think.¡± Tina Adams, the nurse who took care of Trevor, tilted her head as she blinked. After thinking for a while, she said, ¡°No one has been here actually. In the morning, Madam Marissa came over for two hours, and then I stayed outside and came in to check from time to time. I haven¡¯t seen anyone here anymore and Young Madam came after that.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever left the nurse¡¯s station then? Or have you seen any suspicious strangers appearing in the corridor?¡± Jenna felt sorrowful. Her eyes squinted as she asked sternly.

    ¡°No, I did not. There is a corner in the corridor here and anyone who came would have to pass through our nurse¡¯s station. It is impossible to intrude with nobody noticing.¡± As Tina faced Jenna¡¯s aggressive questioning, she got a little scared and she shook her head profusely.

    ¡°Fine, but look, Mr. Trevor¡¯s needle was unplugged for no reason. This is not a trivial matter. Please keep an attentive eye on it in the future. If anyonees to visit, they must register with their ID card first. A call must be made to get Madam Marissa¡¯s and my consent, do you understand?¡±

    Marian said with a solemn expression, ¡°If what happened today was in fact done deliberately, it would be really fortunate if nothing bad happened. However, should any mishap happen, you would not get away with the me since it happened during your duty period. Fortunately, Young Madam noticed it early and no idents happened. You may leave now.¡±

    After Marian warned Tina, she instructed her to leave first.

    ¡°Young Madam, I don¡¯t think someone deliberately pulled it out. It was probably the chairman himself who removed it as he felt ufortable. Now that he is able to move his arm, this could be possible.¡± Marian picked up the tubing, changed its needle, and gave Trevor an intravenous injection. Soon, the saline was infused into Trevor¡¯s blood vessel again.

    ¡°Madam Wyld, I would like to ask, what kind of medicine are you infusing to Mr. Trevor now and what are the effects?¡± Jenna looked at the prescription and enquired.

    ¡°Young Madam, these are all medicines for dredging blood vessels and nutritional rehabilitation for patients who suffered from stroke,¡± Marian replied without hesitation.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Jenna nodded and continued, ¡°If the patient doesn¡¯t use these medicines every day, will it cause any implications?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ Young Madam, now that the patient is in the process of recovering and that improvements could be observed every day, it proved that these medicines are very suitable for the patient. If they were stopped suddenly, of course, it will cause the patient to not be able to recover, he may even suffer from seriousplications. After all, the patient just had a brain operation,¡± Marian exined with a serious expression.

    ¡°Okay, I see.¡± Jenna nodded and said in a deep voice, ¡°Let¡¯s end this matter here and forget about it for now. Perhaps, it was really the patient himself who pulled it off unknowingly. Starting today, you need to improve on your nursing care. After all, we wouldn¡¯t be able to stay here often. I don¡¯t want this to happen again in the future.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Rest assured, I will order them to step up on the supervision,¡± Marian quickly replied.

    ¡°Good, feel free to go ahead then,¡± Jenna nodded and said as she smiled slightly.

    ¡°Okay, Young Madam. I¡¯ll take my leave now; please call me whenever you need me,¡± Marian said her goodbyes to Jenna and rushed away.

    Jenna sat in Trevor¡¯s ward and only left when she saw that the saline had been fully infused into Trevor¡¯s blood vessels.

    However, the suspicion in her heart grew stronger and stronger. Throughout more than two hours of infusion, Trevor had never tried to pull off the needle by himself. His hands would still move as usual, but after Jenna¡¯s careful observation, even though Trevor¡¯s arm could move, it was almost impossible for him to drag his arm across and pull out the needle. He could move his arms but his fingers were not quite flexible. If even picking up a cup was difficult for him, it was impossible for him to be able to remove the needle so precisely.

    Someone must be deliberately trying to remove the needle tubing. Obviously, they did not want him to recover.

    With the thought in mind, Jenna stood up in shock.

    Who would not want Trevor to recover from his illness?

    It could not be Marissa, let alone Hansen. Of course, it was not her as well.

    However, only three of them knew about Trevor going to the United States for a surgery and that he was about to recover so far. Of course, there were also the people in this hospital, her mother in the ward and Vivian who knew about it. However, these people would never wish for Trevor to not be able to recover.

    Who would it be?

    Jenna¡¯s head began to throb in pain.

    This was no small matter. Should she tell Hansen? Jenna pondered.

    Currently, there was no evidence and no trace of someone removing the needle as well. Moreover, no bad consequences urred. Would he consider it a fuss if she told him just like that?

    She decided to wait and further observe the situation. If there was actually someone who wished for Trevor to be unable to stand up, they would not stop if their goal was not achieved. Since some other measures would definitely be taken, it was best to wait and see.

    However, they must be more attentive in their care. It must be taken seriously.

    For the following two days, Jenna visited the hospital as usual. At first, nothing happened, but on the third day, an ident urred: the needle was removed again.

    This time around, Jenna was extremely anxious.

    She summoned Marian for another detailed inquiry. Just likest time, no suspicions were noticed. The nurses on duty said that they had never seen anyonee in.

    Jenna was utterly puzzled this time. As she sat in front of Trevor¡¯s hospital bed, she felt a pounding headache.

    At that point of time, Marian understood the severity of the matter as well. She immediately reported to the superiors and they did not dare to neglect the matter, and more people were sent to look after the ward. Besides meal breaks and toilet breaks, the nurses guarded the ward all day.

    However, the same thing happened again after two days. It almost drove Jenna crazy.

    She called Hansen¡¯s number. However, he happened to be on a business trip that few days and he went to Capital City for somepany-rted event. Jenna gave him several calls but he was always busy when that happened. The phone calls always ended up with him hanging up after saying something hurriedly.

    She could only leave the hospital during nighttime when everything died down.

    She didn¡¯t dare to be careless this time. From the following day onwards, she nned to stay with him personally and only leave after the infusion waspleted.

    Nighttime approached quietly as the sun was below its horizon. Jenna waited for Trevor to finish the infusion and only left the hospital after reminding the nurses repeatedly.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    As she returned to Richards Manor, all of the night lights in the mansion were turned on. It was the Lantern Festival that day and the lights in Richards Manor would be on all night. Looking from a distance, the garden was gleaming brightly and it seemedvishly glorious.

    Her car arrived in Green Jade Garden.

    Suddenly, she heard a familiar chuckle ringing from nearby. Jenna couldn¡¯t help but stop in ce as she looked over to where theughter came from. She then saw the silhouette of a man and a woman cuddling together in the yard of Green Jade Garden. As the man lowered his head and seemed to be kissing the woman, she nudged him while giggling softly.

    With just one nce, Jenna recognized who they were.

    It was none other than Norton and Sabrina.

    Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    After a brief hesitation, she approached them slowly.

    Both of them were so focused on each other that even though Jenna made her footsteps heavier on purpose, they didn¡¯t notice her approaching.

 Chapter 261 #####Chapter: Distress

    ¡°Sabrina, when will your father visit A city?¡± Norton¡¯s voice was soft and gentle as he asked.

    ¡°He will definitely attend the New Year banquet,¡± Sabrina replied shyly.

    ¡°Oh.¡± After Norton responded curtly, no words were further exchanged as he lowered his head in an attempt to kiss her again.

    Norton was indeed asking about General Delia again. What was this guy up to?

    ¡°Ehem,¡± Jenna cleared her throat deliberately.

    The two darted away from each other frantically with a flustered expression on their faces.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re back from the hospital.¡± As Sabrina saw Jenna standing in front of her, her face flushed in crimson. She felt very embarrassed as she tidied her disheveled hair with her hand and asked awkwardly.

    Norton looked even more embarrassed than her.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Smiling, Jenna nodded as she said jokingly, ¡°Tsk, what a loving couple.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, stop making fun of me. By the way, is Uncle Richards feeling better?¡± Sabrina scurried towards her, hugging her arm as she asked caringly.

    Jenna opened her mouth and just as she was about to speak, she felt an inexplicable gaze staring at her. Right as she raised her head, she saw Norton looking at her eagerly as if he wanted to know as well. Jenna¡¯s heart twitched and she shut her mouth instantly.

    ¡°Jenna, Uncle Richards is slowly recovering, right? We are all wishing for him to be able to stand up once again.¡± Noticing that Jenna stopped talking, Norton asked with concern.

    Jenna forced out a slight smile with her typical calm expression. She then shook her head and heaved a sigh as she said, ¡°Uncle Richards¡¯ disease is incurable and everything¡¯s just the same. It¡¯s hard to say whether things have be better or not anyway.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so pitiful. It¡¯s really sad to see how the once prestigious Uncle Richards had be like this overnight,¡± Sabrina sighed as she said regretfully. ¡°Jenna, I believe that you¡¯re exhausted. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Jenna moved away from her grip as she said softly, ¡°Sabrina, how about you go back first? I have something to ask Norton. Don¡¯t worry, it will only take a short time.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I¡¯ll leave first then. I¡¯ll be waiting for you upstairs, Jenna.¡± Sabrina smiled warmly as she walked away from them in light steps.

    Norton stared at her as her figure gradually became further from them with glimmer in his eyes.

    ¡°Jenna, anything I could help you with? Well, you just came back from the hospital, right?¡± After retracting his gaze, Norton asked awkwardly.

    ¡°Norton, do you still remember what I said to youst time?¡± After Sabrina left, Jenna¡¯s smile disappeared as she asked coldly.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Norton pretended not to understand.

    ¡°Norton, can you at least be a man with some conscience and morality? Sabrina is pure; she would not stand being tricked by you. Stop hurting an innocent girl so casually, would you?¡± Seeing that Norton feigned innocence, Jenna condemned him almost disappointedly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your purpose for approaching her was, but I will never allow you to hurt her.¡±

    Hearing Jenna¡¯s harsh and stern words, Norton had to face Jenna¡¯s questioning seriously.

    With a troubled expression, he gulped. Soon, he said gravely, ¡°Jenna, I¡¯d never thought about hurting her. I am beingpletely serious about this. After the prison incident, I figured it out and now, I just want to find a good pair to get married, have children, and live a in and peaceful life. Sabrina is a nice girl and I truly want to marry her.¡±

    As Norton gazed at the glimmering lights from afar, an unquenchable desire was evident in his eyes. It was an expression filled with yearning for good things out of human nature.

    Jenna¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as she looked at him quizzically.

    ¡°Do you love her then?¡± she frowned and asked.

    ¡°Love?¡± Nortonughed suddenly. ¡°That¡¯s silly of you, Jenna. How many couples in this world actually got married out of love? Love is the least needed in this world; it¡¯s everywhere. However, from the bottom of my heart, I want to marry her.¡±

    Norton smiled nonchntly as he said this.

    ¡°Norton, you are such a shameless man. You really tried to toy with Sabrina¡¯s feelings and to my surprise, it was out of such an absurd and glorified excuse. You¡¯re worse than a beast.¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes looked like they were about to spit out fire as she gritted his teeth and yelled at him.

    ¡°Enough.¡± The smile on Norton¡¯s face disappeared as his voice became cold. He stared at Jenna cold-heartedly as he said, ¡°Jenna, you are too naive. It¡¯s really a wonder how you still contained such innocence after going through so much in life. Let me make it clear: I am not toying with her feelings and I sincerely want to marry her. I¡¯ll give her a legitimate status and I will be with her in my entire life while she will give birth to my children. We¡¯ll live normally like how every other couple in this world does. What¡¯s wrong with treating a woman like this?¡±

    Was this his reason? Did he want to marry her just to achieve some purpose and not out of love instead?

    ¡°Fine, allow me to ask you, can you give her happiness?¡± Jenna¡¯s face was stoic but her arising anger was evident. If a man couldn¡¯t give a woman happiness, why even mention marriage? This was too childish.

    ¡°Happiness? Do you even understand what it is?¡± Norton tossed the question right back at her.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Jenna was at a loss of words for a moment.

    ¡°Nheless, a woman¡¯s happiness is definitely not what you think it is. Do you actually think you¡¯re treating her nicely? Do you even know what a woman really needs?¡± She came back to her senses after a brief moment as she questioned again angrily.

    Seeing how she was interrogating him in rage, Norton suddenlyughed.

    ¡°Jenna, take a look at yourself. Who do you think you are now? You¡¯re just a divorced woman, the outsiders still think that you are stubbornly staying here to fight against the other woman just because you yearned for your inw¡¯s wealth too much. This is the result your so-called love brought you. Was this the good treatment you wished for? Do you really feel that this was the love you tried to pursue?¡±

    Although Norton¡¯s persistent questioning was harsh, it revealed a cruel reality. She, a woman who pursued love, was actually a failure.

    Her face turned pale as her body staggered. She couldn¡¯t make herself to say a single word anymore as she bit her lips tightly. The bitterness deep in her heart was exposed as she felt bloodied by Norton¡¯s words.

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s really surprising how stubborn you are, considering the fact that you¡¯ve been hurt so many times. I have warned you but since you never listen, let¡¯s just wait for the day that you¡¯ll be kicked out Richards Manor by Aria,¡± Norton said with a sneer as he ced his hands into his pockets. With a look of sarcasm and disdain, he continued, ¡°In fact, I loved you so much and I didn¡¯t want to see you sad. However, nothing can be helped since you didn¡¯t want to ept my love.¡±

    Norton shrugged with ahelpless expression on his face.

    Jenna was so irritated by his words that she felt like throwing up. She couldn¡¯t believe that he had the audacity to say things like this.

    ¡°Norton,¡± she growled deeply with a cold expression that could send shivers down the spine. ¡°Are you even worthy of saying the word ¡®love¡¯? You have never ever truly loved someone, how would you even know what love is? Even when it came to yourfianc¨¦e, you only tried to use her and toy with her feelings. How selfish of a person are you to only think of yourself! How could a person like you even understand what love is? You aren¡¯t even worthy enough to say the word itself. Sorry to break it to you but even I myself feel embarrassed for you when I hear you saying words like ¡®love¡¯. If you did have even a slight bit of love deep in you, would you be so blinded by greed that you¡¯d plot murder against my dad? Would you team up with others just to harm me?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyebrows scrunched up with a cold expression on her face. Her gaze was so terrifying that it looked like it could kill as she red at him.

    Fear and horror shed across Norton¡¯s face. Javon¡¯s case had be a nightmare in him. Even with the mere thought of it, he would wake up abruptly in the middle of the night as he trembled out of fear.

    His face was pale and expressionless as he lowered his head and turned around to leave.

    ¡°Norton, I would like to ask you something. In the interrogation room that day, you mentioned that ¡®those people¡¯ would not let me off the hook easily. Who were you actually referring to? Is it Aria? How did you know about that? What else do you know?¡± Jenna didn¡¯t intend to let him go so easily as she yelled at him and questioned sternly.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know anything. Those were just my spections.¡± Norton froze in ce. He said slowly after pausing for a brief moment.

    ¡°No, you do know something,¡± Jenna said affirmatively. ¡°We were all ssmates in college. You shared a close rtionship with Aria, I even saw you two together several times.¡±

    ¡°We were just mere ssmates and we were never on the same team.¡± Right as Jenna mentioned Aria, panic arose in Norton¡¯s heart and he quickly denied it.

    ¡°What do you mean by being on the same team?¡± Jenna asked purposely. ¡°Perhaps, have both of you actually done something unpleasant together?¡±

    ¡°Never.¡± Realizing that he had unconsciously spilled the beans, Norton hurriedly changed his remark. ¡°We were just ssmates and you should know that I had always hated her.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? I hope so.¡± Jenna scrutinized his expression as she said coldly, ¡°Norton, allow me to warn you once again. If you still insist on using Sabrina and ying with her feelings, I won¡¯t let you off the hook so easily.¡±

    At that moment, Norton was very flustered and he didn¡¯t feel like staying there anymore. He turned around quickly and fled away from the scene.

    As she watched him gradually leave her sight, Jenna narrowed her eyes.

    Right at that moment, her phone rang. She held it up and to her surprise, it was Aria who was calling.

    Her heart immediately sank.

    ¡°Hello,¡± she answered the phone with a dark expression as she spoke solemnly.

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s me.¡± Aria said as she chuckled devilishly on the phone, her voice crisp and clear.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jenna responded stoically.

    ¡°¡®What¡¯s the matter¡¯?¡± Aria scoffed as she said coldly, ¡°Jenna, could you have possibly forgotten what I would look for you about?¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna clenched her phone tightly while she trembled, unable to say a single word for a long moment.

    ¡°Perhaps, are you regretting it now? Or are you unable to leave Hansen at all?¡± Failing to get a reply from her, Aria¡¯s tone became more aggressive as she questioned her sharply.

    ¡°No. The time isn¡¯t even up yet, right?¡± she said guiltily.

    ¡°The time isn¡¯t up? It¡¯s already the eighth day today. He didn¡¯t answer my calls and he didn¡¯t visit me in the ward even once. With such treatment I get from him, are you still trying to convince me that he had changed his mind and had agreed to marry me?¡± Aria retorted with a sneer.

    ¡°Well¡­ You know his personality well. Things like this can¡¯t be rushed,¡± Jenna said dejectedly.

 Chapter 262 A Tricky Decision

    ¡°Can¡¯t be rushed?¡± Ariaughed. ¡°Jenna, I have gone for an examination today and the doctor said everything is fine with the fetus. I can¡¯t wait anymore. I¡¯ve already given you guys enough time to think about the matter. My patience is wearing thin. If you guys don¡¯t tell me the date of the marriage by the deadline, I will wait no longer.¡±

    ¡°What on earth are you scheming?¡± Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She leveled a re and demanded. At that moment, she recalled what happened in Trevor¡¯s ward and her blood ran cold.

    ¡°What do you think? Jenna, let me tell you, I must marry Hansen, I must be Mrs. Richard. You better be on the lookout, because anything can happen.¡± Aria hung up the phone after saying this.

    What she said made Jenna¡¯s hairs stand on end.The blood drained from her face and goosebumps covered her arms. She slumped onto the ground as she was left feeling drained and helpless.

    What to do?

    What should she do?

    Jenna ced her hands on her abdomen and tears coursed down her cheeks.

    If she left Hansen, her child would not have a dad. If she didn¡¯t leave Hansen, the Richards Group would be in financial trouble. What about Vivian and Trevor? What could she do?

    She was still in a daze upon entering Green Jade Garden.

    It was apparent that she was in distress as she stared at the ground.

    She heard someone sobbing in the living room.

    Although she was in a bad mood, she knew at once that it was Marissa.

    Marissa was such a proud person. What would make her cry? There was only one possible exnation. She was crying due to Richards Group¡¯s fate.

    Jenna recalled the day Trevor fainted. Although Marissa was flustered and bellowed at her, she didn¡¯t shed a tear.

    The sound of Marissa crying made Jenna¡¯s heart sink.

    Jenna paused for a moment before she spun around and ran away.

    She hurried to the parking lot and got into her car.

    The car pulled off and sped up the road, heading towards Richards Group.

    She hadn¡¯t seen Hansen for a few days. He should be back from a business trip to Capital City by this moment.

    At this instant, she really wanted to see him.

    No matter what, she wanted to see him first.

    It waste at night but Richards Groups was brilliant with lights shining through its lofty windows. The atmosphere was tense.

    Upon arriving at the eighty-eighth floor, the corridor was empty and there was no one in sight.

    She got out of the elevator and headed towards Hansen¡¯s office but it was empty. She turned around to go back to the elevator but she caught a glimpse of her office in the past. Nothing had changed.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t help but sigh as she reminisced about the past. She stood motionless for a while before she pushed the door open.

    Everything was the same as before. It was clean and tidy just like how it was when she worked here in the past.

    A thousand thoughts and memories shuffled through her brain like a ckjack deck. All sorts of emotions ¨C sorrow, happiness, despair, and so on, coursed through her veins.

    After staying for a while, she headed towards the conference room below.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    The lights were still on and it was the end of the financial year. There must be important issues to discuss. Otherwise, nobody would still be here workingte at night. Everyone would be anticipating the holidays ahead.

    ¡°Ridiculous. I don¡¯t believe Earl can do as he wishes and distort the truth. A city doesn¡¯t belong to him. How can he do whatever he wants? Thend was bought legally a few years ago. It¡¯s stated clearly in the contract. What is thew doing? It¡¯s so obvious that it¡¯s their fault, not ours. What does it have to do with us?¡± As she was approaching the door of the conference room, she heard Hansen raising his voice.

    Jenna came to a halt and remained silent.

    The door of the conference room was not closed tightly and she could hear what they were discussing.

    ¡°But Mr. Richards, they have already made an announcement to confirm that it is true. Once the document is approved by the superiors. nothing can be done anymore. Although the cost of this vi was not high, its current value is beyond our estimation. We cannot lose it. It is part of our n for the future,¡± Nathan said, his voice quivering.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards. The government has started to investigate some of our buildings in A city and many of our projects have been rejected. Aside from that, they have suspended some of our business. How is that possible? Someone must be scheming all of this behind the scene. Mr. Richards, we must take this matter seriously and get to the root of the problem, or the consequences will be unimaginable,¡± Roy added anxiously.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, ording to some parties, Earl is the person behind this and he is obviously framing us.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you must know when to admit defeat.¡±

    ¡­

    Everyone startedmenting.

    Jenna¡¯s blood ran cold and she felt as if she would suffocate. She could barely move and remained rooted to the spot. She felt that she was the cause of this tragedy. Richards Group would not tolerate her presence. She couldn¡¯t stay here any longer.

    Panting heavily, she leaned against the wall as she retreated slowly.

    She could still hear Hansen bellowing.

    ¡°Shut up, I will never admit defeat. You guys can forget about this. I don¡¯t believe that Earl can make such false ims and usations without considering the people¡¯s opinions. Even if ourpany goes bankrupt, I will not give in.¡±

    ¡°But Mr. Richards, it is not easy to start apany.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you can¡¯t be arrogant. There are so many employees in the Richards Group. Many people would lose their jobs.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards, it is not difficult to admit defeat. I heard that Earl is about to run for mayor. We cannot afford to offend him. Besides, our business in the luxury car market is getting better. We cannot let our efforts go down the drain just because Earl is dissatisfied with us.¡±

    ¡­

    Many employees have worked in Richards Group for a very long time. Seeing that Hansen was stubborn and refused to give in, they were all worried that thepany would be ruined. Many people burst into tears upon realizing that it was impossible to change Hansen¡¯s mind.

    Jenna struggled to walk towards the elevator. Gradually, their voices faded into the distance, taking her heart with it.

    She knew Hansen.

    He promised that he would never marry Aria and betray her. Hence, he would not go back on his words even if it meant abandoning Richards Group. He promised that he would protect her with everything he had.

    He proved it to her with his actions. Despite the immense pressure he was facing, he did not forget his promise to her.

    She understood what was on his mind.

    There was no way she could persuade him.

    She drove around aimlessly for hours before heading back to Richards Manor.

    At the entrance.

    Rayan was standing in front of the car, beaming from ear to ear as he looked at Jenna who was approaching him.

    Her face was ashen and she wore a sad smile. Rayan knew at once that something was amiss.

    However, Jenna needed him.

    He would always be there for her.

    He had never refused any of her requests.

    ¡°Jen, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Rayan saw Jenna staggering as she walked towards him. Her face was pale and she was quivering. He furrowed his brows and drew closer to give her a hand.

    Jenna almost slumped onto the ground as she lost her strength. Her knees gave out once she had someone else¡¯s support.

    Rayan caught her.

    ¡°Rayan, thank you foring.¡± Jenna leaned against him, unable to stand as she panted heavily.Her chest heaved as she struggled to control her breathing. She was flushing.

    ¡°Jen, have you eaten? You don¡¯t look good.¡± Rayan looked at her with concern in his eyes and caressed her pale face.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m not hungry. Rayan, promise me, please apany me while I wait for Hansen toe home. Don¡¯t ask me why, I will tell you in the future. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let him hurt you,¡± Jenna said weakly.

    Rayan frowned and narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, he grinned.

    ¡°Jen, I¡¯ve never been afraid of Hansen. I gave in because I was worried about you. Don¡¯t worry, I once said that as long as you ask me for help, I will definitely give you a hand. It¡¯s a promise.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Rayan.¡± Jenna smiled at him as relief washed over her.

    Rayan wanted to help her get into the car.

    However, she refused.

    She wanted him to apany her as they stand and wait for Hansen to return. Rayan waspletely baffled by her strange behavior.

    Fortunately, after a while, they were blinded by the headlights of an approaching car. Jenna caught a glimpse of the familiar Hummer. She gritted her teeth and wrapped her arms around Rayan as she pulled him close in an embrace.

    Rayan was dumbfounded and every muscle in his body stiffened.

    He did not expect this at all.

    ¡°Rayan, please cooperate with me.¡± He heard her whispering.

    Rayan froze for a second before he regained his senses. He understood immediately what was on her mind and hugged her tightly. His heart went out to her.

    Jenna was too thin and weak.

    How can a woman be so skinny?

    She was not in this state when he met her abroad.

    It was apparent that ever since she returned to A City, Hansen had not treated her well.

    Rayan¡¯s temper sparked and rage coursed through his veins. He hugged her even more tightly, so tightly that she almost suffocated.

    The Hummer soon came to a halt beside them.

 Chapter 263 Please Come Home With Me

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Hansen got out of the car quickly and rushed to her side. He was rooted to the spot as he saw them locked in an embrace. Was this Jenna?

    How could she hug a guy so openly and passionately at the entrance of Richards Manor?

    Was this the woman he wanted to protect despite the pressure he was facing? The woman he wanted to marry so much?

    Just a few days ago, they were still deep in love.

    He had warned her countless times not to meet other men, especially Rayan.

    Rayan was caressing her head. He stared at the woman in his arms and said softly, ¡°Jen, let¡¯s have dinner together.¡±

    ¡°All right,¡± Jenna muttered.

    Seeing that she was very weak and on the verge of fainting, Rayan decided to carry her.

    They were locked in a passionate embrace and paid no heed to Hansen. It was as though he did not exist.

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Seeing that they were about to leave, Hansen finally regained his senses and bellowed, ¡°Let go of her. She is my woman.¡±

    Upon finishing the sentence, he drew closer and attempted to snatch Jenna away.

    Rayan nced at him as if he had just noticed Hansen¡¯s presence. He smiled contemptuously and stopped Hansen. ¡°Hansen, please be gentle. Jen is weak. She cannot withstand your violence.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s eye turned bloodshot and he shouted at Jenna, ¡°Jenna, why are you with Rayan again? Who allowed it?¡± To his dismay, Jenna seemed indifferent and did not respond. He panicked and said anxiously, ¡°Jenna,e here, let¡¯s go home.¡±Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    Jenna slowly lifted her head and nced at Hansen. She assumed an air of indifference and forced a smile as she said, ¡°Hansen, you are back. Today I want to go out for dinner with Rayan and I won¡¯te back tonight. You can go back by yourself.¡±

    ¡°What? You won¡¯te back tonight?¡± Hansen couldn¡¯t believe his ears. He thought he must be hallucinating. He pinched himself with all his might and felt a stinging sensation. His expression darkened as he thought to himself, was Jenna crazy?

    He steadied himself and said gently, ¡°Jenna, stop making a fuss ande home with me. Are you furious because I neglected you for the past few days? Come with me. I have bought you presents from Capital City.¡±

    His tone was really gentle and he did not blow a fuse. A smile was even stered on his face.

    He tamped down his irritation and begged her to go home with him despite seeing her with another guy. He must really be in love with her.

    In the past, she would have been over the moon to see him trying to please her. However, things had changed.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was aching so much that she could barely breathe but she forced herself to reply with an air of nonchnce, ¡°There¡¯s no need. You can give it to Aria. After all, she¡¯s your wife. I don¡¯t deserve your gift.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, what are you talking about? I¡¯m going to marry you. I promised you. Can¡¯t you give me some time? Come and go home with me.¡± Hansen¡¯s face fell but he did not give up.

    ¡°No.¡± Jenna shook her head and said coldly, ¡°Hansen, I told you that day that I have already made a decision. You are going to marry Aria immediately and I also decided to be with Rayan. You can go back. Leave me alone. It would never work out between us. Besides, Rayan has always been very good to me. He would treat me well. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Upon finishing the sentence, she wrapped her arms around Rayan¡¯s neck and beamed as she asked, ¡°Rayan, is that right?¡±

    ¡°Of course, don¡¯t worry. You have always been the woman I love deeply and I will definitely treat you well,¡± Rayan smiled and said affectionately.

    Jenna smiled sweetly and nestled her head on his chest.

    Rayan was so sincere and he was beaming brightly. It never crossed Jenna¡¯s mind that Rayan was just speaking his mind; he wasn¡¯t putting on an act.

    ¡°Rayan, let¡¯s go, I¡¯m very hungry,¡± she urged.

    ¡°All right.¡± Rayan grinned. ¡°Jen, let¡¯s have some steak. You must eat more. You are so skinny.¡±

    Rayan was about to get into the car with Jenna.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Hansen couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and roared, ¡°Rayan, let go of Jenna. You are not allowed to take her away.¡±

    He was simmering with anger. His eyes were red and he almost lost his mind.

    Rayan faced him calmly, holding Jenna in his arms. There wasa triumphant look on his face.

    ¡°Jenna,e over here and go home with me. I can pretend this has never happened. I will love you as I did before. However, if you dare to leave today, I will never forgive you,¡± Hansen threatened her. It was hisst straw.

    Jenna hugged Rayan tightly. She clutched his neck so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

    Out of nowhere, lights shed, which startled them. A group of reporters approached them as they snapped photos of the scene. Some reporters even wanted to interview them.

    Hansen¡¯s expression darkened. He clenched his fists and he looked like he wanted to hit someone.

    However, at this moment, Jenna regained herposure and said calmly ¡°Hansen, go in quickly, the reporters are here. Rayan and I are leaving. If you have anything, just give us a call.¡± She shed Rayan a smile and urged, ¡°Rayan, let¡¯s go, I¡¯m really hungry. I must eat to my heart¡¯s content today.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡± Rayan nced at Hansen who was dumbfounded before getting into the car with Jenna. There was a roar and a cloud of smoke as the car pulled away from Richards Manor.

    The reporters immediately surrounded Hansen.

    ¡°Go away.¡± Hansen bellowed. Rage was pulsing through his veins.

    Fear gripped the reporters¡¯ hearts and they only dared to take photos of him. None of them dared to utter a word, let alone interview him.

    Hansen was indeed scary. His nostrils red as his cheeks med with anger. The veins in his neck were standing out in livid ridges. It was rare to see him in this manner. The reporters took as many photos as they could.

    Soon, the security guards arrived at the scene. Their blood ran cold upon seeing what had happened. They immediately called for reinforcement as they helped Hansen to get away from the reporters. Hansen was flushing with rage as he walked towards Richards Manor.

    Jenna slumped on the seat in the back row and tears trickled down her cheeks. Unable to suppress her sorrow anymore, she burst into tears.

    Rayan drove silently, heading towards his vi.

    If he didn¡¯t understand her true intentions a moment ago, he did at this instant.

    She was using him to get rid of Hansen and make him give up.

    He gazed intently ahead without showing his emotions.

    The car came to a halt in front of his vi. He got out of the car, picked her up and walked into the vi.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Rayan, I can walk by myself,¡± Jenna said weakly as she struggled to get down. There were no reporters here. They could stop acting.

    However, Ryan held her tightly and didn¡¯t let her go.

    He remained silent as he strode into the vi.

    He was really worried that she would faint if he put her down.

    Jenna had been asleep for a few hours. The room she was in was beautifully designed. There were long shadows that her eyshes cast on her cheeks.

    There was a soft knock on the door.

    Jenna sat up abruptly and shouted in a hoarse voice, ¡°Pleasee in.¡±

    Rayan came in with a cup of steaming coffee, a charming smile on his face.

    ¡°Jen,e and have a cup of hot coffee. I have already prepared steak and made sandwiches. Come and have a taste,¡± he said gently and handed the coffee to her.

    ¡°Thank you, Rayan.¡± Jenna took a sip of the coffee he handed to her. The coffee had no sugar or milk. The taste was really bitter.

    ¡°It¡¯s bitter, isn¡¯t it?¡± It seemed that Rayan was also questioning himself as he sighed.

    Jenna held the cup in her hands and lowered her head. The cup was warm but she still felt cold.

    After only a few sips, she stood up and ced it on the table.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s eat something first,¡± Rayan said gently.

    Jenna nodded and walked out with him.

    He took out the sandwiches from the oven and brought fried steak and warm milk over.

    They sat down and ate in silence. Neither of them broke the silence.

    ¡°Jen, you can have a rest in the living room,¡± Rayan suggested after breakfast.

    Jenna nodded and agreed.

    ¡°Jen, can you tell me the reason you¡¯re doing this?¡± Rayan made a cup of tea and ced it in front of Jenna. He looked into her puffy eyes which were red and swollen, asking softly.

    Jenna lowered her head to take a sip of the tea.

    ¡°Rayan, thank you so much,¡± she voiced apologetically, feeling ashamed for using him the night before. However, she had no choice. Only Rayan could trigger Hansen¡¯s anger.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Rayan smiled gently. ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, as long as you need me, I will help you.¡±

    Jenna smiled at him gratefully.

 Chapter 264 Felt Out Of Control

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, why are you doing this?¡± Rayan frowned. ¡°Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t ask so much but I am really worried about you. Your situation really makes me uneasy. Tell me and we can see if I can help you toe up with an idea.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Jenna paused. She was filled with gloom as she recalled the night before. After a while, she parted her lips and said, ¡°Hansen can only marry Aria.¡±

    Rayan stared intensely at her, wanting to know what was on her mind.

    ¡°Do you really love Hansen?¡± he snapped.

    ¡°It has nothing to do with love, he must marry her,¡± she insisted.

    ¡°Do you really think so?¡± Rayan frowned.

    Jenna did not respond.

    ¡°Are you sure this will help?¡± He asked, ¡°Are you really sure that he will be all right after you left seeing that he truly loves you?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached but she hid her emotions. She was near tears but he could see the determination in her eyes.

    ¡°This is fate,¡± she said lightly. She stood up abruptly and was about to return to the bedroom to rest.

    ¡°Jenna, we are all grown-ups. Don¡¯t do things that you will regret.¡± Rayan followed suit and tried to persuade her. Although he loved Jenna, he was a gentleman and would respect Jenna. He would never force her to reciprocate his feelings for her.

    He would only ept it if she fell in love with him from the bottom of her heart.

    However, that would not stop him from helping her.

    ¡°Rayan, thank you for reminding me. I know what to do. Also, can you continue acting as my boyfriend for the time being?¡± Jenna came to a halt and turned around. She stared nkly at him.

    Rayan brushed a strand of hair from his eyes. His eyes twinkled as a smile spread across his face.

    ¡°I am happy to give myself to you,¡± he teased.

    Jenna blushed. She pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°Thank you, Rayan. Good night.¡± She then turned and walked into the room.

    The room was specifically designed for her. It was bright and luxurious like the bedroom of a princess. Jenna knew what Rayan meant. He wished to treat her like a princess. However, Jenna knew that she could never return his love. Although she was touched, she did not love him and she could only appreciate his gesture from the bottom of her heart.

    She got up early the next morning.

    Rayan was already waiting for her in the living room. He had prepared a scrumptious breakfast.

    She had to agree that Rayan¡¯s culinary skills were indeed top-notch. The food he made was not only delicious but also attractive. He really knew how to enjoy life.

    Hansen also had an exquisite taste but he was overbearing and he perceived that men should not belong in the kitchen. He felt that men should focus on their business. Hence, it came as a surprise to Jenna when he prepared a steak for her when she was drunk that day. It truly meant a lot and Jenna was moved.

    Not only that, Hansen detested fruits and only loved to drink green tea. He was very picky and only favored luxurious tea brands.

    Rayan and Hansen were both men but they were so different.

    People didn¡¯t necessarily love those who were the most outstanding and perfect in all aspects. However, they would fall for those that attracted them and were suitable for them. Jenna knew this very well.

    ¡°Jen, do you want to go back to Richards Manorter?¡± Rayan asked, seeing that she was getting ready to go out.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going back to Richards Manor.¡± Jenna nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back here at night. I will stay here for the time being. Is that all right for you?¡±

    She looked a bit embarrassed and gave an apologetic smile.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Rayan said softly, ¡°Do you need me to apany you?¡±

    ¡°Apany me?¡± Jenna hesitated. She had a really serious look on her face as she asked, ¡°Rayan, are you free recently?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Rayan replied without hesitation. He came here for the sake of her. Of course he had time.

    ¡°Sorry to trouble you then but don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t take long.¡± She forced a smile, a troubled look on her face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, although I am not an actor, my acting skills are amazing. I¡¯m sure it will satisfy your need,¡± Rayan teased. ¡°I hope I can continue being your boyfriend forever even if it¡¯s just an act.¡±

    Jenna lowered her head and sighed.

    Everyone was busy preparing for the New Year¡¯s banquet at Richards Manor. Bands and the other performers had arrived.

    When Jenna showed up at Richards Manor with Rayan, everyone was rooted to the spot and gaped in disbelief.

    Norton¡¯s staffs were startled and were soon whispering to one another.

    ¡°Rayan, I¡¯m so sorry that you got caught in a scandal because of me. This is detrimental to your reputation,¡± she apologized after they got out of the car and reached a secluded corner in Green Jade Garden. Jenna felt that it was her fault.

    ¡°You are a woman, yet you are not afraid. Why should I be afraid? I¡¯m a man!¡± Rayan grinned.

    ¡°I¡¯m known to be flirtatious. Another scandal won¡¯t impact my reputation further.¡± Jenna smiled faintly and sighed. She assumed an air of nonchnce and said, ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t mind what others say.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, do you know? This is precisely what I admire most about you. You are not afraid to live as you like and you are not affected by the people around you.¡± Rayan chuckled.

    Jenna nced at him and beamed. She understood what he meant.

    Rayan put his hand around her waist and whispered into her ear, ¡°Hold my arm, he is here.¡±

    Jenna understood immediately and reached out her hand to hold his arm. She pressed her cheeks against his arm.

    Rayan led her to the front with anair of calm superiority.

    As soon as Hansen stepped out of Green Jade Garden, he caught a glimpse of Rayan and Jenna walking hand in hand towards him. They looked sweet together.

    The sight aroused his jealousy.

    He could not sleep the night before.

    Once he returned to Green Jade Garden, he dashed to the second floor.

    The two bodyguards were nowhere in sight. Upon confirming Nelson and Haward¡¯s disappearance, he finally believed that she had left him.

    She had deliberately arranged for the scene a moment ago. Either she no longer loved him or something was wrong. However, he hadpletely fallen for her.

    A few days ago, she tried to persuade him to marry Aria instead. He thought she was testing him as she was losing confidence in his love. He paid a visit to Capital City for the past few days to look for a member of the Richards family who was highly influential in the military to see if he could help to keep Earl in his ce. However, Earl seemed to foresee his n and had already taken measures to prevent him from seeding.

    However, Hansen was not afraid.

    Evil can never prevail over good, that was what he believed.

    He also believed that he could ovee the challenges ahead.

    As long as Jenna was with him, he would have the courage to face the challenges ahead. Even if Richards Group went out of business, he could start over in the future.

    However, to his dismay, Jenna changed.

    She changed in just one night. She not only hooked up with Rayan, but she also revealed their affair to the media. It was as though she wanted to announce to the world that she was having an affair. Hansen was truly heartbroken.

    He remained in a daze throughout the night. He would remember the scene of Rayan carrying Jenna in his arms as long as he closed his eyes. It tore his heart out.

    The woman he loved hugged another man in front of the media. The incident had taken a toll on his self-esteem.

    He lost his cool the day before.

    It was the first time he was driven mad in public. To make matters worse, it was all thanks to Jenna, the woman whom he loved. History had repeated itself. It was just the same as three years ago.

    His future was bright and full of opportunities.

    However, she ruined everything.

    He bathed himself in cold water the night before and slept on the bed he shared with her. He could not bring himself to believe that it was true. He tossed and turned in his sleep, refusing to ept it.

    She still loved him deeply a few days ago. How could everything change in just a few days?

    There must have been some misunderstandings.

    He recalled what happened three years ago. He misunderstood her and he was wrong.

    He did not want to misunderstand her again.

    He wanted to find her and demand an exnation.

    He recalled the day she urged him to marry Aria.

    He then found a logical exnation.

    Jenna was worried and felt insecure, that was why she did this.

    Hansen came up with all sorts of excuses to exin her actions.

    She was a kind person and was highly regarded by Vivian. She was not a sl*t.

    Hence, when he woke up that morning, he made a decision.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    He would put aside his work and go over to Rayan¡¯s ce to have a good talk with her to clear up the misunderstanding.

    He and Jenna would be reconciled.

    However, to his dismay, he saw a scene that made his blood run cold again upon stepping out of Green Jade Garden.

    Jenna and Rayan were locked in a passionate embrace, grinning at one another. They disregarded himpletely.

    What a heart-wrenching truth!

    His emotions went out of control again.

    ¡°Jenna, how shameful. How can you bring that scoundrel into the house?¡± He took a step forward and wanted to grab her hand but Rayan stopped him and warned, ¡°Hansen, behave yourself. I¡¯ve loved Jen for a very long time. How am I a scoundrel?¡±

 Chapter 265 Heartbroken

    ¡°Jenna,e here.¡± Hansen stared at Jenna and extended his hand to her. His expression grew sorrowful as he asked, ¡°Do you know the consequences of your actions? Do you know the negative oues associated? Do you know you are letting me down?¡±

    His eyes were bloodshot and there were dark circles under his eyes. He looked haggard. His wrinkled suit gave him a disheveled appearance.

    He stretched out his hand to her again. His eyes were fixed on Jenna, eagerly waiting for her response.

    Jenna had a soft spot for him. She almost forgot her goal and dashed towards him. However, she stopped herself.

    No, she couldn¡¯t go.

    She could not let her efforts go down the drain.

    ¡°Hansen, I don¡¯t think there will be any negative consequences.¡± She smiled at him and said lightly, ¡°You can marry Aria and I can be with Rayan. There¡¯s nothing wrong with it. We got divorced a long time ago. What we are doing is not against thew. I think there is nothing shameful about this. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Jenna, how can you engage in an affair with a brazen assurance? Did you really say that? Are you still the woman I love? Why? Tell me! Tell me the reason. Convince me,¡± Hansen bellowed as a wave of fury crashed through him.

    He felt dejected.

    He could not believe that this was true.

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s not the first day we are dating. You guys have gotten a divorce. There¡¯s nothing wrong with me being her boyfriend. Please respect our decision.¡± Rayan ced his hand on Jenna¡¯s waist.The smile of pleasure never left his face.

    Hansen stared at his hand which was ced on Jenna¡¯s waist and his eyes zed murderously.

    Jenna belonged to him and only him. He used to be proud of that. However, she currently belonged to another man. He could not ept it.

    He was confident that she would belong to him forever. He had always gotten what he wanted. He would allow no exceptions.

    ¡°Jenna, I beg you, pleasee back to me. You know that I won¡¯t marry Aria. I just want you and I will only marry you. It doesn¡¯t matter if I lose everything else,¡± he begged.His expression was a fifty-fifty mixture of pain and anger.

    Jenna clenched her fist and her heart ached so much but she assumed an air of indifference and responded, ¡°Hansen, why are you so annoying? Aria already has your child. If you don¡¯t marry her, who would you marry? Don¡¯t pester me anymore. I had enough of you. Do you want me to be your mistress? Let me be frank with you, that¡¯s just wishful thinking. Rayan is loyal to me and treats me well. I am happy being his girlfriend, anyone can see that. Please know your ce and keep your distance from me in the future.¡±

    She drove her point home!

    However, Hansen did not give up. He lost his cool and was yelling hysterically, begging for forgiveness.

    ¡°No, Jenna, I only want you. I admit that I have not treated you well in the past. I¡¯m sorry, please forgive me. I will change in the future. Trust me, I will be good to you in the future. I will repay you with everything I have.¡±

    Jenna burst outughing.

    ¡°Hansen, you are too na?ve. Everything had gone wrong since the beginning. How could we have a future together? There¡¯s no turning back. Just marry Aria and we can go our separate ways. It¡¯s best for both of us.¡±

    Her expression was unreadable.The hostility in her voice and expression was unnerving.

    Hansen¡¯s heart sank and his face turned ashen. There were beads of sweat on his forehead. He stared at Jenna in disbelief. ¡°Jenna, are you really so heartless?¡±

    She turned her head so that he would not see the tears burning her eyes. She remained silent.

    ¡°No, Jenna. You are not a heartless person. I know you. You would never treat me like this. Have you forgotten the times we spent together? I promised you that I would marry you a yearter. Didn¡¯t you agree? Think about Grandma. She has allowed you to inherit the Richards Group and be part of the family. You are already mine. How could we go our separate ways? We were destined to be together.¡± Hansen¡¯s nerves were frayed and great beads of perspiration trickled down his forehead.

    Jenna turned around and sniffed quietly as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She bit her lips to prevent them from rolling down her cheeks.

    ¡°Hansen, I know that Grandma is very kind to me and I appreciate it very much. However, I have already decided to forgive Norton and let the matter slide. I have already repaid Grandma for her kindness. Besides, I will let Aria inherit the Richards Group on your wedding day. I will appoint awyer for the matter. It¡¯s the end, Hansen. Please respect my decision.¡± After a while, she turned around to face him.The expression on her face was one of grim determination.

    ¡°No, Jenna, it¡¯s impossible,¡± Hansen cried out. ¡°Why did you make such a decision? Tell me! Are you hiding something? Did someone threaten you? Tell me and I will solve it.¡±

    He had lost his mind.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± someone bellowed. Marissa emerged suddenly. She shook her head disapprovingly when she saw Hansen in this state and reprimanded him, ¡°Hansen, you are a man. You are begging for a woman who no longer loves you to return in front of another man. Where¡¯s your pride and dignity? Do you still remember that you represent the Richards family? She has already hooked up with another man. Would you be happy in the future even if shees back? You are such a fool.¡±

    Hansen was set on changing Jenna¡¯s mind but upon hearing what Marissa said, realization dawned on him. He knew it was impossible but his heart still ached. He stared nkly ahead with his jaws clenched.

    ¡°Hansen, you have Aria and she has your child. Why don¡¯t you know how to appreciate her? Why must you fall for a sl*t like her? Have you forgotten the lesson three years ago? Why are you so foolish? Why did you fall for her again? With our family¡¯s status, you can get any woman you like. Why her? From today onwards, forget about her and marry Aria. Do you get it?¡± Marissa said sternly.

    Rayan furrowed his brows and frowned.

    ¡°Auntie, how dare you call Jenna a sl*t? I don¡¯t like how you regard her at all.¡± Rayan held Jenna¡¯s hand and took a step forward. He said coldly, ¡°I have been to so many ces and seen many women but I only love Jenna. She is beautiful and she has integrity. I could wish nothing more than to be with her forever. However, all you did was belittle her. I did not understand in the past but now, I know why she decided to leave the Richards family. Let me warn you. Don¡¯t you guys dare to insult Jen again or I will definitely teach you a lesson. The Richards family may be a prestigious family but there are other families who are superior to yours. I would not sit back and watch as you guys bully the person I love.¡±

    His expression was unreadable as he warned them. He held Jenna¡¯s waist in a protective gesture and looked at her affectionately. ¡°Jen, it must have been tough for you to stay in the Richards family. They are so arrogant. Only a silly girl like you would be able to withstand the pressure. Since they don¡¯t wee your presence, let¡¯s go now.¡±

    Rayan was in distress and his heart went out to Jenna. He felt indignant. Jenna was such a lovely woman, yet she received such unfair treatment in the Richards family. How dare Marissa belittled her in public? There was no reason for Jenna to linger on.

    Hansen did not fulfill his duty to protect her.

    Rayan¡¯s mind was set. He would bring her away from here.

    ¡°No, Rayan, I promised Vivian to leave after the New Year banquet has ended. I will continue toe here in the mornings,¡± Jenna shook her head stubbornly and said earnestly.

    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so responsible. Looks like I can¡¯t stop you.¡± Rayan chuckled. ¡°All right, Jen. I will apany you. I won¡¯t let anyone bully you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Rayan.¡± Jenna smiled, holding his hand as she turned her back on Marissa and Hansen and they headed towards Green Jade Garden. ¡°Rayan, let me go upstairs to pack up some stuff. I will bring them along when I leave.¡±

    ¡°Sure, Jen,¡± Rayan agreed and patted her on the head.

    They chatted happily as they walked away.

    Hansen lost his bnce and almost copsed onto the ground.

    At this moment, a vortex of anger swirled inside him and he was smoldered with resentment. His heart ached so much. The woman whom he wanted to protect was flirting openly with another man. She was so heartless and paid no heed to his pleas.

    It was the first time someone had treated him in this manner. He could not lose her. He couldn¡¯t live without her.

    ¡°Jenna, the design of your bedroom is very unique!¡± Rayan looked around Jenna¡¯s bedroom in awe.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    There were various odd-shaped colored paper graphics pasted everywhere in the room. Many of them were car models of various brands. Many seashells were hanging around in her room. Besides, he noticed mini-versions of car models lying around. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Jenna, I finally know why you don¡¯t like the room that I have specifically designed for you. You are indeed a peculiar woman. No wonder you are good ating up with car designs. Looks like that¡¯s the main focus in your life.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart was filled with sadness and despair as she noticed Rayan examining her room, especially when she stared at the colored papers and seashells.

    It definitely never crossed his mind that these items were designed by her a few years ago when her rtionship with Hansen was strained and she had nothing else to do. She had a lot of time to herself and she used it to craft the designs. She alwaysfelt a deep sense of loneliness and longing back then.

    A pang of loneliness swept over her. She would never forget the feeling.

 Chapter 266 Fight In The Name Of Love

    ¡°Are you going to remove all of them?¡± Rayan inquired inquisitively as Jenna began packing them up.

    ¡°Yes, these are the only things that belong to me in this room. I have to take them away. The others are not mine. Besides, I won¡¯t be living here starting from today. Soon, the room won¡¯t belong to me anymore.¡± She sighed as she collected the graphics and seashells carefully.

    Rayan saw tears welling up in her eyes, yet she clenched her teeth to prevent her tears from trickling down her cheeks. He was moved and at that moment, he made a solemn promise to forget about her past and protect her in the future. He wanted to give her the love she deserved.

    When Hansen dashed into the room, he saw Jenna picking up the items he was proud of owning . For the past three years when Jenna left him, he would always snatch a nce at the items from the cracks of the door. He always had mixed feelings when he stared at them as though the items belonged to him just like their owner. They yed an important role in his life.

    His heart felt like it was breaking as Jenna cut them from the wall one by one.

    ¡°Put them down.¡± He dashed in and grabbed a seashell that she was about to cut off. Fury vibrated through his being.

    Jenna did not notice his entry and was startled when he emerged suddenly.

    She almost cut his finger. Fortunately, she stopped in the nick of time. Her heart felt as if it had stopped.

    ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s dangerous?¡± Jenna put down the scissors and scolded him.

    ¡°These are all mine. Why do you want to cut them off?¡± Hansen bellowed. He held the seashells tightly and red at her with bloodshot eyes.

    ¡°They belong to me. I drew them. The seashells are presents from my father. Why can¡¯t I take them away?¡± Jenna felt a sh of irritation and demanded.

    ¡°If I say you can¡¯t take them away, then you can¡¯t. Besides, who allowed you to leave?¡± Hansen¡¯s expression darkened as he retorted.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t be so overbearing, okay? I won¡¯t take anything else from this room as they don¡¯t belong to me. However, I made these items, of course I have the right to take them away,¡± Jenna exined patiently.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Nothing in this room belongs to you. This is our room. Everything belongs to both of us. Also, I don¡¯t like other man entering our room. Please ask him to leave now,¡± Hansen dered as rage churned inside him.

    ¡°You are so unreasonable.¡± Jenna was flustered. ¡°Let me remind you, these items belong to me. I will take them away no matter what. Don¡¯t try my patience,¡± she warned sternly.

    Her eyes widened and her chest moved up and down faster as her breath quickened. Tension grew in the air as they red at each other.

    Seeing that they were about to start a fight, Rayan stepped forward. ¡°Mr. Richards, a gentleman should not make a woman cry, even if it¡¯s your ex-wife. If she wants something, just let her take it. You are such a scoundrel for wanting to fight for a mere trifle like this,¡± Rayan said mockingly.

    ¡°Shut up, you are not allowed to speak.¡± Hansen spun around and vented his anger and frustration towards him. ¡°Who are you? How dare you reprimand me after ruining our rtionship?¡±

    Hansen pointed towards the door and growled, ¡°This is my room with Jenna. Please go out. No one cane in without my consent. If you know what¡¯s best for you, you better leave now before I lose my temper.¡±

    Rayan refused to budge. He stood there quietly. Such was the contrast between Hansen and Rayan. Hansen always lost his cool whereas Rayan kept hisposure regardless of the situation. Rayan sniggered. ¡°Young Master, do control your temper. If you can¡¯t even tolerate something like this, I¡¯m afraid you will be theughing stock in town if rumors of your temper spread. If you continue to blow a fuse as long as something goes against your wishes, no woman will stay by your side.¡±

    ¡°D*mn it.¡± Hansen¡¯s temper sparked. He mmed his fist against Rayan in frustration but Rayan blocked it. ¡°Mr. Richards, I know you are good at martial arts, but so what? I¡¯m not a coward. In the past, I did noty a finger on you for the sake of Jen but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t fight you. Please learn to respect others. After all, we are both civilians.¡±

    Hansen was already blind with rage. What Rayan said only caused a fresh swell of rage to rise in him. The moreposed Rayan was, the more his anger spiked.

    Hansen threw his right fist out in a curved punch at Rayan¡¯s temple. His foot came up from the floor and kicked Rayan in the face.

    Rayan was gentle and kind. He did not expect Hansen to be such a scoundrel. As a result, he staggered backward as he grimaced in pain.

    Hansen took advantage of the situation and dashed over, pressing his leg against Rayan¡¯s chest and forcing him onto the floor. ¡°How dare you intervene in our rtionship!¡±

    Rayan couldn¡¯t move and it seemed as if Hansen wanted to choke him. He struggled to gasp for air and he seized an opportunity to hit Hansen under the jaw.

    Hansen cried out in pain and felt blood gushing out of his nose. He wiped them away with his hand and swung his fist at Rayan. The two began fighting.

    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t fight, please don¡¯t fight¡­¡± Jenna was dumbfounded. When she regained her senses, they were already locked in a battle. She attempted to stop them but to no avail.

    At this moment, Marissa emerged. It was a shock for her to see them fighting. She yelled, ¡°Stop!¡±

    Hearing Marissa¡¯s voice, Rayan regained his senses and stopped Hansen while he got up from the floor.

    Hansen also calmed down as he stood up.

    Blood was rushing from his nose. Marissa almost fainted at the sight. She dashed over and sped his head in her hands, quivering as she asked, ¡°Hansen, what happened? Where are you hurt?¡± She turned around and yelled, ¡°Call a doctor immediately.¡±

    Aunt E hurriedly went to make a call upon hearing Marissa¡¯s cries.

    Hansen reached out and picked up a tissue paper from the table to wipe the blood away. He said dejectedly, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m all right.¡±

    ¡°You are already in this state. How are you all right? How dare you guys fight in Richards Manor? I don¡¯t care who you are, I¡¯m calling the police.¡± Rage coursed through her veins and she shouted angrily. She took out her phone and was about to make a call.

    ¡°It¡¯s all right. Mom, don¡¯t fool around.¡± Hansen stopped Marissa with a heavy heart. He turned around to look at Jenna before he strode away.

    Rayan stood by Jenna¡¯s side, looking embarrassed.

    The moment Hansen turned around to nce at her, Jenna saw the blood on his face and fear gripped at her heart. She stared at him, her heart going suddenly still.

    Marissa red at Rayan and Jenna indignantly and was about to give them a piece of her mind. However, she remembered Hansen¡¯s warning and left without saying anything.

    Only Rayan and Jenna were left in the room.

    Jenna slumped on the bed, unable to utter a word.

    ¡°Hansen, she has already hooked up with another man, and yet, you are still fighting for her. Do you even remember your identity? You are my son and the President of Richards Group. You must know when to let things slide. Why are you so stubborn? We can¡¯t afford to ruin the reputation of the Richards family,¡± Marissa came downstairs and reprimanded Hansen who was sitting gloomily on the couch, gritting his teeth as he thought of the fight.

    Hansen touched his nose and his expression darkened. He was in a state of flux. Only Jenna could make him lose his cool.

    He had no idea how he got himself into a fight. He initially went upstairs just to have a good talk with Jenna.

    ¡°Hansen, you are the Young Master of the Richards family and the President of Richards Group. Lots of families depend on the Richards Group for food. They need their jobs to survive. Everyone is counting on you. You must be a good leader and lead us to a better future. However, look at you now. What are you doing?¡± Marissa said bitterly. She sighed and made an order.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care who you love. You must prioritize the family and Richards Group. It¡¯s your responsibility as a man. Your responsibilities are more important than some petty love. You cannot act impulsively in this current situation. It is only necessary for you to sacrifice your personal feelings for the sake of everyone. We cannot let Richards Group go out of business.¡±

    Her expression was grim and serious. She would allow no room for negotiation.

    Hansen kept his gaze riveted upon the ground. Marissa couldn¡¯t figure out whether he had heard her.

 Chapter 267 The Date Of The Marriage Was Given

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m not forcing you but if you don¡¯t marry Aria, the Richards Group would definitely go out of business and many people would lose their jobs. Lots ofpanies in A city wille to snatch our properties. It¡¯s difficult to start a newpany. Do you remember Simon who used to be well-known in A City? He lost everything just because he went against the officials. The debts amounted to double the value of his property. He couldn¡¯t start over. I do not wish to see the Richards Group in this state.¡± Marissa seemed to have made up her mind.

    ¡°Mom, what about my happiness? What about true love?¡± Hansen asked coldly. His expression was unreadable.

    ¡°Your happiness?¡± Marissa sighed and asked, ¡°Are you still unsatisfied? You have everything you want. Your future is bright and you are one of the wealthiest men in the world. How many people wished to be in your position? You are going to marry the daughter of the soon-to-be Mayor. Besides, she has your child. What else do you want?¡±

    To Marissa, what Hansen had was enough to make anyone over the moon. Hansen was so ungrateful.

    ¡°But, Mom, these are not what I want. I would rather lose everything,¡± Hansen growled. He didn¡¯t take Marissa¡¯s words to heart.

    ¡°Ridiculous.¡± Marissa hit the table with her fist and bellowed, ¡°Hansen, do you really think you are that capable? If it weren¡¯t for me, your dad, and the connections we made, do you really think you can achieve this much in such a short time? Our connections in the military helped you a lot. Don¡¯t be arrogant. It¡¯s only normal for men in eminent families to marry for the sake of their families. All right, fine if you want to marry Jenna. But, does she even want you? She brought a man to the house and sat back as the man hit you. Are you sure this is what you want? Once you are powerful enough, you can get everything you want. The Richards family had always been fearless. I won¡¯t allow you to make a mistake again.¡±

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯tpare me with those weaklings. I don¡¯t need to rely on women to be sessful. I have my own ideas and ns. Even without help, I would be able to grow my business,¡± Hansen stood up abruptly and retorted.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Marissa was flustered, seeing that Hansen refused to listen to her. She was so furious that she almost fainted.

    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Hansen watched as Marissa staggered backward. He immediately drew closer to support her.

    ¡°Hansen, you are really going to piss me off.¡± Hansen supported her to the couch and she burst into tears upon sitting down. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know the current situation of Richards Group. Earl had already issued a warning. After two days, he would take back thend and investigate our projects. What would happen after the investigation is unimaginable.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s expression darkened. After a long silence, he replied in a casual tone.

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. Evil cannot prevail over good. The Richards Group is going to be all right. There is still thew. Early can¡¯t be above it.¡±

    ¡°Son, I¡¯m afraid everything will be toote by then.¡± Tears coursed down Marissa¡¯s cheeks.

    For a while, Hansen looked troubled. He helped Marissa into her room before he left, looking disheartened.

    ¡°Hansen, whether you agree or not, I have already decided the date of your wedding. It will be on the 8th of January.¡± Marrisa¡¯s voice rang. Hansen was rooted to the spot upon hearing what she said. He staggered away, barely hearing what she said afterwards. His mind was filled with the image of Rayan being intimate with Jenna.

    Hansen drove around aimlessly in his Hummer

    If Jenna stayed by his side, he would have the courage to go against everyone. He was not afraid of challenges but he was afraid of betrayal, especially by someone he loved.

    Maybe he would lose everything and maybe it would be hard for them in the future to start over. However, with Jenna¡¯s talent in designing luxury cars and his ability, he was sure that they would be able to start over.

    Nevertheless, Jenna¡¯s betrayal hit him hard.

    She backed out and he was left alone. He no longer had the courage to go against everyone. Apart from epting his fate, he really did not know what to do.

    He entered a nightclub and started drinking excessively.

    In the ward, Aria was reading a newspaper and a triumphant smile was stered on her face.

    There was a photo of Rayan carrying Jenna in his arms in the newspaper. Hansen was standing beside them, looking flustered and furious.

    ¡°Mom, it seems that I will be marrying Hansen soon,¡± Aria said gleefully after putting down the newspaper.

    ¡°Why is that so?¡± Georgia asked in disbelief.

    Aria chuckled and handed Georgia the newspaper. Georgia¡¯s face split into a wide smile upon reading the headline. She finally found some satisfaction, her happinessing from the bottom of her heart.

    Jenna had backed out on her own and promised to let Aria inherit Richards Group. It was amazing!

    Sure enough, Marissa brought good news the next day.

    ¡°Georgia, I¡¯m here to tell you some good news,¡± Marissa announced with a smile as she entered the ward.

    ¡°Oh, and what is that?¡± Georgia asked knowingly as she assumed an air of indifference.

    ¡°Hansen is going to marry Aria, she is going to be my daughter-inw.¡± Marissa shed a smile at Aria, trying to please her.

    She only had one son. She was not going to offend Aria.

    Aria blushed and her face lit up with joy.

    ¡°Marissa, when is our wedding?¡± Aria asked shyly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve decided on the date. The wedding is scheduled to be held on the 8th next month.¡± Marissa was delighted.

    Georgia was over the moon. Everything was finally decided. Sheughed heartily and teased, ¡°Looks like Aria will have a happy time at the Richards family in the future. Marissa, you¡¯re so kind, Aria will definitely treat you well.¡±

    ¡°Mom, I know. Don¡¯t worry, I will be happy.¡± After hearing the news, Aria was thrilled.

    Marissa was beaming from ear to ear when she heard their conversation.

    The atmosphere in the ward was joyful!

    Aria felt that a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

    She was getting married on the 8th of January!

    What did this mean? It meant that in only ten days, she would be married to Hansen. She was going to be a part of the Richards family.

    She was truly ecstatic!

    Her efforts all these years had finally paid off.

    The next day.

    Every media in A city was announcing the wedding date between Hansen of the Richards Group and Aria, the daughter of the deputy mayor, which would be held on the 8th of January.

    The headlines read, ¡°Aria McAdams marrying Hansen Richards, officially bing Mrs. Richards.¡±

    Some newspapers even reported that Aria was already pregnant and the child belonged to Hansen.

    For a while, their wedding appeared on every headline and it was the hottest gossip in town.

    Everyone was anticipating their wedding ceremony as it would definitely be grand and memorable. Lots of officials and eminent families would be attending their wedding.

    At the same time.

    The media also discovered Jenna¡¯s identity and her rtionship with Hansen. She was described as a mistress who intervened in Aria¡¯s and Hansen¡¯s rtionship aside from having an affair with Rayan herself.

    Rumors spread like wildfire, mostly criticizing her for her actions although some media sympathized with her regarding her past.

    Nevertheless, most medias described her as a sl*t.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    The green pines and verdant cypresses in Rayan¡¯s garden made it very beautiful.

    It was indeed unique. Although it was winter, the garden was surrounded by lush greenery. The sight lifted Jenna¡¯s mood.

    She wandered in the garden with a faint smile on her face. The sorrow in her eyes made Rayan¡¯s heart go out for her.

    He apanied her on a walk in the garden.

    Due to the rumors and presence of reporters, she could no longer return to Richards Manor. As soon as she appeared, the reporters would surround her immediately. She was pregnant and was unable to bear the stress.

    Hence, she chose to remain at Rayan¡¯s house.

    Ever since Hansen agreed to marry Aria and satisfy Earl¡¯s request, she was no longer worried about Vivian¡¯s safety and she could foresee that the Richards family would only gain more power in the future. The Richards Group would be out of harm¡¯s way too.

    Everything fell into ce once she left.

    Although it was hard for her to leave, she was relieved that everything had been resolved.

    It was at this moment that she decided to forgive Norton.

    Of course, she decided to forgive Norton for the sake of Sabrina.

    Sabrina loved Norton, and Norton was ready to marry her.

    Norton was right.

    True love was rare among those in prestigious families. Only a fool like her would believe that true love was possible. Her situation proved that Norton was right.

    She wished to fulfill Sabrina¡¯s wish to marry Norton; it would make Sabrina¡¯s life perfect. Besides, Norton should have changed after this painful experience.

 Chapter 268 Let Fate Take Its Course

    ¡°Rayan, are you sure that my mother would not receive the news by the media?¡± Thinking of her mother gave her a headache. Fortunately, she took safety measures the night before and asked Rayan for help to bring her mother out of A City to reside in a remote town in Los Angeles for the time being.

    If she was still here, she would have fainted upon receiving the news.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she is currently in a famous hospital. The director is close to me and would take good care of your mother. She won¡¯t receive any news from A city,¡± Rayan nodded his head and replied with confidence.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Thank you, Rayan.¡± Jenna was relieved. She was filled with gratitude. Apart from thanking him, she really had no other way to express her gratitude.

    ¡°Silly girl, this is an easy task.¡± Rayan smiled. ¡°It¡¯s just that you can¡¯t keep it a secret from her forever.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I would eventually tell her once she recovers and the rumors have ceased to spread. She has experienced a lot in her life. I¡¯m sure that she can ept the news,¡± Jenna responded with a heavy heart.

    Rayan nodded as he thought of something.

    ¡°Jen, are you troubled by the rumours?¡± Rayan asked softly.

    ¡°No, it does not bother me.¡± Jenna shook her head and gave a bitter smile. ¡°The media are just being manipted or they are just eager to discuss the current hottest gossip, there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. As long as I did nothing wrong, I do not need to be concerned about what they say. The most important thing is to live happily.¡±

    ¡°Are you really happy now?¡± Rayan inquired as they took a stroll around the garden.

    Jenna was startled upon hearing his question. She gave a self-deprecatoryugh and fell silent.

    ¡°Jen, do you need me to stop the rumors?¡± Rayan asked gently, noticing her expression.

    He continued walking with an air of confidence.

    It was a piece of cake for him to deal with the media.

    ¡°No, Rayan. Just let fate take its course,¡± Jenna shook her head and refused.

    ¡°Jen, I know you are suffering. You don¡¯t need to suffer alone, you can rant to me.¡± They arrived at the beach. The scenery was breathtaking.

    They leaned against the railing and gazed at the sea.

    A gust of wind greeted them, whichforted Jenna.

    ¡°Everyone has to face sorrows at some point in their lives. There is nothing strange about it. No matter what, we must face it and live on,¡± Jenna said indifferently.

    ¡°Are you really going to forgive Norton?¡± Rayan asked as he pondered upon the matter.

    ¡°Yes, I have already written him a letter. I would send it along together with the contract of inheritance to Hansen on the day of his wedding,¡± Jenna replied without hesitation.

    ¡°Silly girl, he killed your father, how can you forgive him so easily?¡± Rayan shifted his gaze to her face.

    With her forgiveness, Norton would receive a lighter sentence. Did she really n to let the matter slide?

    ¡°I believe that he did not do it on purpose. He was manipted by Brock,¡± her eyelids drooped as she responded.

    Rayan gazed at her. She was so calm.

    Suddenly, her phone rang.

    Jenna answered the call.

    ¡°Jenna, where are you?¡± Hannah¡¯s voice rang.

    Jenna sighed. Hannah must have heard the news and was demanding an exnation at this instant.

    ¡°Hannah, I¡¯m with Rayan.¡± Jenna attempted to calm Hannah down by spilling the beans.

    ¡°You have decided to leave Richards Group and the scoundrel, am I right?¡± Hannah kept her frustration in check and asked.

    ¡°Yes, this is my choice,¡± Jenna replied in a low voice.

    ¡°But, what about you being pregnant? How can he be so irresponsible?¡± Hannah¡¯s temper sparked upon receiving the news. How could Jenna be so foolish?

    Why did she choose to leave at a time like this?

    ¡°Hannah, you can¡¯t me him, he doesn¡¯t even know that I¡¯m pregnant.¡± Jenna walked to the side and said in a low voice, ¡°Hannah, please, this is my decision, please don¡¯t worry about it. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your concern.¡±

    She was afraid that Hannah would blow a fuse and tell Hansen everything. If that happened, her efforts would go down the drain.

    ¡°You¡­ are crazy!¡± Hannah gritted her teeth as anger stirred within her. ¡°All right, I won¡¯t intervene in your decisions. Just pretend that I¡¯m dead. However, that scoundrel has lingered in my caf¨¦ sincest night. He is so drunk and he refused to leave. He went crazy and smashed a lot of my belongings. How am I to start my business today?¡±

    Hannah was simmering with anger. That d*mn Hansen, he came to her caf¨¦ for no reason and destroyed her stuff when he was drunk. He rarely came in the past. If it wasn¡¯t for Jenna, she would have called the police already.

    She sighed. Jenna was her friend. What else could she do?

    ¡°What? He did what?¡± Jenna panicked. ¡°Why would he go to your caf¨¦?¡±

    Jenna felt it hard to believe as Hansen had never be drunk before.

    ¡°Oh please, did you think I would invite him over? He smashed my stuff. It¡¯s no fun at all. You bettere and take him away or else, I am going to give him a piece of my mind.¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes glowed with savage fire. She guessed that something had gone wrong with their rtionship when she saw Hansen the night before. Sure enough, she received news regarding Hansen¡¯s marriage in the morning.

    She couldn¡¯t tolerate it anymore.

    Hansen had everything. He was going to marry soon and he had a child. Everything was perfect. How dare he make a scene at her caf¨¦ once he was drunk? What a scoundrel!

    Jenna was the victim but she didn¡¯t evenin despite her situation.

    If it wasn¡¯t for Jenna¡¯s sake, Hannah would have taught Hansen a lesson the night before. However, upon receiving news of his marriage in the morning, her patience wore thin.

    ¡°Well, Jenna, I don¡¯t care what you n to do in the future. I can¡¯t interfere with that. However, you must take that scoundrel away from my shop, or I won¡¯t let him off easily.¡± Hannah was cold with fury. Rage overtook her as she recalled that Jenna had kept her pregnancy a secret from Hansen.

    ¡°Hannah, don¡¯t act recklessly. I will call Butler Maud and ask him to take Hansen away right away. He will pay for your loss.¡± Jenna was a little flustered. Considering Hannah¡¯s temper, she would definitely call the police if she did not act immediately.

    ¡°Oh, Mary, you are really kind-hearted. You still care about him despite what he did.¡± Hannah sniggered.

    Jenna sighed. She could only reply, ¡°Hannah, don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯m doing this for your own good. If the media knows about this, it would ruin the reputation of your caf¨¦. Just bear with it for a while, I will make it up to you soon.¡±

    Hannah sighed as she shifted her gaze to the sky.

    She wanted to retort that some scandal would only attract more customers and improve her business. As long as she could get revenge on that scoundrel, nothing mattered. However, she stopped herself and said exasperatingly, ¡°Fine. Just get him away quickly.¡±

    Hannah ended the call and nced at Hansen who was fast asleep at the coffee table. What was so good about him? She had to admit that he did have good looks and was quite capable but that was about all. Why was he so fortunate to meet someone like Jenna?

    Hannah was indeed indignant.

    Jenna quickly made a call to Richards Manor and found Butler Maud. After giving him the address, Butler Maud brought some people along as they headed to Gently Cafeteria.

    Hansen was tormented by nightmares. His body felt sore and it ached terribly. Upon awakening, he found himself on his bed at home. The sunlight was streaming through the window, blinding him.

    How did he arrive home?Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    He remembered that right before he fell into a slumber, he was wandering on the streets, looking desperately for Jenna.

    She couldn¡¯t be with Rayan. She couldn¡¯t be with any other men. That was his only thought as he wandered around. She belonged to him. Nobody could snatch her away. How could she be with someone else? It would drive him crazy.

    After that, he lost consciousness.

    His fist was clenched tightly and he seemed to be holding something sharp as he felt a stinging sensation in his hand.

    In his palm was a seashell covered in blood.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± He felt a stab in his heart and he clenched his fists again. Without hesitation, he stood up abruptly and dashed towards the second floor.

    This was the same seashell he stopped Jenna from taking away the day before. He suffered a nosebleed and wiped the blood away with his hand, thus staining the seashell with blood. He did not release his grip on the seashell even after he got drunk.

    He recalled himself going toGently Cafeteria before he fell asleep. His heart skipped a beat as a thought crossed his mind. Jenna! Yes, Jenna must have brought him home.

 Chapter 269 You Guys Are So Heartless

    ¡°Jenna!¡± He pushed the door open only to find the room empty. Not only was Jenna nowhere in sight, but all the decorations had also been removedpletely. He bellowed in frustration, ¡°Where are you? What on earth is going on?¡±

    After a while, Aunt E dashed into the room. Upon seeing Hansen¡¯s expression, she understood what happened immediately. Tears welled up in her eyes as she said quivering, ¡°Young Master, Madam Marissa already instructed the servants to clean up this room before Aria moves in after your wedding.¡±

    Tears coursed down Aunt E¡¯s cheeks. She missed Jenna terribly. Jenna was such a good person. What did she do to deserve this?

    ¡°Wedding?¡± Hansen was stunned and his expression darkened. ¡°Who said that? Why don¡¯t I know anything about it?¡±

    ¡°Madam Marissa announced it. It¡¯s all over the news. The guests have already been invited.¡± Tears split over and flowed down her face like a river escaping a dam.

    Realization dawned on Hansen as he recalled what happened the day before. His face turned ashen and he slumped onto the couch.

    ¡°Young Master, are you splitting up with Young Madam?¡± Aunt E asked in a shivering voice.

    Hansen rubbed his temples. He was getting a headache.

    ¡°Young Master, if I might be so bold as to request, can I go and work at Ink Garden instead? Please help me. I have been working at Richards Manor for a very long time and I¡¯m getting old,¡± Aunt E asked,hardly able to control the trembling of her lower jaw. If Aria really moved into Richards Manor, all the servants would have a hard time in the future. She hoped beyond measure to go to Ink Garden. After all, she was retiring soon.

    Hansen rested his head on his hand and closed his eyes. He was utterly confused.

    ¡°Young Master, why don¡¯t you beg Vivian for help? She might have an idea,¡± Aunt E suggested, knowing what was on his mind.

    Hansen sat in silence.

    At that moment, voices rang from the corridor.

    Marissa was leading a group of people upstairs.

    ¡°You guys have to decorate and change the design of this floor in the shortest time possible. The room should be luxurious andfortable,¡± Marissa instructed the person next to her as they walked upstairs.

    ¡°All right, Madam,¡± the person replied immediately, trying to please her.

    Hansen was going to marry Earl¡¯s daughter; it was a strong alliance. Anyone could foresee their bright future ahead. It was only natural for people to wish to please her.

    Marissa enjoyed the attention and was secretly gleeful.

    They pushed the door open.

    Soon, Marissa was taken aback.

    Hansen was standing in the bedroom. His icy stare bored into them, making it hard for them not to back away.

    ¡°Mom, what are you doing?¡± he asked. His expression was unreadable.

    ¡°Hansen, you are here.¡± Marissa was unaffected by his withering stare and entered the room. She said with an air of nonchnce, ¡°It¡¯s great that you are here. I have something to discuss with you.¡±

    ¡°Mom, be frank with me, why did you bring these people over?¡± Hansen pointed at the people behind her and demanded an exnation.

    ¡°Hansen, this will be the room you will be sharing with Aria in the future. I must decorate it before your wedding ceremony,¡± Marissa averted her gaze and responded calmly.

    ¡°Mom, ask them to leave right now,¡± Hansen bellowed without even ncing in her direction.

    His expression made their hairs stand on end. They looked at one another in confusion.

    ¡°You guys can go out first.¡± Marissa was also worried that Hansen would blow a fuse. Hence, she sent them out quickly.

    Hansen kicked the door shut.

    ¡°Mom, why didn¡¯t you ask for my opinion before you do anything? You don¡¯t even know how to respect me. This is my room with Jenna. It is now and it will be in the future. Nobody can change that. The rooms on the second floor belong to her. How dare you charge in without permission? You are going against thew. Don¡¯t you know that?¡± Rage coursed through his veins. He was furious as Marissa acted on her own ord.

    Marissa knew what he was thinking and sighed. ¡°Hansen, I know how you are feeling but this is Aria¡¯s request. She wants to live in this room. Do I have a choice?¡±

    ¡°So what? She is nothingpared to Jenna. Tell her, nobody is allowed to destroy this ce. If anyone dares to do anything to this room, then try it and we¡¯ll see what I¡¯ll do.¡± Hansen sneered.

    ¡°Hansen, you will only make things awkward for me.¡± Marissa knew that Hansen was determined to protect the room from any damage but Aria was going to move in. How could she not fulfill the request?

    ¡°Since you are flustered, then don¡¯t do anything,¡± Hansen said coldly.

    ¡°Hansen, Jenna has already promised to pass Aria the inheritance right of Richards Group. If that¡¯s the case, the room belongs to Aria. She has the right to decide what will be of it,¡± Marissa tried to persuade him.

    ¡°Enough.¡± Hansen was simmering with anger. He shot her a withering stare and sneered. ¡°Mom, you guys are indeed heartless. You not only want to drive Jenna away, you even want her inheritance. Only you and Aria could be this ruthless. I finally understood why Jenna wanted to leave no matter how I begged her to stay. You guys are so snobbish and heartless.¡±

    Hansen was holding the seashell stained with blood tightly in his hand. That was the only thing Jenna left in Richards Manor. He saved it by getting himself into a fight with Rayan. However, he did not regret fighting with Rayan. At least, he saved one of the seashells. It was his only memory of Jenna.

    Marissa¡¯s face turned pale. What Hansen said made her blood run cold. The pain in her chest couldn¡¯t equate with the pain and distress shooting through her like cold fire. She knew that she was going to lose her son forever.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t me me for being cruel. I¡¯m doing everything for your own good,¡± she responded in a hoarse voice. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

    ¡°If you really care about me, then please, don¡¯t do anything,¡± Hansen retorted indignantly. ¡°I won¡¯t appreciate what you did. If Aria insists on getting married to me, then so be it. However, don¡¯t expect me to treat her like my wife.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, Earl has already announced the wedding date and rumors are spreading like wildfire. Everyone already knows that Aria is pregnant and the child is yours. What choice do we have except for marrying her? It¡¯s not like I had a choice,¡± Marissa said dejectedly as she wiped away her tears.

    Hansen remained stubborn despite the circumstances. She could only try to resolve the matter herself.

    After all, this was her son. No matter what he did, she had to consider his future.

    He was in a bad mood due to the recent incidents. It was only natural for him to be smoldered with resentment.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mom, if you had no other choices, you could have chosen to just sit back and leave everything to fate. Since you gave your consent to the marriage without discussing with me, you can settle it yourself.¡± Hansen left without a backward nce after finishing his sentence.

    Marissa felt a stab in her heart and her temper spiked.

    ¡°Hansen, how dare you talk to me in this manner,¡± she yelled. ¡°Tell me! What else can we do aside from agreeing to the marriage? I did not force you to marry Aria but this is the best solution given the current situation. I never expected you to be filial but at least, you should learn to respect me. You should take responsibility for your actions. I did not make Aria pregnant. This is your responsibility as a man.¡±

    Hansen paused for a while. His expression darkened and he left without saying anything.

    Meanwhile, at Ink Garden, Sabrina was in distress as she gazed gloomily at the sky.

    She hadn¡¯t seen Jenna for a long time. They had been busy preparing for the New Year¡¯s banquet for three days. To their dismay, they received news of the marriage between Hansen and Aria.

    The news served as a major blow to her.

    She was beginning to lose hope in Richards Manor.

    Sabrina was so disgusted by Aria. Many thoughts crossed her mind for the past few days.

    ¡°Sabrina, what¡¯s the matter? Are you feeling ufortable?¡± Norton strode into Ink Garden only to find Sabrina looking dejected. He couldn¡¯t help but smile when he saw her.

    ¡°Norton, the men in the Richards family are truly a*sholes. They are not reliable at all. I¡¯m so disappointed.¡± She sulked and pouted when she saw Norton.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Norton almost jumped out of his skin when he heard her remark. Did she find out what he had done? His heart raced as he asked anxiously, ¡°Sabrina, did I offend you? Why are you disappointed in me?¡±

    Sabrina was stunned and shifted her gaze to his face. He was staring anxiously at her. She suddenlyughed. ¡°Norton, I¡¯m not referring to you. Why are you panicking?¡±

    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s not about me.¡± Norton heaved a sigh of relief. Her remark piqued his curiosity, therefore he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Who are you referring to? Don¡¯t tell me you are referring to my dad?¡±

    ¡°Norton, you are so naughty.¡± Sabrina was amused and patted him on his head. ¡°You know that I¡¯m not referring to him. Don¡¯t pull my leg. I¡¯m talking about Hansen.¡±

    Upon hearing what she said, a smile crossed his face. ¡°Why? Do you like Hansen and wish to marry him?¡± he teased.

    ¡°Norton, don¡¯t bber nonsense.¡± Sabrina was indignant and stomped her feet.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll stop joking around.¡± Norton grinned when he saw Sabrina flushing crimson. He inquired, ¡°What¡¯s the matter then? Tell me, I¡¯m curious.¡±

    ¡°Norton, I didn¡¯t expect Hansen to be so ruthless. Jenna is so outstanding. No woman is a match for her. She is smart, considerate, kind, and beautiful, yet she did not receive the love she deserved. Aria? Who does she think she is? How dare Hansen choose her over Jenna and marry her? What a weird taste. I¡¯m disappointed in the Richards family,¡± Sabrina remarked as her frustration kicked in.

 Chapter 270 The Stubborn Hansen

    Norton finally understood why Sabrina was upset. He sneered, ¡°It¡¯s not about Hansen¡¯s taste; he is unworthy of Jenna. I think this is a good oue. Jenna can finally be free. She would only suffer if she continues being with him.¡±

    ¡°No, I think they are a very good pair but I don¡¯t know why something like this happened. It¡¯s so sad.¡± Sabrina was in distress and she couldn¡¯t get over it. She murmured, ¡°Norton, if you dare to be a bastard like Hansen, I will never forgive you.¡±

    Norton was startled when he heard what she said. He teased, ¡°You are already starting to worry before we are even getting married. Don¡¯t worry, I will never let you down. I will make you happy.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Sabrina stared at him with shining, ecstatic eyes.

    Norton¡¯s heart raced. Her eyes were filled with happiness and hope. It was blinding and beautiful. He felt a sense of responsibility and wanted to promise her a lifetime of happiness. He parted his lips but he could not bring himself to utter the words. He was still on pins and needles for what he had done. Therefore, he only patted her on the head before he left.

    Sabrina watched as he walked away. An inexplicable wave of loneliness washed over her. She stared nkly ahead until a figure emerged suddenly. It was Hansen. He was looking very gloomy.

    Hansen passed by without noticing her presence. Sabrina guessed that he was here to see Vivian.

    All of a sudden, her temper spiked upon seeing him. She shouted in a dissatisfied tone, ¡°Hansen!¡±

    Hansen stopped in his tracks. However, he did not turn around, nor did he respond.

    ¡°Hansen, are you really going to abandon Jenna and marry someone like Aria?¡±

    His muscles tensed but he still did not respond.

    ¡°It turns out that you are an a*shole without any sense of responsibility. You are so unreliable. I sympathize with Jenna and I despise you. You are truly unworthy of Jenna.¡± Sabrina shot daggers at him.

    Hansen still did not utter a word.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Aria¡¯s father just the deputy mayor? So what? Her character disgusts me. She is just a greedy woman and she will not be able to lead the Richards Group in the future. Although Jenna does not have a good family background, she is smart and independent. She is such an outstanding woman. Why can¡¯t you see her strength? Anyone can see that Jenna is better than Aria. Can¡¯t you? It¡¯s so irritating.¡± Sabrina huffed and stomped her feet.

    ¡°Hansen, you are nothing but an *sshole to me from now onwards. I don¡¯t wish to be associated with you in any manner. Don¡¯t expect me to greet you in the future.¡±

    Again, she stomped her feet in frustration and ran away as rage nearly consumed her.

    If Hansen married Aria, her life would be tough once she got married to Norton. She would have to face Aria every single day. She could imagine how awkward it would be.

    Sabrina didn¡¯t want that!

    Hansen was in a daze as he walked into the room.

    After waiting for a long time, Meroy came out of the house and said softly,¡± Young Master, please leave, Grandma doesn¡¯t wish to see you.¡±

    Hansen refused to leave.

    He wanted to tell Vivian that he didn¡¯t want to marry Aria but Vivian seemed to know that he woulde and she refused to see him.

    Feeling extremely frustrated, Hansen hung his head as he left.

    He had no mood to work. Ever since Marissa gave Aria the date of their marriage, Earl no longer bore any grudges towards him.

    The Richards Group was saved.

    Hansenfinished a couple of bottles of wine by himself. He was starting to be drunk.

    Once he was done drinking, he staggered out of the bar and hailed a cab.

    Jenna sat at the edge of the bench, her back straight, her arms rxed and straight in front of her as she yed the piano. It was a mesmerizing sight.

    Rayan was sitting on the couch as he marveled at her skills. He rxed and began sipping his coffee.

    Jenna was also immersed in the melody.

    Did her baby like the melody? She thought silently to herself. She believed that her baby could hear the melody.

    From this moment onwards, she would y the piano for him.

    A phone rang suddenly, breaking the silence.

    It was Jenna¡¯s phone.

    She answered the call.

    ¡°Jenna! Jenna! Come out ande home with me,¡± Hansen¡¯s voice rang.

    Hansen? Where was he?

    Jenna was taken aback!

    He seemed to be drunk and he must be nearby.

    His voice was ragged but he was still able to form proper sentences. He must have taken a lot of wine.

    He went drinking again!

    ¡°Jenna,e out. Please,e home with me,¡± Hansen wailed. Jenna looked around in panic. There was no one outside Rayan¡¯s vi and she heaved a sigh of relief before she hung up the phone.

    After a while, her phone rang again.

    Jenna stared at it anxiously.

    Where was he? How much wine did he drink?

    Recalling what happened the day before at Hannah¡¯s ce, she couldn¡¯t help feeling concerned.

    She was worried that Hansen would get himself into trouble once he was drunk.

    Her phone continued ringing.

    Jenna turned her head away, refusing to answer it.

    Rayan furrowed his brows as he nced at the phone. He knew without a doubt that it was Hansen.

    He shifted his gaze to her face.

    Jenna stood up and looked at the phone. Her face was pale as she was in a daze.

    Finally, silence fell.

    ¡°Rayan, I¡¯ll go back to my room and rest first. I¡¯m so exhausted.¡± She grabbed her phone and switched it off. She was indeed worn out with fatigue.

    ¡°Sure¡­¡± Rayan nodded. At that moment, the housekeeper dashed into the living room, panting heavily as he eximed, ¡°Mr. Whalen, there¡¯s someone outside rapping at the door, insisting to see you.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Rayan raised his eyebrow and inquired, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, it¡¯s a young man, he insists on seeing¡­¡± The housekeeper nced at Jenna without speaking further.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Rayan understood immediately and gave a dismissive wave of his hand.

    The housekeeper left.

    ¡°What do you want to do? Do you want to see him?¡± Rayan said lightly as he nced at Jenna.

    Hansen actually found the ce. How did he know the address?

    ¡°No.¡± Jenna only hesitated for a second before she shook her head in resolution. ¡°Rayan, please ask someone to send him back.¡±

    She assumed an air of nonchnce and went into her room.

    Rayan pondered the matter for a while before he stood up and headed to the door.

    ¡°Jenna! Jenna! Come out ande home with me.¡± Hansen¡¯s cheeks flushed as he rapped on the door of the vi. He did not stop shouting.

    Rayan approached him and shot him a warning stare without saying anything.

    ¡°Rayan, what are you scheming? Why are you hiding Jenna from me? Why did you intervene in our rtionship?¡± With a crazed look in his eyes, Hansen yelled hysterically.

    Rayan smiled faintly and said slowly, ¡°Hansen, Jenna doesn¡¯t love you anymore. Don¡¯t pester her. She won¡¯te out to see you.¡±

    ¡°No, Jenna loves me. She agreed to marry me. We were still deeply in love a few days ago. Everything can¡¯t change within a few days. It must be you! You ruined our rtionship.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes bulged from their sockets as he gritted his teeth. ¡°Jenna! Jenna! Come out!¡± he continued yelling.

    Jenna stood in front of her bedroom window and nced outside. She was feeling very uneasy and flustered as Hansen shouted for her, his voice getting louder by the minute.

    ¡°Jenna, I won¡¯t go back if you don¡¯te out today. I must bring you home today!¡± Hansen yelled as loudly as he could.

    ¡°Stop yelling, she won¡¯te out to see you. Just give up. Go back and marry Aria,¡± Rayan advised him. Hansen had been yelling for a while but Jenna paid no heed to his cries.

    ¡°Impossible, I must take her home today.¡± Hansen was stubborn once he was drunk.

    ¡°Since you have the patience, I won¡¯t stop you.¡± Rayan smiled with an air of nonchnce. He said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s toote to regret now.¡±

    Upon finishing his sentence, his gaze shifted to the gloomy sky and he walked back into the house.

    Jenna had been standing in front of the window for a very long time. Finally, Hansen¡¯s shouts disappeared and Jenna staggered to the couch. She was feeling nauseous and exhausted. Hence, she rested on the couch and closed her eyes.

    It began raining. The rain drummed wildly on the roof and she could hear the wind howling.

    She trembled as she felt the chill.

    The phone in the room rang. It was Rayan.

    ¡°Jen,e out for dinner.¡±

    Dinner? Jenna was shocked. Did she stand in front of the window for so many hours?

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Despite having no appetite, she agreed politely.

    Her head began to whirl as she stood up. She steadied herself against the wall and staggered out of the room by supporting herself on the couch.

    ¡°Jen, are you all right?¡± Rayan was filled with worry as he gazed at her. ¡°You look haggard. I must take you to see a doctor tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m okay.¡± Jenna lowered her head and picked up the fork on the table.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen! Mr. Whalen!¡± The housekeeper emerged at this instant.

 Chapter 271 Hansen Has Gone Crazy!

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Rayan asked without raising his head.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, the young man has been standing by the gate for the entire afternoon, refusing to leave. He insists on bringing¡­¡± The housekeeper¡¯s voice faltered as he nced at Jenna.

    Jenna¡¯s head throbbed and she was in a state of flux.

    Darkness had fallen and it was raining cats and dogs. Did Hansen still refuse to leave?

    How long had he been standing there?

    Her face turned ashen.

    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go and have a look.¡± Rayan nodded. The housekeeper then left.

    Jenna was in a dilemma.

    Rayan stared deep into her eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you want to see him?¡± he asked softly.

    ¡°What? No¡­¡± Jenna responded instinctively but her fingers began fidgeting.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Rayan asked again. His intense gaze fixed on her.

    ¡°Uh, uh.¡± Jenna nodded mechanically as her eyes were fixed on the table.

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll ask him to go home.¡± Rayan nodded.

    ¡°Rayan, please, don¡¯t provoke him. Send someone to bring him home,¡± Jenna begged.

    ¡°Okay, I know what to do,¡± Rayan reassured her and shed her a smile.

    Jenna had no appetite anymore and her gaze riveted upon the door.

    Suddenly, her phone rang.

    ¡°Hello.¡± After a long time, Jenna answered the call with a quivering voice.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, this is Haward. After standing guard for a few days, I finally discovered how the person got into the ward. There is a pipe beside the ward¡¯s window. That was how the person entered. Someone removed Trevor¡¯s tube again today,¡± Haward reported with a lowered voice.

    ¡°What? Someone did what?¡± Jenna¡¯s heart pounded rapidly. Someone wanted Trevor dead, but who?

    She had already agreed to leave Richards Manor and Hansen. Why would anyone still want to harm Trevor?

    What exactly was going on?

    ¡°Miss Murphy, do you want to call the police?¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t provoke the enemy before we catch the culprit. I will increase your sry. Please guard the ce these few days and notify Madam Wyld immediately if the tube is removed. Just ask her to insert the tube again,¡± Jenna instructed.

    ¡°Sure.¡± With that, Haward ended the call.

    It was a near miss! Jenna steadied herself. Fortunately, she thought of sending her bodyguards to watch over Trevor in the hospital. Otherwise, who knew what would happen.

    Obviously, someone didn¡¯t want Trevor to recover.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    It was intentional murder!

    The culprit should be brought to justice.

    She had already left Hansen. Hence, it didn¡¯t seem to be Aria. She had no motives to murder Trevor.

    Who else could it be?

    Jenna was getting a headache and she could not wrap her head around the matter.

    Suddenly, she thought of Hansen still standing outside.

    He was still fooling around and getting himself drunk when his father was in danger. Didn¡¯t he know?

    The thought crossed her mind and she ran outside.

    The cold air hit her.

    So cold!

    She went back into the house to get an umbre.

    It was so cold, yet he remained outside for the entire afternoon.

    How could he be so stubborn!

    Jenna never thought that he would be so headstrong!

    ¡°Let me drive my point across. I won¡¯t leave unless Jennaes home with me today.¡± Hansen stood upright with his back straight although his legs were already stiff from the cold. He was drenched in rain but he remained stubborn as a mule and refused to budge. Rain trickled down from his hair and his eyes were evident with determination.

    Rayan walked over, holding an umbre in his hand. His gaze was sharp and cold as it remained riveted upon Hansen.

    The gate was illuminated by themps.

    There was only a gate between them but it felt as if they were from two different worlds.

    His expression darkened as he stared at Hansen who refused to leave no matter what.

    Did he drink? Rayan wondered.

    Hansen seemed tipsy but he was not very drunk.

    Rayan could see the fierce determination in his eyes.

    Hansen was not making a scene because he was drunk; he knew what he was doing.

    Rayan¡¯s heart quivered. He was indeed startled and for some inexplicable reason, he felt guilty.

    Hansen was a sessful businessman in A city. He had money and power. He was capable, cunning and rational. Rayan heard of him before he came to A City.

    However, hepletely lost it when it came to love.

    Ever since he saw him by Jenna¡¯s side, he lost his cool and became childish. He got jealous of some trifle matters and even fought him. Besides, he disregarded his pride and dignity in front of the media.

    If Rayan didn¡¯t install many surveince cameras and take preventive measures beforehand, his vi would already be surrounded by reporters by this moment.

    He always kept a low profile when he went out to the public. The location of his vi was very secluded and no reporters had seeded in securing information about his whereabouts.

    He was able to keep his identity a secret thanks to his character and how he treated others.

    However, he revealed his identity numerous times for the sake of Jenna. Even the vi was almost exposed.

    He believed that this was the first time he appeared in public for the sake of a woman.

    He thought he was irrational up till this moment.

    Hansen¡¯s actions startled him!

    Obviously, Hansen was a lot more irrational and crazierpared to him.

    His love for Jenna was insane!

    Was this how true love should be?

    Hansen was true to his feelings. Was it a good thing?

    For a sessful businessman to be out of his mind when he fell in love, it was indeed something scary!

    It was a w! It was enough to ruin him.

    Hansen obviously did not realize it but what if he did? Maybe he was willing to ept the w despite knowing the risks associated.

    If that was the case, he truly loved Jenna.

    He was willing to risk everything for the sake of her.

    Realization dawned on Rayan.

    He finally understood why Jenna did not choose him.

    Hansen¡¯s love for her was much deeper and it was selfless.

    Hansen obviously loved Jenna far more than him. He became irrational and crazy because he loved her. He cared about her and did not wish to lose her.

    Unlike Rayan.

    Perhaps, this was true love. Something he had never experienced before.

    He was always calm andposed despite the circumstances.

    If he could meet someone who would drive him crazy in the future, he would willingly ept his fate.

    Rayan¡¯s jealousy stirred again. It would be worth it to experience true love even if it ruined his career.

    He had dealt with various men as his business grew. He had long been ustomed to seeing men who were willing to sacrifice their marriage for the sake of sess.

    Money, fame, and status clouded their thoughts and love was nothing to them. Indeed, Hansen surprised him.

    At this moment, he changed his perception of Hansen. They shared the same values. Rayan did not back down and marry Hilda. His future was unpredictable but at least, he knew it was the right choice.

    Rayan sighed inwardly at the thought of this.

    ¡°Rayan, open the gate and hand over Jenna,¡± Hansen demanded as their eyes met.

    ¡°Are you sure that Jenna will go home with you?¡± Rayan forced a smile. To be honest, he was uncertain about the answer too. Upon finishing the sentence, he fell silent and stared at Hansen who was drenched in rain.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Hansen replied without hesitation. His eyes were filled with hope and his face split into a wide smile as he caught a glimpse of a figure some distance away.

    Rayan was startled and spun around.

    Jenna was holding a dark umbre, walking towards them. She was so thin that she struggled against the wind but she did not stop.

    Almost at the same time.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes shone with excitement.

    Rayan¡¯s heart sank.

    ¡°Jenna, you are finally here.¡± Hansen was ecstatic and beamed from ear to ear despite the pouring rain.

    Jenna gradually approached them.

    Hansen was standing outside but Rayan was just by her side. However, her gaze fell upon Hansen who was soaked from head to toe. Being in the horrendous rain made his well-built figure look frail and lonely.

    He was the man she loved deeply and wanted more than anything else. However, she was forced to let him go when he finally fell for her.

    Her heart quivered at the sight of him.

    He was wet all over, yet he remained stubborn and refused to leave. Why? Didn¡¯t he know that his father was in danger? Shouldn¡¯t he protect his family?

    ¡°Jenna,e home with me,¡± Hansen urged, his eyes filled with hope. He stretched out his hand towards her as his gaze remained riveted upon her.

    Jenna just stared at him coldly.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t think too highly of yourself. I won¡¯t return to Richards Manor. Who do you think you are? There is no love between us. Why should I go with you? Is there any reason for me to do this? Don¡¯t forget, you are about to marry Aria. You are not qualified toe and beg me to return with you. I came here to persuade you to leave and take care of your dad,¡± she said icily. She had no intentions to return to Richards Manor.

    ¡°No, Jenna. I won¡¯t marry anyone except you. Come with me. I will take you away. Let¡¯s live somewhere else. We can leave A City. Believe me, I only love you.¡± Hansen remained stubborn and was not affected by what she said.

    Jenna dropped her eyes and sniggered the next second.

 Chapter 272 A Big Surprise

    ¡°Hansen, are you a three-year-old? Please don¡¯t be so na?ve, all right? How can you still be so unrealistic even at this moment? Don¡¯t make a fool of yourself.¡± Jenna sneered.

    Was he still the capable and cunning man she once knew? Why did he be so childish?

    How could he still have the time to be here, begging for her to go home with him? Didn¡¯t he know the Richards Group¡¯s current situation?

    ¡°Open the gate, open the gate for me,¡± Hansen insisted. He knew that it was impossible to convince her but he did not wish to give up. Seeing her standing just a few steps away, he became anxious and began pushing against the gate with all his might.

    Rayan stood silently by Jenna¡¯s side. His gaze fixed upon her.

    ¡°Please go. It¡¯s impossible between us.¡± Tears welled up in her eyes. She could not bear to see the scene and her heart went out to him. In the end, she turned around and refused to look at him.

    A gust of wind almost swept away the umbre in her hand. Her frail body was struggling to stand, almost carried away by the wind.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t leave.¡± Hansen wanted to rush to her side and hug her tightly but the gate hindered him. He was so flustered that he bellowed, ¡°Jenna, I know that you love me. You can¡¯t forget about me. It¡¯s impossible. We were still madly in love a few days ago. You are just putting on an act to force me to give up and marry Aria for the sake of Richards Group, am I right? Let me be frank with you. I won¡¯t admit defeat easily. I would rather lose everything than you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so stubborn, please!¡± Jenna was torn. Mixed feelings welled up inside her as she witnessed Hansen¡¯s stubbornness. Somehow, she was thrilled because he guessed what was on her mind and believed her. However, her mind was set to protect him and the Richards Group. She did not wish to ruin his future.

    God, it was freezing cold!

    She was trembling with cold and she felt light-headed.

    The cold wind swept over her, making her body numb from the cold. Her legs were losing strength as well. She trembled violently and her umbre was about to be blown away by the wind.

    The blood had drained from her face.

    Rayan was shocked to see her in this state and was about to draw closer to support her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare go closer to her. She belongs to me.¡± Hansen snarled. Realizing that something was amiss, Hansen began climbing the gate, ignoring the sharp wires poking out. He was determined to take Jenna away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, it¡¯s dangerous.¡± Jenna saw him climbing the gate in desperation. Her blood ran cold as what he was doing was indeed dangerous. She could imagine blood gushing out of his hands once he reached the top and her heart quivered.

    The rain and wind battered her. Chilled by the wind, Jenna fainted. Her umbre was swept away by the wind as she had no strength left in her.

    ¡°Jenna!¡± ¡°Jen!¡± Both Hansen and Rayan shouted in dismay simultaneously.

    ¡°Quick! Open the gate!¡± Hansen roared as he continued climbing.

    ¡°Jen.¡± Rayan quickly approached her and carried her in his arms. He called her name anxiously, trying to rouse her but to no avail. Nevertheless, he remained calm and opened the gate with the remote control in his hand.

    The gate finally slid open.

    Hansen jumped down from the gate and dashed inside.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± He pushed Rayan away and snatched Jenna away. Jenna¡¯s face had turned ashen and blood had drained from her face. She looked frail and did not respond to their cries. Fear clutched at his gut.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Hurry up, let¡¯s go to the hospital,¡± Rayan remainedposed and instructed.

    Hansen finally regained his senses and stood up abruptly.

    He carried her in his arms and rushed outside without a second thought.

    Rayan ran quickly to the garage to get his car. His Rolls-Royce soon caught up with Hansen. ¡°Quick, get into the car.¡±

    Wind and rain shed at Hansen as he stood by the road, carrying Jenna in his arms. The street was vacant. No one was in sight, let alone a cab. Rayan¡¯s vi was indeed secluded and Hansen had no choice except to get into the car.

    Hansen relented and got into the car for Jenna¡¯s sake. She needed immediate medical attention.

    At the VIP ward of the hospital.

    ¡°How is she? Dr. Jenkins, is she all right? Why did she faint?¡± nch Jenkins was the most experienced physician in the hospital. She shifted her gaze to Hansen who was on pins and needles and asked solemnly, ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with the patient?¡±

    ¡°I am her husband,¡± Hansen replied without hesitation.

    ¡°Then, what about you?¡± nch did not reveal Jenna¡¯s condition immediately. Instead, she questioned their identities.

    ¡°I am her friend.¡± Hansen had already secured the best ward and the most experienced doctor after Rayan had parked the car. Although he was worried about Jenna, he did not wish to fight with Hansen in front of a doctor. He chose to stand aside and only gave the doctor a brief answer.

    nch turned to face Hansen. She did not recognize him. She had worked in this hospital for a very long time but she was not interested in gossip and had never met the owner of the hospital. Besides, Hansen never interfered with the operation of the hospital. Many people knew his name but had never met him in person.

    ¡°When was thest time your wife had a period?¡± nch questioned with a piercing gaze.

    ¡°This¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Hansen was caught off guard and could only shake his head. Why did she ask him about Jenna¡¯s menstrual cycle? Was it rted to her condition?

    ¡°Young man, you really don¡¯t know anything. Let me get her blood tested first,¡± nch shook her head and responded.

    ¡°Sure. Is her condition serious?¡± nch¡¯s response made Hansen¡¯s heart race. He was fearful of Jenna¡¯s condition and worried that it might be rted to some severe illness.

    nch nced at him without answering.

    Hansen was ill at ease. nch¡¯s expression was unreadable and he could only follow her instructions.

    An hourter, the blood test results came out.

    nch had a nce through the results and finally, she nodded her head.

    ¡°Young man, your wife has been pregnant for almost three months. She is suffering from severe malnutrition and she has fainted as her emotions were unstable for the past few days. She needs to be hospitalized for the time being and we need to give her enteral tube nutrition as she is currently very weak. Otherwise, she might lose her child,¡± nch said solemnly as she stared at Hansen¡¯s puzzled expression.

    She shook her head and sighed. Young people nowadays were too reckless, she thought. His wife had already been pregnant for three months, yet, he was unaware of it. Seeing that Jenna was drenched in rain, it was no wonder she fainted. It was such a cold day.

    What? Jenna was three months pregnant?

    Hansen was rooted to the spot. Rayan stood there gaping at nch, too shocked to speak as well.

    nch lowered her head and observed their expression behind her sses. She remained calm andposed.

    ¡°Young man, you don¡¯t even know that your wife is pregnant and you allowed her to go out in the rain. This can be life-threatening. She is too weak and needs nutrition before her second trimester of pregnancy. Pregnancy is tough. Her body requires sufficient nutrition so that the fetus can grow healthily. Thus, what¡¯s your decision? Do you want her to be hospitalized?¡± nch inquired.

    The surprise on their faces suggested something fishy. It was still excusable for the friend to be unaware of the patient¡¯s condition but it was indeed weird that her husband was unaware of her pregnancy.

    ¡°Yes, she must be hospitalized.¡± Hansen regained his senses after he had digested the news. Realization dawned on him and he finally understood why Jenna was acting in this manner.

    She was acting weirdly for the past three months. Not only did she not have an appetite, but her face was always so pale.

    No wonder she had been craving pickles for the past three months and did not have an appetite.

    It turned out she was pregnant.

    He had instructed Aunt E to prepare a healthy and bnced meal for her but it did not seem to work. She still looked pale. He did not know that she had secretly thrown the food away.

    It took him only a while to figure this out.

    Instantly, he was over the moon.

    Jenna was pregnant.

    They had a child.

    He was in an exuberance of joy and jubnt.

    He was so thrilled that he stammered, ¡°Dr. Jenkins, is Jenna and the baby all right?¡±

    ¡°For now, we can only conclude that she is pregnant. Further tests will be required in the future. However, the patient is weak and we need to give her enteral tube nutrition first. Once she wakes up, we will do some examination but everything should be all right. As long as she receives sufficient nutrition, there should not be a problem. It¡¯s a normal situation for pregnant women,¡± nch exined slowly.

    Malnutrition? Jenna was malnourished?

    What nch said drove Hansen crazy.

    Nevertheless, he was on cloud nine. As long as she was all right, nothing mattered.

    He would not only ensure that she got the enteral tube nutrition, but he would also make sure that she received sufficient supplements and eat a healthy and bnced diet.

    The Maternal and Child Health Hospital was the best at handling pregnancy cases.

    The thought crossed his mind and he made a call immediately.

    He thanked nch and transferred Jenna to the VIP ward at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital.

    Rayan remained dumbfounded.

    Thereafter, he did not follow Hansen and Jenna to theMaternal and Child Health Hospital.

 Chapter 273 Affection

    At the VIP ward of the Maternal and Child Health Hospital.

    Hansen sat beside Jenna and held her hand tightly. His gaze remained riveted upon her. He did not move at all and remained in the same position even though he was drenched in sweat.

    The doctor examined Jenna and inserted a tube, yet he did not give any response.

    Her hands were as cold as ice and her face was so pale. She remained unconscious although the doctor had already infused multiple bottles of IV fluids.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were fixed upon her.

    He finally understood why she acted weirdly.

    No wonder she kept vomiting and craved pickles. No wonder she was fatigued all the time and only wanted to sleep. No wonder she didn¡¯t want to have sex with him. She was pregnant!

    It seemed that she knew she was pregnant a long time ago!

    However, why did she keep it a secret from him?

    He always wanted to have a child with her.

    He chided himself for not guessing that she was pregnant all this while. How could he be so dull-witted?

    Why did she keep it a secret from him? What was she thinking? He must question her once she wakes up.

    This was not a trivial matter. She was pregnant, yet she became malnourished and almost lost her child right under his nose. It was ridiculous!

    His posture was rigid and he held her hand tightly. He dared not touch her for fear of hurting or disturbing both her and the child.

    It wasn¡¯t until the doctor reassured him repeatedly that Jenna was all right that he heaved a sigh of relief.

    The more he stared at her, the more his heart ached!

    He was overjoyed when he heard the news but soon, he was filled with anguish.

    Was he really incapable to give her the sense of security and love she needed?

    Upon awakening, Jenna caught a glimpse of the white sheets before the bright light blinded her.

    The pungent smell of disinfectant made her realize that she was in a hospital.

    She was startled and sat up abruptly in shock.

    She was in the hospital. Did everyone already know that she was pregnant?

    ¡°Jenna, you are awake.¡± A voice rang. It was filled with joy. Her hand was held tightly by someone. She turned her head around.

    It was Hansen, the person she least wanted to see at the moment.

    He looked tired and haggard, nothing like the handsome young man he was just a few days ago. Nevertheless, he looked at her with wet and ecstatic eyes. Jenna¡¯s heart quivered at the sight of this.

    She did not dare to imagine how it would be like once he lost hope.

    ¡°Why am I here?¡± She tried to withdraw her hand, but he held it tighter.

    ¡°Jenna, you passed out.¡± Hansen helped her to lie against the headboard and said gently, ¡°Get some rest. You are still undergoing infusion therapy.¡±

    Infusion? Jenna finally noticed the tube inserted into one of her arms. Her body was weak and her head was in a whirl. She felt dizzy and great beads of perspiration trickled down her forehead.

    When did she be so weak? She was simply fragile.

    She felt dejected.

    ¡°Look, you¡¯re sweating all over.¡± Hansen took out a tissue paper and wiped the sweat from her face gently as he reprimanded her, ¡°From today onwards, you must eat and drink properly. Have a good rest and don¡¯t worry about anything.¡±

    Hansen pulled part of the quilt over her body andkissed her affectionately on the forehead.She could feel the warm quilt wrapping her.

    Jenna stared at him nkly. Her amber eyes were filled with confusion.

    From his attitude, it seemed that he already knew she was pregnant. He seemed ecstatic. Her heart sank and she turned around without uttering a word.

    ¡°Jenna, if you are hungry, just let me know. I¡¯ll instruct the kitchen to prepare a meal for you.¡± Hansen then caressed her face gently.

    Jenna turned around, disregarding him.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Jenna, do cheer up. All right?¡± Hansen was in a good mood and he was very patient. He heard that women became edgy during pregnancy. No wonder she kept fighting and quarreling with him for the past few days. He felt guilty for not taking good care of her and vowed to treat her well in the future.

    He was on cloud nine. He never felt so happy before and felt a fulfilling sense of responsibility.

    He was going to be a father! Was it why he was so overjoyed? He had no idea but there was indeed no greater joy. He was jubnt!

    Jenna closed her eyes and paid no heed to him. Her head throbbed.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t respond, I will assume that you are all right with it. You have to eat everything that I order for you,¡± Hansen bent over and whispered into her ears.

    He was so gentle and considerate. It must be for the sake of their child. Jenna noticed the words ¡®Maternal and Child Health Hospital¡± imprinted on the quilt.

    She was in the Maternal and Child Health Hospital. It already exined everything.

    What about Aria? What about the baby in her abdomen? As a woman, Jenna sympathized with her.

    How could she pass out at a critical moment like this? Jenna questioned herself.

    Hansen and Aria¡¯s wedding date was just around the corner. Would Hansen still marry Aria after knowing Jenna was pregnant?

    Jenna was getting a headache. She turned around and could not bring herself to respond.

    ¡°Sleep well and have a good rest. I¡¯ll go out for a while and I¡¯ll return soon.¡± Hansen noticed that her expression had turned anxious. Her brows were furrowed and he understood at once what was on her mind.

    He left the ward and went to talk to a nurse at the counter.

    ¡°Ask the head nurse toe over. I have something to say to her,¡± Hansen instructed the nurse on duty in a solemn voice.

    The nurse raised her head and looked at Hansen with astonishment. Wasn¡¯t this Mr. Richards, the richest man in A city? She only saw him before on screen and he was always dressed handsomely. Why did he look so haggard? Nevertheless, his formidable demeanor was the same as usual. He shot her a warning stare which sent a chill down her spine. She agreed and made a call right away.

    Upon receiving the call from the nurse, Agnes Pearson, the head nurse, hurried over and invited Hansen into a private room. Hansen said lightly, ¡°Director Pearson, I am Hansen Richards.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s nice to see you. I have heard of you and your achievements. It¡¯s my honor to see you,¡± Agnes greeted him cordially.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want the news about who is living in ward 508 to spread. I want it to be kept a secret even from those who work in the hospital. If the media ever got wind of the news or if someone in the hospital spread the news, I will file awsuit against the hospital. I¡¯m sure you know what¡¯s at stake and the consequences of defying me. I want a special team of doctors and nurses to take care of the patient in ward 508 and they must be able to keep secrets. The lesser the people who know about ward 508, the better it is. If you perform the job well, I will donate a new batch of medical equipment to the hospital,¡± Hansen warned.

    Agnes agreed and her eyes shone with excitement. She promised that she would keep it a secret. It was a norm for sessful people to wish to keep their scandals a secret. Getting a mistress pregnant would ruin the reputation of the family if rumors spread. Moreover, Hansen was getting married soon. It was a piece of cake to agree to his request and in return, the hospital would be able to receive more medical equipment. There was no reason for Agnes to refuse.

    Hansen received the answer he wanted and left the room.

    Upon returning to the ward, he saw Jenna still lying on the bed. He drew closer and noticed that she seemed to be fast asleep. He caressed her hair and sighed before making a call to Jose, instructing him to bring over some pajamas and suits. After he brushed his teeth, night had fallen.

    Aunt E arrived a whileter with lots of food and supplements. Hansen checked them and nodded with satisfaction. He took out a list and handed it over to Aunt E. ¡°Aunt E, from today onwards, please prepare the meals ording to this list. Don¡¯t miss out on anything. If Young Madam wants to eat anything else, you can add it to the list. Please send the meals over once it is prepared. You can im the money from Ink Garden, I will inform them about this.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Aunt E nced at Jenna who was lying on the hospital bed and asked anxiously, ¡°Young Master, how is Young Madam?¡±

    Hansen nced at her. He knew she had always treated Jenna very well but a thought crossed his mind and he said lightly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, her body is just too weak. Just remember to stick to the list and prepare the meals to ensure she gets a bnced and healthy diet. Please make sure that she finishes her meal and report it to me afterwards. I will be taking care of her for the time being. It¡¯ste, you may go back first.¡±

    ¡°All right, that¡¯s great.¡± Aunt E was very concerned when she received news that Jenna was in the hospital but upon hearing what he said, she was relieved. She took the list and left.

    Hansen was changing his clothes when he heard Jenna cry out, ¡°Child, my child!¡±

    His blood ran cold and he dashed out of the toilet.

    He saw that Jenna was still fast asleep. However, she was shouting and beads of sweat collected on her forehead. It was apparent that she was having a nightmare.

    His heart went out to her and he hurriedly cuddled her in his arms. He grabbed some tissue and wipe away the sweat from her face as he attempted to calm her down. ¡°Jenna, wake up.¡±

    Jenna woke up with a start.

    The nightmare was terrifying; it was filled with blood. Her eyes widened in terror and she was trembling violently. Upon opening her eyes, she saw Hansen looking anxiously at her. His eyes were filled with concern.

 Chapter 274 Anxious

    ¡°Jenna, did you have a nightmare?¡± He hugged her tightly and apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jenna. I failed to protect you and let you suffer alone. You have suffered too much in the past. I promise that I will never let you and our child suffer again in the future.¡±

    As he spoke, there was sorrow in his voice. Jenna was startled when she noticed that.

    Child! Our child! Sure enough, he knew it.

    ¡°Jenna, since you have awakened,e and eat something.¡± Hansen helped her to sit up. He furrowed his brows upon noticing that her clothes were soaked with sweat. He rang the bell and ordered the nurse to bring in another set of clothes before carrying her into the bathroom so that she could change.

    ¡°Be sure to eat more, otherwise, I won¡¯t let you off easily.¡± Hansen was anxious. He hoped to feed her with lots of food right away. He took out the dishes one by one. There were more than 10 tes in total. Jenna gasped when she saw the amount of food.

    Was she a pig? How could she finish everything?

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± Jenna saidnguidly. She really didn¡¯t have an appetite.

    ¡°Eat even if you are not hungry,¡± Hansen instructed. ¡°You are emaciated, don¡¯t you know that you have to eat?¡±

    Upon finishing the sentence, he picked up the spoon and scooped some mushroom soup for her to have. She parted her lips, drank a few spoonfuls of mushroom soup, and felt nauseous soon. She felt like vomiting and refused to eat anymore.

    She really didn¡¯t have an appetite. She could still force herself to eat a few days ago but at this instant, she did not feel like eating anything at all. It was probably due to her bad mood the past few days.

    ¡°Jenna, be good and eat more.¡± Hansen was heartbroken. He kept persuading, ¡°You are too thin and weak. You must eat something. You can¡¯t just rely on enteral nutrition.¡±

    How could he allow her to be malnourished under his care?

    ¡°Come on, have some sd.¡± Jenna dropped her head and refused to look at him. He scooped up some cabbages and tried to feed her. He said softly, ¡°Try this, maybe you will have an appetite.¡±

    Jenna felt like she was going to vomit again and shook her head.

    ¡°How could this be? Aunt E said your appetite has improved the past few days. Why has it worsened suddenly?¡± Hansen was on pins and needles.

    After a while, he reached out to ring the bell. A nurse dashed into the room and Hansen instructed her to find a doctor. The nurse spun around and called for the doctor immediately.

    ¡°Doctor, why can¡¯t she eat anything?¡± Hansen asked very anxiously.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it is normal for a pregnant woman to have no appetite at the first stage of pregnancy. The severity varies for each individual. Some will not be affected while some will have a better appetite. However, some will not have an appetite at all. It depends on the person. There¡¯s nothing wrong with it,¡± the doctor exined patiently.

    Hansen heaved a sigh of relief when he heard what the doctor said but he still shook his head and asked, ¡°No, she is too thin and malnourished, what can I do to help her?¡±

    The doctor smiled and reassured him, ¡°This should only be temporary. It will improve after the first trimester of pregnancy. Don¡¯t be anxious. The results of her examination show that everything is all right. If you are worried, we can give her some nutrition injections.¡±

    Hansen frowned. He was displeased with the suggestion.

    ¡°ording to today¡¯s examination, everything is normal. You should try to avoid sex for the time being. The most important thing is to be optimistic and cheerful. As long as youe regrly to the hospital for check-ups, there should not be a problem. Don¡¯t worry too much. Apany her more and bring her out for some fresh air. She can also listen to talks regarding pregnancy,¡± the doctor suggested.

    Hansen finally rxed. However, he still felt uneasy when he nced at Jenna¡¯s pale appearance, anxiety evident on her face.

    She was under emotional stress.

    She was in anguish for the past few days.

    Hansen understood.

    ¡°Jenna, did you hear what the doctor said? You have to be happy. Tell me what¡¯s on your mind, please,¡± Hansen urged. ¡°Once you have recovered, I¡¯ll bring you overseas and you can give birth over there. I just want you to be happy. I will only marry you. Please believe me. You have my child, I will take full responsibility.¡±

    Jenna remained motionless and did not respond. No matter what he said, she just remained silent. Soon, she dozed off again.

    When she woke up in the middle of the night, she was wrapped in a tight embrace. It was an embrace she was very familiar with. He hugged her tightly in a protective gesture, obviously not wanting to leave.

    Her left hand felt a little numb and she tried to change her position. Hansen woke up immediately.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you feeling ufortable?¡± he asked instantly. He rubbed her abdomen gently and was filled with joy.

    He was going to be a father. The baby in her abdomen belonged to him. All his unhappiness vanished in an instant and he was filled with gratitude. The woman he loved was going to give birth to their child. It was everything that he could hope for.

    Jenna could hear his heart pounding rapidly and the excitement in his voice. However, she only felt uneasy.

    Time was scarce. Soon, they would be separated.

    Aria was still pregnant. Jenna shuddered when she remembered that Aria was also staying in this hospital.

    No, she must leave immediately the next day before Aria realized that she was pregnant.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s on your mind? Can you tell me?¡± Jenna¡¯s silence made Hansen uneasy. He hugged her tightly and asked gently, ¡°What are you worried about? Trust me and tell me. We will definitely ovee this challenge. There¡¯s no big deal. We can always abandon the Richards Group. I¡¯ll go and book a ticket tomorrow, we can go and live in another country with our child. What do you think?¡±

    Heforted her with a gentle voice.

    Jenna was in distress as she listened to what he said and tears coursed down her cheeks.

    ¡°Jenna, why are you sobbing? Don¡¯t you believe me?¡± Hansen heard her crying and panicked. He wiped away the tears from her cheeks and kissed her. He wanted to let her know that he was determined to protect her as he loved her.

    Tears split over and flowed down her face like a river escaping a dam. Hansen got anxious and kept kissing her as he hugged her tightly, trying to give her some form offort.

    He embraced her and tried to reassure her that everything was all right for the entire night. There was in his voice a sincerity and gentleness that Jenna had never observed in it before.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, congrattions! You are about to be Mrs. Richards.¡± Minnie came in with a bunch of flowers, a grin on her face.

    Aria smirked and put on airs.

    ¡°What? Is there anything you want to tell me?¡± she askedzily as she flipped through the magazine in her hand.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    To avoid radiation, Aria could not look at her phone or watch dramas with herptop. She could only look at magazines. Life was so boring. If she didn¡¯t need to threaten Hansen with a child, there was no way she would get herself pregnant at such a young age.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, that b*tch has left Richards Manor. It¡¯s just¡­¡± Minnie¡¯s voice faltered.

    ¡°It¡¯s just what?¡± Aria instantly became nervous.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that you would not get the b*tch¡¯s room. Apparently, Mr. Richards disagreed and he was persistent. Hence, Madam Marissa had no choice but to back down. She was worried that provoking him any further would ruin the ns.¡±

    ¡°What¡­¡± Rage coursed through Aria¡¯s veins. However, she soon calmed down. As long as she received the inheritance right of Richards Manor, everything would eventually belong to her. There was no need to rush.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, Richards Manor had been decorated magnificently. Madam Marissa is currently busy decorating Green Jade Garden. It seems that she thinks highly of you. Your wedding will definitely be grand.¡± Minnie was overjoyed that Jenna was driven out of Richards Manor and she was eager to please Aria.

    Aria¡¯s face broke into a grin. She squashed the paper in her hand. Her fingernails were painted red, the color of blood.

    Minnie trembled as a hint of terror shed across her mind.

    ¡°Did you hear of the Ocean Heart before?¡± Aria asked suddenly. Her voice was cold.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, Julian had never heard Vivian possessing something like that,¡± Minnie hurriedly replied as she shivered inadvertently.

    ¡°Impossible.¡± Aria interrupted her. With a darkened expression, she said, ¡°Ocean Heart is the treasure of Richards Manor. People had seen it before. ording to history records, the jewel was owned by the Richards family three decades ago. ording to the rules, Ocean Heart would be passed down to the daughter-inw. A lot of people wanted to marry Hansen. Do you think it was just for lust and fame? I want the Ocean Heart! Otherwise, it would be nothing even if I marry into the Richards family.¡±

    Minnie was in a daze when she heard that. Anyone who owned the rare jewelry would be unmatchable in terms of wealth.

    ¡°But Ms. McAdams, Julian has rummaged through Vivian¡¯s bedroom the past few days and hasn¡¯t found any traces of the jewelry. I haven¡¯t heard anyone in Ink Garden talking about this jewelry too. Only Vivian knows where it is. Ms. McAdams, don¡¯t worry, if there really is such a piece of jewelry, Vivian will definitely give it to you,¡± Minnie reassured her.

 Chapter 275 A Mysterious Patient

    ¡°No, Vivian won¡¯t give it to me.¡± A look of pure hatred shed across Aria¡¯s face. ¡°Vivian is cunning. There¡¯s no way she will pass me the treasure. ording to the rules of the Richards family, a special ceremony should be held during my wedding and Vivian would pass me the Ocean Heart then. However, I have already asked Marissa yesterday. Marissa said that Vivian would not be joining our wedding due to her poor health. Marissa would be in charge of everything. There was nothing regarding a special ceremony on the itinerary.¡±

    Minnie was startled and didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, since you are going to marry Hansen, if there really is such a piece of jewelry, Vivian will eventually give it to you once you give birth to her grandson. There¡¯s no need to rush,¡± Minnie reassured her.

    ¡°What do you know!¡± Aria gave her a cold-eyed stare. ¡°If I want to gain authority in the Richards family, I must have the Ocean Heart. It¡¯s a norm for men to have affairs after marriage in A City. I cannot depend solely on Hansen. I need Ocean Heart to secure my position in the family. Besides, there¡¯s Norton. Vivian might not pass it to me at all. Only the one who received the Ocean Heart would be in charge of the family.¡±

    Minnie listened and nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Hansen is still head over heels for that b*tch. Even if I married him, my life would not be easy in the Richards Family. He did not visit me even once since I was hospitalized. As long as the b*tch is around, nothing is certain. I do not wish for the Ocean Heart to fall into her hands,¡± Aria snarled.

    Minnie suddenly thought of something and lowered her voice.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, are there any mysterious patients in this hospital?¡±

    ¡°Why do you ask that?¡± Aria narrowed her eyes and looked at Minnie in puzzlement.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, when I came to the hospital early this morning and passed by the front desk, I heard the nurse discussing that a mysterious female patient was admitted to the hospital the night before. The patient¡¯s meal was worth ten thousand dors but she barely ate anything. They noticed a servant wearing the Richards family uniform delivering the food. I was about to ask them who it was but they fell silent immediately. At first, I thought they were referring to you but now it seems that it is someone else,¡± Minnie exined.

    A mysterious patient? Servant of the Richards family? Aria furrowed her brows. Who on earth was the patient? Why was she treated better than her? It was too unusual!

    It was normal for another patient to have a luxurious meal but it was indeed weird that a servant from the Richards Family was involved.

    Aria had a bad feeling about this.

    ¡°Go and find out her identity. Who could be more important than me in the Richards Family?¡± Aria said haughtily, looking displeased.

    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go and ask around.¡± Minnie also felt that something was amiss and agreed. She then left the ward.

    She came back after a while, a puzzled expression on her face. ¡°Ms. McAdams, it¡¯s really weird. I can¡¯t find out anything at all. Those nurses kept their mouths shut no matter how I questioned them. It seems that they have received orders to keep it a secret.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Aria was burning with curiosity upon hearing what she said. She felt uneasy. ¡°Call Richards Manor and ask who came to the hospital the night before.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Minnie took out her phone.

    After a while, she ended the call and shook her head. ¡°Ms. McAdams, I have asked Dahlia regarding the matter. She said nobody from Green Jade Garden hade to the hospital the night before. The servant must be from other ces or Ink Garden. If that¡¯s the case, it would be difficult to track the person¡¯s identity.¡±

    Aria pondered the matter as she flipped through the magazine with her index finger.

    ¡°Where is the patient?¡± she asked warily.

    ¡°She seems to be in Ward 508. It¡¯s not on the same floor as us but it¡¯s also in the west wing,¡± Minnie responded immediately.

    Aria showed her enigmatic smile.

    ¡°You will stay in the ward these few days and take care of me. My mother is busy as my father will be running for mayor after the New Year celebration. Marissa needs to make preparations for my wedding. You are the only one free to apany me,¡± she said lightly. ¡°I will increase your sry, just do your job well.¡±

    Minnie beamed upon hearing the news. She nodded happily.

    Aria was uneasy ever since she heard about the mysterious patient. For reasons unknown, it troubled her.

    After eating breakfast, Minnie apanied Aria on a walk down the corridor.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, why don¡¯t we go to the fifth floor?¡± Minnie suggested as they walked leisurely towards the west wing.

    Aria felt that something was off and also wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery. Hence, she agreed.

    They walked down to the 5th floor of the building. Upon arriving on the fifth floor, the elevator opened and a handsome figure emerged. He was wearing a suit with a cold and detached demeanor. He was carrying a lunch box in his hands and there was a grin on his face. Although he still looked arrogant, nothing could mask the joy on his face.

    Aria¡¯s heart raced instantly.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± She was about to blurt out. She was just a few steps away.

    Did hee to see her? Aria beamed from ear to ear.

    A few secondster, her face fell.

    Hansen didn¡¯t even nce in her direction. He didn¡¯t notice her at all. He went straight to the left. It was not the direction of her ward.

    Without hesitation, Aria followed suit. She saw him entering a room.

    She wanted to catch up to him but she shuddered when she thought of his piercing-cold stare.

    Nevertheless, she was indignant. If he didn¡¯te to the hospital to visit her, why was he here?

    She had his child. Shouldn¡¯t he pay her a visit?

    She walked towards the ward but a nurse emerged suddenly from the side and stopped her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Miss, but nobody is allowed toe near to this ward.¡±

    Aria was desperate to find out where Hansen was going and was irritated when a nurse stopped her. It was apparent that the nurse didn¡¯t recognize her. She was about to blow a fuse when she remembered that she was in a hospital. She forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was walking around. I did not know that I¡¯m not allowed to go near the ward over there.¡±

    She turned around and urged Minnie toe over.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Minnie hurried over and said cordially, ¡°Oh? Why is nobody allowed to go near that ward? Is someone important living there?¡±

    The nurse shook her head and responded, ¡°Sorry, Miss but I¡¯m not sure about it either. It was also kept a secret from us.¡±

    Minnie did not get the answer she wanted. An awkward silence fell.

    ¡°By the way, is that Ward 508? We must remember in the future not to go near the ward again.¡± Minnie shed the nurse a smile, trying to please her.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± the nurse responded without even raising her head and continued arranging the files on her desk.

    Aria felt even more uneasy when she heard what the nurse said. She could only return to her ward with Minnie.

    She sat on her bed, pondering the matter for a very long time.

    Only a woman would be admitted to this hospital.

    Hansen must be here to see a woman.

    Their wedding ceremony was just around the corner. Was he seeing another woman?

    She felt a stab of jealousy.

    Who was the woman?

    It couldn¡¯t be Marissa. It couldn¡¯t be any other women from Richards Manor.

    The only woman whom Hansen would care about was Jenna.

    Was it Jenna?

    Aria¡¯s blood ran cold at the thought.

    From what she knew, Hansen was never involved in any scandal except for his rtionship with Jenna. There was a high chance that the woman living in Ward 508 was Jenna. Jenna was an object of jealousy to her.

    If it was really Jenna, what disease had she gotten? Was it some gynecological disease?

    If not, why else would she be admitted?

    Aria did not dare to think about it anymore.

    After all, her wedding ceremony with Hansen was just around the corner. She could not allow anything to ruin it.

    Marry Hansen.

    She was determined to achieve that.

    ¡°Miss McAdams, how are you feeling today?¡± A gentle voice rang. Aria nced up to see Donald standing in front of her.

    The doctor was doing his rounds!

    Aria shook her head and smiled apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Donald, for keeping you waiting.¡±

    Donald smiled politely and teased, ¡°Miss McAdams, you seem to be in high spirits. Your wedding is near, right? You must be over the moon.¡±

    Aria¡¯s face flushed crimson and she said embarrassedly, ¡°Donald, don¡¯t pull my leg. I¡¯m curious about something.¡± She chuckled.

    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that? I¡¯m all ears.¡± Donald was also curious when he heard what she said.

    They were cousins and at this moment, he was her doctor. They were close to each other.

    Aria beamed and asked, ¡°Donald, was an important and mysterious patient admitted to the hospital?¡±

    Donald was stunned and immediately shook his head, smiling. ¡°Miss McAdams, don¡¯t joke around. You are the most important patient in this hospital. You will soon marry Hansen and you are the daughter of the soon-to-be mayor. Nobody will be a match for you.¡±

 Chapter 276 Bad News

    Aria sighed. He did not know who she was referring to. Hence, she put on a sweet smile and said, ¡°Donald, don¡¯t tter me. I know a woman who is more important than me in A city. Donald, you are handsome and remarkable. You two will look good together. Why don¡¯t I introduce her to you? You guys will make a perfect couple.¡±

    Donald didn¡¯t have a girlfriend. He was interested when he heard her suggestion. The person must be remarkable if she could be praised by Aria. He chuckled. ¡°Miss McAdams, I¡¯ll be more than happy to meet her. However, may I know who is she? Who could be more important than you?¡±

    Aria nced up at him with a mischievous smile.

    ¡°Donald, I¡¯m not lying to you. She is really one of a kind. It depends whether you have the guts to court her.¡±

    After all, Donald was a man. Hearing her tease, he smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m willing to take up the challenge.¡±

    ¡°Well, since you are sincere, I will tell you who she is. Once you seed, just remember to treat me.¡± Noticing that he was interested, Aria went straight to the point. ¡°Donald, do you remember that day? The girl who was in my ward. Didn¡¯t you ask whether she is my rtive or friend?¡±

    ¡°Which girl?¡± Donald seemed to have forgotten.

    ¡°It¡¯s the girl who was in my ward a few days ago. Donald, you are so funny. You said you wanted to court her, but you forgot about her. You are such a gentleman. Only one woman visited my ward.¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about her?¡± Donald thought for a long time and suddenly pointed towards Minnie.

    Ariaughed when she heard what he said. ¡°Donald, you sure have a good memory. She does look like her but there are some differences. This is Minnie, she is working for me. The woman I was referring to is called Jenna. She is Minnie¡¯s cousin, the daughter of the former Minister of Finance. Currently, she is the world¡¯s top car designer. Don¡¯t tell me you never heard about her. She¡¯s all over the news.¡±

    No wonder he thought she looked familiar, Donald thought to himself and chuckled.

    However, he never paid attention to the news. It wasn¡¯t because he was not interested in the gossip but he was too busy. He nced at Minnie. Aria was right. Although they shared some simrities, there were still a lot of differences. He remembered the first time he saw Jenna, she was checking whether she was pregnant and he was amazed by her beauty. He remembered her at first nce. He recognized her at once when he saw her in Aria¡¯s ward.

    He smiled when he thought of her but he knew he did not have a chance. He said calmly, ¡°Miss McAdams, don¡¯t pull my legs anymore. She is stunning but she already has a boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that she has a boyfriend? Impossible!¡± Aria pretended to be shocked. ¡°She was with me all the time. I¡¯m pretty sure she does not have a boyfriend. Don¡¯t bluff me.¡±

    ¡°Miss McAdams, you are overly confident. You don¡¯t seem to understand her very well. Don¡¯t introduce her to any other men in the future,¡± Donald reminded her. A smile crossed his face.

    ¡°How can you be so sure? If she has a boyfriend and dares to keep it a secret from me, I will go and demand an exnation. Donald, why don¡¯t you tell me who¡¯s her boyfriend? I can go and confront her.¡± Aria blinked her eyes and pretended to be hurt.

    Donald didn¡¯t know what was on her mind. He thought she was just fooling around.

    He said casually, ¡°I don¡¯t know who her boyfriend is. I only know that she is pregnant. If a woman is pregnant although she is not married, she must have a boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°What, pregnant? Are you sure?¡± Aria¡¯s expression darkened. She guessed it correctly. Nevertheless, it still struck her dumb.

    Donald finally realized that he had revealed too much information and stopped himself. He reminded her to take care of herself and left.

    Looking shocked, Aria and Minnie exchanged nces.

    ording to Donald, Jenna was pregnant!

    If this was true, what did it mean?

    Aria did not dare to think about it anymore.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, can we trust what he said?¡± Minnie questioned.

    ¡°Of course, we can. This is the truth. He did not say it on his own ord, I tricked him into saying the truth.¡± Aria¡¯s face turned ashen as she murmured.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, who is the father? Mr. Richards?¡± Minnie was still confused.

    Aria¡¯s eyes glowered with savage fire.

    If it was true, then it would be impossible for her to marry Hansen. Jenna had his child. There was no way Hansen wouldpromise and marry Aria.

    This posed a huge threat to Aria.

    Her face fell.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this for the time being. You have to return to Richards Manor and check what¡¯s happening,¡± Aria instructed.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Minnie was shocked by the news.

    It never crossed her mind that Jenna would be pregnant. She hurried away upon receiving the orders.

    As soon as Minnie left, Aria made a call.

    ¡°Norton, how is your business going on?¡± she asked in a low voice.

    Norton was busy preparing for the New Year¡¯s banquet with Sabrina. Ever since he was with Sabrina, he started to enjoy life. He was on cloud nine every day. It was something he had never experienced before. Sabrina was cheerful and optimistic; it affected him greatly.

    Norton was used to living in the dark and he was starting to get used to his new life. He started to appreciate freedom and was getting fearful of imprisonment. He cherished Sabrina from the bottom of his heart.

    When Jenna was around, he dared not get too close to Sabrina. Currently, he literally followed Sabrina around. He would be on pins and needles if she was not around.

    They became closer. They were always together in Richards Manor. Anyone could see that they were madly in love.

    Hence, he was annoyed when he received the call from Aria.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± He walked to the side and asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Why?¡± Aria sneered and said sharply, ¡°You might have Sabrina now but don¡¯t get your hopes up. Things are not as good as you think. If you don¡¯t follow what I say, you have no chance of survival.¡±

    ¡°Aria, don¡¯t be too greedy. Jenna has already been driven out of the Richards Family and your wedding with Hansen is just around the corner. What else do you want?¡± Norton demanded. He did not want to hurt anyone anymore.

    ¡°Norton, let me warn you, if anything happens to my wedding, I will not let you off easily. Remember, Trevor is not allowed to wake up before our marriage. Don¡¯t forget. If he wakes up, you will be doomed. He knows everything. If the truth is revealed, you know what would happen to your wedding,¡± Aria threatened him.

    Norton¡¯s face turned pale and beads of sweat collected on his forehead.

    ¡°Norton, only if he dies can we rise in the family in the future. If I manage to marry Hansen and Jenna leaves A city, I will let your matter slide. I¡¯ll ask my dad to handle it. We would both be safe and live happily. What do you think?¡± Aria sneered, knowing that Norton was frightened after she didn¡¯t get a response from him.

    ¡°Remember what you promised.¡± After a while, Norton nced at Sabrina who was busy making preparations and gritted his teeth. He had made his decision.

    ¡°Of course, after all, we are on the same boat.¡± Ariaughed.

    Norton was disgusted by her behavior but he clenched his teeth and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Trevor will not recover. I have pulled out his tube every day. He can¡¯t wake up.¡±

    ¡°Okay, this is what I want. That¡¯s all, I will find you if I need anything else. Apany Sabrina for the time being.¡± Ariaughed in satisfaction and ended the call.

    The snowkes were falling from the sky, appearing like thousands of butterflies as theynded on the windows and floated elsewhere the next second. Such a sight made the grey skies look even mystifying.

    Jenna looked out of the window in silence but she was in distress.

    She only ate a little for breakfast. Despite Hansen¡¯s threat, she only managed to gobble up a sandwich. Hansen was flustered.

    How could she get enough nutrition if she didn¡¯t eat? Hansen thought.

    Heforted her and attempted to resolve all her concerns the night before. He was being gentle and considerate.

    But so far, she still paid no heed to him. Although she looked all right, something seemed to trouble her. He couldn¡¯t figure out what it was.

    Hansen¡¯s patience wore thin seeing Jenna¡¯s behavior. He never thought such a frail woman would be able to drive him crazy.

 Chapter 277 The Child Is Not Yours

    ¡°Jenna, cheer up, all right?¡± Hansen was near begging.

    He thought she was venting her frustration at him by refusing to eat and ignoring him. Hence, he was in distress.

    ¡°Hansen, you shouldn¡¯t be here. Go and apany Aria. You guys are about to get married,¡± Jenna stared out of the window and said with an air of indifference.

    ¡°Jenna, I already told you that I will not marry her. You are my wife. Once you have recovered, I will bring you to another country immediately. We will marry and live the life we want,¡± Hansen stated solemnly. There was determination in his eyes.

    Jenna was amused by what he said. Wasn¡¯t he cunning and sharp? Why was he so childish when it came to rtionships? It seemed that Vivian¡¯s concerns were valid.

    He was loyal and cherished her from the bottom of his heart just as she thought. She appreciated it, but¡­

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t be na?ve, all right? We can leave anytime but what will happen to Richards Group in A City? You are a man. You have your responsibilities. You can¡¯t just leave. Can you really be at ease if we leave?¡± Jenna met his eyes and questioned him.

    Hansen sighed. He admitted that it was a reckless n but he wanted to be selfish. This was what he wanted. His happiness.

    ¡°I can¡¯t control that much. I only know that you have my child. I want to marry you and take responsibility. What¡¯s absurd about the n?¡± Hansen bellowed in agony, pain shing across his eyes.

    ¡°You are wrong, the child is not yours,¡± Jenna stood up abruptly and announced.

    ¡°What?¡± Hansen was startled. He gaped at her in disbelief, thinking he had heard her wrongly. After a while, he smiled and stretched out his hand to hug her. He caressed her hair and said softly, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be silly. Of course the child is mine. Do you think I¡¯m that foolish? We spent so many nights together. If the child isn¡¯t mine, whose could it be?¡±

    Hansen disregarded what she said and cuddled her in his arms. He stroked her belly gently and said with satisfaction, ¡°Jenna, I miss you. I want you. I can¡¯t stop thinking about you. However, I can¡¯t touch you now since you are pregnant. How long do I need to wait?¡±

    At the same time, he hugged her tightly and started kissing her neck passionately, attempting to overwhelm her with the kiss so that she would forgive him and they could live happily after.

    Considering that she was pregnant, he controlled himself and just kissed her without further actions. Nevertheless, he was satisfied.

    Jenna felt again the rush of helplessness, the sinking yielding, the surging tide of warmth that left her limp. She couldn¡¯t refuse the embrace. She was infatuated with him since she was just a teenager and she missed his warmth.

    He promised her that he would cherish her and they would live happily ever after. It was like a dreame true but Jenna knew it was impossible.

    Tears trickled down her cheeks and soon fell onto her clothes.

    ¡°Hansen, are you an idiot? The child is not yours. Don¡¯t make me scorn you!¡± Jenna clenched her teeth, pushed him away and yelled.

    Hansen staggered backward and almost fell onto the ground. What she said made his blood run cold and he could barely stand up.

    Jenna stood in front of him with an air of indifference. What she said was harsh and curt.

    ¡°Jenna, are you crazy? What ineffable twaddle! Do you know the consequences of spouting nonsense?¡± he growled. His expression darkened.

    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy, what I said is true. You think too highly of yourself and keep insisting that the child is yours. I have no choice but to spill the beans. I¡¯m just reminding you so that you won¡¯t have any expectations.¡± The hostility in her voice and expression was unnerving.

    Hansen pinched himself to make sure that he was not dreaming. He raised his head and looked at her affectionately.

    ¡°Jenna, I know you are not that kind of girl. The child is mine, I¡¯m sure about it. I won¡¯t believe you.¡±

    He was being extremely patient and his tone was gentle.

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached.

    ¡°Hansen, we might be in love before but the child is not yours. Don¡¯t be stubborn. Aria¡¯s child is yours. Go and apany her. Please listen to me and don¡¯t waste your time on me anymore. Go and marry Aria. She can give the Richards family what you need. Just listen to Madam Marissa. She is doing it for your own good. I don¡¯t deserve you.¡± Upon finishing the sentence, she spun around and started packing her stuff. Her expression was serious and she did not seem to be joking around.

    ¡°Hey, Jenna, are you done fooling around?¡± Hansen was near losing his cool again. He clenched his fists and began trembling with fury.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m leaving. I promised Vivian to attend the New Year¡¯s banquet and I will keep my promise. It will be thest time I attend the Richards family¡¯s banquet. Let¡¯s just go our separate ways,¡± Jenna said steadily without ncing at him.

    After a while, she changed her clothes and was about to leave.

    Hansen was rooted to the spot, gaping at her in disbelief.

    They had been together for a very long time. Did she think that he would believe what she said? No way!

    ¡°I know you are trying to leave me. Let me be frank with you, I don¡¯t believe a word of what you said. The child is mine. Don¡¯t even think of leaving me,¡± Hansen growled and stopped her from leaving.There was an expression of fierce determination on his face.

    ¡°Jen.¡± At this moment, Rayan¡¯s voice rang. A sturdy and stalwart figure entered the ward.

    ¡°Rayan, you are here.¡± Jenna faked her surprise and walked towards him. She held his arm and rested her head on his shoulders. Her expression was of pure delight.

    She was d that she secretly sent Rayan a message and asked him toe over so that she could leave.

    ¡°Jen, I was overjoyed when I heard that you were pregnant yesterday. I took the ne home to tell my family about the news immediately. Fortunately, Mr. Richards was here to take care of you. Thank you very much, Mr. Richards. Honey, don¡¯t worry, I will definitely marry you,¡± Rayan said affectionately as he patted her head gently.

    Hansen¡¯s temper sparked at the sight of this.

    Molten anger rolled through him.

    No matter how patient he was and how much he loved Jenna, he had reached the end of his patience. The child was not his! The news dealt a huge blow to him.

    No men could tolerate this, let alone him. He was arrogant and proud, how would he face this?

    He was still skeptical about what she said. The child could still be his or it could really be Rayan¡¯s.

    Nevertheless, she had humiliated him in front of another man.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    She had gone too far. No man would be able to keep hisposure in this situation, at least not him.

    ¡°Rayan, let¡¯s go,¡± Jenna urged. She picked up her stuff and held Rayan¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Sure, Honey.¡± Rayan wrapped his arms around her waist and they turned around to leave.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Hansen bellowed. Rage nearly consumed him and his head was throbbing.

    ¡°Jenna, this is yourst chance. If you dare to leave today, I will never forgive you again,¡± he gritted his teeth and shouted. He gave her a piercing stare. ¡°Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t marry Aria. Many women will be delighted to marry me. I can have all the kids I want.¡±

    Hansen was simmering with anger. He had gone out of his mind.

    Jenna trembled and her heart ached. However, she clenched her fist and stopped herself from shaking.

    ¡°Hansen, our fate ended a long time ago. I never expected that we could live happily after. Don¡¯t forget how you humiliated me in the past. Let me be frank with you, I hate you and I want to get my revenge on you. The Richards family ruined my dad. How could I let the matter slide? There¡¯s no way I will bear children for the Richards family, that¡¯s just wishful thinking. Forget about me and marry Aria. She has your child. You should marry her and live happily with her. Don¡¯t expect anything from me.¡± She mustered a cold stare as she turned around to speak to Hansen.

    Hansen was stunned. He didn¡¯t expect that Jenna would say something like this.

    Yes, he had treated her unfairly in the past and humiliated her in public. How could he expect her to forgive him?

    He hurt her many times in the past and the Richards family owed her a lot! How could he expect her to marry him and live with him forever?

    He felt beads of sweat dripping down from his body.

    ¡°Jenna, I will change. It will not happen again, I promise,¡± he pleaded. His body sagged and his anger dissipated in an instant.

    ¡°It¡¯s useless, there is no future. It¡¯s toote to regret it now.¡± Jenna¡¯s face turned pale and she saidnguidly, ¡°I have chosen Rayan and I¡¯m now pregnant. Please give us your blessing.¡±

    ¡°Jen, rest assured, I will give you the most luxurious wedding in history. I will make you the happiest bride on earth,¡± Rayan chimed in upon noticing that she was trembling. He hugged her tightly in an attempt tofort her.

    ¡°Thank you Rayan, I am truly overjoyed.¡± Jenna smiled sheepishly and leaned against him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Rayan hugged her tightly and said softly.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna returned the smile. ¡°By the way, Hansen, I wish youwell as you embark on this next

 Chapter of life. Iâ€™m sorry I canâ€™t attend your wedding as I have other matters to attend to.â€

    She gave him a dismissive wave of her hand and left without a backward nce.

    Hansen remained rooted to the spot even after they left. He stared nkly ahead, as motionless as a statue. He felt as if his soul was sucked out from his body.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    He would never fall in love again!

    He was unworthy of being loved. He once had Jenna. She was such a kind soul, yet he did not appreciate her. At present, he had nothing left.

 Chapter 278 Hansen Fell Ill

    At the 88th floor of International Kinsey Center, Hansen drank vigorously, one ss after another. He became drunk and slumped on the ground.

    Thoughts of Jenna and Rayan shed through his mind.

    He was heartbroken and could only rely on alcohol to numb his emotional pain.

    He believed that he would never fall in love again.

    He was so drunk that he remained sprawled on the floor for the entire night. As a result, he fell ill the next morning.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    His condition was severe, and he was admitted to the hospital. It was the first time he experienced something like this.

    He remained unconscious with a high fever and kept mumbling nonsense.

    ¡°What happened? How did he fall ill?¡± Marissa dashed to the hospital upon receiving the news and questioned Jose who was Hansen¡¯s assistant.

    ¡°Madam Marissa, we have no idea what happened. This morning when the secretary went to find Mr. Richards in his office to sign a document, she found him sprawled out on the ground with lots of empty wine bottles scattered around. The secretary was shocked and attempted to rouse him but to no avail. His face was red and he kept muttering nonsense. Frightened, she called me. I dashed over and found him in this state. It was apparent that he was drunk. The weather has been very cold recently and he did not turn on the heater. Most likely he has caught a cold from lying on the ground,¡± Jose exined tentatively.

    Marissa¡¯s expression darkened upon hearing what he said. ¡°Slept on the ground in this cold weather? Anyone would have fallen ill. Was there a social gatheringst night? Why didn¡¯t anyone take care of him and allowed him to be drunk? What have you guys been doing as an assistant and secretary?¡±

    Anger welled up in her chest and she studied Jose with unforgiving judgement.

    Jose could not rebuke her words. To be honest, nobody saw Hansen the day before. Besides, Hansen detested people following him around. However, Marissa was flustered and it was not a good time to refute her.

    ¡°Director Brooks, how is my son¡¯s condition? Is it serious?¡± Marissa caught a glimpse of Director Brooks walking out of the ward and dashed over, asking anxiously. New Year Eve was just around the corner. How could Hansen fall ill at a time like this?

    ¡°Madam Marissa, Mr. Richards has fallen ill due to drinking and he caught a cold. We are about to infuse him with some medications to relieve his fever. He should recover soon since he is young but he still needs to stay in the hospital for another day so that we can monitor his condition,¡± Director Brooks smiled and said respectfully.

    ¡°Thank you, hurry up then and proceed with the infusion.¡± Marissa was on pins and needles. Hansen was her only son. How could she not be worried?

    Two hours after the infusion, Hansen¡¯s fever resolved and he fell into a slumber. Marissa heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna, don¡¯t go¡­¡±

    ¡°Child, my child¡­¡±

    Marissa was checking on him when she heard him let out a cry. Her heart sank. He had indeed fallen ill due to the sorrow after Jenna left. Why was he so stubborn? Seeing that he was severely ill, she closed her eyes and sighed.

    ¡°Hansen, why are you so stubborn? It¡¯s just a woman, why are you so infatuated with her?¡± Marissa muttered to herself. She helped him to change his clothes. To her dismay, his clothes were soaked wet. No wonder he fell ill. She couldn¡¯t help but tremble as tears coursed down her cheeks.

    ¡°My foolish son.¡± She wiped her tears and choked silently, ¡°Once you recover, you must forget about her and start anew. Do listen to my advice.¡±

    She sniffed quietly as tears trickled down her cheeks.

    ¡°Mom, Hansen is ill, isn¡¯t he?¡± An anxious voice rang and Aria emerged together with Minnie. She saw Hansen lying on the bed and burst into tears as she drew closer.

    Marissa¡¯s heart ached further upon hearing Aria¡¯s sobs. She helped her up and advised her, ¡°Aria, why are you here? You should go back and rest. You are pregnant. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of Hansen.¡±

    ¡°No, Mom, I want to stay by his side. I don¡¯t want to go back to my ward. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Aria wiped away her tears and refused to leave. She proceeded to help Hansen change into the patient gown before sitting down by his bed and holding his hand. ¡°Mom, let me take care of Hansen. I will not be at ease unless he recovers. I must stay by his side.¡± There was determination in her eyes.

    ¡°You are so kind, I truly appreciate it.¡± Marissa was d to see that Aria was concerned about Hansen and felt apologetic because he had not treated her well. Maybe, Hansen would turn over a new leaf and change his perception of Aria after this incident. Letting Aria stay might improve their rtionship. Hence, she agreed.

    ¡°You are about to get married. You can take care of him but you are pregnant and you should rest more. What about this? I¡¯ll arrange for the hospital to put another bed in this ward and you can lie on it while you talk to Hansen. Let Minnie do the heavy work.¡± Marissa was worried that anything would happen to the baby and therefore, she made some arrangements.

    Aria held Hansen¡¯s hand tightly as she nced at his haggard face. There were deep shadows under his eyes. Jealousy stirred within her. He truly cared about that b*tch. She didn¡¯t expect him to be head over heels for her.

    She was always by his side, aiding him as his business grew. She loved him wholeheartedly but he had never loved her, not even once. She was indeed indignant about this.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna.¡± Suddenly, Hansen turned around and held her hand. He shouted, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t leave me, please don¡¯t leave me!¡±

    Hansen held her hand very tightly, for fear that she would run away.

    Aria froze for a second and the blood drained from her face.

    She leaned over and whispered in his ears, ¡°Hansen, Hansen.¡±

    However, Hansen had already fallen asleep.

    Tears welled from deep inside Aria. Hansen thought of Jenna even in his dreams. What was she to him? He only loved Jenna. She pursed her lips and blinked back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

    ¡°Hansen, I don¡¯t care who you love. I¡¯m destined to marry you. You better love me or it will be torture for you in the future. For the sake of my child, my dignity and fame, I not only want to marry you, but I also want to obtain the Ocean Heart so that you can never marry Jenna and I will be your wife forever,¡± Aria thought.

    Aria swallowed hard, sniffing back her tears. She would do anything it takes to achieve her goal.

    Judging from the scenario, Jenna kept her promise and left Hansen on her own ord. Otherwise, Hansen would not be in this state. Nevertheless, Aria burned with jealousy.

    To make matters worse, Jenna was pregnant and the child belonged to Hansen. This posed a threat to Aria.

    Jenna must leave A City forever, better still, vanish from the world so that she would not be in the way anymore.

    There was an unreadable expression on Aria¡¯s face and she smiled maliciously. She held Hansen¡¯s hand even tighter.

    ¡°Dr. Graves, how is his condition?¡± Jenna asked Weldon tentatively as she watched him keeping his instruments away.

    After performing the examination carefully, Weldon raised his eyebrows and said earnestly, ¡°Miss Murphy, from what I see, the patient should be fine. The surgery was sessful and maintenance therapy has been started. There is no problem at all.¡±

    Jenna felt more at ease but she was still puzzled. ¡°Dr. Graves, I want to know why he can¡¯t stand up or talk yet.¡±

    ¡°Miss Murphy, don¡¯t be anxious, take it slowly. The recovery time varies for individuals. Some have a speedy recovery while some take a longer time,¡± Weldon stated calmly. ¡°I¡¯ll prescribe a few more medications. You can give it to the patient and he should recover soon.¡±

    As he spoke, he took out a notebook and jot down some notes before he handed Jenna some pill bottles.

    Jenna thanked him profusely.

    After a while, Weldon left.

    Jenna was worried that Trevor was experiencing someplications from his condition and that someone wouldy a finger on him. Hence, she asked Weldon toe over and check on him since he came to A City for a conference recently.

    Weldon heard of Trevor before and the pay from Jenna was tempting as well, hence he rushed over.

    ¡°Nelson, has anyonee to tamper with the infusion for the past two days?¡± Jenna asked after calling Nelson and Haward into the room.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, I think the culprit has realized that we are guarding this ce. Thus, nobody came after that incident. Besides, Mr. Richards has hired bodyguards to guard the corridors. Nobody cane in easily. Now that we are also standing guard in the ward, it¡¯s near impossible for someone toe in unnoticed,¡± Nelson replied in a deep voice.

    ¡°All right, thank you. I will need your help to continue guarding this ce.¡± Jenna nodded. ¡°Did Madam Marissae over recently?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the two of them shook their heads and replied.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna smiled bitterly. It seems that Marissa was busy with Hansen and Aria¡¯s wedding ceremony. She probably didn¡¯t have any time to take care of Trevor. ¡°If Madam Marissa asks why you guys are here, just answer as usual. Say that you were sent by Hansen and there has been no improvement in Mr. Trevor¡¯s condition.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will.¡± The two of them nodded their heads.

    Jenna stood by Trevor¡¯s bed and nced at him. She leaned over and helped him do some rehabilitation exercises. She whispered, ¡°Uncle Richards, you must get well soon. I¡¯m going to leave A City soon but I¡¯m concerned about you. Someone wants you dead. I do not know who the culprit is and what¡¯s his motive but don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you. I will make sure that you get well soon. Richards Manor will be having a banquet this year. Sabrina and I are in charge of preparing it. I hope you can attend the banquet.¡±

    Her expression was grave, her brown eyes solemn. She furrowed her brows. It had been three months since Trevor¡¯s surgery; there was no way he should still be in this state. ording to Weldon, the surgery was a sess. Hence, Trevor should at least be able to speak.

    However, all Trevor could do at the moment was to open his eyes and move his arms slightly. He could not even sit up.

    As Jenna was worried, she asked Weldon toe over to check on Trevor. However, Weldon said that nothing was wrong. Was it because Trevor did not wish to wake up, or was he refusing to see her?

 Chapter 279 Someone Wanted To Hurt Vivian

    ¡°Uncle Richards, you have to believe me. I never had any ulterior motives. Besides, Hansen and I have gotten a divorce. I would never disgrace the family again. Soon, I will leave A City forever and you don¡¯t need to be concerned about me anymore. Please wake up soon so that I can leave in peace. I admit that I joined Richards Group for my father¡¯s sake but you can¡¯t me me for that. He is my beloved dad and it was a miserable death. I cannot just sit back and do nothing,¡± Jenna said in exasperation as tears streamed down her cheeks.

    Three years ago when she regained consciousness unexpectedly, she saw that Trevor had fainted in the room. She waspletely startled as many people dashed into the room.

    However, the day before he fainted, Jenna met him at Green Jade Garden. He was practicing martial arts with his subordinates. She greeted him tentatively upon seeing him.

    To her surprise, Trevor nced in her direction and said lightly, ¡°Jenna, after breakfast tomorrow, meet me in my study on the third floor.¡±

    Jenna was caught off guard as Trevor had always disregarded her ever since she married Hansen. It was the first time he spoke to her. Jenna was thrilled.

    She agreed immediately. She caught a glimpse of the concern in his eyes. For the first time since she married Hansen, he seemed to trust her from the bottom of his heart. Jenna was dumbfounded.

    Trevor had never looked at her in this manner. Did he trust her? It seemed impossible.

    Nevertheless, she truly felt his trust in her that day. It made her on cloud nine.

    To her dismay, before she could see him the next day, something dreadful happened and she was forced to escape to another country.

    Therefore, Jenna always felt that she owed him. She wanted to repay him so that she could finally leave in peace.

    After a while, Jenna wiped away her tears and touched her lower abdomen. She stood up, called Nelson and Haward, and said with utmost sincerity, ¡°Nelson, Haward, thank you for taking care of Trevor all this while. I still need your help and I will increase your sry. I won¡¯t be able toe over for the next few days but if anything happens, please call me. Please ensure his safety. Don¡¯t let anyoney a finger on him.¡±

    Nelson and Haward had worked in Richards Manor for a while and they understood the truth. They were fully aware of Jenna¡¯s predicament. They were truly touched by her actions. Really, the media couldn¡¯t be trusted. They respected Jenna from the bottom of their hearts.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Murphy. We will do our best.¡± The two of them agreed without hesitation.

    Jenna heaved a sigh of relief and left.

    ¡°Jenna, where are you? Hurry back to Richards Manor.¡± As soon as Jenna walked out of the ward, her phone rang. It was Sabrina and she seemed to be on pins and needles.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank and she asked quickly, ¡°Sabrina, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Jenna, I think someone wants to hurt Grandma. I¡¯m so frightened,¡± she said in a quivering voice.

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna was taken aback and inquired, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°Jenna, I have been working at Ink Garden these few days. Last night, I was busy preparing the events for the New Year¡¯s banquet. When I left the office room, I caught a glimpse of a figure leaving Grandma¡¯s bedroom. It was a man! I was so shocked and before I could demand who he was, he was gone. It was terrifying!¡± Sabrina struggled to control her quivering.

    A cold fear clutched at Jenna¡¯s throat and she asked, ¡°Where was Meroy?¡±

    ¡°Meroy was not there at the time, neither were the servants. Only Grandma and I were in the building. Besides, I returned suddenly to do some work. The person probably didn¡¯t expect me to be there,¡± Sabrina exined. Her jaw was trembling in fear, making it hard for her to speak.

    ¡°Where was Meroy then? She seldom leaves Grandma alone.¡± Jenna knew that it was rare to see a man entering Ink Garden, let alone Vivian¡¯s room. Something was definitely amiss and she thought of Meroy.

    ¡°As soon as that man left, Meroy returned. I asked her where she had been. It turned out she had gone to Emerald Garden to deliver something to Uncle Richards under Grandma¡¯s instruction. Meroy panicked and dashed into the room to check on Grandma but luckily, she was all right. She was just fast asleep,¡± Sabrina exined.

    ude? Was he back?

    Jenna pondered upon the matter. ude had been busy managing an investment project in Africa for the past two years. It was said to be very sessful and he seldom came back. Did he return because it was near New Year¡¯s Eve?

    The intruder obviously had a n, seeing that he entered the room when nobody else was around. His motives remained unknown but at least his goal didn¡¯t seem to be murdering Vivian for the time being. At least, Vivian was not hurt. Jenna heaved a sigh of relief andforted Sabrina, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sabrina. It was probably a thief. It¡¯s near New Year Eve and the thief might be short on money. This has happened before. Don¡¯t worry, Grandma will be fine.¡±

    Sabrina patted her chest and said, ¡°I hope so. After all, it¡¯s almost New Year Eve. The Richards Manor looks very grand after the decorations. No wonder it attracted thieves.¡±Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Where is Norton? Aren¡¯t you with him?¡± Jenna questioned.

    ¡°Uncle Richards called him over once he returned. I haven¡¯t seen him for the past few days. It seemed that he was reprimanded by Uncle Richards and is currently receiving his punishment,¡± Sabrina replied woefully.

    It seemed that ude had returned upon receiving the news. Great, he would now be able to keep an eye on Norton so that he wouldn¡¯t repeat his mistakes. Jenna thought silently to herself.

    ¡°Jenna, what happened to you and Hansen? Today, I saw Madam Marissa fuming mad when she returned. ording to Aunt E, she received a call this morning, saying that Hansen has fallen ill. His condition seems to be severe and he has been admitted to the hospital,¡± Sabrina said anxiously.

    Hansen had fallen ill? Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat instantly.

    ¡°Is he sick? What happened?¡± Jenna held the phone tightly but she put on an air of indifference.

    ¡°Jenna, I heard that he is very ill. He has a high fever and he keeps talking gibberish in his sleep.¡± Sabrina sighed.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned ashen and she leaned against the wall.

    ¡°Jenna, what happened to you and Hansen? Madam Marissa is busy preparing for Hansen¡¯s wedding with Aria. Do you know how flustered I am? You and Hansen are madly in love. You guys are a perfect couple. Why did things turn out in this manner? I¡¯m so disappointed in the men of the Richards family.¡± Sabrina seemed to be in distress.

    Tears welled up in Jenna¡¯s eyes. She wanted tofort Sabrina but she suddenly thought of Norton. She felt bad for not revealing Norton¡¯s true intentions to Sabrina. It was irresponsible of her. Sabrina trusted her so much but she betrayed her trust and allowed Norton to approach her despite knowing that he had some ulterior motives. It was unfair towards Sabrina.

    However, what could she say? Sabrina was Norton¡¯s fianc¨¦e and she liked him. She couldn¡¯t ruin their rtionship.

    Fortunately, she had already nned to forgive Norton.

    ¡°Sabrina, there are many things that I can¡¯t exin for the time being. Just remember to be brave and face all the obstacles in life with a positive mindset. I still cannot return to Richards Manor these few days. Hence, I will need your help with the New Year¡¯s banquet. I will attend the banquet, don¡¯t worry. Thank you very much,¡± Jenna said in exasperation as she leaned against the wall.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Do you know who this patient is? That¡¯s your boss. Even your director is afraid of him. How dare you show no respect towards him? It¡¯s just a heat pack. What¡¯s taking you so long? Do you want to lose your job?¡± Someone yelled in the corridor a floor below. It was loud and booming.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank. The shriek sent a chill down her spine and she stared nkly ahead.

    It was Aria¡¯s voice. She could recognize it anywhere.

    Why did shee to this hospital? Shouldn¡¯t she be at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital?

    ¡°Sabrina, take care. I need to handle some matters over here,¡± Jenna said in a low voice and ended the call as she steadied herself against the wall.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss McAdams, we really don¡¯t have any heat packs and we can¡¯t get one in such a short amount of time,¡± the nurse responded in panic.

    ¡°How much money can a heat pack cost? Can¡¯t you just buy one?¡± Minnie demanded. ¡°Do you know the identity of the patient? He is your boss. The boss of this hospital. You can¡¯t even provide something as simple as this. It seems that you don¡¯t want your job anymore.¡±

    Minnie snickered. She kept reprimanding and threatening the nurse, making her turn pale with fright.

    ¡°Sure, sure. I¡¯ll call the director right away,¡± the nurse said in a quivering voice.

    ¡°Shame on you. Ms. Mcadams, let¡¯s go and have lunch downstairs.¡± Minnie snorted. However, she treated Aria with respect.

    ¡°Take care of Mr. Richards while we have our lunch. We will be back soon,¡± Aria said arrogantly.

    ¡°No problem,¡± the nurse promised. Beads of sweat collected on her forehead. Silence fell once Aria and Minnie left.

    Hansen was sick. Was he severely ill?

 Chapter 280 A Cruel Exchange

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank. She thought of the day before when she left Hansen, holding Rayan¡¯s arm. She remembered his expression.

    Her instincts told her that he had fallen ill because of her. With this thought, her heart started aching as she stood rooted to the ground.

    Should she visit him? He was just downstairs.

    Jenna recalled the times when Hansen injured his bottom just a few days ago. They had resolved all their misunderstandings and weren¡¯t shy to show their affection towards one another in public. However, everything changed within these few days.

    It was impossible to resolve the issues between them. There was no other way.

    Besides, he would never forgive her for the betrayal.

    This time, it waspletely over!

    She should just leave.

    However, without realizing it, she headed downstairs.

    Just one nce. One nce would suffice. She would leave right after.

    Jenna made a promise to herself.

    They were once madly in love and he truly adored her. It was only right for her to at least check on his condition.

    He was ill, thanks to her. She wasn¡¯t that ruthless.

    Those thoughts crossed her mind and she no longer hesitated.

    The nurses had gone for lunch. Nobody was in sight.

    Jenna found his ward and entered silently.

    In the spacious and bright room, a man was lining on the white sheets, his arm connected to an IV drip. His face looked ashen and haggard. At the sight of this, Jenna subconsciously held her breath.

    She approached him slowly.

    She hadn¡¯t seen him for only a night, yet, it felt as if a decade had passed.

    His eyes were shut and he seemed to be in a deep slumber. His face was so pale. There were dark shadows under his eyes. The deep sorrow he felt was obvious on his face.

    He no longer looked like his arrogant self. He looked defeated.

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached and tears coursed down her cheeks.

    Her gaze remained riveted upon him.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m sorry for hurting you but I¡¯m doing this for the sake of Richards Group and it¡¯s for your own good. We were not destined to be together. I¡¯m sure you will eventually cheer up and forget about me.¡±

    She thought silently to herself.

    ¡°Water, water¡­¡± Hansen parted his chapped lips. He was barely conscious.

    Jenna was stunned and lowered her head so that she could hear what he was saying.

    Only then did she notice that his lips were dry and cracked.

    Her heart ached to see him in this state. Without hesitation, she grabbed the thermos bottle and poured him a cup of hot water. She mixed it with some cold water before she fed it to him.

    It seemed that he hadn¡¯t drunk water for a long time. He was so thirsty that he drank it in one gulp.

    Jenna was in distress. She nced at the other bed in his ward. It seemed that Aria was looking after him. Why didn¡¯t she give him some water? His lips were chapped and dry.

    Hansen wanted more water.

    Jenna poured him another cup of warm water. He gulped it down again.

    He then fell into a slumber.

    She checked his temperature. It was normal. She heaved a sigh of relief and was about to leave.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t go, don¡¯t leave me.¡± His voice rang and he gripped the quilt tightly.

    Jenna was shocked. Was he awake already?

    She nced at him. Although his lips were parted, he was still fast asleep. He must have been talking in his sleep.

    Tears split over and flowed down her face like a river escaping a dam. She ced her hand on his and took a deep breath.

    She had to leave. If she lingered on, she might not want to leave anymore.

    She ced his hands under the quilt and left without a backward nce. She stumbled into the corridor.

    On the luxurious cruise shipid a thick authentic wool carpet from a foreign country. It was warm andfortable.

    The design of the cruise ship was grand and beautiful.

    Hilda sat on the leather couch, holding a ss of wine in her hand. She took a sip of the wine. Her gaze was cold and piercing.

    ¡°Miss Smith, I just received news from Brock. Someone wants to pay 1 thousand million dors for Brock to kidnap a woman and let her suffer a miscarriage.¡± Shirley Wyld, Hilda¡¯s subordinate, strode in.

    Hilda just sat quietly. She was calm as usual. Her expression remained unreadable.

    It was something normal. She had heard of incidents like this numerous times.

    It was no big deal in the environment she grew up in. She no longer felt any sympathy.

    ¡°Oh,¡± she said lightly as she took another sip of the wine. She asked with an air of nonchnce, ¡°What kind of woman?¡±

    ¡°Her.¡± Shirley took out her phone and showed Hilda a photo. It was a stunning and charming woman with a sweet smile. However, there was sorrow in her eyes and her face was pale.

    Hilda was filled with mixed emotions as she nced at the photo. She had a look of surprise on her face.

    Jenna Murphy!

    The woman turned out to be Jenna.

    The woman Rayan loved.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    Could it be her?

    ¡°Is this woman pregnant?¡± she asked skeptically.

    ¡°Yes, Miss Smith. She has been pregnant for three months but some people want her dead. What a pity. Such a gorgeous woman is about to be tormented by Brock.¡± Shirley¡¯s face held a hint of sympathy which was surprising, considering that she was an assassin.

    She had been with Hilda since she was a child and was used to blood and cruel deeds. She had received all kinds of training to be the person she was this day. Nevertheless, her heart went out to this woman.

    ¡°Do you know who¡¯s the father?¡± Hilda asked with an air of indifference once she regained herposure.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about this but I guess that he must have an important identity. Otherwise, the person would not offer such a huge sum of money,¡± Shirley analyzed.

    Hilda nodded.

    The next moment, her phone rang.

    She answered the call.

    ¡°Hilda, what¡¯s the matter with you and Rayan?¡± Jonas said in a panicky voice. Hilda was surprised. It was the first time Jonas was so agitated.

    ¡°Dad¡­¡± Hilda¡¯s face turned pale and she forced a smile. She lowered her voice, unsure of how to exin her predicament.

    ¡°Do you still want to keep it a secret from me?¡± Jonas snapped.

    ¡°Dad, Rayan has agreed but he is very busy currently¡­¡± Hilda said softly.

    ¡°Ridiculous, don¡¯t you dare change the topic.¡± Jonas was simmering with anger. ¡°He¡¯s about to get married. Don¡¯t you treat me like a fool.¡±

    ¡°Marriage?¡± Hilda¡¯s heart raced. With who? How could it be possible? Why wasn¡¯t she aware of it?

    ¡°Hilda, are you still my daughter? How can you be so foolish? I have received news that Rayan had returned to A City. He had informed his mother regarding the matter.¡± Jonas bellowed, ¡°He¡¯s about to marry another woman. Don¡¯t tell me you aren¡¯t aware of it?¡±

    ¡°No, Dad, who is he going to marry?¡± Hilda was flustered.

    ¡°I heard that she¡¯s called Jenna. She¡¯s already pregnant,¡± Jonas gritted his teeth and said bitterly.

    ¡°What?¡± Blood drained from Hilda¡¯s face. ¡°Dad, these are just rumors, don¡¯t believe them.¡±

    She was anxious and her body quivered.

    ¡°You are really going to piss me off. How dare you defend him in these circumstances? I won¡¯t let him off easily,¡± Jonas bellowed and ended the call.

    Hilda instantly slumped onto the ground.

 Chapter 281 I Will Make You Lose Everything

    The snow wasing down in big, heavy kes. The weather forecast announced that there the weather would be genial the next day but it seemed that they were wrong. It was so cold in A City!

    Jenna was holding a red umbre as she strode out of the hospital.

    Her mother and Trevor were taken care of. She could finally rx.

    She discovered the truth behind her dad¡¯s death and had decided to forgive Norton. There was no reason for her to stay anymore. After attending the New Year¡¯s Banquet at Richards Manor, she could finally leave A City.

    Hansen¡¯s wedding with Aria was just around the corner and she could foresee his bright future ahead once she was gone.

    She heaved a sigh of relief.

    Nevertheless, she was crestfallen.

    She stroked her belly gently.

    From this moment onwards, she would only have her child.

    This was her flesh and blood. Her only child.

    Nothing could change the fact.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Thank you for apanying me, my dear baby,¡± Jenna whispered. A smile crossed her face. as she hastened out of the hospital.

    She reminisced about the past as she nced at the hospital.

    Ever since she returned to A City, she had been to the hospital many times. She shared many sweet memories with Hansen there. However, it was also filled with painful memories. She still recalled the bloody corpse of his father; the shock and despair she felt as tears coursed down her cheeks.

    ¡°Hansen, I wish you all the best.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Richards, you must get better soon. Grandma is getting old and Richards Manor needs you,¡± Jenna thought silently to herself.

    Snow crunched under her feet and quickly soaked her shoes, covering her umbre in white.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the b*tch who was driven out of Richards Manor? Why are you still standing here?¡± someone mocked.

    A ripple of smotheredughter followed.

    Jenna shuddered and groaned. It was apparent that Aria and Minnie had returned from lunch. What bad luck to meet them at this moment!

    Jenna assumed an air of nonchnce and her gaze turned cold.

    So what? Bring it on!

    She wanted to meet Aria too.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Aria asked warily, staring at her tummy.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I be here? Does thisnd belong to theMcAdams family?¡±

    Jenna spun around and shot daggers at Aria. Aria and Minnie wereoverwhelmed by thepelling aura around her.

    However, Jenna was caught off guard when Aria nced at her tummy. Did she know that she was pregnant?

    Cold fear clutched at her throat but she didn¡¯t show it.

    Her warning stare sent a chill down Aria¡¯s spine. Jenna¡¯s demeanor was formidable, nothing like a pregnant woman. Aria was afraid to hold her gaze for fear that she would discover what was on her mind.

    ¡°B*tch, this hospital belongs to the Richards family. Ms. McAdams will soon marry Hansen. It¡¯s not too far-fetched to say that thisnd belongs to her,¡± Minnie chimed in.

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Jenna shifted her gaze to Minnie¡¯s face. Minnie was indeed na?ve and foolish. She had no idea the trouble she was getting herself into. Sadly for her, she did not learn her lessons. What an ignorant brat!

    Jenna leveled a re on her. Minnie was startled by the aura ofmand around her.

    Minnie met Jenna¡¯s eyes. For some inexplicable reason, Jenna¡¯s cold aura made her hairs stand on end and she wanted to avert her gaze.

    ¡°Who are you, how dare you reprimand me?¡± Minnie mustered her courage and demanded.

    ¡°Minnie, as your cousin, I believe that I have fulfilled my responsibilities and obligations. You don¡¯t seem to understand and choose the wrong side. Nobody would be able to save you in the future. This is myst warning. You may do as you please,¡± Jenna said calmly and turned to face Aria again.

    ¡°Aria, I have done as promised. I hope that you can keep your promise too.¡±

    ¡°You have kept your promises, of course I will keep mine.¡± Aria calmed down and replied with a smile.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Jenna said coldly. ¡°If anything happens to Grandma and Uncle Richards, I will immediately tell Hansen everything and expose the truth to the world. You know the consequences, therefore you better make the right choice.¡±

    Aria¡¯s face instantly tensed as she didn¡¯t see thising her way.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Do you not know what I meant? Jenna snorted and sneered. ¡°I have received news about the deeds you have done. Aria, if you fail to keep your promise and engage in any dirty dealings, I swear that I won¡¯t let you off easily. You better ponder the matter. You will soon be Hansen¡¯s wife and I¡¯m nothing but a mere mortal. I can sacrifice everything but you can¡¯t. If you don¡¯t stop what you are doing, I will definitely bring you to justice. I don¡¯t believe you can defy thew.¡±

    Jenna thought of what happened to Trevor and Vivian and fear gripped her heart. She was not sure whether Aria was involved but she would not miss the opportunity to warn her.

    Aria averted her gaze. She was getting goosebumps and her nerves were frayed. She stuttered, ¡°Jenna, I will definitely keep my promise. I have never failed to keep my promise.¡±

    ¡°You better do as promised. Don¡¯t let me catch you doing anything behind my back again.¡± Jenna shot her a warning stare. ¡°By the way, take good care of Hansen. I want him to be happy as before. Take care.¡±

    Upon finishing the sentence, she spun around and left without a backward nce.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, what did she mean by saying that? Did she discover our ns?¡± Minnie asked nervously as she pursed her lips.

    ¡°Are you sure that she has been discharged?¡± Aria asked with a grave expression.

    ¡°Yes. The nurse informed me that the patient in the ward was discharged and a new patient was admitted. Besides, Mr. Richards drank vigorously in his office the night before. That was how he fell ill,¡± Minnie exined.

    Aria pondered upon the matter. It did seem that Jenna was the reason Hansen fell ill. Jenna had indeed kept her promise and left him. No wonder he became so drunk. Aria smiled wryly.

    ¡°I heard that her body is very weak and she is going to have a baby. It was truly unexpected for her to leave abruptly,¡± Minnie remarked.

    ¡°Remember, starting from today, you must be careful. Forget about Ocean Heart for the time being. Wait till I am officially married to Hansen before we continue our ns. If we provoke her, she might ruin everything.¡± There was an imcable expression on her face. The line of her mouth tightened a fraction more when she thought of her child.

    ¡°Jenna,e fight me. I want you to lose everything,¡± she thought silently to herself.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, are we going to attend the New Year¡¯s Banquet at Richards Manor?¡± Minnie asked curiously.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m going. That¡¯s my home, I have every right to go.¡± Aria rolled her eyes. ¡°Besides, that b*tch is attending the banquet. Why shouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    Twenty million dors was invested to organize the New Year¡¯s banquet. Even her wedding ceremony would not be as grand as the banquet. It was the perfect opportunity for Aria to show her worth.

    Aria knew the benefits of attending the banquet. She would seize this golden opportunity to shine. No way she would allow Jenna to steal the spotlight away from her. She would make Jenna leave Richards Manor for good.

    The b*tch might disappear forever after the banquet and would no longer be able to ruin her ns. Aria¡¯s mouth formed into a cunning smile.

    Minnie caught a glimpse of her eyes zing murderously and was startled. She couldn¡¯t help but quiver with fear.

    ¡°But Ms. McAdams, you are pregnant and you have not been discharged¡­¡± Minnie looked worried.

    ¡°So what? I¡¯m fine, nothing would happen. I can attend the banquet in the morning and return to the hospital at night. For the time being, you must remain alert and be wary. Make sure everything proceeds smoothly. Don¡¯t worry, once I marry Hansen and obtain the Ocean Heart, I will pay you ten million dors. You do not need to worry about money anymore,¡± Aria said dryly.

    Ten million dors? Minnie¡¯s eyes widened with surprise and she gaped in utter shock.

    So much money! She could never earn so much money in her life but her dreams woulde true thanks to Aria.

    It was indeed worth it to work for wealthy people. The Richards Family was wealthy. Ten million dors was nothing to thempared to Ocean Hearts.

    Minnie regained herposure and beamed from ear to ear. ¡°Thank you, Ms. McAdams. Don¡¯t worry, I will do my best. My future depends on you. I don¡¯t care about money, but I wish to be by your side forever.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Aria¡¯s smile was one of lofty disdain. ¡°Apany Hansen these few days and please him. You will also apany me to prepare my dress andstyle my hair for the banquet.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Minnie replied without hesitation. A grin was stered on her face. ¡°Will Mr. Richards promise to bring you to the banquet?¡± she asked uneasily.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he will.¡± Aria smiled confidently as they walked back to the ward.

 Chapter 282 Willing To Take The Blame

    ¡°Jen.¡± Just as Jenna entered through the gate, she saw Rayan standing right in front of her.

    He was wearing a woolen knee-length trench coat, and his tall, big figure blocked the wind and snow from reaching her. A warm, gentle smile hung across his handsome face.

    ¡°Rayan.¡± Jenna was speechless for a while, did he see and hear everything that had happened just now? There was arge gate in between, but he wasn¡¯t very far away.

    She stood in confusion, with a red umbre in her freezing hand. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold wind as well.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to take you home,¡± he said as if he could read her mind, generously and naturally.

    Jenna smiled and nodded.

    Rayan took her umbre and held it over her head, while looking at her with his shining gaze.

    What is this woman made of, why is she so resilient? She was already so weak from all that she¡¯s been through, yet she was still thinking of protecting others? How kind must she be to be able to do this? Her uncontrolled boldness made Rayan sigh deeply.

    The girl in front of him had a stunning beauty that couldn¡¯t be hidden by her paleplexion. She looked at him with her shimmering eyes wide open, as a smile curved along with her brows. Rayan was surprised to find that even after she had gone through so much hardship and torture, she still maintained a clear and gleaming gaze. Despite the pain that was buried deep in her eyes and could never be erased, it was still very precious.

    Sure enough, the woman he liked was unique and worthy of his pursuit.

    ¡°Rayan, I¡¯m sorry, I got you involved again,¡± Jenna said apologetically.

    Rayan smiled casually and gently.

    ¡°Silly girl, I am willing to take the me for you for the rest of my life.¡± His voice was very pleasant, it was crystal clear just like white clouds and flowing water.

    Jenna smiled bitterly, yet she did not understand the meaning behind his words.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be long,¡± she whispered, feeling a little depressed. Perhaps this will be thest time. From then on, she will leave this messed up ce forever and live happily with her child.

    She lowered her head and looked at her steps.

    Her footsteps were so weak, so fragile. Could she carry the burden of her life?

    ¡°Jen, let¡¯s go home first,¡± Rayansaid softly, as helooked at the snowkes floating in the sky, and thennding lightly on the umbre above her.

    She was pregnant, and the weather was cold. The doctor has said that she was very weak and severely malnourished. He did not dare to let her stay in the snow for too long.

    Jenna nodded and followed him.

    The two of them walked side by side in the snow.

    ¡± Wait for me here, I¡¯ll get the car,¡± he said to her, ashe handed her the umbre at the entrance of the parking lot on their left.

    Jenna nodded, and stood in the snow with the umbre. Snow kes floated down in front of her, they were light and beautiful.

    She stretched out her arm and ced her hand outside the umbre. Very soon, her hand was covered with snowkes.

    The corners of her mouth lifted a little to form a slight smile.

    Soon, Rayan¡¯s car was driven out of the parking lot and stopped in front of her.

    She kept the umbre, opened the door and went in.

    The luxurious Rolls-Royce drove into the distance.

    ¡°Miss Smith, is that the woman? The woman who had snatched Rayan from you and gotten pregnant?¡± Shirley kept staring at Jenna from afar. She couldn¡¯t see her face clearly, so she asked Hilda.

    Hilda¡¯s face was hidden under a soft and fluffy hat, and her pair of eyes looked at the couple at the entrance of the hospital. The handsome man and the beautiful woman was really a match made in heaven.

    Her eyes were full of loneliness and sorrow.

    That day, she had heard from her father that he was going to get married.

    He was still going to marry her after all.

    Despite the fact that she was pregnant with another man¡¯s child, he was still willing to marry her. Is that love?

    She stood quietly, and she, who was usually elegant andposed, cried sad tears.

    Shirley found the answer to her question in Hilda¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 283 Let Me Take Care Of You

    ¡°Jen,why didn¡¯t you tell me thatyou¡¯re pregnant?¡± Rayan walked over with a mug of hot milk and handed it to Jenna in the living room.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna took the hot milk from Rayan¡¯s hand and squeezed it with her fingers. She squeezed a little too hard, and her veins started showing up below her nails. She raised the mug and pressed her forehead against the wall of the mug. Slowly shaking her head, she said, ¡°Rayan, I don¡¯t want anyone to know about this.¡±Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Why? Not even me?¡± Rayan asked gently.

    ¡°Rayan, Hansen has to marry Aria in order to save the Richards Group. If he knew that I was pregnant with his child, he would not marry her. So, I didn¡¯t want to tell anyone. I really didn¡¯t expect that I would faint that day and that everything would be exposed. I had no choice but to make you the scapegoat. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jenna¡¯s face was pressed strongly against the warm milk mug. Her nose was sore, and her tears flowed smoothly down the mug.

    ¡°Oh, silly.¡± Rayan sighed deeply, feeling a little annoyed in his heart, yet he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Seeing her weak and fragile appearance, he couldn¡¯t bear to me her. He only said softly, ¡°Drink the milk first.¡±

    Jenna held the mug with one hand, and twisted her shirt with another. She looked up at Rayan with a pitiful face. ¡°Rayan, you won¡¯t me me, right?¡±

    A trace of distress shed in Rayan¡¯s eyes. He walked over and sat down beside her. Then, he took the milk and put it next to her mouth, whispering, ¡°Good girl, drink the milk first.¡±

    Jenna opened her mouth obediently, and the warm liquid trickled down her throat into her stomach. She suddenly felt warm andfy, and her trembling body started to settle down.

    ¡°Jen, how can you be so silly?¡± Rayan sighed heavily as he stroked her hair with his hand. ¡°Did you really think that once you leave the Richards Group, everything will go back to being peaceful? You really think that everything is rted to you?¡±

    ¡°Rayan, what do you mean?¡± Jenna looked up at him in bewilderment.

    ¡°s!¡± Rayan shook his head, ¡°You will see very soon. Even if you had never returned from the United States, or had never been with Hansen, everything would¡¯ve still happened as it should¡¯ve. Greed is a human nature. It won¡¯t change just because of anyone¡¯s existence or absence. Everything will still happen as it¡¯s supposed to happen. But it¡¯s okay, after this, you will finally understand a lot of things that you didn¡¯t.¡±

    Jenna didn¡¯t understand what he said, and looked at Rayan with confusion.

    ¡°Jen, no matter what, you made the right choice. You wouldn¡¯t be able to beat them on your own. Hansen is too famous. It won¡¯t be good for you to stay by his side,¡± Rayan exined softly to answer Jenna¡¯s doubts, ¡°Since you have decided to leave, this may be a good thing for everyone. But I want to ask you, have you made any ns for the future? In the future, are you going to raise your child alone? Can you withstand the peculiar looks and judgements of others?¡±

    Rayan¡¯s series of questions were harsh but true. Jenna could no longer think about other things. She felt miserable. However, she held back her tears and smiled firmly. ¡°Rayan, I believe I can raise my child well. I will continue to design cars, and take good care of my child and mother with my own abilities.¡±

    Rayan smiled helplessly again.

    ¡°But have you ever thought about your child? Your child will be fatherless from birth. How will he grow up without a father? It is unfair to him,¡± Rayan said.

    ¡°I know¡­¡± Jenna lowered her head. Her tears dripped down like beads from a broken string as she wept softly.

    Rayan¡¯s expression became more and more solemn, and he went silent.

    ¡°Tomorrow, I will take you to another hospital,¡± he said earnestly after a long time.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t get rid of the child. He is innocent. I can¡¯t bear it,¡± Jenna replied in fear.

    Rayan was stunned for a while, then he took a piece of tissue to wipe away her tears. He whispered softly, ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. Your body is too weak, I will take you to the hospital for fetus protection.¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t go, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Jenna shook her head tly after understanding his intentions. ¡°I still have to go to the Richards Group¡¯s New Year banquet. Sabrina and I had put in a lot of effort to n it, so I must go. After these three days, I will cut ties with thempletely, we¡¯ll talk about it then.¡±

    Jenna never thought of going for fetus protection. Although she was weak, she believed that as long as her appetite got better, she would get better.

    Women are stronger when they¡¯re pregnant.

    She wanted to say that she was worried about Grandma Vivian, knowing that the three days of the Richards Group¡¯s New Year¡¯s Banquet might be chaotic, but she didn¡¯t say it.

    Rayan felt that he could not convince her. After a while, he grabbed her hand and said very patiently and seriously, ¡°Jenna, let me protect you for the rest of your life. I am willing to do everything for you.¡±

    His words were sincere and eloquent. He held Jenna¡¯s hands tightly, with a face full of tender expressions.

    Jenna raised her head in surprise and looked at him incredulously.

    Rayan¡¯s eyes were bright and gentle, but there was a firm light in them, with an encouraging smile.

    ¡°Be my wife, and let me apany you. That way, you won¡¯t be a single mother. I believe that I can protect you throughout your life.¡± Rayan continued steadily.

    Be his wife? Jenna finally understood what he was trying to say, and waspletely startled by his words.

    What kind of a person was Rayan? He was one of the top prince charmings of the world, the dream lover of many girls. If it was before she had divorced, perhaps she was still worthy of being his wife. But now? What was she? How could she be worthy of being his wife? It¡¯s impossible.

    No, he was probably only trying to console her as he thought that she was pitiful and sympathized with her. With that in mind, she forced a smile and said gratefully, ¡°Rayan, I know that you¡¯re kind, but I don¡¯t need sympathy. I will get out of this as soon as possible and live well on my own. I only have one wish. Can we be good friends forever?¡±

    Jenna looked at him with eyes that radiated hope after she finished speaking. She would feel satisfied, and lucky enough if they were able to be friends forever.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m serious. I¡¯ve made up my mind to marry you.¡± Rayan looked at Jenna¡¯s expression and could tell that she didn¡¯t believe him. He said with more persistence, ¡°Jenna, let me protect you for the rest of your life.¡±

    ¡°No, Rayan, this is not okay, absolutely not. It is unfair to you.¡± Jenna was finally sure about what she wanted. She quickly shook her head, and said hoarsely, ¡°Rayan, thank you. I was very lucky to be able to have known you in this life. I am already grateful for all your help, but I can¡¯t burden you anymore.¡±

    Seeing Jenna shake her head, pain shed in Rayan¡¯s eyes. He took Jenna¡¯s hand and said seriously, ¡°Jen, I have been attracted to youever since I¡¯ve met you in Los Angeles. Not only did your car designs impress me, but so did your personality. In my whole life I¡¯ve travelled far and wide. I¡¯ve seen all kinds of women before. You are the strongest and most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and the only one that makes me want to protect you for the rest of my life. Trust me, I am serious.¡±

    Jenna couldn¡¯t imagine it.

    She was now pregnant and had a horrible reputation, yet he didn¡¯t mind and was willing to marry her. Even an ordinary man couldn¡¯t ept this, yet a perfect man like him didn¡¯t mind at all. Was that even possible?

    ¡°Rayan, don¡¯t say such things. I am no longer worthy of being with you. I don¡¯t need anymore embarrassment.¡± Jenna lowered her head after looking at him carefully, and then raised her head and said with shame, ¡°Rayan, I am a divorced woman. I¡¯m pregnant with someone else¡¯s child, and there are so many horrible rumors and gossip about me. Even by being with you like this, I feel like I¡¯m tarnishing your reputation. If this is the case, I think that it¡¯s better that we don¡¯t bring that up again. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t even dare to stay here with you any longer.¡±

    Rayan¡¯s eyes stared at her for a while. Then suddenly, a smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Jen. Not everyone is as morous as they appear to be. Everyone has their weaknesses. I may look morous now, but I have many weaknesses too, and a side of me that I wouldn¡¯t want anyone to see, but everyone will want to pursue whatever they think is beautiful in their heart. In my eyes, you are the best woman in the world. Not only are you beautiful and kind, you are also strong, brave, and wise. To me, being able to marry you will be the biggest blessing of my life. If I don¡¯t get to marry you, then I ept my fate, but I¡¯m still willing to fight for it. Please believe that I¡¯m sincere. Your past is nothing to me, it¡¯s not your fault. I just want your love in the future. May I have this blessing?¡± Rayan took her hand, that was so soft that it felt boneless, and ced it on his chest, with a kind smile in his eyes.

    Jenna was dumbfounded.

    His gaze was so passionate, and the expression on his face was so sincere. He was serious about it.

    It never urred to her that she would still be favored by him at this time.

    A man who was willing to ept herregardless of her past, and even after learning that she was pregnant, it really was something that she could only dream of. She was so touched that she couldn¡¯t keep calm.

    ¡°Rayan, can you give me some time to think about it?¡± Jenna said after a long time, as she really didn¡¯t know how to reject him without hurting him.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you time. I can afford to wait, and I have enough patience to wait for your love.¡± Rayan smiled with a warm expression.

    Jenna sat there in a daze. Hansen¡¯s furious face kept shing in front of her eyes. The disappointment, despair, sadness, and pain in his eyes kept flickering in front of her, and her numb heart started to feel painful again.

    Jenna didn¡¯t know that Rayan was serious. Before he made this decision, he had already called his mother in the United States to let her know. Of course, she only knew this afterwards.

    That night, Jenna was entangled in various nightmares again. When she woke up in the middle of the night, her whole body was sweaty. As she tried to fall back asleep, she could hear the faint cries of her baby in her ears, and it hurt her heart.

    She finally managed to fall asleep when it was close to dawn.

 Chapter 284 Collecting Evidence At The Capital City

    In the morning, the sunlight shone into the room warmly through the curtains that hung on the windows, and spots of light decorated the walls of the room.

    Aria sat next to the hospital bed, drinking some hot milk casually, in a rxed manner.

    A slight noise came from the bed, and she raised her eyes with joy.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re awake!¡± she eximed.

    Hansen¡¯s stiff eyes rolled around for a while. He slowly sat up, and looked around with his empty gaze.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re finally awake. You¡¯ve been in aa for a whole day and night, I¡¯ve been here taking care of you the whole time,¡± Aria said.

    Aria¡¯s smile was bright. Her words were sweet, and there was a faint blush on her cheeks.

    Hansen retracted his gaze after scanning the room with it, and a sense of coldness started to rise in his eyes.

    He could remember that that woman had betrayed him.

    That woman whom he loved so deeply had betrayed him, and left him with her lover.

    They even showed off their affection for each other right in front of him.

    As his gaze grew icy, the muscles on his face started to tighten.

    ¡°I never wanted to turn back, I hate you! I only did all this to take revenge on you!¡± This was all she said before she left. These words knocked him down entirely, and made him severely ill. He always thought that he was strong and tough, yet he had fallen for her.

    He sat silently, as the heart-wrenching pain hovered around in his heart.

    ¡°Hansen, you have lost a lot of weight. I¡¯m so worried about you.¡± Aria sat beside him. She reached out and took his arm, cing her face on it. ¡°Wake up, Hansen. We will be getting married soon, and our child will be due anytime now. I need you, please don¡¯t leave me again, okay?¡±

    Her tears twinkled in the corners of her eyes, as she looked at him delicately and pitifully.

    ¡°Pour me a ss of water,¡± Hansen said lightly, as he brushed away the hand on his arm gently.

    ¡°Alright, I will.¡± Aria assured.

    He was finally speaking to her! This made her very happy. She quickly ran to get him a cup of water, and said diligently, ¡°Hansen, you must be hungry, let¡¯s go have breakfastter. We can have some dumplings.¡±

    ¡°No thanks.¡± Hansen grabbed the cup from Aria, took a sip, and said gently, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry, Aria, you can eat without me.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten for a whole day. You have to eat. The porridge there is delicious and it nourishes your stomach. I will eat with you,¡± Aria said gently as she wrapped her arms softly around his neck. Shewasn¡¯t willing to give up.

    ¡°I have some matters to attend to, so I need to go out soon. You should go back to the hospital first,¡± Hansen said with a slight frown, pushing her hand away.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you going? You have not recovered yet,¡± Aria asked in surprise.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. This sickness is nothing to me,¡± Hansen said in a peaceful voice as he began to pack his things up.

    Even though he wasn¡¯t very enthusiastic towards her, at least he was no longer cold and distant to her as before. This filled Aria¡¯s heart with glee. He was finally willing to talk to her. It means that he probably didn¡¯t despise her that much anymore.

    Sure enough, as long as that woman stays away from them, he will eventually turn his attention on her.

    ¡°Hansen, please, take care of your body, okay? Don¡¯t go, stay with me.¡± She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and pressed her face against his sturdy back. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and said sweetly, ¡°Hansen, we¡¯re going to be husband and wife soon. Let¡¯s go back to the Richards Manor together.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s back stiffened, and a trace of pain shed in his eyes, perhaps at the words¡®husband and wife¡¯.He stood up straightand stared outside firmly.

    Aria was ted that he allowed her to continue hugging him, and did not push her away like he used to.

    She was as tender as water, yet as passionate as fire. She wanted to make him herspletely.

    ¡°Hansen, let¡¯s go try on the wedding dress today. The wedding dress that I had chosen was very pretty. Will you go with me?¡± she said with a pleasant tone, and hugged him even tighter.

    She believed that no man would be able to resist her charm and actions. She could definitelye up with a way to make him stay with her, and fall in love with her.

    Hansen looked out of the window for a long time, and finally withdrew his gaze.

    ¡°Aria, I¡¯ll be leaving now. Go back to the hospital first,¡± He said decisively, pushing her hand away.

    ¡°But, Hansen, we¡­¡± Aria held onto his hand tightly as she teared up.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes flickered, and a genuine smile suddenly appeared on his face.

    ¡°Aria, let go of me. I will take you to the New Year Banquet,¡± he said.

    Will he?

    As soon as she heard his words, Aria¡¯s eyes lit up, and her heart was filled with joy. She let go of him reluctantly, and said friskily, ¡°Come back soon, Hansen. I¡¯ve missed you. ¡±

    As she spoke, she extended her arms and helped him put on his necktie, and then patted the wrinkles on his suit with a bright smile on her face.

    All of a sudden, the door opened and a nurse walked in with a cart.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s time for an injection,¡± she said.

    ¡°No, thank you, I¡¯m already feeling much better.¡± After taking a look at his phone, Hansen strode out of the room.

    ¡°But¡­¡± The nurse stood there, not knowing what to do.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you may go now. Mr. Richards is young and strong, he doesn¡¯t need that.¡± Aria was already beaming with joy, and her face was flushed with happiness. Her attitude towards the nurses became much better as her mood improved.

    ¡°Congrattions, Ms. McAdams, it seems that Mr. Richards is going toe back to you.¡± Minnie Murphy saw everything with her own eyes, and came to congratte Aria the minute Hansen left.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Aria smiled proudly. ¡°That woman will lose miserably if she chooses to fight with me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, that b*tch isn¡¯t even qualified to fight with you. She struggled to stay for so long, yet still got chased out of the Richards Manor in the end. I¡¯m pretty sure that she¡¯ll never get the chance to return ever again.¡± Minnie scorned, feeling contented.

    ¡°Alvin, book two flight tickets to the Capital City right away.¡± Hansen gave Alvin a call as soon as he stepped out of the gate of the hospital.

    The ne whizzed through the sky, and white cotton-like clouds passed by the windows of the first-ss cabin.

    Hansen sat on the adjustable seat with his eyes closed. His facecked any emotion. His expression was cold, and he remained quiet throughout the whole journey.

    Ever since he fell ill yesterday, he had changed a lot. He was no longer aggressive and impulsive. He felt as if he had woken up from a nightmare, and that his rational mind had returned. Everything was back to normal, and he was the same Mr. Richards that he used to be.

    In the past, he quarreled with her, fought with her, as if they were maniacs. He wouldpete with Rayan irrationally, and even fight him out of jealousy. He thought that as long as he loved her with all his heart, she would feel his sincerity and love and cherish him as well, so he desperately tried to regain her heart. But all there were destroyed by her words, ¡°I hate you, I only did all this to take revenge on you¡±.

    Three years ago, he was frivolous and arrogant. He humiliated her, treated her cruelly, and broke her heartpletely. He deserved to hear those words.

    He finally understood that a rtionship would never work if the love was one-sided. Impulse and enthusiasm alone would never be enough to let him own her heart.

    However, there were still suspicions regarding the Javon Murphy case, and it involved the Richards Group as well. He couldn¡¯t let it slide.

    He had promised her that he would find her the answer, and the suspicions involved Norton as well. From whichever point of view, he had to find the truth. He had the responsibility to do so for her, and for Norton.

    The Richards family had owed her too much. He had no right to request anything from her.

    Soon, he arrived at the Ford Manor in the Capital City. It was a typical old courtyard house in the Capital City, with lush trees and beautiful surroundings.

    Hansen rang the doorbell of the Ford family.

    ¡°I¡¯m Hansen Richards. I¡¯m looking for Sheldon Ford.¡± Hansen said as a man who looked like a worker opened the door and looked at him in confusion.

    ¡°Please give me a moment, I have to report to Mr. Ford.¡± The man could tell that Hansen was no ordinary guest from his branded briefcase and steady aura. After nodding his head politely, he walked into the house.

    After a while, the male worker came out and said awkwardly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Richards, Mr. Ford is currently at work. You may leave him a message if you have anything to tell him. I will pass him the message.¡±

    ¡°Stop pretending.¡± Alvin, who was standing next to him, said impatiently. He roared with annoyance, ¡°My young master cameall the way from A city to visit him personally, so you¡¯d better stop acting. We have already confirmed that Mr. Ford did not go to work today, and is taking the day off at home. Don¡¯t try to fool us.¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    The man became hesitant when he heard Alvin¡¯s words. He didn¡¯t know what to do.

    ¡°How about this, tell him that I have some information regarding his time as the financial manager back at A City, and I would like to give it to him as a gift. If he wants it, tell him toe and find me in person. I¡¯ll be staying at the Jewelry Hotel, and I will leave by five o¡¯clock tomorrow in the afternoon,¡± Hansen said domineeringly.

    ¡°Okay, I will,¡± the worker answered timidly as he saw Hansen talk.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Hansen said to Alvin calmly after giving the worker a sharp re.

    ¡°Alright, young master.¡± Alvin gave the worker a fierce nce as well and left along with Hansen.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, do you think he wille meet us?¡± Alvin asked, a little worried.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he will,¡± Hansensaid confidently as he cedthe things in his hands on the desk of the hotel suite.

    Alvin nodded. ¡°Mr. Richards, I didn¡¯t expect this case to be soplicated.¡±

    Hansen remained calm.

    Soon, the hotel room telephone rang.

    Alvin picked up the phone, said the word ¡®yes¡¯, and hung up. He turned his head and said to Hansen, ¡± It¡¯s Mr. Richards. He¡¯s here.¡±

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curved into a cold smile.

    An unpredictable smile crept across Alvin¡¯s face as well.

    The doorbell rang.

    Alvin opened the door with a solemn face.

    A man in his 50s stood at the door in his suit. He had a big. bald spot in the middle of his head, also known as the typical ¡®Mediterranean sea¡¯ hairstyle. He had an oily forehead, a bulging belly, and a sheepish smile on his face.

    ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± Alvin asked arrogantly, with an expression that made him look like he was difficult to get along with.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m looking for Mr. Richards,¡± he murmured as he smiled tteringly.

    Mr. ¡®Mediterranean¡¯ obviously knew who Hansen was. He knew that they had visited him personally a while ago, and yet he dared to reject meeting them, it was obvious that he was guilty of something. If Mr. Richards hadn¡¯t resorted to using his secret weapon, he would¡¯ve probably never appeared on his own. Alvin despised him, and felt very irritated in his heart.

    He said haughtily, ¡°Report your name.¡±

    Mr. ¡®Mediterranean¡¯ couldn¡¯t care less about his attitude. He said politely, ¡°I¡¯m Sheldon Ford, and I¡¯vee to visit Mr. Richards.¡±

    Alvin squinted his eyes and looked at him in disdain, then turned his head and asked respectfully, ¡°Mr. Richards, do you want to see this person?¡±

    ¡°Let him in,¡± Hansen said without raising his head. Hesat on the sofa, with his head lowered to look at the document folder.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Alvin replied, and quickly shouted, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Mr. ¡®Mediterranean¡¯ walked in hurriedly, and saw the document folder in Hansen¡¯s hand in a nce. He couldn¡¯t help but to break into cold sweat as he saw the words ¡®A City Financial Department¡¯ on the document folder.

 Chapter 285 New Evidence

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Richards. I didn¡¯t expect that we would meet in the Capital City. I¡¯vee today specially to wee you to the Capital City, if I could have the honor,¡± Sheldon said as he nodded and bowed, looking like a servant instead.

    Hansen¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he touched the document folder in his hand. He leaned back arrogantly, and looked up at him as he said coldly, ¡°I sure wasn¡¯t blessed with a meal from you, Mr. Ford. Since you¡¯re willing to wee me here, I guess I¡¯ll have to give you the honor.¡±

    With a face full of uneasiness, Sheldon said disingenuously, ¡°Mr. Richards, I am so sorry. I had just heard from my family that you visited, and rushed over immediately.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Hansen sneered. He hated when people said insincere things like this, it was more disgusting than making him eat flies. He looked at him with a creepy smile, and asked coldly as he crossed his right leg over his left, ¡°Alright, so, why are you here?¡±

    Sheldon smiled. ¡°I heard from my family members that you brought me something. That¡­, you¡¯re too kind, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Hansen adjusted his legs and continued. ¡°Do you know what it is?¡±

    Sheldon bowed lower and tried to be more humble. With a puzzled look, he shook his head.

    ¡°You¡¯d better stop ying tricks with us.¡± Alvin had been impatient with him since the beginning. He stood next to him and yelled angrily, ¡°Answer Mr. Richards properly, or you won¡¯t be able to leave this room in one piece.¡±

    Sheldon shuddered. His eyes kept peering at the document folder that Hansen held, as he brainstormed with all his might.

    He had already known about Hansen Richards back when he was the financial manager in A city. They even had dinner together, but they never really met other than that. Mr. Richards was an arrogant man. He would never bother paying attention to people of lower social standing. There was only one possibility, and that was¡­

    The thought of this was even more frightening.

    ¡°Let me ask you. How were you transferred to the Capital City?¡± he asked casually.

    ¡°The organization required me to do so, so I obeyed their arrangements.¡± Sheldon said righteously, with a solemn face and a virtuous look.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t help but tough.

    ¡°I¡¯d advise you to stop pretending in front of me. I¡¯vee all the way here today. Did you really think that I didn¡¯t have any evidence? Do you think that I have nothing better to do?¡± Hansen stood up in an instant, and walked closer with a lofty aura.

    Sheldon¡¯s whole body trembled, and he took a step back as he was overwhelmed by Hansen¡¯s aura. Panic was written all over his face.

    ¡°Let me ask you. When Javon Murphy was in office, you were the head of the A City Financial Department, the financial manager. There was a huge amount of money that disappeared into thin air, and is still undiscovered now. I want to know, where did the money go?¡± Hansen said aggressively as he took another step closer.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I had been wronged. When I was in office, I made sure that every sum of money spent was recorded with proof. The invoices and ledgers were allpleted clearly as well. At that time, I was very strict with all my subordinates. Every single penny spent had to be proven with receipts. No mistakes were allowed. The audits have passed them as well, as there weren¡¯t any problems with the records. I really don¡¯t know about the huge sum of money you¡¯re talking about.¡± Sheldon understood what Hansen was trying to say, and immediately tried to defend himself, looking victimized.

    ¡°Stop acting.¡± Alvin was so irritated by his bogus story that he eximed furiously, ¡°The document folder in Mr. Richards hand contains all the invoices and ounting records during the time you were in office. They have been investigated by the A city Public Security Department, and it turned out that there were fake records of this huge sum of money. We¡¯vee all the way here to warn you, yet you¡¯re still trying to hide it from us? Well, the records are currently being investigated. Very soon, you will either be stuck in jail or shot to death.¡±

    The fierce exmation frightened Sheldon so badly that his soul left his body, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

    Surely enough, what goes aroundes around! His legs became wobbly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I really don¡¯t know the truth.¡± He acted calm, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

    Hansen smiled and said lightly, ¡°Mr. Ford, as far as I know, Javon Murphy stayed with you for a long time the night before the car ident, and he was unhappy during that time. You were his subordinate, but you were promoted to the Capital City after he had passed away from that car ident. This is unreasonable. How could you be promoted to the Capital City? I¡¯ve done my research on you, you didn¡¯t have any special background, and you didn¡¯t do well in your position. There must be a reasonable exnation for this.¡±

    Sheldon quickly exined with a serious face, ¡°Mr. Richards, I was already offered the position in the Capital City long before the car ident. Besides, my superiors made this decision with the thought that my family members were in the Capital City in mind as well. It wasn¡¯t a baseless promotion.¡±

    A dark cloud covered Alvin¡¯s face, and his voice was cold and hard. ¡°Sheldon Ford, you know Lydia Miller, don¡¯t you? She has already reported you, and they have discovered that all your ounting records are fake. You will be interrogated very soon. However, Mr. Richards found this matter suspicious. It wasmon sense that you wouldn¡¯t dare to make so many fake records as merely a financial manager. The truth is very obvious now. If you don¡¯t reveal the person behind all of this, then you will be responsible for pocketing all the money. I¡¯m pretty sure that you¡¯re clear about the consequences that you¡¯ll have to face.¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    Sheldon¡¯s face turned a deadly shade of grey, and his lips trembled involuntarily.

    ¡°Mr. Ford, if this case is closed, you will either be imprisoned for life or sentenced to death. But if you tell us who¡¯s behind all this, we can still try to help you. We¡¯vee today in hopes that you¡¯ll tell us everything honestly, including the whole process. Cooperate with us, and we will try to reduce your sentence. I know that you¡¯ll still have to take care of your mother, wife, and children. They are all counting on you.¡± Hansen stared at him as he analyzed his situation for him.

    Sheldon lowered his head, and did not speak for a very long time.

    Hansen and Alvin looked at each other.

    ¡°Sheldon, you won¡¯t be able to put all the me on Javon anymore. It is already proven that Brock Moore was behind his tragic death, and the reason for it was rted to this case. We have already obtained the relevant evidence, and Brock will soon be arrested. We know that there¡¯s another person behind this, and only you know who it is and how you embezzled the huge sum of money together. If you confess the truth, you will be free from most of the charges, since you¡¯re only the minion.¡± Alvin continued to state the key points to persuade Sheldon in making the right choice.

    Sheldon clearly understood that his words were reasonable and true.

    The light in his eyes went dull, and he thought carefully for a long time before he pleaded to Hansen, ¡°Mr. Richards, please give me some time to think about it. I will respond as soon as possible.¡±

 Chapter 286 She Was Reluctant

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to respond to me. I want you to find an end to this, and make up for your conscience. Javon died a painful death. Don¡¯t you feel guilty for that?¡± Hansen asked furiously, knowing that he would not give in so easily.

    Sheldon was horrified. All of a sudden, he bit the bullet and got on his knees. ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to say it, but I really can¡¯t. If I say it, I will be killed. My family members are counting on me.¡±

    ¡°Did you think that you¡¯ll be able to live if you don¡¯t speak the truth? Did all of you think that no one will find out about the fake records and report you after Javon¡¯s death? The money will just be gone like that?¡± Hansen scoffed and asked repeatedly. These people were evil, and shameless as well.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I was forced into this. I didn¡¯t want to do this,¡± he replied with a bitter expression on his face.

    ¡°Who was forcing you, Javon Murphy?¡± Hansen said aggressively.

    ¡°No, no, Javon Murphy was a good official. He never bothered to do such things, and he firmly rejected cooperating with them. It just so happened that my family members were in the Capital City, and I was eager to get rid of Lydia. This was why I was forced to ept it. I really deserve to die,¡± He muttered, shaking his head with a nk expression. He didn¡¯t expect Lydia to be such a wicked woman, exposing him when she couldn¡¯t have him.

    ¡°Not only that, you also earned the benefit of being promoted in the Capital City, right?¡± The gleam in Hansen¡¯s eyes was terrifying. Just as he had expected, Javon was killed because he didn¡¯t want tomit misconduct with them. The thought of this made Hansen clench his fist tightly.

    Sheldon copsed to the ground, with his head hung low like a dead fish.

    Alvin clenched his fists and gave him a kick.

    ¡°You b*stard,¡± he scolded angrily.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, even if you kill me now, I still won¡¯t tell you who he is. Please give me some time and let me think about it. After all, they still have something on me.¡± Sheldon, who was kicked away, said with all his might. He went limp on the ground, weak with the pain and sweating buckets.

    Alvin was extremely mad and wanted to make another move, but Hansen stopped him.

    ¡°You may go. I have all the information, witnesses, and physical evidence that I need. What you try to do doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Even if you don¡¯t say it, we will find out eventually.¡± Hansenscoldedcoldly, ¡°None of you will be able to escape this.¡±

    The moment Sheldon heard his words, he immediately got up and ran away, without even thinking about it.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, if you let him go like this, will he try to escape?¡± Alvin asked worriedly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even if he wants to escape, a certain someone won¡¯t let him,¡± Hansen said in a deep voice. He walked around in the room, rubbing his fingers on the document folder, when suddenly, an idea shed in his mind.

    ¡°Grandpa Johan, is that you? It¡¯s me, Hansen.¡± Hansen took out his cellphone and put it by his ear with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Hansen!¡± The old man on the other side of the phone had a voice as loud as a drum.

    ¡°Grandpa Johan, I am now in the Capital City and would like to treat you to dinner. I was wondering if you have any time for me?¡± Hansen asked politely.

    ¡°Oh, Hansen, when did youe to the Capital City? How¡¯s your grandma doing?¡± the old man asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s doing well, Grandpa Johan. I came to the Capital City for a business trip. I haven¡¯t seen you in years, and I really want to meet up with you. I must treat you to a meal today. Are you free tonight?¡± Hansen said.

    ¡°Ah, of course I¡¯m free,¡± Johan Moore said with a smile, and a very pleasant voice.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go pick you up.¡± Hansen offered.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, I¡¯ll let my driver send me there. There¡¯s no need for all that hassle. I want to meet my little guy too.¡± Johan smiled.

    ¡°Alright, Grandpa Johan. Then I will send you the address first. Thank you for sparing some of your time for me.¡± Hansen smiled modestly.

    The two of them chatted a little more before hanging up.

    As soon as Hansen hung up the phone, the smile on his face turned into a frown.

    Initially, he didn¡¯t want to rm Grandpa Johan. After all, Grandpa Johan was old friends with his grandfather. The two of them fought together on the battlegrounds back when they were young, and they were as close as brothers. For many years, the two families maintained a friendly rtionship, and Hansen had always been the good grandson his grandfather was most proud of. He really didn¡¯t want Grandpa Johan to know that such things were happening to hispany and the Richards family. It would ruin the reputation of his grandfather and the Richards¡¯ family.

    That¡¯s why he used the excuse of treating him for dinner, instead of visiting his home.

    He wasn¡¯t able to achieve his goal the previous time he came to the Capital City, so he had no choice but to contact Grandpa Johan for help.

    Johan Moore was already 90 years old. He was well-known in the military and political arena. Many of the politicians in the Capital City used to be his subordinates, so all he had to do was to make a call, and he could know everything he wanted to know about.

    Hansen gained a lot of information during that meal. He carefully ate and chatted with Johan. Halfway through the meal, Johan was curious. After all, he had watched Hansen grow into the young man he currently was, and he knew exactly what he was thinking.

    All these years, he had been paying attention to the growth of the Richards Group as well. He admired Hansen¡¯s intelligence and methods, and he had known Hansen¡¯s personality like the back of his hand ever since he was a child.

    Hansen invited him for dinner, yet he was too prideful to say anything. He must be here for a reason.

    Even though he didn¡¯t say anything, Johan knew exactly what he was thinking.

    Therefore, he cleverly helped Hansen lessen his embarrassment.

    Surely enough, Hansen didn¡¯t request for anything directly. Johan squinted his eyes and smiled calmly. Halfway through the meal, he made a call. Then, a senior official of the Capital City came. Soon after, Hansen obtained a piece of important information. Earl McAdams was about to be the mayor of A city, his opponent had been defeated. That scheming old man had already extended his rtionships all the way to the Capital City. Several important politicians have already been bribed by him.

    At the end of the drinking session, his mood worsened considerably.

    Johan stared at him with a flickering pair of eyes. His eyes were filled with the marks of age and wisdom, and a meaningful smile crept across his face. He smiled lightly and patted Hansen¡¯s hand.

    The New Year¡¯s eve was approaching.

    That day, Jenna wore a white,fortable coat on the outside. On the inside, she wore a long, loose white dress withce on the sides. The fitting coat entuated her curves, and along with the dark gray snow boots she wore, it made her look elegant and dignified. A cold smile hung upon her face.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Jen, are you sure you want to go to the Richards Manor today?¡± a voice asked.

    By the time she walked out of the living room, Rayan was already waiting for her in a dashing suit. He had the aura of an aristocrat, elegant but gentle, like the European gentlemen in paintings.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t help but to sigh. It seemed that the characters and aura of people were decided since birth. There was a saying, ¡®three generations are not enough to cultivate a noble¡¯. Jenna thought that it was a little far-fetched, as Rayan was born a noble, and he was born with an aura like this. It had nothing to do with wealth.

    His noble aura came from the bottom of his heart. He wasn¡¯t like those aristocrats who looked morous on the outside but were cunning on the inside. Every action of his was pleasant to everyone¡¯s eyes. It was precisely that, with his identity in addition to that, that could make Hansen jealous and actually believe it.

    Hansen, on the other hand, could be described as a nobleman of generations. However, in Jenna¡¯s eyes, his elegance and noble aura carried a hint of darkness and enchantment, which made women even more fascinated.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the 29th today. At 8 o¡¯clock tomorrow morning, guests will be arriving one after another. I have to go there today and help prepare for the next day, or else, Sabrina may not be able to handle it on her own,¡± Jenna replied with a smile. She said it generously and naturally, without a trace ofint.

    Rayan looked at the white maternity dress she was wearing, and a sense of regret appeared on his face.

    This woman wore it to cover her belly, did she? Technically speaking, her waist was so slender that it didn¡¯t look like she was pregnant for three months, but she still put on a long, loose dress to hide her belly. Although this did not affect her elegance, she could¡¯ve dressed up more gorgeously and luxuriously.

    ¡°Jen, I¡¯ll get you a stylist tomorrow, to help you do your hair and pick a nicer outfit,¡± hesaid with a smile, as hestepped forward and stretched his arm out towards her.

    ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯m not the main character. I don¡¯t need to be dressed so grandly,¡± she said softly and shook her head. As Jenna looked at the arm that was stretched out in front of her, she remembered what he said that day. She hesitated for a while, and did not reach out to hold his arm.

    Rayan felt glum for a while. She was still rejecting him, even in her subconscious. This was his vi, yet she wasn¡¯t even willing to hold onto his arm as they walked out. Only in front of Hansen was she able to do it, but never in private. This was enough to show that she never loved him.

    This did make him feel a little disappointed, but he quicklyughed and retracted his arm.

    ¡°It seems that you¡¯re still not willing to ept me, Jen.¡± He mockinglyughed at himself.

    Jenna realized the awkwardness, and her face flushed in embarrassment.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, silly girl. I was just kidding. I know that you¡¯re being careful.¡± Rayan turned around casually, and retracted his arm naturally. He walked calmly in front while Jenna followed with light footsteps. The car drove to Richards Manor.

    Rayan insisted on staying by her side to protect her. She herself also knew that the New Year Banquet was not going to be just a fun party. After all, she was all alone and powerless in the Richards Manor. Now that she had offended Hansen, there would be less people to defend her.

    Inside the Richards Manor.

    The sweet-scented air flowed in every corner like fine sand. The whole ce was beaming with lights and decorations, and filled with joy andughter. Large stages and tents were set up on the Central Ind. A wooden boat floated in the middle of the water, giving the ce a hint of the olden days.

    The scent of coffee and vani broke into the cold winter morning like a sharp de, and the excitement in the Richards Manor began.

 Chapter 287 Whose Child Is It?

    Jenna and Rayan went straight to the Ink Garden.

    Right at the entrance of the Ink Garden was a 200-year-old banyan tree. It had long branches and was blooming with leaves, looking solemn in the cold winter.

    The houses in the Ink Garden were quaint but lovely. The sky was already bright, yet the lights were still on. Standing under the banyan tree, they could see the lights in the office from across the garden.

    Jenna walked towards the office.

    ¡°Rayan, you may go to the reception room first. It has already been set up, and the guest rooms have been prepared.¡± As they approached the office, she took him to a vi next to the Ink Garden, where Old Master Richard used to wee his guests while he was still alive. That ce had always been cleaned regrly, and carried the charm of the olden days. However, due to the changes in trends, Trevor had already renovated it, making the interior look modern and chic.

    Jenna led Rayan into a high ss suite and handed him the key. After showing him around the room, she left at ease.

    ¡°Jenna, you are finally here.¡± Sabrina was very excited when she saw her. She was so busy that her face was flushed, and she had a refreshing smile on her face.

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Sabrina.¡± Jenna smiled, walked to her desk and sat down.

    Sabrina sat down at the desk right in front of her, ced her elbows on the desk, and looked at her with a tilted head and a curious gaze.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Jenna looked up at her with a confused face.

    ¡°Jenna, I heard that you are pregnant, is that true?¡± she asked suddenly in a low voice.

    What? Jenna was startled, and her hand that was pulling onto the drawers paused for a second. She nced around to make sure no one else was there, and then asked her seriously, ¡°Sabrina, who told you this?¡±

    ¡°Just tell me whether it¡¯s true or not!¡± Sabrina was a little angry. ¡°This is such an important thing and you didn¡¯t bother telling me? You¡¯re obviously treating me like an outsider.¡±

    Jenna died a little inside. Only Hansen knew that she was pregnant, could he be the one who told her? Would a man like him gossip like that?

    ¡°Tell me first, how did you know?¡± Jenna¡¯s smile faded.

    ¡°I overheard it,¡± Sabrina confessed honestly as she saw Jenna be serious and anxious.

    ¡°Overheard it from who?¡± Jenna asked.

    ¡°I heard it from that awful girl, Minnie Murphy,¡± Sabrina said disdainfully.

    How did Minnie know? Jenna was overwhelmed. Did Hansen tell them about this?

    ¡°That day, after I was done with my work, I walked out of the office and was about to turn into a corner when I heard two soft voicesing from the other side. I listened carefully and realized that it was Minnie Murphy and Julian Adams. They spoke very softly, talking about some ocean stuff. At first, I thought they were discussing traveling and were about to leave, but suddenly. I heard Minnie say, ¡®Thatdy is pregnant too, we must be quick¡¯, and I was stunned. Just as I was wondering whom they were talking about, I heard Julian ask, ¡®Are you talking about our young madam?¡¯. Minnie then nodded her head and said ¡®Yes!¡¯. I was a little worried, and wanted to give you a call, but then I thought, it wasn¡¯t normal for you to hide this from me when we¡¯re so close. So I thought of asking you when I met you today,¡± Sabrina bbered everything she had heard in one shot.

    Upon hearing that, Jenna¡¯s palms started to sweat, and she sat there in a daze.

    ¡°Jenna, are you okay? Tell me, are you really pregnant? Is it Hansen¡¯s child?¡± Sabrina was excited, but also a little worried as she saw Jenna¡¯s expression.

    Jenna¡¯s brain started to spin as she tried toprehend the situation, and in a sh, she found a reasonable exnation for all that.

    Julian must¡¯ve been bribed by Aria already, and Minnie getting close to Julian must¡¯ve all been part of Aria¡¯s scheme.

    The ¡®ocean stuff¡¯ they were talking about must have been the Star of the Ocean. The Star of the Ocean may not have been known by others, but Jenna knew clearly what it was, and her cold re started to converge like the tip of a knife.

    She finally understood why Sabrina imed that a thief had snuck into Grandma Vivian¡¯s room. That thief must¡¯ve beening for the Star of the Ocean. But who was it? Who wanted this piece of treasure so badly?

    She was suspicious of Aria the most, or else Minnie would not have known about all this.

    The Star of the Ocean was the family heirloom of the Richards family. Jenna finally understood the reason Grandma Vivian had given her the Star of the Ocean. One the surface, it looked like it was a love triangle between Hansen, Aria, and her, but in reality, it was the fight between two powerful forces. Grandma Vivian had foreseen everything that was going to happen, and didn¡¯t want the family heirloom to end up in a scheming person¡¯s hand. That was why she had passed it down to Jenna a long time ago.

    Did she want Jenna to protect it, or did she want to give Jenna a chance in surviving this feud?

    Jenna thought of the child in her womb. It was Hansen¡¯s child, a descendant of the Richards family. Since Grandma Vivian had given it to her, even if she were to leave Richards Manor in the future, the treasure would still be left for her child, who was a descendant of the Richards family. However, Grandma Vivian probably didn¡¯t know that she was already pregnant, and must¡¯ve given it to her with a reluctant heart. Or, she could¡¯ve had given it to her because she felt guilty, since Norton was the one who framed her father, and she wanted to make this apensation.

    But what Jenna was sure about was that Grandma Vivian truly gave her the chance to survive this feud. She was already pregnant with a descendant of the Richards family, and she would never let anyone know that she had the Star of the Ocean. Grandma¡¯s move was actually unnecessary.

    ¡°Sabrina, let me ask you, how many people know about my pregnancy?¡± She pulled Sabrina aside and asked softly.

    ¡°Probably not many, I only knew because I overheard it.¡± Sabrina shook her head.

    ¡°What about Grandma and Madam Richards? Do they know about it?¡± Jenna muttered to herself.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, everyone in the manor is currently talking about the New Year Banquet and Hansen¡¯s and Aria¡¯s uing wedding. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard anyone mention your pregnancy.¡± Sabrina shook her head again as she said confidently. After saying this, she quickly asked again,¡± Jenna, so you really are pregnant, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Jenna was finally able to calm down and stop worrying. She held onto Sabrina¡¯s hands and said seriously, ¡± Sabrina, it¡¯s true that I¡¯m pregnant, but please do not tell anyone, including Norton. Can you do that?¡±

    ¡°So, it¡¯s true!¡± Sabrina¡¯s eyes lit up in an instant. She shook Jenna¡¯s hands energetically and said,¡± Jenna, you¡¯re finally pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child! Now Hansen won¡¯t be able to marry that annoyingdy Aria anymore.¡±

    Her face was full of tion, as she thought that as long as Jenna was pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child, all the ongoing conspiracies and schemes woulde to an end. Jenna let out a deep sigh. Sabrina was too naive after all.

    Jenna shook her head with a light smile, and said earnestly, ¡°Sabrina, the child in my belly is nothing, and it will not change anything. I cannot let anyone know about this, alright?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Hansen know about it yet? I¡¯ll go tell him, and tell him not to marry Aria. I know that Hansen is capable of doing so,¡± Sabrina said as she ran out indignantly.

    ¡°Sabrina,e back.¡± Jenna grabbed onto her, not knowing whether she shouldugh or cry. She quickly said seriously again, ¡°Sabrina, Hansen knows about this, you don¡¯t have to tell him again. Besides, this child isn¡¯t his, it¡¯s none of his business,¡± Jenna said with much difficulty.

    What? It isn¡¯t Hansen¡¯s child?¡± Sabrina was dumbfounded. Her mouth was wide open as she was left in a daze.

    Jenna was in a wretched state, and said with a broken heart, ¡°Sabrina, there are some things that you may not understand, and it¡¯s better off that you do not understand them as well. It¡¯s difficult for me to exin everything to you. Just pretend that you never heard anything today, okay?¡±

    She sighed as she finished speaking, and shook Sabrina¡¯s hand, begging.

    ¡°Then, tell me, who does the child in your womb belong to?¡± Sabrina asked in awe, after being stirred from her daze by Jenna¡¯s shaking. She didn¡¯t believe it at all, and said, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. This must be Hansen¡¯s child. Aria must have done something to make Hansen abandon you. That woman is evil.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart twisted into knots.

    ¡°Sabrina, I¡¯ve told you. Don¡¯t interfere with these matters anymore. They are my personal matters. So, just pretend that nothing ever happened,¡± Jenna said.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Her expression was solemn, with not a single trace of joy. She said in a stern tone, ¡°Sabrina, we all have our own private matters. I¡¯m human, and I have a life too. Hansen never told anyone that I was pregnant even though he knew, this is enough to show that no one can know about this. If you¡¯re willing to treat me as your friend, please don¡¯t tell anyone about this.¡±

    After a long time, Sabrina finally returned to her senses, and nodded unwillingly as she said, ¡°Alright, your matters are tooplicated for me, I won¡¯t meddle with them anymore.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jenna let out a sigh of relief and smiled. ¡°Silly girl, no one will love someone for no reason, and no one will hate someone for no reason as well. There are certain things that we can¡¯t take too seriously.¡±

    But Jenna, what do you n to do about this?¡± Sabrina was worried about Jenna¡¯s situation. Hansen was about to marry Aria soon, so she could no longer stay in Richards Manor. Even if Hansen was given the choice, Aria would definitely not allow it. It would¡¯ve been lessplicated if she wasn¡¯t pregnant, but now that she was, it would be even less appropriate for her to stay in the Richards Manor, especially if it was another man¡¯s child.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got everything nned,¡± Jenna said with a smile. She was touched by Sabrina¡¯s concern, and patted her hand lightly.

    ¡°Okay then.¡± Sabrina lowered her head silently.

    At that moment, the workers started to approach her one after another, with records and invoices in their hands. Vivian had given Jenna the authority of managing the household, so many records and invoices had to be signed by Jenna to take effect. In these past few days, the workers could only print IOUs instead.

    Jenna quickly immersed herself in her work. After all, she didn¡¯t have much time to work here anymore. Therefore, she had to utilise every second to do her job well.

    It wasn¡¯t until Sophia, who worked at the Ink Garden, walking over with a reimbursement application, that Jenna paused for a while. The name ¡®Hansen Richards¡¯ was written on it, and a receipt of around ten thousand dors was attached to it. Jenna was bemused. If Hansen were to im money, why would he im such a small amount? Besides, why would he need to im money from the Ink Garden?

 Chapter 288 Itâ€™s None Of Your Business

    The moment she appeared to be confused, Sophia exined, ¡°That night, Aunt E from the Green Jade Garden dropped by all of a sudden to im some money. It was already veryte then, but it was an order that the Ink Garden¡¯s kitchen received from Young Master Richards, requesting for all the most delicious food to be sent to the hospital immediately. We didn¡¯t dare dy his order, so the entire kitchen started getting busy. We made many scrumptious dishes and quickly followed Aunt E to send them to the hospital. At first, Young Master Richards said that we were to make dishes like this every day, but the next day he called and said we didn¡¯t have to do it anymore. You¡¯ll have to ask Young Master Richards for more details. I don¡¯t know how to exin anymore.¡±

    Sophia was worried that Jenna wouldn¡¯t understand and would reject signing the application. Technically speaking, that meal was prepared at a moment¡¯s notice, and the money was used very haphazardly, so Sophia tried her best to give an exnation for it.

    With a pen in her hand, Jenna¡¯s hand began to tremble as her heart started to ache.

    It turned out that the food he had ordered to be sent to her ward that night was worth tens of thousands of dors, and she only took a few sips of the soup.

    It seems that this young master will never know how it feels to be poor. Only a rich man would be able to spend like this. If he had known that she was pregnant with his child, she would probably be pampered like a princess.

    She lowered her head and signed the document quietly, feeling a little down.

    After the housekeeper left, Meroy walked in.

    ¡°Meroy.¡± Jenna lifted her head up to look at Meroy, who had a kind face. She said with a bright smile on her face, ¡°Is Grandma doing alright these days?¡±

    She ced down the things she was holding as she stood up, looking very worried.

    ¡°She¡¯s doing well.¡± Meroy looked at Jenna and sighed, then said with red eyes, ¡°Young Madam, that woman got away with it in the end. It must be tough for you.¡±

    Jenna was a little startled, and shepletely understood what Meroy was talking about. She smiled and said, ¡°Meroy, tomorrow is New Year¡¯s Eve, let¡¯s not talk about these negative things anymore. This is our fate. We can¡¯t force anything.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. She does have a wealthy family background, and her father is about to be the mayor of the city too. We still respect you a lot. We sincerely hope that you can stay here and manage the household affairs, so that our lives could be easier,¡± Aunt E said with a sigh and a sad face.

    ¡°Aunt E, everyone has their own life. We have to move on,¡± Jenna said in a low voice as her head hung low.

    ¡°By the way, young madam, I realized that Julian has changed these days. She has be very mysterious, and we no longer have control over her. I¡¯ve heard that she was going to be promoted as the Green Jade Garden butler soon,¡± Aunt E said as if she suddenly remembered something.

    Promoted to butler? Jenna frowned and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s idea was it to promote her to butler? Howe I wasn¡¯t informed of it?¡± Jenna thought to herself.

    ¡°I heard it from someone else too. They¡¯re saying that these are orders from Marissa, so it¡¯s normal that you didn¡¯t know.¡± Meroy answered sadly, ¡°Grandma doesn¡¯t really care about these matters now. She wouldn¡¯t be able to interfere with your matters too, with your current situation. Nowadays, Richards Manor is crawling with Aria¡¯s friends and minions. Her friend Minnie is being very arrogant about it, as she¡¯s supposed to represent Aria in many circumstances. Even though Aria is staying in the hospital, she still has a lot of power in the manor. Even our madam is pampering her, and doing whatever she says.¡±

    Jenna quickly understood what she was trying to say. It was going to be very difficult for her to stay in Richards Manor with her current situation.

    She couldn¡¯t help but to smile and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, she is the young madam of the Richards family, so of course everyone has to listen to her.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re probably the only one who could think this way.¡± Looking at Jenna¡¯s calm expression, she could only smile helplessly.

    In the afternoon, guests from faraway began to arrive one after another. Sabrina and Jenna were divided into two groups to wee guests and deal with various matters.

    They remained busy for the whole day and were finally settled with their jobs at night. Richards Manor hadn¡¯t celebrated with so much cheer and happiness in the past few years. Under the bright lights and pretty decorations, the charm of the old garden became more apparent.

    By the time Jenna walked out of the Ink Garden office, it was already dark outside.

    Along the hallway were pots of orchid nts that looked beautiful and had a fragrant scent. She stood at the corner and reached out to touch a lc orchid. She felt glum, and her dark eyes stared into the darkness far away. She knew that she no longer belonged here, and that the chances that she would get to look at the scenery here would only get slimmer.

    Her guest room was in a vi next to Ink Garden, all the guests were arranged to stay there. She picked a quiet and dark room, which was near Grandma Vivian¡¯s room and the office as well.

    Standing in front of the window, she nced at Vivian¡¯s bedroom, as thoughts danced around in her mind.

    The night was very cold and dark. Gradually, she started to feel tired and sleepy.

    A dark figure slowly approached Vivian¡¯s bedroom in the Ink Garden.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes widened all of a sudden, and her heart began to beat like a drum.

    It was just like what she had expected.

    That person really showed up again.

    Looking at the figure, it was obvious that it was a man.

    She had purposely given them a chance that night, and surely enough, they took action as soon as they heard the news.

    But who was that man? What was he trying to do? Was he here for the Star of the Ocean?

    Jenna turned around and quickly walked outside.

    Seeing the figure enter Vivian¡¯s room, Jenna followed him quietly with light footsteps. She stood at the corner as she had nned, and held onto the wooden stick that she had prepared beforehand. At that moment, she didn¡¯t dare to make any noise, fearing that she would alert the thief and he would run away.

    It definitely did not go as she imagined.

    The thief had entered Vivian¡¯s room through the entrance of the lounge. Just as she was staring at the entrance of the lounge with the stick in her hand, a gust of wind rushed by and arge hand grabbed her elbow. She wanted to scream out of shock, but another hand covered her mouth.

    Soon, she was carried up and brought outside in an instant, as if she was floating on water.

    Her lips were covered by thatrge hand, making her fluster and short of breath.

    It¡¯s over. The treasure was going to end up in the thief¡¯s hand this time. She thought frantically.

    However, at that time, her nose picked up a familiar scent.

    She was stunned and anxious, and felt a little confused.

    As they arrived at a corner, she was finally lifted down.

    ¡°What were you trying to do?¡± A cold voice sounded as she was trying to bnce herself. The voice was icy and emotionless, so cold that Jenna felt her chest tighten. She immediately recognized the man who had carried her, and was so shocked that she couldn¡¯t stand properly. Her weak body copsed as she lost her bnce. Luckily, therge hand gave her a pull and helped her steady herself.

    That person turned out to be Hansen.

    Why did he pull her out? The thief had entered Grandma¡¯s room. She was in danger.

    Thinking about this, she ignored Hansen and wanted to go back.

    ¡°Stop right there.¡± Hansen shouted coldly, ¡°What are you trying to do? Do you want to die?¡±

    Jenna was startled. Did he know about this already?

    ¡°A thief went into Grandma¡¯s room. Grandma is in danger now. I have to go there,¡± Jenna said anxiously as she turned around.

    ¡°And you think you can help her?¡± Hansen looked at her with his icy re. His gaze rested on her abdomen for a short while, then quickly looked away.

    ¡°You know about this, don¡¯t you?¡± Jenna asked as she suddenly wondered why he was here.

    ¡°This is our family¡¯s business. It has nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t be nosy.¡± Hansen¡¯s expression was indifferent. His eyebrows were slightly raised, and annoyance could be seen on his face.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Jenna was dumbfounded, and she did not know what to say.

    ¡°Remember, go back to your ce and stay there. Don¡¯t run around at night. Take care of yourself these days. If anything happens to you, it has nothing to do with Richards Manor and we will not be responsible for it,¡± Hansen said fiercely and he gave her a distant nce.

    ¡°Tryhard,¡± he muttered, and he walked straight ahead.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Jenna watched his tall figure disappear into the night. She was anxious, and didn¡¯t have the heart to worry about being humiliated. ¡°Hansen, Grandma is in danger now. No matter how much you hate me. Grandma being in danger is a fact. You have to do something about it.¡±

    Hansen stopped walking for a while, then turned around with his face full of anger and impatience. He turned to her and said, ¡± I¡¯ve already told you, it¡¯s none of your business. Go back and stay there. Don¡¯t meddle in our affairs.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still in charge of household matters. I can¡¯t ignore the fact that someone had snuck into Grandma¡¯s room. Besides, it¡¯s not the first time that this person had snuck into her room. He must have a reason for that,¡± Jenna said stubbornly.

    ¡°Since you know that it¡¯s not the first time he¡¯s done that, then you should know that nothing will happen to Grandma for now. Go mind your own household matters. Stop being a busybody.¡± Hansen roared. He was very irritated by her stubbornness.

    His eyes and brows showed how cold yet haggard he was. His noble yet mysterious aura seemed heavy that day, but he looked calm and undisturbed. He was no longer the man in the past who would lose his rationality over love. Hansen¡¯s change worried Jenna, and she felt very distant as well.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Hansen stopped looking at her, turned around, and left.

    Jenna stood at the same ce, stunned, her heart was filled with unease.

    She saw hatred in his eyes again, hatred for her.

    It was hatred for her betrayal.

    He was so distant, impatient, unhappy, and he probably despised her.

    He was right. These were the Richards family¡¯s matters. She was an outsider, so why did she have to be nosy? It all had nothing to do with her anymore.

    She walked back gloomily.

    By the time she had arrived at her bedroom and took a look at Vivian¡¯s room through her window, Meroy had returned. She watched as Meroy entered the room, and nothing happened. She knew that it was just as Hansen had expected, nothing would happen.

    She finally calmed down and started to feel sleepy. Very soon, she fell asleep.

 Chapter 289 The New Year Banquet Had Begun

    The New Year¡¯s Eve that everyone was anticipating for finally arrived.

    The day of the Richards Family New Year Banquet that Jenna and Sabrina had nned had officially arrived.

    Early in the morning, the servants and staff of the Ink Garden started to get down to business after the meeting.

    After exining the important points in the meeting and taking disciplinary measures, Jenna and Sabrina sat in the office wrapping gifts and checking the lists of gifts.

    ording to the regtions, everyone who visited Richards Manor was to receive a door gift at the entrance. This was to disy their wealth and generosity. Around 20 million dors were spent on this banquet, and all sorts of media reporters rushed there the minute they heard about it.

    Since eight o¡¯clock in the morning, the entrance of Richards Manor had been filled with usherettes. Big banners were hung up on the gates, and colorful gs waved in the wind.

    All kinds of expensive cars began to drive in. Very soon, the Richards Family parking lot was full, and they had opened up some other spaces for guests to park their cars.

    Only a few important politicians and friends of the Richards family were invited to the banquet. It wasn¡¯t very crowded, but it was very fancy and luxurious, to meet Vivian¡¯s expectations of it being festive and lively.

    Jenna and Sabrina stood at the entrance of the Ink Garden, waiting for the Richards family members to arrive. That was the ce where the Richards family members were going to wee guests.

    From a distance, Jenna watched ude Richards walk over with his second wife and Norton Richards.

    They walked in from the trail next to the entrance of the Ink Garden.

    ude was not as tall and burly as Trevor, but he had a well-proportioned body and well-defined features. His bright eyes always showed intelligence as he looked at people, while also looking humorous and funny, as if they could speak, just like Old Master Richards¡¯ eyes.

    Jenna nced at the satellite clock in the Ink Garden. It was 9 o¡¯clock sharp, they were right on time.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Madam, pleasee with me.¡± Jenna greeted them with a smile and showed them the way.

    ¡°Alright.¡± ude looked at Jenna with a meaningful smile and nodded kindly.

    Jenna led them to Sabrina, and Sabrina distributed a corsage to everyone of them as they stood in front of her. Then, she demonstrated to them the way of sticking the corsage on their left chest.

    Usually, only the male children and grandchildren of the family would wee guests at the entrance, while the females wouldn¡¯t. This was a tradition of the Richards family, as well a regtion in the entire A city.

    After helping ude Richards and his family, Jenna stood on the right side to wait for Trevor Richards and his family. Technically speaking, Trevor Richards was still bedridden in the hospital, so it was just Marissa and Hansen.

    A long time passed, but Hansen and Marrisa had yet to arrive. After 9. 30 in the morning, guests were going to starting into the Ink Garden lounge and meeting room. It would¡¯ve been very insincere if the Richards family members weren¡¯t there to wee them.

    Jenna stood at the right side alone and started to worry as she saw that 20 minutes had passed, but Marissa and Hansen were yet to be seen.

    Even if they couldn¡¯te, it would be inappropriate for an outsider like her to wee the guests.

    She had already sent them the invitations and schedules a long time ago.

    She stood there awkwardly, staring outside. ording to the n, once Marissa was here, they were supposed to go to the backstage to prepare for the wee ceremony. The guests were supposed to enter the meeting room at 11 o¡¯clock after their break. Sabrina and Jenna were supposed to be the emcees during the ceremony, and they would invite ude and Hansen up the stage for wee speeches. Then, the media reporters would get the chance to ask them questions, and then they would be dismissed for a normal lunch. The main event was the grand dinner. It was going to be held in the tent on the Central Ind, and it would mark the start of the three-day banquet.

    The New Year¡¯s Eve performances and fireworks would be the climax of the banquet, as well as the lucky draw session that would go on for all three days. Besides the important politicians and VIPs, Jenna also invited a few orphans and old people from orphanages and old folks homes. She had prepared a charity donation event, as she hoped that the 20 million dors spent by the Richards family would be able to help others instead of going to waste.

    At 9. 29 in the morning, Jenna spotted Rayan walking in courteously and confidently, like an elegant gentleman. She was slightly taken aback, as the time he arrived wasn¡¯t the time that guests were supposed to arrive, but not the time that the hosts were supposed to arrive as well. He must¡¯ve chosen the timing very carefully, and seized the opportunity toe in at that time.

    Jenna understood his intentions. He was trying to be her protector. During these three days, he was supposed to pretend to be her lover.

    It was rare seeing Rayan appear in public like this, as he was usually difficult to be found.

    The media reporters had spotted Rayan walking over a long time ago, and rushed over to take pictures of him. Rayan quickly shielded himself.

    ¡°Jen, you did well. It looks very cheerful and grand.¡± Rayanplimented as he approached her. He had to leave the ce early yesterday as he had matters to attend to, so he had to hurry over this morning. His invitation stated that he was supposed to arrive at 10 o¡¯clock, but he was worried about Jenna, so he chose this time toe.

    ¡°Thank you for thepliment, Rayan,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Rayan, I¡¯m so sorry that you have to be exposed to the cameras.¡±

    Jenna said guiltily as she saw the shes from the cameras that were taking photos of them.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already said that I don¡¯t mind, and you¡¯re still saying these polite remarks to me? Are you trying to make me mad?¡± Rayan scolded, but with a very gentle tone.

    Jenna smiled and didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Jen, you should be dressed up well for an asion like this. Take a break from your work, I¡¯ll get you a stylist. It shouldn¡¯t take long, only an hour or so. It won¡¯t affect the rest of your duties,¡± he said as he peered at Jenna, who was wearing the same white coat as she had worn the day before. She still looked beautiful and elegant, but it seemed a little average. The guests were all famous people, and her outfit didn¡¯t disy wealth and sophistication. She might not have had good treatment from the Richards family, but she was pretending to be his partner now. So, she couldn¡¯t be seen dressed like this.

    ¡°No thanks, Rayan.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t care about her outfit, and quickly rejected his offer as Rayan tried to pull her away.

    ¡°Ehem.¡± The sound of heavy coughing came from behind. Jenna looked up and spotted Hansen standing there emotionlessly. His expression was solemn, and his gaze was cold. After he coughed, he said seriously, ¡°The banquet is about to start, and you¡¯re still here fooling around with him? If you didn¡¯t want to host this banquet, you could¡¯ve said so earlier. Since you¡¯re here now, you should look out for your image, don¡¯t embarrass Richards Manor.¡±

    His re was as sharp as a knife, cold and distant. Even though he was talking to Jenna, he didn¡¯t look at her once but instead cast his icy re at Rayan.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Jenna knew that it wasn¡¯t a good idea to be too close to Rayan on an asion like this. She didn¡¯t refute Hansen¡¯s usation, and instead just bit her lip.

    Rayan, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows like a gentleman, and looked at him as well, with a calm look.

    The two men looked at each other for a while, and then withdrew their gaze and ignored each other.

    ¡°Hansen, please stand here,¡± Jenna said.

    Jenna was afraid that a situation like this would happen. She tried to avoid it, but she didn¡¯t expect Rayan to arrive so early.

    ¡°Also, stick this corsage onto your left chest,¡± Jenna said as she handed him the corsage once he stood in the position she had told him to.

    Hansen stood proudly, and refused to take the corsage from her.

    Jenna was a little embarrassed. She looked down at his white gloves and realized that it would be difficult for him to do it himself. She wanted to ask Sabrina for help, but she was busy ying around with Norton, so she didn¡¯t want to bother her.

    She had no choice but to hand Rayan the corsages in her hand. She took a corsage and peeled off the sticker to expose the sticky side, then pasted it onto Hansen¡¯s chest.

    Their suits were all crafted by hand and were very expensive. Jenna didn¡¯t dare to prepare corsages with needles, as she was afraid that they would damage the suits. She chose to use adhesives, which could be washed away when their suits were sent to the dry cleaning stores.

    She carefully aimed at his left chest, and pasted it on carefully. She was worried that it didn¡¯t stick well and pressed lightly onto it again but felt a cold reing at her from above. Startled, she looked up and saw Hansen looking at the ring on her ring finger.

    It would¡¯ve been fine if he didn¡¯t see it, but the moment he saw it, Jenna¡¯s face turned red and she quickly withdrew her hand, hiding her fingers into her palm.

    She could feel the coldness in her palm, and it made her heart throb.

    The ring on her ring finger had a huge diamond, and it hurt her palm as it pressed onto her flesh.

    That ring was a custom order from Hansen when they were in Hawaii, and were still in love. It was the only pair in the world, and Hansen told her never to take it off. Therefore, she always had it on her finger, and she was used to wearing it. She never thought of taking it off until Hansen looked at her finger, but it was toote.

    As she panicked, she identally nced at Hansen¡¯s ring finger. He was wearing the other ring from the pair. That nce made her heartbeat even faster and her face even redder. She quickly turned around and took a few steps back.

    At that moment, she saw a bright shade of gold in front of her, and the sounds of high heels clicking against the floor permeated her ears.

    That sound made Jenna feel uneasy. She lifted her head up and saw Marissa, in her extravagant outfit, walking over with Earl McAdams and his family.

    Georgia Bird was in a rose-red dress and her hair was donned into a bun. She had a mink fur coat on her back and an expensive handbag in her hand, as she held onto Earl¡¯s arm. Earl McAdams was dressed up in a suit, and his face had a noble but arrogant smile. It made Jenna feel ufortable.

    The most eye-catching one was Aria, who was walking in the middle.

    She wore a ck, halter v-neck gown with a ruffled corset. Her cleavage was vaguely exposed, and there was a piece of pink fabric across her corset. With a dark green mink fur coat draped on her back, she looked mature and alluring, and a little seductive as well.

    Her facial features were highlighted with makeup, and her hair was in a trendy Korean hairstyle. The sides of her hair were braided, exposing her earlobes and neck. Tworge diamond earrings hung onto her ears and swayed slightly as she walked, gleaming with light. It was too beautiful.

    It was undeniable that Aria¡¯s outfit was very stylish yet elegant as well, and it suited her identity as the young madam of the Richards family.

    The moment she appeared at the entrance of the Ink Garden, she caught everyone¡¯s attention with her gorgeous look.

    Minnie, who was also dressed beautifully, stood next to her, holding an exquisite little umbre over her head.

    Aria was surrounded by Marissa and the other nobles. They were as bright as stars, magnificent and luxurious.

    The media reporters immediately flocked around her.

    Jenna lowered her head, took a step back and looked at her long, maternity white dress. The contrast was as vast as heaven and earth. She smiled dryly. She was aware that Aria was born into a rich family, and her father Earl was about to be the mayor soon. Just like Marissa had said, she could only me herself for not having a good family background. It was her fate.

    Thinking of her mother in the hospital, she started to calm down. She hid her right hand in the pocket of her coat and used her thumb to push the diamond ring down from her ring finger. Her face started to turn pink as she pushed with all her might.

 Chapter 290 Heartbroken

    ¡°Are you alright, Jen?¡± Rayan could tell that she was embarrassed. He sighed in his heart. He already told this silly woman that she should have hired a stylist to help with her outfit for an asion like this, but she wouldn¡¯t listen, and now she was embarrassed.

    Aria¡¯s dress was meticulously designed and nned. Rayan was never interested in women¡¯s beauty that relied on makeup and pretty outfits. In fact, he despised them the more he saw them. But during an asion like this, he had no choice as all women would dress up like this, except the silly woman in front of him of course.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Jenna replied lightly as she smiled with her bare but rxed face. She never enjoyed such vanity, so it never really affected her. She strongly believed that a woman¡¯s beauty didn¡¯t have to be disyed in such a way, and she was very confident in her own beauty.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Sabrina walked over tofort her as well. Aria grabbed everyone¡¯s attention when she arrived, and Sabrina felt ufortable too. She was even more worried about Jenna. After all, she was pregnant, and she was afraid she could not take it.

    She didn¡¯t believe that the child in Jenna¡¯s belly belonged to another man at all. As a woman, she could tell that Jenna truly loved Hansen.

    ¡°Look at her arrogant look. She¡¯s so shallow. It¡¯s disgusting to look at,¡± Sabrina said with great disdain.

    Upon hearing this, Jenna raised her bright eyes and looked at Sabrina.

    She was wearing a in, pink dress that day, with a very simple design, but it wrapped her body nicely and highlighted her curvy figure. She did not do her up or braid it, but instead let it drape on her back naturally. With her yful smile, she had a youthful aura apanied by her immense beauty.

    ¡°Tsk tsk, you¡¯re the prettiest. I love your style.¡± Jenna joked as she looked at her with a littleugh.

    Sabrina blushed and smiled yfully at Jenna, revealing two cute dimples on her cheeks. Her face was blushing like a youngdy. She was gorgeous.

    ¡°Jenna, I told you that you should¡¯ve changed into a prettier dress, but you didn¡¯t listen to me. Now she¡¯s taken all the attention away from you, and Hansen probably won¡¯t bother talking to you as well,¡± she said grudgingly as she pouted.

    Jennaughed at her words, pursed her lips and said, ¡°Sabrina, you and I are only the hosts of the banquet today, not the important guests, nor the Richards family members. Our responsibility is to run the banquet well, not to put Richards Manor to shame, and to make sure that the guests are satisfied. Other than these, nothing else matters, do you understand?¡±

    Sabrina couldn¡¯t say anything, so she blinked, smiled and said, ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great. Why don¡¯t you lead these guests to the lounge?¡± Jenna used her eyes to gesture at Aria and her family, who were being photographed by the reporters, and asked Sabrina for help.

    Sabrina understood Jenna¡¯s predicament, so she agreed.

    After a while, the media reporters finally dispersed, and Aria and the others walked towards the right side.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± In a nce, Aria saw Hansen standing calmly at the right side, and hurriedly walked over to take his arm, with a very affectionate expression.

    The reporters who had just dispersed immediately gathered around them again, and started asking them questions while taking pictures.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯ve heard that the two of you are getting married soon, and the news is even published in the newspaper. It mustn¡¯t be fake this time right?¡± a reporter asked jokingly.

    ¡°Of course. We have set the date on the eighth of this month, only one week from now.¡± He did not answer, but Aria answered earnestly instead.Hansen furrowed his eyebrows a little, but then quickly disyed a bright smile on his face.

    ¡°Congrattions to the two of you. The both of you are a match made in heaven, I¡¯m envious,¡± the reporter eximed.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re already pregnant too. I wonder if it¡¯s true,¡± another reporter asked.

    Aria posed for the camera as she answered, ¡°I¡¯ll not answer this, leave us some personal space.¡±

    With a shy expression, she leaned her head against Hansen¡¯s shoulder. It was obvious that she had admitted it without saying it directly.

    ¡°That¡¯s double the good news. Congrattions, Mr. Richards.¡± the reporters wished them.

    ¡°Mayor McAdams, Miss McAdams, please follow me to the reception room.¡± Sabrina walked up to Earl and Aria, who were standing aside, and said politely. She was getting annoyed as she heard Aria answering the reporters.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Earl also felt that their limelight was overwhelming, so he simply nodded, and was about to follow Sabrina in.

    ¡°Dad, Mom, please follow Sabrina. I should be here with Hansen and Mom to wee the guests.¡± The minute Aria entered the Ink Garden, she saw Jenna helping Hansen wear his corsage, and Hansen looked at Jenna the whole time. The two of them were so focused on each other that they didn¡¯t realize Aria was walking towards them. They looked so close that the jealousy in Aria¡¯s heart exploded. They were about to get married soon, how could she give such a good chance to Jenna? Besides, the owners of the house should wee the guests, so she should stand together with Hansen to wee the guests.

    ¡°Miss McAdams, technically speaking, you haven¡¯t officially married Hansen, so you can¡¯t stand here to wee guests for the time being,¡± Sabrina said as she looked at Aria hatefully. She didn¡¯t want to wee guests with her.

    ¡°Mom, Hansen, do you think I could stand out here?¡± Aria asked the two people beside her as she heard Sabrina retort her and felt embarrassed.

    ¡°Sabrina, how about you take Mayor McAdams and the others in first. Aria and Hansen are about to get married soon. Just let her stand here.¡± Marissa immediately came to Aria¡¯s defense the minute she heard her call.

    ¡°Yes, Aria should stand here with me.¡± Hansen nced at Rayan who was standing beside Jenna, and spoke lightly with his icy re.

    In a sh, Sabrina¡¯s face darkened.

    Aria, on the other hand, had a big bright smile on her face, and was extremely happy.

    Earl was satisfied with Hansen¡¯s words, while Georgia showed a triumphant smile, and Marissa also smiled widely.

    Sabrina had no choice but to bring Earl and his wife inside.

    ¡°Aria, take care of your body. What happenedst time should never happen again. Take good care of her, Hansen. She¡¯s pregnant.¡± Georgia said with worry. Before leaving, she red fiercely at Jenna.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom, I will.¡± Aria smiled sweetly.

    Hansen nodded too.

    ¡°Remember toe and rest immediately if you feel unwell.¡± Even when she was a few steps away, Georgia still turned around and said loudly, as if she wanted the whole world to know about it.

    Jenna kept a smile on her face the whole time. When Earl and Georgia passed by her, she could clearly feel the threat from their eyes, but this didn¡¯t make her feel disheartened at all. Instead, she felt as if a knife was slicing through her heart when she saw Hansen smile and take Aria¡¯s hand.

    Losing him made her heartbroken.

    She already knew that the impact he had left on her was too great, and that she would never be able to forget him. That moment, she could feel how true it was.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    She bit her lip and pinched the ring in the pocket of her coat. She had the urge to throw it away, but she resisted it.

    No, she must not show any pain at this time.

    The light in her eyes could be impure, arrogant, or indifferent, but it must not be painful, and it must not be seen by anyone, especially Hansen.

    He never belonged to you, so why go through the suffering? She thought. This day was bound toe.

    Touching her belly with her hands, a sense of responsibility reced the feeling of pain in her heart.

    Waves of guests began to arrive.

    ¡°Jen, let¡¯s go inside. They don¡¯t need you here,¡± Rayan said as he saw Hansen holding Aria¡¯s hand while greeting the guests, and did not look at Jenna at all. He was worried that Jenna would be depressed.

    Jenna looked around and realized that she didn¡¯t have much to do there, so she smiled and nodded her head.

    The two of them turned around and were about to walk inside.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Hannah Adames¡¯ voice could be heard from a distance. Jenna turned around in surprise, and saw Hannah in a grand outfit walking towards her. She couldn¡¯t help but to feel happy.

    She almost forgot that she had invited Hannah Adames.

    Hannah was dressed elegantly and looked dignified. Her in yet stylish dress made her stand out among the crowd. She held her head up high, and didn¡¯t even bother looking at Hansen and Aria as she passed by them. She directly greeted Jenna and walked up to her.

    ¡°Hannah, you¡¯re finally here. I was just about to go in.¡± She smiled and took her hand fondly.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think about me normally, but you called me up for an asion like this. Are you expecting me to speak up for you?¡± Hannah asked seriously, ncing at Hansen and Aria, who were standing close together.

    ¡°Hannah, please don¡¯t cause anymore problems, please.¡± Jenna had a headache when she heard her saying this. ¡°I just want to thank you and repay you for taking care of me.¡±

    Hannah snorted coldly, scoffed at the couple, and then shook her head.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± While Jenna and Hannah were talking andughing, two girls ran towards them. Jenna looked up and was even more surprised. The cheerful girl standing in front of her was dressed in casual clothing, and looked young and sweet, lively and adorable. She couldn¡¯t help but to exim, ¡°Zoey.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, do you remember me?¡± Zoey came over and gave her a hug. With her big and harmless eyes, she asked innocently, ¡°Jenna, you don¡¯t hate me, do you?¡±

    Jenna was startled for a while, but returned to her senses very soon. A burst of sorrow rose up in her heart, and she forced a smile. ¡°What are you saying, Zoey? How could I ever hate you, that¡¯s impossible.¡±

 Chapter 291 The Gown Crisis

    Zoey chuckled and whispered into her ear, ¡°I actually did those things because Hansen wanted me to test if you were in love with him because he wasn¡¯t sure about it. Who would¡¯ve known that you actually fell for it, and even looked very jealous. I can tell that you really do love Hansen, and he truly loves you as well. That day when you went missing on the streets, he was so worried about you. I¡¯ve never seen him so anxious before, he even ran everywhere to find you. It was then that I knew that the both of you were truly in love.¡±

    Zoey said without hesitation. She had just got off the ne and hadn¡¯t heard of the news that Hansen was marrying Aria soon. She only thought of thest time she third-wheeled Hansen and Jenna in Los Angeles. It made Jenna very ufortable, and she was worried that Jenna would hate her and affect her allowances from her cousin. Perhaps if she ttered Jenna enough, she would get more allowance in the future.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned pale when she heard Zoey¡¯s words. The memories of them in Los Angeles shed through her mind, and they were so in love and sincere to each other then. She felt the pain in her heart grow so much that she wasn¡¯t able to breathe, and her eyes involuntarily nced at Hansen, who wasn¡¯t too far away. At that time, Hansen looked at her as well, as if they had telepathy. Their eyes met, and Jenna quickly looked away.

    ¡°Since we are all here, we should have fun together and have a merry gathering. Sabrina, be sure to entertain Zoey well.¡± Sabrina had known Zoey since they were children, as the two of them used to visit Richards Manor frequently. The two of them were not from the Richards family, but they had simr personalities and were able to get along well with each other. Therefore, Jenna happily left the job of taking care of Zoey to Sabrina.

    Sabrina agreed and quickly brought Zoey to y elsewhere.

    ¡°Rayan, please take care of my good friend.¡± Hannah instructed Rayan as she saw that only the three of them were left.

    Rayan smiled. ¡°It¡¯s your order. I dare not disobey.¡±

    Hannahughed at his remark, then she pulled Jenna to the side and lowered her head as she asked with an astonished expression, ¡°Howe I heard that Rayan was going to marry you? Is that really true?¡±

    Jenna was stunned. Her mouth was left open in shock and nothing came out, as she remembered what Rayan had said to her.

    ¡°Tsk tsk, Rayan is such a virtuous and decent man.¡± Hannahplimented, ¡°You¡¯re a divorced woman, and you¡¯re pregnant with your ex-husband¡¯s child, yet he doesn¡¯t mind and is willing to marry you. That¡¯s very righteous of him. I admire him, and I envy you as well, being able to find a man who loves you so wholeheartedly. You should cherish him, it¡¯s rare to find men like these nowadays. God is fair, you may have lost Hansen, but you have Rayan now. In fact, it¡¯s probably a good thing that Hansen didn¡¯t marry you. Besides, Rayan is definitely not any worse than Hansen. You truly are blessed.¡±

    Hannah made it sound so touching, but Jenna didn¡¯t know how to exin to her. So, she gave up on trying instead to avoid making things even moreplicated.

    ¡°What about you? You¡¯re twenty-si, x and no longer young. You should be looking for a boyfriend too.¡± Jenna quickly changed the topic so that they didn¡¯t have to talk about her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I prefer being single. Besides, I¡¯m an exceptional woman. I don¡¯t think any man is worthy of dating me, so I have no choice.¡± Hannah said proudly. She stood up straight the moment the topic revolved around her.

    Jennaughed at her sense of humor and said softly, ¡°No worries. I¡¯ve invited you here because I¡¯m concerned about your love life. All the men here today are either celebrities or wealthy men from A City. Go ahead and seduce them with your tactics, stir up some sparks. I will pretend that I don¡¯t know about it. From what I know, the men present are mostly affectionate men, and they¡¯d be happy to serve their loved ones. As long as you have your eye on them, they¡¯ll let you take advantage of them for as much as you want. What do you think about that? Put in some effort and find a man who satisfies you within these three days. I¡¯m waiting for your good news. I even prepared the best guest room for you.¡±

    Jenna spoke cheekily, and burst intoughter as she reached the funny parts.

    This time, it was Hannah¡¯s turn to look upset, and she eximed that Jenna had been damaged by Hansen¡¯s scum.

    The two of them walked inside as theyughed and talked. Rayan followed by their side, and let out a sigh of relief seeing that Jenna was in a good mood.

    Many guests attended the banquet, including almost all the sons of the wealthy and famous families in A City. Jenna was confident that these men were all here to find pretty targets. Very soon, Jenna started having a hard time looking for Hannah. All the men were surrounding her and ttering her, and she probably forgot all about Jenna.

    Jenna knew Hannah very well. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to date, she just never met the right man. Besides, she spent most of the time being busy in her cafe, so she barely had time to go out for dates.

    They were both twenty-six already, and they¡¯d be considered ¡®leftover women¡¯ very soon. Although Jenna was single, she didn¡¯t want her best friend to be single as well.

    The opening ceremony of the New Year Banquet went smoothly. Ever since Aria arrived, Jenna didn¡¯t really have anything to do. She was supposed to host the ceremony with Sabrina, but Aria took her ce, so she was relieved of those duties. However, she was happy with the new-found peace as she was already weak, and carrying a child made it even more difficult for her.

    After lunch, Jenna was just about to take a rest in her guest room when she saw everyone crowding in front as she walked close by along the hallway. She could hear faint arguing sounds as if a quarrel was going on.

    ¡°You b*tch, who do you think you are! How dare you order me!¡± Zoey¡¯s voice was loud and clear, and it quickly entered Jenna¡¯s ears.

    ¡°I was ordered by Ms. McAdams, the young madam of the Richards family, to pass you a message. She wants you to clean up the gown immediately. If anything happens to the gown, you mustpensate her with another one that¡¯s exactly the same. You should know that this gown is the only one in the world, and it costs a few million,¡± Minnie said bluntly with her ring voice, which attracted more attention.

    Jenna frowned as she heard the sounds. She had a bad feeling about it, and quickly walked towards the crowd.

    ¡°It¡¯s just money. A few million is nothing. Hansen has way more than that. I want to go see Hansen,¡± Zoey said frankly, with an unbothered expression on her face.

    ¡°Exactly. Those rags looked so bad on her, and yet they cost so much. As if they¡¯re precious or something. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a historical relic, and even if it was, it should¡¯ve been worn by a dead person. How did it get on Miss McAdams?¡± Sabrina scorned together with Zoey.

    ¡°Alright, all of you have no respect for Ms. McAdams. You purposely ruined her gown, and now you¡¯re mocking her. Your attitudes are horrible. I¡¯ll go tell Ms. McAdams and let her get Mr. Richards to deal with you.¡± Minnie threatened. She specifically brought the gown over to get an exnation, yet didn¡¯t receive any apologies. Instead, she was bullied and scolded by both of them, and that made her furious.

    ¡°Go ahead, you barbaric woman, you¡¯re only getting your way by relying on that disgustingdy, Aria. I¡¯ve disliked you since a long time ago. If you make me mad, I will not hesitate to fight you myself.¡± Zoey used to be an athlete, and she had already been yelled at by Minnie many times that day.

    How dare Minnie order and belittle her just because she was close to Aria! She should have known that when she used to visit Richards Manor, even Grandma and Hansen had to listen to her, especially Hansen, who had to calm her down when she got mad. However, now she was being bullied by the minion of the so-called ¡®young madam¡¯ whom Hansen hadn¡¯t even married yet, so she was really in the mood for a fight.

    ¡°Would you dare to hit me? Who do you think you are? You¡¯re only the cousin, and you¡¯re not even married to Norton Richards yet, who knows what will happen in the future. Ms. McAdams is the young madam of the Richards family, the heiress to Richards Manor, and soon to be the woman in charge of all household affairs in Richards Manor. By then, all of you will have to obey her when you visit. You¡¯d better be smart and start respecting Ms. McAdams¡­¡±

    Before Minnie could finish her sentence, a loud ¡®smack¡¯ rang in the air, and a hard pnded on her cheek. She had always been a couch potato and tried her best to avoid gym sses, so it was no surprise that she couldn¡¯t dodge Zoey¡¯s attack. By the time she felt the pain, Zoey¡¯s handprint was already on her face, and Sabrina had snatched back the gown, trampled all over it on the floor, and spat saliva on it. She even used her high heels to step on the gown and rubbed it against the floor as she wasn¡¯t satisfied.

    The gown waspletely ruined.

    Minnie went ballistic the minute she saw the scene. She extended her arm and wanted to hit Sabrina, but Zoey noticed her actions and intercepted her attack. Before Minnie couldy a finger on Sabrina, Zoey gave her stomach a kick, and she immediately fell to the ground, wailing in pain as if she were a pig about to be ughtered.

    Just as Jenna waded through the crowd and was able to see what was going on, Zoey had lifted her leg and was about tond a kick on Minnie¡¯s face.

    Jenna was terrified when she saw it, and instantly shouted at Zoey to stop her.

    Zoey finally retracted her leg and didn¡¯t kick Minnie in the face.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jenna asked with lingering fear.

    ¡°Jenna, we¡¯re helping you teach this b*tch a lesson,¡± Sabrina said as she pped happily.

    It¡¯s over, Jenna thought. She lowered her head to find that Aria¡¯s gown had beenpletely destroyed by Sabrina. She felt a surge of dread in her heart, yet saw that the twodies were still feeling proud of and righteous about their work, not realizing the trouble they¡¯ve caused. The fact that they even said that they did this to avenge her made her heart drop.

    Minnieid on the ground and cried as she whined, ¡°Look at these terrible people. They¡¯ve ruined Ms. McAdams¡¯ gown, and now they want to hit me! They¡¯re hitting me!¡± It was obvious that her cries were to stir up drama.

    Jenna was very frustrated, and wanted to pick the gown up and send it to the dry washing room, but then she saw many guards running towards them.

    To avoid idents throughout those few days, the security was way stricter than usual. The guards immediately rushed over as they noticed that something was going on.

 Chapter 292 Apologize To Her

    ¡°Young madam, what¡¯s going on?¡± askedthe captain of the security team, after rushing over and saluting Jenna as soon as he saw her there.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    Jenna had just arrived and didn¡¯t know much about what had happened, except that the chaos was rted to Aria¡¯s gown. She turned her head and asked Sabrina, ¡°Sabrina, what actually happened?¡±

    ¡°We were just teaching this viin a lesson. It has nothing to do with all of you, you may leave,¡± Sabrina said as she gestured to the guards. Being in charge, she told the guards, ¡°Your job is to protect our safety as well as the guests, and deal with burrs or thieves, not interfere with our fights. Off you go.¡±

    The security guards left as soon as they heard Sabrina¡¯s orders.

    Minnie began to cry even harder, as she pointed at Jenna and screamed, ¡°You b*tch, I know that you¡¯re unhappy that you were chased out from the Richards Manor. Now, you¡¯re jealous that Mr. Richards loves Ms. McAdams and no longer loves you. So, you told them to ruin Ms. McAdams¡¯ dress, and they even dared to hit me! Let me tell you, I¡¯ll inform Ms. McAdams of this right now. She will never forgive you.¡±

    Jenna felt annoyed as she was being scolded by Minnie, but was confused as well as she felt that it wasn¡¯t that simple. She was anxious and tried to look for Sabrina and Zoey to ask them what had happened, when a booming voice sounded, ¡°What is going on?¡±

    She turned around in shock, only to see Hansen walking over with a gloomy expression on his face.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Mr. Richards, they¡¯ve ganged up on Ms. McAdams. Look, they¡¯ve ruined Ms. McAdams¡¯ gown on purpose, and she¡¯s still waiting for her gown in her room. Not only did they refuse to fix and clean her gown, they even bullied me and attacked me together. Mr. Richards, you have to help us, you have to do us justice,¡± Minnie cried to Hansen the minute she heard his voice, as she crawled over hurriedly while pressing her hands onto her stomach and her face.

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Hansen nced around with a sullen face and asked Jenna.

    Jenna didn¡¯t even know what had happened. Her mouth was open but she didn¡¯t know what to answer.

    ¡°This is what happens when you¡¯re in charge? It¡¯s only the first day yet there¡¯s already such chaos? Are you trying to humiliate Richards Manor?¡± Hansen asked with a cold and solemn face.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Jenna made an ¡®ah¡¯ sound and took a step back, not knowing what to do.

    ¡°You may all leave and prepare for the next activity. We will be going to Central Ind to visit the mysterious plum garden soon. There will be many attractive prizes to be won. This is only a small ident. It¡¯s nothing important, so don¡¯t crowd around here anymore,¡± Hansen said to the crowd with a deep voice.

    The crowd dispersed as soon as they saw Hansen arrived to keep the situation in check, as they knew that there wasn¡¯t going to be any more drama for them to watch.

    ¡°The four of you,e with me.¡± Hansen red at them and said sternly.

    After speaking, he turned around and walked towards the Ink Garden office.

    Zoey and Sabrina looked at each other with worry, especially Zoey, who had never seen Hansen so harsh before. With a little anxiety in their hearts, they quickly caught up to Hansen¡¯s footsteps.

    Minnie wanted to ask for justice. So, she dly followed.

    Hansen¡¯s expression was very frightening, and Jenna was worried that Sabrina would have to suffer. After all, Sabrina hadn¡¯t been married into the Richards family yet. Zoey on the other hand was Hansen¡¯s cousin and Marissa¡¯s rtive, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to do much to her.

    Besides, Hansen¡¯s words made her feel uneasy, and she wanted to know more about the situation as well, so the four of them followed Hansen with sulky faces.

    ¡°You should wait outside first.¡± Once they arrived at the Ink Garden office, Hansen led the three of them in, but left Jenna waiting alone outside.

    Jenna was helpless, and could only wait anxiously outside. She could hear faint sounds of Minnie¡¯sints, Sabrina¡¯s protests, and Zoey¡¯s begs for mercy, every once in a while. The sounds were soft and indistinct, and Jenna became even more worried as she couldn¡¯t hear what was going on inside clearly.

    She paced anxiously outside, not knowing what was going on inside. She had a bad feeling about what had just happened, and it seemed to involve her as well.

    After more than an hour had passed, the door opened.

    Minnie walked out proudly and happily, snorted at Jenna, and then walked away.

    Sabrina was unhappy with the oue, and walked out with a glum expression on her face.

    Zoey¡¯s head hung low, and her face was full of dejection, the haughty face she had when she first went in waspletely gone.

    Jenna was about to go up to them and ask about what had happened when she heard Hansen yell to her, ¡°You,e in.¡±

    She looked at the two of them. She felt nervous and puzzled, but still walked in calmly.

    Hansen sat in front of the office desk with a solemn and tense face. As he saw Jenna walk in, his gazended on her body for a while, and there was a sense of mystery in his eyes.

    Jenna felt flustered by his gaze, and she was still worried in her heart. She walked forward slowly and asked in a low voice, ¡°Hansen, what actually had happened?¡±

    Hansen drank slowly from the cup he was holding, and flicked the pen in his other hand with his finger. He didn¡¯t answer her question.

    Aria¡¯s luxurious gownid on the office desk in front of her. The gorgeous gown was now a pile of rags, and it has lost all of its beauty and charm.

    She stared at the dress in a daze and sighed, people were just like this gown. When they¡¯re sessful, they get to be as morous as they want. The moment they fail, everyone starts to bring them down, and they lose everything.

    ¡°Did you do it on purpose?¡± A long whileter, she heard Hansen ask with a sullen face.

    ¡°You ordered them to do this?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Was this the result you wanted to see?¡± he chimed in.

    The three questions shot out of Hansen¡¯s mouth and directly onto Jenna without any mercy.

    Jenna was dumbfounded. What did he mean by that? She thought. But looking at his face that was as gloomy as the sky when it¡¯s about to rain, she understood how serious the situation was. She didn¡¯t know how to answer him, so she stared at him nkly.

    Hansen stared at her sullenly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± she answered irritably after a while. She never had anything to do with this matter, yet he made it sound like she was the one who started it. This made her heart fill with rage.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t know? Alright then, go ahead and ask the two of them about what had happened. I¡¯ll be waiting for you right here,¡± Hansen said coldly as he stood up calmly as if he knew that she was definitely a part of this.

    Jenna had no choice but to walk out, only to see Sabrina and Zoey sulking on the sofa.

    After asking patiently, she finally understood that Zoey had heard from Sabrina about the news that Hansen was going to marry Aria. She didn¡¯t understand why and went to ask Hansen about it, but he told her not to be nosy. During the weing ceremony, Aria was arrogant and haughty, and Minnie looked snobby as well. The two of them were so angry that they decided to embarrass Aria to take revenge for Jenna.

    For the weing ceremony, Aria took Jenna¡¯s ce as the emcee, leaving Jenna with nothing to do. Therefore, Jenna returned to her room and didn¡¯t participate in the activity.

    Sabrina, on the other hand, had to host the ceremony with Aria as the emcees, and it made her burst with anger. Aria took all the easy jobs and enjoyed the limelight, but let Sabrina deal with all the troublesome matters and dirty work. She even snatched Sabrina¡¯s lines on stage, leaving Sabrina feeling awkward.

    Thest time they went on stage, Zoey stuck a rubber duck on the back of Aria¡¯s gown, and purposely spilled a lot of tomato juice on it. When Aria turned around to walk down the stage, she heard everyoneughing as they saw the back of her gown, but she didn¡¯t know what was going on. The minute she found out, she burst into anger and wanted to kick Zoey out of the banquet. Sabrina was unhappy about it and stepped on Aria¡¯s gown when she wasn¡¯t aware. Aria tripped and fell. This made Aria mad, and the two of them quickly left as they saw the situation escte.

    Aria whined and cried to her father, Earl McAdams, about it. Earl ordered Hansen to see him and warned him to deal with this matter strictly.

    Aria had no choice but to take off her gown and wait in her room, while Minnie brought the gown over to make the two of them clean it up, and everything she saw happened after that.

    Jenna finally understood what had happened after hearing their exnation, but it gave her a headache instead. These two aristocraticdies actually did all these to Aria to take revenge for her? What was all of this?

    She was furious, and sighed helplessly.

    Thinking of Hansen¡¯s gloomy expression, she started to worry.

    She had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk back into the office.

    Hansen had a cold expression on his face, as he read the ounting records book on his desk. He didn¡¯t even lift his head when Jenna entered the office.

    ¡°Umm¡­ Hansen, I really didn¡¯t know about this, it had nothing to do with me.¡± She shot a nce at him. He looked stern and distant, not really bothered by her. She could only speak very carefully and tried to help the two of them lighten their ¡®sentences¡¯, so that they could all get over this.

    Hansen frowned and scorned coldly. ¡°Trying to shift the me?¡±

    This one sentence made Jenna choke on her own saliva, and she took a deep breath.

    ¡°What do you want? I really didn¡¯t know about it.¡± She immediately fought back with a displeased face. Just because they wanted to take revenge for her, it doesn¡¯t mean that she wanted it to. Besides, Aria went overboard with her behavior, so she technically earned all that trouble for herself. She didn¡¯t know how to treat people, and couldn¡¯t stay lowkey. It was no surprise that she was attacked. Everyone could see Aria¡¯s nasty behavior, so he couldn¡¯t me everything on her. He should be advising Aria and Minnie on how to improve their behavior, instead of scolding her, Sabrina, and Zoey.

    ¡°You¡¯re trying to dismiss me with an ¡®I didn¡¯t know? You¡¯re thinking too simply. Let me ask you, others may not know what had happened between us, but it¡¯s impossible that you weren¡¯t aware of it. So how could they take revenge for you? Was it me who decided not to marry you, who abandoned you? How are you supposed to be the wronged one? Why don¡¯t you tell them what actually happened? Now they¡¯re pitying you instead and trying to cause chaos in our New Year Banquet. It will not be possible as long as I¡¯m here. Also, aren¡¯t you supposed to be the one in charge? Is this how you take charge?¡± Hansen asked fiercely as he mmed the book down and stood up. He walked towards her until she was backed into the corner, and scanned her with his icy re.

    Jenna was vulnerable in front of all his questions. She could only stare at him nkly.

    ¡°Then what do you want me to do?¡± she asked frankly.

    ¡°What do I want you to do?¡± Hansen raised his eyebrows, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a smirk. He said devilishly, ¡°Go and apologize to Aria, so that she can forget about this.¡±

    Apologize? Jenna screamed internally. This was too much, she didn¡¯t do anything wrong, but now he wanted her to apologize?

    This was outrageous!

 Chapter 293 Immense Hatred

    ¡°I won¡¯t do it. It didn¡¯t have anything to do with me.¡± Jenna retorted as her face darkened.

    ¡°You won¡¯t go?¡± Hansen¡¯s creepy smirk became more apparent, and his cold words were like a sharp knife. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you won¡¯t go. I¡¯ll just have to chase Sabrina and Zoey out of Richards Manor since they¡¯re the ones who started it. You better consider which consequence is more important.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face turned pale in an instant. He was going to treat Sabrina and Zoey so cruelly just because they offended his fianc¨¦e? That was inhumane of him.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re too much. You should know that Sabrina is Norton¡¯s fiancee. She loves him and Norton wants to marry her as well. However, Sabrina might now be able to forgive Norton if she knows his dark backstory. So, you should be ttering her instead, yet you¡¯re trying to chase her out? That¡¯s very daring of you! What about Zoey? She¡¯s your cousin. Your beloved cousin since you were kids. You¡¯re going to treat her like that just because of Aria?¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. How did Hansen be such a narrow-minded and petty man, who would mistreat his own family members just because they offended his fianc¨¦e?

    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s better that you apologize to her.¡± He extended his arm and pressed against the wall, his face leaning closer and closer to her, as he stared at her with immense hatred. His warm breath rushed onto her face, and his sharp gaze shifted from her face to her stomach.

    ¡°You b*stard. You¡¯re so petty, you would even be so ruthless to your cousin. I must¡¯ve been blind to like someone like you,¡± Jenna murmured. Making her apologize to Aria in front of everyone was technically trampling all over her pride and dignity. It was humiliating. It wasn¡¯t fair to her at all, as she was unaware of the whole matter, and it wasn¡¯t her intention too.

    ¡°Now you know.¡± Hansen smirked wickedly. ¡°You should know that my tactics have always been malicious and ruthless, and whatever I say will be done. Now that you¡¯ve ruined the reputation of Richards Manor, and failed to take charge of the household affairs, you should apologize. This is the baseline. If you don¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll have no choice but to chase the two of them away.¡±

    He held her chin with his hand and stared at her coldly.

    ¡°You devil.¡± Jenna gritted his teeth and looked into his eyes. Staring at the roguish face in front of her, she really wanted to give his eye a punch and let him go blind.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I am a devil, but you¡¯re no more a saint than I am. Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re the one who was being affectionate with me, while secretly doing dirty things with other men outside at the same time. You¡¯re a cheating and disloyal woman, and you think you¡¯re any better than me?¡± Hansen said with a sinister tone and then gave her a wicked smile afterwards. ¡°Actually, we¡¯re a match made in heaven, since we¡¯re both such devilish people. How about we continue our lives together? You can satisfy my needs as my secret lover, while I¡¯ll allow you to have other men outside. What do you think about that? It¡¯s a win-win situation.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ assh*le.¡± Jenna was very angry, raising her fist to punch his face.

    ¡°Trying to hit me?¡± Hansen grabbed her hand lightly and she could no longer move.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the ring?¡± His eyes were fixed on the ring finger of her right hand. The middle of her ring finger was smooth and bare, yet there was a clear and obvious mark of the ring.

    That morning, he saw that she was wearing the ring, but now it was gone. It was obvious that she had just taken it off not too long ago. Staring at the mark of the ring on her pale flesh, his eyes became even gloomier, and his gaze became poisonous.

    ¡°I threw it away,¡± Jenna replied coldly. She had already witnessed him being unreasonable before, but didn¡¯t expect that after all they¡¯ve been through, he would still act so inhumane and cruel to her. He did not trust her at all, and his words made her utterly disappointed.

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Hansen gave an unbothered smile all of a sudden. ¡°After all, you¡¯re not worthy of wearing it. Let¡¯s talk about the baby in your stomach instead. Which unlucky man does it belong to? Rayan Whalen? Or another unknown man? Or do you not even know the name of the man it belongs to?¡±

    He said it so calmly and naturally, as if he didn¡¯t feel ashamed of insulting her, but felt delighted instead.

    Jenna felt a sudden surge of sorrow that she¡¯d never felt before. It was a pain deep in her heart. It was so painful that she shut her eyes. It felt as if she had put in all the effort to fix something she loved dearly, yet it fell onto the floor and was broken again. She was heartbroken.

    Although she was the one who hurt him first, could he not feel her efforts at all? At least he shouldn¡¯t be thinking so badly of her in her heart! Or perhaps, they never truly understood each other.

    Her miserable expression couldn¡¯t escape Hansen¡¯s eyes, but his face darkened even more. His eyes were so dark that she couldn¡¯t see how deep his eyes were.

    Ever since he had fallen ill, he was heartbroken. So, he could never love again. He no longer felt sorry for this woman. He once had a strong passion for her, and was willing to fight everything for her, but it was useless. At the crucial moment, she betrayed him and hurt him deeply.

    ¡°So? Are you done deciding? Are you going to apologize in person, or do you want me to chase them out of Richards Manor?¡± he continued ruthlessly.

    ¡°I am in charge now. I have the right to decide. I will not choose either of the choices.¡± After a while, she opened her bewitching eyes and answered frankly.

    ¡°In charge?¡± Hansen sneered. ¡°Even if you¡¯re in charge, you¡¯re just an outsider. How could you be in charge of Richards Manor? Even if you were in charge, do you think you have more power than I do? As long as I give my orders, Sabrina and Zoey will have to be chased out immediately. Your lover, Rayan, will have to be chased out too. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can give it a try.¡±

    Jenna waspletely speechless. She red at him angrily, and the gleam in her eyes impaled him.

    After some time, she finally lowered her voice and begged. ¡°Hansen, even though we¡¯ve broken up, at least we¡¯ve once been in love. Do you really have to be so cruel?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s facial muscles stiffened, and a trace of pain shed in his eyes for a mere second. Very soon, a wicked smile appeared on his face again.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to be cruel, you can try pleasing me, or perhaps sleep with me, then I¡¯ll think of another way. What do you think about that?¡± Hansen mocked.

    He burst intoughter after those menacing words.

    ¡°You, you¡¯re shameless¡­¡± Jenna burst into tears again. Her heart sank, and she no longer had any hope in him.

    She lowered her eyes that were full of tears, but she held them in desperately so that they wouldn¡¯t fall.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    ¡°So, have you made a choice?¡± Hansen was getting impatient. His cell phone was ringing, and they were supposed to visit the plum garden in the Central Ind soon.

    Her apologizing was definitely a better way than chasing the two of them out, she didn¡¯t have a choice.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go apologize to her then.¡± she gritted her teeth and agreed atst.

    The words ¡®apologize¡¯ had cut away all the affection between them, and wiped away that trace of guilt in her heart that she felt towards him. It turns out that the hatred she had for him was never gone. It was just buried by their passion for each other. As he insulted her and humiliated her once again, it reappeared once again. She really, really hated him.

    ¡°Jenna, we¡¯ll both just leave. Don¡¯t apologize to that disgusting woman,¡± Sabrina and Zoey said as they blocked her way.

    ¡°We¡¯ll just leave, I don¡¯t mind not staying in Richards Manor. Who would¡¯ve known that Hansen was such a narrow-minded man. I used to think that he was very manly and admired him, but it seems like he has changed. He¡¯s probably mystified by Aria, and the situation in Richards Manor is going to change. I don¡¯t want toe here anymore,¡± Zoey said sorrowfully.

    ¡°He had no choice. He didn¡¯t actually intend to chase the two of you out, he just hated me and wanted to humiliate me. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just an apology, nothing more. You guys did offend her first, so I should apologize.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t want to hurt their feelings, so she quickly advised them nicely, ¡°Stay here, you¡¯ll have to bring the guests to the Central Indter. I¡¯ll go to Aria¡¯s ce myself.

    Jenna insisted that they stay behind and walked to Aria¡¯s room alone.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, are you really going to let the young madam apologize to Aria?¡± Alvin jumped in through the window the minute Jenna left, and asked with concern as he saw Hansen¡¯s pale face.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t do this, I won¡¯t be able to calm Earl McAdams down. This is a crucial moment. We can¡¯t let anything happen.¡± Hansen said with a heavy heart, ¡°In addition, she didn¡¯t deal with this well even though she was in charge. So, she was responsible as well.¡±

    Alvin had always respected Jenna from the bottom of his heart. Hearing Hansen say this, he couldn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°How is everything? Has everything been arranged as nned?¡± Hansen asked.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards. Everything has been arranged. The Grand Eagles have all entered the beach, they¡¯re now waiting for the signal.¡± Alvin reported earnestly as he nodded.

    Hansen nodded slightly, and his cell phone rang. He answered the call and his brows started to furrow. The coldness on his face was about to freeze the air, but very soon, heughed in disdain.

    ¡°Alvin, Sheldon Ford hadmitted suicide early this morning,¡± He said calmly.

    ¡°What, suicide?¡± Alvin eximed.

    ¡°Yes, it seems that I¡¯ve guessed correctly.¡± Hansen sneered, as he stretched out his fingers and clenched his fists. ¡°Alvin, this matter shoulde to an end. Is Christopher Matthews here yet?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, his people have followed Jordan to thest drug factory in Lincon City,¡± Alvin answered.

    ¡°Okay, you may leave first. I have something else to do.¡± Right after he spoke, he strode directly out of the office.

 Chapter 294 Kick You Back In The Stomach

    ¡°Are you sure Hansen will make Jennae and apologize to me?¡± Aria was wearing a blue dress, looking exquisite and alluring. That beautiful gown only earned a morning¡¯s worth of attention before it was destroyed, and Aria was very angry and gloomy about it. If Hansen couldn¡¯t deal with this well, she would seize this opportunity to get rid of all the people who were against her. She nned to use her father¡¯s help to pressure Hansen into chasing those women out of Richards Manorand take charge of the household affairs herself.

    ¡°Ms. McAdams, Mayor McAdams called Hansen over and told him about that had happened, and Hansen promised that he¡¯d give you a satisfactory solution. Just now, it was so interesting in the office, it was a pity that you weren¡¯t there to watch, Ms. McAdams. Mr. Richards¡¯ face was full of rage, and he scolded Sabrina and Zoey so badly that they cried. He also promised that he would make Jennae apologize to you.¡± Minnie said happily.

    Just as she was speaking, they heard a knock on the door.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Aria asked loudly.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Jenna.¡± Jenna bore a face full of disgust and answered firmly and clearly.

    Aria and Minnie looked at each other and smiled, a sense of pride rose from the bottom of their hearts. Hansen was finally taking their side.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± she gave Minnie a nce, and Minnie asked loudly on purpose, without the intention of opening the door for her. There were many people walking around outside, and she wanted to embarrass her. She wanted her to know that if she were to continue staying in Richards Manor, she would face severe consequences.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to apologize.¡± Jenna understood what Aria was trying to do. She was obviously attempting to make her feel uneasy and humiliated, but she gritted her teeth and shouted loudly instead.

    The door opened with a ¡®whoosh¡¯, and Minnie appeared in front of her with an arrogant face.

    ¡°Who are you here to apologize to?¡± she asked in disdain.

    ¡°To Aria McAdams,¡± Jenna replied coldly.

    ¡°What is that attitude? Since you¡¯re here to apologize, you should be sincere. You wouldn¡¯t even address her as Mrs. Richards, and now you¡¯re trying to unleash your temper on us?¡± Minnie purposely yelled with a face full of hatred.

    Jenna¡¯s fingers tightened around the hem of her dress. The uneasiness on her face couldn¡¯t be concealed, but she remained calm and said, ¡± Alright, is Mrs. Richards here?¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Minnie snorted coldly. ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll report to her about your arrival.¡±

    After she was done speaking, Minnie gave her an enchanting smile, and then walked back into the room slowly. Then, she whispered to Aria for a while, and they joyfully smiled at each other. After some time, she finally walked to the entrance and asked haughtily, ¡°Mrs. Richards would like me to ask you. How do you n on apologizing?¡±

    How do I n on apologizing? Jenna¡¯s heart dropped. Was Aria going to do her best to torture her?

    ¡°An apology is an apology. What else do you want?¡± Jenna asked as she repeatedly let go of the hem of the shirt and clenched her fist.

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re so funny. If I punch you in the face and only say ¡®sorry¡¯, do you think this will be over?¡± Minnie asked coldly, as she touched her face that had just been pped, and her stomach that had just been kicked. Thinking of her experience just now, mes of anger raged in her heart.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°So, you want to hit me back?¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t bear it, and asked harshly.

    ¡°What do you think? Don¡¯t you think that we should hit you back?¡± Minnie said aggressively.

    At that moment, guests started to gather around to see what was going on. Jenna¡¯s face was full of embarrassment. It was too much, and she really wanted to turn around and leave. She red at Minnie angrily and gritted her teeth so hard that her lips turned pale.

    ¡°Of course, you can choose whether or not you want to ept it, it doesn¡¯t matter. Mrs. Richards said that the pain I went through today wasn¡¯t going to be in vain. If you leave, I¡¯ll hit Zoey instead, and then we¡¯ll chase the two of them out of Richards Manor,¡± Minnie said with an unbothered tone, as if she was able to read Jenna¡¯s mind.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Jenna felt her blood rush to her brain. Everything went ck all of a sudden, and she lost her bnce and almost fell.

    ¡°Listen well everyone, it¡¯s not that I want to bully her. She ordered someone to p me in the face and kick me in the stomach today in the Ink Garden. They destroyed Mrs. Richards¡¯ gown as well. Mrs. Richards is generous and forgiving, so she was going to forget about the gown, but I was beaten up by them. Right here, I will forgive and forget about the p on my face, but they kicked me hard in my stomach as well and I cannot forgive that. I don¡¯t have any other requests. I only want to kick her back in the stomach. You can all be my witnesses. I¡¯m not forcing her to do anything, in case you think I¡¯m bullying her. If she is willing to let me kick her, then everything will be forgiven after that. If she is reluctant, then we¡¯ll have to use some other way to obtain justice,¡± Minnie said frankly to all the people around them.

    The onlookers didn¡¯t know what really happened, and thought that whatever Minnie had said made sense. So, they only stood and watched without saying anything. Everyone knew that Aria was the daughter of Mayor McAdams and soon-to-be the young madam of Richards Manor. So they definitely didn¡¯t dare to object. The crowd stood there quietly, and stayed silent.

    Jenna felt cold all over her body. She finally saw how vicious this woman was. She had already heard from Sabrina that Minnie and Aria knew about her pregnancy. So, Minnie¡¯s request to kick her in the stomach was obviously to hurt her baby. For a woman to have such an evil thought, she was terrible.

    She already agreed to give everything to her, and to withdraw from the rtionship. She even made a false impression on Hansen just so that he would forget about her. She fulfilled all her promises, yet Aria still wanted to harm her baby. Her monstrosity was on another level.

    So far only Hansen, Rayan, and Sabrina knew about her pregnancy. However, judging by the current situation, it was impossible for Rayan and Sabrina to have told her. Could it be Hansen who told her?

    Thinking of this, she felt even colder. Would he be that ruthless? Forcing her to apologize to them. Was he trying to get rid of her child through them? The thought made her feel faint again, and she couldn¡¯t say a word.

    She would rather believe that he would never do that. They were once so deeply in love, and he loved her resolutely.

    This must be Aria¡¯s vicious scheme, she thought.

    But she was the mother of her child. She could never let that happen. Minnie was starting to get aggressive.

    ¡°Well, are you willing or not? If you are, I¡¯ll start kicking.¡± She stared at her belly with a wicked smile, and her leg made a kicking gesture.

    Jenna quickly covered her belly with her hands. She panicked in her heart, and fear filled her eyes.

    ¡°You can try if you¡¯re not afraid of death.¡± A cold shout rang, and everyone turned their heads to look.

    Hannah stood outside with an expression full of rage. Her arms were crossed and she red at Minnie with her fiery eyes.

    Jenna let out a sigh of relief.

    Hannah had been surrounded by many handsome men, but she never forgot about Jenna. When she heard that there was a fight going on, she ran out to take a look and saw Hansen led someof them somewhere. She no longer had the mood to flirt with guys as she wanted to get to Jenna and ask her about what had happened.

    She knew about Jenna¡¯s status within the Richards family, and she could see that Aria¡¯s arrogance was more than she could imagine. She was worried that Jenna would be taken advantage of, so she tried to find her. The minute she saw the crowd and walked close to it, she heard Minnie say that she wanted to kick Jenna.

    Jenna was pregnant. If she really were to kick her stomach, the consequences would be horrible.

    She didn¡¯t dare to continue thinking about it, and immediately shouted at them.

    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s another one who does not fear death,¡± Minnie said haughtily and sneered as she didn¡¯t know who Hannah was.

    ¡°Oh really? I don¡¯t even know how to spell death.¡± Hannah waded through the crowd and stood in front of Jenna. She smiled proudly, pointed at Minnie, and said in disdain, ¡°Talking to a trashy woman like you is really ruining my reputation. I never realize that you¡¯re not only barbaric, but also immensely vicious. She¡¯s your cousin, and she used to treat you so well. Besides, even if she were an unknown woman, it¡¯s unconscionable to treat her so cruelly as well.¡±

    Hannah said as she rolled up her sleeves, ¡°Come on,e kick me if you want. We¡¯ll have a duel and see who¡¯s stronger.¡±

    Hannah had always been a fearless and prideful woman. She had been displeased with a superficial and ignorant woman like Minnie for a long time, and wanted to teach her a lesson. That incident gave her the perfect opportunity, so she rubbed her palms together, waiting for her attack.

    Minnie saw that she was about to be attacked by another woman, and the scene of her being beaten up before shed in her mind. She started to feel afraid, but remembered that she had the support of Earl and Hansen, so she had nothing to be afraid of. The thought of it made her courage return, and she red and bickered with Hannah again.

    The two women red at each other, and a fight was on the verge of breaking out.

    ¡°What are all of you doing here?¡± A cold and stern voice sounded from outside. The crowd was prepared to watch some drama, but was startled by the sound and turned around, only to see Hansen standing outside with a sullen face.

    Hansen was worried about Jenna apologizing to Aria, so he came as soon as Alvin left. He initially only wanted Jenna to apologize so that the situation would be sorted out, but he didn¡¯t expect the situation to get worse, and this time it involved Hannah.

    This woman was Hansen¡¯s biggest headache. He had some control over Sabrina and Zoey, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about Hannah. Every time he faced her, he felt unusually unconfident and guilty. He didn¡¯t know why, perhaps it was because Hannah never regarded him as someone important.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, not only did she not apologize, she had a bad attitude as well,¡± Minnie said hatefully as she pointed to Jenna. She was pleased to see Hansen arrive at the scene.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Hansen¡¯s gloomy face turned to Jenna. She stood there coldly with her hands protecting her stomach, boldly returning his gaze. The frostiness in her eyes made him afraid.

    Hansen was slightly taken aback, but then gave her a brief look and turned around with an expressionless face.

 Chapter 295 Resolving The Conflict

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Aria said softly and shyly with her face blushing pink as she held onto his arm. She had been listening to themotion outside, and quickly ran out as soon as she heard Hansen¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Oh my god, she¡¯s so ugly. This is disgusting.¡± Hannahined as she looked at Aria¡¯s pretentious face. It made her nauseous, to the point that she was about to copse on the ground from all the goosebumps surfacing on her body.

    Aria¡¯s face darkened, but as soon as she saw that it was Hannah Adames who was insulting her, she kept her anger down. Minnie might not have known the name Hannah Adames, but Aria sure did.

    ¡°Hannah Adames, I¡¯ve never offended you. Did you really have to insult me like that?¡± she said delicately and pathetically, with an expression full of innocence. ¡°Hansen, look at them. All of them have terrible attitudes. They¡¯re even insulting me and mocking me in front of you.¡±

    Aria felt wronged, and pressed her plump chest against Hansen¡¯s arm tightly while pouting her lips.

    ¡°Tsk, tsk. I¡¯ve never seen anyone this shameless. Seeing your actions now have made me realize how impudent you are, and how much more suited you are to be only a mistress.¡± Hannah plimented¡¯ as she stared at Aria¡¯s chest. She disliked women like these the most, and insulted her without caring about Hansen¡¯s status.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Aria was extremely angry, but then she saw Hannah¡¯s disgusted gaze upon her breasts. Humiliation crept across her face, and she quickly moved her chest away from Hansen¡¯s arm. Her face, however, was red with rage, and she didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Ehem.¡± Hansen coughed audibly as he felt that Hannah had started to go overboard. He questioned Aria with a frown on his face.

    ¡°Aria, what happened here? I thought I made Jennae and apologize to you,¡± he scolded with a gentle tone.

    ¡°Hansen, I don¡¯t know what happened either. I was in the room the whole time,¡± Aria said as she gaped with her innocent eyes wide open.

    ¡°Stop pretending. It¡¯s disgusting,¡± said Hannah as she could no longer take it. ¡°Hansen, did you really not know what had happened? The two of them teamed up to bully Jenna. So, I showed up to protect her. I¡¯ve never imagined that a decent-looking man like you would be so malicious and try to hurt Jenna like that. It¡¯s immoral of you.¡±

    Hannah scorned fiercely with a haughty face. ¡°What a horrible couple.¡±

    That statement was too much! Hansen was irritated by her words. This was Richards Manor, and he was an important person here. Yet. he was being insulted by a woman for no reason, making it very awkward for him. He yelled furiously, ¡± Hannah Adames, you¡¯d better watch your mouth. This isn¡¯t your house.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I know this isn¡¯t my house. If this were my house, a woman as disgusting as her would never be able to enter. You should know that I¡¯m not Jenna. If I feel that something is unjust, I willment, I will rebuke, and I will fight. I¡¯m already being nice by inly insulting you. Jenna might be a saint, but I¡¯m not, I will not let anyone walk over me,¡± she said with an arrogant face as she waved her hand.

    ¡°So what you¡¯re trying to say is that whatever happened just now was unjust and unfair?¡± Hansen asked coldly.

    His distant face made Hannah unhappy. She remembered that it wasn¡¯t that long ago when he was desperately trying to find Jenna in her cafe. Yet, he changed so much in such a short time. She felt that he was unworthy of Jenna. It was his child that was growing in Jenna¡¯s belly, and yet he allowed Minnie to kick her stomach. The thought made her heart surge with anger, and she screamed frantically, ¡°You¡¯re a monster. How dare you order this horrible woman to kick Jenna in the stomach, and to think that Jenna¡­¡±.

    Before she could finish her words, Jenna, who was standing aside, anxiously covered her mouth and said, ¡°Hannah, please don¡¯t cause anymore trouble.¡±

    ¡°And to think what?¡± Hansen asked Hannah with an icy re.

    Hannah understood what Jenna meant when she covered her mouth and smiled bitterly. It was such a crucial moment, yet she was still worried about him. She didn¡¯t n to spill the secret anyway, but with the current situation, Jenna shouldn¡¯t be with Hansen. Instead of suffering like this, it would be better for Jenna just to leave and spend her life peacefully with another guy. Besides, Rayan was willing to back Jenna up. She wasn¡¯t dumb enough to do so.

    So, she turned her head and shot a nce at Jenna, gesturing to her to let go of her hand, hinting that she wouldn¡¯t say anything inappropriate.

    Only then did Jenna let go of her hand, and an intense pain rose in her bright eyes.

    s.

    Hansen heard it very clearly, that Hannah said that someone was going to kick Jenna¡¯s stomach. He suddenly thought of something, and his heart stopped for a second. His face turned cold, and he asked Aria sternly, ¡°Aria, how dare you order someone to kick Jenna¡¯s stomach? Did you really do that?¡±

    When Aria heard this, she was taken aback. She quickly defended herself. ¡°Hansen, I really didn¡¯t know about this. You can¡¯t me me for this.¡± She tightened her face and questioned Minnie angrily, ¡°Minnie, did you do that?¡±

    Minnie was stunned. Wasn¡¯t it Aria who ordered her to do that? She took a closer look and saw Aria winking at her, and immediately understood what she was trying to do. She wanted Minnie to take the me, and admit that she was responsible for all the crimes, when in reality all she did was to obey Aria¡¯s orders. Her mouth hung open, and she couldn¡¯t say a word.

    ¡°What an evil woman.¡± Hansen knew that what Hannah said was true when he saw Minnie¡¯s expression. Fury filled up his heart, he only wanted Jenna to apologize, but he didn¡¯t expect them to do something so vicious. He immediately yelled at Minnie, ¡°How could you? How bold of you to do something like that by leeching off Aria¡¯s status. You actually thought of taking revenge this way? That¡¯s horrible of you. Do you know who she is? She¡¯s your cousin. How could you be so cruel?¡±

    Minnie¡¯s face turned pale. After being scolded by Hansen, she felt so shocked that she couldn¡¯t speak, yet felt guilty in her heart. She could only re at Aria with her teary eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Hansen. She¡¯s still young, and just a little mischievous. Besides, she only thought of this because she was beaten up by them previously, so it¡¯s forgivable. How about this? It all ends here. I won¡¯t ask for Jenna¡¯s apology anymore, and you don¡¯t me Minnie for this. The score has been settled, okay?¡± Aria was worried that Hansen would put the me on Minnie, and Minnie would spill the truth out of impulse. Furthermore, seeing Hansen here made all her anger subside, so she might as well pretend to be the peacemaker to please Hansen.

    Sure enough, Hansen¡¯s mood lightened as he heard her words. A gentle smile appeared on his face, and he said as he stroked her face with a grin, ¡°You¡¯re so thoughtful, Aria. I won¡¯t ever need to worry about you. Come, let me reward you well.¡±

    Hansen said with his hand on her waist as they walked into the room together.

    After a while, they could hear Aria flirt seductively. ¡°Come on, Hansen, you must keep mepany well this time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s disgusting,¡± said Hannah, still standing there unhappily.

    Jenna stood there watching as Hansen¡¯s hand, which had held her waist countless of times, caressed Aria¡¯s waist, and her heart started to ache. Her gaze fell on the ground as she stood there silently, wondering when she would be able to forget himpletely.

    Rayan stood by silently.

    He had been there since a while ago, but he didn¡¯t show up when Minnie expressed that she wanted to kick Jenna. He wanted to see how the scene would escte.

    Of course, with his skills, he would never let Minnie¡¯s kicknd on Jenna¡¯s stomach. He didn¡¯t make his appearance at that time because he wanted Jenna to see the truth behind this, and truly give up on them. It would make her life much better.

    With the current situation, it would be impossible for her to stay in Richards Manor.

    As long as Earl McAdams was there, it was obvious that Aria¡¯s spot as the young madam of the Richards family was guaranteed. Aria would never allow Jenna to stay with them. Technically speaking, everything that had happened today was to chase Jenna away out of the household.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    It¡¯s just that he couldn¡¯t tell what Hansen was up to. He felt like Hansen had a reason behind his actions, but he didn¡¯t know what it was.

    ¡°Jenna, you should go back to your room and take a rest. You look very pale,¡± said Rayan softly, walking up to her as the crowd dispersed.

    ¡°Yeah, Jenna. Those matters had nothing to do with you. You don¡¯t have to make your life difficult just to appease the inhumane Richards Manor. Did you see that? No matter what you do for the Richards family, Hansen won¡¯t appreciate it. His heart belongs to that trashy woman. A man like this is useless no matter how rich or smart he is. He¡¯s not your type, and he doesn¡¯t belong to you,¡± Hannah advised her sincerely.

    ¡°You see, it was clearly Aria¡¯s problem, but Hansen didn¡¯t put the me on her. Instead, he made you apologize to her. He was trying to make you suffer. Don¡¯t fall for his trap. Go and get some rest. Only your health matters.¡± Hannah continued.

    Under the persuasion of Hannah and Rayan, Jenna didn¡¯t go to the plum garden. She believed that as long as she wasn¡¯t there, everything would run smoothly. Surely enough, all the activities afterwards were filled with happiness andughter, and nothing bad happened again.

    Sabrina had to oversee the whole situation in the plum garden, and she could only call Jenna when she had some issues. However, Aria interfered with their agenda and many activities didn¡¯t go as nned. For example, the charity event for the orphans waspletely canceled by Aria. They were even pushed to the side during the grand dinner, only being able to eat the leftovers.

    Nevertheless, the atmosphere at the scene was very lively, as Aria really knew how to spice up the party.

    This was New Year¡¯s Eve.

    Jenna spent her New Year¡¯s Eve in exhaustion, and only ate a little bit for dinner. It passed by quietly for her.

 Chapter 296 A Helpless Smile

    ¡°Remember, the two of you will have to stake out here. You must get your hands on this woman within two days,¡± said Damon, who is Brock¡¯s minion, to the two men with a cigarette in his mouth, as he took his phone out and showed them a picture of a woman.

    ¡°D*mn, this woman looks pretty. We should have some fun with her when we bring her back.¡± One of the men snickered with a perverted face and a mouth full of teeth that were stained due to the cigarette smoke.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this woman is already three months pregnant. Our boss had said that once we bring her back, she¡¯s ours to enjoy. We can y with her until her baby is gone.¡± Damon smirked wickedly. ¡°This woman is worth ten million, and she¡¯s for you guys to enjoy. You¡¯d better try your best.¡±

    ¡°This is a good benefit. Let me take a closer look. Wow, her skin looks so smooth and tender, she must be a high quality product. It¡¯s a pity that she¡¯s pregnant. Therefore, she¡¯s no longer a virgin. Her ¡®parts¡¯ must not be that tight anymore,¡± the other men said regretfully with a perverted and greedy expression.

    ¡°She¡¯s already very pretty. Look at her curvy body. Besides, she hasn¡¯t given birth yet, so it¡¯s probably not loose yet. You will still be able to enjoy it.¡± Damon imagined the bloody scene and wiped his saliva. The vulgar man continued to fan the mes. ¡°Our boss said that each time we y with her, we get a thousand dors. We have to y with her as many times as we can. Then we¡¯ll get to distribute the money afterwards.¡±

    As soon as his words were said, the three men were tempted and desperate. They rubbed their palms together, and couldn¡¯t wait to bring the woman back.

    ¡°Listen here, when you blend into the crowd, be sure not to be caught. From what I know, the security here is very strict,¡± Damon said seriously. ¡°Earning money is important, but nothing serious must happen. If our drug factories hadn¡¯t been destroyed, our boss probably would not have epted this assignment. We¡¯re slightly deprived of money now. So, our boss wants to leave immediately after this mission.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t worry, Damon. We will be careful,¡± the two of them said solemnly as they nodded.

    When night had fallen, the two of them snuck into the yard of Richards Manor.

    It was New Year¡¯s Day, and raindrops started to fall from the sky. A chilly breeze blew through the air. It was gloomy and cold. However, the atmosphere of the new year¡¯s arrival was even livelier.

    There was a huge musical concert in the morning, as well as a lucky draw session.

    The charity event that Jenna had nned was supposed to be held during the peak of the concert. Since children were present, she had to give them a satisfactory response.

    Of course, other than the charity event, she wasn¡¯t interested in participating in any of the other activities. She nned to leave at night, and never to return again.

    In those few days, she had hired awyer and was prepared to deal with the legal matters, such as handing over the authority over Richards Manor¡¯s household affairs and the forgiveness letter to Norton.

    She was sure that she no longer had a reason to stay here. There was nothing to be missed here.

    Early in the morning, Rayan apanied her to Central Ind.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna, you are finally here.¡± Just as Jenna arrived at the guest lounge on Central Ind, a group of kids rushed over to her and surrounded her.

    ¡°Frey, Cici, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Jenna touched their heads and asked with a smile.

    ¡°Jenna, a rich-lookingdy tried to chase us away yesterday. She said that we were beggars, and wouldn¡¯t allow us to eat anything. She only left us leftovers,¡± Frey said with tears in her eyes.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, you are so much kinder than that woman. She¡¯s so arrogant, and looks down on us poor people,¡± said Jodie Meyer helplessly as she walked over to Jenna. She was the dean of the orphanage.

    That woman? Jenna¡¯s heart sank. Soon enough, she knew what had happened. Sabrina had called her the day before and told her about this, but she couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Grandma was basically stuck inside, and Hansen was on Aria¡¯s side. He was no longer willing to see her. The servants all listened to whomever was in charge, and now that Aria was about to be Mrs. Richards, all the servants started listening to her. After all, status was the most important thing, and there was a high possibility that Aria would be in charge in the future. They could also tell that Hansen was starting to side with Aria.

    Therefore, they started to ignore Jenna¡¯s existence.

    In their eyes, Jenna no longer stood a chance.

    Jenna¡¯s face was gloomy, and she could only smile bitterly.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s the woman. They are here,¡± Frey cried out all of a sudden, pointing her finger to the front.

    Jenna looked towards the direction of the ce she was pointing at.

    She saw Hansen, who was in a traditional outfit, strolling with Aria from the Green Jade Garden, hand in hand. The two of them had bright smiles on their face, and looked very intimate. They looked like a match made in heaven, and attracted a lot of attention.

    A worker in a ck suit trailed after them as he carried an umbre over their heads. Minnie held a fox fur shawl on her hand, and was ready to drape it over Aria, who was wearing a revealing gown.

    On that day, Aria wore a dreamy, lc gown. There was a pink belt around her waist, with diamonds encrusted all over it, making her look pretty and elegant. The corsage on her chest had arge diamond, and it matched the huge, diamond earrings on her ears, as well as the diamond ring of a few carats on her ring finger. Her outfit exuded an aristocratic aura of the young madam of the Richards family.

    Holding onto Hansen¡¯s arm, she held her head high. Her curvaceous body attracted many stares.

    Jenna fell silent. She looked down at her simple outfit and felt a little downcast. She stood there quietly, and the smile on her face faded.

    Marissa was right, she was only an ordinary woman. She neither came from a wealthy nor a powerful family. So, she wasn¡¯t worthy of being the young madam. It was her fate.

    Her eye sockets started to fill up with tears. Back then, her father used to treat her like a princess, and would bring her to all kinds of luxurious banquets. Nevertheless, those days were long gone. She would never have a day like that ever again.

    Hansen held Aria¡¯s hand as they walked over. The two of them chatted happily and intimately. They looked exactly like a loving couple, hence the news, ¡°A precious daughter of the McAdams, Aria gains infinite love and care. Her husband loves her and her mother-inw adores her, making every woman envious,¡± was written all over that day¡¯s newspapers.

    They slowly approached.

    Jenna lowered her head, and was ready to run away in secret, but Rayan held her hand tightly.

    She looked up in surprise, and saw Rayan¡¯s bright eyes blink slightly. His smile was gentle, but his gaze was confident and encouraging. She understood what he meant, and gave him a smile as she nodded at him. She stood there firmly.

    ¡°Miss McAdams, you must be very happy. We¡¯ve heard that a total of 20 million dors were spent on this New Year banquet. This New Year banquet is so unique. it is very fashionable and trendy. I would like to ask if you were the one who nned all of this?¡± A media reporter went up to her and interviewed her as soon as they had their photographs taken.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ve all put in a lot of effort to n this New Year banquet. We would also like to thank Miss Sabrina Delia, who is the fianc¨¦e of Norton Richards, for putting in all the effort for this banquet,¡± Aria said generously with a smile.

    Hearing this, a disdainful smile appeared on Jenna¡¯s face.

    Was Aria the one who nned the New Year banquet? It was Jenna who nned the whole thing ever since the beginning. She even thought of the idea of the Central Ind. Yet, Aria imed all the credit. She was certainly shameless.

    Others might not have known about it, but Hansen was definitely clear about it. Yet, he just smiled gently by her side, looking as if nothing was wrong with her ims. He was definitely not going to say anything to her.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was so cold that it froze.

    During those days in the hospital, they were so in love with each other, he even promised to love her forever. Now, they were standing in the same world, and yet they would never cross each other¡¯s paths ever again.

    Surely enough, men were ruthless animals.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, will the wedding ceremony on the eighth be held in Richards Manor? Or will it be held in Bali? Or will it be held in Ennd as the rumors had stated?¡± Another reporter rushed up and ced a microphone below Hansen¡¯s mouth.

    Hansen pressed his thin, rosy lips lightly, and asked the reporter with a neutral expression, ¡°What do you think? Where do you think we should hold it?¡±

    The reporter didn¡¯t expect Hansen to answer it that way, and was left in a daze.

    Hansen smiled in disdain. He pulled Aria, walking straight to the front. His gaze fell onto Rayan¡¯s hand who was holding Jenna¡¯s, and his eyes turned cold.

    Rayan smiled confidently and nodded at him very gracefully.

    Hansen¡¯s face became even colder, and the pupils of his eyes were filled with frost.

    Jenna could feel that they were approaching, and lowered her head so that she wouldn¡¯t see them. She stared at the ground and pretended not to care about them.

    Suddenly, a pair of light, pink high heels studded with crystals appeared in her line of sight. She was shocked, as those were her shoes. Hansen bought them for her back in America.

    She had left them in the bedroom on the second floor of the Green Jade Garden. When she left, she only brought back the things that belonged to her. The shoes were given to her by Hansen, so she didn¡¯t bring them along.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    A gown as white as snow with a pink coat on the outside caught her sight once again. She couldn¡¯t help but lift her head up, and the A-shaped design of the gown was in full view right in front of her.

    The Gothic Lolita-style gown was bought by Hansen specifically for her. It had many diamonds adorned on it, and it glimmered under the light. However, that day, it appeared on Minnie.

    What surprised her even more was that as she nced at Minnie, she realized that all the jewelry that Hansen had given her was all being worn by Minnie. She once wondered where all the jewelry had gone, and thought that they had been stolen. Who would¡¯ve known that they had all been stolen by Minnie.

    It wasn¡¯t due to the fact that she had never thought about it. It¡¯s just that she had never seen her wear it before, so she never imagined that it was hers. Seeing it happen with her own eyes, Jenna was stunned.

    She probably thought that Jenna no longer had power within Richards Manor, and wouldn¡¯t be able to threaten her. That was probably why she dared to wear it so boldly. Jenna had already been chased out of Richards Manor. So, she couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    Jenna suddenly felt likeughing.

    Her shameless and superficial cousin had really ruined the reputation of the Murphy family.

    Of course, she was no longer bothered by these matters.

    Since she liked it, she can take it.

    Hansen knew that he had given Jenna those essories, yet he had it in him to tolerate her wearing them. She had no reason to make a fuss about it, and she never wanted those things in the first ce.

    She was counting down the hours until she could leave this ce. So, why bother?

    Besides, even if she wanted to do something about it, she was helpless, just as Minnie had expected. She no longer had Hansen to support her.

    The corners of her mouth curved into a disdainful sneer.

 Chapter 297 Fighting In The Dark

    ¡°Jen, let¡¯s go over there,¡± Rayan said to her gently once Hansen and Aria walked past them.

    Jenna nodded, and then realized she had been holding onto Rayan¡¯s hand so tightly that her palms were sweating. She jolted, feeling surprised, and quickly let go of his hand. Her anxious gaze met Rayan¡¯s eyes, which looked down at her with a tender and encouraging smile. A gush of warmth surged in her heart, and she smiled coyly.

    Suddenly, she felt a chill go down her spine.

    An icy re shot right at her, but as she raised her eyes, the re had disappeared. She took a closer look in that direction, and saw Hansen and Aria standing on a tform of the tower of Central Ind, which was a very eye-catching location.

    Was that cold re from him?

    Jenna wasn¡¯t sure. Hansen could definitely see them from that height. However, the chances that it was him was probably very low. He was no longer bothered by her, so there was no reason for him to show her such coldness.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, please show up at this address tonight at eight o¡¯clock sharp.¡± A gentle and polite voice could be heard next to her as she was lost in her thoughts. She looked up in awe and saw a young man in a white shirt, ck tie, and ck suit, standing right next to her. He lowered his head and handed over the invitation to her respectfully.

    ¡°You are¡­¡± Jenna looked at him in surprise. The young man in front of her looked solemn and serious, but his behavior was humble and polite. He had a distant yetpetent demeanour, and maintained a suitable distance with others while still appearing to be courteous and well-mannered. Jenna could tell that he was no ordinary servant. In fact, it made her think of the bodyguards in ck suits that served the American president.

    His actions showed that he was well-trained, modest, and polite. Jenna could guess that he didn¡¯t serve just anyone, but he seemed quite unfamiliar to her. She was sure that she had never met him before.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, please arrive on time, and you¡¯ll understand everything. I will be on my way,¡± the young man said once again as he lowered his head. Then, he gave her a bow, turned around, and left.

    Jenna watched as his figure disappeared into the road to Richards Manor, and finally returned to her senses. She took a look at the invitation in her hands. She gave it a thought for a while, and then ced it into the pocket of her shirt.

    It was still only morning, and the appointment was at eight o¡¯clock at night. She had plenty of time to think and decide whether or not she wanted to show up.

    On Central Ind, a variety of cakes and pastries as well as champagnes and wine were arranged on long, rectangr tables. The sweet-smell aroma spread throughout the ind.

    Jenna looked around and saw that Rayan was no longer next to her. She nced at the crowd and saw that he had been pulled away by someone to have a chat. She then recalled his words before he left, ¡®Jen, wait for me here. I¡¯ll be back very soon,¡¯

    She shook her head and smiled. What was she thinking, being so inattentive for the whole morning? She thought to herself.

    Technically speaking, she no longer had anything to do with this New Year banquet. The thought of her leaving the next day, and perhaps nevering back, made her inexplicably sorrowful, deep down in her heart.

    ¡°Someonee here and take these beggars away.¡± A sharp voice rang from across the room. Jenna was startled and turned around to look at the wine table, only to see Frey, Cici, and the other kids eating ravenously. They had never seen so much decadent food prior to the banquet. Aria ordered the guards to chase them out with a face full of disgust.

    ¡°No, we were invited by the young madam.¡± Frey and Cici were frightened by Aria¡¯s extravagance. They quickly took a step back as they whimpered timidly.

    ¡°Young madam? What young madam? I¡¯m the young madam here, yet I¡¯ve never invited you annoying beggars here. I¡¯m warning you, all the things here cost a huge amount of money. If you break any of them, you won¡¯t be able to pay for it even if we were to sell you away. You¡¯d better be smart and leave this ce right away,¡± said Aria harshly. She knew who they were referring to when they said that the ¡®young madam¡¯ had invited them here. It left her unhappy. So, she ordered the guards to chase them away immediately.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t chase us away. The young madam had said that they will donate to our orphanage. They¡¯ll donate to us so that we can go to school next year. Please, we¡¯re begging you.¡± Cici was slightly older and more mature. She put her hands together and pleaded to Aria with her pitiful eyes.

    Aria nced at her in disgust, and turned her face away coldly, not bothering to say another word.

    ¡°Hurry up, if you make our young madam upset, we¡¯ll demolish your orphanage.¡± The guards rushed over and chased them away fiercely.

    ¡°Stop,¡± shouted Jenna, who ran up to the scene in a sh.

    The guards stopped as they saw that it was Jenna talking. They said awkwardly, ¡°Young madam, but that young madam ordered us to chase them away. We don¡¯t have a choice.¡±

    ¡°Hmmph.¡± Jenna sneered, ¡°I was the one who invited them. There¡¯s supposed to be a charity eventter. How could you chase them away? All of you may leave first, I¡¯ll deal with it.¡±

    The guards were at a loss as they saw Jenna defending the kids.

    ¡°You sure are a peasant, inviting these low-ss beggars here.¡± Aria mocked and walked over slowly as she saw everything that had unfolded.

    Jenna said coldly without even looking at her, ¡°This New Year banquet was nned when I was in charge. I¡¯ve obtained permission from Grandma for all the activities. So, the guests whom I¡¯ve invited cannot be chased away. The events that I¡¯ve organized have to be conducted ording to my n. They must not be cancelled at a whim.¡±

    After she was done speaking, she said to Frey, Cici, and the other kids, ¡°Come, I¡¯ll bring you aside to eat some food.¡±

    She was ready to lead them aside just as she had finished exining.

    ¡°Stop there, Jenna Murphy,¡± Aria yelled furiously, seeing that Jenna did not take her seriously.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Jenna questioned as she turned around and looked into her eyes.

    Her gaze was firm and calm, with a sense of steadiness and serenity. There was a gleam in her eyes. It was terrifying. Her dignity could not be messed with.

    Aria was shocked, and felt a little afraid.

    ¡°Chase these beggars away. I¡¯ve cancelled the charity event,¡± said Aria provocatively, not wanting to back down.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I¡¯m the one who invited them here. The event must go on as nned.¡± Jenna responded to her provocative gaze firmly.

    All of a sudden, Aria felt helpless. She felt that it would be difficult for her to win over Jenna in this case.

    ¡°Alright then. Get your young master over here,¡± she said to the guards haughtily despite the anxious feeling in her heart.

    She realized that her chances of winning against Jenna in fights were starting to lessen. This upset her. She wanted to make sure that she would win that day. It was so that she could solidify her status and give herself a confidence boost, especially since she had Hansen¡¯s support.

    Within a short while, Hansen rushed up to them.

    ¡°What the matter now?¡± Hansen had already seen Aria and Jenna standing next to each other and ring at each other. His head started to ache.

    ¡°Hansen, you have to help me,¡± Aria said squeamishly to Hansen as she rushed into his embrace. Her eyes turned red. ¡°She¡¯s using her authority over the household affairs to pressure me. You must not let her humiliate me like this.¡±

    She was certainly capable of causing a lot of trouble.

    Hansen looked coldly at Jenna who stood firmly at the side. She was adamant. Her face had turned red from the boiling rage. Seeing her gripping the hands of the kids from the orphanage, he immediately understood the situation.

    ¡°Hansen, these kids from the orphanage are rude and vulgar. They¡¯re making this ce reek of low status. This is Richards Manor, not a shelter for homeless children. We¡¯ve invited so many important guests here. How could we allow these wild kids to mingle with them? It would make the guests unhappy, and affect the orderliness of the banquet. It will ruin the reputation of Richards Manor! Furthermore, there are media reporters live reporting the banquet. If we allow this to continue, it will diminish the sophistication of our banquet. This woman here has no knowledge and wants to have these beggars here. You should make a judgement,¡± Aria said passionately to Hansen, as if she had a very good reason for everything and he was not allowed to reject it.

    Initially, Jenna had arranged an area for Frey, Cici, and the other kids to stay in, but Aria had cancelled their event and arrangements the day before. The kids were young and inexperienced. They did not have anyone to watch over them. So, they simply ran around freely, but it didn¡¯t actually cause any disturbance at the event.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. People should not be ssified by their wealth or status. Some people may look morous or fabulous on the outside, but are actually despicable on the inside. These kids may be poor, but they have good morals. Besides, they¡¯re still very young, yet they didn¡¯t receive the care they should¡¯ve received here. So, it was notpletely their fault for running around in this ce. It¡¯s not their fault for being poor, but the rich should help them with their resources instead. That would show good personality and morals, and demonstrate how a wealthy family was willing to help make the world a better ce. A wealthy family that doesn¡¯t getplimented for being kind, and apany who has nopassion, will neverst long,¡± Jenna replied firmly.

    Hansen understood their argument and cleared his voice immediately.

    ¡°If that¡¯s so, Aria.¡± A gentle smile spread across his face. He batted his long and thick eyshes, as a glimmer of light shed across his deep eyes. He held Aria¡¯s shoulder and said tenderly, ¡°How about we give our friends and rtives a toast? These kids won¡¯t be able to eat much anyway. Just let them be.

    ¡°Hansen, are you trying to defend her?¡± Aria asked him with a displeased face as she widened her eyes that shone like rubies, and refused to budge.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, if you let Aria chase away these children and cancel the charity event, I will break all ties with you and make sure that you never get to see you child.¡±

    Jenna stared at Hansen¡¯s face as she swore silently. Her hands reached for her stomach, and her gaze was firm.

    Hansen suddenly sneezed. His image was ruined. He quickly took a piece of tissue to wipe his nose, and he could feel his right eyelid dance around.

    He touched his hair and looked at Jenna, who was standing in front of him. Seeing her infuriated expression, he thought, ¡°You darn woman. It must¡¯ve been you who was scolding me. You were the one who betrayed me, yet you have the guts to want me to help you?¡±

    His mouth curved into a smile, and his big and fair handnded on Aria¡¯s waist. He spoke to her with a gentle but cold tone, that sounded like he was advising her and ordering her at the same time.

    ¡°Aria, you should know that the people here today are all famous and wealthy. We must not forget about them. Moreover, if we chase these kids away in front of the media reporters, they will think that we¡¯re stingy, and bullying others with our influence. It¡¯s not worth it. We¡¯ll just let them be. How about this? I¡¯ll grant one of your requests today as a constion. How does that sound to you?¡± he said calmly.

    He was using this approach again. He certainly was an expert in rtionships! Jenna would¡¯ve dly pped for him if it wasn¡¯t Aria he was persuading. Wasn¡¯t this the strategy all men will abuse to steal the hearts of women?

    Surely enough, Aria quickly surrendered to his reassurance. Her face flushed into a shade of bright red, and a smile bloomed across her face.

    ¡°Really? Hansen,¡± she asked sweetly as she leaned against him.

    ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you, baby,¡± Hansen said.

    The two of them walked away as they chatted intimately.

    Jenna breathed a sigh of relief. She finally saved the children.

 Chapter 298 Roaring In Fury

    The charity event was hosted personally by Jenna. It achieved great results as Jenna had expected. The children received donations for their education expenses all the way up until they graduate from high school. Jenna was ted to see the results and was d that the banquet was not held in vain. Instead, it was very meaningful.

    At that moment, she stood on the stage with her bare face and simple outfit, yet she was the most beautiful one in the hall. A light and graceful aura radiated from her throughout the whole event. Everyone was astonished, suddenly remembering that she was Hansen¡¯s ex-wife. However, very soon, the attention she received disappeared very quickly, and she was soon forgotten by the crowd the minute she left the stage.

    After the charity event, Jenna felt relieved and rxed. As long as Aria was taking charge of the banquet, she didn¡¯t have much to do.In addition to her wless ns,Aria was born into a distinguished family. So, she was used to handling banquets like these, and she had nothing to worry about. The news of the banquet was spread by the media, and everyone knew about it. The public praised Richards Manor for hosting such a unique and meaningful banque. The announcement of Hansen and Aria¡¯s wedding elevated the nobility and honor of the Richards family all the way to the top of the social hierarchy. Everyone could only imagine how grand that asion would be.

    In the afternoon, Jenna left Central Ind and walked towards the Ink Garden.

    She didn¡¯t want to participate in any of the subsequent activities.

    ¡°Barrett, isn¡¯t that the woman in the picture?¡± a man in ck asked another man. They were hiding in a dark corner.

    The other man squinted his eyes and stared at Jenna from among the leaves for a while.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ve heard that the woman was Hansen¡¯s ex-wife. She¡¯s no ordinary woman. So, it¡¯s impossible for her to dress so simply, with no jewelry on her at all. Besides, she¡¯s still in charge of the household affairs of Richards Manor. So, it¡¯s impossible for her to walk around alone like this. She must have at least a few servants apanying her.¡± Barrett shook his head and doubted. ¡°Be careful not to get the wrong person. This is Richards Manor. One small mistake and we might not see the light of day ever again.¡±

    ¡°I agree. Just now, I saw anotherdy standing next to Hansen. She was dressed luxuriously and fashionably, wearing shiny jewelry from head to toe. She looked like the woman in the picture. So, it must be her,¡± the man said.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I noticed that too. It¡¯s probably her. Rich people sure do it differently. An ex-wife and a current fianc¨¦e, walking together next to him and actually getting along? That¡¯s really weird. Thesedies probably only care about money, and their status probably didn¡¯t matter to them. His ex-wife is pregnant too, yet she¡¯s still trying to tter his current fianc¨¦e. She probably didn¡¯t expect that she would be framed by her instead, and would probably die without even knowing what had happened. However, a woman whocks integrity like this surely deserves it,¡± Barrett replied.

    ¡°Oh well. That¡¯s the world of wealthy people. We just need to be concerned aboutpleting our mission and getting the money and enjoying the girlfriend of a rich man in the meantime. It should be fun,¡± the man said.

    ¡°Remember, we take action at eight o¡¯clock sharp. Someone will wait for us outside.¡± Barrett reminded the other man of the instructions.

    The two men discussed in a low voice as they watched Jenna walk on the path in front of them. They then leave in an electric car.

    Jenna returned to her bedroom and took out the invitation from her pocket. She took a deep breath and opened it. A note was exposed. Seeing the words ¡®Zevery Hotel¡¯ and the room number on the note, she started to think.

    She really couldn¡¯t figure out who had invited her there and the reason behind it. The words were written vigorously and powerfully. They were neat and beautiful. It was obvious that they were written by a man. Did that man not know that she was supposed to be at Richards Manor for the New Year banquet?

    How would he know that she would have the time to show up?

    She anxiously stood in front of the window.

    The man who gave her the invitation was well-mannered and didn¡¯t seem like a bad guy. As sheid on her bed and thought carefully, she fell asleep.

    After a while, she was woken up by some knocks on her door, and she opened the door to see Rayan walk in worriedly.

    ¡°Jen, why didn¡¯t you tell me that you had returned to your room. I looked everywhere for you,¡± Rayan said with a slightly using tone and a concerned expression.

    ¡°Rayan, you are a guest. You should stay there. I¡¯m fine. I just came back because I felt sleepy.¡± Jenna smiled embarrassedly.

    Rayan looked at her, ¡°Jen, are you okay? Are you not feeling well?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rayan, I¡¯m not that fragile.¡± Jenna smiled.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± He let out a sigh of relief.

    Jenna took out her cell phone and saw that it was almost 7. 30 in the evening. The sky was already turning dark, but she didn¡¯t notice it because the lights at Richards Manor were extremely bright.

    Oh, no.

    Wasn¡¯t she supposed to show up at eight o¡¯clock?

    She had decided.

    She had to go.

    She quickly stood up.

    ¡°Rayan, I have to go out. You can have fun somewhere else or rest in your room.¡± She grabbed her bag and left hurriedly.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Rayan¡¯s heart sank, and quickly grasped her hand.

    ¡°Rayan, I need to go to a hotel. Someone is looking for me. I have no time to exin to you.¡± Jenna pushed his hand away and was ready to exit the room.

    Someone was looking for her? Rayan¡¯s heart sank as he thought of something, and he quickly offered to go with her.

    ¡°Let me apany you,¡± he said stubbornly.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Jenna hesitated.

    She gave the suggestion a brief thought.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be worried if you were to go alone. You have to let me go with you,¡± Rayan said earnestly. He was resolute and did not leave her room to decide.

    ¡°Okay, then. You can drive me there. I need to go to the Zevery Hotel,¡± Jenna answered immediately and did not decline.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Rayan followed Jenna as she walked outside.

    The electric car quickly brought them to the entrance of Richards Manor. Rayan went to the parking lot to retrieve his car, and Jenna got into his car and left.

    Many kinds of night views could be seen on the observation deck of Central Ind. Lots of fireworks were lit together, and the night sky above Richards Manor was filled with an abundance of lights and colors. Everyone was immersed in the ocean of joy, and yed around as they watched the fireworks.

    Hansen escorted Aria to Earl and left with an excuse that he had matters to deal with.

    ¡°Alvin, what¡¯s the matter?¡± he answered the phone.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I have bad news. I¡¯ve just received news that Brock wants to kidnap Jenna and get rid of the baby in her womb.¡± Alvin said anxiously. He panted heavily, and it was obvious that he was running around, worried.

    ¡°What?¡± Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and his face darkened in a sh.

    ¡®Get rid of the baby in her womb¡¯. As soon as these words registered in Hansen¡¯s brain, Jenna¡¯s pale face shed across his eyes, along with blood all over her body. He felt distressed, and immediately yelled at Alvin, ¡°Speak clearly and tell me all the details.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, someone paid Brock a huge amount of money to kidnap Jenna alive and get rid of her baby. The time they nned to take action was eight o¡¯clock in Richards Manor, but it¡¯s already 8. 30. We¡¯d better find her quick,¡± Alvin said.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Hansen¡¯s face went pale and his cell phone fell to the floor. His eyes immediately scanned through the crowd, but there was no sign of Jenna.

    His brain started to spin at a high speed.

    He picked up his phone and gave John Talbot a call.

    ¡°John, tell the Grand Eagles to search for Jenna in the Richards Manor right away, and contact me immediately if they find her,¡± he said.

    As soon as he had made all his instructions clear, he ran towards the crowd and tapped on the shoulder of every woman who looked like Jenna to get a closer look.

    Half an hour had passed, and Jenna was still nowhere to be found.

    John called Hansen.

    They¡¯ve flipped the whole Richards Manor over, yet did not see Jenna at all.

    Hansen¡¯s heart began to tremble, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

    ¡°Jenna, where have you gone? Please be alright!¡± Hansen thought frantically.

    He looked everywhere anxiously.

    Two hourster, the entire Richards Manor was stunned to discover that Jenna had gone missing.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were filled with a terrifying light. The veins on his forehead could be seen, and his face was filled with mncholy. He wasn¡¯t able to calm down.

    Why did he only know about this now? He wondered.

    ¡°Alvin, get to Brock¡¯sir immediately and nab him alive. We cannot wait for Christopher¡¯s signal anymore,¡± he ordered decisively. The initial n was that Hansen and his people were supposed to seize Brock alive at Christopher¡¯s signal, but judging by the current situation, they had no choice but to take action early to save Jenna.

    ¡°Alright, Mr. Richards. It¡¯s very likely that Brock will temporarily retreat to another country once he gets his hands on Jenna. They¡¯recking funds now. They only epted this order for the ten million dors offered. As soon as they get the money, they will flee instantly.¡± Alvin analysed rationally. ¡°Mr. Richards, we must not panic. We must stay calm. Jenna is a smart woman, she will find a way to protect herself.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking too much. How is a woman going to protect herself in a situation like that? Bring the others there. I¡¯ll notify Jordan, and the Grand Eagles will catch up as soon as possible,¡± Hansen yelled.

    Hansen was practically roaring in fury.

    Alvin quickly hung up the phone.

    ¡°Hansen, Hansen, where are you going?¡± Aria caught up to Hansen like a gust of wind, and grabbed his arm.

    ¡°Let go of my hand. Go away.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was full of fury, and his gaze was petrifying.

    ¡°I, Hansen¡­ I¡¯ve heard that Jenna went missing. I¡¯m worried too,¡± Aria said softly, and fear filled her eyes.

    Hansen flung her hand away, and left in the electric car without giving her another nce.

    Aria watched as his figure leave anxiously, and a sneer appeared on her face.

    He looked around like a madman for Jenna when she went missing. However, if it were Aria who had gone missing, he would probably not do so.

    Leaving in such a hurry, he was probably going to try to save her.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that by the time you get there, it¡¯ll be toote.¡±

    ¡°The child in her womb, your child, will no longer exist. Be prepared to collect her dead body.¡±

    ¡°That nasty woman.¡±

    Aria burst outughing.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna, he still loves you deep in his heart. The minute he knew that you went missing, he panicked and had gone mad. As long as you¡¯re alive, he¡¯ll never truly love me. Don¡¯t me me for being vicious. You and your baby will forever be a threat to me. Only when you¡¯re dead will I get Hansen all to myself, and I will finally get to live my life happily.¡±Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    Snowkes began to drop from the sky again, and a cold wind blew through the night. The gust of wind entered her revealing gown, and she shivered a little.

    A sudden feeling of panic made her smile disappear, and she felt a trace of nervousness in her heart. She quickly turned around and returned to her tent.

 Chapter 299 Itâ€™s Him!

    Earl and Georgia apanied Marissa to the VIP room on Central Ind. They were chatting andughing together. There was going to be a grand banquet the next day, and Earl would have to go on stage to give a speech for the closing ceremony of the New Year Banquet at Richards Manor.

    Aria returned to the VIP room, and the feeling of panic and fear finally started to subside.

    After a while, she started feeling cold. She remembered that she had a mink fur shawl and called out with a frown, ¡°Minnie, where¡¯s my mink fur shawl. Come and drape it over me. I¡¯m cold.¡±

    But even after a few consecutive calls, she didn¡¯t hear a reply. She was surprised for a moment, and she had a bad feeling about it.

    She quickly ordered the guards to look for Minnie.

    After sitting next to Earl with her phone in her hands for more than an hour, the guards returned and told her that they couldn¡¯t find Minnie. Aria¡¯s eyelids started to quiver.

    She had called her many times, but her phone was turned off.

    Where could she be? Aria thought to herself. Minnie had been with her for so long, and she knew that she would never just leave her like that. Besides, Minnie was supposed toplete some tasks that were delegated to her.

    The thought of it made her stand up instantly.

    She immediately instructed Maud to look around with some helpers. After a few hours, she received bad news.

    Minnie had gone missing.

    Aria suddenly realized something. Her heart skipped a beat.

    It was the first day of the New Year, and the weather was cold. The streetlights were dim, and the street vendors were on their New Year holidays. Bright lights could be seen lit in the houses along the road, with the families celebrating joyfully. There weren¡¯t many people on the streets. So, the drive was smooth. Soon enough, Rayan¡¯s car arrived at the Zevery Hotel.

    Jenna got out of the car and stood at the entrance of the hotel. She felt insecure in her heart, and couldn¡¯t figure out who was looking for her. Moreover, why was he looking for her? She thought to herself apprehensively.

    Rayan parked his car and got down. Then, he walked over to her.

    ¡°Jen, don¡¯t you know the person looking for you?¡± he asked.

    Jenna shook her head.

    A gleam of light shed in Rayan¡¯s eyes, and he asked, ¡°Do you have to go see him?¡±

    After a while, Jenna nodded. Her instincts told her that the person looking for her probably had no malicious intentions. However, she wanted to find out who he was.

    She nodded.

    ¡°Okay. Then, I¡¯ll go up with you,¡± he said gently as he gave her a tender smile.

    Jenna wanted to reject his offer, but Rayan had already walked forward.

    The two of them arrived on the eighth floor of the Zevery Hotel.

    Jenna rang the doorbell.

    A momentter, someone opened the door. Jenna looked up and saw that it was the young man in the ck suit. When he saw Jenna, he smiled politely. His gaze darkened as soon as he saw Rayan standing beside her. He said courteously, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but only Miss Murphy is allowed in here. Other irrelevant people may wait outside.

    Rayan¡¯s eyebrows twisted into a frown.

    Jenna had already made a decision in her heart. She turned around and said to Rayan, ¡°Rayan, wait for me in the lobby. I¡¯m sure nothing will happen. I will be down as soon as possible.¡±

    Rayan stood still. He was worried about Jenna¡¯s safety.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My boss is a kind man. He won¡¯t harm Miss Murphy,¡± the young man said politely as if he could read Rayan¡¯s mind.

    Jenna smiled and nodded at Rayan.

    At this point, Rayan had no choice but to go downstairs after he had given her some instructions.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, pleasee in.¡± The young man opened the door and gestured to her.

    Jenna walked in with a nervous heart. The young man then stepped out and closed the door.

    It was a high ss hotel suite. The decorations in the room were very luxurious.

    When Jenna walked in, she was surprised to see that there was no one in the room.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re here.¡± A warm but familiar voice came from the balcony, and Jenna was taken aback.

    Who is this?

    She quickly walked a few steps closer.

    She could see clearly that there was a stainless steel wheelchair on the balcony with nkets all over it. On the wheelchair sat a man who looked like he was in his fifties. He was balding and was wearing a thick, cotton sweater. Despite the fact that he was sitting down, Jenna could tell that he was tall and lofty from his figure.

    Jenna coughed audibly, twice, and stared curiously at the back of the wheelchair.

    This figure seemed familiar too.

    But even after racking her entire brain, she couldn¡¯t guess who this person was.

    ¡°Excuse me. May I know who you are?¡± She stopped, asking softly.

    ¡°Jenna, Don¡¯t you remember me already?¡± The man in the wheelchairughed and slowly turned around.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes widened. After a long time, a look of astonishment grew in her eyes, and her lips began to tremble.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, have you recovered? Can you speak now?¡± she asked.

    Trevorughed heartily, and his eyes were full of love and trust.

    ¡°This is all thanks to you. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to recover so soon. Thank you, my dear daughter-inw,¡± he said with a warm and a bright smile.

    Jenna blushed, and lowered her head shyly. Hearing him refer to her ¡®daughter-inw¡¯ made her glum.

    She was no longer his daughter-inw.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, I¡¯m so d that you have recovered.¡± Jenna was so excited that her words began to jumble up and her cheeks turned red. She raised her head and tears of joy trickled down her glistening eyes.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    It was her dream for Trevor Richards to recover!

    However, doubts started to arise from her heart. When she went to the hospital to see him a few days ago, he still wasn¡¯t able to speak, and could only move his arm slightly. Now, his words were clear and his movements were smooth. The chances were very minute for him to recover so quickly within a few days. How did this happen?

    Of course, Trevor could see the doubts in her eyes, and could guess what she was thinking. He gave her a smile, and waved his hand at her.

    Jenna was suspicious, but she slowly walked forward. Only then could she see that hisplexion was still pale. There was barely any blush on his face. Even though he had woken up and recovered, his body was still very weak.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, you woke up a long time ago, didn¡¯t you?¡± she asked in a low voice.

    Trevor smiled gently, with a mysterious light in his eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not letting you know, Jenna. You must¡¯ve been worried,¡± he said helplessly and with a heavy tone.

    ¡°I had reasons as to why I didn¡¯t tell you earlier. Please forgive me.¡± He continued.

    His tone was very sincere and gentle, without the manner of an elderly person. Instead, he said it to her as though she was his friend.

    Jenna smiled and said in relief, ¡°I¡¯m just d that you¡¯ve recovered from your illness. It doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡±

    Trevor nodded happily, pointed to the front, and said, ¡°Jenna, please push me into my room. I¡¯ve just watched the fireworksing from Richards Manor. I feel very proud and content.¡±

    As he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the distant sky filled with fireworks. The fireworks were bright and colorful, and magnificent images formed in the sky. Unfortunately, the fireworks ended eventually, and they didn¡¯t reappear in the sky again.

    Jenna was surprised. This was unexpected. ording to the n, the fireworks were supposed to go off for an hour. Why had it ended so soon? She thought anxiously.

    Little did she know that the entire Richards Manor was in chaos due to her disappearance. Everyone was busy looking for her and trying to determine her whereabouts.

    It was really cold on the balcony, and the chilly northern wind blew across the night every once in a while.

    Without much thought, she pushed Trevor back into his room.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, does Madam Richards and Hansen know that you¡¯ve recovered?¡± Jenna asked as they returned to the room.

    Trevor¡¯s gaze was deep and sharp. With a stiff expression, he shook his head and said softly, ¡°You¡¯re the first to know, my child.¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡± Jenna was dazed for a while, as she didn¡¯t understand.

    Why didn¡¯t he tell his family that he had recovered to make them happy? She pondered. Furthermore, it was the New Year Banquet that day. He could¡¯ve participated in it.

    ¡°Child, will you still call me ¡®dad¡¯?¡± Trevor asked with a trembling voice after a long time.

    Jenna stood nkly and looked at him, not knowing how to answer him.

    ¡°My child, I know that we¡¯ve wronged you. The entire Richards family has wronged you,¡± he said as he let out a heavy sigh. Seeing Jenna¡¯s perplexed expression, he could understand how she felt. Ever since he was able to hear, he could remember every single word she had said to him in the ward this whole time. At first, he tried to analyze everything she said. Then, he started to remember everything, remembering her tears, remembering her pain and helplessness. He remembered clearly that she said she was going to leave.

    Jenna was dumbfounded for a long time. When she finally returned to her senses, she asked in shock, ¡°Uncle Richards, do you know about everything that had happened?¡±

    A gleam of light shed in Trevor¡¯s sharp eyes. He nodded solemnly and said, ¡°Right after my surgery in America, I started to be able to understand some things. In the past month since I¡¯ve returned, I¡¯ve already recovered a lot. However, I did not awaken. I couldn¡¯t awaken. So, I could definitely not let all of you know.¡±

    He said slowly with a mysterious gaze. The incident that happened three years ago shed in his mind, and he could only feel guilt towards Jenna in his heart. Those days when he¡¯d been in the hospital, Jenna visited him everyday and helped him with some rehabilitation exercises. She also told him many things, and he found out about the many things that were happening. He secretly investigated those matters, and finally understood how everything had happened.

    As the saying goes, ¡®there is no smoke without fire¡¯. Everything happens for a reason. Everything that had happened up until that day had been a scheme orchestrated by others, but his son wasn¡¯t clear-headed enough. Furthermore, Marissa liked to make decisions based on her emotions. She was shallow and could never see beyond the surface in all matters. Whenever there was a crisis, he might¡¯ve not been able to awaken, but he had secretly done many things to help.

    There was a reason he had invited her toe over at eight o¡¯clock sharp that day. He knew that Brock wanted to kidnap her, and he was worried about her despite having arranged some body guards to follow her. Three years ago, he did not manage to save her in time, which led to everything that had happened afterwards. This time, he had to ensure that nothing would happen, and he had to invite her toe over personally so that he did not have to worry.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m so sorry. You were married into our family, but I¡¯ve never treated you like how I should¡¯ve as an elder member of the family. I¡¯ve even once mistook you for a gold-digger and a vain person. Come to think of it, it¡¯s all my fault. I was the one who made the situation escte like this,¡± he said sincerely with a guilty expression.

    Jenna stood there in a daze. Trevor¡¯s apology made her want to cry. She felt downcast but at the same time, a sense of relief in her heart. Her hard work had finally been acknowledged, at least for Trevor, who finally approved of her and saw the other side of who she was.

 Chapter 300 The Truth Three Years Ago

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Uncle Richards. I feel very guilty too. The incident that happened three years ago had you paralyzed for so long,¡± she said anxiously as she thought of the scene three years ago.

    ¡°No, child. It had nothing to do with you. You were the victim as well. When I found out about the scheme, I was furious. I regretted underestimating you in the past, and not giving you the respect you deserved, but it was toote. They got away with it.¡± His eyes were filled with anger and helplessness. The despair in his face was frightening, and he looked as if he was immersed in a terrifying memory.

    Jenna didn¡¯t quite understand, and stood there ignorantly.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, can you please tell me everything? What scheme was it?¡± She pleaded as she squatted down and looked up at him.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Trevor nodded heavily and smiled gently at her. ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ve already nned to tell you everything today.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart tightened, and she looked at him nervously.

    ¡°Jenna, do you remember what I said to you the day before the incident three years ago? I met you at the Green Jade Garden that day, and I told you toe see me in my study room at ten o¡¯clock the next morning,¡± he said as he recalled.

    Jenna thought for a while and quickly nodded.

    ¡°My child, I came to know about the scheme that day. I tried to prevent it, and I told you toe to my study room the next day so that you wouldn¡¯t be alone during that time. However, I was toote. They found out, and took action early.¡± Trevor¡¯s eyes were heavy, and he said in distress, ¡°Now when I think about it, I regret not finding out about these earlier, and you had to go through all that torture. I¡¯m so sorry, child.¡±

    Trevor paused as he felt uneasy, and remained silent.

    Although Jenna was sad, she was still confused, but Trevor was too downcast to tell her anything, so she consoled him instead. ¡°Uncle Richards, don¡¯t worry about it. This is all fate. We cannot run away from it. Since it was a scheme that others had nned, it would have been difficult to escape it. Even if we did escape it, we were bound to experience something like that again. They will keep finding ways to make me suffer, but thankfully, evil can never prevail over good, and I¡¯ve survived until today. Moreover, I was able to focus on finding something that I¡¯m good at, so I actually gained something from the incident. If I hadn¡¯t been through all that trouble, I would probably still be an ordinary woman now, and I would¡¯ve never be a car designer. I¡¯ve already thought this through.¡±

    Her words made Trevor¡¯s eyes light up, and his spirits were lifted as well.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a good child. So thoughtful and kind. I¡¯m d that you¡¯re able to think this way. Hansen was lucky to have been able to marry you, but¡­¡± His eyes darkened, and he let out a sigh.

    ¡°He is not worthy of you. He doesn¡¯t know how to cherish you, and he doesn¡¯t deserve you,¡± he said.

    Jenna smiled softly, andforted him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Hansen is very capable. In the industry, he is very smart and has great potential. He will be a sessful entrepreneur in the future.

    ¡°No, one mustn¡¯t be only smart and capable. If he cannot deal with his family issues and rtionship issues well, it will never be perfect. If he loses you, even if he¡¯s sessful in the future, he will never be happy.¡± Trevor shook his head and doubted her words with a gloomy expression.

    Jenna smiled bitterly. Her eyes fell to the floor, and she said, ¡°Uncle Richards, you¡¯ve overestimated me. I¡¯m a peasant with no wealthy family background. I¡¯m not worthy of being the young madam of the Richards family. I know that I won¡¯t be able to help the Richards Group achieve sess.¡±

    As she spoke, she turned her head away in guilt, and stared at the floor.

    ¡°No, Jenna, you shouldn¡¯t think that way. That will bring shame to the Richards Family.¡± Trevor said, ashamed, ¡°Only a family with no abilities will try to seed through arranged rtionships. The sess of a family will notst long that way. You have to trust Hansen. He¡¯s a man. He does not need a rtionship for this,¡± he said, lowering his head. Then, he asked Jenna earnestly, ¡°Jenna, do you really think that Aria is suitable for Hansen?¡±

    Jenna felt a pain in her heart. She understood what Trevor was trying to say, but she couldn¡¯t change the reality, and it wasn¡¯t the time to debate over this. She knew what she had to do, and very soon, she nodded her head firmly and said, ¡°Uncle Richards, Hansen has no choice but to marry Aria now. If he doesn¡¯t marry her, the Richards Group will have to suffer a strong blow. Besides, Aria was born into a wealthy family. She¡¯s worthy of marrying Hansen. The most crucial thing is that¡­ She¡¯s pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child.¡±

    The scene of Hansen holding Aria¡¯s hand intimately at Central Ind shed across her mind. They were a match made in heaven, and their family backgrounds were simr. It was a marriage between two powerful families. The perfect match. Moreover, Hansen did not seem to hate her as much anymore.

    ¡°Jenna, you silly child. You¡¯re the true daughter-inw of the Richards family. At first, I was reluctant to ept my mother¡¯s arrangement for Hansen¡¯s and your marriage. I thought that she was interfering with Hansen¡¯s marriage with her traditional mindset and regtions, and that it would ruin his happiness for life. But as time passed, I started to understand that she had a keen eye and could foresee everything from the beginning. However, by the time I figured it out, it was toote,¡± Trevor said to Jenna sorrowfully, and he had aplicated feeling in his heart.

    The truth was that, even then, he couldn¡¯t guarantee her anything!

    Jenna lowered her head and remained silent.

    ¡°Jenna, if there is a chance now, where all the obstacles in front of you would disappear, would you be willing to stay by Hansen¡¯s side?¡± Trevor asked slowly as he observed her expression.

    Jenna¡¯s head hung low and she didn¡¯t say a word.

    She had been clear about everything a long time ago. Aria wasn¡¯t suitable for Hansen, but Earl¡¯s power and the child in her womb truly existed. Even if the scheme three years ago truly had something to do with her, it wouldn¡¯t affect her current position. What¡¯s more important was that she didn¡¯t think that it was suitable for her to live in a wealthy household. The never-ending shenanigans made her hopeless. She desperately needed peace and quiet, and a normal life. The schemes and fights among the wealthy families made her sick and tired, and she really didn¡¯t want to fight with Aria over Hansen¡¯s attention everyday. She was exhausted.

    Furthermore, she had finally made a decision, and she didn¡¯t want to give up on it so easily.

    Therefore, her face was calm and peaceful. There were no ripples. It was the peace of acknowledging the reality.

    ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve truly given up on Hansen. It¡¯s our fault. We¡¯re not worthy of you staying, but I just want to let you know that no matter what choice you make, my opinion will remain consistent with my mother¡¯s. You are Hansen¡¯s only wife, and we will only recognize you as our daughter-inw. Even if other women get married to Hansen, I will never recognize them,¡± Trevor said earnestly.

    Looking at Jenna¡¯s expression, he understood everything. The littledy standing in front of him was firm about her choices. She had her own pride and dignity, and would never give up her will for the luxurious life in a wealthy family. Judging from her outfit, it was obvious that she didn¡¯t bother much about the honor of living in a wealthy family. Vivian had given her the authority over the household affairs, and Hansen truly loved her. She could¡¯ve chosen to use her power and advantages topete with Aria, yet she chose not to. She chose to give up, meaning that she had given up on Hansen, and given up on the wealthy life that every girl had ever dreamt of. It was her choice, and no one would be able to change it.

    Moreover, Aria was pregnant.

    With her pride and nobility, she would never be able to ept her husband cheating on her and impregnating another woman. Hence, no matter how hard she or Hansen, or even Vivian, tried, it would not make a difference.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    She would not choose to stay.

    Trevor sighed heavily and said sincerely, ¡°Jenna, no matter what, I will tell you the truth that I¡¯ve seen, heard, and known from three years ago. I have to restore your innocence, and you¡¯ll be able to make the correct judgement.¡±

    Jenna raised her head. Her eyes were filled with frost, and she was puzzled.

    ¡°Fortunately, I arrived just in time three years ago. Even though I didn¡¯t manage to stop them, at least I stopped the man from taking advantage of you,¡± he said.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were filled with pain, and the scene from three years ago was still fresh in her mind.

    That morning, after she had eaten, she remembered that Trevor told her the day before to meet him in his study room. She walked towards the elevator and felt parched as she walked into the hallway. Seeing that there was still time to spare, she walked towards the first floor.

    At that moment, Dahlia was in the kitchen, and she handed her a ss of fruit juice as she saw her approaching. She said that it was freshly squeezed and tasted delicious.

    Jenna didn¡¯t notice anything weird, as Marissa loved freshly-squeezed fruit juice. So, it was normal for fruit juice to be prepared frequently in the kitchen. She said ¡®thank you¡¯, and being thirsty, she drank it the minute she got her hands on it. Very soon, she felt that something was off. She started feeling dizzy and everything turned ck. Then, she fell to the ground and didn¡¯t know what happened next.

    By the time she had woken up, she was in a guest room in a top-ss hotel. A loud voice saying ¡®How bold of you¡¯ entered her ear, and she immediately opened her eyes. Her face turned pale as she saw a fierce man standing naked right in front of the bed she was on. He was only wearing his underwear, and that ¡®thing¡¯ could easily be seen.

    His eyes were perverted, and his face was flushed with lust. He was about to pounce on Jenna like a wolf when he heard a loud roar, and quickly turned his head around. Standing right in front of him was a stern-looking old man. It scared him and a trace of panic shed in his eyes.

    Jenna was so shocked that she immediately came back to her sense. She quickly got up and felt breezy, and looked down at her body only to realize that she waspletely naked. She only had her panties on, and she wasn¡¯t wearing any clothes. A thin bed sheet was the only thing wrapping around her. It seemed that the man was stopped by the old man who rushed over before he could take advantage of her.

    She grabbed onto the bed sheets tightly, and her whole body started to tremble. Her eyes were filled with fear and her face was as pale as snow. With her quivering lips, she watched as Trevor pointed his trembling finger at the man, with his face full of rage and his eyes reddened. Then, he slowly fell to the ground.

 Chapter 301 A Blessing In Disguise

    ¡°Dad, Dad,¡± she yelled as she cried, worried and afraid. Her whole body was on fire, and her chest felt as if it was about to explode. Every inch of her skin was starting to burn, and her throat and tongue were dry. At first, she didn¡¯t know what had happened to her, only after some time did she learn that the juice that Dahlia had given her contained a drug. The drink had been spiked.

    She didn¡¯t know the man who was standing in front of her at all. Looking at the man¡¯s excited face, tensed muscles, and bulging red eyes, he probably took some of the drug as well.

    Seeing that Trevor had copsed, the man showed a perverted grin, and pounced on her.

    All of the sudden, the door was kicked open with a loud ¡®bang¡¯.

    Hansen rushed over furiously, raised his fist, and gave the man a punch in his face. The man ran away, embarrassed.

    Marissa arrived afterwards, saw that Trevor had fainted on the ground, and then saw Jenna lying on the bed, shivering. She immediately understood what had happened, and pointed at Jenna as her whole body trembled in anger. Marissa fell to the floor and held Trevor as she burst into tears.

    Hansen¡¯s face turned green with rage, while Jenna shook in fear, and trying to put up with the burning sensation from her body, not saying a word.

    At that moment, many media reporters rushed into the room, and camera shes went off all over, shining on Jenna¡¯s pale face.

    Jenna was dumbfounded.

    ¡°Get out, get out.¡± Hansen was furious. He called the hotel¡¯s security guards and called Alvin, and then all the reporters were chased away.

    With a sullen face,Hansen sent Trevor to the hospital immediately.

    It wasn¡¯t until everyone had left that Jenna finally put on her clothes and returned to Richards Manor.

    She soaked herself in cold water, closed her eyes, and allowed her tears to flow freely.

    The freezing water slowly calmed her restlessness, and she curled up in the cold water, like an injured deer, gradually losing her senses.

    The door was kicked open by Hansen, and his furious face appeared in front of her. He lifted her up from the water, and stared at her naked body with his scorning and wicked eyes. The anger on his face was frightening. ¡°Damn woman. You can¡¯t stand a minute of loneliness, can you? Sl*t.¡±

    He threw her onto the big bed, and Jenna felt her head buzz due to the slight concussion. She wrapped her arms around her chest, curled her body up with a puzzled gaze, muttering, ¡°Hansen, I had nothing to do with all of this. I didn¡¯t even know how this happened.¡±

    However, Hansen was so angry that he couldn¡¯t think rationally. He didn¡¯t bother listening to her exnation, and was frazzled even more by her beautiful body.

    ¡°Since you want it so badly, I¡¯ll satisfy you,¡± he said.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    He took his clothes off and pounced on her like a hungry wolf.

    Jenna had no energy to resist, andid on the bed weakly.

    He went straight for the act, with no mercy or care at all.

    The pain in Jenna¡¯s lower body made her grit her teeth as she endured his rage. She had no more tears left to cry, and she was in pain and despair.

    That day, he tortured her like a monster.

    And all she could do was to bear with it, hoping that her obedience could calm him a little.

    Only until he was exhausted did he fall onto the bed, and Jenna could see the misery on his face.

    In the evening, Marissa rushed up to her and gave her a hard p on her face, calling her a wh*re and a sl*t.

    She was like a fallen leaf in the wind, not knowing where tond.

    That night, she received news that Trevor had fallen into aa.

    Since then, she became the sinner of the Richards family, the unforgivable sinner.

    She could no longer stay there.

    That night, she packed her bags and left the Richards family in the dark. She left for three years and only returned to A city when her father was killed in a car ident. Only until that day did she find out that the horrible news was never spread by the media. It seemed that Hansen had used some methods to contain the news, even the people of Richards Manor didn¡¯t know.

    She was still his wife at that time, and the incident affected the reputation of the Richards Group and his own,rgely. Hansen was so dejected that he didn¡¯t bother managing thepany and was dispirited for a long time. Only when Aria came to him and helped him stabilize the situation of thepany, he slowly recovered from his misery and focused on his work, putting all his effort into developing his career.

    Finally, he brought the Richards Group to unprecedented heights, and he also entered the list of the top ten most wealthy people around the world within only a few years.

    All of this was automatically blocked in Jenna¡¯s mind. It was traumatizing, so traumatizing that she didn¡¯t want to think about it. Every once in a while when she dreamt about it, she would wake up in fear and a whole body broke in cold sweat.

    That day, the old scars were brought up by Trevor once again, and the terrifying memories reappeared in her brain. Her eyes were filled with agony, and her tears streamed down, containing all her suffering and misery.

    ¡°So you already knew everything? You came specially to save me that day?¡± Jenna said as she sniffled. Despite all the years of suffering, she was still very aggressive as she talked about this. However, at that moment, she could finally face the incident with a calm and peaceful heart.

    ¡°Yes, child.¡± Trevor¡¯s eyes were filled with pity. ¡°That day, one of my followers told me that they came to know about this matter, and I was shocked. When I met you in the garden, I hadn¡¯t thought of a better way of helping you, so I initially told you to meet me in my study room. I said this to help you avoid being kidnapped, but I didn¡¯t expect them to take action early. By the time my subordinate told me about this, I was anxious and rushed to the hotel. Although I waste, at least I managed to protect you from being taken advantage of. Who would¡¯ve known that due to my intense anger, and theplication in my brain, I couldn¡¯t take the harshness and fainted, and ended up in aa.¡±

    Finally, she understood everything. Jenna¡¯s mouth curved into a tragic smile. She asked in a low voice, ¡°Uncle Richards, was Aria the one who wanted to kill me?¡±

    Trevor was stunned and asked in surprise, ¡°Have you found out?¡±

    Jenna nodded with a calm gaze. ¡°I guessed it. I have never offended anyone. It¡¯s impossible for anyone else toe up with such a vicious scheme to frame me. Except for her, she loves Hansen, and I¡¯m in the way of her rtionship with him.¡±

    Jenna said it peacefully, but ever since the night of their marriage, Aria had been the one who secretly switched their bedsheets to frame her. She had an intuition that if Aria could do something like that, then this menacing scheme must¡¯ve had something to do with her as well. Afterwards, she used this matter to threaten Aria not to hurt Minnie, and seeing the fear in her eyes, she understood everything.

    Trevor nodded slightly. ¡°You¡¯re very smart, my child. It¡¯s indeed Aria¡¯s n. However, someone else was involved as well, can you guess who?¡±

    ¡°Probably Norton Richards,¡± Jenna said lightly as her eyes drooped.

    Trevor was once again in shock, and then nodded with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s rare that someone could be so smart yet so calm.¡±

    Jenna just smiled and nced at the dark night outside with her bright eyes. Trevor couldn¡¯t stop sighing due to the faint mncholy.

    ¡°Aria found Norton and teamed up with him and plotted a scheme to frame you. Now that you know all these, can you still forgive Norton? Do you still think that it¡¯s best for Hansen to marry Aria?¡± he asked as he looked at her with his deep eyes filled with curiosity.

    Jenna did not speak for a long time. After a while, she pursed her red lips slightly, and said lightly, ¡°She only did all of this because she loves Hansen. She might¡¯ve been cruel to me, but she treats Hansen very well. Women are all irrational when ites to love. This doesn¡¯t prove anything.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s face was full of shock and confusion.

    ¡°Well, do you know why I¡¯ve invited you here today? I didn¡¯t want to let you know about my condition so early initially,¡± he asked, startled by her calmness.

    Jenna was confused and shook her head.

    ¡°That¡¯s because some people are nning to kidnap you tonight. Someone offered them ten million dors to kill you, and get rid of the baby in your womb. I had to call you over to help you avoid this disaster. Fortunately, I was able to save you this time.¡± Trevor told her the truth calmly.

    This time, Jenna was astonished, and chills began to rise from the bottom of her feet.

    ¡°Right now, the whole of Richards Manor is in chaos. Everyone is looking for you, because you¡¯ve gone missing, and they¡¯re all worried,¡± Trevor said as he shook his head.

    ¡°Why, why is this happening to me? I¡¯ve already agreed to leave him. Why are they still trying to hurt me?¡± Jenna¡¯s face twitched in pain, and she asked furiously, ¡°Uncle Richards, who¡¯s the one who wants to hurt me this time?¡±

    ¡°My child. Things are far moreplicated than you think. However, don¡¯t worry. The truth will be exposed in a few days. We can¡¯t be sure about who¡¯s trying to hurt you yet, but I¡¯m pretty sure that you can guess who it is. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have evidence yet. So, we can¡¯t jump to conclusions.¡± He analyzed sorrowfully, as he let out a deep breath. His fingers that held onto the wheelchair were stiff, and his back was stiff as well.

    The doorbell rang, and the young man who was guarding the door came in. He leaned close to Trevor¡¯s ear and whispered to him, making Trevor¡¯s expression change drastically. A momentter, Trevor nodded and said, ¡°Well, that¡¯s it. Good and evil will always be rewarded, I guess this is her karma. Let¡¯s hope that Hansen can reach in time to save her life.¡±

    Jenna looked at him in confusion.

    ¡°Jenna, let me tell you. Your cousin Minnie has been kidnapped by Brock¡¯s minions, thinking that she was you. We¡¯re not sure if she¡¯s still alive, but the consequences might be bad. Those people aren¡¯t scared of death. They¡¯ll do anything.¡±

    Then, he nodded with a sigh. ¡°She was looking for trouble herself. It¡¯s her karma. If she hadn¡¯t been so arrogant and bold, she wouldn¡¯t havended herself in this situation. She only has herself to me for this. If she¡¯s able to survive this incident, let¡¯s hope that she¡¯ll learn to change and be a good person.¡±

    What! Jenna was dismayed by the news and got up.

    Minnie had been taken away by Brock and his minions!

    That¡¯s terrible! She¡¯s still a young woman!

    Although she had been arrogant and bad-mannered, her crimes shouldn¡¯t be punished by death.

    With this thought in mind, she could no longer be bothered about anything else. She said to Trevor, ¡°Take care, Uncle Richards. I must leave now.¡± She then turned around to leave immediately.

 Chapter 302 Capturing Brock

    ¡°Jenna¡­¡± Trevor wanted to stop her but it was already toote. ¡°Quick. Follow her and protect her. She¡¯s pregnant with a child.¡± He instructed the young man next to him.

    These bodyguards had all been personally trained by him in the past, and he had always treated them well. Even though he had been paralyzed for the past few years, the moment he woke up and wanted to look for them, all of them returned with merely a phone call.

    He watched Jenna¡¯s figure far away with a worried heart, and shook his head. He regretted telling her this news. Initially, Minnie would probably be the only victim, but now that she had known about it, who knows if she¡¯d do anything under impulse?

    Trevor¡¯s expression was solemn.

    Jenna had been through so much hardship, yet her kind-heartedness had never changed. This was the part of her that he admired the most!

    ¡°Rayan, please, take me to Brock.¡± Jenna rushed to the front desk. Rayan was sitting gracefully on the couch reading some newspapers, and his brows furrowed every once in a while. She rushed up to him within a few steps and pleaded while she held his hand, and her eyes were full of worry.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Rayan was shocked by Jenna¡¯s behavior. He sat up straight and looked at her with a puzzled face as he kept the newspapers.

    ¡°Rayan, let¡¯s go. Hurry up. I have no time to exin it to you now. Take me to Brock, please.¡± Jenna put her hands together, making a pleading gesture, and pulled onto his arms, wanting to leave.

    Rayan pursed his lips, frowned slightly, and grabbed Jenna¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Jen, are you sure you want to do this?¡± His voice was calm, neither anxious nor impatient. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to go to Brock¡¯s ce.¡±

    Jenna didn¡¯t have time to think about it. She just nodded her head in a hurry, with beads of sweat dripping on her forehead.

    ¡°I have to go and save her. We don¡¯t have much time. I¡¯m worried that we won¡¯t be able to make it on time,¡± she said fretfully. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter where she is. I have to go find her.¡±

    ¡°You? Are you sure you won¡¯t end up being a victim yourself?¡± Rayan gave her nce. He wanted tough, but he couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Rayan, we have no other choice. If there is a chance to save her, then we must try. I know that you¡¯re capable, and you know how to deal with all sorts of people. I can only beg you now,¡± she said with a distressed face. She was concerned, and her voice had a crying tone.

    ¡°Aih!¡± Rayan shook his head and sighed. ¡°Silly girl. She treated you so badly yet you¡¯re still being so kind to her.¡±

    At that moment, Jenna was a little stunned. She didn¡¯t tell him whom she was going to save, but it seemed as if Rayan already knew. Did he already know about everything?

    However, she didn¡¯t have the mood to ask these questions. She just dragged him outside.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bring you there. But promise me that once we get there, you¡¯ll listen to my instructions and not make any impulsive moves.¡± He ordered as he nodded and approved, worrying that she would do something dangerous out of impulse. After all, she was still pregnant. Honestly, he felt that it wasn¡¯t worth the effort to save a woman like Minnie.

    ¡°Alright, I will do it. I will listen to your instructions.¡± Jenna nodded repeatedly to show agreement, knowing that she would be depending on him.

    Seeing that he had no other way to stop her, Rayan shook his head and brought her out.

    On the beach of the vast ocean, the dark night hung over the surface of the ocean like a big. The night sky was silent, and a cold wind blew across the sea. The night of New Year¡¯s day was extraordinarily cold.

    Brock stood in the cabin of the ship, and a bloodthirsty light shed in his fierce and ruthless eyes. The huge scar on his face twitched every once in a while as he smoked his cigarette. The light altered from dark to bright, like a wildfire in the night.

    There was only a dark circle of light on the ship. The ship was anchored at a dark and unnoticeable corner so that it wouldn¡¯t attract any attention.

    Several figures approached the ship and hopped onto it.

    Muffled cries came from the sack they were carrying.

    ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve caught her.¡± Damon stepped forward and eximed.

    ¡°What about the money? Did you get the money?¡± Brock didn¡¯t bother looking at the person they were carrying. He was more concerned about the other five million. ording to the contract, he would be paid five million first, and then paid the other five million after they have sessfully caught the girl.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s here.¡± Damon took out a ck leather suitcase. Brock opened it and shone a torchlight onto it. Seeing that it was filled with stacks of newly minted cash, he nodded, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°That woman is all yours. Enjoy her while you can, and get rid of the baby in her womb as soon as possible. The moment our helicopter arrives, we have to leave immediately,¡± Brock said maliciously as he waved at them.

    ¡°Alright. Thank you, boss.¡± Damon led the two men to the cabin.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t!¡± In an instant, the scream of a woman was heard.

    ¡°Damon, you can go first. We¡¯ll do it afterwards.¡± The lustful voice of a man sounded, as heavy and hasty breathes could be heard.

    ¡°F*ck, hurry up. Someone grab her hands, and someone hold onto her legs. I¡¯ll take my pants off,¡± a rude male voice scolded.

    ¡°Yes, boss.¡± It was a rushed voice.

    Soon, a shrill scream red into the dark night sky.

    But very soon, they stuffed her mouth, and darkness swallowed everything. All the crimes started to happen.

    ¡°Mr. Matthews, I¡¯ve received news that Brock and his minions nned to leave after an hour. Jonas¡¯s helicopter will be arriving soon. If we don¡¯t catch him this time, it will be harder in the future.¡± Christopher was leading his subordinates to surround and capture everyone left in Brock¡¯sir. The initial n was to nab Brock alive at twelve o¡¯clock at midnight, but hearing this news made him a little worried.

    That guy had probably received news about their n and wanted to leave two hours earlier!

    This caught him off guard. What made him even more worried was that he wouldn¡¯t be able toplete the mission that Hansen had given him. He had pledged to Hansen that he would capture Brock alive that night, and he would be able to interrogate him. After all, this matter had been dyed by him for a long time because he was concerned about the whole situation.

    Hansen¡¯s furious face shed across his mind. He felt chills run down his spine, and his intuition was filled with gloom. That¡¯s it. Hansen was definitely not going to let him get away with it!

    ¡°Firstly, the police of the neighboring district will form a team and rush to the beach to stop Brock. If they can¡¯t stop him, at least they will try to dy his departure, and we will surround him as soon as possible. We have to get Brock alive. He¡¯s the head of a drug trafficking organization. If we catch him, he¡¯ll be able to give us a lot of important clues and information, and we¡¯ll be able to capture the entire drug trafficking organization.¡± Christopher ordered Charles Grote, the vice director of the police bureau, who was next to him.

    After receiving the order, Charles quickly contacted the Public Security Department of the neighboring district.

    The cold wind in the dark night ruthlessly engulfed the bright light by the sea.

    A bloody smell diffused through the air above the ship.

    All of a sudden, the sound of speedboats red on the surface of the sea, and swiftly approached the ship.

    Brock was holding Jennifer Owen as the both of them started to get intimate. They would be able to leave the ce soon. Once the clock strikes ten, Jonas¡¯ minions woulde and fetch them, and they would be able to escape on the helicopter.

    It was only half an hour away to ten o¡¯clock. The escape was imminent.

    The men were still enjoying in the cabin, and their heavy panting could be heard every once in a while. He smiled in disdain.

    Suddenly, a gunshot boomed in the night sky.

    Brock was dumbfounded, and quickly realized that something was wrong. His expression changed drastically as he pushed Jennifer away and stood up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. You¡¯d better surrender.¡± A ck gun was pointed at his back, and Jennifer screamed out of shock. She held her head and squatted at the side as she trembled with fear.

    ¡°Quick. Tell all of your men to put their guns down and surrender, or their only consequence will be death,¡± John said with a cold and hard voice as he took the gun out of Brock¡¯s pocket and stuck it into his own. ¡°Don¡¯t make unnecessary struggles, We Grand Eagles have had our eyes on you for a long time. We¡¯re all on the ship now, and we¡¯ve got hold of all your men, resisting will only result in death,¡± John yelled aggressively, his eyes were filled with ferocity and determination.

    Alvin jumped up from the side.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t expect to be captured by us so soon, did you?¡± The moment he got up, he gave Brock a hard kick, took out a cold pair of handcuffs, and cuffed them onto Brock¡¯s hands.

    Hansen¡¯s heart was burning with anxiety. Jenna¡¯s face kept shing in his eyes, as he wondered how she was doing.

    As soon as his speed boat approached the ship, he quickly hopped onto the ship, but was stopped by someone next to him.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we do not haveplete control over the situation yet, it¡¯s dangerous to go up there,¡± he said.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Let go of me.¡± Hansen could not wait any longer and red at him. At that moment, the sound of guns started to go off.

    A helicopter hovered in the sky, and guns were being shot from above. Fortunately, it was night time and the view was hazy. Hansen was forced to retreat to the speedboat.

    ¡°Quick. The criminal gang who hase to aid Brock has arrived. Shoot immediately,¡± Hansen said to Alvin through the walkie-talkie.

    Alvin immediately instructed the Grand Eagles to shoot at the helicopter.

    A battle between the gunmen broke out in the dark night.

    The people in the helicopter didn¡¯t expect Brock¡¯s ship to be taken control of. After a fierce battle, they could no longer put up the fight and retreated hurriedly.

    Hansen took advantage of the situation and leaped onto the ship.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna,¡± he shouted in the ship anxiously and looked everywhere. He saw a man holding onto his pants as he was being restrained by the Grand Eagles, and realized something. A ¡®boom¡¯ sound went off in his brain. Darkness shed before his eyes, and he almost fell to the ground.

    With a ¡°pong¡± sound, he rushed forward and kicked the man away. He shouted angrily as his veins popped across his face, ¡°Where is she?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there¡¯s a woman here. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s our young madam.¡± A frantic voice came from the cabin.

    Hansen¡¯s mind rumbled, and he quickly leaped into the cabin.

    A womanid motionless in the cabin. Her clothes have been removed and her lower body was full of blood and dirt. It wasn¡¯t certain whether she had fainted or was dead.

    Hansen screamed with worry, ¡°Jenna!¡±

    At that moment, all the men in the cabin left in an instant.

    Hansen quickly took his clothes off and draped them over her body. He bent down and took a closer look at the woman under the dim light. It was a face that looked like Jenna, but it wasn¡¯t Jenna!

    It was Minnie!

    He was taken aback for a moment, but then quickly came back to his senses, and a great sense of relief rose in his heart.

    Jenna was alright. At least he was sure that Jenna did not end up in Brock¡¯s hands, meaning that Jenna would be fine. If so, where was she? He quickly started to worry again, could she have been kidnapped by them too?

 Chapter 303 Interrogating Brock Through The Night

    ¡°Quick. Go and search again. Find your young madam.¡± He ran out of the room and gave the order.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards. They did not kidnap our young madam. They caught the wrong person. They thought that Minnie was Jenna and had captured her instead.¡± Alvin came over with Barrett in his hand, and threw him in front of Hansen.

    A gleam of light shed in Hansen¡¯s fierce eyes as he stepped on Barrett¡¯s body. He yelled, ¡°How did this happen?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we have indeed caught the wrong person. At that time, we saw that the other woman was dressed in in and shabby clothes, while this woman was dressed like the young madam. The two of them looked alike, so we caught the wrong person.¡± Barrett answered as he trembled in fear, and Hansen¡¯s foot was about to break his bones.

    A smile spread across Hansen¡¯s face, and all of a sudden, he broke intoughter.

    This. This was great. It was god¡¯s will!

    ¡°Get someone to send Minnie to the hospital at once. Alvin, let¡¯s go interrogate Brock now.¡± Hansen ordered them calmly as he retracted his smile, then led Alvin to the cabin where Brock was locked up.

    In the gloomy cabin, the dim light shook like a wildfire, and the pungent smell of mold invaded their senses.

    After a while, Hansen¡¯s eyes finally adapted to the darkness in the cabin, and he nced around in the cabin. It was aplete torture chamber. The tools of torture were specially designed, and the atmosphere was frightening and creepy. It seemed that Brock used this ce a lot to manage his minions and followers. The corners of his mouth rose into a cold smirk.

    Being apprehended by the Grand Eagles, Brock knelt on the deck of the ship with his hands cuffed as his head hung low.

    ¡°Do you recognize me, Brock?¡± Hansen asked coldly as he walked forward and sat down cross-legged on an iron chair.

    Hearing Hansen¡¯s voice, Brock lifted his head. His gaze was cold and fierce, like an eagle¡¯s.

    ¡°What do you want? Now that I¡¯m in your hands, it¡¯s up to you.¡± He raised his head and asked haughtily.

    Hansen sneered, as a piercing light flickered in his dangerous eyes.

    ¡°You sure are prepared to die. You¡¯d better take a look at your situation.¡± He scoffed, and then yelled, ¡± Brock Moore, you¡¯d better cooperate and answer my questions properly, or I¡¯ll make sure that you suffer so much that you¡¯d rather die.¡±

    A savage glint shed across Brock¡¯s eyes. ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m only getting paid to work for someone else. I have nothing to say to you.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled into a chilly smirk.

    ¡°You¡¯d better not y any tricks.¡± Alvin grabbed him, forcing him to stand up. Then, he picked up an iron rod and smashed it on his knee.

    Brock screamed and fell to the ground.

    ¡°Let me tell you. If you don¡¯t tell us everything today, I¡¯ll make sure that we use all these tools of torture on you at least once before the police arrive. I¡¯ll make sure that you won¡¯t die, but will live the rest of your life in pain instead.¡± Hansen¡¯s voice grew colder, with no warmth at all.

    Brock¡¯s arrogance started to subside, and a trace of fear appeared in his eyes. Any one of these tools were able to cause excruciating pain, let alone all of them. Every time he punished his minions with these tools, he could see their screams and misery.

    ¡°What do you want to know?¡± He replied in a muffled voice, and his voice became much softer.

    A cold smile appeared on Hansen¡¯s face.

    ¡°Brock, let me ask you first. Who ordered you to kill Javon Murphy in the car ident?¡± he asked sternly.

    Brock looked around and pretended to be confused.

    ¡°Answer him.¡± Alvin was furious, and picked up arge pair of pliers next to him. He said, ¡°If you don¡¯t answer all the questions clearly today, I¡¯ll make sure your p*nis loses its function, and you¡¯ll never be able to enjoy women ever again.¡±

    He spoke as he started to pull down Brock¡¯s pants, with the pair of pliers slowly approaching his lower body.

    Brock¡¯s lips quivered, and he quickly used his cuffed hands to protect his lower body. He instantly answered, ¡°Mr. Richards, I was ordered by Norton Richards to do it.¡±

    ¡°How presumptuous of you. Norton only told you to stop Javon from participating in the second day of the elections. He didn¡¯t tell you to kill him,¡± Hansen shouted fiercely, seeing that he wasn¡¯t being honest.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I told Leon the same thing, and only ordered him to break one of his arms or legs, but he drank that day and ruined the n, killing him instead.¡± Brock answered with an innocent-looking face.

    ¡°It looks like you won¡¯t tell the truth until you meet your doom,¡± Hansen said coldly. He said to Alvin, ¡°I¡¯ll hand him over to you. Ask him if he¡¯s the one who ordered someone to shoot you that day, and why he did that.¡±

    Hansen gave Brock a re as he spoke, and then strode off to the deck of the ship.

    After a while, Brock¡¯s screams rang from inside the cabin.

    Hansen stood on the deck, with a frosty smile on his handsome face. He was sure that Brock would not be able to take such a torturous punishment. Alvin used to be part of the special forces team. He knew of many different ways to torture people during interrogations. Moreover, he had been shot by Brock¡¯s men once, and he had wanted to take revenge since then. It was the perfect opportunity for him to vent his anger.

    Jenna¡¯s figure kept shing in his mind. Where could she have gone?

    She had no reason to leave Richards Manor thesest few days. The banquet wasn¡¯t over yet, but she had disappeared all of a sudden.

    At least she didn¡¯t fall into the hands of Brock, which he was thankful for.

    Very soon, the intense screaming came to an end.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, he¡¯s willing to confess.¡± Alvin walked out of the cabin.

    ¡°What did he say? Was he the one who ordered someone to shoot you? For what reason?¡± Hansen turned around and asked Alvin.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him, Mr. Richards. It was just like what you¡¯ve guessed, to stop us from interfering in the Javon Murphy case.¡± Alvin¡¯s face was full of rage. ¡°This man is terrible. How dare he shoot me in broad daylight. I refused to let myself get shot in vain. So, he¡¯s already been punished quite a lot.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Seeing that this reply was getting closer to the truth, Hansen walked inside.

    Brock was like a tiger with its fur shaved off. Heid on the floor with a pale face, and his body was covered in blood stains.

    ¡°Tell me, who ordered you to kill Javon Murphy using Norton¡¯s hands?¡± Hansen roared as he walked in, giving him a disdainful nce.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I really don¡¯t know who he is. However, that day, someone told me to go to the New Era Restaurant, and we made a deal there,¡± Brock replied honestly, giving up on resisting.

    ¡°Who told you to go there? How much money did they pay you for this?¡± Hansen continued with a gloomy face.

    ¡°It was a man in a ck suit. He said that all I had to do was to use the opportunity where Norton wanted to harm Javon to kill him directly instead. Plus, he would pay me another ten million dors as a reward. It was a huge sum, and I was tempted, so I epted the money. We were desperate for money. So, we epted the mission.¡±

    ¡°How much money did Norton pay you to stop Javon from participating in the election?¡± A piercing light flickered in Hansen¡¯s eyes. From what he knew, Norton wasn¡¯t married yet, So, he hadn¡¯t been given any of the family properties. He didn¡¯t have much money, and would definitely not be able to offer much.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, he only paid us one million. He didn¡¯t request for much. He just wanted us to think of a way to stop Javon from participating in the election, nothing more. It was supposed to be a simple job. We¡¯ve already nned just to drag his time while he was on his way or trick him into going somewhere else and then lock him up for a night, and then let him go the next day. Who would¡¯ve known that someone else would offer us so much money to kill him instead. We don¡¯t know why either.¡± Brock had lost all of his ferocity. Fear was disyed in his eyes, and he cried painfully as his body was covered in blood.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t know who¡¯s behind this?¡± The ruthlessness in Hansen¡¯s eyes got more and more frightening.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you should know that we only get paid to do things. We don¡¯t need to know that much information. However, that day at the hotel, I came to know that the person who ordered us to do this was an important politician. I¡¯ve heard that he used to be one of Javon¡¯s subordinates. His surname was Ford, but I didn¡¯t understand why he wanted to do so.¡± Brock broke into cold sweat, and his eyes were filled with sincerity.

    ¡°Sheldon Ford?¡± A gleam of light shed in Hansen¡¯s squinted eyes. So it was him? He wondered.

    It turned out that all these matters were connected.

    ¡°Alright, let me ask you then. How did you get our Pranica car in the cave? You did that, didn¡¯t you?¡± Hansen asked as his face darkened. He remembered that day, when Jenna almost jumped down the river because of that, and he started to get anxious again.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I did make someone get the car down there, but Norton ordered someone to drive that car out of theGreen Mountain Automobile City, and only then it was handed over to us. We only get paid to do these. You can¡¯t me us.¡± Brock recalled the incident when the man in the mask drove that car over to them that day, and wanted them to get rid of the body and evidence.

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that Leon had used that car to hit Javon Murphy, and then he drove it out there, isn¡¯t it?¡± Hansen calmed down and asked again.

    ¡°It¡¯s not entirely like that. Another man drove the car over and handed it over to Leon. When we got the car, the engine number had been erased, and we didn¡¯t know that it belonged to the Richards Group. Besides, there were too many people in A City who owned cars made by the Richards Group,¡± Brock said with a weak voice. He held onto his knee as his forehead started to sweat from the pain.

    Hansen clenched his fists. ¡°Was that also ordered by Norton Richards?¡±

    That car was a limited edition luxury car from the Richards Group, and there weren¡¯t many of them around the world. Even if the color of the car was changed, and the engine number had been erased, then it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to discover that it had something to do with Norton should there be an investigation. Why would he be so dumb?

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I really don¡¯t know. You should know that we only take the money andplete our tasks. We don¡¯t care about anything else. He only said that someone had ordered him to give us the money and destroy the body,¡± Brock replied helplessly.

    Hansen ced his hands behind his back and paced back and forth. It seemed that Brock didn¡¯t know much about this matter. He probably wasn¡¯t lying.

    ¡°Then, who paid you ten million to get rid of Jenna Murphy¡¯s baby?¡± Speaking of that, Hansen¡¯s eyes were full of rage, and he clenched his fists so tightly that water could be squeezed out.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    How dare someone do such an evil thing! If he knew who had done it, he would make sure that that person suffered from the consequences.

 Chapter 304 He Had Never Slept With Aria

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we only received the mission from a middleman through a phone call. When we met, it was an unknown man too. We didn¡¯t get any other information from them.¡± Brock¡¯s face was twisted due to the pain, and hisplexion turned pale.

    Hansen looked at him with a glum face, and expected that he wouldn¡¯t lie anymore. He couldn¡¯t help but to yell, ¡°You guys have no conscience. How could you guys just ept such inhumane tasks for money?¡±

    After that, he squatted down and pinched his chin, with an expression full of mockery.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that the head of the biggest gang in A City would be a coward that couldn¡¯t take beatings and torture. I bet you¡¯ve never expected that you¡¯d fall into my hands and end up like this,¡± he said.

    Hansenughed after he was done speaking.

    Brock¡¯s face turned red and then green. He was triggered by Hansen¡¯s scorns, as even being involved in gangs, he hated it the most when people ridiculed him. The spark that had been extinguished at the bottom of his heart was lit again, and a gloomy light shed in his eyes. He suddenlyughed as if he remembered something.

    ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Hansen stopped smiling and looked at him strangely.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I may be a coward, but at least that is better than being cheated on like you. A man who has been cheated on is useless, no matter how rich or powerful he is.¡± Brock taunted him with an expression full of arrogance, feeling content in his heart.

    Hansen¡¯s face darkened. He squatted down and grabbed him by the cor, saying fiercely, ¡°You¡¯d better not speak nonsense. I¡¯m single now. So, I can¡¯t get cheated on. Everyone knows about this.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Brock¡¯s eyes were blood red and his face was pale. He grinned viciously. ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting married soon? It¡¯s a shame that the woman you¡¯re marrying had slept with me. I know that I won¡¯t be able to escape now that you¡¯ve got your hands on me, but knowing that I¡¯ve slept with the fianc¨¦e of the great Mr. Richards, I can die in peace.¡±

    After that, heughed again. Hisughter spread far, far away from the dark and wide beach.

    The hair on Hansen¡¯s skin stood up as he heard hisughter, feeling confused.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He grabbed his cor once again, almost picking him up from the floor, and the light in his eyes was so cold. His eyes were scorching with anger.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you. Don¡¯t think that your life is so smooth and sessful. Any other man¡¯s life is better than yours. At least they own their wives, and their wives are pure and innocent. Your woman had slept with me, and it sure felt good. She sure was the sl*t of the entertainment industry. She was very seductive that day, I enjoyed it very much.¡± Brock¡¯s eyes were filled with evil, and he felt ted seeing Hansen¡¯s furious expression.

    The memories that remained in Hansen¡¯s mind reappeared, and he immediately remembered the incident that happened three years ago in the Zevery Hotel. He remembered that when he rushed in, he saw Jenna clinging onto the bed sheet, and crying with a pale face. That horrible man stood in the room, wearing only underwear. His eyes were red, and the monstrosity of a man could be seen on his body.

    Could he be that man?

    His slim fingers grabbed Brock¡¯s shirt so tightly that cracking sounds could be heard, as his face turned purplish. After all these years, every time he thought about the scene that day, he felt immense hatred towards Jenna. That was the reason why he lost his rationality and insulted her so much as well, making his life a mess. So it was him that day?

    However, the man he saw that day did not look like Brock at all!

    However, his anger had rushed up to his brain and before he could give it a careful thought, he raised his fist angrily, with his eyes and face red. That fist of his was fiery, and a punch from it would¡¯ve probably turned his head into a patty.

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re so mad that you¡¯ve lost your rationality, haven¡¯t you?¡± Brock knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape death, but he was delighted to see the great Mr. Richards furious. ¡°Mr. Richards, you can¡¯t me me. She was the one who walked into my room,ing to me herself. I did have my own woman, and I didn¡¯t really bother doing anything to her, but she kept pestering me and hugging me, so I had no choice but to satisfy her. Maybe you¡¯re not good enough, Mr. Richards. That¡¯s why I had to help satisfy her instead. You should know that I booked the room along with room 1008 that day, yet she chose to use the privilege of her father to barge into my room. Ah, it sure is god¡¯s n.¡±

    Brock¡¯s face was full of pride, and his saliva was spurting everywhere.

    Hansen, on the other hand, was taken aback.

    Room 1008? A thought shed through his mind in that instant.

    ¡°What room 1008? The Zevery hotel only had nine floors. It was an old-fashioned five-star hotel. It didn¡¯t even have a tenth floor. Who are you trying to fool?¡± Hansen sneered, and couldn¡¯t help but tough at the horrible man.

    Brock was stunned when he heard this, but thenughed out loud and continued. ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯re so mad that you can¡¯t think straight anymore, can you? You¡¯ve even mixed up the hotels? Did you forget that it was at the Hilton Hotel? You nned to catch me there that night.¡±

    The Hilton Hotel? Hansen¡¯s mouth fell open as he gave it a thought. After a long while, he lowered his head and asked calmly, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, so you really don¡¯t know. I¡¯m so sorry, but I truly slept with your woman that night. Not only once. It was for the entire night. It was very enjoyable.¡± An evil smirk spread across Brock¡¯s face as he continued. ¡°You didn¡¯t expect it, didn¡¯t you, Mr. Richards? Your woman had slept with me. You didn¡¯t expect something like this to happen.¡±

    Brock was delighted as he said this, as the great Mr. Richards in front of him was so angry that his facial features had been twisted.

    ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± He stared at his face and asked again.

    ¡°Well, Mr. Richards, you are going to marry her soon, yet you¡¯re still acting like you don¡¯t know? Do you not know who you¡¯re getting married to? It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t want to admit it. She had already slept with me anyway. I¡¯m pretty sure that baby in her womb is not even yours. Who knows, your family properties might end up being inherited by my son.¡± Brock said wickedly. He had known from a long time ago that Hansen was going to marry Aria in a week, and Aria was about three months pregnant. Calcting the dates, it was around the time where he had slept with her. So, it was likely to be his child.

    The thought of that filled his heart up with joy. No matter what, he had slept with Hansen¡¯s woman, and even if the baby in her womb wasn¡¯t his, he still had a big advantage. An opportunity like this was one in a million.

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Aria McAdams, aren¡¯t you?¡± Hansen pretended to ask calmly, as millions of thoughts shed in his brain.

    ¡°Of course. Who else?¡± Brock replied maliciously as he smiled proudly.

    Hansen was stunned for some time, and then his whole body felt relieved. Heughed so hard that he started to tear up.

    So that¡¯s what happened. If that was true, then all of his doubts could be answered!Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    His entire body felt rxed, and his face was full of relief.

    He asked lightly, ¡°How did you escape from the Hilton Hotel that day?¡±

    Hansen stoppedughing and let go off his cor. Then, he pped his hands together with an unbothered look.

    Brock was surprised and stoppedughing. He nced at him, and was puzzled by his abnormal behaviour.

    Was he not bothered by the fact that his woman had slept with him? Or was he sure that the child in her womb wasn¡¯t his?

    ¡°Speaking of this, I really have to thank your woman. If she didn¡¯t pester me that day, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape, being surrounded by the police and your subordinates. Haha, but with her, the title of Mayor McAdams covered for me, so I could leave easily.¡± He continued to brag as he didn¡¯t believe that Hansen would be unbothered.

    A meaningful smile appeared on Hansen¡¯s face. He used his finger to flick away the dust on his shirt, and then asked casually, ¡°So you were the one who brought Aria up to the eighth floor? How did you know I was on the eighth floor?¡±

    This time, it was Brock¡¯s turn to be bewildered. He paused for a while, and then gave him a mischievous smile and said, ¡°Well I¡¯m sorry, I left right after I was done enjoying. I don¡¯t have the time to meddle in other peoples¡¯ businesses. Were you sleeping with other women on the eighth floor too that night? Or did Aria coincidentally sleep with the wrong person?¡±

    As he spoke, he stared at Hansen with a roguish expression.

    So that¡¯s what happened! Hansen retracted his gaze, and his eyes were filled with mystery. He slowly closed his fingers.

    He stood up, turned around, and saw Jordan¡¯s police car driving over. Groups of police started to get down from the cars and surround the area.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll leave them to Jordan,¡± Hansen said to Alvin calmly.

    Alvin nodded and went straight into the cabin. Soon, John retreated along with the Grand Eagles.

    Jordan boarded the ship with arge number of policemen in a sh.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯re already here?¡± Jordan was shocked. He did not expect Hansen to be on the ship already.

    ¡°Hmmph.¡± Hansen snorted coldly. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they would have escaped by the time you arrive.¡±

    With a disdainful look on his face, he continued calmly. ¡°We¡¯ve contained the situation here for a while now. You can take care of the rest.¡±

    Jordan was astounded by Hansen¡¯s reply. Joy was disyed on his face as he nodded repeatedly. ¡°Thank you so much, Mr. Richards. I¡¯ll get busy, then.¡±

    The cold sea breeze made Hansen¡¯s mind clearer as he stood on the deck of the ship.

    It turned out that it was Brock who slept with Aria that night.

    After he had been drugged by Norton, he had fallen asleep. However, even when he was asleep, he didn¡¯t recall doing anything to Aria. It was just that when he woke up, he saw Aria lying in his embrace with a body full of bruises. He finally understood after listening to Brock¡¯s words, that they had mixed up the rooms.

    Obviously, Brock was the one responsible for the bruises on her body. It had nothing to do with him.

    Then how did she end up in his room? Did she participate in drugging him?

    If that was the case, then Aria should¡¯ve known that the baby in her womb wasn¡¯t his, yet she used it to threaten him and force him to marry her all this time. She¡¯s horrible!

    It seemed that if he wanted to find out what was going on, he had to interrogate Norton instead!

    Soon, all the gangsters on the ship were brought ashore by the police, and all of them held onto the back of their heads as they were escorted into the police cars.

    Jordan directed the policemen to clean the ship.

    Hansen leaped onto the beach and was prepared to leave.

 Chapter 305 Come With Me If You Want To Know More

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Christopher rushed over in the dark night, and called out to him with a smile as he saw him. He extended his fist and punched his shoulder. ¡°You rascal, taking action without my instructions again.¡±

    Hansen was expressionless. He sneered and said sarcastically, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t acted early, you probably wouldn¡¯t be able to capture Brock throughout your entire career, and all our hard work would go to waste. You wouldn¡¯t be able to get your credit either.¡±

    Christopher smiled sheepishly and scratched his head. He knew that he couldn¡¯t fool him.

    ¡°Alright, I owe you a favor for this. You did help me a lot for this anti-drug operation, but I will return the favor very soon and let you know how sincere I am to you.¡± Christopher said mysteriously.

    Hansen didn¡¯t bother answering him, and didn¡¯t believe that he would be able to help him with anything. Ever since he had known this guy, he was the one who was helping him the whole time. He put in a lot of effort to help him with his credibility and his career, but he never gained anything. If he had really waited for his signal, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to interrogate Brock, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to know of this shocking news.

    The child in Aria¡¯s womb wasn¡¯t his. This was important news to him!

    He had never believed that he had touched her, but he never found an exnation for it. Now that he had known about all of this, he was able to change everything, and it wasn¡¯t toote.

    ¡°Drive me back to Richards Manor,¡± he shouted at Christopher with a cold face.

    Christopher smiled and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll drive you back personally. You¡¯ve done well.¡±

    Hansen grunted coldly!

    Christopher started the car. Hansen opened the door and got into the car, and the car drove away.

    ¡°I wanted to participate in Richards Manor¡¯s New Year banquet, but I was toote. Let¡¯s hope that I can make it to your wedding,¡± Christopher said apologetically as he drove.

    Hansen kept a straight face and did not say a word.

    ¡°Do you really need to give me that face, Mr. Richards?¡± Christopher was a little embarrassed by Hansen¡¯s darkened face, and said tteringly, ¡°Alright, I owe you a favor. I¡¯ll give you a top of the line gift on the day of your wedding. How about that?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s expression turned even more grim.

    Christopher was afraid of him and stopped talking.

    Hansen clutched onto his cellphone tightly and kept dialing a familiar phone number.

    Her cell phone had been turned off ever since she had left Richards Manor.

    Where on earth have this woman gone?

    Did she really leave Richards Manor just like that? The scene of her getting intimate with Rayan shed before his eyes, and he felt annoyed. If he guessed correctly, she was probably with Rayan, and would probably not return to Richards Manor anymore.

    His face was cold and gloomy, and the aura he emitted was cold enough to freeze one¡¯s bones.

    A ck Rolls-Royce sped over in the night, with its bright headlights turned on.

    ¡°Stop the car.¡± Hansen straightened his back and said nervously.

    The Rolls-Royce was driven very fast, as if it was blown past their car. The people is the car must¡¯ve been in a hurry.

    As though they were in a hurry to go somewhere.

    ¡°Turn back.¡± Hansen thought for a moment and said.

    ¡°What?¡± Christopher didn¡¯t know how to react.

    ¡°Quick. Turn back,¡± Hansen growled, as he turned his face to look at the car.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Christopher finally understood what he said. He wasn¡¯t sure why he wanted to go back, but looking at that car speeding over in a hurry, he felt like something was going to happen. Without having any time to think, he turned back and chased after that car.

    After a while, they returned to the ship.

    The Rolls-Royce stopped next to the beach.

    The door was opened in a sh, and a delicate figure rushed out of the car.

    Although it was dark that night, with the help of the dim car lights, Hansen could recognize that it was Jenna, the one that he had been worrying about all this time.

    If it wasn¡¯t for her, he wouldn¡¯t have taken action early, and Brock would¡¯ve been able to escape.

    ¡°Minnie, Minnie.¡± She ran out of the car and shouted anxiously.

    Jenna could see that the police already had control over the situation in the car, but she was still worried about Minnie. Even though the police were here, they had arrivedte, and falling into the hands of the brutal Brock Moore at this time would probably lead to serious consequences.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Murphy. This is an investigation site. The area has been cordoned off by the police. You can¡¯t enter.¡± A police officer came and stopped her.

    ¡°Minnie, where is Minnie? How is she?¡± She asked the policeman who stopped her with worry.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    The policeman¡¯s face was full of confusion.

    ¡°Hello, we¡¯re here to check if a woman named Minnie Murphy is safe. She¡¯s her sister. We¡¯ve heard that she was kidnapped and brought to the ship by Brock¡¯s minions, and wanted to know where she is now. How¡¯s the situation?¡± Rayan walked forward and exined to the policeman politely and clearly.

    ¡°I see.¡± The policeman looked at them, and then shook his head, replying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You must have been mistaken. We already have control over Brock¡¯s ship, but there¡¯s only a woman named Jennifer Owen inside. There isn¡¯t any other suspicious women in there. So, I don¡¯t think the person you¡¯re looking for is here. You must¡¯ve received incorrect news.¡±

    Was that so? She thought. Jenna felt relieved when she heard that Minnie wasn¡¯t there.

    However, very soon, she started to feel that something was wrong. Trevor had told her that Brock had kidnapped Minnie. Could he have destroyed her body and the evidence instead? The thought of it made her even more grim.

    ¡°Jen, since she isn¡¯t here, it means that nothing has happened. It¡¯s alreadyte. We should go back. Now that Brock has been captured, we¡¯ll receive news if there¡¯s any tomorrow.¡± Rayan advised Jenna softly. He had taken a few nces at the dark beach, but couldn¡¯t see anything suspicious except the police getting busy under the dim light. Jenna was still pregnant, and being exposed to the cold weather would harm her weak body.

    But Jenna was stubborn and refused to leave. Minnie¡¯s life was at stake, as she was worried that if they waited until the next day, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to find her body.

    Hansen jumped out of the car and observed the couple in the dark. They were made for each other, a match made in heaven.

    His eyebrows furrowed and his face turned glum, as pain radiated from his heart.

    When Christopher got out of the car, he saw Jenna and Rayan in a nce. He then turned back to look at Hansen, who was standing there with a tense and solemn expression. He immediately understood the situation, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

    So, he came back for Jenna.

    Nevertheless, wasn¡¯t he getting married soon?

    He nced at how Hansen looked at Jenna with an infatuated but sorrowful gaze, and suddenly understood something.

    Heh, the great Mr. Richards had fallen into the trap of love, and he was sad because of her!

    Shaking his head, he walked towards Jenna.

    ¡°Greetings, Mr. Matthews.¡± The policemen gave a salute to Christopher as they saw him walk over.

    ¡°Hello, you may leave first.¡± Christopher nodded and waved to the police. The police turned around and left at once.

    ¡°Jenna, why are you here at this hour?¡± He looked at her with a smile.

    Her face had blushed due to her anxiety, and the worry in her eyes couldn¡¯t be concealed.

    ¡°Mr. Matthews, how¡¯s Minnie Murphy?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes lit up as she saw Christopher, as if he was a lifesaver, and she asked hurriedly.

    ¡°Minnie Murphy?¡± Christopher was a little surprised. ¡°Who is she? What happened to her?¡±

    Jenna was dumbfounded. How was it that even the head of the police didn¡¯t know about it? It was too weird. Could it be that Minnie really wasn¡¯t kidnapped by Brock? However, there was no reason for Trevor to lie to her.

    No, the safer it seemed, the more it proved that something was wrong.

    ¡°Minnie is Aria¡¯s agent. She¡¯s my cousin too, and was kidnapped wrongly by Brock¡¯s minions because she looked like me. I¡¯m worried that something has happened to her.¡± Jenna exined earnestly, feeling very worried.

    Hearing that, Christopher was confused. He scratched his head and said, ¡°Jenna, I think you¡¯ve misunderstood. We¡¯ve captured Brock alive, but there wasn¡¯t any other woman on the ship. If there were any other circumstances, we would only be able to know the truth after interrogating Brock. So, it¡¯s no use worrying about it now. How about this? I¡¯ll get someone to look around nearby, and see if we can find anything.¡±

    Christopher was just about to order the police to look around for any other suspicious women, for the sake of human life, when he heard a yell, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±

    Hansen walked over with a sullen face.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re here too.¡± Jenna turned around as she heard his voice, and found Hansen standing right behind her. She was thrilled, as Trevor had said something about hoping that Hansen would be able to arrive in time to save her life.

    He must have known about the situation!

    ¡°Hansen, where¡¯s Minnie? Is she alright?¡± She ignored everyone else around her, turned around, and grabbed onto his arm with her eyes filled with concern.

    Hansen gave her a solemn look, and his expression was tense.

    His gaze fell onto her hand that was holding onto his arm, and then moved to her abdomen, and then fell back onto her worried face.

    ¡°I had already sent someone to bring her to the hospital. Come with me if you want to know more,¡± he answered lightly. He peered at Rayan, who was standing next to her, then turned around casually and shouted to Christopher, ¡°Lend me your car.¡±

    After taking the car keys from Christopher, he strode towards the car with his long legs.

    Without hesitation, Jenna followed his footsteps and wanted to leave.

    ¡°Jenna, are you sure you want to follow him?¡± Rayan quickly grabbed her arm as he saw her leaving.

    ¡°Rayan, Minnie is in the hospital, and it¡¯s uncertain whether she¡¯s dead or alive. I have to go and take a look. You can go back first. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± Jenna turned her head and nodded with certainty at Rayan, giving him a smile.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Rayan was concerned. In his eyes, Hansen¡¯s gaze was mysterious and frightening.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay. Don¡¯t worry.¡± She gave him a reassuring smile.

    ¡°Are youing or not? If you don¡¯t want to go, then we can forget about it,¡± Hansen said coldly, as his heart burst into mes hearing the two of them showing concern for each other.

    ¡°Of course, I want to go.¡± Jenna knew of his temper, and quickly caught up to him with a ttering smile.

    With a cold sneer, Hansen opened the car door and sat in the driver¡¯s seat. Jenna, on the other hand, quickly entered from the other side and sat on the passenger¡¯s seat.

    He started the car with an expressionless face, as his eyes stared at the front mirror. His face darkened with fury.

 Chapter 306 Gentle And Considerate

    ¡°It seems like your lover is worried about you. He¡¯s still following us.¡± Hansen sneered, and anger could be heard in his voice.

    Jenna was shocked. Surely enough, she had seen Rayan¡¯s car behind them through the rearview mirror.

    Her face turned red as she felt apologetic, and she quickly gave Hansen a smile and tried to cajole him. ¡°Sorry, Hansen, he didn¡¯t mean to do it.¡±

    How dare she defend him! Hansen was enraged.

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± He smiled coldly, and then gave the elerator a hard step, and the car sped forward.

    ¡°Ahhhh,¡± Jenna screamed in fear and the speedometer on the dashboard showed that the current speed was 180 kilometers per hour. Her body was dripping in sweat, and she pleaded loudly. ¡°Have you lost your mind, Hansen? Please slow down. it¡¯s nighttime.¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid of dying? How about we die together?¡± Hansen said with a mouth full of frost.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re crazy.¡± Jenna¡¯s face was pale, but she had no more tears left to cry.

    Hansen stared at his side mirror with his piercing gaze, and the corners of his mouth curved into a disdainful smile. He turned his steering wheel to the right, and the car sped into a forked road. He had no intention to stop, and he drove right into anotherne. By the time Jenna returned to her senses, what¡¯s left behind them was the empty road. Rayan¡¯s car was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Why on earth did you have to drive like that?¡± Jenna asked with annoyance, as she ced her hand on her pounding heart.

    ¡°He was trying to follow me. I won¡¯t be fooled that easily.¡± Hansen stopped the car for a while and shot her a nce with a cold expression.

    ¡°Oh, please. That road was the way to his house, alright? Where did you get the idea that he must¡¯ve been following you? You¡¯re being unreasonable.¡± Jenna refuted. Her face was flushed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. Stop finding excuses for him.¡± Hansen¡¯s expression turned even glummer, and his face darkened. He couldn¡¯t control the jealousy in his heart as he listened to Jenna defend Rayan.

    ¡°You are unreasonable.¡± Jenna felt angry and uneasy, but she did not dare to refute him. After all, he was the one driving the car.

    She lowered her head and closed her eyes for a while, and didn¡¯t want to be bothered by him.

    These days were so tiring!

    Perhaps Hansen had gone too far when he zipped around in the forked roads, and they haven¡¯t arrived at the hospital even after a long drive. Therefore, Jenna rested her eyes for a while.

    A whileter, she fell asleep. By the time she woke up, she found herself being held by a pair of arms.

    A familiar scent entered her nostrils, and her heart skipped a beat. She opened her eyes and looked around, only to realize that she was in Hansen¡¯s embrace, and they were in a familiar ce!

    They were back at Richards Manor!

    Wasn¡¯t he going to take her to the hospital to see Minnie? Why did theye back to Richards Manor?

    She struggled to break free from his arms.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Hansen bellowed in a deep voice.

    ¡°Hansen, didn¡¯t you say you were taking me to the hospital? Why are we back at Richards Manor?¡± She asked in surprise as she pushed him away.

    ¡°Why should we go to the hospital when it¡¯s already sote? Don¡¯t worry. She won¡¯t die.¡± Hansen squeezed the words through his teeth with a distant expression.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°No, how is she doing? Are there any issues? I have to go see her.¡± She persisted.

    After all, Minnie was still a young woman. She was worried that her innocence had been destroyed. A young woman who fell into the hands of those gangsters and were taken advantage of by them. That was as bad as taking her life!

    Hmph! A light snort came out of Hansen¡¯s nostrils, and his face was full of disdain!

    ¡°This dumb woman. Does she not know that Minnie isn¡¯t as innocent as she thinks? She¡¯d probably had slept with countless guysand being taken advantage of by Brock¡¯s minions was probably just a small issue to her. She had earned it herself. So, she deserved the lesson. Besides, Minnie had always treated her horribly, yet she was still concerned about her? What was wrong with her brain? She¡¯s so dumb!¡± He thought impatiently.

    He angrily carried Jenna to the second floor and lowered her down onto a huge bed.

    As the lights were switched on, Jenna¡¯s eyes squinted at the brilliant lights, and her eyes finally adapted to the bright surroundings after a while. She was shocked to see that she was back at the original bedroom on the second floor, and that nothing had changed there.

    ¡°No, I want to go to the hospital. I don¡¯t want to stay here.¡± She protested as she took a look at the room that was once hers. She had already decided to forget about that room. So, she refused to stay there.

    ¡°You do not get to decide. From today onwards, you will stay in this room, and you¡¯re not allowed to step out of it. I will interrogate you every day until you confess to me about the true paternity of your child,¡± Hansen said bossily as he leaned close to her and stroked her face with his hand.

    ¡°You, you lunatic.¡± Jenna realized that she had been tricked by him and got up immediately, intending to run away.

    Hansen extended his arm and grabbed her easily, asking coldly, ¡°It¡¯s already veryte. Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. I don¡¯t want to stay here. I want to go to the hospital to see Minnie and see how she¡¯s doing. I need to know if her life is in danger, and I want to go home,¡± Jenna shouted as she struggled to escape from Hansen¡¯s grip.

    ¡°Go home?¡± Hansen¡¯s face turned as red as a tomato. She wanted to go home. She no longer considered this ce as her home. Her words hurt him deeply, and he felt a sharp pain in his heart.

    ¡°Hansen, all you do is bully me and lie to me. I¡¯ll never trust you ever again,¡± Jenna said as she teared up. She had just been lifted up by Hansen, so she couldn¡¯t breathe properly. Hence, she felt terrible.

    Hansen stretched his arms out and hugged her tightly. He then carried her onto the bed and pressed her arms against the bed.

    ¡°Calm down. stupid woman. Look at the time. I¡¯ll tell you, I¡¯ve already called the hospital, and they said that Minnie had only sustained minor injuries. Luckily for her, I arrived in time and managed to save her life. Will you please be reasonable? Do you think it¡¯ll do you any good to rush over there at this hour? Do you think she wants to see you? Stop overdoing things. She won¡¯t appreciate your concerns. It¡¯d be better if you just mind your own business.¡± Hansen came close to her as his eyes and face started to blush. The warm breath escaped his mouth andnded onto her face, making her face numb.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank. Knowing that Minnie¡¯s life wasn¡¯t in danger, she calmed down and stopped protesting.

    ¡°In that case, I want to go back.¡± She struggled to get up, not wanting to stay in this room.

    ¡°Go back to where?¡± Pain shed across the depths of Hansen¡¯s eyes. He asked fiercely, ¡°Back to Rayan Whalen¡¯s ce? Who is he to you? You¡¯re a woman. How is it appropriate for you to stay in his house? I won¡¯t allow that. You¡¯ll be sleeping with me tonight.¡±

    His face darkened, and his eyes were filled with gloom. His body emanated a frightening aura, and Jenna was terrified.

    She bit her lips and red at him, not saying a word.

    ¡°Don¡¯t y any tricks with me. You¡¯ve been with me for so long. You should already know my temper. Before I decide to let you go, you¡¯ll have to stay here obediently,¡± Hansen said arrogantly.

    ¡°You¡¯re unreasonable.¡± Jenna red at him with an expression full of rage.

    ¡°You really think being reasonable helps? If it helps, your father wouldn¡¯t have died,¡± Hansen said in disdain. He removed his zer and tie, and then threw them on the sofa.

    Hearing about her father¡¯s death, Jenna felt miserable, and went limp.

    ¡°So, do you want me to give you a bath?¡± He smirked as he stared at her.

    Jenna stood up feebly. Knowing that she wouldn¡¯t be able to leave tonight, she turned around and produced a set of pajamas from the cupboard, and then walked to the bathroom.

    Hansen nced at her. He then sat on the sofa silently.

    His head began to ache. Hence, hey down on the sofa and used his fingers to massage his temples. A momentter, he fell asleep.

    When Jenna came out, she saw Hansen lying on the sofa, sleeping very soundly. She was stunned for a while. She then reached for the cupboard to get a nket and covered him with it. She was tired and let out a yawn. So, she turned around and climbed into bed, dozing off.

    In the middle of the night, a warm chest leaned close to her, and she naturally snuggled close to it, falling asleep in afortable position.

    When she opened her eyes in the morning, she felt a big handying gently on her abdomen. She was startled by howfortable it felt and awakened instantly.

    Hansen¡¯s handsome face appeared in front of her.

    He was sleeping with his eyes closed, and his face was full of exhaustion.

    ¡°Why are you sleeping on the bed?¡± She asked in dismay.

    ¡°You¡¯re so annoying. This is my house. Why can¡¯t I sleep on the bed?¡± His face was full of displeasure and he sounded tired. He reached out and pulled her into his embrace, then moved his hand downwards until it found her calves. His warm hand caressed her calf gently as he asked softly, ¡°Are your calves still cramping?¡±

    Jenna was dumbfounded!

    Did she let out a shout from cramps the night before?

    These days, her calves cramped frequently during the night, and she would be awakened by the pain while she was dreaming. There were even times when it was so painful that she woke up crying.

    So,st night¡­

    She remained silent as she nestled in his arms in a daze, not knowing what to say.

    She was so tiredst night that she couldn¡¯t even be woken up by her cramps! Perhaps she slept too soundly due to the warm embrace enveloping her!

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital today. Wait for me here,¡± Hansen said firmly but gently, not allowing for any objections.

    The night before, she cried in her dreams, screaming in pain. He awoke in shock, and then he got up from the sofa, only to see her hand grabbing onto her calf tightly as her feet tensed up, and her face was filled with agony.

    His heart trembled. In the past few days, he had browsed through articles on the Inte, and he knew that leg cramps weremon among pregnant women. It was a sign ofck of calcium, and she was already malnourished to begin with. So, it was normal for her to experience symptoms like these. Therefore, he climbed onto the bed, gently pushed her hand away, and stroked her calf for her slowly. After a while, the agony on her face subsided, and she fell asleep.

    He was still a little worried, so he held her into his embrace and went to sleep. Some time in the midnight, her calf started to cramp again, and she whined painfully, so he extended his arm to massage her calf again, and she finally fell into a deep sleep.

    It happened several times that night. Therefore, he barely slept. His face showed immense exhaustion, but he had important matters to attend to. Hence, he had to leave first.

    Jenna felt mncholic, and remained silent with her eyes closed after hearing his voice.

    Hansen quickly got up, washed up, and went downstairs.

    Soon, warm breakfast was served to Jenna.

    Seeing that it was gettingte, Jenna quickly got up and washed herself as well, only having a few spoonfuls of porridge before losing her appetite.

 Chapter 307 I Want To Kill Him With My Own Hands

    It¡¯s the second day of the New Year, and thest day of the Richards Manor New Year¡¯s banquet.

    She nced around in the bedroom, that she¡¯d never dreamed that she would return to. Who would¡¯ve known that she¡¯d be tricked by Hansen into returning the night before.

    All sorts of emotions welled up in her heart and she stood there in a stupor.

    Aunt E walked in to clean up after her breakfast. However, she noticed that Jenna hadn¡¯t touched the luxurious breakfast at all. She was concerned and distressed.

    ¡°Young Madam, the Young Master said that you have to eat more,¡± she said to Jenna.

    Jenna gave her a faint smile.

    ¡°Aunt E, you don¡¯t have to refer to me as the Young Madam anymore. I don¡¯t belong here anymore. I¡¯ll be leaving soon.¡± She said.

    ¡°Young¡­ where are you going?¡± Aunt E felt sorrowful and asked sadly.

    Jenna could see Aunt E¡¯s sorrow, and she said to her with a warm smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aunt E, the world is huge. There must be somewhere that¡¯s meant for me to stay.¡±

    Aunt E¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°Young Madam, no matter where you go, you¡¯ll always be the Young Madam in my heart. The Green Jade Garden will never go back to how it used to be. I¡¯m nning on retiring soon as well, I¡¯ve already applied for my resignation with our Young Master. After the New Year, I¡¯ll request for him to transfer me to the Ink Garden to work for a few more years. I¡¯m just a little worried about you. You¡¯re still so young. You have to find a good man to marry.¡±

    Tears streamed down her face as she spoke. Soon, she sobbed so much that she could no longer say a word.

    Jenna felt mncholic and terrible. She held onto Aunt E¡¯s hands and burst out into tears.

    ¡°Aunt E, you¡¯re the only one who treats me well in the Green Jade Garden. I want to thank you for that. I¡¯ll always remember everything you¡¯ve done for me in my heart.¡± Sheforted Aunt E gently.

    Aunt E wiped her tears and said in a heavy voice, ¡°Young Madan, I know that our Young Master actually loves you. I didn¡¯t expect the two of you to reach this point. However, it¡¯s not the fault of you both. It¡¯s all due to Aria being too powerful, and our Young Master can¡¯t do anything about her. I believe that the world is fair. A kind person¡¯s good deeds will be rewarded. You will be more and more blessed in the future. I have faith in you.¡±

    Jenna was very moved and said with tears in her eyes, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Oh. By the way, the Young Master told me that you have to stay here for the next few days, and you¡¯re not allowed to go anywhere else,¡± Aunt E quickly said as she remembered Hansen¡¯s orders.

    Jenna understood, smiled bitterly, and then shook her head as she said, ¡°Aunt E, I understand what he¡¯s trying to do. He¡¯s trying to make me stay, but how is that possible? He and Aria are getting married soon. Why would I stay here to ept such humiliation? I have to leave today. Please help me, Aunt E.¡±

    Aunt E lowered her head and thought for a while, and agreed to Jenna¡¯s request. If Aria were to see Jenna in this room, she would probably use another vicious tactic to attack her. Jenna was a self-respecting woman. She would never want to stay here and get bullied. Aunt E understood this, and nodded her head.

    On a luxurious cruise, Hilda Smith sat on a bench on the front deck, gazing at the vast ocean in a daze.

    After Rayan left, he never came back again. There was no more news from him.

    He was with that woman, and that woman had been pregnant for three months. She didn¡¯t dare to think whether or not that child was Rayan¡¯s.

    ¡°Come in for a while, Hilda.¡± Jonas Smith¡¯s stern voice rang from the cabin.

    Hilda replied and walked innguidly. Soon, her face turned pale.

    ¡°Dad, do you really have to do this?¡± She asked in a trembling voice with an ashen face.

    Jonas was polishing a shiny pistol. He was cautious and focused, and his hair wasbed into a neat and tidy hairstyle. A pair of sunsses covered his eyes, and light flickered beneath them. Hilda couldn¡¯t tell what he meant, but could feel the chillsing from him.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± The corners of Jonas¡¯ lips curled into a sinister smile. He held his pistol, squinted his eyes, and aimed at the seagull flying above the ocean.

    Hilda¡¯s heart began to tremble. She knew that the minute her father pulled the trigger, the seagull, that was flying freely above the ocean, would die immediately.

    If¡­

    She didn¡¯t dare to think about it anymore.

    ¡°Dad, please just let him off. I don¡¯t mind it anymore.¡± She shook her head as she said softly, lowering her head.

    Her voice was extremely low, and she didn¡¯t dare to look at Jonas¡¯ face.

    Jonasughed coldly. ¡°That¡¯s bleak!¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°My silly daughter, does he even realize that you¡¯re being so considerate for him? Does he appreciate what you¡¯re doing for him? If he had any feelings for you, do you think he would¡¯ve just left like that? You¡¯ve given up so much for him, and waited for him for so long. Yet, he just left saying he wanted to ¡®draw the line¡¯ between the two of you. Who did he think you were? Who did he think I was?¡±

    Hilda lowered her head further.

    ¡°Dad, I love him. I don¡¯t want him to die like this. I¡¯d rather he live happily, even if I do not get to be with him. I guess this is love,¡± she said timidly.

    ¡°Haha!¡± Jonas burst intoughter all of a sudden. Hisugh was filled with mockery and ferocity. After a while, he stopped. A stern expression appeared on his face. ¡°Anybody raised by me, Jonas Smith, will not tolerate any betrayal. I¡¯m not a kind person, who would rather be taken advantage of than to take advantage of others. I would never let any effort be in vain. Since he is useless to me, and even abandoned had my daughter, I definitely would not let him off just like that.¡±

    Hilda¡¯s hand trembled slightly, and her mouth started to quiver. She knew that her father would do anything he said he would, and there would be no room for negotiation.

    She closed her eyes and whispered in her heart three times, ¡°Rayan, why are you so stubborn? Are you not afraid of losing your life just for that woman?¡±

    Then, she opened her eyes. They were full of hatred. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, Dad. I mustn¡¯t forgive him. He abandoned me for that woman. How dare he toy with Jonas Smith¡¯s daughter.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jonas nodded his head in agreement. His face darkened, and a piercing light shed across his eyes, as he yed with the pistol in his hands.

    ¡°Dad, I have a request. Please help me!¡± Hilda said with a calm face.

    ¡°What request? Tell me, my daughter.¡± Jonas¡¯ expression was filled with love and care, and his tone was tender.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Dad, I want to kill him with my own hands,¡± she said lightly. Her face was calm and expressionless, and her voice was cold and bitter.

    Jonas turned his gaze towards her, and his eyes were filled with a mysterious light.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. I really want him to die. I¡¯ve given up so many years of youth and love for him, but he left me just like that. I hate him, and I want him to die right away. So, please Dad, let me do it.¡± She pleaded sincerely and she looked into Jonas¡¯ eyes.

    Jonas¡¯ eyes narrowed into a line. An eerie light escaped from the gap between his eyelids.

    ¡°Dad, trust me. My marksmanship is not any worse than yours.¡± She continued begging.

    Jonas nced at her as he considered. His daughter¡¯s marksmanship was fantastic. He was clear that his was definitely not any better than hers. However, was she really willing to kill him?

    When he walked out of the cabin, he clearly saw the miserable expression on her face.

    ¡°Dad, trust me.¡± Hilda¡¯s voice was drawn out, as if being in the wrong for not being trusted. ¡°Dad, ever since Mom left, I did everything by myself. Have I ever let you down in any way? Do you still distrust me in a time like this? I will only be able to give up on him and start a new life if I kill him by myself.¡±

    She said it calmly, and withdrew any trace of sorrow that started to form in her eyes.

    A trace of guilt shed across Jonas¡¯ eyes. His inconsistent career and lifestyle made Hilda¡¯s mother die of a serious flu after giving birth to Hilda. After all these years, he still med himself, and pampered Hilda as much as he could. The reason he had put in so much effort to groom Rayan was not only because he thought that he had potential, but also because he could see that Hilda was in love with him.

    Perhaps it would be good for her to kill him herself too. She would be able to give up on himpletely!

    Technically, he was just worried that Hilda wouldn¡¯t be able to do it. No matter what, he just wished that she would not regret her decision.

    All in all, everyone who betrayed them had to suffer the consequences. That was his rule, as well as his baseline.

    ¡°How about this? I will shoot one shot at him. If he manages to escape, then he¡¯s lucky. It will be God¡¯s will for him to live. I will let him go, and we¡¯ll never hold any more grudges against him. If he hadn¡¯t managed to escape, then that¡¯s his fate. What do you think about that?¡± he said, offering to minimize the punishment to take care of her feelings, at the same time still not allowing her to shoot Rayan on her own.

    However, Hilda did not listen to him at all, and was still stubborn.

    ¡°Alright, Dad. I still want to request to shoot this shot myself. Please trust that I¡¯ll be able to do it,¡± she said.

    She persisted with her choice, and didn¡¯t n to give in at all.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll promise you.¡± Seeing that she was so insistent, Jonas had no choice but to agree. ¡°However, after this shot, no matter how the results turn out, you have to return to your optimistic self and restart your life. You have to live the life of a normal woman, and get married and have kids. You must not continue waiting for a guy like that and live a meaningless life, alright? I don¡¯t want to disappoint your mother.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Dad. I promise you.¡± Hilda walked forwards and grabbed Jonas¡¯ arm. She pressed her face against his arm, and a tear trickled down from the corner of her eye. Soon enough, it was concealed by the smile on her face, and she agreed firmly.

    Jonas nodded earnestly and patted her shoulder.

    ¡°Jen, where are you?¡± Just as Jenna had walked down from the Green Jade Garden, she received Rayan¡¯s call. When Jenna was whisked away by Hansen the night before, Hansen¡¯s haughty expression made Rayan very concerned.

    Jenna had already moved out of Richards Manor. So, where could she have been the night before? Did Hansen leave her alone somewhere? That guy would do anything when he wanted to behave like a b*stard. Therefore, he gave her a call the first thing in the morning.

 Chapter 308 Things Will Never Be The Same

    ¡°Rayan, I¡¯m at Richards Manor. I was just about to go and look for you,¡± Jenna said casually with a faint smile on her face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to stay there today?¡± He asked as he let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t have anything to do here anymore. Therefore, I¡¯ll be leaving today.¡± She answered gently.

    ¡°Alright then. Wait for me. I¡¯lle and pick you up,¡± Rayan said tenderly with a smile across his face.

    ¡°Okay, Rayan. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the entrance of Richards Manor.¡± Jenna walked over to the electric cars and put her cellphone away.

    It wouldn¡¯t take Rayan too long toe here. She would just have to walk out now and wait for a while.

    She stood by the roadside, and didn¡¯t see any electric cars.

    The atmosphere in Richards Manor was still very lively. Thest event would be held at nine o¡¯clock in the morning. Earl McAdams was going to give a speech to celebrate the end of the New Year¡¯s banquet at Richards Manor. In the afternoon, the guests would be provided with spare time, and they would start leaving the ce.

    There was probably a shortage of electric cars due to the amount of people leaving that day. Jenna could only stand there and wait patiently as she didn¡¯t see any cars after a long while. After all, it would take too long to walk all the way to the main entrance.

    Suddenly, a faint sound of crying entered Jenna¡¯s ear.

    Jenna was shocked and lifted her head to take a look around. She didn¡¯t see anyone approaching, and listened attentively. There were still sounds of crying. They were very soft, and yet were still audible.

    She could hear clearly that they wereing from the Green Jade Garden.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    She frowned and walked quietly towards the crying sounds.

    Among a pile of green leaves sat a small figure on a bench. Her head was buried in her knees, and her small body was trembling. The crying sounds wereing from her.

    ¡°Sabrina!¡± She couldn¡¯t help but to exim.

    Sabrina was shivering all over. Maybe she heard her voice. So, she raised her head.

    Jenna stepped forward and saw that her eyes were red and swollen, and her face was full of tears and sorrow. Her heart twinged. What made this girl so sad?

    ¡°Sabrina, what happened? Why are you crying here?¡± She asked in surprise.

    Sabrina looked at her with her bloodshot eyes. Her eyes were no longer as bright and clear as before. Instead, they were covered with ayer of misery. It was soul-stirring.

    ¡°Jenna, you knew about everything all this while, didn¡¯t you?¡± Sabrina asked her coldly as she sobbed.

    ¡°Knew about what?¡± Jenna was taken aback, and quickly asked.

    ¡°Stop lying to me. I know everything now. You¡¯re all liars, and you¡¯ve all been hiding the truth from me. To think that I thought that you were like a sister to me.¡± The base of Sabrina¡¯s eyes were filled with rage, and her face was full of exasperation. ¡°The truth was that you didn¡¯t take me as a sister at all, and you hid all of this from me. I was left to be yed around like a fool. I¡¯m so stupid.¡±

    As she said this, she started sobbing again. She shrugged her shoulders every once in a while.

    Jenna was frightened, and held onto her shoulders as she asked. ¡°Sabrina, what¡¯s going on? Please tell me. I¡¯ve always regarded you as my best friend and sister. I never intended to hide anything from you.¡±

    Seeing that simple-minded girl looking so wretched, her heart was in distress..

    ¡°You¡¯re lying. Do you dare say that you didn¡¯t know what Norton Richards did?¡± she raised her head and roared at her, as tears gushed down her face.

    Jenna was stunned.

    It seemed that someone had told her what Norton had done.

    She finally knew!

    It was understandable. For a girl around her age to cry so sadly, it was most likely due to rtionship issues. Why had she been so silly? Why hadn¡¯t she realized it sooner?

    For a moment there, she was at a loss for words!

    How was she going to reply to her? She truly did hide the facts from her.

    She stood there, feeling a little uneasy.

    ¡°I knew it. All of you were hiding it from me and yed me like a fool, and to think that I had always stood up for you,¡± Sabrina said angrily, and rose immediately. ¡°Forget it. We¡¯ll just pretend that we¡¯ve never met. You do you and I¡¯ll do me. From now on, we are no longer rted.¡±

    After spitting out those words angrily, she walked past Jenna and was ready to leave.

    ¡°Sabrina.¡± Jenna quickly grabbed onto her arm and said apologetically, ¡°Don¡¯t be like this. Please let me exin.¡±

    ¡°What is there to exin? Norton killed your father. You¡¯ll never forgive him, nor will you ever defend him. Now, I know that it¡¯s his fault. However, we were as close as sisters. You should¡¯ve told me about this, and not watch me get closer and closer to him. Now, everyone thinks I¡¯m a joke,¡± she said furiously.

    ¡°Sabrina.¡± Jenna swallowed her saliva and began to exin with great strain. ¡°Sabrina, I¡¯ve always wanted to tell you about this, but I didn¡¯t know how. After all, he was your fiance. Think about it, I¡¯ve always tried asking you about Norton, and how you were doing with him. I was worried that he was approaching you with bad intentions. I even told you not to take it so seriously and to let everything happen on its own. I did all these because I didn¡¯t want you to get hurt, and that you would be mentally prepared. These days, whenever I mentioned Norton, your face would be filled with excitement and joy. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to tell you about these incidents and ruin your happiness. I felt very sad too.¡±

    Jenna nced at her with a face full of sorrow, and saw that her face was covered in tears. The day she feared the most had arrived. Sabrina¡¯s current predicament was just like her situation prior to this.

    Poor girl.

    ¡°Please forgive me, Sabrina. Things will never be the same anymore. This had happened a very long time ago. If you really love Norton, then try your best to forgive him. This is the only way.¡± She struggled to string the words together as she held onto her arm.

    Sabrina clenched her little hand into a fist. Her face was red with anger.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I will never fall in love with a guy like that. He¡¯s terrible. I want to break off the engagement,¡± she said as she clenched her fist and bit her lip. Her words sounded heartless, but Jenna could see the despair and reluctance deep down in her eyes. Her heart ached, and she shook her head.

    This silly girl had fallen into the trap of love. Thinking about it, she realized that she should¡¯ve told her about it earlier. Telling her and making here to a decision now was cruel. It seemed that she was really a bad friend. She felt a trace of guilt in her heart.

    ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t be impulsive. Calm down and give it some thought. Does General Delia know about this?¡± Jenna asked, while consoling her. If General Delia still wanted her to marry him after knowing about this, Sabrina would not be able to go along with her decision, and she was worried about her.

    ¡°My father only came to the Richards Group today because he had matters to deal with before. I don¡¯t think he knows about it yet.¡± Sabrina shook her head as she sniffled hard.

    Jenna suddenly recalled seeing General Delia¡¯s name on the guest list, but she didn¡¯t remember hearing anyone talk about him. She didn¡¯t know General Delia personally. Therefore, she didn¡¯t give much thought about it.

    Jenna held her hand tightly and said pitifully, ¡°Sabrina, you¡¯ll always be my best friend. Please don¡¯t me me for not telling you what Norton had done in time. I just didn¡¯t want to see you get hurt. I have to leave now. Please don¡¯t do anything out of impulse in the future. Ask your father first. I cannot do anything about this. However, I chose to forgive Norton, for your sake.¡±

    As she spoke, she went up to her and gave her a tight hug, patting her lightly on her back.

    ¡°Go ahead, Jenna. The men from the Richards family are not decent men. They¡¯re not worthy of our love. Once you leave, I¡¯ll leave this ce too. I hope to see you again.¡± Sabrina started to calm down, and could feel Jenna¡¯s sincerity. She wiped her tears and said earnestly, ¡°I won¡¯t me you, Jenna. You¡¯ve been through a lot more pain here than I had, yet you¡¯re still so kind and beautiful, and can even design such perfect cars. Hansen is not worthy of being with you. Not being able to marry you is his loss. We¡¯ll see very soon, how Aria will transform Richards Manor into an unpleasant ce. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re leaving. I support your decision. The men of the Richards family are all jerks. It¡¯s not our fault.¡±

    Tears welled up in Jenna¡¯s eyes instantly. She took Sabrina¡¯s hand excitedly and said softly, ¡°Sabrina, thank you for understanding.¡±

    Sabrina lifted her head, and smiled nonchntly.

    At that instant, Jenna felt that she had matured a lot.

    ¡°Jenna, I take back what I¡¯ve said. Can we still remain in contact in the future?¡± She asked anxiously as she looked at her with her bright eyes.

    Jenna smiled, and tears trickled down her cheeks. She paused for a long moment, grabbed her hand, and muttered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will. Please take care of yourself.¡±

    She let go of Sabrina¡¯s hand, turned around, and walked out.

    The electric car had finally arrived. She waved at Sabrina and sat in the car.

    A ck jeep drove steadily in front of them.

    Jenna was in awe. What was this security guard doing? How could he drive into Richards Manor just like that? Shouldn¡¯t he park the car in the parking lot?

    However, she had no time to be bothered by it. It was already past nine o¡¯clock, and the banquet was still taking ce on the Central Ind. It was the perfect moment for her to leave, before Hansen could find out and stop her.

    Very soon, the ck jeep drove past her, and she didn¡¯t pay attention to it.

    A well-known host of A City stood on the magnificent stage, holding a microphone in her hand. Her movements were graceful. Her smile was polite, and her voice was sweet. The uing performance involved many famous singers and celebrities. It was just like a music festival. The scene was very lively and extravagant, and everyone was looking forward to it.

    Guests filled the seats under the stage, and they were all very excited for the performances. They waved their ribbons and fluorescent glow sticks, adding bright lights and colors to the banquet.

    ¡°Next, let¡¯s wee Mayor McAdams of A City to give us a speech, and to celebrate the sess of the Richards Manor New Year¡¯s banquet.¡± The sharine voice of the host could be heard across the hall.

    A big round of apuse roared in an instant.

    Soft music was yed, and the stage lights were focused on Earl McAdams, who stood firmly in the middle of the stage with a bright smile on his face.

    His spirits were high. He exuded a dignified aura, but the smile on his face was gentle and friendly.

    After a moment, the hall went silent.

 Chapter 309 Earl McAdams Was Arrested

    ¡°Dear, guests. Wee to the annual New Year¡¯s banquet of the great Richards Manor. Richards Manor is the pride of A City¡­¡± Earl McAdams had a clear, booming voice, and spoke proudly and passionately. He talked about the bright lights that shone on the Central Ind.

    Among the silent crowd, a few staff members dressed in ck clothes and name cards walked out from the backstage.

    Very soon, they approached Earl.

    The crowd was shocked.

    ¡°Earl McAdams, pleasee with us.¡± Someone who looked like the leader said in a calm manner as he showed Earl McAdams his work permit.

    Earl was stunned by the sudden turn of events.

    He furrowed his brows slightly, and was just about to get angry when he peered at the person¡¯s work permit. In an instant, his face turned as pale as snow and his hands began to tremble. He could no longer stand still.

    ¡°Take him.¡± The leader ordered the two staff members behind him who were dressed in ck suits.

    The two staff members immediately brought Earl, who couldn¡¯t stand firmly, to the back of the stage.

    The whole stage was so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Everyone watched as the scene unfolded, yet didn¡¯t know what was happening. They didn¡¯t return to their senses even after Earl had been taken away.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, thank you for your cooperation.¡± The man in the military jeep said to Hansen. He then started the car and drove towards the direction of Capital City.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze was cold and fierce, and his expression was petrifying.

    ¡°Hansen, he won¡¯t be able to escape judgement this time. Sheldon¡¯s death did not cover up anything. In fact, it sped up the investigation process.¡± Christopher stood next to him with a rxed and casual smile. ¡°We¡¯ve finally discovered the truth regarding Javon Murphy. I¡¯ve returned your favor.¡±

    Hansen narrowed his eyes as the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

    ¡°Yeah, I really have to thank you this time. You¡¯ve helped me this time.¡± A slight smile had spread across his face. Yet, he spoke in a mocking tone.

    Christopher knew his personality, andughed it off.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s so difficult to get the approval of the great Mr. Richards,¡± he said as he let out a sigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. Don¡¯t think about bothering me when you have any trouble in the future,¡± Hansen said sarcastically as he pouted.

    The two were chatting and joking around when Alvin rushed over. His face was full of anxiety. It was as though he had something important to say, but seeing Christopher there, he didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he only greeted the two of them politely.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°How about this, Mr. Matthews? Since you¡¯ve sessfullypleted your mission this time, you may stay in Richards Manor and have fun for a few days. Then, I¡¯ll take you on a tour around the grounds as the host when I¡¯m free.¡± Hansen gave Christopher a smile, knowing that Alvin must¡¯ve had something important to tell him.

    ¡°Alright. I was already nning to stay for a few more days. Is General Delia here yet? I have to meet him, and I¡¯ll also have to see Grandma Vivian next week.¡± Christopher nodded and agreed. He knew that Hansen had to deal with some matters. So, he left sneakily and joined the banquet.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Alvin?¡± Hansen turned his gaze to Alvin as soon as he saw that Christopher had left.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we¡¯ve received news that Jonas Smith is furious at Rayan Whalen¡¯s betrayal, and ns to shoot him to his death,¡± Alvin saidboriously after he took a deep breath.

    ¡°So¡­¡± Hansen asked in return, and he stuck his hands in his pockets and looked up into the dark sky.

    Alvin thought for a while and said softly and cautiously, ¡°I was just a little worried about Ms. Murphy. After all, she¡¯s with him now.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Hansen was taken aback. His lips parted but he did not say anything, and Jenna¡¯s maligned expression when she was locked in the bedroom appeared in his mind. He paused for a moment, and replied, ¡°How about this, Alvin? Rayan was the one who offended Jonas. Therefore, it¡¯s his own problem. Since you¡¯ve received this news, you can get someone to notify him, and tell him to settle this grudge on his own. No one can help him with this.¡±

    He said it calmly, but with a trace of disdain in the depths of his heart.

    They conferred him his noble status. Yet, he chose to betray them for a better life. They would definitely not let him off that easily. He earned it himself!

    ¡°Has General Delia not arrived yet?¡± Hansen looked at his watch. It was almost noon.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, General Delia¡¯s arrival had been dyed as he had to deal with Earl McAdam¡¯s case, as well as the report regarding the situation to Johan Moore. He will probably arrive a littleter, but he said that he will definitelye, and will stay here for a few days,¡± Alvin quickly said to Hansen, as he recalled the scene when he met General Delia on the flight from Capital City.

    Hansen nodded, but felt emotional, deep in his heart.

    He didn¡¯t expect Johan to interfere with this matter. It was initially impossible to gather enough evidence to apprehend Earl before the eighth, but Johan¡¯s status and background was significant. Sheldon¡¯s death quickly brought about an investigation. A task force was established to investigate this matter, and very soon, there was a turnaround in progress of the investigation.

    Therefore, Christopher designed a n. Hansen was to keep Earl in the banquet. Then, they¡¯ll take him away when the banquet was in full swing, and bring him straight to Capital City for interrogation.

    That way, Earl McAdams would have nowhere to run!

    In the Emerald Garden, Norton stood in his room anxiously. His nails had turned white as he grabbed onto the sofa tightly.

    Just like that, Earl had been arrested.

    What about him? His case was about to be closed soon, and the days where he would be jailed were getting closer.

    A cheerful look shed in front of his eyes, and Sabrina¡¯s sweet smile appeared vividly in his brain. All of a sudden, he was afraid. He was fearful that he would lose this smile, fearful that he would lose all the happiness she had graced him.

    These days, they were spending everyday together. Being with Sabrina, he discovered the beauty of life, and experienced a whole other way of living. He was desperate to live that way.

    At that moment, he realized that he didn¡¯t want to lose Sabrina.

    The doorbell rang.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Norton asked nervously, as his body started to tremble.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Hansen¡¯s voice was steady but cold.

    Norton¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°What am I doing here?¡± Hansen sneered as he pushed the door open. ¡°What do you think? Does it look like I¡¯m here tofort you?¡±

    Hansen red at Norton with an expressionless face.

    Norton panicked, and took a few steps back.

    ¡°Hansen, please don¡¯t arrest me. I¡¯ve never done anything. It¡¯s not my fault¡­¡± His words were jumbled up, and his voice was full of fear.

    Hansen clenched his fists tightly and kept them in his pockets. The light in his eyes was as sharp as an arrow. They looked like they were about to impale Norton¡¯s soul.

    He looked into Norton¡¯s avoidant eyes, and sat on the sofa.

    With a voice as cold and hard as iron, he said, ¡°Norton, do you still n on hiding everything at a crucial moment like this?¡±

    Norton¡¯s face turned pale, and he said fearfully, ¡°I didn¡¯t kill him. I really didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Norton, if you don¡¯t want to go to jail and lose your life because of this, you have to tell me everything you know this instant. If you do, I might be able to help lighten your sentence. However, if you remain stubborn, I won¡¯t bother helping you in any of your future endeavours.¡± Hansen could tell that he was guilty, and tried to persuade him into revealing more information to him. He had many doubts in his mind that only Norton could confirm. After all, Norton was his cousin. He didn¡¯t deserve to die.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t know that they¡¯d kill Javon Murphy,¡± he muttered with a perplexed expression.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth lifted into a cold smile, and he said sternly, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to tell me. Earl McAdams has been arrested. The truth behind Javon Murphy¡¯s case will soon be exposed. Jordan Yates wille to look for you very soon. Don¡¯t me us for not helping you then.¡±

    Hansen stood up abruptly as soon as he was done speaking, and pretended to turn around and leave.

    ¡°No, Hansen, don¡¯t leave. Please help me, I don¡¯t want to go to jail. I haven¡¯t even gotten married and have kids.¡± Norton rushed forwards and begged as he grabbed onto Hansen. Seeing Hansen walking away intensified the fear in his heart, and he knew that Hansen was the only person who was able to help him if anything happened.

    ¡°Alright. Then, answer my questions honestly.¡± Hansen stopped and said solemnly.

    ¡°Okay, ask me anything. I¡¯ll answer everything.¡± Norton¡¯s head was droopy, and his face was ashen.

    ¡°Why did you make someone drive a Pranica car to Leon¡¯s and tell him to kill Javon in a car crash? Did you not know that once the truth is exposed, it will affect the entire Richards Group? It would¡¯ve made others think that someone from the Richards Group had done it!¡± Hansen roared.

    ¡°I¡­?¡± Norton paused for a long time, but didn¡¯t understand what Hansen was talking about. As he saw Hansen¡¯s face start to turn gloomy, he asked perplexedly, ¡°What do you mean, Hansen? I never made anyone drive the Richards Group car out. I ordered Brock to stop Javon from participating in the election the next day. I didn¡¯t expect him to kill him either.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that, you¡¯ve never ordered anyone to drive out the Pranica carof the Richards Group? You¡¯ve never ordered anyone to change the color of the car and erase the license number on it?¡± Hansen interrogated as he stared straight into his eyes.

    Norton was even more confused, and shook his head.

    ¡°You¡¯d better be honest with me. If you intend to hide anything from me, I¡¯d rather not waste my time asking you,¡± Hansen said with a displeased tone.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± He shook his head again and again. ¡°I really didn¡¯t know about this.¡±

    ¡°Now, Brock and Leon have been captured alive. That day, Brock said himself that when the person had driven the car over to Leon¡¯s, he said that he was simply carrying out your orders.¡± Hansen tried to rify.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Why would I do something so foolish? Even if I were jealous of you for having everything, I would never do something like that. It would¡¯ve just exposed me and my crimes instead. Why would I be so stupid?¡± Norton exined anxiously as he began to sweat profusely.

 Chapter 310 He Demanded Justice

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true.¡± Hansen said coldly after listening to Norton challenging it multiple times.

    ¡°Moreover, when I first heard that it was the Pranica car that had killed Javon, I thought you were the one who killed him. After all, you hated Jenna and Javon very much at that time.¡± Norton recalled hinting to Jenna that Hansen was involved in her father¡¯s death, in hopes that Jenna would leave Hansen and hate him after she learnt about the news. Who would¡¯ve known that she didn¡¯t believe him at all, and never broke up with Hansen. Instead, they were even closer and in love. Now that he thought about it, Jenna really loved Hansen, and she trusted him out of love.

    However, now it seemed that it was truly someone else who had killed Javon Murphy.

    Hansen¡¯s bright eyes were filled with rage. It seemed that the two of them had been fooled by someone else.

    It was evident that the mastermind behind all of this had taken the opportunity to kill Javon after they found out that Norton had bribed Brock to stop him from participating in the election. They wanted to take advantage of this chance to frame Norton, and even used the Richards Group¡¯s car. Although the original color and license number had been removed, it was just to conceal the truth. Once the manufacturer of the car was revealed, Norton of the Richards family wouldnaturallybe used of all these crimes.

    It was such an ingenious n!

    It was no wonder that Jenna had returned to the Richards Group to work after piecing together all the clues. It all showed that her father¡¯s death had something to do with the Richards family. She had to return to the Richards Group to take revenge.

    However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, it was Jenna¡¯s return that made them realize their love for each other. That prompted him to decide onmencing the case¡¯s investigation to discover the real murderer.

    As for the oue of the investigation, Hansen believed that the truth would be brought to light after interrogating Earl McAdams.

    ¡°Alright. Let me ask you onest question. Who is the father of the baby in Aria¡¯s womb? What happened in the Hilton Hotel that night? Why did you drug me?¡± After hearing Brock¡¯s words, Hansen found out that it was Brock who had slept with Aria that night. The baby in Aria¡¯s womb was obviously incepted that very night. He had never touched her, so that night was riddled with suspicions. He asked him thest question to clear all of his doubts, knowing that Norton was certain about it.

    Norton cast a nce at Hansen, and started to chuckle.

    ¡°That¡¯s hrious. Are you sure you don¡¯t know the paternity of the baby in Aria¡¯s womb? Didn¡¯t you spend the night with her in the hotel after consuming the stimnt?¡± Norton asked in disdain. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re trying to deny what you¡¯ve done. If you don¡¯t want to marry Aria, just get her to get rid of the child.¡±

    He said lightly, and an indifferent smile reappeared on his face.

    ¡°Norton, you¡¯re despicable. You¡¯ve spiked me, and now you¡¯re spouting nonsense? Why did you do such a vile thing?¡± Hansen was triggered by Norton¡¯s flippant attitude. His face turned red and he gritted his teeth.

    ¡°Ah, you can¡¯t me me for this. Aria threatened me with the death of Javon, iming that if I don¡¯t cooperate with her, she¡¯d report me to the police. I had no choice but to do as she ordered, so that I wouldn¡¯t die. Besides, it was simply to coax you into sleeping with a woman, not to harm or to kill anyone. Many other men would¡¯ve loved to take a stimnt as such,¡± Norton said casually, without concern at all.

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is, Aria was the one who forced you to drug me?¡± Hansen¡¯s face darkened.

    ¡°Of course. She wanted to be the Young Madam of the Richards family, but you wouldn¡¯t touch her. She had no choice but to use this scheme. Who would¡¯ve known that she got pregnant with just one attempt.¡± Norton smiled wickedly.

    The light in Hansen¡¯s eyes were like numerous swords, piercing Norton¡¯s face. He asked resentfully, ¡°Were you not aware that you had sent me to the wrong room that night? It was Brock who entered the room in the end, not me. I did not spend the night with her. Brock did. So, the baby in her womb isn¡¯t mine at all.¡±

    What? Norton was startled by Hansen¡¯s words, and his mouth was left agape.

    What on earth had happened, that made Brock the one to sleep with her?

    Was there really such a coincidence in the world?

    Why would they have sent him to the wrong room? Norton muttered to himself.

    ¡°I just want to know. How did Aria know which room I was sleeping in? Was it you who told her about it?¡± Hansen just wanted to know if Aria had already known that the baby wasn¡¯t his. If she did, and even used it to threaten him to marry her, then it was unforgivable.

    Norton was stupefied for some time. Then, he finally understood the situation. He said, ¡°No wonder she had called me up that morning, asking me which room I sent you to, and iming that she hadn¡¯t seen you. I was half asleep at that time. So, I didn¡¯t think much about it. After that, I called the construction workers, and they said that the situation was too chaotic at that time. They heard gunshots, and heard the police arrive as well. So, they sent you to a room on the eighth floor with the number eight out of fear and panic. I told Aria about it. I don¡¯t know anything that happened after that.¡±

    Hansen immediately understood what happened after listening to Norton¡¯s words.

    It meant that Aria had only entered his room in the morning. So, it was definitely not him who had slept with her, or she wouldn¡¯t have called up Norton!

    She used such a menacing scheme to drug him, and then put the me on him once she¡¯d slept with another man. It was unforgivable! Hansen¡¯s eyes were filled with a zing fire.

    That woman was evil!

    She used her father¡¯s influence to threaten him with the Camphor Tree Vi and remained in Richards Manor, stirring up chaos in his life.

    The frost in his piercing eyes grew icier, and his clenched fist was finally rxed.

    He let out a deep breath.

    He cast Norton, who was standing next to him, a nce and said coldly, ¡°Good luck.¡±

    After that, he strode out of the room.

    He hopped onto the electric car and left immediately to the Green Jade Garden.

    He quickly ran up the stairs to the second floor.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    He wanted to tell Jenna.

    The baby in Aria¡¯s womb wasn¡¯t his, for he had been framed.

    He had never touched Aria. He was innocent.

    She was the only person he loved.

    Yet, she was the one who had betrayed him.

    He wanted justice from her! He wanted to regain his pride in front of her. He refused to allow her to look down on him!

    Unfortunately, by the time he arrived outside the room, it was already empty. Her figure was nowhere to be found.

 Chapter 311 The Hatred of One Gunshot

    ¡°Aunt E, where¡¯s your Young Madam?¡± Hansen roared.

    Aunt E ran up to him nervously, and said softly, ¡°Young Master, Young Madam had already left.¡±

    ¡°What? She left? Who allowed her to leave?¡± Hansen was shocked upon hearing that. His furious expression was frightening.

    ¡°This¡­¡± Aunt E didn¡¯t know what to do. She advised softly with a low voice, ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re going to marry Aria soon. I can¡¯t bear seeing her being stuck here. It¡¯s too painful for her.¡±

    Aunt E said with tears in her eyes.

    ¡°Nonsense, This is absurd.¡± Hansen was so angry that he shouted. All of a sudden, a thought shed across his mind, and his face turned pale. He remembered Alvin¡¯s words.

    Jonas was going to harm Rayan, and she had definitely gone to look for him.

    Before she got into his car the night before, he heard her say that she would go and look for him the next day.

    She was in danger.

    He sped out of the room immediately.

    As he ran, he dialled a number on his phone.

    ¡°Hello, the number you have called is not avable.¡± The cold sound red from the speaker of the phone, and Hansen was like a cat on a hot tin roof.

    ¡°Alvin, order the Grand Eagles to search for Jenna and Rayan¡¯s whereabouts in the whole city. Send them to me once they find them. Ensure that they¡¯re safe. There must be no idents.¡± Hansen gave Alvin the orders without further ado.

    The minute Alvin received his instructions, he took action right away.

    ¡°Hansen, Hansen.¡± Just as Hansen finished speaking, he bumped into Aria, whose eyes were filled with tears.

    ¡°Hansen, something happened to my father. Please save him.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes lit up the moment she saw him, and she quickly leaped into his embrace.

    Hansen blocked her with his arm and gave her a cold re.

    ¡°Your father hadmitted a crime. It¡¯s against thew. I cannot do anything about it. I believe that everything will be judged fairly. They won¡¯t misjudge someone who¡¯s innocent. Wait for the results yourself,¡± he said coldly, pushing her hands away. He was ready to leave.

    ¡°Hansen, no.¡± Aria caught up to him and hugged his waist tightly, crying, ¡°Please Hansen, I¡¯m begging you. Please save my father. He¡¯s a good man.¡±

    ¡°Let go of me,¡± Hansen yelled at her with an expression full of rage. He was very worried about Jenna, and he was already very impatient with Aria.

    Aria was startled by his yells, and looked at him in a daze as she let go of him.

    ¡°Thew will not let anyone get away with their crimes, no matter what you did and how well you concealed it. You will suffer the consequences eventually.¡± Hansen leaned close to her with his bloodshot eyes, and said fiercely, ¡°You¡¯d better not think that I don¡¯t know about what you¡¯ve done in the past. I¡¯m warning you. Jordan will get all the information he needs after the interrogation. You¡¯d better wait for his interrogation here. Remember, I will never let anyone with no morals escape justice, and thew won¡¯t either.¡±

    After that, he turned around resolutely and ran outside.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I saw Rayan¡¯s car exit from the entrance of the hospital. He¡¯s on the way to the Cloud Community.¡± Alvin sent him the information without any dy.

    ¡°Alright. Follow them this instant. I¡¯m on my way.¡± Hansen instructed.

    ¡°Jen, have you really decided to leave?¡± Rayan asked with a deep voice as he drove.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m leaving A City soon, leaving this ce forever.¡± Jenna¡¯s voice was low, and she looked at the chaotic world outside.

    She didn¡¯t want to see Hansen and Aria get married, as she would be terribly heartbroken. She didn¡¯t want to stay in the city because she would think about him every time she saw something that was rted to him as well. The Richards Group was everywhere in that city. She would never be able to live in peace.

    Leaving the city was her only choice.

    As for the right to inheritance letter over Richards Manor, she nned to mail it back to Richards Manor on the eighth, once she arrived in another city. She didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with Richards Manor anymore. It was about time she left.

    Rayan was silent. The hand he was grabbing the steering wheel with started to sweat.

    ¡°Jen, regarding the question I asked you that day, can you give me an answer?¡± He had hope in his eyes, and was nervous in his heart.

    ¡°Rayan, you should focus on driving first. I¡¯ll give you the answerter.¡± Jenna was worried that her decision would affect his driving, and thought that it wasn¡¯t the right time to talk about it.

    Rayan let out a sigh of relief, and the corners of his mouth curved into a slight smile. He suddenly felt that his hand on the steering wheel was a little slippery, and realized that he was so nervous that his palms were sweaty.

    He gave himself a self-deprecatingugh and never said another word.

    His car sped towards his vi.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    The heavy iron gate opened.

    The housekeeper ran out to greet him.

    Rayan got out of the car and handed his car keys over to the housekeeper.

    The sky was still gloomy, and the cold wind blew from different directions. Jenna cast a nce at the surroundings, and smiled bitterly, seeing that therge green leaves had withered in the cold wind.

    ¡°Rayan, no matter how well you take care of the green nts, they¡¯re just not meant to withstand the cold weather. Evidently, when you force things that are not meant to be, the results will not be good,¡± she said lightly, and sighed as she pushed her messy hair aside.

    Rayan felt empty.

    ¡°Jen, are hinting at me?¡± He asked sorrowfully.

    He remembered their conversation in the car, and his confession that day. He was so straightforward, yet her answer was unclear. Now, he was even more worried. He didn¡¯t know what she was thinking. Upon hearing her words, he pondered quietly as if he had thought of something.

    They stood facing each other, and looked into each other¡¯s eyes.

    He saw determination and courage in her eyes, but they werecking the tenderness and dependence a lover should have.

    His heart sank rapidly.

    She wouldn¡¯t choose to be with him. Even if she were going to leave this ce, she would leave by herself. Even if she were alone, there would only be her own figure, and his figure would never be next to her.

    He felt a brief sorrow in his heart, as if something was missing.

    Surely enough, she smiled and opened her mouth.

    ¡°Rayan, I am a divorced woman who is pregnant with a child. You are the dream husband of every single woman around the world. You are too good for me, and I cannot force my ws on you so selfishly. You¡¯re a good man. You deserve to have a morous life. In the future, you will meet someone who loves you and is worthy of you, and you will spend the rest of your life with her. I¡¯m truly grateful for all the love and care you have given me, but I¡¯m sorry. This is all I can do.¡± Jenna¡¯s words were clear, but her volume gradually decreased. Tears began to fill up her eyes.

    After a long time, she looked at him with a sincere gaze and said, ¡°Thank you, Rayan. You¡¯ve taken the me for me many times. I¡¯m so sorry for that. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯ll ever repay you.¡±

    As she spoke, tears started to trickle down her face, and she sobbed softly.

    She only felt immense gratitude and guilt towards Rayan.

    If it wasn¡¯t for him, she wouldn¡¯t have be the world¡¯s top car designer.

    If he hadn¡¯t helped her by her side, she really wouldn¡¯t have known how to deal with theplicated situations. His presence added hope and color to her life.

    However, she was very clear that what she had for him wasn¡¯t love!

    He deserved to seek his true love, and that person was definitely not her!

    She couldn¡¯t contain the tears on her face.

    Rayan returned to his senses after having his heart broken, and he smiled bitterly. Nevertheless, looking at Jenna crying, his heart started to tremble again.

    He was willing to help her unconditionally. However, now he knew what was truly on her mind.

    She could never belong to him.

    Or perhaps, he had acknowledged it within his subconscious mind. When Jenna said those words, he wasn¡¯t surprised at all. He was just a little sad.

    ¡°Silly girl. Don¡¯t say that. I¡¯ve already said that I had done everything out of my own free will. No matter, have you thought of how you¡¯re going to survive in the future? You have to know that it¡¯ll be very difficult for a woman to raise a child on her own,¡± he said intively as he caressed her head longingly.

    Jenna was still dejected, but she took a deep breath and forced a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rayan. I¡¯m already mentally prepared for this. I know what I must do. Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯m one of the most well-known car designers. Surviving won¡¯t be a problem for me.¡±

    Rayan shook his head regretfully again as he thought about her future. Indeed, with her talent, numerouspanies would want to hire her. It would all be up to her. However, a woman¡¯s life was far from just that!

    He felt glum in his heart, and let out a deep sigh. He kissed her forehead gently, and gave her a hug, patting her back lightly as if he were giving her encouragement.

    Jenna wore a sad but beautiful smile, as tears streamed down her face.

    Amidst the dense green leaves.

    Hilda stood there quietly, and the light in her eyes grew gradually colder.

    She stood in the wind, hiding among the leaves. She had seen everything that Rayan and Jenna had done.

    It was time to put an end to it.

    After the shot, everything would be forgotten.

    However, she felt a stabbing pain in her heart.

    It was so painful that she couldn¡¯t lift her gun.

    Rayan was an extraordinary man, and she had pursued him for more than ten years. Ever since she was a youngdy, she had dreamed of being with him. Unfortunately, even to this day, he was never hers.

    The searing pain was enough to destroy her happiness for a lifetime.

    The dark-colored gun on her hand was lifted, and then lowered, until she saw him pull Jenna into his embrace. The love and gentleness he had for her made her heart tremble. A gush of immense hatred soared to her brain. She could no longer calm herself down.

    Once again, she aimed her gun at them.

    Since the two of you love each other so much, you can rot in hell together!

    Her eyes were filled with a terrifying rage.

    Hansen, who rushed over as fast as possible, stopped for a very long time outside the gate as well. The scene of Jenna and Rayan hugging had triggered him. He was about to rush towards him, but seeing her in Rayan¡¯s arms, he clenched his fists and pursed his lips instead. He looked as if he was about to kill someone.

    His hand, which was about to punch through the iron gate, was lowered again.

    In the past, he believed that Jenna had only acted intimate with Rayan to trigger him. Now, their affectionate hug didn¡¯t seem like it was fake at all. It was Rayan¡¯s house. They had no reason to put up an act.

    Had she really fallen in love with him?

    Hansen¡¯s heart ached. No matter how stubborn and strong he was, he was still a man.

    How could a man bear to see his woman in the arms of another man, and the baby in her womb¡­

    Hansen¡¯s heart was messed up, and he felt an unbearable misery.

 Chapter 312 You Need To See A Doctor

    Hansen saw the frightening figure of a white shirt faintly among the green leaves, and his heart started to palpitate. His eyes were wide open, and he was very nervous.

    The muzzle of a ck gun was pointed towards Jenna¡¯s back.

    He was so shocked that he yelled out, ¡°Jenna, be careful.¡±

    As he shouted, a gunshot boomed through the air, and a bullet was shot towards Jenna¡¯s back.

    ¡°How dare you seduce my man. Go to hell.¡± The fire in Hilda¡¯s heart was set aze. She shifted the gun from Rayan to Jenna, and pulled the trigger.

    Rayan had gone through gunfights before as well, and Hansen¡¯s scream alerted him. He lifted his head, and spotted the bullet speeding towards Jenna. In an instant, he pulled Jenna into his embrace and turned around, trying to avoid the bullet. However, Hilda¡¯s shot was incredibly precise. So, he wasn¡¯t able to dodge the shot.

    The bullet pierced his left chest.

    ¡°Rayan!¡± Jenna screamed in shock.

    ¡°Jenna!¡± Rayan called out with concern.

    Jenna shouted frantically as she returned to her senses. ¡°Rayan!¡±

    At that moment, various cries of panic and frustration rang.

    Hilda stood in the middle of the forest, and her legs began to tremble.

    ¡°Rayan, why did you give up your life for that woman? I didn¡¯t want you to die.¡± She instantly broke into tears, and sobbed against the trunk of a tree.

    ¡°Miss Smith, we have to go. It¡¯s dangerous for us to stay here.¡± Shirley Wyld noticed that Hansen¡¯s Grand Eagles had arrived and were entering Rayan¡¯s house, and wanted to apprehend her.

    However, Hilda clung onto the tree with her arms, as her tears streamed down her face.

    ¡°Take her away,¡± Jonas ordered his subordinates calmly. He stood on the building behind the vi and had seen everything that had happened. Rayan Whalen was sprawled on the ground, and the scene was chaotic.

    Soon enough, Hilda was taken away against her will. She wanted to take ast look at Rayan. However, she couldn¡¯t, as Jenna was kneeling down and had blocked his face.

    Hansen quickly ordered the housekeeper to open the door, and ran over to Jenna.

    ¡°Rayan, Rayan, are you alright?¡± Jenna, who had just regained her senses, was shocked as she saw Rayan lying on the ground in front of her. The moment she heard the gunshot, she was in a stupor. It wasn¡¯t until Rayan had hugged her to shield her and copsed to the ground, and as she grabbed onto his back with her palms covered with a warm liquid, that she understood what had happened. She copsed onto the ground, and burst into tears.

    ¡°Quick, nab the one who had shot him.¡± Hansen rushed in to see Rayan lying on the ground with a pale face, while Jenna was holding onto him as she cried, and was assured that Jenna was safe. Jonas¡¯ silhouette on the top floor of the building entered his sight, and he was worried that they would shoot again. He immediately instructed Alvin to capture the person who had shot him, so that they wouldn¡¯t shoot again.

    However, it wasn¡¯t long until the cunning Jonas had whisked Hilda away.

    He had said that he would only shoot once. If he survived it, then he was lucky, as they no longer had anything to do with each other. If he died from the gunshot, then it was what he owed him, and he deserved it!

    Jonas left, and took Hilda away from A City as soon as possible.

    Alvin searched around but couldn¡¯t find anything. The police arrived very soon and surrounded the area.

    ¡°Rayan, Rayan, you cannot die.¡± Jenna hugged Rayan spontaneously as she cried, and she was very scared.

    ¡°Hurry, send him to the emergency department of the hospital at once.¡± Hansen ordered his subordinates to fetch Rayan to the hospital with a dark gaze and a gloomy face.

    Jenna was petrified and appalled. She quickly got into Hansen¡¯s car with the people who carried Rayan.

    The car drove to the hospital without further ado.

    Jenna sat silently on a bench in the hospital. She had no more tears left to cry, and her entire body shivered.

    Rayan had taken the bullet for her to protect her. She owed him a great deal!

    How was she going to repay his kindness!

    It was destined that she would never be able to repay him in this life!

    She stared at the flickering red light outside the surgery room nkly, and her face was as pale as snow.

    ¡°Rayan, you have to hang on.¡±

    ¡°As long as you wake up, I¡¯ll fulfil all of your requests.¡±

    She said softly in her heart.

    She was willing to apany him for the rest of his life.

    Hansen stood on the other side of the hallway silently.

    He saw Jenna sitting there in a daze. She was in low spirits, and her face was covered in tears. It made him sad, and his heart ached.

    She didn¡¯t see him at all. From the beginning until the end, she never noticed his presence.

    He probably no longer had a ce in her heart.

    He took out a cigarette from his pocket, ced it in his mouth, and walked to the window to smoke it silently.

    The sky was so gloomy outside that it looked like it was about to rain, and the cold wind was blowing. It was only the second day of the new year.

    It seemed that it was going to snow as well.

    In the span of a few days, so many things had happened. He had never experienced so many things happening at the same time before in his life.

    His heart was as heavy as iron weights. He felt as if something had disappeared from his life, and it was nevering back.

    After some time, the door of the surgery room swung open.

    ¡°Director Brooks, how was the surgery? How¡¯s the patient?¡± Jenna rushed forwards and asked the doctor anxiously as she clutched onto the doctor¡¯s sleeves.

    ¡°Are you his family member?¡± Director Brooks nced at Jenna, and felt confused. Wasn¡¯t this Hansen¡¯s ex-wife? Thest time she entered the hospital due to a knife injury, Hansen was so worried about her. However, at that moment, she was worrying about another man. What was this¡­

    ¡°I¡­ Yes.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t bother thinking much as it was an emergency, and quickly nodded.

    Hansen¡¯s heart turned cold. He walked over quietly and listened as he stood aside.

    ¡°Well, the patient was in a near fatal situation. If the bullet had been shot a little more to the left, it would¡¯ve pierced through his heart. Fortunately, the bullet was shot away from his heart, but that doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s not in any danger. The patient has lost a lot of blood, and the subsequent treatments will be pretty cumbersome. He has to remain under observation for a few days. We¡¯ve already stopped the bleeding and removed the bullet, but the patient is still in aa. If he doesn¡¯t bleed after tonight, and wakes up, then his life is no longer in danger.¡± Director Brooks gave her a detailed exnation. When he saw Hansen, he walked over and greeted him politely.

    ¡°Director Brooks, please heal the patient as soon you can,¡± Hansen said with a hoarse voice, nodding to the doctor.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards. As a doctor, my patients are just like my children. I will try my best.¡± Director Brooks assured him tenderly.

    It was only at that moment that Jenna realized that Hansen had been standing by her side all this while. She turned her head to look at him, and her gaze was empty and dull. Hansen nced at her as well, but withdrew the traces of pain beneath his eyes. His gaze was mysterious, and Jenna couldn¡¯t understand his expression.

    The door of the surgery room opened once again.

    Jenna ran forwards in a sh, and clung onto the hospital bed as she yelled, ¡°Rayan, Rayan!¡±

    Rayan¡¯splexion was as white as a sheet of paper, and his lips were pale. He was in a deepa.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, the patient is in aa now. Please calm down.¡± The nurse said to Jenna gently, ¡°We have to admit him to Ward V now. He had just undergone surgery, and needs to be hooked to an IV drip. Miss Murphy, please step aside.¡±

    Jenna let go of the bed, and followed the nurse as she wheeled Rayan into Ward V.

    ¡°Rayan, please be okay. I¡¯m begging you. If you wake up, I¡¯ll agree to everything you say. You have to recover.¡± Jenna muttered as she held onto Rayan¡¯s cold hand, and tears started to trickle down her face.

    How was she ever going to return the favor? She might never be able to do so for her entire life!

    If he woke up, she would agree to any requests he had for her.

    The cold northern wind was blowing outside, and struck the ss windows, making whistling and howling sounds.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was in pieces, just like the wind. It had lost its control.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. However, you need toe with me and see a doctor.¡± Hansen had entered the room without her knowledge, and said to her in an authoritative tone. He simply stood by quietly, with an expressionless face, as he looked down at her.

    His voice was neither soft nor loud, but it had an irresistible quality of prestige. Jenna turned her head and looked at him with a puzzled expression. She looked straight into his eyes, and his gaze was cold, ice-cold. It was covered with a ck screen, and beyond the ck screen was a whirlpool of mystery.

    Hansen¡¯s brows were knitted tightly, and his lips were pursed into a curved line. The chills at the corners of his mouth could be seen clearly.

    This stupid woman. She looked as if she couldn¡¯t wait to marry him to repay his bravery. Was she unaware that Jonas had aimed to kill him in the first ce?

    It would¡¯ve been her who had taken the bullet for him. However, he was still a decent man, and took it himself instead.

    Since she didn¡¯t know the truth, she was willing to take all the me.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Hansen,¡± she said with a voice full of sobs, shaking her head. She didn¡¯t stand up, and kept holding onto Rayan¡¯s hand, with a heart full of sorrow.

    ¡°Get up, quick,¡± Hansen said sternly. He stared at her hand, which was holding onto Rayan¡¯s hand, and his gaze was like a pair of pliers, trying to separate the two hands.

    ¡°Hansen¡­ I¡­¡± Jenna had no choice but to stand up under his terrifying aura. Her voice was soft, and she lowered her head in front of him, shaking it repeatedly.

    Hansen was already out of patience. He lifted his long arms up and held onto her waist, pulling her forward.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you listen to me? Why did you leave the room? Do you remember what I told you to do? Do you think I don¡¯t exist?¡± he asked resentfully as he gritted his teeth, and the grip on her waist tightened.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t act like this.¡± Jenna was perplexed, and her head hung low like a child who had made a mistake. She was so lost that she didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Hansen¡¯s face tensed up, and he escorted her directly to the senior female gynaecologist¡¯s office.

    He filled her in about the details of Jenna¡¯s examination at the maternal and child care service center, as well as her leg cramps during the night.

    The doctor took a good look at the couple in front of her. One of them looked glum, while the other looked like she was in a daze. She shook her head. It wasn¡¯t appropriate for a woman to act that way during her pregnancy.

    She handed Hansen a prescription for some health supplements, and advised, ¡°A pregnant woman should stay happy, and undergo regr check ups. That will help the baby grow healthily.¡±

    Hansen thanked her and took the prescription. He brought Jenna to the pharmacy to retrieve the medicine, and fetched some warm water from the drinking fountain. Then, he made her take the medicine immediately.

    Jenna was stupefied, and just did whatever he told her to.

 Chapter 313 I Wonâ€™t Interfere In Your Marriage Anymore

    The phone rang, and Hansen picked it up. His brows furrowed into a straight line.

    ¡°Come home with me now.¡± He hung up the phone and instructed Jenna right away.

    ¡°No, Hansen, I have to watch over him. He¡¯s injured because of me. I have to stay here and take care of him.¡± she said repeatedly, shaking her head.

    Hansen¡¯s expression changed, and he extended his arm to grab her hand.

    Jenna looked up at Hansen with her pitiful gaze. Her eyes were bright but full of helplessness. The tenderness in her watery eyes was a huge blow to his heart.

    His heart softened. He no longer dared to intimidate her with brute force.

    After a long while, he sighed heavily and said, ¡°Fine, you can watch over him, but make sure that you get enough rest. Remember, you¡¯re a pregnant woman.¡±

    He instructed her with a darkened face. Then, he turned around and left the hospital.

    In the hall of the Ink Garden, all the doors and windows were shut tightly. There wasn¡¯t a single servant in sight.

    As Hansen approached the hall, his brows furrowed slightly. He pushed the door open, but it was silent in there.

    Wasn¡¯t it Grandma who had told him toe here?

    Why wasn¡¯t there a single servant? Where have they gone?

    ¡°Ahem.¡± He coughed lightly, confused.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    The door of the lounge opened quietly.

    Meroy walked out of the room.

    ¡°Young Master, please enter.¡± Meroy smiled and invited him in politely.

    Hansen nodded. Ever since thest time his grandmother had told him to take up his responsibilities as a man and own up to his own mistakes, he had never seen his grandmother after that. Even when he wanted to see her, she refused to meet him. That day, she was finally willing to see him.

    He walked in slowly.

    An Australian fleece carpet wasid on the floor of Grandma¡¯s room, and it was soft andfortable to step on. However, Hansen felt an ethereal sensation as he stepped on it, as if he was stepping on clouds. He couldn¡¯t keep his bnce, and felt anxious in his heart.

    Earl McAdams had been arrested.

    What did this mean to the Richards family?

    From the perspective of outsiders, it was a threat to the Richards Family.

    After all, an arranged marriage was about to be held between the two families. Now that something had happened to Earl, the Richards Group had lost a strong backer in the eyes of others.

    However, from the perspective of the Richards family¡­

    Vivianid on the recliner, with her eyes closed as she rested. Her grey hair wasbed into a neat hairstyle, and she looked energetic and rosy.

    ¡°Grandma.¡± Hansen approached her and called out to her softly.

    Vivian opened her eyes at once. A subtle but bright light shed across her murky eyes, while a slight smile was spread across her face. A radiant light was reflected by her silver teeth.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re here. Come and sit down.¡± Vivian grabbed his hand and smiled lovingly.

    Hansen sat down in front of her, but he did not know what to say.

    ¡°Hansen, how was the New Year¡¯s banquet?¡± Vivian said with a smile, and she caressed Hansen¡¯s pale and slender fingers with her wrinkled hand.

    ¡°It was¡­ fine.¡± Hansen forced a smile.

    ¡°Okay. ¡®Fine¡¯ is good enough.¡± Vivian nodded. ¡°What are you nning to do next?¡±

    Hansen understood what his grandmother was talking about. The scene of Jenna holding Rayan¡¯s hand shed across his eyes, and his hands stiffened as he felt a hint of bitterness in his heart.

    ¡°Grandma, Earl has been arrested. It will take some time to close the case, but I will not marry Aria.¡± Hansen said with certainty.

    Vivian was stunned, and a fierce light shone out of her eyes.

    She said with a solemn voice, ¡°Hansen, tell me. Are you abandoning Earl¡¯s daughter just because he had been arrested and no longer possessed any power?¡±

    ¡°Grandma, it¡¯s not like that. You know it.¡± Hansen was taken aback, and quickly refuted.

    ¡°Yes. Of course I know it, but do the outsiders know it? You¡¯re the eldest child and grandchild of a huge family, and you¡¯re the president of the Richards Group. You are under scrutiny and are being watched by the whole world. If you call off the wedding now, your reputation along with the Richards Group will be ruined horribly. Do you know what they¡¯ll think of us? They¡¯ll think that we only got close to the McAdams for their wealth and power, and are leaving now that they¡¯re in a disadvantageous situation. Once they have this image of us, it¡¯ll be very hard to change it. If we were a small family, then it wouldn¡¯t matter. However, you, you¡¯re the heir to the Richards family. You have to take it seriously, and maintain our good image.¡± Vivian pointed it out frankly, as she was serious about it.

    Hansen was dumbfounded.

    He never considered this. He thought that he would naturally be able to break off his engagement with Aria now, but Vivian did not agree at all.

    Things have already escted up to this point, yet he still wasn¡¯t able to break off their engagement. Was marrying Aria his only choice?

    ¡°That¡¯s why, Hansen, as an adult, you have to think carefully before doing anything. Don¡¯t cause any unnecessary trouble. Those wealthy youngsters are always out there drinking and having affairs, but they never get those women pregnant. You, on the other hand, got entangled with someone who¡¯s very difficult to deal with. As long as Aria is pregnant with your child, you¡¯ll have to marry her, even if Earl McAdams is in jail. This is an immutable reality,¡± Vivian said.

    She was worried that Hansen would notify the media that he had broken off the engagement with Aria once Earl was arrested. If he did that, it would start a lot of gossip, and people would think of him as a greedy rascal.

    If he wanted to cancel the engagement, he had to have a good reason for it. The children of the Richards family had to maintain an image of righteousness, they must never exacerbate the downfall of others. In the past, she wanted Hansen to take responsibility, but it wasn¡¯t due to Earl¡¯s power. The same applies to this situation as well.

    The reason the Richards Group had such a stable foundation after all these years was due to their good reputation and integrity.

    He mustn¡¯t let others think that he¡¯s an ungrateful, greedy, and wicked rascal. A person like that would never be able to seed, no matter how well he did.

    Vivian would never allow her descendants to do so, especially her most outstanding grandson.

    ¡°No, Grandma. I do have a reason for it.¡± Hansen understood what Vivian meant, and quickly denied. ¡°I refuse to marry Aria McAdams because it¡¯s an insult to the Richards family. The baby in Aria¡¯s womb isn¡¯t mine. I¡¯ve never touched her. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll never marry her.¡±

    Hansen announced it in a righteous and earnest manner.

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Vivian¡¯s eyes lit up as Hansen¡¯s words gave her hope, but then she confirmed with him once again, as she was a little doubtful.

    ¡°It¡¯s true. I¡¯m not lying,¡± Hansen said with conviction.

    After he answered Vivian, he exined to her in detail about the situation when he had interrogated Brock, and everything that had happened from the start. Vivian had mixed feelings, but was mostly very excited.

    ¡°Hansen, my good boy. You have been wronged.¡± She held onto his hand, and felt a sense of relief in her heart. ¡°My child, as long as the baby in Aria¡¯s womb isn¡¯t yours, it will be much easier to settle everything. You¡¯ve stuck to your morals, and you have done a great job. Evil can never prevail over good. We mustn¡¯t oppress others. However, we mustn¡¯t let others oppress us as well. Take it slow. There will be a way to deal with this. I¡¯ve called you here today to remind you not to do anything impulsively that would ruin your reputation, and also to make you investigate a few matters for me. Christopher will stay here for the next few days to investigate the case in Richards Manor. We must not let the viins off, but we must not ostracize any of the good people too.¡±

    Vivian¡¯s face was stern, and her voice was calm. The minute she heard that the child in Aria¡¯s womb wasn¡¯t Hansen¡¯s, she felt instantly relieved and rxed, and a thrilled smile spread across her face.

    If what he said was really true, then it would be much easier to deal with them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma. I¡¯ve nned to chase away all the immoral people from Richards Manor in the next few days. I will investigate the case of your medicine being swapped, and the person who snuck into your room as well. I already have some evidence.¡± Hansen hadn¡¯t seen his grandmother so relieved in a very long time, and was ted as well.

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s hope that we can uncover the truth by the eighth, and then announce it to the media. Then, you can do anything you want.¡± Vivian¡¯s murky eyes brightened up as she smiled lightly. All of a sudden, she thought of something.

    She continued asking. ¡°What about Jenna? She is to be pitied as well. Her father died in the car ident, and her mother is now paralyzed waist down. These battles were never meant for her, yet she was forced to take them. Besides, she¡­¡± Vivian gave Hansen a nce. She wanted to say that Jenna had had an unpleasant marriage as well, but she ended up swallowing those words.

    Hansen¡¯s heart tightened. The image of her hugging Rayan as she cried shed before his eyes, and his face darkened. He felt as if his heart was being shed by knives, and he remained silent.

    Vivian peered at him and said slowly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Hansen. After this incident, I will never interfere in your marriage anymore. You must make your own decisions, and I believe that you have already made the right judgements. I will respect and support all of your decisions.¡±

    Hearing her words, his lips moved slightly, and the light in his eyes was as cool as water.

    Without saying anything, he walked out of the Ink Garden slowly.

    The guests who were supposed to leave had already left, and the ones who were supposed to remain had stayed behind. Hansen gave orders to lock up Richards Manor, and nobody could enter or leave the ce.

    He wanted to put an end to everything by the eighth.

    Although it was an old house, there were at least a few hundred servants and staff members in there. It was about time he did some restructuring.

    Two dayster, the news that the police had discovered two hundred million dors worth of cash and numerous luxurious wine bottles, famous paintings, and precious jewelry in Earl McAdam¡¯s residence was all over the newspapers. Soon enough, Earl was removed from his position.

    Three dayster, the truth to Javon Murphy¡¯s case was finally uncovered!

    Earl was greedy, and wanted to pocket the huge amount of money from the financial department, but Javon was the minister of the financial department. If he wanted to take the money for himself, he would have to go through Javon. However, Javon was stubborn and refused to cooperate with him, let alone falsifying records for him. Coincidentally, Sheldon Ford was desperate to be transferred to Capital City at that time as his family members were all in Capital City. Therefore, Earl had used him to embezzle the money instead.

    However, when he handed the records to Javon to be signed as the final part of the deal, Javon found out what they¡¯d done. As a righteous man, Javon definitely refused to sign the record, knowing that it was against thew. He even tried to challenge Earl, and said that he would report him to their superiors. Earl panicked, and he orchestrated this vicious scheme. Then, he made Sheldon do it for him.

    Furthermore, Earl heard from Aria that Norton aspired to be the minister of the financial department. So, everything fell into ce naturally.

 Chapter 314 Repaying Him With Her Life

    No crime will ever go unpunished.

    Earl McAdams forgot that a woman named Vivian Delia resided among the Richards family. Ever since she was a child, that woman was no ordinary woman, she had already noticed everything that was happening. When Hansen was about to capture Brock alive, she made Christopher rush over to stop him. That way, Brock was able to show his true self, and they seeded in helping Norton shake off the identity of a scapegoat.

    If Hansen had captured Brock alive at that time, all the crimes would¡¯ve been pushed to Norton, and Brock would¡¯ve never known that Sheldon was involved as well.

    Earl sat in the interrogation room. He recalled that day, when it was Vivian¡¯s birthday, and she only invited him and Jenna into her room. When he went in, she looked very pleasant, and decisively agreed to let Aria stay in Richards Manor. Now that he thought of it, he realized that it was just her strategy to dy their attacks.

    Once Aria resided at Richards Manor, the Camphor Tree Vi could avoid getting harmed or framed. Plus, they would be able to stabilize the Richards Group. Furthermore, he would be more rxed and less vignt. It seemed fair, when in reality, he was the one being controlled.

    Vivian started to suspect him when Aria moved in, and he only knew afterwards that Vivian had already known about Javon¡¯s death for a long time. Vivian had two loyal andpetent assistants, Paul Wace and Irvin Wace. He only knew about them when he was orchestrating his scheme, and didn¡¯t know who they were at first. However, now he understood everything.

    At this point, Earl had already epted his misfortune, but he was worried about his daughter, Aria.

    He clearly understood that Hansen only married her due to the pressure from wanting to remain in power. However, now that he had been arrested, what was going to happen to his daughter?

    As long as his daughter was pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child, he didn¡¯t believe that a wealthy family like the Richards family would do anything horrible to his daughter. Even if Hansen didn¡¯t want to marry his daughter, he would also have to do it to maintain his reputation.

    Rayan was in aa for the entire day and night, and only woke up and opened his eyes the next morning.

    ¡°Rayan, you¡¯re finally awake.¡± Jenna had been watching over him the whole time, and the veins in her eyes were visible. Seeing him open his eyes, she was so happy that she teared up.

    ¡°I¡­ Jen, what¡¯s the matter?¡± His eyeballs could finally turn after some time, and he felt an intense pain in his chest. He had no energy to move, and his lips were chapped.

    ¡°Rayan, I¡¯m so sorry. You were hurt because of me. You got shot in your left chest to protect me. It almost pierced through your heart. It was so dangerous.¡± Jenna¡¯s face was filled with joy, but concern was hidden beneath her eyes.

    Shot in the chest? He was stunned. Rayan was still at a loss, and he stared at Jenna.

    Her face was haggard and full of weariness. Her eyes were bloodshot, and the blood vessels could still be seen clearly.

    He must have been in aa for a very long time! She looked as if she had been taking care of him for some time.

    Anxiousness was written all over her face, and it warmed his heart. He extended his arm with difficulty and grabbed her hand, then said with a sigh, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Jen. It had nothing to do with you, they wereing for me.¡±

    ¡°No, Rayan. You could have escaped, but they wanted my life.¡± Jenna sobbed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rayan. I owe you a great deal.¡±

    Rayan felt distressed. That silly woman had taken all the me, when the truth was that his people had already told him that Jonas wanted to harm him the day before. He initially nned to leave that ce once Jenna had made her decision, or take her somewhere faraway.

    He didn¡¯t expect that he still couldn¡¯t escape their attack.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    It was clear that they wanted him dead. Nheless, he thought about it well, and decided to regard it as payback to them.

    However, if they ever schemed against him again, he would make sure that they suffer the consequences.

    The pain in his chest had surfaced repeatedly. His forehead broke into a cold sweat after talking for a while.

    ¡°Rayan, I think you should stop talking. Rest well. I¡¯ll feed you some porridgeter.¡± Jennaforted him as she saw that his face was full of pain, and his brows were knitted tightly. His forehead was soaked in cold sweat. So, she quickly took a piece of tissue to help him wipe it off.

    Rayan could feel her soft hand touching his forehead. It was warm and tender, and inexplicablyforting. Nheless, the pain in his left chest was unbearable, and he no longer had the energy to say anything. So, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

    As Jenna cooked the meat porridge meticulously, memories started to form in her mind.

    That day, she was injured and had to stay in the hospital, and Hansen had fed her herbal soup and meat porridge as well. As the memories filled up her mind, she was daydreaming for a moment.

    By the time Rayan had woken up again, it was already night time.

    ¡°Come, Rayan. Have some porridge. The doctor said that you can eat now. You¡¯ve lost a lot of blood, and your body is very weak. However, the bleeding has stopped, and your infections are being kept under control. You¡¯re okay now. I¡¯ve made you some meat porridge,¡± Jenna said to him with a smile as she carried the porridge out of the hospital pantry.

    Rayan looked at her with his bright eyes and smiled.

    Jenna helped him sit upright on the bed, and blew a spoonful of porridge a few times, before feeding him one spoon after another.

    A faint light appeared in Rayan¡¯s eyes, and the smile on his face was warm and tender.

    Jenna had been taking care of him that way for three consecutive days. She did everything by herself, and took care of him attentively. She even helped him clean his wound. She was fearful that his wound would get infected or inmed. She really did her best.

    For the first time in his life, Rayan felt the warmth of being taken care of by someone else.

    ¡°Jen, I suddenly realized that being sick is a wonderful thing too, now that you¡¯re taking care of me.¡± It had been four days since he was admitted to the hospital, and he could now move his body. His wound still hurt badly, but his life was no longer in danger.

    Jenna blushed and smiled slightly. ¡°Rayan, you saved my life. Even if I were to give my life to you, it will never be enough to repay your kindness. Taking care of you is nothingpared to what you had done for me.¡±

    She spoke in a very earnest and steadfast manner. Her eyes were filled with guilt and sorrow.

    Rayan nced at her face. He had a strong impulse in his heart to pull her into his embrace to console her. He wanted to tell her that the shot had nothing to do with her and that she didn¡¯t have to worry. However, in the end, he only said calmly, ¡°Jen, you¡¯re pregnant. It¡¯s too exhausting for you to take care of me like this. Go home and take a rest. I¡¯ll get a nurse to take care of me.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m worried about you. I have to take care of you personally, until you¡¯re fully recovered.¡± Jenna shook her head firmly. She wouldn¡¯t be able to feel better until she saw that he had fully recovered.

    ¡°Jen, I¡¯ll be worried about you too if you keep working like that.¡± Rayan smiled helplessly.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. This is a hospital, and I¡¯m taking some supplements that the doctor has prescribed. Besides, it¡¯s natural for women to get pregnant. I¡¯m not that delicate. As long as you recover, I¡¯ll be very happy.¡± She smiled boldly, and a radiant light shone in her dark eyes, but they were mostly covered by a ck screen of sorrow.

    Rayan¡¯s heart was filled with heaviness. If he could own all the light in those eyes, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to give up everything for it. Unfortunately, she never truly belonged to him.

    He stopped urging her go home. Knowing her personality, she would never be able leave him alone here and leave in peace.

    ¡°Rayan, when you were in aa, I¡¯ve thought about it. I¡¯ll fulfil all of your requests, no matter what they are,¡± she said bashfully, as she lowered her head and clutched onto the hem of her skirt.

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Rayan was stunned for a moment, but he then smiled and asked in a teasing manner, ¡°Jen, if I want you to take care of me for the rest of my life, will you agree to that?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face blushed slightly, and she replied without hesitation. ¡°If you don¡¯t think that I¡¯m an embarrassment, and think that you need me, then I¡¯ll definitely agree to it. I will never break my promise.¡±

    She said it fearlessly and willingly, butthrough her eyes,Rayan could see that it was a sacrifice on her part. A bitter smile spread across his face.

    ¡°Jen, are you trying to repay me with your life?¡± He asked half-jokingly.

    Jenna didn¡¯t understand what he meant, and merely said coyly, ¡°Even if I give you my life, it won¡¯t be enough to return the favor. You need to know that I¡¯m pregnant. So, you not only saved me, but my child as well. Do you think I can repay you for that?¡±

    Rayan chuckled, but his eyes were as deep as the ocean. He didn¡¯t reply, but turned on the TV instead. He turned his gaze away, trying to avoid that difficult topic.

    It was okay to joke about it, but he didn¡¯t think much of it. He felt gloomy as well, and didn¡¯t think that he needed to gain her love in this manner.

    Jenna stood up. ¡°Rayan, let me make you a few scrumptious dishes today. You¡¯re much better now and you can eat more, so that you can recover faster.¡±

    After speaking, she fetched a basket from the kitchen and was ready to buy some ingredients.

    Just as she was about to leave, the sound of a news report entered her ears, ¡°Another corrupted minister has been arrested. The previous mayor of A City, Earl McAdams, had been involved in a case of pocketing public funds. Recently, the police have found not only close to two hundred million dors worth of cash in his house, but also evidence that he was behind the mysterious car crash that killed our previous minister of the financial department, Javon Murphy.¡±

    ¡°Javon Murphy, who was the minister of the financial department of A City, refused to aid Earl McAdams with his corrupted ns, and even found evidence of his corruption before his death. Earl McAdams had nned this car crash to kill Javon Murphyso that he wouldn¡¯t be able to report him. This is such wicked behavior. It¡¯s truly appalling. No crime will ever go unpunished, and this vicious man, a failure of humanity, has finally been captured and proven guilty. He will soon suffer the consequences of breaking thew,¡± the reporter said.

    The news channels on the TV were filled with the news report of Earl McAdams¡¯ arrest, and the truth behind Javon Murphy¡¯s death in the car ident.

    Javon Murphy was murdered by Earl McAdams, and the truth was finally revealed to the public and reported by the media after so many months. Everyone was shocked and talked endlessly about the news.

    The voices on the TV were loud and clear, and almost every channel was broadcasting the news.

    Jenna¡¯s feet were frozen in the ward. She stood straight and couldn¡¯t take another step.

    Tears gushed out of her bright eyes, and she could no longer hold them back. She knelt down and burst into tears.

    She had longed for the day when the truth of her father¡¯s death woulde to light. It was the oue of her consistent efforts and struggles.

    Although she was still a little confused by the truth, she finally did her father justice.

    It turned out that her father¡¯s death was due to financial issues. If Earl McAdams was the one who killed her father, then what about Norton Richards?

    Back in the interrogation room, Norton once said that he didn¡¯t want her father to die. He just wanted to stop him from participating in the election the next day. It seemed that Earl had used him! What he said at that moment was the truth.

    Rayan sat on the hospital bed. He wanted to console her, but he couldn¡¯t get up, and he felt awful.

    She should cry as much as she wanted! He thought silently. She had been burdened with these matters for so long. It was probably very difficult for her.

    After a long time, Jenna wiped away her tears and stood up. She was ready to go out and buy some ingredients.

    ¡°Jen, you don¡¯t have to buy anything anymore. I¡¯ll take you out for a meal, and we can celebrate. The truth of your father¡¯s death has finally been revealed. We should celebrate,¡± he said sincerely, calling out to her.

    Jenna stood still and cleared her throat.

    ¡°Rayan, are you sure you can walk?¡± She asked softly.

    ¡°Sure. Besides, you¡¯re here to help me. I¡¯ll just walk slowly,¡± Rayan said humorously, raising his eyebrows.

    Jenna thought for a while, and then nodded, as she truly wasn¡¯t in the mood for cooking.

 Chapter 315 General Delia Broke Off The Engagement

    In the Emerald Garden, General Delia and ude Richards sat on the Italian leather couch in the living room, with different expressions on their faces.

    His second wife, Maria ncy, sat next to him with a dejected look. Her face was full of sorrow, and her eyes were red and swollen, filled with despair.

    His first wife, on the other hand, looked very calm. The corners of her mouth had curved into a mocking smile.

    The servants served them some tea, and then left quietly.

    ¡°General Delia, please have some tea.¡± ude was knowledgeable, and knew that he was the one at fault. In a situation like that, he had no choice but to speak apologetically and humbly.

    General Delia¡¯s face was stiff, and his expression was as cold as ice. He snorted lightly, and epted the teacup that ude had handed to him. Then, he lifted the cover of the cup, blew onto the tea lightly, and took a small sip. The aroma of the tea diffused into the depths of his heart, and his expression started to soften.

    ¡°Go and fetch Norton.¡± ude ordered the servant standing next to him with a stern face.

    The servant agreed and left.

    After a while, Norton walked out of the study room, dispirited and depressed. He couldn¡¯t even walk properly due to his sore knees.

    Ever since Earl was arrested, ude had been very worried. The truth was that he already knew about all of this back when he was in Africa.

    The minute he returned to the country, he was so angry that he gave Norton two ps in the face right away, and started to punish him. In thest few days, Norton had been shut in in the study room and thinking about what he had done wrong.

    ¡°Hello General Delia, Dad, Aunt Raina, Mom.¡± He walked over and greeted everyone with his head hung low.

    General Delia peered at him lightly, and a gleam of light shed across his eyes.

    Norton instantly felt a chill down his spine.

    ¡°Norton Richards, I didn¡¯t expect you to be that kind of man. Not only did you not own up to your mistakes and take responsibility for it, you even got close to my daughter, Sabrina, with other intentions. I demand an exnation. Why did you call me and asked me to look for General Garver that day?¡± General Delia¡¯s gaze was as sharp as a knife, and his voice was cold. His savage interrogation made Norton¡¯s face blush out of shame, and he didn¡¯t have the courage to look at him.

    ¡°General Delia¡­¡± His lips trembled. He wanted to say something, but couldn¡¯t bring himself to say it.

    ¡°You monster. You had so many means to get what you wanted. Yet, you thought of using the crooked ways. You even schemed to bring harm to Javon Murphy. Have you forgotten what your grandfather had taught you about having morals?¡± ude burst into anger the moment he saw Norton, and roared furiously.

    Norton¡¯s face was filled with terror and anxiety, and he lowered his head.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I believe that we¡¯ve all heard of the news. The reason I¡¯m here at Richards Manor today is to help you eliminate Earl McAdams, for the sake of the friendship between our families. I¡¯ll be frank with you. I¡¯m here to talk to you about my daughter, Sabrina, as well.¡± General Delia¡¯s voice was rough and loud.

    ¡°Oh, of course. Thank you, General Delia.¡± ude smiled, and quickly said, ¡°Sabrina is pretty and wise. She is way better than our son Norton. It is not only Norton¡¯s blessing, but the blessing of the entire Richards family as well, for him to be able to marry Sabrina.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± General Delia snorted and said coldly, ¡°My daughter Sabrina is pure and kind. I, as her father, won¡¯t ask for her to marry a wealthy or outstanding man. However, the man has to possess good morals, and treat her well. Looking at it now, Norton does not fulfil any of the basic criteria. Therefore, I¡¯m here today to help my daughter break off the engagement.

    General Delia¡¯s words rang in everyone¡¯s ears clearly, especially Norton. He lifted his bowed head immediately, and his face turned pale. He was dumbfounded.

    These days, he had already gotten used to the joy that Sabrina had bestowed upon him. Sabrina had gradually entered his heart, and nted herself in there as if she were his wife. General Delia wanting to break off the engagement was a huge blow to him, and he was left in a daze.

    ¡°General Delia, can you reconsider this decision? After all, my son¡­¡± ude pleaded softly with a face full of awkwardness.

    ¡°No, this issue is different from others. It¡¯s unforgivable.¡± General Delia stood up expressionlessly. He gave Norton a cold re. He then nced at the others, and said decisively, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now. I¡¯ll announce this decision during the meeting at Richards Manorter. I only dropped by to notify you beforehand.¡±

    As soon as he was done speaking, General Delia left in a calm andposed manner.

    Everyone in the living room fell silent.

    ¡°Monster, look at what you¡¯ve done. You deserve it.¡± ude was mad and yelled at Norton, as he tried ttering General Delia. However, he ignored him, and made the situation awkward.

    Maria wiped her tears and said, ¡°ude, stop scolding him. He¡¯s not a child anymore. He has been punished enough these days. Let¡¯s find a way to help him.¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± ude¡¯s heart was aze with mes as he heard Maria¡¯s pleas. He turned around and roared, ¡°You were the one who spoiled him and made him this way. Look at all the children and grandchildren of the Richards family. All of them have bright futures. Yet, he was the only one who didn¡¯t know how to appreciate it, and now he lost it. I¡¯ll tell you. My punishment is nothing. He¡¯ll be chased out of Richards Manor soon.¡±

    ude flicked his sleeve and left furiously.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Maria cked out and almost fell to the ground.

    An unnoticeable smile shed across Raina¡¯s face.

    ¡°No, it can¡¯t be.¡±

    All of a sudden, Norton returned to his senses, and ran out through the door.

    He ran all the way to the Ink Garden and stopped in front of Sabrina¡¯s room, and then banged on the door loudly and shouted, ¡°Sabrina, Sabrina, open the door.¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Sabrina sat on the sofa with a face full of tears. She had never felt this depressed before.

    She would be leaving Richards Manor with her father the next day, and may never being back.

    Her father had already broken off her engagement with Norton. She no longer had anything to do with this ce.

    She never imagined that Norton would do something so horrible. She would never be able to forgive him.

    ¡­

    ¡°Sabrina, open the door, okay? Let me exin.¡± Norton knocked on the door, and loud sounds red as the door rumbled.

    The thought that she was going to leave tomorrow and may never see him again made Sabrina upset. She stood up, walked forwards, and opened the door as she said coldly, ¡°Norton Richards, what¡¯s the matter with you? Who allowed you to shout so loudly here?¡±

    The door swung open suddenly, and Norton¡¯s hand that was mming on the door reached out and grabbed Sabrina¡¯s hand. He said anxiously, ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t, don¡¯t leave me.¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s eyes were full of hatred at his betrayal. She tried to withdraw her hand with all her might, but Norton held onto it tightly and it wouldn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°Let go of me, you scoundrel. If you won¡¯t let go of me, I¡¯ll scream.¡± she shouted with annoyance.

    ¡°No, Sabrina. You¡¯re my wife. Please don¡¯t leave me. I promise I¡¯ll change. I¡¯ll never do such stupid things ever again. I¡¯ll only listen to you, okay? Sabrina, please trust me. Don¡¯t break off the engagement.¡± He pleaded with his muddled words and blushing face.

    The grip on Sabrina¡¯s hand became tighter and tighter. Out of fear and panic, he grabbed Sabrina¡¯s waist as she was in a stupor. Then, he lowered his head and pressed his lips on hers, kissing her aggressively.

    Sabrina was stunned by Norton¡¯s sudden move. She only returned to her senses after his kiss took her breath away, and his tongue raged in her mouth.

    She sobbed and punched him with all her might.

    Norton kissed her vigorously, as if he was tasting the sweetest taste in the world. He embraced her with all his might, squeezing her into his body, as if it was the only way of making her stay. It was the only way he was able to calm down.

    Norton finally let Sabrina go when she was about to suffocate.

    She was exasperated, and lifted her hand to give him two ps on the face. She cried furiously, ¡°You¡¯re shameless and dirty! You should give up. I will never forgive you. What you¡¯ve done was unforgivable.¡±

    After that, she ran away crying.

    Norton was taken aback. Even then, he hadn¡¯t woken up from the stupor and regained his senses yet.

    In Richards Manor, the doors of the Ink Garden were all wide open, and it was silent in the meeting room.

    The family members, servants, and staff members of the Richards Manor were gathered in the meeting room. The meeting this time consisted of not only the members of Richards Manor, but also General Delia, Jordan and the criminal investigators, Christopher Matthews, Georgia Bird, and other outsiders. Aria was going to get married to Hansen soon. So, she was considered as a member of the inner circle for the time being.

    That day, Hansen was going to begin getting rid of the bad apples in Richards Manor with the support of his grandmother. He was going to chase out all the irrelevant people.

    Vivian sat on her wheelchair with the beads in her hands, as Meroy wheeled her in from the backstage.

    She was in high spirits, and her gaze was bright. She counted the beads in her hands with a solemn expression on her face.

    She wanted to grab the opportunity while she was still alive not only to clear Richards Manor¡¯s good name, but also to select the head of the family. It was so that Richards Manor would have a torch-bearer in the future.

    Hansen stood straight on the stage with a stern face. Seeing that Vivian wasing, he walked over and took over the handles of the wheelchair from Meroy. Then, he whispered to Vivian, ¡°Grandma, everyone is here.¡±

    Vivian nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±

    Hansen nodded, and then gave the audience a quick but sharp gaze. He said to Alvin, who was standing by his side, ¡°Bring them in.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Alvin answered him, and quickly brought a man into the room.

    The audience had their eyes wide open.

    The man in front of them was tall and mighty, and looked as though he was around his thirties. His skin was rough and tanned, and he had a rectangr face. They¡¯ve never seen him before, and felt that he was very unfamiliar.

    Who was this man?

    They looked at each other, confused.

    Aria¡¯s face began to turn pale, and her hands grasped onto her clothes tightly.

    Initially, Jenna was supposed to be present at the meeting, and she was supposed to witness the entire process. However, Rayan was still being hospitalized for his injuries. So, Hansen decided not to notify her after giving some careful thought.

 Chapter 316 Richard Familyâ€™s Meeting (Part One)

    ¡°Speak. Tell me your name, who you are, and what you¡¯ve done,¡± Hansen barked at him sternly.

    Hansen barely returned to thepany for the past few days. He and Jordan spent the nights interrogating about what had happened in Richards Group mansion. These people had already confessed the truth. The reason why they held the meeting this day was to let everyone know the truth behind the matter and some untold things. They even specially invited several reliable media for that. When the time came, they would unravel some things to the public and disy to others how fair and just the Richards Group was in handing matters.

    Raising his head, the young man cleared his throat. He then introduced himself, ¡°My name is Mattias Forbes and I started a private security servicepany. Three years ago, an exceedingly nobledy had approached me and gave me five hundred thousand dors to sleep with a woman at Zevery Hotel. As long as I slept with her, the money would be mine. At that time, mypany happened to be in a dire need of cash. So, I was ecstatic to learn of such a good deal. I immediately agreed to it. I waited in the room that day after she let me take some aphrodisiac. When the time came, the doorbell rang and I saw her walking in with an unconscious woman. She told me to have as much fun as I wished. Thedy had already helped the unconscious woman remove her clothes. It was only then I realised that the woman was wrapped in nothing but a bedsheet. She threw her on the bed and left in a hurry. I had some aphrodisiac at the time and couldn¡¯t help myself. The woman¡¯s face and neck were exposed. Her skin was very fair. She was an absolute beauty. At that time, my veins were pumping with blood and I couldn¡¯t control it. When I was about to outrage her modesty, the door swung open and a very dignified old man rushed in. He yelled at me while pointing at me. I was scared out of my wits at the time. I didn¡¯t expect that the old man would pass out from being in so much rage. At this moment, I only know that the old man is the famous Mr. Trevor Richards and that woman is his daughter-inw, Miss Jenna Murphy. Although I did promise to vite her, I didn¡¯t have the time to make it happen. Please be considerate and show your mercy when judging me.¡±

    His voice was very loud and clear. Perhaps he had said it in order to gain a lenient punishment, as he was very cooperative and his exnation also possessed some rity.

    Hansen¡¯s only expression grew darker over time. The scene from that day kept reying in his mind. Jenna was hugging the bedsheet and curling up in a corner. Her tearful eyes were filled with sorrow and helplessness as she looked at him. She kept repeating, ¡°Hansen, this has nothing to do with me. I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. Please trust me.¡±

    At that time, he had been so angry that he med her for everything that had happened. In the grip of madness, he had tormented her that day.

    It seemed that he could not bear to continue thinking about it and closed his eyes.

    His fingers were curled up. His nails pierced into the palm of his hand. His teeth was biting into his rosy pink lip until it turned pale, and his eyes were super frightening. He asked through his clenched teeth, ¡°Mr. Forbes, who ordered you to do it?¡±

    Nervousness was evident on Mattias¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Mr. Richards, I didn¡¯t know her real identity at first, but some time ago, she came to me again and wanted me to sneak into Vivian Delia¡¯s bedroom to look for the Ocean Heart. It was only then did I know that she was the daughter of Mayor McAdams, Miss Aria.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. You¡¯re ndering me.¡± Aria finally came to her senses, her face filled with panic. She had already shrunk into a ball. When Mattias mentioned her name, she immediately snapped back to reality as if she had a trained reflex. Aware of what was going to happen next, she immediately shouted angrily, ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t believe him. He¡¯s just spouting nonsense to nder me. I don¡¯t know him at all.¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    Agitation was dripping in Aria¡¯s words. She was about to run up to the stage to deal with the man.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Hansen bellowed at her.

    Aria stood still, her face nched.She beheld Hansen¡¯s indifferent and distant face, not daring to take another step forward.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I did not falsely use her. It was she who ordered me. This time she gave me a 100 thousand dors as a reward.¡± Mattias argued.

    Georgia¡¯s face turned pale. Seeing that her daughter was surrounded by the crowd, she understood that the purpose of this family meeting was mainly to aim at her daughter.Sneering, she immediately stepped forward to hold Aria.Her tone forbidding, she said to Hansen, ¡°Hansen, I know what you¡¯re thinking. You think that our family doesn¡¯t have power anymore after Earl lost his position,huh? You wanted to make use of this opportunity to avoid marrying my daughter, but you were afraid that others would criticize you. Hence, you could only find such an excuse to humiliate my daughter. Let me tell you, it is not as easy as this. She is pregnant with your child. It¡¯s impossible for you to shirk away from it.¡±

    Georgia shouted with madness, lest the world did not know.

    The whole meeting room was plunged into silence.

    Georgia¡¯s words caused the corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth to curl into a disdainful smile. Ignoring Georgia, he asked Aria directly, ¡°Until now, you still want to deny what you did to Jenna three years ago? The extent of your vicious heart is beyond myprehension.¡±

    Aria¡¯s face turned even paler. Her whole body was trembling and she almost stumbled. However, since there was no proof, she would not admit defeat. She immediately burst into tears and said in a intive voice, ¡°Hansen, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t want to marry me. However, you can¡¯t involve a strange man whom I don¡¯t know to nder me like this. What you did to me is very unfair. I won¡¯t give in and I won¡¯t let anyone believe it.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Hansen was incensed. He did not expect the woman in front of him to be so shameless. The witness had been brought here already, yet not only did she still not admit it,she even put on a show with her sob story. As if he was really ndering her.

    How did he only find out that this woman was so despicable? However, the more she acted like this, the more he wanted to expose her horrible true colors this day and seek justice for Jenna.

    He was never a soft-hearted person. In the past, he¡¯d thought it was not worth to be cruel to a woman. Yet, at this moment, it was the first time he had the intention to be cruel to a woman.

    This woman was too detestable!

    Aria could make out the coldness and anger in Hansen¡¯s eyes. It was horrifying. She had never seen it such callous and detached emotions in him before. It dawned on her that it was impossible for him to marry her and want her. She was afraid that he had already thought it through, and this heartlessness was a response to her.

    She was thoroughly unsettled. These days, her father¡¯s demotion had caused a search in their house to confiscate the family¡¯s possession. At this moment, she was left with nothing at all.

    Apart from relying on Hansen, she really had nothing else.

    She could not let go of this opportunity. Even if she could not win him over, she would not let him abandon her so easily.

    As long as she stood her ground and denied that she knew this man, no one could do anything to her. After all, she had not left any evidence in the man¡¯s hands. She could push all the me on him or denied her participation in these things.

    ¡°Hansen, I have been by your side for a few years. I may not have contributed to the Richards Group, but I had worked hard for it. Back then, Richards Group¡¯s stocks were in decline. If I had not utilised my father¡¯s connections, I¡¯m afraid the Richards Group would have fallen long ago. Now, you have achieved sess and gained recognition while my father has been demoted. Yet, you still want to use these tricks to get rid of me. Let me tell you, I won¡¯t let you achieve it,¡± she said, gnashing her teeth. Her face flushed red. She looked as if she wanted to drag him in this, until the end. If things did not go her way, then she would go down with him.

    Hansen¡¯s face turned even more indifferent. This woman was acting more recklessly. She was not letting him go. A cold smile appeared on his face.

    His character had never been one where he wouldpromise after being threatened. Had she confessed honestly, perhaps he would have pitied her a little. However, her clinging onto him would only disgust him further.

    It was just that he did not have as many means to deal with such a woman. Otherwise, he would not have been entangled with her at that time.

    ¡°It seems that if I don¡¯t show my face today, the truth would never be revealed to the world.¡± A firm and determined male voice slowly sounded from the backstage.

    Everyone was shocked.

    They all turned to look at the direction of the voice.

    Behind the stage, the wheelchair was slowly pushed over the red carpet, giving out a screeching sound. The wheelchair was slowly moved towards the center. At the same time, everyone shrieked.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    At this moment, everyone was stunned!

    Including Marissa and Hansen.

    Trevor had actually woken up.

    Not only did he wake up, but his eyes were also shrewd. He did not look like an old man who had been bedridden for three years. Instead, he looked like a highly skilled businessman in the trading industry. His face was slim but he was as calm as he used to be. His aura would not lose to the strong men who were present. He was an old man who had experienced the ups and downs in the trading industry. Even if he was sitting in a wheelchair, his imposing demeanor and cold wrists could faintly reveal the dominance he had that year.

    ¡°Trevor.¡±

    ¡°Dad.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡­

    After a while, the group of people came back to their senses and began greeting him.

    Trevor waved his hand at them and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m here today to get to the bottom of the matter from three years ago. There are still some things that everyone doesn¡¯t know. Men can be poor or down-hearted, but they can¡¯t lose their conscience like this. If I don¡¯t reveal all of this, I¡¯m afraid some people will tantly tread the fine line between right and wrong. Right now, I¡¯m going to show everyone her terrible behavior. I¡¯m telling you all, you have to be upright in order to gain other¡¯s approval. It will not work if you y tricks and frame others.¡±

    His words were sonorous and powerful.

    The room suddenly fell dead silent.

    Aria waspletely dumbfounded. She had never imagined that Trevor would wake up at this time.

    To h*ll with Norton Richards!

    She turned her head and stared at Norton who was standing there in a daze as well. He was obviously stumped!

    ¡°Bring him in,¡± said Trevor to the ck-suited young man beside him who was pushing him.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Trevor.¡±

    After the young man answered, he walked toward the back of the stage.

    After a while, he brought out another young man.

    ¡°Henry, why are you here?¡± Georgia screeched. This young man named Henry was the only son of her younger brother.Why did hee here? Could it be¡­?

    Georgia¡¯s face began to lose color, her whole body started to tremble.

 Chapter 317 Richard Familyâ€™s Meeting (Part Two)

    ¡°Henry, go ahead and tell uswhat you¡¯ve done.¡±Trevor asked him coldly.

    His face turned pale, Henry looked at the desperate Georgia and Aria who were standing next to him. He opened his mouth and had wanted to say something, but after a while, he turned his head away and opened his mouth to speak.

    ¡°Henry¡­¡± Aria squealed.

    ¡°Aria, if I don¡¯t say it, I will be put behind bars.The police are all here today. I have no choice. They had already found the evidence. I can only tell them the truth.¡± When he heard Aria¡¯s cries,Henry swiveled his head towards her and said helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Aria. I don¡¯t want to go to jail yet. I¡¯ve already said before that if anything happens, I won¡¯t be responsible.¡±

    After that, he cleared his throat and no longer hesitated. He said loudly and clearly, ¡°My cousin Aria had offered me 25 million dors and asked me to find Brock¡¯s minions. She gave them 20 million dors and asked them to find a way to get rid of the child in Jenna¡¯s belly. The other five million dors had been gifted to me as a reward.¡±

    As soon as he finished his sentence, everyone below the stage burst into an uproar.

    This was such shocking and terrifying news.

    Not to mention the fact that Jenna was pregnantand only a few people were aware about it.

    However, spending the money to get rid of the child in her stomach was too cruel!

    Only a person with their heart so wretched would do something like that.

    Shrill rebukes rippled through the crowd.

    Georgia was also shocked. She had never thought that Aria was capable of doing such a thing, and she had not been privy to any of this. If she had known, she would have stopped her. After all, it was against thew to do so. This had gone too far.

    ¡°What do you think? Do you still have any other excuses now? Henry is your cousin. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know him,¡± Trevor asked Aria, who was rooted in ce, herexpression sorrowful.

    Aria copsed to the ground.

    ¡°Norton, step forward.¡± After saying these words, he was no longer concerned with Aria and called out to the crowd below.

    Norton¡¯s legs were already trembling so much that he could not even lift his feet. He just stood there nkly.

    ¡°Go, bring him here.¡± Trevor nced at ude, who had a gloomy look on his face while sitting at the side, and ordered the staff member next to him.

    After a while, Norton walked over while being held by others.

    ¡°You son of a b*tch.¡± Trevor mmed his hand on the wheelchair and roared, ¡°Tell us all the disgraceful things you¡¯ve done and try to earn your way into our good graces now. Otherwise, I won¡¯t let go of the fact that you had unplugged my life support. Realize that this is a deliberate murder attempt. Thew will never let you off the hook.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Norton¡¯s knees gave way and he immediately knelt down and burst into tears.¡°Uncle, please don¡¯t. I don¡¯t want to go to jail. I was forced to do it. Please let me go.¡±

    ¡°Tell us at once.¡± ude seemed to have realized something as the cogs in his mind clicked into ce.What else had this b*stard done? He immediately charged forward and kicked him harshly.

    Norton held his head while trembling all over. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t hit me. I¡¯ll tell you everything.I¡¯ll say it.¡±

    The room settled into silence again.

    That day, almost everyone was stupefied. They were taken by surprise with the sudden truth and the unknown plot.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, Grandma, I have loved Jenna back when I was still in college. Yet,Grandma was unfair and insisted that Jenna should marry Hansen. Do you know how much pain I was in? Watching the person I love became someone else¡¯s wife and seeing them everyday. I swore to take her back.

    That day, Aria looked for me and said that as long as I did what she asked, I could get Jenna while she can have Hansen. She wanted to be the young madam of the Richards family. She was so obsessed with the idea. At that time, I wasn¡¯t thinking straight and I actually agreed to her suggestions. I found a security servicepany outside and Aria gave me money. Then, she asked Mattias to sleep with Jenna. She wanted to destroy her chastity and reputation. At that time, everyone knew that Hansen didn¡¯t like Jenna. Their rtionship was very rocky. As long as there was a stain on her, Hansen would definitely divorce her. Surely enough, after the incident, although they didn¡¯t get divorced, Jenna had gone abroad. Aria took the opportunity toe to Hansen¡¯s side. When he was at his worst, the stock market at that time was also falling. Then, Aria used Earl¡¯s connections to stabilize the stocks and gained his trust. So, one thing led to another.

    Unfortunately, something happened to Javon. So, Jenna returned. At this time, Aria felt that her position was not guaranteed. When Hansen repeatedly refused to marry her, she looked for me again, threatened me with matters regarding Javon, and had asked me to spike Hansen¡¯s wine to lead him to spend a night with her. She nned to conceive his child so that Hansen would have no choice but to marry her, but the plot three years ago was discovered by Uncle Richards¡¯s subordinate. Before he fainted, he already knew everything. Aria threatened me again as she was afraid that he would stop the marriage after he woke up. She asked me to think of a way to prevent Uncle Richards from waking up. I was worried and frightened. I was afraid of going to jail. Therefore, I repeatedly wentto the hospital to remove Uncle Richards¡¯ life support. I didn¡¯t want him to wake up. I deserve to die. This woman, however, threatened me with Javon¡¯s death. I only know now that Javon¡¯s death had been caused by Earl. Her father killed him. Yet, she still had to shift the me on me. It¡¯s nowonder Earl agreed to bail me out. It turned out that whatever he did was just to hang the crime of Javon¡¯s death above my head. What goes aroundes around. In the end, this cunning old fox was hoisted by his own petard. Now, I regret not listening to Hansen. I already knew my mistakes. This is everything I did. It is absolutely true. I have never done anything else. Uncle Richards, I¡¯m sorry. Please forgive me. ¡±

    Nortonid out the whole story clearly. After he finished his words, he began to bawl his eyes out.

    Hansen clenched his fists hard as he listened to their plot. He was so angry that his eyes turned red. He pointed at Norton and snapped.¡°Norton, where was your humanity when you did all these?¡±

    Reprimanded by Hansen,Norton wiped away his tears.He suddenly raised his head and retorted, ¡°Yes, I did something wrong and I¡¯m not a decent human being. But you? You couldn¡¯t distinguish right from wrong and you were so messed up when ites to feelings. You fell in love with Jenna when you were in college. Then, did you fulfil your responsibilities as a husband? If you were wise and far-sighted enough in rtionships,these incidents would not have happened. I¡¯ve wronged everyone, but you failed Jenna even more. How many times have you humiliated her and allowed her to suffer? You don¡¯t have the right to point your finger at me.¡±

    Hansen froze for a moment.His tight fist loosened up.

    Even though Norton¡¯s words were unpleasant to his ears, they were true. It was as if a knife had pierced his heart and blood was flowing freely from it.

    Wearily, he lowered his hand that was pointing at Norton. His mind was in aplete mess. All of the past events had surfaced before his eyes, and his heart began to throb in pain.

    Though Norton was a sinner,Hansen was also stupid. He had hurt the woman he loved deeply.Before uncovering the truth, he had hurt her cruelly and for that, he was responsible.

    Slowly, he lowered his head.

    ¡°Oh no, Madam Maria has passed out,¡± eximed someone in the crowd.

    When Maria heard all the sins that Norton hadmitted, she was inplete disbelief. No longer able to bear such a blow, she fainted on the spot.

    ¡°Mom!¡± Norton ran towards her wildly. He held Maria in his arms and let out a heart-wrenching cry.

    Throughout those years in the house outside Richards Manor, Maria had taken care of him and his sister and often shed tears in secret. From then on, he had vowed to be sessful in the future and make his mother happy. Yet, at this moment, not only did he fail to make her happy,he alsopletely destroyed her hopes and dreams.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    He was about to go crazy.

    ¡°Quick, take her to the hospital quickly,¡± ude shouted to the security guard next to him after he approached them with a gloomy face and saw Maria.

    After a while, Butler Maud brought the servants to help Maria up and quickly rushed her to the hospital.

    Jordan walked up and handed over all the results of the interrogation to Trevor.

    Dahlia from Green Jade Garden, Julian from Ink Garden, and a group of servants who were bribed by Aria were all immediately driven out of Richards Manor by Trevor.

    Aria remained frozen, her face ashen.

    ¡°Hansen, I did all of this just because I love you. Please, let me go.¡± The matter had seen the light of the day and Aria could no longer hide it. She ran towards Hansen and hugged him. She started ying the love card and tried her best to ask for help.

    In the past, whenever she had cried and asked him for help, even if he did not love her, he would not do anything cruel to her. That day, she was mired in an unfortunate situation. In a haste, she could only use this way to beg him.

    At this point, it was likely that Hansen was the only person who could save her.

    However, Hansen¡¯s face was terrifyingly grim. His eyes were swirling with sorrow, pain, and mostly anger.

    Until then, Hansen finally understood the whole situation when Trevor had exined the whole process after he woke up. At this time, when he saw that Aria was still brazenly asking him for help, he suppressed the anger in his heart and pushed her away coldly. He forced himself to ovee the impulse to strangle her to death. He calmed down and gritted his teeth. He then asked, word for word, ¡°Aria, I only ask you two questions now. Answer me truthfully. If you answer truthfully, I may still have some mercy. Otherwise, not only will you be in jail, but your whole life will also be ruined beyond redemption.¡±

    He shoved her hand away that was about to grab him again. Taking two steps back, he stood still with a cold smile on his face.

    ¡°Hansen, go ahead.I¡¯ll listen to everything you say. I only beg you not to abandon me.¡± Aria¡¯s face was filled with tears and fear. She kept nodding her head and said, ¡°Hansen, I love you. I did these things because I loved you too much. I have wronged Jenna, but I can¡¯t lose you. If I lose you, I won¡¯t be able to live any longer.¡±

    She copsed to the ground and cried sorrowfully. Her face was the personification of helplessness and anticipation. She simply stared at Hansen.

    Hansen squatted down and looked at her calmly with his cold eyes. He asked calmly, ¡°Why did you find someone to get rid the child in Jenna¡¯s stomach? Why?¡±

    Aria¡¯s eyes were dull.Pain could be recognized in them. She answered nkly. ¡°Hansen, I had no choice. In order to keep the child in my womb and retain my benefits, I had to do this. Think about it. If the child in her womb is born, it would threaten my livelihood forever. Besides, if you have that child, you would never love my child.So, this is all I could do.¡±

    ¡°So, even she thinks that the child in Jenna¡¯s womb is mine!¡± Hansen lowered his head and muttered to himself. Even a woman like Aria believed that Jenna was carrying his child, but Jenna had told him that that child was not his? This d*mned woman!

    Aria looked at him in confusion.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth formed a curve. He raised his head again to stare at Aria and asked sternly, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ask you now, who exactly is the father of the child in your belly?¡±

    As soon as she heard this, Aria¡¯s heart trembled, her face turned as white as a sheet.

 Chapter 318 Richards Familyâ€™s Meeting (Part Three)

    ¡°Speak out. Tell everyone present to whom the child in your belly belongs to. Let everyone know the truth. Don¡¯t mislead them into thinking that you¡¯re pregnant with my child. Please clear my name. If you still have a sliver of conscience and you really love me, then say it out and let them know,¡± Hansen bellowed harshly.

    ¡°Ah, no.¡± Every word that Hansen had said was hitting Aria¡¯s heart like a sledgehammer. She fought back her tears, her hopeless eyes glistening with fear. With a nk expression, she stared at him and shook her head all of a sudden. She madly murmured, ¡°No, Hansen, this child is yours.¡±

    ¡°Liar.Even up till this moment, you¡¯re still fabricating stories. You¡¯re irredeemable.¡± Hansen turned furious. He snarled, ¡°Do you thinkif you don¡¯t tell me,I won¡¯t be able to find out? I¡¯ll tell you what, I already found out everything.¡±

    He rose to his feet, his words dripping with ferocity. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ve given you a chance, but you didn¡¯t take it. You¡¯re pushing me to my limit.¡±

    After that, he resolutely turned around to leave.

    ¡°Ah, no, Hansen.¡± Aria knew Hansen¡¯s character. She knew that since he was able to ask her in that manner, he would not simply say it for no reason. He had probably known everything. She quickly reached out to hug his leg and cried, ¡°Hansen, please don¡¯t go. Don¡¯t leave me. I¡¯ll tell you. I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡±

    His leg was tightly clutched by her,so Hansen could only stop in his tracks. He immediately jerked her hand away. The corner of his mouth curved up into a cold smile as heraised his voice.¡°Then tell us right now, whose child is it?¡±

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s true. I don¡¯t know whose child it is either.¡± As soon as Aria said this, she began to cry, wiping her tears away. She sobbed. ¡°That night at Hilton Hotel, a man entered my room. I thought it was you. So, I slept with him throughout the entire night. I didn¡¯t expect that when I woke up, he had already left. At that time, I had to make a phone call to Norton to ask him where you had gone. Then, he told me that they didn¡¯t send you to room 1008.In a panic, they had sent you to room 808 downstairs. When I went into room 808, you were still unconscious. That was when I realized that the man I slept with wasn¡¯t you.¡±

    These words made the muscles on Hansen¡¯s face twitch. He bent down and stretched out his hand to grip her chin tightly. He said painfully, ¡°You knew that the child wasn¡¯t mine, but you intentionally shifted the me on me and even used it to coerce me into marrying you. You told the whole world that the child was mine and let me bear the me and pressure. After knowing that Jenna was pregnant with my child, it had aroused your jealousy. You were actually so wicked that you paid others to get rid the child in her womb. That is a whole living being.You¡¯re really vicious and ck-hearted. Indeed, h*ll has no fury like a woman scorned. You make my skin crawl. You should know that the child you¡¯re getting rid of is a part of the Richards family, my family. Do you think I will forgive you?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s hand trembled while holding her chin, consumed with the desire to crush it.However, his sense of reason jerked him to reality. He slowly pinched her chin and made her look into his eyes. He said coldly, ¡°Aria, I have never loved you, nor have I ever touched you. You know this very well. I have only loved a woman in my life and that is Jenna. I have warned you a long time ago that you can¡¯t gain love by relying on a child or any means of coercion. I would neverpromise because of your threat. I will never marry you in this life. Karma¡¯s a b*tch. Eventually, you will only harm yourself.¡±

    After he finished his words, he took a deep breath. He was afraid that he would kill this wicked woman in a fit of anger.

    Aria¡¯s face was as pale as a ghost, her eyes riddled with despair. Her only hope had been squelched to nothing. The child in her womb was not Hansen¡¯s. There was nothing left to threaten him with. It waspletely over for her!

    ¡°Do you want to know who the child in your stomach belongs to?¡± Hansen stared at her and continued.

    For Aria, it was the calm before the storm. She knew that her sins were too heavy to be absolved. She no longer had the dignity to plead with anyone. However, when she heard Hansen¡¯s question, her eyes flickered with doubt.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just tell you. So that you will know.¡± Hansen said coldly, ¡°The man who had snuck into your room that day was the gangsters¡¯ current leader, Brock Moore. He was originally going to meet Jennifer Owen at Hilton Hotel. However, I discovered his n. At that time, I suspected him for Javon¡¯s case and wanted to catch him alive. Who would have known that he was aware of the n.So, he had to sneak into your room in a hurry. You can¡¯t pile all the me on him. If you knew how to protect yourself, maybe he wouldn¡¯t have taken advantage of you. However, you were clinging on to him. You should know, what can a man do¡­¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    Hansen¡¯s face was lined with disdain, but Aria listened as if she was listening to a fairy tale. When she knew that the child in her womb was Brock¡¯s, she broke into a hystericughter.

    After Georgia heard what Hansen had disclosed, she understood everything. She could no longer endure these blows and immediately fainted as well.

    She had always known that her daughter was arrogant to a fault and eager to do everything well, but she never thought that her wrongdoings would be such a long list. When she heard that the child in her stomach was Brock¡¯s, she could not help herself any longer and passed out.

    Another person was quickly sent to the hospital again.

    ¡°Mom, Mom¡­¡± Aria watched as Georgia¡¯s body was being carried to the hospital by the servants of the Richards family. Herughter came to a halt as she sat on the ground, thoroughly wretched. She grabbed the clothes on her stomach and lowered her head depressingly.

    It was then that the entire truth had been revealed.

    Jordan walked up and said righteously to Aria, who had copsed onto the ground, ¡°Miss Aria, you are suspected of intentional harm, murder and many others. Pleasee with us.¡±

    As soon as he finished his words, the policemen beside him came over and took out a pair of handcuffs to be ced on her wrists.

    ¡°No. Hansen, save me.¡± The moment that the cold handcuffs were on her hands, Aria¡¯s fears hit home. She also regretted what she had done, but she was reluctant to ept it. She began to cry out to Hansen distressingly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Without any emotion, the two policemen took each of her arms respectively and were about to take her away.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Hansen shouted and stopped the policemen who were going to take her away. He took two steps forward and looked at Aria. He spoke sternly, ¡°You are ck-hearted and have done so many awful things. No one can help you. Fortunately, my grandma, dad, and Jenna are all fine now, so you haven¡¯t caused any harm. I hope that you will learn from your mistakes and be a better person in the future after going to jail. Also, I hope that you can apologize publicly to Jenna, clear her name and beg for her forgiveness. It will only be good for you. As for matters pertaining to your child, I will keep it a secret for you and keep it away from any press media. Please think it over, whether you want this child and whether you could have this child. After all, you are still young and have plenty of time in the future. I have warned you a long time ago. If you had listened to me earlier, you wouldn¡¯t have toe to this day. Today, I will warn you onest time. Don¡¯t let the child in your stomach shoulder the mistakes that you havemitted. You should take the chance to rectify it now. Finally, I will ask mywyer to send you a condominium and 10 million dors as a subsidy fund. Consider it as a courtesy of our past ties. I really hope you would do well in your future. From now on, I have nothing to do with you anymore.¡±

    Hansen said all of this in one breath and resolutely turned his body around.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jordan said to the two policemen. They left with the disheartened Aria.

    ¡°Come and take Norton away too!¡± Jordan then spoke to the other policemen. After a while, Norton was also brought out with his hands handcuffed.

    ¡°Dad, save me. I don¡¯t want to go to jail. Sabrina, I want Sabrina.¡± He painfully cried out for help at Trevor.

    ¡°You b*stard.ept your punishment and beg for a lenient sentence,¡± ude shouted at him.¡°You reap what you sow. No one can save you.¡±

    Norton¡¯s face was pale with disappointment as he was taken away.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the truth of this case has finallye to light. Minnie has also been arrested by our subordinates from the hospital. Everything has fallen into ce. Thew will provide a fair verdict. Please be rest assured about this.¡± Jordan had finally solved this case. He was inexplicably rxed and joyful.

    ¡°Thank you for your cooperation.¡± Hansen heaved a sigh of relief and smiled faintly at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. This is my job. I¡¯m meant to do it. Besides, I should thank Mr. Matthews for supporting us from behind the scenes. If there¡¯s anyone to thank, you should thank Mr. Matthews.¡± Jordan smiled modestly. After saluting Christopher, he turned and left with his subordinates.

    ¡°Christopher, you know I¡­¡± After Jordan had left, ude walked towards Christopher from the side. Before he got close, he was already anxious to open his mouth to speak to Christopher.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± Of course, Christopher understood what he meant. He smiled andforted him.¡°Mr. Richards, although Norton is guilty, he did notmit a grave crime. It won¡¯t be too big of a problem. He did something wrong. Thus, he should be responsible for it. This will teach him a lesson. It¡¯ll be helpful for him in his future endeavours.¡±

    ude sighed upon hearing this. He nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve made a mistake too. I¡¯ve been neglecting him when ites to discipline ever since he was young.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, don¡¯t me yourself too much. He had obtained higher education prior to this, yet he had still done something awful, knowing it was wrong. This is his mistake, and he should be punished ordingly,¡± Christopher said. Then, he continued with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards. Our families are well-connected. Norton is also my younger brother. Where care is necessary, I will not turn a blind eye.¡±

    ude was so moved that he kept bobbing his head in agreement.

    Vivian was pushed over by Meroy.She smiled at Christopher and said,¡°Christopher, thank you for your cooperation. If it weren¡¯t for you, we wouldn¡¯t be able to discover the mastermind. I thank you on behalf of the Richards family.¡±

    Christopher hastily bent down and said with a friendly smile, ¡°Grandma, this is what I should do. You¡¯re really sharp-eyed and urate. Nothing can escape from your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Aye, after all, I¡¯ve watched these kids grow up. I know how outstanding they are. It¡¯d be great if our Norton could turn out like you,¡± Vivian said while holding his hand, patting it gently.

    Christopherughed heartily. He continued. ¡°Grandma, no matter how great I am, I pale so much whenpared to Hansen. You¡¯re blessed to have an outstanding grandson like Hansen.¡±

    ¡°Yes, only Hansen can make me feel proud.¡± Vivian chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that he sometimes likes to mess around.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma. After this, he won¡¯t cause any more trouble,¡± said Christopher with a smile, ncing at Hansen who was standing beside him. He thought in his heart, ¡°Now, let¡¯s see how this guy will beg Jenna for forgiveness. I¡¯m afraid that she won¡¯t let him get away with it so easily.¡±

    With this thought in his mind, he imagined Hansen lowering his voice in front of Jenna,with his face cloaked in embarrassment. The corners of his mouth curved upwards, forming a meaningful smile.

 Chapter 319 His Personal Affairs Are Not Over

    Christopher turned around and said respectfully to Trevor, who was sitting in a wheelchair,¡°Uncle Richards, congrattions on your recovery. You must go to Capital City next time to visit my father. He has been talking about you every day.¡±

    ¡°Sure, Christopher. Please tell your father to visit A City too.¡± Trevor nodded with a pleasant smile.

    After greeting them one by one, Christopher came over and shook hands with Hansen. He patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°How about that? I have helped restore your reputation. Consider this a favor, alright?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Hansen rolled his eyes and said disapprovingly, ¡°One thing¡¯s proven; we only have ourselves to rely on. If I hadn¡¯t acted first and caught Brock, would you still have this achievement?¡±

    Christopherughed heartily and did not argue with him.Teasing, he said, ¡°You¡¯re still so narrow-minded. Be careful that Jenna may not forgive you. At that time, you¡¯ll be miserable.¡±

    After he finished speaking, he grinned and left, leaving a stunned Hansen in his wake.

    ¡°Trevor, I was nning to hand over the family patriarch¡¯s seal to Hansen today,¡± Vivian said solemnly to the now healthy Trevor.

    However, Trevor shook his head and immediately disagreed.

    ¡°Mother, the situation right now is different. There is no need to strike while the iron is hot now. At this moment, his personal affairs are not over yet. After he¡¯s dealt with his personal affairs, we will talk about the patriarch. Not to worry, you are still in good health. With me being here, the seal will be handed over to himsooner orter.Now is not the right time. His personal affairs alone are enough to cause him a headache. He didn¡¯t handle his rtionship well from the very beginning, which led to his current predicament. The man is almost 30 years old. Yet, he can¡¯t handle the rtionship between his family and himself. It¡¯s time for him to reflect his actions.¡±

    Shaking his head,Trevor nced at the dazed Hansen who was standing at the side.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Well, Trevor, you¡¯re right. This child is good in everything, but he is too apathetic when ites to rtionships. He¡¯s not mature enough. No matter how despicable someone is, everything happens for a reason. If he does well enough, how could others seize the opportunity to stir up trouble?Then, it¡¯s also a good thing that all these had happened. That way, everyone can differentiate what¡¯s good and what¡¯s evil. This is crucial to our Richards family as well.¡± Vivian nodded her head and sighed in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s just that Norton can¡¯t be forgiven this time. ording to the family rules in Richards Manor, he must be kicked out of the family after this incident.¡±

    Richards family¡¯s meeting was still taking ce, but it revolved around their internal family affairs.

    Vivian immediately announced that Norton would be expelled from the family.

    Trevor decided to reorganize Richards Manor. After the meeting, he and Hansen were discussing the countermeasures. They reshuffled a lot of staff members and servants and also enacted many new family rules. Once again, the meeting was conducted to restructure everything.

    Two days had passed after everything was sorted.

    Since then, the entire Richards Manor had been brimming with spirit and was once again filled with its unique charm.

    The scarlet liquid swirled in Rayan¡¯s pale fingers, his fair fingers painted pink.

    In the luxurious private lounge, a soft, melodious tune was ying.

    All kinds of sumptuous dishes were ced on the table. The wallpaper fashioned after European Romanticism decor exuded an amorous atmosphere in the room.

    ¡°Rayan, there¡¯s no need to order so many dishes. It¡¯s such a waste,¡± Jenna said somewhat uneasily as shenced at the table full of dishes in front of her.

    Rayan said with a gentle smile, ¡°Silly girl, this is a must.The case of your father¡¯s tragic death is finally closed. This calls for a celebration.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna lowered her head. Tears started forming in the corners of her eyes.

    ¡°Jen, promise me that you will live a happy life in the future.¡± The left side of Rayan¡¯s chest was still wrapped in gauze. He stretched out his right hand to hold Jenna¡¯s cold, tiny hand and his demeanour was serious.

    Jenna raised her head and locked eyes with him. A drop of tear flowed from her eyes.

    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded vigorously.

    ¡°Now that everything is over, we have to look forward. Only if you live well willyour father know it from the other side.¡± Rayan grabbed the red wine and handed it to her. ¡°Drink some wine to warm your body. You should be proud of your father. He was a good man who deserves our respect. Come on, let¡¯s have a toast to his indomitable morals.¡±

    Rayan raised the wine ss in his hand and swirled it gently. He clinked sses with Jenna and drank it slowly.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna nodded. She wiped away her tears and gently parted her lips. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She also raised her ss and merely took a small sip, in consideration for the baby in her womb.

    ¡°Jen, thank you for taking care of me these days.¡± Rayan let go of his arm from his left chest and leaned forward. He propped himself against the table with a smile and looked at Jenna. With a faint smile on his face,he said, ¡°You are the most unforgettable woman out of all thedies I had known, and the most worthy of my respect. I will never forget about you in this life.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s head was a little dizzy, her cheeks tinted with a light blush due to the alcohol. She did not understand his words but onlygiggled.¡°Rayan, that¡¯s because you think too highly of me. I am a woman with many ws. You don¡¯t fully understand me. If you do, you won¡¯t praise me like this.¡±

    ¡°No, Jen. I know you all too well. It is because I know you too well thatI had said these words.¡± Rayan tilted his head and gulped down the red wine in his ss. A charming smile bloomed on his face.

    ¡°Rayan, you have a gunshot wound now. It¡¯s bad for you to drink this much wine.¡± Jenna was a little anxious when she saw him drinking several sses in a row. She hastily persuaded him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m a man. I¡¯m in good health. This gunshot wound is nothing to me.¡± Rayan smiled, his bright eyes blinking.

    When he saw the worry in Jenna¡¯s eyes, a thought shed across his mind. However, he let out a sigh in his heart and worea sorrowful look on his face.

    ¡°Jen, I used to think that I could steal your heart. At the very least, I don¡¯t think that Hansen is worthy of your feelings. There were no prospects between the two of you. Now, I don¡¯t think so anymore.¡±

    He shook his head. The light in his eyes dimmed and flickered. Jenna looked at him in astonishment. She could not understand what he was trying to say.

    ¡°Rayan, what are you trying to say?¡± She made eye contact with him, her sparkling eyes carried a slight smile. ¡°Rayan, you saved me. I won¡¯t take back what I said.¡±

    She looked very serious. There was no hesitation on her face, not in the slightest bit.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Rayan continued smiling. ¡°Tell me, are you still in love with Hansen?¡±

    She had designed a unique car for him and it became popr all over the world. He once envied and hated him, andhe couldn¡¯t bear to see her with him. Yet,for him, she had still designed another car that captivated people everywhere.

    ¡°I¡­¡± When Hansen was mentioned, Jenna¡¯s calm heart suddenly felt a piercing pain. The pain shed across her eyes, but it did not escape Rayan¡¯s sharp eyes. ¡°Rayan, there¡¯s no way for him and I to be together anymore. We don¡¯t have anything to do with each other. If it wasn¡¯t to find out the cause of my father¡¯s death, we wouldn¡¯t even have the chance to cross paths.¡±

    She was telling the truth.

 Chapter 320 Jenna Disappeared

    Rayan pursed his thin lips slightly and asked lightly, ¡°If you were to stay by my side, can you love me with your entire heart? Can you love me the way you loved him?¡±

    ¡°Rayan, I beg you, don¡¯t force me.Please believe that time will dull everything.¡± It was hard for her to respond to such a request. Even she herself was lost. Norton had said previously that marriages that bloomed from true love were such a rare urrence. Staying by each other¡¯s side and mutual love were twopletely different things.

    Absorbing the confusion on her face, Rayan smiled bitterly in his heart.

    A woman loved a man with all her heart and she was even pregnant with his child. Even if she was really willing to stay by his side and marry him, her heart would never belong to him.

    Of course, he understood this.

    However, did he really need this kind ofmitment andpany?

    They ate and chatted for a long time during this meal.

    When the two of them walked out of the warm and luxurious private room, the evening lights were already lit.

    Jenna took the initiative to support Rayan as they walked on the street.

    The handsome man and the beautiful woman were by each other¡¯s side.Where the man was tall, sturdy and handsome, the woman was beautiful and adorable.On the street with shing neon lights, the two supported each other and paced slowly,indulging in the cold wind.They were talking andughing at the same time. The harmonious sight attracted passers-by to look at them from time to time.

    Selflessly,Jenna supported him as they walked. She was worried about his wound and did not care about the eyes of passers-by at all.

    Rayan had ad¨¦j¨¤ vu, as if they had already known each other from their previous lives. However, they were all treading their own paths and could never find an intersection to meet again.

    Like a cheetah zooming around the city avenues, the sturdy Hummer car swept across a gust of wind.

    Hansen¡¯s expression was serene as he walked out of Richards Manor. He drove the car directly to the government hospital.

    It was already morning.

    On the seventh day of the month.

    Giving up his time for recreation throughout the week,he could finally finish dealing with all the family affairs in Richards Manor.

    He thought that he could provide Jenna with a satisfactory exnation.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    The staff of the Richards Group woulde back to work the next day after the holiday.Before work, he had to seize the chance to tell Jenna that he had already remedied the injustice against Javon and could finally present a satisfactory answer for her.

    It was not until this moment that his eagerness was so palpable. It seemed that he could not afford to dy for even a moment.

    He wanted to see his woman and his child. No one could take them away from him!

    Hansen rushed over in a hurry, only to catch a glimpse of an empty ward. He did not see anything rted to Rayan or Jenna in the ward. A bad feeling welled up in his heart.He hastily asked the nurse,¡°Miss,where is the patient in this ward?¡±

    Over the past few days, he had been upied with matters regarding Richards Manor. He never expected Rayan to leave the hospital so quickly with such a severe gunshot wound.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the patient in this ward has already been discharged from the hospitalst night.¡± The nurse recognized Hansen and answered with an eager smile.

    Discharged from the hospital? Hansen was perplexed!

    ¡°Has the patient recovered? Where did he go?¡± His face was full of urgency, his body pooling with cold sweat.

    ¡°The patient has not fully recovered. The doctor did not rmend him to leave the hospital either. However, he insisted on leaving the hospital. As for where he had gone, I¡¯m sorry.I have no idea.¡± The nurse saw that Hansen¡¯s face was a little horrifying andexined everything at once. Although the handsome man in front of her was stunning and rich, his temper was extraordinarily short.As soon as she answered his inquiry, she scurried away,not in the mood to admire his handsome face. She was afraid that he would take his anger out on her at any time.

    Where did they go?

    ¡°D*mn woman. Where have you gone?¡± Hansen thought to himself.

    In a haste, Hansen strode out and drove his car to Rayan¡¯s vi.

    Along the way, he was gued with an uneasy feeling. He had not seen her for a few days, andthis woman did not even call him once.

    Focusing all of her attention to take care of Rayan, she must have thrown Hansen to the back of her mind.

    ¡°Fine, just wait and see,¡± Hansen thought.

    ¡°When I find you, I won¡¯t let you go.¡±

    ¡°D*mn woman. How dare you disregard me? You even dared to say that the child in your womb is not mine. It couldn¡¯t be that my efforts to impregnate her was all in vain!¡±

    ¡°What a liar!¡±

    Hansen kept reying the scenarios of her taking care of Rayan in the hospital for so many days. His heart was exploding with bitter jealousy and it was not a good feeling at all.

    The car soon stopped in front of the vi.

    He rang the doorbell.

    The butler ran out.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Rayan? Ask him toe out. I want to meet him,¡± asked Hansen loudly.

    The butler¡¯s heart sank as soon as he saw him. Good gracious, it was this man again.The butler thought nervously. It seemed that whenever he came, he¡¯d never left with ease.

    ¡°Hello, sir. Our master is no longer at home,¡± he replied politely with a smile.

    Not at home? Hansen sneered coldly.Toe up with such an excuse, the butlermust have assumed he was a fool.

    ¡°Right now, tell him that I must bring my woman home today. Don¡¯t think that it¡¯ll be fine to hide her away. Tell him that if I don¡¯t take her away, I won¡¯t let go of him.¡± Hansen asserted his will in a domineering manner. ¡°You must know who I am, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The butler¡¯s scalp tingled as hemented agonizingly in his heart.

    The man who could snatch a woman from Rayan must be difficult to deal with. Even though he didn¡¯t know who exactly this man was,he was well aware of that point.

    ¡°Well, sir, my master is really not at home. He has left A City and will note back for the time being.¡± He continued to answer with a miserable face.

    What? He left A City? Hansen thought in shock.

    The moment these words left the butler¡¯s mouth, Hansen almost fainted from shock!

    ¡°Where¡¯s Jenna? Is that woman in there?¡± He asked loudly with his heart in his throat. He gripped the door tightly.

    When the butler heard Hansen¡¯s question, he thought for a moment and immediately shook his head.

    ¡°Sir, she¡¯s not inside either. They leftst night,¡± he said truthfully. He was unnerved by the gloomy expression on Hansen¡¯s face.

    ¡°Where have they gone?¡± roared Hansen angrily.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know. Master never tells me his whereabouts.¡± The butler¡¯s face was full of tears.

    ¡°They left A City together, didn¡¯t they?¡± Hansen felt his chest begin to heave heavily, as if it was about to burst out of his throat. His speech becamebored.

    ¡°Should be. The only thing Mr. Whalen had told me when he left was that he wants me to keep an eye on the house, and that he¡¯ll go back to his hometown and won¡¯te back for the time being.¡± The butler thought for a while and exined further.

    Hansen¡¯s hand held the iron door tightly.His knuckles turned crimson red.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. You are lying to me.¡± He gritted his teeth, not willing to leave this way.

    The butler was helpless. He knew Hansen would not give up if he did not see it for himself. He had no choice but to open the door and said with a serious tone, ¡°Sir, if you don¡¯t trust me, you cane in for a search. There is no one else in this vi except for me.¡±

    The butler said as he let Hansen in.

    Hansen could not care much. He quickly marched towards the living room of the vi.

    This was a vi built in the French style. It was very modern and was decked with French decor.

    Hansen stormed from the bedroom to the living room, and then from the living room to the guest room. He even went to check in the bathroom.

    There really was not a single person present.

    Both the front and back rooms were also raided. There was not a single person in sight.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna.¡± He ran into Jenna¡¯s bedroom again. Not to mention seeing a person, even a single everyday item belonging to Jenna had yet to be found.

    His mind rattled with thoughts.

    Did Rayan whisk his Jenna away? Have they travelled to his hometown together? Would she evere back?

    From then on, she would never belong to him anymore, including his child.

    At the thought of this, he felt as if his heart had been pierced by a sharp arrow. His whole body turned cold.

    After a wild search, he confirmed that he really could not find them.

    His face was pale.His stride was dejected. Like a frosted eggnt, he was unable to raise his head.

    ¡°Jenna, you are so cruel!¡± he shrieked in his heart.

    ¡°You clearly know that I love you and that you are pregnant with my child, but you followed another man and ran away.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I won¡¯t let you off just like that.¡±

    ¡°You better not let me find you. If I find you, I won¡¯t let you go.¡±

    His mind went nk.His hands and feet grew cold.

    He sat in the car.

    Even after smoking two cigarettes, he could not calm down.Feeling numb, he drove the car away.

    By the moat, the stream across the entire expanse of A City flowed as usual. He wound down the car window. A gust of the cold northern wind brushed across his face, steadily tugging him back to his senses.

    ¡°No, Jenna.Now that the truth has been revealed, why did you leave me?¡± He had a brief monologue in his mind.

    In the past few days, the news media had been reporting on this matter. She should have known the truth about her father¡¯s death.

    She should also know that Earl had been arrested and would no longer pose a threat.

    Then, why did she want to leave?

    After all, he was the child¡¯s father. Even if she had not thought for him, she should think for the child.

    Did she leave with Rayan because the child in her womb was truly not his?

    That thought brought out the hopelessness in him.

    However, he was not willing to give up. He took his phone out.

    He hastily ordered Alvin and John to search for Jenna and Rayan in the whole city with the members of Grand Eagles.

    24 hours had passed.

    John and Alvin¡¯s updates were that Rayan and Jenna had yet to be found.

    Undoubtedly,they had really left A City!

    With a sullen face, Hansen ordered Alvin to dispatch Grand Eagles to Rayan¡¯s country.No matter where they went, they had to find them. He wanted to know the oue and to interrogate this cruel woman in person.

    On the 8th, the newspapers were stered with the scandal about Aria framing Jenna. The news about their wedding being called off was also reported.

    Hansen was sitting alone in the office at the Richards Group building.

    He thought, if Jenna was only worried that Earl would harm him and that he would marry Aria, then she would definitelye back to look for him after she caught wind of the news.

    If the child in her womb was really his, it was impossible for her not to think for the child.

    Thus, he waited and waited.

    Half a monthter, Alvin and John had rushed back from abroad. They shook their heads and informed him that their search had not yielded any result. They had even gone to Rayan¡¯spany, searchingwith both overt and covert means, but no one was found. Thepany¡¯s employees had also imed that they had not seen Mr. Whalen for over half a year.

    Hansen¡¯sst hope had been being shattered to pieces.He no longer had the energy to lift his spirits up.

    Thinking of the memories between them, he felt like his heart had been shed by a knife.

    He did not have the energy to manage thepany anymore. Every single day, he drank himself into oblivion, allowing the depression to take over his mind.

    Gradually,rumors about him bing dispirited started to fester. Even the media was shocked. There were all kinds of assumptions.

 Chapter 322 Iâ€™ve Lost Jenna

    In the Ink Garden.

    Vivian, as well as Trevor, were sitting together, engaged in a heart-to-heart discussion.

    ¡°Trevor, I¡¯m relieved that you¡¯ve recovered.¡± Vivian sighed, but still couldn¡¯t shake off her worries. ¡°But now, I¡¯m very worried about Hansen instead. This time, he might not be able to ovee this.¡±

    Vivian¡¯s worries were not unjustified. Even after so many days, her beloved grandson was still missing. Nheless, her people had informed her that Hansen had spent all day in the restaurant, drinking and wallowing in self-pity. Neglecting thepany¡¯s affairs, he seemed to havepletely changed into a different person.

    This time, Jenna hadpletely disappeared.

    There was not a single trace left after she¡¯d disappeared.

    Thest time when she had gone abroad, Vivian was still able to keep track of her and her recent activities. This time, however, she was totally out of reach.

    To Hansen, this was a fatal blow, especially when she was bearing his child in her womb.

    During this period of time, she had also witnessed his unmitigated love for Jenna. It was just that he was not good at dealing with matters of the heart and was not good at expressing himself. Therefore, this led to unsolvable problems between them.

    ¡°Mom, what you¡¯re worried about is exactly my worries too. However, don¡¯t worry. Now that I¡¯m here,that kind of thing won¡¯t ever happen again.¡± Trevor¡¯s face was full of seriousness as he consoled his mother, who was already 90 years old.

    Recently, Vivian was especially sentimental andpassionate. Most likely, it was due to her age. Thus, she was even more concerned about Hansen. The fact that Norton had been kicked out of the family had caused agonizing pain to her and this had subjected her to immense suffering.

    Moreover, Jenna was carrying the flesh and blood of Hansen in her womb. It was Vivian¡¯s great-grandson.

    On that day, when she had learnt that Jenna was pregnant, she was very excited and happy. Nevertheless, before she had the time to respond, she had heard about the rumours that Hansen was depressed,and that he hadpletely ignored thepany¡¯s affairs.This onlypounded her worries.

    ¡°Trevor, the seal of the family must be handed over to Hansen. You¡¯re old and your health¡¯s getting worse, but you still have to remain in charge for the time being. I¡¯m getting older and closer to the afterlife every second that passes. There¡¯s one thing I have to tell you now. Once Norton changes for the better, he must return to Richards Manor. After all, he¡¯s still a part of the Richards family. No matter how wrong he was, nothing can change this fact.¡±

    Vivian thought of Norton who was stillnguishing in the Public Security Department. Although she¡¯d ordered everyone to disown him from the family ever since,blood was still thicker than water. This was thest resort. She could only hope that after having no source of ie, he could understand the meaning of life in the future and would get himself together.

    If there ever came such a day, she still hoped that he coulde back. After all, he was her grandson, her flesh and blood.She couldn¡¯t be that cruel to him.

    Upon hearing this, Trevor smiled and sighed. ¡°Mother, you can be rest assured. I know what to do with Norton¡¯s affairs. He has made those mistakes. If we don¡¯t punish him, we can¡¯t pacify the crowd, nor can we enable him to make amends. However, he is still part of the Richards family.This is a fact that no one could change. We¡¯re those who would have his back till the end of time.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Vivian nodded in agreement, but the mncholy on her face could not be cast aside. She said thoughtfully, ¡°It¡¯s wise of you to deal with it this way, but there¡¯s still someone else who would make it difficult for me to be at peace. The Richards family owes her a favour.¡±

    The light in Trevor¡¯s eyes flickered, and his eyes narrowed. An overwhelming look of sadness and solemness were etched on his face.

    Of course, he knew who this person was.

    That would be Jenna.

    ¡°Mother, I still regret having looked down on her back then. I regret that I didn¡¯t understand you. At that time, I should have tried to persuade Hansen. Otherwise, things wouldn¡¯t havee to this. I think I should be responsible as well.¡± Trevor recalled the past and sighed with emotion. ¡°Speaking of which, I¡¯m really grateful to her formy illness. She even put aside the past issues andcame to help with my illness. Not only that,she also came to see me every day to make sure I was recovering properly and treated my wounds. Her kindness has put me to shame.¡±

    ¡°Well, I have had a good impression on her for a long time now. She is kind and considerate. However, it¡¯s a pity that Hansen did not cherish her. Up till this point,I think she is determined to leave our Richards family.¡± Vivian stroked the leather case in her hand.Her face was lined with grief.

    Trevor did not say anything and remained silent.

    Meroy walked in gently and said, ¡°Old Madam, Young Master is here.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let him in.¡± Vivian nodded.

    After a while, Hansen walked in.

    Vivian looked at him and felt her heart hanging. Was this her high-spirited grandson? The man in front of her was gaunt. His hair was messy, and his face was dark. His eyes were sunken. He looked unkempt and was in a terrible state.

    ¡°Grandma.¡± Hansen approached her and knelt down in front of her. He ced his head on her knees and sobbed, ¡°Grandma, I lost my Jenna. She left with my child forever. She will nevere back. She hates me.¡±

    All of a sudden,Vivian¡¯s eyes welled with tears. Her fingers, which were holding her leather bag, were trembling. Her hand, which was full of wrinkles, gently caressed Hansen¡¯s thick ck hair. Running her fingers through his hair, she smoothed over them. With a sigh, she said with heartache, ¡°Hansen, do you still remember what I once said? ¡®I¡¯m afraid you would never understand her heart¡¯. At that time, I had already warned you, but you couldn¡¯t understand my words. You thought that I was trying to hurt you. It¡¯s already toote for you to learn now.¡±

    Tears streamed down as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t have many hopes at all. I only hope that I can see my great-grandson within my lifetime. However, I¡¯m afraid that this wish is nothing more than wishful thinking now.¡±

    ¡°No, Grandma. I¡¯ll definitely find her. I¡¯ll definitely bring my child back.¡± Hansen gritted his teeth and replied bitterly, ¡°She¡¯s really cruel. She knows that I love her and she is even pregnant with my child. Yet, she lied that it wasn¡¯t my child and left. Now that the truth has been revealed, why did she run away with Rayan? Isn¡¯t she just trying to humiliate me?¡±

    Hansen was angry and resentful, the light burning deep in his eyes was both painful and unwilling.

    It was his child, yet she insisted it was Rayan¡¯s. He was also a man, didn¡¯t he know that this was the biggest humiliation for a man?

    When Trevor heard what he said, his heart skipped a beat. He immediately yelled, ¡°Shut up, you brat. You¡¯re still bbing nonsense. I finally understand why Jenna wanted to leave. She wouldn¡¯t stay even if she found out the truth. You¡¯re such a jerk. How dare you still talk about her like that? She has no confidence in you anymore. She is sick of you!¡±

    The anger in his heart rushed to the top of Trevor¡¯s head all of a sudden. This jerk of a son had be so lost for the sake of love. The words tumbling from his lips however, no human should deserve to be spoken about like that.

    If Jenna heard his words, she would probably nevere back. Not just her, but any woman would do the same in her ce.

    Hansen was at a loss after being scolded by Trevor. He raised his head in a panic. He had not slept for a few days and nights. As soon as he closed his eyes, Jenna¡¯s pale face would fill his mind, along with the gentle, delicate, and mesmerizing sensation of caressing her belly with his palm.

    She left without saying goodbye, which made him hate her. Hated how she was so cruel, and how she was that ruthless.

    She was clearly aware that he hated Rayan the most, yet she was still so intimate with him. He had almost lost his mind, and she still ran away with him. How could she do this to him?

    ¡°Hansen, are you really such a dumb*ss? Don¡¯t you know that the baby in her belly is yours? Don¡¯t you know what kind of person she is? I didn¡¯t know that you were such a b*stard. You don¡¯t know right from wrong, and you don¡¯t even know the people that were good to you. Don¡¯t you realize, if it weren¡¯t for her cooperation in the process and the decisions she made, wouldyou ever be able to handle Earl and Aria? Would you be able to find out all the fraud Earlmitted so quickly? Would you be able to take Earl down so quickly? I am afraid that all the crimes are now pinned against Norton, and the baby in Aria¡¯s belly can only be med on you forever. Have you thought about the consequences?¡± The more Trevor spoke, the angrier he became. He was smoldering with rage. If it weren¡¯t for Vivian here, he would have gone ahead and beaten him.

    His own son didn¡¯t even know who to thank and who to hate. There was no woman who would have forgiven him unconditionally like that. If he could get to this point, it only went to show how much Jenna had tolerated him and forgiven him. It also indirectly showed that she really loved Hansen. Only in the face of love could a woman be silly enough not to care about everything and forgive the man unreservedly.

    ¡°Take a look at this. This is the right of inheritance of Richards Manor. There are also documents about forgiving Norton that she sent on the 8th using express delivery. She has already given up her revenge for her father¡¯s death, and all her wealth. What else do you want from her? What other reason do you have to say such bullsh*t here? What other reason do you have to criticize her for being ungrateful and heartless?¡± Trevor took the leather pouch from Vivian¡¯s hand and waved it in front of Hansen, his face livid.

    Hansen was stunned, but he was even more stunned by Trevor¡¯s scolding. However, it was as if he received enlightenment from God himself and a bright light shed before his eyes.

    He stood up and reached out for the bundle in Trevor¡¯s hand. There was only the address of the Richards Manor on it,nk space below it. In other words, he had no idea where it was from.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    He emptied the items inside and found thecontract that Vivian had given her. There was also a letter with two documents inside. One was a letter stating that she had voluntarily given up on the right to inheritance of Richards manor while the other was a formal document to forgive the Richards family. Other than that, there was nothing else.

    Hansen¡¯s hands began to tremble. His haggard face was riddled with bleakness and loneliness, his eyes filled with pain.

    She had made up her mind to leave him.

    She wanted to walk away cleanly andpletely.

    This was fully in line with her character.

    His hand, which was clutching the leather bag, dropped down feebly.

    Tears streamed down from the corner of her eyes.

    He understood that there was no need to look for her anymore. Even if he turned the whole world upside down, she would never see him.

 Chapter 323 The Softness Of The Shell

    ¡°Child,e here.¡± Vivian absorbed his despondent expression, her face wearing a mask of pain and heartache. This was the only grandson whom she could be proud of, even though there were times when he messed up. He was no saint, but to err is human! Although he had his own share of indiscretions, it still showed how much he valued his feelings and loyalty. He was worthy of being trusted by a woman for the rest of his life.

    The key was that this woman must have a good eye to recognize his merits.

    She believed that Jenna could be the one, and she also believed that her grandson was a good man who valued feelings and righteousness.

    Obediently,Hansen walked over and crouched down in front of her.

    ¡°Hansen, my good child,Your current state is giving me pain in the heart. Believe me, though Jenna has already left this ce, she would not be able to leave this earth. Now that the consumer media is so advanced, even if you can¡¯t see her, she will definitely see you from wherever she is. You have to bring out the manliness in you and step up your game in your career. Let her see your excellence.Use your abilities to convince her. Then, she would be willing to ept you ande back to you. From now on, don¡¯t sink into such a miserable state. Instead, you have to cheer up and make Richards Group prosperous.Lead it to a better future, understand?¡± She stroked his thin face and said pitifully, her words awash with encouragement and anticipation.

    Hansen looked out of the window, his gaze distant. Outside the window, the orange blossom tree had bloomed, painting an extremely dazzling and beautiful view. It was only now that he realized that winter was about to end, and spring was here to rece it.

    A brilliant spring full of flowers was about to arrive.

    This seemed to infuse him with a glimmer of hope. Never a slow-witted person, he understood his grandmother¡¯s meaning.

    He slowly stood up, bowed to Vivian and Trevor, and then walked out.

    Back to the second floor of Green Jade Garden, in their bedroom, he held onto the pillow and fell asleep until the next morning. Finally, he could sleep peacefully.

    The next day, he returned to the Richards Group office to work.

    After the New Year, Earl¡¯s fall had caused Sadiva to quickly take the throne and was appointed the new mayor of ACity.

    Through the preliminary promotion by Hansen, the number of tourists visiting Green Mountain Lake not only had not decreased, but instead had increased day by day. There was an important reason for this. It was that the love story of the young talent in A city, Hansen, had happened here,and it captured a lot of people¡¯s interest.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    At first, Hansen developed a few special tourism projects near Green Mountain Lake, and then re-developed the area around Green Mountain Lake. As a result,Green MountainLake retained its original charmand was also equipped with some stylish additions,making a name everywhere.

    Then,in the way of the Richards Group,he proposed an application to preserve the natural environment. After that, he set off the whole ofGreen MountainLake¡¯s Camphor Tree Vi for a project and catapulted it into the market.

    In this way, the development ofGreen MountainLake brought hugemercial gains to thepany. Soon, theGreen MountainLake government once again applied to the municipal government to designate A City as its international tourism area. Sadiva, who had already heard about the story of the Green MountainLake,immediately set up the Cooperation Committee of the Border Town and the proposal was passed with a majority vote.

    In this way, the Green Mountain Lake transformed from a garbage dumping site to a tourism area under the protection of the local government. Soon, another subway going through it would be built. Overnight, the property value of the Green Mountain Lake rose sharply.

    As for the Camphor Tree Vi nearGreen MountainLake, it attracted the attention of many investors because of its unique charm.

    Hansen invested a handsome amount of money to create this one-of-a-kind Camphor Tree Vi. Their unique geographical locations and breathtaking cultural scenery made the Camphor Tree Vi a gathering ce for VIPs, including banking families, local and abroad. In addition, the house prices Hansen had proposed were reasonable.

    The Sunlight Buildingwas an investment portfolio wherethe citizens were waiting overnight in lines looking for their chance to secure a property for themselves. It was a spectacr sight.

    Hansen wasn¡¯t satisfied with only expanding the property sector.

    In theGreen MountainMotor City, thergest car factory in A CIty, after Jenna had hired Jersey to serve as the general adviser, he also brought with him his rich experience in automobiles and management skills.

    Soon, the Green Mountain Automobile City¡¯s international presence was established.

    Hansen had invested almost all of his energy into his work. He barely talked orughed ever since the day of Jenna¡¯s departure.His aloofness was growing.

    He promoted Alvin to be the vice president of thepany and became his right-hand man. He also restructured all the different sectors in thepany and made great efforts to hire young talents. For a time, the Richards Group fared well and its business flourished.

    Both the properties and thepany quickly expanded from the original tens of thousands of staff to close to hundreds of thousands at that moment.

    Not only did it speed up the development of the country by opening up more factories and branches, it even managed to expand into various countries. It crossed many milestones, and went international and global, all within a single year.

    Not only had he made into the top three on the global wealth list, but he had also overtaken the Whalen Group. His sess had also been gradually exalted to a myth, a myth that no one could dispel.

    However, the thing that remained mysterious through all of this was his private life.

    For such a handsome, noble and rich businessman, many women would imagine themselves dating him and be his dream lover. However, at this time, not only did he keep women at bay,there weren¡¯t any rumors of romantic affairs revolving around him. This left many women who wanted to get close to him feel resentful. More people whispered that he might be secretly sick in his mind, or that his sexual orientation had changed.

    There had always been only one man following him, and that wasthe expressionless Alvin. Almost no woman had ever appeared by his side.

    Hansen was just as dashing, handsome, and charming as he had been in the past.He didn¡¯t care about thements andremained calm in the face of criticism and nder.

    His words and actions were steady and cold. Now, he would never blow up as easily. However, if he did, something big would almost always happen. This side of Hansen gave his subordinates the chills. Therefore, they were all dedicated to their work, since everything was dictated by their achievements.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,Green Mountain Automobile Cityis steadily developing, and the supply couldn¡¯t keep up with the demand. What weck now is a new model that could truly shock the world. This is a real headache. Even the group of high-caliber students we recently recruited were still not enough. Some of the designs look good, but they performed average in the market.¡± The manager of theGreen Mountain Automobile City, Marquis, was standing respectfully in front of Hansen¡¯s desk, voicing very cautious suggestions.

    Ever since the truth behind Javon¡¯s case had been revealed, Hansen found out that the engine of the Pranica had been sabotaged by the people sent by Calvin, who had beenbribed by Aria. He immediately became furious anddrove Calvin away. Hepersonally appointed the young and promising aristocratic student, Marquis Grint, as the manager ofGreen Mountain Automobile City.

    Surely enough, Marquis was indeed talented. In just a few months after he had taken the position, he managed theGreen Mountain Automobile Cityvery well.

    Hansen¡¯s handsome brows furrowed, his faceexpressionless.

    Holding his right hand so tightly under his serious expression, he slowly loosened it, and a delicate shell appeared in his palm.

    The shell had a car model painted on its surface with ck paint.As Hansen stared at the shell in the center of his palm, aglint shed in the depths of his eyes.A bright arc flitted across the corners of his mouth.

    That day, he had held the shell with his blood still flowing. In order to keep this shell, he¡¯d fought with Rayan and finally obtained a thing that belonged to her, the only thing that belonged to her.

    She had never given him any of her things. Just thinking about it was enough to send knives piercing at his heart. He could only imagine just how much she had rejected him in her heart.

    If it weren¡¯t for Javon¡¯s death, she wouldn¡¯t have returned to Richards Group, nor would she have returned to Richards Manor. This was evident from her final departure.

    The colourful shell in his palm was warm, and the smooth lines on the shells were getting clearer and clearer. It seemed that there was warm liquid almost flooding his eyes, staring at the shells as his vision became gradually cloudier.

    He carried this shell with him all the time, until the corners of the shells were worn down by his hands. He looked at the shells, his eyes shing with painful light.

    Marquis had been standing nervously in front of the office, waiting for Hansen¡¯s reply. However, after waiting for a long time, his response was none too forting. Marquis raised his head, bewildered.

    The scene in front of him stunned him.

    The formidable man in front of him, the unwavering President Richard, staring at a shell in his hand, lost in thought. Were those tears in his eyes?

    This shell was obviously a woman¡¯s item at first nce. Was Mr. Richards thinking of his lover?

    Ever since he entered thepany, he had heard people mention his private life one after another, and he also knew the names of Jenna and Aria.

    Now there was a rumor that Mr. Richards wouldn¡¯te close to a woman and had lost interest in one. Some people even defamed him. They gossiped about him behind his back, but no one could tell what the truth was.

    Marquis stood there in a daze as well. Staring at Hansen¡¯s face, he made a guess. He only came back to his senses when Hansen¡¯s soft coughs resounded. When his eyes met Hansen¡¯s severely dissatisfied gaze, he was so frightened that he broke out in cold sweat. He chastised himself in his heart.Since when had he be such a gossiper?

    ¡°You can leave first. I already know about this matter,¡± he said in a concise and short tone, waving at him.

    Marquis quickly took his leave as if he had received a decree. He was truly worried that if he stayed for one more minute, he might anger that almighty man and end up in serious trouble.

    One must know that to peek into the superior¡¯s privacy, the consequences would not be a light one. Currently, the Richards Group was an ideal corporation for most young talents to apply for. He couldn¡¯t afford to lose such a coveted position.

    After Marquis left, Hansen immediately turned on theputer and drew the picture of the shell in his hand in its original shape. Then, he carefully reasoned that the model was something new, which suited a woman¡¯s tastes, but it wasn¡¯t all that elegant. After all, it was her unfinished work. If he improved upon it, it would be a hit in the women¡¯s goods market.

    While there were lots of men¡¯s cars in the market,there were very few cars which designs would tailor to women.

 Chapter 324 The Lovely Wife Collection

    Hansen frowned as the memories of his and Jenna¡¯s past traveled across his mind. His face was sometimes full of mild smiles.Other times it was warm, and sometimes anxious and uneasy.

    After staring at theputer in the office for three days straight, he finally printed a 3D car model. This new collectionbining both Jenna¡¯s and his creative design had just been posted onto the Inte whenit received the approval of many femalepatriots, garnering unanimous praise.

    Hansen smiled slightly, reaching a decision.

    Immediately, he called Marquis and asked him to put this model into production at once. He was ready to put it on disy at the next car fair.

    Surely enough, the final product was not only beautiful and easy to the eyes, but also small and exquisite. As soon as it made an appearance at the sales fair, it grabbed a lot of people¡¯s attention and immediately entered the market,vished with the favor of women car aficionados. It was slowly poprized and even promoted globally, followed by arge number of orders.

    Thus, when he roamed along the streets and caught glimpses of women driving the car with this model, Hansen felt as if he was in a dream.

    He named this car ¡®Lovely Wife¡¯,his way of expressing his love for Jenna.

    One day, when they were holding an executive meeting, they saw Alvin running towards them.

    After a few words, Hansen handed over the meeting to Rory, the supervisor of thepany.

    As soon as he stepped out, he saw Alvining up. He lowered his voice and said next to him, ¡°Mr. Richards, I just received a message that Rayan has appeared at theGently Cafeteria.¡±

    Rayan? Hansen¡¯s eyelids twitched, his eyes gleaming as he shot out rays of fierce light.

    ¡°Good, very good!¡± He thought.

    He actually dared toe back!All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Without thinking, he took the lead and walked towards the elevator, withAlvin trailing behind.

    In the private room of theGently Cafeteria, Rayan loungedelegantlyon the sofa, aslight smile on his ridiculously handsome face. Gentle and graceful, he was a man who could pull at anyone¡¯s heartstrings.

    Swooning over him was Hannah who sat opposite him, her hands grinding the coffee beans. Her eyes flitted to him from time to time, her heart throbbing.

    The man before her was truly a catch. Not only did he have an impable appearance, his noble temperament also deeply impressed her.

    Ever since he showed up to the cafe with Jenna, Hannah had been drowning in awe.Even though she was surrounded by men all day, she had neverid eyes on such a beautiful man. He was the prime specimen of a man. At that time, Rayan had made her eyes light up. She secretly felt jealous of Jenna that such a beautiful man was pursuing her. For such luck toe to her, she must have been blessed by God himself.

    Unfortunately, Jenna did not know how to appreciate him.

    ¡°What brings you here?¡± She asked somewhat haltingly. One should know that it was a piece of cake for Hannah to deal with men. However, Rayan¡¯s calm and refined manner in front of her still gave her the jitters and apprehension. She did not know where this feeling came from. In other words, she was nervous.

    ¡°Nothing really. I dropped by to pay you a visit.¡± Rayan could pick out the panic on her and said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Hey, what are youughing at?¡± At Rayan¡¯sugh, Hannah¡¯s face turned a little red and her actions turned fidgety. She mentally scolded herself.¡°Hannah, what the heck is going on? Don¡¯t you deal with men every day? Why are you in such an awkward situation today?¡± Extremely annoyed, she gnashed her teeth in self-hatred.

    ¡°Hannah, we haven¡¯t seen each other for so long, but you¡¯re still so cute. What a rare nature.¡± Rayan chuckled again and said slowly, ¡°It seems that it¡¯s only natural for you to be Jen¡¯s friend.¡±

    Despite sighing as he spoke, the smile on his face was blindingly charming.

    Hearing that he mentioned Jenna, Hannah was struck by a thought. She hadn¡¯t seen Jenna for several months. Where had she gone?

    Hansen had tried countless times to question her about Jenna¡¯s whereabouts, but she really didn¡¯t know anything.

    It seemed that this time, she was steely set on leaving this ce. Not even Hannah was tipped off with any information. What made her even more resentful was that prick Hansen barging in every now and then to search her coffee house, putting her in a difficult spot. She had almost called the police once.

    ¡°By the way, where is Jenna now? Is she with you?¡± Hannah set down the coffee beans in her hands and thought of this. She sat up straight and stared at Rayan.

    The corners of Rayan¡¯s mouth curled up slightly. He said gently, ¡°Do you think Jen would be with me?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Stuttering a little, Hannah shook her head involuntarily. ¡°ording to her character, she wouldn¡¯t be with you if she was not pregnant.¡±

    ¡°Looks like you still understand her the best.¡± Rayan sighed slightly. ¡°Even if she is not pregnant, she would not be with me. Her heart does not belong to me.¡±

    Hannah fell silent, her eyelids drooping.

    The door was pushed open with a bang.

    Hansen charged in with Alvin, bringing with him a fearful aura.

    Hannah had been too shocked to stand up.

    ¡°Hey, Hansen, what right do you have to barge into someone else¡¯s private property?¡± Hannah¡¯s hackles were raised, downrightdisgusted with Hansen¡¯s rude behaviour. She immediately pointed at his face and roared angrily.

    Hansen looked down at her, condescendingly. His slender body bore the confidence that was brought about by his sessful career and the regal aura of a king. His face betraying no emotions, he looked arrogantly at Rayan. He said to Hannah, ¡°Miss Adames, sorry to disturb you. I¡¯m going to borrow your precious ce for today. If you would please step out for a while. I have something to tell him.¡±

    ¡°No can do, this is my guest. You can¡¯t make a ruckus here.¡± Hannah¡¯s face turned red being hit from the pride emitted by Hansen. This guy hade uninvited and disturbed her coffee house several times before just because she was Jenna¡¯s friend. However, so what if she and Jenna were besties? It was none of his business anyway. If on that day he was unfriendly,the man next to him was even more expressionless. His face was a mask of ice. They were both acting aggressive. Like master, like servant, it seemed. They were not to be trifled with.

    Now Rayan was all alone.It was obvious that he was at a disadvantage.She had to protect Rayan so that they couldn¡¯t hurt him. On one hand,Rayan was her guest. On the other hand, he was so handsome and debonair.If he was hurt orhumiliated, she would not be able to forgive herself.

    At the moment, she took three steps forward and blocked in front of Rayan to protect him. She raised her head and looked at Hansen. With a piercing gaze, she thundered, ¡°Hansen, please get out of my property. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being rude.¡±

    ¡°Miss Adames, I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t do that. Please cooperate. You know that my woman and my child were kidnapped by him. I am only a man. So, of course I have to ask him to release them. Don¡¯t worry. There is no ulterior motive behind this. As long as he can cooperate, I won¡¯t make things difficult.¡± Hansen had always faltered in his resolve when confronting Hannah. The main reason was that she was Jenna¡¯s good friend. He was not willing to hurt Jenna, and her friends.

    ¡°Lay off that disgusting im. Your woman and child? Who? I¡¯ve never heard anything about that. Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re rich,any woman wille running at your bidding. I tell you what, this is my ce and it¡¯s not up to you to do anything. Listen, this is my territory, and you can¡¯t do sh*t here.¡± Hannah put her hands on her waist and said with disdain and ridicule.

    Anger could be seen on Hansen¡¯s face as he was about to speak.

    Slowly and politely,Rayan rose to his feet andsaid to Hannah, ¡°Hannah, since he came to me sincerely, then something must¡¯ve happened. It¡¯s okay.I¡¯m also thinking of meeting him. So, please give us some space and let us have a talk. Maybe it¡¯s not as bad as you make it out to be.¡±

    Rayan spoke gently, his bright eyes looking at Hannah with a hint of a smile. His eyebrows flew up and the tenderness at the corners of his mouth slowly spread out.

    Hannah seemed to be possessed by the sight. She looked at him, nodded obediently, and went out. When she went outside, she suddenly realized in astonishment. ¡°Hey, when did I be so obedient to men? Did I eat anything wrong?¡±

    As she thought about it in this way, a strange feeling she had never felt before rose in her heart. She felt that a change was imminent.

    ¡°Please take a seat. I¡¯d like to ask all unrted personnel to leave.¡± Rayan nced indifferently at Hansen and looked at Alvin. Then, he walked to the sofa and sat down calmly.

    After Hansen made a gesture towards Alvin, Alvin walked out.

    Two men sat facing each other. Where one held a gaze as sharp as a gleaming knife, the other was poised and self-possessed. Both were handsome, and both possessed eyes that could suck women into the lure. As they beheld each other, it appeared as if answers could be found within their gazes. They wanted to have a good talk.

    Hansen was already able to deal with this matter calmly.

    ¡°Tell me, where is Jenna now?¡± Hansen put his hands on the sofa¡¯s back and clenched his fists so tightly that his nails turned white. He could never find Rayan all this while. He had wanted to find Rayan and grilled him. However, at this moment, he had calmed down. It was just the shame deep in his heart that was still gnawing at him.

    In fact, he would rather not find out Jenna¡¯s whereabouts from him. In that case, he would feel better, for at least he knew that she wasn¡¯t with such an excellent man.

    ¡°Where do you think she will be?¡± Rayan picked up the coffee cup on the table and took a sip. With a ghost of a smile on his face, he slightly pursed his lips.

    Hansen frowned and said, displeased, ¡°If I knew, would I still be here?¡±

    ¡°Then why did you ask me? Didn¡¯t you say that Jen is your woman? If she is, why are you still here asking me? Does that sound right to you?¡± Rayan was not in a hurry to answer him, but asked him in return.

    ¡°Rayan, Jenna left and disappeared with you. I¡¯m here to ask you for her whereabouts, is there anything wrong with that?¡± Although Hansen¡¯s voice was still steady, his face was no longer so calm, and even a little angry.

    ¡°Who told you that Jen left with me?¡± Rayan raised his voice.

 Chapter 325 She Didnâ€™t Leave With Rayan

    ¡°Your butler, he said that she left with you.¡± Hansen answered, his tone indignant and righteous.

    ¡°So, just based off on that, you¡¯ve be certain that I¡¯m the one who took your woman away?¡± Rayan asked with a look of disdain. ¡°First of all, Jen is not your woman.Bw or in life,I won¡¯t agree to it. Secondly, yes, she dide out of the vi with me, but we went our separate ways after that. I went to the airport and she went to the train station. How would I know where she was headed to?¡±

    Rayan shrugged, shook his head, and spread out his hands.

    A glimmer of starlight shed across Hansen¡¯s darkened eyes. Soon, it was enveloped in an even more intense gloominess.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that she didn¡¯t stay with you at all, and that she didn¡¯t leave with you?¡± The joy that had just surged into his heart was quickly reced by worry. Jenna really didn¡¯t stay with Rayan. This idea once again vindicated Trevor¡¯s judgment of Jennaand also proved that his guess was correct.

    The child in Jenna¡¯s belly had not the slightest tie to Rayan. Otherwise, she would not have left alone.

    Based on her personality, she would never stay with him. She was pregnant with a baby.How could she be a liability to a man¡¯s reputation?

    Thinking of this, the joy in Hansen¡¯s heart superseded his hatred for Rayan. The child in Jenna¡¯s belly must be Hansen¡¯s.

    ¡°I would¡¯ve rather she stayed with me, and I¡¯m willing to take care of her for the rest of my life. However, her heart doesn¡¯t belong to me, and I can do nothing about it.¡± The smile on Rayan¡¯s face was lined with helplessness and sorrow.

    Hansen¡¯s hand, gripping at the sofa, trembled faintly.

    ¡°Has she never loved you?¡± His voice was a little hoarse as he asked the confusion in his heart with difficulty.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Rayan sneered after a pause, his voice dripping with anger. ¡°It turns out that the man Jen loves is still such a fool. No wonder she would rather live alone with her child, wandering in her hometown than toe back to you. At the very least, it was yourck of faith in her.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hansen tightened his grip on the skin of the sofa, as if it was going to be ripped off by him.

    ¡°Did you really think that Jen was going to be with me? She begged me to put on a show, just to make you give up on her. She did this to prevent Earl and Aria from bringing down your Richards Group.¡± Rayan put down the coffee in his hand. He was never a man of fickle temper, but at the moment, his face was gloomy, and his eyes were staring at Hansen, as if he was going to burn him. ¡°In order to prevent Aria from harming your father, grandmother, and the Richards Group, she negotiated with Aria and voluntarily chose to leave you and handed over the inheritance of the Richards Manor. She only hoped that Aria could spare you. Even after telling you the truth, haven¡¯t you figured everything out?¡±

    Negotiation? Did she deliberately make him give up on her? Hansen¡¯s face began to lose color. He really didn¡¯t know about these things, and Aria had never said anything about this.

    However, his father was right. Without her cooperation, it would¡¯ve been impossible to bring down Earl in such a short time.

    At this point, his mind waspletely transparent. A great sense of guilt and heartache rushed to his mind. He stood up and turned around to leave.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you leaving just like that? Don¡¯t you have any further questions?¡± Rayan asked sarcastically.

    Hansen paused for a moment and suddenlyughed. Simrly, he said sarcastically, ¡°Since she doesn¡¯t like you and doesn¡¯t love you,surely she wouldn¡¯t even let you know where she is after she left.She hates me, and now thatshe¡¯s left me, she would hide her whereabouts from all those who may possibly know where she is. Of course, that includes you. There is absolutely no way to know her whereabouts now. Since that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no need for any of us to waste our breath.¡±

    His words were decisive, but at the end of his words, he inevitably felt a little proud. After all, his Jenna had never loved Rayan,and that made his male ego soar.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that you¡¯re toote.¡± Rayan sneered.¡°I don¡¯t know how a woman like her would thrive with a child, andI don¡¯t know how she is doing now either. However, I can¡¯t do anything about it. If you really love her, you should create the conditions favorable enough for her toe back.¡±

    These words were like an iron whip thrashing him, causing his heart to rapidly tighten. His gaze was firmly fixed on the ground.

    How did a woman like her live with her pregnancy?No sooner had he thought about it than his mind caught in the thrall of madness. The suffocating anger in his heart drained the breath out of him.

    What kind of suffering would his woman have to live through? It was hard to imagine.

    Rayan¡¯s gaze was deep and sharp. With his back facing him, Hansen seemed to have dwindled. No matter how one looked at it, he appeared sad and deste. His footsteps were heavy as he walked towards the door.

    ¡°Also, let me tell you. Jen¡¯s mother, Sara, was sent by my men to the airport in S City. ording to my men, they met Miss Murphy at the airport, but that was all they had. Think about it,¡± Rayan said when Hansen was about to step out of the room.

    ¡°S City?¡± Hansen muttered the name of the city, wanting to imprint it into his memory.

    After returning to his office, he immediately turned on hisputer and repeatedly checked the airport in S City. He was stunned shortly after.Not only did the airport in S City fly locally, but also across the globe. It was no less effective to look for someone like this than to find a needle in a haystack.

    Nevertheless, no matter what, if there was a clue, he had to continue to investigate, even if it was a slim chance.

    First, he quickly sent Alvin to the S City Airport and checked the guest list from there. He couldn¡¯t find any records of the guests who came by a few months ago.

    It was possible for her to arrive in S City and take a train after. He then asked Alvin to go to the train station in S City. He called Christopher to inform the police in S City to search for the name ¡®Jenna Murphy¡¯ on the swarm of tickets all over the country. It was not hard for them to g the name ¡®Jenna Murphy¡¯ out of the list, but there were a great deal of people with the same name. Nevertheless, on closer inspection, the train passed through many provinces, and this person named ¡®Jenna Murphy¡¯ had bought a train ticket to Ocean City. This one simple discovery sent Hansen into endless joy.

    That was to say, she might have headed for Ocean City, a beautiful city. It was absolutely possible for her to choose to go there.

    He packed up his things and traveled toOcean Cityin person. Only after arriving atOcean Citydid he find out how difficult it would be to search for one single person in such a big city.

    Wandering atOcean City¡¯s train station and the ticket purchase station, he had asked Christopher several times to have the police lend a hand in the search.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    After a month of searching, he still got nothing. Gradually, his willpower faded away.

    She was determined to leave him. The country was so big, and the whole world was bigger. How could he find her, unless she took the initiative toe back?

    No matter, how could that be possible?

    She hated him! Since she had left him, she would nevere back!

 Chapter 326 Earthquake Zone

    A yearter.

    A sudden earthquake rmed everyone. Almost overnight, the news media was stered with the coverage of the earthquake.

    Regardless of which channel was switched to, or which website was clicked into, the images were all reced with a solid, grey-colored background.

    The high-intensity earthquake had almost destroyed everything in S City.

    In the living room of Green Jade Garden.

    Hansen was apanying Trevor and Marissa at dinner.

    ¡°Hansen, the earthquake is a natural disaster. The Richards Group is arge grouppany. Have you prepared anything for this?¡± After stuffing a mouthful of omelette into his mouth, Trevor remembered the current situation and asked seriously.

    After gulping down the almond milk, Hansen smiled and said gently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. We are a well-knownpany and wouldn¡¯t skimp on any donation. Last night, I asked the mid-level executives of thepany to bring ten thousand tents and a lot of food, as well as a hundred million dors of funds, to the scene. They should have arrived by now.¡±

    ¡°Good, well done.¡± Trevor¡¯s face revealed a smile of appreciation. ¡°You¡¯re a public figure. There are many people watching you. Your every move will affect the reputation of the Richards Group. Also, a great entrepreneur must have a heart of his own. He needs to know how to repay society, save lives, and heal injuries. Only then will such a group have a sense of humanity. Only then will people praise it. Admiration is the only way for such an enterprise to be epted by everyone and go further.¡±

    He put his spoon down, witha serious look on his face. Although his voice was warm, it contained an earnest expectation.

    The Richards Group had been standing strong for a hundred years. Not only did their heirs work hard, but they also had a profound spiritual and cultural foundation. Of course, this also included the contribution to society.

    Upon hearing these words, Hansen was struck by a thought. He recalled the incident at the banquet on the ind in the center of the city the year before. When Aria was about to chase away the children of the welfare home, Jenna had protected them. Her face was filled with anger as she said those words. Every word she said was reasonable, and each of them touched the hearts of the people.

    On that day, in order to control Aria, he hadn¡¯t protected her openlybut supported her in the dark. Eventually, she¡¯d seeded in keeping those children, and without a hitch, held a charity event at the banquet. Part of the donations received had gone straight into the welfare home, which also helped fund those children¡¯s education.

    On that day, she¡¯d stood on the magnificent stage. Although she¡¯d worn in clothes and without any makeup, her charisma was extraordinary at that moment, catching everyone¡¯s attention. She definitely wouldn¡¯t lose to Aria, who was adorned with all the jewels and treasures on her body.

    Such a beautiful woman, whom he loved deeply, had left with his child for a year and a half. There was no news about her at all.

    He suddenly felt sore in his heart and could not eat anything anymore.

    ¡°Dad, Mom, enjoy your meal. I¡¯m done.¡± He put down his spoon and went to the living room sullenly. He sat on the sofa with a depressed face.

    ¡°Hansen, eat more.¡± Marissa saw that he had only taken a few sips of almond milk and not eaten breakfast. Her heart ached and she hastily stopped him.

    ¡°Let him go.¡± Trevor nced at Marissa and said tly.

    ¡°Trevor, I only have one son, Hansen. Look at him. In the past year or so, he has worked hard and did not speak or smile. It¡¯s obvious that he was unhappy. Looking at him, my heart feels as if it is stung by hundreds of bees.¡± Marissa thought that Hansen had changed into a different person in the past year. He would barely speak. His heart weighed down with sorrow. He barely even ate anything.

    Her son was a man with such a halo on him, and he could get whatever he desired.However, he had never been truly happy before. How could she ever feel at ease when he was like this?

    ¡°Only now do you know how to feel sorry for him? If you had known it would be like this, why didn¡¯t you help him to keep an eye on Jenna?¡± Trevor was furious when he heard Marissa¡¯sint.

    She only knew how to pity her son. If she hadn¡¯t been there to fan the mes of trouble, would that woman, Aria, have been able to take advantage of the situation and slipped in? Would so many things have happened afterwards?

    At the thought of this, his face darkened and he mmed his spoon heavily on the table.

    Marissa¡¯s face was pale.Her eyes were full of tears in an instant.

    ¡°No matter what I say, you would bring that up to lecture me. I am still his mother no matter what had happened. Everything I did, I did it for him. Looking back at those years, if it weren¡¯t for your illness, I wouldn¡¯t have lost my mind and wouldn¡¯t have made the wrong judgment.¡± Marissa wiped her tears, with grievance and unwillingness on her face.

    ¡°There was nothing I could do about my sickness, but you, you didn¡¯t know right from wrong,barking up at the wrong trees. You always liked to interfere in Hansen¡¯s affairs and made his life a mess. Think about it, if you didn¡¯t support Aria in the dark, would she have seeded?¡± Trevor¡¯s face was forbidding.¡°Until now, you should correct your poor habit of favoring the rich. When a person lives to this age, they should often reflect on their own, instead of blindly favoring one side. If you look at your own son and feel sorry for him, how about another person¡¯s daughter?¡±

    Marissa didn¡¯t know what to say. Knowing that she was in the wrong, she lowered her head and wiped her tears.

    ¡°Have you ever thought about how much in pain Jenna is? Her father was framed and killed, and her mother was paralyzed. The only family she could rely on was her husband. Her husband didn¡¯t love her, and her mother-inw often made trouble for her, and even some other women came to her house to steal her husband. If it were you, what would you do? As long as you still have a conscience, you should pray for her forgiveness every day. Don¡¯t love your son only, but also his wife as well. If it were any other woman, she would nevere back to this family again.¡± Trevor continued to criticize her. The more he said, the more weight he put behind his words.

    Because of this, in the one year or more since he had woken up, he was almost cold to Marissa, and he was absolutely dissatisfied with her performance in the whole process.

    Marissa had received a lot of criticism from Trevor in this year. So, of course, her life was not any better.

    ¡°Trevor, it¡¯s been so many years. Am I such a heartless woman? You have to put yourself in my shoes. In my eyes, my son and this family are the most important things. What¡¯s more, I was none the wiser at that time.So, you can¡¯t me me for all this, alright?¡± She wiped her tears with a tissue and could not speak.

    ¡°Don¡¯t me you? Have you seen the consequences of what you did? Your daughter-inw has left a Richard family¡¯s descendant, and she is unwilling to enter our house ever again. Have you ever thought about how a woman lives with a baby inside her? Can you imagine how hard it is for a woman to raise her child alone? What you did had ultimately hurt our Richard family¡¯s bloodline.¡± Trevor¡¯s voice was cracking up.

    Tears streamed down Marissa¡¯s face as she sat there,pletely at a loss.

    That year, she had known that Jenna was pregnant at the family meeting. When she¡¯d heard that Aria actually needed ten million dors to get Brock to get rid of the child in Jenna¡¯s belly, she¡¯d almost fainted.

    She had never thought that Aria would be so vicious and heartless. She just thought that she loved Hansen and was perhaps too jealous. Seeing that she was carrying Hansen¡¯s child, she¡¯d yielded to her demands again and again, but she would never have imagined that there would be such a shameful and ugly truth hidden beneath her facade. At that moment, she¡¯d been shocked and scared, and she¡¯d regretted everything she did. At that moment, she had thought that, as long as Jenna came back, she would definitely dote on her like her own daughter. Nevertheless, she never came back.It looked like she should be extremely disappointed with this family now.

    Otherwise, how could a woman rather struggle to raise the child alone than to go back to her husband¡¯s home?

    However, even so, her fault was not unforgivable! Plus, now her husband¡¯s dissatisfaction with her had made her heartbroken.

    Hansen listened to the row between Marissa and Trevor and felt even more upset.

    These days, they were often at each other¡¯s throats.His father often scolded his mother, and his mother often shed tears, which annoyed him.

    Sitting on the sofa, he casually turned on the wide-screen TV on the wall and raised the volume of the sound, covering up the annoying soundand focusing on the TV.

    The TV was all gray, and all the shots were live broadcasts of the earthquake scene. From time to time, all kinds of rescue personnel and reporters sent messages.

    Suddenly, the TV screen turned to a small town, and the radio yer was sadly broadcasting the news. This was a school in a poor mountainous area. Due to the earthquake, the school had copsed, and many students were still buried deep in the debris. As the men and women of the nearby viges had gone out to work, most of them were children who stayed behind. There were only a few teachers left in the school, and this vige was far away from the rescue team, so it was very remote. Now the children were buried in the debris pile without anyone to rescue them. It was an emergency.

    Hansen felt an indescribable sense of heaviness in his heart.

    The images stayed on the school, praying for the rescue outside.

    Suddenly, in front of the already copsed building, within a pile of gray debris, a charming figure appeared in front of the camera. It was a woman who was shouting anxiously. One could vaguely see her mouth opening and closing, waving towards a reporter.

    The camera gradually moved toward her. It was a face that couldn¡¯t be seen clearly. The mottled mud was smeared on her face, and vague tear stains could be seen. However, the anxiety on her face and the despair and sadness in her eyes were so clear.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t help but to sit up and stare at that face. In the blurry image, the pain and despair in his eyes were grabbing at his heart, and his breath was almost going to stop.

    Although the image was too blurry and the sky was too dim to see her face clearly, her charming figure was fixed in the mind of Hansen, shaking him to the point that he leapt to his feet.

    This figure was too familiar. Hansen was almost certain that this woman was the Jenna he had been looking for.

    He quickly fished out his mobile phone and dialled Alvin¡¯s phone number.

    ¡°Alvin,be swift, get a helicopter. Send the Grand Grand Eagles to Fisher Town in S City with me. Be quick.¡± He paused the TV on the camera for a second and came to a firm decision. ¡°Also, bring 500 tents and food.¡±

    After giving out this order, he ran out quickly.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

 Chapter 327 Is That Her?

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s getting dark. Where are you going?¡± In the dining hall, Marissa was shocked to hear Hansen ordering a helicopter to be sent to the disaster area for a rescue mission.When she thought that he was going along with the helicopter to the earthquake-stricken area to rescue the victims, her heart instantly missed a beat.

    It was not an easy feat for a helicopter tond after being in the air. Others might not understand, but she understood very well that there were demandingly strict conditions for a helicopter tond. With the area just experiencing an earthquake, it would be impossible for him tond without using a parachute.Even then, it was not guaranteed that he could touch down safely. In the unlikely event that he was not careful, his bones might get fractured, or even worse, get caught up with the wind¡­ She dared not venture into this possibility.

    She could not let her only son take such a risk.Anxiously, she turned towards Trevor and cried out, ¡°Trevor, Hansen is going to the disaster area.You let him know that he only needs to donate more money. He should let the professionals do their job.¡±

    Marissa was panic-stricken, color draining from her face.

    Trevor, of course, hadoverheard the order from Hansen. When he looked at Hansen with his deep eyes,thetter had already got on his electric car and hurried out.

    After a moment of silence, he said to Marissa, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He knows what he¡¯s doing.¡±

    When he made it clear that he had no objection to it, Marissahugged her head and cried.

    Trevor stood up and looked at Hansen¡¯s car disappearing into the distance. His ears were filled with Marissa¡¯s heart-wrenching sobs, and his heart was extremely heavy.

    Why would Hansen give out such an order all of a sudden? Did something happen?

    Quickly, he walked into the living room, and soon, his eyes locked on the frozen image on the TV. He suddenly understood everything.

    He rubbed his eyes and nodded after looking at it carefully again.

    More than two hourster, the helicopter arrived at the town using satellite positioning.

    As the helicopter slowly lowered, Hansen¡¯s heart sank with it.

    This school was too small. It was impossible tond safely with a helicopter. He could only jump down there himself.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, let¡¯s get thedder down and secure the rope to a safe ce first. We can¡¯t use the parachutes.¡± Alvin saw the sheet of grey ashes obscuring the ground. At this time, the only thing he could do was to further lower the helicopterand set down a thick rope down to save the victims.

    Hansen nodded.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯d better not go down. It¡¯s too dangerous,¡± Alvin said, concerned.

    ¡°Quit the cr*p. Hurry up and get ready.¡± The fully-equipped Hansen looked angry, not allowing Alvin to question his decision. Alvin did not dare to speak again. As he ordered the essential items to be dropped off from the helicopter, he shouted at the people below with his loudspeaker.

    Soon, the rope was releasedand the helicopter approached a hill. Hansen, Alvin, and almost ten members of thestrictly trainedspecial forces approached the ground using the rope.

    The ground was covered in grey ash, copsed buildings, piles of rubble, and the sound of crying and screaming deafened his ears.

    Hansennded on a hillside and nced around in the darkness. It was after midnight, and there was still a distance between the copsed school and where he stood. He immediately led Alvin and the others to the school.

    When they got close, several bonfires were aze on the open ground, chasing thecold air away and illuminating the surrounding.What they saw was really shocking.

    Only a few volunteers were there to rescue the students trapped under the rubble. There were even a few who were trapped so deep inside that they could not be seen andonly their cries and shouts could be heard. The few who were buried even deeper insidemight have lost their breath.

    No matter who was crying or yelling, their voices had already be hoarse, and there was only sobbing left.

    The situation was too dire.

    ¡°Alvin, save them first.¡± Seeing the ghastly scene, Hansen could not care less about finding Jenna. He instructed his subordinates to focus on saving the students first.

    The arduous rescue work that wouldst all night ensued.

    One after another, children were rescued from the rubble and moved to an emergency tent nearby.

    This primary school was a school of the vigers in the vicinity of Fisher Town, and the ssrooms were already in ruins. Such an earthquake had almost destroyed the entire school.

    Hansen took advantage of the downtime to take care of the injured children and survey his surroundings. Mountains were everywhere, and there was a small market in the middle of it. The school was located next to the small market. At present, there were some parents gathered in the ruined grounds of the school. However, they were all old, weak, sick, and disabled. They were all shouting their children¡¯s names, their voiceden with cries.

    His eyes were searching for that familiar figure, but to his surprise, it was nowhere to be found. Did he get the wrong ce?

    Reaching for his mobile phone, he checked and confirmed that this was exactly the ce.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, another one has just been saved.¡± John¡¯s joyful voice came from the other side.

    ¡°Come, hand him to me.¡± Soon, a woman dashed out of the tent next to him and stretched out her hand to ept the injured child.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    Hansen took advantage of the dim light to look at her. Her face was ashen,pletely stripping him of any chance to make out her face at all. Only her two eyes were revealed. Though she was a young girl,her round face and rough figure didn¡¯t look like his Jenna at all.

    The moment the woman took the child, she noticed that Hansen was sizing her up. There was a wave of bashfulness on her face. She smiled at him and ran into the tent with the child in her arms.

    Hansen was utterly disappointed that he could not find Jenna, but the situation at hand was too critical. He could not focus solely on searching for someone. It was a matter of life and death. The rescue work had to be prioritized.

    In the tent, there were a number of children who had been rescued. Those who were missing their arms and legs were all groaning in pain.

    A thin and weak woman was cleaning the wounds of the children. After the wounds were cleaned, she sprayed the disinfectant on them, applied medicine, and bandaged them.

    There were not enough people here and there was a shortage of medicine. Fortunately, Hansen had brought some first aid kits with him on the helicopter and promptly made use of them.

    ¡°Miss Lewis, there are so many handsome guys outside. Fortunately, they are here and these children are saved.¡± Amy looked at the woman called Miss Lewis and said, ¡°Especially that handsome leader,he¡¯s so elegant and handsome. I¡¯ve never seen such a handsome man in my life.¡±

    Amy widened her round eyes, puffed her cheeks, and with an infatuated look on her face, she fawned over him.

    The woman only replied with a faint ¡®hmm¡¯ and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Amy, quickly bandage the children¡¯s wounds. Now there are a lot of children who are seriously injured. I¡¯m really worried that the wounds will cause high fever if they get infected. There is a shortage of medicine at the moment. So, we have to control the situation.¡±

    ¡°I know. God, ifonly the electricity is back and the roads are repaired. Otherwise, we¡¯re on our own in here,¡± Amy said as she busied herself. The injured children wailed from time to time,ining about the pain and hunger. The scene was a total chaos.

    This ce was remote and far away from the city. So, it was not easy to get their hands on reinforcements. Despite knowing that,they still clung on to hope.

    ¡°Quick, stop the bleeding.¡± The tent was opened, bringing with it a gust of night wind. A tall figure rushed in with a little girl in his arms. The little girl was obviously sensible. Her hands were bleeding, but she bit her lips hard. Her eyes were full of tears, but she never cried out loud.

    ¡°Evie, you¡¯re hurt so badly.¡± As Amy heard Hansen¡¯s voice, she stood up to wee him. She stretched out her hand to pick up Evie in his arms.

    ¡°Bring me some disinfectant,¡± Hansen said to Amy when he saw that there were only two women in the tent to tend to themany children with serious injuries. After all, Evie had just been saved from under the debris and was seriously injured. He was afraid that if no emergency attention was given, Evie¡¯s wounds would get infected.

    The light in the tent was dim,with only a lightbulb. Yet, since Hansen came in, the whole tent seemed to be lit up. Amy¡¯s eyes were shining, her whole body buzzing with vitality.In the face of such a tall and handsome man, Amy couldn¡¯t be more excited, her heart beating fast.

    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± she answered while holding back her excitement.

    As she spoke, she quickly brought the disinfectant and squatted down in front of him.

    ¡°Could you please get me some water?¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes caught a glimpse of the back of a thin woman who was crouching by the side, busying herself. His heart skipped a beat as he spoke to her.

    This person was thin but very calm. She was busy and moved deftly, not reacting much when she heard his voice. Instead, she turned around and scooped up a spoonful of water. The medicinal cotton in her hand was also handed over to him along the water.

    Making use of the dim light, Hansen wanted to see her face clearly, but she lowered her head. Her hair was tousled, covering almost half of her face. He could only see a face buried in grey ash. Her face was even vaguer than what he had seen on TV.

    She offered her hand. Hansen looked down and saw that the backs of her hands were covered with ck calluses. He felt a little familiar with it. From the looks of it, they must have been eroded by the environment here!

    In an instant, Hansen felt an uncontroble impulse. When he received the medicinal cotton, his big hand almost held on the pair of small hands. However, the other party was very sensitive,as if she had expected him to do this. As soon as the cotton was in his hand, she immediately retreated her hand and went to work with her back towards him.

    Stunned for a moment, Hansen felt a strange feeling linger in his heart. It was as if some sort of interest had been stirred within him.

    At this time, the painful groans of the child in his arms became heavier and heavier, and he hurriedly cleaned up the wound for her, with Amy beside him to help.

    There were more and more wounded children in the tent. Only two women were busy in the tent. They were getting overwhelmed.

    When Hansen finished cleaning Evie¡¯s wound, the sun was already rising outside.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we¡¯ve already saved all those we could, but we couldn¡¯t save every one of them. We have to wait until it¡¯s morning to search again. It¡¯s just that we don¡¯t know when the rescue team would be here. We have no choice but to rely on the machinery to find those buried deeper underneath.¡± Alvin came in with a face full of sweat, and his expression was not optimistic. ¡°I think there are still many children trapped underground.¡±

    ¡°There are a total of 132 children. 78 have already escaped, 30 have been rescued, 10 deceased confirmed, and the other 14 remained missing.¡± A hoarse voice came from one side. Although the voice was so hoarse that no one could recognize the original sound, these numbers were very urately passed to him.

    Hansen and Alvin both looked in her direction.

    She was still tending to the child¡¯s wound, her head hadn¡¯t been raised.

 Chapter 328 Disappeared Once Again

    Alvin looked at her back and felt somewhat surprised. This figure in front of him was very familiar.He turned his head and caught sight of the flickers in Hansen¡¯s deep eyes,the dimming eyes as dark as paint.

    She said as if deep in thought, ¡°Mr. Richards, the conditions here are too harsh. It¡¯s likely that the children buried in the ruins have little hope of surviving. Now that there¡¯s freezing rain outsideand the children¡¯s bodies are in very bad shape, it¡¯s difficult for them to pull through.¡±

    There was a loud crying from the tent.

    Amy and the more sensible child began to cry. Hansen fastened his gaze at the woman. Her head was even lowered now, and her face was still obstructed from view. However, even without thinking, he could tell that she was heartbroken.

    Hansen¡¯s heart sank.

    Taking out his mobile phone, he called the director of the Public Security Department in S City directly. The director attached great importance to this. He responded immediately that he had already sent firefighters toe here overnight.

    There was only one reporter here. After he¡¯d learned about this school through the Inte, he arrived here with great difficulty. In order to increase public awareness about what had happened here, he was burning the candle at both ends.

    Finally, at noon, the firefighters arrived and started a more substantial search-and-rescue operation.

    They almostbed the entire school. In addition to rescuing eight more children, the remaining six had unfortunately died, and the children who had been rescued weretreated by the first-aid team before they werequickly sent to the nearby hospital by the medical staff. When everything was almost done, night had fallen on the area once again.

    In the evening, Hansen was so famished that his stomach looked as if it had copsed in on itself.

    They had already polished off all the supplies that they had brought with them.

    Some vigers began to collect materials to make a fire. The members of the Grand Grand Eagles were all exhausted and sleepy, and as theyy in the tent,they slowly dozed off.

    When Hansen summoned the vige chief to enquire about the situation, he felt that the loose ends of the situation had been tied. At this time, the reporters who were watching him were about to interview him, but Hansen was unwilling to leave his name. He immediately made up an excuse to leave.

    He was solely here for that figure.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    At this time, he was tenaciously trying to confirm whether the figure was Jenna or not.

    No matter what, this time, he must find out who the woman was. Judging from everything that had happened in thest two days, it seemed to be very likely that it was her.

    He turned around to look for Jenna outside, but he couldn¡¯t find her. Then, he entered the tent, but she was still not sighted.

    In an instant, he had a bad feeling in his heart. This feeling was too familiar. Just like what had happened over a year ago, he went looking for her, only for her to have disappeared inexplicably. This feeling almost sent his heart into tremors.

    ¡°Alvin, quickly search the tents in the vicinity. I want to find that female teacher.¡± With panic setting in, Hansen instructed Alvin.

    At this moment, he thought of a more serious problem. If the woman was really Jenna, had the baby in her belly been born safely? If it was born safely, it should be a year old now! Where was the baby now? Was it safe?

    Thinking about this, he felt that he had forgotten such an important matter for the past few days. He felt extremely regretful in his heart and became even more anxious.

    As he searched every tent, he asked the members of the Grand Eagles to help in the search. However, once again, he got the same result as he did a year ago. The woman had disappeared, as if she had never existed before.

    Hansen gaped in astonishment!

    Was the woman he had seen in the past two days just an illusion? Had it never existed? Or was it just a ghost? Was it a fantasy in his mind? Otherwise, how could it have disappeared like this without a trace!

    It was too mysterious!

    ¡°Connor, how many female teachers are there in this school?¡± He hurriedly called over the vige chief, Connor Goggins, and asked in detail.

    Connor knew that he was looking for someone, but he didn¡¯t know who was missing. He hurriedly ran over and heard him ask. After thinking for a moment, he sighed and said, ¡°To be honest, there are so many children in this school. Yet only one woman is in charge. There were two other teachers,a man, and a woman, but they would go home after ss. So, strictly speaking, there is only one teacher who is responsible for teaching these kids, Miss Amy.¡±

    When Hansen heard this, he was even more surprised. He couldn¡¯t help but to ask, ¡°Then who was the woman who helped here these past two days?¡±

    ¡°What woman?¡± Connor was puzzled when he heard Hansen¡¯s question.

    This made Hansen¡¯s heart palpitate even more.

    ¡°It¡¯s that woman. She had been saving the children all this while. She was the one who was busy cleaning the children¡¯s wounds in the tent.¡± Hansen was practically shouting.

    ¡°Ah, that one. I remember now. I heard Amy say that a volunteer teacher hase to the school recently. She didn¡¯t ask for any sry and was willing toe to teach the children.However, because she¡¯s not in the teachers listand I don¡¯t usuallye here, I had already forgotten about this matter.¡± Connor remembered and patted his thigh with an embarrassed expression on his face.

    ¡°What¡¯s her name? Is she called Jenna Murphy? How long has she been here?¡± Hansen asked as if he had obtained precious information.

    Everything indicated that this woman was likely to be Jenna, his ex-wife.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m really not sure about the details. In recent years, after Amy had exposed the school on the inte, there were often outsiders who came to send supplies to help out. There were also some volunteers who came to teach. If you want the details, you¡¯d have to find Miss Amy. How about this, I¡¯ll call her over now.¡± Connor saw that Hansen¡¯s expression was getting colder and colder. He was certain that the noble savior who was in front of him must havee for that woman. Judging from his noble appearance and the aura that he had never seen before, he knew that he could not afford to offend such a noble person. Thus, he immediately ran to get Amy.

    After a while, Amy jogged over.

    ¡°Miss Amy, where is that woman? She was helping to tend to the children with you,¡± Hansen asked when he saw Amy. He had lost his usual aloofness.

    ¡°Ah, are you talking about Miss Lewis? She might have already left.¡± When Amy heard Hansen¡¯s question and saw that his expression was a little gloomy, she couldn¡¯t help but to ask curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°What is her name?¡± Hansen stared at her again and asked, ¡°Is she called Jenna?¡±

    ¡°Jenna?¡± Amy responded as if she had never heard of that name before. She blinked her eyes and shook her head. ¡°Well, I only know that she is called Miss Lewis. Her surname is Lewis. As for the person named Jenna, I¡¯ve never heard of her.¡±

    ¡°Miss Lewis?¡± Hansen¡¯s face was as dark as the sky before rain. ¡°You mean her surname is Lewis?¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh, we all called her Miss Lewis.¡± Amy nodded her head again to confirm.

    ¡°How long has she been here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been almost half a year.¡±

    ¡°Any family members? Is she a local? If not, where did shee from?¡± Hansen asked everything that was in his mind.

    Looking at the increasingly terrifying face of Hansen, Amy became a little scared. It seemed that the handsome man in front of her was not cute at all. He could even be called overbearing. At this moment, it was as if he was interrogating prisoners.

    After thinking for a moment, she said, ¡°Miss Lewis is not a local. She came here half a year ago. At that time, she saw that the school was desperately in need of help, and she also sponsored some money into repairing this school. She also bought a lot of learning supplies for her students. They were all fond of her. When she had nothing to do, she also came to school every day to be a teacher. Initially, she got along very well with her students. Unfortunately, something unexpected happened and this earthquake changed everything.¡±

    Amy¡¯s answer was very detailed, but Hansen did not hear what he wanted at all. He could not help but to ask again, ¡°Do you know where she came from? What¡¯s her name? How old is she? Is there anyone else in her family?¡±

    After hearing this, Amy shook her head helplessly and said, ¡°She didn¡¯t want to reveal her full name, so we just called her Miss Lewis. The children were used to calling her Miss Lewis as well. As for where she came from, her age, we don¡¯t know, and we never wanted to pry. She never talked about the people at home, nor her personal affairs. She hung out with us at times. Her character is very positive and optimistic. All the students were willing to y with her.¡±

    Only now did Amy realize that this Miss Lewis, who had been with her for half a year, was actually aplete mystery.

    Hansen knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get any answers from her. With a final shred of hope in his heart, he asked, ¡°Then, you know where she lives, don¡¯t you? Hurry up and take us there.¡±

    This question soon drove Hansen crazy again. In front of him, Amy still shook her head and said with a sad face, ¡°She came over every day and went homete in the afternoon. I¡¯ve asked her about it before, but she only said that she lived in the town. As for where she is, I really don¡¯t know. She never invited me to her house. I really have no idea.¡±

    Hansen waspletely dumbfounded.

    Only then did he regret not approaching her in the past two days they had been working together. He had lost his only chance to find out the truth.

    He was clearly trying his luck, but he was afraid that they would be separated by another thousand miles, and that they would never see each other again.

    He was in a foul mood.

    However, since this was still a disaster area at the moment,the traffic was bad and the road was blocked. It was not easy to leave here in a short time, not to mention how weak she was. She could not have gone far.

    ¡°Alvin, John, quick, lead your men to search in several directions, and focus their efforts on the town first.¡± Hansen hastily instructed them and took the lead towards the direction of the small town.

    However, when he went out, he found that it was not so easy to find a person here. There were mountains surrounding them, many different paths, and they were all unnamed. When he went to the town, it was already beyond recognition. Almost all the buildings had copsed and destroyed, and there was no way to find anyone.

    All the people in the tent were gathered outside. The only thing he could do was to search them one by one. After searching for a while, he waspletely discouraged.

    It was clear that she didn¡¯t want to see him. Even after knowing that he was present, she didn¡¯t want to reunite with him and didn¡¯t even want to talk to him.

    During the entire process, she had only spoken a single sentence, and that was the number of children. The rest of the time she had spent it by bending over and treating the kids.

    Hansen¡¯s heart grew heavier and heavier. His vexation was bottomless.

    ¡°D*mned woman, did I do anything to deserve this?¡±

    ¡°Why are you treating me like I¡¯m some fierce beast?¡±

    ¡°Do you even have a heart?¡±

    As he had expected, John and Alvin also came back empty-handed.

 Chapter 329 The Storm Falls On Jenova City

    After thinking for a while, Alvin started tofort him. ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s very likely that the woman isn¡¯t Young Madam at all.Though her back may resemble her a little,we can¡¯t get any clue from her voice.¡±

    When she had said those words that day, Alvin was there. At that time, her voice was ragged, probably due to all the screaming she¡¯d exerted during the earthquake. It was true that he could not recognize her voice, but for Hansen, his intuition firmly believed it was her.

    Lacking any concrete evidence,time was a luxury he couldn¡¯t squander.

    Hence, he made a decision.

    He summoned Connor and Amy,and then left them with his contact number, remindingthem to call him as soon as they received any news of that woman.

    His mobile phone kept ringing these past two days. It was supposed to be a temporary ordeal,ing here.There was a pile of paperwork waiting in the Richards Group, for him to attend to. At that moment, he made a phone call, and a helicopter arrived. In only a few hours, he had already set foot in A city.

    The news that the president of the Richards family had shown up at the site of the earthquake and helped the school in the mountainous area was soon broadcast on TV. This prompted a great response and was praised by society.

    On the other hand, in the local mountain area, the story of a young and handsome businessman who flew in with a helicopter to find a rural teacher called ¡®Jenna¡¯ was circted far and wide, and it took on a life of its own.

    His perseverance in looking for Jenna andhis uninhibited efforts to rescue the students buried under the rubble had movedeveryone in the vige to the point of tears. Everyone began to search for her in the local area, but it was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. They could no longer find the teacher anymore.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    She seemed to have never existed, and there was no news about her. For a time, the local people wondered if the woman was an angel who had graced the school, helping them. After that, the school indeed flourished, and there were more and more students enrolling in the school. The school quickly became the most popr primary school in the province.

    Out of nowhere,spring had arrived once again!

    In the meeting room of the Richards Group, Hansen was hosting a meeting with all the senior leaders of thepany present. It was a meeting regarding resource conservation.

    As the automobile sales prospects were promising, the current shortage of essories in the market had be another problem to contend with.

    At the executive meeting, everyone was generous with their thoughts and opinions.

    Hansen sat in the CEO¡¯s seat. His well-ironed suit made him look noble and aristocratic. His entire body exuded a calm, noble air, and an aloof aura.

    Compared to the past, he seemed calmer and more mature, and also more charming!

    In his position, he sat calmly. For thements of his subordinates, he nodded slightly from time to time. His dark eyes were full of spirit, his eyes emitting iparable authority.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, nowadays the price of the essories has risen sharplyand the cost is getting higher and higher as well. Although there are a lot of orders, the profits are not as decent as before.¡± Rory, the director of thepany, worriedly pointed out the current trends that were at risk.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards, for an establishedpany like ours, it is necessary for us to produce a series of essories of our own brand. Only in this way can we guarantee asting future for our brand.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the tycoon, Chester, has almost monopolized the entire essories market. Almost all the prices of the car essories are set up by theirpany. Now that our business has been rising steadily, they have increasedthe total prices of most of the essories we ordered by almost20%yesterday. If this is it, our revenue would decline by 30%, and he would pocket most of the profits.¡±

    ¡­

    There was not much expression on Hansen¡¯s face as he listened quietly. His deep eyes were filled with a bottomless ck light.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, themercial model has their prices fees as well now. The troupe of models from the Academy of Art was causing trouble just a few days ago. They demanded a sry raise, otherwise they would go on strike.¡± Nathan, the marketing manager, also frowned and sternly raised this kind of problem.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Academy agree on the pay before signing the contract? Why are they making such an unreasonable request?¡± Hansen¡¯s eyebrows condensed into a straight line, a testament to his utter dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards. Initially, the matter was handled byMs. Murphy.Back then, they wanted to raise their pay too, but the issue was promptly controlled byMs. Murphy. Now that the models¡¯ worth seems to have increased, they are no longer willing to stomach their current pay. From time to time, they would throw such tantrums, and the normal workflow is often unable to go smoothly. Now,ints are everywhere in the department because it¡¯s a headache to see them.¡± Themissioner of the department, Yetta Turner, was struggling with this matter. Hearing Hansen¡¯s question, she quickly exined the cause and effect in detail.

    A subtle smile tugged at the corner of Hansen¡¯s lips. The thought of Jenna dealing with this situation shed across his eyes. Only then did he remember that she had used a ¡®forceful¡¯ approach to get them to sign the contract. In her words, ¡°The Richards family¡¯s car was now an exquisite, expensive, and well-known model. However, you models still remain mostly unknown. The reason we¡¯re signing the contract with you is to raise your value through our car instead of the other way around. Hence, the price we offered is pretty reasonable, ording to the market standards. If all of you are unwilling to ept these conditions, then we will just go and search for other modelling agencies. We will then hire models with even lower pay. When that timees, you people can see for yourself who¡¯s with the elevated stardom status. Just think about who you¡¯re really fighting against when you refused our offer!¡±

    It was these words that had made those arrogant women instantly sign the contract. He just didn¡¯t expect that they would start to show their true colous again today.

    The facts proved that the Richards family¡¯s car had indeed produced quite a few famous models. These models were now popr both domestically and abroad. If it were not for that contract, they would have left the Richards family a long time ago.

    Thinking of this, Hansen said faintly, ¡°Tell them that no one can alter the terms of the contract once it¡¯s signed. Next time, whoever that¡¯s disruptive will have their benefits terminated right away. If they still can¡¯t see what¡¯s good for them, then we¡¯ll ban them. Now, we should consider supporting new people. You must know that there are a lot of beautiful women in the local art colleges. We¡¯ll do well digging for potential there. Of course, the models we have now can still stay if they learn to carry themselves well, otherwise we¡¯ll just ignore them.¡±

    Hearing this, Yetta¡¯s expression finally changed from worry to joyfulness. If a new troupe of models were introduced, the cost would be much lower. Plus, now the current troupe of models would immediately be more cooperative. In this way, the workflow would be much smoother!

    ¡°Mr. Forbes, how is the investigation going?¡± Hansen turned his head to Nathan after a while.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, here¡¯s the thing. I found that there is a chemical factory in Jenova City that produces a kind of material. After modifying and improving upon it, it can be used as a raw material for the manufacturing of essories. What¡¯s more, this kind of material is very cheap. If we could mass produce it, it would surely bring huge profits to ourpany. ording to my estimation, these profits are almost equal to half of the profits brought in by automobile sales. Therefore, Mr. Richards, I suggest we continue to explore this path. It is very promising.¡± Nathan was a little excited as he reported truthfully.

    Hansen¡¯s expression remained unchanged, nodding slightly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, ording to our investigation, the chemical factory building that produces these materials is a state-owned enterprise. It is located in a remote area and themute there is not very convenient. It is located at the junction ofkes and mountains. At present, there are a lot of workshops and workers there. So, the loss has already reached the threshold of hundreds of millions of dors. However, the factory that could produce the material we need is currently undergoing renovation and needs financial support for it. If we provide assistance at this time or buy in some shares, it would be a good opportunity to build a great rtionship with them.¡± The assistant, Jose, fully analyzed the current market and put forward his own suggestions.

    Hansen closed the logbook in front of him and leaned slightly to the back. He gently spat out three words, ¡°Let¡¯s go down to Jenova City.¡±

 Chapter 330 A Happy Family

    Spring had arrived inWullen Town in Jenova City. The town was filled with flowers, spring rain, gonds, white walls, and stone bridges. It was as beautiful as a dream.

    In a small alley, on the stone steps, a graceful figure was holding a red umbre and movingrapidlyforwards in the rain. The people in the Jenova City were conversing with each other, and the rain was flowing down along the tiles. It was a portrait of human warmth and serenity.

    However, she was in a hurry and in no mood to drink in the beautiful scenery. When she passed by an old man¡¯s stall, she turned her head and saw that the old man was carefully spinning cotton candy. That wonderful smell put a smile on her face. She reached in her pocket to take out some money, bought two cotton candies, and held them in her hand. Then, she strode forwards quickly.

    In front of her was a ce with a picturesque scenery. The courtyard was so thick that various flowers were nted all around it, and the pinkish red wall made the room look as if a painting hade alive.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    She stopped in front of the iron gate of the courtyard, took out the key and unlocked the fence. Walking gently along the stone steps of the courtyard, she put away the umbre.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back. Did Jerry behave well today?¡± Before she even entered the house, her sweet and clear voice rang out, underlined with a sense of happiness and bliss.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re back early today.¡± Sara smiled when she heard Jenna¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Well, I came back early today since the ss schedule is not too packed.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t have time to take off her wet coat before she walked inside.

    The house with three bedrooms and two living rooms was clean and tidy, and the windows were bright and clean, which was veryfortable.

    The little fellow in the room was sitting on the bed, struggling to pry open the car toy in his hands, without any methodical thought put behind it. His pinkish face giggled from time to time. Seeing Jennaing in, he, who couldn¡¯t speak well yet, raised his pink little face and smiled at her, muttering ¡®mom¡¯ with his mouth. Immediately, he threw away the toy in his hand and stretched out to her, shouting eagerly, ¡°Hug me, hug me.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face was beaming with happiness. She put down the things in her hands and extended out her hands to hug him. She kissed him hard on his tiny face and tickled him lightly, making him giggle.

    Jerry was extremely happy in Jenna¡¯s familiar and intimate embrace and wiggled restlessly. Jenna held him and sat down on the bed. The mother and son were having fun.

    After a long while, she finally ced Jerry in the middle of the bed. She stood up, took out the bag of cotton candy, nipped a small portion of itand ced it into Jerry¡¯s mouth.

    Jerry began to chew on the cotton candy. Perhaps unfamiliar with the texture, he spat it out after a while and made an ¡®eww¡¯ expression.

    Jenna knew that he was going to pretend to be stubborn and demand breast milk again, but she would not relent this time.She just took a bottle of milk and gave it to him.

    Jerry pursed his lips and gulped down the milk reluctantly. Then, he picked up the car on the bed and started ying on his own.

    Sara walked in with a cane.

    ¡°Mom, please sit down.¡± Jenna helped Sara sit down beside the bed, unzipped her shorts, and said distressingly, ¡°This prosthetic has been operating for so long that your legs are turning red. You¡¯d better walk less. Next time, let¡¯s use the wheelchair.¡±

    Sara¡¯s heart ached when she heard this. She held Jenna¡¯s hand and said bitterly, ¡°My dear, thanks for your hard work. Now that you¡¯ve finally settled down, don¡¯t worry about me. Just rest more. You¡¯ve been put under a lot of stress over the past year.¡±

    She touched her hand, but there was a lingering sorrow in the depths of her eyes.

    Her daughter Jenna was still young, and it was no simple thing to raise a child. Thinking about it like this, a deep sorrow washed over her. She had lost her two legs, and not only was she unable to take care of her, but she would also be a burden to her. Whenever she thought of this, she would find it hard to fall asleep at night. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

    In this life, even if she had suffered all kinds of hardships, she would have noints. Even when her husband had been framed, she could face it head on with confidence, but Jenna¡¯s happiness was what she cared most about.

    ¡°Mom, haven¡¯t we settled down now? Look how nice this house is. It¡¯s a wonderful ce in Jenova Cityand it¡¯s a good ce to live. In the future, we will live here happily, with just the three of us,¡± Jenna said affectionately, holding Sara¡¯s shoulder, andforted her like the child that she had been. Sara knew that she couldn¡¯t convince her daughter otherwise, so now she could only give in to her request.

    ¡°Mom, sit down and stay with Jerry. I¡¯m going to cook.¡± Jenna was talking with Sara for a while before noticing that it was gettingte. She then got up to cook.

    Today, she had bought a few side dishesand was ready to make a good meal.

    Engrossed in her cooking, there were also traces of happiness and peace on her face.

    It had been a month since she had arrived in this town. From looking around for this house on the market to buying it subsequently, to discussing the price with the house owner, and finally moving into the house, it had taken heralmosthalf a month. s, the dust had settled.

    Now she was calm and happy. At least she had a mother who loved her and her child. These were real and this rich family affection made her very satisfied.

    Aunt Lee went back to ACityto do something, but after a while, she woulde back and live with them.

    She was ready to live out the rest of her life in this town in Jenova City.

    The environment here was beautiful and romantic, it fulfilled every one of her preferences of an ideal ce to live. She thought it wasfortable enough to live in such and known for its rivers andkes.

    However, Sara didn¡¯t share her sentiment. She would often get worried and anxious.

    For a woman, such a life was notplete enough. After all, Jenna was still young. How could she not find a man? For Sara, after so many life and death experiences, nothing would surprise her anymore. As long as her loved ones were next to her, she would be happy. Nevertheless, the same could not be said for Jenna.

    ¡°Mom, Jerry, it¡¯s time to eat.¡± After finishing cooking, Jenna ced the dishes on the table and walked out of the room with Jerry in her armsand Sara beside her.

    Jerry was already one year old withtwo tiny teeth. He could only eat porridge and drink some soup. He still had to drink milk most of the time, though. Jenna had already tried to get him to wean him off from milk, but this guy was always unwilling. He had been wreaking havoc recently.

    Moreover, he was deliberately making fun of her. He would not give up until he achieved his goal.

    Sure enough, when they were eating, the little fellow got bored of the porridge and was unwilling to eat anymore. No matter how she fed him, he would not open his mouth. When she finally managed to put some food into his mouth, he puked everything all over his body.

    Jenna was angry and amused at the same time. Looking at his mischievous look, she felt that he was more like a certain someone. She felt a little emotional in her heart.

    Jerry¡¯s facial features were very simr to his father, almost as if he was made out of the same mold. Even his little tantrums were simr. It was true that the apple didn¡¯t fall far from the tree.

    Jenna finally had a firsthand experience of the essence behind such words.

    She shook her head, caressing Jerry¡¯s head with both love and hate. In the end, she had no choice but to set him down on the small chair and make him some milk and puree.

    Jerry, on the other hand, didn¡¯t give up wanting his mother¡¯s milk after he had finished drinking the powdered milk. He put on a cute face and cried out, then rolled on the ground. He had used every trick in the book.

    Seeing that he was crying like a little cat, Jenna¡¯s heart ached for him.

    Hugging him, she had to remove her clothes and feed him breast milk. The little guy finally got what he wanted. After drinking his mother¡¯s milk, he soon fell asleep with satisfaction.

    The sweet expression of him sleeping with a satisfied smile was really cute. Jenna lowered her head and couldn¡¯t help kissing his little face.

    Jerry was very beautiful. Not only did his facial features resemble that of Hansen¡¯s, even his frown was also simr to his. Jenna ced him under the nket and tucked him in. She stared at his sleeping face in a daze.

    Whenever it waste into the night, she would wake up in the middle of the night and stare at Jerry in a daze after feeding him. Jerry¡¯s face would always make her think of him.

    The man whom she once loved deeply was now buried deep within her heart. He was the one who left a mark on her and the one she would never be able to forget for the rest of her life. However, now she was slowly learning to forget him.

    Her life should be wonderful, shouldn¡¯t it?

    She wanted to start a new life, getting rid of those things that did not belong to her, and believed that she could live a very good life.

    ¡°Jenna, the dishes are getting cold now. Come and eat.¡± Sara¡¯s heart ached for her daughter as she hurriedly called out to her.

    Jenna stood up and quietly walked to the dining room before she picked up her utensils.

    After the mother and daughter finished their meal, Jenna cleaned up the dishes and hid in the study.

    Sara couldn¡¯t fall asleep with a lot of things weighing on her mind.

    She walked into the study with a cane.

    ¡°Mom, aren¡¯t you going to sleep?¡± Jenna saw Saraing in and hurriedly helped her to sit down.

    ¡°I¡¯m old and I can¡¯t fall asleep, but you should rest early. Children that are trying to quit milk would be very noisy at night. You should go to bed early. Don¡¯t get overconfident because of your young age and pay more attention to your health,¡± Sara said with concern after she sat down.

    ¡°Mom, I know. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Jenna took Sara¡¯s hand and smiled sweetly.

    Sara sighed and shook her head, ¡°Jenna, although I¡¯m saying that you¡¯re still young, you would be 28 years old this year. A woman at this age living like this, how could a mother like me not worry? Even when I¡¯m dead, I would not rest in peace.¡±

    Despondent at her own words, tears trickled down Sara¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m fine now, aren¡¯t I?¡± Jenna was most afraid to see Sara¡¯s tears, so sheforted her,feeling unsettled.

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re doing well now, but how much time do you have before you be old like me? Are you really nning to raise Jerry for the rest of your life?¡± Sara¡¯s tears flowed even more frantically.

    Jenna lowered her head and said, ¡°Mom, I didn¡¯t think too much about this, but I know that I have to raise Jerry well, and that would be enough.¡±

    ¡°However, have you ever thought about this? Jerry might not be happy living with you like this. He should be the Young Master of a rich family, yet he had to live a poor life with you. It¡¯s unfair to him.¡± The sorrow in Sara¡¯s eyes was so raw that it made Jenna¡¯s heart tremble.

    ¡°Mom, living with me in this ce that no one knows about is not necessarily a bad thing. If I gave him to the Richards family, Aria¡¯s vicious heart would never take him in. Plus, I can never be Hansen¡¯s mistress. The child is mine, and that¡¯s enough. As for marriage, we¡¯ll just have to wait and see.¡± Jenna grabbed Sara¡¯s hand and patiently exined. In fact, she had already dispensed the same exnation multiple times.

    It was just that even though Sara understood the reasoning, she still couldn¡¯t get rid of her sorrow.

 Chapter 331 Must Find A Man

    Hearing Jenna¡¯s words, Sara¡¯s eyes surged with anger again. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Hansen to be such a b*stard and hid the fact that you¡¯ve both divorced from each other. Since that¡¯s the case,he shouldn¡¯t every his hands on my daughter anymore.Now, you¡¯re forced to contend with the role of a single mother. How despicable.¡±

    Sara¡¯s eyes were bristling when she said this. ¡°Jenna, you have to find a man, and a good man at that. Only in this way can I live a peaceful life, and only then can I be more at ease.¡±

    Sara¡¯s words made Jenna¡¯s heart twinge. Would she still love someone else in this life? Would she be able to love again?

    Even an outstanding man like Rayan could not pry open her heart. Was there any man in this world who could make her fall in love with him?

    She sat there nkly, her eyes empty. After a long time, she said in a low voice,

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s not entirely his fault.¡±

    Jenna saw the wrath in Sara¡¯s eyes. Sara was insanely angry with Hansen, and Jenna was worried that her hatred for him had been buried too deeply. She had to pacify her solemnly, ¡°All of this may have been fate. Our family may have been destined to be like this. Not to mention that I have already divorced him. Even if we didn¡¯t, and he was willing to marry me, I would not be willing to y the part of thedy of a wealthy family. That kind of life is a attracts trouble. It¡¯s too taxing. My life now is all I¡¯d ask for.¡±

    She remembered the scene inthe ward of the Hospital whereHansen had fallen ill because of her.With his lips chapped and dry, his face was pallid. From the bottom of her heart, if she was willing to lead a life with him, he would be fully responsible for her.

    Therefore, she spoke up for him.

    Sara¡¯s anger subsided a little, her eyes as deep as the sea. She stared at Jenna and asked, ¡°Jenna, tell me the truth. Are you still in love with that b*stard?¡±

    Jenna was stunned, for she never thought that Sara would broach such a question. Panic shed in her eyes. She averted her gaze, her face slightly warm.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    The answer sinking in, Sara felt a stinging pain in her heart. She had never been so crestfallen before.

    Now that Hansen was married, her daughter would probably not be able to leave that life behind her for the rest of her life.

    She struggled to stand up and moved gently, step by step. Jenna snapped back to her senses to help her up, but she refused.

    Jenna looked at Sara¡¯s lonely, old figure from the back as she determinedly moved to the outside, as if she was contemting over something. Her heart was heavy with sadness.

    After Sara had left, she sat there staring nkly for a while.

    After a long time, she turned on theputer and felt confused. She looked at the drawings in a daze and didn¡¯t know what she was looking at!

    She had to work!

    Thest time when she had left A City, she¡¯d pocketed the dividends from the design of the car model obtained from the Whalen Group and the Richards Group. In this year, she¡¯d donated to two schools and given birth to a child. She¡¯d also installed a prosthetic for her mother, and then bought this house here.Her savings were running thin.

    Now, both Jerry and her mother needed money, as thetter would have to depend on medicine. After contracting uremia, she needed money to take medicine to take care of her body, but she didn¡¯t have much money left on her.

    During the day, she found a teaching job in a school nearby, and at night, she designed car models in front of theputer, and then sold her designs on the Inte with the hopes of attracting a bigpany to purchase them.

    She was unwilling to sell her designs at a low price, so although she had designed a lot of good models, she would not sell them if the price wasn¡¯t right. Instead, she would look for better buyers online.

    She found an overseas carpany on the Inte the night before. Thepany was based in Switzend, and it was not veryrge, just newly established. After learning about it, she knew that it was a subsidiary of argepany set up overseas and was recruiting car designers.

    She clicked in and enquired about it, but she didn¡¯t reveal her identity. She simply shared her views of the automobile industry, which attracted the other party¡¯s interest and made them want to sign a contract with her.

    It was impossible for her to go to work in Switzend personally. So she just agreed to work remotely and sell any good designs to theirpany.

    In fact, she had wanted to migrate to another country before, but because her mother was old and wasn¡¯t fond of staying abroad, she had abandoned that idea for the time being. She nned to wait for a few years for Jerry to be older and receive education. After Sara got used to the life here, she was ready to take Jerry abroad for his education.

    In fact, although she was not too troubled about the cost of living, it didn¡¯t guarantee that they would live a trouble-free life. Of course, she had to be prepared for the future.

    She made an appointment to negotiate with thepany at nine o¡¯clock that night.

    Seeing that it was about time, she calmed herself down and went online.

    Among her social media friends list, the person was indeed online. This person¡¯s username was Reeva.

    After chatting with him for a while, they finally returned to talking about the car model.

    After Jenna sent over an image, the other party was very satisfied with it and the two began to discuss the price.

    However, regardless of what had happened, both sides had their share of disagreements. Jenna was not in a hurry to sell the model. After they talked for a while, Jenna sent an embarrassed emoji and went offline.

    With her mood ruined for that night, she lost all her enthusiasm and turned off theputer early.

    These days, Jerry would always bawl for breast milk in the middle of the night as she was still in the middle of trying to have him wean off milk. She could never get a good night¡¯s sleep, so she brushed her teeth and went straight to bed.

    In the middle of the night, Jerry persistently cried loudly and insisted on drinking milk. Jenna finally couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and had to cater to his whims!

    This little punk!

    Jenna saw him bite on her nipple satisfyinglyand looked at her with a smile. After a while, he fell asleep, and she really wanted to smack his little buttocks!

    After knowing that she was trying to get him to wean off milk, he would grab onto her breast before sleeping every night. If she were to leave, he would cry. Jenna loved him and resented him at the same time. She always wanted to wean him off milk one day, but she couldn¡¯t bear it. As soon as she saw him crying till he was exhausted and pitiful, her heart immediately softened.

    As a result, after so many days, he still hadn¡¯t been weaned sessfully.

    The next day.

    Jenna arrived at the school early. Most of the students of this school were employees of the local factories. Due to the poor efficiency of the factory in recent years, many departments could not pay their staff, so the staff had to go out and find side ies to support their families. Therefore, most of the children in the school were left behind in academics.

    The school was short-staffed and were desperate for teachers. Jenna was only a temporary, sried teacher, though not much. Furthermore, she also had the consciousness of a righteous teacher. After all, such a small amount of sry was extremely valuable to her.

    To Jenna¡¯s surprise, the principal of the school was a young male teacher. Although he was the president, he also had to teach several sses. It was noted that he was in his thirties and was still a bachelor.

    Jenna saw that he was good-looking, easy-going, and talented, so she didn¡¯t understand why he was still single at his age. As time went by, she finally understood why. Most of the younger women who worked at this factory had left the vige to make money.

    And most of the people who stayed behind were married women. A more realistic problem was that the factory was on the verge of closing down, and those who stayed would barely survive. Nowadays, the girls were highly educated and would naturally ask for higher standards of working conditions. They would find betterpanies if they left. That was why there were so many single men like Mr. Koch in the chemical nt but no single women around.

    When Jenna arrived at the school, Mr. Koch had already taken the children to go to school early.

    He was very diligent in his work and was also very kind to the children, a trait recognized by everyone.

    Jenna¡¯s task was to teach English to three sses, and there were three slots every day.

 Chapter 332 Close At Hand

    ¡°Good morning, Miss Murphy.¡± Mr. Koch greeted Jenna warmly and instructed the children to self-study.

    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Koch.¡± Jenna nodded back at him politely with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, I have something to talk about with you today,¡± Mr. Koch mumbled sheepishly as he led Jenna to the staff room.

    It seemed that he seldom interacted with women. He was stuttering when he spoke to Jenna, his cheeks tainted with a faint blush.

    ¡°Oh okay. What about it?¡± Jenna was a little amused. Nheless, she replied cordially, trying to ease his nervousness.

    ¡°It hase to my attention that several children have been missing school over the past two days. I don¡¯t know what the reasons are, and I couldn¡¯t seem to get in touch with the parents. Therefore, the school hase to a consensus to conduct a home visit. I¡¯d like to ask you toe with me,¡± Mr. Koch exined earnestly.

    Jenna realized that this matter was truly pressing. If a child was absent without a valid reason and we couldn¡¯t contact the parents, that could mean that something bad had happened. Jenna nodded hastily and said, ¡°Sure, this matter mustn¡¯t be taken lightly. We have to figure this out as soon as possible. The children are very young and it wouldn¡¯t be good if something bad were to have happened.¡±

    Mr. Koch echoed her sentiments, worry evident on his face.

    The two of them decided to head over to the neighborhood for a visit after the second period.

    It was March, and Jenova City was blessed with the light spring rain.The breeze was cooling and the weather was gradually warming up.

    Hansen hopped on the city bus with Alvin after getting off the ne. It took a long while before they finally reached Wullen Town. There was no airport there, so flying there was out of the question.

    He had heard ofJenova City, and he had always thought that it was a very romantic ce.

    They saw willows covering the bridge as they walked along the overpass. It was drizzling and the rain fell on their heads gently. The streets were quiet without anyone else in sight, and there wasn¡¯t the usual buzzing of moving cars in a metropolitan city.

    It was truly surprising to see such a quaint town in a big city!

    Hansen felt refreshed as he stepped on the cobbled streets of Wullen Town. His entire body was revitalized, and he felt an inexplicable sense offort and ease. He took deep breaths as the gentle and soft rain pitter-pattered on his face, taking in that moment of tranquility. It was an endless feeling of love and enjoyment.

    It reminded him of the woman he only loved. She used to run her small hands through his hair and touch his face gently, and his heart would flutter every time.

    Hansen could feel his heart stirring.It was a bittersweet feeling and a hint of agony appeared in his bright eyes.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the chemical nt is not far from here. Are we¡­?¡± Alvin whispered.

    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. Let¡¯s find a hotel to check in first. We¡¯ll observe the ce for a few days before proceeding,¡± Hansen said resolutely.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Alvin nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll look for a hotel first.¡±

    Hansen looked up at the sky. It was gettingte.

    He didn¡¯t expect that they would only arrive in Wullen Town in the evening even though they had left A city early in the morning. He was attracted by the scenery of Jenova City. He wanted to rx for a few days ande up with a n after proper observation.¡±

    Although it was a primitive town with a very romantic atmosphere, it was still surrounded by modernity. On the other side of Wullen Town were high-rise buildings, most of which were hotels and general stores.

    Compared to the other side¡¯s modern style, Hansen was more interested in the vibes that Jenova City had to offer. He refusedfirmlywhen Alvin suggested for them to stay in the most luxurious hotel in Wullen Town.Instead, he chose a vintage and modest cottage on the other side of the river,a personification of the style ofJenova City.

    They checked into the cottage and settled in their rooms. Hansen¡¯s interest was piqued after dinner. He went downstairs and meandered along the streets.

    There were numerous old houses, crisscrossed rivers, and crescent-shaped bridges connecting the rivers.

    Hansen wandered along the narrow streets. He was wearing a handsome suit. With his muscr figure and wless features, he peppered a lot of color to this ancient town.

    A lot of passers-by turned to look at him.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s lips curled into a smile. He paid no heed to the prying eyes of those around him. He merely immersed himself in the quaint atmosphere.

    He subconsciously walked into an alley. It was so narrow that it could barely fit a car. He ambled slowly.

    He was enjoying the scenery on both sides.

    An old man with a white beard was concentrating on making some cotton candy on the street. The smell was so enticing that it whetted his appetite. He took out 20 dors from his wallet and bought himself one.

    ¡°Here you go, and your change,¡± the old man said with a smile and a benevolent look.

    ¡°Oh, you can keep it.¡± Hansen plucked a fluff of cotton candy and brought it into his mouth. It was sweet, soft, and tasted rather decent. Seeing the 15 dors that the old man handed him, he smiled and shook his head.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. The price for my cotton candy has always been the same. I could tell from your looks that you¡¯re not local.I¡¯ve been in this business for my entire life. I won¡¯t rip anyone off, nor will I ept more payment than I should. This is my way of life,¡± the old man said seriously. He forced the change back into Hansen¡¯s hands.

    Hansen had no choice but to take it back with a helpless smile.

    Surely enough, the folks here were simple and honest. They valued kindness and humility.

    All of a sudden, Hansen heard a burst of cries from the front. The baby was sobbing loudly as though he had suffered a great grievance. His cries grew louder by the second as if he was fighting for something.

    Hansen¡¯s heart twinged slightly for some reason.He could feel a strange emotion welling up in his heart.

    Whose child was that? Why didn¡¯t his parents take care of the child well? He shook his head slightly and a look of displeasure appeared on his face.

    Seeming to sense his unease and dissatisfaction, the old manughed again and said, ¡°Young man, that child is being weaned. He will definitely cry because he is not used to leaving his mother¡¯s arms. He will be fine.¡±

    Hansen understood the situation after listening to the old man¡¯s exnation. He smiled and walked forwards again.

    He looked back in the direction of the crying child again after he walked past the courtyard. He then slowly walked over.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    Jenna rushed home with her umbre. She had gotten off workter than usual, so she was afraid that Jerry would grow hungry.

    Her initial ns for the day had been disrupted due to the impromptu home visit. Even though she had prepared puree before she left in the morning, Jerry would definitely ask for her milk after a whole day. Sara would probably have some trouble calming him down.

    Moreover, he was very stubborn and arrogant.It seemed that he wasn¡¯t that much different from his father after all!

    He would cry and risk his life to fight for things that he couldn¡¯t get.Hewould always cry until his voice start croaking and his face turned blue. Jenna had to spend a lot of effort to soothe him.

    Her footsteps were light and quick as she ran forward hurriedly. As expected, she could hearthe little fellow¡¯s heart-wrenching cries from afar. His voice sounded hoarse and God knows how long had he been bawling for!

    Her heart tightened.

    She rushed in quickly, picked Jerry up, and patted him on the back. She tried to soothe him softly.¡°Jerry, be good. Mommy¡¯s back. Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry.¡±

    Her gentle voice seemed to soothe the little boy in an instant. He sniffled a few timesbefore bursting into tears again.

    However, the cries sounded different this time. He wasn¡¯t bawling, and instead, his cries were filled with coquetry. His eyes and nose were scrunched up into a ball and he seemed as though he had gone through a massive loss. Tears were dripping down her cheeks and his breathing wasbored.

    Jenna knew that he was just exaggerating, but she was still distressed seeing that his little face was pale and drenched with tears. She held him in her arms and kissed him as she coaxed him. He finally stopped crying after a long while and he started grabbing her chest with his little hand, his lips moving towards her bosom.

    Jenna smiled bitterly.

    Surely enough, this little guy just wanted some milk!

    Jenna immediatelyplied to appease him. After all, it was her responsibility to keep the little guy satiated.

    Jerry looked extremely delighted. He grabbed Jenna¡¯s nipple in one hand and nibbled on the other in his mouth, sucking on itwith a smile on his face.

    ¡°Jenna, he¡¯s already a year old. You shouldn¡¯tpamper him like that. I don¡¯t even know when he would finally wean off you/¡± Sara sighed as she shook her head. Life was already tough for Jenna, and Sara felt sorry for her daughter. Only when he had weaned could her daughter finally rx a little.

    Jenna smiled wryly as she stroked the little guy¡¯s tender face with her hand. She said in her heart, ¡°Let him grow out of it himself. He couldn¡¯t possibly insist on it anymore once he bes three, right?¡±

    It was as though the little fellow could understand her thoughts. He suddenly smiled sweetly in her arms.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you cheeky?¡± Caressing his smiling face, Jenna was so happy that her exhaustion seemed to have vanished into thin air.

    A tall and slender figure could be seen walking past the courtyard.

    When Hansen walked back to the small courtyard, he could not help but to look in this direction. The child in the house had stopped crying, and it was quiet and peaceful once again.

    The small fence of the iron gate was still left ajar, and it was shaking slightly. Obviously, someone had just opened the gate earlier.

    It seemed that the kid¡¯s parents had returned and appeased him.

    He slowly paced towards the end of the alleywith a shallow sadness in his heart.

    Even though Hansen was exhausted that night, sleep did not im him. It was only in the wee hours of the morning that he finally dozed off in a daze.

    The air smelled of fresh rain and damp ground. For some reason, Hansen couldn¡¯t seem to fall into a deep sleep. He tossed and turned on the bed, only resting for a few minutes at a time. It was a long night for him.

    Hansen was not in good spirits when he woke up the next day. He wandered around in the small town, not in the mood for work.

    Mr. Koch was sitting in the office with a frown on his face when Jenna returned to school the next day,

    She thought it was rather strange, and she asked softly, ¡°Mr. Koch, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Mr. Kochsighed and stared at Jenna¡¯s face, his mind turning nk. After a while, his face turned red and he said sadly, ¡°Miss Murphy, there are several children who skipped school today.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, her heartden with worry.

    ¡°Is it all because of the crisis?¡± She looked extremely serious.

    ¡°Yes, the factory has troubles looking for a buyer for the materials they¡¯ve produced. The people are getting frustrated, and arge number of raw materials have been piled up. The factory has sent several salesmen to neighboring towns, but they haven¡¯t found a good business partner yet. The other party would either haggle the price down or decline the request because it would be inconvenient for them toe all the way here. If this situation persists, the factory will be shut down within a month. The staff of the factory has not been receiving their sries for the past few months too. Everyone looked distraught and none of them were in the mood to send their children to school,¡±Mr. Kochsaid with a sigh.

 Chapter 333 The Heart Began To Race

    Jenna listened in silence. These children were skipping school because the factory couldn¡¯t pay their parents¡¯ wages, hence the loss of their main source of ie. Not only could they not pay for the tuition,they also had to travel far away from home and search for another job.The children would be left to fend for themselves now!

    Such a family was likely to be poor. If the adults didn¡¯t have any skills, they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to secure a job outside. What¡¯s more, there were both the elderly and the young living under the same roof, and some families even raised more than one child!

    If the children were unwilling to go to school, it wouldn¡¯t matter to them anyway. Of course, there were some children who were not willing to go to school, and since theycked guidance from the adults, they regarded attending sses as something optionaling and going as they pleased.

    After thinking for a while, Jenna asked, ¡°Mr. Koch, can you tell me how many factories were responsible for the production of this material?¡±

    ¡°Umm, to tell you the truth, all the factories in the area were involved. There are at least a few thousand families affected. It is easier for the women to find better jobs outside and support their families here. However, for those families that are full of men, they are struggling the most. Some people want to leave the vige, but they are afraid that they won¡¯t be able toe back again once they did. The worst thing is that the factory doesn¡¯t have enough funds to pay for their sries either. In other words, it¡¯s a dire situation.¡± Mr. Koch sighed sadly, his face was taut with unease.

    Jenna thought for a while and looked at him. This man was equally affected by this crisis. He hadn¡¯t had the chance to upgrade from being a bachelor yet, and thanks to this situation, it was harder to say when it would be possible to do that.

    After all, all the young women had already relocated, and they would note back to find a man like him, who had no money, to get married and build a family.

    The day before, after visiting a few families, they found that it was of no use at all. All the adults had only one answering out of their mouths.¡®No money¡¯.Now even the school had be penniless!

    There were only five teachers in total, and only two of them were affiliated. These two teachers with funds given by their superiors had it easy, but the rest, including the gatekeepers and cooks, there were five staff members that still had to make ends meet. However, there was no source of financial support in the school. They could no longer pay for the wages of these staff members. Their days could only be described as scraping by.

    After Jenna finished her three sses, she sat in the office, lost in thought.

    When she had found herself at rock bottom in this way, she thought about her car designs and wondered if she should sell them to keep herself afloat.

    If she sold them, she could still procure quite a handsome sum of money, which might be able to relieve her current emergency situation. However, it would only be a temporary fix. She still had to pinpoint the root cause of the problem. She had to find a way to sell those materials, otherwise, therge factories would be closed down. By then, the whole town would be steeping in trouble.

    As she thought about this, her heart became a little heavy.

    The children here were not aspetitive as those in the big cities, where thetterstill needed to score well in their studies. It was already fine enough that they could finish these few sses. Therefore, Jenna was quite rxed at teaching them a few English sses.

    She had no sses in the afternoon, so she left school early in the morning.

    The springtime rain showers have arrived.

    The scenery outside was infinitely beautiful!

    ¡°The springtime breeze can¡¯t stop the rain in Jenova City, withughter filling the streets.¡± She repeated this local hymn and walked leisurely on the street. The red umbre cast a faint red shadow on her face.Ever since she¡¯d left A City, she had been away from thoseplicated issues. Her pale face had faded, and was now reced by a rare blush.

    She was sure that she was living a good life and was used to this kind of rxing and calm life.

    Since she had to breastfeed,her hunger would alwayse quickly.When she passed by a small restaurant, the smell of the chicken pot pie tickled her nose. With a gurgling sound in her stomach, her hunger reached its peak.

    Immediately, she put away the umbre and walked in.

    Anyone who did their research would know that the chicken pot pie in this town was very famous for its phenomenal taste.

    She asked for arge serving, and when served, she almost gobbled it up in a hurry.

    After the meal, she thought of her mother at home. She had to order a takeout meal before she went out.

    It was still early that day, so she was not in a hurry. She walked slowly, the umbre in her hand.

    Since the water in the river had been filled with rain for days, the people in the gonds were enjoying themselves in the river, and happyughter could be heard from time to time.

    Jenna walked as she enjoyed the scenery, feeling rxed and self-satisfied.

    She stood still as she passed by an arched bridge.

    The local residents said that the Romeo and Juliet of Jenova Cityhad once met on this bridge and fallen in love with each other there. How beautiful that love must have been.

    She stood there, lost in thought.

    It was not until her feet were numb that she took out her umbre and ambled towards her home.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it seems that the chemical nt is now facing a difficult situation. At this time, now is as good a time for any for us to take action,¡± Alvin said with great interest.

    News from the day before had been conducive for their proposal.

    ¡°Do you think such a chemical factory should be purchased or should we just sign a contract for the chemicals?¡± Hansen asked slowly as he walked up to the arched bridge. His eyes were fixed on the gonds on the surface of the water.

    Alvin thought for a while and suggested, ¡°It¡¯s rather hard to say. If the purchasing costs are high, it would be convenient for future development. If we only signed a contract for our orders, there would be too many unpredictable variables in the future. In other words, we need to enquire more about this matter and study it further.¡±

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s lips curled into a smile as he nodded. ¡°Alvin, it looks like you¡¯ve grown a lot and learnt a lot about business. You¡¯re no longer the young man who only knows how to think with his guts.¡±

    Alvin¡¯s face was stained red. He mumbled, ¡°I have you to thank, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Hansen smiled faintly and swept his gaze indifferently. Suddenly, he fixed his gaze on the street in front of him.

    Walking gracefully in front of them was abeautiful figure holding a red umbre. Her silky, smooth hair draped down her shoulders. She was holding a stic bag in her hand. She walked slowly, as if she was taking a leisurely stroll. Her back was as hazy as a lc, swaying in the fine breeze and drizzle. Hansen¡¯s eyes were riveted on her back, his vision blurry.

    For only a moment, his heart beat faster, and his blood rushed to his head. He felt hot all over and his blood was boiling.

    This figure looked so familiar that it could almost be noted at a nce that it was her!

    At that time, Alvin also noticed his strange expression. Following his gaze, he could not help but to shout in a low voice, ¡°Young Madam.¡±

    Alvin¡¯s voice made Hansen even more excited. He asked nervously, ¡°Do you think she looks simr as well?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this back is really simr.¡± Alvin nodded his head firmly.

    Saying no more, Hansen quickly trotted towards that figure.

    The closer they got, the more simr her movements matched that of Jenna¡¯s.

    His heart was pounding as if it was going to leap out of his chest, his palms slick with sweat. He really didn¡¯t expect to meet her in Wullen Town. He thought he wouldn¡¯t be able to see her for the rest of his life!

    He was so excited that his body was shaking and his footsteps were hollow. It seemed that all the passion buried deep in the bottom of his heart was unearthed.

    This was fate!

    The two of them were meant to be together.

    ¡°She¡¯s still a little far away from me!¡± He thought.

    However, even at such a distance, the air seemed to be infused with her fragrance, swooping into his nose along thegentle breeze and drizzle, giving him the thrill and taking away his rationality.

    With the lesson he had learnt from the earthquake, he tried his best to hold back his impulse this time.

    He just kept a distance behind her, pretended to be casual, and followed her from a distance.

    This time, he had to figure out her current situation before making his move. He could not allow her to discover him like the way she did thest time and then slip right under his nose.

    He traced her all the way into the alley and passed by the stall selling cotton candy.

    No sooner than a baby¡¯s cry was heard thanher light body seemed to float and fly towards the yard.

    Hansen was both surprised and delighted!

    It turned out that she lived in this exact yard, and he had been there before!

    s, who was the crying child?

    Until her figure disappeared in the yard, the child¡¯s cry turned into a spoiled hum, and then itpletely quieted down.

    He was still staring at the courtyard in a daze, his mind nk.

    It was not until a long while that Alvin rushed over. Looking at his lost look, he was very worried!

    ¡°Old mister, I¡¯ll have one, thanks.¡± After taking a look at that courtyard, Alvin immediately understood the situation clearly, so he spoke to the old man.

    ¡°Okay, five dors for one.¡± The old man smiled.

    ¡°Here.¡± Alvin took out the money and handed it to the old man. He took the cotton candy, put it into his mouth and savored it. He praised the product. ¡°Wow, old mister, this is an art. It tastes superb.¡±

    ¡°I know. It¡¯s good that you like it. I have been doing this for a lifetime. This cotton candy is not necessarily delicious, but tourists like them. In fact, even when there are many delicacies now, they will alwayse back for this.¡± The old man¡¯s face was red, proud of his exnation. His tone was calm, and it was also a long-term praise for the guests.

    ¡°Yup, never any truer wordsspoken.¡± Alvin nodded his head to indicate his approval. ¡°Old mister,I have something to ask you. Could you please tell me?¡±

    ¡°Well, out with it.¡± The old man was very straightforward. ¡°I have been here for a lifetime.There¡¯s no one here, nor things that happened here that I don¡¯t know about.I will tell you anything I know.¡±

    Alvin smiled and said, ¡°Of course, thank you.¡± After saying that, he pointed to the courtyard in front and asked very seriously, ¡°I just want to ask, who lives in the courtyard in front of us?¡±

    The old man looked at the courtyard and thought for a moment and said, ¡°This courtyard seems to belong to a family that has just moved in. I only know that there is a young woman living inside with a child, and a woman with prosthetic legs. It seems that she is the mother of the young woman.¡±

    Hearing the old man¡¯s words, Alvin¡¯s heart lit up even more.

    ¡°Then, do you know the name of the young woman? When did she move here?¡± He continued to ask.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what her name is. I only know that she has moved here for more than a month. She also likes my cotton candy and oftenes here to buy it. Ah, but that woman¡¯s soft and gentle voice doesn¡¯t sound like a local at all. She¡¯s very polite and cultured. She doesn¡¯t look like she is from a humble background, but I don¡¯t know the exact details.¡± The old man exined in detail. He looked ahead at Hansen, who was in a daze in the courtyard. Adeep meaning swirled in his eyes.

    ording to his observation, there had never been a man around this young woman, and she had a child with her. Would it have anything to do with the young man in front of her? If it was true, then it would make sense.

    However, the man in front of her, who was tall and slim, looked noble and mysterious. He didn¡¯t seem to be an ordinary person, especially when he wore a suit. His gestures were graceful and impable. He had met countless people in his life, so he was secretly surprised and guessed the identity of this young man in his heart.

    ording to his experience, the man who asked him must be the subordinate of that noble man.

 Chapter 334 Was It An Illusion

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± Alvin sidled up to him and called in a soft voice towards Hansen, who had been standing with his mind empty.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes darkened. Although he was in a daze, he had picked up each and every of the old man¡¯s words. The pieces of the puzzle had all fit together now.

    ¡°Do you want to go in and ask?¡± Alvin nced at the direction of the courtyard and asked in a low voice.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Let¡¯s head back to the cottage first.¡± Awoken from his stupor, Hansen quickly led Alvin out of the alley and back to the cottage.

    Bemused, Alvin couldn¡¯t wrap his head around Hansen¡¯s intention!

    He had been dying to see her, yet he retreated after finally stumbling upon her tracks.

    ¡°Alvin, tomorrow,go and visit and research things as usual. There is no rush with the chemical nt. I have something to do for the next few days.¡± After returning to the cottage, Hansen softly said to Alvin, ¡°Oh, andcall Jose and tell him that I may postpone my return by two months.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Alvin understood his intention after hearing what Hansen had said. It seemed that he was going to take things slowly this time.

    ¡°Also, don¡¯t reveal our whereabouts for the time being. As for the chemical nt, wait for the right moment, and wait for my instructions.¡± Hansen thought for a moment before he instructed, ¡°Go to that Mist Alley and look around. Find a ce to stay there. We¡¯re moving.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Alvin was stunned for only a second. ¡°Okay.¡± He nodded quickly and then turned around and went out.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    Even the current Alvin was reeling in a shock on a great scale. The world was so big, and this ce was so remote. Yet Mr. Richards actually got a chance to gaze upon the Young Madam in this small town. It had to be fate!

    He only hoped that God would not throw another curveball at him, and that the two lovebirds could finally reunite!

    After Alvin had left, Hansen went into the bathroom and took a bath. Coming out and sitting on the sofa, he was still restless. His mind was taken up by the figure of the woman and the child¡¯s cries.

    Was that woman really Jenna?

    He had always wanted to believe in his subjective judgment, but since thest earthquake, he had lost confidence in it!

    Until that day, he still couldn¡¯t be sure if the gray-faced womanon the day of the earthquakewas really Jenna.It felt just like then, when he had again seen this figure.Although he was convinced by his intuition, he could not immediately act on it now.

    However, this time, he had to be thorough about it.

    Since God had allowed them to meet again, then he believed that they would have a future together!

    This time, he had to follow her personally to confirm it!

    If it was really her.

    If he let her escape the way she did thest time, he wouldn¡¯t be a man anymore!

    After taking a shower, he lit a cigarette and paced back and forth in the room.

    The cigarette butts brightened and dimmed,illuminating his handsome face and making it seem as if it were deep in thought,his eyes were as dark as an abyss!

    After a long time, a decision appeared to have clicked in his mind. He got up and changed into a V-necked sweater and a dark-colored pair of jeans.Being the human personification of ¡®cool¡¯, he walked out of the door with ease.

    The nightlife in the small town couldn¡¯t bepared to that of the big city, where everything remained brilliantly lit. At this moment, when night had just fallen, everything in this small city was already cloaked in darkness.

    There were only a few dim streetmps on the street, and there were not many pedestrians outside.

    After leaving, Hansen headed straight for Mist Alley.

    His heart and mind were stormy. Now that he had already known where she lived,he could no longer fall asleep.

    The key to many mysteries were about to be unlocked.

    Who was the crying child? Was it his son?

    How much joy and heartache would he feel if it was true? When he heard him cry so loudly, his heart started to throb with pain!

    He, Hansen¡¯s son, was tortured as such.

    ¡°How did this silly woman raise the child?¡± Hansen wondered.

    Now, he had to get closer to them! Even with just hearing the cries of his child once more, it would be enough to have his heart pacified! Or if he were to glimpse her beautiful figure, even if he could only see her from afar, he would be able to fill up the emptiness in his heart.

    The end of the alley was not as empty as it was in the middle of it.The old man selling cotton candy had already left, and only the drizzle and the dim lights were visible.

    At night in springtime, the chilly air was still unrelenting.

    He circled around the courtyard. There were still lights in two rooms on the road side. One room¡¯s lights were bright, and the other room¡¯s lights were dim. It was obvious that they had fallen asleep.

    A blurry figure appeared from the window of the brightly lit house. Hansen stared at the blurry figure and wanted nothing more than to run in and get to the bottom of it. However, he managed to resist the urge.

    He had every reason to believe that if he rushed in and reunited with her now, then when he came back tomorrow morning,history would repeat itself. She would disappear once more.

    Doubt not, for this woman¡¯s heart was indeed that cruel.

    Even if the back of the figure was very vague, he could have still sworn that it was definitely her!

    He steadied himself in the darkness and stared at her vague figure. He could note forward to disturb her, nor did he want to leave.

    There seemed to be a trace of warmth in the air. Was there something in the air tricking him into hallucinating?

    Losing track of time standing there, his hands and feet were numb. He lit a cigarette and slowly paced back and forth.

    ¡°How should I convince her toe back with me?¡± he muttered under his breath.

    A woman was with a child,along with an elderly woman with a cane.

    The old man¡¯s description was clearly tailored to fit her!

    The night grew darker and darker.

    Hansen had finished smoking his cigarette. He threw away the cigarette butt and was about to leave.

    The child¡¯s cries suddenly pierced through the quiet, night sky, which was particrly loud and clear.

    Hansen stopped in his tracks. His heart suddenly tightened.

    A child! Was that his child?Was it a boy or a girl?

    Upon hearing that tender cry, he was suddenly awash with a sense of familiarity! His heart was contained with an unprecedented excitement, the air wafted with an intoxicating fragrance. Had he already be a father?

    He really wanted to rush in and see if the little fellow looked like him.

    Footsteps immediately thudded across the house. The blurry figure quickly ran into the crying child¡¯s room and picked him up, cajoling and rocking him gently.

    ¡°Mom, milk, milk¡­¡± The child¡¯s voice was not very clear as he cried. When he heard the voice, Hansen¡¯s heart twitched, jolting him with pain.

    ¡°No,Jerry, no more milk. You¡¯re a big baby now.¡± Jenna held Jerry in her arms and said softly as she patted him on the back.

    Hansen heard a vague voice in the room. It was soft, and even the wet and sticky air was utterlyfortable.

    The little kid could not get the breast milk he wanted, and he had to resort to crying. She did notpromise with him and so he kept crying. His voice was loud and tough, not giving up until he reached his goal.

    Outside the room, Hansen¡¯s heart was palpitating as he listened.

    Such a loud voice, it must be a boy. He was secretly ecstatic. It turned out that he already had a son!

    ¡°D*mn you, woman. Isthat how you¡¯ve been raising him? Are you going to let him cry just like that?!¡± Hansen clenched his teeth out of hatred!

    After a long time, probably due to his mother¡¯spromise, the little fellow¡¯s voice became weaker after he was satisfied, and gradually, everything returned to peace.

    It was only then that Hansen realized that the clothes on his body werepletely soaked. His hair was also damp, and it looked as if it was dripping with water.

    He stole ast lingering nce at the courtyard and quietly left.

    The next day, after Jenna had gone to the school to teach the sses, she thought of how Jerry had been making a big scene these days, and the milk powder in the house was about to be empty. So she decided to go to the department store after sses.

    Therge-scale department store was at the other end of the bridge. The sky was grey, and it was raining softly. The air was humid. It was the flu season, so it was very easy to catch a cold at that time of year.

    Jenna was worried that Jerry wascking in nutrition. After all, when she had been pregnant with him, her body was still in a state of malnutrition. Moreover, she had also been haunted with constant fear and anxiety. She must have doted on him so much because of her guilt.

    As she thought so, she gathered speed in her pace. She just wanted to go home as soon as possible to see him. As soon he saw her, he would break into a cute smile in her arms andugh sweetly. Whenever that happens, Jenna was the happiest and the most satisfied she had ever been.

    She hauled a few cans of milk powder and rushed out of the shopping mall, running back home as if she was flying.

    When she passed through the bridge, she was moved inexplicably. She looked back at it. She always had a special feeling about this bridge. As for what kind of feeling it was, Jenna couldn¡¯t exin it clearly, but she was always enveloped by that kind of faint sadness, which made her depressed.

    On this bridge, all that life had to offer would always trigger a different kind of emotion in her. She could not help but think of a certain someone deep in her heart, and his voice and appearance would also emerge in her mind.

    That day, even in the midst of rushing, she did not forget to steal a nce at it.

    In the past two days, there was an inexplicable fear in the air. The atmosphere seemed to be riddled with an uneasy feeling, like something was in the air that had put her on edge this past few days.

    With this kind of feeling, she couldn¡¯t help but to look over her shoulder again after crossing the bridge.

    Just at this moment, a figure shed in front of her eyes. The figure was slender and tall, debonair and charming. She was so familiar with it, and her heart pounded out of rhythm.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± she screamed internally.

    In a panic, she turned around and looked in that direction.

    There was nothing!

    After making sure that this was just her illusion, the smile on the corner of her mouth was as if it had been touched with sadness¡¯ own hands.

    She really couldn¡¯t forget him, for the impression he had left on her was too deep. It was so deep that she couldn¡¯t forget him even if she poured her heart and soul into it. There had been an illusion in front of her just now, for God¡¯s sake!

    She thought that she was entirely beyond redemption!

    If her nose soured, then her heart ached even more. She turned her head and quickened her pace!

    Behind her when she was leaving in a hurry, that figure reappeared.

    Hansen stood on the stone steps and looked at her disappear with his sharp eyes. His handsome face darkened, and the light in his eyes gradually faded away. In the depths of his eyes was the flow of tenderness and gentleness, until it covered up the passion in his heart.

    Just now, he had almost rushed to pick her up and take her away.

    s, he managed to control himself!

    ¡°Woman, today I could finally see you clearly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that our fate would turn out like this. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s God¡¯s will!¡±

    ¡°It seems that the heavens are still taking good care of us!¡±

    ¡°In the end, even after countless separations, we still meet each other!¡± Thoughts cascaded down his mind.

    Now, he didn¡¯t want to give up anymore!

 Chapter 335 Heâ€™s Actually Here

    Two dayster.

    Jenna was teachingEnglish tothe children.

    Her urate English pronunciation always managed to boost the interest of the children. Ever since she had taken charge of the English ss, there were less and less children who skipped ss.

    Her soft and gentle English pronunciation could be heard even from a distance.

    Holding the English textbook, Jenna was reading it with all her attention.

    A group of people gradually marched close towards the ss.

    It wasn¡¯t until the children were all looking around at the outside that Jenna came to her senses and also looked out.

    Mr. Koch was politely and modestly greeting a tall, rotund man, who was followed by four or five men and women. They were all wearing uniforms, with smiles stered on their faces.

    ¡°Kyrie Gambon in the flesh. To what do I owe this honor?¡± Mr. Koch personally greeted the group of people and asked in a polite manner.

    ¡°Mr. Koch, isn¡¯t there a Miss Murphy here? Get her toe out this instant,¡± Kyrie asked with a gentle chuckle.

    ¡°Miss Murphy?¡±Mr. Kochwas secretly shocked. Did she do anything to offend them?

    He remembered that Jenna had proposed a series of reforms when she¡¯de in as a teacher, and she¡¯d also suggested some ideas for the bad systems that were in ce. At that time, Kyrie had also brought people to inspect this school, and he had done that with great dissatisfaction. This time around, was he looking for trouble with her?

    Now there was a shortage of teachers in this ce, andMr.Kochcould not possibly let her go.For a virtuous teacher like Jenna, who was only paid for her living expenses,he absolutely did not want to see anything happen to her.

    However, it was obvious that he didn¡¯t understand what they were doing today. They were wearing smiles and even respect on their faces, so it was obvious that they meant no harm.

    At the moment, he returned the smile as he said, ¡°Miss Murphyis giving lessons to the children. If there is anything you need, Kyrie, please let me know first. I¡¯ll pass her your message when she¡¯s avable.¡±

    ¡°The ss can go on hold for the time being. Have here out first.¡± A shrewd middle-aged man next to her took the lead and spoke.

    Mr. Koch swept a nce at theguy and realized that hewas the deputy secretary of the petrochemical nt.

    Not only did the head of the petrochemical factory, Kyrie, was here, but also the secretary, the second deputy factory director, and the directors. They were all here. This was essentially the entire Standing Committee of the 100-year general factory. It was absolutely unprecedented for so many leaders to set foot on this insignificant school.

    Mr. Kochwas a little dumbfounded.

    However, Kyrie had caught a glimpse of Jenna, who was looking out of the ssroom, and recognized her at a nce. He hurriedly led the group of people towards her with a smile.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, pleasee out and leave the lesson toMr. Koch,¡± he said respectfully to Jenna with a smile on his face.

    His voice was extremely easy-going.The tone of the voice was a little ingratiating, even nauseating, and he almost bowed to her.

    Jenna coldly looked at Kyriewho was fat and big-bellied, and was a little confused by his behavior.

    She remembered that time when she¡¯de and seen the school in a dpidated state, and the students¡¯ meals were also very poor, she¡¯d personally approachedhim and hoped that the factory could offer some money to improve the school. At that time, he hadn¡¯t behaved anything like this at all. Maybe holier-than-thou, arrogant, and he¡¯d ignored her tantly, but this¡­

    ¡°Mr. Gambon, what may I do for you?¡± Jenna walked out and asked coldly, though retaining a hint of politeness. She believed that he was not there to solve the children¡¯s problem.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, I didn¡¯t expect that such an excellent teacher woulde to our small mountain area to teach. It really brings glory to our mountain area.¡± Kyrieplimented. ¡°Would you pleasee with us? A benefactor would like to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyebrows twisted into a straight line, her face full of doubt.

    ¡°Yes, someone wants to see you, and he¡¯s someone with a strong background. You¡¯ll understand when you see him.¡± Kyrie continued to smile, his eyes narrowed into slits as he sized up Jenna. ¡°Tsk tsk,Miss Murphyis not only kind-hearted and educated, but she¡¯s also quite the beauty. If I¡¯ve offended you in the past, please don¡¯t hold it against me. Miss Murphy, you¡¯re a kind-hearted person who shouldn¡¯t concern yourself with us uneducated people!¡±

    Someone wanted to see her? Someone with a strong background at that?

    Jenna¡¯s head turned away, and she couldn¡¯t hear what he said at all. She was only thinking about who would want to see her.

    In this isted small town, it was really hard to imagine who woulde to see her, and even to involve the director and assitant director to invite her together.

    ¡°You know, I really don¡¯t know anyone. Now I have to teach the children¡¯s sses. Maybe you¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡± She didn¡¯t want to talk to some powerful person, and she didn¡¯t think anyone woulde to see her. She didn¡¯t intend to go at all and just refused outright.

    Upon hearing her refusal, Kyrie grew anxious. The secretary was anxious, and the assistant director and the others were even more anxious.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, in any case, pleasee with us. If you don¡¯te, there would be many people¡¯s lifelines in our factory that will bepromised, and all factories would be acquired. You are a good-hearted person, so you muste with us.¡± Kyrie was so anxious that his face turned red as he said excitedly, ¡°By the way, if youe with us, I promise to agree to your proposal for the improvement of the school that you suggestedst time.¡±

    As soon as he said that, not only wasMr. Kochsurprised, but Jenna was also shocked that she was incoherent and didn¡¯t know what to do.

    ording to Kyrie¡¯s words, if she didn¡¯t go, these factories would suffer a lot. However, that was none of her business!

    ¡°What the h*ll is going on?¡± She thought.

    From his tone, she could tell that there was a big shoting to see her, and that he had made up his mind to see her!

    Nevertheless, she really didn¡¯t know anyone.

    Unless¡­

    A figure shot through her mind, but soon she shook her head!

    It couldn¡¯t be! It was absolutely impossible!

    What kind of ce was this? It was a mountain region, a ce where even the government would have trouble finding someone here. How could this be?!

    It seemed that it was impossible not to leave today!

    She looked at the empty spaces in the ssroom. Let¡¯s just say thatshe had to make this trip forthe sake of the children.

    After all, it was a society ruled byw, and there were so many high-level leaders present. She didn¡¯t believe that anyone could do anything to harm her!

    Along the way, the group of people led by Kyrie kept ttering her and sucking up to her. They asked her to put in some good words for them when seeing this personter, that it was for the purpose of providing meals for the poor workers and the children in the school.

    The more they spoke, the more Jenna¡¯s heart tightened inexplicably. She was nervous all over and her heart pounded rapidly. The air seemed to be filled with an unusual feeling.

    Jenna was suddenly afraid of this.

    For some reason, she suddenly chickened out. It was as if she could never turn back once she left.

    She could not help but to slow down as she was thinking about how she could slip away.

    However, Kyrie and his crew seemed to have seen through her mind. They gathered around her, smiling all the time and acting amicably.

    What on earth was this!

    Jenna felt like she had been kidnapped by them. She had no choice but to go, and there was nowhere to escape.

    Although the factory was on the verge of bankruptcy, it was still a century-old factory with a solid foundation!

    The office building of the factory was decent enough!

    Although it couldn¡¯t bepared to the big cities, it was still considered magnificent in this small town. A wise, old man in Wullen Town once said that in the 1960s or 70s, this factory had also been well-known in the local area. From the old office¡¯s point of view, its remaining momentum still reflected the brilliance of the past. However, after the reform, it could not keep up with the times and would only be eliminated.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, this way please.¡± After entering the office building, Kyrie ushered her to a rtively luxurious reception room.

    Standing by the door, Jenna¡¯s feet were trembling and she couldn¡¯t lift her feet.

    Kyrie went in first. After a while, he came out, still grinning. He humbly smiled at Jenna and said, ¡°Miss Murphy, pleasee in. The distinguished guest has been waiting for you in the room.¡±

    Jenna was even more confused and uneasy!

    Who on earth was it? Did he need to invite her with such a raucous fanfare? Did she have that much of a positive energy?

    Beads of sweat were seeping out of her palm!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. Don¡¯t keep the guest waiting for too long.¡± Kyrie gave her a gentle nudge behind her. She lost her bnce and lifted her foot to step in. The door behind her was shut automatically.

    The chandelier in the room was lit, and the light was very bright. From the moment when Jenna entered the room, she saw the tall and straight figure.

    He was standing in front of the deep blue floor-to-ceiling curtains. He was dressed in a well-ironed suit, which ttered his towering figure. His whole body was as lofty as a sacred mountain. Although he had his back towards her, Jenna could recognize him at a nce.

    Her breath became shallow, she couldn¡¯t move as if she were hypnotized, and her legs were so weak that she couldn¡¯t stand up. She held her breath, wanting to escape, trying to escape.

    It turned out that it was him! He personally requested to see her.

    Never in her dreams would she have thought that she would be able to meet him in such a remote ce.

    God, he was really everywhere!

    Could this be an ill-fated rtionship from her previous life?

    The moment she was aware of everything, she turned around and was about to flee.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    s, the door was locked!

    She could not escape at all.

    She couldn¡¯t escape from the palm of his hand.

    She stood stiffly. When she heard the sound of footsteps in her ears, the cold and thin, minty scent gradually began to surround her.

    It was a breath that had once made her intoxicated and moved. It snared her even in her dreams, never letting go of her.

    Nevertheless, at this moment, without any warning, he really appeared at her side.

    ¡°Do you still want to run away?¡± The man¡¯s maic voice lingered in her ear, with a stream of warmth, her entire body tensed up. A long arm immediatelynded on her waist, and her skin was burning hot due to the scorching palm.

    Her mind was rumbling, and her whole body couldn¡¯t help but to tremble.

    His palm was so hot that the skin around her waist was almost burning.

    Her resistance caused Hansen¡¯s heart to throb with pain. He wrapped his arms around her waist and gently pulled her over, forcing her to face him. His fingers gently held her chin and lifted it up. He leaned over and pressed down on her face. The hot air in his mouth was feathery-light on her face.

    Taken by surprise, Jenna looked at him andopened her mouth, but did not know what to say.

 Chapter 336 How Could You Be So Cruel

    Their faces were awfully close to each other, their noses almost touching. His breath was sensually hot,steaming Jenna¡¯s face until it gradually turned red.

    ¡°How could you be so cruel!¡± Hansen gritted his teeth and asked, his eyes red-rimmed.

    Jenna was ashen.Hansen¡¯s red eyes and haggard face reminded her of that scene in the hospital that year. His lips were dry and cracked and he looked pale and listless. A soft, convulsing pain rippled in her heart. She could not control herself as she murmured, ¡°Hansen, Hansen.¡±

    Hansen stared into her eyes as though he was trying to look into her soul. The pain in the depth of his heart slowly unraveled as he noticed her helplessness.He reached out to caress her face, stroking it gently. His touch was filled with love and pity as he traced his fingers along her face.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were gradually filled with ayer of mist,sparkling as the glow from the chandeliers bounced off it.

    Hansen fixed his gaze on her.

    Their eyes met, and it was as if time and space hade to a standstill. Everything else around them seemed to disappear in that instant.

    At this moment, there were only two of them left in the universe.

    Jenna could only wish that this was reality. She wished she could pull him into a tight hug,burrowing her face against his beating heart and nestling herself into his embrace. She would never be separated from him again, and they would be together forever ever after.

    However,she knew that the truth was far from that.

    Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have run away from him when she first got pregnant.

    Jenna snapped back into reality. She pushed Hansenaway, who seemed entranced like she was, and took a few steps back topose herself. She forced herself to calm down as she said indifferently, ¡°What can I do for you?¡±

    The sudden devoid of warmth shook Hansen to the core. His heart was filled with emptiness, thrashed by her indifference. It hurt terribly. The faint fragrance of her body, mixed with the smell of milk, instantly dredged up all the desire that he had buried in his heart for more than a year. His yearning for her undermined everyst bit of restraint in him.

    ¡°Do I need a reason to look for you? Do I need to have a reason to find you? You owe me something. Shouldn¡¯t you give me an exnation?¡± He took a deep breath andposed himself. As always, he emitted the domineering disposition ofa powerful king.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank.

    If he had made such an effort toe all the way here, his sole goal would be to meet Jerry.

    Jerry was the only family she had, and he was everything to her. She had bepletely attached to him. Jenna knew that life without him would be insufferable.

    No, she couldn¡¯t possibly let him know.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to say. We have had nothing to do with each other for a long time now, yes? We do not owe each other anything,¡± Jenny muttered coldly, her eyes unflinchingly indifferent.

    She had to protect Jerry no matter what. She couldn¡¯t let Hansen take him away. She would rather die than hand Jerry over to a stepmother like Aria.

    She said indifferently, her voice distant, ¡°Mr. Richards, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll excuse myself.¡±

    She whipped around and was about to leave.

    ¡°Jenna, if you dare to leave again and escape, then just go ahead and try. I¡¯m sure Kyrie has already told you everything.¡± Hansen had anticipated that she would behave this way. That was the reason he had chosen to not appear before her again. He knew that it would be close to impossible to get hold of her again if he were topromise this time. He was afraid that he would not be able to find her again.

    He knew that Jenna was capable to do such a thing. He hated this side of her as she would always choose to run away than to face the conflict head-on.

    That was why he had to resort to this method just so she woulde home with him willingly.

    Surely enough, Jenna stopped walking away.

    She turned her face away, her cheeks red from rage. Her eyes emitted a brief trace of disdain, causing Hansen to be a little rmed.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, this is Wullen Town, not A city. You can¡¯t control everything no matter how powerful you are. That being said, do whatever you want, but just let me go. We¡¯ve long decided not to interfere in each other¡¯s affairs and walk our own paths. There is no need for us to acknowledge each other¡¯s existence anymore.¡±

    Hansen was mystified. How could she say such a thing?

    She had taken his child away secretly, yet she dared to say that they were strangers who had nothing else to do with each other. What kind of nonsense was she spouting?

    Did she really think that she could fool him?No way!

    He was going to do exactly the opposite of that! After all, both of them knew that he was the overbearing one!

    He refused to believe that he would not be able to change her mind. She was destined to belong to him and no one could change that fact.

    It seemed thathis love and tenderness for all these years were all for nothing. Apart from the initial shock and confusion in her eyes, Hansen could tell that she felt nothing else, not even a trace of longing. At that moment, the distant light in her eyes intensified his desire to make her submit.

    ¡°Jenna, how could you be so heartless?¡± Hansen took a step forward and reached out to her. With a slight pull, she gently fell into his embrace. Her body was so soft as though it was devoid of strength. Shended on his muscr chest, and the fury in his body was extinguished by her soft touch.

    He traced along her face, the heat on the tip of his fingers gradually dissipating against her cold face.His arms fell onto her waist as he enveloped her tighter in his embrace.

    The emotions that he had locked away for so long unraveled bit by bit, rippling through his heart.

    He had kept himself from any worldly pleasures for more than a year and searched for her everywhere. He lost interest in women. However, at this very moment, the dormant desire quickly turned into sparks of fire.

    Hansen could feel heat swirling in his body.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jenna was locked in his embrace, the heat from his body numbing her. His fingers traced through her cheeks, to her jaw, and finally to her neck. Jenna shuddered.

    She could feel the heat rushing up to her cheeks, her mind in a daze. She knew that she couldn¡¯t cave, but she still couldn¡¯t control herself. For some reason, she submitted to his domineering self.

    She wanted to push him away and tell him that she only wanted to live in peace without him in her life.She wanted nothing from him. That was all she wanted.

    However,it seemed that her fear finally came true.

    This man standing in front of her was still as overbearing as before.He refused topromise and there was no room for discussion. He acted as though he had suffered the world¡¯s greatest grievance and his face was filled with indignation. He lifted her chin, his rosy lipsing closer to her red ones.

    They locked their lips, and Hansen could feel his blood rushing through his body the moment their lips touched. The repressed desire in them was released as their breathing grew heavy. Hansen shuddered at the touch of her soft, plump lips. His heart was beating wildly and he found it difficult to contain himself. He refused to let her go.

    No words could describe the feelings he had for her. It wasn¡¯t something that could bemunicated with words. He was extremely sure of this!

    He nibbled on her sweet, moist lips gently. Hansen opened his eyes gradually, and to his surprise, Jenna looked pale, her eyes filled with helplessness and pain.

    He felt a tender twinge in his heart as guilt and pity billowed in it.

    Hansen knew that he was the source of her pain and suffering over the years and there was nothing he could say or do to make it up to her.

    The only thing he could do was to love her and treat her well this time.

    He bit on her lower lip, refusing to move away as he tried to pry her lips open. Hansen could taste the tip of her tongue as he pulled and suckled on it. This was the feeling he wanted, and he was not ready to give it up again. He reached out to her blouse and slipped his hand inside, rubbing her bare waist with his scorching fingers. He had longed for her, and his desire for her intensified at that moment. Hansen knew that he was already at his edge.

    Jenna was taken aback by the sudden turn of events. She finally realized what was happening when Hansen parted her lips forcefully with his tongue. It all felt like a dream. The passionate and lustful kiss seemed to gnaw everyst bit of her sanity, and she could feel her knees grow weak.

    She could never escape his gentle self, his overbearing yet thoughtful actions. Jenna seemed to have lost herself and all her strength amid the intense kiss. The world around her seemed to have disappeared and she no longer knew what to do. All she knew was that the man before her had reignited the emotions she had kept buried in her for the longest time. His hands wandered around her body, sending electricity through the tips of the fingers. She could not help but moan at the intoxicating feeling.

    They finally pulled away after a long time, their breathingbored.¡°Hansen, please let me go. I beg you.¡± Her knees were weak and her body was shaking, devoid of strength.

    Hansen furrowed his brows. Let her go? Who was going to save me then?

    The bitterness in the depths of his heart wasced with uncontroble excitement. He tightened his arms around her, the corners of his mouth curled in an inscrutable smile.

    He continued tracing his fingers along her bare waist.

    Jenna was shaking all over. She was wearingcey inner garments that day and she had a skirt on. What on earth was he going to do?

    Her hands rested on his shoulders, trembling. Her head was buzzing, and she could feel her sanity dissipating bit by bit.

    Didn¡¯t he know that they were in a public ce? They were at the reception of the factory for goodness sake!

    If others were to chance upon them in such a suggestive situation, she would be too embarrassed to stay in Wullen Town any longer. It was a shame, she had just settled down at this ce not long ago.

    Jenna took a deep breath and pushed Hansen away forcefully before he could have a chance to pull her back for another kiss. She pleaded tearfully, ¡°Hansen, are you out of your mind? Do you know where we are?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were as dark as the abyss, and his face was filled with the desire for her.

    ¡°I know, but I don¡¯t care,¡± he said nonchntly. He moved his lips to her ear and nibbled on her earlobe gently, exhaling softly. ¡°You owe me this. You should pay me back. After all, I am a normal man, if you know what I mean.¡±

    It had been almost two years since they had an argument which she ran away thereafter.He had never been intimate with a woman ever since. He was a hot-blooded man, and it was not too much to ask for such a small thing, yes?

    At this moment, fulfilling his desire was the most important thing.

    Furthermore, the lust in him seemed to intensify whenever he was with her.

    ¡°Hansen, let go of me. Couldn¡¯t we just talk things out?¡± Knowing that she couldn¡¯t persuade him, Jenna knew she had to change her strategy.

    Let her go? He wished that he could let her go, but he was afraid that it was not his call to make. His whole body was already trembling with lust, and her pleading only aroused him even more. There was no way he would let her go without iming her, and he didn¡¯t care where they were!

    No one could stop him from getting what he wanted!

    The more he thought about it, the deeper the kiss became. How he wished he could take her at that very moment.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

 Chapter 337 The Child Is Yours

    ¡°You jerk, let go of me. I don¡¯t owe you anything.¡± Jenna felt that if she continued epting being teased by him, she would bepletely finished. This was the factory reception room wherethat kind of thing shouldn¡¯t be done. At the moment when his lips peeled off her, she whispered and pushed him away with all her strength. Her eyes were covered in helpless confusion, and she was so fragile that she looked like she was about to faint at any time.

    ¡°If you want me to let you go, thene back with me obediently.¡± Hansen¡¯s iron arms wrapped around her tightly. His deep, maic voice rang in her ears with an irresistiblemand, kissing her neck until it felt soft and itchy.

    ¡°No.¡± Jenna refused without hesitation. It was such a peaceful ce that she had worked hard to achieve. How could she give it up so easily? It was absolutely impossible for her to go back to the cold-blooded Richards Manor. If she wanted to return, she wouldn¡¯t have left in the first ce.

    Her answer was such a crisp resolve that it ignited the fury in Hansen¡¯s heart.

    ¡°No? Are you sure? If so, I¡¯ll have to let you know the consequences of disobeying my orders.¡± His eyes were a gleaming bloodshot, the pain in his heart exploding.He had searched and waited for such a long time for this day. His whole body was hot and restless, and his lower abdomen was swollen to the point where it was about to split open.

    He thought that he must have gone bonkers! He had lost his mind!

    One of his hands wrapped around her waist, carrying her to the sofa in the reception room. cing her horizontally on the sofa, he reached out a hand to pick up one of her legs and hooked it around his waist. Kneeling down, he went from kissing her lips and slid down along her neck, his other hand reaching under her skirt.

    ¡°Don¡¯t. Hansen, let¡¯s just talk things through.¡± Jenna waspletely disoriented. Her whole body was shaking, her hand powerlessly fell on his shoulder and pushed him, crying in a low voice.

    The heat of his body was pressing down on her strongly. It was like if she did not agree to his request, he would do unspeakable things to her right that instant.

    Her suppressed sobs had touched Hansen¡¯s heart, as if a knife was ripping through it. Originally, he did not intend to do anything to her at all. After all, looking at this god d*mn ce,it was not suitable for doing that kind of thing at all.

    However, her indifferent refusal had only ruffled his feathers, rendering his mind cloudy. In his subconscious, he hated her for leaving more than a year ago, which made him suffer from the pain of yearning.

    If she didn¡¯t obey him, then there would still be many questions left unanswered.

    ¡°If you promise me and answer my questions well, I can guarantee that I won¡¯t do that kind of thing to you.¡± He softened his tone,with a hint of pity in his voice.

    ¡°What exactly do you want to ask?¡± Jenna gritted her teeth and stopped crying. In order not to let him do anything more outrageous, she had to ask with tears with tears in her eyes.

    ¡°Where¡¯s my child?¡± His eagle-like eyes drilled into her. Her delicate face was flushed red by his kiss, so beautiful that it made people suffocate. Her eyes were pooled with tears. She pressed her lips tightly, her face full of grievances, which softenedHansen¡¯s heart. However, he did not intend to let her go so easily. He would definitely get the answers to the doubts in his heart.

    Child? That word was like a basin of cold water poured directly over her head. Suddenly, Jenna¡¯s whole body turned cold, thechills creeping into her heart.

    Surely enough, he came to ask for the child. He knew that the child in her belly belonged to him. She couldn¡¯t hide it from him.

    ¡°No, there is no child. It¡¯s not yours.¡± With alertness stark on her face, she shook her head vigorously.

    ¡°It seems that you¡¯re still not being honest. You need some discipline.¡± He sneered. His eyes were red, and his face a mask of anger. He tore apart her blouse, snuck his hand under the skirt, his fingers touching her undergarments to tease her.

    Ah, this b*stard!

    Jenna could no longer control herself. She bit her lips, her whole body soft and weak. It was hard for her to control herself. She was ashamed and anxious, and there was ayer of fine sweat on her forehead.

    ¡°Hansen, please, let me go.¡± She did not have the strength to push him away. Her entire body was under his control, rendering her unable to move. All she could manage to do was to plead to him.

    ¡°Are you going to answer truthfully then?¡± Hansen¡¯s heart moved when he heard her soft begging for mercy. He raised his head from her chest and asked in her ear again.

    ¡°Hansen, I did give birth to a child, but he¡¯s mine. Please, don¡¯t take my child away. He¡¯s my everything.¡± Jenna tried her best to speak as tears welled up in her eyes, and she choked with sobs.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were so deep, like an entrance to an endless void. The anger on his face hadpletely dissolved, and a wave of tenderness surged over him. He took his hand out of her clothes and caressed her face. Gently, he thumbed the tears on her face and asked in a feathery soft voice, ¡°Jenna, the child, is it mine?¡±

    A jolt went through Jenna. She closed her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth, her face full of pain.

    Hansen looked at her and felt extremely conflicted. He bellowed in a low voice, ¡°Tell me, we¡¯ve already done it. If this child wasn¡¯t mine, then tell me, where did that childe from? Why did you lie to me?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s silence made him so angry that he almost lost it. In the past, due to Aria¡¯s existence,Jenna had wanted to protect the Richards Group. In order to cooperate with him, she had to admit that the child was not his. It was, in the end, reasonable for her to use this to distance herself from him.

    However, now he was in a good mood. For her, he had sworn himself clean of other women. Why did she do this? She didn¡¯t even want to tell him the truth. Did she really not have him in her heart? Or did she have other ideas?

    Thinking of this, Hansen¡¯s heart trembled, and he became nervous all over.

    ¡°Don¡¯t force me, please, I beg you.¡± Jenna¡¯s mind was a bit distracted, and she kept muttering to herself.

    If he found out that Jerry was his child, he would definitely take him away. Who else could she possibly have by then?!

    There was no way she could go back with him and wind up being his little side family!

    If that was the case, she would rather die of old age in a foreignnd than to go back and suffer those humiliations. Moreover, if Jerry returned, Aria would never tolerate him. How could she subject her young child to that h*llish life?!

    ¡°You can leave now. We will find you by then.¡± Outside the reception room, Kyrie and the others had been waiting outside for almost two hours, but the door was still closed, and no sound could be heard from inside. There seemed to be a faint sound of crying spilling out. They were all guessing in their hearts that perhaps such a handsome guy might have taken advantage of Miss Murphy inside!

    Such a rich and powerful man, logically speaking, would not find a woman who had given birth to a child to do such a thing. But the doors and windows inside were shut tight. It had been so long, what else could they be doing inside!

    What¡¯s more, there seemed to be a smell of pheromonesing out of the door.

    Could it be that this rich man had that kind of acquired taste?

    They all heard that althoughMiss Murphywas not married yet, she had a child!

    Although Miss Murphy was very beautiful, there were many other beautiful women in the world. It was really not necessary for him to spend that much money to invest in their chemical nt for such a woman. ording to him, his investment would be at least 100 million dors, which was enough to make up for all the losses and allow the factory to operate normally. Moreover, he had already asked for all the orders for the future.

    He was like the savior of thepetrochemical factory!

    Such a person was like manna falling from the heavens,to light up the path out of a dark tunnel.

    s, why did he do this? Was it only for the woman inside?

    They could not figure these things out, but even Alvin had ordered them to leave.

    They did not dare to offend their only source of financial support and left tacitly.

    Later on, when Kyrie learnt from TV that this man who was as rich as a prince was none other than Hansen Richards,a familiar public figure, he was so excited that he could not fall asleep for a few days.

    This piece of news was simply too shocking!Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    In the room, Hansen became less patient.

    ¡°Say it? If you don¡¯t, I will have Alvin open the door and let them alle in and see us like this. As long as you are not afraid of it, I have no objection.¡± Hearing Alvin¡¯s voice outside, Hansen¡¯s eyes became colder,almost like he was threatening her.

    Jenna was on the verge of copse, the tears in her eyes flooding. When she heard the words of Hansen, she was so scared that she widened her eyes. She looked at him in grief and said softly, ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t do this. Yes, Jerry is your child.¡±

    ¡°So it really is true!¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes lit up as if the years of waiting were finally worth it.

    ¡°Is it a boy or a girl?¡± He continued to ask.

    ¡°A boy.¡± Since she had already told him the truth, she couldn¡¯t care less about these questions anymore. She answered in tears.

    The voices outside gradually faded away. There was definitely no one outside anymore.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t help but burst into tears.

    Hansen¡¯s heart was shrouded in sheer joy,all his annoyance disappeared. He let go of her and held her in his arms.

    It turned out that the crying child was really his son!

    In the past two days, he had gone to stand outside the courtyard where she lived every night, and he could hear Jerry¡¯s cries every time. Each time he had cried with all his might, his crying was loud and rough. In fact, he had already concluded that it was a boy long ago!

    When he heard her confess it herself, he was still at ease and wonderfully delighted!

    Jerry cried so hard every nightthat it brokehis heart. Did this woman even know how to take care of her child? Torturing his son like that.Since he grew incredibly worried,he had toe up with this method to meet her.

    Then, of course, he had to see his son for himself.

    However, at this time, Jenna was so overwhelmed that she copsed in his arms and cried.

    This really puzzled him.

    He was the child¡¯s father, so it was also reasonable for him to know these things. s, why was she so sad?

    The heart-wrenching cry made him lose his mind. The agitation in the bottom of his heart subsided slowly. He held her tightly and pulled her face. When he saw that her eyes were red and swollen and almost could not open them, he felt an extreme pain in his heart. He had to hold her tightly andforted her softly. ¡°Jenna, tell me, what are you worried about? Why are you crying? I am his father. Would I hurt him? You should be happy instead, it would only benefit the child now that I know about him.¡±

    Jenna felt bitter in her heart. As if her life force had been extracted, sheid on the ground feebly.

    Her only life was now known even to Hansen. It was as if Jerry was about to be taken away. She pushed him away and was about to stand up.

    However, she was so weak that her legs were shaking and she couldn¡¯t even stand properly.

    Hansen hugged her and did not allow her to leave. Then, she stubbornly shouted, ¡°Let go of me.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t let herself sink into his embrace again. She would be intoxicated, and should that happen, she would lose Jerry, and she would lose her fragile heart.

    How was she going to spend the rest of her life without her child?

    Her body was in a mess, her hair was in a mess, and her face was gray. She was trembling, crying, struggling in his arms.

    Hansen could not bear to watch her struggle and released his grip.

    Jenna struggled to stand up. As soon as she got up, she felt dizzy and lost her bnce. She could only take one step before falling to the side softly.

 Chapter 338 Threatened By Him

    Hansen immediately reached out to catch her and pulled her back into his embrace. He saw her face turn pale and looked as if she was about to ck out.

    With his heart tightened, he shouted desperately, ¡°Jenna, Jenna, wake up.¡±

    With her eyes shut tight, Jenna remained silent.

    With trembling hands, Hansen dialled Alvin¡¯s number.¡°Alvin, get a car here.¡±

    After giving the order, he held her in his arms and ran down to the lobby.

    Soon, he arrived at the lobby.

    Alvin had long opened the door to the car, allowing Hansen to enter.

    ¡°Get to the hospital, now,¡± he yelled at the driver.

    The driver agreed and drove the car to the one and only hospital in Wullen Town.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Jenna faintly fluttered her eyelids.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re awake!¡± Hansen looked at her in surprise.

    Jenna did not faint. She was just too weak and too sad. When she recovered in Hansen¡¯s embrace, she immediately woke up.

    He hugged her very tightly. When she looked up, she saw that Alvin was also sitting in the car. Looking a little embarrassed, she struggled to get away from him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Hansen whispered in her ear and hugged her even tighter.

    Jenna could not move.

    The car was still heading for the hospital.

    When they reached the hospital¡¯s entrance, Hansen carried her out.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sick. I don¡¯t need to see a doctor.¡± Jenna squirmed hard in his arms and shouted. It was too indecent for her to be held in his arms in broad daylight. Many passers-by around shot nces at them. This was Wullen Town, not A City. The people here were not as open as those from A City. She had to conduct herself with propriety.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled up, but he wasn¡¯t willing to give up at all.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not ill, why would you faint?¡± He looked angry as he took her to the hospital. Previously, it was precisely due to her stubbornness that she hadn¡¯t visited the hospital and he didn¡¯t know about the child in her belly. Otherwise, how could she have been malnourished? Now, it was impossible for him to make the same mistake as before.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t faint.¡± She was still struggling, but Hansen had already forcefully brought her to the front of the doctor. There was no other way, so she had to allow the doctor to examine her for a long time and finally confirmed that she was fine. Only then did Hansen rx.

    ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m going home.¡± Jenna¡¯s heart burned with anxiety when she recalled how Jerry was still waiting at her house. Having been pestered around by Hansen for half a day, she was even more worried. Now, even Hansen knew that Jerry was his son. Without a doubt,there was more at stake now.She was considering moving to somewhere else.

    ¡°Hold up.¡± Hansen seemed to have seen through her mind. He grabbed her, and his lips curled slightly. He leaned against her ear and blew a hot breath. ¡°Don¡¯t think about running away. As soon as you leave, I will immediately withdraw the investment in the petrochemical factory. All the staff will be fired. Plus, I¡¯ve already sent someone to supervise Jerry. If you dare to y any tricks again, don¡¯t me me for taking Jerry away.¡±

    Ah, this devil of a man!

    These words were like poison, which made Jenna¡¯s internal organs toss and turn. This hateful guy seized her mind, and she was afraid that she would not be able to escape this time!

    Her body swayed a little and she was on the verge of falling down again. When she thought of Jerry¡¯s tender and adorable face, and chubby body, when she thought that such a cute tiny being would be stolen away by him, leaving her, she would be in so much pain that she would want to die.

    She turned her head and red at him.

    Hansen didn¡¯t feel any sympathy for her. He put his long arm on her shoulder, the heat from his scorching palm transferring to her. Then he held her waist tightly and whispered in her ear, ¡°From tomorrow onwards, you¡¯re not allowed to go to school. Stay with me and Jerry every day. I¡¯ll see you in your room 508 in Sheraton Hotel at 3 p. m. tomorrow. Don¡¯t bete, don¡¯t piss me off, and be obedient. Otherwise, I¡¯ll live up to my end of the deal.¡±

    His hand was rubbing her waist restlessly, and there was a ruffian¡¯s smile on his face. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time. Shouldn¡¯t you give me a kiss? Do you know how much I¡¯ve missed you?¡±

    His words were frivolous and tant, causing Jenna to stare at him in anger but not daring to speak.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were deep. The wrinkles on his forehead made him look even more mature and noble. However, his mannerisms and actions were still extremely lowly!

    He stroked her face with his fingers and admired her sad and angry look. Suddenly, he smiled evilly and said, ¡°Baby, let¡¯s go first. My son is getting hungry. Remember what I have said. Raise him well and don¡¯t let him cry all the time.¡±

    As soon as he said this, Jenna was stunned.

    Just how long had this b*stard been in Wullen Town? From his tone of voice, it was clear that he was aware of Jerry¡¯s recent situation. He even knew about Jerry¡¯s constant crying. He hade prepared!

    Thinking about it this way, her heart turned even colder!

    She stumbled out of the room, not knowing what to do.

    Hansen frowned as he looked at her departing figure. What exactly was this woman worrying about!

    Was she so unwilling to go back with him?

    After all, if she went back this time, Marissa would definitely treat her well, while Grandma and Dad would even dote on her. There was only one exnation for her attitude, which was that she didn¡¯t love him anymore!

    At the thought of this, his mind was in a mess.

    She didn¡¯t love him, but he still loved her.

    How could the great Mr. Richards allow the woman he loved to fall out of love with him?

    He had to interrogate her properly the next day.

    It would be too hasty an action for now.

    Jerry must be crying at home again. He couldn¡¯t bear to let his son cry.

    He wanted to go back with her.

    However, Sara was present.

    He was still not mentally prepared to face Sara.

    That year, he had lied to her that they were not divorced, but the truth was that they had divorced a long time ago.She must have hated him to her core now. If he visited her in a hurry, he would definitely have to face her wrath, or else he would never gain her forgiveness.

    This couldn¡¯t be rushed.

    Although he really missed his son, he had to hold himself back.

    He hadn¡¯t even figured out what Jenna was worried about,let alone being in such a hurry to see Sara.

    The first thing to do was to undo the knots in Jenna¡¯s heart.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    He thought it was not so difficult to deal with a woman, especially Jenna.

    Although she¡¯d sobbed sadly in his arms today, she did not seem to find him repulsive. Especially when he¡¯d kissed her and flirted with her, he¡¯d obviously sensed the joy and excitement in her body.

    They were both adults. They weren¡¯t young anymore. They had already lost too much precious time. This time, they couldn¡¯t afford to lose any more.

    Sighing deeply, he shook his head and walked towards the restaurant.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, are you really nning to invest a hundred million dors here?¡± Alvin asked as he fell in step beside Hansen.

    Hansen looked up at the sky. it was drizzling, and birds were flying over the sky.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s estimated that it¡¯ll cost less than 80 million if we bought these factories instead. Besides, it¡¯ll belong to ourpany forever. However, if we invest 100 million, although it could achieve the desired effect, there would be too many uncertain factors to justify the cost.¡± Alvin continued to analyse.

    Hansen nodded. He had long considered what Alvin had said, but he hadn¡¯t reached a clear decision as of yet.

    He was waiting for Jenna¡¯s suggestion.

    At present, they still hadn¡¯t been able to solve their own personal problems. After seeing him that day, she had been too emotional. Obviously, he couldn¡¯t rush this matter any more.

    He had no other choice but to keep Jenna in this way.

    She really couldn¡¯t me him for being a petty person. She could only me herself for being too stubborn. The year that she had been gone for had made his life so miserable that he had even lost interest in women. His mind was reeling with thoughts of her.

    Everything about her had been rooted in his heart. If it weren¡¯t for her, his existence would be meaningless.

    Jenna returned home in a daze and heard Jerry¡¯s cries from a distance. Her heart ached and she hastily ran in to hold Jerry in her arms, kissing him desperately.

    After getting his mother¡¯s love, Jerry suddenly stopped crying! That day, Jerry seemed to be infected by Jenna¡¯s unusually uneasy mood. He didn¡¯t want to cry and act cute as usual. Instead, he widened his eyes and gazed upon Jenna. He touched her face with his little hands and called out, ¡°Mom, Mom.¡±

    Her tender voice almost tore Jenna¡¯s heart to pieces!

    Jerry¡¯s soft, fair, and plump hand caressed Jenna¡¯s face. That intimate and gentle feeling filled her heart, and she used her face to nuzzle against his small hand. It was as if she would lose him. Her heart was filled with a heart-wrenching pain.

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t. Jerry, I can¡¯t lose you. If I lost you, I would have nothing left!¡±

    Hansen would have a lot of children, but she only had one son. She really couldn¡¯t lose him!

    ¡°The baby in Aria¡¯s belly should¡¯ve been born by now. He already has a child. Can¡¯t he let me go?¡± she mumbled under her breath.

    ¡°Jerry,¡± she murmured.¡°Your daddy came looking for you, but you can¡¯t go with him. Do you understand?¡± She pressed her face against his and continued. ¡°I won¡¯t let you leave me.¡±

    Jerry seemed to have understood what she was saying. He stared at her with his eyes wide open, and his little hands kept touching her face.

    Such a small gesture made Jenna¡¯s heart burst with joy. She held him tightly in her arms and was very touched!

    She hadn¡¯t weaned him today and gave in to his demands. He was so giddy that he grabbed Jenna¡¯s hands happily, and Jenna¡¯s face was colored with a happy and warm smile.

    The sky was already very dark, but she was still sitting in the study in a daze. Her entire body tensed up.

    Hansen had told her that she didn¡¯t have to go to school the next day, and his words were final. For Jerry¡¯s sake, she had no choice but to listen to him.

    How on earth could she get out of this dilemma? Was she only allowed to obey that man¡¯s words for the rest of her life?

    On the seventh day of the month more than a year ago, she and Rayan walked out of the vi at the same time. It had never urred to her that she would have talked with Rayan in the hospital that night.

    Rayan did not force her to stay just because he had saved her life.

    He just sighed and said, ¡°Jen, you don¡¯t love me. How could I be so selfish as to force you to stay by my side? I don¡¯t think that I could resort to begging just to get your sympathy and love. You can go now. Take the path you want to take. I will pray for you.¡±

    That night, no matter how Jenna had apologized, he was indifferent. Just that night, he¡¯d insisted on being discharged from the hospital early.

    Early the next morning, they had walked out of the gate of the vi at the same time and parted ways. Until now, they had not contacted each other.

 Chapter 339 Loved Too Deeply

    That year, Jenna had nowhere to go. By using the inte search engine, she¡¯d learnt that there was a Fisher Town in S City, where there was a poor school. So, she headed there with a train and began her fresh, half-year-long life. Jerry was born in that small town.

    Fortunately, she had some moneyand also brought along with her the dividends from her cars that were paid to her by theWhalen Groupand the Richards Group.

    That school was not pleasant-looking at all. It wastoo shabby.

    She had used a portion of her savings to renovate the school. After Jerry was born, she had been teaching at the school for free, until the unprecedented earthquake that left her bewildered!

    Seeing those children buried under the ssrooms with her own eyes was a torture.

    After Hansen¡¯s arrival, she¡¯d deliberately smeared her face with ash to make it difficult to recognize her. She¡¯d kept himpany until he saved the children, but she soon left overnight.

    When the earthquake happened, she had been in her own home. It was the best andthe only well-preserved buildingin the town. At that time, she¡¯d thought of the children in the school and hired a nanny to take care of Jerry at home. Then, she would rush to the school.

    After rescuing the children, she had been worried that Hansen would recognize her. So she¡¯d taken Jerry to an earthquake rescue shelter and left Fisher Town on the same night.

    After arriving in the county town, she¡¯d taken a bus to the train station. Standing at the train station, she didn¡¯t know where to go. So, she boarded thest train in a daze. After arriving at thest station, she¡¯d alighted from the train. Then, she¡¯d wandered to Wullen Town and finally fell in love with the ce. She¡¯d bought a courtyard house to settle down and finally brought her mother here.

    Rayan was really thoughtful. He had installed prosthetics for Sara, and her body had also recovered very well, which made Jenna very grateful.

    Aunt Lee would be here in a few days too.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    These days,something hade up with Aunt Lee¡¯s family and she¡¯d left for A City in advance. In a few days, she woulde over to take care of her mother. With the help of Aunt Lee, her days would be much better.

    Just as everything was about to settle down and she was preparing to live a peaceful life, Hansen appeared again!

    She closed her eyes andy down on the desk, weak and depressed.

    She almost couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of trouble his appearance would bring her this time!

    That year, when she¡¯d left A City in a hurry, she didn¡¯t know that Hansen had cancelled his wedding with Aria. In her subconscious mind, irrespective of the state of his marriage, as long as Aria had his child, this would be a legitimate marriage. He had to shoulder the responsibility for it.

    The truth was, in order to protect Aria¡¯s reputation, Hansen did not disclose the fact that the child Aria was pregnant with was actually Brock¡¯s. Therefore, very few people were aware of this news, not to mention Jenna, who had been staying in an isted vige thousands of miles away.

    ¡°I won¡¯t go back with him! I refuse to be a mistress! I definitely won¡¯t live such a miserable life in A City with Jerry!¡± she thought.

    Even if she was deeply in love with Hansen, she would not give in. This was her bottomline.

    Jerry couldn¡¯t fall into the hands of a wicked woman like Aria!

    She was a mother, and that meant that she would do anything she could to protect her own child.

    At the moment, she couldn¡¯t act rashly. She could only deal with Hansen in a sneaky way!

    She didn¡¯t go to school the next day!

    With Hansen¡¯s help, the problem between the petrochemical factory and the school had been reduced to the inconsequential, and there was no need for her to fret over it!

    The most important thing right now was to ensure that Jerry wouldn¡¯t be taken away by him!

    Since Jerry had stayed up for too long, he cried again and again. The next day, Jenna woke up veryte. At noon, she coaxed Jerry into a nap. When they woke up, it was already three o¡¯clock!

    This was bad!

    That son of a b*tch Hansen had asked her toe to the hotel to meet him at three o¡¯clock.

    She waste!

    In a hurry, she scrambled from the bed and dashed out.

    She couldn¡¯t afford to offend him right now, for if she did, she wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of this easily.

    She must¡¯ve owed something to that d*mned Hansen in her past life!

    At Sheraton Hotel.

    After rousing from his nap, Hansen nced at his phone. It was already three o¡¯clock and there was no sign of that woman¡¯s arrival.

    He couldn¡¯t help feeling anxious.

    Could it be that she had risked everything to run away again?

    Or did she never intend to go back with him? His words had flown past her head!

    Thinking of this, Hansen felt that his heart was beginning to ache.

    He woke up, washed his face with cold water, rubbed his temples with his fingers, and felt a dull pain in his head.

    ¡°D*mned woman, how dare you disobey me!¡± he muttered in his mind.

    Just after he paced around the room a few times, he heard footsteps outside, and then the doorbell rang.

    Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He sprung up quickly and saw a red face through the peek-hole. She was gasping for breath and her forehead was covered in sweat. It was obvious that she had rushed over.

    The corners of his mouth curled into a faint smile. His heart became bright and sunny in an instant!

    He tidied up the pajamas he was wearing and deliberately asked in a deep voice, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Me.¡± She gasped for breath and said in a somewhat flustered voice.

    Hansen wanted tough, but he held back. It seemed that she was afraid of him and cared about his words. Now, he was satisfied!

    He had always been sure that he wouldn¡¯t be wrong. Ever the wise man, he caught her weak spot easily.

    ¡°Why were youte?¡± He pulled open the door and put on a fierce expression. His voice was full of displeasure, but he was actually worried that Jerry had continued to trouble her. After all, he was his own son, so he really couldn¡¯t bear to let him cry. When he thought about how he hadn¡¯t even seen his son yet, and how he couldn¡¯t see him even if he was right in front of him, his heart ached.

    ¡°Sorry, Hansen. I overslept.¡± Her voice was extremely low, as if she¡¯d made a mistake.

    So that was what had happened!

    Hansen heaved a sigh of relief when he thought of how the child had been crying at night and tiringher over the years.With his heart softening, he stretched out his hand and pulled her in, shutting the door behind her.

    As soon as she fell into his arms, he felt an electric current flowing through his body. His heart was shaking. His whole body was numb. The feeling of wanting her to be with him all the time was so obvious. The passion only soared the moment he saw her.

    His big, steel-like hands wrapped around her waist and held her tightly in his embrace. The temperature of his palms was so high that it burned her skin.

    ¡°Hansen, what do you need me to do?¡± She struggled, trying to free herself from his embrace.

    His chest was so hot that she was sweating all over. When she ran all the way, she was already soaked in sweat. As soon as shended into his warm arms, the sweat poured straight out, and it seemed that even the clothes on her body were almost wet with sweat.

    Hansen felt that her petite, warm body in his arms was a little damp. He put his hand on her back, and his hand came out feeling wet and slippery. He frowned.

    ¡°If you were asleep, just give me a call and take your time toe over. There¡¯s no need to rush here in such a hurry. Look at the sweat all over your body.¡± He criticized her softly. When he saw the sweat all over her body, he felt his heart ache for her.

    No matter what, he was quite satisfied with her behavior now. At least, she¡¯d still listened to his words and followed it to a T.

    Give him a call? Jenna was stunned. What was his phone number? She had already forgotten it.

    She remembered that when she had been with him in the past, she¡¯d rarely taken the initiative to call him. Over the years, she had made up her mind not to see him again, and his phone number waspletely forgotten!

    However, she didn¡¯t say it aloud. She just kept silent and didn¡¯t exin herself.

    Hansen held her waist and walked towards the shower room. He reached out for a towel and pulled open the clothes on her back. He tucked the towel in and gently wiped the sweat off her body. He only removed the towel when he could not feel any sweat on her anymore.

    After that, he stretched out his hand to wipe the sweat off her chest.

    Jenna was not willing to let him do this. She snatched the towel from his hand and reached out to dry the sweat in front of her.

    Hansen smiled and did not insist.

    His palm caressed her exquisite and smooth back and lingered on it. Finally, it stopped moving on the scar on her back.

    Jenna felt that the temperature of his palm was getting higher and higher. It was so hot that the skin on her back was almost melting.

    She had already made up her mind and knew what to do.

    If he lusted for her, she would give in to him, provided that he wasn¡¯t allowed to take Jerry away. For Jerry¡¯s sake, she had no qualms about using her ¡®charm¡¯!

    As long as he was willing to let it go, she would rather sacrifice everything in exchange for Jerry¡¯s protection, even if it meant her own life.

    Of course, Hansen did not understand what she was thinking. He caressed the scar on his back, and the tenderness in his eyes gradually bloomed.

    This scar was a reminder of how she had saved him. It clearly reminded him that she had almost lost her life in order to save him, and now she¡¯d given birth to a child for him. He had no idea how she had weathered these years. He could imagine all the hardships that ordinary people should never have experienced.

    These all made him feel pain in his heart! It was too much!

    He owed it to her. The Richards family owed it to her.

    Other than making up to her with his love, he really did not know what else to do. In the past few years, every night when it was quiet, whenever he¡¯d thought of her and the past, he would not be able to fall asleep.

    Gently stroking the scar, he thought of how she used to love him so much. He had heard it from Rayan himself that she had never loved Rayan. For him, she had designed that car! He was her beloved man!

    All of this caused his blood to boil continuously, the heat within his body pooled and gathered inside him, his heart also bing more and more painful.

    She used to love him, and now she was not allowed to fall out of love with him!

    ¡°Jenna, please,e back with me.¡± He buried his head deeply into her hair. His face pressed against her neck as he breathed in the faint fragrance of her body. He was so intoxicated that he couldn¡¯t control himself. ¡°Jenna, I love you, trust me. I will definitely give you anything you want in this life. You andJerry will be happy for the rest of your life.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help whispering. His maic voice seemed to be a magic sound floating from the horizon. It was soft but pleasant to listen to.

    For a moment, Jenna¡¯s mind was muddled. She was dizzy, and her whole body began to flutter lightly, as if she was stepping on the clouds.

    He hugged her tightly and begged her so humbly.

    As long as she was not hard-hearted, he believed that she would agree to it.

    Tears were constantly flowing from the corners of Jenna¡¯s eyes. It wassour and bitter.

    However, she pretended not to hear anything and did not respond at all. Her eyes were tightly shut.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t control his emotions. His hot lips were full of fire. They tangled around her neck and then clung to her red lips. He kissed her gently. Her soft lips numbed the tip of his tongueand his whole body seemed to be aze.

    It had been a long time since he had touched her body.

    It was a body that had driven him crazy. It was not only the intoxicating fragrance and thebody that he had dreamed of countless times. Now thatthis moment really belonged to him, the suppressed desire in his heart burned, like the spewingva that could never be quelled.

 Chapter 340 Deeply In Love

    Kissing her lips cautiously, he tasted it slowly, as if he was appreciating a precious piece of art. He pried open her white teeth with his sharp tongue and ran it immodestly wild in her mouth.

    Jenna¡¯s consciousness began to depart from her, little by little. His kiss was so passionate and forceful that it almost siphoned all her breath away.

    Almost as soon as she saw him,their own feelings and desires would run amok. There was nonguage fit to exin such a phenomenon.

    She was willing to give him everything, and she had never really resisted him in her heart. Otherwise, she would not havee today.

    When Hansen¡¯s lips and tongue tickled the sensitive part on her shoulder gently. This beautiful feeling was as sweet as sugar, reciting and purring praises to wee him.

    This purring provoked Hansen¡¯s nerves which were about to snap. He couldn¡¯t wait to pick her up and bring her to the bed.

    When this adorable and soft woman appeared in front of him, Hansen felt that he was about to explode. If he did not let it out, blood would drain from him and im his life.With one swift motion, heyanked off the robe that was in his way. His hot, red lips nipped on her trembling pink lips, and then, he would not stop¡­

    The man¡¯s kiss on her lips was like a burning fire, with waves of desire in her body. That kind of deliberately suppressed emotion was constantly gushing out, making her whole body tremble violently. Her bones seemed to have been pulled out of her body, leaving only a pool of water, soft and boneless.

    Back when she had first seen him the day before, she had already predicted that this would happen.

    She did not resist and her body involuntarily yielded to him. She loved this man and had given birth to his son. This was the only man in her life who had been with her body. What she was doing now, it was no ident. She was still a woman after all!

    ¡°Jenna, I want you. I love you.¡± His hoarse and low voice rang next to her ears. The sound of his desire for love was even more pleasing to listen to, drowning her in intoxication.

    Jenna opened her eyes in a daze and saw Hansen¡¯s red, swollen face. Desire waswritten all over his face, and his eyes were red from the torment. The light in his eyes was as bright as a trapped beast, as if it was about to tear her apart.

    Instinctively, she shivered for a second, and the muscles all over her body became a little rigid.

    She was really afraid that the man on her would tear her into two halves, and she was even more afraid that the long-lost joy that rose from the bottom of her heart would fill the emptiness she used to have. She was greedy for more, making her shy and afraid. She was afraid that she would fall onto the path of no return and would never be able to be free of his shackles.

    It was only until Hansen had thrust himself straight inside her that he hadpletely seized her.

    The feeling of difort mixed with joy made her slightly part her mouth. Unable to control her feelings, she softly called out, ¡°Hansen¡±, and there were no more words left, only their intense gasps and groans.

    As he moved, she could not help but to tangle around his neck and get drawn into his rhythm.

    This almost made Hansen¡¯s blood boil. It was as if he had just received a reward. That kind of passion was even more uncontroble and pleasurable to the extreme.

    The two tangled with each other. Their excitement and passion for reunion made them forget about each other. They immersed themselves in it and tried their best to take from each other. As if they had drifted to the clouds for a long time, unwilling toe down.

    Even when the night had arrived, they still couldn¡¯t part from each other. Wave after wave of passion heaved them into climax, into eternity.

    She almost fell asleep in exhaustion. When she woke up, Hansen clung to her fiercely again and again. It was not until the morning of the next day that Hansen picked her up and put her into the bath, feeling content. He cleaned her body for her and finally wrapped her in a bath towel and carried her back to the bed. Holding her in his arms, they fell asleep again.

    This sleepsted for a long time.

    When she opened her eyes again, Jenna felt that her whole body was sore as if her bones had been dislodged. However, deep in her heart, she felt utterly gratified andfortable.

    This feeling colored her face with a deep scarlet.

    ¡°D*mn it, what kind of feeling is this?¡± she mentally screamed.

    Thinking of the craziness she had experienced with Hansen all day long, her face turned redder.

    How could she, of all people, be so self-indulgent?

    This thought was enough to give her a shock!

    She opened her eyes.

    Hansen¡¯s handsome face was right in front of her. He was hugging her tightly, and she was lyingfortably in his embrace.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    That kind of feeling was so familiar.

    She used to be in love with this embrace and revelled in it a few times. Now, did she still want to do this?

    She was so panicked that she rolled over and was about to sit up.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± It was obvious that Hansen had been awakened by her. He asked in a sleepy voice, his eyes openingzily.

    Jenna¡¯s face was red. After looking into his eyes, the blush had only seemed to spread, making her more bashful.

    Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He reached out to stroke her face and caressed her pink lips with his finger. He chuckled softly and said, ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the first time. You¡¯ve even given birth to our child. Why are you still so shy?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s shy?¡± All these words made Jenna ashamed and angry. She shoved him away and sat up.

    Hansen¡¯s hand unnervingly reached through the hem of her clothes and travelled deeper to caress her smooth skin. His face was full of longing.

    ¡°You must be starving,¡± he said in a soft voice. To be exact, the real reason he woke up was that he was hungry. Thinking about it, they had been passionately at the behest of their desiresand hadn¡¯t eaten anything for a whole day.

    Upon hearing his question, Jenna finally realized that her stomach was empty and she was starving.

    ¡°Are we going out to eat, or are we having takeout?¡± Hansen also sat up and asked for her opinion.

    Going out to eat? Jenna didn¡¯t want to go out. There weren¡¯t a lot of people in Wullen Town. Walking on the streets so openly with Hansen, she thought it was inappropriate, so she shook her head instantly.

    ¡°No, let¡¯s have take-outs instead.¡± She replied without hesitation.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes deepened and he quickly understood what she meant. She was afraid that someone would see her if she went out with him.

    At the thought of this, he felt a little depressed, a little bit more coldness slithered into his eyes.

    He,Mr. Richards, had never been looked down upon by a woman who did not dare to show him off. However, this woman was different. She was his wife. It looked as if she had not truly epted him in her heart.

    He took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and dialled the restaurant¡¯s phone number that he found in the guest room¡¯s directory. Then he ordered a few expensive dishes for them to be delivered to his room.

    After the two got up and tidied up, Jenna took the lead in arranging the food on the table.

    She was famished.

    When the smell of the food drifted in, both of them were already starving.

    Since she had been breastfeeding Jerry, Jenna¡¯s appetite seemed to have grown.She grabbed a te and utensils, starting to wolf the food down.

    ¡°Slow down. Be careful.Don¡¯t choke yourself.¡± Hansen looked at her, concerned. It had been a long time since she looked this way. Thinking of her situation, his heart ached, and he felt that he had failed his responsibility as a man. His guilt simmered again.

    At this time, Jenna was eating so fast that it was as though she had starved for a few days straight.

    She thought of Jerry. This time, she hadn¡¯t returned for the entire night. How was Jerry doing? Would Sara be able to take care of him?

    If he didn¡¯t drink breast milk in the evening, he might have cried for the whole night.

    The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached. She didn¡¯t even hear Hansen¡¯s question, and her face was eclipsed with anxiety.

    However, she did not forget the purpose of her visit. After the meal, she was ready to have a good talk with the man in front of her!

    She wanted him to let go of Jerry and let her off!

    This was the real reason she hade to ¡®sacrifice herself¡¯.

    She was afraid that if Hansen found out about her true intentions, he would explode with rage. However, she couldn¡¯t care less about this!

    She ate very quickly. However, Hansen was nkly watching her eat.His face was a portrait of loneliness.

    ¡°Hurry up and eat. After eating, I want to talk to you.¡± Jenna was worried for Jerry. She only wanted to end this conversation as soon as possible. So, she urged him to finish eating quickly before getting to the point.

    ¡°What do you want to talk about? We can talk now.¡± Upon hearing Jenna¡¯s words, Hansen set down his spoon and wanted to hear what she had to say. In fact, he himself also had a lot of saying to do.

    ¡°Hansen, please let Jerry go. Just leave him to me.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t want to waste any more time beating around the bush. She went straight to the point. ¡°For you, Jerry is just one of your children. For me, Jerry is my life, my only hope. I really can¡¯t hand him over to you. Other than that, I can promise you anything. As your ex-wife, I beg you to agree to my request.¡±

    When Jenna said this, she raised her head. Her bright eyes were fogged with mist, and her beautiful little face was filled with a pleading expression.

    She knew better than anyone else that the only way for her to realize her dream was to beg him.

    Hansen¡¯s face nched. This woman hade all the way here to beg him to let her and her child off the hook. They were both in love. Hadn¡¯t she ever thought of going back with him?

    His eyes gradually turned cold, his face was covered with a thinyer of ice. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the door being mmed.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Hansen asked, furrowing his sword-shaped eyebrows.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Jerry is ill.¡± The voice of Alvin rang outside. He wasa little jumpy.

    Jerry? Jenna didn¡¯t respond for a moment. When it finally sank in, her heart skipped a beat and she burst into tears. She rose to her feet and rushed outside.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry, wait for me.¡± Hansen saw Jenna losing her mind and ran out crying. In a sh, he grabbed her hand and said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    At this moment, Jenna¡¯s heart was taken over by Jerry¡¯s sickly face, and she couldn¡¯t hear anything.

    D*mn it, she hadn¡¯t returnedst night. How much must he have cried the night before? How could a child who hadn¡¯t been weaned off be used to leaving his mother suddenly?

    When she thought about this,she became even more heartbroken. No matter what Hansen said or did, she couldn¡¯t register anything at all. She was blindly rushing home.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. Alvin has been watching over him the whole time. If something really happened, he would havee and told us earlier. He wouldn¡¯te thiste.¡± Hansen held her hand tightly andforted her softly. Although he tried to persuade her, he didn¡¯t dare to stop. He took her hand and walked straight out.

    He couldn¡¯t be at ease. What if she had rushed out onto the open street andcrashed into a car? If that happened, how could he live with that for the rest of his life?

 Chapter 341 Finally Got To See His Son

    Though her fingertips were chilly and her soft fingers stiffened, there was sweat dripping from her palm. It must have been caused by her anxiety and nervousness. He gripped her hand tightly, his fingers brushing gently at her palm.

    He could only imagine howstrongshe had been to give birth to a child over the past year and to raise Jerry by herself. She had even drifted away to such a remote town.It was too much for him to even think about this.

    His palm was warm, wide and soft, wrapped around Jenna¡¯s dainty hand. In an instant, herheart was inexplicably less fiery. Initially, she had walked in a hurry and stumbled along the way. When she went downstairs, her footsteps were unstable and she almost fell down. Luckily, Hansen held her with his strong arms. His big hands gently grasped her little hand, and his eyes were swirling with tenderness.

    With her mind still disoriented, Jenna turned around and looked at him. Hansen¡¯s beautiful bright eyes were filled to the brim with determination and steadiness. He stared back at her with a hint of a warm,forting smile in his eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said softly. ¡°Jerry is also my son.¡± He assumed a serious expression on his face, but a soft glow faintly radiated from his eyes. The corners of his mouth lifted up slightly.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    It was that exact smile, carrying with it a muted warmth, and his warm palm that sent a current ofort through Jenna¡¯s heart, gradually spreading to all of her limbs. Her entire body and mind rxed. The anxiety she felt after giving birth to Jerry had vanished, and her heart was floating with a sense of security.

    However, the guilt didn¡¯t go away. Jerry was still young, and he had never been separated from his mother. However, she disregarded his feelings and went out for an entire night.

    It must¡¯ve been because he hadn¡¯t seen his mother and couldn¡¯t drink breast milk that he ended up like this. After all, Jerry had never left her side.

    Jenna¡¯s tears flowed. Hansen took her small hand and she felt as though she was almost running above the ground. His powerful arms almost lifted her up.

    It was a good thing that her house was not too far away.

    From afar, they could hear Jerry¡¯s weak cries. It soundedpletely different from how brightly and confidentlyhe used to cry.This was a serious illness!

    Jenna¡¯s heart began to palpitate. As soon as she approached the gate, she freed herself from Hansen¡¯s hand and ran into the house.

    ¡°Be careful.¡± Hansen¡¯s hand was empty. He felt his heart tighten. Worried that she might fall, he hurriedly reminded her from behind and quickly followed after her.

    Inside the room, Jerry was lying in Sara¡¯s arms, crying sickly. His entire face and cheekswere flushed red. Jenna¡¯s heart leapt into her throat and she whimpered, ¡°Mom.¡± She took Jerry from Sara¡¯s arms.

    As soon as Jerry was in her arms, she felt as if she was holding a ball of fire, andhe was way too warm. When her hands touched his palms and soles, her hands almost got burned. There was a cold towel stuck to his forehead. Sara was worried that his fever would get worse, so she had ced it on his head.

    ¡°Jerry, Jerry, my baby, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jenna pressed her forehead against his face, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her heart was aching as she said, ¡°Mommy¡¯s back. I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t stay with youst night.¡±

    After hearing Jenna¡¯s voice and smelling the familiar scent, Jerry opened his eyes. When he saw that it was Jenna, his lips curled and he began to cry in a wronged manner. His sobs continued to twitch.

    His face was covered with tears and snot, and his pitiful look made Jenna¡¯s heart tighten up.

    The mother and son hugged each other tightly, her eyes red as she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jerry. From now on, Mommy will never leave you again. Don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s fine.You¡¯ll get better soon.¡±

    Jerry was acting like a spoiled child as he looked up and down at the handsome man who had suddenly appeared in the house. He was crying as he looked at him.

    ¡°Take him to the hospital quickly. He has vomited twice and is still having diarrhoea. He must be sent to the hospital. His fever is very serious now.¡± Seeing that Jenna had returned, Sara finally let go of her anxiety and hurriedly reminded her.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna quickly dragged her senses back and stood up with Jerry in her arms.

    ¡°Come, Jenna, give the child to me.¡± Hansen took Jerry from Jenna¡¯s long arms and held him in his arms. When he looked up, he saw Sara ring at him with a cold face.

    As soon as he¡¯d entered the room, Sara saw him. She was surprised at first, then her face turned serious, as if she was thinking about something.

    There was a look of awkwardness on Hansen¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t know how to face her.

    If it wasn¡¯t for Jerry¡¯s illness, he would never have wanted to show up in front of Sara at that moment. He knew that she would definitely hold a grudge against him, but he couldn¡¯t exin himself right now. He greeted her ¡®mother¡¯ in a low voice and carried Jerry out of the house.

    Sara snorted and turned her head away, uncaring.

    All of Hansen¡¯s attention was on Jerry. The child in his arms was so warm that he had to take him to the hospital immediately!

    Jenna hurriedly packed a few of Jerry¡¯s clothes and followed Hansen out.

    Hansen walked in front, followed by Jenna. Perhaps Jerry didn¡¯t know Hansen,so he began to cry in his arms, and kept calling, ¡°Mom, Mom.¡±

    Tears streamed down Jenna¡¯s cheeks as she replied, ¡°Jerry, be good. Mommy¡¯s here.¡±

    Jerry cried, ¡°Hug, hug.¡±

    ¡°Jerry, Mommy is too tired, let Dad hold you, okay?¡± Jerry¡¯s body was writhing in the arms of Hansen, and his face was full of tears. Hansen took measures to cajole him and looked down at Jerry. Jerry looked so simr to him. It was as if he was looking in a mirror. The feeling of kinship filled his heart instantly, making him fell fulfilled.

    His footsteps were very fast, and Jenna followed him with great strain. She stretched out one hand behind her.

    Jenna was already in a state of stupefaction. This was the first time for Jerry to be so ill, and it was all because of her. Other than being anxious, she didn¡¯t know what to do.

    When Hansen stretched out his hand towards her, she instinctively extended her own hand. Hansen gripped her hand tightly and pulled her forwards. In this way, Jenna stood side by side with him.

    Hansen held Jerry in one hand and Jenna in the other. The three of them walked forwards.

    Perhaps because he had seen Jenna, although Jerry cried from time to time, he did not demand Jenna to give him a hug. His ck eyes merely red at Hansen.

    Hansen smiled at him, his eyes full of tenderness. He coaxed Jerry, ¡°Jerry, don¡¯t cry! A man should not cry because of a small fever. You should be strong and don¡¯t let your mother worry about you. Do you understand?¡±

    No one knew if it was because his all too pleasant voice, or if it was an intuitive connection between father and son. All in all, it was the same.

    When Jerry heard these words, he actually stopped crying. However, his mental state wasn¡¯t very good, and even as hey there in his arms, he looked fragile.

 Chapter 342 Deep Affection

    Jerry¡¯s face was devoid of any life,he no longer looked vigorous and lively as he was before. His little face was covered in tears and his nose was covered in snot.

    Poor Jerry.

    Jenna Murphy was sad in her heart. She wiped his tears and mucus that was on his face while shedding tears of her own at the same time.

    Their miserable state caused Hansen¡¯s heart to tighten. Knowing that she couldn¡¯t bear to part with Jerry, he let go of her hand and hugged her instead. He whispered into Jenna¡¯s ear with a soft voice, ¡°Jenna, Jerry had already stopped crying. Yet you¡¯re still weeping like a baby as his mother. What the hell is going on?¡±

    With this, Jenna truly came to her senses. She wiped away her tears and lowered her head. In fact, she was too worried about Jerry¡¯s illness. When she was pregnant with him, her health was not very good and she was severely malnourished. Ever since she had given birth to him, she had been drifting in the world and had no ce for her to call home. She was also unable to take good care of him.

    Therefore, she usually raised him with extreme care for fear that he would fall sick. She was really worried about the high fever that day. She had never seen him seriously ill before and all of it was caused by her negligence, which made her feel even more guilty.

    Hansen understood her sadness and sighed. He touched her waist lightly andforted her. The heat from his hand spread across her body, and her heart gradually calmed down.

    Hansen held the mother and the son in each hand and walked forwards. The emptiness and loneliness in the darkness of the night were filled by both the mother and the son. He never had such satisfaction in his heart.

    As soon as she walked out of the alley, Alvin stopped the car in front of her.

    ¡°Young Madam.¡± Alvin saw Jenna at a nce and greeted her politely.

    Jenna was being held tightly in the arms of Hansen. Her whole body was about to stick to his chest. Seeing Alvin, she blushed slightly and felt very embarrassed. She nodded and left the arms of Hansen without leaving a trace.

    Sensing her movements, the corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled up slightly. In such a situation, this woman was actually shy!

    She sat down with Jerry in her arms. Jenna also sat on the other sideand the three of them sat in the back seat.

    The car was heading towards the hospital.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    After all, it was a hospital in a small town. The ce was small, but there were many people.

    It was right in the middle of spring, pollen from flowers would start to float around easier and hay fever would spread. There were a lot of patients in the hospital, including children and old people. In the emergency room and the corridor, there were people everywhere. There was no ce to sit at all. Everyone was standing and even then, it was still crowded.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯ve already made an appointment with an experienced doctor and booked a ward. Jerry would be better off staying in the ward. There¡¯s no ce to sit in the clinic at all.¡± Looking at all the patients in the hospital, Alvin was d that he¡¯d already prepared in advance.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hansen nodded in agreement. Alvin led the way ahead.

    They walked towards the ward with Jerry in Hansen¡¯s arms. Just as they walked past the door to the consulting room, Jerry trembled from head to toe and spat out arge mouthful of vomit.

    Hansen didn¡¯t have much experience in this aspect, so he couldn¡¯t avoid it in time. In the end, Jerry vomited onto his suit.

    Jerry stopped for a whilebefore throwing up again. His little face was swollen and he looked as if he was about to pass out.

    Jenna was scared out of her wits. She held Jerry¡¯s head and patted his back as she cried out Jerry¡¯s name.Her heart was burning with anxiety.

    In an instant, Hansen¡¯s heart tightened and he held the little fellow tightly. He was also so anxious that he did not know what to do. He kept calling for the doctor.

    The doctor saw that the situation was serious, so he quickly came up and touched Jerry¡¯s forehead with his hand. He opened his eyes and looked at him. Then he took out his stethoscope and put it on his back before listening to it. He frowned and said, ¡°It should be acute pneumonia, and there is a curious sound in the lungs. However, it isn¡¯t too serious. With this weather, hay fever is contagious, and it¡¯s easy to get infected. Young children are especially susceptible to this kind of disease. He should have his vination shot and be kept warm at all times. How about this? First, we¡¯ll reduce his fever, and then perform a routine check-up, some blood tests, a chest X-ray, and then open a prescribe some medicine for him. He¡¯ll have to stay in the hospital for a few days. As long as he doesn¡¯t rpse, he¡¯ll be alright.¡±

    The experienced doctor exined calmly. After examining Jerry¡¯s condition, he quickly opened the examination list and medication list then he handed them to Hansen.

    Jenna was worried and kept asking about Jerry¡¯s condition. At this time, Jerry¡¯s condition seemed really bad. His face turned blue as heid feebly in Hansen¡¯s arms.

    She took out a napkin and wiped Jerry¡¯s face clean. Then, she touched Jerry¡¯s foreheadwhich was so hot that it almost burned her. Her mind was in a state of chaos.

    After the doctor had finished his diagnosis, Hansen immediately carried Jerry to the nurse¡¯s station to perform a fever injection.

    After getting the fever injection for Jerry, he didn¡¯t dare to dy anything and hurried to thebs.

    It took more than an hour for them to queue up and pay the fees after a series of tests. When the results of the tests hade out, it had already been two hours since they had been in the ward.

    Jennahad been nervous all the while. Fortunately, Jerry¡¯s fever subsided after he got the injection. After the redness on his cheeks faded, his face turned frighteningly pale, and his forehead was covered with beads of sweat that was as big as beans.

    Seeing this, Jenna¡¯s face became even paler than Jerry¡¯s. Clenching his small hands tightly, she kept shedding tears as she used a towel to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

    The nurse walked in and was about to get Jerry an IV drip.

    It was possible that the nurse wasn¡¯t experienced enough, or that Jerry¡¯s blood vessels were too thin. No matter how many times she poked him with the needle, she hadn¡¯t been able to get it right. This was annoying to say the least. Every time she poked him, Jerry would cry.

    Jenna watched as the needle pricked into Jerry¡¯s skin, as if it was pricking on her heart. The pain was indescribable. Every time Jerry cried, she would do the same. The mother¡¯s and son¡¯s sobs had shattered Hansen¡¯s heart.

    With a dark face, he was gloomy and full of anger. If she was a nurse in A City, she would¡¯ve been fired immediately. However, now that they were in Wullen Town,he could only endure it as much as possible. At the moment, there was indeed not enough staff in the hospital.

    The nurse was so scared of Hansen¡¯s aura that her hands were trembling. She was unable to pierce through the needle. After trying for a few times, she finally got the needle in. However, after a while, the back of Jerry¡¯s hand had swelled up. It must have been that the IV drip had not seeped into the blood vesselsinsteadit had seeped into his skin.

    In the end, Jerry cried out in painand Jenna¡¯s heart ached so much that she burst into tears.

    Hansen¡¯s expression turned even darker!

    He ordered Alvin to call the director of the hospital.

    As soon as the head of the hospital came in, he saw that Hansen was standing with the child in his arms, looking at them with hostility. The head of the hospital knew that they were not locals of Wullen Townso he was afraid. He didn¡¯t know where they came from and didn¡¯t dare to neglect them. After understanding the situation, he smiled and quickly asked someone else to rece the nurse.

    It wasn¡¯t until a more experienced, older nurse hade that the needle was finally inserted sessfully.

    Fortunately,this happened in Wullen Town. If it was in A City, this hospital would be lucky to survive another year.

    After the IV drip was in, Jenna washed Jerry¡¯s cup and got him some water. She began to feed Jerry some medicine, but it was a little bitter. Jerry only took a bite and didn¡¯t want to eat it anymore. There was no other way, even Jenna couldn¡¯t get him to drink it. Hansen had no choice but to gently hold his chin with his hand and force him to open his mouth, allowing him to drink it.

    Jerry was so angry that he cried out in a harsh voice. He kept vomiting as he cried. Even though Jenna was wiping his face with a towel from time to time, there was still quite a bit of medicine juice that had been spat onto Hansen¡¯s body. Fortunately, there were a few medicines that were not too bitter, so Jerry managed to swallow some.

    This fellow was really stubborn. This was rather simr to him. Hansen secretlyughed in his heart.

    After swallowing the medicine and with the IV drip injected sessfully, the effects of the medicine slowly manifested in Jerry. He was slowly getting more and more tired, then he slowly felt drowsy.

    Jenna held him in her arms and ced him on the bed. From time to time, she would touch his forehead, change his clothes, and cover him with the quilt. After a while, Jerry fell asleep. His throat kept gurgling from time to time, making it hard for him to breathe.Just how serious was the cold! Jenna¡¯s heart ached for him.

    When Jerry finally fell asleep, the two of them heaved sighs of relief.

    They both raised their heads, and their eyes met.

    A sour stench wafted into his nostrils. Hansen lowered his head and looked at the suithe was wearing. It was covered in Jerry¡¯s vomit and the medicine that he had spat out. He didn¡¯t feel anything when he was still holding Jerry in his arms. Once he left, the smell became very pungent, and it was a little unpleasant to smell.

    ¡°Take off your clothes,I¡¯ll wash them for you.¡± Jenna also looked at his suit and knew that he had a fear of germs, so she said that softly.

    Hansen nced at her and unfolded his sword-shaped eyebrows. He smiled indifferently. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. There¡¯s no need to wash it. I¡¯ll just throw it away.¡±

    Throw it away? It was really easy for him to say this. The suit he was wearing was specially made. There was no way of buying it outside. Even if there was, it wouldn¡¯t be in such high quality. Besides, the suits in this town couldn¡¯t match him. It was possible to throw it in A City, but it was impossible to throw it in this town.

    He came here on a business trip, why would he bring so many sets of clothes? Especially for people like him, who would want to walk empty-handed?If he really threw them away, he would have nothing to wear.

    At that moment, she didn¡¯t want to talk nonsense with him. She went straight to him, reached out her hand to undo his tie, and wanted to help him take his clothes off.

    When her soft hand touched Hansen¡¯s body, it was as if she had discharged an electric current. Hansen¡¯s entire body felt numb, so he reached out to hold her small hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just buy some clothes around here. You don¡¯t have to wash it for me. It would be too hard for you.¡± His maic voice was very low and soft, and the arcs in his eyes were shining like stars but carried a sense of pity.

    He really didn¡¯t want Jenna to work so hard.

    Was it hard work for her? This kind of hard work was nothing to Jenna. In these years, she had never lived happily andfortably. At the moment, the corners of her mouth twitched for a while and she did not take it seriously. She ordered, ¡°Let go of your hands.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked up at her. Her eyes were red and her face was haggard, but the light in her eyes sparkled with determination. With a stir in his heart, he loosened his grip.

    Jenna quickly and skilfully untied his tie, undid it, and took off the suit.

    Seeing that she was so skilled in taking off his clothes, it was obvious that she often helped people to take their clothes off. He started to have doubts in his heart.

    Did she often help others take their clothes off? Who was she helping? Which man?

    As soon as he thought about it, he got a bad feeling in his heart. His nasal voice was a little heavy. He blurted out and asked her.

    ¡°Do you often do this kind of thing?¡±

    In order to cover up his unease, he seemed to be casual, and his tone was faint, but his ears were wide open. He was even a little nervous to hear her answer.

 Chapter 343 How Unreliable

    Jenna Murphy skilfully picked up Jerry and Hansen¡¯s suit and said indifferently, ¡°I have helped Jerry change his clothes for a thousand times now, I¡¯m sure I could handle a few more.¡±

    So that was it!

    Hansen¡¯s heart lit up and his sword-shaped eyebrows rxed. ¡°Oh,¡± he said. He sounded a little happy, but Jenna had already walked into the bathroom and left him with her back facing him. ¡°Take off your pants as well.¡±

    ¡°Take off my pants?¡± Hansen was stunned. A faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He only wore a pair of pants. If he really took his pants off now, only his boxers would remain. Wouldn¡¯t that be too unsightly?

    ¡°Are you sure you want me to take off my pants?¡± He followed her and leaned against the door, asking with a smile.

    Jenna had already entered the bathroom and turned the tap on. She ced Jerry¡¯s clothes into the basin and looked at Hansen¡¯s suit. She thought for a moment, wiped her hands clean and looked up. She saw Hansen leaning against the door frame, smiling at her.

    ¡°How would I wash it if you don¡¯t?¡± She looked at him with a puzzled face.

    Hansen chuckled and put his strong arm around her waist. With a tug of his arm, Jenna fell into his embrace.

    The man¡¯s strong smell instantly rushed into her nose.

    ¡°I can take it off, but I only have a pair of boxers underneath. If you¡¯re okay with that, I wouldn¡¯t mind as well.¡± He lowered his head and looked at her. His face was close to her face. His breath, eyes, and lips were all passionately waiting for her.

    A strong, masculine aura enveloped her and sparks danced around her waist. Jenna¡¯s face turned red immediately. Of course, she understood his intentions. She pushed him and said, ¡°Let go of me. Pay attention to your image. Alvin is still outsideandJerry is sick. What were you thinking?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not thinking of anything. I¡¯m just speaking the truth.¡± Hansen had no intention of letting her go. Instead, he pressed down on her, and his lips fell. Jenna turned her head and his lipsnded on her earlobe. He opened his mouth and bit her earlobe.

    F*ck! As expected, men were all unreliable. Even though Jerry was so ill, he still had the mood to flirt with her!

    ¡°Let me go. I have to go out to buy some daily necessities.¡± She pushed him and said that to avoid his ambiguous actions. Her earlobe was numb after being sucked by him.

    ¡°What do you want to buy? Just have Alvin buy them.¡± Hansen did not intend to let her go. Does she still have to do these things by herself? This was too tiring. He let go of her and said vaguely, ¡°Write a list. I¡¯ll have Alvin buy them.¡±

    As he spoke, his breathing became ragged, and his hands were restlessly moving on top of her body. He was smiling as if he wasn¡¯t serious at all. All the worry and stress from taking care of Jerry all disappeared in an instant.

    ¡°No, men can¡¯t buy these children¡¯s products.¡± Jenna helplessly resisted. There was nothing in the ward, and Jerry might have to live in the hospital for a few days. The doctor had just said that it was due to some pneumonia infection. He would need to stay in the hospital and observe for a long period of time. He needs some daily necessities tost for the next few days. These clothes also needed to be put in a basin, so she refused with a cold face.

    ¡°You have underestimated the people around me. They wouldn¡¯t even flinch at the sight of bullets. Buying these things is not a big deal.¡± Hansen¡¯s lips once again moved closer to her ear. His tone was somewhat displeased. ¡°Quickly, I will have Alvin memorize them. Then, he would go out and buy them. We will be going out for dinnerter.¡±

    Jenna still wanted to resist him, but as she tried to struggle, she realized that she was no match to the hunk of a man in front of her. As long as he does not want to let her go, she would never be able to escape. Even Alvin was still in the ward. She was afraid of beingughed at by him, so she thought about it for a while, and read out the list.

    In this way, every time she read one, Hansen would repeat it once, and Alvin would key it into his phone. After a while, Alvin went out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any other clothes except for suits?¡± Jenna looked up at him angrily. When Alvin had just left, Hansen¡¯s lips immediately kissed her neck. They were hot and warm. All of the warmth sprayed on her neck, making her feel limp and numb again.

    Her heart was beating erratically, and her body temperature was raised high by him. The feeling of swelling tried to pull her into the abyss of the mire several times.

    This feeling was too terrifying!

    More and more, she realized that she was still as engrossed in his enticement as before. She thought that she had escaped, but as soon as he made advances, she would feel uneasy and lose control of her emotions. She would also involuntarily follow him back and sink into the abyss.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of having so many clothes? It would get in the way anyway.¡± He answered vaguely. His smile was devilishly charming and his moist lips were pressed against hers.

    ¡°What the hell is this?¡±

    It turned out that this guy never had any good intentions ever since he saw her. His mind was full ofsciviousness, and he was always thinking about making love to her!

    Jenna turned her head away and used her hand to block his scorching lips. She pushed against his chest with one hand and maintained a distance from him. She rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Jerry is still ill. Can¡¯t you be a little more normal?¡±

    ¡°Normal? It¡¯s too normal for me to be like this. You must know that I¡¯m a man. Isn¡¯t it normal for a couple to be like this?¡± Hansen¡¯s face was full of grievance and dissatisfaction as he thought of his loneliness over the years.

    Jenna¡¯s nerves were greatly affected by the word ¡®couple¡¯. She recalledst night¡¯s events where she was brave enough to ¡®sacrifice¡¯ herself, but she didn¡¯t forget her original intention. She immediately raised her head and said to him seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t forget your promise. Jerry belongs to me.¡±

    With the soft and fragrant littledy in his arms, Hansen was full of passion. It was hard for him to control it any longer and he only wanted more. He did not expect her to ask for much and wasn¡¯t sure what he had heard exactly. He followed her line of conversation and nodded repeatedly, ¡°Of course, of course, Jerry belongs to you.¡±

    ¡°So you agree?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes were filled with a look of pleasant surprise. Her brows arched as she looked up at Hansen with a solemn expression. Emotions were surging in her eyes.

    This kind of feeling was very dangerous!

    Jenna sensed a dangerous aura and thought of Jerry on the hospital bed. She pushed Hansen aside and walked towards the door.

    She bent over and looked at Jerry, who was sleeping soundly. There was a frozen pain on his small sword-shaped eyebrows. Her hand gently touched and caressed him.

    Hansen followed behind her. Looking at her worried face, he felt a sense of pity. He ced his hand on her waist and gently pulled her into his embrace. His other hand caressed her face and turned her towards his face. He looked at her red eyes and caressed her face with his finger. He let out a sigh in his heart and his lips drooped involuntarily.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    His lips were pressed against hers and nibbled gently with pity. Her soft lips were like addictive drugs, fragrant and soft, evoking one¡¯s soul and eroding one¡¯s bones. Hansen¡¯s breathing became heavy and he was no longer willing to let go. His tongue drove straight in, taking her breath with all his might. It was lingering and full of love.

    Jenna¡¯s head began to feel dizzy and she couldn¡¯t say anything, as if she was about to be melted by him. She only felt that her whole body floated in the clouds and could no longer tell the direction.

    They kissed passionately and forgot about everything else.

    It was not until Alvin¡¯s voice ringing outside that Jenna returned to reality. She quickly pushed him away and her face was already at the base of her neck.

    Hansen remained calm andposed as he chuckled. He didn¡¯t care about this at all.

    Alvin came back with all kinds of things. Soon, all the things were ced on the desk beside the hospital bed.

 Chapter 344 It Hurts In The Heart

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna Murphy thanked Alvin.

    Alvin was not very good at articting himself, upon hearing Jenna¡¯s thanks, he was a bit flustered and hastily said respectfully: ¡°Young Madam, there¡¯s no need to thank me. It¡¯s just a piece of cake.¡±

    Jenna took out two stic basins and went into the bathroom.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Kyrie Gambon and Warrick Hodge have called to invite you to lunch.¡± Alvin reported to Hansen.

    Hansen walked to the side of the bed. Jerry was sleeping soundly, and there was a blush on his tender face. He was very cute. His mouth was slightly open, and there was a noise in his throat from time to time. He had already finished two IV drips and was now on his third one.

    Hansen held on to his small hand and a look of tenderness shed across his face. A sense of bliss was filled his heart.

    ¡°When is it?¡± He asked coolly.

    ¡°Kyrie said it would be this afternoon. However, I told him that you were busy, so he said that he would wait until tomorrow. So far, I haven¡¯t made any promises. I just told him to wait for your answer.¡± Alvin answered very carefully.

    ¡°Good.¡± Hansen nodded. He held a towel and carefully wiped the sweat off Jerry¡¯s forehead. Of course, he understood what Kyrie was trying to do. The corners of his mouth revealed a mocking smile. ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. We can take our time. Anyway, I want to stay here for a while.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Alvin nodded. He already understood what Hansen meant.

    ¡°How about this?Investigate the personnel situation of this factory in the next few days, especially these staff members.¡± Hansen pondered for a while, and then spoke again.

    Upon hearing this, Alvin¡¯s face became serious. Other than being located in a remote ce, the factory also fell into such disrepair due to some administrative problems, and there were also some people who were causing trouble.

    Being a hundred-year-old factory, if it was not refurbished and did not conform to the current standards, it would inevitably fall back.

    They could invest in them, but the purpose was to get rid of the cons, so¡­

    Alvin totally understood what he meant, and he thought so too.

    No matter how much money Hansen had, he didn¡¯t want to just throw it away for nothing. Besides, this was not in line with his business principles.

    Kyrie was eager to invite him to lunch. It was likely that he was not only just ttering him. He, Hansen, did notck for such a meal. In fact, being confronted with Kyrie¡¯s vulgar words and deeds could only make him lose his appetite.

    After Alvin received the instruction, he understood it tacitly and left.

    Jenna was standing with her head down, scrubbing the clothes on the stone tform in the bathroom. She could hear their conversation clearly. With her understanding of Hansen, he would never invest blindly in any project. Of course, the same can¡¯t be said for donations. However, ording to what he said just now, it was obvious that he was not simply making a donation this time. It seemed that he had wanted to invest in it in the long term.

    Wasn¡¯t he following her, or was he not here to look for her and Jerry? Had he been investigating this factory for a long time? Then what did this decaying factory have to do with his business? Jenna was a little confused.

    With this thought in mind, she applied the scented soap on Jerry¡¯s clothes and rubbed it mechanically while she becamepletely lost in thought.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± As Jerry fell asleep,Hansen had nothing to do. He walked into the bathroom and saw that her head was down and her face was covered with her hair. The scene of the earthquake in the disaster area quickly shed across his mind. She looked simr to the woman who helped the child back in the tent with her head lowered. He got a little overwhelmed with emotions. He held her waist from behind and reached out a hand to touch the ck hair on her forehead. His eyes were soft and clear. He demanded softly.

    It wasn¡¯t until Hansen¡¯s warm chest had reached her that Jenna came back to her senses. She straightened her back.

    His chest was so hot that the skin on her back was red. This made her more flustered. His hands which were touching her hair on the forehead were extremely hot too. The heat seeped into her hair and spread to her face. Her face became red again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.I¡¯m washing the clothes.¡± She wriggled her body to escape his embrace.

    ¡°I know.¡± Hansen whispered affectionately and asked in a low voice, ¡°Jenna, do you know about the earthquake in S City that urred more than a month ago?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s body trembledand her hands scrubbing the mink coat became stiff. She quickly lowered her head and said, ¡°I know, the earthquake was serious. People all over the country knew about it.¡±

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Hansen turned his head to look at her.

    ¡°Hansen, go and look after Jerry. Let me finish washing the clothes first.¡± Jenna shook her headto shake off the hand that he had ced on her face.

    ¡°How long have you been in this town? Where had you been previously?¡± He did not want to let her go, so he continued to ask.

    Hansen¡¯s questions reminded Jenna of the night when Jerry was born. Her belly was in extreme pain that night.There were neither rtives nor friends to help her. There was only cold equipment from the hospitnd the stares of others.

    These past events had been buried deep in her heart and they weren¡¯t worth mentioning. However, his words reminded her of these memories. It was as if a knife had pierced through her heart and her eyes became moist. She felt a sudden chill in her heart and her voice became cold. ¡°If you don¡¯t have anything to do, just leave. I can take care of Jerry myself.¡±

    Herface turned red upon saying this. She tried her best to endure the painful memories silently and held back her tears.

    Hansen felt her indifference. The atmosphere suddenly became gloomy. The whirlpool in his heart which had been stirring countless times, began to swirl again. Her pain went into his heart so easily that he felt a faint pain in his heart. His touches became even gentler.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so overbearing. Let¡¯s go out and eat. We can buy new clothes for Jerry along the way.¡± Hansen held her tightly from behind and spoke in amanding tone. However, the tone of his voice was filled with love. He held her hand tightly and washed it clean. Then, he restrained her and prevented her from taking the clothes. His heart was so warm and soft.

    He couldn¡¯t ept her working this hard. In his eyes, it was not a big deal to buy new clothes.The only thing he wanted to do now was to love her.

    Jenna struggled, but she couldn¡¯t move an inch.

    Hansen reached out a hand to turn her head. Looking at her, he used his hand to gently brush the hair off her face. He saw that her eyes were red and swollen. The pain on her small face was apparent.

    His heart ached. He lowered his head and kissed her red lips.He kissed her deeply and softly, as if he wanted to embed her into his body and never be separated again.

    In those dark nights, his soul was running alone. He wanted to find her figure, but he couldn¡¯t find it no matter how hard he tried. He was so anxious that he went crazy in his dreams. Then, he would wake up with sweat all over his body. When he woke up, his heart was empty.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    This woman had already sunk into his life and he was inseparable from her. From now on, he would not lose her again. He would let her be by his side till the end of his life, until the end of eternity.

    This feeling was clearer than before. He grasped it tightly and no longer wanted to give it up.

    He kissed her passionately, wanting to turn everything in the past into dust. They started over again, until the woman in his arms fell softly into his armsand allowed him to hold her until she had fallen asleep. Then, he would hug her and rub her face. He whispered in a deep voice,¡°Jenna, I love you. Please don¡¯t leave me again.¡±

    When Jenna confirmed that she was still alive, the feeling of floating in the sky gradually faded away. There was a familiar voice in her ears and an intoxicated breath on her noses and eyelids.

    Her heart was in a state of utter confusion. When Hansen carried her out and ced her on the bed, they looked into each other¡¯s eyes. She felt like she was in a dream.

    Was it a dream?

    No, it was just an ill-fated rtionship from their previous life.

    His eyes were as deep as the ocean and the light in his eyes was as gentle as the spring breeze in March. Caressing every inch of her skin. Her hand grasped his clothes tightly as if he would disappear at any time. At this moment, her eyes were full of desire and dependence, which were the most genuine emotions from the depths of her heart.

    Hansen¡¯s lips dropped onto her lips. It was careful and domineering but also extremely light. Jenna felt that she had melted herself into water andpletely embraced him once again.

 Chapter 345 Want To Chase Me Out? Thatâ€™s Out Of The Question

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna.¡± His voice came from the horizon, awakening her from the intoxicated dream. She suddenly opened her eyes and looked at him. After a while, her fingers touched his face, slowly prated his thick hair, and gently paused at that spot.

    This man could destroy her will easily.She thought that she had already built up a wall around her heartbutit seemed that all of it had disintegrated in just two days.

    Taking advantage of this situation, Hansen grabbed her hand and held her fingertips. Her fingertips were no longer cold. They were warm.It was veryfortable and sultry to be held in his big palm.

    He fixed her slender fingers on the head of the bed with one hand and his breathing became heavy. He stretched out his other hand to touch her lips, which were red and beautiful from his kiss. He gently slipped his fingers into her clothes and the soft touch of her smooth skin made him gradually intoxicated. His mind went nk and his breathing became heavier and heavier.

    Jenna hadpletely lost herself. Under his lead, she seemed to be floating in the sky like clouds. Her consciousness was fading away.

    Just like that, they had lost themselves.

    ¡°Wahhhh.¡± The sound of a cry woke them up from their dreams. Jerry was crying in his sleep.

    Jenna pushed Hansen away and sat up. She turned around and held Jerry in her arms, rocking him gently tofort him.

    After a while, Jerry fell asleep again.

    This little thing was deliberately ying tricks on him, wasn¡¯t he?

    Hansen squatted in front of the bed. The heat all over his body was rising wave after wave.

    Jenna helped cover Jerry¡¯s quilt and turned around. She saw the wave of emotion in Hansen¡¯s eyes, as well as the dark light deep in the depths of his eyes.

    Apparently, he was still trapped in the passion just nowbut Jenna had alreadye out of it. Just now, Jerry¡¯s cries seemed to have hit her head like a truckwhich caused her to wake up in an instant.

    She quickly got out of bed, tidied up her clothes and headed for the bathroom.

    Jerry¡¯s clothes were still in the basin.

    ¡°No.¡± Hansen held her hand and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Jenna, go and buy a new one. You don¡¯t have to wash it anymore. Don¡¯t be so hard on yourself.¡±

    Buy a new one? Jenna heard it clearly, but she shook off his hand without hesitation.

    She forced a smile. He was a man. Of course he wouldn¡¯t know how unsuitable clothes were on the market right now, especially in a small town like this. It was better to wear the worn clothes instead of buying new ones. Every time she bought some clothes for Jerry, she would only let him wear them after she had washed it three times and dried it under the sun.

    Did he think that he could just get Jerry to put on the clothes right after he had bought them? Furthermore, there was only one specialty store in this town.How many new clothes could he buy?

    She kept walking towards the bathroom and rolled up her sleeves. Worried that he would disturb her again, she said, ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s gettingte. Go back to the hotel. I can handle it here.¡±

    Her tone was warm and soft, but it was also very indifferent and alienating.

    ¡°Does she want to chase me away?¡±

    Hearing this, Hansen felt very ufortable. This woman wanted to chase him away again. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to stay here? After all, he was Jerry¡¯s fatherbut she had always thought of him as nothing but a passer-by.

    The more he thought about it, the more upset he felt.

    ¡°What would you eat if I¡¯m gone?¡± He asked with some anger.

    ¡°I¡¯d just get takeout. Don¡¯t worry about me. You can leave now.¡± The sky was gradually darkening and it was almost night time. Moreover, the night in Wullen Town was longer than its daytime, sonight would arrive a bit early.

    ¡°Trying to chase me away? Impossible.¡± Hansen¡¯s face darkened as he took his phone out.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    After a while, Jenna heard him call Alvin and asked him to send his toiletries from the hotel.

    Listening to his tone, it seemed like he was nning to spend the night with Jerry. Unfortunately, this bed was so small. Being such a tall man, how could he sleep with Jerry here?

    She could sleep on the bed with Jerry in her arms or doze off next to him, but could he do that?

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s not that I want to drive you away. It¡¯s justthat you can¡¯t stay here. As you can see, there¡¯s only one bed and it¡¯s so small. If you insist on staying here, you won¡¯t be able to rest at night.¡± She exined while scrubbing the clothes in her hands, taking advantage of the spare time to wash the clothes. Especially with Hansen¡¯s tuxedo, she had to take it home and iron it. His pants were equally dirtybut she could not take them off because he did not have a pair of trousers to change into.

    ¡°If you can take care of him, so can I. It¡¯s nothing if I don¡¯t sleep for a night. I know that you have to take care of him during the day tomorrow. You may need to take care of him for a few nights. I am worried to leave you to take care of him alone. Don¡¯t think that I have suffered less than you. I had cruel military training every year back in high school and college.¡± Hansen dismissed Jenna¡¯s exnation. She wanted him to return to the hotel alone, but he would rather squeeze himself in this ward. At least the three of them would stay together.It was warm and fulfilling. Furthermore, he seemed to have a special feeling towards the ward.

    Jenna knew that she couldn¡¯t convince him so she didn¡¯t force him anymore. In her mind, she thought that after Alvin sent over his clothes, she would ask him to change into it. With this, she could wash the clothes together and bring them home for ironing, then bring them to him the next day. It¡¯s just that, he has to take care of Jerry by himself tonight. He was Jerry¡¯s father and they wouldn¡¯t see each other that much in the future, so it wasn¡¯t a bad idea for him to look after Jerry.

    At the moment, she did not refute him anymore but her movements became faster.

    Alvin¡¯s speed was fast.

    A big bag of things was quickly handed over to Hansen.

    After taking over the items in his hands, Alvin asked if there was anything else.Hansen shook his head and allowed him to leave.

    ¡°Quick, change out of your pants.¡± Jerry¡¯s clothes in Jenna¡¯s hand were almost done. She was moving onto his suit. As the fabric was expensive, she had to buy a soft brush and wiped it with scented soap. Then, she ced the suit onto the stone tformwhich was not too big and scrubbed it gently.

    His suit was not dirty at first,soon it was already clean. Considering that he liked to be clean, she specially used some disinfectant liquid and rinsed it a few times with clear water. Only when she could no longer see little bubbles in the clear water, she confirmed it to be clean. Then, she took it out of the water.She didn¡¯t wring it very tightly out of fear that the suit would be wrinkled.

    She took the rack and hung it up. She was about to hang it on the balcony when she felt her vision go dark. She lifted her head and saw Hansen walking in with a pair of trousers in his hand.

    With just one look, she almost cried out in shock.

    This fellow had only used a towel to wrap around his lower bodysohis upper body was naked. His beautiful figure appeared in front of her eyes.His white skin swayed a bit as her eyes became a bit blurry.

    This guy¡¯s figure was really good. The muscles on his chest were well-definedand there was no sign of fat on his abdomen. The lines were really beautiful and sexy.

    It was impossible for a woman not to be obsessed with such a man who had a high IQ and lots of halos over his head.

    Jenna was so shocked that she covered her mouth. After staring at him for a while, she quickly moved away.

    ¡°If this man wants a woman, he wouldn¡¯t have to go looking. A lot of women woulde to him, not to mention that he has the wealth and power that women desire.¡±

    At the thought of this, she suddenly felt a sense of destion in her heart.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± When Hansen saw Jenna¡¯s red face and ears, and her anxious expression, he deliberately asked, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m very handsome? If you want to look at me, then go on. I don¡¯t mind at all. I¡¯m even willing to sacrifice myself for you.¡±

    He deliberately made fun of herand itmade Jenna speechless.

    ¡°What were you thinking about!¡± Jenna ignored his arrogance. She grabbed his trousers and threw them into the basin. When she threw them into the basin, she found out that he also took his shirt off and put them together.

    ¡°My shirt has been dirtied as well. Since you like to do someundry, I figured you wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± said Hansenzily as he stood outside.

    ¡°Sh*t! What do you mean by ¡®I like to doundry¡¯? This guy doesn¡¯t appreciate her kindness and even thinks that she was enjoying it!¡±

    However, Jenna was toozy to talk nonsense with himso she¡¯d better try not to talk to him as much as possible.

    The facts proved that the longer she stayed with him, the more dangerous it was. In just two days, he always showed the desire to swallow her.

    Even though she was willing to sacrifice herself in exchange for custody for Jerry, that doesn¡¯t mean that she could be bullied by him. Moreover, the morepatible they were, the harder it would be for her to break free from him in the future.

    She turned over and closed the door of the bathroom. Hansen was standing outside and looking at her with aggression. He did not expect Jenna to close the door so quickly. Only when he saw the beige door closing upon him did he return to his senses.

    All of a sudden, this act became stale.

    ¡°You d*mn woman, you dare to treat me like this? Are you so afraid that I¡¯d eat you up?¡±

    He turned his head and saw that Jerry was still sleeping. Feeling bored, he leaned against the door frame and chatted with Jenna from time to time through the door.

    ¡°Jenna, how long have you been living in this town?¡± He raised his voice in the deep darkness.

    In the beginning, Jenna could still hear his voicebut after she had turned on the water, she could not hear anything. It was not until she used a clothed rack to hang up the clothes that she saw Hansen lying on the edge of the bed,looking at Jerry.

    Jerry was already awake!

    ¡°Jerry, I¡¯m your father,¡± he said, his voice was warm and a faint smile could be seen on his face. ¡°Do you know that?¡±

    ¡°Mom, Mom.¡± It was clear that Jerry wasn¡¯t buying it. He looked at Hansen for a moment. Seeing that there wasa stranger in front of him,his mouth was shrivelled up and he was about to cry.

    Jenna¡¯s heart tightened as she hurried forward. She saw Jerry lying weakly on the bed with a pale face and a pair of ck eyes vigntly looking at Hansen. It was as if the handsome guy who was talking to him was a bad guy. He opened his mouth and looked as if he was about to cry. She smiled gently at Jerry and said, ¡°Baby, good boy, don¡¯t cry. Mom¡¯s here. I was just washing your clothes. Lie down for a while, I woulde back after I¡¯ve dried the clothes.¡±

    Jerry¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw Jenna. He opened his small hands and his mouth was filled with affection. His voice became sticky as he said, ¡°Mom, hug me.¡±

    ¡°Okay, wait for me.¡± Jenna quickly went to the balcony to dry the clothes. Then,she ran in like a gust of wind and reached out her hands to pick up Jerry.

 Chapter 346 Are You Okay With This?

    ¡°Mom.¡± As soon as Jerry was picked up by Jenna, he softlyy in her arms and weakly cried out with his head against the clothes at the front of her chest.

    Usually, he would be restless when she held him in her arms. When did he be so weak? The child didn¡¯t know how to act. It showed that he was really ill this time.

    Jenna¡¯s beautiful brows knitted together. She hugged him and sat down on a chair beside her. With her back facing Hansen, she raised the clothes on her chest and began breastfeeding.

    Hansen was stunned for a moment. Then, a self-deprecating smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He picked up his clothes and walked into the bathroom.

    The night in Wullen Town was very dark.A cool breeze apanied the drizzle. Even though it was not cold, it was still cool enough to cause people to feel a chill.

    Jenna closed all the doors and windows. When she touched Jerry¡¯s body and found that his clothes were soaked with sweat, she changed his clothes into clean clothes with cartoon patterns under the quilt. When she took off his clothes, she saw that Jerry, who was usually white and chubby and had a fleshy texture had lost a lot of weight. She could even touch his bones when she was changing him. Her heart ached as she took out a lush towel from the bag. It wasfortable and soft, and she ced it on his back. Just as she was done, she saw Hansen walking out of the shower in his robes.

    As soon as he turned his head, his hair which was wet slipped on his forehead. His ck nightgown made his skin even whiter and he exuded a faint, milky fragrance of the shower. He looked noble and gorgeous.

    Even Jerry felt that there was something different about him. As hey on the bed, he began to stare at him with his pitch-ck eyes.

    Hansen was amused by Jerry¡¯s gaze. He walked over and smiled at him. In a soft voice, he asked, ¡°Jerry, do you like Daddy? If you like me, then recover quickly. I will take you out to y, okay?¡±

    His voice was soft and maic. It was very pleasant to listen to. Not only was it pleasant to Jerry, even Jenna who was sitting next to him was extremelyfortable when she listened to him.

    Jerry may be small, but his sensitivity wasn¡¯t any less than an adult¡¯s. Of course, he could sense his good intentions. However, even though he was staring at Hansen with a natural and unrestrained expression, the vignce in his eyes was still very high.

    This little guy was a real man. He knew that the handsome man in front of him looked down on his mother and the vignce in his eyes was high.

    However, he was ill and hecked energy. He couldn¡¯t keep staring at him. He was trying to protect his mother.However, after staring at him for a while, his eyelids slowly became heavierand he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.

    Jenna covered him with a quilt and stood up straight.

    ¡°Hansen, since you¡¯re here, I¡¯ll go back first. Remember, you have to get up and let Jerry pee. At about 5 o¡¯clock in the morning, you need to feed him medicine once before going to bed. At that time, you need to touch his forehead to see if he has a fever. If he has a fever, you need to call for a doctor quickly. Otherwise, his brain might get damaged by the fever. Jerry doesn¡¯t like sleeping with the quilt, so you have to pay more attention to him at night to prevent him from catching a cold¡­ When Jerry is hungry at night, you need to get up and make some milk for him.¡± Jenna cleaned up the things on her hands and exined everything in detail. She was really worried, so she took out the milk bottle and said, ¡°One scoop, 30 grams, mixed with 60 ml of warm water. Remember that it¡¯s warm water. Itwould not be nutritious if you used hot water¡­¡±

    She insisted on the small details and lectured him. After she finished her lecture, she looked up and asked seriously, ¡°Do you understand? If you don¡¯t, you¡¯re allowed to ask me anything.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    With his arms crossed in front of his chest, Hansen tilted his head and looked down at her. His eyes were dark and unfathomable.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re going to leave us here tonight?¡± He asked domineeringly with an unpredictable smile on his mouth.

    Jenna was stunned and she looked at the hospital bed. She said helplessly, ¡°There is no other way. This hospital bed is too small. You didn¡¯t want to go back to the hotel, so I would have to leave. I have to take these clothes back and iron them.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really able to do this?¡± Hansen looked at her in disbelief.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Jenna turned her head to look at Jerry. Her heart ached. However, this little bed was simply too small. She couldn¡¯t possibly sit on a chair for the entire night.

    ¡°If you¡¯re really okay with me taking care of Jerry, then you can leave. Besides, I haven¡¯t even had dinner yet.¡± When Hansen saw that Jenna didn¡¯t want to remain, it was obvious that she didn¡¯t want to be in the same room with him. She was afraid of attracting gossip. After all, they were both in the hospital and all the residents were locals of the town. Everyone had their eyes on them. It wasn¡¯t like the hotel, where no one knew each other.

    It was impossible for Hansen not to see through her thoughts. Thus, he did not ask her directly and only said this.

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go eat first? I¡¯ll wait here for you to finish your meal before I leave.¡± Jenna thought about it for a moment. He hadn¡¯t had a single meal so far. That could not be allowed. He wouldn¡¯t have the energy to take care of Jerry at night. For Jerry¡¯s sake, she would have to wait a bit longer.

    ¡°Do you think I could leave in this state?¡± Hansen¡¯s question came again. He pointed at the robe he was wearing.

    Jenna frowned. ¡°Did you bring only one set of clothes?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Hansen was a little hesitant. Indeed, he had brought another set of clothes with him. However, he visited her courtyard every night over the past few days. It had been drenched by the rain. Yesterday, he had pestered Jenna passionately and had forgotten to clean up his clothes at the hotel. He had sent Alvin to theundromat today. Even if he wanted to wear them, he would have to wait till tomorrow. ¡°However, it got wet from the rain.¡± He finally added.

    Of course it did!

    This guy, he had even ordered her to throw away this expensive suit. If she really threw it away, what would he wear then?! Fortunately, she was wise enough to wash it for him.

    Since it hade to this, it was better to take the suit home and iron it.

    ¡°Then, I will go out to buy you something to eat. You can wait here.¡± Jenna put down her things and went out.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to eat those.¡± Hansen stretched out his long arm and pulled her into his embrace.

    ¡°Then what do you want to eat?¡± Jenna pushed him and said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡±

    Hansen raised his head and thought for a moment. He whispered in her ear, ¡°I only want to eat the dishes you cook. Those are not appetizing at all.¡±

    Heavens, Jenna waspletely speechless!

    He was already an adult, yet he was acting like Jerry and throwing a tantrum over a meal!

    She must¡¯ve owed the two of them a lot in her previous life!

    ¡°Please, it¡¯s already sote. Where am I going to cook? Can¡¯t you be a little more sensible?¡± Jenna started scolding him the way she lectured Jerry.

    Hansen smiled. ¡°How about this? You could stay with me and Jerry tonight, then I¡¯ll eat anything you want. Otherwise, if I don¡¯t eat well, I won¡¯t be able to take care of my son. You wouldn¡¯t want that to happen, do you?¡±

    He had a sufficient amount of excuses.Jennathought for a moment but before she could nod, she heard Hansen continue, ¡°I couldn¡¯t remember a single word you told me about how to take care of Jerry. I don¡¯t know what to do at all.¡±

    These words pierced right into Jenna¡¯s heart. She thought that he, as the Young Master, had never taken care of a child before. It would not be good for her to hand over Jerry to him in this way.

    Jerry was her life. She couldn¡¯t possibly entrust him to a man like him. Thus, she nodded without hesitation.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll order food right away.¡± As soon as she nodded, Hansen anxiously obeyed her words and started to make a phone call.

    This way, she would not be able to leave.

    Jenna sighed and put down the things in her hands.

    After theplete victory, a look of joy appeared on Hansen¡¯s faceand he was in high spirits.

    Soon, he called a hotel nearby and ordered a lot of good dishes.

    Jenna went to the nurse¡¯s station to ask if she could get a new bed. However, the hospital¡¯s conditions in this town were too poor. All of the wards were upied and there were not enough nurses in the hospital. Let alone getting a new bed, it was impossible to get an extra quilt.

    This situation made Jenna very depressed and helpless. When she came back, she saw that the simple and crude tables in the ward were full of lunch boxes.

    It turned out that Hansen had already called a sumptuous dinner and was busy preparing them.

    ¡°Come on. Can you even finish that many dishes?¡± Jenna came over and saw that the table was already fund there were many boxes beside it. There was no ce to put them at all!

    This fellow was already used to such extravagant waste!

    ¡°Of course. You have to eat more since you¡¯ve worked so hard to help me clean my clothes.¡± Hansen smiled happily. His voice was gentle and moving.

    Jenna gave him a faint nce. ¡°It¡¯s only natural for me to help you wash your clothes. You can¡¯t go out naked, can you? Do you think I¡¯d cherish this meal?¡±

    Her voice was calm and indifferent. There was also a helpless expression on her face. Hansen shouted upon hearing this.¡°Forget it. If that¡¯s the case, then you shouldn¡¯t have washed the clothes. Just throw it away and let me go out naked instead.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ are crazy.¡± Jenna was choked by his words. Imagining the way he¡¯d go out naked, she felt a little funnybut thinking a little bit more of it, she felt that he was being evil. It was strange for her to imagine him naked.

    Her face suddenly turned red.

    Hansen giggled and put his arm around her shoulder,forting her. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be so disappointing. Whoever said that you¡¯d cherish this meal? From your tone, you really made me sound like a viin. I only wanted you to eat a little better so that you can feed my son breast milk. Was that better?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s stern face softened and she didn¡¯t say anything.

    Hansen picked up the herbal soup in front of him and handed it to her. However, he said in amanding tone, ¡°Quick, sip it.¡±

    These words were more or less ear-piercing to Jenna. This fellow¡¯s overbearingness was really innate. Even if he invited her to have a good meal, he would not speak in a good manner.Did he really think that she had to be grateful to him with this attitude?

    After thinking about it, she didn¡¯t care anymore. After all, she was hungry too. She took the stewed pot in front of her and drank it with her head down.

    Perhaps the taste of the herbal soup was good or maybe she was hungry.She gulped down the herbal soup in just a few mouthfuls.

 Chapter 347 Ate Everything

    ¡°Drink this soup.¡± Seeing that she had finished her soup, Hansen handed over another bowl of silky-white fish soup. Jenna looked up and saw that he was holding a phone in one hand, staring at the screen, and handing her the fish soup in the other hand. He muttered, ¡°After drinking this, there¡¯s porridge, and after that, there¡¯s pork leg cooked with peanuts¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing? Do you think I could finish everything?¡± Jenna did not know whether tough or to cry. It seemed that this guy must¡¯ve searched for some food on the inte and ordered whatever came up.

    ¡°A woman needs to be a little curvier to be cute. You¡¯re too thinand Jerry wants to have breast milk. You¡¯ve worked too hard. Eat more.¡± Hansen simply stood by the side, as if he¡¯s andlord supervising some workers. He red at the food in her hand and said tactlessly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, these are all the food I¡¯ve searched online. They¡¯re the food most suitable for women who are breastfeeding.¡±

    He spoke in a clear and logical way and did not allow Jenna to deny it. He just stood beside her, domineering and strong enough to refrain her from resisting. It seemed that if she did not drink these things, she would be severely punished.

    Jennained in her heart. In the beginning, she was still hungry.However, after drinking a bowl of herbal soup, a bowl of fish soup, and facing the porridge, she couldn¡¯t eat anymore.

    ¡°Hansen, I really can¡¯t eat this. Let me have some rice.¡± Jenna felt helpless when she saw him. He did not eat anything, yet he stood by her side and urged her to eat instead. She had no freedom at all. She could only beg him if she wanted to have something else.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Hansen pondered for a moment. Seeing how ufortable she was, he gave up the idea of forcing her.

    Finally letting her go, Jenna was secretly rejoiced. Then she saw him carrying a box full of rice and handed it to her.He knelt down and opened the lunch boxes one after another. Then, in front of Jenna, the dishes that she had to eat consisted of braised pigeon, c chicken wings, abalone¡­ They were all the most expensive and also her favourite dishes.

    ¡°After eating these, there¡¯s also a butter cake, pastries, meatballs¡­ These are all very good and they¡¯re what you usually like to eat.¡± As Hansen continued to count his lunch boxes, he muttered in his mouth.

    Jenna was stunned and didn¡¯t know what was going on.

    If she really finished all of this by herself, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to make it past that night.

    ¡°Is this guy going too far? Does he want to make me gain weight?¡±

    Moreover, he didn¡¯t even eat. He wasjust staring at her. No matter how good her appetite was, she wouldn¡¯t be able to eat when being stared at.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    ¡°Well, Hansen, aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± After a long time, she mumbled, reminding him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry. I¡¯ll eat when you¡¯re done. You have to eat two people¡¯s worth of meals. You can¡¯t be sloppy.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was full of seriousness. He treated her dinner as a major priority.

    Jenna secretly nced at the bill next to the lunch box. This dinner cost over 5000 dors. Did he mistake her for a pig? Was there a human who could ever eat that much?

    ¡°You should go to bed early after dinner. I¡¯ll take care of Jerry tonight.¡± Hansen saw that she looked a little haggard. Thinking about how many clothes she had just washed, his heart was full of pity for her. He caressed her earlobe and said gently.

    ¡°You¡¯d better eat quickly. Don¡¯t worry about me. I am not a child and I know how to eat.¡± Although he had asked her to eat that much and the fact that he was so overbearing, Jenna didn¡¯t me him at all. Instead, she felt a little sweet and warm.

    Hansen looked at her little face. Her face was red and her eyes were downcast. Her long eyshes were blinking, and she was very docile and obedient. His heart shook and he curled his thin lips. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to eat too. You should try to eat as much as you can. Tell me what you¡¯d like to eat tomorrow. Do not starve yourself.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna answered obediently. She lowered her head and her tone became softer. Her voice was so soft that only she could hear it.

    She felt as if her heart was about to be swept away by his warmth. She felt dizzy and as if she was about to float.

    Hansen really began to eat. As soon as he sat down to eat, he felt extremely hungry and gulped down his food. When he finished eating, Jenna had already eaten her fill. It was just that the box of rice was barely touchedand she didn¡¯t eat much. He frowned with his sword-shaped eyebrows. Why did she eat so little? She must know that she had to eat two people¡¯s worth of food now. No wonder Jerry was always so hungry that he cried.

    He sighed slightly in his heart.

    Jenna stood up and tidied up the food on the table.

    ¡°Don¡¯t buy so much in the future. It¡¯s a waste,¡± said Jenna as she put away some of the untouched lunch boxes with stic bags. Most of them had been thrown away.

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to waste it. It¡¯s not for others anyway. It¡¯s for my woman and child. What are you afraid of? It¡¯s just some little thing. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Hansen did not take it seriously.Could he not afford to give them what they want?

    Although his words were overbearing, Jenna still felt warm and sweet in her heart.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you throwing them away?¡± Hansen pointed at the lunch boxes again and asked curiously.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t touched these yet. I¡¯ll take them back to heat them up for my mother. I¡¯ll still have toe to the hospital tomorrow, my mother has some difficulty moving around.¡± Jenna exined as she cleaned up the table.

    ¡°I forgot about her.¡± Hansen suddenly realized and said with a serious face, ¡°You should throw those lunch boxes away. How can they be eaten tomorrow? How about this? I will ask the waiter to send some food over for your Mom tomorrow. She¡¯s already old. How could she eat leftovers? It¡¯s not good for her health.¡±

    Hansen frowned as he spoke. Taking advantage of Jenna¡¯s inattentiveness, he picked up the lunch boxes and walked outside to throw them into a trash bag.

    Jenna wanted to stop him, but it was toote. She had no choice but to let him go.

    After tidying up the table, she looked at Jerry who was sleeping and said softly, ¡°Jerry,I have something to do at home. I¡¯ll be back soon. When you wake up, you have to take your medicine obediently. Listen to Daddy and don¡¯t cry.¡±

    After saying that, she kissed his young and tender face. She stood up and packed up the wet clothes thenshe saw Hansen walk in.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Hansen immediately remembered something when he saw that she was about to leave with the bag. His expression darkened as he blurted out.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go home and get these clothes dry before bringing them over. Also, there¡¯s not enough of Jerry¡¯s clothes here. He¡¯s still sweating, so I need to prepare a few more. Furthermore, the milk powder isn¡¯t enough. My mother is still at home, so she¡¯s definitely worried. No matter what, I have to go home first and take a look.¡± Jenna exined softly. ¡°Take care of Jerry here. Remember to feed him after he wakes up. Also, although he¡¯s recovered from the fever, he¡¯s still sick. You need to take good care of him. I¡¯ll be back in a minute.¡±

    She spoke in a soft and detailed manner. Her face was full of tenderness that was rarely seen in the past few days. Hansen¡¯s heart slowly rxed, but he still stopped her. With a heartache, he said, ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s toote today. Why don¡¯t you stay for now? You could still go back tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not far anyway. I have to go home to have a look. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid that my mother will be worried about me.¡± Jenna smiled at him and pushed his hand away.Her tone was very determined.

    Hansen saw that there was no way to stop her. He had no choice but to say, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a ride. If you¡¯re too tired, you don¡¯t have toe back here tonight. Leave Jerry to me.¡±

    Although Hansen wasn¡¯t willing to let her leave, he was still very particr when it came to the consideration of her life¡¯s safety.

    ¡°Why would you give me a ride? What if Jerry wakes up?¡± Jenna pouted her lips at Jerry and refused to let Hansen leave with her no matter what. It was already sote and he still wanted to leave Jerry alone in the room? How could he do that?

    Hansen looked at Jerry helplessly. He had nothing else to say. After all, Jerry¡¯s safety was the most important thing.

    Seeing that Jenna was about to leave the ward, he suddenly took a step forward, stretched out his long arm and pulled her into his arms. He said softly in her ear, ¡°Come back early in the morning tomorrow. Don¡¯t bete. I will be waiting for you.¡±

    After that, his lips fell on her face and the kiss made her tremble!

    ¡°No, I¡¯lle once I¡¯m done. If I really were to hand Jerry over to you, I wouldn¡¯t be at ease.¡± Jenna pushed him away and couldn¡¯t recall the words he had just said. So she responded with absolute certainty and then turned around and quickly ran away.

    Even after walking for such a long distance, her heart was still beating wildly.

    Gradually, she felt that she could not refuse him at all! Not only that, but the attachment and love she had for him in her heart was getting deeper and deeper.

    She remembered that she would have toe back to the hospitalter, so she quickened her pace and hurried home.

    Hansen stared at her departing figure as the corners of his lips curled into a smile. However, he remembered that she would be rushing back to the hospital in the middle of the night. His face was filled with worry and his smile faded away.

    Jenna rushed home, took out the key and opened the door. It was dark in the room. She closed the umbre and turned on the switch of themp on the wall.

    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Sara was not sleeping in the room. She sat on the sofa. Her body was stiff and her eyes were empty and confused.

    ¡°Mom, you haven¡¯t slept yet.¡± Jenna was shocked and her heart tightened when she saw Sara¡¯s sad face.

    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you,¡± said Sara in a deep voice. She had been maintaining this posture for a very long time and when she saw that Jenna had returned, her body finally turned soft and she let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Mom, Jerry is fine. Don¡¯t worry. Go and rest. I¡¯m going to dry Jerry¡¯s clothes before taking them over. I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯ll have a fever tonight.¡± Jennaforted Sara as she moved.

    She took out a clothes dryer and ced their clothes into it. When she turned the switch on and started the timer, she thought of something and asked, ¡°Mom, have you eaten yet?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Sara answered briefly with her face slightly leaning to one side. Under the dim light, her face was a little blurry. Jenna obviously saw the sad expression on her face. Her heart trembled and she said softly, ¡°Mom, it¡¯ste now. Go to sleep first. Don¡¯t get sick.¡±

    Sara sat still and closed her eyes slightly. Jenna seemed to hear her heavy sigh and felt sad.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with my body. You¡¯re the one who should be careful,¡± she muttered.

    Jenna understood her and smiled.¡°Mom, I know. You can go to sleep without worries!¡±

    Sara didn¡¯t feel sleepy at all. She just sat there in a daze and her face was slightly pale.

 Chapter 348 No Compromises

    Jenna went to the room to search for Jerry¡¯s clothes and picked up a few sets.Just in case Hansen disliked his son wearing such poor clothes. She then took out her daily necessities and put them in bags. She remembered what Hansen had said to her before she leftand looked very anxious. When she came out again, Sara had already stood up.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll help you to bed,¡± Jenna said softly. ¡°Jerry is suffering from pneumonia, so he¡¯ll probably have to stay in the hospital for a few days.¡±

    Sara held her hand and spoke with a serious face, ¡°Jenna, were you with Hansenst night?¡±

    For such a long time, it was the first time that Jenna hadn¡¯te home at night. That night, she didn¡¯t dare close her eyes. In Wullen Town, there¡¯s no one she knew, so she was worried about her safety.

    However, that day, when Hansen came back with her, she suddenly understood everything.

    ¡°Yes, Mom.¡± Jenna dared not to look into Sara¡¯s eyes, so she lowered her head and answered in a low voice.

    ¡°What is he doing here? Did hee for you? Or did he have other purposes?¡± The smile on Sara¡¯s face was goneand her voice became stern.

    Jenna was a little scared. She didn¡¯t know if Hansen hade here for her or if he had some other purpose. She wanted to have a talk with him the day before, but Jerry¡¯s sudden illness had interrupted her.So, she really couldn¡¯t exin everything.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s your n? Go back with him? Or let him take Jerry away?¡± Sara¡¯s eyes were more serious than everand her voice was a little cold.

    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Jenna didn¡¯t know how to answer her. She looked up at her mother¡¯s serious face. The sorrow in the depths of her eyes could not be concealed and her heart was slightly bitter. After a while, she looked up and whispered, ¡°Mom, he is not married.¡±

    This was the information she got when she searched for his name on the inte, that he was not married.

    ¡°Of course he¡¯s not married.¡± Sara had a calm expression on her face and a look of understanding in her eyes.

    ¡°Mother, you knew?¡± Jenna raised her head in surprise.

    Sara¡¯s face darkened and she said in a t, monotone voice.

    ¡°Given his current status,there¡¯s only one exnation for him to appear so openly in front of you and Jerry. That is, he¡¯s not married and has no worries. Otherwise, you and Jerry would be his scandal andhis stain. No matter how much he loves you, he¡¯ll have to pay attention to his image and wouldn¡¯t dare to offend his wife at home.¡±

    This sentence made Jenna¡¯s heart surge with a trace of excitement. ¡°Mom, if it¡¯s really like thisthen that means he loves me sincerely and wants to take me back, right?¡±

    ¡°So, you want to go back with him to be a wealthy housewife?¡± Sara asked sharply without any hesitationrather than answering her question.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment.The starlight in her heart was extinguished in an instant. She looked at Sara and couldn¡¯t speak.

    Sara watched her daughter¡¯s every move as if she could see through Jenna. Her hands, which were holding onto the crutches, were trembling.

    Jenna wanted to help her sit down,but she wanted to stand there, as if she were showing some sort of determination. She was adamant and would not allow anyone to vite her.

    ¡°Jenna, you must listen to me this time. This matter cannot be rushed. No matter how much Hansen loves you, how many reasons he has, to take you and Jerry away, I would notpromise.¡± Sara clenched her teeth andher face was filled with determination.

    ¡­

    It wasn¡¯t until this period of time that she truly understood her daughter¡¯s situation in the Richards family. As long as she thought of Jenna¡¯s fate in the Richards family, her heart ached. She even wanted to die.

    ¡°Believe me. Men are like this. They won¡¯t cherish things that are easy to get. If he really wants to marry you, he and the Richards family must show more sincerity,¡± said Sara with a clear and definitemitment.

    Speaking of this, she looked at Jenna¡¯s confused look and sighed. She took Jenna¡¯s hand and spoke.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    ¡°Jenna, it was our fault back then. It was your father¡¯s fault. I shouldn¡¯t have listened to Vivian¡¯s words and married you into the Richards family. During this period of time, I truly understood what kind of life you have lived with the Richards family. This kind of life is too lowly for a woman. Why¡­ Why didn¡¯t you tell me all of this earlier? If I knew this earlier, I would have taken you home immediately. You are smart, beautiful, and sensible. However,the Richards family treated you like trash. They didn¡¯t give you a position and even the maids dared to bully you. I would never be able to forgive them for this. These days, whenever I think of this, I cannot sleep and eat in peace. I feel extremely guilty.¡±

    Sara let out the breath that was caught in her chest. She had always wanted to say these wordsbut when she recalled that her daughter had already broken away from the Richards family, she didn¡¯t want to mention it again. She was afraid of triggering her sorrow. However, now that Hansen had appeared, she had no choice but to say it. She had to remind Jenna.

    Jenna closed her lips tightlyand her heart was so bitter that she could not bear it.

    ¡°Jenna, I know that you still love Hansen. I know all too well in my heart. However, this time, I would neverpromise again. One can¡¯t stoop too low in the name of ¡®love¡¯. Otherwise, it is not worthy to call it ¡®love¡¯. Love is absolutely equal for everyone involved. What¡¯s more, our family is in decline now. We have no money and no position. We can¡¯t afford to get close to the Richards family.¡± Sara¡¯s voice became louder and louder. She knocked the floor with her crutch and said, ¡°He was the one who divorced you that dayand now he wants you back?Who did he take us Murphy family for? Does he think that no one would want you? We may be poor, but we would never give up on our principles.¡±

    The more she spoke, the angrier she gotand her voice trembled. It was better not to mention these things. It was obvious that Marissa Sotomayor had treated her daughter that way because she felt that she was too poor for their family.So, she helped Aria McAdams trample on her daughter. She had always made things difficult for her daughter. Since ancient times, the rtionship between mother-inw and daughter-inw was difficult to deal withbut Hansen was such a jerk. He had forced her daughter to escape to America for three years. In those years, she looked forward to seeing her daughter every day, but her daughter always said that she had to study and had no time. Now that it was evident, they were the ones who forced Jenna to wander off in foreignnds alone.

    She only had one daughter. If she didn¡¯t fight for her and didn¡¯t lecture her now, what would happen to her in the future?

    ¡°Mom, please, stop talking about this. Let¡¯s go to sleep.¡± Jenna held Sara tightlyand she begged desperately with tears in her eyes.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Sara touched her face and also hugged her. She murmured, ¡°I think that we¡¯re the ones to me.As parents,we have failed to give you a good life and could not support you from the sidelines that caused you to be looked down upon by others in the Richards family. However, now, I have figured everything out. Prosperity and riches are really nothing. As long as people live happily, it¡¯s enough. You are now 28 years oldand yet you have not lived a normal life since you¡¯ve married into the Richards family at the age of 20. We don¡¯t need their wealth. The youth of a woman is way too precious. You can¡¯t afford to gamble it away again. I hope you can find a man who really loves youand that you could live out the rest of your life with the man who could make you happy. Do you understand me?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s head was exploding. She understood Sara¡¯s worries. Her attitude was clear. She rejected Hansen and did not think much of the rich life of the Richards family.

    ¡°My child, the greatest happiness for women is not being extravagant or having a luxurious life. It is to find a manwho loves you, and to live a stable life. You are already at this age. If you marry into the Richards family again, with what had happened to you before, he, Hansen whohad been tempted by Aria beforecould also be seduced by other women too. If such a thing happens again, your life would be ruined. Think about it, am I right? If Hansen was wise enough, how would the two of you get here today? Besides, he is not an ordinary man and there are too many halos over his head. There are all kinds of temptations at any time. Being his woman, you would face more dangers than any other women. I don¡¯t want you to take these unnecessary risks. In the past, when we had our family background, you had lived such a difficult life. Now that we had lost everything,you would only have hardships waiting for you.¡± Sara¡¯s words were eased and low. She was worried about Jenna as her mother.

    Jenna¡¯s encounters in the Richards family, especially when she knew that they divorced, had caused her heart to ache so much that she could not fall asleep for the entire night.

    Everyone had their own children. Was there ever a mother who did not love her own children? Her daughter had to fight for herself in the Richards family. No one loved her and no one cared for her, while Norton Richards tried to snatch away Javon Murphy¡¯s position. All of these caused Sara to be upset.

    She had never been a woman who would let people trample all over her. She would risk her life to protect her daughter.

    Jenna stood there in a dazeand her heart was in a mess. It took a long time for her toe to her senses. She said with a bitter smile, ¡°Mom, I know what you¡¯re trying to say. Don¡¯t worry, I know what to do.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Sara stroked her daughter¡¯s soft hair and nodded. Her daughter had been obedient and sensible since she was a child. It was just that her fate was not good and she did not get the happiness that she deserved. However, she believed that God would always give her the happiness that she deserved. ¡°Jenna, I could only be at ease when you are happy. Promise me, if you and Hansen could not get through this, you must give uppletely and find a good man to marry in the future.¡± She heaved a long sigh and dered heavily.

    Upon hearing this, Jenna¡¯s heart started to tremble and she was filled with fear.

    Could she ever fall in love with someone else in this life?

    She slowly walked into the bedroom. Her whole head was dizzyand only Sara¡¯s words kept ringing in her ears.

    Sara remained standing as she stared at Jenna¡¯s despondent back.Her gaze was as deep as the sea.

    ¡°Jenna, believe me. Hold on a little longer.¡±

    ¡°You are my only daughter. I have to be cautious about your happiness. Who is Hansen right now? He¡¯s one of the wealthiest people alive.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how many women want to marry him. However, you are just a down-and-out girl. If you two get together again, could you live a stable life in the future?¡±

    ¡°I could disregard the past, but the future is what I¡¯m most worried about. Unless I could see real hope, I would persist to the end this time.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, you have to understand my worries. If you¡¯re going to follow him back to the Richards family, my objection now is just to fight for your position in the family.¡±

 Chapter 349 In A Hurry

    The clothes in the drying machine had been dried upand it was already midnight!

    Jenna took out Hansen¡¯s suit and put it on the ironing board. She touched the soft fabric in her hand. The workmanship was very refined. There was a unique smell on the suit. For a moment, Jenna looked at the suit in a daze.

    Hansen¡¯s warmth, his plunder on her, and the joy and ecstasy he gave her were all lingering around her like a devil, pulling at her heart. Her hands trembled slightly as she touched the suit. Sara¡¯s words rang in her ears.

    She bit her lip and turned on the iron.

    Hansen¡¯s suit was always so well-ironed and refined. The fabric was very soft and it was a little difficult to iron it. By the time Jenna had ironed it properly, a fineyer of sweat had already seeped out from her forehead.

    Finally, the clothes of both father and son were ready. Jenna breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that the foul odour from the house would cause the clothes to smell. So, Jenna took out a homemade flower perfume and sprayed some on their clothes. Then, she carefully put them away in the stic bags.

    Sara had already fallen asleep.

    Jenna took the things and quietly went out.

    The reason she was in such a hurry to get to the hospital was not because of Hansen. She was worried that Jerry would cry.

    As soon as she walked out of the courtyard, a straight figure was standing outside in the dark. The streetlights were dim, and it was obvious that it was a man.

    Hearing the footsteps, the man turned around and quickly came up to greet her.

    ¡°Hello, Young Madam.¡± Alvin walked up and greeted her gently.

    Jenna was stunned.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Jenna eximed. If Hansen sent him here, does he remember that Jerry was still in the hospital right now?

    ¡°Young Madam, Mr. Richards was worried that it¡¯s not safe for you to go out at nightso he specially sent me to pick you up.¡± Alvin answered very respectfully.

    So that¡¯s what it was!

    Jenna looked at the silence surrounding the vige in Jenova City. It was covered by the darkness with a deep chill. Only then did she feel scared. Fortunately, Hansen had sent Alvin to pick her up. Otherwise, she would really be scared.

    ¡°Young Madam, let me help you with the stuff. You just need to follow me.¡± Alvin said with a smile. He reached out to take the bag from Jenna¡¯s hand and turned to walk towards the dark alley in front.

    Jenna followed him closely.

    Alvin was not good at wordsand Jenna was not familiar with him. She was not willing to speak. They didn¡¯t speak on the way and soon arrived at the hospital gate.

    ¡°Here, Young Madam, I won¡¯t be going up.¡± After arriving at the hospital gate, Alvin handed the things in his hand to Jenna and said stiffly.

    ¡°Okay, thank you. You¡¯ve worked hard. Go back to sleep now,¡± said Jenna, smiling.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Young Madam.¡± Alvin felt a little uneasy and handed the things in his hand to Jenna. He wanted to say something but stopped on second thought.

    Jenna took the items. She was worried about Jerry and didn¡¯t pay attention to his expression. After saying ¡®good night¡¯, she turned around and walked towards the upper floors of the hospital.

    Before she reached the door of the ward, she heard Jerry¡¯s heart-wrenching cries. His cries were getting more and more miserable than thest.

    Jenna¡¯s heart tightenedand she felt bad. She ran towards the ward and opened the door.

    She couldn¡¯t bear to look straight at what was happening inside!

    Hansen was so busy that he was on the verge of copsing. Jerry was on the bed, staring at him with his legs wide open. He waved his hands and was crying. Even though he was sick, he was trying his best to resist it.

    Hansen, on the other hand, was clumsily preparing the milk. His body, face, and hair were all in a mess.

    ¡°Jerry, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jenna¡¯s heart ached. She was secretly d that she had rushed over and rushed in. She quickly picked up Jerry and patted him as she coaxed him.

    When Jerry heard this familiar voice and smelled the familiar and amiable smell of his mother, he quickly stopped crying and puckered his lips. Looking at Jenna, he kept calling out, ¡°Mom, Mom.¡±

    Jerry¡¯s forehead was covered in sweatand the tears on his face made Jenna¡¯s heart tighten. As she took a towel to wipe his sweat, she felt that the clothes on his back were already soaked with sweat. Fortunately, she had a towel on his back. Otherwise, she would have had to change him into another set of clothes.

    She quickly removed the towel and changed into a new, soft, and dry towel to cover his back.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw Jenna running in. He breathed a sigh of relief as if he witnessed a life-saving scene. He quickly picked up the milk powder and handed it over to Jenna. He said warmly, ¡°Jerry must be hungry. Let him drink some milk.¡±

    Jenna took over the milk and touched it. She was shocked. It was hot.

    ¡°Heavens, how could you make milk like this? It must be warm water!¡±

    It seemed that this guy really didn¡¯t take her words to heart and didn¡¯t care about her advice at all.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done well this time. You¡¯ve made milk for Jerry with such hot water. Not only has its nutrients been destroyed, but he also can¡¯t drink it. If he really drank it, wouldn¡¯t it damage his throat?¡± Jenna muttered to him. When she looked up, she saw that his face was covered with scratch marks. His hair, which was usually neat, was messy. Even his clothes had the smell of urine. She couldn¡¯t help but to feel angry and funny.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s all your son¡¯s fault.¡± Hansen didn¡¯t care about the mess on his head. He touched the nightgown on his body and was full of anger. ¡°This little b*stard not only cried, but also peed on me. As soon as he woke up, he started crying. I picked him up but he punched and kicked me repeatedly. Look, my face was scratched by him and my hair was messed up by him.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face was full of grievance. He red at Jerry with dissatisfaction and asked, ¡°Kid, are you going to treat your own father like this?¡±

    Jerry stopped crying and stared with a pair of ck eyes. He looked at Hansen¡¯s sorry state, and a smile appeared on his face that seemed like he was mocking him.

    This time, Hansen waspletely speechless.

    This little guy kept looking at him with his eyes wide open, but he refused to let him get close to him. It seemed like he was always saying, ¡°You big bad guy, who are you? Why did youe to rob my mother from me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Jenna said. ¡°Do you think raising a child is that easy? He doesn¡¯t even know you in the first ce. You can¡¯t me Jerry for this!¡± Jenna didn¡¯t feel any sympathy for him. Holding Jerry in her arms, she warmed up the water and prepared some milk for him.

    ¡°Did Jerry just wake up? He hasn¡¯t taken any medicine yet, has he?¡± She asked again.

    ¡°Of course.He didn¡¯t drink anything.¡± Hansen replied, matter-of-factly. He then moved closer to her and whispered in her ear, ¡°Jerry is like you. He likes to grab my face. The two of you are the same.¡±

    Upon hearing Hansen¡¯s words, Jenna immediately recalled the fight between them and the scene of his face being scratched by her when they were in Richards Manor. She was amused and tried her best to hold back herughter.

    ¡°Come on. It¡¯s useless for such a big person to stay here.¡±

    ¡°You really are useless,¡± Jenna said. ¡°If I didn¡¯te tonight, what would you do?¡± She shook her head and sighed. She ced Jerry on the bed and said softly, ¡°Jerry, you¡¯re still ill. I will get you some medicine. Once you eat it, you¡¯ll recover from your illness.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s voice was drawn out and melodious, with a pleasant sound at the end, which was soft and warm. Jerry didn¡¯t cry or make a fuss, heid obediently on the bed.

    She prepared the medicine and was going to feed it to Jerry. However, it had taken a lot of effort for her asthe little guy refused to open his mouth.

    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s my turn to shine.¡± Hansen felt that he was going to be of use and he was full of positive energy. However, soon he realized that he was still going to act like a viin. In fact, this was not what Jerry liked at all.

    Jenna held a spoonful of medicine while Hansen held Jerry¡¯s nose with his hand. After a while, Jerry opened his mouth. Jenna quickly poured the medicine into his mouth.

    After consuming the medicine in this manner, the wicked Hansen was acting like the devil andJerry hated him even more now.

    Hey down on the bed. His round eyes were wide open as he stared at Hansen. His face was full of dissatisfaction.

    Hansen didn¡¯t know what to doand he felt very upset.

    This little guy had a lot of prejudice against him.

    Jenna smiled as she handed Jerry the milk. He stuffed it into his mouth immediately but he was just ying with the milk. Maybe he didn¡¯t have the appetite to drink it.

    ¡°Change your nightgown.I¡¯ll wash it tomorrow.¡± Jenna held back herughter as she looked at Hansenwho was smelling the scent on his body.

    Hansen was full of grievance. When he heard this, he took off his robe off in an instant, revealing his strong body which was full of lines. He was only wearing shorts so his fair body was exposed.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Jenna was shocked by his sudden action and cried out in a strange voice. She hastily said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why did you take your clothes off here?¡±

    Hansen giggled and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me to take them off?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s head throbbed and she rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I want you to change your clothes, not to take them off in front of the child. You did it on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t changing clothes the same as taking off clothes? Isn¡¯t this the logical course of action? Besides, I am a man, so it¡¯s normal. Jerry is also a man. It¡¯s not inappropriate for a man to look at a man.¡± Hansen didn¡¯t take it seriously and argued unreasonably.

    Jenna turned her head and went to speak with Jerry. She chose not to answer him.

    Hansen took out another white nightgown from his bag and put it on. He walked up from behind and wrapped his arms around Jenna¡¯s waist. He hugged her from behind and held her in his embrace.

    Jerry¡¯s gaze was fixed on himand the hostility in his eyes were clear.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    ¡°This boy! He can be jealous at such a young age!¡±

    ¡°Let go of me. Is it appropriate to do this in front of a child?¡± Jenna and Jerry were quickly surrounded by his rich and vigorous male aura. Meanwhile, this guy¡¯s hand had already reached her back. She was very worried that his hand would touch her in the wrong ce. Jenna tightened her back and shouted in a low voice to stop him.

    Hansen chuckled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if my son sees this. What¡¯s wrong withMom and Dadbeing intimate? I¡¯m not doing anything out of line.¡±

    ¡°Does this man have to be such a rogue?¡±

    He dared to behave that way in front of his son. If he had not been there, he would have wanted her now. However, it seemed that he just held her in his arms. Although his hands were only touching her back, it was still eptable!

    After drinking the medicine, Jerry fell asleep soon.

    Jenna yawned as she felt tired. She looked at the bed and found out that the hospital bed was only 1. 2 meters wide. It was possible to amodate an adult and a child, but it was impossible for two adults.

 Chapter 350 Need To Return To A City

    ¡°Take the bed with Jerry. Be careful not to roll over him.¡± She pushed herself away from Hansen¡¯s embrace.

    Hansen was stunned. Confused, he asked, ¡°Where are you sleeping then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just sit over here. Go to bed. It¡¯s alreadyte. You¡¯ll have to keep an eye on Jerry just in case his temperature rises at night,¡± Jenna urged him while stifling a yawn.

    What?How could he allow a woman to sit on the floor while he slept on the bed? That was not what a gentleman supposed to do.

    Hansen¡¯s face instantly darkened. He insisted, ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t do. Here¡¯s a suggestion, you could hug me to sleep while I sleep next to Jerry.¡± He caressed her earlobe and smirked, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my body is definitely morefortable than the bed.¡±

    Jenna immediately realized that he had no intention to leave.He just wanted to sleep with her, didn¡¯t he? Sara¡¯s words suddenly rang in her ears. Jenna¡¯s eyes turned cold, and her heart tightened.

    ¡°No, hurry and go to bed. I¡¯m not going to sleep with you.¡± Jenna replied decisively. Hansen was a little taken back by her rejection.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep well knowing that you are sitting on the cold hard ground like this. Furthermore, it is chilly tonight. What if you catch a cold too? Who¡¯s going to take care of Jerry? What kind of gentleman would I be then?¡± He was still trying to be a gant gentleman at this moment. He even managed to twist his words so that they would make sense.

    Jenna still refused to let him have his way.

    The two of them were locked in a stalemate. However, Hansen refused to give in. ¡°Either you sleep with Jerry on the bed, or you¡¯ll sleep next to me. There are only two options.¡±

    How was she even supposed to choose? Jenna was in a daze. She recalled what Sara said before and she gradually became upset.

    ¡°What do you think? Have you made up your mind?¡± Hansen asked gently when he noticed that Jenna looked slightly down. Shelowered her head, seemingly in distress.Hansen panicked. He did not dare to force her too much.

    If she didn¡¯t want to sleep next to him, he would just sit in front of the bed for the whole night!

    He was willing to do anything as long as he could keep them by his side.

    Besides, it was only for one night. It wouldn¡¯t be a big deal, would it?

    It was gettingte. They were both tired.

    Jenna knew that the only other option was to sleep on the bed with Jerry as Hansen would definitely stop her from sleeping on the floor the entire night. She took a while before finally making up her mind. She stood up, moved Jerry to the side, and climbed onto the bed.

    She almost fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. Seeing that she was finally willing to go to bed, Hansen took the nket and gently covered her with it. He then turned to check on Jerry¡¯s nket. He ced his forehead on Jerry¡¯s to test his body temperature. Then, he tucked the corners of Jerry¡¯s nket before sitting next to the bed.

    Jenna blinked her eyes. All of a sudden, the scene at the small ind cave shed in her mind again. That year, they hugged each other to keep warm. Even though it took a lot for them to pull through that night, it was undeniably quiet and warm.

    For some reason, this moment felt strangely simr to that night.

    The only difference was that Jerry was between them.

    However, their rtionship was still so uncertain.

    The night became colder.

    It was early spring, and the wintry breeze was still chilling. Jenna heard Hansen sneezing in the middle of the night. Her heart tightened. She could not bear for him to sleep on the floor like that. He did not even have a nket.

    ¡°Hansen, go back to the hotel.¡± She persuaded him groggily.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m staying behind to apany you.¡± Hansen was very persistent.

    Jenna knew that she couldn¡¯t change his mind. She closed her eyes for a moment. After a few minutes, she whispered with her eyes wide open, ¡°Come on up. Let¡¯s sleep on the bed together.¡±

    Her voice was soft and gentle. Jenna thought that he did not hear her but he stood up unexpectedly and said, ¡°Okay.¡± She felt the quilt being lifted, his long arms pulling her into his embrace. His whole body had already slid under the nket.

    That was fast! Jenna smiled wryly.

    Jerry did not upy much space on the bed. It felt just right when Hanseny down next to her as the bed was just next to the wall. Jenna did not have to worry about Jerry rolling out of the bed. She ced some clothes beside the wall of the bed so that he would not knock into it.

    Jennacould feel his chest burning rapidly the moment Hansen hugged her.With that kind of intimacy, it was inevitable that passion soon filled the room. She wanted to escape, but Hansen held onto her tightly.

    The desire that had stayed dormant within him for so long was slowly ignited. He could feel his lips drying by the second, his Adam apple bobbing. He resisted his impulse as he hugged her tightly.

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Jenna whispered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to do anything. Just lie down next to me and don¡¯t move.¡± It seemed that Hansen was trying his best to control himself. His voice was a little hoarse. There was nothing he could do in such an environment.

    Jenna thought that Hansen couldn¡¯t possibly do anything bad. She eventually grew tired and sleepy as shey in his warm arms. She dozed off moments after, not wanting to think anymore.

    Jenna was jolted awake by the sound of crying and vomiting in the wee morning. She opened her eyes and looked at the dimmed tablemp. Jerry had thrown up on the bedand his mouth was stained with vomitus. Frightened, she immediately scrambled to her feet.

    ¡°Jerry, Jerry!¡± Jenna noticed that Jerry¡¯s face was red when she got out of bed and turned on the lights. He was crying and his vomitus stank.

    Oh, no! Jerry was getting a fever again. How could this be?!

    Jenna was so anxious that she picked Jerry up instinctively and ran towards the doctor on duty.

    ¡°Yes, he has a fever again. We need to inject him with medication to reduce his temperature.¡± The doctor on duty immediately instructed the nurse to administer the injection and prepare the IV drip after examining Jerry.

    ¡°Doctor, why is he having a fever again?¡± Jenna probed anxiously.

    ¡°Madam, he has pneumonia and one of its symptoms is fever. It takes quite a while to cure this disease. The infectious period is long and the fever would return from time to time. However, this disease is also verymon among children so it¡¯s not difficult to treat it. Don¡¯t worry, everything will be fine,¡± the doctor exinedpatiently.

    Jenna finally heaved a sigh of relief. She turned around and noticed Hansen standing behind her and listening carefully to the doctor. He looked solemn.

    Jenna returned to the ward with Jerry in her arms after the injection was administered. The nurse quickly came over to fix the IV drip onto Jerry¡¯s arm.

    The nurse on duty at night seemed inexperienced. It took her a few tries before the drip was sessfully inserted into Jerry¡¯s arm. Jerry was in so much pain that he started bawling.

    Jenna looked at the injection marks on Jerry¡¯s hand and felt as if her heart had been torn apart.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen remained silent and he looked visibly distressed.

    Jenna was no longer sleepy after the nurse left. She just stared at Jerry in a daze with her red and swollen eyes.

    Hansen took out his cigarette boxreflexivelyfrom his pocket. He suddenly paused just as he was about to reach for the cigarette. He remembered that Jenna had asked him to quit smokingand he swore that he would do it no matter what it took. Jenna would definitely be upset if he were to start smoking again. All of a sudden. the impulse to smoke disappeared miraculously.

    It was quiet and dark in Jenova City. The air was humid and the rain was endless.

    The spring breeze was chilling, and Hansen could feel his body trembling.

    He walked over, picked up Jenna in his arms, and went back to bed.

    ¡°Jenna, the medical equipment in this small town is toocking. Let¡¯s go back to A city. I will get the best team of experts from A city¡¯s hospital to treat Jerry. He would only suffer more if we stay here, and you¡¯d be even more miserable.¡± Hansen held Jenna tightly in his arms and took a quilt to cover her tightly. He was afraid that she would feel cold, so he inched closer to her and whispered to her ear.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t return to A city,¡± Jenna replied without a second thought, all while still in Hansen¡¯s arms. She was about to get up when she felt Hansen pulling her back.

    ¡°Why?¡± Hansen growled.

    Why? The hurt on Sara¡¯s face and the words that she said at that time, all shed in Jenna¡¯s mind over and over again.

    She curled up in Hansen¡¯s embrace and closed her eyes tightly. His steady and powerful heartbeat was inexplicably calming. Even her soul seemed to have calmed down a lot. However, at this moment, his words made her heart beat faster.

    ¡°Hansen, you promised me that Jerry would belong to me, didn¡¯t you?¡± Jenna muttered.

    Hansen was stunned. He then said, ¡°Of course. Jerry is yours. He belongs to you. You¡¯re his mother. This is a fact that no one could change. At the same time, Jerry also belongs to me. He¡¯s our child.¡±

    Up until this very moment, Hansen couldn¡¯t understand what Jenna¡¯s thoughts were. He could sense the attachment and dependence of the woman in his arms on him. However, why did she refuse to go back to A city with him then?

    ¡°No, Jerry is my child. I¡¯m not going to leave him.¡± Jenna was firm in her words. Only God would know what would happen to her and her mother if Jerry were to leave with Hansen. She could not afford to lose her child.She held onto Hansen¡¯s sleeve tightly as she poured her heart out.

    Just as Sara had said, she was already 28 years old. She could no longer afford to y such games with him. Hansen was a man with reputation and power. If he wanted women, many young and beautiful women would fall head over heels just like she did before. Unfortunately, she could no longer invest herself in such frolics. She needed stability in her life.

    She needed to be firm.

    ¡°Hansen, Jerry¡¯s illness is verymon, and it would just take some time for him to heal. I believe that this small town will be able to nurse him back to health,¡± Jenna insistedstubbornly.

    ¡°Are you saying that you aren¡¯t willing to follow me back to A City and you¡¯d rather raise Jerry alone in this sort of ce?¡± Hansen finally understood what she meant. His words were cold, but his heart was filled with indescribable pain. For so long, he had been waiting for her and looking for her everywhere. Even though he had found her and begged her to return in every possible way, not only did she refuse to be with him, but she also wanted to take Jerry with her.

    ¡°What the hell? Do you think that this is fair to Jerry?¡±

    Jenna bit her lip as she listened to Hansen¡¯s words, which were gradually devoid of warmth. She didn¡¯t object. He was right.

 Chapter 351 A Stalemate

    ¡°What are you trying to say? Is this fair to me? It¡¯s because you snuck away with Jerry that I had to search for you everywhere. Even now, Jerry isn¡¯t willing to acknowledge me. He even rejected me when he saw me. Isn¡¯t it all thanks to you? What are you trying to aplish by doing this?¡± asked Hansen angrily, gritting his teeth.

    Jenna¡¯s body trembled and she said reasonably, ¡°Hansen, we¡¯ve been together for so long. What¡¯s the point of questioning me like this? Don¡¯t you understand why I¡¯m doing this?¡±

    Hansen was stunned. Jenna¡¯s words were very obvious. Things hade to this point and it wasn¡¯t her fault. She couldn¡¯t do anything about it. The fault was still on his side.

    After a moment of silence, he asked, ¡°Jenna, do you still hate me?¡±

    All these years of humiliation, this woman must be holding a grudge against himand she was not willing to forgive him easily. D*mn woman, what a narrow-minded person. He thought. In fact, he was foul-mouthed. From the beginning to the end, he had never really done anything wrong to her. Perhaps his behaviour was a bit excessive. However, wasn¡¯t this his small shorings? Did she need to be angry at him for things like this?

    ¡°Jenna, I admit that I have wronged you in the past and I have let you down, but I have always loved you. Don¡¯t you understand my heart?¡± Hansen said with a deep pain. He picked up Jenna¡¯s hand and ced it on his chest. ¡°Listen, my heart has always loved you. It has never changed.¡±

    Jenna felt a sharp pain in her heart. She understood how he felt for herand she also loved him. Nevertheless, now, all of this had nothing to do with love anymore. This was the reality!

    She had to persevere. For the sake of Jerry¡¯s happinessand alsofor the sake of her future happiness, she had to persevere. Marriage was not something that could be secured by love alone.

    Tears welled up from the corners of her eyes. She bit her lips hard. Her hands were holding tightly on her clothed and the cracking of her knuckles can be heard.

    Hansen had been waiting for Jenna¡¯s reply for a long time. His heart sank when he heard Jenna¡¯s suppressed sobs.

    ¡°Jenna,e back with me. We will hold the wedding soon. I want to marry you openly. Do you remember what I said? I want to give you the most luxurious wedding in the world. I will follow through on my words.¡± Hansen said resolutely, ¡°Believe me, I will make you happy.¡±

    Could she believe him? Jenna smiled bitterly in her heart. She could disregard everything, but Jerry couldn¡¯t suffer any injustice. She would never forget that Aria McAdams had spent ten million dors to get Brock Moore to take away her child in her belly. Jerry had not even been born back thenand she didn¡¯t even know if he was a boy or a girl.Yet, he had already aroused such hatred. If she were to bring such a cute Jerry home right now, she couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen.

    She could not afford this kind of ¡®glory¡¯.

    Thinking about this, she shivered. In the past year, she had tried her best to hide herself. She didn¡¯t want others to know that she was carrying the child of Hansenand she didn¡¯t want to incur even more hatred and harm. This was the basic protective instinct that she had as a mother.

    Sara¡¯s words were true. She had to stick to it and could not easily leave with him.

    For her sake, he hadn¡¯t gotten married yet, but so what? She couldn¡¯t risk Jerry¡¯s life to marry him again without the slightest consideration for anything else.

    Furthermore, the child in Aria¡¯s belly should have been born by now, right? With her temperament, if she lost her position, she would never let Jerry off.

    It had to be said that the child in Aria¡¯s belly was indeed the thorn in Jenna¡¯s heart. She didn¡¯t want to involve herself in those seemingly beautiful but extremely dangerous days.

    However, Hansen hadn¡¯t even dreamed that Jenna was still brooding over Aria¡¯s pregnancy. To Hansen, Aria¡¯s pregnancy was just a nightmare that had passed a long time ago. After more than a year, he hadn¡¯t even thought about it again. Everything had drifted away in the wind.

    What he had forgotten even more was the fact that the child in Aria¡¯s belly was actually Brock¡¯s. In order to protect Aria¡¯s reputation, he did not announce it to the othersand Jenna obviously did not know of this.

    He didn¡¯t even think of this, or perhaps it could be said that he hadpletely forgotten about it. Yet,what Jenna was worried about was exactly thisand the most important thing to her was Jerry¡¯s safety.The two of them would never be able to be together like this.

    Therefore, theirmunication did not work and they were in a stalemate for most of the time.

    In Hansen¡¯s own words, Jenna had never believed him. If she really believed him and loved him, she would follow him without hesitation and believe that he would make her happy.

    After Jerry had received the fever injection, his clothes were soaked with sweat again. Jenna changed it for him in time. When the sun was about to rise, Hansen went out with a gloomy face. The two of them broke up unhappily.

    Jenna¡¯s spirit was on the verge of copsing. She couldn¡¯t bear with it any longer and fell into a deep sleep with Jerry in her arms.Tears were streaming down her face.

    She didn¡¯t know when she was awakened by the doctor from the hospital. After the doctor checked Jerry¡¯s condition, he asked some questions and then he left.

    Jenna was dispirited and fell asleep again. Later, she was woken up by Jerry¡¯s cries. Jenna climbed up to feed him some medicine. Later, she fed Jerry some breast milk. They hugged each other and fell asleep again.

    It was not until someone had knocked on the door that Jenna opened her sleepy eyes. It turned out that someone came to deliver food with lunch boxes of various sizes and bowls.

    Jenna woke up in a daze. In her subconscious mind, she knew that this was definitely sent by Hansen. She felt a slight sadness in her heart. When she thought of how he left with a sullen face, she felt even more disheartened. She asked the waiter to ce the food on the table and ate it in a spiritless manner. She had no appetite and was unwilling to think about anything. She hugged Jerry while sleeping. She hugged Jerry tightly even in her sleep as she wasafraid that someone would snatch him away.

    Sara woke up early in the morning. She got up and at a little of the oatmeal. She had been sitting in the house, restless. She hated that her legs were inconvenient and she couldn¡¯t go to the hospital herself. She didn¡¯t know how Jerry¡¯s condition was. What worried her more was the rtionship problem of her daughter. Based on her intuition, Hansen would definitely take Jerry away this time. She wasn¡¯t sure if he could take her daughter away,or he could get through to her.

    However, she would persevere. Back then, it was due to the fact that she had agreed easily to Vivian¡¯s proposal that her daughter had never been happy after marrying into the family. That had culminated in that day¡¯s situation. This time around, she had to focus on dealing with her daughter.

    The Richards family was a wealthy family. It was impossible for them to have their descendants wander outside, much less a boy!

    The thing that a wealthy family had the most was money.The more children they had, the better. Especially boys!

    If this was the case, then this would be a matter oflife and death for herdaughter!

    She was worriedandanxious, and she could not sleep at night. No matter, she had to protect her daughter. Even if she needed to use thest of her strength, she had to do her best.

    However, she was very remorseful in her heart.

    If she had known this would happen, she would never have listened to Vivian and married her daughter to the wealthy and powerful Richards family. Now, her daughter had suffered a lot because of her.

    She sat upright on the sofa and her face was pale. She was sad and her whole body was tight. She could no longer rx.

    The sound of footsteps outside the room became clearer and clearer.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    He had finally arrived!

    This was within her expectations.

    Regardless of whether Hansen wanted to take Jerry or her daughter away, he would have to greet her properly no matter what.

    She was waiting for him.

    The door was opened.

    Hansen walked straight into the room with a respectful smile on his face. He was holding an exquisite lunch box in his hand.

    ¡°Mom, have you eaten? I brought you breakfast.¡± Hansen put the breakfast on the tableand his voice was very gentle.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, I¡¯m not your mother. Don¡¯t call me that. I can¡¯t stand it.¡± Sara¡¯s face and voice were cold.

    Hansen¡¯s face was filled with awkwardness.

    ¡°Tell me, why are you here?¡± Sara ignored his embarrassment and continued to ask him in a cold tone.

    She did not show any mercy to him at all.

    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s like this. Jerry is ill now. Although it¡¯s not a very serious illness, it¡¯s nomon flu. If it¡¯s not cured soon, I¡¯m afraid that there would besting effects in his life. Therefore¡­¡± Sara¡¯s manner made Hansen¡¯s heart beat faster. However, he didn¡¯t have any other way. The night before, he didn¡¯t manage to talk things through with Jenna. Now, he wanted to attempt to pay a visit to Sara¡¯s ce first. After all, Jenna was her daughter.She would definitely want her daughter to have aplete home, right?

    He didn¡¯t want to take them away by force, it was never his intention. There must be some misunderstanding. The knot in their hearts must be solved. It was better to let them follow him willingly.

    ¡°So, you want to use this chance to take Jerry away, don¡¯t you?¡± Sara asked coldly with a straight face.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Mom. I want to bring Jerry back to the hospital in A City to receive proper treatment,¡± Hansen said, looking a little embarrassed. He looked at Sara¡¯s questioning face and felt a strange sense of unease and guilt.

    ¡°Is that so? There¡¯s really no need for that. Jerry only has regr pneumonia. I believe this kind of disease can also be cured by the hospitals here. Every child could contract this diseaseafter all. Is that everything?¡± Sara¡¯s voice was heavy, and her attitude was very determined.

    ¡°I know this. However, Jerry is my son, so he should receive better treatment, right? I¡¯m also responsible for this.¡± Hansen tried to exin. ¡°Moreover, it was tiring for Jenna to take care of Jerry like this. She had stayed up the whole night, so I wanted to send Jerry to a better hospital. In fact, I¡¯m doing this for Jenna¡¯s good.¡±

    His tone was sincere and gentle. He exined carefully, hoping to get Sara¡¯s understanding. If Sara agreed, Jenna would change her mind after Sara¡¯s persuasion.

    It was obvious that he had miscalcted this time.

    ¡°Do you think Jenna couldn¡¯t handle this?¡± Sara smiled drearily and asked in a colder voice, ¡°Do you know how Jenna gave birth to Jerry? In the past year,do you know how difficult it was for her to raise a child and take care of an old woman like me? This small hardship is really nothing to her. You are not qualified to say all this.¡±

    Sara¡¯s words wereced with blood and tears, piercing at Hansen¡¯s heart. For a split second, Hansen found it hard to breathe.

    ¡°However, Mother, Jenna secretly ran away that time. I didn¡¯t want to let her wander around like that,¡± he said with great strain.

 Chapter 352 A Decisive Refusal

    ¡°Oh, ording to what you said, this appears to be Jenna¡¯s fault. She has cast aside her dignity, isn¡¯t that so?¡± Sara asked contemptuously, her tone bing more serious. ¡°If she had the choices, would she be willing to give up on her beloved man, abandon her family, and wander around all alone? Who would be so foolish to the point that they take that for granted? What¡¯s more, at that time, you had already divorced. What reason did she have to stay with you? And please don¡¯t tell me to my face that you are not divorced!¡±

    Hansen lowered his head, guilt sweeping over him.

    ¡°Plus, I¡¯ve heard that Aria once spent ten million dors to get rid of the child in Jenna¡¯s womb. In that case, anyone would tremble with fright upon hearing the news, much less my own daughter. She¡¯s just an ordinary woman.Is it wrong for her to protect herself? You said that you loved Jenna. Then, let me ask you. Since you loved her,four years ago,why did you force her to wander around across the globe? Why would you allow such a nasty woman like Aria to stay in Richards Manor and dere that you wanted to marry her? Wasn¡¯t your every move hurting Jenna?¡± Sara¡¯s eyebrows were raised high, her face full of doubt and coldness.

    ¡°Mom, I should solemnly apologize to her and apologize to you too, but my hands were tied back then. Please forgive me, but I promise that this kind of situation will never happen again.¡± Hansen felt extremely awful in his heart. He could not face Sara¡¯s usation, nor could he justify himself.

    ¡°Your hands were tied? Now this is a good excuse.I¡¯ll give you that.¡± Sara sneered. ¡°I can assure you that in the future, more difficulties will emerge. Does it mean that as long as there are these inevitable difficulties, you can hurt and abandon Jenna at will? Our family has fallen from grace, and we lost our power and ce in society. However, that does not mean we have discarded our dignity and twirl along as you spin us around your whims. I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Richards, but we can¡¯t afford such a high-stake game. It is not something that a small fry like us can live up to.¡±

    As she spoke, Sara¡¯s face was full of sorrow. Her eyes were unusually determined and her words were bold and heartless. ¡°If I had known that the two of you had divorced in the beginning, then everything afterwards would never have happened. The deceased has passed away, and I will not permit her to get revenge. For me, Jenna¡¯s happiness is the most important thing. It is impossible to let her wander outside by herself and wind up as a single mother. I once failed her as a mother, but I will never allow such a thing to happen now.¡±

    Hansen trembled with fear when he heard this. It now seemed that even if Jenna agreed to go back with him, Sara wouldn¡¯t be able to get through this. The path to chasing after Jenna was truly a thorny one.

    ¡°Mom, where Jenna is concerned, my conscience is always guilty. However, these happened without my knowledge, and I have not the slightest intention for these to happenAlso, I didn¡¯t look down on her because your family had fallen from grace. I didn¡¯t patronize her and you for losing power and status. I hope you can understand this point.¡± Hansen wiped the sweat on his forehead and tried to exin as much as possible. As a man, he didn¡¯t take power seriously. Otherwise, he would have married Aria when they were at Camphor Tree Vi.

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Sara wanted tough suddenly and asked sarcastically, ¡°As far as I know, you¡¯d never visited me and Javon since you¡¯d married Jenna. You¡¯ve never even addressed Javon and me as ¡®father¡¯ and ¡®mother¡¯. Young man, is this also one of your difficulties? You married Jenna but she was alone all these while. You hadn¡¯t even visited her parents¡¯ family. She was only 22 years old when she married you. She spent her prime years in misery. What do you wish to achieve from telling me this right now?¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡± Hansen didn¡¯t know what to say. He felt that he had gone too far just from what Sara had just described. Furthermore, this was the absolute truth. He had even forgotten the floor where Sara lived. He didn¡¯t even know about Javon¡¯s death. It had been three years since Jenna had left.Back then,Hansen and Jenna were still husband and wife byw, but he had even forgotten about the existence of his parents-inw.

    Hansen looked as if he was put in a bind, and there was guilt in his eyes. He bowed his head very lowly and felt a chill in his body. At that moment, he felt that his life was a total failure. He couldn¡¯t even give his beloved woman any happiness. He was in no position to beg for anything.

    ¡°Mom, I know I¡¯ve done something wrong in the past. I really want to make up to her and give her the best things in the world. Please don¡¯t refuse my sincerity. Now that Jerry is ill, after we return to A City to treat his illness, I will apologize to you again.¡± Hansen did not have any other thoughts. He could only sincerely ask Sara for forgiveness.

    ¡°Save it. We still have the capabilities to treat Jerry¡¯s illness. Jerry is Jenna¡¯s son, so she won¡¯t agree to take him away. Furthermore, after taking Jerry away, how do you want Jenna to live? This son is her one and only love. She has nothing left. If she even loses her son, how do you expect her to live on?¡± Sara¡¯s face was as cold as frost.

    When Hansen heard this, he found it a little weird. He raised his head and said, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m here to pick up the two of them, and you too, not just to take Jerry away.¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    ¡°Then I¡¯m even more sorry. Jenna is my child. If you want to pick her up, you have to get my permission first. Now I can tell you clearly that I will not agree.¡± Sara refused decisively on the spot, and there was even no room for negotiation.

    Hansenpletely lost hope. If there was still a glimmer of hope when he arrived, then now he waspletely hopeless. He didn¡¯t even have the chance to say something.

    ¡°You can leave now. This ce is small and dirty. Your noble self does not belong here.¡± Sara coldly ordered him to leave.

    Hansen stood there for a while. He was in a daze as he walked out dejectedly. He had no idea how he made it out of the courtyard.

    His footsteps were very heavy.His soul was aimless. The night before, he hadn¡¯t been sleeping well, and then he¡¯d talked with Jenna in the middle of the night, but it had ended badly. Reluctantly, he came to Sara early in the morning hoping to get her understanding. Unexpectedly, he suffered a bigger blow.

    He returned to the hotel with a ckened faceand saw Alvin standing by the door, waiting for him.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,¡± Alvin called out in a low tone. His heart twitched when he saw the dispirited and listless Hansen.

    ¡°Alvin, what¡¯s up?¡± Hansen looked up at him and askedzily.

 Chapter 353 A Wavering Heart

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there¡¯s still an empty house next to Madam Jenna¡¯s house. We¡¯re currently renting it.¡± Alvin thought of how in the past year, Hansen had been alone and taciturn every day. Now that he had finally met Jenna and his child, he would definitely bring them back. Two days prior, he had ordered him to search for a house nearby and had already thought of this. Now, looking at the situation at hand, it seemed like it wasn¡¯t that easy to bring Jenna and Jerry back. Thus, he told him about this news.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes darkened slightly as he raised his eyes and inch.

    ¡°Okay, go and pack up first. We¡¯ll move in tomorrow.¡± After his brief reply, he took out the keycard and unlocked the door. He plonked down on the bed, overwhelmed with exhaustion and sorrow, and soon fell asleep.

    Jenna was awakened by Jerry¡¯s coughs. When she woke up, Jerry¡¯s face was flushed red from coughing and he was on the verge of losing his breath. She was shocked and terrified as she hurriedly picked him up and patted his back, crying out, ¡°Jerry, what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t scare me.¡±

    Jerry was coughing so loudly that his eyes were filled with tears. Hey limply in Jenna¡¯s arms and cried, ¡°Mom.¡±

    Jenna felt both sorry and sad. She held Jerry in her arms with a dull look on her face.

    Since Hansen had left early in the morning, he hadn¡¯t returned. It was already afternoon. She assumed that he had already left and wouldn¡¯te back.

    When she thought that he would nevere again after leaving, she felt a sense of loss in her heart.

    After all, Jerry was his child. If he left, it meant that Jerry wouldn¡¯t have a father anymore. This was so unfair to Jerry.

    She felt a faint pain in her heart as she hugged Jerry tightly. Her heart was empty, and Jerry also seemed to have sensed her feelings. His small hands hugged her neck tightly as he mumbled, ¡°Mom, Mom.¡± From time to time, he would cough so hard that he couldn¡¯t breathe.

    Jenna was at her wits¡¯ end.

    ¡°Jerry, do you want Dad?¡± She asked in a soft voice. ¡°Should I give you to Dad? He has power and will give you a better life.¡± She leaned closer to Jerry¡¯s ear.

    Jerry just grabbed onto her clothes and coughed, saying, ¡°Mom.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached.

    The conversation with Hansen the night before didn¡¯t end amicably.

    Hansen wanted to take Jerry to A City for treatment because he was worried about the substandard medical facilities here. Nevertheless, she would not agree to it.

    However, after Jerry¡¯s cough became more and more severe, Jenna¡¯s heart began to waver.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    Was she supposed topromise and let Jerry return to his side? After all, Jerry was his child, and staying with him would be many times better than with her.

    After a while, she shook her head with all her might.

    Aria¡¯s child was there as well. Aria wouldn¡¯t be able to tolerate Jerry¡¯s presence, so she couldn¡¯t allow him to take that risk. Perhaps it would be fine if she followed him back as well, but she was really tired of living the life of luxury, and she didn¡¯t want to live like that anymore.

    In this way, she held Jerry in her arms for the whole afternoon and walked back and forth in the house. Her arms were so sore that they became numb, and her face was extremely pale.

    As night descended, Jerry fell into a deep sleep after ingesting the cold medicine.

    Jenna was tired and sleepy. With her head on the pillow, she fell asleep listlesslywhile hugging Jerry.

    ¡°Jerry, Jerry, where are you?¡± Jenna opened her arms and cried out in a terrifying voice. In the dark night, she couldn¡¯t see anything clearly. Jenna¡¯s arms were empty, and there was only one thought that existed in her mind. Jerry was missing. Her Jerry was missing!

    It can¡¯t be! She couldn¡¯t lose Jerry! He was her whole life!

    She ran as fast as she could, using all her strength.

    Suddenly, she was suspended in mid-air and everything went dark as she fell heavily to the ground.

    ¡°Ah, Jerry.¡± Jenna screamed and sat up suddenly. It was dark as death around her. It was terribly silent. It turned out that she just had a dream!

    In her desperation, she whipped her head around and saw Jerry sleeping quietly beside her. He was sleeping very soundly, his forehead covered with a fineyer of sweat.

    She reached out her hand and felt a slight chill on his forehead. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have a high fever!

    Her heart was at ease.

    She sat there in a daze. All the blood in her body seemed to freeze, and the tips of her fingers were cold.

    She couldn¡¯t get out of that dream!

    That terrifying aura still pervaded the air around her.

    Only after a long time had passed, she slowlyy down, staring into the darkness soullessly with herrge eyes.

    She must have been so haunted by the fear of losing Jerry that she had such a terrible dream.

    There was a bitter smile at the corner of her mouth.

    Lying quietly, suddenly she felt an inexplicable loneliness. It was a kind of panic, loneliness, fear, emptiness, and all kinds of negative emotions. For so many years, in the night, she often had a feeling of destion without hispany. This feeling had always jolted her awake in the middle of the night and made it difficult for her to fall asleep again.

    Ever since she had given birth to Jerry, this sort of feeling had be even more severe.

    It was empty all around her, and she turned to hold Jerry tightly in her arms. At times like this, only when she held Jerry tightlywould she be able to suppress this feeling, and slowly fall into a deep slumber.

    She held Jerry tightly in her arms, not knowing when she had fallen asleep.

    The next day, she still hadn¡¯t seen Hansen. Perhaps he had already made up his mind to let them go.

    After all, she had made it clear.

    When she thought of this, her heart slightly ached, but she calmed down. At the very least, she wouldn¡¯t lose Jerry. There was still a trace of hope in her life.

    Thanks to the IV drip supply for thest couple of days, Jerry¡¯s fever came to an end. However, his coughs were getting worse and worse. Often, his face would be swollen, making it hard for him to breathe.

    Jenna was getting more and more anxious. Her tears often stained her cheeks, and the sight of Jerry¡¯s difort was registered in her as an excruciating pain.

    Sometimes, she would wonder if she should send Jerry back to Hansen. If Jerry could grow up with Hansen, he would be able to live a luxurious life in the future. Now,whenever she looked at him feeling so ufortable, she would feel even more heartbroken. However, as soon as the thought passed through her mind, she would hold Jerry in her arms and shake her head with all her might.

    Jerry¡¯s illness was very severe this time, and it had also made her thoroughly exhausted.

    The most troublesome thing was feeding Jerry the medicine. He refused to take the medicine due to its bitterness.She would have to exert painstaking effort to get him to drink the medicine,and there were times when he would spit out the medicine that he had consumed with great difficulty.

    Even so, that was still better than not being able to drink a single drop. At least Jerry¡¯s condition had improved by the third day. Although he was coughing, he could stillugh and even amuse himself.

    Two nights ago, she¡¯d slept with Hansen. The three of them huddled together on the same bed, as if they hadn¡¯t slept at all. The night before, she had taken care of Jerry alone. She¡¯d been flustered by his cough and didn¡¯t sleep much. As dawn broke, she was already very sleepy, her eyelids kept twitching. She had to keep Jerrypany for an injection and y with him for a while. It wasn¡¯t even noon when she¡¯d dozed off.

    In her sleep, there seemed to be a pair of hands gently touching her face. The hands were very big and soft, warm, and very sentimental. She¡¯d wanted to open her eyes, but she couldn¡¯t do so. She¡¯d wanted to drink in that feeling. She¡¯d turned her face over until the handspletely covered her tiny face. The warm feeling had made her feel rxed and she¡¯d fallen asleep again.

    Jerry¡¯s cries could be heard in her dreams, but she couldn¡¯t wake up. However, the cries stopped after a short moment, and then came the sound of Jerry¡¯sughter. She was on guard for a while, and then fell back to sleep. She sank into a state of unconscious drowsiness.

    The night before, Hansen had returneddejectedlyto the hotel and fell asleep. He did not wake up until midnight. When he¡¯d woken up, he remembered Jerry, who was ill. He¡¯d rushed to the ward in the middle of the night and saw Jenna sleeping soundly with Jerry in her arms. Jerry did not have any sign of fever, so he was relieved. Looking down, he saw Jenna¡¯s haggard face, her eyes red and swollen. He didn¡¯t have the heart to wake her up, so he returned to the hotel alone.

    When he woke up again, Alvin came.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we have already rented the house and we have paid a month¡¯s rent. I have everything ready in the house. As for the other daily necessities, I have already prepared them.¡± Alvin saw that Hansen was depressed and listless. He cautiously said, ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards. Madam Jenna loves you. I can see that, but she may still have some concerns. It¡¯s better to untie the knot in her heart slowly.¡±

    Alvin¡¯s words seemed to have woken Hansen up. He lifted his head and sized up the young bachelor. He asked with disbelief written all over his face.¡°So you can understand a woman¡¯s heart?¡±

    Alvin blushed slightly and said with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about women¡¯s hearts, but I can see Madam Jenna¡¯s heart clearly. After all, I¡¯ve been with you for so long, so I know her personality. She is one of the women whom I admire the most. That¡¯s why, I usually pay more attention to her words and actions.¡±

    ¡°Oh, why don¡¯t you tell me what kind of attitude she has towards me?¡± Hansen asked with interest.

    ¡°Well.¡± Alvin scratched his head and said with embarrassment, ¡°She definitely has you in her heart. It can be seen from the way she looks at you every time. Besides, you are so excellent.There is no reason for her not to like you.¡±

    Alvin thought of every time Jenna looked at Hansen, and even if her eyes were as cold as ice,he could see a rare tenderness that was different from other people. Although she hid it deeply, Alvin, ever the meticulous person, could still see it. He thought, ¡°This must be the special love from a woman to her beloved man.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Hansen couldn¡¯t helpughing. Obviously, he wasn¡¯t satisfied with such an exnation. Nevertheless, after thinking about it, he realized that the youngster in front of him had never dated before. How could he understand such a profound truth? Wasn¡¯t this nonsense? He didn¡¯t take it seriously and simply said, ¡°So, we¡¯ll move in tomorrow.Please pay for the room here today.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Alvin was not good at words. However, seeing that Hansen was trapped by his rtionship issues, he merely shared his feelings. Seeing that Hansen had given him such instructions, Alvin agreed and went out to foot the bill andmenced their relocation work.

    By the time Hansen had finished dressing up, it was almost noon, so he went downstairs to have a meal. He specially selected some good dishes and told the waiter to pack up. Then, the waiter followed him to the hospital.

    After entering the hospital, he found that the ward was quiet. When he gently pushed the door open, he saw Jenna sleeping. She was still holding Jerry tightly in her arms. Both mother and son hugged each other and fell asleep.

    He asked the waiter to put down the lunch box and left. He was standing in the room beholding such a scene, and his feelings were extremelyplicated.

 Chapter 354 You Are My Life

    Jenna held Jerry in her arms and slept soundly. The previous night was a sleepless one for her.

    With her arms embracing Jerry closely,more than half of her face was covered by her beautiful hair. Even so, Hansen could make out the sadness on her pale face, as well as the swelling and puffiness around her eyes.

    He felt a pang of heartache.

    The mother-son duo embraced each other, inseparably and intimately. It was a family connection between them.Hansen recalled what Jenna had said, ¡°Hansen, please let Jerry go, I beg of you! Jerry belongs to me. He is my life. If I lose him, how am I going to live for the rest of my life?¡±

    He pursed his lips. Pain could be seen in his eyes.

    Slowly, he walked towards her, and caressed her face.

    ¡°Jenna, Jerry is your life, but both you and Jerry are my life. If I lose the two of you, how am I going to live for the rest of my life?¡± He thought to himself.

    He continued. ¡°You only think about yourself, but what about my heart? What about how I got through all these years? I love you. That¡¯s why I will never let you go. My only intention is to provide you and Jerry a home, not to separate you two. Can¡¯t you understand my heart? What should I do to make you go home with me as a happy woman?¡± He sighed deeply.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. I won¡¯t force you. If only you woulde with me willingly.¡±

    As he was lost in his thoughts, he heard a sound. He looked up and saw Jerry staring directly at him with his obsidian eyes, which sparkled with alertness.

    He smiled at Jerry blissfully, and reached out for him, resulting in Jerry letting out a soft cry.

    Deeply asleep, Jenna slowly loosened her hands around Jerry.

    Hansen reached out once againand gently picked Jerry up. He softly shushedand whispered, ¡°Jerry, be a good boy. Don¡¯t cry. If not, you will wake Mommy up. Daddy will bring you out for a while. Let Mommy have a peaceful sleep, okay?¡±

    His voice was soft, gentle, and soothing. It did wonders, as Jerry stopped crying.

    Hansen pecked him and brought him out.

    Perhaps Jerry has been in the ward for too long, as after walking out of the ward and breathing some fresh air, he seemed to be in better spirits. His glistening eyes wandered around, looking very adorable.

    Hansen took him to a toy store. The colorful and shiny toys attracted his attention. One toy car in particr, caught his eyes, which he kept pointing at.

    ¡°You like cars too?¡± Hansen smiled and said, ¡°It must be in your blood. Your mom is a top car designer, while I specialize in car production. I didn¡¯t think my son would like cars so much as well. Indeed, our family can¡¯t part with cars, huh.¡±

    ¡°Hi, little boy, do you want it?¡± asked the woman in the toy store. How smart of her ¨C she knew Hansen wasn¡¯t a local, and from what he was wearing, she knew that he was rich. Hence, she quickly picked out all the expensive toy cars in the store and showed them to Jerry. Jerry became even more excited, smiling from ear to ear.

    Eventually, she seeded.

    Hansen ordered her to pack all the toy cars in the store and put them in a big bag. Considering that it would be inconvenient to bring the big bag around, he asked Jerry to choose his favorite toy car to hold in his hands, leaving the others at the store. They then left the store joyfully.

    In spring, at Jenova City, the air was humid, yet very fresh. Jerry had to have been out rarely,for he was on cloud nine from the moment Hansen brought him out.

    It was noon, and the drizzling had stopped. A ray of sunlight shone through the gaps in the clouds. There was fresh air and refreshed spirits. With Jerry in his arms, Hansen was feeling rxed and at ease more than ever. The father-and-son outing was enjoyable. Even an ordinary chick and duckling could fascinate Jerry to no end.

    What made Hansen even blessed was that when he was ying with Jerry, not only did Jerry stop rejecting him, he also seemed to be fond of him.

    This left Hansen overwhelmed with joy.

    He thought, ¡°This little fellow finally knew I am someone who loves him dearly and treats him well. Indeed, blood is thicker than water. This is a naturally formed feeling, with no sugar coating necessary.¡±

    Surrounded by the affection Jerry brought him, Hansen¡¯s excitement heightened, granting every wish Jerry had. A look here and a nce there, the thought of going back slipped their minds.

    Jenna was asleep deeply,albeit not peacefully. At first, she couldn¡¯t open her eyes, but after a long, deep sleep,she finally started stirring. As soon asshe realised the emptiness in her arms,she instinctively reached out to embrace Jerry, but there was no sight of the baby. She didn¡¯t take it seriously, as she thought Jerry was sleeping somewhere on the bed.

    ¡°Jerry,¡± she called out, and stretched her hand out further. This time, however, she realised the entire bed was empty. Her eyes were wide open.

    After being stunned for some time, she turned over and got up from the bed hastily.

    ¡°Where is Jerry? I can¡¯t find Jerry!¡± she said to herself.

    She was now wide awake.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not dreaming.¡± She shook her head and pinched her thigh ¨C the pain made her hiss.

    ¡°This is real. Jerry is missing!¡±

    With that realisation, she let out a scream and started searching frantically around the room.

    On the table of the room, there were lunch boxes in different sizes.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    Without thinking, she knew they were all given by Hansen.

    ¡°Hansen took Jerry away when I was asleep!¡± As soon as this thought sprang in her mind, she cried her lungs out. Her body was icy cold. She was trembling,and then she lost her bnce.Her sight grew dark.

    ¡°Hansen left. He took advantage of the time I was asleep and took my Jerry away.¡±

    She cursed.¡°You jerk. How could you be so cruel?¡±

    With a cry, she ran out of the room, frantically.

    ¡°Jerry¡¯s bed is cold, which means he was taken away for quite a long time. Where has he possibly gone to then?¡± She thought.

    Like a gust of wind, she rushed out, while scolding herself.

    ¡°D*mn it! Why did I fall into such a deep sleep? He knew Jerry is his child. There is no way he would let Jerry go.¡±

    Naively, she had believed that he would let go of Jerry. However, another feeling of loss grew rapidly within her.Hansen did not want her anymore, and in the future, Jerry would follow his footsteps. She had lost everything.

    Tears welled up in her eyes, as she continued to rush out to search for Jerry like a person in the grip of madness.

    After a round of searching, Hansen and Jerry were nowhere to be seen. That was when an idea struck her.

    ¡°The hotel. Right. He is staying at the Sheraton Hotel now, I should go check it out. Hopefully they are still there.¡±

    However, when she got there, the clerk at the front desk told her they had checked out and left in the morning.

    This news added fuel to the fire. Jenna¡¯s vision went ck, nearly fainting. Shey limply on the desk and murmured, ¡°Jerry, Jerry, my child, don¡¯t leave Mommy, please don¡¯t leave Mommy.¡±

    The clerks looked at each other, not having any idea what to do after looking at Jenna¡¯s frighteningly pale face and the sorrow in her eyes. They didn¡¯t know what had happened exactly, but from Jenna¡¯s expression and voice, they figured it was a very serious matter, which had something to do with her child.

    They looked at her with sympathy. One of them then came out from the front desk and helped her to the sofa in the lobby. She asked softly, ¡°Miss, would you like a ss of water?¡±

    Jenna replied, ¡°No, but Miss, do you happen to know where the guest in that room went? Please tell me.¡± The clerk looked at her and shook her head. ¡°There is no way for us to find out where our guests go after they have checked out. They won¡¯t tell us too. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±

    Feebly, Jenna slumped down her seat.

    After a moment, she rushed out and continued her frantic search.

    However, the sky was getting darker by the minute. The more ces she searched, the more she couldn¡¯t see anyone.

    Slowly, she fell onto a chair on the side of a street. Her body was still trembling. She had run out of energy to continue searching.

    She started thinking. ¡°If Hansen intentionally wanted to take Jerry away, he would not let me find them.¡±

    ¡°Even if I were to search until my legs break.¡±

    There was no other way than to give up.

    She thought about how she¡¯d lost Jerry just like that, and she felt her heart being ripped apart. It hurt so muchthat tears streamed down her face.

    As if her soul had been taken away, she curled up in the chair lifelessly, feeling weak, empty, disappointed, and dispirited. She saw only darkness before her. To her, everything was gone; everything was meaningless,and it was even better to die than to live.

    On the other side, Jerry was in Hansen¡¯s arms. The father-son duo were enjoying their outing to the fullest.

    The willow trees were hanging low. The river was crystal clear.

    It was a picturesque sight. Hansen, who worked in the big city, had never had the chance to savor such peacefulness. Perhaps, it was Jerry being in his arms that led to him seeing the beauty in every single thing.

    They walked across the streetand came upon an ancient church. The town¡¯s church was quaint, and even though there were not many tourists, the candles were still burning.

    Was this where the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet had transpired?

    The locals had made it into a church, where the tourists would visit for sightseeing.

    Hansen saw a few people buying candles, and followed suit. He then brought Jerry to take a seat, and folded his hands for him and closed his eyes.

    He, too, did the same, and got absorbed in his thoughts as he thought about the situation he was in.

    ¡°Mom, Mom,¡± called out Jerry, who seemed anxious all of a sudden. He was looking in a particr direction and kept calling ¡°Mom¡±. He even stretched out his hand in that direction.

    It shocked Hansen. When he came to his senses, he realized that he had been out for a long time, and that it was time to take Jerry back to the hospital.

    He turned around.

    ¡°Mom, Mom,¡± Jerry¡¯s voice became clearer and cleareras he stretched both his hands out in a direction on the street.

    Hansen looked in the direction of Jerry¡¯s hands, and could not help but to widen his eyes in surprise.

 Chapter 355 A Soft Spot For Her

    The thin figure was curled up on a bench chair, with her head in her hands. Her hair fell over her face, covering itpletely, and her whole body was trembling.

    Hansen¡¯s heart tightened in an instant.

    ¡°Jenna,¡± he said, incredulously.

    After being stunned for a moment, he cried out, and with Jerry in his arms, he rushed to her.

    ¡°Jenna! Jenna! What happened?¡± He put his big hand on her head and asked anxiously, ¡°You¡¯re awake, but why are you here?¡±

    Jenna, snared in a stupor and confusion,raised her head reflexively when sheheard the familiar voice.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were overflowing with worry and confusion.

    She looked up at Hansen, her dark eyes fixed on himin an attempt to see right through him. Only now did she realize that the moment Jerry had disappeared, the person she feared of losing the most was him. Jerry was her flesh and blood.It was immutable. As for him, he seemed to hold a very special ce in her heart.

    As scared as she might have been,she had to admit it.

    ¡°Mom, Mom.¡± In Hansen¡¯s arms, Jerry stretched out his little hands to her and called for her. He was about to tear up.

    ¡°Jerry.¡± When Jenna heard the tender voice, she was taken by surprise. Her heart filled with joy and her eyes lit up. She extended her arms and grabbed Jerry from Hansen. She held him tightly in her arms and kissed him non-stop.¡°Jerry, don¡¯t leave Mummy. Please don¡¯t leave Mummy.¡±

    Jerry also stretched out his arms and wrapped them around her neck. His small face rubbed against hers, as if he was telling her, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t leave you.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. Sheughed and cried at the same time. Her hands were still trembling as she held Jerry in her arms,feeling overlyemotional.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Hansen looked at Jenna, and slowly, he figured out what was going on. His face darkened, his eyes brimmed with pain and sadness.

    The woman in front of him seemed to have misunderstood him.

    Feeling some kind of pain and numbness that he had never felt before, he sighed and approached them. Without saying a word, he enveloped his arms around them and hugged them tightly.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t take my Jerry away. Don¡¯t leave me.¡± Being in Hansen¡¯s arms made her spill her guts out. She was deeply in pain. She couldn¡¯t think straight. She couldn¡¯t even control her actions. She gripped his shirt tightly with one hand, and buried her face into his solid chest as she shouted at the top of her lungs.

    Hansen caressed her beautiful hair gently, but his eyes were still as dark as the night.

    ¡°This d*mn woman actually thought I had taken Jerry away! How ridiculous!¡± he thought to himself.

    ¡°What kind of person does she think I am? A misfit?¡±

    Trust. There was practically ack of trust between them.

    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s get home first,¡± he said, as he gently held her and Jerry up, nearly lifting them from the ground.

    However, Jenna was in too much shock just now and had used up all her strength. As soon as she took a step, she felt the world around her spinning, and almost fell down.Subconsciously, she held Jerry tightly in her arms and leaned against Hansen.

    Hansen frowned slightly as he felt a stab of pain in his heart. He carried her and Jerry in his arms, and walked towards the street.

    Among the dark green willows along the street, a handsome man stood by. He wore a green buttoned-down shirt, and under his sword-like brows were a pair of bright, piercing eyes.

    A breeze blew over, making two willow branches in front of him tangle together, just like a loving couple dancing. He reached out his fingers to brush off the two willow branches as his lips curled into a smile.

    Yadriel, who just exited from the church, said with a fake smile, ¡°Sergio, did you see that? Hansen has a soft spot for her. She is the only person who can control him,¡± as he stood beside Sergio, watching Hansen gradually leave their sight.

    Ignoring what Yadriel had said,Sergio asked with a look of yearning on his face,as he raised his head and stood tall,with his hands at the back.¡°Dad, is that woman really Jenna?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. She is Javon¡¯s only daughter. Sergio, you haven¡¯t seen each other for almost 20 years. Back then, I had the intention of letting you propose a marriage, but unfortunately, Vivian beat you to it. What made me angry is that Javon¡¯s family had fallen on hard times, still he didn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for him, and allied with Vivian, choosing Hansen the brat.The joke is on that deadJavon. After all, they haven¡¯t been getting along. Now Jenna and her child are wandering alone. I¡¯m afraid that Sara is the saddest of them all.¡± Yadriel gloated coldly, his eyes hiding a gleam of light underneath.

    Sergio furrowed his brows and asked faintly, ¡°Dad, are you sure Hansen is going to buy this petrochemical factory?¡±

    The coldness in Yadriel¡¯s eyes grew stronger. ¡°That¡¯s right. ording to the news from Kyrie, as well as the information my people gave me, Hansen has been investigating the foundation of the petrochemical factory for the past few days, and the reason for him to investigate must be to take further action.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to have eyes for such a small, nondescript factory. It¡¯s really not a good thing.¡± Sergio said in a sarcastic tone,ughing.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. He¡¯s an intelligent businessman. This factory produces some sort of cheap raw materials, but generates enormous profit. It¡¯s not surprising that heid eyes on that,¡± Yadriel said, looking dignified.

    Sergio then said, ¡°If Hansen really finds out something, he will definitely change the investment to an acquisition. If he really buys it, the consequences are unimaginable. Don¡¯t forget, most of the guns and ammunition we sold were produced by this factory. If this is the case, it will cut off our financial sources. This matter really can¡¯t be underestimated.¡± Sergio stopped smiling as he realised the seriousness of it.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Yadriel¡¯s voice became even lower and colder, ¡°Back then, after the Xanthe family and the Richards Family failed to get the shares, all the domestic business was dominated by Trevor. Plus, when the old man stabilized the military, he decisively withdrew from the market and led us into the military. Now, our ce within the military and political circles is stable. However, these guns and ammunition are our main source of ie, especially after the advancement of the current military. This factory can¡¯t be bought by him. Also, there are many illegal materials in this factory. They can¡¯t be exposed. That old fox, Trevor, has been in vegetative state, and we could have taken advantage of it to suppress him. Who would have thought Earl was so useless. Not only did he get nothing, he was also caught and sent to prison. I¡¯m afraid his whole life is ruined. Hansen, on the other hand, is a talented person. In just a few years, he catapulted the Richards Group into such fame. However, it came as a surprise that he will start a petrochemical factory.¡±

    The father and son strolled along the deserted streets in the drizzle.

    Sergio¡¯s face darkened after listening to what Yadriel had said. Half a year ago, the huge explosion of dangerous chemicals that had been piled up in the warehouse in Capital City had shocked everyone, causing them to protest. Hence, the superiors had grown very vignt and they were still arresting the culprits. During this period of time, those were sensitive items. Once exposed, they would be in hot water. Moreover, it was very likely that both his father and his own political future would be gone.

    ¡°Dad, this matter requires further thought and discussion.¡± He answered seriously after thinking about it.

    ¡°Definitely.¡± Yadriel nodded in agreement. He clenched his fists so hardthat the veins on the back of his hands popped out.

    Suddenly, Sergio felt that his father was getting old, although he was still as charming as his early years. His heart sank a little.

    They went straight to the vi in the suburbs.

    ¡°Dad, haven¡¯t they married yet?¡± Sergio voiced out his uncertainty while walking.

    ¡°Not yet. They didn¡¯t get back together after the divorce, but I can tell that they will, sooner orter,¡± Yadriel said, nodding. After that, he narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Why? Do you have a n?¡±

    Hearing such a reply, Sergio showed no signs of surprise. He half-jokingly asked,¡°Dad, if I have an idea, would you support me?¡±

    All of a sudden, Yadriel burst outughing.

    The two of them arrived at the luxurious vi of Wullen Town. Yadriel led Sergio to the study.

    Opening the drawer, Yadriel carefully took out a polished pistol.Turning it over and over, he looked at it with the fullest admiration.

    Sergio, who was seated at the leather sofa, looked at the pistol and said, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve tried out my shooting skills. Shall wepete one day?¡±

    ¡°You brat. Have your shooting skills improved during this period of time? We are a family of soldiers. From your grandfather¡¯s generation to your generation, we have all joined the army for three generations. Although I am currently in the political circle, there is no distinction in military and political power. If you are unable to perfect your shooting skills, you will bring shame to the Xanthe family.¡± Yadriel looked at his beloved pistol as he lectured.

    Sergio smiled and said, ¡°Dad, whether I have made any improvements, you will see when wepete. By the way, I¡¯ve found the M911A pistol, which you asked me to look for. It is said that this was the pistol Hitler used to take his own life. What do you want it for?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yadriel¡¯s eyes lit up and heughed heartily as he said, ¡°You want to know what I want it for? It¡¯s a gift for Johan. He has coveted it for a very long time but couldn¡¯t get his hands on it. I got it as a gift for him to show my respect.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±

    Sergio seemed to be deep in thought.

    Johan¡¯s position was decisive in the Capital City, butYadriel hadn¡¯t spent much time with him all these years. It was just that Johan had been treating the Xanthe family in a neutral fashion.

    However, Yadriel would gather some help for the difficult times in the future, and that was all that mattered. Sergio loosened up at that thought.

 Chapter 356 Lilian Garver

    Just when Sergio was letting his imagination run wild,Yadriel spoke again. ¡°Sergio, do you know who Lilian Garver is?¡±

    ¡°Lilian Garver?¡± Sergio frowned as he thought, then a smile was stered on his face. ¡°Is that the woman who has a great influence in the international finance industry, and even the political circles in the Middle East?¡±

    Yadriel¡¯s eyes darted around as he listened. A bright light shed in the depth of his gaze.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s her. She is now over 70 years old. She has no children and is all alone. However, as far as I know, she was a famous star when she was young, and she was from A City. She married a foreigner, who was a very well-known politician, and gave birth to a daughter. However, for some reason they got a divorce. Since then, she fully dedicated her life to politics. She never remarried again. This woman is very skillful. She has made a name for herself in international politics, and possessed the veto power in global meetings. Therefore, she has always been the ¡®chess piece¡¯ that foreign affairs would fight for all over the country. Some time ago, there were news about her wanting to return to A City to search for her daughter. Of course, this is just a rumor. People like her would not show their faces to the outside world. However, yesterday I received a message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that she is, in fact, going back to A City soon, and I¡¯m guessing it is because of her daughter,¡± Yadriel said mysteriously.

    It was normal for a person to search for their children when they reached theter stages in life. Besides, no matter how strong of a person she was, she was just a woman. However, considering thatsuch a long time had passed, to look for someone so surreptitiously would not be an easy task.

    Yadriel¡¯s exnation was crystal clear. Every word he spoke seemed to carry a deep meaning.

    Sergio, however, did not understand. Did Yadriel want to win this woman over?

    The next year, they would bepeting for the CEO position. Since Madam Lilian was world-famous, it would definitely be beneficial to win her over, but what did it have to do with her daughter? Sergio pondered.

    Moreover, if he intended to win her over, people at the national level would be involved too,for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was no freeloader. He would not stand a chance to do so. Besides, even if he wanted to do something, Madam Lilian might not spare him a chance at all.

    ording to his understanding of Yadriel, he would not do anything that he did not have confidence in. As for her daughter¡¯s matters, it was simply just gossip. He, as the deputy prime minister,was enquiring about other people¡¯s daughter. It seemed a bit ridiculous. Not to mention, he did not put much thought into affairs rting to blood rtions.

    That day, however, his interest was limitless. What was the reason for his interest in this woman, as well as the confidence in winning her over?

    Just as he was still in a state of confusion, he heard Yadriel ask mysteriously, ¡°Sergio, do you want to know who her daughter is?¡±

    ¡°Who? This has nothing to do with the Xanthe family,I reckon?¡± Sergio leaned back on the sofa and asked calmly, not showing much interest.

    After all, they were now establishing themselves in the military. They were also one of the well-known families in Capital City. Sergio thought, ¡°Dad will not depend on this woman to seed, because if they can¡¯t win her over,the same applies to thepetitors.¡±

    She was notorious for being unapproachable.

    Yadriel nced at Sergio who had an indifferent expression on his face. Utterly displeased with his son¡¯s sensitivity to politics,his face darkened.

    ¡°Sergio, with Lilian¡¯s wealth and fame, would be a cinch to destroy a businesspany like the Richards Group. However, it is also easy peasy to help the Richards Group rise to international prominence. Even though Richards Group is now on the global wealth list, it is just the very first step. The risk ofpetition is very high. Make one wrong move and you will fall to rock bottom. Also, Whalen Group is falling behind after they have lost Jonas, the backstage supporter. Nevertheless, another very influentialpany is rising rapidly. In such a fiercelypetitive year, if people want their products to stabilize in the global market, it will be very difficult without some connections overseas. You must keep in mind that the market is a cutthroat battlefield and it is ever-changing.¡± Yadriel exined patiently.

    Sergio nodded. To be honest, he had never seen a brand survive for many decades. The Richards Group had a century-long history, which was already a miracle. Could they stay strong? Most importantly, could they be even better? Still, he didn¡¯t understand why Yadriel would give him such a detailed exnation. Were they going to rely on Madam Lilian to deal with Hansen?

    At the end of the day, they were not rted at all. They belonged in the military and political circles, while Hansen was in the business world, of course, when the petrochemical factory was not taken into ount.

    ¡°Dad, you¡¯re absolutely right, but it seems to have nothing much to do with us.¡± He rested his arm on the back of the sofa, still rxed.

    ¡°Sergio, I didn¡¯t expect your sensitivity in politics to be so low. You really disappoint me,¡± Yadriel said very unhappily. ¡°If we can win over such a woman.¡± He continued, ¡°Let¡¯s first put aside the thought of whether she is a factor for me to be a CEO, and just think about how well ourammunition business will be with one good word from her. We can have it turned into a legal business. Do you know the pros and cons in this?¡±

    Yadriel pulled the slide of the gun back and aimed at a direction outside the window. Then, he lowered the gun down again, and spinned it in his hand, making ¡®whoosh¡¯ sounds.

    After listening, Sergio seemed to be interested.¡°Who is her daughter?¡± He sat up straight and asked jokingly, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s Jenna?¡±

    As soon as that name came out of his mouth, he thought of something and immediately replied to himself. ¡°There¡¯s no way. Jenna is only 27 years old, but Lilian is already over 70 years old, and she obviously hadn¡¯t given birth to her at middle age.¡±

    ¡°Of course it can¡¯t be Jenna, but it has something to do with her, something big. Lilian¡¯s daughter is Sara, and Jenna is her only granddaughter.¡± Yadriel¡¯s words were loud and clear, which made Sergio dumbstruck.

    ¡°Do you know what this means? This means that Jenna and her mother¡¯s status will rise in no time. This also means that her resources will expand endlessly. This way,many people,no matter from A City, domestically or internationally, in the business world or in political circles, will be willing to marry her.¡± Yadriel had a profound look on his face, but also looked as if he had sniffed his favorite prey. After being in the world of politics for such a long time, he could not hide the excitement.

    Sergio was even more shell-shocked. He really didn¡¯t expect Jenna to have such a status. Sara had no one in her family,and he was sure of it, because after Javon¡¯s death, nobody had helped her and Jenna spread the news. As it turned out, there was a reason for it.

    ¡°Sergio, no one knows that Lilian is Sara¡¯s birth mother. For the time being, we¡¯re the only ones who do know. We have to keep this a secret,¡± Yadriel said andughed.

    ¡°Does that mean you genuinely support me going after Jenna now?¡± After Sergio came back to his senses from the shock, he asked in disbelief.

    ¡°That¡¯s your own business. Look, you don¡¯t need me to make the decision for you, do you?¡± Yadriel¡¯s eyes were a bit dark. In that year, he had also sent people to discusswith Sara and Javonabout Sergio¡¯s potential marriage, but Vivian had it done before him. This incident used to rankle him. He did not understand why Vivian selected Jenna to marry Hansen. Now with the news, everything made sense.

    That cunning fox. Is it possible she had long known about this?

    As he was deep in thought, he clenched his fists.

    Not only was he unable to plot against this old woman, if she had known long ago, it would be difficult for Vivian¡¯s son to pursue Jenna too.

    Yadriel¡¯s eyes shed with anger. ¡°D*mn old woman, even if you knew, I won¡¯t let you have thestugh. After all, you¡¯ve been digging your own grave all these years.¡±

    Now thatHansen, that b*stard,had shot in halfway and was messing with his way of making money. The ingredients that the petrochemical factory had collected were all raw materials for making guns and ammunition. They were priceless. Toput it bluntly, money was needed to clear the way if one wanted things to go smoothly on the political road. The army strictly prohibited the business, so those are the only ces to get money.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Dad, have you heard of the ¡®Ocean Heart¡¯?¡± Sergio changed the topic and asked.

    ¡°I have,¡± Yadriel said calmly. ¡°Back then, the Richards family, Matthews family, Xanthe family, and General Delia¡¯s family were all the right-hand people of Johan. Oh, the Murphy family too. After a war ended, Johan was the biggest hero, rewarding all of our men as well. Only the Murphy family and the Richards family left Capital City and returned to A City, while we stayed in Capital City, but¡­¡±

    Yadriel¡¯s face became gloomy gradually as he said that.

    The valuable jewelry, Ocean Heart, was originally bought by a country in Europe at the auction in that year. Later, for some reason, it was suddenly in the hands of Old Master Richards. To getsuch a jewelry in such a situation, it had to be tough for the Richards family.

    Note that the ¡®Ocean Heart¡¯ was not just any piece of jewelry. It was also an important element in the politics. Not anyone could get their hands on it, not even with loads of money. Someone had to have their backs.

    Later, he found out that Lilian hade into y.

    However, he had never understood why Lilian would help the Richards family. When the news of Jenna and Hansen¡¯s engagement came out, he seemed to understand a little, but he still could not get it. Since at that time, Lilian did not know that Jenna was her granddaughter.

    These families had now developed hugely. Other than the Murphy family, which had fallen behind after Javon¡¯s death, all the families had be a sess, be it in the business, the political or the military world. Among them, the Matthews family, and the Delia family and the Richards family had maintained good rtionships for generations. The Xanthe family was the only one being left out. This had to be the reason Johan was biased. Johan had always disliked him.

    For so many years, it had pained him. Every time he thought about it, he would feel resentful. However,ashe was the one who would be achieving great things soon,he would not publicly show it. In private, he would greet Johan on every New Year¡¯s Eve. Now, he even got the pistol Johan had always wanted, purely to please him. After all, it would be so much easier if he gained his support.

    He remembered that year when he had gone to the Richards family to meet Vivian, as he wanted to propose marriage for his daughter, Sisley. However, Vivian, the old fox, had an ingratiating smile on her face and did not say a word. On the second day after he had left, she betrothed Javon¡¯s daughter, Jenna, to Hansen.

    What surprised him even more was that Javon, an honest-looking man,had refused the proposal he had done for Sergio, but agreed to Vivian¡¯s proposal in a blink of an eye.

    This matter left him feeling extremely ashamed and humiliated.

    Therefore, he swore to climb to the top, so that those who looked down on him would behold him with fresh eyes.

 Chapter 357 Father And Son

    ¡°But what?¡± Sergio carefully listened to Yadriel, and realised he hadn¡¯t finished his sentence. He looked up. That was when he saw Yadriel¡¯s tall figure looking rather different. In his heart, his father had always been as strong as the mountains, as deep as the ocean, but now he actually looked harrowing. There was even a faint trace of destion, causing his heart to drop a little.

    Yadriel had always fought for his ambition in politics. He would never hide anything from Sergio, and would even share his ambition and wisdom with him. Due to the influence from Yadriel,his ambition was to be a politiciansince he was young. However, that day, for the very first time, he saw how lonely Yadriel was, which upset him.

    ¡°Sergio, an outstanding politician not only has vicious means, but also has to take care of the overall situation, ept it and tolerate it. You can¡¯t be indecisive when ites to your rtionship. Marriages are to serve the politics.¡®Tolerance¡¯ is the key to sess. Back then, I made a proposal to Sara on your behalf,but never had I thought that the down-and-out Murphy family would reject usand choose the Richards family. This means that they had faith in Hansen. Now that Jenna has been mistreated since she married into the Richards family, Sara must be extremely disappointed in Hansen. Your time hase.¡± Yadriel seemed to be really into it, but he sounded a little off.

    As he listened to Yadriel¡¯s speech, Sergio felt an overwhelming and indescribable surge of emotion. Jenna¡¯s beautiful face shed across his mind, and his heart was starting to flutter.

    That year,she was only sixteenwhen he had first met her at a ball in Capital City. A drop-dead gorgeous girl.She¡¯d stood out from the crowd, and captured his heart. Since then, all he could think about was her. After finally graduating from college, he had employed various ways to make Yadriel go to her house and propose a marriage. Unfortunately, the answer he got had broken his heart.

    In fact, the gathering in that year had been held by Johan just for them. All the government officials in Capital City had brought their family members to the ball, giving them opportunities to make connections through marriages. Whether they would seed, it would be up to God.

    Sergio fell into silence.

    Cigarettes were put out and lit up one after another by Hansen. He stood on the balcony of the hospitnd gazed into the distance. All he could see was a gloomy sky. He too, was feeling gloomy, just like the sky.

    Jenna was still sitting on the bed with Jerry in her arms, looking very fragile. Her lips were trembling, her body was shivering, her nerves were tensed.

    The phone rang, and Hansen picked it up.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I have something to tell you,¡± Alvin said in a deep voice on the other side of the phone.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Hansen looked at Jenna and Jerry who were on the bed, and changed the subject, ¡°Has the helicopter arrived yet?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, they have arrived at the airport. The medical team is now on the road. It is estimated that they will arrive in Wullen Town at night,¡± Alvin replied hurriedly.

    ¡°Alright, go and get some daily necessities. I¡¯ll bring Jenna and Jerry home first, and we¡¯ll talkter in the evening.¡± Hansen knew that if Alvin said he had something to tell him, it must be something important. However, Jerry¡¯s illness was more important to him, so he gave his orders without any hesitation.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Alvin was anxious, but he understood that things couldn¡¯t be exined on the phone clearly, and that this was the only way.

    ¡°Jenna, how about we go home first? I¡¯ve already called in a team of professionals from A city to treat Jerry. Let¡¯s get out of this hospital,¡± he said gentlyas he walked in.

    Jerry, who was in Jenna¡¯s embrace, looked at him with a hint of a smile. Perhaps it was because he had bought him plenty of toys.

    Hansen was delighted. He reached out with his hand and caressed his tiny face, smiling at him.

    ¡°Go home?¡± Jenna was finally awakened by what Hansen had said.Feeling enlightened, she understood everything. She felt at ease. However, when she heard Hansen mention leaving the ce, she became doubtful.

    ¡°Yes, home.¡± Hansen nodded reassuringly. ¡°Jerry¡¯s illness is still very serious, and the medical treatment here is too poor. I can¡¯t let you stay here anymore. It will be better if you go home.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all it is!¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

    Seeing Jerry coughing so loudly, Jenna felt pain and sadness in her heart, and since Hansen had called in a professional team, she had no reason to object.

    He seemed not to have the intention of taking Jerry away by force. Otherwise, why would he call in a team of professionals? As she thought, she immediately lowered her head and spoke softly.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve wrongly med you.¡±

    Her voice was very low, and she looked embarassed. There were traces of guilt and shame in her eyes. Her weak body seemed to be unable to bear the blow as it was shivering.

    Hansen sighed and pulled her and Jerry into an embrace. He patted her shoulder lightly, not saying a single word.

    ¡°Pack up your things and we¡¯ll go.¡± After her emotions had calmed down, Hansen let go of her and said softly.

    Jenna nodded. She ced Jerry on the bed, and began to pack her things.

    There were a lot of bits and pieces to pack. Hansen had wanted her to throw some away, but she picked up every single one of them in the end.

    There was nothing Hansen could dobut to call for a car. The alley was too narrow, that only one car could pass through at a time. It was not a long distance, but when they got home, it was already almost dusk.

    ¡°Miss Murphy.¡± Upon getting out of the car, Aunt Lee quickly came out of the courtyard, looking very worried. ¡°Jerry, are you okay?¡± That was when she saw Hansen, who was getting out of the car. She paused and greeted him with a smile, ¡°Hansen.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Lee, you¡¯re here?¡± Jenna was happy to see her return, and said, ¡°Aunt Lee, you¡¯re an elder, you should have told me beforehand that you wereing, so I can pick you up.¡±

    Jenna could not bear seeing her that way.

    Upon hearing this, Aunt Lee felt uneasy and hastily said, ¡°Oh my, Miss Murphy, after I heard that Jerry was ill, I got so worriedthat I wanted to rush here at once. It must have been hard for you, Miss Murphy.¡±

    As she spoke, she took Jerry from Jennaand held him in her arms. Seeing that Jerry had lost a lot of weight, she said with distress,¡°Chubby little boy, it¡¯s only been a few days, and you have already lost so much weight.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already hired a medical team. Jerry will be as fit as a fiddle soon,¡± Hansen said in a rxed toneas he opened the car door and grabbed the bags.

    ¡°Is Jerry back?¡± Sara was sitting in the living room and heard noises outside. She walked to the door with her cane, and shouted.

    ¡°Madam, Jerry is back.¡± Aunt Lee hurried over with Jerry in her arms. Sara immediately smiled at Jerry,and with boundless love in her eyes, sheasked, ¡°Jerry, are you feeling better? Did you miss Grandma?¡±

    After going out and ying with Hansen for such a long time, Jerry seemed worn out,leaning against Aunt Lee¡¯s body. After a while, he started coughing so hard that his face turned red.

    Right away, Jenna put Jerry¡¯s things into the roomand carried him into the house to feed him some water. She ced her hand on his forehead, and said in an uneasy tone, ¡°Hansen, Jerry is still having a slight fever. He must¡¯ve caught a cold today when he went out.¡±

    ¡°Quick, give him medicine.¡± Sara became anxious after hearing about it. ¡°He hasn¡¯t recovered yet. How could he go out? He can¡¯t be catching a cold now. All of you are really not sensible enough.¡±

    Sara had an unpleasant look on her face. It became even more unpleasant when she saw Hansen carrying things into the room.

    Jenna recalled what she had said the other night. Sara was now very much against Hansen. At the moment, she was d that she had not disclosed the person who took Jerry out to y. If not, Sara would be even more upset.

    ¡°Mom, here¡¯s the medicine.¡± She took the medicine out and distracted Sara¡¯s attention away. Surely enough, she turned all her attention to Jerry.

    For the past few days, Jerry had been drinking the medicineso much that he was now sick of it. When he heard Jenna mention it, he knew what wasing. He immediately hid his face in Sara¡¯s chest and refused to face them.

    When they had been in the hospital, Jenna could feed him at least some medicine, but now since so many people were doting on him, he probably wanted take advantage of it. He refused to take the medicine, not even a little, despite coughing so much and so hardthat his face turned red. This made Sara insanely anxious.

    Hansen saw all of them pitching in to helpbut still couldn¡¯t have it settled. They keptforting Jerryand had no idea what else to do. Hence, he walked towards them, and said to Sara,¡°Mom, allow me.¡±

    Sara gave him a cold look and said in disdain, ¡°Even we can¡¯t handle it.Can a man like you be up to the task?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try,¡± Hansen said calmly. He was very confident.

    Sara snorted. She didn¡¯t say a word, but she did let go.

    Hansen carried Jerry in his arms, walked to the table, and picked up a toy car. ¡°Jerry, do you want it? If you want it, then quickly eat your medicine,¡± Hansen said.

    Jerry opened his eyes and they lit up at the sight of the toy car. He immediately stretched out his hands, but Hansen moved it away before he could even touch it. Hansen whispered into his ear. Jerry then bowed his head and fiddled with the hem of his shirt.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled up as he walked over to Jenna and took the medicine. He scooped a spoonful of it and brought it to his mouth. Jerry opened his mouth and drank it.

    It was a miracle!

    Everyone in the room was amazed.

    Thecorners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled up even more. With Jerry in his arms, he sat down, and then he put Jerry on hisp.Jenna hurriedly walked over with the medicine.

    Hansen fed Jerry one spoonful of medicine at a time. Jenna was standing right beside him, with a towel in hand to wipe Jerry¡¯s mouth, and cheering him on.

    What a brave little boy Jerry was. Even if the bitterness of the medicine made him teary, he would still gulp it down with his eyes closed.

    ¡°That¡¯s my boy,¡± Hansen said proudly. After Jerry took his medicine, Hansen put him down and gave him a kissbefore walking to the table to get him the toy car. Jerry epted it and started ying with the toy.

 Chapter 358 A Secret

    ¡°You¡¯re still having a slight fever,¡± she said softly. ¡°Let¡¯s stop ying and get some rest, okay?¡± Jenna tidied up the things and picked Jerry up.

    Jenna carried Jerry into the bedroom and put him on the bed. Perhaps he was really exhausted, because not long after he was put on the bed, he fell asleep.

    Jenna covered him with a nketand touched his forehead worriedly. She couldn¡¯t be rest assured, because after all, he had been discharged from the hospital before he even recovered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Hansen came in the room and reached out to hold her hand. He said in a soft voice, ¡°The team of professionals ising here now. It will only take one or two hours for them to arrive. Let¡¯s get something to eat first. We¡¯ll need the energy to take care of Jerryter.¡±

    His voice was very soft and soothing. This gentle and considerate side of Hansen had not been shown before. He was totally different from his bossy, dictatorial past.Now that he had been showing this side of him more than once, it was making Jenna think she had been under an illusion all this while, and that she had misunderstood this man. This side of him was the real him.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    She slowly raised her head to meet his eyes. His gaze was like fire, sending warmth her way. His smile too, was heartwarming.

    After being dazed for a moment, she remembered how Jerry had started taking his medicine obediently after Hansen had whispered into his ear. Curious, she couldn¡¯t help but to ask, ¡°What did you say to Jerry? Howe he would be willing to take the medicine?¡±

    Hansen was stunned, but soon, he got what she meant. His lips curved into a smile. ¡°That¡¯s a secret between us men. There¡¯s no revealing it. ¡±

    Seriously?

    Jenna got annoyed by the smug look on his face. It hadn¡¯t been that long, but they had already grown this close, even having their own secret and not letting her know what it was.

    At such a young age, Jerry had be a man!

    She didn¡¯t know whether to cry or tough about it, but that twinge of disappointment was unavoidable.

    Looking at her disappointed face, the smile on his face grew bigger.

    Sara had seen it all.

    Even as a bystander, the chemistry and closeness Jenna and Hansen showed when they were feeding Jerry his medicine, made her go deep in thought. Not anyone could exhibit this kind of synergy with another. The more they acted that way, the more she could not calm her nerves. This monogamous daughter of hers, was obviously still in love with Hansen.

    Could Hansen give her everything though?

    With such concerns and doubts, Sara¡¯s eyes became even colder as she looked at Hansen.

    At night, the medical team arrived. As soon as they entered through the door, the head of the team began to flit around Jerry immediately. Just to be safe, he did a blood test. After the blood test, they sent some people back to A City to have the test examined there through the night, and to have the results of the test sent via the Inte.

    After some bustling, the results came out in thetter half of the night. It was also confirmed that Jerry was infected with pneumonia. The team had already brought the medication with them. They started treating Jerry at twice the speed.

    Later that night, Alvin brought the medical team to a hotel to get a room, leaving only a nurse in the bedroom to take care of Jerry.

    ¡°Go and take a rest. You can take it easy now. The doctor said that he will recover in about a week.¡± After the professionals had left, Hansen looked at Jenna¡¯s gaunt face and her cracked lips. His heart ached with pity for her. He stroked her face,forting her gently.

    ¡°What about you?¡± Jenna remembered that this afternoon, when she had dashed to Sheraton Hotel, the clerk had said they had already checked out, so where would he be staying now? He was not nning on staying here,was he? Sara would not allow it.

    Sara was harboring so many grudges against Hansen and couldn¡¯t even wait to get Jenna another man just so she would give up on him. No way in h*ll would Sara allow Hansen to move in, let alone forgiving him for causing Jenna unimaginable pain from the divorce.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have my own arrangements.¡± Hansen smiled mysteriously, but did not reply.

    Never had it crossed Jenna¡¯s mind that Hansen had already moved to the house next door. They were in close proximity.

    She stood up.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± She stood up and turned her head. Her face was nearly against his chest, making her take a step back in shock, but Hansen stretched out his hands and held her tightly.

    ¡°Let go,¡± Jenna murmured. This wasn¡¯t the hospital, and Sara hadn¡¯t gone to bed. There was also a nurse present. However, he did not care. He held her by the waist and lowered his head to meet her eyes, touched her lips with his finger, and said in a low voice, ¡°Sleep tight. Don¡¯t think about anything. If I see that you¡¯re still so haggard tomorrow, I will not let you get away with it easily.¡±

    As he spoke, his light rosy lips moved closer and closer to her red lips.

    Jenna blushed, her heart racing. She pushed against his chest with her hands, but this man was too strong for her. She couldn¡¯t do anything to him at all. Fortunately, he only smiled at her, not doing anything excessive. However, at this time, they were standing face to face, with her almost leaning on him. It was a very suggestive posture.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was mming against her chest, but then she heard a cough. It was from Sara.

    She pushed him away, panicking.

    Hansen¡¯s thin lips curved slightly, forming a ghost of a smile. He finally let go of her. She hurriedly scuttled further away from him.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll leave for the night.¡± He smirked before turning around, and said to Sara politely,¡°If there¡¯s anything you need, feel free to let me know. Inform me immediately if something happens too. I¡¯ll rush over as soon as possible.¡±

    His attitude could be described as sincere and polite. As he whirled around, he saw the cold look Sara had on her face. She didn¡¯t even nce at him, and snorted after he finished talking.

    His eyes darkened as he walked out. Before having one foot out the door, he turned around and took one more look at Jenna. The smile on his face was hazy, yet so real.

    Jenna stood quietly, her head tilted slightly as she looked at him.

    When did he be so patient? When facing Sara¡¯s cold expression, he was able to remain calm. In fact, no one had ever dared to give him the cold face.

    Hansen disappeared into the darkness.

    Sara stood up from the sofa. She looked slightly unhappy, while her daughter looked flushed, just like a young girl in love. There were even traces of shyness and attachment in her eyes. Her heart was heavy, but considering it waste at night and that Jenna had been working so hard, she did not say a word.

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, go and get some sleep,¡± she said tly.

    ¡°Okay, Mom, you sleep soon too. There¡¯s a nurse here tonight.¡± Jenna turned around and helped her to her bedroom.

    ¡°I should be able to sleep well tonight.¡± Jenna thought to herself.

    With heavy eyelids, she went to the bathroom and cleaned herself upbefore climbing into her bed. Her head hadn¡¯t even touched the pillow when shedrifted off into dreand.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, ording to the investigations done in the past few days, the petrochemical factory isn¡¯t as simple as we thought. There is a mystery within, and a mastermind behind it. It won¡¯t be easy to make a move on Kyrie.¡± Alvin rushed back from the hotel. Ignoring his exhaustion, he reported the whole situation to Hansen.

    ¡°As in?¡± Hansen frowned. He also felt that there was something odd about the factory, but he could not figure out what was it. After listening to what Alvin had disclosed, his face tensed up, his eyes sharpened.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, based on my investigation, Kyrie was only the director of a small factory ten years ago, but then he became the head of the factory all of a sudden. He had no outstanding performance at workand hired people based on his preferences. It is said that half of the people in the factory are his rtives. Besides, in thatmittee, other than Eamon Delia, all of them are his people too. As for Eamon Delia, he appeared out of nowhere. I hired someone to do some digging about, where he came from and what his experience entails.However, the investigation fell t as there is no such person, it¡¯s like he appeared out of thin air.¡± Alvinid out all the doubts he had during the investigation.

    ¡°I see.¡± Hansen sneered.¡°No wonder a century-old factory like this couldn¡¯t even retain its employees. It¡¯s just too close to going out of business.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. This is usually the ordeal of all state-owned enterprises. Not to mention, they have people like Kyrie and Eamon, who basically have no management skills. All these years, the factory just stayed at the bottom, not doing anything.What¡¯s strange is that Kyrie has always been the head of the factory. No one can undermine that. Therefore, Mr. Richards, under such circumstances, if we would like to invest that much money in it, I can guarantee that it will only go to waste. Those materials produced by the factory can¡¯t even be used as one of our auto parts¡¯ materials if they don¡¯t go through the transformation. It is possible that everything will be to no avail.¡± Alvin sounded agitated and anxious. ¡°ording to the information from the insiders, this factory has several branches set up in the mountainous area. The employees who worked in the main factory earn a much higher sry than those of other branches. However, only Kyrie¡¯s people are allowed in that area.¡±

    Hansen knitted his brows, his eyes zing with anger. He grabbed onto the edge of the table before him, and clenched it tightly. His knuckles turned white.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I heard that those factories aren¡¯t even producing petrochemicals. As for what it is, no one can tell exactly. All in all, it¡¯s weirdly mysterious.¡± Alvin suddenly took a step forward and lowered his voice.¡°There must be something shady in this factory. We can¡¯t act impulsively.¡±

    Hansen tapped his fingers on the desk as he let out a sigh.

    Speaking of a state-owned long-standing factory with a century-old history, the person who was capable of controlling the direction of the factory and the secretarywas definitely not an ordinary person. That person had to have something to do with the senior leaders. Who was controlling the factory then? Plus, what was the purpose?

    He lowered his head, contemting whether he should give up on the factory.

 Chapter 359 Encountering Him Abroad

    The Richards Group¡¯s current car sales had surpassed that ofthe Whalen Groupin every aspect.Mainly, it was due to the failings of the Whalen Group. Hence,almost all the orders went to them. However, if the problem concerning the raw materials could not be solved, things would not turn out well.In the business world, not moving forward means falling behind.The Richards Group were on trackand had just found their footing. Therefore, a singlewrong move could end them.

    He heard about the petrochemical factory by ident when he was abroad some time ago. Once he returned, he immediately arranged Jose and a few others to conduct a private investigation. That was how he found that ce. Initially, he thought it was a problem he could solve with money.

    However, reality could not be further from that!

    He had always believed that any problem that could be solved with moneywas not a problem. At that moment, money was no longer the solution.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, heavily equipped trucks have been going into the petrochemical factory for the past few nights. The trucks are tightly sealed. So, we have no clue what they are loaded with.¡± Alvin borated.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious. He hade across numerous business secrets. Yet,he was currently stumped, unable to figure out the secret of the petrochemical factory.

    ¡°Alvin, what are Kyrie andpany up to these days?¡± Ever since his investment n had been disclosed to them, the initial thrill eventually subsided into the grave silence they were experiencing.They really could not tell what was on their mind.

    ¡°Nothing, other than the call he made that day, asking if he could treat you to a meal.¡± Alvin answered with a frown.

    Hansenughed and thought aloud.¡°Very well. Looks like they¡¯re ying tricks on me. Ever since my debut, there has never been a thing I can¡¯t handle. I don¡¯t believe this dpidated old factory can knock me off.¡±

    At the thought of that, his interest had been piqued.

    ¡°It¡¯s just an old factory, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s going to be shut down soon. How great can it still be?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you should get some rest. We have ovee so many major problems. These small matters can¡¯t trouble us,¡± Alvinforted him out ofworry for Hansen,as he had seen the way Hansen¡¯s brows furrowed together a few moments ago.

    Hansen stared out of the windowinto the thick darkness. Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I get it now, andI know what to do. You must be tired too.So, go and get some rest.¡±

    As he spoke, the worry on his face disappeared.In its ce was a look of confidence and calmness.

    Seeing the look on Hansen¡¯s face, Alvin felt relieved. He had always believed in that resourceful president. No matter how difficult a problem was, with his overwhelming power, he could definitely solve it. Not to mention their current problem was just a small matter.

    Hence, he went to sleep with a peace of mind.

    At the arrivals lounge of the international airport, a beautiful woman in high heels, walked out of the airport gate lightheartedly, tugging a ck luggage.

    Sabrina had finally graduated from college.

    Instead of living afortable life at home, dependent on her father, she chose tofurther her studies abroad instead. Her ambition was to be an international fashion designer, and to be well-known like Jenna, designingclothes that were famous all over the world.

    She wanted to be the person everyone admired, to have a sessful career, and be a strong, independent woman.

    With such a dream in mind, she arrived in a foreign country as soon as she graduated from college. She nned to further her studies at a famous fashion design university, to study hard, and to build a foundation for her future career.

    ¡°Sabrina.¡± Just as she walked out of the airport, she heard a deep voice calling her. She turned around in surprise.

    The tall, slender man stood by the side, looking at her through hissses. He was wearing a calm and deste expression. His eyes were clear, but there seemed to be an imperceptible sh of pain within.

    The smile on Sabrina¡¯s face froze.Her hand that was pulling the luggage trembled. It was him ¨C Norton Richards!

    It had been almost two years since shest heard of him. That year, after she returned home from the Richards Group in grief, she was not able to escape the sadness and disappointment for a long period of time. She locked herself up in her room for seven days, before she was finally determined to forget everything and start anew.

    Just as she thought everything was over, she unexpectedly methim when she was alone in a foreign country after graduating from college.

    ¡°Sabrina, I heard from General Delia that you¡¯ll being here. So, it¡¯s true.I¡¯ve seen it for myself,¡± spoke Norton in his appealing voice. Taking his sses off, therewas a surprised look on his face.

    Seen it for himself? Had he been waiting for her?

    Sabrina was surprised, and was even more shocked by his words.

    The man standing before her had obviously changed.

    Having lost a lot of weight, his chiselled face was a resolute expression. Theck of confidence that once filled his eyes had disappeared. At present, he seemed to have be self-assured, looking much more mature.

    ¡°Were you waiting for me?¡±sheasked coldly.Although she was dumbfounded, Sabrina came back to her senses shortly.

    Norton had anticipated her frigid response. Yet, it did not upset him. Instead, acaptivating smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to pick you up. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to school,¡± He informed her gently, smiling at her with a gentleness equal to that of his voice.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I can get there myself.¡± Sabrina calmed herself down, and rejected him firmly.

    ¡°Sabrina, I¡­ I have some things I would like to say to you. Pleasee with me. We¡¯ll grab some food first.¡± Seeing that she rejected him with no hesitation, Norton was embarrassed. Still, he continued to pester her.

    ¡°No,¡± Sabrina said, sounding even colder. At that word, she walked away.

    ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t go.¡± In his panic, he chased after her at lightning speed, grabbed her hand and begged.

    Sabrina¡¯s hand was suddenly grabbed by his big one. Her palm felt the warmth from his body. She felt her body tremble before it boiled with fury. As people were passing to and fro at the moment, she had no intention of making a scene with that man. Nevertheless, he had hurt her, deceived her, and she had vowed to forget him. She shouted angrily, ¡°Let go of me, or I will call the police.¡±

    Her firm and merciless attitude was a big p in Norton¡¯s face. It crushed his heart, but he still stubbornly held her hand and begged. ¡°Sabrina, it¡¯s all in the past. Let¡¯s sit down and have a talk. Let¡¯s start all over again. I¡¯m begging you!¡±

    Sabrina sneered. ¡°You and I have nothing to talk about since a long time ago. If you had known it woulde to this, why did you act like that? Just give up. We can¡¯t even be friends.¡±

    Her words were sharp as knives. There wasn¡¯t the slightest bit of affection. She was no longer the little girl from the past.

    The light in Norton¡¯s eyes gradually extinguished.

    ¡°Sabrina, I know just like everyone else, you look down on me and think I¡¯m not promising, but it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll prove it to you. Just wait. One day, I¡¯ll impress you and everyone else!I was thrown out of the Richards Group, soI have no connection with the Richards family anymore. In the future, my sess will onlye from my own effort. You can hate me, and even look down on me. I won¡¯t me you, because I have hurt you and deceived you. I¡¯m here today, to sincerely apologize to you, and to tell you that I love you with all my heart. When I was in prison all those years, I spent every single day thinking of you. Each day, I was filled with regret, fear and self-hatred. Why did I go down the wrong path? Reject me, despise me all you want now. I won¡¯t me you, but my heart will never change. I¡¯m begging you to give me a chance and some time to prove myself.¡±

    Norton ejected all those words in one go. He then took a look at her, as if he was trying to imprint her image on his mind. Finally, he turned around and walked away.

    Sabrina stood rooted to the spot, staring at his retreating figure.

    Looking at him from behind, she could feel his loneliness and sadness, yet he moved forward courageously, leaving her with a great promise.

    It actually brought a lump to her throat. The feelings she was forcefully repressingbegan to emerge. Yet, theywere being held back by another force. She felt depressed to the point shefound it hard to breathe.

    Standing there, lost in her thoughts, she finally returned to her senses when he disappeared into the crowd.Then, she grabbed her luggage and walked forward.

    Actually, when she had returned to Capital City that year, she had asked her father about it. She found out that Norton would not be charged with a serious crime, and that he would only be locked up for a year or so before regaining his freedom.

    Norton had caused her great humiliation as he had deceived her. More importantly, he had never loved her before.

    She was the daughter of General Delia, a well-known officer. Many men circled around her. It would not be a problem for her to find an ideal man. There was no need for her to have one more look at Norton, who approached her with a purpose. Besides, they had already ended their marriage. There was also no love between them.

    Over the years, she had gradually forgotten him. However, he had awakened her love. That beautiful feeling was etched in her heart. The feelings for him remained in her, and there¡¯s no way for her to get rid of them.

    On that day, she did not expect to meet him there. The feelings she buried deep inside her heart were stirring chaotically once again.

    ¡°No way. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll ept him again.¡±

    She shook her head to remove the thought from her mindas she pulled her luggage and walked forward, ignoring her heavy heart.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    At the luxurious vi located in the suburb of Wullen Town, the gate was heavily guarded.

    Yadriel and Sergio were sitting at the dining table, having breakfast.

    ¡°Dad, for how long are you going to be here?¡± Sergio enquired as he ate.

    Yadriel muttered to himself for a moment before replying.¡°There are many things happening in Capital City. I can¡¯t just leave. Even for this time around,I could onlye over the weekend. As for what happens here, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± After that, he gulped thest of his soy milk and questioned with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Do you have the confidence?¡±

 Chapter 360 Up His Sleeve

    Sergio was taken aback by his words. Soon, he raised his head and turned to look at Yadriel. A confident smile was etched on his face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. I am your son! Believe me, I will make sure you¡¯re satisfied with the oue, but meanwhile you must give me the freedom to make my own choices.¡±

    ¡°Very well. You¡¯re a big boy now.It¡¯s only expected that you know how to make choices and take responsibility,¡± spoke Yadriel in a muffled voice as he took the hot towel handed over by the servant to wipe the corners of his mouth gently.

    Sergio pursed his thin lips.A faint smirk appeared.

    At that moment, a housekeeper walked up to them, cautiously informing them.¡°Mr. Xanthe, there are two people outside, who go by the names Kyrie and Eamon, asking to see you.¡±

    Yadriel¡¯s eyes widened ever so slightly beforehe instructed the housekeeper.¡°Bring them to the study.¡±

    ¡°Yes,sir,¡± responded the housekeeper dutifully before he left.

    ¡°Dad, it seems that they have no choice but to ask you for help.¡± Sergio put his bowl down, with a smile on his face.

    Yadriel snorted coldly, his eyes emanating an icy ze. ¡°Sergio, whatever happens in the future, you must know what to do. Never be soft-hearted and indecisive.¡±

    Once again, the corners of Sergio¡¯s lips lifted up into a smile.¡°It seems that you are still worried about me. Why is my life so miserable? Even my very own father doesn¡¯t believe in me.¡±

    ¡°Cut it out. There can¡¯t be any idents,¡± Yadriel reminded him again as he shot him a nce.

    ¡°Got it, Dad. I¡¯ll head out first,¡± Sergio announced before walking out.

    Yadriel, on the other hand, arrived at the study.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe.¡± Once Yadriel entered the room, Kyrie and Eamon hurriedly bowed down to greet him. Kyrie even almost fell over.After all, he had personally seen the cruelty of which the man before his eyes was capable of. That year, one of his men identally leaked out some information about the guns in the ammunition warehouse. Having asked a single question,Yadriel had swiftly ended that man¡¯s life with a pistol.

    At the moment, he was also facing the danger of being investigated by Hansen. More importantly, his family¡¯s life and the rtives who worked in the factory were all in danger too. If Hansen were to discover anything, it would anger the man before his eyes,and consequently have his entire family executed.

    ¡°Why did youe?¡± Yadriel mused slowly as he settled into his chair.

    Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Kyrie beamed as he answered.¡°Mr. Xanthe, I came here today to report some things to you, and to ask you for some suggestions.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Feigning ignorance,Yadriel looked up at him with interest. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?I¡¯ll hear you out.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Kyrie took a step forward, his smile brighter. ¡°Okay, so currently, the petrochemical factory is in distress. Arge number of workers quit making a living elsewhere. It¡¯s not a big deal though. Sinceit¡¯s located in a remote area, the things produced can¡¯t meet the demands of the market as well. Such a phenomenon is inevitable. However, another problem had arisen recently. At first, I thought it was a good thingsince someone is going to invest a hundred million dors worth of capital. This will help strengthen the lives of many employees, but¡­¡±

    When Kyrie got to that point, he stopped talking. He avoided talking about the arms manufacturing nt and talked about the petrochemical factory. He did so not only to prove to Yadriel that he had always been a cautious, tight-lipped person, and that he would never talk nonsense, but also to dispel his concerns.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Someone is going to invest in it. This is a good thing indeed. You should be happy.¡± Yadrielughed.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a good thing.¡± Kyrie nodded his head repeatedly. However, thesmile on his face had turned ghastly. ¡°The thing is, if they would invest their money after signing a contract, then all¡¯s good. However, the person investing is of an impressive background. Not only does he want to invest, he also wants to investigate the background of the old factory, and to reform it. He even wants to buy our main petrochemical factory, making things very tricky.¡±

    After listening, Yadriel grinned. Appearing unstirred, he bluntly replied, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that someone wants to invest and reform the factory. Currently, domestic business is thriving. If the petrochemical factory can¡¯t keep up, not only will it be a burden to the country, it will also make the lives of the employees harder. Hence, it¡¯s a must to reform it. There¡¯s nothing bad about it. Kyrie, do you have something you¡¯re not satisfied with, or something you have trouble saying?¡±

    Upon hearing those words, both Kyrie andEamon were rendered stupefied.

    They simply couldn¡¯t figure out what Mr. Xanthe had up his sleeve.

    It was obvious that he hade to Wullen Town only after hearing the news, yet at the moment, he didn¡¯t talk about it at all. Instead, he preached about reforming thepany. If there weren¡¯t weapons and dangerous petrochemical materials in there,a reform would naturally be a good thing.Anyone with a sharp mind would be aware of that.So, why was he acting so nonchnt?

    However, if that¡¯s the case, then after Hansen took over, Kyrie would not be able to be the head of the factory, as well as the head of themittee anymore.Everything he had done would be exposed too. The charge of smuggling arms was not a small matter.

    The more he thought about it, the more his legs turned to jelly.If everything remained undiscovered, it would be good. However, if something went wrong, they would be the ones in the greatest danger.

    At that moment, he stood there speechlessly.His entire body was covered in sweat.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, Hansen Richards is the president of the biggestpany to this day. He is supported by both domestic and international funds.Of course, it¡¯s a good thing that such a person will invest in our petrochemical factory. However, he is very astute. He won¡¯t simply make an investment. I¡¯m afraid he has other purposes.¡± From the side, Eamon took over the conversation.

    ¡°Hansen? Oh, him.¡± Yadrielughed, before replying calmly. ¡°No matter how outstanding he is, how talented he is, how much funds he has, he is still just a businessman in the business world. He¡¯s only another rich man. Do you understand?¡±

    Kyrie and Eamon got what he meant. He was saying that Hansen was just a businessman, and no matter how powerful he was, he¡¯s no match for someone within the political circle, like Yadriel. In other words, such a person posed no threat to him at all.

    That seemed to be the meaning behind his words.

    Kyrie and Eamon exchanged looksof relief. They, too, startedughing.

    ¡°Do you mean¡­?¡± Whileughing, they nodded and asked.

    ¡°Work hard. As the head of the factory, you must set a good example and take the lead, bring up the employees¡¯ living standards, and promote the factory¡¯s benefits. Don¡¯t be scared to ept new things, and don¡¯t only hire your rtives, but also talented people. These are what all of you should be thinking about.¡± Yadriel exined slowly. After giving them a lecture on positive work culture, he took a look at the inexpensive watch on his wrist, and announced, ¡°I¡¯ll be heading back to Capital City. There¡¯s a meeting I have to attend. How about this?Sergio will be in Wullen Town for a few days. Young people, they like to do things for fun. You can look for him if you encounter any problem.¡±

    Yadriel stood up as he spoke.

    Once Kyrie and Eamon saw him standing up, they hurriedly fussed.¡°Yes, you must have numerous affairs to deal with every day, you must be really busy. Do take care. We¡¯ll get out of your hair and leave now.¡±

    The two men took their leave.

    ¡°Come out.¡± After the two of them walked out, Yadriel said towards the direction of the door.

    A tall man in ck, with a scar on the left side of his face, walked in.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe.¡± Edgar walked in quietly and greeted in a low voice.

    ¡°Edgar, how is the situation in the Middle East?¡± Yadriel¡¯s eyes gleamed sharply like a hawk.

    ¡°The current situation is very unstable. Yesterday, the contract arrived, saying they need numerous weapons and are willing to pay a high price. If this continues, we will earn a lot of money, enough to support the next year¡¯s presidential election.¡± Edgar¡¯s face lit up with excitement.

    ¡°Good.¡± Heughed quietly. ¡°See? Those two worthless fellows will ruin things. They can¡¯t be relied on. Send more people to keep an eye on them right away. There can¡¯t be any trouble at such a crucial moment. When I seed, I will retreat all the way.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, don¡¯t worry. They are under our control. We won¡¯t let them ruin things.¡± Edgar bowed his head, assuring Yadriel.

    Kyrie and Eamon walked out of the vi, still in a state of confusion.

    The two of them got into the car. They looked at each other. Both of them were speechless.

    Did theye here just to get schooled?

    No way!

    However, Mr. Xanthe had not said much. He had merely told them to work hard and to think of the people.

    So, was the current situation good or bad?

    ¡°He indeed is a cunning fox. He didn¡¯t say a word about it, as if he has nothing to do with the factory. If anything really happens, we¡¯ll be the scapegoats for sure,¡± Eamon fearfully cried as he looked at Kyrie nervously.

    After listening to his words, Kyrie got so scared that he almost peed his pants. However, after a moment of thinking, he concluded.¡°Of course it¡¯s possible, but don¡¯t worry. Unless these guns and ammunition are exposed and the factory is a goner, they can¡¯t abandon us. Judging from the current state of development, it¡¯s unlikely. This is a great opportunity. He won¡¯t give it up so easily.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. He¡¯s important in the political circle. So, he¡¯s cautious with his words and actions. Of course he needs to keep his head down when conversing with us. However, he also pointed out indirectly that Hansen is only a business tycoon. He¡¯s not muchpared to those in politics. So, there¡¯s no need to fear him. This shows that he¡¯s confident in himself, and that everything is under his control.So, let¡¯s not worry about it for the time being, and just wait and see.¡± Eamon decided after analysing the situation.

    ¡°Right.¡± Kyrie pped his thigh and agreed happily.¡°Didn¡¯t he say? Do what we should do, take good care of the factory. And put the interest of the workers above all.We¡¯ll do as he instructed.¡±

    With that, he pped his hands together and burst intoughter.His whole body visibly rxed.

    Eamon too, felt relieved.

    The two grinned at each other.

    The factory was his center of main interest.Although he was a high-ranking official,Yadriel was not afraid. Thus, what was there for them to worry about?

    What about ¡®to do a good job for the factory¡¯s benefits¡¯? Did this phrase mean that after all, it was vital to ept Hansen¡¯s investment?

    Nevertheless, they weren¡¯t in the mood to think about it at the moment.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Kyrie ordered the driver. The driver took them to the best massage parlor in town.

 Chapter 361 Alvinâ€™s Explanation

    Jenna watched over Jerry for two days straight. Under the supervision of Hansen, the medical team finally stabilized Jerry¡¯s condition after the third day. There were no longer symptoms of a slight fever. His coughing too,had improved from severe coughs to mild coughs.With each passing day, Jerry¡¯s mental state seemed to be better. The same could be said abouthis rtionship with Hansen.

    The orange trees in the small town had ripened in this season. They were a bright shade of amber!

    One afternoon, Jenna remembered that oranges could help relieve coughs. Hence, she went out to pick some fresh oranges just for Jerry.As she hurried back home, she passed by the courtyard next door and spotted Alvin walking out of it. She couldn¡¯t help but to find it odd.

    Why would Alvin walk out of someone else¡¯s house?

    Just then, Alvin turned around, noticing Jenna.

    ¡°Good afternoon,Madam Jenna.¡± He walked up to her swiftly and greeted her with a smile.

    Jenna looked at him in confusion.

    ¡°Alvin,why were you walking out of someone else¡¯s house?¡± She questioned him. She was extremely puzzled.

    ¡°Someone else¡¯s?¡± Alvin looked back at the house, dumbfounded. Then, he suddenlyughed.¡°Madam Jenna, this isn¡¯t someone else¡¯s house. It¡¯s Mr. Richards¡¯ house.¡±

    ¡°Hansen¡¯s house?¡±

    Jenna became even more perplexed. It was obviously someone else¡¯s house.When did it suddenly be Hansen¡¯s?

    From her incredulous look, Alvin figured out that Hansen had not told her that he had rented a ce there.After a brief pause, he informed her. ¡°Young Madam, Mr. Richards has been renting this house. The homeowner had been given a sum of money to stay somewhere else temporarily.¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s what happened.¡± Jennathought to herself, finally understanding the situation.

    No wonder Hansen showed up right away everytime Jerry cried in the past few days.It turns out he had been living next door all along.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with this guy?He sneakily moved in next door,but did not tell me. He really has the potential to be a secret agent.¡± Jenna grumbled internally. Her annoyance and displeasure was exhibited starkly on her face.

    ¡°Young Madam, can I have a word with you?¡± Alvin could clearly see how upset Jenna was, and thought about how Hansen had been moody recently. He could not bear it. For a few times, he had wanted to talk to Jenna about him.

    He had been by Hansen¡¯s side for many years.Therefore, he had already understood Hansen¡¯s behavior. There were many things that he would not tell Jenna since he was a man and believed that some things were not necessary for women to know.

    However, Alvin didn¡¯t think so.After all, he knew Jenna well as they had been acquainted whenshe was the vice president of Richards Groups.

    At times, her judgement was even better than that of Hansen. On top of that, she was also a very sensible person. However,their current situation prompted Alvin¡¯s concern, especially due to Sara¡¯s attitude towards Hansen. Heworried that things between Hansen and Jenna would not go well.

    Alvin truly thought well of Hansen and Jenna. He believed that they were meant for each other, and should reconcile as soon as possible and live happily ever after.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Jenna chuckled. Alvin, a person who was not good with words, had something to say to her. Her excitement heightened. She said with interest, ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯m very willing to listen.¡±

    ¡°How about we talk inside?¡± Alvin suggested after seeing peopleing and going. It was obviously not convenient to talk.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna looked at the small yard Hansen had rented. She was very interested and wanted to have a look inside.

    ¡°After you.¡± Alvin gestured in invitation.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Without the slightest bit of shyness, Jenna walked towards and into the house.

    It was a small suite with ayout simr to hers, albeita little messy. It had to be, as the two men were not good at tidying things up. Besides, someone like Hansen would never clean up a house.

    Jenna found it hrious that Hansen would live in such a house.

    ¡°Young Madam, Mr. Richards loves you and cares about you very much.¡± Alvin dered as soon as he set foot in the house.

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Jenna was stunned. Never had she expected Alvin to talk about her rtionship with Hansen. She was at aplete loss of words at the moment.

    ¡°Yes,Madam Jenna, please trust me,¡± Alvin stuttered.¡°I¡¯ve been with Mr. Richards for such a long time, andI¡¯ve never seen him care for a woman so much before. He truly loves you.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyebrows twitched as she smiled stiffly.

    Perhaps that was true. He did love her. She could feel it.On top of that, he was still crazy about her body too.

    She recalled howhe expressed his desire for her all the time in the past few days. His eyes were lustful,without the slightest shred of disguise.At that thought, Jenna blushed, and she hung her head low, remaining silent.

    ¡°Madam Jenna, after you left, Mr. Richards searched for you everywhere crazily. He was not in the mood to work,nor to eat or to drink. There were many times where I found him drunk in restaurants and had to carry him home.Later on, he somehow managed to pick himself up. However, in the past year or so,whenever he was not working, he would be looking for you.He didn¡¯t even get close to any woman.I can ascertain this.¡± Alvin continued to praise Hansen.

    ¡°Was it your idea to tell me all these things, or his?¡± Jenna raised her head, and looked at Alvin with probing eyes.

    ¡°No, no,Madam Jenna. It¡¯s all me. It hasnothing to do with Mr. Richards.¡± Alvin hurriedly shook his head. ¡°Mr. Richards is a macho man. There are many things he refuses to let a woman know. He will never tell you about his predicament. This is all me. Please don¡¯t let Mr. Richards find out about this. He will not let me off the hook.¡±

    Alvin quickly exined as he was afraid that Jenna would not believe him. He was even more afraid that Jenna would misunderstand Hansen because of that.

    Jenna watched as his face turned red due to nervousness, and broke into a soft grin.

    As a matter of fact, she believed him.

    She took her time to walk into Hansen¡¯s bedroom. In his bedroom, other than arge bed and a table, there was nothing else. The nkets were scattered messily on the floor. None of them were folded.

    Looking at those messy nkets, and the suits strewn on the bed, she sighed. She put down the fruits she was holding, and started tidying up.

    Meanwhile, Alvin stood on the side, watching Jenna¡¯s movements. He smiled knowingly, saying, ¡°Madam Jenna, my apologies. Mr. Richards and I don¡¯t know how to fold our nkets, let alone take care of suits.¡±

    Jennaughed in response. It would be the greatest miracle in the world if a man like Hansen knew how to do that.

    ¡°Madam Jenna still loves Mr. Richards.¡± Alvin happily thought to himself.

    After folding the nkets and cing the pillows, she came across a shell on the sheets. She was stunned.

    Wasn¡¯t this hers? Why would it be in his room?

    Instantly, her mind was filled with the scene of him fighting with Rayan Whalen in a bedroom in Richards Manor just because of that shell.Never had she imagined that he would keep it instead of throwing it away. At that moment, she had mixed feelings. They were all kinds ofplicated feelings.

    ¡°Young Madam, do you know the car called ¡®Lovely Wife¡¯? It was designed based on the car graphics on your shell. In those few days, he locked himself up in the office everyday, and kept his nose to the grindstone. Finally, he finished the car design.Now, it is a popr product among women.¡± Alvin exined in admiration.

    ¡®Lovely Wife¡¯? Jenna was confused. She had not seen that car before. After all, for more than a year, she had either been in the remote mountainous area or that isted town. He had such a hobby? Yet again, it was something beyond Jenna¡¯s expectation.

    ¡°Yes, Young Madam. Mr. Richards put all his yearning for you into this car,¡± Alvin confirmed resolutely.

    Hey, he spoke quite well! Jenna thought gleefully.

    She couldn¡¯t help but to take a look at him.

    Pride was written all over Alvin¡¯s face.

    Jenna suddenly felt likeughing. The person Hansen had picked was somewhat simr to him.

    After a while, she looked up at him and asked softly, ¡°Alvin, can I ask you something?¡±

    In truth, that matter had always been bugging her. Aria McAdams had to have given birth, right? Since Hansen didn¡¯t marry Aria,to whom did the baby belong? Was it a boy or a girl?

    It would be a lie to say that she wasn¡¯t curious, but she wouldn¡¯t ask Hansen, just like how Hansen never took the initiative to discuss Aria in front of her.It was a sensitive topic nobody would raise.

    ¡°Ask away, Young Madam.As long as I have any knowledge about it, I¡¯ll tell you all I know.¡± Alvin nodded repeatedly. He was pleased to answer any questions.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna clenched her fists, her palms sweating. After a moment, she asked, blushing.¡°Alvin, may I ask if Aria has given birth?¡±

    Alvin was taken aback by the question. Suddenly, he understood everything.

    It turned out that such an issue still existed between them. It was a sensitive issue for women, but for Hansen, it might have been long forgotten. After all, it had happened a long time ago.

    ¡°You still don¡¯t know?¡± Alvin sighed. ¡°I think Mr. Richards has already forgotten about this matter. It¡¯s not surprising though, since it was resolved long ago.¡±

    He told Jenna what had happened during the meeting at Richards Manor, as well as the whole process in detail. After everything was exined,Alvin felt agitated. ¡°Oh, Mr. Richards, you still don¡¯t get women. If you don¡¯t untie this knot, how can your love life ever improve!¡± sighed Alvin internally.

    After listening,a jumble of emotions floated around in Jenna¡¯s heart. Many thoughts were running in her mind. However, she found it weird that Alvin, who was stuttering a few moments ago, just told her everything in one breath, smoothly.

    ¡°Madam Jenna, Mr. Richards is a real man. He values his family and friends more than anything. He¡¯s a keeper. Don¡¯t let him go.¡±

    ¡°Madam Jenna, Mr. Richards truly loves you. Just go back home with him. He will definitely dote on you.¡±

    ¡°Madam Jenna, there are not many men who are wealthy and good like Mr. Richards. You must cherish him.¡±

    ¡°Madam Jenna, you¡­¡±

    Alvin wouldn¡¯t stop bragging about how great Hansen wasas if there was no other man like him in the entire universe.

    Jenna was astonished by how well-spoken Alvin was. He was usually expressionless and taciturn, but once he opened his mouth, the words flowed smoothly. His unexpected eloquence was simply impressive, casting him in a different light.

    Although she kept her lipspursed,the corners of her mouth were raised.Finally,she mustered the courage to speak.

 Chapter 362 Sergioâ€™s Visit

    ¡°Alvin, what are you babbling about?¡± Hansen¡¯s cold voice floated in from the outside.

    Before she heard his voice,Jenna detected a familiar scent. In a sh, Hansen¡¯s tall figure walked through the door.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡­¡± Alvin¡¯s face turned red, and he started stuttering again.

    Hansen nced at him, and then at Jenna. An expression of annoyance was written all over his face.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes sparkled as she tried to suppress herughter. She met his eyes with a hint of mischief.

    ¡°Alvin, since when did you be so gossipy?¡± Hansen looked displeased.Snorting, he growled, ¡°You big mouth!¡±

    As soon as he had set foot in the house, he heard Alvin¡¯s cheesypliments. As he walked further in, he instantly understood what was going on. What a joke! Did he, Mr. Richards, need his subordinates to put in a good word for him with his woman?

    ¡°Mr. Richards, uh, there¡¯s something I need to do.I¡¯ve got to go.¡± Things were not going well. Therefore, Alvin hastily excused himself and fled.

    Jenna almostughed out loud watching the seven-foot-tall man flee in a hurry. At the moment, she was in a really good mood.

    ¡°You¡¯re still smiling.¡± Hansen¡¯s gaze fell on her face. He wasclearly annoyed.

    ¡°Uh, I¡¯ve got to go too.¡± Raising her head, she saw Hansen gazing at her. His hot stare on her raised the temperature of the room. Panicking, she quickly announced her departure, and spun around.

    No matter when and where, Hansen would never hide his desire for her.

    ¡°Leave? You just got here and you want to leave?¡± His lips curled into a smirk.Reaching out, he grabbed her arm,pulling her back.Spinning around, Jenna stumbledinto his arms.

    His chest was firm and strong.While the impact made Jenna dizzy, the warmth of his embrace surrounded her. Even his breath was warm.

    ¡°What were you talking about?¡± He caressed her face, brought his mouth closer to her ear as he whispered to her.

    ¡°Nothing much.¡± Jenna moved her face farther away from him as much as she could in an attempt to avoid his breath. Her entire face was flushed. ¡°Let go of me. I need to feed Jerry.¡±

    ¡°Leaving after talking bad about me? It won¡¯t be so easy.¡± Hansen wrapped his iron grip arms around her. He did not have any intention to let her go. Even if she had pulled out the Jerry card, he would not give in. The wicked grin on his face made Jenna even more flustered.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t talk bad about you,¡± Jenna retorted glumly. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t believe me,shouldn¡¯t you at least believe Alvin?¡±

    ¡°If you want me to believe you, show me some sincerity.¡± Hansen bowed his head to look at her face. His gaze was hot enough to burn through her.

    Sincerity? Oh, please!

    ¡°You secretly moved in next door to me. What¡¯s the meaning of that?¡± Jenna raised a hand to block his lips, which were moving closer to her, and questioned him.

    Upon hearing that, Hansenughed and answered matter-of-factly, ¡°Of course it¡¯s for my son¡¯s sake. Besides, this house is not yours. Is it inappropriate for me to live here?¡±

    His question rendered Jenna speechless.Considering his words, she realized that they had a reason. Whilehim hiding things from her did make her ufortable, she could not expect him to exin himself as he genuinely intended to look after Jerry. At that thought, she sulked,saying, ¡°Alright then, suit yourself.¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    Chuckling, Hansen grabbed her waist with one hand. ¡°Then tell me, since we¡¯re living so close to each other, shouldn¡¯t we be more intimate?¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Jenna looked at him resignedly. Perhaps Alvin¡¯s words had improved her mood. Her eyes were soft and gentle. ¡°Jerry is still waiting for me.¡±

    She mentioned Jerry once more. The darkness in his eyes seemed to have faded. However, his hands were still restless, slowly easing underneath her shirt, spreading an intense warmthall over her body.

    ¡°Remember,e over tonight after Jerry has fallen asleep. I have something to discuss with you.¡± Finally. Hansen released her. Nevertheless, he added a warning.¡°If you don¡¯te, you¡¯re dead.¡±

    As soon as Jenna got out of his arms, she took to her heels.

    Watching her retreating figure, his lips curled into a grin.

    Her body was soft to the touch, and her scent drove him out of control. She was simply addictive, and there was no way he could let her go. For the past two years, he had been drowning in the thought of her. His desire for her was so strong that until this moment of reunion, his emotions flowed intensely like a wide, rushing river.

    Jenna blushed scarlet. Actually, their rtionship had already escted to a point where they could not be separated. Not to mention they already had a child together. There was no reason for her to feel ashamed. However, when it came to facing his teasing and flirting, her heart would always race, and she would be unable to control her feelings. It frustrated her a lot thatHansen seemed to be the bane of her existence.

    Upon reaching her courtyard, she heard a heartyughtering from the house. It could even be heard from the road.

    Jenna was stunned.

    It was Sara¡¯sughter.

    It had been a long time since shest heard herugh. It was even afortableugh.

    Seemingly, she had rarely heard herugh ever since her father¡¯s ident. Was there a happy event happening?

    She sped up and walked into the house.

    In the living room, a tall and handsome man was talking to Sara with a broad grin on his face. His amber eyes were glowing with humility and respect.With his well-built figuredin a dark green military uniform, helooked exceptionally dashing.In the small living room, his epaulets shone brightly.

    The moment she set foot in the house, she could feel the living room brighten up, as if it was suddenly covered in gold, shining brightly.

    On the table, there were several expensive gift boxes.

    Standing in the living room, before she could even express her doubts,the man stood up and walked towards her with acharming smile stered across his face.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re back!¡± His voice was pleasing to the ear,masculineyetcking no warmth. Like the sun rays, it wasforting.

    ¡°You are¡­¡± Jenna raised her eyes to meet his, with puzzlement scribbled all over her face. The man knew her name, but she had no idea who he was. Who could he be? Was she being impolite?

    ¡°But I really don¡¯t know him. I don¡¯t remember dealing with such a man. I don¡¯t think I have even spoken to him.¡± She thought to herself.

    ¡°Then who is he?¡±

    ¡°Jenna, do you not know me?¡± He let out a bubble ofughter, not minding Jenna¡¯s expression.Amused, he teased.¡°Guess I¡¯m too in-looking, that¡¯s why you couldn¡¯t remember me. It really isn¡¯t your fault.¡±

    His teasing made Jenna feel embarrassed. She forced a grin.

    ¡°Jenna, this is Mr. Xanthe¡¯s son, Sergio Xanthe. You two have met in Capital City, at the banquet held by Grandpa Johan, the one your father took you to.¡± Sara exined. Seeing the dazed look on her daughter¡¯s face, she knew her daughter had long forgotten about the man before her.

    Sergio Xanthe? Did she know him?

    The banquet her father took her to? That was so long ago. She was still a child then!

    ¡°Is that how you greet people?¡± Noticing that her daughter was still dumbfounded,she could not help but to feel ashamed of herck ofbasic manners.Sergio was the best fighter in the military, yet he was willing to drop by their humble abode. Her daughter¡¯s lukewarm receptionpainted them as uncultured people. It also made her seem like she didn¡¯t care much about him.

    ¡°Oh, hello.¡± Jenna cleared her throatand smiled slightly.¡°Please have a seat. My memory is not really good. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Sergioughed heartily.

    ¡°Jenna, you were only sixteen when I met you then. It has been so many years. It¡¯s normal that you don¡¯t remember me. I just hope that you won¡¯t forget me from now on.¡± Sergio stoppedughing after a moment, and kindly helped her out.

    Jenna giggled.

    ¡°Mom, Mom.¡± Jerry¡¯s tender voice called out from the bedroom.Startled, Jenna shot Sergio a smile before excusing herself.¡°Please take a seat first! I have something to attend to.¡±

    Right after that, she turned around and entered the bedroom.

    ¡°Baby, do you miss me?¡± As soon as Jenna entered the bedroom, her demeanour changed. Her eyes were full of love. Her voice was soft and gentle.

    Jerry had almost recovered from his illness and he seemed to be in good spirits.At the moment, he was ying with a toy car on the bed. Once he heard Jenna¡¯s voice, he happily called for her. When he saw her walking over, he threw away the toy he had in his hands and stretched them out towards her.

    Jenna beamed and opened her arms to him. As soon as Jerry was in his mother¡¯s arms, he wrapped his arms around her neck, and gave her a kiss on the cheek as he wriggled in her arms in a coy manner.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was overwhelmed with love. She was so happy that her eyes curved like a crescent moon. She held Jerry in her arms, and kissed him before asking softly. ¡°Jerry, did you miss me? Are you feeling better?¡± She ced her hand on his forehead as she asked. To her delight, his forehead was cool to the touch. She knew that Jerry¡¯s illness had beenpletely cured.

    Jerry chuckled as he moved around in her embrace.

    The mother and son were full of joy in the room.

    Meanwhile, Jenna and her son¡¯sughter could be heard by Sara in the living room, and it made her feel embarrassed. She nced at Sergio uneasily.

    The smile on Sergio¡¯s face stiffened ever so briefly. However, quickly catching ontoSara¡¯s thoughts, heput on a charming smile.

    ¡°Aunt Sara, I didn¡¯t expect that after so many years of not seeing each other, Jenna is still as kind and beautiful. You¡¯re so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter,¡± he said graciously. His hands were sped together as he leaned on the chair. A courteous man he wasfor being nonchntabout Jenna having a child at all. In truth, he didn¡¯t mind when he saw Jenna, because he had already known about it.

 Chapter 363 Can We Be Friends?

    ¡°Sigh, to have such a blessing.¡± Sara let out a long sighfull of sadness. ¡°She is very unfortunate. Her marriage didn¡¯t go well, and until now, she¡¯s still a single mother. I¡¯m worried sick about her.¡±

    As she spoke, Sara felt depressed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aunt Sara. Jenna is a nice girl. She will definitely have a happy home.¡± Sergio quickly handed over a napkin as heforted her softly.

    ¡°s, her father and I are to me. I feel guilty about it.¡± Sara took the napkin from him to wipe her tears. Pain and guilt were written all over her face.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    ¡°Aunt Sara, life is capricious. There are some things that are inevitable.So, there is no need to be sad. If everyone knows the consequences beforehand, then regrets will not exist. Nevertheless, obviously, that¡¯s impossible. Let¡¯s leave the past in the past. What matters is the future. People must always look forward to the future.¡± Sergioforted her.

    Histhoughtful and kindwords reachedSara¡¯s heart. Upon listening to that,she nodded repeatedly in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re right. Since we can¡¯t change the past, we can only look forward to the future and live well.However, I just don¡¯t know if Jenna would be fated for the happiness she deserves.¡±

    Sara¡¯s face was clouded with sadness and disappointment, as well as worry and yearning. Hansen¡¯s figure shed through her mind, and her heart became heavier.

    She hoped that her daughter could have a happy home, and marrying a good man was the only way for a woman to lead a happy life. However, her daughter already had a child. If things could not work out with Hansen, it would not be easy for her to find a good man.Therefore, Sara felt concerned.

    She had only one daughter. If her daughter did not live well, what was the point of her being alive then? She would not even be able to be at peace.

    Sergio looked at her furrowed brows. He felt moved. He assured her kindly.¡°Aunt Sara, don¡¯t worry. Jenna will definitely find a man who loves her dearly. I¡¯m sure there are many men who are willing to marry such an amazing and kind woman like her.¡±

    Her eyebrows finally rxed. Once again, Sara sighed.¡°Sergio, you have no idea how diehard Jenna is. It¡¯s as if she has never seen a man in her life and haspletely fallen head over heels for Hansen. Otherwise, how could she have ended up like this?¡±

    The light in Sergio¡¯s eyes grew dark.

    ¡°Aunt Sara, don¡¯t worry. People say, sometimes we have to learn the hard way. If the truth is right in front of her eyes, I believe Jenna will be awakened soon. Besides, it is because she hasn¡¯t met a better man. When she does, she will understand everything and be happy naturally. As for you, you just need to take good care of yourself. However, this town is a little too small. It is not suitable for people to live here in the long term. When we have time, I would like to take you and Jenna to Capital City. I wonder if I could have the honor?¡± He told her in a moving and thoughtful speech, while he studied Sara with his eyes.

    After listening to his words,Sara was slightly tempted and it was demonstrated by thedelight on her face. However,she only chuckled but did not agree to it.

    ¡°Sergio, you shouldn¡¯t have brought any gifts. When youe next time, just bring yourself. Otherwise, I dare not let youe by anymore,¡± Sarasaid in embarrassment,looking at the expensive gifts on the table.

    Sergio was a son of a high-ranking military and political official. He was also handsome, gentle, and considerate. A man like him was very rare. In the future, if¡­

    Sara was lost in her thoughts. At the moment, Sergio seemed to be very interested in her daughter. She could tell by the look in his eyes when he saw Jenna a few moments ago.

    After all, her daughter had given birth. That would be hard for any man to ept.

    ¡°Aunt Sara, you¡¯re a senior and you¡¯re not feeling well. I would havee earlier if I had known something had happened to your family. I feel really ashamed foring thiste. I hope you don¡¯t think of me as a heartless person,¡± Sergio exined hurriedly, looking very serious.

    ¡°How could I? Thank you, Sergio. You are so considerate.¡± Sara thought of the time when Yadriel came to propose a marriage, but was turned down by Javon. She felt a pang of guilt. Her face then assumed an unnatural expression. She asked, ¡°Since you¡¯re here, why don¡¯t you stay for dinner?¡±

    After that, she called out, ¡°Jenna, Jenna.¡±

    Jenna heard Sara calling her. She walked out with Jerry in her arms.

    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Well, this is the first time Sergio came to our house, but this small courtyard of ours is not decent. You can take Sergio to a restaurant and order a few dishes that suit his taste. Be sure to y a good host to Sergio.¡± Sara instructed, beaming.

    ¡°Mom, Jerry¡­.¡± Jenna looked reluctant to go out for dinner with Sergio asJerry hadn¡¯t even had dinner yet. Besides, taking Sergio out for dinner seemed¡­

    ¡°Jerry has us. Can¡¯t a few adults take care of a child?¡± Sara knew what she was thinking. A look of displeasure immediately appeared on Sara¡¯s face as she rebuked her daughter.

    ¡°Aunt Sara,why don¡¯t I treat you and your family to dinner?¡± Sergio did not want to make things too hard for Jenna, so he hastily suggested.

    ¡°You came to our house to pay us a visit, how could we let you treat us? Besides, I have difficulty getting about. Bailey, too, is getting on in years, and Jerry is still too young. It¡¯s inconvenient for us to go. Only Jenna can go with you.¡± Of course, Sara would not agree. She turned down the idea immediately.Turning to Jenna once more, the look of displeasure on Sara¡¯s face grew even more obvious.

    In that case, it would be insensitive of Jenna if she didn¡¯t agree. She was also worried that Sara would be angry. She had no choice but to agree.

    Bailey came forward and wanted to take Jerry from Jenna¡¯s arms. Jerry had been assessing Sergio with his big eyes.The hostility in his eyes was in and obvious. When he saw Baileying over to take him, he turned his head and buried it in Jenna¡¯s shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her neck tightly, not willing to let go.

    It seemed like the little guy not only was shy with strangers, but also did not like the idea of Jenna going out to eat with Sergio. Therefore, he hugged Jenna tightly as an attempt to stop Jenna from going.

    ¡°Jerry, be a good boy. I will be right back after having a meal with Mr. Xanthe,¡± said Jenna to Jerry gently while patting his back.

    Nheless, Jerry was still unwilling. Sara then remembered how Hansen made Jerry willingly take his medicine that day, and instructed Bailey hastily.¡°Bailey, get a car toy for him.¡±

    Bailey understood. She took out a very beautiful electric toy car from the room and inserted batteries into it. The car zoomed all over the room,manding Jerry¡¯s attention at once. As a result, Aunt Lee was able to seed in taking Jerry from Jenna¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, let¡¯s go,¡± called Jenna after deliberating how to address him.

    Sergio smiled and looked at her. ¡°Thank you, Jenna. Don¡¯t you want to dress up?¡±

    From his experience, every woman would dress up when they go out, especially when going out with a man. In Capital City, back when he asked women out for a meal, he had to wait for one or two hours.

    ¡°Dress up?¡± Jenna was taken aback, but soon understood what he meant. She shook her head with a smile. ¡°No, I don¡¯t have that habit.¡±

    Sergio took a look at her, astonished, as she stood before him.Her hair was spread loosely across her shoulders, framing her beautiful face.A pair of dark, full eyebrowsplimented her fair and smootplexion.Poised and dignified, she shone gracefully and brightly merely by standing in the room.

    She was already so attractive without any makeup.If she dressed up, she would make more heads turn.

    That year, at Richards Group¡¯s press conference, she wore an elegant gown. Her wless appearance, paired with her exquisite temperament made her shine brightly on the silver screen.

    Just like her, the car she designed attracted everyone¡¯s attention. At that time, he watched her on the TV news. The news of her divorce from Hansen had note out yet. Hence, Sergio had been downcast. He was not willing to ept that he could never be with her, as there were not many women who could catch his eye. He had always trusted his own eyes to guide him.

    When Jenna appeared on the screen, he had admired her from the bottom of his heart.

    He actually didn¡¯t mind her past. To him, an amazing woman was a gift from God. There were too few women who could captivate him. Plus, she was single at the moment, so there were no restrictions.

    The two of them headed outside.

    Sergio started walking with a spring in his step, as if he was given a new boost in momentum. He was exuberant.

    Meanwhile, Jenna walked ahead of him, her steps light and calm. At first, he walked behind her. Then, he took a step forward and walked alongside her.

    She smelled faintly of flowers and fruits. The soft breeze blewher scent gently into his nose. Gradually, he felt intoxicated.

    ¡°Jenna, are you nning on living here in this small town with Jerry?¡± He turned his head slightly and eventually asked her.

    He was a tall and big man, which was rather intimidating whenhe walked alongside her. Hence, Jenna felt ufortable.

    Instead of answering the question, she responded with another question, ¡°Are you aware of my situation?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am. I have admired you for a long time, so it is natural for me to pay attention to you. Unlike me, I can¡¯t even make you recall who I am.¡± Heughed at himself.

    Jenna was taken aback, and sheughed abashedly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t pay much attention to others.¡± She exined softly.

    It wasn¡¯t her fault. In those years, Hansen was the apple of her eye. She didn¡¯t notice other men at all.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I can only me myself for not being outstanding enough.¡± Sergio chuckled.

    This time, Jenna couldn¡¯t bring herself tough.

    In the best restaurant of Wullen Town, soft music was ying. Theromantic and enchanting melodbined with the unique scent of the river in Jenova City exuded quite a charm.

    Jenna didn¡¯t want to enter a private dining room with him. Being alone with him in a small, narrow space didn¡¯t seem like the best idea.Thus, she found a seat near the window in the hall and sat down.

    It was drizzling outside. The dim street lights were already turned on, coupled with the wallmps in the restaurant, which were a pale yellow. It was inexplicably dreamy.

    Jenna suddenly felt a pang of lingering sorrow in her heart.

    Everything felt so surreal, like a dream.

    It was not her intention toe to this town.

    Then, Hansen hade into the picture, followed by the son of a high-ranking military and political official of Capital City, and he even wanted to treat her to a meal. If she wasn¡¯t experiencing it personally, she really couldn¡¯t believe that any of this was true.

    ¡°Jenna, can we be friends?¡± Observing the sorrow in her gaze, Sergio pitied her although he was not sure why. She was such an outstanding woman yet she lived such a lonely life. Was it a blessing or a misfortune?

    No matter what, it was heartbreaking to see a woman get into such a difficult situation, what more an amazing woman like Jenna.

 Chapter 364 Walking Alone At Night

    ¡°Can we be friends?¡± Jenna repeated his question in her mind.

    She thought to herself. ¡°It¡¯s just being friends. Why can¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Of course we can.¡± A faint smile appeared on Jenna¡¯s face as she answered inly.

    In her mind, she was not that petty. They were just going to be friends, weren¡¯t they? Anyone in the world could be a friend. It was verymon to make friends.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Despite the short and simple answer, Sergio grew excited. The corners of his mouth turned up. A bubble ofughter then followed. ¡°Having an amazing friend like you is the luckiest thing that ever happened to me in my life.¡±

    ¡°Is it that serious? Isn¡¯t it a little excessive?¡±Jenna pondered internally.

    Nevertheless, she kept her thoughts to herself.

    ¡°People should treat others with respect. Otherwise, it would be discourteous.¡± She rationalized his behavior in her head.¡°That is how he is with me now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only one dinner. I¡¯ll let him be.¡±

    Jenna ordered a few light dishes. She didn¡¯t know what his taste was, so she handed him the menu.

    He stopped her by holding his hand up, and simply decided.¡°I¡¯ll eat whatever you order. Anything is fine with me. Plus, I like whatever you like to eat.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jenna was taken aback. He was quite easy-going. He was not picky about food and was rather nice to be around with.At least his behaviour was not as domineering as his appearance. She had always thought soldiers were domineering and straightforward. While Sergio was straightforward, he was not domineering.The vibes he exuded were akin to that a neighbour would have, and that surprised Jenna.

    Her first impression of him was that he was mild and unassuming.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I shall order.¡± She looked up at him with a faint smile on her rosy lips. It revealed her pearly white teeth, whichplemented her sparkling eyes.

    The gleam in Sergio¡¯s gaze grew brighter.

    ¡°Don¡¯t order too much. It¡¯ll be a waste.¡± He advised gently.

    The son of an official was cautious about wastage?Once again, Jenna was taken aback. She really couldn¡¯t see it. The sons of other officials in Capital City were dependent on their wealth and would spend money like water, ordering everything when they go out. However, Sergio actually knew not to waste? It was a rare phenomenon among his type.

    That was her second impression of him.

    The meal did not seem to take too long nor did it seem short. They talked quite a lot. He repeatedly asked her what her ns were for the future, but she avoided the question.

    She didn¡¯t think there would be any more interactions between them. The meal they were having was just a formality. It was nothing special at all.

    ¡°Can I have the bill, please?¡± Jenna raised her hand.

    A waiter immediately came over with the bill.

    ¡°How much is it?¡± Sergio enquired, beating Jenna to it.

    ¡°Three hundred and eighty dors,¡± the waiter answered clearly.

    Jenna¡¯s head bowed as she was in the process of opening her wallet.

    ¡°Here, keep the change,¡± Sergio told the waiter as he took four hundred dors from his pocket and handed it to him, as if he had long known how much the bill cost.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The waiter took the money and left.

    By the time Jenna had taken out the money,all she could see was the waiter¡¯s retreating figure.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea. I already made it clear that I¡¯ll be the one paying for dinner.¡± Jenna was embarrassed. She put the hand she held the money with on the table, not knowing what to do with it. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the money then.¡±

    She put the money in front of him.

    ¡°When men eat with women, it¡¯s natural for men to pay the bill.¡± Sergio chided with a faintugh. He didn¡¯t even nce at the money right in front of him on the table. ¡°Do you think I will still take your money?¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡± Jenna was at a loss. Indeed, as the son of a high-ranking official, he would not mind such a small amount of money.

    ¡°If I continue to leave the money in front of a man like him,he might think I¡¯m trying to humiliate him.¡± With such a thought, she took the money back and chuckled.¡°Thank you, Mr. Xanthe. I¡¯ll buy you dinner next time, if there¡¯s a chance.¡±

    Sergio smiled softly and answered, ¡°That would be great. I¡¯m just afraid you¡¯ll forget me once we part ways.¡±

    As soon as he said that, Jenna felt he had seen through her. True enough, she had nned to forget him once they walked out of the restaurant.

    The truth was, she did not like making friends with men.

    Remaining silent, she blushed

    ¡°Jenna, can you call me Sergio?¡±Sergio requested, full of hope, as they were leaving the restaurant.Hearing her call him ¡®Mr. Xanthe¡¯ felt very distant and awkward. It made him feel ufortable.

    Jenna looked up at him, grinning faintly as she nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Sergio returned the grin. ¡°I¡¯ll take you home.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Let¡¯s part ways here. I know this road very well.¡± Jenna shook her head and declined.

    ¡°It is not safe for a woman to walk alone at night. Please let me take you home. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be at ease.¡± Sergio felt really unsettled about her walking back alone and insisted on taking her home.

    ¡°There¡¯s really no need for that. I¡¯ve already been used to walking alone at night,¡± Jenna replied indifferently as she looked up at the gloomy sky.

    Her words left a bad aftertaste to his ears. For a woman to be used to walking alone at night, she must have experienced so much sorrow and helplessness. With that thought in mind, Sergio felt pity for her.

    ¡°You are used to walking at night because you have not met me prior to this. Now that you have, you won¡¯t be walking alone at night anymore.¡± Sergio stubbornly proimed before he took the lead and walked down the alley, leaving no room for Jenna to object.

    Jenna was dumbfounded. She did not understand what he meant. In her opinion, she was a divorced woman with a child, and a man like Sergio should choose to stay far away from her. Although they were in a small town, once the news media finds out about it, it would be a stumbling block to his image.

    However, there was nothing else she could do as Sergio insisted on taking her home. Since she couldn¡¯t get rid of him, she let him be.

    The pair of them walked down the alley, one after the other. When her courtyard was in sight, she refused to continue walking with him.

    ¡°Mr¡­ Sergio, here will do. I can really get home by myself. It¡¯s just right in front.¡± After standing still to ponder for a long moment, she finallydecided to call him by his name. It was actually somewhat awkward and strange to call him that way.However, at the thought of his request, she decided to do as he wished.

    He stopped and looked back at her. The dark green military uniform shone brightly in the darkness. Even his noble stature could send a chill in one¡¯s heart.

    Seeing the unwillingness on Jenna¡¯s face, he grinned.

    She had called him by his name and that was enough for him. It really wasn¡¯t far from her house anyway.

    ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll watch you enter your house from here.¡± He agreed.chuckling.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Goodnight.¡± Jenna said nothing more. As soon as the words left her mouth, she thought about Jerry, who was waiting at home. She didn¡¯t have the mood to stay any longer. So, she walked towards her house in a hurry.

    Although she was walking at a brisk pace, she still felt his gaze on her. She dared not look back. The moment she entered her courtyard, she turned her head around.

    Under the dim street lights not far away, there he was, standing tall and straight. The epaulets on his military uniform could be seen gleaming.

    He really stood there to watch her until she entered her house.

    Despite having entered the house,she still felt uneasy. Seeing that Jerry had already fallen asleep, she calmed down.Then, a sudden thought struck her. She headed over to the window and peeped through the curtains to see Sergio¡¯sfigure retreating into the darkness.

    ¡°What on earth does Sergio want to do?¡± Her brows scrunched together as she thought.

    Or perhaps, he didn¡¯t want to do anything at all. He just felt uneasy to let a woman walk home alone at night as he wasa gentleman. Reasoning his behaviour to herself, her brows rxed.

    In the living room, Sara was still chatting with Bailey, and she didn¡¯t feel sleepy at all.She was in good spirits that day, and the glow on her face showed it.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    Thest time Jenna had seen her in such a good mood was more than a year ago. Therefore, she was a little surprised. Was it because Jerry had recovered or was there some other reason? However, she had never seen Sara being that happy when Jerry was energetic and lively.

    Just as she was thinking about it, she saw Sara waving at her.

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s sote. Aren¡¯t you going to bed?¡± Jenna didn¡¯t understand Sara¡¯s intention. Hence, she went up to her and asked with a smile.

    ¡°How was the dinner?¡± Sara asked, with joy in her eyes.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jenna looked at her with confusion.

    It was just a meal. Why would those sons of high-ranking officials care about a meal like that? How else could the dinner have gone?

    There was no spark in Jenna¡¯s eyes. Her expression wascking concern.

    The confusion and absent-mindedness of her daughter causedSara to sigh andher eyes to turn bleary. She couldn¡¯t understand what she was thinking.

    Hansen had conquered her daughter¡¯s whole mind and heart, which really was not a good thing.

    If Hansen and the Richards family couldn¡¯t show them enough sincerity, and couldn¡¯t satisfy her, she would rather her daughter choose Sergio.

    ¡°Do you not feel anything?¡± Sara looked at her up and down with questioning eyes, as if to spot something.

    ¡°Oh, the food was pretty good.¡± Jenna replied after thinking for a moment. ¡°In the end, it¡¯s him who paid for it. It¡¯s not my fault he rushed to pay.¡±

    Jenna was worried that Sara would me her for being impolite, so she made sure to exin herself.

    Hearing that, Sara beamed as she nodded.

    ¡°Jenna,e, have a seat.¡± Sara pulled her tosit next to herself, and asked earnestly, ¡°Jenna, do you remember what I told you before? If things don¡¯t work out with Hansen, you have to give it uppletely, and find a good man to marry.¡±

    After finishing her words, she stared at Jenna¡¯s face with eyes full of hope.

    After being momentarily stupefied, Jenna understood what Sara meant. She couldn¡¯t help but to let out a bitterugh.

    ¡°Mom, let¡¯s leave this to fate. We¡¯ll talk about it in the future. All I want now is to take good care of Jerry.¡± She yawned, feeling very impatient.Both tired and sleepy, she really didn¡¯t want to talk about those things.

    ¡°No, we must n things out. You are already 28 years old. You must have a n B.¡± Sara¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking about, but time waits for no one. I don¡¯t want to see you go through the same thing again. You should give some thought to what I said.¡±

    Sara¡¯s face became very serious, not giving her any room to resist.

    ¡°Mom, what are you talking about?¡± Jenna was annoyed and speechless by Sara¡¯s desperation. ¡°You can¡¯t rush things like this, can you? Besides, marriage is not something you can force.¡±

    Sara quickly continued the topic Jenna had started.¡°It¡¯s a good thing that you know it can¡¯t be forced.Now that the opportunity has risen, you must seize it.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyelids felt heavy. She looked at her mother, who was not optimistic about her remarrying Hansen. With an outstanding man like Sergioing into the picture, she started thinking about her marriage. She did not know whether tough or to cry about it.

 Chapter 365 Stood Me Up?

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯ste.You¡¯d better go to bed.¡± Jenna really did not want to discuss that topic anymore.Hence, she tried to persuade her gently.

    ¡°Jenna, I think Sergio is a great person. I can also tell he¡¯s very interested in you.¡± Sara brought it up again.

    What?!

    As soon as those words came out, Jenna almost choked.

    Why would a man like Sergio be interested in a woman like her?

    How could she have such a thought? That¡¯s too ridiculous!

    ¡°Mom, are you tired of staying at home all day? You¡¯re imagining things. Let Aunt Lee take you out for a walk tomorrow,¡± retorted Jenna. She was exhausted as she headed to the bathroom, ready to wash up and hit the sack.

    ¡°Come back here!¡± Sara raised her voicesternly. Jenna¡¯s nonchnt attitude really infuriated her.

    Jenna stopped in her tracks. She turned around with confusion written all over her face.

    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s with you?¡±

    ¡°Listen to me very carefully. About what I said earlier, I wasn¡¯t joking. I meant it. You have to properly consider giving Sergio a chance. The Xanthe family is now an important family in both the military and political circles. Their family and personal conditions are not inferior to that of Hansen. This is an opportunity. You must not put all of your focus on Hansen,¡± Sara said word by word, very clearly and confidently.

    Jenna shook her head before she began to exin helplessly.

    ¡°Mom, you¡¯re thinking too much. Who is Sergio and who am I? It¡¯s impossible in every aspect. I¡¯ve never even thought about this. Please don¡¯t think about it anymore, or else you¡¯ll be aughing stock.¡±

    Jenna really didn¡¯t know how to react to Sara¡¯s ims.

    She was a divorced woman, a single mother with a child, but Sergio? He was the exemr son of a high-ranking official in Capital City. Although he did not behave like a self-absorbed bachelor, his status was irrefutable. Some even imed that his father, Yadriel, will be the next governor of Capital City. Why would someone in such a high position be interested in her?

    ¡°Ah, Mom must be too anxious. Still, if her misunderstanding continues, she¡¯ll definitely make a fool of herself.¡±

    She sighed at the thought. Her mind was in turmoil. She stood rooted to the spot, feeling an unspeakable pain.

    Bailey stood by silently. She had already known everything when she was in A City.On top of that, she had also told Sara the entire situation.To her surprise, instead of being moved by Hansen¡¯s love, Sara still opposed Jenna¡¯s and Hansen¡¯s second marriage.

    In fact, at that point, Aunt Lee¡¯s impression of Hansen had changedpletely. She also felt that a man like Hansen could be entrusted with one¡¯s life.

    However, Jenna¡¯s past experience had terrified Sara to the point where she dared not let her daughter marry into a wealthy and powerful family again.

    She somewhat felt that it was not right, but she couldn¡¯t say much as it was her employer¡¯s opinion.

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s already veryte. Let¡¯s get some rest and talk about these things some other time.¡± It was tough for Jenna to persuade Sara. Plus, it was not a good time to talk about those things.After all, Sara had shed so many tears over what Jenna had experienced.So, Jenna really couldn¡¯t bear to argue with her.

    Besides,in Jenna¡¯s opinion, what Sara thought and felt about Sergio was the consequence of her own wishful thinking. Once she realised how eligible he was, she immediately thought of her own daughter.It was natural for a mother to do so.

    Sergio, however, was not a fool. Why would he be interested in a woman who had a child? She did not take it seriously. After saying those words to Sara, she started walking away.

    ¡°Jenna, do not take it lightly. I¡¯m telling you, Sergio is indeed interested in you. Back then, Sergio¡¯s father came to propose a marriage. It¡¯s a pity that your father turned it down. Look at what had happened. If we hadn¡¯t betrothed you to Hansen then, would ite to this?¡± Sara spoke once again, sincerely and earnestly, while staring after her.

    Jenna remained silent. ¡°The marriage proposal back then?¡± She thought and smiled bitterly.

    What had happened in the past was a totally different and unrted event to what was going on at the moment. How could they be brought up as if they were the same?

    She walked into the bathroom silently.

    After washing up, shey in bed, thoughts running through her mind. She was very tired, but she couldn¡¯t fall asleep.

    Sara¡¯s words kept ringing in her ears.

    Having already gone through more than enough, she was reluctant to choose any of her options.When she had finally settled down,everything seemed to be disrupted by the appearance of Hansen.

    She turned over in her bed. Just when the name ¡®Hansen¡¯ came to mind, another thought shed by. Her eyes shot open as she sprung up in her bed.

    Sh*t. Earlier that day, at Hansen¡¯s house, he clearly asked her to go to his ce at night.

    However, when Sergio showed up, itpletely slipped her mind.

    ¡°What should I do?¡±

    Still figuring out what to do, she looked up at the clock in the room. It was nearly eleven o¡¯clock. ¡°Has he fallen asleep?¡±

    Meanwhile, Hansen sat in the study, dealing with some business on hisputer. He stood up, walked around, made a cup of tea, and sat on the sofa while waiting for Jenna¡¯s arrival.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    He had no idea if the woman was done for the day. He took out his phone to look at the time. It was already ten o¡¯clock. ¡°She should be here any minute now.¡± He thought.

    Thinking about how she would be in his room very soon, and then he could¡­

    As he thought about it, the corners of his mouth curled up.

    However, after he finished drinking a cup of tea, he still didn¡¯t see her. He couldn¡¯t help but to feel anxious.

    He walked back to theputer. As soon as he turned hisputer on, an email popped up. For the past few days, he hadn¡¯t turned theputer on. Hence, his mailbox was flooded with emails.

    The email he had just received was sent by someone named Reeva. He nced at it, before gently clicking on the mouse with his slender fingers.

    It turned out to be an email from the marketing manager, Reeva Peters.

    Initially, Reeva had been promoted to the marketing manager role by Jenna. However, due to the rapid expansion of the market and since theirpany was about to start a new business in Switzend, Hansen had temporarily appointed her to be the manager at the Switzend branch asshe was really capable.

    Apart from work-rted matters, there was a car model design attached at the end ofthe email sent by Reeva.To summarize the contents of the email simply, someone was selling a batch of car model designs of which she regarded very highly. That was because it met the market requirements, especially the international production needs.However, while she wanted to purchase them, the other party had charged a high price. Hence, she came to ask for his opinion.

    Hansen looked at the car design temte, and his eyes lit up. Not bad, indeed.

    What the Richards Group needed were products that could make their way to the whole world. Therefore, it was more than he could wish for.

    He immediately sent her an email with four words, ¡°Tell me the details.¡±

    Then, heunched the Facebook app.

    Reeva sent a message right away.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, this person goes by the name of Jen. I reckon she is a professional car designer. She has a batch of model designs in hand and is currently selling it. I took a look at it and think it is great. It meets the market¡¯s expectations. I also have the intention of rmending some to you. However, the offer price is too high, so I came to you for instructions.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s brows furrowed together. He typed his response, ¡°Who is that car designer? Where is that person from?¡±

    Reeva repliedimmediately, ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s not clear what this person does. All I know is that this person has a batch of car model designs in hand, and is looking for buyers. If I¡¯m not mistaken, this person is a professional. The designs are very unique. Also, this person is quite taciturn. Nothing much was said, only the price was stated. I was told to ¡®buy it or forget it¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± A smile tugged at Hansen¡¯s thin lips.That designer was truly conceited, he thought.

    ¡°Hire that person with a high sry if it¡¯s a talented person.¡± He returned a response.

    Reeva replied in an instant. ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m afraid this won¡¯t happen. Previously, I offered a job but that person was not interested at all, and was only willing to work online, selling designs from time to time.¡±

    What an arrogant person. Hansen was displeased as he thought, ¡°Not willing to work at Richards Group even with a high sry? Which country is this arrogant person from?¡±

    ¡°Which country is that person from?¡± He typed out and sent the email. He then took the ss on the table and sipped some water whilehis eyes continued staring at theputer screen.

    After a while, Reeva sent him a few words, probably after checking the IP address. ¡°Strange¡­ That person is from our country. The IP address shows a ce called Wullen Town.¡±

    Once Hansen finished reading, he almost spat out the water he had just drank. After a deep breath, he swallowed it.

    As a result, he choked on the water and started coughing violently. Not sure ifit was due to the excitement or the cough, hisface was flushed.

    Wullen Town. ¡°Which is where I am now!¡± he eximed.

    The person selling the designs was actually in Wullen Town. Also, those designs were state-of-the-art designs. That person had to be a professional. Who could such a person be?

    Hansen knew the answer without even thinking about it.

    He immediately instructed Reeva.¡°Miss Peters, no matter the price, buy them all at once.¡±

    His ordersstunned Reeva for a second. Nevertheless,she quickly responded happily.¡°Yes, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Soon after, Hansen logged off and stood up. His eyes darkened.

    ¡°D*mn woman, are you short of money? That you even had to sell your designs online?¡±

    Did she not take some money with her when she snuck out that year?Then again, giving birth to Jerry, donating money to the school, treating Sara¡¯s illness¡­She must have spent quite a lot.

    Jerry was his son. If she was short of money, his son would be the one suffering. That woman too, he would not let her suffer even a bit. Forgetthe money for the designs. If she were to ask for money, he would give it to her right away.

    However, she was a strong woman. She would not ept any sort of charity.

    Other than the fifty million dors she asked for after her father¡¯s ident, she never mentioned the word ¡®money¡¯ in front of him again.

    In all fairness, with her status and her designs, it would be worth it, no matter how high the price was.

    After dealing with that matter, it was alreadyte at night. He looked at the clock to see that it was nearly eleven o¡¯clock. Unlike in A City, it was already in the dead of the night, in the small town of Wullen.

    ¡°Why hasn¡¯t shee over yet?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell her toe over tonight?¡±

    ¡°Is she being disobedient again? Had she stood me up?¡±

    At those thoughts, he felt more anxious. He got up, opened the window, and looked out.

    It was pitch ck outside and nofootsteps could be heard.

    ¡°It¡¯s already sote. She¡¯s most probably noting.¡±

    ¡°D*mn woman, how dare you disobey me? Just you wait and see how I¡¯ll punish you.¡±

    Hansen felt deste, but thinking that she did all those designing while looking after Jerry, he couldn¡¯t bear to me her. Still, she was disobedient and did note over, making his heart ache. How much he wanted to hold her in his arms all night long!

    Frustration filled his heart.

    His woman and child were so close, yet so far. How sad it was.

    He paced in the room anxiously, his thoughts racing.

    Suddenly, there were soft footstepsing from the outside.

    Delighted, Hansen hurriedly perked up his ears.

    ¡°Yes, someone ising.¡± He confirmed. The footsteps were very light, but they could still be heard in the dead of the night.

    It was obvious that the footsteps were light on purpose. Gently, they stepped into his heart, easing and softening it instantly while his body buzzedexcitedly.

 Chapter 366 What For?

    Jenna crept to the door and was about to knock on the door.

    ¡°Eh? The door isn¡¯t closed.¡±

    ¡°He must¡¯ve left it open for me.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of this b*stard, why did he ask me toe at thiste hour?¡±

    Standing at the door, looking at the darkness inside of the house, she was hesitant. Her heart was racing.

    She was afraid that once she entered, it would be a bottomless pit. However, if she left, doom would be waiting for her.

    Just as she was hesitating¡­

    A pair of powerful hands suddenly extended towards her.

    A strong grip pulled her into the house, drawing a yelp from her in the process.

    Soon, her head collided with a surface.A warm and bony one.

    She was so shocked that she opened her mouth wide, about to scream.

    ¡°Go ahead and scream if you don¡¯t mind. Alvin is inside,¡± he murmured. As if seeing through her mind, Hansen put his mouth to her ear to give her a reminder, and his hot breath fanned over her ear while doing so.

    Surely enough, Jenna became docile andpliant. She closed her mouth and stopped resisting.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled up as he dragged her into the bedroom.

    The bedroom door was wide open,and the dim yellow light from within illuminated their path.

    ¡°Gently, gently.¡± Jenna¡¯s arms were grabbed tightly by him. She felt a little pain, but she dared not to scream.Hence, she could only remind him softly while her heart raced wildly.

    ¡°What the hell is this!¡± She thought to herself.

    ¡°Tell me. Why did youe sote?¡± Hansen picked her up and sat in a chair in the bedroom, putting her on hisp steadily. He looked at her small face with love in his eyes, but his tone was overbearing.

    ¡°I, I had some matters to attend to,¡± replied Jenna as she shot him a guilty smile, choosing her words carefully.

    Could she say that she hadpletely forgotten about it? If she really said that, he would most probably flip a table.

    ¡°Well, not bad. You don¡¯t look so pale anymore. Very beautiful.¡± He studied her face as he gently stroked her flushed cheeks withhis hands. He felt the urge to protect her, but he also felt ufortable. After all, his woman looked gaunt and listless when she was with him, but looked so ruddy after leaving him. It pained his heart and also negatively affected his self-esteem.

    Could he not give his beloved woman happiness? Was he, Mr. Richards, so incapable of that?

    Seeing that he was lost in his thoughts, Jenna took the opportunity to push him away. She took a few steps back and stood still, keeping a distance from him. Although she was wearing a coat at the moment, she was still in pajamas and wore nothing else underneath.

    After taking a shower, she didn¡¯t want to change her clothes. She wanted to sleep, but when shey down, she remembered he had something to say to her. Hence, she came over to ask what it was.

    She actually could choose to ignore him and note over, but for some reason, she showed up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have something to say to me?¡± She asked very seriously after she stepped back and regained her footing. She tidied her clothes, which were messed up when she was in his arms, and wrapped her coat around herself tightly.

    Of course, her actions did not escape Hansen¡¯s eyes. A smirk tugged at his lips, but he remained calm nheless.

    ¡°What thing?¡± He asked intentionally, while sitting in the chair, crossing his legs, and looking at her up and down with his head tilted slightly.

    ¡°Strange. You clearly said that you wanted to see me at night during the day. You told me that you had something to say to me.¡± Jenna recalled what happened, and repeated it to him.

    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Hansen looked at her and chuckled. ¡°I think I have forgotten what it is. Anyway, why don¡¯t you think about whatthe most important thing a husband and wife ought to do when they have a date in the middle of the night?¡±

    There was a fiery gaze in his eyes. When he was talking andughing, the atmosphere began to fill up with his warmth.

    Jenna felt it, and it instilledannoyance and fear in her.Consequently, her face flushed even more.

    ¡°A date? You wish! Can you be more serious? If you have something to say, just say it directly, or else I¡¯m leaving,¡± Jenna said as she looked at the door, ready to escape. ¡°This guy seemed to be fooling around. He probably had nothing to say.¡± She thought to herself.

    With such a thought, she strode towards the door quickly.

    ¡°You want to leave? Not so fast.¡± He thought.

    Hansen had long seen through her. With a smirk on his face, he stood up. He took one step forward with his long leg, and held up one of his long arms, cing it across the doorframe. Just like that, he blocked her path.

    ¡°D*mn it. My chest just hit his arm,¡± Jenna cried internally.

    At almost the same time, both of them trembled. An electric current flowed through their bodies.

    Jenna¡¯s face grew even redder than before. She immediately took a few steps back to keep a distance from him.

    Meanwhile, Hansen¡¯s lips curled into a grin. As he looked at her, his head tilted.

    The two stood that way for some time, staring into each other¡¯s eyes.

    At that moment, Hansen was wearing a dressing gown. His thick hair was damp, implying that he had just taken a shower.

    Hansen was certainly not satisfied with them standing like that only. He walked towards her with a very suggestive smirk on his face.

    Seeing that he was approaching her, she felt scared and nervous. She hastily threatened him. ¡°Stop right there. If youe any closer, I¡¯ll scream.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you want to scream?¡± The smirk on Hansen¡¯s face grew even more charming and confident. ¡°Alright, go ahead and scream. Let¡¯s see what will happen.¡±

    His strong desire was shown on his face while the deviousgrin on his face hid nothing. Hedidn¡¯t seem to careabout her screaming. On the contrary, thateven seemed to make him more delighted.

    ¡°Hansen, can¡¯t you be a bit more serious? If you have anything important to say, just hurry up and tell me. It¡¯s alreadyte in the night, and Jerry is still waiting for me.¡± As he was getting closer and closer, she grew more and more frightened. She had no choice but to mention Jerry, hoping he would let her go.

    ¡°Cut the cr*p. You don¡¯t even need to look after Jerry now. Chloe is a family doctor at Richards Group. With her looking after Jerry, what problem could there be?¡± Hansenpletely disregarded her words.Stepping forward, he ced his long arms on her shoulders. With a light tug,Jenna fell into his embrace.cing his mouth close to her ear, he whispered, ¡°Are you really stupid, or are you ying dumb?¡± His breath was hot.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jenna wrapped her arms around herself tightly and asked cautiously.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t know what I mean? I¡¯ll show you then.¡± Hansen wrapped his arms around her from behind. He raised his eyebrows and smiled charmingly. He whispered in her ear, ¡°Tell me, a man looking for a woman in the middle of the night, why would he do that?¡±

    With an annoying smile on his handsome face, he spoke so naturally.

    Jenna¡¯s mind went nk. Soon after, she realized she had been tricked. She shot him a fierce re.

    ¡°You are so f*ckingme. I will never believe your nonsense anymore.¡± Sheined while scowling at him. She was very annoyed.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    ¡°You can think that I¡¯mme all you want. As long as you believe that I love you, nothing else matters.¡± Hansenughed. His face showed no signs of shame.On the contrary, he felt that actions were justified.

    ¡°Jerry.¡± Jenna cried out all of a sudden.

    Immediately, Hansen was taken aback.

    In his daze, Jenna quickly pushed him away and darted towards the door, taking advantage of that short moment of time.

    In an instant, Hansen understood her cunning n.

    He chortled and took a step forward. With a smile, he ced his arm across the doorframe once again, while the other hand grabbed Jenna by the waist, making her fall into his arms.

    ¡°Let go of me.¡± Jenna struggled, knowing very wellshe would not be able to escape if he caught her.

    Her lithe body struggled in his arms. Inadvertently, she rubbed against his sensitive area.

    Oh great, the burning sensation had spread through his whole body like an electric current. Suddenly, he felt his lower abdomen tightened, his whole body burning.

    Jenna felt as if she was being barbequed. That heat was too hot.

    He wrapped his warm arms around her tightly. He then stroked her face with his fingers. ¡°Jenna, stay with me tonight. Don¡¯t go.¡± He softly begged.

    She knew it would be like that! Jenna was breathing heavily, her heart beating precariously.

    Her small face was flushed, as well as her ears.As Hansen caressed her earlobe, his heart started beating faster.Asthe heat in them intensified, his eyes darkened.

    He wrapped his arms around her even tighter, not giving her any space to squirm.

    ¡°Hansen, do you really think there is a point in doing this?¡± Jenna was being held tightly in his arms. The sensation her whole body was experiencing made her gasp for breath. Beads of sweat appeared on the tip of her nose.

    ¡°There really is no point in doing this.¡± Hansen agreed with her, before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s make it more practical.¡± His eyes sparkled with excitement.

    Jennamented internally.

    At that moment, she was like a prey in captivity. There was no way he would let her go.

    Meanwhile, Hansen was breathing heavily. For her sake, he had been holding it in for too long.

    He turned her around, making her face him.

    He held her close, and took her coat off. She was left with her thin nightgown, which hugged her body snugly.

    Jenna was wearing pure cotton pyjamas, with cartoon images on it. There were two cute, little white rabbits on her chest, making her chest more alluring.

    Her eyes were shrouded with ayer of mist, and the sight of her madeHansen gulp. His warm breath fanned across on her face, blowing away themist in her eyes to revealthe tenderness in them. Coupled with the little white rabbits, she looked so breathtakingly gentle.

    ¡°Let¡­ Let go of me.¡± She protested weakly.From an initial state of nervousness, her body went from stiff to weak. Her sparkling eyes were enchanting, captivating Hansen¡¯s soul. Her long eyshes fluttered, her eyes misty, making her look indescribably seductive.

    ¡°F*ck. If I am able to let go now, then I am not a man!¡± He thought.

    Hansen gulped again. Instead of loosening his grip, he tightened it. Even his muscles were tensed. He held the back of her head, and gently pushed it towards him.With passion and desire coursing through his veins, Jenna¡¯s soft rosy lips turned even brighter and more attractive in his eyes.

    Hansen lowered his head and pressed his seductive lips on hers.

    He started off with a slow kiss, nibbling and licking her lips, savouring her beauty. It was so gentle, as if he could not bear to eat her up. Then, gradually, he nudged her lips open and pushed his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss. His lips were sealed with hers, their warm breath mingling.

 Chapter 367 Intoxicating

    After who knew how long, he left her lips and whispered in her ear,¡°I want you.¡±

    In such a fiery attack, Jenna had already fallen into a daze.

    He slipped a hand under her clothes, and gently touched her smooth skin, trailing it further down and down¡­

    Jenna felt that she was floating, up in the sky. She was intoxicated.

    She even felt that she actually needed him. There was no need to hide, as her body had already betrayed her.

    She was not a prude. Love was something she also longed for, not to mention that she had always loved that man deeply. That handsome man could make not only her, but also all the other women fall in love with him effortlessly.

    Love. It was what it was, so why hide it?

    Even if she would descend into a bottomless pit, she couldn¡¯t care less. Sara¡¯s words had also left her mind.

    Since she had agreed toe over, she had already anticipated such a scene, because his desire for her had always been very much obvious. Hence, whatever was happening was already expected.

    Her hands wrapped around his neck. Slowly, she responded, caught up in the heat of the moment.

    Receiving her response, Hansen was overwhelmed with joy. His blood was boiling, his body felt like it was about to split open. He caressed the scar on her back with his fingers. The sensation made his heart so soft that he wanted to enter her.

    They had wasted too much precious time.

    If they hadn¡¯t run into each other in the small town, where would they have been? Hansen had no idea.

    The passion of forgetting everything was gradually bing more frenzied.Soon, it reached its peak.

    The nightgown had already been ripped off by him. He picked her up and walked to the bed.

    He pressed her down on the bed. ¡°Jenna, in the past two years, I have been waiting for you, day and night. Except for you, I don¡¯t want to touch any other women. You owe me this, and now I want you to pay me back double over,¡±he said with distress. His handnded on her slim waist,his eyes red.

    A demon she was, born to be the bane of his life. He absolutely had reasons to believe that every time he saw her, he would drown in all kinds of amorous feelings.

    ¡°How dare she!¡± Hansen thought.

    She had wanted to rebut, but his big, warm palm was stroking her soft, sensitive skin, causing sparks. She trembled. At the touch of his lips and tongue, in the intoxicating feeling, she gradually lost herself.

    What Alvin had said to her the day beforeled her to understand everything. If he had hurt her, she in fact, had hurt him too. She had been so determined to leave with the child, and that had left him with crushing pain.

    She could have chosen not toe that night, yet still she came,bearing a certain mood. She willingly came. She had expected what would happen at the moment.

    She was willing to give all of herself to him!

    In Hansen¡¯s burning passion, in the esction time and time again, Jenna felt like she was stepping on cotton. One second, she was floating in the air. The next second, she was at the bottom of the cliff. Her body felt so weak, like it had turned to jelly. During the most intense moment, she gasped for breath, almost fainting.

    It seemed that Hansen wanted to vent all the passion he had been suppressing over the past few years that night. He could not get enough of her. He was just trying to siphon everything he could, but, still, it was insatiable.

    ¡°Hansen, please, I¡¯m so tired.¡± As Hansen¡¯s passion became more and more intense, Jenna wrapped her hands around his sweaty neck and begged for mercy.

    Hansen stopped and stared down at her. Her face was covered with sweat. He held her face, and instructed her. ¡°I can let you go if you want me to, but you have to call me ¡®baby¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Jenna blushed. It was just too strange to call him ¡®baby¡¯.They had been married for four years, and calling him that was an untouchable dream for her. She had never dared to venture her thoughts into it. The only time she had called him ¡®baby¡¯ was at Los Angeles, where he had also forced her to call him that. She thought everything would change, but it turned out to still be the same, still untouchable. Whenever she thought about it, her soul felt very lonely. She had never thought that there would be a day when she could call him ¡®baby¡¯ again.However, at the moment, Hansen was forcing her again. She was taken aback, not sure if her dream would be crushed again.

    ¡°Not going to call me that, are you? The punishment must be too little.¡± Hansen¡¯s voice became cold. If she didn¡¯t want to call him ¡®baby¡¯, it meant that she still had some concerns, or she just found it too strange to call him that. ¡°It seems that we really have done this too seldomly. We must do it more everyday in the future.¡±

    As soon as Hansen finished talking, he started to punish her.

    Jenna felt that her heart was about to stop beating. Her heart really could not stand the insane, burning passion. ¡°No, don¡¯t, Hansen. I¡¯ll call you by that.¡±

    She whimpered,her face flushed.

    ¡°Okay, go on,¡± Hansen said with a triumphant expression. He finally stopped.

    Jenna¡¯s face was as red as a tomato. She really couldn¡¯t do it, but when she saw that he was getting impatient, she had no choice but to mumble, ¡°Ba-by.¡±

    Her voice was so soft that it was nearly impossible to hear.

    Hansen frowned. He was unwilling to drop it.¡°I can¡¯t hear you clearly. One more time.¡± He immediately protested.

    Jenna pleaded softly. Her sparkling eyes were covered with ayer of mist.

    Hansen looked at her alluring face and could not contain his excitement. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to call me that, then forget it. I still don¡¯t want to let you go anyway.¡±

    It was a matter of life and death. She had no time to think about it.¡°No, I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll do it,¡± she hastily said to appease him.

    She was terrified. The man before her, who was drenched in sweat, seemed like he would tear her into pieces at any time. After all, discretion was the better part of valour.

    ¡°Baby,¡± she called softly.

    Her voice was so soft, so gentle. Hansen heard it clearly, but it made him want her even more.

    ¡°Woman, are you sure you¡¯re not seducing me?¡±

    ¡°I really wanted to let you go, but with you like that under me, how could I?¡± He thought. When he heard her calling him ¡®baby¡¯, he was satisfied and couldn¡¯t care less about the promise he had just made a moment ago. He was a man, and aman would not let a woman go at such a moment. Not to mention that it was an enchanting woman.

    He had to continue.

    With red eyes, he lowered his head and pressed his mouth to hers.

    Jenna made a muffled voice.

    ¡°I was tricked by this b*stard again!¡± she screamed internally.

    That guy was a rogue through and through. How could she believe him?

    Besides, in such a position, if a man¡¯s word were to be trusted, then pigs would fly.

    However, it was toote. That guy had already gone mad. Jenna felt like she was on the verge of passing out.

    That night, he didn¡¯t know how many times he had wanted her. All he knew was that in the end, he was exhausted. He held her in his arms and fell asleep.

    When she woke up from a deep sleep,brightness had started to bleed outside. The good thing about being in the small town was that the nights were long. Even though it was already seven in the morning, the sky was still dark, as though it was still dawn. It somewhat made her feel less guilty.

    She felt sore all over her body. Her bones felt like they were about to fall apart. Hansen cuddled her and slept very soundly. She looked up and saw his handsome face. He was like a painting. There was a satisfied expression on his face.

    That guy was so energetic that he had tortured her all night long.

    As she thought about how she had not returned home for the whole night, she began to feel anxious. She was afraid that Sara would find out.

    She grabbed his arm gently, ready to get out of bed.

    However, even though Hansen was deeply asleep, he still wrapped his arms around her tightly, as if he was afraid that she would run away.

    Was this his instinctive reaction?

    Jenna could not lift his arm at all. She stared at him, dazed.

    Was he afraid that she would run away again?

    At the thought of this, her heart softened. She looked at him. Tears welled up in her eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake so early?¡± Hansen said lovingly. His voice was warm and maic. It was very pleasing to the ear. Once Jenna moved, he woke up. He opened his eyes and saw her staring at him with her big, round eyes.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Jenna withdrew her gaze in shock when she heard Hansen¡¯s voice.

    She turned over, wanting to get up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. It¡¯s still early. Sleep a little longer,¡± said Hansen affectionately, as he tightened his arms around her waist and held her closely.

    He caressed her waist with his hand. Her waist was slender. Her skin was soft and bouncy. There was no excess flesh. Even after giving birth to Jerry, it didn¡¯t change much. That firmness was enough to make him lose his mind.

    ¡°Hansen¡­¡± When Jenna just opened her mouth, she heard Hansen¡¯s deep voice ordering her.¡°Call me ¡®baby¡¯.¡±

    Here it went again.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t call him that out loud. She hesitated, not saying a word.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to call me that?¡± Hansen¡¯s face darkened. ¡°It looks like you haven¡¯t learnt how to behave well. Do you want me to punish you right now?¡±

    There was a hint of threat in his words, not giving her any room to refuse him.

    At the moment, Jenna was naked and she had no doubt that the beast in him would show up any time.¡°Baby,¡±she called aggrievedly.

    ¡°Good girl.¡± After hearing Jenna calling him ¡°baby¡±, he was extremely satisfied. He had a warm smile stered across his face as he pulled her close. His heart was overflowing with love.

    ¡°You lied to me. You didn¡¯t keep your wordst night.¡± Jenna thought of the night before. She had called him ¡®baby¡¯, but he didn¡¯t let her go. Instead, he had tortured her more. It made her upset.

    ¡°Is that so? Well, I think it is.¡± Hansen pretended to think about it. He took her hand and ced it on his face. He stroked her hand gently and said in a low voice, ¡°My apologies then. If you still feel upset, you can hit me. I won¡¯t fight back.¡±

    ¡°You, what is this?¡± Jenna withdrew her hand and started looking for her pajamas.

    Hansen¡¯s lips curled into a sinister smile.

    ¡°Sleep with me for a little longer. It¡¯s too early.¡± He had exhausted her so badly the night before andwas worried that her small body could not take it. He could not bear to see her bustle so early in the morning.After all, they were not in Richards Group, where there was arge number of servants.

    ¡°No. Jerry will definitely cry for me when he wakes up.¡± Jenna put on her pajamas. In truth, she was more afraid of being caught by Sara, who would be worried for her and me her, but she didn¡¯t say it out loud.

    At the mention of his son, Hansen¡¯s heart was filled with fondness and happiness.

    He was worried that Jerry would be at a disadvantage, but he was also afraid that Jenna would be tired. After some deliberation in his mind, he pulled Jenna into a tight embrace and caressed her earlobe. He said lovingly, ¡°Jenna, listen to me. Come home with Jerry. The condition there is great. His Grandpa and Grandma will be there, and there will be a lot of people to take care of him.¡±

    Jenna buried her head in his chest, not saying anything.

 Chapter 368 Zoellaâ€™s Lofty Aspirations

    Deep down, Hansen was surprisingly delighted. She didn¡¯t say anything, which was much better than before. Those days, whenever he mentioned about going home, she would cry her eyes out, looking very aggrieved. However, at the moment, even though she didn¡¯t say yes, she didn¡¯t object either. Did that silence mean that she had agreed to it?

    It boosted Hansen¡¯s confidence andstrengthened his resolve. He felt that happiness was within his grasp.

    ¡°Jenna,e home, and we¡¯ll get married. I¡¯ll give you the most luxurious wedding in the world. Believe me. Even if you don¡¯t think about yourself, you have to think about Jerry. If he goes wandering around with you like this,his education and the living environment will be affected. You also have to think about me. I¡¯m Jerry¡¯s father. I should fulfil my duty.¡± Hansen held her in his arms and continued.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was in a mess. She gently touched his back with her fingers, almost agreeing with him.

    However, Sara¡¯s words still kept her impulses in check.

    She got up, got dressed, and left in a hurry.

    As soon as she stood up, she felt very sore, as if her whole body had fallen apart, but she couldn¡¯t care less. She rushed to the door.

    Once she got to the door, she met Alvin.

    Alvin had juste back from the outdoors. It seemed like he had gone for a morning run, as he looked very refreshed.

    Upon seeing him, an awkward expression appeared on Jenna¡¯s face. Walking out of Hansen¡¯s room so early in the morning was self-evident of what had transpired.

    She was so embarrassed. Just when she was thinking whether to greet him or not¡­

    ¡°Hello, Young Madam,¡± Alvin greeted her first. He looked calm and greeted her warmly, without making a fuss. In fact, as soon as he entered the door and saw her, he understood everything.

    Jenna¡¯s embarrassment eased a little and said, ¡°Morning.¡± Then, she scurried away.

    After opening the room door, she saw Sara and Bailey still deep in sleep, as they had been up until veryte the night before.

    It was a good thing. Otherwise, Sara wouldfind out she hadn¡¯t been home for a whole night and wouldnag her non-stop again.

    She let out a sigh of relief and walked into Jerry¡¯s room. Jerry was still sleeping soundly. A faint smile appeared on his face from time to time. It was as if he was having a sweet dream. Chloe was also asleep on the small bed beside his.

    Jenna went into the bathroom and took a shower. When she went back to the bedroom, fatigue kicked in. She was tired and sleepy. She crashed as soon as shey down.

    Later on, she was awakened by Jerry¡¯s sobs. Jerry wanted to drink some milk, so Jenna picked him up and ced him under the nket next to her. While feeding him, she nodded off again.

    After Jerry finished drinking his milk, Chloe carried him out of the room.

    ¡°Jerry,e, let Dad carry you.¡± Chloe carried Jerry into Hansen¡¯s house straightaway. Of course, that was Hansen¡¯s orders.

    Jerry had already grown very close to Hansen. As soon as he saw Hansen, he would rush to him with a smile. The father and son duo had already developed a very good rtionship during the time of the illness.

    Hansen held Jerry in his arms and walked to a small room. He had specially prepared a nursery for Jerry,filled with all sorts of children¡¯s toys and food. Every time Jerry entered the room, he would not think of leaving.

    In those days, Chloe carried out Hansen¡¯s orders everyday. She would take Jerry to his ce to y every morning and afternoon, whereas Hansen would drop everything to y with him to their hearts¡¯ content whenever he came over. He had never felt sofortable before.

    In A City¡¯s Sky Sword za,the Miss Universe¡¯s preliminarypetition was taking ce like a raging fire.

    Hordes of editorial models and all kinds of promising, beautiful women came to participate. The media also came to cover the events of thepetition.

    It was still just the first round of the preliminarypetition. It was personally judged by famous television hosts and masters of the literary and artistic circle, in order to demonstrate fairness and to grab people¡¯s attraction better. Nearly the whole process was being monitored by the media,recorded, and live broadcasted by the TV station, showing the audience every segment.

    As they went on to theter rounds, thepetition would get more heated up. The guests who were invited would also be more and more distinguished.

    Once a group of promising, beautiful women was selected, they would participate in the preliminarypetition in another area, and those who won would then participate in the Miss Universe¡¯s preliminarypetition. The whole process took up a lot of time and cost a lot of money. This would also increase the impact. All the selected youngdies for sure would be famous overnight.

    Therefore, all the beauties arrived atSky Sword za. They went out of their ways to participate in the show, hoping they could get through the first round of the preliminarypetition and take part in theter rounds of thepetition.

    Starting from the recruitment period, such a buzzing spectacle had alreadysted for more than 20 days.

    In the Sky Sword Group offices, Zoe was wearing a bright orange zer and tight-fitting turquoise pants, making her slender legs look long and beautiful. Her stylish, wavy hair hung loose. She looked elegant, empowered, and beautiful.

    ¡°Miss Yates, the stock index futures have been greatly damaged. The overall environment of the financial investment project is not too optimistic now. The financial crisis has already affected the whole market. The financial model of gaining without any investment is wreaking havoc,¡± Octavia, the assistant, came in and reported the financial crisis in a swift manner.

    Just within a few minutes, thestock index futures plummeted rapidly, causing the biggest decline in thest two years. The market was in a state of panic.

    Zoe¡¯s eyebrows were delicate, her eyes striking. Her small mouth was pressed tightly together.

    As the eldest daughter of Sky Sword Group, she did things at the drop of a hat in a clean and honest way. She was not inferior to a man.

    Twenty years ago, Yates Group and Richards Group had had a hugepetition with each other in the business market. In the span of one night, Yates Group had been defeated and vanquished from the business world. Her father had been so consumed with anger that he became bedridden.

    Hansen of the Richards family had won over the market vigorously and effectively, and was gradually winning over the entire business world.

    The Xanthe family had also lost at the same time.

    However, the Xanthe family¡¯s foundation was not in business. Hence, they turned to the political elite and obtained unprecedented sess, but the Yates Group waspletely ruined.

    Her father had been so anxious and frustrated that he had experienced shortness of breath, resulting in his death.

    Since then, she had vowed to revitalize the Yates family fortune and avenge her father¡¯s death.

    In the past few years, she had been keeping an eye on Richards Group, always paying attention to the movements of Hansen, the president of the Richards Group. When she thought that the opportunity had arrived, she returned to A City.

    In those years, in order to revitalize Yates Group, she had gone abroad for her studies and had gained business experience for several years. Finally, she had founded Sky Sword Group. However, such apany was iparable to nearly all the hugepanies in the world, which were in the shadow of the Richards Group. Whether it was strength or distance, they were iparable.

    Being single-handed was difficult to survive in such a fierce environment, let alone to stand out. Therefore, she had taken the initiative to take action and promised to be engaged to Oscar, the eldest son of Jones Group¡¯s chairman, Matteo Jones. With that, she had earned Matteo¡¯s trust.

    Naturally, Sky Sword Group and Jones Group had merged. Jones Group was a famouspany in B City. Although it was not as solid as Richards Group, it did innovate continuously for the past two years, and made a name for itself on the global wealth list. Although it ranked ninth, far behind Richards Group, its power could not be underestimated.

    Based on the power of the two families, and her lofty aspirations, it was that possible they couldpete against Richards Group.

    Of course, she was not in a hurry. After all, revenge was a dish best served cold.

    The Miss Universepetition happening at the moment was organized by her. In fact, it was also the first serious coboration after Sky Sword Group and Jones Group had incorporated. Rather than saying that it was their first coboration, it was better to say that it was a deration to all the people about the twopanies¡¯ glorious cooperative rtionship. At the same time, it was also a nned public rtions opportunity.

    Zoe had many projects that needed to be pushed forward, and she could take advantage of the Miss Universepetition. For Yates Group, it was an absolutely rare opportunity.

    Zoe¡¯s baster fingers lifted the cup from the table. Her red lips drew near and blew over the hot drink. She slowly took a small sip. With the cup in her hand, she took a seat on her authentic leather chair. Her snow white porcin cup and her painted nailsplemented each other. It was very beautiful to look at.

    She was graceful, capable, calm, and confident, but also elegant and quiet. Her delicate body gave people a feeling of sassiness, chess, andstraightforwardness. However, her behavior was essentially the definition of a strong independent woman.

    ¡°Miss Yates, the real economy is now under Hansen¡¯s control. We have no foothold at all.¡± Octavia knew Zoe¡¯s abilities very well, but the market conditions at the moment did not bode well. The Richards Group¡¯s foundation was too deep, upying all the industries in the market. Even if they had great abilities, it was difficult for them to stand out. Moreover, the difficulties they were facing were very arduous to ovee.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s do our best in organizing the Miss Universepetition first, and widely advertise our official website through the news media.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°It won¡¯t be long before we see the benefits of this website,¡± Zoe said with a confident smile.

    Octavia nodded, but she still felt like something did not add up. She did not understand the purpose of Zoe doing that. The cost of the Miss Universepetition was very high, but she could not grasp the meaning behind it.

    ¡°Are you aware of the new business model development in the next few years? Online shopping and marketing will gradually rece the ground economy. This is the popr business model now. Online shopping has many advantages,pared with the ground economy. This is something that the market cannotpare with. This is the kind of money we should be earning. The Inte is my key path, which also needs to be developed vigorously,¡± Zoe said in a calm tone. She looked rxed as well. When she mentioned the word ¡®Inte¡¯, a charming smile was stered on her face.

    After listening,Octavia felt admiration for her, deep down inside. In the past few years, she had witnessed Zoe¡¯s methods. She was not at all worried about her judgement.

    Zoe¡¯s eyes glittered with confidence. There was no denying that even after joining forces with the strong Jones Group, it was still impossible topete with Richards Group based on their strength then.

    However, she had confidence and perseverance. If she couldn¡¯t make it in one year, then she would make it in two. If she couldn¡¯t make it in two years, then she would make it in three. As long as she persisted, she would seed.

    At the moment, she urately understood the market and had predicted the future business development, and the prospects of the Inte. She had always believed in herself. If it was something she was certain about, it would not go wrong. Richards Group had a deep foundation, and they had the whole ground economy under control. It was unshakeable. Hence, she chose another way to surround the Richards Group and slowly break down their ground economy.

    The business model of the future was changing stealthily. Whoever could foresee the market, could seize upon the business opportunitiesand snatch the initiative.

    She was very confident about this. She also had a well thought out n.

    The industry of the Richards Group that worried Zoe the most was the car industry. Richards Group¡¯s car business had reached worldwide appeal, and the car market could not be solved with the online shopping model.Not whenthe key figure was Jenna.

    That woman was wizard at car designing. Her vision could be seen all over the world. Her products could even take the global trends by storm. Her talent was not something that could be bought with money.

    If she was invited back by Hansen and they remarried, in the future, if anything happened to Richards Group, the car industry alone could support all the other industries of Richards Group. It was not something Zoe would like to see.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

 Chapter 369 Common Sense

    ¡°Octavia, has Hansene back from Wullen Town yet?¡± Zoe asked in a casual manner, the corners of her mouth tugging up.

    ¡°Miss Yates, not yet.¡± Octavia smiled and answered excitedly. ¡°He is now being held up by the petrochemical factory. Also,since Sara is still antagonistic towards Hansen, she won¡¯t hear of Jenna following him back to A city. These two matters have already given him enough issues to contend with. I am afraid he will note back for the time being.¡±

    Octavia got even more excited with each passing statement, while there was sly quality to Zoe¡¯s smile.

    With her woman¡¯s intuition, Sara would not let her daughter get back with Hansen without a guarantee, while Hansen would always have a soft spot for Jenna. Hansen had worked himself to the bone, trying to search for his wife and son. He would not give up until he brought them back.

    The petrochemical factory too, was holding Hansen back. Such a good opportunity posed as a huge advantage for her n.

    ¡°Continue to sending people to the petrochemical factory to hold Hansen back.Richards Group won¡¯t be able to survive the financial crisis. If hees back even only a few dayster, a lot of the Richards Group¡¯s funds will be gone for good. Maybe this amount of money won¡¯t affect them much,but it will cause him some trouble. We can¡¯t pass up on such a godsend opportunity,¡± Zoe said with a faint smile.

    ¡°Yes, Miss Yates,¡± Octavia agreed happily, and left.

    After Octavia left, Zoe stood up and picked up the phone on the desk.

    She dialled a number. After the other end picked up,she asked sweetly,¡°Sergio, it¡¯s been a long time. Do you still remember me?¡±

    Sergio had juste back from a workout at the backyard garden. When he heard the soft and sweet voice, he became confused.

    The woman¡¯s voice sounded familiar, but he really couldn¡¯t figure out who it belonged to.

    ¡°Sergio, why, you can¡¯t even remember my voice. It seems that the ¡®little white rabbit¡¯petition that year was in vain. You really only have Jenna in your heart, huh?¡± Zoe said in a teasing tone as she pretended to sound upset.

    Sergio was shocked.¡®Little white rabbit¡¯?Not to mention, she even knew Jenna¡¯s name. That woman then had to be¡­

    Suddenly, realization dawned on him.¡°Zoe.¡± He breathed.

    ¡°Finally, you remembered. Not easy, huh.¡± Zoe burst intoughter.

    Soft-spoken as she might be,she was also sharp-tongued. She was a delicate woman with the ambition of a real man. Her character was as strong as that of a man. Who could it be other than Zoe?

    Sergio couldn¡¯t help but tough.

    That year, at Johan¡¯s party, a special feast had been prepared for thedies. Everydy at the party had received a special gift.

    Unfortunately, Jenna and Zoe had had their eyes set on a soft and cute little white rabbit at the same time. At first, it was Jenna who had gotten it. However, Zoe was a haughty person. She had snatched it from her and said that she hadid eyes on the rabbit first. Jenna¡¯s family had been in dire circumstances at that time. She had been able to join the party because Old Master Richards had specifically asked Javon to take her there. Therefore, she had been cautious, afraid of beingughed at. Even when Zoe had snatched the little white rabbit from her, she hadn¡¯t dared to say so much of a word. She had only stood there, on the verge of tears, suffering in silence.

    At that time, Sergio had not been able to take his eyes off her. Her every move had stirred his heart. When he had caught Zoe bullying her, he had immediately stood up for her. He had grabbed the little white rabbit from Zoe and given it to Jenna.

    Of course, Zoe had not been willing to ept defeat. She had started a fight with Sergio. The fight between the two had then alerted Johan. After learning the whole story, Johan hadughed. Everyone hadughed.

    Johan had immediately ordered to make one exactly like it. They had it done on the same night and gave it to Zoe. Only then had the matter been put to an end.

    However, after that incident, Sergio had realized that Zoe was a sassy woman.She was very stubborn too. She had actually dared to start a fight with him. That woman was not someone to be trifled with.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Of course, those feelings were of a young man towards a young woman. It had happened so many years ago. He would not take it to heart.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Miss Yates would remember me. It¡¯s my great honor.¡± Sergioughed and joked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even mention it. You¡¯re a fine-looking man, very talented, and charming. I¡¯ve always kept you in my heart, never forgetting about you. It¡¯s just that you are too high up to reach.How would I have the decency to disturb you.¡± Zoeughed. Her liveliness could be felt even over the phone.

    ¡°Zoe, your words are making me feel embarrassed. I think you still remember what happened in the past. How about I go to A City to apologize to you one day?¡± Sergio smiled and answered frankly.

    ¡°Deal. I¡¯ll wait for you in A city then,¡± Zoe replied casually.

    ¡°No problem,¡± Sergio said straightforwardly.

    ¡°Sergio, Jenna is now in Wullen Town. Isn¡¯t that the woman you love the most? You have to strike while the iron is hot.¡± Zoe¡¯s lips curled into a smile as she spoke.

    Sergio¡¯s face darkened as he chuckled.

    Sergio thought of the night when he went for dinner with Jenna, and his heart skipped a beat. The corners of his mouth turned up, but he said self-deprecatingly, ¡°She doesn¡¯t have her eye on me. Miss Yates, stop mocking me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. Now that your opportunity hase, you have to take advantage of it.¡± Zoeughedfortably, and said, dragging out thest letter of her sentence. ¡°Also, Sergio, are you sure you can take control of the petrochemical factory?¡±

    The petrochemical factory? The smile on Sergio¡¯s face dissolved. How did that woman know about the petrochemical factory? What did she know? Immediately, he knitted his brows and asked tly, ¡°Miss Yates, what are you talking about? What petrochemical factory?¡±

    Zoeughed and avoided the question. She only said, ¡°Sergio, I hope you can gain something in Wullen Town. After all, Jenna is there. Also, don¡¯t forget to treat me to a meal in A City.¡±

    With only that sentence, the two proceeded to talk about some unrted topics and did not stay on the earlier subject.

    After waking up from a deep sleep, Jenna regained some energy. Hansen had really drained her badly the night before.

    ¡°Jerry, Jerry.¡± After she got up, she washed up and grabbed something to eat. She felt that the house was too quiet. It was so quiet that it was scaring her. Hence, she called out as she walked towards Jerry¡¯s room.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to call for him. Chloe took Jerry out to y.¡± Sara was sitting on the sofa, knitting a sweater for Jerry. When she heard Jenna¡¯s voice, she quickly answered.

    ¡°The weather outside isn¡¯t very good. Chloe brought him out, she better make sure he does not catch a cold,¡± Jenna said. However, she still felt uneasy. She headed outside, wanting to see where they had gone to. When she came out, she saw that there were pedestrians on both sides of the street, but definitely no sign of the two of them. She was shocked. Then, she remembered that for the past few days, Chloe would bring Jerry out ande back when it was time. The thing was, where did they go?

    There weren¡¯t any nearby ces to go at all. Did she bring Jerry somewhere far?

    She walked towards the road. Just after she took a step or two, she heardughter.

    Following the sound of theughter, she looked over. It was none other than Hansen¡¯s ce!

    A thought shed across her mind. ¡°Have they gone to Hansen¡¯s house?¡± Chloe was a family doctor of the Richards Group. In other words, she was a subordinate of Hansen. It waspletely possible for her to bring Jerry there.

    After thinking it through, she headed towards Hansen¡¯s house.

    As soon as she set foot in the house, she heard Hansen¡¯s and Jerry¡¯sughter. They seemed to be enjoying themselves.

    Surely enough, they were there!

    That guy had rented the house next door for Jerry¡¯s sake. Hence, Chloe bringing Jerry there had to be under Hansen¡¯s orders.

    Quietly,Jenna walked in and pushed the door open. Her eyes widened.

    The entire room was filled with all sorts of toys and food. At the moment, Jerry was surrounded by a pile of colorful balls. There was a toy car in his hand, and he waved it around. Excitement was written all over his face as heughed happily.

    Hansen was wearing a monster mask on his face. There was a hand-drawn beard on his face, a small red nose hat on his nose, and a balloon on his lips. He was ying with Jerry.

    Jenna didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry when she saw how chaotic and funny the scene was.

    Jerry was so excited that his arms and limbs were moving about. He was having a great time with Hansen.

    He didn¡¯t even see Jennaing in.

    The father and the son duo didn¡¯t notice her, or they might have seen her but just ignored her as if she didn¡¯t exist. They only cared about having fun. On the other hand, Chloe was standing outside, chatting with Alvin.

    ¡°Jerry.¡± After a while, Jenna called out.

    The child had been out for a period of time. It was time to have some milk.

    Only then did Jerry hear Jenna¡¯s voice. He turned his head to look at her, but only smiled at her. Then, he turned his head to y with Hansen. He did not run to her like how he usually did.

    Great.Now that he had his father, themother hadpletely slipped off his mind.

    Jenna felt a sense of loss.

    When she looked up and saw Jerry holding a fruit jelly in his hand and stuffing it into his mouth, she jumped in surprise. That kid was probably hungry, but since he was too involved in ytime, he wanted to eat whatever he could see.

    Jerry hadn¡¯t tried eating any snacks yet. He couldn¡¯t just swallow the jelly like that. What if he choked on it? The news media had already reported such incidents many times.

    ¡°How could Hansen, an adult, not be aware of this kind of danger?¡± she thought to herself.

    Her expression changed as she broke into a run towards him. She stepped into the pile of colourful balls and snatched the fruit jelly from his hand as she said loudly,¡°No eating.¡±

    Jerry was about to chomp on the sweet jelly, but Jenna took it away from him. Not getting what he wanted, and seeing Jenna looking so serious, he began to cry.

    There was no denying that ever since Hansen came into his life, the number of people who doted on him had increased. He would make a fuss over everything, bursting into tears as he liked, and throwing tantrums at the slightest bit of disagreement.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Seeing that his baby son was crying, Hansen¡¯s heart ached. When he saw that Jenna had an angry look on her face, he thought that she was unhappy because she was left out.

    When footfalls were heard from outside, he had known that it was her. He ignored her on purpose because he wanted to let her know how it felt to be ignored by their son, so she wouldn¡¯t refuse to go back with him. He didn¡¯t expect her to be so upset, and even to speak so harshly to Jerry.

    ¡°Do you know how to be a father? Do you not have anymon sense?¡± Jenna asked straightforwardly. She was extremely displeased.

 Chapter 370 The Food She Makes

    ¡°Wait, what did I do?¡± Hansen stripped off the monster mask on his head, blinking innocently.

    ¡°Do you not know anything about safety? It¡¯s very dangerous to let Jerry eat the fruit jelly this way. What if it gets stuck in his throat? How old is he?¡± Jenna turned around and bombarded him with endless questions.¡°Also, this thing is full of artificial coloring, fragrances,you name it. It can¡¯t be good to eat it. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know anything about it?¡±

    Good heavens! Hansen was dumbstruck by the string of questions. He wasn¡¯t able to react for some time, less of allretort. He thought about what she had said, and realised she was right. Hence, he could only give her a sheepish smile.

    ¡°Jerry, let¡¯s go. I will take you home.¡± Jenna waded into the pile of colorful balls and picked Jerry up. As soon as she held Jerry in her arms, she felt that her arms were cold and wet. Her heart skipped a beat. She looked down at him, and surely enough, Jerry had peed his pants!

    It was not at all a good thing that in such a weather, his pants were wet. The pants did not really have warmth too. It was obvious that he had peed his pants a long time ago.Good gracious, he even had just recovered from a serious illness.

    As expected, that man was unreliable when it came to taking care of a child.

    The disgruntled look on her face became even more apparent. After picking Jerry up, she was about to head home. However, Jerry was in high spirits. When he saw that Jenna was bringing him home, of course, he was not happy. He burst into tears.

    ¡°Jerry, don¡¯t cry. Come, I¡¯ll y with you.¡± Hansen¡¯s heart ached when he saw his son crying. He quickly coaxed him while reaching out to take Jerry away from Jenna¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Not a chance.¡± Jenna frowned and said in a serious tone, ¡°You don¡¯t know how to take care of a child. You didn¡¯t even realise that he had peed his pants. It¡¯s not good for the dampness to get in his body. Plus, Jerry has yed for long enough today. It¡¯s time for him to go back to eat and rest.¡±

    When Jerry heard that he had to go back and couldn¡¯t y with all those good toys anymore, he cried even more miserably. He tried to squirm out of her arms, but to no avail. He turned around and reached out his hands to Hansen, asking for help.

    Seeing Jerry crying so miserably, Hansen¡¯s heart ached even more. He hurriedly said to Jenna, ¡°Jenna, let him y for a little longer. I will pay attention. I promise that I won¡¯t let him eat those things anymore. I¡¯ll change his clothes right now. He just started ying not too long ago. Look at how sad he is.¡±

    Upon hearing his words, Jenna¡¯s face grew even tauter. She was indifferent to Hansen¡¯s pleas. ring at him, she asked, ¡°He¡¯s wet behind the ears, but are you the same? What weather is it now? It¡¯s so humid. As his father, you weren¡¯t taking good care of him. You didn¡¯t even realize he peed his pants, and you allowed him to eat those bad things. You need to keep in mind that he has just recovered from his illness. You cannot be messing around. Continue with this andI won¡¯t let Jerrye over to y anymore.¡±

    Her almond-shaped eyes were wide open, her cheeks flushed. She was being so serious, yet she was still so enchanting. Hansen was tingling. He had lost all of his growing temper,and had long forgotten about Jerry¡¯s cries. He immediatelypromised.

    ¡°Alright, I admit that I¡¯m wrong. I apologize, okay? However, you have to promise me that you¡¯ll bring Jerry here to y, or else I won¡¯t agree.¡± Hansen was unwilling to let Jerry stoping over. He immediately admitted his mistakes and earned his way into her good graces.

    Jerry, who was listening from the side, knew that there was no point crying anymore. He stared hatefully at Hansen. That handsome guy really put women above brotherhood. Camaraderie was never one of his virtues.

    Jenna snorted and was about to leave with Jerry in her arms.

    ¡°Jenna, hang on.¡± Hansen threw away the things in his hand and hugged her and Jerry from behind. He moved his lips to her ear and said aggrievedly, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    ¡°Order in.¡± She said briefly, ¡°Do you need me to order for you?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to eat takeaways. I only want to eat the food you make.¡± Hansen shook his head. ¡°Lately, I¡¯ve been eating takeaways every single day. I can¡¯t take it anymore. I only want to eat the dishes you make. Okay?¡±

    He wore a pitiful look on his face.

    To be honest, he had been there for more than a week. Eating restaurant food every single day was really not easy for Hansen, who was a picky eater.

    Jenna knew that he was very picky. Usually, his requirement for food was very high. Due to workmitments, he had to eat outside often. Hence, he was very tired of it. He would not eat outside whenever he had the chance. Moreover, the food in this town did not really suit his tastes. After all, different ces had their own vors.

    Nevertheless, she had to handle Jerry at the moment, and had no time to care for a grown up man like him, so she rejected him at once. ¡°No, I can¡¯t. Suck it up with the food. I need to take care of Jerry, I have none of the extra time to makefood for you.¡±

    Besides, Hansen had secretly rented the house next door to hers, and Sara still had no idea about it. She didn¡¯t even know that Jerry was brought here every day to y. If she knew, she would not agree.

    Hansen knew that there was no hope for him. Disappointment was stark all over his face. However, Jerry was still wearing soaked pants. He did not dare to dy it for too long. Right away, he let go of Jenna.

    Jenna left in a hurry with Jerry in her arms.

    Hansen watched as she and Jerry left. His heart was filled with loneliness. He walked out of the room and went into his bedroom. He wanted to take a nap, since the night before¡­ As he thought about it, a smile tugged at his lips.

    As soon as Jenna entered the house with Jerry in her arms, she heard Sara¡¯s and a man¡¯sughter. The man¡¯sughter was hearty. He also had a Capital City ent. She immediately knew it was Sergio!

    ¡°What is he doing here?¡± She thought.

    Her brows furrowed as she entered the house with Jerry.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re back?¡± Upon seeing Jenna walking in, Sergio stood up hastily and greeted her politely.

    Jenna could only return him a polite smile. ¡°Mr¡­ Sergio, you¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Jenna. Sergio is so considerate. He brought a lot of local specialties today. Later, you can make some small dishes and invite Sergio to stay for a meal.With our not up-to-par ce, this is what we can manage.¡± Sara ordered Jenna, smiling from ear to ear.

    ¡°Really? Jenna can even cook?¡± Sergio asked surprisingly, with a delighted look on his face.

    ¡°Oh, she has the life of a maid. She isn¡¯t as lucky as those high societydies.Believe me or not,the food she makes is really quite tasty,¡± Sara said in a self-deprecating manner,ughing.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Jenna to have such a pure heart and spirit. Not only is she kind-hearted and beautiful, she can also design cars amazingly, and even cook. It¡¯s really rare. Anyone who marries her in the future will be blessed.¡± Sergio praised her.

    ¡°If Mr. Xanthe doesn¡¯t mind, then it will be a good thing,¡± Sara said, getting the ball rolling.

    ¡°How could I?¡± Sergio immediately said. ¡°I must have done many good deeds in my past life. That is why I get to eat food made by Jenna. It doesn¡¯t happen all the time.¡±

    Sergio sounded emotional and affectionate. There was no hint of reluctance in his words. Sara heard him clearly and was pleased deep down. Sergio came from a good family and had a good image. He was calm and capable as well, unlike the other sons of officials, who were frivolous and impetuous. What was even rarer was that he had feelings for Jenna. Sara was slightly tempted. At once, the smile on her face grew brighter.

    Jenna was inwardly cringing from their conversation, especially Sara¡¯s pointed questions. It was as if no one wanted her. She couldn¡¯t help feeling ufortable. The expression on her face was faint.

    ¡°You guys have fun talking. I still have something to do.¡± Jenna walked into the bedroom with Jerry in her arms. She did not want Sara to know of Jerry¡¯s wet pants. If she did, she would ask him about it. By then, she would know that Hansen was living next door, and would probably forbid Jerry from going there ever again.

    She changed Jerry¡¯s pants right away, and prepared milk for him. After all the bustling, Jerry finally fell asleep on the bed. He was probably tired from all the ying.

    Jenna took Jerry¡¯s clothes to the bathroom, and soaked them in water, preparing to wash them. Bailey was busying in the kitchen. When she saw Jenna walking in, she smiled and said, ¡°We have a guest today. Miss Murphy, do prepare a few more dishes.¡±

    Jenna thought of the scene where Sara invited Sergio to stay for a meal a few moments ago. She knew they would be having a meal for sure. Hence, she nodded at Bailey immediately. They would be eating anyway. With or without one more person didn¡¯t matter to her.

    With Bailey¡¯s help, it was not so difficult to prepare that meal. Instead of going out to face Sergio, it was better to hide in the kitchen and cook freely.

    With such a thought, she began to figure out what to cook. Suddenly, she remembered the words Hansen had said to her before she left. He wanted to eat the dishes made by her. She was slightly moved.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Sergio Xanthe is intentionally weaseling his way to Sara and Jenna. What¡¯s his purpose?¡± Jenna had just left with Jerry, and before Hansen could even get to his bedroom, Alvin walked to him hastily.

    Sergio Xanthe? Marvelous!

    A cold smile was formed on Hansen¡¯s lips. Someone actually dared to hit on his woman. How bold of him!

    ¡°I already know it.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes gleamed coldly.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    ¡°You knew?¡± Alvin was very surprised. Hansen had long known about it, but could actually stay calm? The person Sergio was getting close to was not anyone else, but the woman he cared about the most. Also, Sergio was one with great qualities. Wasn¡¯t he worried?

    An unfathomable smile surfaced on Hansen¡¯s face. His eyes were full of certainty, maturity, and calmness. Of course, he knew what Alvin was thinking.

    If his woman could be taken away by Sergio just like that, then he had failed very much. Or perhaps, he, as well as Grandma, had thought wrongly of her. They went through so many ups and downs and got to where they were at the moment. It was a fruitful journey, as he had observed her all the way with his heart. He had already understood Jenna, and believed that she would be able to withstand temptation. Otherwise, it would not be worth it for him to chase after her.

    He used to be a rash man in the grip of mad love.Those days of literal fighting for love should be left behind him. He wanted to employ his own wisdom.

    He, the Young Master of the Richards family, had not failed a single time in his entire life. He absolutely believed in his own strength.

 Chapter 371 The Confidence In Himself

    ¡°Mr. Richards really has grown wiser!¡± Alvin eximed secretly.

    Hansen, at that moment, gave off the feeling of a level-headed man. His every movement exuded absolute steadiness and confidence. Coupled with the inner glow he radiated, a man like that would snag the attention of many women whenever he was out and about. The confidence he had in himself stemmed from the strength he had umted as time passed. After all, Rome wasn¡¯t built in a day.

    ¡°Of course. I already knew it,¡± said Hansen indifferently.

    That went without saying. How could he not know that someone was getting close to the woman he loved? If he was not even a little vignt, would he still be considered a man?

    The day before, when Jenna had taken him out for dinner, he had seen it. Otherwise, he would not be that desperate for her toe over to keep himpany.

    ¡°However,, Mr. Richards, this is really strange. ording to Sergio¡¯s current status, it is really not necessary for him to get close to the Young Madam. What is the purpose of him doing so?¡± Alvin became even more puzzled.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Hansen noddedthoughtfully. That was exactly what he could not wrap his head around. Moreover, Sergio¡¯s feelings for Jenna were very obvious. It did not seem like there was any other reason behind it. He could see that Sergio wassincerely trying toget close to her. He had never made his feelings for her a secret and was not concerned about her having a child. It made Hansen feel very ufortable.

    ¡°D*mn you, woman, stealing everybody¡¯s heart. Have I not taken care of you enough?¡± he thought to himself.

    However, he vaguely felt that Sergio had a purpose in approaching Sara. As for what the purpose was, he still could not figure it out.

    ¡°Regardless of that, let¡¯s not do anything that could alert the enemy for the time being, and see how things go.¡± Hansen knitted his brows. There was jealousy in his eyes, but it quickly dissipated.

    He did not believe that Jenna would fall in love with Sergio. After all, they already had a child. Although they had not remarried yet, the rtionship between them had long been more affectionate than regr married couples.

    He was confident that Jenna¡¯s love for him was genuine. However, he could not ignore the sense of danger, because Sara was treating him coldly. Or rather,she was extremely disappointed in him, which was quite a thorn in the flesh.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Sergio is someone among the political elite. After a year, his father is going to stand for election as the next president. It is really suspicious for him to approach Young Madam with his identity. Dating rumors are harmful for people in the political elite. This has totally got me now.¡± Alvin¡¯s suspicion was reasonable. Hansen pondered. His sword-like eyebrows sometimes knitted, and at other times, were rxed. An unfathomable smile was stered on his face.

    ¡°Alvin, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯re here for the petrochemical factory,¡± Hansen said in a deep voice. He had a weird look on his face.

    ¡°The petrochemical factory?¡± Alvin was shocked. Did such a small, declining petrochemical factory really need the involvement of the big guns like them? That was unimaginable!

    Shock was written all over Alvin¡¯s face. He looked at Hansen with a heavy heart. If that was the case, it meant that there would be many difficulties in this investment, and would probablye to an end.

    ¡°What the h*ll is this?¡± He thought.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Alvin. They are more skittish about the petrochemical factory than we are. Richards Group has many industries. Things like this don¡¯t matter.What I am very curious is,I came to offer them help, and not only are they ungrateful, butinexplicably nervous. What could be the reason behind this?¡± Hansen said in a low voice.

    Alvin nodded upon listening. He rxed after seeing the confident look on Hansen¡¯s face.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    ¡°Alvin, in the following days, there¡¯s no rush to investigate the petrochemical factory anymore. Since they know our purpose already, even if you continue to investigate, you can¡¯t find anything. From now on, keep an eye on Sergio every day. Let me know if there is anything. I believe we can gain something valuable from him.¡± Hansen alerted Alvin.

    Alvin nodded his head. He agreed with Hansen¡¯s n and understood his thoughts. Right away, he smiled and said, ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards. Don¡¯t you worry.On your behalf, Iwill watch Sergio, that b*stard, like a hawk. We can¡¯t let him snatch Young Madam away. Mr. Richards, please watch over Young Madam as well, in case a conflict arises between you two.¡±

    ¡°Alvin.¡± The expression on Hansen¡¯s face darkened. Since when did Alvin know such humor? He really could not tell.

    Alvin pursed his lips and immediately straightened his posture. He said loudly, ¡°Mr. Richards, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±

    Without waiting for Hansen¡¯s reply, he hastily turned around and left with a faint smile on his face.

    Hansen, on the other hand, looked at his back in a daze. He shook his head with a wry smile.

    After Alvin left, Hansen walked into his bedroom andy on his bed. His fingers pressed on his temples, feeling thethrobbing pain in his head.

    That day, he had appeared in Kyrie¡¯s office. After he¡¯d exined his intention foring, he saw that Kyrie was overjoyed. However, in the next few days, he¡¯d showed no reaction, except for the day when he¡¯d made a phone call to treat him to a meal.

    A deteriorating, remote factory, where people no longer could make a living out of it, was not proactively seeking a way out, but was instead serene andposed. Who gave them so much confidence and calmness?

    No matter what, he wouldn¡¯t believe that there would be anyone who would refuse free money.

    If Kyrie was not anxious, then Hansen would not be, either. Richards Group was already at the peak. They didn¡¯tck those raw materials. In the worst case scenario, they would make less profit. However, it was not the same for the petrochemical factory. Without receiving any orders, more people would beid off from the factory. The lives of the people were in their hands.Even if Kyrie was not stirred, he couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch.

    If he wanted to y mind games, he, Hansen, had plenty of time to spare, let alone be afraid. He wanted them to beg him, to be on their knees. He also wanted to greatly restore the failing factory to its former glory. At the moment, none of themittee members could be hired. Everything needed to be changed. Not only did he want to improve the lives of the employees in the factory, he also wanted to prevent the future issues that it might bring to the Richards Group.

    After all the thinking, he exhausted himself, so he fell asleep.

    In Richards Manor, Trevor was sitting in his study, enjoying a cup of tea while reading a book. After more than a year of recuperation, his body hadpletely recovered. His face had also turned a lot ruddier, looking very high in spirits.

    A young, thin, tall man, Lomen, walked in.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Hansen has been in Wullen Town for almost ten days. ording to the top management of thepany, he will note back until two monthster.¡± He walked in quietly and said softly.

    Trevor raised his head and fixed his gaze upon him. On his face was a solemn look.

    It was only then that he realised it had indeed been a long time since he hadst seen his son.

    ¡°That boy actually went to Wullen Town for so long. What exactly is he doing? Also, to return only after two months!¡± He thought.

    The current situation did not look too promising.

 Chapter 372 To Trevorâ€™s Surprise

    ¡°Lomen, is there anything that important that he has to be there for so long?¡± He asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s to solve the problem of the auto spare parts¡¯ raw materials. Initially, it was nned to be one week¡¯s, but it was postponed to two months. It seems that they must have been in a bind,¡± said Lomen, as he pondered.

    ¡°Have you found out what the problem is?¡± Trevor put down the book he was reading, and gently rapped on the table with his knuckles.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor,Hansenmet someone in Wullen Town.¡± Lomen said carefully, raising his eyes to look at Trevor.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Trevor asked immediately.

    ¡°He identally met Jenna in Wullen Town,¡± Lomen said in a soft voice as he surveyed Trevor,with a happy look on his face.

    ¡°What? Jenna.¡± Trevor was so shocked that he stood up and asked, ¡°Is what you said true?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s absolutely true. I¡¯ve seen it for myself.¡± Lomen replied with certainty.

    ¡°Jenna, so that¡¯s where you went! Wullen Town. Why did you go there?¡± Trevor thought.

    His eyes darkened. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder that Hansen will onlye back after two months. It¡¯s all becausehe has encountered you, that unfinished

 Chapter in his heart. It turns out that it was for you.â€

    He paced back and forth in the room, with his back a little hunched. His sparse hair wasbed neatly, but it was unable to conceal the fact that age had left him rather worn out.

    There came the thing he was most worried about. For Hansen, that was the most difficult hurdle. If he failed to ovee that hurdle, he would not be able to lead a normal life. Over the past two years, he had watched how his son had lived. As a father, his heart ached badly, but there was nothing he could do about it.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, I have to congratte you first.¡± Lomen had been by Trevor¡¯s side since he was young. In the past few years, Trevor had fainted and had fallen into aa. It had shattered his heart. Seeing that he had recovered and returned to his side, he really could not bear to see him worry about Hansen. It seemed that he had been worrying about Hansen ever since he recovered. Although he did not say it, Lomen could still tell.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to congratte?¡± Trevor stopped in his tracks and looked up at Lomen, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

    ¡°I would like to congratte you on being a grandfather. Jenna has already given birth to a healthy boy. That boy looks exactly like Hansen, like how he had been in his younger years, very adorable.¡± Lomen smiled.

    ¡°My grandson.¡± Trevor¡¯s eyes shone brightly. The dark clouds from earlier seemed to have been suddenly blown away by a gust of wind, and then came the golden sun. He asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Are you saying that I already have a grandson?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Trevor. Congrattions. Your grandson is already a year old and is a very cute boy.¡± Lomen answered loudly, as if he was afraid that he would not believe it. He took out his phone, clicked open a photo, and handed it to Trevor.

    Trevor¡¯s eyes gleamed with excitement. His hand trembled slightly as he epted the phone that was handed to him. On the phone¡¯s screen, there was a chubby little fellow holding a car toy and smiling foolishly, revealing two little canine teeth. His adorableness could not be described in words.

    ¡°Grandson. My grandson,¡± Trevor muttered to himself. He used his hand to touch the screen and zoomed in the photo as much as possible. Then, he picked up the sses on the desk and put them on. He ced the phone in front of the sses and inspected it thoroughly. Gradually, tears welled up in his eyesas he said, ¡°This really is my grandson. He is a carbon copy of Hansen. He really is. Good, good. It¡¯s all thanks to Jenna. To the Richards family, she deserves all the credit.¡±

    He kept mumbling,overwhelmed with excitement. ¡°Quick, Lomen, send this photo to me.Hansen, this kid, he didn¡¯t tell us when he saw my grandson. He didn¡¯t even send me a photo. What a jerk in every sense of the word.¡±

    Trevor looked ted. He handed the phone back to Lomen, and said to him.

    ¡°I got you, I got you.¡± Lomen hurriedly took the phone and sent the photo to Trevor.

    Trevor immediately set the photo of the little guy as his phone¡¯s wallpaper. He looked at it lovingly, and caressed it. How he wished he could have grabbed him out of the phone. For a moment, he forgot what he wanted to say.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, he was sick a few days ago. Then,Hansentransferred a medical team over from A City. Now he¡¯s alright,¡± said Lomen with a faint smile.

    ¡°Sick?¡± When Trevor heard these words, he immediately became anxious. He quickly raised his eyes and asked nervously, ¡°Jenna and my grandson, are they all fine now? Also, when will theye back?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, please be rest assured thatthey are all fine now.¡± He nodded his head with certainty. After that, his eyes darkened.

    ¡°That¡¯s great. What¡¯s wrong? Why haven¡¯t theye back yet? Why hadn¡¯t Hansen brought my grandson back?¡± Trevor was finally able to think clearly and asked again.

    Lomen¡¯s eyes grew darker. He wanted to say something, but he gave it a second thought.

    ¡°Hurry up and out with it.When can theye back?¡± Trevor became anxious.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, we really cannot rush this matter. If Jenna is willing to return, then Hansenwould not have to stay in A City for two months,¡± Lomen said, his tone sad.

    Trevor¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Only then did hee to his senses. ¡°That¡¯s right. If they were willing toe back, I would definitely see my grandson by now, and not just a photo.¡± He thought. The color drained from his face.

    He sighed in his heart. ¡°Jenna has always had a strong sense of self. Since she had left, she would not return so easily. She had not gained much from staying at Richards Manor. Why would she think of returning?¡±

    As he thought further, thest shred of joy on his facepletely vanished. He let out a sigh, and sorrow was cast on his face.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too anxious, Mr. Trevor. This kind of thing takes time. You can¡¯t rush it. I believe that Hansen is confident enough. You have to trust him.¡± Heforted softly after seeing the sad and worried look on the old man¡¯s face.

    ¡°Trust him? If that jerk really could handle his rtionship problems, would things be the way they are today?¡± He thought. He let out a heavy sigh, sat down on a chair, and closed his eyes.

    Lomen stood there silently. After some time, he said, ¡°I think Jenna¡¯s problem is not too serious. After all, she truly loves Hansen. However, Sara is now against him. She is unsure about handing over her daughter to him again.¡±

    Lomen¡¯s analysis was very pertinent. Trevor nodded upon listening.

    ¡°You can¡¯t me her. It¡¯s the Richards family who owes them,¡± Trevor said, after a long pause.

    He rubbed his forehead with his finger and huffed a heavy breath. Suddenly, a thought shed through his mind. He asked in a deep voice, ¡°Lomen, how is the situation now?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, ording to my analysis, the situation does not look well. The financial crisis has plummeted dramatically, dragging the stock market with it. It¡¯sthe most serious crisis to have ever happened in thest few years.The market is in panic mode. Besides, the Sky Sword Group has merged together with Jones Group with the intention of revitalizing their business. They have been acquiring a great deal ofpaniestely. Zoe from theSky Sword Groupis currently holding a ¡®Miss Universe¡¯ event, though her real intention hasn¡¯t been revealed as of yet.However, she is a shrewd woman with extensive connections. She wouldn¡¯t squander their funds for no reason.There must be something beneath this. Also, the influence wielded by the Jones Group wasn¡¯t acquired in just a day. We have to be on guard. If that¡¯s not enough, in the past,Sky Sword Group had lost to Richards Group and has since been overtaken by us.They must have had their share of pent up resentment.Now that Hansen has led the Richards Group to such a sessful stage, we must have courted their envy. As long as there is a chance to bring us down, they won¡¯t let it slip by.Word has it that the merging between the twopanies is all because they are trying to bring down the Richards Group. We cannot afford to ck off.¡± Lomen analyzed in great detail.

    Trevor¡¯s gaze was solemn as he nodded his head.

    How could he not know about the grudge from the past? Mars had lost in thepetition with him back then. In the end, it had all been acquired by theirpany. Since then, he had been unable to get back up, so he had to leave A City and go to another city. It was said that Mars had fallen ill after leaving A City, and there was no news of him ever again. Finally, he was making aeback. It seemed that after lying low for more than ten years, he still couldn¡¯t resign himself to his fate, having lost thepetition, and began to make a mark again.

    Under the guidance of Hansen, Richards Group had progressed even further. Still, the most crucial thing was being able to stand firmly in the ever-changing market, and it required a highly adaptable team to operate. However, Hansen¡¯s own personal problems were still in progress, which was also very dangerous for Richards Group.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, we do not need to be anxious about the matters of Sky Sword Group and Jones Group for the time being. After all, they haven¡¯t formed anything strong yet, while Richards Group has strong foundations. It is really not easy for them to shake us now. Now, the first thing to do is to solve the financial crisis.Hansenis staying in the small town, watching over Jenna and his son. He has no mood to care about these things, so Richards Group is now without a leader,and this is enough to fuel panic.¡± Indeed, Lomen was someone who was personally trained by Trevor. He had already appraised the situation very thoroughly, and immediately mentioned the problem that needed to be solved at the moment to Trevor. He then whispered, ¡°Mr. Trevor, ording to my investigations in Wullen Town these days, this petrochemical factory is not simple. The background is veryplicated. It¡¯s not a good thing for Hansento waste his time on the factory.¡± Lomen was more concerned about the matters regarding the factory. Although he was worried about Trevor, he still raised the problem incisively.

    Trevor¡¯s eyebrows furrowed even more. Six years ago, Hansen had nearly destroyed Richards Group because of a rtionship problem. At the moment, the same thing seemed to be repeating again, with a little moreplication. ¡°This has to be solved as soon as possible.¡± With such a thought, he said to Lomen, ¡°Lomen, I¡¯m going back to Richards Group right away. How about you take a few more people with you and find out what the petrochemical factory is hiding. We must make a judgment as soon as possible, and we must not let Hansen stay there for two months. We need to concentratemainlyon the current financial crisis and the potential enemies, Sky Sword Group and Jones Group. ording to yesterday¡¯s official news, a 100 billion dor stimulus was won over by them in the past few days. If we go on like this, we will lose even more. Besides, we have already lost a lot in the stock market. At this time, sloppiness must be avoided at all costs.¡±

 Chapter 374 Great-Grandson

    ¡°Alright.¡± Solemnly,Lomen nodded before he took his leave.

    After he left, Trevor could no longer sit still.

    He paced around the room a few times before he walked out and headed towards Ink Garden.

    Meroy was reading the newspaper for Vivian Delia, who had her eyes closed as though she was about to fall asleep.

    Upon the doorbell¡¯s soft ringing, Meroy rushed to get it.

    Trevor was at the door.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯re here,¡± she greeted him with a smile.

    Trevor nodded his head. With an anxious look on his face, he asked softly and cautiously, ¡°Has Old Madam woken up yet?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Meroy smiled and replied, ¡°Mr. Richards, pleasee in. Old Madam has already reminded me to let you in whenever you drop by.¡±

    Trevor nodded. He walked to the bedroom, took his shoes off, andentered the room, padding on the woolly carpet.

    ¡°Mom, how are you feeling?¡± Trevor walked in and bent down as he asked Vivian.

    ¡°Trevor,here you are.¡± Vivian opened her eyes. There was a hint of a benign smile in them. ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Mom.¡± Trevor sat across from her, smiling faintly.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Hansen? Why haven¡¯t I seen him?¡±Vivian askedthe moment he sat down. It seemed that she had not seen Hansen for a long time.Now that age was catching up to her, her affection for the family was growing increasingly strong.

    Trevor caught the loneliness in her eyes. He answered in a hurry,¡°Mom, Hansen is on a business trip.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see. It¡¯s no wonder I haven¡¯t seen him in a long time,¡± Vivian said, looking distracted.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve got some good news for you.¡± Trevor could not bear to look at Vivian being distraught.The matter she was most anxious about was Hansen¡¯s marriage. He was almost 30 years old,but not only was he without his own family,all he did was to immerse himself in work. Where he was concerned, Vivian would always be worried.

    ¡°What good news?¡± Vivian narrowed her eyes. To her,whichever project had seededor however much money was earned, they were not considered as good news. Such things could notst long if they were not maintained well. They would only be temporary benefits. The most important thing was still having a growing family. The feeling grew more apparent after Norton had been expelled from Richards Manor.

    Richards Manor at the momentwas somewhat deserted.The 20 million dors spent on the feasthad only yielded a boisterous event for a day or two. After that, Jenna and Sabrina had left the manor, one after another. The manor then became colder and colder each day. As an old woman, she could feel the destion creeping from the depths of her bones.

    ¡°Mom, this, no doubt, is a good news. You¡¯ll definitely be happy.¡± Trevor took out his phone, chuckling.

    Vivian smiled evasively.

    ¡°Mom, you now have a great-grandson. Hansen has a son,¡± Trevor said excitedly, pitching his voice.

    Vivian widened her eyes, as if she had not heard it clearly. She stared at Trevor, dumbstruck.

    ¡°Mother, you now have a great-grandson. You¡¯ve be a great-grandmother. Hansen has a son.¡± Trevor knew she was incredulous.Hence, he repeated it loudly again.

    ¡°What did you say? Hansen has a son, and I¡¯m now a great-grandmother?¡± Though she heard it clearly,she still could not believe her ears. Her face began to glow.Her eyes were glistening, awaiting for Trevor¡¯s answer expectantly.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Mom. Look, this right here, is your great-grandson.¡± Trevor nodded with certainty. In order to convince her, he handed his phone to her and helped her put on herreading sses.

    As soon as the phone was ced before Vivian¡¯s eyes, she pried her eyes wide open. She took the phone with trembling hands and inspected the image on the screen. The little boy was adorable and very striking. As she raked her eyes over the screen, a big smile blossomed on her face, but tears welled up in her eyes.

    ¡°My God.¡± She said excitedly, ¡°What a cute boy. He has a shrewd face. I can tell he is a promising fellow at first nce. Look at how his eyes and nose are the same as Hansen¡¯s.¡±

    As she spoke, her gaze was fixed on the photo. She was beaming.

    ¡°This really is some good news.¡± Her hand stroked the little fellow¡¯s face. Her smile was so generous that her eyes narrowed, and a stream of tears flowed down her face.

    ¡°Mom, this is a good thing. Haven¡¯t you always been looking forward to having a great-grandson?¡± Trevor handed her a piece of tissue andforted her.

    ¡°Yes, yes, it is a good thing. This is all Jenna¡¯s contribution.¡± Vivian epted the tissue and wiped her tears away. She said in a trembling voice, ¡°Does this mean that Hansen has found Jenna?¡±

    Trevor sighed inwardly at that question. As expected, sheknew everything. He too, didn¡¯t hide, and said truthfully, ¡°Yes, Mom. Hansen has found Jenna, and has also seen his son.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good,¡± Vivian said continuously.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Trevor could not continue. He didn¡¯t know how toy it out to her. If he told her that Jenna was not willing toe back to Richards Manor with her great-grandson, would it be too big of a blow for her? After all, they wanted their family to reunite andto see their grandson.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    ¡°But what?¡± Vivian raised her head to look at him. Her eyes were teary yet fierce.

    Trevor looked distressed. He pondered, not saying anything.

    ¡°To make this easy for you,it must be that Jenna is not willing toe back with Hansen. You can¡¯t hide this from me.¡± Vivian sighed. Her voice turned cold as she said loudly.

    ¡°I really can¡¯t hide it from her!¡± Trevor thought to himself.

    After being stunned for a moment, he smiled bitterly.

    ¡°Mom, this is what I wanted to talk to you about. Now,Hansen is being held up in Wullen Town because of Jenna, but the situation is not optimistic. This year¡¯s investment situation is rather pressing, and thepetition is getting wilder. We need Hansen to return to thepany, and wholeheartedly at that. He cannot be held up in his rtionships for too long.¡± Trevor gave it some thought before stating it seriously.

    ¡°Does that mean you want Hansen toe back?¡± Vivian took off her sses and stared at Trevor.

    Trevor did not expect her to ask such a question. He was taken aback, as he looked at her, not knowing what she meant.

    ¡°Let me tell you. Hansen¡¯s personal matters are our highest priority. If the personal matters are not handled well, the business is useless and empty, no matter how good it is. In the past few years, he had forced himself to get so many things done, but the knot in his heart has never been unraveled. Now that he has encountered it, he must drop everything, no matter how huge the business is. If he wants to solve the problem, he has to think hard andto analyze the situation. Why is she refusing to return home when she has one? A woman would rather wander around alone with her child than go home. This shows that something is wrong. Don¡¯t always put our family¡¯s business first. We have to put ourselves in other people¡¯s shoes,¡± Vivian said in one go.

    Nodding his head repeatedly, Trevor replied, ¡°Mom, truer words have never been spoken. You¡¯ve voiced my thoughts. Look, aren¡¯t I here, discussing this with you? I¡¯m only a man after all. Women¡¯s hearts have always been a mystery to me.¡±

    Vivian let out a sigh, and looked at the little guy¡¯s tender face on the phone. She reluctantly returned it back to Trevor before saying, ¡°In this world, there will never be love, nor hatred, without any reason.Everything has its own reason.¡±

    Trevor took the phone and listened carefully. He nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. Jenna is a sensible person. I think she will agree toe home with the child. After all, Hansen has already given her a reason to return. Even if she really had any doubts, she will agree for the sake of the child. The child needs aplete family. I¡¯m only afraid that things will be hard when ites to Sara.¡±

    ¡°Yes. By right, that¡¯s how it should be. Which woman in this world would not want their child to have a happy home?¡± Vivian nodded in agreement, but she changed the subject in a sh and said in a serious tone, ¡°Sara has her reasons why she¡¯s not willing to let her daughtere back with Hansen. It¡¯s also forgivable.Look, after what happened, which mother would be willing to let their daughter take the risk once more and stake their happiness in it?You have to understand that with the way Jenna had been treated in the Richards family, never mind Sara, every single mother would not agree with their daughter marrying into this family again. Have you thought about this?¡±

    Trevor was deep in thought. She had clearly pointed out the crux of the problem.

    ¡°Are you saying that Sara is worried Marissa will treat her daughter badly in the future?¡± Trevor asked suddenly.

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s good or bad, it depends on theter performance. Plus, the difficult rtionship between mother-inw and daughter-inw has been a tale as old as time. Even if it¡¯s bad, there¡¯s nothing to say about it. Like now, isn¡¯t the rtionship between me and Marissa still just as subtle? Still, our family has been prosperous, and it¡¯s flourishing steadily. This isn¡¯t the main reason, but one of the factors. Think about it, if a mother lets her daughter marry the man who has already divorced her once,a man who hadn¡¯t been a good man to her daughter in the past, can she rest assured?¡± Vivian continued.

    Even as Trevor listened, he still did not quite understand. Women¡¯s minds were reallyplicated.

    ¡°Trevor, even if Sara persists, she is still only a mother. Plus,she is not an unreasonable person. It is normal for women to be so thoughtful when ites to their own daughter¡¯s happiness. Now the most important part is whether we can show enough sincerity to prove to her that her daughter will live a happy life when she returns to the Richards family. Right now, let me ask you. Do you really wee Jenna and her son back?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Upon hearing the question, Trevor said seriously, ¡°She¡¯s smart, virtuous, and talented. She¡¯s a good wife. She even blessed our family with such a cute grandson. Why wouldn¡¯t I wee her home? Besides, I¡¯m indebted to her.¡±

 Chapter 375 Be Grateful

    ¡°That¡¯s it. Since you¡¯re willing to wee her back,show some sincerity. With enough sincerity, I believe the day Hansen¡¯s family reunites will be around the corner.¡± Vivian raised her voice and said, ¡°No matter how unrelenting Sara is, she is but a mother. Which mother is willing to see her own daughter raising a child alone? The reason for her being this unrelenting is that she is afraid and insecure. She¡¯s worried that her daughter will fall into misfortune again. Her persistence in her stand serves to strive for Jenna¡¯s position in the Richards family. If we can make her trust us and be satisfied with us, and see that her daughter will be happy, I think she won¡¯t be as unrelenting anymore. At the end of the day, Hansen is the child¡¯s father. We have to consider this more or less. Not to mention that Hansen is so excellent.¡±

    Everything became crystal clear to Trevor. It was time for him to meet Sara in person. No matter what, he had to bring back Jenna and Jerry as soon as possible. He had to ensure that Hansen has a normal family, and then let him handle the business. In fact,Hansen was indispensable toRichards Group. If Jenna coulde back to help, it¡¯dbe the cherry on top.

    ¡°Trevor, what you want to do is up to you, but I have to remind you. Do not force them toe back, or else you¡¯ll lose more than you can gain.¡± Vivian reminded him. ¡°Sara¡¯s family is also a decent one.They used to be wealthy too. Don¡¯t take advantage of the fact that our family has a stronger economic foundation to bring them back without propriety, or even against her will. Avoid this at all costs.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mom, I understand.¡± Trevor quickly nodded and agreed. ¡°Our family is a well-known family, and there is no way we would resort to such unreasonable means. If this is possible, Hansen would not need to spend two months there.¡±

    Vivian nodded, deep in thought.

    Trevor bade farewell to Vivian and walked out feeling light-hearted.

    Vivian stared after her son as he walked out. She seemed to be hiding something behind her eyes.

    ¡°Trevor,in the future,you will know the reason why I asked you to do this. I hope you can invite Sara and her family into Richards Manor personally. Being upright and open-minded is the right thing to do. All said and done, you will understand my painstaking efforts in the future.¡±

    Trevor had just returned to Green Jade Garden when he saw Marissa beingas happy as a dog with two tails.It appeared that she had heard the news and knew she had be a grandmother. When she saw Trevor, she went up to him hurriedly.

    ¡°Trevor, I heard that I became a grandmother?¡± She was beaming, full of the joys of spring. Once she saw Trevor, she asked eagerly.

    Calmly, Trevor looked at her, and asked indifferently, ¡°You only care about your grandson. What about the mother of the child?¡±

    In truth, the news was also deliberately set off for her ears, just to see her reaction. As expected, her reaction was very positive.

    ¡°Trevor, what are you talking about? As if I am an evil mother-inw. She gave birth to a grandson for me. No matter what, I will care about her. After all, this achievement is iparable.Still, I don¡¯t know if she will appreciate my kindness. I am, after all, an elderly woman. If she gives me an attitude and doesn¡¯t ept my concern, I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± Marissa was very dissatisfied with what Trevor had said. She immediately defended herself.

    Trevorughed and intentionally let out a sigh. ¡°I think this matter is still up in the air, though. It¡¯s not that easy to get our grandson back. Sara is very protective of her daughter and is afraid that she will suffer in the Richards family again. Now, she is unwilling to allow Hansen to bring Jenna and her son back. If she doesn¡¯te back, Hansen will not either. Richards Group is now facing a global crisis. Such a disorganized, chaotic state is not allowed. We have to take immediate action.¡±

    Marissa became anxious upon listening to that. ¡°Her son is the blood of Richards family, and Hansen loves her so much. For so many years, he hasn¡¯t even nced at a woman because of her. He is that sincere. What more can she ask for? How can she be so ungrateful?¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Trevor¡¯s voice turned icy. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who can see how well Hansen is performing. Can Sara and Jenna see it? Besides, when Jenna left Hansen, didn¡¯t she know that Hansen loves her? Since she managed to leave, she won¡¯te back for this reason. You have to think about other aspects that arecking.¡±

    Marissa¡¯s face darkened. She said unhappily, ¡°No matter how you put it, you¡¯re still implying it¡¯s all my fault. Have you ever thought that back then, if you weren¡¯t sick, I wouldn¡¯t have to be in such a panic, and I wouldn¡¯t have allowed things to be the way they are today. Great, now I¡¯m the scapegoat, to be med for everything.The Richards family is amazing at making things hard for me. Now that I think about it, what a sh*tty life I have. I¡¯ve lived in your family for my entire life, and yet I am neither loved by my mother-inw, nor am I adored by my husband. This is the life of a woman. At least Jenna has Hansen who loves her dearly.¡±

    Tears started streaming down Marissa¡¯s face.

    Upon hearing this, Trevor felt sad too. He thought about how him being paralyzed in the past few years had made her suffer. He immediately reached out to hold her and walked to the sofa. He helped her sit down and whispered, ¡°Marissa, I¡¯m sorry. The rtionship between mothers-inw and daughters-inw has been difficult to deal with, woven into the very existence of time. That year, I pped you because of my mother. I feel guilty, even until today. Simrly, if Hansen went against the woman he loves because of you, he will suffer for it. Our child is all grown up and is also so excellent. This is something I am very proud of. We have ovee so many difficulties, and finally everything is fine. We have a son, a daughter-inw, and a grandchild. As parents, we are more than happy, but we can¡¯t just stand by and watch as Jenna and our grandson fend for themselves, right?¡±

    Trevor paused.

    ¡°Then, what should we do?¡± There was doubt in Marissa¡¯s eyes. She looked up at Trevor with tears in her eyes. Beingforted by her husband in such a light tone had somewhat calmed the grievances she felt, reced nowby a trace of sweetness in her heart.

    ¡°For our son¡¯s sake, we can only deign Jenna an apology. After all, it¡¯s the Richards family that owes them. We need to be more generous. We¡¯ll show them the magnanimity of our family and take the initiative to approach them, tofort them, and to reassure them. As long as we¡¯re sincere, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll return,¡± Trevor said with a smile as he stared into Marissa¡¯s eyes.

    Marissa was taken aback, but slowly, she understood.

    ¡°You want me to apologize to Jenna?¡± Her face slightly darkened.

    ¡°Marissa, it¡¯s up to you whether you want to see your grandson. It¡¯s not that I want you to apologize to her, but we need to invite them back personally. If we give them a way out and show some respect, they will be happy.¡± Trevor held her in his arms and exined in a gentle voice, ¡°Besides, what¡¯s the point of this so-called dignity? Not to mention we are doing it for our son¡¯s and grandson¡¯s happiness.Being embarrassed doesn¡¯t matter much. What do you think?¡±

    Marissa leaned into her husband¡¯s embrace, listening tohis heartbeat. It made her feel much more at ease. In the past, he hadid on his bed, in a vegetative state, unconscious. She had been afraid and lonely, without support. At the moment, everything was fine. Trevor could make decisions for her and it was all thanks to Jenna. She remembered she had misunderstood her badly in the past and felt a pang of guilt. Immediately, she smiled and nodded.

    ¡°There¡¯s one thing. Do not mention our family background again. Sara has a very high self-esteem. Now that her family has fallen behind, naturally she¡¯s having a hard time. We cannot prod at their shorings, and you certainly cannot dislike Jenna¡¯s family for being weak and powerless. I¡¯ve told you this in advance.So, you must keep it in mind.¡± Trevor was happy when he saw that Marissa had agreed. However, he still reminded her. ¡°A woman from a family with a great family background may not even be as talented as Jenna. You can¡¯t have your cake and eat it. We have to learn to be grateful.¡±

    His words made Marissa blush in embarrassment. She buried her head in his chest, and agreed embarrassedly.

    After Jenna made a few dishes, Bailey helped set up the table. Soon, everything was ready.

    Sara was about to stand up with her cane. Sergio got up hastily, and helped her up. Saraughed and said, ¡°Sergio, these are just simple, home-cooked dishes. Please don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Sara, you¡¯re being too polite. It¡¯s my greatest happiness to be able to enjoy the dishes made personally by Jenna,¡± Sergio replied humbly. He helped Sara sit down at the table and spoke with great attentiveness.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    After Sara sat down,she said to Jenna with a smile,¡°Jenna,e, sit beside me.¡±

    Jenna had no choice but to sit beside Sara. However, she felt the weight of the stare on her. She panicked and lowered her head.

    ¡°Sergio, would you like some red wine? This baby is made in France. It¡¯s authentic.¡± Sara picked up the bottle of red wine in front of her and smiled.

    ¡°Okay, Aunt Sara. Let me do it myself.¡± Sergio stood up in a hurry and said to Jenna who had her head down, ¡°Jenna, have some red wine, please.¡± A smile was stered across his face.

    ¡°I can¡¯t drink.¡± Jenna looked up and refused.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Red wine is not harmful to your health.On the contrary, it¡¯s actually good.¡± Sergio pursed his thin lips and smiled faintly. He reached out to take the wine ss in front of Jenna and poured two-thirds of it skilfully. He ced it in front of her, and poured a full ss for Sara before hesat down slowly.

    His movements were elegant, noble, perfect, and impable. In his military uniform, he was shining under the quaint ceilingmp in the dining room.As he sat there, the whole dining room seemed to be appear to be narrow.Even as dignified as he was,he did not give people an oppressive feeling. In fact, he even exuded a very friendly and natural feeling.

    Sara sighed to herself. Back then, Javon had been so blind. He¡¯d insisted on marrying Jenna off to the Richards family. If he had chosen the Xanthe family, the situation they were in would not have happened. Who knew, maybe the whole family would be living happily. Jenna, too, would not have suffered so much. As she thought, tears welled in her eyes.

 Chapter 376 To Go On A Hunger Strike

    ¡°Aunt Sara, I¡¯d like to propose a toast to you. Here¡¯s to your good health, and may everything go your way,¡± said Sergio in agentle and elegant manner. He then raised his wine ss.

    ¡°Good, good,¡± replied Sara repeatedly as she lifted her wine ss.¡°Sergio, I¡¯m still taking medicine, so I can¡¯t drink much. You, however, must eat well, and drink well.¡±

    After saying that, she took a sip of the wine and put the ss down.

    ¡°Yup.¡± Sergio was very forthright,finishing the red wine in one go.

    ¡°Come, dig in.¡± Sara took a piece of stuffed eggnt, Jenna¡¯s specialty, and delivered it into Sergio¡¯s bowl.

    ¡°Thank you, Aunt Sara.¡± Sergio thanked her. Elegantly,he brought the piece of stuffed eggnt into his mouth and chewed slowly before swallowing it. The vor lingered in his mouth.Such anunptable eggnthad been made by Jenna into such an appetizing dish with a delicious aftertaste andeven whetted his appetite. He could not help but topliment her. ¡°Jenna, you have made an art out of cooking. The vor of this particr dish is too good.It¡¯s my luck to be able to taste the food you made.¡±

    After saying that, he picked up a wine ss in front of him and held it before Jenna. He said,in aid-back manner, ¡°Come, Jenna, let me thank you for the meal.¡±

    Jenna was stunned. She stared at the wine ss in front of her, at the red liquid, which was giving offa deadly, enticing aroma. She did not want to drink it.

    Sara looked at Sergio, who still had his ss raised. She noticed that Jenna was still spacing out, looking like she didn¡¯t want to drink. She couldn¡¯t help but to pull a long face and angrily muttered, ¡°Jenna, quick. Have a drink with Sergio. It¡¯s impolite if you don¡¯t.¡±

    Jenna finally came back to her senses. She raised her ss and said with a smile, ¡°Sergio, you¡¯re most wee. As long as you enjoy it.¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    The two of them clinked their sses.When Sergio downed it with a smile,Jenna had no choice but to drink half a ss, but Sergio didn¡¯t really mind.

    During the meal, Sergio was constantly persuading Sara to drink, andhis witty remarkselicited Sara¡¯sughter. By the time they finished the meal, Jenna had probably polished two or three sses of wine andfelt a little dizzy. Her face was flushed red. Together with her rosy lips and white teeth, she looked even more enchanting.

    After the meal, Jerry woke up. Jenna started getting busy as she fed him some milk and some puree. Sergio wanted to help her, but Jerry red at him with obvious hostility. Whenever he attempted to help, Jerry would raise a hand and say, ¡°Hit, hit.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t know whether tough or to cry as she thought that the kid was bing more and more like someone she knew.

    Sergio knew that there was nothing he could do to help.Since it was also getting dark, he bade them goodbye and went home.

    After Jenna had finished feeding Jerry, Chloe also rushed over from the hotel and began to take care of him for the entire night.

    With Chloe¡¯s help, Jenna was indeed much morefortable. Jerry alsogot along wellwith Chloe, which was why they could spend time ying together.

    Chloe looked around 20 years old. She was warm and gentle, and her voice was soft. Jerry could probably tell that she was a beautiful woman as he was very fond of her andwas willing to let her take care of him.

    ¡°This little punk. I¡¯m 80 percent sure he will be a Casanova when he¡¯s all grown up.¡±

    With such a thought, Jenna patted him on his buttocks, and cursed secretly, before handing him back to Chloe.

    Bailey helped Sara to the bathroom to wash up.

    Jenna snuck into the study and picked up a thermos bowl she had prepared when cooking. It was filled with several dishes that she had specially cooked. She took the thermos bowl and walked outside.

    When she¡¯d left in the morning, Hansen had actually threatened her that if she didn¡¯t cook for him, he would go on a hunger strike.

    That guy was a man of his word.

    Jenna was worried that the b*stard would really go on a hunger strike and starve to death in a foreignnd.If so, her sins would then be serious.

    Silently, she came to the front of his house. The door was not closed. Great, that guy seemed to have predicted that she woulde and left the door open for her, or it could be that he had never closed the door at all.

    She pushed open the door and saw that Hansen¡¯s study was lit.She entered andfound no one in sight.

    ¡°Is he in his room?¡± She thought about what had happened the night before, and her ears turned red.

    ¡°Should I just put the food in the study, sneak away, and then send him a message to let him know?¡± It was a good idea.

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± She decided.

    She then put the thermos bowl in the study and snuck out.

    Her face felt warm from the wine she had drunk earlier, her body a little sweaty. Thinking of the scene from the night before, she immediately took a set of pajamas and went to the bathroom to take a shower. She nned to have a good night¡¯s sleep after the shower.

    The moment she took her clothes off, she saw the rosy, red marks all over her body. They were all left behind by that b*stard. She was so embarrassed that she grabbed the shower head and started showering.

    She thought about how she would have to be stuck with him all her life.

    The night before, even though she had known that she would be ¡®devoured¡¯ by him,still, she¡¯d gone over.

    ¡°What even is this?¡± She questioned herself.

    She showered, with thoughts running through her mind. As soon as she finished, she walked out of the bathroom.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, your phone is ringing non-stop.¡± Bailey hurriedly reminded Jenna when she came out.

    A phone call? Who would call at such ate hour? Jenna was puzzled. She walked into her bedroom in a hurry.

    Her phone was indeed ringing, and the light was flickering. She saw that it was an unknown number. It seemed familiar, but she couldn¡¯t remember it clearly. Once the line was connected, a husky voice could be heard.

    ¡°Jenna, pleasee and keep mepany.¡±

    It was Hansen¡¯s, as overbearing and persistent as ever.

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t do that.I am going to sleep. I have already prepared the meal for you and put it in your study. Eat by yourself.¡± Jenna resolutely refused. Only then did she remember that in the hospital that day, he¡¯d saved her phone number in his phone. She never thought of calling him, so she had forgotten his phone number.

    Hearing Jenna¡¯s refusal, Hansen felt upset. He said domineeringly on the phone,¡°Well, give it a try. If you don¡¯te, I won¡¯t eat.¡±

    ¡°Whether you eat or not is up to you. It¡¯s your own stomach. If you starve yourself, it¡¯s your own business. I have already done what I could.¡± Refused to be threatened by him, Jenna right awayreplied and hung up the phone.

    ¡°How dare she hang up the phone?¡± Hansen was sitting in the study, staring at the thermos bowl.Even though he was weak with hunger,he did not want to open it. If he really opened it and ate the food, he would not have the excuse to let Jennae over to sleep with him.

    When she dropped by a few moments ago, he was taking a shower in the bathroom.

    He thought about what happened the night before, that she was so ravishing!

    Without that warm and soft body in his arms, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fall asleep.

    After she hung up the phone, he was furious. Immediately, he called her again.

    No matter how many times he sted the calls,Jenna didn¡¯t answer any of them.

    ¡°What should I do?¡± He thought.

    Jennay in bed with the nket over her head,stopping herself from listening to the annoying ringing of the phone. After a while, it finally stopped.

    Once she confirmed that she could not hear anymore rings, she poked her head out.

    ¡°He must have given up!¡±

    Jenna stretched her hand to grab the phone and was about to put it on vibrating mode and turn off the lights to sleep.

    As soon as her hand touched the phone, she heard the continuous beeping of messages.

    She opened them one by one.

    ¡°Woman, if you don¡¯te, I¡¯ll go on a hunger strike tonight. I¡¯ll keep to my word.¡±

    ¡°You heartless woman, fine, I¡¯ll just starve to death.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯te tonight, thene and collect my body tomorrow. That way, Jerry will be fatherless.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so hungry. I¡¯m feeling so weak.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten anything the whole day. What a harsh life! You really are so cruel.¡±

    Jenna read them one by one. She was speechless.

    His messages were sent continuously, making Jenna panic. She could imagine him being really hungry to the point that he was on the verge of death.Frustrated, with a merciless act, she decided to turn off the phone.

    Shey in bed and forced herself to calm down, but sleep did not im her. She kept thinking about how he was so hungry that he felt dizzy. Her heart actually softened. She was worried that he would really starve to death.

    After a while of feeling frustrated, she turned over again and sat up. Looking at the lifeless phone on the bed, she couldn¡¯t help but to turn it on.

    As soon as she switched on the phone, she heard a messagee in. She opened the message and saw that it read, ¡°Woman, if you don¡¯te to keep mepany tonight, I will ask for more in the future. Even if you beg for mercy, it will not work.¡±

    After reading the message, Jenna¡¯s hands trembled in fear.

    The scene from the night before shed in her mind. He¡¯d wanted her so fiercely that if she hadn¡¯t begged for mercy, he wouldn¡¯t have let her go.

    ¡°This guy is absolutely able to do as he says.¡±

    Jenna did not doubt him at all as he really was too energetic. He would only let her go,every time, after she begged for mercy. If she really offended him, she would be in trouble.

    As she thought about it, she felt a chill run down her spine.

    Besides, he would definitely not eat, and the food she prepared would go to waste.

    When she thought about how he really hadn¡¯t eaten a good meal for a long time, worry started to well up inside her.

    She was actually worried about his health.

    ¡°To go or not to go?¡± She contemted.

    ¡°This is so frustrating.¡± Tossing her phone away,she held her head with both hands and groaned.

    ¡°Why should I care about him? It¡¯s up to him.¡±

    ¡°No, this young master is so pretentious. If his embarrassment turns to anger, he really won¡¯t eat. He really will starve to death. If he goes crazy, then it will be me who suffers.¡±

    With such thoughts in her mind, she got to her feet.

    After walking around the room, she drew the curtains and looked outside.

    Only one look and her face turned pale.

    In the darkness, apanied by the dim street lights, she saw a figure standing under the streemp, alone.

    Standing there quietly, hesomewhat looked lonely and defiant, no matter how she looked at him.

    There was a lit cigarette in between his fingers. As he took a deep breath, the cigarette butt flickered in the dark. It exceptionally striking.

    ¡°D*mn it, he even stood in front of the house, despite it being sote already.¡±

    Jenna didn¡¯t dare to go back to bed. She also didn¡¯t dare to go out with her nightgown. She got up and took a thick bra, and wore a coat and a pair of tight jeans. Shebed her hair, before opening the door and walked out quietly.

    ¡°Are you crazy? Why are you standing in front of my door at such ate hour?¡± Jenna walked out and asked in a low voice.

    Hansen had long heard her footsteps. He could smell her scent from a distance. He suppressed the joy in his heart and turned around.

    Actually, he wasn¡¯t confident that she woulde out. It was just because he couldn¡¯t fall asleep and was worried about Jerry. In other words, he just wanted to get closer to her and Jerry. Not wanting to stay in the room without her, he came out without thinking. He never really wanted to threaten her.

    Still, sessfully, he got her toe out.

    It seemed that she couldn¡¯t sleep in peace either.

    She was thinking about him.

    As he thought, the corners of his mouth tugged upwards. A charming smile appeared on his face.

 Chapter 377 Fooling Around

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep. So, I came out to take a walk,¡± he said honestly,with gentleness in his sparkling eyes. He was really upset with her. With grievance, he said, ¡°Who told you not toe and keep mepany?¡±

    ¡°Please, are you a three-year-old? How childish,¡± Jenna said in an unkind tone, rolling her eyes at him.

    ¡°You can¡¯t me me.It¡¯s you who forced me.¡± It was such a far-fetched excuse, but he said it so convincingly. What a talented person.

    ¡°Hmm, I may ask, is this even a valid reason?¡± She thought to herself.

    Thinking about it, she realised that his behavior was exactly the same as Jerry¡¯s. All her life, she would have to be under the control of the father and son duo.

    Jenna was speechless andhelpless. She hung her head low and was silent for a moment, then she asked softly, ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Hansen replied straightforwardly and clearly. His thin lips pouted as if he had been tortured by someone, and she was the perpetrator.

    It was just as she expected.

    Jenna didn¡¯t know whether tough or to cry.

    ¡°This guy is really a jerk.¡± She scolded secretly.

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go back in to eat?¡± Jenna asked in a serious tone. When she looked up, she saw that his handsome face had indeed be a little gaunt. It must have been hard for him in the past few days. She felt pain in her heart.

    Each time, her heart would soften at the sight of his slight suffering. ¡°How disappointing.¡± She scolded herself. She actually cared about him that much!

    ¡°No, I have no appetite anymore,¡± Hansen answered with a hint of annoyance. There was actually a trace of life on his face.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    ¡°Is it my fault that you haven¡¯t eaten as well?¡± Jenna widened her round eyes. ¡°You are really good ating up with excuses.¡±

    ¡°It was you who forced me. Who told you not toe and keep mepany? I¡¯m already too hungry. My stomach hurts,¡± he said. He even made a ¡®hmph¡¯ sound on purpose, with apained expression on his face.

    As he spoke, he stole a nce at her from the corner of his eyes and secretly studied her.

    Jenna had just drank some red wine. Her cheeks were flushed, looking very attractive. When she smiled and whispered, her eyes were sparkling. She looked very spirited and even lovelier.

    As expected, he could see a trace of nervousness on her face. Hansen¡¯s heart was filled with joy.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home and have dinner.¡± Jenna looked nervous. After all, he was starving, which was not a good thing. His stomach was already unwell to begin with. There were hundreds of thousands of people in the Richards Group waiting for him to give orders. Besides, the headquarters of the petrochemical factory also needed his help.

    ¡°I can¡¯t eat alone.¡± With a poker face, Hansen continued to push the request. He was not afraid that she would notpromise. ¡°I want you to apany me.¡±

    As he spoke, he moved closer to her and whispered in her ear in an extremely loving tone, ¡°That includes sleeping.¡±

    Jenna blushed even more. Since she had alreadye out of the house, she didn¡¯t intend to go back. Hence, she could only apany him back to have dinner.

    After thinking, she sighed and said, ¡°Okay, I promise you, but you have to get used to eating alone. It¡¯s not good for your health if you continue to starve yourself just because you don¡¯t want to eat alone.¡±

    With his wish fulfilled,Hansen¡¯s heart was filled with joy. However, when he heard thetter half, his face darkened once more.

    ¡°What do you mean? Do you still want to leave me?¡±

    He sounded displeased. Jenna certainly heard it, but she didn¡¯t promise anything. She recalled Alvin¡¯s words and fell deep in thought.

    They still couldn¡¯t get past Sara. She didn¡¯t have the confidence to convince her mother. She didn¡¯t want Sara to be sad. Moreover, the matter of the petrochemical factory was still waiting decision. It seemed that she couldn¡¯t go back for the time being.

    Jenna¡¯s silence made Hansen feel vexed. He stood there, unmoving. The light in his eyes was dim.

    ¡°Hansen, let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll apany you back to eat first,¡± Jenna said softly. She then made the first move and held his hand.

    Hansen stood rooted to the spot as he stared intently at her.

    ¡°Jenna, tell me, what are you thinking about now?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Jenna avoided his gaze. She didn¡¯t know how to answer him. Could she say that she was not mentally prepared yet, and that she really didn¡¯t want her mother to be too sad?

    ¡°Am I not worthy of your trust?¡± Hansen¡¯s face darkened. His eyes were fixed on her, as if he was trying to see through her.

    ¡°Hansen, go back and eat first. I have something to tell you after dinner.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t want to talk about those matters out on the streets. Plus, it was sote and he hadn¡¯t eaten yet. In those years, for the Richards Group¡¯s work, although he was a young master and president, he¡¯d skipped meals when he was busy. His stomach was very unwell. With such a thought, she really couldn¡¯t bear to let him starve, so she pulled him.

    Hansen was still pulling a long face. ¡°You¡¯ll have to sleep with me tonight. Otherwise, I won¡¯t eat.¡±

    He deliberately emphasized the word ¡®sleep¡¯, andhis voice was very suggestive as well. Jenna bit her lips and looked at him with a red face.

    Hansen stood with his head held high, showing no sign ofpromise.

    ¡°Okay, I promise,¡± Jenna agreed. She had to coax him to eat first. All the other problems could be discussedter! On the other hand, Hansen was thinking about how he could tell her everything in one night.

    The two of them walked home hand in hand happily.

    When she entered the study, she saw that the thermos bowl was still on the desk.

    Jenna sighed and opened it. She took out a few more bowls from the kitchen, split the dishes one by one, and put them on the table.

    The quality of the thermos bowl was very good, as the dishes were still warm.

    ¡°It smells so good.¡± When Hansen smelled the food, he immediately felt hungry. The dishes made by Jenna were very agreeable to his appetite. They were all the dishes that he liked.

    ¡°Hansen, eating thiste is really very bad for your stomach. You can¡¯t be like this anymore,¡± Jenna said with a straight face.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to my wife.¡± Hansen looked at Jenna¡¯sadorablesmall face and her pouting cherry-like lips.

    The woman¡¯s tiny mouth was pink and slightly pouted, while her face showed anger with a trace of coyness. She could drive Hansen crazy in just a moment.

    Such beautiful lips would go to waste if he didn¡¯t kiss them.

    He lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers.

    Hansen nibbled gently on her lips.Jenna immediately felt a tingling and numb sensation. She could not help but to scream out loud,¡°Hansen, you are biting me to death!¡±

    Hansen let out a heartyugh.

    ¡°You bad guy.¡± Jenna hit him in annoyance and pursed her lips.

    His hand caressed her delicate earlobe as he said with a chuckle,¡°How about I eat you first? That¡¯s better for me.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t eat, I¡¯ll leave.¡± Jenna looked very angry.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll eat.¡± Hansen quickly nodded and agreed. After a minute, he seemed to think of something. He lowered his head and said very seriously, ¡°What did I sayst night? Call me ¡®baby¡¯, do you understand?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s handnded on her waist. With one pull, Jenna fell into his arms. ¡°Call me ¡®baby¡¯, do you understand?¡±

    His face grew solemn as he proimed that.

    ¡°Stop messing around. Eat your dinner first. The food is getting cold.¡± Jenna pushed him away, looking very serious.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. If you do not address me like that, then wait and see how I¡¯ll deal with youter.¡± Hansen held her by her slender waist and threatened ruthlessly.

    ¡°Quick, eat first.¡± Jenna raised her hand to block his lips. That guy had leaned closer to her face again.¡°Can you just eat properly?¡±

    She questioned him, feeling really helpless.

    Hansen suddenly reached out to grab her hand and blew on it. ¡°Feed me.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Is he for real? He¡¯s even more of a rascal than Jerry.¡± She thought.

    ¡°Open your mouth then.¡± She had no choice but to take a piece of stuffed eggnt and put it near his mouth.

    Hansen opened his mouth and took a small bite. It was delicious. The original vor of the eggnt had been retained with Jenna¡¯s expert cooking skills.He hadn¡¯t even chewed for a long time before swallowing it down to his stomach.

    ¡°It¡¯s so good. I want more.¡± At that moment,his hunger finally hit home. He kept asking for more food, making Jennaugh. She took another piece for him. The more he ate, the more he found it delicious.

    Jenna took a spoonful of mushrooms and put it near his mouth. Hansen reflexively opened his mouth and bit down on it. Jenna deliberately moved the spoon away, and he bit down on nothing. He stared at her with wide eyes.

    Jenna pursed her lips, trying to hold back augh. Hansen realized that he was being teased by her and got very annoyed. He stretched out his hand and tickled her waist. Jenna, sensitive as she was,burst intoughter.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you still dare to tease me.¡± Hansen tried to kiss her with his oily lips. Jenna was so scared that she mped her eyes shut.

    Looking at her, Hansen did not kiss her in the end. He was just teasing her. Otherwise, the greasy feeling of kissing her would not be pleasant.

    Jenna waited for a long time but still did not feel the oily lips on hers. When she opened her eyes, she saw Hansen grinning as he enjoyed her predicament. She pushed him away and said, ¡°I¡¯m done feeding you. Eat on your own.¡±

    If they continued, she had no idea how long it would take for him to finish that meal. Jenna walked to the side and ignored him.With one hand, Hansen ate by himself, and pulled her back into his arms with the other hand. The two of them fooled around as he ate his dinner.

    Alvin was justing in from the outside. When he heard the intimate talking and joking in the study, he was stunned. Soon, he understood what was going on. It was the Young Master and Young Madam fooling around in the study. His lips curled into a smile.

    It looked like both Hansen and Jenna had already patched things up. If so, it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult for him to bring her back. However, the problem stilly with Sara.No matter, he had heard that Trevor and Marissa would arrive personally to invite them home. So, this issue wouldn¡¯t pose too much of a hitch. The good days of the Richards Group were nigh.

    There was no way for Sergio to approach Jenna. However, Alvin couldn¡¯t understand the reason behind that. Was it really to pursue her? Or did he have some ulterior motive that couldn¡¯t be revealed?

    After Hansen finished his meal, Jenna began to clean up.

    ¡°Leave it. We¡¯ll do it tomorrow.¡± Hansen pulled Jenna¡¯s hand away from the table, not allowing her to clean up. He carried her directly to the bedroom.

 Chapter 378 Know Your Place

    ¡°Hansen¡­¡±

    ¡°Call me ¡®baby¡¯.¡± As soon as Jenna opened her mouth to speak, Hansen interrupted her and spoke in an overbearing manner.

    ¡°Let go, please.¡± Jenna reached her hand out to touch his lips. ¡°Go and clean it up.Your lips are still oily.¡±

    ¡°Quickly.¡± Hansen¡¯s voice was even more overbearing.

    Jenna was afraid that he would go crazy. She called him shyly, ¡°Baby.¡± Hansenughed and carried her to the bathroom. ¡°Help me clean my lips.¡±

    Cheekily, he leaned his lips closer.

    ¡°How could this man act like this?¡±

    Jenna really didn¡¯t know what to do with him. She first took some mouthwash and gave it to him. After he gargled, she picked up a towel and gently wiped his lips.

    Her hand that touched his lips wasso gentle and soft.Her fingertips were warm, and no longer cold. She had an intent look on her face. Hansen looked at her and felt his desire stirring up. Once she was done wiping his lips, he carried her to the bed.

    He put her on the bed and slipped his hand under her shirt. When he moved all the way up along her smooth skin,he found that it was wrapped tightly.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    ¡°Did you do it on purpose?¡± Hansen raised his head and asked coldly.

    ¡°This woman has wrapped herself so tightly. Isn¡¯t it obvious that she¡¯s trying to go against me?¡± He thought.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m so tired today. Let¡¯s sleep early.¡± She had done it on purpose, since his madness the night before really scared her.

    She couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    ¡°What did you call me?¡± Hansen¡¯s face became sullen.

    ¡°Baby,¡± Jenna immediately changed her tune, afraid that she would arouse the beast in him.

    ¡°Beg me then. Beg me and I¡¯ll let you go tonight.¡± Hansen ordered as he caressed her face with his hand.

    ¡°Beg him? What kind of logic is this?¡± She thought.

    However, the face of the man before her eyes was getting darker and darker. It was getting more and more dangerous.

    Jenna clenched her jaw as she thought to herself,¡°Fine,I¡¯ll beg you.¡±

    ¡°Baby, I¡¯m so tired. Please let me go.¡± She wrapped her arms around his neck as she begged.

    Her voice was soft, making Hansen want her. How would he be willing to let her go just like that?

    ¡°It¡¯s not enough,¡± he said domineeringly.

    ¡°Not enough? What should I do?¡±

    Jenna thought for a moment. She leaned closer to him,and with her arms still wrapped around his neck,she gave him a kiss on the face. Great, she piqued Hansen¡¯s excitement. He grabbed the back of her head with one hand and kissed her red lips.

    To h*ll with all the promises he made.

    Jenna fell right into his trap. She regretted it. She shouldn¡¯t have listened to him. Thinking about it, when did the b*stard ever fulfill his promise when it came to things like that? Hadn¡¯t she just very well provoked his excitement?

    Hansen felt unwell all over. He pushed up her clothes and turned her over. He clumsily undid her bra. After putting in a lot of effort, he finally unfastened it and tossed it aside.

    With one hand, he lifted one of her legs. Heated desire coursed through him,and very soon she was possessed by him.

    ¡°Be gentle, be gentle,¡± Jenna begged. She was not used to his sudden intrusion.

    Hansen listened to her. His lips yed across hers gently.

    There was a faint aroma of red wine from her body and in her mouth, mixed with some sweat, making him intoxicated.

    Jenna¡¯s difort was quickly resolved by his superb skills. The red wine she had drunk earlier came into y, making her desire burn.

    The two of them intertwined, not knowing where one ended and began.

    Such luck!

    After all of that, theyy in bed, exhausted. Hansen had finally let her go. For that night, he had enough of her.

    They fell asleep in each other¡¯s arms, all the way until dawn.

    Jenna woke up early in the morning. She opened her eyes and saw Hansen fluttering his sleepy eyes. The two looked at each other for a moment, before Jenna attempted to get up.

    ¡°It¡¯s still early. Lie still for a while.¡± Hansen pestered her, ¡°I want you to cook for me today, and in the future. And for the rest of my life.¡±

    ¡°But how can I cook every meal for you?¡± Jennained.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. You are my wife. Shouldn¡¯t a wife take care of her husband?¡± Hansen said matter-of-factly. ¡°I do not wish to live a life like this any longer. What are you nning now? When are you nning toe back with me?¡±

    His wife and son should be leading the best life. If they continued to stay there, they wouldn¡¯t be living a good life.

    Upon hearing his question, Jenna was stunned, in a daze.

    She wanted to go back with him!

    She wanted to bet on it again. Life was about taking risks. She knew everything from Alvin. She knew how much Hansen loved her. She firmly believed that they would be happy in future.

    If possible, she would bring Jerry with her and leave with him with no hesitation.

    However, she did not want Sara to be sad.

    ¡°It looks like you¡¯re still refusing to return with me. Are you thinking about another man? About being together with Sergio?¡± Hansen¡¯s face ckened. His voice turned cold.

    The cold voice, together with the morning mist, made Jenna feel scared, but even more surprised.

    How did he know that Sergio hade to her house? Was he following her?

    ¡°Are you following me?¡± Jenna raised her head to look at his cold face. She sounded a little furious.

    ¡°It¡¯s already so obvious. Do I still need to follow you?¡± Hansen said coldly. Jenna did not deny it, but turned around and interrogated him. This fuelled Hansen¡¯s rage. However, Hansen was no longer the man he was two years ago, who would easily lose his mind and go crazy for love.

    Time had shaped him into amatureman, or rather, a wiser one when it came to love. They had gone through so many things together. He did not believe that Jenna would still fall for Sergio. As for the motive of Sergio approaching her, he still could not, and did not have the time, to figure it out.

    ¡°Were Sergio and I close?¡± Jenna thought to herself as she felt quite surprised by it.

    Still, if he wanted toe, she could not stop him. She immediately said with grievance, ¡°Hansen, please be reasonable. He is just an old friend of my mother. We used to be friends, but now he¡¯s here only to visit my mother. There¡¯s no other reason. He has only been here twice. Besides, even if he has another reason, is it even realistic? The Xanthe family is a military and political dynasty, and their status and image are very important. Their marriage is not based on love, but for political purposes. Is it even possible for him toe to me, a divorced woman with a child?¡±

    Her interpretation was indeed reasonable. How would Hansen not understand?

    ¡°It looks like you know your ce. You¡¯re not very dumb, eh. You wouldn¡¯t dream of him marrying a fallen woman like you, would you?¡± Hansen¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile. His heart lightened.

    ¡°A fallen woman? How dare he call me that?¡±

    ¡°Who was it for?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to him, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face slipped into a forbidding expression as she thought. She took a pillow and hit him with it. She said while hitting him, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, isn¡¯t it? How dare you say that about me? You have no right to say that about me.¡±

    The pillow attack felt like cotton to Hansen. Instead of feeling pain, he only felt ticklish.

    The main point was the sullen expression on Jenna¡¯s face. She looked wronged, unwilling, and yet very enchanting. It really cranked up Hansen¡¯s soul.

    Immediately he grabbed the pillow from her and pressed himself against her.

 Chapter 379 She Belongs To Him

    ¡°Woman, don¡¯t you know? Men¡¯s libido is bloody active in the early morning. The way you look, are you trying to seduce me?¡± Hansen smiled wickedly.

    Feeling anxious,Jennatried to push him away.

    Hansen grabbed her hand and pushed her down on the bed.

    ¡­

    It was still early in the morning, and yet Jenna had already been ¡®devoured¡¯ by him. She was forced to suffer in silence. Nevertheless, she had to admit that after one night of rest and being swallowed by his passions once she woke up, she felt unspeakable joy.

    While it was still dawn, she snuck into the house. Jerry was still sleeping soundly. Chloe had really given it her all,that even the nket was well-covered.

    After taking a look at Jerry, her heart was at ease and shesnuck into her room and took a nap, since she had nothing better to do.

    She felt much better after taking a nap. Lying on the bed withher eyes wide open, she thought of what Hansen had said to her that morning. She was deep in thought.

    ¡°Jerry doesn¡¯t even have his birth certificate now. What will he do with his education in the future? Where is his registered permanent residence? Are you really willing to watch Jerry grow up without a father?¡±

    ¡°Even if you take him abroad to study, are you sure that a woman alone can provide him everything he needs?¡±

    ¡°Come back with me, Jenna. Trust me, it will definitely be different this time when youe back. I once said that I want you to be the queen of Richards Manor. Although it came a littlete, I did try my best.¡±

    Her eyes were still open, she thought about their intimacy earlier.

    Her heart was being captured bit by bit.

    He had left searing marks on her. All her life, she would never love anyone else but him.

    For the sake of their happiness, he was doing all he could. He also used his actions to speak for his sincerity. If she persisted, she would be irresponsible towards Jerry, as well as their happiness.

    She figured that it was time to persuade her mother!

    It was April, and spring was about to pass.

    The drizzling had let up, and the sun was shining brightly. It wasvery refreshing.

    The spring sun was warm yet cool. The sunlight was bright yet gentle.

    Jenna got up. After breakfast, she decided to take advantage of the good weather to take Jerry out for a stroll.

    Jerry was in a good mood too. He was brimming with energy,giggling as he pointed at the door,urging that he wanted to go out.

    Jenna knew what he was thinking. He wanted to go to the toy room at Hansen¡¯s ce.

    Jenna dressed him up in a suit and put on a cute baseball cap for him. The little guy looked very adorable.

    Jenna also draped a knitted jacket over her spring dress, looking very elegant and beautiful.

    She pushed the baby stroller and brought Jerry out of the house.

    A beautiful young mother pushing her adorable child sure did attract many people¡¯s attention.

    Jenna was in a good mood. She was nning on buying some clothes for Jerry. The little guy actually grew a lot after his illness. Even the little suit he was wearing was rather small on him. She was going to get him a few soft undershirts, since summer was around the corner.

    She had just turned around a corner when she felt a sudden oppressive feeling. She turned her head and saw that Hansen had appeared by her side. He was dressed in a suit, looking very smart. In fact, the moment he appeared next to her and Jerry, he had attracted many passers-by¡¯s envious nces.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t be sure whether they were jealous of how good-looking Hansen was, or how perfect the three of them looked together. In short, Jenna felt that she was surrounded by many eyes after Hansen¡¯s arrival,making her feel a little ufortable.

    As for Hansen, he looped one of his hands around her slender waist as he walked with ease and grace.

    He obviously was dering that she belonged to him.

    He was telling her that even if she and Jerry didn¡¯t go back with him, people in the small town would know she was not an unattached woman buta married one instead. That way, no man would dare to approach her.

    After having such a thought, she felt some resistance towards him. She tried to keep her distance from him, but Hansen seemed to have read her mind, as he put his long arms around her waist. Talking andughing with her,he held her by the waist as they walked at a steady pace. It wasa picture of intimacy.

    Jenna red at him, but allowed him to be.

    Standing at the balcony of a hotel room was Sergio as he watched the happy family of three. His eyes dimmed, with sorrow filling his face.

    Madam Lilian was returning to the country soon. If she found Sara, Jenna would gain a higher status. If Hansen and Jenna were to remarry, it would be beneficial to the Richards Group.

    So far, he could confirm that Hansen was not aware of Jenna¡¯s real identity.

    At the moment, they seemed to be very close,and their rtionship was improving. It seemed that they had already resolved the misunderstanding.

    Sergio raised his eyebrows, opened the door, and walked out.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Jenna, you two seem to be in a good mood today.¡± Sergio acted as if he had just walked down and happened to bump into them. A smile stered across his face as he greeted them with an amiable attitude.

    ¡°Hey, Sergio, what a coincidence. You actually came to Wullen Town. When did this happen?¡± Hansen too, acted as if he had just seen Sergio andasked in disbelief.

    Jenna was listening to their conversation beside him. That guy was just talking about Sergio in the morning. He¡¯d also known that Sergio hade to Wullen Town. Yet, he acted as if he did not know anything. Jennaughed secretly. ¡°Amazing acting skills he has.¡±

    Sergio smiled and replied, ¡°Hansen, we haven¡¯t seen each other for many years, but here we are, meeting each other in Wullen Town.This is a chance that is hard toe by. How about we sit down and catch up today?¡±

    He said calmly, anticipating his response.

    ¡°Sounds great.¡± Hansen was full of enthusiasm. ¡°But, I¡¯m going shopping with my wife today. We¡¯re buying clothes for our son. How about another day? I¡¯ll treat you another day.¡±

    Hansen said in a generous manner. As he spoke, his hand on Jenna¡¯s waist exerted a little force, pulling Jenna into his arms.

    ¡°Baby, I can¡¯t break the promise I made today, can I?¡± Hansen leaned closer to her as he spoke intimately.

    ¡°The promise he made? What did he promise me? Why don¡¯t I have any idea?¡± She thought.

    ¡°Please, I didn¡¯t ask you toe shopping with me.¡± In her mind, she rolled her eyes.

    That guy lied without blinking an eye, and on top of that, heeven looked serious. How thick-skinned was he!

    Sergio looked at Jenna suspiciously,with his gaze saying ¡°is that so?¡±

    Just when Jenna was about to say something, Hansen pinched her waist, sending her into agasp in pain. She wanted tosh out at him, but when she looked up and saw his cold eyes and his poker face, she remembered what he¡¯d said in the morning. She didn¡¯t know whether he was angry or jealous. All she knew was that he had an ugly smile etched on his face. Jenna suddenly wanted tough.

    ¡°Well, either way, I don¡¯t have any feelings for Sergio. Besides, he has swung by my house too many times in the past few days. There¡¯s no harm in clearing things up.¡± She thought. She spoke with a smile at once.

    ¡°Sergio, I¡¯m really sorry. Hansen needs to apany me and my son to buy something today. He really doesn¡¯t have the time to sit down and catch up. Let¡¯s make it another day. Plus, he really is awfully ipetent as a father. Today is a good opportunity for him to perform well.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s words were specially said for Hansen. They were also very explicit, which was exactly what Hansen wanted.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth turned up. A smug expression appeared on his face.

    ¡°Jenna, I didn¡¯t perform well in the past. I¡¯ll make it up to you now, okay?¡± He smiled yfully. Suddenly, he pressed his cold lips against her red lips, and held her by the waist as they walked forwards.

    With her lips sealed, Jenna muffled angrily.

    That guy was too arrogant. They were in Wullen Town! He kissed her in broad daylight, obviously not giving her a chance to avoid embarrassment.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    Sergio stared after them as they kissed. He felt a sharp stab of pain andclenched his fists tightly.

    In truth, even though Jenna already had a child, he was still willing to marry her, as long as she was willing to do so. Even without Madam Lilian, he still wanted her.

    After all, she was the woman he had always loved.

    However, judging from the situation, Hansen would not let go so easily. He felt a sense of loss. He turned around and left quietly.

    It wasn¡¯t until at the entrance of the shopping mall that Hansen had let her go.

    Along the way, Jenna was almost treated like an abomination.All kinds of eyes were staring at them.Her mortification was peaking.

    Jerry seemed to also feel the affection of his parents. He sat in the stroller, with his arms and legs wriggling about.

    ¡°Can you not embarrass me?¡± As soon as Hansen let her go, she shouted at him furiously.

    ¡°What? You¡¯re my wife. It¡¯s normal for me to do this.¡± Hansen was a rogue. He lowered his head and asked, ¡°Are you trying to keep your innocent image to seduce men? I¡¯m telling you.There won¡¯t be a freaking chance. You¡¯re mine,alive or dead.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ areme.¡± Jenna pursed her swollen lips that had been kissed hard by Hansen. She widened her eyes and red at him. Hansen smiled proudly as he took the lead to walk ahead.

    ¡°Little b*stard, you want to y tricks on meand even want to keep your reputation. Dream on,¡± He thought to himself.

    Whatever he wanted, other people could not even steal a look at it.

    In the office of the petrochemical factory, Kyrie and Eamonwere having a meetingtogether with themittee.

    They weren¡¯t able to sell anything. They couldn¡¯t afford to pay the workers for the next month. Many employees began to rebelining all the time. Some of them were even plotting something huge.

    If they really did anything, the factory would also be in hot water. By then, they would be in serious trouble. Such risks could not be taken.

    Hence, Sergio had secretly instructed them to solve the problem.

    In order to calm the employees, money was the only way to solve the problem.

    They all understood what Yadriel meant. However, he did not use his connections to help them get through their difficulties. Kyrie too, did not have the ability to do so.

 Chapter 380 An Idea Struck

    Sergio certainly understood. They could not use the money earned from the production of guns and ammunition to solve the problem of that many people. Besides, it was not a matter thatsted for a day or two. However, to help the factory and their many employeesin this far-flung mountainous area, it really was not an easy problem to solve. If they could liberate the employees, then the problem would have been worked out long ago. There was no need to wait. Also, if they really had the ability, there would be no poor people in the country.

    The most important thing was that they couldn¡¯te forward to help the factory openly.

    Even if he had thought of a solution, it could either be to find someone to invest, or buy and incorporate.

    It was an old, state-owned factory withmany secrets. Purchasing and incorporating were not a good option, not to mention that there was no one with such a resolution as well. Thus, investment was the best way forward.

    Kyrie furrowed his brows tightly. Eamon was also at a loss.

    ¡°Kyrie, didn¡¯t our ¡®golden goose¡¯ pay a visit that day? The Richards Group is a powerful financial group. Our factory can only be taken care of by powerful people like Hansen. We should pay full attention to people like himing to our small factory.¡± The director began to speak.

    ¡°Yes, Kyrie. It¡¯s difficult to find another man like Hansen to help us with our shabby factory. This is our chance.We should cherish it.¡±

    ¡­

    A lively discussion ensued. However, Kyrie and Eamon failed to persuade the director with their ns.

    After the meeting, Kyrie and Eamon stayed.

    ¡°So many days have passed and there has been no news of him. Do you think he will stille to our ce to invest?¡± Kyrie asked, after exchanging nces with Eamon for a while.

    Eamon shook his head and said eventually, ¡°That day, we called him to invite him to a meal. There had been no news from him since then. Maybe it was because we didn¡¯t show enough sincerity. Perhaps he had discarded that idea.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Kyrie nodded solemnly. ¡°That¡¯s possible. It was supposed to be a good thing. Had it not been for the confidential information of the factory, it would be a great thing. However, the situation now is urgent. If it goes on like this, the factory will not be able to hold on. What do you think?¡±

    Eamon sighed. ¡°We can¡¯t even figure out what Mr. Xanthe means. He also won¡¯t help us ovee the difficulties. It would be great if we could restructure these sliced materials or purge of them from the factory.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. This will attract more criticism. Mr. Xanthe will not agree too. This is arge factory. How can we cut it off at will?¡± Kyrie immediately rejected the idea.

    ¡°But what should we do now? There are so many employees, and these sliced materials can¡¯t be removed. Even if someone wants them, they just need a little bit. For arge order like the Richards Group, there¡¯s no other one like them.¡± Eamon looked distressed as he frowned.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s personally invite them over. We¡¯ll say that this is an old, state-owned factory, so it cannot be bought. It can only produce sliced materials. We can sign a contract with him and only ept investment. Then, we can sell the sliced materials. That way, we have the money, and the crisis will be solved. Besides, that day, Mr. Xanthe said that it¡¯s a good thing that someone wants to invest, and that we need to elevate the interests of the factory and the employees¡¯ living standards. Isn¡¯t that what he wants?¡± An idea struck Kyrie. He pped his thighs and spoke confidently.

    Upon hearing his idea, Eamon also became happy. ¡°Yes, our condition is to only invite him to invest and not to buy. After all, this is a state-owned enterprise. There¡¯s nothing he can do to us.¡±

    Kyrie and Eamon thought of the idea over and over, and felt that it could work. Right away, they discussed it for a long time and decided to give Alvin a call again.

    ¡°Hold up.¡± Kyrie suddenly held his hand up and said with a mysterious smile, ¡°Now that we said it, I do have a solution.¡±

    Seeing how confident and mysterious he was, Eamon¡¯s interest was piqued.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Do you still know Miss Murphy?¡± Kyrie asked in a low voice.

    Miss Murphy? Eamon thought about it and nodded immediately.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    ¡°Let me tell you. Miss Murphy is the woman Hansen loves. I don¡¯t know why she came here with her child, butHansen might havee to look for Miss Murphy. Her son is also his. Perhaps she can help with this matter,¡± Kyrie said very excitedly.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Eamon asked in disbelief. He suddenly understood. He nodded repeatedly. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder he asked us to invite her in person that day. They were in here for so long. I felt strange at that time. Now I understand everything.¡±

    Kyrieughed out loud and said, ¡°Just as I said, our petrochemical factory is still a great ce. So many big shots had visited our factory. How can such a factory close down? It¡¯s impossible.¡±

    Eamon also smiled,but yet he said with concern, ¡°But Miss Murphy has left school. We were also not very good to her when she was at school. How would she help us?¡±

    Eamon was deep in thought. In truth, his words made sense. When Miss Murphy had proposed to renovate the school, they had been quite cold. They had even thought that she was meddling in other people¡¯s business. Their attitude at that time had been extremely cold. If they went to talk to her,what reason would there be for her to y nice with them?

    Kyrie chuckled and said disapprovingly, ¡°If she managed toe to the factory to give out suggestions, it means that she still cares about our factory, and about the children very much. Now she has seen that the factory is facing difficulties. If the children requested her to do so, maybe she will take action. After all, women are more likely to listen to children.¡±

    ¡°Great. This is a good idea.¡± Eamon pped his hands.

    Kyrie let out augh.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there is some news. Kyrie just called and said he would like to invite you to a meal tomorrow.¡± Alvin reported to Hansen as soon as he entered the room.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Hansen was sitting in the study, reading the news on theputer. When he heard Alvin¡¯s report, a smile tugged at his lips. Without raising his head, he said in disdain, ¡°As expected, they can¡¯t hold back, and are starting to take action. Do they think I¡¯ll show up?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the sliced materials of the petrochemical factory are selling badly. They can¡¯t pay their workers starting from next month. There are already some employeesing up to them. It seems that they are really anxious, which is why they took the initiative to approach us. We should really show them who¡¯s in charge. We can¡¯t let them off that easily, so that they¡¯ll realize our power.¡± Alvin scorned. He was very angry with their behavior.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hansen nodded. ¡°Without any transformation using technology, those sliced materials are just a pile of waste. If they want me to save thepany¡¯s employees, I will have to see how things go. There¡¯s no hurry. Take it easy.¡±

    Hansen and Alvin smiled.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, shall I order a meal for you?¡± Alvin saw that it was getting dark outside and asked briskly.

    Only then did Hansen feel hungry. He raised his head and waved his hand as he said indifferently, ¡°You go ahead. There¡¯s no need to get mine.¡±

    Alvin knew that the Young Madam would not allow Mr. Richards to go hungry. He smiled and left.

    Hansen picked up the cup on the table and took a few sips of coffee. The more he drank, the hungrier he felt. He looked outside and saw thatit was really dark.

    ¡°D*mn woman, it¡¯s already sote. Why haven¡¯t you brought me food? Have you forgotten about me?¡± He thought.

    He picked up the phone and sent two words, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Then, he began to focus his attention on browsing the Inte.

    The news regarding the ¡®Miss Universe Competition¡¯ was everywhere on the webpage. It was very hyped up. It was said that the event was a joint effort between the newly-established Sky Sword Group and the well-known Jones Group.

    Competitions such as that were purely for entertainment, andHansen never had any interest in them. However, thepany behind the event had caught his attention.

    At the moment, a purchasing and operating mode was getting popr on the Inte. There was also a fast-rising famous website. Almost all the sales of that website had dominated the market, and it was firmly at the top. Almost everyone knew about it overnight. What attracted Hansen¡¯s attention the most was that the Miss Universe event had almost be the tform of this website. They were the talk of the town everywhere.

    It seemed that there was an expert operating it, and it had to be said that this mode was very sessful.

    Just as he was secretly surprised, the door rang. Jenna came in with a lunch box.

    ¡°My dear wife, you¡¯re finally here. I¡¯m starving.¡± When Hansen saw Jenna enter, he exited the webpage and smiled at her.

    After Jenna had brought Jerry home, she had washed all the new clothes and spent the afternoon hanging them to dry. After that, she had taken them in and dried them. She had been busy till night time,and only then did she hurriedly make him food and bring it over.

    ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, why can¡¯t you order a meal?¡± Jenna pouted in displeasure.

    ¡°No, I only eat the food made by my wife.¡± Hansen stretched out his hand and groped her back, chuckling.

    Jenna pped his hand away and said with a serious face, ¡°Can you eat properly?¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Hansen shrugged his shoulders. He could only let go of her hand helplessly and focused on eating his meal.

    Jenna patiently scooped his favorite dishes for him. Only when he ate them with enjoyment that she felt relieved.

    ¡°Hansen, I need to use yourputer.¡± Jenna thought that she had not turned on theputer for several days. For the past few nights, she had been busy dealing with him. She had no time to care about her own design business at all, which made her feel uneasy.

    ¡°Alright, you may use it.¡± Hansen said as he ate, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to chat with other men, alright.¡±

    He had not forgotten to remind her.

    Jenna didn¡¯t know whether tough or to cry. She couldn¡¯t be bothered to respond to him. She turned on theputer and logged into Facebook. There were a few messages.

    She opened them one by one.

    The first thing she saw was the message sent by Reeva from thepany in Switzend. It was sent two days ago.

    She said that she was willing to buy all the car models that she designed at a high price, and Jenna was weed to name her price.

    Jenna was taken aback.

    ¡°Just some time ago she was still bargaining with me. Why did she have a change of heart and even asked for my models without a care for the price? Did she already know who I am?¡±

    As she feel deep into thought, she spaced out.

 Chapter 381 She Chose to Be with Him

    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Hansen stretched out his head. He nced at theputer,and then at her.The corners of his mouth lifted up.

    As expected, this woman was selling those designs. He asked her in a calm manner at that moment, and then continued eating his food.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Jenna woke up with a start from Hansen¡¯s voice. She hurriedly closed the chat box with Reevaand turned to look at the other images.

    Hansen was secretly amused as he watched from the side.

    This woman,why wouldn¡¯t she tell him that she was short of money? Did she really have to sell her own designs this way?¡±

    He thought to himself,but didn¡¯t expose her.

    However, the problem was, why did she need that much money?

    Jenna clicked on another image andeximed all of a sudden.

    ¡°Sabrina Delia.¡±

    The sound instantly attracted Hansen¡¯s attention. He immediately asked, ¡°Who? Sabrina Delia?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sabrina, she sent me a message.¡± Jenna was slightly excited. Thinking of thest time she saw herat Green Jade Garden, she was hiding in the garden, crying until her shoulders were quivering.She felt a sudden pang of guilt.

    Shehurriedlytyped.¡°Sabrina, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve been very busy these days. So, I didn¡¯t see your message.¡±

    Soon after, the person on the other end replied, ¡°Jenna, is it really you? Are you doing well?¡±

    Jenna thought for a moment before typing. ¡°Sabrina, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m doing fine. What about you?¡±

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m doing okay too. I¡¯ve always wanted to contact you, but I couldn¡¯t find your contact information.¡±

    ¡°Then how did you manage to find my contact information now?¡± Jenna asked, feeling a little odd.She typed out a few question marks and sent them over.

    Very soon, Sabrina sent a cheeky, smiling emoji and said, ¡°I¡¯ll just tell you. I got it from Hannah.¡±

    Hannah? Only then did Jenna remember her best friend.

    Since she left A City, she ruthlessly ignored Hannah no matter how hard she tried to contact her. She was afraid Hannah would look down on her, even more, afraid that she would reveal her whereabouts. She only thought of her after Sabrina mentioned her name. She felt uneasy.

    ¡°Alright. Tell me, where are you now? You¡¯ve graduated, haven¡¯t you? Do you have any ns?¡± She asked in a caring manner.

    ¡°I¡¯m currently studying fashion design in the best design institute. I aspire to be like you. I want to design the best, most fashionable clothes,¡± Sabrina said proudly.

    Jenna secretly pursed her lips. She immediately sent her a few stickers that showed ¡°You¡¯re awesome.¡±, and then typed out, ¡°You can do it!¡±.

    Sabrina quickly sent a delighted emoji.

    ¡°By the way, where are you now? We need to keep in touch, and we definitely cannot lose contact with each other.¡± Sabrina seemed to only have thought of the most important questionand sent it to her hurriedly.

    ¡°I am in Wullen Town, a small town in Jenova City. Yes, let¡¯s keep in touch.¡± Jenna smiled as she told her the address.

    ¡°Wow, Wullen Town. It¡¯s a beautiful ce. Can I go there to meet you during my summer break?¡± Sabrina was itching to go there. It was an ancient town and thescenery was absolutely beautiful.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Jenna saidalthough she felt uneasy,adding, ¡°By the way, you¡¯re an aunt now. I have given birth to Jerry.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Sabrina instantly squealed and sent out a series of surprised emojis.

    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t help smiling as she thought about Jerry.

    ¡°Does that b*stard Hansen know?¡± Sabrina asked unceremoniously.

    Jenna was amused once she saw her message. She snuck a nce at Hansen. He had just finished hisst spoon of riceand was also looking at her.Their eyes met. Jenna quickly withdrew her gaze as she held back augh.

    Wicked woman, what was sheughing at?

    Hansen felt that she and Sabrina were talking bad about him. He quickly took a step forward and reached out to see Sabrina calling him a b*stard. His face darkened. Before he could even speak, Sabrina sent another message.¡°It¡¯s right of you not to let him know. He deserves it. Who asked him not to marry you?¡±

    It was toote for Jenna to cover it up. Hansen¡¯s face darkened even further.

    ¡°You two women are talking bad about me behind my back. This is terrible.¡± Hansen would not drop it. Jenna only managed to give her phone number to Sabrina, quickly closed the chat box, and logged out of Facebook.

    ¡°It was her who said it. It has nothing to do with me.¡± Jenna argued. She pursed her lips and defended herself.

    ¡°Is this how you treat me? When have I ever been unwilling to marry you?¡± Hansen¡¯s face was still dark. This wicked woman had caused everyone to misunderstand him, when in truth, she was the one who was avoiding him.

    Jenna¡¯s phone rang before she could speak.

    ¡°Jenna, where is my nephew? Put him on the phone. I want to listen to his voice and send me a video.¡± Although it had been two years since shest saw Sabrina, she was still the same,as straightforward as before.

    ¡°Sabrina, Jerry has fallen asleep. Wait till tomorrow,¡± Jenna answered in a soft voice. After seeing the two women start chatting on the phone, Hansen stood beside Jenna, eavesdropping on their conversation. No matter how hard she tried to push him away, he would not budge.

    ¡°We women are chatting. Why are you, a man, eavesdropping?¡± Jenna covered the microphone andined to Hansen.

    ¡°Who told the both of you to badmouth me?¡± Hansen was acting like a rogue again.

    Jenna rolled her eyes, showing that she was speechless.

    ¡°Jenna, who is standing next to you? Did you find me another brother-inw?¡± Sabrina asked quickly.

    Her voice was so loud that it was heard by Hansen, making his face even gloomier. He grabbed the phone. ¡°Sabrina, continue talking nonsense and I¡¯llin to General Delia.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Hansen,¡± Sabrina eximed. She did not expect Hansen to be next to Jenna.

    There was a smug smile on Hansen¡¯s face.¡°Let me tell you. Jenna and my son will be returning to Richards Manor soon. I¡¯ll send you a wedding invitation then.¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    After saying that, he hung up the phone right away, not caring whether she would ept it or not.

    Jenna stared at him with her eyes wide open.

    ¡°What are you looking at? Have you made up your mind? Give me a date. I want to bring all of you home with me,¡± Hansen said in an overbearing tone. His face was still dark.

    Jenna looked up and saw the pain and grief in his eyes. Her heart softened.

    ¡°Hansen, give me some time. Let me find a way to persuade my mother. She shed a lot of tears because of what happened to me. I really can¡¯t bear to make her sad again.¡± She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, buryingher face into his chest andrubbing against it gently.

    She had already made up her mind. For Jerry¡¯s sake, she would return to the Richards Manor with him.

    Since he had neither married another woman, nor had he betrayed her, she chose to be with him. The future might not be great, but that was what was going on in her mind right now. She wanted all of him, and never to be separated from him for the rest of her life. Jerry also needed a stable family. That was the center of her motivation.

    ¡°Okay, okay, we¡¯ll figure out a way together. As long as you agree toe back with me, there is no problem.¡± Hansen was very happy.

    He definitely believed that as long as they worked hard together, they would be able to convince Sara.

    ¡°Hansen, did you transfer some money into my bank ount?¡± Jenna waspletely immersed in happiness and sweetness. However, she didn¡¯t forget thatshe found arge sum of money in her bank ountwhen she went out to buy things for Jerry.At the time, she was shocked, but soon she was able to guess who did it.

    They had been together everyday recently. Of course, Hansen would have the opportunity to find out her bank ount number. Besides, it was almost impossible for her to get that much money out of nowhere, unless it was from someone she knew. Therefore, she asked to rify the doubts she had.

    ¡°Since you have the money, just use it. There¡¯s no need to care so much!¡± Hansen said indifferently, without any denial. Wasn¡¯t his money supposed to be used by the woman he loved and his child? There was no need to say anything about it.

    ¡°I have money.You don¡¯t need to give it to me.¡± Even though Hansen had already transferred money into her bank ount without her knowledge, it was still considered as ¡®charity¡¯. She didn¡¯t say much because it was still not a problem for her to take care of her mother and Jerry. So, there was no needto ask for money from him yet.

    This woman was really too proud to ept his money. She already had no money but she was still pretending. Women needed to use their men¡¯s money. There was nothing bad about it,right?

    ¡°You¡¯re raising my son for me.Shouldn¡¯t I give you some money?¡± Hansen carried her and walked towards the bed. Separated by her clothes, he rubbed her skin. ¡°If you have money, why are you selling your work cheaply?¡±

    Selling her work cheaply?Hansen¡¯s words made Jenna confused in an instant. Did he know that she was selling car models online? Or did he find out after looking at Reeva¡¯s message just a few moments ago? He was eating, how did he find out?

    ¡°You knew about it?¡± She asked in confusion while blushing.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth turned up and said, ¡°Do you really think you can hide things from me? From now on, be a good girl. Don¡¯t think that I have no idea what you want to do. Let me tell you. There¡¯s nothing you can hide from me. Who am I? I¡¯m the almighty Mr Richards.¡±

    What a braggart!

    Jenna held back augh, but suddenly she thought of a problem.

    ¡°Is thatpany in Switzend also a subsidiary of Richards Group?¡± She was not stupid and immediately thought of this question.

    Hansen smiled enigmatically. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    His face said it all. Thepany really was a daughterpany of the Richards Group abroad. It had been stationed in Switzend not long ago and it was using Richards Group¡¯s online name. Jenna did not know that in the past two years, Richards Group had progressed so much. Naturally, she did not think that it was owned by Richards Group.

    Hansen ced her on the bed and theny on top of her. Looking at the puzzled expression on her face, he smiled and said, ¡°You haven¡¯t thought of who Reeva is, have you?¡±

    ¡°Who is she?¡± Hansen¡¯s hand had already slipped under her shirt.

    Who would have thought that Hansen, that b*stard, would answer, ¡°You guess. I¡¯m not telling you.¡±

    Guess? Jenna blocked his lips that were leaning closer with her hand and said angrily, ¡°Are you going to tell me or not? If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll not let you do as you please today.¡±

    Her words immediately provoked Hansen¡¯s desire to conquer. ¡°You think you can beat me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know you can¡¯t force things?¡± Jenna said with full confidence.

    ¡°I can¡¯t?¡± Hansen¡¯s hand quickly reached her sensitive spot and rubbed on it as he said, ¡°Why do I feel like I can?¡±

    B*stard!

    Jenna¡¯s face flushed red due to his teasing.

 Chapter 382 Mr. and Mrs. Richards Are Here

    ¡°Beg me. If you beg me, not only will I tell you, I will also satisfy you.¡± Hansen lowered his head and bit on her earlobe. He was breathing in her ear, while his hand never stopped moving.

    All of a sudden, Jenna felt breathless. The swelling and tingling sensation made her enter a state of giddiness. Gradually, an inexplicable emptiness rose in her body, making her want him desperately.

    ¡°Not begging me?¡± Hansen deliberately stalled, smiling as he admired Jenna¡¯s insufferable look.

    Jenna, with her red face, red at him while suppressing her gaze that was about to shoot daggers.

    Hansen smiled even more smugly.

    ¡°It looks like you don¡¯t want to eat tomorrow.¡± She suddenly counterattacked, tittering.

    The moment those words left her mouth, Hansen began to panic.

    ¡°You want to threaten me?¡± He stared at her as he began to unbutton her shirt. In truth, he could not hold back any longer, especially when Jenna looked at him with her beautiful, enchanting eyes. They made him melt, but he would not admit defeat. He was verypetitive.

    Jenna smiled faintly. The panic in Hansen¡¯s eyes did not escape her eyes. She asked calmly, ¡°So how? Who is it then?¡±

    ¡°This d*mned woman. How could she still be so upright at this time!¡±

    Hansen cursed in his mind. He lowered his head and took her mouth in a deep kiss.

    Finally, just asit was already became unbearable for the two of them, Hansen whispered softly into her ear, ¡°Reeva Peters.¡±

    Then, he gave himself to her, filling up her emptiness.

    So, it was Reeva Peters. Jenna should have thought of her a long time ago. She secretly heaved a sigh.

    That night was a night full of charm, the love and affection lingered for a long time.

    Three dayster,after Trevor had dealt with the Richards Group¡¯sfinancial crisis, he went to Wullen Town, bringing Marissaalong.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this town to be quite unique.¡± Marissa was used to seeing magnificent sceneries. At the first sight of the gentle and graceful town, she couldn¡¯t help but to exim in admiration.

    Trevor was in good spirits. He nced at her and said faintly, ¡°That¡¯s why I said you should havee out a long time ago to take a look. It¡¯s a big world. There are many beautiful and fun ces. When the timees, we¡¯ll leave the ce for our son and daughter-inw. We¡¯ll travel around the world, experience the beauty of nature, and enjoy our lives.¡±

    With a slight smile, Trevor said it with great ease.At that age, it was time to hand everything over to the next generation. He was even more afraid that Marissa would interfere in Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s lives again. The gains would not make up for the losses, causing chaos in the family.

    Marissa was fascinated by his words. She looked as if she had longed for such a life.

    The two of them walked slowly. Not far away, Lomen hurried towards them and greeted them.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, Madam, I have already booked a room in Sheraton Hotel. Please go and have a rest,¡± Lomen said respectfully once he was close to them.

    Trevor looked at the sky. It was indeed gettingte. He nodded and said to Marissa, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s gettingte. You¡¯re also very tired. Let¡¯s rest for the night and visit our inws tomorrow.¡±

    Of course, Marissa had nothing to say. She nodded in agreement.

    That night, they stayed at Sheraton Hotel.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, Young Master has rented the courtyard next to Young Madam¡¯s house.Since Sara was still holding a deep grudge against him, he did not dare to openly meet up with Young Madam. He did not let Sara know either.¡± Trevor and Lomen strolled along the streets of the small town. Trevor looked around as Lomen told him what he knew about the situation.

    Trevor nodded.

    ¡°This kid doesn¡¯t even have the slightest bit of skill. If I don¡¯te, God knows how long he will take to bring his wife and child home.¡± Trevor shook his head and smiled.

    Lomen also smiled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Trevor. The rtionship between Young Master and Young Madam now is fantastic. Everything is all set. All we need is a good opportunity. This time,double blessings will descend upon Richards Manor,¡± Lomen said with a hint of joy in his voice.

    Trevor nodded his head as he muttered to himself.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, it¡¯s just that Young Master¡¯s investment in Wullen Town is not so simple. There is something strange with that petrochemical factory. I have investigated for a long time and found that there is a big shot behind the factory. The background isplicated. Since you are here, you can help the Young Master decide.¡± Lomen lowered his tone as he voiced out his worries.

    A cool breeze blew, and mixed with the fresh smell of the river. The sides of the river were upied by small flowers,which were all in full bloom. Trevor looked at the clear Jenova City sky as his worries started spiralling.

    It was such a remote petrochemical factory, yet it was a minefield that could not be touched. He would not allow anything to happen to the Richards Group.

    Silently, he continued walking forward. Lomen followed closely behind.

    Early in the morning, Sara woke up and had a gut feeling that something was going to happen. Jenna had woken upte every day. It seemed that since Hansen appeared in town, Jenna¡¯s change in routine became obvious.

    Sara actually knew about Jenna going out every night anding home early in the morning. She had specially ordered Bailey to follow her the day before.That was when she found out that Hansen had moved to the house next door.

    When her daughter went out, she must have been with Hansen.

    She sighed slightly. She was getting old. It was natural for her not to have much sleep. When it came to her only daughter, especially after the appearance of Hansen, she paid more attention to her.

    Her daughter loved Hansen.She had no doubt about it.

    In the past few days, her daughter¡¯s face was flushed and she always had a smile on her face. It was much better than the situation where she often used to sit in a daze. As a mother, how could she not notice it?N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    In fact, after Bailey came back from A City and told her everything about Hansen, she had been thinking about whether she should let her daughter go back with Hansen.

    After all, her daughter had already given birth to his child. Going back with him was the best choice for her. She was not stupid.

    The only thing was¡­

    She still persisted.

    She was still trying her very best to fight for her daughter¡¯s happiness and her future position in Richards Manor.

    Marriage was not a game. She had to be prudent. Not to mention that Marissa¡¯s attitude towards her daughter was really worrying.

    Through her grandson, she wanted to stabilize her daughter¡¯s future status and dignity in the Richards Manor. That was her real purpose.

    No matter how good Sergio was, it was impossible to forget the fact that her daughter already had a child. She would not be so silly to go after what¡¯s far away at the expense of what¡¯s near at hand. She just wanted to get some assurance.

    Moreover, with Sergio¡¯s appearance, Hansen would more or less feel a sense of urgency and awareness. Her daughter was not someone who could not live without him.

    To let her daughter return to the Richards Group gloriously was thest thing she had to fight for as a mother.

    Just after breakfast, Jenna rushed out with Jerry in her arms. Sara sat on the sofa and watched as her daughter hurried past her. Her brows furrowed tightly, but her face remained impassive.

    She knew very well where the mother and son duo were going.

    Bailey also went out to buy groceries. Recently, she bought a lot more than usual. Jenna woulde back everyday to cook for them personally and pack some in a thermos bowl. She knew that it was for Hansen.

    She pretended not to know anything andonly sighed secretly, wondering how long all of this wouldst.

    ¡°Is anyone home?¡± A man¡¯s voice drifted in from the outside.

    The voice seemed to be very unfamiliar. Sara was sitting on the sofa, lost in thought. When she heard the voice, she looked at the door in shock.

 Chapter 383 Dispelled Their Barrier

    The door was not closed.

    There were two figures at the door, a man and a woman.

    The man had a tall frame. He wore an expensive, ck suit with gold-rimmed sses, appearing to be in his fifties. The woman wore a dark blue dress and a white cardigan. Her hair was tied up, looking noble and graceful.

    With just one nce, Sara recognized them.

    They were none other than Trevor and Marissa.

    They finally came!

    It seemed that Hansen being in Wullen Town had already alerted them!

    She didn¡¯t really like Marissa, but as for Trevor, she dared not give him the cold shoulder.

    After all, he was the senior chairman of The Richards Group. He had great power and prestige in the business world. No matter what his intention was, it showed that he had attached great importance to her daughter. There were no parents who did not hope for a good life for their children.

    ¡°Sara,it¡¯s nice to see you.¡± Trevor immediately noticed Sara, who was sitting on the sofa in a daze. At her side was a walking stick. Her face was slightly pale and an uneasy feeling could be seen in her eyes. A sense of guilt welled up in his heart.

    The woman before his eyes was ageing quickly. He remembered that she used to be so elegant and dignified, giving off the temperament of a daughter from a rich family. However, the woman he was looking at, had wrinkles on her forehead andhalf of her hair had already turned white. It seemed that the death of her husband and her daughter¡¯s experience hadpletely crushed her.

    He hurriedly took a step forward. With a polite and friendly smile on his face, he asked kindly, ¡°Sara, do you still remember me?¡±

    Sara narrowed her eyes as she calmly observed the man who had once been a well-known figure in the business world. Thest time she saw him was at the reunion dinner in conjunction with the Thanksgiving party five years ago. After that, she never saw him again.

    Five yearster, when they met again, things had changed.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    She smiled wryly and replied in a polite manner, ¡°So, Mr. Trevor is here. Please have a seat.¡±

    ¡°Sara, are you feeling better now?¡± Marissa was a smart woman. She knew that she came to ask Sara for a favour. After Trevor greeted her, she immediately walked up to her with a smile on her face and asked about her well-being.

    Sara nced at her, with a faint expression on her face.¡°Mrs. Richards, you¡¯vee to my humble abode as well. I¡¯m really ashamed. This small courtyard of ours isn¡¯t worthy of your noble status.¡±

    As soon as those words were said,a trace of awkwardness shed across Marissa¡¯s face. Of course, she understood what she meant.She instantly went along with her. Her face was stered with a forceful smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. Bailey went out for groceries.It is really inconvenient for me to move around. So, I will not be able to get you two something to drink,¡± Sara said to them politely and distantly.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.¡± Trevor smiled.¡°Sara, you¡¯re not feeling well. Is there anything I can do for you?¡± Then, he looked at her ss, reached out for it, and was about to pour some water personally for her.

    ¡°Trevor, let me do it. This should be done by women.¡± Marissa had sharp eyes. How could she allow her husband to pour water for her? She quickly snatched the ss from his hand and walked to the kitchen.

    Sara didn¡¯t refuse and was just sitting down.Seeing that Trevor was still standing withthings still in hand, she smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Trevor, please have a seat. Make yourself at home.¡±

    Trevor put down his things and sat down casually on the sofa.

    ¡°Sara, it¡¯s been so many years. Time really flies so fast. The children have already grown up and we¡¯re also getting old,¡± Trevor said emotionally. He then looked at the surroundings in the house and said in regret, ¡°This house looks somewhat shabby. Hansen has been here for quite some time, yet he hasn¡¯t changed the environment for you. What an ignorant child.¡±

    ¡°No, Mr. Trevor. We were originally from a humble family. We are used to living with such a courtyard and feel that it is good enough. There is no need for us to ept charity from others.¡± Sara did not appreciate his offer. She replied with an expression full of calmness,¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯re here today?¡±

    Trevor had long prepared himself for Sara¡¯s lukewarm attitude. A woman like her was truly miserable, especially when she had lost her legs. To be able to continue living so peacefully was already not easy. If she were an ordinary woman, she might not have been able tost much longer.

    When the incident happened back then, Richards Manor as their inws could only say that they were of little help, which made him feel uneasy.

    ¡°Sara, Marissa, and I are here today mainly to apologize for what happened in the past. That year, Jenna was married into the Richards family. As her father-inw, I didn¡¯t fulfil my duty as an elder, or rather, I was prejudiced against her.To think about it, it was also due to my neglecting my duty. However, when I found out the truth, I had already fallen sick and didn¡¯t manage to prevent what had transpiredter, making me feel guilty and uneasy. Today, I visit your house with the intention of begging you for forgiveness, and to ask you to put aside any presumptions you may have about us in your mind. Let¡¯s talk openly and honestly. From now on, we are a family. Letting the children live happily is our responsibility as their elders.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s words were euphemistic and sincere. He was truly sorry from the bottom of his heart.At the very least, when he saw Sara¡¯s dejected self, he did feel uneasy. At her most difficult moment, the Richards family had not been able to provide any help to her, be it mentally or physically, even when the fire had been caused by Norton. Although Hansen had tried to make up for it, it was still resolute. Not to mention that they were already divorced.

    To any woman, such a blow really was not a good thing.

    There was sorrow in Sara¡¯s smile. She did not have much to say to Trevor. After all, he toohad not been doing well over the years. The reason she persisted was that she wanted to help her daughter strive for happiness. Her daughter would definitely follow them back. She understood that better than anyone else because sheunderstood her daughter¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, let¡¯s talk about the reason you came to see me. Since what happened in the past is already over, there is no need to keep holding onto it.¡± It was obvious what she meant. She was also trying to preserve Trevor¡¯s dignity.

    What happened in the past was long gone. It was unnecessary to hold onto it and not let go. What she wanted to see was the future. The future of her daughter¡¯s happiness was what she cared the most about. She needed their actions and promises.

    Trevor was an intelligent man. He already understood what she meant. As expected, the Vivian was right!

    ¡°Sara, we came here today to visit you and our grandson. We alsoe on behalf of Old Madam. As you know, Old Madam has always valued Jenna and treated her as her own granddaughter, loving her more than she loves Hansen. Now that she heard that she has a great-grandson, she¡¯s on cloud nine. She¡¯s been up day and night, wanting to take a look at her great-grandson. Now, she¡¯s waiting at home, holding out hope for us to bring your whole family back. Old Madam promised that once all of youe back, she will immediately host the wedding for Hansen and Jenna. Please be rest assured. This time, our family will definitely pay attention to Jenna. Besides, Hansen loves her wholeheartedly. If he had made mistakes in the past, he was, after all, a young man. It is normal for them to be ignorant at times. However, since they had been through so many trials and hardships, we have reasons to believe that they will cherish each other¡¯s feelings, and live a peaceful and beautiful life.¡± Trevor mentioned Vivian to express Richards family¡¯s sincerity, so that Sara could understand their intention and be rest assured.

    Sara listened carefully. Her face gradually rxed.

    She had heard of VIvian¡¯s kindness towards Jenna. It seemed that she was part of the reason why Trevor and his wife woulde.

    As long as the Richards family valued her daughter, there would be no reason left for her to persist.

    At that moment, Marissa came out with a ss of water. After cing the ss in front of Sara,she took Sara¡¯s hand with a smile on her face and said, ¡°Sara, don¡¯t worry. I admit that I had been prejudiced against Jenna in the past, but I will never do it again. She did our family a favor and gifted us a healthy, chubby grandson. After all those affairs, I have seen her true colors and havepletely approved of her. I hope you can let go of the past grudges. Let¡¯s give the children a chance. Let¡¯s help make their wedding happen and give our grandson aplete home.¡±

    After saying all that, she was still worried.¡°Sara, you don¡¯t have to doubt our sincerity. Grandma has always treated Jenna well. Trevor and I have already discussed and decided that after the children get married, we will travel around the world and hand over everything to them. We won¡¯t bother them anymore. Jenna is very capable.We absolutely believe her.¡±

    As the saying goes, ¡°A prodigal son who returned home is worth more than gold.¡± Sara was actually satisfied with the way Hansen was treating Jenna at the moment. She just wanted to make sure her daughter gets more assurance, and also provide her with a way out.

    Trevor and Marissa visiting her personally could also be considered as showing her respect. When the conditions were right, sess would be sure to follow. There was no reason for her to continue taking it to heart. The happiness of her daughter was what mattered to her the most. If they continued to drag on, her daughter would be unhappy as well.

    ¡°This is the children¡¯s own affairs. If Jenna is willing to go back,then so be it. I have no objection. As a parent, I only hope for my daughter to be happy. I hope that you will remember what you said today, and don¡¯t let Jenna down. These words will always be engraved in my heart.¡± Sara breathed a sigh of relief. There was a smile on her face. Her tone was also softer.

    ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t worry, we definitely will.¡± Only then did their heart fall back into ce. They immediately promised and guaranteed each other.

 Chapter 384 Good Things Are Within Reach

    ¡°By the way, Sara, where is my grandson? Where did he go? We have been here for so long, but we haven¡¯t seen him. Let me take a good look at him.¡± Marissa saw that the problem had been sessfully resolved, yet she had not seen her grandson andfelt anxious.¡°Sara, you have no idea that when I knew Jenna had given birth to a little boy for the Richards family, I was so excited that I might as well immediately fly over. This is all kudos to Jenna. Don¡¯t worry, I will treat Jenna as my own daughter from now on. I will never allow Hansen to bully her.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Sara smiled and said, ¡°Marissa, Jenna has already gone out with Jerry. She must have gone next door, where Hansen lives.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Marissa understood and quickly stood up. She told Trevor, ¡°Trevor, stay here and have a chat with Sara. I¡¯ll go and take a look at the child.¡±All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    As soon as she finished speaking, she went out.

    ¡°She is still so impatient.¡± Watching her leave, Trevorughed and shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.

    Sara smiled as well. The knot in her heart was untied,and her mood was also lifted.

    After a while, Marissa walked in, looking disappointed. She shook her head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no one in the yard. It seems like they¡¯re not at home.¡±

    Sara thought about how the three of them didn¡¯te back until it was in the afternoon the day beforeand guessed that they might have gone somewhere else.¡°Don¡¯t worry. They might have gone shopping again. They have a strong rtionship right now and couldn¡¯t bear to be separated even for a second.¡±

    Marissa had no choice but to sit down with Trevor and have a chat with Sara. Marissa told Sara everything that had happened at the Richards Manor¡¯s meeting and everything that had happened before and after, especially Hansen¡¯s affection and devotion to Jenna even after she left. She did not miss out on any details.

    Upon hearing that, Sara felt relieved. A satisfied smile emerged on her face.

    However, just as Jenna left the house with Jerry in her arms, she saw that Hansen was following Alvin out. She was slightly surprised. Where were they going? For the past few days, she woulde to his ce with Jerry around that hour.However, that day, he was actually going out. Where was he going?

    Since Hansen was not home, there was no point in bringing Jerry there. She wanted to bring Jerry home, but Jerry saw Hansen at a nce. He immediately stretched out his arms, wanting to catch up with them and refused to go home no matter what.

    Jenna was helpless. They strode along the way. How could she keep up with them? Looking at the beautiful weather, she decided to take him out for a walk.

    With that, she held him in her arms and went ahead.

    When they reached a candy stall, she bought him a packet of sweets. Once she lifted her head again, Hansen was already nowhere to be seen. Since Jerry had something in his hand, he had forgotten about chasing after him. Jenna held Jerry in her arms as they strolled and enjoyed the scenery.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, Miss Murphy.¡± After walking for a short distance, she heard children¡¯sughter. Surprised, she turned around and saw children walking towards her, led by Mr. Koch.

    ¡°Mr. Koch, students.¡± Jenna was astounded. She hurriedly greeted them.

    ¡°Hello, Miss Murphy.¡± Mr. Koch greeted Jenna politely as heapproached her.

    Jenna was delighted to see the children. She immediately smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Koch, thank you for bringing the children toe and see me.¡±

    Mr. Koch smiled embarrassedly. He looked at the child in Jenna¡¯s arms and asked in a serious tone, ¡°Miss Murphy, is this your son?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jenna smiled and nodded in agreement. She then softly said to Jerry, ¡°Jerry, greet Uncle Koch.¡±

    Jerry¡¯s eyes were wide open as he stared at the children. He didn¡¯t even notice Mr. Koch.

    ¡°Miss Murphy, I really didn¡¯t expect that you, such a wealthy person, tond in such a remote ce like ours. My apologies for neglecting you earlier,¡± Mr. Koch mumbled. Loneliness shed across his eyes and disappeared in an instant.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Mr Koch, you¡¯re embarrassing me. I¡¯m just a child of an ordinary family, not a wealthy person.¡± Jenna hurriedly denied it in a solemn manner as she greeted the children. She brought them to a snack bar where they could fill up their stomachs.

    Mr. Koch sat at another table with Jenna, chatting.

    ¡°Miss Murphy,I actuallycame here today to tell you something.¡± After chatting for a while, Mr. Koch thought of Kyrie¡¯s instructions and had to say so. In truth, he did not agree with the method of taking advantage of a woman, but since it was Kyrie¡¯s request, and for the children¡¯s happiness, he had no choice but to give it a try.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Jenna was taken aback and then she smiled.¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do tell me.¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡± Mr. Koch¡¯s face flushed red with embarrassment and he said awkwardly, ¡°Miss Murphy, this is really not my intention, but since Kyrie hase to me, I have no choice but to act as an advocate. It¡¯s your call. Don¡¯t make things too hard for yourself. If you can do it, then try to do it. If you can¡¯t, then forget about it. In such arge factory, those leaders are incapable, and here they are, thinking of silly solutions. I¡¯m really speechless.¡±

    Jenna roughly understood when she heard that.

    It seemed that Hansen had failed to carry out his investment in the petrochemical factory. Beingstuck in a hopeless situation, they wanted to use her to achieve their goal. They hoped that she would do her best to help them for the sake of the children.

    She was disgusted with Kyrie¡¯s attitude. However, since Mr. Koch had brought the children to visit her, she would, of course, do her best. If she hadn¡¯t already donated to the two schools, she would already have donated to that school. At that time, she really didn¡¯t have the means to do so.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I understand what you meant. Please help me convey my words to Kyrie to try his best to enhance the factory¡¯s employees¡¯ skills, improve the system, and lead them towards progression and wealth. As for the investment,I will try my best.¡± Sheforted Mr. Koch with a smile.

    Seeing that Jenna did not refuse, Mr. Koch was relieved. His eyes brightened up.¡°If you can persuade Mr. Richards to invest in the factory and school, you will definitely be remembered by the employees in the factory for the benefits they receive in the future.¡±

    Jenna looked at his hopeful expression and felt ufortable. ording to her spection, if it was really worth investing, Hansen would have invested in it a long time ago withhis personality. It was absolutely impossible for him to ask her for help. There was only one reason he did not make a decision. He had doubts.

    He was a businessman. No matter what he did, he had his own decision and thoughts. If he really decided to give up on that factory, it would be useless even if she tried to persuade him, unless he gave it a chance for her sake. However, Jenna would not want that, because if Hansen invested in that factory for her to lead to a bad oue in the future,it would only ruin his reputation. She did not want such a thing to happen.

    Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t say much to Mr. Koch, because that was not his intention.

    Jenna only allowed Mr. Koch to bring the children back after theywere full and satisfied.She also didn¡¯t want to stay any longer. She was ready to ask Hansen¡¯s opinion regarding the matter and see what he was going to do.

 Chapter 385 Reunion Dinner

    ¡°Alvin, are you sure that a fewrge trucks had left this cest night?¡±Hansen followed Alvin to a hidden path. He looked at the wheel marks on the ground and asked with a frown.

    ¡°Yes, I rushed overst night. It seemed that the trucks were military trucks. Although they were covered with ck cloth, I can still tell, as I am someone who was born in a military family.¡± Alvin answered with certainty,¡°Last night, using the lights from the streetmps, I saw that there are people who looked like they were from a terrorist organization in the truck. This is a very dangerous signal.¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Alvin¡¯s furrowed his brows tightly. His face sank and he was very worried.

    A terrorist organization. Could it be an international criminal gang? Did Yadriel have something to do with those people? Impossible. He was determined to win the position of the next president. If he had rtions with those people, his political future would bepletely ruinedonce it was discovered. Everyone knew that. People like himwho were highly sensitive to politicswould nevermit a crime on purpose. They were not that stupid. Although they knew it was profitable, political titles were their highest pursuit. That glory could not bepared.

    ¡°ording to your analysis, what would they ship out from here?¡± Hansen squatted down and felt the soil on the ground with his hand. It was new indeed, as though it had only been a few hours, which meant that they had in fact taken things from there. As for what it was, he was not sure. However, it was sote at night and they acted mysteriously. There was no doubt, something was not right.

    ¡°If I am not wrong, the factory might be producing illegal chemical materialsor illicit weapons such as guns and ammunition. It is said that many of the sons in Capital City take advantage of their father¡¯s prestige to do some profiteering stuff secretly. It¡¯s just not on the surface, but many people know what they are doing.¡± Alvin analyzed.

    Hansen stood up. His eyes narrowed as he knitted his brows. His sharp gazended on the ground, studying it. He didn¡¯t speak for a long time.

    If someone was really producing such things in that factory, then his investment couldn¡¯t go on, let alone his acquisition. Those people wouldn¡¯t let him seed, as it would hinder their way to make money. Therefore, how could those people possibly let him have it his way?

    Kyrie came to him just because he wanted some money to solve the financial difficulties of the workers in the factory. With the factory being stable, it was less likely for their secret to be exposed.

    The factory had basically turned into their own manufacturing factory, a ce where people could earn dirty money.

    What should he do? To advance or to retreat?

    If he was still a young man in his twenties, he might boldly invest in it, but things were no longer the same. He had Jenna and Jerry. He didn¡¯t want to get involved in such things anymore. After all, it was not an ordinary matter.

    He didn¡¯t say anything and just continued walking forward silently.

    A figure walked towards him in a hurry.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± The figure approached him and greeted him politely.

    ¡°Lomen.¡± Hansen raised his head and eximed in shock.

    Why would he be there in that small town? He was his father¡¯s confidant. Did something happen to his family? His heart skipped a beat when he thought about it. An inexplicable nervous look then appeared on his face.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Richards. Mr. Trevor and Madam Marissa have arrived in Wullen Town.¡± After greeting Hansen, he told him the purpose of his visit immediately.

    ¡°You mean my father and mother are both here?¡± Hansen eximed and asked incredulously, ¡°What are they doing here?¡±

    Lomen saw the surprise in Hansen¡¯s eyes. He smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards, don¡¯t worry.Mr. Trevor and Madam Marissa are here to look at their grandson. They¡¯ve already settled down in Sheraton Hotel and are now at Sara¡¯s ce. I think Mr. Richards will be able to bring Young Madam and Young Master home really soon.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Hansen heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Lomen, is there anything happening on the market?¡± Hansen remembered that he had been in town for almost half a month. Except for asionally dealing with some businesses in the mailbox, he had already put his work aside. Lomen was trained by his father and his sensitivity to matters was exceptionally high.So, he should be able to understand the situation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There were some affairs, but with Mr. Trevor present, everything was settled,¡± Lomen replied, nodding his head.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± Hansen led them home.

    Jenna walked home with Jerry in her arms. She thought about what Mr. Koch had saidandfelt slightly heavy-hearted. The moment she arrived at the entrance of the courtyard, she heardughtering from the inside, and the voice was somewhat familiar to her.

    What was the mattertely? It seemed that her house had be much livelier, and there would always be guests visiting. It all started when Hansen arrived.

    As she thought, she entered the house with Jerry.

    However, what was happening before her eyes stunned her.

    Marissa held Sara¡¯s hand affectionately andughed, while Trevor sat by the side, smiling and talking. The atmosphere was very harmonious and warm. Was it a dream?

    She used to have such a dream. She was so eager to see that happening, especially after seeing how Marissa and Georgia chatted so happily. At that time, she felt so dejectedbecause Marissa did not take her parents seriously. She was also looked down upon by Marissa. However, at the moment, things were really different.

    Both Trevor and Marissa came.

    Looking at the smile on her mother¡¯s face, they might havee as a gesture of goodwill.

    ¡°My grandson.¡± Marissa noticed Jenna entering the house holding Jerry.Right away, she stood up in excitement. Ignoring Jenna¡¯s surprised look, she stepped forward and reached out to Jerry, wanting to carry him.

    Jerry¡¯s big, round eyes stared at Marissa vigntly. He had probably never seen such a noble-looking woman before. He was attracted by her clothes, and could not stop looking at her. However, when Marissa stretched her arms out to carry him, he shook his hands and refused.

    ¡°Jerry, be good. Let Grandma carry you, alright?¡± Marissa knew that children were sensitive to strangers.So, she hurriedly took out a limited edition Transformers toy she prepared from her delicate handbag and swayed it in front of him.

    The toy immediately caught Jerry¡¯s eyes. He stretched out a hand to grab it. Marissa gave it to him and took the opportunity to carry him and walked away.

    Jenna had note back to her senses. She was still confused by what she was seeing.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re back.¡± After Marissa left, Trevor stood up and greeted Jenna in a friendly manner.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, you¡¯re here,¡± Jenna stammered. She was dumbstruck that she still could not react.

    Trevor smiled and nodded.

    ¡°Jenna, Marissa and I havee to pick you and Jerry up, as well as your mother, and return to A City.¡± With a sad expression on his face, he said emotionally, ¡°Child, you¡¯ve suffered.¡±

    Jenna was not sure if it was due to excitement or happiness, but she could not even speak. She stared nkly at Trevor, pursed her lips, and didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Jenna,Hansen¡¯s parents hade to pick you and Jerry up personally. This is your long-term decision. Think about it carefully.¡± Sara sighed when she saw that her daughter was at a loss as she was too surprised. It seemed that no matter how good she was to her daughter, she would forget about her once she saw Hansen¡¯s parents.

    ¡°Uncle Richards, have you recovered?¡± Jenna came back to her senses. With a smile, she asked politely.

    ¡°Yes, I have. This is all thanks to you.¡± Trevor chuckled and nodded. He then continued seriously, ¡°Jenna, you should call me ¡®Dad¡¯. All these years, Hansen hasbeen looking for you.¡±

    Jenna blushed and then smiled.¡°Please take your seat first. I¡¯ll prepare some food. Let¡¯s havesomething special and enjoya good meal.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, there¡¯s no need for that. Let¡¯s just go out and eat,¡± Trevor said, shaking his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.I have Aunt Lee¡¯s help. Besides, she has already bought the ingredients. Also, Hansen doesn¡¯t really like the dishes in Wullen Town.¡± She smiled, thinking of how Hansen had been pestering her to cook all day long.He certainly wouldn¡¯t be willing to eat out. Moreover, with Trevor and Marissa present, he coulde over for dinner, right? ording to Sara¡¯s tone, she hadpletely agreed to their marriage.

    She felt an uncontroble surge of excitement. Sara had finally received the Richards family¡¯s sincerity. It seemed that it was what her mother was waiting for. Surely enough, the Richards family had shown all of their earnestness.

    Trevor and Marissa came at the same time.

    There was nothing else that could better show their sincerity.

    Sara would no longer stop her from being with Hansen.

    She could see happiness waving at her.

    She walked briskly to the kitchen. Bailey was selecting vegetables. When she saw Jenna enter, she smiled and said in a soft voice, ¡°Congrattions, Miss Murphy. The Richards family has truly valued you this time. With Madam already agreeing to it, you can now bring Jerry back to the Richards Manor with you. The bad times are finally over, and the good times are finally here.¡±

    Jenna smiled, not denying it.

    After a while, she heard Hansen¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Mom.¡± He walked in and called out to Sara first. Then, he turned his head to look at Trevor and greeted, ¡°Dad.¡±

    Marissa was with Jerry in his bedroom,smiling until her eyes were squinting.

    Sara looked like she was in a better mood. She also no longer gave Hansen the cold shoulder. There was a faint smile on her face.

    Jenna prepared a lot of dishesand the table was full.

    In the evening, all members of the two families sat together. Since the reunion banquet six years ago, it was the first time they had a meal together.

    It was a serious meal. To be precise, it was the first time the parents of both parties sat together and had a reunion dinner so harmoniously and sincerely ever since Jenna was married into the Richards family, and it was also happening in Wullen Town.

    Jenna held her cutlery as she lowered her head and lookedat her te, deep in thought.

    Six years. Six years had passed.

    What was happening at the moment was what she had always yearned for. It was normal for ordinary families, but she used to feel that it could never happen to her.

    Her vision gradually grew blurry as she stared at her te. She was losing her appetite.

 Chapter 386 We Will Be Happy

    A big hand stretched out from under the table and held one of her tiny hands, gently yet with such firmness. The soft and warm palm instantly brought warmth to her heart,calming her. She turned her head and met Hansen¡¯s gaze. At that moment, he was looking at her with so much affection, as if he could see the sadness deep down in her heart. He winked at her, sending his deep love to her.

    Jenna¡¯s gloominess disappeared in an instant as her heart welled up with happiness.

    ¡°Come, eat this. It¡¯s your favourite,¡± He picked up a piece of chicken amusingly and ced it on her te as he said gently. He leaned closer to whisper in her ear, ¡°Be happier, Jenna. Mom and Dad are here.¡±

    It was as if the grey mist in her eyes was blown away by the breezy wind at once. She blinked her sparkling eyes and gave him a smile, a smile so warm and inviting, like the long-awaited summer sunlight.

    The night was quiet and peaceful.

    After the rare reunion dinner, Trevor and Marissa returned to the hotel withHansen apanying them.

    When Jenna finished her work and returned to her bedroom, Sara was sitting on the bed and waiting for her.

    ¡°Mom, why haven¡¯t you slept?¡± Sitting down beside her, Jenna asked gently. She was not surprised when she saw Sara sitting on her bed. She knew what was going on in her mind.

    ¡°My silly daughter, do you think I can sleep?¡± She took her hand and sighed.

    ¡°Mom, you can¡¯t sleep because of their arrival, right?¡± With a smile, Jenna asked,though she knew the answer.

    Sara looked at her and said reproachfully, ¡°You really can¡¯t be kept at home. Look how happy you were at the sight of Hansen¡¯s parents. Can¡¯t you be more reserved? You¡¯re a woman.¡±

    Jenna was taken aback for a moment. Her face turned slightly red.

    Was she really that obvious? Or was it Sara who cared too much for her marriage and that no matter how she looked at her daughter, she felt that it was too bare-faced?

    ¡°Mom, then, what are your thoughts now?¡± She hung her head low and mumbled the question.

    ¡°Whatever my thoughts are, will you listen to me?¡± Sara looked at her and asked, keeping a straight face.

    Jenna lifted her head to look at her,not understanding what she meant. From her expression earlier, she should have agreed, but her question seemed to be a little far-fetched.

    ¡°Mom, they¡¯ve already given you the sincerity you requested, haven¡¯t they?¡± She whispered as she dropped her head.

    ¡°It seems that you are really impatient.¡± Sara looked at her with disapproval and nudged her forehead with her finger. She sighed and continued, ¡°You don¡¯t get me. Do you think I really wanted their sincerity? It¡¯s for your future. I¡¯m afraid that their family will bully and look down on you. Now that things havee to this point, tell me, what I can do!¡±

    Jenna raised her head, her eyes sparkling.

    ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s your n now?¡± Sara looked at the vivid light in her eyes. She had already understood everything clearly. As a mother, how could she not understand her own daughter¡¯s thoughts? However, she still asked seriously.

    She hoped that Jenna could say it out loud, so that she could understand what she herself really wanted.

    Jenna lowered her head again and gave it some thought. Then, she looked up at her mother, saying firmly and decisively, ¡°Mom, Hansen truly loves me, and I love him too. Since we truly love each other and he had already done everything he could for me, I have no reason not to go back with him. Hence, my choice is to bring Jerry with us. After we have been through all those hardships and tribtions, I believe that we will be happy from now on.¡±

    Her words were light, but her will was firm. In her eyes, there was only courage and frankness, as well as determination for love.

    Sara looked at her face, deep in thought. After a long while, she patted the top of her head with her hand, sighing.¡°My child, since you have decided, then so be it. As a mother, I can only fulfill my duty by helping you fight for those things, but child, I want to tell you that being the wife of a wealthy family is never easy. You must be mentally prepared. No matter how much Hansen loves you, he is still a man. He will be frequently tempted. You should have enough patience, be as strong as a dandelion, and firmly hold onto the man¡¯s heart.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyes became teary.

    Although Sara¡¯s words made her heart skip a beat, she was soon intoxicated by the happiness that was within her reach.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    She could understand what her mother meant. Wasn¡¯t it due to the fact that Hansen was not an ordinary man that caused her to lead such a hard life for all these years?

    However, during these past few years, the hardships they overcame were not something an ordinary couple could go through. She believed in both Hansen and their love, their bond.Not to mention thatJerry also needed a father andaplete home.

    She really had no choice but to go on.

    She had to bet on it again. She believed in her instincts!

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. Thank you for reminding me. I know what to do.¡± Jenna¡¯s face was flushed, making her look energetic. At that moment, true happiness from love was written all over her face. Itwas so vivid, so beautiful, making her look so happy. It was as if she was still that young woman who had just gotten married with a shy blush and the yearning for beautiful love bymarrying the man she loved.

    It was just that¡­

    Sara thought of the encounters that had happened to her in the past few years. The loving smile on her face gradually froze. An inexplicable worry pervaded her mind.

    In the end, a woman still needed loveand a man she loved to take care of her. Not to mention that her daughter was still fragile, deep down in her heart.

    At the thought of that, Sara sighed. She could no longer bear to say anything else to discourage her from pursuing her happiness.

    ¡°Mom, why don¡¯t youe and stay with me in Richards Manor? That way, I can take care of you, and be less worried.¡± She took Sara¡¯s hand and asked, smiling cheekily.

    Sara smiled, stroked the top of her head and said, ¡°My child, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have a ce to live. Why do I have to stay in Richards Manor?¡±

    ¡°Mom, I just want to live with you.¡± Jenna buried her head in Sara¡¯s shoulder and whined, with her heart full of sadness.

    ¡°Look at you. You¡¯ve already forgotten what I just said to you.¡± Sara hugged her daughter lovingly and caressed her hair. The look on her daughter¡¯s face really made her sad.

    ¡°My child, no matter when, you always have to stay calm and clear-headed, andlook at problems thoroughly.¡± She sighed and said in a rational and solemn manner, ¡°Do you know thatin A City, how manymen from rich and powerful families have a family outside of their home?How many men have mistresses? In any case, a man can only have one wife. There are so many celebrities out there who are far more beautiful than the wives, but the men dare not take them home, and certainly won¡¯t bring them to public attention. At most, only rumors and gossip can be spread. Why? That is because the family of the wife has power and dignity, and they need to marry their wives for the sake of themselves. Men are not willing to cause any trouble between themselves and their wives, and they are even more unwilling to offend their wives¡¯ families. That¡¯s why such things happen.¡±

    Sara¡¯s words cleared Jenna¡¯s head at once. She sat there in a daze, lost in her thought.

    Such a phenomenon was verymon. In Hannah¡¯s cafeteria, there were so many rich sons and daughters. If you were to randomly pick one of them out at random, that person might be an illegitimate child of a rich and powerful man. Looking at them living a morous life, who would understand the bitterness they were feeling?

    ¡°Child, don¡¯t worry too much. I was just telling you that such a phenomenon exists. Therefore, we, as women, can never lose ourselves. It¡¯s true that we always have to be prepared.¡± Sara couldn¡¯t bear to seeJenna¡¯s distressed face. Shehurriedlyforted her. ¡°My only purpose of telling you this is to remind you to pay more attention to your words and actions. Don¡¯t be hot-headed and do things that would hurt yourself. As for others, don¡¯t give them too much thought.¡±

    As she was speaking, she pulled Jenna close in her embrace again and patted her on the shoulder.¡°Jenna, I¡¯m your only family left. I have no power and I am disabled. How can I move into Richards Manor and bring shame on you? Besides, Heartfly Community is my home. It¡¯s the home of your father and myself. That is where I will be going. Plus, I have Bailey to take care of me. Don¡¯t worry, my silly daughter.¡±

    ¡°Mom.¡± Jenna suddenly felt a huge lump in her throat. She hugged Sara tightly and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom. I didn¡¯t make you happy.¡±

    ¡°Silly child, how can you say that? Do you know what I¡¯m most proud of? It¡¯s you.¡± Sara said emotionally, ¡°Since young, you¡¯re the apple of my eye. You¡¯re smart, gorgeous, and well-behaved. Not only are you beautiful, but you¡¯re also sensible. Many neighbours praised you. That day, when I saw your car design everywhere on the news and in magazines, do you know how happy I was? With such an excellent daughter, what else could I ask for?¡±

    Sara¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. She looked happy and proud. She was really grateful to have a daughter like her. Didn¡¯t Hansen see the value of her daughter? Otherwise, he would note after her. She believed that after so many hardships, he would cherish her daughter.

    The mother and daughter duo embraced each other, talking endlessly about family love and mutual understanding.

    Hansen apanied Trevor to the hotel. Marissa had Jerry¡¯s pee all over her body.Once she entered the room, she went straight to the bathroom to change into new clothes.

    ¡°Dad, Mom, why are you here?¡± Hansen thought about theming without telling him beforehand.

    He found it strange.

    ¡°You still dare to ask? If it wasn¡¯t for using over, would you be able to bring your woman and child home sessfully?¡± Trevor red at him.¡°You didn¡¯t even tell me that you have a son. If Lomen had not found out about it, did you n not to let us know?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Hansen smiled embarrassedly. He was actually grateful for his father¡¯s me. He had been worrying about how he should persuade Sara. WhenTrevor and Marissa came,Sara immediately stopped making things difficult for him, for the sake of his parents. Earlier that night, she stopped giving him the cold shoulder. She didn¡¯t even object when he called her, ¡°Mom¡±.

 Chapter 387 Finally Decided

    ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t mean it. I just want to surprise you after I brought Jenna and Jerry back.¡±Hansenmurmured.

    ¡°Surprise?¡± Trevor snorted. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have the luck to enjoy that surprise of yours anymore.¡±

    He changed the subjectsuddenly, asking, ¡°How¡¯s the investment of the petrochemical factory going?¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡± Hansen was more taken aback thatTrevor even knew about these things. He made a mental note not to underestimate Lomen anymore. ¡°Dad, this matter is a tricky one. Through the investigations over the past few days, we found that the background of the petrochemical nt isplicated.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Trevor nodded without batting an eyelid. ¡°Look, you know that this matter isplicated. Alright, I¡¯ll ask you now.What are your ns?¡±

    ns?

    A bitter smile was spread across Hansen¡¯s face. He was set back by a remote chemical factory. It had never happened before. He was deep in thought and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Trevor nced at his expression, trying to understand it. ¡°This kid is at a loss now? Given the current situation, it¡¯s impossible for him to stay in this small town for two months.¡± He thought.

    ¡°Well, Hansen. Let¡¯s give up on the chemical factory first. Now, let¡¯s go back to A City,¡± Trevor said decisively.

    Give up?

    Hansen looked at Trevor. He did not look like he was joking.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that, Dad, theproblem regarding thecar essories raw materials has to be solved. It took me half a year to find out about this factory. I can¡¯t give up just like this.¡± Hansen felt it difficult to open up, and he put forward his most concerning issue.

    ¡°Even if you have 10, 000 reasons, we can only give up on this factory for now.¡± Trevor heaved a deep sigh. The light in his eyes dimmed and his tone was almost harsh. ¡°You can never have too much money. Richards Group is sessful now, thus we don¡¯t have to carry on. At worst, we¡¯ll just make less money.You can¡¯t have your cake and eat it too. Right now, safety andfort are our top priority. Let¡¯s take care of our current business and let go of this raw material problem first.¡±

    He spoke in a grave tone.

    Hansen realized that things were unusual. These raw materials needed to be solved urgently. Otherwise, it was not conducive to the long-term growth of thepany.

    Richards Group was currently involved in international development. Their focus would be on cars. After all, the development prospect of the car industry in the real economy would be the best. However, to solve this problem, to strive for greater profit, they needed to solve the issue of raw materials. They could choose not to, but they had to do itifthey aim to be morepetitive.

    He understood this problem, and obviously, Trevor understood it as well.Trevorsaid, ¡°Hansen, if this problem can¡¯t be solved this year, we can solve it next year. It¡¯s not something that requires immediate attention. We can¡¯t take all the benefits. This will lead to disaster. You must know how many people are jealous of you now, and they are watching your every move.¡±

    When Hansen heard this, he became silent and did not say another word.

    ¡°Tomorrow, call Jenna. Let¡¯s discuss it together. We still have to go home as soon as possible.¡± Trevor continued his orders.

    At that time,Marissa cameout of the bathroom after changing her clothes. She smiled and said, ¡°Hansen, Jerry is so adorable. He looks like you. Even his temper and character are simr to yours. I identally lost his toy today. He cried and tried to fight me. He acted just like you when you were a child. He¡¯s also smart. He disassembled a difficult car. In a blink of an eye, it was pieced together again. I don¡¯t even know how to do it. How old is he?¡±

    Marissasaid while clicking her tongue in praise.

    When Hansen heard this, he was proud and his eyesexhibited tenderness.

    ¡°Jerry takes after his motherin her talent for cars. Jenna is a rare talent at car design.¡± Aproud smileappearedon his face.

    Hansenlooked like he could not wait to fly back.Marissaknew that Jenna and he were in love with each other at that moment.

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should go back first. Let¡¯s talk tomorrow.¡± Marissa shook her head.Hansen was not paying attention. He was obviously thinking about Jenna.

    Hansen raised his eyes to look at the dark sky outside. It was indeed gettingte. He stood up and took his leave.

    Trevor did not stop him and only nodded.

    Walking out of the hotel entrance, he was full of joy, and his footsteps were light. Even the dark night seemed to be covered with a sheen of golden light.

    Would Jenna wait for him at home?

    Now, he could rightfully take her home.

    They were able to stay together without any qualms.

    Hequickened his paceat thethought of it.

    In the yard, the house was dark, and the lights were out. Obviously, she wasn¡¯t there.

    He suddenly felt a little lost and disappointed.

    After switching on the lights, he took out his mobile phone and called her.

    He didn¡¯t want to sleep alone. He wanted her to keep himpany. Without herpany, he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep well.

    As soon as he made the call, his call was declined. He was dumbfounded.

    He called her again and she declined his call once again.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    D*mn woman. She dared to hang up on him.Was she acting like that because his parents invited her?He was deep in thought when he heard a message notification. It was a text from Jenna. ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m going to keep Mompany today. Go to bed early.¡±

    D*mn, how could she!

    She gave him the cold shoulder.

    Soon, his lips curled. They were heading back toACity soon, and they would stay together forever. They would never separate again. So, he wouldn¡¯t care about this one night.

    Now that he thought about it, he was no longer feelingdissatisfied.

    The next day, Trevor called both Hansen and Jenna to Hansen¡¯s study.

    ¡°Hansen, Jenna, it¡¯s just the three of us today. There¡¯s something we need to discuss,¡±Trevorsaid. He had just sat down when he spoke to Jenna.

    Jenna looked at Trevor. This old man was in good spirits. It seemed like he hadpletely recovered. The previous day, it had been too sudden, and she had been too surprised even to size him up.

    She smiled at Trevor and nodded.

    Trevor gave a thorough ount of the recent financial crisis of the Richards Groupand thepetrochemical factory. He called Jenna over because he did not intend to hide anything from her. After all, she had once served as the vice president ofRichards Group. She would make a good judgement about the priorities and urgency of the current situations.

    Moreover, she would be the one in charge when she returned. There were some things that she had to help Hansen with. At the same time, it also meant that he trusted her.

    Of course, Jenna could understand this.

    To her surprise, thepetrochemical factoryhad such aplicated background.

    It was no wonder Hansen hadn¡¯t invested in time. There were so many unknown factors to it. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t dare to act rashly.

    The memory of Mr. Kocing to her with the children emerged in her mind. The gleam of hope in his and the children¡¯s eyes had left an impression on her. Although they had all been entrusted by Kyrie to approach her, she had witnessed the actual difficulties of the factory.

    ¡°Jenna, do you have any suggestions?¡± After Trevor finished speaking, he turned his gaze towards Jenna. He wanted to hear her suggestion.

    Jenna thought for a moment and said seriously, ¡°If there are so many unknown factors behind thepetrochemicalfactory, I suggest that we hold back for the time being. Let¡¯s wait and see.¡±

    This idea was consistent with Trevor¡¯s. Trevor immediately nodded and agreed with her. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I think too.¡±

    Hansen was deep in thought. Since Jenna andTrevorthoughtthe same, he would not persist any longer. He could not possibly take all the benefits.

    ¡°Jenna, you know that we hade to collect you and your mother, as well asJerry, to go to Richards Manor. Do you have any objections to this?¡± Trevor changed the topic and asked Jenna. If they couldn¡¯t invest here, they could only return toRichards Manor for now. They couldn¡¯t dy for too long.

    Upon hearing this, Jenna blushed slightly as she looked up at Hansen. Coincidentally, he was also looking at her with a burning gaze.

    ¡°You have no objections, right? You have to know that your mother has given us the OK.¡± Hansen saw that she was not in a hurry to answer and was worried that she would go back on her word. Therefore, he quizzed her before she could answer.

    Jenna pursed her lips and clenched her fingers. She looked up and said clearly, ¡°Uncle Richards, I¡¯ll listen to you. I¡¯m willing to go back with Hansen.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± The smile on Trevor¡¯s face was cordial. ¡°Jenna, I have been waiting for you to say this. With your consent, everything will be easy.¡±

    Hegave a generous chuckleand said, ¡°Jenna, you should change the way you address me. We will be a family in the future. You should also call me ¡®Dad¡¯, alright?¡±

    He smiled, with a friendly and expectant look on his face.

    Jenna lifted her eyes and saw Hansen looking at her with a meaningful smile. There was a trace of pride in his eyes. She avoided his gaze and said, ¡°Dad, you¡¯ve always been a father figure to me. Even if I¡¯m not married to Hansen, I am willing to call you ¡®Dad¡¯.¡±

    ¡°My goodness.She sounded so natural that her words both met the old man¡¯s wish but also did not reveal her eagerness. She upheld her dignity.¡±

    Hansen approved in his heart.¡°This d*mned woman sure knows how to talk and put on airs.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Jenna. Hansen is my onlyson. You¡¯ll take him on in the future. If he does something wrong, feel free toe to me. If he dares to bully you again, you must tell me as soon as possible. I will dish out the punishment he deserves,¡± Trevor said happily,with a promise in his word.

    ¡°Yes, Dad.¡± Jenna agreed crisply and did not forget to nce at Hansen. The smugness was evident in her eyes.

    Showing favouritism again! Hansenlifted aneyebrow. He was helpless against his father¡¯s preferences.

    After chatting for a while, the three of them agreed that they would return toACity three dayter.

 Chapter 388 Heart-To-Heart

    Raindrops fell aswillow tree branches swayed in the wind,like a poetry in a hazy motion.

    Jenna and Hansen both came out to escort Trevor back to the hotel.

    It was noon. The weather was a little warm. The drizzle fell onto the umbre, trickled down, and thennded on her body. It was warm and moist. Jenna had never felt so at ease and happy before.

    After walking for a while, Trevor stopped them and said, ¡°Alright, you guys don¡¯t have to see us off anymore. Go and do whatever you like.¡± He sent them off.

    ¡°Well, take care, Dad.¡± Hansen was eager to go. Ever since he hade toWullen Town, he had not had a chance to show Jenna around in this quaint, idyllic town. Now that they hadclearedtheair, they could finally enjoy the scenery ofWullentown.

    Immediately, he grabbed Jenna¡¯s hand and bid farewell to Trevor.

    They held each other¡¯s hand and walked along the street lining the river. The gurgling water was flowing merrily.

    A gentle breeze and a fine drizzle fluttered in the sky. Hansen took the red umbre from Jenna¡¯s hand and held it over their heads, with most of the umbre covering her.

    The historic bridge stretched across the river. The two of them stepped onto the arch bridge, gazing into the distance.

    The canals were filled with boats of all sizes,floating in the river,painting apicturesquescene.

    ¡°Jenna, it never crossed my mind that we would meet in Wullen Town. It looks like we are fated for each other.¡± Hansen sighed. ¡°The heavens have not mistreated us after all.¡±

    Jenna smiled slightly and rested her head against his chest.

    ¡°Hansen, I have something to say to you.¡± She spoke softly, her voice soft and gentle, carrying a hint of sweetness.

    ¡°What do you want to say?I, your husband, am all ears.¡± Hansen circled one hand on her slender waist and responded softly.

    ¡°Hansen, do you still want the design of that batch of car models?¡± She asked, tilting her headup to look at him, her bright eyes blinking.

    What was she saying?

    This woman was still negotiating business with him even when they were facing such a lovely view.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t be surprised.¡± Jenna saw through his doubts and smiled,raising her face.She stared straight into his eyes and said seriously, ¡°I want to do something before leaving Wullen Town. After all, I have stayed here for so long, and fate brought me here.¡±

    Hansen looked at her long, fluttering eyshes and solemn expression. He smiled and asked softly, ¡°Tell me, what do you want to do?¡±

    Jenna gave a light sigh. ¡°I think you¡¯ve guessed it too.¡±

    She told him that Mr. Koch had takenthe children to meet her.

    Hansen listened attentively, his eyes were taken over by a hint of ridicule and anger.

    Kyrie, that despicable man, hadeven nned to drag women and children into the crossfire.

    ¡°Hansen, althoughMr. Kochwas entrusted byKyrie to do this, the difficulties the factory and the school are facing are all true. Just now when Dad asked for my opinion, I considered the overall situation of the Richards Group. However, in private, I think I should do something that I can do. Consider that it¡¯s for the sake ofJerry,¡± Jenna said subtly.

    Hansen had long understood what she meant and stroked her beautiful hair.

    ¡°If you want me to invest, just tell me directly, or just tell Dad when he asks you. Anythingyou say, I will listen to it.¡± Hansen lowered his head and gazed deeply into her eyes.

    ¡°No, absolutely not.¡± Jenna shook her head. ¡°As a group, no matter what you do, we have to weigh it again and again for the sake of thepany¡¯s interests, instead of personal benefits. We have to pay attention to the welfare of thepany¡¯s staff at all times. Otherwise, we will end up like that petrochemical factory.¡±

    Jenna analyzed seriously. It was impossible for her to leverage Richards Group to do charity. There was no need at all.

    Hansen looked into her bright eyes, hiseyes deepened a few shades. He gently embraced her shoulder and said, ¡°All hail, my judicious wife.¡±

    ¡°However, not investing doesn¡¯t mean that we can¡¯t do anything. There should still bepassion. Richards Group is arge group. Public investment will involve some people¡¯s interests, but we can do something personally. Which is why I want to establish a charity organization? Do you know why I sold those drawings online? It¡¯s for the purpose of this school.¡± Under the red umbre,Jenna¡¯s face had a flush of redness, and the warm smile on her lips was beautiful and soft. Her eyes fell onto the flowing stream. She radiated confidence and affection. She believed that she could help these marginalized families. Although it was just a drop in the bucket, she would try her best to help them.

    Hansen¡¯s heart instantly felt warm. With such a reasonable wife, what more could he be worried about?

    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re thinking, and I¡¯ll give you my full support.Not only will I take your sets of designs, but I will you as well. As for the price, you can name it as you wish. I¡¯ve made a deal with Reeva from Switzend. You¡¯re given all the authority to deal with it,¡± he said in a soft voice.

    ¡°Thank you, Hansen,¡± Jenna said with a bright smile on her reddened face.

    ¡°Do you still need to thank me? Even if I proposed a high price for your blueprint, I might not be able to get it. However, today, you are willing to sell it to me. I should thank the school and the children.¡± Hansenughed and teased.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was loaded with sweetness. She called out in a low voice and an irrepressible smile appeared on her face as she wrapped her arms around his waist.¡°Hansen.¡±All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Her soft and affectionate voice melted Hansen¡¯s heart.He responded and lowered his head to look at her. Under the red umbre,Jenna¡¯s face was so ethereal that it knocked all the breath out of him. Her shining eyes were filled with love. Her charms and her bashful expression set his heart aze.

    With a look like that, was this woman seducing him?

    Like a bewitched man, he looked at her and leaned closer.His red lips pressed against hers. The two began to kiss passionately on the bridge. It was a kiss as long as a century, and all the tenderness and sweetness were reflected in the kiss.

    It was only when they could no longer breathe that Hansen¡¯s lips left hers.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Jenna murmured this name, one that had been etched into her bones. Her hands wrapped around his strong waist, and she sank her face deeply against his solid chest.

    That moment felt like it couldst forever. This man had long been integrated into her life. She thought that they could no longer be separated from each other from now on. She was sure that she was in love with him, since the beginning.

    Hansen was being held tightly by her. Her face was buried in his chest, and her arms wrapped around him like vines. It was as if she had be a small part of his body and could no longer be cut off. His past fear of losing her had dissipated by this moment, and his heart was brimming with love and contentment.

    He smiled and stroked her hair with hisrge hand. The drizzle was still all over the sky. He held the umbre over her head and hugged her tightly with one hand.

    After standing for who knew how long, Hansen said softly, ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°No,Hansen.¡± Jenna closed her eyes and shook her head in his arms. There was a soft ending note in her voice.

    Hansen felt the voice burrow into his blood and rapidly gushed through his limbs. His entire body went limp as he hugged her tightly once more. He stood on the century-old bridge with a happy smile on his face.

    People kepting to the arch bridge. It was the perfect time in spring. Many tourists came to the arch bridge and praised it in admiration.

    The crowd pushed them into taking a few steps back. Hansen used all his strength to protect her from being hit by the tourists. The two of them smiled affectionately under the red umbre.

    ¡°Should we go?¡± He asked softly again. Usually, she didn¡¯t want to be affectionate with him in public. She was acting unusual that day.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Carry me on your back.¡± She pouted her mouth coyly.

    Her green floral dress fluttered in the spring breeze,entuating her slim and tall figure. Her silky hair was beautiful and her face was rosy. She would be the most beautiful painting in the world.

    Many tourists were looking at them.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll carry you on my back.¡± Hansen couldn¡¯t help but to agree. He touched her pert nose with his hand and smiled. He turned around and Jenna wrapped her arms around his neck. Jenna was leaning on his back, her face pressing against it. She smiled shyly.

    Hansen carried her on his back and walked ahead of the stream of people.

    After walking for some time, when they looked back, the bridge had be faintly visible in the distance. They stared at that old arch bridge. In that instant, they both felt as if they had travelled back in time.

    After a while, Hansen slowly walked forwards,carrying her on his back.

    A song could be heard from afar. It was afolk song from Jenova City. ¡°The rain drizzles down. It seems the years pass by so quickly. Stories and folklore in the misty rain¡­¡±

    Shutting her eyes, Jennaid on Hansen¡¯s back, listening to this low and mellow tune,indulging in it¡­

    The next day, Jenna negotiated with thepany in Switzend online and sold the drawing toReeva for the price of ten million dors. Then, she contacted the local government and deposited the ten milliondorsinto designated ounts. She listed some of the key points of the fund, putting the investment in schools and financial aid to children from poor families as the main priority.

    All in all, the investment of thepetrochemical factoryhade to an end for now.

 Chapter 389 Finally Returned To Richards Manor

    Three dayster, two ck luxury cars were headed into the streets ofWullen Town.

    Hansen led Jenna, Jerry, and Sara, into one car whileTrevor,Marissa, and Bailey tookLomenand Alvin into another car.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    They finally embarked on the journey back toACity.

    Everyone was excited for the journey.

    The helicopter had been waiting for them at the airport.

    Hansen called the Ink Garden. He ordered the chef to prepare a feast,and the staff to light up gardenmps, and embellish them with colorful lights.

    Therefore, when the ck car drove intoRichards Manor, the manor was already filled with colorful ornaments. It created a joyous atmosphere.

    The gates of Richards GroupManor were opened. Fireworks brightened the sky above the manor, and the golden roof reflected magnificent lights from the bursting fireworks.

    Jerry had never seen such a spectacr sight before. He stared at everything in front of him with hisrge eyes. He couldn¡¯t form any words.

    Vivian,dressed in a bubbly, crimson dress,sat in the main hall of the Ink Garden. This was the first time in so many years that she had smiled genuinely, the wrinkles on her face easing.

    When Trevor and Marissa arrived at Ink Garden with the group of people,Vivian was so thrilled that she began to tremble.

    Jenna used a wheelchair to push Sara while Hansen carried Jerry and sauntered into the main hall of the Ink Garden.

    ¡°Good to see you, Sara.¡± Vivian¡¯s eyes first fell on Sara. She reached out her hand and greeted her, her voice quivering.

    ¡°Hello, Vivian.¡±Sara smiled and replied to her, courteously.Swiftly, Jenna pushed Sara forward a few steps and stopped in front ofVivian.

    ¡°It must have been hard on you.¡± Vivian took Sara¡¯s hand in hers. Her eyes ssy with tears.She held her hand tightly, sobbing, and unable to speak.

    Sara was also getting emotional. the rims of her eyes turning red.

    After a long time,Vivian dragged her gaze away from Sara¡¯s lower body andsaid,with tears streaming down her face,¡°It¡¯s not easy for today to have arrived.Fortunately, we¡¯ve all waited for it toe.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Sara responded through her tears. Waves of tough memories came surging to her, and the light in her eyes gradually blurred.

    For a moment, the atmosphere was imbued with sadness.

    ¡°Oh, Vivian, you should be happy for such a reunion. Besides, better days are yet toe. Come, take a look at your lovely grandson.¡± Marissa interrupted the emotional scene and took Jerryfrom Hansen¡¯s arms. Grinning from ear to ear, she cradled him and walked up to Vivian.

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Vivian regained her senses. Only then did she think of her great-grandson¡¯s arrival,something that she had always been dreaming of.

    At that time,Vivianwas quite satisfied withMarissa¡¯s performance. Immediately she beamed and said, ¡°Yes, we have finally reunited now. This calls for a joyful asion. Sara, don¡¯t be too glum. You can be rest assured that Hansen will be good to Jenna. We will treat Jenna like the daughter of the family.¡±

    At that point, she cast her loving and delighted gaze on the adorable Jerry.

    ¡°Jerry, my precious great-grandson.¡± Staring at Jerry¡¯s tender face and bright eyes, she was unable to stop herself from smiling.¡°This is mygreat-grandson. I¡¯ve been looking forward to meeting him for a very long time now.¡±

    Determined as Vivian was to holdJerry, she was already 90 years old. Hence, Marissa was worried that she didn¡¯t have the strength to carry him.In an instant, she ced him inVivian¡¯sarms, but her hands were still supporting Jerry.

    ¡°Jerry, my great-grandson, what a beautiful boy. The sparkle in your eyes shows that you¡¯re smarter than Hansen when he was at your age.¡± Vivian stroked Jerry¡¯s tender skin and praised him.

    ¡°Quick,greet your great-grandmother.¡± Jenna reminded Jerry.

    Facing this regal, elderlydy, Jerry didn¡¯t reveal any signs of hesitation. He smiled at Vivian, calling her ¡®Great Grandma¡¯. It sent Vivian into sheer tion.

    ¡°Meroy, bring the item over, quickly.¡±Holding Jerry¡¯s small hand, Vivian instructed Meroy.

    ¡°Yes,Old Madam.¡± Meroy answered, her tone jovial. She turned around and reached for a delicate gift box, handing it to Vivian.

    With trembling hands,Vivianopened the gift box. Everyone turned their attention towards it.They were so shocked that their mouths fell open.Whispers erupted.

    A piece of bright red oriental jaspery in the box.Itsred spots flecked in the shape of blossoms, radiating red light. The words ¡®Richards Manor¡¯ were carved on it.

    ¡°This is for Jerry. ording to our ancestors¡¯ rules, only the eldest grandson would be able to possess this piece of jewelry when passed down. Today, I can finally hand it over to my great-grandson.¡± With that, she removed it from its box and hung it on Jerry¡¯s neck.

    The oriental jasperwas decorated with a rare tinum ne,a perfect size for Jerry.

    After Jerry put it on, his entire face turned red, making him look very cute.

    Staring at theoriental jasper, Jenna thought of the Ocean Heart. She had hidden the rare diamond in a corner ofRichards Manoras she was afraid that it would not be safe to carry itaround. She was ready to divulge it to Hansen when Jerry grew up.

    The previous year, at the auction in California, anoriental jasper had been sold for a staggering three hundred million dors. The quality of the said stone was poorer than the one on Jerry¡¯s neck.Thus, it was easy to estimate the value of Jerry¡¯s new ne.

    Opportunity makes a thief.Among the crowd¡¯s excitement, Jenna tucked the oriental jasper underneath Jerry¡¯s clothes and nned to put it away in the evening. Too much wealth was never a good thing.Only self-made money was the fortune that couldst.

    ¡°Jerrye on,thank your Great Grandma.¡±Jennalowered her head and said softly to Jerry.

    ¡°Thanks,Great Grandma.¡± Jerry¡¯s speech had improved a lot in thest few days. His words evoked a burst ofughter from Vivian. ¡°Hear me, you lot. Bring Jerry to me every day, or else I won¡¯t agree to it.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll leave Jerry to you in the future,¡± Hansen said, his face brimming with happiness.

    ¡°d to hear that.¡± Vivian smiled.

    Vivian finally let them go. ¡°You guys must be tired from the trip here. It¡¯s rare for us to have a reunion today. Let¡¯s eat first and then have a chat.¡±She turned to Meroy and said, ¡°Set the table.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Old Madam.¡± Meroy answered with a hint of smile. Seeing that Vivian was jovial, she was happy from the bottom of her heart.

    ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready.¡± As soon asMeroysaid that, someone outside respondedimmediately. The group of people walked towards the dining room of the Ink Garden.

    It was a feast. Vivian had asked someone to call Jenna and asked what Sara liked to eat. It could be said that most of the dishes were specially made for Sara.

    This was the most festive dinner in recent years, as well as the most meaningful meal Jenna had since she married Hansen.In the past, Javonand Sara had joined a simr dinner, but it was apletely different feeling.

    Sitting next to Jenna, Hansen was gentle and considerate. He kept serving her food while Jenna flicked an affectionate smile at him. Both of their faces glowed with happy smiles.

    Vivian was delighted to see that.

    How long had it taken her to witness such a scene? It had almost been a will-o¡¯-the-wisp.

    It was only at that moment that Sara finally disyed a satisfied smile, her heart equally buoyant with happiness.

    After the meal, Vivian requested for Sara to stay in the Ink Garden. She had a lot to say and had to discuss the wedding of Hansen and Jenna. Thus, Sara stayed in the Ink Garden for a week.

    The wedding was scheduled in eight days.

    Vivian had already said that this wedding would be held in a high-profile fashion, and it was estimated that it would cost 500 million dors.

    Of course, Hansen agreed. Even without Vivian¡¯s support, he would still give Jenna the wedding of the century. This was what he had promised her, and he would fulfill it.

    Spring in A City had long been warm with flowers, and was vibrant with life.

    In the back garden of Green Jade Garden, Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s fingers intertwined as they took a stroll.

    Now, they were free and easy. Marissa,Vivian, and arge number of servants were there to take care ofJerry. There was no need for them to worry about it. So, they were happy to enjoy some time together.

    ¡°Hansen, the wedding doesn¡¯t have to be that extravagant.¡± Jenna recalled Vivian¡¯s words. ¡°You two just need to focus on preparing for the wedding these days. You should not worry about anything else. Just think about how to spend the 500 million dors well.¡±

    Five hundred million. This was an enormous amount of money.

    Never in her dreams had Jenna expected for such a glorious moment toe to her.

    ¡°No, my wife must be the most distinguished woman in this world. I once promised to give you the wedding of the century and make you the queen ofRichards Manor. Today, I will fulfill my promise.¡± Hansen firmly rejected Jenna¡¯s proposal.

    Jenna smiled helplessly. Of course, if such a man could give her such a supreme honor, it was a bliss never to be taken for granted. How could she refuse?

    ¡°Jenna, you don¡¯t have to think about anything else. Just think about how to design our beautiful wedding.¡± The evening breeze stirred their thoughts. Hansen put his arm around Jenna¡¯s waist and whispered in her ear, ¡°In this way, you can never escape from me. You will belong to me forever.¡±

    Jenna smiled faintly and turned around. With her hands around his waist, she said softly, ¡°Hansen, promise me that you will never abandon me again. No matter what happens, you can¡¯t ever leave me.¡± As she spoke, she buried her head in his chest and drank in his pleasant smell. It wasintoxicating and sweet.

    ¡°Silly, how could I leave you? It has never happened before. You are my wife, and I will protect you. Even if I live forever, my feelings for you will not change.¡± When Hansen heard an ounce of sadness in Jenna¡¯s soft voice, his heart ached in pity. He lowered his head and pressed his face against her soft hair, breathing in her fragrance, and solemnly answered with his eyes closed.

    The two hugged each other for a long time, neither of them peeling away from the other.

 Chapter 390 Wedding Of The Century

    ¡°Hansen, I want you to promise me a few things.¡± A long whileter, Jenna tipped her head up and spoke in a faint voice.

    ¡°Go ahead, my dear. Even if it¡¯s tenhundred things,I¡¯ll agree to it all,¡± Hansensaidwith deep feelings.

    ¡°First, quit smoking,¡± Jenna said seriously.

    ¡°Dear, I promise you.¡± Hansen gritted his teeth and replied with a smile. His wife cared so much about him.Of course hewould be happy toquit smoking. Besides,the reason he had smoked previously was because she had not been around. Now that she was with him, there was no need to fall back into that habit.

    ¡°Second, drink less when you are engaged in social activities, and you must be home before 12 a. m.¡± Jenna jutted two fingers and put forward the second request.

    ¡°Okay, dear, I will do it.¡± Hansen replied without hesitation.

    What surprised Hansen was that he was able to force himself to agree to the following conditions.

    ¡°Thirdly, in the future, apart from me, you can¡¯t have any other woman in your heart.¡± Jenna stared into his eyes, trying to judge his sincerity.

    Now, this was easy. He didn¡¯t have any other women in his heart except for her, so he immediately nodded and agreed.

    ¡°Fourth, you can¡¯t bully me in the future.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not difficult. All I want is to take care of her. How can I bully her?¡± He thought to himself.

    He agreed immediately.

    ¡°Fifth, you can¡¯t doubt me at will. You can¡¯t say that I cheated on you just because I¡¯m with another man.¡±

    ¡°Sixth, you have to listen to me. I¡¯ll take care of your finances as well.¡±

    ¡°Seventh, you need to spare some time to go shopping with me, and you have to apany me back to see Mom every week.¡±

    ¡°Eighth¡­¡±

    Hansen lost count. Obviously, there were more than a dozen rules.

    Hansen grumbled inwardly as his face was on the verge of darkening.

    This d*mn woman had him wrapped around herlittlefinger.

    However, this was good. He was still very happy.

    He was also willing to let her control everything about him.The only thing he was afraid of was that she would ignore him.If that happened, then his heart would be distraught.

    The quieter the night, the more affectionate they were in each other¡¯s arms.

    In the next few days, the two of them began to prepare for the wedding.

    Hansen spent another 20 million dors to customize theirengagementrings. It was an eight-caratround cut diamond with a high degree of purity. On the sides, it was iid with small diamonds, forming a heart shape, meaning that their love wouldst forever.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    Jenna was not a fan of fancy styles. Hence, she chose a simple ring with a small orchid in the middle for herengagement ring.J&H,their initials, wereengraved meaningfully on the rings.

    Both the wedding rings and engagementrings were meticulously crafted ording toJenna¡¯s design.

    Hansen quickly announced his wedding to the public. The media interviewed him, and the news hit the newspapers.

    Wherever Jenna and Hansen went, they would be followed by the media. When they encountered this situation, Hansen would hold Jenna in his arms. For a time, their wedding and their high visibility became the focus of all the media¡¯s attention.

    There were even many people who formed doubts about their marriage and were still making wild guesses in the newspapers.

    Eight dayster, Jenna and Hansen finally held theirwedding of the century.

    The bridesmaid was Sabrina, and the best man wasDavid.

    No matter how one looked at it, that day would stay memorable.

    At dawn,Bali Indweed a meaningful day.

    Sabrina had just arrived in Bali Ind. When she was still in the underground passage of the hotel, she was inundated by reporters and media representatives who had been staking out. As the bridesmaid, she had never expected that the scene would be so frantic and tense. There were so many paparazzi waiting for them, never mind that it was still early.

    For a moment, she didn¡¯t know what to do. Fortunately, the security guard responsible for her safety took her arm in time and brushed away the reporters who surrounded her like vultures. They were desperately wading forward. Though Sabrina followed the bodyguard, soon that way didn¡¯t work anymore as reporters poured in and blocked their paths.

    ¡°Let her go.¡± With a low voice, there was a stir in the crowd. A tall and straight man split the throng of media reporters into two groups and strode over from the side, looking coldly at the hand of the security guard who was holdingSabrina¡¯sarm.

    The security guard was startled by his stern momentum and let go of her hand.

    ¡°Come with me.¡± The man grabbed her by the wrist and ran to a small door at the side. Soon the door opened from the inside, and the man brought her in.

    Finally, when everything quieted down, she was relieved. As she was about to thank the man in front of her, he whispered, ¡°Take care.¡± Then, he strode towards the passage in front of him.

    WhenSabrina regained her senses, only his back was filling her vision.

    She was a little absent-minded for a moment.

    ¡°Norton¡±,she muttered to herself.

    Of courseshe could recognize him.

    Since he was not willing to talk to her, she was even more so unwilling. She shook her head at once and walked towards the elevator.

    ¡°You lookgorgeous.¡± Sabrina finally saw Jenna, who was wearing a custom-made exquisite wedding dress, when she was brought to the rest area by the waiters. She could not help but topliment Jenna.

    Jenna was dressed in a white, long-sleeved,ce gown, custom-made by an internationally famous wedding dresspany. The dress was iid with diamonds and fine pearls, and the bodicewas aVictorian corset.On the skirt and bodice wasJenova City¡¯s famous handmade embroidery and flower patterns. The hemwas created out of French silk fabric, and the skirt was tailored withorganza. Thece embroidery on the dress had been put together in a week by two hundred well-known craftsmen in France.

    The dress itself would cost 20 million dors, not to mention thebour costs.

    Even though Sabrina was from a high-profile family and was used to grand asions, still, she was astounded by Jenna¡¯s elegant wedding dress.

    Jenna held Sabrina¡¯s hand, sized her up and said, ¡°My, my,I haven¡¯t seen you for two years and you¡¯ve be more beautiful. Thanks to the power of love, yes? Are you seeing someone now?¡±

    Sabrina blushed and said, ¡°I¡¯m still young. I don¡¯t want to settle down first. My goal is to study fashion design and build my own career.¡±

    ¡°Is there going to be another sessful woman in this world?¡± Hansen was standing by the side. When he heard Sabrina¡¯s words, he quickly turned around and teased her with a smile.

    Only then did Sabrina see Hansen.

    That day, Hansen was wearing a royal blue handmade tuxedo. His tall and slender physique made him look noble and dashing. He was brimming with a contented smile, and his face glowed with dazzling happiness.

    ¡°Hansen,finally your dreams havee true by marrying Jenna. You must treat her well, otherwise, I won¡¯t agree to it.¡± Sabrina raked her eyes all over him, then nodded and said, ¡°However, now your personality has returned to the Hansen that I admire. Not bad, you didn¡¯t let us down.¡±

    These words caused Jenna to hold back herughter, while Hansen¡¯s face darkened.

    ¡°Hansen, shouldn¡¯t you go to the emcee? How could the groom stay here during a wedding?¡±Jenna urged Hansen to leave.Sabrina was about to change into her gown. After all, there were many makeup artists there. Thus, it was not convenient for her to move.

    ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll go first.¡± With Jenna¡¯s words, Hansen could only reluctantly leave. Besides, there were many women present. It was not appropriate for him to stay.

    Sabrina looked at his back as he left and chuckled secretly.

    ¡°Hansen has finally sealed the deal, huh. I have heard of his recent actions. I really envy you. It turns out that he is so infatuated with you and still loves you.¡± Sabrinasaid sincerely to Jenna,changing into her gown.

    Listening to her words, Jenna sensed loneliness and sadness in her words. She thought ofNortonand fell silent.

    ¡°The wedding venue is very beautiful. Did you design it yourself?¡± Sabrina had seen everything on TV and asked.

    Jenna smiled and nodded.

    Two days before, they had begun to prepare for the details of the wedding in Bali.

    From the wedding dress, diamond rings, wedding cake, theyout of the wedding banquet, even thedoor gifts for every guest who attended, they were all arranged by the couple. Afamous designer helped them with the huge arrangement through the night.

    All the roses were delivered by helicopter on the big day. In order to avoid the slightest damage to the roses, they were transported on a strict schedule.

    The fairytale wedding and its details were astounding.

    Thedoor gifts for guests, and even the banner and ribbons were all inscribed with the words ¡°J&H¡±. Jenna¡¯s initialwas ced before Hansen¡¯s, showing his care for Jenna.

    Hansen mobilized ten helicopters to ship goods on the same day. All the goods were dazzling and luxurious.

    The most eye-catching piece of decoration was the sea of roses. The whole wedding venue was awash in pink roses. They wereso warm and romantic that it was intoxicating.

    In order to set up these roses, Jenna had spent a handsome fee to hire the most famous team,Rosebest, for an borate design.

    Red, white, and pink roses were fitted to the ribbons, and they were entwined and spread out. On the main stage of the wedding, the roses were arranged into numerous,rge, heart-shaped wreaths, and then assembled into arger heart shape. Gradually, it extended to the viewing tform below. When people walked towards the middle of the stage, it was like walking in a sea of roses.

    Each heart was engraved withJ&H, and the meaning of this was self-evident.

    Media personnel from all over the world gathered, and everyone¡¯s eyes was fixed on the couple.

 Chapter 391 The Classic Kiss

    When thesunset cast a golden glowover the beach, the wedding was set in motion.

    Sabrina paced out of the lounge with Jenna.

    The breathtaking, pristine wedding dress ttered Jenna¡¯s shape and her tall figure.With her fair skinplementing the entire picture, she looked beautiful and regal.

    All eyes were focused on her. At that moment, she became a shining star, twinkling with dazzling light.

    Due to Javon¡¯s untimely death, they had changed the step where her father would walk her down the aisle.Sabrina wouldescort her and then ce Jenna¡¯s hand in Hansen¡¯s.

    The moment Sabrina passed Jenna¡¯s hand to Hansen, he held it tightly. His wide and thick hand wrapped around her slender hand.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes turned red in an instant.

    She finally arrived at that long-awaited moment!

    Hansen lowered his head and looked at her affectionately.

    ¡°Silly, don¡¯t be nervous. I¡¯m here.¡± He whispered in her ear tofort her.The truth was, he was equally excited.

    Especially when he held Jenna¡¯s hand and walked slowly to the center of the stage, along to the rhythm of the wedding march, he was so thrilled that his hands trembled a little. The emcee wasa famous TV host inACity, who was good atgiving life to the atmosphere.

    In the midst of the emcee¡¯s romantic speeches, the couple exchanged their rings on the stage.

    Then, the emcee handed the microphone to them, inviting the bride and groom to give a speech.

    A lot of previous events surfaced in Jenna¡¯smind. It had not been easy toe to that moment. Her eyes misted over. Six years prior, when she had married Hansen, his hand had been cold, and his words and actions had been stiff and indifferent. That day, his hand was hot like fire, and even a little sweaty. She knew that it was caused by his nervousness. This obvious contrast made Jenna sigh with emotion, and her heart was overflowing with happiness.

    Hansen¡¯s mood was not any calmer than Jenna¡¯s. Holding the microphone with his shaky hands, he did not say any heroic promises or emotional words. He just turned around to face Jenna, his deep eyes were full of tears, and he spoke firmly.

    ¡°Once, I thought God was unfair to me in love. I couldn¡¯t ept it and went on to do something wrong. Later, I understood that God had already given me the best woman. It was me who didn¡¯t cherish her and missed a lot of good times. Now, everything has finally been patched up. Although I have gone through many hardships, I believe that there¡¯s always a light at the end of the tunnel. In the process, we got to know each other and learnt the essence of true love. I believe that in the future,pared to others, wewill know more about cherishing each other, how to manage our marriage, and how to protect our love. My wife, please be rest assured. From now on, I will listen to you and love you for the rest of my life.¡±

    It was a beautiful vow! Any other fancy-schmancy oaths could not evepare to that. Loyalty, regret, and iparable love were all expressed in his words.

    Jennacould no longer control her tears from falling. She pressed her lips together and raised her teary eyes towards the sky.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    The red sun hung in the twilight sky. The sea in the distance and the golden beach under their feet formed a dazzling sea view. It was beguiling and romantic.

    All of this felt like a dream, but it was real.

    A huge round of apuse and cheers erupted from the guests, pulling her back to reality.

    ¡°What about the bride? Do you have anything to say to the groom?¡± The emcee directed the question to Jenna in her sweet and soft voice.

    One of Jenna¡¯sfingerscurled, and she took the microphone from the emcee with the other hand. Her fingers tightly wrapped around the microphone. Her nails turned white from the strength she exerted that even her nail polish could not conceal them. Tears were shed before she could even say a word.

    Afraid that she would be too emotional, Hansen stretched out his hand and hugged her tightly. He patted her back lightly, indicating for her to remain calm.

    After a long while, she said to the microphone, choking with sobs, ¡°If you won¡¯t leave me, then I will stay with you forevermore. Till death do us part.¡±

    It was only a short sentence, but soon it spread all over the world through the media.

    At that moment, there were so many eyes all over the world, fixed upon them.

    With the gentle sound of music, Hansen could not help but to lean in and cupped her face with his hands. He kissed her affectionately.

    He forgot where they were, and also forgot that they were under the global spotlight.

    He only knew that he wanted to kiss her, give her love, andfort her heart.

    The scene of the affectionate kiss between the two soon took the media by storm.

    The quiet crowd on the viewing tform suddenly burst into a thunderous apuse.

    Hansen and Jenna were stillpletely immersed in their own emotionced world. They forgot the outside world and even forgot that they were still under the spotlight of the entire world. Oblivious of the countless eyes staring at them, they only wished to reveal their true feelings. This scene was dubbed the most ssic scene of this wedding of thecentury. In the end, it became the hottest topic of many channels and had received praise.

    With that, the wedding came to its climax.The J&H that had beenprinted on numerous gs could be seen swaying in the hands of the guests,apanied by a sea of fresh roses. Words other than ¡®ethereal¡¯ would be an insufficient description.

    The luxurious wedding, costing 500 million dors, had sessfully snagged everyone¡¯s attention. Everyone in the world had learnt of such a beautiful but slightly harrowing love story.

    At the same time,on the other end of the oceaninACity,ZoeYates was standingin the chief office ofSky Sword Group. She was watching a wide, high-definition TV screen in front of her, taking in the joyous wedding of Hansen and Jenna.

    In the end, she was unable to stop their wedding. Hansen and Jenna had sessfully remarried. Moreover, their love was witnessed by everyone. The moment when they kissed each other, the scene of undeniable love and affection had moved everyone to the point of tears.

    Richards Group sessfully avoided this financial crisis. Moreover, the marriage between Hansen and Jenna caused the RichardsGroup¡¯s shares to soar. Their businesses had gathered a lot of confidence and even improved the economy of the country.

    The couple was a match made in heaven. With their one soul in two bodies,Richards Groupseemed to grow ever more stable.

    Zoe¡¯s beautiful eyes were fixed on the TV screen, her fingers clenched into a fist.

    ¡°Father, I will not let you die in vain.Whatever that should have belonged to our Sky Sword Group,I will definitely take it back from Richards Group. Don¡¯t worry,¡± she muttered to herself, her eyes gleaming malevolently. She turned around and walked outside, resolutely.

 Chapter 392 A Brewing Conspiracy

    The wedding was still going on. After the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds went back to their room in the hotel, ushered by a group of people. They sat on the bed to rest.

    Jenna held a bouquet of roses in her hands. The initial excitement and sentiment had faded, leaving only a sweet and happy smile on her face. Her smile was so charming that people could not look away from her. Hansen sat by the side and hugged her tightly, smiling from ear to ear.

    They changed into another outfit for theeveningreception, looking as harmonious as ever.

    Trevor, Sara, andMarissaall shed tears. Even Sabrina andDavidwere moved as they wiped their tears away. At that moment, perhaps many people were enlightened with certain lessons that life held in store for them, and they marvelled at the inconstant nature of life as well.

    Finally, when Hansen and Jenna appeared in the media room, the parade of their affection caused an uproar.

    ¡°Young Master Richards, will Jenna be astay-at-homemom or will she work for the Richards Group and be your right-hand person?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve heard that she¡¯s pregnant. Is it true?¡±

    ¡°Will the workload be reduced after marriage?¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°After getting married, will the household power be handed over toMrs. Richards?¡±

    ¡­

    A variety of questions poured in.

    Jenna just smiled gracefully, while Hansen cleared his voice and said, ¡°Thank you foring to our wedding. Great work, guys, thank you.¡±

    After posing for the media with Jenna,Hansendid not answer any more questions. He took her hand and left, protecting her all the way.

    In arge private room ofNew Era Restaurant.

    Holding a red wine ss, Sergio¡¯s face was slightly flushed, and the disappointment in his eyes could not be concealed. Since he had seen Hansenkissing Jenna andentering the mallin Wullen Townwith her in his arms, he had never appeared again.

    He was a well-known military figure in Capital City. Thoughhe would never resort to being ahome wrecker and ended up with a lowly love,it did not mean that he would give up.

    Hansen finally gave up on acquiring thepetrochemical factory.

    It seemed as if he was no longer interested, but it was not the truth.

    Hansen already knew the secrets behind thepetrochemical factory.

    Sergiowas sure of this. Otherwise,Hansenwould not withdraw from the investment easily.

    Moreover, Hansen wouldn¡¯t let go just like that. He was waiting for an opportunity.

    Once Hansen took control of Xanthefamily secret and revealed it, Xanthe family would suffer a cmity.

    Besides, some ofSergio¡¯ssecret investments inCapital Cityhad been invaded by Hansen¡¯s industry. Putting thepetrochemical factory aside,he also needed to transform his business. He needed a steady amount of financial resources to support the political needs. This was the capital and the guarantee. He couldn¡¯t miss it.

    In order forYadrielto run forGovernorofCapital City, endless funds were required to support him.

    ¡°Miss Yates, Mr. Xanthe is in this room. Pleasee in.¡± The voice of the waiter outside interrupted Sergio¡¯s thoughts. His eyes calmly withdrew from the TV and looked at the door. The scarlet liquid in his hand swayed slightly, which made his face more beautiful.

    Dressed stylishly,Zoewalked in with light steps.

    He could hear her voice before she arrived.

    ¡°Sergio, I didn¡¯t expect that you would personallye to A city to invite me to dinner and apologize. I am ttered.¡±Zoesmiled warmly and sat down next to Sergio. As soon as she took a seat,she looked up and saw the live broadcast of Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s wedding on TV. A meaningful smile formed on the corner of her mouth. Her eyes gleamed and she sat quietly.

    Sergioughed heartily and put down the wine ss on the table. He rested an elbow on the luxurious table and stretched out his other hand to fill Zoe¡¯s sswith red wine.

    Then, he picked up the red wine in his hand. He raised his eyebrows at Zoeand said softly, ¡°Cheers.¡±

    ¡°Cheers.¡±Zoe picked up the cup gracefully, and the two clinked their sses. They both drank up the wine.

    ¡°Miss Yates, why,you¡¯re a strong woman. You¡¯re decisive and straightforward. I admire you.¡± As soon as Sergio finished drinking, he looked up and sawZoefinishing the ss of red wine, her face unfazed. Hence, he could not help praising her.

    In fact, he did not like women likeZoemuch. He thought that she was too smart and strong for her own good. She was not feminine enough for him. He preferred the gentle, capable, and sweet little women like Jenna.Like aged wine, the more he learned about her, the more alluring she became.Menwould not lose interest in her because of her age. On the contrary, if they had known her for a long time, a man would inevitably fall in love with her. Jenna had her style and charm.When needed, she could be both vulnerable or strong in front of men. She would not beoverbearing and unapproachable,but she would not be too weak that a man would feel burdened. All in all, when a man needed her most, she could take charge and support his career. She could very well distinguish the role she should y in front of a man. She was graceful, kind-hearted, and considerate.

    It would take a lot for a man not to fall in love with such a woman.

    There was no doubt that Jenna was a one-of-a-kind woman. She was smart, beautiful, and knew how to act in front of men.

    Therefore, it was not surprising that she could secure the dedicated love of Hansen. He thought that every man would put everything on the line to love her so. In other words, any man would be willing to spoil her and love her. Therefore, he did not acknowledge Hansen¡¯s deep love for Jenna. He even thought that he would love Jenna more than Hansen.

    However,Zoe¡¯s bold nature still pervaded him. After all, it was rare for him to see such a forting woman. He admired it, but to say that it was an attraction, it might be a bit of a stretch.

    ¡°Thanks for thepliment. It¡¯s rare to be praised by you, Sergio. How about this? I¡¯d like to propose a toast to you to express my gratitude.¡±Zoesaid with a smile. She reached out for the bottle of red wine on the table and filled up her ss. Then, she poured for Sergio and broughtthe ss in front of him.

    Sergioughed and picked up his ss.

    The two wine sses collided in the air, and the clinking echoed in the room.

    After that,Zoeraised her head. The red wine in the ss slid into her mouth till there was not a drop of wine left.

    Sergio, of course, drank up all the wine in one gulp.

    Medium-wellsteaks were delivered to the table.

    The two began to eat. The slicing sound and a warm smell filled the air.

    ¡°Alright.¡± On the TV screen,ughter and singing could be heard. It was showing Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s wedding, where the asion was high on energy.

    Both of them looked at the TV screen at the same time. Hansen was kissing Jenna affectionately. The passionate kiss between the two had won a lot of people¡¯s good favors. They had all agreed at this point. Sergio¡¯s eyes revealed a sense of loss, andZoenoticed it.

    Zoe¡¯ssmile grew wider.

    ¡°Sergio, are you feelinga sense of loss because she now belongs to someone else?¡± She asked with a smile.

    Sergio was stunned. He did feel a sense of loss!

    Hegave a bitter smile.

    ¡°Since you like her,where were you before?¡±Zoepursed her lips in disdain.

    He was taken aback by the question.

    In fact, he had never known about the divorce between Jenna and Hansen. It was not until Jenna had disappeared and Hansen frantically searched for her that he knew they had already divorced. However, at that time, he had not been able to find her either. If it weren¡¯t for the petrochemical factory, he would not know where she was.

    At the thought of this, he sighed. He had long hidden his admiration for her. After all, she had a husband.

    He shook his head and smiled faintly.

    ¡°Sergio, I don¡¯t think ofyouasa soldiersometimes. Youck the decisive and domineering power,¡±Zoe said lightly.

    Her words had an effect on Sergio. He had always believed that he was a man of his word. He was a cruel and merciless person, but he only showed his indecisiveness when it came to Jenna.

    He cast an indifferent nce atZoe. He knew exactly what this woman was up to when she looked for him.

    Even if Sky Sword Group had merged with Jones Group, it would still be no match for Richards Group. Moreover, Hansen and Jenna had reconciled. The Richards family had strengthened their power like never before. With the issue of Hansen¡¯s rtionship solved, it would only add to his advantages. In any case, the potential of the Richards family would be beyond great.

    ¡°Zoe, what about you? Do you have any ns? How is the development of yourpany now?¡± He avoided the topic and directed the conversation towards her. He wanted to figure something out.

    ¡°To tell you the truth,Sergio, I am in quite a pickle now. I was born in the wrong time.¡±Zoesighed with a glum face.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Sergio¡¯s gaze fell on her as he leaned back against the chair. His eyes were deep and unfathomable. ¡°It never crossed my mind that I would see you wearing a sad face.This chance is hard toe by.¡±

    He said matter-of-factly, and the corner of his mouth perked up.

    The sudden remark did not affect Zoe. Instead, she said helplessly, ¡°What can I do?Richards Group is too powerful. A smallpany like ours can only struggle to survive. There¡¯s nothing we can do about it. We only have ourmiserablelives to me.¡±

    Was this really the case? Why would she be so willing to sumb to Richards Group? This was so uncharacteristic of her. Sergio nced at her and said, ¡°Miss Yates, you¡¯rea brilliant and capable woman, no matter how I look at it.This doesn¡¯t seem like it wille from you.¡±

    Yes, of course, this was not her character!

    If it was her character speaking, she desired nothing but Richards Group¡¯s downfall! Moreover, she wanted their end to be as wretched as could be.

 Chapter 393 A Tempting Offer

    ¡°However, Sergio, if you would lend a hand, I may notend up in such a bad situation.¡±Zoesaid decisively,looking up atSergio.

    ¡°Really?¡± Sergio frowned and smirked.¡°Miss Yates, are you making fun of me? I am in the military and have nothing to do with business.Say, what exactly can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°No, you can. It depends on whether you¡¯ll agree or not.¡±Zoenodded with certainty.

    Sergioughed. ¡°Zoe, you¡¯re putting me on a pedestal.Xanthefamily only seeks to develop in the military,and we have no interest in the business. Besides, you also remember the ¡®little white rabbit¡¯ fight. Even if I want to help, it would be Jenna I would help. Why do you think it would be you?¡±

    When Zoe heard this, her eyebrows were raised, not seeming sad at all. She said with confidence, ¡°No, things aredifferent now. Your stand and benefits have changed. You won¡¯t be foolish enough to help Jenna. If I¡¯m not mistaken,Richards Group stolea few deals away from the Xanthe family.¡±

    Zoe said casually.

    Sergio was stunned. He asked in a cold voice, ¡°Zoe, how did you know about my family¡¯s stuff?¡±

    This woman wanted to parade her ability and talents all the time, always dropping hints that she knew the Xanthe familywell. This shrewdness madeSergio feelufortable andrepulsed. Once again, it proved his point of view. Zoewas arrogant, not the type men would like. Compared to Jenna, she was far behind.

    ¡°By guessing.¡±ZoesawSergio¡¯snervous look and could not helpughing out loud. ¡°Sergio, you don¡¯t have to be so nervous. Whether in the army or political circle, the elite ofCapital Cityhave a certain share of shops and assets. This isan open secret, and I just happened to say it out loud. Otherwise, can they really live a life of wealth with their meagre sries?¡±

    The expenses ofCapital Citywere higher than any other city. Those elites would run theirpany, whether in the open or in the dark. The previous governor¡¯s son had controlled a lot of real estate projects all over the country andhad extorted a lot of money. However, these people¡¯s businesses operated secretly and were underground, unlike Richards Group¡¯s business, which was transparent. The elites abused their power for money, whichZoewas clear about.

    Richards Group was well-connected and was granted the government¡¯s protection. Therefore, ordinarypanies could not cause harm to the Richards Group. However, if there was someone influential in politics, like Sergio, helping them, it would be much easier for her to do things. This wasZoe¡¯s n.

    Since the Richards family had vast connections in Capital City, their businesses in the city were able to carry on. Even if they had an overwhelming advantage, no one could do anything about it.

    It was difficult forZoeto strive inCapital City.

    Connections were essential inbusiness, and the smartZoe certainly understood that.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    The Xanthe family business was repressed by the Richards family, but they could only take so much impact. Otherwise, they would not resort to smuggling weapons as a means.

    Zoehad a good idea of what was going on.

    Sergio wanted to revive his business inCapital City. After all, the risk of the petrochemical factory was too high.Yadrielwanted to draw back after theymade enough money for the election in a few years. However, if theirpany could run well, they would discard thepetrochemical factory.

    That was also his n.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so good at guessing.¡± Sergio smiled and said in an icy voice, ¡°There are certain things that can¡¯t be spoken of lightly. Besides, you know that my own matters are getting out of hand.I can¡¯t help you.¡±

    ¡°You still regard me as an outsider. Since I¡¯m here today, I have already put the subject of life and death aside. You know that our family both lost to the Richardsfamily. Your family has gained a firm foothold in the military and political circles. But what about my family?¡±Zoe¡¯s eyes turned red when she said this. ¡°My father died from anger. I am his daughter. What can I do?¡±

    Sergio stared at her. Her sadness was real,the hatred in her eyes genuine,but so what? Did she want to drag him into this?

    ¡°Sergio, mypany is now a jointpany withJones Group. Although we can¡¯tpete with Richards Group for now, we still have power. Don¡¯t underestimate us.¡±Zoe¡¯s sad expressionsted only for a short while. Her bright smile returned,and no one could tell any hint of earlier sadness.

    Something imperceptible shed briefly inSergio¡¯seyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of you saying these? I can¡¯t even take care of myfamily business.How do you expect me to help you with yourpany?¡± Sergio¡¯s eyes were still dubious.

    ¡°Now, look, is the economy or politics greater? Of course, it¡¯s politics. Those in the business world are most afraid of being involved in politics since it will lead to a disaster.¡±Zoereminded him.

    Sergio¡¯s deep eyes gleamed.

    ¡°How can you be sure that I will help you?¡± He questioned. Why would this woman assume that he would help her to fight against Jenna?

    ¡°Benefits,¡±Zoesaid without hesitation, which shocked Sergio. He deeply felt that the woman in front of him was no longer the Zoe he had known. She had changed into a predatory woman.

    ¡°State the reasons why I should help you,¡± he said coolly.

    ¡°First of all, we¡¯ll give you 30% of thepany¡¯s shares.¡±Zoe¡¯s offer was tempting. 30% of shares! That was to say, thepany would give him 30% of profit without binding him to any conditions. This was not a small number. It seemed that this woman had lost her mind over revenge.

    ¡°Secondly, we will manage your business inCapital City,but the ie will remain yours,¡±Zoesaid calmly.

    The conditions were too generous. In that way, he would not have to bear the risks, while still getting ie. If his business was sessful, then he could let go of the petrochemical factory.

    Sergio¡¯s brows twitched, but he still didn¡¯t make a sound.

    ¡°Lastly, our group will do our best to sponsor your father¡¯s next election campaign. I may not have many connections, butMatteo has the prestige needed. He is influential locally and internationally. What do you think? It¡¯s a good enough deal.¡±Zoe pitched herst bait. She was certain that he would take it.

    If the first two conditions were not enough, he must have been nudged by thest one.

    Compared to Richards Group,Zoe¡¯spany would indeed benefit his family more. Richards Group would never support Yadriel¡¯s campaign. For many years,Richards Grouphad not been involved with any politicians and had never been implicated in such a scandal. Therefore, in the next year¡¯s election, Richards Group could not be of any help.Even so, Sergio could have usedpanies rted to them.

    However, was it necessary forSergioto work together withZoe¡¯pany? This woman¡¯s thoughts would give him a headache.

    ¡°It seems that you don¡¯t trust me. Not that it matters anyway. I won¡¯t force you. However, Luqman has looked for me twice. If you don¡¯t want to work with me,you can¡¯t me me for not helping you.¡±Zoesmiled confidently.

    ¡°Luqman? He would be the most powerful opponent Father wouldpete against the next year. He came to Zoe?¡± Sergio thought.

    A look of disbelief appeared on Sergio¡¯s face as he stared at her.

    ¡°Believe it or not, I have a recording of the conversation with him.¡± Confidently, Zoe raisedthe U-diskinherhand.

    As expected, she had done everything she could.

    Sergio was shocked and somewhat nervous at the same time. If this woman could manage to record Luqman,then would she be recording himtoo? Thinking of this, he felt his hair stand on end.

    ¡°Rx, Sergio. I won¡¯t use these despicable methods on you. After all, we used to suffer the same misfortune.¡±Zoesaw through his thoughts andforted him with a faint smile.

    A fierce look shot through Sergio¡¯s eyes. This woman was too arrogant and annoying!

    However, Luqman had managed to find her. He was shaken by this!

    If everyone else was trying their best using all methods avable to them, why would he give up?

    In all fairness,Zoe¡¯s conditions were sufficiently tempting. If he refused, it would be akin to giving away this proposal to his enemy. However, if he did agree, who knew what kind of tricks this woman woulde up with to deal with the Richards family. By then, what kind of trouble would he encounter?

    Hesitation and doubt filled his heart,putting Sergio in a dilemma.

    ¡°You should know that reputation is crucial to us in the political circle. We can¡¯t do anything illegal in the open.¡± Hisdark and bottomlesseyes bored into hers.

    Zoesmiled. She was not one to be scared off by Sergio¡¯s gaze. Raising her eyebrows, she said with confidence, ¡°Sergio, don¡¯t worry. What we need to do is easy. We just want Mr. Xantheto give us some profits when he¡¯s appointed to the role. We are a just and honorablepany.Jones Group is a century-old group, isn¡¯t that clear enough? Besides, our business is proper, not drug trafficking or gang stuff. If we talk aboutpetition, it will be apetition in the market. Competition is ubiquitous in business.¡±Zoe¡¯s words reassured Sergio a lot. However, he thought for a while and said, ¡°Well, we don¡¯t need to rush this. I will give it some thought.¡±

    No matter what, he had to stabilize the situation first. He should go back and discuss withYadriel before makinga final decision. Therefore, he gave an ambiguous answer.

    At that point,Zoefelt assured. The two changed the subject and did not bring up this issue again.

    Then, Sergio stood up and took his leave.

 Chapter 394 The Sweetness of Life

    ¡°Sergio, let¡¯s call it a night. I hope our cooperation will go well.¡±Zoerose to her feet and reached out her hand elegantly.

    Sergio, slightly drunk, outstretched his hand and took hers. There was a deep and unpredictable smile on his face.

    Zoegot up and left.

    Sergio raised his head. On the TV screen, Hansen took Jenna¡¯s hand and left.Sergio¡¯s eyes narrowed and dimmed.

    In the study of the Xanthefamily¡¯s residence.

    Sergio and Yadriel were having tea in the study.

    The Xanthe residence was allocated by the government. Although it was not magnificent, it was the standard for public servants.

    ¡°Dad, do you think we can trustZoe?¡± Sergio took a sip of tea. The strong aroma of Earl Grey made him take in a greedy breath.

    The father and son were fond of tea, and often they would discuss political affairs in the study, with tea as a refreshment.It was an important way forYadrielto influenceSergioin politics for many years. Gradually, it shaped Sergio into a cold-bloodedman who was willing to risk everything for his political career.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    He was not like the others who acted rashly without a care because of their father¡¯s high status. Instead, under the influence of Yadriel, he had a meticulous mind and was prudent.He was humble, polite, and well-mannered. It was hard to tell that he hade from a powerful family, but his methods were ruthless and sinister. He was not inferior to Yadriel in the least, and this was what Yadriel was most satisfied with.

    ¡°She is a businesswoman who puts her interests above all. She isnot at all trustworthy,¡±Yadrielsaid with a straight face, but he quickly changed the subject. ¡°This is why Luqman looked for them, which is not surprising. This is in line with his ¡®anything goes¡¯ personality.¡±

    Sergio nodded while thinking,the light in his eyes as sharp as a knife.

    Obviously, a woman likeZoewas not one to be lorded over. If he cooperated with her, what would the consequences be? It would have taxed his mind.

    ¡°Dad, what should we do about her¡­¡± He asked eventually. Before he could finish his sentence,Yadriel shookhis hand as if he understood whatSergiomeant.

    Yadrieltook a sip of tea, and the steam blew over his face. It was obscuring his shrewdface, making him look mysterious.

    ¡°Politics is our top priority. As long as it benefits us, we should strive for it. Sess wille after that. You will know what to do when you seed.¡± As he spoke,Yadrielpraised the beverage. ¡°This tea is worth its price. The aroma is divine and lingering. Not bad.¡±

    The corners of Sergio¡¯s mouth curled up and a smile slowly appeared on his face. His thick eyebrows rxed.A handsome smile was carved on his face.

    ¡°When will Madam Lilian return to the country?¡± Sergio asked with a serious face.

    ¡°Well, things are rather unstable over there now. MadamLilian¡¯s schedule has been changed. I have received a notice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today,¡± Yadriel said hastily, as if he had thought of something.

    Sergio nodded, feeling rxed all over.

    ¡°This secret can¡¯t be revealed to anyone for the time being. Keep it in mind.¡±Yadriellifted his head and once again reminded him. ¡°Including Jenna and Sara.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Sergio nodded and gave a weary smile. WhenJenna had been mentioned, the dejected look in his eyes was obvious.

    Yadriel looked at him and said in a deep voice, ¡°It¡¯s human nature to love. Hence the disappointment of not having your feelings reciprocated.¡±

    Yadriel hadanticipated the second marriage between Hansen and Jenna. This was not a blow to him. It was natural for a man and a woman to fall in love after being in each other¡¯spany for a long time.

    However, his son had been infatuated with Jenna for a long time as well. If it weren¡¯t for Hansen, Jenna would have been his daughter-inw. If so, that would be a great thing.

    However, the reality was thatXanthe familywas looked down upon by others. As long asYadrielthought of this, hatred dug deeper into his heart.

    The sight of his dejectedsonupsethim.

    In recent years, he had witnessed Sergio¡¯s progress.Sergiowas ruthless and scheming.He¡¯d learned it from him. However, when he faced problems regarding Jenna, he¡¯d shown a rare hesitation and a woeful look.

    This was not what he wanted to see.

    Yadrieldidn¡¯t oppose Sergiogetting close to Jenna, but he didn¡¯t want him to be obsessed with her and affect his normal life.

    ¡°How about this? Sabrina,the daughter of General Delia, has refused the marriage proposal from Norton. She has not found a suitable partner yet. I¡¯ll propose on your behalf.¡±Yadrielthought for a while, and said seriously, ¡°You know, GeneralDelia has a great status inCapital City.Besides, Sabrina is sweet and beautiful.She¡¯s a perfect match for you.¡±

    Sabrina? The innocent, youthful, and beautiful woman emerged inSergio¡¯s mind. When she smiled, the two dimples on her face would show.Was that cute? Yes, of course.

    However, that was not the type that Sergio liked. Obviously, she was not his cup of tea.

    Nevertheless, he had topromise after all.

    So far, there was no woman in his heart who couldpete with Jenna.

    His heart was heavy, and the sense of loss was distinct.

    ¡°Dad, forget it.Sabrinais a good girl, but she is not my cup of tea,¡± he said lightly.

    ¡°No, a good girl is enough. You are looking for a wife, not a lover. Remember, marriages can only serve political affairs, which is the rule of all political families. My election is imminent. If the marriage is sessful, GeneralDeliawill be beneficial to us.¡±Yadrielrefuted and analyzed. ¡°Besides, now that Hansen and Jenna have been reunited,your feelings for Jenna are nothing more than wishful thinking. Since there is no hope, we don¡¯t want you to waste your feelings, do we? We can only seek a more favorable political option.¡±

    ¡°However, Dad, GeneralDelia¡¯s influence is much weaker than Madam Lilian¡¯s, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sergio proposed a reason to counter him.

    ¡°That may be, but there is no other way now. Before Jenna was married, you couldn¡¯t win her heart. Now that she¡¯s married, all hope has been squashed. AlthoughMadamLilianis influential, she is abroad. GeneralDeliais different. He is inCapital Cityand has a deep foundation. His influence can¡¯t be underestimated. Out of sight, out of mind, no?This is the better way. Plus, you are not young anymore, you¡¯re reaching 30 years old. It¡¯s time to get married.¡±

    Yadriel sighed and analyzed the situation.

    ¡°Sergio, believe me. As long as you achieve sess and be famous, you can have any woman you want.¡±Yadriel¡¯seyes shone with confidence.

    ¡°There¡¯s only one Jenna.¡± Sergio muttered to himself in dismay. It was only until now that he realized he had usedMadamLilian as an excuse to get close to Jenna. In fact, he had viewed Jenna as the most important person.

    ¡°Sergio, when did you be so stupid? She has a family of her own now, and the best of her has been given to Hansen. What can you get now? Are you thinking straight? Looks like you really should get married and settle down.¡±Yadriellet out a heavy sigh, with dissatisfaction in his voice.

    Sergio smiled bitterly again.

    ¡°Dad, GeneralDeliahas a good rtionship with the Richards family. Even if you propose to him, he may not agree.¡± He still tried to talk Yadriel out of it.

    ¡°Rx, you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±Yadrielsmiled confidently.¡°It would be possible if he didn¡¯t agree back then, but now the possibility is slim. Calling off an engagement is not a glorious thing among rich and powerful families. Besides, the rich families inCapital Cityhave betrothed their children from when they were young. Sabrina has broken off the engagement at this time. It is not easy to chance upon a suitable marriage for her. It has been such a long time, but Sabrina is still single! You can imagine how difficult it is for her. If she seeks a man whose family status is lower than hers, I bet GeneralDeliawon¡¯t hear of it.¡±

    From the way Yadriel spoke, it could be said that he was very astute.

    Sergio was lost in thought and didn¡¯t speak for a long time¡­

    ¡­

    A yearter.

    The trees dotting the Richards Manor were thick and lush.The flowers in the back garden of Green Jade Garden wereplemented with the evergreen nts. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

    A new spring had graced upon thend.

    In the living room of Green Jade Garden.

    ¡°Bang,Bang!¡± Jerry¡¯s young and tender voice could be heard in the living room.

    ¡°Bang.¡± Following the sound of a simted gunshot, Jerry¡¯s excited voice rang out, ¡°Ah, I hit you. Daddy lost.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Following a¡®painful¡¯scream, Hansen copsed andy on the ground, motionless.

    ¡°Yeah, I won.¡± Jerry threw a peace sign and shook them. His voice was loud from excitement.

    As soon as Jenna got out of her car, she heard Jerry¡¯s voice in the living room. She couldn¡¯t help but to shake her head.

    The father and son duo were ying dangerous games again.

    Although she didn¡¯t approve of it, she assumed a knowing smile on her face.

    That day, Jenna was wearing a blue, sleeveless, silk dress. Her body had grown curvaceouspared to her thin frame two years ago. She looked charming. Her soft hair was tied up at the back of her head with a simple clip. She was graceful, elegant,ssy, and beautiful.

    The happy life after marriage had made Jenna¡¯s face rounded, and the skin of her cheeks was smoother, with a faint natural blush.Her beauty had only grown with each passing day.

    The nourishment of love had lubricated her life. She deeply felt the sweetness of life and love.

    After the wedding, Hansen had fulfilled his promise. He treated her with love and consideration,spoiling her and treating her very well. Jenna truly felt the happiness of being a wife and a mother.

    Ever sinceHansen and Jennagot married, Trevor andMarissahad left all matters behind and embarked on a vacation around the world. The family head¡¯s duties were handed over to Hansen and Jenna.

    The two of them cooperated well and respected each other, and not once did they argue.

    Such a peaceful and warm life seemed to have brought life toRichards Manor. Even the grass and trees exhibited a different kind of warmth. Happiness wafted in the air. It waslight and refreshing.

    ¡°Jerry, you¡¯re here ying these violent games again.¡± Jenna softly scolded him in a loving tone when she walked in. Jerry was sprawled on the living room carpet as he stretched out his hand and pulled out a bullet from under the sofa, preparing to continue his battle.

    As for Hansen, he was lying on the floor, feigning death.

    Hearing Jenna¡¯s soft voice, the father and son duo got up almost at the same time.

 Chapter 395 Sweeter Than Honey

    ¡°Honey, you¡¯re home.¡± Hansen stood up and scooped Jenna up, darting towards the master bedroom on the second floor.

    Jerry stood on the carpet, gaping. Just as he got to his feet,Hansen had carried Jenna up to the second floorbefore he could even greet his mother.

    s, it happened again!

    ¡°Daddy is a meanie!¡± He thought.

    Every timeHansensaw Jenna, he would rush up to her and leave Jerry behind.If not for that, they would hug each other intimately, and that degree of intimacy was enough to jack up Jerry¡¯s jealousy along.

    Moreover,whenever Hansen was embracing Jenna, his gaze would be spilling steadfast affection. By then, Jerry would have ebbed into invisibilityHe wasa miserable sight.

    Jerryhad previously protested about it.

    Nevertheless, it was useless.

    His parents would just smile at him, and as soon as they turned their backs, they would be more affectionate and ignore him.

    Jerry now was thinner than before, becauseJenna had spent all her time on Hansen. He was sure that he hadlost weight because he was angry for being cast aside.

    Afterwards, Hansen would always ruffle Jerry¡¯s short hair and say, ¡°Little one, you¡¯re still young. You¡¯ll know when you have a wife.¡±

    However, at that time, Jerry always blinked as he tried tprehend Hansen¡¯s words. It was still beyond his capabilities to understand it.

    For several times, he had been discontented and followed them to the second floor. However, no matter how hard he pounded on the door, they would ignore him, let alone open the door.

    After a few tries, he had been frustrated. Afterward, he simply became used to it. Now, apart from staring, he had thoroughly adjusted himself to it. At that moment, he just shook his head like an adult and bent down to grab for those bullets again.

    Of course, there was one more thing that made him feel proud.

    That was to say, Jenna and Hansen would race to hold him and dote on him out of guilt afterwards. They would even promise him any unreasonable request. Anyway, his good days would never fade because of this, and they might even be streaked with colors of life.

    ¡°Honey, I went on a business trip for three days. Did you miss me?¡± Hansen held Jenna in his arms and pushed her through the door of the bedroom. He ced her on the soft, spacious bed and pressed his body tightly against her soft body. His voice sounded urgent.

    Jenna¡¯srosy cheeks wereplemented with a smile of happiness.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± She let out a soft call. Her fingers were gliding and tangling in his thick hair, her eyes full of enchanting tenderness.

    Could she say that she had felt free during the three days that Hansen had left?

    The previous day,Jenna had visited the spa with Hannah.That day itself, she had gone for retail therapy.Asfortable as she was, she still missed him very much.

    In the past year, they had been stuck with each other all the time that she almost had no time for herself. The media had only captured Jenna and Hansen, who would be at her heels, everywhere theywent. Their love was out of this world.

    It attracted many people¡¯s attention. Many women hadmented that Jenna was so fortunate. She had a wealthy andhandsomehusband who loved her deeply. She could live avish lifestyle. This alone could wage up a storm of jealousy in many women, but only those who knew the truth understood how difficult their love had been.

    ¡°Well, a little bit.¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes were full of limitless adoration, and shedownyed herlonging.

    Of course, she would miss him. After all, he was a man whom she would love and depend on her whole life. Moreover, this was the first time he had been away from her after their wedding. How could she not miss him?

    However, it was not bad to be free once in a while, but she did not dare to reveal it. If she did, Hansen would torment her more.

    ¡°Just a little bit?¡± Hansen¡¯s face darkened. ¡°It looks like we haven¡¯t made love enough.¡±

    He stared at her delicate and charming red lips like a hungry cat. Lowering his head, he bit her lips and nibbled gently.

    ¡°Ouch, be gentle.¡±Jennaexaggerated. Her lips were gently nibbled by himandit felt itchy. In fact, every time she called him out like that, Hansen would go easy on her. His actions would turn soft. He really couldn¡¯t see her suffer a wee bit.

    As expected, Hansen immediately let go of her, but his face was screaming dissatisfaction.

    As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Not to mention, he had always been energetic!

    ¡°No, you have to think about me with every inch of your heart in the future. Otherwise, I will take you away with me next time.¡± Hansen spoke seriously, gritting his teeth.

    Jenna snorted, but her heart felt as if it was filled with honey.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m just joking. I miss you every day. Every cell in my body is missing you. Iwish you¡¯d never go out again.¡± By that time, Jenna had learnt to sweet talk and dared not to make anyeback. With her words, she would tango with him and make him happy.At that time, she would often receive his gentle love. This kind of love would make her intoxicated and reluctant to let go of him.

    ¡°Really?¡± Hansen was satisfied with her answer, as if he had been bestowed a great reward. His face was filled with a content and proud smile, his voice brimming with warmth. ¡°Do you want to make love with me? Every cell in your body wants to make love with me, right?¡±

    D*mn it.Did he just twist her words!

    Jenna was speechless!

    However, Hansen¡¯s passion soared to its peak. He took pride in pleasingJennawith his superb skills. Underneath him, she moaned. He would feel delighted and proud, when he sees her beautiful face blooming with happiness and gratification.

    They fitted each other so well that they could achieve a state of euphoric climax easily.

    As long as he saw her blossoming like a lily underneath him, his passion would never fade.

    This woman was a minx. She could easily arouse him and make him lose self-control.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Their lives were sweeter than honey. At that moment, he would feel thankful for the rare happiness.

    Right then, Jenna heard his smooth lines andmented hard.She wanted to say that she had only missed him, not to do that with him.

    However, Hansen¡¯s hand had already reached the small of her back. He lifted her body and skillfully unzipped her dress. Soon, her tender and thin shoulders were revealed. Her dress was pulled down to reveal her pair ocebra and underwear. The bra entuated her beautiful curves.

    Hansen¡¯s blood was boiling. He felt as if his nose was about to bleed, and the heat in his body was rising intensely.

    Frantically, he untied the hook of her bra,discarded her clothes, andleaned down on her porcin, white body¡­

    There were only heavenly pants and gasps in the room, threatening to push them over the edge of sanity.

    After a long time, Hansen carried Jenna to the bathroom,her face flushed. The messy sheets were full of traces left behind after a passionate indulgence.

    Jerry was tired of ying with his pistol downstairs when his parents had note down.

    ¡°Are they taking a longer time today?¡± The little fellow thought.

    He was a little hungry.

    ¡°Jerry, are you hungry?¡± Aunt Ecame over and asked with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a little hungry.¡± Jerry nodded. ¡°Madam E, what¡¯s Mom and Dad doing upstairs? Why didn¡¯t theye down to eat after being upstairs for so long? Today I¡¯m going to eat my Mom¡¯s tomato scrambled eggs and chicken wings.¡±

    He tipped his head upward and asked Aunt E seriously.

    Aunt E andLarrughed when they heard him.

    ¡°Jerry, you can¡¯t simply ask about adults¡¯ stuff. Besides, you willunderstandwhen you grow up.¡± Aunt E smiled and picked him up.

    Jerry nodded his head,only half-understanding her. ¡°Fine, then. I don¡¯t want to get involved in this stuff.¡±

    As soon as the little fellow spoke, everyoneughed again.

    ¡°Jerry, what are you talking about?¡± When Hansen and Jenna walked down the stairs hand in hand, they heard the sounds ofughter filling the kitchen.

    ¡°Mom, Mom.¡± Jerry hurriedly climbed down from Aunt E¡¯s body and ran to her impatiently.

    Jenna smiled and knelt down, picked him up, and kissed him hard on his little face.

    ¡°Mom, did you miss me?¡± He actually spoke the way Hansen usually did.

    Hansen began tough.

    Jenna red at him. This guy would usuallye forward to hug her as soon as he saw her. He would ask affectionately, ¡°Honey, did you miss me?¡±

    Great, Jerry picked up his habit.

    ¡°Of course I do. Have you been good today?¡± Jenna thought of how in these two days she had either gone out or gone shopping. It seemed that she had really neglected him. She hugged him and pecked his cheek, wanting to pour all her love. Jerry had expected it to be that way. Every time he requested for it, Jenna would show love without hesitation.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve been good today. I¡¯ve always been obedient to Mom.¡± The moment Jerry obtained the love he wanted, he went out of his way to curry favor with Jenna. This kind of provocation was effective. Under normal circumstances, Hansen would not be able to take it anymore. Hence, he would have to express his love as a father.

    In this way,Jerry was satisfied.

    Surely enough, Hansen stretched out his hand in time. ¡°Be good, Jerry. Let Mom cook for us, alright?¡±

    Jerry threw himself into his father¡¯s sturdy embrace and wrapped his arms around his neck, giggling.

    Since they got married, Hansen and Jerry had been eating food prepared by Jenna andavoided eating out, in consideration for hygiene and nutritional values. Jenna shopped for fresh groceries andcooked various disheseveryday.

    After a year, not only was Jerry chubby, even Hansen gained weight. His face was fuller, and his demeanor was invigorated.

 Chapter 396 Friends

    ¡°Mom, I want to eat scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and fried chicken wings,¡± Jerry requested in his babyish voice.

    ¡°Okay, you greedy kitty,¡± Jenna said with a smile, pinching his nose.

    ¡°Madam, the ingredients are ready. We¡¯re just waiting for you to start cooking,¡± Aunt E said.

    ¡°Okay,I¡¯ll be right there,¡± Jenna replied with a smile.

    Aunt E fully supportedJenna¡¯s wish to insist on cooking for Hansen and Jerry. No matter how busyJennawas, she insisted on cooking and watching as the father and son devoured them. Only then would she be at ease.

    The result was proven to be good. Jerry was now even more energetic. Not only that, even Marissa and Trevor had praised her a lot.

    Aunt E took in Marissa¡¯s and Trevor¡¯s increasing trust in Jenna.She was so genuinely happy to see the love between Hansen and Jenna.

    ¡°Dinner is ready!¡± Jenna quickly brought out the hot, steaming dishes, and intentionally dragged herst word.

    Jerry let out a cheer and sat in a chair, grabbing a te for himself.

    ¡°Have a bowl of broth first.¡± Jenna handed two bowls ofnutritiousbroth for Hansen and Jerry respectively.

    ¡°Mom, can I pass on thebroth?¡± Jerry looked at the unsavory broth and pursed his lips.

    ¡°No, you have to drink it. You can only eat other dishes after you finish it.¡± Jenna¡¯s face fell, pulling on a serious look.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sitting on the main seat, Hansen picked up the spoon in front of him and drank the delicious broth,enjoying his wife¡¯s care. ¡°Jerry, you can¡¯t waste the broth that Mom made. You must drink it. Otherwise, Mom will be angry, and you won¡¯t be a good boy anymore.¡±

    Hansen relished in his soup as he spoke. He even smacked his lips a few times.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Was this soup really that delicious? Jerry was skeptical. It was so nd!

    No matter, Jerryhad toply when he saw Hansenhaving the soup happily. ¡°Mom will only love Dad if I refuse to have it. Well, I¡¯ll drink it for her love!¡± He thought to himself.

    Closing his eyes, he began to gulp down the soup. As he drank, he followed Hansen¡¯s example and kept praising Jenna.

    Jenna pursed her lips and smiled, secretlygiving Hansena thumbs up. On the face of Hansen was a triumphant smile.

    After dinner, Jenna prepared to give Jerry a shower and hit the sack early.

    Hansen¡¯s phone rang.

    ¡°Young Master Richards, we are waiting for you here. If you don¡¯te, that means you don¡¯t treat us as your friends.¡± David spoke on the phone.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Hansen looked at Jenna, who was holding Jerry¡¯s hand as they ascended the stairs. He whispered, ¡°What ns have you got?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, just a few rounds of poker.¡± David said, ¡°Are you that afraid of your wife? Everyone says that you¡¯re now bossed around by your wife and calling you a hen-peckedhusband.¡±

    David spoke loudly. As soon as he said that, Hansen could hear theughter on the other end of the phone, and he could not help feeling offended.

    ¡°Sweet! David, you dare to make fun of me. You¡¯re dead meat. You better wait for me.I¡¯ming to teach you a lesson.¡± News of Hansen being hen-pecked was spread in his social circle recently. His friends kept making fun of him, which made him angry. He had wanted to deal with them several times.

    At that moment, he didn¡¯t say goodbye to Jenna and went out directly.

    In a private lounge of the most luxurious hotel in A City, as soon as Hansen walked in, he was greeted by a whiff of strong perfume and a warm smell. The air was filled with desires, and the smell of vice made him frown and feel disgusted.

    This ce was a new pub called ¡°Paradise House¡±. Rumor had it that this pub was open especially for high society. Ordinary people could not get in, and the expenditure in the pub was shockingly high.

    Most of the customers were government officials, celebrities, or members of nobility who wanted to have some fun.

    Thedies here were selected from all over the country. They were all virgins who served these rich and powerful people.

    Hansen had been there once,but he was not interested in this. However,David had asked him toe. Thinking that he was a good friend, as well as the fact that David had been his best man,Hansenthought to cave in for once.

    When he walked in, surely enough,David had made a bet with the others. As long as Hansen showed up, everyone would lose fifty thousand dors to him.They were all dumbfounded. Their faces nched.

    Since his wedding, Hansenhad never gone out to have fun. He was staying with his wife at home every day and never cared to look at other women. He was well-known for being husband material. They never dreamed that he woulde, what more showing up on the first night after the business trip.

    This was shocking.

    Frederic couldn¡¯t keep his wits about him.He lost fifty thousand dors toDavid. How could he face his wife when he returned home?

    As for the other two guys, they also looked sad.

    David, on the contrary, was ted. Enthusiastically, he expressed gratitude towards Hansen for being a good enough friend.

    Hansen settled down on the beige sofa and leaned back leisurely. He ced his hand on the armrest of the sofa and drummed it with his fingers from time to time, with a hint of a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth.

    ¡°Pullingtricks on me? Why,I¡¯ll let you guys lose with your tails tucked between your legs.¡±Hansen thought.

    He crossed his legs and settled himself into anguid posture.

    Suddenly, he sensed a discordant air. It was strong. That aura made Hansen ufortable.

    He turned his head towards the direction of the smell, only to see an indifferent face.

    Only then did he find that there was another person in the room. Usually, it was only the four of them who gathered together. That day, there was one more person. He could not help but to look askance.

    With narrowed eyes,Hansenscrutinised the man.

    He looked like he was in his twenties. His face was pale and clean, and he had an imposing aura. No matter how one looked at him, there was a sense of arrogance all over him, and it was unmistakable. It was as if he couldn¡¯t be bothered with anything else, including Hansen.

    When Hansen walked in, he had stolen everyone¡¯s attention. The man had clearly felt the pressure. Moreover,while Hansen had made his entrance, he hadpletely ignored the man. This also made thetter ufortable.

 Chapter 397 Stayed Out Late

    ¡°Oh,Young Master Richards, this isMr. Garver¡¯sson, HonoldGarver. He is a loyal friend and we have invited him to join us. I forgot to introduce him to you.¡± David¡¯s father was currently in partnership withHonold¡¯sfather, Sadiva. Obviously, he was trying to befriend Honold. After all, his father was about to retire. However, Sadiva was different.Sadiva wasyounger and had a great future in politics.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, pleased to meet you.¡± Honold greeted Hansen in an indifferent manner as if he was only doing it out of respect.

    Hansen¡¯s eyebrows furrowed for a second. He was no longer the reckless man he used to be. He would exercise self-restraint and keep his thoughts to himself. After all, he was married now, many things had to be taken into consideration for Jenna¡¯s sake. He didn¡¯t want her to worry.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Garver.¡± He politely replied and reached out his hand.

    Honold slowly extended his hand and shook hands with him. Then, he withdrew his hand immediately.

    Hansensneered discreetly.

    If he hadn¡¯t helped Sadiva get rid of Earl, would Sadiva have had the chance to be the mayor? However, this guy obviously didn¡¯t know the subtle rtionship between them.

    Nevertheless, thinking ofCamphor Tree Vi, Sadiva had contributed a lot.Hansen was nonchnt about it.

    ¡°Come on. Greet all the young masters.¡± The red door opened. The manager came in with several pure and beautiful women. These women were all wearing flesh-colored tops, revealing their backs and chests, with mini skirts showing their plump hips, and slender waists, which were very alluring.

    ¡°Hello, young masters.¡± Thedies greeted politely with their faces full of lust.

    ¡°Hey, beauties.¡±Fredericwhistled. He ogled at one of the women, curled his finger at her and she immediately sat on hisp. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she said in a coquettish voice, ¡°Please be good to me, Mr. Newton.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±Frederic¡¯s eyes fell on her half-exposed chest, and he gulped.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Next, each of them picked a woman. Finally, only Hansen remained.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you just got back from a business trip. Hurry up and pick one.¡± Fredericsaw that Hansen hadn¡¯t made a move. The only remaining woman, named Finny, stood there looking aggrieved. He urged him. ¡°They¡¯re all virgins, and are safe and clean.¡±

    Hansen looked at her indifferently. The woman¡¯s eyes were seductive as she kept batting her eyshes at him. He couldn¡¯t help but to smile and wave his hand at her. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s you then.¡±

    The woman was ted when she heard that. Not only was he the richest and most powerful man in the city, but he was also handsome. Every woman admired him.She did not expect to be his pick.

    With a face full of joy, she walked overseductively. However, before she could even get close, she had already faltered and was about to fall into his arms.

    A gleam of light shed in Hansen¡¯s eyes. He reached out to grab her and sat her down on the sofa next to him.

    ¡°Hey, what in the world are you guys ying today? Didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s just a few rounds of poker?¡± He turned his eyes toDavid, who was flirting with a beauty.

    ¡°Yes, we can have some fun too,¡±Chestersaid with a lecherous smile on his face.

    ¡°Then, you can pay the bill today.¡± He said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m not into this anyway.¡±

    ¡°No,let¡¯s get started,Mr. Richards!¡±Frederic flustered as soon as Hansen spoke. They had already spent two days and one night there. The bill was at least a million dors. His wife had taken all his money. If he had tofootthe bill, he would get in trouble when he returned home. If his wife were to inform his father, then it would be difficult for him toe out and fool around in the future.

    On asions like this, it was always Hansenwho paid the bill. If Hansen left, they would have to pay.

    Immediately, all of them stood up and gathered around the table.

    The guys sat Hansen down at a strategic angle. He smirked as he already knew what they were nning, but decided to go with the flow anyway.

    Their intention was clear. It was to let him lose money. Even if he could win, they wouldn¡¯t pay up willingly. Richards Group was thriving and they own the most lucrative businesses in the city. The only reason his friends were still by his side was so that they could spend all his money away!

    Therefore, for Hansen, ying poker was just entertainment. So, he never yed seriously.

    However,dy luck was on his side that day. He couldn¡¯t lose on purpose even if he wanted to. Hansen found this situation amusing and wanted to tease them when he looked up and saw them looking downcast.

    ¡°You¡¯re so lucky, Mr. Richards.¡± Finny, praised with a sweet voice. It was said thatMr. Richardswas afraid of his wife. Even if she couldn¡¯t sleep with him, it was good to at least get some money from him. She didn¡¯t want to pass up on such a good opportunity. Thinking of this, she slowly leaned her chest on Hansen¡¯s arm, showing her cleavage.

    Hansen naturally felt it. He knitted his brows slightly and looked at the woman with a cold glint in his eyes.

    Finny was startled by his stare and felt a chill down her spine. She let go of Hansen¡¯s arm and sat upright.

    Honold¡¯s luck was not bad. He could win a little. It seemed thatDaviddeliberately lost to him.

    There were many undercurrents at the poker table. How could Hansen not understand?

    He didn¡¯t mean to win, but he was so lucky that he couldn¡¯t lose even if he wanted to.

    Initially, he had nned to leave after two rounds of games. Due to his good luck, they stopped him and would not let him go. He had to continue ying.

    It waste at night.

    Jenna knew something was not right when Hansen was nowhere to be seen downstairs. If she recalled correctly, Hansen had never spent the night out for the past year. He had just returned from his business trip earlier that day too. So, there was no reason for him to be outte.Besides, where could he go? He didn¡¯t need to work overtime either as it was a weekend the next day.

    He left without saying a word. This was the first time it had happened after their marriage. Hence, she was puzzled.

    Recently,he began contacting his old friends again.All of Jenna¡¯s attention was on him. How could she not know?

    Men need to have friends after all. She did not want to restrict him too much. It would be bad if they were inseparable all the time. All she cared about was that she had a ce in his heart.

    As long as Hansendidn¡¯tdo anything wrong, she wouldn¡¯t care that heasionally went out to drink, sing karaoke, and go to bars.

    There were a few times when he came back before midnight, he would inconspicuously rinse the sweat off his body, get into bed, and hold her in his arms.

    ¡°This is fine, isn¡¯t it? Besides, he quit smoking for me. It doesn¡¯t matter if he has a bad habit or two.¡± She thought.

    After all, one couldn¡¯t ask for too much. It would only lead to dissatisfaction and conflict.

    ¡°He must have left for an engagement.¡± She pondered. It was said that since Sky Sword Group had merged with Jones Group, they started doing well. The president of Sky Sword Group was a smart, strong, and capable woman,Zoe.She started apany from the ground up and evenmerged with Jones Group. Such a woman could not be underestimated.

    Jenna felt that itwas a bad omen.

    Later that night, she sat in front of theputer and designed a car model.Without thinking, she raised her head and saw that it was already midnight.

    He hadn¡¯te back yet, which made her nervous.

    This was the first time he hadn¡¯t returned home at this hour since they got married.

    Feeling a little uneasy, she drew the curtain and looked outside. There was no sign of his car at all.

    She was concerned.

    Since she came back fromWullen Town, Hansen had asked her to stay at home and did not let her go back to work. She was happy with the decision, living afortable life at home. Now that Jerry had grown up, she was thinking about going back to work to take some pressure off him.

    After they got married, Trevor met up with her once and had hinted at her to help Hansen. However,Hansendidn¡¯t want her to be overwhelmed with work.

    After staring into space for a while, she decided to take a bath first.

    Hansen¡¯s energy was excellent. He would have s*x with her almost every night.

    Although they already had intercourse that day, it was possible that he would ask for it againter that night. What¡¯s more, it was a rest day the next day. So, they could sleep in.

    However, she was worried that it would be toote when he returned. Plus, he had gone on a business trip for a few days. He would be too tired and may harm his health.

    She was wearing lingerie when she came out of the bathroom.

    Hansen had brought all of the pajamas over from Collier Manor.He also bought her many sets of lingerie and forcedher to put them on. Their nightswould always be filled with passion when they made love.

    Shplied with his wishes anyway only because they always did it in their bedroom. As time went by, she got used to wearing them and would not feel shy. Moreover, in such passion, she was experiencing more pleasure in being a woman.

    Her cell phone suddenly rang.

    It must be from Hansen.

    She was delighted and quickly picked up her mobile phone, only to find that it was only a message.

    She swiped the screen of his mobile and the message popped up.

    There was only one sentence.

    ¡°VIP room inParadise House.¡±

    Jenna was shocked and wondered who sent this message.

    Looking at the phone number, it turned out to be an unfamiliar one.

    When she dialled the number, it did not exist.

    What was going on?

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank, and she had a bad feeling.

    Could it be that Hansen had gone toParadise House? One had to know that that was a bad ce. What was he doing there? Plus, who was the person who sent this message? Why were they telling her this piece of news? Jenna thought.

 Chapter 398 My Husband Is Hansen

    After pacing the room,Jennacalled Hansen.

    She dialed for a long time, but no one answered. When she dialed again, someone finally answered the phone. A charming female voice came from the other end of the line, and there seemed to be a lot ofughter in the background.

    ¡°Hello, who is this? Mr. Richards has gone to the toilet. Please call againter.¡± The woman¡¯s voice was seductive and she sounded lewd to Jenna.

    Jenna¡¯sface turned pale and her heart started throbbing.

    She thought for a moment after hanging up the phone, grabbed the keys, and headed out.

    She was now the mistress of Richards Manor. She made a phone call and an electric car came to pick her up at once.

    The driver had gone to the garage to pick up the car for her. It was right next to the electric car. She hopped in her Lamborghini and searched forParadise Housevia navigation tools.

    It was in a wealthy area of A City, the most affluent ce. The people who lived there were either rich or noble. The people who ran Paradise Housewere not from Richards Group, but Jenna could imagine that they were by no means simple.

    As soon as she entered the pub, she was stopped by a security guard.

    She raised her chin and said in a cold voice with a solemn face, ¡°I came to find my husband, Mr. Hansen.¡±

    When the security guard heard Hansen¡¯s name, he turned to look at her.

    Wow, Hansen¡¯s wife was here.

    He didn¡¯t know if she was here to catch her husband or to cause trouble, but he didn¡¯t dare to stop her. He could only let her pass. He didn¡¯t have the guts to offend Hansen¡¯s wife.

    Jenna walked into the dark pub. The smell of various colognes made her ufortable. She would not havee to such a ce if it wasn¡¯t to look for Hansen.

    After enquiring at the front desk, she went straight to the VIP room on the third floor.

    The VIP room was in a dark corner, surrounded by green nts. It was separated from the other private rooms, and there were guards at the door.

    As soon as Jenna approached,a fierce-looking security guard stopped her and asked, ¡°Miss, may I know who you are looking for?¡±

    Jenna sneered. She looked up and saw that the door of the VIP room was not closed entirely. She could faintly hear the sound of a woman¡¯sughter whom she had heard talking on the phone. There wasughter mixed with Hansen¡¯svoice. The atmosphere was fun and enthusiastic.

    As expected, he was here, and Jenna¡¯s heart was instantly filled with mixed feelings.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to see my husband.¡± Her voice was loud. Her head was slightly raised as she looked coldly at the security guard.

    ¡°Who is your husband, please?¡± The security guard saw that she was full of confidence, elegant, and looked noble from head to toe. She was different from thedies at the pub. He knew that this woman¡¯s background was not simple. So, his voice became more polite.

    ¡°My husband is Hansen.¡± She raised her voice in pitch and volume.

    The flirting andughter of the women in the room seemed to have dwindled. Jenna was furious. Hansen actually dared to show up at a pub to y with thedies behind her back. Was he so s*xuallyfrustrated? Immediately, her face turned red from anger!

    Hansen had just gone to the washroom. Thus, hedid not hear the phone call fromJenna. Since Jenna did not make a sound throughout the call, Finny did not tell him about it. Hence, he did not expect Jenna toe looking for him.

    He was smoking at that time becauseFrederic kept encouraging him to do so. In fact, he had already quit smoking, and it was his first time smoking that day. When he heard the voice outside, he froze and his hands trembled.

    ¡°Sh*t, this woman hase all the way here.¡± He thought to himself.

    The panic instantly spread from the bottom of his heart, and even his face fell. His mouthloosenedandthe cigarette fell on his trouser pocket. In an instant, the cigarette butt burned his trouser pocket, leaving a big hole. It made him jump and his chair fell. Finny, who wasbeside him, squealed as Hansen pushed her aside.

    Then, he steadied himself.

    Jenna walked in wearing a light green, tight-fitting dress with exquisite makeup, and delicate eyebrows, she furrowed slightly.

    Her beautiful eyesscanned the entire room. However, she didn¡¯t even look Hansen straight in the eye.

    ¡°Jenna, hello,¡± Frederic,Chester, and Davidrecovered from the shock and greeted her in unison.

    ¡°Hello, everyone.¡± She smiled gracefully and greeted them. Sheignored thestrangeness and amusement in their eyes. ¡°It turns out that you are all ying cards here. Not bad. There are beauties to apany you guys.¡±

    With a clear and melodiousugh, she raised her chin. Only then did her gaze fall on Hansen¡¯s eyes, which had been avoiding hers. She looked him up and down and her eyes swept across his pants. Mockery shed briefly in her eyes.

    ¡°Go on, go on. Hansen, I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡±

    After finishing her words, she gracefully sat down on the beige sofa beside her, looking like ady. She folded her hands and put them on her knees. She looked decent, but her eyes were flickering while she smiled. Her imposing manner pierced through the air.

    She didn¡¯t look at anyone specifically, but everyone felt as if there was a sharp arrow stabbing their backs.

    It wasn¡¯t until this moment that Hansen regained his senses.

    Everyone in the room began to behave themselves. They drew out their restless hands from thedies. Their faces were filled with awkwardness. However, when they saw the nervous and fearful look on Hansen¡¯s face, they had a hard time containing theirughter.

    It turned out that Mr. Richardswas really afraid of his wife. They finally witnessed it that day.

    There was indeed a woman in this world who could make Mr. Richards act obediently. This was astounding!

    Hansen stood there, stunned. He nced at his friends who were looking at him. Not only was there ridicule in their eyes but there was even a trace of pity in them!

    ¡°Sh*t, what kind of look are those guys giving me?¡± He thought.

    ¡°Honey, you¡¯vee to join me. Well then, sit down and wait. We¡¯ll y for a while longer.¡± Mr. Richards said to everyone in the roomsuddenly. After that, he took the lead to sit down.

    Everyone cast a skeptical gaze on him. They wanted to leave, but they were in high spirits. Jenna didn¡¯t say anything anyway and was just sitting there. SinceMr. Richardshad spoken, they decided to continue ying. Not to mention that they hadn¡¯t won any money yet.

    Soon, the game began.

    Finnywas still sitting next to Hansen.

    Jenna just sat there quietly and looked at them. She looked at them one by one withindifferent eyes from time to time.

    The atmosphere was a little strange.

    Not long after, they all felt as if they weresitting onthe pins and needles. Their interest in ying cards quickly dissipated, and they couldn¡¯t go on.

    ¡°Uhh, Mr. Richards, it¡¯s gettingte. Your wife is still waiting by the side.Let¡¯s leave it at this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°We still have something else to do,Mr. Richards.Since Mrs. Richards is here, you¡¯d better apany her.¡±All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    They suggested dejectedly.

    The cards Hansen was holding on to felt a little slippery and sticky.

    ¡°F*ck, am I scared out of my wits?¡± He thought.

    Hecaught a glimpse of Jenna¡¯s indifferent smile from the corner of his eyes. The smile was cold no matter how he looked at it. Besides, she didn¡¯t even bother to look at him.

    After knowing her for so many years, he naturally knew that at this moment,she was filled with dissatisfaction within. In other words, she was unhappy.

    ¡°Well, since you guys don¡¯t want to y, then forget it. Don¡¯t say that I¡¯m the one who refuses to y the next time.¡± He threw the cards in front of him and said pretentiously, ¡°Boring.¡±

    After that, he stood up, walked over to Jenna and sat down beside her. He put his arm around her shoulder and said, ¡°Honey, you really love me.¡±

    He knew that she was angry, but he still chose to be thick-skinned.

    When he heard her boldly saying, ¡°My husband is Hansen¡±, he was delighted. It was only at that moment he felt that he truly had her. They had been married for a year, but it was only until she said that, the feeling of wholesomeness and that they were connected imprinted in his heart.

    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he had to put on airs in front of his friends, he would have gone home with her a long time ago.

    In fact, he didn¡¯t like this kind of engagement, especially after marrying her. He didn¡¯t like to y with these men who only knew how to take advantage of him, but he was a man, and sometimes he had to y along.

    ¡°Jenna, we¡¯re sorry. We called Hansen out today. Please be lenient to him.¡± Everyone knew that Hansen would sufferter that night. Thus, they all covered their smiles and asked Jenna for mercy for him.

    Unexpectedly, Jenna smiled faintly and said to Hansen, ¡°Hansen, there are still guests here. Why don¡¯t you introduce them to me?¡±

    Upon hearing Jenna¡¯s words, Hansen was stunned for a moment. He immediately understood who she was referring to.

    ¡°Yes, Jenna. Let me introduce you.¡± He helped Jenna to her feet and walked in front of Honold. In a soft voice, he said, ¡°This isMr. Garver¡¯s son, HonoldGarver. You know the other three.¡±

    ¡°Hello,Mr. Garver, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡± Jenna smiled and took the initiative to reach out her hand to him politely.

    ¡°Hello,Mrs. Richards.¡± Honold also stood up at the right time. Jenna¡¯s smiling face, which was like the spring breeze, made him feel a force of oppression. Moreover, this woman was really beautiful and had a graceful temperament. Naturally, he became nicer,smiling with a hint of praise.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disrupting your mood. I¡¯ll invite you guys to have fun some other time. It¡¯s a littlete now, Hansen and I will make a move first.¡± Jenna smiled and nced at everyone with her almond-shaped eyes.Her elegant look had an overwhelming manner, causing a forced smile to appear on their faces. ¡°Okay,Jenna, goodbye. See you.¡±

    She turned around and walked outside.She was calm, secure, and confident.The hemline of her skirt drew an arc,which made her slim figure look slimmer.

    Hansen followed her out.

 Chapter 399 Begged For Mercy

    Hansen watched asJenna¡¯s beautiful figure walked confidently in front of him. She did not even spare him a nce. The light in the dancing hall outside flickered, blending into all sorts of colors. It made her look mysterious.

    Hansen followed behind her. The corners of his lips curled up as he stared at her back. He could see her bare back, her silver high heels, and her hair casually tied up at the back of her head. She was indescribably charming and alluring. She turned around and propped one hand on her waist. Her eyebrows furrowed and said with a hint of anger, ¡°Alright, Hansen, you have guts. How dare you do these things behind my back.¡±

    Hansenwas shocked. As soon as he walked out ofParadise House, he took a step forward and held her in his arms. His eyes glistened. ¡°Baby, are you angry?¡±

    Jenna nced at him, and there was a halo in her eyes. Hansen didn¡¯t know whether she was mad at him or she was seducing him. He was enticed. He had made love to her that afternoon, but now a wave of desire emerged, and his body reacted quickly.

    Helifted up her delicate chin with slender fingers and tilted her face up. Then, he whispered, ¡°Baby, I was wrong. I apologize.¡±

    ¡°Let go of me.¡± Jenna swatted off his hand that held her chin, and then red at him. ¡°Let¡¯s go home now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Hansen gave a smile.

    Jenna didn¡¯t bother to pay attention to him and walked towards the parking lot.

    Hansen cackled like ackey and trailed behind her.

    Fredericshook his head and said,¡°Looks likeMr. Richard¡¯s life is over. He lets his wife control him.¡± After they left, the atmosphere in the VIP room was no longer fun.

    The scene of Hansen being henpecked had not escaped the men. No matter how much Hansen tried to pretend, he would not be able to hide it from them.

    ¡°It never crossed my mind that Jenna would have it in her to be able to subdue Hansen.¡±Chester added. He smiled faintly as he recalled the contract from that time. He had wanted to fool her but had been defeated easily. He had lost all his dignity.

    ¡°You guys are just jealous that he has a beautiful and outstanding wife.¡±David, who was not yet married, saw through them. Thus, he immediately taunted them.

    ¡°I think she¡¯s good. She has the capabilities and knows how to win a man¡¯s heart. Unlike all of you, who can¡¯t beforted at home, and can only findfort outside. Your sarcastic words mean that you are jealous.¡± Honold spoke out at the right time. He had a good impression of Jenna.

    He had met the wives ofFrederic and Chester. None of them could hold a candle to Jenna, and the bare-faced Jenna was more attractive and beautiful in real life.

    His words touchedFrederic. Frederichad to marry his wife for the sake of his family¡¯s interests. The loveless marriage made him linger outside every day and unwilling to go home.Even though his father knew this, he would turn a blind eye toFrederic¡¯sbehavior. As long as he didn¡¯t divorce, it was fine. IfFrederichad a beloved wife to take care of him, he wouldn¡¯t act like this.

    ¡°Cough. Let¡¯s continue to y. From now on, Mr. Garver will rece Mr. Richards and have fun with us.¡±Fredericwaved his hand and said with a smile. Hansen already had a beautiful wife. So, he could flirt without worry. Frederic thought.

    Soon, everyone began to hug the beauty next to them and resumed the poker game.

    In a dark spot ofParadise House,Zoestood in a corner and watched Jenna and Hansen leave. The light in her eyes was as sharp as an eagle¡¯s.

    ¡°Miss Yates, it seems that Hansen loves his wife and listens to her much.¡± Octavia stood at the side and looked at their backs as they left and said with a sigh.

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re a happy couple,¡±Zoesaid with an eerie smile.

    ¡°Miss Yates, there are several orders that went to Richards Group today. It seems that it will be difficult for us to survive in A City. Our situation is getting worse day by day.¡± Octavia could not hide the worry and helplessness on her face.

    The me inZoe¡¯s eyes flickered and condensed into a knife.

    ¡°Octavia, have you heard that every flow must have its ebb?¡± she said softly, and the smile on her face was scary.

    Every flow must have its ebb? Octavia was taken aback.

    DidMiss Yatesmean that Richards Group had reached its peak, and it would meet its ebb soon?

    Octavialooked at Zoe suspiciously and nodded.

    ¡°Nothingsts forever. No matter how strong Richards Group is, they will not be able to escape their downfall. Moreover, they have been thriving for too long. It¡¯s time for them to take a break,¡±Zoemuttered.

    After saying so, she burst outughing.

    Octavia stood at the side and looked at her, feelingcreeped out.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Richards Group was as solid as granite. How could it be easily taken down? What was more, its assets and portfolio involved every industry. It was easier said than done.

    Octavia felt thatZoe¡¯swords were not credible, but her confidence still surprised her.Many problems would emerge if Richards Group suddenly copsed. Many smallpanies that were attached to Richards Group would fail, andOctaviawas afraid that it would cause financial turmoil in A city. It would be disastrous.

    The city had fallen into sleep, while Richards Manor was quiet.

    Jenna and Hansen drove into Richards Manor, one after the other.

    The electric cars were already waiting for them.

    The two of them got on and headed for Green Jade Garden.

    ¡°Baby, wait for me.¡± As soon as Hansen got out of the car, he held her slender waist and tried to please her.

    Jenna didn¡¯t resist and let him hold her, but the look on her face was not good.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it tonight. I wanted to tell you, but you brought Jerry upstairs. I didn¡¯t want to disturb you. Besides, I was nning to stay only for a while. I didn¡¯t expect that¡­¡± Hansen exined.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t expect that I woulde, right?¡± Jenna interrupted and ced her hand on his mouth. This was the first time she had been this cold since they got married.

    ¡°Honey, I promise it won¡¯t happen again.¡± He smiled and admitted his mistake with sincerity.

    While speaking, he held her in his arms and walked quickly to the living room.

    Jenna saw that his face looked tired up close, and the tiredness in his eyes was obvious. She felt as if her heart was being pricked by needles.

    He was already so tired, yet he still hung out with them. Moreover, he had been out tillte. How could she not be angry?

    Due to international affairs, the economy was still in a downturntely. What¡¯s worse, the real economy was stagnant. In the current market, the influence of cryptocurrency and online shopping were rising. Richards Group might face changes again.

    The previous sessful transformation in the motor industry propelled the Richards Group to the international stage. It turned out that it was a rare transformation. It had made great contributions to thepany. At present, the transportation industry was still active. It even helped Richards Group¡¯s weaker businesses.

    As far as the current situation was concerned, the car industry would continue to support the group.

    In the past few days, Hansen had gone toCapital Cityto deal with sompaniesoperating at a loss. He must have been swamped by work.

    When she was about to get off of him, he had walked to the second floor with her in his arms.

    ¡°Put me down. I can walk,¡± she said softly.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll put you down right away.¡± Hansen chuckled and took a few strides forward with his long legs. He put her on the bed, lowered his head and bit her earlobe. His lips grazed her earlobe.

    ¡°Hansen, let me go¡­¡± Jenna¡¯s ears were numb. Just as she protested, his lips touched her red lips and his tongue meets hers.

    Jenna could taste the faint smell of tobo in his mouth.

    This guy actually smoked. This was the first time he smoked since he quit smoking. This was too much. She couldn¡¯t let it go.

    She pushed him away, sat up, and asked loudly, ¡°Did you smoke?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Hansen was startled.He forgot about this. Now, he had been exposed! His pants even got scorched to hide the fact that he was smoking, and she found out with a kiss.

    Previously, as long as he kissed her when she was angry, her anger would disappear.

    However, that was not the case that day.The kiss made her even angrier.

    This was a serious matter.

    ¡°You¡¯ve broken two of your promises. Not only did you smoke, but you also didn¡¯te home before midnight.What do you suppose we do?¡±Jennacould see the blood streak in his eyes, and her heart ached. It took her more than a year to make him healthier, and now everything was messed up. This man didn¡¯t cherish his health and wasted her efforts. As a result, she was infuriated. Her face was red when she questioned him.

    Hansen knew that he was in the wrong. He could only smile and say, ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m still a man. I can¡¯t be too rigid in front of my friends. Besides, this is the first time I broke promises. I¡¯m just putting on an act. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    After that, he buried his head in her hair and begged for mercy. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m so tired. Let me go. Can we go to sleep first?¡±

    As he spoke, he shook her body and put his big hand under her clothes.

    His voice was a little hoarse. It seemed that he was exhausted. Jenna¡¯s heart was instantly softened. Touching his thick, ck hair, she said unwillingly, ¡°You lied to me and didn¡¯t keep your promise. I¡¯ll let it slide this time.If this happens again, you will be sleeping on the first floor. If you don¡¯t believe it, try me.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s hope was ignited. He had to get through this first. He raised his head and said solemnly, ¡°It¡¯s not going to happen again. I¡¯ll listen to you from now on.¡±

    ¡°Then, quickly wash up and go to bed. It¡¯s alreadyte.¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t bear to see him looking so tired. She urged him to sleep.

 Chapter 400 Return To Richards Group

    ¡°Well, please help me get some clothes.¡± Hansen was worn out. In fact, what he worried about the most was that he had dyedJenna¡¯s sleeping time. Seeing that her little face showed signs of drowsiness, he hastily got up and took a shower.

    Jenna tidied up his suit and noticed something off on his pants.

    She understood immediately when she saw the cigarette hole. She saw him looking down at his crotch areawith a flustered expressionwhen she walked into the VIP room. It must have been scalded just now. She was angry and amused.

    The suit was handmade.It would¡¯ve taken two tailors nearly a month to get it done.At that time, they did order a lot, but now, such an expensive suit had been ruined. She shook her head regretfully at once.

    She heardHansen calling her and hurriedly tidied up his pajamas and underwear, and fetched them for him.

    As soon as Jenna got under the quilt, Hansen finished his bath and climbed into bed.

    As soon as he got on the bed,he took her into his arms and slipped his hand into her pajamas.¡°Did you burn your pants from smoking?¡±Jenna smelled the familiar scent of his shampoo and asked in apliant tone.

    ¡°Just throw it away if it¡¯s ruined. It¡¯s just a suit. There is still a lot in the closet. What¡¯s the big deal?¡± he said indifferently and leaned in to kiss her.

    Throw it away? That sounded easy. Hansen didn¡¯t know the value of necessities. Although the Richards family was rich, he would have to pay at least one million dors for the suit, as well as his rendezvous with his friends. The ordinary working ss would not even have the savings even for a lifetime. It was irresponsible just to splurge money on leisure! She stopped him from kissing her and said in a serious tone, ¡°Sleep. Don¡¯t think about anything else. You are spending way too much. Such a waste of money is prohibited in the future. If you vite it, you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.¡±

    ¡°Yes, anything you say.¡± Hansen was sapped. Listening to Jenna¡¯s criticism, he answered obediently. After hugging her for a while, he saw her close her eyes and he fell asleep.

    After a while, the sound of his heavy breathing could be heard.

    Jenna stretched out her hand and touched his hair. His hair was still wet. How could he fall asleep like this?

    s, this guy was getting more and more childish. He didn¡¯t take good care of himself most of the time. She was concerned about how he had been doing on this business trip.

    She got out of his arms quietly and dried his hair. Then, she felt relieved and fell asleep again with her arms around him.

    In the conference room, on the 88th floor of the International Kinsey Center, several long, square, meeting tables were arranged in order andcovered with a red velvet cloth, looking dignified and proper.

    The senior executives of the Richards Group, who were dressed in ck suits, gathered together. They held their breath and sat up straight.

    At the center of each meeting table, purple stock flowers were in full bloom and gave off a pleasant fragrance.

    The president¡¯s soft, ck chair, as well as a smaller chair next to it were conspicuously empty.

    That day¡¯s meeting was unscheduled. Therefore, everyone came in a hurry and did not know what urgent matter it would be.

    Generally speaking, it was rare to call all the executives hastily to a meeting, and it was Hansen who ordered the meeting. Unless there were some idents, it had happened several times during the financial crisis. However, now it seemed that there was no crisis.

    From time to time, everyone looked at each other in confusion. They did not know what to say in this meeting or what would be announced. They felt uneasy.

    After a while.

    The steady and powerful footsteps, apanied by the crisp and loud sound of high heels, slowly approached.

    Everyone looked up.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Their eyes widened in surprise.

    Behind Hansen, who was in a suit, followed a beautiful woman. She was wearing a silver two-piece suit that entuated her full hips. Her waist was slender and her body was well-proportioned. Her beautiful hair cascaded down her shoulders, and there was a confident and charming smile on her beautiful face.

    Wasn¡¯t this Ms. Murphy?

    She was now Hansen¡¯swfully wedded wife.

    The old, senior executives of Richards Group all recognized her. Although thepany had expanded in the past two years, the new, young managers also recognized her as they had seen her on TV screens.

    Hadn¡¯t Mr. Richards insisted she stayed at home? Then, what was the reason for hering here today?

    She was wearing her typical work suit. Was she going to return to the Richards Group to be a vice president again?

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Richards,Mrs. Richards.¡± Everyone stood up and greeted them in unison, their faces full of respect.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hansen¡¯s gaze was cold as he nodded his head in a dignified manner. He said indifferently, ¡°Please take a seat.¡±

    Everyone sat down in unison, without making a sound.

    Hansen sat down on the main chair and pointed at the seat beside him, indicating to Jenna to sit down on the soft chair beside him.

    Jenna sat downcalmly.

    The meeting room was quiet. Everyone sat upright and waited for Hansen to speak.

    Jenna nced at them. Well, it had been two years since she left Richards Group, there were indeed many new faces. She heard that Hansen had focused on the Richards Group, allowing it to leap to a new level in terms of both quality and quantity.

    When she thought of this, she smiled in her heart. She admired Hansen¡¯s ability. He was indeed a genius when ites to business.

    ¡°Everyone, I have called all of you here today because I have an important matter to announce.¡± Hansen leaned against the ck-colored chair. One of his arms was ced on the back of the chair, while the other hand was casually ced on his knee. He looked casual and calm, but his naturalmanding aura was inadvertently present.

    Everyone was listening attentively. At that moment,one could even hear a pin drop

    ¡°Starting today,Ms. Murphywill continue her post as vice president at Richards Group. The secretary will send an email to everyone regarding her projects. Please take a good look at it. Jenna is my wife.¡± Hansen paused.

    The room was quiet.

    ¡°But she did not be the vice president because of me. Her car designs and achievements in the industry are apparent to all. I¡¯m sure everyone knows this well.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes swept around. With deterrent power, he nced at the whole scene. His voice was loud.

    He looked solemn, and the light in his eyes was majestic.

    He continued, ¡°Now, the automobile industryof the Richards Group has expanded internationally. This achievement is iparable to otherpanies. It is also the major industry of the Richards Group. Now, the profits of the car sales have taken up half of the pure profits of ourpany. This is a number that can¡¯t be ignored. It is also the pride of the Richards Group. I hope that everyone can respectMs. Murphy, work well with her, and do a good job in theautomobile industryunder her leadership. Of course, if you have any opinions, feel free to express them. I will ept all suggestions and proposals. However, if there are harmful intentions or disobeying of leaders in thepany, I will not let it slide.¡±

    His clear, determined voice rang in the empty conference room. It was like a soldering iron imprinted in everyone¡¯s heart. Everyone understood the underlying meaning behind his words. It was to stand up for Jenna, and he made it clear that he did not y favorites with his family.

    In fact, everyone could see Jenna¡¯s achievements. Even if Hansen didn¡¯t mention it, with her status as Mrs. Richards, who would dare to be presumptuous?

    ¡°This year, our automobile industry will definitely top the global sales.Is everyone confident in achieving this goal?¡± Hansen saw that everyone did not react. He immediately changed the topic and asked seriously.

    ¡°We¡¯re confident, Mr. Richards.¡± Everyone responded loudly in unison.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good. I believe in everyone¡¯s capabilities.¡± Hansen nodded with satisfaction. Then, he turned his face and asked softly, ¡°Is there anything you want to say, Ms. Murphy?¡±

    He looked at her with his bright, dark eyes, which were filled with softness. In contrast to his previous seriousness, a corner of his mouth lifted, which was incredibly sexy.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna¡¯s heartbeat raced. She smiled at him and straightened her body. She ced her hands on the desk and lifted her chin slightly. She spoke, ¡°Hello everyone. There are people who know me and have worked with me, but there are some new faces. I will introduce myself. My name is JennaMurphy. I will be the vice president of Richards Group. Everyone here is an executive of Richards Group and a pir of the group. First of all,I thank you all for trusting me andI hope that you will do your best to support me at work. I would like to work together with everyone here to create a better future. At the same time, I hope that you can give me valuable suggestions and advice.I¡¯m sure everyone believes that only when thepany is well will we have a better future. We have to work hard to move forward. Only then, we will not be eliminated and will never be defeated. As a major corporation, we must have a sense of urgency. No matter what we do, we have to prepare for the worst. Thank you.¡±

    Jenna stood up as she spoke and bowed to them.

 Chapter 401 It Was A Clean Slate

    Her action made everyone present feel uneasy.The vice president post was the second-highest position in Richards Group.Such a person who took on this important and honorable position bowed to her subordinates. Of course, it made them feel great pressure. However, on the other hand, it also showed that Jenna was not a shallow woman. Herhusband, who was the president of Richards Group, was sitting next to her. She could afford to be arrogant and ignore everyone, but she did not. She was also cautious and polite. A woman like her would be scary.

    ¡°Well said.¡± The corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth curved as he took the lead in apuding Jenna.

    All of a sudden, the audience burst into thunderous apuse. The executives who had been surprised came to their senses and pped their hands loudly.

    The meeting was only to announce Jenna¡¯s return and nothing more.

    Hansen called over all the executives just to tell everyone about Jenna¡¯s appointment. In fact, this could have been done with an email. After all, Richards Group had aplete system of online workmunication and structure. Nevertheless, his reason for calling all of them to meet in person was clear.

    Hence, in less than a few minutes after the meeting, the entireRichards Group, as well as the corporations overseas, received the news. Some were happy, some were scared, and most people were talking amongst themselves. They maintained an observant attitude.

    After the meeting.

    Jenna and Hansen returned to the office at the same time.

    They walked together in a high-profile manner.

    Like what Hansen had said, they were husband and wife. There was nothing untoward about taking care of the family business together.

    Jenna¡¯s office was next door to Hansen¡¯s,which was her old one.

    The moment she opened the door, everything felt familiar.

    Everything in the office was still the sameas if she was still at work the day before. It felt as if she had only gone on a trip for a week and came back to work instead of leaving two years ago.

    ¡°Jenna, you really won¡¯t rather stay at home?¡± As soon as Hansen came in, he held her in his arms and asked seriously.

    This was not the first time he asked her this question. He was constantly worried that she would be tired and didn¡¯t want her to work. He firmly opposed her in the beginning but only agreed reluctantly after sheinsisted.

    In fact, in the two years when Jenna was not working, he found work tough and boring.He would be pleased if she could apany him to work together.

    ¡°Hubby, I have said this many times. I definitely have toe to work. I can¡¯t bear to watch you being busy alone. You know thatRichards Groupis sessful and all the responsibility falls on you. You need a thoughtful person to take some of the burdens. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m still young, I can definitely help you.¡± Jenna said softly. There was a faint smile on her face as she hugged his neck.

    Immediately, Hansen was overjoyed as a gentle smile spread across his face.

    ¡°Well, but don¡¯t overwork yourself. If you feel tired, tell me immediately. I am a man, and this is my task.¡± Hansen pinched her nose and said, ¡°If anyone dares to push you around, just tell me. Do you understand?¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jenna smiled and let go of him, looking around the room. ¡°With your actions today, no one would dare to bully me.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± Hansen nodded and asked, ¡°What do you think of this office, honey?Feel free to ask for anything.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good. It¡¯s just an office. There¡¯s no need for so many things.¡± Jenna shook her head. Her office was considered luxurious.Any more things would distract her from work.

    ¡°Well, get used to it first. If you need anything,e to me at any time. I have something to deal with now.¡± Hansen had to meet up with several major shareholders that morning. He left quickly.

    Watching his retreating figure, Jenna gave a faint smile.

    The office was not in use for a long time and the air in the office was musty. Jenna called the people outside to send a few pots of nts and she opened all the windows for fresh air.

    After that, she turned on herputer and sent an email to inform all the senior managers of the automobile department in the group to have a meeting in a small conference room. It was her first day in the office. Of course, she had to have a n. It was a clean te. She was eager to make changes.

    In the conference room, the executives gathered quickly. If they couldn¡¯t attend the meeting in person, they would join via video call.

    Jenna took a look and found that thepany had expanded a lot under Hansen. There were many people she hadn¡¯t met before.

    ¡°Well, today is my first day to convene a meeting. Let¡¯s introduce ourselves and get familiar with each other.¡± She sat in the seat of honor and said in a friendly manner, ¡°Each of you has 10 seconds. Let¡¯s get straight to it.¡±

    The heart-shaped diamond ring she was wearing shone brightly, making her look noble and indomitable.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start now.¡± She turned on theptop with her delicate finger and looked around at the crowd who had not spoken. She pointed to a young man on the right and said, ¡°Let¡¯s start with you.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Ms. Murphy. I¡¯m MarquisGrint, the manager ofGreen Mountain Automobile City,¡± Marquis said briefly.

    ¡°Next.¡± After Marquis¡¯s introduction, the next one didn¡¯t follow up. Jenna frowned. She didn¡¯t want to waste time on a simple self-introduction. Thus, she urged.

    ¡°Hello,Ms. Murphy. I amZander Lee, the sales manager in A city,¡± Zander said.

    ¡°Hello, Ms. Murphy. I am MaloneyWhitlock,the manager of the design department.¡±

    ¡­

    People continued to introduce themselves, and soon, all the introductions werepleted.

    ¡°Very good.¡± Jenna looked at the time on theputer. The introduction session had ended in three minutes. It met her expectations. She nodded, raised her head, and said, ¡°I have called all of you here today to tell you my requirements. You are the senior managers in the automobile department and the pirs of Richards Group. Thepany will develop the automobile industry vigorously and make it a core part of Richards Group in the future. Therefore, we must all do our best. First of all,sales, design, marketing, maintenance, public rtions, and production departments, please organize your workflow into aprehensive document and present it to me respectively tomorrow.¡±

    Jenna stopped and looked at everyone. Seeing them listening attentively and jotting down notes, she then said, ¡°Next, I will emphasize two things.First, we need to improve on the image of the sales department and the public rtions department. I saw these two departments on video earlier today, and most of you have a poor image and spirit. The other is about efficiency, which I will look into. Finally, I want to exin my n to you. I¡¯m going to set up a worldwide sales model. In order to catch up with the development of the market, we need a global shopping tform. All the car production and sales are to be seen at a nce online. Yaris, please give me aplete n, including the program, the hiring ofputer engineers, and the costs. Can youplete it in a week?¡±

    As Jenna spoke, she turned her eyes to YarisWhite, the general manager of the sales department. He was responsible for global car sales. It was better for him to bear this heavy responsibility.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, the global car sales range isrge and its channel isplex. It¡¯s a brilliant n, but its specific operation is difficult. I¡¯ll need to consult with aputer engineer,¡± Yaris answered.

    ¡°You need to include the car shopping tform. It¡¯ll all be in one ce.¡± Jenna nodded and said briefly, ¡°The process will beplicated, now let¡¯s end the meeting. You can go back to the headquarters to carry out your task immediately. Hurry up and act. What I want is the result.¡±

    Yaris was stunned for a moment. He, who had been in the business for a long time, quickly reacted. He stood up, said yes, and left. Everyone was surprised. It was rare to see such an efficient meeting. They didn¡¯t expect thatMs. Murphywas so capable. After all, this was only her first day. She had proposed to focus on the channel that had not been realized. It seemed that some things would change in Richard Groups.

    ¡°Sylvia, prepare aplete n for car public rtions. There will be a batch of car models produced in one week¡¯s time. This needs to be announced and introduced to the market as soon as possible.¡± After Yaris left, Jenna turned her eyes to Silvia. ¡°Tomorrow I will check the overall image and spirit of the Public Rtions Department. Go back and have a discussion.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Ms. Murphy.¡±SylviaSwinburne, the public rtions manager, had been promoted by her previously.She smiled, agreed, and left in a hurry.

    ¡°Benson,how¡¯s the domestic and foreign car production process now? Is there any difficulty?¡± When Jenna looked up again, she had cast her eyes on the global car production director Benson and asked him.

    This was the first time Benson had seen this legendary woman. He was surprised. The woman had delicate features, and her voice and appearance were amiable and easygoing. However, her mannerisms were swift and decisive. Her decisiveness would not be inferior to Hansen.

    She remembered the name of so many managers in three minutes. This was not something an ordinary person could do. It seemed that Hansen¡¯s wife was indeed extraordinary. He replied respectfully, ¡°Ms. Murphy, the local and overseas production assembly line is still first-ss. There is nopany that canpare to us. Mr. Levinwill advise us on bigger problems.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Levin? It must be Jersey.¡± Jenna thought to herself.

    Upon hearing the mention of Jersey, the corner of Jenna¡¯s mouth raised. It seemed that she had to thank Jersey for all this. She had asked him for help when she was sick. Even though she had fainted in a foreign country, it was likely that her stubbornness had moved him.

 Chapter 402 Seducing The Boss

    ¡°What about quality?¡± Jenna¡¯s beautiful eyes narrowed. She heard that a group of carshad been recalled due to unqualifiedbrake production. It was a fatal w in car production. She could not allow this kind of thing to happen.

    ¡°In terms of quality, the majority of the cars pass the qualification criteria. asionally¡­¡± Before Benson could finish his words, Jenna interrupted him. ¡°In the production of cars, I won¡¯t allow ¡®majority¡¯ or ¡®asionally¡¯. It can only be absolute. We need to pay attention to efficiency and quality. How about this? Go back and look into the recalled brake parts issue. Hand in a report including personnel or things involved. There will be penalties and rewards. Such a thing can¡¯t be overlooked, and you can¡¯t allow it to happen again.¡±

    Benson was a little stunned.

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Jenna gazed at him as she knitted her eyebrows and asked.

    ¡°No, no problem.¡± Benson came back to his senses and quickly replied. Then, he stood up and left.

    In fact,the brake production issue had always been a hidden problem ofRichards Group. The manager who purchased the brake parts was rted to Hansen. The quality had often fallen short of the requirements. However, it was hard for him to investigate deeper. Problems like this had urred previously. However, the problems were minor. That was why it was easily overlooked. This time, it concerned the brakes. Evidently, the issue had spread. If Jenna could curb this problem, it would be great. Therefore, Benson was in a hurry to go back to organize the whole process. Then, he made a detailed report all night andpresented it to Jenna the next day. The oue would depend on Jenna¡¯s deliberation.

    After the matter had been settled, it took only an hour for everyone to return to their positions.After Jenna checked on the other departments and was assured, only then did she leisurely return to her office.

    She turned on theputer and began to work.

    Just as she was engrossed in her work and her face flushed red, there was a movement at the door. She looked up and saw Hansen walking into her office.

    ¡°Honey, I heard that you¡¯ve started a lot of work today. It¡¯s only the first day, yet you¡¯re already working so hard. You sure are my lovely wife anda great leader of Richards Group.¡± Hansen approached her and said with a smile.

    ¡°Not now.¡± Jenna wasparing some data. Hansen came over and disrupted her thoughts. She said, ¡°Hansen, go and do your work first. You have to be disciplined during work hours. Neither the president nor the staff is allowed to vite the rules. I will need to set a rule.No one is allowed either to flirt or show affection during work hours. In short, we must be serious.¡±

    She moved her eyes away from theputer andlooked atHansen¡¯sfrivolous expression and said, ¡°Especially you. Please set a good example.¡±

    ¡°You have got to be kidding!¡± Hansenined in his heart. Was she here to work or to target him? Originally, he was authoritative. It seemed that his work life would not be so good. It was impossible to ¡®tease¡¯ her in the office like what he had done previously.

    ¡°I heard that in the past two years, your performance was good. You are serious all the time. Your level of efficiency is high. The most important thing is that you don¡¯t take a second look at other women. This is rare. You did great. I hope that you can continue to work harder and keep up the good work.¡± Jenna praised him solemnly.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Hansen¡¯s mouth dropped open.

    ¡°You must be persistent. Don¡¯t ruin the good image that you managed to build with great effort. Got it?¡± Jenna said.

    In the two years when she was not in thepany, her colleague had secretly reported Hansen¡¯s performance. Jenna felt sweeter than honey when she heard this.

    Hansen looked at her with a somewhat chagrined expression.

    Even though Jenna spoke in a serious manner, her eyes twinkled with a hit of mischief and her cheeks were flushed.Hansen was ¡®moved¡¯ by her serious expression butsaid with a bitter face, ¡°Honey, please don¡¯t be so serious. We are married. It¡¯s different from the past. Now, I have you by my side.¡±

    ¡°Married? Do you know that there are manypanies that have a rule that forbids married couples to work under the samepany, and that the employees can¡¯t be in a rtionship. Do you think it¡¯s appropriate for you to dere us as husband and wife?¡± Jenna continued to tease him.

    ¡°You little minx. You¡¯d better go home then.¡± Suddenly, Hansen gave an evil smile and spoke frivolously. After saying that, he was about to touch her again.

    ¡°Hold that thought.¡± Jenna quickly stood up and avoided his hand. Since he had often disturbed her in the office previously, it had be a habit. This was not good. At that time, she had nothing to do with him and dared not to offend him. However, this time it was different. She was the mistress ofRichards Manor. Vivian, Trevor, andMarissa wereon her side. Therefore, she needn¡¯t fear him. At the moment, she was not afraid of him and adeptly avoided his hand.

    Hansen¡¯s hand missed her and for a moment, he felt ufortable. He was about to retort when she walked forwards and pushed him out of her office. As she did so, she said, ¡°Mr. Richards, we can discuss matters over the phone. I am busy right now. You should first go to the production department to check the issue of the recalled brakes. I will report it to you tomorrow.¡±

    Seeing that they were about to reach the door, she suddenly pushed him with all her strength andHansenwas immediately out of the door.

    ¡°Bang!¡± The door was locked from the inside.

    Finally, it was quiet.

    Jenna pped her hands and was delighted. She looked through the peephole. Hansen was standing by the door in a stunned manner. It looked as though he was still baffledby what had happened. She pursed her lips and smiled before returning to her table.

    In the past, when she served as the vice president of thepany, she had to work overtime often because of Hansen¡¯s interference. Now that Jerry was at home, she did not want to work overtime. After all, Jerry could not be without her for too long.

    Besides, it had taken him a lot of effort to set up his proper image, and she did not want to ruin it.

    Hansen stood outside the door in a daze. He could not help but to feel embarrassed when he heard the secretary chuckle secretly.

    ¡°Woman, how dare you refuse me like this! Let¡¯s see how I¡¯ll deal with you when I get home!¡± He thought to himself.

    WhenHansenreturned to his office, he felt that something was different. The air seemed to be different, and his heart was warm. Although he couldn¡¯t flirt with her, she was in the office next to him. It was no longer like beforewhen he was alone and work was boring. He was excited and his mood improved. His work efficiency increased.

    At noon, Hansen packed up his things and walked out. The staff had all gone to the dining hall for lunch or had gone home.

    He walked out of the office and came to the door of Jenna¡¯s office. He pushed the door with his hand, but the door was still locked.

    Had this woman already gone out to eat?

    He frowned. ¡°Is she having lunch without me? She really doesn¡¯t consider me as her husband when she¡¯s at work.¡±

    He quickly took out his phone and dialed her number. To his surprise, the sound of the ringtone came from her office.

    Fortunately, she hadn¡¯t left yet.

    It turned out that she was so busy that she had forgotten to eat. This woman was crazier than him when she worked.

    ¡°Open the door. I¡¯ll take you to lunch.¡± He ordered through the phone. If he hadn¡¯t done that, she wouldn¡¯t even go to eat.

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Jenna looked at the clock on the wand saw that it was past 12 o¡¯clock. She had forgotten to eat.She was too immersed in work. She held her forehead and answered, ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ll be out soon.¡±

    After a long while, the door opened. Hansen raised his head and took a look. He saw Jenna holding a small bag and her hair was down. She wore a feminine sleeveless dress that lookedpletely differentfrom the strong woman in a work outfit earlier. His eyes gleamed.

    He couldn¡¯t help but to swallow his saliva, and his body began to stir!

    ¡°We¡¯re just going out to have a meal. Why does she have to change her clothes and dress like this? Is she trying to seduce me?¡± He thought.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jenna said, putting her bag on her shoulder and making the first move to hold his arm. She smiled at him.

    Hansen¡¯s lower abdomen tightened and his entire body heated up.She dragged him for a couple of steps, ashe hadn¡¯t regained his senses yet.

    ¡°Hey, woman, what do you mean by this? Why are you with me openly now?¡± He looked at her with confusion.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s the lunch break now. I¡¯m with my husband. Why can¡¯t I do this?¡± Jenna¡¯s almond-shaped eyesblinked.

    ¡°This¡­¡± Hansen blinked. He was absolutely speechless.

    ¡°Oh,hubby, let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time to get off work. Plus, I¡¯m hungry,¡± Jenna said softly. She was so charming that Hansen was mesmerized. He regained his senses and put his arms around Jenna¡¯s waist. He asked in a low voice, ¡°Woman, are you seducing your superior?¡±

    Seduce him? Jenna wanted tough. Was there any need to seduce him? Thinking about it, she smiled discreetly and said, ¡°Even if I am, I¡¯m seducing my husband. It¡¯s not against thew. What¡¯s more, there is no need to seduce you!¡±All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    The moment these words left her mouth, Hansen¡¯s face darkened.

    ¡°You d*mn woman. Who do you want to seduce?¡±Inexplicablynervous, he asked.

    Jenna heard the jealousy in his words. She giggled and shook his arm. ¡°Hubby, I¡¯m a married woman. Who else can I seduce? Come on.I¡¯m famished.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Hansenughed when she acted coyly. He felt that his nervousness was illogical. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and the two of them walked towards Hansen¡¯s private elevator. Stepping out of the elevator, they still walked hand in hand towards the underground parking lot.

 Chapter 403 Potential Enemy

    ¡°I haven¡¯t worked for so long.I forgot how tiring it can get.¡± As soon as Jenna got in the car, she got onto the soft seat in the back.

    ¡°Really? It¡¯s fine if you quit working. I can provide for you.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard that she was tired. He quickly turned around and assured her.

    ¡°No, I want to go to work.¡±Jennaimmediately answered and turned down his idea. Hansen really didn¡¯t want her to go to work. She wondered what this guy was thinking. Why didn¡¯t he want her to go to work? No, it was exhausting for him to manage such a bigpany alone.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you want to go to work. It¡¯s up to you.¡± Hansen could only let her be.

    ¡°Where do you want to eat?¡±Hansenasked while driving.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°That¡¯s up to you,¡± Jenna said without thinking, lying on her stomach.

    ¡°It¡¯s up to me? Good.¡± He thought.

    Hansen gave a sinisterugh and drove off in his car.

    In just a moment, the car entered a parking lot. Jenna sensed that something was wrong. Why did he drive to an underground parking lot? Weren¡¯t they only having a meal?

    She raised her head and looked at her surroundings. Hansen parked the car, opened the back door, and stretched out his long arms to pick her up.

    ¡°Hey, let me go. What are you doing in broad daylight?¡± She struggled and patted his arm. His arm was strong, and he could hold her easily.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was up to me? We¡¯ll rest atCollier Manorat noon from now on. It¡¯s close to thepany. So, we can walk there too.¡± Hansen said, smiling.

    Collier Manor?

    Jenna raised her head and looked around. Surely enough, this was the underground parking lot of Collier Manor. It was no wonder there was a familiar feeling!

    Then again, what was this guy trying to do by bringing her here?

    Thinking back, in Collier Manor, both of them would¡­

    At the thought of this, her face turned slightly red.

    ¡°Hey, we can rest in thepany. Why do we have toe here?¡± She made a strong protest.

    ¡°Today is your first day at work, and you have worked so hard. I can¡¯t repay you.All that I can do is to reward you.¡± Hansen hugged her and smiled warmly.

    Jenna was alerted. ¡°This guy!¡±

    Hewas not allowed to touch her the night before because she had to go to work that day. However, now,it¡¯s obvious that he was holding a grudge and looking for opportunities to make up for it.

    Her face flushed. She stretched out her hand to hit himbutHansen dodged, and Jenna swayed in his arms. Hansenughed out loud. The two bantered in the underground garage and walked into the elevator.

    Fortunately, there was no one around at noon.

    As soon as they entered the apartment, Jenna smelled the aroma of food and asked in surprise, ¡°Why is there food?¡±

    Hansen chuckled and said, ¡°Just eat.There¡¯s no need to ask so much.¡±

    After a while, Larry came out of the kitchen and saw Hansen and Jenna holding each other in arms. She had been used to it for a long time.

    They were an exceptionally loving couple. As long as they stayed together, they were inseparable. It was the same inRichards Manor, what more in Collier Manor.Larryjust smiled and said, ¡°Young Master, Young Madam, lunch is ready.¡±

    It turned out that he had asked Larry to cook in advance. Hansen had it all nned, even when he had deliberately asked her where she liked to eat. Only he could think of such a trick.

    ¡°Well, you can go back to Richards Manor when you¡¯re done. From today onwards, youcane here and make lunch from Monday to Thursday.¡± Hansen sat down at the dining table with Jenna in his arms and informed Larry.

    ¡°Alright, Young Master, Young Madam. I¡¯ll take my leave,¡± Larry replied with a smile.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna smiled and nodded.

    Larry turned around and walked out of Collier Manor.

    As soon as she went out, Hansen picked up a piece of roast chicken and put it on Jenna¡¯s te. He said affectionately, ¡°Come, have a taste.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jenna said and opened her mouth. When Hansen saw this, he immediately fed her the chicken. ¡°Mmm, not bad.¡± She nodded as she ate.

    Hansen also had a bite. He shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s still not as good as what my wife cooks.¡±

    His ttery worked.

    Jenna was satisfied with such ttery. Seeing that he put the fork he had fed her with into his mouth, she could not help eximing, ¡°Hey, how can you use the fork I have used? It¡¯s not hygienic.¡±

    Hansen smiled shamelessly and said, ¡°I have even tasted you. The fork is nothing. You¡¯re an exception.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna smiled and began to eat.

    Hansen was patiently helping her with foodand didn¡¯t eat much.

    Hansen was serving her well. He must be nning something!

    He wanted to sleep with her.

    Jenna knew him all too well.

    ¡°Since he¡¯s willing to do this, I should let him be!¡± She thought.

    Jenna enjoyed being taken good care of by him, and the two of them had a nice lunch.

    ¡°Hansen, I still have to go back to work in the afternoon. This is bad.¡± As soon as they finished their meal, Hansen rushed into the bedroom with her in his arms. Jenna¡¯s face turned red as she persuaded him softly.

    ¡°It¡¯s only the first day of work. Yet,why are you so passionate? Besides, the work in Richards Group is endless. You don¡¯t need to work so hard.Listen to me and don¡¯t go backter. There¡¯s a banquet tomorrow night. You have to look your best and apany me.¡± Hansen did not intend to let her go at all. It was stupid to waste such a good opportunity.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Jenna wanted to say that she had to build her reputation on her first day, and she had a proposal to finish. However, Hansen had already put her on the bed, and his lips were on hers. His hand went underher skirt in a hurry.

    Jenna mewled.

    Under Hansen¡¯s teasing, she let loose due to the intoxicating bliss. Just as she was ready to ept him,it turns out Hansen was not in a hurry. After a while, he whispered in her ear, ¡°You are so wet, and you still acted seriously. I will need to lecture you well today.¡±

    He pressed down against her so as not to let her move, but kept stimting her.

    Jenna felt that she had fallen towards the bottom of a cliff, and then she soared towards the clouds. She screamed.

    Hansen was filled with joy. He smirked when he saw that her face was full of pleasure and satisfied her when she could no longer bear it¡­

    This time, Jenna was almost out of breath because of Hansen¡¯s passion. As a result, both of them were too tired to go to work in the afternoon. Theyy in bed, drained.

    It would be bad to go on like this.

    After that, Jenna felt sore all over. She made a strict rule that they were not allowed to do it at noon.

    Hansen nodded his head in agreement with azy attitude, not intending to follow it.

    Jenna looked at his casual look and knew he was only saying it to please her. There was no way he would take it seriously. She could not help but to sigh.

    Zoewas in a spacious office, looking at aputer screen with a frown. Octavia came in.

    ¡°Miss Yates, Liya is here.¡±

    Zoeraised her head,and said with asmile, ¡°Let her in.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Octavia said and walked outside. After a while, a slim woman walked in gracefully.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you,Miss Yates.¡± Liya¡¯s short hairadded to her soft and lovely look. It shockedZoewhen she saw her at first sight.

    Liya was a stunner. Even a woman would fall in love at a nce, let alone a man. Coupled with her special image,Zoe figuredHansen would fall head over heels for her.

    Perfect.It was exactly what Zoe wished for.

    Ariawas powerful and influential, but she was impatient and strong. She wasn¡¯t Hansen¡¯s cup of tea, but Liya was weak and lovable. Furthermore, she looked somewhat simr to Jenna.

    This should be the type that Hansen liked.More precisely, the kind that all men in the world liked. If Liya could seduce Hansen or cause Jenna and Hansen to have a misunderstanding, then her goal would be achieved.

    Zoebelieved that she had the potential to do so.

    Zoe¡¯s eyes were gleaming like an eagle¡¯s.

    Liya.

    Her name was as beautiful and elegant as her appearance. Liya¡¯s rare quality was that she was scheming. On the surface, she looked weak, but she wascalctive. This was the conclusion Zoe hade to after observing her over the years.

    Women like Liya were usually skillful and resilient when dealing with men. As long as a man crossed paths with her, he would not be able to escape.

    ¡°Liya, please take a seat.¡±Zoe gave a friendly smile. She pointed at the sofa across from her and spoke in a friendly manner.

    ¡°Thank you,Miss Yates.¡± Liya lookedat the sofa opposite her and sat down. ¡°What can I do for you,Miss Yates?¡±

    She dropped her eyes and asked in a low voice. Her weak appearance made men want to hold her in their arms.

    Zoesmiled and said, ¡°I heard that your father needs to undergo an operation, and he needs the money. I just want to help. Are you willing to ept the offer?¡±

    She went straight to the point. Her voice sounded amiable.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Liya raised her head. Her eyes were filled with fear and joy. She asked in disbelief, ¡°Miss Yates, you already know. Are you willing to help me?¡±

    After that, she said with an uneasy voice, ¡°It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t take it simply.¡±

 Chapter 404 Be His Woman

    Zoe chuckled when she saw Liya¡¯s expressions. Shetook out an empty cheque fromthe drawer,wrote a few words, and handed it to Liya.

    Liya looked at the cheque with her mouth agape. Five million dors? It was a huge sum for a modest woman like her. Her face lit up when she thought of her father in the ward, but she became worried again. She put the cheque on the table and muttered, ¡°I can¡¯t take that much money, Miss Yates. Besides, I don¡¯t have the ability to pay it back.¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    She gripped her shirt tightly as shekept ncing at the cheque from time to time. Her gleaming eyes showed a hint of unease.

    Zoe noticed it. She pushed the cheque towards her and sat down next to her. She held her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s my fault for only finding you yesterday. I didn¡¯t realize your family hade to such a state. What a pity.¡±

    She spoke with a trace of sadness in her eyes. Liya was moved and her eyes welled up with tears.¡°Miss Yates, I¡¯m grateful that you even thought of my family,unlike other people who only wish upon our death.¡±

    She said with a trembling voice as hatred appeared in her eyes.

    Zoesighed and said, ¡°Ten years ago, my family copsed and I didn¡¯t ask about you. However, I had done my best to send some money your way. Did you receive it?¡±

    ¡°Money?¡± Liya¡¯s eyes widened when she heard this. ¡°Miss Yates,you sent them? You had no idea!That money supported me through college but I didn¡¯t know who sent it. I always thought it was the Richards family.¡±

    She said excitedly as she looked at Zoe with eyes full of surprise and joy.

    She had always assumed that the RichardsFamily had sent the money.She didn¡¯t expect it to be Zoe. This was unbelievable.

    Why was Zoe so good to her family?

    ¡°Sigh.Perhaps it¡¯s because we share the same fate. We were all miserable and had been oppressed by others back then. I have remembered you ever since.Not to mention that we yed together when we children,¡±Zoe said with a sad tone.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Life was horrible then,¡± Liya said as she took a trip down memoryne.

    She was only nine when her mother took her to Richards Manorand had stayed there for three years. It was during that time she found out what kind of life the children of rich families were livingpared to hers.After Old Master Richards had passed away, she and her mother were chased out of the manor.

    She held onto her mother and cried in the heavy rain the day they were chased out. Then, her mother had fallen ill and never woke up.When she found her father, hehad been living a life filled with anxiety and hunger.

    Tears welled up in her eyes, and her face was frighteningly pale. She gripped her clothes tightly and gritted her teeth.

    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past, Liya. I¡¯ll be like your older sister from now on. We¡¯re family now. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t treat you shabbily.¡±Zoemoved Liya¡¯s heart like a spring breeze. She lifted her eyes and said gratefully, ¡°Zoe, you treat me so well. I don¡¯t know how to repay your kindness.¡±

    She was extremely grateful but still felt uneasy. Growing up, she knew there¡¯s no such thing as free lunch. However, she had neither power nor influence. Even the bachelor¡¯s degree she received inputer science was from an average university. She did not know how to help or repay Zoe. Therefore, she still had her doubts.

    Zoepatted the back of Liya¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°Liya, you¡¯re young, beautiful, and full of potential. You have to marry a good man. Otherwise, it would be a shame for such a beauty like you.¡±

    Liya smiledbashfully and lowered her head.

    Her shy look would drive men crazy. The smile inZoe¡¯seyes deepened.

    ¡°Liya, now that we are like sisters, I want to give you a piece of advice.Not only will it help me, you¡¯ll also be able to live a rich and morous life. How does that sound to you?¡±Zoe looked as if she had just thought about it.

    Liya raised her head and looked atZoewith her big, almond-shaped eyes. Confusion filled her face.

    Zoe patientlyasked, ¡°Liya, do you still remember Hansen from Richards Manor?¡±

    ¡°Hansen?¡±Liya¡¯s eyes lit up as she asked excitedly, ¡°Zoe, are you referring to the current master of Richards Manor, the President of RichardsGroup, Mr. Hansen?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Zoe nodded. Her smile was unfathomable.

    ¡°Yes, I remember, but what does this have to do with us?¡± The light in Liya¡¯s eyes quickly dimmed. She shook her head and asked, ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Zoe.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. If you be Hansen¡¯sdy, you can live the life you want.The world¡¯s your oyster. It¡¯s hard to find such a rich and powerful family in the world, let alone in A City. Besides, you two knew each other when you were children. You can use this to your advantage.Ask to work in hispany and the rest will work itself out,¡± Zoe exined.

    ¡°No.¡±Liya¡¯sface dimmed and said in a low voice, ¡°That won¡¯t do. Hansen is so high and mighty. I¡¯m sure he had already forgotten about me.Besides, he¡¯s happily married to a gorgeous woman. I wouldn¡¯t even stand a chance, let alone with my lowly position. I don¡¯t think I have it in me to separate them.¡±

    Liya shook her head.Ever since she began living in the mansion, Hansen had always been a noble Young Master. He was loved by thousands of people andled a carefree and high-flying life. Though she lived there, she was despised by the servants, so much so that she did not even have the right to ask for anything.

    To be Hansen¡¯sdy, this was nothing more than a fantasy.

    Zoe, on the other hand, smiled confidently. ¡°Liya, do you still remember when Norton andMiss Zoey bullied you. Hansen openly defended you and even scolded his cousin. I¡¯m sure you remember that.¡±

    That was true. Liya¡¯s eyes sparkled again. Nevertheless, they were just eleven or twelve years old. Things weren¡¯t asplicated back then. What¡¯s more, it was not a big deal at all.

    Even if they remembered, Hansen would have probably long forgotten about it.

    She looked confused, nodded, but eventually, she shook her head.

 Chapter 405 The Plot

    ¡°That means that he didn¡¯t care about your status. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll still ept you. Believe me, nothing is impossible.I¡¯m sure you were well aware that Richards Group had oppressed the Yates Group, and it led to my father¡¯s death.So, if you want to thank me, try your best to get close to Hansen and be hisdy. Let Jennamisunderstand it.You need to know that Jenna isn¡¯t as noble as you think she is. She may have used to be one,but her current situation is simr to yours.If she was able to marry Hansen, then so can you. What¡¯s more, I¡¯m sure you fancy him. You should be confident in yourself.It¡¯s normal for a rich man to find a mistress. As long as you can win over Hansen¡¯s heart, you can live a rich life without worry. If you really want to repay me, then do as I say,¡±Zoesaid eagerly, looking at Liya with hopeful eyes.

    Liya understood immediately.Zoewas trying to bring down Richards Group and Hansen. She was merely her pawn. Zoe wanted to use her to get close to Hansen and achieve her goal. As for the benefits, it was likelyuntrue.

    However, in the current situation, there was really nothing she could do except to repay her kindness in this way.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    Now, her father needed the money. If she didn¡¯t eptZoe¡¯s support, there was nothing else she could do. However, on the other hand, she wouldn¡¯t be able to pay back the money if she was asked to.

    Her body was the easiest way for her to make money.

    It would be better to sell herself to a man as handsome and rich as Hansen. Even if she was his underground lover, it would be better than marrying a useless man.Liya¡¯sexpression changed as she thought about it.

    Zoelooked at her calmly, as if she already knew Liyawould agree to the n. There was an unfathomable smile on her face.

    ¡°I already have people in the Richards Group.You don¡¯t have to worry about that.Someone wille to your aid.¡± In order to dispel her concernspletely,Zoereassured her once again. ¡°What¡¯s more, Richards Group pays well.You don¡¯t have to worry too much if you work there.¡±

    Everyone wanted a chance to work in Richards Group. Not only was it a stable job, but it also came with great benefits.

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it after I get in.¡± Liya thought as she nodded. A smile appeared on Zoe¡¯s face.

    In the backyard of the Xanthe family residence, towering leafy trees could be seen everywhere.

    Sergio and Yadriel were walking along a tree-lined path.

    Sergio was wearing acasual sports outfit. The ck and white color scheme made him look strong and muscr.

    The father and son duo, who had just finished ying tennis, were walking and chatting.

    ¡°I proposed marriage to GeneralDelia yesterday. You have to be prepared,¡±Yadriel said indifferently.

    Sergio smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Dad, are you sure GeneralDeliawill agree?¡±

    Yadrieughed and said with confidence, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, son. Even if he doesn¡¯t agree, it¡¯s not easy to find someone as well-matched, handsome, and politically promising as you. GeneralDeliais not a fool.He knows what¡¯s at stake. As soon as I entered the door and exined the purpose of my visit.He was pleased,even though hesaid that his daughter is abroad and would like to ask for her opinions. I could see that he was simply pretending andhad already made up his mind. Besides, you¡¯re much better than Norton. Not only was he driven out of the Richardsfamily, but his criminal record would also beimpossible for GeneralDeliato approve of him.The Delia family would be fortunate to have you as a part of their family.¡±

    Yadriel sounded positive. However, Sergio did not think it could¡¯ve been that easy. He lowered his head and pondered, but did not refute his father.

    The election would be held in August. However, Luqman had already nned his campaign long ago. He would try his best to win as much support as he could, including General Delia.In a family like Sergio¡¯s, marriage was only an exchange of interests. Even if he was rejected by the other family, there was nothing he could lose. He needn¡¯t rush.

    Moreover, he did not think that Sabrina would agree.

    ¡°Dad, have you heard anything fromJohan?¡± He asked in a rxed tone. One had to know that Johan¡¯s support was imperative. Many politicians in the Capital City would followhim.

    ¡°Rx, Johanwill be on my side. After all, I am his disciple and Luqman isn¡¯t rted to him at all. However, I¡¯ve heard that he is trying to approach Johan. Although he might not seed, Johan is unpredictable. That time when I sent him the pistol, he was excited but didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he gave me life lessons and a rare gem.¡± Yadriel was deep in thought. Up till now, he still couldn¡¯t figure out Johan¡¯s character. For example, he always couldn¡¯t understand whyJohan didn¡¯t approve of him much. Just the thought of it made him feel uneasy.

    ¡°Does that mean that he has given us the jewelry as an exchange gift?¡± Sergio frowned, and there was a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice. Every year Yadriel would bring him over to see Johan. However, no matter what he did,Johanseemed to be indifferent. He had always held a grudge and often did not want to apany his father, butYadriel insisted every time.

    For his father¡¯s election and political prospects,Sergiohad endured enough.

    ¡°Sergio, don¡¯t think like that.¡±Yadriel¡¯s voice lowered and spoke in a disconste voice. ¡°No matter what, I am still his disciple. I used to be his subordinate. Even if he doesn¡¯t want me to prosper and seed in politics, he will be looked down on if I did badly. You can be rest assured. Furthermore, I ampeting withLuqman, not the subordinates he favors. I have the advantage. We should never pin our hopes on others.We have to work hardand create our own paths. Hence, when ites to GeneralDelia, whatever thoughts you have,wait until after this election is over.¡±

    His father¡¯s words touched Sergio and made him feel heavy. He nodded his head. As a son, he had to help his father seed.

    ¡°Sergio, can you do well as the head ofstate security?¡±Yadrielthought ofSergio¡¯scurrent situation.He was reaching the retirement age in the army and the best path for him would be to join politics.

    ¡°Of course. It¡¯ll be a breeze.¡± Sergio was confident. He had reached the highest rank in the army amonghis peers. If he continued down the path, he could only stay in the army. However, he had political aspirations. He wanted to seek a bigger future like his father. Of course, ifYadriel was elected as mayor, he would be the highest-ranking official in Capital City and pave the way forSergio¡¯spolitical career. It was a critical time.Sergio had to do his best.

    ¡°Good, like father, like son.¡±Yadripproved. He was quite satisfied with the fact that his son could be the head ofstatesecurity at such a young age. However, the position would have ess to ssified information. IfSergiodid well, then it could lead to a meteoric rise. If not, then it could also ruin his political future. Therefore, he quickly added with great earnestness, ¡°Sergio, you should always have a sensitive political consciousness and think twice before you do anything. Remember, if youe across anything you can¡¯t handle, don¡¯t make the decision on your own. Come to me first. You¡¯re my only son and you are not allowed to make any mistakes, understand?¡±

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry, I understand.¡± Sergio nodded seriously. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m leaving for A city today.Since I still have some time before I¡¯m promoted, I¡¯ll walk around. There¡¯s still a big banquet waiting for me tonight.¡±

    While talking, the father and son had already reached the living room. Sergio looked up at the clock and said with a smile,¡°I¡¯ll fly toACity after a quick rest. The banquet is held byMr. Hawk, and it will be full of celebrities and elites. I¡¯ll be able towin some support and meet Mr. Hawk at the same time.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Go ahead.¡±Yadrielnodded with a smile. After he left, he turned around and said, ¡°Oh,Mr. Hawkand MadamLilianare close. Isshe invited?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. I heard that Madam Lilian has been very busy recently. Even if she is invited, she may not be able toe.¡± Sergio shook his head.

    The father and son then returned to their respective rooms.

 Chapter 406 Banquet

    ¡°Rest, Jenna.I¡¯ll take you to the beauty salonter. There will be an important banquet tonight.The guests are all from upper-ss circles. We¡¯d better be well prepared,¡± Hansen said after lunch at Collier Manor with Jenna.

    Banquet?

    Jenna froze. She recalled him mentioning it the previous day.It seemed that she could not escape it. Truth be told, she never liked attending these banquets.It was hard for her to force a smile.

    Jenna had been busy at work for the past two days.Hence, she was really not in the mood to attend the banquet. However, as a member of a rich and powerful family, she had to. She had to be cautious all the time, appear reserved and noble, or her husband¡¯s reputation would be at stake. This was the most tiring thing for Jenna. It was one of the reasons she was not willing toe back with Hansen when they were in Wullen Town.This kind of life was too exhausting. All she wanted was a simple life.

    She pouted and followedHansento the bedroom.

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t like this, but will you do it for my sake?Please smile.¡± Hansenforted her when he saw her pouting.

    ¡°Oh, this is so annoying.¡± Jenna threw herself on the bed and didn¡¯t want to talk to him.

    ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll give you a massage.¡± Hanseny on the bed. He reached out to hold her in his arms andstarted massaging. Jenna enjoyed it very much.

    ¡°Sigh, I like it just as much as you do. All those fake smiles and conversations. What¡¯s worse, I have to face the people I don¡¯t want to see. But we are not ordinary people.Our words and actions are being watched.¡± Hansen said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to hire an etiquette teacher to train you. After all, there¡¯ll be many banquets in the future. Although you¡¯ve done very well, we need to do better. Moreover, there¡¯s still a lot more for you to learn. After all, the wives of rich and powerful families will attend these training sses every week. Not to mention that we¡¯re the richest family. You should prepare yourself for more banquets in the future.¡±

    Hansen said in a soft voice. Jennahad gone to sleep with his gentle massages. She hadn¡¯t heard a word he said.

    The sky became dark as the evening approached. The neon lights lit up and blended with the grey sky, as ifthe city was covered with ayer of colorful ss paper, giving off a mystical atmosphere.

    Hansen had already dragged Jenna to a high-end beauty salon earlier that evening. It took a long time until she heard the makeup artist say with amazement, ¡°Mrs.Richards, you are gorgeous. So proper and graceful.¡±All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    Really? Jenna was doubtful. In fact, she was now very ufortable because of these makeup artists. She guessed that her expression looked haggard. Even if she didn¡¯t look like a mess, she was far from graceful. She didn¡¯t know whether the makeup artist¡¯s judgement was skewed or he was trying to tter her.

    ¡°Mrs.Richards, this way please.¡± The makeup artist pointed to one side politely, showing her out.

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Jenna nodded with a smile and stood up.

    ¡°Oh!¡± As soon as she took a step, she was about to fall as she was not used to wearing stilettos.

    That was it. All the effort of dressing up had gone to waste. Jenna looked at the shiny floor as her heart pounded. If she had fallen down, then her face would be bruised, and her body would be injured.

    ¡°Be careful,Mrs.Richards.¡± The makeup artist held her in time.

    That was close! She was lucky that she didn¡¯t fall down. Otherwise, it would¡¯ve been embarrassing. She had a better impression of the makeup artist now. However, it wouldn¡¯t do any good to go on like this. After all, she had never worn such thin high heels. Even the heels of her wedding shoes were thicker than this. Walking had already posed a challenge, let alone socializing with others.

    Her anxiety grew.

    Hansen was reading the newspaper leisurely by the reception. He raised his head as soon as the makeup artist helped Jenna out.s, this woman was really beautiful with her makeup done. Evenmore beautiful than she looked on their wedding day.

    The ck dress fit her waist and plump hips perfectly.What¡¯s more,the dressplimented her porcin-white skin. TheV-shaped corshowed off her smooth neck, and the diamonds entuated her face. She was absolutely gorgeous.

    He curled his lips slightly and walked towards her.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,Mrs.Richards¡¯makeup is done.¡± The makeup artist tried to fawn over Hansen.¡°Your wife is so beautiful, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Hansen smiled and took out a stack of money from his wallet. The makeup artist happily epted the payment,smiled enchantingly, and said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Jenna smiled as she carefully took one step after another¡­

    She felt very ufortable. The heels were too high for her.

    ¡°Look at you struggling in those heels.¡± Hansen hurried forwardand carried her into the car.

    ¡°Hansen, can I please change into a different pair of shoes?¡± She pleaded in the car. She couldn¡¯t guarantee what would happen if she continued wearing this pair of shoes. She had to find some thicker heels.

    Hansen looked at her from the rearview mirror. She pouted as her delicate face was filled with distress.

    ¡°Hansen, please. I really can¡¯t get used to wearing this type of heels. I just want a pair that are slightly shorter and thicker.¡± She continued to plead.

    They still had half an hour to spare.So, Hansen took herto a branded shoe store.

    Finally, she changed into a pair offortable high heels. Jennaloved them like any other woman, but she obviously wasn¡¯t passionate about stilettos. She preferredfort over fashion.

    The banquet had already been filled with all kinds of luxurious cars at the entrance when they arrived, which were mostly manufactured by Richards Group.

    ¡°Jenna, here.¡± Everyone¡¯s attention was on Hansen and Jenna as soon as they went in.Just like their wedding, the couple astounded the whole audience.

    The banquet was set on the greenwn by theke.

    It was filled with decorations. Square tables were orderly set withorchids on each of the tables.Bartenders and waiters could be seen everywhere. All kinds of food and drinks were ced on the main table in the center.

    The host of the banquet wasYezonHawk, a well-known politician. He was originally from A city and had once served as a mayor abroad. After retirement, he returned to A city. This was the first time he had held a banquet inA cityafter returning to Tambend. Not only were the upper-ss families of A city invited, but elites from abroad attended too.

    Yezon hade up to wee Hansen.

    ¡°Mr. andMrs. Richards, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± He extended his hands and greeted them warmly.

    ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hawk.¡± Hansen and Jenna extended their hands and said politely.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯re so lucky to have such a beautiful wife.¡±Yezonheld Hansen¡¯s hand and repeatedly praised.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Hansensaidhumbly witha proud smile on his face.

    After meeting the host, Hansen brought Jenna to meet famous businessmen andpoliticians.

    Hansen was considerate to Jenna. They had agreed that she would be fine as long as she stayed by his side. All she had to dowas to smile while Hansen carried the conversations. She wasn¡¯t particrly tired after a while. Not to mention that she had a good nap at noon.

    ¡°Jenna, there you are.¡±HannahAdames approached the couple just as they finished greeting everyone else.

    ¡°Hello, Miss Adames.¡± Hansen greeted her out of habit and raised his wine ss.

    Hannah looked at him and raised her eyebrows. She smiled and said, ¡°Hello, Mr. Richards. Bottoms up.¡± Then, she finished the red wine in her hand.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Hansen downed his wine too.

    Based on Hansen¡¯s actions, especially how he treated Jenna,Hannah¡¯s attitude towards him was much better. Seeing the two of them holding hands and showing affection, she jealously said, ¡°Mrs. Richards, can youe with me now?¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Jenna startled for a moment and asked.

    ¡°Hey, you really value your man over friendship. Aren¡¯t you afraid of getting tired of each other? Now that you have met the guests, it¡¯s free time now. Men have their things to talk about, and we have ours too. Are you going to cling to your husband throughout the event? He is a public figure, and there will be activitiester. He will be criticized this way.¡±Hannahnced at her and said in a sarcastic tone.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Jenna finally understood!

 Chapter 407 Why Should I Blame You?

    ¡°Jenna, you should have a chat with Hannah. I¡¯lle looking for you if I need to. There is something else I have to attend to.¡± Hansen was worried that Jenna would be bored. However, since Hannahwas there, it would be easier for her. Before leaving, he said to Hannah with a faint smile, ¡°Miss Adames, my wife is in your hands now. You can say goodbye to your cafeteria if anything happens to her.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s arrogant tone made Hannahexasperated. Just because Jenna was her best friend, he kept threatening her with her cafeteria.Yet, now he was acting so high and mighty in front of her.

    ¡°Hansen, hold up.¡± Just as Hansen was about to leave, Jenna pulled him to the side and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t drink too much. You¡¯ve already had one too many. Also, we should leave as soon as we can.I don¡¯t want to stay toote.¡±

    Hansen listened attentively, then he smiled faintly as he put his hand around her shoulder and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m used to this.Go ahead and have some fun.¡±

    He held her hand, assuring her, and left.

    ¡°Aww, look at you two being all lovey-dovey. It¡¯ll only be for a while. Stop putting on a show.¡± Hannah waited impatiently. She was moved by their love for each other and how Hansen cared for Jenna, especially since she witnessed the grand wedding.

    It seemed that Hansen wasn¡¯t such a scumbag after all. At least he was devoted to Jenna. s, this silly girl finally found her happily ever after.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned red from Hannah¡¯s teasing. She patted her gently and said, ¡°Hannah, if you keep being straightforward and sharp-tongued, it¡¯ll be hard for you to find a husband.¡±

    Hannah smiled casually, took a good look at Jenna, and chuckled, ¡°Hmm, you look really good. Beautiful, noble, and elegant. This is the first time that I¡¯ve seen you like this. I¡¯m assuming Hansen is behind all this?¡±

    ¡°You could tell?¡± Jenna eximed.

    ¡°Of course,I know you inside and out.¡± Hannah pursed her lips and smiled confidently. ¡°Hansen¡¯s got quite the taste.¡±

    Jenna was happy to receive Hanna¡¯s approval. She smiled and teased her.¡°Then, you shouldn¡¯t look down on me and say I have bad taste anymore.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I gave you an inch and you took a mile. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go there.¡± Hannah took her hand and walked over to where the women were all crowding at.

    ¡°Hannah, how is Rayan doing?¡± Jenna suddenly asked.

    It was Hannah¡¯s turn to be surprised.Had Jenna heard something? She asked casually, ¡°Did something happen? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    The forceful look on Hannah almost made Jennaugh out loud. She said, ¡°Come on,I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re hiding this from me. Aren¡¯t we friends?¡±

    Jenna said it calmly.She wasn¡¯t as surprised as Hannah had expected.

    Hannah calmed down.

    ¡°Jenna, I really wanted to tell you this. In fact,I¡¯ve been wanting to tell you for a while now, but I couldn¡¯t reach you or find the right time. Besides¡­¡± Hannah uttered. Rayan used to be Jenna¡¯s boyfriend, and now that Hannah was seeing him, she found it difficult to exin it to her. Besides, Rayan once promised Jenna he would marry her, but now that they were together, she felt a little awkward.

    She didn¡¯t expect Jenna to bring it up, which meant that she had already known everything. Hannah was much more at ease when she saw the calm look on Jenna.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, tell me the truth.¡± Jenna made her confess. They sat down at a white, round table under a shady tree. Jenna held a winess in her hand and looked at Hannah¡¯s rosy cheeks and dreamy eyes. She knew she was absolutely in love.

    ¡°Rayan and I have been seeing each other.¡± Hannah confessed softly.

    ¡°For how long?¡± Jenna asked.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Half a year since you left, maybe a little longer. He came to my cafeteria,we exchanged numbers, and then¡­¡± Hannah¡¯s voice got softer and softer, and her face was as red as a tomato.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Jenna replied indifferently.Her face dimmed a little and continuedto ask, ¡°Where are you two at?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Hannah puffed out her cheeks as she looked up and asked in confusion.

    ¡°Have you guys started talking about marriage?¡± Seeing her confused, Jenna continued asking.

    ¡°No,that¡¯s too soon.¡± Hannah shook her head in denial.

    ¡°Be honest with me.¡± Jenna tapped her fingers on the table and said with a serious tone.

    ¡°We¡¯re really not.I swear,¡± Hannah said upsetingly.

    ¡°Then,¡± Jenna put her elbows on the table,approached Hannah, and asked mysteriously, ¡°Have you two slept together yet?¡±

    She stared at Hannah with her ck, beady eyes, afraid that she would miss any details.

    ¡°Oh dear.Since when did you be so mean?¡± Hannah¡¯s face suddenly turned red as she hit Jenna¡¯s hand and scolded her.

    Jenna looked straight at her embarrassed face, which was as red as a tomato. Thinking back to her fierce, maic personality, and derations about staying single in the past,pared to this woman in front of her who was madly in love. Jenna couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter.

    She hadn¡¯t felt this happy for so long. Who would¡¯ve thought, the fearless Hannah Adames, the same one who had never taken men seriously was now feeling embarrassed in front of her. This was a rare asion. Not only that, if it had nothing to do with Rayan, Hannah wouldn¡¯t have sat down with her for this long.Otherwise, she would have been surrounded by a group of men already.

    Jenna thought they were a perfect match and was delighted that they could be together. They were two of her closest friends after all.

    What¡¯s more, Hannah was starting to act more womanly, unlike the scary woman who kept preaching about staying single.Jenna was pleased to see that.

    ¡°You won¡¯t me me, will you?¡± Hannah suddenly asked.

    ¡°Why would I?¡± Jenna asked in surprise.

    Jenna thought it was strange for Hannah to think like that.

    ¡°I swear that I didn¡¯t mean to steal your boyfriend. Ever since you left, Rayan stayed single and I took it as my cue to make a move.¡± Hannah sincerely.

    Jenna¡¯s jaws dropped.

    ¡°Besides, I¡¯m doing you a favor, aren¡¯t I? For you to leave such an excellent and handsome man like Rayan, I was worried he might give up on himself and will never love again, or even worse, hurthimself badly. Wouldn¡¯t it be a waste to let go of such a man? So, I took it upon myself to help you deal with the matter.¡± Hannah exined matter-of-factly.

    Jenna swallowed her saliva hard, blinked her eyes, and asked, ¡°How can you be so sure that you were the one who made the first move? Or have you already slept with him?¡±

    ¡°Oh, look at you. Women be vulgar after they get married. That¡¯s all they think about.¡± Hannah was getting flustered. She dared to say that it was the first time Jenna had teased her like that.

    Jenna wasughing so hard, she was almost out of breath.

    ¡°Hey, watch your image. You are now Hansen¡¯s wife, and a rich and noble madam.People are watching and if the paparazzi manage to capture your less than elegant image, you will tarnish the reputation of the Richards family.¡± Hannah had to resort to this as she had had enough of Jenna¡¯s teasing.

    As expected, Jenna immediately stoppedughing and sat up straight. She put on a serious facebut found it hard not tough.

    ¡°Hannah,you used to say that women be fools when they fall in love and having witnessed it today,just look at you, Hannah. What a shame.¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t help but to chuckle.

    ¡°How can you say that? I¡¯m not as foolish as you. Not only did you hide the fact that you were pregnant with his child, but you also went through fire and brimstone for him like a saint. Even if I was in love, I wouldn¡¯t be as silly as you.¡± Hannah lectured.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t say so if you had been madly in love,¡± Jenna said, from her experience.

    She was confident that she had an advantage over Hannah, who had never been in love.

    Hannah pouted her lips and kept quiet, but in her heart, she swore she wouldn¡¯t be as foolish as Jenna, no matter what. She was a shrewd person who would never do anything at a loss.

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t hate me, right? Are we still friends? Even if I¡¯m with Rayan, I still value our friendship. I didn¡¯t want you to misunderstand.That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t said anything until today.¡± Hannah held Jenna¡¯s hands and asked nervously.

    ¡°Hannah.¡± Jenna sighed and cleared her throat. Then, she held Hannah¡¯s hand and said solemnly, ¡°I really don¡¯t understand why you thought I would misunderstand you and end our friendship. Rayan and I are nothing more than friends. In fact, you wouldn¡¯t even stand a chance if there was something between us. You need to know that you mean something to Rayan too. I know him well. If he didn¡¯t fancy you, you wouldn¡¯t even be able to get close to him. So, please don¡¯t put yourself down, and don¡¯t make any blind guesses. I knew for a long time that you and Rayan are a perfect match. Besides, nothing would make me happier than seeing two of my closest friends together. What¡¯s more, I¡¯m sure you know who my heart belongs to. If I truly loved Rayan, things wouldn¡¯t end up this way. Believe me, I am much more daring than you when ites to love.¡±

 Chapter 408 This Woman Is Not Easy To Deal With

    Hannah looked at her seriously. Her eyes were filled with joy as she finally let her guard down and all her worries were washed away. Their friendship meant the world to Hannah.

    Hannah had to admit it, Jenna was much braver and dedicated when it came to love.

    When she fell in love with Hansen, she loved without any restraint. However, when she decided to give up, she ran away from him as far as she could. No matter how hard he pursued her again, she was indifferent towards him. She stuck to her decisions, no matter what.

    Compared to Jenna, Hannah who saw herself as a master of love had to admit, she suffered a lot because of her concerns and hesitations.

    Thinking about this, Hannah let out a deep sigh.

    ¡°However, you should still thank me. If it weren¡¯t for me, how could you get to know such an excellent man like Rayan?¡± Jenna smiled.

    Hannah blushed. She held Jenna¡¯s hand and said with a serious tone,¡°I¡¯m really d you think that way.In fact, I¡¯ve been feeling uneasy these days. We¡¯ve been best friends growing up and I don¡¯twish for us to grow distant just because of some misunderstanding. You have no idea how happy I was for you when I saw you walking down the aisle with Hansen. Now that we¡¯ve cleared things up between us, we¡¯re still going to be best friends.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Jenna quickly replied with excitement. There are seven billion people in the world, but Hannah was the only friend who meant the world to her. They had always been truthful to each other. Such an understanding was rare to have. Jenna¡¯s eyes welled up with tears as she took Hannah¡¯s hand and said affectionately, ¡°Hannah, we¡¯re going to be best friends for life. If everything works out, I would like our children to marry each other.¡±

    ¡°Nothing would make me happier.¡± Hannah squealed with delight as her eyes welled up with tears.

    They held each other¡¯s hands tightly.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have a toast. To our never-ending friendship.¡± Their sses clinked and made a crisp sound.

    They smiled at each other.

    Then, they heard the sound of a pair of high heels approaching them. It was faint and delicate,but quick and impatient as if the owner of the heels held a grudge against the floor.

    It was ruthless, precise, and fast.

    The sound smashed into Jenna¡¯s eardrums as if the heels were stepping on her heart, which made her feel ufortable and disturbed.

    She furrowed her brows as she turned towards the direction of the sound.

    It was a woman with wavy hairand delicate features. Her evening gown made her look beautiful and charming.

    She was walking towards them with a smile on her face.

    Jenna and Hannah looked at each other.

    It was a modest smile, but Jenna could feel an inexplicable unease from her expression. The atmosphere was cloaked witha sense of restlessness and danger.

    ¡°Hannah, Mrs. Richards,d that I could meet you here. I¡¯vee to propose a toast.¡± Zoe spoke courteously with a smile hanging on her face as she walked towards them.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    Who was this woman?

    Jenna didn¡¯t know who she was. So, she looked at Hannah. She thought maybe Hannah would have the answer since she was the head of the cafeteria and had met many people.

    Hannah let out augh, stood up holding her ss,and said in a carefree manner, ¡°Miss Yates, you¡¯re here. I¡¯ve heard all about the extraordinary woman president of the Sky Sword Group.¡±

    Jenna understood as soon as Hannah introduced Zoe¡¯s title purposefully. ¡°So this is the head of the Sky Sword Group.¡± She thought.

    She was a little surprised. It seemed that A City was really a ce full of hidden talents. Even the women were more capable, one after another.

    Even though Sky Sword Group and Jones Group had merged, their power was still far less than the Richards family at the moment. However, they cannot be underestimated.

    With a clink, Hannah and Zoe had already finished the wine in their sses.

    ¡°Here, Mrs. Richards.¡± Zoe picked up a wine ss from the table and poured Hannah and herself another ss. Then, she handed a ss to Jenna and said with admiration, ¡°Mrs. Richards, you are indeed as beautiful and as virtuous as people say. You¡¯re so much more beautiful in person than you are on the television. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you. I also hope that the great and powerful Richards Group would show some mercy towards smallpanies like us.Cheers.¡±

    She clinked her ss against Jenna¡¯sand gulped all the wine down.

    ¡°This woman could really drink!¡± Jenna thought. She drank both sses of wine without even blinking. However, on such an asion, she should have already drank far more than just these two sses, yet she looked calm and confident still.

    ¡°I¡¯ve long heard that Miss Yates is straightforward and capable.Now that I¡¯ve seen it for myself, I¡¯m impressed.¡± Jenna smiled politely and downed hers too.

    She was never good at drinking. So, she felt a little dizzy after downing a whole ss of wine. What¡¯s more, she had just finished one with Hannah.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, I heard that you went back to work at Richards Group. What good news! It looks like Richards Group is heading towards an even brighter future. Do look after us, will you, Ms. Murphy?¡±Zoe filled up their sses once more.

    Jenna¡¯s head was a little dizzy, but it would be rude of her to refuse such a sincere toast.

    However, if she drank it, she was afraid that she would not be able to hold on and things would go bad if Hansen came looking for her.

    She looked at her ss and frowned slightly.This won¡¯t be easy.

    Just then, Hannah took her ss,smiled, and said, ¡°Miss Yates, Ms. Murphy is feeling a little ufortable today. Please, allow me.¡±

    Hannah downed the wine, showed Zoe the empty ss, and taunted her.¡°Are you satisfied, Miss Yates?¡±

    She was obviously trying to get Zoe to leave, indicating that she was not weed.It would be indiscreet for her to continue.

    Zoe, of course, understood what Hannah meant. She immediately smiled and said, ¡°You can really drink, Miss Adames. We should meet up for a drink some other day.¡±

    ¡°Of course.You¡¯re wee toe to my cafeteria anytime.¡± Hannah answered politely.She would never say no to whoever was willing to spend their money in her cafeteria.

    Zoe let out a faint smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you guys. I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±

    She left gracefully.

    ¡°She¡¯s not someone you¡¯d want to mess with,¡± Hannah muttered as she watched Zoe strode off calmly and confidently.

    ¡°How could you tell?¡± Jenna asked anxiously as she recovered from the situation.

    ¡°Intuition.¡± Hannah narrowed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve seen countless people.I know I¡¯m right. There¡¯s something devilish about her.¡±

    When Jenna heard this, she couldn¡¯t help but to burst intoughter. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that about men? I didn¡¯t know you had a thing for women too.¡±

    ¡°Trust me.I¡¯m a good judge of character. I have to hand it to her. She was fearless facing you. With such a smallpany, she still had the confidence to propose a toast to you,¡± Hannah said worriedly.

    ¡°Was it a threat?¡± Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. s, she thought Zoe was showing respect to both of them!

    ¡°You know what, let¡¯s just forget it.Such a wonderful banquet, yet we got disturbed by this woman. How disappointing. Come on,we¡¯re not done chatting.¡± Hannah threw Zoe at the back of her head. She suddenly thought of something and askedin a low and mysterious voice, ¡°Do you know if Madam Lilian will being tonight?¡±

    ¡°Madam Lilian?¡± Jenna thought for a while and said, ¡°The famous Madam Lilian Garver?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s her.¡± Hannah pped her hands and said softly, ¡°She had other matters to attend to today, but due to her rtionship with Mr. Hawk, she decided toe anyway. It won¡¯t be for long though, maybe for two or three hours.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Jenna said faintly,then asked curiously,¡°What about it? Are you interested even in olddies now?¡±

    Jenna stared at Hannah. In the past, she was only interested in men, but how she started showing concern towards older women. The power of love, as strange as it seems,can change a person in an instant.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know about this, do you?Let me tell you, it¡¯s rare for Mr. Hawk to be able to invite Madam Lilian over. Such a character could only be seen over the television and now you get a chance to meet her in person,¡± Hannah said excitedly.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to still pursue a celebrity at this age.¡± Jenna gave her a side-eye with a slight disdain in her tone.

    ¡°I never pursued celebrities, but for a woman to be able to achieve such powerful political status, it¡¯s a feat.I admire her.What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Hannah eximed.

    ¡°You¡¯re being childish.¡± Jenna let out a sigh and put her arms on the white round tableand looked Hannah in the eyes. ¡°So, what does this have to do with us? What¡¯s there for us to be excited about? Have you been living under a rock?¡±

    Hannah didn¡¯t know how to refute and her excitement washed away. Not only was she not able to fight back, but she also became more sharp-tongued ever since she remarried. That¡¯s a new side of Jenna she hadn¡¯t seen.

 Chapter 409 Terrifying Moment

    ¡°Since it has nothing to do with us, we¡¯d better find something else to do.I have a feeling this banquet will not end until midnight and it¡¯s only eight o¡¯clock now.Besides, there are some people I really don¡¯t want to meet,¡± Jenna said with a smile as she satzily.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go.¡±Hannahalso stood up, but her eyes were darting around.

    ¡°Hey, since we¡¯re together, you can¡¯t go looking for a man.¡± Jenna reminded her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±Hannahwas still looking elsewhere. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at the boat over there.¡±

    Several small boats were docked by theke, and some people had already taken them for a spin. The two of them walked towards that direction.

    ¡°Would you like to get on?¡± Hannah asked as she took a look at the boats.

    ¡°Forget it. With you being so distracted,I¡¯m afraid we might drown.¡± Jenna expressed her worries and thought of something else.¡°Is Rayan going to be here today?¡±

    Hannah¡¯s face turned red instantly upon hearing Rayan¡¯s name. ¡°I really can¡¯t hide anything from you, can I?He will be herter. His flight has been dyed.¡±

    Surely enough, the reason she was distracted was because of Rayan.

    ¡°Well, sinceRayan ising, I won¡¯t be third-wheeling.Go to him as soon as he arrives,¡± Jenna said.

    Hannah didn¡¯t refuse. At the moment, they stood by theke and looked up at the sky.

    They looked over as soon as they heardughtering from behind them.

    In an instant, Hannah said, ¡°I¡¯ll go first. Wait for me here.¡± Then, she ran away like a gust of wind.

    There must be another wave of guests, including Rayan.

    Jenna gave a smile and shook her head as she watched Hannah leave.

    The neon lights made the surface of theke in the distance glitter, but in front of her, theke was like a ck hole, giving off a mysterious aura.

    A cold evening breeze blew, lifting her heavy gown. In an instant, Jenna was blown a few steps closer to theke by the cold breeze.

    Panic and terror engulfed Jenna.

    ¡°That was close!¡± She thought.

    She muffled a scream. She took a few steps back as her heart pounded fast. She couldn¡¯t move a muscle and the hair on the back of her neck stood stiff.

    Faint footsteps came from behind.

    Jenna¡¯s ears perked up, and her heart thumped.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    She looked back, but it was only the sound of the wind blowing on the grass. There was no one in sight.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯ll be a while before Hannahes back. I better leave.¡± She thought.

    This was horrifying.

    Jenna anxiously lifted the dress and was about to turn around.

    All of a sudden, she felt a pair of cold strong hands pushing her.

    ¡°Ah!¡± She screamed as she fell forward. In desperation, she supported herself andnded on the grass.

    When she looked up again, the darkke was only an inch away from her face.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± She bellowed as she tried to recover from the shock.

    The ghostly footsteps quickly disappeared, as if no one else had been there.She looked around with great strain.

    However, there was only grass as far as she could see.

    Jenna lookedas if she had lost her soul, and her face was as pale as a ghost.

    ¡°Was someone trying to kill her? That was horrifying!¡± She thought as goosebumps appeared on her skin.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± A deep and warm male voice called out to her.

    The man was dressed in a dark green, military uniform, and looked handsome and heroic in the darkness.His shoulder badge shonelike the light of dawn lighting up the darkness.

    ¡°Ser-Sergio,¡± Jenna said softly as she came to her senses.

    It was indeed an unusual banquet. EvenSergio came all the way from Capital City. ¡°Did he see anything?¡± She thought.

    Sergio helped her up and exined, ¡°I saw a figure lying here in the distance. It looked like you, so I came over.¡± He looked surprised but concerned.

    Even when Sergio tried to help her up, she was still firmly stuck to the grass. Jenna lowered her head and realized that her high heels saved her.

    Fortunately, she had changed into them. If she was wearing the original pair, she would be found dead at the bottom of theke.

    She was worried that she would fall, but little did she expect that it would save her life!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not feeling well?How did you end up here?¡± Sergio asked nervously,with a face full of concern.

    Jenna stood up, but the paleness on her face did not diminish.

    ¡°You saw the whole thing, didn¡¯t you, Sergio? Who was here just now?¡± She looked him in the eyes and asked. She had a hunch that the pair of cold hands were a woman¡¯s as they were small. If it was a man, she might not have been able to survive the push.

    ¡°What?¡± Sergio looked at her in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Jenna? Saw what? You don¡¯t look so good. Did something bad happen to you?¡±All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    Sergio looked at her worriedly.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Jenna shook her head and sighed.She was upset yet was unwilling to give up. She asked, ¡°Did you not see anyone leave just now?¡±

    ¡°Just now?¡± Sergio thought for a moment andshook his head. ¡°When I came over, I saw someone on the ground and it looked like you. So, I came and had a look. I didn¡¯t see anyone else.¡±

    ¡°No one has been here? Impossible!¡± She screamed in her heart and shook her head.

    The person really pushed her hard. How could there be no one? However, it was dark here. It was also possible thatSergiocould not see her in the distance.

    She finally calmed down after a long while.

    Forget it. If he didn¡¯t see it, then shewould not be able to get anything from him. She smiled bitterly, shook her head, and tidied her gown.

 Chapter 410 Sergioâ€™s Intention

    ¡°Jenna, are you alright?¡± Sergio asked with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Jenna shook her head. Since that person moved so swiftly, it must have been premeditated.She would not be able to find anything even if she wanted to investigate further. Besides, this is a blindspot and there were no cameras in sight. She could only me herself for being in the wrong ce at the wrong time.

    Jenna shook her head in denial and didn¡¯t want to think further.

    ¡°Thank you, Sergio. I still have some matters to attend to.¡± She didn¡¯t want to stay there any longer.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s have a chat,¡± Sergio said with a smile and tried to persuade her to stay.

    His charming smile and gentle voice made Jenna feel at ease.

    Jenna rxed. She didn¡¯t have any special feelings for Sergio, but he didn¡¯t make her feel particrly disgusted. She smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been here far too long. The only reason I came here was to get away from the crowd.¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are indeed a lot ofpeopletoday.¡± Sergio smiled and nodded his head in agreement. ¡°It seems that Jenna also didn¡¯t like this kind of banquet social event.¡± He thought.

    Jenna gave a faint smile and made noments.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯restill the same after all these years. You¡¯re noble, upright, and unwilling to socialize with mediocre people.It must be hard for you to maintain your temperament in this world.¡±Sergiopraised sincerely.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m also human. Please don¡¯t praise me like this.¡± Jenna looked around and did not have the mood to carry on the conversation. What¡¯s more, this ce was remote, and there were only two of them. Obviously, it was not inappropriate. She wasMrs. Richards now.

    She then smiled politely and said with a hint of impatience, ¡°Sergio, I didn¡¯t see you whenHansen andI were toasting. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see you here. I¡¯ve stayed here for far too long, Hansen must be looking for me. I have to go. Let¡¯s talk another day.¡±

    She lifted her gown and left.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Sergio stopped her in time. ¡°I just got off the ne. I arrivedte due to something urgent.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Jenna stopped in her tracks and stered a smile. However, she did not turn around.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re so beautiful tonight. Among all the women here, you¡¯re the most beautiful and pristine. You reminded me a lot of Jen.¡± Sergio praised her from the bottom of his heart.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna shook her head and smiled, ¡°Sergio, I really have to go.¡±

    She lifted her gown again and wanted to leave.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Sergio really didn¡¯t want to let her go.

    Jenna had to stop again after taking two steps. It seemed impolite to leave him alone like this. Besides, he had helped her up just now. What¡¯s more, she couldn¡¯t afford to offend the Xanthe family, who was militarily and politically influential. Not only that, Sergiohad a good rtionship with her mother back in Wullen Town.

    ¡°Congrattions on your wedding with Hansen. I saw it,¡± Sergio said clearly to her back. The smile on his face frozeand loneliness crossed his eyes.

    These words made Jenna feelpletely at ease. When it came to Hansen, a sense of happiness arose in her heart. She turned around and smiled brightly, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    At this moment, the panic on her face faded away. She sported a charming and lively smile. It came from the bottom of her heart,filled with self-confidence and happiness.

    She must be very happy now. He couldn¡¯t help but to ask, ¡°Is he good to you?¡± He wanted to hear her answer himself.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jenna did not hesitate and answered loudly. She raised her head and said, ¡°Hansen and I are very much in love. He cares about me deeply and we¡¯re very happy. I hope that you can find a beloved woman and live happily too.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The smile on Sergio¡¯s face was a little stiff.

    Jenna smiled again. ¡°I wish you all the best, and I hope your father¡¯s election goes well,¡± She said and nodded to him.

    Upon hearing her blessing, Sergio knewshe was also concerned about this matter. He thought for a moment, looked up, and smiled, ¡°Jenna, can I talk to you about it?¡±

    Jenna finally understood why he came to see her. It turned out that he wanted her support. She immediately smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sergio, the rules of the Richards family are clear. We can¡¯t get involved in politics. As a daughter-inw, I can only abide by them. There¡¯s nothing I can do to change it.¡±

    She was right. The Richards family had never been involved in politics. This was Old Master Richard¡¯s philosophy. Hence, he led his entire family of over a hundred people back to his ancestral home, A City, and began his business career. This had also been inscribed into the Richards family¡¯s teachings.

    Politics had always beenplicated. Old MasterRichardsnever wished for his descendants to offend any politicians, nor did he wish for their business environment to be overlyplicated. Back then, Vivian had only agreed for Aria to stay inRichards Manorto protect the family¡¯s traditional business. Secondly, she also didn¡¯t want to offend Earl. This was something Jenna gradually realized when she became the mistress of the family. Therefore, she would not agree to any of Sergio¡¯s requests.

    Sergio¡¯sheart trembled slightlyat her gentle refusal. Her words were polite, but they also emphasized her indifference. There were hundreds of thousands of people in Richards Group. If they chose to stand by his side, then it would be an obvious advantage, and he wouldn¡¯t have to resort to teaming up with Zoe.

    Although he saw iting, it still made him a little ufortable as he hadn¡¯t said much about the topic.

    Jenna also saw the embarrassment and disappointment on his face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sergio. Since the Richards familyhas no involvement in politics, we won¡¯t support Luqman either. That, I can promise. At present, Mr. Xanthe has a big chance of winning. Cheer up.¡± She smiled andforted him in a soft voice.

    ¡°Well, thank you.¡± Sergio smiled and was about to say something, only to hear footsteps approaching. ¡°Jenna, there you are. I¡¯ve been looking all over for you.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s voice warmed Jenna immediately.The fear she had earlier hadpletely disappeared.¡°Hansen, I just came here with Hannah to get away from the crowd,¡± Jenna exined as she wrapped her arms around his.However, at the same time, she was a little frightened. Perhaps she had been there for far too long, which made him anxious. He did mention that he would be looking for her when he needed her by his side.

    ¡°Silly girl, I came across Rayan and Hannah when I was looking for you and she told me where you were.¡±Hansen sounded worried and upset, but gentle nheless, as if he couldn¡¯t bear to me her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to keep you waiting, Hansen.¡± Jenna regretteding here. She took his arm and said, ¡°Are we meeting someone? Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Hansen nodded. Just as he was about to speak, he sawSergio. In fact,it was hard not to notice at all.

    ¡°Sergio, you¡¯re here?¡± He frowned and asked politely, with a look of surprise on his face.

    Jenna¡¯s face darkened. Now that he had seen her and Sergio standing in the dark, would he misunderstand? ¡°D*mnHannah, for ditching me here.Not only did I almost lose my life,but Hansen would also most likely misunderstand. What an awful friend.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, I happened toe here for a walk and saw Jenna standing here alone. So, I went forward and greeted her,¡± Sergio exined. Jenna¡¯s gloomy look did not escapeSergio¡¯seyes even in such a dark environment.

    ¡°Oh, I see. I¡¯m sorry but Jenna has toe with me now,¡±Hansen said, smiling faintly.

    ¡°Okay, then. I¡¯ll walk around.¡± Sergio did not try to keep her any longer.

    Hansen nodded andgently held Jenna¡¯s hand.¡°Let¡¯s go, Jenna. I¡¯ll take you to meet MadamLilian.¡±

    Madam Lilian? Has she really arrived?

    Jenna was taken aback and she nodded obediently.Hansen led her back to the banquet.

    With Hansen by her side, the fear in her heart had long faded. However, there was still some lingering fear. Should she tell him what had happened?

    However, if she told him, Hansen would definitely investigate further. It was obvious that this matter had long been premeditated. Even Sergio said that he did not see anyone.So, it would beimpossible for him to find anything if he insisted on investigating.

    The guests were all prominent and famous people. If she made a fuss with no evidence, she would only make a fool of herself and even bring shame to Hansen. It seemed that she could only wait and tell him another day!

    With these thoughts in mind, she decided to push this matter aside.Jennahappily followed Hansen to meet MadamLilian.

 Chapter 411 First Meeting With Madam Lilian

    Sergio stood in the darkness and watched the couple leave. A hint of coldness shed in his eyes.

    ¡°Not involved with politics? Do you think this will prevent the century-old foundation of the Richardsfamilyfrom being harmed?¡±

    ¡°Huh, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re dreaming.¡±

    ¡°Even if the Richardsfamilywishes to find a path free of any influence, it would be improbable.¡± Sergio thought.

    The smile on the corner of his mouth was getting colder and colder.

    ¡°Hansen, are you angry? I really came here with Hannah.I only metSergio muchter,¡± Jenna muttered. He had misunderstood her rtionship with Sergio back in Wullen Town. Now, she was afraid of raising his suspicion. Hansen was easily jealous.

    ¡°Silly girl, you are my wife now. Why should I be angry? I believe everything you say.¡± Hansen reassured her with a smile.

    A broad smile appeared on his face, devoid of any misgivings. His joyful appearance waspletely different from the suspicious appearance she had seen previously.

    Jenna could see that he had no prejudice. She felt so sweet that she could melt. True love was about trust and believing in each other.Even in the face of the people whom they had some reservations about previously, they would still be open and easy-going.

    ¡°When you see MadamLiliater, you must behave your best and show off your graceful demeanour. Is that alright?¡± Hansen changed the topic and said with a smile.

    Jenna became nervous and even slowed down her pace as soon as she heard his words.

    As far as social interactions went, she had already attended quite a few of them and could handle them easily. However, it was the first time she would be meeting a high-ranking woman like MadamLilian. Initially, she wasn¡¯t concerned but she became nervous as soon as Hansen reminded her.

    Of course, her nervousness did not escape Hansen¡¯s eyes.

    Hansenughed and slowed down his steps. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lowered his head, and giggled.¡°Silly girl, I¡¯m only joking. Don¡¯t worry. MadamLilianis lovely and doesn¡¯t put on airs. You just follow my lead. Besides, there will be many people. Everything¡¯s going to be okay.¡±

    Only then did Jennalet out a sigh of relief, and her whole body rxed. She chided him.¡°You¡¯re really mean, Hansen. You always like to y tricks on me, hmph!¡±

    Hansenughed, held her small hand tightly, and continued walking.

    Next to theoutdoor center stagewas a wide square table. Several luxurious white tables and chairs were arranged on each side, and a delicate ring light hung in the air, lighting up the area to resemble daytime.

    Many guests stood on either side, and the scene was orderly and harmonious. Laughter could be heard from afar.

    Even though Hansen tried tofort her, she still felt tense. By some miracle,Jenna felt a sense of relief the moment they approached MadamLilian. In fact, she felt very much at ease. The air wasced with an amiable and lovely scent.

    As they got closer and closer,Jenna caught a glimpse of Madam Lilian.

    It turned out that Madam Lilian was so elegant and beautiful! She was much more beautiful than the person she saw on television. She was in her seventies, yet her skin was fair and glowing, with only a few wrinkles. No matter how she looked, Madam Lilian looked like she was only in her fifties.

    Jenna was astounded. In her imagination, a female politician would generally be smart and wise.As for looks,it was alright as long as they looked decent.

    However, MadamLilianwas clearly different. Not only did she have a dignifying appearance, but she also possessed an elegant aura. The confidence and calm aura she exuded was something that an ordinary woman could not give off. Furthermore, she looked like a woman from a wealthy family rather than a globally sessful woman.

    What surprised Jenna, even more, was that there was a sense of familiarity from Madam Lilian.

    Therefore, her heart had calmed down.Jennawas more than happy to get close and speak to her. Their conversation flowed naturally andMadam Lilian was pleasant.

    ¡°MadamLilian, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± Hansen walked up with Jenna and greetedMadam Lilian.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    Madam Lilian looked at him with a smile. ¡°Are you Mr. Hansen?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hansen smiled and replied respectfully, ¡°This is my wife, Jenna Murphy. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, the pleasure is all mine.¡± MadamLilian¡¯s eyes first fell on Hansen¡¯s face. She nodded slightly as if she approved of his looks. She had heard of the young and talented Hansen when she was aboard. However, she had never had the opportunity to meet him personally. When she saw him with her own eyes, she felt that he was indeed imposing, with an extraordinary temperament. She turned her eyes to Jenna as soon as Hansen introduced her.

    As soon as she looked over, she was surprised.

    Jenna was wearing a ck and elegant gown.Not only did her beauty stand out from the rest, her elegance and refined temperament easily caught Madam Lilian¡¯s attention.

    She had high standards when it came to women, especially towards their temperament. There were a lot of pretty women, but there were very few with a pristine disposition.She had seen numerous women by now, but very few were like Jenna, who could attract her at first nce.

    What made her even more surprised was that Jenna felt familiar to her, especially her eyes.Madam Lilian wasexcited. She wanted to get to know Jenna better.

    Perhaps, it was fate.

    Thinking of this,Madam Lilianlooked at Jenna with a smile on her face.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Madam Lilian.¡±Jenna smiled and slightly bowed. Her bright eyes were twinkling.

    ¡°Nice to meet you,Mrs. Richards.¡± Madam Lilian was delighted.¡°You are a wonderful woman,Mrs. Richards. I can already tell,you are well mannered and virtuous. Mr. Hansen is a lucky man.¡±

    She spoke amiably and sincerely.

    The people surrounding them could feel Madam Lilian¡¯s love for Jenna. The affection was genuine.

    Sergio was standing at the side. He quietly watched all of this while feeling startled.

    Was this due to kinship? Even though they did not know each other, they still naturally showed their affection towards each other. Sergio knew their rtionship all too well.

    As he thought about this, his face contorted. Hisdarkeyes dimmed.

    ¡°Yes,Madam Lilian. My wife is extraordinary. I¡¯m a lucky man to have her.¡± Hansen didn¡¯t hold back his praise.

    Jenna smiled, but her face wasbright red.

    ¡°Can he stop embarrassing me? How could he praise me so shamelessly?¡± She thought to herself.

    ¡°Very well.¡± Madam Lilian said upon hearing Hansen¡¯s praise.She smiled and said to Jenna, ¡°It seems that you guys are in love with each other very much.¡±

    Jenna smiled shyly and replied, ¡°Yes,MadamLilian.We may have been through a lot of ups and downs, but we truly love each other. Our love today won¡¯te together without any painstaking effort, and we believe that there is indeed true love in the world.¡±

    She spoke with deep affection and confidence. Shelooked at Hansen and the two of them smiled at each other as they shared a deep affection for each other.

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± That piqued MadamLilian¡¯s interest. She smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s a great thing for a couple to be happily in love. It¡¯s no wonder Richards Group is prospering. It¡¯s all due to the mutual effort between husband and wife. I hope that we get to sit down and have a meal together someday. I¡¯d love to listen to your stories.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, I like you a lot,¡± she said frankly.

    ¡°Thank you, Madam. I also admire you and feel a sense of familiarity.¡± Jenna was ecstatic to hear this and had a better impression ofMadamLilian. ¡°It¡¯d be an honor to have dinner with you,MadamLilian. I¡¯d like to invite you toRichards Manor,¡± Jenna said sincerely.

    ¡°That would be lovely,¡± MadamLilianreplied. She looked around and felt a little sad. This ce had once been filled with her dreamsand her poor daughter who had been forced to separate from her, at only one month old. She was dejected at the thought of not being able to find her daughter.

 Chapter 412 A Pleasant Scene

    ¡°Madam Lilian, it¡¯s rare for you to visit this ce. I have prepared a feast based on A City¡¯s culture. Have a taste of our hometown dishes. It will still be noon when you return to Europe.¡± Yezon walked over and invited her.

    He had personally asked Madam Lilian toe over. She would only be here for three hours. After that, Madam Lilian would have to leave the country to attend an important meeting in the afternoon.

    Madam Lilian had attended the banquet out of respect forYezon.

    Therefore, he prepared a meal consisting of the local specialties of A city for her, hoping that she would like it.

    ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± Madam Lilian thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.¡°Tell you what, you all can have dinner with me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madam Lilian. I have prepared sufficient dishes.¡± Yezon added, ¡°This way, please.¡±

    As he spoke, he held her hand as they walk towards the long dining table.

    Waiting at the sides of the table stood waiters, bartenders, and chefs, ready to serve. The white napkins on the table were spotless and immacte.

    Jenna looked around. The dining table could amodate around 30 people. The names of the attendees who were hand-picked to dine with Madam Lilianwere ced on each seat.

    She and Hansen were the most sessful entrepreneurs in A City. It was only natural that they had the privilege and honor to be there. However, they were still two seats away from Madam Lilian.

    MadamLiliansat in the seat of honor.

    She and Hansen sat on the second and third seats away from Madam Lilian on her left side. On her right were the mayor and secretary. One seat away from Madam Lilian on her left side sat Yezon.

    Sergio had a high position, but that was all to be attributed to his father, Yadriel, who was a high-ranking official.Sergio¡¯s position as the newly appointed head of state security of Capital City was not to be underestimated as well. Hence, he was assigned to the third seat on the right.

    Elegant music started ying, indicating themencement of the dinner.

    The waitersservedthesumptuous dishes.

    Everyone ate their meals in a refined manner. Even though it was a grand feast, the scene was still quiet and orderly.

    Jenna was even more cautious. She was afraid that if she did something indecent, she would embarrass Hansen.

    As for Hansen, he was used to this kind of event. He was calm and at ease. When he sensed Jenna¡¯s nervousness, he smiled and scooped a meatball for Jenna, saying softly, ¡°Come, try and taste this.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jenna whispered. She was embarrassed by Hansen showing a public disy of affection. For heaven¡¯s sake, they were in public!

    Madam Lilian noticed them. She picked a meatball up as well with a smile and took a bite of it. The familiar tastewarmed her heart. Sheblurted out, ¡°Present and past, fleeting and fast.¡±

    She recited a poem. The light in her eyes dimmed.

    ¡°Infinite and untamed, only time will remain.¡± Jenna ate the meatball and recalled something, being slightly absent-minded. When Madam Lilianfinished reciting the line,she continued without a second thought.

    As soon as she concluded her poem, MadamLilian immediately turned to look at her.

    ¡°How do you know this poem?¡± Her eyes shone and she asked in surprise.

    WhenJennaheard MadamLilian¡¯s question, she realized that she had spoken out loud. Ashamed, she smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, MadamLilian. I¡¯ve made a fool of myself.¡±

    ¡°No, child, tell me, how did you know this poem?¡± MadamLilianasked kindly, shaking her head. There was an urgent and desperate expression on her face.

    ¡°This¡­¡± Jenna thought for a bit and said sheepishly, ¡°When I was young, my mother often recited this poem. I didn¡¯t know who the poet was, but I remembered it. Today, when I heard you reading it aloud, I subconsciously continued as well. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Madam Lilian became more excited. She asked with great interest, ¡°Who is your mother?¡±

    When Jenna heard this, she was even more embarrassed. Since Madam Lilian had asked, she decided to answer her question simply, in a decent manner.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, my mother is just an ordinary woman. But in my eyes, she is the noblest of women.¡±

    WhenJennathought of Sara¡¯sdisabledlegs, her heart ached. In the middle of such a high-ss asion, mentioning her mother more or less made her feel sorrowful.After finishing that sentence, she tried to cover up the past and did not want to continue.

    However, Madam Lilian wanted to hear more. She probed even further. ¡°Tell me, how did your mother know this poem?¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna lifted her bright eyes and blinked, shaking her head as she said, ¡°Madam, I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know. Mother has never talked about it. She may have just heard it from someone else and memorized it unintentionally.¡±

    She really didn¡¯t know. When she was a child, Sara often recited the poem and she had memorized it.

    ¡°Oh.¡± MadamLiliannodded and pondered. She turned her head and once again began to size Jenna up.

    Next to her, Yezon¡¯s thoughts were clear. Seeing that MadamLilianwas interested in Jenna, he took the initiative to stand up and made an offer. ¡°Madam, allow Mrs. Richards to sit by your side. I¡¯ll exchange seats with her.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± Madam Liliandidn¡¯t hesitate to express her gratitude with a smile.

    Yezon nced at the waiter, anda waiter immediately stepped forward to switch Jenna¡¯s tableware with Yezon¡¯s.

    Then, Jenna sat next to Madam Lilian subsequently. Jenna felt as if she was dreaming. However, she was eager to close in with Madam Lilian and was very willing to approach her.

    ¡°Child, you and I are kindred spirits. Come, try this.¡± MadamLilianpicked up asweet meatband ced it on Jenna¡¯s te.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna was ttered. She quickly thanked her.

    To be honest, it was Jenna¡¯s favourite. She immediately picked it up and put it into her mouth.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Madam Lilian asked amiably. Her gaze was kind as if she was looking at her own beloved granddaughter.

    Watching from the side, Sergio was scared out of his wits, and his palms were sweaty.

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious. Thank you, Madam.¡± After Jenna swallowed the sweet meatball, she smiled and thanked her.

    ¡°Does your mother often cook this for you?¡± She asked, smiling.

    Jenna blinked and noddedhappily.¡°Yes, she often cooked this for me back then. It¡¯s tasty.¡±

    When it came to her mother and childhood memories, Jenna couldn¡¯t help but to smile brightly. She was wholeheartedly immersed in happiness.

    When she was a child, she was the apple of her parents¡¯ eyes. She was content to have a blissful family. Her face was full of hope for a bright and joyous future, butter on¡­

    That vivid expression moved MadamLilian, but the bright smile onJenna¡¯sface gradually faded away, covered by a mist of sorrow and sadness.

    Madam Lilianwas surprised by Jenna¡¯s expression and it subconsciously made her feel sad for her as well. She couldn¡¯t help but to put her hand on hers and asked softly, ¡°Is there a dark birthmark on the right side of your mother¡¯s back?¡±

    She looked at Jenna with hopeful eyes, as if she was anticipating the answer she wanted. However, Jenna blinked her eyes and thought for a while,then shook her head in confusion. The doubtfulness in her eyes was obvious.

    The light in Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes dimmed, and there was even a moment of destion. It was concealed in no time.

    ¡°Oh, you see, agood friend of mine asked me to find someone. When I saw you, I thought of her.Thus, I decided to ask you about that¡± Madam Lilian saw the bewilderment in Jenna¡¯s eyes and exined to her. Somehow, this woman¡¯s every move affected her, and she couldn¡¯t help but to want to provide an exnation. Even if the exnation was only partially true, she also couldn¡¯t help but say it out.

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Jenna rxed and smiled. She said in a solemn manner, ¡°Madam, my mother is just an ordinary woman. She won¡¯t be the person your friend is looking for.¡±

    She knew her limits. If it was a good friend of Madam Lilian,she would be either a high official or a wealthy woman. Her mother was an ordinary woman. How could they have any rtion to Madam Lilian¡¯s friend? It was impossible. Thus, she immediately shook her head and denied it.

    ¡°No, child. I think your mother must be a great woman. If she can raise such an excellent daughter like you, she must be a great mother. I really hope that I can have the chance to visit your mother.¡± Although she did not hear what she wanted, MadamLilian still expressed that sincerely.

    ¡°Thank you for yourpliment, Madam. I think Motherwould be so happy to hearyour praise,¡± Jenna answered happily.

    Jenna didn¡¯t think much of Madam Lilian¡¯s sudden interest in her mother. After all, they were all women.Madam Lilian might have done it out of courtesy.

    ¡°Well, child, your mother must be very happy when she sees that you are living such a happy life now.¡± Madam Lilian asked enviously, looking at Jenna.

    ¡°Yes, she is. She is pleased to see the loving life between my husband and me.¡± Jenna did not deny it, and her eyes were shining like stars. She met MadamLilian¡¯s gaze, and the happiness on her face was so obvious.

    ¡°Yes, I can see that Mr. Hansen loves you a lot. Congrattions. Couples must learn to love and respect each other. You¡¯ll have an unexpected harvest.¡± Madam Lilian smiled benevolently and reminded her patiently.

    ¡°Alright, Madam. Thank you for your teachings.¡± Jenna smiled sweetly.

    Madam Lilian nodded along with her with a smile.

 Chapter 413 Loving Times

    During the meal, Jenna¡¯s and Madam Lilian¡¯s conversation went on to be calmer and more rxing. The atmosphere seemed like it was not a grand banquet, but more like a casual gathering. It wasfriendly and easy-going.

    This banquet was the most delightful and longest meal attended by Madam Lilian, just because Jenna was sitting by her side.

    In fact, the others who were apanying Madam Lilian were of more importance,yet she was having fun chatting with Jenna throughout the dinner. She at times behaved like a child, talking about delicacies, and exciting experiences with Jenna,pletely ignoring the whole table full of people who were there to see her.

    Her delightedughter could be heard from time to time.

    Time passed very quickly just as they were enjoying their conversation. She stood up in reluctance as they were about to separate and leave.

    Before leaving, she turned around to take Jenna¡¯s hand and said in a friendly manner, ¡°My child, I have enjoyed myself a lot tonight. Thank you for keeping mepany. If there is a chance, I hope to have dinner with you again.¡±

    ¡°Madam, I enjoyed myself as well. Thank you very much and I also hope to have dinner with you again.¡± Jenna was especially happy. The banquet that day was the happiest one among the few banquets she had attended. It was the most rxing one and it also gave her a whole new perspective about the future banquets she was going to attend. From her previous assumptions, banquets were for those so-called nobles or the upper ss people to show off to each other. They pretended to be high-profile and hypocritically dealt with the guests, and no one could see through each other¡¯s actual thoughts. However, Jenna felt that everything was different that day. She really felt Madam Lilian¡¯s sincerity. She was just a kind and lovely olddy with a lonely heart. Her heart was full of yearning for love and a family.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    ¡°Come, my child. This is my business card. Do contact me if you happen to being to Europe. I will take some time out to meet up with you.¡± Before Madam Lilian left, she handed a business card to Jenna.

    ¡°Thank you, I will do so.¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes were slightly moist. It didn¡¯t matter whether Madam Lilian was inviting her over sincerely or not, she was still really moved that Madam Lilian was treating her so well.

    Who was Madam Lilian? She was a celebrity in international politics. Not to mention whether she would get to meet her even if she went there, it was still highly unlikely of her actually to meet her on her own. Nevertheless, she still treasured the business card.

    It was just because of this elderly woman¡¯s sincerity. At least, from her point of view, what she saw was a seniordy¡¯s kind heart, not the world-renowned Madam Lilian.

    Several men in ck uniforms with guns surrounded and guarded Madam Lilian. A secretary who was wearing sses wrapped a shawl around Madam Lilian¡¯s neckand escorted her to a limousine.

    Everyone stopped in their tracks, watching as the group of people walked away.

    Before finally getting in the car, Madam Lilian turned back and waved to everyone. Jenna could still see the gentle smile on her face.

    She gripped the business card that still had Madam Lilian¡¯s warmth in her hand.Her mind couldn¡¯t calm down for the moment.

    Madam Lilian and her entourage soon disappeared from their sight.

    ¡°Jenna, I didn¡¯t expect Madam Lilian to think so highly of you and like you so much.It looks like you really are a woman who attracts people¡¯s good graces.¡± Hannah was the first to rush forward as she congratted Jenna enviously.

    Being able to obtain Madam Lilian¡¯s personal business card was almost a rare urrence. It was as if she had never ever heard of anyone being able to bear such an honor before.

    Many people who were present, including the mayor, Sadiva, and the secretary, Zach, were all surprised. They did not expect the daughter of Javon Murphy, thete official, to be so favored by Madam Lilian. They felt thatif Jenna hadn¡¯t married Hansen and gained the title of Mrs. Richards, she would not have been important enough to attend the banquet. It was basically impossible for her even to meet Madam Lilian.

    However, the fact was that she was sessfully married to one of the world¡¯s richest businessmen. That day,she attended the banquet.

    Perhaps, it was all fate. The graceful and mighty Hansen still loved and doted on her so much, and her parents-inw were all very kind to her. This woman¡¯s life was really too wonderful.

    Sergio watched them from the beginning to the end, and he was finally relieved.Madam Lilian failed to identify with Jenna atst. Maybe there wouldn¡¯t be a chance for them to meet again after that parting. Otherwise, it would be really difficult for them to deal with the aftermath, andhe might not be able to exin it to Zoe.

    The banquet finally ended.

    ¡°Hannah, how could you value your boyfriend more than your own friend by leaving me alone?¡± Jenna saw Hannah and thought of how she abandoned her. She almost died because of thatand was almost misunderstood by Hansen. Jenna couldn¡¯t help being angry as she med Hannah.

    Hannah chuckled awkwardly.

    ¡°Jen.¡± It was still an affectionate nickname, but Jenna seemed to feel that something had changed. Although she had never loved Rayan before, he had yed along with her. There was a kind of vague rtionship between them. Although they did not fall in love with each other, she had a faint sense of dependence on him. After all, he used to be so selfless towards her. Now that he had Hannah by his side, his kindness to her would inevitably be transferred to someone else. This was normal for human beings, even if it was a person whom they didn¡¯t love, they would still feel a sense of loss when that person suddenly left their side.

    However, what made her happy was that Rayan ended up together with her best friend. This surprised her, as it proved that he had a good eye. The duowould be happy in the future.Theywould remain good friends, and their rtionship would surely get closer. It was a good thing that she saved their friendship at the same time.The most important thing was that Hannah would finally ept a man, which saved her from the worry deep inside her heart.

    ¡°Rayan, how good it is for me to see you being with Hannah. Hannah is a straightforward person.You should treat her well in the future,dote on her,and not bully her.¡± Jenna smiled, looked at Rayan, and solemnly told him. She drank some wine with Madam Lilian, and she was in a good mood,feeling as if she was among the clouds. Still, she did not forget to remind¡­

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry. I will do as you say.¡± Rayan gave Jenna an elegant smile and turned his gentle gaze towards Hannah.

    Hannah stood by his side and smiled shyly. The usually cool Hannah was acting like a little girl at that moment. Jenna was secretly amazed. Love was really an amazing thing.

    ¡°It¡¯salreadygettingte.Let¡¯s go home first.¡± After Hansen greeted some famous political figures, he strode over and spoke intimately with his arms around Jenna¡¯s waist.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Whalen.¡± He greeted Rayan at the same time. Since knowing that Jenna had never loved Rayan, Hansen¡¯s prejudice against him waspletely resolved. Thinking about how jealous he was of Rayan and the unreasonable trouble he caused him in the past, he would still feel somewhat embarrassed.

    ¡°Greetings, Mr. Richards.¡± Rayan nodded at Hansen politely and said in a solemn manner, ¡°Mr Richards, you have finally attained the beauty in your arms as you wished. I hope you will cherish Jenna in the future, and you both must live happily. Otherwise,Hannah and I will not spare you.¡±

    ¡°Of course I will.¡± Hansen gave a hearty and unrestrained smile as he teased Rayan. ¡°Mr. Whalen, it seems that you are so deep in love. After dating Hannah, even your way of speaking is bing simr to hers.¡±

    After that, he said to Hannah with a smile, ¡°Miss Adames, I should remind you not to control men too much. If Mr. Whalen bes like you, then there will be one less gentlemanly man in the world. You will be guilty of it. For the sake of all men, I advise you to find a way to change yourself and make yourself moredylike.¡± As he said this, Hansenughed out loud.

    His words made Hannah¡¯s cheeks puff out in anger. She ced her hands on her hips and was about to start cursing Hansen. However, when she thought of Rayan standing beside her, her anger subsided in an instant. She huffed and red angrily at Hansen.

    ¡°Haha!¡± Hansen burst outughing once again. Now, that was a relief! Hannah had scolded him countless times for Jenna¡¯s sake. It was finally his turn to tease her.

    ¡°Jenna, take a look at your man. What is he? He holds grudges so easily. How narrow-minded he is. Once you go back, you¡¯d better punish him well.¡± Hannah did indeed remember her determination to return to being ady. At that moment, she could only hold back the urge to curse and merelyined to Jenna.

    ¡°Hannah, Hansen was just joking around with you. Don¡¯t mind him. He¡¯s just being mischievous. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll help you vent your angerter on.¡± Jenna smiled and said to Hansen, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s go. The sun will eventually rise if we¡¯re not going to leave.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°I will listen to you, honey.¡±

    ¡°See you!¡±

    Hansen put his arm around Jenna¡¯s waist. He waved his hand at Rayan and Hannah. The both of them walked away, chatting andughing.

    ¡°Hannah, don¡¯t forget to bring Rayan to Richards Manor for a meal.¡± After taking a few steps away, Jenna turned back and bade Hannah these few words.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Hannah¡¯s crispughter came from behind.

    ¡°What are you doing? Are you trying to bring men over to our house?¡± Hansen asked deliberately, hugging her.

    ¡°So, if Rayan happens toe over, are you going to fight with him?¡± Jenna knew that he was just saying it jokingly, So, she couldn¡¯t help but to ridicule him.

    Her words made Hansen recall the past and those grievances back then. He felt happy and embarrassed at the same time. Gnashing his teeth, he said, ¡°You d*mned woman, how can you still tease me? Now, you are in my hands. All the grievances I suffered before the marriage must be given back to you. Just wait for me to punish you.¡±

    After saying that, he picked her up with his bulky arms and tried to kiss her on the lips.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t do that.Look after your image.¡± She blocked his iing lips and protested. They were still not far from the banquet hall andpeople were still moving around. This man was simply too daring.

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Hansen smiled and let her go. He picked her up and carried her towards the car.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see how you will plead with me tonight. I won¡¯t let you go until I¡¯m satisfied.¡± His threatening voice rang vaguely in Jenna¡¯s ear.

    The soft chuckles from the two of them spread across, far and wide.

 Chapter 414 Somewhat Proud of Her

    ¡°Tsk, they¡¯re so in love. Sergio, did you see that? They are so happy, and the Richards Group is prospering.Even MadamLilianadores Jenna.It seems that we can¡¯tpare to them.¡±Zoewalked to Sergio¡¯s side and clicked her tongue in wonder.

    If she was right, Sergiointended to approach Madam Lilian that night but did not seed. Madam Lilian was treating Jenna so well and was even eager to be with her. There was no chance forSergioto get closer to Madam Lilian.

    What did this mean?

    It showed that Madam Lilian was hard to approach, and she treated everyone differently. She looked kind, but she was shrewd, and definitely not stupid at all. Madam Lilian definitely knew why Sergio wanted to approach her. If she didn¡¯t give him the chance, it meant that she didn¡¯t care about all those things at all.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sergio turned back and red atZoe.

    ¡°I¡¯m just stating the facts.That¡¯s all.¡±Zoeshrugged her shoulders and put the leather bagbeneath her underarm. She held Sergio. ¡°Come on, Sergio. Let¡¯s go to the hotel in front to have a drink.¡±

    It was only then that Sergio felt hungry.Although there was plenty of food that night, he feltrestricted due to his identity. He hadn¡¯t eaten anything at all.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    After thinking about it, he decided to leave with her.

    They sat down in the private dining room. AfterZoeordered the dishes, she lifted her head and asked, ¡°How¡¯s that? Sergio, have you thought it over? Are you going to cooperate with me? I gave you a lot of time as well as the best offer. If you don¡¯t prepare for your father¡¯s election now, it¡¯ll be toote to help you by that time.¡±

    Zoe¡¯s expression was solemn. She seemed to appear considerate and cared about his interests.

    ¡°Do you have the ability to oppose the Richards Group?¡± Sergio asked, sceptical. Was that woman really just trying to take revenge? No matter how she put it, her actions were strange.

    ¡°Logically speaking, I couldn¡¯t stand a chance. However, anything is possible, especially if you join us. You¡¯ll be able to get closer to Jenna too.I¡¯ll find a way to send her to you. Whether you seed or not, that will depend entirely on you,¡±Zoesaid in a carefree manner, her face full of confidence.

    Sergio looked at her and thought of the petrochemical factoryinWullen Town.Kyrie sent a message, saying that people with unknown identities often wandered around thefactorythese days. Although he could not confirm whether it was Hansen who sent them, he knew that Hansen did have insider information. At this moment, Sergio must make sure that nothing could harm Yadriel, especially thepetrochemicalfactory. Hansen would not give up easily on the chemical nt.

    Was there any point in considering arge enterprise that was of no help to him, even repressed his economic profits, or that got hold of his shady deals?

    Sergio¡¯seyes dimmed. He clenched the red wine ss, lifted his head and chugged it down. He then put the ssheavily downon the table. His face was ruthlessly colored.¡°Zoe, if you want to use me to do something against the prospects of my family¡¯s political career, I will not be lenient to you. Also, I hope that you will take action and do more than merely paying lip service to me. As for the contract, other than epting 30% of yourpany¡¯s pure profit, I will not sign any other contract with you. There are some things that don¡¯t have to be written in ck and white. I can tell you clearly that if you try to y any tricks, I will not let you go. I have mastered every move of yours. You are not the only one who is good at scheming.¡±

    After that, he stared at her with his cold eyes.

    Zoewas stunned and her eyes gleamed. She knew that he refused to sign a contract because he didn¡¯t want to leave any evidence behind. Politicians had lots of tricks. She had heard much about Yadriel¡¯s and Sergio¡¯s maniption tactics. If she didn¡¯t intend to take down the Richards Group to avenge her father, she wouldn¡¯t have to work with them. However, there was no other way. She needed his help now. Especially when she heard that he was about to be appointed the head of state security, she became more desperate.

    As long as she could destroy the Richards Group and leave Hansen with nothing, she was willing to pay any price.

    Zoesmiled and said, ¡°Sergio, I understand what you meant. We have a mutually beneficial rtionship. Don¡¯t worry, you are not my enemy. I will never do anything to hurt you. Please trust me.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡± Sergio nodded and drank another ss of red wine.

    ¡°Alright, cheers to our win.¡±Zoe picked up a red wine ss and gulped it down in one go.

    Hansen carried Jenna down from the electric car and strode towards the living room.

    Jenna had kickedherhigh heels off and her two delicate, little feet were dangling in the air.Hansenheld her in his arms and she looked at the trees as they walked by, giggling.

    ¡°Lower your voice.¡± Hansen had drunk a lot of wine and felt hot all over. He was aroused by Jenna¡¯s movements. Afraid that they would wake the others up, he warned her in a soft voice.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Jenna stretched out her arms hugged his neck, saying softly, ¡°Madam Lilian is very kind. I feel like I have known her for a long time. I like her a lot. I enjoyed today¡¯s banquet.¡±

    ¡°Yes, she likes youbecause you¡¯re a nice woman. She¡¯s not that easy to get along with. Many government officials wanted to get close to her, but they failed to do so.¡± Hansen thought of the enthusiasm and kindness MadamLilianhad shown towards Jenna that night. It didn¡¯t look like she was pretending. He felt odd. If he hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes, it would be difficult for him to believe it. At the moment, the corner of his mouth curled up, and he was somewhat proud of her.

    What did this mean? This meant that his woman was excellent enough to have Madam Lilian like her as well. It also showed that he had good taste.

    As soon as they reached the second floor, he kicked the door open and pressed her against the wall, leaned in and dove into a fervent kiss.

    Jenna whined. Her mind wascking oxygen. She felt as if she couldn¡¯t breathe at all.His tongue moved against hers, and she tasted him. The warm tones of the light made her cheeks flush and look flirtatious.

    Hansen lifted one of her legs impatiently and wrapped it around his waist. He slipped his hands into her gown. Soon, he removed her small underwear¡­

    Jenna felt as if she was going to die. She stretched out her hands and hugged his neck tightly,her body tensed. The intoxicating waves of pleasure came one after another, leaving her wanting more. It happened repeatedly. Only when she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, did he fill her up in time?

    As a result of a night of passion, Jenna felt sore all over the next day when she woke up. Hansen was sleeping soundly.

    ¡°Hansen, wake up. It¡¯s time to go to work.¡± Jenna got up, and the warm smell left by their passionate indulgences still lingered. She drew the curtains, and the scenery of spring outside was lovely. Birds were chirping.It was cheerful and lively.

    There would be an important meeting that day and they would have to set up the global salesworkstudio. They needed to expand their business operation due to the increasing demands as well as for the convenience of work. As long as thework wasunched, all the orders, sale, and stock over the globe could be seen clearly. It could reduce manpower and save costs. Moreover, it could be used foronlinebusiness trading. Theproject needed more time tplete, as a result of the poorwork in some countries, but Jenna was determined to execute the task.

    As long as she had this system in ce, management of the automobile business would be far easier.

    ¡°What¡¯s the rush? We can go to work in the afternoon. There will be people in the studio.¡± Hansen didn¡¯t care. As a boss, he didn¡¯t need to stay in the office all day. He went to work as he liked, as long as he could control the overall situation. Jenna didn¡¯t think so. Hansen could do that, but as a vice president, she couldn¡¯t bete all the time. She had to set a good example.

    She had beente several times due to Hansen¡¯s unreasonable pestering in thest few days.

    As a newly appointed executive, if she were to be muddled by Hansen¡¯s unprincipled actions, her integrity would falter.

    She turned back to look at Hansen, who was still sleeping soundly. She could not be bothered with him anymore and was in a hurry. After having breakfast, she took the car keys and went out alone.

    ¡°Hello, Ms. Murphy.¡± When Jenna arrived at The Richards Group, employees stood up and greeted her as she walked past.

    Jenna nodded in response, one by one. She wore a silver dress with her hair tied up, her sturdy high heels making a crisp, tapping sound on the floor.She looked clean and neat.

    After clocking in at the front desk, she checked the image of the public rtions and sales department employees. Under her request, every department¡¯s staff had to report their work the day before to their manager. The head of each department would then have to summarize the feedback, create new guidelines, and enforce rewards and punishments.

    All employees had to be at their best form at work. If they were not up to par, they could go home and rest.

    Jenna also paid for new work outfits. In less than a month, the wholepany was in a brand new state and had a refreshing, new look.

    As for thepany¡¯s management, she had implemented a lot from her work experience in the WhalenCompany to make up for her shorings. This was her unique calibre.

 Chapter 415 Liya Joins The Richards Group

    As soon as Jenna reached the 88th floor, she saw a long line of people waiting in front of the door. All of them were managers who would be presenting documents to her.

    ¡°Good morning, Ms. Murphy.¡± Everyone was busy greeting her when they saw her walk over.

    ¡°Good morning.¡± Jenna smiled and opened the door of her office.

    They soon got down to business.

    The whole process was efficient and fast.

    There were only two people left in the row. One was the director of the global manufacturing manager, Mr. Benson Parker, while theother was the global sales manager, Mr. Yaris White.

    After a moment of silence, Mr. Parker walked in first.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, please take a look at the recent manufacturing process of the cars.¡± Mr. Parker walked in and nodded politely to Jenna, handing over the document with both hands.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna took the document and looked briefly at the report, usinga red pen to mark some of the ces. Raising her chin, she waved to Mr. Parker and gently turned the document on the table. Soon, the file was facing Mr. Parker.

    She lowered her eyes, but her chin was held high. She lifted her arm and pointed at the ces markedwith the red pen, stating clearly, ¡°Mr. Parker, these sizes here are wrong. There¡¯s something wrong with the manufacturing procedure. Report again to me after you have found out the details.¡±

    Mr. Parker¡¯s heart skipped a beat. As aproduction manager,he did not manage to notice the problem but Jenna pointed it out in a few seconds. It was worthy of her reputation.

    In fact, such mistakes would often ur. There were countless times whenrge amounts of raw materials had been wasted. It was not that they weren¡¯t meticulous enough, butthe measurements of parts they bought were off the mark. In this way, they had to further modify the production materials in their factory.The raw cost would certainly increase in the process.Previously, when he showed it to Mr. Richards, he didn¡¯t even point it out.

    It seemed that thisdy vice president really had a unique experience in automobiles.

    ¡°Mr. Parker,small mistakestend toleadtrgeproblems. You have to be more careful when ites to the production of cars. Even if it is just a small control or a screw, it will cause disasters. Not to mention that the brakes from thestincident had tarnished the reputation of Richards Group. Such a matter should never happen again,¡± Jenna said solemnly. Although she did not have much experience with the production of cars, she had dealt with several simr idents when she was atWhalen Group. One of the main reasonsWhalen Group went downhill wasbecause they were not aware of it.

    That was why she would not allow such a thing to happen to Richards Group.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, I have to tell you something. There are some parts in the warehouse that were purchased from rtives of the Richards family. Theye from different sources. Hence, they deviate greatly. The parts and materials needed in the production process are faulty.¡± Mr. Parker was a smart person and he knew that Jenna might be able to handle something Hansen could not. There were some things that they had no choice but to do. After mentioning it several times but it did not work, they had no choice. No matter what, they had to try to see if it would work. That was the matter of leadership. The Richards Group was the lifeblood of the Richards family. If they would like to, then he would not have anything to say. However, they could not let the headquarters take full responsibility for it. Hence, he had mentioned it very tactfully.

    At this point, Mr. Parker¡¯s words were already obvious enough. Jenna was sharp, as she immediately understood the crux of the problem and her eyebrows knitted.

    She nodded calmly and said with a faint smile, ¡°Go back and correct these mistakes first. Tomorrow, bring KirstonSotomayor, the purchasing manager here.¡±

    She didn¡¯t give much response. Bensondidn¡¯t understand her intentions.So, henodded and turned around, walking out.

    Jenna looked at his retreating figure, pondered for a moment and turned on theputer.

    ¡°Nice to see you, Mr. Levin!¡± Seeing Mr. Levin appear on the screen, she immediately greeted him with a smile.

    ¡°Hello, ma¡¯am. Good to see you again.¡± Jersey saw the smart and capable Jenna in a professional suit in the video. His eyes lit up and he spoke with a smile.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Levin.I haven¡¯t seen you for long. How are you?¡± She asked with concern, smiling gracefully.

    ¡°I¡¯m good. It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡±Jerseughed heartily in the video.

    ¡°Well, Mr. Levin, I want to ask you a question¡­¡± Jenna¡¯s tone was as moderate as possible and her words were clear. In a short while, she knew what had caused the brakes to malfunction and obtained the answers to several questions. After the pleasantries, she ended the video call.

    So, it was true!

    WithJersey, an expert in car production, how could there be such a low-level mistake? It turned out that there were parasites that had caused trouble.

    Thinking of that, she smiled coldly and came up with an idea.

    In the end, Jenna summoned Mr. White in.

    ¡°Mr. White, how is it going? How is the progress of the global saleswork? Can it be formally established today?¡± As soon as Mr. White came in, Jenna immediately asked him and went straight to the topic.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    Mr, White met her serious gaze and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Ms. Murphy,we have recruited twoputer experts.The other aspects are in preparation. It can be formally established today, but it still needs some time to start operating.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s check out your studio.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Mr. White nodded hurriedly. The two of them headed down the stairs, one after the other.

    Jenna cleared an office on the right side of the 86th floor to set up Mr. White¡¯s mainputer room.

    It has already been cleaned up, and the room was full of all kinds ofputers.

    When Jenna walked in, only two staff members were busy in front of theputer.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy is here for an inspection. You guys can stop now.¡± Mr. White told the two busy employees as soon as he walked in.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± The two staff members hurriedly stood up and weed Jenna.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes lit up. The young woman in front of her was dressed in a long dress. She wasshort-haired and had a pair of bright eyes. Her voice was sweet.Even when she greeted Jenna, she was well-mannered.

    She looked kind of weak and fragile, yet she was charming.Was she aputer expert?

    Jenna was somewhat surprised, and there was an indescribable feeling in her heart.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name? Why aren¡¯t you in your uniform?¡± Jenna questioned with her face full of doubt as she sized her up.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, her name is Liya. She is aputer expert who has just been recruited today. It¡¯s her first day of work. So, she hasn¡¯t received the uniform yet,¡± Mr. White exined.

    Jenna frowned and was about to speak when she heard Liya speaking with ease, ¡°Hello, Ms. Murphy. My name is Liya. I graduated from B University in Capital Cityand obtained a bachelor¡¯s degree inputer science. Today is my first day working at Richards Group. Ms. Murphy, please give me a chance to show my expertise.¡±

    She was eloquent and quick to respond.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Her capable dispositionwas in line with Jenna¡¯s expectations. There were a lot of women who studiedputer sciences. She couldn¡¯t dismiss Liya just because she was a woman. She herself studied car design!

    ¡°Why do you want to work here?¡± Jenna gave an approving smile and asked faintly.

    ¡°Richards Group has excellent developmental prospects. Thepany provides vast opportunities for ambitious young people with good benefits. It¡¯s an honour to work in Richards Group, and I¡¯ve been looking forward to it for a long time.¡± Liya held the hem of her clothes with her hands, lowered her head, and answered in a serious tone. Her long eyshes fluttered, making her look smart and sincere.

    Jenna nodded.Liyawas a young woman who had great respect for the Richards Group. It seemed that she could not reject her, as she was so enthusiastic abouting to work for Richards Group.

    ¡°Alright, then do your best. Don¡¯t worry. As long as you have the skills, Richards Group will never mistreat anyone with high aspirations.¡± She nodded and smiled,turning around to look at Mr. White.

    ¡°Are you sure that only with a team of two experts, you will be able toplete this project?¡±

    ¡°Actually, an expert is enough. Their main task is to design the system.Hence, the others will not be able to put themselves to good use if there are too many of them.¡± Mr. White¡¯s face was full of smiles as he continued.¡°Furthermore, Liya worked as an engineer at a well-knownpanyfor years. She is talented. So, I am confident in her skills.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna nodded and once again shifted her gaze towards the woman named Liya. Liya immediately lifted her head and assured her. ¡°Don¡¯tworry, Ms. Murphy. I¡¯ll try my best toplete the task as soon as possible.¡±

    It seemed that this woman not only had a high IQ but also a high EQ. She knew how to convince her boss.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna cast a meaningful nce at Liya and said decisively, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what, Mr. White. Recruit more people if you need manpower. Or, you can transfer someone from theputer engineering department toplete this system. I want it to work as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured, Ms. Murphy. We will do our best.¡± Mr. White understood and nodded with a positive attitude.

    Jenna smiled slightly. Sheinspected the studio again and then walked out.

    As soon as she came out and arrived at the staff office space, she saw Hansen walking over. His gaze was stern and bright, and his aura overbearing, cold. His face was devoid of emotions as hewas on a phone call. From time to time, he would nod and mumble ¡®yes¡¯ in response.

    He listened to the call as he walked. With every step he took, he looked elegant.

    Alvin followed him, holding a custom-made handbag.

    The two looked serious.

 Chapter 416 Youâ€™ve Been Fooled

    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Richards.¡± Everyone in the hall stood up and called out respectfully in unison. Their voices were loud and clear.

    Hansen did not look at them. His eyes were fixed on the ground. He casuallywavedhis hand in the air, indicating to them to sit down. Then, he led Alvin forward withrge strides.

    ¡°He¡¯s so handsome.¡± Jenna cheered for him in her heart. She tilted her head and appreciated the tall and graceful temperament Hansenshowed. Hismanding demeanour was not something that could be built within a short period. It came from years of confidence, training, and a rich environment.

    Hansen grew up privileged and had been trained to be a leader, whichhelped him achieve his current aplishments.

    She stood there absent-mindedly. They were married. Although they loved each other,she sometimes still felt like it was a dream.

    As he walked over with calm and confidence, she didn¡¯t dare show her affection or even talk to him in public, as they were still working. She only ended up standing still and admiring him.

    Jenna¡¯sgrandfather was once Johan¡¯s trusted subordinate, and he returned to A City, along with the Richards family. However,as a result of him meeting an untimely death, and her father being too straightforward and upright, their familydidn¡¯t do well in the political arena. Her eldest uncle, James Murphy, was also a good-for-nothing.

    Although she could be regarded as the descendant of a prestigious family, the affairs of the world were unpredictable. Now, she was only considered ady living in genteel poverty.

    While she was still lost in her thoughts, Hansen had already walked up to her side. He noticed Jenna, who was standing aside in a daze.

    ¡°Greetings, Ms. Murphy.¡± Alvin greeted her respectfully when he saw her.

    Only then did Jennae back to her senses and looked at Hansen in a panic.

    Their eyes met. In just a split second, Jenna withdrew her gaze and pursed her lips as she swiftly walked towards the elevator.

    Hansen frowned.

    D*mn woman, why did she pretend not to see him? What did that mean?

    With that thought in mind, he went to the sales department.

    Jenna frantically returned to the office. She sat in front of theputer, sorted out some information, joined a video conference, and then the morning had passed.

    At noon, Hansen brought her to Collier Manor as usual.

    ¡°Hansen, I have something to tell you.¡± After the meal, Jenna sat on the sofa and began to speak seriously, after contemting for some time.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Hansen sat down and picked up the newspaper beside the couch.

    ¡°Do you remember the incident where the brakes had been recalled?¡± She asked with some strain, sitting up firmly.

    An icy light shed across Hansen¡¯s eyes. The economic loss caused by the defective brakes were secondary but the reputation of thepany was severely affected. Hansen wanted to further inquire about it for a long time, but with Jennaing to work in thepany these days, he was in a good mood. Hence, he had forgotten all about it. Now that he heard her question, he immediately recalled it again.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve ordered Mr. Parker to investigate,¡± he replied gently, lifting his head.

    ¡°Have you found out the reason?¡± Jenna probed.

    ¡°This¡­¡± Hansen was at a loss for words. He had forgotten to ask. ¡°Oh, he hasn¡¯t replied yet.¡±

    He answered evasively.

    There was a hint of sarcasm in Jenna¡¯s eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled up.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there any problem?¡± Hansen knew that there must be something wrong, since she asked. Perhaps it was more than just a few problems. After all, she was adept when ites to automobiles.

    ¡°I consulted Mr. Levin today. The reason for it was that one of the parts had been bought from an external vendor and the quality was poor.¡± Jenna gave a detailed ount of what she knew.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Hansen nodded thoughtfully.

    ¡°Was the person in charge of the purchasing department arranged by you?¡± Jenna asked with a heavy heart.

    ¡°Do you suspect that there is something wrong with the person from the purchasing department, or that he might have tampered with it?¡± Hansen asked in return.

    ¡°I¡¯m not merely suspecting him.I¡¯m certain it¡¯s him.¡± Jenna refuted without mercy. ¡°After the conversation with Mr. Levin, I learned thatGreen Mountain Automobile Cityused to purchasequalityparts from a trustworthy manufacturer. Now, it has been reced with an unknown brand. Not only is it notwell-received, but its quality is also far worse. I wonder if you have agreed to the changing of brands?¡±

    Hansen put the newspapers down and raised his head, pondering.

    He remembered that in one of the meetings, the purchasing department had once suggested that it would be much cheaper to change the brand of the parts. At that time, he did not think it would have led to this consequence and only agreed to it.

    He was lost in thought.

    ¡°I did agree, but I didn¡¯t foresee thisoue, nor did I think of recing the parts. This matter needs a thorough investigation.¡± After a long time had passed, he spoke witha hint of anger in his voice.

    ¡°How do you feel? Do you think you¡¯ve been fooled?¡± Jenna looked at him and asked teasingly. The smugness in her cold voice was evident.

    ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡± Hansen sounded vaguely annoyed. He did feel like he had been fooled.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m going to ridicule you. You¡¯re the one who practices nepotism.¡± Jenna chided unrelentingly.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hansen straightened his body, withanger emerging on his face.

    ¡°Let me ask you, is Kirston, the purchasing manager, Marissa¡¯s rtive?¡± The smile on Jenna¡¯s face faded as she said, ¡°You have to know that he is in charge of purchases all this while. As far as I know, he has received quite an amount of rebate from the brand¡¯s distributor. I think that you know this.¡±

    The light in Hansen¡¯s eyes grew more chilling.

    He had to admit that he did not trust others when it came to purchasing.That was why the Richards Group had always relied on their rtives, while KirstonwasMarissa¡¯scousin. Kirston had worked in Richards Group for almost all of his life. This lucrative job naturally fell into hisp.

    It seemed like he had to change his outlook on nepotism. He used to feel that it was also inappropriate but let it slide, as he could not find a proper reason to reduce the practice. However,now that he had a reason, he could punish Kirston openly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to you. You can do whatever you want.¡± After thinking for a while, he said solemnlyas if he had made up his mind.

    ¡°Really? Are you sure?¡± Jenna repeatedly asked. She knew that Kirston was rted toMarissa. If she punished him, he would definitelyin toMarissa and their rtionship might be affected. She first thought about this problem, whetherMarissawould have any opinions against her was secondary.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. It¡¯s only right to receive punishment for making mistakes. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that.¡± Hansen shrugged indifferently.¡°Just do it. I¡¯ll support you and Mother won¡¯t me you. Believe me.¡±

    He looked at her withhis bright eyesand encouraged her with a smile.Jenna felt more confident.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s take a rest first.¡± She stood up and walked towards the bedroom.

    ¡°Jenna, wait a minute.¡± Hansen stopped her and asked in a grave manner, ¡°Are you preparing to set up an online marketing studio?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jenna turned back and smiled.¡°You won¡¯t criticize me for not informing you, right? You have said that I can make my own decisions.¡±

    For fear that he might feel that she was acting rashly on her own, she took the initiative to bring this out and block his criticism beforehand.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Hansen shook his head, but his expression did not rx.¡°This is a good idea, but the globalwork isplicated, and it is vulnerable to hackers.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s worry was reasonable.Richards Group¡¯s performance was currently still underwhelming when it came toworking, and could not manage to keep up with thetest advancement. They were indeed facing the needs for a transformation, but it was not something that could happen overnight. In order to solve this problem, he went to colleges and recruited outstanding students, sendingsome of them to study abroad. They would return to work for Richards Group soon. He did not expect Jenna to act so quickly.

    ¡°Of course, there will be risks. There are risks in everything you do, but you can¡¯t just give up because of that.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t know that he had been training and honing the skills ofputer-savvy talents. So, she voiced out her own ideas.

    ¡°We need to act, but it¡¯s best not to be hasty.¡± Hansen nodded.

    ¡°But, Hansen,Sky SwordGroup has done a sessful job regarding this aspect in the market. If we continue to dy and postpone everything, I am afraid that it will be toote then,¡± Jenna exined,turning around to sitbeside him.

    Hansen reached out to hold her in his arms and muttered, ¡± Since you¡¯ve started, then let¡¯s continue. It¡¯s just that we will need to hire skilled IT personnel. The talents I¡¯ve sent for training will return in two months. There won¡¯t be a dy. How¡¯s that?¡±

    He rubbed her earlobe and made a suggestion. In fact, he did not agree with her brisk actions.

    However, in order not to dispel her eagerness, he decided topromise. Since this enormous system would not be used in such a short time, he shouldlet her have a try. If it didn¡¯t work,she would stop. If it worked, the transformation could start ahead of time.

    ¡°Alright, thank you for believing in me.¡± Jenna smiled happily. She understood Hansen¡¯s n. ording to his tone, he had thought about the ws in this aspect and was also trying to improve it.

    Since that was the case, it could be understood that they shared the same n.

    The next day, Mr. Parker escorted Kirston to Jenna. She immediately held a meeting with the heads of the departments in charge of automobile production. With plenty of evidence, Kirston had no choice but to confess his misdeeds.

    ording to Richards Group¡¯s rules, Jenna dismissed Kirston¡¯s position as the purchasing manager and demoted him to a lower position in thepany.

    A new purchasing manager was appointedandit achieved a good effect. Gradually, most departments stopped showing favoritism to members of the Richards family.The productivity of the internal management of the Richards Group was improved. Hansen was also delighted and approved of these changes in thepany¡¯s operations.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 417 An Intentional Approach

    Days passed, and summer was on the horizon. The weather was gradually getting warmer.

    Since Jenna had been appointed as the vice president of Richards Group, she tried her best to perform all her tasks well. Indeed, Richards Group had a new look in less than a month. The overall performance made progress.

    Sitting in the bright and spacious office, Sergio was calm.

    He had been working for several days. He had experience in politics and a good reputation in the army. It was easy for him to take over the position as head of state security.

    Of course, the importance of this position was also beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

    He thought of the activitiester in the evening.

    He stood up and walked outside. As soon as he started the car, his phone rang.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, we found out that Zoehas nted people in the internal management of Richards Group. I wonder how that woman will deal with Richards Group.¡± The man¡¯s voice was mysterious and low.

    Sergio raised his eyebrows and a cold smile was carved his face.

    ¡°Keep an eye on her. Don¡¯t let this woman disrupt my n or destroy my family¡¯s future,¡± he ordered coldly.

    ¡°Alright.¡± The man agreed.

    ¡°Also, how¡¯s Hansen doing?¡±Sergio askedin a deep voice.

    ¡°Hansen is still unaware. Everything still seems normal on the surface.ording to my spection, a woman as cruel and merciless as Zoewill not spare any effort to destroy the Richards family. I don¡¯t think Hansen will be able to survive this time.¡± The man¡¯s voice carried a hint of wicked pleasure.

    Sergioced his phone in his other hand and started the car.

    ¡°Continue to keep an eye onZoeand Hansen. Inform me as soon as you have any news.¡± Sergio¡¯s eagle-like eyes stared straight at the road ahead. When a smaller-sized car was about to overtake him, he turned the steering wheel and sped up. His car roared and scared the driver of the smaller car, causing the driver to slow down and escape this ordeal.

    ¡°Go to hell!¡±

    ¡°Who do you think you are!¡±

    ¡°Stop pissing me off!¡±

    Sergio cursed, and the viciousness on his face increased drastically.

    As soon as he put down the phone, it rang again.

    ¡°Speak.¡± He picked up the call with his eyes looking ahead, and spoke briefly.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, Luqman had gone to look for Hansen, probably to seek support. This is not a good sign. If Hansen is willing to help Luqman, the hundreds of thousands of people inRichards Group will follow suit. This is bad.¡± On the other end of the phone, the man sounded anxious.

    What? Would the Richards Group support Luqman?

    Sergio couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. Jenna mentioned that night thatRichards Group would neither support him nor Luqman.

    Could it be that they had been bought over by Luqman, or did Jenna fool him?

    Whatever the case might be, they couldn¡¯t let the Richards Group affect Yadriel¡¯s election process.The Xanthe familywas determined to win the position of governor.

    ¡°Well, keep a close eye on them. Once there is any news about Hansen supporting Luqman, inform me immediately. I will be attending a security conference in A City in a few days.¡± Sergio¡¯s eyes were gleaming with a harsh light.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Xanthe.¡± Sergio put the phone away as hestared at the red light in front of him, and hismalevolent eyes gleamed.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, just wait and see. If you insist on going against me again and again, I won¡¯t spare you. You have been proud for too long that you even want to intervene in this. Very well. You¡¯ll not be able to escape my wrath, as long as you stick your nose into my business.¡± He thought to himself.

    The sky was dark, as if it was going to rain heavily.

    Sergio¡¯s face sank.

    Madam Lilian had shown great interest in Jenna during the banquet. If he was correct, Madam Lilian would certainly find an opportunity to catch up with Jenna again. Perhaps this was kinship. As long as Madam Lilian met up with Jenna or the two continued to chat, Jenna¡¯s identity would be revealed sooner orter. At that time, it would be difficult to destabilize Richards Group.

    As for Hansen, he would be ultimately safe. No one dared to offend him.

    It was apparent thatZoewas unwilling to see MadamLilian favoring the Richards family and that was what prompted her to take action.Zoe should not have known anything about the rtionship between MadamLilianand Jenna. She was just blinded by her strong desire to seek revenge.

    Pretty soon it would be summer. With the weather warming up,women began to dress in different styles. All kinds of stylish and revealing dresses had started to be more fashionable.

    Jenna was no exception.

    That day,Hannahhad insisted on going shopping with Jenna.Thinking of the business reception she wouldter have to deal with andHannah¡¯s good eye for clothes, Jenna relented.Perhaps Hannah could pick out a few dresses that suited her. She left home in the morning andtook leave from Hansen.

    Of course, Hansen agreed. She had been working hard and sometimes even worked overtime. She deserved a break.

    He gave her a gold credit card and went to work on his own.

    As soon as he walked out of the parking lot.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± A soft and pleasant voice could be heard next to him. Then, he smelled a faint, refreshing scent of jasmine flowers.

    Hansen was shocked. He turned his head in surprise.

    The frail-looking woman was wearing a form-fitting blue dress, which was Richards Group¡¯s work attire. She had a slim figure and delicate features. Her short hair framed her sweet face very well. A slight smile along with her dimples made her look incredibly beautiful. Her alluring eyes were filled with resentment and infatuation.

    Hansen felt her charm only with a nce.

    A female employee called him by his given name. How could this be possible? He must have misheard.

    He turned his head around coldly and continued to walk forward.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± The woman once again called out in a timid manner.

    Hansen could hear it clearly now.

    That¡¯s right!

    This woman, an employee who was wearing the uniform of Richards Group, was calling him by his first name.

    It was absurd!

    He stopped in his tracks andturned around with an icy expression.

    ¡°Are you calling me?¡± he asked coldly.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The woman saw his cold and impatient eyes and cowered down. Her fingers clenched the hem of her clothes. She lifted her timid face and looked straight atHansen. Her watery eyes showedbitterness and affection.

    Hansen wanted to question her, but the moment he looked at her eyes, his heart softened. Although he was dissatisfied, he still asked nonchntly, ¡°You, why were you looking for me?¡±

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t yourecognizeme?¡± The woman did not answer himbut continued calling his name. She asked meekly with anticipation in her eyes.

    Did he know her?

    Hansen was taken aback. He looked at her again and was sure that he had never seen her, much less recognized her. He frowned and asked grumpily, ¡°Are you an employee ofRichards Group? Which department are you in? Don¡¯t you know the employees¡¯ code of conduct?¡±

    In Richards Group, the difference between upper and lower level employees was apparent. Employees could not call theirsuperior byname, and he was the president. When seen from a distance, they could only call him, ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    This woman was too bold! She did not follow the rules!

    Hansen was annoyed, and the displeasure on his face was evident.

    ¡°Hansen,do you really not recognizeme? You don¡¯t remember me? Well then, I¡¯m sorry to have bothered you.¡± The woman¡¯s face went pale, and she looked at him bitterly as she bent down and bowed, turning around to leave.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Although her back was slim, she was a stranger to him. There was something familiar about her eyes though. After listening to her words, he felt like a part of his memory had been erased, and he couldn¡¯t remember who she was.

    Narrowing his eyes, he watched her leave in disappointment. Hansen¡¯s curiosity was piqued. She called him by his given name and said that she knew him. It seemed that they even had a close rtionship. However, he could not remember her at all. It was not a good feeling!

    He had never liked to have a subordinate whom he couldn¡¯t figure out, and this included women. This way, he would not have a sense of security and it was not in ordance with hismanding personality. He ordered in a deep voice, ¡°Stop.¡±

    Liya, who had just stepped forward, stopped all of a sudden. She turned around in joy.

    ¡°Hansen, have you remembered me?¡±

    ¡°Who exactly are you? How dare you call me by my first name?¡± Hansen walked towards her and asked intently.

    The man in front of her had a stern look on his face and there was no tenderness in his eyes. He was not even impressed by her looks, like how ordinary men would react when they saw her. Liyanched.

    Any man would be tempted by her lovely and adorable appearance. However, she couldn¡¯t see that kind of feeling in Hansen. She started to feel slightly guilty,lowering her head and shifting her gaze, she said softly, ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m Liya!¡±

    ¡°Liya?¡± Hansen frowned. The name rang a bell. It was as if he had heard of this name long before, buthe still couldn¡¯t recall where. He frowned and thought about it.Sincea woman had called him by his first name several times, he couldn¡¯t be too rude.

    His facial expression softened and asked, ¡°Liya, do we know each other?¡±

    Liya looked at him with her watery eyes. Her pitiful appearance was appealing as she said softly, ¡°Hansen, since you can¡¯t remember me, then forget it. Now you are high up and admired by everyone. I am just a nobody. I¡¯m sorry to disturb you.¡±

    After saying this, she bowed to him and hurried away.

 Chapter 418 When The Shepherds Quarrel, The Wolves Win

    Hansen felt somewhat baffled as he stood at the same spot.

    Hansen did not look down on thepoor,but other than the fact that her name rang a bell, he couldn¡¯t remember anything about her.Was she one of the women whom he had met when he was out withFrederic?She didn¡¯t look like one, and she called him ¡®Hansen¡¯ openly. With this approach, it seemed that they had known each other for a long time.

    What was more, he didn¡¯t even possess a single memory of that woman. His mind was totally nk.

    He shook his head and told himself not to think any further as he walked towards the elevator of the lobby.

    As for women, especially employees of his very ownpany, it was better for him not to interact with them. Moreover, he had a wife now. He had no interest in dealing with these so-called acquaintances whom he did not recognize at all.

    The house of the Yates family was average. In A city, it was just an inconspicuous, old vi. Fortunately, the location was superb, and the house came with a spacious backyard garden, which made thisoldvi highly valuable.

    Zoe sat on an old stool in the garden, holding a phone in her hand. She was lost in her thoughts and her face was devoid of emotions.

    Soon, the phone rang.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Miss Yates.¡± A man¡¯s voice sounded at the other end of the phone.

    ¡°Tell me, did you tell Sergio that Hansen is going to support Luqman?¡± She asked coldly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told him,¡± the man answered simply.

    ¡°Is he nervous?¡± The corner ofZoe¡¯s mouth curved into a sinister smile.

    ¡°Yes, he is indeed nervous. He also mentioned that he wille to A city in a few days to attend a security meeting.¡± Themancontinued to answer.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±Zoesuddenly chortled.

    ¡°But, Miss Yates, Hansen isn¡¯t going to support Luqman. As long as Sergioes to A City, he will find out.¡± The man¡¯s tone was full of worry.

    ¡°Hmph,¡±Zoescoffed and replied nonchntly, ¡°Sergiois overly suspicious. Even if Hansen doesn¡¯t intend to support Luqman,we can convince Sergio if we induce it a few more times. Only by making him believe that Hansen will be a hindrance to his political career will he truly make up his mind to help us confront Richards Group. Otherwise, he¡¯ll only sit by and do nothing.¡±

    Zoecould see throughSergio¡¯s n. There were many twists and turns in politics.Why would he listen to her? He wanted to reap the benefits without taking actual actions. She would never let that happen. This time, she would use Sergioto destroyHansen and the Richards family.

    ¡°Miss Yates, you¡¯re brilliant.¡± The man ttered her.

    ¡°Keep a close eye on them and you will get the pay you deserve. As long as the Richards family copses, the entire market will belong to us. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t mistreat you.¡± The corner ofZoe¡¯s lips curled maliciously.

    ¡°Thank you,Miss Yates. I¡¯ll do my best,¡± The man sniggered.

    Zoesnorted and put away the phone.

    She stood up and paced around beforepicking up the car keys and walking outside.

    In the A City prison, Aria¡¯s hair and face were messy, her eyes lifeless. From time to time, she would stroke her t stomach.

    She would rather risk her life than lose the baby, but the leader of the gangsters in prison had ordered his followers to assault her by kicking her abdomen. She bled and had a miscarriage right on the spot. The pain made her feel as if she had died.

    After the baby was gone, she became mad and could no longer muster the energy to carry out her daily routine. She became mentally ill and was bullied by the prisoners every day, living a life that was worse than death.

    Zoestood in the prison¡¯s watch room,looking at the haggard and aged Aria who walked out, with a mocking smile.

    Idiot! Fool!

    Sheended up like this despite being extremely privileged. A woman who was dumb, arrogant, and vicious. How could Hansen have liked her?

    The consequences that she faced was withinZoe¡¯sexpectations. However, she did not expect Aria to suffer such a terrible defeat!

    In those years, she had been standing in the dark,avoiding all the chaos. Watching from a distance, she had witnessed Aria¡¯s fall.

    She figured that it was not time.Thus, she hid herself abroad and watched from afar. She was not as stupid as Aria who only knew how to pester men. She was smart and knew how to seed in getting what she wanted!

    Well, this woman had been defeated, and she no longer needed to deal with her. If she had to handle such a woman, she might really feel that it was only muddying her hands.

    ¡°Aria McAdams, how¡¯s life in prison?¡±Zoe let out a sinisterugh and asked in a wicked tone,looking at Aria as she slowly staggered in.She had a foul smell and was unkempt.

    Aria sat on the chair of the detention center with a distant look on her face. She stared at Zoe in a daze, not moving an inch.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you recognize me?¡±Zoe¡¯s eyes were filled with an unfathomable darkness.

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t hurt my child.¡± Aria saw the fierceness in her eyes and suddenly felt so afraid that she began to tremble. She wrapped her arms around her body and cried out.

    ¡°Enough. Stop.¡±Zoe¡¯s face darkened, as she bellowed withimpatience written all over her face.

    She didn¡¯te to see this stupid woman¡¯s pitiful cries. In her eyes, there was no pity or sympathy! The only difference between them was sess and failure.

    Aria was stunned byZoe¡¯s disposition. She immediately stopped wailing and lifted her gaze to look at her in fear.

    ¡°A vulgar and lowly woman like you really wished to win over Hansen¡¯s heart? You don¡¯t know your limits.¡±Zoesneered and jeered.

    Aria¡¯s eyes widened in fear as she stared at the well-dressed andnoble-looking woman in front of her. She slowly regained her rationality.

    ¡°Zoe, are youZoe?¡± Her eyes lit up and she asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yes.¡±Zoeheld her head up high and nced at herfrom an angle.

    She was like a queen scorning at a ve.

    ¡°Zoe, help me, save me. I don¡¯t want to be in jail. Please,Zoe, help me. After I¡¯m out, I will do everything to repay you.¡±Aria rushed forward and grasped Zoe¡¯s hand, begging pitifully.

    She was not provided with enough food and warm clothes andwas even bullied every day. She didn¡¯t want to live like this anymore. If it went on, she would be tortured to death.

    It was as if she had caught her lifeline. She grabbed hold ofZoe¡¯s arm desperately and pleaded.

    ¡°Let me go.¡±Zoelooked at her coldly. It never crossed her mind that Aria would rush over like this. Her eyes were full of disgust as she shook her hand off and took a few steps back.

    ¡°Sit down.¡± A prison guard came over and took hold of the emotional Aria by pressing her forcibly down on the chair.

    Zoelooked at her disdainfully. A woman who used to be so high-ss and could get anything with the wave of her hand had now ended up wagging her tail and begging for mercy like a dog.

    ¡°Aria, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so useless. You¡¯re just good-for-nothing. A woman like you should¡¯ve died long ago. Why would you still want to live?¡± Her words were sharp and piercing, stabbing viciously into Aria¡¯s heart.

    Aria¡¯s trembled, and an eerie chill surrounded her.

    ¡°You were the one who said that if I wanted to obtain Hansen¡¯s love, Ihad to pester him and useMarissa to approach him.¡± Aria looked up with anger in her eyes.¡°You¡¯re a liar.I shouldn¡¯t have believed in you.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡±Zoe let out a chillingugh. She then lowered her head, looked straight into Aria¡¯s eyes, and said sarcastically, ¡°Are you a three-year-old child? You did everything I told you to. You¡¯re so stupid. So, you can¡¯t me others. Do you think it¡¯s that easy to marry a rich man?¡±

    Aria looked at her, dumbfounded. Her face was filled with doubt and confusion, as well as unwillingness at epting the oue.

    For a woman like Aria,Zoe knew she would not seed from the start. Therefore, she stood by the sidelines and watched how Aria disturbed Hansen¡¯s life. She wanted to see how the Richards Group would be destroyed by Earl. Lending someone else¡¯s power in defeating her enemy was her ultimate skill.

    It was just that the Richards Group was too powerful. Hansen was blessed to have Jenna, a foolish woman who loved him wholeheartedly.

    Not only did the Richards Group avoid copse,but it also flourished under the establishment of the automobile industry. This was something she had never thought of.

    However, this time, everything was different!

    Aria¡¯s miserable fate told her that this time, she had to win. She had to do everything she could to win. Otherwise, her tragic fate would have been set in stone.

    Besides,Zoe would not ept defeat.

    The reason Trevorhad defeated the Yates Groupwas that she was too young and incapable of lending her father a hand. However, things were different now. She was a strong woman who was thriving in business. To seed in this, she had also done many years of preparations.

    In order to coborate with the Jones Group, she even handed herself over to the stupid and uglyOscar.

    IfOscarwas someone else¡¯s son, she would not spare him a nce, but there was no other way. In order to win over Matteo¡¯strust, she had tomit herself to him. That was the only way for herpany to merge with Jones Group.

    Oscar had congenital dyssia. Although he didn¡¯t have any cerebral problems, hisIQwas definitelynothigh. The reason Matteo worked withher was undoubtedly her skills. In the future, she could protect Oscar¡¯s wealth and the Jones Group. She was smart. How could she not know this?

    Zoe was the best of all women. How could she be willing to live with adisgustingman whom she did not love? Norwouldshe live a life that was at the mercy of others.

    Therefore, she couldn¡¯t afford to lose, and she definitely couldn¡¯t live miserably after a terrible defeat like Aria.

    ForZoe, failure was not an option.

 Chapter 419 Predicted Your Undoing

    ¡°Then, what is your intention? Why are you here to see me?¡± Aria sized her up with a probing gaze after she was able to think normally.

    ¡°Hehe.¡±Zoechuckled mockingly.¡°I¡¯m here to see how you live as the underdog. Your tragic experience will serve as a reminder for me never to forget about sess. Do not forget how pathetic a person¡¯s stupidity can hurt them. For a stupid woman like you, prison is your best way out. If you¡¯re out of prison, you¡¯ll be jeered to death.¡±

    Her malicious words pierced Aria¡¯s heart like a dagger.

    Aria¡¯s eyes dimmed. Her face was frighteningly pale, and she began to tremble. After a while, she smiled sadly. ¡°Zoe, no matter how vicious I am, you¡¯re a thousand times worse than me. My fate is pathetic, but remember, you won¡¯t seed either. If you don¡¯t believe me, then let¡¯s just wait and see.¡±

    Zoe was infuriated and the rage in her eyes was terrifying, but she soon calmed down and smiled confidently.¡°Aria, I¡¯m totally different from you. How can we share the same ending? I¡¯m smart and you¡¯re stupid, I know how to advance and retreat. I¡¯ve suffered humiliation since childhood, but you¡¯re arrogant and greedy. You want to have all the good things in the world. How is that possible? I¡¯m not greedy but I am skilled, knowing how to plot. As for you, you¡¯re just a puppet for others to y with. This is the difference between us two. Inparison, I am in a more advantageous position than you. Tell me, how can I end up like you?¡±

    As she said this, sheughed.

    Aria¡¯s whole body shuddered, and her lips quivered so hard that she couldn¡¯t speak.

    ¡°Let me tell you. I¡¯ve predicted your undoingandknew that a woman like you wouldn¡¯t be able to seed. That¡¯s why I sent you to your doom. I didn¡¯t expect you to lead such a tragic life.¡±Zoelaughed gloatingly and continued.

    ¡°Zoe, no matter how miserable I am, my life has been spared. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be dead by then.¡± Aria was on the verge of a breakdownfromZoe¡¯sblows. She stood up coldly and gritted her teeth as she spoke.

    Such words were beyondZoe¡¯sexpectation. She had a moment of absent-mindedness. Soon, she regained her senses and her blood boiled.She ppedAriahard on the face and berated her.¡°B*tch, you don¡¯t know how wretched you are even when you are about to die.¡±

    After saying that, she fanned her hands in the air in disgust.¡°You¡¯re so smelly.¡±

    She turned aroundresolutelyand left with her head held high.

    Dark red blood flowed from the corner of Aria¡¯s mouth. Fingerprints with clear bloodstains were imprinted on her pale face, and there was no light in her eyes.

    She didn¡¯t register the pain. Her whole body was numb, and her mind was no longer hers.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

    The prison officers soon took her away.

    Zoewalked out of the women¡¯s prison and stood by the door. She looked back, and the sinister smile on her face widened.

    ¡°Remember totorture her until she has no will to live and is driven crazy, but keep her alive, she is useful to me.¡± She fished out her phone and ordered in a cold voice.

    After saying that, the arrogant smile on her face soon returned to a neutral expression. She took out her car keys and drove her luxury car to the Sky Sword Group.

 Chapter 420 It Was Unbelievable

    The weather in May was vtile like a child¡¯s temper tantrums.

    WhenJenna and Hannah headed outthat morning, the sky was still clear and the weather was nice. After a while, the dark clouds loomed and thunder could be heard.

    After Jenna andHannah visited several exclusive stores, they went to Pacific za and the two of them started to shop frantically.

    Women were avid shoppers.

    Sitting in his office, Hansen could asionally hear notificationsing from his phone. It was the sound of Jenna¡¯s credit card transactions in the stores.

    This gold card was the only card approved by Jenna for Hansento use freely. The rest of his money was handed over to Jenna. Since it was the first time she wanted to go shopping with Hannah, he had given her the only card he hadto show his love for her and win Hannah¡¯s approval.

    As a result, the frequentnotificationsmade him unable to focus on his work. He decided to puthis phone onsilent mode.

    ¡°Hannah, are we done?¡± Jenna saw that it was almost noon. She had promised to have lunchwith HansenatCollier Manor.

    ¡°What¡¯s the rush? You seldom shop with me.¡± Hannah said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back after lunch. I¡¯ve discovered a new restaurant. We should eat there.¡±

    Jenna frowned when she heard this. Hannah was still as obsessed as before. As long as she went shopping, she could not stop.

    Now that they had so many bags in their hands, Jenna felt very tired.

    In recent years, she had not been out shopping with Hannah. That day, she paid for all the shopping with her credit card as a treat for her best friend.

    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Hannah would be shopping for her wedding dress,Jenna wouldn¡¯t have the mood to apany her.

    A wedding dress? It was a dress that was to be worn once in a lifetime. She¡¯d better apany Hannah.

    However, Hannah stopped shopping for a wedding dress after they visited two shops. That was because Rayan sent a message saying that he had prepared for their wedding to be held in Europe.

    Jennacould only go shopping aimlessly with her. Furthermore, she also needed to buy a few more sets of outfits for herself, as well as Jerry¡¯s clothes.

    A few hourster, Jenna was tired and her legs were sore. She ced the bags on the sofa in the fitting area and sat down to rest.

    ¡°Liya, what do you think of this dress? It is pretty. If you wear it, you will captivate all men.¡± A distinct, feminine voice drifted out from the other side of the fitting room.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t. The man I love can¡¯t recognize me now. I¡¯m so worried.¡± A soft and bitter female voice answered.

    ¡°Gee, it seems that you are in love. It¡¯s no wonder you have the money to buy such expensive clothes today. Which man gave you the money? Who is he?¡± The woman next to Liya added, with her voice full of envy.

    ¡°No one.¡± Liya denied bashfully.

    ¡°Don¡¯t hide it from me. Your dad is still sick. How can you afford to buy clothes in such a high-end ce? If it weren¡¯t for the man who had given you money, you wouldn¡¯t even dream about it. Hmph. Tell me quickly. Which rich man is your boyfriend? I can take advantage of him too,¡± the woman said loudly.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone.¡± After being teased by her friend, Liya started to be irritated.

    That morning, she approachedHansenwhen Jenna was not around. She pretended to meet him by chance. However, it didn¡¯t go the way she had imagined, asshe could not even get close to him. His cold and distant demeanor was obvious, and he waspletely unaware of her identity. When she thought about it, she was irked.

    Hansen had indeed forgotten her. He could not remember who she was.

    It was obvious that he would not want her now, even if she offered herself.

    She doubted Zoe. It was impossible to seduceHansen!

    However, there was no other way.Zoehad given her lots of money to buy luxurious, beautiful clothes and cosmetic products. Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be used to seduce Hansen? Nheless, would that work though? Liya didn¡¯t have any confidence at all.

    She was beautiful. Many men would be astounded when they saw her, but Hansen was definitely different. His eyes were icy and stiff when he looked at her. He did not react to her gorgeous appearance at all. There was only darkness in his eyes, that gave off coldness.

    Would such a man be seduced by her?

    It was the first time.

    She had no confidence in seducing a man.

    Thinking of this, she sighed and felt vaguely depressed.

    ¡°Liya,e and take a look at the dress here. It¡¯s so beautiful.¡± The femalepanion next to her called out to her again.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Jenna, who was sitting on the other side, heardLiya¡¯s name being called clearly.

    This voice, this name, they were all very familiar.

    She gave it some thought. Wasn¡¯t this the newputer expert, Liya? How could she be here? It was still a working hour right then!

    At the thought of this, doubts arose in her heart. She stood up to see what was going on.

    ¡°Jenna,e and take a look. How do I look in this dress?¡±Hannahopened the door of thefittingroom. She came to Jenna like a gust of wind and asked excitedly.

    Jenna initially wanted to take a look at the woman named Liya, but Hannahpletely blocked her view. Jenna had to look at her up and down and said with a smile, ¡°Gorgeous. You look even more beautiful than a supermodel.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re only paying lip service to my question.Your words cannot be trusted.¡± Such exaggerated praise sounded like a superficial answer from Jenna.Hannahwas a good friend of hers, of course, she knew that. She pursed her lips.¡°Forget it.¡± Then, she checked her reflection in the mirror and changed postures from time to time.

    Jenna didn¡¯t have the mood to answer her. She turned around and went out to see if the woman named Liya was her employee, but when she searched around the store,the two women were nowhere to be found, as if they didn¡¯t exist earlier.

    This was really strange!

    There were two women in the fitting room. How could they disappear in the blink of an eye?

    Jenna was startled. It reminded her of the night she attended the banquet. Someone had pushed her when she was standing by theke. At the thought of this, she got goosebumps.

    Could it be that she was having hallucinations recently?

    Could it be that her life was too happy, causing her to have a series ofhallucinations?

    It was unbelievable.

    She turned around, almost bumped into someone, and couldn¡¯t help but to cry out in surprise.

 Chapter 421 Having Doubts about Liya

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re so distracted. Can¡¯t you at least pretend to enjoy shopping with me?¡±Hannah found itfunny. Jenna said that she was going shopping with her, but in such a short period of time, she started to feel restless. Judging from her wandering look, it was most likely that she was thinking about her husband, Hansen!

    s, why was this woman so useless?

    ¡°Hannah, don¡¯tcreep upon me like that! You scared me.¡± Jenna saw that it was Hannah and she couldn¡¯t help but to chide her. Being frightened byHannah, she snapped out of her thoughts.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s you who was distracted. You kept looking around. I couldn¡¯t see you.So, I found you here. I was just standing over here.¡±Hannahrolled her eyes.¡°Can¡¯t you be more focused? What in the world are you looking for? Is your husbanding over?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± Jenna pulled Hannah to the side and asked in a low voice, ¡°Hannah, did you just hear a woman¡¯s name, Liya, being called?¡±

    Liya? Hannah shook her head and asked doubtfully, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear this name at all. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    No? Jenna was even more perturbed. The woman¡¯svoice wasloud. AlthoughHannah was in the fitting room, it was not far away and was even closer to the two women.Since Hannahdidn¡¯t hear anything, was it really her illusion?

    ¡°Nothing.¡± She shook her head and was no longer in the mood to resume shopping.

    Anyway, Hannah was so immersed when trying on clothes. Not to mention the name of an irrelevant person, a thunder would not attract her attention either.

    Hannah could see that Jenna was not in the mood. After trying a few more clothes, she finally ended the shopping trip early.

    Jenna drove to the underground parking lot of Collier Manor.

    By the time she returned to Collier Manor with bags of new clothes, Hansen had note back yet.

    Larry had finished preparing the meal. When she saw Jenna, she went back to Richards Manor.

    Jenna was deep in thought as she sat on the sofa. If the Liya she met in the mall was the employee fromRichards Group, her impression towards her would turn sour as she dared to go shopping during working hours.

    Liya was usually well-behaved and knew how to please others, especially her superiors.

    As for such a subordinate, Jenna actually didn¡¯t like her much. If she put all her efforts into pleasing others, she may not perform her job well.

    In addition, this newly established globalwork studio not only requiredputer expertise but also personnel with good character. It was because many trade secrets of the Richards Group were in the database. There would be potential risks if they hired anunprincipled employee.

    As she thought about this, she fell asleep.

    When she woke up, it was almost two o¡¯clock.

    She lifted her sleepy eyes and took a look.

    The house was quiet, and Hansen had note back.

    Sitting there in a daze, she was lost in thought.

    Since she started working, they came back to rest every day at noon.Why didn¡¯t he show up that day?They had an appointment.

    She took out her cell phone and wanted to call Hansen. She looked at the time and was afraid that he would be sleeping soundly somewhere. After all, he had been working endlessly in the evening. She decided to give up.

    After having a meal and taking a shower, she went straight back to thepany.

    Without Hansen pestering her, she arrived rather early.

    As soon as shesigned inat the front desk, she suddenly thought of something and went to the 86th floor.

    The globalwork studio was quiet.

    There was still a few minutes before work. There should be no one present yet.

    Jenna didn¡¯t know what she was doing there, but she came to see if the woman named Liya had left the office that morning!

    She didn¡¯t think that she would be able to meet anyone there at this time.

    However, when she snuck into theputer studio, the scene she saw still surprised her.

    In theputer studio, a slim figure was concentrating on work.Even when Jenna walked in and stood next to her, the person did not notice her at all.

    Jenna¡¯s bright eyesblinkedand she lowered her head to have a look.

    Liya was indeed busy with the sales procedures chart of the Richards Group.

    She tilted her head slightly, narrowed her eyes, and made a soft grunt.

    ¡°Ah, Ms. Murphy, hello.¡± Liya was startled by Jenna¡¯s light snort. When she saw Jenna, she immediately stood up and greeted her respectfully.

    ¡°Hello.¡± Jenna nodded and looked atLiyafrom the corner of her eyes. She looked tired. It seemed that she had been working the whole morning.

    Jenna thought for a while and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to rest at noon?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,Ms. Murphy.¡± Liya hurriedly shook her head.¡°My house is far from here and I can¡¯t make it back at noon. All I want is to finish the task you assigned to me as soon as possible.¡±

    Liyasmiled and spoke seriously. Her attitude was sincere.

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna smiled and praised her. ¡°Then, you are very dedicated. You are an excellent employee of Richards Group.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I should do.¡±Liyablushed and she hurriedly replied in a serious manner.

    ¡°Where do you live?¡± Jenna looked at her serious expression and asked after thinking for a while.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    ¡°My house¡­My house is far away, in the northern suburbs.¡± She answered in a low voice, and a hint of sorrow shed across her drooping eyes.

    ¡°Oh, is anyone living with you?¡± She asked with concern.

    ¡°My family¡­There¡¯s no one left in my family. There¡¯s only me and my Dad.¡± Liya didn¡¯t expect her to ask about her family. She told her the truth.

    ¡°Oh, how is your father?¡± Jenna looked around the office before resting her gaze on her face again and asked.

    ¡°My father is ill,¡±Liya said.

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s ill, is it serious?¡± Jenna was shocked, her face was full of worry and she asked out loud.

    Only then didLiya feel that she had spoken too much, but she couldn¡¯t think of anything to exin at the moment. She could only shake her head with a smile and say, ¡°It¡¯s okay, my father is fine. Ms. Murphy, please have a seat. I¡¯ll get you a ss of water.¡±

    She changed the topic and was about to fetch some water for her in a caring manner.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.I¡¯m going to work soon. Well, although thepany has a lot of work, health is important too. Don¡¯t work overtime at noon from now on. If you have no ce to go, you can take a rest in the lounge.¡± Jenna smiled and said,¡°If your father¡¯s illness worsens, then you should inform thepany, if you¡¯re facing any difficulties. Just let us know if youneed help.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you for your concern,Ms. Murphy.¡± Hearing Jenna¡¯s caring words,Liyawas delighted and smiled sweetly.

    ¡°Oh, by the way, did you leave the office this morning?¡± When Jenna finally went out, she turned around and looked at Liya deeply.

    Jennawanted to hear her say whether she has left thepany or not.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Liya¡¯s eyes widened and she immediately shook her head.¡°Ms. Murphy, there was no need for our department to have to head outside this morning. Everything is fine.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good.¡± Jenna¡¯s heart sank and she smiled.¡°Take a seat. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    After she walked out of the room,Jennadidn¡¯t know what to feel.

    ¡°Goodbye, Ms. Murphy,¡± Liya said in a friendly manner,following her to the door.

    Jenna went straight back to the office.

    She sat on the sofa, lost in thought.

    Liya¡¯s father was ill and her family was in poor condition. This was obviously the Liya she had met in the mall. She had gone shopping atPacific za, but she denied it well. There must be something strange going on!

    However, she was still working overtime at noon. What was she thinking?

    If Liya had told her the truth,Jennawould treat it as if it had never happened. She would think that Liya was honest, and she might even forgive her for making a small mistake.

    However, she was obviously lying.

    In other words, it meant thatLiya was not a trustworthyperson.

    Regardless of her intentions, she could not continue working at theglobalwork studio.

    On the surface,Liyawas respectful to her superior, was polite, and thoughtful. However, she was mysterious. Such a woman was certainly potentially hazardous to thepany¡¯s future.

    For the first time, Jenna felt that the establishment of thework studio was too rushed. She should have listened to Hansen and developed it step by step, instead of being in a hurry.

    It was impossible for her to fire Liya due to her intuition and without any evidence. This was unreasonable. So, she could only wait and watch.

    Hansen was not in the office.

    If he was not in the office at noon, where did he go?

    Jenna felt uneasy.She had indeed encountered some strange things. She wanted to tell Hansen about it but was worried that he wouldn¡¯t believe her.

    Throughout the afternoon, Jenna was perturbed. As for Hansen, he did not return to thepany at all.

    ¡°Yuri, didMr. Richardsmention where he will go today?¡± Sitting in the office, she felt nervous. In the end, she could not help but pick up the phone and asked the secretary at the front desk.

    When Yuri heard Jenna¡¯s voice, she smiled and said, ¡°Ms. Murphy, Mr. Richards went out early this morning. He did not tell us where he was heading.¡±

    ¡°Is there any social engagement?¡± Such an answer made her more worried. Generally, social engagements were held in the evening, but it could also be at noon.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, there are no recordsof any social engagement.¡± Yuri flipped through the records in hand and quickly replied.

 Chapter 422 Complicated Surroundings

    ¡°Alright, got it.¡± She slowly put down the phone in her hand and sat there in a daze. There was a very uneasy and sad feeling in her heart. After a while, she picked up her phone again and dialed his number.

    The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered.

    Where in the world had he gone? Why wasn¡¯t he picking up the phone?

    Jenna felt a burst of regret in her heart. She struggled and held onto her worries until the end of work. Then, she grabbed her keys and quickly walked towards the elevator.

    Along the way, she tried to call Hansen again several times. This time, however, his phone had been turned off.

    She had the sudden urge to cry.

    Where has that b*stard Hansen gone? How dare he refuse to pick up her call?

    Wouldn¡¯t he know that she¡¯ll be worried?

    She parked her car in the garage and took the electric vehicle to Green Jade Garden.

    ¡°Mommy, Mommy.¡± Jerry saw Jennaing back and ran to her happily. Seeing her son, Jenna¡¯s heart was instantly filled with happiness. She bent down to pick him up and pecked his little face vigorously.

    ¡°Mommy, where is Daddy?¡± Jerry asked. Jerry would see Hansen and Jennaing back together everyday. That day, he didn¡¯t see Hansen and he wasn¡¯t used to it.

    ¡°Jerry, be good. Have you been a good boy today? Daddy has something to do.He¡¯ll be backter.¡± Jenna felt ufortable hearing Jerry mentioning Hansen, but she had no choice but to maintain a smile as she carefully exined to him.

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Although Jerry was somewhat disappointed, he was still very sensible. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m always a good boy. It¡¯s just that Daddy isn¡¯t here, and I miss him so much.¡±

    ¡°I know. But Daddy is a man in charge of such a hugepany. He can¡¯te home all the time like me. Be a good boy and y. I will cook some food for you.¡± Jennaforted him in a soft voice as she patted his head.

    Jerry was a very sensible child. He came out of Jenna¡¯s embrace and went to y with his toy cars.

    Jenna started getting busy in the kitchen.

    In a luxurious, private dining room.

    Hansen leaned against the back of the sofa, his long fingers resting on the armrest. He looked elegant and unruffled. The expression on his face was calm and neutral.

    Luqman was wearing a simple work suit, and his wide forehead was shining with wisdom. He was full of spirit, gentle and courteous. His warm eyes shone brightly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, no one knows that I¡¯vee to find you today. In fact, I¡¯m not here to rope votes for myself. I¡¯m here to talk to you about something,¡± he said in a calm and steady manner. His every gesture carried an air of pride, as if he was on top of the world.

    Hansen bent his fingers and nced at him. He gave a faint smile and leaned his body forward, slightly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want to say, but I have something to say first. The Richards Group has never participated in any elections. It has always been this way for generations. As someone carrying on my family¡¯s legacy, I cannot go against it. Unless our family is nning to run in the elections, we aren¡¯t allowed to take part in politics. This has always been the way the Richards Group operates.¡± Even though he spoke softly, his tone was firm and bold. He was trying to show that he wasn¡¯t rejecting him on purpose.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I know this. Rx, I will not force you into helping me with anything. That¡¯s why I had invited you over discreetly. You don¡¯t necessarily have to help me.¡± Luqman knew what was going on. At that moment, he only smiled knowingly and nodded.

    ¡°Alright, then tell me about it.I¡¯ll listen carefully.¡± Hansen lifted the corners of his eyes slightly. Then, he straightened his body and put on a decent smile.

    Luqman smiled. The wealthy man in front of him was a very influential figure in the business world. He was calm and experienced. His mannerisms andposure were indeed different from that of typical, rich heirs. He would not be so frivolous to the point of being supercilious, but he had an air of awe that could not be ignored. Even Luqman, a long-time politician, had a hard time controlling him.

    He didn¡¯t really consider himself as simplying here just to lobby for himself.

    Luqman picked up the teapot in front of him that had been brewed to perfection, poured a cup for Hansenand filled his. ¡°Mr. Richards, please have some tea.¡±

    After saying that politely, he picked up a small teacup and put it to his lips.He took a deep breath andplimented the fragrance of the tea before slowly sipping it. His whole body was soothed from the warm tea.Only then did he raise his head and speak solemnly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, in theing election, Yadriel is way ahead of me in terms of poprity. He is sure to win. I am already mentally prepared to ept my loss.¡±

    Was that true? Hansen also picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip. He silently sneered in his heart, as if he would believe the words of a politician. He heard that Luqman had been very active whenpeting with Yandriel. He even wanted to try to poach Johan even though he knew that Yadriel and Johan were old friends. From this, it could be seen that every politician had an inted sense of greed.

    If he had really admitted defeat, why had hee knocking on his door then? Anyone with eyes could tell that the Richards Group had never participated in politics. Regardless of this, he remained calm and collected. He picked up the teapot to refill his tea and waited for Luqman to continue speaking.

    Luqman noticed that Hansen gave no obvious reaction andknew that he wasn¡¯t concerned with such matters. He muttered to himself and sighed lightly. Looking up at Hansen, he asked, ¡°Mr. Richards, how well do you know Yadriel?¡±

    Hansen did not expect him to ask such a question. He looked up vaguely and said faintly, ¡°Mr. Wood, you should know that businessmen like me are not interested in people like him. I don¡¯t know much about him at all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He heaved a long sigh.¡°There are so many people who don¡¯t understand politics or the hidden rules in a politician¡¯s world like you. Even a well-known figure like you wouldn¡¯t know, let alone an average citizen. But the truth is, no one should be more concerned with the country¡¯s well-being than the citizens. Every politician¡¯s priority is to make the people happy. That is why I¡¯vee to you today.¡±

    His words sounded like a bunch of superficial talk or titudes. Either way, it sounded extremely weird to Hansen.

    Wasn¡¯t it just an election? Why did he make it seem more like a war? Had their country already reached such a dire state?

    Politicians were really very good at ying the game.Even the citizens¡¯ well-being was their chess piece.

    Unfortunately,all there was, was just their selfish desire for power and status. When it came to the people¡¯s welfare, the Richards Group had not done any less than those so-called politicians. His gaze deepened as he raised an eyebrow to stare at Luqman.

    Luqman knew what he was thinking. He smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Richards, I trust you¡¯re familiar with the petrochemical factory in Wullen Town?¡±

    ¡°The petrochemical factory?¡± Hansen could not help but to feel his heart skip a beat. Just how many people had been alerted by such a small petrochemical factory? How much more was hidden behind the scenes? Looking at Luqman¡¯s mysterious expression, Hansen felt that his father was right. Some wealth in this world did not belong to them. There was no point in forcing it.

    ¡°Mr. Wood,it¡¯s funny you would bring that up. I don¡¯t know much about the petrochemical factory. So, I¡¯ve already given up on it.¡± He seemed to be speaking casually but his heart was frozen.

    The smile on Luqman¡¯s face deepened and he chuckled.¡°Young man, you are ambitious and courageous. I thought highly of you. But now you recoil at the first sight of a challenge. This is not a good sign. After all, a big enterprise must ovee all the obstacles to progress and advance even further.¡±

    As he said this, he picked up his tea and gulped it down.

    ¡°Do you know why chamomile tea has such a strong taste? It¡¯s not a particrly unique tea, but rather the slow intake of it at the perfect temperature is what gives it that deep vour. The effect of brewing it slowly enhances the taste and intensifies the vour. Likewise, a huge corporation needs to be built up slowly. Every detail must be perfect. As time goes on, each detail intertwines together and blossoms when the right timees. At its peak, it will be just like chamomile tea, deliciously fragrant and unforgettable.¡± Luqman was a man of thought as he spoke eloquently.

    Hansen¡¯s heart wavered when he heard this. He was struggling to keep up with Luqman. His thoughts were spinning rapidly.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Richards Group would still focus on automobiles in the future. Without settling the raw materials needed for automobiles, it would be difficult to carry out their n and development in the long term.

    In the market, if someone monopolised the car parts industry and controlled the prices, Richards Group¡¯s n to produce cars would be cut short. They might be controlled by others or even be unable to carry on at all.

    As such a huge corporation, how could they not have their own productionpany? Without it, their future opportunities would be reduced significantly. How could Hansen not know this?

    ¡°Mr. Wood, are you saying that you don¡¯t want me to give up on the petrochemical factory?¡± He looked at Luqman meaningfully.

    ¡°You are the president of the Richards Group. You know best whether you should give up or not. I¡¯m not here to convince you to do that either, asI have a bigger issue at hand. If my problem is solved, yours will naturally be solved as well.¡± Luqman avoided talking about his hidden doubts and spoke with a previously unseen, solemn gaze.

    ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with the petrochemical factory.I believe you¡¯ve already noticed it. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have given up.¡± Luqman gave a meaningful smile. ¡°Have you thought about what the problem might be?¡±

    He asked indifferently. The light in his eyes was somewhat unreadable.

    Hansen¡¯s heart sank. At this point, he wanted to stand up and leave, because he knew that he should not be knowing about the shady things that went on behind the scenes. The more he knew, the worse it was for him.He knew it instinctively, even though no one told him.

    However, since he was there, he could not leave. Luqman had purposelye here to warn him.

    Evidently, the incident at the petrochemical factory had something to do with Yadriel.

    They were political enemies and would definitely sabotage each other. If the Richards Group was involved for internal benefits, they were likely to end up as cannon fodder. Old Master Richard¡¯s advice was still fresh in his mind. If he colluded with these dangerous political figures, the consequences would be too severe for him to bear.

    However, now¡­

    He stood up and said in both stiff and indifferent manner, ¡°Mr. Wood, what could go wrong with such a tiny petrochemical factory? Even if there is a problem, I¡¯m not interested. Sorry, but it¡¯s gettingte and I still have something to do at home. I have to go.¡±

    After that, he walked past him and was ready to leave.

 Chapter 423 Foolishly Waiting

    ¡°Young man, even if you leave now, I¡¯m afraid that there are others with ulterior motives who will not let you go. The truth is, no matter how you think, you have already been regarded as an imaginary enemy.¡± Luqman didn¡¯t move from his seat as he persuaded Hansen slowly.

    ¡°What do you mean?Do you want to forcefully drag Richards Group forcefully into your fight?I¡¯m telling you.There¡¯s no way.¡± Hansen turned his head. His eyes shed with a piercing light and his overbearing aura could not be ignored.

    What a bold man!

    Luqman gazed at Hansen¡¯s sturdy and strong physique as he stood tall and straight. Even Luqman, who was used to all sorts of situations, trembled slightly at the sight of him with his unique temperament.

    He appreciated young men like Hansen. If there were more people like him in society,there would be a higher number of educated and intellectual citizens. That would be great.

    A light of approval shone in his eyes as hesaid with admiration, ¡°Mr. Richards, I think highly of you. You aren¡¯t afraid to be yourself. The sess of the Richards Group is well-deserved. But I have to tell you, I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t escape from this battle. Someone has already pulled you into this in the dark. You can¡¯t retreat even if you want to. Why don¡¯t you sit down and listen carefully to my exnation?¡±

    These words sent a chill down Hansen¡¯s spine. His eyes were filled with anger. He sneered.¡°Mr. Wood, you possess a higher position and more power than me.I¡¯m sure you have no problem suppressing me. But I¡¯m telling you that I won¡¯t allow anyone to be in the way of Richards Group¡¯s interests. No way.¡±

    ¡°Sigh,young man, you still don¡¯t get what I mean.¡± Luqman pitied him. He calmly stood up and advisedhim.¡°The rule that Old Master Richards had set is certainly wise, but in reality, it doesn¡¯t work. It is what it is. The fact that things have gotten this far is proof of it. I¡¯m sure that Old Master Richards knows this as well. Otherwise, he would not have allowed Norton to delve into politics.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Wood, forgive me, but I really don¡¯t understand what you mean. I don¡¯t think that our corporation has been involved in anything, and I don¡¯t think we are unrealistic either. We do things the right way and we have never had anything to hide. I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll have to leave now.¡± Hansen gave his final words decisively and left.

    Luqman stood firmly, watched him leave andsighed in his heart. It was a good thing for a young man to be ambitious, but if he was too arrogant, he would be at a disadvantage.

    He smiled and muttered confidently, ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m sure you¡¯lle to me sooner orter.¡±

    His voice wasn¡¯t particrly loud, but Hansen still heard him, even though he was leaving in a hurry. He felt a chill and an inexplicable sense of unease in his heart as he subconsciously quickened his pace.

    The weather was hot and dry.

    Summer had just begun but the summer wind was already blowing.

    In Richards Manor, the cold wind blew through the night.

    Everyone was still awake. Many of them were strolling about in the backyard.

    After Jenna coaxed Jerry to sleep, she wasn¡¯t sleepy at all.

    Since noon, there had been no news of Hansen. Until now, he hadn¡¯t returned and she hadn¡¯t been able to reach him.

    Her heart was burning with anxiety.

    The weather now was at a perfect temperature. So, it wasn¡¯t suitable to have the air-conditioning on. Jenna ordered the housekeeper to turn off all the air-conditioning in Green Jade Garden and open all the windows instead.

    The night wasn¡¯t that dark yet, and the garden lights were still brightly lit.

    She walked down the stairs and slowly came over to the garage where the electric vehicles were parked. Leaning against the old lemon tree, she felt that her heart was weighing down.

    She had to wait for Hansen toe back or else there was no way she would be able to fall asleep.

    These days, they always went to work and came home together. They worked together to run and protect Richards Group. Since they had gotten married, this was the first time he hadn¡¯te home with her.

    When Jerry asked her about his whereabouts, she was worried too.

    He was her man and her shoulder to lean on. She didn¡¯t like this feeling of him being out of her grasp. Sara had mentioned the other day, that love should be strong and firm. Since she had insisted on marrying him, then she had to consider every possible oue.Jenna had to be ten times stronger than any other woman in facingthe ups and downs,and any temptations that he mighte upon in the future.To marry such an extraordinary man, she had to think way ahead of what was in front of her.

    In Wullen Town, she understood Sara¡¯s determination. None of the excuses mattered. What was important was her life after marriage. That was her mother¡¯s concern.She understood it and never went against it.

    That night at the party, a cold pair of hands reached out to her and that day at the supermarket, she was sure she had seen Liya, but she could not find any evidence to prove the incidents herself. All these urrences gave her a bad feeling. It was as if something was brewing silently, but she didn¡¯t know what.

    As she recalled her mother¡¯s worries and persistence in Wullen Town, she was really touched. After all, which mother wouldn¡¯t want to give their best to their daughter?

    Back then, she made an escape, to avoid such a life where everything seemed morous on the surface, but was dark and sinister within. However, she couldn¡¯t resist her heart. She loved him and yielded to the urge to follow him back. Since this choice had already be reality, she could not go back on her word now.

    Since she had made her choice, she had to be responsible for her marriage. She knew she loved him. So, she had to be responsible for her own life as well as Jerry¡¯s.

    She wanted to live positively and fill her life with excitement. That was what she wanted the most.

    Being pessimistic and negative had never been her desired attitude towards life. She despised and had a disdain for such an attitude.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    The sound of an electric vehicle started getting closer and clearer.

    She lifted her head.

    Hansen sat up straight in the electric vehicle. Under the streetmps, his handsome brows were slightly furrowed. He was so buried in his thoughts that hepletely missed Jenna, who was anxiously waiting for him against the tree trunk.

    Meanwhile, Jenna recognized his familiar figure with just one nce.

    ¡°Hello, Mrs. Murphy.¡± The driver greeted Jenna politely.

    ¡°Good evening.You¡¯ve worked hard,¡± Jenna replied politely and nodded as she walked towards Hansen, who was getting off the electric vehicle.

    Then, the driver turned the electric vehicle around and left.

    ¡°Jenna, why are you here?¡± Hansen did note to his senses until he heard Jenna¡¯s voice. He turned around and saw Jenna throwing herself into his arms, holdinghim tightly and burying her face in his chest.

    Hansen was taken aback. Soon, the corners of his lips curled into a smile.

    It seemed that this woman missed him. They had been separated for the entire day after all.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He stroked her soft hair with his hand and asked gently.

    Jenna buried her face in his arms for a long time. After making sure she wouldn¡¯t cry, she looked up, her almond-shaped eyes wide open and her face full of resentment.

    ¡°Hansen, what¡¯s the matter with you? Why didn¡¯t you answer your phone? Wedecided on having lunch at Collier Manor, why didn¡¯t youe? It¡¯s sote. Couldn¡¯t you have called me to give me a heads up? Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯ll be worried? Why, why did you do this? Do you even notice my presence?¡±

    She shot him a series of questions loudly.Her tone was filled with dissatisfaction and distress.Her little face was flushed, and her cheeks were puffed up with anger. She stared directly at him with her eyes wide open.

    Hansen was stunned by her sudden series of questions. He lowered his head and looked at her aggrieved face. It was as if his heart had been scratched by a cat.It ached slightly.

    She had been worried and was standing here waiting for him.

    Knowing this, he felt happy yet sad.

    This foolish woman, what if he hadn¡¯te home for the night? Would she have waited there all night?

    ¡°Jenna, didn¡¯t you go shopping with Hannah? I thought you would be shopping all day.¡± He asked in surprise. His big hand moved over to caress her face as he spoke gently.

    ¡°Who told you that? We said we would have lunch at Collier Manor. So, why would I shop for an entire day? Do you think I¡¯ve never shopped before?!¡± Jenna said with her red lips pouting. As she thought about the fear she felt throughout the day, tears started streaming down her cheeks. She even choked up a little.

    Hansen was dumbfounded. He did not expect things to be this serious.

    He didn¡¯t intend to go out earlier that day.

    However, after receiving Luqman¡¯s call, he spent an entire afternoon contemting whether he should be meeting him or not.

    If he didn¡¯t meet him,he might offend that horrid politician andgive off the impression that he was too lofty and arrogant. He couldn¡¯t support him, but Luqman was a political figure who called personally to meet him, a business tycoon. He must have really thought highly of him. He might be considered frivolous if he didn¡¯t even meet him.

    So, he finally decided to meet him.

    He booked a room at one of the hotels he owned and went over to the room earlier. One of the reasons he did this was to hide from the public. He was afraid that the media might photograph them and spread the news that might lead to a misunderstanding with Yadriel. He had thought everything through.

    Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t expect such a meticulous arrangement would have also ended up with him getting photographed.

    Moreover, didn¡¯t all women love shopping? Jenna had gone out with her best friendandhe assumed they would take up the whole day. So, he didn¡¯t even take her into consideration.

    At noon, he turned off his phone before taking a nap.

    When he met Luqman, he saw that he was surrounded by special agents in ck. He knew that they were his bodyguards. So, he turned off his phone on his own and ced it on the table. Luqman returned the gesture and did the same to dispel any concerns he might have.

    It wasn¡¯t until Jenna asked him why he hadn¡¯t answered her calls did he realise that he had forgotten to turn his phone back on. Earlier today, he was in a rush to leave. His mind was also preupied with worries.

    He immediately took out his cell phone and showed it to her. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°I am such a dumb*ss. I turned my phone off and forgot to turn it back on. What kind of husband doesn¡¯t report to his wife? B*stard. I deserve to be beaten.¡±

    After saying that, he took her small hand and gently patted it on his face. Then, he picked her up and walked to the Green Jade Garden¡¯s foyer, smiling slyly.

 Chapter 424 You Again?

    Jenna was soon pulled into his arms. She stuck her face against his chest and listened to his calm and rhythmic heartbeat. After knowing that he did not intend to make her worried, she felt relieved. Her face flushed.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t allowed to do this again in the future. No matter what you do, you must call me to let me know that you¡¯re okay.¡± Jenna pressed her face against his chest and said relentlessly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, honey, I will.¡± He was secretly overjoyed by her concern for him. Although she had been way too worried, he was d to know that she cared.

    He carried her to the sofa and hugged her tightly. She stayed in his arms and was as gentle as a kitten, soft and adorable.

    Luqman¡¯s face and words suddenly shed across Hansen¡¯s mind. His heart sank.

    Now that he had Jenna and Jerry, his attitude towards life had bepletely different. He had a lot to consider. He wanted to protect the interests of the Richards Group, but he also wanted to protect the woman in his arms and Jerry. He wanted to give them a blissful life. So, he didn¡¯t want to get involved in any sort of trouble.

    However, Luqman¡¯s words made him a little uneasy.

    Although he was a scheming politician, he hadn¡¯t spoken his words casually.

    He mentioned that Hansen had already been dragged into this battle. Was it really so?

    However, why didn¡¯t he sense anything abnormal? Perhaps the enemies were hidden too well.

    No matter what, he couldn¡¯t let his guard down too easily now.

    ¡°Hansen, have you eaten yet?¡± Jenna raised her head in his arms and saw his deeply furrowed brows. Her heart tightened. There was a kind of inexplicable worry on his handsome face. Jenna was used to reading his expressions and she felt an indescribable feeling of anxiety and unease.

    Hansen was lost in his thoughts. So, he did not respond to Jenna¡¯s question.

    ¡°Hansen, what¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± She asked uneasily, sittingupright and observing his face.

    Hearing her concerned voice, Hansen came to his senses and met her gaze. He put his hands on her shoulders, smiled, and replied softly, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Was there really nothing wrong? Jenna did not believe him. She only looked at him, withher eyes filled with anxiety.¡°Hansen, can you tell me where you went today?¡±

    Hansen paused for a moment. His eyes were bright and a charming smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t gone anywhere. I just had to meet a client.¡± He acted calm anddidn¡¯t want her to worry about it.

    A meeting with a client?His secretary didn¡¯t have any such meeting on his schedule. Obviously, he was lying and didn¡¯t want her to know about it.

    Jenna knew better than anyone else that since he didn¡¯t want her to know, it was useless for her to continue asking. She knew that she couldn¡¯t pressure him too much. So, she scrambled out of his arms.

    ¡°Since you were working, I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t eaten. I cooked a few dishes for you today. Let me heat them up for you.¡± After she finished her words, she walked towards the kitchen.

    Indeed, Hansen had not eaten anything today. His conversation with Luqman had made himpletely lose his appetite. It was only when Jenna brought him a bowl of hot soup did he begin to feel hungry. He picked up his bowl and started wolfing down his food.

    ¡°Slow down. Don¡¯t eat so hurriedly,¡± she said softly as she picked up food for him and put them on his te.

    As Hansen drank the hot soup, he said emotionally, ¡°Jenna, no matter how good the outside food is, it can never bepared to your home-cooked food. My wife¡¯s cooking is the best.¡±

    When Jenna heard this, she smiled sweetly.

    ¡°Then, you shoulde back and eat more often. Don¡¯t eat outside. If you have meetings to attend to, just eat a little.¡± Jenna sat next to him and reminded him very seriously. In reality, she would rather have him stay with her everyday. She didn¡¯t want him to disappear all day just because he was stressing himself out over work.

    If it weren¡¯t up to them to protect the family business, she would much prefer living a frugal andordinary life. As long as they could be together everyday and love each other as they grew old, she didn¡¯t mind living a simple life. She didn¡¯t want to be busy all the time. Although their life was rich and filled with pleasure, it wasn¡¯t the life she wanted.

    ¡°Alright, I will try my best.¡± Hansen nodded his head and agreed. He stretched out an arm to hug her and give her a small kiss on her tiny face.

    ¡°Eww, your mouth is oily. I hate it.¡± Jennaughed as she whacked him.

    Hansen giggled.

    After the meal, he ordered Larry to clean up, and they walked upstairs with their arms wrapped around each other¡¯s waists.

    ¡°Take a break first. I¡¯ll run the bath for you.¡± After going upstairs, Jenna pressed Hansen down onto the sofa. She walked into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and got his clothes ready.

    The night was getting darker. The people who were strolling around Richards Manor had all returned to their vis.The sound of insects chirping could be heard as the night sky dimmed.

    As soon as Jennay down and snuggled into the quilt, Hansen finished his bath and followed her by climbing onto the bed.

    ¡°Go and dry your hair. Sleeping with wet hair will give you headaches.¡± Jenna felt that this was a bad habit. So, she urged him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s still a while before I go to bed.¡± Hansen giggled and climbed into the sheets. He immediately drew close to her body, and her thin, revealing nightdress clung to her soft and delicate body.The thin bed sheets suddenly became warmer after Hansen climbed in. It was getting so hot that Jenna couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    He nted his warm lips on hers. His fiery skin seemed to burn her with every touch. Soon, they were entangled together into a ball and he took over her¡­

    That night, the two of them made love. It was gentle and sweet. The two of them could really feel the love for the other. The joy they felt was intoxicating and they didn¡¯t want to part even for a moment. Throughout the night, they held onto each other passionately as they slept.

    In the spacious and bright office, the amber-colored curtains cast a gloomy shadow on Sergio¡¯s face.

    A picture of Hansen and Luqman sitting and talking happily was disyed on Sergio¡¯s phone. He tightened his grip as he gritted his teeth, and his knuckles even started turning blue.

    ¡°Hansen, I didn¡¯t expect your actually dared to support Luqman at a time like this. You know very well that he¡¯s one of my family¡¯s opponents, yet you still support him so openly. Aren¡¯t you sowing discord? What do you take me for? What do you take the Wood family for? So much for your principles of separating politics and business. It turned out that you just wanted to go against my family and embarrass us. This is a clear threat. F*cking disgraceful.¡± Sergio¡¯s eyes were burning with fury as these words burst out from his lips.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t teach you a lesson, you will never learn,¡± he said fiercelyas he took out his cell phone to make a call.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, I can only me you for picking the wrong side of the battle. Let me tell you.No one in this world will be able to stop the Xanthe family from moving forward.¡± He thought to himself.

    In the underground parking lot of the International Kinsey Center, Hansen had just got out of a Hummer andstrode forward inrge steps.

    A thin, dark shadow shed in front of him.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes shed as he bellowed.

    The dark shadow moved into a corner at the side, but there was no sound.

    Hansen furrowed his brows as he quickly stepped forward.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± He quickly sprinted to the corner, and surely enough, there was a dark shadow curled up there. Since it was slightly dark, he couldn¡¯t see the person clearly.

    The dark shadow stood shivering and with her face buried in her chest. She did not look up or answer Hansen¡¯s question.

    Confused, Hansen stretched out a hand to lift the person up and drag her out.

    ¡°It hurts. Hansen, it¡¯s me.¡± Hansen had just dragged the person¡¯s arm and took a few steps forward when she cried out in grief.

    After a few steps, the lighting became clearer. Only then did Hansen get a good look. It was Liya.

    ¡°It¡¯s you again?¡± He frowned. When he reached out to grab her earlier, he felt as if the arm was particrly weak. He felt that it was a woman.So, he reduced the strength in his hand. Otherwise, he might have pulled her so hard that she would have fallen t onto the floor.

    ¡°What in the world are you trying to do?¡± This time, Hansen¡¯s expression was not friendly. She was here again. Was she waiting for him? What was her intention? Looking at her ambiguous appearance, it was really suspicious.

    ¡°Hansen, I don¡¯t mean any harm. I just wanted to see you.¡± The woman shook her head desperately, hugging her body with her arms around her shoulders, and spoke weakly. Her limpid eyes were filled with mist, and she looked at him pitifully.

    ¡°Who are you? Do I know you? Why are you always following me?¡± When he was stopped by her that day, Hansen already had doubts in his heart. Once again, he was still being followed by her like this. He found it extremely odd. This time, he must find out what her reasons were. When had he ever met a woman like her?

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m Liya. I just want to see you from afar. I have admired you very much since I was young. Now that I¡¯ve seen you be the master of Richards Manor, as well as the president of Richards Group, I¡¯m really happy for you. There are many who admire your prestige. Believe me, I mean no harm.¡± Liya¡¯s eyes were full of adoration, and her big almond-shaped eyes looked innocent.

    Hansen¡¯s brows furrowed even more tightly. Since she was young? It seemed that this woman really was an old friend. She should be someone he knew. However, why didn¡¯t he have any memories of her? His memory wasn¡¯t that bad. Nevertheless, right then, he could not recall anything about her.

    Hebed through his memories from the past, but in the end, he still shook his head.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Since this woman imed that she knew him, he had to make things clear even if he didn¡¯t want to.He immediately asked, ¡°Which department do you work in at Richards Group?¡±

 Chapter 425 He Was Annoyed

    When Liya saw that Hansen was willing to speak to her, she softened her tone and her face lit up with excitement. She immediately blinked her bright eyes and replied in a crisp voice, ¡°Hansen, I am now working in the newly established web studio.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re the newly recruitedputer expert?¡± It dawned upon Hansen.It was no wonder he had no impression of this woman. She was a new recruit whom Jenna had hired. Since Jenna was in full control of the matter, he paid no attention to it. This woman must be Jenna¡¯s old friend or acquaintance and she must have known Hansen through Jenna.

    When he thought about it this way, his doubts subsided.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve been recruited by Ms. Murphy, you¡¯d better work well. She¡¯s a very qualified superior. As long as you perform well, she will recognise your talents,¡± said Hansen calmly. ¡°I hope I won¡¯t see you in ces like this again from now on.¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    After that, he did not take a second look at her before passing her and walking away.

    ¡°Hansen, do you really not remember me at all?¡± Liya saw that Hansen was about to leave. She didn¡¯t know when she would be able to find the chance to speak to him alone again. Hence, she was unwilling to give up and continued to ask him questions.

    Hansen stood still. He looked a little annoyed.

    ¡°Liya, whether I know you or not, it doesn¡¯t matter. In thepany, everyone is treated equally. As long as you do well, Ms. Murphy and I will both reward you. Additionally, I don¡¯t think I know you from anywhere. If you know me, then I thank you for paying so much attention to me. But from now on, please don¡¯t call me by my name anymore.¡± He clearly emphasised his words with a cold, tough, and rude tone. He didn¡¯t want to say anything else to her.

    Liya¡¯s eyes were instantly filled with tears. Her face was very pale, and she lowered her head intently.

    It wasn¡¯t until Hansen¡¯s figure had walked far away that she lifted her head from her chest. She wiped away her tears and slowly walked towards the Richards Group.

    She knew it. For a rich man like him, that tiny incident meant nothing. She was just a humble woman.Why would he remember her?

    Jenna sat on the sofa and stared at a newspaper in hand. Her eyebrows were knitted into a straight line.

    On the front page of the newspaper, Hansen and Luqman were sitting opposite each other, and the scene of them talking andughing could be seen clearly. It was obvious that this was the reason Hansen hade back veryte the night before. She had been waiting for him all day and he didn¡¯t even show up to their lunch date at Collier Manor. She knew that something was going on. It turned out that not only was she right,but it was also no ordinary matter either.

    However, he kept it from her. He didn¡¯t tell her because he didn¡¯t want her to worry.

    Although she understood why, how could he not tell her about something like this!

    They were now husband and wife, and they were a family. They should share all sorts of ups and downs in their lives.

    All of a sudden, her heart felt heavy.

    At such a critical time, he openly went out to meet Luqman. Wasn¡¯t that another way of telling the public that Richards Group was on his side?

    That was not a good thing.

    Wouldn¡¯t Yadriel see that as a threat?

    It was very likely that this action would offend Yadriel as a politician from Capital City. Furthermore, Yadriel was Johan¡¯s subordinate. How was that alright?

    At the thought of this, Jenna¡¯s whole body felt ufortable.

    That b*stard.How could he leave her in the dark? She was so anxious.

    She had a lot on her mind and was really worried. She was supposed to hire a tutor for Jerry that day. To make sure the tutor was qualified, she carried out all the interviews personally. Because of that, she was dyed and wasn¡¯t able to go to work together with Hansen.

    She hurriedly briefed the newly hired tutor and ordered Larry to bring the tutor and Jerry to the study. Then, she grabbed her briefcase and rushed out the door.

    However, before she could even head out, Meroy walked in with a grin on her face.

 Chapter 426 Heart-To-Heart Talk

    ¡°Good morning, Mrs. Murphy.¡± Seeing Jenna, Meroy greeted her politely with a smile.

    Jenna stopped and asked with a smile, ¡°Morning, Meroy. What brings you to Green Jade Garden?¡±

    Meroy stepped forward and informed her.¡°Actually, it has to do with you. The Old Madam wants to see you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Jenna was stunned. So, the Old Madam knew that she hadn¡¯t gone to work yet. She immediately asked, ¡°Meroy, do you know why she¡¯s looking for me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about that. She just told me to call and ask if you were still around. When she heard you hadn¡¯t left yet, she asked me toe over to invite you there.¡±

    Surely enough, it was so.

    Jenna chuckled.¡°Okay,Meroy, let¡¯s go then.¡±

    Meroy nodded with a smile. The two of them got onto an electric vehicle and headed for Ink Garden.

    Vivian was sitting on herzy chair as usual. The air conditioning was set to a nice temperature and it was veryfortable.

    When Jenna silently walked in, Vivian was still resting with her eyes closed.

    Her head of silver hair wasbed neatly, and her wrinkled hands rested on her knees. Her face was riddled with age.

    Jenna watched her quietly. For the first time, she felt that this old woman in front of her had really aged. She was past her golden years.

    She stood there silently, hesitating whether she should wake her up.

    Vivian suddenly opened her eyes and looked at her with her blurry eyes.

    ¡°Grandma.¡± She hurriedly bowed and called in a soft voice.

    Vivian looked at her with her eyes wide open.

    That year, Vivian¡¯s eyesight and hearing had deteriorated quite a lot. It took her a long time to get her vision to focus and see things clearly. Her hearing wasn¡¯t as sharp as it used to be either.

    ¡°Are you Jenna?¡± Vivian looked at her and asked in a trembling voice.

    ¡°Grandma, it¡¯s me.¡± Jenna came closer to her and raised her voice to her ear.

    Vivian heard her clearly and her eyes lit up. She turned to look at her.

    ¡°Jenna, my good granddaughter-inw.¡± She looked excited and grabbed her hand.¡°Come, sit down in front of me. Let¡¯s have a good talk today.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna obediently sat down on the chair in front of Vivian.

    ¡°Jenna, I know that you are busy, and there are a lot of things to deal with at thepany. The house is so huge, and you still have to work and take care of your husband and son. It must be hard on you.¡± Vivian held her hand and patted the back of her hand as she spoke lovingly.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Grandma. These are my responsibilities. I¡¯m still young after all.¡± Jenna smiled rxedly, as if she was not afraid of anything.

    ¡°Jenna, do you know what I¡¯m most proud of in this life?¡± Vivian asked with a smile.

    Jenna was dumbfounded and quickly shook her head with a smile.

    Vivian chuckled and said loudly, ¡°I¡¯m most proud of the fact that my grandson, Hansen, has married you. You are the pride of the Richards family.¡±

    As soon as she said that, Jenna was a little shocked. After a pause, she quickly shook her head and denied it.¡°Grandma, you are being too dramatic with your praise. I am just an ordinary woman.I don¡¯t deserve such praise.¡±

    She knew that Vivian had a good impression of her, but Vivian had gone overboard with her words. It was impossible.Jenna was sure that she was just saying it out of courtesy.

    So, she just smiled and didn¡¯t take it seriously.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t doubt me. I¡¯ve lived to this age. So, I read people well. You¡¯re an amazing granddaughter-inw. You¡¯re definitely worthy of my praise.¡± As if she had seen through Jenna¡¯s thoughts, Vivian once again held her hand tightly and praised her.

    Vivian¡¯s words were sincere. Upon hearing this, Jenna felt warmth in her heart, and her eyes became a little moist.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m getting old. In the future, you will be in charge of this family. I hope that you can shoulder this important burden. Take good care of the Richards family and make us proud. I am cing all my hopes on you. Please don¡¯t let me down. This way, even if I end up in the afterlife, I will be happy.¡± As Vivian spoke, her eyes turned moist and she even choked on her sobs.

    Jenna suddenly had a sad feeling, and her heart tightened. She took Vivian¡¯s hand and saidfortingly, ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t say that. Your body is fine. You¡¯ll live at least another decade or two.¡±

    When Vivian heard this, sheughed heartily.

    ¡°Child, I know my own body well. It¡¯s a miracle that I¡¯ve even lived until now. I am content. Now, I have a great-grandson, a good grandson, and a good granddaughter-inw. For me, this is better than anything else. I am really satisfied with life.¡± Vivian sighed and pointed at the cup of water on the table.

    Jenna immediately understoodand quickly picked up the porcin cup on the table. She supported Vivian¡¯s head whilst she fed her a sip of water.

    ¡°Grandma, have a good rest. Let¡¯s talk more some other day.¡± Jenna was worried that she was tired and consoled her softly.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°No, Jenna. I want to talk to you while I can. I¡¯m fine.Don¡¯t worry about me. I have wanted to tell you these for a long time,¡± Vivian said seriously,shaking her head.

    Jenna knew that Vivian rarely looked for her, except when she had something to say. Thus, she just told her very seriously, ¡°Grandma, go ahead and speak your mind. I¡¯m listening.¡±

    ¡°Good girl.¡± Vivian held her hands tightly and said earnestly, ¡°Jenna, an outstanding woman grows through the rain and storm, you must be able to withstand the test of time. To marry into a wealthy family, you must know how to face whates your way. Be courageous and more forgiving than any other ordinary woman. I¡¯ve watched you grow up. So, I know you have all of these qualities. I still remember when I first saw you as a child. I immediately knew you were to be Hansen¡¯s wife. I am never wrong.¡±

    Vivian¡¯s words were from her heart. Although it seemed like she was praising Jenna, but in fact, she was preaching to her about the principles of life. There was a deep meaning behind her words.

    Jenna listened carefully as she pondered over the meaning behind Vivian¡¯s words and actions.

    ¡°Child, it¡¯s not easy to be a woman from a wealthy family. It is not as glorious as it looks on the surface. The hardships you will face are much more than that of ordinary women. So, I¡¯m begging you, no matter what hardships you face, you must protect the Richards family empire together with Hansen. Can you promise me that you¡¯ll never give up?¡±

    Vivian held Jenna¡¯s hands tightly, and her muddled eyes were suddenly so bright. She looked straight at her, and expectations were written all over her face.

 Chapter 427 Vivianâ€™s Past

    This was Vivian¡¯s wish. She understood what she meant but she still could not wrap her head around some of the things she said. Nevertheless, she did not hesitate and promised solemnly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma. I will do my best to handle the Richards Group and protect the family. This will be my home in the future and it will be the ce that I will protect with my life. Grandma, rest assured, I will not let anything happen to it.¡±

    With that, she knelt on the ground andy her head on Vivian¡¯s knee as tears streamed down her cheeks.

    She knew that Vivian had always treated her well. She once thought that Vivian cared about her only because she was aware of Norton¡¯s sins. However, she changed her mind. Vivian had always known that Earl was associated with her father¡¯s death. She truly cared about her. Her love and care for her were irreceable. She was grateful to have met her.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Vivian stroked her head, choked by her sobs. ¡°Back then at Wullen Town, when you refused to return with Hansen, I knew the reason behind your actions, although everyone else failed to understand it. You don¡¯t wish to be part of a prestigious family, nor do you wish to bear the responsibilities. It¡¯s too exhausting. I understand it perfectly well. Hence, I was on tenterhooks. Please forgive me for not stopping them from bringing you back as I yearned for your return. Hansen can¡¯t live without you, nor can we, the Richards family, survive without you.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart was filled with mixed emotions. Vivian was being so honest to her. She truly understood what was on her mind.

    Living a simple life and growing old with the person she loved was something very precious to her. However, her future was sealed from the moment Vivianid her eyes on her. She was fated to bear many responsibilities. This was her destiny.

    Nevertheless, as time passed, she did not regret it. She loved Hansen. Hence, she would muster the courage and apany him on this journey, even if there would be lots of challenges and obstacles ahead.

    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. I will do my best to handle everything. Since I have already made my decision, I will not back down, no matter what. I¡¯m not afraid of the challenges ahead and I have never regretted marrying Hansen, not even when I did, seven years ago.¡± She smiled as tears trickled down her cheeks.

    ¡°Good, good.¡± Vivian was so ecstatic that her hands quivered. She wiped away the tears on her face and said, ¡°Your promise put my heart at ease. Even if I die right this second, I will leave knowing that everything is in good hands.¡±

    Jenna held Vivian¡¯s lined hand in hers. Her expression was solemn.

    ¡°Jenna, all thergepanies in this world have been through lots of ups and downs. You reap what you sow. Richards Group has been through many obstacles. It has almost gone bankrupt many times but there was always someone who stood up for the family and saved thepany despite the struggles. All this while, the Richards Group had contributed a lot to society. Some still consider it as private property and think that it is only natural that we protect it for the sake of our family. However, I have a different opinion. Everything has a purpose in life. What is special about Richards Group? Why did we survive when the others didn¡¯t? In my opinion, those who have gone bankrupt did not contribute enough to society. Hence, they lost their business. We are the perfect example. The Richards Group survived because we never go against our principles to earn money, nor do we take advantage of others for our own benefits. Only people with integrity and principles can earn money. It¡¯s rare to see integrity and principles among businessmen. We don¡¯t need to be the best, but we should always abide by our principles.¡± Vivian nced out of the window as she reminisced about her past. She revealed everything that was on her mind.

    Jenna listened attentively and finally, she understood what was on her mind. She learnt that the Richards Group had achieved great heights through hard work and perseverance. It was no miracle. In fact, she was moved.

    ¡°Jenna, I still have some records about the family history and the development of the Richards Group with me. I will instruct Meroy to bring them over to Green Jade Garden by today. Do spend some time going through them when you are free,¡± Vivian said earnestly.

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Grandma.¡± Jenna nodded and thanked her.

    ¡°Jenna, I have gone through a lot in my life. I have always done good, but I am, after all, just a human. I have my own share of mistakes.¡± Vivian seemed to be filled with anguish as her voice faltered. She stared nkly ahead, apparently in distress as she looked back on her past. She looked down.

    Jenna was startled. Vivian had always been optimistic and confident. She rarely saw her looking so crestfallen. Was it true that people change once they grow in age? Or was Grandma¡¯s health deteriorating?¡±

    The thought crossed her mind and she was about to give her some words offort.

    Vivian sighed and closed her eyes. With a heavy heart, she said, ¡°Jenna, Grandma once did something wrong. I may have my own reasons for acting in that manner but deep down, I knew that I was being selfish. Every time I recall what happened, I will be gued with guilt.¡±

    Jenna raised her head and looked at her in surprise. Even Vivian had done something wrong in the past. What was it? Why was she filled with sorrow when she thought about it?

    She nced at her sullen expression and wondered. It was truly a shock as she had never seen her in this manner before.

    She held her hands tightly and attempted tofort her. ¡°Grandma, we experience many things in life. It¡¯s only natural for us to make mistakes. So what if you made a mistake? There¡¯s no reason to feel guilty. Besides, it¡¯s not necessarily your fault.¡±

    Jenna tried to encourage her. She even grabbed a porcin cup from the table and fed her some water.

    After taking a few sips of water, Vivian finally calmed down.

    ¡°Jenna, listen to what I¡¯m going to say. If I don¡¯t tell you the truth, you won¡¯t understand why I¡¯m so concerned. If you happen to experience something simr in the future, it will serve to guide you before you make a decision.¡±

    Jenna was silent. Did Vivian really want to tell her the truth? Could she bear the pain and agony again by talking about her past?

    Just as she was pondering the matter and wondering whether she should stop her, Vivian¡¯s voice rang.

    ¡°Back then, ude brought a woman back to the house. A nine-year-old girl tagged along. To be frank, I was really shocked and distressed. After investigating the matter, I discovered that the woman was just a prostitute and she was actually married. I was furious when I received the news and I wanted to drive the woman away. However, Elmore disagreed, as the woman was pregnant, whereas ude¡¯s wife was infertile. I did not have a choice and was forced to let her stay. To everyone¡¯s dismay, she suffered a miscarriage two monthster. The woman was in agony and almostmitted suicide. After investigating the matter, I realized that ude¡¯s wife was responsible for the tragedy. She fed her some abortion pills. Without a doubt, we were in the wrong and we were forced to let her stay. Hence, she stayed with us for another three years. Three yearster, ude met Maria, and Maria gave birth to Norton. We were shocked yet delighted when we received the news. After all, we finally have a grandson. However, we were afraid that ude¡¯s wife would harm the baby again. Therefore, we made an excuse and did not allow Maria to stay with us. Finally, Maria gave birth to a boy and a girl. However, I made the wrong decision. I drove the woman and her daughter away. s, after Elmore¡¯s death, ude¡¯s wife could no longer tolerate their presence. Besides, the woman¡¯s husband kept threatening and ckmailing us. I did not really like her from the start and after that incident, I could not bear it any longer.¡±

    Vivian sighed as she finished telling the story. She seemed to be exasperated as well as feeling guilty.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 428 Be Brave And Accept Your Mistakes

    ¡°It just so happened that ude¡¯s wife hade over to Ink Garden toin about her. She was in tears. Well, she knew that I detested the woman. Hence, she came over frequently toin about her. To be frank, ever since the woman and her daughter had stayed in Emerald Garden, everything had be chaotic. She was always crying, and eventually, even ude could not tolerate it anymore. He rarely came home and was no longer interested in the woman. He lived elsewhere and focused on Maria. I knew that the household was in a mess and it would be a disaster if it continued. Besides, Elmore had just passed away. I wish that the atmosphere could be quiet and peaceful. Hence, I drove the woman and her daughter away without giving them a chance. ¡±

    When Vivian talked about the matter, it was apparent that she was in distress. She did not have a choice back then and she was exasperated.

    Jenna lowered her head and pondered the matter. This was the fate of being a mistress to a man from a prestigious family.

    No matter what Raina did, even if she was infertile, they could not get a divorce. Hence, ude had lots of mistresses and seldom came back for the past ten years.

    She heard that ude had a mistress in Africa as well and they were living together.

    ¡°s, I¡¯ve heard that she died from an illness after she was driven out of the Richards Group. I had no idea what became of her daughter. I did ask Paul and Irvin to find them after they were driven out, but the woman had already passed away when we found them. The daughter had been returned to her father. She was after all his flesh and blood. I thought that it was a good idea and it was the best option then. I was finally at ease. I instructed Paul to send them some moneyso that the daughter can get a proper education. After all, I felt apologetic. The woman had suffered a lot when she lived in Emerald Garden as the madam would not leave her alone. Besides, I drove her out just because I disliked her. It was kind of cruel but I did not have a choice. There was no reason for her to stay. She was married, and she only brought trouble to the family. However, from this incident, I gained some experience. Hence, that¡¯s why I never allowed Maria to stay with us.¡±

    ¡°She was not considered part of the Richards family. Only after Norton and Andrea had grown up did I let them stay in the Richards Group. When Norton and Andrea were still kids, I did not dare to make it known when I brought them over to y. They were really cute, and I adored them. Hence, every year, I would bring them over and let them stay at Ink Garden for a while. This would be kept a secret from Raina. Ink Garden was the only ce I found safe enough to keep them. Eventually, Raina discovered what happened. Although reluctant, she was forced to ept it, under my orders. However, ever since Maria and the kids stayed with us, the atmosphere in Emerald Garden changed once more. Not long after, ude seldom came home again. Besides, the Richards Group had prospered, thanks to Trevor and he had be well-known in the industry. Inparison, ude did not have any achievements. Hence, he went to Africa. Even now, I don¡¯t really know what he¡¯s doing, but I heard that he has started some businesses.¡±

    Tears coursed down her cheeks as she spoke. She was filled with anguish and she seemed to age suddenly in an instant.

    Back then, the Richards Group was facing some difficulties. To ovee the crisis, Elmore forced ude to marry Raina. However, ude did not have any feelings towards Raina. As a result, he seldom came home and no longer cared about what happened to the family. Things turned out to be a disaster. It was not what she wanted.

    However, she never expected that Norton, whom she had cared for since he was just a kid, would bear such resentment. For the sake of his future, he betrayed Javon.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Tears continued to trickle down her cheeks. Jenna did not utter a response. However, she was filled with anguish as well. After a long silence, she held Vivian¡¯s hands and said reassuringly, ¡°Grandma, it¡¯s all in the past. You did not have a choice. It¡¯s not all your fault. Even if the woman stayed in the Richards Group, her life will still be tough. After all, she had nothing. Driving her out was actually a better option for her. Nobody could have foreseen her misfortune after that. Hence, don¡¯t feel guilty, just let bygones be bygones.¡±

    Jenna could onlyfort Vivian in this manner. Somehow, her mood was affected.

    ¡°Jenna, you are right, but I still feel guilty. After all, the woman died right after she was driven out of the Richards Group. No matter what, I still bear some responsibility for her death. If I wasn¡¯t so concerned about the family¡¯s reputation and allowed her to stay, she might not have died,¡± Vivian replied, sighing deeply.

    Jenna wiped away the tears on her face with tissue paper. She sighed. This was not an easy matter to deal with. There was no right and wrong. It was veryplicated. Vivian was feeling guilty because she was kind. It was only natural for her to feel guilty. Hence, she continued. ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. I will not let something like this happen again in the Richards Group. If I ever meet the girl in the future, I willpensate her for the loss. As for Norton, he is currently working hard to pay for his sins. Once he has repented, I will allow him toe back to the family. After all, he is part of the Richards family. Nobody could ever change that!¡±

    ¡°Good girl. I was right about you.¡± Hearing what she said, Vivian was over the moon and seized her hand. Tears streamed down her cheeks and relief washed over her.

    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. I know what I need to do.¡± Jenna held her hand and smiled. ¡°This is my duty as Hansen¡¯s wife.¡±

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s great.¡± Vivian was so jubnt that she nodded her head repeatedly. She sighed. ¡°Jenna, my health isn¡¯t what it used to be. I¡¯m near my end. As I look back on my past, I couldn¡¯t help thinking about what would have happened if I had chosen otherwise. Now that I have told you everything, I feel much better. Onest thing, Paul and Irvin are remarkable and talented. They are my confidants and have helped me a lot throughout the years. They are well aware of everything happening in the Richards family and I don¡¯t wish to lose them. Hence, I will now hand them over to you. Let them follow you. They will help you when you need them.¡±

    Vivian seemed to have revealed everything that had been troubling her. Once she was done, she heaved a sigh of relief. However, she was exhausted and started to doze off. After all, she had spoken a lot.

    Jenna was worried as she noticed Vivian¡¯s current mental state. She quickly nodded her head in agreement.

    She patted her back and helped her to lie down. She then tucked her into bed. Vivian really seemed to be exhausted. She closed her eyes and fell into a slumber upon finishing her sentence.

    Suddenly, Jenna was filled with anguish. She was under immense pressure as her responsibilities doubled.

    ¡°Grandma, please have a good rest. Don¡¯t worry. As long as I¡¯m here, I¡¯ll definitely make sure that the mansion and Richards Group are in good hands. I will protect them and let them persevere despite the challenges ahead.¡± Jenna promised silently to herself. She stayed for a while until she was sure that Vivian had fallen asleep before she left.

    Soon, Meroy entered the room to stay by Vivian¡¯s side and take care of her.

 Chapter 429 She Pretended

    Jenna walked out of the Ink Garden and headed straight for Richards Group.

    ¡°Mr. Garver, who gave you the permission to publish the news? Did you get my permission to do so? Who is the reporter responsible for this? What do they want and on whose orders? I want you guys to give me a satisfactory answer regarding the identity of the culprit.¡± Jenna came out of the elevator and was walking towards Hansen¡¯s office when she heard Hansen¡¯s bellows. At first, she was shocked, but she soon realized what was happening. ¡°You guys don¡¯t have the right to reveal my story to the public. Consider this a warning. You guys had better apologize or I¡¯m definitely going to sue you. If you feel that you have the ability to go against me, then you may ignore what I¡¯ve said. However, I won¡¯t give you a second chance.¡±

    Obviously, Hansen already received news about what had happened. He was smart and sharp. Without a doubt, he knew that something was amiss.

    Jenna stood in the corridor, debating whether she should go in and ask him. After pondering the matter, she decided to enter her office first and put down her stuff. She would find him once he had calmed down.

    As soon as she entered her office, she noticed that someone was already inside. At first, she thought it was the cleaner but to her surprise, she saw Liya standing in front of her desk. Her gaze seemed to be riveted upon something on it.

    She pursed her lips in displeasure.

    ¡°Liya, why are you in my office?¡± Jenna¡¯s expression darkened. She walked towards her and made her annoyance noticeable.

    Liya didn¡¯t expect her toe in at this moment and was caught off guard. However, she calmed down quickly and put on a smile. ¡°Ms. Murphy, the global carwork program has been designed. I want you to have a look but you weren¡¯t here. I just came in a few minutes ago.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna put down her bag and asked casually, ¡°Don¡¯t you know that you cannot enter a superior¡¯s office as you wish? It¡¯s very impolite to do so. Aren¡¯t you aware of that?¡±

    ¡°Erm¡­¡± Liya did not know how to respond. She knew that she was in the wrong and flushed crimson as she lowered her head in embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Murphy. I thought that you were in your office as you normally are around this time. Hence, I did not think too much when I entered.¡±

    ¡°Your exnation sounds usible. However, I would like to ask, don¡¯t you need to knock on the door before you enter? Shouldn¡¯t you leave at once upon realizing that nobody was in the room?¡± Jenna asked sternly. ¡°If you don¡¯t know the rules, I can instruct Mr. Parker to teach you.¡±

    Jenna was about to make a call to Mr. Parker upon finishing her sentence.

    She was getting more suspicious of Liya. Something felt incredibly wrong, although she was not sure what it was. Nevertheless, she was concerned about Liya¡¯s attitude and behavior.

    How could a top schr act so recklessly and enter a superior¡¯s office without permission? It really seemed that she had done it on purpose. There were rules in thepany. If she didn¡¯t reprimand her, incidents like this might happen again in the future.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, no! Please don¡¯t sack me. Working at Richards Group has always been my dream. Now that my father is ill, I really need the money as my family is struggling financially. Please don¡¯t drive me away, I beg you. I¡¯m sorry for disobeying the rules. I will not do it again. Is that alright for you?¡± Out of a sudden, Liya dashed over and pleaded as she stopped her from making the call.

    Jenna was surprised. She just wanted to call Benson and instruct him to exin to her about thepany¡¯s rules and regtions. She didn¡¯t mention anything about driving her away. What was she doing?

    Just as she was in a state of bewilderment, someone coughed and she spun around to see Hansen entering. He still looked furious.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, I beg you, don¡¯t sack me. I will study thepany¡¯s rules and regtions well and I will never defy you again. Please forgive me.¡± Liya pleaded pitifully and held her hand. Her eyes brimmed with tears and anyone would have sympathized with her.

    She had her back to Hansen. There was no way that she would have noticed Hansening in. However, Jenna couldn¡¯t help feeling that she was putting on an act because she knew that Hansen was near.

    For a moment, she was confused. Liya didn¡¯t seem to know Hansen. She had not been in thepany for long and she worked in thework department. Hansen rarely came over. Why was she acting in this manner? If she was putting on an act because Hansen was near, what made her think that Hansen would speak up for her?

    Everyone in thepany was aware of her rtionship with Hansen. Hence, what was the point of her putting on an act?

    Suddenly, she felt a lump in her throat and was feeling very ufortable. However, she could not wrap her head around Liya¡¯s behavior. She heard Hansen asking, ¡°Ms. Murphy, what happened?¡±

    Just as Jenna was about to respond, Liya¡¯s action shocked her.

    As soon as she heard Hansen¡¯s voice, she spun around as though she had found her knight in shining armor. Her eyes shone and she dashed over and grabbed Hansen¡¯s suit timidly. She looked at him with pitiful eyes and begged him. ¡°Hansen, help me. We have lived together for three years. Please ask Ms. Murphy to forgive me. I won¡¯t repeat my mistakes. I really entered by ident and I meant no harm. Hansen, I beg you.¡±

    Liya stared at Hansen with her moist and glistening eyes. She looked pathetic and was obviously in distress.

    She appeared to be in such a pitiful state that any man would be moved at a nce.

    However, Hansen frowned. He nced at her hand which was holding his suit and bellowed, ¡°Let go of me.¡±

    The coldness in his voice made Liya¡¯s face turn pale. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she spoke dejectedly.

    ¡°Hansen, when I was young, Miss Zoey and Norton wanted to bully me, you always helped me and sided with me. Now that we are all grown up, you have already forgotten about me. However, it¡¯s alright. Even if you have forgotten about me, I will always remember your kindness.¡± Liya wiped away her tears and choked with sobs.

    What she said startled Hansen and his mind started racing.

    To think that she knew Zoey and Norton and could even tell him their names. Besides, she mentioned that she had lived in Richards Manor for three years.

    Based on what she said, she should be someone he knew. After all, he grew up in Richards Manor.

    Was she that little girl?

    A woman who was ude¡¯s mistress followed him back to Richards Manor. Vivian did not like her but was forced to let her stay. That little girl was the woman¡¯s daughter. She had always been bullied and reprimanded by the others in the Richards family.

    He widened his eyes in surprise and he looked at her. The more he looked at her, the more he realized that she did look like that little girl.

    ¡°You¡¯re that little girl? What¡¯s your name again? Was it Li¡­¡± Hansen asked in disbelief.

    ¡°Yes, yes, Hansen, you¡¯ve finally remembered me.¡± Liya raised her head and looked at him with moist and glistening eyes. She was filled with delight and a smile appeared on her face. Tear streaks could still be seen on her face.

    Jenna was stunned as she stood near them. She gaped in disbelief and forgot to respond.

    It turned out that Liya was the little girl.

    Hansen understood what happened in an instant and calmed down. He said indifferently, ¡°It happened so long ago when we were kids. I still remember it but I didn¡¯t expect it to be you.¡±

    Upon finishing his sentence, he walked past her and stopped in front of Jenna. With a wide grin, he said gently, ¡°Jenna, for some reason, Liya had stayed in Richards Manor for three years. We were still young back then and I barely remember what happened. However, since she has mentioned it, I do recall something like that. Since I know her, if her mistake isn¡¯t something severe, just forgive her for my sake.¡±

    When he finished speaking, he noticed that Jenna did not respond. She was still in a daze and her face was pale. Heughed and stroked her face as he said gently, ¡°Jenna, wake up. You will beughed at by your employees if they see you in this manner.¡±

    To be honest, he could understand why she was shocked, as he found it hard to believe as well. Logically speaking, Liya had nothing to do with the Richards family. There was no reason for him to help her. However, he still had some memories of his childhood. The little girl was always bullied in Richards Manor. Even the servants belittled her. She was always reprimanded and beaten. Sometimes, she was beaten till she was severely injured. He could not bear to see someone being bullied in that manner and had helped her a few times. However, that was all. He was never interested in her. It was pure nonsense.

    It wasn¡¯t until Hansen¡¯s hand touched her face, which was cold, that Jenna came to her senses. Her mind began to race.

    Liya was a cunning woman!

    Her instinct told her that Liya was sharp and was not what she seemed. Her actions proved it.

    To make matters worse, she hired her. It seemed that she had hired someone with bad intentions.

    After a long silence, Jenna smiled in exasperation. She was at a loss for words and didn¡¯t know how to deal with the situation.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to drive her away. She misunderstood me. I just wanted Mr. Parker to teach her thepany¡¯s rules and regtions, and how to be a good employee.¡± Jenna calmed down and smiled. She said lightly, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to react so emotionally and beg for your help. Doesn¡¯t she seem guilty?¡±

    As she spoke, Jenna sneered and faced Hansen. ¡°As a staff member who had just started working in ourpany not long ago, she entered my office without my permission and peeped at thepany¡¯s confidential documents. Honey, shouldn¡¯t I teach her a lesson?¡±

    She was brimming with confidence as she spoke. She even raised her eyebrows and her expression was cold.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°She did something like that?¡± Hansen¡¯s expression changed when he heard this. He shot Liya an icy, cold stare.

    Liya¡¯s face grew pale and she lowered her head. In a state of panic, she exined, ¡°Hansen, Ms. Murphy, I¡¯m sorry. I did not look at the documents on purpose. I was just curious. I know my mistakes and I will not repeat them in the future. Please forgive me. My family is struggling to make ends meet right now and I don¡¯t wish to lose this job.¡±

    Upon finishing her sentence, she began to sob.

 Chapter 430 I Believe In Him

    A woman burst into tears in front of her husband, attempting to get her husband¡¯s sympathy by acting pathetically. Jenna felt like she might puke in disgust. She felt a lump in her throat and she felt incredibly ufortable.

    She shot her a cold re.

    ¡°Jenna, how about this? You can do whatever you want. We should not allow those who don¡¯t know the rules to remain in thepany. That¡¯s a breach of integrity.¡± After hearing what she said, Hansen understood immediately what happened and spoke his mind.

    Jenna raised her eyebrows and gave him an enigmatic smile as she nced at Liya.

    At this moment, Liya¡¯s face grew dispirited.

    ¡°How about this? You can leave your design over here. I will let you know my thoughts once I have looked through them. You may leave now. Remember to go through thepany¡¯s code of conduct. I hope that you will not repeat your mistakes in the future,¡± Jenna said lightly. All Jenna did was to look at her and smile. She did not hold a grudge against her.

    Was that all? Liya was a little surprised. She thought that Jenna would drive her out of thepany in front of Hansen. After all, she was trying to seduce Mr. Richards a moment ago. However, to her surprise, Jenna did not sack her, nor did she punish her. She let her go even after Hansen said that she could do as she wished.

    For the first time, she felt that Jenna was not as simple as she thought. She did not have a high social status, connections, or a powerful family background but she was able to make Hansen fall in love with her and be his wife. She must be someone very smart, with a high EQ and IQ.

    The thought crossed her mind and she decided to mask the hatred she felt towards her. Instead, she forced a smile and bowed, showing that she was grateful and said, ¡°Thank you, Ms. Murphy, for letting the matter slide. I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±

    ¡°Sure, you may leave,¡± Jenna said indifferently with a smile on her face.

    Jenna watched as she disappeared from sight before she turned around.

    She did not sack her although her mistakes were sufficient for her to do so, as right at the moment, she remembered what Vivian said. She remembered Vivian mentioning that she was filled with guilt for driving the woman and her daughter away.

    It was very likely that Liya was the little girl whom Vivian had mentioned about. Liya was probably the daughter of the woman who followed ude home and was then driven away from Richards Manor.

    After considering what Vivian said, she changed her mind. Besides, there was no need to sack her for a mere trifle like this. It was unnecessary.

    Although the incident had left a bad impression on her, she did not wish to drive her away that easily.

    She had every reason to believe that Liza had ulterior motives foring to work at Richards Group. One of them was to seduce her husband.

    It was better to ce her somewhere under her direct supervision, than to drive her away and allow her to make a move behind her back, so that she can keep an eye on her and observe what she was plotting.

    Both of them had gone through a lot of ups and downs in the past. She did not believe that Hansen would fall in love with a woman like her.

    She found it hard to believe.

    Besides, she wanted to prove that she had not wasted her love and effort on the wrong person.

    ¡°Jenna, are you letting her go just like that?¡± Hansen was surprised that Jenna did not punish her and let the matter slide so easily. Hence, he couldn¡¯t help but to enquire.

    ¡°Of course, you have asked me to let her go for your sake. I should at least respect your decision,¡± Jenna replied with confidence,raising her head as sheughed.

    ¡°No, thanks. I did not ask you to let her stay.¡± Hansen raised his eyebrows and grinned. Ignoring what she said, he stretched out his arms to hug her.

    Jenna acted immediately and dodged it. She raised her head and looked at him proudly.

    ¡°Jenna, are you going to give me a piece of your mind again?¡± Hansen gritted his teeth and demanded. His heart yearned for her but he did not seed in hugging her.

    ¡°What¡¯s the rush? I have something to talk to you about. You¡¯d better be serious.¡± Jenna¡¯s expression was solemn and she tilted her head as she nced at him.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Hansen looked at her in puzzlement.

    Jenna narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. Her gaze was cold. ¡°Tell me the truth. Were you nning on betraying me?¡±

    Hansen was stunned for a moment, and he almost burst intoughter when he saw her expression.

    ¡°My dear wife. I only have eyes for you right now. Nobody else could catch my attention. Why would I betray you? Please talk sense,¡± Hansen cried.

    ¡°So, you won¡¯t betray me even if someone seduces you? Are you sure?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes widened as she asked in a more serious tone.

    ¡°Of course. Besides, who would dare to seduce me? Everyone in the world knows that I have a gorgeous wife. Who in the world would have the guts toe and seduce me? Do they wish to be humiliated? What an unspeakable twaddle!¡± Hansen teased.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    ¡°Hmph, ttery will get you nowhere.¡± Jennaughed but she continued. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯m pretty sure Liya wanted to seduce you. She was quite enthusiastic about it.¡±

    Hansen sighed when he heard what she said. He frowned. ¡°Jenna, you hired Liya. You were the one who said that we should keep her. I did not have a say from the start nor do I know what had happened. Even if I knew her in the past, it was all when we were just kids. I barely remember anything. This doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡±

    ¡°Of course it doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡± Jenna snorted with disdain. ¡°However, even if you are not interested in her, what would you do if she continues to pester you?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s gaze was overbearing as she looked at him. With her arms crossed, she tilted her head and asked, ¡°Tell me, what would you do?¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re being unreasonable.¡± Hansen felt that Jenna was messing with him, and didn¡¯t know whether tough or to cry. He couldn¡¯t help but to express his exasperation. ¡°It¡¯s like you are interviewing me. I¡¯m against it.¡±

    ¡°You will have to bear with it.¡± Jenna¡¯s face fell and she demanded him. ¡°I¡¯m feeling uneasy. Tell me immediately. What would you do if this happens?¡±

    Well, Hansen had no choice but to take it seriously. He pondered for a while and after a long silence, he spoke resolutely.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be fooled. I only have eyes for you and I belong only to you. Nobody will be able to seduce me. Are you happy with my answer?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s voice trailed off and he paused. He seized the opportunity when she was not paying attention to drag her into his arms.

    Jenna was paying attention to his facial expression to see if he was telling the truth. She was caught off guard when he dragged her onto the couch. The scoundrel put his hand up her skirt.

    ¡°Well, if my answer doesn¡¯t satisfy you. I have another method. This will definitely put you at ease.¡± Hansen teased and started kissing her.

    ¡°Oh, stop.¡± Unable to control herself, she cried out. Flustered, she stretched out her hand to grab his ear and she pulled it hard. Hansen grimaced in pain and stopped what he was doing.

    At this moment, Jenna didn¡¯t sympathize with him. She red at him and warned him. ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m warning you. If you dare to betray Jerry and me, I will never forgive you, and I will definitely teach you a lesson.¡±

    Upon saying that, she pinched his ears again.

    Hansen howled in agony and yelled, ¡°Oh, no! Someone wants to murder her husband.¡±

    Jenna pursed her lips andughed.

    Hansen was in pain. He bit her rosy lips in revenge and nibbled on them. However, he understood her heart when he saw her furrowing her brows in pain, and immediately let go of her. Instead, he proceeded to kiss her gently.

    Both of them had forgotten about everything else, and they were locked in an embrace till noon.

    It was not until Jenna remembered the newspaper she saw on the couch that morning that her heart skipped a beat. She recalled the moment that she heard him blowing a fuse in his office a few hours ago. This was not something minor.

    She hurriedly pushed him away and urged him to sit up.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯ve seen today¡¯s newspaper, haven¡¯t you?¡± Her jaws tightened as she asked in a panic.

    Hansen was stunned for a moment before he recalled why he hade to her office. He was there to tell her what happened. In fact, he was in a bad mood before he entered, but somehow, the sight of her cheered him up and he forgot what he wanted to say. He was on cloud nine, just to be with her, that he had almost forgotten about it.

    ¡°The downside of having a stunning wife,¡± he muttered as he sat up.

    Jenna helped him as he out his suit on. Both of them sat facing each other.

    ¡°Hansen, be frank with me. Are you going to support Luqman?¡± Jenna asked in a serious tone.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were crystal clear as he asked with a solemn expression, ¡°What do you think about this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m absolutely against it,¡± Jenna responded immediately.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need a valid reason. ording to the Richards Group¡¯s code of conduct, we can¡¯t be associated with them in any manner. We must treat both the Xanthe family and the Wood family equally. I have already expressed my opinion to Sergio when he enquired that day at the party.¡± Jenna kept her exnation simple, as it was pretty obvious.

    Hansen pondered for a moment before nodding.

    ¡°Why did you go and see Luqman? What¡¯s more, why was it published in the news? Are you foolish?¡± Jenna was on tenterhooks.

    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s what I want? This is obviously a scheme. Someone is plotting something against the Richards Group.¡± Hansen stood up abruptly and his expression was frightening. ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m here to remind you to be careful. Now that the Richards Group has gained power, many are jealous of us and wish to harm us. You must be careful.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Jenna thought of something and it made her uneasy. She nodded her head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about this. I will get to the bottom of the mystery and find out who is behind this and what their motive is. I will find out what they want.¡± Hansen¡¯s expression darkened. He had never felt like this before. Someone was toying with him right under his nose. This was indeed infuriating.

    ¡°Hansen, it is obvious that someone wants us to be involved. They want to see us offending the Xanthe family. Who could it be? How nasty and abominable.¡± Jenna was furious. The person pulling the strings behind the scenes was too ruthless. They were willing to do anything to achieve their goals.

    ¡°Yes, Jenna, we have to be careful for the time being. Don¡¯t worry. You have me. Everything will pass eventually.¡± Hansenforted her as he thought of what Luqman said. They were already involved in the scheme, whether they liked it or not. The thought crossed his mind and he no longer dawdled, and left after reminding Jenna to be careful.

    To be honest, if he was to choose between Yadriel and Luqman, he would prefer Luqman. After all, nobody knew what happened to the chemical factory. Although the conspiracy behind it had been concealed, what was done was definitely against his principles and values. Besides, it definitely had something to do with Yadriel. Hence, for the sake of the country and the people, Luqman would be a better choice.

    However, he was a businessman. He didn¡¯t want to get too involved in political matters. Besides, no matter who won the position, it would only be for a few years. The economy was stable for now. Hence, it didn¡¯t really matter who¡¯d win the position. Nothing much would change in the end. What¡¯s more, it has nothing to do with the Richards Group.

    He needed all the energy to focus on the Richards Group¡¯s future development. He did not have any time to be involved in politics. In his opinion, politics were only for people who were idle and had nothing to do. It was just a useless and boring game.

 Chapter 431 A Suspicious Shadow

    ¡°Alvin, it looks like I need the Grand Eagles back in action.¡± Upon returning to his office, Hansen immediately called for Alvin.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I feel that there is something amiss recently. Everything seems to be fine on the surface, but I have a bad feeling about this.¡± Alvin also felt that something was wrong. He furrowed his brows and expressed his concerns.

    ¡°Yes, I agree with you,¡± Hansen said with a serious expression, nodding his head. ¡°Alvin, bring some men along with you and investigate the matter. Find out who was responsible for snapping the photo when I met Luqman yesterday. We must find out why they published it in the newspapers and what their motives are.¡±

    Alvin nodded. He turned around and left.

    Hansen made a call to the Richards Group¡¯swyer. His gaze turned cold. A City¡¯s media had gone overboard. How dare they publish a photo of him without informing him. It was infuriating.

    The next day, Jenna arrived at thepany early in the morning.

    Hansen workedte the night before. She couldn¡¯t bear to wake him up so early in the morning. Hence, she came over herself.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Thepany had implemented some new protocols. Besides, she was diligent and meticulous, and always tried to supervise everything by herself. This made up for the past ws and they had made considerable progress.

    It was raining cats and dogs. The atmosphere was gloomy, just like the weather.Lightning shed brilliantly and a p of thunder followed.

    Jenna arrived at thepany in the rain. The security guard had just opened the doors and the cleaners were busy cleaning up the corridors.

    She took the VIP elevator to the 88th floor. Naturally, she had not been satisfied with the program designed by thework department recently and was quite worried about it. Hence, to be on the safe side, she asked for three top schrs specializing in software engineering, whom Hansen had previously sent abroad, to further their studies. She was going to meet them in person and request them to take part in the program¡¯s design. After all, they were Hansen¡¯s subordinates and were far more reliable.

    The corridors were pitch ck as the secretaries had not arrived at work yet. It was way too early and the necessary preparations were not done.

    Jenna walked to the window and opened the curtains. A bolt of lightning shed across the sky and struck the awning outside the building. She couldn¡¯t help but to tremble, and she turned around to turn on the lights.

    The bolt of lightning revealed the reflection of a dark figure in the hallway on the window panes. Jenna widened her eyes rmingly.

    The next moment, she heard frantic footsteps in the hallway. Whoever it was, the person was obviously tiptoeing but Jenna could still hear the sound of someone running away.

    Jenna had a bad feeling about this. Without hesitation, she spun around.

    She caught a glimpse of a form darting away from the hallway.

    The intruder was agile and nimble. Within seconds, the figure had disappearedpletely.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Jenna demanded. She quickly chased after the figure.

    The intruder was running towards the stairs. She chased after them, but the person was too fast. Upon arriving downstairs, the intruder was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Security, close the entrance immediately and look for anyone suspicious.¡± She quickly called the head of the security department.

    Within minutes, the entrance of the International Kinsey Center was closed.

    The guards began to search the building, looking for anyone suspicious.

    Jenna stood in the hall on the 88th floor. Her expression was solemn, and she frowned.

    Who in the world dared to break into the President¡¯s and Vice President¡¯s office? What was the intruder¡¯s motive?

    The thought crossed her mind and she dashed into her office in a hurry.

    The door of her office was open.

    She pushed it open. Surprisingly, everything was still neat and tidy. There was no sign of anyone rummaging for something.

    She remembered that she had closed the door the night before. It seemed that the intruder had entered her office. What about Hansen¡¯s?

    She immediately ran towards Hansen¡¯s office.

    However, the door of his office was shut tightly. There were no signs of anyone entering.

    It looked like the intruder was after her.

    Jenna recalled the eerie events that had happened to her in the past few days as well as Liya¡¯s strange behavior the day before. Her heart pounded rapidly.

    At this moment, her phone rang and she answered it. Hansen¡¯s voice rang. ¡°Jenna, what happened?¡±

    Hansen had just arrived at the International Kinsey Center. To his surprise, he saw the employees standing in front of the building. The rain was still pouring but the entrance door was locked by the guards and nobody was allowed to enter.

    Puzzled by this, he enquired one of the security guards and learnt that the entrance had been closed under Jenna¡¯s instructions.

    Hansen was shocked. Did something happen?

    Jenna arrived at thepany before him. Could it be that something had happened to her? Worried, he dialed her number.

    ¡°Hansen,e up quickly.¡± Jenna felt much more at ease when she heard Hansen¡¯s voice. She urged him toe upstairs immediately.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Hansen heaved a sigh of relief when she answered the call. However, he was still filled with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Jenna shook her head.

    After a while, Hansen arrived at her side.

    ¡°Hansen, I saw a dark figure slip into my office when I walked into the corridor this morning. Before I could see who it was, the person had already run away using the stairs. Hence, I gathered the guards to search for the intruder.¡± Upon seeing Hansen, Jenna finally calmed down. However, her expression was solemn as she told him what happened.

    ¡°An intruder barged into your office?¡± Hansen was shocked. His gaze turned ice-cold. This was indeed astonishing. It was the first time anything like had this happened in the Richards Group. An intruder was found on the 88th floor which belonged specifically to the President and the Vice President.

    He patted her on the back to calm her down.

    He dialed Alvin¡¯s number immediately.

    Alvin was instructed to check on the progress with the security guards. He came over upon receiving the call.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Ms. Murphy, the security guards had searched the entire building, including the corridors, stairways, toilets, and meeting rooms. However, there was no one suspicious.¡± Alvin reported upon entering.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible. I saw it with my own eyes. It happened right in this hallway. The person was fast and agile. I did not manage to see if it was a man or a woman. I didn¡¯t even have time to turn on the lights,¡± Jenna retorted upon hearing what he said. She was telling the truth. She had really seen someone. It did happen but why was there no trace of the intruder? Why?

    She could neither wrap her head around the incident nor did she think that it was just a hallucination. It was the same as before. She did feel someone lurking in the corridors but upon turning around, there was nobody in sight.

    Could it be that she had imagined all of it?

    No, it was impossible.

    Hansen knitted his brows in concentration. His expression was solemn. He couldn¡¯t help recalling what Luqman said. Was Richards Group already on someone¡¯s hit list?

    ¡°But, Ms. Murphy, I have checked everything. Aside from the cleaners and our employees, there was no one suspicious,¡± Alvin said confidently.

    ¡°Are you sure you weren¡¯t imagining it?¡± Hansen turned around to look at Jenna as he asked with concern. ¡°Could it be a hallucination as you have been pretty tired at worktely and the corridors were pitch-ck?¡±

    Hallucination? No way.

    Jenna immediately shook her head.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, is there anything missing from your office? Did anything seem unusual?¡± After all, Alvin had a lot of experience in situations like this and enquired immediately.

    ¡°Well, nothing seems to be missing.¡± Jenna shook her head, looking dejected.

    ¡°Alvin, open the doors and instruct everyone to get back to work. Keep this a secret and don¡¯t tell anyone about it.¡± Hansen instructed after pondering for a moment.

    Alvin promised to keep it a secret and left.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t you believe me?¡± Jenna nced at him after Alvin left.

    Hansen drew closer and noticed that blood had drained from her face. He helped her to a chair and said gently, ¡°I might have my doubts if it was someone else, but I will believe you, no matter what.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna¡¯s face lit up.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Hansen wrapped his arms around her shoulders and said affectionately, ¡°Please, you are my wife and you are Jerry¡¯s mother. You are the person I trust the most in this world. If I don¡¯t even believe you, who else could I trust?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for believing me.¡± Jenna smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

    ¡°However, we need evidence if we are to do anything. I will make a mental note of this incident but we better keep it a secret for the time being before we know who we are facing. I¡¯ll let Alvin and his men inspect your officeter. If the person really has any ulterior motives, they would definitely leave a trace. Believe me,¡± Hansen said softly as he held her hand.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna nodded. She recalled what happened on the night when she stood by theke and was about to tell him about the incident when his phone rang.

    ¡°Alvin, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Jenna couldn¡¯t hear what Alvin said but she heard Hansen¡¯s response. ¡°Record the names of everyone present at that time including the employees and hand the list to meter. Besides, get two men from the Grand Eagles toe over to Ms. Murphy¡¯s office and inspect it. Remember, do not let anyone know about this.¡± Hansen paused for a while as he put down his phone, and said to Jenna, ¡°Jenna, I have something urgent to attend to. I¡¯ll be going out for a while. Two men wille overter on to inspect your office. Have a good rest in the meantime and don¡¯t stress yourself thinking about it. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here. Everything will get better.¡±

    Seeing that he was very busy, Jenna nodded her head. She decided to tell him what happened some other time.

    Soon, Alvin came over with two men. They inspected the office. After a while, they looked at one another and walked out of the office.

    Jenna wanted to stop Alvin and ask him what they found but Alvin was in a rush. He only turned around and smiled politely at her.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we really did find this thing.¡± Alvin entered Hansen¡¯s office and handed him a pinhole camera.

    Hansen held the pinhole camera. His expression darkened and it was scary.

    Luqman was right. Someone was targeting the Richards Group. They had already made a move.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell Ms. Murphy about this for the time being. She will be worried. From now onwards, you are in charge of the Richards¡¯ Group security. Something might ur to the Richards Group in the near future. No matter who it is and what they want, we cannot let anything happen to the Richards Group. We have to protect it, no matter what.¡± Hansen¡¯s expression was solemn and his gaze was cold.

    Alvin¡¯s instincts told him that the matter was serious and he nodded his head.

 Chapter 433 Did They Really Meet By Chance?

    The hall of the Sky Blue Restaurant wasvishly designed. Love and lust filled the air.

    Hansen put on an air of indifference as he entered the restaurant. His gaze was ice-cold.

    Someone asked to meet him at the restaurant. Whoever it was, the person was being pretty mysterious.

    At first, he was reluctant toe. However, many bizarre events had urred in the past few days and he felt kind of lost and unsure about what to do. Something was definitely amiss. He felt as if he was losing control of what was going to happen soon. Naturally, he loathed this feeling, as he was used to being in control and things had always turned out his way.

    Anyone could discern that the Sky Blue Restaurant was a ce for lovers when they go on dates.

    However, someone requested to meet him over here.

    If he was not mistaken, the other party must be a woman.

    What kind of woman was she? He wondered where she got the guts to n a date with him. On top of that, he wanted to know her true motive.

    He passed through a dimly lit corridor and arrived in the VIP room. The scent of perfume wafted towards him.

    The VIP room at the restaurant cost a fortune. The customer would be required to spend at least fifty thousand dors. Naturally, it was simply regarded as loose change for Hansen. The Sky Blue Restaurant was notorious in A City for being a ce full of love and lust. However, who was the other party? Why did the person choose to meet him over here out of all ces?

    He stood at the door. Looking through the translucent ss, he could deduce that the room was dimly lit. The warm, earthy colors seemed to be inviting him to enter the room. A heavenly scent filled the air.

    Hansen sniggered and a look of disdain was carved on his face.

    He reached out his hand to turn the brass doorknob. As the door clicked open, the smell of perfume greeted him.

    The aroma of the fragrance engulfed him and he furrowed his brows in disgust.

    The room reeked of an exotic and overpowering perfume. He loathed it. Apart from Jenna¡¯s scent, he could not tolerate anything else. The strong scent of perfume almost made him puke.

    At that moment, he steadied himself and walked into the room.

    He stood in the room and his gaze fleeted across each corner of the room. There was nobody in sight. He knitted his brows as he pondered over the matter.

    Was someone toying with him?

    He couldn¡¯t help but to clench his fist as burning anger spread through his body.

    ¡°Is anyone here?¡± He demanded in a low, deep voice.

    Complete silence greeted him. The room was still as dimly lit as before.

    Could it be that he had gone to the wrong ce?

    He took out his cell phone and checked the message. ording to the message, he was at the right ce.

    He stood there for a while and pondered the matter. After a while, he spun around and left the room.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    He walked straight out of the Sky Blue Restaurant. Yet, nobody stopped to talk to him. Surely enough, someone was toying with him.

    Rage coursed through his veins. Bizarre events were unfolding. It was getting weirder each day.

    ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you Mr. Richards?¡± Just as he was about to turn around and leave for good, a seductive, beautiful voice purred. The voice was pleasing to the ears. It was soft and sweet.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Hansen quickly looked in the direction of the voice.

    A woman with exquisite makeup, wavy hair, and dressed in a luxurious gown was approaching him. She was smiling pleasantly and she looked elegant and friendly.

    ¡°Are you Zoe? Miss Yates?¡± Hansen¡¯s gaze fell upon her. He masked the surprise in his eyes and smiled.

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Zoe giggled and drew closer.

    Hansen pondered for a while. He put on a mysterious smile and assumed an air of indifference. ¡°What a coincidence to meet you here. You surprised me.¡±

    Zoe¡¯s eyes twinkled. There was a faint, alluring smile on her face. She had an elegant demeanor. As she approached him, she extended her hand. ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s my honor to meet you over here. Why don¡¯t we have a drink together?¡±

    Hansen narrowed his eyes. Zoe¡¯s family was not on the same social ranking as the Richards family. However, she had seeded in founding the Sky Sword Group without anyone¡¯s help. To be frank, it was indeed remarkable.

    Her online shopping system was gaining poprity in the current market. In fact, it was starting to rece the need for a physical shop. Her business could definitely be considered a sess.

    Although herpany was still no match for the Richards Group, it would eventually gain more power in the future. Herpany was not to be underestimated.

    However, they were not close personally. He did not wish to have a drink with her.

    ¡°Miss Yates, I¡¯ll pass. Besides, it won¡¯t look good for us if we were caught drinking today in such a ce. To avoid any misunderstandings, especially with Mr. Jones, what about I invite him as well and we can have a drink together in the future? What do you think?¡± He smiled and tactfully rejected her offer.

    Zoe masked her displeasure at being rejected. She was simmering with anger.

    Oscar! The plump and vulgar man. To think that she would be associated with an a*shole like him. What a disgrace! It made her want to puke in disgust. However, she could only endure the humiliation before the issue was settled.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you must be thinking about your wife. That¡¯s why you¡¯re rejecting me. Tsk, tsk, you are such a loyal husband. Mrs. Richards is so blessed to have met you.¡± Zoe masked her irritation andughed as sheplimented him.

    Hansen gave her an enigmatic smile.

    At this moment, there was nobody else in sight. There didn¡¯t seem to be anyone who wished to meet him. It looked like he had been fooled.

    However, he was starting to doubt his encounter with Zoe. Was it really a coincidence?

    She seemed pretty calm and at ease. There didn¡¯t seem to be anything suspicious about her.

    Once he had confirmed that he had been tricked, Hansen no longer had the mood to continue their conversation.

    Just as he was about to leave, Zoe said in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Richards, since we have met, I have something to tell you. Would you be interested?¡±

    Hansen froze in his steps.

    He nced at her. She was beaming with energy. There was a gleam in her eyes and she was grinning, inviting him to ept her offer.

    Somehow, it made his hairs stand on end. Something felt eerie.

    ¡°What do you want to say? I¡¯m all ears.¡± Hansen raised his eyebrows and turned around, smiling as he responded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk over there,¡± Zoe said with a smile after surveying their surroundings. Slowly, she walked towards a tree.

    Hansen narrowed his eyes. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he followed suit.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we have known each other ever since we were kids. Hence, I would like to remind you to be careful, no matter what you do.¡± Zoe stood under the tree as she nced up at him.

    Hansen¡¯s tall and slender figure was facing her. Their shadows seemed to be intertwined.

    Under the moonlight, the man in front of her was so handsome that her heart melted. Zoe¡¯s heart raced as she nced at him. She masked the trace of disappointment that shed across her face as she clenched her fists. She thought of Oscar and his plump figure and all she felt was utter disgust.

    They were so different. One was so handsome while the other was downright disgusting. It would be a shame if anything happened to the man in front of her.

    She didn¡¯t expect that Jenna would be so blessed as to meet such an outstanding man in her life and make him fall in love with her.

    She cast a frigid smile.

 Chapter 434 Malevolence And Murder

    ¡°Miss Yates, what do you mean?¡± What she said was exactly what he had been worrying about for the past few days. rmed, he couldn¡¯t help but to press further for details.

    ¡°s, Mr. Richards, you are smart and sharp. Don¡¯t tell me that you have no idea what I¡¯m talking about.¡± Zoe shed him a smile, which sent a chill down his spine.

    ¡°Where did you get this information from?¡± Hansen frowned and asked with a deeper voice.

    A slow smile worked its way across her face and into her eyes. ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s up to you whether you want to believe me or not. I have done my part. There must be a reason why I¡¯m aware of this. Mr. Richards, it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t probe any further.

    Once she was done, her gaze fleeted across his face and a wry smile briefly touched her lips. She gave him a meaningful look and was about to leave.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯ll take my leave for now.¡± Herlips held a faint smile and her eyes twinkled. She spun around, ready to leave.

    ¡°Miss Yates, wait a moment.¡± Hansen recovered from the shock and called out to her.

    ¡°Miss Yates, could you please tell me the identity of the person who wishes to harm me?¡± His expression was grave and he studied herwith sharp scrutiny.

    To his annoyance, Zoe nced at him with a mischievous smile, looking very dazzling and captivating.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Richards. I¡¯m afraid I have to keep it a secret.¡± She shed him a quick smile and left.

    Hansen remained rooted to the spot. The scent of her perfume enveloped him. It was an exquisite scent, yet something seemed fishy. His brows knitted in a frown.

    Did someone wish to harm him?

    Who?

    Could he believe her?

    Who was he? He was the Young Master of the Richards Family. Would he be afraid of something as silly as this?

    There was a fierce determination in his eyes and a sneer spread across his face. There was no way he was going to believe something told by a random woman.

    He took a step forward and headed towards the underground parking lot.

    He did not notice Zoe who was standing silently in the shadows. A dark figure approached her.

    ¡°How was it? Did you get his fingerprints?¡± Zoe asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Miss Yates, I have retrieved it from the doorknob,¡± Octavia replied softly.

    ¡°Good job.¡± Zoe chuckled. ¡°Have you retrieved Jenna¡¯s fingerprints as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course, Liya has already given it to me,¡± Octavia answered in a soft voice.

    ¡°Wonderful.¡± She looked up. Arge grin split across her face. There was a gleam in her eyes and her smile was smug.

    Destiny did not bring her happiness or love. Her father died a miserable death. She must get her revenge, no matter what.

    Hansen was in a hurry as he walked towards his car. He couldn¡¯t help thinking about Jenna. The thought of her made his face light up with joy.

    It was gettingte. He should give her a call. He recalled the night when she waited patiently for his return under the lemon tree and his heart was filled with warmth. Without further ado, he took out his phone and called her.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you?¡± Jenna¡¯s soft and sweet voice rang. His gazesoftened and a smile touched the corners of his mouth when he heard her voice.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡­¡± Before he could speak, a ring light blinded him and he caught a glimpse of a SUVing at him at full speed. There was no license number on the vehicle.

    Sh*t. Hansen¡¯s blood ran cold but he came to his senses quickly and put away his phone. He had once trained among the special forces. In the nick of time, he acted swiftly and jumped onto a car parked by the side andnded on the hood. The SUV roared past and pulled away. It was a near miss!

    ¡°Darn it! Stop!¡± Hansen bellowed in fury. How dare someone try to hit him! It was ridiculous! He broke out in a cold sweat as fear gripped his heart.

    If he had reacted one secondter, he would have already been dead, in a pool of blood.

    He no longer cared about his safety and chased after the SUV after jumping down from the car.

    However, once he had run out of the parking lot, the SUV was no longer in sight.

    ¡°D*mn it.¡± Anger welled up in his chest as he stood there, clenching his fists.

    Zoe had just warned him to be cautious. Whoever it was, the other party had already made their move.

    Great. It Looked like it was time for a battle of wits.

    Wait, it had started long ago.

    ¡°Hey, Hansen¡­ Hansen, what happened?¡± Jenna was talking to Hansen just a moment ago on the phone. She had barely finished her sentence when she heard the sound of a car roaring past. She then heard Hansen roaring in fury and fear gripped at her throat.

    What was wrong? What happened to him?

    Cold fear spiraled through her mind when he did not answer her, even though she cried out his name.

    She couldn¡¯t help thinking about the bizarre events that had urred in the past few days and her heart pounded rapidly.

    She had no choice but to end the call. She then dialed his number again and he answered the call immediately. ¡°Jenna¡­¡± His gentle voice rang. He seemed to be pretty calm.

    Before he could finish his sentence, Jenna interrupted him and demanded, ¡°Hansen, what happened just now?¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Hansen replied as he assumed an air of nonchnce.

    ¡°But, I¡­¡± What he said failed to calm her down. She was sure that she had heard a car roaming past a moment ago. She was about to ask further when Hansen said, ¡°Jenna, I will be home soon. Get ready for dinner. I¡¯m anticipating the meal you have prepared for me.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you,¡± she answered gingerly. Still feeling uneasy, she ended the call.

    She walked out of the living room and came to the garden as she waited absent-mindedly for Hansen to return. Anxious, she paced back and forth until she heard the sound of an approaching car. She raised her head.

    Hansen¡¯s slender figure appeared before her.

    Jenna heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± She walked forward and examined him from head to toe, looking very anxious.

    Hansen nced at her. For a moment, he forgot where he was. He had almost died just a few minutes ago. He was grateful beyond belief to be able to stand there before her as she looked at him anxiously. It was a blessing to be able to see her worrying about him.

    Fear clutched at his heart with cold fingers. If he wasn¡¯t able to dodge the car just a few minutes ago, what would be the oue?

    He didn¡¯t dare to even think about it.

    He dashed towards her and locked her in an embrace as he buried his head in her hair without uttering a single word.

    Jenna finally calmed down when he hugged her. Her heart fluttered and it went out to him.

    She returned his affection and hugged him tightly as she stroked his back gently.

    ¡°Hansen, tell me, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Her voice was soft and warm. There was a hint of concern in her tone.

    Hansen closed his eyes and breathed in her scent. She was the best thing in his life. He was so afraid of losing her. Back then, when the car dashed towards him, thoughts of her and Jerry raced in his mind. If he died, what would happen to them? He couldn¡¯t help wondering.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, honey, I just miss you.¡± After a long silence, he raised his head and caressed her silky hair as he spoke affectionately.

    ¡°Are you really okay?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief.

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Hansen smiled and nodded. He held her hand and said gently, ¡°Honey, let¡¯s go. I¡¯m ravenous.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna felt that something was amiss but Hansen seemed to be alright. He was not willing to spill the beans. Hence, Jenna did not probe further and followed him inside. They arrived at the door.

    Then, both of them spoke at the same time.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± ¡°Jenna.¡±

    Both of them were stunned for a moment, and then they chuckled.

    ¡°What do you want to say?¡± They asked simultaneously.

    It was soical that they burst outughing.

    What perfect timing!

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Jenna stoppedughing and said quickly.

    Hansen looked at her. After a while, he shook his head. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s talk about itter.¡±

    He then held her hand and was about to lead her into the living room.

    ¡°What do you mean? My curiosity had been piqued.¡± Jenna was indignant. How dare he leave the conversation hanging. It made her very ufortable. She had lots of questions for him about what happened back there. Hence, she stood there and refused to budge.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Hansen was exasperated. He thought for a while before he pulled her into his arms and said softly, ¡°My silly girl, don¡¯t wait outside for me in the future. Spend more time with Jerry. How can I be at ease if you wait for me every time?¡±

    His voice faltered and he sighed as he stared nkly ahead. ¡°If you go on behaving in this manner, how can I be at ease if anything happens to me in the future. How will you live on?¡±

    He was actually just being emotional and trying to advise her. It was meant to be words offort but Jenna interpreted it differently. What he said made her blood run cold.

    Her face grew pale. She pushed him away and stared at him.

    ¡°Hansen, what do you mean by this?¡±

    She was on tenterhooks and her hairs stood on end.

    How could he say something like that? He might not mean it but it still sent a chill down her spine. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she began sobbing.

    Hansen was shocked. To be exact, Jenna¡¯s expression made his heart ache. He regretted saying that and stretched out his arms to hug her, attempting to give her some form offort. However, Jenna pushed him away and broke free from the embrace. She steadied herself and bellowed.

    ¡°Hansen, I won¡¯t allow you to say such words. Don¡¯t even think about it. I want you to stay by my side forever and pamper me with your love. I want you to bear all the responsibilities, so that my only job will be to raise the kids and I no longer have to worry about anything. Tell me, do you want to leave the burden of handling the family¡¯s business to me? Don¡¯t even think about it. I¡¯m incapable of that. So, please, protect yourself. In short, I don¡¯t wish to hear anything like that in the future. Don¡¯t you dare say that again. You are a man. You must be responsible for me as well as Jerry. It¡¯s your duty to ensure that we live happily forever. Did you hear what I¡¯ve said? I won¡¯t allow what you¡¯ve said to happen.¡±

    She cried as tears streamed down her cheeks. She was almost choked with sobs.

    Hansen stared at her. His heart ached terribly and he was suddenly filled with agony.

    Seeing her cry filled him with anguish. His heart went out to her.

    He was filled with regret for saying what he did.

    He hugged her tightly and stroked her back gently in an attempt tofort her. In a gentle voice, he reassured her that he was just kidding.

    For the first time in his life, he felt that his life was filled with responsibilities and it was indeed significant. Jenna and Jerry had be part of his life.

    He must live an exciting and wonderful life.

    His expression darkened when he thought of the SUV that attempted to hit him that night.

    Who was it that wanted him dead?

    Who asked him to go to the Sky Blue Restaurant that night?

 Chapter 435 A Disaster

    ¡°Jenna,¡± he murmured. ¡°I was just kidding. Don¡¯t worry, you and Jerry are very important to me. No matter what happens, I will be by your side. I will ensure that both of you live a happy andfortable life. Trust me.¡± He held her tightly.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna broke into a smile and hugged him tightly.

    ¡°What about you? What did you want to tell me?¡± He locked her in an embrace and whispered into her ears.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Looking abashed, Jenna smiled and said, ¡°To be frank, it¡¯s exactly what I¡¯ve said just now. Richards Group is such a sessful business. You must protect it well. Don¡¯t you think about handing it over to me. I won¡¯t allow it.¡±

    ¡°Is that all you want to say? It looks like you can read my mind. You do understand me well.¡± Hansen grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I promise you. You must promise me as well to be strong in the future no matter what happens. Is that okay for you?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Jenna agreed instantly. As long as he was by her side, she would be strong, no matter what happened. She was sure of this.

    ¡°That¡¯s great. Let¡¯s have dinner, honey.¡± Hansen held her hand and they walked into the dining hall.

    ¡°Have some mushroom soup. The rest are almost done.¡± Jenna filled his bowl with his favorite mushroom soup and said gently, ¡°Come home earlier in the future. It¡¯s not good for your digestive system to have dinner sote.¡±

    ¡°Yes, honey.¡± Hansen gulped down the mushroom soup and agreed. However, Jenna knew that he was not being serious. He was mostly busy at work. There was no way he could return early to have dinner. She sighed. To achieve glory, there will always be sacrifices. In order to seed, a person must bear the responsibilities.

    To everyone¡¯s dismay, a disaster urred.

    Nobody had foreseen it.

    Jenna was carefully reviewing the documents submitted by the respective departments in her office. Judging from the records, thepany was developing well and it met her expectations.

    When it was almost ten o¡¯clock, she stood up, poured a ss of water for herself and slowly paced back and forth in the room.

    Hansen had gone out to meet a potential client this morning. The other party was a shareholder of a bigpany. Hence, he had left early.

    Ever since Jenna came to work, she was in charge of thepany¡¯s internal affairs. This really saved Hansen a lot of trouble.

    After gulping down a few sses of water, Jenna looked out of the window as she absorbed the scenery.

    Two years ago, she returned, intending to get revenge on Richards Group. However, things had changed. She was now Hansen¡¯s wife and they were madly in love. It truly surprised her how things turned out.

    Back then, she loathed Hansen. Now, she could not take her mind off him. She was always concerned about his well-being, and her heart ached whenever he was exhausted or ravenous. It was peculiar indeed.

    She learnt that even if a couple got into a misunderstanding the day before, it could always be resolved by the next day. This was true love and there was no logic behind it.

    Thinking of Hansen put a smile on her face and she shook her head.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, I have some bad news.¡± Yuri dashed into the office. Jenna had never seen her in such a state of panic.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Calm down.¡± Jenna¡¯s heart sank. She frowned and asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, a group of people have gathered at the front desk and they demanded to see Hansen,¡± Yuri said in a panic. ¡°They took out their identity cards and showed the security guards when they enquired about their identities. It scared the wits out of the guards.¡±

    What?

    Jenna¡¯s heart raced and she had a bad feeling about this. She asked right away, ¡°Who are they?¡±

    Just as Yuri was about to reply, the sound of hurried footsteps approached them. A cold and overbearing voice rang. ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Richards? Ask him to see us.¡±

    Yuri panicked when she heard what they said. Flustered, she cried, ¡°This is bad. Ms. Murphy, it¡¯s them. They are here.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not jump to conclusions. Go and greet them. I¡¯ll be there in a second.¡± Jenna forced herself to calm down as she instructed Yuri.

    Yuri nodded and left the office right away.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. Mr. Richards has gone out for a business meeting this morning and is currently not in his office. May I know why you wish to meet him?¡± Yuri came out of the office and asked politely.

    ¡°Who else can we talk to? Ask him or her to see us immediately.¡± Someone interrupted and his demeanour was cold and overbearing, as if he was issuing amand.

    ¡°Oh, okay, sure, please wait a moment. I¡¯ll go and enquire about this.¡± Yuri¡¯s voice trembled as she forced a smile.

    Jenna stood by the door and heard every word of the conversation.

    After pondering for a while, she checked her attire in the mirror before she strode out of her office.

    A few men, dressed casually with piercings stares, were standing at the front desk. Their expressions were solemn.

    Standing in the middle was a tall and handsome man. It was Sergio. Jenna recognized him at once.

    It was Sergio, the head of Capital City¡¯s security force. Why did he bring his men over to Richards Group?

    The thought crossed her mind and fear clutched at her throat.

    ¡°Sergio, it¡¯s you. Wee. It¡¯s my pleasure to see you.¡± She steadied herself and approached them. She then greeted them politely. ¡°What a group of VIPs! Come in and have a seat.¡±

    Sergio raised his head and saw Jenna. It was as he expected. She was in the office.

    She was dressed in professional attire, looking very stunning and professional. He couldn¡¯t help but to stare at her as a faint smile touched the corners of his mouth.

    He nced towards her direction but he did not say anything. He then led his men to her office.

    ¡°Yuri, please fetch some tea.¡± Sergio¡¯s expression was far more solemnpared to thest time he came over. Jenna knew immediately that something was amiss and she quickly ordered Yuri to get some tea ready.

    Seeing that Jenna knew the leader of the group, Yuri heaved a sigh of relief and agreed immediately.

    ¡°Sergio, there¡¯s nothing fancy about the office. Please bear with it and have a seat,¡± Jenna said politely and invited them to sit on the couch.

    Yuri quickly served them some tea.

    Jenna examined the visitors as she took a sip of the tea. There were three of them. Aside from Sergio, there were two other middle-aged men. Although they were dressed casually in T-shirts and jeans, the aura of being inmand surrounded them. They looked dignified and formidable.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Sergio. Hansen has something to do this morning and is currently not in his office. We didn¡¯t know that you wereing. Hence, we did not prepare anything.¡± Jenna could not figure out why they came. Therefore, she was being very cautious.

    Sergio sat calmly and his piercing gaze fleeted across the room. However, there was a hint of concern when his gaze fell upon Jenna¡¯s face, especially when he noticed that she was anxious.

    She must have guessed that something was wrong. Although she had put on a brave front, he could still see that she was confused and anxious. He sighed. She should have led afortable life, spending time at home with her child. Now, it seemed that she had to bear the agony of losing everything again.

    ¡°Sergio, are you here to see Hansen?¡± She was feeling very uneasy but still kept her voice steady.

    Sergio took a sip of the tea and cleared his throat as he tried his best to break the news as gently as he could. ¡°Jenna, we have known each other for a long time. Let me be frank. Yourpany has been suspected to be involved in leaking out the nation¡¯s top secrets and we have found evidence to prove that this is true. Since this has involved the nation¡¯s top secrets, it is a matter of high importance. From today onwards, my team and I will intervene in thepany¡¯s affairs and investigate this matter until we get to the bottom of the mystery.¡±

    As soon as Sergio finished his sentence, Jenna almost passed out from the shock. She was so flustered that she could barely breathe and almost fainted.

    They were suspected of leaking the nation¡¯s top secrets.

    It was a heavy offence. They were a multinationalpany. The charge woulde as a blow to thepany¡¯s development. It could ruin thepany forever without any hope of regaining its reputation in the future.

    Anypany charged with this offence was as good as done for.

    This offence would cost them everything. Someone really wanted to destroy the Richards Group.

    How was it possible?

    ¡°No way. It¡¯s impossible.¡± Jenna took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She said confidently with a solemn expression, ¡°Sergio, there must be a mistake. We have always abided by thew and we had never done anything that went against our principles and integrity. We were never involved in the ck market, let alone leaking out the nation¡¯s top secrets. What absolute nonsense. I can guarantee that this is a false usation. Please return and investigate the matter again. You must understand how serious this is and this charge should not be meted out to apany so frivolously.¡±

    Her eyes were bright and as clear as day. She was very confident about it.

    Sergio looked at her and sighed. Exasperated, he said, ¡°Jenna, I don¡¯t believe it as well. However, we do not have a choice. This is the fact. We have already taken measures to prove your innocence, which is why Capital City has set up this investigation team to probe the matter further, so that we can get to the bottom of the mystery as soon as possible to avoid any unnecessary losses. Richards Group is a bigpany. Everyone knows that. However, this is a matter of importance. I hope that you guys can understand that it ain¡¯t easy for us as well.¡±

    It was a reasonable exnation but Jenna still could not believe her ears. She found it impossible to believe.

    ¡°There¡¯s really no need to investigate the matter. I can guarantee that the Richards Group has never done anything that will harm the nation or its people. You don¡¯t need to be worried about this.¡±

    She was probably out of her mind. She stood up abruptly and spoke with confidence. However, in reality, she knew that the offence was not charged recklessly and she couldn¡¯t prove their innocence with just a few sentences. If that was the case, many people would not have failed to prove their innocence in the past. It looked like the Richards Group was ruined for good this time around.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, we are all adults. Please don¡¯t be so childish. Even if you have every reason to prove your innocence and we trust you from the bottom of our hearts, this involves the nation. Evidence is everything. We did note here on our own ord. Since we are here, there must have been some form of evidence. Please think carefully and cooperate with us.¡± Another man warned. His tone was serious.

    Devastated, Jenna felt light-headed and copsed onto the couch.

 Chapter 436 A Heavy Blow

    ¡°Jenna, calm down.¡± Seeing that her face had turned pale, Sergio¡¯s heart ached for her and he couldn¡¯t bear to see her in anguish anymore. Hence, he attempted tofort her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will do our best to get to the bottom of the mystery. To be honest, I don¡¯t believe that the Richards Group will do something like this as well. However, since we have the evidence, we must carry out an investigation. This is a serious offence. Please inform Hansen to return immediately.¡±

    It was a disaster. Bizarre events had urred in the past few days but she did not expect that it would lead to this. She closed her eyes in despair.

    It did not ur by chance. Someone had been plotting this for a long time. Their goal was to ruin the Richards Grouppletely.

    The Richards Group had many connections. For the time being, no one could sever those connections. However, with this offence, the Richards Group was as good as dead.

    As long as it was an offence that affects politics and the country¡¯s profits, apany would be ruined instantly regardless of its power and connections.

    Who could have been so ruthless to havee up with a scheme like this? Jenna broke out in a cold sweat.

    As the vice president of the Richards Group, she had always worked hard for thepany¡¯s economic growth. She would never believe that Hansen or any of the employees in thepany would be so foolish as to be involved in such a matter. It was impossible.

    However, the impossible had urred. What could she do?

    Quivering, she dialed Hansen¡¯s number. Hansen answered immediately and his warm and gentle voice rang.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    His voice was deep, gentle, and filled with confidence. Her stomach was in knots as she debated whether she should tell him the news.

    How could someone so proud and haughty like him take such a blow?

    Tears were about to stream down her cheeks but she blinked them away. She kept her voice steady as she said gently, ¡°Hansen, something happened in thepany. Can you return as soon as possible?¡±

    Hansen replied immediately, ¡°Alright, honey. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you,¡± Jenna said gently as she forced a smile.

    She knew that Hansen was driving. He wasn¡¯t used to being driven around by a chauffeur. Besides, the Hummer was his prized possession and he won¡¯t let anyone touch it.

    She feared that he would lose his cool upon receiving the news and start driving recklessly. After all, she had once seen him went go of his mind and ignore his safetypletely when he drove. It almost scared her out of her wits.

    She wasn¡¯t by his side at the moment. Hence, she did not wish to reveal the news to him out of fear that he would go nuts. She put on a brave front and pretended as if nothing had happened.

    However, she knew without a doubt that he would return immediately. Whenever he left thepany to meet potential clients, she seldom asked him toe back midway. Now that she had requested for him to return, he would definitely make his way back right away.

    While waiting for his arrival, Jenna remained in a daze as she sat on the couch. She stared nkly ahead, cracking her head as she wondered how in the world something like this could happen. Most of the cars designed by the Richards Group were approved by her. How could it possibly be associated with the disclosure of the nation¡¯s top secrets?

    How could such a thing happen? It wasunnerving!

    Hansen hurried back to thepany.

    As soon as she caught a glimpse of his slender figure approaching the office, Jenna felt a lump in her throat.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± As soon as he stepped into the office, he noticed that blood had drained from Jenna¡¯s face and it made his heart ache terribly. Looking around, he saw the men sitting on the couch and his heart sank. He could sense the overbearing aura that they emitted but he did not lose his cool. With a calm expression, he entered. He put on a smile as he sat down beside Jenna and greeted Sergio politely.

    At first, the two other men sitting on the couch were being pretty arrogant until Hansen strode into the office and sat down on the couch. They could sense themanding aura around him. He was not someone to be underestimated.

    They were overwhelmed by thepelling aura around him. It was apparent that he had been born into a noble family just by looking at him. He was calm, cool and exuded a powerful aura, and they were forced to look at him.

    ¡°Hansen, I didn¡¯t expect that we would meet in such a predicament.¡± Sergio raised his eyebrows as his mouth twisted into a wry smile. He looked haughtily at Hansen, regarding him as an inferior opponent.

    Judging from the atmosphere in the office as well as Sergio¡¯s hostile attitude, Hansen sensed that something was amiss. He couldn¡¯t help but to narrow his eyes.

    These people wouldn¡¯t appear at their doorsteps without a valid reason.

    They hade to the Richards Group with a purpose. Hansen wasn¡¯t going to regard them lightly.

    He reached out his hand to hold Jenna¡¯s hand and gave her a nod to calm her down. He was asking her to trust him.

    Jenna must have been scared out of her wits. Her face was pale and it made his heart feel worried about her.

    As a member of Richards Group, he knew that they had always abided by thew and had never gone against their principles. Hence, he was not afraid. He sighed. After all, Jenna was just a woman. It was natural for her to be frightened.

    He gave a confident smile and asked casually, ¡°Mr. Xanthe, what brings you here?¡±

    Sergio nced at Hansen, who was holding Jenna¡¯s hand, and his expression darkened. He sat up straight and announced with a solemn expression, ¡°Mr. Richards, I order you to recall all the cars designed by Richards Group in the market currently. It must be done immediately.¡±

    What? Recall all the cars in the market?

    What nonsense!

    Hansen furrowed his brows and his jaws thrust forward with indignation. Sergio didn¡¯t seem to be kidding when he mentioned it. After a while, his gaze fleeted among them as he demanded, ¡°Mr. Xanthe, give me a reason.¡±

    ¡°A reason?¡± Sergio raised his eyebrows and he sniggered. What he said next was harsh and cold. ¡°The cars produced by yourpany are involved in the leaking of the nation¡¯s top secrets. It has brought immense losses to the country. This is a matter of high importance. Capital City had already issued an order to recall all the cars produced by the Richards Group. No dys are allowed and the order needs to be carried out immediately.¡±

    At this point, Sergio took out his ID and the letter issued by his superiors and handed it over to Hansen.

    It wasn¡¯t until he saw the ID and the letter did Hansen ept that what he said was true. Fuming mad, he clenched his fists.

    The sales of the cars produced by Richards Group was soaring high and it was highly associated with the other industries under Richards Group. If they were to recall the cars in the market, what would it mean?

    It meant that they were no longer allowed to produce the cars. To put it bluntly, it meant that their car industry was ruined.

    The car industry was Richards Group¡¯s main business. If it was ruined, it would serve a great blow to thepany.

    He finally understood why Jenna¡¯s face had turned so pale.

    Burning anger rushed through him and he clenched his fists tightly, forgetting that he was holding Jenna¡¯s hands. He was holding her hand so tightly that her skin turned pale.

    A feeling of triumph filled him as Sergio noticed Hansen¡¯s distress. He was enjoying himself. Sneering, he thought to himself.

    ¡°Hansen, it looks like the tables have been turned. I didn¡¯t expect that you would be in such a miserable state one day. You only have to recall the cars for now but if you were found to be guilty, the Richards Group would be cklisted by the nation and it would go out of business immediately.¡±

    ¡°If that happens, it will be the end of your glory days.¡±

    The thought crossed his mind and he sniggered.

    Hansen remained motionless as a statue. Jenna could sense that he was breaking out in cold sweat. His palms were sweaty. For a moment, she could not tell who was more nervous.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, we have alwaysplied with thews and have never gone against our principles. It¡¯s impossible that we will be involved in leaking out the nation¡¯s top secrets or anything of that sort. I hope that you guys can distinguish between the good and the bad and avoid showing any bias when you investigate the matter. You must understand how heavy the loss would be by recalling all the cars in the market. The loss is unprecedented. If we were found to be innocent, who would bear the consequences?¡± Hansen said coldly as he overcame his anger and stopped himself from blowing a fuse.

    He was a man of the highest integrity and had never done anything illegal, let alone be involved in the divulging of the nation¡¯s top secrets. What utter bullsh*t! Hence, he had the right to object.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s not up to you to decide whether you are innocent or not. Since we are here, we must have some form of evidence. What it is and whether any of you are involved, we will proceed to investigate it. However, the GPS in the cars produced by Richards Group has shown signs of leaking out the nation¡¯s top secrets. To prevent the situation from getting out of hand and affecting the nation¡¯s safety, Capital City would like you to recall the cars immediately. No dys are allowed. Otherwise, you will be charged for the illegal disclosure of the nation¡¯s top secrets andmitting acts against the nation¡¯s interests right away. We will have the right to take you into custody.¡± Sergio drove his point across without beating around the bush.

    Hansen and Jenna were in a daze, unable to utter a word.

    Who would dare to disobey thew?

    Jenna¡¯s face turned pale. She was concerned that Hansen would not be able to take the blow. She was also worried that Hansen would object and act recklessly, giving Sergio an excuse to take him into custody.

    She could still think clearly and she understood the consequences of acting recklessly. Hence, she said at once, ¡°Mr. Xanthe, since the cars have shown signs of leaking out the nation¡¯s top secrets, it is definitely a serious breach of thew. I¡¯m sorry. We will recall the cars at once. Please give us some time.¡±

    She then turned around to face Hansen. ¡°Mr. Richards, since I¡¯m in charge of the car industry, let me announce the recalls,¡± she said solemnly.

    She was quivering and her hands were trembling nervously but she kept her voice steady. Her eyes were filled with a fierce determination.

    Hansen held her hand even tighter and their eyes met. He was filled with anguish but he hade to his senses. He understood at once what Jenna meant and nodded his head in agreement.

    Jenna pulled away from him and spun around. She walked to her desk, turned on herputer, and sent an email to recall all the cars in the market.

    Although she was putting on a brave front and her expression was pretty calm, she could not control herself from shuddering.

 Chapter 437 It Was Infuriating

    She typed furiously on her keyboard. Her gaze remained riveted upon the screen but her eyes were filled to the brim with tears. She had put in a lot of effort into the development of these cars. When she first heard from the press conference that these cars were entering the international market, she was over the moon. Now that she was forced to recall them, it was no wonder that she was filled with anguish. Besides, the news came out of a sudden, ruining everything.

    Only a few minutes had passed but it felt like an eternity before she sent out the email to thepany¡¯s branches all over the world. It was a simple email written concisely but it marked the end of the Richards Group.

    In less than an hour, the world had received the news that the Richards Group was doomed.

    All the cars were recalled from the market within a few hours. The market was forced to look for other sources. Hence,panies such as the Whalen Group, as well as other smallerpanies gained the opportunity to benefit from the incident.

    What immense profit!

    This was how the market worked. If one failed to satisfy its needs, others would eventually fill in the gap in the market.

    In the end, thepany that benefited the most was Jones Group.

    It was as if they had expected that this would ur. The Jones Group had produced lots of cars that year. Although the quality and the appearance were no match for the cars produced by Richards Group, it met the requirements of the market. Besides, the market needed a new manufacturer currently.

    What¡¯s more, they were able to set high prices. Hence, the profit gained was remarkable!

    As a result, the Jones Group, which had merged with the Sky Sword Group, managed to be part of the list of top-performingpanies worldwide. The market guessed that Richards Group was in great trouble, upon receiving news that they were recalling all their cars. It was highly likely that they had met their doom. Hence, many clients turned to newpanies after receiving theirpensation.

    A powerfulpany such as Richards Group was ruinedpletely overnight, especially in the car industry.

    Many of the smallpanies under Richards Group, which were in the car industry were falling apart as well.

    However, this was not the end. Many smallpanies seized the opportunity to snatch away thepany¡¯s shares and properties. As a result, Hansen, who was used to being in the limelight, was on the brink of copse.

    To make matters worse, he was too proud to ept the failure as well as the ckmail. It was not because he was incapable, nor was it due to a spontaneous disaster. Someone was trying to destroy thepany. It was a scheme! Rage overcame Hansen but he was forced to suppress his anger.

    This was the first time in his life that he had suffered such a fatal blow. It was a huge dent to his career.

    He spun around to face Sergio. His gaze was ice-cold. The veins in his neck popped out in livid ridges.

    Sergio looked at him, with a wry smile twisting his lips. In fact, he was on cloud nine.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Richards. I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you, but there¡¯s nothing I can do. I can only obey orders from my superiors. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± His smile was smug.

    At the moment, Hansen felt that it was a scheme set up by Sergio to ruin hispanyso that he could revel in his distress. This man was truly detestable.

    Was it because he didn¡¯t support his father? Or did he think that he was supporting Luqman?

    As a matter of fact, he didn¡¯t want to offend any of them.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, you know that we have always followed our principles and we regard integrity as something of high importance. Do you really think we willmit something as foolish as this? Think carefully.¡± He sneered.

    The corners of Sergio¡¯s mouth twitched, and he smiled wryly. ¡°Mr Richards, it doesn¡¯t matter what I think. Evidence is everything. Nobody can say anything for the time being, which is why we need to investigate the matter. Let¡¯s wait till the investigation is sorted.¡±

    Hansen was simmering with anger and shot daggers at him.

    Sergio, what a scoundrel. He would take note of what he said on this day and get his revenge in the future. Hansen thought angrily.

    On the contrary, Sergio was thrilled. The pleasurable smile never left his face. Seeing Hanse in a bad mood pleased him.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, I have arranged an office for you and your team. Besides, I have arranged a few rooms at a nearby hotel for you guys to reside in for the time being. What do you think?¡± Jenna stood up and approached them after she had calmed down. She then enquired politely.

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Ms. Murphy.¡± Sergio shed her a smile and said politely, ¡°Jenna, you are wise and reasonable, as always.¡± There was a twinkle in his eyes.

    Jenna sensed a hint of smugness in his voice. She turned around and sighed as she made a call. After a while, Yuri came in.

    ¡°Yuri, bring Mr. Xanthe and his team to the 86th floor to visit their offices. See if it suits them. If they are not satisfied with anything, make the necessary arrangements immediately.¡± Jenna instructed Yuri resolutely.

    ¡°Alright, Ms. Murphy.¡± Yuri nodded her head quickly before turning around and making a gesture, indicating Sergio and his team to follow her. ¡°Mr. Xanthe, please follow me,¡± she said politely.

    Sergio¡¯slips held a faint smile and his eyes twinkled. He looked around before he left and his gaze fell upon Jenna¡¯s face. He gave her a meaningful look before he left, apparently in high spirits.

    ¡°D*mn it.¡± As soon as Sergio and the rest left, Hansen mmed his fist against the couch. His eyes were zing murderously.

    ¡°Hansen, calm down. We must not lose our cool now.¡± Jenna knew that he was in distress and it made her heartache. However, they had been charged with an offence and there was nothing they could do. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Once the truthes to light, we can start over. I have faith in our abilities. The cars produced by Richards Group are far more advanced than any car on the market. We are a popr brand and we have a good reputation. Besides, we have the skills. As long as we introduce our cars to the market again, it would not take long for us to gain the upper hand.¡±

    Jenna tried tofort him. As for the cars, needless to say, she was still filled with confidence about their quality. After all, ever since they had decided to introduce the cars to the world, she had a well-thought-out n. The cars produced by the otherpanies were no match for Richards Group, including the Whalen Group.

    Although they were struggling currently, as someone had ckmailed them, it would not stop the Richards Group from progressing further.

    However, Hansen had a clearer picture of what was happening. He was not worried about the car industry and its future development. He was more concerned that thepany would not be able to ovee this obstacle.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    It was obvious that Sergio hade with evil intentions. He could almost guess the purpose of his visit.

    Yadriel was about to run for president. If he was threatening the Richards Group to vote for him, it would be an easy task. However, if they had any ulterior motives or if they wished to destroy the Richards Group, this offence was enough to ruin the Richards Group for good.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± After a long silence, Hansen nced up at her with red eyes and caressed her hair gently. He said earnestly, ¡°Remember what I have said. No matter what happens in the future, you must be strong. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here. I will try my best to protect you and Jerry, and ensure you a lifetime of happiness.¡±

    Despite the circumstances, he did not mention anything about protecting Richards Group. His main priority was to protect her and Jerry. Jenna was moved, but at the same time, she was choked with sorrow.

    In her opinion, to protect her and Jerry, he would need to protect Richards Group first. Protecting the Richards Group was the most important thing for now.

    ¡°Hansen, thank you, I will.¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes were brimming with tears. She closed her eyes and buried her head in his arms. She leaned against his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat. However, she still couldn¡¯t calm down.

    She didn¡¯t want to see him in distress and anguish. She wanted him to be confident, in high spirits, overbearing and powerful as usual. He was a man who could make any woman fall in love with him.

    He was the man she loved. How could he be defeated? She closed her eyes as her heart ached terribly.

    Someone coughed. Startled, Jenna¡¯s eyes widened in rm and she pulled away from Hansen. To her surprise, she saw Sergio entering the office, looking very gloomy.

    ¡°How can you barge into our office without our permission?¡± Hansen was enraged when he saw him entering their office. Hence, he demanded an exnation.

    ¡°Barge in?¡± Looking very dejected, Sergio forced a smile and said sardonically, ¡°Mr. Richards, getting all lovey-dovey with your wife at work? It¡¯s no wonder yourpany is going out of business.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± His temper sparked and heughed. ¡°It looks like Mr. Xanthe is here on purpose to reprimand me. Are you so lonely that you can¡¯t even bear to see a couple being madly in love? Are you jealous?¡±

    Sergio was smoldered with resentment when he heard what he said. However, he calmed down immediately, assumed an air of nonchnce, as he sat on the couch, and crossed his legs. He said resolutely, ¡°Hansen, let me be frank with you. I am here under Capital City¡¯s orders to investigate the matter. As the head of the team, I have the right to enter wherever I wish for investigation purposes. If possible, I would also like to intervene in your private life. After all, information is normally leaked out after work. You better respect me and don¡¯t you dare provoke me. Behave yourself. Otherwise, this offence is enough to ruin you forever.¡±

    Although he was being a jerk, it was indeed part of his responsibility as the team leader. Although they were itching to refute his words, they could not do so.

    Anger rose in Hansen like a tide and he shook with fury. He was breathless with anger and he clenched his fists.

    Such humiliation! He had never been treated in this manner before.

 Chapter 438 A Disgusting Man

    Old Master Richards had once advised him to stay away from politicians, as the rtionship with them would eventually beplicated. After the incident, Hansen couldn¡¯t agree more.

    They were helpless, unable to do anything, and were forced to obey Sergio¡¯s orders. Although they had done nothing wrong, they had been charged with a serious offence. How infuriating!

    Back then, Old Master Richards had been threatened by a politician as well. Hence, he went the extra mile and tried to groom Norton to be a politician, so that he could protect Richards Group in the future. It was a pity that Norton did not appreciate what he had done and his efforts had been wasted.

    The members of the Richards family could only be associated with politicians who were part of the family. Staying away from politics was one of the rules that Old Master Richards had emphasized to the younger generations. However, Hansen had been ckmailed, despite being cautious all this while. He was forced to deal with a politician, and there was no way he could get himself out of it.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, you may be a public official. However, regardless of what authority you have, we are just citizens who have always obeyed thew. I don¡¯t believe that you can distort the truth deliberately and ignore thew. I¡¯ll like to warn you again that we have always followed our principles and regard integrity as something of high importance. Hence, we are not afraid to have you here. You better investigate the matter thoroughly or I will definitely sue you,¡± Hansen said through gritted teeth.

    He was not threatening him. Richards Group was a bigpany. They would not be as foolish as to be involved in the leaking of the nation¡¯s top secrets. All these years, the Richards Group had contributed a lot to society. Everyone was aware of their contribution. Hansen believed that Sergio could not determine the Richards Group¡¯s fate as he wished.

    The Xanthe family had lots of connections, but so did the Richards family. Hansen refused to believe that Sergio would be able to keep them on a short leash.

    Sergio was shocked when he heard what Hansen said. Hansen¡¯s words rang true. Although he was a public official, he could not act as he wished. After all, the Richards Group was pretty powerful as well.

    At that moment, he decided to tone down his arrogance. However, he retorted with a sneer. ¡°Hansen, I don¡¯t care what you say, nor do I care about the connections your family has. We have found evidence that you guys were involved in the leaking of the nation¡¯s top secrets. What¡¯s more, I¡¯m not kidding around. Those pieces of evidence were found by my superiors. We have every right to believe that you guys are guilty. If you wish to prove your innocence, you must show us some evidence.¡±

    Once he had finished his sentence, he furrowed his brows and sniggered. ¡°Well, we find the office on the 86th floor to be unsuitable. It¡¯s too far from your office where orders are being given. Hence, it would not facilitate our investigation. We will like a room next to your office, so that we will be near. This will enable us to collect all the necessary evidence more efficiently.¡±

    Sergio snapped. His expression was unreadable and he no longer cared what they thought.

    He even wanted an office beside theirs to keep an eye on them. It was infuriating!

    A raw burst of rage rose in Hansen. This guy definitely had some ulterior motives for being here. He even wanted to keep an eye on them all the time. How disgusting!

    However, they had no choice but to obey. He was a public officer and he was here to investigate the matter. What could they do? Jenna forced a smile and replied, ¡°Mr. Xanthe, that would not be an issue. We have not done anything wrong. Hence, we are not afraid. You may investigate as you wish.¡±

    After saying that, she went out of the office and called for Yuri.

    ¡°Yuri, clear up the room opposite my office for Mr. Xanthe and his team. They won¡¯t need the room on the 86th floor anymore.¡± She instructed quickly. ¡°Besides, ask some cleaners to clean up the room. Be quick.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get it done right away.¡± Upon receiving the orders, Yuri left immediately.

    Jenna returned to her office. ¡°Mr. Xanthe, is the arrangement okay for you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Sergio spun around to look at her. Her eyes were brimming with tears and her smile was strained. Nevertheless, there was a fierce determination in her eyes. Sergio was moved.

    She and Hansen had already gotten a divorce. However, she still returned to his side. He was afraid that it would be difficult for them to ovee the challenge this time around. Hence, he sighed.

    Zoe would not let the Richards Group off the hook so easily. He was well aware of that.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you may do as you please. We will like to discuss something in the meantime.¡± Jenna was afraid that Hansen would blow a fuse. Hence, she wanted to bring him back to his office. To her dismay, she heard Sergio saying, ¡°From today onwards, we will record whatever you do. You must cooperate with us all the time. We have the right to know what you are doing.¡±

    What? Were they going to restrict their freedom?

    Hansen¡¯s cheeks burned with anger and he clenched his fists again.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Sure, we will obey whatever you say. We need to work right now. Now that we have recalled the cars, there is a lot that we need to do. We will be in the office right beside yours and you may investigate as you wish,¡± Jenna responded as she led Hansen back to his office.

    ¡°F*ck.¡± Hansen mmed his fist against the table upon sitting down at his desk. His eyes were bulging from their sockets.

    ¡°To all the executives, gather in the conference room. We will be having a meeting.¡± He turned on hisptop and sent an email.

    Soon, Hansen, Jenna, as well as the other executives gathered for a meeting. That night, the building remained brightly lit as everyone stayed behind, trying to find a solution to the matter. They had begun to ept their fate. What a cruel thing!

    Everyone was under immense pressure due to the incident. It was a disaster that threatened to ruin everyone in Richards Group.

    As the cars had been recalled, the production line was stopped. Around one hundred thousand employees all around the world were forced to stop what they were working on. If the matter could not be resolved, those people would lose their jobs.

    Hansen understood the consequences, so did Jenna. In fact, everyone in the room was well aware of it. Hence, a heavy silence fell upon the room.

    This was the greatest blow that the Richards Group had ever suffered in history. It came as a shock to everyone.

    Meanwhile, in the Jones Group, Matteo was reading the headlines of the newspapers through his sses.

    The Richards Group was forced to recall all their cars. However, the newspaper did not state the reason. Everyone was guessing what had happened. They agreed that the Richards Group was done for and their cars would never be introduced into the market again.

    An enigmatic smile crept across Matteo¡¯s face.

    There was a sound of approaching footsteps.

    He raised his head and adjusted his gold-rimmed spectacles.

    Zoe who was looking very stunning and was dressed elegantly appeared before him.

    ¡°Hello, Chairman.¡± Zoe put on an elegant smile and bowed slightly as she greeted him.

    ¡°Zoe, you are here. Great!¡± Matteo beamed from ear to ear. He stood up and pointed at the couch next to him, indicating Zoe to have a seat. ¡°Please have a seat.¡±

    Zoe shed him a smile and sat down.

    The secretary poured her some tea and handed it to her. She took a sip of the tea.

    ¡°Chairman, thepany is doing great recently. Am I right?¡± Zoe asked casually as she took another sip of the tea.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s all thanks to your suggestion.¡± He looked at her, with arge grin splitting his face. ¡°It looks like you are indeed remarkable. You are a sessful businesswoman. Not only are you smart, but you are also capable.¡±

    A faint smile touched the corners of her mouth.

    At the beginning of the year, she suggested to Matteo to invest in the production of cars. Back then, he hesitated when he heard the suggestion. At first, he wanted to withdraw from the car industry. After all, they were not good at producing cars. Besides, the market in the car industry was monopolized by the Richards Group. It was not the right timing to produce new cars, as they would not be a match for the Richards Group.¡±

    However, he changed his mind after what happened that day. He finally realized that Zoe had a shrewd business acumen.

    The cars that the Richards Group was so proud of had been recalled within a day. There was no longer a car manufactured by the Richards Group avable on the market.

    However, there was a huge demand for cars. Hence, everyone turned to the Jones Group.

    The market needed a new source. Therefore, all the cars that they have produced were sold within a day. Everyone panicked when they received the news that the Richards Group was doomed and ced their orders with the Jones Group. They had received many orders and were facing a shortage due to the excessive demand.

    It was all thanks to Zoe and her suggestion. However, it was a pity that they had not produced more cars previously and were forced to cancel some orders. The Sky Sword Group was developing rapidly as well.

    Matteo was over the moon. He had chosen a capable daughter-inw.

    Zoe smiled and replied, ¡°Chairman, you tter me. I¡¯m here to tell you that I n to expand the Sky Sword Group. If I¡¯m not mistaken, we will soon be one of the top-notchpanies in the nation and shall eventually surpass the Richards Group. We will soon be one of thergestpanies in the world. Chairman, stay tuned for the good news.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Matteo was jubnt and ecstatic. A look of joy and satisfaction lit up his eager face. ¡°Zoe, go for it. Don¡¯t worry, I will support you no matter what.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Jones.¡± Zoe smiled and bowed slightly. She checked the time and got up, preparing to leave.

    ¡°Oh, by the way, Zoe, you must be busy. I have decided to ask Oscar toe over to A City and keep youpany. He would be able to help you. After all, you are just a woman. It will be great to have a man by your side.¡± Matteo pretended to be very kind and considerate as he revealed the news.

    Zoe was stunned when she heard what he said. However, she soon came to her senses. She understood his intentions. He did not arrange this for Oscar to help her. Oscar would be there to keep an eye on her. How could that jerk help her? He was unworthy of her. It was already a blessing if he did not cause her any trouble. Help her? What absolute nonsense! His vulgar appearance would only affect her mood negatively.

    How could she work alongside a jerk such as him?!

    Fury vibrated through her body. She masked the hatred in her eyes and forced a smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s great! I¡¯m more than happy for him toe if he wishes to.¡± She smiled and answered right away.

 Chapter 439 Vivian Is Ill

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s great.¡± Matteo was satisfied with Zoe¡¯s answer. To be honest, he knew very well that his son was not good enough for Zoe. However, their family was prestigious and powerful. His son had a high social status. Zoe met the requirements of bing his daughter-inw. Not only was she capable, she was also well-mannered and smart. She had an elegant demeanor and would not ruin the family¡¯s reputation.

    Looks did not matter to men. As long as they were sessful and well-off, it was a piece of cake to find a capable wife. Although his son was not worthy of Zoe, Matteo was confident that he could force Zoe to remain loyal and serve the family with his wealth and social status.

    Back then, when Zoe approached him and suggested her ns, he not only admired her courage but also recognized her abilities. Hence, he agreed to help her, on one condition, which was to marry his son. Didn¡¯t she wish to start apany called Sky Sword Group? As long as she agreed to marry his son, he was willing to go along with her ns, including establishing the Sky Sword Group. It was not a big deal. She could do whatever she wanted. It would be a great experience for her. What¡¯s more, he thought highly of her.

    Surely enough, she was indeed capable, and he was very satisfied with her performance.

    However, he was getting worried that his son would fail to keep her by his side. Although she had agreed to marry his son, their rtionship was strained and they were rarely together. This made him uneasy.

    Therefore, he put forward this request. To his surprise, Zoe agreed right away. This put him at ease.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, if you don¡¯t have anything else to discuss with me, I will take my leave,¡± Zoe said. There was a grin stered on her face.

    ¡°Alright, I supposed that you are busy. I¡¯ll ask Oscar to meet youter.¡± Matteo beamed from ear to ear, pretending to be very considerate.

    ¡°Okay, see youter.¡± Zoe shed him a smile before she left, looking very humble and polite. However, upon leaving the Jones Group, the smile on her face vanished in an instance. Her gaze was ice-cold and there was a glint of mockery in her eyes.

    Did Oscar really wish to stay by her side? Such wishful thinking.

    Although she had agreed to Matteo¡¯s request a moment ago, in reality, she was coerced to do so. If she refused, Matteo might discover her true intentions. If he had kicked up a fuss because of that, her efforts would go down the drain. She still needed his help at the moment. Hence, she had no choice but to please him.

    The thought of Oscar¡¯s rotund face and plump figure made Zoe want to puke in disgust.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The sunset lingers upon the horizon, as if a million scarlet blooms had been ignited.

    Footsteps could be heard. Jenna walked into the factory. In only two days, all the cars produced by the Richards Group were recalled from the market. They had been ced in the factory in rows.

    The factory was deserted. Just a few days ago, it was filled with people hustling about, getting their work done. The noise, the people¡­ Everything had changed overnight.

    The Richards Group was doomed.

    The Richards Group was really doomed!

    Richards Group had encountered a crisis that had never urred before. They might not be able to survive it.

    How ironic! The Richards Group had hit rock bottom.

    ¡­

    Rumors spread like wildfire. The newspapers published what transpired in the Richards Group.

    Jenna was in anguish. Her heart ached terribly and it filled her with agony.

    It was a serious offence. No matter who had been charged with the offence, there would only be one oue. Even a powerfulpany such as the Richards Group could not escape the brutal fate.

    The setting sun revealed her shadow on the ground. Her face was aglow with the orange rays. She remained motionless as a statue as thest of the sun¡¯s rays cosseted behind the soft grey cloud and dusk fell. Eventually, she was shrouded in darkness. Yet, she stood there, holding her head high and looking very tenacious and unyielding.

    The streetmps illuminated the darkness and a chilly breeze touched the warmth of her cheeks.

    She couldn¡¯t help but to tremble as she took a step forward, ignoring the numbness in her feet. She took another few steps forward and there was sorrow in her eyes.

    Her phone rang.

    It rang again. The other party was obviously in a hurry.

    Slowly, Jenna answered the call as she held her phone to her ear.

    ¡°Jenna, what happened? I heard that something¡¯s wrong with the cars produced by Richards Group.¡± Sabrina¡¯s anxious voice rang. She was apparently on tenterhooks as her voice was quivering.

    ¡°Sabrina,¡± Jenna said in a low voice. There was nothing to hide. In fact, it was impossible to hide it. The media could publish anything, even if it was just a rumor, let alone something that was proven to be true. She licked her dry lips as she said hesitatingly, ¡°Yes, Sabrina, what you have seen in the newspaper is true. All the cars produced by the Richards Group have been recalled from the market. It is a crisis that has never urred before.¡±

    Jenna looked haggard. Exhaustion crept up on her and Sabrina could sense that she was on the brink of copse.

    ¡°How could this happen? Jenna, how is this possible?¡± Sabrina was close to tears. ¡°It must be a scheme! It¡¯s not your fault. Don¡¯t panic. You must discover the truth. As long as you have done nothing wrong, nothing will happen to you.¡±

    She stammered as fear clutched at her throat. She tried tofort Jenna.

    Her heart sank when she heard Jenna¡¯s response. To her dismay, Jenna seemed pretty downcast. Jenna was normally calm andposed. No matter what happened, she always seemed optimistic. However, Sabrina could sense that she was crestfallen and dejected. She could imagine the damage the incident had caused to the Richards Group.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ll be back soon. Wait for me. Let me help you.¡± Sabrina stamped her feet in frustration and gritted her teeth. Before Jenna could respond, she ended the call.

    Jenna wasn¡¯t able to tell her what was on her mind. She sighed and shook her head. Sabrina was still as straightforward and cute as she was usually. She could not bear to see those she held dear in distress. It was exasperating but nobody could reject her kindness.

    She put down her phone. Time was scarce and she did not have the energy to think about her anymore.

    Just as she was about to leave, her phone rang again.

    Jenna noticed that it was the phone number belonging to the Ink Garden, which was part of the Richards Group. Shocked, her face grew pale as a thought crossed her mind. She answered the call in a hurry.

    ¡°Madam,¡± Meroy said with a heavy heart.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank when she heard the anguish in her voice. She asked right away, ¡°Meroy, is everything alright with Grandma?¡±

    Meroy fell silent. She did not respond.

    Fear gripped her and her heart pounded rapidly. She had been so busy in the past few days that she had neglected Vivian. If Vivian got wind of the news¡­

    The thought crossed her mind and she spoke right away.

    ¡°Meroy, I¡¯ve been pretty busy for the past few days. Don¡¯t let Grandma know what has happened to the Richards Group. You must keep it a secret. Considering her age, Grandma would not be able to take the blow.¡±

    It was normal for her to be anxious. The situation would only be worse if Vivian received the news about what had happened to the Richards Group. The media was easily essible in the 21st century. However, Vivian was getting old and she depended on Meroy to learn about the current issues. Hence, Meroy yed a critical role¡­

    However, Meroy didn¡¯t seem to be interested in further discussion. She only sighed and said in a low voice, ¡°Madam, this is not what I wanted to discuss with you.¡±

    If she hadn¡¯t called to talk to her about Richards Group, then what was it that she wanted to talk about?

    Jenna had a bad feeling about this. Anxious, she asked in a panic, ¡°Meroy, spill the beans. I¡¯m not an outsider.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Meroy¡¯s eyes were brimming with tears as she said in a low voice, ¡°Madam, the Old Madam¡¯s health had deteriorated.¡±

    What?!

    Jenna was shocked by the sudden news and staggered backwards. She asked in a low voice right away, ¡°Meroy, how is she? If she is ill, then send her to the hospital immediately.¡±

    ¡°s.¡± Meroy sighed and said, ¡°Madam, Old Madam¡¯s health has been deteriorating for a long time. After all, she is getting older. Old Madam refuses to go to the hospital and I have no idea what to do.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard what she said and she asked in a hurry, ¡°Meroy, what happened? How is her current state?¡±

    Meroy shook her head and said in distress, ¡°Madam, Old Madam¡¯s health had been deteriorating ever since you left that day. She barely had any appetite and she felt some difort around her heart. I wanted to bring her to the hospital but she refused. She said that it was normal for her organ function to deteriorate at her age and insisted that there was no point in bringing her to the hospital. She stopped us from calling you as she said that you guys are very busy and there¡¯s no point for you guys to worry about an old hag who was on her deathbed. In a nutshell, no matter how I advised her, she refused to do anything, whether it¡¯s going to the hospital or calling you. I really am at a loss at what to do. Hence, I decided to call you secretly today. To be frank, she has not eaten anything today and she seemed kind of drowsy.¡±

    At the moment, Jenna was filled with sorrowafter hearing what she had said.

    As the Old Madam of the Richards Group, Vivian refused to go to the hospital for fear that it would cause trouble to her grandchildren. How distressing! No matter how old she was and no matter what happened, a person had to go to the hospital if they had fallen ill. Was Grandma acting so stubborn because she did not wish to trouble them? Or did she know that nothing could be changed, and she did not want them to worry about her? Thoughts began racing in Jenna¡¯s mind.

    It caused tears to well up in her eyes and she said firmly, ¡°Meroy, wait for me. I¡¯ll be back right away.¡±

    She quickly kept her phone.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, should we go and take a look at the factory over there?¡± Marquis, the manager of Green Mountain Automobile City hurried over and asked cautiously.

    ¡°There is no need to do so. Marquis, I have something to do and I need to leave. Sort out what you have to do first and wait for our instructions in the meantime.¡± Jenna left after instructing him. Her car pulled away from Green Mountain Automobile City and headed towards Richards Group.

    She didn¡¯t even enter the Green Jade Garden and went straight to the Ink Garden.

    Meroy was on tenterhooks as she waited for Jenna¡¯s arrival at Ink Garden. She paced frantically back and forth. She approached her immediately when she caught sight of Jenna entering.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, you¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Meroy.¡± Jenna entered in a hurry. She held Meroy¡¯s hand and asked anxiously, ¡°How¡¯s Grandma?¡±

    ¡°s.¡± Meroy sighed and said with a solemn expression, ¡°Old Madam has fallen into a slumber. For the past few days, she has had trouble falling asleep, especially at night. Sheins of chest pain and difort. She barely has any appetite and she experiences drowsiness most of the time. Most of the time, she justys down on her bed and she barely eats anything. To be frank, this isn¡¯t the first time it has urred. It has been like this since the beginning of the year. This must be how it¡¯s like for the elderly. It¡¯s normal, especially since Old Madam is getting old. Don¡¯t worry too much about her.¡±

 Chapter 440 Vivian Is Ill (Part II)

    Meroy noticed that Jenna looked very haggard and distraught. It was apparent that she was very anxious. Hence, she spilled the beans and attempted tofort her. ¡°To be frank, Madam, Old Madam may be right. After all, she is getting old. Everyone will eventually die one day. It¡¯s normal for a person to experience signs and symptoms such as these at her age. Don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡±

    Jenna was feeling very anxious and uneasy. Vivian had said a lot that day when she came over. This had never happened before. It was apparent that she was aware of her health condition, which was why she asked her toe over and instructed Meroy to hand her the ounts book and the records of the family history. Now that she thought about it, it was as if Vivian was prepared to leave any moment. Jenna was filled with anguish and tears coursed down her cheeks.

    ¡°Meroy, we don¡¯t have any control over life and death, but we must bring her to the hospital when she is unwell, whether she likes it or not. We are part of the Richards Group. Grandma has contributed a lot to the development of the Richards Group. Hence, no matter how busy we are, we cannot neglect her. There¡¯s nothing more important than that.¡± Upon finishing her sentence, Jenna demanded, ¡°Meroy, Grandma already knows what happened to Richards Group, doesn¡¯t she?¡±

    She asked in a low voice as she looked at Meroy.

    Meroy thought for a moment before she shook her head. ¡°Madam, it doesn¡¯t seem likely. I don¡¯t think she knows. After all, she is experiencing some hearing problems and her eyesight is getting worse. It¡¯s impossible for her to get wind of the news. I did not tell her as well, as she has been worrying about a lot of stuff for her entire lifetime. Now that you guys are here, even if something happens to thepany, I feel that we should not let her worry.¡±

    ¡°Good, well done. Thank you, Meroy.¡± Jenna heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing what she said. ¡°Meroy, you are right. Don¡¯t tell Grandma what happened to thepany. It¡¯s our turn to deal with the issue. You must not let her hear the news, no matter what.¡±

    Looking at Jenna¡¯s gaunt face, Meroy nodded solemnly.

    After instructing her, Jenna spun around and headed towards Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    Meroy followed suit.

    Although she nodded her head in agreement when Jenna insisted in bringing her to the hospital, she knew very well that bringing her to the hospital would not help much at her age. After all, Meroy was a doctor. For Vivian¡¯s heart condition, she had already been inserted with lots of catheters and it was impossible to insert any more. Besides, her organs were deteriorating pretty quickly. It was near impossible to save her.

    She knew what Vivian wanted. To put it simply, Vivian wanted to die in the Ink Garden. This was the ce that she had resided in for a lifetime. It was where she had contributed all her efforts. She would not leave, no matter what.

    However, it was her responsibility to notify Jenna who was in charge of the household. Only Jenna and Hansen had the right to decide what to do.

    When Jenna entered, Vivian was lying on her bed. Her face was shallow and emaciated, and her eyes were closed. Only the clear, audible breathing indicated that she was still alive. She was so thin and weak.

    Her face was pale and had a greenish-yellow tinge to it.

    The deathly pallor of her skin was frightening. Looking at it filled Jenna with anguish. She sat down on the bed and held Vivian¡¯s hand as she nced at her silently, unable to utter a word.

    After a while, her pallor suddenly became a livid red and she experienced abnormally rapid breathing.

    ¡°Grandma, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jenna¡¯s heart raced when she saw her in this state. Meroy, who was standing by their side, acted immediately and fed her some medicine, as she patted her back gently. After a while, Vivian seemed to be better.

    Jenna had her heart in her throat as she watched in dismay. Panic-stricken, she asked, ¡°Meroy, what¡¯s wrong with Grandma?¡±

    ¡°s, Old Madam¡¯s heart is not what it used to be and itcks oxygen. Whenever this happens, she must take her medication immediately,¡± Meroy exined right away.

    Jenna was filled with distress as she held Vivian¡¯s hand tightly, so much so that she found it hard to breathe. The redness on her face faded to a greenish, sickly pallor. Jenna¡¯s heart ached when she saw it and she was choked with sobs. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ll bring you to the hospital.¡±

    She stood up immediately and took out her phone. After making the necessary arrangements with the hospital, she called for a driver toe over and pick them up.

    Vivian rested for a while before she regained her senses. Upon seeing Jenna at her bedside, she wanted to speak to her. To her surprise, two people emerged, carrying a stretcher with them. rmed, she asked what was going on.

    Jenna said firmly, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m going to bring you to the hospital today.¡±

    Vivian was startled. She objected immediately. ¡°Jenna, I understand that you are worried about me, but I refuse to go to the hospital. I¡¯m already so old. It will be so exhausting. Just let me stay in Ink Garden. I will probably live longer if I stay here. I¡¯m not used to living in the hospital. It will only worsen my condition.¡±

    Upon hearing what she said, Jenna was anxious and said in a hurry, ¡°Grandma, you are not feeling well. You must go to the hospital for a check-up. It¡¯s not good for you to stay here.¡±

    After hearing what she said, Vivian sighed and did not appear to change her mind. ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s already a blessing for me to live until now. I know my condition very well. If doctors are really the cure to everything, nobody would fall ill in this world. No matter what you say, I refuse to go to the hospital. Jenna, you have a lot to do. Focus on your work. Don¡¯t worry about me. I bet Meroy had told you what happened to me. s, I have already instructed her not to let you know.¡±

    It took her a lot of effort to say these words. She was panting heavily. Jenna was in a dilemma, unsure about what to do.

    However, she could not bear to see Vivian in this condition. She pondered for a while before she responded, ¡°Grandma, I will respect your decision and you don¡¯t need to go to the hospital, but I would like to discuss with Hansen and recruit a medical team toe over daily to check on your condition. You must ept my offer. Otherwise, I¡¯ll bring you to the hospital right away.¡±

    Jenna thought to herself. At her age, it was indeed inconvenient for her to go to the hospital. She would not be used to it. Inviting a medical team over did seem to be a better choice. Fortunately, the wellness center of Richards Group was set up in Ink Garden. Hence, there would be a ce for the medical team to stay when theye over. As for theboratory test and examinations required, it would depend on what the experts say.

    That was all she could do for now.

    Vivian could not persuade Jenna to give up on the n. Reluctantly, she epted the arrangement.

    As a result, Jenna had no choice but to give Hansen a call.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Hansen was very anxious when he received the news. Flustered, he epted Jenna¡¯s suggestion right away. That night, the best medical team in A City was recruited toe over and reside in the Richards Group Manor.

    It was not until the experts hade over to check on Vivian¡¯s condition, and confirm that there was nothing wrong with her that relief washed over her. She then returned to the Green Jade Garden.

    Thanks to the recent crisis, neither she nor Hansen had returned to the Richards Manor for the past few days.

    The crisis happened abruptly. Not only were they busy, but they also had to cooperate with Sergio and his team all the time. In other words, their freedom was kind of restricted. Now that she was back, she wanted to see Jerry.

    It wasn¡¯t until she was near Green Jade Garden that she realized how much she missed Jerry. She was filled with longing to see him, that it was driving her crazy. To her dismay, she heard Jerry crying. It was heart-wrenching! Jenna couldn¡¯t help quivering with fear and she almost went mad.

    Jerry, what was wrong with Jerry?

    She hastened along the path and dashed into the living room.

    ¡°Mom, Mom.¡± Jerry was wailing. Tears had streamed down his cheeks. Aunt E and Larry were trying their best tofort him.

    ¡°Jerry, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jenna stepped forward and took Jerry away from Aunt E¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Mom, why haven¡¯t youe back to see me for so long? I miss you and Dad so much.¡± Jenna wrapped his arms around her neck and cried as tears welled up in his eyes.

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached and she was filled with anguish. She gritted her teeth, while holding Jerry in her arms, and said in a low voice, ¡°Jerry, I¡¯m really sorry for neglecting you. Dad and I have been really busy these past few days.¡±

    ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t like it when you guys don¡¯t return. I want to be with you.¡± Jerry was relieved to be in his mother¡¯s arms again. He hugged her tightly, refusing to let go and continued crying.

    Her eyes brimmed with tears as she hugged Jerry tightly. She felt as if her heart had been torn apart.

    She didn¡¯t know how tofort him.

    Without a doubt, she and Hansen would have their hands full, as long as the matter was not settled.

    ¡°Jerry, be a good boy. Be strong. Recently, your Dad and I have been really busy at work. We will not be able to return and keep youpany. Once we have settled the issue, we will take you on a vacation. Is that okay?¡± Jenna said softly, trying her best to give him some form offort. However, she had no idea when the matter would be resolved. She was only trying to reassure him.

    Jerry, who was exhausted from crying, soon fell asleep in Jenna¡¯s arms.

    ncing at his face, Jenna¡¯s heart ached. She forced herself to get up and enter the kitchen to make a meal. Once she was done, she kept it in a thermos sk and brought it out of the kitchen.

    A light, warm breeze brushed her cheek, as she walked out of Green Jade Garden. Night had fallen and the atmosphere was peaceful. Everyone else was enjoying themselves and having a good rest in Richards Manor. Some even took a stroll in the garden. Nobody was aware of the danger ahead.

    Jenna was feeling very downcast.

    For the past few days, Hansen had not slept a wink. Now that something like this had urred, it was his responsibility to solve it. It was not easy to be the head of the family.

    All the glory of Richards Group was gained through hard work and wisdom. The heads of the family had always fulfilled their duty, from generation to generation. Not many people were aware of the pain and grief involved.

    She started the car and headed for the Richards Group.

    During difficult times like this, she must return to his side and be by his side.

    It had been a few days. He did not eat or sleep well for the past few days. Now that she had returned to Richards Manor, she decided to cook a meal for him and bring it over to him.

 Chapter 441 Her Kindness

    The Richards Group was still brightly lit even though it waste at night. All the executives were still busy at work.

    Hansen had not slept a wink in the past few days. He had been busy conducting meetings with the executives as they analyzed the current situation, trying to find out the cause.

    All the evidence pointed to the fact that the GPS of the cars manufactured by the Richards Group had records of leaking out the nation¡¯s top secrets. It was an immutable fact. There was nothing else they could do except to recall the cars from the market.

    The point was, how was the document containing the nation¡¯s top secrets installed into the system? Was it an error or was someone framing them on purpose?

    He had analyzed the situation very carefully. It was highly unlikely that it was a programming error. In fact, it was impossible. Only one possibility was left. Someone had deliberately inserted the document into the system to frame thepany.

    Such a malicious act had urred right under his nose. To make matters worse, he could not find any evidence that someone had sabotaged the system. This put him in a very bad mood.

    In general, the cars had gone through many stages of inspection during the production phase. It was astonishing that an error would ur. Besides, an outsider couldn¡¯t enter and sabotage the system.

    Hence, there was only one usible exnation. Someone among them had betrayed thepany.

    All the employees involved were suspects. The thought crossed his mind and Hansen almost shook his head in disbelief.

    He had appointed each one of the executives himself. They could be trusted. Besides, the Richards Group had always treated them well. It was pointless for them to engage in something illegal such as this. Once they discovered the truth, the person would only be imprisoned. They were smart people. Who would be so foolish as to do something like this?

    This was what puzzled him the most.

    Meanwhile, Sergio was acting pretty overbearing and aggressive. He kept an eye on them every single day and urged them to work faster. He wanted to settle the case quickly so that he could report to his superiors.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Before they knew it, dusk had arrived.

    Hansen sat in his office as he nced at the scenery outside his window. The streets were brightly lit. He had no idea how much time had passed. All he felt was fatigue.

    What Luqman said rang in his head. ¡°Young man, you will return to see me.¡±

    Was the incident rted to thepetition between Luqman and Yadriel? Would he really be forced to return and see him?

    Hansen was at a loss about at to do with the mess.

    The day after he met Luqman, someone published a photo of them together in the newspapers right away. It was apparent that someone wanted to destroy the Richards Group.

    Misfortunes came as expected. It happened so suddenly that they did not even have time to prepare for it. To their dismay, they had been charged with a severe offence for being involved in the disclosure of the country¡¯s top secrets via the cars manufactured by thepany.

    Who could afford to be used of such a terrible crime?

    There was a soft knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Without raising his head, Hansen spoke in a deep voice.

    After a while, the sound of footsteps drew closer.

    ¡°Hansen, Mr. Richards.¡± A sweet and soft voice could be heard. It was apparent that it belonged to a woman.

    Hansen raised his head and his gaze grew cold.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked briefly.

    ¡°Hansen¡­¡± Liya was being coy.

    ¡°Call me ¡®Mr. Richards¡¯.¡± Hansen furrowed his brows. This woman. How dare she call him by his name just because she had known him when they were kids. He was truly annoyed. Besides, were they even close? Even Jenna rarely called him by his name in the office. Hence, he corrected her immediately with an icy stare.

    Liya flushed scarlet red but within a few seconds, she put on a smile again and said softly, ¡°Mr. Richards, here is the program that you have requested.¡±

    Liya was very polite. She handed him the USB drive with both hands andbatted her eyshes as she looked at him with her dazzling eyes.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Hansen answered without even ncing up at her, as he reached out his hand to take the USB drive. He put it in the drawer. When he raised his head again, he was surprised to see that Liya had no intention to leave. He eximed in surprise, ¡°Is there anything else you would like to say to me?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Liya replied in a soft voice, shaking her head.

    Hansen narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

    Liya¡¯s hands were fidgeting nervously, as she raised her head and spoke with concern. ¡°Hansen, I mean, Mr. Richards, don¡¯t be too upset about what has happened to thepany. We just need to find the culprit and bring them into custody. Once the matter has been resolved, everything will be back to normal.¡±

    Her eyes were as clear as water. She looked at him earnestly and her eyes were dazzling and mesmerizing.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Hansen looked at her in surprise, with a faint smile tugging up the corners of his mouth. ¡°Liya, thank you. However, how did you know that I¡¯m looking for a culprit?¡±

    Liya was stunned for a moment. There was a look of panic on her face. However, she calmed down quickly and said firmly, ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m pretty sure someone has sabotaged the system. You are such a wise man. There¡¯s no way that you would allow the Richards Group to engage in something illegal.¡±

    She said earnestly, as if she knew him very well.

    Hansen¡¯s phoenix-like eyes narrowed. He raised his head and there was a gleam in his eyes.

    ¡°Thank you, Liya. You¡¯re such a considerate woman.¡± He shed her a charming smile andplimented her.

    Liya¡¯s eyes shone as she was over the moon upon receiving Hansen¡¯s praise. She raised her head and said with confidence, ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t worry. No matter what, I will always put thepany¡¯s interests first. If you need me, just call me. I will do my best.¡±

    She spoke with a very solemn and sincere expression. Her chest heaved as she spoke, showing off her sexy figure in front of Hansen.

    Hansen¡¯ssmile broadened into a grin upon hearing what she said.

    ¡°Liya, thank you so much for being loyal to thepany. Alright, if thepany needs your help, I will definitelye and see you.¡± Hansen leaned against his chair as he put one arm on the armrest. He leaned against one side and shed her a charming smile, looking very elegant and appealing.

    ncing at the handsome man who had been born into a prestigious family right before her, Liya couldn¡¯t bear to shift her gaze. She was willing to do anything for him.

    She had a foolish smile on her face as she blushed.

    ¡°Is there anything else? If that¡¯s all you have to say, you may leave now.¡± Noticing that she was still standing there with no intention to leave, Hansen raised his head and looked at her, as he reminded her in a gentle voice.

    The smile never left his face.

    ¡°Oh, okay, okay.¡± Liya was infatuated with him. Upon hearing what Hansen said, she replied in a hurry, ¡°Mr. Richards, I will take my leave now. Remember to call me if you need anything.¡±

    Hansen smiled and nodded his head.

    It was not until her figure had disappeared from his sight that his smile vanished in an instant, and was reced with an ice-cold re.

    He slowly took out his phone and ced a call.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± he asked in a deep voice.

    Alvin¡¯s voice rang. After a while, Hansen¡¯s expression darkened and his eyes glowed with a fiery ferocity.

    Alvin did not usually work in thepany. Hence, Hansen decided on the spot to let him leave thepany. This way, he would not be involved, no matter what happened. This would facilitate the investigation.

    ¡°Hansen, have you eaten yet?¡± Jenna walked in and asked softly.

    Hansen raised his head and looked at Jenna. His eyes shone brightly with deep affection.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re here.¡± He seemed to have just remembered that he was supposed to have dinner. Startled, he shook his head in exasperation.

    ¡°I knew it. If I don¡¯t remind you, you will forget entirely about your mealtimes.¡± Jenna was distressed and chided him.

    As she spoke, she took out the thermos sk andid out the mushroom soup and pasta.

    ¡°You must finish them,¡± she said firmly. She was very serious.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Hansen nced at the meal before him and agreed. He ced one hand on her waist and pulled her into his arms, so that she was now sitting on hisp.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± He wrapped his arms around her and ced his head on her shoulders. He breathed in her scent with pleasure and whispered in her ears.

    Jenna could sense that he was feeling lonely and lost, like a child who had been abandoned, from the tone of his voice. This made her heart ache terribly.

    Seven years ago, when she escaped to another country, thepany was also in a life and death scenario. Back then, Aria had kept himpany, while she did nothing. Now, she only wanted to stay by his side and aid him on this journey.

    She reached out her hand to stroke his hair. While caressing his hair, she pulled him into an embrace.

    At first, she wanted to inquire why Liya hade over to the office, to see if he was interested in her. However, she changed her mind. She was no longer interested in that matter. Besides, she chose to believe him and there was no need to ask him anymore.

    He was indeed outstanding and remarkable. Many women were infatuated with him. So what? She was his wife. Everyone had witnessed their wedding ceremony. Who could snatch him away?

    There was no reason for her to be afraid, right?

    ¡°Hansen, enjoy your meal. Don¡¯t worry, times like this will pass. In the worst-case scenario, we can always start over,¡± she said softly. It was just a crisis that they had to face. So what if they lost arge sum of money from recalling the cars from the market? They were involved in other industries as well. The Richards Group had many properties. Besides, she was an expert in designing cars. Hence, she was not afraid at all.

    Leaning against her chest, Hansen felt a sense of satisfaction and he was reluctant to let her go. Out of a sudden, fear gripped his heart. He was afraid of losing her. The thought filled him with agony. He hugged her tightly and did not say anything for a long time.

    It was not until Jenna¡¯s delicate fingers touched his face and gently rubbed it that he raised his head.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. No matter what happens in the future, I will protect you and Jerry. I will never let the two of you suffer.¡±

    Hansen made a silent promise to himself. He nced at her with his charming eyes and smiled. His gaze was gentle and it was filled with affection.

    ¡°Be good and finish your meal.¡± Jenna also looked at him, her eyes shining with joy.

    Her eyes were filled with concern and Hansen was moved. He nodded his head.

    ¡°Delicious.¡± He smiled as he gobbled down the pasta and praised her for her culinary skills. ¡°You are indeed a great chef! I love it.¡±

    ncing at his satisfied smile, Jenna beamed as her heart was filled with warmth and childlike joy.

    ¡°Here, have a bite of the bacon. I made it specifically for you.¡± Jenna fed him a piece of bacon. He opened his mouth, took a bite and chewed it. ¡°Not bad, it¡¯s very delicious.¡±

    He continued praising her. It was indeed a scrumptious meal and he suddenly had a good appetite. He enjoyed the meal very much, as if he had never eaten anything more delicious than it.

    ¡°You must be ravenous. You haven¡¯t eaten a proper meal for days.¡± Jenna took a piece of tissue paper and wiped his mouth gently. She was filled with concern.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hansen nodded. ¡°Thank you, honey.¡±

    Both of them chatted as they burst intoughter. They only had eyes for each other and they hadpletely forgotten about their current predicament.

 Chapter 442 Sabrina Was Here

    Theirughter and chatter could be heard from time to time. Sergio was in the office next to theirs. He was smoldered with resentment as they were apparently enjoying each other¡¯spany.

    Despite their predicament, they wereughing very happily. It was as if they were on cloud nine.

    ¡°Great. Laugh while you can. You guys would not feel likeughing anymore soon.¡± He thought angrily.

    The muscles along his jaw clenched and his eyes glowed with savagery.

    Although they were under immense pressure, he did not catch sight of them being in distress or agony. They were as affectionate as ever to each other and disregarded everyone else.

    At this moment, he was suddenly filled with a sense of emptiness and loneliness. Nothing could make him feel better. For the first time in his life, he realized that life wasn¡¯t just about politics, power, and profits. There was something much more precious. Something which he never had before.

    After lunch, Jenna packed up the stuff. Hansen followed her, wanting to help her wash the dishes.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to help me. This is my duty as your wife. You don¡¯t have to help me.¡± Jenna pushed him away, but Hansen hugged her from behind, as he ced his head on her shoulders.

    ¡°Jenna, if something happens to me in the future, remember what I have said. Raise Jerry well and live on,¡± Hansen said softly as he tightened his embracearound her.

    Jenna¡¯s body became stiff, and her arms trembled violently. She stood up abruptly.

    ¡°Hansen, what do you mean by this? Let me tell you. This will not happen. I won¡¯t allow it to happen. Besides, I have already said it before. I can¡¯t support the family and lead thepany alone. Don¡¯t spout nonsense in the future. I don¡¯t want to hear it again.¡± Jenna pushed him away and looked straight into his eyes. Her face had turned pale with fear.

    Hansen looked at her and felt a pang in his heart. However, he assumed an air of nonchnce and chuckled as he caressed her smooth hair. ¡°Foolish girl. I¡¯m just joking around. Look at you. You look like I have just bullied you. Why are you so cute?¡±

    However, Jenna did not believe him anymore and stared at him with tears brimming in her eyes.

    ¡°Do you know something that I don¡¯t? Or is your sixth sense hinting at something?¡± She stepped forward and pointed at his chest. ¡°Let me tell you. You better not hide anything from me. I want to know everything. We are now husband and wife. I have the right to know the truth. We will face the challenges ahead together. Don¡¯t you dare keep it a secret from me, do you understand? I won¡¯t allow it.¡±

    As she spoke, tears coursed down her cheeks and she was choked by the sobs.

    ncing at the tears streaming down her cheeks, Hansen¡¯s heart only felt pain for her. He was filled with anguish. With a heavy heart, he stretched out his hands to pull her into his arms.

    ¡°Jenna, this is life. It will not always be perfect and smooth. I will try my best to give you and Jenny afortable and happy life. However, life is unpredictable. Anything can happen in the future. The reason I¡¯m telling you this is just to remind you that anything can happen anytime, and we must always be prepared for the worst. Do you understand?¡± he whispered in her ears and exined everything in detail.

    However, his words had only filled Jenna with distress. She recalled Jerry wailing in anguish at home and her heart ached terribly. She clung onto his suit with all her might, until her knuckles turned green, as if she was afraid that she would lose him.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t help but to lower his head to kiss her, from her lips to her cheeks. He kissed away her tears and in the end, it seemed as if both of them were crying at the same time. The tears tasted salty and bitter.

    That night, both of them hugged each other to sleep in Hansen¡¯s suite. They were locked in an embrace as they revealed what was on their mind, until the two of them were exhausted, before finally falling into a slumber.

    That night, Jenna had a selfish thought. She would rather give up her life of luxury and her social status as part of a rich and prestigious family, for a poor yet normal life, just like all the other average families in the world. A normal life where the husband and wife loved each other and cared for one another. A normal life where there weren¡¯t so many responsibilities and pressure. She just wanted to raise Jerry well and live a happy life, with the two of them.

    s, it was impossible. How could it be possible?

    Their fates had been determined long ago.

    The Richards Group had been in the industry¡¯s spotlight and many considered them as a threat. There would always be people who wished to destroy them.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were red and swollen when she woke up the next day.

    The moment she opened her eyes, she realized that the space next to her was empty. Hansen had already awakened and she was not aware of it.

    Once she was done cleaning up, the other staff arrived at thepany, one after another.

    Upon returning to her office, Yuri, the secretary, brought her some breakfast. She nibbled on the sandwich but she barely had any appetite. She sat there in a daze as she stared nkly ahead.

    Hansen was nowhere to be seen. She had no idea where he was. He had not left his office for days. Hence, he had probably gone out.

    Ever since Sergio arrived at thepany with his team, all the cars produced by thepany had been recalled from the market. As a result, some employees in the other industries had begun to lose confidence in thepany. Hansen had been busy gaining their trust, while cooperating with Sergio¡¯s investigation.

    Jenna sat in her office as she dealt with thepany¡¯s internal affairs. She also took up some tasks regarding the other industries to reduce the burden on Hansen.

    After signing a few documents and looking through a few reports, she caught a glimpse of Sergio¡¯s tall figure entering her office.

    Jenna nodded to him politely and continued with her tasks.

    ¡°Jenna, where did Hansen go?¡± Sergio walked in and asked with a serious expression.

    Jenna raised her eyebrows and made an expression indicating that she had no idea where he was. She said indifferently, ¡°Mr. Xanthe, Mr. Richards had been cooperating with you for the past few days. I don¡¯t think he has to report to you whenever he goes to the toilet or changes his clothes.¡±

    She put on an air of indifference. She did not smile at all and she seemed very cold and distant.

    Sergio nced at her. Her face was pale, and her eyes were red and swollen. However, she remained focused as she looked through the reports meticulously. She had been in this state for the past few days. As Hansen was busy cooperating with them for the investigation, she had taken up the responsibility of overseeing the internal affairs in thepany, and had done a splendid job. Hence, thepany was still running smoothly despite the circumstances.

    Perhaps he was moved by the fierce determination on her face, Sergio sat on the couch and asked gently, ¡°Jenna, you must loathe me. Am I right? But please understand, this is my job. I have no choice. I have received orders from my superiors. Hence, I have to conduct this investigation. Please understand.¡±

    Upon finishing his sentence, he sighed. ¡°Back then, you insisted on returning to Hansen¡¯s side. Hence, there¡¯s no other way around. Back then, you could have chosen not to return and you would not be forced to bear these responsibilities now if you had done so. However, you were insistent and chose to return, despite the risks. What a shame.¡±

    Upon hearing what he had said, Jenna furrowed her brows and raised her head, looking very puzzled and serious.

    ¡°Sergio, you¡¯re wrong. I chose Hansen because I love him. Hence, it¡¯s my responsibility to face these challenges as well. I followed him back to Richards Group and epted his love. Therefore, I will be strong and stay by his side during these difficult times. I don¡¯t regret it. I believe that we will ovee the crisis. After all, justice will prevail. The Richards Group has never done anything against the interests of the nation. I believe that soon, the truth wille to light.¡±

    She spoke frankly in a righteous manner. Sergio was flushed with embarrassment and felt pretty awkward. He could only smile feebly as he nodded in agreement.

    Jenna looked very solemn as she said earnestly, ¡°Mr. Xanthe, I have never med you. It¡¯s your job and you have no choice but to carry it out. We do understand. However, we hope that you can remain fair and square when you investigate the matter and prove our innocence.¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Sergio smiled and nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve been working hard for the past few days so that I can prove your innocence. I don¡¯t believe as well that yourpany would be involved in something like this.¡±

    Jenna was grateful and said in a low voice, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Jenna! Jenna!¡± They heard the sound of approaching footsteps. A bright and clear voice rang. There was a hint of concern in the voice.

    Jenna was startled.

    Why was the voice so familiar?

    She didn¡¯t have time to react.

    A young and pretty woman dashed into the office.

    ¡°Jenna, how¡¯s thepany right now?¡± Sabrina rushed into the office. Upon seeing Jenna sitting at her desk, looking very distraught and serious, she was instantly filled with concern. Jenna was normally optimistic and carefree. Judging from her expression, thepany had faced an immense crisis.

    ¡°Sabrina, why are you here?¡± It wasn¡¯t until Sabrina held her hand that Jenna came to her senses and eximed in surprise.

    ¡°Jenna, I told you yesterday that I wille over.¡± Sabrina sulked. ¡°Jenna, the Richards Group is in trouble, yet you did not even bother to tell me. How cruel! If I hadn¡¯t seen the news in the newspaper, I would probably be in the dark till goodness knows when.¡±

    Sabrinained. There was a look of concern on her face.

    Jenna was moved at that instant. Sabrina was such a sweet, youngdy. She returned to the country right away, upon hearing that something had happened to the Richards Group. She thought that she was just joking when she mentioned it the day before. However, to her surprise, Sabrina came right away. She was so touched that she did not know what to say.

    Sabrina didn¡¯t care what she was thinking. She was about to fling her bag onto the couch when she noticed a handsome man sitting on the couch as she turned around. He had an elegant demeanor and he was looking at her with his amber eyes. Sabrina was dumbfounded.

    ¡°Who is he?¡± Sabrina had not returned to the country for a long time. She was used to being straightforward and always spoke what was on her mind. Hence, she inquired right away when she was uncertain about the man¡¯s identity.

    ¡°Oh, Sabrina, this is Sergio. You can call him Mr. Xanthe.¡± Jenna stood up immediately and introduced him.

 Chapter 443 You Are Indeed Supportive

    ¡°So you are Sergio?¡± Sabrina was extremely shocked. She looked at Sergio in disbelief.

    Her father, General Delia had called her numerous times, saying that the Xanthe family would love to have her as their daughter-inw. He asked about her opinion regarding the matter. Sabrina was in no mood to think about marriage. Hence, she grew evasive and tried to avoid his calls as much as possible.

    To be honest, although she lived in Capital City, she had never seen him before, as Sergio was mostly in the army. However, she had heard that he was very good-looking and talented, which was why her father agreed to the marriage. However, she was not interested in him.

    She was surprised to see him over here even though she had no feelings for him. Hence, she widened her eyes in disbelief as she examined him from top to bottom.

    ¡°Are you Miss Sabrina?¡± Sergio stood up and smiled at her politely.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Sabrina sized him up for a while. Once she confirmed her first impression of him, she gave him a nod and answered his question.

    Both of them were well aware of the arranged marriage proposal. Sabrina disregarded him and spun around as she shed Jenna a smile. ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten the chance to see Jerry. You must bring me over to Green Jade Garden to meet him. By the way, how¡¯s Grandma?¡±

    Grandma? Jenna¡¯s smile was strained. However, she did not say anything and just gave her a nod.

    ¡°Jenna, how¡¯s the situation right now with the cars? Have you guys found out the cause? The cars are popr in the market and the future is full of potential. Why would something like this ur? There¡¯s definitely a misunderstanding,¡± Sabrina asked in puzzlement. ¡°It must be a scheme. Someone wishes to destroy you. They must be jealous of your sales. You must investigate the matter thoroughly. We cannot let the matter slide so easily.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jenna nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jenna. If anyone dares to ruin the Richards Group, they must do so over my dead body. I will investigate the matter as well and find the culprit. so that they will be brought into custody. Jenna, rest assured, as long as I¡¯m here, I will not allow anything to happen to the Richards Group.¡± From what Sabrina recalled, the Richards Group had always been very powerful. A crisis as severe as this had never urred before. She couldn¡¯t ept it and she trusted thempletely. All she wanted to do was to try her best to protect the people whom she considered to be her family.

    What she said prompted Sergio, who was standing by, to furrow his brows.

    Sabrina was acting so childish. Besides, what did the crisis faced by the Richards Group have to do with her? Why was she so agitated?

    His expression darkened and he examined her.

    Jenna noticed his expression and understood immediately what he was thinking. She took Sabrina¡¯s hand in hers and said with a smile, ¡°Sabrina, I¡¯m so delighted that you coulde over. We can talk about itter. Let me take you to Richards Manor.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, there¡¯s no need to rush. I¡¯m worried about the Richards Group. The cars designed by thepany are so attractive and practical. It¡¯s a shame that they have been recalled from the market. I believe that the Richards Group is not foolish enough to leak the nation¡¯s top secrets. We must investigate the matter thoroughly. Before getting to the bottom of the mystery, I don¡¯t wish to return to Richards Manor,¡± Sabrina said through clenched teeth. Seeing Jenna and her swollen eyes made her very anxious. She was in no mood to return to the Richards Manor. All she wished was to find the culprit.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank and she nced at Sergio, who was standing at the side.

    At this moment, Sergio had already turned around as he slowly sat on the couch. He leaned against the couch and frowned. He did not seem to be in a good mood.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna was worried that Sabrina would provoke Sergio further with her words. Hence, she wanted to pull her out of the office.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, you and yourpany are under my team¡¯s supervision currently. We have the right to know everything that you are doing and you are not supposed to leave our sight. I hope that you can cooperate with us as well.¡± Upon seeing that Jenna was about to leave with Sabrina, Sergio reminded her.

    Upon hearing what he said, Sabrina understood at once that Sergio was here because of the crisis that had urred to the Richards Group. His tone was far from friendly. Fuming mad, Sabrina spun around and sneered as she said sardonically, ¡°Oh, it looks like Mr. Xanthe is here to investigate the matter. I was wondering why you suddenly appeared. It looks like you are actively taking part in ruining the Richards Group¡¯s car business.¡±

    What Sabrina said triggered Sergio and his anger spiked. His mouth formed into an unpleasant twist as his jaw clenched.

    What did she mean when she said that he had ruined the Richards Group? It would ruin his reputation if anyone were to hear it.

    However, he remembered that Yadriel had gone to meet General Delia to arrange for their marriage. Hence, he could not afford to offend her right then. The thought crossed his mind and he slowly calmed down.

    ¡°Sabrina, the incident that the Richards Group has been involved in is tooplicated. You are just an outsider. You don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on. You shouldn¡¯t intervene in this matter. What about this? We knew each other when we were kids. Although we were busy with our respective careers ever since we have grown up and have not met each other for a long time, fate had brought us together, which was why we met today. Why don¡¯t I take you on a stroll around A City. What do you think?¡± He stood up and said earnestly. He really wished that Sabrina would not intervene in the matter, as it had nothing to do with her and she would only make it moreplicated. After all, he wished to gain General Delia¡¯s approval and offending him was thest thing on his mind.

    To his dismay, Sabrina¡¯s expression darkened upon hearing what he had said and she said firmly, ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m going to intervene in this incident. The Delia family and the Richards family have known each other for generations. We are well aware of their backgrounds. Now that they are in trouble, we will not just sit back and watch. As for you, how can you be gloating over the misfortunes of the Richards Group? You even demanded that Jenna ask for your approval before going out. You are just here to make their lives difficult.¡±

    ¡°Sabrina, you¡¯re ady from a prestigious family. How can you be so rude? We are just public officials carrying out our superiors¡¯ orders. I hope that you can understand our predicament.¡± Sergio furrowed his brows and there was a look of displeasure on his face. However, he forced himself to calm down as he exined to her patiently.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are, whether you are a public official or a superior. I only believe what I see. There are not manyrge-scalepanies such as Richards Group in the country. Their contribution to the country is not any less than politicians like you. How can youe over here and me them without a shred of solid evidence and restrict their freedoms? I don¡¯t understand at all. The truth has not been unearthed, yet you already want to imprison them.¡± Sabrina had always been fearless. Hence, she did not give a d*mn about who Sergio was and snapped. Her aura was overbearing.

    Sergio¡¯s head throbbed. It seemed that Sabrina was determined to intervene in this matter. It was bad news for him. After all, General Delia was someone of high importance. He might identally offend General Delia and that would be a huge mess. Hence, he could only reply, ¡°Since Miss Sabrina has requested for it, I will do you a favor and pretend that I¡¯m not aware of this. However, if anything happens, don¡¯t me me if I act ordingly.¡±

    Sabrina snorted. Ignoring him, she led Jenna out of the office.

    Upon leaving thepany, they headed straight for Richards Manor.

    ¡°Jenna, how could things be so serious?¡± Sabrina pondered the matter in the car. However, she could not wrap her head around it. Hence, she asked her dejectedly.

    Jenna was also feeling pretty upset as she drove on. She sighed in exasperation and responded, ¡°I have no idea as well. But now that we are in the wrong, there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, there are so many wicked people in the world. I bet someone is scheming this to ruin the two of you. Don¡¯t worry, I will keep youpany. With me over here, I believe that you guys will not suffer as much,¡± she said sternly, patting her chest.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was filled with warmth. She smiled and said, ¡°Thank you, Sabrina. My heart is much more at ease after hearing what you have said.¡±

    She never expected Sabrina to be so kind-hearted. In all honesty, what happened to the Richards Group had nothing to do with her. However, she called her right away upon receiving the news and gave her some form offort. Besides, she even came over herself. Her genuine concern and kindness had really touched Jenna.

    ¡°s, I don¡¯t know how much help I will be, as I feel that thepany is in a pretty serious predicament. I really hope that the Richards Group can survive it.¡± Sabrina was extremely worried.

    Jenna was in distress as well.

    ¡°I heard that Grandma¡¯s health has deteriorated. Is this true?¡± Sabrina asked right away.

    Jenna¡¯s hand, which was maneuvering the steering wheel, quivered slightly. Her face grew pale and her eyelids drooped.

    ¡°Yes, Sabrina. Grandma hasn¡¯t been welltely. Besides, at her age¡­¡±

    She did not exin further. There was a hint of anguish in her tone and she stared nkly ahead.

    Sabrina understood at once what she meant and her heart sank.

    Both of them did not speak any further throughout the journey. The atmosphere in the car was heavy.

    Upon returning to the Richards Group, Sabrina recalled what happened back then, during the New Year¡¯s Eve banquet. She was filled with mixed feelings as she reminisced about the past. For reasons unknown, she did not hesitate at all to return when she heard that the Richards Group was in trouble. She just wished to help them.

    When she stepped into Richards Manor, she realized immediately why she was so eager to return. She missed this ce. When she was just a kid, she woulde over for summer vacation every year. She had created wonderful memories with Vivian. In addition to that, she feared that such a beautiful ce would be destroyed or damaged. If the Richards Group was to fall, would they be able to maintain Richards Manor?

    She had no idea.

    Meanwhile, in the Ink Garden, upon receiving treatment by the team of experts, Vivian¡¯s condition had improved slightly. However, it was not obvious. When Sabrina entered the room with Jenna, she saw Vivian lying on the bed with her eyes closed, looking very emaciated and her face was ashen grey. She looked so different, nothing like before.

    At the first nce, Sabrina¡¯s eyes turned red and tears flowed down her cheeks.

    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m here to see you.¡± She bent down and shouted into Vivian¡¯s ears. Vivian was not asleep as her eyshes were quivering slightly.

    Upon hearing her voice, Vivian snapped her eyes open as she looked at Sabrina in confusion. After a while, her face lit up with joy.

 Chapter 444 An Unforgettable Memory

    ¡°Sabrina, is it you?¡± she asked in a quivering voice.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± Sabrina blinked back her tears and answered with her voice raised.

    Although Vivian was experiencing some hearing loss, she heard clearly what Sabrina had said. She stretched out her withered hand to hold hers as she struggled to sit up.

    Jenna quickly stepped forward and supported her by holding up her back. She ced a pillow behind her and helped her lean against it as she patted her back to help her catch her breath.

    ¡°Sabrina, I¡¯m so happy that you havee to see me. I thought that you would never set foot in Richards Manor again in your life.¡± Tears streamed down her cheeks and her hands were trembling violently, as she held Sabrina¡¯s hand.

    Sabrina was filled with anguish and burst into tears. She lowered her head as tears streamed down her cheeks.

    ¡°Sabrina, the Richards family is indebted to you. Norton has betrayed your trust. We have never med your father for going against your engagement with Norton. After all, we are in the wrong and we have ruined your reputation. I¡¯m truly delighted that you came and saw me today. You are so forgiving. I¡¯m so blessed. I wasn¡¯t wrong. You are indeed a kind soul.¡± Vivian struggled to catch her breath as she spoke to Sabrina. Jenna was filled with sorrow, to see her in this state. So, sheforted Vivian.

    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. Sabrina is a kind girl. She is reasonable and knows how to differentiate between good and bad. You have always been kind to her. The Richards Group has treated her well. She remembers our kindness.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Grandma. You have treated me like your grandchild since young. I still remember your kindness to me. I wanted toe and see you for a long time but I was busy with my studies. I¡¯m so sorry that I¡¯mte.¡± Sabrina wiped away her tears and held her hand. Her smile was strained.

    ¡°Thank you, Sabrina. It looks like you have really grown up well.¡± Vivian smiled with pleasure.

    ¡°Both of you have been under my care since young and you have been my daughter-inw.¡± Vivian ced Sabrina¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s hands together and held them tightly. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that my grandchildren don¡¯t know how to appreciate you. Now that Hansen and Jenna are back together, I can finally be at ease. As for Norton, he brought it upon himself. Hence, he can¡¯t me anyone else.¡±

    Upon finishing her sentence, she nced at Sabrina, with her eyes brimming with tears. ¡°Sabrina, Norton has brought it upon himself. Hence, I will not be so selfish as to beg you to forgive him. It¡¯s a blessing if you can forgive him, but if you don¡¯t, that¡¯s his punishment. He has done something very wrong and I don¡¯t dare to ask you to forgive him. He has grown up in a terrible environment and it has affected him negatively. It¡¯s my fault for not raising him well. Sabrina, no matter who you choose to marry in the future, I will give you my blessing. I have prepared a dowry for you as well, and I will ask Jenna to hand it to you on your wedding day. After all, we are pretty close, even if you are not my flesh and blood. To me, you are just like my granddaughter.¡±

    As Vivian spoke, the smile warmed her eyes. Her gaze softened and a smile touched the corners of her mouth when she nced at Sabrina.

    ¡°Thank you, Grandma.¡± Sabrina was very touched. She sniffed and wiped away her tears. She wanted to reject the gift but she was afraid that Vivian would be disappointed. Hence, she nodded her head.

    Relief washed over Vivian after speaking everything that was on her mind. It seemed that she had used up all her energy for the conversation. She leaned against the pillow, panting heavily as she closed her eyes.

    Jenna helped her lie down on the bed and covered her with the quilt. She also asked for the medical team toe over and check on her condition. Once it was confirmed that there was nothing wrong with Vivian, she led Sabrina out of the room.

    ¡°Meroy, thank you for taking care of Grandma. You have done a very good job.¡± Meroy followed them out of the room. Seeing Meroy¡¯s haggard face, Jenna was filled with gratitude and thanked her.

    ¡°Madam, this is my duty.¡± Meroy smiled and answered modestly.

    ¡°Meroy, do you think that there is anything wrong with Grandma?¡± Sabrina was pretty anxious and nced at her as she asked with a solemn expression. She knew that Meroy was a doctor and would be able to diagnose Vivian¡¯s condition.

    Meroy¡¯s eyelids drooped. She stared at their faces, which were filled with hope and said gently, ¡°Madam, Miss Sabrina, it¡¯s hard to say for sure. Considering her age and her bed-ridden condition currently, even if you manage to recruit the best medical team¡­¡±

    She did not need to say further. They understood what she meant. Besides, Vivian was getting old. At her age, nothing was certain.

    On the Central Ind of Richards Manor, the scenery was breathtaking, with greenery and blooming flowers.

    Jenna and Sabrina strode down the path with a heavy heart. Both of them were lost in thought.

    The scene during the New Year¡¯s Day banquet two years ago was still vivid in their memory. However, things had changed ever since.

    ¡°Jenna, back then, right in this spot, Aria was acting pretty arrogant and Earl was in high spirits. I thought Hansen was going to marry Aria and I was filled with sorrow. After knowing what Norton had done, I was heartbroken. Everything changed that day. However, I finally understand what was on Hansen¡¯s mind back then. He is a loyal man who values his family and partner above all. He is worthy of your love. Now that you guys are having a good time together, I¡¯m indeed delighted for you.¡± Sabrina sighed. Two years had passed in the blink of an eye. How quickly the time went by!Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna also looked up at the stage in the middle of Central Ind as she reminisced about the past.

    ¡°Sabrina, thank you for staying by our side when the Richards Group is in trouble. I¡¯m over the moon to be able to see you today. Thank you so much.¡± Jenna spun around and held her arm.

    The sincerity on her face touched Sabrina.

    ¡°Jenna, my feelings for Richards Manor are no less than yours. I used toe here often as a kid and I have spent more time over herepared to you. Now that the Richards Group is in trouble, I muste over. What¡¯s more, Grandma is in a bad state. Please don¡¯t say anything like this again. It will only make me embarrassed.¡± Sabrina lowered her head in embarrassment.

    She was wearing a light pink dress. It enhanced the blush on her cheeks. She was stunning and youthful.

    Jenna nced at her and held her hand even tighter as they walked on.

    ¡°Sabrina, to be honest, the Richards Group has encountered a major crisis this time. Hansen and I have no idea whether we can survive it.¡±

    Fear gripped Sabrina¡¯s heart. After a while, she shook her head and said, ¡°Jenna, no. Things aren¡¯t as bad as you think. The Richards Group is wealthy and powerful. Besides, thepany has been around for a very long time. It won¡¯t be destroyed because of this. Believe me, you must have faith that it will work out somehow.¡±

    Although Sabrina¡¯s heart was pounding rapidly, what Jenna said made her feel very uneasy. To be honest, she really did not want anything to happen to the Richards Group.

    ¡°Sabrina, you don¡¯t understand. Even a powerfulpany can be ruined by a carefully plotted out scheme. What¡¯s more, it has something to do with politics. It¡¯s a tragedy,¡± Jenna said calmly. Nobody knew the situation better than she did.

    At the moment, the Richards Group was in the limelight. Many were jealous of them and wanted to make thepany their own. However, not many were willing to support them.

    To make matters worse, the enemy was in the dark. They did not even have a clue about the enemy¡¯s identity.

    Jenna pondered the matter with a heavy heart. For example, she felt that something was seriously strange about Liya¡¯s behavior. However, she couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it. She couldn¡¯t even identify what she had done wrong. Besides, Liya was hired by her. Even if she knew that something was wrong, she cannotin about it.¡±

    The weather was genial and the sky expanded above, like an ever-growing dream. A cool breeze touched the warmth of their cheeks.

    Sabrina had a bad feeling about the situation after hearing what Jenna said. A long silence followed as none could think of what to say.

    A bird chirped and she raised her head.

    The bird on the tree had a yellow bill and emerald feathers. It was very beautiful.

    The bird chirped when she looked at it as if it knew her.

    ¡°Norton, I want that bird!¡± A girl yelled as she tagged along behind Norton. Her voice was sweet and pleasant to the ears.

    ¡°These birds are a precious species that Grandpa had bought from all around the world. They are raised to contribute to the environment and maintain the bnce of the ecosystem. It¡¯s illegal to catch them. Do you understand?¡± The boy retorted in annoyance.

    ¡°Well, then I don¡¯t want it.¡± The girl pouted and lowered her head.

    ¡°Norton, why have you been sitting over here for so long? Let¡¯s go home.¡± The girl ran over after ying for a while on the swing. She asked the boy who had been sitting under the tree, apparently in a daze, as he stared nkly ahead.

    ¡°Sabrina, you are the one who wanted to follow me. If you are bored, then leave. Don¡¯t disturb me.¡± A sh of annoyance crossed his gloomy face. He was being pretty rude and disregarded her.

    The girl was furious but she did not leave.

    The boy had handsome and charming features. His expression was gloomy and no matter how hard she tried, she could not seem to understand what was on his mind. Slowly, she became infatuated with him. It happened when they were still kids.

    However, once they grew up¡­

    Sabrina shook her head and tried to dismiss those thoughts which troubled her. In her opinion, although he remained mysterious as an adult, he could not be forgiven after what he had done. She could not ept him anymore. Besides, he had never like her before.

    Sabrina who was always cheerful and optimistic fell silent.

    ¡°Sabrina, were you telling the truth when you mentioned that you wished to return to the Richards Group and aid us as we try to ovee the difficulties ahead?¡± Jenna held her hand as she noticed her gloomy expression and the sorrow in her eyes. She sighed. Two years had passed. Sabrina had changed. She had grown up and she was now much more mature.

    Sabrina turned her face away as if she was thinking about how to answer her question.

    She admitted that she had said that she wished to return to the Richards Group and help them as they ovee the challenges ahead when she first set foot in her office. However, she had blurted it out without thinking it through, as she was agitated. In reality, how was it possible?

    Now that she was no longer engaged to Norton, she had nothing to do with the Richards Group. If she really did stay to help them, what would she be doing it for? She was no longer part of the family.

    What¡¯s more, ever since the summer vacation, General Delia had been urging her to return and go on a blind date as she was already 25 years old.

    Jenna understood what was on her mind right away upon reading her expression. She merely smiled and said, ¡°Sabrina, my apologies for being so impudent. It¡¯s just my wishful thinking. I am Hansen¡¯s wife. Hence, it is my duty to protect the Richards Group. However, you aren¡¯t part of the family. I have no right to ask you to help us. I¡¯m sorry. I was just being selfish. Please ignore what I have said.¡±

    As she spoke, she held Sabrina¡¯s hand and they strolled down the path.

 Chapter 445 Surviving These Difficult Times Together

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s not what you think. I do wish to help but I don¡¯t think that I would be much of a help. After all, I do not have any power.¡± Seeing the look of disappointment on her face, Sabrina felt sorry. She lowered her head and stammered, as her fingers fidgeted nervously. She really wanted to help the Richards Group. Although she said it out of agitation, it was what she had been thinking all this while.

    ¡°Who says? You can definitely be of help.¡± Jenna shook her head and smiled. She said firmly, ¡°Have you forgotten? Back then, we organized the New Year Eve¡¯s banquet together right over here. It was a big sess. Although Aria stole our spotlight, we both knew that it was a result of our team effort. We cooperated pretty well together. Didn¡¯t we?¡±

    Sabrina was stunned. She thought for a moment and her face broke into a grin.

    Her words rang true.

    ¡°However, Jenna, this isn¡¯t as simple as nning a grand banquet. It¡¯s far moreplicated and a scheme is involved.¡± Sabrina shook her head, not looking very confident. Besides, it seemed inappropriate for her to intervene in the Richards family¡¯s matters.

    Jenna chuckled out of a sudden. ¡°Sabrina, have you forgotten? Back then, our only focus was to organize a grand banquet. However, Hansen utilized that opportunity to plot a scheme against Earl and seeded in bringing him into custody. Hence, whether it¡¯s a banquet or a scheme, it¡¯s all the same. First of all, we must have the confidence that we can pull it off.¡±

    When she heard what Jenna said, Sabrina stood up and was lost in thought.

    ¡°Sabrina, I wanted to ask you. Do you know where Norton is now? Did he try to look for you?¡± Jenna suddenly changed the topic.

    She had a reason to ask her about this. There were not many men among the younger generation of the Richards family. Hansen and Norton were the only grandsons of Vivian. Although Vivian was forced to drive Norton away, she was filled with anguish when she did so. Jenna was well aware of it.

    Now that the Richards family was in trouble and Vivian¡¯s health was deteriorating, she had every reason to find Norton and bring him back to the Richards Group.

    A family needs to remain united in difficult times like this.

    Now that the family was facing a crisis, Norton ought to return to help, or at least, take advantage of this opportunity to achieve something. After all, he was still part of the Richards family. Nothing could change that. His return would also bring joy to Vivian, who was severely ill, and fulfill her wish.

    ¡°Jenna, when I left the country, Norton came to find me at the airport but I rejected him. After that, I had never seen him again. However, from what I know, he remained abroad.¡± Sabrina understood the importance of the current situation and said bitterly.

    Back then, he swore to be sessful and make others look up to him. If that was the case, he probably hadn¡¯t returned.

    Moreover, she had a hunch that he was living somewhere not far from her. There were a few times when she caught a glimpse of his figure as she walked out of the school gates. However, once she looked carefully, he had already disappeared. Although she could not say for sure, her instincts told her that she was right.

    ¡°Oh, do you happen to know which city he is in?¡± Jenna was on cloud nine upon hearing what she said and inquired immediately.

    To her disappointment, Sabrina shook her head.

    This made Jenna a little discouraged, but she decided that she would go abroad as well in the next few days. After all, she had to check on the situation over there, after the cars had been recalled from the market.

    ¡°Sabrina, how long are you going to stay in A city this time around?¡± Jenna inquired. She sighed. If only Norton hadn¡¯t chosen the wrong path and they had been married instead, what a blessing it would be.

    If that was the case, both of them could protect the Richards Group together. Although the Richards Group belonged to Trevor, as long as she was willing to do so, she couldn¡¯t see why they could not work together in thepany. However, this was no longer possible.

    What was done was done. The misdeeds that Norton had done could not be erased.

    Both of them held hands as they strolled leisurely along the path.

    ¡°Jenna, Sergio¡¯s father wants me to be their daughter-inw.¡± After a while, Sabrina spoke hesitatingly. Her voice was so soft that it was barely audible. However, Jenna heard what she said.

    Jenna merely replied, ¡°Oh.¡±

    Sergio was the son of one of the most promising politicians in Capital City. Sabrina¡¯s father was an important figure as well. They had simr family backgrounds. It was only normal that Yadriel wanted an arranged marriage between the two families. It was also natural that General Delia would agree to the arranged marriage. Hence, Jenna was not surprised at all.

    ¡°Jenna, what do you think of Sergio?¡± Sabrina noticed that Jenna was not surprised at all and epted the news calmly. After all, she also felt that it was a sound arrangement. She was already 25 years old. General Delia had insisted that she return during her summer break for the marriage.

    Her thoughts of Sergio?Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Sabrina, do you have any feelings towards Sergio?¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s eyes widened in shock. She shook her head immediately after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°Jenna, I have never thought of marrying Sergio. I don¡¯t really know him, let alone have feelings towards him. It¡¯s all so sudden.¡±

    A slow smile worked its way across Jenna¡¯s face and into her eyes.

    ¡°Are you kidding? Sergio is a remarkable man. He has good looks and is pretty charming. He is like the Prince Charming that many women yearn for. His Dad is about to run for the State Governor¡¯s position. If he wins, their family would be powerful. Sergio¡¯s future would be bright. If you marry him, you will live a life of luxury.¡± Although she was teasing her, her expression was serious. What she said was true. Sergio did have many strengths.

    Sabrina¡¯s face fell when she heard what she said.

    ¡°Jenna, you know as well that I value rtionships over a person¡¯s background. I want someone who truly loves and cares about me. Someone whom I can talk to and rely on for the rest of my life. I don¡¯t want someone who only desires power and has great ambitions. Sergio is pretty outstanding, but I feel that he and his family value power too much, which was why I did not agree to the marriage immediately,¡± she said softly. There was a hint of exasperation in her voice.

    ¡°Sabrina, you have truly grown up and be more mature. You finally know what you want.¡± What Sabrina said surprised Jenna and she gasped in admiration at once.

    She was really thrilled to see Sabrina thinking so rationally. Although Sergio was outstanding, he was not suitable for Sabrina. That was the key message.

    Jenna approved of what Sabrina said. She was on the right track.

    ¡°Jenna, I just said what was on my mind. But to be honest, I¡¯m at a loss as to what to do as well. Considering my family background, my Dad will never let me marry someone with a lower social status. Hence, I don¡¯t have much of a choice. Besides, I¡¯m already 25 years old. When Yadriel proposed the idea, my father agreed right away. I bet that Yadriel was aware of my father¡¯s concerns as well and he utilized it to his advantage. After all, I was previously engaged to Norton and everyone knows that.¡± Sabrina lowered her head and sighed. A look of exasperation crossed her face.

    ¡°Sabrina, have you ever loved someone after all these years? For example, a ssmate?¡± Jenna examined her. She recalled that she had fallen in love with Hansen when they were just kids. What about Sabrina? She was already 25 years old. Could it be that she had never loved anyone before?

    Jenna¡¯s question caught Sabrina off guard. She pondered the matter and she looked more confused than ever. After a long silence, she shook her head.

    ¡°s, silly girl. You are so outstanding. Don¡¯t worry, you will definitely find a guy who loves you and adores you. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Jennaforted her in a soft voice.

    Sabrina lowered her head and pondered for a while. She then raised her head suddenly and her face lit up with joy as an idea crossed her mind. She asked, ¡°Jenna, is Sergio in charge of the Richards Group¡¯s case?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°This means he will remain in the Richards Group until the truth is out, am I right?¡± Sabrina continued.

    ¡°I think so.¡± Jenna nodded and answered.

    ¡°Well, Jenna, I will stay and keep youpany. I will do my best to help the Richards Group survive the crisis. I already thought of an idea on how to persuade my father.¡± Sabrina had a smug smile on her face. Her smile widened. It showed off her dimples and it made her look very cute and lively.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jenna looked at her with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. I can just tell my father that Sergio is handling the Richards Group¡¯s case and I want to get to know him more before I give him an answer. Anyway, once the matter has been resolved, I will give him my answer. Besides, marriage should not be taken lightly. It will be a perfect opportunity for me to see if we are suitable together before I make a decision. But the most important thing is, it would be a perfect excuse for me to stay and help the Richards Group during troubling times like this.¡± Upon saying that, Sabrina was ecstatic. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jenna. Since Sergio is in charge of this case, I will try my best to make him prove thepany¡¯s innocence. After all, his father is going to run for the State Governor¡¯s position, he won¡¯t dare to offend my father just yet. You guys need not worry about him.¡±

    Upon finishing her sentence, a look of joy and satisfaction lit up her eager face. Sabrina was feeling very proud of herself foring up with such a splendid idea. It was a brilliant idea, especially to her. It was the best option she had right now.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna nodded and held Sabrina¡¯s hand tightly, shing her a smile.

    However, would they be able to prove the Richards Group¡¯s innocence? Jenna was skeptical.

    ¡°Jenna, I was cracking my head, trying toe up with an idea to persuade my Dad. Now I finally have an excuse!¡± Sabrina¡¯s smile broadened into a grin and she held Jenna¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Let me stay and help you protect the Richards Group. Let¡¯s survive this together. I have always believed that justice will prevail. Evil cannot triumph over good. As long as we have done nothing wrong, everything will work out eventually.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are right.¡± What Sabrina said inspired Jenna and put her in a good mood. She beamed from ear to ear. ¡°Now that I have your support, I feel much more confident.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s work hard together.¡± Sabrina shed her a smile and they held each other¡¯s hands tightly.

    At this moment, the sun was shining brightly over the horizon, lighting up the golden roof of Richards Manor. The building was shining brightly, surrounded by a dazzling, golden light. Besides, thepound was full of dense greenery. It was truly a breathtaking scene!

 Chapter 446 An Ugly And Plump Man

    At the main office of the Sky Sword Group, Zoe, who was wearing a white dress and a ck shawl, was sitting at her desk. Her silky hair fell over her shoulders and she looked very elegant and charming.

    She was holding a pen, and was lost in thought, as she stared at theputer screen.

    Octavia walked in and said softly, ¡°Miss Yates, Mr. Jones is here.¡±

    Zoe, who was staring at theputer screen, narrowed her eyes. Her mouth twisted into that wry smile again and her eyes twinkled with mirth. She was not paying attention to what Octavia was saying.

    Octavia did not receive a response after standing there for a while. Hence, she could only raise her voice. ¡°Mr. Oscar is here.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? Who¡¯s here?¡± she asked incredulously. Upon hearing Oscar¡¯s name being mentioned, Zoe finally came to her senses.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, Mr. Oscar.¡± Octavia had to repeat what she said.

    Why was he here? Zoe¡¯s gaze turned ice-cold and it was dripping with spite.

    Octavia couldn¡¯t help but tremble with fear when she saw Zoe¡¯s withering stare, although it was not chilly in the room.

    ¡°Let him in.¡± Zoe¡¯s icy expression onlysted for a few seconds. She soon calmed down and she instructed Octavia calmly. An enigmatic smile spread across her face.

    She didn¡¯t expect that Matteo would really ask his good-for-nothing son toe over and keep an eye on her. Amazing!

    After a while, the scent of cologne wafted towards her.

    Although the scent of the cologne was alluring and it was popr among men nowadays, Zoe sniffed with disgust when she saw Oscar¡¯s bald and plump figure appeared before her. He literally reeked of sweat and the scent of the cologne no longer seemed appealing.

    ¡°Honey.¡± As soon as Oscar set foot in the office, he sat down immediately on the couch and beamed from ear to ear when he looked at Zoe¡¯s attractive figure, as well as her skin, which was tender and soft to touch. He longed for her so terribly and was satisfied with her looks. ¡°It must have been hard for you. My dad told me that it¡¯s not easy for a woman to handle apany all by herself and asked me toe over and help you. You can just sit back and rx.¡±

    He shed her a smile, looking very gleeful. His gaze remained riveted upon her face and the desire on his face was so apparent. Anyone could see that he wanted more than anything to reach his hands out to touch her smooth and tender skin. He was getting increasingly impatient and gulped repeatedly throughout the conversation.

    Zoe gave him a sideways nce and almost shuddered in disgust. This plump and ugly man had his gaze riveted upon her body. His eyes were filled with lust and judging from his expression, it seemed that he regarded her as his ything. His expression told her clearly that he was aroused and wanted to sleep with her.

    She wanted to puke in disgust. Feeling nauseous, she covered her mouth and steadied herself.

    It would already be a blessing if Oscar had not disrupted her ns, but to help her? What utter rubbish!

    ¡°Oscar, I have something to do here. Why don¡¯t you go to the hotel and get yourself a room to rest in the meantime. Once I¡¯m done, I will go and meet you,¡± Zoe said gently, forcing a smile.

    Oscar stared at her beautiful features, and her charming and captivating smile. He was super satisfied with the wife his father had ¡®procured¡¯ for him. His gaze fleeted across her face and fell on her bosom. The sight made his stomach churn with excitement and his desires manifested. He was reluctant to leave at the moment.

    ¡°Honey, there¡¯s no need to rush. I¡¯m not tired at all. The sight of you makes me pretty energetic. Let me keep youpany,¡± Oscar said gleefully as he stole a nce at her exposed, ample cleavage, and gulped. He wished more than ever to stretch out his hands to grab her breasts and satisfy his desires. Hence, he was not going to leave so easily.

    Zoe¡¯s expression darkened. She could clearly see the desire in his eyes and it filled her with disgust.

    She would rathermit suicide than let his filthy hands touch her.

    However, she had toe up with a n to send him away or he would definitely get his way. With him over here, she could not n out her revenge in peace.

    ¡°Octavia, Oscar hase from afar. It must be a tiring journey. Hurry up and pour him some water to quench his thirst.¡± Zoe spun around and smiled smugly as she instructed Octavia. As she spoke, she winked at her and gave her a meaningful look.

    Octavia understood at once what she wanted her to do. With a smile, she nodded her head and left the office.

    After a while, Octavia returned with a porcin cup filled with water.

    ¡°Come, Oscar, have some water.¡± Surprisingly, Zoe was very enthusiastic and handed him the cup of water herself.

    Oscar could not believe his eyes. She wasing closer to him. Mesmerized by her beauty and her captivating smile, Oscar gulped in excitement. Beaming, he dly epted the cup of water.

    As he held the cup, he caught sight of her slender hands and seized the opportunity to hold her hand. Zoe already expected that he would do something like that, but all she did was to smile in response. She did not withdraw her hand. He stroked her hand gently and she seized the chance to push the cup against his lips. She said gently, ¡°Oscar, drink some water first. The weather is pretty hot.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, honey. I am kind of thirsty.¡± Holding her hand in his made him even thirstier and he parted his lips and gulped down the cup of water.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Zoe quickly withdrew her hand from his and smiled as she asked, ¡°Are you still thirsty? Would you like another cup of water?¡±

    Oscar giggled sheepishly. After a while, his eyelids drooped and he copsed onto the couch.

    ¡°What a fool.¡± Once he fainted, the smile on Zoe¡¯s face vanished in an instant and it was reced with an icy stare. She stretched out her legs to kick him hard before dashing into the toilet, and washed her hands repeatedly with lots of soap. It wasn¡¯t until her hands were red from excessive washing did she stop.

    Finally, she came out of the toilet and looked at Oscar, who was lying spread out on the couch in disgust. She instructed Octavia. ¡°Call a few security guards over to carry him to the hotel room.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Octavia immediately called for the security guards toe over and they soon carried him out of the office. Octavia followed them to the hotel to make the necessary arrangements.

    Zoe stood silently by the side. She watched as Oscar was carried out of her office. She ced her hand on her chest and her expression was unreadable.

    After a while, she sat down on her chair andughed hysterically as she stared at herputer.

    ¡°Soon! Soon, I will be able to leave Oscar for good and I need not bear with him anymore,¡± she muttered silently to herself and there was a crazed look on her face.

    Meanwhile, at Hansen¡¯s office. Jameson, a software engineer whom Hansen had sent abroad to be trained in secret was sitting at the desk, as he looked through the program on theputer. He was very focused and his expression was solemn.

    Hansen leaned against the couch and remained as motionless as a statue, looking very serious.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything wrong with the program. I can¡¯t seem to find anything that looks suspicious.¡± Some timeter, Jameson announced, raising his head, after he had checked through everything numerous times.

    Hansen raised his eyebrows and frowned in disbelief. ¡°Are you saying that the program for the cars designed by thework department is fine and that there¡¯s nothing wrong with it? Are you sure?¡±

    Jameson checked the program once more before nodding confidently.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t see any ws with this program.¡± Jameson nodded his head and phrased his answer carefully.

    Hansen narrowed his eyes slightly, lost in thought. His expression was unreadable.

    ¡°In your opinion, do you think that the imnting of the nation¡¯s top secrets into the program had been carried out by an outsider or was it someone in ourpany?¡± Hansen asked, taking a deep breath.

    Jameson thought for a moment before responding hesitantly, ¡°To be honest, imnting something into the cars¡¯ GPS can be done by an outsider as well as someone in thepany. It can be done easily by hacking into the system. Hence, it¡¯s kind of hard to say for sure.¡±

    Hansen remained silent and did not budge. It was just a hunch. However, it seemed that he was just being paranoid.

    ¡°You can leave now. Continue checking for anything wrong with the program. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions.¡± Hansen gave a dismissive wave of his hand and Jameson left the office. He was then lost in thought as he pondered the matter. A few days had passed, yet there was no progress. They did not have a clue how everything had gone wrong. On top of that, they did not have a lead. If this continued, all the cars produced by the Richards Group would be recalled from the market forever and it would incur huge losses to thepany.

    However, as long as the truth remained undiscovered, Sergio and his team would not leave thepany. As time progressed, thepany would fail to operate properly and the other industries would be affected as well.

    The other industries might go out of business due to the incident.

    It would be a huge blow to thepany.

    Presently, everything remained peaceful on the surface, although the cars produced by the Richards Group had been recalled from the market. All the other industries were still in development as nned, without any signs of them being affected. However, Hansen knew that danger was imminent.

    Everything was starting to go out of control.

    He had been in the business world for a very long time. How could he not know that a crisis wasing?

    The thought crossed his mind and he picked up the phone and made a call.

    ¡°Liya,e to my office right now.¡± He picked up the phone and ced it by his ear. His tone was gentle, and his voice was pleasant to the ears.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Liya was ecstatic. She put down the phone and her face flushed crimson.

    Hansen had called her. He wanted to see her. This was the first time he had asked to see her!

    She rushed into the toilet in a hurry to touch up her makeup. After making sure that she looked very stunning, she waltzed into the VIP elevator.

    As the elevator ascended to the 88th floor, she examined herself in the mirror. She turned around, showing off her slender figure.

    Hansen asked her to go over to his office. This was the first time she received a call from him. His voice was so gentle and sweet. Liya couldn¡¯t help but to beam with excitement.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Hansen.¡± Liya walked into the office, looking very graceful and elegant. A sweet smile was stered across her face and she gave him a seductive look.

    Hansen was sitting on the couch and he shed her a charming smile.

    ¡°Hansen, what can I do for you?¡± Her smile was captivating and beautiful, as her face flushed scarlet.

    Hansen looked at her. His gaze was ice-cold, and his expression was unreadable as he stood up abruptly. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied with an air of indifference.

    As he responded, he walked past her. The smell of cologne wafted towards her and her heart pounded rapidly.

 Chapter 447 You Did Well

    ¡°Liya, you have performed well ever since you joined thepany. The program you have designed is pretty good as well.¡± Hansen took out a USB drive from his drawer and ced it on the table. He shed her a smile andplimented her.

    ¡°Thank you so much for thepliment, Hansen. It¡¯s my honor to be able to work in Richards Group.¡± Liya was filled with delight upon receiving his praise. Jubnt, she showered him with ttery.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to work so hard for the sake of Richards Group. It¡¯s beyond my expectation. What about this? I will inform the finance department to increase your sry by 50% from today onwards,¡± he announced. The smile warmed his eyes. He was being pretty generous.

    ¡°Really?¡± Liya raised her head and eximed in delight. She looked at him with moist, shining, and ecstatic eyes.

    ¡°Of course, why would I lie to you?¡± Hansen¡¯s smile broadened into a grin and he said firmly, ¡°Didn¡¯t I mention that you have done a great job? Thepany will definitely give you the reward you deserve.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you so much, Hansen.¡± Liya was over the moon and she batted her eyshes at him. There was affection in her eyes.

    It was a dreame true! Hansen had treated her so coldly just a few days ago. However, he was being so good to her right now. Not only did he call for her himself, he also decided to give her a pay rise. The change in his attitude was so sudden that she was not ustomed to it. In fact, she found it hard to believe.

    ¡°Liya, how did youe to work at the Richards Group?¡± Hansen sat down at his desk and asked casually.

    Liya was stunned for a moment before she smiled and said, ¡°Hansen, I saw that the Richards Group was looking for a software engineer. Hence, I submitted my resume and Mr. White informed me toe over for the interview. On my first day here, I met Ms. Murphy and she agreed to let me stay in thepany as an official employee.

    She was eloquent and clear about the details. Everything seemed logical.

    Hansen nodded and sighed. ¡°What a shame. Liya, since you recognized me at first nce, why didn¡¯t youe to find me right away and tell me that you wished to work at mypany?¡±

    As he spoke, he looked at her with his charming eyes and gave her a meaningful look. It made Liya¡¯s heart beat rapidly.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡­¡± Liya did not expect that Hansen would say something like that and was at a loss for words for a moment. However, she responded quickly by lowering her head and her full lips pouted slightly. She said pitifully, ¡°Hansen, you have a high social status whereas I¡¯m a nobody. I didn¡¯t dare to approach you.¡±

    For the first two times she encountered him, his attitude was cold and detached. Besides, he did not recognize her. Hence, she didn¡¯t dare to even walk up to him.

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s your first impression of thepany. Do you think we value a person¡¯s social status over their abilities?¡± Hansen furrowed his brows and sneered as he stared at her. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why did you approach me after that and revealed your identity? How are you going to exin this?¡±

    ¡°This¡­ I¡­¡± Liya was caught off guard by his question that she could not utter a single word. She couldn¡¯t possibly say that she was infatuated with him and wished to seduce him.

    Could it be that he had figured out her intentions?

    The thought crossed her mind and she grew a little uneasy as she looked at him sheepishly. Upon noticing that he was looking at her calmly and did not seem to be suspicious of her, she calmed down and said sweetly, ¡°Hansen, I know that thepany values a person¡¯s abilities above all. Hence, I did not approach you at first, as I wanted to prove my worth and make you proud.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s no wonder.¡± Hansen burst outughing suddenly. ¡°Good, that¡¯s great! Continue doing your best. Once thepany has survived the current crisis, I will give you a promotion. You know as well that I¡¯m wealthy and powerful. A mere trifle such as what has happened to the car industry will not affect thepany at all. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are right,¡± Liya echoed his words and nodded in agreement. She heaved a sigh of relief. It looked like he did not notice that something was amiss. He was just curious.

    Zoe was right. Hansen was bing increasingly interested in her. If that was the case, once she received the money from Hansen, she would then pay Zoe back. After all,pared to working for Zoe, she would rather stay at Richards Group. She did not wish to be Zoe¡¯s pawn for revenge. Liya understood her predicament well. She was not willing to be used by Zoe and sacrifice herself for her revenge.

    ¡°Okay, you may leave now. I¡¯ll call you again if I need anything.¡± Hansen shed her a smile and he was being pretty friendly. The smile warmed his eyes and it made Liya¡¯s heart race with joy.

    ¡°Okay, Hansen, I¡¯ll take my leave,¡± Liya replied in a soft and sweet voice, beaming. Her slender figure then spun around as she slowly walked out of the office.

    As soon as Jenna and Sabrina set foot at the International Kinsey Center and waited in front of the VIP elevator, they saw Liyaing out of the VIP elevator. She was blushing and giggling sheepishly.

    ¡°Good afternoon, Ms. Murphy.¡± Upon seeing Jenna, she could not hide the smugness on her face as she parted her lips and greeted her carefully.

    Why did she use the VIP elevator?

    Jenna found it very suspicious. After all, it was the VIP elevator. At the moment, it was reserved only for her and Hansen. The other employees could only use the other elevators. Why was she here? There was only one usible exnation. She had juste back from Hansen¡¯s office.

    Jenna recalled her behavior in front of Hansen when she was present a few days ago and this put her in a bad mood.

    ¡°Jenna, is this woman working in the Richards Group as well?¡± Sabrina nced towards Liya¡¯s direction as she walked away. Her curiosity was piqued.

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s an employee in thework department,¡± Jenna replied, apparently lost in thought.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°She is quite beautiful. Her eyes are captivating. She looks like those women who are experts at seducing men.¡± Sabrina pondered for a moment before she grinned. ¡°Jenna, you must be careful. Don¡¯t let Hansen fall for a woman like her.¡±

    Sabrina had hit a raw nerve. Fear gripped at her heart and she said right away, ¡°How dare he? If he dares to do something like this right under my eyes, I will not let the matter slide easily.¡±

    She was deeply troubled as she spoke.

    ¡°Well, anything¡¯s possible. A man can¡¯t reject a woman who flirts with him, let alone a woman who is attractive and knows how to please a man. Men are all the same. To put it lightly, you must be careful.¡± Sabrina replied dismissively, pouting.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank and she was feeling very dejected. Soon, they arrived at the 88th floor.

    ¡°Sabrina, you may stay here at my office for the next few days. I¡¯m going abroad.¡± Jenna frowned, apparently lost in thought.

    As they spoke, someone appeared at the door. It was Hansen. He strode into the office.

    ¡°Sabrina, you¡¯re here?¡± He heard Sabrina¡¯s voice from the office beside and walked over as he greeted her cordially.

    Sabrina turned around and said, ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m here to see Jenna and help her.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you for your help then.¡± As soon as Hansen entered the room, he caught a glimpse of Jenna standing silently by the side. Her face was pale and she did not look at him affectionately, which seemed pretty unusual. In fact, it seemed that she was in a bad mood and there was a sullen expression on her face. Worried, Hansen was about to approach her when Sergio walked into the office.

    Hansen frowned when he saw him.A sh of irritation crossed his gaze.

    ¡°Sabrina, I have something to talk to you about.¡± He entered the office and said to Sabrina, ¡°Pleasee with me.¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s expression darkened and she nced at Jenna, who was also looking at her before she followed him out of the office.

    ¡°Sabrina, I don¡¯t wish for you to be involved in the Richards Group¡¯s matters. General Delia has already said the day before that you are going to return to the Capital City.¡± Upon entering his office, Sergio addressed Sabrina with a solemn expression.

    Sabrina¡¯s temper sparked when she heard that he had told her father regarding her arrival. How overbearing was he? Who did he think he was? She immediately raised her eyebrows as she red at him. ¡°Sergio, or should I say, Mr. Xanthe, you can¡¯t control what I do. I will do as I wish. Besides, this is my personal affair. What does it have to do with you? How dare you tell my father about this. What a j*rk!¡±

    What Sergio did was enough to ruin her impression of him.

    ¡°Sabrina, the matter regarding Richards Group is prettyplex. You are just an outsider and you don¡¯t understand the predicament. You can¡¯t be of much help. Getting involved in this matter will only ruin General Delia¡¯s reputation. I¡¯m advising you for your own sake and I really hope that you can leave as soon as possible.¡±

    Sergio did not care what she thought of him. His expression was solemn and his tone was stern. It never crossed his mind that Sabrina would intervene in this matter. This gave him a headache and he was extremely frsutrated.

    ¡°Really?¡± Sabrina sneered. ¡°Thanks for your reminder. However, I¡¯m a person who loves to meddle in other people¡¯s affairs out of boredom. Besides, I have a close rtionship with those in the Richards Group. I won¡¯t just sit back and watch when they are in trouble.¡±

    Upon finishing her sentence, Sabrina raised her head and red at him as she snorted in disgust. She gave him a look of disdain, looking very indignant and unsatisfied.

    Sergio was seriously getting a headache. ¡°Sabrina, what rtionship do you have with the Richards Group? Don¡¯t forget, you are no longer engaged to Norton. Can you imagine what people will say behind your back if you continue staying here? Or are you still madly in love with the ex-convict, Norton?¡±

    ¡°Sergio, how can you say something like that?¡± Burning anger spread across her body when she heard what he said. Rage overcame her. She red at him and gave him a warning. ¡°Let me be frank with you. I may not be part of the Richards Group but this is none of your business. We aren¡¯t close or anything. What I do has nothing to do with you. Let me say this onest time. I¡¯m going to intervene in the Richards Group¡¯s matters. Although your father has proposed an arranged marriage between both of our families, I haven¡¯t given my consent. I already spoke to my dad that I will remain here at the Richards Group while I keep an eye on you. He has agreed to let me stay here for a while. Let me tell you. If you fail to prove the Richards Group¡¯s innocence, I will not hesitate to reject the marriage proposal and I will definitely teach you a lesson.¡±

    Sabrina was seething with anger as she drove her point across. Fuming mad, she snorted and left. Sergio was left alone in a daze. His lips grew thin with anger.

 Chapter 448 His Generosity

    ¡°Jenna, did you go home just now? Is Jerry alright?¡± As soon as Sabrina left the office, Hansen walked towards her and reached out his hand to touch her. However, for some inexplicable reason, Jenna seemed to be in a bad mood and avoided him.

    She recalled Liya¡¯s expression when she went out of the elevator a moment ago and it made her even more upset. Liya was apparently in high spirits.

    Hansen was startled when Jenna avoided him. He nced at her and was a little taken aback to see her gloomy expression. His mind raced.

    ¡°Did Jerry say that he missed me?¡± he asked gently with a grin. However, a sh of anguish crossed his face.

    ¡°Yes, he was wailing, begging me not to leave.¡± Jenna could still hear the sound of Jerry weeping and it made her heart ache terribly. She raised her head as she was choked with sobs.

    Hansen fell silent.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m going abroad for a while.¡± She pondered the matter for a while before firmly stating her wish.

    ¡°Oh, why though?¡± Hansen was surprised when he heard that she was going aboard. His voice was filled with concern as he asked.

    ¡°What else can I do? I¡¯m going to settle the issues over there. All the cars have been recalled from the market. I must go over and check on the situation.¡± Jenna¡¯s expression was solemn.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Hansen replied after only a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°When are you leaving?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Jenna answered clearly.

    Hansen raised his head and looked at her. He seemed to be preupied with something when he said, ¡°If there¡¯s a lot to do over there, you can stay there for a few days or go on a vacation. Enjoy yourself over there.¡±

    Hansen reached out his hand and wrapped his arms around her as he pulled her into an embrace. He rested his chin on her hair as he stared nkly ahead.

    Stay there for a few more days? What did he mean by that?

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank and she was terribly upset. Was he nning to spend time with Liya once she was gone?

    At this moment, they heard Sergio and Sabrina quarreling in the room next to them.

    Both of them turned their heads towards the direction.

    ¡°Hansen, Yadriel has proposed an arranged marriage between Sergio and Sabrina to General Delia,¡± Jenna exined to him in a low voice.

    Hansen furrowed his brows as he sniggered.

    Heseemed to be lost in thought andmerely replied, ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Hansen nced down at her and called her name gently.

    Jenna looked up at him. Their eyes met and they were filled with affection, longing, anguish, and exasperation.

    Hansen¡¯s square jaw tensed up visibly and his eyelids drooped as he said, ¡°Remember what I¡¯ve told you before.¡±

    There were some secrets that he did not wish to tell her, as he was afraid that she would be worried about him. If she could stay out of the matter and leave thepany for a while, it would be the best arrangement. The thought crossed his mind and he reminded her in a gentle voice.

    Jenna seemed to be lost in thought. Thoughts of Liya clouded her mind and her smile was strained. She did not hear what Hansen said at all.

    She felt the urge to question him whether Liya hade over to his office a moment ago and the reason for it. She parted her lips and was about to ask him when she saw him looking at her with deep affection. It made her heart race with joy.

    In that instant, she changed her mind. She decided to trust him again. She believed that he loved her and would not be seduced by Liya.

    Their eyes locked on one another. Both of them wanted to say something, yet nobody spoke. There were so many things to say and neither knew how to begin the conversation.

    The door swung open with a loud bang. Fuming mad, Sabrina walked into the office and shouted, ¡°How infuriating! Who does he think he is? How dare he order me to leave?¡±

    Jenna and Hansen nced at one another and both of them understood at once what the other was thinking. They were both touched by Sabrina¡¯s kindness.

    ¡°You two can continue chatting. I¡¯ll take my leave first,¡± Hansen said indifferently as he walked out of the office.

    As soon as stepped out of the office, he saw Sergio standing in the corridor, with his unwavering re holding him in ce.

    Hansen walked towards him and his gaze turned ice-cold. He wanted to ignore him but Sergio lowered his voice and bellowed, ¡°Hansen, I have solid evidence that you guys are involved in the matter. Even General Delia would not be able to save you. You should know what you have to do.¡±

    Upon hearing what he had said, Hansen¡¯s temper sparked and he said sternly, ¡°Sergio, you may be a public official, but that does not give you the right to speak as you please. Let me warn you that we have always obeyed thew and have never been involved in any illegal activities. There is not enough evidence to press charges against us. Since many are suspicious of us, I will definitely get to the bottom of the mystery. As for you, I would like to remind you that your father is going to run for the State Governor¡¯s position soon. Why don¡¯t you help him instead of meddling in my affairs? You better not regret what you are doing right now as I will make you pay for it.¡±

    Hansen was seething with anger. His aura was overbearing and he did not back down in front of Sergio. Their eyes met and both were filled with rage and pure hatred for each other.

    ¡°I¡¯m warning you. Don¡¯t throw the helve after the hatchet.¡± Although Sergio was troubled by what he had said, he did not show it. Instead, his expression darkened and he sniggered. ¡°We¡¯ll see, Hansen,¡± he said confidently.

    Upon saying that, he nced at him. His expression was unreadable before he spun around and left.

    Hansen was stunned. For the first time in his life, he was feeling so agitated and lost. He clenched his fists and dragged himself back to his office.

    Jenna stood by the door and she had heard every bit of the conversation. After a while, thoughts of Vivian and her emaciated appearance crossed her mind. It filled her with anguish.

    Jenna recalled the sight of Hansen walking towards his office, looking very dejected and miserable. This was the first time she had seen him in this state after all these years. He was no longer confident and formidable. Instead, he was in distress and he looked extremely lonely. Jenna¡¯s heart ached for him and she was no longer suspicious of him.

    The atmosphere in the room was tense. Jenna struggled to catch her breath and she felt light-headed out of a sudden. She steadied herself against the wall and closed her eyes.

    When she opened her eyes, she saw Sergio looking at her with his deep-set eyes. His expression was vague and his eyes were filled with concern. There seemed to be something more¡­ Something more than concern, but Jenna stopped herself from dwelling on the matter.

    ¡°Jenna,¡± he whispered.

    Jenna¡¯s gaze was ice-cold as she stared at him.

    ¡°Jenna, if you can, leave this ce,¡± Sergio said eventually in an attempt to convince her. In reality, he did not want to see Jenna getting hurt. Nobody, including him, could foresee what would happen next. Zoe had gone out of her mind. She would not let the Richards Group go so easily.

    Leave this ce? What did he mean by that?

    By leaving this ce, was he asking her to leave Hansen?

    How was that possible?

    Without hesitation, she retorted.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, no matter what you say, I believe that the Richards Group is innocent in this matter. I will find evidence to prove it. Even if I get myself into trouble or face any misfortune in the process, I will not leave him,¡± she said firmly before turning around and returning to her office.

    Sergio stood silently by the door as he thought of what she said.

    Meanwhile, in Los Angeles.

    All the luxury cars produced by the Richards Group had been piled up in the factory. The factory was deste and nobody was at work. All the employees gathered outside as they chatted and discussed the matter.

    This was the sight that Jenna saw upon arriving at the factory.

    She went straight to the management office.

    Sonny hurried over to greet her upon noticing her arrival.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy,¡± he greeted her politely, looking very uneasy.

    ¡°Mr. Wilson, where¡¯s Mr. Levin?¡± Jenna asked directly, looking around.

    ¡°s, thepany has been out of business for a few days. Mr. Levin has something to do at home. Hence, he left early.¡± Sonny was looking pretty crestfallen.

    ¡°Well, please help me inform him toe over in the afternoon. I have something to tell him,¡± Jenna said briefly and she walked out of the office.

    Sonny was about to follow her when she turned around and smiled. ¡°Mr. Wilson, you can continue doing your work. I¡¯ll just look around.¡±

    Many beautifully designed cars were ced in the hall of the factory. They were covered with dust and they looked like second-hand cars that had been abandoned. A deep gloom had settled over the whole factory.

    Jenna paced back and forth slowly, as she tried to work out a n in her mind.

    After a while, she chose a car in the hall and drove it out of the factory alone.

    At the Saint Lawrence River, the water was crystal clear,plementing the sunny spots of greenery.

    The area was filled with flora and fauna. The air was fresh and sweet.

    When Jenna got down from the car, Rayan was already standing by the riverside.

    ¡°Rayan.¡± Jenna walked over and greeted him cordially.

    Back then, she met him by this river and it opened a new

 Chapter in her life. She was forever grateful to him.

    ¡°Jen.¡± Rayan greeted her with a warm smile.

    He was always friendly and his smile was always warm whenever they met.

    ¡°Rayan, I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you,¡± she said, smiling sheepishly. Now that the Richards Group was in trouble, she thought of him right away and came to find him. However, she had never contacted him at all previously.

    ¡°Jen, are you and Hansen alright?¡± Rayan asked casually. His gaze fell on her somewhat haggard face.

    ¡°It¡¯s not too bad.¡± Jenna nodded, and she understood at once what he meant. The news had spread. Everyone from all around the world had heard the news that the Richards Group was in trouble, what more Rayan, who was the CEO of the Whalen Group.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Rayan furrowed his brows. In his opinion, the Richards Group would not be so foolish as to do something like this. It was clear that it was a scheme to destroy them.

    ¡°Rayan, the matter is still under investigation but I will find the culprit,¡± Jenna said firmly. She then changed the topic. As if she had made up her mind, she asked, ¡°Rayan, I know that yourpany has developed a self-driving AI system. Can you sell it to us at a high price?¡±

    She drove her point across but she did not expect him to agree.

    After all, the self-driving AI system was their masterpiece. The system made them stand out from the otherpanies. In the past, when the Richards Group dominated the car industry, they were still able toe in second, in terms of sales. Now that she wanted to buy the system, he might not agree,considering that it was indeed apetitive market. Even though she had offered a high price, he might not agree as well.

    The system gave them an advantage over the otherpanies. If he sold it to her, the Richards Group might study it and develop a simr system in the future.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    In fact, the Richards Group was also developing the system. However, it was far from ready and it had yet to make its debut in the international market.

    She did not expect him to agree.

    As expected, he remained silent for a while without uttering a word.

 Chapter 449 Norton Was Found

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rayan. I understand that you have your concerns. I will not bother you anymore.¡± Jenna gave him a knowing smile. She understood his concerns and was about to leave.

    ¡°Jen, it doesn¡¯t seem right if I were to make you pay for the system. How about this? I¡¯ll give you the system for free.¡± Just as Jenna was about to leave, Rayan¡¯s voice rang, announcing the good news.

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna turned around and asked in surprise.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m doing this for your sake. Hansen is so lucky to have you.¡± Rayan smiled and said grudgingly.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes welled with tears.

    ¡°Are you nning to have a fresh start?¡± Rayan looked at her and asked with a smile.

    He knew very well what was on her mind. In fact, he figured out her intentions right away when she called him and wanted to meet him.

    ¡°Rayan, to be honest, the luxury cars produced by thepany have no value anymore. Even if we manage to find evidence to prove our innocence, it will be difficult to introduce the cars into the market again. We are forced to make some changes and start all over. However, I believe that with our skills and your system, we will be able to achieve our goals,¡± Jenna said with a heavy heart.

    Rayan nodded. He stared ahead andplimented her.

    ¡°Jen, I¡¯m so jealous of Hansen. He has all your love. What a blessing!¡±

    There was a hint of envy in his voice and he looked pretty dejected.

    Jenna sighed. ¡°Rayan, don¡¯t pull my leg anymore.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not teasing you. I have noticed your potential right from the start. s, I was toote.¡± He chided himself in a self-deprecating tone.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Jenna was filled with anguish when she heard what he said. If she had met Rayan first when she was just a kid, she might have fallen in love with him. After all, he was a remarkable man. If that was the case, she might have lived a much better life.

    However, this was her fate.

    ¡°Rayan, Hannah is far better than me. You are so lucky to be able to marry her. Everyone has their own path in life. We have our own destinies. Peoplee and go. Hence, we should appreciate those who are still by our side. That¡¯s what we should focus on,¡± Jenna said impassionedly. She thought of Hannah and a slow smile worked its way across her face and into her eyes.

    Although she did nothing much, she had indirectly brought them together. It was their fate. Everything was destined from the beginning. Who were they to change their paths?

    ¡°Rayan, when you get married, I will send you my blessing.¡± The wind tossed her head and she grinned. Her smile was pure and innocent.

    Seeing her smile moved him and brought a smile to his face as well.

    ¡°Rayan, I will take my leave first. Someone will contact youter regarding the matter. Thank you once again.¡± Jenna remembered that she had lots to do over here and time was scarce. Hence, she did not chat with him any longer and left after saying goodbye.

    Rayan stared at her thin figure walking away. Although she was skinny, there was determination in her eyes and she remained steady and firm. He sighed.

    Just as Jenna was about to disappear from sight, Rayan raised his voice and shouted, ¡°Jen, the Jones Group has suddenly introduced lots of cars into the market. I find it very suspicious. You can look into the matter.¡±

    Jenna stopped in her tracks.

    Everything had been in a mess in the Richards Group since the crisis. However, what Rayan said reminded her about something.

    An image of a woman shed across her mind and her gaze turned ice-cold.

    She turned around and smiled. ¡°Rayan, thank you for the reminder. I know what to do now.¡±

    She then waved goodbye to Rayan, who waved to her as well.

    At that moment, the sight of Rayan standing by the river made her recall the past. She remembered the times when she was poor and in despair. She was crouching on the grass over there with her car designs, looking very weak and helpless.

    A man walked towards her and everything changed ever since.

    She was truly blessed beyond measure to have met Rayan in her life. Although there was no romance between them, he was very important to her. She would always remember what he had done for her.

    She smiled, revealing her neat row of white teeth.

    At first, her lips held a faint smile and her eyes twinkled, but eventually, she broke into a wide grin.

    Jenna had arrived early at the American University of Fashion Design and Business Studies that Sabrina had been attending that morning. She had been wandering around the campus in her car for quite a while.

    Sabrina had been enrolled in the fashion design course at the university. ording to her, she had bumped into Norton before over here.

    Jenna parked her car inconspicuously in a corner and looked around at the crowd.

    She hade over the day before but she did not see him.

    If she had guessed correctly, breaking up with Sabrina had served a huge blow to Norton. He seemed to have discovered something that he had been looking for all this while in Sabrina.

    This was human nature. They seldom appreciated what they had and will only regret it once it was gone.

    Suddenly, a tall man emerged at the gate of the building.

    Jenna stared at him, as if she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes.

    After a while, the man appeared, carrying a bag. He was followed by a few other men. They got into a van.

    Where were they going?

    The van pulled away.

    Jenna was puzzled and hurried after them.

    After a while, the van came to a halt in front of a grand building.

    The men got down from the car and they gestured something to the wall before entering the building.

    Jenna caught a glimpse of the words written on the back of the van and understood at once what they were about to do.

    They were the window cleaners in charge of washingwindows from a small tform that hung from ropes on the side of tall buildings and skyscrapers. They worked at great heights.

    Jenna never expected that Norton would be a window cleaner. It was a risky job.

    Besides, he had been doing this for the entire year.

    Was he still the Young Master of the Richards Group?

    She stared at his back from the car.

    His silhouette was simr to Hansen¡¯s.

    However, something had changed. He looked sturdier than ever.

    She sat in the car and watched as he hung from the ropes on the side of the building and washed the windows. He was pretty focused while working and was doing a splendid job.

    Everyone was the same. Although Norton was inferior to Hansen, he was still part of the Richards family. Besides, there were not many descendants of the Richards family. He was supposed to live afortable life without the need to worry about anything. However, he was forced to adapt to the situation as well during difficult times like these.

    Jenna could not believe her eyes when she saw Norton washing the entire wall.

    Environmental factors did y a role in a person¡¯s growth.

    It turned out that Norton, who had been driven out of the family, had no source of ie at first. Hence, he was forced to take up this job as he had no other expertise.

    Although it was a risky job, he was able to earn a lot and he had lots of time to himself. This was his choice. Besides, the ce he worked at was near Sabrina¡¯s university. He would be able to see her often.

    He knew what happened to the Richards Group but he had no intention to intervene.

    He was no longer part of the family.

    At noon, Norton finally finished his task for the day. He was free to do anything he wished with the remaining time.

    Of course, he was not satisfied with being a window cleaner forever. However, he needed money to start a business. Hence, he could only look for opportunities while working as a window cleaner.

    He didn¡¯t dare to meet Sabrina due to his job. He was afraid that she would look down upon him.

    Each time, he could only watch her from afar. He vowed to be sessful and make everyone look up to him.

    After returning to thepany to get his sry for the day, he kept the money in his bag and walked out of the building.

    Jenna followed him in her car.

    He went to a restaurant to have his lunch before walking into a dark and narrow basement.

    Jenna parked her car and walked down the street. She was just about to go down to the basement to find him.

    Suddenly, a man emerged.

    He was walking towards her. Jenna was finally able to take a good look at him.

    He looked tanned and thin. He wore a in t-shirt and it seemed that he had not shaved for a few days as he was growing a beard. However, he seemed calm and steady as he looked coolly ahead.

    He cast a nce in her direction.

    The expression on his face changed abruptly. He spun around and was about to run away.

    ¡°Norton, stop!¡± Jenna bellowed.

    Norton had no choice but to stop in his tracks.

    ¡°Norton, how long are you going to hide from us? You are a man. Are you nning to stay here forever?¡± Jenna asked, standing behind him. Her expression was solemn.

    Norton trembled and he slowly turned around. He sniggered.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re making fun of me now, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    His expression was unreadable. There was a sneer on his face, but apart from that, he did not show any other emotions. He was far more mature and calmerpared to the past.

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Jenna sneered. ¡°Why would I waste my time on you? You better not make others look down upon the Richards Group.¡±

    The muscles along his jaw clenched and his smile was strained. ¡°I have already been driven out of the family. Don¡¯t worry, no matter what I do, it will not affect the reputation of the family. I have nothing to do with you guys anymore.¡±

    What he said was harsh and brutal. Rage flowed through her veins when she heard what he said.

    ¡°Nonsense. Without the Richards Group, where would you be? I didn¡¯t expect you to be such an ungrateful brat! After all these years in prison, you still failed to recognize your mistakes ande to your senses. How ridiculous!¡± Jenna was seething with anger. How could he still bear a grudge against the Richards family for driving him out of the family?

    ¡°Jenna, you love Hansen. Hence, no matter what he did, you will always think that he is in the right. What about me? I may have made some mistakes in the past, but was it so hard to forgive me? I already said before that all I wished was to stop your father from participating in the election so that I can win, and make you guys proud of me. I have never thought of murdering him. Who knew that Earl would do something like that behind my back after using me? I have endured my punishment for the past few years and I don¡¯t owe you anything anymore. Now, I¡¯m no longer part of the family and what I do is none of your business. Please respect me.¡± Norton sniggered and he remained detached and cold. He was in no mood to stay and was about to leave.

    ¡°Stop right there.¡± Jenna saw what he was about to do and stopped him. She was filled with anguish. The Richards Group was in trouble and Vivian had been longing to see him every day. She didn¡¯t expect him to still bear a grudge against the family. Her disappointment was apparent.

    ¡°Norton, let bygones be bygones. I no longer hate you for what has happened in the past. Don¡¯t tell me you still bear a grudge against us? Have you thought of Grandma? What about your mother? You are being pretty irresponsible here. Norton, let me remind you. You are a man. I¡¯m here to tell you that I wish to bring you home.¡± Jenna¡¯s aura was overbearing and her unwavering re held him in ce.

 Chapter 450 An Important Decision

    Norton raised his head and looked at her. Suddenly, heughed. ¡°Jenna, who are you to reprimand me? Why should I listen to you?¡±

    ¡°What gives me the right to reprimand you? Well, I¡¯m currently the mistress of Richards Manor. Hence, I have the right to ask you toe back with me.¡± Jenna snorted and said firmly, ¡°You are still part of the Richards family. Back then, Grandma was forced to drive you out of the family. You are a man. You have to face your punishment after what you have done. Look at you right now, loathing everyone in the family. Did we impose the charge upon you? You brought it upon yourself. Do you know how much Grandma wished that you could turn over a new leaf? Are you aware of how much she misses you?¡±

    Jenna really wanted to p him across his face to make hime to his senses.

    Judging from his unkempt appearance, he was having a rough time. It was apparent that he was struggling to make ends meet. However, he remained proud and haughty, refusing to admit that he was in the wrong. How narrow-minded!

    Hansen and Norton were both men. Tall and handsome as well. However, they were very different in terms of mindset.

    ¡°You are saying that Grandma hopes I¡¯m doing great and that she misses me?¡± Norton paused for a moment. Feeling incredulous, he wanted tough. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. She only regards Hansen as her grandson whereas I¡¯m just a nobody. I¡¯m just the son of a mistress. Someone who isn¡¯t worthy of love and affection. Even if you guys hadn¡¯t driven me out of the family, I would have left sooner orter.¡±

    Jenna was so pissed when she heard what he said that she shook with fury.

    It seemed that he had not learnt from his mistakes. He was being as pessimistic as ever.

    ¡°Norton!¡± Unable to hold back her anger, Jenna bellowed, ¡°What are you thinking? Grandma¡¯s health has been deteriorating, yet all she does is nag about you. She¡¯s worried that you are struggling on your own. Back then, if Grandma didn¡¯t make that decision, you would still be in jail right now. The authorities would have med you for my father¡¯s death. You are a man, Norton. How can you be so dense and misunderstood Grandma¡¯s intention? If you are going to continue behaving in this manner, nobody will be able to help you anymore.¡±

    Jenna was out of breath due to anger. She wanted to find him and bring him back to the family. Now that the Richards family was in trouble and Grandma wasn¡¯t in her best shape, he should at least return to see her. However, he was really an a*shole. How could he act as if everyone had betrayed him?

    D*mn, what a scoundrel!

    Norton flushed scarlet. Guilt trickled through him when he saw Jenna blowing a fuse. He had never been able to refute her words. To make matters worse, he realized that he was a little afraid of her.

    ¡°Norton, Grandma is currently very ill and the Richards family is facing a crisis. I havee over personally to inform you about the matter. Make up your mind by tomorrow. I will be at the Richards Group¡¯s Los Angeles¡¯ branch and I will return to A City tomorrow morning. If you decide to return with me, thene and find me. If you don¡¯t, you better not regret it in the future.¡± Jenna warned him as she shot a re at him. She turned around and was about to leave.

    ¡°Jenna, is Grandma really unwell?¡± Norton asked with concern. He just recalled what she had said. When he was still a kid, Vivian would keep him and Andreapany at night whenever they visited the Richards Group. Vivian had always taken good care of them by herself. Afraid that someone would hurt them, she always protected them well and cared about them. The thought crossed his mind and he soon came to his senses. For some inexplicable reason, he was filled with anguish when he heard the news that she had fallen ill.

    He hated Vivian for choosing Jenna to marry Hansen back then. Vivian had always thought highly of Hansen and showered him with praise. Her heart swelled with pride whenever she saw Hansen and she always looked at him with affection. However, she had never looked at him in the same manner.

    He knew that Hansen was far more important than him to Vivian. He loathed her for being biased, which was why he had always given her the cold shoulder. However, upon receiving the news that she was ill, he was deeply troubled. After all, he had always regarded her as someone very strong and capable. She had treated him well when he was just a kid. She was family. The thought crossed his mind and he couldn¡¯t help quivering.

    Tears welled up in his eyes.

    ¡°Grandma is extremely ill and weak right now. She is practically bed-ridden. However, she still nags about you. I can tell that she is extremely worried about you.¡± Jenna turned around and said slowly. Once she was done, she sniggered and said sardonically, ¡°Norton, I never expected you to be so heartless. Sabrina may not be part of the family but she is far better than you. Upon receiving news that the family was in trouble, she came over right away and took our side. As for you, what were you doing? You are part of the family, yet you did nothing, pretending as if you have not received the news. You didn¡¯t even bother asking how we are doing. To be frank, I feel sorry for you.¡±

    Her gaze fell upon him. It was icy cold. A look of disappointment crossed her face.

    Norton gaped in disbelief. After a while, he asked in a hurry, ¡°What did you say? Sabrina has returned to the Richards Group?¡±

    A faint smile touched the corners of her mouth and she chided him. ¡°Yes, so tell me, is she better than you?¡±

    Upon finishing her sentence, she stared at him for a while. Noticing the surprise and joy on his face, her lips held a faint smile and her eyes twinkled. She turned around and left.

    At that moment, as she was turning around, relief washed over her.

    She knew that Norton would definitely return with her.

    Looking confident, her silhouette soon disappeared from his sight. For a while, Norton stood there in a daze.

    Sabrina, you have returned to the Richards Group. Do you still feel that you are part of the family?

    His eyes began to shine with hope and his face lit up with joy. All his sorrows vanished in an instant. He thought for a while before he turned around and returned to the basement.

    When Jenna returned to the factory, Jersey was already waiting for her arrival.

    ¡°Jenna, you are finally here.¡± Jersey approached her upon seeing her. He greeted her cordially but his expression was solemn.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    He had been in the automobile industry for a very long time. He knew very well that thepany was in deep trouble.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Levin.¡± Jenna smiled.The smile warmed her eyes.She was calm andposed and did not seem to be in a panic.

    Mr. Levin nodded in approval. Jenna was definitely a capable woman. Despite the crisis they were facing, she remained calm andposed. It was rare to see someone like her.

    Sonny was also in the office. When he saw Jennaing in, he stood up and was about to leave.

    ¡°Mr. Wilson, you may stay. I have something to discuss with you guys today.¡± Jenna stopped him in the nick of time.

    The three of them sat down at the table.

    ¡°Mr. Levin, if the factory was to start producing cars installed with the telematics system, would you be able to do it within a month?¡± Jenna asked right away once she sat down at the table.

    Telematics system? Jersey was shocked. He then sighed in exasperation.

    For the time being, only the Whalen Group had seeded in developing the high-tech system. The Richards Group had started developing the system a littleter. Hence, it was still in the testing phase. It will be near impossible to finish it within a month.

    He shook his head right away and sighed. ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s not something I can achieve even if I wish to.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Jenna smiled and said confidently, ¡°However, the good news is, the Whalen Group has agreed to share their system with us.¡±

    Jenna continued, ¡°Mr. Wilson, you can go over to the Whalen Group tomorrow to get the system from their technician. So, I would like to ask, will you guys be able to produce the cars installed with the telematics system within a month, now that you have the Whalen Group¡¯s system?¡±

    Jenna looked at Jersey with a solemn expression.

    Jersey had a lot of experience in the automobile industry. If he said that it was possible, then the n would definitely work out.

    Jersey was surprised. The Whalen Group was actually willing to share their system with them at a critical period like this. How noble of them! Thepetition had always been fierce in the car industry. It was already a great blessing if they did not stab them in the back during difficult times like these. To his surprise, they were willing to help them. It was a miracle indeed!

    After a while, he came to his senses. In the exuberance of joy and jubtion, he responded, ¡°Then, it will not be a problem at all!¡±

    ¡°Great! A monthter, we will introduce new cars into the market and start all over.¡± Jenna was thrilled when Jersey confirmed that the n was feasible. She continued, ¡°One monthter, I will register for a newpany and we will make some arrangements to the current system. At present, with our unique design and the telematics system, I believe that we will stand a chance in the market. Let us forget our failures and start all over.¡±

    As soon as she finished her sentence, Jersey and Sonny understood at once what she nned to do. Their faces lit up with joy and Jersey couldn¡¯t help nodding in approval. He was delighted with Jenna¡¯s suggestion.

    The three of them then proceeded to discuss the details. Their meeting went on throughout the afternoon and endedte at night.

    The n would change everything. One monthter, the Richards Group would be able to start all over abroad and conquer the market. Although they were still kind of stuck right now back in their home country and were nowhere near discovering the truth. However, at least, they would be able to conquer the international market. In fact, they would be able to do so better than before. It was going to y a crucial role to save the Richards Group.

    Puffy clouds drifted across the vast blue sky.

    Jenna stood at the entrance of the airport and watched as people walked in and out of the building. Listening to the sound of traffic and the nesnding, she felt as she was in a dream.

    Back then, she and Hansen poured their hearts out to one another at the airport in Los Angeles and they became closer ever since. Although many things happened afterwards, they were still madly in love with each other. Hence, that was why she really loved this ce.

    Standing there, she stole another nce at the ce before she spun around, ready to enter the lobby.

    Someone seemed to be following her. Whenever she took a step forward, the person would follow suit and as soon as she stopped, the person woulde to a halt as well.

    She frowned and spun around abruptly.

    The person wanted to turn around and run away but he eventually stopped in his tracks.

    Norton was standing behind her with a bag in his hand. He was looking pretty abashed. He looked at her timidly without any confidence, just like a child who had done something wrong and was begging for forgiveness.

    Jenna almost burst outughing. She took a long, hard look at him. Her expression was unreadable.

    She then turned around and continued to walk towards the lobby.

    Norton followed closely behind. It was as if he was afraid that Jenna would disappear suddenly and he would never be able to return to his family.

    Over the years, he had struggled tremendously in prison and had lost his dignity. As a result, he loathed everyone in the Richards family for being so heartless.

    However, when Jenna found him¡­

    At that moment, his perception of her had changedpletely.

    She was now his sister-inw, the person in charge of Richards Manor.

    Aside from admiration and respect, he trusted her.

    He followed her, depending on her to find his way home. She was the one who guided him when he was lost.

 Chapter 451 Solid Evidence

    ¡°Norton, now that the Richards Group is in trouble, have you ever considered how you can help us?¡± Jenna asked callously.

    Norton sat by her side, lowering his head in silence.

    Jenna nced at him and said indifferently, ¡°Sabrina is currently working alongside me at Richards Group. Once we havended in A City, you may return to the manor to see Grandma.¡±

    Jenna was unsure whether Sabrina was willing to meet him or not. She was afraid that Sabrina would be displeased to see him. Hence, she did not n to let them meet each other for the time being.

    A person should be given a second chance if they had turned over a new leaf.

    However, had Norton turned over a new leaf? Was he capable and worthy of Sabrina¡¯s love? Well, at the moment, Jenna did not see those qualities in him.

    Sabrina was straightforward and simple. She followed her instincts whenever she made decisions. Hence, if Norton failed to realize his mistakes, Jenna would stop her even if Sabrina was willing to forgive him.

    Marriage was not to be taken lightly. She had suffered a lot in her marriage and she did not want Sabrina, who was innocent, to experience what she did.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Norton¡¯s expression was grave as he nodded his head.

    Meanwhile, in the spacious and brightly lit office.

    Hansen stood in his office, looking very formidable and overbearing. His eyes were bulging from their sockets and his gaze could send a chill down anyone¡¯s spine.

    Standing in front of him was Sergio who was demanding an exnation. His cheeks flushed with anger even though he had won this time around.

    They red at each other and the atmosphere was very tense as an argument was about to break out.

    ¡°Hansen, all the evidence now points to Jenna. She has inserted the software containing the nation¡¯s top secrets into the system. We have her fingerprints as proof. How are you going to exin this?¡± What Sergio said made Hansen shake with rage.

    He was truly miffed as rage coursed through his veins. What he said had truly triggered him.

    If the Richards Group were to fall, then so be it. If someone was against him and wanted him to go to jail, then so be it.

    However, how dare they frame Jenna, the woman he loved dearly?

    They had hit a raw nerve! Now that their target was Jenna, he could do nothing. It was far more agonizing than killing him.

    No, that was impossible!

    Jenna would not do such a thing! Someone had framed her!

    He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. His blood vessels stood out in livid edges.

    Jenna had be an important person to him. Her name would forever be engraved in his heart. If anything were to happen to her, he would be left in agony. The thought made him gasp in pain.

    He vowed to protect her with his life. There was no way she would make a mistake like this! He was not going to see her go to jail for something she had not done.

    ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous!¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes zed murderously and the muscles along his jaw clenched. His face was turning red due to the adrenaline rush and his eyes glowed with a fiery savageness. He gritted his teeth as his breath grew thin and ragged. Fuming mad, he mmed his fist against the desk and yelled, ¡°Sergio, it¡¯s obvious that someone has framed her. This is impossible!¡±

    Sergio shot him a cold stare. He masked his emotions and his expression was unreadable. ¡°Someone had framed her? What makes you think so? What about the evidence?¡±

    ¡°Evidence?¡± Hansen¡¯s face instantly grew pale and he propped himself against his desk, looking very weary.

    ¡°You know just as well that the court only looks at the evidence. Now, all the evidence regarding the person who has leaked the nation¡¯s top secrets in the Richards Group points towards Jenna. We found her fingerprints in the GPS. It¡¯s a piece of solid evidence and there¡¯s no other way you can exin it. Nothing she says will do any help unless you can find some evidence to prove her innocence,¡± he bellowed. He gave Hansen a withering stare and his tone turned his insides cold.

    He never expected that all the investigations for the past few days would show that Jenna was the culprit. This was something that he did not wish to see.

    She was such a beautiful woman, who was so pure and innocent. How could she do something like this?

    It waspletely impossible!

    The findings of the investigation shocked him a lot.

    However, all the evidence now pointed towards her. There was nothing he could do.

    At this moment, Hansen¡¯s face had turned pale. His bloodshot eyes remained riveted upon Sergio. His icy stare bore into him, making it hard for him to back away.

    ¡°You know very well that if I hand over this piece of evidence to my superiors, Jenna would be taken away immediately and be sent to jail once everything has been confirmed. Do you understand how serious this matter is?¡± Sergio stared at Hansen who had gone out of his mind, as he spoke slowly. He emphasized the fact that Jenna would go to jail.

    ¡°No.¡± Hansen mmed his fist on the desk as rage overwhelmed him and roared, ¡°Sergio, are you even human? You are so cruel! Would Jenna do something like this? You know very well that it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    Sergio¡¯s eyelids drooped. He had thought highly of Jenna ever since he was a kid. In fact, he trusted herpletely, much more than Hansen. He refused to believe that she would do something like this. However, all the evidence pointed to her.

    ¡°Let me tell you, Hansen. I¡¯m giving you a second chance for Jenna¡¯s sake. I¡¯m not doing it for you. You better find out the real culprit. If you can¡¯t find out who¡¯s behind this, then I¡¯m afraid that I have to hand over this piece of evidence to my superiors. If that¡¯s the case, Jenna would probably spend the rest of her life in prison. You better think this over carefully.¡± Sergio¡¯s unwavering re held him in ce. Once he was done, he turned around and left with a heavy heart.

    Hansen lurched forward and almost fell onto the ground. Fortunately, he managed to support himself by grasping the edges of the desk in the nick of time.

    He lowered his head and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He broke out into cold sweat and shivered with fear. The news had filled him with dread and his heart was aching terribly.

    After several days of investigation, the findings of the investigation filled him with agony.

    His muscles stiffened and he let go as he fell slowly onto the couch.

    Time seemed to havee to a standstill for a while. He copsed onto the couch. Blood had been drained from his face and the shock made it hard for him to think. He remained as motionless as a statue, as he stared at themp on the ceiling. For a while, he was devoid of pain.

    After a long time, a tear trickled down his cheeks and fell on the armrest of the couch. It was warm and bitter.

    Don¡¯t worry, Jenna. I will protect you and Jerry with all my might, even if it means sacrificing my life.

    He remained in the same position for a very long time as hey on the couch. Not long after, darkness engulfed him.

    ¡°Zoe, you are amazing! Hansen has be interested in me. Look, he has bought me some new clothes.¡± At the Sky Sword Group, Liya was in high spirits as she entered the office. She was beaming from ear to ear and she blushed whenever she mentioned Hansen¡¯s name. She looked so shy and flustered, just like a girl who had fallen in love.

    ¡°Oh, really? That¡¯s great.¡± Zoe crossed her arms and ced them on the desk. She clenched her fists as she shed her a smile. ¡°You are so beautiful and charming. Seeing you pout will make any man fall in love with you.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes and there was a gleam in her eyes.

    Liya flushed scarlet, looking very shy and embarrassed.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡­

 Chapter 452 He Doesnâ€™t Love You Anymore

    ¡°Tell me first. How¡¯s the situation over there?¡± she asked deliberately.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. All the evidence now points towards Jenna. She will probably go to jail soon.¡± Liya raised her eyebrows and her smile was smug. She blushed, looking very dazzling and captivating.

    Zoe nced at her. A wry smile briefly touched her lips. There was a gleam in her eyes.

    ¡°Liya, your chance hase.¡± She narrowed her eyes and smiled. Her gaze remained fixed upon her and she assumed an air of indifference. Her expression remained ambiguous.

    For a moment, Liya¡¯s heart pounded rapidly and she flushed scarlet.

    She had to be Hansen¡¯s wife. She wanted nothing more than to lead a decent life. It was her dream to be able to spend extravagantly and buy everything that she wanted. She wished to be wealthy. Growing up, she had always struggled to make ends meet and she did not wish to spend her life in poverty again.

    Of course, she was not going to be used by Zoe. She would not be her pawn and she would not sacrifice herself for her revenge.

    Hence, she hade up with a n.

    ¡°Thank you, Zoe, for everything that you have done. If there¡¯s nothing else that you would like to speak to me about, then I will take my leave first.¡± She looked at her with her moist and shining eyes. A sweet smile was stered across her face.

    Zoe rapped her fingers on the table and narrowed her eyes. However, she masked her emotions and shed her a smile.

    Her lips held a faint smile as she nodded.

    Liya¡¯s slender figure spun around gracefully and then she left.

    Herdress moved with her like a second skin, draping her curves and swishing silently around her legs. The scent of perfume wafted towards Zoe.

    Zoe watched as Liya disappeared from sight. The smile on her face vanished in an instant and it was reced with an icy stare that could send a chill down anyone¡¯s spine.

    It was almost noon when Jenna arrived in A City. She did not even have time to return to Richards Manor. Instead, she headed straight for the Richards Group headquarters.

    Although she had missed Jerry terribly, she tried her best to suppress the urge to see him at the moment. She longed for Hansen and wanted to see him right away. They had been apart for three days. Although only three days had passed, it seemed like an eternity to her.

    The employees of thepany were heading out for lunch.

    ¡°s, I sympathize with Ms. Murphy. She hasn¡¯t been the vice president of thepany for long, but now, she has been removed from the position.¡±

    ¡°Yes, she is now the secretary. How would she be able to bear the news!¡±

    ¡°I know right. She has been doing her best to protect thepany. However, now that thepany is in trouble, she¡¯s the first to bear the consequences. Mr. Richards is really too heartless.¡±

    ¡°My curiosity is piqued. Mr. Richards and Mrs. Richards have always been madly in love. I never expected that Mr. Richards would be seduced by Liya in such a short time. Look at how things are right now. Ms. Murphy might even be forced to sign the divorce papers. Men are really unreliable.¡±

    ¡°Thinking about it, I¡¯m truly disappointed. I heard that Mr. Richards once begged Ms. Murphy to return. He spent 500 million dors on their wedding ceremony. Their love for each other made me believe in true love again and all of us were envious of Mrs. Richards. Look how things had turned out. I¡¯m not going to believe in true love again.¡±

    ¡°In conclusion, a woman should never marry a wealthy man. It may seem grand and everything but it¡¯s actually a miserable life.¡±

    ¡°By the way, have you heard? Frederic, an important figure in the finance and banking industry, has a mistress. It is rumored that he brought the mistress home, even though his wife was against it and made a big fuss about it. Incidents like these are starting to happen in A City and it¡¯s a bad sign. Back then, the men of prestigious families only dared to flirt with women and have an affair in secret, but now, they can do it openly and even bring them home. This will serve a huge blow to their wives.¡±

    ¡°s, a woman¡¯s fate is indeed painful. How unfair this is to us!¡±

    ¡­

    A group of female employees walked down the path as they chatted. They did not notice Jenna, who was standing silently in the corner of the parking lot.

    The sound of them chattering soon faded into the distance.

    Jenna had just parked her car in the underground parking lot. She was about to turn around the corner when she saw the employees of thepany walking down the path, heading towards the elevator to go to the canteen for lunch. She overheard the conversation between the employees.

    Stunned, she remained rooted to the spot, at a loss at what she should do.

    Were they referring to her just now?

    What were they saying? Why did they say that?

    She must have misheard it. She thought silently to herself.

    Flustered, she headed straight for the VIP elevator. She was currently at the underground parking lot. From there, she could take the VIP elevator up to the 88th floor where her office was located.

    However, she seldom took the elevator from there, as it was pitch-ck and creepy. The darkness always made her hairs stood on end and she found it hard to catch her breath over there.

    She detested this feeling.

    Therefore, she would rather walk to the hall and take the elevator from there, as it was not dark and creepy over there. However, she did not want to see anyone else anymore. All she wanted to do was to see Hansen immediately and demand an exnation, to put her heart at ease.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The elevator went all the way up and stopped at the 88th floor.

    As soon as she walked out of the elevator, she walked towards the front desk. She could sense that the atmosphere was tense.

    Yuri was sitting at the front desk. Upon seeing her, she stood up in a panic. However, she did not greet her cordially as usual with a smile. Instead, she seemed to be at a loss about at to do. Looking abashed, she nced at her. Her eyes were filled with concern, sympathy and grief.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank right away.

    ¡°How is the situation in thepany for the past few days?¡± The tense atmosphere made her even more uneasy. Her instincts told her that things were bad.

    Yuri had always been at ease in front of her. This was the first time she saw her acting so nervous. Hence, her gaze remained fixed upon her face at the moment.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy¡­ Well¡­ Everything is fine,¡± Yuri stammered. ¡°Mr. Richards has been focusing on the development of the other industries. Everything seems to be alright now. Thepany is operating as usual. However, regarding the car industry¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t speak further. In fact, there was no need for her to do so. Jenna understood the situation very well.

    Thepany was done for good when it came to the car industry.

    ¡°Well, where is Mr. Richards?¡± Since thepany was doing fine, why did she have a bad feeling about this? Feeling uneasy, she asked right away.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± Yuri averted her gaze and lowered her head.

    ¡°Tell me, where is he?¡± Jenna recalled that Hansen had not called her for the past three days when she was abroad. She thought that he was busy at work just like her. Hence, she did not take it to heart.

    However, the look on Yuri¡¯s face shocked her. Fear clutched at her throat and she nced towards the direction of Hansen¡¯s office. The door was closed. It was apparent that he was not in the office.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy, you¡­¡± Yuri parted her lips. Just as she was about to speak, the door to Jenna¡¯s office swung open abruptly. Sabrina who had probably heard her voice dashed over, looking very furious. She ran over and seized her arm, pulling her into the office.

    ¡°Sabrina, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jenna was dragged into the office towards the couch. Sabrina was holding her hand so tightly that she grimaced in pain. Jenna could not wrap her head around the matter and she was puzzled by Sabrina¡¯s behavior.

    ¡°I¡¯m so pissed.¡± Sabrina stamped her feet as burning anger overcame her. ¡°Tell me, why did you have to go aboard? Why must you be too responsible and worry about the situation over there? Great! You have only been away for three days and Liya has already seeded in seducing Hansen. What are you going to do?¡±

    Her cheeks flushed with anger and her jaw thrust forward in indignation. She red at Jenna, annoyed that she allowed this to happen.

    It wasn¡¯t until a moment ago when Hansen walked out of his office together with Liya, apparently in high spirits that the realization dawned on her. Hansen had really fallen for Liya. He even showed off his love so openly. How infuriating!

    Jenna was dumbfounded when she heard what Sabrina said. Shocked, she recalled the conversation between the employees that she overheard a moment ago. She stared at Sabrina in disbelief. With a nk look on her face, she asked, ¡°Sabrina, what are you saying? I don¡¯t seem to understand.¡±

    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t. I find it hard to believe as well, what more you. However, this is the truth!¡± Sabrina smacked her palm onto her forehead and sighed. After a pause, she said in a clear voice, ¡°The truth is, your husband has fallen for another woman. Yet, you are still so na?ve and know nothing about it.¡±

    After saying that, Sabrina said indignantly, ¡°I knew that Liya was up to no good. She has those captivating eyes. I hate them at first nce. Look at her, always acting so pitiful and innocent to gain everyone¡¯s sympathy. How disgusting! But what can we do? Men love women like her. Jenna, why are you so foolish?¡±

    Sabrina felt sorry for her. She hated herself for not being able to do anything, despite being in the office all this while. To make matters worse, she was not even aware of it. If she hadn¡¯t seen it with her own eyes, she would not even believe it.

    Liya was clearly not someone easy to deal with. It seemed that Jenna was in trouble again.

    Jenna¡¯s mind was in a mess but no matter how lost she felt, she understood what Sabrina was implying. Her heart ached terribly and she ced her hand against her chest. All she felt was pain and agony. For some inexplicable reason, she felt constant knots and unease in her stomach and it hurt terribly. She grimaced in pain as beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Her face grew pale in an instant.

    Would Hansen fall for someone like Liya? They had gone through so much together. Would he be seduced by someone like her?

    It was impossible.

    She shook her head.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Hansen? Where¡¯s he?¡± She stood up abruptly and wanted to see him in person. ¡°I won¡¯t believe it.¡±

    She would not believe it unless she saw it with her own eyes. She was not going to believe what the others said.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Sabrina tried to stop her. She said anxiously, ¡°Why don¡¯t you believe me despite the circumstances? It¡¯s the truth. Let me be frank. Hansen walked out together with Liya from his office just a moment ago. I saw it with my own eyes. They have gone out together and they looked just like a couple.¡±

 Chapter 453 Saw It With Her Own Eyes

    Sabrina had a headache as she tried to get Jenna toe to her senses. Jenna remained persistent and refused to believe that it was true despite the circumstances.

    However, in reality, she found it hard to believe it as well, what more Jenna. Everything had changed in just a few days. It did seem that Liya had taken advantage of Jenna¡¯s absence and seduced Hansen in just a few days. In other words, the affair started just a few days ago. She had been in the office all this while but she had not seen them together or even noticed that something was amiss.

    It was truly extraordinary. She could not me Jenna for refusing to believe that it was true, as she found it way too absurd as well, if Hansen had really hooked up with Liya in just a few days out of loneliness.

    He was truly an unreliable man.

    What¡¯s more, Jenna and Hansen had gone through many hardships and challenges together before they reconciled. It was only for a few days. He started an affair during the Richards Group¡¯s most difficult times and betrayed Jenna. In all honesty, it seemed absurd.

    ¡°s.¡± Sabrina heaved a sigh and shook her head.

    Jenna waspletely dumbfounded. She stood there in a daze and her mind went nk.

    Had she trusted Hansen way too much? Was she wrong to trust his feelings towards her and their rtionship?

    ¡°Jenna, wake up.¡± Fear clutched at her throat when she saw Jenna in this state. It was a huge blow to her and Jenna might not be able to bear the shock.

    At first, she did not want to tell her the truth. However, it did not seem like a good idea to hide it from her. Hansen had already shown off his love to Liya in public. All the employees in the Richards Group were aware of the matter. To make matters worse, it had already attracted the attention of the media.

    It would be irresponsible of her not to tell Jenna. After all, the shock would be unbearable for Jenna if she were to see them together without any warning. It would be better for her to tell Jenna the truth right then than to let her humiliate herself in front of the employees. At the very least, she would be mentally prepared for the worst.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible! Hansen won¡¯t treat me in this manner. I don¡¯t believe it!¡± After a long silence, Jenna finally came to her senses and she wailed in agony. ¡°I want to see him. I must ask him myself.¡±

    Upon finishing her sentence, she dashed out of the office with a crazed look on her face.

    ¡°Jenna, no!¡± Sabrina was shocked. Jenna seemed to have gone out of her mind. Her expression filled her with concern. If she ran onto the streets in this state, especially with the heavy traffic, it would be a disaster. She wanted to stop Jenna but she had already dashed out of the door and entered the elevator.

    At this moment, there was only one goal on Jenna¡¯s mind, which was to find Hansen and ask him what was happening. She wanted him to reassure her that he did not betray her, that it was just a rumor and asked her not to believe the rumors.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    To her, this was impossible. She would not believe it unless she saw it with her own eyes.

    Upon stumbling into the elevator, she leaned against the wall. Her head felt as though it was splitting apart.

    She and Hansen were madly in love. Such a situation would never happen. Besides, Hansen was not a man to be seduced easily.

    When the door of the elevator opened, Jenna could not see clearly in the dark. She could barely make out what was in front of her.

    ¡°Jenna, where are you going?¡± A stalwart man blocked her way and seized her arm. The man asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Hearing that it was the voice of a man, Jenna was delighted. Her eyes widened in excitement. Perhaps it was too dark in the underground parking lot, or maybe Jenna was grieving so much that she failed to recognize the man in front of her. All in all, Jenna could barely think straight. She seemed to be seeing two ovepping images at once and she could not see the face of the man in front of her clearly.

    However, the man was tall and well-built, just like Hansen. She could feel the force when he seized her by the arm. Everything felt so familiar.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re back.¡± She flung her arms and threw herself into his arms as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She buried her face into his chest and burst into tears. ¡°Hansen, tell me, have you betrayed me? Don¡¯t you love me? Or are you just in distress due to the crisis? You are grieving and at the brink of copse, am I right?¡±

    As she spoke, she wailed in agony in his arms like an injured kitten. She hugged the man tightly as she sobbed.

    The man standing in front of her was stunned for a moment. He then reached out to hug her and tightened his embrace around her.

    Jenna continued sobbing in his arms. He thought for a while before he carried her in his arms and headed straight for his car in the parking lot.

    The luxurious car pulled out of the parking lot. Jenna was still sobbing in the back seat and had note to her senses.

    Sunlight streamed in through the window. She blinked as the sunlight blinded her and looked out of the window. To her surprise, she realized that she was not in the Hummer which she was ustomed to. It was still a luxurious car but it was not of the same brand. Everything seemed different.

    Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly turned around to look at the man who was driving. Only then did she see his face clearly for the first time.

    The handsomed in the driver¡¯s seat was Sergio.

    She actually threw herself into Sergio¡¯s arms and burst into tears. What was she doing?

    It hit her like a bucket of ice and she came to her senses at once.

    In desperation, she could not see clearly and mistook Sergio for Hansen.

    How embarrassing!

    ¡°Sergio, I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯ve mistaken you for someone else.¡± Looking abashed and feeling extremely embarrassed, she apologized multiple times.

    Sergio¡¯s deep-set eyes did not even look at her. He did not respond and his gaze remained fixed upon the road ahead as he drove on. His expression was solemn.

    ¡°Sergio, I¡¯m sorry to trouble you, please turn back. You can also stop the car and I will get down from here.¡± Fear gripped her heart when Sergio did not respond and drove on. She noticed that they were not heading towards the Richards Group and she did not recognize the ce. Flustered, she begged him to turn back.

    He overtook many cars on the road. Although he did not drive as recklessly as Hansen, he drove pretty fast as well. He made many dangerous traffic maneuvers such as weaving, tailgating, and unsafe passing.

    Therefore, many steered clear of him.

    ¡°Sergio, stop the car right now. I want to return to the Richards Group.¡± Jenna was on tenterhooks when Sergio did not show any signs of stopping the car or heading back to the Richards Group despite her pleas. She patted the back of the driver¡¯s seat and urged him.

    Regret settled in the pit of her stomach. She was too anxious that she had mistaken Sergio for Hansen. Now, she was forced to pay the price.

    Jenna patted the seat with all her might until it was shaking violently. Flustered, Sergio turned around and snapped. ¡°Jenna, calm down. Didn¡¯t you wish to see Hansen? I¡¯m taking you to him.¡±

    Jenna was stunned.

    He was bringing her to Hansen? Well¡­ Great!

    She paused for a moment and stopped patting the seat. Startled, she asked in disbelief, ¡°Sergio, do you really know where Hansen is?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you will see him soon,¡± Sergio said gloomily. ¡°Sit down and don¡¯t move around.¡±

    Jenna didn¡¯t dare to move anymore. Her face lit up with joy.

    It turned out that he was bringing her to Hansen. She was just nning to find him herself.

    If that was the case, she would behave herself.

    In one of the shops selling designer outfits of famous brands, a tall and burly man was apanying a beautiful woman as she picked the clothes of her choice.

    The woman was blushing as she tried on the clothes one after another. The man stood silently by her side, with a smile stered across his face. The woman seemed to be in high spirits as she tried on different kinds of dresses and showed off her figure in front of the man. Her moist, ecstatic, and shining eyes remained riveted upon the man¡¯s face, as if she was asking for his opinion. Whenever he nodded his head in approval, she would flush scarlet and turn around to try on another dress.

    The man remained patient and seemed to have eyes only for the woman.

    The scene of the woman giggling as the man shed her a charming smile served a huge blow to Jenna. Tears welled up in her eyes.

    She felt suffocated just by looking at the scene of them together. At the moment, it felt as if darkness had engulfed her and she could barely keep her bnce.

    Sergio stretched out her arms to support her from behind, afraid that she would faint from the shock.

    The man who had sworn countless times to her that he would remain true and loyal to her, the man whom she loved from the bottom of the heart, had betrayed her in three days when she was away. No! It happened even before she left. He had already been seduced by Liya and betrayed her when she was still by his side.

    The truth was too painful to bear!

    Was love so fragile?

    She shook with fury and wanted to dash into the shop and p the woman across her face before facing the man and demanding an exnation as to why he betrayed her. Why?

    Next to her, Sergio seemed to guess what was on her mind. He stopped her and whispered into her ears, ¡°Jenna, the Richards Group is still in trouble. Hansen is a well-known figure. If you enter and make a scene, your reputation as well as Hansen¡¯s will be ruined. Would that be the best choice considering thepany¡¯s current predicament?¡±

    He spoke briefly. However, what he said made Jenna calm down right away.

    Her eyes were brimming with tears as she stared in Hansen¡¯s direction. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she sobbed in silence.

    Sergio nced at her without uttering a word.

    Jenna, the woman he had thought highly of since they were just kids, was in so much pain. His heart ached terribly for her.

    He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and patted her gently on the back in an attempt to calm her down. ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t jump to conclusions. He might have a reason for doing this. Let¡¯s leave this ce first.¡±

    Jenna nodded her head although she had no idea what she was doing.

    Jenna didn¡¯t know how she left the shop. Images of Hansen smiling at Liya clouded her thoughts. She was heartbroken.

 Chapter 454 Afraid That He Would Fall For Someone Else

    ¡°Where do you want to go now?¡± Sergio sat in the driver¡¯s seat in front and handed her a piece of tissue paper as he inquired about her ns.

    Jenna epted the tissue paper and wiped the tears away from her face. Choking with sobs, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s have a drink.¡±

    Drink? Sergio¡¯s deep-set eyes remained riveted upon her. Once he was sure that she was being serious, he started the engine and pulled away.

    ¡°Here, stop right here!¡± When the car passed by a river, Jenna shouted out of a sudden and pointed at the riverside.

    Sergio parked the car by the riverside and turned around.

    Jenna had already jumped out of the window and stumbled towards the riverside.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Sergio frowned and shouted anxiously. She could barely maintain her bnce. It would be dangerous if she goes on in this manner.

    He quickly opened the door of the car and chased after her.

    ¡°Jenna, be careful.¡± He wrapped his arms around her and supported her to a much safer area that was far from the river.

    Jenna sat on the ground, trembling violently as tears streamed down her cheeks.

    Sergio hugged her and wrapped his arms around her as he patted her gently on the back in an attempt to give her some form offort.

    Her thin figure was quivering from head to toe, exposing the bare skin on her neck. Even her earlobes seemed attractive.

    Sergio lowered his head and the scene appeared before his eyes. His heart pounded rapidly and his desire was aroused.

    This was the first time in his life that he felt something like this. It was different from the normal desire he had for women. He wanted to protect her and shower her with love.

    After all those days of being investigated, he knew that she was strong and resilient. Even now, although she was in tears because of Hansen¡¯s betrayal, she tried her best to suppress her emotions and did not make a scene in public to ruin Hansen¡¯s reputation. She sacrificed herself for the sake of Hansen and the Richards Group.

    In reality, the current situation was not in her favor. All the evidence pointed towards her and she would be taken into custody. However, she knew nothing about it. If he did not guess wrongly, Hansen would keep it a secret from her. He was probably afraid that she would not be able to withstand the blow. Simrly, he did not wish to reveal the brutal news to her.

    He had been waiting for Hansen to provide him with evidence to prove Jenna¡¯s innocence. However, he had no idea what the oue would be.

    As she was involved, he had kept the matter a secret and he did not inform anyone about it at the moment. He only told Hansen.

    He didn¡¯t want Jenna to go to jail. It was so unfair to her.

    If Hansen truly loved her, he would try his best to prove her innocence.

    However, Hansen didn¡¯t seem to be doing anything. Instead, he hooked up with Liya at the moment. What was the meaning of this? Was he looking for another woman to spend time with since Jenna was going to jail? If that was the case, he wasn¡¯t even going to hide his intentions. How despicable!

    At that moment, Sergio realized that he could not guess what was on his mind.

    Jenna was feeling drowsy. She stared nkly ahead as tears fell down her cheeks. After a long silence, she lowered her head and rested her head on Sergio¡¯s shoulders as she was exhausted.

    The scent of cologne and cigarettes wafted towards her. She raised her head looking very puzzled. She did not recognize the smell. It was different from the embrace and the smell that she was used to.

    She turned around to look at him. Upon recognizing who he was, she sprang to her feet.

    ¡°Sergio, tell me, are you behind the scheme? We have not leaked the nation¡¯s top secrets, right? You loathe us for not supporting your father who is going to run for the State Governor¡¯s position. Hence, you want to destroy the Richards Group. Is that right?¡± She stumbled backwards and kept her distance. She pointed her finger at Sergio and demanded him.

    Sergio¡¯s expression darkened. Jenna¡¯s love for Hansen was deep and fierce. She only had eyes for him. Even though he betrayed her, she could not bear to me him. However, she did not hesitate to give him a cold shoulder each time.

    He frowned, looking very dejected.

    ¡°Jenna, am I really such a cunning and ruthless person to you?¡± Sergio¡¯s square jaw tensed visibly. He took out a cigarette and lit it. The tobo smoke spiraled to the sky as he smoked. His expression was vague.

    Jenna stared into his eyes as if she was trying to read his mind.

    It was only natural that she suspected him.

    It was too much of a coincidence for her liking.

    Not long after he became head of the department, the Richards Group fell into trouble. Besides, it was a serious offense.

    It was truly unbelievable.

    It was apparent that whoever came up with the scheme had some knowledge regardingwork security. Not everyone would be able to plot a scheme such as this. Sergio definitely satisfied the requirements.

    Sergio nced at her as she looked at him in disbelief. He sighed. If she knew that all the evidence pointed towards her, what would she think of him?

    Although Sergio wanted more than anything for the Richards Group to go out of business, he did not want anything to happen to her. Sadly for him, she would never understand his feelings for her.

    The cold wind swept over her as she cried. The tears were salty and bitter.

    ¡°Sergio, if I find out that you have something to do with what has happened to the Richards Group, I will not let the matter slide easily.¡± She clenched her fists and blinked back her tears.

    Sergio looked at her, the veins in his neck standing out in livid edges as he furrowed his brows.

    ¡°Jenna, can youe to your senses? Do you know? Hansen has removed you from the position as the vice president today. You are now just a secretary in thepany. Do you still wish to return to thepany? Do you still suspect me?¡± He brushed away the hair from his forehead. An edge of impatience was creeping into his tone.

    Removed her from the position?

    Jenna was shocked. She had heard the employees talking about it in the parking lot. It turned out that it was true! Hansen had removed her position as the Vice President.

    Tears welled up in her eyes again.

    ¡°Hansen, why did you do this to me? Why didn¡¯t you tell me? Was it because of the stress due to the recent events?¡± She thought silently to herself.

    Even if the Richards Group were to go out of business, she was not afraid. She was confident that they could start over. There was nothing to be afraid of.

    The only thing she feared was that Hansen would fall for another woman.

    She was extremely afraid that he didn¡¯t love her anymore.

    Sergio¡¯s heart ached terribly when he saw her expression. It was heart-wrenching to see her in agony.

    He really didn¡¯t want to see her in anguish.

    He turned around and strode to his car. He opened the trunk and took out a bottle of wine.

    ¡°Jenna, didn¡¯t you want to have a drink? I¡¯ll keep youpany. What do you think?¡± Sergio walked over with the bottle of wine in his hand and waved it in front of her.

    ¡°What do you n to do?¡± Jenna took a few steps back and kept her distance. For some inexplicable reason, she was wary of him and did not wish to be too close to him.

    She was heartbroken but she was still wary of him.

    Sergio was hurt to see her acting in this manner.

    ¡°Jenna, do you still remember that time when Zoe took a fancy to the doll that you like and snatched it away from you? I helped you and I did not let her bully you. As a result, Zoe and I fought like cats and dogs. In the end, Johan made a simr doll for her and the matter was finally settled.¡±A slow smile worked its way across his face and into his eyes as he reminisced about the past. He remembered clearly the grievance in Jenna¡¯s eyes which was brimming with tears back then.

    Jenna looked at him coldly.

    Sergio¡¯s expression eventually turned serious.

    ¡°Jenna, if you would only ept me right now, I would not hesitate to stand up for you and protect you from Zoe. I don¡¯t mind provoking her for your sake. However, would you give me the chance to do so?¡± He thought silently to himself even though he already knew the answer. It was impossible.

    ¡°Haha.¡± He suddenly burst intoughter as tears trickled down his cheeks. ¡°Jenna, you are crying because of someone you love. As for me, the person I love doesn¡¯t even allow me to worry about her and cry for her. Therefore, don¡¯t you think I should drink away my sorrows? Let¡¯s drink to our heart¡¯s content.¡±

    After that, he unscrewed the bottle and gulped down a mouthful of wine. The aroma of wine wafted towards her.

    Jenna was heartbroken. She was filled with agony and it was too painful to bear the hurt. She snatched the bottle away from him and gulped down mouthfuls of wine.

    ¡°Enough.¡± Seeing her gulping down mouthfuls of wine as if she was drinking water, Sergio¡¯s heart sank. He snatched away the bottle and bellowed, ¡°Jenna, do you wish to die? This is wine, not water.¡±

    She gulped down the wine and felt a burning sensation. It was as if a fire was scorching her tongue, throat, and eventually her stomach. She felt extremely ufortable and started coughing violently.

    ¡°Jenna, are you alright?¡± Sergio asked as he reached out to support her in a panic. His eyes were filled with concern.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Give me more wine.¡± After Jenna had stopped coughing, she pushed him away and wanted to snatch the wine away from him.

    Sergio grabbed her hand and held it tightly. Jenna looked up at him.

    Her cheeks were rosy and her lips were plump and moist. She batted her eyshes and there was sorrow in her eyes. She parted her lips and begged him. ¡°Please¡­ Please give me the wine.¡±

    Her lips were glistening and they looked juicy. Besides, her skin was smooth and soft to the touch. Her wrist which Sergio was holding was slender and delicate. Sergio¡¯s breathing grew ragged as he felt the tidal wave of lust that had just churned within him. It was a feeling that he would only experience whenever he was with her.

    He really wanted to kiss her passionately and suck her lips. He craved for her and wanted to unleash his desires.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    He had encountered a lot of women. However, she was the first woman he had seen who loved a man so deeply that she was willing to do anything for him even if it meant getting hurt. She loved Hansen from the bottom of her heart. It was not because of his wealth, status, or reputation. She was willing to sacrifice herself for his sake and would not regret doing so just because she loved him. It was so touching.

    Only when a man had met such a woman in his life would his life beplete.

    However, women like her were rare.

    He, Sergio, was just a man as well. He wanted to have true love like this.

    It was a materialistic society in the 21st century. Many women only valued wealth, social status and reputation, and married wealthy men for the sake of elevating themselves. However, he knew better than anyone else that Jenna did not marry Hansen for his wealth or reputation.

    This was why he thought highly of her and he was not willing to do anything against her wishes.

 Chapter 455 Donâ€™t You Love Me Anymore?

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s go back. I can¡¯t let you drink anymore,¡± Sergio said gently. He held back his desire for her and reached out his arms to carry her out of the blue.

    ¡°No, I want to drink. Please, give me the wine.¡± Jenna was drunk and no longer had control over her actions. She had drunk away her sorrows and she no longer remembered what had happened. All she wanted was to drink to her heart¡¯s content. Hence, she punched and kicked him as she shouted at the top of her lungs.

    Sergio raised the wine bottle in his hand and threw it into the river. He carried her with both arms and headed straight for the car.

    ¡°Let her go.¡± A booming voice rang from behind.

    Sergio was stunned when he heard the voice. He stopped in his tracks and was about to turn around.

    With a thud, someone punched him in the face. In an instant, Sergio felt dizzy and there was a burning sensation on his cheeks.

    A pair of strong arms snatched away the woman in his arms and the person warned him in a harsh voice. ¡°How dare you do this to her? You really are courting death.¡±

    Sergio steadied himself and Hansen¡¯s face appeared in front of him. He was seething with anger.

    ¡°Sergio, what exactly are you up to? Jenna is my wife. What exactly are you trying to do?¡± Hansen shook with fury and bellowed at the top of his lungs.

    He received a call from Sabrina saying that Jenna had returned. Sabrina told him that Jenna was aware of his affair and was looking everywhere for him. She said that Jenna had already run out of thepany.

    His heart sank and he almost passed out when he heard the news.

    D*mn. If Jenna knew what he had done, what would happen¡­ He did not dare to think about it.

    He did not expect Jenna to return so soon. He thought that she would spend at least a week abroad. However, she returned only after three days.

    Why did she have toe back so quickly? Immense sorrow clouded his eyes and he thought silently to himself.

    He did not have any time to ponder over this matter. Flustered, he spun around and dashed out of the office.

    He searched high and low for her but to no avail. Hence, he thought of this ce by the riverside.

    He recalled that she had once be drunk over here when she was in distress. As a result, misfortune had almost befallen her when she encountered two scoundrels. The thought crossed his mind and he was on tenterhooks.

    He dashed right over to have a look. Surely enough, she was there. However, Sergio was there as well. In fact, he was carrying her.

    Fury swelled inside him at the sight of Sergio.

    How dare he carry Jenna in his arms? He had gone overboard.

    Fury surged through him and he dashed over to punch him in the face.

    ¡°What do I n to do?¡± Sergio rubbed his cheeks, which was swollen from the punch, and sneered. He asked sternly, ¡°Hansen, you know that she is your wife. What have you done to her?¡±

    What had he done? His eyelids drooped but he did not utter a word.

    ¡°Since you can¡¯t give her happiness and are unable to protect her, you don¡¯t have the right to say something like that.¡± Sergio sniggered and jeered.

    Hansen clenched his fists as he hugged Jenna tightly. He used so much force that his knuckles turned white.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re here.¡± Jenna felt the familiar sense of warmth as she breathed in his familiar scent. It put her at ease. Even though she was drunk and could not think straight, she could still recognize at once that it was Hansen. She then hugged him tightly and cried, ¡°Hansen, are you abandoning me? Have you fallen for another woman?¡±

    She pounded on his chest as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her tears soon soaked his suit. However, she was still wailing in agony.

    Hansen thought of the decision he had made that morning and felt a stab in his heart. His heart ached so terribly for her that he could barely speak due to the pain.

    He hugged her tightly and neither answered her, nor did hefort her.

    ¡°I warn you. She is my wife. Please stay away from her in the future. I bet you know how immoral this is and how it will impact your reputation if people know that you are trying to snatch my wife from me.¡± Hansen¡¯s expression darkened as he gnashed his teeth and bellowed at Sergio. He shot him a withering stare and his eyes zed murderously.

    He knew very well what was on Sergio¡¯s mind. He was aware that Sergio liked Jenna and wanted her to be his wife. However, Jenna was his wife. How infuriating! How dare he insult him.

    To his annoyance, Sergio onlyughed and sneered. ¡°Hansen, take care of her. Don¡¯t you dare betray her. If you do, I will be more than happy if she chooses me instead.¡±

    After saying this, he gave Hansen a wry smile and said, ¡°Remember to hand over the evidence as soon as possible. My superiors are bing impatient.¡±

    Upon finishing the sentence, he smirked and did not look at them anymore. He then turned around and left.

    Hansen¡¯s expression darkened and it was apparent that he was smoldering with resentment. He clenched his teeth and tried his best to restrain himself.

    After tightening his grip around Jenna, who was still sobbing in his arms, he hugged her tightly as he walked towards the Hummer.

    The car pulled over and he headed straight for Richards Manor.

    Perhaps she was too drunk or perhaps she was just exhausted, Jenna soon fell asleep in the back seat.

    The sunlight streamed in through the window.The room was flooded with warm and golden sunlight.

    Hansen stood by the bed and stared at Jenna who was fast asleep. Her brows were furrowed and it was apparent that she was in distress, even in her dreams.

    Her breathing was ragged and her shirt was soaked with sweat and alcohol. It pressed against her chest, exposing her breasts. Her skin was rosy, probably due to the alcohol and it looked very delicate and tender.

    Hansen nced at her and a look of anguish crossed his face. He caressed her face gently and wiped away her tears as he smoothed over her brows with his hand.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. I will try my best to protect you. I will never let you go to jail or hurt you.¡±

    ¡°Keep in mind that no matter what happens, you must be strong and take good care of Jerry.¡±

    He bent down and unbuttoned her shirt.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t go, don¡¯t leave me!¡± Suddenly, Jenna cried in her dream. She reached out her hand to hold his hand and murmured anxiously.

    As soon as her hand met his, she seized it and held it tightly as she ced it against her chest. She then turned around and dozed off.

    Hearing her desperate pleas and cries of agony, Hansen allowed her to clutch tightly to his hand. His heart ached terribly and he gasped in pain.

    ¡°Jenna, wake up. Your clothes are wet. You have to change. You will catch a cold if you sleep in this state,¡± he said gently in a low voice. There was affection in his tone.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want you to leave,¡± Jenna mumbled and tightened her grip. Her muscles tensed and she was not going to let go of him.

    A faint smile touched the corners of his lips and he looked at her affectionately.

    He could only reach out his arms to carry her to the bathroom.

    His suit was soaked with her tears and sweat as well. In fact, he was in far more distress to see her in agony.

    ¡°Jenna, be a good girl. I¡¯ll clean you up first, okay? Behave yourself.¡± Once the bathtub was filled with water, he unbuttoned her shirt and carried her into the bathtub. He then slowly pushed her hand away.

    Immersed in the warm water, Jenna felt increasingly uneasy and stretched out her arms to wrap them around his waist.

    Hansen chuckled and grabbed a towel as he began to clean her up.

    The rising temperature woke Jenna up. She became sober in an instant and her eyes widened in surprise.

    Hansen¡¯s athletic figure appeared before her. His muscles were flexing as he supported her with his strong arm to prevent her from drowning in the water, as he wiped her body with a towel by using the other hand.

    Jenna was stunned for a while and stared at him. She was barely awake and stared at him without uttering a word.

    Sensing her gaze, Hansen turned to look at her. His eyes were clear and bright.

    ¡°Are you awake?¡± he asked gently. However, he continued wiping her body gently and carefully. He was being extremely patient and focused.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna felt the warmth of his skin against hers and looked down in surprise. To her dismay, she was naked. Hansen had removed her clothes. She flushed scarlet in embarrassment and reached out to hold his hand as she nced at him.

    Hansen was looking at her as well. His eyes were clear and moist. There was no desire in his eyes.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank. She was his wife, yet he was not aroused in front of her although she was naked. Had Liya satisfied his desire in the past few days when she was away?

    Feeling crestfallen, she demanded him. ¡°Hansen, have you betrayed me?¡±

    Her voice was hoarse and it was filled with sorrow. A look of anguish crossed her face and she stared straight at him without blinking her eyes.

    Hansen¡¯s muscles tensed and he could not bear to look at her. He lowered his head and pulled her hand away before he immersed himself in the water and hugged her tightly. He didn¡¯t say anything for a long time.

    Jenna panicked when she did not get a response. She raised her head as tears welled up in her eyes. She poked his chest and asked, ¡°Hansen, tell me. Don¡¯t you love me anymore? Have you fallen for another woman? Tell me! I want you to tell me yourself.¡±

    She didn¡¯t mention Liya¡¯s name as she did not wish to make him feel ashamed. She just hoped that he could tell her the truth. If he really did have an affair with Liya, she would forgive him as long as he was honest about it and promised not to repeat his mistakes. After all, he was Jerry¡¯s father.

    Despite the rising temperature, the atmosphere was tense.

    Jenna¡¯s breathing grew ragged.

    Hansen¡¯s handsome features were filled with distress as he caressed her gently. He whispered into her ears and said, ¡°Jenna, I will always love you. Please remember this. No matter what I do, it¡¯s for your sake. Please believe me.¡±

    What did he mean by that? His answer was so vague. Was he hinting that his feelings for her had already changed? Or did he mean something else? She could not wrap her head around it.

    It had only been a few days.

    All of a sudden, she was filled with despair and only wanted to cry.

 Chapter 456 Giving You A Chance

    ¡­

    Giving You A Chance

    ¡°Hansen¡­¡± She wanted to demand an exnation and find out the truth, no matter what.

    At that moment, Hansen pressed his warm, soft lips on hers.He sucked her lips, drowning out what she was about to say.Then, with an intense urgency, he dipped his tongue past her lips, caressing her tongue with his. She could barely breathe, let alone say anything. He bit her lips and she could feel that he was craving for her.

    He kissed her so passionately, tickling her tongue with his as hecradled her face with his hands. Their bodies pressed together in a heated manner against the wall, breathing heavily as their lips pressed together. The warmth of his mouth sent a current running through her body. She lost herself in the kiss.

    He did not say anything. All he did was to caress her tongue with his.A shallow hum escaped from within her, in response to how he was making her feel and she did not want it to stop. She could barely remember where she was.

    Jenna finally understood that he had not betrayed her. Well¡­ At least, he hadn¡¯t had s*x with Liya when he was finally with her. It was enjoyable and thetidal wave of lust churned within her.

    Slowly, she became more at ease.

    Unable to refuse him, she allowed him to hug her tightly. Warmth consumed her and she lost herself in it, refusing to let go. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly as she sobbed in his arms. She was so afraid of losing him, so frightened¡­

    That night, he did not answer her question at all. All he did was to prove his love for her with s*x. They continued till midnight until she was exhausted and copsed onto the bed. She no longer had the energy to question him and he then hugged her to sleep.

    Meanwhile, in the VIP room. The room was filled with luxurious decorations, as gold was incorporated into its design.

    Sergio sat gloomily on the couch. He was holding a ss of wine. He sipped the wine. It was apparent that he was in a bad mood.

    Zoe waste.

    ¡°Sergio, you seem to be very free today.¡± She chuckled and sat down by his side. She shot him a coy nce.

    There was a gleam in Sergio¡¯s eyes as he ced down the ss of wine with a thud. He stared into her eyes and asked, ¡°Zoe, tell me. Are you behind the misfortune that had befallen the Richards Group?¡±

    Zoe remained calm andposed, and stared into his eyes. She gave him a provocative look and a slow smile spread over her mouth.

    ¡°Sergio, what do you mean? Don¡¯t look at me in this manner! It¡¯s making me ufortable.¡± Zoe picked up the ss of wine on the table and took a sip.

    ¡°Zoe, I don¡¯t care how you n to take revenge on the Richards Group. However, I have warned you before that I will not cooperate with you and engage in something illegal such as this. I will not ruin my future for your sake. I believe that you understand this as well. At the same time, I would like to remind you not to be too full of yourself.¡± He shot her a withering stare and his expression was ice cold.

    Zoe raised her eyebrows and chuckled with an air of nonchnce.

    ¡°Sergio, I would like to ask you. Now that the Richards Group has been suspected to have leaked the nation¡¯s top secrets, shouldn¡¯t you be the one toe and investigate the matter? Isn¡¯t this one of your job scopes?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Sergio thought for a moment and he had to agree that it was true.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You are just doing your job as assigned and you know nothing about this. Hence, what does this have to do with you? Have you done anything illegal?¡± Zoe feigned ignorance and retorted as she shed him a smile.

    Upon hearing what she said, Sergio¡¯s expression softened and he said, ¡°Great, at least you know your ce.¡±

    He replied with an air of indifference and his jaw muscles finally rxed.

    ¡°Sergio, I know my ce very well and I know that I have to be careful. Sadly for me, you don¡¯t even bother to understand what is on my mind. Don¡¯t worry, I have promised you and I will not go back on my word.¡± A faint smile briefly touched her lips and she exuded a confident aura.

    Sergio understood at once what had happened. The tragedy did not happen in a day. It was a carefullyid out scheme. He had received news that Zoe¡¯s subordinate had already be part of the Richards Group long ago. She was behind the incident.

    It was a brilliant n, cruel and destructive. If she seeded, not only would Jenna go to jail, but also the Richards Group would also be doomed. They would eventually go out of business. As the person in charge of investigating the matter, he was abiding by thew and carrying out his duty.

    The image of Jenna¡¯s pale face, which was filled with distress shed across his mind and his heart sank. He stood up abruptly and mmed his balled fist against the table as rage overtook him.

    ¡°Let me ask you. Why did you frame Jenna and nt evidence that points towards her? How can you be so ruthless? What wrong has she done? Didn¡¯t you want to take revenge on Hansen? Why must you harm her?¡± He gritted his teeth and demanded. There was a crazed look on his face.

    Zoe examined his expression.

    At that moment, he looked like a loser. He had a dejected look on his face but all he could think of was Jenna. His heart ached for her.

    Zoe sneered. She knew that he was no match for Hansen and had not managed to win Jenna¡¯s heart. However, he still took her side and sympathized with her. It was a shame.

    Noticing that he was simmering with anger, she pursed her lips and chuckled as she urged him to sit down. She said with an amiable expression, ¡°I know what you want. I¡¯m just giving you a chance, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Giving me a chance?¡± Sergio could not help but to raise his voice in disbelief. He looked at the stunning woman in front of him warily. He did not know what she was implying.

    Zoe¡¯s mouth twisted into a wry smile and she spoke slowly.

    ¡°Think about it. This can only happen to Jenna. I know Hansen very well. If this happens to him, he will not even be in distress if he goes to jail. It doesn¡¯t bother him even if the Richards Group is destroyed. This will not serve as a huge blow to him. However, if I frame Jenna, he would be cautious and uneasy. He will be afraid that Jenna will get hurt. Hence, he will be overly careful when he investigates the matter. This is his weakness. I have hit a raw nerve and now, it will be easier for me to carry out my n. In fact, it will be much more exciting.¡±

    Zoeughed in delight. There was a smug expression on her face. Noticing that Sergio was frowning, sheughed even louder.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you see? Who will be the one in agony when Jenna has been charged with the offence? Hansen, of course. Would he allow Jenna, the woman he loves, to go to jail? Of course not. He would rather go to jail himself. Hence, he will try his best to protect Jenna. We have the evidence to prove Jenna¡¯s innocence. As long as we withhold the evidence, he would have to obey us. This is so exciting!¡± Upon saying that, she gulped down the ss of wine and swallowed it slowly. An arrogant smile was stered across her face.

    Sergio clutched the edge of the table with his hands, and his heart raced.

    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder that they say, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. They do have a point. You are so vicious,¡± he said coldly, narrowing his eyes.

    ¡°What? Are you worried about her?¡± Zoe stopped smiling and asked in a strange tone.

    Sergio filled his ss with wine and gulped down the wine before cing the ss on the table with a thud. ¡°Zoe, let me warn you. Don¡¯t you dare hurt her. Or else, I will definitely teach you a lesson.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Zoe burst intoughter. ¡°Sergio, don¡¯t worry. I have a n. I believe that she will soon return to your side. Whether the n will seed or not depends on your charm and how you act. I believe that as long as you are a man, the n would definitely seed. It¡¯s the perfect opportunity. Unless¡­ You are just a loser.¡±

    Upon saying that, Zoe emphasized the word ¡®loser¡¯. She stood up abruptly and patted him on the shoulder. Laughing, she said, ¡°Sergio, all the best to you. I hope that you will seed.¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    It was hard for Sergio not to be shocked by what she said. His expression darkened and he said coldly, ¡°Zoe, don¡¯t be too full of yourself. No n is perfect. Do you think that Hansen is a fool? Do you think he relied on luck to achieve what he did today?¡±

    ¡°It looks like you don¡¯t believe me?¡± Sensing his sarcasm, Zoe raised an eyebrow and retorted indignantly.

    In reality, what Sergio said had sent a chill down her spine. However, who did he think she was? She had already foreseen this. Hence, she did not believe that she would lose to Hansen.

    Sergio frowned as she was too arrogant. However, she wanted to take revenge against the Richards Group. It had nothing to do with him.

    ¡°Goodbye, Sergio.¡± After saying that, she shed him a smile and waved her hand to say goodbye. She was about to leave.

    ¡°By the way, Sergio, I have recruited a lot of people to vote for your father. As long as you can stop the Richards Group from supporting Luqman, he would be no match for your father. All the best! Of course, I hope that we can have a good working rtionship. Do abide by the rules. We are doing this for our respective needs. Don¡¯t interfere in what I do and just carry out your tasks.¡± She had already reached the door before turning around to remind him.

    After that, she burst intoughter again before marching out of the room. After a few steps, she stopped and turned around, as she batted her eyshes at him. She then walked out of the room.

    Sergio slumped onto the chair and did note to his senses for a long time.

    ¡°Zoe, I won¡¯t interfere if your goal is to take revenge on the Richards Group. However, you better not be too full of yourself and I hope that you won¡¯t end up regretting your decision today.¡± He sat on the chair and thought silently to himself. There was a sneer on his face.

    When Jenna woke up the next morning, sunlight streamed in through the window. She struggled to sit up. Her body ached terribly after what had happened the night before.

    The spot next to her was already empty. Hansen had already left and she had no idea about it.

    Jenna nced at the bed, apparently in a daze.

    She cringed at the scent of sweat that filled the air.

    Jenna struggled to get up. After brushing her teeth, she went down to have breakfast.

    Jerry was over the moon when he heard that Jenna and Hansen had returned. He had been waiting for Jenna in the living room since early in the morning.

    Although he still hadn¡¯t seen Hansen, he was in high spirits. He was filled with anticipation as he waited patiently for Jenna toe down.

 Chapter 457 Liya Was Promoted

    In the luxurious office of theInternational Kinsey Center, Hansen was concentrating and frowning while browsing a website.

    ¡°Knock, knock!¡± There was a gentle but audible knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Hansen lifted his head. Liya¡¯s beautiful and delicate figure appeared at the door of the office. He was stunned for a moment before he squinted and immediately smiled.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Having received permission from Hansen, Liya was extremely happy. Like a gust of wind, she moved swiftly into the office and approached Hansen. However, just as she met his smiling eyes, she suddenly shivered.

    Although the smile of tall and distinguished Hansen in front of her was so cordial, there was a wave of terror emanating from him, especially the unseen pressure radiating from his body. It made it difficult for her to breathe. It seemed that there had always been waves of murderous intent swirling in the air around him. His eyes were full of his smiles and were so enchanting. Yet, it made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice hole. It was so cold that she was trembling.

    She didn¡¯t dare get too close to him and simply stood a short distance away from him. She was stupefied and looked at him timidly.

    ¡°Liya, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Hansen seemed to have perceived the atmosphere and the smile on his face became even more charming. His voice also became gentler and more moving.

    His voice was very pleasing to the ears. Liya instantly felt as if she was surrounded by pieces of warm and beautiful precious stones. She rxed and her doubts began to fade slowly. She took a step closer, lowered her head, and used her fingers to fiddle with the newly purchased outfits. With her face was full of shyness, she said, ¡°Hansen, yesterdayyou saidthat you¡¯re going to take me out today. Is it true?¡±

    Hansen was slightly stunned. He rolled his eyes upwards to recall what happened the day before,only then did he remember that he had promised to buy her jewelry yesterday. He was the president of theRichards Group. How could he break his promise to a woman? He immediately smiled and said generously, ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll keep to my word.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Liya couldn¡¯t help but to feel delighted. She smiled sweetly and said, ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re so kind to me. Thank you.¡±

    As she spoke, she moved closer to Hansen. Her entire body was about to stick onto his arm.

    ¡°How about this, Liya, go back to work first. I¡¯ll take you out for lunch at noon, and then I¡¯ll take you shopping. What do you think?¡± Hansen raised his eyebrows, and his face was as bright as the spring breeze.

    ¡°Sure, Hansen, then I¡¯ll go back to work first. When it¡¯s almost noon, I¡¯lle to your office to find you, okay?¡± Liya blinked her eyes and smiled brightly, looking at Hansen.

    Hansen leaned back and ced his hands behind his head. He nodded with a smile and gave his permission.

    Liya wasinstantlyecstatic and the smile on her face became even fuller.

    ¡°Well, Liya, considering your recent outstanding work performance, I¡¯ve decided to promote and appoint you as the director of the Sales and Marketing Department. What do you think? Do you think you can take on this position well?¡± Hansen acted as if he was casually talking about something irrelevant. He looked atLiya, who wassmiling, while he spoke calmly.

    A promotion? The director of the Sales and Marketing Department?

    Liya didn¡¯t really expect this to happen. She froze on the spot.

    Right then, she was just an ordinary employee, but she had been promoted to director in such a short time. This meant that she had skipped countless positions in a row. It was as if she was flying on a ne and steadily rising.

    Could it be that Liya had misheard him?

    For a moment, she couldn¡¯t believe herself. She couldn¡¯t believe that such a good thing would grace upon her. She only stood there and felt silly. It wasn¡¯t until she heard Hansen¡¯sughter that she realised it was not a dream, but in fact, it was real.

    She was leaping for joy!

    It turned out that seducing a man with power was such a wonderful feeling that she had never dreamt of.

    In the past few days, no matter what it was, as long as she liked it, he would intently understand what she was trying to tell him and satisfy her as she wished. This feeling made her feel overjoyed.

    It turned out that dating a marvellous man would be such a blissful thing. That feeling was great. Happiness seemed to be easily within her grasp.

    Everything fell upon herp so easily that she almost felt as if she was in a euphoric state.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mr. White? Come to my office.¡± Hansen personally dialed a few phone numbers and gave a brief order.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Mr. White to arrive.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, are you looking for me?¡± When Mr. White came in, he saw Liya leaning against Hansen coyly while giggling. As for Hansen, he ced one hand on her waist,and the other hand was caressing and rubbing her small hand. His smile on his face showed that he was enjoying and indulging himself at this moment.

    Both of them were talking andughing, looking extremely affectionate and didn¡¯t even notice Mr. White, who had juste in. Even after entering and standing there for a long time, they still treated him as if he was invisible and did not exist.

    Mr. White didn¡¯t know what to do. He stood there in embarrassment, but it was not convenient for him to leave directly.So, he had to ask gingerly.

    It wasn¡¯t until he had repeated his question twice that Hansen seemed to have noticed him. He withdrew his smiling eyes from Liya and lifted his head to look at Mr. White.

    At this time, Liya also saw Mr. Whiteand blushed. She wanted to withdraw her hand from Hansen¡¯s hand buthe was not bothered at all. He tightened his grip on her waist while the other hand held her hand tightly and caressed it as he wished.

    ¡°Mr. White, I did indeed have something to discuss with you today.It looks like you¡¯ll have to report yourself to the Public Rtions Department, who needsan experienced director therefrom tomorrow onwards. You have some experience in sales.So, it would be great if you can manage the Public Rtions Department. I hope that you can also perform well. Will you be able to do that?¡± Hansen¡¯s hand was still on Liya¡¯s waist. He held her hand and stroked it gently. His face was filled with enjoyment but he was looking at Mr. White.

    Mr. White was so shocked that he could not even speak. What kind of order was that?

    As the director of the global Marketing and Sales Department, he was demoted to the supervisor position of a small Public Rtions Department in an instant. It was not even equivalent to being a manager. What was this nonsense?

    He then looked at Hansen and Liya. Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that the rtionship between the two of them was unusual.

    It seemed that Hansen was going to appoint his own mistress. He had been blinded by her.

    As expected, he heard Hansen saying, ¡°Liya will be taking over your position as the director of the Sales and Marketing Department from today onwards. Hand over your portfolio to her now. You have to report everything that¡¯s happening at hand carefully, especially the key points, as you have to exin all the important details to her. Liya is a neer. You have to give her more advice and make sure she won¡¯t make any mistakes at work.¡±

    Mr. White was dumbstruck for a while, then he quickly came back to his senses. He soon realized the fact that he had been punished by the unspoken rules.

    Well, now that things hade to this point, he could only conceal his feelings, forced a smile and replied, ¡°Sure, Mr. Richards, I will carefully hand it over to Liya. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    After saying this, he turned around and walked out.

    ¡°Hansen, do you really want me to be the director of the Sales andMarketing Department? Is this true?¡± It was not until Mr. White had left and Liya came to her senses from her extreme surprise. She looked at Hansen in disbelief and once again asked for confirmation.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes sparkled with a captivating smile as he nodded.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re too kind to me.¡± Liya felt her heart pounding violently. She stretched out her arms and wrapped them around his neck. She couldn¡¯t help but to kiss him hard on the face andugh happily.

    Hansen giggled and pinched her face.¡°Since I¡¯ve treated you so well, aren¡¯t you also going to do your best in mypany?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Hansen.I will definitely do my best.¡± Liya looked at Hansen¡¯s charming eyes and nodded her head frantically. She really didn¡¯t expect Hansen to be that kind to her, and he changed his cold attitude towards her so rapidly. It seemed that her charm was unstoppable.

    As long as Hansen treated her well, it was a real possibility for her not to care about Zoe.

    When Zoe¡¯s face shed across her mind, she was suddenly shocked.

    Zoe had sent a lot of spies to the Richards Group. If that was the case, wouldn¡¯t they really ruin the RichardsGroup?

    If the RichardsGroupwere to fall, would that mean that she would lose her status?

    At the thought of this, she changed her expression.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Liya, do you have anything you¡¯re not satisfied with? Or, if you have any difficulties, feel free to let me know. As long as I can do it, I will fulfil your requests.¡± Hansen smiled as he looked at her. When he saw her expression change, he asked with concern.

    ¡°No, nothing.¡± Liya looked into his pitch-ck eyes, which were as dark as ink. She felt her heart panic, but she continued smiling flirtatiously.¡°Hansen you¡¯re being so nice to me, how can I have any other thoughts?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Go back and prepare for your transition now. Work hard in the future. As long as you achieve results, I willpensate you well.¡± Hansen patted her hand and smiled in a charming way.

    Liya was looking at the distinguished man in front of her. Even when she walked out of his office, she still felt as if she was in a dream.

    It was so wonderful that the heavens had given her all her happiness in an instant, leaving her no time to digest this jubnt news.

    She had spent the whole morning feeling excited but uneasy. She tried her best to calm herself down and took over the director position. Only when she saw the wide and bright office of the director belonging to her did she collect herself from the restlessness and ept this wonderful reality.

    A woman, who had only been in thepany for more than a month, had risen to such a high position without any merit. This waspletely inconsistent with the employment principle of the Richards Group. Such a thing had never happened before, which was almost beyond everyone¡¯s expectations. At that time, everyone was looking at each other while gossiping about her.

    However, everyone understood the fact that she had hooked up with Mr. Richards. As for whether she had slept with him or not, it was believable.

    In this way, Liya¡¯s position in the Richards Group rose dramatically. In less than a day, everyone treated her differently and even began to tter her.

    Then, soon, she felt all kinds of envious looks from her colleagues in the Richards Group. She had never been so satisfied.

    She felt a sense of happiness and pleasure that she¡¯d never experienced before.

 Chapter 458 Capture Your Manâ€™s Heart

    Meanwhile,after Jenna got up, she went to the living room downstairs after having a wash.

    Aunt E was painstakingly preparing breakfast for her.

    ¡°Mommy.¡± Jerry, who was waiting for Jenna with excitement and anticipation, ran quickly towards her when he saw her.

    ¡°Jerry.¡± Jenna crouched down and stretched out her hands to pick him up.

    The mother and son hugged each other. They were extremely affectionate.

    ¡°Aunt E, where¡¯s Hansen?¡± Jenna asked Aunt E as she held Jerry in her arms and yed with him.

    Upon hearing Jenna¡¯s question, Aunt E quickly replied with a smile, ¡°Madam, Mr. Richards had gone out early in the morning.¡±

    Ever since Hansen became the President of the Richards Group, everyone in the family had begun to address him as Mr.Richardsand Jenna had also earned the right to be called ¡®Madam¡¯.

    Hansen left early in the morning? Jenna frowned slightly.

    ¡°Mommy, I haven¡¯t seen Daddy for days. I haven¡¯t seen Daddy hug Mommy and me anymore.¡± Jerry remembered that his Dad and Mom used toe home together happily. Even if they hadn¡¯t returned home together, the first thing his Dad did when he came home was always to hold his Mom and kiss her with a smile on his face, beforeing to hug him.

    He used to protest strongly against such unfair treatment, but these days, he could no longer see his Mom and Dad being affectionate.Only now did he start to think that even if his Dad hugged his Mom but not him, he would still be very happy.

    The feeling of not being able to see his Dad was terrible.

    Jerry¡¯s words were like the poisonous sting of a bee, hurting Jenna¡¯s feelings. A wave of pain swept across her heart and her face turned pale.

    ¡°Jerry, be good. Daddy has a huge project to handle for the next few days. He¡¯s very busy, and he¡¯ll make it up to you soon.¡± She hugged Jerry tightly andforted him, although she felt bewildered and uneasy.

    ¡°Madam, breakfast is ready. Pleasee over to eat.¡± Aunty E called out to her kindly.

    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Jenna answered softly. Right this moment, Larry came up from the side and called out, ¡°Young Master, your teacher is here. It¡¯s time for your studies.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so soon.¡± Jerry pouted and asked unwillingly, ¡°Mommy, can I not study today? I want to stay a little longer with you.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Jenna immediately put on a straight face and said in a serious tone, ¡°Jerry, you have to persevere and study regrly. You can¡¯t casually skip sses. This is the right attitude to study. You have to practise this from a young age and not develop the bad habit of giving up when things are unfinished. Besides, Mommy has to go to thepany to help Daddy soon after breakfast.I have no time to keep youpany. Mommy and Daddy will take you out during the weekends when we¡¯re free.¡±

    Jenna knew that she got upte today. Jerry had already had his breakfast, and now that his private tutor had arrived, of course, she wouldn¡¯t allow him to act innocent. Furthermore, she was worried about the Richards Group. So, she definitely wouldn¡¯t be in the mood to y with him.

    Therefore, after holding and kissing him for a while, she sent him to the study room, handed him to the teacher, and went to have her breakfast.

    ¡°Madam, have a cup of soy milk,¡± Aunt E said with concern as she saw Jenna, who was about to leave, after hurriedly picking up a bun. She handed her a cup of warm soy milk. ¡°It¡¯s not hot now. It¡¯s just fine. Although you¡¯re busy, you must take care of your health.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna was touched. She didn¡¯t want to hurt her feelings. So, she epted the soy milk and finished it in two gulps.

    Aunt E took the cup and hesitated on saying something. She stopped after having second thoughts when she saw that Jenna was really busy.

    After finishing the soy milk, Jenna felt thirsty.So, she picked up the ss on the table and drank some water. When she ced the ss back, Aunt E had already helped her get her bag.

    Aunt E had always treated her like her own daughter. Jenna knew that, whichwas why she cherished Aunt E¡¯s care a lot.

    She took the bag and thanked her.She kept thinking about Hansen, as sheturned around and was about to leave.

    ¡°Madam.¡± Aunt E finally spoke.

    Jenna turned around and looked at her in puzzlement, smiling as she asked, ¡°Aunt E, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Madam, I have something to say. Maybe I¡¯m too nosy, but I really want to tell you.¡± Aunt E thought for a moment and said in a caring manner.

    ¡°Oh, go ahead. I¡¯d like to hear it.¡± Jenna knew that Aunt E had always cared for her, and she also knew that she would not just randomly have the urge to talk to her.So, she immediately took her hand and smiled.

    ¡°Madam, Mr.Richardsis very busy these days. I¡¯ve heard about the Richards Group, but it¡¯s not a big deal. So, you should rx.¡± Aunt E sighed and continued. ¡°It¡¯s not strange for a bigpany to encounter such a crisis. The Richards Group is not just some regr mega-corporation. It has a foundation of a hundred years. As long as they are not guilty of anything, the problems can be ovee sooner orter. But Madam, you have to pay more attention to Mr. Hansen.¡±

    The reason Aunt E said this was to tell Jenna that it was alright for a family not to be rich. For women, having a husband who loved them and a nuclear family was the most important thing. It wouldn¡¯t matter if they were rich or not.

    Jenna looked at her in astonishment.

    What did she mean? Had she already realized something?

    Aunt E had always treated her well. Of course, she believed that Aunt E did not say that out of the blue.

    ¡°Madam, you don¡¯t have to be surprised. I know that you and Mr.Richardshave a good rtionship. But for a man with power and status,there will surely be temptations.Yesterday, I heard that Frederic is going to have a mistress marry into the family openly. Men in these wealthy families have many uncertainties. You must keep an eye on Mr.Richards. The Richards Group is a wealthy family withrge businesses. Even if a part of it failed, you can still be an affluent family in A City. I don¡¯t know how many women are willing to be married into this family.¡± Aunt E took her hand and said earnestly, ¡°No matter how huge the business is, it is still a man¡¯s world. What you have to do is to capture your man¡¯s heart. When you returned to work in Richards Group, I was secretly happy for you. In this way, you can stay closer to Mr.Richards.¡±

    When Aunt E said this, sadness was cast over her face and she was looking at Jenna pitifully.

    Jenna had an rming feeling that Hansen was going to marry a mistress like Frederic in an instant. Liya¡¯s figure shed in her mind. They were so close when they were in Pacific za. Even the previous night when Hansen made love to her, he did not make it clear. Thinking of this, Jenna¡¯s face turned pale.

    ¡°Aunt E, have you found out anything?¡± Jenna held Aunt E¡¯s hand and asked. Her emotions were free-falling.

    She had only gone on a business trip abroad for three days. The day before she left, Hansen was still affectionate with her. No, that was not right. They had even made love the previous night. They loved each other so deeply. Could it be that Hansen would betray her even in such a short period of time?

    All signs indicated that something was changing.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    She felt more and more uneasy.

    ¡°Madam, those are all rumours. Don¡¯t take it seriously.¡± Aunt E did hear some bad rumors in the past few days, and that was why she reminded Jenna. However, she had always known that their rtionship was very stable and they had been through a lot before they remarried. So, she didn¡¯t believe those rumors at all. However, she was still willing to remind Jenna. After all, she was still young, and it was important for her to make up for her shorings.

    Moreover, the Newton family had officially announced that they were going to wee a mistress into their family the day before. This was something that had never happened among the wealthy families in A City. It made her feel more uneasy. In reality, she really didn¡¯t want her Young Master, whom she had watched growing up, to marry another woman and keep her at home. That would cause too much hurt for Jenna, and their lives would no longer be peaceful.

    Therefore, she warned her as much as she could.

    Aunt E¡¯s words made Jenna uneasy. She loved Hansen with her entire heart. It could be said that since they returned from Wullen Town, her love for him was engraved into her core. If she were to lose everything¡­

    She couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen next.

    Usually, if the rich and powerful families in A city were looking for lovers, they would do it secretly. It was really rare to see them marry a mistress so openly. Therefore, Frederic was setting a precedent.

    Nevertheless, men would not divorce their first wives. On one hand, the first wife would be from a family of equal status, which could not be offended. On the other hand, the first wife had already given birth to children for the men. So, they could not be separated. Moreover, the elders of the family would not agree. If it really was that way, men would face obstacles and moral condemnation, and they would not be able to continue living in high society. Therefore, no matter how terrible a man was, he would not divorce his first wife. That was not allowed.

    Jenna knew this very well.

    However, she didn¡¯t think so. Her parents had neither power nor status. She was just amoner whocould only enjoy Hansen¡¯s love. If Hansen really was to do something like that, she couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Otherwise, Sara wouldn¡¯t have insisted on disallowing her from returning.

    How could she not understand her mother¡¯s thoughts?

    Furthermore, Jenna had an indomitable pride. She would not allow Hansen to ept a mistress. If that was the case, she would rather leave, but Jerry¡­

    Thinking of this, her heart ached. Aunt E¡¯s words made her lose her mind, and she was also in a state of bewilderment.

    Liya, that alluring woman. She waspletely different from Aria. Perhaps Aria wasn¡¯t Hansen¡¯s type from the very beginning, but every man would fall for someone like Liya.

    She grabbed her bag, left in a hurry, and could no longer bear to hear what Aunt E had said.

    Hansen, if he really was seeing another woman like that useless Frederic,she won¡¯t forgive him.

    She would not allow any men to have second wives, let alone mistresses. If he insisted on doing that,she would leave.

    With the thought of leaving, she could only visualize Jerry¡¯s cries. She felt a sudden chill running down her spine,and her face turned pale.

 Chapter 459 He Seemed To Have Changed Into A Different Person

    She didn¡¯t even know how she managed to drive to the Richards Group.

    Aunt E was right. If the Richards Group failed in the luxury car department, there would still be a lot of other industries to tackle. After all, they were a rich and powerful family. Their properties alone were enough to make people envious.

    Liya¡¯s family was not well off, and she had connections within Richards Manor. If she could be Hansen¡¯s second wife, she would totally agree to it¡­

    Jenna suddenly had an awful headache. Her car swayed from side to side, making the people outside scold her.

    It took her a lot of effort to reach the underground parking lot. When she opened the door, she felt that her hands and feet were cold, as if they were not hers.

    ¡°Jenna,¡± As soon as she got out of the car and walked a few steps forward, she almost knocked the pole in front of her. Fortunately, someone reached out and grabbed her in time. She turned around and saw Sergio. His anxious face was particrly striking in the dark basement, and his eyes were full of sympathy.

    ¡°Go away.¡± Jenna remembered what had happened to the Richards Group. She had always suspected that it had something to do with the man in front of her. The feelings she had left for him werepletely gone. She pushed him away and staggered outside.

    When she reached the 88th floor, she headed straight for Hansen¡¯s office.

    She wanted to ask him personally whether he and Liya were like how others described.

    However, she would be disappointed very soon.Hansen¡¯s door was closed.

    ¡°Yuri.¡± She turned around and walked towards the front desk in anger.

    ¡°Ms¡­.Ms. Murphy.¡± Yuri was walking out of the washroom. She somehow knew what was going on when she saw Jenna¡¯s enraged face. Hesitating, she did not know what to say.

    The look on Yuri¡¯s face made her even more suspicious.

    She ced her bag on the front desk and asked loudly, ¡°Yuri, where is Mr. Richards?¡±

    ¡°Ms¡­.Ms. Murphy, Mr. Richards has gone out,¡± Yuri stuttered.

    He went out again? Where did he go?

    Jenna frowned, and she started having a bad feeling.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯vee to work?¡± Hearing Jenna¡¯s voice, Sabrina quickly came out. As she greeted her, she winked at Yuri and dragged Jenna into the office.

    Jenna was about to ask Yuri again, but she was pulled into the office by Sabrina. Fiona breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Sabrina, tell me. Where did Hansen go?¡± Jenna knew that Sabrina must know something. She had been staying in the office these days.

    ¡°Jenna, can you calm down? Can you stop talking about Hansen? Without him, won¡¯t you be able to live?¡± Sabrina was furious when she saw Jenna¡¯s miserable appearance. When Jenna heard that Hansen had gone out with Liya the day before, sheimmediatelyrushed out like mad. Sabrina could not find Jenna anywhere when she tried chasing after herand her phone was turned off as well. She was worried sick for Jenna the whole day. If it weren¡¯t for her thinking about calling Hansenter and knowing that Hansen had brought her back to Richards Manor, she would really be terrified that something might have happened to Jenna.

    Her appearance that day was worse than the previous day, as if she was about to die. That was why Sabrina felt angry.

    ¡°Jenna, you can call him if you want to know anything. Why do you have to lose yourposure? Please don¡¯t be so obsessed with him, okay?¡± Sabrina said angrily.

    She was really worried about her emotions.

    ¡°No, I want to ask him face to face. He will not say anything if I call him up.¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes went nk and her face was very pale.

    Sabrina looked at her and shook her head.

    Now that Hansen was head over heels with Liya, everyone in thepany knew about it. However, Hansen would spend all day shopping and parading his rtionship with Liya, as if he was worried that everyone would not know. This was just too outrageous.

    ¡°Sabrina, you¡¯re not me. You won¡¯t know how I feel. I love him and have already given all my feelings to him. I don¡¯t have any left.¡± Jenna was crying. She held Sabrina¡¯s hand and sobbed.¡°Tell me, where did he go? Did he take Liya out again?¡±

    Jenna looked pitiful and pathetic as she held Sabrina¡¯s hand, begging and pleading.

    Sabrina narrowed her eyes. She gritted her teeth and brought her to the desktopputer.

    ¡°Alright, Jenna.I¡¯ll let you take a good look at what you¡¯ve achieved by working so hard all day. Open your eyes and take a good look. This is Hansen¡¯s instruction from yesterday until this morning. Look carefully, Hansen has beenpletely spellbound by that woman. Even his behaviour is unusual.¡± Sabrina opened the email on theputer and pointed as she spoke and gnashed her teeth.

    Jenna wiped her tears away, opened all the emails with her trembling hands, and read carefully. The more she read, the more tears she sheduntil she was devastated.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The first email was to dismiss Jenna¡¯s position as the vice president and demote her to the secretary position on the basis of ¡®ipetence¡¯.

    The second email was about appointing Liya as the director of the Global Sales and Marketing Department. The former director, Mr. White, had been transferred to the Public Rtions Department as a supervisor.

    In the following emails, it was all a series of changes among the senior executive positions. Hansen actually reshuffled several senior executive over the course of three days, when she left A City to go abroad. Moreover, all of them were reced without any warning.

    In the end, she saw an order that slightlyforted her. The position of vice president had been given to Sabrina, and she was now Sabrina¡¯s secretary.

    She was removed from the position of vice president. She had heard the staff talking about it in the underground parking lot the day before, and Sergio had also mentioned it.So, she was not too surprised. However, Hansen¡¯s appointment of Liya as the Sales and Marketing Department director was unexpected, which made her heart ache even more.

    He had changed so quickly. It turned out that their rtionship was not that secure.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯ve said that Jerry and I are your lives.So, you¡¯ll do everything you can to protect us. But why is it that you have changed so much in just a few days?I don¡¯t even recognize you now.¡±

    She slumped on her desk helplessly and tears started to stream down her face.

    She thought that her life waspletely ruined.

    She did not have the ability to capture and hold onto a man¡¯s heart. They had just been remarried for one year, and he had fallen in love with another woman. On top of that, that woman was hired by her. How shameful it was!

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be sad. Your health is more important.¡± Sabrina¡¯s eyes were also red. She had never anticipated that when thepany was facing such big trouble, Hansen was the first to attack Jenna. He seemed to have also changed into a different person. Not only did his behaviour be absurd,but hispany¡¯s staff appointment was also confusing as well.

    ¡°Jenna, now is not the time to be sad. You have to behave like his legal wife. Liya is a mistress who openly seduced your husband. You have to uphold your dignity to drive her away and protect your marriage.Do you understand?¡± Sabrina was extremely anxious. Just the thought of how soft and weak Liya looked made her angry. She hated mistresses the most in her entire life.

    To her, all the women who were entangled in someone else¡¯s family and became mistresses were extremely shameless.

    ¡°Look at that woman now. She¡¯s wearing all kinds of branded clothes and jewelry everyday. Your husband bought all those things for her. If you don¡¯t know how to fight for yourself, I¡¯ll really look down on you.¡± Sabrina tried to persuade her.

    Sabrina¡¯s words finally stopped Jenna¡¯s crying and she gradually calmed down. She raised her head in a daze and looked at her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Although you are not the vice president now, that position has been given to me. I¡¯ll help you destroy that woman and let her know that it¡¯s not easy to be someone¡¯s mistress.¡± Sabrina stretched her fingers and clenched her fists in front of Jenna. Her face was full of anger, and she gnashed her teeth as she spoke.

    Jenna sat in a stupor, lost in her thoughts. She kept thinking, ¡°Why is Hansen behaving so abnormally? It¡¯s only been three days, but he seemed to have changed into a different person. That¡¯s too soon.¡±

    In fact, she didn¡¯t hear a word Sabrina said at all.

    There was a sound of high-heeled shoes at the door. The sound was soft and delicate, just like her figure. The sound of the metal high-heeled shoes hitting the floor was so soft and dainty that it distracted others.

    Sabrina¡¯s expression changed drasticallyand her eyes were filled with rage.

    That d*mned woman dared to walk around tantly. Shame on her!

    Whenever Sabrina thought of Liya, she would feel anger surging up in her heart.

    Jenna, who was sitting nkly, heard the sound of the high heels. She suddenly stood up and rushed towards the door.

    Liya was wearing a stylish linen dress and was carrying a trendy, red shoulder bag, lookingfashionable and ssy. Her tall and slender figure was particrly pleasing to the eye.

    Jenna quickly rushed in front of her, steadied herself, and looked at her fiercely.

    Liya was shocked and stopped. When she saw that it was Jenna, she panicked. Her eyes drifted to and fro.She didn¡¯t dare to look straight at her.

    ¡°Ms. Murphy.¡± She lowered her head and called out in a low voice. Then, as if she had recalled something, she suddenly stood up and nodded gracefully at Jenna,smiling faintly, ¡°Secretary Murphy, may I ask if there¡¯s something you need?¡±

    She was very humble and friendly.Her tone was soft. She looked at Jenna innocently and blinked her eyes, as if she didn¡¯t understand what was happening.

    Secretary Murphy? She actually called her Secretary Murphy!

    Jenna smiled coldly.

    She was so good at acting. She had already seduced her husband but still pretended to be innocent. She was really good at scheming.

 Chapter 460 Sabrina Teaches the Homewrecker A Lesson

    ¡°Liya, where is Hansen?¡± Jenna asked in a straightforward manner. She sized Liya up and asked in a cold voice, ¡°How can you walk around in your own clothes during work hours? Don¡¯t you have a uniform?¡±

    Jenna directly called out Hansen¡¯s name. Her temperament was obvious to Liya that Hansen was her husband and that her position was very special.

    However, Liya blinked her big eyes and deliberately pretended to be confused. She asked, smiling.

    ¡°Well, Secretary Murphy, you may not know that I¡¯m no longer working in the Network Department. Mr. Richards personally appointed me as the director of the Global Sales and Marketing Department. Just now, I apanied Mr. Richards to meet with clients. Moreover, Mr. Richards also agreed that I don¡¯t have to wear my work uniform. Is there any problem?¡±

    Liya kept mentioning ¡®Mr. Richards¡¯. She seemed to be very friendly, but in fact, she didn¡¯t take Jenna seriously at all. She even deliberately raised her voice to ask if there was a problem with her. No matter how Jenna listened to the way Liya spoke, it seemed to be very provocative.

    Jenna¡¯s heart seemed to have been violently pulled out by someone, as it was aching and in excruciating pain.

    ¡°Which client did you go to meet with Hansen?¡± When facing Liya¡¯s pretentious and distant attitude, Jenna suppressed the anger in her heart and asked coldly.

    Liya actually dared to publicly admit that she had gone out with Hansen.

    Didn¡¯t she say that she was going out to meet clients? What a joke. Jenna knew what she was doing.

    The former director of theGlobal Marketing and Sales Department, Mr. White, never needed to go out and meet the clients with Hansen. It was apparent that Liya was going on a date with her husband. Noticing Liya was d in designer brands, she waspletely different from the poor Liya who had juste in to work. Everyone knew what had happened very well. Thinking about this made Jenna¡¯s heart ache once again.

    ¡°Secretary Murphy, you¡¯re just a secretary now. I don¡¯t think I should tell you about thepany¡¯s confidential information. You must have known that too.¡± At this moment, the smile on Liya¡¯s face vanished, as she spoke in an arrogant manner. Her expression obviously showed that she didn¡¯t take Jenna seriously.

    ¡°Bullsh*t.¡± With a furious roar, Sabrina, who was at the side, couldn¡¯t suppress her anger any longer. She immediately charged forward, raised her hand, and with a ¡®p¡¯ sound, gave Liya a hard p on her face.Five reddish finger marks instantly appeared on the left side of Liya¡¯s face.

    Liya waspletely stupefied. She felt the left side of her face burn with pain, and she almost fainted.

    ¡°What kind of an attitude is this?¡± Sabrina pointed at her and scolded angrily. ¡°Do you know who she is? She is Mr. Richards¡¯s wife, the real Mrs. Richards. Today she is talking to you, as his wife, but you had no manners and treated her so rudely. You don¡¯t know how to toe the line. Today, I am going to make it right and teach you a lesson, so that you will know your ce.¡±

    As she said this, Sabrina took a step forward. Taking advantage of the moment when Liya was dumbfounded, she pped her again and said angrily, ¡°I pped you on behalf of Mrs. Richards because you were still shamelessly talking big when you were the one who seduced her husband. You really are shameless. Let me tell you. If you dare seduce Mr. Richards in the future, I will make you suffer to no end.¡±

    Both of Sabrina¡¯s ps made Liya lose her bnce. She fell to the ground and cried out loud.

    ¡°You cunning b*tch. Let me tell you. It¡¯s not easy to steal someone else¡¯s husband. Be careful. You can¡¯t get past me on this.¡± Sabrina rubbed her hands,and gave Liya a fierce warning, looking furious.

    Standing at the side, Yuri stared at the scene in shock. She did not expect Sabrina to be so tough. In fact, she did not like Liya taking advantage of thepany¡¯s crisis to seduce Mr. Richards. After all, she did not like that woman at all. Wasn¡¯t it just because she was gorgeous? She was only good at seducing men. Looking at her seductive appearance, who only knew how to lure men, Yuri was really irritated.

    She was more sympathetic towards Ms. Murphy.

    Ms. Murphywas wholeheartedly thinking about thepany¡¯s future. She was capable and considerate. However, when thepany was in trouble, the first personMr. Richardspunished was Ms. Murphy. How could he do that?

    Jenna watched as Liyay on the ground crying weakly. Liya did not even have the strength to resist Sabrina¡¯s p. For the first time, Jenna did not have the slightest bit of sympathy for a woman. She even felt a wave of satisfaction in her heart.

    Whether Liya was here to seduce Hansen, or for some other purposes, Jenna could neither determine nor conclude what it was yet. Although she didn¡¯t approve of Sabrina¡¯s violence, she didn¡¯t like women like Liya at all.

    The elevator door openedand Sergio came out of it. When he saw the scene in front of him, he was stunned for a moment but he quickly understood what was happening. He couldn¡¯t help but to crack up a smile.

    ¡°Let me tell you, Ms. Murphy is the real wife ofMr. Richards.Ms. Murphyis still in thepany, and you dared to seduce her husband, right in front of her. You¡¯re too shameless. Today, even if I beat you to death in front of others, it won¡¯t be too cruel. It is now just a small lesson for you. If you remain unrepentant, the worst has yet toe. I, Sabrina, have always considered evil as my enemy and I hate homewreckers like you the most. I will surely beat them when I see one.¡± Sabrina pped her hands and reprimanded Liya angrily.

    Her fearless expression surprised Sergio. It was something rted to Mr. and Mrs. Richards¡¯ marriage. So, it had nothing to do with Sabrina. From the looks of it, Sabrina was the one who hadmitted the crime just now.

    ¡°Sabrina, what are you doing?¡± Sergio looked at Liya, who was lying on the ground crying. He frowned and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going too far? You¡¯re beating people publicly in thepany?Are you still a dignifieddy?¡±

    He pulled a long face as he shot several questions at once.

    ¡°I am just making everything right and teaching this homewrecker a lesson.¡± Sabrina coldly snorted. She didn¡¯t even look at Sergio as she spoke in a loud and stern voice.

    Homewrecker? Sergio looked at Liya with the corners of his mouth curled up. These days, Hansen was really close to this woman named Liya. Not only did he buy clothes and jewelry for her,he was also physically affectionate with her. The two of them seemed pretty vague. No matter if Hansen loved this woman or not, he was d to see this situation.

    Was it possible for Jenna, who had a strong sense of pride, to endure Hansen¡¯s mistakes? Just from her performance the day before, he knew that this situation made him feel good.

    Then, he looked at Jenna, only to find that she was gaunt and her eyes were full of pain.

    He sighed in his heart. Even though Jenna was badly hurt by Hansen, she would not turn around. This time, he wanted to see if she would be able to hold on.

    He wanted to see how much she loved Hansen.

    Just as he was deep in thought, he heard the door creak open and saw Hansen¡¯s tall and slender figure walk in.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? What happened?¡± Hansen asked in a deep voice. He had just walked in when he saw this scene and immediately frowned. His face darkened.

    When Liya heard Hansen, she cried even harder on the ground. Her shoulders were trembling and her whole body was wincing.

    Hansen nced at everyone. His gaze fell on Jenna before immediately looking away. He quickly walked up to Liya and helped her up from the ground, asking in a gentle voice, ¡°Liya, did you hurt yourself?¡±

    His voice was gentle and considerate, which made Jenna¡¯s heart ache.

    He had really changed. In such a situation, the first thing he did wasn¡¯t toe to her but to walk forward quickly, help Liya up, and worry about her in a gentle manner instead.He didn¡¯t even bother to look at her.

    Wasn¡¯t she the closest person he loved the most? The night before, he was still with her body with endless desire and affection. However, that day, he regarded her as if he didn¡¯t know her. What was the meaning of this? Weren¡¯t they husband and wife? How could she be nothingpared to an outsider?

    In fact, that woman was nothing!

    ¡°Did it hurt?¡± Hansen asked in a soft voice when he saw the wound on Liya¡¯s face. He gently brushed over the blood-red marks of the fingers on her face and asked pitifully.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve caused you trouble. I didn¡¯t expectSecretaryMurphy to misunderstand me like this. I¡¯m really sorry to have damaged your reputation.¡± Liya sobbed, looking extremely frail.She felt a burning pain on both sides of her face, as there were five bloody finger marks.

    Sabrina had really hit her hard.

    ¡°Liya, it¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t worry. With me around, they won¡¯t dare to bully you anymore.¡± Hansen caressed her face and tried tofort her. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go in first.¡±

    Hansen stroked her face with one hand and helped her walk into the office with the other hand.

    Jenna almost couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Was this still the lover who once shared deep feelings with her? Was this the man who promised her that he would do his best to protect her happiness?

    Then, what was he doing now?N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    It was not a rumor. There was a love affair between her husband and another woman right in front of her, and he was directly ignoring her. How could she bear it? Did he not know the pain she had suffered the previous day?

    ¡°Hansen, stop.¡± She could no longer hold back anymore and called out angrily. She wasn¡¯t calling him Mr. Richards now, but his name instead. She was telling him that she was his wife and that she was the person he needed to protect. What he was doing now waspletely wrong.

    Hearing Jenna¡¯s painful and angry voice, Hansen¡¯s body stiffened and he stood still. After a long while, he turned around and looked at Jenna calmly,asking faintly, ¡°Secretary Murphy, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Hansen was actually calling her ¡®Secretary Murphy¡¯ with such a cold look. It waspletely the tone of a boss to his subordinate. Jenna was so angry that her hands trembled. She bit her lips and looked at him without saying a word.

    ¡°Oh right,Secretary Murphy, from today onwards, you can eithere to work at the front desk or resign. Also, don¡¯t involve personal grudges in your work, causing the office to be in a foul atmosphere. This is not what I want to see.¡± Hansen told her. He retracted his gaze from Jenna¡¯s disappointed and painful expression. He turned his head and once again held onto Liya, as they walked into his office.

    Jenna felt as if herhearthad been torn apart by a knife. He actually spoke to her in such a cold and distant manner. Where was her husband? Where was her husband who kept saying that he loved her? Why did he be so cold and heartless in just a few short days?

    What kind of man was he? How could he be so heartless? She couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing.

 Chapter 461 Heartbroken

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t you have any feelings for me left? Why, why did it be this way?¡± She shouted in pain and sorrow behind him,¡°Is it because of the car crisis we are facing? That¡¯s nothing. We can face it together. It¡¯s true. Believe me, this crisis will soon be over. By then, the luxury car industry of the Richards Group will dominate the market. Believe me, I am confident.¡±

    Tears streamed down her face, and she was devastated.

    Indeed, as long as Hansen remained by her side, she would not be afraid of anything. After all, everything depended on them. She had already found a way. Soon, she would be able to getthe Richards Group¡¯sluxury car industry back on its feet again.

    She was not afraid of anything as long as he was by her side.

    However,what he did to her was an insult. The hurt he caused was devastating and it was too much for her to bear. It was worse than dying.How could she withstand it?

    She cried until she was breathless as she looked at his back, hoping that he would turn around tofort her. However, this did not happen. It was not even possible.

    He held Liya and left obstinately,never looking at her, not even once.

    Sabrina looked at what was happening before her in disbelief.

    If he flirted with Liya when Jenna was not around in thepany a few days ago,or behind her back, it could still be regarded as a secret affair. After all, most men had mistresses and it was quite unavoidable.However, he dared to put on a public disy of affection with Liya in front of Jenna that day, totally ignoring her feelings at that moment.What he did today was too much. It was worse than before.

    What in the world was this?

    Was love really so weak and fickle?

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m fine. You¡¯d better keep Secretary Murphypany!¡± Liya¡¯s big and fluttering eyes were glistening with tears. She raised her wounded face and said thoughtfully, ¡°Hansen, she is in so much pain. I can¡¯t bear it. You¡¯d better be by her side. I beg you.¡±

    Liya was actually worried that Hansen would leave her and return to Jenna¡¯s side after listening to her sorrows. She noticed that he was breathing heavily and his hand, which was gripping her, tightened subconsciously.It seemed like it was even trembling.

    She was extremely nervous. So, she looked at him tearfully on purpose. She was acting generous, but she was actually scared and nervous.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re at thepany, not at home. Don¡¯t worry about her.¡± He finally said this coldly and left while supporting her to the office.

    Liya felt sweetness swirling up in her heart. At least she had achieved her goal, as Zoe had asked her to seduce Hansen and provoke a misunderstanding between the couple. However, for now, she wanted more than that.

    Hansen¡¯s talent, noble status, and the assets of the Richards family made her heart flutter with excitement. Even if she could not be his legal wife, she would still be willing to be his second wife. She would be living afortable life for a lifetime.

    These hectic days would soon be gone forever. She wanted to be superior, to be the wife of a rich and powerful family,to have infinite money to spend, and be envied by others. With Hansen, she could get everything she wanted, just like how she had experienced in these few days. Hansen could get her a dress worth tens of thousands of dors without hesitating.

    As long as she liked the jewelry, it would be hers immediately. Such a luxurious life could only be provided by Hansen.

    Moreover, he was so handsome. She would be the center of attention and be envied by others if she showed up with him. This was the high society that she longed for. Now that she finally had this opportunity, she would not give it up so easily.

    Jenna could not see anything, only countless shadows which were ovepping with each other. She felt cold all over her body, especially in her heart.

    Hansen¡¯s words almost pierced through her heart. She couldn¡¯t bear it anymore.

    He helped Liya into the office. Jenna¡¯s mind went nk. Her world was filled with darkness.She couldn¡¯t even see the figure clearly, despite being so familiar to her.

    She felt a sudden warmth in her mouth, and a fishy and sweet smell gushed out of her throat. She took a step back and almost fell down.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Sabrina held onto her in time and cried out in pain,¡°Let me help you have a rest.¡±

    Sabrina shot a nce at Hansen¡¯s office and her heart felt cold.

    She could not face and ept what had happened.

    The way Hansen behaved sent a chill down Sabrina¡¯s spine.

    Had Liya sessfully separated this loving couple just like that? Or could it be that their rtionship was so fragile that it couldn¡¯t withstand challenges at all?

    At an inconspicuous corner of Foreston Restaurant.

    A woman in a muted purple dress sat in the corner. She chugged down shots one after another. Her cheeks were flushed and she was drunk. She couldn¡¯t even speak clearly.

    ¡°Hansen, why, why did you betray me? I¡¯d rather you lose everything. Even if you be a beggar, I¡¯d still be willing to be by your side. But what I can¡¯t stand the most is your betrayal. Don¡¯t you know? It¡¯s worse than taking my life!¡±

    She muttered while bursting into tears.

    Tears streamed down her red cheeks, making her looksad and deste.

    She picked up the ss on the table, filled it up, and guzzled down the drink. She could feel the alcohol burning in her stomach.

    Her head was achingandit felt like someone was pounding on her head with a hammer.

    Soon, as someone who couldn¡¯t drink, she slumped over the table.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Sergio followed Jenna¡¯s steps and found her lying on the table, drunk. He couldn¡¯t wake her up even by when he shook her.

    Her face was stained with tears.Her cheeks were flushed andher eyebrows were furrowed.She truly looked heartbroken.

    His heart slowly tightened. He lowered his head and looked at her face. With a sigh, he held her in his arms and walked out.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t leave me. I¡¯m begging you, don¡¯t leave me.¡± As soon as Sergio held Jenna in his arms, her hands wrapped around his neck like vines. There was a strong scent of alcohol on her. She mumbled something and suddenly cried. Her tears and snot soiled Sergio¡¯s clothes.

    The light in Sergio¡¯s eyes dimmed, and his hands tightened without even noticing it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jenna, I won¡¯t leave you.¡± He gently wiped away the tears on her face with his hand and spoke to her in a low voice.

    ¡°Hansen, Jenna is missing.¡± Sabrina had just gone to the bathroom. When she came out, Jenna, who had been lying in the office nkly, was gone. Sabrina panicked as she was nowhere to be found.

    She didn¡¯t know what she ate that day, but her stomach hurt so badly she had to go to the washroom several times. Perhaps it was because she had been influenced by the farce just then, beingextremely disappointed in Jenna¡¯s and Hansen¡¯s rtionship. Or perhaps it was because she was triggered. When she helped Jenna return to her office and lie down in the bedroom, her stomach began to hurt.

    She ran into the bathroom in a hurry.

    Sabrina took quite a while. When sheid Jenna down, she was still full of grief and indignation. She was in a daze. It was not possible for her to run away.So, she didn¡¯t expect her to leave.

    ¡°What!¡± Hansen¡¯s face was expressionless as he sat in front of his desk, signing documents. After picking up Sabrina¡¯s call, he was so shocked that he shot up from his chair. His face was distorted.

    The day before, he saw her with Sergio by the river. So, where could she have gone, now that she was sad and disappointed?

    His heart sank, and he immediately picked up the car keys and ran outside.

    ¡°Hansen, Jenna has disappeared.Her cell phone was also turned off.¡± Sabrina looked terrible asshe growled at Hansen on the phone.

    ¡°She¡¯s with you,isn¡¯t she? How were you taking care of her?¡± Hansen questioned Sabrina as he ran out.

    ¡°Are you ming me for what you¡¯ve done? This is hrious.¡± Sabrina saw him running out of the officeand looked at him with disdain, while sneering at him sarcastically.

    Hansen pressed the button of the elevator and hurriedly dialed Jenna¡¯s number.

    He couldn¡¯t get to her through her cell phone at all. He had to end the call and quickly called theRichards Group Manor. However, the maids informed him that Jenna had note back.

    Hansen felt as if his heart was clenching and twisting. After thinking for a moment, he immediately called Alvin.

    ¡°Alvin, hurry up and search the whole city for my wife. Be quick, I want to know the news of her whereabouts as soon as possible,¡± he anxiously shouted on the phone.

    ¡°It¡¯s only now that you¡¯re starting to be anxious. It¡¯s toote. Since you had the gall to do such things, you should have thought of the consequences. What have you done earlier? You know that Jenna loves you very much, but you still dared to hurt her. How abominable you are.¡± Sabrina pouted and looked at Hansen with great contempt.

    What was this man thinking? He had such a good wife, but he still wanted to be with the seductive woman. Didn¡¯t he have anything better to do?

    Hansen¡¯s expression was grim as he drove his Hummer.

    The atmosphere was filled with nervousness and unease.

    After a while, the phone rang.

    ¡°Alvin, how is it? Have you found my wife?¡± Hansen¡¯s hand was shaking as he heldthe phone. There was an unmistakable hint of anxiety in his voice.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, our subordinates have searched for her everywhere, but we haven¡¯t seen her,¡± Alvin replied uneasily.

    Hansen¡¯s grip on the steering wheel tightened, and the veins on the back of his hands were visible.

 Chapter 462 Why Did It Turn Out This Way?

    ¡°Alvin, keep searching. Don¡¯t bex, not even for a moment,¡± he ordered, gritting his teeth. He didn¡¯t expect her to run out within such a short time. Thinking of what happened this afternoon, he grimaced.

    The Hummer drove along the river for a fewps but he still couldn¡¯t find her.His heart began to sink.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there is no sign of Madam anywhere.¡± After an hour, Alvin, who was panting, rushed over, with a helpless expression on his face.

    Hansen sat motionlessly.

    ¡°However, Mr. Richards, Sergio is not around too.¡± Alvin reminded him after thinking for a while.

    Light shed across Hansen¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Alvin, from today onwards, you will stay by Madam¡¯s side. You must ensure her safety and do not allow any idents to happen to her. Do you understand?¡± After a while, Hansen ordered in detail.

    ¡°But, Mr. Richards, I still have tasks toplete. And I think it¡¯s better for me to stay with you now.¡± Alvin knew what Hansen was thinking. After hesitating for a while, he voiced out his suggestion.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. From now on, your task is to protect Jenna, my wife. If anything happens to her, I will find you and hold you ountable. Remember, she is my life.¡± Hansen did not listen to any of Alvin¡¯s wordsand ordered sternly.

    Alvin was helpless, and he could only nod and agree.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I think you should exin your idea to Madam, so that she won¡¯t be so deeply hurt.¡± Alvin couldn¡¯t understand Hansen. Having been with him for so many years, he knew that he must have his own struggles. Instead of both parties suffering, why couldn¡¯t he tell the truth? He immediately put forward his suggestion.

    ¡°No, if she doesn¡¯t suffer, others won¡¯t believe it.¡± Hansen frowned, and his eyes were full of pain.

    ¡°But, Mr. Richards, if this continues,Madam might not be able to take it. It will be too cruel and painful for her. You should know that she loves you with all her heart and soul. No woman can ept such behavior from her husband.¡± Alvin couldn¡¯t understand Hansen and noted with great worry.

    ¡°Compared with going to jail, this pain is nothing!¡± Hansen growled in a low voice. He punched the stone railing, and warm liquid spurted out from his fist and sshed onto his eyes.

    He gazed at the murky river and grasped the stone railing by the river tightly with his fingers. His pale fingers were about to crush the stone railing. The white stone railing was stained with his blood, and even the breath he exhaled was burning hot.

    Alvin looked at Hansen¡¯sterrifying faceand the blood on his fists.With a heavy heart, he helplessly closed his eyes.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    He knew that if he had asked Mr. Richards to go to jail that day, he wouldn¡¯t even frown one bit. However, the cunning enemy had framed Jenna by nting false evidence. For Hansen, he could not tolerate this at all. It was his soft spot. He couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    ¡°Alvin, remember what I¡¯ve told you. From today onwards, you¡¯ll remain by Jenna¡¯s side and you must protect her like how you protected me. I don¡¯t want to see anything like this happening again.¡± He dictated, word by word.

    Alvin knew that he had made up his mind. So, he could only nod his head solemnly.

    ¡­

    Why did it turn out this way?

    ¡°Hansen, why are you doing this? You said that you will only love me for the rest of your life. Why are you moving on so fast?¡± In the guest room of a hotel, Jenna clung onto Sergio¡¯s clothes. She closed her eyes and murmured to herself.

    Sergio allowed her to grasp onto his clothes. He gazed down at her, with his expression slightly stiff.

    She was already drunk and moving in and out of consciousness. Other than crying, she could only subconsciously grab his clothes while muttering.

    She thought that he was Hansen. This was something that Sergio naturally understood.

    The woman in a muted purple dress in front of him was lying across the bed. Her chest trembled as she cried. Sergio lowered his head and looked at the alluring woman in front of her. He started to feel light-headed and his body started to churn.

    He gritted his teeth and tried to break away from her hands, but she clung on to his clothes and refused to let go. It seemed that if she were to let go, he would leave.

    Gradually, his heart softened. He stopped breaking away from her hands. Moreover, he was unwilling to do so.

    He gently wiped her tears away and sighed. Then, he slowlyy down beside her and breathed in the scent of her body. He was enjoying and indulging at the moment.

    He thought that even if he simplyy there quietly and leaned against her like that, he would be happy and satisfied.

    As hey down, he recalled the first time he saw her at Johan¡¯s ball. At that time, he was at the age where he was starting to be interested in women. Jenna stood out among all the girls. The moment he saw her, he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her.

    His thoughts drifted far away.

    Jenna was drowsy. She moved her hand to touch his chestwhich felt strong and firm, but she sensed that it was somehow different.

    The chest, which she was familiar with, was broad and firm. However, this chest seemed to be too strong, as well as the arms.The scent was different from the usual as well.

    She subconsciously felt that something was wrong. She wanted to open her eyes, but she couldn¡¯t. She heard the cell phone ringing and a different voice spoke.

    No, the hug felt different.

    She was sure it wasn¡¯t him.

    What was going on?

    Her head ached so badly.

    She struggled to wake up, and desperately tried to open her eyes to escape from the cell she was locked in.

    What caught her eyes was a very handsome man¡¯s face.The features were so refined that it could make young women squeal at first sight. However, Jenna knew immediately that this face did not belong to the man she wished to see.

    It was not familiar!

    She was so shocked that she rolled over and got up.

    What was even more surprising was that she was sleeping in Sergio¡¯s arms.She didn¡¯t even notice that her hands were still clutching onto his clothes.

    How did this happen?

    She shook her hand off, as if she had touched boiling hot water and stared at him in a daze.

    Her head hurt even more.

    Sergio was making a phone call, with an ambiguous smile on his face.

    Jenna¡¯s heart pounded wildly in an instant!

    Why was she sleeping with Sergio? What had she done?

    With only this thought shing through her mind, she turned to look at him in panic.

    Sergio was lying beside her with his clothes on.It was really fortunate thathe was in aplete uniform and his clothes were not messy at all. She lowered her head and looked at herself again.

    Her dress was also intact and tidy, and she didn¡¯t feel any difort around her body.

    Obviously, they only slept next to each other and hadn¡¯t done anything inappropriate.

    ¡°Ah.¡± She shook her head violently and endured her headache. She tried to recall what had happened before she fell asleep.

    Yes, she was drinking in a hotel and then she got drunk. Then, she seemed to have seen Hansening. So, she hugged him tightly.

    Could it be that she was drunk and had mistaken Sergio for Hansen? It was very possible in this case.

    After all, she was in too much pain at that time. She could only see Hansen¡¯s figure. It was normal for her to have such an illusion when she was drunk.

    At the thought of this, her face turned red.

    She screamed in her mind, ¡°D*mn it!¡±. Then. she climbed out of bed in a hurry.

 Chapter 463 Accidentally Bumped into Her

    ¡°Sergio, where is my wife?¡± Hansen asked harshly as soon as Sergio picked up his call.

    Sergio was lyingnguidly on the bed, watching Jenna get up from his arms in a panic. Her face was blushing red and Sergio admired her embarrassment. He was in a very good mood.

    ¡°It¡¯s really weird. Your wife is missing and you¡¯re asking for me if I know where she is. Where is the logic in that?¡± Sergioy therezily and his tone was faint, but he was looking at Jenna¡¯s face. He imagined Hansen¡¯s furious look in his mind, and he felt incredibly pleased. The smile on his face slowly widened.

    Hansen gripped the steering wheel tightly. Listening to Sergio¡¯s calm manner of speaking, he was certain that Jenna must be with him.

    The look in his eyes was frightening. He held his breath and said coldly, ¡°Mr. Xanthe, do you think it¡¯s appropriate for you, a high-ranking official, to be with a married woman? Do you want me to go to the disciplinary inspectionmittee or to Capital City to report it?¡±

    Hansen knew that politicians like Sergio cared for their political prospects more than their own lives. They didn¡¯t want to get involved in scandalous affairs.So, that was how he subtly reminded Sergio.

    However, this time, Hansen had it wrong.

    He immediately heard Sergio chuckling indifferently over the phone. Hisughter was extremely rxed, and the message he conveyed was as if he couldn¡¯t wait for him to do it. This troubled Hansen and made his heart sink.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, do you think everyone is a coward? It depends on the people.For example, I would rather suffer from such scandalous love affairs for your wife Jenna. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He smiled. Looking at Jenna¡¯s stunned expression in front of him, he gave her aforting smile.He continued in a domineering and taunting voice, ¡°I, Sergio, don¡¯t mind bearing anyscandalous love affairsfor your wife.The more, the better.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ are incredibly shameless.¡± Hearing Sergio¡¯s shameless reply on the phone, Hansen was so enraged that his hands were trembling. With a livid face, he gnashed his teeth and cursed.

    ¡°Haha!¡± Sergio burst outughing over the phone.

    Jenna stood still and listened nkly to Sergio, who was lying on the bed and talking indolently to a cell phone in hand.

    There was no doubt that this call must have been from Hansen.

    Did this mean that Hansen was downstairs?

    ¡°Hansen?¡± The thought shed across her mind. She couldn¡¯t help but to cry out and stepped forward to run outside.

    ¡°Jenna, wait a minute.¡± Sergio hung up the phone in time and stopped her.¡°Are you really going to meet him like that? Don¡¯t you want to consider being more reserved and think about what he had done to you, before forgiving him? If so, you will be more hurt in the future. Believe me, I am saying these words now for your own sake, so that he will feel threatened and start cherishing you.¡±

    Sergio¡¯s words were as though a bomb had been thrown into Jenna¡¯s mind, and she instantly felt as if her heart was broken into pieces.

    In her mind was an image of Hansen carefully and considerately holding onto Liya. Her feet were fixed upon the ground and she could no longer move a step forward.

    ¡°And if you go out like that, it¡¯s obvious that you were with me. This would not be good for your image. I don¡¯t mind, but you are a woman, and your reputation is more important.¡± Sergio slowly walked to her side. His tone was very serious and his face was full of consideration and concern for her.

    Jenna¡¯s face was very pale. She stood there nkly for a while and slowly knelt down.

    She hugged her head with both hands. She felt a headache and her heart ached even more.

    Only then did she remember to look for her mobile phone, but it was obvious that when she ran out in a daze, she didn¡¯t bring her phone along with her.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    She closed her eyes and said nothing.

    Sergio stood in front of her, looking down at the haggard woman withplicated emotions in his gaze.

    Now that all kinds of usations had been entirely hurled at her, would she be able to withstand it?

    Zoe was truly f*cking malicious.

    If only Madam Lilian coulde forward to exin all of this.

    Perhaps Jenna could be exonerated from prison, but she wouldn¡¯t be clear of the usation of leaking confidential information, unless she could provide evidence to counter those usations. If she couldn¡¯t, even if she didn¡¯t have to go to jail, she might not be able to stay in the country any longer.

    This was a huge blow to Jenna.

    This was also an oue Sergio didn¡¯t want to see.

    The most important thing now was to present the evidence to challenge the usations made against her.

    Moreover, under these circumstances, he was unwilling to let Jenna reconcile with Madam Lilian for the time being.

    He thought to himself and took a deep breath. Then, he saw Jenna stand up, approach the window, draw the beige curtains open, and look down.

    He also came over and stood next to her.

    Both of them looked downstairs.

    He saw that Hansen¡¯s slender figure was standing in front of the building, lookinglike a statue that did could not be moved at all.

    Tears blurred Jenna¡¯s sight in an instant. She leaned her head against the window, and the beige curtains made her face look so pale that it was terrifying.

    After a long time, Hansen left after he didn¡¯t see Jennaing out.

    As soon as he left, Jenna came out of Sergio¡¯s bedroom.

    She walked aimlessly on the street and didn¡¯t know where to go.

    The thunder in the sky began to rumble, and it grew louder and louder along with the lightning.

    One drop, two drops¡­ Torrential rain soon fell from the sky.

    Jenna walked on the tree-lined road along the street like a wandering soul.

    The sound of thunder continued to rumble, and pedestrians fled into the shops and buildings by the road.

    Jenna walked on mindlessly, causing arge number of passers-by in the building, who were taking shelter, to look at her walking in the rain. They were all curious about her behavior, probably wondering why she didn¡¯t take shelter from the rain.

    The loud sound of thunder apanied by lightning seemed to explode just above their heads.

    A spark of lightning struck a big tree in front of them, followed by the loud rumble of thunder.

    Jenna was finally jolted from her stupor with a start and was bbergasted.

    She stood still.

    She came to her senses. Right now, her head and face were covered in rainwater, and her entire body was drenched.

    She was usually afraid of bolts of lightning. Now that it roared in this manner, she immediately felt a chill run down her spine, as well as fear.

    She hurried to hide in a building by the street.

    The lobby of the first floor of the building was very spacious. Jenna sat down on an empty couch. Her body was soaked in the freezing rainwater and she felt chilly, curling up into a ball.

    The waves of thunderstorms and rain during the summer were intermittent.

    After the sudden and loud thunder, the rain began to reduce to a drizzle and looked as if it was about to end soon.

    Jenna looked outside and was about to get up and leave.

    ¡°Miss Yates, from here on, I will be fine.¡± With a ring, the door of the elevator opened, and a ttering male voice came from the inside.

    Then came the sound of footsteps and high heels out of the elevator.

    ¡°Alright, Mr. Chilton, I hope that we will have a wonderful cooperation.¡± Zoe¡¯s brisk voice was filled with joy as she reached out her hand to the middle-aged man in front of her.

    ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll have a pleasant cooperation.¡± The man also reached out his hand.

    After the two of them shook hands, the man picked up his briefcase and said to Zoe, ¡°Miss Yates, I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±

    ¡°Take care then. I won¡¯t be sending you off.¡± Zoe, on the other hand, was grinning.

    The man walked towards the outside of the building.

    Miss Yates?As soon as Jenna heard the name, she felt chills all over her body.

    Was it Zoe?Jenna looked towards the woman¡¯s direction.

    It was her.

    Zoe¡¯s facial features, covered with delicate makeup, seemed almost perfect. Her exquisite figure matched well with the appropriate stylish dress. She had a small vest on her shoulder, which made her look noble and elegant.

    It was this woman!

    She thought of Rayan¡¯s words.

    Jenna¡¯s gaze became gloomier.

    Zoe also turned to look at Jenna, as if she could sense what was on her mind.

    No,from the moment the door of the elevator opened, Zoe had already seen the woman who was curled up on the couch, soaked and miserable.

    At first nce, Zoe recognised that it was Jenna.

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this Mrs. Richards? What brought you here to our Sky Sword Group today? Wee, wee.¡± Zoe paused for a second before walking slowly towards her. She smiled and pped her hands.

    D*mn it.Why did shee to the Sky Sword Group? Zoe thought.

    Jenna was in a hurry to enter and take shelter from the rain. She¡¯d never thought that she would havee to the Sky Sword Group.

    Zoe¡¯sughter was too superficial and hypocritical. She obviously had a smile on her face, but Jenna felt a chill down her spine.

    This kind of woman was terrifying. This was the feeling Zoe gave her, and it grew more and more intense.

    Zoe stood in front of Jenna and looked at her, who was drenched all over, with her forehead still dripping with water. She said in a panicky voice, ¡°Oh, my gosh. How can Mrs. Richards be so miserable? Look at the rain all over your body. Your face is pale, and there isn¡¯t even a single person following you. You¡¯re even drenched in the rain. Speaking of which, Mr. Richards really doesn¡¯t know how to appreciate and treat women well at all.¡±

    As she said this sardonically, she looked at Jenna with sarcasm in her eyes, taking in her wretchedness and not missing the pain that shed in her eyes.

    A smile that could hardly be perceived appeared on Zoe¡¯s face.

    At this moment, Jenna hadpletely regained her rationality.

    It was as if she was facing a natural, powerful enemy. She slowly stood up, her body surging with instinctive resistance and potential, and a faint smile was squeezed out of her face.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have disturbed you, Miss Yates. I came out in a hurry to do something today. It¡¯s raining so heavily that I chanced upon yourpany by ident. Thank you very much for your treasured ce. I¡¯ll treat you to a drink aspensation someday. Now that the rain has stopped, it¡¯s time for me to leave,¡± Jenna said these words calmly. She didn¡¯t want to talk to Zoe anymore and was prepared to leave.

    ¡°Oh, Mrs. Richards, it has been written in the stars for you to havee in here. Look at the wet clothes on your body. You will catch a cold. Why don¡¯t youe with me to mypany? I¡¯ll give you my clean clothes and you can have a cup of hot tea.How about that?¡± Zoe noticed that Jenna¡¯s footsteps weren¡¯t stable. She smirked while pretending to offer her goodwill.

    ¡°Thank you, there is no need for that. I am ustomed to refusing things that have been used by others, what more clothes.¡± Jenna did not even look back and answered Zoe clearly.

    Things used by others?The smile on Zoe¡¯s face froze, and her gaze turned more grim.

 Chapter 464 Youâ€™re Fired

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, although new things are good, some are toxic. For example, clothes. If you wear new clothes, it may not be good for your health. Old clothes may be slightly ugly, but the harmful chemicals have long been absorbed by others for you.¡±

    ¡°When you¡¯re wearing it, you don¡¯t have to worry if it¡¯s safe.¡± Zoe maintained her smiling face, but her voice was surprisingly cold. ¡°Also, Mrs. Richards, I have to remind you that no matter how good something is, you must watch over it. You must have the ability to look after it, in order to be worthy of it. Otherwise, if you onlypromise and retreat to gain sympathy, it won¡¯t work. Even if you can do it, it will only be temporary. I think you should understand.¡±

    Zoe said this on purpose.

    She looked at Jenna coldly as she spoke.

    Currently,the entertainment media was filled with news of the love affair between Hansen and Liya, and it was even exposed to the public.

    What would happen to Jenna, who was the legal wife, in such a scandal?

    Zoe looked at Jenna seriously with her inquisitive gaze.

    Of course, Jenna¡¯s current predicament was all because she had been hurt by love. Her husband betrayed her.So, she was devastated and overwhelmed with sorrow.

    In other words, her n had seeded!

    Hansen had been truly seduced by Liya.

    Zoe¡¯s eyes were sparkling, and her long eyshes concealed her maniptive mind.

    While Zoe¡¯s heart surged with inexplicable joy, she felt a sense of disappointment like never before, at the same time. She closed her fingers and clenched them into a fist.

    Jenna was so enraged by Zoe¡¯s insults that she stopped and turned around.

    ¡°Miss Yates, a woman who knows when topromise is very precious. But if she isonlygood atpromising, she is very cheap. And if a woman is extremely vicious and has a twisted mind, she is the most shameless of all. A person should understand manners, propriety, righteousness and shame, and knows what is right and wrong. Am I right, Miss Yates?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes were very bright. When she looked at Zoe, who had her eyes as cold as ice, she said this calmly and confidently. There was a kind of noble and natural charm exuding from Jenna. She was wise, as if she could see through people¡¯s minds. ¡°Besides, Miss Yates. This is my family matter and I don¡¯t need anyone to tell me what to do.¡±

    As Jenna spoke, an invisible pressure emanated from her body and headed straight towards Zoe.

    Zoe was rendered breathless as a result of such strong pressure. She took a step back hastily. For a moment, she was flustered, but she calmed herself down in no time.

    Zoe felt somewhat exasperated. Of course, she knew that this invisible pressure wasing from Jenna. She thought that she had dealt with all kinds of people, but she had never been forced to retreat by an invisible momentum. Only Jenna had such courage.

    This kind of spirit was not as bloody as des and swords, nor was it like tense situations when swords crossed with each other, but it was even more powerful than them. It could make Zoe panic and even feel confused. This was really something she had never thought of.

    It turned out that a woman who looked soft and fragile, had such an imposing manner, even without being furious. She was also impressed by Jenna.

    Jenna left.

    After saying this, Jenna turned around and left. Although she looked bleak from behind, her footsteps were indicating that she was extremely determined.

    Zoe stood still on the same spot. She realized that there must be a reason for Hansen to have fallen in love with her. When Hansen was attacked, Jenna would rush up to protect him regardless of her own safety. Her courage alone was not something an ordinary person could possess.

    If Liya really became Hansen¡¯s second wife or mistress, would she still give in that easily?

    Zoe thought that she should wait and see.

    Jenna rode a cab and went back to Richards Manor.

    From a distance in the car seat, she could make out the stalwart figure, standing like a mountain, in front of the main entrance of Richards Manor.

    The figure looked like a brass tower, standing tall, as if it would not copse, even if it was blown by wind and rain.

    Jenna recognised this figure from a distance.

    It was her husband, Hansen.

    Jenna¡¯s mind had finally cleared after meeting Zoe and enduring such a violent thunderstorm. She could now face him calmly.

    She got out of the car.

    Hansen stood in front of the entrance. His entire body was drenched and his thick ck hair was dripping with rainwater onto his face. His face was also soaked with rainwater.

    He stood up straight.His expensive suit clung onto his robust body, but his eyes were fixed on Jenna.

    Jenna saw pain and worry in his eyes.

    She looked at him silently with a cold gaze.

    Their eyes met.

    They werepletely silent, that one could hear a pin drop.

    After a while, Jenna walked towards Richards Manor.

    Now, she believed that his behaviour had been influenced by difficulties, but what were they? Shouldn¡¯t he exin it to her clearly? After all, they were now husband and wife, and they should face challenges and obstacles together, hand in hand.

    Plus, she was never afraid of any difficulty.

    ¡°Jenna, where have you been?¡± Hansenimmediatelyrushed up and grabbed her arm, questioning her.

    Jenna didn¡¯t say anything. She reached out to break off his hand that was gripping onto her tightly.

    However, he was so strong that she couldn¡¯t break off, no matter how hard she tried.

    ¡°Let me go.¡± Her face was stern. Her gaze that was cast at Hansen was also cold, with a hint of anger.

    ¡°Tell me, where have you been?¡± Hansen¡¯s face was flushed. He gripped her hand tightly and repeated in a deep voice.

    Rainwater, at the corner of his forehead, kept streaming down. This proved that he had been standing at the entrance, waiting for her, when it rained.

    So what?

    Jenna was not touched, not in the slightest bit.

    His promises, his sweet words, now seemed like jokes.

    He did not care about her feelings and betrayed her in such a high-profile manner. Was this his so-called love?

    If he was behaving like that just to save thepany from the crisis, she would seriously despise him.

    A man who relied on such a scandalous affair by humiliating his wife just to win a chance. What the heck?

    ¡°Ihad a drink with Sergio. Is that alright?¡± Jenna answered coldly.

    There was really a faint smell of alcohol from her body. The moment Hansen approached her, he could smell it. Thus, when she told him that, he believed her without a second thought.

    His hands trembled, and the pain on his face was evident, but he held it back and did not me her.

    He knew that she was in great pain, but the pain in his heart right now was countless times greater than hers. She could notprehend it right now, nor could he exin it to her.

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s go.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home first.¡± He gnashed his teeth, and his eyes were red as he took her hand and walked inside.

    Jenna did not object and let him drag her inside.

    She felt that he was angry, but she only gave him a sad smile.

    He could be angry, but had he ever thought of her?N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Did he know how devastated she was?

    He carried her down from the electric vehicle and went into the living room of the Green Jade Garden.

    Jenna was still unresponsive. It seemed that he was still the same person, and he didn¡¯t change at all. She could even feel his love for her. Although it was subtle and slightly low, she could still feel it.

    ¡°Jenna, from today onwards, stay at home and take care of Jerry. You will no longer be allowed to go to thepany.¡± As soon as Hansen carried her into the bedroom, he ced her on the couch and began to take off her clothes.

    ¡°Why? How can you be so ruthless that you can demote and chase me away whenever you want? What have I done wrong?¡± Jenna grabbed the clothes on her chest and asked discontentedly.

    ¡°Just because I¡¯m your husband, you have to listen to me. This is an order. You¡¯re fired.¡± Hansen tore off her wet clothes and threw them into the trash can.

    ¡°Fired?¡± Jenna was infuriated that she would have gone mad. ¡°Is this how you treat me? What mistake have I made? Why should I be fired just because you said so?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you had a drink with Sergio and were unfaithful to me. I am your husband. So, I can fire you.¡± Jenna¡¯s body, which was as white as baster, soon appeared in front of him. He reached out to unbutton her undergarments. The sponges in her bra were wet. Wouldn¡¯t she get sick if she wore it that way?

    This woman really didn¡¯t care about herself at all.

    If she was asked to go to thepany again, what happened next would hurt her even more. He didn¡¯t want to see her in pain.

    ¡°I was being unfaithful? Then, what about you? What did you do behind my back? Have you ever thought of my feelings when you were making out with Liya?¡± Jenna wouldn¡¯t let him take off her bra in broad daylight. At this moment, she was just clenching the buttons of her bra while questioning him and crying.

    He had gone too far and even wanted to fire her. Was she not as useful as that Liya in thepany? It was obvious that he didn¡¯t believe her! If he couldn¡¯t even trust his wife, then this man must be really conniving!

    Hansen merely squatted down to look at her. His gaze was as dark as the sea.

    However, he neither said anything, nor did he exin anything. He grabbed her hands with one handand reached out the other to her back, quickly taking off her bra that was soaked by the rain and throwing it into the trash can.

    Jenna hurriedly covered her chest with her hands and red at him.

    Hansen curled his lips slightly, as he carried her into the bathroom.

    ¡°Let me go, Hansen. I don¡¯t want you to touch me. You¡¯re too dirty and disgusting.¡± Jenna waved her hands and hit him.

    Hansen tried his best to hold her in his arms as he stood under the huge shower head and turned on the hot water.

    Warm water streamed from the top of their heads onto them.

    After Hansen helped her take off her dress, he began to take off the wet clothes on his body one by one until he hugged her in the nude and pressed her against the ss door of the bathroom. Then, he started to kiss her crazily. Hebed his fingers through her hair and rubbed her scalp gently, allowing her head to be raised slightly while biting her earlobe. His hot lips slowly moved over and aimed at her red lips. Like a storm, his tongue plundered the sweetness in her mouth.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want it,¡± Jenna said, struggling with all her might. How could she be willing to be taken by him like that?

    However, his kiss was too intense, like charcoal fire corroding every inch of her skin. The numb pleasure made her involuntarily relent to him. With the pration of his lips and tongue inside her mouth, her whole body was as soft as water, and she could only let him do what he wanted.

 Chapter 465 Much More Serious Than She Had Imagined

    ¡°Remember, everything I do now is for your own good. From now on, you are not allowed to get in touch with Sergio anymore. Stay at home and take care of my son well.¡± He held her chin with his big hand. ¡°Leave thepany¡¯s affairs to me. I¡¯m a man, and this is my responsibility. You will have many things to manage in the future.¡±

    He rubbed his hot lips against her ear, licking her ear lobes, that were as smooth as pearls. His muttering sounded like a devil¡¯s voice.

    Jenna was deprived of air,and she couldn¡¯t even breathe properly. She almost suffocated, and she couldn¡¯t even hear what he had said clearly.

    Water vapor pervaded the entire bathroom and grew denser and denser.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Both of them had their bodies clinging to each other tightly. Hansen¡¯s breaths were heavy and disordered. After a wave of passion, he buried his head in her neck and leaned against the bathroom door. The slippery feeling on her neck made him feel addicted, and even her corbones made him ecstatic.

    Every time Hansen made out with Jenna, he was full of passion. He couldn¡¯t control himself. It seemed like he could never use up all his energy. If it weren¡¯t for the many troubles in his mind right now, he wouldn¡¯t be willing to let her go for nothing.

    His hands began to help her clean her body gently and delicately.

    ¡°Hansen, you are shameless. You hit on a woman behind my back.¡± Jenna gritted her teeth and cursed after a long while.

    Hansen lifted his eyes to look at her, curling his lips into a gentle smile.

    He did not answer her. He lifted one of her long and smooth legs and wrapped it around his strong waist. His big hand reached over and lifted her buttocks.

    Then, he kissed her on the lips with his hot lips, picked her up and pressed her against the ss door, and soon upied her forcefully.

    Jenna still wanted to scold him, but she only had time to grunt before cringing. Under his strong thrust, she had to hug Hansen with his back and grip her hands tighter and tighter until a burst of pleasure came. She felt like she had entered the dreand and made a happy sound. She wanted to resist him, but she couldn¡¯t help but to relent.

    ¡°Jenna, I really can¡¯t get enough of you,¡± Hansen whispered intimately into her ear.

    For so many days, this was his rare gentleness, but it was only when he wanted her. This made the bitterness in her heart suppress the stronger pleasure.

    What he had done that was for her sake? Was it good for her if he hurt her cruelly?

    However, her thoughts were soon messed up by his strong thrusts. There was no time for her to think until she fell for him, step by step, and copsed in his arms.

    Hansen hugged her weak body and cleaned her up. He wrapped her up with a towel and carried her in his arms,walking into the bedroom and putting her on a soft duvet.

    A white light came in from outside the curtains. Jenna could clearly see his bloodshot and exhausted eyes. Her heart twitched inexplicably with pain.

    When Hansen had enough of her, he crawled into the duvet and hugged her tightly,falling into a deep sleep with his head against the pillow.

    In the past, Jenna would fall into a deep sleep at times like this. However, this time, she could not fall asleep, no matter what.

    Looking at Hansen, she really couldn¡¯t bear to disturb him. In fact, she wanted to pick him up and ask him what he meant.

    However, he was swamped with tiredness, and his sleeping face was as satisfied as a baby¡¯s. She couldn¡¯t bear to wake him up.

    She was very exhausted but tried hard to keep her eyes open, for fear that she would fall asleep and the bed would be emptywhen she woke up again. This would make her very ufortable and she didn¡¯t want to experience such a feeling.

    Nevertheless, after a while, her tiredness overwhelmed her. When she was in a daze, she felt a finger gently stroking her face. She wanted to open her eyes, but she could not.

    She frowned and wanted to shout out loud, but she couldn¡¯t make a sound. When she woke up again,darkness surrounded her. The sky had already darkened.

    She turned over and got up. As usual, Hansen had disappeared.

    She put on her clothes and ran down.

    ¡°Aunt E, where is Mr. Richards?¡± Aunt E was setting up the table in the living room. When she heard Jenna, she looked up and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Ma¡¯am, Mr. Richards has gone out.¡±

    ¡°How long has it been?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been more than two hours.¡± Aunt E thought for a moment before replying.

    D*mn it. How could she have slept so soundly!

    She shook her head and felt exasperated. She had to return to the bedroom disappointingly.

    Hansen, what was he trying to say? He didn¡¯t tell her anything. Was he treating her like a fool?

    Moreover, he fired her. What the h*ll!

    He didn¡¯t want her to go to thepany because he didn¡¯t want her to see him and Liya being intimate with each other, right?

    No, she had to find him. If she stayed at home and did nothing, she would go crazy.

    She picked up the car keys and ran outside.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am,it¡¯s time to have dinner.¡± When Aunt E rushed out, Jenna had already left.

    However, after a while, Jenna turned back. After she ate a little in a hurry, she took out a thermos and put a lot of food in it before carrying it out.

    Inside the Richards Group¡¯soffice where the center of power was, the lights were bright.

    After Jenna parked the car, she directly carried the thermos to the 88th floor.

    As the elevator went up, there was no one in the entire building but the office doors were still open. She ran to Hansen¡¯s office, but there was no one there. After thinking for a while, she walked towards the conference room.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, thegambling cityofEast Rail has been acquired by the Sky Sword Group.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the electronic city of Times Commercehas been underperforming recently. Someone has opened a new shop across the street, and eventually our business has been seized.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there are a few filming cities andrge linked shopping malls in which the owners are not willing to renew their contracts after they have ended. They have been taken over by the Sky Sword Group.¡±

    ¡°Thend in the eastern part of the city was supposed to be approved for us. But, it was suddenly rejected ording to news from different sources.¡±

    ¡­

    The general crisis of the Richards Group that was brought about by the automobile crisis began to break out.

    It seemed that all the hidden rivals had begun to chip away at the Richards Group overnight. At this moment, everyone felt that thispany was already in a precarious state.

    It was almost as if everything had been agreed upon.

    Many projects had started toe to a standstill, and even businesses had fallen to rock bottom.

    Hansen sat in the chairman¡¯s seat.He frowned but seemed to be very calm.

    Although such a crisis was beyond his expectations, it did not make him lose his mind. He sat calmly,his lips even curled into a smile.

    The conference room was full of discussions and chatter.

    Standing outside and listening to all this, Jenna was so shocked that she couldn¡¯t speak.

    The situation was much more serious than she had imagined.

    It seemed that all this had something to do with Zoe of the Sky Sword Group.

    This was an obvious conspiracy to bring them down. Could the Richards Group survive this crisis? It was truly a matter of time before they could make it!

    The reason Hansen didn¡¯t allow her toe to work was to prevent her from discovering the bad news?

    No, social media was so well-developed now, and such news would be reported by the media outlets the next day. How could she not know? It shouldn¡¯t be this.

    She walked back to Hansen¡¯s office nkly and sat on the couch, waiting for him in a daze.

    As the meetings went on for a few hours, Jenna sat while feeling bored.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re here.¡± Sergio entered the room in the dark.

    In Hansen¡¯s private office area, Sergio could barge straight in. It was easy to imagine Hansen¡¯s current predicament.

    However, she didn¡¯t say anything in response as she thought of what had happened during the day. She looked embarrassed, but only mumbled a ¡®yes¡¯ with a cold expression.

    Sergio glimpsed at her sideways with a slight smile.

    ¡°Jenna, how are you doing now?¡± Sergio gracefully walked to her side and sat down, looking at her face with concern.

    His body was almost touching hers.Jenna was totally ufortable.So, she moved to the side and answered unnaturally, ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Sergio smiled.¡°It seems that you¡¯ve regained yourposure. You¡¯re able to face these things in the correct manner now.¡±

    Jenna didn¡¯t want to answer him at all. She simply sat there indifferently, waiting for Hansen toe back.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m very curious. Can you really stand your man having a change of heart?¡± Sergio looked at her with an inscrutable expression. The previous afternoon, the scene of her grabbing onto him and crying in his arms caused ripples in his heart at all times. That kind of heart-wrenching feeling made Sergio want to see her and stay with her. He was distracted all day long. Therefore, when he sensed someone walking in the corridor, he immediately came out. When she entered the office, he finally saw the beautiful figure he had been waiting for.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned pale. Thinking of the situation she had just heard from the conference room, she felt bitter in her heart. At the moment, she avoided his somewhat scorching gaze and asked coldly.

    ¡°Sergio, I want to ask you something. Your Security Office has been investigating our Richards Group for so long. Now, you should have a result.¡±

    If they didn¡¯t leave,Richards Group would not be at peace. Hansen would also not be in the mood to start working. This was definitely not a good thing.

    A result? Sergio curled up his lips slightly. It seemed that Hansen hadn¡¯t told her the truth at all. He was probably afraid that she wouldn¡¯t be able to take it and didn¡¯t want his beloved woman to suffer from pain and grief. Sergio could understand Hansen¡¯s thoughts, but now, he couldn¡¯t bear to tell her this cruel fact.

    ¡°Do you want to know?¡± He moved closer to her, putting one hand on her shoulder, and the other on the back of her little hands that were on her knees.

    Jenna¡¯s entire body trembled and she jumped to her feet. She withdrew her hands and stepped back.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± The moment she retreated, she bumped into someone. The familiar scent immediately drifted into her nostrils. Hansen¡¯s displeased voice rang beside her ears.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m here to have a look at you. I¡¯m worried about you and thepany.¡± Hansen¡¯s unhappy voice made Jenna feel guilty. She turned around hurriedly and exined in a serious manner.

    ¡°Ridiculous.¡± Hansen pulled his long face and berated in a low voice, ¡°Haven¡¯t I already told you today? You have been fired for your misconduct. Now, everything that has happened in thepany has nothing to do with you. Go home, right away.¡±

 Chapter 466 I Am Your Real Wife

    ¡°No, Hansen, I am your wife. Can¡¯t I bear these difficulties together with you?¡± Jenna stood steadily and confidently. She didn¡¯t want to leave at all.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Just as Hansen was about to speak, a delicate and gentle female voice drifted in. Apanied by the sound of high heels, a graceful figure entered and was about to approach Hansen.

    She cast a nce and saw Jenna, who was standing in the room with her face full of grief and indignation, as well as Sergio, who was watching the scene with great interestwith his hands behind his back. She instantly stopped, looked at Hansen with her big eyes, and blinked her long eyshes. Her bashful look made her incredibly adorable.

    As soon as she saw Liya, Jenna¡¯s heart suddenly felt as if it had been stuffed with 10, 000 barrels of faeces, feelingboth ufortable and disgusted.

    This woman seduced her husband in such an entitled manner. It was just too outrageous.

    Hansen¡¯s face tensed up. He cast a stern nce at Sergio. His face was as cold as ice.

    A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Sergio¡¯s mouth.

    One was the real wife, while the other was the mistress. How could Hansen deal with these two women?

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s almost time. Let¡¯s go.¡± Liya moved the bag on her shoulder to the front to block the item in her hand. This action attracted Jenna¡¯s attention and she saw that there were two pieces of paper-like items in Liya¡¯s hand. It was obviously two tickets to a performance.

    It turned out that they had agreed to watch a show together.

    The Richards Group was in such a situation, but he still had the temperament to watch a performance with this woman. If they went on like that, the consequences would be unimaginable.

    She fixed her gaze on Hansen.

    ¡°Liya, wait a minute.¡± Hansen told Liya with a gentle smile and then turned to Jenna. He red at Sergio and spoke in an impatient manner.¡°Jenna, I have some official business to deal with. You should go back. I¡¯ll go hometer. Let¡¯s talk about it at home.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Obviously, Hansen was going to watch a show, but he said it was a business affair. Who would believe it? Besides, one could easily see that he was deliberately driving her away. She was afraid that he would be starving.So, she brought him food, but he didn¡¯t care at all. How could he have changed so fast? At present, Jenna endured the pain in her heart and protested loudly. ¡°Hansen, I am your real wife. I have a reason to be with you.¡±

    ¡°But Secretary Murphy, you¡¯re not at home. You¡¯re in thepany. Thepany is now in trouble, and I¡¯m going to engage in some social activities with Mr. Richards. This is our job.Do you understand?¡± Liya, who was beside her, finally became impatient. She was unhappy and refuted at once with an indifferent tone.

    ¡°Ugh! Who the h*ll do you think you are? How dare you talk to me like that? Are you really going to work? Do you think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking about? Let me ask you. Why did youe to the Richards Group? What¡¯s your purpose for doing so?¡± Jenna was burning with anger as soon as she heard Liya speaking. She immediately lost her mind and questioned her.

    When Liya saw Jenna being furious, she was secretly happy. It seemed like she had messed up and was out of her mind to be actually chiding her in Hansen¡¯s office. That was just right.

    She was afraid that she would remain calm. As long as she panicked, the situation would be in her favour.

    Liya lowered her head in an aggrieved manner, pouted her lips, acted cautious, and looked as if she did not dare to resist.

    Her appearance made Jenna feel even more disgusted than eating a fly.

    At that moment, Jenna was really infuriated. She had the sudden urge to rush up and give Liya a good beating.

    However, Liya seemed to have known that she wouldn¡¯t dare to do so. She looked at her from time to time with a gloating smile on her face.

    Jenna had her fingers tightened.

    ¡°Jenna, you know that you¡¯re my wife. Don¡¯t you know how to behave with the mannerisms of a Madam?¡± At this moment, Hansen was already very impatient. His voice was slightly harsh, and his gaze towards Jenna was also cold.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned pale all of a sudden.He was indeed the man who had made out with her this afternoon, but he was now being so cold. Was he her husband?

    ¡°Jenna, it seems that your husband is mistreating you!¡± Sergio stood up at the right time and walked to Jenna¡¯s side.¡°How about this? Since your husband and Liya have something to do, I¡¯ll apany you out to relieve your anger. How¡¯s that?¡±

    He extended his hand in a friendly manner and was about to grab Jenna¡¯s hand.

    A harsh gleam shed across Hansen¡¯s eyes. He pulled Jenna¡¯s arm forward at once. Jenna fell into his arms, and Sergio was not able to grab Jenna¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Liya, go back to your office and wait for me for a while. I¡¯ll send her back first. There¡¯s still some time.¡± Hansen turned around and told Liya as he dragged Jenna out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back. What do you mean, Hansen? Why are you doing this?¡± Jenna was unwilling to go back. She held onto the door frame and shouted. Hansen had no choice but to let go of her hand, picked her up, and walked outside.

    At this moment, the secretary and staff were in the corridor,even the executives who were having a meeting looked at them.

    Hansen had a grim expression.

    ¡°Hansen, how did you end up like this? Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯m wholeheartedly concerned about thepany?¡± In the Hummer, Jenna yelled at Hansen, ¡°Is it because I¡¯ll be disturbing you and Liya? Don¡¯t you know how thepany¡¯s situation is right now? Why are you still in the mood to think about all that? Why are you keeping it from me? With all the things that have happened to thepany, why?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face was gloomy. His eyes were fixed on the road in front of him as he drove at a high speed. It was obvious that he was in a very bad mood.

    Jenna saw that the blue veins on his arm that was holding the steering wheel were bulging, and she was a little afraid.

    After all, he was still driving at that moment.

    ¡°Let me remind you again. From today onwards, you¡¯re not allowed to go to thepany. I will think of a way to get thepany through its difficulties.¡± Hansen sent her back to her bedroom on the second floor and ced her lightly on the couch, warning her.¡°I don¡¯t want something like this to happen again unless I allow you to do so.¡±

    After saying those words, Hansen stared at her for a moment beforestretching his hand out to stroke her head. Then, he turned around and was prepared to leave.

    Jenna suddenly panicked. The both of them seemed to be growing further and further apart.

    ¡°No, Hansen, don¡¯t leave. I¡¯d rather lose everything. Even if we¡¯re poor, it¡¯s alright, as long as you stay with me.¡± Jenna suddenly ran up to him and hugged him from behind. ¡°At least, you have to let me face the challenges together with you, rather than to leave me alone. Leaving me at home, that¡¯s worse than killing me.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s back stiffened. Jenna hugged him and burst into tears.¡°Hansen, I beg you.Please don¡¯t leave me behind. I don¡¯t want to see you being together with Liya. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d rather die.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s hands gradually tightened. Hisbody was somewhat trembling.

    However, he didn¡¯t say a word. He only pushed her hand away, turned around, picked her up and sat on the couch.

    ¡°Jenna, listen to me. Stay at home and take good care of our Jerry. You have to believe in me. I will get thepany past this difficulty as soon as possible,¡± he said in a very gentle and considerate manner as he used his fingers to wipe away the tears on her face.

    Noticing his gentleness, Jenna looked at him with tears in her eyes and said, ¡°Tell me, Hansen, are you encountering any problems, or do you have anything in which you can¡¯t tell me?You don¡¯t have to worry about the luxury car industry.They will surely re-enter the global marketce in Europe after a month, and soon they¡¯ll be dominating the market of the entire globe. I am confident. As for our domestic market, it¡¯s not difficult for us to progress and developas long as we get through this obstacle. As for the other difficulties, it¡¯s not a big deal if you lose a part of it. You can start again slowly in the future. This is not an obstacle you can¡¯t get through. Why did you turn into a different person? Why is that?¡±

    She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and looked at him with her bright eyes. As long as he could now promise her that he would never pay attention to the annoying Liya, she would pretend as if nothing had happened and their rtionship could return to its loving and harmonious state as before.

    However, Hansen¡¯s face got darker and darker.The atmosphere was so grim that it seemed as if it was about to rain heavily.

    His gaze was terrifying. After a while, he held her up and put her on the bed. His voice was vaguely stern.¡°Jenna, you don¡¯t know how to calm down. You¡¯re no longer a three-year-old child. From now on, you must listen to me. Stay at home and handle family affairs. Take good care of Grandma and Jerry, or I¡¯ll punish you.¡±

    After he finished speaking, he didn¡¯t dare to look at Jenna¡¯s tearful eyes anymore and quickly turned around.

    ¡°Stop right there, Hansen.¡± Jenna suddenly got up from the bed and growled at him.¡°Hansen, you don¡¯t have the right to order me around. I won¡¯t listen to you. Since you neither trust me nor respect me, I don¡¯t have to obey you.¡± She looked at his back and felt that he was far from her grasp.She was so sad at this moment that her heart was almost broken.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Hansen suddenly felt an indescribable pain in his heart. He closed his eyes and turned around, shouting, ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far. You don¡¯t even want to obey me anymore?¡±

    This was the first time Jenna saw Hansen losing his temper in front of her. It waspletely different from the anger he used to feel. His rage this time was mixed with pain and anxiety,making Jenna feel very uneasy.

    She had to admit that she had gone through too much grief in the past few days and had lost her mind. Even till now, she couldn¡¯t figure out why he seemed to have changed into another person.

    At this moment, she was staring at the enraged Hansen in a daze, havingno idea how she should go against him.

    It was rare for them to bicker with each other in such a face-to-face manner. She didn¡¯t even know how to refute him.

    ¡°If you insist on disobeying me, I¡¯ll have someone watch over you. I believe you do not wish for that.¡± Hansen looked at Jenna, who was stupefied, and softened his tone. ¡°All you have to remember is what I¡¯ve said. You¡¯ll understand everything in the future.¡±

    After Hansen said that word for word, he went out.

    Jenna curled up on the bed and could no longer stand up. She didn¡¯t want to chase after him anymore. She felt as if her heart was being twisted by a knife, and she gradually came to her senses.

 Chapter 467 First Fight after Marriage

    The noise upstairs rmed everyone on the first floor.

    When Hansen stomped down the stairs, Jerry was standing at the end of it, staring at him.

    Hansen was stunned. Looking at his young and tender face, the pain in his heart surged forth like a tidal wave.

    ¡°Jerry,¡± he called out, bending down to pick him up and kissed him on the cheek.

    ¡°Dad, did you quarrel with Mom?¡± This was the first time Jerry had seen his Mom and Dad having a fight. His face was full of fear and sadness, and he asked timidly.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Jerry, don¡¯t simply guess. Dad loves both Mom and you the most. How can I bear to quarrel with her?¡± Jerry¡¯s question made Hansen feel very ufortable, and his eyes turned red in an instant.

    Couldn¡¯t this woman listen to him obediently? She was such a smart person, but she insisted on being snubbed. Wives can be extremely emotional, and in some aspects, they can be particrly helpless.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°No, Dad.I¡¯ve seen Mom crying for the past few days. You haven¡¯t been home for a long time, and I haven¡¯t seen youkiss her. You must be bullying Mom.¡± Jerry felt the sudden urge to cry and he seemed as if he was about to start sobbing.¡°I¡¯m a man. I have to protect Mom. I can¡¯t let others bully her, including you, Dad. You can¡¯t bully Mom.¡±

    Jerry behaved in a righteous manner.Even though his eyes were red, he did not cry out loud.Hansen was hugging him,but he was thinking of his mother and wanted to support her.

    Hansen smiled and a trace of pain shed across his eyes. Caressing his little head, he said affectionately, ¡°Jerry is indeed a man. You know that you need to protect Mom.So, I have the responsibility to protect you and Mom too, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± When Jerry heard Hansen, it made a lot of sense to him.So, he hurriedly nodded his head to show his agreement.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Jerry, be a good boy and stay at home with Mom. When I¡¯m done with my work, I¡¯ll bring you and Mom out for a walk. Jerry, you must behave obediently and listen to Mom, alright?¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Jerry blinked his eyes withan innocent expression on his face as he nodded his head.

    Hansen was pleased when he saw Jerry y-acting to be sensible. He smiled at once, and kissed his sad and lonely face. His heart felt like a knife was piercing through it.

    ¡°I have to leave first. Go upstairs and stay with Mom. You must cheer her up.¡± Hansen carried Jerry upstairs and put him down on the floor. One could vaguely hear Jenna sobbing in the bedroom.

    His heart was twisted with pain, and he dared not to linger around any longer. He was afraid that he couldn¡¯t bear to leave home by then.So, he immediately turned around and walked out resolutely.

    Jenna, if they would just end up poor and lose some of their wealth, it would be nothing. Even if he lost the entire Richards Group, he wouldn¡¯t mind and would choose to stay by her side. However,it was not like that at all. She was young and in her prime. How could he bear to see her being incarcerated with a false usation? At that time, how could he continue to live?

    This won¡¯t absolutely happen.

    ¡°No matter what, I must save you andclear you of your false usations,so that our family can live a happy life.¡± He thought, with renewed determination.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that you have to face reality. No matter how unbearable it gets, you have to learn to endure it. I could only carry on, even if you have misunderstood me.¡±

    At night, the lights were brightly lit.

    John came over in a hurry.

    ¡°John, how was it? Did that woman believe you?¡± Hansen¡¯s gaze was dark as he asked hopefully.

    John had a hasty and doubtful look on his face.¡°Mr. Richards, that d*mn cunning woman is extremely suspicious. She witnessed how Mrs. Richards had suffered. I think she has slightly believed in it, but apparently not all of it. There were severalmercialnd titles that had been taken over by her today. It seems that she is very ambitious and has exhausted all means avable to her.¡±

    Hansen listened quietly. He clutched his hand tightly and his gaze was grim, as if it was filled with dark clouds.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,that woman¡¯s hatred towards our Richards Group is really unreasonable. It seems that her purpose is to destroy the Richards Group. She is really ill-hearted.¡± John frowned and did not understand her at all.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes fell on the heavy traffic outside and he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, saying indifferently, ¡°Will I, Hansen, fall into the hands of a woman? What a joke. Since she had been nning all of this, it will certainlye to us sooner orter. Bring it on. I¡¯m happy to oblige. But her tactics are beyond my imagination and it had been nned and controlled by herself since a few years ago. You must secretly observe her. Once she tries to take any action, you must let me know immediately. This time, I mustpletely remove this parasite and bring peace back to our family.¡±

    John¡¯s expression was solemn as he nodded repeatedly. ¡°Rest assured,Mr.Richards. I know what to do.¡± Thinking about that, he asked worriedly, ¡°It¡¯s just that, Mr. Richards, seeing how the Richards Group¡¯s properties are being taken away, bit by bit, by her¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. When money is lost, we should just let it go. If I lose it, it means that it doesn¡¯t belong to me, or that I don¡¯t deserve to own it.¡± Hansen waved his hand and said without hesitation. He recalled Jenna¡¯s pained expression, and his heart ached.

    He barely paid any attention to money.So, why would he care about all those properties? Besides, as the saying went, everything has a price and it was all about whether one was willing to pay for it. If she wanted it, he would give it to her.

    When John heard that, he understood what Hansen meant. He was making concessions in order to make advances, luring the enemy into the depths, and then conquering them all in one fell swoop.

    Hisposure, elegance, and calmness soothed John¡¯s uneasy feelings. A slight smile appeared on his face.

    Would Mr. Richards, who was in control of his heart, be led by the nose by a woman?

    It didn¡¯t seem possible.

    It was just that his wife might have to suffer a little.

    The Grand Eagle had been investigating the incident rted to the luxury cars. It took them a long time to find out that all of this had something to do with Zoe of the Sky Sword Group.

    It turned out that this woman was nning to destroy the Richards Group.

    Although she was a woman, theplexity of her tactics was far beyond their imagination. During this period, Zoe had already colluded with everyone who might be useful to her and set up a trap for the Richards Group that was deep and subtle.

    The vicious woman actually dared to nt all the usations rted to the luxury car incident on Jenna. Her intentions were incredibly vile.

    Since she was holding onto his weak spot, Hansen did not dare make a move.

    So far, there was no strong evidence that could overthrow these deliberate cements. All of the evidence was in Zoe¡¯s hands.

    As long as these usations were confirmed, the day Jenna will be sentto prison would get closer and closer.

    This made him anxious and worried.

    How could his wife, Jerry¡¯s mother, be framed like that? The root of all this was the hatred Zoe had for The Richards Group.

    As long as Sergio or Zoe submitted the evidence, no one would be able to save Jenna once the usation was proven to be true.

    This was something Hansen was more aware of than anyone else.

    Furthermore, if the usation couldn¡¯t be cleared, Jenna would have to bear it for a lifetime, and would not be able to have a foothold in society in the future.

    Fortunately, Sergio had some feelings for Jenna.So, he was not in a hurry to file the case. Hansenclearlyknew what this man thought about his wife and that was the reason Hansen was still tolerating him now.

    Thinking of this, Hansen¡¯s confidence dissipated,and the annoyance and irritation on his face were evident.

    Hansen did not know what Zoe needed and what she wanted to achieve.

    If it was possible, he was willing to exchange all of the Richards Group shares with Zoe for the evidence used to frame Jenna. However, Zoe behaved in a very forting manner. She was currently the mastermind behind all this and had yete out to the front. So, he couldn¡¯t confront andmunicate with her at all.

    After John left, Hansen collected himself, sorted out his thoughts, and took out his phone to dial Liya¡¯s number.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you? It¡¯s almost time.¡± Liya asked anxiously on the other end of the line.

    Hansen smiled faintly and replied in a gentle manner, ¡°Liya, get yourself downstairs and wait for me. I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Liya¡¯s heart was filled with joy.

    In a romantic couple¡¯s dining room of theSky Blue Restaurant, flirtatiousness and the aroma of red wine intertwined with each other, creating an intoxicating and dreamy atmosphere.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯ve looked up to you since I was young,¡± Liya said in admiration. After watching the performance, Liya was not satisfied. She dragged Hansen along to theSky Blue Restaurant, using her delicate hand to pick up the winess in front of her, and handed it to Hansen.

    Hansen squinted his eyes. On his face, there was an intoxicating smile.

    ¡°Is that true? I really didn¡¯t know,¡± he said with interest as his slender fingers picked up the wine ss on the table in front of him, clinked it with Liya¡¯s, and took a sip of it. The smile on his face was dazzling, which showed that he was very interested in what she said.

    ¡°So, Hansen, I can do anythingfor you.¡± Liya¡¯s petite face was stained with a reddish glow andwas very charming.

    ¡°Liya, you¡¯re so nice to me.¡± Hansen curled up his lips andleanedhis face closer to hers,breathing out hot air as he asked, ¡°So, tell me.What do you want to do for me?¡±

    Liya¡¯s eyes were drifting and in a state of drunkenness, while her pinkish cheeks showed that she was shy. She touched her chin with her finger, pouted her red lips, andsaid coyly, ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re being naughty. You know what I mean.¡±

    Hanse looked at her face before withdrawing his gaze. He chuckled and shook his head. ¡°I really don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°What do you think of my performance all this time?¡± Liya¡¯s lips pouted higher and higher.¡°Hansen, because of the Richards Group, I¡¯ve been keeping youpany day and night. I¡¯vepletely regarded theRichards Groupas my own home.¡±

    What she said was true. Wasn¡¯t she working overtime with him everyday for the past few days?

    Hansen burst intoughter, all of a sudden. He poured a full ss of wine and brought it to her, saying in a straightforward manner, ¡°Liya, it¡¯s been hard on you during this period of time. Come, let me propose a toast to you.¡±

    Only then did a sweet smile appear on Liya¡¯s face. She also lifted the wine ss in her hand.¡°Thank you, Hansen.¡±

    She said softly, picked up the winess, gulped it down, and looked at Hansen with her charming eyes. Only until Hansen had finished the full ss of red wine did she show her pearly white teeth and said with a smile, ¡°Hansen, I have something to tell you today.¡±

 Chapter 468 I Want You to Marry Me

    ¡°Really? What do you want to tell me? Go ahead.¡± Hansen narrowed his eyes. The smile on his face was as charming as ever.

    ¡°Hansen, I want to be your wife. I want you to marry me. I want to be with you for the rest of my life.¡± Liya blinked her gorgeous eyes and expressed her thoughts clearly.

    Marry her? A gleam of light shed across Hansen¡¯s eyes. He clenched his winess, his body stiffened.

    ¡°Liya, do you know that I already have a family? It¡¯s impossible for me to marry you.¡± His face sank, and his voice was chilly.

    This woman didn¡¯t know her ce. How could she make such an unreasonable request? She really didn¡¯t know how to toe the line.

    ¡°Hansen, I know that you and Jenna are very close.¡± Seeing Hansen¡¯s gloomy face, Liya¡¯s heart sank, but she was not willing to give up the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be with him. She had to change her choice of words and said ingratiatingly, ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s just that I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. There¡¯s nothing more to that.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were ice-cold as he looked her in the eye and said, word for word, ¡°It¡¯s best for you not to have any improper thoughts. Let me remind you, Jenna is my real and legal wife. The family rules have long beenid down, and no divorce is allowed. Don¡¯t even think about it. I will never agree to it. Please respect me in the future and don¡¯t mention anything about this again. Otherwise, this will be the end of us.¡±

    He said it coldly and decisively, without any room for negotiation.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯ve misunderstood me.¡± Liya¡¯s heart sank, and her eyes were filled with wounded tears as she pouted. Then, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t ask you to divorce her. I just want to be yours. I don¡¯t care about all the fame and status.¡±

    As she said this, she snuck a look at Hansen from the corners of her eyes. Seeing that the expression on his face showed signs of ease, she lowered her head with her eyes brimming with tears, as she used her hands to wipe them away.

    Seeing how pitiful she looked, as if she was a little girl who had been bullied, Hansen knew that his tone was slightly too harsh. After all, she was still a young woman. He softened his tone and said, ¡°Liya, as long as you work hard for thepany and help me ovee this crisis, I will reward you greatly and let you have your marriage in a glorious manner. It¡¯ll be worthwhile for you, as you¡¯ve lived in Richards Manor when you were young.¡±

    A sneer emerged at the corner of Liya¡¯s mouth. No matter how much reward she received, she would not be able to enter a join family. She would not be able to live a decent life and stand by his side gloriously. She was unwilling to give in.

    Compared to marrying a mediocre man, it was better to be married to him as the second wife.

    Wasn¡¯t this now apoprtrend inACity?

    Frederic was going to marry Lenny, who would soon be his second wife, with an official status. She could live in a luxurious mansion and apany her husband to all kinds of high society events. All these things were possible.

    When she thought about it, a smile appeared on her face again.

    ¡°Hansen, I don¡¯t want to marry anyone else. I just want to stay with you for the rest of my life, even if I¡¯m merely the second wife. It¡¯s true, Hansen.I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± There was sincerity in her eyes.¡°I will respect Jenna and live with her in peace. She will always be your legal wife. I will not care about any title or status, as long as I can love you.¡±

    Her voice was melodious and full of passion. She looked at him with her big eyes, full of bashfulness, and her face was filled with anticipation.

    She knew that it was impossible to ask Hansen to divorce Jenna. The world¡¯s most striking wedding, which cost 500 million dors, had blinded the entire world. Liya knew that she could not have that as well.

    However, if Hansen was willing to take her as his second wife, it would be much better than to have her marry an ordinary man, even though she might only spend 100 million dors on the wedding. She had already nned it out.

    Furthermore, a few days ago, her father forced her to marry a so-called rich, middle-aged man, who was only worth a few hundred million dors, for the sake of his medical expenses and greed for pension. He was iparable to Hansen, in terms of wealth and social status, not to mention that Hansen was young and handsome.

    She was a smart person and would not miss this valuable opportunity. What¡¯s more, she was confident that she could captivate and hold onto a man¡¯s heart.

    As long as she had the love of a man, anything rted to status could be discussedter.

    ¡°Liya, are you crazy? Why do you have such a thought? Do you remember how your mother died? At that time, your mother was looked down upon when she brought you to Richards Manor. And what was the reason? It¡¯s because your mother hadn¡¯t followed the right path and wanted to take these shortcuts. You have to know that marriage isn¡¯t just about love, but to coexist together in reality. Besides, the person I love is Jenna. This will never change. I won¡¯t argue with you because you¡¯re still young. But I hope you cane to your senses as soon as possible and get rid of these inappropriate thoughts.¡± Hansen persuaded her earnestly, almost as if he was trying to persuade her with every word he could.

    However, Liya seemed to have made up her mind. She immediately spoke.

    ¡°That¡¯s the reason I want to be your second wife. Just like Frederic and Lenny, we will have our marriage registration in Ennd and host a wedding. You can then marry me publicly and I¡¯ll be able to live in Richards Manor. That way, I won¡¯t beughed at and discriminated against,¡± said Liya loudly. Her eyes were filled with determination as she stared at him.

    Hansen was astounded.

    It was really impossible to guess what this woman was thinking. He really didn¡¯t expect her to have this thought in mind, and she was unyielding.

    It seemed that he couldn¡¯t stay with this woman any longer. Hansen initially wanted to expose her and pull Zoe out from behind the scenes, but now it seemed that he couldn¡¯t go on this path anymore. He had to find another way.

    That was right. The wealthy and powerful families in A City did practise the tradition of taking second wives but it was carried out in secret.All of it started with Frederic marrying his second wife in public.

    However, all of that had nothing to do with him.

    It was impossible for him to do such a thing to harm Jenna. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Liya was useful to him and that she had connections with Richards Manor, he wouldn¡¯t even give his attention to her. The person he loved was Jenna. Except for her, all the other women were not of his concern. It was even more impossible for him to agree to such a ridiculous thing.

    Liya¡¯s face immediately sank.Her gaze turned cold and frightening.

    ¡°Liya, I¡¯ll repeat it myself. Such a thing is impossible for me. There¡¯s already a woman whom I love.¡± After uttering coldly, he sprung up from his seat and was about to leave.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t be agitated. Let me tell you. If you can agree to my request, I will give you the evidence that is used to frame Jenna, clear her of her usation andpromise that she will not go to jail. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have no choice but to see Jenna go to prison.By then, you still can¡¯t be with her.¡± Liya knew that Hansen would behave like that.So, she stood up and spoke with confidence.

    As soon as she said this, Hansen immediately stopped and turned around with shock on his face.¡°What did you just say?¡±

    There was a smug smile on Liya¡¯s face. At this moment, shepletely calmed down as she deliberately continued slowly. ¡°Hansen, I can obtain the evidence used to frame Jenna and promise that she won¡¯t have to go to jail.¡±

    ¡°What else do you know?¡± Hansen returned and stretched out his hand to grab hold of her jaw. His eyes gleamed with a murderous intent.

    However, Liya was not afraid of him. Zoe was right. Jenna was his weakness. As long as they held onto this weak spot, they could do whatever they wanted. Now, it seemed that it was absolutely the right time.

    ¡°Hansen, let go of me. You¡¯re hurting me.¡± Hansen¡¯s fingers grasped onto her jaw. His hand tightened, and his gaze grew more and more horrifying.

    Liya also saw the helplessness and pain in his eyes. She knew that at this moment, he would do anything to save Jenna. He was now at a dead end.

    Hansen fixed his gaze on her.¡°It¡¯s best that you don¡¯t y tricks on me. I can dote on you, or I could destroy you. You should already know about my reputation.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, how can you say such nasty words? I don¡¯t mean any harm. I just want to continue loving you. You¡¯re really heartless since you¡¯re actually hurting my feelings like that.¡± Liya¡¯s eyes began to be moist and well up with tears, as she said in a victimized tone.

    Hansen pondered for a moment before returning to his seat and settling down.

    ¡°Tell me, how did you know about this? What else do you know?¡± He picked up the wine ss in front of him and asked in a depressed manner.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    ¡°Hansen, I know that Zoe, the president of that Sky Sword Group, wants to harm the Richards Group. She wants to take revenge on you and make the Richards Group lose its fortune. Therefore, she is now trying her best to set you up. In other words, the Richards Group has already been manipted by her. That woman is very clever.¡± Liya moved closer to Hansen. Seeing that he didn¡¯t abhor her, she took his arm and moved her body closer to his.

    Her words surprised Hansen. He thought that Liya had just a minor role. He didn¡¯t expect that what she said wouldpletely match with the results of his investigation, showing that Liya did know a lot of things. He clutched his fingers and tried to calm down, turning his face towards her as he asked faintly, ¡°Then, tell me.How are you able to know all this?¡±

    ¡°This?¡± Liya smiled charmingly and stared at him affectionately.¡°Hansen, to tell you the truth, I¡¯m Zoe¡¯s highly paid confidante who was sent to the Richards Group, so that I could approach you.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Hansen¡¯s face instantly flushed. Narrowing his eyes as he walked over, he caressed her face with his warm fingers and smiled all of a sudden. ¡°Then, tell me. Why are you telling me all this? Do you know that by doing so you¡¯re betraying Zoe?¡±

    Liya reached for his hand and said affectionately, ¡°Hansen, I love you. How can I allow Zoe to harm you? I approached you several times to tell you about this, so that you can pay more attention to it. Compared with Zoe, I¡¯m more willing to help you. You can be certain that even though I have long worked in the Richards Group, I have never done anything harmful to the Richards Group. This is a result of my love for you. Don¡¯t you understand?¡±

 Chapter 469 I Promise You

    Liya said this with tears in her eyes and began another heartfelt confession.¡°I¡¯ve said that as long as I¡¯m with you, I¡¯m willing to do anything for you. The premise is that you have to marry me publicly as your second wife. Don¡¯t worry, I love you, and I¡¯ll never hurt you and Jenna. I¡¯ll also stand side by side with you in dealing with Zoe and getting rid of her from the business world. Hansen, will you agree to this?¡±

    Her words were true and she spoke naturally without concealing anything. Hansen knew that she was opening up and was also mentioning the conditions.

    She would do anything for him, stand by him, with the condition that he would have to take her as his second wife, in a fair and legal manner like Frederic.

    Jenna¡¯s tearful and sorrowful faceshedacross Hansen¡¯s mind, as well as Jerry¡¯s clear and innocent eyes, hidden with worry. All of a sudden, his heart throbbed with pain.

    How could he do something like that? How could he bring this woman back to Richards Manor? He already had no choice but to bein am ambiguous rtionship with her. If he really had to take her as his second wife, it would be better for Jenna, who had such a strong sense of pride, to go to jail.

    Go to jail? When he thought of these three words, his heart trembled. To have such a beautiful woman go to jail just because she was maliciously framed? It was just too despicable.

    He mmed his fist heavily on the table, gritting his teeth.

    ¡°Hansen, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Seeing the anger in his eyes, Liya was secretly pleased. She knew that her words had worked their way into his heart and that he was struggling. However, she was not in a hurry at the moment.So, she asked, with her face full of concern for him.

    ¡°You can obtain the evidence used to frame Jenna?¡± He stared at her, with her red eyes, and asked, word for word.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Liya blinked her eyes and nodded solemnly.¡°Hansen, don¡¯t worry. I will treat Jenna like my sister and the mistress of Richards Manor. I can only cosy up to her. I don¡¯t want her to go to jail as well. She¡¯s so gorgeous, and she¡¯s wholeheartedly thinking of ourpany. It¡¯s impossible for her to do such a thing. As long as you agree to my request, I¡¯ll definitely think of something to obtain the evidence used to frame her and clear up her false usations.¡±

    She said it very confidently that one had to take her word for it.

    Hansen looked at Liya with a fierce gaze. Looking at how she spoke confidently and firmly, the waves in his heart swirled and rolled.

    Now thatthere was solid evidence and Zoe had it with her, Liya was undoubtedly a good candidate, in order to attack and win against her. Thinking of how he had been intimate with her for the past few days, wasn¡¯t that the reason he had done so?

    He had long suspected how Liya could enter the Richards Group. He had gotten John to investigate and was already fully aware of the situation. Now that Liya had personally exposed herself today and that it matched the results of his investigation, it meant that she wasn¡¯t lying. She was only trying to get him to marry her and hadn¡¯t done anything that would harm the Richards Group. She was speaking about conditions and negotiations. To put it bluntly, she was giving him a chance not to let Jenna go to jail.

    If he couldn¡¯t make use of this opportunity, he might not get another simr chance in the future. Since she was able to negotiate with him so confidently, it meant that she was certain that she believed in herself.

    Now that the menace engulfing the Richards Group was drawing nearer and nearer, hehad to find a breakthrough.

    In other words, if he could save Jenna, so what if he were to agree with Liya¡¯s condition? It was just a matter of status, which was better than having Jenna in the cold prison. In addition, the woman he loved was Jenna. If Liya insisted on marrying him, it was her business if he neglected her. Everything would be alright, as long as he loved Jenna and gave her all his love.

    Now, that Sergio was forcing him and acting aggressive, and he could not find a breakthrough.

    It was better to promise her and take one step forward, followed by the other. To hold on to the present and keep Jenna safe was his priority. As for the future, he would act ording to the situation.

    ¡°Well, then.I promise you.¡± He mmed his fist on the table and said, word for word, ¡°However, before I take you as my second wife, I want to get the evidence that had been used to frame Jenna first.¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s no problem at all.¡± Liya¡¯s eyes sparkled,nodding in a hurry as she snuggled into his chest.¡°When I get the evidence, I¡¯ll deliver it to you and we¡¯ll immediately register for our marriage in Ennd.¡±

    She spoke softly in a matter-of-factmannerand pressed her face against his chest.

    Hansen stood up straight, allowing Liya to cling her body onto his. His body was as stiff as a stone pir.

    Her words made it seem as if she was making a deal. No matter how much he thought about it, Hansen felt disgusted.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. We still have to work tomorrow.¡± Soon, his cold voice rang, as he pushed her away lightly and strode outside.

    Liya was left behind by him. For a moment, she wasabsent-minded,but her face brightened up in no time, and the joy in her heart surged like a tidal wave.

    Hansen had already agreed to marry her.

    She was going to be ady of honor soon. Countless jewelry and a vast amount of wealth were awaiting her arrival. Her life would be so glorious. From then on, she would live an extravagant life, and enjoy an infinite amount of glory.

    As long as Hansen married her in Ennd or in any other country, she would be his wife in name, and all his properties would be hers. Even if they really went their own ways in the future, thepensation alone was a considerable sum, let alone sharing a portion of his properties. She had already consulted awyer about all this.

    She would soon be one of the world¡¯s richestdies.

    Although she wouldn¡¯t have a good reputation asshe was not his legal wife, it was a whole lot bettepared to those famous celebrities in the entertainment industry. She believed that there were many women in the entertainment industry who wanted to approach bachelors like Hansen. Not to mention being his second wife, many women were even willing to sacrifice themselves to be his secret lover.

    Liya didn¡¯t expect such a good thing to be bestowed upon her. She really had to thank Zoe since she owed it all to her, now that she could marry into a wealthy family like Cindere.

    Thinking of Zoe, she snorted, with a cold smile on her face.

    From now on, she needed to help Hansen see through Zoe¡¯s schemes and not let her seed. If Zoe seeded, she would only lose her wealth if she married Hansen in the future.

    When she walked out, Hansen had already driven away, leaving her alone.

    Knowing that he was in a bad mood, she wasn¡¯t angry. There would be plenty of opportunities for her to get along with him in the future. If he couldn¡¯t ept it now, he would be able to do so one day, and he would love her so much until he couldn¡¯t extricate himself from her. She was confident.

    On a quiet night, the moonlight seeped in through the branches outside the window, casting the bedroom with a nched and foggy atmosphere.

    After he left Liya, Hansen returned home early.

    With Liya¡¯s words, his heart calmed and settled down.

    Now that Liya had approached him with that purpose in mind, what she said would be true. That was to say, Jenna would not be in danger for the time being.

    After he¡¯d washed up, he stood by the bed and bent down to look at Jenna, feeling a sense of guilt and unease.

    She didn¡¯t sleep well as she was frowning, and there was a suffering expression on her face.

    Jerry was sleeping in her embrace, with a satisfied smile on his tender face.

    Jenna held Jerry tightly in her arms as he slept soundly. His pink and tender face made him look adorable.

    Such a peaceful and warm scene made Hansen¡¯s heart surge with happiness and sweetness.

    He wanted to protect this happiness that belonged to him even by any means necessary, and no one could destroy it.

    He gently lifted her hand and picked up Jerry, who was in her arms. Looking at his tender face, he gave him a gentle kiss and hisheart was filled with happiness.

    He carried Jerry to the nursery in the next room and handed him over to the nanny. He then returned to his room and climbed onto the bed.

    He heard crying soundsas if someone was sobbing while having a nightmare. He had his heart in his throat. Looking down, in the moonlight, he saw that Jenna¡¯s eyes were closed, but she was crying in her sleep.

    His heart felt as if it had been stabbed by a sharp knife, with blood oozing out of it.

    He stretched out his hands and gently held her in his arms, hugging her tightly. The pain in his heart was uncontroble. If she knew that he wanted to marry Liya and bring her into this family, what would she do?

    Frankly speaking, he had no idea. If Liya were to threaten him with the evidence, what should he do?

    He didn¡¯t care. He wanted to keep Jenna and Jerry safe. He wanted aplete family. This was his happiness for a lifetime. He had to do everything he could to strive for it. As for everything else,nothing canpare to that.

    By doing so, he could at least give Jerry aplete family.

    Thinking of this, he thought of the pain Jenna would feel when she discovered the news, and his heart was filled with iparable pity and pain.

    To have to make such a choice, his pain would be no less than hers.

    As if she had smelled his familiar scent, Jenna stretched out her arms and wrapped them tightly around his waist. She buried her face in his chest, looking like a child who depended on her family.

    Happiness surged in Hansen¡¯s heart, but it was also heavy at the same time.

    He slowlyy down with her in his arms.

    As long as her soft and delicate body touched his, he would feel excited and tempted at once, but for now, he only wanted to hold her and sleep quietly.

    Hey down with her in his arms for a while. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard her soft voice, saying, ¡°Hansen.¡±

    He opened his eyes, not sure if Jenna had already woken up, but there was no response.

    ¡°Hansen, tell me, where have you been tonight?¡± Jenna suddenly lifted her head from his arms and looked at him with her bright, beautiful eyes, that were shining brightly in the dark night.

    Hansen¡¯s body stiffened, and he didn¡¯t answer her question.

    ¡°Did you go out with Liya?¡± She asked in a low voice, ¡°Tell me, were you with that woman?¡±

    Hansen was feeling extremelyplicated.

    Jenna had regained her rationality and had thought about it for the night. She decided to talk to him openly and honestly. They could not go on like that, as it would drive her crazy.

    Women were like that. Once they had fallen in love with a man, they would easily go crazy over him.

 Chapter 470 The Way He Answered Her

    ¡°Don¡¯t jump to conclusions. I was only with her for work, and you¡¯re the woman I love the most.¡± Hansen couldn¡¯t stand her questions. So, he had to answer her in a superficial manner.

    ¡°For work?¡± Jenna found it funny. Who would believe that a man had spent the whole night with a woman for work?

    Now, he did not even need to pretend to lie to her. The promises that he made before they got married had drifted away. How long had it actually been?

    A sudden surge of anger rose in her heart. She reached out a hand and pushed against his chest, struggling to keep a distance from him.

    ¡°Hansen, I hate you because you lied to me. Don¡¯t touch me and go find your Liya.¡±

    She spoke angrily as she pushed him away.¡°Get out of here. Don¡¯te home. I don¡¯t want to see you.¡±

    Her patience had reached its limits. She was exhausted and didn¡¯t want to continue believing him anymore.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t mess around.¡± Hansen was being pushed away strongly and almost fell off the bed. He reached out to grab her hand and spoke in a gentle voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m messing around, it¡¯s just that you¡¯re gone too far. Let me tell you. From now on, I don¡¯t want to live with you and you¡¯re not allowed to touch me anymore. You¡¯re tainted. If you need anything, just look for Liya.¡± She couldn¡¯t pull her hand back. So, she pushed him with the other, but she was grabbed by Hansen. Out of panic, she used her legs to kick Hansen several times.

    Hansen was exhausted. Hewanted to cuddle with Jenna for a good night¡¯s sleep, but she woke up and was unwilling to let him go. She was still so against him, and it made him upset. He immediately grabbed her hands, turned over to hold her body down, and pressed his legs against hers.

    Jenna was seized by him and could no longer resist.

    ¡°Jenna, are you willing to believe me? I¡¯ve always loved you. I don¡¯t want to touch any other woman except you.¡±

    He looked at her with his pitch-ck eyes and asked sincerely.

    ¡°Why should I believe you? Don¡¯t forget what you¡¯ve promised me before we got married. Are you behaving ordingly?¡± She questioned him, but deep down, she didn¡¯t want to believe that Hansen was such a person. If he really couldn¡¯t resist temptations, then why didn¡¯t he have a single affair when she left for more than a year? So, it meant that he was not a man who would beeasilytempted. If so, there must be a reason for his current behavior.

    She could vaguely sense that he was hiding something from her. When dealing with business, he usually had his own opinions and decisions that he didn¡¯t want her to know.

    However, they were now a married couple. No matter what happened, even if it was something awful, he should have told her, so that they could face it together.

    That night, she was not going to let him go. She must make everything clear. She wanted to know, even if he had really fallen in love with another woman.

    If he really fell in love with Liya, she was willing to let him go.

    Her heart ached at the thought of it.

    Hansen avoided her gaze when he was being questioned.

    He believed that if she knew the truth, she would rather go to jail and make sure the Richards Group was safe. She would never let the crisis happen to the Richards Group.

    He knew her very well.

    That was why he couldn¡¯t tell her the truth. Otherwise, it would only hurt her.

    He grabbed her hand and pressed it on the bed, saying softly and gently, ¡°Jenna, trust me. I¡¯m your husband. I won¡¯t lie to you.¡±

    ¡®Would not lie to her¡¯? What a joke.Now, Jenna felt that she could believe anyone else in this world, except for her husband.

    ¡°Hansen, if you don¡¯t tell me the truth today, I won¡¯t let you go. I¡¯ll send you to the first floor. Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m a weakling, and you can do whatever you want to me.¡± Jenna¡¯s tone was firm. Even though her body was controlled by Hansen, she was still stern and merciless.

    ¡°Well, then.You can examine me to see if I¡¯ve betrayed you. You can always examine me this way, if you don¡¯t believe me in the future.¡± His sturdy chest was pressed against hers through a thin sheet. As she moved her body when she struggled, she would unintentionally rub against his sensitive area, and he would soon be aroused.

    Jenna was ashamed and hated him at the same time. She immediately understood what he meant by ¡®to examine¡¯.

    ¡°No.¡± When she had just said one word, her lips were domineeringly stopped by his lips.

    His long and slender fingers reached into her pyjamas and went all the way into her panties¡­

    Jenna couldn¡¯t move at all. She slumped and felt an itch at the same time, whining as she tried to resist.

    This was not what she wanted.

    She would always be defeated like that by this b*stard and ended up getting no answer at all.

    He must have done it on purpose.

    This time, she did not want him to get away with it. Otherwise, she would not be able to get anything out of him.

    However, she was too naive.

    The b*stard, Hansen, had already taken control of her, and her clothes were stripped in no time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡± She struggled and whined, but it was useless, as this strong brat would take advantage of her when she was immersed and indulging in it.

    She felt herself losing consciousness again, as if her whole body and mind belonged to him, and she could no longer feel herself.

    Tears started to drip out of her eyes. She hated him, but she couldn¡¯t extricate herself from the wonderful feeling he brought her.

    As for the fact that he deliberately twisted her words and took advantage of her, as well as his confusing way of handling matters, she couldn¡¯t even speak about her sufferings.

    He only let her go when her body was so sore and weak that she had no strength left to question him.

    Even if she wanted to reach out and give him a good beating, it wouldn¡¯t work. In the end, she was thoroughly exhausted andy in his arms unconsciously. Her eyelids were so heavy that she couldn¡¯t even open them, and she fell asleep quietly.

    It was a long sleep, and she didn¡¯t wake up until almost noon the next day.

    Of course, she wasn¡¯t able to see Hansen when she woke up.

    He sent her a text message on the phone.¡°Jenna, have a good rest at home and take care of Jerry.¡±

    She looked at the text message and was pissed off. When she dialed the number, it was either silent or no answer came from the other end.

    After a while, she was discouraged and threw her phone away.

    She no longer had to work in thepany. She only needed to stay at home.

    However, her mind could not be at peace even for a moment.

    Fortunately, Sabrina had returned to thepany. In order to prevent her from meeting Norton, she was not allowed to return to Richards Manor these days. Moreover, she was known as ¡®The Violent Cutie¡¯ ever since she gave Liya a lesson.

    In thepany, Liya was out of control. She was not afraid of anyone except Sabrina andeven acted as if she was already the mistress.

    Only when she met Sabrina would she lower her pride and arrogance.

    After Jenna finished her breakfast, she opened the newspaper and saw that Hansen and Liya¡¯s romantic affair was topping the headlines.

    Her heart ached and she couldn¡¯t bear to read it anymore.So, she threw the newspaper aside.

    When she turned on the TV, the news reported that several industries of the Richards Group had been taken over by the Sky Sword Group as well as other bad news.

    Jenna felt ufortable just by listening to it.So, she turned off the TV.

    When she walked out, she had nowhere to go.So, shecould only take a stroll in the garden, overwhelmed by the depression she could not get rid of in her heart.

    Hansen wanted her to believe him. She could believe that he didn¡¯t betray her physically, but she couldn¡¯t ept it even if it was just emotional cheating.

    She stopped when she passed by a bunch of roses. With tears in her eyes, she could vaguely see a pair of lovers holding hands in the garden. They were so lovey-dovey.

    He did not keep his promises. Except for smoking, whichshe had not found out yet,all the others were broken promises.

    She stood there nkly until she heard footsteps behind her.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± A man¡¯s voice drifted from behind, jolting Jenna up from herbeautiful daydream. She turned around and saw Norton, who was standing behind her, looking at her worriedly.

    ¡°Norton, what¡¯s the matter?¡± she asked gently with a forced smile.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Norton took a deep breath, with his voice filled with anger.¡°Jenna, I never thought that Hansen would be such a b*stard. After going through so much, he still treated you like that.¡±

    Obviously, he knew everything. Of course, there was so much news in the newspaper and on the TV these days. It was impossible for him not to know.

    He was very angry with what Hansen had done.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to believe those rumors.They¡¯re not true. Norton, what¡¯s happening between me and Hansen isn¡¯t that exaggerated.¡± She smiled faintly and exined.

    Norton looked at her. Her eyes were red and swollen.Her face was pale. The sorrow in her eyes couldn¡¯t be covered up. She was not fine at all.

    ¡°Jenna, things are already up to this point but you¡¯re still speaking up for the b*stard, Hansen. I¡¯ve never been able to stand him. When something happens, he will only cover it up with romantic affairs. He clearly knows that you love him a lot, yet he still hurts you. Is this fair to you? He¡¯s such a despicable person,¡± Norton said, gritting his teeth.

    Now, he had decided that Jenna was his sister-inw. As for Liya, she was nothing. She was not evenparable to Jenna¡¯s toe. He was furious that Hansen would be so close to a woman like her.

    ¡°Norton, don¡¯t talk about him like that. He¡¯s the head of the family and he has great responsibilities. With the current situation, there are some things he has no choice but to do.¡± Jenna was willing to believe that he was forced to do this for a reason. He didn¡¯t intend to do this to hurt her. Furthermore, it was not a wise choice to me him during such a crisis. What was more, she was afraid that Norton would go and find trouble with him out of anger. Hence, sheughed, as if nothing had happened.

    Obviously, what she thought was right.

    Soon after,she heard Norton saying, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. I will only admit that you¡¯re my sister-inw. If he dares to bring another woman back, I will be the first not to spare him.But if he is only having fun in secret, I can¡¯t do much about it.¡±

    Jenna smiled lightly when she heard Norton¡¯s words. She felt a sense of happiness welling up in her heart.

    Norton was finally able to see through everything. He had grown to be less impulsive and became wiser. At this moment, perhaps it was a good time for him to settle down and build his family.

 Chapter 471 The Elder Richards Couple Were Returning

    In reality.

    When Sabrina told her what was happening inside the Richards Group, from time to time for the past two days, she seemed to have understood the purpose of Hansen¡¯s arrangement.

    After all, he appointed Sabrina, who was close to her, to take over the position of vice president. Although she was sent home, Sabrina would still tell her about what was happening in thepany. In some situations, she would call to ask for her opinion. That way, Sabrina¡¯s opinion was almost entirely her opinion, whileHansen would almost ept it,and Sabrina was simply the mediator.

    If that was the case,why didn¡¯t he let her know about all of this, if Hansen¡¯s arrangements had a hidden agenda to them?

    ¡°Jenna, Liya is getting more and more arrogant. She¡¯s now the boss of thepany. She gives all kinds of orders, but she doesn¡¯t know anything at all. A lot of affairs had been messed up by her, and Hansen didn¡¯t me her at all. Fortunately, she is afraid of me. If I object, she won¡¯t dare to say anything, and Hansen also listens to my opinions.¡± Sabrinained on the phone.

    Jenna pondered.

    Honestly speaking, Sabrina didn¡¯t understand how thepany operates.So, almost each and every one of Sabrina¡¯s opinions was actually Jenna¡¯s. Sabrina would call Jenna before making any decision. Then, she would convey Jenna¡¯s ideas to Hansen and he would ept it entirely.

    Hansen should have known that Sabrina¡¯s proposal was actually hers! With Hansen being so sharp, how could he not know? Sabrina was only a student who studied fashion design. What good ideas could she actually have?

    Thinking of that, she recalled something. She remembered the shadowy figures she had seen in thepany early in the morning and those who tried to grab her from behind that day at the state dinner. Those people were obviouslying for her.

    Hansen might have withdrawn her position and allowed her to return home to protect her in reality. As she thought about this, she felt a sense of warmth welling up in her heart.

    She quickly returned to the bedroom, turned on theputer, and asked Sabrina to send her the email regarding the reinstatement of all senior executives of thepany by Hansen. After going through it carefully, she found that it was all rted to the reshuffling of senior executives in some higher sensitivity departments. Was there something wrong with all these people?

    She was a little dumbfounded, as she read the webpage.

    Suddenly, a chat box popped up at the bottom of the page. Jenna looked at it carefully, and she was almost struck and blinded by the bold words in ck.

    She rubbed her eyes and looked at them carefully again.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, the president of the Richards Group,is making preparations to take a second wife publicly.¡±

    These words were like needles that had been stabbed into her eyes. It was so painful that she had to close her eyes once again.

    She breathed in deeply, again and again.

    She forced her eyes open.

    That was right. It was still the same line of words.

    She clicked into the news, which was full of various photos that had been taken by the paparazzi, showing Hansen, who was in various shopping malls, while holding Liya¡¯s hand intimately. The two looked very close when they were in a jewelry store, looking just like a pair of lovers.

    Although she was mentally prepared for this, she still felt as if her heart had been stabbed when she saw the scene in front of her, and her face went pale.

    Hansen Richards, her husband, was really going to marry another woman openly like Frederic?

    ¡°Trevor, how can you still be in the mood to fish here? Look at the news and the media, we are on the verge of losing our family¡¯s inherited business.¡± Marissa rushed over, with the newspaper in her hand.

    It had already been a few days in a row. Everyday, Marissa would rush over with the newspapers andin to Trevor.

    They were on an ind in a small country. The scenery was extraordinary, and there was also nowork coverage.

    Trevor and Marissa fancied this ce when they were travelling around the world. They had been staying there for more than a month. So, of course, they could not get thetest news. However, Marissa had kept her eye out by ordering a global news subscription.

    When all the luxury cars of the Richards Group were recalled, she only saw them in the newspaper many dayster. The Richards Group¡¯s incident was described briefly, and it was printed in an inconspicuous corner of the newspaper, but Marissa was sensitive enough to pick it up.

    The first thing she did was to tell Trevor.

    However, Trevor¡¯s attitude puzzled her.

    He came here to fish as usual everyday. It seemed that he was not concerned about such a matter and remained rxed.

    This made Marissa extremely anxious.

    She tried to discuss it with him for the past few days but all her efforts were in vain, ashe was only paying attention to the river. Her heart was burning with anxiety.

    ¡°Trevor, speak up. If this continues, I¡¯m afraid that when we go back, the Richards Group will no longer exist.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s eyebrows twitched.

    ¡°Did your son call you?¡± he asked faintly.

    Phone call? Well, no.

    Marissa thought about it and shook her head nkly.

    ¡°Since there¡¯s none, then why are you so anxious?¡± Trevor looked up at her and shook his head.¡°Do you really mistrust your son¡¯s abilities?¡±

    ¡°But, Trevor, this time, the cars from all over the world had been recalled. This is not a small matter. It is very likely to lead to a domino effect. No matter what, we can¡¯t just sit back and do nothing.¡± Marissa was still anxious as she felt that the situation was pretty serious.

    Trevor, on the other hand, looked stern. From his eyes, one could tell that he was very experienced.

    ¡°If my son can¡¯t even manage the internal affairs properly and doesn¡¯t have the wisdom to devise a n, then I¡¯ll admit defeat. This would be the fate of the Richards Group. You have to know that a person¡¯s survival depends on oneself. How much can one¡¯s parents help? It¡¯s a bigpany. They will encounter a lot of simr difficulties in the future. If he can¡¯t withstand this, even if he doesn¡¯t fail this time, then it could happen in the future.¡± Trevor¡¯s voice was deep, but his tone was firm.

    ¡°Does that meanthat you¡¯re not going to take care of this mess? After all, your son is not as experienced as you. Parents should try their best to help if they can. You¡¯re just avoiding your responsibility. I disagree with you.¡± Marissa was furious and she immediately objected.

    Trevor¡¯s eyes were still fixed on the surface of the river.

    ¡°Let me ask you.What if our son doesn¡¯t want us to know about this, and that he wants to handle it all by himself and has his own ns. What are you going to do with it?¡± In the face of Marissa¡¯s anger, Trevor still spoke slowly.

    Marissa was stunned.

    It was true that their son and daughter-inw hadn¡¯t even called them once when facing such a crisis. Even if he called them, he only asked about their health and did not talk about thepany¡¯s affairs. This way, it meant that they knew what they were doing and did not want to let them know.

    ¡°You can¡¯t believe all the news in the newspaper. And the children are all adults. They will always encounter these things.So, they must take responsibility. If they can¡¯t even deal with thepany¡¯s affairs, how can they go further in the future?¡± Trevor took a deep breath and spoke calmly.

    No matter how big the Richards Group¡¯s crisis was, it would still require their children to deal with it on their own. If they failed, they would still be doomed in the future.

    If things wereing to a dead end, Hansen would personally call him. He was waiting for that day.

    After the conversation, Marissa calmed down, but she was still worried. She knew that her son had too big of an ego. If he were to call her one day, thepany would then be in a critical situation. By that time, it would be toote.

    She was restless. She thought of something all of a sudden and hurriedly returned.

    Lomen appeared as soon as Marrisa left.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, things are just as you expected. The Richards Group is now being attacked by several forces. It will be a dangerous hurdle.¡± Lomen analyzed the situation in a rational manner.

    Trevor had no expression on his face.

    ¡°These things must be solved by Hansen himself. It is his private affair. If this brat can¡¯t solve it well,then I will bepletely disappointed with him.¡±

    Lomen nodded his head, but his face didn¡¯t rx.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I received thetest news stating that we have lost contact with ude.¡± He dropped a bombshell.

    Trevor¡¯s hand trembled. The fish that was about to be caught on the hook immediately escaped in shock.

    This was what he had been waiting for and what he was worried about the most. If this happened, then it would be a big deal.

    He stood up.

    ¡°Have you found out who did it?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, no one hase forward and admitted to it now, but it¡¯s very likely to have something to do with the situation there. It¡¯s most probably rted to certain sects or terrorist organizations.¡±

    Trevor felt his head throbbing.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Does this have anything to do with what happened in the Richards Group?¡± A stern glint shed across his eyes, and his gaze deepened.

    ¡°We can¡¯t say that for now. There isn¡¯t any evidence, but it is still rted to the current situation.¡± Lomen thought that things would not happen for no reason, but it was useless to jump to any conclusion now.

    Of course, Trevor understood that, as he had a heavy expression on his face.

    From afar, Marissa ran over in a hurry.

    ¡°Trevor, we really need to go back right away. I¡¯ve just talked the phone with Meroy from Ink Garden. Mom is not in good health. Our son and daughter-inw are afraid that we¡¯ll be worried. So, they had hidden this matter. I¡¯m afraid we will not get to see her anymore by the time they personally call us.¡± Marissa was so anxious that she spoke incoherently.¡°Larry also mentioned that Hansen had a fight with Jenna yesterday. The family must be in a mess.¡±

    Marissa had used her trump card this time. Vivian was seriously ill, and the filial Trevor would not refuse to return home this time.

    As expected, Trevor¡¯s face changed drastically, and he panicked.

    ¡°Lomen, inform the helicopter to arrive in Los Angeles tomorrow. Send Madam back to Richards Manor first.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Marissa blurted out when she heard Trevor¡¯s orders.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to Capital City,¡± he answered in a low voice.

    Capital City? Why was he going to Capital City first?Marissa was confused. Vivian was clearly very ill, but instead of returning to fulfil his filial duty, Trevor wanted to go to Capital City first. What did that mean?

    However, it was fine, as long as she could go back. It was better than staying here and not knowing anything about the situation. It made her ufortable.

    Besides, he had his reasons for making such a decision. He would not change his mind easily.

    She agreed and immediately packed up their things. The next day, she left for home early in the morning.

 Chapter 472 Norton Taught Hansen A Lesson

    Sabrina hummed a song and carried an exquisite handbag while walking out of the Richards Group.

    It was odd. From that afternoon onwards, they no longer needed to work overtime. The lights that used to be lit up all night at the Richards Group were set to turn off that night as well.

    This was really beyond her expectations.

    The summer evenings were starting to get very warm.

    She walked towards the basement.

    She had been driving Jenna¡¯s Lamborghini.

    Since she had the time that day, she wanted to return to Richards Manor to visit Jenna and her grandmother. She was really worried about Jenna and had no idea how she was doing now.

    It was slightly dark in the basement, and she slowed down her footsteps.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so despicable. How dare you hook up with such a woman to hurt Jenna. This is outrageous.¡± Someone was shouting from the front, and the voice sounded familiar.

    Sabrina was shocked and stopped in her tracks.

    F*ck, it was Norton¡¯s voice.

    He had alreadye back and even arrived at the Richards Group. It seemed that he was here to teach Hansen a lesson and seek justice for Jenna.

    Did Norton have the courage to teach Hansen a lesson? Sabrina doubted that.

    In the past, Norton had alwayscked confidence and was very afraid of Hansen. How did he muster up the courage to do so?

    When she thought of that, Sabrina was curious. She immediately hid behind the pir next to her and stuck her head out.

    ¡°Norton, you don¡¯t know anything about my affairs. Don¡¯t poke your nose into other people¡¯s businesses.¡± Hansen was a little surprised at Norton¡¯s arrival. He was worried that he would look for trouble. So, he wanted to drive him away immediately.

    ¡°Let me tell you something.Hansen, I¡¯m here today to teach you a lesson on behalf of Jenna. You¡¯re such an ungrateful man.¡± Norton was furious. His voice was so loud that it prated the whole basement.

    He was really teaching Hansen a lesson.

    Sabrina stuck her tongue out. Were the two cousins going to fight?

    Her eyes drifted to and fro.

    Not far away, Hansen was holding Liya¡¯s hand. They were matching couple outfits and were on a date in a high-profile manner. It seemed that they were ready to drive out and have fun.

    Norton, on the other hand, was dressed in a French-style T-shirt and simple denim pants. He stood nimbly in front of them, and there was a domineering aura emanating from him.

    From afar, the side profile of Norton¡¯s handsome face could be seen.

    Good,it was not bad.

    Sabrina cheered for him in secret.

    It had to be said that the two cousins of the Richards family were both tall and strong. They were dashing and very popr among women.

    It was just that while Hansen gave off a feeling of cheerfulness and brightness,Norton gave off a distant and gloomy feeling that others might feel hard to warm up to.

    The naive Sabrina was attracted to Norton¡¯s cold gaze. She had always been trying to guess what he was thinking. Thus, she had been observing himever since she was young.

    If Sabrina hadn¡¯t liked following Norton since young, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to figure out the sense of inferiority and loneliness deep in Norton¡¯s heart either.

    Whenshe finally understood him one day, she was discreetly delighted. It turned out that Norton, who had always been quiet and considered himself noble, had always felt so inferior, deep in his heart. He could not even lift his head in front of Hansen and would never reveal his thoughts to anyone.

    To put it bluntly, he was very pretentious and rebellious. Heeven wore sses on purpose to cover up the emotions in his eyesand this gave people a gloomy feeling. People who didn¡¯t like him would definitely think of him as an unfathomable and arrogant guy. In fact, he was very humble. He was not as strong and tough as Hansen.

    However, he had totally changed, judging from the way he acted in front of Hansen that day.

    At the moment, Sabrina was enjoying the show from the sidelines.

    ¡°Norton, it¡¯s a good thing now that you¡¯re back. Stay at home for now. I¡¯ll arrange something for you to do soon. Now that grandmother is seriously ill, you should keep a close eye on her. Don¡¯t meddle in my affairs and don¡¯t get involved. This has nothing to do with you at all.¡± Hansen persuaded him as though he was his big brother, hoping for the enraged Norton in front of him, who had changed a lot, to leave as soon as possible. He didn¡¯t want him to interfere in his business anymore.

    It was obvious that Hansen was trying to bribe him. He did not want him to make things difficult for him.

    However, Norton was not tempted by his words at all. He was determined to teach Hansen a lesson.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you announced that you¡¯re going to take a second wife and bring her home. Do you think I¡¯ll just stand by and watch Jenna get bullied? Let me tell you. I can¡¯t do that. In my heart, Jenna is my only sister-inw. I¡¯m going to avenge her today.¡± Norton was red up when he thought of Hansen, who was going to marry another woman and even made the announcement. He rubbed his hands and rolled up his sleeves.

    Hansen¡¯s head began to ache. He frowned and shouted, ¡°Norton Richards, don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m the elder cousin.¡±

    ¡°So what? If my elder doesn¡¯t show a good example, I will still be able to teach you a lesson.¡± Norton sneered and said loudly, ¡°If you agree not to care about this woman from now on and return to Jenna¡¯s side,only then will I let you go. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have to go through me first.¡± Norton had a solemn look on his face, trying to provoke him.

    Hansen¡¯s head throbbed. He could not hide the tiredness in his eyes,but he tried his best to hold himself back and advised gently.

    ¡°Norton, you don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with me. Just mind your own rtionships. You¡¯re not young anymore. Go back now.¡±

    He spoke in a mediating tone, as he didn¡¯t want to deal with him on the spot. He pulled Liya and was about to walk to the other side.

    ¡°It looks like you won¡¯t agree.¡± Norton looked at him as he shamelessly walked towards his Hummer, holding Liya¡¯s hand while Jenna was waiting for him in the Green Jade Garden. He couldn¡¯t suppress his anger any longer, as he raised his fist and hit him on his face.

    With a ¡®bang¡¯, a heavy punchnded on Hansen¡¯s face.

    ¡°Ouch!¡± Hansen shouted as he felt the punch. His face was burning with pain.

    Norton¡¯s punch had really stunned him. He had always been timid in front of him, let alone beat someone up. He didn¡¯t expect the weakling to have changed so much that he even dared to hit him.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± Liya screamed when she saw that Hansen had been beaten up.¡°Let me see if you¡¯re hurt. Do you feel any pain?¡±

    She red viciously at Norton and was concerned about Hansen and was about to caress his face that had been hit.

    Right at this moment, bright lights started shing.

    Hansen immediately realized that the paparazzi had taken a photo.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He brushed her hand away and smiledgently. Touching his own face with his hand, he bellowed atNorton, with his face full of anger, ¡°How dare you hit me, Norton? You¡¯ve rebelled. I have something to deal with today. So, I¡¯m not going to mess around with you endlessly. Be sensible and leave at once. Or else, I¡¯ll have the security guards kick you out.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, you don¡¯t have to send me away. I don¡¯t want to stay in this ce any longer. I¡¯m just here to warn you not to go too far. If you dare bring this woman into Richards Manor, I won¡¯t let you off,¡± Norton growled angrily and then red at Liya.

    Liya felt a chill run down her spine when Norton red at her. She lowered her head in fear and leaned closely against Hansen, afraid that Norton would do something to her.

    Well done!

    Sabrina, who was behind the pir, saw that Norton had thrown a punch at Hansen with her own eyes. She was secretly cheering for him in her heart.

    When he swung his fist at Hansen, his demeanor and ferocity were fairly unexpected.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Good.¡± Sabrina couldn¡¯t help shouting out loud after she witnessed Norton teaching Hansen a lesson and scolding him.

    As soon as she said that, she immediately realized that she was exposed andquickly covered her mouth in shock.

    The three of them looked over in her direction as they heard her.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there? Come out!¡± Hansen shouted angrily, as he could not believe that someone else was around.

    Sabrina wanted to escape, but no matter which direction she could run to, she would still be noticed. Since she was just passing by, it would be better just to reveal herself.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± She cleared her throat and tidied up her clothes before walking out naturally.

    ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± The three of them spoke at almost the same time.

    ¡°Hi, it¡¯s me. I happened to pass by. You guys could carry on, go on.¡± Sabrina lifted her eyebrows and walked over to them in a graceful manner, waving her hand at them, trying to take the opportunity to slip away.

    ¡°Sabrina, it¡¯s you!¡± Hansen frowned as he bellowed angrily, ¡°So, it¡¯s you who have colluded with Norton to stir up the mess.Both of you have gone overboard!¡±

    ¡°What, I¡¯m innocent.¡± Hearing this, Sabrina cried out bitterly. She stood still, looking wronged.¡°Hansen, how dare I stand in your way when you¡¯re hooking up with other women? I just happened to pass by. I¡¯m really just passing by. Don¡¯t misunderstand me.¡±

    ¡°Then, what are you doing here?¡± Hansen looked at her suspiciously. His eyes lingered between her and Norton¡¯s faces.

    ¡°Of course, I came to the basement to get my car.¡± Sabrina shrugged her shoulders and said disdainfully, ¡°Or else, do you think I can hang out with my honey like how you did?¡±

    She deliberately emphasized the word ¡®honey¡¯. Upon hearing this, Norton wanted tough out loud.

    Hansen did not feelfortable, as he was being mocked by Sabrina, and felt the burning pain on his face at the same time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cause any more trouble.¡± He pointed at the two of them, turned his head and was ready to leave.

    ¡°Hansen, can I ask you a favour?¡± Seeing that Hansen was about to leave with Liya again, she pursed her lips and asked embarrassedly.

    Her face was full of embarrassment. Although her voice was not loud, it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Hansen stopped, turning around and asked with a frown.

    ¡°It¡¯s like this.¡± Sabrina giggled. ¡°Hansen, you know that I¡¯m still a student. My Dad is a miser, he says that I¡¯m just a girl and will get married sooner orter. Since I¡¯m grown up, I have to earn a living for myself. So, he won¡¯t give me a single penny. You see, I¡¯ve already been the vice president of the Richards Group for a few days. Shouldn¡¯t you give me my sry?¡± Sabrina sighed. As she told her sob story, she ran over, pushed Liya away and clung on to his arm while putting on a pitiful look.

 Chapter 473 He Wanted to Take A Second Wife

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. When the timees, the HR department will pay you your sry. Not a single penny less,¡± Hansen answered her as he finally understood what she was saying. It turned out that she no longer had any money and was asking him for her sry.

    ¡°But, Hansen, I need money now. Look at me. I¡¯m going to return to Richards Manor and will be buyinggifts for Grandma and Jerry, but it¡¯s really a shame that I¡¯m broke. Hansen, please be nice. Will you please give me some now?¡± Sabrina said bitterly as she blinked at him and swayed his arm.

    Wasn¡¯t it just money?

    Hansen had never taken money seriously.

    At that moment, he couldn¡¯t stand her begging. So, he immediately took out his wallet.

    ¡°How much do you want?¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Sabrina thought for a while in a serious manner and grinned. ¡°I can¡¯t be too stingy. It¡¯s too shabby. Besides, those foods and toys are too cheap. What if Jerry eats too much and has a bad stomach? Well, it seems that you didn¡¯t bring a lot of cash with you. You¡¯d better lend me a card first. I¡¯ll give it back to you when I receive my sry.¡±

    As she said this, she snuck a look and saw that there were only a few thousand dors of cash in his wallet, but the gold card was shining.

    Taking advantage of the moment when he was not paying attention, she reached out her hand and pulled his gold card out.

    ¡°Thank you, Hansen. You¡¯re really generous.¡± Sabrina waved the gold card in her hand and said with a smile. Grinning, she turned around and walked forward.

    Hansen stared at her,dumbfounded.

    It was not that he couldn¡¯t bear to see her spend money, butsince he married Jenna, all his money had been handed over to her, and he only had this gold card. Now that even this gold card had been ¡®borrowed¡¯ by Sabrina, how can he buy stuff for Liya?

    With the reputation of the Richards Group, he could draw more than the gold card¡¯s spending limit, and it could be used anywhere in the world. He could also transfer the Richards Group¡¯s funds at will. Jenna didn¡¯t even know this.

    He wanted to chase after her, but such behavior was too indecent as it also showed that he was stingy. When had he, Hansen, been so stingy with money? He could only watch Sabrina take his card.

    ¡°Hansen, let¡¯s seehow you¡¯re gonna pick up women if you¡¯ve run out of money.¡± Sabrina kept Hansen¡¯s gold card delightedly,pulled the car door open, and sat down.

    As soon as she started the car, she saw Norton running towards her. Her expression changed drastically. She stepped on the elerator hard, and the car drove towards the direction of the other exit.

    She didn¡¯t want to talk to Norton and didn¡¯t know how she was going to face him.

    She hadn¡¯t thought about it yet.

    Driving the car along the street, Sabrina breathed a sigh of relief.

    Hansen had been taught a lesson by Norton,and she had also tricked him and had gotten his money that was used to pick up women.

    This time, she wanted to see how long Liya could stay with Hansen. She did not believe thatshe would still be loyal tothe penniless Hansen and follow him as a mistress.

    These days, Sabrina was so angry that she felt depressed.

    Hansen was getting more and more outrageous. He and Liya were flirting with each other in thepany everyday without trying to conceal it. As for Liya, she almost appeared in thepany as the hostess, which provoked many employees into anger but they didn¡¯t dare to speak.

    There was another thing that made her even more furious. In the past few days, there were rumors spreading everywhere in thepany, stating that Hansen was going to take Liya as his second wife.

    He wanted to take her as his second wife publicly andbring her back to Richards Manor.

    It was true.As soon as she turned on theputer early in the morning, the news popped up. When she read it carefully, she almost fainted with anger.

    Hansen, this bast*rd, actually wanted to take Liya as his second wife. What was this? It was obvious that he was bullying Jenna. However, Jenna probably didn¡¯t know about this. She was even more afraid that Jenna would try to do something silly for love after knowing about it.

    One must know that Jenna was so stubborn that she would do anything.

    With this thought in mind, she stepped even harder on the elerator and felt as if she would fly back to Richards Manor at once if she could.

    In her heart, she felt that it was not worth it for Jenna.

    However, what slightly relieved her was that after the wave of setbacks, the various industries of the Richards Group had finally stabilised themselves.

    That day was the first day that all the executives of the Richards Group didn¡¯t have to work overtime and got off work on time.

    As soon as the car entered Richards Manor, they saw a tall figure standing next to an electric vehicle from a distance.

    Sabrina¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    It was Norton.

    How could he get home so soon?

    She thought for a while and felt a little worried. Was Norton really waiting for her?

    While she thought about this, she lingered around the underground parking lot for a long time before slowly walking up.

    She didn¡¯t want to see Norton at all, the man who had once deceived her.

    It was very awkward to meet him, and she didn¡¯t know how she should face him.

    As the sun began to set, its afterglow shone on the old, green, twin trees on either side of the main road leading up to Richards Manor, adding ayer of skyglow on the beautiful scenery.

    When Sabrina slowly walked out of the parking lot, she felt uneasy.

    Well, it seemed like Norton was not here anymore.

    She heaved a sigh of relief.

    It turned out that he was not waiting for her. Well, in this way, she could avoid the awkwardness for both of them.

    She got on the electric vehicle and drove into Green Jade Garden.

    Jenna was sitting on the sofa in the living room of Green Jade Garden, holding a newspaper in her hand. Her fingers were tightly grasping the corner of the newspaper, and her gaze was as dull as dust.

    When Sabrina entered, she noticed Jenna¡¯s expression andwas so distressed that she couldn¡¯t say a word.

    She didn¡¯t need to think to figure out what Jenna was reading.

    After all, the marriage announcement between Hansen and Liya was too sensational, as Hansen had openly dered to news outlets that he would take Liya as his second wife. It was obvious that he had not discussed this with Jenna. She could tell just by looking at Jenna¡¯s expression.

    What era was this now? He still wanted to take a second wife!

    Plus, he didn¡¯t want to let his wife know that. It was a fait apli! She didn¡¯t even have the chance to oppose it. It was too much!Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Hmph, he fired her and hid her at home. However, with the news spreading all over the media, could he hide it from her?

    ¡°Jenna, think positive.¡± Sabrina choked on her sobs. Sabrina¡¯s eyes were wet as Jenna¡¯s sadness made her heart ache. She was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t ept this and kill herself. This would benefit that vixen Liya even more. Sabrina walked up to Jenna and sat by her side, stretching out her arms to hug Jenna¡¯s shoulders.

    Jenna¡¯s shoulders were slightly trembling.

    Hansen wanted to take Liya as his second wife publicly, just like what Frederic did. It was even in the news.

    He hadn¡¯t even told Jenna about it.

    However, in the face of her repeated inquiries these days, Hansen would notdirectlyanswer Jenna, and he would try to make out with her to avoid the question.

    What exactly was this?

    ¡°Jenna, I have some good news for you.¡± Sabrina pulled out her wallet and took out the gold card she had grabbed from Hansen. She handed it to Jenna and said excitedly, ¡°Jenna, take a look.I¡¯ve tricked Hansen into giving me the card. Now that Hansen has run out of money and Liya can¡¯t get any benefits, she¡¯ll definitely leave him.¡±

    Sabrina said excitedly as she ced the gold card in Jenna¡¯s hands.

    Jenna touched the gold card with a bitter smile on her face.

    ¡°Sabrina, it seems that you¡¯re still too naive.¡± She took her hand.¡°Liya won¡¯t contend with small amounts of money from Hansen. What she wants is to get a part of the inheritance and the properties of Richards Group. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be willing to be his concubine.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Sabrina touched her head, feeling slightly helpless.¡°This woman is too shameless and has big ambitions.¡±

    ¡°Also, Sabrina.¡± Jenna lifted her face and said with a smile, ¡°If Liya really loves Hansen, a card can¡¯t stop them. How about this? Give this card back to him tomorrow. He¡¯s a man, and it won¡¯t work if he doesn¡¯t have money with him.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, do you really want them to be together and allow Hansen to bring Liya into Richards Manor? You¡¯re too forgiving. Or have you already given up in the face of reality and been forced to ept them?¡±

    It seemed that it was right for Hansen to fire Jenna and hide her at home. Judging from Jenna¡¯s current situation, it was obvious that he had already brainwashed her into being in this state.

    When a woman knew that her husband was going to take a second wife, shouldn¡¯t she be distraught?

    Now, although she was sad, she did not appear to be too miserable. She was very calm and even gave her husband money to let him hook up with other women.

    It didn¡¯t make sense.

    Sabrina was astonished, and she had no choice but to admire Hansen¡¯s brilliant methods.

    Hansen managed to keep his wife at home while he made out with other women outside. He was really enjoying life!

    ¡°Sabrina, since you¡¯re here, you should visit Grandma.¡± Jenna did not exin anything. She just smiled bitterly and pulled Sabrina up.

    Her calmness made Sabrina a little scared. Perhaps Jenna didn¡¯t believe that Hansen would do such a thing!

    With that thought in mind, Sabrina nodded, reached out to pull her hand, and the two of them walked towards the Ink Garden.

    ¡°Grandma is getting better, but she still eats very little everyday,¡± Jenna exined, while they were on the electric vehicle.

    ¡°Mr. Richards and Mrs. Richards will have toe back, right?¡± Sabrina thought of something and hastily asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jenna nodded.¡°We need to inform them toe back. The Richards Group is too chaotic now. Hansen didn¡¯t want them to know about it, but we have to let them know about Grandma¡¯s illness. After all, Grandma is getting older and it¡¯s hard to say what might happen. We have to inform them, no matter what.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that should be the case.¡±

    The two of them chatted for a while and soon arrived at the Ink Garden.

    At the Ink Garden, the best medical team under the Richards Group helped Vivian carry out check-ups day and night, and gave her the world¡¯s most advanced medicine.

    In reality, ever since the professional medical team came over, Vivian was slowly improving and had the appetite to eat more. However, her mental state was obviously not good, especially since both of her ears were on the verge of going deaf, and her eyes couldn¡¯t see anything clearly.

    However, she still had a clear mind.

    When Jenna and Sabrina appeared in front of Vivian, who was on her bed at the same time, the two of them spent a lot of effort calling out to her. It took a long time for Vivian to react and recognise them.

    Vivian reached out to hold their hands with her trembling ones. As she looked at Jenna, tears streamed down her face.

    She couldn¡¯t say a word.

    At this moment.

    Jenna understood her grandmother¡¯s high hopes for her. She also understood what she was thinking.

 Chapter 474 Was Hansen Really Seduced?

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached for her. Her mind was filled with Hansen¡¯s and Liya¡¯s figure. She had no idea how she should respond to Vivian¡¯s high expectations.

    She had already thought about it. If Hansen wanted to marry Liya and bring her into Richards Manor, she would divorce him.

    This was not a decision she made in the spur of the moment. The reason she could be so calm now was that she had thought it through.

    However, Vivian¡¯s cloudy eyes were looking at her with tears drenching her clothes. The feeling of being in between life and death was so heavy that she could not breathe, and she was struggling to make a choice.

    When facing the kind olddy, she became soft-hearted.

    After a while, she slowly bent down and moved closer to Vivian¡¯s ears, speaking loudly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma. I promise that I¡¯ll protect the Richards Group and Richards Manor.¡±

    Vivian must have heard it as she smiled, relieved.

    Sabrina stood there silently, with tears dripping down her face.

    ¡°Prof. Brown, could you please tell me what my Grandma¡¯s current condition is like now?¡± In the wellness center of Richards Manor, Jenna and Sabrina were anxious. They noticed that their Grandma was not quite alright as she couldn¡¯t even say a single word. The bad feeling Jenna had was worsening. It seemed that Grandma was dying.

    The aging Prof. Brown adjusted his gold-framed sses and said calmly, ¡°Mrs. Richards, life is like a candle. You can light it up when there¡¯s wax. If the wax has been depleted, then it¡¯ll extinguish. This is the circle of life, and no one can do anything about it. But you can rest assured that our team of experts will do everything to extend Grandma¡¯s life. As for how long Grandma canst, we don¡¯t know.¡±

    At this point, Jenna had already understood. It seemed that Vivian¡¯s body would continue to deteriorate during this period of time.

    ¡°Madam, when will Mr. Richards and Mrs. Richardse back?¡± Meroy, who was apanying her, also realized the seriousness of what was going on. At this time, her son and daughter-inw must be around.

    Jenna nodded and took out the phone without hesitation.

    However, to her surprise, Lomen had picked up the phone.

    After listening to what Jenna said, Lomen answered in a gentle manner, ¡°Madam, Mr. Richards and Mrs. Richards are already on their way back.¡±

    Jenna was stunned. She didn¡¯t inform them, right?!

    After a while, she was relieved.

    They must have read the news and knew that something had happened to the Richards Group. That was why they rushed back.

    She sighed deeply.

    At this point, the Richards Group was in a mess.

    Then, she called the butler and asked him to inform ude toe home.

    After making these two calls, only then did she feel relieved.

    ¡°The call is from Jenna, right?¡± asked Trevor in a deep voice. He was seated in the first-ss cabin of the ne as it soared between the clouds.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards. Grandma is indeed not doing well.¡± After thinking for a while, he answered him directly.

    ¡°B*stard, he even kept my mother¡¯s illness a secret so as not to let me know about what had happened to the Richards Group.¡± Trevor cursed in a low voice. The grief on his face was obvious, and it seemed as if he had lowered his head even more.

    Marissa was terrified when she heard this from the side.

    ¡°Has the helicopternded in Los Angeles?¡± he asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, they¡¯re at the airport.¡±

    ¡°Good,you will bring my wife home first then,¡± he ordered calmly.

    ¡°Trevor, Mother is not in good health. You¡¯d better not go to Capital City. Just follow us back to A City.¡± Marissa urged anxiously.

    ¡°No, you should go back and handle everything well. I have to go to Capital City first.¡± Trevor¡¯s body trembled, and his brows were furrowed. He immediately answered in a muffled voice.

    He knew that Vivian wanted to see him, but she would definitely want to see ude as well. Did he have a choice at this moment?

    ¡°Why?¡± Marissa was very puzzled.¡°Can your body endure it?¡±

    ¡°This is an order. There¡¯s no reason for it,¡± Trevor shouted.

    Seeing him like this, Marissa did not dare to speak again.

    In the spacious office of Sky Sword Group.

    The delicate essence of magnolia drifted in from the window, which was refreshing.

    Zoe leaned in the president¡¯s chair, looking up at the tall magnolia trees outside the window. She enjoyed smelling the fragrance of magnolia a lot.

    Octavia walked in with a smile, holding the newspaper in her hand.

    ¡°Miss Yates, I didn¡¯t expect Liya to be able to seduce Hansen sessfully.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zoe didn¡¯t open her eyes as she asked in an indifferent manner.

    ¡°Look,the Richards Group is now in a mess. Hansen has already fired Jenna for Liya. He has also appointed Liya as the director of the Sales and Marketing Department of the Richards Group. He dotes on her very much,and brings her to all kinds of high society events everyday andfulfils all her wishes. It seems that there are no good men. Thinking of how he and Jenna loved each other so much, ithas only been a short time. As long as a woman approached him, he¡¯d be a jerk,¡± Octavia said with some regret.

    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re so sure that Hansen was seduced by Liya?¡± Zoe opened her eyes slightly and probed.

    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t want to believe it either.¡± Octavia thought of Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s splendid wedding more than a year ago andwas not willing to believe it at all.¡°But our people really saw it that way. Now, Hansen is being idle all day long and is only having fun with Liya. It¡¯s Liya who is in charge of thepany. She knows nothing, and has already ruined several projects. If it goes on like this, it will be difficult for the Richards Group. This is not what we see only in the news, our people witnessed it too.¡±

    Octavia felt sorry for Hansen¡¯s changein attitude. She also felt sorry for the Richards Group, which was going to be destroyed by Zoe.

    After all, the consequences of thepany¡¯s failures, one that had been running for a hundred years, might certainly be shocking as well.

    ¡°The shares of the Richards Group have been terribletely.It¡¯s a miserable sight.¡± Octavia clicked her tongue.

    ¡°It seems that you¡¯re quite worried about the Richards Group.¡± When Zoe heard Octavia¡¯s regretful tone, she snorted and spoke calmly.

    ¡°No, of course not.¡± Octavia¡¯s face turned pale. Zoe was an overly suspicious person. She was worried that she had left a bad impression on her.

    ¡°Hansen and Jenna have such a good rtionship. How could he be easily bewitched by a woman like Liya? I think it¡¯s very suspicious,¡± Zoe said lightly as the image of Jenna and Hansen embracing each other affectionately shed across her mind.

    ¡°Theoretically, it¡¯s impossible, but it is in fact true. I can only say that what you did is brilliant. Yesterday, the media took photos of Norton teaching Hansen a lesson because of this.They even fought in the basement.¡± Octavia gloated,ughing.

    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Zoe seemed to be very interested in it as well.

    ¡°It¡¯s true. This time, Hansen must be serious.The rumor of him wishing to marry Liya has already been published in the newspapers. For rich and powerful families, it¡¯s not just for fun. Otherwise, they will be aughing stock.¡±

    Octavia said solemnly. Generally speaking, they were not making baseless assumptions as Hansen had already announced it in the newspapers.

    ¡°It seems that Liya would go to any lengths necessary. We can¡¯t underestimate her.¡± Octavia was slightly scared as she said this. It was that easy for a woman to destroy a man!

    ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡± Zoe opened her eyes wide.

    ¡°Of course, read the news,¡± Octavia said and handed the newspaper to Zoe.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Zoe took the newspaper and read it carefully. It was true that Hansen and Liya were going to be married, as it was the headline of the entertainment section. Moreover, Hansen announced it himself when a reporter interviewed him.

    It seemed that this time, Hansen was serious. Was he really going to take Liya as his second wife?

    This was the second wife of a wealthy family. As long as they sessfully registered in any country, Liya¡¯s worth would soar immediately. By then, how could she be willing to serve her?

    Zoe did not foresee that Hansen would marry Liya when she decided to take revenge on him. She thought a man like Hansen would only y with Liya¡¯s feelings and give her some money. Marrying her and bearing the risk of losing Jenna was totally unexpected.

    ¡°How is Jenna doing now? Did she agree to it?¡± Zoe muttered as she tightened her fists.

    Would this womanpromise and ept her husband¡¯s humiliating arrangement? She thought of something that she heard in the hall that day. ¡°A woman who knows how topromise is very precious, but a woman whopromises all the time is very cheap.¡±

    What was the meaning of these words?

    Now, it could be said that Hansen had left Jenna and betrayed her because of Liya.

    Would Jenna be able to stand it?

    Would she alwayspromise? Would she really be that cheap?

    No, she would not allow Liya to seed. Which woman wouldn¡¯t defend her own rights?

    In reality, at this moment, she really hoped that Jenna would be able to rise up and resist, so that Liya would not seed.

    ¡°Miss Yates, Jenna is spending everyday crying in Richards Manor. She and Hansen are also falling apart.It is said that they had a fight a few days ago, and nowthey¡¯re not on good terms.¡± Octavia told her all the information she got from the insider staff.

    Zoe nodded her head repeatedly as she listened.

    That was right. It was the same as the results of her investigation!

    It seemed that if a man insisted on doing something, the woman would not be able to stop him. Especially in cases where the man had taken a second wife. If a man was in love with someone else, there was nothing she could do about it.

    At the thought of this, Zoe felt a chill go down her spine.

    ¡°Miss Yates, we must be careful of Liya now. After all, she¡¯s going to be Mrs. Richards soon, and the woman you want to get revenge on is her husband¡¯s family. Can such a woman be reliable?¡± Octavia anxiously voiced out her thoughts.

    Zoe lifted her eyebrows, looking grim.

    ¡°I heard those we ced in the Richards Group say that Liya is now the boss of the Richards Group. She will help Hansen with everything. The two of them are together all day long. Such a woman, can she be¡­¡± Octavia didn¡¯t continue talking. She saw Zoe crumpling a piece of paper on the table into a ball and grasping it tightly in her hands. Her gaze was so horrifying that she didn¡¯t dare to say anything more.

 Chapter 475 If You Marry Her, I Will Leave

    ¡°My dear wife, I¡¯m here,¡±Oscar¡¯s lustful voice rang from outside the office.

    Zoe suddenly stood up and threw the paper in her hand into the trash can.

    Octavia stepped out.

    ¡°Zoe, there¡¯s going to be a meeting next Tuesday night. I¡¯ll take you there then.¡± Oscar walked in with his portly stature. His face was all smiles and it disgusted Zoe.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great.¡± She suppressed her nausea and put a charming smile on her face.

    ¡°Zoe, I¡¯d like to invite you to the farm to have some roast duck tonight? It doesn¡¯t taste bad.¡± Oscar touched Zoe¡¯s face with his fleshy hand. Zoe¡¯s delicate skin and delicate face, as well as the delicate fragrance that was all over her body, intoxicatedhim.

    If he couldn¡¯t sleep with such a woman for one night, then he would be unworthy of being a man. Besides, she was his fianc¨¦e on paper.

    However, Oscar did not get the chance to touch her since arriving in A City for so long.

    ¡°Oscar, don¡¯t be like this. I am supposed to work now.¡± Resentment shed across Zoe¡¯s eyes, and she turned her face aside, avoiding his fat hands.

    Although Oscar was not very smart, he was also not a fool. When he saw the resentment that shed across Zoe¡¯s face, he inwardly smiled.

    Zoe obviously hated and despised him, yet she deliberately forced a smile for him. For so many days, he didn¡¯t even have the chance to touch her, let alone to sleep with her. She didn¡¯t even want to spend time alone with him.

    It might go on like this.

    Then, he was afraid that he was going to be a monk.

    As long as he had money, he would have a lot of women around him. However, the more Zoe avoided him in this way, the bigger his appetite would be. His misogynistic desire to conquer Zoe made him feel even more egotistical.

    If he didn¡¯t sleep with her, then he would never let it go.

    With this thought, he immediately smiled and pretended not to know anything. He foolishly said, ¡°Zoe, it¡¯s time to work now, but we¡¯ll be off work soon. We¡¯re going to eat at night, not now. So, what do you think?¡±

    After saying that, he stared at her with a smile.

    Zoe looked up and saw Oscar¡¯s lecherous face. He was staring at her face with a crude gaze. The masculine pheromones all over his body made Oscar want nothing more than to tear her apart and devour her. She felt an inexplicable sense of panic and resentment.

    ¡°Well, Oscar, I have a work dinner tonight. It¡¯s very important. As for the meal, let¡¯s go another day, okay?¡± Zoe smiled charmingly, but her eyes were full of begging and helplessness.

    She would rather beseech him to let her go and not eat with him. After all, this man had such a big appetite, not to mention that he would use the opportunity to take advantage of her.

    So, was it like this again? This was the excuse every time!

    Only then did Oscar realize that it was impossible to get her to go for dinner. Moreover, Zoe would definitely not want to eat with him, much less do anything else. At that moment, heughed and just let her be, as a favor to her. ¡°Zoe, since you have a work dinner, then forget about it. It¡¯s just that, you don¡¯t have to work too hard. For women, it¡¯s alright to do a little work, and that is still good enough. Don¡¯t work yourself too hard, or else I will feel very distressed.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you, Oscar.¡± Zoe saw that Oscar was willing to let her go and she sighed with relief. She smiled in an extremely beautiful manner.

    Oscar looked at her obsessively and giggled. ¡°Zoe, you have to go with me to the dinner party next week. Then, I¡¯ll introduce somebusinessconnections to you.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I will definitely dress up and go with you. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Zoe replied with a smile.

    ¡°Alright, Zoe, I¡¯ll be leaving first. I won¡¯t bother you then.¡± Only then did Oscar leave with satisfaction.

    Zoe watched his back as he walked away.

    She gave an extremely grim smile.

    Oscar was not that stupid. If she kept refusing him by giving him superficial excuses, he would realize it sooner orter. It seemed that she had to make her move faster.

    Thinking of this, Zoe recalled Liya¡¯s charming face. With a sh of inspiration, she curled her lips with a smile that was faintly perceptible.

    Late at night, Jenna didn¡¯t feel sleepy at all and almost forgot her pain.

    Hansen was going to marry Liya. She thought of his grandmother¡¯s illness and her trust in her, the Richards Group¡¯s luxury car issue, as well as the business that was currently in a state of chaos.

    All of these were still a mess, and it lingered in her mind for a long time.

    Hansen returned veryte at night.

    It seemed that after he had absurdly asked her to go home that night, he began to go back home at night everyday.

    She heard him gently climb into the bed after taking a bath in the bathroom. He picked her up. His well-built body was tightly attached to hers, and gradually, she realized that his body temperature was very hot.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you fallen asleep yet?¡± he asked softly as he felt her shoulders tremble. His arms enveloped her from behind.

    ¡°Do you think I could sleep?¡± she asked sarcastically, suppressing her pain.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    ¡°You miss me, don¡¯t you?¡± Hansen teased in a soft voice. His fiery palm reached into her clothes. His tone was rxed and his breathing was hot. It was as if he did not take the Richards Group¡¯s crisis seriously at all.

    Jenna grabbed his hand in time so as not to get lost in his caressing. She turned around.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t you have anything to say to me?¡±

    Hansen held her tightly and didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Tell me. You are ready to marry Liya and bring her back home, just like Frederic,aren¡¯t you?¡± she asked bluntly,not caring about his feelings anymore.

    He knew that he could not hide it from her. So, he remained silent.

    Such silence caused Jenna¡¯s heart to be immensely cold.

    If he opposed,panicked, or acted surprised, she would not believe that he would not do such a thing to hurt her, but his silence made her feel afraid.

    ¡°Tell me. Do you feel guilty?¡± Jenna bit her lips and urged him, word for word.

    The air was as silent as death.

    ¡°Jenna, I didn¡¯t want to do this either. However, there is a reason I have to do this now.¡± He finally spoke. By saying these words, it was equivalent to admitting it directly, and it was as if he had almost immediately sent Jenna to h*ll.

    ¡°Jenna, you should know that the person I love is you. I¡¯ll always love you. You have to believe me. No matter what I do, it¡¯s all for your own good. I can¡¯t even think about things like this. Keeping you and Jerry by my side is the greatest happiness of my entire life. Right now, I have no choice but to agree to her request,¡± he exined with difficulty,clenching his ice-cold hands tightly. However, he felt as if his face was as pale as a sheet of paper.

    He didn¡¯t know what would happen in the future. If she could turn a blind eye, maybe it would be better for her, but it was obviously impossible for her to do that.

    Since he could not guarantee that it would happen in the future, he thought it¡¯d be good to tell her, so that she would be mentally prepared first.

    If Liya insisted on using her evidence to threaten him, he had no choice but to agree.

    He couldn¡¯t stand by and watch her be put in jail.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re a bast*rd, a hooligan.¡± Jenna got up agitatedly and threw a pillow at him. ¡°You betrayed me simply because you wanted to enjoy yourself with that b*tch, and you used these so-called reasons to put me off. You¡¯re a bast*rd, and I won¡¯t let you do as you wish.¡±

    She hit him with a pillow until she had no strength left before lying on the bed and bursting into tears.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t do this.¡± Hansen got up to hold her andforted her when she got tired. He touched her face with tears and felt a pain in his heart. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t touch any woman in my life except you. I just agreed to her, and I don¡¯t necessarily want to marry her. If I really go that far, there is nothing I can do. I¡¯m telling you this because I want you to be prepared for the future.¡±

    If it was possible, he didn¡¯t even want to provoke that woman, but now he had to.

    He held her tightly in his arms, and his gaze was very gloomy.

    ¡®Touch her only¡¯? Jenna was so infuriated that she wanted tough.

    Go to h*ll. Jenna didn¡¯t want him to touch her!

    She wanted to push him away and break away from his embrace.

    However, his arms were tightly wrapped around her, and she really had no strength to resist him.

    ¡°Hansen, you can marry her if you want, but we have to divorce first,¡± she said these words through her clenched teeth, but it was as if she had used up all her strength.

    She had just uttered the word ¡®divorce¡¯.

    Just like the northern wind blowing in bitterly, the two of them both felt a chill pass them.

    ¡°Impossible. Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Hansen raised his head in reflex, gritting his teeth. The word ¡®divorce¡¯ was so serious that he was agitated. Since he got married, he had never thought about divorcing Jenna in his life, and what she said cut his heart like a knife.

    How could he lose her?

    This would be even more painful than taking his life.

    ¡°If you want to marry her, then I will divorce you.¡± Jenna did not care about his words at all, and once again stated her ultimatum firmly.

    ¡°Nonsense, you are my wife and Jerry¡¯s mother. You are the daughter-inw of the Richards family. How is it possible for you to say that we will divorce? This is absolutely not allowed. Moreover, the rules of the Richards family do not amodate a divorce.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes were red as he roared in a low voice.

    ¡°Don¡¯t use your family¡¯s rules to threaten me. It¡¯s useless.¡± Jenna sneered. ¡°As long as you marry her, it¡¯s not up to you to decide. Let me tell you. My dignity will not allow me to share my husband with another woman. If so, it will only nauseate me.¡±

    She spoke mercilessly without giving him any leniency.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that I had only agreed to her for the time being? I have no choice but to marry her. It¡¯s not necessarily true.¡± Hansen gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Do you think I actually want to do this? Can you not be so stubborn? Even if she¡¯s willing to marry me, it¡¯s still a bad decision on her part. I¡¯ve already said that the only woman I¡¯ll touch in this life is you and I¡¯ll only have you as my wife.¡±

    Haha!

    Jenna wanted tough.It was a miserableugh!

    A man had to marry a woman he didn¡¯t want to touch. Wasn¡¯t that a joke? Did he think that he was still in feudal society? Plus,were there still forced marriages? Not to mention that he was the powerful Hansen!

    He agreed to it and would do it. Did he think that he was lying to a three-year-old child when he told Jenna that? Weren¡¯t there a lot of scandalous affairs between him and Liya on the news these days?

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re lying, and I hate you. Get the h*ll out of here.¡± She reached out her arms and pushed him away with all her might, as if she wanted to sever ties with him.

    For a moment, Hansen¡¯s heart filled with panic. His heart was filled with terror.

    ¡°No, Jenna, it¡¯s impossible. You can¡¯t leave me in this life.¡± He hugged her desperately and spoke incoherently.

 Chapter 476 I Heard Youâ€™re Going to Take a Second Wife

    ¡°In your dreams, Hansen!¡± Jenna¡¯s face was full of tears. She struggled in his arms with all her strength and screamed sharply.

    Perhaps due to Jenna¡¯s resistance, Hansen was so agitated that he had lost all sense of reason. With only one of his arms, he tightened his grip around her and used the other hand to hold her lower jaw. ¡°Jenna, remember, you will be my wife for the rest of your life. Don¡¯t even think about leaving. If you ever want to leave me, I¡¯ll make you regret it for the rest of your life, and I¡¯ll make sure you never see Jerry.¡±

    These words were like poison, seeping directly into Jenna¡¯s blood. Suddenly, she felt that everything before her eyes turned ck and sparks were falling onto her. She was so enraged that she gasped. Before she could open her mouth, Hansen¡¯s cold lips were pressed against her red lips and he began to kiss her like crazy.

    He wanted to embed her into his body and never part with her, as if he was afraid of losing her.

    He began to take off her pyjamas and touched her smooth skin. The passion in his heart surged wildly. Everyday, as long as he saw her, he wanted to make out with her. Even if he was exhausted like he was now, he wanted to affix her to his body. If he really loved her, how could he tolerate her leaving him?

    That was impossible.

    It was not until he entered her body and sighed pleasantly that he was satisfied. It seemed that only in this way could he trap her and make her belong to him forever.

    Under his strong and lingering advances, Jenna felt her heart sink bit by bit. It seemed that the decision she just made was about to vanish in an instant. Her whole body was stuck to his body as if they had been made of concrete and could not be separated.

    Hansen really wanted to do it with her like a madman. He didn¡¯t stop until Jenna felt that both her body and consciousness were no longer hers.

    It was the turning point of their lives.

    When Jenna woke up the next day, Hansen was still lying beside her like a pig, and her hand held his hand tightly.

    Jenna opened her eyes and saw the handsome face of Hansen.

    Was it because this man was so handsome that he got himself so many love affairs?

    For the first time, she felt that it was not a good thing to be married to a handsome man. There would be a lot of women rushing to him like moths to a me, leaving her with no time to respond.

    The phone rang loudly beside the bed.

    Hansen grabbed one of her hands. She could only reach out with the other hand to pick up the phone.

    ¡°Jenna,e here with Hansen today,¡± Sara said with a solemn voice, on the other side of the line.

    Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    Sara had heard all sorts of scandalous affairs about Hansen. She wanted to denounce him!

    For a moment, her heart was full of bitterness.

    What a poor mother. How was Sara supposed to handle these scandals? Plus, how was Jenna supposed to face her?

    ¡°Jenna, is Mom alright?¡± It was early in the morning and the bedroom was very quiet. Sara¡¯s dignified voice woke Hansen up even through the phone. He opened his eyes. After a moment of shock, he asked in a gentle manner.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Jenna answered impatiently after she put the phone away.

    Hansen got up and rubbed her slender hands, saying gently, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°You dare toe with me? Aren¡¯t you afraid that my mother will kill you? Aren¡¯t you ashamed of yourself,ing to see my mother?¡± Jenna turned her head and looked at him, who was behaving without any fear. She was curious and asked coldly.

    Hansen curled his lips slightly.

    ¡°I am your husband. No matter what, she can¡¯t kill me, can she?¡± Hansen said as he climbed up and reached out to hold her. ¡°Jenna, believe me, this is thest resort. After so many years, you should know my feelings for you. I will ovee this disaster as soon as possible. If there was another way, I would never have made this unwise decision.¡±

    He spoke in a gentle voice that was as soft as the spring wind.

    Jennay in his arms and looked at him, not knowing whether to believe him or not.

    His bright eyes were clear and broad, and there was something in his gaze that she could not understand.

    ¡°It¡¯s useless even if I trust you. I¡¯ll tell you what, if you want to marry Liya, I¡¯ll definitely divorce you.¡± Her face was cold, just like her voice.

    In fact, if she really divorced him, would she be able to continue living for the rest of her life?

    This was the most excruciating thing for her.

    Right now, it was not a question of whether they were apart or not. Rather, it was a question of how she would continue her life. It was a question of what Jerry would do after he lost his father or mother.

    She had a terrible headache over this.

    After breakfast, Hansen took her hand and walked out of the door. This time, Jenna did not take Jerry with her.

    At the 28th floor of theFrancist Community.

    When the elevator had arrived, Jenna was extremely nervous. She didn¡¯t know how her mother would view this matter. She looked at Hansen and he was quite calm, although his face was a little solemn.

    She couldn¡¯t help snorting in her heart. ¡°This man is really good at pretending to be powerful. Now, he is going to take a second wife. In fact, he is doing it so publicly. This man is really good at acting. He is superb.¡±

    Bailey opened the door.

    ¡°Miss, Sir, pleasee in.¡± She smiled and let them in.

    ¡°Where¡¯s my Mom?¡± Jenna asked when she didn¡¯t see Sara in the living room.

    ¡°Miss, Ma¡¯am is in the study. You can go in now. She¡¯s waiting for you,¡± Bailey said softly.

    Jenna felt that her heart was very heavy.

    This house was veryrge, and the study had always been where her father had spent his time. Since her father passed away, Sara hardly went into the study. However, that day she chose to meet them in the study. Obviously, the situation was serious, which was beyond tolerable.

    She could not help but to look at Hansen worriedly. At this moment, she was still worried for him.

    As if sensing Jenna¡¯s concerns, Hansen looked down and gave her a gentle smile.

    Jenna turned her head away with an icy expression.

    The moment she pushed open the door to the study, Jenna saw Sara sitting in a wheelchair, facing the window and with her back towards them.

    She sat motionlessly.

    Even when they entered, she acted like she didn¡¯t hear them.

    In front of the study, there was arge portrait of her father, Javon, before his untimely death. Only went she saw her father¡¯s face did Jenna feel sad and burst into tears.

    ¡°Mom,¡± she said almost at the same time as Hansen did.

    Sara moved her body, pressed the switch of the wheelchair, and the wheelchair slowly moved toward them.

    Just as the wheelchair turned around, the light outside the window shone in. Jenna saw the white hair on Sara¡¯s head, and her heart felt like it had been cut by a knife. It was so painful that she kept gasping.

    Hansen also felt his heart tremble. A sh of pain flitted across his eyes. He knew that he had hurt his mother-inw.

    As for Sara, her gaze was not solemn, but it was cold as ice. She simply stared at Hansen.

    Hansen steadied himself and slowly calmed himself down. His gaze was as clear as the white clouds.

    ¡°Mom, even if you hate me, I have to go on. Only in this way can I save Jenna.¡±

    ¡°When Liyaes to live in Richards Manor, it would make Jenna unhappy, make you unhappy, and even make me unhappy. But only in this way can Jenna be saved.¡±

    ¡°Jenna is your only daughter. It¡¯s also my responsibility to protect her and you.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she just a woman?Even if I take Liya as my second wife, her presence is just for show. Even if it is disgusting, it is better than being separated from Jenna.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, how dare you take a second wife?¡± Saraimmediately asked in anger.She had an expression full of anger, as she looked at Hansen¡¯s indifferent expression. Standing in front of her and seeming mellow, Hansen did not feel the slightest bit of guilt. Although his expression was full of respect for Sara while maintaining his dignified persona, it made Sara even more furious.

    Hansen lowered his head and did not deny it. He remained silent.

    ¡°What era is it now?Do you still want to take a second wife?¡± Sara was even more infuriated. She pped the back of the wheelchair forcefully with her hand and shouted, ¡°Hansen, who do you think Jenna is? Do you think she¡¯s going to be treated like this?¡±

    Sara was really angry. She was so enraged that her face turned red and her hands were holding her stomach.

    ¡°Mom, are you alright?¡± Hansen and Jenna came forward almost at the same time. Hansen held her arm first and said softly, ¡°Mom, the person I love is Jenna, but I have no choice but to do this now. Now, I had just promised her and it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll marry her.¡±

    ¡°Just because you¡¯ve agreed,does it mean it¡¯s alright for you to marry her? Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± Sara¡¯s eyes were cold as she shook off Hansen¡¯s hand.

    Hansen was not angry. He only sighed softly and looked helpless. ¡°You know that this kind of thing has always been the custom in A City, although I have never thought of doing this.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Then, your excuse isme. Did Jenna force you to take a second wife?¡± Sara questioned angrily, as if there was a knife in her words.

    Hansen felt as if there was something blocking his heart. He lowered his head and really didn¡¯t know how to exin it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, I don¡¯t agree with this. You can take a second wife, but the premise is that you have to divorce Jenna first. After the divorce, you can marry as many women as you want. Even if you have eight of them in your home, I won¡¯t say a word about this,¡± Sara said firmly andlooked up,ring at him fiercely.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. Jenna and I are really in love. It¡¯s impossible to get a divorce. Even if there is a knife at my neck, I won¡¯t agree to it. Don¡¯t worry about this. All I did was agree for now. You know that the Richards Group is in trouble now. I can¡¯t help it. I¡¯m acting in this manner first, but it¡¯s not a certain thing that I will definitely marry her. It¡¯s because I really don¡¯t want to marry her.¡± When Hansen heard Sara mention the word ¡®divorce¡¯, he felt a stab of pain in his heart and had no choice but to exin in such a pale and powerless manner.

    ¡°It¡¯s really funny. Yourpany is in trouble, but you want to sacrifice Jenna¡¯s happiness? Is this how a husband like you should behave? If you marry another woman for no reason, can Jenna still live her life in this way?¡± Sara sneered and the words she said were like needles that poked the blood out of him.

    ¡°Mom, I know that this is unfair to Jenna.So, I am trying my best to save Jenna and not let her suffer the slightest bit of harm.¡± Hansen¡¯s gaze showed a slight fatigue. He knelt down and looked at Sara. He looked candid, and the way he spoke was very steady.

 Chapter 477 Back To My Motherâ€™s Home

    ¡°Your words have hurt Jenna now. Your reason is meaningless. I have said that you can marry whomever you want, but the condition is that you must divorce Jenna first.Otherwise, I won¡¯t agree to it,¡± Sara said resolutely. She didn¡¯t care whether Hansen agreed or not. Her daughter couldn¡¯t be humiliated like this. As long as he took a second wife, Jenna would divorce. This was a very simple thing. As long as he dared to do it, she dared to insist that they get divorced.

    Hansen¡¯s face turned pale.

    He knew that this would not work for Sara, but if the time really came for him to marry Liya, his marriage with Jenna would probably end. As he thought about it, his heart ached.

    He didn¡¯t want to do this, but if Liya wanted to threaten him, what could he do?

    Jenna knew Sara¡¯s thoughts better than anyone else, and her heart was also in a mess.

    ¡°You can go now. I¡¯ve finished speaking.¡± Sara didn¡¯t pay them any more attention after she finished her words. She was in a bad mood.

    Jenna and Hansen walked out.

    The two of them didn¡¯t look well either.

    ¡°You can go back first. I want to stay with Mom for a few days,¡± Jenna said to Hansen, as soon as she got out of the door.Her voice was very cold.

    ¡°How can we do that?¡± Hansen objected immediately. ¡°Jerry needs you.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a big deal. It¡¯s not too far away. If Jerry misses me, just ask the chauffeur to send him here,¡± she said indifferently. Her face was expressionless.

    ¡°What do you mean by this? Are you running away from home? Are you just going to leave me and Jerry at home?¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes were slightly red, as he asked in a low voice with dissatisfaction.

    Jenna turned her face away with a cold look.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a good life now? You have a gorgeous woman with you. It doesn¡¯t matter if I am with you. Besides, since I married you more than a year ago, how often have I returned to my mother¡¯s home? Everyday, I¡¯ve been busy with you and the Richards family. When have I ever been free? My mother has only one daughter. So,now I¡¯m going home to take care of my mother. What¡¯s wrong with being with her for a few days?¡± Jenna asked coldly in a quick manner.

    For a moment, Hansen was stunned by her words. He could not utter a single word.

    To be frank, they had never been separated since their wedding. If this thing hadn¡¯t happened, their life could really be considered sweet and happy. They were with each other almost everyday. They were as sweet as honey. Now, after this sudden incident, the rtionship between them began to sour.

    Thinking of this, Hansen felt bitterness in his heart.

    However, Jenna¡¯s words were very reasonable. Sara had only one daughter. Couldn¡¯t Jenna even stay with her mother for a few days? Her daughter married him. She was not sold to him. There was no reason for him to force her to stay with him.

    ¡°Then, you can stay at your mother¡¯s home for a few days. But you must promise me that you will return as soon as possible. The family will not be able to live without you.¡± Hansen was helpless and had no choice but to let Jenna be.

    Jenna had nothing to say. She maintained her cold expression.

    Hansen looked at her indifferent and distant expression and felt very unhappy inwardly. He left reluctantly. When he left, he wanted to hold her in his arms, but Jenna had already turned her face away and ignored him.

    When he stepped out of the elevator, Hansen felt that his heart was empty, as if he had lost something. There was a painful expression on his face.

    After Hansen left, Jenna returned to her bedroom and copsed on the bed. Her tears fell like beads from a broken string.

    When Sara pushed the wheelchair into the room, Jenna was lying on the bed with her face buried in the pillow.

    Sara could see that her daughter¡¯s shoulders were shaking quietly, and she knew that Jenna was crying.

    Sara felt as if her heart was being tormented by a fire.

    ¡°Silly girl, when you followed him back to Richards Manor from Wullen Town, I reminded you that the temptation for the men in rich and powerful families would be countless times more than that of ordinary men. You didn¡¯t believe me at that time, and now you know that it hurts,¡± Sara said in between the sobs,wiping her tears away, andpushing the wheelchair close to Jenna. She reached out her hand and said, ¡°Come here, my child.¡±

    Jenna felt her fragile heart break for a moment. She got up, threw herself into Sara¡¯s arms, and burst into tears.

    Sara¡¯s hand caressed Jenna¡¯s beautiful hair. She felt deep pity for her and heaved a heavy sigh.

    ¡°My child, if that day reallyes, just get divorced.¡± After saying this, Sara closed her eyes in pain and two lines of turbid tears flowed out.

    ¡°Mom, if we get divorced, I will be like second-hand goods. No, I will be like third-hand goods. I would have lost my value.¡± Jenna sobbed in Sara¡¯s arms and cried.

    Sara¡¯s hands began to tremble.

    ¡°So what? Everyone has to live with dignity,¡± she said in a deep and pained voice.

    Except for crying, Jenna really didn¡¯t know what to do.

    In this way, she stayed at her mother¡¯s house for three days. Previously, she would worry about the crisis of the Richards Group and get busy with the family affairs of Richards Manor everyday.In those times, she had no time to care about other things. Now, once she was free, it was only the next day when she began to think of Jerry endlessly. She had never experienced that before.

    Furthermore, in the dead of the night, lying on the empty bed, Jenna only thought of Hansen¡¯s embrace.

    Even so, she didn¡¯t want to go back. In addition, for the sake of peace to herself, she didn¡¯t even want to look at the news. Her heart that was calm was quickly upied by Jerry, and the longing in her heart made her uneasy.

    Over the past few days, Hansen had called her everyday to ask when she would return.

    However, she was cold and indifferent. She didn¡¯t even pick up his call.

    This was a stalemate. Jena didn¡¯t know if it was because Hansen was too busy, or if it was because she kept ignoring him, causing him to lose his patience. Over the next few days, he didn¡¯t call.

    It was so quiet that Jenna suddenly felt scared. The quieter it was, the emptier she would feel.

    Especially at night, in the past, Hansen would hold her until she had fallen asleep every night. In his arms, listening to his steady heartbeat, her heart would be quiet and full, which made her feel happy and peaceful. However, now the emptiness was so terrible that she didn¡¯t even know what Hansen was currently doing. She always imagined him lying on Liya, which drove her crazy with bone-prating pain.

    asionally, she would even think that even if he married Liya, it would be fine,as long as he would stay by her side and she could see him.

    In fact, the men from the rich and powerful families of A City usually had mistresses outside.

    Was it possible for her to learn to ept him and treat Liya as the other woman?

    For a moment, she felt that she was super cheap and spineless. Would she really not be able to live without him?

    Fortunately, it was Friday the next day.So, she could bring Jerry over.

    Early in the morning, Jenna went downstairs and headed to themunity supermarket.

    She wanted to buy some of Jerry¡¯s favorite c chicken wings, stir-fried tomato with eggs, as well as crispy beef, salted shrimps, and desserts. She was going to prepare a sumptuous lunch for Jerry.

    The chauffeur, Coneb, was going to send Jerry over at 10 o¡¯clock.

    Therefore, she went downstairs early.

    As soon as she arrived at the entrance of the supermarket, she heard a gentle voice.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± She was so shocked that she raised her head. Sergio¡¯s tall figure could be seen walking out of the supermarket.

    What a coincidence! How did she bump into him in her neighborhood?

    Jenna pursed her lips tightly and raised thecorners of her mouthto put on asmileand say hello. ¡°Sergio, what are the chances of meeting you here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a coincidence. I¡¯m going to see Aunt Sara today. So, it¡¯s not a coincidence for us to meet here,¡± Sergio said gently with a smile on his face. He was full of spirit and looked radiant. He also looked particrly happy.

    ¡°Are you here to see my mother?¡± Jenna asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yes, of course. I went back to Capital City to attend to some matters. I haven¡¯t visited Aunt Sara in several days.So, I came here today. I didn¡¯t expect you to be at home,¡± Sergio answered evasively.

    Jenna then noticed a problem and could not help but to ask in surprise, ¡°Do you visit my mother often?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Sergioughed. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy these days. Since I came to A City, I oftene to see Aunt Sara. s, I feel bad for her. She has lost her legs and she¡¯s very lonely. If Ie to keep herpany often, she¡¯ll be happy.¡±

    Hearing this, Jenna felt a little embarrassed. As her daughter, how could she treat her mother worse than an outsider like him did? It seemed like it was true that a married daughter was like pouring water out of a basin, and the water can never be retrieved. This analogy still rings true these days.

    All of her thoughts for the past few days had been spent on Hansen and Jerry. Either that, or she had entirely kept herself engrossed in the Richards Group¡¯s business, leaving her mother behind.

    After thinking for a while, she felt ashamed and smiled. ¡°Thank you for your kindness.¡±

    It was a good thing to have someone like him take care of her mother in this way.

    ¡°Do you have anything else to buy? I¡¯ll wait for you. Let¡¯s go back together.¡± Seeing Jenna walk to the supermarket empty-handed, he knew that she was going to buy something.So, Sergio stopped talking and directly suggested it to her.

    Jenna wanted to refuse, but Sergio hade to see her mother, and it seemed that there was no reason for her to refuse his offer. So, she had to nod at the moment.

    Soon after, she bought some of the finest fresh vegetables from the supermarket. Since Sergio wasing, maybe her mother would ask him to stay for dinner. So, she bought more vegetables.

    As such, when she left the store, her hands were full ofrge and small bags.

    ¡°It seems like today¡¯s the right day. I will have a feast.¡± Sergio smiled brightly when he saw the seasonal vegetables in Jenna¡¯s bags.

    Jenna simply smiled and did not refute.

    There was no problem treating him to a meal.

    ¡°Come, let me help you carry those.¡± Sergio reached out and took the bags from her hands considerately. In this way, Jenna walked beside him empty-handed.

    ¡°Sergio, how¡¯s your father¡¯s election going?¡± Jenna recalled what Yadriel was going through and could not help but to ask.

    Sergio smiled casually.

    ¡°It¡¯s just the preliminary round, and the most crucial element has yet toe.¡± Sergio smiled calmly. Without even thinking, one could tell that the strength gradient between Yadriel and Luqman was evident.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna nodded.

    ¡°Sergio, your father will have his election soon. Shouldn¡¯t you stay away from Capital City and handle the case first?¡± She wanted to persuade Sergio to settle the Richards Group case as soon as possible, so that he could leave A City.

    However, Sergio smiled at her in a meaningful manner, as if he could see through her mind.

    ¡°This is my father¡¯s business. The election is fair and just. I can¡¯t help much. Besides, this matter is rted to our nation¡¯s top secrets. It¡¯s a national-level investigation, and it¡¯s also entrusted to me by my superiors. I too know which is more important. Besides, we can¡¯t do much about it, right?¡±

    Jenna forced a smile onto her face as she listened to him talk highly about these great lessons.

 Chapter 478 He Is Just Jealous

    ¡°Dad, where did Mom go?¡± These days, Jenna was not in Richards Manor. Jerry was very sad. Perhaps since Jenna was not at home, Hansen insisted oning back everyday and being there for him. Moreover, Marissa was also back. In this way, there was another person in the family who loved Jerry, and the impact from separation anxiety was reduced.

    However, no one could make up for his mother¡¯s love. A few dayster, he began to miss his mother. Especially at night, he missed his mother even more. Jerry had never been away from his mother for such a long time. So, he asked his father every night before he slept when Jenna woulde back.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze was very, very grim.

    Just like Sara had said, if he had no choice but to marry Liya, Jenna would never stay in this house.

    Thinking of this, he felt a sharp pain in his heart. The expression on his face looked lonely and sad.

    ¡°Jerry, be a good boy. Mom loves you very much. She¡¯s with Grandma right now, and she¡¯ll be back soon. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll see her and Grandma, okay?¡± His warm, thick hand caressed Jerry¡¯s little head, and he spoke with a pleasant smile.

    ¡°Yes, I miss Mom and Grandma so much.¡± Jerry was very happy when he heard that he could see Jenna the next day. He wanted to visit her. He raised his head and said in a very serious tone, ¡°Dad, let me tell you a secret.¡±

    A secret?

    Hansen was stunned for a moment before he smiled.

    This little guy actually had a secret. He was a kid with big thoughts.

    Hansen pretended to be curious and asked seriously, ¡°Son, if you have any secrets, tell them to me quickly.¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Jerry raised his head and waved at him.

    Hansen smiled and turned his head.

    Jerry said in a low voice, ¡°Dad, I used to be jealous when I saw you kiss Mom everyday when youe home, but now I¡¯ve decided not to be jealous anymore. You have to kiss Mom more from now on.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Hansen was very shocked and surprised. Jerry really had a lot of ideas in him. What was he thinking about? He immediately asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because Mom loves you very much. Every time you kiss her, she has a very beautiful smile on her face and she is very happy. To me,this is my happiest and sweetest time.I will not get jealous anymore.¡±

    Jerry expressed himself richly and his smile was sweet. However, Hansen was dumbstruck by his words.

    He didn¡¯t expect this little kid to have such rich inner thoughts. His love for his parents was so deep in his little heart. Hansen was really touched by what he said.

    ¡°My good son.¡± He reached out his big hands to pick Jerry up and gave him a lot of kisses. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the person Dad and Mom love the most is you.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Jerry happily nodded his head. He reached out his hands to hold Hansen¡¯s neck and kissed him on his face. ¡°I love you and Mom the most too.¡±

    Hansen was smiling brightly, but his gaze was particrly gloomy.

    If¡­

    He didn¡¯t think more about it. He wouldn¡¯t have let any ¡®if¡¯ happen at all.

    Having received Hansen¡¯s love, Jerry thought that he would see his mother the next day and fell asleep.

    Hansen looked at Jerry¡¯s young and handsome face and a gentle smile spread across his face.

    Jerry¡¯s facial features, his eyebrows, and his nose all resembled Hansen, but his tiny mouth looked exactly like Jenna¡¯s, as well as his ears. His fleshy earlobes were almost exactly like Jenna¡¯s. As Hansen stroked his earlobes, he suddenly thought of Jenna, and his heart was filled with intense longing.

    Over the past few days, she was not even willing to pick up his calls. It was obvious that she was still furious.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Thinking of the current situation, it was not impossible for her to go back and stay at her mother¡¯s home for a few days. After all, his n must be carried out, not for others, but for her.

    He was a man. So, he had to find a way to keep his family intact and keep Jenna happy.

    Right now, she obviously didn¡¯t know, and he couldn¡¯t let her know.

    ¡°Jenna, wait for me. Calm yourself down. I will make you happy.¡±

    As he thought about this, he stared nkly at Jerry¡¯s face for a moment, and then slowly walked out.

    Marrisa was standing at the door of the room.

    She had heard the conversation between Hansen and Jerry just now.

    The expression on her face was very serious.

    ¡°Mom,¡± Hansen called softly,looking up at her.

    ¡°Hansen,e here.¡± When Hansen came out, Marissa closed the door of Jerry¡¯s bedroom and whispered to him.

    Hansen followed Marissa and headed down the stairs to the study.

    ¡°Hansen, what¡¯s going on between you and Jenna?¡± Marissa¡¯s tone was a little serious.

    ¡°Mom, nothing¡¯s wrong,¡± Hansen replied her dismissively.

    ¡°Nonsense, all over the city, the news is talking about you and that Liya woman. Are you still going to hide it from me?¡± Marissa had a sullen expression. ¡°You already have a family. At that time, you loved Jenna so much that you wanted to marry her. Well, now you are going to marry again. How long has it been since the scandalous news started to spread? What on earth are you trying to do? Even if you don¡¯t care about Jenna, you must care about Jerry. You really shouldn¡¯t have done these things. How much more will you hurt the child?¡±

    Marissa¡¯s heart was filled with bitter hatred and worry. It was clear that she did not wish for her son to have another scandalous affair. Furthermore, with Jerry around, it was even more likely that she did not wish for the child to get hurt.

    Of course, Hansen understood what she meant. He curled his lips into a bitter smile.

    ¡°Mom, these are all rumors. You can¡¯t believe them.¡±

    ¡°Rumors? If it¡¯s really a rumor, would Jenna have gone back to her mother¡¯s home?¡± Marissa immediately asked.

    If a woman went back to her mother¡¯s home at this moment, if she did not fight with her husband,then what else could it be? Marrisa was also a woman, and she had been back at her parent¡¯s home before. How could she not understand this?

    Hansen was stunned for a moment. He knew that he could not hide this from her. He had no choice but to say, ¡°Mother, this is my own business. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be good if you really do know. Let me tell you. Your father will be back the day after tomorrow. You have to bring Jenna back, no matter what. She is the daughter-inw of the Richards family. Now, Grandma is seriously ill, and she is in charge of this household. How can she stay at her mother¡¯s home for a week like this? It¡¯s not good if this gets out. Besides, if Jerry finds out, he will be traumatized,¡± Marissa said as his elder, not allowing Hansen to object.

    These days, Hansen missed Jenna and was ready to pick her up.So, he did not hesitate to nod and agree.

    Since he promised Liya that he would marry her, things in thepany had calmed down. Even Sergio was not so aggressive. Moreover, Sergio had returned to Capital City. It was rare for hispany to be quiet for a few days.

    Now that his grandmother was seriously ill and Trevor was alsoing back, Jenna could not stay at her mother¡¯s house anymore.

    Thus, the next day, when they woke up early in the morning, Hansen brought Jerry to the Francist Community.

    The previous night, when he woke up several times, he tried to hold Jenna¡¯s delicate body but realized that she wasn¡¯t there. He failed to hug the body he was longing for, and he missed Jenna.

    Since Jenna returned to her mother¡¯s home, he had been in this situation. At night, without her in his arms, he often slept badly and his heart was empty. Just like the previous night, his lower abdomen had tightened the whole night. The feeling was so unbearable and ufortable. Even in his dreams, he was holding her and begging for love.

    The car sped down the street. Just like his urgent mood, when he thought that he would soon see the woman he was thinking about day and night, he felt a burst of excitement. It felt like the enthusiasm was going to burst out of his body. He was full of excitement.

    ¡°Jenna, no matter what, I will not let you go,¡± Hansen told himself inwardly. Even if he was forced to marry Liya, he would not let her go.

    Jenna was his real wife.

    ¡°Mom, Mom.¡± As soon as the car drove into the Francist Community, Jerry, who was sitting in the car, looked around curiously. He immediately saw his mother¡¯s figure and shouted excitedly.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched slightly as he looked towards the direction of Jerry¡¯s voice.

    Soon, his face turned livid.

    Not far away, Jenna was walking with a man with a tall and slender figure. The two of them were talking andughing. The man was holding things in his hands, while Jenna had nothing in her hands. She was talking while she walked, and they looked very affectionate.

    Hansen felt like his blood had instantly congealed. The smile at the corner of his mouth turned cold and his face turned pale.

    At this time, Jerry noticed the man next to Jenna. Although he was young, he soon perceived the change in Hansen. Jerry immediately stopped shouting and looked at Hansen with some fear. He was so scared that he didn¡¯t dare to say a word.

    Hansen cursed and thought Jenna was on a date with Sergio at her mother¡¯s home.

    It was abominable.

    He gritted his teeth and could not control the anger in his heart.

    These days, he thought that Jenna was going crazy, but she was actually smiling happily and was on a date with another man, leaving him and the child behind.

    The car roared and drove forward. Soon, it rushed past the railings on one side and stopped steadily in front of Jenna and Sergio.

    The Hummer with the powerful engine burst out waves of reverberations in front of Jenna. Jenna was startled. When she saw that it was Hansen¡¯s Hummer, there was a trace of joy in her heart, but she quickly realized something.

    A trace of panic shed in her eyes, and her face turned cold.

    The door opened with a ng, and Hansen¡¯s slender figure emerged from within.

    Jenna hadn¡¯t had the time to say anything before Hansen pulled her hand.

    Sergio was about to shout but he only heard a loud ng. Hansen carried Jenna and threw her onto the soft cushion at the backseat of the Hummer. The car door was then closed.

    ¡°Sergio, you¡¯re really despicable and shameless. How dare you bother my wife again and again! I¡¯ll remember this,¡± Hansen said ruthlessly,standing by the car door,looking angrily at Sergio.

    As soon as Hansen finished speaking, he got into the Hummer. The engine of the car started quickly and Hansen drove away.

    By the time Sergio realized what had happened, the Hummer had already disappeared from the Francist Community.

    A cold smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. He looked at the goods in his hand and narrowed his eyes.

    As long as Hansen took Liya as his second wife, he didn¡¯t think that Sara would let Jenna stay in Richards Manor. Jenna herself wouldn¡¯t want to either. He was afraid that Hansen¡¯s happy life woulde to an end soon.

    Sergio had plenty of time to wait.

    With these thoughts in mind, he walked leisurely towards the elevator while carrying his belongings.

 Chapter 479 A Warm Family

    ¡°Hey, Hansen, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Hansen had thrown Jenna into the Hummer. She felt dizzy and was about to scold him.

    ¡°Mom,¡± Jerry¡¯s tender voice squeaked next to her.

    ¡°Jerry.¡± Jenna was surprised. It turned out that Jerry was inside the car.

    She scrambled to her feet.

    Jerry was sitting in the front seat, staring at her with his wide eyes. His eyes were filled with anxiety and fear.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment and quickly understood. She felt a pain in her heart and quickly hugged him tightly, calling his name intimately.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Jerry epted Jenna¡¯s familiar embrace and quickly forgot what had just happened. The mother and son were very close to each other. He wrapped his arms around her neck and asked in a bashful voice, ¡°I miss you, Mom. Mom, do you miss me?¡±

    Jenna was stunned, and her tears immediately blurred her vision.

    ¡°My good son, Mom misses you too.¡± Jenna smiled and hugged Jerry tearfully. She kissed him on the face and spoke gently.

    ¡°Mom, will you bring me to Grandma¡¯s house in the future?¡± Jerry was enjoying his motherly love. He pouted and said, ¡°I don¡¯t like it when you are not around.¡±

    ¡°In the future?¡± Jenna was shocked when she heard this. She turned to look at Hansen from the corner of her eyes. He held the steering wheel in one hand and his face was gloomy.

    Obviously, he was unhappy when he saw her walking with Sergio. When he got out of the car just now, he looked like he wanted to devour her.

    Why? Why couldn¡¯t Jenna say a few words to another man if Hansen could take Liya as his second wife?

    Hansen had gone too far.

    Jenna felt her heart instantly fill with anger. She only knew that she was not feeling well. Who would understand her pain?

    At this moment, she held Jerry in her arms with a warm smile on her face.

    ¡°Okay, from now on, I will take you with me whenever I leave.¡± Jenna agreed with Jerry without hesitation.

    ¡°Thank you, Mom,¡± Jerry said affectionately,looking overjoyed.

    In the driver¡¯s seat, Hansen burned with fury when he heard that.¡°D*mn woman, don¡¯t even think about going out in the future.¡± He thought.

    You were born to be a member of the Richards family. If you die, you¡¯ll be a ghost of the Richards family. I won¡¯t let you leave me.

    ¡°Mom, did you miss Dad after you had left?¡± After a while, Jerry seemed to think of a serious problem while he was in Jenna¡¯s arms. So, he raised his head and asked.

    Jerry had asked something he wasn¡¯t supposed to ask.

    This child actually asked her this question.

    Jenna was bbergasted and looked at Hansen from the corner of her eyes.

    Hansen was listening attentively.

    Jenna thought for a bit and intentionally said, ¡°Jerry, you are my heart. You are the only one I can rely on. So, of course, I missed you the most.¡±

    She deliberately avoided the conversation and directly noticed that Hansen¡¯s face seemed to have turned gloomier. A hint of joy actually shed across her heart.

    Men were like this. They wanted to keep their wives at home while they had fun outside, but the wives would not let them do as they wished.

    After that, Jenna began to check Jerry¡¯s homework in the car.The mother and son were very close to each other in the back seat, talking andughing. So, the atmosphere was very warm.

    The car then stopped.

    It was only now that Jenna realized where they were.

    ¡°Come down.¡± Perhaps affected by the warm feelings between mother and son duo, Hansen seemed to be in a much better mood, and the tight muscles on his face had also rxed. His voice was warm, and it was very pleasant to hear.

    ¡°Where are we?¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t help but to ask as she saw the green mountains and trees surrounding this ce. She didn¡¯t know where this ce was.

    ¡°There is a resort on the green hills. It¡¯s a Saturday. So, I brought you here for some fun.¡± Hansen closed the door and walked towards the trunk of the car. He opened the trunk door and pulled out a bag.

    ¡°Wow, we¡¯re here for fun.¡± Jerry stepped out and saw the beautiful scenery outside. When he heard Hansen¡¯s words, he jumped for joy and began to cheer.

    Jerry had not been out with his parents on an excursion in a long time. At this time, the sun was shining brightly outside, and the greenery of the ind filled with flourishing foliage was irresistible. It was really beautiful. He was exhrated.

    At this point, Jenna wasn¡¯t in the mood for a day trip. She wasn¡¯t up for a fun outing. However, when she saw how excited Jerry was, and thinking about how he had been neglected recently, she smiled at him and didn¡¯t say anything else.

    When Hansen brought Jenna and Jerry in, the manager of the Aoyama Resort greeted them with a smile.

    ¡°Wee, Mr. and Mr. Richards,¡± he greeted them courteously.

    Hansen nodded.

    Only now did Jenna know that the resort was a project under the Richards Group. It was built by Hansen a year before, after Jenna left thepany. He bought the entire mountain and developed it.

    On the outside, it was the Aoyama Group. In fact, it was a good ce for the Richards family to rx. It was also the backup station for the Richards Group. In the depths of the Green Mountain, there were many important secrets of theRichards Group. On the surface, this Aoyama Group seemed to have nothing to do with theRichards Group,and had never been opened to the public. Very few people knew who this ce belonged to¡­

    So, even though they had been married for so long, it was the first time that she had learnt about this ce.

    ¡°Have you prepared the vi on the top of the mountain?¡± Hansen asked indifferently.

    ¡°It¡¯s ready. The maids have prepared it,¡± the manager said with a smile.

    Soon, an electric buggy arrived. They hopped on and the buggy headed for the top of the mountain.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Jerry to fall in love with this ce.

    Not only were there all kinds of fitness facilities, there were also different remote control cars, nes, and other entertainment facilities for Jerry, not to mention many pet animals.

    Of course, what really captivated him was that there were a few female attendants assigned to y with him, and soon he was too happy to think more about it.

    After entering the vi and ncing around it, Hansen took Jenna and Jerry with the electric buggy to the other side of the mountain. In less than half an hour, they arrived at the waterpark.

    There were huge crowds here,as well as tourists from all over the world, which made the ce very lively.

    It turned out that this waterpark was developed by Hansen.

    Jenna was inwardly surprised.

    It seemed that after Hansen had bought the entire mountain;he used it as a spa resort for his family while the other side was developed into a famous water park for the country.

    Although they were on the same mountain, they were opposite each other.

    It was not until the electric buggy had transported them to this water park that they stood on the mountain, looked down at the foot of the mountain, and heard the deafening waves ofughtere from the excited tourists, ying with each other in the water. On the mountain, there was a deep and quiet primeval forest.

    She couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by Hansen.

    This project had been so sessful under him, and it was pretty good, given the current economic recession.

    At this moment, she had a feeling that even if the Richards Group was taken down, he could easily rise again.

    However, why would he think of using Liya? What did he mean by being on good terms with her? Was he really just using Liya to save the Richards Group from the crisis, as the rumours suggested?

    This waspletely illogical.

    When it came to merits, her value exceeded Liya¡¯s.

    If not, it meant that he had fallen in love with Liya. Thinking of this, she didn¡¯t want to have any fun at all.

    After all, he was a sessful man and came from a rich and powerful family. If he wanted to marry another woman, it was really nothing, as this was the custom within the rich and powerful families in A City.

    She felt a dull pain in her heart.

    Hansen took her and Jerry to enjoy all kinds of fun activities in the waterpark. When he brought Jerry with him, his patience and delicateness touched Jenna.

    He taught Jerry to y all sorts of games and hugged him tightly, afraid that he would get hurt by the slightest thing. He even patiently and carefully exined to Jerry, as he taught him the games, and he behaved like a kind father.

    Jenna stood by the side and watched Hansen carefully take care of Jerry, and her mind was a little confused for a moment.

    If Hansen really wanted to take a second wife, could she really bring herself to divorce him?

    If they divorced, she would be akin to second-hand goods, and Jerry would no longer have both parents together. Would this be fair to the child?

    Her mind was in a chaotic state.

    Would she really allow him to take a second wife?

    When Hansen took her hand to the beach at the foot of the mountain, she was still standing there in a daze.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just y with Jerry? Why are you standing there daydreaming? I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re going to be a mother.¡±

    Taking advantage of the brief moment while Jerry was eating, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, causing Jenna to fall into his embrace.

    At this time, he was wearing a pair of swimming trunks, and his strong upper body, which had just the right amount of muscles, was exposed. His originally fair skin was also tanned, and his body exuded a masculine aura.

    He held her with one hand and gently touched her lips with the other hand.

    Jenna was wearing denim shorts. She wore a snow-white chiffon T-shirt. She tied a knot at the middle of her T-shirt, revealing her toned and slender waist.

    Her waist was very slender and had defined ab lines.

    Hansen¡¯s fingers caressed the snow-white skin of her slender waist. It was such a beautiful waist. While she was making out with him, as long as she was twisting on top of him, the firmness and softness of her body affected him by giving him a thrill, making his whole body soft, and almost melting him in her tenderness.

    This kind of feeling made him unable to stop himself. Almost every time he thought of her, his blood would boil.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Just like that, he caressed her slender waist, and the temperature of his body began to rise rapidly.

    Jenna quickly felt the change in his body. With a blush on her face, she pushed him away. ¡°Must you be so shameless? Jerry is here.¡±

    Hansen curled his lips into a smile. He used one hand to hold Jenna tightly. She was trying to break free from his grip, while the other hand held the back of her head. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, ¡°Jerry told me that he wants me to kiss his mother more in the future. So, he will be very happy.¡±

    Even so, Jerry still wanted to tell her about this. Jenna waspletely speechless and even expressed her serious doubts.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. Don¡¯t try to coax me. I don¡¯t believe you.¡± She red at him angrily. Other than Jerry, there were a few other tourists nearby.

    Hansen exhaled hot air and lowered his head to nibble her earlobe. He was enjoying it, and immediately made Jenna feel like there was a current flowing through her whole body, making her tremble.

 Chapter 480 Do You Regret Being With Me?

    ¡°It¡¯s a secret between men like us. You can choose whether to believe it or not.¡± Hansen chuckled like a scoundrel and said in her ear, ¡°I haven¡¯t had sex with you in several days. Don¡¯t you miss me very much?¡±

    ¡°Only a ghost would miss you.¡± Jenna¡¯s heart was filled with anger when she thought of Liya and said, ¡°Go and find your Liya.¡±

    As she said this, her eyes turned red. She pushed him, trying to break away from his arms.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be jealous.¡± Listening to her words of jealousy and feeling sad and lonely, Hansen felt that his heart was full of satisfaction and pity, but he was smirking and teasing her now.

    ¡°Hansen, do you think it¡¯s funny?¡± Jenna was distraught, but when she heard what Hansen was saying, she felt that he wasn¡¯t taking this matter seriously.

    It turned out that in his mind, her pain was worthless, and he evenughed at her.

    Her face was as cold as frost, and she was incensed, as she pushed him away with her hand.

    Hansen held onto her with one hand, allowing her to attach herself to his body tightly and prevented her from moving. However, one of his hands held the back of her head, allowing her to look straight at his face.

    ¡°Are you angry just because I made a joke?¡± Hansen looked straight at Jenna. His gaze was as deep as the ocean but filled with irrepressible waves of emotions. He looked at her with his dark gaze and said, ¡°Do you really want me to go and find Liya?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face was red and swollen. She bit her lips and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t understand your humor. So, please don¡¯t tease me. If you want to have several mistresses and wives, then it¡¯s your business. But as long as I am still your wife, I won¡¯t allow you to do this. You can¡¯t do that as long as I am your wife.¡±

    Jenna looked at him, headstrong, and continued, ¡°If I had known that you would be like this, I wouldn¡¯t havee back.¡±

    After she finished saying it, Jenna became more irritated and she avoided his gaze.

    If he really had gone to look for Liya, what would happen to her?

    Jenna suddenly felt that she couldn¡¯t imagine it.

    The smile on Hansen¡¯s face gradually faded and a hint of coldness appeared on his face. ¡°You didn¡¯t want toe back to me, so that you can be with Sergio, right? You really want to be with him, don¡¯t you? Do you regret being with me now?¡±

    Over the past few days, she had been very close to Sergio, and he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She had been with Sergio since they were going back to her mother¡¯s home, treating Hansen as if he didn¡¯t exist. If it wasn¡¯t for Jerry, he would have gotten mad at her when he was in the car, and now, he was bringing these things up.

    Of course, after Jenna got into the car, Alvin called Hansen and told him that his wife had just met Sergio at the entrance of themunity supermarket. This helped him clear his doubts. Alvin was secretly protecting Jenna now. He knew this very well. To put it bluntly, it was also to protect Jenna from getting bothered by Sergio.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    The woman he loved could only love him with her entire being. She could not be with another man even if she wanted to.

    Of course, Jenna didn¡¯t know this. If she knew, she would probably be angrier at him.

    Speaking of which, Hansen was devoted to her. Did he want to marry Liya? No, he didn¡¯t want to at all. However,there was nothing he could do now, right? Besides, right now it was just an escape n, and he didn¡¯t say he would definitely marry her. She was really jealous.

    Jenna felt that her heart was filled with anger when she heard him speak indifferently.

    When did she want to be with Sergio? It was totally unreasonable.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m telling you, I regret it now. So what?¡± She gritted her teeth and looked at him recalcitrant. ¡°You can have multiple mistresses and wives, but I can¡¯t even talk to another man?¡±

    In the morning, when he saw that she was with Sergio, his gloomy expression got even darker than the darkest clouds. He felt very ufortable.

    Hansen was about to marry Liya, and the whole world knew about it. However, she merely bumped into Sergio on her way back and said a few words. So, why was he staring at her like that?

    He was so overbearing!

    ¡°You¡­ How dare you regret it?¡± Hansen¡¯s face turned red with anger. ¡°Just because I get a woman, you have to look for a man? You are the daughter-inw of the Richards family. Do you even know propriety, justice, integrity, and shame? Since I¡¯ve wronged you, you have to take revenge on me and find a man to piss me off, don¡¯t you? Do you want to be this kind of woman? Look at the present day rich and powerful families in A City. There are many men who have several wives. But I never thought of doing this, nor have I done this. I just want to live with you at home and give you happiness. What else do you want?¡±

    ¡°Now that you have decided to marry another woman,do you think you¡¯re not one of them? Since you also think that men should have a few women around them, then go and find yourself some. I will not stop you from being profligate, but the condition is that we must get divorced first.¡± Jenna was so angry that she lost her mind. He finally admitted that a man who had a sessful career should have several women by his side, which was an indication of his prestige and reputation. Wasn¡¯t that the case? There was no need to find so many excuses for his actions.

    She had no intention to marry into this kind of rich family.

    She used all of her strength to push him away. She then ran over, picked Jerry up, and ran forward.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Jerry is mine. As long as he¡¯s mine, I don¡¯t care about anything else.¡± Tears poured down her cheeks as she ran with Jerry in her arms.

    Jerry was stunned.

    At first, he was so happy to see his father kissing his mother.

    He promised that he wouldn¡¯t get jealous.

    In order to avoid disturbing their happy time together, he was sensible enough to go to the other side to y.

    Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t expect his Mom and Dad to start quarreling within such a short time.

    They quarrelled so fiercely that they even talked about getting divorced.

    As soon as he thought about it, he burst into tears.

    ¡°Jerry, be good. Mom won¡¯t leave you.¡± Jenna felt her heart ache. When she heard Jerry cry, she felt even worse and could only swallow her sobs tofort him.

    ¡°But Mom, I want you and Dad to be together.¡± Jerry saw Hansening after them. He deliberately cried loudly, but he was secretly shouting in his heart, ¡°Dad, hurry up ande over tofort Mom!¡±

    ¡°Stop.¡± After Jenna pushed him back a few steps, Hansen became alert and quickly caught up with her. He grabbed Jenna and shouted angrily, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so stubborn. What do you mean by taking away my child? I¡¯m telling you, you can¡¯t do this.¡±

    With a roar of anger, he held her and Jerry in his arms and shouted ahead, ¡°Electric car!¡±

    Many tourists looked at them.

    The Richards Group¡¯s electric buggy quickly drove over. Hansen picked Jenna and Jerry up and got into the car. The electric buggy drove towards the vi on the other side of the mountain.

    After all, there were so many people watching. Jenna did not want their fight to cause any havoc in the city. When Hansen held her and Jerry in his arms and got into the buggy, she did not struggle but simply lowered her head and sat there with tears in her eyes. She was silent.

    ¡°Take him for a bath.¡± After arriving at the vi on the top of the mountain, Hansen ordered the servants in the room.

    The servants quickly acknowledged him and took Jerry for his bath.

    Jenna lowered her head and walked towards a bedroom without saying a word.

    She guessed that this was the guest room.So, she walked in.

    ¡°What do you mean? Are you trying to get rid of me?¡± Hansen stared at her as she walked towards the small room. He immediately understood what she was thinking. She was trying to draw a clear line between them.

    ¡°You can imagine whatever you want,¡± she answered coldly. Anyway, her words had been very clear. Hansen was the object of desire for so many women. As long as he was willing, a lot of women would approach him one after another.

    Hansen was agitated by her cold attitude. He grabbed her hand with one hand and used the other hand to hug her and carry her towards the master bedroom.

    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Jenna red at him.

    ¡°What am I trying to do? Of course, I have to fulfil my responsibilities as a husband.¡± He picked her up, but did not put her on the bed. Instead, he ced her on the desk in the bedroom, spread her legs, and used his member to touch against her private parts. He smirked. ¡°You want to leave me? Don¡¯t even think about it. You are my wife and you will be forever. You must fulfil the responsibilities of a wife. We haven¡¯t done it in a week. I want you now. You must obediently give in to my desires. And tomorrow, you muste home with me, as Dad will be home from his vacation.

    He was wearing only swimming trunks, and the strong muscles of his upper body were in full view of Jenna. Due to the warm tide of lust, Jenna flushed.

    ¡°Hansen, you scumbag.¡± He stopped Jenna and she couldn¡¯t move. She could only re at him with her beautiful eyes and grit her teeth as she cursed.

    Hansen smiled like a scoundrel and blew hot air into her ear. ¡°You don¡¯t want to do it with me. Is it because you want to save it for Sergio?¡±

    As he said this, his eyes were entirely red.

    ¡°Shameless.¡± Jenna cursed in anger at his words.

    ¡°Shameless?¡± Hansen raised his brows. ¡°You¡¯re my wife now, and I am fulfilling my responsibilities as your husband. Am I really shameless?¡±

    He was a little angry and tore off her shirt. Hercy underwear with embroidered flowers appeared in front of him. Her skin was as milky as pearls and her cleavage was ample, which aroused all the longing and desire he had for her over the past few days. At this moment, his lower abdomen swelled, as if it was going to split open.

    However, he was not in a hurry to possess her. Instead, he lowered his head and kissed her delicate lips and neck until he couldn¡¯t wait to undo the bra. He kissed her all the way.

    Hearing the joyful hum from her mouth, he stroked and teased her along her pearl-like skin until it was as if she had melted in his arms. Only when he was full of sadness would he take her in time.

    It was said that a long separation was better than a new marriage. In fact, they had only been separated for a week.

    However, for the two of them, it was as if they had been separated for many years. Both of them were lusting for each other while being tormented.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± They were deep in passion from the table to the sofa, and then on the bed. They were so excited that they could not tell whether it was day or night. Finally, both of them were exhausted and fell on the bed. Hansen held Jenna, who was dripping with sweat, and his fingers brushed off her sweat-soaked hair from her forehead. When the lust faded,his voice contained slight waves of refreshing warmth. He looked at her, and his gaze was full of tenderness and shyness.

    Jennay limply in his arms. She opened her blurry eyes and looked at him.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze shone brightly as his eyes met her gaze.

 Chapter 481 Marissaâ€™s Comfort

    ¡°Silly woman, don¡¯t you know that I love you? You will go home with me tomorrow,¡± he said softly and coaxed her.

    There was not a single trace of emotion on Jenna¡¯s exceedingly elegant and beautiful face, but in her heart, her emotions were surging.

    She loved him, obviously. Otherwise, she would not have returned with him at that time.

    However, how long could a man¡¯s lovest? She had seen so many people go through their own joy and sorrow. How long could his love for herst?

    Plus, if he loved her, then would she be the only one? This was the most important thing.

    ¡°I maintain that if you marry another woman, I will leave,¡± she said firmly, closing her eyes.

    Hansen covered her mouth with his hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say these words.¡± He whispered in her ear, ¡°You will be mine for the rest of your life. There is no way to change this. Whether you like it or not, we have already made a deal. I will never divorce you.¡±

    What did it even mean? Until now, he was still like this. He wanted to have her and another woman at the same time. Did this mean that he was brainwashing her?

    Did he want her to give up struggling and be his kept woman?

    No, Jenna wouldn¡¯t.

    Feeling the pain, as if she had bitten something bitter in her mouth, she closed her eyes helplessly.

    That night, Hansen brought her and Jerry to spend the night in the vi.

    Jenna was deep in thought, but Hansen guarded her closely, afraid that she would run away.

    The next morning, Hansen brought Jenna and Jerry back to Richards Manor in high spirits.

    Trevor had already returned home.

    He was sitting on the sofa while reading a newspaper.

    ¡°Grandpa.¡± When Jerry saw Trevor, he quickly flung Jenna¡¯s hand away and threw himself into Trevor¡¯s embrace.

    ¡°My little grandson.¡± When Trevor heard Jerry, he immediately answered him. Trevorughed out loud and picked Jerry up with both hands. Trevor used his beard to tickle his little face, causing Jerry to giggle.

    ¡°Oh, Jerry, Grandpa just got off the ne. Come on, Grandma will take you out to y.¡± Marissa walked up to them with a smile.

    ¡°Mom.¡± When Jenna saw Marissa walk over, she called out to her while she held Jerry¡¯s hand.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    This was the first time Marissa saw her since she came back. In order to maintain her etiquette, Jenna addressed her politely.

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re back.¡± Marissa looked at her, smiled, took her hand, and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have a chat. Let the men discuss their own business. Let¡¯s go out.¡±

    Jenna understood what Marissa meant. Thinking that Trevor must have known about what happened in the Richards Group, she thought that the father and son duo likely had something to say. She then said very politely to Trevor, ¡°Dad, you and Hansen can talk. I¡¯ll leave first.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Trevor smiled and nodded as he looked at her.

    ¡°Mom, are you used to travelling?¡± Jenna and Marissa came out while holding Jerry¡¯s hand and walked towards the back garden. Jenna asked about her life while she was travelling around.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have seen a lot of new people and things. I¡¯m very happy.¡± Marissa smiled.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy. It¡¯s just that, something happened to the family, and Grandma¡¯s health was not good.So, I had to request for you toe back.¡± When Jenna thought of Marissa rushing back because of these things, she felt a little sorry.

    ¡°s, I¡¯m fine. But you, I¡¯ve been back for several days, yet I haven¡¯t seen you until now,¡± Marissa said in a tone that was a little serious. She lowered her head and said to Jerry with a smile, ¡°Jerry, Grandma bought you a very special automatic toy car. It¡¯s in the flower bed up ahead. Go and take a look.¡±

    ¡°An automatic toy car? I¡¯ve never heard of one before.¡± Jerry¡¯s curiosity surged as he let out a cheer and ran towards the flower bed in front of him.

    ¡°Slow down, Jerry.¡± Jenna hastily reminded him,seeing that his steps weren¡¯t even steady.

    As soon as Jerry left, Marissa asked directly, ¡°Jenna, can you tell me if you¡¯re fighting with Hansen?¡±

    Jenna felt a little embarrassed when Marissa asked this question. If she said that there was nothing wrong between them, no one would believe it. After all, everyone knew about Hansen¡¯s extramarital affair on the news.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m fine with Hansen. Don¡¯t think too much about it,¡± she murmured andlowered her head, but her eyes were a little red.

    ¡°s, my child.¡± Marissa saw her expression and understood everything. She sighed and said, ¡°I am also a woman and I have seen and experienced a lot of things. How can I not know what you are thinking?¡±

    Her face was full of concern, but she was very solemnly persuading Jenna.

    ¡°Jenna, as a woman, we need to have flexibility and resilience. Sometimes, we really have to understand and tolerate men. Look at me, when Trevor was young, he was also hopelessly romantic and unrestrained. There were many women who liked him, but he only married me.¡±

    ¡°Rich families in A City are very particr. There are many men with several women, but Trevor only loves me from the beginning until now. Although I have not been sessful in many things in life, I have seeded in this aspect. Everyone has seen this, and I have to admit that it is true.¡±

    Marissa was very proud when it came to this point. Indeed, ever since he was young, Trevor had brought her to all sorts of events. He had never treated her coldly. Other than Vivian¡¯s initial hostility towards Marissa, which was the only unhappy incident between them, they were considered very loving.

    Jenna was naturally aware of this as well. Immediately, she nodded her head and smiled in agreement.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. Hansen is just like his father. He is dedicated to love. As long as you never let him go, I believe that you and Hansen will also be loving towards each other, like Trevor and me. Forever.¡± Marissa took her hand and encouraged her.¡°If men want to take a second wife, no woman would feel good about it. I can understand your thoughts.¡±

    Jenna was very grateful for Marissa¡¯sfort. After all, Marissa was really different from the past in how she treated Jenna. Perhaps she realized that Jenna was the only daughter-inw in her life. Now, Marissa doted on Jenna. Sometimes, Marissa even pleased her, which made Jenna feel ttered and deeply moved.

    Jenna was not an ungrateful person. Since Marissa was good to her, she would repay her and be filial to her. Therefore, the rtionship between them was quite good. Even Trevor and Hansen were quite satisfied with this.

    ¡°Thank you for your encouragement. I understand what you mean.¡± Jenna shed a reassuring smile.

    ¡°Men need to be let go of sometimes. The stricter you control him, the further he will run. No matter what he does, don¡¯t go too far. Sometimes, you have to understand that if you don¡¯t think he had done it on purpose, then he must have his reasons. You should slowly uncover the truth and then work hard. Sometimes, you have to be just as resilient to firmly grasp his heart.¡± Marissa smiled confidently. She taught her daughter-inw about the experience she had in love, hoping that they could get along well and live happily.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jenna nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Regarding marrying that Liya, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t agree to this.¡± In order to make Jenna feel better, Marissa brought it up, expressing her stance.

    Jenna felt grateful and hurriedly said with a smile, ¡°Mom, thank you, you are so kind to me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. Not only do I disagree with this matter, even Trevor will not agree to it. You know that Trevor treats you like his own daughter. He is afraid that you will be neglected in our family. You don¡¯t need to think about this kind of thing. We are all in favor of you. Even if Hansen wants to take more wives, it will be impossible.¡± Marissa didn¡¯t care about Liya at all. She just regarded it as Hansen being yful. She immediately persuaded Jenna and told her all the practical things to make her feel better. These words warmed Jenna¡¯s heart.

    As the two of them were speaking, they saw Trevor leading Hansen towards Ink Garden.

    Of course, when Trevor came back, he had to go and see Vivian first.

    It was just that what Trevor didn¡¯t expect this time around was that the healthy-looking Vivian from before seemed to have aged overnight. Thinking about it, he realized that growing old was unlike anything else.

    Right now, Vivian was lying on the bed. She was haggard, with not much energy left. This was a far cry from the old woman who looked ruddy and was able to talk and smile before Trevor left.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Next to the hospital bed, Trevor looked at his sick mother and cried out in pain. His eyes were filled with tears.

    It took a long time before Vivian found out that Trevor and Hansen had arrived. She reached out to hold their hands and said tearfully, ¡°Remember, harmony brings prosperity.¡±

    Hansen heard these few trembling words, which made his heart tighten. As Vivian was in such a sickly state, of course, she hoped for her descendants to have a happy life. Hansen pursed his thin lips and held Vivian¡¯s hand and sobbed. ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. I understand. As long as I am alive, I will definitely make sure that the Richards family and the Richards Group prosper.¡±

    Vivian looked at them lovingly and smiled. She was not afraid of death.

    The atmosphere was a little sorrowful and heavy, no matter how one put it.

    After Trevor repeatedly asked the medical team of experts some questions, he gave instructions. Then, he came out of Ink Garden with Hansen.

    Both of them didn¡¯t say anything. Their minds were heavy.

    ¡°Uncle Trevor, please save my dad. I can¡¯t get in touch with him no matter what. I heard that he has been missing for several days.¡± When they had juste out of Ink Garden and before getting into the electric car, they saw Norton approach in a hurry. His face was full of anxiety. He pleaded as if he had seen his savior when he saw Trevor.

    ¡°Norton, what¡¯s going on? Where¡¯s your father?¡± Hansen hurriedly asked. His face immediately changed when he heard Norton¡¯s request.

    ¡°Hansen, since Grandma is seriously ill, the butler notified my father toe back home. But no matter how hard he tries, I can¡¯t get in touch with him. At first, I thought that he was busy and that was why we couldn¡¯t get in touch with him. But over the next few days, no matter who called, the employees there said that it had been several days since they hadst seen him. They don¡¯t know where he went.¡± Norton had a heavy heart. He was very anxious, and his face was red.

    After all, this was his biological father. How could he stand by and do nothing? Just as he became so anxious to the point where he felt that he was lost, Trevor came back. He was overjoyed.

    Trevor stood there calmly. His gaze was grave and there wasn¡¯t much surprise on his face.

 Chapter 482 Ballroom Party

    ¡°Norton, I already know about this. I¡¯m trying to think of a solution,¡± Trevor said indifferently,ncing at Norton. However, Trevor seemed very serious.

    Upon hearing this, Norton was surprised. He spoke hastily.

    ¡°So, Uncle Trevor, you already know where my Dad is, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Trevor shook his head. ¡°I only know that your father is missing, but I don¡¯t know his exact whereabouts yet. It¡¯s very likely that your father has provoked a terrorist organization there.The situation right now is veryplicated. I¡¯ve already sent people over. Stay at home and wait for me. When you¡¯re needed, I¡¯ll let you know.¡±

    On the other hand, Trevor remained calm.

    However, Norton was desperate and his sweat was all over his face.

    ¡°Norton, rest assured. ude is my brother. Besides, the Richards family doesn¡¯t have many descendants.So, I will try my best. I hope you can learn from the past and be a good man. Try your best to take the right path and settle down. This way, you can win glory for our family.¡±

    The words made Norton rx. His face was full of shame as he lowered his head.

    After returning to Green Jade Garden, Trevor and Hansen entered the study. The father and son duo closed the door and stayed in the study the whole night beforeing out.

    In the splendid hall, rhythmic jazz music yed on. The hall was teeming with the smell of red wine and people¡¯sughter, and it was also filled with enthusiasm.

    The blue, exquisite pcentern hung high in the middle of the hall, surrounded by a circle of small decorativemps. The floor was covered with a scarlet carpet and low-hanging velvet blue curtains. The whole hall was romantic and charming.

    Under the dim and gentle light, a pair of wealthy businessmen of A City arrived sessively with their wives and lovers.

    This was a banquet held by the rich businessmen of A City, which was their custom. It was held by the elected members of the chamber ofmerce. On the surface, it was a social event, but in fact, it was a fight or collusion between the rich people.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Oscar¡¯s shiny hair wasbed back neatly. He wore a suitandwalked in a high-profile manner with the elegant and gorgeous Zoe.

    It was a pity that his short and portly figure, in contrast to Zoe, made the scene so striking that it looked funny.

    However, that night, Zoe was in a surprisingly good mood. She had a decent smile on her face, and based on her gaze, she seemed to be in high spirits.

    Following that, Hansen, who was holding Liya¡¯s hand, also walked in gracefully.

    Without a doubt, the renowned Richards family of A City took up the spotlight of the banquet. It had always been the case that as long as Hansen appeared, he would immediately attract everyone¡¯s attention.

    Mr. Kemp from the chamber ofmerce stood in the hall and respectfully greeted Hansen.

    Liya was dressed in a noble evening gown with bejewelled hands. Her face was flushed with happiness. She stood next to Hansen gracefully, clinging to him closely. The happiness and satisfaction on her face came from the bottom of her heart.

    As soon as Hansen appeared in the hall, he immediately attracted the praise of the women present. He had a charming smile. Although he talked andughed with a group of rich businessmen, he only had concern and consideration for Liya, who was close to him.

    This woman, Liya, became the center of attention of the party that night. Hansen made her the rising star within high society in A City overnight.

    Even Zoe¡¯s dazzle was overshadowed by her.

    Zoe stood in a corner of the hall, her hand wrapped around Oscar¡¯s arm while her body stiffened. Oscar dared to use his fleshy hands to take advantage of this situation and caress her body, causing her to feel extremely disgusted.

    Zoe stared at Liya and immediately narrowed her eyes.

    As the saying went, clothes make the man.

    d in the fabric of the ssy evening gown and all kinds of jewelry, Liya seemedpletely different. It was as if she had been reborn. Her temperament was just like that of an aristocraticdy who came from a rich family. She was the most beautiful woman in the hall.

    What was even more enviable was that she was with the graceful Hansen.

    Thebination of masculine strength and feminine beauty was so impable that it blinded the audience present.

    The media caught wind of the news and began to make their move.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I heard that we are expecting a happy announcement from you and Miss Liya. Is that true?¡± A media reporter took advantage of the moment, as Hansen was resting, to approach him and boldly conduct an interview.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you already reported it?¡± Hansen frowned as he asked unhappily.

    The media reporter responded with an ¡®oh¡¯ and looked embarrassed. Soon, his face was full of smiles.

    ¡°Then, congrattions to you, Mr. Richards and Mrs. Richards.¡±

    Hansen shed a faint smile and did notment.

    When they saw that the reporter had seeded in conducting the interview, in an instant, a few more journalists surrounded them.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, may I ask, when are you nning to hold a wedding with Miss Liya? Will this wedding be the grandest wedding of the century?¡±

    A thought shed across the depths of Hansen¡¯s mind. He then smiled and said magnanimously, ¡°This depends on Miss Liya.¡± After saying this, he ced his arm around Liya¡¯s waist, lowered his head, and asked in an affectionate tone, ¡°Is that right, darling?¡±

    Liya flushed when she heard Hansen and she had a wide smile.

    ¡°It looks like Mr. Richards and Miss Liya are so in love with each other.¡± shes of light constantly beamed from the cameras, and many peopleplimented them.

    However, there were reporters with a sense of justice. At this moment, he was not afraid of death and brought up a sensitive topic.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, may I ask, if you marry Liya, will your current wife, Jenna, be sad? Did she agree to this?¡±

    As soon as he asked this touchy subject, all the people present immediately quietened down.

    To everyone¡¯s surprise, Hansen smiled confidently.

    ¡°My wife is gentle and virtuous, and she is very understanding. She has never opposed my decision, and she respects me very much.¡±

    Was that really the case? Rumor had it that Hansen was afraid of his wife.

    Nevertheless, after all, this was how the wealthy operated. So what if it was real or fake? It was just like the current King of Gamblers, who was almost 70 years old. There was a rumor that he was going to marry his fifth wife!

    ¡°Then, Mr. Richards, which country are you going to register in? Is it the UK? Where are you going to hold the wedding?¡±

    ¡°You will know when the timees.¡± Hansen was truly patient that day. Although he did not answer the questions in aprehensive manner, he answered them one by one.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, your second wife is gentle and beautiful. You are so lucky. It¡¯s so enviable.¡± A reporterplimented.

    ¡­

    Surrounded by reporters, the smile on Liya¡¯s face was as bright as the stars as she was overjoyed right now.

    After a while, Frederic entered arm-in-arm with Lenny. They attracted the attention of some reporters.

    The ce was lively.

    When Sergio entered, almost everyone arrived. He was a politician and came here alone. Compared to Hansen¡¯s high-profile manner, he was really subtle.

    After the interview, the reporters left. Frederic finally saw the high-profile Hansen arm-in-arm with Liya. He smiled and looked at them as if he was looking at a monster.

    After a while, in a secluded corner, he pulled Hansen over and quietly teased him when the women were gathered together.¡°I didn¡¯t think that you being afraid of your wife was just some made-up story. You¡¯ve changed so quickly in the blink of an eye. You¡¯re even better than us when ites to redefining the terms.¡±

    Hansen balled his handinto a fist, with a faint smile on his face.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I learn it from you? It¡¯s the trend now, isn¡¯t it?¡± He snorted and didn¡¯tment.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re so fierce.¡± Frederic reached out his hand and hit him on the chest. ¡°Can I reallypare to you? I have no love, but only the family¡¯s interests. Now, I have found my true love, and don¡¯t want to let Lenny suffer. So, I have to do this. But Jenna is extremely in love with you, and she is so smart, virtuous, and elegant. She didn¡¯t expect you to do such a thing. I don¡¯t know how hurt she is. From the way I see it, Liya is beautiful, butpared to Jenna, I really don¡¯t think she is better than her. You¡¯d better be careful and not y with fire. When you regret it, don¡¯t me me for not warning you.¡±

    There was an instant where Hansen¡¯s face turned terrifying but soon, he chuckled.

    Frederic shook his head with pity, feeling sympathy for Jenna in his heart.

    He had no choice but to take this path. He and his wife had no feelings at all. If he had a choice from the beginning, he would not have done this.

    However, Hansen waspletely different from him. He was really in love with Jenna, and he also loved his family. At this moment, he waspletely unable to understand Hansen¡¯s thoughts.

    The party was very spirited, with vibrant songs and dances. The scene was grand and ssy.

    This was the highest echelon of the banquets that Liya had attended before. She was so excited that her face turned red. She followed Hansen all the time like an innocent, clingy girl.

    Hansen was courteous to everyone, and his smile was very subtle.

    ¡°Liya, let¡¯s toast.¡±

    After a while, Hansen took Liya¡¯s hand. He held a wine ss in one hand and stepped forward with his long legs. He had started toasting them elegantly.

    Zoe looked tense, and the stiff smile on her face made her look hollow and listless, no matter how one looked at her.

    The most abhorrent thing was that Oscar¡¯s stout body kept getting close to her, and that virile smell of Oscar¡¯s was off-putting.

    When Hansen took Liya¡¯s hand and slowly came over to toast her, her face turned a little pale. Her hand, which was in Oscar¡¯s hand, was hidden in her palm, and her heart beat violently.

    Hansen¡¯s tall and slender body carried a faint, masculine aura as he approached her. The smile on his face was adequate enough to captivate all women. He was polite and extremely refined.

    As long as a woman took a look at such a man, it will be pleasing to the eye. Zoe was enticed by his elegance and finally got rid of the nausea she got from Oscar.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, Miss Yates, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you. Let¡¯s toast.¡± Hansen raised his wine ss with a cheerful smileand proposed a toast. It was as if he was not suspicious of the Sky Sword Group that was seizing the businesses from the Richards family. His generosity and elegance, coupled with his captivating voice, were fascinating and enchanting.

    This was a man born and destined to be noble. He was facing a crisis, but at the same time, he was talking andughing, looking calm andposed.

    At this moment, Zoe had a feeling that her revenge ns could not destroy this man. He was born to be a business expert and nobody could change his mind easily.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Miss Liya, thank you and cheers.¡± Oscar immediately smiled and kept nodding his head in return. After both of them clinked their sses, he drank the wine in his ss in one gulp. He burped and his face was full of admiration. ¡°Mr. Richards, your new wife is as pretty as a picture. You¡¯re really lucky.¡±

    As he spoke, he sized up Liya as he gazed at her. He couldn¡¯t hide the envy in his eyes.

    Zoe nced at him coldly and her cold gaze also unconsciously drifted to Liya¡¯s happy face. A sour feeling welled up in her heart. However, in an instant, the smile on her face became seductive and charming once again.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, thank you for your ttery. I¡¯ll toast you first.¡± Zoe picked up her wine ss and clinked it against Hansen¡¯s. Then, she gracefully finished her wine in one gulp.

    She removed her hand from Oscar¡¯s hand without anyone noticing, and the smile on her face became more and more charming.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I have to thank your deep-pocketed Richards Group for allowing a smallpany like mine the opportunity to survive. Today, I must toast you, no matter what.¡± She walked to the side and poured two sses of red wine at the table. She handed over a ss of wine to Hansen, and a waiter relieved him of the empty one in his hand.

    Hansen was stunned for a moment before taking the wine ss from Zoe with his slender fingers. His fingertips vaguely brushed across Zoe¡¯s slim fingers. Heughed heartily.

    ¡°Miss Yates, you are so funny. You are amazing. Within such a short period of time, yourpany prospered dramatically, which is why I truly admire you. I must drink this ss of wine, Miss Yates.¡±

    The two raised their sses and clinked them in the air.

    They were all smiling.

    After that, both of them drank the wine in their sses simultaneously.

 Chapter 483 Itâ€™s Not Easy Being the Daughter-In-Law of the Richards Family

    ¡°Liya, let¡¯s go over there and toast the others.¡± After drinking, Hansen no longer looked at Zoe. He turned around and spoke softly to Liya, who was next to him. After speaking, he gently held Liya¡¯s hand. His gaze was so tender that it looked as if butter wouldn¡¯t melt in his mouth. On the other hand, Liya still looked very shy.

    Hansen carefully took care of her. The two of them held hands and walked past Zoe.

    Zoe¡¯s eyes were as cold as frost.

    ¡°Mr. Richards is really lucky to be able to marry such a beautiful wife, and take such an endearing second wife. Ah.¡± Oscar¡¯s mouth opened slightly, almost drooling.

    Zoe nced at him with a disgusted look, and then suddenly smiled faintly.

    ¡°Oscar, do you think Liya is beautiful?¡±

    ¡°Of course, she¡¯s so beautiful,¡± Oscar replied without even thinking. However, he was not silly and immediately added, ¡°Of course, no matter how beautiful she is, she can¡¯t bepared to my wife. My wife is not only hardworking but also gorgeous! You are truly the wife of a rich and powerful family. As long as I am with you, I am satisfied.¡±

    A cold smile appeared at the corner of Zoe¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Oscar, do you also want a second wife like Liya?¡± she asked deliberately, and there was a meaningful expression on her face.

    Oscar didn¡¯t understand what she was saying for a while and didn¡¯t know how to reply. He was afraid of offending her and making her unhappy.So, he was stunned for a moment.

    He seemed to be in a daze, as he was in a dilemma now.

    Zoe suddenlyughed.

    ¡°Oscar, as long as you listen to me, I will get you a second wife like Liya, okay?¡±

    Although she said this with a smile, her words seemed very sincere and no one could notice her unpleasant tone.

    Oscar smiled apologetically and spoke in a silly manner.

    ¡°Honey, I am satisfied to have you as my only woman. If you are willing to get a second wife for me, I will thank you for the rest of my life.¡±

    Hissciviousness was all over his face, and his lust was also strong.

    ¡°As long as you are willing to listen to me, I promise to do it for you. Then, you can marry a beautiful woman or be someone else¡¯s secret lover. It¡¯s up to you. I will definitely satisfy your desire.¡± Zoe knew that he believed her.So, she continued to tempt him.

    ¡°Okay, okay, honey, I¡¯ll listen to everything you say.¡± Although Oscar was physically stunted, his sexual desire was fully developed. Also, his desire for women was also very strong. Ever since he met Zoe in A City, in order to show off, he stayed away from other women for nearly a month. Now that he heard that Zoe was being so generous, he couldn¡¯t control himself anymore.

    However, primarily, he wasn¡¯t able to conquer Zoe fully, and this kept on rankling him. Moreover, before he came to A City, Matteo had issued a strict order that he must get Zoe in A City this time. Forget the pregnancy, he must at least have a rtionship with her before that.

    As for women, if they hadn¡¯t given away their virginity, they wouldn¡¯t follow the man wholeheartedly.

    Oscar knew this very well.

    Therefore, it could be said that he had been resting and conserving his energy for more than a month. He looked forward to making out with Zoe. However, Zoe was too shrewd. She was like a cunning rabbit. She would not let him seed. Forget sleeping with her, he could not even kiss her until now.

    This caused him to desire for more and he was extremely ufortable.

    Because of this, Oscarwas full of energyafterfinishing his meal everyday. Everyday, he thought of Zoe. He wanted to find ways to sleep with her.

    ¡°Very good. As long as you cooperate with me, I won¡¯t let you suffer.¡± This time, Zoe smiled and took the initiative to hold his arm and toast the other guests.

    Oscar was overwhelmed with joy and his face was all smiles. Zoe¡¯s fragrance wafted over from time to time, intoxicating him so much that he couldn¡¯t control himself.

    Jenna was sitting in theputer room on the first floor, staring at theputer screen.

    When Hansen brought Liya to the banquet, the news of their interview immediately became the headlines.

    Below the news, there were all kinds ofments and rhetorics.

    The love triangle between her, Hansen, and Liya was discussed publicly at this moment. They were the primary focus of the gossip. Almost all the media magazines reported their scandal, which took up many pages.

    Sitting at home, Jenna could even feel all kinds of ridicule and sympathy for her.

    She sat there quietly, staring with dry eyes at the tender and caring Hansen who had appeared in public with Liya. They were intimate and his smile was warm.

    At this moment, she felt that this man was so far away from her. It was as if the love and affection did not belong to her anymore and they had never known each other. Only the sting in her heart kept reminding her that this man was still her husband.

    The doorbell rang for a long time before Jenna clicked on the button of the remote control to open the door.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, Mr. Richards wants to see you in the study,¡± Larry said respectfully at the door.

    Trevor? Looking for her?

    After Jenna was shocked for a while, she came to her senses and immediately nodded.

    She stood up and walked calmly towards the study on the second floor.

    The door to Trevor¡¯s study was ajar. It was not shutpletely.

    Jenna rang the doorbell.

    ¡°Pleasee in,¡± Trevor said with a calm voice from inside.

    Jenna gently pushed open the door of the study.

    Trevor¡¯s study was very big. It was as big as a few rooms and upied almost the entire second floor. There was only one master bedroom for him and Marissa, and then there was this huge study on the second floor.

    Jenna had stayed in Richards Manor for a few years. Yet, she had never been to this study alone. Every time she came, she woulde when she was summoned by Trevor. Plus, during the years when Trevor was in a vegetative state, Marissa had sealed the study.

    Therefore, Jenna was actually not familiar with this study.

    ¡°Dad, are you looking for me?¡±

    Trevor was wearing a pair of sses and was painting a picture. He was painting vigorously and the images seemed toe to life on the white sheet of paper on the painter¡¯s easel.

    The painting was powerful, brimful, and graceful.

    Everyone knew that Trevor was good at painting.

    Plus, he was just like his paintings. He was precise,firm, yet tender. He was thoughtful and tight-lipped in his actions.

    ¡°Jenna,e in,¡± Trevor said gently,and immediately put down the brush in his hand when he heard Jenna.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Jenna responded politely. She simply stood there and waited for Trevor to speak to her.

    ¡°Jenna, why don¡¯t youe and see my painting?¡± Trevor smiled and greeted her.

    Huh? Jenna was a little surprised.

    She hadn¡¯t always been very fond of paintings. Could it be that Trevor had asked her toe here that day just to let her appreciate his painting skills? She really did not understand, but out of politeness, she quietly walked over to him.

    She approached the vast rosewood easel.

    The piece of white paper in the middle was not big, but there was a single image. It was the fa?ade of Richards Manor.

    In order to give a pertinent answer, Jenna looked down and observed carefully.

    The image of the fa?ade of Richards Manor was painted by Trevor in a remarkable manner. The edges of every brush stroke of the fa?ade were slightly sharp. Yet, the sharp edges were subtle, as the brush strokes stopped abruptly at every edge of the fa?ade.

    This kind of artistry could not be painted without profound skills.

    ¡°Dad, your painting skills are really good.¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t help praising Trevor. ¡°The brush strokes are thick and thin, and neither too intentional nor careless. It¡¯s neither tilted nor upright, and neither dry nor moist. It¡¯s just right.¡±

    ¡°Neither intentional nor careless. You¡¯ve described it well,¡± Trevor said this,ughing out loud when he heard this. ¡°Jenna, you gave a really high evaluation. Not bad, your evaluation is already better than my skills. You can think deeply. Since you can convey it, it can be seen that your thoughts have already reached this level.¡±

    Jenna blinked her eyes. When she heard Trevor¡¯s praise,she was slightly moved.

    ¡°Jenna, I already know what happened between you and Hansen.¡± Trevor put down his brush and washed his hands in the sink. He took a towel to wipe them, and then he cut to the chase.

    That was it?

    Upon hearing his words, a bitter smile appeared at the corners of Jenna¡¯s lips. She did not know what he was thinking, but instead, she quietly stood there, as the corners of her mouth twitched in silence.

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to be the daughter-inw of the Richards family,¡± Trevor said in a solemn manner.

    Jenna¡¯s heart trembled a little. She curled up her fingers, and her breathing was a little hard.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Trevor looked at her and asked thoughtfully, ¡°If, I mean if Hansen insists on taking Liya as his second wife, can you ept it for my sake?¡±

    As soon as he asked this question, Jenna was shocked.

    What did this mean?!Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Did her father-inw also agree that Hansen should take a second wife?

    She always thought that Trevor doted on her. No matter what kind of decision she made, he had always supported her. Normally, when it came to big decisions like taking a second wife, he would support her unconditionally. However, no matter how she thought about it now, she could tell that he was forcing her to ept it.

    ¡°Dad, what do you mean?¡± Jenna asked anxiously as her face turned pale.

    Looking at her, Trevor let out a deep sigh.

    ¡°Jenna, there are many things in the world that can¡¯t be done perfectly. But you have to believe thatevery single one of us from theRichards family will treat you well. We hope that you can be happy. We will do our best to ensure your happiness. But if that day reallyes that Hansen will have to marry Liya, I hope you will face it calmly.¡± His expression was solemn and his gaze was distant. When Trevor said these words, he looked elsewhere.

    After a long time, Jenna understood how cruel reality was. She sobbed and asked, ¡°Dad, do you think I can still be happy after Hansen marries Liya?¡±

    Trevor felt his hand tremble slightly and he held his sses with his hand. Then, he ced his hands behind his back and paced a few steps. He said firmly, ¡°You have to find happiness on your own, unlike what others perceive. I called you here today to tell you that happiness is actually very simple. As long as you¡¯re willing, you¡¯ll be happy. It¡¯s the threshold that you have to surmount in your heart.¡±

    Jenna felt like she was about to faint.

    How could she be happy sharing her husband with another woman?

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t ept it,¡± Jenna retorted loudly without even thinking.

 Chapter 484 The Show Before the Masquerade

    ¡°Jenna, if it reallyes to that, you have to ept it. Even if you don¡¯t want to ept, you still have to. Moreover, I want to tell you that you can¡¯t divorce Hansen, and I will definitely not allow it. The rules of the Richards family also disallows it,¡± Trevor suddenly said in a more serious tone.

    Jenna was about to faint and she took a few steps back.

    ¡°Jenna, trust me. We do not wish for such a thing to happen either. However, if it really happens, please forgive us.¡± When he saw Jenna¡¯s pained expression, Trevor felt pity for her. He softened his tone andforted her helplessly.

    Jenna was speechless. If this was what Trevor was saying, then she really didn¡¯t have much hope.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ll give this word to you. You should think carefully about the meaning behind it.¡± Trevor sighed deeply and said earnestly, ¡°No one can predict what kind of things a person will experience in their entire life. However, one should be magnanimous, proactive, and optimistic when going through life. There shouldn¡¯t be anyints or frustrations. The most important thing is to walk through life bravely. You have to believe in life. You reap what you sow. This is the truth.¡±

    After saying this, Trevor took off his sses, looked at Jenna, and said, ¡°It¡¯s a littlete. You should go down and rest. Hansen¡¯s study has been moved back from Collier Manor. You can clean it for him tomorrow. Also, from tomorrow onwards, some charitable activities of the Richards family will be under your supervision. I believe that if you do better, you can enhance the reputation of our family to a new level.¡±

    After saying these words, Trevor gave her a heavy look before leaving.

    Jenna simply stood there, disoriented. It was not until Trevor had left for a long time that she came back to her senses and slowly walked out of the study.

    The colorful lights shed, and the fragrance filled the air. The masquerademenced.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    This masquerade was the most high profile social event in the upper echelons of society. It was also the most popr part of a banquet.

    Everyone would wear a mask and there was no need to disguise themselves. Then, they would choose any one of their favorite men and women from the party. This kind of fancy waspletely dependent on their intuition and did not have any connection to reality. As long as they liked the person and it was consensual, they could be intimate with each other and have a romantic night together. When they wake up the next day, they would go their separate ways and walk their own paths.

    Since they were wearing masks and coats, no one could recognize one another. It was a chance for some excitement, and no one had to be responsible for anyone.

    For people who were under too much pressure at their workce, or who couldn¡¯t satisfy their own needs, or who wanted some excitement, it was a rare and passionate one-night stand.

    Therefore, when this game was initiated, it immediately got the attention of the upper ss people. Until now, almost every banquet would have this climactic segment of the masquerade.

    This was a high level of enjoyment. The handsome men and beautiful women who attended the banquet were carefully selected. They were rich, clean, and did not have any illness. They were all in the prime of their youths. Of course, every man and woman present could exchange their partners after they put on their coats. As long as they were willing, anything was possible here and everything could happen. After wearing a coat, no one could recognize anyone. After a passionate night, they wouldn¡¯t even know who their s*x partner was.

    This was definitely a romantic night. There was no psychological burden and no obligation, on condition that everyone was willing and it was consensual.

    Generally, those who volunteered to stay and participate in the climactic part of the banquet at the end were tacit, and were men and women out to have fun. There was no limit to the excitement in this ce.

    Since this was the end of the banquet, some people who were not willing to participate would take their wives or femalepanions home in advance. Those who would stay until the end would enter another mysterious hall of the masquerade.

    The intimate, romantic, pink wallpaper and dazzling lights intertwined with the pheromones exuded both from men and women in the air. Just like neanderthals, they were searching for mere coption in the forest.

    Their lust was not concealed at all.

    There were all kinds of masks and coats of different sizes in the dressing room. Basically, no one could recognize each other as long as one had their own masks on.

    ¡°Hansen, are we also going to participate in this?¡± Liya looked at the people walking into the dressing room in groups of twos and threes. She was a little uneasy. She was very willing to participate in this romantic masquerade, but the premise was that she could choose Hansen amongst the crowd.

    She was happy to spend the amorous night with Hansen in this exciting atmosphere.

    However, what if she couldn¡¯t find Hansen?

    A charming smile emerged at the corner of Hansen¡¯s lips. He looked at Liya with a warm gaze and asked indifferently, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Hansen, I only want to be with you,¡± she said meaningfully,looking shyly at the seductive dance hall.

    This was a new and exciting asion. Liya was very interested in it, but she did not want to be with another man. She only wanted Hansen.

    As though he could see through her thoughts, Hansen said, ¡°Liya, the rules of the game are not to be rewritten by us. They have already been set. If you want to participate, it¡¯s not up to you to decide. What do you think?¡±

    He sized her up. His dark gaze seemed to have some dark spirit in it, with intermittent coldness, which made Liya tremble with fear.

    Liya was a smart woman. She knew that that night was a night that she would be deflowered. If she did not find Hansen after entering, then it meant that the first man she lost her virginity to would not be Hansen. In the future, getting married to Hansen would be a vain attempt.

    Although this kind of thrill was fun, the consequence would be too great for her. If she wanted to y this game, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future. As long as she could squeeze herself into the upper echelons of society, she could attend this kind of ball at any time. She couldn¡¯t bear the uncertainty, and then let Hansen see her lose her virginity. Rich families were all hypocrites. They wanted their wives to have propriety and purity, but they themselves wanted excitement. This was all decided by them. She was vulnerable, and she would not be so silly as to gamble on her future.

    Moreover, she still had a lot of room for personal improvement.

    Therefore, she shed him a charming smile and said gracefully, ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re a man. Go in and have fun. I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡±

    Hansen sized her up as he narrowed his eyes.

    After a while, he nodded.

    ¡°Then, you should go back first, and I¡¯ll ask the driver to send you back.¡± He touched her face with his finger and smiled.

    ¡°But, Hansen, I want to wait for you. I want to go home with you.¡± Noticing the satisfaction from Hansen, Liya knew that she made the right move. She was happy and immediately spoke flirtatiously.

    Hansen¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°It¡¯s either you go in and y, or go back. Which do you pick?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s sudden cold expression caught Liya off guard. It seemed that ever since he agreed to marry her, his personality had be fickle and his patience for her had be thin. There were many times where he was simply cold.

    Perhaps he had realized his responsibility. After all, he was going to marry her. Men would always feel a little nervous when theyalreadyhad a wife at home.

    However, no matter what, Hansen did not conceal anything. He had already made an announcement on the news. He had given her status, and she was still very satisfied.

    Liya regarded his change as a step forward in their rtionship. He thought of her as his own woman. So, there was no need for him to disguise himself in front of her.

    ¡°Then, I will go back.¡± She knew that she had no right to be jealous, and she couldn¡¯t really care too much about him. Even Jenna couldn¡¯t control him now, what more her. Therefore, she was smart enough to make concessions in order to advance her position.

    After Liya left, Hansen slowly walked into the dressing room.

    ¡°Why are these clothes so small? They can¡¯t even fit me.¡± Just as he walked in, Hansen casually picked out arge coat and a mask. Just as he was about to walk into the fitting room to change his clothes, he heard Oscar shouting in the fitting room next door.

    Hansen curled his lips into a sinister smile.

    All the clothes here were of one style with different sizes. Obviously, only Oscar had arger physique.

    ¡°How about this, Oscar? I¡¯ll give this to you. This one is a little bigger,¡± Hansen said in a generous and considerate manner, as hestood outside.Then, he handed it over.

    What covered the door of the men¡¯s fitting room was only half a door, with some space left on top and below.

    ¡°That¡¯s good, thank you.¡± At this moment, Oscar was so hot that he felt ufortable. He wished he could find a beautiful woman and lose his mind in the excitement. However, that day, he wanted to sleep with Zoe, who was his wife.

    After all, he hadn¡¯t yed with women in such a long time. However, that day, Zoe unexpectedly agreed to participate in this costume party, which was a good opportunity that rarely happened to him. At the same time, he was extremely uneasy. Of course his wife would sleep with him. If she slept with someone else, it would be terrible. He couldn¡¯t guarantee that his father wouldn¡¯t scold him badly. In addition, he really couldn¡¯t afford such cuckoldry.

    Therefore, although he was extremely bold and couldn¡¯t wait to sleep with all the beauties outside, he focused on Zoe and wanted to sleep with her, so as to keep her from sleeping with other men.

    When Hansen handed over the clothes to Oscar, he quickly epted it and put it on. It was just right. He was short and fat. Although his face could not be seen, it was easy for people to recognize his figure. After thinking for a while, he put on a pair of clogs and waspletely satisfied beforeing out.

    After Oscar left, Hansen grabbed his clothes. He curled his lips as he went in to change his clothes.

    In the dark corner, Sergio was smoking his cigarette at a steady pace. He stood under the warm headlights, and the smile on his face was meaningful.

    There might be a good show that night.

    After Hansen left, Sergio changed his clothes and put on his mask before entering the masquerade.

 Chapter 485 The Excitement at the Masquerade

    The masquerade was divided into a few parts.

    The first part was abination.

    All the men and women gathered in the romantic hall that had dim lighting and a warm atmosphere. The men and women began to pair off with one another for more than half an hour, so that they could choose their lovers freely. Nevertheless, of course, it was only for that night.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    If both the man and the woman were willing, they would exchange a token with each other, which was a secret signal. After all, the clothes were the same, and the mask could not be revealed. So, when they get intimate with each otherter, they would not recognize each other while enjoying their desires carelessly.

    Of course, after entering the booths, they would take off their clothes, but the mask on their faces must not be taken off. This was the rule that would keep the mystery going and also amodate the rxed and happy mood while they could not recognize each other.

    Well, since the men and women consented, it meant that they would start enjoying themselves.

    There were many luxurious booths on the right side of the dancing hall, in which there were romantic and delicate decorations with a wide variety of necessities for them, which suited all kinds of crazy and exciting games.

    At this point, all of the lights in the hall would be switched off.

    Then, the dim lights in the booths would be turned on.

    The soundproofing of the booths was pretty good.

    No matter how loud they screamed, cried, or struggled in their actions, they wouldn¡¯t disturb whomever was next door.

    Finally, when a man and woman were ready to go in, the door would automatically lock itself. The door would only open automatically early in the morning.

    Then, the man and the woman would leave one after another and return to their daily lives. They would not know the person they had made love with the previous day.

    The crazy one-night stand would thene to the end.

    This was the essence of the masquerade.

    As soon as Hansen entered theparty, he sense that someone was staring at him. The gaze was as if it was from a night eagle, sharp and mixed with greed. It was coveting only for him, mixed with a strong level of possessiveness.

    Under the mask, there was no need for Hansen to disguise himself. He had no expression on his face and onlyzily looked around.

    Dozens of men and women were probing and signalling each other secretly.

    The atmosphere was extremely fiery, but it was definitely not noisy and raucous. It was a prelude to the lust of those men and women breaking out.

    Hansen wasn¡¯t in a hurry. He wasjust sitting in a corner of the bar.

    Under the tiger mask, Hansen nced around the venue with his deep and spirited eyes, observing the whole scene gingerly.

    He had never attended a party like this before.

    He had heard about it for a long time, but he never bothered to participate. In his words, it was extremely boring, and only people who were out of their minds would join in.

    He did not know the rules and did not even want to understand them.

    He simply sat calmly, looking nonchnt and rxed.

    However, his charisma was dazzling. Even though he was wearing a coat and a mask and no one could tell who he was, the temperament he exuded quickly attracted a few women.

    ¡°Sir, would you grace us with some entertainment?¡± The womenughed uncontrobly, and their voices sounded very frivolous.

    With a faint smile, Hansen sized them up and picked up the red wine in front of him to take a sip.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I already like someone.¡± He shook his head and refused gently.

    ¡°Fine, boring.¡± The few women who surrounded him immediately dispersed.

    After a while, another group of women surrounded him, but soon all of them left too.

    On the other side of the bar, a masked woman sat quietly. Ever since Hansen entered, she had been staring at him. Her gaze had never left him.

    At this moment, some men and women had already chosen their partners. They couldn¡¯t wait and walked hastily to the booths.

    There were not many men and women left in the hall.

    Suddenly, with a loud bang, someone fell hard on the floor.

    ¡°Oh, my God!¡± Oscar cried out in pain.

    Hansen looked towards the direction of the cry. It turned out that Oscar was worried about being too short and fat. So, he wore a pair of high-heeled clogs. Initially, he wanted to find Zoe and protect her from getting chosen. However, no matter how much he hinted, Zoe pretended not to know who he was. Well, he was hot and dry now, and covered in his sweat. He was anxious and impatient, but he could not confirm who Zoe was because of the mask. He was so anxious that he kept on walking around.

    He had walked around so many times that he felt dizzy. Somehow, he identally missed his step and fell down.

    Everyoneughed out loud and looked at him as though he was a monkey.

    Oscar was ashamed and incensed, and he didn¡¯t feel good. However, fortunately, he was wearing a mask, and no one knew it was him. He did not need to worry about being humiliated.

    The woman sitting next to the bar looked at him with a disgusted look and had no reason to move.

    Hansen found it amusing. He stood up and walked over to help Oscar up.

    Speaking of which, Oscar was really f*cking heavy. His entire body wasposed of fatty tissue, which made it difficult for Hansen to lift him up.

    Hansen helped him sit by the bar.

    Then, he walked amongst the rest of the women.

    The rest of the attendees were all tall and slim women who were invited to the party. Even if they wear dressed uniformly, their physiques made them stand out, which was really fascinating.

    Hansen nced at them. Obviously, there were more women than men that day, since there were not many men left in the hall.

    ¡°Handsome guy, do you want to y?¡±a woman immediately asked,seeing that Hansen wasing towards them.

    Hansen gave her an devilish smile and beckoned her toe closer.

    ¡°Miss, fun sounds good. What do you have in mind?¡± Hansen lowered his voice and whispered in her ear. He was intimate, and it seemed like he could hardly resist the urge.

    ¡°That¡¯s easy. I can provide you with all kinds of services,¡± the woman said in a bewitching manner,winking at him seductively.

    Seeing that there was a chance, the women who were around them came forward and were ready for their turn.

    ¡°Everyone, get out of the way. This young master has already been booked by my youngdy over here,¡± a cold feminine voice rangat this moment.

    The feminine voice was not only cold but also arrogant and supercilious.

    The other women were shocked and couldn¡¯t figure out the woman¡¯s background. They all looked at her. A woman with a cat mask walked past them proudly and came to Hansen. She handed him a note and said with a smile, ¡°This handsome man, my youngdy is very interested in you. Would you mind giving her your time?¡±

    Hansen had a meaningful expression as he nced dolefully at her. He took the note but did not open it. He smiled faintly and asked, ¡°May I know who this youngdy of yours is?¡±

    ¡°Sir, this is a masquerade. You can¡¯t break the rules of the game.¡± The woman was sharp-tongued.

    When Hansen heard that, he narrowed his eyes as he sized her up.

    Of course, Hansen understood what she meant. It was impossible for him to know her identity.

    ¡°Then, why did you think I would agree?¡± This woman had a strong aura, and she came on behalf of the youngdy over there. It could be perceived how powerful her mistress was. He wasn¡¯t even able to meet the youngdy, but was demanded to agree. This was too haughty. It seemed that the identity of the woman who wanted to have s*x with him that night was very mysterious.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll agree. My youngdy never initiates an invitation to men on her own.¡± The woman smiled mysteriously. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a good look at the note? If you agree, I¡¯ll give you the secret signal.¡±

    After the woman said that, she looked at him condescendingly.

    Hansen slowly opened the note. On it was a line of words, delicate yet powerful. ¡°If you don¡¯t want the Richards Group to perish even quicker, spend this passionate night with me.¡±

    He clenched the note with his fingers, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

    Of course.

    ¡°Hey, handsome man, are you going or ying with us? Who do you want to y with?¡± At this moment, those women noticed that Hansen was not in a hurry to speak his mind.So, they twittered.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You must know that there¡¯s only a few minutes left to get matched. If you go any slower and the lights are turned off, you¡¯ll have to spend the entire night in the main hall,¡± another woman said.

    Her words were a reminder to the other women. Some knew that there was no hope for them to get Hansen. They dispersed and quickly went off seeking a match.

    ¡°Okay, I agree to yourdy¡¯s request,¡±Hansen said gently to the woman standing in front of him. Hesmiled indifferently, as if he had made an important decision. After that, he handed over the note, which could be considered a secret signal.

    ¡°Well, good.¡± The woman smiled, took the note from his hand, and left with a sway of her hips.

    Hansen looked and saw that the woman sitting next to the bar had disappeared.

    It turned out that this woman had that thought. It seemed like his theory was correct.

    The lights in the hall gradually went out, and everyone entered the private booths in groups of twos and threes.

    Before thest light was switched off, Hansen arrived at the designated private booth and opened the door.

    The door of the room quickly opened, and a wave of delicate fragrance came out from inside.

    Hansen steadied himself.

    He calmly walked in.

    ¡°Hi.¡± A charming female voice drifted towards him.

    ¡°Hi.¡± Only when Hansen had gotten used to the light in the room did he see clearly. At the table in the room sat a woman in white with a rose mask. She was sizing him up. Her gaze was zing yet gloomy.

    Under the mask, Hansen frowned slightly. He slowly approached her and sat down.

    ¡°Miss, it¡¯s my pleasure to spend a pleasant night with you. I hope that I will leave you with an unforgettable and beautiful memory tonight.¡± He smiled, and his voice was maic and warm.

    A wave of emotion shed across the woman¡¯s eyes, and there was also excitement in it.

    His voice made her very happy.

    ¡°I hope so.¡± Her beautiful eyes were shining and zing. The snow-white cleavage under her white dress with a plunging neckline could be seen clearly, and she was not even wearing any underwear.

    ¡°Come, Sir, let¡¯s have a ss of red wine to get in the mood.¡± The woman gave Hansen a ss of red wine. Hansen epted it and held it in his hand. He lowered his head, leaned closer to her and held her forehead with his fingers. ¡°I think you must be very pretty. But I¡¯m curious about what kind of person you are under your pretty veneer. I really don¡¯t know how the Richards Group had offended you. You really are ruthless and vicious.¡±

    ¡°It seems like you are not here to have fun tonight,¡± the woman suddenly said coldly.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to have fun. I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± Hansen grabbed her hand with great interest and chuckled. ¡°But, how can a woman who wants to destroy the Richards Group arouse my desires?¡±

    ¡°Whether you¡¯re aroused or not is your problem. But tonight, I¡¯m going to have you.¡± The woman suddenlyughed. ¡°I¡¯ll be very happy to see you struggle violently.¡±

    Hansen suddenlyughed loudly.

 Chapter 486 Worse Than Death

    ¡°In a room with just one man and a woman, who do you think would be the one at a disadvantage? There is little need even to discuss the disparity between who holds more power here.¡± There was a mockingughter in Hansen¡¯s eyes as he spoke, and for Zoe, that only made his voice be even more charming.

    ¡°Hehe, it seems that you are really very confident. However, soon, you will be obedient to me. Don¡¯t worry, I will make you go crazy tonight,¡± Zoe said sarcastically, but her gaze could not conceal her desire for him.

    Hansen smiled. In a single motion, he pulled Zoe up.

    He stretched out a hand and held her waist tightly.

    Her petite body was leaning right on his well-built chest, but he didn¡¯t intend to hold her in his arms. He just turned around and tied her to the partition next to him.

    He lowered his head and looked at her, with his eyes taunting.

    ¡°So,how would you like to do this? Do you want me to take your clothes off for you? How do you want to y? How many positions do you need? Do you want to use any toys?¡± Hansen gently stroked her earlobe with his finger, while he spoke in an extremely seductive voice.

    Zoe was held in ce by his strong legs on the partition, and his unique masculine breath lingered in her nostrils. She was not angry at all, but fully intoxicated by him.

    It seemed that she was enjoying being tortured by Hansen. Her shoulders were trembling.

    ¡°As long as you can satisfy me tonight, the shares of the Richards Group will be stable tomorrow. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have to sit there simply and watch them drop drastically, and then 150 billion dors willpletely evaporate from the market.¡± Zoe spoke, full of confidence, and although it sounded like a threat, her tone was seductive.

    ¡°Are you sure Honold will be used by you?¡± Hansen stopped moving his hand. He then reached out his hand and threw her onto the sofa. He lowered his head and moved his finger in the depth of her cleavage.

    Zoe was not surprised by his words. Perhaps at this moment, they were well aware of the identity of their rivals.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you may test my words. I guarantee that your Richards Group will be finished in a month.¡± Zoeid backfortably. Hansen¡¯s fingers made her shiver with enjoyment. She tried her best to resist the urge to climax and smiled confidently.

    However, Hansen was staring at her, and his smile was a little sinister. ¡°My life philosophy is that no woman would be capable of threatening me, apart from my wife. You overestimate your own abilities and charms. Don¡¯t you know that you¡¯re spouting nonsense in front of me? I¡¯d like to see if you have the ability to do so!¡±

    Before he could finish his words, Hansen seized the opportunity to grab both her hands. As quick as lightning, she found her hands and wrists wrapped and bound in red string.He then took out a ss of red wine from the table and grabbed her chin with his right hand. He slightly lifted her mask.

    ¡°Come, let¡¯s drink this ss of red wine first, so that we can go crazy for the entire night,¡± he said in an extremely tempting manner.

    Desire sparked in Zoe¡¯s eyes, and she slowly opened her mouth.

    Hansen poured all the wine from the ss into her mouth, and the red wine slipped past her lips into her stomach.

    ¡°You¡¯re a very shrewd woman, but women who are too shrewd are hardly adorable. I don¡¯t like such women.¡± Hansen helped her put on her mask and whispered in her ear, ¡°Also, you¡¯d better hand over the evidence that you¡¯ve framed Jenna with. Otherwise, as long as I find strong evidence, I¡¯ll definitely sue you. By then, you will not only lose your freedom but also more than you could ever imagine. In addition, I¡¯ve already obtained control over some of your people. If you hand over the evidence that you framed Jenna, maybe I¡¯ll let you go. In the business world,there have always been rules that dictates who wins and who loses.My Richards Group doesn¡¯t owe your Yates family anything. I hope you will stop your ridiculous behavior ande to your senses.¡±

    Zoe felt her body gradually turn weak. She couldn¡¯t move and could onlylook at him. It was only then she suddenly realized something, and her eyes were filled with anger.

    ¡°Hansen, howdareyou trick me?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m tricking you. Compared to what you¡¯ve done to the Richards Group, what I¡¯ve done is nothing. I¡¯m giving you advice now. It¡¯s best if you stop now. This time, I¡¯ll leave it at this,¡± said Hansen coldly. He then took out his phone and took a picture of her.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll let Jenna off just like that. Let me tell you, the evidence of her guilt is conclusive. I will definitely send her to prison. Just wait and see.¡± Zoe suddenly burst into maniacalughter.

    Hansen looked at her with a grim look. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, be prepared to suffer a consequence worse than death.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s do it. Since you have made your choice, I will wait to see who wins or loses.¡± Zoe smiled confidently. As long as she could retain the evidence that Jenna was guilty, Hansen could not make his move even though he had great capabilities to do so. Once again, she was certain that she had taken the right step.

    Along the corridor of the booths, Oscar was as anxious as a headless chicken.

    ¡°Honey, honey, where are you?¡±

    In an instant, he had lost sight of his wife. It turned out that just as he confirmed that she was sitting there,he immediately lost her.

    When he thought that his wife was now making out with some unknown man, he felt his mouth be dry and his heart was burning with anxiety.

    He knocked on the doors of the private booths one by one, shouting anxiously. He was sweating profusely.

    After a while.

    A tall man walked out and slowly paced to his side.

    ¡°Who is your wife?¡± The man patted him on the shoulder and asked slowly.

    ¡°My wife is Zoe. Did you see her?¡± Oscar hurriedly asked him as if he had met a savior.

    ¡°How can a man not protect his own wife properly?¡± There was contempt on the man¡¯s face, but his words were indifferent, as if he knew where Zoe was.

    ¡°Then, do you know where she is? Quick, tell me.¡± Oscar¡¯s gaze was filled with longing for her.

    The man smiled calmly and patted him on the shoulder. He pointed to the booth in front and said slowly, ¡°Wait here. A man will soone out of that room. Then, you can go in again. Your wife is in there.¡±

    ¡°Ah, my wife has really been making out with someone else.¡± Oscar only cried out in pain when he heard that.

    The man snorted coldly and said contemptuously, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That man doesn¡¯t like your wife. You can go in and have fun.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that my wife still hasn¡¯t slept with that man, right?¡± Oscar was excited.

    The man looked at him and snorted heavily. ¡°Whether she has slept with that man or not, you will knowter.¡±

    ¡°I hope you have a good time with your wife tonight.¡± After saying this, the man left.

    Oscar stared at the door with his eyes wide open.

    Surely enough, after a while, a tall man came out and walked outside.

    Oscar was secretly happy, and his fleshy body rushed into the room.

    He did not know that the man who had just left was Hansen.

    As soon as he walked out, Oscar immediately walked into it.

    ¡°Honey, honey, is that you?¡± Oscar had just entered the booth when he called out to the woman lying on the couch. He hastily extended his hand and took off her mask.

    He noticed it was Zoe when he saw her delicate face.

    Her face was flushed, as if she had put on delicate makeup. She was as gorgeous as a flower.

    It was just that when she saw Oscar, there was anger and disgust in her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± Zoe viciously threatened him when she saw Oscar¡¯s wolf-like gaze.

    At this moment, she even wanted to die. Her gaze was like a stab from a knife to Oscar. She only hated that she was too weak to move.

    ¡°Honey, let me treat you well tonight and let you enjoy the feeling of being a woman.¡± How could Oscar listen to Zoe¡¯s admonishment? He had already made up his mind to sleep with her. At this moment, it was such a good opportunity. When faced with a woman¡¯s body that he had coveted for a long time, his entire body felt like it was in mes and he could not withstand it anymore.

    He immediately picked up her soft body and put her on the bed. He couldn¡¯t wait to take off her clothes.

    ¡°Oscar, I beg you. Let me go. Don¡¯t touch me.¡± When Zoe saw that her warning was ineffective, she panicked and could only plead, hoping that he would let her go.

    At this moment, her whole body was weak and she could not resist him. What¡¯s more, the soundproofing of this room was really effective. At this moment, no one woulde in, no matter how loud she cried. Moreover, everyone knew that it was out of her own willingness to have a romantic night. There wasn¡¯t any misunderstanding at all.

    ¡°Honey, we are husband and wife. Who would be intimate with you if it wasn¡¯t me? Look at me, I hadn¡¯t touched any woman tonight. I just waited for you, didn¡¯t I?¡± Soon, Oscar took off his clothes and he appeared naked in front of Zoe.

    Zoe noticed Oscar¡¯s lustful expression and knew that she would not be able to escape that night. She closed her eyes in despair.

    ¡°Hansen, you have the guts. How dare you trick me? I will let your Richards Group go bankrupt. I will let your woman go to jail,¡± she screamed inwardly to herself.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    She gritted her teeth and was mad with hatred.

    Suddenly, she felt a chill on her skin and let out a cry of fear. She opened her eyes and all of her clothes had been taken off by Oscar.

    She didn¡¯t wear any undergarments or even underwear. She had thought that she would have had s*x with the tall and handsome Hansen that night. However, now she felt as if she had entered the wrong hole and was about to be vited by this swine.

    This was even more excruciating than death.

    ¡°Oscar, you are an animal!If you were to touch me tonight, I will make you regret it for the rest of your life.¡± She clenched her teeth and said one word at a time as she struggled.

    Oscar flushed, and he was on the verge of extreme excitement. In anticipation for this day, he had not touched any woman for more than a month.

    At this moment, Zoe¡¯s delicate and beautiful body appeared naked in front of him. Suddenly, his blood was boiling and his veins were almost bursting, as though they had been injected with stimnts. If he missed such a good opportunity, it would be more difficult to conquer this woman in the future than to climb up to the sky.

    Immediately, heughed and stared at her like a hungry tiger. He said sarcastically, ¡°Honey, we are about to get married. This is something that everyone in the world knows. I know that you don¡¯t like me. These days, you always find ways to send me away and even give me sleeping pills. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know these things. Let me tell you, I don¡¯t f*cking believe that I can¡¯t conquer a woman like you. You are destined to be my woman in this life. If I didn¡¯t have you today, then I would feel sorry for my family and also you.¡±

    He stroked her face with his bulbous hand and slowly went all the way down¡­

 Chapter 487 The Contrast

    Zoe was shocked that she could only stare at his bald head, his ugly features, and the eyes which were staring at her. Her tears started to flow from her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my wife. I will do my best to serve you. I will make you feelfortable, so that you will not leave me in the future.¡± He stared at every inch of her body with his small eyes. He was not in a hurry to embrace her. So, he just took his time, while looking at her, and touched her everywhere.

    Zoe felt that she had lost her dignity, as if she were a prostitute who was being vited by a disgusting man. However, she could do nothing about it.

    If she had a knife, she would immediately kill Oscar and then herself after that.

    Her mind was clear, although she could not move her body.

    She watched Oscar¡¯s ugly hand viting her and his bloodshot eyes, which were staring at her. Then, he threw himself at her like a hungry wolf.

    Zoe¡¯s mind was clear from the beginning until she was torn and possessed by him. She bit her lips tightly, and her tears dried out.

    For her, this was a s*xual assault, which was a great shame.

    Her virginity that she had protected for 29 years, had been destroyed by this disgusting man in such a trivial way.

    Oscary down on her body for a short break after he was satisfied. He was so excited from this unexpected fortune.

    Zoe was still a virgin.

    This was simply beyond Oscar¡¯s expectations.

    His whole body trembled out of excitement. He looked at the dark red bloodstains on the sheets beneath Zoe¡¯s body. After a short rest, he began to plunder wildly again.

    Zoe opened her eyes with all her might and endured Oscar¡¯s torment. She directed all the hatred towards Hansen and even tried her best to open her eyes. She tried to imagine Hansen¡¯s handsome looks and facial features. Only by doing so could she relieve the pain from her body.

    Later at night, her limbs started to regain their mobility as the effects from the drug started to wear off. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Oscar was in high spirits, and he was taking out a rope and a whip from the box of s*x toys next to her. As her hands and feet were bound by this perverted man, she closed her eyes in despair and horror.

    ¡­

    At dawn, the door of the room finally opened automatically.

    Oscar slept like a baby after his carnal desires were satisfied.

    Zoe¡¯s body was aching. There were wounds and bruises everywhere and her lower body was burning in pain.

    Oscar had tortured her the whole night. The pain and assault that he inflicted on her almost drove her to insanity. Her eyes were red, and her lips were bleeding as she bit her lips tightly the night before.

    She overcame the pain, rolled over, and climbed up. She frantically searched in the room. If there was a knife, she would definitely have castrated Oscar. However, there were only ropes and whips.

    She had never thought that Oscar would be so greedy for s*x. He was simply a beast.

    She tried her best to tie Oscar¡¯s feet and fixed them on the bed. While he was in his deep sleep, she tied up Oscar¡¯s hands and turned around to close the door.

    She raised the whip in her hand and whipped him hard.

    The hatred she had subsided slightly as she heard Oscar screaming at the top of his lungs.

    It wasn¡¯t until she was exhausted and could no longer raise the whip that she stopped. Then, she opened the door and ran out.

    If it weren¡¯t for the sake of Matteo and the fact that she had to take advantage of him, she would definitely have castrated him or killed him that day. She would not let go of this disgusting man.

    In the antique bathroom of the Yates family, Zoe soaked herself in a bathtub made of marble. Her face was as pale as ash, and her eyes were full of horror.

    Terrifying whip marks, bite marks, kissing marks, and even bruises were all visible on her body. The pain was gut-wrenching, as if her body was being ripped apart.

    She never thought that in this masquerade, she actually allowed Oscar to get what he wanted, and never thought that Oscar had turned out to be such a perverted man.

    Her life was full of sorrow.

    After having protected her virginity for 29 years, it had been destroyed by Oscar. Moreover, in the future, she would have to face this perverted man. She shivered as she thought of Oscar.

    She tried her best to scrub herself. The water in the tub had turned red and her skin was peeling off and bleeding. However, she continued to scrub herself without feeling any pain. It was her heart that was aching as she felt like she was about to die.

    She thought that there would be a perfect ending that night, but she did not expect it to be ruined by Oscar.

    Shey t on the ground until the water turned cold, and then, she tried to remove some of the water and waited for it to turn cold again.

    Then she felt a burst of chill all over her body, and she started to lose consciousness.

    The servants felt that something was wrong, and they started to knock on the ss door of the bathroom. The shower curtains were not closed, and from the translucent ss, they saw an unconscious figure.

    Zoe fell ill.

    She had a high fever for a few days. Her face and lips were pale, and she was moving in and out of consciousness. There was only a handsome face, with a tall and strong figure that she could see. At that time, she was still very young, she could not remember when it was, but it was deeply engraved in her mind and could never be forgotten.

    From then on, she remembered this face that had her she intoxicated.

    Octavia stood beside her and took care of her carefully. She looked at her neck and the bloody scars on her hands. It was terrifying to look at. She had no idea of what was going on.

    Could it be that the night before¡­

    She couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    Zoe had a high fever and was speaking incoherently. She kept saying, ¡°Flynt, Flynt.¡± She didn¡¯t know who this ¡®Flynt¡¯ was, and she didn¡¯t know how the brave Zoe could end up like this. She was weak and helpless, with wounds all over her body. She was close to fainting.

    This waspletely different from the strong woman he knew in the past.

    In the dark night, Hansen came out of the private room and went directly into the Hummer. He looked at the darkness outside and stared at the shadows of the trees on the street.

    After a while, a dark figure appeared the next to the shadow of the trees.

    Soon, the dark figure approached and he opened the door.

    John slipped in effortlessly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we still haven¡¯t found her.¡± As soon as he came in, he said seriously with deep disappointment on his face, ¡°All of our people went into her office, and we even skillfully opened the safe box, but we still couldn¡¯t find any evidence that framed Madam. This woman is scary. Even theputer engineer has searched every program on herputer, but he can¡¯t find any evidence. This matter is quite tricky.¡±

    Hansen was terrified. His hands were shaking as he held onto the steering wheel.

    If he couldn¡¯t find evidence here, then it was almost impossible for him to find evidence that framed Jenna. In the current situation, it was impossible for Zoe to hand over the evidence. Of course, he didn¡¯t know that after he left, Oscar entered the private booth and vited Zoe.

    While Zoe had hated him for this.

    He felt uneasy.

    ¡°Could it be that I can only get evidence from Liya?¡± He thought.

    If that was the case¡­

    He punched the steering wheel.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, if that day reallyes, we¡¯ll just insist that Zoe had framed Madam¡­¡± Seeing how sad and much in pain Hansen was, John felt discouraged. He could only assume that it was the only way.

    ¡°In the eyes of thew, evidence is key. Now, Jenna¡¯s evidence is conclusive. This is undeniable.¡± Hansen gritted his teeth. ¡°You said that it was Zoe who framed her. Do you have any evidence? Who can prove it?¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    John¡¯s face became gloomy.

    Zoe had deliberately nned to destroy the Richards Group. So, it was impossible for her evidence to fall into someone else¡¯s hands.

    At this point, everything remained the same. Hansen closed his eyes in pain.

    Faint mists drifted in from the window, and the fresh air gradually seeped in.

    Then, the glow of the sun rose up high into the sky. The sunlight shone through the clouds and entered the room through the window, shining its light over the entire study.

    The sunlight was shining on Jenna¡¯s beautiful and delicate face, little by little. She had a ponytail and was d in a sports attire. She had just returned from her morning exercise, and there was sweat on her forehead.

    The night before, Trevor said that Hansen¡¯s had been moved back from Collier Manor and asked her to organize it personally.

    Therefore, she got up early in the morning. After the morning exercise, she went to the study on the second floor and began to work.

    The study on the second floor was nowhere near asrge as the one on the third floor. However, Jenna used an entire suite to keep all the precious books and artwork belonging to Hansen.

    She carefully arranged his books, and the morning soon passed.

    At noon, looking at the bookshelf, the spotless desk, and bookcase that she had arranged, a smile appeared on her face.

    Hansen didn¡¯t like to practise his art, yet his brush strokes were still graceful, just like him.

    She wiped all the art tools clean and ced them on the desk.

    Finally, she cleaned up some scattered notebooks.

    She picked up a notebook and chanced upon a wooden box wrapped in a red cloth.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes froze and her heart tightened. The scene that urred in the study in Collier Manor appeared in her mind.

    Her hands were trembling.

    If she remembered correctly, the ck wooden case covered in red cloth should be Hansen¡¯s diary. He had recorded all his precious memories during his university days in this diary.

    Her hand trembled as she lifted up the wooden box.

    At that time, because of her father¡¯s untimely death, she suspected that it was him who killed her father. She decided to read his diary and he was angry when he found out.

    She was devastated at that time, and she thought they would break up then. However, she was still in Richards Manor and was still his wife.

    Her trembling fingers picked up the wooden box and prepared to store it in an inconspicuous corner.

    A gust of wind suddenly blew into the room from the window, blowing away the red cloth, and it fell to the ground.

 Chapter 488 The Pure Relationship

    Jenna was in a daze. She reached out to catch the red cloth in a hurry but she identally hit the wooden box.

    ¡°Bang!¡± The wooden box fell onto the ground, and the diary fell out.

    She was shocked and immediately stepped forward.

    The diary had recorded all of Hansen¡¯s thoughts. He must have cherished it very much. If it fell, it would be broken.

    Thinking of Hansen¡¯s gloomy face, her heart began to beat faster, and she quickly knelt down.

    The diary was lying open, and the forceful handwriting was clear at a nce.

    When Jenna was about to close the diary, she identally saw her name being mentioned.

    She was stunned. She wanted to close the diary and stop her hand halfway.

    She was too curious.

    It was about her name again.

    In the past, Hansen used to hate her. He hated that his grandmother ordered him to marry her. It was their first marriage, and it was not a happy one.

    Looking at the date, it was when she was in her freshman year in university.

    Back then, Hansen was already a sophomore but they didn¡¯t seem to know each other at that time. Although she had already fallen in love with him at that time, it was very possible that Hansen didn¡¯t know her at all.

    However, her name appeared during that period in the diary. Did he hate her from that moment on?

    Thest time she read his diary was during her senior year. Plus, she only managed to read a few pages.

    It was an indisputable fact that he hated her at that time.

    However, had he started to hate her when she just entered university? This made no sense.

    They had no contact with each other before. Could such a thing happen in this world for no reason?

    Her curiosity was getting stronger and stronger.

    Yes, they were already husband and wife.

    If she read his diary again, it would not be wrong.

    She continued to read after thinking about this.

    A certain year, a certain month, a certain day.

    Christopher dragged me to greet the freshmen in the early morning. Of course, I knew his thoughts. He just wanted to see the neers. Anyway, I was bored. So, I was happy to join in the fun.

    The sunshine was bright, the leaves were green, and the atmosphere was lively.

    Among the smiling faces of the freshmen, I saw a girl. For just a moment, my gazended on her fresh and lovely face. My heart began to race.

    She tied her hair into a ponytail, she was wearing a beautiful dress and was smiling politely. Every gesture of hers was gentle and elegant. It was so natural. What attracted me the most was her bright eyes. When she smiled, her eyes and eyebrows curved, as if they were smiling too, and she instantly caught the eyes of all the boys.

    I swear that this is the first time I have seen a girl who attracted me so much. Her beauty was engraved in my heart from then on. It seemed that my whole life had been brightened.

    I couldn¡¯t stop looking at her, hoping that she would notice me, but she didn¡¯t look at me at all.

    She signed her attendance on the table in front of me. Her fair, little hand was holding a pen, and it was as fair as a white flower. Until her light and graceful body left me and only left behind a faint scent, I noticed that my heart was still thumping wildly, and I was unable to suppress my excitement.

    Christopher rushed to take her away, but I stayed where I was and sat there disappointedly. Then I saw her name. It was Jenna.

    This was the girl of my dreams. I was so excited that day, even though she didn¡¯t look at me at all.

    Jenna didn¡¯te back to her senses until she finished reading the diary. She was even a little dumbfounded.

    She could no longer remember the time when she checked in on her first day of university.

    She only remembered that day, Javon had driven her to the university and told her that this was the first time that she would enrol in a boarding school. She was sad to be separated from her family and had no mood for anything else.

    She opened the diary and read it again.

    She didn¡¯t realize how much time had passed.

    She didn¡¯t know how much she had read.

    All in all, in the end, Jenna sat on the floor with the diary in her hands and looked out of the window in a daze.

    It turned out that Hansen had fallen in love with her long ago. She remembered the first time they met in the library. That was the first time that they met each other¡¯s gaze at the same time.

    She had always thought that Hansen used to hate her. The reason he fell in love with her now was that he was touched by her perseverance. After all, she had once risked her life to save him and loved him so much. She thought that he fell in love with her because he was influenced by her.

    It turned out that when he first saw her in university, he had already fallen in love with her.

    Moreover, she was his dream wife.

    Such a knowledge made Jenna feel a trace of sweetness and warmth in her heart.

    It was just that¡­

    Her eyes were dim.

    The love between them was too difficult!

    They were clearly in love, but after the hardships, even if they had happened before, their rtionship was stillplicated and their future was uncertain.

    She sat on the ground and was thinking too absent-mindedly.

    She did not even notice that someone had entered the room.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jenna came back to her senses when she heard a voice from behind. It was a familiar voice. She bounced to her feet, turned around, and hid her hands behind her.

    ¡°No, nothing.¡± She immediately shook her head as she panicked.

    She could still remember how furious he was thest time she read his diary. Now that she was doing these sneaky things again, she was going to be in trouble.

    It was not intentional. It was all because of the d*mn wind.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    She looked up at him, blinking her eyes. She could not hide her unease.

    Hansen smirked while looking at her.

    When he just came in, he saw that she was focused on reading his diary.

    She did not notice him even though he had stood at the door for a moment.

    Seeing that she had been sitting on the ground for too long, he was worried that her legs and feet would be numb. So, he kindly came in to remind her. He did not expect her to be so terrified, and he felt sorry.

    ¡°Did you do something wrong?¡± He looked at the study and thought it was really good and tidy. She really was a good wife! He was happy and teased her on purpose.

    ¡°No, Hansen, I didn¡¯t mean to look at your diary, really.¡± Jenna shook her head vigorously and panicked. She handed the diary to him and said, ¡°Take your diary. If you want to scold me, I¡¯ll ept it.¡±

    She lowered her eyes. Her nervous look made Hansen feel sorry for her even more.

    She must have been frightened by him thest time. That was why she was so scared.

    He reached out his hand to take the diary and looked at her.

    ¡°Tell me, what have you read?¡± He stared at her gently.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Jenna¡¯s face turned slightly red and said in a t tone, ¡°I was just casually flipping through it. I really didn¡¯t see anything. Don¡¯t be angry.¡±

    She looked humble and obedient, and her cheeks were rosy, which made his heart race.

    Hansen took the diary and put it in the wooden box. He then picked it up and handed it to her. He said solemnly, ¡°Jenna, you are my wife. You will keep my diary for me from now on. If you have time, take your time to read it, if you are interested.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you concerned that I¡¯m viting your privacy?¡± Jenna raised her head and looked at him in disbelief. She doubted what she heard.

    ¡°Jenna, remember, you are now my wife. You have the right to know and understand everything about me.¡± Hansen ced the wooden box in her hand and grabbed her shoulder. He said in a low voice, ¡°I was angry with you because of the diary incident when we were in Collier Manor. I really regret it. I now apologize to you. Jenna, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    As he spoke, he pulled her into his firm embrace. He closed his eyes and gently stroked her hair.

    In fact, he should have apologized to her a lot more. His life was perfect because of her. He had done a lot of imperfect things because of her too, and he owed her too much, including the future.

    He really didn¡¯t have the ability to change anything, even if he wanted to keep everything from happening. He only wanted to give her a perfect life, but reality was always disappointing.

    He did not know how much she had seen in his diary. He was very willing to give himself to her, including his heart. He only hoped that she could stay by his side and keep himpany for the rest of his life.

    Jenna was tightly embraced by him, and her heart was full of mixed emotions.

    He didn¡¯te back the night before.

    She did not want to ask him where he had gone. Since Trevor had already supported his decision to take a second wife, it was very likely that this was an irreversible decision. She had no intention of asking him about anything either.

    ¡°Hansen, I just want to know if what is written in your diary is true?¡± She wanted an answer to a question, a question she didn¡¯t dare to think about before.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hansen asked softly, burying his face in her hair.

    ¡°When I first entered university, you mentioned in the diary that you like me and that I am your dream girl. Is that so?¡± Jenna asked shyly.

    She wanted to know if her love wasn¡¯t unrequited. In fact, they were in love with each other.

    ¡°Of course, who would tell lies in the diary?¡± Hansen smiled and asked in disbelief, ¡°Have you only seen these now?¡±

    He always thought that she had known about it when they were in the study thest time.

    ¡°Yes, I only saw it today.¡± Previously, she only wanted to know if her father¡¯s death had anything to do with him. She only read a few stories rted to her senior year. It was only now that she realized that Hansen had already fallen in love with her since the beginning. ¡°I always thought that you hated me. It was me who had pestered you and made you fall in love with me.¡±

    It turned out that this was the truth. Hansen sighed. It was no wonder they had so many misunderstandings in the past.

 Chapter 489 Might Have Been Too Invested In It

    ¡°Silly girl, there is no hatred in this world for no reason. If I didn¡¯t love you, how could I even hate you! You have to know that if I didn¡¯t love a woman, even if she kept on pestering me, I wouldn¡¯t even fall in love with her. Just like Aria, or Liya, I would never fall in love with them. Only the woman I love, will I love her forever, and this person will only be you.¡± Hansen spoke in a very soft manner, as if a wave of the spring breeze blew into Jenna¡¯s heart. However, in the end, when he had made up his mind, he gave her a deep chill.

    ¡°So, remember, I will never allow you to leave me. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t even think about it.¡± This was thest sentence he said when he made up his mind.

    The sweetness that welled up in Jenna¡¯s heart faded away.

    She was silent.

    Suddenly, she understood the intention of Trevor asking her to tidy up Hansen¡¯s study.

    She gently put the diary against the corner of the wall and then covered it with the red cloth. She thought, ¡°I won¡¯t open it again in the future. The past can¡¯t be changed, and I don¡¯t want to be entangled in the past anymore.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Hansen held her hand and walked outside.

    The turmoil that Jenna felt in her heart was far less peaceful than what she looked like on the surface.

    They had fallen in love a long time ago. It was not her own wishful thinking. She was indeed his dream wife.

    Knowing this, she didn¡¯t regret it anymore. She didn¡¯t regret making the choice that she had made all the way to this point.

    They had already done their best for each other¡¯s happiness. If they really reached the irreversible stage in the future, it would be their fate and no one could alter it.

    The Xanthe family residence was in Capital City.

    During this period of time, the Xanthe family was crowded with people and carriages, as there were huge crowds here.

    Countless politicians went in and out of the Xanthe family residence. Even in the middle of the night, the house was still brightly lit.

    Sergio was sitting on the couch in the lounge, staring motionlessly at the TV screen hanging on the wall.

    This huge HD screen of the TV was showing an organized,rge-scale charity event that was live.

    Jenna was hosting this charity event with an elegant and decent smile on her face, wearing a polka dot dress and her beautiful hair was draped over her shoulders.

    This was a charity activity that was held for children with congenital diseases, including deaf and mute children, congenital heart disease, and for children with serious illnesses including AIDS.

    Jenna personally visited every ward and interacted with all the children who were suffering from congenital diseases. She gave them gifts and organised such arge-scale charity event with hundreds of rich and powerful women. She donated 50 million dors on behalf of the Richards Group and sessfully held a g by inviting hundreds of rich and powerful women to get involved and jointly set up a charity organisation for the children with life-threatening diseases in the country to raise funds of a total of 100 million dors.

    As the donation was slowly distributed to the children in the ward, many patients were moved by this and wept, iming that Jenna was a ¡®beautiful angel¡¯.

    During the donation, she walked to the stage calmly, delivered an exciting speech, and took the initiative to donate 50 million dors.

    At that moment, all the spotlight was on her.

    The entire audience in front of the TV saw a beautiful and decent woman. She was charming and graceful. She stood elegantly on the stage and gave a passionate speech, and her tone showed deep pity and sympathy for the children.

    Her speech won the apuse of everyone.

    Everyone knew thatthe husband ofthisdy from the wealthy Richards family, Mr. Hansen, was ready to marry his second wife, Liya. It had already been officially reported.

    Although her status as his legal wife would be threatened, she bore no resentment to this. There was no trace of sadness on her face. She simply held this banquet dutifully.

    In fact, at this time, the entire public opinion, including the media, were biased towards her and even sympathised with her.

    It seemed that there were many reporters who dared to use Hansen ofindecentbehavior. They were more sympathetic to Jenna. Especially when she appeared at the charity party, her charisma was so dazzling that it sessfully attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Even her kindness and gentleness made everyone praise her.

    However, at this moment, she stood up resolutely, defending Hansen and protecting her husband¡¯s reputation.

    To the public, Jenna was a virtuous wife, a decent wife, a gentle mother, and a beautiful angel. They didn¡¯t want her to be hurt, thinking that Hansen shouldn¡¯t hurt her happiness by marrying the mistress, Liya.

    Just like that year when Princess Diana and Prince Charles seemed like a perfect couple, but Prince Charles had cheated on her, and the love in his life turned out to be the other woman, which made everyone in the worldpletely realize that this fairytale love was too fantastical, and regretted it so much.

    However, ording to the public, Jenna was just like Princess Diana back then. That astonishing wedding stunned everyone, and also gave people a beautiful illusion of love. However, after just a year or so, her husband had cheated on her. For a woman, this would be so heartbreaking.

    Fortunately, Jenna, who had experienced so many hardships, did not show any sombre expression. Her smile was still warm, her gaze was still clear, and she stillughed happily. Her optimistic appearance did not manifest any negativity against her.

    Sergio gazed at the screen, feeling infatuated and smiled elegantly. Jenna was proactive and optimistic. He thought of the day when shey in his arms and cried because of Hansen¡¯s betrayal.

    It seemed that she had already freed herself out of the pain of love.

    What kind of woman was this? The betrayal of her husband, her father¡¯s tragic death, and the betrayal of her family did not break her. She was still so enthusiastic and keen on embracing her life, even if she would be hiding in the dark, crying alone.

    No matter where she was, she had never felt gloomy, neverined, and never attempted to gain others¡¯ sympathy for her. She just allowed others to get to know her through her actions. She loved her life, had a sense of social responsibility, and she was living very well.

    Sergio looked at the beautiful and elegant Jenna on the screen, and he was captivated by her.

    After knowing that she got married, he spent several years trying to forget her, but he couldn¡¯t. When he knew that she had hidden herself in Wullen Town after getting divorced, he was so excited that he couldn¡¯t sleep for several nights.

    However, when her wedding with Hansen had amazed the world, he was heartbroken and downcast.

    Although he approached her with a purpose, right now, he had been deeply convinced by Jenna¡¯s manners and propriety. This was the woman he needed.

    There was only one Jenna in the world, and she was the woman he had dreamed of all his life.

    If it was possible, he would never give up on this opportunity.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, I heard that your husband is going to take a second wife. I want to ask if your rtionship with Mr. Hansen is still as affectionate,pared to the past? Can you ept Liya?¡± When Jenna stepped down the charity stage, the media on the side swarmed towards her. There were still some indiscreet media reporters who directly asked her some blunt questions.

    The people who were by her side protecting her changed their expressions, and were about to reprimand them.

    However, they saw Jenna standing there at ease, and she replied with a smile, ¡°Thank you for your concern. Mr. Hansen and I have a very good rtionship. He loves me very much and I love him very much.¡±

    ¡°So, you agree that your husband will take a second wife, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you feel sad if you agreed to let your husband marry another woman?¡±

    ¡°If Mr. Hansen marries Liya, can you two stay together peacefully?¡±

    ¡­

    Seeing Jenna openly answer the question, all the media reporters asked hastily.

    As usual, Jenna didn¡¯t have to pay attention to these media reporters who deliberately gossiped about the private lives of others.

    However, she maintained the smile on her face. She politely replied, ¡°Thank you for your concern. I chose to believe in my husband because he is a sessful man and a very responsible man. I will respect any of his choices, and he will not do anything to hurt me easily. I trust him.¡±

    Her confident words seemed to make all the rumors evaporate.

    Could it be that there was a change in ns since Hansen announced in the news that he would take Liya as his second wife?

    The media reports looked at each other curiously.

    She smiled confidently. The wedding of the century that happened a year ago was still vivid in everyone¡¯s memories. A woman was behaving so calmly when her husband cheated on her. Perhaps, Mr. Hansen had not done anything wrong to her at all. Or was she really willing to ept the woman her husband was going to marry soon?

    For a while, the rtionship between Hansen and Liya seemed to be more ambiguous, and the media was more interested in her.

    At this moment, arge number of security guards came over and surrounded the reporters who were swarming in, and they escorted Jenna out quietly.

    The door was quietly pushed open.

    Yadriel walked in.

    Sergio might have been too invested in it. Even a long while after Yadriel had entered, Sergio did not notice it at all.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Yadriel noticed his son who was obsessively looking at Jenna on the screen with full concentration. His gaze showed that Sergio was full of longing for Jenna as he narrowed his eyes.

    Even Yadriel¡¯s sneer didn¡¯t make Sergio realize his presence nor awakened him from his dream.

    ¡°Sergio.¡± Yadriel had no choice but to speak in a heavy tone.

    ¡°Ah, Dad.¡± Sergio was finally awakened by Yadriel and stood up hurriedly. Even after standing up for a while, he was still not himself yet.

    ¡°Dad, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Sergio looked passive as he asked.

    Yadriel looked at him indifferently and said, ¡°Take a seat.¡±

    He said lightly and sat down on the couch next to him.

    Sergio finally came back to his senses and also sat down on the couch.

    ¡°Sergio, tell me, how¡¯s the situation with you over there?¡± Yadriel asked calmly after he sat down.

    ¡°Dad, the situation over there ispletely under my control. Zoe has gone insane in seeking revenge from the Richards Group. But don¡¯t worry, no matter what she will do, she is still under my control,¡± Sergio said confidently.

    ¡°Well.¡± Yadriel nodded, but his expression was inscrutable. ¡°Son, being able to control the whole situation is naturally a good thing. Now, I¡¯m worried that you will drag yourself into it as well.¡±

 Chapter 490 Sergioâ€™s Infatuation

    As Yadriel spoke, he noticed Jenna¡¯s smiling face on the screen, and his gaze changed, as he began to ponder.

    His worries were not unjustified. As a father, how could he not know what Jenna meant to his son? However, based on the current situation, Jenna was already the daughter-inw of the Richards family. It waspletely impossible for them to be together.At this point,if his son was impatient and did things beyond his control, that would not end on good terms.

    As Yadriel had expected, Sergio was getting more infatuated, and he was a little nervous. He looked at Yadriel seriously and said word by word, ¡°Dad, I remember that you once said that you didn¡¯t object to me being with Jenna, right?¡±

    Yadriel looked at him, lit his cigarette slowly, and took a deep puff.

    ¡°If she isn¡¯t married, Ipletely agree with your decision to go after her. I also really wanted you to marry her,¡± Yadriel said.

    ¡°No, Dad, even if she is married now, I am still confident that I can have her. I hope I can get your support and blessings. If I am able to seed one day, I will announce to the whole world about my marriage with her.¡± Sergio manifested his longing and admiration for Jenna all over his face, and he spoke his mind earnestly.

    Yadriel looked at him and felt a little bit apprehensive.

    ¡°Sergio, in any case, I don¡¯t want you to be involved in too many scandals because of some women who may affect your political prospects. Although Madam Lilian is one of your supporters,she is getting old, and her influence will gradually decline. And you also need to locate different sponsors to develop your path. No matter what, if a man focuses on his rtionship too much, then it will have a great impact on his political future.¡± Yadriel earnestly exined, hoping that he could pull Sergio out of this infatuation that he wasn¡¯t aware of at all.

    However, he was wrong. Sergio had already made up his mind this time.

    ¡°Father, let me tell you. I am confident that I will definitely win Jenna over. The current situation is very unfavorable to her. Zoe has already shown all the evidence of Jenna¡¯s usations. Hansen is also controlled by her. In order to protect Jenna, he will agree to anything. Hence, as long as I put in more effort, he will have to take Liya as a second wife. As long as he marries again, Jenna will definitely leave. She will not be able to live in the Richards family like this, which is where my chance has arrived.¡± As Sergio spoke, his gaze shed with a trace of excitement, and his face was flushed due to this.

    On the other hand, Yadriel trembled with fear and his face turned dark.

    ¡°But, Sergio, will Jenna marry you after divorcing Hansen?¡± He questioned loudly, ¡°Even if she divorces him, can she be cleared of the crimes that she is wrongly used of? If it¡¯s really that simple, she doesn¡¯t need to divorce him.¡±

    Yadriel was exining logically, but to Sergio, he was not worried by this, at the very least.

    ¡°If Hansen can¡¯t do it, then I can absolutely do it. Otherwise, how can I prove that I am qualified to marry her?¡± Sergio was very confident. ¡°She was being framed by Zoe. Of course, I have a way to get the evidence from Zoe. Moreover, Zoe just doesn¡¯t want Jenna to be with Hansen. As long as she doesn¡¯t belong to the Richards family, Jenna is no longer the target of Zoe. As long as I get the evidence, everything will be fine.¡±

    Yadriel was rendered speechless for a long time as he listened to Sergio¡¯s confident words.

    ¡°Sergio, there are so many women in this world. Why do you have to be obsessed with her? Isn¡¯t Sabrina good enough for you?¡± After a long time had passed, he asked with great strain.

    ¡°No, I will never marry Sabrina. There are hundreds of millions of women in the world, but Jenna is unique. I will only fall in love with her.¡± If it was said that Sergio had only admired and fancied Jenna from the beginning, then he waspletely obsessed with Jennanow. However, Yadriel was not a fool. Of course, he could tell that.

    If Sergio could marry Jenna, Yadriel would not oppose it. He was just afraid that something unexpected would happen. After all, it was not a good thing to have anything out of control at this moment. It should be known that Jenna was still the daughter-inw of the Richards family. Sergio was going to fight against the entire family.

    ¡°Sergio, you have to think things through eventually. You are now an adult and the current situation is critical. I don¡¯t wish for you to create more trouble. Also, Trevor is already back. He used to be a powerful man who dominated the business world. He is not someone to be trifled with. You must maintain a clear head at all times.¡± Yadriel warned Sergio seriously.

    Sergio smiled scornfully. Sergio moved his finger and flicked off the cigarette butt in his hand. He said confidently, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m doing. After all, it¡¯s not me who wanted to deal with the Richards family now. It¡¯s Zoe. I¡¯m just taking advantage of the situation.¡±

    Yadriel sighed. He loved his son dearly. His son was infatuated with Jenna, and Sergio already had this kind of feeling when he was very young. It would be hard to change now. Besides, if he could really win Jenna¡¯s heart, since that woman was not bad and he also thought highly of her, then it would be a good choice if he were to marry Jenna. At least, it could fulfill his son¡¯s dream. Besides, Madam Lilian would be his backing support. So, he did not continue saying anything more.

    ¡°Dad, how is your current situation?¡± Sergio didn¡¯t want to continue the conversation concerning Jenna¡¯s matters, So, he changed the topic and asked in a low voice.

    ¡°There is no problem with the final result for the time being, but there will still be variables before the day is decided. We can¡¯t let our guard down,¡± Yadriel muttered and said shrewdly.

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry, Dad. We¡¯ve already taken care of everything and spent a lot of money. We shouldn¡¯t be surprised by anything unexpected. I¡¯m taking care of the Richards Group now. I guess that Luqman won¡¯t be able to get the support of the Richards Group for the time being. Besides, the current internal affairs of the Richards Group have been messed up by Zoe, and Luqman has no time to care about himself, let alone other things. As long as we can stabilise them, it¡¯s impossible for Luqman to have any hope.¡± Sergio calmly analysed. As long as the hundreds of thousands of men under Hansen did note out and cause any trouble, they believed that with their current forces, they were sure to win.

    However, Yadriel narrowed his eyes. He was not that optimistic.

    ¡°Son, I heard that before Trevor returned to A City, he first came to Capital City. As for his purpose and whom he went to see, my people have yet to find out so far. Trevor is not easy to handle.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Sergio was a little surprised.

    ¡°Yes. If he only came back to visit Johan, then that would make sense.¡± Yadriel nodded and analysed. ¡°But I heard that Vivian is very ill right now. At this time, instead of returning to fulfil his filial duty, Trevor had rushed over to visit Johan. This doesn¡¯t add up.¡±

    Yadriel¡¯s gaze looked as deep as the ocean, and the more he analysed, the more uneasy he became.

    ¡°Dad, are you worried that he will meet Luqman?¡± Sergio thought for a while and said to himself.

    This was what Yadriel was worried about. With the Richards Group¡¯s wealth and resources, it would be hard to predict what would happen if they were to support Luqman instead.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°It¡¯s always wise to y safe in this matter. We can only win and can¡¯t afford to lose.¡± At this moment, Yadriel had a heavy heart.

    ¡°Dad, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any need to worry about this matter. The Richards Group¡¯s financial power is declining day by day. With Zoe¡¯s frantic pursuit of vendetta against Richards Group, even if Trevor wanted to support Luqman, there¡¯s no way for him to do so. Furthermore, there might be something that would likely ur at any time.¡± Sergio believed that Yadriel had paid too much attention to the Richards Group and exaggerated their capabilities. To Trevor, if he could save the Richards Group from all this mess, he would consider himself lucky. He would not have the time and effort to care about other matters.

    Of course, he could use Zoe¡¯s act of framing Jenna in exchange for the support of the Richards Group for Yadriel¡¯s election. However, he would not use that card easily.

    Unless he wanted to give up on Jenna, Sergio hadpletely different thoughts at this moment. He had to fight for Jenna. Of course, Zoe would not agree with him so easily, since she had the evidence of this false usation.

    Until now, Yadriel could not think of a solution. He reminded Sergio again. ¡°Sergio, it¡¯s always wise to y safe. I¡¯m telling you, you have to be on your guard against Trevor at all times. If possible, I suggest that you stay in Richards Manor. That way, it¡¯ll be easier for you to find out the entire truth of the matter during the day at Richards Group and during the night at Richards Manor. You also have to be on your guard all the time. We only have this period of time. So, we have to be extra careful.¡±

    Sergio¡¯s heart skipped a beat at this suggestion.

    ¡°Furthermore, Sergio, I heard that Madam Lilian will return to A City soon in secret. It is probably because of her daughter. You have to keep a close eye on her and not allow her to reconcile with Sara for the time being. If she reconciles with Sara, I am afraid that it will interfere with my ns. No matter what, she will have to wait until I win the election.¡± Yadriel recalled the secret news he received this afternoon and hurried to remind Sergio.

    Sergio was surprised to hear that. The special feelings Madam Lilian had for Jenna during thest banquet came naturally to her. It seemed that Jenna had left a special impression on her. Then, would she meet Jenna again after she came back this time?

    He was no longer sure of this.

    If Jenna and Hansen had divorced, then everything would be easier to deal with. He believed that even if Lilian realised Jenna¡¯s identity after that, she would not want to help the Richards Group. It was possible that she would suppress the Richards Group in anger. After all, Hansen had done something wrong to her only granddaughter.

    It seemed that the assault from Zoe was not powerful enough.

    ¡°Sergio, how about this? My people are everywhere in Capital City and I have arranged all of them. You shall be staying in A City in the future and keep a close eye on the situation over there. It would be the best time to use the excuse of handling the case to be there.¡± Yadriel urged Sergio solemnly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. I¡¯ll be there tomorrow.¡± Sergio nodded and agreed.

    ¡°Also, son, I hope that you¡¯ll calm yourself down on the matters rted to Jenna. Don¡¯t ruin your future. You¡¯re a young man with great political prospects. You can have as many women as you want.¡± Yadriel patted Sergio on his shoulder and reminded him earnestly.

    Sergio remained silent.

 Chapter 491 Youâ€™re Not Allowed To Go On That Date

    It was another cool day with a light breeze.

    Sabrina was dressed in a light pink dress with high heels. She held a rubber duck in one hand and a bag of toys in the other, as she rushed towards the electric car.

    That day, she bought a lot of toys, all of which were for Jerry.

    During that period of time, after going to Richards Manor a few times, she was relieved to see that Norton wasn¡¯t pestering her anymore. Jenna was relieved as well. So, she let her stay in the manor.

    Of course, Sabrina stayed here as Jenna¡¯s best friend. Moreover, she stayed in a suite on the second floor of the Green Jade Garden with Jerry.

    Therefore, Sabrina¡¯s and Jerry¡¯s rtionship was getting better and better.

    Moreover, Jerry was quite fond of Sabrina. He said that Sabrina was quite pretty, which was very interesting.

    ¡°Jerry, Jerry!¡± Sabrina shouted as soon as she entered Green Jade Garden.

    Jerry was watching cartoons in the living room with sweat all over. Since Hansen was too busy, he didn¡¯t have time to y with Jerry. Thus, Jerry was so bored that he could only watch boring cartoons.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    However, he was quite immersed in them. Although Jerry thought that the cartoons were too childish, the girls in them were still very beautiful and lovely, and they suited his tastes. So, he would always be so engrossed in them that he would even forget to eat.

    The moment he heard Sabrina¡¯s shout, Jerry jumped up immediately.

    ¡°Auntie Fairy, Auntie Fairy!¡± he shouted happily and ran toward Sabrina.

    ¡®Auntie Fairy¡¯ was the nickname that Jerry thought of for Sabrina. It was because Sabrina looked as beautiful as a fairy. That was why he called her that.

    ¡°Jerry,e here and have a look. Do you know what this is?¡± Sabrina handed over the rubber duck in her hand to Jerry.

    Jerry looked at it as he retrieved it. ¡°Eh? What an ugly duckling. There¡¯s nothing fun about it!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true. Let me tell you. If you y with it properly, this ugly duckling can turn into a white swan, and it can even fly,¡± Sabrina exined with a smile.

    ¡°Really?¡± Jerry became extremely curious upon hearing that.

    ¡°Of course, but we have to go and y in a stream in Central Ind for it to take effect.¡± Sabrina exined patiently, ¡°Also, look at these toys. After putting these into the water, they will grow and can even bloom. That sounds fun right?¡±

    Jerry¡¯s eyes started to shine as he swallowed his saliva.

    ¡°Then, Sabrina, let¡¯s go to Central Ind immediately. I really want to see the ugly duckling turn into a white swan. I also want to see these toys grow,¡± Jerry said, rubbing his hands, feeling very excited.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get a stic basin first before going.¡± Sabrina was also looking forward to it as she liked ying with children. Furthermore, in that period of time, she spent most of her time in the Richards Group. Thus, she wanted to take a breather too.

    Just like that, Sabrina held Jerry¡¯s hand and walked to Central Ind.

    Central Ind was covered in green grass and had a cool breeze, which was veryfortable.

    Sabrina filled up the basin with water and put it on a te.Then, she emptied the bag of the toys.

    The two of them looked at the toys for a while, but nothing happened. After a while, they found that they had already waited for half an hour.

    ¡°Jerry, let¡¯s go and y with the ugly duckling first.¡± Sabrina knew that they shouldn¡¯t rush it. So, she suggested this.

    Jerry was, of course, ted. He was eager to give it a try.

    Nheless, when Sabrina took out the rubber duck and put it in the water for a while, it didn¡¯t transform at all. The two of them were dumbfounded upon seeing that.

    ¡°Auntie Fairy, you must¡¯ve been tricked. This ugly duckling can¡¯t be a white swan and fly at all,¡± Jerry said with a displeased expression.

    ¡°s, it¡¯s such a pity, Jerry. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either. I¡¯ve tried my best too. So, don¡¯t be discouraged. I¡¯ll buy you something else next time.¡± Since the rubber duck didn¡¯t work as intended, Sabrina had no choice but tofort Jerry.

    Then, the two of them sat on the bench, and could only look at the toys in the basin, waiting for them to bloom and grow.

    After a while, the phone rang.

    ¡°Sweetheart, can I treat you to dinner?¡± A very crisp male voice came from the other side of the phone and Sabrina was in a daze after hearing it.

    ¡°Toffle Maud?¡± she cried out. Toffle was actually her ssmate when she was in college. He wasn¡¯t from Capital Citybut he was from A City. After graduating, he started to work in the Richards Group. Unexpectedly, he met Sabrina in the past few days. Moreover, Sabrina was the vice president. So, the rtionship between the two quickly became better.

    In college, Toffle was a friend who was easy to talk to, and since they were working for the Richards Group right then, they had a lot inmon.

    Wow, Toffle called her just when she had leisure time that day.

    ¡°Dinner? Where?¡± Sabrina looked at the time. It was only half past five. So, there was still enough time for her to get dressed.

    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s go to the Blue Swan Restaurant. The food there is very good, and their cooking style is simr to that of Capital City¡¯s.¡± Toffle said enthusiastically, ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up at six o¡¯clock.¡±

    ¡°Oh, all right then.¡± Sabrina tilted her head and thought for a moment. Then, she agreed quickly.

    ¡°Auntie Fairy, are you going on a date?¡± Jerry, who was standing at the side, had a gloomy expression as he pouted and asked.

    ¡°Sort of.¡± Sabrina¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She then thought for a moment and continued. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jerry. I¡¯ve really let you down today. I¡¯ll go and settle with the shop and ask him topensate with ten ugly ducklings, so that he won¡¯t trick other people in the future, alright?¡±

    Sabrinaforted Jerry as she looked into the basin.

    ¡°That¡¯s not sincere enough.¡± When Jerry heard Sabrina¡¯s words, and that she had to leave him so soon, he had a dull expression.

    ¡°Hey, look, the toys have really grown. Come on, look.¡± Sabrina saw that all the toys had grown into something akin to pearls. They were sparkling and translucent, and were even shining. Gradually, they began to split, and they gradually grew in size again. After that, they split again, which was a spectacr sight.

    At that moment, both of them were stunned.

    ¡°Auntie Fairy, look, this one isn¡¯t splitting. It¡¯s blooming!¡± Jerry pointed at another toy that was growing and screamed. The two of them finally got a little more excited.

    After seeing all that, Sabrina started to pack up the things, preparing to bring Jerry back to Green Jade Garden as she had a date with Toffle.

    Jerry hadn¡¯t had enough fun. So, he wasn¡¯t willing to leave.

    After packing up the things, she took Jerry¡¯s hand and was about to leave. However, as soon as she took a step, she ran into someone, which frightened her.

    ¡°Sabrina, where are you going?¡± Norton asked. His expression was gloomy as he stood behind her, but his voice, on the other hand, sounded gentle.

    ¡°Norton, Auntie Fairy and her boyfriend are going out for dinner. She really isn¡¯t a good friend at all, valuing romance over friendship.¡± Jerryined immediately.

    ¡°Jerry, don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± When Sabrina saw Norton¡¯s downcast expression, she wanted to stop Jerry, but it was toote.

    ¡°I see.¡± Norton smiled at Jerry pleasantly. Then, he raised his head and asked with a cold expression, ¡°Sabrina, is that so?¡±

    Sabrina was forced to take a step back under the pressure of Norton¡¯s imposing manner. She then avoided his fierce gaze in a panic.

    After a while, she came back to her senses.

    D*mn, what the hell was that?

    She didn¡¯t do anything wrong. So, why would she feel flustered as if she was a thief? She immediately stood up and said loudly, ¡°Yes, my boyfriend asked me out on a date, and I¡¯m going to leave soon.¡±

    At that point, he turned to Jerry and said, ¡°Since Norton is here, you can y with him. I¡¯ll leave first.¡±

    As she spoke, she was about to walk past Norton and head outside.

    It just so happened that the path wasn¡¯t wide enough.

    Norton was standing there blocking the path. So, Sabrina could only move her body sideways in order to slip past him.

    However, Norton reached out his hand and grabbed her arm before she could move. With a little force, he pulled Sabrina to his chest.

    ¡°Hey, what is the meaning of this?¡± Sabrina realized that she had mmed against Norton¡¯s chest, and she asked angrily as she wanted to leave immediately.

    Nheless, Norton was holding Sabrina tightly in front of his chest and Sabrina could not move at all.

    Sabrina¡¯s soft chest was stuck to Norton¡¯s chest. In addition to that, her face was against his chest too. Such a questionable posture made Sabrina¡¯s face flush in an instant.

    ¡°Let go of me, Norton.¡± She was fuming with anger. ¡°If you don¡¯t let me go now, then I¡¯ll scream!¡±

    That b*stard, who did he think he was? It was obvious that he was harassing her!

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you want me to let you go, but you¡¯re not allowed to go on that date,¡± Norton said slowly, but in a very overbearing manner.

    ¡°What right do you have to stop me? This is my personal matter, and it¡¯s none of your business. You don¡¯t have the right to control these things.¡± Sabrina got furious in an instant. Why did that guy have to hold her in such a way?

    ¡°As long as you live in Richards Manor, I have the right to control you,¡± Norton said straightforwardly.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have the right. You¡¯ve already been kicked out of Richards Manor.¡± Sabrina bit him with her teeth while he was not paying attention. Then, Sabrina pushed him away when he was in pain. She then steadied her footing, and refuted him angrily.

    ¡°Even if I had been kicked out, my surname is still Richards. Also, Jenna has already said that I will still get my share of the inheritance. Therefore, with that, I¡¯ll have the right to care about your safety as long as you are staying in Richards Manor, so that you won¡¯t get bullied by bad guys. If something happens to you, we have to exin to General Delia. At the same time, we might even have to bear some responsibility. Or perhaps, Richards Manor¡¯s reputation might even be damaged.¡± Norton was saying words that sounded very reasonable, which made Sabrina feel helpless.

    What utter drivel. She would already be considered lucky if she wasn¡¯t bullied by Norton, as he was obviously the most dangerous man!

    Sabrina immediately sneered. ¡°Norton, as long as you don¡¯t bully me, I won¡¯t meet any bad guys in my life. Please don¡¯t bother me again. Otherwise, I won¡¯te to Richards Manor again in the future.¡±

    Those words caused Norton¡¯s heart to sink. In an instant, his entire body became cold, and his expression became extremely terrifying.

    ¡°Sabrina, can I take that as you looking down on me? Are you looking down on me because of my family background and for the fact that my career wasn¡¯t sessful?¡± He clenched his fists very tightly, and at the same time, blue veins appeared on his forehead.

 Chapter 492 Mentally Exhausted

    ¡°What about it? Yes, I do look down on you. You are just apletely nasty person from head to toe,¡± Sabrina responded cruelly.

    After saying that, Sabrina felt a little scared.

    A cold aura was emanating from Norton¡¯s body. Even the surrounding temperature had dropped by a few degrees.

    At that moment, the muscles on Norton¡¯s face were distorted. He gritted his teeth and his entire body trembled. He had a terrifying gaze too.

    It was already toote for Sabrina to regret saying such hurtful words. She had always known that Norton had very low self-esteem. What she had just said was no different than adding salt to his wounds.

    However, she felt like she had to say it no matter what. His behavior in the past was really despicable and right then, his behavior hadn¡¯t improved much either. What right did he have to meddle in her affairs that day?

    ¡°Norton, Auntie Fairy, let¡¯s go home.¡± Jerry was a little scared when he saw how terrifying Norton¡¯s face looked.

    After a while, Norton finally calmed down.

    He heaved a sigh.

    ¡°Jerry, we¡¯ll leave after I help you turn the ugly duckling into a swan, okay?¡± Aftering back to his senses, Norton hadpletely calmed down. He bent down and spoke to Jerry gently.

    ¡°Really?¡± Jerry asked happily.

    ¡°Of course, do you think I will lie to you?¡± Actually, he had been sitting behind the big stone on Central Ind, lost in thought.

    Therefore, he immediately knew when Sabrina brought Jerry there. He also witnessed all of their actions.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    For so many years, he kept thinking about Sabrina endlessly. He wanted to get close to her and talk to her, but he did not have the courage when he thought of his own situation.

    That day, if Sabrina didn¡¯t say that she was going out for a date, he wouldn¡¯t have stood in the pathway and faced her.

    When Sabrina received a phone call and was about to go out, he couldn¡¯t help it. How could he watch his beloved woman go on a date with another man? The jealousy he felt made him unable to calm down.

    Resolutely, he stood in the pathway to stop her.

    Surely enough, she was looking down on him.

    What right did he have to force her to meet his demands? So, he reluctantly brought Jerry towards the river.

    In fact, there was a mechanism on the rubber duck¡¯s body. One had to fill it up with water and bnce its buoyancy before it would transform into a white swan.

    Norton grabbed the rubber duck out of the water. After finding the mechanism, he gently opened it up and put it back on the water. Not long after, the rubber duck sank in the water as it was filled with water.

    Jerry¡¯s eyes widened.

    Sabrina also forgot about her date. She walked over slowly and watched curiously.

    After a while, ripples appeared on the surface of the water, and then, it turned into a whirlpool that became bigger and bigger.

    A miracle happened.

    A beautiful white swan rushed up to the surface from beneath the water. At the moment of its transformation, everyone was stunned.

    ¡°Ah, what a beautiful swan!¡± Jerry eximed in amazement.

    Even Sabrina couldn¡¯t help but to cry. She opened her mouth as she looked at it in shock. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to close her mouth again.

    ¡°Norton, you¡¯re amazing.¡± Jerry couldn¡¯t help but to give him a thumbs up as praise when he saw how the rubber duck transformed into a white swan from Norton¡¯s quick thinking.

    Norton smiled faintly as he held onto Jerry¡¯s small hand.

    ¡°Jerry, I¡¯ll take you back to Green Jade Garden,¡± Norton said softly. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed that Sabrina hadn¡¯t left yet, but he didn¡¯t bat an eye at her anymore. He held Jerry¡¯s hand and walked past her.

    He once thought that if he was sessful, he would impress her, but right then, he hadn¡¯t done anything at all. However, the fact that Sabrina was looking down on him made him feel like his heart had been pricked by a thorn, and it was so painful that he couldn¡¯t bear to speak.

    ¡°Auntie Fairy, make sure youe back earlier. Otherwise, Mom will be worried about you,¡± Jerry said, winking at her, as he passed by Sabrina.

    Only after hearing Jerry¡¯s words did Sabrina realize that she had forgotten about her date.So, she turned around and left in a hurry.

    Nevertheless, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to enjoy that date after Norton¡¯s disruptions.

    In the Richards family¡¯s study, the atmosphere was rather heavy.

    ¡°Dad, my people have already searched through Zoe¡¯s office and followed her for a long time, but they still weren¡¯t able to find strong evidence to prove Jenna¡¯s innocence. At present, we still can¡¯t find any evidence of her being framed.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were solemn, and the anxiety in his eyes was rather obvious.

    Trevor slowly took off his sses. The wrinkles in the corners of his eyes made him look rather old. His eyes were deep and glistening with wisdom, and his gaze was quite solemn.

    ¡°Hansen, why aren¡¯t you able to detect any abnormalities in something like this in advance? An excellent entrepreneur should have been aware of the iing dangers. But now, you are in apletely passive position, and are being led around by the nose by the enemy. My heart aches when I see this.¡±

    Hansen opened his mouth slightly and could not speak for a moment.

    That time, he was indeed at fault, as he was careless. As a result, Jenna was the one who had been harmed.

    So, there was even a time when someone as proud as him had to bow his head down.

    Trevor nced at him and gently shook his head. ¡°Since someone is trying to frame us, then it means that they have a bigger goal that they want to achieve. Now that things have turned out this way, it¡¯s futile for you even to struggle.¡±

    The veins at the corners of Hansen¡¯s forehead bulged. His eyes were clear and sharp.

    ¡°If it goes on like this, we can only go with the original n.¡±

    If he followed the original n, he would have no choice but to marry Liya.

    He didn¡¯t say anything anymore.

    Trevor also fell silent.

    ¡°Dad, what I¡¯m most worried about is the damage done to Jenna. I don¡¯t think I can make up for it.¡± There was a hint of a gasp in his voice.

    Trevor strolled to the window and looked at the dark night. He said in a low voice, ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s always darkest before dawn. As dawn breaks, everything will surely turn bright. So, we have to be confident.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were a little empty, and his handsome face was full of bleakness.

    ¡°Dad, this is unfair. Jenna is innocent.So, why should she bear these consequences?¡± Hansen¡¯s voice was very cold.

    He was actually more worried about Jenna¡¯s resolute departure.

    Obviously, Trevor also understood his feelings.

    Soon, he asked in a low voice, ¡°Hansen, if we tell her the truth and let her know the current situation, do you think her situation will improve? In fact, she also has the responsibility to know.¡±

    Hansen didn¡¯t know how many times he had thought about Trevor¡¯s words. There were even a few times that he almost told Jenna about it, but in the end, he still wasn¡¯t able to do so.

    ¡°Dad, Jenna is a smart woman. If she knows that all the evidence the Richards Group have is pointing toward her being the culprit, that the Richards Group will have many changes in the future because of that, and what that woman is thinking. Then, given her personality, she wouldn¡¯t bear to see something happen to the Richards family. She would definitely take the initiative to bear all the charges, and then she would willingly go to jail, even if she knew she was being framed. Then, even if the Richards Group isn¡¯t facing a crisis anymore, and that we¡¯re all deemed innocent, she will still probably draw a line with me and divorce me. Therefore, Dad, how could we have the heart to let something such as this happen? Asking a frail woman to bear other people¡¯s revenge on us and be the scapegoat for the whole Richards Group. What are we if really acted this way! What¡¯s more, she is my wife and Jerry¡¯s mother. I¡¯m her husband, but as long as I¡¯m a man, how can I tolerate a thing such as this? That¡¯s why I don¡¯t n to involve her in this matter anymore. Her dismissal from the Richards Group will only be better for her.¡±

    The muscles on Hansen¡¯s face twitched and the pain in his eyes could not be suppressed. ¡°Dad, until now, I¡¯m still regretting it. I shouldn¡¯t have let her go back to the Richards Group to work. If she hadn¡¯t worked there, she wouldn¡¯t have set up an online workshop, and Liya wouldn¡¯t have appeared. At least she wouldn¡¯t be the one to bear all the criminal charges. With that, we wouldn¡¯t be in such a disadvantageous position too.¡±

    Until then, whenever he thought about that matter, he would feel extremely upset. If he had worked harder back then, and if Jenna had not returned to work in the Richards Group, Zoe wouldn¡¯t have been able to take her revenge on the Richards Group so easily. At least, Jenna wouldn¡¯t have been the scapegoat.

    Right then, their project was already halfway through, and they could only continue on, as it was going to show results soon.

    Trevor felt very heavy, and what Hansen was worried about was exactly what he was worried about. Thus, he chose to support his son.

    How could the prestigious Richards Group make their daughter-inw take the me for them?

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. Our project has begun to show results. The enemy has already taken the bait too. As long as we continue to hold on, maybe everything is not needed anymore, or perhaps everything will be over.¡± Hansen¡¯s sharp eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and the expression on his face was confident and hopeful.

    Trevor furrowed his eyebrows. The light in his eyes was very dim. In fact, he was worried that the matter might be moreplicated than they thought.

    ¡°Dad, how should we deal with Uncle ude¡¯s side of things?¡± Hansen thought of an even more pressing problem.

    Trevor¡¯s gaze was obscure as he asked in a deep voice, ¡°Hansen, do you still remember Wullen Town¡¯s chemical nt?¡±

    ¡°Chemical nt?¡± Hansen raised his head, and he sensed danger. ¡°Could it be that Uncle ude has something to do with the chemical nt in Wullen Town?¡±

    ¡°Given our current situation, we cannot rule that out. For now, you should follow your footsteps as I have my own intentions. We can only act ording to the original n and take one step at a time. Don¡¯t worry, no matter how cunning the enemy is, we will still grab hold of them one day, as long as we don¡¯t panic,¡± Trevor said solemnly, without exining much. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte now, go and rest first.¡±

    After Trevor waved his hand, Hansen had no choice but to leave the study with a mncholic expression.

    When the night slowly approached, Jenna felt very exhausted and went to bed earlier than usual.

    In those past few days, it seemed that she would easily get exhausted and feel sleepy.

    She thought that it must be because she was mentally exhausted.

    She didn¡¯t have the energy to think about matters regarding the Richards Group and Hansen at all.

    When her head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep almost immediately.

 Chapter 493 Liya Meets Hansenâ€™s Parents

    When Hansen returned to the bedroom, Jenna was already sleeping soundly. He bent down to nce at her, and he saw that she was sleeping very peacefully. She looked like she didn¡¯t feel as much pain as she had over the past few days. It seemed that she had adapted to the environment too. Hansen felt very gratified upon seeing that, but at the same time, he also felt deeply sorry for her.

    Jenna didn¡¯t know when it happened, but she felt warm and thick shoulders embracing her, and her face was caressed gently by a hand. She then opened her eyes in a daze. The lights in the bedroom were dim, and Hansen appeared in front of her with a slightly tired face.

    She nced at him, turned her face away, and turned her back towards him.

    Over the past few days, he woulde back every night to keep herpany, and he would always be extremely gentle.

    However, Jenna still felt very ufortable. She felt like she had been pricked by a thorn, and she treated him very coldly.

    ¡°Jenna, are you awake?¡± Hansen hugged her from behind and sprayed his hot breath on her neck. His lips were brushing against her earlobe, and his voice was very soft and pleasant to listen to.

    Jenna closed her eyes and ignored him.

    Hansen knew that she was angry. Even if she could adapt to the current situation, it was too difficult for a woman to ept her husband¡¯s betrayal without any resentment.

    Hansen felt a surge of guilt and remorse in his heart.

    During those days, he tried his best to avoid that kind of situation, but he still couldn¡¯t predict what would happen.

    He wrapped her body from behind with his arms and clung to her with his scorching body.

    ¡°Jenna, I want you,¡± he whispered in her ear with a soft and sweet voice,greedily breathing in her fragrance.

    That was the only form of love he could give her. At present, he could onlypensate her like that as he really didn¡¯t know what else he could do.

    Deep down, he was very afraid of losing her.

    Jenna was calm and she didn¡¯t get angry. She simply closed her eyes. Over the past few days, Hansen would always return home to be by her side and spend all his time loving her. His love for her was gentle and delicate, yet it was intense. His intense love would always end up enveloping her.

    His shameful words and actions would usually make her blush when she thought of them in the morning. His passionate gentleness and extreme love really made her feel the blissfulness of being a woman. When he hugged her to sleep, she felt that she was a blessed wife.

    Even if she had to face the cruel reality the next day, the love he gave her at night still made her feel reluctant to refuse him.

    It was due to the fact that she was afraid that she would not be able to live a blissful life anymore.So, she yearned for a blissful life a lot. She wanted to live a happy life with Hansen and Jerry. Even if it was just a pipe dream, she still wanted to feel that way.

    She smiled bitterly.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Actually, she understood that Hansen was going to marry Liya and that deep down, he was worried that Jenna would disagree, or that she would propose a divorce. Hence, he would always make love to her every night in order to keep her from leaving.

    All wives couldn¡¯t bear to leave their husbands, and Jenna was no exception. Her attachment to Hansen was the same as how Hansen couldn¡¯t leave her. In recent days, even though she was very exhausted, she stillplied with Hansen¡¯s each and every demand, in order to satisfy him as much as possible.

    She didn¡¯t know how long that kind of life wouldst, but she also wanted to keep feeling that kind of bliss for as long as possible. She was infatuated by his presence and was worried that she would suddenly lose him one day, which would make her feel panicky and ufortable.

    Actually, she didn¡¯t have the courage to leave him. Even if she watched him marry Liya and see them flirt in front of her, she would still force herself to hold back her tears and look at them, as she didn¡¯t have the courage to leave that family and him.

    Jenna and him were inseparable for a long time.So, how could she bear to be away from him?

    Right then, she understood why some women pretended to be fine and maintained their status quo even though they knew their husband cheated on them with some other woman outside. It was because they couldn¡¯t bear it.

    The next morning, Hansen held onto Jenna¡¯s hand as they went downstairs.

    When they were still upstairs, Jenna had already sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat strange. Indeed, when Hansen held her hand tightly and led her down to the hall downstairs, her keen eyes captured a scene that left her astounded.

    Liya, who was dressed up very elegantly, was sitting on the couch, with her hands on her knees. She had a kind expression and looked like a graceful and virtuous young woman, which inspired one to love her upon seeing her.

    On the other hand, Trevor was seated across from her like an elder meeting a young one. From time to time, he would chat with her and ask questions in a kind manner. The atmosphere was very amiable.

    Liya¡¯s face was all smiles as she answered Trevor¡¯s questions in a virtuous manner. She sounded very gentle and soft. One could not help but to dote on her.

    What was going on?! Liya hade to meet Hansen¡¯s parents!

    That woman was not simple at all!

    Jenna waspletely stunned. Her entire body trembled, as she involuntarily approached Hansen. However, she quickly understood the cruel reality, and wanted to turn around and leave.

    Hansen had long sensed her subtle changes. He turned his head to look at her and used his palm to hold her hand, keeping her by his side.

    ¡°Hansen, Jenna, you guys are here. Good morning.¡± When Liya saw that Hansen and Jenna hade down, she hurriedly stood up with a smile on her face and spoke respectfully. Also, when she saw Hansen and Jenna holding each other¡¯s hands tightly, she quickly averted her gaze and smiled calmly.

    She knew that her status in Richards Manner was simply the second wife and that it wasn¡¯t her ce to be jealous of Jenna. Furthermore, that day was her first time meeting Hansen¡¯s parents. So, naturally, she had to maintain her magnanimity and calmness.

    ¡°Jenna, this is my first time here. So, I would really appreciate your guidance. In the future, I want to be on good terms with you and manage this family together,¡± Liya said as she smiled at Jenna in an extremely friendly manner.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned pale, and it took her a long time to calm down. In the face of Liya¡¯s enthusiasm, she tried her best to force a smile.

    ¡°Liya, there¡¯s no need to be so polite. Please take a seat.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you, Jenna.¡± Liya smiled very generously, turned around, and sat on the couch with her light body. Her expression was very calm and natural, as if she already treated that ce like her home.

    ¡°Mom, Dad, good morning.¡± Hansen brought Jenna, stood in front of Trevor and Marissa, and greeted them.

    ¡°Good morning.¡± Trevor¡¯s eyes were very deep, and one couldn¡¯t easily see through him. He only replied with a friendly nod. His eyes rested on Jenna¡¯s face for a moment, before drifting over and pointing to the couch next to him. ¡°Have a seat. I have something to say.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Hansen answered politely and sat down on the couch on the other side with Jenna.

    Marissa¡¯s expression wasplicated, and it could be seen that she was nervous. She had never expected Jenna, who had always been very fond of having Hansen to herself, to agree to let Hansen take a second wife, and even invited Liya to live in the manor.

    That was beyond her imagination. She even thought that it was ridiculous! Thinking of what she said to Jenna in the backyard that day, she felt extremely embarrassed, to the point where she didn¡¯t even know how to face Jenna.

    ¡°Jenna, Hansen¡¯s and Liya¡¯s matters are already on the news, but I think you guys already know that. Since Hansen¡¯s and Liya¡¯s rtionship has already been exposed, then we can¡¯t joke it off anymore. We will take responsibility for this. Right now, you are Hansen¡¯s first wife, and it is Liya¡¯s first time meeting her elders in the Richards family. So, I thought that I should make things clear to you, and I also hope that you will guide her well in all aspects in the future, so that she won¡¯t make any mistakes and be aughing stock,¡± Trevor said to Jenna directly, after they sat down.

    Jenna was prepared for that, but she neither expected that the matter would happen so soon, nor that Liya would show up in the manor so quickly.

    Facing that kind of situation, she felt a chill all over. She could neither choose whether to answer nor to refute Trevor¡¯s words. She had no choice but to ept it.

    In fact, the modern-looking Richards Manor was actually a strict feudal house.

    There was no way for her, a daughter-inw of the family, to refute the decision made by the elders of the Richards family. She had no other choice but to ept it.

    In that way, neither Trevor nor Hansen had directly consulted her opinion. When Trevor asked her to go to the study that day, he was actually just telling her to follow his ns. It wasn¡¯t a discussion at all, and she understood it.

    Tears of disappointment welled up in her eyes but she forced them back.

    ¡°Okay, Dad.¡± She looked up at Trevor. His eyes were unfathomable. She couldn¡¯t figure out what his intention was, but she had no choice but to give a clear answer.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Hearing her reply, Trevor was obviously very satisfied. He nodded his head in approval.

    ¡°Liya, since you¡¯vee to see us elders today, it can be said that you¡¯re already partially a part of the Richards family, and it¡¯s very likely that you¡¯ll be a family member in the future. Jenna is the head wife of our family. This is a fact that no one can change. The people in Richards Manor all respect her and we hope that you¡¯ll respect her too. Please listen to her and treat her as if she were your own sister,¡± Trevor said solemnly to Liya with amanding tone.

    Liya immediately felt a cold, awe-inspiring chill.

    When Trevor spoke with Jenna just then, it was in a kind and gentle tone, exactly like a father speaking to his daughter, but he spoke to Liya in a stern tone, as if he was speaking to an outsider or his subordinate.

    ¡°Liya, our family is a prestigious family. There are many rules and restrictions in Richards Manor. I hope you will prepare yourself and abide by these rules, so that you won¡¯t bring shame to Green Jade Garden.¡± Marissa¡¯s gaze was even sharper and colder.

    ¡°Yes, Dad, Mom, I will.¡± Liya was a smart person. Although she didn¡¯t like it, she still could feel the chilling auraing from Trevor and Marissa, but she was already very grateful that they epted her.So, she immediately changed her mind and answered sweetly and modestly.

    Nevertheless, at that moment, Liya clearly felt the huge contrast between the respect everyone in Richards Manor had for Jenna and their treatment of her.

 Chapter 494 The Relationship Between the In-Laws

    Just like when Liya was young, when she and her mother came to the majestic and bold Richards Manor, what they got were only eyes of contempt and an indifferent treatment. Everyone despised them and treated them coldly.

    That day, she entered Richards Manoronce again, and her status was once again looked down upon by everyone.

    The following breakfast, Hansen kept taking care of Jenna. He followed her gently and considerately. From time to time, he would also pick some food and whenever she frowned slightly, Hansen would immediately order his servants to take away the dishes she did not like and bring her the things she wanted.

    Yet, he treated Liya very coldly. He didn¡¯t even look at her during the meal.

    Every servant addressed Jenna as Madam, and they respected her from the bottom of their hearts. On the other hand, they treated her with unspeakable coldness and disgust.

    Such treatment made her feel even more resentful, and she looked at Jenna with deep jealousy and anger from the bottom of her heart.

    However, she didn¡¯t show it. She just sat there in a generous and calm manner.

    She knew that on such an asion, she could only make herself look more energetic. She couldn¡¯t lose her cool. Otherwise, she would even lose the courage to be there. After all, after she had married into that prestigious family in the future, such a situation would surely happen most of the time. That was so, unless she could turn the world upside down and somehow make her status higher than Jenna¡¯s.

    Nheless, for the time being, that was almost impossible.

    Breakfast was good.

    Yet everyone didn¡¯t eat much.

    Everyone was thinking about their own worries.

    Jenna didn¡¯t have much appetite either. She only ate a few mouthfuls of food. Hansen would pick her favorite food for her from time to time, but she didn¡¯t eat them as she felt disgusted.

    After the meal, Trevor and Marissa went upstairs first.

    And Liya¡¯s purpose of the visit that day hade to an end.

    After breakfast, Hansen took care of Jenna carefully and held her hand as they went back upstairs.

    ¡°Jenna, yourplexion is very bad. Take a good rest at home and don¡¯t overthink.¡± After Hansen sent Jenna upstairs, he settled her down softly, looked at her face, and spoke with distress.

    The corners of Jenna¡¯s mouth twitched as a response to him, and she looked at the trees outside the window expressionlessly.

    Her husband took another woman home as his wife. So, how could she feel good? Was that a joke?

    Moreover, Hansen wasn¡¯t Jenna. So, how could he know how she felt?

    ¡°Jenna, remember what I have said. You have to face everything strongly. Trust me, I will make sure that justice is served,¡± Hansen said as he looked at Jenna¡¯s cold and pained face. Although she did not say anything, he could still feel her pain and unhappiness. His eyes grew darker, and he said in detail, ¡°Take good care of our son at home. I wille back early tonight. It¡¯s time.So, I¡¯m going to leave.¡±

    After urging her again, he left.

    It wasn¡¯t until his footsteps disappeared in the corridor that Jenna stood up and walked to the balcony. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she saw Hansen walking outside with Liya.

    Behind Hansen¡¯s handsome figure was Liya¡¯s slim figure. They walked towards the electric vehicle in single file.

    Then, they got into the electric vehicle at the same time. She then saw Liya tugging on Hansen¡¯s arm and resting her head on his shoulder.

    Then, the electric vehicle rumbled out.

    A spurt of acid shot from Jenna¡¯s stomach to her throat. Jenna covered her lips with her hands, and everything in front of her eyes turned dark.

    Everything seemed to have returned to the beginning. It was just like Aria¡¯s matters from many years ago. The feeling was too simr, except that she had a beautiful dream in between.

    She had woken up from the dream right then.

    ¡°Trevor, tell me, why is that? Why did you let Liya join our family? Did you be as muddled as your son?¡± Marissa could not bear it any longer. As soon as she entered the study, she quickly asked Trevor.

    Marissa only found out about Liya¡¯s visit when she woke up in the morning. Before that, Trevor never mentioned it to her, which was very abnormal.

    She did not think that Trevor had turned old and be senile at that point.

    Marissa couldn¡¯t tell how much benefit the Richards family would gain by marrying Liya into the family, but she could clearly tell how much harm it would bring.

    That woman was the stepchild that ude had brought back a few years ago. Forget her family status, even her family background was unclear. In those few years, her father used that as an excuse toe to Richards Manor to ask for money and had caused amotion. At that time, even Vivian was very troubled by it. If Trevor were to repeat things again, wouldn¡¯t he be digging his own grave?

    Besides being pretty, that woman didn¡¯t seem to have the potential to be the daughter-inw of a prestigious family.

    The most important thing was that they had a legitimate daughter-inw in Jenna. She was the first daughter-inw of the Richards family that couldn¡¯t be divorced, and she was the one who was in charge of the family too. One didn¡¯t need to think much to know what kind of trauma it would bring Jenna by settling things like that. Would that really be beneficial to Richards Manor?

    Thinking of that, Marissa panicked.

    ¡°Your opinion isn¡¯t important.¡± Trevor sat down in front of his desk. He then picked up a book and slowly read it.

    ¡°Trevor, I don¡¯t agree with your decision of marrying Liya into Green Jade Garden.¡± Marissa was enraged by Trevor¡¯s indifference. She immediately spat out those words.

    ¡°Can you stop messing around foolishly?¡± Trevor was irritated by Marissa¡¯s nagging. He put down the book in his hands and shouted in a deep voice.

    ¡°You think I¡¯m messing around foolishly?¡± Marissa became even angrier and loudly argued. ¡°Then, don¡¯t regret it when Jenna leaves. Since her self-esteem is so strong, do you think she can stand this? Don¡¯t look down on her too much. Do you really think Liya¡¯s value will be greater than Jenna¡¯s? What¡¯s more, Jenna is the mother of my grandson. She is Jerry¡¯s biological mother.¡±

    Marissa was very distressed. That morning, she saw how pale Jenna¡¯s face was. Although she forced a smile, the painful look in her eyes still scared Marissa. Since she could see it, why couldn¡¯t Trevor?

    ¡°In the face of a disaster that concerns the whole family, we have no choice but to ignore all that. I believe that given Jenna¡¯s wisdom, she wille to understand this, and she will surely bear with it.¡± Trevor stood up. He muttered to himself with eyes as deep as the sea.

    ¡°Crazy, you¡¯re all crazy.¡± Marissa couldn¡¯t understand Trevor¡¯s words. She shook her head and shouted. She then left the room with a m of the door.

    Jenna only stayed in the bedroom for a while. Then, she cheered herself up and went to work in the Ink Garden.

    Despite the fact that she was at Richards Manor, there were still many family matters to attend to. Since she did not have to work at thepany anymore, other than going to the Ink Garden to take care of Vivian everyday, she would always go to the Ink Garden¡¯s office to work for half a day.

    Following Liya¡¯s and Hansen¡¯s scandal, the Richards Group seemed to have calmed down. Over the past few days, they had not even heard of any rumors that were unfavorable to them.

    Not long after Jenna sat down, as she was looking at some financial statements in the office in the Ink Garden, she saw Marissa walking in with a smile and a gentle expression on her face.

    ¡°Mom, you¡¯re here,¡± Jenna stood up in a hurry and greeted her with a smile.

    ¡°Jenna, sit down,¡± Marissa said amiably and kindly, andsat opposite Jenna with a face full of smiles.

    ¡°How about it? Is being the person-in-charge difficult?¡± Marissa asked with concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I guess. Don¡¯t worry, Mom. These matters are not difficult,¡± Jenna replied simply, andsmiled slightly.

    ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Marissa nodded. ¡°Since you¡¯re in charge, you have to take care of the family¡¯s matters. It must be tough.¡± Marissa¡¯s expression became a little grave as she spoke. Suddenly, she sighed and said, ¡°Jenna, we have really wronged you with what happened in the morning. I didn¡¯t expect that to happen either. I thought that your father-inw would not agree to let Hansen marry Liya, but who knew that he would agree to it. I think that he must have had his difficulties, and hence did so. You¡¯re the first daughter-inw of our Richards family, and we all know that. So, please don¡¯t do anything rash. Don¡¯t quarrel with Hansen either. ording to my observation, Hansen doesn¡¯t love that woman at all. There must be a reason for this. Let¡¯s wait and see. In any case, Hansen still hasn¡¯t married her, right?¡±

    Marissa tried to ease Jenna¡¯s anxiety with an embarrassed expression.

    Jenna understood Marissa¡¯s intentions. Actually, that matter really had nothing to do with Marissa. She understood that and immediately smiled. ¡°Mom, you can rest assured. I know what to do.¡±

    ¡°Really? You really are a good girl.¡± Although Marissa saw that Jenna had said those words with a pained expression, it could be seen that she didn¡¯t particrly resist the matter. It was only then that Marissa¡¯s heart could calm down a little, and she praised Jenna.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m afraid that it will be difficult for Grandma to recover from her illness. As the person-in-charge, you have to be prepared, so that you won¡¯t panic and mess things up then.¡± Marissa suddenly thought of Vivian and gave Jenna a considerate reminder.

    Jenna understood what she meant. In fact, she had been making preparations over the past few days.

    Vivian was only eating porridge to survive everyday. If things went on like that, one could imagine what would happen in the future.

    ¡°Jenna, apany me for a walk today, okay? I have some matters regarding Grandma to take care of too.¡± As soon as Marissa said that, Jenna understood her intention. Marissa wanted to take her out for a walk to drive away her worries and tofort her, and to apologize for what had happened that morning.

    In any case, Marissa¡¯s intentions were good.

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s go. Work is something that you will not finish, no matter what. It¡¯s been a long time since the both of us had gone out together. Furthermore, we have to buy new sets of clothes for Jerry and for you too. As for me, since I haven¡¯t gone out for so long, I have something to buy too. Just consider it as apanying me,¡± Marissa said enthusiasticallyandpulled on Jenna.

    Jenna had no choice but to stand up. Also, just then, she heard that Marissa was going to settle Grandma¡¯s affairs. To be honest, she really didn¡¯t know anything about Grandma¡¯s funeral arrangements. After all, Marissa had seen major events before.So, Jenna still needed Marissa¡¯s advice on certain matters for the future.

    Moreover, Marissa was obviously trying to win her over. As her daughter-inw, she had to know what was good for her.

    Thus, the inws walked out hand in hand intimately.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll go and start the car.¡± As soon as Jenna and Marissa got off the electric vehicle, Jenna was the first to say something.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to. Jenna, we have to go to a lot of ces today. Let the driver drive us. That way, we can stroll around slowly and enjoy ourselves.¡± Marissa had already thought of that. So, she simply said that with a smile.

    Jenna looked up and saw that the driver was already waiting at the gate with the car. So, she did not force the matter anymore.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Along the way, Marissa was very enthusiastic. As for Jenna, except for going along with her conversation and ttering her, she didn¡¯t say much more.

    Marissa knew that Jenna was in a bad mood. So, she didn¡¯t force her to be happy either.

    The funeral parlor was not in a very isted ce. In fact, it was in the center of the city.

    As Jenna and Marissa just got down, they suddenly saw shing lights shining at them. Before they could figure out what was going on, arge group of media reporters were already heading towards them.

 Chapter 495 Crazy Woman

    ¡°Madam Marissa, Mrs. Richards, is it true that Liya had gone to meet the Richards family?¡± a reporter, who was holding a microphone, asked them loudly.

    Jenna was secretly surprised. She didn¡¯t expect the news of Liya visiting them to be known by the media so quickly. It seemed as if someone had specifically nned it that way, and if that was so, it could exin why the media was there so quickly.

    Marissa was born into a prestigious family.So, she had experienced that kind of situation many times. At that moment, she took Jenna¡¯s hand and smiled. ¡°Please don¡¯t disturb our shopping ns. Today, we¡¯vee out to buy something for the men at home.¡±

    She said that in order to signal to the outside world that their family members were on good terms and there was nothing wrong, so that there wouldn¡¯t be random spection.

    However, it couldn¡¯t stop the situation.

    Upon hearing that, the media became even more curious.

    ¡°Madam Marissa, how do you feel after meeting Liya today? Compared to Mrs. Richards, whom do you prefer?¡± The reporter who asked that question must have been an idiot. How could he ask such a question in front of everyone? Marissa¡¯s face turned dark in an instant, but she had experienced this kind of situation many times. Just as she was about to speak, another unpleasant reporter spoke.

    ¡°I heard that Mr. Richards wants to take a second wife is because you guys don¡¯t like Jenna. Is that true? Can you prove it?¡±

    That reporter¡¯s question was simply unbearable, and it seemed that he was trying to stir up trouble. Those media reporters really were that bored, huh? They were trying to find joy from other people¡¯s misery. At that moment, Marissa cleared her throat and said intimately while holding Jenna¡¯s hand, ¡°Jenna, it seems like someone is trying to ruin our rtionship. Don¡¯t worry, you are the daughter-inw of the Richards family right now, and you will always be in the future. No matter what others say, we¡¯re the ones living our lives. Don¡¯t worry, because I will always support you.¡±

    Jenna quickly understood Marissa¡¯s intentions. She held on to Marissa¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°Mom has always taken good care of me. Dad also respects me very much. I feel blessed.¡±

    The mother-inw and daughter-inw walked along with each other andpletely ignored the reporters¡¯ questions.

    Their two hands were holding each other, which made them look very intimate.

    Fortunately, Alvin had been secretly following Jenna all the time. Seeing that situation, he immediately called the security guards to stop the group of reporters, who were surrounding them. After that, Jenna and Marissa went inside joyfully.

    With Alvin secretly protecting them, they were not disturbed after that. Although there were a lot of reporters taking pictures of them, it still didn¡¯t stop them from shopping.

    That day, Marissa bought a lot of things for Jenna, all of which were branded things. She even apanied her to buy a lot of clothes for Jerry. All in all, that day, Marissa was a kind mother-inw. She cared for Jenna the way Sara cared for her.

    Jenna knew in her heart that Marissa was acting like that because she felt guilty and wanted to make it up to her. For example, it was like giving her something to sweeten the deal first, andter on, she would give her the disgusting food, so that she could slowly digest it and ept reality.

    Jenna understood that logic, but there was nothing she could do about it.

    In a luxurious private lounge, Sergio held a bottle of red wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other as he smoked.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Then, Zoe appeared in front of him.

    His eyes were wide open and there was a look of astonishment on his face.

    Wasn¡¯t that the confident Zoe? Her delicate face was haggard, and her eyes were hollow. She was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and trousers, and her face looked very cold.

    As she sat down, she looked straight at him motionlessly, as if she wanted to pierce a hole through him, but when Sergio looked closely, he found that her eyes were unfocused, and she wasn¡¯t looking at him at all.

    ¡°Zoe, are you alright?¡± Sergio stopped smoking and stared at her with an enigmatic smile on his face.

    After a while, Zoe¡¯s dull eyes became a little lively. Then, she gradually furrowed her eyebrows. The light in her eyes scared Sergio, and he couldn¡¯t figure out what she was thinking either.

    It had only been a few days since theyst met, and she had be like that. It seemed like she was still just a woman after all!

    He furrowed his brows as he looked at her with a stern expression.

    ¡°Sergio, what can I do for you?¡±Zoe asked in a dreamlike state, after a while.It was as if she was in a trance.

    ¡°Hey, what happened?¡± Sergio gulped down the ss of wine in his hand. He then looked up at her. Although he didn¡¯t like that woman, he still didn¡¯t know whether he should be happy or sad to see her acting like that.

    He started to think as his eyes slowly rolled.

    ¡°Drink it.¡± After a while, he picked up the ss of wine in front of Zoe and handed it to her.

    Zoe just sat there motionlessly as her zed eyes stared at the scarlet liquid in front of her. She then slowly stretched out her hand and took the ss of wine and gulped it down

    The alcohol stimted her blood, and after a while, she finally came back to her senses, and there was a trace of fierce redness in her eyes.

    ¡°Hansen, I want you to die. Oscar, I want you to die. I want all of you to die,¡± she muttered. She was gripping the ss of wine so hard that her fingers started to shake, and the sound of bone caracking could be heard too.

    Sergio squinted at her, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

    ¡°Zoe, you should be careful when you speak. It won¡¯t be good if someone heard it.¡± Sergio reminded her tly as he stared at her.

    Then, Zoe gathered her clothes and scrunched them into a ball. The light in her eyes was like a huge spark.

    ¡°Sergio, I want both Hansen and Oscar to die. You have to help me,¡± Zoe said.

    ¡°What the hell happened?¡± A sharp light shed in Sergio¡¯s eyes as he asked coldly.

    ¡°That day at the ball, I fell into Hansen¡¯s trap. After entering the private booth, he drugged me and called the perverted Oscar into my private booth. As a result, I¡­¡± Zoe suddenly burst into tears. That night was her first night, but she was tortured by the perverted Oscar, which made her feel like she was in hell. It was a shame that she couldn¡¯t forget it for the rest of her life.

    ¡°It turns out that¡¯s all to it.¡± Sergio smiled coldly and said disapprovingly, ¡°It¡¯s just a one-night stand. So, it¡¯s not a big deal, and it¡¯s not something that you should hate them for. Furthermore, Oscar is your fianc¨¦. Isn¡¯t that good?¡±

    After Sergio finished, he lit a cigarette, took a deep breath, and looked at her meaningfully.

    Zoe gritted her teeth so hard that crackling sounds could be heard.

    On the television in the private room, the entertainment news happily reported Hansen bringing Liya to meet his parents. Hansen and Liya were walking out of Richards Manor in high spirits. The two of them were even receiving interviews from the reporters hand in hand.

    ¡°Liya, you¡¯re going to be Mrs. Richards soon. Are you happy?¡± A reporter pointed the microphone at her and asked.

    She smiled reservedly and gracefully. Then, she parted her red lips slightly. ¡°It¡¯s my good fortune to be able to be by Hansen¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°I heard that you two have already registered your marriage in Ennd. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Are you pregnant?¡±

    ¡­

    The following questions were getting more and more outrageous. Therefore, Hansen held Liya¡¯s hand and carefully protected her, saying, ¡°Thank you, thank you all for your concern.¡±

    Soon,Richards Manor¡¯s security guards kept the media away from them, and that was when Hansen left with Liya.

    Zoe¡¯s eyes were fixed on the TV screen, and she had already turned the red napkin on the table into a ball.

    Blood drained from her red and swollen lips. Zoe bit on her own red lips so tightly, and she even forgot what pain was.

    ¡°Very good, you guys are splendid.¡± She gritted her teeth and said in a heavy voice, ¡°I want all of you to experience the most unbearable pain that the world can offer. I want you guys to suffer a thousand times more than I did.¡±

    She muttered to herself as the muscles on her face and her whole body tensed up. The expression on her face at that moment was very terrifying too.

    Sergio was shocked after he squinted his eyes and inspected her.

    Zoe had already gone crazy. She was only stimted a little, and yet she was already on the verge of copse. It seemed that it was a favorable situation for him. In fact, he didn¡¯t need to add fuel to fire anymore. He only had to wait for the good show to happen.

    An enigmatic smile appeared on the corners of his mouth as he thought so.

    The next day, Jenna got up early.

    She picked up the car keys and went down.

    The living room was quiet as the servants at home hadn¡¯t woken up yet.

    She quietly passed through the living room, got on the electric vehicle, and headed outside.

    No. 58, Wendel Road. That was the address that Vivian had given her. Paul and Irvin, the two talented brothers, were Vivian¡¯s confidants.

    Nheless, ever since Vivian handed their contact details to her, she had never made contact with them.

    The phone number that was given to her never responded either.

    It was as if they had vanished from the world, which was something she couldn¡¯t figure out. She didn¡¯t know if it was because they didn¡¯t like her as their new superior, or if they had found another powerful patron and abandoned the Richards family.

    Nevertheless, Jenna really wanted to find them right then, even if she had to pay a high price to hire them again.

    She had a lot of questions in her mind. So, she wanted to look for them at that time.

    She didn¡¯t believe Vivian¡¯s confidants would be so disloyal.

    Generally speaking, prestigious families usually trained their confidants to stay with them for a lifetime. Of course, they would also get better treatment than most people, but the premise was that the confidants must earn the trust of their superiors. Of course, after they retired, they would receive a huge pension, which could at least ensure that they would live a peaceful life.

    Due to the fact that it was rted to their lifetime benefits, confidants were generally very close to their superiors from prestigious families. Therefore, Jenna had a reason to believe that Paul and Irvin would not disappear for no reason since they were Vivian¡¯s favorites.

    After looking around Wendel Road a few times, she couldn¡¯t find unit number 58, which annoyed her a little.

    Could it be that they¡¯d changed their address?

    So, she got out of the car and asked a few shops, but the answer she got was that all of them didn¡¯t know of such a unit number.

    Jenna was disheartened and wanted to give uppletely.

    Perhaps they realized that Vivian was going to die, and they didn¡¯t want to change superiors and serve her.

    She was just about to drive away after thinking about that.

    Her cell phone then rang. After the call was connected, she realized that it was Paul who called.

    Jenna spoke in surprise. She felt strange. Since she wasn¡¯t able to find them, how did they know that she was looking for them nearby?

    Could it be that they had always been there and were waiting for her?

 Chapter 496 Paul and Irvin

    ¡°Madam Jenna, are you looking for us?¡± Paul asked politely on the phone.

    ¡°Yes, I would like to meet you two brothers. Grandma has already told me about your affairs, and I will be paying your sry in the future. Right now, I have something important to discuss with you,¡± Jenna said very seriously on the phone.

    ¡°Okay, Madam Jenna, let¡¯s meet at the caf¨¦ in front.¡± Paul immediately agreed.

    Jenna then ended the call.

    In the quiet and secluded caf¨¦, Jenna sat in a corner and used a teaspoon to stir the coffee in the cup. A momentter, two young men wearing caps with jeans and t-shirts came in.

    ¡°Hello, Madam Jenna.¡± After sitting down, Paul and Irvin greeted her very politely with respectful smiles on their faces.

    ¡°Hello.¡± Jenna smiled and pointed at the cups of coffee in front of her. ¡°Please have some coffee.¡±

    After the three of them took a sip of coffee, Jenna asked casually, ¡°Have you guys been in A City recently? I couldn¡¯t find you two no matter what. Did you change your contact information?¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Paul and Irvin looked at each other. Then, Paul politely asked, ¡°Madam Janna, are you meeting us because of the Richards Group¡¯s matters?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing that they had taken the initiative to ask, Jenna quickly nodded and asked, ¡°You already know about the situation at Richards Manor, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Madam Jenna, we¡¯ve always paid attention to what goes on in Richards Manor.So, we know how you¡¯re feeling right now,¡± Paul replied with sympathy. ¡°We have been on a mission recently, and it¡¯s only recently that we found out that Vivian has entrusted us two to you.¡±

    A mission? Jenna¡¯s eyebrows twitched when she heard that. What mission were they doing? They were Vivian¡¯s trusted subordinates. So, their assignments were definitely rted to the Richards Group.

    Nevertheless, Grandma was so sick that she even had difficulty speaking. Was it possible for her to give orders?

    Then, he heard Paul say, ¡°Madam Jenna, we went to Africa recently. Vivian ordered us to do this two months ago.¡±

    ¡°Africa?¡± Jenna eximed in surprise. ¡°Could it be rted to ude¡¯s disappearance?¡±

    Her heart was pounding violently. Could it be that Vivian already knew what was going to happen to ude two months before that?

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Madam Jenna. ude is in a very troublesome position right now. He has encountered a terrorist organization and is in a very critical situation,¡± Irvin replied calmly.

    ¡°Is his life in danger?¡± Amidst her worries, she thought of Norton.

    ¡°Madam Jenna, Mr. Trevor has already followed up on this matter. You don¡¯t have to worry so much about it. This matter may involve an important figure in the country. He doesn¡¯t want to alert the enemy for the time being. Therefore, the fewer people know about this, the better,¡± Paul said in a low voice. Then, he stopped talking about it.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment before she asked somewhat numbly, ¡°In that case, does Young Master know about it?¡±

    Paul looked at her and spoke after thinking for a while.

    ¡°Madam Jenna, please don¡¯t be too anxious about the matters regarding the Richards Group. Mr. Richards and Young Master Richards are not ordinary people. You should wait quietly. Maybe the situation is not as bad as you think.¡±

    Jenna raised her head and looked at them in some surprise. ¡°Do you two know about it?¡±

    Paul smiled and said, ¡°We two brothers have been indebted to Vivian. So, we have regarded the Richards Group¡¯s matters as our lifetime career. Therefore, we always pay attention to the movements of the Richards Group, and will always remain highly vignt for it. To tell you the truth, we know about a lot of things, but we haven¡¯te to you since it¡¯s not the time for you to know the truth. So, please believe in Young Master Richards and wait quietly.¡±

    ¡°But I have the right to know, don¡¯t I? And since Young Master Richards is not telling me anything, I¡¯m quite anxious right now.¡± Jenna felt a little helpless.

    ¡°Madam Jenna, isn¡¯t it a fact that he took Liya as his second wife? Actually, that¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s just a facade. Everyone can think of it however they want to, but you have to trust Young Master Richards. He didn¡¯t want to do that either.¡± Paulforted her.

    Was it just a fa?ade? Was that really it?

    Jenna was getting more and more confused, and she couldn¡¯t figure it out, no matter what.

    ¡°So, are you guys also suggesting that I should not care about it too much?¡± she asked in confusion.

    Paul smiled and said politely, ¡°Madam Jenna, you are a very smart person. So, I¡¯m sure you will definitely figure out some things. You have always had a guilty conscience,as well as some regret in your heart. You probably know what it is, don¡¯t you?¡±

    A guilty conscience? Jenna suddenly thought of her long conversation with Vivian. The hearty conversation was more like herst words than a casual chat. After all, Grandma couldn¡¯t speak much anymore, and her mind wasn¡¯t as sharp as before anymore.

    ¡°Do you mean the person Grandma feels guilty over is Liya?¡± she asked thoughtfully. She already knew that. Otherwise, she would have taken advantage of the power in her hands to drive Liya away when she was still the vice president of the Richards Group.

    Paul nodded his head.

    ¡°Rest assured, Young Madam. Now that Vivian has handed us two brothers over to you, we will always keep an eye on your safety. From now on, we will protect you like how we protected Vivian. However, for now, you might as well go along with Young Master Richards¡¯ ns. There are some matters that cannot be rushed. Who knows, the result might show itself after a short while?¡±

    Jenna was initially confused, but after hearing Paul¡¯s and Irvin¡¯s words, she became even more puzzled. Moreover, the two brothers were very secretive and didn¡¯t intend to say more.

    ¡°So do you guys know about Young Master Richards¡¯ n?¡± she asked carefully.

    ¡°Madam Jenna, actually, we are not very sure about hisns either.¡± As though he had seen through her worries, Paul exined immediately, ¡°But Young Master Richards is the current heir and the fact that the Richards Group was able to get to this point today wasn¡¯t all because of luck either. As for his n, we can only guess what it is. We dare not to act rashly because we are afraid of disrupting his n. So, we thought that we might as well wait and see. This is also the reason we haven¡¯t taken the initiative to find you.¡±

    Hearing that, Jenna waspletely discouraged. Initially, she hoped that the two brothers could help her find something, so that she could learn what Hansen was doing right then, and if Richards Group was in danger or not. However, right then, it seemed that she shouldn¡¯t hope much. Then, hearing that Paul had mentioned her safety, Jenna¡¯s eyebrows moved. She immediately talked about the time when someone pushed her from the back and she almost fell into theke while she was at thekeside that night, and the dark figure at the Richards Group was obviously there for her.

    ¡°Okay, Madam Jenna, we will go and investigate it right away.¡± After hearing that, Irvin¡¯s face turned dark, and he promised immediately. ¡°But it may take a bit more time. After all, it has been so long.¡±

    Jenna nodded her head. It seemed that she was thinking about something.

    ¡°Paul, can you tell me if the Richards Group can get through this crisis?¡± In fact, that was the problem she was most worried about. She didn¡¯t even know how to help the Richards Group get through that crisis.

    Paul and Irvin looked at each other and sighed in their hearts. Surely enough, Hansen knew her well, and fortunately, he did not tell her the truth.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madam Jenna. You don¡¯t have to think about anything. Just do your best at being yourself and everything will be fine,¡± Paul said.

    Jenna felt helpless.

    Finally, Irvin handed a very detailed book to Jenna. ¡°Madam Jenna, these are the main connections of the Richards Group from when it was first founded. You can go back and have a look. Hatred surelyes with a reason. Maybe you will understand something after having a look at it.¡±

    Jenna took the notebook and went out with a heavy heart.

    The road ahead was vast. At that time, she really didn¡¯t know how to go on.

    Hansen wanted to marry Liya, but he did not allow her a divorce. Trevor did not allow her to divorce him either. She was the daughter-inw of the Richards family who had her name carved into the family¡¯s ancestral tablet. Thus, she would be a part of the Richards family for her entire life. That was why she could not get a divorce. Even if her husband wanted to marry another woman or humiliate her in front of her, she had to endure it. She also had to be open-minded and virtuous as she watched them show off their love in front of her.

    Nheless, she had to ept them with a smile and even host the wedding for them in person. How could things turn out like that?

    Sara wanted her to divorce. If she really divorced, would she be able to let go of her rtionship with Hansen?

    All of a sudden, she felt a sharp pain in her chest and she closed her eyes in sadness.

    She drove to a nearby square and stopped there.

    There were many people dancing in the square, and there were many old people and children ying there too.

    Jenna sat down on a steel bench and looked at the happy crowd in front of her gently.

    A tall and slender figure walked towards her.

    It wasn¡¯t until she sensed a unique smell of tobo mixed with a pleasant masculine smell wafting into her nose that she came back to her senses.

    She saw a handsome face with a pair of deep eyes.

    Sergio was looking at her with a bright and spirited expression, and the pity in his eyes was undisguised.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Jenna jumped out of habit, took a step back, and looked at him with some vignce.

    ¡°So, Jenna, in your heart, am I a man that you will avoid no matter what? To the point where you feel annoyed when you see me?¡± Sergio was very hurt, and there was some sorrow in his eyes.

    That woman was so loyal to Hansen that even when she saw Hansen marry Liya with her own eyes, she could still endure it. She even smiled as beautifully as she always did. Nheless, she was always indifferent and distant towards him, and even vignt, which made him feel hurt.

    ¡°Did you follow me?¡± Jenna¡¯s heart was pounding. She had just arrived at the square, and then he showed up. In addition, that ce was really far away from the Richards Group and his office. Therefore, there was only one exnation to how he appeared there, and that was, he had followed her. Thinking of that, a feeling of difort swelled in Jenna¡¯s mind.

 Chapter 497 Jenna Met an Assassin

    ¡°No, I just happened to pass by here. I saw you sitting here in a daze from a distance,¡± Sergio exined earnestly, shaking his head.

    Jenna still had her suspicions. So, she kept a distance from him.

    How could it be such a coincidence?

    Sergio smiled bitterly. He really had something to do there that day. That ce was not far from the Sky Sword Group, and he just happened to pass by, but the woman in front of him was not willing to believe him.

    He was not afraid of her being the daughter-inw of the Richards family or her past. He was only afraid of her heart.

    No matter how he approached her, she was wary of him. That hurt him, and also caused his determination to waver.

    Suddenly, there was a slight movement in the crowd, and Jenna was forced to take two steps forward.

    ¡°Jenna, be careful.¡± Sergio suddenly opened his eyes wide. He saw a man rush out from the crowd behind her with a bright knife. He was going to stab her heart from her back, which caused his heart almost to stop. He suddenly screamed and reached out to grab her waist. He had been trained in the military for many years. So, he forcefully held Jenna in a manner that could stop the sharp knife that was about to stab her in the back.

    With a swoosh, the sharp knife cut through his arm, and the blood sshed all over Jenna¡¯s face.

    Sergio was wonderful at self-defence.

    At the same time he felt a sharp pain. He did not pay attention to the wound on his arm. Instead, he quickly kicked the man who was trying tomit murder. With a loud sound, the sharp knife fell to the ground.

    The man¡¯s arm was immediately broken. He let out a scream of pain, and then he ran away in a panic.

    How dare hemit such a crime in broad daylight!

    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Sergio could not help but be furious. He helped Jenna up and chased after the man.

    The warm and stinky liquid flowed from Sergio¡¯s arm to Jenna¡¯s body, dyeing her white dress red.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°That¡¯s not good. Someone¡¯s been killed.¡±

    ¡°Run! Someone ismitting murder!¡±

    After the crowd understood what was going on, all kinds of screams rang out. They were in a state of panic, and the frightened crowd began to stir up chaos.

    The whole scene was extremely chaotic.

    The scream and the warm liquid that was flowing onto Jenna¡¯s body stimted her numbed nerves. She could sense the smell of blood getting stronger and stronger.

    ¡°No, Sergio, don¡¯t chase him. Let¡¯s hurry to the hospital.¡± She finally came to her senses, let out a cry, and held Sergio¡¯s arm tightly.

    After chasing for some time, the man who hadmitted the crime managed to flee into an alley nearby, and he couldn¡¯t be seen anymore.

    After Jenna¡¯s constant shouting, Sergio finally stopped chasing. Only then did he feel the great pain in his arm.

    He lowered his head to look at the blood that was constantly flowing out of his arm, but his eyes moved to Jenna¡¯s face. Seeing that Jenna¡¯s face was full of bloodstains, he asked with concern, ¡°Jenna, are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. You¡¯re injured. Quick, let¡¯s go to the hospital,¡± Jenna said anxiously. She figured that Sergio¡¯s main artery must have been cut based on the amount of blood flowing out.

    Sergio indifferently looked at the wound on his arm with a calm expression.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    ¡°Go to the hospital.¡± Jenna was shocked by the constant bleeding and begged him to go to the hospital. She wanted to break away from his arms, but Sergio was holding her very tightly, and if she struggled, more blood would definitely flow out of his wound. She was so anxious that she could only beg him to go to the hospital and wrap his wound. She did not dare to move at all.

    ¡°Jenna, promise me that you will leave Hansen, or else you will still face such dangers. Believe me, I am doing this for your own good.¡± Sergio¡¯s eyes were deep as he looked at the little face in his arms stained with blood. He did not care about his injury as he spoke.

    He felt an extreme pain in his heart. If he hadn¡¯t saved her in time that day, she might even have died at that moment as the sharp knife was obviously aimed at the left side of her chest.

    It was too terrifying. Such a thing might happen in the future again. So, leaving Hansen was the best choice for her.

    Jenna¡¯s face was terribly pale. She bit her lips and said, ¡°Sergio, do you want to die? Go to the hospital now.¡±

    At that time, police sirens could be heard. The police received reports from the crowd.So, they quickly rushed over.

    ¡°Quick, he is injured. Send him to the hospital quickly.¡± Jenna told the police who came over.

    That matter couldn¡¯t be dyed anymore.

    After the leader of the policeman saw Sergio¡¯s blood and the horrible amount of blood on Jenna¡¯s body,he didn¡¯t say more, as the most important thing was to save them. He immediately took them to the hospital in the police car.

    After an examination, it was confirmed that Jenna was not injured, but Sergio¡¯s main artery had been cut, and he was under emergency treatment.

    When Hansen received a call from Alvin and hurried over, he saw that the police had cordoned off the area and there was a shocking amount of bloodstains on the ground.

    ¡°Alvin, what¡¯s the matter? Is Madam Jenna hurt? Didn¡¯t I ask you to take care of her? How could this happen?¡± Hansen was furious, and that was the first time he was angry at Alvin.

    Alvin was terrified.

    In order to avoid Jenna¡¯s suspicion, he could only protect her from afar.

    However, what happened that day was too sudden. He was too far away from Jenna.So, he couldn¡¯t match Sergio¡¯s physical prowess and could only watch him save Jenna.

    ¡°I was negligent, Mr. Richards. I didn¡¯t notice the abnormal situation in the surroundings beforehand.¡± he lowered his head as he apologized in fear.

    He only realized the abnormal situation when the man was about to stab Jenna. To be honest, he was really lucky that Sergio was present that day. Otherwise, things wouldn¡¯t have ended the way it did.

    He never imagined that the murderer would boldlymit such a crime, and in broad daylight too.

    At that time, Paul and Irvin, who were standing at a dark corner, were also frightened. They never thought that the murderer would act within such a short time.

    It seemed that the enemy had quickened their pace and moved in advance, and their faces were very heavy upon realizing that.

    Hansen¡¯s face was livid as he got into the car.

    The car drove to the hospital.

    He kept thinking of Jenna¡¯s injury as he had seen on television. He thought of a particr scene where Jenna¡¯s face and body were covered in blood, and that Sergio was holding her.

    His hands were trembling. If Jenna was killed that day, how could he live on? He even forgot about the person who saved his woman. At that time, he only wanted to see Jenna standing in front of him safely.

    However, there was heavy traffic on that d*mn road after the incident.

    He kept honking and almost knocked over several cars that identally came close to him. If John hadn¡¯t stopped him, he might have been arrested for getting into an ident.

    When he finally got to the hospital in a hurry, two hours had already passed. He searched the whole hospital, but he did not see Sergio and Jenna.

    He was dumbfounded.

    John and Alvin quickly asked the nurse on duty and learnt that Sergio had already left with Jenna.

    D*mn, the veins at the corner of Hansen¡¯s forehead stood out as he punched the wall.

    Only then did he remember that it was Sergio who had saved his wife. It was Sergio, a man with ulterior motives, that was lusting after his wife, who saved her.

    That kind of feeling made him even sadder than when he knew that something happened to Jenna, and it made him feel like he wanted to die.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, don¡¯t worry. Just now, the doctor said that Madam Jenna was not hurt. Sergio¡¯s arm was only scratched too. There¡¯s no serious injury,¡± Alvin hurried over to inform Hansen of their conditions after learning about it.

    Nevertheless, at that time, Hansen¡¯s eyes were gloomy, and his gaze seemed like they could kill.

    He took out his cell phone and kept calling Jenna¡¯s and Sergio¡¯s cell phones, but the two people seemed to have agreed to turn off their phones at the same time.

    He ran downstairs and headed to the hotel where Sergio was staying.

    Then, he asked the manager to open the door to Sergio¡¯s bedroom, but there was no one there at all.

    Where was Jenna? Where was Sergio?

    Hansen was on the verge of going mad.

    In a luxurious vi nestled in a posh, suburban neighbourhood of A City, Sergio¡¯s face was very pale, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. He leaned against the couch and closed his eyes tightly.

    Jenna fetched a basin of hot water, wrung the towel dry, wiped the sweat off him, and carefully took care of him.

    ¡°Sergio, thank you for saving me.¡± By that time, Jenna hadpletely regained her calmness and was also aware of the terrible consequences. So, she thanked Sergio for saving her.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m fine. Please take a seat. Don¡¯t bother anymore,¡± Sergio said softly with a smile on his lips.

    ¡°Sergio, you really shouldn¡¯t have left the hospital. I¡¯m afraid that your injury might be aggravated.¡± Jenna rubbed her hands uneasily. She recalled the inmmation caused by the knife wound where she blocked the knife for Hansen before. If she hadn¡¯t been treated in time then, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

    That was why she was worried that Sergio¡¯s arm would get inmed. Although the doctor had dealt with it, he still asked Sergio to stay in the hospital for observation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am a man. This wound is nothing,¡± Sergio said to her. ¡°When I was in the army, I was hurt even more seriously than this. When I went into a jungle for field training, I was bitten by a snake, and had to scrape my bone to recover. The pain was much worse than this. I also remember once helping the police fight criminals and getting stabbed several times. These minor injuries are really nothing.¡±

    As he said that, he was afraid that Jenna would not believe him. He pulled off the trouser legs with one hand and then took off his top.

    Surely enough, Jenna saw several shocking scars on his body, and she fell silent.

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s worth it to get injured in order to save you.¡± After seeing that Jenna was silent, Sergio looked at her with burning eyes and confessed affectionately.

    Jenna was frightened, and she saw his burning eyes when she looked up. She then hurriedly turned her head away in a panic.

    She knew how Sergio felt about her.

    That man seemed to be interested in her for no reason, and apparently, he had been interested in her since she was a young teenager.

    Nheless, she was Mrs. Richards right then. She was no longer that youngdy from the past. It was uneptable for her to have such thoughts.

    ¡°Sergio, are you hungry? I¡¯ll make you something to eat.¡± No matter what, Sergio had saved her. Seeing that it was getting dark, she figured that he probably hadn¡¯t eaten yet.

    ¡°Okay, thank you,¡± Sergio did not refuse and epted immediately.

    Jenna walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, but there was nothing in it. It seemed like he seldom stayed there.

    After thinking about it, she recalled that there was a supermarket nearby. So, she went there immediately.

    Her feelings wereplicated, and it took her a long time to finish preparing dinner.

    When the piping hot food was ced on the table, Sergio had already had a good sleep and was in much better spirits, even though the wound still hurt a lot.

 Chapter 498 He Couldnâ€™t Help Himself

    ¡°Sergio, do you feel any better? Let¡¯s eat first,¡± Jenna said to Sergio as she filled the bowl with food.

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Sergio stood up and came to the dining room. The sight of the steaming aroma of the food and the attentive woman made him feel warmth.

    He could only dream of this.

    However, it was a reality that day. Sergio¡¯s heart was filled with emotions, and he was extremely excited.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± He stepped forward, took Jenna¡¯s hand, and looked at her affectionately.

    Jenna looked up at him and when she saw the light in his eyes. She hurriedly withdrew her hand.

    ¡°Eat while it¡¯s hot. You don¡¯t want it to turn cold.¡± Jenna lowered her head and said, ¡°Drink some hot soup first. This soup is good for your health.¡±

    She hurriedly sat down on the other side of the table and ced a bowl of soup in front of him.

    Then, she lowered her head and started eating.

    She decided to leave after the meal.

    Right then, the news of her injury must have been spread all over the city. Hansen, the inws, and her mother would definitely be anxious.

    Sergio seemed to understand her embarrassment and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already informed Aunt Sara that you¡¯re safe.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Jenna was stunned for a moment and quickly understood. When Jenna was cooking, he must have just called Sara and told her that Jenna was safe. Upon realizing that, she immediately nodded.

    He slowly drank the soup. He then praised Jenna¡¯s cooking skills and enjoyed the meal at the same time. He talked andughed naturally, hiding the desire he had just shown her very well.

    He knew that he could not be too hasty. Otherwise, he would scare that little woman away, and if that happened, everything would be lost.

    He spoke to her calmly, and his resolute attitude dispelled Jenna¡¯s worries and unease. After that, the two of them began to eat calmly.

    That meal didn¡¯tst long as Jenna was not in the mood at all.

    After the meal, Sergio stood up.

    ¡°Ouch!¡± He cried out in pain, which startled Jenna. She looked at him and found that when he stood up, he identally touched the back of the chair, which made him cry out in pain although he was trying to act manly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll help you.¡± Jenna was shocked to see his face turn pale. The wound on his arm was deep and terrifying, and she had seen it with her own eyes.

    She approached him and carefully helped him to the bedroom.

    ¡°Rest early today. You have to be careful, so that your wound won¡¯t get inmed,¡± she softly told him, as shehelped him into the master bedroom, and put him on the bed.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Just as she turned around and was about to leave, Sergio reached out his uninjured hand and grabbed her. ¡°Please, stay with me for the whole night. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do anything.¡±

    His pupils were pitch-ck with a hint of anticipation. The reason he wanted to be discharged from the hospital in advance was because he didn¡¯t want the media to capture them together. He knew her identity, and it was not right for them to be seen together. Therefore, he left the hospital in advance regardless of his injury, but he hoped that she would keep himpany, even if it took a little longer.

    He was afraid of staying in such a quiet and empty house alone.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Jenna was in a dilemma. Initially, she was ready to leave after cleaning the bowls and utensils. After all, she had been out for an entire afternoon. Furthermore, what happened that day would definitely make her family very anxious, yet at that time, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to refuse Sergio¡¯s request.

    At that time, Sergio was alone. He was seriously injured and could not lift an arm at all. He had to change the dressing of the wound that night. If she left, what about him?

    Besides, what if his wound got inmed that night? On top of that, he got hurt. If she left, she would feel terrible if something bad happened to him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do anything to you. Look at my injury. I can¡¯t do anything to you, can I?¡± Sergio continued to try to calm her down. Jenna could still hear him gasping as he spoke. So, it was obvious that the wound was still full of pain.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna finally nodded in agreement. ¡°Go to bed first. I¡¯ll clean up the bowls and utensils.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Jenna.¡± Sergio was full of joy as he watched Jenna got busy with other work.

    It was a great surprise for him that she was willing to stay with him.

    The night grew darker and darker.

    In the living room of the vi, Jenna was sitting uneasily.

    In the year after getting married, apart from returning to her own family home to stay for a few days, she had almost never been away from the Richards family, Jerry, or Hansen.

    Nevertheless, that day, she had to spend the night outside because she owed Sergio a favor.

    In fact, in the depths of her heart, she was even more reluctant to go back to see Liya. The day before, Liya had already gone to Richards Manor to meet Trevor and Marissa. Therefore, Jenna wasn¡¯t sure if Hanson would bring her home again, and she didn¡¯t want to see that woman sitting on the couch when she goes downstairs as that would only make her sad.

    Since Liya¡¯s and Hansen¡¯s marriage was already in the newspapers, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if she followed Hansen back to Richards Manor.

    Plus, that day, the murder attempt had made her heart turn extremely cold.

    What happened the morning before shed through her mind. She thought of Hansen and Liya leaving together. Then, Jenna felt her body turn numb from sitting for too long.So, she moved her body a little, but she still couldn¡¯t get rid of the stinging pain in her heart.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    After sitting like that for a while, she walked towards Sergio¡¯s bedroom.

    She had to follow the doctor¡¯s instructions.

    Before going to sleep, Sergio¡¯s wound needed to be redressed. Also, Sergio just got injured that day.So, she dared not to be careless.

    Sergio was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, and soon opened his eyes when he heard Jenna enter.

    ¡°Jenna, thanks for your hard work.¡± He smiled and looked at her with his bright ck eyes, whose burning gaze was focused.

    A smile appeared at the corner of Jenna¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you change your dressing, so that you can rest early.¡± The night was quiet, and there was a trace of humidity in the air. Jenna then opened the window to ventte the room and lowered the temperature of the air conditioner.

    Sergioy in bed and looked at her graceful figure as she walked to the window, pulling the curtains and opening the windows to let in fresh air and a little heat.

    Sergio felt extremely at ease from just staring at her like that. It seemed like a long time ago in his dream when his mother entered, opened the window to ventte the room, pulled the curtains, and then asked him to get up with deep maternal love.

    That kind of peace and warmth was the kind of feeling that was imnted deep inside his mind, but when Jenna walked in, the feeling he yearned for had finally resurfaced.

    Jenna came closer, and the scent of her body followed too.

    She then reached out her hand to remove the bandage from his arm and took out the medicine she had brought back from the hospital.

 Chapter 499 He Couldnâ€™t Help Himself 2

    Jenna¡¯s soft fingers were very gentle as she removed the gauze. She was afraid of touching his wound. Her eyes and brows were drooping, which was indescribably charming too.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Sergio¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, he couldn¡¯t help but to reach out to grab her arm and pull her with all his strength.

    The next second.

    The force pulled Jenna closer to the strong and muscr body of a soldier, and then she fell into Sergio¡¯s arms.

    She opened her eyeswide in shock.

    Sergio¡¯s scarlet eyes were surging with undercurrents. He was holding the woman he had always yearned for in his arms. As he looked at her, his mind became muddled in an instant.

    He trapped her in his arms. He then approached her face with his and pressed his lips against hers.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, Sergio,¡± a thunderous roar boomed in his mind as Jenna screamed with great strain. She managed to turn her head in time and Sergio¡¯s kiss fell on her face.

    ¡°Let go of me!¡± she screamed.

    Sergio still seemed to be intoxicated. He turned over his tall body and pressed his body against Jenna¡¯s, trying to find the red lips he had been dreaming of.

    Jenna¡¯s brain was rumbling, and her face was full of Sergio¡¯s burning breath.

    She reached out her hand to cover his lips and shouted, ¡°Sergio, don¡¯t you dare take advantage of me!¡±

    A secondter, Sergio came back to his senses and said with a flushed face, ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry. I lost myposure.¡±

    When Jenna felt the weight lifted off her body, she looked up and found Sergio sitting up straight with shame all over his face.

    ¡°Jenna, I didn¡¯t mean to do that. I offended you. Sorry, I couldn¡¯t help myself. Please forgive me.¡±

    He apologized again and again, with fear and unease all over his face.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was in a mess. She then turned over and sat up.

    She didn¡¯t say anything more. She just carefully cleaned his wound and applied medicine to it.

    Sergio did not make any more moves. He just looked at her with his intoxicated eyes, feeling extremelyplicated feelings.

    ¡°Alright, I have redressed the wound,¡±Jenna said in a soft voice, andput away the stuff,after a while.

    She did not look at Sergio, but she knew that he had been looking at her with burning eyes.

    Jenna had no intention of involving herself with Sergio. Hence, after redressing the wound, she said softly, ¡°Have a good rest. I¡¯m leaving. If there¡¯s anything you need, call me. I¡¯ll be in the next room.¡±

    After that, she was about to leave quickly.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Sergio stopped her in a low voice. ¡°Think about what I said. If the situation continues like this, Hansen will really take a second wife. Liya is a shameless and vulgar woman. If you get involved with them, it will only cause you great harm. I hope you can recognize the current situation for your own sake and make a decision in advance. If you have any difficulties, you can look for me. I will help you.¡±

    Jenna stood still and trembled for a moment, and then she went out without saying anything.

    That night, she tossed and turned with her mind only thinking about Jerry. After she fell asleep in a daze, she thought she heard a voice calling her. When she woke up, she saw the unfamiliar light on the ceiling and heard the sound of rustling leaves.

    Afterwards, Sergio neither behaved indecently, nor did he speak ambiguously.

    That night was finally over.

    The next day, Jenna got up early. Worried that Sergio¡¯s wound was inmed at night, she felt a little nervous. When she walked out of the bedroom, Sergio was walking in from the back garden. It turned out that he just came back from his morning exercise.

    ¡°Jenna, good morning. Did you sleep well?¡± Seeing her, Sergio greeted her in high spirits.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine.¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes fell on his wound. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°But of course, I¡¯m fine. Look, don¡¯t I look energetic?¡± Sergioughed at himself.

    Jenna also believed that he was fine and that his wound would not be inmed anymore.

    ¡°That¡¯s good then. I¡¯m going to make breakfast. I¡¯ll leave after breakfast,¡± she said lightly and went to the kitchen.

    After breakfast, Jenna left in a hurry, and Sergio did not force her to stay.

    He watched Jenna¡¯s figure as she walked away.

    The corner of Sergio¡¯s mouth moved slightly. ¡°Jenna, I don¡¯t believe that you won¡¯t give up on Hansen. Sooner orter, you will surely leave him.¡±

 Chapter 500 You Canâ€™t Be Impartial

    As night fell, in Richards Manor, the entire Green Jade Garden was brightly lit.

    Seeing that Jenna hadn¡¯t returned at that hour, and after watching the murder attempt broadcast on TV, everyone in Green Jade Garden was in a panic.

    Hansen was sitting uneasily in his bedroom, burning with anxiety.

    He personally searched for an afternoon, and he even ordered Alvin to mobilize the Grand Eagles, but they couldn¡¯t find any clues. Where did she go? Her cell phone was turned off all the time too.

    She must have been with Sergio. They left the hospital at the same time. Since he injured himself for her, given her personality, she would definitely take care of him.

    D*mn woman, even so, shouldn¡¯t she have called home? Didn¡¯t she know that the entire family was worried about her?

    He walked out of the hall anxiously and headed outside.

    Whenever he thought of the fact that she was with Sergio, his eyes would burn with anger, and he would clench his fists tightly.

    As he slowly walked under the lemon tree, he suddenly thought of a scene.

    His woman was waiting for him anxiously under the lemon tree. She had waited for him for a long time, and she was very happy to see him. She then threw herself into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his waist like vines. Then, she looked at him with eyes that were filled with concern and anxiety.

    That was his woman, his wife!

    She had wrapped herself around him just like that. It was as if a vine had wrapped itself around his heart and he could not bear to part with her anymore.

    Feeling a dull pain in his heart, he closed his eyes.

    There was a soft sobbing sound, which sounded very tender.

    Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    Jerry.

    Letting out a cry, he opened his eyes and walked towards the direction of the cries.

    Jerry was standing at the electric vehicle station with tears all over his face. He was wiping away his tears with his hands as he looked ahead.

    ¡°Mom, Mom.¡± He wiped his tears and cried miserably, crying from time to time.

    Hansen¡¯s heart sank upon seeing that. Even his limbs turned cold.

    Jerry¡¯s little figure looked so lonely, and he was crying in such a sad manner.

    ¡°Jerry, why are you here?¡± Hansen asked in a hoarse voice.

    Even after asking the question a few more times, Jerry seemed as if he hadn¡¯t heard his voice. He even turned around and turned his back to Hansen.

    Hansen finally understood what was going on.

    Jerry knew that he was there, but he didn¡¯t want to talk to him.

    That child!

    He must have heard the news that his mother was almost murdered, in addition to the fact that he couldn¡¯t see his mother, even though it was sote. He must have been very anxious over Jenna!

    ¡°Jerry, it¡¯s gettingte. Hurry and go back to sleep,¡± Hansen said as he walked over and pulled the little guy¡¯s body.

    Jerry suddenly pushed him away and shouted at him, ¡°Go away! Don¡¯t you dare touch me! I hate you!¡±

    Hansen was taken aback at first. Then, his expression sank.

    ¡°Jerry, don¡¯t be so rude. I¡¯m your father,¡± Hansen said in a serious tone.

    ¡°Wow, you actually know that you¡¯re my father? You brought that woman back and you¡¯re going to marry her, which hurts Mom. You don¡¯t want me and Mom anymore, right? I hate you. You are a pervert, a viin.¡± Jerry pouted as he spoke. His cheeks were puffed, and his eyes were red. After that, he gave a heavy ¡®hmph¡¯ and turned around, not even looking at Hansen anymore.

    Hansen was stunned for a long while. Only then did he recall that he had brought Liya to meet his parents the day before. He then felt a sense of guilt as he sighed.

    The little brat must have heard it from the servants in the garden and was deeply hurt.

    ¡°Jerry, I love you and Mom the most. You¡¯re still young.So, you surely won¡¯t understand adult matters. Hurry up and go back to sleep, okay?¡±Hansen said softly as he stroked Jerry¡¯s head.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe you. I want Mom. Mom will probably nevere back again since she¡¯s too sad. Also, there was even a bad guy who tried to kill her today and that wicked woman must be behind it. If you marry that wicked woman, I will never acknowledge you as my father in the future.¡± Jerry didn¡¯t want to obey Hansen at all. He pointed at Hansen and shouted at him.

    Hansen was stunned. For a moment, he really did not know how to deal with Jerry. He could only stare nkly at Jerry as he wiped away his tears with all sorts of emotions in his heart. It was truly a terrible feeling.

    ¡°Jerry, how can you be so sure that I don¡¯t want you and Mom anymore?¡± he asked in a gentle and serious voice. After a while, he knelt down and looked at Jerry¡¯s face.

    ¡°Of course. I know you don¡¯t want Mom anymore. I¡¯ve seen her cry in secret a few times before. Everyone here also says that you¡¯re going to marry that woman. Isn¡¯t that true? Hmph, I hate you!¡± Jerry said with his reddened eyes. He was acting very haughtily, to the point that he even looked down on Hansen.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes grew sad as he sighed softly.

    He crouched down and asked gingerly, ¡°Jerry, if Mom doesn¡¯t want Dad anymore, what will you do?¡±

    Jerry didn¡¯t even think about it. He quickly shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s impossible for Mom not to want you and me. It¡¯s all because you did something to make Mom upset that she doesn¡¯t want toe back home anymore.¡± Jerry¡¯s voice became more and more sorrowful as he cried.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen¡¯s heart ached. He stretched out his hand and picked Jerry up, but Jerry twisted his body stubbornly, rejecting Hansen¡¯s attempt atforting him.

    Hansen felt very helpless. He had no choice but to only exert only a little force with hisrge hand and restrain him. ¡°Jerry, you can¡¯t be impartial. How can you have such a strong reaction when you think that I don¡¯t want Mom anymore? What if Mom doesn¡¯t want me anymore? Would you be willing to ept it? You have to know that this is unfair to me.¡±

    He looked at Jerry indignantly. That brat only cared about his mother, which made Hansen feel very disappointed.

    ¡°But Mom won¡¯t do that.¡± Perhaps Jerry had realized that he was being too impartial, but it was obvious that his father was in the wrong. How could his mother not want his father? The thought of that had never crossed his mind before, as he felt that it was simply impossible.

    ¡°But this is a ¡®what if¡¯ situation. What if Mom doesn¡¯t want me and you anymore? What are you going to do? Will you help me?¡± he asked seriously as he fixed his gaze upon Jerry.

    Jerry blinked his eyes in order to express his impartiality. He immediately nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. If Mom doesn¡¯t want you, I definitely won¡¯t forgive her and will criticize her. I will guarantee that Mom won¡¯t leave us. But, firstly, you can¡¯t marry another woman, especially not that bad woman.¡±

    Jerry spoke in an impartial manner, as if he was a fair and just adult.

    Hansen smiled and caressed his head.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Jerry, remember what you said today. Let¡¯s make a pinky promise, alright?¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s pinky promise.¡± Jerry extended his pinky with great confidence. Either way, his mother wouldn¡¯t leave his father. As long as his father didn¡¯t marry that wicked woman, he would have aplete family.

    Hansen smiled and extended his pinky too.

    The father and son firmly locked their pinky fingers.

    ¡°Jerry, be good. Go to sleep. Mom won¡¯t being back today. She¡¯ll be taking care of the mister who saved her. She¡¯ll be back when you wake up,¡± Hansen said kindly as he carried Jerry and walked towards the hall.

    At that moment, when Larry, who was responsible for taking care of Jerry, came out to search for Jerry, she heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that Hansen was carrying Jerry.

    Hansen carried Jerry upstairs and personally bathed him. He also blew his hair and dressed him up. He was very busy, but he enjoyed every moment of it.

    In the end, Jerry wrapped his arms around Hansen¡¯s neck as Hansen gently told him a bedtime story while patting his back to coax him.

    Jerry¡¯s eyes were initially wide open as he listened to the bedtime story, but eventually, he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes open and fell into a deep slumber.

    ¡°Alvin, have you found anything yet? Who was the one trying to assassinate Jenna today?¡± In the office of the 88th floor of the Richards Group, Hansen, who hadn¡¯t slept for the whole night, asked Alvin.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, our people searched along the alley, and even all the hospitals, but we couldn¡¯t find the suspect. This act was unlikely to be random. It was surely premeditated.¡± Alvin and John led their subordinates and searched for almost the entire night. They even searched all the hospitals in A City one by one, but the man whose arm had been broken by Sergio could not be found. Therefore, they could only return to the office in disappointment.

    Hansen was terrified by that day¡¯s assassination. Public security had been poor recently as shing incidents were happening on the streets. A few days ago, a chief physician was chased on his way home. He was shed more than 20 times, and was shed to death. So, on the surface, that incident wasmon in society, but it especially mattered if it happened to Jenna.

    How could Hansen not care? He felt a lingering fear just thinking about it.

    ¡°Have you found Sergio¡¯s whereabouts?¡± he asked with a gloomy face, and his eyes were bloodshot.

    ¡°No.¡± Alvin and John shook their heads. ¡°Sergio must have gone to his own house. It¡¯s normal for a prominent family like the Xanthe family to have properties in A City.¡±

    ¡°D*mn it.¡± Hansen gnashed his teeth in hatred. That man was coveting his woman, and he didn¡¯t even need to think much to know his intentions. However, from the bottom of his heart, he really could not understand. Jenna may be beautiful, but after all, she was his wife and a married woman. Meanwhile, Sergio had a great political future. So, why was he pestering his wife again and again?

    Moreover, Sergio didn¡¯t care about rumors at all. He even wanted the frequency of the rumors to increase, which was very unreasonable.

    One possible exnation was that he was really in love with Jenna to the point that he wanted to marry her, no matter what. Another possible exnation was that he had ulterior motives. No matter what the reason was, Hansen still wouldn¡¯t hand his wife over to him. Nheless, he had indeed saved Jenna that day, and anybody with discerning eyes could also see that if it wasn¡¯t for him, Jenna would be¡­ Thinking of that, Hansen felt a chill all over his body, and he copsed into his seat.

    At that moment, golden rays of sunlight shone in from outside the curtains. Hansen opened his eyes and nced at the bright light as he raised his head.

    Outside, the sun was shining brightly in the sky.

    The sky was already bright.

    How could he spend thetter half of the night sleeping at the office desk with his clothes on like that? Even his arms had be numb from it.

    Several employees had arrived at thepany to work, and the quiet office gradually became lively again.

    Yuri sent breakfast to Hansen. After casually washing himself up, he ate some of it.

    A sudden burst of steady and loud footsteps rang in the corridor. Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. In recent days, these footsteps were imprinted into his mind like a nightmare.

    Sergio was finally here.

 Chapter 501 The Standoff With Sergio

    Hansen stood up immediately and was about to rush out, but he quickly suppressed that impulse and calmed himself down. He then sat down and started to sort out his thoughts.

    Hansen was more and more aware of the fact that Sergio was a threat to him, and it tensed him up.

    Very good, he finally came.

    It just so happened that Hansen wanted to meet him too.

    He was in the investigation office that was specifically set up for Sergio.

    Hansen walked in with a deste expression.

    Sergio was sitting on the couch. His right arm, which was ced on the armrest, was wrapped in white gauze. He was reading the newspaper carefully with one hand, with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

    His rxed expression was very ring to Hansen, which made his heart throb with a sharp pain.

    ¡°Sergio, what the hell do you want? Where¡¯s my wife?¡± Once Hansen stood firm, he looked at Sergio with a pair of fierce eyes and asked solemnly.

    Sergio was a public official, and he was there to investigate Hansen¡¯spany, but right then, Hansen didn¡¯t show any respect to him. He felt like there was no need to respect a man who had repeatedly pestered his wife.

    Sergio raised his eyes and looked at him tly.

    ¡°What is this? It¡¯s still early in the morning, and you are already asking me for your own wife. What¡¯s going on here? Could it be that you can¡¯t even look after your own wife? Or did your wife leave you out of anger because you¡¯re unfaithful?¡±

    Sergio mocked him, and he showed his disdain towards Hansen. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I saved your wife yesterday. If it weren¡¯t for me, would you still have the chance to see your wife in the future? Look at you, not only did you not thank me, you even med me.How rude!¡±

    As Sergio said that, he stretched out his hand and shook his fingers. Then, he deliberately touched his injured right arm with his palm. He had acent smile on his face.

    Hansen took two steps forward to approach him. Then, he red at Sergio with a heavy and ruthless gaze.

    ¡°Sergio, I know you don¡¯t have the ability to win over a woman¡¯s heart, but do you think you can win over a woman¡¯s heart with this kind of method? Do you really believe that you¡¯ll be able to win my wife¡¯s heart over and break us apart just like that?¡± Hansen asked aggressively. He pursed his lips slightly, and the muscles on his face became tense. In an instant, Hansen was shrouded by coldness. After that, he asked, word for word, with a clear voice, ¡°Mr. Xanthe, in the underground parking lot of the Sky Blue Restaurant, an unlicensed off-road vehicle hit me that night. You know about this, right?¡±

    Sergio felt that those words were like poison needles piercing through him. After hearing that, his expression changed, and he was obviously triggered by that piece of news. There was a trace of panic and even embarrassment in his eyes, but he quickly covered it up cleverly. He stood up and asked in surprise, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Mr. Richards? You had a day when you encountered danger, huh? It seems like the public security of A City is really very poor. Christopher should work on that.¡±

    With a cold expression, Hansen stared intently into Sergio¡¯s eyes, as he did not want to miss out on seeing any changes in them. His face at that moment was as if it was covered with frost.

    ¡°Sergio, let me tell you something. I have already found that car. You probably know Sancher, don¡¯t you?¡± Hansen asked coldly.

    The muscles on Sergio¡¯s face twitched a little as he looked at Hansen sharply. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What do I mean?¡± Hansen suddenly burst intoughter. ¡°Don¡¯t you know what I mean best? If you don¡¯t want others to know what you did, then you shouldn¡¯t do it in the first ce. Right now, you¡¯re investigating mypany in order to cover up something, right? Hah, but you can¡¯t hide the ugly things you did behind the scenes. Moreover, even though Jenna is my wife, you¡¯ve still repeatedly pestered her. Let me give you a piece of advice. You shouldn¡¯t go too far and do too many despicable things. I¡¯ll surely settle this debt with you sooner orter.¡±

    Seeing how straightforward and aggressive Hansen was, Sergio was indeed shocked, but after a while, heughed. ¡°Hansen, you have finally grown up, and learnt certain things. But I have to tell you, even if you know about it, so what? Who is Sancher? I don¡¯t know him. If he had hit you, he would naturally take the me. But, so what if you tell me this? Does it have anything to do with me? Where is the evidence?¡±

    Those series of questions forced Hansen to take a step back, as he didn¡¯t expect Sergio to be so shameless. In an instant, his body was filled with a chill.

    Indeed, through interrogating Sancher over the past few days, all the valuable information they got had nothing to do with Sergio.

    Sancher took all the me himself. He epted the payment, and then he carried out the murder attempt.

    Nheless, he didn¡¯t know who paid him. He never even saw the person either. As for the money, it was directly transferred from an overseas ount.

    Seeing that there was no progress, even after the long interrogation, Hansen had no choice but to leave him to the police.

    Based on his intuition, that matter must have had something to do with Sergio. Just then, he was partially bluffing, in order to get some information from Sergio, and in the end, he got his answer from Sergio¡¯s attitude. Nevertheless, Sergio¡¯s calm attitude disheartened him to the brim. His shameless words and behavior made Hansen feel a sense of sorrow.

    However, Hansen was finally able to understand many things. So, he was able to calm down.

    He and Sergio had already had a falling out, and it seemed that the battles in the future would be even more intense.

    In the past, he had never been afraid of challenges. The more intense the challenge was, the more it would trigger his fighting spirit. That was how he felt at that moment. After understanding a lot of things, he became much more confident and was not in a hurry anymore.

    He looked at Sergio calmly with vicious and sinister eyes. With so many years of experience in business, his intuition had be more refined. Therefore, the more cunning the enemy was, the more it would bring out his fighting spirit and make him more energetic.

    Right then, that was how he felt.

    Hansen was a natural predator. He was overbearing and wise. He was not someone whom Sergio could suppress. Even if his enemy was Yadriel, he wouldn¡¯t be afraid either.

    Hansen¡¯s cold and overbearing aura gradually emanated from him and struck Sergio.

    That was a kind of invisible mental showdown. Even the experienced Sergio started to shiver all of a sudden, when facing his aura, to the point where he couldn¡¯t even bear to look straight into Hansen¡¯s eyes, as he felt a little guilty.

    ¡°Sergio, you have guts. Since you insist on fighting with me, then I won¡¯t hold back anymore. If I were able to find Sancher, then I would surely be able to find all your other subordinates. I will definitely settle the score with you.¡± Hansen¡¯s voice was cold and devoid of warmth, as if the devil was speaking instead of him. Moreover, his words lingered in Sergio¡¯s ears and never left. It wasn¡¯t until Hansen had left the room with heavy footsteps that his words disappeared from Sergio¡¯s ears, which made Sergio feel like he was in a gloomy prison.

    He felt a hint of panic.

    Having been in the army for so many years, he knew why he felt so guilty.

    It wasn¡¯t because of how strong Hansen was, but because of the cowardice and fear in his heart. In his many years of fighting criminals, when he was dealing with them, he was able to give them a fatal blow because he was standing on the side of justice, and that kind of awe-inspiring momentum would often make criminals feel timid and start to hesitate. Right then, he felt like those criminals. He knew that Hansen would give him a fatal blow at any time, and then he would fall into the abyss of eternal damnation.

    The feeling in the depths of his heart made him panic and made him feel a sense of fear that he had never felt before.

    Hansen¡¯s Hummer went straight to the underground garage of Richards Manor.

    As soon as Jenna returned to Richards Manor, everyone in the family surrounded her, as if they were bees whose nest had been destroyed. They inquired after her well-being, one by one, with pale faces.

    Marissa was even more frightened. As soon as she saw Jenna, she approached her to ask her about her health with utmost care.

    When Jenna felt the family¡¯s concern, she felt slightly warm in her heart.

    Jerry wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her face with a face full of fear. Jenna then wrapped her arms around her son¡¯s neck. She felt like her heart was full to the brim.

    The sound of heavy footsteps from outside could be heard, which caused the others to fall silent.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Richards,¡± the servants greeted politely when they saw Hansen enter.

    Hansen gave a faint ¡®hmm¡¯ and called out to Marissa. ¡°Mom.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re back,¡± Marissa said happily with a smile. Seeing her son¡¯s exhausted face, she could not help but to feel distressed. ¡°Hansen, you shouldn¡¯t overwork yourself. The Richards Group has many big businesses. So, we don¡¯t have to be afraid even if things go south. We can just start over again. Your health is the most important thing.¡±

    Marissa did not know everything that had happened in thepany, as Trevor and Hansen did not tell her anything. Otherwise, she would not be able to sit still at that time and be so calm.

    ¡°Thank you, Mom. I understand,¡± Hansen said gently,smiling faintly.

    ¡°Mom, Dad told mest night that he won¡¯t marry that wicked woman.So, you don¡¯t need to run away from home anymore,¡± Jerry whispered into Jenna¡¯s ear. After that, he hugged her face tightly and said, ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want you to leave me again. I was so scared and sad.¡±

    Jenna was in a daze. Jerry¡¯s words made her heart ache, and her face turned pale in an instant. She then wrapped her arms around him tightly, but she didn¡¯t know what to say.

    That child actually thought that she had run away from home because of that woman, Liya!

    ¡°Jerry, go and y with Grandma,¡± Hansen ordered softly. His ck pupils shrank, as he looked at Jerry, who was whispering in Jenna¡¯s ear.

    Jerry didn¡¯t want to leave Jenna¡¯s side so soon, but he could not refuse. Hansen¡¯srge hands had already picked him up and was bringing him to Marissa.

    ¡°Mom, since it¡¯s a little hot today, go ahead and let Jerry practise swimming,¡± Hansen said gently, andhanded Jerry over to Marissa.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Alright, Jerry. Come with Grandma to the pool, okay? Let Dad and Mom talk to each other for a bit.¡± Marissa walked out while holding Jerry¡¯s hand. Several servants followed after them.

    The room instantly fell silent.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes paused on Jenna¡¯s slightly pale face for a moment. He then shifted his gaze and walked towards her.

 Chapter 502 You Must Abide By The Family Rules

    ¡°Come up with me.¡± Hansen pulled Jenna by the arm and led her to the second floor.

    As he held her tightly by the arm, Jenna could do nothing but to follow him.

    ¡°Where did you gost night?¡± After bringing her to the bedroom, Hansen pressed her onto the couch and asked in a slightly harsh tone.

    Why was he scolding her so severely?

    ¡°Hansen, you should know what happenedst night, right?¡± When Jenna heard the displeasure in his voice, she felt unhappy. She was almost murdered by other people, but he was still asking her where she had gone the night before. Obviously, he didn¡¯t care about her safety at all. He was not as good as Sergio, which saddened her.

    ¡°Of course, I know.¡± Hansen felt sad too.Yesterday, He had seen her bloodied face on the television,but he had also seen Sergio hugging her tightly in his arms.

    ¡°Yesterday, Sergio got seriously injured from saving me. So, I repaid his kindness by staying back and taking care of him for a night,¡± Jenna said very frankly, without concealing anything.

    ¡°You repaid him?¡± Hansen sneered and said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re not nning to repay him with your body, are you?¡±

    ¡°Hansen, what do you mean by this?¡± Jenna felt hurt at his words.

    ¡°What else could I mean?Why did you go out? Couldn¡¯t you obey my words for once?¡± Hansen growled.

    She was saved by Sergio and Sergio had gotten seriously injured in order to save her.

    Such news appeared on all media tforms that morning, causing a stir in the city. Moreover, right then, Hansen, Jenna, Sergio, and Liya were all over the media. Not only that, tons of reporters were trying to get an exclusive interview from him.

    Their family had be theughing stock of the city!

    Was this not bad enough still?

    The reason Hansen had told Jenna to go home was because he didn¡¯t want her to get involved in those rumors, that she would be able to live a peaceful life, just like Marissa had. Wasn¡¯t a life like that good enough? However, Jenna didn¡¯t want to listen to him, and even went out on her own ord. Hansen had already expected that such dangerous things would happen. Otherwise, why would he have fired Jenna from the Richards Group?

    ¡°Hansen, I left to attend to some matters. I didn¡¯t mean to go out, if I could help it too. You would never know the feeling of not knowing anything.¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t stand Hansen¡¯s usation. Of course, she knew what Hansen meant. The fact that Sergio had saved her, his wife, was a matter that would damage his self-esteem and reputation. However, she was the one who was being attacked. Where was her husband when that had happened? Right now, she was safe and fine again, and all he did was to shout at her for ruining his reputation.

    ¡°What exactly do you want to know? At this point of time, as long as you obediently stay at home and take good care of our son, nothing will happen. Do you really not understand why I wanted you not to go to thepany anymore? Now that you have gone through such an incident, do you really still not understand?¡± Hansen¡¯s tone was very harsh. He stood up and ced one hand on his waist and the other on his forehead.

    Jenna looked up at him in a daze.

    Had he ordered her to return home in order to protect her?

    Then, he should¡¯ve just told her.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Why was everyone unwilling to tell her the truth?Paul and Irvin nevertold her the truth as well. Even if the truth was cruel and harsh, she could definitely bear it, to the point that she was even willing to sacrifice everything for that family.

    Nheless, everyone had kept it a secret from her, which made her feel very helpless.

    Hansen sat down by Jenna¡¯s side, when he saw her sitting there in a daze, with helpless eyes. Thinking of how she was almost murdered the day before, he took Jenna¡¯s hand and asked gently, ¡°Jenna, were you scared yesterday?¡±

    Jenna looked at Hansen¡¯s deep and gentle eyes and nodded.

    Hansen then put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his embrace. He then spoke gently.

    ¡°Jenna, I understand what you¡¯re thinking. You want to stand with me and face this disaster together with me,and you want the Richards Group to get through this crisis smoothly, don¡¯t you?¡±

    He whispered softly and caressed her face gently.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jenna solemnly nodded her head.

    ¡°Jenna, fighting along each other¡¯s side doesn¡¯t mean we both have to be in the frontlines. We can support each other in different ways. You are my wife. So, you can support me from the sidelines. Since I am the husband, I have to fight on the frontlines. You should also know howplicated the situation is right now, since someone is trying to harm you. Someone also tried to harm you at the banquet that day. You are my wife and Jerry¡¯s mother. Therefore, I can¡¯t let you show up in public. I can¡¯t afford to expose any ws, and be taken advantage of by my enemies. That¡¯s why I fired you. It¡¯s so that I can fight with ease knowing that you¡¯re safe at home. But not only did you not take my hint, you kept making a fool out of yourself, which made me constantly worry about you,¡± Hansen exined gently.

    ¡°You knew what happened at the banquet already? Someone tried to push me into theke.¡± Jenna got up from his arms and looked at him in disbelief.

    ¡°I only learnt of it from my investigation recently. I didn¡¯t know it at that time. If I had known at that time, I would have definitely turned the whole banquet upside down.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes were full of ferocity as he spoke.

    ¡°That was why I didn¡¯t tell you at that time. I knew that you wouldn¡¯t be able to find the culprit, even if you turned the whole banquet upside down, as there were no surveince cameras. You wouldn¡¯t havefound any evidence at all. What¡¯s more, if you had caused amotion at the banquet, you would have lost your reputation and that matter would definitely have spread throughout the whole city. People might assume that I was bluffing. After all, it¡¯s something that¡¯s very hard for people to believe unless we have evidence. Also, we might even have alerted our enemies by doing so too.¡±

    In fact, Jenna herself was not sure whether she had been pushed by someone, due to the fact that she had seen nothing when she had turned her head! She even suspected that it had been an illusion!

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hearing Jenna¡¯s words, Hansen nodded in agreement.

    It seemed like she had already thought long and hard about these things. How could he, as her husband, not try even harder after this!

    ¡°Hansen, the fact that you said you are going to marry Liya is merely a n to deceive the others, right? Furthermore, you¡¯re only acting, and you don¡¯t n to marry her at all, right?¡± Jenna¡¯s ck and bright eyes looked at him expectantly as she asked.

    Hansen lowered his head and looked into her bright eyes. Her clear and pure eyes made his heart tremble a little.

    ¡°Jenna, that¡¯s true in theory, but if things really get to it, I have no choice but to marry her too. Although I¡¯ll try my best to avoid that scenario, you still have to be mentally prepared,¡± Hansen answered with some difficulty. His intuition told him that Liya wouldn¡¯t give up easily, not to mention that he had already promised her.

    That was why he chose to be frank with her. He had to ensure that she was mentally prepared for that to happen. Otherwise, on that day, he was afraid that she would do something stupid.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes darkened, and they even seemed to be very mysterious.

    It was still the same result, the result she didn¡¯t want.

    Was Hansen just making up an excuse to marry another woman and enjoy a good life with many women?

    She closed her eyes, and her expression looked cold.

    At that time, Hansen held her up with both hands and put her on hisp. He looked at her with his eyes and said aggressively, ¡°Jenna, I order you that from today onwards, you are not allowed to have any contact with Sergio. You¡¯re not allowed to say even one word to him. Can you do it? Otherwise, I¡­¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, you¡­ What?¡± Hearing his overbearing words, Jenna raised her head. When she met his cold gaze, she felt a chill in an instant, and only asked after averting her gaze.

    The Richards family had always been a feudal family. Even though Jenna was the person-in-charge, there was still a difference in powerpared to the men. This was so that she would not be in conflict with the interests of the men in the family. That way, she had the final say in the family matters. Nevertheless, although she was the person-in-charge, her authority wouldn¡¯t be higher than the men in the family, especially that of the family head. As long as Hansen or the head of the family spoke, she, as the person-in-charge, had to obey, no matter what. That was the iron-d rule of Richards Manor.

    As the person-in-charge, she was at best the empress and the true power was still in the hands of her husband, the leader of the feudal family. Normally, the men would not interfere in matters of the household, but right then there were rumors between Jenna and Sergio flying all over the city. This would vite the interests of her husband.So, naturally, he woulde and chastise her.

    Jenna had reason to believe that Hansen had abandoned thepany and rushed home that day to talk to her, not because of the precious night¡¯s matters or her injury. However, it was for the fact that she had been seen in Sergio¡¯s arms, which caused him to lose his reputation. Therefore, he came back early in the morning to reprimand and warn her.

    That day, due to the fact that she and Hansen still loved each other, and that Hansen let Jenna down as he was going to marry Liya, Hansen was still quite polite to her. Otherwise, he would be fuming at her.

    She looked at Hansen coldly. He could take a second spouse, but she couldn¡¯t. She could only do housework at home, and then serve him, living the so-called peaceful life.

    It was really warm-hearted, wasn¡¯t it?

    Was there anything else that could make her feel even more aggrieved?

    Hansen seemed to have seen through her thoughts, as well as her grievances and dissatisfaction. He did not exin anything, but said in an overbearing manner, ¡°If I find out that you contacted Sergio in private, I will punish you. Don¡¯t think that I won¡¯t take action. I have never hit a woman, but such a thing might call for an exception.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you will hit me?¡± Jenna¡¯s voice became louder. She didn¡¯t care about the domineering attitude of the feudal family head and just red at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll be reluctant to do so. You¡¯re not allowed to interact with Sergio again. Remember this,¡± Hansen said seriously. The fact that his wife had an ambiguous rtionship with another man was a really humiliating thing, and it was bringing shame to both himself and the Richards Group.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this oppressive and overbearing?¡± Jenna said weakly, and her voice sounded very sad.

    ¡°You can take it however you want. This is the family rule of Richards Manor. You must abide by it.¡± Hansen ignored her feelings and repeated himself.

    The fact that his wife and Sergio had questionable interactions made him very angry.

    Jenna opened her bright eyes and red at him. Then, she took advantage of his habit of reaching out his hand to touch her red lips to bite down hard on his hand.

 Chapter 503 Unavoidable Sin

    ¡°You dare to bite me?¡± Hansen stretched out his finger to take a look. There was a small circle of teeth marks on it. Although it was a little painful, it felt a little itchy, but it caused his heart to waver. He then ced one hand on her back and the other on the back of her head, saying, ¡°You d*mned woman.¡±

    With a pout, he used his teeth to undo the button on her chest.

    ¡°Hansen, I won¡¯t give in to you. If you betray me, you and I will never reconcile with you.¡± Jenna gritted her teeth and cursed as she kicked him with her foot.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s lips curled slightly when he saw her angry expression.

    He buried his head in front of her chest, and then asked softly, ¡°Jenna, you weren¡¯t hurt yesterday, right?¡±

    There was a faint scent of floral fragrance on her body, which intoxicated Hansen.

    The night before, in order to find the culprit behind the murder attempt and to ensure that she would no longer be threatened like that in the future, he was busy for an entire night without sleeping.

    At that time, Jenna was disheartened. She thought that the worst oue for her was to acknowledge Hansen¡¯s marriage and force herself to ept the harsh reality like Frederic¡¯s wife.

    Then, what about the Richards Group¡¯s crisis? Would it disappear because of Hansen and Liya¡¯s marriage?

    She was not sure. So, she just sat there in a daze.

    ¡°Jenna, sleep with me.¡± At that moment, Hansen stood up with his arms around her and said in a hoarse voice.

    Perhaps Hansen was exhausted. He held her,y on the bed and buried his head in her chest. After a while, she heard him say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jenna, I¡¯ll try my best not to let that kind of thing happen again.¡±

    Then, Jenna heard Hansen¡¯s breathing gradually bing steady. He actually fell asleep just like that.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna did not sleep well the night before too. She opened her eyes and finally understood. A man¡¯s so-called fear for his wife was just a short period before and after marriage. It was a way for them to dote on their wives. However, for a traditional husband such as Hansen, being domineering and tyrannical was his second nature. Plus, he wouldn¡¯t want to involve his wife in important matters.

    She was also ying that role by staying by his side like that, right?

    Jenna smiled bitterly. Even if he loved her as much in his life right then, he still wouldn¡¯t give up on his marriage with Liya. Was that a woman¡¯s fate?

    Disheartened, she fell asleep too. When she woke up, Hansen was already nowhere to be seen as usual.

    She then went downstairs in a bad mood. Aunt E brought her a ss of juice. Seeing how lonely she looked, she recalled that recently, Jenna and the Young Master had a few conflicts. She persuaded Jenna softly. ¡°Madam Jenna, don¡¯t be too sad. If things can¡¯t be changed anymore, then you should just ept the reality. All in all, the Young Master still loves you, your inws love you and care about you a lot too. Isn¡¯t it just a second wife? No matter what, nothing big will happen. Besides, you have Jerry. So, you shouldn¡¯t quarrel with the Young Master at this moment, or he might think that you¡¯re narrow-minded. Not only will it not be good for you if it really happened, Liya will also get more opportunities. Don¡¯t worry, second wives will always be second wives. They won¡¯t be able to harm the interests of the person-in-charge. Also, Liya is from a humble family. So, she won¡¯t be able to threaten you. Nheless, the Young Master never said that he will definitely marry her too. So, you shouldn¡¯t be unhappy and go back to your family¡¯s home. In this way, your status will definitely be ruined. s, you shouldn¡¯t threaten the Young Master and mention the divorce with him too, or you will be the one to suffer.¡±

    Aunt E tried to persuade her in a low voice.

    The corner of Jenna¡¯s mouth moved slightly, as she gave a faint smile.

    She thought, weren¡¯t all the women in prestigious families like that? Even though they knew that their husbands had other mistresses, they still turned a blind eye to it. She bet that was how they were able toe to ept reality gradually.

    Would she also give in like that?

    Outside, the sun was shining brightly, apanied by a gentle breeze.

    Zoe was sitting in her office, and her current mood waspletely different from the fine weather.

    She felt very gloomy and heavy, like the raging sea that had struck thend with big waves.

    ¡°Did you fail again?¡± she asked in a deplorable manner to the man standing opposite her, with a sullen face and a frightening gaze.

    ¡°Miss Yates, we were initially going to seed, but unexpectedly, Sergio showed up. He¡¯s very good at martial arts too. So, we couldn¡¯t do anything about it.¡± A man with an eye patch was standing in the office with a wretched face.

    ¡°That d*mned Sergio.¡± Zoe mmed her hand on the desk and cursed fiercely. That man had fallen in love with Jenna to the point of being infatuated.

    Jenna was such a blessed woman. So many men were willing to protect her, and were even willing to risk their lives in the process.

    Both of them were women, and her condition was no worse than hers, but she was humiliated by Oscar instead. Whenever she thought about that night, she could not help but to tremble all over.

    ¡°Miss Yates, we can¡¯t take any action for the time being. The police have already gotten involved in this matter. Furthermore, Hansen¡¯s men are searching for the culprit in A City. If we take action again, all our efforts will be in vain.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Zoe replied coldly, ¡°You guys should go into hiding first and wait for my orders.¡±

    After saying that, she took out a check from the drawer.

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Miss Yates.¡± With one of his eyes shing with dor signs, the man took the check from the table with his hands and said, ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll leave first, Miss Yates.¡±

    Zoe nodded her head nkly.

    The man walked out quickly.

    Zoe then leaned her back against the seat and closed her eyes.

    ¡°Miss Yates, Oscar is here again.¡± Octavia came in from the outside in a panic.

    Oscar? Zoe¡¯s closed eyes quickly widened, emitting two sharp rays of light.

    ¡°Quickly, throw him out.¡± She panicked and ordered. Whenever she heard of the name ¡®Oscar¡¯, she would tremble and feel disgusted. She would even go crazy from hatred. So, naturally, she didn¡¯t want to see that face that triggered her disgust.

    ¡°But, Miss Yates, we couldn¡¯t drive him away.¡± Octavia was so anxious that her face turned red.

    ¡°Zoe, hurry up and open the door. I¡¯m here to see you.¡± Oscar¡¯s voice shook the entire office.

    Zoe¡¯s face instantly turned pale, and she shuddered all over.

    ¡°What should we do?¡± Octavia asked in a panic.

    Zoe opened her palm as her face turned pale. Ever since that night, Oscar hade to visit her everyday and even after being chased away by her several times, he decided to stay there and not leave.

    ¡°Let him in.¡± Zoe decided that it was time to face that beast, as it would be useless to dy the inevitable. She then narrowed her eyes and spoke coldly.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Having received Zoe¡¯s instruction, Octavia helplessly opened the door of the office.

    ¡°Zoe.¡± Oscar¡¯s plump figure sat on the couch as soon as he walked in. He spoke with a smile.

    ¡°What are you here for?¡± Zoe¡¯s face was expressionless as she asked in a cold voice.

    When Oscar heard Zoe¡¯s cold tone, he chuckled. ¡°My dear Zoe, I missed you.¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Zoe shouted, ¡°Oscar, I won¡¯t let you go for humiliating me that night.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Oscar didn¡¯t get angry. He only narrowed his small eyes and let out a sinister smile.

    How could he not know that Zoe hated him and wasn¡¯t willing to see him?

    He felt that women needed to be trained.

    He stood up with a gloomy face and said slowly, ¡°Zoe, then what about the matter of you drugging me with sleeping pills?¡±

    Zoe was stunned. She didn¡¯t think that Oscar was smart enough to know that she was the one who drugged him.

    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing.¡± She concealed her panic and chose not to admit to that matter.

    ¡°I am very clear whether that matter exists or not. Zoe, you are my d*mn fianc¨¦e right now. If I want to make love with you, then you have to satisfy me.¡± Oscar then stood up and strolled towards her. He had already lost his patience due to her repeated rejections.

    Immediately, he sped Zoe¡¯s chin with a sinister smile.

    ¡°Dream on.¡± Zoe endured the feeling of disgust. She then smacked his hand away and cursed viciously. ¡°Oscar, if you dare to touch me again, then I will smash your p*nis.¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Oscar let out a sinisterugh. As a trace of violence shed across his eyes, he spoke while touching his chin.

    ¡°Woman, if you don¡¯t like me and hate me, you still have to serve me, unless I am tired of ying with you. In fact, I¡¯m stating that I¡¯m still interested in your body right now. If you are wise, then serve me, and I will still dote on you after we get married. Otherwise, you will suffer in the future.¡±

    It could be said that his words were extremely sinister.

    Zoe¡¯s eyes narrowed, and a cold arch shed across her pretty face. Her voice was as cold as ice, as she suddenly took out a sharp knife from the drawer and pressed it against Oscar¡¯s chest. ¡°Oscar, you¡¯re really bold, huh? I¡¯ll cut off your p*nis right now, so that you won¡¯t be able to y with women for the rest of your life.¡±

    With the cold sharp knife against the left side of his chest, Oscar¡¯s expression changed, and his eyes looked very cruel.

    No matter how strong a woman was, a woman¡¯s strength was nothing whenpared to a man¡¯s. Oscar then stretched out his rotund hand from behind and grabbed Zoe¡¯s hair from the back of her head. After that, he pulled it with force, and it made Zoe take a few steps back.

    With a ng, the sharp knife in her hand was knocked to the ground by Oscar¡¯s other hand.

    ¡°Woman, you should know what¡¯s good for you. Do you think that I will have a hard time dealing with you?¡± Zoe¡¯s face was lifted by Oscar¡¯s big palm, causing her red lips to be lifted too. Oscar thenughed sinisterly, and he bit Zoe¡¯s red lips after aiming carefully.

    The smell of cigarettes poured into Zoe¡¯s throat in an instant. Thus, it caused Zoe, who had always prioritized hygiene, to gag with disgust, to the point that she wanted to throw up.

    Oscar¡¯s strength was extremely great. He chewed on her lips, while grabbing onto her hair and pushing her against the wall at the same time.

    Zoe was unable to move and because her lips were blocked by Oscar¡¯s. The smell of cigarettes kept pouring into her stomach. For a moment, she felt as if the world was turning upside down and felt like she was going to faint.

    The resentment in her mind kept building up, and her face was so swollen that it became purple.

    After a long while, Oscar, who did not care about her feelings at all, left her lips, pulled her up, and threw her on the couch as though he was tossing a chick. Then, he came over, bent down, looked at her, and said with a sinister smile, ¡°The taste is not bad. I like it.¡±

    After being thrown to the couch by Oscar. Zoe felt extremely dizzy, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Oscar¡¯s distorted, fleshy face.

    ¡°Zoe, it¡¯s best to be obedient.¡± Oscar stretched out his hand and touched her face. He then took out a USB stick with one hand and shook it in front of her. With a sinister smile, he said, ¡°That night, I recorded our ¡®love¡¯ in the private booth at the banquet. If you dare to betray me and go against me, I will upload the video of that night to the inte or convert it into a DVD and sell it all over the world. I think a lot of people will be happy to see such a morous event. As long as you are not afraid of ruining yourself, I will do it.¡±

    Zoe¡¯s eyes widened in fear and her eyes were as pale as a sheet of paper.

    ¡°Listen. I will wait for you in the hotel room ronight. If I don¡¯t see you, you should understand the consequences. Humph, fighting with me will only me cause your own demise.¡± After Oscar finished his words, he stood up,ughed dryly, and swaggered away.

    Zoe immediately fainted.

 Chapter 504 Will You Still Accept Him?

    At the end of the long footpath and green trees in the back garden of Green Jade Garden, a figure dressed in a purple gown was sitting on a stone bench, with her arms around her knees in a daze.

    Jenna was slowly walking along the long pathway, and she was shocked to see that figure.

    ¡°Sabrina, why are you sitting here? Don¡¯t you need to work today?¡± she said with a face full of surprise, takinga step forward.

    Sabrina was still sitting there in a daze. It was only after Jenna had called out to her a second time that she came back to her senses. Seeing that it was Jenna, she stood up in a hurry and asked while inspecting her, ¡°Jenna, I came here to see you, but after seeing that you¡¯re still sleeping, I chose not to disturb you. How about it? Nothing bad happened yesterday, right? Were you injured?¡±

    As Sabrina asked, she took Jenna¡¯s hand and inspected her.

    Jenna smiled. ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. Sergio was the one who¡¯s hurt.¡±

    Upon mentioning Sergio, Jenna thought of a serious question. Hadn¡¯t he gone to Sabrina¡¯s home for a marriage proposal? Then, could the fact that Sabrina was sitting there in a daze have something to do with the rumors between Sergio and her? Thinking about that, she held Sabrina¡¯s hand and sat down on the stone bench together.

    ¡°Sabrina, is there something on your mind?¡± Jenna asked softly after sitting down.

    Sabrina raised her eyebrows, and a trace of worry shed across her eyes. She shook her head.

    ¡°Sabrina, if you regard me as your good friend, then you must tell me if there¡¯s something on your mind.¡± After sitting down, Jenna spoke in a sincere and earnest tone.

    Even a positive and vivacious woman like Sabrina would have a moment where she was sad. That was why Jenna thought that Sabrina¡¯s worry was most likely rted to her love life.

    ¡°I will.¡± Sabrina smiled and promised. ¡°Thank you, Jenna.¡±

    ¡°Sabrina, I sincerely hope that you can find happiness. You have been in the Richards Group for such a long time. You should have a general understanding of Sergio, right?¡± Jenna said softly.

    Sabrina understood what her intention was and shook her headimmediately.

    ¡°Jenna, to tell you the truth, Sergio isn¡¯t my ideal man. It¡¯s just that his father proposed marriage to my father, but I know it¡¯s impossible between me and him,¡± she said very convincingly. When Jenna recalled how Sergio couldn¡¯t hold himself back that night, her face turned a little red. She sighed in her heart. Obviously, the two of them didn¡¯t think of each other that way. If they get married because of their elder¡¯s orders, Jenna was afraid that Sabrina¡¯s whole life would be ruined.

    At the thought of that, her mood became a little heavy.

    ¡°Then, how are you going to tell your father that you wish to turn down the proposal?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I was in a daze. My father is adamant. So, I¡¯m afraid that he won¡¯t agree to it so easily.¡± She lowered her head and her face turned red.

    For a moment, Jenna pitied Sabrina.

    ¡°Sabrina, marriage is a matter of destiny. If you two are really fated to be together, then you two will definitely be able to end up together. Don¡¯t worry, take your time.¡± She could only exin it like that. In fact, she herself was also caught up in a rtionship dilemma.

    ¡°Jenna, to be honest, now that I¡¯ve seen your marriage with Hansen, I¡¯ve lost interest in it. Even though you two have gone through a lot of hardships, your rtionship was disrupted by Liya just like that. This made me feel very disappointed, especially with men,¡± she said with a heavy heart. The disappointment on her face was self-evident.

    ¡°Silly girl, not everyone is like this. Everyone¡¯s situation is different. How can you only look at me and Hansen? There are so many people in the world. It is the same when ites to love as well. A romance like Hansen¡¯s and mine is actually very rare. No matter what setbacks you encounter, you must have confidence in life and live a cheerful life. You shouldn¡¯t be discouraged so easily.¡± Although Jenna was still sad right then, she still tried her best tofort Sabrina.

    Sabrina nodded. She really admired Jenna¡¯s attitude.

    ¡°Jenna, since you¡¯re fine and all, then I¡¯ll go to work. Otherwise, Hansen will be unhappy,¡± she said with a smile, andstood up.

    Jenna also nodded with a smile.

    ¡°Sabrina, may I ask you a question?¡± When Sabrina was about to leave, Jenna stood up and asked with a clear voice.

    ¡°What do you want to talk about? Feel free to ask me.¡± Sabrina turned around and smiled. After she steadied herself, she looked at her.

    Jenna thought for a while and then asked very seriously, ¡°If Norton had really turned over a new leaf, and was able to have a sessful career to prove his sincerity to you, will you then ept him?¡±

    Jenna stared intently at Sabrina. The Norton right then had indeed turned over a new leaf, but he still hadn¡¯t cemented a sessful career yet. Obviously, Sabrina still couldn¡¯t ept Norton like that, let alone General Delia. However, if he was really able to have a sessful career, would Sabrina ept him? That was the key.

    It could be seen that Sabrina had had a crush on Norton in the past, as he was her first love, but after those events, she couldn¡¯t understand Sabrina¡¯s mind anymore. She was even more afraid of destroying her purity. Hence, she asked her to test her.

    The smile on Sabrina¡¯s face disappeared instantly, and her face tensed up.

    ¡°Jenna, did Norton tell you to ask me this?¡± she asked with great suspicion.

    ¡°No.¡± Jenna shook her head firmly. ¡°This is my own intention.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Sabrina breathed a sigh of relief, but her eyes looked a little lonely. ¡°Jenna, I might as well tell you that I havepletely given up on him.Also, I know my father will never ept him. There is no chance for us anymore. He had hurt me deeply as well.¡±

    Sabrina answered while holding onto the hem of her dress with her hand, which obviously meant that she felt a little uneasy.

    Jenna¡¯s heart instantly sank upon hearing that.

    Sabrina was right. Norton had hurt her too much. The Norton in the past was truly a jerk.

    ¡°But, Sabrina. What I want to say is that there is no perfect person for you in the world. There are only people who suit you. Some people may make mistakes at the start, but it doesn¡¯t mean that they can¡¯t be forgiven, as long as he still treats you sincerely. The main key is to see how he treats you. Of course, marriage is still something that depends on fate.¡± Jenna walked forwards and pulled Sabrina outside. ¡°Sabrina, I now understand your mind. You shouldn¡¯t be in such a hurry. Since you¡¯re such an active and kind person, you¡¯ll definitely be able to find happiness.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, thanks for your advice.¡± Sabrina smiled. ¡°Jenna, since there is someone who¡¯s trying to harm you, I think you¡¯d better not go out. Call me if you need anything. I¡¯ll definitely help you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Sabrina. Thank you so much for not abandoning Richards Manor. I¡¯ll definitely remember your kindness,¡± Jenna said in a gentle and soft voice. As they spoke, they had already arrived at the electric vehicle station.

    Sabrina got on the electric vehicle and left. Jenna simply stood there and watched as she left.

    Shouldn¡¯t such a good girl be able to find happiness?

    However, as far as she was concerned, she really couldn¡¯t see if she was happy!

    General Delia¡¯s family had always valued men more than women. For Sabrina, as long as her partner was well-matched and was someone that was quite esteemed, General Delia would marry her to anyone and ignore her feelings.

    ¡°s.¡± Jenna shook her head.

    The moment she turned around, she saw a slender figure under an old tree not far away. The slender figure was standing under the shade of the tree and staring nkly at Sabrina¡¯s back from there.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment.

    It was Norton.

    She let out a soft cry.

    Obviously, Norton was lost in his thoughts, and he did not see Jenna walking towards him.

    In the past few days, as long as Sabrina showed up in Richards Manor, he would secretly follow her from a distance, as he did not dare to approach her.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Norton.¡± Jenna approached him. She couldn¡¯t see his gaze, as it was blocked by his sses, but his whole body was tense, and he looked very nervous.

    It was only when Jenna called out to him again that Norton came back to his senses.

    What were those two thinking? They were both standing there, lost in thought. What was that about?

    Jenna shook her head helplessly.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Norton¡¯s face instantly blushed when he saw Jenna standing next to him and sizing him up. He felt like it was as if someone had peeped into his mind. After that, he turned around and tried to leave.

    ¡°Norton, running away won¡¯t solve things. I was just thinking about having a chat with you.¡± Seeing that he was escaping in a panic, she stopped him in time.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Upon the realization that Jenna had seen through his thoughts, Norton had no choice but to stop.

    ¡°Norton, you¡¯re not a child anymore. Something happened to your father in Africa, and you¡¯re his only child. It¡¯s time for you to get married and settle down!¡± Jenna said earnestly.

    Norton¡¯s eyes darkened and he looked downcast.

    He lowered his head and clenched his fingers tightly.

    ¡°I want to save my Dad, but I don¡¯t know what to do,¡± he muttered.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Trevor tell you? Just listen to his words.¡± Jennaforted him. ¡°You should also think of your own personal affairs now. This may be what your father is most anxious about.¡±

    Norton¡¯s eyebrows twitched, but he did not say anything.

    ¡°Let me ask you, are you currently still in love with Sabrina?¡± Jenna went straight to the point.

    Norton raised his eyes at the right moment and unexpectedly met Jenna¡¯s concerned gaze. Then, his heart suddenly thumped, and he earnestly said, ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s useless even if I still like her. She looks down on me and despises me.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Jenna was shocked and blurted out, ¡°How would you know if she looks down on you?¡±

    ¡°She said it herself.¡± Norton¡¯s eyes looked dull and listless as he spoke.

    ¡°You¡¯re just going to believe her like that?¡± Jenna raised her eyebrows and asked, ¡°If you like her, show her that you¡¯re a real man. No woman doesn¡¯t like a man who¡¯s sessful career-wise and is considerate towards her. As long as you have this determination to do so, one dayshe will realize how good you are and change her mind.¡±

    There was a glint in Norton¡¯s eyes as he asked in disbelief, ¡°Jenna, is what you said true? Do you think that there¡¯s still a possibility for us to repair our rtionship? And that she might ept me again if I really turn over a new leaf?¡±

    He asked desperately.His questions all camein one breath.

    As Jenna lifted her beautiful brows. She saw the passionate light in his eyes, as well as hope, which made her heart throb.

 Chapter 505 Entrusted With An Important Task

    ¡°Norton, you¡¯re a man. You need to use your actions to prove it, not words. If you want her to ept you again, then from now on, you have to work hard to build a sessful career to prove your worth to her. As long as you turn over a new leaf, I can guarantee that Sabrina will ept you.¡± Jennaforted him with a confident smile.

    ¡°Jenna, I would love to do that as well, but I don¡¯t think Sabrina will forgive me. General Delia will also not ept a son-inw who has been to prison.I know that much.¡± Norton lowered his head,looking guilty and depressed.

    ¡°Norton, you can¡¯t think like that. No human is perfect. Who doesn¡¯t make mistakes? As long as you can pull yourself together again, there is no reason for Sabrina not to ept you. You know that, right? You¡¯re her first love, and I know that she has feelings for you, as I have stayed with her before. The key is that you¡¯re not sincere enough, and you behaved like a joke in the past, which really hurt her heart. Right now, she is very sad, and she can¡¯t bring herself to be passionate about you, but it doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s impossible.¡± Jenna patiently advised him.

    Upon seeing that Sabrina had rushed there immediately when she learnt that something happened to the Richards Group, as a woman herself, Jenna knew how she thought, more or less. Although she might really have given up on Norton, but her feelings for Richards Manor were irreceable. If Norton could turn over a new leaf sessfully, then she might have the possibility to turn back time.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    The key factor right then was Norton¡¯s behavior.

    ¡°Jenna, the reason I¡¯m staying abroad is that I want to start up a business, but it¡¯s just that, I don¡¯t have enough capital, and can¡¯t start the business yet.¡± Norton lowered his head and said helplessly.

    ¡°Then, tell me, what kind of business do you want to start and what goals do you have in mind?¡± When Jenna heard that, she smiled faintly and asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m currently eyeing a few businesses that have potential if I were to develop it, but I¡¯m not nning to develop it for a while,¡± Norton said softly.

    Jenna smiled sweetly.

    ¡°Norton, starting up a business abroad from scratch is a difficult and long process. You¡¯re not young anymore.It might already be toote. How about this? You know that the Richards Group is facing some difficulties and is being harmed by others, right? The sole reason for that is because their scale of business is too big, and their management isn¡¯t doing a good job, which resulted in many loopholes in their system, causing them to be taken advantage of by others. As the saying goes, unity between brothers will make them stronger. The Richards Group got to this point too quickly, and we can¡¯t just rely on Hansen to manage the whole cooperation alone. So, I think it¡¯s better for you toe back and clear this obstacle together.¡± Jenna spoke at a steady pace, not too fast or slow, and it was as if the sounds of nature had instantly floated into Norton¡¯s ears.

    Jenna¡¯s analysis was very logical and reasonable.

    Norton stared at her. ¡°But, Jenna, what can I do by going back? Look at me. I¡¯ve been back for so long, but I haven¡¯t been able to do anything useful at all.¡±

    ¡°No, you will be useful. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s not time yet.¡± Jenna said confidently, ¡°How about this? In ten days,go to the Richards Group Automobile City in Los Angeles and meet up with Jersey and Sonny. I will inform them, and then you can register a newpany under your name. I will get Levin and Sonny to assist you in redeveloping cars and you will be able to own your own automobilepany. Recently, the Richards Group Automobile City in Los Angeles has produced a batch of high-quality vehicles that arepetitive. After you register thepany, immediately enter the market. With that, you will be able to upy the foreign market quickly, and improve the reputation of the Richards Group¡¯s cars. In this way, you can help develop the Richards Group and provide support to solve our domestic crisis. What do you think?¡±

    After Jenna finished her exnation, she looked at Norton and smiled.

    Norton¡¯s eyes were dazzling, and he looked very happy.

    ¡°Jenna, do you mean that I can also start apany now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but you can¡¯t tell the public that the car belongs to the Richards Group. After you seed, you will definitely be the general manager of foreign countries. From then on, you will be in charge of the development of the automobile industry, and you will be able to obtain 30% of the shares. You can be rest assured,as for this matter,I already have a n for it. You only need to follow the n.¡± Jenna said very seriously, ¡°And with your abilities, I believe you will be able to do better than before.¡±

    Jenna knew that Norton¡¯s thoughts were even more unfathomable than that of Hansen¡¯s. His methods were even more ruthless too. With that, he would have a greater effect on the foreign market, which was difficult to deal with.

    She was sure that he could do it well. In fact, she already thought of that n before she went to meet him that day.

    Norton couldn¡¯t hold back his excitement. He knew that something like that meant that Jenna was supporting him personally, as she allowed him to own his own business and was even willing to give him money. That kind of good deed, of course, was something that was hard toe by. Furthermore, the Richards Group¡¯s cars had an absolute advantage over theirpetitors in the market and sess was just a matter of time.

    ¡°Very well. I will go. Thank you for nurturing me, Jenna.¡± Norton¡¯s eyes shone brightly as he nodded decisively.

    Jenna smiled. When she saw the tears of excitement in his eyes, she knew that Norton would definitely be able to turn over a new leaf that time.

    ¡°Go ahead. I believe in your ability and skill. As long as the business goes well, I believe that Sabrina will ept you. As for General Delia, I will personally go and ask for Sabrina¡¯s hand in marriage as the person-in-charge of the Richards Group for you by then. Make sure you do this properly. Anyway, let¡¯s help each other ovee this difficulty together. Although Grandma is seriously ill, I am sure she knows things clearly. What we can only do now is to protect the Richards Group, to make her feel at ease.¡± Jenna smiled and encouraged him.

    Norton was so excited that his face turned red.

    ¡°Thank you, Jenna. The Richards family is fortunate to have you.¡±

    ¡°Norton, if you¡¯re able to create a sessful business, I couldn¡¯t be happier. I hope you can aplish it with all your heart.¡± Jenna¡¯s smile was especially warm as she encouraged him.

    A new energy had been injected into Norton¡¯s body. He had never felt so rxed before. Plus, that was all given to him by his beautiful sister-inw, Jenna, who he once admired. Although he could not get her, it was also a wonderful thing to be able to be family and live under the same roof with her.

    He left with joy.

    Meanwhile, in Trevor¡¯s study.

    Lomen came in hurriedly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there has been some bad news. Yadriel has an insatiable desire. Recently, he was preparing to smuggle a batch of weapons and sell them to some terrorists. The sum of the deal can be as high as a few hundred billion dors. Moreover, this is hisst deal. He will stop doing so after this.¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Upon hearing that news, Trevor, who was reading in the study, jumped up in shock.

    That was too terrifying!

    As a government official, how could he do such a thing that was equivalent to betraying his country? This was not an ordinary crime!

    ¡°Mr. Richards, all his weapons have been secretly produced in the Wullen Town¡¯s chemical nt. There are a lot of dangerous chemical substances stored there, and if something happens, it would cause a catastrophe.¡± Lomen was worried. ¡°And after finishing this deal, he¡¯llpletely shut things down, and I¡¯m afraid that we won¡¯t be able to find any trace of evidence in the future.¡±

    Trevor took a deep breath and didn¡¯t say a word for a long time.

    He had long guessed that the chemical nt in Wullen Town had something to do with Yadriel, and he also knew that he was up to no good there. Therefore, for the benefit of the Richards Group, he stopped Hansen from buying the chemical nt, and sessfully got rid of their involvement with it.

    As a family of businessmen, in fact, his realm didn¡¯t need to be so noble. Since ancient times, no merchant could beat government officials.

    What was more, after he got old, especially after experiencing so many things in life, he learnt to deal with his own businesses, and notpete and meddle with other people¡¯s businesses, as he wanted to live a peaceful and stable life.

    However, when he heard the news that day, he was still shocked!

    Their behavior was beyond outrageous.

    If he seeded that time, then it would be easy for him to be the governor of Capital City, with his vast financial resources, and no one could control him in his career in the future.

    All his past crimes would bepletely erased too.

    Then, what about the people of this country?

    What was more hateful was the fact that they aggressively wanted to destroy the Richards Group!

    ¡°Does this mean that ude¡¯s capture has something to do with him too?¡± Trevor¡¯s face was livid. With his hands behind his back, he paced back and forth in the study, as he spoke with a voice that was filled with grief and indignation.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I have to mention a man called Reid. He¡¯s Liya¡¯s uncle, the younger brother of Liya¡¯s mother, Elsie. Elsie was born into a poor family and her parents died when she was young. In order to support her brother, she would go to nightclubs to sell her body. Therefore, the brother and sister had a very good rtionship. After Elsie became ude¡¯s mistress and moved into Richards Manor, this was quite a good thing for her, as she didn¡¯t need to worry about food and shelter. But two yearster, Elsie was driven out of Richards Manor and died of an illness. This broke Reid down, and he couldn¡¯t ept reality. Therefore, he directed all his misced hatred towards ude.¡± Lomen¡¯s voice became heavier and heavier, as if he had too much pressure. He continued, ¡°In recent years, Reid left the country. In order to survive, he joined a terrorist organization, and ude¡¯s matter has a direct connection to him.¡±

    ¡°So, this matter is one that concerns love. Everything makes sense now.¡± Trevor¡¯s entire body froze. ude had made quite a few rtionship debts in the outside world over the past few years. This time, he might just be ruined by one of his debts that he made.

    After a long while, Trevor shook his head and sighed. He was very angry with ude¡¯s behavior, but there was nothing he could do. After all, he was his younger brother.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, things aren¡¯t just like that. It is said that ude discovered that Yadriel was smuggling weapons and what he did afterwards might have affected their interests. Right now, Reid is already a small head in the terrorist organization. In addition to the fact that he has long wanted to take revenge on him, he took action on him.¡± Lomen was exining and analyzing the situation very carefully.

    Trevor¡¯s heart sank to the bottom of the valley upon hearing that.

    Right then, Sergio didn¡¯t want to let the Richards Group go, while Yadriel didn¡¯t want to let ude go.

    Nheless, the most important thing right then was to save ude as soon as possible. After all, it was a matter of life and death, and Trevor understood that more than anyone else.

    His fist slowly tightened, and his eyes became gloomy.

 Chapter 506 A New Clue

    ¡°However, Mr. Trevor, you don¡¯t have to worry too much. ording to my analysis, although ude is in their hands, his life should not be in danger in the meantime. They won¡¯t harm his life for the time being. After all, they haven¡¯t achieved their goal yet.¡± Lomen exined from the side in a hurry, when he saw Trevor¡¯s tense and red face, and observed how anxious he was. Since Trevor had gone for brain surgery, Lomen was scared that something would happen to him.

    Trevor exhaled a deep and murky breath and sat down on his chair, trying his best to suppress the anger and anxiety in his heart.

    ¡°Lomen, at the moment, saving ude is our utmost priority. After all, he is my biological younger brother. Right now, Old Madam¡¯s condition is very serious, and I don¡¯t think that she will recover. Hence, I have the responsibility to bring ude home, so that she will be able to see him for thest time.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lomen replied while nodding.

    ¡°How is ude¡¯s current situation?¡± Although Trevor was not worried about ude¡¯s safety, he was worried if he was actually alright in the hands of terrorists.

    Lomen understood what Trevor was thinking. Thus, he immediately took out a disc and said, ¡°Mr. Trevor, please take a look at this. I got it from the rival sect to the terrorist organization.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s eyes darkened, and he immediately picked it up. He turned on theputer and began to y the video on the disc.

    After a while, unclear footage appeared. Inside the video was an empty mud house. A man with a bald head was squatting in the corner, with a haggard look on his face.He was in a very sorry state.

    It was his blood brother.

    At a nce, Trevor could tell that it was his younger brother, ude.

    Even though the rtionship between the two brothers wasn¡¯t that deep, and they had once turned against each other for the inheritance rights of Richards Manor, ude¡¯s current predicament still worried Trevor.

    In the scene, ude looked dazed, and his face was haggard and desperate.

    A feeling of despair and grief quickly spread over Trevor¡¯s heart. He then clenched his fists and gritted his teeth tightly, in order to suppress the emotions that were about to explode in his body.

    There were subtitles in a foreignnguage on the screen.

    ¡°What is being said is that they had caught an extremely valuable individual. If we want him to live, we have to exchange him for other things. They have not stated their terms yet, however,¡± Lomen exined with great effort.

    The video soon ended, and Trevor closed his eyes in pain.

    In the house with the ancestors¡¯ tomb in the Ink Garden of Richards Manor.

    Trevor knelt on the mat with heavy feelings.

    ¡°Old Master, you¡¯ve said that we merchants have to separate ourselves from politics and that we shouldn¡¯t go on the wrong path and not involve ourselves with political individuals. However, it seems that this time, for ude¡¯s sake, I have to meddle with them. After all, ude is your son and my brother. So, I won¡¯t abandon him.¡± Trevor said with a tone full of sorrow, ¡°Old Master, if you¡¯re aware of this in heaven, then please bless the Richards Group, so that we will be able to avoid this disaster, you should know these things don¡¯t happen for a reason, and I¡¯m afraid that our enemy has been plotting for a long time. Moreover, the Richards Group has been flourishing for a very long time. So many people are jealous of us. I know that we can¡¯t avoid this path of decline, but, as long as I¡¯m still alive, I won¡¯t let such a tragedy happen.¡±

    Speaking up to that point, Trevor heavily pleaded with the ancestor¡¯s memorial tablet.

    He then stood up and closed his eyes silently.

    In a private dining room in Sky Blue Restaurant.

    Liya was wearing a dreamy skirt. Her dyed hair made her look young and fashionable, and the deep cleavage on her chest was somewhat visible, which was very seductive.

    ¡°Hansen, do you not believe me?¡± Her beautiful eyes were sparkling, and she looked at Hansen in a delicate and weak manner.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s lips curved upwards as he raised his sword-like eyebrows. He then turned his head to look at her and gave an evil smile. ¡°What? Did you invite me here today just to say these words?¡±

    There was a faint blush on Liya¡¯s face, but it also made her seem a bit wronged.

    ¡°Hansen, I know that you went to Zoe¡¯s office to look for evidence that she framed Jenna. Didn¡¯t we agree that I would be the one to help you look for it? It looks like you don¡¯t believe me, huh?¡± Liya¡¯s eyes turned red when she spoke of that. How could she not understand such an obvious thing? If Hansen really found the evidence that Zoe had framed Jenna, then she would immediately be chased out of Richards Manor. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t marry her at that point either. If that happened, she would lose everything.

    ¡°How do you know all these?¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes gleamed, and he asked coldly.

    ¡°Hansen, Zoe had already guessed that you had sent your subordinates to search through her office, since she¡¯s quite smart, and she told me immediately,¡± Liya said bitterly, and she wasn¡¯t resigned to it. She continued, ¡°Hansen, do you really hate me that much? Am I not beautiful? Aren¡¯t you tempted at all?¡±

    She looked sorrowfully at Hansen as she spoke.

    Hansen¡¯s clenched fist softened up, and he sat upright. He then stared at her and lifted her chin. ¡°Liya, you should know that I hate being threatened, especially by women. If you¡¯re smart, you should know what the Richards Group had relied on to get to this point, right? It¡¯s integrity, justice, and morality. So, how could an individual like Zoe overthrow us?Right now, Zoe has the upper hand since she despicably held on to my weakness. If you¡¯re smart enough and understand the situation, you should take the initiative to do it for me. The Richards Group has never been ungrateful to people who¡¯ve helped us.¡±

    Of course, Liya understood what he meant and looked at him coyly.

    What a joke. If she had not predicted that oue, would she have betrayed Zoe? Right then, Hansen loved Jenna and did not want her to be hurt. On the contrary, if he did not love Jenna anymore, or if Jenna was really willing to be the scapegoat and go to jail, then Hansen could finallyunch a counterattack without worriesand would be able to destroy Zoe as easy as trampling on an ant.

    Liya had long known who was more important, as she had already predicted that outlook.

    Of course, she adapted to the circumstances and chose Hansen.

    It was also because Hansen was very masculine, domineering, mature, and heroic that she admired him deeply. Hansen was like beautiful jewelry. If she got him, her life would changepletely. Therefore, she would try her best to win him over.

    ¡°Hansen, I have never thought of threatening you. I only love you and admire you. I¡¯m really willing to do anything for you. But if you don¡¯t believe me, then I can¡¯t do anything about it either.¡± Liya defended herself eagerly, and then she confessed affectionately. ¡°Hansen, you also need to give me some time. I¡¯m the only one who knows the location of the evidence of Jenna being framed. No one else will be able to find it. It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t found the right opportunity to take it, but it will happen soon, trust me.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I believe you.¡± Hansen narrowed his eyes as he caressed her face with hisrge hand and streaked across her red lips with his long finger.

    ¡°So, when can you obtain the evidence?¡± he asked with a faint smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be long. I want to get it quickly too, so that I can be with you forever.¡± She leaned her face on his arm, and glued her body to his.

    Hansen¡¯s hand slowly slipped to her waist and then tightened his grip on her slender waist with a stiff smile on his face.

    There was a sh of white light. Hansen¡¯s eyes darkened. He knew that the media had taken a photo of them again!

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯ll be waiting for your good news,¡± he said gently in a low voice, which sounded extremely seductive.

    ¡°Okay, Hansen,¡± she answered coquettishly while blushing.

    ¡°Hansen, will you apany me tonight? I don¡¯t feel like going home,¡± she said, looking at him with infatuation.

    Hansen was wearing a French-styled white t-shirt, trendy jeans, and branded shoes as he sat there. She was fascinated by his noble aura, and she really didn¡¯t want to go home. Every day when she returned home, her father would force her to go on a date with the so-called rich, middle-aged man. ording to her observation, that man already had several wives. He said that he would marry her, but in fact, he already had a wife abroad. Moreover, that man¡¯s assets were in his wife¡¯s hands. So, he couldn¡¯t give her too much to begin with.

    What made her even more disgusted was that her father had heard the rumors about her and Hansen, and would ask for money from her everyday. However, in order to get Hansen¡¯s favor, she did not dare to ask for more money from Hansen. That was why she was not willing to go home at all.

    In addition, she had been with Hansen for quite a long time, and although he would sometimes be intimate with her, like holding her hand, waist, and touching her face, those actions looked more like a brother doting on his sister. It wasn¡¯t even a regr interaction between men and women, let alone the love between men and women.

    She was not satisfied with that situation. She wanted to have a deeper rtionship with Hansen. That was why she asked him out that day. She wanted to take advantage of that matter to get closer to Hansen.

    She understood that if Hansen desired for her one day, her marriage with him would be a done deal.

    ¡°Nonsense, you¡¯re still a little girl. How can you simply spend the night with a man?¡± The smile on Hansen¡¯s face vanished, and his tone was a little harsh.

    ¡°But Hansen, I¡¯m with you, not with another man. Besides, aren¡¯t we going to get married soon?¡± Liya exined while pouting.

    The word ¡®married¡¯ caused Hansen¡¯s body to tremble involuntarily. His eyes narrowed, and he smiled coldly.

    His face became even gloomier.

    ¡°Liya, there are many rules in Richards Manor. I¡¯m not allowed to sleep with a woman before getting married. This is my responsibility. If you can¡¯t abide by it, then you can leave me,¡± he said coldly.

    When Liya heard that, she felt very conflicted. How could Hansen word it in such a way!

    He and Jenna got married after having a child, and ording to rumors from before, their rtionship was very ambiguous. Otherwise, how did that child appear? That was obviously just an excuse.

    Nheless, when she saw Hansen¡¯s unhappy expression, she didn¡¯t dare to say anything more. Instead, she had made up her mind.

 Chapter 507 Seduction

    ¡°Then, drink a few more cups with me.¡± Liya didn¡¯t say much anymore. She just held onto Hansen¡¯s hand and implored him gently.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Hansen smiled faintly and picked up the ss of red wine on the table.

    His long fingers held the ss, gently swirling its contents while looking at the scarlet liquid inside. Then, he looked to the side with the corner of his eye, and an unfathomable smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

    ¡°Come, cheers.¡± Liya picked up her ss and clinked it against Hansen¡¯s.

    ¡°Okay, cheers,¡± Hansen said with a smile. Without hesitation, Liya picked up the ss and gulped it down.

    ¡°Hansen, drink up quickly.¡± Her almond-shaped eyes were full of lust, and she used her charming eyes to lightly prompt him lightly.

    Hansen chuckled and raised his neck to gulp down the ss of wine.

    In a dark corner of the corridor on the second floor of the Sky Blue Restaurant, Zoe was wearing a long ck robe with long sleeves, in an attempt to wrap up her whole body.

    Oscar had been ravaging her a few nights in a row and it had caused her to break down mentally and suffer a lot.

    That disgusting man would record all the positions they did every night, in order to threaten her. Afraid that those recordings would get out, Zoe had no choice but to do all the dirty positions with him, in order to satisfy his carnal desires. What a filthy situation.

    What she could not stand the most was Oscar¡¯s perverted nature during s*x. Everyday, he would use a variety of methods to torture her. Whenever he heard her painful screams, he would get so excited that his eyes would glisten. He would not let her go until he tortured her even to death.

    Everyday, her body would have many more new bruises and injuries.

    After doing the deed, she would always scrub her whole body and wouldn¡¯t stop until she scrubbed every inch of her body clean. Due to her constantly doing that, her skin became very dry.

    This sort of life made her feel like she was in purgatory, and she wished she could die.

    She once asked her subordinates to search the ce where he lived, and even threatened him, but Oscar had already hidden the recordings in a lot of different ces, and it was impossible for her to find all of them. Moreover, after Oscar learnt what Zoelle did, he would torture her even more.

    At present, there was no other way except to kill him. For the first time in Zoe¡¯s life, she felt helpless.

    Other than speeding up the n, she really couldn¡¯t think of any way to get rid of him.

    ¡°Miss Yates, look at that woman. She only wants to be Mrs. Richards right now. She must be extremely unscrupulous with her means too.¡± Octavia stood in the dark and spoke sarcastically, as she watched Liya chug Hansen with wine.

    Zoe¡¯s eyes were very gloomy. She had a poker face, as she stared motionlessly at the man and woman who were drinking red wine downstairs. It really seemed that they were a perfect couple.

    She straightened up her attire and touched the ce where Oscar had bitten at the corner of her mouth. Every part of her body was burning with pain, and the feeling of pain surged, wave after wave, causing her face to twist.

    She had miscalcted. She never thought that she would fall into the hands of that ugly and perverted man. He even had a handle over her, and she couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    She was too careless!

    ¡°Octavia,ter on, when Liya gets Hansen to drink the red wineced with ecstasy, try your best to make Liyae and meet me,¡± Zoe ordered expressionlessly.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Octavia replied,with a sinister smile on her face.

    After Liya and Hansen drank a few sses of wine, the alcohol had already entered her body. Thus, her face became flushed, and her smile became even more enchanting.

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯ll give you another toast. After this, we¡¯ll go home,¡± she said softly, and her gaze was a little hazy.

    ¡°Okay.¡± After a few sses of red wine, Hansen seemed to be a little excited.

    ¡°Come, Hansen, cheers.¡± Liya poured the red wine in her hand into Hansen¡¯s mouth. He opened his mouth and bit onto the ss happily.

    ¡°Hansen, let me propose to you a toast.¡± Liya picked up the ss, said in a soft voice, and drank up the wine in one gulp.

    Hansen held his ss of wine, as he looked up to the second floor.

    ¡°Quickly drink it, Hansen. After you¡¯re done, have some food.¡± After Liya finished drinking, she saw that Hansen was in a daze, as he held the ss of wine. So, she smiled sweetly and picked up a piece of chilli sd in front of her and fetched it to Hansen¡¯s lips. Then, Hansen smiled meaningfully, as he raised his head and gulped down the ss of wine.

    After he gulped down the wine, Hansen suddenly sneezed.

    He turned his head to another side. After sneezing, he immediately covered his lips with his hand.

    That image was indeed quite unsightly, causing everyone seated next to them to turn to look at him.

    ¡°Liya, don¡¯t you know that I don¡¯t like spicy food?¡± Soon, Hansen took up a piece of tissue and wiped his mouth. Only then did he turn around to ask Liya with a cold expression on her face.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, Hansen. I forgot about it.¡± Liya panicked and apologized repeatedly. She then picked up another piece of tissue and wiped his lips gently with it.

    ¡°Never mind. You better remember it next time.¡± Hansen pushed her hand away, and his expression eased a little.

    ¡°Alright. I will definitely remember.¡± Liya nodded in agreement.

    Hansen yawnedzily and said with a tired face, ¡°It¡¯s quitete. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help you up,¡± Liya said. After letting out a yawn, Hansen felt weak all over as he rested on the table.

    Liya¡¯s eyes revealed a hint of happiness as she held Hansen with great effort to help him stand up.

    ¡°Hansen,e, let¡¯s go,¡± she said gently. She walked as she held him, but she wasn¡¯t walking towards the direction of the entrance. Instead, she was walking to a private lounge on the second floor.

    Hansen felt a little giddy and light. So, he just let her hold onto him and didn¡¯t realize where he was going.

    When Liya saw that his entire face was red and that his body was emanating a minty scent, her heart was filled with contentment as she thought what would happen next.

    Opening the door of the private lounge, she put him on the bed.

    ¡°Hansen, I want to be with you forever. Take me.¡± She leaned on his chest with blurry eyes as she muttered. Then, she was about to take off Hansen¡¯s clothes.

    Suddenly, the door of the private lounge swung open.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± A cold snort came from not too far away. Liya, who waspletely captivated by Hansen, was shocked by the sound. She then raised her head.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± she asked in a loud and unhappy voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Octavia¡¯s voice came coldly.

    ¡°Octavia?¡± Liya was so shocked that she jumped up. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here when even you are able to drug Mr. Richards with ecstasy?¡± Octavia¡¯s face was full of disdain as she mocked.

    Soon, Liya finally understood. Her scheme had been discovered.

    ¡°Octavia, do you have any business here?¡± After thinking for a while, Liya couldn¡¯t figure out Octavia¡¯s purpose ofing here. So, she could only raise her face with a smile and asked ingratiatingly.

    ¡°Of course, Miss Yates is waiting for you in the private lounge next door. Go ahead,¡± she answered directly and coldly.

    ¡°Octavia, why does Miss Yates want to meet me?¡± Upon hearing that Zoe wanted to meet her, Liya was so scared that she broke out in cold sweat, and she felt very uneasy.

    ¡°Of course, Miss Yates wants to meet you because of something good. Do you remember a time when Miss Yates didn¡¯t treat you well?¡± Octavia smiled. ¡°You should go and meet her first since Mr. Richards is very drunk right now, and the effects of the ecstasy won¡¯t go away for the time being.¡±

    After saying that, Octavia ignored her and left.

    Liya looked at Hansen, who was lying on the bed with a red face and sleeping soundly. Then, she lowered her head and walked out after thinking for a while.

    She only gave him a ss of wineced with ecstasy. So, how could he be that drunk?

    She frowned as she couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    After thinking for a while, she thought that when she returnedter, the ecstasy¡¯s effect might have been reduced by a little, and there might be a chance that Hansen would be burning with lust, which would be a better scenario. With that in mind, she hurried out of the room.

    Under the dim and warm light, Zoe sat on the couch and was drinking the best house tea.

    ¡°Zoe, are you looking for me?¡± After Liya entered the private lounge, she soon saw Zoe, who was sitting while drinking a cup of tea. She was a little scared as she didn¡¯t know why Zoe wanted to meet her at that time.

    ¡°Liya.¡± Zoe smiled gently and affectionately, but her tone was very disturbing. ¡°It seems that you have graduated now. You could even decide to drug Hansen of your own ord!¡±

    She said tly as she looked at her with a pair of cold eyes, which didn¡¯t match the smile on her face at all.

    Liya grew embarrassed.

    ¡°Zoe, I¡¯m just following your footsteps. Back then, it was you who encouraged me to approach him. You also hoped that he and I will be a thing, am I right?¡± Liya avoided Zoe¡¯s gaze and replied obediently.

    ¡°Well, it seems that you really are smart, to be able to understand things quickly.¡± Zoe smiled. ¡°You really are smart, to be able to let Hansen decide to marry you in such a short time. It seems that you will soon rise in status. You better not forget me by then.¡±

    Zoe smiled as she praised Liya.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Zoe. As long as I get what I want, I will never forget you.¡± Lia smiled as she cooed sweetly.

    ¡°Alright, I just happened to pass by here and thought of meeting you because of some matter. Go to the Mayflower Room to find Octavia. She has something for you.¡± Zoe was still smiling.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Liya was puzzled.

    ¡°Just go. It¡¯s the thing you wanted.¡± Zoe smiled and said calmly, ¡°If you don¡¯t go soon, then the ecsasy on Hansen might lose its effect.¡±

    Zoe seized the opportunity to remind him.

    When Liya heard that, she didn¡¯t hesitate any longer. After agreeing to do so, she walked out.

    The Mayflower Room was at the end of the corridor, which was the first-ss VIP lounge. The interior was quiet and gorgeous.

    The closer Liya got to the Mayflower Room, the faster her heart would beat for no reason.

    There seemed to be an uneasy aura in the air, which made her inexplicably nervous.

    However, Zoe¡¯s words tempted her. Was there anything that Octavia wanted to give her? In fact, at that time, she did not dare to disobey Zoe. Even if she did not want to go, she had to go no matter what. She then thought of Hansen, and her footsteps quickened. She just wanted to take the thing and hurry back to the private lounge to have fun with him for a night.

    The door of the private lounge was ajar, and she pushed the door open.

    ¡°Octavia¡­¡± she whispered.

    With a bang, the door behind her closed automatically.

    Liya¡¯s heart sank, and an ominous feeling immediately rushed towards her.

    The private lounge was very dark, and she couldn¡¯t see Octavia¡¯s figure.

    ¡°There you are. You¡¯re finally here.¡± A man¡¯s voice, which was full of lust and anticipation, boomed, and it made Liya¡¯s heart tremble.

    Following the voice, she soon saw a overweight man. His eyes were shining like a starving wolf, and his face looked very lustful as he approached her. The voice came from him.

    Liya immediately realized that something was wrong, and she turned to flee.

    Nevertheless, the door had already been locked, and she couldn¡¯t open it, no matter how hard she tried.

 Chapter 508 Schemed

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Liya was extremely nervous, and she asked cautiously.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, little beauty. I¡¯ll y with you tonight. I promise I¡¯ll make you feel good.¡± The plump man quickly approached her and was breathing heavily as he spoke. He then stretched out his hand to grab her.

    ¡°Don¡¯te near me.¡± Liya felt cold all over and her voice began to tremble.

    The man chuckled and pounced on her, as if he was an eagle pouncing on its prey.

    ¡°Ah, help me.¡± By then, Liya hadpletely understood that she had been set up by Zoe.

    She had already fallen into her trap that day.

    ¡°Hansen, save me, save me.¡± Liya shouted in horror and turned around to avoid the man¡¯s hand.

    The man seemed to be very interested in her resistance and the louder she screamed, the more excited he became.

    Under the dim light, Liya saw that the man was only wearing shorts. His fleshy skin was flushed red and his eyes were bloodshot. It was as if he was a hungry wolf that was currently staring at a trembling littlemb.

    However, he wasn¡¯t in a rush to devour her.He simply chased after her, enjoying the sight of her panicked helplessness.

    Liya was extremely terrified. She did everything she could to dodge that man in the room.

    It was a cat-and-mouse game. After ying a few rounds, the man obviously lost interest and became a little impatient. He reached out and picked up a whip from the table.

    ¡°No.¡± Liya stared in terror at the whip in the man¡¯s hands, as he viciously swung it towards her. She let out a miserable cry.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Hearing her scream, the man became extremely excited, and he hit even harder.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t.¡± A gut-wrenching pain shot towards Liya¡¯s limbs. She cried out miserably and tried her best to avoid it.

    Gradually, Liya no longer had the energy to move. She just copsed on the floor with her clothes dyed red with blood.

    The man then put down the whip andughed.

    ¡°Little beauty, you should¡¯ve been more obedient from the start. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make you feel good right away.¡± He opened his mouth wide and touched the blood at the corner of her mouth with his big fingers. He then licked it with his mouth and chuckled.

    ¡°If you touch me, I¡¯ll tell Hansen. He definitely won¡¯t let you off.¡± Liya¡¯s heart was as cold as ice, and she had no choice but to bring Hansen up, hoping that he would let her off.

    Soon, she knew that she was just saying unrealistic things. Not to mention that Hansen had been drugged by her. Even if he wasn¡¯t drugged, he wouldn¡¯t havee to rescue her either. She had been set up by Zoe.So, how would anyonee to save her?Even if she died there that day, no one would know. She was disheartened upon realizing that!

    ¡°Hansen? Do you think he wille and save you? He can¡¯t even protect himself now. So, why would he save you?¡± The man startedughing hideously. ¡°Zoe gifted you for me to y with. Let me tell you. From now on, you¡¯ll have to serve me obediently. Who knows, I might even take you as my second wife if I feel like it.¡±

    As the man said that, he reached out and grabbed Liya and threw her onto the bed.

    After being flung so heavily onto the bed, Liya¡¯s head felt dizzy, and soon after, she began to cry bitterly.

    ¡°If you dare to touch me, I¡¯ll take you down with me tonight.¡± She raised her tearful eyes and threatened fiercely.

    The man chuckled, admiring her current expression. He picked up the rope beside him and reached out a hand to grab her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Liya cried out in terror and iled her limbs.

    The man¡¯s strong and chubby hand quickly caught her hands and tied them up.

    He stood by the bed and seemed to be a little tired of entertaining her with such games.

    After a while, he picked her up, as if he was picking up a chick, and walked towards a swing frame that had been set up in the room.

    He ced Liya on the swing frame with shing red eyes. He then separated her legs and tied them to the ropes on the sides. Soon, all of her clothes were taken off.

    Liya¡¯s face was pale, and she continuously screamed out in pain.

    The man¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. He chuckled, picked up a towel from the table, and stuffed it into her mouth.

    Liya¡¯s eyes widened in terror and tears streamed down her face.

    She had fallen into Zoe¡¯s trap.

    That vicious woman had schemed against her. She was going to be ruined by that man tonight.

    The man¡¯s eagle-like eyes stared at every inch of her body while caressing her with his chubby hands. ¡°Little beauty, don¡¯t be afraid. You will feel very good soon.¡±

    Liya¡¯s entire body was trembling. After she was attacked time and time again by the splitting pain, she fainted¡­

    ¡°Haha.¡± Zoe stood at the front of the TV of the private lounge and watched the surveince footage of Oscar assaulting Liya on the screen whileughing crazily.

    Liya wanted to set Hansen up and be Mrs. Richards. She even wanted to betray her. So, right then, Zoe wanted her to have a taste of agony.

    She already had an agreement with Oscar that if she gave Liya for him to y with, she wouldn¡¯t have to serve him everyday. Fortunately, Liya was quite pretty, which made Oscar, who lusted after Zoe initially, to turn his attention to Liya, and he immediately agreed in satisfaction.

    Everything happened in a systematic manner.

    She left the roomand walked towards the direction of the private lounge Hansen was in.

    Octavia was standing in front of the room.

    ¡°How is he?¡± Zoe smiled as she asked.

    ¡°Miss Yates, the effects of the drugs had subsided a lot, and he is now lying in bed,¡± Octavia immediately replied.

    ¡°Alright. You can leave.¡± Zoe smiled enchantingly and instructed Octavia.

    Octavia then left after nodding.

    ¡°Hansen, I never expected us to meet again so soon.¡± When Zoe walked in, Hansen had just opened his eyes.

    ¡°You again?¡± Hansen shouted in a harsh tone, as a fierce light shot out of his eyes.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Thest time in the private booth, you drugged me, and you were able to escape, but this time, I won¡¯t let you off.¡± Zoeughed loudly.

    ¡°You drugged me?¡± Hansen asked coldly as he bit his lip.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it was Liya who drugged you. I, on the other hand, just took advantage of it.¡± Zoeughed.

    Liya drugged him? Only then did Hansen remember that he had indeed drank a lot of wine that night. After drinking thest ss of wine, he felt weak all over.

    ¡°How is it? Does it feel good to be set up by a woman?¡± Zoe approached, bent down, stared at him, and touched his full lips with her hand.

    ¡°I will never be threatened by a woman in my life. A ss of wine is nothing!¡± Hansen smiled coldly and suddenly stood up. He seized the opportunity to grab her hand. After applying a little strength, Zoe was already in so much pain that her expression changed, and she couldn¡¯t move.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t drugged?¡± Zoe couldn¡¯t care less about the pain and asked in surprise.

    ¡°No, I was drugged. However, it just so happens that I had sneezed at that time and a lot of it went away through my sneezing.¡± Hansen sneered.

    Hansen was very used to drinking wine. So, he immediately noticed the abnormal odor of the wine and spat out a good amount of it. However, in the end, he still felt weak all over. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t expose the ruse on purpose, because he noticed that Zoe was standing upstairs from the corner of his eyes and wanted to know what she was up to.

    Therefore, he pretended to fall asleep, waiting for Zoe¡¯s arrival.

    Surely enough, Zoe called Liya away.

    ¡°Then, why are you still acting like this?¡± Zoe sized him up. Before that, she saw that Hansen had behaved as though he was quite drunk. Could it be that he was just putting on an act?

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m just faking it.¡± Hansen saw through her thoughts and smiled faintly. Yes, he lost all his strength before that, but after resting for a while, the effects of the drug had already dissipated considerably.

    Therefore, it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to deal with a woman like Zoe.

    ¡°You deceived me?¡± Upon realizing that she had fallen into Hansen¡¯s trap, Zoe could only re at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a piece of cake to trick you, since you have iting.¡± Hansen¡¯s hand gradually tightened. Zoe¡¯s expression changed, as the pain on her wrist worsened.

    ¡°Quickly, tell me. Where is the evidence of you framing Jenna?¡± Hansen bellowed angrily.

    After shooting a nce at him, Zoe suddenly burst into a hysterical and maniacalughter. It was augh that was filled with joy and contentment.

    Hansen was rmed when he heard that.

    From her wildughter, he could hear her joy of revenge, her deranged mind, her sin and her madness.

    That woman¡¯s heart was already twisted.

    A woman like that was the most terrifying. It caused all of Hansen¡¯s hairs to stand on end.

    ¡°Hansen, you sent someone into my office to try to find evidence of me framing your wife. Hmph, if this evidence can be found so easily by you, would there be a need for me to frame her?¡± Zoe held back herughter, pulled back her hand, and said with a cold expression.

    Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and his eyes were as bright as lightning.

    ¡°If you have a grudge against the Richards Group, thene at me. Jenna has never offended you. How can you bear to harm her?¡± he shouted in a stern voice.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Zoeughed again. She recalled the scene of Oscar humiliating her again, and tears started to well in her eyes. ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re too naive. Only in this way would it be exciting and enjoyable, is it not?¡±

    ¡°Zoe, in the past, your father was defeated by the Richards Group. Do you really want history to repeat itself?¡± Hansen¡¯s face was very gloomy. That day, if she hadn¡¯t had a thing over him, and if it wasn¡¯t because he hadn¡¯t found sufficient evidence, he would have handed her to the police immediately. Nevertheless, he knew clearly that it was useless to hand her to the police right then. So far, he had no evidence to prove the crimes she hadmitted.

    That woman¡¯s means were really better than her father¡¯s.

    Father? When Zoe recalled her deceased father, the muscles on her face twisted even more, and her nails sank into her flesh.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. My father lost to you guys and died because of you guys, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll lose to you guys. It¡¯s because my father is so kind that he ended up like that.¡± Zoe¡¯s face was full of arrogance and sadness, but she spoke adamantly.

    Hansen drew closer to her. ¡°Zoe, in the business world, it will always be the survival of the fittest. Your father didn¡¯t adapt to the development of the market and lost, this is howpetition in the business field works, and it has nothing to do with anyone. As for your father, how could you me the Richards family for the fact that he couldn¡¯t figure things out and got sick? What does this have to do with the Richards Group?¡±

    The hatred in Zoe¡¯s eyes was gradually reced by a burning fire. She looked at the handsome face of the man in front of her. In an instant, she became obsessed and intoxicated, to the point that she could not even extricate herself from it. She did not listen to what Hansen had said at all.

 Chapter 509 Liyaâ€™s Nightmare

    The light in the private lounge was dim, but it did not hinder Hansen from seeing Zoe¡¯s eyes clearly. He frowned and reached out his hand to sp her chin.

    ¡°Zoe, let me warn you. If you insist on putting the me on the Richards Group, thene at us. However, the consequences of maliciously framing us, as well as breaking thew, I think you know it well too. So, don¡¯t me me for not reminding you at that time.¡±

    Hansen could understand a little about that woman¡¯s intentions. Nevertheless, her behavior was too ridiculous and unreasonable. He did not think that Zoe had any special feelings for him. After all, they had been rivals ever since they were young. Although they had met a few times when they were young, Hansen had never once looked at her properly.

    Therefore, he believed that Zoe¡¯s behavior right then was because she was misled, and she med all her father¡¯s failure and death on the Richards Group.

    In the business world, everyone had moments where they would win or lose. As long as people didn¡¯t use any illegal means, no one would hate them. If one really had the skills, one could rise again andpete with the winner, instead of using such illegal means.

    That woman must be crazy!

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± On the Hummer, John and several dark figures arrived there in a hurry, ¡°The n has worked. Zoe has already started to suspect Liya. It¡¯s estimated that Liya will soon be dealt with by Zoe. They¡¯ll at least turn against each other.¡±

    It was only until then did John realize why Hansen treated Jenna coldly and deliberately hugged and interacted with Liya in front of the public media.

    That night, Liya had initially schemed to sleep with Hansen and make the marriage be a real thing, but the n was thwarted by Zoe.

    Then, what kind of mentality did Zoe have? Why did she want to ruin it? Was it only because of Liya¡¯s betrayal? That really left him in a state of confusion.

    However, the fact that Hansen was able to sessfully make use of Liya to make Zoe suspect her suggested that he had done the correct thing. If his guess was correct, Liya would be able to obtain the evidence of framing Jenna very soon.

    Meanwhile, Liya would only end up being ruined by Zoe.

    That was the best oue, as they didn¡¯t even have to do anything and that woman would end up getting hoisted by her own petard. That showed that Hansen¡¯s move was indeed brilliant.

    On the other hand, Hansen was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat and looking out of the window with a deep expression on his face.

    The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, but when he recalled Zoe¡¯s crazyughter, his expression gradually became cold.

    ¡°All of you, keep an eye on Liya for the next few days. Report to me immediately if there¡¯s any movement.¡± Hansen ordered in a deep voice. ording to his n, Liya would soon go to Zoe¡¯s ce to steal the evidence.

    ¡°Okay.¡± John smiled as he rxed his eyes.

    ¡°Remember, before we get the evidence, we must ensure Liya¡¯s personal safety.¡± That was Hansen¡¯sst order. He knew that Zoe was a woman who would do anything. So, if Liya provoked Zoe, anything could happen. Plus, before they get the evidence, he did not want to cause any other trouble.

    John quickly understood what was on Hansen¡¯s mind and immediately nodded.

    ¡°Has there been any progress on the suspect who attempted to murder Jenna that day?¡± Although Hansen was almost certain that the suspect was someone Zoe sent, but he had no evidence so far and could not hand her over to the police.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t found any evidence. The police have been investigating it too.¡± John shook his head.

    The police? Hansen smiled faintly. If he really relied on them, there would probably be no news from them for another year or so, and the case might not evene to an end then.

    Furthermore, right then, everything was based on evidence.

    His fingers rapt on the steering wheel as he started the car all of a sudden. The Hummer then let out a low roar, and he drove it into the darkness.

    Dawn finally came.

    All the crimes had been obscured by the darkness.

    Her whole body hurt. It was as if she had been run over by a car, or being burned alive. Liya¡¯s whole body was in excruciating pain.

    That gut-wrenching pain gnawed on her body bit by bit, like a snake, and made its way into her blood, and bit her from the inside, causing her to hurt so much that she wanted to die. She wanted to shout, but she couldn¡¯t even manage to shout. Then, she fainted. When she woke up again, she saw that ugly face, which was tormenting her bit by bit, and she fainted again.

    That was the most terrifying feeling that Liya had felt the entire night.

    She had never thought that a man could be so terrible, and that this had happened to her.

    All her dreams were shattered in an instant.

    It was also as if she had been thrown into an ice-cold cell. It was so cold that she was trembling all over.

    ¡°Are you not awake yet?¡± An ice-cold and terrifying voice rang in her ears.

    Liya pried open her eyes with great strain.

    A hand was holding a bottle of cold water and pouring it onto her face.

    As the water sshed on her eyes, she immediately closed them due to the pain. The moment before she closed her eyes, she saw a grim and delicate face.

    She couldn¡¯t care less about the severe pain in her body anymore.

    She struggled to sit up

    The cold water stimted her and woke her in an instant. There were still beads of water on her forehead and face.

    ¡°Zoe, how could you be so vicious as to set me up?¡± Her eyes were burning with a fire, as she asked the woman in front of her harshly while pointing at her.

    Zoe was standing in front of her, looking down at her coldly with a disdainful smile on her face.

    ¡°Hmph, you want to conquer Hansen? Are you even worthy of him?¡± Zoe bent down slightly and lowered her head. The gleam in her eyes made Liya shiver, and her cold words made Liya feel like she had been stabbed by Zoe with an ice-cold knife.

    Liya immediately widened her eyes in horror, as she looked at her. She forgot about the pain in her body, and even suppressed her anger.

    At that time, she saw a pair of cold and terrifying eyes.

    That pair of eyes werepletely different from the ones she usually saw.

    It turned out that she had a fa?ade.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who told me to do this?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Zoeughed coldly, all of a sudden.¡°Do you think you¡¯re a realdy? I¡¯ll let you know that you aren¡¯t even worthy to carry Hansen¡¯s shoes for him, not to mention that you still want to betray me. Today¡¯s matter is your punishment for betraying me. That¡¯s it. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking.¡±

    Those words made Liya tremble, and she curled herself into a ball, but such a tragic consequence still made her mad.

    ¡°Zoe, I never knew you were so vicious. I shouldn¡¯t have treated you as my elder sister.¡± She suddenly pointed at Zoe and yelled, ¡°I will never let you go for humiliating me today.¡±

    She struggled to get up and was about to throw herself at Zoe. However, as soon as she sat up, she realized that she was naked, and her body was covered with wounds, which consisted mostly of whip and bite marks. Not only that, her lower body was in so much pain, as if it was being torn apart.

    She couldn¡¯t muster any strength anymore. Thus, she fell down on the bed and wrapped her body with the bedsheets, while trembling and crying.

    There was no way to vent the hatred in her heart.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Zoe¡¯s eyes were cold. ¡°All of this is just the beginning.¡±

    The beginning? Liya¡¯s eyes widened in shock.

    Zoe slowly took a step forward and stretched out a hand to touch her face.

    It was summer right then, but her fingers were terribly cold, even colder than the cold water just then.

    Liya got more and more scared.

    ¡°Remember, from tonight onwards, you will serve Oscar and satisfy his beastly desires. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± Zoe¡¯s expression was stiff and cold, as she ordered slowly, word for word to Liya.

    Hearing Zoe¡¯s voice, which sounded like a devil¡¯s, Liya¡¯s face instantly turned pale.

    So, that wasn¡¯t the end, but it was the beginning of her nightmare?

    ¡°No,¡± she screamed. Liya thought that if Zoe wanted her to serve Oscar like that, she might as well just kill her. Then, she desperately resisted with angry eyes.

    ¡°That¡¯s not up to you to decide.¡± Zoe sneered coldly.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to sue you. You¡¯vemitted a crime.¡± Liya finally came to her senses and spoke in a stern manner.

    ¡°Sue me? That¡¯s great.¡± Zoe showed a ferocious smile. She slowly walked to the sofa, picked up the remote control, and gently pressed a button to turn on the TV on the wall. Then a dirty scene appeared on the screen.

    A naked man and woman appeared on the screen. The scene of her being yed by Oscar was reyed bit by bit, which was really unsightly. Every part of her body was exposed, and there were even all kinds of disgusting coption positions. Even when she had passed out or when she was tied up, she was forced to do all kinds of triggering actions.

    ¡°Ah!¡± It was too terrifying. Liya covered her eyes and screamed in pain. She didn¡¯t dare to watch any longer.

    Zoe coldly looked at the screen with a hostile and mocking smug.

    She slowly pressed down on the remote control¡¯s on/off button.

    She turned around.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t listen to me, I will upload this video onto the Inte. You can imagine the consequences, right?¡± She threatened him. ¡°Of course, if you are obedient, I will fulfill your wish and let you be Hansen¡¯s second wife, and you will be able to live a better life than other people.¡±

    Liya¡¯s entire body was trembling violently.

    After being yed like that by Oscar, how could she be Hansen¡¯s second wife!

    If he had known about that, he definitely wouldn¡¯t marry her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as you are obedient, I won¡¯t leak the video. You are still the same old Liya. Hansen will not know it either. That way, you can continue to fulfill your dream of being Mrs. Richards.¡± Zoe stared at the hand she stretched out and gently stroked the back of the hand with her other hand. She then blew on the blood-red nails on her fingertips and smiled. ¡°Rest assured, Hansen would definitely not touch a woman like you. So, even if you be his second wife, he will not know that your body is not chaste.¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t do this, Zoe.¡± Liya sat there in a daze for a moment and panicked when she finally understood what was going on. She put on her clothes in a hurry, climbed to Zoe¡¯s feet, hugged her legs, and pleaded. ¡°Zoe, please, let me go. I don¡¯t want to live like this. I can¡¯t serve that man. I will really die if this goes on.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Zoe sneered and kicked her away. She said impatiently, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to serve him, do you want me to serve him? Let me tell you. You have no choice in this matter. You must obey it, no matter what. If you have the ability, then make him detest you as soon as possible.¡±

    At that point, Zoe didn¡¯t look at her anymore. She left.

    Liya copsed on the floor with a pale face.

 Chapter 510 Twin Plum Fan

    The summer sun shone through the dense green trees outside the window and fell onto Sara¡¯s face and body. She was sitting in a wheelchair and was very sad.

    Jenna did not listen to her advice and insisted on reconciling with Hansen. Not long after, Hansen was gued with nasty rumors. The fact that he was going to take a second wife was a hot topic in the newspapers.

    In the face of her criticism, Hansen stated his opinion frankly.

    This made Sara feel sad and distressed.

    So far, Trevor and Marissa had never given her a direct answer. So, she had no choice but to wait. More importantly, even her daughter had no movements anymore. It was as if she had already epted reality. Also, since Jennast returned to her parents¡¯ home and stayed for a few days, she hadn¡¯t called Sara to speak about this matters.

    Sara¡¯s hair had already started to turn gray, and there were more and more wrinkles on her face.

    Ever since Javon¡¯s untimely death, her life had taken a huge turn.

    All of her strength and stocism were rtive to Javon¡¯s, but she was extremely vulnerable when it came to her daughter¡¯s happiness, to the point where she couldn¡¯t even bear the slightest bit of frustration.

    Her worries about Jenna were the cause of her white hair.

    She went to the corner of the study with her wheelchair, where an exquisite wooden box was ced on top of a bookcase.

    With trembling hands, she reached out to pick up the wooden box.

    The rims of her eyes turned moist.

    She gently caressed the wooden box. Although the box was exquisite, it was obviously an antique ornament. The design and decorations were both simple and unsophisticated, which were ipatible with modern trends.

    She slowly opened the box lid.

    An exquisitely faded jade fan wasying in the wooden box.

    Sara slowly took it out with a sorrowful look on her face.

    Her eyes looked empty and blurry.

    She carefully opened the jade fan.

    It was a jade fan from a few centuries ago. The middle part had already faded and was embroidered with a vivid red plum. The handle of the jade fan was iid with rare jewelry, and there was a poem on it.

    This was a verse adapted from one of the poets of the past¡¯s collection of poems.

    Sara silently read out that poem with a few tears streaming down her face.

    She had never seen her mother before. It seemed that ever since she could remember things, the concept of a mother was never engraved in her mind. Later on, from her father¡¯s words, she learnt that her mother had already separated from her father when she was only one year oldand had nevere back since then.

    Nevertheless, when she was ten years old, her father had depression, and he passed away soon after.

    In hisst moments, he passed that wooden box to her.

    He told her that it was the only thing that her mother had left behind, and he wanted her to keep it as a memento.

    As for her mother, she did not have any feelings for her. Ever since she was young, the word ¡®mother¡¯, that made everyone feel warm, was empty and cold to her. She did not even have the least bit of good impression of her.

    After her father died, Bailey always stayed by her side. Only when she married Javon did she attain happiness. Later on, she gave birth to a daughter, and she gave her lifelong love to her daughter, hoping that she could be happy.

    Nheless, her daughter¡¯s happiness came too fast and had disappeared just as quickly.

    It was as if everything was fated to happen. Even so, Sara did notin about life. Her only wish was that her daughter could be happy.

    ¡°Madam Sara, it¡¯s time to take your medication.¡± When Bailey walked in and saw that Sara was staring nkly at the wooden box with a sorrowful face, she couldn¡¯t help but to sigh and speak with distress.

    Recently, Sara liked to stare at that wooden box in a daze. Usually, she would stare at it for a few hours, and when she did that, she would immerse herself in it wholeheartedly and forget her surroundings.

    Bailey understood what she was thinking. She was too lonely and missed her mother too much. If it weren¡¯t for that, she wouldn¡¯t have focused all of her attention on Jenna too.

    Ever since she learnt that Hansen was going to take a second wife, she became even more worried. She would either stare nkly at the wooden box, or hug Javon¡¯s portrait in a daze, sometimes for hours.

    It was not until Bailey repeated herself a few times that Sara finally came back to her senses.

    She retrieved the medication from Bailey and took it silently.

    ¡°Madam Sara, I¡¯ll wheel you downstairs for a walk.¡± Bailey was really worried that Sara would get sick from depression. After all, she had just recovered from her kidney disease, and her current state wasn¡¯t good for her recuperation. Bailey then waited for Sara to finish taking the medicine and mentioned it with a smile.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Bailey, please ask Jenna toe back if she¡¯s free. I have something to say to her.¡± Sara shook her head.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Bailey nodded and agreed.

    Seeing that Bailey was going to make a phone call, Sara returned to her own world.

    In the dense jungle, several dark shadows gradually approached a small house.

    The man who took the lead kicked open the door vigorously.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Alvin shouted in a low voice.

    A musty smell entered his nose, and he couldn¡¯t help but to frown at the smell.

    There was no movement in the room.

    Alvin slowly walked in with a gun in his hand.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there¡¯s no one here.¡± Alvin nced at that narrow and damp space, but he couldn¡¯t see anyone.

    Wearing a bulletproof vest, Hansen followed closely behind. Under his thick, sword-like eyebrows was a pair of cold, sharp eyes.

    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s here?¡± Hansen raised his eyebrows, expressing his doubt.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It should be,¡± John answered convincingly,looking around the room.

    For the past few days, he had been tracking around there and was sure that there was a group of people there. He shouldn¡¯t be wrong.

    Hansen frowned as a dark expression shed across his entire face.

    ording to the information he had received, although ude had fallen into the hands of terrorists, he was still under Reid¡¯s control. Nevertheless, it won¡¯t be long. So, he had to make a move.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, someone ising.¡± Alvin was very alert. He said in a low voice and immediately perked up his ears.

    Everyone¡¯s nerves tightened in an instant and they listened carefully.

    There were footstepsing that way, and the sound was very heavy. It was a man who was humming.

    Hansen gave Alvin and the others a look, and he instantly pressed himself against the wall. Alvin and John nodded and quickly moved to the side to stay hidden too.

    ¡°Reid, Reid.¡± A man¡¯s voice rang outside.

    There was no movement in the room.

    The man reached out to push the door open and stepped in.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± The ck muzzle of a gun was pointed at him.

    ¡°Spare me.¡± The man was shocked at first, but he soon understood what was going on. He hurriedly raised his hands and cried out in panic.

    ¡°Kneel down.¡± Alvin¡¯s voice was very cold and fierce.

    The man knelt down with his hands on his head, and his whole body was shaking.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Reid?¡± Hansen asked in a stern voice.

    After observing for a while, the middle-aged man was the only one who came. He was wearing a headscarf, a flowery shirt, and shorts. He looked like an American.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The man¡¯s voice was trembling as he answered.

    It turned out that he was European.

    Hansen heaved a sigh of relief.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Don¡¯t y any tricks. Tell me the truth. Where is Reid?¡± John smiled coldly and kicked him hard. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if you can¡¯t give me an answer.¡±

    ¡°Sir, I really don¡¯t know.¡± John¡¯s kicknded on his waist, and the man squealed like a pig in pain.

    Alvin became impatient. He reached out his hand and moved the man¡¯s hair up. He then pointed the gun at the man¡¯s temple and was ready to shoot him.

    That man would die immediately once he pulled the trigger.

    The man¡¯s face turned pale with fright.

    ¡°What about it? Tell me honestly. If not, I¡¯ll immediately take your worthless life.¡± Hansen crossed his arms around his chest as he looked coldly at him.

    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m just following Reid to earn some extra money. I really don¡¯t know where they usually are,¡± the man answered.

    ¡°Then, why are you here today?¡± Hansen asked matter-of-factly.

    ¡°Sir, Reid said that he was going to deliver a batch of goods, and he asked me toe over to help. But I met you guys as soon as I came over.¡± The man did not dare to hide anything, and he exined sincerely.

    ¡°What kind of goods are they?¡± Hansen asked while furrowing his brows.

    ¡°Speak.¡± John kicked the man¡¯s chest.

    Upon being kicked, the man cried in pain. ¡°Sir, recently, Reid¡¯s men caught a useful person. They said that the man a the master of the famous Richards family in A City, and that they could use him to exchange for a lot of money. Moreover, the other party had already offered a price, and they were nning to send that man to another ce today, that was why he asked me toe over. Since the reward is very high, I chose to help out, since I also wanted to make a living. But now, it seems that Reid has changed his mind, or he is not in good shape today. So, they¡¯re not sending the goods today.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s that man? Where are you guys sending him to?¡±

    When Hansen heard that, he immediately barked out a stern question, when he thought that his exnation was probable.

    ¡°Sir, I really don¡¯t know anything, as I met you as soon as I came here. Please forgive me, Sir. I am really just a small fry. I just follow orders to earn some money. I don¡¯t know anything else. Sir, I still have a family. Please let me go.¡± The man¡¯s face was pale, and he kept begging for mercy.

    Could it be that Reid had changed his mind?

    Or had he already moved ude elsewhere in exchange for money?

    At the thought of that, Hansen instantly had a bad feeling.

    ¡°If you can provide me with some valuable information, I might consider letting you go. Otherwise, I have no choice but to send you to the police immediately.¡± Hansen was not willing to return empty-handed. From the information he received, Reid was going to transfer ude to a local organization in a war-embroiled country. Once he sent ude there, the consequences would be unimaginable.

    That was a ce where there was war all year long. Let alone saving people, even if he sent his men there, they might not be able to return alive. What was more, it was a war regardingplicated religious beliefs that involved cruel terrorists.

    He wanted to save ude before that happened. That was his top priority, and he had to fight for time, at the very least.

    The fact that ude was still under Reid¡¯s control right then was a good opportunity. No matter what, he could not lose that opportunity to save him.

    ¡°Sir, I remember that Reid likes to go to a casino in the city. If they canceled their ns, then they would definitely be at the casino. Reid is good at gambling.¡± After hearing Hansen¡¯s condition, the man thought for a while and told him some of the little information he knew.

    Casino? A streak of white light shed through Hansen¡¯s mind. He pondered for a moment, and then nodded at Alvin.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you go today. You better stop doing this. If I see you next time, I¡¯ll kill you directly,¡± Alvin shouted at him and kicked him to the ground again.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Hansen ordered in a deep voice. The group of people guarded Hansen as they walked towards the off-road vehicle outside the forest.

    Soon, the off-road vehicle started and zoomed straight towards the direction of the city.

 Chapter 511 Shameless Demand

    In a luxurious apartment in A City.

    The hot air was filled with the smell of cigarettes and sweat. At the end of the corridor, a wall was blocking a pool table that was five or six meters long, and the game was broadcast on an HDTV screen.

    The goons were smiling as they showed their cards. Meanwhile, a woman in a miniskirt could be seen serving the gamblers drinks.

    When Hansen arrived there with John and Alvin, the game was at its climax.

    He scanned the ce with his stern eyes. There were indeed quite a few men who were immersed in a gambling session in the casino. He was searching for Reid.

    At that time, there were piles of money, property ownership documents, gold, silver, and jewelry on the gambling table.

    A lot of gamblers cursed their bad fortune, as they took the wrong bet, and their curses rose one after another.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, should we call the police? The bald middle-aged man in the middle who¡¯s wearing a silk top is Reid.¡± Alvin¡¯s eyes shed as he quietly approached Hansen and asked.

    Call the police? Of course, they couldn¡¯t do that.

    An underground casino such as this already had its own connections. If they called the police, they might¡¯ve all escaped, even before the police came, since they had snuck in while pretending to be gamblers.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    At that time, Hansen was wearing a cap and a ck t-shirt. In addition to the fact that only half his face was exposed, It was really hard to tell that he was the boss of a big organization.

    Right then, he neither wanted to get into trouble, nor did he want to alert the enemy. Therefore, he didn¡¯t intend to call the police, as he didn¡¯t think that the police could solve the problem.

    He slowly approached Reid.

    As if he were a psychic, Reid suddenly sensed the presence of a dangerous aura. He then raised his head and instantly met Hansen¡¯s deep and stern eyes under the cap. Then, he panicked and tried to escape.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Hansen quickly sped the pressure points on Reid¡¯s arm, and he couldn¡¯t move at all.

    ¡°Come with me.¡± Alvin ordered in a low and muffled voice, as he pointed a gun at Reid¡¯s waist.

    Reid¡¯s face turned pale, and he quickly stood up, but he quickly regained hisposure and followed them, as if nothing had happened.

    The gamblers next to them were still engrossed in the game. So, they did not notice what was happening at all.

    In a storage room nearby, Hansen¡¯s deeply furrowed eyebrows and his sharp, expressionless face looked very cold. His gaze was very sharp too.

    Reid, on the other hand, stood there calmly, looking as if he didn¡¯t care what was going on.

    ¡°Hansen, is this how you treat your uncle?¡± Reid asked in an enigmatic tone as he blinked his small eyes.

    ¡°Stop this nonsense.¡± Alvin took a step forward again and shouted at him.

    Hansen¡¯s cold eyes shot a freezing gaze. He then took a deep breath and shook his head at Alvin, indicating him not to be too excited.

    ¡°Where is ude?¡± Hansen asked, as he stared at Reid¡¯s face, which was covered with pockmarks.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Reid red at him fiercely, yet he showed a smug smile instead. ¡°As for him, you don¡¯t need to worry. He¡¯s not dead yet, but I locked him up.¡±

    Reid looked very pleased with himself. He wasn¡¯t worried about his current situation at all. It was as if the one being kidnapped was not him but Hansen instead.

    ¡°Release him. How much do you want? I¡¯ll pay you,¡± Hansen said with a deadpan expression, staring at him.

    Reid chuckled instead.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I really don¡¯t care about the money, as his value right now can¡¯t be measured with money anymore.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°Let me tell you the truth. Let¡¯s put the fact that ude had killed my sister aside. Right now, he offended an important person. Furthermore, the headquarters in the war-torn country said that they wanted him. My current team is just a small one. So, if our leader wants him, there is nothing I can do. Therefore, right now, not only do I want his life, there are even greater people who want to make use of him. So, Hansen, do you think this problem could be solved with money?¡± Reid lifted his head slightly and spoke arrogantly.

    That was indeed the case. Hansen had also heard of it!

    The basis of him still treating Hansen like that right then was entirely due to that reason. In fact, at that time, the only way to make sure of that fact was through his words.

    ¡°Who has he offended? What do the headquarters want him for?¡± Hansen asked without changing his expression.

    ¡°Who has he offended? That¡¯s none of my business. Anyway, he¡¯s a big shot, and the headquarters want to use him as a hostage.¡± Reidughed.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Then, let me ask you. How can I get you to release ude?¡± Hansen began to feel anxious. ude had to be rescued before Reid handed him over to his headquarters. Otherwise, there would be no hope anymore.

    ¡°Hansen, why are you so anxious?¡± Touching the beard on his chin, Reid calmly pushed aside the gun on his waist and said with a smirk, ¡°How could you point a gun at me? That¡¯s so impolite. After all, I¡¯m still Liya¡¯s uncle. Aren¡¯t you going to get married soon?¡±

    These words pierced Hansen¡¯s heart, causing his face to darken.

    ¡°Do you really think I¡¯ll marry Liya?¡± Heughed at him with a look of disdain on his face.

    ¡°Hansen, I don¡¯t think that you will marry her, but you must.¡± Reid¡¯s face darkened. ¡°To tell you the truth, when I kidnapped ude, I almost killed him, as he abandoned my sister and was the reason for her death. In fact, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough just to kill him, it¡¯s just that you men of the Richards family are really lucky, as Liya fell for you and wanted to marry you. So, I had no choice but to hold back my anger. I don¡¯t care about anyone in my life other than Liya. She is my sister¡¯s child. I care about her very much, and I want her to achieve happiness. That¡¯s why I kept ude alive and purposely dyed the matter of sending him over today. You knew that I was going to send him away today. So, think about it carefully whether you should marry Liya or not. I have already made it very clear to you.¡±

    Reid¡¯s eyes gleamed with viciousness as he spoke.

    ¡°In that case, it¡¯s still possible for you to release ude, right?¡± Hansen stared at him as he tightened his eyes. The light in his eyes was still the same as before.

    Reid smiled sinisterly, and it seemed that he had a wless n. However, that was how Hansen wanted him to behave.

    At the very least, that showed that there was still hope for ude to be saved.

    ¡°So, do you really think that Liya will attain happiness after marrying me?¡± He asked in a deep voice again, ¡°I already have a woman I love.¡±

    Reid was slightly stunned, but he quickly understood what was going on. Suddenly, heughed.

    ¡°Hansen, Liya will definitely be happy. If she marries you, she will be a part of your family. I want her to have a wonderful life and be among the echelon of society. If you dare to treat her badly, I still have my ways to make you treat her well. Moreover, I think she will be very happy that way.¡± Reid smiled and dered shamelessly.

    Hansen¡¯s face tensed up and he smiled sinisterly.

    ¡°Reid, sure, ude is my uncle. But my family is a prestigious one. So, what about ude? I can still treat it as if I didn¡¯t know something happened to him. However, Liya is living in Richards Manor right now, which means that she is in my hands. If you can control ude, I can also control Liya too. If you really want to act like this, then I won¡¯t let her go either.¡± At that time, Hansen put on a fearless expression.

    To everyone¡¯s surprise, Reid smiled lightly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you are well-known throughout the world. If you don¡¯t treat Liya well, or if something happens to her, then the whole world will turn their attention to you. Moreover, if such a big family like the Richards family went to court for such a minor matter, then you will have to face a lot of trouble, but as for me, I¡¯m just a punk, a small leader of a terrorist organization. If I kill ude, then no one will be able to find me. I live in the shadows, and I¡¯m very different from you. You can live a brilliant life, but I can only hide in the dark. If you¡¯re willing to go against me, then do it. I don¡¯t care. At worst, Liya won¡¯t be able to marry you, but you can¡¯t kill her. As for me, I can kill ude without hesitation. I think you should be clear about such differences, also, I am ready to fight with you to the end.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s white face was tense. He had his fists clenched, and his eyes looked very terrifying.

    ¡°So, you¡¯d better cooperate with me. I might even send ude back for Liya¡¯s sake. After all, we¡¯re rtives.¡± Reidughed calmly.

    Just like that, Hansen calmed down,after a brief moment.

    ¡°Reid, you should know the fate of your sister in Richards Manor. Sure, you kidnapped ude, but I¡¯m sure you understand how much power you have. Someone like you might die any day. As for Liya, she¡¯s just a woman. Even if you force me to marry her, her life may not turn out to be good either, since it all depends on me. Therefore, since you¡¯re a smart person, you should treat me nicely and not use ude to threaten me, if you really care about your niece and want her to lead a good life. Things will turn south if you threaten me, as everything goes hand in hand with each other.¡±

    Surely enough, after those words, Reid also understood Hansen¡¯s logic, and his attitude became much better.

    Seeing the change in Reid¡¯s attitude, Hansen was secretly rmed. It seemed that he really liked his sister, Elsie.

    ¡°How about this? Take Liya as your official wife. Then, I will send ude back to you. After that, we don¡¯t owe each other anything, and be rtives. Isn¡¯t that good?¡± He sighed softly, but his demand was shameless.

    This man even wanted Liya to be his official wife.

    Hansen gritted his teeth and could not suppress the terrifying light in his eyes anymore.

 Chapter 512 Ambushed

    ¡°Reid, you really don¡¯t f*cking know the vast difference between heaven and earth. Jenna will be my only wife. This is proven to be true by thew and the rule of my family that Richards Manor agreed on. No one can change it. Also, is Liya qualified to be my wife? Even if she bes my second wife,she is already considered extremely lucky.¡± Hansen sneered again and again as he spoke sarcastically.

    Upon hearing that, Reid¡¯s gaze darkened. Indeed,with Liya¡¯s status, she could at most be Hansen¡¯s second wife, and the fact that she would be Hansen¡¯s second wife was in the newspapers too. If she were to be Hansen¡¯s legal wife by coercion, the difference would be too great. Hansen¡¯s face right at the moment was very terrifying. If he were to anger that man, then the one who would suffer would still be Liya.

    Furthermore, Liya¡¯s marriage to Hansen as the second wife had already been agreed upon long ago. It would be very unrealistic to change it right then.

    Therefore, he put away his frivolity and spoke very solemnly.

    ¡°Hansen,you have to know thata lot of people want ude right now. Also, my headquarters specifically stated that they wanted him. If I give him to you now, it¡¯ll mean that I¡¯m risking my life to do something for the Richards family. If helping you save ude means that you¡¯ll take Liya as your second wife, then I have no words for it. But if you don¡¯t treat Liya well,I won¡¯t let you guys off. What I did to ude in the past is a lesson.¡±

    Hansen stared at him with his extremely gloomy face that was as dark as pitch, but he did not say a word.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. I¡¯ll send ude back the day you marry Liya. As this is a trade, I don¡¯t want to hear anything else anymore,¡± Reid said seriously,shrugging his shoulders. Immediately after, he smiled at Hansen whose face was dark.¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯re handsome and rich. It¡¯s no wonder that so many women like you. You¡¯re such a lucky guy, but I have to tell you. Don¡¯t even think about finding ude. It¡¯s impossible. I know that you¡¯re powerful, but I haven¡¯t lived for so long for nothing either. I¡¯ll repeat it again. I¡¯m just someone at the bottom of society. So, ude¡¯s life is much more important than mine. If you go back on your word one day, I¡¯ll immediately send ude to the headquarters for a huge sum of money. If things get to that point, then there¡¯s no turning back anymore.¡±

    As Reid spoke, he ignored the expression on everyone¡¯s face at all andjust stood up with a swagger.

    Alvin and John pulled out their pistols.

    Upon seeing that, Reid chuckled, showing no signs of fear.

    Hansen¡¯s face was flushed red as he furrowed his eyebrows. Even the blue veins on his arm could be seen clearly.

    However, he shook his head and motioned them to let him go.

    ¡°By the way, I don¡¯t have much time. You¡¯d better think about it carefully. I¡¯ve already given you the opportunity. So, you can just send someone over to inform me, once you¡¯ve decided on it. There¡¯s nothing I can do if you¡¯re toote.¡± When Reid reached the door, he turned around and reminded them.

    As he spoke, he strutted out of the room.

    Hansen and the rest watched helplessly as he left.

    The zing sun scorched the ground.

    The weather was getting warmer day by day.

    Sabrina felt veryfortable that day. That was because she didn¡¯t bump into Liya during work, and she didn¡¯t have many tasks to do either. Sheleft work in a good mood while humming a song and went straight to Richards Manor.

    That day, she promised Jerry that she would teach him how to swim.

    Although Jerry was quite mature for his age, he was afraid of water.He still couldn¡¯t manage to learn how to swim, even after hiring a coach to teach him for some time.Therefore, Sabrina wanted to teach him how to swim by herself that day.

    Richards Manor had two swimming pools, an indoor pool and an outdoor pool.

    Everyone would usually use the outdoor swimming pool during summer. During the warmer parts of the year, the housekeeper would order people to change the water in the pool. The water used in Richards Manor was from a pipe that was connected to a water reservoir near the city center.Not far away from the reservoir was a mountain purchased by the Richards family tobuild a dam. That was why the water they used was unpolluted and of good quality.

    Back then,Trevor favored the quality of the water at that location and was also worried about the development of the city in the near future. Thus, he resolved the Richards Manor¡¯s water supply issue as soon as possible.

    The water in the swimming pool was from the mountains as well.That was why it was crystal clear and one could even see the bottom of the pool.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    After Sabrina brought Jerry over, the big swimming pool became lively again.

    There were not many people in the swimming pool, as every room in Richards Manor already had its own private pool. The only difference was that the public swimming pool was huge and close to Central Ind. So, it was very enjoyable to be able to swim in it.

    Sabrina deliberately chose that ce. After changing into swimwear and swimming a fewps in the pool, she finally felt refreshed. The weather on that day was overwhelmingly hot.

    ¡°Jerry,e down.¡± After she swam a fewps, she stood at the shallow end of the pool and called out to Jerry. That day, she was going to teach him how to swim on her own.

    Although Jerry was envious of Sabrina¡¯s ability to swim freely in the water, he still wasn¡¯t willing to go into the pool.

    Sabrina shook her head and was about to swim to the edge to carry Jerry down into the water.

    All of a sudden, a strong andrge hand reached out from underwater, picked her up by the waist, and quickly swam towards the deeper area.

    When she was about to shout, her lips were suddenly blocked by warm, red lips. The strong hand held her tightly and brought her close to his sturdy and muscr physique. His tongue pried her lips open in no time and plundered in her mouth as he pleased.

    Her entire body was underwater, with her breath taken away by the man¡¯s kiss. She smelled the man¡¯s pheromones, as her mind started to rumble and feel muddled.

    Subconsciously, she knew that it was Norton.

    This d*mn brat!

    How dare he ambush her underwater?

    At present, Norton had gone insane, as he hugged andkissed her in an affectionate and domineering manner at the same time. They continued that way in the water with endless passion, to the point that even Sabrina forgot to get mad.

    ¡°Sabrina, I love you.¡± After he had enough of kissing her, Norton held onto Sabrina and swam on his back. Shey on his chest and heard him murmuring softly in her ear.

    Sabrina felt that she must¡¯ve misheard it.

    Her first kiss was with Norton.So, she had no experience with other men at all. Due to that, Norton¡¯s forceful actions and confession caused her heart to beat faster and make a mess in her mind, to the point that she couldn¡¯t even react properly, as she didn¡¯t know how to deal with it at all.

    ¡°Sabrina, I¡¯m leaving for Los Angeles tomorrow. You¡¯re not allowed to have a boyfriend for one year. Just wait for me. I¡¯ll definitely have a sessful career, and I¡¯ll go to Capital City to meet General Delia to propose to marry you. You can¡¯t escape, and you belong to me in this lifetime.¡± Norton turned over to hold her up and allowed her to lean against the left side of his chest, to listen to his heartbeat, saying clearly in her ear, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely make your father ept me. Also, you must stay in the Richards Group during your whole summer vacation. I¡¯lle back to be by your side if I have the time.¡±

    After saying those words, Norton stroked her slightly bewildered face with his hand and kissed her eyes that held a dazed gaze. Then, he smiled at her gently and let her go, turning around and plunging into the water. Soon, Sabrina, who was in a stupor, saw Norton¡¯s slender figure climbing up thedder at the other side of the pool, turned around, waved towards her dashingly, and left.

    After Norton left, he put on his coat and headed straight for the airport.

    Sabrina was dumbfounded, and she merely stood in the water.

    Even after Norton disappeared from her sight, she still couldn¡¯t believe what had happened just then.

    She shook her head.

    She then pinched her thigh. From the pain she felt, she was sure that she wasn¡¯t dreaming!

    Norton whispered his decision in her ear with his gentle and maic voice sweetly.

    Did she agree to it?

    No, he didn¡¯t even ask for her opinion. Furthermore, when he said that, he was charming, confident, and she couldn¡¯t even see a fraction of the man he used to be.

    That made Sabrina feel like she was dreaming.

    D*mn it, how dare he force a kiss on her?

    Just when Sabrina was thinking about Norton¡¯s breath, which still lingered in her mouth, she came back to her senses in an instant and hurriedly spat out her saliva, rinsing her mouth with the water in the swimming pool.

    She didn¡¯t know if the water felt sugary or it was because she had eaten one of Jerry¡¯s candies just then. All in all, sweetness filled up her mouth at that moment.

    Her face was blushing like a ripe plum, and her heart was pounding violently, as if it was going to jump out of her body. Moreover, she couldn¡¯t even bear to get angry at him.

    She stood dumbstruck in the water for a long time.

    Jerry was very bored after waiting at the edge of the pool for a long while. He picked up a lifebuoy that was on the ground and yed with it.

    ¡°Auntie Fairy is really disloyal. I¡¯m sure she was still swimming just now, but in a blink of an eye, she disappeared and abandoned me just like that!¡± Jerry pursed his lips and snorted discontentedly.

    A figure slowly approached him from behind. Jerry, who was engaged in ying with the lifebuoy, didn¡¯t notice that someone was closing in behind him.

    Liya¡¯s eyes were drifting, and her face was pale. It was such a hot day, but she was wearing something with long sleeves, as if she was a wandering ghost.

    The night before, she was almost crippled by Oscar. She really couldn¡¯t stand such a blow. After leaving the private lounge in the Sky Blue Restaurant, she neither dared to go home, nor did she dare go to the Richards Group for work. Therefore, she chose to stay in a hotel. After a night¡¯s sleep, it was already afternoon when she woke up. She really didn¡¯t want to see Oscar anymore, as she kept recalling how Oscar tortured her.

    Whenever she thought of Zoe¡¯s words, she would tremble all over, but she knew that she must obey Oscar¡¯s orders.

    She could be humiliated by him at any time.

    What should she do?

    She had been staying in the hotel for half a day. Upon realizing how terrifying Zoe was, she knew that she couldn¡¯t let things go on that way.Otherwise,she would be done for.

    She had to speed up the n.

    At present, the only one who could save her was probably Hansen.

    Taking advantage of the fact that Hansen knew nothing about the truth, she had to pick up speed. The only effective n, for now, was to get the evidence Zoe used to frame Jenna, so that Hansen would marry her.

    As long as Hansen married her, she wouldn¡¯t need to be scared of Zoe and Oscar anymore. She thought, as long as Hansen wasn¡¯t threatened anymore, he could destroy Zoe in an instant.

    She really believed that Hansen had the ability to do so.

    She didn¡¯t care whether the recording would be exposed or not, as it was better than being tortured to death by Oscar.

    Sometimes, people had to find a way to save themselves.

    Just like that, she made up her mind to get the evidence Zoe used to frame Jenna as soon as possible.

 Chapter 513 Dark Thoughts

    Liya was the one who gave Zoe, Jenna¡¯s fingerprints,and she was also the one who tried to frame Jenna when she was working on the online workshop. Although she didn¡¯t do it alone, she was still the one who personally gave it to Zoe.That day at Zoe¡¯s house, she identally turned around when she was about to leave and coincidentallysawwhere Zoe had put it.

    After making up her mind just like that, she left. She walked aimlessly andarrived at Richards Manor.

    The gatekeeper of Richards Manor knew that she was Hansen¡¯s future second wife. So, he let her in.

    Liya then got on the electric vehicle, and made her way to the pool when she heardughtering from its direction.

    When she looked up, she saw Jerry ying alone by the pool.

    The dark side of her heart broke out at once.

    Why should she be tortured while Jenna could live happily as the head of the household of Richards Manor, be doted on by Hansen, and have everyone¡¯s respect?

    As for Liya, she had been treated with contempt ever since she was a child, seen many sides of humanity, and been through poverty.

    In a frenzy,she wanted to push Jerry.

    Jerry was absorbed in ying with the lifebuoy, and hedidn¡¯t notice that someone was trying to push him from behind. It wasn¡¯t until the pair of hands from behind had pushed him, did he realize that he had lost his bnce and was about to fall into the pool. He was shocked.

    ¡°Auntie Fairy, Mom, save me.¡± Jerry was very smart. At such a young age, he already knew that someone had set him up. Just as he was about to fall into the swimming pool, he let out a miserable cry desperately.

    Sabrina was lost in her thoughts just then, but when she heard Jerry¡¯s cry all of a sudden, she was shocked and knew that a bad thing had happened. Next, she heard a loud ssh and when she looked up, she saw that someone was standing by the pool.

    As soon as she saw who that person was, her face turned pale with fear.

    Liya was standing there and staring at the surface of the water with a devilish expression.

    Following waves of sshes,Jerry began to struggle in the water.

    Jerry had fallen into the water! He had been pushed by that vicious woman!

    That thought only remained in Sabrina¡¯s mind for a second, as she immediately shrieked and swam towards Jerry, who was drowning.

    Fortunately, he was in an area where the water wasn¡¯t too deep. Sabrina found Jerry in no time and picked him up.

    At that time, Jerry had already swallowed a few mouthfuls of water, and his face turned pale.

    ¡°Jerry, Jerry!¡± Sabrina cried out in a panic. She leanedJerryforward and rubbed his back. After throwing up a lot of water, he recovered from his shock and began to cry.

    At that moment,the few people by the swimming pool and the workers nearby hurriedly ran over when they heard Jerry¡¯s crying.

    That was the sound of Jerry¡¯s cries, the heir to the Richards Group. So, everyone was nervous.

    ¡°Auntie Fairy, this wicked woman pushed me into the water.¡± Jerry clung onto Sabrina and cried miserably.

    ¡°Grab hold of that wicked woman for me.¡± Sabrina had longe to that conclusion. The rage in her chest rose rapidly, as she ordered the surrounding workers.

    The workers soon surrounded her.

    Sabrina carried Jerry up the pooldder and moved him to the ground quickly.

    ¡°You b*tch! You¡¯re asking for death! How dare you do such a wicked thing!¡± After Sabrina got out of the pool, she rushed forward and pped Liya on the face while cursing in anger.

    Liya¡¯s eyes were lifeless, and it seemed that she hadn¡¯te back to her senses as shemerely stood still in a daze.

    Sabrina pped her so hard that she suddenly cked out, and almost fell down.

    ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t this the other woman whom Mr. Richards is going to marry?¡±

    ¡°Yes,it turns out that she really isn¡¯t a good woman, as she tried to harm Jerry even before she got married.¡±

    ¡°This is Elsie¡¯s illegitimate daughter, who used to work in a nightclub. So, how good is she going to be?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this woman trying to hook up with Mr. Richards just for status? How can she do such a thing even before getting married? I think that there¡¯ll be one more Aria in Richards Manor from now on.¡±

    ¡­

    The surrounding workers pointed at Liya, as they talked among themselves.

    Jerry cried in an aggrieved manner at the side, and Sabrina was so angry that her face flushed red as she hugged andforted him.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Just as everyone was chatting amongst themselves, they heard a cold and majestic voice.

    Everyone was shocked and they hurriedly turned around.

    Jenna was standing behind them, with Larry and another nanny next to her. She was calm and dignified. Although she heard Jerry crying, she didn¡¯t panic.Jenna knew that something must¡¯ve happenedwhen she saw that there were so many people there.

    She was the head of the household.That was why she couldn¡¯t panic, no matter what. Even if she was in the face of her crying son, she still had to keep calm.

    The crowd suddenly quieted down, and everyone moved out of the way.

    ¡°Greetings, Madam.¡± They all greeted Jennarespectfully.

    Jenna nodded.

    ¡°Jenna, you came just at the right time. This woman actually dared toe to Richards Manor, and just now, she wanted to harm Jerry by pushing him into the pool. This is too much.¡± When Sabrina saw Jenna, she hurried over with Jerry in her arms and chided Liya angrily.

    That woman was too evil and vicious!

    ¡°Mom.¡± Jerry cried even harder when he saw Jenna. He cried loudly and stretched his arms out to her.

    Jerry¡¯s entire body was drenched, and no one could tell whether he was wet from the water or tears. His face was covered in tears, and his lips pouted, as he cried in fear and sadness. When he saw Jenna, his cries turned worse.

    Upon seeing that, Jenna¡¯s heart sank and her expression changed. She reached out to take Jerry, examined his body, and brushed against his facial features and his forehead. Seeing that he was crying loudly and clearly, she knew that he must have been unharmed. Therefore, she ordered Larry, who was by her side, to bring him back quickly, change his clothes, and then send him to Ink Garden¡¯s infirmary for a check-up after she hadforted him.

    Seeing Jerry in such a sorry state, Larry had long been anxious. Upon receiving the order, he held on to Jerry and hurried off.

    ¡°Alright, you guys can go back to work.¡± After Jerry left, Jenna instructed the surrounding workers.

    When everyone saw that Jerry was fine and that Jenna was ordering them to leave, the crowd could only scatter away.

    ¡°Jenna, we definitely can¡¯t let this girl marry into the family. She¡¯s so terrible to the point that she even holds grudges towards children. We must tell Hansen about this matter.¡± Sabrina was furious. She pointed at Liya and urged Jenna.

    Jenna¡¯s face darkened, and she looked at Liya with her bright eyes.

    At the time, Liya¡¯s face was pale, and the p mark Sabrina gave her was clearly imprinted on her face. Her hair was tousled, and she was not wearing any revealing clothes. The main thing she noticed was that her eyes were dull, and her expression was very numb. She looked traumatized, as though her soul had left her body.

    Her current behavior was far different from her usual cunningandcoquettish behavior.

    At that time, she lookedpletely lost and distracted, as if she had no idea what she was doing.

    Jenna was surprised, and there was a trace of suspicion in her eyes.

    However, she only looked at her coldly.

    ¡°Liya, why did you push my son into the water? What was your purpose?¡± Jenna¡¯s face turned cold, and she asked in a dignified tone.

    At that time, she was the head of the household of Richards Manor, the one with the highest authority. As long as she gave the order, guards would immediatelye forward to drive Liya, who had harmed Jerry, out of Richards Manor, or take her to the security room to be interrogated, or even hand her over to the police.

    After all, the person she harmed was Jerry, the sole heir to Richards Manor for now. No one could tolerate such behaviour.

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t push him. It wasn¡¯t me.¡± When Liya¡¯s eyes met Jenna¡¯s dignified and calm gaze, she panicked andhurriedly waved her hand, speaking incoherently.

    Although Jenna¡¯s expression was grim, she was secretly astonished.

    Liya¡¯s behaviour that day was abnormal. At that moment, she was neither eloquent, nor was she as cunning as she looked. In fact, she could even be considered extremely flustered. Jenna could vaguely feel that she was acting a little strange, but she couldn¡¯t tell why.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying. I saw it with my own eyes. There¡¯s no one else here except you,¡± Sabrina shouted angrily.

    Liya curled her body up and lowered her head. Her fringe was covering her nervous eyes.

    Jenna pondered for a while before saying, ¡°Sabrina, go and help me see how Jerry is doing. I still have something to discuss with her.¡±

    Sabrina was hesitant.¡°Jenna, I know you¡¯re kind-hearted, but you shouldn¡¯t let this woman go so easily. You should use this opportunity to convince Hansen to give up on marrying her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know how to deal with this.¡± Jennaforted her with a smile.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°s.¡± Sabrina couldn¡¯t resist Jenna¡¯s persuasion and had no choice but to shake her head and leave first. Jenna actuallyforted her when it was her son who was the victim!

    ¡°Remember, don¡¯t let her go so easily.¡± Sabrina felt very helpless. Before she left, she reminded Jenna in a low voice.

    Jenna smiled slightly and nodded.

    Once Sabrina left, Jenna and Liya were the only people left by the swimming pool.

    They looked at each other with their eyes full of hostility.

    Liya calmed down quite a bit when she saw that everyone had left.

    She looked at Jenna.She was wearing a dignified and posh dress, which was simple and graceful, with a fashionable hairstyle of a rich woman. Her bright and smooth forehead was shining with wisdom. In addition to that, she was emitting a calm, elegant aura, and the blissfulness on her face could be seen with a nce.

    The jealousy in her heart grew stronger and stronger.

    Both of them were women. Jenna was respected and honored, but she was the opposite of her. Not only that, she had no self-respect and ended up being toyed with by a man like Oscar but couldn¡¯t speak up even when she was furious.

    It was too unfair.

    As she thought about that, her eyes were filled with provocation and malice.

    ¡°Why did youe to Richards Manor?¡± Seeing that Liya¡¯s gaze gradually became sharp, Jenna asked in a dignified manner.

    ¡°What a joke. I¡¯m about to marry into the family. So, why can¡¯t Ie to Richards Manor? Hansen promised me that he¡¯ll marry me soon.¡± She lifted her chin slightly and answered in a proud manner.

    Her words tugged at Jenna¡¯s heart, and a trace of pain shed across Jenna¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Then, why did you push Jerry into the water? Did you want to use this opportunity to kill him?¡± Upon mentioning Jerry and seeing how malicious Liya looked, the inexplicable feelings she had for her just thenpletely disappeared. Her eyes were stern. She was not going to let go of anyone who dared to hurt Jerry.

    At that moment, Liya didn¡¯t panic at all. She only smiled in a simpering manner.

    ¡°Jenna, I really didn¡¯t push Jerry. I was just watching him y by the side, and he identally fell into the pool by himself. Besides, isn¡¯t this a swimming pool? Isn¡¯t it good to let him y in the pool? Look at how hot the weather is.¡±

    Liya said lightly as if she cared about nothing. As a result, Jenna¡¯s eyes grew colder and colder.

 Chapter 514 Resolving Grandmaâ€™s Regret

    ¡°No matter where we are, Jerry is just a three-year-old boy. You pushed him into the water because you wanted to kill him. This ispletely different from him voluntarily wanting to y in the water. Say, if you have any opinions against me, thene straight at me. If you dare to do such a thing to Jerry again, I¡¯ll definitely chase you out. Also, I certainly won¡¯t let this matter slide just like that. I¡¯ll absolutely tell Hansen,¡± Jenna said sternly with a grim face.

    To think that a woman wouldy her hands on a child, onecould only imagine how vicious her heart was.

    It was only then, did Liyae back to her senses. Jenna was still in charge of this family. Not to mention that she was only a second wife Hansen had yet married, even if she married into the family in the future, she still had to be very careful, especially around Jenna.

    If Jennained about such a matter, she wouldn¡¯t even need to think of getting married to this family anymore.

    Trevor¡¯s warning from that day was still ringing in her ears. Especially in such a situation, it was terrible and unwise for her to have done such a thing. Just then, she was in a daze and her mind was a mess, andshe regretted it aftering back to her senses right then.

    At that moment, her anger diminished, and she lowered her head. She was alone in that house for now, as she had no one to rely on and speak up for her, including Hansen.

    Understanding her disadvantage, the anger in her eyespletely subsided at once.

    ¡°Jenna, I really didn¡¯t push Jerry. You have to trust me. He¡¯s just a child.How can I bear to push him? Please forgive me.¡± She pleaded in fear. Upon thinking about how Oscar tortured her, she was so afraid that she started to tremble. Her n couldn¡¯t be ruined just because of that one mistake.

    No.

    Jenna looked at her coldly and stepped forward.

    ¡°Tell me.What¡¯s your purpose in approaching Hansen? What exactly do you want? Why don¡¯t you tell me today and let me hear it out?¡±

    The changes in Liya¡¯s expression did not escape Jenna¡¯s eyes. She was able to see through all the changes in Liya¡¯s mind, as she then smiled coldly.

    ¡°No, Jenna, I have loved Hansen ever since I was young. I really don¡¯t have any other ulterior motives.¡± Hearing Jenna¡¯s question, Liya raised her fake expression, blinked her almond-shaped eyes and said innocently.

    That woman was fantastic at acting.

    ¡°Then, do you know what kind of fate and treatment you¡¯ll be getting for being a second wife in such a prestigious family?¡± Jenna stared at her and continued to ask in a cold voice.

    Liya¡¯s shoulders trembled. She had a deeper understanding of that more than anyone else. Who could understand better than her about her mother¡¯s death, the indifference and mistreatment both her mother and she had suffered through?

    However, she was scared of povertyand understood that she needed much skill to get into modern prestigious families. After all, life was ever-changing. The statuses right then were all only temporary.No one could predict who Hansen was going to love after she married into the family. The main factor was that the glory and inheritance right was something that no other people could give her. It was also something that her family couldn¡¯t obtain even after struggling for three generations. Therefore, she could not miss that opportunity. Compared with it, that slight grievance with the reputation was nothing!

    ¡°I love Hansen, and I only want to be by his side. I don¡¯t want anything else.¡± Liya lifted her eyebrows and spoke firmly.

    Since she was being toyed with by Oscar right then, she only wanted to get together with Hansen as fast as possible.

    Jenna¡¯s heart seemed to have been cut by a sharp knife, and it was so painful that she frowned.

    There was a woman who wanted to be together with her husband at all costs. Should she be happy or sad?!

    That meant that her husband was excellent, wasn¡¯t it?

    She stood there motionlessly with her eyes fixed on Liya.

    Liya stared at Jenna. She saw the pain, struggle, worries, determination, and coldness in Jenna¡¯s eyes. It seemed as if Jenna was oveing thest struggle. Then, Jenna said with a dignified, calm, and determined voice.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re so keen on wanting to be Hansen¡¯s woman, I¡¯ll grant your wish. Come, follow me.¡±

    After Jenna made that decision, she turned around and walked outside.

    After being surprised for a moment, Liya immediately understood what was going on. A hint of joy and anticipation welled up in her heart as she followed after Jenna.

    Jenna walked ahead in silence.

    The hot air, which was heavy and stuffy, blew at her.

    She could also hear the rumbling sound of thunder.

    It looked like it was going to rain.

    Although it was summer, the old-fashioned buildings in the Ink Gardenwere surrounded by green and towering trees. The roof of the buildings was high and north-facing. Upon entering the Ink Garden, Liya and Jenna were weed by the cool breeze.

    That old-fashioned vi was designed by a famous architect from the past. In addition to its unique environment and geographical location, the vi was warm in the winter and cool in the summer.It was a veryfortable ce.

    When Liya was brought into that old-fashioned and gorgeous vi by Jenna, her heart was pounding, and her eyes were filled with fear.

    When she was very young, that vi was the centre of the political power of Richards Manor. Behind its closed doors, it looked like a pce. As a child, she could only look up to it, as she did not have the chance to enter at all.

    She remembered that her mother had been there once, and it was ude who brought her in. Her mother was able to enter at that time due to the fact that she was pregnant with ude¡¯s child. She only went there once as she never had the right to go there anymore in the future.

    Every time there was an event in the Ink Garden, she could only secretly hide outside and spectate. Liya had never dreamed that she would be able to enter that ce.

    Back then, Hansen was already very handsome and noble. He was the most precious treasure in the hearts of everyone in the Ink Garden and they would dote on him, especially the Richards family¡¯s Old Master Richards and Old Madam. There was nothing Hansen couldn¡¯t get,that Liya couldn¡¯t ever dream of getting, be it his daily supplies or daily expenses.

    At that time, he was the one and only idol she envied and couldn¡¯t reach.

    That day, Jenna brought her into the Ink Garden while Hansen had already announced in the news that he was going to marry her. That made her feel ttered and overjoyed.

    ¡°You¡¯re here, Madam.¡± When Meroy saw Jenna, she weed her with a bright smile, but when she saw Liya behind her, her face darkened instantly, and she looked at Jenna in confusion.

    Jenna smiled gently.

    ¡°Has Grandma eaten anything today?¡± Jenna asked softly.

    ¡°Yes. Grandma had a bowl of herbal soup today. It¡¯s a good sign.¡± Meroy smiled and replied, but she couldn¡¯t stop sizing Liya up.

    Liya¡¯s head was lowered in an obedient manner. She was behaving extremely careful and humble.

    There was coldness and mockery in Meroy¡¯s eyes. How could she bear to be Hansen¡¯s second wife when her Mom had been chased out of Richards Manor?She really was shameless.

    What made her even more puzzled was that Jenna took her to the Ink Garden to visit Vivian. This made Meroy very confused.

    Jenna naturally understood Meroy¡¯s thoughts. She merely smiled and said, ¡°Meroy, I¡¯m bringing Liya to visit Grandma. Stay outside and look out for us.¡±

    Meroy felt helpless, but she could only smile in reply,¡°Alright, Madam, please go in.¡±

    Just like that, Jenna walked into Vivian¡¯s bedroom with Liya.

    What surprised Liya was that Vivian, who was highly respected in Richards Manor, didn¡¯t have a luxurious bedroom. Even though the furniture inside was still very expensive, they were all old-fashioned furniture. The bedroom was tidy and neat. The floor-to-ceiling windows were wide open and there was a cold breeze blowing in from the outside. The navy blue curtains in the room were also lifted slightly, making the room appear solemn.

    Vivian was lying on the bed, resting with her eyes closed. Perhaps it was because somehow she was able to eat recently, herplexion looked slightly better.

    ¡°Kneel down.¡± Jenna brought Liya to the front of Vivian¡¯s bed. As soon as Liya approached and observed Vivian carefully, Jenna immediately shouted at her in a low voice.

    When she heard Jenna¡¯s shout, her initially anxious mind thought of the fact that she was toyed with by Oscar before, and she felt very guilty. So, she kneeled down almost immediately as she looked at Vivian.

    ¡°Grandma,¡± Jenna whispered in Vivian¡¯s ear.

    Didn¡¯t Vivian say that she had a regret? She told Jenna before, and she remembered it. Vivian said that she would know how to deal with it when she met her in the future. Right then, Jenna finally understood her words, and she knew what to do. Therefore, the reason she brought Liya there that day was to resolve Vivian¡¯s regret.

    After calling her a few times, Vivian opened her eyes. It took her a long time to realize that it was Jenna and her eyes gleamed with starlight.

    Vivian¡¯s face was full of wrinkles and spots, with a head of grey hair. They were gifts that were left behind by the passage of time and also represented thest moments of her life.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± She struggled to reach out her hand to grab Jenna¡¯s and cried out in a trembling voice, ¡°My good granddaughter.¡±

    In her heart, Jenna was no longer her granddaughter-inw. She was even closer to her than to Hansen.

    ¡°Grandma.¡± Jenna smiled as she squatted down and whispered in her ear, ¡°Grandma, do you know who I¡¯ve brought with me?¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    It seemed that Vivian didn¡¯t hear her clearly as she looked straight at her with her eyes wide open.

    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m going to help you fulfil your wish. You don¡¯t have to feel regretful anymore.¡± Jenna whispered in Vivian¡¯s ear as she gripped her hand, ¡°That woman¡¯s daughter is all grown up now, and she¡¯s kneeling in front of you right now.¡±

    Jenna thoughtVivian must have already understoodbecause she saw her gaze shifting towards Liya, who was kneeling in front of her.

    ¡°Liya,bow three times to Grandma. This is to show respect to your elders.¡± Jenna stood up and instructed Liya.

    Liya seemed to have thought of something as she obediently bowed three times to Vivian and greeted her as ¡®Grandma¡¯.

    ¡°Come over here.¡± Vivian waved towards Liya.Liya stood up and took a few steps forward.

    ¡°Grandma, take a good look at her,¡± Jenna said loudly to her, pulling Liya to Vivian¡¯s front.

    Vivian stared at Liya for a long time without moving her gaze away.

    ¡°Liya, greet her.¡± Seeing that Liya was looking at Vivian with a terrified expression, Jenna reminded her from the side.

    ¡°Grandma.¡± Liya called out in a timid manner as she revealed a faint smile.

    ¡°Liya, do you know? Back then, when you and your mom were driven out from Richards Manor, Grandma felt guilty and sent people to find you and your father. At that time, your mother had already died of illness. So, Grandma gave you guys arge sum of money and set up a special ount, so that she can pay for your school fees. For all these years, Grandmother had paid attention to that ount in person.She¡¯d even asked people to transfer money to that ount periodically until you¡¯ve graduated from college.¡± In recent days, Jenna studied carefully the records of the family history of Richards Manor, given by Irvin and Paul. With that, she learnt about things Vivian did not mention to the others. The reason she made such a n was also that she didn¡¯t want Vivian to leave the world in regret.

    Hearing that, Liya was stunned.

    She knew that her father had received a sum of money, but wasn¡¯t that money from Zoe? How did it turn out to be from Vivian? Moreover, what puzzled her most was how could her father, who loved money as much as his life, be willing to spend money to get her to finish college? It turned out that Vivian had set up a special fund for her, which her father wasn¡¯t able to get hold of.

    When she thought about it, her expression gradually changed from surprise to unease.

 Chapter 515 Iâ€™ll Go Back to Your Momâ€™s Home with You

    Upon seeing the changes on Liya¡¯s expression, Jenna said solemnly, ¡°Liya, since you¡¯ve received your higher education, you should understand that Vivian has done her best for you. You have no blood rtion with the Richards family, while your mother was just ude¡¯s mistress and nothing more. Also, the fact that the Richards family weed your mother to stay in Richards Manor was purely out of kindness, as your mother has her own family to begin with. You know how much money your Dad tried to extort from Richards Manor in the past, right? Do you really think Vivian kicking you and your mother out of the manor was really a big sin? Even if your mother once conceived ude¡¯s child, Vivian could justpensate her, but she did more than that. Do you still think that Richards Manor and Vivian owe you and your mother?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s voice was a little cold as she warned Liya seriously.

    ¡°What¡¯s most important for a woman is to know how to love herself and act with propriety. Only with dignified actions and good character can one win over everyone¡¯s respect. In the past, you lived with your Mom in Richards Manor for quite some time. Have you really never thought of why your mother wasn¡¯t able to get everyone¡¯s respect?¡± Even then, she still hoped that she would be able to resolve Liya¡¯s misunderstanding towards Richards Manor and make here back to her senses. She also hoped that Liya would take the proper path and abandon her goal of bing the second wife. However, after Liya learnt of everything, she decided that she would never want any men other than Hansen.

    In fact, she had to face Oscar¡¯s torture and her father¡¯s forced marriage proposals back home. She had no way out.Only Richards Manor could bring her happiness.

    Humans were all selfish, weren¡¯t they?

    She knew that her decision would hurt Jenna, but at that moment, she had no choice but to brace herself and go on.

    ¡°Jenna, I understand what you meant, but I love Hansen. I have fallen in love with him ever since I was young. I only want to protect him and am willing to do anything for him.¡± In front of Vivian, Liya sobbed and continued. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jenna. I won¡¯t harm your interests. I¡¯ll respect you and treat you as my real sister. Also, I¡¯ll abide by any rules of Richards Manor. This ce has been my only home since I was young. If I can stay by Hansen¡¯s side, then I can die without any regrets.¡±

    As she said that, she burst into tears. She sobbed while wiping her tears with her hand.

    Jenna tightened her grip on her clothes as she lifted her head to look at Vivian.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t see what Vivian was thinking about through her wrinkled face, as she might¡¯vepletely forgotten about the past. Right then, her mind would only be sometimes clear and at times blurry. Perhaps she couldn¡¯t remember anything anymore, or perhaps she might¡¯vepletely forgotten who the crying woman in front of her was.

    After Jenna closed her eyes for a while, she held on to Vivian¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Liya, since you like Hansen, my husband, so much, then it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be willing to do anything as long as it benefits Hansen. Today, I promise you, in front of Grandma, that Hansen will marry you in a grand manner. I¡¯ll also personally host the wedding for you and Hansen. I just hope that you can keep your promise that you¡¯ll only love Hansen wholeheartedly from now on.¡±

    After a while, Jenna opened her eyes and said firmly.

    ¡°Is that true? Jenna.¡± Upon hearing that, Liya¡¯s face revealed a pleasantly surprised expression, and sheasked in disbelief.

    ¡°Of course.How can I lie in front of Grandma?¡± Jenna replied firmly,¡°But Liya, you have to swear in front of Grandma that you¡¯ll love Hansen forever, always be loyal to him, and think of him and Richards Manor with your entire heart. Also, swear that you won¡¯t do any outrageous acts.¡±

    Liya was stunned for a while. Upon understanding Jenna¡¯s intention, she was delighted, as she hurriedly knelt down and said loudly, ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, Grandma, Jenna. I¡¯ll definitely love Hansen with all my heart in the future and am willing to do anything for him. I¡¯ll also protect Richards Manor, just like Jenna.¡±

    Jenna felt the rope that was tying her heart getting tighter and tighter, to the point that she had difficulty breathing.

    She steadied her breathing, but her heart was still in great pain.

    ¡°Alright, Liya. Remember what you¡¯ve said in front of Grandma and what I¡¯ve told you today. Richards Manor and Vivian don¡¯t owe you anything. They are your benefactors. You should understand the fact that you¡¯re able to get to this point in your life because of Richards Manor. I hope you¡¯ll repay the kindness you¡¯ve received, and not have any selfish motives.¡± Jenna heaved a long sigh of relief after she spoke. She felt as if she had said something stuffy that had been guing her heart for a long time as she actually felt rxed in an instant.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jenna, I will.¡± Liya nodded in a hurry. She then said as she blinked her bright eyes, ¡°Thank you, Jenna, for your generosity.¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s one more thing. You pushed Jerry into the pool today, which, in my opinion, is unforgivable, but, on ount of Grandma¡¯s wishes, I¡¯ll forgive you this one time. If something like this happens in the future again, I¡¯ll definitely not let you off.¡± Jenna¡¯s face became very stern as she rebuked her.

    Liya was frightened. Nodding, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jenna, I really didn¡¯t mean to do that today. I¡¯ll treat Jerry as my own son in the future. Please forgive me, Jenna.¡±

    As she said that, the rims of her eyes turned red.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°It¡¯s good as long as you remember it.¡± Jenna smiled coldly. ¡°I love Hansen.That¡¯s why I¡¯m willing to do anything that can benefit him. So, I¡¯m doing it for my own sake I guess. Also, I hope that you can make up for my shorings towards Hansen in the future. Don¡¯t worry. As long as you can behave properly and live on peacefully, I won¡¯t make things difficult for you.¡±

    Speaking of that, she turned her head and said, ¡°Liya, go out first. Wait for me outside.¡±

    Liya agreed and left.

    A stream of tears rolled down from Jenna¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ve already helped you fulfil your wish. Don¡¯t worry, I know what to do.¡± After Liya left, Jenna whispered in Vivian¡¯s ear.

    Vivian¡¯s eyes were fixed on her, with her hand holdingonto her hand tightly as she moved her lips, but she could not utter aplete sentence.

    ¡°No, my child.¡± Jenna could faintly hear her saying those few words in a trembling voice. It seemed that she could also hear Vivian saying, ¡°Thank you.¡± All in all, she did not quite understand what Vivian was trying to convey.

    Nevertheless, since Grandma was willing to tell Jenna her regrets, she would be willing to bear that responsibility and fulfill her regrets.

    That was her duty as her granddaughter-inw.

    Trevor wanted her to ept reality, and Hansen wanted her to do the same as well. Even Paul and Irvin also thought so. What could she do? If she persisted, it would only make others think that she was narrow-minded.

    It was only due to her love for Hansen that she would persist. It was also due to the sense of responsibility she felt towards the family that she chose to ept reality.

    She silently turned around, but her hand was grabbed by Vivian.

    She turned around to look at Vivian. Tears were welling up in her eyes. Her face that was full of wrinkles panted weakly, as she held onto her hand tightly.

    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ll leave first,¡± Jenna said to her softly and gently pulled her hand away.

    She was worried that if she stayed any longer, she would cry out loud.

    She turned around and walked out of Vivian¡¯s bedroom as her heart pulsed with pain.

    Liya was waiting for her outside.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jenna said to her tly and walked towards the outside.

    Liya followed closely behind.

    The moment they arrived in Green Jade Garden, they met Hansen.

    Hansen had just walked out of the living room of Green Jade Garden. He was wearing a ck silk top, a pair of casual shorts, and a pair of slippers. He was dressed up in afortable and casual manner.

    Nheless, his noble temperament wasn¡¯t diminished by his clothes. He was standing there quietly, and the aura that was emanating from his body was so elegant and delicate that people couldn¡¯t help looking at him.

    The three of them were all stunned.

    All of them stood still.

    All of Hansen¡¯s gaze fell on Jenna¡¯s face. From beginning to end, he did not even nce at Liya, who was standing beside Jenna.

    The sunshine shone in through theyers of leaves and was cast on her hair, eyebrows, and eyshes, dying her skin golden, bit by bit.

    She stood in the shadow of the tree, and the rays of sunshine elogated her shadow.

    Hansen looked at her with aplicated gaze.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Liya couldn¡¯t stand the silence. She broke the silence first by speaking shyly.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze remained fixed on Jenna¡¯s face without moving.

    ¡°Oh, Hansen, from today onwards, I¡¯m going to let Liya move into Richards Manor. What do you think?¡± Jenna avoided Hansen¡¯s burning gaze. She took a step forward and asked with a seemingly unhurried smile.

    Move in? Hansen¡¯s gaze which was on Jenna deepened upon hearing that.

    ¡°Is this your decision, or did you hear of some rumors?¡± He looked into her eyes and asked in an enigmatic tone.

    ¡°It¡¯s my decision,¡± Jenna replied with certainty as she lowered her head.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze deepened even further when he looked into her eyesas if he wanted to see through her.

    ¡°By the way, since you¡¯re here, I¡¯ll leave Liya to you. You can arrange where she¡¯s going to live as you like. I won¡¯t have any opinions,¡± she said in a low voice and turned around. ¡°I still have something to do. I have to leave first.¡±

    As she spoke, she turned around and walked towards the electric vehicles outside.

    However, her arm was pulled by Hansen.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± After being absent-minded for a moment, he asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°I still have some matters to attend to. Mom wants me to go home.¡± She did receive a call from Bailey that day. Initially, she had nned to leave as soon as possible, but since she wanted to see Jerry, she met Liya at the swimming pool, which dyed her ns. She didn¡¯t intend to hide it from Hansen.

    Was she going back to the Francist Community?

    Hansen lifted his brows and immediately responded, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Jenna rejected immediately without a second thought. She didn¡¯t think that going back to her mother¡¯s house with Hansen at that time would go down well with everyone. Since he was determined to marry Liya, she thought that thest person her mother would want to see right then was Hansen. So, why should she create trouble by letting Hansen go with her?

    A hint of pain shed across the depths of Hansen¡¯s eyes. He soon understood Jenna¡¯s thoughts and tightened his grip on her arm.

    ¡°Go and look for the butler and ask him to arrange your amodation.¡± Hansen turned around and ordered Liya, who was standing beside him,in a cold manner. Then, he moved his arm, picked up Jenna from her back and walked towards the electric vehicle.

    Jenna didn¡¯t realize that she had been lifted by Hansen¡¯s strong arms. She only came to her sense when she saw that the scenery around her had started to change. She immediately called out, ¡°Hansen, let me go.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t cause trouble. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± His low and maic voice rang in her ear charmingly, but he said it in a tone that indicated that he wouldn¡¯t ept her refusal.

 Chapter 516 Unconventional Gambit

    ¡°There¡¯s really no need for that.¡± Jenna pushed him. How could Hansen carry her like that in broad daylight? Liya was still watching from the sidelines too.

    Hansen held her tightly in his arms and carried her to the electric vehicle. He then ced her on hisp and lowered his head to kiss her red lips.

    Jenna¡¯s face instantly turned red. It was still daytime right then. What was he doing!

    Liya stood rooted to the spot, as she watched Hansen affectionately leave with Jenna in his arms. Her face turned pale, and she really didn¡¯t know what to do, as tears welled up in her eyes. At that time, she understood that she would never be able to rece Jenna in that family.

    In the study on the third floor, Trevor stood by the window and saw what had happened downstairs.

    The corner of the old man¡¯s eyes had a lot more wrinkles within just a few days, and those were traces of his old age, as well as the effects of the urgent situation currently. He looked at the scene below with his eyes. Hansen loved Jenna a lot. If what would happen next would only hurt him, he might still face it with a smile, but the one who was going to get hurt was one of his loved ones.

    That kept him awake for days and nights.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, are you really going to leave everything over to Young Master and let him deal with it?¡± Lomen asked worriedly, as he also saw Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s love for each other.

    Trevor¡¯s eyes were filled with wisdom. He gazed at the electric vehicle, as it moved further and further away. A faint smile appeared in his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to hand the matter over to him. He knows what to do.¡± Trevor muttered to himself.

    ¡°However, the situation right now is extremely urgent. Seeing that the Young Master and the Young Madam are so loving, it might be too risky to have him marry Liya for real.¡± Lomen¡¯s worries weren¡¯t unreasonable at all.

    In order to save ude¡¯s life, the three of them had secretly decided on the date of their marriage, but they were still waiting for Hansen, as his n was just a step away frompletion.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, Young Master¡¯s n has already taken effect. Currently, Zoe is indeed starting to suspect Liya, but up till now, we¡¯re not sure if she¡¯ll deal with Liya. If Zoe still hadn¡¯t pushed the crime into Liya¡¯s mind by the day of the wedding, then the police would not be able to arrest her either. And if that happens, the wedding must still be held, and Liya is most likely going to be the Young Master¡¯s second wife. This is not a good thing for Richards Manor.¡± Lomen¡¯s exnation and deduction were very good.

    Trevor was very worried, but he was very certain at the same time.

    ¡°Thus, the matter of Hansen marrying Liya must be publicized widely, so that more people will believe it for the best, but we can¡¯t let Marissa and Jenna know the truth. Zoe is a very cautious person, and she can just tell the truth from people¡¯s expressions. She¡¯ll definitely pay attention to Jenna¡¯s expression at all times.¡± Trevor ordered in a deep voice.

    Just then, Hansen was calmly standing in the study as well.

    ¡°Our family is in danger. You should know what to do.¡± Trevor knew that at that moment, Hansen was more upset than anyone else, but he still remained calm and reminded Hansen.

    If his act couldn¡¯t even convince others that it was realistic, then what more Zoe and Reid.

    They knew that they couldn¡¯t expect to use the marriage to deal with Zoe and Yadriel, but at the very least, they needed to get rid of Liya and rescue ude. That was the most basic requirement, and they had to fulfil it, no matter what.

    They couldn¡¯t afford not to fulfill it at all.

    The conflict between the war-torn countrieswas intensifying, and the terrorist organizations were desperate as well, as they had no more time to lose.

    They couldn¡¯t count on the local or international police to deal with those terrorists, as the government and the militarycouldn¡¯t even do anything about it, let alone them. The most important thing at the moment was to rely on their own wisdom.

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. I know what to do.I¡¯ve always been doing it this way.¡± Hansen leaned against the desk. His calm attitude was a sharp contrast from the tense atmosphere in the study.

    ¡°Dad, how can I bear to marry Liya to save your brother and hurt Jenna? But please rest assured, I will still do as I was told, as this is my duty and responsibility as the head of the family.¡± His expression was as cold as his voice.

    ¡°s.¡± Trevor heaved a long sigh.¡°Hansen, this is an unconventional gambit, but we still have to try it even though it may not work. Saving ude is our utmost priority right now. So, we can only do this in the face of justice.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s voice sounded a little mournful.

    Hansen remained silent as he turned and walked out of the study.

    Trevor stared at his son¡¯s back with a heavy heart. When he looked down at the Green Jade Garden and saw that Hansen was leaving with Jenna in his arms, tears welled up in his eyes.

    He knew that Hansen was doing that because of his guilt towards Jenna, and he was trying to find a way to make up for it.

    They had to take that step, no matter what, as they had no other alternatives left. Trevor apologized to Jenna in his heart.

    They didn¡¯t want to hurt Jenna. Hansen has been preparing for that day for a long time, and they hoped everything would be as they expected. If Hansen was really forced to marry Liya, Trevor hoped that Jenna would forgive them.

    In fact, when the butler told him that Liya was going to move into Richards Manor, Trevor knew that Jenna certainly understood their intentionto have made such an arrangement at such a time.

    Perhaps, she didn¡¯t know anything, but she should have sensed something, as she was smart.

    Making that decision at that time was extremely beneficial to them.

    The Hummer stopped at the first floor of the Francist Community.

    Hansen held Jenna¡¯s shoulder with one arm and carefully escorted her. The smile on his face was soft and gentle, to the point that butter would not even melt in his mouth.

    Jenna wanted to get rid of him. After all, they were in themune, and it was not appropriate for them to be so intimate with each other.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? We¡¯re husband and wife.¡± Hansen understood what she was thinking andughed softly in her ear.

    ¡°Who cares.¡± Seeing that she couldn¡¯t dissuade him, Jenna had no choice but to allow Hansen to hug her as she said with a pout.

    They were very intimate.

    ¡°He¡¯s going to take a second wife. So, why is he pretending to be intimate with her? There¡¯s no point, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Men from prestigious families are all yboys.¡±

    ¡°So what if she married into a prestigious family and became his legal wife? What¡¯s the point of that if he will be taken away by another woman in the end?¡±

    ¡°In my opinion, it¡¯s better for a woman to marry an ordinary man. At least, they¡¯ll be loyal to each other for the rest of their lives.¡±

    ¡­

    When they walked past in an affectionate manner, soft sounds of chatter came from their surroundings.

    The light in Jenna¡¯s eyes dimmed, and the smile on her face became somewhat awkward.

    Hansen¡¯s heart trembled. A fierce glint shed across his eyes as he swept his gaze over the women who were gossiping.

    Those women immediately felt his cold gaze and left in a hurry.

    ¡°Mom, why were you looking for me?¡± As soon as Jenna entered the living room, she took off her shoes and called out to Sara. Only in her mother¡¯s home and in front of her mother, could she be so uninhibited and free.

    When Hansen saw that her smile was bright and beautiful, with her eyes already curved into crescents, as if she had never experienced the difficulties of life, his heart pounded.

    It seemed that it was good for women to return to their parents¡¯ home frequently!

    After all, Jenna couldn¡¯t act that way in Richards Manor. There were too many rules in such a big and prestigious family. Hansen felt sorry to have persuaded Jenna to move into Richards Manor.

    When Sara, who was in the study, heard Jenna¡¯s voice, the sadness on her face was swept away, and a loving smile appeared.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯min the study,¡± she answered with a smile.

    Jenna flew in like a gust of wind.

    ¡°Mom.¡± She put her arms around Sara¡¯s neck and said coyly, ¡°Mom, did you call me back because you missed me?¡±

    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t called to ask you toe home, you wouldn¡¯t have thought ofing back, right? It¡¯s hard to keep a grown girl at home,¡± Sara scolded in anger. She held Jenna¡¯s little hand and caressed it, but when she saw Hansen walking in, her face immediately sank.

    ¡°Mom,¡± Hansen greeted Sara respectfully.

    Sara snorted in response. Hansen knew that she was prejudiced against him.So, he wasn¡¯t angry andjust stayed by Jenna¡¯s side politely.

    ¡°Jenna, I asked you toe back today because I have something to tell you.¡± After a while, Sara went straight to the point.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jenna was rmed in an instant. It was imperative for Hansen to marry Liya. Although she had not told Sara about it, Jenna was afraid that she wouldunch a tirade on the spot.

    Hansen¡¯s expression turned slightly gloomy as well.

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s like this.¡± Sara reached out and picked up a delicate wooden box on the table. She then handed it to Jenna and said, ¡°Open and take a look at it.¡±

    Jenna looked at the unfamiliar wooden box and epted it with doubt. After opening it, she saw a jade fan lying inside.

    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s this?¡± she asked curiously as she inspected the jade fan.

    ¡°This is a jade fan,¡± she said in a solemn manner.

    ¡°Mom, so the poem you kept on reciting aloud was the poem on this fan.¡± Jenna finally learnt where the poem Sara kept on reciting came from. It turned out to be from that small fan, and she blurted out almost immediately.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Sara¡¯s eyes looked nk, and she didn¡¯t exin anything.

    ¡°Jenna, there will be an auction in A City¡¯s museum tomorrow. This jade fan is called the Twin Plum Fan. Originally, there¡¯s a pair of them. There¡¯s a red plum imprinted on this one, and the other has a white plum imprinted on it. Tomorrow, the Twin Plum Fan will be auctioned. I hope that you can buy me the other one.¡± Sara¡¯s eyes were distant and deep. She spoke at a moderate speed, and her expression was one Jenna couldn¡¯t see through.

    Jenna was stunned and confused at the same time.¡°Mom, what¡¯s the story behind this fan? It doesn¡¯t look very eye-catching.¡±

    Sara looked at her indifferently and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The Twin Plum Fan isn¡¯t some rare treasure. No one will fight for it with you, and you¡¯ll be able to buy them at a low price tomorrow. This is what I wanted to ask you to do.Will you be able to aplish it?¡±

    As she said that, Sara looked at her expectantly.

    Jenna immediately understood what Sara¡¯s intention was when she heard her words. She then wrapped her arms around her neck and smiled lovingly.¡°Mom, I can deal with such a small matter. If you like it, I¡¯ll bid a few more things for you tomorrow. How¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not a person who covets gold, silver, and jewelry. I don¡¯t need anything else. This is the only thing I want, as I want to reunite this fan with its other half. I¡¯ll be very grateful if you manage to bid the other half for me.¡± Sara pouted and poked her head with her finger, pretending to be dissatisfied.

    Jenna smiled mischievously. ¡°Mom, is this matter the reason you wanted me toe back?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it.¡± Sara nodded in agreement.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a small matter. Don¡¯t worry.I¡¯ll get it for you tomorrow.¡± Jenna patted her chest and promised.

 Chapter 517 Iâ€™ll Be Staying at Richards Manor

    ¡°Hmph,it¡¯s good as long as you remember it. If there¡¯s nothing else, you can leave,¡± Sara said indifferentlyand nodded as she swept her gaze over to Hansen, who was standing at the side.

    ¡°Mom, you¡¯re kicking me out so soon?¡± Jenna knew that she was driving Hansen away. Shedeliberatelypouted and said, ¡°How can you chase your daughter away like this?¡±

    ¡°Mother, you can rest assured. Leave this matter to me. I¡¯ll have someone bid that jade fan tomorrow.¡± The fact that Sara didn¡¯t berateHansenface-to-face for wanting to take a second wife relieved him. Although she was treating him indifferently, he didn¡¯t n to say anything, as he thought that he would exin it to her in the future. So, he immediately answered with a smile.

    Sara nced at him with a nd expression.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m driving you away, but you¡¯re putting your heart and soul into your inws that you simply don¡¯t have the mood to stay here anymore.¡± Sara looked at Jenna reproachfully and said in a dissatisfied manner, ¡°You¡¯re wholeheartedly contributing to that family. I just hope that someone won¡¯t let your love and sincerity down.¡±

    As she spoke, she deliberately nced at the Hansen, who was next to Jenna.

    Hansen immediately understood what she meant. A dark light shed across his eyes as he stayed silent.

    Jenna smiled awkwardly. At that moment, the door rang, followed by a clear masculine voice drifting in.¡°Madam Garver, I¡¯m here.¡±

    As soon as everyone heard that voice, their expressions changed.

    Sara smiled while Jenna¡¯s face was filled with shock. As for Hansen, his expression turned grim.

    ¡°Wheel me to the living room,¡± Sara told Jenna, who was beside her.

    Jenna came back to her senses and responded. She then looked at Hansen, who was next to her. His face was even darker than storm clouds.

    Whoever told him to follow her there, he really was making trouble for himself!

    However, Jenna was also in a bad mood. She then wheeled Sara outside.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re back today. Aunt Sara had really missed you a lot, ya know?¡± Sergio¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw Jenna and greeted her with a smile.

    Jenna chuckled. When she remembered that it was him who saved her that day, she couldn¡¯t bear to treat him coldly. Her eyes fell on his arm, which was still wrapped with gauze.So, she asked in concern right then, ¡°Sergio, is your arm recovering?¡±

    Frankly speaking, it had been so many dayssince the incident.She had forgotten all about it and hadn¡¯t taken the initiative to call him to ask about his well-being, which made her feel sorry for him, as he was injured because of her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jenna. Such a mild injury is nothing to me.¡± Sergio smiled and nced at Hansen¡¯s gloomy face.

    ¡°The meal is ready. You guys should eat before you leave.¡± Bailey walked out of the kitchen with a smile.

    ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± Sergio agreed to it at once.

    Jenna wanted to leave, but Sergio said to Hansen, ¡°Hansen, since we¡¯ve met here, should we sit down and have a few drinks?¡±

    When Hansen saw Sergio at Sara¡¯s house, he felt even more disgusted than having eaten a fly. He wanted to leave with Jenna in no time, but when he heard Sergio¡¯s words, he changed his mind at that moment. After all, that was his mother-inw¡¯s house.

    He really couldn¡¯t stand how shameless Sergio was. What did he treat that ce as? Hansen himself was Sara¡¯s son-inw. So, how dare Sergio invite him as though that was his own home?

    ¡°Alright,¡± he answered faintly and pulled Jenna¡¯s hand as they sat down at the dinner table.

    ¡°Come, Jenna, try this. It¡¯s your favourite.¡± As soon as they sat down, Hansen picked up a shrimp with his fork, put it onto Jenna¡¯s te, and said intimately.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna expressed her gratitude.

    The two of them were acting very intimately, as if no one was around them.

    Sara sat on one side and looked at how the two were behaving, then at Sergio, sighing in her heart. Sergio was really infatuated with her daughter. The fact that he woulde to visit her frequently was because he was obviously trying to win Jenna over. Sara certainly understood that and had already persuaded him several times. Sergio was a man with a great background.So, Sara thought that he should let Jenna go. What was more, her daughter already had a family, and she didn¡¯t have any feelings for him at all.

    She sighed in her heart. If Hansen was half as infatuated as Sergio was towards Jenna, she didn¡¯t have to worry about them and be so unhappy anymore.

    They then ate.

    Sergio suddenly picked up his ss of wine with a friendly smile stered on his face andsaid to Hansen, ¡°Hansen, I heard that something good will be happening to you and that you¡¯ll be really busy in the future. After all, you¡¯re going to take a second wife. Since I was able to meet you today, I¡¯ll propose a toast to you, to get some of your good luck!¡±

    He seemed to be speaking in a very casual manner, or perhaps, one could say that he did not seem to care about anything. After saying that, he looked at Hansen with a smile on his face in a friendly manner.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Nevertheless, as soon as he said that, the atmosphere instantly became tense.

    Sara¡¯s face darkened first,followed by Bailey, whose face even darkened as well.

    Hansen frowned and lowered his head and took a mouthful of food. When he lifted his head, he saw the mockery and smugness hidden in Sergio¡¯s smile. At that moment, the smile on his face was rather fake as his muscles were all stiff.

    Hansen gritted his teeth as he understood his intentions. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Xanthe. I still have to go out and y with Jenna tonight. So, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be drinking today. We¡¯ll definitely have the chance to drink again in the future.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Sergio did not continue urging him. He thought of something all of a sudden and continued with a grave expression.¡°By the way, I heard that Vivian¡¯s condition is very serious. Therefore, I¡¯ll be going to Richards Manor to visit her tomorrow and deal with some official business along the way.¡±

    Sergio was going to Richards Manor to visit Vivian and deal with some official business?

    Those words caused Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s expressions to change.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, there¡¯s no need to trouble yourself. My grandmother¡¯s illness is indeed serious, but she¡¯s old and doesn¡¯t want to see outsiders.¡± Hansen¡¯s expression was really unpleasant, and he rejected the offer immediately.

    Sergio narrowed his eyes and chuckled.

    At present, Hansen felt very ufortable as he didn¡¯t want to argue with Sergio in front of Sara anymore. However, Sergio was obviously provoking him on purpose in front of Sara. If he continued to stay there, he would only bring contempt upon himself. Even if he were to refute, he was still at his mother-inw¡¯s house, which would show that he was uncouth.

    Immediately, Hansen pulled Jenna to her feet and smiled politely at Sara. ¡°Mom, enjoy your meal. Jenna and I still have something to attend to.¡±

    Sara also sensed the tension between the two of them. So, she didn¡¯t try to let them stay.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you off.¡± Seeing that Hansen was about to leave, Sergio immediately stood up and offered enthusiastically. After that, hedirectlysent them to the door, regardless of whether they agreed or not. At the instance when they were outside, he whispered to Hansen with a sneer, ¡°Hansen, my superior has been urging me. So, I hope you can take action as soon as possible and don¡¯t let me down. In addition,we haverecentlyreceived a report iming that this matter is rted to Richards Manor. So, starting from tomorrow, I¡¯ll be following you 24/7for the investigation¡¯s sake, and I¡¯ll be staying at Richards Manor for the time being. I hope that you can be mentally prepared for that.¡±

    To think he would still demand to move into Richards Manor!

    ¡°You¡­¡± The veins at the corner of Hansen¡¯s temples popped out because of Sergio¡¯s words. He then gritted his teeth and stared at Sergio with his bloodshot eyes. After a while, he suddenly smiled and said, ¡°Very well. You¡¯re wee to stay in Richards Manor anytime.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hospitality. Don¡¯t worry.I won¡¯t hold myself back.¡± Sergio smiled shamelessly and answered in a straightforward manner.

    Hansen exhaled a breath of air and held Jenna¡¯s hand, as they walked towards the elevator.

    Jenna didn¡¯t hear what they were saying clearly, but when she saw Hansen¡¯s angry expression, she knew that it was definitely not a good thing,and it made her anxious. Nevertheless, she remained silent as she also felt very ufortable.

    The Hummer drove towards the direction of the street.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you going?¡± Seeing that they weren¡¯t heading towards Richards Manor and that Hansen had a sullen look on his face as he drove, Jenna was worried that Hansen might have forgotten how to get home from being angered by Sergio.

    ¡°To find a ce to eat.¡± After a while, he answered in a stuffy tone.

    Wasn¡¯t it already dark right then? Not only was he unable to eat at Sara¡¯s house, he even had to hold back his anger.

    Jenna looked at him and found his behavior quite funny.

    In fact, she was also hungry, as she didn¡¯t eat much just then.

    ¡°Then, I want to eat street food.¡± Jenna knew that Hansen would definitely take her to a high-end restaurant, but she didn¡¯t feel like eating those kinds of food. She only wanted to taste street food.

    Hansen didn¡¯t say anything. Then, he turned the steering wheel with his hand and the car headed towards Luminary Road¡¯s famous street food market.

    After the two of them got out of the car, Hansen held onto her hand.

    A burst of cool breeze blew, which made them feel rxed and happy.

    They ordered a lot of snacks. Smelling the tempting aroma of the snacks, Jenna¡¯s appetite grew wonderfully.

    She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her two tender and fair, dainty wrists, and picked up the snacks in front of her, eating them up.

    Hansen took a look at her.¡°You sure can eat, and you¡¯re not paying attention to how you look at all.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Jennaughed.¡°Hansen, don¡¯t be afraid. There won¡¯t be any paparazzi here. You also know that I don¡¯t act like this at home. So, can you please not restrict me?¡±

    She puffed out her cheeks. Her hands were full ofmb kebabs, beef kebabs, and many more as she ate them up quickly.

    Looking at her table manners, Hansen was amused, and all the anger given by Sergio had disappeared too. A sense of joy welled up in his heart. He had such a lovely wife. If not for the many things that happened between them, how wonderful their lives would be right then.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll drink with you.¡± Hansen dialed a number and ordered the driver of Richards Manor to drive the Hummer back. Then, he ordered a lot of beer.

    Hansen was very happy to apany Jenna to eat snacks he would normally not even look at, to the point that all the negative emotions in his heart were swept clean.

 Chapter 518 Please Trust Me

    ¡°Jenna, do you like Sergio?¡± Hansen asked with a hint of jealousy in his voice, after taking a few sips of beer.

    ¡°Then, do you like Liya and Aria?¡± Jenna asked with a smile.

    Hansen was taken aback.The two of them smiled at each other.

    ¡°Jenna, are you really willing to let me marry Liya?¡± Hansen lifted his drifting eyes and asked after taking another gulp of beer. He didn¡¯t expect her to take the initiative and let Liya move into Richards Manor.

    Jenna didn¡¯t drink alcohnd was only drinking soft drinks. So, her mind was clear.

    ¡°If I won¡¯t let you marry her, will you choose not to marry her?¡± She blinked her eyes and asked in return.

    Hansen looked at her in silence.

    At first, he thought that he could stop the marriage from happening, but seeing the current situation, he couldn¡¯t do it anymore. He had to act ording to the n¡­

    He did not continue speaking.

    ¡°Jenna, will you hate me because of this?¡± After emptying a few more cans of beer, he asked in a silly manner.

    ¡°Yes, I hate you right now,¡± Jenna answered directly, as she ate.

    A bitter smile appeared on Hansen¡¯s face. He stretched out a hand and grabbed hers.¡°Jenna, I won¡¯t me you for hating me, as I can¡¯t give you the best, but I¡¯ll definitely try my best to do so. Trust me.¡±

    Jenna suddenlyughed. ¡°Hansen, can all problems be solved by marrying Liya? If we can really resolve the Richards Group¡¯s crisis and fulfil everyone¡¯s wishes by doing so,I¡¯ll agree to it and ept it, only because I love you.¡±Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    As Hansen looked at her, something shiny sparkled in his eyes.

    Her face was so beautiful under the looming streetlights to the point that it was suffocating, but the words she said made him even more suffocated.

    ¡°Jenna, I knew you would do this. You¡¯re a good woman.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not considered a good woman. I¡¯m selfish as well. I only hope that I, myself, can be happy. That¡¯s why I insist on trying to stop you from marrying Liya. But now, I¡¯m willing to fulfil your wishes.¡± She pursed her lips, smiling in a very generous and forgiving manner, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll personally host Liya¡¯s and your wedding.¡±

    After that, she lowered her head and resumed eating.

    Hansen stared at her in a daze, with stupefying eyes.

    She said that she would personally host that wedding for him.

    What did it mean for a woman to host her husband¡¯s wedding in person? Unless she was a saint, there was another exnation. It couldalso be because she did not intend to love him anymore, or rather, she wanted to give up on him. Was that so?

    Something bitter came out of the corners of his eyes, and he quickly wiped it off.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ll leave this key to you. This is the key to my office and perhaps, you¡¯ll need to use itvery soon. Jenna, I love you, and it has always been this way from the start till the end. I¡¯ll give you everything I have, including myself. Please take good care of them in the future and I do feel honored to be ¡®cared¡¯ by you,¡± he said sincerely, as he held her hand tightly and moved closer to her.

    Jenna took a breath and looked at the man who was very close to her. He was biting his lips, and his eyes were as bright and hot as fire. He was also looking at her with his clear and frank eyes.

    She smelled the scent of his sweat and beerthat had a hidden fragrance inside them. It made her feel enamoured to the point that she felt dizzy.

    If it was another man, she would find that scent horrifying. Since it was him, she thought that it was a pleasant smell that lulled her into contentment.

    The moon was hanging in the sky, and the night was silent.

    Hansen picked her up and called a taxi.

    As soon as she got in the taxi, Jenna felt very exhausted. Burying her head in Hansen¡¯s embrace, she fell asleep in no time.

    When she woke up again, she was still in Hansen¡¯s arms.

 Chapter 519 I Just Want You to Stay with Me

    ¡°Hansen, have we reached home yet?¡± Jenna muttered in a daze.

    ¡°Yeah, be a good girl. We¡¯re home now,¡± Hansen answered gently.

    Jenna stretched out her hands and wrapped them around his neck,diggingher head into his embrace.

    She then fell asleep again.

    Hansen looked at the woman in his embrace, whose face was red. Her hair was draped all over Hansen¡¯s arms, andher body was warm and soft. Her scent, mixed with the smell of sweat drifted into Hansen¡¯s nostrils along with the night wind, and it smelled nice.

    Hansen took a deep breath, in an attempt to breathe in her beauty. At that moment, he really wanted to swallow her whole and caress her, so that she would fuse with his body and never be separated from him.

    He tightened his arm around her with more strength as he carried her up.

    He turned on the faucet and began to fill the bathtub with water.

    Then, he helped her take off her clothes.

    Jenna was sleeping very soundly. In recent days, she would always feel exhausted, but she really didn¡¯t feel like waking up at all at that moment.

    She didn¡¯t open her drifting eyes until she felt a burning chest sticking against her, which made her feel hot all over. After she opened her eyes, what she saw was a room full of warm colours.

    There was a smoky scent of love filling up the air.

    They were not at Richards Manor.

    Where were they?

    That ce felt extremely familiar.

    Oh, it was Collier Manor.

    Why did Hansen bring her to Collier Manor?

    Just as she was about to ask him, wet sticky lips pressed down on hers. It was just then that she saw Hansen was pressing her down and clinging tightly to her while gently kissing her.

    Not only that,his hands were also gently and carefully caressing her body. That jerk knew every part of her body. In addition to his superb skill, soon, Jenna felt weak all over, and she whimpered.

    Hearing her joyful sound, a satisfied and charming smile appeared at the corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth. He lifted his head. His face was filled with iparable gentleness.

    ¡°Jenna, I want you, I only want you.¡± He leaned over to her ear, gently licked her earlobe, and gasped softly, ¡°Baby, I love you.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were drifting. Biting her lips as she looked at him, her mouth was still filled with the smell of beer from his mouth.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t wait any longer as he kissed her whole body gently and carefully, treating her like a precious piece of treasure.

    Jenna¡¯s mind became fuzzier. She was in a state where she could easily be tempted by him, and she was also immersed in the intoxicating realm in no time.

    She submitted her body to him earnestly, but at the same time, her heart felt sour. It really was aplex feeling. It was indescribable.

    Just as Hansen was halfway through caressing her body, she suddenly opened her eyes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and begged softly, ¡°Hansen, I beg you, don¡¯t marry Liya. I only want you to stay with me and Jerry. Forgive my selfishness.¡±

    Her long eyshes fluttered, and tears rolled down from them, while she pursed her red lips tightly.

    Hansen¡¯s body trembled and pain shed across his eyes. His pupils, which were brimming with love, slowly shrank. After a moment of silence, he lowered his head and kissed her face, enveloping her with his passion that was as hot as fire.

    ¡°Jenna, hold on a little longer. This time, I must make use of this opportunity to deal with those evils, so that the Richards family can live in peace.¡± He thought to himself.

    Although his heart had already melted all over, he still did not say anything to her.

    That was because he was afraid that he would fail. He was afraid that a slight mistake might ur, which would cause a devastating blow to them.

    He hugged her tightly, letting her feel his love.

    Being wrapped tightly in her gentleness, he became really greedy. When he heard her suppressed cries, he couldn¡¯t stop himself at all. He really didn¡¯t know how tofort her. So, he could only merge with her body, to make himselffeel more at ease and better.

    Their intense and lingering love caused them to entangle with each other until they were satisfied, and then they fell asleep while hugging each other.

    The darkness of the night slowly enveloped the horizon. The courtyard of Richards Manor, which had been roasted by the sun for an entire day, was then a ce where one could feel the cool breeze.

    Liya was standing on the first floor of the Green Jade Garden, not knowing what to do.

    In that house, no one, including the servants, would attempt to talk to her. Just then, Hansen didn¡¯t treat her well either, as heonly ordered her to find the butler to arrange a ce for her to stay in a cold manner.

    Asking her to look for the butler meant that Hansen was sending her away like how he treated his servants.

    She wasn¡¯t resigned to this, but there was nothing she could do.

    Who could she me for her lowly status?

    She could only slowly make her way to Richards Manor and look for Maud. Maud was a smart person. So, he knew her situation well. Right then, the entire affairs of Richards Manor was handled by Jenna, and she had the highest authority. So, who did that woman think she was? What was she doing there?

    She was just a woman without status. She was there to be the Young Master¡¯s second wife.

    Whose interests would be harmed the most in that situation? The answer was obvious,and it was the head of the household, Jenna.

    Having spent most of his life in Richards Manor, if Maud didn¡¯t know how to make everything go his way and climb the socialdder,then he wouldn¡¯t have been able to be Richards Manor¡¯s butler up until then.

    After inspecting Liya for a long time, he deliberately asked politely, ¡°Miss, who are you?¡±

    He pretended that he didn¡¯t know who Liya was.

    In fact, no one could me him. Firstly, he did not receive any phone calls and instructions. Secondly, since Hansen was the one who was going to take a second wife, shouldn¡¯t he be the one to arrange Liya¡¯s amodation? Or perhaps, an elder from the family should speak out.Not only did Maud not receive any orders, he was suddenly in charge of it. So, he could only pretend not to know anything. At that time, he did not dare to arrange for a good ce for her to live. Unless he received instructions from above, he did not dare to make a decision, as he didn¡¯t want to offend Jenna.

    Hearing Maud¡¯s question, Liya couldn¡¯t help but to feel embarrassed. She didn¡¯t believe that a butler would really not know her. After all, she had already met Hansen¡¯s parents.

    However, she couldn¡¯t lose her temper. She knew that Maud¡¯s current attitude could only be because of her lowly status. So, she shouldn¡¯t expect any good treatment.

    A feeling of hatred surged in Liya¡¯s heart. She thought that since everyone looked down upon her and only had Jenna in their hearts, she would definitely show them her ways one day.

    ¡°Maud, it was Mr. Richards who told me toe to you to arrange my amodation. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can call him and ask about it,¡± she said coldly and arrogantly. Since Maud looked down upon her, somehow she had to save her own dignity. After all, she was to be married to the head of the family. Even if she was merely the second wife, her position would be higher than his.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s how it is.¡± Maud nodded as if he hade to a realization, taking out a notebook and looking through it for a long time.

    ¡°How about this? There¡¯s a guest room in Crystal Cove Garden right now. You can stay there for now.¡± After flipping through the notebook for a while, Maud lifted his head and spoke.

    The guest room in Crystal Cove Garden? It was a temporary lodge for outsiders or guests to stay in when they visited Richards Manor. Usually, slightly important guests would be ced in a guest room in the Ink Garden¡¯s duplex vi, but Crystal Cove Garden was quite remoteand to the west of the manor. It was right behind Green Jade Garden, and the surroundings were much inferior to that of the Green Jade Garden. Most importantly, it was just an ordinary guest room.

    ¡°Why do I have to move into a guest room first? I¡¯m going to marry Mr. Richards soon. Even Jenna agreed to let me stay in Richards Manor. Shouldn¡¯t you arrange a more suitable ce for me?¡± Liya was not the little girl who always used to be bullied anymore. Right then, she knew that she should bargain and raise her status in a timely manner.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss. This is the rule of Richards Manor. No matter who you¡¯ll be in the future, you can only be considered a guest before you get married. Since you¡¯re a guest, you¡¯ll have to stay in the guest room. I¡¯m also just following the rules. I hope you¡¯ll abide by the rules. Richards Manor has always been fair and equal to everyone.¡± Maud said righteously, ¡°Unless the head of the household or the head of the family gives us the order, we can only act ording to the rules.¡±

    Maud¡¯s tone was very serious, leaving no room for negotiation.

    Liya thought about it and gritted her teeth. Alright, since there was no one who liked and cared about her right then, she could only settle with that.

    Immediately, she went along with Maud¡¯s arrangement.

    The guest room in the Crystal Cove Garden was also clean andfortable. Although it couldn¡¯t bepared to the master bedroom, it was still much better than ordinary hotels.

    As soon as Liya settled down in the guest room, it was already dark.

    The night before, she was tortured by Oscar for the entire night and her whole body was in pain. Right then, there were scars all over her body.So, staying at that humble ce was not necessarily a bad thing. At the very least, she could avoid other people. As she thought about that, she washed herself and was ready to go to bed.

    Then, her phone rang like a siren in the silent night, twisting Liya¡¯s heart.

    The moment Liya heard her phone ringing, she was so nervous that she turned pale and trembled.

    Her phone was inside her bag.She only looked at it nkly and didn¡¯t even dare to reach out to pick it up.

    Nevertheless, the phone kept ringing again and again, and there was no sign that it would stop at all.

    Liya¡¯s heart was thumping wildly.

    Zoe¡¯s words sounded like the devil¡¯s voice in her ears.

    Her hands trembled, as she picked up the phone from her bag. It was an unfamiliar number. She looked at it for a long time and finally answered it.

    ¡°Little beauty, wait for me at the hotel at nine in the evening tonight. Come and have some fun with me.I¡¯ll let you enjoy it to your heart¡¯s content.¡± Oscar¡¯s evil voice was extremely ear-piercing, as it directly prated Liya¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Ah.¡± She threw away the phone in a panic as if she was holding a hot potato.Her face was pale.

    That demon!

    Thinking about what had happened the day before, she was in so much pain that she wanted to die. Could it be that she obediently had to deliver herself to be tortured by him that day as well? Plus, in the future, could it be that she had to answer all his calls and get tortured by him whenever he felt like it?

    s, no, it was too horrifying!

    Liya wrapped her head with her arms, and her entire body began to tremble.

    Zoe¡¯s vicious words kept ringing in her ears.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Zoe, that vicious woman. How dare she treated her like a toy and gifted her to that perverted Oscar to y with?

    She gritted her teeth with uncontroble rage in her eyes, as if she was an irritated lion.

    Liya thought to herself thatshe would never let Zoe and Oscar go. She would definitely get her revenge.

    She clenched her fingers and knitted her brows while her entire body shook uncontrobly.

    If she didn¡¯t meet him, Zoe would definitely post the recording from the night before on the inte. If that happened, she wouldn¡¯t have the dignity to marry Hansen anymore, andher reputation and innocence would bepletely ruined.

    After a long while, she picked up her bag and left.

 Chapter 520 Auction

    In the hotel suite, Oscar was leisurely sitting on the couch, waiting for Liya¡¯s arrival.

    Actually, he preferred women who were more feminine and gentle like Liyapared to Zoe. Although Zoe was beautiful as well, she was too strong-willed, which turned him off.Women who were soft and femininelike Liyawere endearing.

    Liya unwillingly pressed the doorbell.

    ¡°Beauty, you¡¯re here.¡± Oscar smiled and bared his yellow teeth, withhis eyes full of lustful desire. With one hand, he picked Liya up, as if he was picking up a chick and walked towards the room.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, I beg you. Please let me go.¡± Liya¡¯s entire body was trembling, and her face was pale as she begged in terror.

    ¡°If I let you go, then who will y with me?¡± Oscar would definitely not let her go. His face sank,and his gaze turned fierce and violent. Oscar would do nothing all day long. He would save his energy during the day, which caused his demands for women at night to be abnormally perverted.

    At that time, he was like a hungry wolf facing amb that was going to be ughtered. How could he give up on such delicious meat? He smiled sinisterly, took off his clothes in a hurry, and rushed towards her.

    ¡°No, Mr. Jones, don¡¯t¡­¡± Liya screamed in panic, but she couldn¡¯t stop Oscar¡¯s brute force. Soon after, her hands were tied by Oscar.

    ¡°Zoe, Oscar, I won¡¯t let you guys go. You devils.¡± Liya gritted her teeth. While she endured Oscar¡¯s torment, her hatred for them grew more intensely like seeds that just sprouted.

    When she woke up again, it was almost dawn. Oscar, who had tortured her with all his might, was sleeping like a dead pig at that time. Her hands were still tied up, and she was in a very miserable state right then.

    She clenched her teeth and struggled to get up. She then moved to the bathroom and scrape the rope until it broke.

    If she was not mistaken, when she was just ravaged by Oscar just then, she saw a bunch of keys on top of Oscar¡¯s trousers on the bedside table. That key was the key to the confidential information shared between the Jones Group and Sky Sword Group. Back on that day, the moment she turned her head around, she saw Zoe locking up the incriminating evidence that had been used against Jenna with that exact same key.

    Obviously, only Oscar and Zoe could possess such a key. It was impossible for the others to have it.

    She quietly walked over and took the key. Enduring the pain all over her body, she secretly walked out of the hotel.

    There were still stars in the sky, and Liya was weed by the cool morning breeze.

    After breathing such fresh air, Liya¡¯s mind became much clearer.

    She could only get herself out of that situation by speeding up her actions. No matter what, she has to be the mistress of Richards Manor as soon as possible, and climb to the peak of the socialdder. She couldn¡¯t bear living such a horrible life any longer. If that kind of life continued on, her demise wouldn¡¯t be far away.

    Zoe and Oscar.When she thought of those two, her eyes were filled with anger.

    Early in the morning, a cool breeze blew in through the window.

    Jenna opened her eyes.

    Dawn had arrived.

    She got up with a start.

    That day, she had to go to the museum to bid for the jade fan for her mother. Her mother had never asked her for anything, but she specifically told her toe back in order to ask her for it. Therefore, she really shouldn¡¯t be careless with it.

    A hand reached out from behind her and wrapped around her.

    The temperature of his palm was warm.So, it was veryfortableupon feeling the palm¡¯s warmth with her skin.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re up so early.¡± Hansen¡¯s voice was gentle and maic, which was particrly pleasant to listen to.

    Jenna lowered her head.

    After getting enough sleep, Hansen¡¯s eyes were deep and spirited. He was lookingat her with a smile. It seemed that he was really satisfied the night before.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡± Jenna knew what Hansen was thinking, to have brought her to Collier Manor. However, he would usually go to work early in the morning, but he was still on the bed with her right then, which puzzled her. So, she asked at once.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s lips curled up as he sat up. Hehugged her and lowered his head to kiss her neck.

    ¡°Jenna, didn¡¯t Mom ask us to go to the museum to bid for the jade fan for her?¡± he murmured in her ear.

    ¡°Yes, but Mom only asked me to go, not you,¡± Jenna said lightly as she pushed his face away.

    ¡°Your business is my business. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Hansen was a little resentful when he saw how clearly Jenna was drawing the boundaries andcorrected her immediately.

    ¡°Go and handle your own work. It¡¯s not a big deal. I can go alone.¡± Jenna began to get up and get dressed.

    As her soft and delicate body left Hansen, he felt a little empty. By the way, weren¡¯t they husband and wife? They shared the same bed every day, but he felt that they were spending less time together. It was as if they were Romeo and Juliet, where they couldn¡¯t even stay together without going through many difficulties.

    That made him feel uneasy.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not at ease. I want to go with you.¡± Hansen also got up and began to wash himself. When he saw Jenna¡¯s busy figure, heforted her. ¡°This ce is close to the museum. Don¡¯t be in such a hurry. We have plenty of time.¡±

    Jenna picked up the toothpaste and squeezed it on her toothbrush,casually asking, ¡°So, the reason you took me here yesterday was because you wanted to go to the museum with me today.¡±

    ¡°Sort of.¡± Hansen smiled and added with a serious expression on his face, ¡°This is our home.¡±

    Their home?

    After she heard that, Jenna¡¯s hand trembled.

    The night before, Liya had already moved into Richards Manor. Did he bring her there because he was afraid that she would be sad?

    There were just the two of them there, which was how the life of a married couple should be, and it was also the home that belonged to only the two of them.

    When she thought about it that way, her heart became slightly heavy.

    The museum was located in the center of A City, close to the library.

    As soon as they arrived at the location, there were all kinds of exquisite banners and images that were promoting the items to be auctioned that day.

    Jenna took a pamphlet from one of the promoters and began to read through it carefully.

    Among a lot of exquisite images, she finally found the inexpensive jade fan. It was indeed not very striking, and there was barely any introduction for it.

    Sara should have seen that jade fan from advertisements on TV. Jenna didn¡¯t understand why she really wanted that jade fan. Although there was already another one of it at home, Jenna couldn¡¯t see any potential of an increase in value, even if she were toplete the pair, but since her mother wanted it, it wasn¡¯t difficult for her to obtain it. She estimated that there would not be many peoplepeting with her for that jade fan. After all, there were a lot of other treasures in the auction.

    She was very confident that she could bid that jade fan in no time, take it back to the Francist Community, and hand it over to Sara.

    The auction was about to begin.

    Hansen held Jenna¡¯s hand and the two appeared at the venue in a loving manner.

    The cameras of many media outlets were focused on them.

    Hansen led Jenna around to observe the various treasures that were being prepared to be auctioned in the hall. Then, they stopped in front of the jade fan.

    The jade fan was openly exhibited. They lowered their heads at the same time and saw that the jade fan was exactly the same as Sara¡¯s, but the realistic white plum on the jade fan was white and clean, unlike the red plum on Sara¡¯s. The white plum was as soft as the cloud and seemed to be able toplement the jade fan at home that had a red plum imprinted on it.

    Jenna put her hand on the ss that was covering the jade fanand smiled faintly.

    A strong gaze suddenly shot towards the jade fan, or rather, towards them. She suddenly felt a sense of unease and lifted her head to look at the source of the gaze.

    On the second floor, in front of arge and luxurious private room, two men in ck suits were looking at the jade fan in front of her.

    Jenna saw them clearly. The two men were tall, expressionless, and their gaze was alert. The light in their eyes was also cold and emotionless.

    Such people would usually be around an important individual, and one of the men was a foreigner as well.

    For some reason, Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    Could it be that some big shot was going to show up that day?

    Things being auctioned there were not things ordinary people could afford. Therefore, people who went there were either rich or of high status, and it was also reasonable for big shots to show up. Thinking of that, Jenna wasn¡¯t that nervous anymore.

    The phone rang at an inappropriate time.

    Both of them looked for their phones at the same time.

    In the end, it was Hansen¡¯s phone that was ringing.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen fished out his phone from his pocket and raised his eyes to take a look. His eyebrows instantly furrowed.

    At that time, Jenna also curiously looked over at his cell phone.

    The name ¡®Liya¡¯ was shing nonstop.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank and she inexplicably felt sad.

    Hansen looked displeased, but after thinking for a moment, he still picked up the phone.

    ¡°Liya, what¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked briefly with a cold voice.

    ¡°Hansen, I need to see you right now.¡± Liya sounded as if she was in a hurry with traces of fear.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Hansen¡¯s eyebrows moved as he asked immediately.

    ¡°Hansen, someone¡¯s following me. I¡¯m scared. Pleasee quickly.¡± Liya cried out in a somewhat panicked manner.

    Hansen thought for a while. He then asked, ¡°Where are you?¡±

    He looked at Jenna when he asked that. Jenna¡¯s face was somewhat pale.

    He reached out his hand to caress her head.

    ¡°Alright, try to run to the White Cloud Hotel nearby. Someone will be there to protect you. I¡¯ll be there right away.¡± Hansen turned his head to the side. With that, he immediately ended the call.

    ¡°Jenna, I have something important to deal with. You need to get this jade fan no matter how much you need to spend on it. We can¡¯t let Mom down. I¡¯ll leave first. Call me if you need anything.¡± Hansen stroked her head again and smiled at her.

    Then, he let go of her and ran outside.

    Jenna¡¯s body was vaguely stiff.Her hands and feet were very cold.

    He left as soon as he got Liya¡¯s phone call. He didn¡¯t even ask for her opinion and simply left her alone.

    He said that he was going to apany her to buy the jade fan. He was just paying lip service to her!

    Her eyes turned a little moist.

    That man said that he loved her, but his actions and behavior only made Jenna feel more confused.

 Chapter 521 Mysterious Person

    The auction began on time.

    Jenna¡¯s thoughts were scattered. She was not interested in all the jewelry and gold.Hence,before the jade fan was auctioned, she was absent-minded and listless. The scene of Hansen hugging Liya shed in front of her eyes. She imagined their intimacy and at the thought of Hansen kissing Liya like how he kissed her. She felt a wave of sadness in her heart. At the same time, she felt nauseous. So, shecovered her mouth with her hand.

    After some time,she heard the auctioneer shouting, ¡°Twin Plum Fan,a jade fan from the past. The quality of the jade is exquisite, and the workmanship is excellent¡­¡±

    When Jenna heard the words ¡°Twin Plum Fan¡±, she immediately sprung up and lifted the sign in her hand.

    ¡°A hundred thousand dors,¡± she said in a loud voice.

    After a moment of silence, there was a sudden burst ofughter.

    After hearing theughter, Jenna realized that she had set a bid before the auctioneer even finished exining.

    With that thought in mind, she stopped thinking of Hansen and Liya.

    Just as she had expected, no one went after that jade fan. After she called out her bid, no one responded for a long time.

    ¡°A hundred thousand dors once.¡±

    ¡°A hundred thousand dors twice.¡±

    ¡°A hundred thousand dors thrice.¡±

    Just as the auctioneer was about to shout ¡®Deal¡¯, a high-pitched male voice boomed.

    ¡°A hundred and ten thousand dors.¡±

    ¡°A hundred and twenty thousand dors.¡± When Jenna heard that voice, she immediately raised her bid without a second thought and looked towards the direction of the male voice at the same time.

    With just one nce, her heart skipped a beat.

    Surely enough, it was from one of the two men standing outside the exquisite private room upstairs.

    If she was not mistaken, they were staring at her and the jade fan just then. It seemed that they had also taken a fancy to that jade fan and wanted to bid for it.

    They were already starting to try to snatch the jade fan away from her right then, which made Jenna feel very ufortable.

    The man seemed to have expected that Jenna would raise the bid. Looking at her from the upper floor, he immediately said as soon as Jenna¡¯s voice fell, ¡°A hundred and thirty thousand dors.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face darkened, and she had a bad feeling all of a sudden.

    Her intuition told her that the man was deliberately trying to snatch that jade fan away from her.

    ¡°A hundred and forty thousand dors,¡± she said confidently and loudly immediately after.

    The man on the second floor frowned upon hearing that.

    ¡°Two hundred thousand dors.¡± He paused for a second before offering a higher bid.

    At that, the whole room fell silent, and they all looked at the man.

    Jenna was also stunned.

    She thought that she would be able to obtain the jade fan with ease, and her guess was proven right asno one dared to challenge heraside from the mysterious man standing in front of the private room on the second floor.

    Wasn¡¯t it just money?

    Why would Jenna care about such little money? She was not someone of a humble background right then as almost everyone inA City¡¯shigh society knew her name. Therefore, no one would reallypete with her in terms of money, unless those people had too much money to spare.

    Not to mention that she was now the head of the household of Richards Manor and had the authority to control all the money. Even all the jewelry Hansen had gifted her over the years could add up to an immeasurable amount of money.

    She was determined to get that jade fan that daybecause that was what her mother wanted. Shedidn¡¯t want to disappoint her.

    ¡°Three hundred thousand dors.¡± She immediately lifted the sign in her hand. Without waiting for the auctioneer to say another word, she raised the bid to a whole new level.

    Gasps followed by silence fell upon the room.

    ording to the experts, one could obtain the jade fan with just tens of thousands of dors. If it was worth more than that, none of them could see any value in it for the time being.

    Nheless, Jenna¡¯s starting bid was already one hundred thousand dors, which was obviously higher than the market price.

    It should be said that no one would dare topete with Jenna for that jade fan, as their financial status was simply no match for hers to begin with, and that the jade fan wasn¡¯t worth that much either.

    ¡°Three hundred thousand dors once.¡±

    The auctioneer¡¯s voice rang out in the quiet hall.

    Jenna wore a scornful smile on her face and nced at the man on the upper floor. She saw that he had turned around and walked straight into the private room. However, within less than a second, he came out of it once again.

    ¡°Four hundred thousand dors.¡± When he came out, he bid for that jade fan at a higher price without any hesitation.

    Wow! Everyone present was shocked again and they made gasping sounds.

    They weren¡¯t shocked by how much money the both of them had, but for the fact that they would waste and spend so much moneyvishly in such a manner.

    Bidding for an item that was only worth tens of thousands of dors at a price of four hundred thousand dors was indeed a waste of money.

    At that point, Jennapletely understood. The man on the upper floor deliberately wanted to snatch the jade fan from her, and he would not give up until he achieved his goal.

    Her mother¡¯s disappointed gaze shed across her mind, and she couldn¡¯t help feeling slightly anxious.

    She was the wife of the president of the Richards Group.So, how could she not afford to bid for a mere jade fan? Not to mention her mother¡¯s disappointment, it would also cause Hansen to look bad.

    At that moment, she made up her mind. Although she knew that the item was not worth that much, she still lifted the sign in her hand.

    ¡°Five hundred thousand dors.¡±

    As soon as she finished her words, the man immediately spoke again. He looked like he wanted to prevent her from getting that jade fan at all costs.

    ¡°Six hundred thousand dors.¡±

    Jenna understood the situation and lifted the sign again in no time.

    ¡°Seven hundred thousand dors.¡±

    ¡°Eight hundred thousand dors.¡±

    The man seemed to have seen through her determination. As soon as the words left her lips, he immediately raised the bid in an imposing manner.

    It seemed that the jade fan wasn¡¯t going to be as easy to obtain as she initially thought.Jenna made up her mind.

    ¡°One million dors.¡±

    She spoke loudly. If the other party still wanted to raise the bid, she would directly raise it by another million until they didn¡¯t dare to bid again.

    After pausing for a few seconds, the man still opened his mouth.

    ¡°One million and five hundred thousand dors.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Jenna snorted and directly shouted, ¡°Three million dors.¡±

    At that point, the price was already countless times higher than the jade fan¡¯s initial worth. Both parties were just wasting money. Except for both of them, no one else would be stupid enough topete with them. They were all only watching the show with great interest, as it was a really exciting situation.

    The man on the upper floor was obviously in a dilemma as helooked at Jenna with his deep and stern eyes.

    At that moment, the door opened, a middle-aged woman with sses came out of the room and whispered to the man.

    ¡°Four million dors.¡± The man spoke again.

    ¡°Five million dors.¡± Jenna looked at them coldly and spoke without hesitation.

    A jade fan that was worth no more than sixty thousand dors had a bidding price of five million dors right then. Itshocked everyone present.Theywere all nervous and excited at the same time, as if they were watching a tense and thrilling gamble.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    The man on the upper floor apparently sensed Jenna¡¯s determination to continue fighting andrealized that there was no point continuing on like that.So, he fell silent immediately.

    At the same time, the woman with the sses nced at Jennaand summoned a waiter over. After asking some questions, she turned around, walked back into the private room, and never came out again. It was obvious that she had given up.

    ¡°Five million dors once.¡±

    ¡°Five million dors twice.¡±

    ¡°Five million dors thrice.¡±

    ¡­

    The auctioneer deliberately paused for several seconds before swinging down the hammer.¡°Deal.¡±

    It was not until that word came out of the auctioneer¡¯s mouth did Jenna breathe a sigh of relief, and she could finally rx her mind.

    After that, everything would be no big deal.

    Jenna didn¡¯t have the intention to continue participating in the auction.

    She took the jade fan, walked out of the venue, and headed for the exit at the side.

    At that time, her heart was already on the side of her mother, Sara.

    She then called Sara to tell her the good news.

    As soon as she ended the call and reached the exit, someone unexpectedly approached her.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Mrs. Richards. My Ma¡¯am wants to invite you over.¡± A masculine voice came from behind her. The voice was very familiar, andJenna immediately recognized it, as it belonged to the man who hadpeted with her just then.

    She turned her head towards the direction of the voice.

    What she saw was a handsome, youthful face.

    Although they were far away from each other in the hall, Jenna could still recognize that he was the man who waspeting for the jade fan with her at the auction in a nce.

    Her heart pounded, and she couldn¡¯t help but to grasp the jade fan in her hand tightly, looking at him vigntly.

    The man had lost all the vigour he had at the auction. At that moment, he was polite towards her, and his attitude was respectful.

    After he finished his words in a polite manner, he bowed deeply and stood aside quietly with an inviting gesture.

    Jenna hesitated for a moment before blurting out, ¡°Who¡¯s your Madam?¡±

    If she wasn¡¯t mistaken, she didn¡¯t know such a Madam.

    In A City, she rarely went out to socialize with women from prestigious families. So, she basically didn¡¯t know anyone. She shouldn¡¯t have any friends or enemies.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, my Ma¡¯am wants to invite you over for a chat. We don¡¯t mean any harm. You¡¯ll understand when you get there.¡± The man did not answer her directly. As if he was worried that she would not meet her, he exined in a respectable manner and maintained hisposure.

    Jenna stood there and hesitated. That man must be thatdy¡¯s attendant. It seemed that she was also eager to get that jade fan. Since Jenna won the bid, would thedy be unrelenting and invite her over, so that she could snatch the fan away from her? At the thought of that, she didn¡¯t move at all, and she even wanted to leave.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, my Ma¡¯am only wants to invite you over for a chat and shedoesn¡¯t have any bad intentions. You¡¯re the one who won the auction for that item. Even if one wasn¡¯t able to win that fan, one couldn¡¯t do much either in broad daylight.¡± The man had long seen through Jenna¡¯s worries and tried to persuade her. He repeated his invitation in a sincere manner.¡°My Ma¡¯am has told me to invite you over for a chat with much sincerity. She¡¯s of nobility and will not do anything improper. Furthermore, many wanted to meet her but weren¡¯t able to do so.¡±

    Hearing what he said, Jenna felt a little embarrassed.

    Jenna thoughtthatshe was looking down upon thedy. If she really was a person of high status, she wouldn¡¯t do such things. Moreover, everyone saw that she was the one who won the auction for the jade fan that day.

    She thought for a while and agreed to it andfollowed him to the private room on the second floor.

 Chapter 522 Meeting Madam Lilian Again

    There were many undercover guards along the way, and they were all trying their best to pretend to be passers-by.

    Jenna was secretly stunned. Who in the world was that person? How could she have such an imposing air? ording to the man, that person was a woman.

    She walked carefully. For a moment, she regretted her decision.

    What if¡­

    Jenna felt very uneasy.

    Two foreign men were guarding the entrance of the private room with their faces devoid of emotions. They were fully armed.

    After seeing that, Jenna only felt like fleeing from that ce.

    That scene was slightly terrifying and it just so happened that Hansen was away to to be with Liya.

    She didn¡¯t want to chat with that nobledy, and she had no intention of ttering the other party to climb up the socialdder either. So what if she had a very noble identity? She didn¡¯t envy such fame.

    In fact, Jenna really had nothing to talk about with her. What could she talk about with all those people in high ces? They couldn¡¯t talk about the jade fan either, as she knew nothing about it other than her mother wanting it.

    The auction was still in full swing.So, the security downstairs would definitely be tight. With that in mind, Jenna thought if she left right then, the other party would not dare to offend her. After all, she was still under the public eye.

    Otherwise, if she shouted out loud at that moment, then she could also get away.

    As those thoughts shed across her mind, she heard an amiable voiceing from the inside.¡°Is Mrs. Richards here? Please invite her in.¡±

    The voice was kind and gentle. Jenna felt that it was very familiar, but she couldn¡¯t recall whose voice that was.

    For a time, her nervousness and anxiety faded away. She even had an affectionate feeling, which gradually calmed her heart down.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, she¡¯s already here at the door. I¡¯ll invite her in,¡± a woman said respectfully.

    ¡°Hurry up, invite her in.¡± Hearing that Jenna was already there, the person with the amiable voice became somewhat excited.

    After a while, the door opened slowly.

    A middle-aged woman wearing sses came out with a smile stered across her face.

    ¡°Greetings, Mrs. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Hello there.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t know how to react at the moment. So, she just smiled and answered mechanically.

    ¡°Our Ma¡¯am has a good impression of you, and she often talks about you. Please enter.¡± After looking at her, the middle-aged woman was vaguely surprised. Her eyes were fixed on her face for a few seconds before she spoke politely.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    ¡°Oh, alright,¡± Jenna answered nkly with a smile. Then, as if she was bewitched, she couldn¡¯t help following her in.

    Although the room was exquisite and luxuriously decorated, it was not old-fashioned. The wallpaper had plum blossoms on it, and it made people feel refreshed.

    A nobledy was sitting on a burgundy velvet chair. From a distance, she looked as if she was in her fifties, dressed in a gray evening gown. Draped over her shoulders was a ck overcoat. When Jenna got a little closer, she saw everything clearly. That dress was abination of both Eastern and Western elements, and it was custom-made by the world-renowned designer, Johannes Kemmerer.

    However, she soon became even more surprised. That old woman seemed familiar. Her facial features were neat, and her skin was wless, making her look elegant and beautiful. She soon had a weird feeling.

    She had seen her before, but where?

    Surely enough, the old woman waved to her and said with a smile, ¡°Mrs. Richards, I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here again. It really is fate.¡±

    Jenna was dumbstruck.She cried out in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re Madam Lilian.¡±

    Seeing that Jenna had recognized her, a warm and satisfied smile appeared on Madam Lilian¡¯s impable face. ¡°Mrs. Richards, it¡¯s an honour for you to remember me.¡±

    By that time, Jenna waspletely rxed. After they went their separate ways at the banquet during their previous meeting, she thought that she wouldn¡¯t be able to meet Madam Lilian again.So, she had already forgotten about her.

    She was certain that she wouldn¡¯t look for her on her own, as she had a noble status, and was from another country. The chances of Jenna herself taking the initiative to look for her would be even lower. Hence, she thought it was not possible for the two of them to meet each other again.

    That was why Jenna hadpletely forgotten about Madam Lilian.

    That was obviously not the case, as they were able to meet each other again coincidentally.

    What was more,both of them were after the jade fan.

    ¡°It seems that Mrs. Richards had long forgotten about an old woman like myself.¡± Looking at Jenna¡¯s face, which gradually changed from astonishment to disbelief,then to awkwardness, she could see through the changes in Jenna¡¯s mind with her wise eyes, and she couldn¡¯t help but to feel disappointed. ¡°Mrs. Richards, I have never forgotten you.¡±

    The fact that Madam Lilian admitted that she still remembered Jenna made Jenna feel even more embarrassed. Although Madam Lilian looked slightly disappointed, she was still kind and amiable.

    A strong sense of familiarity instantly engulfed Jenna.

    Aftering back to her senses, she immediately smiled, blinked her bright eyes, and said in a very friendly manner, ¡°It¡¯s not that, Madam Lilian. I do remember you. The amiable feeling you made me feel was something that was unforgettable.¡±

    Jenna spoke up in time. It was true that even though she had forgotten Madam Lilian, the amiable feeling she gave off was still something that couldn¡¯t be hidden. That feeling has always been engraved in Jenna¡¯s mind ever since they met, and she would never be able to forget it.

    Therefore, when she entered the room, that familiar feeling instantly made her call out Madam Lilian¡¯s name.

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes lit up. She then waved to Jenna and motioned for her toe closer.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Jenna replied and approached her obediently.

    Madam Lilian held onto Jenna¡¯s hand and pulled her to sit down on the couch in front of her.

    Jenna dropped all her prior alertness. Even when Madam Lilian held onto her hand and touched the jade fan in her hand, she didn¡¯t think there would be a need to stay vignt at all, as Madam Lilian would never plot something against her.

    After ncing at the jade fan in her hand, Madam Lilian shifted her gaze away and asked with a smile, ¡°Mrs. Richards, how¡¯s life?¡±

    How was life? Madam Lilian¡¯s question made Jenna¡¯s heart surge with sorrow.

    She was Mrs. Richards right then. Her husband¡¯s family was wealthy and powerful. How could her life not be good?

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she answered in a low voice and maintained the smile on her face.

    Madam Lilian stared at her face and reminded her with concern.¡°That¡¯s good, but your face is slightly pale. Jenna, as a woman, you shouldn¡¯t ignore your health just because you¡¯re young. Health is the most important thing. I think you should pay more attention to your health and take care of it all the time.¡±

    She urged her in a caring manner.

    ¡°Alright, thank you for your concern, Madam Lilian.¡± Jenna nodded with a smile as she felt a warmth in her heart.

    ¡°Have some tea.¡± A staff member served tea at that time. Madam Lilian said gently, ¡°How¡¯s your mother doing? Is Mr. Hansen alright?¡±

    Jenna ced the jade fan on her thighs, reached out to take the tea, and took a sip. When she heard Madam Lilian mentioning her mother and Hansen, her hands couldn¡¯t help but to tremble, and her face turned gloomy.

    Madam Lilian observed her carefully and said with a faint smile, ¡°I once heard you talk about your mother. At that time, your face was full of pride as you spoke of her. I really envy your mother, who has such a wonderful daughter like you.¡±

    Then, Madam Lilian must¡¯ve also heard her talking about her husband, Hansen, before. At the banquet, she proudly and happily said that they were living a good life. They loved each other a lot, and they had been through a lot before they got together. At that time, she was certain that she would be the happiest woman in the world, but right then, where was her husband?

    He had promised to apany her to the auction to bid for that jade fan, but he left her alone after receiving a call from Liya.

    What if something bad happened to her that day, or if she wasn¡¯t able to buy the jade fan?

    Jenna felt very unpleasant, but she couldn¡¯t express her bitterness.So, she could only lower her head to hide the sadness in her eyes and maintain the same old smile on her face.

    ¡°My mother is doing good, and she¡¯ll always be the greatest mother in my eyes.¡± When she was talking about her mother, Jenna was still smiling happily and proudly.

    There was a soft light in Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes. Mrs. Richards still spoke of her mother with the same happiness as before, but she did not talk about her husband as she did thest time. There was a hint of loneliness in her smile.

    She knew a bit about A City¡¯s tycoon, Hansen, and the Richards Group from the newspaper. It seemed that the young couple was facing many difficulties in life, and there was some friction between the two of them because of it.

    It seemed as if that was the normal way of thinking for the young these days.

    Only through the difficulties and challenges of life could one truly mature. Young people right then were too impetuous. They didn¡¯t really understand the true meaning of life, which was why it was amon problem faced by many who are young.

    She nodded slightly and cast a nce at the jade fan on Jenna¡¯s thighs,asking carefully, ¡°Mrs. Richards, can you let me take a look at this jade fan you¡¯ve bought?¡±

    Her smile was sincere and honest.

    Jenna was slightly stunned at first, but she immediately put down the teacup and handed the jade fan to her with both hands.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, here you go.¡±

    ¡°Madam Lilian, I¡¯m truly sorry. I didn¡¯t know that you were the one who was bidding for this jade fan with me. If I had known this¡­¡± Up to that point, Jenna spoke embarrassingly.

    Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t continuebecause her mother wanted that fan. If she had known that it was Madam Lilian, what would she do? Would she give up on the bid?

    For her mother¡¯s sake, she would not give upand would still bid to the end.

    With her trembling hands, Madam Lilian took the jade fan from Jenna and opened it slowly.Her eyes were instantly covered with a grey mist. As the jade fan was presented in front of her eyes, her thoughts drifted far away and her face was a mixture of loss and fear.

    Jenna didn¡¯t know why Madam Lilian wanted that jade fan so much.So, she just lowered her head and thought that if her mother didn¡¯t want it, she would give it to Madam Lilian, as it was obvious that Madam Lilian was very interested in it.

    Madam Lilian didn¡¯t speak for a long time. When Jenna lifted her head, she saw tears at the corner of Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes and could not help but to be shocked.

    ¡°Child, tell me. Why are you so persistent in trying to buy this jade fan?¡± Madam Lilian finally stopped reminiscing about the past and asked Jenna in a gentle voice, with her face full of anticipation.

    Madam Lilian had secretly returned to A City. That day, she went to the museum with the intention of getting that jade fan at all costs. She believed that she would be able to aplish it with ease. After all, it was not a rare treasure and there would not be many who would try topete with her.

    However, she didn¡¯t expect a woman to keep bidding for that jade fanin the auction hall downstairs.It was obvious that she was really determined in obtaining it, and itmade her very curious and interested in her.

    Madam Lilian immediately sent her secretary out to check on the one who bought the fan. It turned out to be Mrs. Richards, who had left her a deep and favorable impression, and it caused Madam Lilian to be even more interested in her. In order to put a stop to the vicious bidding war, she backed off.

    Since she became even more curious about Jenna¡¯s actions, she invited her to have a chat.

    Madam Lilian was alright with not having that jade fan, and she could even give it to her, but she was very puzzled with her behavior, which made her even more eager to figure out Jenna¡¯s purpose in obtaining that jade fan.

 Chapter 523 Mutual Understanding

    ¡°Madam Lilian, I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t know that you were interested in this jade fan. I really was rude to you today.¡± Jenna¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment. Then, she lifted her head and said with great regret, ¡°Madam Lilian, if my mother hadn¡¯t insisted on obtaining this fan, I would have given it to you, but she wants this jade fan very badly. Yesterday, she specifically told me toe to the auction to bid for it. You know that my mother has always treated me well. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to let her down and disappoint her. Therefore, I could only apologize to you with regards to this jade fan.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Madam Lilian nodded as if she had understood something, and her eyes turned even more profound. She put the jade fan back into the box, stroked it, and handed it back to Jenna, asking with concern, ¡°May I ask why your mother wants this jade fan?¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡± Jenna shook her head and smiled helplessly. ¡°Madam Lilian, to be honest, I don¡¯t know why Mom wants this fan either. She only said that she wanted to keep it as a memory. I also feel that it is very odd.¡±

    Upon saying that,the light in Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes dimmed. After a while, she exined with a smile, ¡°My child, the reason I¡¯m interested in this jade fan is that I am the one who wrote the poem on the fan and it is a reflection of my life in the past in A City. I also just wanted to keep it as a souvenir. After all, I¡¯m already old and since I¡¯m in a foreign country, I will always think of the past and feel sad.¡±

    As she spoke, she let out a sigh.

    Jenna finally understood why Madam Lilian wanted that jade fan.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, if that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t I inform my mother when I get home? If my mother doesn¡¯t want it anymore, I¡¯ll personally give it to you. What do you think?¡± Jenna¡¯s heart ached when she heard about Madam Lilian¡¯s wish. Since she was the one who wrote the poem on the fan, it was evident that the jade fan was hers in the first ce. Jenna thought that it would be unreasonable for her to snatch the jade fan away from her like that.

    ¡°No, child, if your mother likes my stuff, I¡¯ll be more than willing to give it to her as a gift. How about this? I¡¯ll pay for your bid today. By the way, what¡¯s your mother¡¯s name? I¡¯ll send the five million dors to her ount. Just take it as me giving the jade fan to your mother as a present, alright? After all, it is both a blessing and a rare acquaintance for me to have someone who likes my stuff so much, of all the people in the world.¡± Madam Lilian refused Jenna¡¯s suggestion at once and offered to give her the jade fan in a generous manner.

    When Jenna heard that, she knew that things wouldn¡¯t work out. It was impossible for her mother to ept other people¡¯s gifts so casually, let alone Madam Lilian, who had such a noble status. She immediately shook her head and said, ¡°Madam Lilian, I¡¯m really sorry. My mother won¡¯t ept other people¡¯s gifts.So, I dare not make a decision. If my mother finds out, she¡¯ll definitely berate me for it. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    Speaking of that, Jenna¡¯s face turned red. She felt very embarrassed to have to snatch Madam Lilian¡¯s precious item away from her for Sara¡¯s sake, and she looked at her with glistening eyes.

    After being dumbfounded for a moment, Madam Lilian immediately understood what Jenna meant and smiled destely.

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m too sentimental,¡± she said with a self-deprecating smile.

    Jenna felt helpless.She could only smile along with her and say nothing.

    ¡°Child, may I know your mother¡¯s name?¡± Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes shed with a clear and soft light, as she asked in a friendly and hopeful manner.

    Seeing the expectant look on Madam Lilian¡¯s face, Jenna smiled softly as shereplied, ¡°My mother¡¯s name is Sara Garver. She¡¯s just an ordinary woman. I¡¯m sorry to have made a fool.¡±

    Sara Garver! Madam Lilian murmured that name and shook her head with confusion in her eyes. If she remembered correctly, her daughter was only a year old when she left. She named her daughter Emily Moore, which was too different from the name Sara Garver. She sighed, and the light in her eyes turned bleak.

    ¡°Even so, I still want to treat your mother to a meal. Will she agree to it?¡± After a moment of disappointment, Madam Lilian offered a friendly request.

    A meal? Jenna shook her head instantly after being stunned for a moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my mother can¡¯t walk. It¡¯s inconvenient for her to move around as she sits in a wheelchair. Although she has settled with prosthetic legs, it is still not convenient for her to go out.¡± Jenna was downcast.Her eyes turned red, and she lowered her head.

    That was something Madam Lilian had never expected. After a moment of astonishment, she immediately took Jenna¡¯s hand and apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned it. I¡¯ll go and visit your mother the next time I¡¯m free.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Jenna shook her head. Upon mentioning Sara, she remembered that she was still waiting for her at home and wanted to leave.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, since we were able to meet here, why don¡¯t we have lunch together?¡± Madam Lilian seemed to have read her mind and invited her at the right time. ¡°When I was young, I enjoyed eating street food in A City. Since I finally returned to A City, are you willing to join me for street food?¡±

    Upon mentioning street food, the olddy in her seventies actuallyughed like a child. Her expression was like that of a child¡¯s as well.

    Jenna also liked street food a lot. She couldn¡¯t help cheering like a child. ¡°Alright, Madam Lilian. I¡¯m more than willing to apany you. There is a lot of famous street food in A City.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go.¡± Upon receiving Jenna¡¯s response, Madam Lilian¡¯s spirits soared as well. Like a child, she held onto Jenna¡¯s hand and said excitedly.

    ¡°Madam, I¡¯m sorry. Street food is not very hygienic. You really can¡¯t eat them. Did you forget that you¡¯re still on medication? You¡¯d better go to a hotel.¡± The secretary was shocked when she heard that Madam Lilian was going to have street food with Jenna. With Madam Lilian¡¯s status,her servants wouldn¡¯t be at ease, even if she were to eat in the high-end restaurants in A city,not to mention that it would be inconvenient for her to show up by the street.Therefore, how could they allow her to eat street food? She immediately stopped her in a tactful way.

    With that, Madam Lillian¡¯s face darkened.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you guys going to stop me from eating food?¡±

    The secretary was very anxious to hear that, and she couldn¡¯t care less about Madam Lilian¡¯s scolding.So, she persuaded her carefully.¡°Ma¡¯am, A city is a sensitive ce, and you came here in secret.So, it¡¯s really inappropriate to go out. If someone with ulterior motives knows about it, I¡¯m afraid that it will cause a lot of trouble. Your blood sugar level is also very high right now. You really can¡¯t eat those street snacks.¡±

    The secretary did her best to persuade her. Even though she knew that Madam Lilian might be unhappy, she still had to fulfill her duty.

    Jenna gradually came back to her senses as well. She knew that the secretary¡¯s words were reasonable.So, she hastily eased the atmosphere.¡°Madam Lilian, you should listen to your secretary. The food on the street is indeed not very hygienic, and they¡¯re not suitable for your image either. If we have the chance next time, I¡¯ll have someone cook them for you, alright?¡±

    Madam Lilian was still pissed off at first, but when she heard Jenna¡¯s words, she immediately broke into a smile.

    ¡°Alright. You better remember what you¡¯ve said. You must treat me to a meal. No matter what, I must have dinner with Mrs. Richards this time I¡¯m here. No one can stop me from doing so.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Jenna answered straightforwardly. She was really willing to stay with the kind and friendly Madam Lilian.Theintimacy she gave off made Jenna feel reluctant to leave her.¡°I¡¯ll decide on a venue when I have time in the next two days and treat you to a meal. By then, I¡¯ll definitely order some famous local snacks and hirea chef to cook them for you.¡±

    Hearing Jenna¡¯s sweet words, happiness surged in Madam Lilian¡¯s heart and she cracked into joy.

    When the secretary saw that Madam Lilian no longer wanted to eat on the streets, she did not stop them from having dinner together anymore.

    They decided on that happily.

    Next up, Jenna would have to spend some time arranging her dinner date with Madam Lilian.

    After the two reached amutual understanding, they looked at each other andughed.

    Then, the two sat down and chatted for a while. After that, Jenna stood up and left.

    She went downstairs and headed straight to the Francist Community.

    After Hansen left the auction, he immediately used his phone and informed John to go to the White Cloud Hotel to pick Liyaup.

    He himself also headed to White Cloud Hotel right away.

    With panic on her face, Liya jumped out of a car and ran towards the hotel nearby.

    A van rushed over from the side swiftly. The door opened,two men in ck jumped out and ambushed Liya.

    Liya was about to be dragged into the car by the men in ck.

    A flying knife flew over from the side.

    ¡°Ouch.¡± One of the men¡¯s arm was pierced by the knife, and he let out a scream.

    When the other man saw what happened, he was shocked.However, he still did not intend to let Liya go as he grabbed Liya and pulled her towards the car.

    ¡°Save me!¡± Liya¡¯s face lost all of its color as she shouted in terror.

    ¡°Let her go.¡± A strong gust of wind blew from behind. A man leapt across the fence like the wind and kicked towards the man in ck with a flying kick.

    It was daytime, and that ce was crowded. Such a scene immediately attracted the attention of many passers-by.

    Seeing that things had gotten to that point, the men in ck knew that they couldn¡¯t do anything anymore. So, they had no choice but to give up on Liya and escape in the van.

    John helped the frightened Liya up and supported her towards the White Cloud Hotel.

    When Hansen finally arrived, Liya was sobbing in a suite, looking very weak.

    John told Hansen everything about what had just happened. Fortunately, Hansen had expected such a thing to happenand sent John over in time.

    ¡°Hansen, someone wants to kill me.¡± When Liya saw Hansen¡¯s tall figure walking in, she immediately pounced on him with her trembling body, as if she had seen her savior.

    She looked really terrified, and she seemed to have lost a lot of weight in just a few days.

    Hansen¡¯s brows knitted together, as he held her up without batting an eyelid. He did so because he wouldn¡¯t allow her to jump into his embrace.

    ¡°Sit down and tell me everything.¡± Hansen tried to be as calm as possible.

 Chapter 524 Finally Obtained The Evidence

    ¡°Hansen, you promised me if I obtained the evidenceZoeused to frame Jenna, you¡¯ll marry me. You can¡¯t go back on your word, alright?¡± After Liya sat down on the sofa, she lifted her head and spoke with tears in her eyes.

    The light in Hansen¡¯s eyes flickered.

    ¡°So, do you mean that you¡¯ve obtained it?¡± he asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°Hansen, will you fulfil your promise?¡± Liya didn¡¯t answer him as she pressed on.

    Looking at her, Hansen forced a smile and nodded after quite some time.

    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t go back on my word.¡±

    ¡°Well, I finally obtained the evidence Zoe used to frame Jenna, and I can hand it over to you right now. Then, when are you going to marry me, Hansen?¡±

    The expression on Liya¡¯s face showed that she was staking everything on that, and she was also determined.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes shed as he asked without batting an eyelid, ¡°Liya, did you really obtain the evidence?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Liya looked up and nodded. ¡°Hansen, you should know that no one will chase after me and try to kill me if I hadn¡¯t obtained the evidence.¡±

    That was true. Otherwise, he, Hansen, wouldn¡¯t have left Jenna alone and rushed there.

    ¡°But, Hansen, I¡¯ll only give it to you when you marry me, so that you won¡¯t go back on your word.¡± Excitement shed across Liya¡¯s face, and her expression revealed persistence.She appeared to be determined, as she would never give up until she reached her goal.

    Hansenughed all of a sudden.¡°Liya, do you think you¡¯ll be safe if you don¡¯t hand it over to me? You¡¯ve seen it just then. Someone¡¯s already trying to hunt you down once you¡¯ve got it. Do you really think Zoe will let you off so easily?¡±

    Liya¡¯s face instantly turned pale.¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking when you¡¯re gonna marry me, Hansen. You promised you¡¯ll marry me once I get the evidence.¡±

    Hansen looked at her with his lips curled up.¡°Do you really want to marry me as my second wife? Let me warn you that it¡¯s not as fun as you think.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it for fun. I¡¯m taking it very seriously. Hansen, I¡¯m willing to do it.¡± Liya¡¯s eyes were red, and her body was tense.

    Other than doing so, she seemed not to have a better way out, and that was indeed a shortcut as well.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze grew even more stern and darker. Stretching out his hand, he said, ¡°Give me the evidence first. We¡¯ll hold the wedding in a week¡¯s time.¡±

    ¡°A week¡¯s time, really?¡± Liya said as her eyes shone brightly.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hansen¡¯s handsome face,paired with a dark blue perfectly-ironed suit, had a cold and stern expression.His entire body was emitting a mature and unstoppable aura ofan emperor as he asked, ¡°You don¡¯t trust me?¡±

    ¡°No, I trust you, I trust you. Since you¡¯re the president of such a big organization, you definitely won¡¯t lie to me.¡± When Liya met his cold eyes, she felt a slight chill, which scared her. She then nodded in a hurry, opened her leather bag, and took out a box from it, handing it over to Hansen with both hands.

    Hansen¡¯s cold gaze was fixed on the wooden box that was given to him. His eyes narrowed as he slowly took the evidence. It was as if he didn¡¯t ask for it, but Liya forced it on him in an attempt to tter him.

    Liya¡¯s heart was pounding.

    Hansen weighed the wooden box in his hand.His face was indifferent while his heart was filled with another kind of pain and heaviness.

    His men had been following Zoe for so long, but they still couldn¡¯t get the evidence. Liya ended up obtaining it. With that, Jenna¡¯s usations could finally be clear, but because of that, the consequences¡­

    ¡°As long as I can prove Jenna¡¯s innocence, I will keep my promise,¡± he said tly. Then, heturned and left.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Seeing that Hansen was leaving with the evidence she had given him, Liya felt a sense of panic and began to beg from behind.¡°Hansen, can you stay with me? I¡¯m scared.¡±

    Hansen turned his head around.¡°If you don¡¯t have anything else, you should go back to Richards Manor. There won¡¯t be any danger there.¡±

    After finishing that sentence, he strode off.

    His departure brought about a gust of cold wind that blew towards Liya. She shuddered and lowered her head. Tears welled up in her eyes as the pain from the wounds caused by Oscar¡¯s torture were now stinging more and more sharply.

    After a while, she collected herself and headed towards Richards Manor.

    ¡°Mom, I got the jade fan for you.¡± As soon as Jenna entered the house, she put on a bright smile.

    Sara was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. Hearing Jenna¡¯s voice, she took off her sses and looked at her with a smile on her face.

    ¡°Mom.¡± She put her arms around Sara¡¯s neck, acting like a spoiled child. ¡°Are you happy that I didn¡¯t let you down?I¡¯m a good daughter, right?You should praise me then.¡±

    Jenna wrapped her arms around Sara¡¯s neck and said coyly while shaking her head. Only by Sara¡¯s side could she feel the sense of bliss she felt when she was in her teens.

    Sara smiled lovingly and caressed Jenna¡¯s head with her hand. ¡°You really are my good daughter.¡±

    For now,Sara would only feel contented and happywhen Jenna was acting like a spoiled child with her.Her daughter was now her one and only rtive.

    ¡°Mom, I have something to tell you.¡± Jenna sat down beside Sara, held her hand, and said wittily, ¡°Do you know who wrote the poem you always read aloud on the jade fan?¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Sara¡¯s eyebrows twitched.

    ¡°Madam Lilian.¡± Jenna said proudly, ¡°Let me tell you. The poem on the jade fan was written by Madam Lilian herself.¡±

    ¡°Who is Madam Lilian?¡± Sara asked with an indifferent smile.

    ¡°Madam Lilian is a great woman.She¡¯s the most powerful woman in the world right now.¡± When Jenna thought of the friendly and harmonious rtionship between Madam Lilian and herself, sheughed out unconsciously with an expression full of admiration.

    Sara¡¯s eyes clouded over with thoughts, and she couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Are you referring to the internationally acimed Madam Lilian?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mom, that¡¯s correct. It seems that my Mom also likes politics and pays a lot of attention to the news.¡± Jenna teased and grinned.

    A look of surprise appeared on Sara¡¯s face, but she shook her head immediately after.

    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder someone would try to bid for the jade fan away from you. It turns out that Madam Lilian¡¯s poem is written on it.¡± She gave a faint smile with an indifferent expression.

    ¡°Mom, I really didn¡¯t expect the poem you often read out was written by Madam Lilian.¡± Jennaughed happily as shecouldn¡¯t believe it as well.

    Sara held the newspaper in her hand, but she seemed lost in her thoughts.

    That jade fan was what her mother left her. It was just that she missed her mother when she was young.So, she naturally memorized the poem on the fan. At that time, she didn¡¯t know what it meant. Right then, it seemed that the poem was written by Madam Lilian herself.She became puzzled as to how her mother got the fan at that time. However, the fact that Madam Lilian personally wrote the poem was nothing unusual, right?As there were many prominent individuals who often wrote such poems.

    ¡°Mom, Madam Lilian is a very friendly person. She is also very interested in this fanand even said that she wanted to invite you over for a meal with her. It seems that she is also very interested in you, as she kept saying that you¡¯re a blissful mother.¡± When Jenna thought of Madam Lilian¡¯s interest in that fan, she was confused.So, she immediately told Sara how she felt about Madam Lilian.

    ¡°Really?¡± Sara smiled disapprovingly.¡°You child, how could you be so happy with just a few words of praise? Who doesn¡¯t know how to say such polite words?¡±

    Sara shook her head with a smile.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Jenna also felt that it was really odd. In fact, their rtionship was quite incredible asshe should not have any further contact with Madam Lilian. After all, the disparity between their statuses was too great andthere was also no reason for Madam Lilian to interact with her. However, since she had such a coincidental encounter with her, she was very happy.

    Therefore, she decided to return home and discuss it with Hansen. She wanted to treat Madam Lilian to an exceptional meal, as Madam Lilian had agreed to it almost immediately.

    As soon as Jenna left the Francist Community, she went straight back to Richards Manor.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you fail?¡± Zoe stood in the office with a newspaper in her hand.Her eyes were red.

    ¡°Miss Yates, we¡¯ve been fooled by Hansen. He has already settled Liya down andused her admiration towards him to obtain the evidence used to frame Jenna, by saying that he will marry her if she did so. With that, our n is ruined.¡± Octavia hurriedly rushed over with anger all over her face. ¡°Hansen had already long expected this. He even sent his men to follow Liya today. When we were about to seed, his men appeared and saved her. The evidence is probably in Hansen¡¯s hands right now.¡±

    Zoe¡¯s face was terrifyingly gloomy, as sheclenched her fists tightly.

    She didn¡¯t expect Liya to steal the evidence of her framing Jenna. Right then, without his weak spot, Hansenwould be able to act freely, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to carry out her n.

    The worse thing was that she wouldn¡¯t be able to free herself from Oscar anymore. As long as she thought of Oscar, her eyes would burn with rage.

    ¡°Liya, how dare you betray me? You¡¯re so hateful. Since you want to climb the socialdder by bing Hansen¡¯s second wife in order to get rid of me, I definitely won¡¯t let you seed. Besides, do you think you¡¯re worthy of bing Hansen¡¯s second wife? Does Hansen deserve a woman like you?¡± She gritted her teeth with anger.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Miss Yates. Liya is a really despicable and shameless woman. She isn¡¯t grateful for your kindness at all and betrayed you once she got hold of other benefits. Is such a woman worthy of Hansen?¡± Octavia, who was at the side, was furious, as their n had been messed up by Liya right then.

    Zoe suddenly thought of something.The smile on her face turned sinister.

    That recording of Oscar toying with Liya. With that, at least she wouldn¡¯t be threatened by Oscar. As long as they went on like that, Liya would definitely break down from being toyed with by Oscar.

    At the thought of that, her anger dissipated.

 Chapter 525 Despicable and Shameless

    As soon as Jenna returned to the Ink Garden¡¯s office, she saw Maud hurriedlying in with a panicked look on his face. It was obvious that he had something important to ask her.

    ¡°Madam, I have something to tell you.¡± As soon as Maud entered the room, he respectfully reported to Jenna.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jenna asked with a smile, prompting him not to be so anxious.

    ¡°It¡¯s like this, Madam.¡± Maud wiped the sweat off his forehead. ¡°Yesterday, Liya came to find me and said that she¡¯s moving into Richards Manor. Since she insisted that it was Mr. Richards¡¯ orders, I had no choice but to arrange amodation for her.¡±

    Maud spoke cautiously, as if he was afraid that Jenna would be provoked.

    Jenna just replied a faint ¡®oh¡¯, as a hint of imperceptible pain shed in her eyes,saying tly, ¡°I already know about this matter. Just follow Mr. Richards¡¯ orders.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam. I¡¯ve already arranged amodation for her ording to the rules of Richards Manor.¡± Seeing that Jenna did not have any obvious reactions, Maud rxed a lot.¡°There¡¯s one more matter.¡±

    Speaking of that, Maud¡¯s face became very uneasy. He had never imagined that Sergio woulde to Richards Manor that day as wend ask him to arrange a ce for him to stay.

    He truly was making things difficult for him.

    That was why he hastily ran over and met Jenna for instructions when he saw that she had returned.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe from Capital City is here as well. He also said that he would be staying in Richards Manor,¡± Maud said with great strain.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Sergio was an official who was investigating the Richards Group right then,and it was clear why he wanted to stay at Richards Manor. That really put Maud in a dilemma and made him worried. So, he came to consult the head of the household in a hurry.

    Upon hearing that, Jenna was surprised as well. What was going on? Sergio was going to stay in Richards Manor too? What was that all about?

    Just as she was caught by surprise, she heard Meroy¡¯s voice drifting in from the outside. ¡°Mr. Xanthe, thank you foring to visit Old Madam. I would like to thank you on her behalf.¡±

    Then, Sergio¡¯s faint voice rang,¡°It¡¯s alright. I need to stay here for a while because of official matters. Where is the head of the household? Tell her toe and meet me.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Jenna grew impatient and walked out of the office.

    ¡°Sergio, why have youe to Richards Manor?¡± she asked Sergio as she walked out with a serious expression.

    A charming smile appeared on Sergio¡¯s face when he heard her voice.

    ¡°Jenna, I happen to have something to discuss with you. Why don¡¯t you choose a suitable ce for us to talk?¡±

    ¡°Well then,e to my office.¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t understand Sergio¡¯s behaviour at that moment. If the Richards Group was guilty of leaking trade secrets, then no one would say anything if he went to the Richards Group to investigate, but how could he move into Richards Manor so tantly?

    ¡°Jenna, it seems that your life in Richards Manor is quite good, huh? You¡¯re living quite a luxurious life I see.¡± Sergio inspected her office when he went in, sat down on the couch elegantly and crossed his legs with a vivid smile on his face.

    Jenna¡¯s face had quite an unpleasant look.

    ¡°Sergio, for private reasons, I¡¯m grateful to you because you saved me. But thinking from the business perspective, I don¡¯t think you moving into Richards Manor is the correct thing to do. No matter how guilty the Richards family is, it shouldn¡¯t be to the point of confiscating Richards Manor, right?¡±

    When she returned that day, her traditional husband demanded her not to talk to Sergio anymore.

    For the sake of her husband¡¯s dignity, she nned not to meet Sergio again in the future, but she didn¡¯t expect him to move into Richards Manor. Great, now they would meet each other often. Wouldn¡¯t things be very difficult for her?

    Sergio leaned his back against the couch and looked up at her with his eyebrows lifted. She had a serious expression on her small face. It was obvious that she was critical from the way she looked at him. Sergio could not help but to sigh softly.

    ¡°Jenna, Hansen¡¯s going to take a second wife soon, but you¡¯re still trying to protect him. It¡¯s really rare to have a woman act like this. It¡¯s also because of this that I cherish you even more. I can¡¯t bear to hurt you, and I¡¯ll even take risks protecting you, even if it means that I¡¯ll die. However, the fact that I can¡¯t get even the slightest bit of pity from you makes me feel quite sad.¡± Sergio sighed and looked into Jenna¡¯s cold eyes, feeling veryplicated.

    Jenna¡¯s face changed slightly.

    ¡°Jenna, you also know the Richards Group is suspected to be guilty of a serious crime. Even until now, we have yet to find any substantial evidence. In addition to that, I have also received a report saying that the matter had something to do with Richards Manor in recent days, which caused my senior executives to press on this issue even more. I have no choice but to move into Richards Manor to investigate the matter, and try to find the actual culprit as soon as possible,¡± Sergio said with a helpless expression.

    Jenna felt stuffy and ufortable upon hearing that. Shesaid coldly, ¡°Sergio, I know very well whether the Richards Group is guilty or not. Youing to Richards Manor to investigate is too bizarre, and everyone knows that you¡¯re doing it on purpose. The fact that the culprit hasn¡¯t been identified yet only shows how ipetent the Public Security Department is. So, do you really think it¡¯s appropriate for you to move into someone else¡¯s house like this?¡±

    Sergio lit up a cigarette and took a deep breath.

    ¡°Jenna, why do I have the feeling that you think I had deliberatele to disturb Richards Manor? Am I really so unbearable?¡±

    As he said that, a trace of pain shed across his eyes, and his gaze became a little peculiar. Jenna couldn¡¯t see through his intentions in the midst of all the smoke, and itmade her feel extremelyplicated.

    ¡°Cough, cough.¡± Jenna was choked by the cigarette smoke and began to cough. She covered her mouth, as her face turned red and purple because of the coughing.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Sergio suddenly realized that Jenna didn¡¯t like the smell of cigarettes. So, heimmediatelyput out the cigarette, stood up, and walked towards her, saying, ¡°Jenna, are you okay? You know I¡¯m moving in for your own good, right?¡±

    As he spoke, he reached out his hand and was about to pat her back to relieve the coughing.

    ¡°Stop.¡± A loud shout came from behind. In an instant, Sergio¡¯s arm was grabbed by arge and strong hand. Due to the fact that it was his left hand, he couldn¡¯t muster any strength and could only let the strong hand grasp onto it. Nevertheless, Sergio remained calm, as he knew who it was without even thinking.

    He was not worried at all. In fact, he even had a faint smile on his face as heteased him.¡°Mr. Richards, is there a need to be so angry?¡±

    ¡°Sergio Xanthe, you¡¯re shameless and despicable!¡± Anger was written all over Hansen¡¯s face. If he came just a littleter, that vile hand would have caressed Jenna¡¯s back. It was something he couldn¡¯t ept.

    ¡°Hey, Mr. Richards. You sure have a good memory. Didn¡¯t I say that I¡¯ll be moving in yesterday? Have you already forgotten?¡± he said casually.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t forget. I just happened toe looking for you today.¡± Hansen¡¯s expression was cold, as he said chillingly, ¡°Sergio, I know exactly what tricks you have in mind. You¡¯re using the excuse of investigating the Richards Group¡¯s crime to move shamelessly into Richards Manor. Let me tell you, I won¡¯t let things go your way.¡±

    Applying a little strength to his hand, Sergio was in so much pain that his expression changed.

    ¡°Hansen, you actually dare to harm a government official. Aren¡¯t you afraid of adding more charges to yourself?¡± Sergio was a soldier.So, of course, he wouldn¡¯t lose when ites to their auras. He went to Richards Manor that day in his official uniform. Government officials usually never wore uniforms unless they were handling cases. Therefore, he was trying to show the kind of authority that entitled him to be there. Since the wounds on his right arm hadn¡¯t healed yet, he couldn¡¯t do anything to fight back. So, he used his authority as a public official right then to scold Hansen in a low voice.

    Jenna¡¯s expression changed. Of course, she understood what he meant.

    Hansen¡¯s face was as cold as ice, and his hand was still gripping Sergio¡¯s handtightly.The stern glint in his eyes could make anyone shiver in fear.

    ¡°Hansen, we¡¯ll talk it out.¡± Jenna was worried that Hansen would really hurt Sergio in a fit of anger. After all, Sergio went there as a government official, and to bear the crime of interfering with official affairs wasn¡¯t a good thing either. She hurriedly persuaded Hansen, hoping that he could calm down.

    Hansen then loosened his grip.

    Sergio smiled faintly as heslowly stretched out his hand and rubbed the area that was gripped byHansen,saying sarcastically, ¡°Mr. Richards, why are you as easily offended as a three-year-old? I told you that I¡¯m going to move into Richards Manor. You agreed to it, did you not?Now that I¡¯m here, not only is the head of household not aware of this matter,you still treated me with such an attitude.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Hansen snorted coldly. His face was expressionless, and his gaze was sharp.

    ¡°Jenna, go to the Green Jade Garden to take care of Jerry.¡± He didn¡¯t even turn around to face her and simply ordered her in a very dominating manner.

    Jenna understood his intention. He was trying to get her out of the way. So, she immediately agreed and went out obediently.

    When she walked out of the door,she looked back at Hansen, and the worry in her eyes was obvious.

    ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s the matter?¡±Sergio asked coldly.After Jenna left, the atmosphere between those two men immensely tensed up again.

    Sergio saw that the sharpness in Hansen¡¯s eyes had dissipated slightly, and it was impossible to tell the changes in his emotions, but what Hansen said shocked Sergio.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, look carefully. We now have sufficient evidence to prove that the matter regarding the Richards Group leaking trade secrets has nothing to do with Jenna. Zoe is the one behind everything, asshe had schemed and framed Jenna. I think Mr. Xanthe should have a good look at it now. It¡¯s time to put an end to it.¡± After Jenna left, Hansen went straight to the point. He ced the evidence on the table and looked at Sergio with his sharp eyes.

    Sergio nced at him suspiciously.

    ¡°Is this the evidence showing that Jenna was framed?¡± he asked in disbelief.

    ¡°You can see it for yourself.¡± Hansen said disdainfully, ¡°How can my wife be so silly as to do these things?¡±

    Sergio came back to his senses after a moment of shock. With a smile on his face, he took the wooden box, opened it, and took a look inside.

 Chapter 526 Sergio Moving into Richards Manor

    ¡°Look carefully.This is Jenna¡¯s fingerprint, obtained by someone Zoe sent to the Richards Group, and she used the workshop Jenna established to achieve her own goal. What do you think? Can this prove that Jenna is innocent?¡± Hansen stared at him with his stern eyes in a calm manner.

    Sergio looked at it for a while, took a breath and said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Richards, this evidence can indeed prove that our investigation is wrongand Jenna is innocent. But right now, the problem is that it only proves that the matter has nothing to do with Jenna, but it can¡¯t prove that the Richards Group is innocent as well.You need to know that the information we got at the beginning was that Richards Group¡¯s automobile industry had leaked the nation¡¯s secrets.It happened to the Richards Group¡¯s automobile industry. It¡¯s a fact, and we have clear evidence. Right now, not only are you unable to find the culprit, you aren¡¯t able to justify yourself either. There is no way to deny the usationunless there¡¯s evidence.¡±

    His expression was quite calm, but he was still secretly shocked by the fact that Hansen could prove Jenna¡¯s innocence. It seemed that Zoe was still not a match for the renowned Hansen.

    ¡°But all these showed that Zoe deliberately tried to frame the Richards Group. Isn¡¯t the truth clear enough?¡± Hansen asked furiously. Nevertheless, since the matter had nothing to do with Jenna anymore, he felt much more at ease.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, look at the evidence. It doesn¡¯t point towards the fact that Zoe was directing all of this, right? It only showed how Jenna¡¯s fingerprints ended up in the leaked software on theputer. As for who had done this, no matter how you look at it, the suspect is still Yaris. It has nothing to do with Zoe.¡± Sergio showed a calm and forced smile.

    After listening to Sergio¡¯s words, Hansen basically understood everything. Zoe really was a conniving woman, and her methods were indeed clever, as she could put all the me on Mr. White.

    Back then, after the incident happened, he reced some of thepany¡¯s executives because he realized that Zoe had sent her people into the Richards Group¡¯s management. Yaris was very suspicious.So, he deliberately demoted him with Liya¡¯s help and also ced her in that position as a pawn. He did all that to send a message to Zoe, and he sessfully killed two birds with one stone.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s not over yet?¡±

    Yaris White, the director of the Global Sales and Marketing Department of Richards Group, was personally promoted by Hansen.He resigned after he was transferred to be thesupervisor of thePublic Rtions Department, and Hansen had never heard from him since then.

    Hansen had no choice but to admit that it was his mistake to use his men!

    After obtaining the evidence the day before, Hansen had already sent John to look for him. If John could find him, he might be able to persuade him into exposing Zoe.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, how can a smart person like you be such a fool? Evidence is really important in the face of thew. I can only do things ording to thew for now. If your evidence is not solid enough, I will deny your counter-evidence. You understand this, don¡¯t you?¡± Sergio said very calmly. His logic and voice were very clear. It could be said that he was stating his impartial opinion.

    ¡°Okay, Mr. Xanthe. Then, do you know where I got this evidence from?¡± Hansen continued to ask. He turned around and sat down on a chair next to him expressionlessly.

    Sergio didn¡¯t say anything, as he just looked at him with a deep gaze.

    ¡°Let me tell you. Liya found this evidence in Zoe¡¯s house. Can you still tell me that all this has nothing to do with Zoe?¡±

    As he said that, there was already disgust in his eyes and he looked at him even more fiercely.

    Sergio was stunned for a moment. It indeed was the case. After his suspicions were confirmed, his mind became much clearer.

    ¡°I¡¯ll repeat myself, Mr. Richards. You can say you found this evidence yourself. You can also say that this evidence had fallen from the sky, but that¡¯s not important. What¡¯s important is that the evidencemust prove that the leak has nothing to do with the people of Richards Manor. If you prove that you¡¯ve been framed, or have nothing to do with the Richards Group, then everything will be alright. With that, we¡¯ll have a reason to arrest the suspect and further investigate to find out the truth. After that, we¡¯ll definitely let the Richards Group off.¡±

    The atmosphere was truly depressing!

    The grim expression on Hansen¡¯s face became even more terrifying.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, I¡¯d like to ask you now. So, what if we really found that someone had framed the Richards Group or that someone deliberately wanted to harm us? Can we getpensation for the losses incurred by the Richards Group¡¯s automobile business? Who will take responsibility for the negative consequences and financial losses that have urred?¡±

    Such aggressive questioning was met with Sergio¡¯sck of concern.

    ¡°The Richards Group¡¯s automobile industry did indeed leak the secrets and itis an indisputable fact. The carsshould indeed be recalled, for the country¡¯s interests. As for the losses that had urred, even if it was not done by the Richards Group, you guys should also reflect on yourselves. The fact that the Richards Group¡¯s loose security being detrimental to our country¡¯s interests can already be considered a crime. Right now, the senior executives are trying to protect the Richards Group¡¯s interests. That¡¯s why they sent us from the Public Security Department to investigate this matterso that we can find out the actual culprit and prove your innocence. Once we find the real culprit, then the culprit will also be punished severely by thew. At that time, the punishment the culprit gets will be decided by thew itself. Therefore, you¡¯d better cooperate with us to find out who the real culprit is. You also know that I¡¯ve already given you a chance to protect Jenna. Since you¡¯re able to prove that Jenna has nothing to do with it, then I¡¯ll congratte you.¡±

    Even though Sergio¡¯s long speech sounded selfless and reasonable, it subdued Hansen in every way. Hansen had long been in the business field. So, he knew that Sergio would always talk reasonably, but since he was able to prove Jenna¡¯s innocence that day, he had already achieved his goal.

    ¡°Alright, since you said that Liya obtained the evidence from Zoe¡¯s house, thencan Liya prove that the evidence she obtained is Zoe¡¯s handiwork? If she can, then that¡¯s fine. But she obviouslycan¡¯t do that. Moreover, Liya is now your fianc¨¦e. Even if she uses Zoe of framing the Richards Group, it won¡¯t be that convincing anymore. You must find more evidence to prove yourpany¡¯s innocence. Do you understand?¡±

    After saying that, Sergio smiled and slowly put away the evidence while breathing a sigh of relief.

    Hansen was silent. When his tall and huge frame stood up and leaned towards Sergio, he was so shocked that he took a step back.

    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely provide you with enough evidence.¡± Hansen nced at Sergio from the corner of his eyes, withdrew the sneer at the corner of his mouth, and marched out after saying that indifferently.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Just as he walked out, he turned around and his eyes met Sergio¡¯s, and he spoke coldly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get Maud to arrange a ce for you to stay,Mr. Xanthe.¡±

    Sergio showed a smug smile, but his expression darkened as he watched Hansen leave.

    Jenna was feeling very uneasy as she walked towards Green Jade Garden.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, you¡¯re finally back?¡± Aunt E came up to her as soon as she stepped into the Green Jade Garden¡¯s living room.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jenna was surprised. The night before, Hansen took her to Collier Manor.So, they did note back. Did something happen?

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, Jerry had a feverst night and constantly called for you while he cried.¡±

    Aunt E¡¯s face was full of heartache and anxiety.

    What? Jerry? Jenna¡¯s face turned pale in an instant.

    After Jerry was pushed into the swimming pool by Liya the day before, Jenna consulted the doctor at the health center, and he said that Jerry should be fine. That was why she had gone back to her mother¡¯s home feeling relieved. However, she didn¡¯t expect to find Jerry falling ill after returning that day.

    ¡°Madam Jenna, I think Jerry fell sick because he was traumatized after being pushed into the pool by that woman yesterday. Children usually can¡¯t stand being scared.¡±

    Aunt E was indignant.In reality, she hated Liya a lot. In fact, all the servants in Green Jade Garden were on Jenna¡¯s side, and they all hated Liya. That was something Jenna knew.

    ¡°How¡¯s Jerry?¡± Jenna was very worried. Did Hansen tell her toe and take a look at Jerry just because he was sick? Did he know that Jerry had been pushed into the pool by Liya?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Madam Marissa was so nervous that she asked the doctor to look after Jerry all night. She also apanied Jerry in person and took care of him. Right now, Jerry¡¯s fever has subsided, and he should be fine.¡± Seeing that Jenna had be anxious, Aunt E immediatelyforted her.

    Nheless, Jenna was not in the mood to listen to Aunt E¡¯s words, asshe just turned around and ran upstairs.

    ¡°Jerry, how do you feel? Do you feel any better?¡± When Jenna entered Jerry¡¯s room, he was holding his beloved toy car in his arms and was lying on the bed in a sickly manner with his eyes slightly closed.

    Hearing his Mom¡¯s voice, he immediately opened his eyes and called out weakly, ¡°Mom.¡±

    Jenna noticed his pale face in just one nce andthere was also ayer of dark circles under his long eyshes and even his eyelids. He became even thinner too. Seeing that, Jenna¡¯s heart ached for him. She reached out, felt his forehead, and realized that it was still warm. Although Jerry no longer had a high fever, it was still somewhat hot. He must have still had a slight fever.

    ¡°Jerry, I¡¯m sorry that Mom and Dad weren¡¯t able to keep youpanyst night.¡± She then bent down to pick him up. With her eyes red, she apologized softly.

    ¡°Mom, have you punished the bad woman who pushed me down the pool yesterday? I don¡¯t like her at all, and I don¡¯t want to see her anymore.¡± Jerry¡¯s lips shrivelled. The feeling of being pushed into the pool by Liya the day before was so terrible that it would even wake him up at night.

    He believed that Jenna would chase that evil woman away and never allow her to appear in Richards Manor again.

    Hearing that, Jenna¡¯s heart ached, and her hand that was holding Jerry stiffened. She didn¡¯t know what to sayand had the sudden urge to cry. She only held him tightly in her arms, gently patting andforting him.

    If Jerry were to know that she had already arranged a ce for Liya to stay in Richards Manor and even had agreed personally to host a wedding for her and Hansen, how sad would he be?

    There was no doubt that Jerry¡¯s mentndspiritual health and even his daily life would be affected heavily by letting Liya move into Richards Manor. It was also something such a young child couldn¡¯t bear.

    Poor child.Jenna felt sorry for Jerry, but she couldn¡¯t do anything!

    She could only hug him tightly and kiss his little face tofort him.

 Chapter 527 Marissa Punishes Liya

    The sound of footsteps came from the corridor.

    Marissa walked in and couldn¡¯t help but to tell Jenna off when she saw her. ¡°Jenna, you guys really are too much. How could both of you not be at home when Jerry was sick. Do you know how much Jerry wanted to see you yesterday? It was so heart-wrenching to see.¡±

    The rims of Jenna¡¯s eyes turned red.¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom.¡±

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Marissa shook her head.¡°I know that you¡¯re in a bad mood, but I heard that you have arranged for Liya to move in. Is that true?¡±

    Jenna lowered her head and said nothing.

    At that moment, Jerry understood what was going on. He burst into tears and cried out, ¡°Mom, why didn¡¯t you defend me and even let her move in? I don¡¯t want to see that wicked woman at all. She hurt me. I¡¯m scared of her.¡±N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Jerry¡¯s cries and shouts made Jenna¡¯s heart shrink into a ball.

    Marissa became nervous when she heard Jerry¡¯s cries, and she asked anxiously, ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s going on? I¡¯ve heard from the servants that Liya had deliberately pushed Jerry into the pool. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡± Jenna didn¡¯t know what to do.Richards Manor was indeed too crowded, which made it hard for her to hide the truth. Furthermore, the victim was Jerry, Hansen¡¯s child. Those who wanted to be on Marissa¡¯s good side would, of course, rat Liya out to Marissa, and it meant that Jenna couldn¡¯t hide the matter, no matter what. She could only nod her head before adding, ¡°Mom, perhaps she did it by ident. I saw that she looked lost and dazed yesterday, and she didn¡¯t seem to be in a great mental state.¡±

    Marissa was furious when she heard that, and she shouted at once. ¡°This is too much. Since she harmed my grandson before she even got married into the family, wouldn¡¯t she act more terribly once she married Hansen? As an elder, I can¡¯t ignore such a thing. Look at how sick Jerry is because of this. That woman really is too vicious.¡±

    As she spoke, she coaxed Jerry gently. ¡°Baby, don¡¯t be afraid. Grandma will help you take revenge.¡±

    After saying that, Marissa went downstairs. Jenna, who was still inJerry¡¯s bedroom, heard her shouted, ¡°Larry, call Maud and ask him to bring Liya over.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± As soon as Larry heard that, he understood what was going on and immediately agreed happily.

    Nheless, Jenna only remained silent.

    For the sake of Vivian¡¯s regret, she had already forgiven Liya the day before.

    Then, was the reason that Marissa had asked Liya toe over, was to hold her ountable for that matter, or to punish her ording to the family rules?

    She really couldn¡¯t tell.

    Richards Manor, like all the other prestigious families, had a lot of rules and regtions, some of which could be considered to be very harsh.

    She could still recall when she had just married Hansen. Marissa and Trevor didn¡¯t like her, and Hansen also treated her very coldly. At that time, she was the wife of Richards Manor¡¯s eldest grandson. Logically speaking, her position was not something that could bepared to an ordinary person, but in reality, her situation was worse than that of a servant.

    All of the Richards Group¡¯s jewelry, finances, and belongings were all supervised by one person. The financial system was the same as that of argepany. Everyone had their own wages, and every item had its origin. For example, for a granddaughter-inw like her, except for the fact that she didn¡¯t need to pay for food, she only obtained a meagre amount of wages.

    If a married woman had no private property or dowry, it would still be eptable if her parents-inw and her husband cared for her. At the very least, they would give her jewelry for special asionsand allowances. These would not belong to her inws but they would be her very own instead, or if her own family had power and money, she would have felt more at ease and had the right to speak up in the family.

    However,at that time, Javon was a clean and honest official. So, their family didn¡¯t have much savings. In addition to that, she didn¡¯t like things like jewelry either. Except for her wedding ring, she had nothing valuable. At that time, she was despised and ignored by Hansen. Being in that situation, she was even more unwilling to wear the wedding ringand could only dress inly. She was more like their neighbour, because the servants were even better dressed than her, andas a result,they looked down on her.

    Recalling those past events, she sighed. After Hansen had fallen in love with her, he and Vivian gave her a lot of jewelry. Thus, she was no longer who she used to be and could be considered a wealthy woman right then.

    Nevertheless, she was naturally not fond of dressing up and did not like how tiring it was to wear them around.However, in order to uphold Richards Manor¡¯s reputation, she now wore more expensive clothes but only wore a few pieces of jewelry that she really liked.

    While she was still lost in her thoughts, she heard Larry¡¯s voiceing from below. ¡°Madam Marissa, Liya is here.¡±

    Shocked, Jenna walked to the stairs and looked down.

    Soon after, Liya¡¯s thin figure came into view, as shereached the living room and approached Marissa, who was sitting on the couch.

    After thinking for a while, Jenna put Jerry back in his room and ordered a servant to take care of him before heading downstairs.

    ¡°Mom, why were you looking for me?¡± Liya wore a long-sleeved silk dress. The outfit and her short hair made her look weak and pitiful.

    She had her head lowered, and her temperament was outstanding, which could really attract men to pity her.

    Even though they were both women wearing dresses, Jenna admitted that she couldn¡¯t emit the same aura as Liya.

    Jenna didn¡¯t know why, but she felt ufortable whenever she saw Liya, as she would feel an unpleasant pain in her heart. Sometimes, when she thought of Liya, she would not even have the appetite to eat. She knew that the emotions she was feeling were negative and that she shouldn¡¯t let those emotions run wild in such a situation, but she couldn¡¯t suppress it no matter what.

    ¡°Liya, let me ask you. Why did you push Jerry into the swimming pool yesterday?¡± Marissa sat up straight and had a serious expression on her face as sheasked in a strict tone.

    Liya seemed to have long known the reason Marissa called her over. Her eyes reddened as she defended herself in a guilty manner. ¡°Mom, I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose yesterday. Jerry was ying by the pool.It seemed that he really wanted to go for a swim, and he identally fell into the poolter on. I know that it¡¯s my fault for not saving him, even though I was just standing by the pool. But right now, it¡¯s summerandJerry was wearing swimwear. So, I thought that he really wanted to go for a swim, but I didn¡¯t know that he couldn¡¯t swim. Please forgive me. Of course, if there¡¯s a next time, I¡¯ll be sure to pay more attention to it.¡±

    ¡°Lies. You¡¯re the one who pushed him down.¡± Marissa lifted her eyebrows and red at Liya.¡°Everyone here can prove that you pushed him and they even saw it with their own eyes. So, what¡¯s the point of quibbling? It seems that you really are an immoral and unruly woman. And the fact that you wouldn¡¯t spare a three-year-old child, even when you¡¯re not married into the family yet proves that. If no one was there yesterday, then Jerry would be in real trouble. I¡¯ll let you know that he¡¯s the current heir to Richards Manor.¡±

    When Marissa mentioned Jerry, she became even more furious. She didn¡¯t like Liya to begin with, but right then, she was even more disgusted with her, after knowing that she even dared to harm Jerry.

    If she didn¡¯t teach Liya a lesson that time, or use that opportunity to drive her out, Marissa was sure that Liya would harm Richards Manor and Jerry in the future. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

    Liya also sensed her future mother-inw¡¯s hatred towards her. She bit her lips, held back her tears, and defended herself. ¡°Mom, I really didn¡¯t mean to push Jerry into the pool yesterday. It really was a misunderstanding. I¡¯m going to marry Hansen soon.So, how can I do such a thing?¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re still not willing to admit it, huh?¡± When Marissa heard that, her mind burned with anger. ¡°Even Jerry said that you were the one who pushed him into the water. He¡¯s so young, yet you did such a thing to him and frightened him. He even had a high feverst night from the trauma. Yet, you keep on spouting nonsense and shaking off your me. It¡¯s evident that you don¡¯t even feel the slightest bit of guilt. Your behavior and actions are intolerable. In fact, a person like you who says empty words and has a vicious heart is the type of person I hate the most. You¡¯ll definitely be held ountable for this matter. Since you¡¯re still not married into our family yet, I can¡¯t punish you with Richards Manor¡¯s house rules, but I can still send you to the police and let thew punish you. What you did was an attempted murder.I¡¯ll definitely send you to jail.¡±

    Marissa was emitting the aura of a dignified elder. She felt extreme anger at the thought of her grandson being harmed. The descendants of Richards Manor had always been high above the masses. Therefore, how could she bear to see Jerry being harmed by Liya like that?

    ¡°Please don¡¯t, Mom. Please let me go.¡± When Liya heard that she was going to be sent to jail, her legs went weak in an instant. She immediately knelt down and pleaded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t address me as Mom. I¡¯m not your Mom. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to go to jail.I¡¯ll give you another chance. If you leave Richards Manor and my son right now, then I¡¯ll be willing to let you go,¡± Marissa shouted in a low voice. After thinking for a while, she gave her another choice.

    Of course, Liya wasn¡¯t willing to make such a choice!

    She knew that Marissa was very strong-willed and hated people who lied. Nevertheless, she couldn¡¯t admit it. If she really admitted it, Marissa might use that reason to drive her out. The day before, she was so jealous that she lost her mind, and she pushed Jerry. She also regretted it a lot aftering back to her senses.

    Liya was a smart person. Hansen had clearly promised to marry her in a week¡¯s time. So, how could she do such a silly thing at that time?

    That was why she cried and insisted that she didn¡¯t push Jerry,and refused to leave Richards Manor, no matter what.

    Jenna stood by the side. When she heard Liya¡¯s pretentious cry and that she refused to admit it was her who had pushed Jerry, her heart froze. If Liya took the initiative to admit her mistake, even if Marissa wasn¡¯t willing to forgive her, she would stille forward and speak up for her. After all, for the sake of Vivian¡¯s wish, she had already personally promised to host a wedding for her.

    However, Liya¡¯s personality and character made her feel a chill in her heart.

    Did it mean that she had to live with such a woman in the future?

    Jenna could imagine how bad that kind of a life would be.

    Her face turned even paler.

    ¡°Aunt Marissa, she was the one who pushed Jerry. Yesterday, I took Jerry to the pool, and this woman actually pushed Jerry into the swimming pool from behind. I saw it with my own eyes. But right now, she doesn¡¯t even want to admit it and shows no signs of repentance. Aunt Marissa, you can¡¯t let such a woman marry into the family.¡± Sabrina had just returned. When she saw that scene, she immediately stepped forward and used loudly.

    Marissa waspletely certain thatLiya was indeed the one who pushed Jerry into the pool the day before, after hearing her words. She trembled upon thinking how terrible Liya¡¯s action was.

    ¡°Liya, how dare you hurt my grandson and still refuse to admit it? Your character is too terrible.Richards Manor won¡¯t tolerate such an evil woman. How about this? Considering that you have followed my son for quite some time,I won¡¯t force you to take responsibility,but Richards Manor can no longer amodate you,and you don¡¯t have a say in it. Hurry up and leave this ce. The further you distance yourself from us, the better. We don¡¯t want to see you again.¡± Marissa pointed at the door with her finger and bellowed.

 Chapter 528 Thorough Plan

    Liya made up her mind and lifted her head.

    She had already handed the evidence that could prove that Jenna had been framed to Hansen. Therefore, she would never ept being driven away like that.

    ¡°No, Mom. Hansen and I are about to get married. He has already promised to marry me in a week¡¯s time. You can¡¯t drive me away like this. If you really want me to leave, you have to ask Hansen first.¡± Liya prostrated herself on the floor and cried. She refused to leave no matter what, to the point that she even brought up Hansen.

    Seeing that Liya was making a scene and she even brought up Hansen,the rage in Marissa¡¯s heart surged, and she was about to order the security guards to drive her out.

    Then, the sound of footsteps could be heard.

    ¡°What happened? Why is everyone gathered around here?¡± Hansen¡¯s voice rang along with the sound of footsteps.

    ¡°Hansen, Mom wants to drive me away.¡± After hearing Hansen¡¯s voice, Liya¡¯s eyes sparkled. She lifted her eyes that were brimming with tears and asked Hansen for help.¡°We¡¯re about to get married. You promised to marry me.I can¡¯t be driven away just like that.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s brows knitted together as his eyes were shrouded with aplicated light. He swept his gaze across the surroundings, and his gaze lingered on Jenna¡¯s sallow face for a while, before shifting away.

    ¡°Mom, what happened?¡± he asked Marissa impatiently. At that time, he really didn¡¯t want trouble to arise at home.

    ¡°Hansen, you can¡¯t marry this woman. She¡¯s evil. Yesterday, she pushed Jerry into the swimming pool. If it wasn¡¯t for Sabrina, the consequences would have been unimaginable. She had already done such vicious acts even before she got married into the family.So, can you imagine what kind of harm she¡¯ll bring to Richards Manor in the future if you really were to marry her? Hansen, please listen to me and drive her away. Richards Manor really doesn¡¯t need such a woman.¡± Seeing Hansen¡¯s impatience, Marissa exined what had happened the day before in detail, hoping that Hansen could rectify the issue and drive her away.

    ¡°Yes, Hansen. I saw it with my own eyes yesterday. This woman did indeed push your son into the pool. You should drive such a vicious person out as soon as possible.¡± Sabrina supported Marissa and persuaded Hansen along with her.

    ¡°Did such a thing really happen?¡± Hansen asked in a stern voice as his face darkened.

    ¡°No, Hansen. I really didn¡¯t push him. I know Jerry¡¯s your son, and he¡¯ll be my son in the future too. So, how can I possibly harm him? Hansen, they¡¯re all ndering me. You have to trust me.¡± Liya¡¯s face was streaked with tears as she sobbed pitifully.

    Hansen nced at her in a condescending manner. No one could tell how he was feeling right then.

    ¡°Liya, do you know that no matter who you pushed yesterday, it is still an illegal act, let alone a child. What you did was truly vile. I cannot forgive you,¡± Hansen said tly, but his tone was very dignified.

    Upon hearing that, Liya cried even harder.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯ve finally understood. Now that you¡¯ve obtained what you wanted from me, you want to use this as an excuse to drive me away. Let me tell you.I¡¯d rather die than leave this ce.¡± Liya gritted her teeth and she made up her mind. She looked as if she wasn¡¯t afraid of dying.

    Hansen frowned and said in a deep voice, ¡°Nonsense.When did I say that I was going to take this opportunity to drive you away?¡± After saying that, he took a deep breath and walked to Marissa¡¯s side,saying loudly, ¡°Mom, this matter is definitely Liya¡¯s fault.I know it¡¯s unforgivable, but please forgive her this time for my sake. After all,our wedding will be held next week. It¡¯s not very appropriate to drive her away at this time.¡±

    As soon as he said that, everyone in the living room was stunned.

    Jenna¡¯s whole body turned ice-cold.

    A weekter, Hansenreally was going to marry Liya.

    That was definitely not a dream, nor was it a rumor. It was something that Hansen had announced in front of everyone. So, it could not be fake.

    The living room was so quiet that one could even hear a pin drop.

    All of a sudden, Jenna felt disgusted. She was so disgusted that her whole stomach tensed up.

    When Hansen, Jerry¡¯s father, knew that his only son had been pushed into the water by that woman, not only did he absolve her of me, but he even pleaded on her behalfand asked Marissa to let her off the hook. Moreover, he even announced their wedding right then.

    Was there anything more chilling than that in the world?

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached so much that she closed her eyes. There was something burning in her eyes that was causing her immense pain.

    ¡°Although I won¡¯t drive you away, you did indeed make a mistake. This time, I¡¯ll let you go, but you still need to pay the price for making a mistake. How about this? Maud, how should we deal with Liya ording to the family rules if she made such a mistake?¡± Hansen turned his head to Maud who was next to him.

    Aftering back to his senses, Maud pondered if Hansen really wanted to punish her or if he was trying to protect her. Before he could figure out Hansen¡¯s intention, he carefully replied.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, ording to the family rules, Liya will have to be disciplined domestically.¡± Maud looked at Hansen¡¯s face, cleared his throat, andcontinued.¡°You can choose to deduct her wages or punish her by kneeling down in the punishment room for an entire day.¡±

    If an ordinary servantmitted such a crime, he or she would have been directly driven away. However, if it was one of the masters that couldn¡¯t be driven away, they needed to be punished or disciplined domestically.

    Anyone could see the difference between the two, as one was specifically designed for people who were special. As for how Liya was going to be punished, Maud could only listen to Hansen¡¯s orders and act ordingly.

    Everyone at the scene fell silent, as they all wanted to see how Hansen would deal with that matter.

    Hansen looked at Liya, who was kneeling on the ground and sobbing. If she was to be disciplined domestically, her body would definitely not be able to withstand it. Moreover, their wedding preparations were about to begin. That would not do. It seemed that he could only choose thetter.

    He immediately ordered Maud. ¡°Since Liya has made a mistake, she should be punished. Maud, take her to the punishment room and make her kneel while facing the wall. Teach her about the family rules too. There won¡¯t be a next time.¡±

    Since Hansen had spoken in such a manner, it meant that he had the intention to protect Liya. Therefore, Maud could only agree immediately.

    He immediately brought Liya, who was still sobbing, away to carry out the punishment.

    Hearing that Hansen had announced their marriage in public, Liya was overjoyed. Her punishment was very light as well. Hansen reallywasa man of his word, as hefulfilled his promise and even did his best to protect her. There was nothing that made her happier than that. She got up from the floor almost immediately and obediently followed Maud. Before she left, she looked at Jenna¡¯s pale face at the corner of her eyes, which made her feel extremely smug.

    Jenna was much older than her, and she was not as young and talented as her. Liya thought that she would have the opportunity to turn the tables in the future.

    Looking at her, Liya estimated that Jenna would soon turn into a faded old woman. In that case, Hansen¡¯s interest in her would surely diminish day by day. By then, her chance woulde.

    Liya had always been confident in dealing with men.

    The moonlight fell onto the golden roof of Richards Manor. The mottled shadows of the trees waved around along the wind, adding a touch of nobility and mystery to therge residence.

    A crescent moon could be seen through the window.

    Meanwhile, in Trevor¡¯s study.

    The aroma of tea had spread throughout the room, and it was very fragrant.

    Next to the coffee table, Trevor and Hansen were talking while enjoying the tea.

    Trevor¡¯s taste for fine tea was absolutely unique and outstanding.Hansen¡¯s love for tea originated from Trevor¡¯s cultivation.

    From childhood, the father and son duo would first enjoy tea with each other at the coffee tablebefore they needed to make a big decision. After drinking a cup of fine tea, and smelling the refreshing aroma of the tea, they could think more clearly, andnaturally,e up with a solution for the problem they wanted to solvein no time.

    After the water was boiled, Trevor picked up the purple y teapot and put some Earl Grey tea leaves into it. Trevor was very fond of any fine tea, butHansen particrly liked Earl Grey.

    Thus, the father¡¯s and son¡¯s conversation topic would usually revolve around Earl Grey, which was mainly for the sake of Hansen¡¯s love for it.

    As the water became dark from the Earl Grey tea, it started to emit a faint aroma of tea too. The dark brown tea was boiling hot. If one inhaled gently near the cup, the hot aroma would slowly enter one¡¯s nostrils. Then, if one closed one¡¯s eyes, one would be able to enjoy the aroma of tea entering their lungs. After one opened one¡¯s eyes and gently took a small sip, the aroma would have already reached one¡¯s lungs andmade one¡¯s mind extraordinarily clear and rxed.

    After drinking a cup of tea.

    ¡°Hansen, the wedding will be held next Saturday.¡± After Trevor drank a cup of tea, his face was flushed, and he talked in good spirits.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Dad.¡± Hansen¡¯s expression darkened as he nodded in acknowledgment.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± He put down his teacup, looked at Hansen, and asked in a deep voice, ¡°You have to spread this information to the public in these few days. This time, you must take this opportunity to get rid of the evils which are pestering Richards Manor. I won¡¯t allow any failure.¡±

    ¡°Dad, I¡¯ve already made a thorough n.¡± Hansen nodded. He couldn¡¯t rx, no matter how hard he tried.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    ¡°Are you confident that Zoe will show up and expose Liya¡¯s crime?¡± Trevor¡¯s eyes narrowed, and his pupils emitted a dark glint.

    Hansen took another sip of tea and said thoughtfully, ¡°Through this period of time of observation and analysis, I believe that she¡¯ll definitely not let Liya marry me smoothly. Also, I have also shown a lot of love for Liya, to the point that Zoe believes that I had already fallen for Liya, and she will definitely do something about it, ording to her usual behaviour. Hence, on the day of the wedding, she¡¯ll definitelye forward and expose the matter of Liya stealing Jenna¡¯s fingerprints. Just like that, Liya will also point out the matter of Zoe framing the Richards Group. After that, they will fight with each other and expose more evidence. With that, I believe that the Richards Group can be proved innocent very soon. After that, we can leave everything to the police.¡±

    Trevor listened carefully and nodded.

    For that day, Hansen had made many preparations to let Zoe believe that he had fallen in love with Liya. His n had always been to let Zoe and Liya fight with each other, as he believed that Zoe wouldn¡¯t just let him marry Liya.

    ¡°Yes, Reid is a very scheming person. So, we can only save ude through this risky move. But, do you think that Reid will bring ude to the wedding?¡± Trevor¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Hansen, we must make necessary preparations for this.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll definitely participate.¡± Hansen was very confident. Reid cared about Liya a lot. So, Hansen wasn¡¯t scared that he wouldn¡¯t show up. ¡°I have already discussed the conditions with him. I will hold the wedding first, and once udereturnssafely, I will register for marriage with Liya in Ennd. He will have no choice but toe and see the wedding for himself.¡±

    Trevor held the cup with both hands and drank the tea, but he did not say anything.

    ¡°Dad, we can¡¯t afford to fail this time.I¡¯ll definitely not marry Liya, and I¡¯ll only be using this wedding to get rid of these problems.¡± Hansen¡¯s tone was firm, as he tightened his grip on the teacup in his hand.

    ¡°Hansen, follow me.¡± Trevor stood up and walked outside.

    Hansen did not know what Trevor was trying to do. He was taken aback for a moment before he followed him out.

 Chapter 529 Many Worries

    In the chapel of Richards Manor.

    Trevor and Hansen both knelt in front of the altar.

    ¡°Hansen, we can¡¯t sit by and do nothing when Yadriel is smuggling weapons and harming the interests of the country. The following battle will be the most intense one so far, but we have to rescue ude before that. We must not let them get hold of the Richards family¡¯s weakness.¡± After bowing a few times to the Virgin Mary effigy, Trevor spoke in a loud and clear tone in front of the altar.

    ¡°Dad, I will not betray Jenna by marrying Liya. Besides, how can I let such a woman marry into the family? Therefore, we must win this time. Otherwise, I can¡¯t bear to face Jenna, Jerry, and God.¡±

    Hansen bowed three times devoutly before closing his eyes.

    Due to the fact that he had spread the news of him marrying Liya, Jerry would pout and pull a long face whenever he saw him. That kid¡¯s prejudice against him was deep right then, as he was certain that Hansen didn¡¯t want him and his mother anymore.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t help but to smile as he thought of Jerry¡¯s adorable face and what he had whispered to him.

    He just wanted to live a happy and blissful life with Jerry and Jenna. In fact, he didn¡¯t ask for much. Any ordinary man would be able to achieve it, but it was too difficult for him.

    ¡°Blessed Virgin Mary, please bless me and Hansen, so that our n will seed. This rtes to thewell-beingof generations of our familyas well as the interests of our country. We can¡¯t afford to fail.¡± Trevor¡¯s face was very serious and heavy.

    If they couldn¡¯t save ude and deal with Zoe, they could not get away, let alone fight with Yadriel. Those were all the essential premises that they had tosort out, and Trevor knew it clearly.

    After returning to the study, the father and son duo spread out a map of the Richards Manor.

    ¡°Dad, once Reid¡¯s group sneaks into Richards Manor with ude, our people will catch them all at once. Then, the police will make use of this opportunity to obtain evidence of Yadriel smuggling firearms. After that, they will definitely find out the truth about the petrochemical factory in Wullen Town, and they might even deal with Yadriel entirely.¡± Hansen pointed at several points on the map.¡°My people will set up a trap in these ces, and Christopher will also send his people to be stationed around here and wait for them to fall into the trap.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s expression was very solemn, and it seemed as if he had given that n quite some thought. He didn¡¯t believe that something unexpected would happen with his meticulous arrangements.

    It was just that he couldn¡¯t be too hasty. He had to do things steadily.

    Trevor¡¯s pupils were dark and endless, and he didn¡¯t show any emotions on his face as hejust frowned and was in deep thought.

    If it was that easy to deal with Yadriel, then he would not be able to im his position as the Capital City¡¯s governor with such ease. It was a position ordinary people wouldn¡¯t even imaginepeting for.

    Moreover, that old schemer probably had already done a lot of preparations for that matter.

    ¡°No matter what, we must make this matter a sess. We can¡¯t afford to fail!¡± Trevor¡¯s voice was wise and steady, carrying a hint of sadness and determination.

    If they really failed, then it was very likely that Hansen would have no choice but to marry Liya. That was something he didn¡¯t want to see, and the path ahead¡­

    Hansen exchanged nces with Trevor and understood what he meant. He also nodded his head in a very solemn manner.

    The atmosphere was incredibly heavy.

    As soon as they finished their words, the light in the room suddenly flickered.

    The father and son duo were puzzled, and they looked up at the same time.

    With a loud crack, sparks appeared on the ceiling. Soon after, the entire room went dark.

    The moonlight was quietly pouring in from the window. In the moonlight, Hansen looked up and saw that the bulb of the ceilingmp in the study had burnt out.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Hansen?¡± Trevor¡¯s expression changed, as he asked in a trembling voice. He was in shock.

    Hansen narrowed his eyes. He had a feeling that something bad would happen andimmediately replied in a deep voice, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just that the light bulb has burnt out. I¡¯ll get an electrician toe over and change it.¡±

    In the moonlight, he turned on the wallmp.

    The room was lit up again, but the light was much dimmer than before.

    Hansen immediately pulled out thendline and made a phone call to Maud.

    Soon, Maud came in a hurry with an electrician.

    Untilthe ceilingmp was fixed, Trevor was still in a state of shock and uncertainty. He thought that the situation was too much of a coincidence.

    He gasped slightly and sat down on the couch with his hand rubbing his temple.

    ¡°Dad, take a sip of tea. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Both father and son understood each other very well. So, of course, Hansen knew how Trevor was feeling. He then poured a cup of hot tea for Trevor andforted him softly.

    Trevor heaved a sigh of relief, took the cup of tea, and sipped the tea before he was able to calm down.

    After that minor incident, he was obviously more worried.

    He then sat down and looked at the map with Hansen. They inspected the terrain over and over again and analyzed the map even more carefully. It wasn¡¯t until thetter half of the night that they came up with an effective n.

    As night fell, Jenna and Sabrina had gone to take a stroll in the garden.Jenna felt exhausted after that. So, she went to the second floor quite early to get ready to go to bed.

    The moonlight shone on the light red quilt embroidered with peony, and Jenna¡¯s pinkish arms were outside the quilt. She looked at her arms and saw that they were very pale, while the quilt cast a red glow, as if it was scarlet red. She felt nauseous all of a sudden, but the exhaustion and listlessness were more intense than the nauseous feeling.

    Seeing how red it looked, she became terrified.So, she got up and drew the curtains to block the faint moonlight, immersing herself in darkness.It was so that she didn¡¯t have to think about anything. It was too tiring!

    Soon, she fell into a deep sleep.

    She didn¡¯t know when it happened whena familiar chest started to stick against her, and her skin was caressed by a pair of big hands. However, she was very sleepy, or perhaps she wassubconsciouslyunwilling to wake up. She slept really soundly.

    When she woke up early the next morning, she saw Hansen walking out of the bathroom. He had just finished showering, as drops of water could be seen dripping from his hair on his forehead. His face, after he had just woken up, was as handsome as ever.

    Seeing that Jenna was looking at him nkly, he smiled and approached her. ¡°Jenna, go and wash up first. I have something to tell you today.¡±

    ¡°Then, tell me right now.¡± Jenna frowned as she only wanted to hear what he was going to say.

    ¡°No, I will only tell you after you wash up and finish breakfast.¡± He bent over and looked at her face carefully, saying pitifully, ¡°Look at your face. It¡¯s so sallow. Could it be that you¡¯re going to turn into a faded old woman very soon?¡±

    He was joking when he said thetter half of the sentence.

    Hisrge hand stroked her face. He thought that her listless, sallow face looked kind of familiar. It was as if it was d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    Nheless, he had been too busy in recent days, and he would be even busier in the next few days. He really couldn¡¯t afford to care for her too much.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Thinking about the current situation, he fell silent.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just as you wished if I turn into a faded old woman? You have a younger and more beautiful second wife waiting for you.¡± Jenna pushed his hand away, feeling the sorrow in her heart.

    ¡°Are you angry? I¡¯m just kidding. I will never despise my wife. Even if she turns into an old woman, she will still be my treasure.¡± Hansen sat down next to the bed and hugged her shoulder as he spoke gently and sweetly.

    Jenna lowered her head and fell silent. She didn¡¯t care about such sweet words.

    If the words of a man could be believed, thenpigs would fly!

    Of course, she knew that he was joking, but she was in a bad mood and was very annoyed!

    ¡°Jenna, please wait patiently for some more time. Once the crisis is over, I will take you and Jerry out to have fun. At that time, I will satisfy each and every demand of yours.¡± Hansen continued gently.¡°In this period of time, if you feel ufortable, remember to go and see a doctor. We have doctors at home, and you can consult them. It¡¯s fine if you want some family members to apany you to the hospital too. However, you must eat more. I don¡¯t like thin women. Don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything as long as I¡¯m here.¡±

    As he said that, he caressed her body with his hand,and said in surprise, ¡°s, you really have lost a lot of weight.¡±

    Jenna pushed him.

    Hansen took that opportunity to pick her up and carried her to the bathroom, forcing her to wash up.

    Feeling helpless, Jenna had no choice but to follow his intentions and wash herself up.

    ¡°Jenna, I have to tell you something. I think you might have some idea of what I want to tell you.¡± After breakfast, Hansen took Jenna¡¯s hand and came to the second floor. As they sat on the couch, Hansen finally began to talk to her. ¡°Next Saturday, I will have my wedding with Liya in Richards Manor. You have to be mentally prepared for it.¡±

    His voice was t, and he looked very calm, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him. Jenna didn¡¯t even have to look at his face to know how indifferent his attitude was right then.

    The fact that Hansen could say such things with a normal attitude, as if he was talking about something insignificant, was probably because he was afraid that Jenna would be angry.

    Jenna knew that.

    As a result, she forced a smile on her face.

    ¡°Congrattions on finally getting to marry a beauty.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, can you not mock me like that?¡± Hansen said as he showed a pained expression.

    D*mn, such a joyous and lucky thing had happened to him, yet he still showed such a pained expression, as if she was forcing him to take a second wife.

    Jenna felt irritated just thinking about it.

    ¡°Do you mind?¡± Hansen observed her. Seeing her expressionless face, he couldn¡¯t help but to ask curiously.

    ¡°s.¡± Jenna took a long breath.¡°My husband is handsome and rich. So, I should be happy that a lot of girls like him. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, and his lips curved into a beautiful arc. There was a glint of clear light in his eyes, as he ced his arm across Jenna¡¯s waist. With just a slight force, he drew closer to Jenna and made her fall into his embrace.

    Jenna tried to push him away, but Hansen tightened his grip on her waist.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about me like that. Be good. Next Saturday, I¡¯ll take you and Jerry out somewhere to rx,¡± Hansen said in a soft and seductive voice. Nevertheless, in Jenna¡¯s ears, it sounded very shrill.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t even discuss such an important matter with meandsimply informed me. You really are patriarchal. Since you¡¯ve already decided, why are you still pretending to be a good person right here? I don¡¯t need you to bring me and Jerry out somewhere to rx. I think you¡¯d better go on a honeymoon with your beautiful newlywed wife,¡± Jenna said coldly. Since she couldn¡¯t escape from his embrace, she had no choice but to stay put.

 Chapter 530 Worried About Your Safety

    Hansen held her waist with one hand and her small hand with his other. He exerted more strength to stop her from getting up, as he knew that Jenna had a grudge against him. However, he didn¡¯t exin anything. He just held her, and the two continued to nestle like that.

    Seeing him trying to soothe her, Jenna said bitterly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll fulfil my duty as the legal wife that day. I¡¯ll prepare the wedding for you, and make it grand and glorious, so that you won¡¯t be embarrassed. Since I¡¯ve promised you, I¡¯ll definitely do it.¡±

    Hansen caressed her sallow faceas gently as the spring breeze. After a while, he asked softly, ¡°Jenna, are you really personally going to host the wedding for me? You can choose not to participate.¡±

    ¡°No, I want to participate. I want others to see how virtuous and generous I am as a wife. I want people to know that you already have a very virtuous wife,and then let all the men in A City admire you and set a precedent, sothat they can take a second wife the right way.¡± Jenna mocked Hansen in a sorrowful and stubborn manner.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze turned solemn as the muscles on his face stiffened. He then fixed his gaze on her face.

    ¡°Jenna, if you¡¯re gonna hate me because of this, then hate me,¡± he said in a low voice. There was a trace of sorrow and helplessness in his voice.

    Jenna wanted tough. He would gain fame and benefit from it.So, how could he still act as if he was in pain?

    He should continue to put on an act!

    From beginning to end, he was the one who had the final say. He had never discussed anything with her and had never prioritized her presence at all. The day before, he had even made a decision in a domineering manner in front of everyone, without discussing it with her beforehand. Jenna wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if she was thest one to learn about it. Furthermore, Jerry was his own son, and that woman had harmed his own son. How could he endure it? It appeared as if that man was really a jerk and a very big jerk at that!

    Did he care about Jerry¡¯s and her feelings when he was doing those things?

    ¡°What about you? Do you have something to say to me?¡± He felt her sadness and asked softly in her ear with his lips against her ear.

    ¡°Madam Lilian came back to A City. I saw her at the auction yesterday and wanted to treat her to a special meal.¡± Jenna briefly expressed her thoughts. At that time, she really didn¡¯t want to say any unnecessary words to him.

    ¡°Did Madam Lilian attend the auction too?¡± Hansen was surprised when he heard that.

    ¡°Yes, she attended the auctionand evenpeted with me for the jade fan.¡± Jenna was also very confused about it, asshe answered softly.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I see.¡± Hansen was very surprised. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to be able to treat her to a meal. Are you sure she will being?¡±

    He was very interested in that matter. At thest banquet, Madam Lilian had shown a special interest in Jenna. Therefore, it would be a good thing if Jenna could treat Madam Lilian to a meal.He would support her with all his might.

    ¡°Of course. It was Madam Lilian who proposed to have a meal with me. Sheinitiallywanted to eat street food but was stopped by her staff. So, I suggested treating her to a special meal.¡± Jenna thought about Madam Lilian¡¯s behavior the day before, and she really thought that Madam Lilian was a very cordial and kind old woman. She didn¡¯t put on airs at all. Sometimes, she even showed great interest in some trivial things like a child.

    That was why she didn¡¯t find it difficult to treat Madam Lilian to a meal and didn¡¯t understand why the outside world would view her that way.

    As she thought about that, a knowing smile appeared on her face.

    ¡°Oh. So, that¡¯s it.¡± Hansen seemed to be deep in thought as he replied. Then, he looked at his wife. She finally had a smile on her face.

    Indeed, Madam Lilian was very interested in his wife and was a very thoughtful person. He immediately teased her. ¡°Jenna, it seems like you¡¯re so charming that people of all genders have a good impression of you, asnow even an old woman likes you. It makes me feel moved.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Jenna rolled her eyes at him.¡°Alright, then. No matter how charming I am, I can¡¯t marry two husbands. Compared to you, it¡¯s a long shot for me. In terms of this, I still have to acknowledge you as someone who¡¯s in a better position than me.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face darkened, and he tightened his grip on her hand.¡°Honey, can you not ridicule me?¡±

    Jenna snorted and turned her face away.

    ¡°Honey, so when do you n to treat Madam Lilian to a meal?¡± he asked a bit meaningfully.

    ¡°Today at noon. I¡¯m going to get ready soon,¡± Jenna said as she stood up.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Hansen immediately stood up as well.

    ¡°You¡¯d better note.¡± When Jenna thought of the time he had left her alone and had run away, as soon as Liya had called him at the auction the day before,it made her ufortable and sad.So, she immediately rejected him.¡°Dining with Madam Lilian isn¡¯t like going to the auction. If some other woman calls you during the meal, then you can¡¯t just leave. It¡¯ll be rude. You¡¯d better go and prepare for your wedding.¡±

    As she spoke, Jenna walked in front of the mirror and put on some light makeup. She then packed up and was ready to go out. She never liked to put on heavy makeup, and she believed that Madam Lilian wouldn¡¯t mind either, because sometimes they would really be able to understand each other. Jenna thought that it was her instinct at work, or rather, fate.

    ¡°No, I must go with you. Otherwise, if you make any mistakes, I will lose respect. Moreover, I know more about the manners of treating big shots than you do. After all, you haven¡¯t experienced it much.¡± Hansen was worried about her,and he began to tidy up his clothes.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m telling you this because I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll think that I¡¯m going to seduce another man. I¡¯m going to the kitchen of a five-star restaurant to cook this meal, and I¡¯m going to pick some unique street food that A City has to offer and have the chefs cook and serve them on the spot. Therefore, for this meal, I¡¯m personally going to participate in the selection of ingredients, the process of cooking, and even the meal itself. It¡¯s very likely that I¡¯ll be busy the whole day. Do you really think that you have that time for that?¡± Jenna held her purse. Shewore a neat, shoulder-length dress, had a high bun, and had some elegant yet simple makeup, which showed off her exquisite figure. She looked very neat and pretty.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze lingered on her body, constantly drifting up and down. All of a sudden, his throat felt very dry, and he wanted nothing more than to hug her and make out with her.

    In fact, his wife had be more and more mature and charming ever since she had given birth. Every time he saw her, especially her pretty derri¨¨re, it would always make him very excited. However, herplexion didn¡¯t look good recently, and it was most likely because she was still upset about Liya¡¯s matters.

    Hansen stared nkly after hearing Jenna¡¯s words, and he turned his eyes away from her body with great strain.

    It turned out that Jenna wanted to cook personally for Madam Lilian. It required technical skills. He knew that she was good at cooking, but wouldn¡¯t it be too tiring for her to do so?

    ¡°Jenna, shall I pick a few chefs for you? It¡¯ll be too hard on you to do this by yourself.¡± He advised her tenderly. He truly did not wish to see her working so hard, and he was afraid that it would take up her whole day. If that was the case, he really wouldn¡¯t be able to stay by her side, and that would only make him even more worried, especially for her safety, as something bad had happened to her just a few days ago. Moreover, Alvin has to go along with his ns and couldn¡¯t protect her in secret. So, how could he not be worried?

    ¡°No. Since it¡¯s something unique, it must be distinctive. What¡¯s so special about the meal if it had been cooked by chefs that can be found all over the streets? Also, I can only show my sincerity by cooking myself. It¡¯s decided. Just focus on your wedding.¡± Jenna announced in a haughty manner before he could refute her. After that, she turned around proudly and left.

    Hansen looked at her back and was stunned for a long time. He then recalled his n. So, he could only let her do as she liked. At the moment, he called Maud, and asked him to take several people with him to protect Jenna, and left in a hurry.

    As soon as Jenna went out, she met Sergio.

    ¡°Jenna, good morning.¡± Sergio sized her up with a burning gaze and finally looked at her face. There was a look of approval in his eyes as he smiled warmly.

    Jenna didn¡¯t expect that she would meet him in Green Jade Garden. After a moment of shock, she could only force a smile when facing his enthusiasm.

    She was sure that Hansen would follow her out soon.Recalling his warning not to have any interactions with Sergio, she simply nodded with a smile and walked away from him. However,when she passed Sergio, he grabbed her arm.

    ¡°Jenna, where are you going? Should I go with you?¡± Seeing how Jenna was dressed, Sergio knew that she was going out. So. he hurriedly pulled her. ¡°How can you go out alone? I¡¯m worried about you.¡±

    Jenna had never thought that Sergio would dare to pull her arm even at her doorstep. She was a married woman, and her husband who was following behind her would arrive anytime soon. His action caused Jenna to be at a loss for a moment. After a while, she regained her senses and immediately shook his hands off, saying coldly, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Mr. Xanthe, please mind your own business.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, have you forgotten that you were almost murdered thest time? Are you really not worried about your own safety by going out alone?¡± Sergio asked worriedly.

    Sergio was very worried if Jenna were to go out alone. At the moment, his heart was constantly thinking of her, worrying about her safety,and he didn¡¯t want anything to happen to her. He was being sincere, without the slightest hint of hypocrisy.

    Evidently, Jenna was aware of that as well. Nevertheless, after a moment of pondering, she replied in an indifferent tone, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pay more attention to my safety.¡±

    After saying that, she seemed to have heard footstepsing from behind. She was not sure if those were Hansen¡¯s, but she didn¡¯t want him to misunderstandthe situation.So, she lowered her head and hurried off.

 Chapter 531 Treating Madam Lilian to A Meal

    In a luxurious limousine, Jenna was sitting in the middle of the back row, whereas Maud was sitting in the front while indicating the directions. The driver was concentrating on driving Jenna to the most hygienic and top-grade vegetable market in the city.

    Jenna personally selected the ingredients, from meat to vegetables, all of which were the freshest and of the finest grade. She did not prepare too many ingredients as she wanted the meal to be light. Instead, she prepared two seasonal dishes, soup, and invited two chefs, who specialized in street food. She personally cooked the dishes and soup, and monitored how the two chefs made the unique street food dishes in the kitchen of the five-star hotel. Then, she went down and personally invited Madam Lilian into the guest room.

    When Madam Lilian saw Jenna, she was all smiles. Also, when she learnt that Jenna personally made that meal for her, she was so excited that she couldn¡¯t speak, and her eyes were filled with grateful tears.

    Jenna¡¯s face was slightly blushing. She held onto Madam Lilian¡¯s arm as she smiled with her sparkling eyes.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, it¡¯s my honor to treat you to a meal. I hope you¡¯ll like it,¡± she whispered in a soft tone. Upon hearing that, Madam Lilian replied happily, ¡°Child, I¡¯m so happy that you¡¯ve personally cooked the meal for me. It¡¯s really my blessing to meet you.¡±

    Jenna smiled sweetly and held Madam Lilian¡¯s arm as they walked carefully. Then, a staff member next to Madam Lilian said with a smile, ¡°Mrs. Richards, when Ma¡¯am heard that you¡¯re going to treat her to a meal and that you¡¯ll be personally cooking the meal for her, she was so happy that she couldn¡¯t even close her mouth. I have never seen Madam Lilian being so happy before. It seems that you and Madam Lilian are really destined to meet. You two look simr too.¡±

    Madam Lilian became happier when she heard her staff member¡¯s words. At the same time, she also re-examined Jenna. She always felt that Jenna was familiar and that they got along with each other a lot. That kind of feeling was really something she had never felt before. So, when she heard the secretary¡¯s words, she couldn¡¯t help but to think about it.

    The beautiful crystal chandelier shone brightly, and the pink wallpaper gave warmth to the atmosphere of the room.

    Jenna chose a small private room.

    Apart from Jenna and Madam Lilian, there was only Madam Lilian¡¯s secretary apanying them.

    The chefs and waiters were personally chosen by Jenna. In order to ensure their safety, Jenna also called Paul and Irvin over to guard them in secret.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, try this honey-coated profiteroles.¡± Jenna remembered that during thest banquet, she and Madam Lilian both liked to eat those kinds of sticky cream puffs and seemed to have a soft spot for them. Therefore, Jenna used a spoon to scoop one and put it in Madam Lilian¡¯s bowl.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Madam Lilian put the honey-coated profiterole into her mouth and chewed it. Her mouth was then filled with the fragrance of flowers, and she couldn¡¯t help but to keep praising it.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, I used some fresh flowers as the filling. Although it is not much, I can guarantee that it will be very fragrant. My mother once said that if one matches the original food with the fragrance of fresh flowers, the fragrance will leave a deep impression, and the person who eats it will never forget that feeling,¡± Jenna said proudly, chuckling.

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s really like this.¡± As Madam Lilian chewed gently, she could feel the fragrant scent from the flower wafting down her throat into her stomach. Then, the lingering scent in her mouth made her feel as if her entire body had beenced with the fragrance of flowers,making her feel veryfortable.¡°Your mother¡¯s words are so true. It looks like your mother is also an exquisite woman.¡±

    Madam Lilian praised her from the bottom of her heart, and Jenna smiled proudly.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, try this. This is a famous snack in A city, mugwort biscuits. It is made with carefully selected mugworts. It has the effect of nourishing the spleen and refreshing the liver. The taste is excellent as well.¡± Jenna picked up the round, green biscuit on the lotus leaves and put it in Madam Lilian¡¯s bowl.

    ¡°Madam, this is known as moltenva cake. It is most popr with for women. There are many delicious things stuffed in the cake.¡±

    ¡°This is beef with cumin sauce. It was made with beef that came from the savannah.So, the taste is very exquisite.¡±

    ¡­

    Jenna introduced all kinds of snacks to Madam Lilian, one by one, and Madam Lilian ced each of them aside after taking just one bite.She ate all of them happily and even ate a lot more than she expected.

    ¡°Child, you can call me Grandma from now on. I¡¯ll also call you by your first name, Jenna. What do you think?¡± The more Madam Lilian looked at Jenna, the more she liked her, to the point that she really wanted to stay with her everyday. As for Jenna, she also felt that Madam Lilian was kind and gentle. It was rare for an elderly woman to have that kind of character. Therefore, when Madam Lilian said that, Jenna immediately called her ¡®Grandma¡¯.

    Madam Lilian was pleasantly surprised and agreed happily at once.

    She then removed the jade bracelet from her hand and gave it to Jenna.

    Jenna looked at it carefully. It was carved from jade with the finest quality, and its texture was very exquisite. Therefore, Jenna knew that it was extremely valuable with a nce.So, she rejected it. Nevertheless, she saw that Madam Lilian, who deliberately put on a long face, said pitifully, ¡°Jenna, if you don¡¯t want it, then it means that you¡¯re looking down on me. If that¡¯s the case, you might make me think that you¡¯re not sincere.¡±

    Jenna was stunned, and she had no choice but to ept it.

    Madam Lilian put it on for her in person and smiled with satisfaction, when she saw how good it matched Jenna.

    After that meal, the two acted like a kind and amiable pair of grandmother and granddaughter, and their behaviors were affectionate. Even the secretary by the side sighed with emotion, when she saw how close they were.

    On the other side, in another luxurious private room of the five-star hotel, Hansen was also drinking andughing merrily.

    At that moment, the mayor of A City, Sadiva Garver and Hansen were sitting across each other and enjoying their meal.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Sadiva was treating Hansen to that meal.

    Hansen had already known Sadiva¡¯s purpose of doing so, and he agreed, as he also had his own intentions. Right then, A City¡¯s economy was in a recession.Their revenue wasn¡¯t that good, and even all the taxes he collected from the citizens were about to be used up. What troubled Sadiva most was that since A City was a provincial capital with a great reputation, the Regional Games was nned to be held at A City.

    Such a wonderful thing would only make A City¡¯s reputation flourish. Although it might seem like a good thing, only he, Hansen, knew its mystery. To hold such a big event like the Regional Gameswould require a lot of money. It was not as fun as one would think.

    Hansen knew what Sadiva was thinking about.

    The whole world was paying attention to the Regional Games. If Sadiva held it in a low-key manner, not only would it bring shame upon A City, it would also cause the country to be humiliated. Sadiva was someone involved in the political world. So, naturally, he knew that point.

    Besides, that year was the third year since he had been appointed the mayor. How sessful Sadiva would hold the Regional Games was the factor to whether he could continue his term as the mayor, and was a way to gauge how capable he was.

    So, if he had financial difficulties, what should he do? Of course, he should seek help from other businesses and taxpayers.

    A City was huge. If one wanted to hold the Regional Games in a way that would leave asting impression on the entire world, then the municipal government would have to up their game. This meant that they were in need of arge amount of money.

    The Richards Group in A City was a well-known corporation. In addition to that, Hansen was one of the richest individuals in the world, which was why Sadiva thought of him first.

    Hansen knew Sadiva¡¯s purpose for treating him to a meal very well, buthispany had been turned upside down by Zoe. Not only that, but some of hisnd titles were also in imminent danger.

    At that time, the Regional Games was a test for the government, as well as a business opportunity for him at the same time.

    ¡°Mr. Garver, several restaurants andmercialnds owned by the Richards Group were initially operating smoothly, but recently, incidents have happened, one after another. I wonder if Mr. Garver knows about it?¡± Hansen mentioned it casually before Sadiva could even speak.

    He had to bring up the problem first, so that Sadiva could understand his current situation.

    Sadiva knew more or less about the Richards Group¡¯s matters, especially the incident of the Richards Group leaking state secrets, which used to cause him a lot of trouble. However, he had his own intentions in meeting Hansen. Firstly, he needed Hansen¡¯s financial resources. Secondly, such arge enterprise was the instrument of governmental support. Plus, after hundreds of years, in terms of business, paid taxes, and social capital, the Richards Group had indeed be an important part of A City. It was the time to use such a good resource. In fact, Sadiva really couldn¡¯t afford the Richards Group to copse at that time. Otherwise, the impact of it would seriously affect the economy of A City, which was something that Sadiva didn¡¯t want to happen, just as they were about to hold the Regional Games.

    Therefore, he, Sadiva, had already long thought of a n.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯ve heard little about the Richards Group. Don¡¯t worry. All previous partymittees, including me, have attached great importance to big enterprises, especially to a person as talented as you are. Our partymittee pays a lot of attention to matters like these. Now that something like this has happened to yourpany, I¡¯ve already ordered the relevant departments to observe it publicly and investigate it privately.¡± Sadiva smiled and spoke in a very considerate manner.

    Those words made Hansen feel likeughing. Of course, he knew that if the Richards Group copsed at that time, the taxes that A City would get would be cut by more than half. It wasn¡¯t an ideal situation for Sadiva at all.

    At that time, the reason the mayor of A City and one of the world¡¯s richest businessmen were sitting together was that they were all doing their best for their own interests.

    Two years ago, Hansen had helped Sadiva bring down Earl, which allowed Sadiva, who initially had no hope, to be the mayor. Therefore, Sadiva still had a favorable impression of the Richards Group. Moreover, the taxes the Richards Group paid every year was very lucrative.

    ¡°Mr. Garver, I heard that this year¡¯s Regional Games will be held in A City. Congrattions to you, Mr. Garver.¡± Hansen picked up a ss of red wine and stood up to propose a toast to Sadiva.

    Sadiva had a medium build, and was dressed in delicate and casual ck attire. His well-maintained face looked very energetic, and his forehead was radiant. His eyes were bright and full of wisdom. Yet, there was a hint of craftiness in them, which was why no one could guess what he was thinking.

    When Hansen proposed a toast with him, he appeared very sincere as he was also half-kneeling.

    Sadiva knew that although he was the mayor right then, once he was removed from his position, he would be a nobody. However, Hansen was different. He was the permanent president of apany with endless potential. So, it was hard to say who would have the upper hand in the future. In addition to that, the next election was drawing near.

 Chapter 532 Hey Handsome, Want To Sleep With Me?

    ¡°Thank you.¡± After Sadiva thanked him, he gulped down the ss of wine and sighed faintly.¡°s, you guys won¡¯t know how hard it is to be the mayor. Only someone who had been a mayor before knows the hardships of being one.¡±

    Hansen blinked his eyes and smiled faintly when he heard that.

    ¡°Mr. Garver, we are all people of A City. If there is anything that I can help you with, then feel free to speak up,¡± Hansen said sincerely.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Sadiva was waiting for him to say that. Thus, he immediately agreed. ¡°To be honest, the Regional Games is a great opportunity, due to the fact that the whole world¡¯s attention will be focused here. And people from around the world wille to A City as well. This is a very good thing for A City, especially the economy of A City. But no matter how amazing it is, I still have to invest in it and make the event morous, so that the outside world will be confident and have a good impression on A City. Only through this way can we attract people to invest in A City and further expand its economy. Therefore, the municipal government will also need to start making necessary preparations for the construction.¡±

    Hansen understood Sadiva¡¯s intentions upon hearing that. Sadiva was asking the Richards Group to take on arge portion of the construction for free. To put it bluntly, Sadiva wanted them to pay for it.

    He smiled slightly. He could pay for it. After all, it was a matter that would benefit the country and its citizens, buthe wanted something in return.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Garver, you¡¯re right. First impressions are, of course, the most important thing. Also, A City is a reputable metropolis. Otherwise, the country would not have entrusted this big responsibility to us. Since we have been given the responsibility to do so, we should do it properly and solemnly.¡± Hansen nodded in agreement. He only stated that it was a good thing, but he hadn¡¯t mentioned that he would ept it.

    Of course, Sadiva knew what he was thinking too.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯ve already sent my men to investigate thoroughly the Richards Group¡¯s fewmercialnds and some other practical problems. I think I¡¯ll be able to give you justice soon. As for the matter of the Richards Group¡¯s automobile industry leaking secrets, I can only help you make sure that you¡¯ll be able to start manufacturing again. However, I don¡¯t have the ability to pardon your charges.¡± Sadiva spoke out in a timely manner, looking a little embarrassed.

    Of course, Hansen understood that he was being put in a difficult position. Nevertheless, if Sadiva was willing to make a move, Zoe¡¯s n of making things difficult for the Richards Group would be ruined. With that, they would at least be able to stabilize and protect their traditional industries. As for the Richards Group¡¯s automobile industry, Jenna was in charge of it, and that the newly re-establishedpany was under Norton¡¯s control. So, it would not be difficult for them to re-establish their business.

    Hansen seemed to have seen a fresh glimmer of hope.

    Nevertheless, the Richards Group had to spend arge amount of financial resources for that. Although Hansen was a little reluctant to do so,it was quite amon thing for money toe and go. What was more, it was beneficial to the citizen¡¯s livelihoods. So, it didn¡¯t matter if he was required to spend a lot of money. Therefore, at the moment, he spoke in a generous manner.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Garver. The Richards Group will be in charge of the municipal government¡¯s construction of all the roads in A City. I will do my best to aplish these things.¡±

    As soon as he said that, Sadiva¡¯s eyes lit up. He estimated that the construction would at leastneeda few tens of billions of dors. If the Richards Group was willing to bear those expenses, he didn¡¯t have to worry about it anymore.

    Thinking of that, he praised him joyfully.¡°The Richards Group really is rich and generous, to be able to ept such a big project. It is a blessing for us and the people of A City to have such a wealthy entrepreneur like you in A city. On behalf of all the people, I thank you.¡±

    As Sadiva said that, he stood up and bowed down. He then picked up the bottle of red wine on the table and poured some for Hansen and himself. Then, he drank a toast to Hansen respectfully and chugged it all down in one go.

    Hansen also stood up and drank the red wine.

    That was the first time Hansen had topromise in front of a big shot for thepany¡¯s business. He was no longer the arrogant person he was in the past. It was more appropriate to describe him as mature and steady right then.

    Right then, for the sake of his family, his wife and child, he would be willing to act humble at the appropriate time. Wasn¡¯t that the so-called adapting to one¡¯s circumstances?

    After that, they chatted about trivial stuff as they drank the wine happily.

    Jenna and Madam Lilian finally parted ways reluctantly.

    By the time she bid farewell to Madam Lilian, the night was already very dark.

    She felt the cool summer breeze blowing at her. Not knowing why,Jenna was in a fantastic mood.

    She hummed and held her delicate leather bag in her hand. She then looked up at the stars in the sky and walked in an unsteady manner. That day, she was so happy that she drank three sses of red wine.

    Her wine pte wasn¡¯t good, and her alcohol tolerance was no better either. With just three sses, she was almost drunk and was only semi-conscious!

    She usually sang andughed loudly when she was drunk. However, when she was sad, she would cry andugh by the river. If someone was close to her, she would even observe that personand touch their face. Nevertheless, she rarely got drunk.

    The garden of the five-star hotel was huge. After Jenna walked out of the dining room, she went to the rock garden.

    She went to the side of the pond beneath the rock garden with shaky steps. When she saw that the water in the pond was very clear, she tilted her head and inspected the face in the pool¡¯s reflection.

    ¡°Hey, who are you? You¡¯re so beautiful.¡± She giggled and ttered her own reflection in the pool.

    Jenna was then annoyed at the inverted reflection as it would mimic her every action,like smiling and making faces. Due to that, she became slightly unhappy. ¡°Hey, you must be a subus. A subus like Liya. I think I¡¯d better beat you to death.¡±

    After that, she bent over and was about to kick the face of her reflection with her foot.

    As soon as Hansen walked out of the dining room, he couldn¡¯t help but to frown. It was due to the fact that he saw Jenna stepping on the pond¡¯s fence beside the rock pile. She had her head tilted, and would curse and shout at the pond from time to time.

    That d*mned woman must¡¯ve been drinking.

    She had one of her legs very high up, which exposed her underwear. She also had one of her hands at her waist and pointed the other at the pond while saying something.

    The muscles on Hansen¡¯s face twitched.

    Knowing that she was going to treat Madam Lilian to a meal that dayand remembering the incident of her being stabbed thest time, Hansen was very worried about her. That was why he decided to have a meal with Sadiva there.

    That d*mned woman had her phone turned off for the entire day. It seemed like she had devoted her entire heart and soul into treating Madam Lilian to a meal.

    As her husband, of course, he was happy that Madam Lilian had a good impression of his own wife.

    However, he did not expect to see her standing by the rock garden in an extremely indecent manner after receiving a call from Maud. It was really shameful,and it would be bad if the media got hold of that sight.

    At that moment, he took a step forward and rushed over, grabbing her by the waist, and pulling her away from the pond.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. You bad person.How can you get rid of the subus like that?¡± she shouted while iling about.

    Hansen did not know whether tough or to cry when he heard that.

    It turned out that she was still thinking about Liya, even when she was drunk. It seemed that Liya had really affected her a lot. Thinking of that, he felt distressed for her.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t joke around anymore. I¡¯ll bring you home,¡± Hansen said patiently and gently.

    That night, Hansen was in a good mood and felt much more relieved because he had made a deal with Sadiva.

    ¡°Ha!So, it¡¯s a handsome man. You¡¯re so handsome.¡± Jenna escaped from his arms and stepped back, only to see the handsome face that she could never get tired of. She reached out her soft little hands and pinched his face with a giggle, continuing to caress his face gently.

    As Hansen¡¯s face was gently stroked by her, he looked at her grinning. Her face was slightly red because of alcohol and her bright eyes were like the stars in the sky.

    He was stunned.

    In a blink of an eye, Jenna started touching his body with her small hands. Her touch made him feel a little numb and ticklish, causing Hansen¡¯s heart to race.

    ¡°Hey, handsome. Can you stay with me for one night? I¡¯m so lonely.¡± Jenna was very drunk. She asked while chuckling with zed eyes.

    That time, Hansen¡¯s face darkened.

    It turned out that Jenna didn¡¯t even recognize him. She thought of him as a stranger, and she even asked a stranger to keep herpany for the night. What was that!

    At the thought of that, his face became extremely gloomy.

    Jenna looked at him with her head tilted and clicked her tongue.¡°Hey, why is your face so gloomy? I¡¯m just asking you to sleep with me, and you won¡¯t lose anything from it. I¡¯m really lonely. My husband doesn¡¯t want me and my son anymore. He¡¯s going to marry a subus. Seeing that I¡¯m so pitiful, please just keep mepany for the night, alright?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s hands were still on his body, but then she felt that the man¡¯s muscles had tensed up, and his face was getting more and more unpleasant. Thus, she thought that it wasn¡¯t fun anymore.

    ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t need you anymore. I¡¯m going to sleep first.¡± She stretched out, put her hands behind her head, tilted her head and smiled cutely. Then, she fell straight down to the ground with her arms stretched and legs crossed, looking veryfortable and rxed.

    D*mn woman! If she slept like that, wasn¡¯t she asking to get hurt?

    However, Hansen reached out in time to hold Jenna, who still hasn¡¯t fallen to the ground and picked her up.

    ¡°Handsome, what are you doing? I want to sleep now.¡± Upon smelling the familiar scent, she asked in a silly way. Then, she sighed with satisfaction and fell asleep soundly.

    She had initiallybeen very exhausted in that period of time. In addition to how busy she was that day and the fact that she had drunk alcohol, she quickly fell asleep in the arms of Hansen, like a baby.

    Maud then rushed over and said to Hansen with a smile, ¡°Mr. Richards, the driver has already driven the car over. Please get in.¡±

    Hansen said nothing more and got in the car with Jenna in his arms.

    ¡°Maud, how many sses of wine did Madam drink today?¡± Hansen asked Maud, with Jenna in his arms, while sitting on the soft cushions at the back of the car.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Madam didn¡¯t drink much, she only drank three sses of wine,¡± Maud answered carefully in the front seat. At that moment, Hansen¡¯s face didn¡¯t look good. He let Jenna get drunk despite him escorting her.Thus,he was scared that Hansen would berate him.

    It was only three sses of red wine, and she was already so drunk. Jenna was really born to have low tolerance for alcohol.

    Hansen looked down at the woman sleepingfortably in his embrace. He couldn¡¯t help but to shake his head and smile bitterly.

    However, just then, she touched all over him as she liked. Itmade him very ufortable!

    The car slowly drove into Richards Manor. Then, Hansen carefully carried her onto the electric vehicle.

    How did that woman dare ask a man to sleep with her after getting drunk?

    What kind of behavior was that?

    Did she really feel that lonely?

    In those days, although he was very tired, he would try his best toe back to be by her side and satisfy her every night.Despite that, she still dared ask another man to sleep with her. Thinking of that, Hansen was furious.

    After washing her up, Hansen put her on the soft bed and watched her as she slept soundly. Her skin was as smooth as jade. Although her face had a tinge of yellowness in recent days, it was covered by the effects of alcohol. Her face was slightly red, and her breathing was very seductive, which made his heart sting.

    If it weren¡¯t for her saying that she wanted a random man to keep herpany for the night, he would let her go that night. Nevertheless, Hansen got angry whenever he thought of that. His wife was next to him, but she was desperately looking for another partner to sleep with. He wasreally hurt.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    He went to bed.

    He bent over slowly and approached her.

    ¡°No.¡± As soon as his face was close to hers, Jenna extended an arm to gently put it on his neck. She said it in a coy manner, which was very rare for her to do so. Usually, Jenna would never talk to him like that, but that day, he got to see another side of her due to the fact that she had drunk some wine.

    An electric current quickly flowed from her arm and through Hansen¡¯s entire body.

    In an instant, his whole body had gone soft.

 Chapter 533 Who Were You with Last Night?

    ¡°Handsomed, you really want to be with me for the night?¡± It was as if Jenna was talking in her sleep. Then, she reached out her other hand, ced it softly on his neck, and mumbled coquettishly.

    A dark me quickly and violently spread throughout Hansen¡¯s body.

    When Jenna¡¯s mind was clear, she would always be prim and proper. She would never make advances to seduce him like that. However, right then, she had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and shetched her soft body directly onto his. Then, she rubbed her body against him in his embrace, which made his blood boil.

    D*mned woman. How thirsty was she!?

    It seemed that he needed to restrict her from consuming alcohol in the future. If he hadn¡¯t met her that day, then the consequences¡­

    Hansen¡¯s heart sank, but his thoughts became more and more messy, and he couldn¡¯t think properly anymore. At that time, Jenna, who was in his embrace, was touching every part of his body without any restraint. She even nibbles his chest with her small mouth.

    His breathing became more and more rapid. He then took off her clothes in a hurry and kissed her with his hot lips.

    Jenna responded to him passionately and took the lead. That intoxicating and numbing feeling made both of them moan joyfully. As if there was a fire in the air, she held his neck, and the two of them were entangled with each other.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    The moon and stars could be clearly seen in the quiet and peaceful night sky.

    The man and woman on the bed hurriedly hugged and entangled with each other. They did not even have the patience to unbutton their clothes and straight up tore the pyjamas instead. Then, Jenna wrapped her legs around Hansen¡¯s waist, and the two of them began to do their deed.

    ¡­

    After a night of loving each other, Hansen felt that an alluring Jenna would kill him and devour his bonesfor the first time.

    Her tightness and softness made him so excited that he couldn¡¯t bear to let her go. The rarest thing that night was her advances, her gentleness, and her yearning for him, which made him have the illusion that he was being seduced.

    Hansen thought that the illusion was f*cking refreshing and stimting!

    However, that d*mned woman didn¡¯t know who he was from beginning to end. She must have regarded him as a stranger.

    D*mn, she was very alluring at that.How unruly!

    She usually never made the first move and was never that gentle. Thus, it was evident that Jenna wasn¡¯t thinking about him, which hurt Hansen¡¯s proud heart a lot.

    It seemed that he had to interrogate her carefully the day after!

    In fact, Jenna had already recognized that familiar body subconsciously. It was due to the fact that Hansen was the only man in her life. Therefore, even if she had been drunk and didn¡¯t know who he was, her subconscious mind had still recognized that body.That was why she just let everything flow naturally.

    It was only because of the alcohol that she became bolder and more active.

    The next day, both of them woke upter than usual.

    When Jenna opened her eyes and got up, she went to pull open the thick curtains. The bright light from outside shone in and blinded her eyes, which caused her to rub her eyes with her hands.

    As she opened the window, a gust of fresh air blew into the room. Summer had already arrived.

    She turned around, and Hansen had already woken up too.

    She stared at him in a daze.

    Her head still ached a little, but how did she get home the night before?

    Furthermore, the night before, she seemed to¡­

    She blushed upon thinking about that.

    Hansen¡¯s heart pounded rapidly upon seeing her.

    ¡°Jenna,e over here.¡± He waved his hand at her, and spoke gently and softly with some mystery in his voice.

    Jenna had no choice but to go over to him.

    Hansen stretched out his hand and grabbed her arm. With a gentle pull, Jenna fell onto his chest andy t on it.

    ¡°Who were you withst night?¡± He put his elbow on the bed,with his palm supporting his head, and caressed her face with his other hand. His tone sounded as if he was interrogating her.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t I with you?¡± Jenna rolled her eyes at him. It was still early in the morning, and he was already speaking in a very unfriendly manner. What was wrong with him?

    ¡°So, you¡¯re aware that the man with you was mest night?¡± A satisfied smile appeared on Hansen¡¯s face, as he stared into her eyes.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment, and her face reddened.

    She probably aroused his suspicion by being too wild the night before, but she didn¡¯t have any intention to cheat to begin with!

    ¡°What do you want? Don¡¯t touch me then if you can,¡± she said while blushing, as she felt shy, but she didn¡¯t want to give in.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s lips curled up slightly.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who harassed me, but now you don¡¯t want me to touch you. Whatlogicis that?¡± Hansen understood what she was thinking. Thus,he asked proudly, with satisfaction. As long as she knew that he was with her, he was okay with it!

    At this point, Jenna finally understood that he was jealous.

    Did she blurt out a man¡¯s name after drinking too much the night before that made him so jealous? Jenna had already experienced how jealous Hansen could get, and it wasn¡¯t a good thing.

    Surely enough, he said domineeringly, ¡°Listen, you¡¯re not allowed to drink in the future. You can only drink with me by your side.¡±

    Jenna widened her eyes.

    ¡°Of course, we canfrequentlydrink some wine together in the future. It feels good.¡± Soon, Jenna heard his words again, and the hateful guy had a smug on his face.

    Jenna¡¯s face instantly turned red.

    ¡°Dream on. Go and drink with your second wife in the future.¡± She reached out to push him and got up from his chest.

    Hansen looked at her meaningfullywith his dark eyes, and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Jenna, in the future, I want you to behave like how you didst night. You did great.¡±

    Up to this point, even Jenna¡¯s ears turned red.¡°How can you be so indecent and senseless? I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore.¡±

    She turned her back against him, but an irrepressible smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. It was very gentle and moving.

    Hansenughed heartily.

    The phone rang at an inappropriate time.

    Hansen picked up the call.

    ¡°Hansen, have you woken up? We¡¯re going to have a look at my wedding dress today, right?¡± Liya¡¯s voice was gentle and soft, with a hint of sweetness in it.

    The smile on Hansen¡¯s face froze in an instant. The warm and lingering feelings in his mind, as well as his and Jenna¡¯s alone time,pletely disappeared, leaving only Liya¡¯s smiling face.

    He had already forgotten that he was going to ¡®marry¡¯ Liya!

    That woman was still waiting to be his wife.

    What the h*ll was that! For a moment, he found it absurd as he was already married!

    However, he soon came back to his senses and quickly agreed to her. When he looked up, he saw Jenna standing by the bed. Although her back was turned to him, it was obvious that her back had turned stiff, and she was also listening to their conversation.

    Hansen sighed in his heart as his gaze darkened.

    ¡°Alright, wait for me at the entrance after an hour,¡± Hansen answered her briefly and hung up the phone in no time.

    The harmony in the air had just then disappeared, leaving only a suffocating and awkward atmosphere.

    Jenna strode towards the bathroom. She squeezed the toothpaste, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. Although she didn¡¯t stop moving, she felt that her hands were trembling.

    From her intuition, she guessed that the phone call was from Liya.

    Hansen told her to wait for him at the entrance of Richards Manor, probably because he wanted to avoid her.

    That was it. Their wedding was about to take ce, and they had to do a lot of things. Then, between them¡­

    She brushed her teeth with her hand, which was moving up and down mechanically.

    Hansen had once said that even if he married Liya, he would never touch her.He had also said thathe would only touch her and love her in his lifetime. Could she believe his words?

    ¡°Jenna, what are you thinking about?¡± When Hansen walked in, he saw Jenna standing in a daze while brushing her teeth mechanically, and he could not help but to shake his head slightly.

    Women were always paranoid!

    Nheless, he couldn¡¯t me her. He was indeed going to ¡®marry¡¯ Liya.So, how could she not overthink?

    He then caressed her head with his hand and said gently, ¡°You¡¯realreadybleeding. If you keep on brushing, your gums will split open.¡±

    Jenna was shocked, and only then did shee back to her senses, only to see that the foam in her mouth indeed had traces of blood, from the reflection in the mirror. After hastily spitting it out and gargling her mouth, she went downstairs as if she was fleeing.

    After waking up from her dreams, she really didn¡¯t want to face Hansen, what more Liya. Whenever she thought about that, it would upset her and make her ufortable. She didn¡¯t know when that kind of life woulde to an end. Perhaps, all of that would coil around her like a nightmare, making her unable to breathe. Or, she might even be entangled in such a dilemma for the rest of her life, making her feel uneasy everyday. Moreover, as her rtionship with Hansen got deeper and deeper, she really didn¡¯t have the courage to leave him.

    Ever since Hansen had personally announced that he would marry Liya as his second wife next Saturday, the entire Richards Manor was very busy. Not only that, the media had spread the piece of news wildlyand caused everyone to turn their attention to Richards Manor.

    That was because Hansen had already announced it to the public.

    His wedding with Liya would be held at the Richards Group Manor.

    All kinds ofments began to pour in again.

    Jenna could still barely manage to calm herself down, but what she was most worried about was Jerry.

    Even though Jerry was still young, he was still sensitive to that matter and opposed to it.

    He thought that Hansen wouldn¡¯t want him and Jenna anymore after taking a second wife.That was why he was very sad.

    When Jenna went downstairs, she saw Jerry sitting on the couch in a sickly manner. His face was pale, and his eyes had no signs of life in it.

    Jerry¡¯s current appearance made Jenna¡¯s heart throb with pain.

    ¡°Baby, are you feeling better today?¡± She went towards him, picked him up, put him on her knees, and touched his forehead, as she asked softly.

    Jerry¡¯s forehead was a little cold, which was evident that the fever had subsided, but he looked very downcast.

    When Jenna picked him up, he slumped in her arms limply and seemed to be very depressed.

    ¡°Mom, where is Dad? Is he with that wicked woman?¡± he asked disappointedly in her arms.

    Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and intense pain followed after.

    It turned out that Jerry was in such low spirits because there was a thorn in his heart.

    After Hansen announced that he would marry Liya, the entire Richards Manor became very busy in every aspect. In addition to that, everyone was talking behind their backs. Jerry was a smart kid, and since the matter was about his own father, his young and sensitive mind was naturally able to understand the situation.

    Jenna could see pain and unease in his eyes.

    Jenna was in so much pain that it was as if her heart was taken away when she saw that Jerry had to endure such pain at such a young age.

 Chapter 534 Absolutely Canâ€™t Let Them Marry

    Jenna could only hold Jerry tightly in her arms and console him. ¡°Jerry, be good. Even if Dad marries another woman, Dad will still love you, and Mom will only love you even more. Grandpa and Grandma also love you a lot. So, be happy, alright?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the same. It¡¯spletely different.¡± Jerry shook his head and cried out loudly, saying, ¡°That wicked woman will steal Dad¡¯s heart and harm me. That way, Dad won¡¯t like Mom anymore.¡±

    As he spoke, he sobbed while he was in Jenna¡¯s arms, looking heartbroken.

    Jenna was at a loss for words. For a moment, she did not know how tofort him.Her eyes turned red too.

    All of a sudden, a deep voice sounded beside her. She lifted her head, only to see that Hansen was looking at both mother and son with aplicated expression. Clearly, he had overheard their entire conversation just then.

    Jenna was heartbroken. She then picked up Jerry and was about to walk outside.

    ¡°Jenna, let me hold Jerry.¡± Hansen blocked Jenna and stopped her. Then, he stretched out his hand, wanting to hug Jerry.

    Jerryeyes, while in Jenna¡¯s arms,lit up when he heard Hansen¡¯s voice, but it soon dimmed again.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want Dad to hold me.¡± He grabbed onto Jenna¡¯s clothes and expressed his strong rejection towards Hansen.

    Hansen was stunned, as pain shed across his eyes.

    Right then, Jerry at least didn¡¯t need to worry about losing Jenna, as she had been deemed innocent. Hansen would be satisfied, as long as Jenna and Jerry would be able to live by his sidefortably.

    ¡°Jerry, be good. Let me hold you.¡± Knowing that Jerry had a lot of prejudice against him right then, he spoke in a more dignified tone.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to hold me.¡± Jerry wasn¡¯t afraid of him, and he buried his face in Jenna¡¯s arms, shouting, ¡°You¡¯re a liar. You¡¯ve gone back on your word. You¡¯ve promised me that you wouldn¡¯t marry that bad woman, but you still did so in the end. I hate you, and I won¡¯t talk to you anymore. I don¡¯t want you to be my Dad anymore, and I¡¯ll ask Mom to find another father for me.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face darkened, and he shouted, ¡°Brat,e over. I have something to say to you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want toe over. I don¡¯t want to talk to you.¡± Hansen¡¯s voice was very imposing, and Jerry had never heard him talking to him in such a stern tone before. So,he got a little scared. However, he still held on like a man, at the thought of Hansen lying to a child like him.

    Hansen stretched out his arms and wanted to hold onto him forcefully. On the other side, Jenna could feel Jerry desperately clinging onto her clothes in her arms while trembling. Upon realizing he was afraid, her heart ached, and she hugged him tightly. She then turned her face to Hansen and said coldly, ¡°Since he doesn¡¯t want you to hold him, why do you have to force him? He¡¯s still a child!¡±

    Could one me Jerry for having such a reaction? That day, when Liya pushed Jerry into the pool, Hansen didn¡¯t even care about Jerry, as he stood by Liya¡¯s side. With that, even a child as young as Jerry would realize that his own Dad didn¡¯t care for him anymore.

    Jenna pressed her face against Jerry¡¯s head and left Hansen with Jerry in her arms. Hansen¡¯s hands froze in the air,and after a while, his hands dropped down, feeling disappointed.

    He stood in the living room in a daze, and he looked defeated.

    Marissa was also in a bad mood in recent days!

    In her eyes, that family was going to be turned upside down.

    How could her son be so silly as to hold a grand wedding and marry Liya, a woman she didn¡¯t like! What the h*ll!? Moreover, Trevor also supported the wedding from behind the scenes, with all his might. It looked like an unrealistic farce.

    There was really no need for the Richards family to act like that and be other people¡¯sughing stock.

    Just when she arrived in the living room, she saw the scene of Hansen wanting to hold Jerry, and she became even more frustrated.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re not going to take my words seriously now, huh?¡± Marissa walked over. Her wless face, surprisingly, had some wrinkles on it. No one could stand such events, one after another, to happen in an initially peaceful family, right? All those events made Marissa very worried. If Liya really were to marry into the family, could the family still live in peace?

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were filled with a conflicting pain.He then parted his lips, but he realized that he couldn¡¯t speak a single word.

    ¡°Hansen, I really didn¡¯t expect your way of looking at things to be this shallow. You¡¯re really asking for trouble by marrying a woman like Liya. The day before yesterday, she almost killed your own son. Can¡¯t you use your brain to think for once?¡± Marissa felt very irritated, as Hansen had never informed her of his wedding with Liya. Not to mention that Jerry didn¡¯t like Liya, as Hansen¡¯s Mom, she couldn¡¯t bear to see things develop like that either.

    ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t have to worry so much about this matter. I know how to deal with it.¡± Hansen neither dared to face Marissa¡¯s aggressive interrogation, nor could he answer her at all. After saying that, he walked towards the dining room.

    Marissa couldn¡¯t help but to let out a sigh when she saw Hansen escaping from her, helpless.

    Jenna carried Jerry to the dining room and carefully served Jerry breakfast.

    Jerry was sick. So, he only ate a few mouthfuls of porridge.

    Hansen walked over, sat next to him, and tried to get closer to him, but he twisted his small body to lean towards Jenna and only faced Hansen with his behind.

    Feeling helpless, Hansen had no choice but to lower his head and eat his breakfast.

    Jenna grabbed a bun and ate it before heading upstairs with Jerry in her arms.

    Hansen felt very ufortable. So, he got up and left in a hurry after quickly eating a bowl of porridge.

    He could not exin anything to his family, as he knew that the burden on his shoulders was heavy. The heavier the burden was, the more he couldn¡¯t tell them.

    He could only seed. If he told them about it, he would be treating them irresponsibly. That was why he buried his bitterness in his heart.

    At that time, he had to win at all costs and couldn¡¯t bear to lose!

    He wanted to be responsible for the people he loved!

    In the spacious and bright office, Zoe was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows and was looking outside. Opposite her office was a bustlingmercial street, and not far away,stood the International Kinsey Center¡¯s skyscraper. It was magnificent and majestic.

    That was the famous Richards Group¡¯s building, upying almost half of the street. Furthermore, the Richards Group¡¯s businesses had already upied almost the entirety of A City.

    Herpany couldn¡¯t be located on the street that was home to a business empire. Therefore, she could only set up the Sky Sword Group in the building diagonally opposite to it, but it didn¡¯t affect her confidence to achieve sess.

    It was just that what happened next exceeded her expectations. She was being toyed with and threatened by Oscar, the pervert!

    That was something she would never have thought of.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Fortunately, Liya had reced her during that period of time, allowing her to avoid being ravaged by Oscar¡¯s perverted attacks. Also, her body¡¯s tender and white skin had finally recovered a bit. So, there was no need for her to hide it anymore.

    She stood there nkly, feeling extremely depressed.

    Octavia opened the door and walked in softly.

    ¡°Miss Yates, I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s impossible to suppress the Richards Group¡¯s severalmercialnds. In these few days, Sadiva began to send someone to intervene with the matter, and Honold will never dare to offend his dad. It seems that our n will fail.¡±

    Zoe just stood still, as if she did not hear what Octavia had said.

    The morning sun shone in through the window, as it got hotter and hotter. The summer sun was indeed scorching.

    ¡°Is he really going to marry Liya?¡± After a long time, she murmured.

    Octavia was stunned for a moment and immediately understood what she meant. She then nodded with a solemn look on her face and said in a low voice, ¡°That¡¯s right, Miss Yates. Hansen has already decided to marry Liya next Saturday. It has already be a fact. The media has already found out about it and is publishing reports and articles about it. Moreover, the Richards Manor has started to make preparations. The atmosphere there is certainly joyful.¡±

    Zoe bit her lips, and she said with bloodshot eyes, ¡°Will Jenna really ept Liya? Won¡¯t she think of a way to stop it?¡±

    ¡°s, Miss Yates,I¡¯ve already inquired about it. Jenna not only epted it, but she will alsopersonallyhost their wedding.¡± Octavia shook her head very helplessly as she sighed. She was confused about Jenna¡¯s behavior and even thought that something was wrong with her.

    ¡°She¡¯s even going to host their wedding personally?¡± Zoe was shocked. How could that be possible? How could a woman be so generous?

    ¡°It¡¯s true. Jenna personally admitted it to the media.¡± Octavia found it hard to ept it as well, and she said in a puzzled tone.

    Zoe suddenly burst intoughter.

    ¡°This is truly unbelievable.It looks like Jenna¡¯s a weak woman, to be able to be weighed down by only Liya.¡±

    The smile on Zoe¡¯s face became somewhat ugly. How could a woman like Liya marry Hansen? It was impossible.

    Jenna was easy to deal with, but with Liya¡¯s presence, wouldn¡¯t things be too troublesome?

    Zoe sneered coldly. Her voice was like that of a devil from h*nd was extremely terrifying.¡°Let me tell you. Hansen will never be able to marry Liya. I won¡¯t let him do so. Liya will never be Mrs. Richards. She isn¡¯t worthy of it. I won¡¯t let her escape from my control. As for a person like her, she isn¡¯t even qualified to serve Oscar.¡±

    Yes, not only did Zoe want to use Liya to help her serve Oscar, but she also wanted Liya to be her pawn. Therefore, if Zoe let Liya get all the glory and happiness, then what about herself? Thinking of that, Zoe¡¯s eyes flickered with a sinister light.

    ¡°That¡¯s correct, Miss Yates.We can¡¯t let Liya marry Hansen. Who does she think she is to marry Hansen? It disgusts me.¡± Octavia added fuel to fire by the sidelines.

    Right then, almost everyone was talking about the news of Hansen¡¯s and Liya¡¯s wedding,and everyone¡¯s attention was on that matter.

    Even as a regr person, Liya¡¯s current fame was even greater than that of a popr celebrity. That was probably the domino effect of marrying into a wealthy family!

    Zoe heaved a heavy sigh and slowly sat back down on her chair.

    That woman, Jenna, not only stayed by Hansen¡¯s side, even if he took a second wife, she even epted it obediently. Moreover, she even nned to host their wedding in person. Had she gone insane?

    Zoe was lost in thought.

    If Jenna was just a weak person that couldn¡¯t deal with Hansen, then her current actions could easily be exined. However, with Zoe¡¯s understanding of Jenna¡¯s personality, she didn¡¯t think she was the kind of person who would easilypromise to such a thing. Therefore, in Zoe¡¯s eyes, it seemed that Jenna deliberately promised Hansen to let him marry Liya, in order to please her inws,and build a virtuous image to the outside world.

    ¡°Hmph, Jenna.I¡¯ll take care of Liya first. One day, I¡¯ll definitely make you leave Richards Manor on your own!¡± Zoe thought.

 Chapter 535 You Can File For Divorce

    In the picturesque Ink Garden, ancient vines wrapped around the wand extended to the side of the window.

    Jenna was sitting in the office, feeling restless, andlooking at the greenery outside in a daze.

    Right then, Hansen should¡¯ve gone out with Liya to buy their wedding outfits!

    Her eyes were dry, and her heart ached. She couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore.So, she stood up and walked towards the small room at the side.

    ¡°Madam.¡± The security guard in the room greeted her respectfully when he saw hering in.

    ¡°Show me the surveince camera at the entrance of Richards Manor.¡± Unexpectedly, Jenna gave an order to the security guard.

    Richards Manor had a lot of outdoor spaces that wereinstalled withsecurity cameras. There were also guards monitoring the surveince cameras at all times to ensure the safety of the manor.

    ¡°Alright, please wait for a moment.¡± After the security guard heard the order, he immediately shifted to the surveince camera at the entrance of Richards Manor. There was a thin woman standing at the gate. The breeze made her dress flutter with the wind, looking romantic and beautiful.

    As soon as she saw the scene, Jenna¡¯s heart stopped.Her eyes felt as if they were swollen and in pain.

    The present Jenna felt very ufortable from just seeing her figure.

    ¡°You can leave first.¡± She told the security guard to leave, sat on the stool, and looked at the screen in a daze.

    On the screen, Hansen¡¯s Hummer approached Liya in no time. Hansen was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, wearing a pair of sunsses. So, she couldn¡¯t see his expression clearly.

    Liya¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw the Hummer. As swift as the wind, she opened the door of the car and got in the car, and then, the Hummer slowly drove out.

    Just like that, the entrance of Richards Manor became empty again.

    Jenna sat there in a daze with a numb expression.

    Why did she go there to spy on them through the surveince camera?

    She was acting like a thief right then. She simply couldn¡¯t let go of Hansen in her heart.

    She knew that they were about to get married, yet she took the responsibility of hosting the wedding for them in person. By right, she should¡¯ve been open about it and could face it properly. However, why would shee and peek at the surveince camera in secret? Wasn¡¯t she just asking for trouble?

    If it went on like that, how could she go through life in the future?

    She closed her eyes, and tears soaked her eyshes. She had the sudden urge to cry.

    She really couldn¡¯t believe that Hansen would really marry Liya. Paul said that it was just a gimmick. Was it really the case?

    Hansen must have had some difficulties that he could not tell her.

    Jenna could see the haggardness and pain in Hansen¡¯s eyes when they were making love in recent days. Just from that, she could feel that Hansen still loved her.

    ¡°Jenna, what are you doing here?¡± Sergio¡¯s voice came from behind andstartled Jenna.

    When Sergio walked in, he did not expect to meet Jenna there. That surveince room was the heart of Richards Manor¡¯s security system. So, as the head of the Security Department, he naturally had the responsibility to go there to investigate.

    When Jenna turned her head around, her eyes happened to meet Sergio¡¯s caring gaze that had quite a bit of heat in them. Then, his eyes fell on the monitoring screen.

    The scene was paused just as Liya entered Hansen¡¯s Hummer. Sergio instantly understood what Jenna was looking at. Pursing his lips, he looked at her meaningfully.

    Jenna quickly stood up.

    ¡°Mr. Grote, you can return the surveince camera now,¡± Jenna said to the security guard behind her, lowered her head, and was about to leave.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Sergio followed after her and stopped her.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, if you are on duty, then feel free to attend to your business. I have other things to take care of.¡± Jenna¡¯s face was cold, and she treated him indifferently.

    The sun shone through the leaves, shining on Jenna¡¯s sickly and pale face.Upon looking at it, Sergio was frightened. He felt sorry for her because he hadn¡¯t seen her for only a few days, and yet she had be very fragile and ruined.

    ¡°Jenna, I have long advised you to leave Hansen. Why won¡¯t you listen to me?¡± Sergio looked at Jenna¡¯s red eyes and determined gaze. Hansen was going to take a second wife, but Jenna couldn¡¯t do anything about it.So, she just observed the surveince footage, shed some tears, and grieved in secret, instead of fighting back. What a fool she was. Sergio wondered why he couldn¡¯t win Jenna¡¯s heart. From his point of view, he was more or less just as good as Hansen. If he was to steal her heart, he would definitely not let all those things happen, and would love and treasure her with his entire being.

    ¡°Sergio, this is my home. Why would I need to leave?¡± She pretended not to understand what he was saying and asked in response while looking at him in confusion. The persistence and determination in her eyes surprised and devastated Sergio.

    ¡°You actually want to host a wedding for your husband and his mistress in person?¡± he asked her in disbelief. If there wasn¡¯t something wrong with Jenna¡¯s mind, then she would be one of the best women out there. Surely enough, the woman he liked reallywasdifferent. She was so different that her way of treating that matter was unique too, which shocked Sergio.

    ¡°Yes, I love Hansen, and I¡¯m willing to do anything for him,¡± Jenna said bitterly, but what she said could choke Sergio to death.

    She would be willing to face all the challenges head on.

    That was her personality.

    To host the wedding personally for her own husband and his mistress, how tragic it was!

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re really generous.¡± A grey glint shed across Sergio¡¯s eyes. He then shook his head and said with pity, ¡°It seems that you won¡¯t even give me a second look even if I were to die for you.¡±

    Sergio¡¯s words were bitter, and his eyes darkened as he spoke.

    ¡°Yes, Sergio.You should pursue your own happiness.¡± Jenna recalled how Sergio felt about her and immediately tried to persuade him.

    That was Richards Manor,and she was the Young Madam. It was against the rules for her to stay with a man like that and talk about such questionable things.

    The manor had a lot of people everywhere. She did not want unpleasant rumors to spread, and she did not want to entangle herself with other men either. Her way of life was very simple. She would love the ones she chose to love, and hate the ones she chose to hate.

    Since she chose to return with Hansen, then she would continue the path she had chosen, no matter what.

    Therefore, after saying that, she did not hesitate to leave.

    ¡°Jenna, you can file for divorce.¡± Sergio¡¯s words soon sounded from behind, which made her eardrums ache. Then, she pursed her lips and sped up her pace.

    Sergio fell silent as he looked at her back.

    How could that woman be so patient? He really couldn¡¯t believe it.

    After that, he went into the surveince room. As soon as he found some recordings and was about to look at them, he received a phone call and walked out immediately.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, is it convenient for you to talk now?¡± A man¡¯s voice came from the other side of the line. Sergio quickly went under the shade of a remote tree.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, some people had already snuck into the war-torn country, and due to that, some pieces of news might reach other people¡¯s grasps, which is a dangerous thing.¡± Although the man¡¯s extremely mysterious voice was low, Sergio could still hear him clearly.

    Beads of sweat appeared on Sergio¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°What did you say? Who? Have you found out who it was?¡± He blurted out several questions in shock.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, ording to our investigation, this person is probably from Richards Manor, and he has been in that country for a long time. I think he went there to get some evidence of our affairs.¡±

    As if a bolt of lighting had struck Sergio, he felt as if his insides had been burned, and sparks appeared in his eyes.

    Someone from Richards Manor had snuck into the war-torn country. Who could it¡¯ve been?

    How did he and his Dad not know about it?

    He became more and more confused. He then lifted his head to gaze at Richards Manor in front of him. It was no wonder Yadriel had told him to move in.That manor really had something going on inside.

    ¡°But, Mr. Xanthe, from the looks of it, this person doesn¡¯t seem to have been sent by either Hansen or Trevor. That person has been in that war-torn country for quite some time, and there¡¯s some connection between him and our opposition. He didn¡¯t leave any traces.That¡¯s why we didn¡¯t notice him at first. We only found out about it after capturing someone from the opposition.¡± The man continued to analyze the situation on the other side.

    Sweat started to appear on Sergio¡¯s hand, which was clutching the phone.

    What happened in the war-torn country had something to do with the petrochemical factory in Wullen Town. Could it be that Hansen and Trevor had learnt about the Xanthe family¡¯s secret in Wullen Town? Sergio thought that it was quite unlikely to be so.

    He had been monitoring the Richards family throughout the entire process. The things they did in secret back in Wullen Town had no reason to fall into Hansen¡¯s and Trevor¡¯s hands.

    At that time, Trevor and Hansen had quietly retreated because they didn¡¯t want to confront the Xanthe family.Sergio could still sense that.

    Nevertheless, they definitely had their own suspicions about the petrochemical factory.

    However, their suspicions weren¡¯t of any use if they couldn¡¯t find any useful evidence. Moreover, in the war-torn country, their interactions with all the sects were done in secret. It was impossible for outsiders to know about it.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    ¡°Contact Edgar. If there really is such a thing, try your best to get rid of this person.¡± He immediately issued a hit job after pondering for a short moment.

    He was not afraid that Hansen would investigate Sancher and the others, but what he was most worried about was the matter regarding the war-torn country, as it could sabotage the lifeline of the Xanthe family with ease. That was what he was most frightened and worried about.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Xanthe,¡± the man on the other end of the line answered.

    Sergio stood there in a daze for a moment before putting away his phone. After pondering for a while, he left.

    In a secluded caf¨¦ in the city center, Sergio slowly walked into one of the private rooms after parking his car.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, the matter of Hansen marrying Liya is fake. It¡¯s just an act. It is actually Hansen¡¯s and Trevor¡¯s n. They want to provoke Zoe and Liya into fighting each other, so that they can deal with these two without putting in much effort.¡± As soon as Sergio entered and sat down, a man dressed in ck, who was inside, approached him and spoke in a very low voice.

    Sergio¡¯s legs froze, and his face tensed up.

    Hansen marrying Liya was just a gimmick!

    He really didn¡¯t expect that.

 Chapter 536 Yaris And The Others

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, how can a shrewd person like Hansen marry a woman like Liya? He won¡¯t be that foolish. Let¡¯s not talk about any other factors first. As long as Liya registers with him, she will be able to obtain a portion of the shares of the Richards Group in the future. This is not a small sum. As a businessman, how can he not understand this? Furthermore, he will never fall for a vulgar woman like Liya. The one he loves is Jenna. Everyone can see the consequences of him marrying Liya. He would definitely end up losing both his wife and money. Unless it is absolutely necessary, he wouldn¡¯t do such a foolish thing.¡± The man¡¯s voice was as soft as a mosquito¡¯s buzz. However, Sergio could hear each and every word clearly. It seemed as if his ears were hurting from those words too.

    Hansen Richards, how bold of him to have used such a sinister method!

    He had actually finessed and fooled those two women.

    Thinking that he even actively spread the news of his wedding to the public, it seemed that he deliberately did so to make the public believe it. In fact, it really deceived everyone, including him.

    Sergio¡¯s face darkened.

    At that moment, he still needed Zoe to stir up trouble. He couldn¡¯t let Hansen destroy Zoe like that.

    Furthermore, Liya must be Hansen¡¯s second wife. Otherwise, Jenna wouldn¡¯t make up her mind to leave Hansen. Furthermore, it would be unlikely to bungle up Hansen¡¯s harem into shambles either.

    Thinking of that, a sinister smile appeared on Sergio¡¯s face.

    Hansen Richards, what a great n he had! Nevertheless, the only w was that he never thought that he would see through it!

    He wiped off the fine sweat on his forehead and sighed.

    He was blinded and almost fell into Hansen¡¯s trap.

    That was close!

    Since Hansen didn¡¯t want to marry Liya,Sergio wanted him to marry her even more so. It was so that he could ce her by Hansen¡¯s side to disgust him.

    Sergio didn¡¯t believe that Jenna would still love Hansen like before after enduring it for so long.

    ¡°Find out Zoe¡¯s true intentions as soon as possible and report to me.¡± After giving instructions, Sergio walked out quickly.

    Outside, the sun was shining brightly. What a wonderful view!

    Nevertheless, an invisible battle had just begun.

    At that time, he couldn¡¯t afford to rx.

    Jenna was sitting in the office dealing with family affairs, and she felt uneasy the whole morning.

    At first, she thought of the scene with Hansen holding Liya in his arms while picking out her wedding dress. Then, she thought of Jerry¡¯s crying face. After that, she thought of Sergio¡¯s advice, which made her feel uneasy and irritated.

    Filing for divorce! She would be shocked whenever she thought of that.

    Throughout the whole morning,the servants had brought in all sorts of bills and got her to sign them. They were all the bills for Liya¡¯s and Hansen¡¯s wedding.

    The Richards Group¡¯s expenses that month were already high, not to mention that Zoe had caused their fixed assets and traditional manufacturing to be held up. Plus, the Richards Group¡¯s automobile business was yet to be redeveloped, causing them to have insufficient funds to bnce off the expenses. Furthermore, Hansen told her that the Richards Group would bear all the municipal construction fees for A City the day before, which was another huge sum of expenses.

    Jenna had finally realized the difficulty of being the head of the household right then.

    Then, her cell phone rang, and she picked it up.

    ¡°Jenna, is Hansen, that b*stard, really going to marry Liya?¡± On the other end of the line was Norton¡¯s straightforward question, which was filled with extreme anger.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment beforeforting him. ¡°Norton, this is between me and Hansen. Don¡¯t get yourself involved. By the way, how is thepany¡¯s situation over there?¡±

    Jenna quickly changed the subject, as she was afraid that Norton would get angry.

    ¡°Jenna, if Hansen dares to marry Liya, I won¡¯t let him off the hook.¡± Nevertheless, Norton continued to stay on that topic. Norton¡¯s image of Jenna was that of a saint right then. Thus,he would not allow Hansen to sully her. That was why he was gritting his teeth in anger as he said that.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    In recent days, he had been paying attention to the news and the profligate news of Hansen¡¯s marriage made him furious. He wanted nothing more than toe back and settle the score with Hansen.

    ¡°Norton, don¡¯t worry about it. Just continue with your work. You really don¡¯t need to worry about my matters.¡± As for Norton¡¯s feelings for her and his transformation, Jenna was really satisfied. She had already called Jersey before that and learnt that Norton was working really hard there, and that he really had a talent for doing business, which made her happy.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already registered with thepany. It¡¯ll be on the market next week, and there shouldn¡¯t be any big trouble. If we move ording to your n, then everything will go well, and we¡¯ll start to make profits next month.¡± He sensed Jenna¡¯s painstaking efforts over there. So, he said it in time.

    Jenna breathed a sigh of relief and nodded with a smile. ¡°Norton, then you should continue to do your best. As long as you perform well and produce excellent results, you will make others regard you with a fresh outlook.¡±

    Actually, Jenna was also telling him that as long as he could seed, there was hope that Sabrina might ept him again.

    Norton was delighted. With Jenna¡¯s support, his career was very close to achieving sess.

    He had the confidence to win back Sabrina¡¯s heart.

    On the highway.

    The fierce Hummer was like an elephant that was charging forward. The vehicles on either side had to make way for it, which was very intimidating.

    That was the first time Liya had sat in Hansen¡¯s Hummer.

    She was extremely excited, and her heart was beating wildly.

    Sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, Hansen was gripping the steering wheel with one hand and gently tapping on his knees with the other. He was driving the car calmly while wearing a pair of sunsses,and it made people feel as if he was a bachelor.

    The Hummer stopped in front of a bridalwear boutique.

    ¡°How about this, Liya? Miss Kemp is inside. She¡¯s Richards Manor¡¯s assigned makeup artist and designer. Go in and look for her. She¡¯ll arrange everything for you.¡± With his face facing outside and his hand on the steering wheel, Hansen had no intention of getting off the car at all. He spoke calmly to Liya, who was seated in the back row.

    Liya looked at him and blinked her eyes.

    ¡°Hansen, aren¡¯t youing with me to try on our wedding attire?¡± Her almond-shaped eyes were full of emotions. There was a hint of hope and disappointment in her eyes as she stared expectantly at Hansen.

    Hansen¡¯s expression turned cold.¡°I had already gotten married two times.So, I already have my own wedding suit. Besides, I still have some matters to attend to. Just go in and try the dresses on. I¡¯ve already instructed someone to apany you.¡±

    He deliberately emphasized the words.¡®I had already gotten married two times.¡¯, which made Liya feel ufortable upon hearing it.

    Liya was still reluctant to get out of the car. She wished that Hansen would apany her to buy and try on the clothes as he did in the past. After all, that was her wedding dress. For women, it was a once in a lifetime even. So, she was upset that she had to try on the wedding gowns alone. When she was very young, she dreamed that a man she loved would apany her to pick out those pure and white wedding dresses.

    Seeing that Liya had yet to get out of the car, Hansen frowned and shot her a cold nce.

    Liya instantly felt a chill down her spine. She immediately lowered her gaze and got out of the car.

    Hansen¡¯s car immediately turned around and drove towards another street.

    Liya stood there and fell into a daze for a moment. Then, she turned around and walked into the bridalwear boutique, feeling displeased.

    Hansen quickly went to the office and immediately convened a meeting, preparing to start the municipal construction project.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there¡¯s news from the southern part of the city. The higher-ups have already approved it.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the malls in the western and eastern parts of the city had signed a ten-year contract. It is based on the market price, which is a good offer.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, after Zoe acquired the electronic city, they didn¡¯t manage it well. So, we can consider acquiring it back.¡±

    ¡­

    When Hansen returned to his office, he heard a lot of good news from the following meetings that were very beneficial for the Richards Group.

    The corner of his lips curled up. Only he knew that all those were the benefits Sadiva had given him, as he was about to invest arge amount of money in the future.

    Nheless, with that, it could bring the Richards Group unseen benefits, which was also something he was d to see. A businessman mustn¡¯t be short-sighted.

    At that meeting, Hansen had specially summoned a group of talents whom he had secretly sent to study in a foreign country a few years back. Nearly half of the upper echelons of the enterprise had been reced by young blood.

    To Hansen, the fact that internal members of thepany were actually Zoe¡¯s people waspletely humiliating.

    That was the first time such a ridiculous thing had happened in his life.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,ording to our investigation during this period of time,the person who snuck into Ms. Murphy¡¯s room and installed a listening device was confirmed to be Yaris White. We visited his hometown and took out his files from the Public Security Department. After checking his real background, we found that he was Zoe¡¯s university ssmate, and it is likely that he had a crush on Zoe. Hence, capturing him is quite a crucial thing. At the very least, he can prove that Zoe was the one who directed him to frame Ms. Murphy.There¡¯s also the possibility of using him to prove that Zoe is the mastermind behind the Richards Group¡¯s automobile industry¡¯s matters of leaking secrets. As long as we clear the Richards Group¡¯s involvement in this, we can clear the charges.¡± As soon as Hansen returned to his office, John rushed there. The other trusted confidant, Timon, also went there immediately, and reported the results of the investigation during that period to him.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we had already interrogated the manager of A City¡¯s Sales Department covertly. ording to his confession, what he did was all under Yaris¡¯ orders. Although he was involved, he did not know anything behind the scenes.¡± Timon immediately reported the information he got from the interrogation.

    Hansen sat there silently as his eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we have also investigated a few more people. They are all rted to Yaris, but we didn¡¯t get anything useful from them, as they were just following Yaris¡¯ instructions. It seems that Yaris was the reason Zoe¡¯s people were able to sneak into the Richards Group. Yaris is also indeed a skilful individual.He has bribed a lot of people and is most likely also involved in using the Richards Group¡¯s automobile industry to leak secrets.¡± Alvin¡¯s face was very grave, and he also appeared very furious.

    ¡°D*mn it.¡± Hansen¡¯s face darkened, and he had a cold, mocking smile.

    It seemed that he was extraordinarily skilful, to have been able to gain his trust!

 Chapter 537 Familiar Feeling

    Hansen was the one who personally recruited and appointed Yaris, but it turned out that he was a spy. That was such a great humiliation!

    How did he end up cing Yaris in such an important position? Hansen couldn¡¯t even remember it clearly. It was apparent that he had been too careless at that time, which also meant that he was too satisfied with himself.

    He, who had always been invincible in the business world, never thought that he would personally recruit a snake.

    ¡°Are we really unable to find Yaris¡¯ whereabouts?¡± Hansen vented the hatred in his heart by exhaling a deep breath. He then lifted the ss in front of him and took arge gulp. Finally, he felt a little better.

    That day, everyone whom Yaris had appointed had all been reced. Even those who usually had a good rtionship with Yaris were all reced. Taking advantage of that opportunity, Hansen reced most of the low-skilled and mid-level leaders with new talents.

    He was sure that there wouldn¡¯t be any more problems with thepany anymore.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, ever since you transferred Yaris to the Public Rtions Department, it was most likely that Zoe withdrew him instantly because she felt that something was amiss. We¡¯re a step toote, and we can¡¯t find him at all.¡± John had been pursuing him for the past few days, but he had yet to find him. On the other hand, Yaris seemed to have disappeared, ever since he left the Richards Group. John was very discouraged at the fact that he couldn¡¯t find Yaris¡¯ whereabouts, as he felt that Yaris was a crucial key to that case.

    Hansen¡¯s head started to ache. The longer that matter dragged on, the more impetuous he would be. Fortunately, that matter had nothing to do with Jenna anymore.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, don¡¯t worry. Now that we have this piece of evidence, we can sue Yaris in court. I also reported him to the police. This way, the police would call for a nation-wide search for him. I believe that he won¡¯t be able to hide for long.¡± Johnforted him.

    Hansen nodded, but he understood that even if they reported Yaris to the police, everything would still be the same, and there wouldn¡¯t be any progress if they weren¡¯t able to catch Yaris. Therefore, Yaris was a very important factor.

    Nevertheless, there was something more important for Hansen to handle at the moment. After thinking for some time, he instructed Timon.¡°Mr. rk, go and deal with the Regional Games¡¯ municipal construction and hand in the report for each aspect as soon as possible.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Timon askeduneasily, ¡°Mr. Richards, what about Yaris?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Hold it off for a bit. At present, we can¡¯t dy the Regional Games¡¯ project. Just focus on this for now,¡± Hansen said calmly.

    Timon knew that since Hansen had reced most of the senior executives with new blood, thepany¡¯s atmosphere would be more energetic, and there wouldn¡¯t be any spies anymore.

    Moreover, the matter of capturing Yaris was not something he could control. Thinking about that, he epted Hansen¡¯s order and left.

    Hansen¡¯s face turned towards the window. Outside, there were numerous white clouds. There were also many skyscrapers that were very striking due to the custom-made ss that covered them.

    That was the most prosperous business district in A City.Those who could set up theirpany there were all members of the elite, and Hansen¡¯spany upied the center of the business district. That piece ofnd was bought by Trevor strategically many years ago. At first, they only had a small piece ofnd on that street that had been passed down by their ancestors. At that time, after taking an interest in that location, he bought almost half of that street andid a solid foundation for the Richards Group¡¯s expansion.

    After the Richards Group expanded to the international market, that business district started to develop at a fast pace. In just a few years, all businesses started to operate with that center as the focus. Along with the government¡¯s vigorous development, that business district gradually condensed into a high-end business district and became the economic lifeblood of A City. People who ownednd in that area were either rich or noble.

    Using the government¡¯s sovereign funds,Hansen built skyscrapers in the nearbynds that coveredbusiness areas. Thosends soon became the power and political center of the Richards Group. As forHansen¡¯spany, the International Kinsey Centerthat upied more than a dozen floors was the core of the Richards Group.

    If he didn¡¯t clear the Richards Group¡¯s usation of leaking secrets, the authorities could use that as an excuse to seal off the Richards Group¡¯s business district, for as long as the case was closed. Even though he had already set up many daughterpanies over the years to diversify the economy and not depend too much on that piece ofnd, he still couldn¡¯t let anything happen to it. Otherwise, the Richards Group would suffer a great loss, or perhaps, be bankrupt. The economy was always influenced by chain reactions.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t afford to spread the panic from there.

    As for the construction project for the Regional Games, with Sadiva¡¯s support, he could temporarily alleviate the crisis. Nevertheless, if Yadriel won the election for the Capital City¡¯s governor post, then he couldn¡¯t guarantee the Richards Group¡¯s safety. This was something that gave Hansen a headache.

    If he didn¡¯t have anything to do with those people, then they wouldn¡¯t harm the Richards Group either, but he had already participated in the battle right then.

    He thought along those lines.

    Luqman¡¯s voice and his smile shed across his mind.

    ¡°Young man, I believe you will stille to look for me.¡± That day, when he rushed straight out of the room, he heard Luqman saying those words from behind. When he thought of that, Hansen¡¯s heart started to palpitate. Did he really have to go and look for Luqman?

    Nevertheless, he also realized that the concentrated power of the Richards Group needed to be decentralized.

    Only then did he think of why Jenna appointed Norton to start anotherpany in a foreignnd and registered thepany to develop the Richards Group¡¯s automobile industry, as she wanted to prevent such a risk.

    Not only was she helping Norton turn over a new leaf,she was also minimizing the Richards Group¡¯s risks with that method. Also, the economic effects would only improve with that.

    An important task such as decentralizing thepany could only be handled by the Richards family members. It was appropriate to hand such a task over to someone like Norton, and it could also be said that Jenna was killing two birds with one stone. As long as Norton sessfully developed the Richards Group¡¯s automobile industry in a foreignnd, even if the Richards Groups was threatened by Yadriel with criminal charges, the Richards Groups would also face a much smaller blow.

    That woman was really smart. Her business mind was indeed unique. He could now resonate more with how Vivian had the wisdom to arrange a marriage for him in the past. Yet, he acted like a b*stard, and he deeply hurt her.

    He thought, if it weren¡¯t for Vivian¡¯s unrelenting efforts behind the scenes, Jenna would have long left the Richards family and him! Back then, she wouldn¡¯t have moved back into Richards Manor as well.

    Over the years, he had been feeling sorry for her all the timeand had been loving her deeply to the core. How could he not even distinguish that?

    He was secretly d that he finally cleared up her usations.

    Even if the Richards Group waseternallydoomedand even if he were to have a bad reputation, he still wouldn¡¯t let his beloved woman get hurt. That was his duty as a man, as her husband.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± John waited at the side for a while and still hadn¡¯t received Hansen¡¯s orders. So, he could only call out softly.

    Hansen was brought back to his senses by John, but he was still smiling.

    ¡°How about this?We both know that Yaris is a person we must find. If we can¡¯t find him,then we won¡¯t be able to prove the Richards Group¡¯s innocence. Right now, Zoe already knows that we¡¯re suspicious of Yaris and that we will definitely look for him. So, it will not be easy for us to find him. We must not be too hasty with this matter. You should instruct some of your men to follow her in secret. We have other important things to do first.¡± He withdrew the smile on his face, and his expression turned serious once again.

    ¡°Alright, Mr. Richards. This is exactly what I had in mind too.¡± John, of course, knew the severity of the situation. He quickly nodded his head in response.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Sergio obviously has a purpose to moved into Richards Manor. Will this affect our n?¡± After Timon left, Alvin and John were the only ones left in the office. They thought about that matter at the same time and also understood why Hansen had sent Timon away first. Therefore, Alvin spoke up.

    Hansen snorted.¡°Of course, I know that. He must¡¯ve realized this matter. That¡¯s why he moved in. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s useless even if he moved in. Richards Manor is my home. I know it better than anyone else.¡±

    ¡°ording to the security guard, he went to the surveince room today. He¡¯s obviously investigating us.¡± John told them about the report that he had received from Richards Manor¡¯s security guard.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve already long expected him to move in. I know all the ces in Richards Manor that have their surveince cameras installed clearly. It¡¯s impossible for him to find out anything from the surveince cameras. On the contrary, you guys have to speed up. We can¡¯t afford to fail this time. Once Reid¡¯s men arrive, immediately shrink the encirclement. Do everything ording to my instructions.¡± Hansen¡¯s gaze was still fixed outside the window, as the slightly yellowish and gaunt face shed across his mind.

    That sallow face which was devoid of spirit. When had he ever seen such a face before?Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    That feeling was very simr to a point in the past. Gradually,it began to prate his mind little by little,and memories began to revive.

    ¡°Rest assured, Mr. Richards. We have already made all the necessary arrangements. As long as he¡¯s willing toe, we are confident.¡± Alvin and John nodded their heads in a confident manner.

    However, Hansen stood up all of a sudden.

    ¡°In that case, go down, make some preparations, and carefully check everything again, so that Sergio doesn¡¯t find out.¡± Hansen briefly instructed him in an erratic manner.

    Alvin and John nced at each other and left.

    At that moment, Jenna¡¯s figure was shing in Hansen¡¯s mind.

    He pulled the draweropen. The shell that had been polished brightly by him was still lying quietly inside the drawer.

    As time went by, stories of the past slowly came to mind.

    In the past, they had fought and fought. At that time, he had been jealous of Rayan and had lost his mind. Then, they argued, and she fainted¡­

    Could it be¡­

    Jenna¡¯s face had turned sallow once again, and she had lost a lot of weight¡­

    That strange feeling rose from the bottom of his heart. He then thought of something and ran outside.

 Chapter 538 You Canâ€™t Come Back Anymore

    On the highway, Sergio¡¯s car was slowly driving towards the Richards Group.

    His phone rang.

    Sergio picked up the phone.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, Zoe has indeed fallen into Hansen¡¯s trap. She hates Liya to the core right now and doesn¡¯t want Liya to be Hansen¡¯s second wife. She has already nned to stir up trouble at their wedding and point out that Liya was the one who had stolen Jenna¡¯s fingerprints, so that Liya will be charged with a crime, and Hansen will not marry her.¡± The news from the other side of the line made Sergio¡¯s heart turn cold.

    That foolish woman!

    Zoe was indeed driven by emotions, and it didn¡¯t matter how smart she was. Zoe couldn¡¯t move on from the emotional stage, and if things went on like that, Zoe and Liya would only get themselves killed.

    It was not that he pitied Zoe¡¯s prospects, but he was actually thinking about his own future.

    The election was about to enter the second round next month. That was the crucial moment. If they won, the election wouldn¡¯t need to go on, since they had won two rounds in a row. At that moment, he still had to suppress the Richards Group. He can¡¯t give them any leeway and cause them to panic, so that they wouldn¡¯t be able to pay attention to other people¡¯s businesses.

    Besides, if Hansen didn¡¯t marry Liya, how could Jenna be willing to divorce him?

    Those two things weren¡¯t what he wanted.

    Sergio then turned the steering wheel lightly and drove towards the Sky Sword Group.

    The temperature in the room was slightly warm. Although the air conditioner was still running at full speed, Zoe still felt stuffy all over, and she was very anxious and annoyed.

    She was restless. She would sometimes stand up and sit back down, but there wasn¡¯t anything she could do.

    Her carefullyid out ns for the Richards Group seemed to be disintegrating recently, one by one. She had already received news that Sadiva was the one behind it all.

    After all, the Richards Group was wealthy and resourceful. The Regional Games were about to start, and Sadiva had to rely on Hansen.

    At first, she could have caused great harm to the Richards Group. However, from the looks of it, the difficulty of doing that had increased dramatically.

    Nevertheless, Sergio was still suppressing the Richards Group. As long as Sergio was on the Richards Group¡¯s case, Hansen would find it suffocating, no matter how capable he was. Although Hansen had Sadiva¡¯s support, he couldn¡¯tpete with the Xanthe family.

    Of course, she knew that the Richards Group also had strong backing in Capital City.

    She could not put it off for too long. The longer she put it off, the more dangerous it would be.

    She had to get rid of Oscar at all costs.

    She wanted to win, to live a happy life, to have her loved onesby her side, and to be at the top.

    Her phone rang.

    She nced at it, and an enigmatic sneer appeared on the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°Zoe, it¡¯s me.¡± The man on the phone sounded a little discouraged, but there was still a trace of affection in his deep voice.

    ¡°Yaris, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Zoe asked indifferently as she knitted her brows together.

    ¡°Zoe, when can Ie back to see you?¡± Yaris asked impatiently on the phone.

    ¡°Do you really think you cane back now?¡± Zoe sneered.¡°Let me tell you.Things have turned worse. That seductress, Liya, had stolen the evidence that can prove thatJenna had been framed, and all the current evidence is pointed towards you. You understand what will happen if youe back, right?¡±

    Yaris fell silent for a while.

    ¡°Zoe, you understand my feelings for you. I just want to be with you.¡± After a while, he whimpered desperately.

    Both his desperate words and feelings rushed towards Zoe. She felt a trace of a chill in her heart. At that moment, she suddenly regretted it.She couldn¡¯t even understand what she was doing and what she would aplish by doing all that!

    After she had fallen into a daze for a moment, her gaze turned sharp again.

    Her hand, that was clutching the phone, trembled slightly. ¡°No.Yaris,it¡¯s impossible between you and me. If you want to live and not go to jail, just stay there, and you can even build a family.¡±

    Both Oscar¡¯s and Hansen¡¯s faces appeared on Zoe¡¯s mind from time to time. Suddenly, she burst intoughter, until tears welled up in her eyes.

    Yaris¡¯ hairs stood on end as he heard Zoe¡¯s abnormalughter.

    ¡°Zoe, I¡¯ve advised you not to take this path before. With your intellect, you can still live afortable life. Although you won¡¯t be living the life like the wealthy women in prestigious families,I can still give you a humble and great life,¡± Yaris shouted in sorrow through the phone.

    He did not know if Zoe had heard his words, as he didn¡¯t hear any reply. He could only vaguely hear her sobbing at the other end. Even though the sound was very low to the point that he could not hear it clearly, he still could distinguish her sadness, which caused his heart to tremble.

    After graduating from college, he entered the Richards Group for her and gradually acquired Hansen¡¯s trust. Later on, he was appointed as the international director. Then, for the sake of her revenge, he gave up his bright future in the Richards Group and devoted himself to helping her, just because he loved her.

    However, Zoe had always been indifferent towards him. He knew that she was using him, but he didn¡¯t care as he loved her.

    Nheless, he somewhat regretted helping her, as it came to the point that he couldn¡¯t even go back home, but what worried him the most was Zoe.

    No matter what, Zoe was still a woman. How could she be a match for Hansen?

    There was a clear disparity between her and Hansen. What more, she had lost his help!

    In addition to feeling sorry for her, Yaris also felt as if he was being tortured, as he could only hide there, and listen to her voice from far away while hoping for the best for her.

    Zoe was lying on the desk. At that moment, she was as vulnerable as a candle in the wind, and she only felt despair and mortification right then. She had never experienced that kind ofplicated feeling before.

    As for Yaris, Zoe felt that she had aplicated rtionship with him. She did not love him, but he was someone she could rely on. Yaris was a gentleman, and she did not dislike him, but hecked the aura of a domineering man. That was why it was difficult for her to fall in love with him.

    She liked men who were as intimidating as Hansen. His way of alternating between kindness with severity would easily conquer a woman¡¯s heart. Of course, Hansen possessed traits that all women longed for, which were wealth and power. That was also one of the factors that made her yearn for him.

    In fact, after suffering Oscar¡¯s torment, there were some subtle changes in Zoe¡¯s heart, but she did not realize it herself.

    There was a soft knock on the door.

    Zoe wiped away her tears, collected herself, andsat straight, saying, ¡°Come in.¡±

    The door opened.

    A tall and slender figure entered.

    Her eyes were wide openas she was shocked to see him.

    ¡°Sergio, why are you here?¡± She looked at him in surprise. That was the first time Sergio hade to her office.

    That man, who was involved in politics, had always thought that he was superior and looked down upon businesspeople like her. No woman could catch his eye except Jenna.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Zoe, it seems that you really are in peril.¡± Sergio directly approached her. He put his hands on the desk as he looked at Zoe¡¯s red eyes and sneered.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zoe asked with her eyes widened. As her gaze met Sergio¡¯s eyes,it was the first timeshe thought thathis eyes looked unfathomable, and she knew that he was a man who couldn¡¯t be offended.

    A scornful smile appeared at the corner of Sergio¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°You dare take on the Richards Group with your little tricks?¡± The contempt in his tone intensified, and Sergio was almost ridiculing her.

    Zoe¡¯s face gradually turned pale.

    ¡°Sergio, what in the world do you want to convey? Do you really think thatughing at a woman like this will show how capable a man is?¡± Zoe said coldly with dissatisfaction.

    Sergio looked at her and sat down on the couch next to her.

    ¡°Who was the one who said that she wanted to destroy the Richards Group? Who was the one who said that she wanted to take revenge on Hansen? Do you think you¡¯re qualified to say such a thing in your current state?¡± Sergio continued to mock her after sitting down.

    After a moment of shock, Zoe came back to her senses. She finally understood the purpose of Sergio¡¯s visit.

    ¡°Sergio, is there something you¡¯re unhappy with? If there is any, then please say so. Mocking me like that won¡¯t do you any good.¡± She sat up straight and restored her aura as a strong woman.

    Sergio¡¯s sarcastic words had indeed gotten on Zoe¡¯s nerves and made her feel ufortable, as if she had thorns all over her body, which also made her annoyed with Sergio¡¯s attitude.

    ¡°Alright then. Let me ask you. Hansen is going to marry Liya. Do you know that?¡± he asked, as he looked straight into her eyes.

    Zoe¡¯s entire body trembled. Her eyes emitted a horrifying light, as if it was producing poison.

    ¡°Of course I know.¡± She gritted her teeth and answered with great strain.

    ¡°Then, what are you going to do?¡± Sergio stared at her face, not letting go of any changes in her expression.

    Zoe looked at Sergio. She tried to analyze the meaning behind his words and guessed his intention of saying those words. Obviously, he hade that day for that matter! Then, what was he thinking about?

    Since he finally took the initiative to meet her instead of standing at the sidelines, he must be offering her some help. Zoe understood that quickly, as she was smart.

    ¡°Then, what do you want me to do?¡± She pursed the corners of her mouth and asked in return.

    Sergio looked at the woman in front of him, who was almost going insane, with eyes that were filled with contempt.

    ¡°What¡¯s your n then? You don¡¯t want Hansen to marry Liya, right?¡± He cast a sideways nce at her and asked calmly.

    Zoe was stunned for a moment as she immediately replied, ¡°How can a woman like Liya be worthy of Hansen? She¡¯s a wicked person. I won¡¯t let her have her happy ending.¡±

    Her answer was not vague at all, and she stated her standpoint firmly.

    ¡°What a stupid woman.¡± Sergio secretly cursed. He frowned and said, ¡°Do you really think that Liya will have a good life after bing Hansen¡¯s second wife? Do you really think that she will lead a happy life?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zoe was vaguely surprised by his words. She lifted her eyebrows and asked in response.

 Chapter 539 Sergioâ€™s Plan

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. Liya will just be the second wife. Even if she were to marry Hansen for real, she won¡¯t be greatly respected in Richards Manor. From Liya¡¯s current mental state, she¡¯s very likely to seek revenge against Richards Manor. So, why don¡¯t you just sit back and take advantage of her?There are so many benefits to this.¡± Sergio¡¯s eyes were filled with a smug smile. He was giving her pointers at the right time.

    Zoe¡¯s eyebrows twitched.¡°What are the benefits?¡±

    ¡°It turns out that you¡¯re always smart but sometimes a fool, huh?¡± The sarcastic smile at the corner of Sergio¡¯s lips grew apparent.¡°Don¡¯t you want to take revenge on the Richards Group? At present, Liya is the best pawn to do so, but you want to abandon such a good pawn. I really feel sorry for you.¡±

    Right then, Zoe¡¯s started to twitch as well, as she looked at him with a nk and helpless expression.

    ¡°Think about it. Don¡¯t you want Hansen to suffer? Don¡¯t you want to take revenge against the Richards Group? Think about all the schemes you¡¯ve used, and how they¡¯ve ended up. The evidence against Jenna has been stolen by Liya, and right now, Hansen has broken free of his one and only weak spot. Although he doesn¡¯t have any evidence to prove it, he knows that you¡¯re the mastermind,and he definitely won¡¯t let you go. Please use more of your wits, Zoe. You can¡¯t take down the Richards Group like that. Hansen can do things as he likes, now that you can¡¯t threaten him anymore. As long as he fights back a little, youwilldefinitelybe destroyed miserably. Don¡¯t even expect to get the revenge you want. I¡¯m afraid that you can¡¯t even escape from him. You should¡¯ve known by now that the Richards Group is starting to break through your encirclement, and they will definitely recover their strength soon. Besides, Sadiva wants to make use of Hansen¡¯s finances to finish the construction for the Regional Games.So, what¡¯s the use of you using Honold?Can he beat his own father? Will he be willing to fight his father for you? You¡¯ll know that it¡¯s impossible if you think about it. It¡¯s obvious if you analyze what has happened in these few days.¡±

    Sergio¡¯s long speech made Zoe break out in cold sweat.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Zoe slowly came back to her senses when Sergio illuminated the situation. If she had gone to the wedding to expose Liya that day, then Liya would¡¯ve exposed her too, and then they would fight each other. At that point, only Hansen would gain the upper hand. It was very likely that she and Liya would both lose due to infighting. Why hadn¡¯t she thought of that before?

    The unease and annoyance inexplicably disappeared.

    It turned out that she felt that way because she knew that method wasn¡¯t a good move. That was why she had such negative reactions.It was just that she didn¡¯t notice it.

    ¡°Then, do you mean to let Liya be Hansen¡¯s second wife for real?¡± Zoe asked with her eyes wide as she clenched her fist.

    On the other hand, Sergio looked calm andposed, nodding his head, as if it was the absolute right thing to do.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, I feel that you¡¯re sacrificing me because you aren¡¯t able to get Jenna. You want Hansen to marry Liya as his second wife for real, so that Jenna will file a divorce. Since she can¡¯t bear it anymore, then you¡¯ll gain a chance at courting her, right?¡± Zoe wasn¡¯t stupid. Sergio was a man who only did things for his own interests. She was certain that Sergio came there that day wasn¡¯t because he cared about her.

    She was not a person to be taken advantage of with such ease.So, she asked that question in return at once.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care how you think, but I guess you can¡¯t rule out the possibility that I have this thought,¡± Sergio admitted it loudly.¡°But the reason I came here this time is mostly for your own good. Think about it. If you expose Liya, then it will be equivalent to shooting yourself in the foot. The two of you will suffer a lot from the infighting, and then you¡¯ll never find the chance to take revenge against Hansen anymore. You should really think about this matter carefully, and weigh the gains and losses.¡± He stood up and reminded her in a condescending manner. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good, and also for everyone¡¯s interests. Think about it. If you lose the pawn that can keep Hansen in check, then you¡¯ll lose. It will be difficult for you to find another opportunity to find another weakness of Hansen¡¯s. Then, you¡¯ll never be able to achieve your goal. However, if Liya stays with Hansen and causes trouble, even if she does not grab hold of his weakness, it will still have an unexpected effect. If a man with a prestigious background has a woman like Liya by his side, isn¡¯t trouble bound to happen? With that, your opportunity will surelye.¡± Sergio saw through Zoe¡¯s mind, and he exined carefully.

    Zoe gradually became sober.

    Wasn¡¯t that the truth?

    ¡°Then, don¡¯t you think that Liya will betray us if Hansen recruits her to his side?¡± she asked gingerly.

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Sergio inserted his hands into the pockets of his trousers, looking elegant and calm. He answered with certainty, ¡°It is a tragedy for a woman like Liya to marry into the Richards family. As long as Hansen is no longer threatened, I can guarantee that he won¡¯t even take a second look at Liya, let alone touch her. The only person he loves is Jenna. For her, he is willing to sacrifice everything, including his own life. He will only give his love to Jenna, and he won¡¯t ever love Liya. In that case, Liya¡¯s mental state will surely crumble, and she won¡¯t be resigned to it and would find a way to seek revenge. At that time, we can just stand aside and watch them make a fool of themselves. We will be able to see how Liya ruins Hansen¡¯s married life, and how the Richards Group will be destroyed.¡±

    Zoe was lost in thought.

    ¡°Also, for Hansen, aside from his family and Jenna, no one else will be able to make him feel threatened. And if you want to achieve this goal and make him ufortable, the most effective way is to let Liya disturb his family and make his life miserable. This way, you can achieve your goal, and opportunities may even appear. You are a smart person. So, surely, you understand this point, right?¡± Seeing that Zoe was hesitating, Sergio continued to advise her.

    Sergio¡¯s advice was effective. Although Zoe was sitting, lost in her thoughts, she seemed much calmer than before.

    Nevertheless, no matter how Zoe looked at it, she felt ufortable letting Liya be Hansen¡¯s woman, his second wife.

    In her eyes, a woman like Liya only deserved to be toyed with by Oscar and abandoned, after he lost interest in her. So, how could she let her beHansen¡¯s,everyone¡¯s dream man, second wife? Even if it was just bing Hansen¡¯s second wife, many women were more than willing to do so. Not to mention that Hansen was young and handsome, the inheritance they would get was already a great sum of money. That was the life that many women dreamed of. Could it be that she really had to watch Liya simply achieve the dreams of many women?

    Zoe thought that she really needed to think carefully.

    How could Sergio be so kind to help her? In the end, it was still for his own benefit.

    As she thought about it, a warm smile appeared on her face.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Sergio approached her, put his elbow on the table, and stared at Zoe¡¯s face again.

    ¡°Others may not know how you¡¯re thinking of Hansen, but I know it very well. Why don¡¯t you think about it, and see if I¡¯m wrong? Only when you adhere to my advice will you have the chance to get Hansen. Liya will only be the second wife at best, and it¡¯s impossible for her to be Hansen¡¯s proper wife. However, she might be able to do even more things for you if she is by Hansen¡¯s side, and you can take advantage of that. Think about it carefully, isn¡¯t it logical? If you¡¯re too hasty, you might end up with nothing.¡± Sergio gave a dryugh and asked, ¡°Do you know what¡¯s Hansen¡¯s biggest weakness?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Zoe¡¯s curiosity was piqued by Sergio¡¯s eloquent words.

    ¡°Hansen is shrewd andpetent when ites to business. If you fight with him in the business field, then you will only end up in the losing end, not to mention that the Richards Group has such a strong family background. What do you have to fightwithhim? During this period of time, isn¡¯t it because you had seized his weakness that you were able to make a mess out of the Richards Group,as he didn¡¯t want to hurt Jenna? But even so, it¡¯s useless. He will be able to recover soon, and you won¡¯t be able to take advantage of his weakness anymore in the future. If you want to conquer him and destroy the Richards Group just with your own strength, then dream on. It¡¯s impossible. Besides, the fact that you framed the Richards Group for unauthorized disclosure will soon be exposed by Hansen, who has gotten rid of his threat. His people will sooner orter find Yaris and the other pieces of evidence. Then, you will be destroyed, to the point that you can¡¯t recover anymore. On the contrary, Hansen is much more childish when ites to rtionships. His biggest weaknesses are Jenna and his family. So, think about it. shouldn¡¯t you let Liya stay by his side as the second wife for the time being? Also, she¡¯s just going to be the second wife. I believe that you¡¯re not interested in such a lowly position.¡±

    As he said that, Sergioughed and said, ¡°Zoe, look out for yourself.¡±

    After that, he strode out of the office.

    The room became terribly quiet all of a sudden.

    As if the air had spikes grown on it, they rushed towards Zoe and surrounded her.

    She began to tremble, feeling bursts of chills.

    Sergio was right. If she couldn¡¯t stand being wronged at that moment, then the consequences might be even worse.

    She had Liya¡¯s recording in hand.So, she could definitely threaten to do things for her. At present, since Hansen had lost his one and only threat, the Richards Group would soon return to its former glory. After experiencing that incident, he would definitely pay more attention to the Richards Group, and the Richards Group would definitely be invincible. As for Jenna, after experiencing that incident, he would definitely use better ways to protect her. It was impossible for Zoe to hurt her again.

    Zoe continued to think about it more carefully.

    How could a woman of Liya¡¯s status be respected after she entered Richards Manor? Therefore, it would be a perfect opportunity for Zoe to ce a pawn by Hansen¡¯s side.

    How could Liya, who had suffered all sorts of humiliations in Richards Manor, be willing to ept that?

    If she made a fuss and caused Jenna to leave¡­

    An evil and excited smile shed across her face, but she was afraid that Sergio would get all the benefits. Itcaused her to hesitate and have her own suspicions, but her mind had already been shaken.

 Chapter 540 Bring Her To The Hospital

    The Ink Garden was surrounded by greenery.There were lush trees, chirping birds, and fragrant flowers, which made the surrounding air particrly pleasant.

    When Jenna finished her work in the office, she slowly walked out of the Ink Garden after visiting Vivian.

    As soon as she stepped out of the gate, she could see a long and quiet corridor in front of her.

    ¡°Greetings, Madam.¡± Jenna lifted her head and saw that Paul was greeting her while bowing to her.

    ¡°Paul?¡± Jenna was a bit surprised. She didn¡¯t expect to meet Paul in the Ink Garden at that point in time.

    ¡°Madam, I¡¯m here to visit Vivian. So, I thought I¡¯d visit you as well.¡± Paul smiled as he exined.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Jenna gave a faint smile after hearing his exnation.

    ¡°Madam, in another two days, Mr. Richards will be marrying Liya. You won¡¯t have any other thoughts, right?¡± Paul looked at her and asked worriedly.

    Jenna clenched her fists for a moment and loosened them. She smiled bitterly in her heart, but her face remained calm.

    ¡°It¡¯s no use even if I have any other thoughts. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t do anything stupid. Haven¡¯t you heard that I¡¯ll be personally hosting the wedding for them?¡±

    The smile on Jenna¡¯s face was very bleak as she said bitterly.

    Paul looked at her particrly pale face and sighed, not saying anything in the end.

    Jenna read something from Paul¡¯s eyes at that moment. ¡°Paul,could it be that you know something and hadn¡¯t told me about it?¡± Thinking back to that day when she brought Liya to visit Vivian, even though she didn¡¯t say anything, she still sent Paul and Irvin to Africa two months prior, as if it had something to do with ude. Vivian seemed to have predicted something, could it be¡­

    ¡°Paul, tell me, was it Grandma who wanted Hansen to marry Liya? Did she have the intention to set this scheme up long ago?¡±

    Thinking of those strange things, she couldn¡¯t help but to ask again.

    Paul¡¯s gaze was calm.¡°Madam, if it¡¯s possible, Vivian isn¡¯t even willing to see Liya. So, why would she expect her favorite grandson to marry her?¡±

    At that point, heughed again.¡°Madam, in fact, we don¡¯t know much about Mr. Richards¡¯ arrangement, but I do know he has his reasons for doing this. Madam, Mr. Richards¡¯ and Liya¡¯s wedding is only a wedding ceremony, and they won¡¯t be going to register,¡± Paul said, after thinking for a while.

    That was the inside story Paul had learnt of. In order to prevent Jenna from concerning too much about it, he chose to tell her that after some careful consideration.

    Actually, Irvin had always been active in the war-torn country. From there, he received a piece of news that ude would be escorted back to A City on the day of Liya¡¯s wedding. However, the terrorist organization was dissatisfied with that matter. Whether ude could safely return to A City was still unconfirmed, and he couldn¡¯t predict if something else would happen after ude returned to A City either. Right then, he was very worried about the matter. Hence, he had reason to believe that Reid bringing ude back to A City definitely had something to do with Hansen¡¯s and Liya¡¯s wedding. Due to that, he also went to investigate and found that Hansen and Liya hadn¡¯t registered yet. Only then did he seem to understand Hansen¡¯s intentions.

    When Jenna heard Paul¡¯s words, she was immediately stunned. Only then did she recall the problem regarding their registration.It was obviously impossible to carry it out locally, andHansen had never mentioned going abroad to her either. It was because Hansen kept the whole matter a secret to her, and did not tell her anything that she assumed that they had already registered.

    ¡°So, he¡¯s doing this for a purpose, right?¡± In any case, Jenna was happy to hear that Hansen didn¡¯t register their marriage with Liya. However, in the traditional sense,holding such a grand wedding ceremony and inviting guests to the banquetwould already be epted by everyone as a fact due to A city¡¯s tradition, even if they didn¡¯t go through the legal procedures. Therefore, it was still totally possible for Liya to still remain in Richards Manor. After asking that question, Jenna felt overjoyed for a momentbut she turned sad in an instant.

    She lowered her head, and there was still a sh of pain in her eyes.

    ¡°ude Richards.You know him, right?¡± Paul suddenly changed the topic and asked softly.

    ¡°ude?¡± Jenna widened her eyes in shock. What did he mean?

    ¡°Madam, Liya¡¯s uncle, Reid, had kidnapped ude, and he belongs to a terrorist organization in the war-torn country. Hence, this wedding is most likely just a trap set by Mr. Richards, so that he can lure Reidoutand make him give ude back. After all, life is the most important thing. Nevertheless, this is only my own spection. Madam, no matter what happens in the end, you must be mentally prepared to ept reality. Of course, on the day of the wedding, I will always follow you to protect your safety.¡± Paul was unable to confirm the entirety of Hansen¡¯s n. Nheless, from the information he received, it was likely that the terrorist organization would take action. They probably wouldn¡¯t allow Reid to hand udeover just because of Liya¡¯s wedding. Hence, the matter would have many variables. From Vivian¡¯s orders to him, he had to ensure ude¡¯s safety as well as Jenna¡¯s.

    ¡°Madam, you can rest assured that I will give you an update if I learn of something new. You shouldn¡¯t worry too much.Let¡¯s meet one step at a time.¡± After saying that, Paul left in a hurry, as if he had something urgent to do.

    After Paul left, Jenna¡¯s heart actually calmed down a lot. Surely enough, there were many factors in Hansen¡¯s wedding. Although she had long guessed it, she still felt slightlyforted after hearing Paul¡¯s words that day.

    She stood there for a while before slowly walking towards the Green Jade Garden.

    After walking for a short distance, she felt dizzy. She also had a faint ufortable feeling in her stomach and had the urge to vomit. So, she leaned against the tree and rested for a while.

    Jenna went back to the second floor of the Green Jade Garden with much difficulty. Shey on the couch and thought of the scene of Liya running towards Hansen¡¯s Hummer, which made her feel even more ufortable.

    Ever since she knew how Liya thought of Hansen, whenever she thought of her or saw her, she would feel disgusted. If things continued on, how would she continue to live her life in the future?

    She theny on her side and closed her eyes, as she felt somewhat sleepy.

    Hansen¡¯s car directly drove into the underground parking lot of Richards Manor.

    When he was still in the car, his mind was filled with Jenna¡¯s pale and sallow face. He had seen such a face before,and it made him feel devastated and nervous.

    He felt very tense.

    That feeling made the blood in his body flow quicker.

    Due to how busy he was, he did not pay much attention to Jenna during that period of time. Even if they slept together, he did not think much about it.

    He got on the electric vehicle and stopped at the gate of Green Jade Garden.

    All of a sudden, he understood what that feeling was.

    It was the feeling of guilt.

    Why did he feel that way?

    In the past, he had always been staying by Jenna¡¯s side, but he did not notice that she was pregnant.

    Jenna was pregnant with Jerry, but she didn¡¯t tell him. Instead, she resolutely left him.

    That kind of heart-wrenching feeling was deeply engraved in his heart.

    He couldn¡¯t forget it in his lifetime.

    Although it was long ago in the past, he still felt very uneasy when he saw how yellow Jenna¡¯s face was that morning. Yet, he still left in a hurry as he had important matters to attend to.

    Nevertheless, that feeling seemed to have connected all the senses of the past, and hegradually recalled all the memories.

    That was why he rushed home.

    When he reached the second floor, the corridor was so quiet that even the air seemed to have stopped flowing, but his heart was pounding wildly.

    He pushed the dooropen.

    Jenna¡¯s delicate figure was lying on the couch, with her hair all over the back of her head. Her soft, silk-woven, padded jacket was clinging to her body. Hansen could see her chest heaving slightly, and he could even smell her fragrant breath.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    She was sleeping soundly.

    Hansen slowly approached her and knelt down to study her face.

    He gently touched her beautiful hair.

    Jenna woke up with a start due to his actions.

    She opened her bright eyes and met with Hansen¡¯s clear and spirited eyes. Those eyes were filled with concern and consideration, as well as a hint of guilt.

    ¡°Hansen, why are you back?¡± Jenna found it strange that she was able to see Hansen at that moment,but it also made her feel delighted as well. She stared at him with her bright, ck eyes, and since she had just woken up, her gaze was slightly drifting.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ve missed you. So, I came back to see you.¡± He smiled, stretched out his strong arms, and pulled her into his embrace. Then, he sat on the couch with her in his arms.

    Jenna¡¯s face flushed when she heard his corny words.

    ¡°Jenna, you don¡¯t look goodtely. Is there anywhere you feel unwell?¡± Hansen asked in a soft and gentle manner.

    Jenna thought for a while and shook her head.

    Could she say that whenever she saw Liya, she would feel disgusted, to the point that she wanted to puke?

    However, Hansen¡¯srge hand caressed her jaundiced face and forced her to look straight into his eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been in poor spirits these few days, and yourplexion is even worse. That¡¯s whyI came back to bring you to the hospital to have a check-up.¡± With that, Hansen picked Jennaupand prepared to go out.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m really fine. You don¡¯t need to bring me to the doctor.¡± Jenna did not think that she was sick in any way. She only felt tired and was a little sleepy. In terms of herplexion, how good would a woman¡¯splexion be when her husband was about to take a second wife?

    ¡°No, this time, I must take you to the hospital for a check-up. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be at ease.¡± Hansen ignored her protests and carried her out, without giving her a chance to speak.

    Before that, it was due to her opposition that he did not insist on bringing her to the hospital. Therefore, Jenna¡¯s pregnancy and Jerry¡¯s birth became very sorrowful. That was what Hansen felt most guilty about.

    The most painful thing for Hansen was that even though his wife was by his side, he still didn¡¯t know that she was pregnant, and was even malnourished. The fact that his own child didn¡¯t have the best care and even had dystrophy was what Hansen was most upset about.

    That time, he couldn¡¯t be careless. Besides, they didn¡¯t use any contraceptives when they made love. So, it was totally possible for her to get pregnant.

    His child deserved the best care. Otherwise, what was the point of him working so hard?

    With the previous experience, he did not dare to be careless at that time.

    Regardless of whether she was pregnant or not, he had to follow through to the end.

 Chapter 541 Affectionate and Considerate

    Feeing extremely helpless, Jenna could only allow Hansen to carry her out of the living room of Green Jade Garden.

    Hansen¡¯s embrace was broad and strong. Lying in his embrace that way was veryfortable.

    Coincidentally, Marissa walked in from the outside and met them, but she pretended not to see their intimate actions. Right then, she was very eager to see them getting along peacefully.

    Marissa stood there until she watched them leave in the electric vehicle and felt very bewildered.

    It was clear that his son loved Jenna a lot. Was he out of his mind? Why would he take a second wife? What in the world was going on?

    She shook her head and sighed.

    Just then, Trevor walked out of the elevator and saw Marissamenting and sighing. Puzzled, he asked, ¡°Who provoked you to make you shake your head and sigh with a pained expression?¡±

    Marissa looked up and saw that Trevor was walking towards her steadily. She then felt depressed and said unhappily,¡°What else could it be? It¡¯s all the father¡¯s and son¡¯s faults.¡±

    In the past few days, Trevor was also acting secretively. Putting aside the fact that he was acting in a weird manner, he even supported Hansen in marrying Liya. Marissa couldn¡¯t understand his actions no matter what, which made her ridicule him.

    After taking a look at her, Trevor understood why she was feeling that way. He pulled her to the couch and sat down, saying seriously, ¡°Marissa, you must attend Hansen¡¯s wedding. You¡¯re going to be Liya¡¯s mother-inw. So, you must ept Liya having tea with me by then. You must show up no matter how much you dislike it. This is an order.¡±

    ¡°Why? You¡¯re already so old, yet you¡¯re still so overbearing. Hansen is exactly the same as you. Only Jenna can bear him. If it were other women, they would have fought with each other every day. Can¡¯t you be more sensible and not fool around with Hansen anymore?¡± Marissa didn¡¯t know about the matter regarding Richards Group and ude. Therefore, she thought that Trevor was only doing that to grow the family. She thought that he wanted Hansen to take a second wifeso that he would have more grandchildren, but it wasn¡¯t that Jenna couldn¡¯t give birth either. Also, Liya was obviously not a good woman. In Marissa¡¯s eyes, even if Liya were to get married into the family and give birth to a child, the child wouldn¡¯t be any better either, not to mention that it would ruin the Richards family¡¯s reputation.

    All in all, Marissa waspletely opposed to that matter.

    She was also a smart person. Even if Trevor wanted Hansen to marry another woman, that wasn¡¯t the way to do it. That matter was aplete joke.

    ¡°You have to listen to me.There isn¡¯t any other reason. Go and prepare your outfits during these two days. Also, you have to stay by my side all day and not move around randomly. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being impolite.¡± Trevor¡¯s tone was very harsh. It was quite rare for him to talk to Marissa in such a stern manner.

    A moment went by.

    Marissa choked on her words and could not utter a word.

    Trevor looked at her again with a serious face and left.

    Marissa thought for a long time with her mouth open. From how Trevor was acting, it seemed that she was the troublemaker, whichpuzzledher.

    The Hummer sped towards the government hospital.

    Jennayzily in the back row. She neither opposed nor insisted andjust allowed Hansen do as he liked.

    She felt that it was somewhat odd as well. She would feel exhausted and sleepy in recent days, and she didn¡¯t have a good appetite either.

    Was she pregnant?

    After thinking about it, she sat up in shock.

    It seemed that she hadn¡¯t had her period in a long time!

    Nevertheless, the morning sickness she felt wasn¡¯t as bad as thest time.

    As she thought so, she sat in the back and fell into a daze.

    Till the car stopped at the entrance of the government hospital, she was still in a stupor.

    Seeing that Jenna hadn¡¯t gone down from the car for a long time, Hansen bent his body, only to see that Jenna was sitting there nkly.

    The corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched.

    Opening the car door, he reached out and held her in his arms.

    It wasn¡¯t until she was pulled into Hansen¡¯s arms like a doll did she feel that many people were looking at her. So, she came back to her senses with her face slightly turning red.

    ¡°Hansen, put me down.¡± She struggled in his embrace with a flushed face.

    ¡°No, who told you to be absent-minded when you¡¯re with me?¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes carried a hint of a smile. He didn¡¯t care about other people¡¯s gazes and just said in a doting yet domineering manner.

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a good idea to be looked at like a monkey by others?¡± Jenna rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°I never care about other people¡¯s opinions. I just do what I want to do.¡± Hansen held her in his arms and whispered in her ear.

    Lying in his arms, Hansen¡¯s unique scent was all over Jenna¡¯s nose. As she listened to his words and felt his breath, she felt really weak. She really wanted to rely on him and be the only woman he would love forever. Jenna¡¯s yearning for Hansen was particrly strong at that moment.

    She stopped talking and just let him do as he pleased.

    Jenna thought that she was only a woman who wanted peace and contentment. Seeing that her husband had cheated on her, she didn¡¯t even have the courage to resist, and she even wanted topete for him.

    That was probably because she was only human.

    Hansen carried her into a VIP ward, ced her on a soft bed, and went out to look for the experts. During that period of time, Jenna was obediently lying on the bed like a docile kitten.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Hansen to find a female specialist doctor. Jenna had never seen that female doctor before. She seemed to be quite old. So, she should be very experienced.

    ¡°Dr. Parker, my wife¡¯splexion hasn¡¯t been looking well recently. Please take a look at her and see if there¡¯s anything wrong with her.¡± Hansen told Dr. Parker as they walked in.

    Hansen didn¡¯t go to a maternal and child health hospital because he was afraid of making a fool out of himself. Generally, pregnancy tests could be done anywhere, as it was something that didn¡¯t require professional knowledge.

    ¡°Alright, Mr. Richards,¡± Dr. Parker replied respectfully. Then, she turned to Jenna with a smile on her face and asked politely, ¡°Mrs. Richards, do you feel ufortableanywhere?¡±

    Jenna smiled slightly and said, ¡°Dr. Parker, actually, I¡¯m fine¡­¡± As she said so, she sensed a dissatisfied gaze fixed on her. So, she pouted her lips and immediately switched her words. ¡°I feel exhausted and sleepy every day. My appetite is not that good either. Other than that, nothing bad had happened.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Dr. Parker looked at her, nodded, and said with a smile, ¡°Mrs. Richards, yourplexion really isn¡¯t that good. Now that the weather has gotten warmer, the fact that you don¡¯t have much appetite is normal. Alright, let me take your pulse first.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± Dr. Parker sat at opposite her and pulled up the deck of the bed. Jenna then put her hand on it, and Dr. Parker carefully felt her pulse.

    After a while, Dr. Parker nodded and asked softly, ¡°Mrs. Richards, may I ask, when was yourst menstruation?¡± Jenna¡¯s heart pounded faster when she heard her question. As if she had guessed something, her expression changed slightly.

    When she was about to speak, she saw that Hansen was nervously looking at her. He seemed to want to know the answer too. For a moment, she understood why Hansen insisted on bringing her to the hospital. It turned out that he was concerned if she had a child or not. In fact, he didn¡¯t care about her body at all, did he?

    As soon as she thought about it, she felt somewhat upset and replied casually, ¡°I forgot.¡±

    She forgot? Hansen frowned. He lowered his head and thought about it. Recently, they have slept together quite a number of times. In the past, didn¡¯t she¡­ Just as Hansen was thinking about it, Dr. Parker said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter even if you¡¯ve forgotten. Let¡¯s have a urine test first.¡±

    After saying that, she took out the test sheets.

    Hansen took the test sheets and supported Jenna into the bathroom.

    Jenna nced at him from the side. Was there a need for him to do that? She could still walk anyway, and she was certain that she could walk quickly. Nevertheless, seeing how nervous Hansen was, he was obviously worried if she was pregnant.

    Jenna didn¡¯t expect that when she hade out with the urine specimen, Hansen had taken the specimen from her and had sent it to theboratory outside in person.

    Hansen had mysophobia, but he didn¡¯t even care about that right then. If she hadn¡¯t seen it with her own eyes, she really wouldn¡¯t havee to believe it.

    However, since he was willing to do that, Jenna was also okay with it. As her husband, it was precisely that point of time that he had to present his good side!

    ¡°Jenna, how do you feel now? Do you feel ufortable?¡± After Hansen returned from theb, he saw that Jenna was lying on the bed and looking at the HDTV in the room absent-mindedly.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    ¡°We still have to wait for a while for the result. Come, drink some water first.¡± As he spoke, Hansen took out Jenna¡¯s bottle and handed it to her. Jenna stretched out her hand and took a sip. It tasted sweet and refreshing, but after swallowing it, she felt ufortable and wanted to vomit. Perhaps it was because she thought it was normal water and didn¡¯t expect the taste to have changed.

    ¡°Hansen, what is this?¡± she asked him, frowning.

    ¡°It¡¯s to replenish your stamina. I added some herbs, red dates, and some rock sugar in it. Your face is too sallow. You need to nourish yourself properly,¡± Hansen said nonchntly.

    ¡°You¡­¡± It was no wonder there was a fishy smell. When Jenna thought about it, sheimmediatelyfelt that her entire mouth was filled with that stench. She felt ufortable and ran to the bathroom with her hands covering her mouth.

    She immediately bent forward on the marble top and began to vomit in the sink.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Hansen was flustered. He hurried over to support her,stroking her back with one hand, and holding her forehead with the other. It seemed as if he didn¡¯t care how bad the smell of vomit was ashe just asked her anxiously.

    After vomiting for a long time, Jenna stopped.

    Hansen held her in his arms pitifully. Seeing that her face was red and pale because of the vomitingand that her forehead was also covered in sweat, she looked weak. Hansen took out a paper towel and gently wiped the vomit off her mouth. Then, he took out a towel and wiped her sweat. Only then did he pick her up and walk towards the room.

    ¡°Jenna, do you feel any better?¡± he asked in her ear after pouring her a ss of water. Then, he sat on the edge of the bed and held her in his arms.

 Chapter 542 She Couldnâ€™t Bring Herself to Be Happy

    ¡°Put me down.I¡¯ll be okay after lying in bed.¡± Jenna pushed him. The doctor was going toe in soon. It wasn¡¯t appropriate to let others see them acting that way.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? We¡¯re already husband and wife. Why are you still being shy?¡± Hansen tightened his embrace while saying with an anxious expression. ¡°Why did you vomit so much?¡±

    He was really distressed.¡°Fortunately, I brought you here, sothat you can be properly examined by an experienced doctor.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not used to the drink you made.¡± When facing Hansen¡¯s good intentions, Jenna felt like weeping but had no tears.

    ¡°Your little face is so pale and yellow. So, you have to be properly nourished,¡± he said in an overbearing manner.

    ¡°It¡¯s not as serious as you said. You don¡¯t have to treat me as someone who¡¯s severely sick or a pregnantdy.¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t help but show a sweet smile at the corner of her mouth and spoke reproachfully.

    Hansen opened his mouth and was about to speak.

    ¡°The situation in the war-torn country is taking a turn for the worse. The terrorist organization there hasunched another attack, and some of their violent members have attacked a civilian¡¯s house and kidnapped innocent citizens.¡± A reporter was discussing thetest global news on the television. When Hansen heard that, his facial expression changed drastically. His sword-like brows were slightly furrowed. Just as he was about to speak again, his phone rang.

    He had no choice but to put Jenna on the bed, picked up a towel to cover her, and then stood up to answer the phone.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you?¡± At that time, Christopher¡¯s melodious voice came from the other end of the line with an anxious aura.

    ¡°Christopher, I¡¯m in the hospital. What¡¯s wrong?¡± When Hansen heard the change in Christopher¡¯s voice, he hurried over to the side and asked quietly.

    ¡°Hansen,e over immediately. We¡¯ve just received a report that the terrorist leader knows that Reid is going to send ude back to A City. I¡¯m afraid that he won¡¯t let Reid and ude go. Some of them have already begun to gather at the border of Tamnd today. We have to rush over to stop them immediately.¡± Christopher¡¯s tone was unprecedentedly serious, and his voice on the phone even changed.

    Even Christopher, who had always been ustomed to joking with him, had be serious. So, Hansen immediately realized the brevity of the problem. His furrowed his brows, and the chill in his eyes burst out.

    ¡°Alright, wait for me. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± He picked up the phone in a hurry.

    He turned around and saw that Jenna was looking at him with her bright eyes. The light in her eyes was misty, which made his heart skip a beat. He then approached her and smiled gently. ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ll see if the test results havee out or not, alright?¡±

    There was a specialized screen in the hospital¡¯s VIP rooms, and the test results could be seen by swiping a card.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Hansen went forward and swiped his card. It was still nk. It seemed that there were a lot of people that day, and that was why it was so slow. From the looks of it, the results would probablye out after half an hour.

    What should he do? Christopher was waiting for him over there.

    The situation was urgent.

    ¡°Jenna, I have something urgent to do and have to go first. I have already called Alvin and asked him toe quickly to take care of you. Please obediently stay in the room to wait for the results. Also, listen to the doctor and conduct a proper examination. I¡¯ll call youter.¡±

    Hansen only left in a hurry after he repeated his orders again.

    Jenna gazed at his hastily departing figure as she suddenly felt a wave of difort in her heart.

    Looking at the situation when he just picked up the phone, he could have said it in front of her, but he walked to the side to hide. So, it was obvious that he didn¡¯t want her to know about it.

    There was a bitter sorrow in her heart.

    Hansen had already said that they were husband and wife just then, but he was still hiding things from her, and it made her feel ufortable. She looked at his hurried footsteps. It seemed that it was something really urgent, and she became nervous and was worried. Nothing would happen to him, right?

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, the results are out.¡± After a while, Dr. Parker came in with a smile and congratted her. ¡°Congrattions, you are pregnant!¡±

    She was really pregnant! Jenna¡¯s eyes widened, and she was at a loss for a moment.

    Would it be good for her to be pregnant with the current circumstances?

    Having experienced that before, she was quite calm at that time, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to be happy under such a situation.

    Obviously, Hansen also felt it. Otherwise, he would not have taken her to the hospital in such a hurry.

    She sat quietly on the bed, and it was hard for one to tell whether she was happy or sad, but her expression was very calm.

    ¡°Thank you, Dr. Parker.¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, you¡¯ve been pregnant for more than a month.So, it¡¯s normal for you to have these symptoms. Please rest assured. I hope that you can persevere, ande for the checkups and listen more to the lessons meant for pregnant women. If you¡¯re constantly in a good mood, it¡¯s more likely that you will give birth to a healthy and lively baby when the timees.¡± Dr. Parker¡¯s words were very sweet, and she also gave her a set of supplements.

    As soon as Jenna went over to get the medicine, she saw Alvin arriving in a hurry.

    ¡°Madam, Mr. Richards has asked me to take care of you and send you home,¡± Alvin said politely when he saw her.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna showed a faint smile. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡±

    Alvin was stunned.¡°Madam, have you finished checking up on your body? Just now, Mr. Richards repeatedly told me to make sure you do a proper physical examination and listen to the doctor¡¯s words.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± The image of Hansen¡¯s departing figure shed across Jenna¡¯s mind. She shook her head, feeling a little lost.

    She took the lead and walked outside.

    The pink lotus bloomed on the surface of the water on the Central ind. There were a lot of them, which looked very beautiful.

    Jenna sat on the stone bench on the ind, feeling slightly uneasy.

    Ever since Hansen had left, she hadn¡¯t received any of his calls.

    He had clearly said that he would call and ask her about it, but in fact, after he had left, he had never called again. She was very disappointed but was even more worried.

    Was it a good or bad thing for her to be pregnant at that time? She really couldn¡¯t tell. She didn¡¯t even know if she should tell Hansen and the family. With a drifting mind, she simply sat there, as she couldn¡¯t make up her mind.

    The residual sunset was blood-red. Itnded on the roof of Richards Manor, on the trees, on each flower, and grass, dyeing the manor with a crimson hue.

    Jenna walked on the path with a good deal of greenery and looked at the scenery in the garden. She felt a bit confused.

    The round and red setting sun was hanging in the sky, adding a lot of colors to the Green Jade Garden. All the scenery was covered with a golden light, and there were a few pieces of white clouds in the sky, that were dyed with bright and dazzling colours by the setting sun. Standing in the golden light, she had a feeling that she belonged there, as if she had been there a long time ago.

    That sense of belonging made her heart tremble and her eyes wet.

    Not too far away, Liya was slowly walking towards her under the setting sun.

    Toplement her short hair, she wore a lotus-colored long dress. Her thin and slim figure danced around the wind, which made her look like a fairy that was dancing gracefully, looking from a distance.

    She was walking towards the Green Jade Garden.

    Jenna knew that she came to the Green Jade Garden to have a meal. Ever since she moved in, she was considered a member of the Green Jade Garden.So, they would have meals together.

    They met under therge oak tree.

    ¡°Hello, Jenna.¡± Liya took the initiative to greet her with a good attitude.

    Jenna looked at her, and her hands involuntarily touched her stomach. The woman in front of her looked soft and gentle, but in Jenna¡¯s eyes, she was like a fierce beast.

    Others couldn¡¯t see her scheme, but Jenna could see it clearly. Every time she saw her, she would feel an indescribable bitterness. She nodded solemnly. She then turned and walked to the living room of Green Jade Garden.

    Liya followed closely behind her.

    A rectangr andrge mahogany table was ced in the dining hall, on top of which was a sumptuous dinner.

    ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Hansen returned yet?¡±Marissa turned to Trevor and asked. She was nervous and uneasy when she saw that it was time for dinner.

    Seated at the head of the table, Trevor wore a gloomy expression and a dark gaze. No one could understand what he was thinking about from his expression.

    Dinner in the Green Jade Garden had always been rather sumptuous, and it was even more so, ever since Trevor and Marissa had returned.

    All the servants would gather together, but they were seated at the dining table behind the kitchen.

    Meanwhile, the masters of the Richards family in the main dining hall would try their best to get together for dinner. Especially during the weekends, it would get even livelier.

    After dinner, when they were free, they would even drink tea and chat in the living room,creating a warm and homely atmosphere.

    Usually, at that moment, Jerry would be the happiest of them all. Everyone would fix their attention on him while he ran back and forth in the living room. Sometimes, he would lean on Trevor and on Jenna at times. Also, the others would strive to hug him and kiss him. This was something that made him feel satisfied and blissful.

    Hansen didn¡¯t oftene back for dinner. He would usually call in advance and notify if he woulde back or not. For example, that day, when he took Jenna out in the morning, he told the kitchen that he would eat at home that night and ask the kitchen to cook a lot of Jenna¡¯s favourite dishes.

    In fact, for more than a year after Jenna and Hansen had remarried, he would always return home and eat the dishes Jenna had personally cooked for him, but recently, he returned to his past routine, as he seldom returned home to eat.

    After the meal, Marissa was perturbed when she saw that Hansen still hadn¡¯t returned.

    Seeing that Hansen hadn¡¯t returned, Jenna felt very uneasy as well.

    He was the one who brought her to the hospital, but he hadn¡¯t even called to ask about her results yet. Could it be that he didn¡¯t want to know? It shouldn¡¯t be that case.

    Didn¡¯t he bring her to the hospital in such a hurry because he wanted to know about her body¡¯s condition? He had clearly said that he would call her to ask her the results, but he had not called her at all. Would he be so busy that he didn¡¯t even have the time to make a call?

    Jenna took out her phone and dialed Hansen¡¯s number, only to hear that Hansen had his phone turned off.

    ¡°Jenna, Hansen went out with you this morning. Where did he go?¡± Marissa could no longer hold herself back. She knew that Hansen had gone out with Jenna in his arms that morning. So, she turned her gaze towards her.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned somewhat red. She shook her head.¡°Mom, I really don¡¯t know where he went. He just said that he had something urgent to attend to and left.¡±

 Chapter 543 A Critical Situation

    The light in Trevor¡¯s eyes flickered.

    ¡°Jenna, where did you guys go today?¡± He turned towards Jenna. Although he looked calm, his anxiety still couldn¡¯t be concealed.

    Jenna looked up and saw that everyone¡¯s eyes were looking at her, including Liya.

    After lowering her head and thinking about it, she said politely, ¡°Dad, Hansen took me out to buy something today, and then he left because he said that he had something urgent to deal with.¡±

    Jenna didn¡¯t tell the truth. She didn¡¯t know why, but when she saw Liya¡¯s eyes, she didn¡¯t want to mention anything about it. Her intuition told her to do so.

    After receiving Jenna¡¯s reply, Trevor nodded his head and said, ¡°Since it¡¯s an urgent matter, then we don¡¯t have to wait for him. Let¡¯s have dinner first. He¡¯s a man.So, it¡¯s usible that he won¡¯t be eating at home when he has to handle a lot of things.¡±

    As soon as he said that, everyone lowered their heads and began to eat.

    ¡°Jenna, this is the soup Hansen asked the kitchen to prepare for you. You should drink more of it.¡± Marissa put a bowl of soup in front of Jenna and spoke with concern.

    ¡°Thank you, Mom.¡± Jenna epted the bowl and thanked her with a smile. She was sitting to the right of Marissa and was closer to her than anyone else. So, Marissa cared for her even more.

    As for Liya, since she was to be just the second wife, who had not even gotten married yet, she was sitting at the left end of the table. All the dishes were pushed to the end after people in front received their portions. Therefore, Liya didn¡¯t even dare to imagine getting Marissa¡¯s concern. Moreover, Jenna¡¯s position in the family was beyond Liya¡¯s reach.

    After all, she was simply the second wife-to-be!

    ¡°Jenna, you have to eat more. Look at you. You¡¯re too thin, and yourplexion doesn¡¯t look good either. This can¡¯t be done. The reason Hansen specially ordered the kitchen to cook delicious food for you everyday is that he¡¯s worried about your health. You shouldn¡¯t let his concern go to waste.¡± Seeing that Jenna had stopped eating after only having a measly amount, Marissa became anxious and persuaded her hastily.

    Jenna really didn¡¯t have much appetite. She just wanted to sleep and also felt that her body wasincrediblyheavy.

    ¡°Thank you, Mom. I understand.¡± She forced herself to finish another bowl of soup and then got up to leave.

    ¡°Jenna doesn¡¯t have any appetite these days, and she doesn¡¯t look well either. As her mother-inw, shouldn¡¯t you take care of her more in ordinary times? She¡¯s a good and sensible daughter-inw.¡± Trevor sighed when he saw Jenna leaving. He then turned around and said to Marissa solemnly.

    ¡°I understand.¡± As she said that, Marissa nced coldly towards Liya, who was eating with her head lowered.

    Trevor also left after only eating a little. Just like that, dinner ended in no time, and everyone returned to their rooms. Even Jerry was listless and looked unhappy.

    After Jenna returned to her bedroom, shey in bed, but after only resting for a while, her eyelids started to twitch,and she felt very uneasy. She thought about it, sat up, and dialed Hansen¡¯s phone a few more times. Upon realizing that Hansen¡¯s phone was still turned off, she became even more anxious.

    ¡°Paul, do you know where Mr. Richards went today?¡± She thought that since Paul had always been concerned about Richards Manor¡¯s affairs, then he would definitely pay attention to Hansen¡¯s matters too. With that way of thinking, she called him with a glimmer of hope.

    It took a long time before someone answered the phone.

    Paul seemed to be doing something in a rush. He sounded very anxious, and his voice was low, which was evident that he was worried.

    ¡°Madam, things have be urgent. The terrorist organization already knows that Reid is going to bring ude back to Richards Manor tomorrow, and they¡¯re dissatisfied with it. Therefore, they want to stop Reid¡¯s actions, and they¡¯re already heading here. Right now, Mr. Richards and Christopher have brought the police to stop them at the border, but things are not that easy. Those guys have guns in their hands, and they¡¯re not easy to deal with.¡±

    Jenna was astounded, and she was shocked, while holding her cell phone in her hand.

    It was no wonder that Hansen wouldn¡¯t tell her what he was doing. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t let her know about something like that!

    ¡°Paul,you should rush over now. You must ensure Mr. Richards¡¯ safety, do you understand?¡± she said in a trembling voice.

    ¡°Madam, I¡¯ve long trailed after them. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Paul sounded hasty, but it could still be considered calm. He sounded as though he was running.

    ¡°Paul, report to me immediately if something happens.¡± After she anxiously warned him, she hung up the phone.

    After putting down the phone, Jenna couldn¡¯t fall asleep, no matter how hard she tried.

    Hansen had his own people whom he had trained, including Alvin and the others. Nevertheless, they were dealing with terrorists right then, and there were quite a few of them. Even if Christopher and the police were there, she was still not at ease.

    She paced around anxiously in the bedroom, but she had no idea what to do.

    She ced her hand on her belly. She was already pregnant with Hansen¡¯s second child. So, she could not allow anything to happen to Hansen.

    After walking around the room several times, Jenna¡¯s heart was still pounding violently, and she couldn¡¯t fall asleep at all. After thinking about it, she left the room and walked towards Trevor¡¯s study on the third floor.

    Since the matter had be so urgent and dangerous, she did not believe that Trevor didn¡¯t know anything about it.

    The lights in Trevor¡¯s study were on.

    Jenna approached and gently knocked on the door.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Trevor¡¯s slightly tired voice sounded from within.

    ¡°Dad, it¡¯s me.¡± Jenna cleared her throat and tried to remain as calm as possible.

    It was evident that Trevor was vaguely surprised when he heard her voice, but after a while, he said, ¡°Come in.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna gently pushed the door open.

    Trevor was standing in front of the desk, looking at the map of Richards Manor, deep in thought, with a serious expression on his face.

    ¡°Dad.¡± Jenna walked in and greeted softly.

    Trevor lifted his head and smiled faintly. ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s already sote. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Dad, Hansen hasn¡¯t returned yet,¡± Jenna replied clearly after a short moment of thought.

    Trevor¡¯s face was instantly shrouded in a shadow. However, he still said calmly, ¡°Jenna,Hansen might have some other matters to attend to. Have some rest first. He will return once he¡¯s done with it.¡±

    ¡°No, Dad.Hansen is in big trouble today. I just want to ask if you know about it?¡± Since Jenna hade, she would not leave that easily. She knew that such a thing could not be left unattended.So, she simply went straight to the point.

    Surely enough, Trevor¡¯s face was filled with shock.

    ¡°Jenna, how do you know? What happened to him?¡± Trevor lifted his head and looked at her face with his fine eyes. As soon as he lifted his head, Jenna¡¯s heart trembled for a bit when she saw his grey hair.

    ¡°Dad, Hansen has followed Christopher¡¯s men to deal with the terrorists. The situation is not good now. The terrorists have guns and weapons in their hands. I¡¯m worried about Hansen¡­¡± Jenna did not go on. She just bit her lips, as her eyes shone with bright light.

    At that point, Trevor didn¡¯t hide it from her anymore. His expression changed in an instant, and he slightly bent his knees as if he was about to kneel down. He seemed to have aged in an instant.

    ¡°Child, what else do you know?¡± he asked in a trembling voice.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Surely enough, Trevor knew that matter. After Jenna confirmed her suspicions, she shook her head and said, ¡°Dad, this is what I only know.Please don¡¯t hide the matter from me anymore, since it concerns Hansen¡¯s safety right now.¡±

    Tears welled up in Trevor¡¯s eyes. He took off his sses, wiped them, and put them on again. Then, he looked at her with gentle eyes.

    ¡°Jenna, Hansen didn¡¯t tell you these things because he was afraid that you¡¯d be worried. Look at you. You¡¯re still fine before discovering it, but now, since you¡¯ve learnt about it, you¡¯ve started to worry, right?¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not afraid, Dad. I have the responsibility to know all this. Hansen is in danger now, and I am his wife. I have the responsibility to help him.¡± Jenna raised her head and stared at Trevor with courage as she dered in a firm tone.

    Trevor nodded his head, and a look of approval shone in his eyes.

    ¡°Jenna, my men also told me that Hansen¡¯s and Christopher¡¯s police force are now dealing with the terrorists. You have to believe in Hansen and the police. After all, for such a thing,evil will never triumph over good. You should go back to sleep first and not worry about it too much. Ihave been paying attention to it and am trying to figure out a method as well. After all, Hansen is my only son.¡± He sighed and tried to persuade Jenna, but his tone was extremely heavy.

    Jenna stood still. At that time, it was veryte, but she didn¡¯t feel sleepy at all.

    She only lifted her gaze to look at Trevor and said stubbornly, ¡°Dad, actually, you also have to believe in me. I¡¯ve also experienced some things in my life. So, I¡¯m not a weak and fragile woman. I know what to do.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s mouth opened as his face tensed up. ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ve always trusted you the most. I¡¯ve never doubted your intelligence and kindness. You¡¯re my good daughter-inw. That¡¯s why Hansen and I wish to protect you and give you happiness. I believe that no one in Richards Manor wants to hurt you either. There are some things that shouldn¡¯t be disclosed to you, or should I say, it¡¯s still not the time for you to learn about it. Please wait patiently.You¡¯ll understand everything one day.¡±

    His tone was like that of an elder speaking to a younger person, which sounded warm and gentle. It warmed Jenna¡¯s heart on such a cold night, and she didn¡¯t speak anymore.

    The phone suddenly rang at that moment.

    Perhaps it was due to his old age, Trevor was using an old phone. Its speakers were loud, and even the ringtone was a song from the sixties. It soundedpletely out of touch with the modern world in Jenna¡¯s ears.

    Trevor lowered his head to rummage for his phone and picked it up. Then, he looked at Jenna.

    Jenna knew that he was asking her to leave, but she simply stood there and didn¡¯t make a move. She clearly knew it was impolite and that Trevor had the authority to ask her to do so, but she didn¡¯t have any intention to leave and just stood right there.

    ¡°What?¡± Trevor¡¯s expression changed in an instant.¡°Another batch came?¡±

    He was basically growling in anger, but his mind was still clear. It was obvious that he had considered the fact that Jenna was still in the room.That was why he didn¡¯t shout out the word ¡®terrorists¡¯. Under the ceilingmp, his whole face had copsed and turned into a mask, the outline of which was hard and heavy, as if it didn¡¯t have any vigor at all. Jenna could even see the desperate and disheartened light in his angry eyes.

    She felt that her heart was in her mouth.

    The heavy atmosphere in the room suffocated Jenna. Trevor didn¡¯t say anything, but from his expression, she could already guess what had happened.

    Moreover, her phone rang almost at the same time.

    She had already answered the call before the phone would ring the second time.

 Chapter 544 Asking Madam Lilian for Help

    ¡°Madam, Mr. Richards has encountered some trouble. At first, Mr. Richards and the police were moments away from getting rid of the terrorists, but it is obvious that they had made up their minds to get ude. Therefore, they sent another group of reinforcements toe here. This time, we¡¯re at Tamnd¡¯s borders. Theterrain here is veryplex, and they also have a lot of new weapons in hand.¡± Paul¡¯s voice came hard and heavy on the other side, and it sounded as horrible as the sound of a hurricane.

    Jenna put one hand on her left chestwhere her heart was, and the other that held onto the cell phone was trembling slightly. Her face was pale,and it seemed that she didn¡¯t even have the energy to hold the phone tightly.

    ¡°Madam, right now, we can only use the army to drive them away, but it is almost impossible to get the local army to take action.¡± Paul continued on the phone. The situation was critical, and he did not care if she could ept it or not. At that time, he was extremely anxious. After all, Hansen was the head of Richards Manor, and Vivian¡¯s favourite grandchild.So, how could he not be anxious?

    The sound of gunshots came from the phone from time to time, and ithurt Jenna¡¯s eardrums.

    She bit her lips. Feeling very unsteady, she held onto the wall with one hand.

    ¡°Madam, right now, you can only ask a person for help. She might be able to help Mr. Richards.¡± It was evident that Paul was desperate at the other end of the line. He could not calm down at all.

    When another gunshot boomed close to the phone again, Jenna shouted out loud.

    ¡°Who? Tell me who can help Hansen? Tell me now.¡±

    Her voice was cold and harsh with a hint of a sob, but it still sounded calm and clear.

    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be too anxious. They¡¯re still on their way here. Our people are still in control of the situation right now, but it¡¯s hard to say when their reinforcements will arrive. Therefore, don¡¯t worry too much. Madam, you can ask Madam Lilian for help right now. She definitely has the ability to mobilize the Tamnd military to intervene with this matter. She might agree to it if you¡¯re the one asking.¡± Paul¡¯s voice on the phone was intermittent.He was interrupted by some chaotic voices from time to time, but it did not hinder Jenna from hearing the name ¡®Madam Lilian¡¯. She was stunned for a moment.

    Madam Lilian? Would that kind, old woman help Hansen, her husband, out?

    She really didn¡¯t have the confidence that she would aplish that.

    Nevertheless,immediately after, she roared at Paul, ¡°Quick, send your exact location to my phone.¡±

    After saying that, she hung up the phone resolutely.

    She then raised her head and saw that Trevor was looking at her.

    The two exchanged nces.

    Jenna clenched her teeth. Without saying anything, she turned around, opened the door of the study and ran outside.

    Trevor shouted from behind, but she didn¡¯t have enough time to answer him.

    After grabbing the car keys, she rushed downstairs. Her footsteps were somewhatweak, and she almost fell several times.

    She knew where Madam Lilian¡¯s secret residence was located.

    She didn¡¯t care about her image and dignity anymore. As long as Hansen, her husband, the father of her children, coulde back safely, even if she only had a glimmer of hope, even if Madam Lilian might refuse her, she would still ask her for help.

    In an inconspicuous suite of a five-star hotel, Madam Lilian was wearing a nightgown, while her secretary was reading the newspaper with her.

    The older Madam Lilian got, the less she slept.

    In the past, she should¡¯ve fallen asleep at that time, but that day, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep at all. She didn¡¯t know what was going on, but she felt slightly uneasy.

    The phone rang.

    The secretary answered it.

    It was a call from the reception.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± the secretary asked in an angry tone. She had already informed the receptionist that Madam Lilian shouldn¡¯t receive any calls at that hour. After all, she was old.

    The assistant manager of the hotel said while trembling with fear, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Madam Jenna Murphy, the wife of the president of the Richards Group, Mr. Hansen Richards, has requested to meet Madam Lilian. She said that she won¡¯t leave unless she meets her, and she has already been here for quite some time.¡±

    Mrs. Richards? The secretary was stunned and did not speak for a long time.

    ¡°Can we let her in?¡± Hearing that the secretary¡¯s voice gradually went from angry to falling silent, the assistant manager seemed to have seen a glimmer of hope. After all, he couldn¡¯t afford to provoke Mrs. Richards at all. If things went smooth, then everyone would be fine. Otherwise, with Jenna¡¯s perseverance, it might also cost him his life.

    ¡°Quina, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Seeing that Quina looked hesitant and was on the phone for a long time, Madam Lilian couldn¡¯t help but to ask.

    Quina¡¯s gaze was heavy, and her face sank.

    Quina seemed to know the reason Jenna wanted to meet Madam Lilian at that moment, but it was not that easy for Madam Lilian to intervene in such a matter. After all, it was something to do with international rtions. If Madam Lilian owed another country a favor, then she wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with things easily in the uing meeting.

    She was hesitant.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Seeing that Quina was silent, Madam Lilian guessed that she must have encountered something abnormal. Upon thinking that she had rarely felt uneasy that night, Madam Lilian knew that something was going to happen, based on her intuition. However, seeing Quina hesitating, it was evident that she was taking things into consideration, which made Madam Lilian frown slightly and ask in a somewhat unhappy voice.

    ¡°Madam, it¡¯s Mrs. Richards who wants to see you.¡± Quina understood Madam Lilian¡¯s character. If she were to keep that matter from her, then she would definitely scold her once she learnt about it, which was something she couldn¡¯t bear. Therefore, Quina immediately covered the microphone with her hand and turned around to speak to Madam Lilian softly.

    ¡°Jenna, my granddaughter.¡± When Madam Lilian heard that, her face suddenly became gentle, and her eyes turned tender.¡°Good, please invite her in right now.¡±

    ¡°But, Madam Lilian, it¡¯s sote¡­¡± Quina still wanted to say something, but Madam Lilian¡¯s face immediately sank.

    Feeling helpless, Quina had no choice but to change her words and order the receptionist, ¡°Please invite Mrs. Richards up then.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± The staff on the other side of the phone answered in a crisp voice and breathed a sigh of relief.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    After getting Madam Lilian¡¯s permission, Jenna felt energetic in an instant, and the steps she took felt as if she was flying. The elevator reached the floor where Madam Lilian was, and she rang the doorbell.

    Quina opened the door for her with a smile, and Jenna walked in.

    ¡°Quina, leave us alone. We want to talk with each other.¡± As soon as Jenna¡¯s figure came in, Madam Lilian sent Quina out in a hurry.

    Quina smiled wryly. Madam Lilian had begun to act like a child again. Thinking about it, Quina felt very strangeas Madam Lilian would only act so willful when it came to Jenna. The both of them had only met each other twice, but they were able to get along so well that Madam Lilian recognized Jenna as her granddaughter, which was really rare. In usual times, many high-ranking officials and politicians wanted to visit Madam Lilian, but they were all rejected by her. So, Jenna was definitely a special case.

    It was a case so special that Quina was puzzled. Jenna and Madam Lilian had no prior rtionship and hadn¡¯t been associated with each other in the first ce, but the rtionship between them was so harmonious right then. That wasn¡¯t how Madam Lilian acted in the past at all.

    Strange things happened every year, but that matter was the icing on the cake!

    That was the conclusion Quina had reached from staying by Madam Lilian¡¯s side for so long.

    Since Jenna was neither a rtive nor a friend, it was unusual for her to be valued by Madam Lilian. That night, Quina believed that no matter what Jenna would request, Madam Lilian would definitely agree to it. She had been with Madam Lilian for a long time. So, she didn¡¯t even need to think to arrive at that guess. Therefore, she just stood by the door and waited for Madam Lilian to call for her at any time.

    ¡°Jenna, why do you want to meet me when it¡¯s sote?¡± Madam Lilian smiled at Jenna and asked amiably.

    ¡°Grandma.¡± There was still sweat on Jenna¡¯s forehead. Her face was flushed, and she was panting.

    ¡°Come, child, drink a ss of water and calm down. Don¡¯t be in such a hurry. If there¡¯s anything you need, tell me slowly. I¡¯ll see if I can help you.¡± Madam Lilian stood up and poured a ss of water for Jenna with loving eyes.

    Jenna¡¯s uneasy heart finally settled down after meeting Madam Lilian. After drinking a ss of water, she calmed down a little.

    ¡°Thank you, Grandma. I¡¯m sorry to disturb your rest at such ate hour.¡± She was a little shy, but her expression still looked very anxious.

    Madam Lilian sat down calmly on the couch and looked at her with a smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, child.¡± She smiled, put her hand on the back of Jenna¡¯s hand on the couch, and patted it gently.

    ¡°Grandma, I would like to ask you to save my husband.¡± She lowered her head and blinked. Jenna seldom asked people for help. So, she was quite nervous, not to mention that she was requesting aid from Madam Lilian right then. Nheless, she still brought it up bravely.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Madam Lilian adjusted her sses with her hand and looked at her with a smile. ¡°Jenna, are you referring to Mr. Hansen?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Grandma, my husband, Mr. Hansen, has encountered some trouble right now. He is now fighting against the terrorists from the war-torn country at Tamnd¡¯s border. He could take control of the situation at first, but now, the had terrorists sent many reinforcements over, and they have advanced weapons to boot. Hansen and the others are in danger now. I want Grandma to ask the government of Tamnd to mobilize their army and help them deal with the terrorists.¡±

    Jenna repeated Paul¡¯s words again clearly. At that time, she hadpletely calmed down. After finishing her words, she looked at Madam Lilian expectantly without blinking.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s face was as calm as ever. The smile on her face was very kind and amiable.

    ¡°Child, you love your husband a lot, don¡¯t you?¡± She still looked at Jenna with a smile.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Jenna¡¯s face was red. ¡°Yes, Grandma. I chose to marry him because I love him. Since he¡¯s in trouble right now, I can¡¯t sit by and do nothing about it.¡±

    Madam Lilian looked at her, took her hand, and asked kindly, ¡°My child, can I ask you a question?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jenna raised her head and looked at the kind old woman in front of her with bright eyes. She did not know what she was going to ask, but she immediately nodded and agreed.

    Madam Lilian held Jenna¡¯s hand tightly with one hand, touched the back of her hand with the other, and realized that Jenna¡¯s was icy. She then asked Jenna in a dignified manner, ¡°Jenna, in the past few days when I was in A City, I saw the news and learnt that your husband, Mr. Hansen, was going to marry a second wife. Can you tell me, is this true?¡±

    The light in Jenna¡¯s eyes dimmed at once, and the smile on her face stiffened.

    ¡°It¡¯s true, Grandma.¡± After a while, she answered softly. Her voice was extremely soft, as if she was talking to mosquitoes.

 Chapter 545 Irritated

    ¡°Oh.¡± Evidently, Madam Lilian was surprised and puzzled at the same time.¡°Then, don¡¯t you have any thoughts on it? Are you really willing to share your husband with another woman?¡±

    If other women were to encounter such a problem, things would¡¯ve turned ugly, but Jenna, whom she had seen in recent days, looked happy and rxed. It was as if no such thing was happening, which made her very confused.

    Seeing that Jenna hade to ask for help so anxiously, Madam Lilian thought that Hansen and Jenna were a loving couple, no matter how she looked at it. She got curious, and she really wanted to know what sort of mentality Jenna had.

    Therefore, after mentioning the said topic, she looked straight into Jenna¡¯s eyes with great interest, trying to guess what she was thinking.

    Those words directly struck Jenna¡¯s heart, and her expression changed due to the pain she felt. The pain hidden at the bottom of her heart was like a vine that was growing at the speed of light, and dulled the forced smile that she had on her face.

    She lowered her head as her eyes turned red, and her long eyshes covered all her thoughts.

    ¡°Grandma, I believe in my husband. I think he has a reason to do so. He is a responsible man. Right now, in order to save his own uncle, he has fallen into trouble. No matter what, I will still ask for your help.¡± She finally raised her red eyes and summoned the courage to plead with Madam Lilian again.

    Jenna¡¯s sad expression did not escape Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes. She guessed that Jenna must have been sorrowful, as she saw her eyes turning red and fell into deep thought. Nevertheless, it was difficult to tell if she was sad because she was worried about her husband¡¯s safety or due to her husband¡¯s betrayal at the moment?

    In order to prevent Jenna from getting more anxious, Madam Lilian quickly nodded and said kindly, ¡°Jenna, those terrorists are indeed hateful. Don¡¯t worry, right now, governments all over the world are proactively joining in anti-terrorism efforts. Since your request is quite reasonable, I believe that they will help you. How about this? Jenna, go home first, and you will be able to see your husbanding back tomorrow safely.¡±

    After saying that, Madam Lilian even deliberately patted the back of Jenna¡¯s hand tofort her.

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Jenna¡¯s beautiful eyes shone brightly as she asked, so bright that Madam Lilian couldn¡¯t take her eyes off them.

    Madam Lilian felt shocked in her heart, as she thought that Jenna¡¯s beautiful eyes and gaze looked very simr, which confirmed her guess that she and Jenna indeed were connected by something unusual. Her intuition told her so.

    The more she thought about it, the deeper her gaze became.

    ¡°Of course, you have to believe in me.¡± Madam Lilian smiled in an elegant and rxed manner, looking extremely confident.

    After noticing Madam Lilian¡¯s confident behaviour, Jenna was convinced that she would definitely help Hansen. She immediately jumped for joy and knelt down.¡°Thank you, Grandma.¡±

    ¡°Go back and have a good rest. Justice will always prevail. Everything will definitely get better.¡± Madam Lilian nodded andforted her again.

    ¡°Alright, I understand,¡± Jenna said happily as she continuously nodded. She thanked her sincerely once more before she left.

    As soon as Jenna left, Quina walked in.

    ¡°Madam, did you promise her?¡± Quina asked softly as she entered.

    There was a look of dissatisfaction on Madam Lilian¡¯s face. ¡°What? Do I have to be controlled by you even if I want to agree to my little granddaughter¡¯s trivial request?¡±

    Seeing that Madam Lilian was getting angry, Quina did not dare say anything more. With a smile stered on her face, she whispered, ¡°Madam, you know that I¡¯ve always been a straightforward person. Right now, the global situation is quiteplicated, and the demands made by Tamnd some time ago were really too much. If you want them to mobilize their military, I¡¯m afraid that¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough.¡± Madam Lilian interrupted Quina before she could finish, saying in a righteous manner, ¡°Right now, the terrorists¡¯ power is expanding globally, and the damage they caused is getting bigger as well, which will impact the people¡¯s lives greatly. The United Nations is preparing to establish a global anti-terrorist organization.Tamnd is also a member of the United Nations. So, it¡¯s an appropriate thing for Tamnd to do, as it is the correct thing. How about you call the foreign affairs director of Tamnd immediately and ask them to mobilize their military to deal with the terrorists in their territory in the United Nations¡¯ name? Deal with the specifics as you see fit, go and do it now.¡±

    Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes sparkled with wisdom, and they were as sharp as an eagle¡¯s.

    Upon hearing that, Quina immediately understood Madam Lilian¡¯s intention and praised her in her heart.

    Using the United Nations¡¯ name that way was indeed a good idea. With that, she wouldn¡¯t need to owe Tamnd a favor,and they were using an appropriate reason as well.

    Quina, who had always been straightforward, was able to stay by Madam Lilian¡¯s side because her loyalty and straightforwardness had earned Madam Lilian¡¯s trust.

    However, that time, she became quite anxious when she saw that her straightforwardness didn¡¯t have any effect, but then, Madam Lilian came up with that brilliant idea, which made her feel relieved.

    She instantly called the foreign affairs director of Tamnd. After receiving the call, the foreign affairs director quickly asked his superiors for instructions and mobilized the army near the border.

    The next day, Quina called the relevant staff of the United Nations. Then, the news of the formation of an international anti-terrorism organization showed up in the newspaper. Due to the fact that it was a just act, it received a lot of support internationally and many countries participated in it.

    That was, to a certain degree, a blow to the terrorists¡¯ unpredictability. They all went into hidingand did not dare to act rashly anymore.

    When the sky began to be brighter, Jenna received a call from Paul stating that Tamnd¡¯s military had ambushed the terrorists, and they had been dealt with.

    Jenna finally felt reassured and fell asleep with her pillow in her arms.

    In the dense forest, Hansen was covered in mud,including his face. Christopher¡¯s police uniform was also covered in bloodstains and mud.

    ¡°Fortunately,the Tamnd military took action.Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.¡± Christopher was still frightened at the thought of the fierce battle just then.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were bright. He wiped away the dirt on his face with his hand and raised his head to look at the sky. The sun had already risen from the east.

    That night, he had once suspected that he could not go back anymoreand that he couldn¡¯t see Jenna and Jerry again. It was not until the Tamnd military had ambushed the terrorists that he managed to get through that crisis.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Christopher, thank you for your cooperation.¡± That was the first time he had thanked Christopher.Christopher was slightly stunned before bursting intoughter.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯ve finally learnt how to respect others. Forget it, Uncle ude is also considered my rtive.So, it¡¯s my duty to save him. To put it bluntly, I¡¯m not doing this just for you either.¡±

    Although Christopher had epted Hansen¡¯s gratitude, he did not miss out on the opportunity to tease him.

    Of course, Hansen was toozy to refute him. He was no longer the young man who waspetitive and stubborn. The current Hansen was facing life with more rationality and maturity.

    Next, the first thing they had to do was to coordinate with each other.

    Not far away, the police were still in a state of fear from the fierce fight just then. They were all secretly d that they could escape with their lives. After taking a rest and calming down, they began to pack up their things.

    ¡°Christopher, I want to discuss something with you,¡± Hansen saidwith a solemn faceas he looked at the policemen, who were packing up their things and were preparing to leave.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Christopher pulled a piece of grass with his hand and threw it away after ying with it.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to meet with Reid right now.¡± Hansen went straight to the point after thinking for a while.

    ¡°Meet with Reid?¡± Christopher looked at the rising sun in the east and rejected him without a second thought.¡°Hansen, please don¡¯t be so naive. I know you want to find Reid directly, wipe him out, and rescue Uncle ude, but is this usible? This forest is so big. Do you know where Reid is hiding? Will he hand over ude so easily?¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s why I saidat that timethat we will take action when the terrorists find him and force him to hand ude over. In this way, we can annihte them and rescue ude at the same time.¡± When Hansen said that, blue veins appeared on his forehead.

    Indeed, they could not find where Reid was hiding ude, but the terrorists would definitely be able to find Reid and force him to hand ude over. It would be better to take actionat that timethan to take action at the border.

    Nheless, Christopher did not listen to his advice at all. He directly gave a strict order that they mustn¡¯t let the terrorists get into the country, and they had to annihte them there.

    At that time, Hansen really wanted to beat him up, but the situation was very dire.So, he could only endure it. However, he would get furious every time he mentioned it right then.

    If he could resolve everything there and save ude, then he would no longer need to marry Liya the day after, and everything would finallye to an end.

    Christopher shook his head upon seeing Hansen¡¯s fury.

    ¡°Hansen, do you really think that Reid will stay here and wait for the terrorists toe and eliminate him? For your information, he has already changed locations. I received the news when I came here. When Reid learnt that the terrorists wanted to find him to have him hand ude over, he immediately left with his men and ude. They should have already snuck into A City. He would rather risk his life not to hand over ude, solely for the sake of his niece, Liya. Surely you understand this, right?¡± Christopher¡¯s tone was serious.

    In fact, Christopher had received an order from his superiors to prevent those terrorists from sneaking into the country. That was why he led the police to block them at the border. Fortunately, with the help of Tamnd¡¯s military, they didn¡¯t lose anyone. Otherwise, the consequences would have been awful.

    Hansen stood there like a wooden statue.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Hansen.Reid doesn¡¯t have many men. Besides, we already have a detailed n. You¡¯re not afraid of these terrorists, let alone Reid. If you really want to go in forcefully and hunt Reid now, he will think that you¡¯re not sincere, and it¡¯s possible that he might kill ude if he knows about it. We are now on the side of justice, and Reid is in the dark.Fugitives like him are willing to do anything. Besides, our men are very tired after a night of fighting. They¡¯re not in the right state to take action either.¡±

    Speaking of that, Christopher patted Hansen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Think about it carefully. Isn¡¯t what I said reasonable? Even if we go and look for them now, we still have to fight them. If so, there will be unexpected casualties. Our condition is to avoid casualties and not to disrupt the citizens¡¯ life as much as possible. You¡¯re a smart person. So, you should understand that. Moreover, we already have a thorough n. With that n, our losses will be reduced to the minimum, to the point that we don¡¯t even have to pay any price. Right now, we should just go back as soon as possible to rest and prepare ourselves. Tomorrow, we will wait for Reid and his men to fall into the trap, and wipe them out in one stroke.¡±

    It turned out that Christopher had already known that Reid had left that ce, but he still called him over to suppress the terrorists together. Who in the world was using who in the end?

    As expected, the officials were all cunning people. Seeing that Christopher was so proactive in suppressing the terrorists, Hansen guessed that he must¡¯ve received orders from his superiors. He probably didn¡¯t do all that just to save ude. It was just thatthe order he received wascoincidentallyentangled with the Richards family¡¯s affairs.

    Hansen had really seen such coincidences too many times, and they all happened to the Richards family to boot. It seemed like it was true that greatness would invite challenge.

    A bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

    Thinking of Reid¡¯s warning to him that day, he gave up on the idea.

 Chapter 546 Stumbling into Grandmaâ€™s Bedroom.

    ¡°Hansen, I know what you¡¯re thinking right now, but I want to tell you that if we don¡¯t deal with the terrorists today, at your wedding tomorrow, the one who will suffer the most will be Richards Manor. After these terrorists enter the country, they will definitely follow after Reid and lurk into Richards Manor. At that time, the battlefield will be at Richards Manor, not here. Imagine how serious the consequences will be if that happens.¡± Christopher saw through Hansen¡¯s mind and threw a punch at him while exining fiercely.

    Hansen leaned to one side and dodged his fist. Then, he grasped Christopher¡¯s cor and clenched his teeth, saying angrily, ¡°You¡¯d better do a good job tomorrow. I will not tolerate any failure. Otherwise, I will make you suffer.¡±

    After saying those words in a vicious manner, he let go of him and walked forward.

    ¡°Hey, brat, your luck in love affairs really is good.¡± Christopher caught up with him and said sarcastically, ¡°By the way, I heard that you keep having love affairs, but why can¡¯t I experience it even once? It¡¯s too unfair.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face was as dark as charcoal.

    However, Christopher¡¯s words were right. If he didn¡¯t deal with those terrorists there that day, Richards Manor would definitely encounter a disaster the day after. He understood that point, but he still felt extremely irritated!

    The midsummer night was hot and dry. Nevertheless, Richards Manor, which was surrounded by greenery, was quite cool.

    Liya sat on the bed without a hint of drowsiness at all.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Oscar had returned to B City and had finally let her go.

    Perhaps, Oscar knew that she was going to marry Hansen.So, he didn¡¯t dare to touch her anymore. Therefore, she didn¡¯t receive a phone call from Oscar that night.

    The pure white wedding dress was hung in the wardrobe, looking clean and beautiful.

    In the past, Liya had dreamed of putting on a beautiful wedding dress countless times. Then, she would imagine holding onto her handsome beloved man, like Hansen, and walk into the church together.

    Those were scenes that could only be seen in her dreams.

    Nevertheless, that day, she was finally going to achieve it.

    That was true. She was going to marry the man of her dreams.

    She didn¡¯t care even if he already had a wife.

    As long as Hansen loved her and cared for her, she did not care at all.

    However,right then, her heart felt as if it had been stuffed with sand, which made her feel very ufortable,and she didn¡¯t feel any trace of happiness at all.

    Hansen did not love her, and it would be impossible for him to fall for her in the future as well.

    Right then, no one in the entire Richards Manor loved her and thought highly of her. Just like when she was young, she and her mother had suffered all kinds of humiliation and disdain there. Then, they were chased away like dogs, and her mother suffered a terrible death due to it.

    She curled up into a ball as she felt cold all over. She tried her best to hold herself tightly, but she still couldn¡¯t stop herself from trembling.

    Why, why was her life so miserable?

    She could not ept it.

    Gradually, mes of fury burned in her eyes. She stared straight outside, as she bit her lips till it bled.

    She then stood up and wandered outside aimlessly, without any destination in mind.

    It was already dark outside and the majority of themp posts in the garden had been turned off. As the cool and refreshing night breeze blew, cricket sounds could be hearding from the bushes.

    Under the hazy moonlight, the stars were shining brightly. There were some clouds in the night sky. It revealed a bit of deep blue color as it extended into the distance.

    Liya walked aimlessly, as if she was a wandering ghost.

    For her, every ce there was familiar yet strange to her at the same time. She was left with a dignified and gorgeous impression along with the chilling coldness of it when she was young, not allowing her to look down on it.

    Was she going to marry Hansen the day after?

    That felt unreal.

    Where was he right then?

    Liya didn¡¯t see him that day. She recalled that at dinner that day, Jenna was hesitating and was reluctant to say something.She felt bitter as she looked at it, and it was evident that she was hiding something, but she wouldn¡¯t say it, or perhaps she didn¡¯t want to tell it to her.

    At that moment, she had reason to believe that Jenna had hidden Hansen and disallowed him to attend the wedding with her the day after.

    The anger in her eyes grew thicker and stronger, and her footsteps became even more unsteady.

    An old-fashioned vi, made of ck bricks and green tiles, appeared in front of Liya. It was dignified and luxurious beyond words.

    When she was a child, she remembered that the vi was called the ¡®Green-Tiled Building¡¯.The Ink Garden was just its formal name.

    She stood there, dumbfounded. She was surprised that she had unknowinglye to that ce, the Ink Garden, the center of authority in Richards Manor.

    She thought that she must have been possessed by the devil to have evene to that ce where everybody revered.

    Her pair of ck eyes stared at the crimson gate motionlessly.

    There was no one at the door. Liya didn¡¯t know where the security guards had gone.

    That day, due to the fact that they had to prepare for her and Hansen¡¯s wedding the day after, all the servants of Richards Manor had been busy the entire day, and all of them had gone to bed early. At that moment, Richards Manor was like a garden in the center of the big city. It was quiet and peaceful, as if it was isted from the rest of the world.

    That night was bound to be unusual.

    A sense of anxiety and unease that she had never felt before weighed in her mind.

    As if someone was holding her hand, Liya lifted her foot and walked towards the Ink Garden, step by step.

    She arrived at Vivian¡¯s bedroom without being obstructed by anyone.

    At that moment, Vivian was lying on her side on the bed with a nket covering her body. Her silver hair was scattered on the pillow at the head of the bed. Her face looked thin and pale, and a pair of withered hands were ced on her chest.

    Liya walked closer and stared at her. No matter how one looked at her, the old woman in front of her seemed like an old woman in her declining years. Her life was slowly being exhausted.

    Liya respected that old woman when she was a child. After she grew up, she hated her until Jenna told her that Vivian was the one who helped her through college. She had once felt conflicted. In fact, she neither had any love nor hatred for that old woman who was dying.

    She didn¡¯t know why she went there.She just went there without thinking.

    It was just a coincidence.

    Viviany on the bed motionlessly. After a while, Liya heard Vivian gasping for breath. She was shocked, and she bent down to have a look.

    The only light in the room was the wallmp.

    She saw that Vivian¡¯s throat seemed to have been blocked by something. Her face was purplish, and she was panting heavily. It was as if she would die if it continued that way.

    Liya was a little scared.

    She was about to retreat.

    The moment Liya lifted her head, she saw that Vivian¡¯s five fingers were twisting forcefully. It was obvious that they were cramping.

    Vivian¡¯s five fingers were like skeletons, and they looked terrifying under the dim yellow light. Seeing that, Liya trembled with fear, but her eyes were attracted to the ck case in Vivian¡¯s hand.

 Chapter 547 Such Wicked Conduct

    Vivian was holding onto the bag tightly. Even if her fingers were not within her control, she would still subconsciously grasp on the bag tightly. Was it something important? What was it then?

    As if the soles of Liya¡¯s feet were rooted to the ground, she couldn¡¯t move any further.

    It must be something valuableor something precious to her. She thought for a while before reaching out to touch Vivian¡¯s clenched fingers.

    Vivian¡¯s fingers were still cramping.The moment her fingers let go of it, Liya swiftly took the ck bagaway.

    The fabric of the bag was old, but the texture wasn¡¯t bad. It was soft to the touch. It was light as well. Thus, it was evident that it wasn¡¯t something precious, which disappointed Liya.

    She touched it and felt a few papers inside the bag. Just as she was about to toss it away, a sense of unwillingness rose in her heart. She really wanted to see what Vivian cherished so much.

    When she opened the bag, she did find a few pages inside. She slowly opened them and looked at them through the dim light.

    After a while, she opened her eyes wide.

    It turned out to be a will. Looking at the date of the signature, it was actually written two months ago.

    She was stunned. It seemed that Vivian had long known that she couldn¡¯t make it. So, she prepared the will in advance.

    A will? When Liya thought of that, a sinister smile crept up at the corners of her mouth.

    That was a great secret. It was likely that not many people in Richards Manor knew about that will, as it was rted to everyone¡¯s personal interests.

    She hastilyid it out and looked at it carefully under the dim lighting.

    It turned out that the inheritance that belonged to Vivian was a lot, which made Liya feel dizzy for a moment.

    To summarize, Vivian divided all the assets into several parts, except for Hansen¡¯s and Norton¡¯s inheritance. Liya didn¡¯t understand much of the contents, but she could tell that the property given to Hansen, the eldest grandson of the Richards family, was astonishing. It was simply impossible to estimate.

    The file contained a few pages, and the top two pages were the properties left behind by Richards Manor and Old Master Richards, including banks and trust funds. They were the assets of the family, and most of them were inherited by Hansen. Norton received a lot too, but the exnation on the paper for giving Hansen more was because he had expanded the Richards Group. The assets were all distributed fair and square.

    The assets Trevor and ude would get were listed as well, but Liya was not interested in them and was not in the mood to look at it carefully. She was worried that someone would bump into her. So, she quickly flipped to thest few pages.

    She scanned the pages, and when she saw the name ¡®Liya¡¯ at the end, she was so shocked that her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

    She widened her eyes, and after looking at it carefully, her face immediately darkened.

    Vivian added a few words at the end of the line, stating that since she felt bad for Elsie in those days, she had already specially assigned an ount to fund Liya to finish her college education.Since she had done what she needed to do, the other members of the Richards family didn¡¯t need to feel guilty anymore.

    At the bottom of the page, there was a sentence that almost made Liya faint on the spot. It was followed by a row of ck words, which was clearly emphasized.

    ¡°Hansen mustn¡¯t take Liya as his second wife! Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get a single dime of the inheritance!¡±

    That line exploded in her mind like muffled thunder, causing her to feel as if her world had turned upside down.

    Heaven knew how such words could be written in a will. From the looks of it, the will was written two months ago. Obviously, Vivian was not too alert right then. So, it was impossible for her to have recently written such a will. Thus, there was only one exnation, which was that Vivian had already predicted everything. Vivian had already known about it when she was ordered to infiltrate the Richards Group by Zoe. She also knew what would have happened. Therefore, she had made that will in advance to prevent her and Hansen¡¯s wedding from taking ce.

    ¡®Hansen mustn¡¯t take Liya as his second wife.Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get a single dime of the inheritance.¡¯ If such words were to be announced someday, theneverything would go to waste if they hadn¡¯t registered yet, even though she and Hansen had already held their wedding.

    That was undoubtedly sentencing her to death. She would never be able to marry Hansen, as Vivian had already written it down in the will.

    Oh, God. This was so scary!

    Vivian was indeed a cunning old fox.

    That d*mn old thing!

    Liya cursed in her heart angrily, with her heart bursting with rage.

    Vivian didn¡¯t want Hansen to marry her, and none of the members of the Richards family wanted her to move in either. If so, she would definitely marry Hansen, to anger them all to death.

    Not only did Liya want to marry Hansen,she also wanted to drive Jenna out of Richards Manor. She wanted them to live a miserable life, as punishment for looking down on her.

    The anger in her eyes grew more and more fierce.

    Above the cab was a pen holder.

    Gnashing her teeth, she reached out and took the ck fountain pen from the pen holder. She then gently changed the contents of the will, took a closer look, and read it out loud.¡°Hansen must marry Liya.Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get a single dime of the inheritance.¡±

    Liya felt more at ease after seeing that, and a treacherous smile appeared on her face.

    Just as she was trying to figure out if there was still anything she could change, the light sound of footsteps could be heard from the door,and it sounded as if it wasing straight for Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    Liya was so startled that she froze. She hastily tidied the papers and put them back into the bag. She then hurried to the bed and stuffed it back into Vivian¡¯s hands. Then, she looked around. The sound came from the door. So, it was evident that she couldn¡¯t leave through the door.

    What should she do?

    She looked around and saw that the French windows were still open. Thus, she ran quickly to the French windows, climbed out of the window, and quickly hid herself near the windowsill behind the window. Then, she pulled up the curtains on one side to cover the window.

    As soon as she finished all those things, the footsteps entered the room.

    Liya observed thendscape. The windowsill was quite a distance from the ground.So, she didn¡¯t dare to jump down. She just quietly stayed behind the windowsill and stretched out half of her head to observe the situation in the room.

    ¡°Cadrez, please take a look. Grandma has been very ufortable from just now, and she was breathing heavily. Herplexion was terrifying as well,¡± Meroy said anxiously, facing Cadrez.

    It turned out that Meroy had gone to look for a specialist in a hurry. Only then did she understand why there was no one else in Vivian¡¯s room.

    That really was divine intervention!

    She saw the will by chance and sessfully changed the contents. It seemed that God pitied her and wanted to give her the glory she deserved.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    When Liya thought of that, she felt at ease, and a wild smile appeared on her face.

    Her initially uneasy heart had also calmed down at that moment. It was as if she had taken a tranquilizer pill, as she felt extremely calm.

    Hmph, as long as she had that will, it would be hard for Hansen not to marry her!

    She was destined to be Mrs. Richards.

    Just as she was thinking happily, she heard Meroy¡¯s anxious voice in the room. ¡°Oh no, Cadrez, Grandma passed out.¡±

 Chapter 548 Drive This Wicked Woman Away

    ¡°Hurry up. It¡¯s an emergency.¡± Cadrez ordered solemnly, ¡°Ask the health center to send all medical equipment here.¡±

    Cadrez ordered as he started to revive Vivian.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Meroy was so anxious that her face had turned pale, and she immediately made a phone call.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    After a while, the whole medical team rushed over and initiated the emergency rescue procedure.

    Even Meroy, who had always been calm, was so anxious that she didn¡¯t know what to do. For the past two months, Vivian would alternate between alertness and absent-mindedness. She was basically in a state where her consciousness wasn¡¯t that clear. However, it was the first time she had fainted, and that wasn¡¯t a good sign.

    The room was in a state of chaos. As Liya knelt by the window and saw the mess in the room, a sinister smile appeared on her face. She then jumped off the window and ran away in a flurry.

    In the dressing room, Liya wore the wedding dress and twirled about in front of the mirror with a smile on her face. The smile that blossomed on her face gradually widened,and she was ecstatic.

    With Vivan¡¯s will, it would be hard for Hansen not to marry her. What was there to be afraid of?

    She was in a beautiful wedding dress and makeup.

    Shouldn¡¯t she attain happiness?

    It was in spite of her being only the second wife right then!

    Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time before she would obtain happiness. One day, she would step on Jenna¡¯s head and let her taste the pain of being the second wife.

    Jenna¡¯s pale, sallow face shed across her mind, and a victorious smile spread across Liya¡¯s face.

    That woman was about to age greatly!

    She was so pleased with herself that she burst intoughter.

    How could a faded old woman win the love of a man?

    There was an elevated stage on the Central Ind, and it was well-decorated. There were tables all over the ind, and wines of the best quality wereid on top of them. Everything there demonstrated the financial might of the Richards family.

    Hansen¡¯s and Liya¡¯s wedding was about to begin.

    In A City, such a thing was very conventional. When it came to marrying the second wife, the prestigious families in the past would always hold such a banquet whenever they married a mistress. Generally, as long as such a banquet was held, everyone would recognize their marriage.

    Nevertheless, at that time, Hansen¡¯s and Liya¡¯s tant wedding was a little too high-profile.

    Therefore, the guests who received the invitation all arrived in advance, expecting to watch the fun.

    The romantic and beautiful music echoed all over the venue, which was soul-stirring.

    Jenna was wearing a deep red gown. She had a high bun on and was wearing a few pieces ofbeautifuljewelry. She had a cold look on her face with her mouth slightly open. The gracefulness and nobility she was emitting made people avoid looking her straight in the eye.

    She sat in front of the dressing mirror as she drew on her eyebrows,butno matter how she looked at it, her face seemed particrly pale.

    That day, she was going to hold a wedding for her husband and his mistress in person. How ridiculous, right?

    She didn¡¯t know if it was ridiculous or not. Anyway, she wanted tough.

    It was clear that she could have filed a divorce, but why was she submitting to Hansen like that? Was it because she heard Paul say that the wedding was just a trap Hansen had set to save ude?

    Nheless,the wedding was taking ce, so what if it was a trap? Could it change the fact that she had suffered humiliation for that?

    She was weak and her parents were powerless.That was why they could all bully her that easily. It wasn¡¯t that it wasn¡¯t easy to marry into a wealthy family,but it was in fact, impossible, unless she had a good family background.

    She blinked her eyshes as tears streamed down her face, leaving a mark on her face that had light makeup on.

    Jenna sniffed and put the makeup on again.

    She couldn¡¯t help but to have tears rolling down her face again and put on more makeup.

    She repeated the action again and again until she heard crying sounds. She turned her head around and saw Jerry standing at the door of her bedroom with his mouth agape as he cried in pain.

    ¡°Jerry.¡± Jenna¡¯s tears froze for a moment,and her chest felt as if it had been stabbed by a blunt weapon. She hurriedly stood up, rushed over and bent down to hug him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to hug me. You¡¯re just like Dad. You¡¯re all bad people. That wicked woman wanted to harm me, but you guys didn¡¯t help meand weed her into the family instead, and you even helped her. I hate you all.¡± Jerry¡¯s tears were like beads of pearls of a broken ne. The tears streamed down his face as he cried out in a loud voice. Then, he turned around and ran away.

    Jenna was shocked and just stood there at a loss.

    Jerry, a three-year-old, was able to understand that principle, but as his mother, she couldn¡¯t even distinguish right from wrong. Not only did she not stop her husband from marrying a mistress, she even helped him marry her. Was she still herself? Was she still her lofty and unsullied self? Where had her aspiration gone?

    Was it because of things that had happened in life that made herpromise to such a thing?

    Shouldn¡¯t she have fought to the end? Shouldn¡¯t she have taken Jerry away from that ce and distance herself from all that hideous stuff? Why couldn¡¯t she do anything about it?

    Tears flowed down her cheeks.

    ¡°Jerry.¡± She let out a cry of pain as she stumbled out of the room.

    He was still a child. How could a child¡¯s heart ept such torture? Didn¡¯t she ask Aunt E to take care of him and not let hime out? So, why was he out!

    As soon as he ran out, she saw Aunt E and Larry anxiously looking for Jerry.

    ¡°Madam, Jerry was still there just now,but he disappeared in a blink of an eye.¡± Aunt E was so anxious that her forehead was covered with sweat. When she saw Jennaing out, she spoke in a hurry.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. He just ran out of my room. He should be outside.¡± A child as young as Jerry couldn¡¯t have run too far. Jenna ran outside afterforting them.

    The ce they were at was not too far from Central Ind.

    As soon as Jenna ran out, she saw Jerry¡¯s small figure running towards the small path to Central Ind.

    What was that child trying to do?

    In a rush, she hurriedly followed him.

    As soon as she walked out a few steps, she saw Liya, who was wearing a white wedding dress, nked by two servants while walking towards the path. Obviously, she was going to the dressing room at Central Ind to prepare for the wedding.

    They quickly caught up to Jerry.

    It was a forked road, and one had to pass through that ce to enter Central Ind.

    ¡°Jerry, get out of the way. Let me go over first.¡± When Liya saw that Jerry was blocking the way, she thought that Jerry would soil her wedding dress, as the child walked clumsily. Upon thinking of that, she couldn¡¯t help but to frown and shout out loud.

    When Jerry turned his head and saw that it was her, he became furious.

    He turned around, rushed towards her, and spat at her.

    ¡°You shameless and wicked woman.How dare you steal my Dad. I¡¯ll beat you to death.¡± After spitting on her, Jerry still felt very angry. He then picked up a small stone by the side of the road and threw it at Liya.

    With a thud, the stone hit Liya¡¯s stomach.

    ¡°s, you little brat, you don¡¯t have any manners at all.¡± Just as Liya was worried that Jerry would stain her dress, she found that Jerry had spat on her and her dress was dirtied by the stone Jerry had thrown at her. With that, her dress had a ck spot covered with dust. Liya was so furious that her expression changed, but in consideration of Jerry¡¯s status, she just simply scolded him and didn¡¯t intend to continue on.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to be polite to a wicked woman like you.¡± Jerry put his hands on his hips and pursed his lips as he scolded in disdain. After saying that, he even ran over and stomped on the edge of the wedding dress that was on the ground. Then, he took the opportunity to pick up the corner of the dress with his bare hands and pulled it with all his might.

    When Jenna reached the scene, Jerry was tugging onto Liya¡¯s wedding dress with force. It was evident that he had used all his strength, as his face waspletely red.

    Although the little guy was small, he was abnormally strong. He actually managed to make Liya take a few steps back.

    ¡°Quick, drive him away.¡± Liya was pissed that she started to yell at the servants by her side.

    The two servants next to her were veterans at Richards Manor. s, who was Jerry? He was the Young Master of Richards Manor!

    How could they dare follow Liya¡¯s orders? Furthermore, Liya was just the second wife-to-be. They weren¡¯t stupid enough to go and teach Jerry a lesson because of Liya¡¯s reprimands unless they didn¡¯t want to stay there anymore.

    What was more, they felt happy upon hearing Jerry¡¯s words and seeing his actions. They all just stood at one side and looked at him delightedly until Jenna came over. They were startled and hurriedly greeted her respectfully in unison, ¡°Greetings, Madam.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jenna nodded. Her eyes were dim, her face was calm, and her eyes had a natural coldness and prestige in them.

    Even when she was still far away, she saw everything.

    At that moment, the little guy was keeping his head low and insisting on pulling Liya¡¯s dress with a stubborn face, trying to pull her away.

    Parents¡¯ and children¡¯s minds were often connected. Thus, Jenna knew that he wanted to pull that wicked woman out of Richards Manor with his own strength.

    Jenna had the sudden urge to cry, and her eyes were covered with ayer of mist.

    She could not just see him do that and do nothing, right? After all, it was not appropriate. Moreover, how much strength did he have? What effect could it have?

 Chapter 549 Where Her Confidence Came From

    ¡°Jerry.¡± Jenna cleared her throat as a warm smile appeared on her face. However, she called out to Jerry with a serious and majestic tone.

    Jerry was pulling with all his might, which was why his face was flushed red. He held the wedding dress tightly with his clenched hands. He seemed as if he wanted to vent all of his anger towards Liya.So, he couldn¡¯t hear Jenna¡¯s voice at all.

    Due to the fact that the hemline of the wedding dress was too big and heavy, Liya fell another stepback.

    ¡°Jenna, look.How can I still wear this wedding dress with Jerry acting like that?¡± Liya had long seen Jennaing over.So, she immediatelyined to her with grievance on her face.

    The pain in Jenna¡¯s eyes grew more and more obvious, and she turned more and more gloomy. However, she also knew that she had to stop Jerry and not allow him to continue causing trouble.

    ¡°Jerry, stop,¡± she shouted while suppressing the pain in her heart.

    Jerry¡¯s persistent appearance caused Jenna¡¯s heart to ache so much that it was unbearable. She could definitely empathize with Jerry¡¯s pain sincethey were both mother and son. She could only stop him right then.

    It wasn¡¯t until Jenna¡¯s voice became harsh did Jerry realize that his mother had be angry. Only then did he stop out of fear.

    ¡°What should I do? The wedding dress has already be like this. How can I wear this to the wedding? This child is really uneducated,¡± Liya said with a tensed face, and it seemed as if she was about to cry.

    Uneducated? That sentence was extremely dissonant to Jenna no matter how she heard it.

    ¡°Shut up.¡± She stepped forward to hug Jerry. Then, she turned around to face Liya and shouted.

    Liya red at her with wide eyes.

    ¡°Liya, he¡¯s only a three-year-old child. You¡¯re not allowed to say that he¡¯s uneducated, and you¡¯re not qualified to either. In a child¡¯s heart, love and hate are clearly divided.That¡¯s why they express it clearly if they don¡¯t like something. This is the nature of a child, and it¡¯s not wrong. As for you, as an adult, you pushed him into the water that day, and he¡¯d definitely bear a grudge against you because of it. So, what right do you have to say that he¡¯s uneducated? If I hear anything about this again, I¡¯ll never forgive you.¡± Jenna frowned.Her eyes were as bright as the moon, and her face was as cold as frost. She then looked at Liya¡¯s wedding dress and spoke.

    ¡°Alright, if you think this wedding dress is already soiled, then I¡¯ll ask someone to change a new one for you immediately. What do you think?¡±

    Jenna inspected Liya with suspicion. On such a hot day, that woman actually picked a high neck wedding dress that did not reveal anything at all. Moreover, she covered her arms with long white gloves. Although the cleavage on her chest still could be faintly seen, it seemed too conservative no matter how she looked at it, which waspletely inconsistent with her mboyant character.

    Nheless, she looked frail and slim, showing a clingy and lovable behaviour. So, such a wedding dress did not affect her beauty, and it even entuated her slim figure and gorgeous face.

    Liya indeed was really young and beautiful,especially the white wedding dress she was wearing, which covered up the evil in her face. She even became a little dignified as she was influenced by that heavenly wedding dress. In that way, she didn¡¯t look wicked, and it gave her another kind of beautiful temperament.

    Jenna¡¯s heart felt sour. She had to admit that she was jealous.

    That woman was there to steal her husband. That really was a terrible feeling.

    Jenna hugged Jerry tighter. In that world, only Jerry truly belonged to her. He was her son, and she wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to hurt him. That was the same for the child in her womb.

    Even right then, Hansen still did not know that she already was carrying his child in her womb.

    Her nose twitched. She caressed Jerry¡¯s swollen red face with her hand and ced his head on her shoulder, hiding her emotions.

    ¡°That¡¯s why a person must umte good deeds in daily life in order to obtain the respect of others, since children don¡¯t know how to put on an act.¡± Jenna quickly lifted her eyebrows and taught Liya a lesson coldly.

    The color of Liya¡¯s face alternated between red and white.

    ¡°Jenna, you can¡¯t spoil a child like that. If you don¡¯t teach him how to behave properly and politely, then it won¡¯t be good for him in the future.¡± Liya¡¯s chest was stuffed with anger, and she felt extremely ufortable. She immediately lectured Jenna in an unceremonious manner. After tampering with Vivian¡¯s will, she did not have to fear anything anymore. Furthermore, that beautiful wedding dress was something that she had bought after spending an entire morning choosing it, asshe did not like the rest of the dresses. A wedding for a woman might only happen once in her entire life. So, of course, she was dissatisfied with Jerry destroying her wedding dress.

    If it was in the past,then she would still feel slightly guilty and scared, as she was afraid that Jenna would oppose her marrying Hansen, but right then, as she had tampered with Vivian¡¯s will, her confidence had increased greatly to the point that she was convinced she would seed.

    Jenna looked at her coldly. Her gaze was freezing, and her eyebrows were raised high.

    ¡°What do you mean by not teaching him how to behave properly? What sinister words. What¡¯s wrong with a three-year-old doing such a thing to a woman who stole his father and tried to harm him before? Isn¡¯t it even more shameful for an adult like you to act like this?¡±

    Jenna stepped forward and rebukedharshly.¡°Liya, there are rules in Richards Manor. If you can¡¯t abide by themand are dissatisfied with it, then you can cancel this wedding. No one will force you to get married. Hansen is already a man with a family. You should know this very well. It¡¯s useless for you to pester him like that.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s voice was powerful and dignified, as if she didn¡¯t allow anyone to object to her opinion. With that, she was able to firmly suppress Liya¡¯s delicate aura.

    Liya was instantly forced to take a step back by her imposing manner. She was actually a bit scared on the inside. How could she cancel the wedding at that moment? However, after only a moment of retreat, she lifted her headand didn¡¯t act weakly anymore. She raised her head and puffed out her chest as she said loudly, ¡°Jenna, are you going to send me away now that Hansen has obtained benefits from me? No way. Let me tell you, not only will I marry him, but I will also obtain a lot more things.¡±

    At that point, she lifted her chin high as her face brimmed with confidence.

    That stance of hers made Jenna instantly feel a chill. She wondered where Liya¡¯s confidence came from.

    In the past, no matter how she looked at her, she would see the slightestck of confidence and timidness in her. However, right then, she felt as if Liya had been injected with new energy. Her entire body was filled with a sinister aura that couldn¡¯t be ignored, and shecould even see evil in her face.

    That made her feel cold as a bad feeling enveloped her. Itmade her heart sink.

    ¡°Outrageous. How can you say such impolite words to Madam? You should know that you¡¯re just the second wife. Right now, Madam is educating you, and you should listen to her. What kind of attitude is this!¡± Aunt E, who followed over, couldn¡¯t stand Liya¡¯s arrogant attitude anymore and shouted at her immediately.

    In A City, there was a huge gap between the status of a wife and the second wife. Who the h*ll was Liya? How could she dare be so impolite to Jenna? Aunt E couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    ¡°Yes, Madam is the head of the household. We all respect her. The fact that she could tolerate you marrying into the family was already a great gift to you. Don¡¯t be so ungrateful.¡± Seeing that, the two servants standing next to her immediately went along with the situation and quickly agreed.

    Liya wanted to continue to argue at first, but that day was her big day. Moreover, she was alone, and she would not get any advantage if she continued to argue with them. Upon realizing that, she could only bite her lower lip and swallow the anger, as her eyes shed with a hint of obscenity.

    She had to endure it for now andwould surely deal with them in the future!

    ¡°Madam, if the second wife doesn¡¯t listen to the head of the household, then you¡¯re allowed to punish her ording to the manor¡¯s rules.¡± Aunt E has been living in Richards Manor her whole life and had the experience of dealing with such mistresses who wanted to climb up to the top. At the moment, she respectfully reminded Jenna in a very solemn tone.

    Of course, she knew that at that time, the more imposing people by the masters¡¯ side like her acted, the more they could emphasize their master¡¯s noble aura. Therefore, her face was quite solemn right then.

    Jenna did not speak. She locked her gaze onto Liya¡¯s face andwanted to see where Liya¡¯s wickedness came from. Faintly, she seemed to be able to see a sharp sneer on her face.

    Her brows knitted into a tight frown.

    ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want to see this wicked woman again. Hurry up and chase her out. Don¡¯t let her enter our house again.¡± Jerry wrapped his arms around Jenna¡¯s neck as he shouted.

    At that time, the atmosphere was quite tense, and the air was filled with restlessness.

    Not far away, a man came in a hurry and solved the issue.

    Jenna was sure that she didn¡¯t know that man, and she had never even seen him before.

    When the man saw that Jenna was there, he was stunned. It seemed that he knew her. After looking at her with a mocking smile, he walked towards Liya and whispered something in her ear.

    Soon after, there was a hint of color in Liya¡¯s dark eyes. She blinked her bright eyes and nodded with a smile on her face. The man then turned around and left.

    Liya let out a sigh of relief.

    When she lifted her head,she saw Jenna holding Jerry in her arms.Jenna¡¯s eyes were filled with vignce as she stared at her. Jerry¡¯s face was filled with anger towards her, and his two eyes were surging with mes of anger, as if he wanted to swallow her whole.

    She curled up the corners of her mouth slightly and narrowed her eyes. She wasn¡¯t angry anymore.

    ¡°Forget it. I can¡¯t be bothered to argue with you all. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    She looked down at the dirty wedding dress Jerry had stepped on, and a cold smile appeared on her face. She lifted the hem of her dress with both hands, swayed her slim waist, and slowly moved forward.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on her.

    The eyes of the two servants turned to Jenna at the same time.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    What in the world did that man say to Liya? Why did she suddenly have a big twist in her attitude? That puzzled Jenna very much. Nheless, at the same time, the feeling of unease made her feel more and more frightened.

    She had no choice but to nod at the two servants and motioned them to follow after Liya.

    After the two servants received the order, they immediately walked forward, holding onto Liya as they staggered away.

 Chapter 550 He Didnâ€™t Love Her

    ¡°Mom, why aren¡¯t you driving this wicked woman away? Is she going to marry Dad?¡± Jerry was extremely disappointed right then, as heasked in a tearful and angry tone.

    Jenna breathed a sigh before saying solemnly, ¡°Jerry, go home with Aunt E first and don¡¯te out again. Stay at home obediently.¡±

    After that, she handed Jerry over to Aunt E.

    Aunt E also knew that it wasn¡¯t suitable for Jerry to show up on such an asion. So, she took his hand and was about to leave immediately.

    Jenna heaved a sigh of relief. Her whole face was tense, and she felt very uneasy.

    What kind of tricks did Liya have up her sleeve? Who was that man? What exactly did he say to her?

    It seemed that that day was destined to be an eventful day.

    ¡°Jerry, Jerry,e back.¡± When Jenna was about to head to Central Ind, Aunt E¡¯s scream of panic came from behind.

    Jenna was shocked and turned around.

    She saw that Jerry was running towards the electric vehicle and was stunned for a moment, but she quickly understood what was happening.

    It turned out that the little guy wanted to leave home in desperation.

    She felt a stab of pain in her heart. Just as she was rushing over, Jerry was wiggling his butt as he tried to get up the electric vehicle.

    It seemed that if she didn¡¯t try to talk some sense into him that day, she really couldn¡¯t get away. Jerry really was stubborn!

    ¡°Jerry, be good.Mom wants to talk to you for a bit, alright?¡± She stepped forward to embrace him and coaxed him.

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to listen to you. I don¡¯t trust you anymore.¡± Jerry swung his hands and legs at Jenna.¡°I don¡¯t want that kind of woman to be my stepmother. No.¡±

    Jerry cried out in despair, as he spoke with his face covered in tears.

    Jenna¡¯s heart felt as if it was torn apart by a sharp knife.She had no choice but to lift Jerry up forcefully and turn around.Her tears started to fall without her realizing it.

    ¡°Haha. The struggle between the first wife and the second wife, and the pain between mother and son. It really is enjoyable and sad to watch.¡± Crisp and loudughter sounded from the side, and the words were said in a joyful tone. Jenna and Aunt E were shocked to hear that and turned around at the same time.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    A woman with exquisite makeup, dressed in afashionable,noble, European-style dress, came out from under the shade of a tree on the side, followed by a smart and capable woman in professional attire.

    Zoe Yates?

    She actually came!

    Jenna¡¯s face changed drastically, as she was shocked.

    Did she invite her? She frowned as she recalled that her name wasn¡¯t on the invitation letters she had sent the day before.

    It seemed that she really was there to watch the fun. She should have also seen what had happened just then. That woman definitely came with bad intentions.

    Aunt E did not know her.So, she inspected her with curious and vignt eyes.

    The aura that the woman emitted wasn¡¯t friendly. Her intuition told her so.

    Jenna clenched her fist with no expression on her face.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Zoe slowly approached her, and her fragrant but not particrly strong perfume quickly drifted into her nose.

    ¡°How can I miss such a big event? Won¡¯t it be a pity if I miss it?¡± Zoe¡¯s crisp voice sounded like a gloat. Her astute eyes were full of sarcasm, disdain, and even incitement. She lifted her chin slightly and didn¡¯t seem friendly at all even though she was smiling. The aura that was emitted from her body seemed to be mixed with sharp thorns that could pierce through one¡¯s skin.

    Jenna clenched her fists even tighter, and her face tensed up. Her white skin was glowing with ayer of red light due to her desperately trying to suppress her anger. Her face was cold and expressionless.

    It seemed that she didn¡¯t like Zoe any more.

    There were many times where she would wonder if it was her marriage with Hansen that had attracted so many enemies, or because of her reputation as Mrs. Richards, or because of the wealth, power, and status she possessed thathad brought her a lot of trouble.

    If it was said that Liya only wanted money, then Zoe¡¯s intention wasn¡¯t as simple as just wanting money. Her thoughts were unpredictable.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, I still remember that you once said that a woman who onlypromises is cheap. Aren¡¯t you very cheap thenfor letting your husband marry a mistress generously and even hosting their wedding in person?¡± Zoe saw Jenna¡¯s red eyes as she approached her. The pain she was feeling could not be hidden in the depths of her eyes. She then smiled quietly and asked in a low voice with contempt.

    Jenna¡¯s face instantly turned pale. As if she had lost her bnce, Zoe¡¯s words caused her to take a step back, and she even almost let go of Jerry.

    Endure, she had to endure no matter what! She tried to cheer herself up in her heart, so as not to lose confidence.

    ¡°Mom, this woman isn¡¯t a good person either. I don¡¯t want to see her.Drive her out.¡± Jerry also clearly sensed the unfriendly aura emanating from Zoe. He hugged Jenna¡¯s neck tightly in fear and shouted.

    ¡°Miss Yates, if you¡¯re here to attend the wedding ceremony, please go to Central Ind and take your seat. If you¡¯re just here to watch the fun, I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re not wee here.¡± Jenna was worried that Jerry would be triggered, and she was even more unwilling to talk with Zoe. Thus, she spoke coldly in the face of Zoe¡¯s piercing gaze.

    With Jerry present, she didn¡¯t want to argue with her. That woman was smart and capable, so she probably couldn¡¯t get the upper hand. Moreover, she would leave a bad impression on Jerry¡¯s heart if she did so.That was why shecoldlyrefused to talk to her. She only wanted to send her away as soon as possible.

    Zoe smiled coldly. ¡°Jenna, I thought you were different, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be so unrefined. You can evenpromise in front of a man for fame and fortune. Not only can you ept your husband cheating, but you can also ept a second wife openly. It seems that I¡¯ve really misjudged you. Surely enough, all women can¡¯t live without a man. Even if they lose their self-esteem and dignity, they will not hesitate to do anything not to leave one.¡±

    At that moment, Zoe truly felt the sorrow and pain Jenna and Jerry were feeling, and at the same time, she also looked down on Jenna from the bottom of her heart. The reason a woman personally held the wedding of her husband and his mistress was that she wanted to please him and not be abandoned by him, right? Zoe looked down on such women, and she thought that Jenna couldn¡¯t even be her opponent.

    She was relieved!

    One day, if she seeded, then she would never be the second Jenna.

    She firmly believed that it was useless to please a man by using any means necessary. She always believed that one could never rely on ttery to capture a man¡¯s heart.

    To have the fortune of bumping into two disgusting women in session.

    A terrible feeling started to spread from the bottom of Jenna¡¯s heart, along with acid welling up from the bottom of her stomach and surging straight into her throat. Jenna was so ufortable that she could not even speak.

    ¡°Who are you toe here to mock Madam?¡± Aunt E felt that something was wrong with what she had heard. Seeing Jenna¡¯s ufortable look, she immediately questioned Zoe angrily.

    Zoe curled up the corners of her mouth and looked at Jenna¡¯s flushed face and haggard gaze. It was evident that she was in pain upon looking at her eyes. She felt very joyful. She then looked at Aunt E coldly, snorted, and then turned to walk towards Central Ind with Octavia.

    Jenna could no longer bear the pain in her heart. She then ran straight towards the Green Jade Garden with Jerry in her arms.

    She ran straight to the second floor to put Jerry into the nursery. Then, she covered her mouth with her hands, ran back to her bedroom and into the bathroom, and threw up.

    Zoe¡¯s words were like thorns that pricked her heart, which made her feel very ufortable. She vomited so much that she even vomited the acid in her stomach.

    Her whole body was sore, and her forehead was covered with cold sweat.

    It took her quite a while to get to her feet while holding onto the sink.

    Jenna lifted her gaze to look in the mirror in which her face was reflected.

    Her face was pale and sallow, whileher hair was tied up in a high bun. She looked dignified and calm, but she still seemed to have aged greatly.

    Had she grown old?

    That was true.She had gotten old.She was already 29 years old!

    Shouldn¡¯t a woman at that age be staying at home peacefully while serving her husband and raising her child?What about her?

    What would happen to her in the future?

    She could not breathe upon thinking of thatand just slumped limply on the sink.

    Liya was still young. She was someone who had just graduated from college. She was only 22 and had the upper hand whenpared to Jenna.

    Every time Liya smiled shyly, she would be able to shake men¡¯s hearts. Even a woman like her would be moved, let alone a man.

    She didn¡¯t think that Hansen had absolutely no feelings for her at all. Otherwise, why would he hold such a wedding? Even if he wanted to set up a trap, he didn¡¯t need to use marriage as bait!

    Was it fun to hold such a wedding?!

    He must have wanted to marry her to begin with.

    Ever since he took her to the hospital that day, she hadn¡¯t seen him for two whole days. Hansen didn¡¯t even call her during that period of time.

    It was he who had said that he would call her.

    Nheless, that wasn¡¯t the case.

    She thought that no matter how busy Hansen was, he couldn¡¯t have been busy to the point that he didn¡¯t have the time to make a call, right?!

    After she begged Madam Lilian for help, Hansen was not in danger anymore. However, she didn¡¯t get a call from him, and he didn¡¯t even report to her that he was safe either.

    Didn¡¯t it mean that he had stood her up from the way he acted?

    He didn¡¯t love her at all.

    She picked up a paper towel and wiped the sweat and tears away.

    Then, she put on some light makeup again before walking out slowly.

    ¡°Jerry, you have to believe in Mom and Dad. They all love you. That woman is just a second wife. She won¡¯t get anything.¡± Aunt E was still in the nursery,forting Jerry.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to listen. I don¡¯t want to listen.¡± Jerry was still throwing a tantrum as he threw a pillow onto the ground.

    ¡°Madam.¡± When Jenna came in, Aunt E was picking up the pillow, and her face was full of helplessness and sadness. How distressing it was to see such a young child suffering from such a thing.

    ¡°Aunt E, let me do it. Can you go out first? I have something to tell Jerry.¡± Jenna smiled and nodded to Aunt E, signalling her to rx with her eyes.

    Aunty E knew that Jenna had a way to calm Jerry¡¯s emotions. So, she went out with peace in mind.

    ¡°Jerry, be good. Let me talk to you for a bit.¡± Jenna walked over to Jerry, who was sitting on the bed, and said in a soft voice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to listen. I don¡¯t want to listen. You¡¯re all liars.¡± Jerry covered his ears and shook his head, sulking.

    ¡°Jerry.¡± Jenna¡¯s voice grew solemn, and she raised her voice by a few decibels. ¡°If you don¡¯t listen to me, then I will spank you in the a*s.¡±

    Time was running out as the wedding was about to begin. So, she couldn¡¯t afford to waste any more time. If she didn¡¯tfort Jerry before the wedding, then she wouldn¡¯t be at ease.

    In the end, Jerry was still afraid of Jenna. Once her voice became stern, he wouldn¡¯t dare resist.

    He didn¡¯t dare to throw anything anymore. He just lowered his headand shed tears as he twitched his nose.

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached upon seeing that.Then, she went ahead and held him in her arms.

    After pulling him into her arms, she gently wiped away the tears on his face and asked him kindly, ¡°Jerry, If Mom tells you that Dad¡¯s purpose of doing this is to get rid of the bad guys and save Grandpa ude,will you believe it?¡±

 Chapter 551 Ensnared

    Jerry was intelligent even though he was only three years old. Just as Jenna finished speaking, he seemed to have understood something. He looked up at her with his eyes that were filled with tears, and a look of joy appeared on his face. ¡°Mom, are you serious? Dad didn¡¯t abandon us, right? He just wanted to chase that wicked woman away, right?¡±

    Tears were glistening on his childish face, but his eyes were full of anticipation.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. You have to trust me. How can Dad not want you anymore?¡± Jenna was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t believe her. So, she nodded her head with absolute certainty. With a solemn expression, she said, ¡°Jerry, you have to remember that no matter what, Mom and Dad are the ones who love you the most. You are our pride and joy, and we will always love you.¡±

    As she said that, Jenna kissed his little face and patted him on the back.

    After all, Jerry was only a three-year-old child. So, he was quickly convinced by Jenna¡¯s words, and a satisfied smile began to appear on his face.

    Jenna picked him up and stood up.

    ¡°Jerry, Mom is going to Central Ind right now. Stay in the room with Aunt E and don¡¯t go out, no matter what happens outside. Otherwise, Mom and Dad won¡¯t be able to catch bad guys at ease. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes, alright.¡± Jerry wiped away his tears and solemnly nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Mom, catch that bad woman in peace. I promise I¡¯ll stay at home and y games obediently. I won¡¯t disturb you, and I won¡¯t wander around.¡±

    Jerry acted as if he was an adult.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s make a pinkie promise.¡± Jenna finally showed a grateful smile on her face and hurriedly stretched out her pinkie.

    Jerry was overjoyed. He stretched out his chubby little pinkie, and the mother and son locked their pinkies in a serious manner. Jerry wrapped his arms around Jenna¡¯s neck and praised her.¡°Mom, I really admire you as you can even chase away that evil woman. I¡¯m really happy.¡±

    His little face was filled with happiness, as if that wicked woman had already been driven away by them. His smile was bright and brilliant.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and her heart became sore and extremely heavy. She hugged him, kissed his little face, and then left reluctantly.

    ¡°Aunt E, you must take good care of Jerry at home. No matter what happens outside, you can¡¯t allow him toe out. I entrust this important task to you. You must remember it.¡± Jenna repeatedly reminded Aunt E when she came out.

    Until that moment, she still didn¡¯t believe that Hansen would marry Liya. She seemed to know him well. If he didn¡¯t like a woman, then no one could force him to marry her. If that was the case, then she was sure that that day¡¯s wedding would not be so simple.

    Paul had already told her that the wedding was to save ude. Even though she did not know why it was arranged like that, she still chose to believe in him and insisted on going on and holding the wedding for them.

    She wanted to see all that with her own eyes.

    Even if Hansen personally held Liya¡¯s hand and came up to her, she would still have to face it. If he really betrayed her, then she wouldpletely give up.

    She wanted all the cruelty to be a knife and cut her flesh one by one, so that she could see everything clearly. Then, her heart might be able to make a choice after that.

    She was not afraid of facing the most terrifying things, but she was afraid that she might not be brave enough to face them.

    She had to see her own life clearly, and examine the choices and persistences she had made before.

    Since Hansen didn¡¯t want to tell her, there must be a reason for him to do so. That was why she didn¡¯t ask any further.

    Nheless, she still had to face it in person.

    If it was all true,then she wanted to see how Hansen still had the audacity to show up in front of her. If it was just a trap, thenshe would be able to help him.

    Step by step, she walked towards the Central Ind with firm steps.

    ¡°Miss Yates, it seems that Jenna can do nothing with Hansen marrying Liya. Otherwise, she would not be so sad.¡± Octavia followed after Zoe and sighed as they walked.

    The sinister smile on Zoe¡¯s face gradually rose.

    ¡°This is the result I want. I have always been unable to see through Jenna. So, I thought that she could not tolerate Hansen taking a second wife. I also thought that she was very scheming. But now, it seems that I can defeat her with ease by just using Liya. This is so much fun. It¡¯s a good thing for me as it saves me a lot of trouble.¡± Zoe was deep in thought, and she seemed to have a delighted tone no matter how one looked at it.

    If it was said that Octavia didn¡¯t understand Zoe¡¯s intentions for doing all of that, then after being through so much, she gradually understood the fact that Zoe hadplicated feelings for Hansen.

    Her feelings for him were quite distorted, and perhaps Zoe had those feelings for him ever since she was young. Octavia had reason to believe that when Zoe had a fever thest time, she was calling out for Hansen in her sleep right then.

    It was just that Zoe was murmuring, and she couldn¡¯t hear it that clearly!

    She hadn¡¯t been with Zoe for long.So, there were things she didn¡¯t quite understand, but she might have understood something by then.

    ¡°Miss Yates, are you really going to watch Hansen marry Liya?¡± Octavia wondered. She was not very clear about Zoe¡¯s ns at the moment.So, she could only ask carefully.

    Zoe¡¯s eyes were shining with a gloomy light as Sergio¡¯s warning rang in her ear.

    ¡°Miss Yates, I¡¯ve always felt that Liya isn¡¯t that simple. We shouldn¡¯t look down on her as she may be our biggest enemy one day. After all, she already knows that you¡¯re the one who sent her to be toyed with by Oscar. She must hate you to the core. If you don¡¯t take this opportunity to get rid of her, when she really marries Hansen and bes Mrs. Richards, then she will have enough money and power. Moreover, she will live in Richards Manor, which is heavily guarded, and I¡¯m afraid it will be difficult to deal with her by then. If she gains power and authority, then I believe that she will never let you go. Therefore, I think that she will pose a greater threat to you than Jenna.¡±

    Octavia¡¯s words were not unreasonable, and Zoe also understood her point. At first, she wanted to use Liya to punish the Richards Group, but in the end, Liya was used by Hansen to steal the evidence that could prove that Jenna was framed. As a result, Liya seeded in letting Hansen marry her, and as for herself, she gained nothing.

    Right then, Hansen was no longer threatened. Zoe believed that it would not be long before the Richards Group recovered their strength. With that, the Sky Sword Group would never have the chance to catch up and be on par with them.

    That could be described as going out for wool anding home shorn. She groomed an ungrateful person for no reason.

    From that, one could tell that Liya was not a good person, and her character was particrly bad. So, she should be on guard against her.

    Nevertheless, Sergio had a point as well. If she were to get rid of Liya right then,then what could she use to fight against Hansen? It would only elerate her downfall.

    At the thought of that, Zoe felt that Hansen was indeed an expert in the business world. She and Liya might have fallen into his trap from the beginning.

    Hansen had sessfully persuaded Liya, and without losing anything, he had easily achieved his goal.

    Right then, Zoe got nothing, and she was in a dilemma, as she didn¡¯t know what to do!

    Zoe had little interest in dealing with Liya right then, as it was something of little value.

    To add insult to injury, she had lost her chastity as she had been ravaged by Oscar.

    She was utterly defeated!

    Realizing that, Zoe¡¯s eyes reddened. She clenched her fists tightly, and theplicated emotion at the bottom of her heart intensified.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, just wait and see. Idefinitelywon¡¯t let you go that easily. When I was young, I had already decided to do so. The fact that Aria couldn¡¯t destroy you doesn¡¯t mean Liya can¡¯t do so.I don¡¯t believe that you will always win in the end.

    I don¡¯t believe that you can live with a dazzling halo forever. What right do you have to live like a king when I can only live like a pauper?¡± She thought to herself.

    There were already a lot of people on Central Ind. It seemed that Hansen had invited a lot of guests. The wedding stage on the Central Ind was splendid and luxurious, and those were all prepared for such a cheap woman like Liya. Zoe¡¯s head began to heat up as she thought about it. A great amount of acid welled up in her stomach withher eyes turning red, and even her fists were producing cracking sounds from her clenching them too hard.

    ¡°Miss Yates.¡± Just as she felt hot-headed and was about to lose her sense of reason, a low and deep male voice quietly rang in her ears, shocking her to the point that she lifted her head.

    Sergio was standing by her side and looking at her with sharp eyes.

    ¡°You, why¡­¡± She took a step back in surprise.

    Sergio looked at her coldly and repeatedly cursed in his heart, ¡± A stupid woman who thinks she¡¯s smart. How can she achieve great things when she can¡¯t even bear that level of provocation?¡±

    Just as Zoe reached Richards Manor, Sergio had already noticed her.

    Everything she did, including what she had thought, he knew it all like the back of his hand.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    It was said that women were emotional beings. Surely enough, no matter how smart a woman was, they couldn¡¯t escape from love. Zoe had obviously fallen into Hansen¡¯s trap as she became hot-headed.

    ¡°Do you still n to expose Liya and stop her from bing Hansen¡¯s woman today?¡± He pulled her aside and asked in a deep voice.

    There was still confusion on Zoe¡¯s face, and she hadn¡¯te back to her senses. Her expression was nk.

    Sergio sneered.¡°Zoe, think about it carefully. If you expose Liyater, then you and Liya would fall into Hansen¡¯s trap and be defeated in one fell swoop. Think about it. Although Liya is guilty of stealing Jenna¡¯s evidence, she still managed to steal evidence from you, in which she had offset the mistake by doing that. With that, she will be able to leave the police station in no time, but what about you? Have you thought of the consequences?¡±

    His words were like bombs, blowing Zoe¡¯s mind. She just stood there with a pale face and didn¡¯t say a word.

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for myself,then I won¡¯t have to remind you, who are stubborn and stupid, so many times. Do you want to take advantage of them in the future, or do you want to be chipped away by Hansen from now on? It¡¯s up to you.¡±

    After saying that, Sergio sneered and left in a hurry.

 Chapter 552 Didnâ€™t Want The Slightest Chance Of Her Being Harmed

    The Green Jade Garden¡¯s top floor was very secluded due to the terrain.

    From there, one could see every single corner of Richards Manor. When Old Master Richards hired experts to design that ce, he considered the design from the military¡¯s perspective and had that cespecially designed. It was something that outsiders did not know of.

    Hansen was dressed in bulletproof clothing on the inside, and he was dressed in a suit and leather shoes on the outside. He looked elegant and refined as he stood there gracefully.

    With a sarcastic smile at the corner of his mouth, he looked down from that spot, taking everything in his eyes.

    As the breeze blew, the suit clung to his body tightly. The fabric pressed against his tall and strong frame, and with the refined side of his face, he seemed perfect no matter how one looked at it.

    It was no wonder there were so many women flocking him.

    Alvin stood at the side, staring at everyone below with his sharp gaze.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, that woman is already here.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Hansen snorted. He picked up his binocrs and looked down at the woman below. At that moment, the heavy burden on his shoulder weighed a thousand pounds, but he still wore a faint and scornful smile on his face, as if he was very confident.

    There was nothing in his life that he couldn¡¯t controlexcept for Jenna.

    When he saw Jenna holding onto Jerry as she confronted Zoe and Liya, his heart trembled.

    He felt guilty and meful right then, as he couldn¡¯t stand in front of Jenna and Jerry to protect them fromothers¡¯insults. Even if he couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying, he could still guess it without having a second thought.

    ¡°Alvin, your main task today is to bring two people with you to protect Jenna and Jerry. This is the most important thing. You¡¯re not allowed to make the slightest mistake. Otherwise, you don¡¯t need to see me ever again.¡± After Jenna brought Jerry into the Green Jade Garden, Hansen ordered Alvin next to him in a deep voice.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s more appropriate for me to stay by your side at this point in time.¡± Hearing that, Alvin thought that capturing Reid was the utmost priority at that moment. So, how could he leave? That was why he made an objection immediately.

    ¡°No. You have to follow my orders.¡± Hansen¡¯s face darkened as heimmediatelybellowed.

    ¡°But, Mr. Richards, I found an important person today. He is the famous detective, Paul Wace. Although he is very low-profile, he has always shown up in Richards Manor and has always been following Madam from a distance. If I¡¯m correct, then he must be here to protect her.¡± Alvin quickly exined what he saw. If Jenna had Paul¡¯s protection, then he would not need to be by her side anymore.

    ¡°Paul?¡± Hansen frowned slightly. He had also seen that person.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards.There has always been a rumorsaying that Paul and Irvin are Vivian¡¯s subordinates, and it seems that it is true. Vivian must¡¯ve ordered them to protect you and Madam.¡± Alvin continued analyzing.

    After hearing Alvin¡¯s words, Hansen remembered that someone was always following him and helping him solve numerous crises when he fought with the terrorists in the jungle. After thinking about it, he indeed seemed like Paul, but Hansen was in a critical situation at that time. So, he had no time to think about it carefully.

    ¡°But it¡¯s not very likely.¡± Hansen shook his head and immediately denied it. Vivian¡¯s condition was serious, and she didn¡¯t have the ability to think anymore. Therefore, it was impossible for her to assign Paul to protect them. Moreover, she had never mentioned those two brothers before.

    ¡°s, Mr. Richards.¡± Alvin sighed. ¡°You should trust Madam Vivian. I know that to you, she¡¯s just an old woman who stays in the Ink Garden all year round and basically doesn¡¯t care about what¡¯s going on outside, but she has done a lot of unexpected things in the past few years, which proves that she has an expert by her side. Madam Vivian is a heroine, and she might have predicted things and gave orders in advance. After all, she realized that she was already dying.¡±

    Alvin¡¯s words shocked Hansen, and then he realized that it was totally possible. Wasn¡¯t Grandma always helping him in secret? Moreover, she knew a lot of stuff.So, Hansen nodded in agreement.

    ¡°No matter what, you have to protect Jenna and Jerry. This is an order. You can only ept it.¡± At that time, even though Hansen understood that it was possible that Paul was protecting Jenna, he still gave an order to Alvin. He couldn¡¯t let the slightest things happen to his beloved wife and child. He didn¡¯t even want the slightest chance of that to happen. Otherwise, he would feel worse than dying.

    Since things had already turned out that way, Alvin had no choice but to nod in eptance.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Sergio¡¯s men have also entered the banquet. This is not a good thing.¡± John walked up from the stairs in a hurry.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. He then picked up his binocrs and fixed his gaze on Sergio.

    ¡°This is my home. So, it¡¯s useless for Sergio to send his men in.¡± The reason he could tolerate Sergio up till then was not only because of his identity as anofficialbut also because it was not time to deal with him. Nevertheless, he knew Richards Manor very well. Ever since Sergio had moved into Richards Manor, every move of his never escaped Hansen¡¯s eyes. It was almost impossible for Sergio to make something out of that, which was something Hansen was confident in. Otherwise, he would not have allowed him to live in Richards Manor. ¡°Nheless, you can rest assured that until now, he doesn¡¯t know that we¡¯ll take this opportunity to deal with Reid and rescue ude.¡±

    If he didn¡¯t even know that, then what was the point of him moving into Richards Manor? The corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled into a cold smile.

    It was also a good thing that he moved in, as Hansen wanted Sergio to see how he would deal with that situation while teaching him a lesson at the same time.

    That despicable man had always been gawking at his wife, causing him to fly into a rage from head to toe. Hansen wanted nothing more than to throw him to h*ll.

    He clearly knew that Jenna was his wife, but he still wanted to take advantage of the troubled times to try to win her heart and cause trouble for him along the way. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Hansen¡¯s n would be messed up without him putting up with Sergio, then he would have long taken action to deal with him.

    ¡°Has Reid¡¯s men arrived yet?¡± The moment he knitted his brows, he nced at the surroundings through the binocrs. The wedding banquet would start in an hour, but Reid¡¯s figure was still nowhere to be seen. That was what worried him the most.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Reid is also a cunning man. I don¡¯t think he will show up until the wedding begins.¡± John frowned.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, our people learnt that Reid and ude had already snuck into A City long ago, but they had hid in a residential house the whole time. That¡¯s why Christopher didn¡¯t dare to take any action ashe was worried about the people¡¯s safety.¡±

    ¡°Where is Christopher now?¡± Hansen¡¯s ears twitched, and he asked calmly. Although Christopher was there to help him, he only thought about his own interests all the time. So, Hansen didn¡¯t want to rely too much on him.

    ¡°He is chatting with Mr. Trevor in the reception room.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Hansen nodded and said in a low voice, ¡°Listen to my instructionster on. Once Reid¡¯s men enter Richards Manor, especially when we see ude, then we¡¯ll seal the Manor. Then, ording to the n, I¡¯ll send someone to evacuate the guests into the Ink Garden¡¯s meeting room and close the gates. We will then quickly deal with Reid and save ude by then. After that, we¡¯ll hand this matter over to the police. Remember, we must not frighten the guests, let alone letting them get hurt. Our goal is to deal with Reid and rescue ude. We must surround them to a certain extent, and it would be best if we could solve that matter without using any weapons.¡±

    He, Hansen, was a businessman. No matter what problem he had to resolve, he had to tabte and minimize the losses. That was what he was most willing to do. He wanted to use trickery and wisdom and not brute force.

    ¡°Christopher¡¯s police have gone into hiding. They have a lot of people with them.So, it probably won¡¯t pose a problem. Christopher has also said that they¡¯re going to catch Reid alive.¡± Alvin also added.

    Capturing Reid alive was exactly what Hansen wished for.

    As long as the police could crack something from Reid and take advantage of that information, they might be able to know something about the petrochemical factory in Wullen Town. That would also be the oue Hansen wanted to see the most.

    Therefore, his cooperation with Christopher at that time was most in line with his heart.

    Hansen checked the other ces again and made sure that everything was set before heading down the stairs. After all, the wedding was about to begin.

    If he didn¡¯t appear at the wedding scene, thenthat cunning Reid wouldn¡¯t appear as well.

    ¡°Remember, you must protect Jenna no matter what. Those who are keeping an eye on Sergio¡¯s men mustimmediatelyreport if something happens. Don¡¯t let him mess up the whole n.¡± Before leaving, Hansen turned back to order his favorite general of the Grand Eagle.

    When Jenna appeared on Central Ind in a deep red gown, almost everyone¡¯s eyes were on her. At that moment, her attractive appearance didn¡¯t lose out to the bride, Liya.

    She had light makeup on and a perfect smile on her face. She was calm andposed, and her entire body exuded a sense of generosity and calmness.

    She was not like what the outside world had said. She wasn¡¯t sad and sorrowful, nor did she create trouble and resist when her husband was marrying a second wife.

    She looked gentle and kind. Her face was calm, and one knew that she wasn¡¯t a scheming person from a nce. The smile on her face was quiet and peaceful. Although there was a trace of pain in the depths of her eyes, it only shed through and could not be seen at all.

    In the public¡¯s words, she was a person who knew when to retreat. Even if she knew that her husband was marrying a second wife, she didn¡¯t make a fuss like other women, as it would push her husband further away from her. If she couldn¡¯t change reality, then that was undoubtedly the wisest thing to do.

    Everyone knew that Hansen loved his wife very much from the rumors. When they just got married, there were even rumors that he was afraid of his wife. That was once a topic of gossip in high society.

    In fact, in a ce like A City, it wasmon for a man to have more than a few women by his side. Even if they neither registered, married, nor held a banquet, people have already acquiesced to that custom. So, they were very used to it.

    Prestigious families were all rich and powerful. So, they could do anything they wanted. Even if they had no status or fame, in front of a massive amount of wealth, a lot of women would still be willing to get involved with them, including movie stars and celebrities.

    Even if a woman became a second wife, it was not easy for the man¡¯s family to hold their wedding so openly. Not all wealthy people were generous and were willing to spend so much money on women. Furthermore, that was not a matter of money. In the past, Vivian had drivenAriaaway with the reason that second wives couldn¡¯t move into Richards Manor, but right then, Liya¡¯s wedding banquet was held publicly in Richards Manor. How could it be so different?

    For a moment, everyone guessed that Liya was very scheming and capable. Otherwise, the astute Hansen wouldn¡¯t have done such a shocking thing for her.

    The Richards family weren¡¯t a normal prestigious family. If one could be a member of the Richards family and sessfully register their marriage, then one would gain the family¡¯s fortune everyone yearned for. Back then, the gambling kingpin of A City married three wives due to certain circumstances. When he was almost eighty, he married a fourth woman, which devastated the whole world. After that, everyone estimated that even if he was ny, there would still be women who were willing to marry him, as the money and power that he had was too tempting.

    It was just that whenall his mistresses fought over the distribution of the inheritance,the news was published in various newspapers and became the public¡¯sughing stock.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

 Chapter 553 Whereâ€™s The Groom?

    Jenna stood there calmly and faced all the different gazes from other peopleindifferently. She was rxed and could even talk andugh freely. It seemed that she was smiling at everyone, but in fact, her gaze did not fall on anyone.

    While she was noble and kind, she also kept a distance from everyone else. Others couldn¡¯t figure her out. They felt as if they were researching a fine product, analyzing her with different perspectives and methods. The more they guessed, the more mysterious Jenna was to them. In the end, she was even worshipped as a saint.That point was even more prominent among men.

    Jenna epting her husband taking a second wife meant that other people could use it as a reason to seek love affairs in the future. Therefore, they all praised Jenna highly.

    Jenna knew all of that in her heart, but she acted as if she didn¡¯t hear anything and was very calm.

    She didn¡¯t believe that Hansen would betray her. She still wasn¡¯t willing to believe that Hansen really wanted to marry Liya even up till that moment.

    She wanted to see that Saturday with her own eyes and decide if she still had the chance to go out with Jerry and Hansen.

    She had to be cruel to herself. No matter how painful it was, she still had to stand under the spotlight. Even if there was a mountain of swords and a sea of mes in front of her, she wasstillwilling to bear with the pain as she believed that she would find the answer.

    The deciding moment was approaching little by little.

    Trevor and Christopher were sitting in the reception room, talking andughing. Trevor¡¯s face was flushed red, and he seemed happy. Christopher also was in high spirits as he kept smiling.

    When Jenna entered, Christopher¡¯s eyes fell on her. Then, he looked at her faceas if he was sizing her up and trying to see through her.

    Jenna then showed a faint and smooth smile. Her smile was dignified and beautiful. Others couldn¡¯t bear to shift their eyes away from it.

    Christopher¡¯s eyes darkened, and an imperceptible sense of disappointment shed across his pitch-ck eyes.

    That woman was once a woman he wanted to pursue when he was in college, but he gave up afterparing himself with Hansen.

    He was sure that he couldn¡¯t gain the upper hand.

    Surely enough, after that woman married Hansen, she created legends one after another, and people had to look at her with new perspectives.

    ¡°Dad, the crucial moment has arrived.¡± Jenna walked in and said tly to Trevor. Her expression was calm, and her tone was respectful.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Trevor smiled gently. His somewhat dark eyes were filled with a hidden light. Theyseemed calm and gentle, but a trace of unease shed across them for a moment, and it didn¡¯t escape Jenna¡¯s sharp eyes.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Marissa?¡± he asked.

    They had already agreed that Marissa needed to be by his side on that day¡¯s wedding. She had to follow the process of getting the wedding bouquet handed to her by Liya and Hansen. Even if she didn¡¯t like it, she still had to put on an act.

    ¡°I¡¯m here, I¡¯m here.¡± Before Trevor¡¯s voice had even faded, Marissa¡¯s voice drifted from behind. Jenna lifted her head and looked over, only to see that Marissa was dressed in an exquisitely crafted gown with royal blue floral patterns on its white base. Her makeup was exquisite. Even though she was already ageing, she still retained her charm and her every movement was very elegant and noble.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree toe here on time?¡± Trevor frowned again after looking at her attire.¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing something more festive?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here, aren¡¯t I?¡± Marissa came over and muttered, ¡°What¡¯s the point ofing here early? To beughed at by others?¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Trevor nced at her, and there was a hint of an insinuation in his eyes, but it faded away helplessly. ¡°You¡¯re really something. You¡¯re not even as sensible as Jenna. Right now, it¡¯s your son who¡¯s getting married.¡±

    There was a disdainful expression on Marissa¡¯s face.She pouted, but she didn¡¯t reply to Trevor. Instead,she turned to Jenna and smiled kindly. ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry for making it difficult for you.¡±

    Jenna showed a slight smile.

    Marissa took her arm and walked to the lounge, leaving Trevor aside.

    With a helpless smile, Trevor could only beckon Christopher towards the lounge as well.

    ¡°Madam, the wedding is about to begin, but the groom hasn¡¯t arrived yet. Where has Mr. Richards gone?¡± Just as Jenna followed Trevor and Marissa into the lounge behind the stage, Maud rushed in and said, ¡°The emcee has already started to call for us.¡±

    Was that so?

    Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. For some reason, when she heard that Hansen had yet to appear on time, she actually felt a sense of joy in her heart. It was as if she was looking forward to such a situation happening. Although she felt that her thought wasn¡¯t virtuous, she could not help but to nce at the crowd with her beautiful eyes. Indeed, she saw no sign of Hansen¡¯s tall and majestic figure.

    His figure was so familiar that she could recognize it as long as she nced towards the crowd. In the past, she hadid in his arms, and he had embraced her. Then, he wouldugh loudly as they cuddled with each other intimately. They used to have a sweet and lovely rtionship.

    However, right then, was he going to marry another woman? Would he not belong to her fully anymore?

    Her heart ached, and tears almost rolled down her cheeks upon thinking of that.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you call him?¡± Trevor was lost in thought. When Marissa heard that her son was missing, she became anxious and blurted out.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Madam, I¡¯ve made countless phone calls, but no one answered them,¡± Maud exined hastily.

    Marissa became even more anxious, but she seemed to have thought of something and stopped pressing on.

    The wedding music was yed on time.

    The melodious voice of the emcee echoed on the stage.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where¡¯s Hansen?¡± While they were lost in their thoughts, they heard a rough male voice shouting in that direction. ¡°Where has Hansen gone?¡±

    Marissa frowned and looked at him coldly.

    Her face soon darkened.

    He had a dark face, triangr eyes, a medium-sized frame, and a thin chin. His sick face was full of arrogance.

    The man stood in the corridor, shouting loudlyas if that was a vegetable market.

    Trevor¡¯s face changed as well.

    Jenna didn¡¯t know who that man was, but she heard Maud whispering, ¡°Madam, this is Liya¡¯s father, Fadison Luther. He has had a serious kidney disease and a heart attack. He¡¯s also a gambling addict. When Elsie used to live in Richards Manor, he often came here to extort and create trouble. Due to that, Vivian was so heartbroken that she drove Elsie and her daughter out.¡±

    After Maud¡¯s exnation, Jennaimmediatelyunderstood.

    It was likely that Fadison would act as he pleased as his daughter had married into the Richards family right then.

    She looked at him coldly.

    ¡°Look, you guys summoned such a man into Richards Manor again. Surely you¡¯ll get angry more often in the future.¡± Marissa sighed as her voice wasced with grief and indignation.

    The light in Trevor¡¯s eyes burst forth and was slowly withdrawn.

    ¡°Trevor, where¡¯s your son? My daughter is now married to your son as the second wife even though she¡¯s still young, but the groom hasn¡¯t appeared yet, even when the time hase. Are you guys trying to bring shame to our Luther family? How will Liya be able to continue living in Richards Manor in the future? No matter what, you have to give me an exnation. The wedding must begin on time.¡± Fadison¡¯s eyes were sharp. When he heard themotion, he immediatelysaw Trevor and the others walking out. He then approached them and questioned Trevor with a dissatisfied tone, who stood right in the middle.

    Trevor used to be a figure who once controlled A City and had a lot of power. What kind of a scene hadn¡¯t he seen before? Would he care about such a hooligan?

    At that time,he was against ude.So, he didn¡¯t want to get involved in that matter. After all, Fadison was just a punk. So, he allowed him to mess around as he liked, but it was impossible for Trevor to ept Fadison acting like before right then.

    ¡°Why are you panicking?¡± He bellowed in a deep voice, ¡°The wedding hasn¡¯t even started yet. It¡¯s just the second wife. What¡¯s the big deal? Even if the groom doesn¡¯te, it¡¯s not too much to take the bride in through the back door.¡±

    His tone was stern and full of authority with a dignified manner.

    Fadison was stunned.

    At that time, Maud also immediately shouted, ¡°Fadison, take a good look. This is Mr. Trevor Richards. It¡¯s not up to you to judge him. The fact that today¡¯s wedding is held is all in consideration towards your family. No matter how dissatisfied you are, the marriage can still be cancelled at any time. Richards Manor doesn¡¯t value second wives as such at all. Right now, it¡¯s your daughter who¡¯s forcefully pestering Mr. Richards. She¡¯s not someone whom Mr. Richards has to marry no matter what.¡±

    Fadison had always coveted the Richards family¡¯s wealth. Since he was seriously ill right then, the only reason he came over was to try to get some money out of them.

    In his eyes, everything was good as long as he got to earn some quick cash. As for how his daughter¡¯s wedding turned out or whether she would be able to attain happiness, that was something he didn¡¯t care about at all. Since he managed to get involved with Richards Manor, the benefits he could get would allow him to enjoy the rest of his life.

    After being reprimanded by Trevor, he started to feel guilty and stopped acting arrogant.

    Nevertheless, he was not willing to give up. He mustered up his courage to say, ¡°My dear inws, no matter what, the wedding is about to begin. It¡¯s wrong not to have a groom. If Hansen doesn¡¯te over soon,then I will tell the media that your prestigious family has gone back on your word and bullied us.¡±

    He knew that those reporters, who were able to enter Richards Manor at that time, were all bought off by the Richards family. So, they wouldn¡¯t post any negative news and would only spread positive news with any means necessary.

    In reality, before the wedding, Trevor and Hansen had indeed made a big deal about it, as if they were afraid that the world didn¡¯t know about it. However, when the wedding was held, they rejected some other media outlets with ulterior motives for the sake of not wanting others to smear their reputation. Therefore, they only invited a few media reporters they trusted.

    Their n was to capture Reid alive and rescue ude. After that, they would immediately announce through the media that they would cancel Hansen¡¯s and Liya¡¯s weddingand the fact that Reid had kidnapped ude, forcing Hansen to marry Liya. Of course, if Zoe was willing to take advantage to the situation and use Liya, then they would hand everything over to the police. In that case, they only needed to exin to the media, and everything would be fine.

    In that way, Richards Manor would have nothing to do with everything anymore. Then, Liya and Zoe would fight each other, and they would then be able to use all their efforts in dealing with Yadriel.

    With that, at the very least, they would be able toachieve their purpose by doing that.

 Chapter 554 Shocked

    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you try and see if the media will believe you? I can ultimately order people to arrest you right now for the evil deeds you¡¯ve done in the past. Would you like to have a try?¡± Christophersaid lightly,smiling coldly while taking a step forward.

    In the end, Fadison only wanted to obtain some quick cash. Not to mention that he was seriously ill, he was currently alone right then.Even if what he said made sense, he still did not dare to do anything in the face of Trevor¡¯s dignified look. What was more, his daughter was the one pestering Hansen.

    Seeing that Trevor was slightly enragedand Christopher, who was also dressed in his police uniform,was looking at him coldly,Fadison had long been afraid. Nevertheless, he was really thick-skinned. He immediately softened and smiled apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to make things difficult for you, but I only have one daughter. Now that the wedding ceremony is about to begin, the groom still hasn¡¯t shown up yet.Of course, I¡¯m going to be worried.¡±

    Jenna felt a wave of disgust when she saw Fadison, who had acted arrogantly at first, slowly turning to act like a ve. She also couldn¡¯t help but to feel sorrowful when she saw his sickly face.

    How could a rascal like him manage to pester Richards Manor for so many years? It was really pathetic and ridiculous.

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. Hansen has never crossed the line when doing things. He must have been dyed by something.¡± Jenna thought about it and stepped forward to exin for Hansen¡¯s sake.

    She sounded steady and t, but the gaze she shot at Fadison was iparably cold and fierce.

    When Fadison heard the way Jenna addressed Trevor, he immediately understood who Jenna was. It seemed that Jenna was his daughter¡¯s groom¡¯s first wife, and right then, she was Richards Manor¡¯s head of the household. Fadison thought for a moment and understood that his daughter would still have to confront Jenna in the future. He forced a smile and said, ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s good if it¡¯s like that. However, the wedding is about to begin. We mustn¡¯t miss the joyous moment.¡±

    Jenna looked at his lowly yet strange self and shifted her gaze away from him. She then said respectfully to Trevor and Marissa, ¡°Dad, Mom, let¡¯s go and take a seat first.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Trevor nodded in agreement.¡°Let¡¯s go. Hansen will definitelye after everything is settled. Just as I said, our family is just taking in a second wife. There¡¯s nothing to make a fuss about.¡±

    At that time, of course, Trevor knew the heavy responsibility on Hansen¡¯s shoulders. Right then, even if he did note, as long as they, the elders, were present, that wedding could still be held smoothly. At least the atmosphere at the scene was evident, and it could be used as a cover to avoid people gossiping about it. That was the reason Trevor had asked Marissa to show up at the wedding.

    Then, Trevor led them towards the emcee on the stage.

    At that moment, the two emcees, who were on the stage, were so anxious that they were sweating profusely. The opportune moment had almost arrived, and it was their first time holding a wedding with the groom absent. They really didn¡¯t know how they were able to start the ceremony. It was not until Trevor, Marissa, and the others were heading towards them did they feel somewhat relieved.

    The guests beneath the stage were all seated, and they locked their gazes on them as soon as they appeared.

    Trevor took the lead and sat down on the big, red, wooden chair in the middle of the stage.

    One shouldn¡¯t dismiss the fact that this was no ordinary chair, asit was made of fine rosewood. Usually, it was never brought out and was stored away, but it was moved out for the sake of making sure that the event that day was grand and respectable. Moreover, in order to protect the chair, they sent two security guards to move each particr chair.

    Marissa also sat down on a smaller, expensive chair that was made of ebony.

    Those two chairs would usually not be moved out. Nheless,they were ced on that luxurious stage that day,and it made the ceremony seem noble and solemn.

    Jenna stood close to Marissa. Although she looked calm and peaceful on the outside, her heart was pounding wildly. She felt very ufortable, as if there was something in her heart that was broken.

    At that moment, she only wanted to see her husband, Hansen, butat the same time,she was afraid to see him. After that day, he would not belong to her alone. She felt as if someone had used a stick to twist her flesh at the bottom of her heart, which made her particrly ufortable.

    The wedding song yed in an impassioned manner.

    The hopeful moment had finally arrived.

    Liya had been waiting behind the beaded curtains in the corridor which led to the stage, waiting eagerly for Hansen toe up and hold her hand and walk along the aisle, through the arched doors made of flowers, and go onto the stage to ept everyone¡¯s blessings.

    However, things didn¡¯t go as she expected. It was already time, but she had yet to see Hansen¡¯s figure.

    Her heart sank, and she tasted bitterness at the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°Now, we would like to wee the bride.¡± As soon as the joyous hour arrived, the emcee¡¯s voice rang out.

    At that time, Fadison, who was wearing a suit, stood in front of her and stretched out his hand.Liya extended hers, which were covered with white gloves. The duowalked out hand in hand, serenaded by the melodious wedding music.

    All of a sudden, the whole venue went silent.

    With Fadison¡¯s help, Liya walked down the aisle and towards the center of the stage. At first, she would have to stop in the middle of the pavilion whileFadison would hand Liya to his son-inw, Hansen. However, due to the fact that Hansen hadn¡¯t arrived yet, they had to omit that step. In the end, Fadison brought Liya directly to the stage.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    Liya¡¯s face began to flush, and her eyes were welled up with tears.

    She had participated in other second wives¡¯ weddings in A City several times, and they all had a joyful atmosphere. Moreover, the bride and groom wouldhappilyparticipate in the wedding together,but she had never seen any wedding ending up like hers.

    Nheless, she couldn¡¯t juste to a conclusion that the Richards family didn¡¯t attach any importance to her, as the wedding was held in a grand manner, to the point that it was even better than others marrying their first and legal wife.

    The moment she stepped onto the stage, she saw it.

    Trevor was sitting in the main seat while emitting a majestic aura while Marissa sat next to him elegantly. Marissa¡¯s aura was no less than any madam of other prestigious families. Jenna stood elegantly and virtuously on the side. No matter how one looked at it, it was a very formal asion. If one could ignore the groom¡¯s absence, then it would be a wonderful ceremony. However, the point was thateveryone there could be neglected, except for the groom. After all, it was their wedding.

    Liya stepped onto the stage.

    The crowd began to kick up a fuss.

    What were they doing?

    It was obviously a wedding. So, how could the groom not be there? How did they expect the bride to face all that? Even if she was only the second wife, they still had to see the groom!

    In the main seat near the stage, Sergio sat there calmly and elegantly. His burning and quiet gaze had been fixed on Jenna the whole time. He was constantly observing her face and her every expression, trying to see through that woman.

    What kind of spirit did she have to make her stand on the stage in such a calm manner? Even when facing the mistress, who was trying to rob her of her husband, she still could act so calmly and elegantly. Was she a saint?

    It wasn¡¯t until Hansen hadn¡¯t shown up when the momentous hour had arrived that he became alert and was slightly shocked. He thought that something was amiss.

    A sense of unease began to rise in his heart.

    Surely enough, his phonesoonrang.

    He quickly stood up, walked aside, and picked up the phone.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, we have bad news.The situation has changed. Reid actually came here with ude.¡± As soon as the man¡¯s voice sounded on the phone, Sergio¡¯s face changed drastically, and he almost roared out, ¡°What? How didn¡¯t we learn about this until now? What is Edgar doing?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, we¡¯ve been fooled around by Trevor and Hansen this time. Their main goal is to use this wedding to save ude. It¡¯s very likely that they want to capture us all in one fell swoop. They sessfully diverted everyone¡¯s attention with this wedding, and right now, no one there knows about this.¡±

    What?

    The voice of his subordinate made Sergio feel a chill all over his body, and his hands began to tremble.

    D*mn it. He naively thought that Hansen was using the wedding to let Zoe and Liya fight each other. He did not think that Hansen had such an advanced motive behind his back.

    Hansen was killing three birds with one stone with that n, even he was kept in the dark.

    However, the problem right then was, why didn¡¯t his father, Yadriel, know about such an important matter?

    Although Reid did not know about what the Xanthe family had done in the petrochemical factory in Wullen Town, nor did he get hold of the Xanthe family¡¯s secrets, he should be aware of their actions.What about ude? At the thought of that, his heart pounded with fear.

    He quickly hung up the phone and dialed Yadriel¡¯s number.

    ¡°Dad, things are not looking good. Reid has already brought ude back to Richards Manor today. Do you know anything about this?¡±

    Yadriel was sitting in a spacious office, watching the wedding at Richards Manor from the screen.His son¡¯s call made his eyebrows twitch, and after a while, he answered in a deep voice, ¡°I get it. For Liya¡¯s happiness,now Reid isn¡¯t controlled by the terrorists at all. The night before yesterday, the terrorists had already sent more people to stop what he was doing, but it¡¯s a pity that the Tamnd military took action and disrupted all the ns.¡±

    Yadriel¡¯s voice sounded deste and helpless, but it could be considered calm andposed at the same time.

    ¡°Dad, why didn¡¯t you tell me about this earlier?¡± Sergio sounded mad and puzzled at the same time.

    ¡°Sergio, calm down. I¡¯ve already sent Edgar over.¡± Yadriel said in a sinister and definite voice, ¡°This thing happened the night before yesterday, and my men only learnt about it not long ago. After learning about it, I went ahead and notified the terrorists. Besides, it¡¯s useless to tell you this. I¡¯m more afraid that you may act rashly and alert the enemy.¡±

    He took a sip of water and adjusted his sses as he controlled his voice to be as calm as possible.¡°Even if Reid knows something, he¡¯s just a small leader, and he won¡¯t know that much. Moreover, he and his men are just a bunch of ouws. It¡¯s not enough to pose a fatal threat to our family.¡±

    ¡°What about ude?¡± Sergio asked anxiously.

    Yadriel, who was on the other side, pondered for a while before saying, ¡°Sergio, let¡¯s put it this way. ude is just a weakling. As he has been living in Africa all year round, he hase into contact with many people and is familiar with people from both sides. So, he probably knows something. However, it is not easy for him to get hold of our actual evidence.I didn¡¯t want to deal with people like him at that time, but even if I did, I would¡¯ve killed him quickly. However, that d*mn Reid took action, in order to avenge his sister and disrupted my n at the same time. But if Reid was caught, the police might find some breakthroughs from him and find out secrets. Now that we are at this point,we can¡¯t afford to fail. So, we can¡¯t keep him alive.¡±

    At the other end, Yadriel¡¯svoice, who was initially speaking slowly and gently, suddenly turned cold at the end.

 Chapter 555 Watch The Show

    ¡°Dad, I understand.¡± Sergio let out a sigh of relief. He then calmed himself down and replied in a low voice.

    ¡°No, Sergio. Listen.¡± Yadriel was worried that he would do something rash.So, he said in a hurry, ¡°You are from a family of officials. So, you can¡¯t get involved in such things. I have already sent Edgar to lurk in Richards Manor. He will solve everything, and you don¡¯t have to worry about it. You can go on as you like.¡±

    Sergio was stunned for a moment before understanding Yadriel¡¯s intentions.

    ¡°Sergio, up to this point, the Richards Group is the biggest threat to our Xanthe family. The reason I didn¡¯t tell you some of thisis that it¡¯s not a big problem. So, I don¡¯t want to divert your attention. Also, it¡¯s because I want you to put all your energy into dealing with the Richards Group. We can¡¯t afford to be sloppy for even a moment. Right now, Trevor and Hansen are the ultimate targets we have to handle,and we must not let them join hands with Luqman. As you¡¯re in charge of the matter of the Richards Group¡¯s unauthorized disclosure, you have to grasp the situation well and not let them dismiss the verdict. Otherwise, we can¡¯t threaten them anymore.¡± Yadriel warned him seriously. Afterwards, he said in an extremely worried voice, ¡°Sergio, we¡¯ve encountered an extremely dangerous matter right now. That is, someone has already made his way into the Middle East, and that person has grabbed hold of many pieces of evidence regarding us. This is the most dangerous matter.¡±

    Yadriel said those words with great strain, which sent a chill down Sergio¡¯s spine. Even though it was hot that day, he still felt cold all over.

    ¡°Dad, could that person be Trevor¡¯s man?¡± Sergio¡¯s subordinates had already told him about that matter. Immediately, he frowned and asked in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered someone to find a way to get rid of that person.¡±

    ¡°No, Sergio. We can¡¯t kill this person for the time being. You shouldn¡¯t think that this matter is simple. This man is capable and won¡¯t be killed that easily. He¡¯s Irvin Wace, a famous detective, an astute person, and he has been involved in such activities for a lifetime. Therefore, he was already aware of the various dangers of that job. So, we won¡¯t be able to get rid of him that easily. Moreover, he has already ced the collected evidence in several locations. So, we won¡¯t be able to find it no matter what. He¡¯s also an experienced detective and has a strong sense of self-preservation. As long as his life is in danger, not only will Trevor be able to obtain those pieces of evidence, our superiors in Capital City and some other people with ulterior motives will also be able to obtain them as well. If so, we¡¯re doomed in no time. Hence, we can only afford to catch this man alive and not kill him that easily.¡± Yadriel shook his head and said in a sad and helpless manner.

    When Sergio heard that, he was shocked, and his face was full of rage.

    ¡°Sergio, it is impossible for Irvin to be sent by Trevor. He does not have such foresight. After experiencing the challenges of life, that old guy has stopped being so aggressive. If he isn¡¯t forced to do so, then he definitely won¡¯t turn against us and take part in such a dangerous matter.¡± Yadriel continued to analyze the situation on the phone with a serious face.

    Sergio¡¯s gaze became gloomy. His face darkened as he asked in confusion.

    ¡°So, Dad, who is the one who sent this guy? Could it be Hansen?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Yadriel took a long puff on his cigarette. He then slowly exhaled and said mysteriously, ¡°ording to my spection, Vivian should be the one who sent that guy.¡±

    As soon as Yadriel finished talking, Sergio was enlightened in an instant,but he shook his head and denied it almost immediately.

    ¡°Dad, stop joking. Old Madam Richards¡¯ mind is not clear right now. How can it be possible for her to make such wise decisions?¡± Sergio felt that it was even more impossible upon saying that.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    ¡°Sergio.¡± Yadriel increased the pressure in his tone. He was very dissatisfied with Sergio¡¯s contempt for Vivian. ¡°It¡¯s because you don¡¯t understand this olddy. Back then, the reason that Old Master Richards was able to build up the Richards Group was because of this olddy¡¯s countless shrewd decisions. Her foresight is superb. Of course, she didn¡¯t decide all these right now. She must¡¯ve foreseen it a few months ago and had long made preparations for it. Hence, the following battles will only intensify, and you won¡¯t be able to return to Capital City for now. You¡¯ll have to use the Richards Group¡¯s case as a reason to move into Richards Manor and closely monitor the Richards family¡¯s every movement. As for my side, I¡¯ve already finished the preparations for winning the peopleover. There is no need for you to help. Remember, the Richards family now is our number one enemy. As long as I¡¯m sessfully elected, I will think of a way to deal with them using the power in my hands.¡±

    Sergio was stunned for a long time. He didn¡¯t expect that Richards Manor would be so extraordinary. Even all the women in it were so terrifying.

    When he was in the army for many years, he had never been this nervous when facing all kinds of dangerous training and actualbat. Nevertheless, he felt danger looming onto him at that time, and the heavy pressure made him feel as if he was unable to breathe.

    If the Richards family grabbed hold of the evidence of them smuggling firearms into the war-torn country, then the incident in Wullen Town would also be revealed. That would definitely be a devastating blow to the Xanthe family. It was very likely that the Xanthe family would never be able to rise and prosper again after that.

    Vivian, that old woman, was too shrewd.

    Even though she was about to die, she still managed to give the Xanthe family a heavy blow.

    He clenched his fists, and his gaze turned cold. No, he must not lose. At such a critical moment, he couldn¡¯t let anything go wrong. Fortunately, he learnt about it at that moment.So, he still had time to make up for it.

    Beneath the magnificent stage.

    The guests were all sitting whilewatching the wedding without a groom with great interest.

    Each of them had excited expressions on their faces as they watched the fun of how the show woulde to an end.

    It was the first time they had encountered a case where the groom didn¡¯t attend the wedding. Their lives were too ordinary and boring in recent days. So, it was not bad for them to encounter such a rare case like that.

    Under an rare and precious cedar tree.

    There was a white round table as well as white chairs, which looked noble, clean, and solemn.

    Zoe and Octavia were sitting on the white chairs while leaning their backs against them. With an elusive smile on their faces, they looked at Liya, who was standing on the stage in a white wedding dress. It could be seen that Liya¡¯s eyes were full of unwillingness and grievance.

    After all, for women, even if one were to be the second wife, one still didn¡¯t want the groom not to attend their wedding.

    ¡°Miss Yates, do you think that Hansen will attend the wedding? Or is he just toying with her?¡± Octavia looked at the dramatic scene in front of her veryfortably and asked.

    Zoe had an evasive smile on her face, but her gaze was very vicious.

    ¡°Miss Yates, if that¡¯s the case, do we still need to do that?¡± Octavia leaned over and asked in a low voice.

    Zoe shifted her gaze away from Liya, and it slowly fell on Sergio, who was not far away.

    At that moment, he looked anxious, and he was obviously worried about something. He seemed to be very uneasy.

    That piqued Zoe¡¯s interest.

    He wanted Liya to be Hansen¡¯s second wife. She knew all about his ns.

    How could Zoe let Sergio use her so easily?

    However, Sergio¡¯s words made sense as well. Zoe thought about it carefully in those two days. So, she did not intend to act rashly. She decided to wait and see.

    ¡°Let¡¯s gauge the situation first. Today¡¯s wedding won¡¯t be that simple,¡± Zoe replied in a low voice.

    In fact, her so-called n was to expose Liya¡¯s crime. The videos of Liya stealing Jenna¡¯s fingerprints for her and being toyed with by Oscar were all in her hands. Those videos were enough to ruin Liya.

    She initially decided to do that, but after listening to Sergio¡¯s analysis, although she was not resigned to it, she hesitated and decided to keep the videos to herself for now. When the wedding song was yed just then, she held back the impulse to expose Liya.

    It was true that if she showed the audiencethe videosthat day, then it might have an unexpected effect. Liya would definitely be ruined, but she, herself, had alsoe to the end of her streak.

    That day, Sergio¡¯s behavior was abnormal.She realized that something big was going to happen.

    Since it had nothing to do with her, she might as well watch the show and see what she could do next.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Reid¡¯s men have already entered Richards Manor, but ude is nowhere to be seen.¡± Hansen¡¯s cell phone rang, and he epted the call. Then, John¡¯s somewhat excited but disappointed voice sounded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s wait a little longer.¡± Hansen knitted his brows. He cast a deep and piercing nce towards the direction of the front gate.

    ording to the surveince footage,not all of Reid¡¯s men entered through the front door, as some of them came in through the back door.

    Very well. He deliberately left a loop at the back door. It seemed that Reid had indeed fallen into his trap.

    A hint of a yful smile shed across Hansen¡¯s face. That cunning fox, if he didn¡¯t witness his wedding with Liya himself, then he would definitely not bring ude over.

    At that time, he was using psychological tactics.

    Therefore, he was just leisurely sitting down on a small stone on the Central Ind with a fishing rod. Then, he just slowly threw the rod into the water.

    After a while, his cell phone rang again.

    ¡°Hansen, my niece¡¯s husband, what kind of dirty trick are you ying? It¡¯s almost time for you to tie the knot, but you¡¯re not there yet. If you do this, then how can Liya face life in the future?¡± Reid¡¯s voice finally rang out on the phone, and he asked in a very dissatisfied tone.

    Obviously, Reid was hiding somewhere and observing what was happening there.

    However, Hansen gave an evil smile and said faintly, ¡°Uncle Reid, the same goes for you. It¡¯s almost time, but you¡¯re not here yet. How can I attend the wedding ceremony before you even appear? It looks like you don¡¯t have any sincerity at all.¡±

    Reid was not a fool. Of course, he understood Hansen¡¯s intentions. It was evident that Hansen wanted to meet with ude. He wanted to use ude in exchange for his and Liya¡¯s wedding.

    ¡°Alright, I promise you thatas long as you¡¯re done with the wedding, I¡¯ll send ude to the ce of your liking.¡± Reid gritted his teeth as he made up his mind.

    ¡°I see.¡± Hansen chuckled. ¡°Then, I think I¡¯ll have to continue fishing for a while. You don¡¯t have the slightest bit of credibility. I¡¯ve already held the wedding in such a grand manner ording to your request, and I¡¯ve also publicized it to the media. Now, there¡¯s only one step left. But what about you? You haven¡¯t even shown up once yet. If I really do as you say, who knows what the result will be. All in all, I won¡¯t believe you anymore if I can¡¯t see you in person.¡±

 Chapter 556 Complex Psychological Warfare

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m in your territory today. Also, my niece will have to rely on you to give her happiness in the future. Do you think I can afford to go back on my word? If that¡¯s the case, then I would have already handed ude over to the terrorists the night before yesterday. Why would I wait until today?¡± Reid gritted his teeth and said some fair arguments.

    ¡°In that case, you¡¯re worried that I¡¯ll harm you, aren¡¯t you? Or are you worried that Richards Manor won¡¯t let you off?¡± Hansen quickly understood his intentions and asked calmly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not worriedas it is the truth.¡± Reid said bluntly, ¡°Today, a lot of unidentified people appeared in Richards Manor. I can¡¯t confirm whether you had sent them to deal with me or not. So, of course, I won¡¯t dare show my face.¡±

    Reid spoke frankly, and at the same time, Hansen was shocked. Could it be that Reid had already detected his men? That was impossible.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± As the hook on the fishing rod went into the water, Hansen asked coldly.

    ¡°My niece¡¯s wedding today isn¡¯t that simple. In my opinion, at least three different factions have snuck in. Also, I am now the most wanted criminal in the world. Do you think I daree in?¡± Reid¡¯s eyes were cold as he said that.

    Reid was indeed someone from the underground. He really was something.

    Hansen understood that his men were not the only ones who were present that day. There were also Christopher¡¯s police officers, but they were all very secretive. So, it was impossible for Reid to find out.

    The factions he was talking about were probably Sergio¡¯s and Zoe¡¯s men. As for the other factions, Hansen was very shockedbecause he did not even notice it himself.

    He had always been used to controlling the whole situation and doing things in detail, but he didn¡¯t even notice that right then. Then, who would be the other factions Reid was talking about?

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you realize that there are a few factions out there. Let me tell you that Sergio¡¯s men from the Ministry of State Security and Zoe¡¯s men are here today. Do you know what they are here for?¡± Hansen¡¯s tone was dark and even sarcastic.

    ¡°What are they here for?¡± Seeing that Hansen had taken the initiative to mention those people, Reid felt a little less uneasy. He immediately asked.

    ¡°Let me tell youthatZoe and Sergio are here to deal with Liya and me. If you don¡¯t want to see anything bad happening to Liyaand want the wedding to proceed smoothly, then it¡¯s best to hand over ude, so that everyone will be fine.¡± Hansen immediately threatened him. ¡°I know that it¡¯ll be hard for you to show your face today. So, I won¡¯t force you. Nevertheless, you have already seen today¡¯s chaotic situation. If something happens to Liya, then I won¡¯t be responsible for it. Also, the media has already arrived. So, everyone will get to see what truly unfolds.¡±

    For Hansen, his main objective that day was to save ude. After all, life was a matter of utmost importance. The sooner the matter was resolved, the better it was.

    At that time, Reid¡¯s emotions were like a big dyeing tank with all kinds of colours. Elsie¡¯s face kept shing in his mind. When he was a child, he was so hungry that he was dying of hunger while lying on the bed. In order to prevent him from starving, Elsie had no choice but to walk into the nightclub on that stormy night to sell her innocence. Only then did she finally get the money to afford fresh and hot food.

    That year, she was only fifteen. Just to stop her brother from dying of hunger, she was trampled by other men.

    Every morning when she came back, he would always see her crying in the corner with bruises all over her body. At that time, he secretly vowed that he would make money to let his sister live a good lifewhen he grew up.

    Therefore, he studied hard and worked hard to strive for a good life one day.

    However, everything changed. That year, Elsie got pregnant.

    On a night where the moon was hung highwhile Elsie was en route to the nightclub, he was kidnapped by Fadison, who was lurking in the dark. Then, his older sister disappeared for half a year, and he had to drop out of school since he had no source of ie.

    In those six months, he searched for his sister like mad, but he couldn¡¯t find her no matter what, and his eyes almost went blind from all the crying.

    Half a yearter, Elsie appeared in front of him with a pale face. By that time, Elsie was already pregnant for three months.

    Right then, the siblings embraced each other and broke into tears.

    Since they were still young and had no one to rely on, Elsie had no choice but to marry Fadison in the end. Soon after, she gave birth to Liya.

    At the age of fifteen, Reid began to do odd jobs on the street. At that time, he loved Liya very much and yed with her almost everyday. He even used his own hard-earned money to buy her food. Although life was hard, Elsie and Reid still lived a wonderful life for two years with Liya.

    However, it was a pity that Fadison became addicted to gambling. After getting married, he lost the only property he had due to gamblingand would beat Elsieupeveryday. With no choice left, Elsie was forced to return to the nightclub,where she met ude. After being kept as a mistress, she lived a good life for a period of time. It was not until she got pregnant and moved to Richards Manor that the following incident happened.

    Thus, Reid treated Liya like a treasureand doted on her.

    Even after he joined a terrorist organization, Reid still never told Liya about his actual circumstances.

    Right then, he definitely wouldn¡¯t allow Liya to be unhappy. Even if it meant losing his life, he had to ensure Liya¡¯s happiness.

    In that current situation, he was clearly at a disadvantage. That was Hansen¡¯s territory. In other words, even if Hansen wanted to go back on his word, Reid couldn¡¯t do anything about it. His only request was for him toplete his wedding with Liya in front of the media. In that case, even if Liya did not register with Hansen in the future, it would not be easy for Hansen to get rid of Liya. After all, he had already held his wedding with her.

    It could be said that Reid had bet everything in exchange for Liya¡¯s happiness. Since things had alreadye to that point, there was no turning back.

    Hence, he gritted his teeth and made up his mind. ¡°Fine, Hansen, I will instruct someone to bring ude in. However, you must ensure my safety. Otherwise, I will not let you off, even when I turn into a malicious ghost.¡±

    ¡°I can only guarantee that my people will not hurt you, and I will use all means to ensure your safety. But now, you must hand over ude.¡± He thought of Christopher¡¯s police force that was there, and hedidn¡¯t n to take his life, to begin with. Besides, what Reid did should be judged by thew, which had nothing to do with him. He just wanted to save ude and capture Reid alive. So, he had promised at the moment.

    ¡°Very well. Then, go andplete your wedding with Liya right now. Once you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll get someone to send ude in.¡±

    Hansen then picked up the fishing rod in his hand again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯lle to witness your wedding with Liya right now. You don¡¯t need to be afraid if I¡¯m in your hands, right?¡± Reid finallypromised.

    Only then did Hansen smile and stand up.

    The two came into an agreement and headed towards the stage at the same time.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Jenna was standing next to Marissa while constantly clenching and unclenching her fist.

    Liya was wearing a white wedding dress, and her fingers were on Fadison¡¯s hand. With his help, she walked towards her step by step.

    When she got closer, Jenna saw that she was wearing a high cut wedding dresswith the white silk cloth covering her neck all the way. A circle of gold string was wrapped around her thin and slender neck. She had good facial features, and with thatyer of gold string, she looked indescribably charming and beautiful.

    Time seemed to have stopped for a few seconds.

    After Fadison helped Liya over, Hansen still did not appear.

    Liya stood on the stage, and the ce next to her was still empty.

    She couldn¡¯tjuststand there and hold on to her father¡¯s hand forever, right?

    The moment she walked up on stage, she saw that Jenna was standing next to Marissa, looking elegant and beautiful.

    At that moment, her heart was tumbling with jealousy.

    That woman¡¯s wedding cost five hundred million dors, which attracted the attention of the whole world. Hansen even confessed his deep love for her, hugged her, and escorted her the whole time. What about her? Her wedding was so bleak and cold, and she couldn¡¯t even see any sight of Hansen.

    The money they spent on her wedding didn¡¯t even cost a thousandth of Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s wedding, right? It was so cold and cheerless to boot.

    They were both women. So, why were the differences so big?

    It was just because she was the second wife!

    One day, she would definitely turn the tables onto them. She would stand on that gorgeous stage and conquer Richards Manor to be the head of the household.

    She gritted her teeth and swore in secret.

    At that time, the emcees on the side were also racking their brains to think about how they should mediate the situation in the face of such an unusual wedding.

    Trevor then stood up and took out a gift box that he had prepared beforehand. He walked over calmly and said in a dignified elder¡¯s tone, ¡°Liya, thank you for marrying my son. Today, on behalf of Hansen, I will present this gift to you.¡±

    As he spoke, he unhurriedly opened the gift box in his hand. The box was wrapped in red silk. As he slowly opened it, a green light emanated from the inside.

    The crowd soon fell silent.

    That move by Trevor sessfully attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Everyone was attracted by the gift in Trevor¡¯s hands. They all wanted to see what kind of gift Trevor would prepare for the second wife. After all, the Richards family was a prestigious family. Anything they took out in such a scenario must be extraordinarily expensive.

    Trevor gradually opened the box and took out a green jade bracelet. Jenna was standing close to him. So, she could see the bracelet. It was emerald green, and its texture was exquisite. Not only that, it was shiny and had a gentle and moist colour. From that, she could tell that it was a fine product.

    Jenna knew what it was. That should be a jade from a foreign country, which was worth a lot. However, for Richards Group, giving Liya such a precious jade was neither too mboyant nor cheap. Trevor must¡¯ve spent some time thinking about that gift.

    Since there were many treasures in Richards Manor, it was nothing special to give a piece of precious jade like that. In recent years, the price of that kind of jade had risen a lot. Although it was expensive, it still could be used as a facade for Richards Manor. Nheless, the popr nature of jade ornaments could serve as a foil to Liya¡¯s identity as the second wife or have a deeper meaning.

    The audience below the stage fell into a hush.

    Such a precious jade was worth a lot even for the famed and influential figures.

    Liya was just the second wife of a prestigious family, and any gift she got would be priceless. It seemed that it was really understandable for women to fight over getting married into a prestigious family.

    Liya¡¯s face turned red as she felt joyful and shy at the same time.

 Chapter 557 A Gunshot At The Wedding

    ¡°Thank you, Dad,¡± shesaid sweetly,took it with both hands, and bowed.

    Fadison¡¯s eyes widened as he watched from the side.

    Such a treasure would be enough for him to pay for his medical expenses and living expenses for the rest of his life.

    Surely enough, Richards Group Manor really was wealthy. He thought that if they could give his daughter several more treasures, he would have no objections, even if the groom didn¡¯t show up.

    Trevor¡¯s actions temporarily dissolved the awkwardness of Hansen not showing up. The emcee also used the opportunity to announce that the groom would only arrive after a few minutes, as he had something important to attend to.

    That way, the atmosphere of the venue calmed down. Everyone felt that such a wedding was too boring. After all, it was the wedding of a second wife. Thus, many began to concentrate less and started to talk to each other.

    The atmosphere became slightly odd and depressing.

    For some reason, Jenna felt an inexplicable sense of joy in her heart at that moment.

    Was Hansen not there because he went to save ude? She wasn¡¯t sure about it, but she was worried about his safety in her heart.

    She looked around and saw that Paul was standing in a ce that was not far away from her. Evidently, he was ready to protect her at any time.

    She really wanted to order Paul to protect Hansen.

    Suddenly, the door behind the stage opened, and everyone turned their heads.

    Hansen¡¯s tall and slender figure passed through the back door of the stage, throughyers of flower-shaped arches, and walked on the aisle towards the stage.

    He was wearing a suit and leather shoes, with a pair of bright eyes and a faint smile on his handsome face.

    He calmly walked towards the stage like a noble king.

    The moment Jenna saw him, she felt relieved,but in an instant, she felt disappointed once again.

    He was there to marry another woman, and he wasn¡¯t walking towards her. Right then, he was her husband as well as the husband of another woman. That feeling sent a chill down her spine.

    He still came in the end, and he even wore a charming and refreshing smile on his face.

    Jenna could not help but to put her hand on her stomach.

    All of a sudden, she felt so disgusted that she wanted to vomit.

    She twisted her fingers together. In order not to drive herself crazy, she pinched her fingers with all her strength.

    Liya¡¯s face lit up the moment she saw Hansen.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Seeing that Hansen was walking towards her, Liya cried out in surprise.

    The emcee also began to cheer up. Even the guests who were talking beneath the stage fell silent because of Hansen¡¯s appearance, and they all shifted their gaze towards the stage.

    As Hansen walked over, his deep gazended on Jenna¡¯s somewhat pale face. A trace of guilt shed across his eyes as he quickly shifted his gaze away.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Liya took a step forward and reached out her hand to take his arm.

    ¡°Liya, I¡¯m sorry to keep you waiting.¡± He smiled as he said gently.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Liya shook her head with a smile and said considerately, ¡°Hansen, I know that you¡¯re busy. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll alwaysbewaiting for you.¡±

    As Liya spoke, she leaned her head against Hansen¡¯s shoulder.

    What a lovey-dovey couple.

    Someone beneath the stage spoke.

    Liya¡¯s face glowed with a red light in an instant.

    ¡°Liya, your uncle is here to see you.¡± A rough male voice sounded from behind after Hansen arrived.

    It was only then that the people on the stage saw that a man was following behind Hansen. The man was bald and dressed in a suit, as his two small eyes were shining with a sinister light. One could even see the arrogance that ordinary people did not have on their faces.

    Reid and Hansen came out, one after the other, but everyone¡¯s eyes fell on the handsome Hansen in front of him and directly ignored his existence.

    Due to the fact that they didn¡¯t match, it was totally a contrast between heaven and earth.

    ¡°Reid, you¡¯re here too.¡± Fadison saw Reid and greeted him.

    When Reid saw him, his face darkened, and he let out a snort from his nose.

    ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re here.¡± When Liya saw Reid, she felt extra intimate, and the smile on her face became excited. He was the only family member in her life who treated her well. Reid always bought her all kinds of things she wanted. That kind of love really made her feel the value of a family member. Compared to her father, her rtionship with her uncle was even stronger.

    ¡°Liya,I¡¯m here to witness your wedding. I want to witness my niece get married to her beloved manin person.¡± Reid smiled amiably. He then inspected Liya and said approvingly as he nodded his head, ¡°Not bad. You look amazing.¡±

    In an instant, Liya¡¯s eyes were brimming with tears. She stepped forward, hugged Reid and said excitedly, ¡°Thank you, Uncle Reid. Thank you so much. I¡¯m so touched.¡±

    ¡°Silly girl, as long as you can be happy, anything is worth it.¡± Reid sighed. Liya would never know that he was the one who fought for her wedding. As long as it was for her happiness, he would have no regrets.

    He could not afford to waste too much time.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start the wedding.¡± As he thought that, Reid turned around and said to the emcee next to him.

    As a result, the wedding music became more exciting. In order to arouse the crowd¡¯s emotions, the two emcees began to express dramatic words.

    Jenna tried her best to endure the negative emotions that were surging wildly in her heart, but no matter how she tried to pretend, the muscles on her face still became stiff, and ayer of dim light started to cover her eyes.

    Hansen looked very calm, and no one could tell what he was thinking from his dark eyes. He then slowly stretched out his hand and held onto Liya¡¯s hand as he said gently.

    ¡°Liya, I¡¯ve wronged you by marrying me. It¡¯s not easy to be a daughter-inw of the Richards family. Take care of yourself in the future.¡±

    As he said that, he put one hand into the pocket of his suit and took out a delicate red gift bag with gold threads. He then ced the dark red gift bag on his palm as the gold threads shone.

    A ring. That must have been a ring!

    Liya blushed as she widened her eyes.

    Hansen opened the small pouch with his pale fingers and slowly dragged out a long, heart-shaped ne from within.

    It was a round diamond ne made of fine tinum. In the middle of the ne, therge diamond was particrly eye-catching. Moreover, the cut of the diamond was very smooth, and it looked heavy when ced on Hansen¡¯s finger. Under the stage light, it emitted a pure and shining light.

    As Jenna stood behind, the familiar scent of Hansen¡¯s body drifted into her nostrilsalong with the cool breeze.Her cold gaze fell on the side of his face, which was mesmerizing and perfect.

    That year, at their wedding on Bali Ind, he also stood onstage like that. Those affectionate words he said at that time excited her so much that she teared up, and she could never forget them.

    Nheless, right then, they were also standing on the stage. She was still his wife, but he was marrying another woman.

    Such a scene, even if it was his careful arrangement, even if it was just for show, made her feel sad, and she thought that it was unforgivable.

    She watched as Hansen unfastened the ne before personally putting it on Liya¡¯s neck. He then hugged her and kissed her on the forehead. After that, they held each other¡¯s hands tightly and stood in front of her, with their backs facing her.

    Jenna suddenly reached out her hand and covered her mouth. She felt very disgusted.

    ¡°Liya, from now on, you must properly act as the daughter-inw of the Richards family and lead a happy life. If anyone dares to bully you, feel free to tell me. I¡¯ll help you.¡± Reid was satisfied to see such a scene. He thenughed and told Liya loudly.

    Liya¡¯s face blushed red, and she said bashfully, ¡°Uncle Reid, don¡¯t worry. Hansen treats me very well. He definitely won¡¯t bear to bully me. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    The corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched, and it seemed as if he wasughing.

    ¡°That¡¯s good then.That¡¯s for the best.¡± Reid chuckled happily.

    He couldn¡¯t bear to bully her? Such words were extremely harsh in Jenna¡¯s ears. She wanted to regard everything as air and shut off her ears, but those affectionate words were still extremely harsh to her eardrums, making her want to leave the ce as soon as possible.

    However, her legs were as if they had been nailed to the ground, and she couldn¡¯t move her feet at all.

    At that moment, Trevor was seated majestically. His deep and sharp eyes were unruffled, but Marissa was in a bad mood from hearing those words, and she snorted.

    Even such an expensive ne didn¡¯t dispel Liya¡¯s expectations.

    Where was the ring?Where was the ring? She shouted in her heart like crazy, and her eyes were looking forward to the appearance of the unique diamond ring.

    Nevertheless, after Hansen put on the ne for her, he didn¡¯t make any further movements.

    Liya¡¯s heart slowly sank, and the expression on her face became somewhat dejected.

    A wedding without a wedding ring, could it still be considered a wedding?

    Hansen was constantly staring at a certain spot with a heavy gaze. He finally heaved a sigh of relief when a bright circle of light lit up in that direction.

    Reid¡¯s cell phone rang.

    ¡°The wedding ceremony begins.¡± The emcees, who were at the side, didn¡¯t know how far the wedding had gone on. So, they had to announce as per the procedure they were told.

    The emcees thought that maybe it was a unique wedding process. Although the emcees neither saw the bride and groom exchanging rings, nor said any oaths, they didn¡¯t say anything against it.

    After all, Hansen was only taking a second wife.

    There had been a huge gap between the status of the second wife and the legal wife since ancient times. It was an undisputed fact!

    Jenna didn¡¯t know how she managed to get through that moment, but she just stood motionlessly, and her legs were so sore and numb to the point that they were going to cramp.

    ¡°Jenna, please have some tea.¡± She didn¡¯te back to her senses until Liya brought a cup of tea to her and called her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Hansen looking at her with guilt and deep affection.

    She faintly parted her lips, but she couldn¡¯t get herself to speak. She wanted to reach out, but she couldn¡¯t raise her arm no matter how hard she tried.

    Seeing that, Hansen picked up the teacup for her and walked to her side. He then held her cold hand with one hand and stood in front of Liya.

    ¡°Have a cup of hot tea.¡± He put the hot teacup to her mouth and leaned over to whisper in her ear, ¡°Jenna, calm down. Send all the guests to the Ink Garden¡¯s conference hallter, and nevere out again.¡±

    As Hansen spoke in such a soft voice, he firmly grasped her hand.

    Jenna was so shocked that she lifted her gaze to look at him. She saw that his eyes were clear and honest, but there was a trace of heaviness and anxiety in them.

    For some reason, she agreed obediently.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    The wedding process for marrying a second wife was simple, but it still had its procedures.

    It was already eleven o¡¯clock in the morning. If nothing went wrong, the guests should have been seated, as the wedding banquet was about to begin. Therefore, why did he want her to bring the guests to the Ink Garden?

    That waspletely out of the norm.

    ¡°The venue of the banquet has been changed to the Ink Garden¡¯s conference hall¡± Hansen exined softly in her ear when he saw her puzzled eyes, as he was worried that she would not listen to him.

    However, his voice died away.

    Then, a loud gunshot rang out.

 Chapter 558 Iâ€™m Not Afraid Of Anything

    Hansen¡¯s muscles tensed up, and he instinctively pulled Jenna into his arms.

    What was going on?

    With a scream on the stage, a muffled voice sounded as if something had fallen heavily to the ground.

    The air was dead silent for a second. It was as if a pot had exploded.

    ¡°Oh, God.Someone¡¯s been murdered.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s run. There¡¯s a gangster.¡±

    ¡°Blood!¡±

    ¡­

    All of a sudden, all sorts of horrible screams echoed throughout the ce,and the scene soon turned chaotic.

    ¡°Alvin.¡± Hansen was the first to react as he roared anxiously.

    Alvin quickly jumped onto the stage.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, someone assassinated Reid,¡± Alvin informed Hansenquickly.

    Trevoralsoseemed to be stunned by the gunshot. He, who had experienced many significant events, quickly reacted and immediately ordered Lomen, who was standing next to him. ¡°Lomen, go and catch the murderer. We can¡¯t let him escape.¡±

    Lomen had long reacted. Without waiting for Trevor to finish speaking, he sprung off the stage and ran towards the direction of where the bullet came from.

    Trevor picked up the microphone.

    ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t panic. A gangster has snuck into the wedding. Don¡¯t worry. There are policemen in Richards Manor. Nothing bad will happen. Please calm down.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Reid, Uncle Reid.¡± Liya¡¯s heart was torn apart. After the crowd fell silent for a short period of time, her piercing voice reverberated throughout the entire ce.

    Jenna was in Hansen¡¯s arms from beginning to end. She did not see the bullet tearing through Reid¡¯s body, but when she heard Liya¡¯s sorrowful scream, she was shocked and immediately realized what had happened. She then shivered and covered her stomach with her hands involuntarily.

    ¡°Alvin, escort Madam Marissa, Madam Jenna, and the guests to the Ink Garden immediately.¡± By that time, Hansen had already understood what had happened. He then immediately ordered Alvin with a calm expression. ncing at Jenna, he walked towards Reid.

    Marissa¡¯s face had already turned pale, and her lips were trembling. She had even forgotten to shout.

    She would never have imagined that such a bloody scene would happen in Richards Manor.

    ¡°Madam, hurry up and bring Madam Marissa and the guests away from this ce.¡± Out of nowhere, Paul had already arrived at Jenna¡¯s side. While Alvin was supporting the trembling Marissa, he calmly reminded her.

    When Jenna heard Paul¡¯s voice, she realized that the big event she had imagined was here.

    After that, a strong smell of blood drifted into her nose, and she looked around.

    On one side of the magnificent stage, Reid was covering his left chest with one hand, and scarlet blood was constantly seeping out from his fingertips. More and more blood flowed out. He then bent down and fell on the stage with his body curled up. His face was terribly pale, and his eyes were full of despair and anger.

    ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t worry. Quickly, go to the Ink Garden with the electric vehicles.¡± Jenna¡¯s mind quickly calmed down. She rushed down the stage and saw several electric vehicles parked at the exit of Central Ind.They were the electric vehicles Hansen had prepared to evacuate guests.

    After a burst of panic, when they heard Jenna¡¯s calm voice as she walked towards them in amanding manner without a trace of fear, the guests calmed down a lot. Then, all of them scrambled to get onto the electric vehicles.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Nothing will happen. We are now in the midst of catching the murderer.¡± Sheforted the guests with Alvin standing closely by her side whilePaul¡¯seagle-like eyes swept acrossthe surroundings to pay attention to unexpected events that might ur.

    After a while, the guests evacuated one after another.

    ¡°Madam, please go to the Ink Garden as well in case of any emergency.¡± After Jenna evacuated the guests, she did not rush back to the Ink Garden. Instead, she walked towards the stage, which made Alvin anxious, and he hurriedly tried to persuade her. It was time for Jenna to leave that dangerous ce ording to the n.

    ¡°Rx, I have Paul protecting me. It will be fine.¡± Jenna merely smiled faintly and continued to walk towards the middle of the stage.

    She was the host of the wedding. How could she not be present?

    ¡°Mr. Richards, bad news. ude was held hostage by Reid¡¯s men, heading here,¡± John shouted anxiously at Hansen on the other side of the phone.

    ording to the n, when ude was escorted into Richards Group Manor, he would lead the men he had prepared in advance to surround them before the police took action. He wanted to catch the turtle in the urn before the wedding was held and save ude quickly. Then, he could then announce to the public that the wedding was invalid. However, everything was disrupted by a gunshot.

    John was surprised.

    This gunshot was not something they had ounted for. Hansen gave them the order to try their best to capture Reid¡¯s men alive and rescue ude.

    At that time, Reid was still attending the wedding. It was really not right for such a gunshot to ring out at that moment.

    What the h*ll went wrong?

    There was no time to think about it carefully. Reid¡¯s subordinates soon learnt that Reid had been shot. They then turned hostile in an instant and didn¡¯t want to hand ude over anymore. Right then, they were all nervous as they realized that something big was about to happen. In order to protect themselves, they hurriedly pushed ude in front of them and pointed a gun towards his head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. If anyone dares to move, then I¡¯ll kill him immediately,¡± One of Reid¡¯s subordinates roared fiercely.

    John was at a loss at what to do.

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Go and nk them immediately.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was gloomy. After ncing at the scene, his deep and stern eyes fell on Reid, and he immediately ordered John.

    Warm, red liquid was constantly gushing out of Reid¡¯s chest, and the blood quickly dyed the carpet next to him red.

    The whole atmosphere was gloomy and horrible to the extreme.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Call the family doctor over at once.¡± Hansen approached Reid and ordered Maudloudly.

    ¡°Uncle Reid, Uncle Reid.¡± Liya quickly pounced onto Reid¡¯s body and cried miserably. That heart-wrenching pain made her feel like dying. Reid was the person who treated her the best in her life. How could he be shot?

    ¡°Liya, don¡¯t cry. I¡¯m about to leave. In the future, you have to learn to protect yourself.¡± Knowing that his life was about toe to an end, Reid tried to give Liya hisst piece of advice while trembling.

    ¡°No. Uncle Reid, I want you to protect me for the rest of my life,¡± Liya cried in agony as her entire body was on the verge of copse.

    Hansen stood with a dark expression as he fixed his gaze on Reid. His mind was spinning rapidly. Just what was going on?

    Who was the one who fired the gun?

    He had been waiting for John to rescue ude and capture Reid¡¯s men alive.Then, he could start to take action. In order to buy some time, he and Trevor both prepared gifts for Liya, so that they could dy the wedding procedures. Halfway through the wedding, he finally saw the signal and learnt that Reid¡¯s men had already brought ude to the designated location.

    However, something unexpected happened at that moment!

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯ve betrayed your promise and turned against me.¡± Reid pointed at Hansen with rage building in his eyes.

    Hansen took a step forward and bent down. He lowered his head and said sincerely, ¡°Reid, I didn¡¯t lie to you. My men aren¡¯t the ones who shot you. I¡¯ve already given the order to go after that person. Right now, the police have already surrounded Richards Manor. You must believe that we¡¯re all trying our best to find the murderer. We only wanted to catch you alive and had no intention of killing you.¡±

    Reid¡¯s face was distorted. Blood spewed out of his mouth, dying his teeth red. His mouth was then dyed in a bloody red, making him look horrifying.

    ¡°Hansen, if it wasn¡¯t for my niece, and if it wasn¡¯t for her happiness¡¯ sake, then I would¡¯ve killed ude a long time ago. Today, I took the initiative to send him to Richards Manor and fell into your trap. I admit my defeat, but let me tell you, if you don¡¯t treat Liya well in the future, then I won¡¯t let you off even if I¡¯m in theherworld,¡± he said, word for word,gritting his teeth.

    His words sounded tragic, and it reeked of blood, soaking into Hansen¡¯s heart, bit by bit, as well as Jenna¡¯s, who was slowly approaching them.

    Jenna¡¯s vision began to darken.

    What kind of debt was that? Was it a romantic debt or in revenge? Why did it fall onto Hansen¡¯s head?

    ¡°Reid, Reid.¡± A rough and angry voice came straight from below the stage. Jenna slowly turned around upon hearing that, and she saw a few vicious men holding onto ude anding up the stage.

    ¡°Reid, they failed to keep their promise and killed you. We¡¯re going to avenge you.¡± The eyes of the man at the front were bloodshot,and he had already lost his mind.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry. Wedidn¡¯t shoot Reid. Let¡¯s have a proper discussion and save Reid¡¯s life first.¡± Trevor clenched the rosary beads in his hand as he felt extremely pained by that bloody scene.

    ¡°Bah, who are you fooling? Who will believe you?¡± The eyes of the man in the lead were red as he angrily rebuked, ¡°Right now, we are surrounded by police, and you still say that you hadn¡¯t nned this. It¡¯s obvious that you guys are behind this. We fell into your hands as soon as we entered Richards Manor. How dare youmit such a hateful act like going back on your word?¡±

    Each of them raised the guns in their hands.

    ¡°Today, either you let us go, or we¡¯ll die together.¡± The leading man pushed ude closer to Reid step by step.

    ¡°Reid.¡± When they saw that Reid was lying on the ground and dying, they growled angrily.

    Everyone was forced to take a few steps back due to their guns.

    The ck muzzle was aimed at everyone present, and the situation had be extremely dangerous.

    ¡°You have all been surrounded. Put down your guns quickly, so that you guys can have more lenient punishments.¡± Christopher, who was outside, was even more anxious. Initially, after rescuing ude, he had nned to capture all of them alive, but the current situation had changed for the worse.

    Right then,they were holding ude hostage. It was very likely that they would hurt everyone on the stage. After all, they all had real guns in their hands.

    Who in the world was the d*mned guy who fired the shot?

    Christopher cursed.

    If he didn¡¯t handle the matter properly that day, blood would spill onto the grounds of Richards Manor.

    There were a lot of lives. If he didn¡¯t handle the case well, then he would bring shame to Mr. Matthews¡¯ name, and it was very likely that he would lose his career.

    ¡°Why are you still here?¡± When Hansen turned his head and saw that Jenna was still behind him. His expression immediately changed drastically.

    Jenna¡¯s face was pale, and her expression was slightly nk, but her face remained calm.

    There wasn¡¯t a single woman on the scene other than her and Liya.

    Paul and Alvin had always been by her side.

    She knew that Paul was protecting her, but she didn¡¯t know that even Alvin had received Hansen¡¯s order to protect her.

    During the whole process, she got to understand Hansen¡¯s scheme.

    Surely enough, Hansen really used that wedding as a trap to save ude.

    He didn¡¯t really want to marry Liya. That was a fact.

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not afraid.¡± She forced a smile at Hansen.

    ¡°Have you gone mad?¡± Hansen frantically pulled Jenna to the side when he saw her.¡°Do you really not know what danger is? How can you stay in such a ce at a time like this? How do you want me to be at ease and fight with them? Why do you constantly make me worry?¡±

    Hansen gnashed his teeth, and the blue veins on his forehead bulged as he said that. He really wanted to give her a good beating on the spot.

    How could that d*mned woman be so calm when facing such a terrible and bloody scene? Was she not afraid of death?

    Nevertheless, Jenna smiled fearlessly and said half-jokingly, ¡°Hansen, since I had to host this weddingpersonally, it¡¯s my obligation to stay here from the start to the end. I¡¯m not afraid of anything. I¡¯m just afraid that you will change your mind.¡±

 Chapter 559 Threatened

    ¡°You¡­¡± Hansen looked at his frail wife. Her face was still sallow and pale, but her eyes were calm andposed. So what if she wasn¡¯t afraid of that situation? Hansen was terrified.

    He was terrified that something might happen to her.

    He looked at her with a deep gaze. When he saw her standing there just then, he felt uneasy. However, her calmness affected him. In an instant, his heart calmed down as if a new energy had been injected into him. It was a kind of energy that could only be found when he stayed with her. He then reached out and held her hand. Her hand was chilly.

    That day was one of the hottest days ever. It seemed that Jenna was really scared.

    He sighed slightly and said in a soft and gentle voice, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t leave me. I will definitely protect you.¡±

    Jenna pushed his hand away in silence.

    At that time, the family doctor finally arrived.

    After checking up frantically, the doctor said with sweat all over his head, ¡°Mr. Richards, the bullet is in his left chest, and the situation is very critical. He needs to be sent to the hospital immediately for emergency treatment.¡±

    ¡°What do you guys think? Do you want to watch Reid die or hand ude over and cooperate with us obediently?¡± Hansen had no choice but to let go of Jenna¡¯s hand and take a few steps forward. He bellowed at the terrorists who were pointing at them with their pistols.

    Right then, it was their turn to hesitate.

    After looking around for a while, one of them walked towards Reid and asked hurriedly.

    ¡°Reid, saving you is the most important thing. Let them take you to the hospital first.Is that alright?¡±Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Reid panted slightly, but his voice was calm.¡°There¡¯s no need. I can¡¯t be saved anymore. Don¡¯t waste your energy.¡±

    ¡°Reid.¡± ¡°Uncle Reid.¡±

    His words soon drew the pained shouts of Liya and his subordinates.

    There were cries and shouts all over the ce.

    Reid, on the other hand, looked at Hansen.

    ¡°Is that really the case?¡± Hansen looked at the doctor.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, to tell you the truth, the bullet shot into his left chest. Even if he¡¯s sent to the hospital for emergency treatment now, the chance of survival is still low.¡± The doctor told the truth helplessly.

    ¡°Then, carry out some rescue measures immediately to extend his life as much as possible,¡± Hansen quickly said.

    Someone actually had the audacity toe to Richards Manor to fire a gunshot without him knowing. So, what did it mean? It meant that Reid knew something valuable. After thinking for a while, he squatted down.

    ¡°Reid, do you have something to tell me?¡±

    The doctor applied direct pressure on his aorta to prevent him from bleeding and helped him put on an oxygen tube.

    Reid¡¯s breathing calmed down a little, but blood was still flowing out of his mouth.

    Reid felt cold from head to toe. Through the roof of the stage, he looked at the blue sky and white clouds in the sky with a slight smile on his face.

    ¡°Hansen, I want you to swear in front of me today that you¡¯ll treat Liya well in the future and not let her suffer any grievances. Also, three dayster, you must bring Liya to register your marriage in Ennd. Otherwise, as long as I give an order, my men will die together with you all. Since I¡¯m going to die, I¡¯m willing to do anything.¡± He braced himself up and said clearly, word for word.

    After he finished speaking, he fixed his gaze on Hansen¡¯s face as if he wanted to swallow him whole.

    The whole venue was silent, and even the birds were frightened away.

    Although Reid¡¯s words were not loud, they prated everyone¡¯s ears, including Jenna. Even Zoe and Octavia were hiding behind.

    Jenna felt that the words seemed to havee from h*ll. With a chill, they drilled into her internal organs, making her shiver all over.

    The dark clouds began to cover the sun, and the sky darkened.

    Hansen¡¯s face was expressionless, as he clenched his fists tightly. He tried his best to control his emotions, which were on the verge of copsing. Dark clouds were rolling in his eyes as he nced at the ck muzzle that was pointing at him with his puzzled and cold eyes.

    The corners of his mouth twitched slightly as his eyes were filled with a fearless light.

    ¡°Reid, I¡¯ll say it again thatI didn¡¯t cheat you as mymen didn¡¯t shoot you. If you don¡¯t want to believe me, then there¡¯s nothing I can do either, but I still have to tell you that I, Hansen, have always been straightforward and never liked to do such despicable things. Also, listen carefully, from the beginning to the end, I have never loved Liya. I¡¯m a man who already has a family. So, I can¡¯t make any promises to you. You¡¯re obviously making it difficult for me to demand something like that.¡±

    Even when he was facing the threat of death, he did not choose to give in, nor did he intend to marry Liya,let alone loving her.

    All of a sudden, Reid¡¯s face turned pale, and his eyes zed with angry mes.

    ¡°Hansen, Liya has been deeply in love with you since she was young. How can you still say such things to this day? If it weren¡¯t for Liya, ude would have died long ago. Since you¡¯re so ruthless today, then I will fight against you till myst breath.¡±

    When he said that, his chest rose and fell violently, and he spat out arge mouthful of blood.

    ¡°Reid.¡± Reid¡¯s subordinate immediately cried out nervously. He then pointed his gun at Hansen¡¯s chest and roared furiously, ¡°Hansen Richards, don¡¯t be so f*cking ungrateful. Do you want me to shoot you right now?¡±

    A yful smile appeared at the corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth. He flicked his sleeves calmly and said, ¡°Reid, are you sure that your men will be able to hurt me? If you¡¯re smart,then you should cooperate with me at this time instead of struggling to death. I can guarantee your men¡¯s safety. They faced many difficulties with you. Even if you aren¡¯t thinking for yourself, you should think for them. Right now, the situation is that the police have surrounded this ce. It¡¯s impossible for them to escape. Unless you cooperate with me, you know the consequences. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Reid, you terrorist.You¡¯re still struggling even when you¡¯re on the verge of death. Don¡¯t think that your people can threaten us. You and your men have already been surrounded, and it¡¯s time for your death.¡± Somehow, Sergio had already arrived at Hansen¡¯s side. He said coldly to Reid, ¡°Right now, the Department of Public Security and the police have joined hands and have already surrounded the entire Richards Manor. The encirclement is shrinking as time goes by. So, don¡¯t even think about surviving.¡±

    Sergio¡¯s words were cold and ruthless, and his gaze looked very gloomy.

    At that moment, Liya had already woken up from her grief. When she heard Hansen telling Reid that he had never loved her before in such a heartless and cold manner, she felt as if she was being stabbed by knives. It was also until then that she learnt of the secret trade between Reid and Hansen.She realized that the wedding was not in exchange for the evidence used to prove Jenna¡¯s innocence she got for Hansen, but it was due to her uncle¡¯s deal instead.

    If Reid didn¡¯t threaten Hansen behind her back, then she would not have obtained that wedding, but Reid had fallen into Hansen¡¯s trap at the same time.

    That day, when that man came to tell her in a hurry that her uncle, who had been missing for almost a year, woulde to her wedding, she was so excited that she even forgot her identity as the second wife at that moment.

    When she was young, Reid, who had always been poor, would buy her all kinds of delicious food and new clothes. Shevaguely knew that her uncle must have done something great as there were several times she saw a few men in ck beside Reid.

    He always came and went in a hurry. Moreover, he would alwayse when it was dark outside, along with all kinds of good stuff for her, and then he would look at her lovingly, but he never told her what he was doing outside.

    In the past few years, she had asionally heard people saying that Reid was one of the top individuals in the underworld, but she had never believed it. Nevertheless, when she heard Sergio calling Reid a terrorist just then, she knew that her uncle had joined a terrorist organization from the underworld, as others had said.

    However, no matter what Reid¡¯s profession was, he was still the closest family member to her in the world, and she looked up to him.

    He was her closest kin.

    With tears all over her face, she took Reid¡¯s hand and kept crying.

    ¡°For people like us who work in this field, it¡¯s just a matter of time before we die. If Hansen can¡¯t fulfil my wish today, then my brothers will definitely avenge me.¡± Reid chuckled as he opened his mouth wide with bloody teeth. The light in his eyes was extremely evil.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, the one who shot Reid, has escaped from Richards Manor, but I can confirm that he isn¡¯t one of our men. As for who sent him here, we still have no idea. There are too many who came here today,and it¡¯s just like finding a fish among the vast sea.¡± After finding out that the one who shot Reid had escaped, Lomen had no choice but to rush back in a hurry.

    Trevor just stood there silently. He did not make any noise, but his heart was in a mess.

    The current situation was perilous.

    If he wasn¡¯t careful, then people would lose their lives. He had experienced ups and downs, theplexity of the business field, and the grievances of the human world throughout his life. Therefore, he knew that those ouws were willing to do anything right then.

    He wasn¡¯t afraid of the terrorists, but the terrorists weren¡¯t afraid of death. That wasn¡¯t the time to confront them with emotions, nor was it a time to judge who was right or wrong. The correct thing to do right then was to suppress their emotions and solve the problem. Hansen was obviously too arrogant. He, who had always been arrogant, would never lower his head towards them, and he might not even be willing topromise.

    He whispered some instructions to Lomen and slowly approached Reid. He then said in a friendly manner, ¡°Reid, I know that you love your niece. This is human nature. It is very normal. No matter what, I must thank you for risking your life to send ude over for your loved one¡¯s sake. Also, from that, I can see that you are a person of virtue. Simrly, ude is my younger brother,and that¡¯s why I¡¯m able to understand you. Therefore, why don¡¯t we talk about it now? Although you have men here, my side still has more people. Furthermore, Liya is still here. You can obviously judge the advantages and disadvantages of the situation. Since you can capture ude and threaten us, we can also catch Liya and threaten you. If we were really to fight to the death, then it¡¯s hard to say who will win.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s words were gentle and polite while his tone was sincere. Reid felt as if his life was leaving bit by bit, as he began to feel a sharp pain in his head.

    He couldn¡¯t afford to dy any longer.

    ¡°Then, tell me if you agree or not. If you agree to it, then I¡¯ll immediately get my men to let ude go. If you don¡¯t agree to it, then we¡¯ll shoot him at once. There¡¯s nothing to talk about.¡± Reid was very straightforward.

    Trevor looked at his pale face and saw that his pupils had started to dte. Reid really did not have much time left.

    ¡°What do you think? Will you agree?¡± Reid ced thest bit of hope on Trevor. At that moment, he still hoped that Liya would be able to achieve happiness. If something really happened, just like what Trevor had said, then Liya would probably not be able to leave unscathed. After all, they had a disadvantage in the number of people.

 Chapter 560 About To Break Out

    Although the expression on Trevor¡¯s face was peaceful, the glow in his eyes was getting more and more tense. If he promised Reid, then it meant that Hansen and Liya would be a real couple. He really couldn¡¯t repent for something like that as he was the head of the family.

    ¡°Reid, give up. I won¡¯t agree to it. Even if my father agrees, I won¡¯t.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was ice-cold, but his words were even colder than his expression.

    ¡°Reid, don¡¯t waste your time talking to these people. They definitely won¡¯t promise you. Just let me avenge you.¡± The man in the lead was extremely ferocious, and he guessed what would happen.

    He then loaded his pistol and pointed at ude¡¯s head while the other men pointed their guns at the people surrounding them.

    At that moment, John, who led the members of Grand Eagle,as well as Christopher¡¯s police force were all quietly approaching them from behind.

    Within such a close distance, the guns of the people from both sides were pointed at their enemies.

    The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder. A war was about to break out.

    That kind of atmosphere would drive anyone crazy.

    Once Reid gave the order, the gunfight would start.

    Even if they were to capture Reid¡¯s men, the consequences would be¡­

    ¡°I promise you.¡± Just as Reid¡¯s eyes were filled with hopelessness,he was about to give the order.

    A crisp and gentle, as well as a simple and quiet voice spoke.

    Everyone looked towards the direction of the voice.

    They waited, only to see Jenna walking out from behind in a calm manner.She soon stood in front of Reid.

    It was not until that moment that she understood the real meaning behind her personally hosting that wedding.

    To protect Richards Manor and shield everything from harm, she was responsible for protecting everyone there. Constantly thinking of the overall situation and knowing when to give in were skills she had to possess as the head of the household of Richards Manor.

    At that moment, it was impossible for Hansen to agree to Reid¡¯s request.

    In the beginning, all of that was a trap that had been set by Hansen and Trevor. So, how could he promise Reid that he would marry Liya for real? It was evident that Trevor didn¡¯t want to agree to it either. Even if he had no choice but to agree to it, it didn¡¯t mean that Hansen would abide by it. Therefore, it was most appropriate for her to show up at that time. After all, she was Hansen¡¯s wife and the head of the household of Richards Manor.

    The fact that Hansen truly loved her and that Trevor had always treated her like his own daughter was enough for her!

    ¡°Reid, on behalf of Hansen, I promise you that three dayster, Hansen will go to Ennd with Liya to register their marriage, but on the premise that you have to ask your men to release udeand tell them to put their gunsdownand not harm anyone.¡± Jenna walked up to Reid and announced seriously.

    ¡°Jenna,¡± Hansen screamed. At that point, she actually dared to walk out from behind him.Was she courting death? She even agreed to such a request by Reid. Had she gone insane?

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m just helping you marry another woman who loves you. It¡¯s really nothing.¡± Jenna turned her head slightly over and smiled at him.At that time, the sun shone directly on her face through the roof and on her eyshes and hair,casting her with ayer of gold light.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were filled with pain and worry as he looked at her intently.

    That was the most beautiful and moving Jenna he had ever seen. She looked saintly and beautiful, bathing in the sunlight like that.

    Hansen knew that Jenna had shed tears many times over Liya¡¯s matter in recent days, and he knew how painful she felt.

    He knew everything, but in order to seed that dayandpletely remove all the obstacles to make them happy, he made up his mind not to tell her the truth just because he was afraid that she would reveal something if she looked happy and put all his efforts to waste.

    Seeing her in pain, Hansen¡¯s heart felt a thousand times, ten thousand times more pain than hers. How could he marry a woman like Liya? It was absolutely impossible.

    Even if he were to have a dagger ced on his neck or have a gun pointed at him, he would still not agree to it.

    He had already prepared to fight to the end.

    However, Jenna stood up and promised Reid at that moment.

    DId that woman go crazy?

    Hansen had always known that Jenna was a woman who took the big picture into consideration, and she would rather sacrifice herself than see others get hurt. Therefore, when she was charged with all the usations before, he didn¡¯t tell her and was secretly d that he did so. Otherwise, she would definitely sacrifice herself and go to jail. That day, he even deliberately ordered Alvin to take her away to keep her safe and not let her witness such a bloody scene, but she insisted oning back. So, how could he feel at ease?

    Jenna knelt down gracefully with a refreshing smile on her face.

    ¡°Reid, don¡¯t you believe me? I¡¯m now the head of the household of Richards Manor. Even Hansen has to listen to me. Everything is decided once I agree to it, but can you do as I stated?¡±

    Reid looked at her. That woman was as beautiful as a fairy but was Liya¡¯s natural enemy. Could he believe her words?

    ¡°You know the oue of the two sides fighting.Everyone here might even die from it, but Liya will be in the most dangerbecause you have too few people. You don¡¯t understand Hansen at all. He is a man full of wisdom,and all of this is under his control. The fact that you¡¯re able to enter means that you won¡¯t be able to leave. He has always been a person who doesn¡¯t use despicable means. So, the person who shot you isn¡¯t really someone from the Richards family. You should know that before this, Vivian had set up an ount to provideLiyafood and shelter until she graduated college.To put it bluntly, Liya is actually someone Richards Manor had raised. After all, as long as she can behave properly and live a peaceful life here, I won¡¯t make things difficult for her.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s words were neither fast nor slow, but they were logical and reasonable, and Reid couldn¡¯t help but to be convinced.

    He looked at Liya and reached out his bloody hand to hold hers. He then smiled gently and said, ¡°Liya, promise me, no matter what, you have to live on happily. I even sacrificed my life for you. So, please don¡¯t let me down. I will look after you in Heaven.¡±

    Liya¡¯s tears fell onto Reid¡¯s bloodied hand and then fell onto the floor along with the blood on his hand.

    ¡°Uncle Reid, don¡¯t leave me,¡± she cried in grief.

    At that moment, Reid suddenly made a decision. ¡°Let ude go,¡± he shouted at his subordinates.

    ¡°Reid!¡± A few men cried and shouted at the same time.

    ¡°Let him go. Put your gunsdown as well.¡± Reid said with a trembling voice, ¡°I have something else to tell you guys.¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    The men behind also realized that it was impossible for them to win the battle. So, after a while trying to assess the situation, they all put down the guns in their hands.

    ¡°No, Reid, they¡¯re the ones who killed you. I want to avenge you. I want to kill them.¡± The men leading them red with bloodshot eyes. He had already lost his mind and wouldn¡¯t listen to Reid¡¯smand. Then, he was about to pull the trigger and shoot ude.

    As swift as lightning, Lomen shot him from behind, and the bullet hit the back of the man¡¯s hand with a bang. The man then cried as the gun fell to the ground. He screamed as he held his hand in pain.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Before the gunshot rang, Hansen took a step forward and suddenly pulled Jenna into his arms at supersonic speed, and he wrapped his whole body around her tightly.

    If those desperate ouws were to shoot ude for real,then they definitely wouldn¡¯t stop with just that and would continue to fire gunshots. At that moment, Hansen only thought of Jenna, the woman who was more important than his life. He wanted to protect her with his own body. Even if the bulletproof vest he was wearing might not be able to block those ruthless bullets, he could not let any harme to the woman he loved.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. Kneel down with your hands on your head.¡± John¡¯s men and the policemen behind poured in and immediately took control of the situation.

    Everyone felt relieved as the crisis was finally resolved.

    At that time, Trevor¡¯s mind was clearer than anyone else. Before the police took Reid¡¯s men away, he came to Reid and squatted down in front of him.

    ¡°Reid, do you have anything else to tell me?¡± He asked gently,¡°When a man is near death, he speaks from his heart. You should also tell us what you know. Don¡¯t worry, your men didn¡¯t cause much harm today and thew will definitely give them a fair verdict. You have to have faith in me. Tell me the things you know, and I¡¯ll do my best to take care of your men in the future.¡±

    That day¡¯s situation wentpletely beyond Trevor¡¯s expectations. Since someone wanted to assassinate Reid, Reid must have known something important. He did not want to miss that chance.

    Reid¡¯s face turned purple as he opened his mouth. Just as he was about to say something, the oxygen tube was suddenly pulled out. Sergio¡¯s voice then boomed from above Trevor¡¯s head. ¡°Uncle Trevor, what good words does an ouw like him have to say? He doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s capable ofeven when he¡¯s on the brink of death. He even threatened us and almost caused bloodshed. What a vile person.¡±

    As soon as Trevor put his ears by Reid¡¯s mouth, he heard a series of gasps, and after a while, no sound was heard anymore. When he looked up, Reid was already dead.

    ¡°Uncle Reid.¡± ¡°Reid.¡± Liya and the other men began to cry at the same time.

    Trevor stood up in shock only to see Sergio¡¯s rxed smile. Sergio smiled at him and said, ¡°Uncle Trevor, we finally got through this crisis without anything bad happening to us. Now that we¡¯re finally safe, I can finally rest assured.¡±

    His expression was very rxed and casual.

    ¡°Sergio, are you the one who pulled his oxygen tube out?¡± Trevor¡¯s expression changed drastically as he asked in shock.

    Sergio paused for a moment before shaking his head.

    ¡°No.¡± He denied and then looked down. As if he suddenly understood something, he said, ¡°The oxygen tube should¡¯ve fallen out by itself. After all, it was very chaotic just now, and Liya was also crying while lying on top of him.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s eyes shone brightly. When he bent down just then, the oxygen tube was still properly ced inside Reid¡¯s nose.Would it fall off in just a split second?

    Trevor, who had never gotten mad easily, suddenly had his chest filled with anger.However, since he was experienced and mature, he soon calmed down and didn¡¯t show any expression, so that people couldn¡¯t judge what he was thinking.

 Chapter 561 Love, It Is So Sweet

    ¡°Miss Yates, today¡¯s wedding really is full of surprises.¡± It was not until the police had arrested all the terroristsdid Octavia, who was hiding at the side, feelrelieved and muttered to Zoe.

    There was a sinister smile on Zoe¡¯s face.

    ¡°No, someone must have disrupted the wedding from within. The oue today shouldn¡¯t have ended up like this,¡± she said with a cold gaze as her voice turned chilly.

    ording to her conjecture, it was impossible for Hansen to marry Liya that day. However, the oue was way beyond her expectations. Under Reid¡¯s threat, Jenna actually bravely stood up and agreed to let Hansen register with Liya for the sake of everyone involved.

    She clutched the footage in her hand tightly.

    The registration was way more terrifying than the wedding. Once they had registered, Liya would be stronger in no time, which Zoe was afraid of.

    That day, she almost pressed the switch of the controller in her hand to y that video, but after thinking about it a few more times, she hesitated. Then, what happened next was above her expectations. It made her feel ufortable, and she couldn¡¯t find a better opportunity anymore.

    It was hard for her to describe how she felt about such an ending.

    She had never known that Liya had an uncle, Reid, who loved her so much and was also a terrorist. That both shocked and scared her. She was shocked that she actually dared to frame Liya without even knowing her whole background. If Reid didn¡¯t die that day, and if Liya really wanted to take revenge on her, then she would¡¯ve definitely died a miserable death. What was scarier was that although Reid was dead, he still managed to let Jenna agree to let Hansen and Liya register in Ennd, which was very different from her n.

    ¡°Miss Yates, do you think that Hansen and Liya will really go to Ennd to register their marriage in three days?¡± Octavia was very curious about that. She blinked her smart eyes and asked carefully.

    The corners of Zoe¡¯s small, cherry-like mouth curled up slightly as she showed an enigmatic smile.

    She didn¡¯t answer her directly.

    ¡°Octavia, let¡¯s leave first and see what happens next.¡±

    In fact, she also couldn¡¯t confirm how things would develop from then on, but she was confident that Hansen wouldn¡¯t register with Liya. After all, it was Hansen who had to marry Liya in the end, not Jenna. So, what was the use of Jenna¡¯s promise?

    If Jenna really could order Hansen around and decided on big decisions, then the situation that day would not happen at all. Hence, Zoe only said those few words softly and left with Octavia.

    After the police contained the scene, Jenna breathed a sigh of relief, held her forehead, and wiped the fine beads of sweat that appeared due to being scared and nervous.

    ¡°Follow me.¡± Before her heart could settle down, a big pair of hands reached out to grab her arm and lifted her up like he was holding a chick. Then, he walked towards the exit of the Central Ind.

    Jenna lifted her head, only to see that Hansen¡¯s gloomy face had appeared in front of her.

    ¡°What are you doing? It hurts.¡± Jenna felt ufortable being carried by Hansen like that. At that moment, she could feel anger radiating from Hansen¡¯s body, and she couldn¡¯t help but to cry out loud.

    Hansen carried her with one hand, and his face was as ck as charcoal. With his thin lips pursed together, he emitted scorching me from his body.

    Jenna felt as if Hansen¡¯s body was covered with burning gasoline right then.If she threw a lit match on him, they would be burned to ashes.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be so ungrateful. I helped you marry a mistressand enriched your s*x life. What right do you have to boss me around and ignore me? What do you take me for?¡± Jenna also became angry, and she kept shouting.

    What the h*ll was that? As the first wife, she took the initiative to help him solve the crisis, marry a mistress, and personally hosted their wedding. Was there anyone more miserable than her in the world?

    However, right then, he didn¡¯t take her feelings into ount at all and looked furious, as if he had been forced to be a prostitute instead. Where was justice? How could she stand that?

    Hansen didn¡¯t say a word. He just reached out his hand and picked her up as he walked towards the electric vehicle.

    Jenna heard his heart was pounding violently in his arms.

    She then lifted her head to look at him, but he was expressionless, and it seemed like he was nning to say something.

    D*mn, what the h*ll was that?

    Shouldn¡¯t she be the one who was angry?

    At that moment, the anger she had endured for so many days was beginning to surge up in her heart.

    F*ck, he didn¡¯t even tell her anything, and he still acted like that in front of her!

    As soon as the electric vehicle stopped, she slipped out of his arms and walked towards the Green Jade Garden¡¯s living roomalone.

    At that time, Hansen did not bother her anymore. Instead, he lowered his head and followed behind her silently.

    Jenna walked briskly to the second floor.

    ¡°Bang!¡± As soon as Jenna reached her bedroom on the second floor, she closed the door without mercy. Then, she gently locked the door from inside.

    ¡°Hey, Jenna, what the h*ll is this?¡± In an instant, Hansen was shut outside the door and was snubbed.

    After walking into the room, Jenna sat down on the couch. She then walked towards the bathroom after catching a breath. She didn¡¯t pay attention to Hansen¡¯s yells outside at all.

    Was he still angry? Shouldn¡¯t she be the one who was angry?

    Hansen was too spoiled.

    Jenna washed up in the bathroom and wiped off her lipstick. After she removed her makeup, she saw that her face was sallow and devoid of energy. She touched her belly and remembered what she had promised Reid that day, making her feel a sudden pain in her heart.

    She suddenly recalled Reid¡¯s body that was covered in blood, his bleeding mouth, and his zed fish-like eyes. Then, the bloody stench attacked her nostrils like a devil¡¯s w, filling her up with that smell that caused spasms in her stomach. She slumped on the sink and began to vomit until she felt weak and dizzy, with cold sweat all over her forehead.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± While Jenna put her hands on the sink and slowly held herself up, she suddenly felt a powerful arm carrying her as she heard his concerned and anxious voice.

    She lifted her head in surprise and saw the worry and concern in Hansen¡¯s eyes. He was holding her in his arms with deep pity on his face.

    She closed her eyes and let Hansen carry her to the bed.

    ¡°How did you get in here?¡± Jenna questioned angrily while lying on the bed powerlessly. Then, she fiercely said, ¡°Get out of here.¡±

    Hansen lowered his headand showed a sly smile. After their previous shes, he had long prepared for such a situation by creating a master key. Moreover, he was the one who sent someone to change that door¡¯s locks. So, how could Jenna stop him?

    ¡°Jenna, tell me. What was the result of the test that day?¡± he asked in a deep voice.

    D*mn, he only remembered to ask her right then!

    ¡°Nothing much. It¡¯s better for me to die, so that I won¡¯t get angry.¡± She felt extremely ufortable. So, she turned around and said coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t need your care. Get out of here.¡±

    ¡°This is also my room. Where can I go?¡± He smiled softly, leaned over, and gently touched her belly with his big palm. He then put his lips close to her ear and asked in a very moving and gentle voice, ¡°Honey, are you pregnant again?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s expression changed as she heard that. She opened her eyes and asked in surprise, ¡°How did you know that?¡±

    The smile on Hansen¡¯s lips deepened when he heard that.

    ¡°My wife is pregnant. As a husband, how can I not know?¡± he answered with a bright smile.

    Hearing that, Jenna¡¯s face became even gloomier. That guy must have called the hospital secretly to ask, but so what? Even though he knew that she was pregnant, after so many days, he never even asked about her wellbeing nor called her. What was the meaning of that? Plus, just then, his face was still very gloomy, as if she owed him a debt.

    If that could be tolerated, then what couldn¡¯t? Jenna couldn¡¯t tolerate it anymore

    She turned over, sat up, and gave him a hard push.

    Hansen wasn¡¯t prepared for it.So, he was pushed back a few steps by her.

    ¡°Get lost. I don¡¯t want to see you.¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes reddened. She then gritted her teeth, picked up the pillow on the bed, and threw it at him.

    She threw the pillows at him one after another!

    Hansen steadied himself, picked up the pillows that she had thrown one by one, and ced them back onto the bed. After that, he approached her, sat beside her, and reached out to pick her up by her waist.

    Jenna was enraged.So, she bit him hard on the arm. She didn¡¯t loosen her bite until she was sure that he felt the pain. In fact, she couldn¡¯t bear to bite him until he bled.

    ¡°Honey, I know that you¡¯ve been wronged during this period of time. Today, I¡¯m here to apologize to you and fulfil my promise. From today onwards, I will put everything aside and bring you and Jerry out.¡± Hansen¡¯s voice was gentle and considerate.¡°I know that you feel very unwell during this period of time. I didn¡¯t discuss some things with you, and I even kept them a secret from you, but I did so to ensure today¡¯s sess, to ensure our family¡¯s happiness in the future, and to ensure that I will be able to solve the Richards Group¡¯s crisis and save ude. I¡¯m the head of the family. So, I had no choice.¡±

    Speaking of that, he gave a slight sigh and hugged her even tighter.

    He was furious just then as not only did Jenna not follow his arrangements and remained at such a dangerous ce, she even promised Reid on his behalf that he would register with Liya!Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    That woman¡¯s mind must¡¯ve gone dumb.

    How could she be so generous?

    ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± Hansen held Jenna tightly and asked in a distressed manner.

    Jenna pouted and ignored him.

    ¡°Jenna, we¡¯re having a baby again. This time, I will definitely give you and the child the best nutrition and the best care. I won¡¯t let you suffer like thest time.¡± Happily, he held her in his arms and did not allow her to resist as he spoke affectionately.

    Jenna looked up at him.

    His eyes were bright, and his face was flushed with happiness.

    For a moment, she became really confused.

    ¡°Jenna, this time, after our child is born, I will hold a huge party for the child to make Richards Manor livelier. I will definitely make you guys the happiest woman and child in the world, just because you guys are my wife and my child.¡± He continued to hold her while saying that, as if he looked forward to the future, with his words sweeter than honey.

    Jenna felt even dizzier.

    If it weren¡¯t for Liya, if those things hadn¡¯t happened, then she would have been so excited and happy that she would cry when she heard such sweet words. However, right then, she didn¡¯t have any reason to be happy.

    ¡°Then, what about Liya? What are you going to do about her?¡± She lifted her headand looked at him with cold eyes while saying sharp words, ¡°During this period of time, you kept everything in the dark and were not willing to tell me anything. Am I really that unimportant to you?¡±

    There were tears brimming in her eyes.Hansen could see traces of sadness and grievance from them.

    Hansen was stunned. He had actually forgotten that there was still someone called Liya.

    Nevertheless, he soon broke intoughter and pinched her nose with his hand.

    ¡°It seems that you get jealous quite easily. Well, that¡¯s good. It shows that you care about me.¡±

    No matter how Jenna listened to what he had said, she could feel a sense of pride and delight in his tone.

    ¡°Is it fun to make fun of me?¡± Jenna rolled her eyes and pped his hand away.

    ¡°It¡¯s actually not fun. I feel distressed whenever I see you looking upset.¡± Hansen gritted his teeth and smiled. He then suddenly kissed her earlobe, and gradually, his breathing became rapid.

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Jenna quickly noticed something, but she was stopped by his hot lips as soon as she opened her mouth. His tongue easily reached into her mouth, plundering everything inside it.

    Jenna¡¯s breathing became rapid in an instant.

    Hansen¡¯srge hands caressed her belly as he kissed her. His hands were as gentle as the spring breeze, carrying along a strong sense of love.

    Knowing that she was pregnant, he did not do much. After a while, he left her lips and buried his head in her hair.

    ¡°Jenna, the media in A City will soon report the news of today¡¯s wedding, and it will clear everything up. I have already personally exined that the wedding is just a gimmick to defeat the terrorists and save ude,¡± Hansen said, word for word, in Jenna¡¯s ears.

    As soon as he said that, Jenna instantly understood his intentions and his entire n.

    It turned out that he had such a thorough n.

    The wedding was indeed just a gimmick.

 Chapter 562 Underestimating Your Husband

    ¡°You silly woman. You¡¯re the one I love. Why should I marry Liya?¡± He softly chuckled next to her ear with a hint of seduction in his voice.

    Jenna¡¯s slightly sallow face was flushed as he kissed her and looked adorable, but she still informed him very seriously. ¡°But, I¡¯ve promised Reid that three dayster, you¡¯ll bring Liya for the registration.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s expression turned cold as he gave a disdainful smile.

    ¡°Who asked you to do so? That¡¯s what you promised. It¡¯s none of my business.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Remember, I¡¯m the head of the family, and I¡¯m in charge of the family affairs. You shouldn¡¯t be the one making decisions for such a serious matter.¡± Hansen warned as he pinched her delicate little nose,with his expression slightly serious.

    Jenna looked at him with sparkling eyes, and they were like the glistening water of a clear river.

    She was well aware of how overbearing he could be.

    However, this was the only time she was deeply moved andforted by him.

    ¡°Do you know why I was angry at first? It¡¯s because you made your own decision without seeking my opinion. You disregarded your happiness and safety, and only thought of others¡¯ interests. There won¡¯t be a next time. However, I¡¯ll let it slide this time as you¡¯re pregnant. Remember, there¡¯s no other woman except you in this world whom I¡¯m determined to be married to. You¡¯re the only woman I want to cherish for the rest of my life. Do you get it, my silly woman?¡± Hansen¡¯s gaze was attracted by her bright, glistening eyes, as he brushed her little nose tenderly with ultimate affection.

    Jenna instantly blushed, and sweetness welled up in her heart.

    One had to say, these words of ttery were not only pleasant to the ear but very moving as well.

    ¡°But I¡¯ve already promised Reid. If we don¡¯t do it, will it be¡­¡± Jenna questioned without much confidence.

    Hansen snorted and replied disdainfully, ¡°What promise? I made it very clear that I¡¯ll definitely not marry Liya. Everyone at the scene heard me. Furthermore, the wedding was notpleted, and I did not register the marriage with her at all. Those were all merely acting. Even if I had used her to capture Reid and rescue ude, our Richards family has already given her two pieces of priceless jewelry aspensation. This is a fact. I¡¯m a businessman, and I¡¯m known to be scheming. I couldn¡¯t care less about how the outsiders wouldment about me. Moreover, I didn¡¯t promise anything.So, how can I fulfil it?¡±

    It seemed that his words were true.

    Liya had been threatening him from the beginning, and he had never promised Reid anything as well.

    Only then did Hansen¡¯s heart finally calm down.

    ude had been sessfully rescued, and the evidence that was used to frame Jenna had been obtained. The initial purpose of this arrangement could be said to have been reached. Although there were unforeseen circumstances, it was still considerably manageable for him.

    ¡°Then, what about the charges Zoe had against the Richards Group?¡± Jenna felt more confident after listening to Hansen¡¯s words, and as long as he wouldn¡¯t marry the seductress, Liya, she would be content. However,she still couldn¡¯t help but to ask about it anxiously.

    Hansenughed out loud.

    ¡°Silly woman, you¡¯re underestimating your husband. Don¡¯t you know who I am? As the president of the Richard Groups, why should I be afraid of that woman? Those usations were all made up by Zoe, in an attempt to frame ourpany. Don¡¯t worry about it. In three days, I¡¯ll get rid of herpany from A City. Since she is so conniving, I¡¯ll make her lose more than what she¡¯ll gain, and she¡¯ll suffer from a more terrible fate than her father.¡±

    When Hansen said this, there was a terrifying and vicious light in his eyes. Previously, he didn¡¯t dare retaliate, as Zoe threatened him and held onto his weakness. As he was worried that Jenna would get hurt, he endured the humiliation and allowed her to stir up trouble.

    Now that Zoe couldn¡¯t use his weakness against him anymore, there was no need for him to continue resisting her!

    Just a simple order or gesture from himcould kick the insignificant Sky Sword Group out of A City.

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s my fault that I didn¡¯t notice her scheme. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much. Nevertheless, please rest assured that it won¡¯t happen again.¡± Hansen murmured to himself, as it was obvious from his eyes that he felt guilty about it.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for making you feel wronged all this while. In order to carry out the n smoothly, I left you in the dark. Please, don¡¯t take it to heart, as I did it all for your own sake.¡± He stroked her face and uttered in a low and mellow voice.

    Up to this point, Jenna was still unaware that Zoe had framed her. It would be better if she knew nothing about it, as the usation had already been dismissed. As such, Jenna could live happily without worry. She might feel miserable if she knew more.

    ¡°Honey, have a good rest. I¡¯ll bring you and Jerry to the Seaside Resort tomorrow, and we can enjoy ourselves for the next few days.¡± Hansen whispered in her ear and let her go. He gently helped her onto the bed and added, ¡°I still have something to deal with outside. I¡¯ll return for dinnerter.¡±

    As he spoke, he strode out.

    Jenna pursed her red lips and watched as he walked away.

    When his stalwart figure reached the door, he turned around and gave her a big smile.

    They looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

    ¡°Alvin, did you find any evidence of Zoe wanting to push Jenna into the water at thest banquet?¡± In the office, Hansen could not afford to be careless even for a moment. He quickly summoned Alvin and John to question them.

    ording to his intuition, ifhe simply drove Zoe out of A City, she would definitely not let it go. The Richards Group¡¯s charges had yet to be cleared, and the usation had been going on for too long. He was already impatient.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there¡¯s no concrete proof of that incident. Unless she admits it, it¡¯ll be difficult to find evidence.¡± Alvin shook his head helplessly.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Yaris? Are we still unable to locate him?¡± Hansen¡¯s expression was extremely unsightly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, our people discovered that Zoe arranged for Yaris to live in a small city in Moro. She must have utilized Matteo Jones¡¯ connection, and Yaris won¡¯t be allowed to return for the time being. Nheless, we have also found out that Yaris is the only son in his family. His parents are old, especially his mother, who is in the advanced stages of stomach cancer. She is currently warded in A City¡¯s government hospital. Yaris and his mother are very close. He should visit his mother soon, and the day of his return is just around the corner,¡± John quickly answered.

    The government hospital? Hansen¡¯s eyes narrowed, and a scornful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, please rest assured. Our people are closely monitoring Yaris¡¯ mother 24 hours a day. As soon as he appears in the hospital, we will arrest him immediately.¡± John continued to report.

    Hansen nodded in satisfaction.

    ¡°How about this, Alvin? Follow me to Capital City in three days.¡± He tapped the table lightly with his fingers and spat out these words from his thin red lips. His sword-like eyebrows were furrowed into a tight line.

    Pressed by the current situation, he had to take action soon. The following battles would be most thrilling. Now that he had no restrictions, he would not hesitate to act against them anymore.

    The sea breeze was blowing, and the waves were surging.

    The vi they booked at the Seaside Resort in Lincon City was built overlooking the sea. The ce was rather imposing. The smell of seawater and the fresh night breeze drifted in through the window from time to time.

    Inside thevishly decorated living room, Jerry was happily rolling about on the floor, ying with his beloved toy car.

    Jenna was personally cooking some dishes and stewing soup in the kitchen.

    Hansen stayed by her side like ackey. In fact, he was clumsy and couldn¡¯t be of much help at all. Sometimes, his attempt to help Jenna made the situation worse. She didn¡¯t know whethertough or to cry.

    Jenna wanted to dismiss him from the kitchen, but he argued that she should not cook since she was pregnant. He wanted to take them out for a meal.

    However, it has been a long time since he and Jerry had eaten the dishes she cooked.

    In her opinion, the food sold outside was unhygienic. So, Jenna showed anincredibledisy of motherly love and insisted on cooking by herself. In fact, such a chore was really nothing to her.

    Hence, not only was Hansen beside her when she went grocery shopping or cooked, but he even apanied her when she was at the toilet, as he was afraid that she would be tired. It was rare for Jerry to see his parents being so intimate with each other. So, he behaved sensibly and did not bother them as he enjoyed himself in the living room. The family of three was happy and harmonious.

    Dinner was served, and the three of them sat around the table, talking joyfully. This was the first time they had gotten together and eaten happily ever since the incident at the Richards Group.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    The news was ying on therge HDTV screen in the living room.

    ¡°It turned out that the gunshot at Richards Manor yesterdaycame from the police whoshot down terrorists. The police joined forces with the resident of the Richards Group, Mr. Hansen Richards, to stage a fake wedding. They sessfully lured out Liya Luther¡¯s uncle, Reid Anson, and his gang. With this staged wedding, they managed to wipe out the terrorists that hadmitted many heinous crimes. Mr. Richards announced that the wedding with Liya was annulled, as they did not register their marriage, and it was only held as bait. The widely spread rumor that Mr. Richards is taking a second wife has now been debunked. Through this, we can¡¯t help but to admire Mr. and Mrs. Richards¡¯ wless performance for such a scene, sessfully wiping out terrorists and eliminating harm, for the people.¡±

    The news on the TV was very detailed, and they were certain that such news would bring rity to those who watched it.

    On the other hand, the series of reports in A City¡¯s evening newspaper were also very detailed. Some parts even vividly described how Jenna pretended to agree to Reid¡¯s request.

    After dinner, Jenna snuggled up to Hansen on the couch. Jerry was already fast asleep at the side.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was beating wildly. Although she was in Hansen¡¯s warm embrace and was well aware that he was her trusted support system, she still felt very uneasy.

    Whether it was the TV news or the newspapers, they were all reporting the fake marriage. All of them regarded it as Hansen¡¯s borate n, but there were two parts that couldn¡¯t be ignored.

    The first was that Hansen did not send the gunman who shot Reid. As for who it was, it was still unclear. The second was that Jenna had negotiated with Reid with sincerity at that time. She neither knew of Hansen¡¯s n, nor was she pretending to agree to Reid¡¯s request.

    It made her uneasy, as there was no one who could testify to both these two parts, and there was no way to exin them.

    Even so, it was rare for the three of them to have so much free time and to be able to rx at the resort. They had really enjoyed themselves these three days.

    Although Hansen had kept thempany in the past three days, everything in theRichards Groupwas undergoing qualitative changes.

 Chapter 563 Vivianâ€™s Critical Condition

    Hansen had long since made detailed arrangements.

    A reshuffle was taking ce in the market.

    It turned out that the Richards Group¡¯s businesses that had been seized by Zoe were swiftly won back by the Richards Group. Moreover, they hadunched a new round of attacks against the Sky Sword Group.

    As a result, the newly listed Sky Sword Group was severely afflicted by the Richards Group, until it was left shaken, and was on the verge of copsing with its shares index dropping. If there were no new resources put in, it could only be bought over or reorganized.

    The market was cruel, and there could only be one winner. What was more, Zoe offended Hansen of the Richards Group, who was ruthless. For the first time, Zoe could feel how obliteratedto the ground.

    Everything seemed to have returned to square one.

    Only thetest ¡®online shopping mode¡¯ she createdwas barelyholding on. Fortunately, she had relied on the ¡®Miss Universe¡¯ beauty pageant to push the Sky Sword Group¡¯s online shopping feature towards global attention. Hence, thepany was able to hang on. In terms of its financial situation, it had been utterly defeated. The moment Zoe announced thepany¡¯s bankruptcy, she would have to move thepany back to C City.

    ¡°Miss Yates,don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s take it slow. Although we havetemporarilyfailed, we still have our chances in the future.¡± Octavia had been by Zoe¡¯s side all the time,forting her.

    Hansen was indeed a business prodigy, and his skills were really peculiar. With no one holding onto his weakness and threatening him in thest three days, it was rumored that he was with Jenna and their child at the Seaside Resort for a holiday. Yet, he still almost managed to destroy the Sky Sword Group.

    Zoe leaned against the back of the couch, as she stroked the scattered ck hair in front of her forehead with her delicate hand. There was starlight shining in her cold eyes.

    Being suppressed by the Richards Group, she had to retreat in defeat, but she was not as beaten down as she had imagined. Even though the light in her eyes was dim, the expression on her face was still quite calm.

    ¡°Octavia, thank you for being with me all the way. I can count on you to be there through thick or thin.¡± She lifted her delicate eyebrows and expressed her gratitude softly.

    ¡°Miss Yates, it¡¯s my honor to be appreciated and valued by you. Without any hesitation, I¡¯m willing to go through any difficulty and challenge for you.¡± Hearing this, Octavia hurriedly expressed her loyalty.

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll give you an important position in the future.¡± Zoe was also very grateful to have such a loyal person standing by her side.

    Octavia¡¯s face blushed, and she replied sincerely, ¡°Miss Yates, I used to be an insignificant figure in a smallpany. I¡¯ve learnt many business experiences and skills from you in these years, and you trusted me so much. I really have no regrets.¡±

    ¡°Excellent, Octavia. As long as you continue following me in the future, I¡¯ll never mistreat youwhen I stand firm one day.¡± Zoe shifted her gaze to the mango tree outside the windowand asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Liya now? How¡¯s she?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your trust,Miss Yates.¡± Octavia¡¯s face was all smiles. She bowed and carefully uttered, ¡°Miss Yates, Hansen has announced that the wedding¡¯s just a show. I don¡¯t think Liya has the guts to stay any longer. She left Richards Manorand concentrated on preparing for her Uncle Reid¡¯s funeral. Yesterday, our people saw her at the cemetery. Her eyes were dull, her gaze was deste, and her face was pale. She had long lost her glory.¡±

    When Octavia said this, there was a hint of delight in her eyes.

    ¡°What about Oscar, that stupid pig? How has he been during this period of time?¡± At the thought of that nightmare, Oscar, anger surfaced in Zoe¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Miss Yates, after Old Master Jones called Oscar back, he received a good scolding. It was said that several women came looking for him at his manor.So, Old Master Jones was furious and punished him by ordering him to ponder over his misdeeds. He should not be allowed to leave these days.¡± Thinking of Oscar¡¯s lecherous appearance, Octavia was overjoyed.

    ¡°Hmm. Well done.¡± Zoe nodded her head. Upon knowing that Liya was going to hold a wedding with Hansen, Oscar did not have the courage to fight against Hansen. Without Liya as her recement, Zoe was afraid that she would be further ruined by Oscar.So, she came up with that idea.

    Surely enough, Oscar had just been dealt with by Matteo. He would not be leaving his house for the next few days.

    ¡°Octavia, we can¡¯t afford to offend Matteo now. We must make use of him. So, we can¡¯t deal with Oscar for the time being. We can only keep him aside and utilize him when the timees.¡± Zoe¡¯s gaze showed pain and bewilderment as she mumbled to herself.

    Octavia understood what she meant and nodded in agreement. Even though she saw that Zoe was slightly downcast, she could not think of anything tofort her.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Sergio?¡± Zoe asked again.

    ¡°Miss Yates, Sergio has been back in Capital City for several days nowafter Hansen¡¯s wedding. I wonder if he¡¯lle back?¡± Octavia could not track Sergio¡¯s movements inCapital City. She could only figure out his actions in A City.

    Sergio Xanthe.

    A sinister smilebegan to appear onZoe¡¯s face. That man was brave and resourceful. It was right for him to stop her that day. As expected, Hansen began to use his powerful meanswhen she was no longer a threat to himanddefeated her in an instant. What right did she have to fight with him?

    At present, Liya could still be regarded as a pawn.

    If she was not mistaken, Liya should be hating Hansen to the core right now.

    Hansen had used her. Her beloved uncle, Reid, had died atRichards Manor, and itwas during her wedding. She understood the pain of losing a loved one very well.

    Liya would never let the matter slide. For now, she was still immersed in grief and hadn¡¯t yet armed herself. Zoe had reason to believe that Liya would cause more trouble to Richards Manoronce again.

    ¡°Octavia, don¡¯t worry. Sergio will definitely return, and he will be even more terrifying.¡± Zoe suddenlyughed out loud in pleasure.¡°The charges against the Richards Group have not been dismissed. How can he, Sergio, let it go just like that? Besides, the crucial moment for Yadriel¡¯s election ising up.¡±

    Octavia was stunned for a moment before she understood everything andughed along with her.

    ¡°Since we can¡¯t destroy Hansen in terms of strength, then let¡¯s watch from the sidelines as they fight and reap the benefits after.¡± Zoe¡¯s smile was creepy, whereas Octavia could roughly figure out what she said.

    Time flew as they were having fun.

    Jenna and Hansen lovingly spent three days in the Seaside Resort¡¯s vi, enjoying their vacation. On the evening of the third day, the phone rang.

    Hansen picked up the phone, and Trevor¡¯s serious voice came from the other end of the line.

    ¡°Hansen, your grandmother is on her deathbed. Hurry up, bring Jenna and Jerry back.¡± Trevor¡¯s voice was calm, but it couldn¡¯t conceal his anxiety.

    Grandma!

    Hansen instantly scrambled from the bed as his expression changed drastically.

    In this period of time, in order to save ude, he did not visit Vivian everyday as he used to. When he heard what Trevor had said, a trace of pain and guilt surged in his heart.

    ¡°Alright, Dad. We¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    He hung up the phone as he spoke.

    ¡°Hansen, what¡¯s wrong?¡± When Jenna noticed that Hansen seemed to be an entirely different person after picking up the call, she was anxious and immediately asked.

    ¡°Jenna, Grandma is dying. We must go back immediately.¡± Hansen spoke in a hurried and rapid tone. As he spoke, he had already started packing up his things. While he was doing that in a hurry, he called Alvin and ordered him to drive the car over to the seaside to pick them up.

    Jenna knew how important Vivian was to Hansen as sherarely saw him so flustered. Right then, she quietly packed her thingsup.

    The family of three boarded the cruise ship and returned to Richards Manor that night.

    The night at Richards Manorwas dark, and there weren¡¯t even any stars. It seemed as if it was going to rain the next day.

    In the hall of the Ink Garden.

    Trevor¡¯s whole family, ude and his second wife, as well as Old Master Richards¡¯ two sons-inw and children, were all present. Even Sabrina was present.

    When Hansen walked in with Jenna, Trevor was having a conversation with the doctor, Cadrez.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, to be honest, Old Madam has fainted several times in recent days, and she has not been eating much. If there¡¯s no incident, then she will only have three days left. It¡¯s time to prepare for the funeral.¡± Although Cadrez¡¯s words were somewhat heavy, he had to tell the truth.

    The faces of everyone in the hall turned gloomy as they felt sorrowful.

    ¡°Is there any other medication that can be used? Please do your best.¡± Trevor¡¯s heart was heavy, as he nodded solemnly while asking.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, all the drugs used by Old Madamare imported and most advanced. Many state-of-the-art hospitals in the country can¡¯t even get hold of those drugs. Our team of experts is also on duty round the clock. Therefore, we have tried our best. WithOld Madam¡¯s condition, it ismendable to have been dyed until now,¡± Cadrez exined in a serious manner.

    With that said, everyone could understand that Old Madamwas already in her advanced years, and even miracles couldn¡¯t save her.

    The two daughters began to cry when they heard the doctor¡¯s words.

    Trevor and ude discussed for a while. In the end, Trevor issued the final announcement with a heavy heart.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°From today onwards, all of the descendants will have to live in the Ink Garden and prepare for the vigil.¡±

    Everyone understood that it was time to pay their final respects.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t look too overwhelmed with sadness. She immediately notified Maud to begin tidying up the guest rooms in Ink Garden, as she was the head of the household.So, she had to be clear-headed.

    ¡°Quick, tell Norton to hurry back.¡± Trevor immediately instructed Jenna when he thought of Norton.

    ¡°Alright, Dad.¡± Jenna instantly dialed a foreign number.

    Norton set off as soon as he received the call.

    The Ink Garden was crowded. Half of the manor¡¯s servants were transferred over. Jenna knew that from that day onwards, the Ink Garden would be busy until Vivian¡¯s funeral. However, she did not know how long they would be busy.

    ¡°Jenna, let me help you.¡± As soon as Jenna sat down in the office of theInk Garden, Sabrina came over.

    ¡°Sabrina, thank you for looking out for the Richards Group these days. Hansen was busy with the wedding, and we couldn¡¯t have attended to thepany¡¯s affairs without you,¡± Jenna held Sabrina¡¯s hand and thanked her sincerely.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t mention it. I didn¡¯t have anything else to do either.I just regard it as a summer job. What¡¯s more, I gained a lot of knowledge while working at Richards Manor, especially the recent days when we taught Sky Sword Group and Zoe a lesson. It felt amazing. Now I know that Hansen is powerful.¡± Sabrinamented earnestly, ¡°I also learnt some dirty tricks to deal with people.¡±

    Jenna wanted tough when she heard Sabrina¡¯s words, but she couldn¡¯t.

 Chapter 564 Good News

    ¡°However, Jenna, I didn¡¯t attend the wedding of Hansen and that disgusting woman, Liya. I heard that the scene was terrible. I really wanted to know why youpersonallyhosted a wedding for them. What if it turns out to be true? Moreover, did you know that it was just a set up all this while, which was why you were not worried about it at all?¡± Sabrina sat opposite Jenna. She leaned on the table and asked with her cheeks puffed.

    Sabrina was really curious about Jenna¡¯s thoughts. ording to her observation, Jenna loved Hansen a lot. So, what was she thinking when she wanted to host the wedding personally for Hansen and Liya?

    What was she thinking? Jenna stared at the Boston Ivy¡¯s green leaves that had already creeped over the window, and a trace of pain shed across her eyes. She could only say that other than pain, her heart was also aching.

    Nevertheless, sheter understood that she had always been unwilling to believe that Hansen would betray her andfollowed her own intuitions all along.

    It finally proved that her belief was right.

    ¡°Sabrina, you should ask me this question again after you have fallen in love with a man. I¡¯ll give you the answer then,¡± she replied melodiously, showing her pearly white teeth.

    Sabrina listened and seemed to be lost in thought.

    Would a woman unconditionally forgive a man when she really loved him, even when she was hurt or betrayed?

    Sabrina was deep in thought.

    ¡°Mom, Dad, I want to tell you a piece of good news today.¡± Hansen invited Trevor and Marissa out alone in the lounge and announced in high spirits, ¡°Jenna is pregnant.¡±

    The news was like extraordinarily bright fireworks in the dark sky, lighting up all the darkness in the room.

    ¡°Is it true?¡± After a moment of stupefaction, Marissa asked in surprise as her eyes widened.

    Trevor was stunned for a moment and immediately understood. His eyes instantly surged with joy, and even his face was cast with ayer of light. However, the solemn expression on his face didn¡¯t rx for even a moment.

    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder Jenna is not energetic these days. She has no appetite to eat, and herplexion is not that great either. It turns out that she¡¯s pregnant. I should have thought of this earlier,¡± Marissa uttered with a sudden realization, and there was a hint of regret in her voice.

    ¡°Therefore, as a mother-inw, you should take good care of Jenna during this period of time andpay more attention to her health. Mother¡¯s condition is dire right now, and she might leave us anytime. There will be a lot of things to do when she does. You have to help Jenna more. She¡¯s the head of the household, and she has to shoulder a lot of burdens.¡± Trevor thought of theplicated situation they were in at that moment, and started to remind Marissa in a solemn manner.

    ¡°Of course, I know that. On the other hand, why won¡¯t you both let us know in advance? By keeping the pregnancy in the dark, Jenna must have felt distressed all this time.¡± Marissa snorted andmented discontentedly.

    ¡°Mom, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. Don¡¯t worry.Such a thing will never happen again.¡± Hansen thought of the pain on Jenna¡¯s face and felt a wave of sadness and guilt in his heart.

    ¡°How about this, Marissa? You can go outside first and help Jenna out. Ask her to rest earlier. I still have something to say to Hansen.¡± Trevor gave a gentle order to Marissa.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Marissa¡¯s face darkened as she pouted. ¡°Both of you have been trying to send me away all day long. You guys have been acting so secretively all this while.¡±

    Even though she wasining,Marissastill walked out knowingly.

    ¡°Hansen, the current situation is far from being settled, and it has turned even moreplicated. You do understand this, right?¡± AfterMarissaleft, Trevor lowered his voice and whispered. His expression was solemn and grave, and his mood was heavy.

    Hansen¡¯s face turned slightly pale, and his heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°Those who killed Reid must have been sent by Yadriel. Reid must have known some of their illegal dealings.So, Yadriel took the opportunity to kill them.¡± Trevor thought of thest moments of Reid¡¯s life, and then his nasal cann suddenly fell off. At that time, Trevor just wanted to ask Reid about what he knew.

 Chapter 565 Miserable Past

    ¡°Dad, please rest assured. I have my own ns. You don¡¯t have to worry too much about this matter.¡± Hansen¡¯s expression was indifferent as he replied in a seemingly casual manner, and his eyes were full of shrewdness.

    ¡°Hansen, you can¡¯t be so willful about this matter.¡± Trevor realized that Hansen was not nervous at all and sighed in his heart. Indeed, as long the matter didn¡¯t concern Jenna, no matter how big the problem was, he would beid-back and not be bothered about it.

    However, the matter at hand was not something insignificant. It was rted to the life and death of the Richards Group.

    ¡°Dad, I¡¯ve already ovee my headstrong years. You should believe in me.¡± Hansen shrugged. He was confident, but he didn¡¯t seem arrogant.

    Trevor looked at him, and after a while, a smile emerged on his face.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. If I¡¯m forced to fight with Yadriel and Sergio, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. It is how it is, and I¡¯m happy to oblige. I don¡¯t believe that Yadriel will be able to hide the truth from the people.¡± Hansen¡¯s tone was rxed and a hint of icy glint shed across his sharp eyes.

    Trevor nodded in agreement, but the atmosphere in the air was vaguely gloomy.

    ¡°Hansen, this is thest hurdle. If we can get through this, I believe that the Richards Group will live in peace for another period of time, and our future will be glorious again. Right now, we can do whatever we want. After all, both Jenna and ude are safe. This is a great thing for us,¡± Trevor responded.

    ¡°Dad, that¡¯s true. Nheless, you¡¯re not as young as you used to be. So, please don¡¯t get too worked up. Leave everything to me, and I¡¯ll take care of them. You have to trust your son.¡± Hansenforted Trevor gently with smiles all over his face.

    Although Trevor¡¯s life was full of glory, he had experienced many trials and tribtions. At his old age, he still had to worry about such a matter. It seemed cruel and unfair to him. Thus, Hansen really couldn¡¯t bear to allow him to be troubled about it anymore.

    Trevor let out a slight sigh.

    That was right. If Hansen couldn¡¯t handle such a matter, how would he take on the responsibility of the Richards Group in the future?

    He had a reason to trust his own son!

    In the suite of afive-star hotel, Madam Lilian was sipping her morning tea.

    She gently held the porcin cup with her pale fingers. The aroma of the tea lingered in the air, and it made her feel refreshed.

    After her morning exercise, she liked to drink a cup of fine green tea to brighten up her mood for the day. It has almost be a habit for her to do so.

    She loved drinking A City¡¯s green tea. This type of tea was grown in Green Mountain Lake. Although it was not very well-known, its taste was very authentic and had a light, refreshing aroma.When the green tea entered her mouth, the taste it gave off was not too sweet. In fact, it was slightly bitter, and didn¡¯t really moisten her throat. Nevertheless, she loved this taste.

    After taking a sip, she would be in high spirits for the whole day!

    That might be a habit!

    This kind of tea could be bought in a small country in Europe. Every year, her subordinates would buy her a lot of tea to stock up. After drinking the tea for a long time, the benefits were evident. Although she was already 71 years old, her body was very healthy,and she did not have any heart diseases. What was more important was that every time she had the tea, she felt a certain kind of feeling. It was a deep longing for her hometown.

    Quina came in quietly with a notebook in her hand.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± She approached her and stood by her side, leaning over and calling out to her softly.

    Madam Lilian took a sip of tea and looked up. Her skin, which was so wless, didn¡¯t evenhave any trace of visible wrinkles.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going? Any progress?¡± Madam Lilian asked.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, we¡¯ve searched for ¡®Emily Moore¡¯ in the entire A City. We found a few people, but they don¡¯t match Miss Emily¡¯s identity, features, and age. This shows that Miss Emily may have changed her name,¡± Quina reported softly.

    ¡°Changed her name?¡± There was a fleeting sh of light in Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes. ¡°Why would she change her name?¡±

    She muttered to herself with pain in her eyes.

    He had refused to forgive her and changed Emily¡¯s name, so that it was impossible for her to find her daughter back.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, ording to our investigation, vian Moore was expelled from the family by Johan, and in addition to that, he divorced you. Soon, his depression worsened, and he passed away from it. Even on his deathbed, Johan didn¡¯t identify with him. It seems that Johan is really heartless and cold-hearted to his own son.¡± Quina sighed cautiously.

    The light in Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes dimmed, and the pain in her eyes turned horrifyingly poisonous.

    The Moore family was a family of officials for generations in Capital City. Johan had achieved great military exploits at the beginning of the liberation. Thus, the people loved him. In that period of time, his power was terrifying, and he had an esteemed reputation.

    However, this old master was a typical traditional parent. He was a stubborn personand knew precisely whom he loved and hated.

    He had four sons in total, all of whom were obedient and filial to him. Three of them had been trained by him to pursue a political career and wereleading a sessful life. Having said that, only vian was handsome, and he had an unconventional approach to life. His personality was free and unruly, and he didn¡¯t like to mingle with the officialdom. He left home in his early years and went to A City to start his own business, which was inconsistent with Johan¡¯s expectations of him. So, he wasn¡¯t fond of vian.

    vian was wild and unrestrained. He was naturally romantic and bold. At that time, Lilian Garver, who was a movie star, met him at a dance party. The young and beautiful Lilian was just his cup of tea. They were about the same age, and the handsome man and beautiful woman fell in love in no time.

    After being in a loving rtionship for quite some time, the sweet couple was blessed as Lilian became pregnant.

    vian, who was overjoyed, brought Lilian home that very night to pay a visit to Johan. He had not expected Johan to hold onto very strong traditional values. When he discovered Lilian¡¯s identity, he flew into a rage and immediately refused to acknowledge her. He was adamant in rejecting vian¡¯s decision to find a movie star in the entertainment industry to be his wife.

    Johan instantly found a youngdy from a family of politicians in Capital City for vian and wanted to drive Lilian out of the house.

    vian was deeply in love with Lilian. So, how could he be willing to betray her!

    Just like that, for such a matter, the father and son broke off their rtionship.

    vian had threatened Johan with his life. How could the high and mighty Johan withstand vian fighting against him? He immediately gave vian a good beating and drove him out of the house.

    Johan was very proud and stubborn, andvian took after his temperament. After the father and son had a falling out with each other, they never saw each other again.

    vian and Lilian got married without the blessings of their families in A City. Soon after, she gave birth to their daughter, Emily Moore. Even then, no one from the Moore family came to visit them. The indifference and heartlessness made vian swear that he would never return to the Moore family residence in Capital City. From then on, he considered them strangers.

    After Lilian gave birth to Emily, their simple life started to go downhill.

    The main reason was that vian, who was estranged from the Moore family, became highly irritable. He drank and fooled around all day. One day,the news of a scandal between him and a celebrity broke out. Lilian¡¯s eyes were brimming with tears, asshe resolutely proposed a divorce.

    She knew that the reason why their marriage had failed was that Johan looked down on her background. Although vian had the courage to break off his rtionship with his family for her, he became depressed from the heavy burden after marriage. He often went out to drink and got drunk.

    In terms of his business development, it took a devastating plunge.

    These were all Johan¡¯s efforts to suppress vian behind his back, as he couldn¡¯t toleratevianbeing disobedient and unfilial. At that time,Johaneven threatened to make vian aspoor as a church mouse.

    vian¡¯s business was not only plummeting as Johan wished, but he was also heavily in debt.

    Their lives were very difficult.

    Lilian knew that they would not be able to live unless she divorced and left him.

    She thought that if she left, vian would return to the Moore family. Then, he and Emily would live afortable life and receive good care. If she continued to stay by his side, they would never see the light at the end of the tunnel.

    Therefore, after the big fight, she resolutely proposed a divorce, with tears in her eyes. At that time, both of them were still young. The agitated vian was also hot-headed, and he agreed in a fit of rage.

    That morning, it was drizzling.

    Lilian only packed a simple suitcase and left A City. When she left, she gave Emily the fan imprinted with a red plum from one of the Twin Plum Fans, as she hoped that her daughter would be happy in the future. Lilian left A City in pain and never returned.

    It was not until that year did she return to ACityat the invitation of a social event with the embassy from Tambend.

    When she first came to Europe, she was unfamiliar with the ce and had no money.So, she could only sell theTwin Plum Fan in a pawnshop. That was the only way for her to survive.

    Up to now, fifty years had passed.

    She was not young anymore. In recent years, she missed Emily a lot. She did not know how her unfortunate daughter had been and whether she was still alive.

    There was no point in reminiscing about the past!

    A lot of things had happened in the past, and they were like scars that would never heal. She had deliberately tried to forget about everything all these years. After arriving in Europe, she remarried a government official. Yet, it didn¡¯t work out, and she got divorced soon after.

    Through this marriage, she met those in the officialdom, and soon, she began to start her own political career and focused her entire life on public service. She no longer cared about marriage until she became the internationally famous and powerful Madam Lilian.

    When she got older, the pain from the miserable past no longer stung as bad. She thought of Emily and only wanted to find her.

    However, over the years,she had sent people back to A City to investigate, but the situation had changed drastically. Not to mention finding the original house, even the entire A City had changed, andvian had long passed away.

    She had sent someone to inquire about the Moore family in Capital City. s, Johan was still unsympathetic. Not to mention acknowledging Emily as his granddaughter, even vian, his son, could not return to his ancestral roots even until his death.

    In the vast crowd, she could no longer find any news about Emily.

    Madam Lilian regretted the past several times, asshe thought that she should have brought Emily along at that time. Yet, when she just arrived in Europe, she was living in poverty anddid not have the ability to raise Emily. After marrying her European husband, he was determined to oppose her idea of going back to A City and identifying Emily. So, she had to give up. After the divorce, she was busy with all sorts of political affairs and did not have the energy to interfere in this matter. When she finally had the time and opportunity to find Emily, she was nowhere to be found.

    She sat there, dumbfounded, withtears streaming down the corners of her eyes.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, Ma¡¯am,¡± Quina gently called out to Madam Lilian, who was in a daze. In thest two years, she was often lost in her thoughts. Quina knew that she was missing Emily. Thus, she could not help but to sigh softly.

    Everyone had a weak side. Even someone as influential and powerful as Madam Lilian was behaving that way, what more an ordinary person.

 Chapter 566 Shameless Threat

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, we found out that vian had regretted divorcing you.He was no longer interested in other women after that and decided tolive his life to the fullest with Emily. He spent every day missing you and afterthe blow of losing you and his family¡­¡± Quina thought that it was better to let her know all those things. After all, since Madam Lilian left, she had never returned to A City.

    ¡°No¡­¡± Madam Lilian stretched out her hand and interrupted Quina. ¡°I only want to know about Emily. Now that I¡¯m here, I must locate her. Whether she¡¯s dead or alive, I must see her or her tomb. Please hurry up and send someone to follow up with this matter.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Ma¡¯am. You don¡¯t have to worry too much. We¡¯re searching the whole city with a fine-toothb. I believe it won¡¯t be long before we find her.¡± Quina was aware of how she felt and immediately exined.

    Madam Lilian took out a handkerchief and wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes. Her voice was a little hoarse as she added, ¡°By the way, send someone to investigate Jenna¡¯s mother and think of a way to get her DNA sample.¡±

    Quina was stunned, but she quickly understood what Madam Lilian meant.

    It was no wonder that Madam Lilian had such a tacit rtionship with Jenna. It seemed that she had this intention in mind. Quina smiled and nodded.

    In a Capital City mansion, Yadriel¡¯s gaze was indecipherable and as gloomy as the sea.

    However, Sergio appeared to be restless.

    ¡°Dad,Madam Lilian is secretly searching for her daughter in A City, and Jenna has already met her several times in private. Although she hasn¡¯t yet identified her, it will be a matter of time for the mother and daughter to reconcile, at this rate.¡±

    A cold glint shed across Yadriel¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Madam Lilian does things cautiously. Even if she has her suspicions, she will have to wait until the DNA result is out before she can acknowledge her. Otherwise, she won¡¯t simply recognize her based onjustsuspicion. Besides, she¡¯s still investigating the whole city, proving she doesn¡¯t have full confidence in Sara. There is still time before that.¡± He was very pertinent as he analyzed the situation.¡°I will finish my final round of election soon. As long as it is over, it will be up to them, as it will no longer affect me.¡±

    ¡°Please rest assured, Dad. I¡¯ll try my best to stop them from reconciling with each other during this period of time.¡± Sergio inhaled a deep puff of his cigarette smoke and replied glumly, ¡°Dad, I think it¡¯s time to speed up the fight against the Richards Group, as they had already driven the Sky Sword Group out of A City. Their opponents are almost gone. We can¡¯t drag it on any longer.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how it should be. However, A City is going to host the Regional Games soon. It¡¯s not easy for us to take them down right now. The authorities will take care of him,¡± Yadriel muttered.

    ¡°Take care of him? They¡¯re charged with leaking the country¡¯s secrets. How can they protect him?¡± Sergio asked with slight disdain, ¡°Now that we¡¯ve found out that Yaris from the Richards Group had done everything, this responsibility falls on the Richards Group. So, we should take advantage of this loophole.¡±

    ¡°With that being said, the Richards Group has arge group ofwyers. Before Yaris is captured, they can use this as an excuse to extend the litigation period. Now that Sadiva is asking for his help, he will report this situation to the authorities.¡± Yadriel¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t rx, and his heart was heavy.

    ¡°But what we need now is time.¡± Sergio was very anxious.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Right now, everyone needs to buy time. Do you think that they don¡¯t know? Everyone is well aware of that.¡± Yadrielmented astutely, ¡°Don¡¯t think that we can take him down with just a single move. Don¡¯t forget that there¡¯s still Johan in Capital City.¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    What worried him most was Johan¡¯s attitude. No matter how much Yadriel wanted to pay a visit to him, he either avoided talking or refused to meet with him. His actions were so secretive thatYadrielcould not figure out what he was thinking.

    Sara was Johan¡¯s biological granddaughter. Back then, Johan had tried his best to hide vian¡¯s and Madam Lilian¡¯srtionship, but Yadriel still found out.

    Although Johan didn¡¯t acknowledge her, it didn¡¯t mean that he wouldn¡¯t be unconcerned about it. Otherwise, if it weren¡¯t for Johan¡¯s intervention in Earl¡¯s affairs from Capital City, Hansen, a mere businessman, wouldn¡¯t have been able to shake Earl up.

    What did this mean? This meant that Johan¡¯s heart had begun to waver these past few years. After all, he was getting older, and there were some things he had finally seen through.

    The present election was the ultimate key. If Yadriel could win this round, he would be the sure winner.

    As long as he took that position, he didn¡¯t need to be afraid anymore. After all, Johan was getting old, and his influence couldn¡¯t be maintained for long.

    Right now, the most important thing was to ensure that the Richards Group would not cause trouble and that Johan would not side with Luqman. As long as nothing happened to these two parts, he would be sure to win.

    Fortunately, he waspeting with Luqman. Not only was Luqman unrted to Johan, but he also had nothing to do with the Richards Group. This made him feel at ease.

    After Jenna arranged everyone¡¯s amodation at the Ink Garden, she signed off a few more purchasing orders for the next day before standing up and walking outside.

    The ones on duty that night were Hansen and Trevor. Since they were both on duty that day for Vivian, they took a rest in the lounge next to Vivian¡¯s bedroom, while the others went to bed. Ifanythingwere to happen toVivian, they would immediately inform everyone toe over and pay theirst respects to her. This was the duty of the night watchman.

    Jenna was indeed tired. She was exhausted and sleepy, and she really wanted to rest early.

    In the dark night, the starlight was dim.

    At the end of the corridor was a crabapple tree. There was no starlight, and the night wind was blowing. The night cast a shadow on the tree, which made it eerily haunting.

    Jenna walked carefully with her head down.

    The gust of wind blew over. As it was really cool in the Ink Garden, they didn¡¯t even need to turn on the air-conditioner when they slept at night.

    A pair of white high-heeled shoes with golden rims stood under the tree, emitting a dazzling white light, which was abnormally striking at night.

    Jenna gasped and shivered.

    She lifted her head in shock.

    A ghostly woman stood in front of her with dishevelled hair and a pale face, wearing a white dress. She looked straight at Jena with a pair of eyes full of resentment, ferocity, and even hatred.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Jenna was so scared that she couldn¡¯t help screaming out loud as she quickly covered her lower abdomen with her hands.

    Her face was chalk white, and her eyes were full of fear.

    Was it a ghost or a human?

    Why would she bump into this kind a thing!

    ¡°Jenna Murphy, don¡¯t forget what you¡¯ve promised me. You said, Hansen will bring me for registration in three days. Don¡¯t go back on your word.¡± The ghost-like woman stood in front of her, speaking coldly and horribly.

    The woman turned out to be Liya.

    Jenna soon came back to her senses, and her whole body was as cold as ice. When she returned, she heard from the servants at home that Liya had left Richards Manor.

    Jenna thought that Liya hadpletely given up and had left on her own. After all, Hansen stated that hehad never loved Liya, nor would he marry herin front of everyone and the media. Everything was done to save ude. Who would have thought that in just a few days, she would sneak into Richards Manor at night?

    It seemed that that woman would not give up. When she thought about it, her heart was ice-cold. The sweetness from the past few daypletelydisappeared.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s wrong?¡± When Hansen, who was in the room, heard Jenna screaming in horror, he was so scared that his heart trembled, and he ran out at once.

    Jenna opened her eyes and looked carefully again. There was no trace of Liya in front of her. There was only darkness.

    Hansen rushed over with a shlight in hand.

    She rubbed her eyes again, and the image in front of her disappeared. It was as if she had imagined it all.

    ¡°Jenna,are you afraid because it¡¯s too dark?¡± Hansen stretched out his hand and held hers tightly. Her hand and her body were cold, and she was even shivering. He frowned. What happened to her?

    ¡°Jenna, if you¡¯re afraid of the dark, I¡¯ll send you to the guest room. If you¡¯re scared, it won¡¯t do any good to your body and the child in your womb.¡± Hansen hugged her with pity and embraced her in his warm chest. Then, he held her in his arms and walked towards the guest room in the Ink Garden.

    In fact, they would arrive after passing through the crabapple tree. There was only a small and dark area between it.

    ¡°Strange. Why is thismp not working?¡± When they passed by the crabapple tree, Hansen looked up at themp and frowned, holding Jenna in his arms while muttering, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with Maud. If themp is broken, why won¡¯t he call the maintenance workers to repair it? It¡¯s really necessary to manage these people well.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s hands were wrapped tightly around Hansen. She wasstill quivering andcouldn¡¯t say a word.

    ¡°Hansen, please don¡¯t go.¡± After sending Jenna back to the room, Hansen gently ced her on the bed, covered her with the quilt, and stood up. Jenna grabbed his hand with both hands and pleaded in fear.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched, as he bent down and caressed her head.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid with me around. I¡¯m going to sleep in the lounge tonight. So, you can sleep without worrying. I¡¯lle and check on youter.¡± Heforted her softly, with a doting expression on his face.

    ¡°No, Hansen. I saw Liya just now. She was threatening me.¡± The fear on Jenna¡¯s face did not subside. Her face was pale, and her hands were cold.

    Hansen was stunned. Lowering his head, he asked, ¡°Jenna, are you hallucinating from fright?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. I really saw her. She was wearing a white dress and stood in front of me, warning me that since I¡¯ve promised her that both of you will be registered, she wants me to keep my promise. Hansen, you have to believe in me.¡± Jenna was anxious. She shook her head with all her might and held his hands tightly.

    The expression on Hansen¡¯s face instantly turned terrifying. A stony glint shed in his eyes. That woman dared toe in?

    Hansen lowered his head as he coaxed her gently.¡°Silly, with me around, you shouldn¡¯t be afraid even if you see her. Don¡¯t worry. If she really is here, I¡¯ll throw her out of Richards Manorright away.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t bear seeing her pale face. So, hey down beside her, held her in his arms, patted her on the back, and coaxed her until she closed her eyes and gradually fell asleep. Only then did he walk out in relief.

    ¡°Alvin, hurry up and investigate whetherLiya dide to Richards Manortonight.¡± When Hansen walked out, he immediately called for Alvin.

    ¡°Alright.¡± After Alvin received the order, he immediately began the investigation.

    After a while, he came over in a hurry.

 Chapter 567 Move Out Of Richards Manor

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯ve obtained the surveince records of Richards Manor¡¯s entrance. I did see a woman in whiteing in. She has dishevelled hair, and I couldn¡¯t see her face clearly, but her figure looked very much like Liya.¡± Alvin came in a hurry and reported convincingly.

    ¡°What?¡± Hansen was so shocked that his expression changed drastically. It turned out that that woman had reallye here. It seemed that Jenna was right.

    That was outrageous. How dare she threaten his wife? That was too evil!

    ¡°Where is she now?¡± Hansen asked coldly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, she has returned to her residence, the Crystal Cove Garden. It looks like she¡¯s going to trouble Richards Manor.¡± Alvin sighed helplessly. He didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of a good impression of Liya.

    Going to trouble them? Hansen¡¯s lips curled into a chilly smile.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, do you want me to chase her out now?¡± Alvin immediately questioned.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. She has just lost her uncle. I don¡¯t think she has anywhere else to go. We¡¯ll let her stay for the night. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll send Maud over and tell her to move out.¡± Hansen thought for a moment and decided calmly.

    Alvin opened his mouth. Based on his intuition, Liya wouldn¡¯t move out that easily, and it might very well turn into a huge problem.

    He couldn¡¯t help but shake to his head and sigh.

    ¡°Alvin, you can leave now. Remember that your duty is to protect Jenna, and she can¡¯t be hurt even in the slightest. She is pregnant now. I don¡¯t want anything unexpected to happen to her.¡± Thinking of this serious problem, Hansen repeatedly warned Alvin.

    Alvin nodded his head with a solemn expression.

    The night enveloped the sprawling Richards Manor, and soon everyone fell into a slumber.

    Liya sat on the bed in a daze. Her face was pale and devoid of color.

    Her beloved Uncle Reid had passed away. The only personin this worldwho would spoil and love her was gone.

    He was shot dead at Richards Manor.

    Who fired the gun at him?

    Although Hansen had insisted that it wasn¡¯t his team¡¯s doing, she didn¡¯t believe it at all.

    He didn¡¯t want to marry her, and that fake wedding was just part of his n. If Reid was still alive, he would pressure Hansen. Hansen would then have no choice but to register their marriage.

    However, Reid was dead, andHansenhad nothing to fear.

    Hansen had announced to all the newspapers and media that their wedding was annulled, and he did not intend to marry her at all.

    He had used her to obtain the evidence that had been used to frame Jenna and then used her once again to rescue that d*mned ude.

    Hansen had gotten everything, but she had nothing at all.

    She was not a fool. Reid¡¯s words were still ringing in her ears.

    She wanted to lead a happy andfortable life at Richards Manor. Sooner orter, she would take control of the ce and make everyone there respect her.

    She pinched on her thighs so hard to the point that they were bruising, but she felt nothing at all.

    From her almond-shaped eyes, other than hatred, there was only resentment.

    The next day, just after getting up, someone knocked on the door.

    She opened the doorzily and leaned against the doorframe. Her expression was indifferent, and her hair was dishevelled. She looked exactly like a ghost.

    Maud was standing in front of her, with disdain and mockery on his astute face.

    ¡°Miss Liya, Mr. Richards has ordered you to move out of Richards Manor today.¡± Maud remained expressionless as he said this. He then added in Hansen¡¯s tone, ¡°Of course, if you have any problems, you can bring it up. Mr. Richards might consider it.¡±

    Move out? The corners of Liya¡¯s lips twitched slightly, then she sneered.¡°Maud, you want me to move out just like that? Aren¡¯t you too naive?¡±

    Her voice was extremely shrill, and her words were so sharp that it made Maud¡¯s ears feel ufortable.

    ¡°What do you want then?¡± Maud could only ask.

    Liya snorted in disdain. She scoffed.¡°Tell Hansen toe and inform me in person.¡±

    Maud¡¯s expression changed. That day, the task he received was to make sure that she moved out. It wouldn¡¯t be great for him to report back to Hansen that he had failed his task. Thus, he roared.

    ¡°Liya, don¡¯t be so shameless. Mr. Richards personally ordered this. If you leave without a fuss,then he¡¯ll definitely agree to any of your requests. Otherwise, you can only be driven away from here. At that time, you will get nothing.¡±

    Maud had long lost his patience. Now that Vivian¡¯s illness was deteriorating, he had many things to handle as a butler. He didn¡¯t have any time to waste just like that.

    ¡°Maud, please tell Hansen, how dare he chase me out after getting what he wanted. He didn¡¯t even give me any room for negotiation. If he tries to force me, then I¡¯ll kill myself inRichards Manor,¡± Liya replied viciously and mmed the door shut.

    Maud¡¯s face turned pale after hearing the mming of the door.

    As expected, it was troublesome to offend a woman.

    Maudheard Liya say that Hansen had already gotten something from her. What in the world did he get? Maybe Mr. Richards had already slept with this woman. If that were the case, then it would be extremely troubling.

    With that thought in mind, Maud no longer dared to use any force. He immediately ran down the stairs to find Hansen and receive his new orders.

    Hatred sprouted in Liya¡¯s heart like a poisonous weed. She wanted to avenge Reid with her own hands. She wanted to live a wealthy and posh life and have Hansen wholly belong to her.

    Asking her to move out in such a manner, as if he was sending a beggar away. Hansen was too naive.He was seriously heartless!

    She bit her lips and thought hatefully.

    The sky was gloomy in the morning.It seemed as if it was going to rain heavily that day.

    Madam Lilian was standing in front of the bedroom window, and her mood was as gloomy as the sky that was about to rain.

    The night before, she had a nightmare, and Emily¡¯s cries when she left ACitydecades agofilled her mind. On such a gloomy day, she held Emily for thest time and kissed her, reluctantly letting her go. Then, she carried a small suitcase, walked out of the house, and left ACity.

    At that time, her future was uncertain, and she did not dare to bring Emily along with her. After all, vian was Johan¡¯s son. If she were to be with him, then her future would be better than to follow her. For the sake of Emily¡¯s happiness, she had to bear the pain of parting with her.

    Decades had passed. Where was Emily? Was she doing well? As long as she thought about those things, then she would not be able to be at peace.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± Quina came in quietly and whispered.

    She could not see Madam Lilian¡¯s face, but she could see that the side of her face was covered with ayer of gloomy mist. Whenever she was in such a situation, she would immerse herself in her daydreams and could not regain her senses easily. Quina knew that she was thinking about Emily.So, she could only call out to her softly.

    At that time, Madam Lilian was quick to react, as she turned her head around.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± she asked briefly and simply.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, we¡¯ve found that Jenna¡¯s biological mother, Sara Garver,had lost her legs due to a sudden car ident. Her kidneys were also affected by the incident. She became depressed and soon suffered from uremia. With the help of her son-inw, Hansen, she had a sessful kidney operation, and she recovered very well after that. However, it is inconvenient for her to move around. Hence, she seldom goes out. Our people have not seen her even though they have been to the Francist Community several times,¡± Quina immediately reported in detail.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s heart began to clenchslightly.

    A car ident,loss of her legs,and a kidney transnt. Somehow, these words were like poisonous needles stabbing into her heart, which made her heart ache.

    This was just an instinct. She didn¡¯t even meet her, but the intuition was so strong that she felt it rumbling into her heart, making it so painful that she could hardly breathe.

    ¡°Tell me more.¡± She ordered coldly, ¡°Tell me everything you¡¯ve investigated in detail.¡±

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, Sara¡¯s parents¡¯ are mysterious, and we can¡¯t find out what type of people they are. When the ident happened, Sara¡¯s husband, Javon Murphy, died. No one could speak up for them. In any case, Javon was a government official, and he was murdered, but nothing happened after the incident. The outside world couldn¡¯t find a way to make sense of the matter. It proves that Sara did not have anyone else in her family.¡± Quina analyzed carefully.

    They couldn¡¯t find out about Sara¡¯s family members? This made Lilian¡¯s eyes light up but turned dim again in no time. She had no one from her biological family, which meant that Sara really led an enigmatic life. She was framed, but no one came to help her. If Sara was really her daughter, then Johan was absolutely ruthless. He refused to acknowledge his own flesh and blood, and even ignored her suffering.

    However, if Sara reallywasher daughter, then why did she change her name?

    Sara Garver, Sara Garver. A sudden thought shed through her mind after she muttered her name twice. Wasn¡¯t her own surname Garver as well? Could it be that she changed her name, so that they could have the same surname?

    Such a thought only shed through her mind, and a burst of joy welled up in her heart.

    This was very possible.

    Sara Garver.This time, she secretly visited A City because she must get to the bottom of everything.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, Vivian of Richards Manoris now in a critical condition.¡± Quina recalled that Madam Lilian had requested for her to inquire about Vivian¡¯s state. Thus, she hastily told her the news she had heard.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    Vivian was nowin a critical condition?

    Madam Lilian was shocked, and an undercurrent of emotions surged in her heart.

    The past events from decades ago appeared in her mind once again. When she was still a celebrity, the Richards family was already a wealthy family in A City. Once, on Old Master Richards¡¯ birthday, Madam Lilian went to theRichards Group Manor to perform a y and formed an acquaintance with Vivian. From then on, they became close friends.

    Vivan was very open-minded and did not judge people based on their status. Even though there was an age gap between them, she appreciated Lilian, and often invited her to be a guest at Richards Manor. She listened to her singing, and they gossiped about the interesting stories of the world. Their rtionship was harmonious, and their views were simr.

    After Madam Lilian married vian, vian¡¯s business copsed drastically as a result of Johan¡¯s strict suppression. There was a period of time when they lived in poverty. During that period of time, it was Vivian who had helped them. Thus, she had always remembered Vivian.

    Some time ago, when she returned to A City, she met Hansen and Jenna. Due to her current status and the limited time she had, she did not intend to visit Vivian just then. However, now that she was back, she wanted to meet her. Nheless, her return to A City was kept a secret, as she was worried about the media. Before they found out where Emily was, she did not want to go and disturb Vivian. Nheless, Madam Lilian did not expect Vivan to be in a critical condition due to her old age.

    Madam Lilian closed her eyes and sighed.

 Chapter 568 The Happiest Pregnant Lady

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, please take a seat first.¡± Seeing that Madam Lilian¡¯s face was slightly pale and she was feelingplicated emotions, Quina hurriedly helped her sit down on the sofa.

    After sitting down, she gave a brief order. ¡°Let¡¯s investigate Sara¡¯s background first. I want the details as soon as possible.¡± Madam Lilian knew that she should pay a visit to Vivian, but this time, she came to A City in secret. So, she could only discreetly meet her.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Quina immediately agreed.

    ¡°Also, please find an opportunity for me to meet Vivian,¡± Madam Lilian muttered to herself with a heavy heart.

    ¡°Alright, Ma¡¯am. However, if you visit Richards Manorright now, then won¡¯t it rm the media? Richards Manoris now in the center of attention during this period of time. If you directly visit Richards Manor, then it willreveal your whereabouts. So, you will have to go there secretly. Why don¡¯t you contact Jenna and request for her to arrange your visit without letting the public know about it?¡± Quina reminded her in a soft voice.

    Madam Lilian shook her head.

    She thought of something.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about itter,¡± she replied indifferently with her eyes closed.

    The image of Jenna¡¯s bright eyes shed across Madam Lilian¡¯s mind, and she couldn¡¯t help but to smile faintly. That youngdy warmed to her in no time. Thus, she refused to believe that there was no connection between them. Nheless, Madam Lilian didn¡¯t want Jenna to know about what happened between her and Sara, andshe also didn¡¯t want Jenna to know about Vivian¡¯s and her past. She was waiting for the update on Sara.

    Things were not confirmed yet, and she didn¡¯t want to frighten her too soon.

    After hearing that, Quina had to give up on that idea and started to figure out how she could let Madam Lilian meet with Vivian, without leaking any information, as she walked out carefully.

    Jenna got up as the dawn broke.

    Sabrina also came to visit Jennaearlyin the morning. Due to Vivian¡¯s illness, Sabrina¡¯s mood was particrly heavy, and the expression on her face was not as lively as usual.

    In her memory, Vivian was just like her own biological grandmother. Back then, she would spend two months in the garden every year, and sheadored the kind-looking Vivian the most.

    Yet, now that Vivian was in a critical condition, Sabrina was indeed in a bad mood.

    ¡°Jenna, please just let me know if there¡¯s anything I can do for you. I¡¯m at your service any time,¡± Sabrina was wearing slippers and a set of pyjamas fashioned with white flowers. She looked adorable, but the look on her face was slightly sorrowful.

    Jenna had her hair tied in a ponytail that day, which made the initially dispirited Jenna seem more energetic and refreshed.

    ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t be sochatty. You¡¯re the daughter of a rich family. I dare not give you any orders.¡± Jenna tapped on her forehead and chuckled.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. No matter how rich I am, I¡¯m still working for Hansen. Last night, it was already veryte, but he still woke me up and threatened me.¡± Sabrina stuck out her tongue andined discontentedly.

    ¡°Strange, why did he threaten you?¡± Jenna found it extremely odd. Why had Hansen gone mad?

    ¡°Why?¡± Sabrina curled her lips and teased her.¡°It¡¯s obviously because of you.¡±

    ¡°Do you mind finishing your sentence?¡± Sabrina left her words hanging, and it made Jenna curious.

    ¡°Let me tell you. Hansen solemnly ordered that I, theRichards Group¡¯s vice president, will be transferred to your side as a secretary from today onwards. To put it nicely, I¡¯m now a secretary. To put it bluntly, I¡¯m your ve at your disposal.¡± Sabrina slumped on the couch, looking as if she had been bullied and spat out her grievances.

    Jenna blinked and couldn¡¯t say anything.

    It seemed that Hansen was worried that she would be tired, due to the enormous workload as the head of the household. Hence,he arranged for Sabrina to be by her side.

    Thinking of this, she pursed her lips and smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯re so obedient. He wants you toe.So, you¡¯re here. I really didn¡¯t expect you to be so submissive.¡± Jenna yfully mocked her.

    ¡°What can I do? Who can I me for having a hard life? After all, he¡¯s my boss now. Besides, your husband is a traditional and controlling leader who says one and means just that. How could I dare not to listen to him? Otherwise, I¡¯ll have no chance of earning some extra cash.¡± With a bitter expression, Sabrina looked at her beautiful nails, that were immactely manicured and whined in dissatisfaction.

    ¡°What are you both talking about? Are you speaking ill of me behind my back?¡± Before Sabrina could finish her words, Hansen came in. His heart ached for Jenna. Since she was pregnant, he was afraid that her body couldn¡¯t take it, as she had to manage the household and was even frightened by Liya the night before, which made him even more worried.

    Sabrina sprung to her feet as soon as she saw Hansen enter.

    She wasn¡¯t sitting in ady-like manner at all when she was on the couch earlier. If Hansen were to see that, then he would probably reprimand her. A smile was immediately stered across her face. ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re my immediate superior. How could I dare to speak ill of you? I can¡¯t even wait to please you. Besides, you didn¡¯t marry that sl*t, Liya. I¡¯ve already admired you a lot, alright?¡±

    ¡°What a glib tongue. I want to see which man dares to marry you in the future.¡± Hansen was well aware of Sabrina¡¯s characteristics, as he just smiled and ridiculed her.

    Sabrina¡¯s face changed drastically as she was irritated.¡°There¡¯s no good man in this world. All of you are cheating scumbags. I don¡¯t care about any of you.¡±

    After that, she went out resentfully.

    ¡°Why must you expose her weaknesses? She¡¯s still a little girl.¡± After Sabrina left, Jenna med Hansen.¡°She turned out this way because of Norton from your Richards family.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®your Richards family¡¯? Aren¡¯t you a member of the Richards family?¡± Hansen was unhappy to hear this. He carried her from behind and sat down on the couch.¡°Honey, are you feeling well now? Do you feel like throwing up? Your morning sickness was pretty bad before this.¡±

    He rubbed her belly with his big hands and asked dotingly.

    Jenna¡¯s face reddened.¡°No, it¡¯s much better this timepared to when I was pregnant with Jerry. My morning sickness is not that bad as well.¡±

    When she thought of her previous pregnancy, the light in her eyes dimmed.

    ¡°It seems like we¡¯re having a girl.¡± Hansen hugged her tightly and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already invited the best maternal and child healthcare team in A City over. They will follow you at all times and carry out examinations for you. You don¡¯t have to go to the hospital regrly in the future, as that will be too tiresome. They will check on you at all times and give you maternity and healthcare lessons. If Grandma passes away during this period of time, then there will be a lot of things to be sorted out. Sabrina can settle them. Don¡¯t overthink. Just tend to Jerry,ugh more, eat more, y more, and make sure you¡¯re feeling good.¡±

    Hansen affectionately reminded her,in a caring and gentle way.

    Jenna listened and screamed internally. This guy was really exaggerating, as heeven went to the extent of arranging a team of experts to follow her at all times. Wasn¡¯t it just a pregnancy? It was much more difficult thest time, but she still went through it safely!

    Hansen saw through her thoughts. The guilt from the previous pregnancy was still haunting him. This time, he must perform well and ensure that his wife was the happiest pregnantdy in the whole world.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry. When you gave birth to Jerry, I couldn¡¯t stay by your side. This time, I will try my best to make you happy. I will be by your side throughout the wholebour. I know how hard it is for you as a mother. I will give my very best to you and my children.¡± Hansen held her in an extremely affectionate and mellow manner.

    Such words would make any woman¡¯s heart feel sweet and warm. Jenna¡¯s mood immediately lightened, and she even forgot that she had met Liya the night before.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    The two of them sat in the bedroom and enjoyed each other¡¯s embrace for a long time. It was not until the servants outside called them for breakfast did they walk out hand in hand.

    ¡°Jenna,e and eat this. This is the stewed food I specially made for you.¡± As soon as Marissa saw Jenna in the dining room, she walked up to her with a smile on her face. She seated Jenna at the table and served the stewed dishes in front of her one by one.

    Hansenughed at the scene. Then, he sat beside Jenna.

    Jenna was stunned.

    Whenever they met, Marissawould be smiling from ear to ear. Marissa¡¯s love for her was evident on her face, and she didn¡¯t want Jenna to do anything.

    Jenna knew that Hansen had opened his big mouth, and toldMarissaand Trevor the news of her pregnancy. Although she felt smitten, she couldn¡¯t help but to want to beat him up when she thought of the smug look on Hansen¡¯s face.

    It has only been more than a month, but he was in a hurry to show it off everywhere. She didn¡¯t want to tell the others, at such an early stage, but she didn¡¯t know why she wanted to keep it that way. Anyway, she just felt that it was not the right time to let everyone know about it. There was no reason, and it was just an instinct. Nheless, Hansen had already announced it, and it made her feel uneasy.

    Of course, she understood why he did that. Vivian was seriously ill, and there were a lot of troublesome matters to handle. He was afraid that she would overwork herself. Hence, everyone would take more care of her if they knew about it.

    The entire family gathered at the Ink Garden for breakfast. Jenna was the only one with multiple dishes of various sizes served to her. With Marissa and Hansen by her side, she was forced to eat all the food. They were really spoiling her, which would definitely make any onlookers feel a wave of jealousy in their hearts. This was especially so for ude¡¯s second wife, as her heart was instantly filled with envy when she saw this scene.

    Jenna was forced to eat a lot of food by Marissa, whereas Hansen even spoonfed her. Jenna felt as if she was like a doll enveloped by Marissa¡¯s and Hansen¡¯s love. That gave her the feeling of being doted on by her parents when she was a child, and it made her feel overjoyed.

    Due to Trevor and ude¡¯s presence, they ate in silence during breakfast.

    Jenna had a good appetite. She ate quite a bit of food, and Hansen was delighted.

    Just as they were eating quietly, someone suddenly lifted their head.

    As they felt that something was off, Hansen and Jenna raised their heads as well.

    With just a nce, the expression of the couple immediately changed.

    With a smile on his face, Sergiowas dressed in an official¡¯s uniform,and he appeared in front of everyone gracefully.

    ¡°Greetings, Uncle Trevor andAunt Marissa. I see that you¡¯re all having breakfast, and I just happened to make it in time.¡± Sergio sat in the guests¡¯ seat, picking up his fork and spoon.

    Everyone looked at each other.Then, they all began to fake a smile.

    Hansen clenched his fists tightly.

    He vaguely pursed his lower lip,and the corner of his mouth slightly curled up. There was a hint of coldness in his smile.

 Chapter 569 Meeting Luqman

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank. It seemed that Sergio wouldn¡¯t leave Richards Manor alone if they didn¡¯t clear the Richards Group of their false usation.

    Sergio was calm andposed, looking at her with a smile in his amber-colored eyes.

    She hurriedly lowered her head, picked up her utensils, and reached over to a te of freshly pickled vegetables, gently picking up a piece of pickled green bean. Perhaps it was because of her panic thather hands trembled slightly. Jenna put it into her mouth and tasted it carefully. She could noticeably feel that Hansen¡¯s muscles were tensed.

    As she chewed the pickled green bean in her mouth, she stretched out her fingers and grabbed Hansen¡¯srge hand.

    She much preferred the pickled green bean over the stewed soup. After chewing it several times and swallowing it into her stomach, she looked up at Hansen¡¯s frosty face and smiled.¡°Hansen, I¡¯m full. Let¡¯s go and see Grandma.¡±

    Hansen tried his best to suppress his boiling rage. After Jenna¡¯s words pulled him back to reality, he nodded and said, ¡°Dad, Mom, Uncle, Aunt, enjoy your meal. I¡¯ll head out with Jenna first.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s gaze was solemn as he nodded his head.

    Upon getting their permission, Hansen and Jenna left.

    ¡°Hansen, when will the usation against the Richards Group be dismissed?¡± Jenna asked worriedly. It was obvious that Sergio came over at this time for the charges against the Richards Group.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. I will handle everything. You have to believe in me.¡± Hansen was worried that Jenna would be anxious. After all, she was pregnant. Hence, he immediatelyforted her.

    ¡°Hansen, promise me that no matter what happens in the future, please don¡¯t keep it from me. Let¡¯s face it together, alright?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes sparkled, and she requested emotionally.

    ¡°Alright,honey.¡± When Hansen noticed tears welling up in her eyes, his heart palpitated. He held her in his arms and agreed to her request. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. In the future, no matter what happens, I will tell you about it. I will also discuss it with you.¡±

    He would never allow anyone to use her against him in the future. Thus, there was no need for him to hide anything from her.

    ¡°Then, don¡¯t lie to me anymore.¡± Jenna, pouted while her soft and tender fingers glided across his rose-colored lips.

    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t.¡± Hansen chuckled.

    That day, Sergio did note over for the charges against the Richards Group. In fact, Hansen knew very well that everything he did was for Yadriel¡¯s election.

    Otherwise, with such a severe charge against the Richards Group, Sergio would¡¯ve taken advantage of the time when Zoe was framing them and destroyed them, ording to his personality!

    Hansen would never believe thatSergio was worried about Jenna getting hurt.So, he eased the time limit in investigating the Richards Groupwhen Zoe had nted all the usations on her.

    He was just looking for an excuse to stay in the Richards Group and control them, so that they would not affect Yadriel¡¯s election.

    He understood very well that if the Richards Group were to do their best to support Luqman, Yadriel would have to spend a huge sum of moneyif he wanted to win. Not only would that be more difficult, but he mightalsofail.

    If Sergio could grasp his weakness, then Hansen could also make a fool out of him and Yadriel.

    White clouds were floating in the sky outside the cabin.

    Hansen secretly boarded a flight to Capital City with John.

    There was a slight restlessness flowing through the air.

    Hansen, who had always liked to take control of everything, was also quite irritated at that moment. He had driven Zoe¡¯spany out of A City, but Yaris was still on the loose.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t be sure when Yaris would return to A City¡¯s government hospital,and he wasn¡¯t sure when Yaris¡¯ mother would die.

    Right then, time was ticking. He couldn¡¯t wait any longer.So, he had to take action quickly, viciously, and in an urate manner.

    Although Vivian might lose her battle at any time, he couldn¡¯t fulfil his filial duty and stay by her side.

    The situation was urgent. He believed that if Vivian were awake,then she would support his actions.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the address is at a restaurant outside the gate of Capital City. It is set at 3 o¡¯clock in the afternoon. After we arrive at the hotel, we can also have a meal and a good sleep.¡± As soon as they got off the ne, John gave a brief description of their schedule.

    ¡°We can¡¯t let anyone know about the arrangement, especially Yadriel¡¯s people,¡± Hansen ordered in a low voice.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Luqman is a smart politician. Even without my advice, he has already done careful nning.¡± John nodded to reassure him.

    Hansen nodded, and the two of them didn¡¯t say anything more. They hailed a taxi and rushed straight to the hotel.

    In Capital City, the sandstorm was rather strong, and the weather was gloomy.

    When Hansen woke up from his sleep, he washed up at leisure andtidied up his suit, putting on a tie.

    When he entered the designated VIP room upstairs, Luqman was already sitting on the luxurious leather couch, awaiting him.

    In front of the couch was an exquisite tea set. Luqman was wearing a casual outfit as he prepared the tea. His behaviour was calm, and his actions were elegant, as if he had predicted that Hansen woulde looking for him. He sat confidently, waiting for him with a faint smile on his face.

    Dressed in a suit and leather shoes, Hansen walked in with an imposing manner.

    Until now, he had no choice but to join forces with Luqman to defeat Sergio.Aman should be flexible and understand when to give and take. After all, he was more experienced now,and he wasn¡¯t as arrogant as before.

    Yadriel had left him no choice. He was getting ahead of himself and wanted to take advantage of the situation. How could Hansen be controlled by him!

    As soon as he stepped into the room, Luqman stood up, stretched out his hand, and greeted with a heartyugh. ¡°Mr. Richards, wee.¡±

    Hansen smiled faintly and extended his hand as well.¡°Mr. Wood, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Please, take a seat and have some tea.¡± Luqman gripped Hansen¡¯s hand tightly with his fleshy hands and added gently. He was practically pulling Hansen¡¯s hand as he sat down on the couch across from him.

    The tea on the table had been brewed. As soon as Hansen sat down, Luqman began pouring tea for him in a solicitous manner.

    The tea gave off a sweet and fragrant aroma, just like wine, and its steam carried the aroma, drifting into their noses.

    Hansen finally understood what it felt like to partner with someone to gain benefits.

    ¡°Come, have some tea.¡± Luqman personally picked up a round teacup and handed it to Hansen. Hansen had no choice but to stand up and take it over,uttering, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Wood.¡±

    Luqman was attentive and well-prepared. He spoke and acted considerately, showing his sincerity and patience.

    Under his sword-like brows, Hansen¡¯s deep gaze showed sudden ripples of emotions, but it didn¡¯t leave any traces behind.

    He had never liked dealing with politicians.

    In such aplex surrounding, they had already cultivated a set of professional and officialmunication modes. Some of them were scheming and dishonest. In their eyes, they only wanted to climb up the politicaldder, and benefits were sometimes insignificant towards them.

    Christopher Matthews was such a man.

    Therefore, when Hansen had helped out Christopher, as the director of the Public Security Department, he had deliberately distanced himself from him.

    Hansen was a businessman and mainly focused onmerce. There were thousands of people that relied on him in hispany. He was not in the mood to specte the habits and intentions of politicians. If it was not financially profitable, then he would consider it unworthy. That was the nature of a businessman.

    Luqman had predicted that Hansen woulde over that day. He had once mentioned that he was already involved in the matter, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to remove himself from it.

    Hansen was now forced to take this route. However, the real reason he was determined to meet Luqman was that Yadriel and Sergio had gone too far. If such a person became the governor of Capital City, it would be disastrous for the people, including his ownpany.

    That was why he had to make this choice.

    When he drank the fragrant tea, he noticed that the taste was slightly bitter. However, whenit slowly slid down his throat, the fragrant aftertaste and sweetness made him feel enlightened all of a sudden, and he gradually enjoyed himself.

    Many described life as wine but most of the time, life was also like tea.

    After experiencing so much, Hansen finally felt wiser. He was no longer the easily provoked young man he used to be back then, and his heart had been sharpened to be resilient.

    As Trevor was already old, Hansen could no longer let him worry about the family affairs.

    He wanted to pave his own path slowly and to captain the Richards Group through the storm.

    ¡°Mr. Wood, the election is imminent. It¡¯s rare for you to be in such a good mood.¡± Hansen drank the tea and ced the teacup gently on the table, smiling faintly.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m just keeping myself optimistic. Obviously, I have no hope. Thus, I can only drink tea and have a casual chat with you. Nheless, I¡¯m d to see you, Mr. Richards.¡± Luqman had a self-deprecating smile on his face. His tone was humble, but his face was glowing with confidence.

    Hansen grinned.¡°Mr. Wood, to be able to sit in such a rxed way and drink tea with me, this is not something an ordinary person can do. It seems that you are certain about it.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Luqman replied straightforwardly, ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m well aware of who you are.So, I won¡¯t beat around the bush. How about this? Let¡¯s be upfront and not resort to insinuations. Since you¡¯vee to find me this time, I assume you already have a proper n?¡±

    Luqman cut to the chase, and there was a friendly smile on his face.

    However, Hansen let out a softughter. He was not in a hurry to reply. Instead, he asked slowly, ¡°Mr. Wood, what do you mean by this?¡±

    Luqman lifted his gaze. The handsome young man in front of him, Mr. Richards, had an admirable background and appeared neither humble nor conceited. He kept to himself and did not reveal a shred of timidness. He wasposed, and his manner was formidable. Luqman couldn¡¯t help but to offer praise.¡°Mr. Richards, ording to what I know, Yadriel is preparing to attack the Richards Group. Yet, you¡¯re able to remain calm. I think you must be well-prepared.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he chuckled.¡°Mr. Wood, you¡¯re ttering me. However, our Richards Group is upright and abides by all the rules. Naturally, we¡¯re not afraid of him investigating this matter. Isn¡¯t it just a woman framing us? Can she really ruin mypany? To tell you the truth, the reason I¡¯m here today really isn¡¯t about the matters of our ownpany. It¡¯s only a matter of time before I clear off the usation of the Richards Group. Nheless, I just happen to have my own reasons for visiting you at this time.¡±

 Chapter 570 Do You Miss Me?

    Luqman was all ears as he nodded from time to time. This young man was not a show-off, and he had a watertight strategy. It was clear that Yadriel had threatened Hansen¡¯spany, and he wanted to put him to death, but Hansen was not in a hurry. Even if he came to find Luqman and wished to join forces to solve the problem, then he would not expose his pain. Instead, Hansen spoke with him with confidence, and he even took the lead.

    However, Luqman appreciated a man like him and didn¡¯t mind it at all.

    He also knew what he was thinking.

    Hansen willingly took the initiative to meet Luqman, which meant that he was controlled by the others. He would not exaggerate his own difficulties. That could also be considered human nature.

    In fact, Luqman also understood thatpared to Hansen, he was indeed more anxious than him. His own situation was absolutely pressing.

    Unauthorized disclosure of ssified information wasn¡¯t considered a huge crime. As long as Hansen caught Yaris, the matter would be resolved sooner orter. Moreover,Yaris would not be able to escape from him. He was well aware of that.

    Nheless, for Hansen, his n was far-reaching.

    Even if this matter was over, Yadriel and Sergio being Hansen¡¯s enemies were already known to the public. In that case, what mattered most was Hansen¡¯s future path. People like Yadriel did not deserve to be officials. That was what he was worried about, and it urged him to rush over and join forces with Luqman. In fact, it was even out of desperation.

    However,ing to Luqman did not mean that he would beg for his cooperation. After all, Hansen had never asked for help in his life.

    Luqman was nothingpared to Yadrielin terms of both power and prestige.

    He, Luqman, knew this very well.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    Therefore, it was fine for Hansen to work with him together, but Hansen would definitely appear as a benefactor. In the future, Luqman would owe him. That was what Hansen wanted to achieve all along.

    He was just a businessman.

    Thus, the benefits must be evident.

    Right then, Luqman smiled and admitted to it.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, to be honest, if I am to bepared with Yadriel now, I do not have any advantage. In fact, I have long wanted to give up. If I am topete with others, then I don¡¯t have to rack my brains. Nheless, Yadriel is a man of sinister thoughts. I believe you understand just what type of person he is and what he has done before. If he wins, he¡¯ll suppress me once he steps onto the stage and not let go of the Richards Group as well. Moreover, his attitude will neither benefit the country nor the people. If he was elected, then it would be intolerable.¡±

    Luqman¡¯s face flushed red. He was so agitated that his fingers were trembling.

    Hansen slowly crossed his long leg over the other and leaned back against the couch,tapping the back of the couch lightly with his pale fingers. ¡°Mr. Wood, I¡¯m a humble man, and my words are of little importance. I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to let you get what you want.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s totally possible.¡± Luqman corrected him immediately.

    Hansen was stunned for a moment as his eyes glimmered with doubt. What made him so confident? It was as if he had nned it out.

    His highly arched brows were slightly knotted.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I won¡¯t win if Ipete for the vote counts with him. The astute and scheming Yadriel has already made careful arrangements, and I don¡¯t intend to be a governor. At this moment, as long as he is found guilty, everything can be resolved.¡± Luqman lowered his voice and then whispered in an extremely mysterious manner, ¡°Someone has already gotten a lot of his evidence.¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Hansen asked in surprise.

    Luqman narrowed his eyes and squinted. ¡°Mr. Richards, do you really not know?¡±

    Hansen was taken aback again.¡°I really don¡¯t.¡±

    Luqman¡¯s eyes rxed.It seemed that Hansen was really unaware of it. He answered thoughtfully, ¡°Mr. Richards, the person who knows this secret is someone fromRichards Manor. It¡¯s hard for me to believe you when you im that you don¡¯t know about it.¡±

    Hansen finally understood why Luqman wanted to cooperate with him. It turned out that he had already known the inside story and knew that the Richards family had something he needed.

    Nheless, who could have the ability to get hold of Yadriel¡¯s weakness in Richards Manor?

    Moreover, he didn¡¯t even know about it.

    It puzzled him.

    ¡°Is it Uncle ude?¡± He thought for a moment and questioned eventually.

    After Luqman confirmed that Hansen was indeed clueless about it, he could not help but toment the profoundness of rich and powerful families. He also understood that there were great masters in prestigious families.So, he inwardly sighed.

    ¡°Irvin Wace, do you know him?¡± Luqman stopped keeping him in suspense and responded directly.

    ¡°Irvin Wace?¡± Hansen was shocked. It was rumored that Paul and Irvin were Vivian¡¯s subordinates. Did she already know about this?Was that why she had sent Irvin to the war-torn country for an investigation?

    A look of surprise and bewilderment appeared in his eyes.

    ¡°Irvin has been in the war-torn country for more than a year. He is currently in disguise over there, and he managed to obtain multiple pieces of Yadriel¡¯s evidence.¡± Luqman added very seriously, ¡°Yadriel found out about this, and he is sending people everywhere to look for Irvin. He wants to catch him alive. Therefore,Irvin is in a dangerous situation now.¡±

    Hansen was stunned. It took him quite a while to recover from his shock.

    ¡°Therefore, Mr. Richards, it is not practical to talk about buying votes now. Even if people from the Richards Group and those you managed to persuade vote for me, at most, I will only be tied with him. That will waste too much time and effort. If we reveal Yadriel¡¯s crime and let the people see his evil deeds, then they will definitely realize what type of a person he truly is.¡± Luqman was full of righteousness as he spoke eloquently.

    That was in line with Hansen¡¯s expectations.

    He also came here that day with that n in mind.

    He nodded as if he was deep in thought.

    ¡°Do you have any ns?¡±

    Luqman smiled and nodded. He moved closer towards Hansen,and the two began to talk in detail.

    In the Ink Garden.

    Vivian¡¯s heart attack rpsed, and she passed out once again. Fortunately,the people around her noticed it in time. After taking the special medicine, she was saved. Nevertheless, everyone understood that the chances of her surviving another heart attack were slim.

    Jenna was sitting in the office and signing all kinds of documents. If Vivian passed away, Richards Manorwould definitely hold a funeral ceremony. After all, they were an affluent and powerful family, and Vivian was a legendary person, just like a heroine. Jenna would be unimaginably busy at that time. So, she had already done all kinds of preparations in advance.

    Trevor and ude would be doing the nning of theyout. As such, she did not have to worry much about that. The most important tasks were the purchasing, favors, bills, and all sorts of other details. However, thanks to Marissa¡¯s guidance and Sabrina¡¯s great help, she was not too tired.

    The team of maternal and child care experts checked her up almost every day. The kitchen staff provided her with all kinds of supplements and food. As long as she could eat or wished to eat, someone would immediately send them to her.

    Trevor and his whole family were extremely attentive towards Jenna¡¯s needs during her current pregnancy. No matter what kind of demand she had, they would always fulfill it.

    This was especially so for Hansen, who had almost treated her like a porcin doll, as he carefully took care of her.

    In fact, Jenna felt exceptionally blessed.

    She was considering moving Sara to Richards Manor.After all, Sara was going to attend the funeral after Vivian¡¯s death.

    In the evening, after having dinner, Larry apanied her for a walk in the Ink Garden¡¯swn, only to see Maud rushing towards them in a hurry.

    ¡°Madam, Liya has been staying in the Crystal Cove Garden for two daysalready. That day, Mr. Richards ordered me to ask her to move out. However, she continued staying in the Crystal Cove Garden and refused to leave. She even mentioned that she had something to tell Mr. Richards and was unwilling to move out. She¡¯s really a headache.¡± Maud came over andined bitterly.

    Only then did Jenna remember Liya. That night, she had appeared in the Ink Garden and had threatened to have Hansen register with her. Jenna had not seen her for the past few days and thought that it was just her imagination. However, after hearing what Maud had said, it seemed that she was really there that night.

    ¡°You mean Liya is still staying in the Crystal Cove Garden, right?¡± She frowned and looked a little pale.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards has already ordered me to drive Liya away. I did so, but she refused to leave andinsisted on meeting Mr. Richards first,¡± Maud exined with a bitter expression, and he felt extremely uneasy.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank. It seemed that Liya would not stop pestering Hansen until she got what she wanted.

    ¡°Madam, that woman came to me just now and asked me to arrange a bed for her in the Ink Garden. She said that she will stay at theInk Gardento perform the filial duty for Old Madam.¡± ording to Hansen¡¯s instructions,Maud could just drive Liya away, and there was no need for him to inform Jenna. She was pregnant, and he was afraid that it would affect her mood.Nevertheless, when Liya ordered him to arrange a room for her in the Ink Garden under the pretence of watching over Vivian with the identity of Mrs. Richards, he did not dare to make the decision, as it was a big matter. So, he had toe over andpolitelyrequest for guidance.

    Upon hearing this, Jenna was frightened and thought of the scene when she had juste back from the Seaside Resort and met her that night.

    Her heart began to sink bit by bit. This woman was already entangled with Hansen, and Jenna was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t leave that easily.

    She dialed Hansen¡¯s number.

    ¡°Jenna, do you miss me?¡± Hansen¡¯s maic and charming voice came from the other side of the line.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Upon hearing his voice, Jenna¡¯s heart was filled with a slight sorrow,and she was choked with sobs.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Aftering out of Luqman¡¯s private room, Hansen rushed to several social dinners and talked about the acquisition of several brands. His purpose for visiting Capital City was not only to meet with Luqman but to pull the wool over people¡¯s eyes. After all, he did not want the trip to be in vain.

    Vivian was on her deathbed. So, he had to put in extra effort in dealing with Irvin¡¯s incident, as well as Yadriel¡¯s and Sergio¡¯sschemes.

    Hansen was holding a ss of wine and was about to take a sip when he noticed the phone on the table ringing. He picked it up and heard the faint sound of Jenna crying. His heart tightened, and heforted her in a warm and gentle voice. ¡°Jenna, I will be back soon. I am almost done with the errands here.¡±

    Jenna clutched her phone and felt sad, but she didn¡¯t know where to start.

    Would he be able to get rid of Liya once he was back?

    If Liya was a man, Hansen could ask someone to drive her awaydirectly. However, she was a woman. If Hansen were to chase her out of the house, he would be criticized by others. What was more, Hansen might not bear to do it. Moreover, Jenna personally promised to register Liya¡¯s marriage with Hansen. How could she be at ease?

    ¡°Jenna, are you feeling unwell? If you feel any difort, hurry up and find the expert team. You must take care of your health.¡± Hansen¡¯s expression was tense.¡°I¡¯ll be home soon. Don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t know how she should talk about it over the phone.So, she answered nkly and hung up the phone.

    ¡°Mr. Richards will handle this matter when he returns.¡± She gave a simple order, and Maud had no choice but to leave.

    ¡°This woman is really shameless. I don¡¯t know how she got herself involved with Mr. Richards.¡± Hearing this, Larry was outraged and directly cursed her.

    Jenna smiled bitterly in her heart. Who could she me? Jenna was the one who wanted to set up an online workshop. She was the one who hired her. Now she had no choice but to swallow these painful consequences.

 Chapter 571 Death Threat

    Meanwhile, in a five-star hotel.

    Quina hurried in.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, today we finally saw Sara visiting the general hospital for a full body check-up. Our people took the opportunity to follow her to get her test samples. Unexpectedly, people were tailing her the whole time. However, before our people even came out, her test samples were purposely destroyed. Sara has always stayed at home and seldom went out. If the samples were to be destroyed, then I¡¯m afraid it will be difficult to get more in the next few days.¡± The moment Quina came in, she reported in a hurry. When Madam Lilian heard this, she was shocked and hurriedly asked, ¡°Who destroyed the samples?¡±

    Quina shook his head nkly and admitted, ¡°Ma¡¯am, things are getting weirder now. ording tomon sense, Sara is just an ordinary person. There shouldn¡¯t be any security around her. Yet, these two men have been secretly following her all the time. They are very vignt, as if they are afraid that we will get close to her.¡±

    There was a twinkle flickering in Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Can it be that her son-inw, Hansen, had sent someone to protect her?¡± Madam Lilian asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, this should not be the case. ording to our observation in the past few days, those two people usually operate in the Francist Community, and their actions and behaviors don¡¯t seem to be protecting her. Instead, they are very watchful. They seem to be trying to stop someone from getting close to Sara. After the incident at the hospital today, I came to an understanding. It seems that the news of you searching for your daughter in A City had been leaked, and some people were rmed. Or, it can be thatsomeone found out that yousecretly wanted to get close to Sara to confirm your rtionship. After that, they sent people over to stop you from getting close to Sara. If Sara really is your daughter, then that person doesn¡¯t want both of you to reconcile.¡± Quina analyzed all her doubts and views.

    Madam Lilian was furious. She looked flustered and roared, ¡°Are you saying that someone is trying to stop me from reconciling with Sara?¡±

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, such a spection is possible,¡± Quina replied with certainty,not concealing anything.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Sara. I¡¯m looking for my daughter. How is this interfering with other people¡¯s matters? This is outrageous.¡± Madam Lilian was agitated as she threw the newspaper onto the coffee table.

    Quina¡¯s face was solemn, and she abruptly reminded her.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, if someone is secretly obstructing your efforts to approach Sara, then it means that Sara¡¯s situation is indeed extraordinary. Maybe she really is your daughter. If so, it will be easier for us as we have a clear goal.¡±

    Madam Lilianposed herself and snorted. ¡°I¡¯ve always trusted my instincts. I am sure that Sara and I are rted. Since someone doesn¡¯t want me to get close to her, I have to find ways to stop it. Well, I¡¯m going to visit her today and see what they can do. As I¡¯m already in ACity, I won¡¯t go back so easily before solving the issue. I¡¯d like to see who dares to stop me from identifying with my own family. Well, arrange a time for me. I¡¯m going to visit her personally.¡±

    Her voice was cold and strict, and there was unrestrained anger on her face.

    That was reallywless. Was it illegal for her to visit A City to look for her family? Did she offend anyone in the process of doing so?

    That was so ridiculous!

    She had been in the political arena for a lifetime, but someone dared to go against her. It seemed thatACity really had some aggression.

    When she thought of Sara¡¯s current situation, her heart sank further. She felt even more uneasy and guilty. If Sara was really her daughter, then she was toote!

    The sky was gloomy and dark clouds were floating in the sky. Lightning and thunder rumbled in the distant sky.

    Liya sat in the Crystal Cove Garden, with her eyes fixed on a ce.

    During the wedding, one of the two pieces of jewelry Trevor and Hansen had given her had been taken away by Fadison, and she had pawned the other for money to pay for Reid¡¯s funeral. After returning Zoe¡¯s five million dors, she didn¡¯t have much left.

    She did not intend to let this woman, Zoe, go. However, she was not the most important person to deal with now.

    Liya slowly took out her cell phone and looked at a phone number on it.

    Oscar hade to threaten her again.

    Her eyes were bloodshot, and her lips were tinged with bruises.

    As long as Zoe released the tape, Liya wouldn¡¯t have the chance to stay in Richards Manor anymore. She would either have to act now or sufferter.

    She slowly stood up and walked out.

    ¡°Jenna, why is that woman, Liya, still here?¡± In the office, Sabrina entered in a hurry, with anger all over her face.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± After a quiver in her heart, Jenna asked anxiously.

    ¡°Jenna, I really don¡¯t understand. Hansen had already dered that the wedding had been staged, and he neither loved her nor registered their marriage. It has been a few days. Why don¡¯t you drive her away?¡± Sabrina heaved a heavy sigh and med her.

    Jenna felt ufortable, but she didn¡¯t know what to say. She had promised Reid in person. Hence, she didn¡¯t have the courage to drive the woman who came to steal Hansen away.

    ¡°Go and take a look. She is now sitting on the railing of Ink Garden¡¯s penthouse, making threats that if Hansen doesn¡¯t fulfil his promise and register their marriage, then she will jump off the building and spill her blood on the grounds of Richards Manor.¡± Sabrina was too muddled, and her face flushed red. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless woman in my life. It¡¯s disgusting.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Jenna stood up in shock and ran outside.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t get worked up by it. Be mindful of your body.¡± Seeing Jenna¡¯s pale face and unstable steps, Sabrina shouted anxiously behind her.

    Ink Garden was anold-fashioned vi. It was not very tall,and had only two floors. However, the penthouse was three stories high. The roof was also taller as they wanted a higher ceiling to ensure that their house was spacious andfortable.

    Liya sat on the stainless steel railing that was installed on the top floor. Her frail body swayed about in the wind, as if she would fall at any time.

    Many workers gathered on the Ink Garden¡¯swn. Everyone from the Richards family who was resting in the guest rooms also came out.

    ¡°Quick,the security guards should go up and pull her down.¡± When Trevor came out and saw the scene, his head hurt. He quickly ordered the security guards who were standing by the side.

    ¡°No, don¡¯te over. If youe over, then I¡¯ll jump down immediately.¡± Liya¡¯s body swayed, and she looked like a ghost. Staring at the crowd with her red eyes, she shouted, ¡°The Richards family doesn¡¯t keep their promises and bully the weak. I have no choice but to fight with my life.¡±

    After saying that, she burst outughing.

    Jenna heard her sinister and horribleughter and felt a sudden wave of sadness in her heart.

    Liya was a well-educated girl, and she was young and beautiful. Why did she have to take this path?

    ¡°Liya, hurry down. You¡¯re breaking thew by threatening us. You¡¯re so young, and you¡¯ve even graduated from university. How can you not understand what is right and wrong?¡± Trevor yelled in a deep voice.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Liyaughed hysterically.¡°The Richards family is neither virtuous nor honest. You nned a trap to frame my uncle and kill him. You¡¯ve promised to register my marriage with Hansen, yet you went back on their word after you¡¯ve obtained what I have. You¡¯re mean and shameless. Let me tell all of you that I won¡¯t give up so easily.¡±

    After she said that, she smiled miserably in the wind.

    At this moment, ude already knew everything. Confronted with Liya¡¯s behavior, he could not help but be angry, and he shouted, ¡°Liya, the matter between your mother and me has long been over. Our family has done our utmost to help you. Reid kidnapped me without any reason, which was already an unforgivable crime. You¡¯re well-educated, and you know thew, yet you¡¯re breaking it. You can¡¯t be forgiven. If you remain here and don¡¯t leave today, then I will ask someone to drive you away directly.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! You don¡¯t have the right to scold me.¡± Upon hearing ude¡¯s voice, Liya became even more enraged.¡°You¡¯ve impregnated my mother, yet you¡¯ve abandoned her. After the child in my mother¡¯s womb was killed by the Richards family¡¯s members, you cruelly drove her away and made us homeless. In the end, she died outside. I will get even with you.¡±

    ¡°Maud, hurry up and call the police. Let the police save her.¡± Jenna quickly regained her senses after the shock and panic, and she immediately gave instructions to Maud.

    Liya threatened the Richards family with her death. No matter what the consequences would be, letting the police handle it was the most appropriate thing to do. In a moment of desperation, she ordered Maud to call the police.

    Maud instantly called the police.

    ¡°Jenna, you b*tch, you promised me that day that you¡¯ll ask Hansen to register with me three days after, but it turned out to be a scam. Even if I were a ghost, I wouldn¡¯t forgive you.¡± Seeing how the Richards family cared for and even highly respected Jenna, Liya felt a deep hatred and resentment in her heart. She immediately pointed at Jenna and scolded her.

    Jenna stood below and her mind was in a mess.

    ¡°It¡¯s such a stroke of bad luck to have such a woman pestering our family. It¡¯s better to let her die since she wants to die so badly. She climbed up on her own to seek her own death. It¡¯s none of our business,¡± Vivian¡¯s eldest daughter,Winifred Richards, said disdainfully.

    These days, there have been all kinds of people. As long as it concerned money, they would do anything, including giving someone threats of suicide. She hated such people the most.

    The police car¡¯s sirens sounded from the outside. Richards Manorwas toorge. The sound of the sirens was not very clear from the inside. The crowd only began to quieten down when some electric vehicles arrived with a few policemen in them.

    After the police saw the situation, they began to do some proper nning. After all, someone¡¯s life was on the line, and they couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch her die.

    ¡°Tell Hansen toe out and take me to Ennd to register our marriage today. That way, I¡¯ll be obedient. Otherwise, I¡¯ll jump down from here and die in Richards Manor.¡± Liya realized that more and more people wereing, and her expression turned even more agitated.

    The police quickly arranged thick, spongy mattresses on the ground. Then, they took the microphone and kept shouting at Liya to coax her from ending her life. Such a scene was really unbearable.

    Trevor¡¯s heart was filled with sorrow.

    Such a terrible situation had never happened in the usually solemn Ink Garden. Yet, such a despicable scene had happened right then when Vivan was about to die. It really made him feel ashamed towards his ancestors.

    At the entrance of the Ink Garden, Hansen was carrying a briefcase. His footsteps were steady as he walked in. He could hear themotioning from inside even when he was a distance away. He was shocked and quickly strode in.

    When he saw the following scene, he couldn¡¯t believe his own eyes. He didn¡¯t expect Liya not to leave. Instead, she was there threatening him with her life. It was the first time he had seen such a disgraceful woman.

    The rage in his heart exploded.

 Chapter 572 Let The Police Take Her Away

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯re back,¡± someone in the crowd eximed when he saw Hansen. For a moment, everyone turned their heads to look at him.

    Hansen was walking towards them. His gaze was heavy, and his face was dark, which gave him a merciless demeanor.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    After scanning the crowd, his eyes fell on the pale-faced woman standing in front of him.

    He walked up quickly and took her hand. There was a touch of tenderness on his face as heforted her softly.¡°Honey, don¡¯t worry. Leave everything here to me. You should go back and have a rest.¡±

    How could he let the pregnant Jenna stay at such a scene?

    He could not let his unborn child, who was still in Jenna¡¯s womb, experience such horror. He had the responsibility to protect them.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re back.¡± When she saw his muscr and strong figure, Jenna¡¯s panicking heart finally calmed down. The man had a reliable, masculine disposition, and she instantlyposed herself.

    She knew that the problem would be solved since he had returned.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to the guest room for a rest first. How have you been in the past two days?¡± Hansen¡¯s initially gloomy eyes became particrly gentle and kind when he saw her. The murky expression on his face also dissipated, and he didn¡¯t even look at the woman on the roof who was courting death.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna looked into his eyes, which were bright and spirited. She answered obediently and willingly followed him back to the bedroom.

    ¡°Hansen, Liya¡­¡± After Jenna was carried onto the bed by Hansen, she was still not at ease and spoke.

    ¡°Shush.¡±Hansen lifted a finger, indicating that she should not speak. Then, he leaned over and whispered in her ear, ¡°Silly woman, don¡¯t worry about it. Such a woman won¡¯t be willing to die. She just wants to threaten me. Please rest assured. I won¡¯t let things go her way. I¡¯ll pull her down from the back door and let the police take her away. Just ignore her.¡±

    As he spoke, he kissed her forehead and touched her belly with his hand, smiling at her as he added, ¡°Trust me. I¡¯lle backter to check on your daily life in the next two days. If I find out that you didn¡¯t eat much, then I¡¯ll spank you.¡±

    After that, he gently tapped her nose.

    In an instant, Jenna¡¯s face was no longer pale as she blushed and giggled shyly.

    The night before Hansen left for Capital City, he had instructed Jenna to eat as much as she could, drink as much soup as she could, and eat as many fruits as possible. He had listed a course of dishes for her and had even gone to the extent of allocating two chefs to cook specially for her. Not only did Larry and Aunt E take care of her, he had also recruited a few helpers. Hence, she was surrounded by arge number of people everyday. The medical expert team could only enter her guest room for a check-up at her convenience.

    The food Jenna ate was refined and costly. Everyday, the kitchen woulde over to ask what she liked to eat. If she wanted to eat something that was not avable in the country, then they would use a helicopter to fetch it. There were several times when she wanted to eat cherries. Hansen thought that the local cherries were not up to par. So, he sent someone to a foreign country with a helicopter to purchase the cherries.

    No matter what kind of ingredient it was, Hansen would always focus on its exquisiteness and cost. When she was pregnant with Jerry in the past, he hadn¡¯t taken care of her, and he regretted it a lot. He wasn¡¯t the same now as he had even spent almost an entire day printing a detailed list of Jenna¡¯s daily schedules. Soon after, Hansen gathered the kitchen staff and her aides, including the medical expert team, and held a meeting to give out the specific orders.

    Hansen requested them to take care of Jenna, who was pregnant, with their best efforts.

    When these people realized that Mr. Richards valued his wife and children so much, none of them dared to act in a superficial manner.

    Jenna¡¯s basic needs were the best of their kind. The cooking ingredients were also the freshest and the finest. For example, Hansen did not allow the kitchen staff to purchase chickens from the supermarket as he thought that those chickens were injected with hormones and fed on cheap fodder. If Jenna ate them, then it would affect the growth of her child. He insisted that the kitchen could only buy free-range chickens, with a strict record of its journey from the hatching of the chicken until it matured. They must be able to find out the production chain on which farm it belonged, and at the very least, it had to be from a reputable supplier.

    Each bite Jenna took and each sip Jenna drank must be of the best brand and the ingredients.

    Even if Hansen kept watch at night for Vivian and was busy with thepany¡¯s affairs, he would take the time to apany Jenna. Other than the days when he was in Capital City, he would always allocate some of his time everyday and went for a walk with her. He would even hold her hand as they walked around the garden. He had been doing so since they had returned from the Seaside Resort. Not only that, but he would also carefully check on her daily workload and confirm it was within the scope of her tolerance.

    He would not allow anyone to make her unhappy. One day, one of Richards Manor¡¯s chefs thought it was too troublesome to go to a warehouse to buy eggs. So, he secretly used eggs he bought from the supermarket. When Hansen found out about it, his face darkened, and he called the chef over for a good scolding. After that, he fired the chef.

    After this incident, everyone began to prepare Jenna¡¯s foodcarefully, clothing, and basic needs. They worked extra hard to serve Jenna.

    Jenna was surrounded by Hansen¡¯s deep love. Trevor and Marissa also favored her. Right now, she was practically doted on by everyone, and she was also the head of the household of Richards Manor. In the Richards family, her current status was the most precious and popr. All the servants in Richards Manorhad to follow her instructions before carrying out a task. This was what it meant to be spoiled rotten.

    With Hansen¡¯s care and love, Jenna¡¯splexion was getting better day by day. Although she was pregnant, her pale face looked livelier. Even in the face of Vivian¡¯s illness,Hansen ingeniously got rid of all that negative emotion, even though herheart was ufortable.

    At this moment, Hansen only smiled with satisfaction when he watched her lying quietly on the bed. He walked out with peace of mind.

    On the rooftop behind the Ink Garden, Hansen quietly walked up from the side.

    The police officers below were working hard to coax Liya. When Hansen¡¯s figure appeared on the rooftop, he made a gesture to them. The police understood Hansen¡¯s intention and maintained theirposure as they tried tofort her to attract her attention.

    ¡°If Hansen agrees to bring me to the marriage registration, then I wille down. Otherwise, I won¡¯t budge, no matter what you say, and I will even jump to my death,¡± Liya screamed at the top of her lungs.

    Hansen¡¯s charming eyes were filled with ayer of coldness.

    How dare this woman threaten him with such a method? She was thinking too highly of herself!

    Did she think that she still had a hold on his weakness?

    He swiftly closed in, and with sudden lightning speed, he reached out from behind to grab the woman¡¯s weak arm. With a forceful pull, Liya was pulled off from the railing, and he lifted her up.

    Hansen¡¯s grip was strong. With just slightly more force, he could crush this wicked woman¡¯s bones. Jenna¡¯s bright eyes suddenly shed across his mind. He gritted his teeth and held back the impulse.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± After a moment of shock, Liya lifted her head and noticed that it was him.

    Hansen. It was Hansen who came.

    She was both surprised and happy. The hatred she had felt due to Reid¡¯s death and the staged wedding was instantly gone. She just reached out and held onto his leg, with tears brimming in her eyes.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t drive me away. You promised me that you¡¯ll marry me. Why did you do this to me?¡±

    She wailed loudly, and her voice was miserable.

    Hansen was unaffected by her crying as he carried her down and walked towards the police.

    ¡°Officer, this woman threatened us for no reason and tried to endanger her own lifebrazenlyat Richards Manor. This is hazardous behavior. I hope you can handle it properly. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be responsible for the consequences of what would happen in the future,¡± Hansen announced gravely, with his face full of seriousness.

    ¡°No, Hansen. You promised me that you¡¯ll register for our wedding in three days. You can¡¯t go back on your own word.¡± Liya understood that Hansen wanted to hand her over to the police and take her away. She panicked and was scared as she cried loudly.

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Hansen was really fed up with Liya¡¯s wailing. She kept on repeating that he had promised to marry her over and over again. He was furious to the extreme as he shouted in a stern voice, ¡°Liya, I¡¯ve never loved you, and I¡¯ve also told Reid that on the wedding day. Why should I marry you? Our Richards family raised you and even supported you until you graduated from college. Why don¡¯t you know how to love yourself? There are many men in the world. So, why can¡¯t you look for someone more suitable for you? We are in A City, and ording to thew, I am a married man, and I have a legal wife. So, how can I marry you? Have you lost your mind from all the studying? You know that I have a beloved wife and a child. There is no reason for me to marry a woman who doesn¡¯t know her ce. I warned you a long time ago that if you leave Richards Manorwithout a fuss, then I will considerpensating you. Yet now, judging by your behaviour, I have nothing more to say to you. You should follow the police and leave.¡±

    In the past few days, Hansen had learnt from Jenna everything Vivian had done for Liya and her family. The Richards family really didn¡¯t owe them anything!

    ¡°Liya, you should understand why your mother ended up like that. It was because she insisted on staying in our family. Are you going to repeat her mistakes now? Could it be that you really don¡¯t understand what happened back then to your mother? Besides, why would our family owe you? Grandma sent you to college out of her goodwill just to make you understand this truth. Your actions are too disappointing.¡± Hansen¡¯s heart ached with regret. He was exasperated at her failure to live up to his expectations.

    Liya was stunned by Hansen¡¯s ruthless words. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she couldn¡¯t say a word.

    ¡°Officer, please take her away. She has nothing to do with the Richards family. What she¡¯s doing now is trespassing on private property and gravely disturbing our life. It¡¯s extremely horrendous. Please punish her ording tow.¡± Hansen had a cold expression on his face, and he spoke in a dignified tone. After that, he immediately called out, ¡°Maud.¡±

    Upon hearing that,Maud rushed over.

    ¡°Maud, from today onwards, this woman called Liya is not allowed to enter Richards Manoragain. Whoever lets her in will be responsible for her,¡± he ordered sternly.

    ¡°Okay, Mr. Richards. I¡¯ll let the others know immediately,¡± Maud answered in a heartbeat.

    Soon, the police left the scene with a stupefied Liya.

    Hansen¡¯s chilly gaze swept across the entire scene beforeturning around and walking towards Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    Liya¡¯s farce had finally ended.

 Chapter 573 Madam Lilianâ€™s Visit

    In the summer, the weather was rather impermanent. After a heavy rain, the gloomy air disappeared, withfresh air constantly flowing in through the window.

    Sara sat in front of the study, breathing in the fresh air, and her depressed mood instantly lightened up.

    The staged wedding that had happened in Richards Manor, as well as the fact that Hansen had personally rified the rumor of him getting a second wife, improved Sara¡¯s mood.

    Hansen was truly in love with Jenna. Through this incident, she was able to make out what was going on.

    Although Sara disagreed with Hansen¡¯s method of ¡®marrying a second wife¡¯ to solve the problem. Nheless, after careful analysis, this kind of arrangement was also the best shortcut to solving the problem.

    She took a deep breath and looked down from the French windows.

    Even though she was on the 28th floor, she keenly noticed the disturbance of the neighbourhood below as shesat there everyday to enjoy the scenery outside the house.

    Five ck cars drove in from the Francist Community¡¯s main entrance.

    Such cars were not driven by ordinary people.

    After all, Sara was also an official¡¯s wife. She used to follow Javon and participate in various governmental administrative meetings. Hence, she knew that the cars¡¯ license tes were only avable for government officials.

    Moreover, they were not used by themon officials.

    She sat quietly, but the expression on her face was indifferent and deste.

    Since Javon left, Sara¡¯s life had been quiet and bleak. Jenna was the only one who could bring her slight happiness when she returned. Other than that, Sara¡¯s life had turned monotonous.

    This residential area was for the family members of government personnel. Thus, it wasmon for such a grand government vehicle to appear. Therefore, she didn¡¯t think too much about it. After all, those had nothing to do with her.

    Life was like that. After Javon¡¯s death, the mother and daughter duo became an orphan and a widow. The people who usually surrounded them no longer appeared. Such vicissitudes of lifewere normal. Sara¡¯s heart was as calm as a millpond, and she was indifferent and unperturbed.

    Madam Lilian sat in the car and carefully observed the area¡¯sndscaped garden. She figured that they must have had a good life before Javon met with an ident. At the thought of that, she rxed.

    After the car was parked on the ground floor, Quina helped Madam Lilian get out of the car.

    A few more military vehicles followed behind quietly. This was a detailed arrangement made by Quina. Considering the sudden incident in the hospital previously, she had to make ample preparation this time.

    The elevator stopped on the 28th floor.

    Quina carefully held Madam Lilian as they exited the elevator.

    One of the bodyguards came forward and rang the doorbell.

    After a long while, someone opened a small door from the inside.

    Bailey looked out from the inside and noticed a dame with an extraordinary temperament and two bodyguards standing at the door. There was also a middle-aged woman with sses on, who was rather ssy, holding onto thedy.

    Bailey was stunned and was sure that she did not know them.

    That was strange. Who could those people be?

    ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± Her face was full of surprise as she asked with vignce. In the past few days,Bailey had the feeling that someone was following her when she had gone out to shop for groceries. Furthermore, their building seemed to have more mysterious strangers than usual, making her feel very uneasy. Hence, she became more rmed.

    ¡°Hello, may I ask if Madam Sara lives here?¡± Quina smiled and asked amicably.

    ¡°You are¡­¡± Bailey did not open the door even though they mentioned Sara¡¯s name. Instead, it was obvious from her tone that she felt even more suspicious about it, and she did not hide the doubts on her face.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s like this. Our Madam wants to visitMadamSara. Is that okay?¡± Quina gave a polite smile.

    Madam?

    Bailey¡¯s eyes fell on the noble woman who was standing in the middle.

    This woman¡¯s temperament was noble and elegant, and her outfit was different from the others. The imposing aura she exuded was something she had never seen in so many years.

    Bailey looked at Madam Lilian¡¯s face again. Her delicate facial features made her look as if she was in her fifties. She looked polished and behaved in a very dignified manner, which made her look extremely approachable.

    She stood there quietlywith a kind smile on her face.However, the noble andformidableaura she emitted could not be ignored.

    Bailey watched on. Suddenly, she felt as if the face, nose, and eyes in front of her were somewhat familiar, as if they had once met each other. However, she couldn¡¯t recall where she had seen her.

    ¡°Please rest assured. We have no ill intention. We just wish to visit Madam Sara. We heard that she is not in good health. So, we are here to see her. Please open the door and let us in.¡± Quina was all smiles as she exined patiently.

    Seeing that scene, Bailey understood that they wanted to pay Sara a visit. It was likely that they wouldn¡¯t leave if they couldn¡¯t meet her. She thought for a moment before politely replying, ¡°Then, please wait for a moment. I¡¯ll go in and ask for Madam¡¯s opinion first.¡±

    As she spoke, Bailey turned around and went to Sara¡¯s study.

    ¡°Madam, there¡¯s a dame outside wanting to meet you. She even brings along a few people,¡± she whispered to Sara, who was sitting there in a daze.

    ¡°Oh, who are they? Why do they want to see me?¡± Sara answered with an ¡®oh¡¯ indifferently. She didn¡¯t seem fazed by it, and her expression was calm.

    ¡°Madam, this¡­¡± Bailey didn¡¯t know what to say. After thinking for a while, she added, ¡°The woman who looks like a staff member mentioned that their Madam heard that you are in poor health and wanted to visit you.¡±

    The corners of Sara¡¯s mouth twitched slightly.

    Why would there still be people, whom she didn¡¯t know,ing to visit her, a disabled person, for no reason or out of sympathy?

    Although she was disabled, she didn¡¯tck anything.

    ¡°Bailey, can you ask her who she is again? What¡¯s her name? Why did shee to visit me? If she just wants tofort me because she sympathizes with my condition, then forget it,¡± she answered indifferently again with a very stoic expression.

    ¡°Alright. However, Madam, they seem to have a strong background. So, they should not be ordinary people,¡± Baileymented.

    Sara snorted even more disdainfully. ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about her background. They¡¯re here to see me, not the other way around. If they can¡¯t give me a proper reason, then I won¡¯t meet them. You should know that I don¡¯t care about interacting with the nobility.¡±

    Hearing Sara¡¯s words, Bailey had no choice but to agree and walk out of the room.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but my Madam would like to know who you are. May I get your name? Is there an important matter behind this visit?She is in good health now, and she doesn¡¯t need your sympathy.¡± Bailey repeated Sara¡¯s words.

    This time, the people outside looked at each other in dismay.

    Quina did not expect meeting Sara to be so troublesome. It seemed that Sara¡¯s personality was not that good as she was very lofty. In fact, many people wanted to meet with Madam Lilian, but their intention didn¡¯t bear any fruit. Right then, Madam Lilian took the initiative to see her and she was still putting on airs. Nevertheless, after considering their special rtionship, Quina smiled and responded kindly, ¡°Our Madam is Madam Lilian, and she is a high-ranking person. She¡¯s here just to meet Madam Sara, and there is no malice. I hope your Madam can ept our goodwill.¡±

    Bailey smiled bitterly on the inside. She understood Sara¡¯s personality. Madam Lilian¡¯s status was of no use to her now, as it all depended on whether Sara liked her.

    At this time, Madam Lilian chimed in with a faint smile, ¡°Please tell Madam Sara that Jenna is now my granddaughter. Since I¡¯ve identified with her, I wish to visit Jenna¡¯s mother, Sara. Jenna often proudly mentioned Sara in front of me, and I¡¯ve already told her that one day I¡¯lle to visit Sara in person.¡±

    As soon as these words left her mouth,Bailey instantly heard Jenna¡¯s name. Her expression and attitude changed. She looked at Madam Lilian again with a smile on her face and hurriedly informed them, ¡°Then, please wait a little longer. I¡¯ll receive my Madam¡¯s instructions.¡±

    Bailey quickly left. After a while, she opened the door and invited Madam Lilian in.

    The two bodyguards stood outside the door, and Madam Lilian only took Quina into the room.

    The living room was very spacious, and the decoration was quite luxurious.

    Her family must be rather wealthy.

    Madam Lilian looked around.

    At this moment, Bailey pushed Sara out of the room.

    Madam Lilian and Quina turned over to look at Sara almost at the same time.With just a nce, Madam Lilian¡¯s heart pounded violently.

    ¡°It¡¯s just too simr. Too simr,¡± she muttered to herself with the rims of her eyes reddening.

    Sara¡¯s delicate face looked so simr to vian¡¯s.

    Her forehead and nose seemed to have been made out of the same mold.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s hands began to tremble.

    At this moment, Sara was sitting quietly in the wheelchair with a polite and decent smile on her face.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Madam Lilian,¡± she greeted politely. She had heard from Jenna about Madam Lilian. She knew that Jenna hadformed a grandmother-granddaughterrtionship with this world-renowned woman. For Jenna¡¯s sake, Sara didn¡¯t dare to disregard her. So, she immediately ordered Bailey to open the door and invite them in.

    For Sara, nothing was important except forJenna.

    Even if Sara didn¡¯t want to meet them anymore, she still had to do it for Jenna¡¯s sake.

    Madam Lilian just dumbfoundedly stared at Sara, and her vision was blurry due to the tears in her eyes. It was not until Sara called out to her twice did shee back to her senses.

    ¡°Okay, okay, child,¡± she replied in a trembling voice. The woman was sitting in front of her in a wheelchair. If she was really her daughter, then she was at most 51 years old. Madam Lilian gave birth to her when she was 21. Yet now, although she was sitting in the wheelchair with a calm smile and a determined look in her eyes, she already had gray hair and looked even older than her. Was this her daughter? What kind of a life was she living?

    ¡°Madam, thank you for visiting my humble abode. Please have a seat.¡± Sara, who was sitting in a wheelchair, gestured towards the couch. She then turned to Bailey and ordered, ¡°Bailey, make some tea for the guests.¡±

    Grinning widely, Bailey agreed and left to prepare refreshments.

    Sara pressed the switch on the wheelchair. Madam Lilian hurried over and offered in a friendly tone, ¡°I¡¯ll push it for you.¡±

    As she spoke, she did not allow her to refuse her offer. Madam Lilian personally pushed Sara towards the couch.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    ¡°Thank you, Madam.¡± Sara was slightly embarrassed.

    Madam Lilian pushed her and ced her next to the couch. After that, she sat down on the sofa opposite Sara. The two of them faced each other and sat very close to each other.

    After sitting down, the two began to size each other up.

    The longer they looked at each other, the more frightened both of them were. For the first time, Sara felt fear. She didn¡¯t know what kind of a feeling it was. In the end, she avoided Madam Lilian¡¯s gaze and dared not to look at her anymore.

    The light inMadam Lilian¡¯seyes was so familiar that Sara almost didn¡¯t dare to look straight into her eyes.

 Chapter 574 The HeartWrenching Encounter

    ¡°Sara, your legs¡­¡± Madam Lilian¡¯s hands twitched, and she moved them towards Sara¡¯s legs, which were missing below her thighs. When Sara was at home, she did not wear artificial limbs as she would feel pain from the friction. Therefore, when Madam Lilian didn¡¯t feel anything there, she was stunned. Her voice trembled, and she could not speak.

    Sara recovered from the panic in no time. She knew that she was overthinking it. vian had once drunkenly told Sara when she was a child that her mother had already died. She did not believe that there was any connection between Madam Lilian and herself. At that moment, she avoided the topic of her injury and smiled calmly.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, Jenna often talks about you, saying that she likes you very much. She also mentioned that she has already considered you her grandmother.¡±

    Madam Lilian had experienced countless great events, but it was hard for her to recover from this shock.

    There was almost no need to verify it. At this time, she was ny per cent sure that the woman in front of her was her daughter, the biological daughter whom she had given birth to after being pregnant for ten months.

    She took off her sses and skillfully wiped her tears with a handkerchief. When she put it back on, her voice was slightly hoarse.

    ¡°Yes, Jenna and I hit it off immediately. I adore her very much.¡± Madam Lilian nodded and answered. Although she was smiling, her emotions were rather unstable.

    ¡°s, Jenna is obedient and sensible, but she is young and inexperienced. If she has offended you in any way, please don¡¯t mind it.¡± Sara chuckled and tried to smooth things over for Jenna for fear that Jenna would offend those people.

    When Madam Lilian heard this, she immediatelyughed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Jenna is the most sensible and considerate child I¡¯ve ever met in my life. She even cooked for me in person, which moved me a lot.¡± Madam Lilian¡¯s gaze was all smiles and admiration. She approved of Jenna, not only because of her intuition but also because of Jenna¡¯s words and actions.

    Sara also chuckled when she heard that. It seemed that Madam Lilian was really fond of Jenna, and she was not trying to cotton up to her.

    ¡°Madam, please have some tea.¡± Bailey brought out a tea set and boiled some water. Then, she took out the best tea leaves and served Madam Lilian.

    Madam Lilian looked over. It was a set of fine bone china teapot and teacups, and it appeared to be aged. As she stared at it, her vision turned blurry again.

    If she remembered it correctly, vian had brought this set of fine bone china teapots out of the Moore family in Capital City when they got married. It was a set offine quality bone chinateapots, and the price tag was high. It was hard to buy such historically rich wares now.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    When she took over the teacup from Bailey, her emotions were fluctuating.

    She was absolutely astonished. It was no wonder that she had such a close and intimate feeling when she saw Jenna. It turned out that they really were rted by blood.

    ¡°Madam Garver, previously at the museum, I actually bid against Jenna for the Twin Plum Fan. Thinking about that day, we had an intense fight. I didn¡¯t know it was her at that time, and she didn¡¯t know it was me either. After thinking about it, I strongly feel that it was fate. Later, she told me that you wanted the fan, and she couldn¡¯t bear to disappoint you. So, she needed to have it. I was so touched when I heard that. I really admire you for having such a wonderful daughter. I think you must be a happy mother.¡± Madam Lilianplimented Jenna sincerely and with admiration.

    Hearing Madam Lilian mentioning Jenna, Sara soon beamed with happiness and pride. She nodded and admitted, ¡°Indeed, I am a happy mother. In my life, what makes me happiest is that I have such a smart and sensible daughter. I do believe that this is God¡¯s blessing.¡±

    As she spoke, her eyes were filled with tears of joy and excitement.

    Madam Lilian watched as Sara¡¯s eyes were shining with love. It was only when they talked about Jenna did Sara¡¯s face regain its color. Her eyes, which had been dim and dispirited all the time, shone brilliantly. Madam Lilian couldn¡¯t help but to feel extremely miserable about it.

    ¡°Madam Sara, I have a question for you. Can you answer me?¡± She leaned a little forward and took advantage of Sara¡¯s joyful mood as she asked sincerely.

    ¡°Alright, go ahead,¡± Sara agreed without hesitation, and her face was still glowing with motherly love.

    ¡°Well, I would like to know why you were so adamant on getting the Twin Plum Fan.¡± Madam Lilian worded them carefully as she looked at Sara without blinking.

    Sara was stupefied for a moment, and there was a nk expression in her eyes.

    Sara thought of her mother whom she had never met before. She sighed in her heart and answered, ¡°Madam Lilian, the Twin Plum Fanes in a pair, and I just want them to be reunited again, just as my own keepsake.¡±

    Sara¡¯s memory of the word ¡®mother¡¯was rather dark and bleak. In fact, she didn¡¯t even feel anything for that word.

    ¡°Do you have the other Twin Plum Fan?¡± A glimmer of light shed across Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes as she hurriedly asked.

    Sara appeared somewhat downcast as she lowered her head and nodded. She was unwilling to talk to others about her issues, especially to someone she had never met before. She only nodded her head and admitted it but did not want to say anything else.

    ¡°Jenna mentioned that the Twin Plum Fan had your scribbles. I¡¯m really sorry for taking something you cherished. If you¡¯re here for this fan today, I¡¯m willing to give it to you. After all, you regard Jenna as your granddaughter. So, I won¡¯t go against her.¡± Sara knew long ago that Jenna wanted to give the Twin Plum Fan to Madam Lilian. However,she understood how much Sara adored them. So, she was embarrassed to say it out loud.Madam Lilian mentioned the Twin Plum Fan when she visited her. Hence, she must be there for the fan. So, Sara was the first to speak up.

    Madam Lilian was stunned for a moment before sheimmediately shook her head and replied with a smile, ¡°No, no, don¡¯t misunderstand me. This is yours. How can I take it from you? I understand such a principle. I was just curious, and I don¡¯t mean anything else. Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡±

    For fear of her misunderstanding them, Madam Lilian immediately changed the subject and began to talk about other things.

    After all, Madam Lilian only wanted the Twin Plum Fan because of her daughter. Why would she want Sara to give it to her as a gift? Nheless, Sara naturally couldn¡¯t understand what she was thinking.

    After changing the subject, the two of them talked about other topics. As they chatted andughed, Madam Lilian noticed that time had flown by.So, she rose to her feet and took her leave.

    Sara wanted to invite her out for a meal, but Madam Lilian was not in the mood for that. Moreover, she couldn¡¯t casually show up in public with her identity.

    ¡°Madam Garver, I¡¯ll ask Jenna to take you out one day. The three of us can have a meal together as it¡¯s not convenient to do so today.¡± Madam Lilian stood up and took Sara¡¯s hand. She didn¡¯t know what to say. So, she simply murmured.

    Sara smiled and nodded.

    Bailey sent them to the door. Thinking of how Sara was alone at home, Madam Lilian insisted that there was no need for Bailey to send them to the car.

    ¡°Take this strand of hair and my hair to the hospital for a DNA test. Be quick.¡± As soon as they got in the car, Madam Lilian took the strand of hair that she picked up from the wheelchair when she was pushing Sara. Then, she plucked a strand of her own hair and handed it to Quina.

    Quina carefully picked up the hair and put them in a stic bag.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, Madam Sara does look slightly like you. Even her expressions and actions are somewhat simr to yours.She is most likely the biological daughter you¡¯re looking for.¡± There was also excitement on Quina¡¯s face. After all, she had helped Madam Lilian search for her daughter for a long time. If they really found her, then it would fulfil Madam Lilian¡¯s dream. Madam Lilian was in her old age, and it¡¯d be great if she had someone to rely on. Most importantly, she still had such a lovely granddaughter, Jenna.

    Tears streamed down from the corners of Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes.

    Without any verification, she was almost certain that Sara was her daughter. That day, when she asked about the Twin Plum Fan, she almost called out to her, but she held back the impulse.

    Fifty years had passed. Sara had suffered too much.

    She hadn¡¯t had any maternal love since she was young and vian had passed away in his early years. Even though Johan was her grandfather, he didn¡¯t want to acknowledge her ever since she was young. Just how much pain did she suffer?

    Moreover, Sara was disabled right then, and she even underwent kidney transnt surgery. As Madam Lilian thought of this, her heart would start to ache greatly, and she would feel the utmost pain to the point that she had to close her eyes.

    She felt guilty.

    Madam Lilian didn¡¯t dare to identify with her. She was afraid of frightening Sara, and she was even more terrified that Sara would be unwilling to ept her.

    From the moment they knocked on the door before entering the house that day, it could be seen that Sara was as unapproachable and stubborn as vian.

    Since Madam Lilian had abandoned Sara at such a young age, would she hate her?

    Before she could figure out those things, she did not dare to identify with them rashly for fear that it would startle her. Nevertheless, they finally saw signs of a positive oue, and she also saw hope. Madam Lilian felt that she had note to A City in vain that time.

    Now, all she needed to do was to wait for her DNA to be verified. Madam Lilian believed that she would be able to identify her biological daughter.

    She deduced that she could make up for everything, and she had the confidence that Sara would ept her.

    The car slowly drove towards the Francist Community.

    The sun was setting, and the ground was surging with waves of heat. The pedestrians on the street were also in a hurry, rushing towards their home.

    Liya¡¯s hair was a mess, and her gaze was dull. With each step, she staggered along the street.

    The leaves on the trees by the sidewalk were all curled up due to the scorching hot sun. Even at dusk, everything seemed lifeless, just like Liya¡¯s pale face.

    ¡°Hansen, since you¡¯ve treated me without mercy, don¡¯t me me for being inconsiderate. Let me tell you, I won¡¯t let you off.¡± Liya thought to herself.

    She gritted her teeth, unable to conceal the anger in her eyes.

    A luxurious Lincoln limousine slowly stopped beside her.

    The car window rolled down.

    Oscar¡¯s chubby face and bald head appeared in front of Liya.

    ¡°Hey beautiful, get in the car.¡± His face was full of menace,and his little eyes were sizing Liya¡¯s faceup, and the dirty look in his eyes wasn¡¯t concealed.

    Liya stopped in her tracks.

    At this time, she had nowhere to go and did not have much money on her. Liya was used to living a decent life with Hansen. As she was suspected of ckmailing the Richards family on purpose,they were more afraid of her seeking to end her own life again after leaving the prison.So, the police had to imprison her for a few days after she was handed over to them by Hansen.

    In the past few days in the police station, she had been living a totally different life. Having encountered such a miserable experience, the anger she felt was engulfing her heart. At this moment, she was on the verge of copse, and she felt like a lost soul. Even if there was the slightest ray of light, she would follow it with all her strength.

    At this time, Oscar was akin to that ray of light. Although he was very unreliable, she still chose to be dependent on him.

 Chapter 575 Taking Advantage Of Oscar

    Liya obligingly entered Oscar¡¯s luxurious vehicle.

    She knew that this man was a jerk, pervert, and was as disgusting as a pig.

    However, Zoe was dependent on him.

    Since Zoe could make use of him, why couldn¡¯t Liya take advantage of him as well?

    She neither had any rtives nor any loved ones. Even her Uncle Reid was dead. Hence, she could only rely on her body right now.

    In fact, Liya was very clear about the grudges between Elsie and Richards Manor. After all, she was a top student.

    The Richards family owed her nothing!

    The behavior of her family, especially Fadison¡¯s, could even be considered shameless.

    However, she noticed another realistic problem.

    Before she graduated, she had to go through internships. After graduating, she had been looking for jobs everywhere for months. In those times, she was treated with indifference. Even if she found a job, it was either her sry would be too low to bear, or she would be given the cold shoulder in thepany and was not respected.

    There were traps and hardships everywhere in life, especially forsomeone like her, who had no special identity or background. Even if it was said that she was aputer genius, there were many more like her in the talent pool. Moreover, her results did not stand out.

    It was too difficult for her to make a name for herself!

    Furthermore, in ACity,no matter what popr ortest industry it was, it would still be rted to the Richards Group.

    Richards Group had already dominated the entire business world. If one wanted to find a good job, then one had to find a job in the Richards Group. Nheless, even if they had found an excellent job in Richards Group, so what? At most, they didn¡¯t need to worry about their basic needs.

    If one wanted a grand and impressive lifestyleand to be among high society, then one had to get in the good graces of the Richards Group¡¯s president, Hansen Richards.

    This man, whom she had loved since she was a child, was not only handsome but talented as well. He had many characteristics that made women fall head over heels for him. This caused her to be hot-headed, and she couldn¡¯t control herself anymore.

    It was not her fault. The entertainment industry had the same set of rules, where they climbed up the socialdder using simr means. Liya was a woman, and to be precise, a beautiful woman. Why couldn¡¯t she take advantage of her body to live a decent life?

    Liya¡¯s tightly clenched fists gradually loosened.

    Oscar brought her to a luxurious hotel. After Liya went in to take a shower, he sat down on the couch leisurely and ordered a cart of wine and dishes.

    He nned to enjoy the night with the beautiful woman and fine wine.

    In the past few days, he was punished by Matteo to ponder over his mistakes. He had been suppressing his lust for a few days. It really made him miserable. At this time, he was full of energy and needed to find a release.

    When he was in C City, he had already found out everything about Liya.

    It was impossible for Hansen to marry Liya. He was a man, and he already knew it.

    Needless to say, their wedding was staged by Hansen, but he didn¡¯t expect her to have Reid,her uncle who loved her so much. Fortunately, Reid was dead!

    He had nothing to worry about!

    The ss door gently opened.

    He widened his eyes.

    Liya walked out in an enchanting manner.

    Her soft hair fell on her shoulders, and there was a slight blush on her gorgeous face. She was wearing a translucent nightgown, and she wasn¡¯t wearing any undergarments underneath it.

    After she had taken a shower, her damp hair fell on her forehead gently. The gloominess on her face had faded, and her face was flushed. She looked indescribably attractive.

    Such a luxurious andfortable hotel, as well as the upscale lifestyle, instantly stimted all the energy in Liya¡¯s body. She was sure that she couldn¡¯t leave such avish lifestyle anymore. If she wanted to live afortable life in the future, then Oscar would be a good pivot to bring her and Hansen together.

    From that day onwards, she would make use of Oscar, a rich and powerful man with a rtively simple mind.

    This man wasscivious and perverted. If Liya deliberately endured his torture, then she would suffer unspeakably. However, if she took the initiative, then she would have unexpected results.

    Oscar was infatuated with her.

    That was what she saw in Oscar¡¯s eyes.

    Wasn¡¯t it enough for a woman to rely on her body to conquer a man?

    ¡°Little beauty, I miss you so much.¡± Only then did Oscar see the charming Liya, dressed in a s*xy nightgown, walking over to him one step after another. His breathing quickened.

    Under the woman¡¯s nightgown, the bright red cherries and the lush forest loomed with a fatal temptation. Oscar was getting excited, and he couldn¡¯t think straight. His eagle eyes were shining with lust, and he couldn¡¯t wait to pounce on her and devour her fully.

    After Oscar had gotten a taste of Liya, he gradually realized thatpared to Zoe, he much preferred the flexible and coquettish Liya. Such a woman could be the death of him. Her every move was dainty.

    Although Zoe was beautiful and delicate, she was toopetitive. She was tough andcked femininity. Hence, it was boring to y with her after a while. On the other hand, Liya was different. She was able to affect men¡¯s primitive animal instincts and caused him to be unable to extricate himself.

    Therefore, when Oscar heard that Liya was jailed as she had threatened Hansen with her death, he quickly came over and bailed her out.

    Oscar was so obsessed with her body that he only wanted her to serve him.

    He had to admit that in the past few days, his mind had been filled with Liya¡¯s figure.

    In just a few days, Liya seemed to have be even more mesmerizing.

    There was a deliberately endearing smile on her face, and her gestures were amorous and fascinating, which stimted his nerves in every way. Her bold behavior was more fatally attractive than the way she rejected his advances on a few asions.

    Oscar was so intoxicated by the scene.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, thank you for thinking highly of me.¡± Liya took the initiative to sit down on Oscar¡¯sp. Her hands wrapped around his neck as she coquettishly uttered in a flirtatious manner.

    Oscar chuckled. He was hot-headed and was consumed with desire. Swallowing his saliva down his increasingly dry throat and stroking her body with his fleshy hands, he muttered, ¡°You little alluring woman. I¡¯ve missed you so much.¡±

    Liya moaned as she grabbed Oscar¡¯s hand, which was reaching towards her lower body. In a cute and sweet voice, she grumbled, ¡°Mr.Jones, don¡¯t be in such a rush. I still have something to say.¡±

    Oscar¡¯s breathing sped up, and he felt as if his whole body was about to burst.

    ¡°Hurry up and tell me what you have to say.¡± His eyes shed with bloodthirst as he spoke in a heavy tone.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, will you fulfil everything I request?¡± Liya turned around and ced her entire body on Oscar¡¯s chubby figure, continuously grinding against his sensitive area. As such, Oscar was so aroused that he was about to explode from his lust. His face was scarlet red, and his breathing was rough.

    ¡°Sweetheart, I¡¯ll promise you anything you want,¡± he answered in a hoarse and impatient voice.

    ¡°Is that true,Mr. Jones?¡± Liya¡¯s red lips got close to Oscar and kissed him as she asked, pleasantly surprised.

    ¡°Of course, when have I ever lied to a woman?¡± Oscar pushed Liya onto the couch and gasped for breath.

    ¡°Mr. Jones is indeed a man.¡± Liya had one arm wrapped around his neck and blocked his plump lips with the other hand,uttering word by word, ¡°Mr. Jones, I want to take revenge on Hansen.¡±

    No matter how foolish Oscar was, his overwhelmed mind instantly cleared up slightly when he heard those words.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    ¡°Are you crazy? Can you even take him on?¡± Oscar lifted his head, and a hint of coldness shed in his small eyes.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, did you just go back on your word?¡± Liya stared at him with an aggrieved look on her face.

    Oscar¡¯s face darkened.¡°He¡¯s rich and overbearing. What do you have to take revenge on him? I think you¡¯d better be obedient and serve me well. I guarantee that you¡¯ll live a glorious life.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jones, if you can¡¯t agree to my request, then I¡¯m putting an end to our rtionship. I¡¯m going to find someone who can help me to get my revenge on Hansen. I don¡¯t believe you can do anything to me when the timees.¡± Liya¡¯s eyes showed determination as she spoke bravely.

    If it really came to this point, then she couldn¡¯t care lesseven if Zoe really released her and Oscar¡¯s tape. After all, she couldn¡¯t get Hansen. She wouldn¡¯t care about anyone else.

    There was no need to care about Oscar¡¯s threat.

    ¡°Then, how do you n on taking revenge on Hansen?¡± Oscar waspletely mesmerized by Liya. When he thought about how she would find another man to back her up, his easily agitated self started raging again.

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. I want him to lose his memory, and then I¡¯ll have my own way of making him lose his reputation.¡± A hint of malice shed in Liya¡¯s eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if his reputation is ruined, then there will be benefits for you as well.¡±

    Liya thought of Reid¡¯s tragic death. Her eyes turned red, but she seemed to have seen something that was tempting her. Her heart was filled with a strong eagerness. If Hansen lost his memory,then he probably wouldn¡¯t reject her that much.

    Oscar¡¯s small eyes drifted to and fro. Suddenly, he let out a dryugh and tore off her gown with one hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, leave everything to me.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Liya cried out. Oscar used his teeth to bite down on her bright red cherry, and he forcefully nibbled on it.

 Chapter 576 Letâ€™s Split Up

    In the Green Jade Garden¡¯s study, Hansen sat on the couch, cross-legged with one hand on its arm and the other on the dark red wooden desk. His face was devoid of emotions, and his jet-ck eyes were sharp and deep.

    There was a light knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± he directed in a deep voice.

    The door was pushed open and the medium-sized man, Paul, came in.

    Hansen lifted his gaze and motionedfor him to close the door with his sharp gaze constantly fixed on his face.

    Paul turned around and closed the door quietly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± He came over and greeted softly in a courteous manner.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze was alert and menacing.

    There was a slight panic on Paul¡¯s face. Being observed by Hansen¡¯s eagle-like gaze, he showed unrestrained panic and unease.

    Hansen stared at him for a while before pursing his lips and tapping the table with his fingers.

    ¡°Paul, aren¡¯t you going to tell me anything?¡± His tone was indifferent and casual, but his eyes were vignt and merciless.

    After a slight pause, Paul knew that he had understood everything.

    In the past, no one knew about their loyalty towards Vivian. They had always been known as detectives. It was also Vivian¡¯s wish. Now that Vivian had handed them over to Jenna, they were appointed to serve Jenna. However, under the current circumstances, Mr. Richards could no longer be kept in the dark.

    Paul didn¡¯t know whether he should tell Hansen about certain matters, but Jenna was Hansen¡¯s wife, and he was the head of Richards Manor. Paul had no reason not to tell him.

    ¡°Paul, Grandma is now in an awful condition. If you¡¯re unwilling to tell me the truth, then do you know what the consequences will be?¡± Hansen¡¯s brows were knitted into a tight frownand his tone was stern.

    Paul knew that he couldn¡¯t keep it from Mr. Richards any longer.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Irvin and I are indeed trained by Vivian. We have always been working for her. It¡¯s just that she had requested for our identities to be kept secret, even if it¡¯s to anyone within the Richards family. However, Vivian is seriously ill, and she wants us to follow Jenna. The matter should be different, but the grounds are still the same. Hence, I hope that Mr. Richards will understand,¡± Paul admitted.

    ¡°Are you following Jenna now?¡± heasked,shifting his eyes slightly.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards. We need to protect you and your wife,¡± Paul answered quickly.

    ¡°So, that night when I fought with the terrorists at the border, the person who guarded me was you?¡± Hansen recalled that night, and there was someone who had been standing by his side. Although he did not have time to think about it carefully as the situation was critical, the impression of that person¡¯s figure was very simr to that of Paul¡¯s. So, he questioned curiously.

    Paul smiled faintly and replied, ¡°It was me. Irvin and I have dedicated our lives to the Richards Group. It¡¯s our duty to protect the sessors of the family.¡±

    Understanding the situation, Hansen smiled and directly asked, ¡°Alright, then. I really appreciate your loyalty. I would like to ask ifGrandma had sent you guys to the war-torn country to collect evidence for Yadriel¡¯s crime two months ago?¡±

    Paul wasn¡¯t surprised at all, nor did he hide anything when Hansen asked this question, as heimmediately replied, ¡°Mr. Richards, to be exact, when you and Jenna were in the petrochemical factory of Wullen Town,Old Madam already knew everything. She sent us to the war-torn country to find out the truth. However, the matter is veryplicated. Yadriel is a very cunning man, and he hid the evidence well. It was not that easy to find the evidence. It was not until two months ago that when Irvin went undercover, he found out that Yadriel had sold off thest batch of weapons for the sake of the election. Hence, Irvin had been staying there all this while.¡±

    Hansen was secretly rmed when he heard this. As expected, Vivian had made her move ahead of time. Otherwise, how else would she be able tomand these when she was so ill right now?

    ¡°Paul, I¡¯m really thankful for the loyalty you and Irvin have shown towards the Richards family. Nheless, I want to inform you that Yadriel has found out about Irvin, and he is trying to think of a way to capture him. Irvin¡¯s current situation is extremely dangerous. Tell me, did he sessfully obtain the evidence that can bringYadrieldown?¡± Hansen asked calmly, and the expression on his face was solemn.

    Hearing that, Paul¡¯s face turned pale, and hebecame saddened. After a moment, he replied in a deep voice, ¡°Mr. Richards, to tell you the truth, Irvin¡¯s undercover operation did notst long. It can only be said that he knows something about Yadriel, but he has not gotten any useful evidence. The most important evidence is the arms trade that is about to take ce. Since Irvin knew that Yadriel had already found out what he had done, he released the rumors that he had collected a lot of evidence and kept them in different ces, in order to protect himself, as heis afraid that Yadriel will kill him.¡±

    That was sure enough!

    Hansen¡¯s heart sank when he heard Paul¡¯s words. All of this was really within his expectations. If Irvin had really obtained evidence, then it was most likely that he would have returned by now.

    ¡°Paul, Yadriel is a wily old fox. He hasmitted heinous crimes which were against thew. Naturally, his alibis are watertight, and they were carried out wlessly. No one would be able to dig up the evidence easily. Don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯ll soon find a way. All in all, we must oust such ck sheep,¡± Hansen uttered in a heavy mood.

    As someone who was about to be elected as an official of Capital City, how could Yadriel actually do such things that would harm the nation and the people? It was simplywless. If it went on like that, then there wouldn¡¯t be room for justice and virtue.

    His charming eyes were as cold as frost. He stood up, patted Paul on the shoulder, and added seriously, ¡°Rest assured, you and Irvin are trained by Grandma. I will never let anything happen to both of you. You have to cooperate with me next, and I¡¯ll immediately send someone to rescue him in the war-torn country¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Richards.¡± Paul¡¯s face was full of emotions as he expressed, ¡°Both of us have long regarded Richards Manoras our life-long mission, and we will remain loyal till the end. In such a situation, we must get rid of Yadriel. Otherwise, the Richards Group will face endless trouble.¡±

    That was his instinct. Yadriel didn¡¯t have good feelings towards the Richards family. On the contrary, Yadriel behaved as if he was trying to protect himself from a big threat, the Richards Group. If he were to step onto the stage, then he would greatly suppress the Richards family. This was definitely not good news for such a bigpany.

    Of course, Hansen could understand those theories.

    ¡°Do you know anyone with the name Ezrah Haris?¡± Hansen asked in a seemingly casual manner as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

    Ezrah Haris? Paul was stunned. He thought about it for a while and shook his head.

    ¡°Paul, this man is Yadriel¡¯s confidant. He has participated in all of Yadriel¡¯s illegal dealings. Many of them were directly ordered by Yadriel. Therefore, this man is crucial. We should make the first move and not let him take the lead. Since he dared to threaten Irvin in the war-torn country, we can simrly find a way to understand his weakness. After all, once the secret quibblees to light, Yadriel¡¯s misdeeds will be exposed to the public,¡± Hansenmented loudly and it made Paul¡¯s eyes brightened.

    It was no wonder that Hansen was the head of Richards Manor, as hehad a keen eye and an agile mind.

    ¡°How about this? You and my subordinate, John, will leave A City for Capital City today and try to control this person. I¡¯ll interrogate him in person, and then I¡¯ll immediately send ten people to the war-torn country to meet Irvin. This time, not only will we get evidence, but we will also expose Yadriel¡¯s crimes,¡± Hansen muttered decisively.

    After a hint of light shed across Paul¡¯s face, he shook his head and spoke up with concern.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, now that Old Madam has assigned us to Jenna, we must have someone by her side to protect her and listen to her orders.¡±

    Hansen was taken aback before the corner of his lips curled up into a smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Jenna is my wife, and I will personally protect her. The affairs in Capital City are the most important things now. We have to strike while the iron is hot and get the evidence as soon as possible. Once his election is over, it will be toote. Don¡¯t worry. I will take care of everything here.¡± Hansen assured.

    With Hansen¡¯s affirmation, Paul could only nod his head in agreement after thinking about the current situation.

    ¡°When you arrive in the Capital City, Luqman¡¯s men will be there to aid you. He will tell you what you should do.¡± Hansen continued.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Paul responded as he nodded.

    While they were talking, someone knocked on the door of Hansen¡¯s study.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Hansen called out.

    The door opened, and John came in hurriedly,looking slightly flustered as he reported, ¡°Bad news, Mr. Richards. The head of the petrochemicalfactory, Kyrie, and the leader of the petrochemicalfactory, Eamon, in Wullen Town, have all disappeared. Now, everything in the Wullen Town¡¯s petrochemical factoryhas been cleared out, and we can¡¯t find any traces of Yadriel¡¯s and Sergio¡¯s misdeeds.This old man is too cunning. Now, all theevidence of his crimes in Wullen Town has been wiped out.¡±

    In an instant, Hansen clenched his fists and mmed it on the desk as he cursed, ¡°D*mn it.¡±

    ¡°What about the batch of weapons? Have they also been transported away?¡± he asked with a sullen face.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we have been tracking down that batch of weapons for a long time, but now we can¡¯t even find its whereabouts. I heard that more than a month ago, mysterious vehicles wille and goeverydayin the middle of the night. They should have been transported away,¡± John answered with certainty.

    A harsh glimmer flickered in Hansen¡¯s eyes, and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth. It was obvious that Yadriel had nned it for a long time. They were toote.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Then, where do you think those weapons are now transported to?¡± He turned his face and asked the two of them. Since Irvin reported that Luqman¡¯s weapons had not been traded yet, that was to say that their weapons had not been delivered. Nevertheless, it was impossible for so many weapons to be left in the country. They might have been transported abroad through a secret passage.

    It had been more than a month.So, where had this batch of weapons been secretly transported to? Or had they been discreetly stored in a country?!

    Paul and John looked at each other and shook their heads.

    Yadriel¡¯s election was in theing week, and the transaction of this batch of weapons was bound to be carried out in advance. Time was of the essence!

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s split up. You should immediately set off for Capital City, meet Luqman¡¯s men, and cooperate with them to find a way to control Ezrah. Let¡¯s see if we can make use of him.¡± Hansen quickly gave an order and straightaway directed Alvin to take ten people to the war-torn country to rescue Irvin.

    After finishing all those things, it was almost dark. He fell on the soft chair and rubbed his temples with his index finger and thumb. He was exhausted.

 Chapter 577 Suspicious Will

    In the Ink Garden.

    Vivian hadn¡¯t eaten for nearly a week. She was relying on the IV drip to sustain her life.

    When Hansen walked in, Vivian was in a deep sleep.

    She spent most of her time sleeping those days. She was only half awake in a daze when she woke up and couldn¡¯t recognise anyone anymore.

    Her life wasing to an end. She didn¡¯t have much time left.

    Besides Meroy, several servants also stayed in the room by her side all the time.

    Hansen entered and looked at his grandmother. His heart was heavy.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I have something to discuss with you.¡± Meroy followed as Hansen entered the chamber.

    ¡°Meroy, just shoot it!¡± Hansen raised his head slightly and urged gently.

    He had always treated Vivian¡¯s aide, Meroy, with respect.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there¡¯s a matter that might sound rather strange.¡± Meroy stepped forward and whispered, ¡°Some time ago,when Old Madam was not herself and mostly in a daze,I saw her holding a ck case in her hand. I didn¡¯t know where she got it frombut she held it tightly. I wasn¡¯t sure what was insideand I didn¡¯t dare to take it from her.At midnight on that day, Old Madam suddenly became soberand she ordered me to call Mr. Garver over. I agreed to her request but it was midnight. So, I called him early in the morning the next day. Mr. Garver wasn¡¯t in the country and would only return a weekter.¡±

    Meroy paused and looked at Hansen¡¯s expression.

    Hansen was only listening casually at first.As Meroy borated, his expression turned solemn.

    ¡°Grandmother was looking for Mr. Garver?¡± He raised his head and asked,looking concerned.

    Mr. Garver was theRichards Group¡¯s seniorwyer. In other words, he was Old Master Richards¡¯s exclusivewyer. It was said that Old Master Richards had already written the will before his death and handed it to Mr. Garver for safekeeping. Why did Grandma want to meet him? The only possibility was to talk about the will. Hansen¡¯s face turned solemn as he thought about it.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards. Mr. Garver has retiredand his son is living abroad. He was abroad visiting his son when Old Madam looked for him. He asked for the reason of her summoning him but I didn¡¯t have an answer. When he heard about Old Madam¡¯s condition, he immediately told me that he woulde back soon.¡± Meroy continued to exin.

    Hansen was deep in thought. It would make sense for her to find Mr. Garver if she realized that she did not have much time left to live. However, most of the will had been arranged by Old Master Richards before he passed away. Some of the assets belonged to Vivian and there were changes to asset allocation that happenedter after his passing. Hence, Vivian actually did have the right to write another will.

    Did Vivian look for Mr. Garver to change her will?

    Hansen was not worried about the will. After all, Old Master Richards was always absolutely fair and impartial. He was indifferent to how the assets were divided as they were family. Hansen didn¡¯t care how much he would get from the will. He believed he was capable of earning his own wealth.

    ¡°Meroy, thank you for letting me know. May I know where Grandma¡¯s ck case is now?¡± Hansen asked while thinking.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the ck case has disappeared. I figured that Old Madam returned it to its original ce when she was awake.She has been bedridden and unable to walk around. My guess was she ced the ck case somewhere around her bed.¡± Meroy thought for a moment and spected.

    Hansen nodded. His thoughts were a little murky.

    If it was really rted to the will, was it the one she made herself, or the one that Old Master Richards had given to her?

    Hansen couldn¡¯t figure it out and didn¡¯t dare to guess. It seemed that only Mr. Garver knew about this.

    Nheless, he also knew that the will was important to every descendant of the Richards Group. Many people were eyeing the will, especially Vivian¡¯s two daughters. They couldn¡¯t make a name for themselves yet still wanted a part of the inheritance.

    His handsome face looked bleakand he remained silent.

    Meroy left after telling Hansen what she wanted to say.

    Hansen didn¡¯t know what to do. Vivian was now in a critical condition, and it was indeed time to announce her will. Usually, awyer had to be present to announce the will.That might be the reason she called for Mr. Garver.

    The zing sun scorched the ground.

    The ck Jaguar rumbled on the main road.

    Sergio¡¯s mood was terrible.

    The blue sea was vastwith its waves surging.

    The crowd nearby wasughing and ying on the beach. The surfers rode the waves, which was a spectacr sight to see.

    Sergio stopped and walked out of the car.

    The slightly cool seawater seeped in, soaking the soles of his feet. Although it was a hot summer, he felt a sudden chill from the bottom of his feet.

    He stood still in a slight daze.

    The beach that he was at, including several other nearby indshad been procured by Hansen and developed into amusement parks. A few years ago, Sergio also took an interest in the beachbut as a soldier, he was not allowed to run a business.

    He initially wanted to stop Hansen from purchasing thend with the excuse of iming that thend would be procured for military use. However, Hansen was aggressive and purchased the ind at a low price without the public noticing.

    Sergio still could not figure out how he bought this ind.

    The ce had the vibe of Hawaii, yet still carried ACity¡¯s unique charm. It had been sessfully transformed into a famous beach paradise in the city. The ind attracted many local tourists as well as visitors from abroad. The revenue racked up each year from the beach was extremely impressive.

    Sergio realized his efforts to defeat Hansen were in vain.

    It was impossible to defeat him.

    He initially wanted to kill him with the reason of disclosing ssified information without authorization. However, his mission was aborted because he received a call from his superiors, with instructions to stop the mission and protect private enterprises, as there was something suspicious about the Richards Group incident.

    He felt restricted, as though he was being tied up, even though it was just a simple instruction.

    ¡°Sh*t!¡± He kicked the sand beneath his feet and cursed rudely. He felt a sharp, clenching sensation in his heart.

    Jenna, the woman he loved, was pregnant with Hansen¡¯s child again. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn¡¯t win her over. He tightened his fistsand his eyes were full of anger.

    The image of Hansen hugging Jenna and their blissful expressionsshed across his mind. He gritted his teeth.

    ¡°Sergio.¡± A woman¡¯s voice came from behind.The voice sounded eerie and cold, like it came from h*ll, even though it was a hot summer day, with huge crowd of tourists around.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Sergio asked impatiently without turning his head.

    ¡°Sergio, I wasn¡¯t expecting the two of us, unlucky souls, to meet again. This is indeed fate.¡± The woman¡¯s voice was lovely and charming without a trace of sadness or disappointment. Instead, there was a hint of pride in her voice.

    Sergio¡¯s high-arched eyebrows furrowed. He raised his eyes, which were filled with anger and disgust.

    Shouldn¡¯t this woman be upset and feel miserable after being driven out of ACity? From the looks of it, she seemed to be very proud!

    ¡°Shut up, stupid woman. You kept saying that you wanted to defeat Hansen.Look at where you are now? Weren¡¯t you kicked out of A City, just like a stray? How did it feel?Are you still dreaming of bing Mrs. Richards after seeing the great empire he built?¡± Sergio¡¯s face was full of derision as he shouted in a deep voice.

    His words pierced hard into Zoe¡¯s heart andher expression changed.However, she collected herself a few momentster andshe startedughing loudly. ¡°Sergio, being upset is all that is for me.You, on the other hand,have more to worry about than your feelings. I¡¯m afraid that he has certain evidence against you and you know very well of the consequences if this continues.¡±

    Zoe¡¯s words had other intentions.

    Sergio¡¯s mind went numb.

    ¡°What the h*ll do you know?¡± This was the second time Sergio had heard her say that. He stretched out his hand and held her chin roughly. He thenpulled her face close forcefully.

    ¡°Oh, Sergio, please be more gentle!¡± Zoe raised her eyebrows and smiled. She reached out to remove his gripbut Sergio was holding her so forcefully that she felt as if he was mping her chin. The pain could be felt on her chin where he gripped. She said, ¡°You didn¡¯t have to get so angry just because you couldn¡¯t get Jenna. I¡¯m a beautiful woman too. Why can¡¯t you just be a little gentler?¡±

    Sergio lowered his head and stared at her face. ¡°Do you know that a know-it-all woman is not only annoying but also an extremely dangerous trait?¡±

    Zoe¡¯s felt pain emitting from her chin. She was in a terrible mood, and her face was full of contempt. ¡°You are just a useless bastard hiding in the corner feeling sad for yourself.I have already given you such a good opportunity to get closer to Jenna.You were the one who didn¡¯t manage to win her heart. You can¡¯t me anyone as you are ipetent!¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    ¡°Zoe, shut up,¡± Sergio warned in a low voice, and the rage in his eyes was filled with murderous intent. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, your ns are over. You are never going to take down Hansen. Look at this ce. His influences are everywhere in this country. He is as strong as a mountain, standing tall and upright. No one can touch him.¡±

    The disgraced woman in front of him was foolish and arrogant. She couldn¡¯t be saved from her self-righteousness and stupidity.

    Such an ordinary woman like her actually had the courage to covet Hansen. Sergio couldn¡¯t make sense of her.

    Zoe flew into a rage because Sergio read her mind.

    She recalled the scene from her childhood.

    She rememberedJohan hosting a party in Capital City and gathered all his friends and their family members.

    At that time, Mars and Trevor were bothmercial giants in A City. Old Master Yates died on the battlefield. Hence, the Yates family and the Richards Family were invited.

    Javon was just an insignificant officer in a government department. After Old Master Murphy passed away, the Murphy family was slowly forgotten.

    However, Johan liked Jenna. Zoe was jealous and hated the fact that Johan favored her.Jenna wasn¡¯t qualified to attend the party but Johan invited her to attend it anyway.

 Chapter 578 Love Me Tender

    Johan would hold a gathering like this once a year but Jenna was seldom invited.

    However, Johan had made an exception for Jenna to attend his birthday party.

    Zoe had always felt superior over Jenna since young.

    Although Javon was also a high-ranking civil servant,it really didn¡¯t mean anything!

    Why was Jenna invited to the party? On the surface, the party was held to celebrate Johan¡¯s birthday but that party was grander and carried way more significance thanany other event held in the past.

    The elders had chosen the candidate to be Hansen¡¯s wife. If she guessed correctly, Vivian also expressed her opinion regarding this to Johan at the party.

    She was enraged. Her cool and handsome Hansen.She could guarantee that Hansen never knew who Jenna was. He never would have noticed her.

    He only entertained Sabrina, and Zoey was always pestering him. He wouldn¡¯t have acknowledged Jenna¡¯s presence and definitely wasn¡¯t aware of her existence.

    Zoe, on the other hand, was different. She often attended such gatherings and had known Hansen for a long time. Why would Vivian secretly pick Jenna, whose family were not as prominent and wealthy, to marry Hansen?

    Sergio went into a fit of rage when he heard the news but no one knew the pain Zoe was experiencing.

    She was arrogant and egotistical. She thought Hansen would fall head over heels for her. She thought she was capable and intelligent, and would be the perfect candidate to marry into Hansen¡¯s rich and powerful family.Only Zoe was worthy of him. They would be apatible pair and she could help his career propel much further. She believed that she was the only one who could take good care of Richards Manor and be a great leader of the family.

    However, everything changed quickly.

    In an intense businesspetition, Mars was defeated by Trevor and had to move out of A City. Everything changed from then on.

    When the news of Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s marriage broke out, she kept herself in the dark. She was miserable, and on the brink of going crazy. It turned out that after all these years, she had never fallen in love with another man again. Hansen was her ultimate goal. There would never be a man in the world who could be better than Hansen. She came to that conclusion after repeated consideration.

    Zoe was clever and calctive and when the news came out that Hansen and Jenna were not on good terms, sheughed coldly.

    She had been paying attention to Hansen. She was certain that he had never seen Jenna and would definitely not have any feelings for her.

    She wanted Hansen to suffer from the torments of love. Only then would he realize her importance to him and pursue her.

    However, that day never arrived.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t lose.¡± She gritted her teeth, and the words trembled between her teeth. She raised her head and saw Sergio staring at her coldly. His eyes were full of ridicule and mockery. Her heart sank gradually.

    Sergio nced at her and then turned around to walk outside.

    ¡°Sergio, is it really the end? Are you going to give uppletely? Haven¡¯t they been exposed for the luxury car incident? You can use it against the Richards Group and punish them ording to thew.¡± Zoe stopped him and asked expectantly.

    Sergio stopped in his tracks,with a cold expression on his face.

    How could he let the Richards Group off the hook and let Hansen stir up trouble for Yadriel¡¯s election?

    However, this woman didn¡¯t seem to be of much value. She was at her wit¡¯s end now. The promises that Zoe made concerning her business in Capital City, as well as the attempt to help him recover the Xanthe family properties, were all in vain as Hansen had forcefully taken back the assets.

    This woman wasn¡¯t of much help at all. She even almost ruined the n by removing Liya from the game.

    ¡°What do you propose we do?¡± He took a step back and questioned sternly with a stoic expression.

    Zoe took a step back fearfully and looked at him helplessly.

    Sergio¡¯s gaze was full of mockery. He turned around and left.

    ¡°Sergio, Hansen went to Capital City yesterday. Were you aware of that?¡± The corner of Zoe¡¯s mouth was covered with a thinyer of frost and the tone of her voice was sinister.

    Sergio, who was striding away, stopped immediately.

    ¡°What did you say? Hansen had gone to Capital City?¡± He turned his head, looking surprised. His eyes filled with questions.

    Sergio hung around in Richards Manor everyday. Yet, he didn¡¯t know that Hansen had visited Capital City. Could it be true? He felt a chill running down his spine even though his back was scorching from the sun just moments before.

    Zoe noticed his expression changed from surprise to panic, and even fear. She couldn¡¯t help but to let out a cold snort. It seemed that this man was not as capable as he looked!

    ¡°You will never guess who Hansen visited at Capital City. If I were you, then I would not stand here quietly and bask in the sun.¡± Zoe took charge of the conversation and spoke, fanning the mes to stir up his emotions.

    ¡°Who?¡± Sergio asked cautiously in a cold tone.

    Zoe wasn¡¯t in a hurry to speak. She raised her eyebrows and chuckled. She crossed her arms in front of her and stared at the sea.

    ¡°Do you think I will trust you?¡± Sergio could not guess what she had up her sleeve. Was she bluffing him? Looking at her mysterious expression, it seemed that there was no reason for him to distrust her.

    The Xanthe family had ears and eyes all over Capital City. Yet, he didn¡¯t receive any news that mentioned Hansen¡¯s presence. However, this woman, who was thousands of miles away, knew about it. Was she joking?

    He had a reason not to believe her.

    ¡°It¡¯s your choice whether or not you believe me. You have to admit that Hansen is more powerful than you. He went to Capital City but your family didn¡¯t know about it. What do you think it means? It shows that he can fool you as he wishes. It¡¯s by no means easy if you want to seed.¡± Zoe curled her lips andmented sarcastically as she smiled happily.

    Sergio¡¯s mind was in a mess. What exactly was this woman trying to say?

    ¡°Are you saying that Hansen went to Capital City to meet Luqman?¡± He took a step forward and asked in a low voice. A moment of panic crossed his eyes.

    Zoe scoffed. ¡°What else could it be? Visiting your family and getting on good terms with you?¡±

    Sergio¡¯s face turned pale and he clenched his fist.

    He strode towards Richards Manor.

    ¡°Honey,e here. Be careful. There¡¯s a branch here. Be mindful of your belly.¡± Hansen had his arm around Jenna¡¯s shoulder as they strolled in the Ink Garden¡¯swn. He would take some time to apany Jenna for a walk everyday and tried his best to amuse her on their walks.

    He had said that he wanted her to be the happiest pregnant woman in the world.

    Jenna looked down and felt amused. Was that considered a branch? It was just the crabapple tree¡¯s newly grown baby branch with a few tender green leaves. It wouldn¡¯t hurt her at all even if she identally stepped on the branch!

    He was so concerned about her and she felt extremely loved.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Hansen bent down carefully and pushed the branch away, using his legs to block it. Then, he ced his arm around her waist and slowly walked over.

    Jenna was wearing a light blue grass-printed dress and her hair was tied in a ponytail. She appeared charming and lovely.

    Hansen held her hand tightly as they paced on the pebbled path in the Ink Garden¡¯swn.

    ¡°Jenna, we haven¡¯t decided on the official name for Jerry yet. Why don¡¯t we wait until the birth of our second baby, and think of a name for them together?¡± Hansen suggested in a tender tone.

    Jenna smiled at him.

    Jerry was already three years old, but Hansen still hadn¡¯t given him an official name. It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t want to name him, nor was it because he couldn¡¯t think of a name. Rather, Hansen insisted on getting the blessings and guidance from the famous priest in the city to name Jerry. The priest was on a pilgrimage and had not been back for a few years. Naturally, Jerry¡¯s christening had been dyed until the priest¡¯s return.

    The descendants of the rich and powerful families were always named after much consideration. She understood the significance of choosing an official name. So, she never refuted his intentions. She had no choice but to let him be.

    ¡°Honey, did you drink the soup today? How much did you drink?¡± Hansen nagged.

    He had personally checked on her food intake and activities for the past few days. She felt restricted and helpless.

    She was not as frail as Hansen thought but Hansen was willing to prove his love and gave his attention to her. She epted it wholeheartedly.

    ¡°I ate everything ording to your request,¡± she answered softly.

    Hansen¡¯srge hand slipped from her shoulder all the way to her waist.

    ¡°Your small waist feels really nice in my arms.¡± Hansen giggled. At the thought of Jenna¡¯s slender waist and supple skin, Jenna was as beautiful as ever even after giving birth to Jerry. They were having a second child then. Would she still be as beautiful? He was enchanted by how she looked when she was moving her waist on top of him. He couldn¡¯t suppress his desire as he thought. Ascivious but charming smile appeared on his face. He wrapped his arms around her waist even tighter.

    Jenna¡¯s waist changes were sacrifices she made for bearing his children. No matter how Jenna looked in the future, Hansen would still love her.

    He gently touched her waist with his fingers, which tickled Jenna and made herugh.

    ¡°Hansen, take your stinking hands away. It¡¯s ticklish.¡± She smiled, pursing her red lips. Hansen felt lustful as her soft voice quivered.

    Hansen and Jenna haven¡¯t had s*x ever since she was pregnant. Her pregnancy wasn¡¯t very stable yet as it had only been a month. So, he did not dare to touch her.

    However, Hansen had a high libido. Every night, he went to sleep holding Jenna¡¯s tight body. He was aroused yet unable to satisfy his s*xual desire.

    Women were sensitive to this matter. Jenna knew clearly how Hansen felt but she kept quiet without exposing him.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me know where I should put my hands, then?¡± Hansen looked at her plump breasts and gulped. Jenna¡¯s breasts had be even more plump ever since she got pregnant. Hansen grinned and asked flippantly. He moved his hands from her waist to her chest as he spoke and held her soft breasts in his huge warm palms.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned red in an instant.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a pervert. Grandma is sick and on her deathbed and yet you are here thinking about such things.¡± Jenna gently patted his hand and gave him a side-eye.

    Hansen¡¯s yful smile froze immediately upon the mention of his grandmother. His hands fell to his side.

    The sound of footsteps came from the front and a scoff rang out, that was loud enough for them to hear.

    Both of them raised their heads.

 Chapter 579 He Couldnâ€™t Stay Calm

    Sergio stood in front of them without any facial expression.

    He looked at them coldly.

    In the past few days, he watched Hansen and Jenna showing affection and talking lovingly to each other. Their conversations were corny, and Sergio would overhear them asionally.

    It was driving him crazy.

    Sergio finally managed to get away from the lovebirds. He wanted to have a moment of peace and calm to himself but he bumped into that d*mn Zoe. She brought shocking news along with her.

    Hansen had gone to Capital City to meet Luqman!

    Sergio was shocked and angry at the news!

    Would Hansen dare to oppose the Xanthe familyopenly? This was preposterous.

    Sergio rushed back to confront Hansen. He wanted to know what Hansen¡¯s intentions were by doing so.

    His gaze was sharp as an eagle as he stared at Hansen¡¯s hand, which was ced on Jenna¡¯s waist. His expression was as cold as steel.

    Sergio wanted to go up to him and rece his arm with his own to embrace the beautiful woman whom he loved.

    If only Jenna belonged to him,if only the baby in her belly was his, then how wonderful it would be!

    Yet that d*mn bastard standing in front of him took her away ruthlessly. He was disappointed again and again.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    Sergio knew well why he hadn¡¯t been bothered to find someone else. Every time he met someone, he wouldpare her to Jenna and he wouldn¡¯t be interested anymore.

    His life was destined to be a tragedy.

    Sergio had feelings for Jenna since they were young, and it was impossible to change his feelings for her in an instant.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, what a coincidence,¡± Hansen greeted Sergio and looked at him with disinterest. The corners of his lips curled up into a faint smileand his face was filled with a domineering aura. Hansen reached out and pulled Jenna into his arms as he caressed her face with his hand.

    Sergio always cared too much for Jenna, Hansen thought.He kept pestering Richards Manorby abusing his position and overstaying his wee. He would have been thrown out of the house if it was in the past but Hansen was more mature in the way he handled things now.

    Sergio was now the director of the Ministry of National Securityand he was here to investigate a case.He could not treat him as a mere hooligan by chasing him away forcefully. He had to strategise and outsmart Sergio instead.

    Hansen believed that he had the ability to get rid of the shameless man from his family and make him retreat voluntarily.

    There was a fire in Sergio¡¯s eyes, which softened as he turned his gaze towards Jenna.

    Hansen could feel Sergio¡¯s gaze on his wife. His eyes darkened a little as he lowered his head and muttered something.

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s end our walk today. I will take you back to the guest room to rest.¡± Hansen¡¯s voice was intimate and gentle.

    Jenna did not want to step into Sergio¡¯s and Hansen¡¯s business either. She smiled politely as she greeted Sergio.

    ¡­

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, we¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±

    As she spoke, she turned around and grabbed Hansen¡¯s hand, taking the lead to walk forward.

    ¡°Okay, darling.¡± Hansen picked her up from behind. ¡°I think it¡¯s better for me to carry you. You must be tired after such a long walk.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face turned red. She pursed her lips and let him carry her.

    The two of them walked away lovingly.

    Sergio feltas if his soul had left his body and he was left as a shell of a man.Theirughter rang in his ears, and his heart felt like it had been cut by a knife.

    His emotions were in utter chaos. He wasn¡¯t sure how to deal with Hansen even after knowing he had met Luqman. He returned to his own guest room dejectedly.

    Hey down on the huge bed but Jenna was all that he could think about. He thought of her soft moan and flirty smile that captured his heart.He thought of her lying in his arms while tugging onto his clothes and sobbing after getting hurt by Hansen. When his lips touched her cheeks, he was astonished by the sensation when their skin touched. He had pictured her in his arms countless times, kissing her passionately, and then dreamt of the beautiful moment when she took off her clothes.

    Her lips must be soft and her body must be ravishing.

    The experience would be intoxicatingand he would be in paradise.

    If it weren¡¯t for Vivian,then perhaps Jenna would be sleeping next to him instead.

    Sergio sat there, infatuated. He fell into the wonderful illusion and vivid imagery of Jenna ¡®s figure.

    Hansen had been staying at the Ink Garden ever since Vivian¡¯s illness had worsened. Therefore, Sergio had been staying there as well.

    He never had these feelings in the past. He realized as he got physically closer to Jenna, the feelings he had kept hidden deep inside his heart came gushing out uncontrobly. He had been sucked into a deep hole and couldn¡¯t help himself out of his infatuation with Jenna.

    He went out early in the morning the next day.

    ¡°Dad, Madam Lilian has already personally visited Sara¡¯s house. The two of them had a meeting. I think they will soon be able to identify each other.¡± Sergio had just rushed back to his home in Capital City from A City. He told Yadriel about the information that his subordinates had discovered upon his arrival back home.

    Yadriel was walking out of the shower. He wore a cotton singlet and put on his slippers. His glossy head was extraordinarily shiny.

    It was early. So, he looked energetic and was in good spirits. His cheeks had a healthy glow.

    However, his mood changed after hearing what Sergio said. The darkness in his eyes was unfathomable. His eyes almost squinted into a slit.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Yadriel asked in disbelief.

    ¡°Of course, Dad.I wouldn¡¯t joke about it. Once Madam Lilian and Sara were able to recognize each other,Hansen would be even more powerful. Jenna is Johan¡¯s great-granddaughter and Madam Lilian¡¯s granddaughter. With such an influential and powerful foundation supporting them, we wouldn¡¯t stand a chance to destroy the Richards Group,¡± Sergio informed him anxiously.

    Yadriel¡¯s eyes glowed eerily under the light, and his expression was unreadable.

    ¡°Dad, Hansen came to Capital City a few days ago. Did you know that?¡± Sergio remembered Zoe and asked Yadriel in disbelief.

    Yadriel¡¯s ears twitched and he answered indifferently, ¡°My subsidiaries have already told me that Hansen only came to Capital City for business meetings. There¡¯s nothing to be concerned about.¡±

    ¡°No, Dad.¡± Sergio hurriedly shook his head and argued when his father confirmed his visit to the city. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that simple. I heard that he came to theCapital Cityto meet Luqman. I think he has made up his mind to fight against the Xanthe family.¡±

    Yadriel was stunned and asked him in a deep voice.

    ¡°Sergio, how can you conclude that Hansen came to Capital City to meet Luqman?¡±

    Yadriel couldn¡¯t keep his calm anymore when he heard what his son had said. He had people all over Capital City. Yet, no one knew about Hansen¡¯s meeting with Luqman. They only saw that he was here for a business trip. How did Sergio know about the meeting?

    ¡°Dad, Zoe told me this personally,¡± Sergio said anxiously. He was upset as he kept thinking about the wayZoelooked at him. Her eyes were cold and filled with sarcasm.

    ¡°Zoe?¡± Yadriel¡¯s brows furrowed deeply. ¡°Even you who were staying at Richards Manorwere not aware of it. How would Zoe know?¡±

    Sergio¡¯s face was tinged with bitterness and embarrassment when he heard that.

    ¡°Dad, Hansen is unpredictable. My people have lost track of him several times. A City is his territory after all. Besides that, I have work too.If he really intended to hide something from me, then it¡¯s possible that I would never find out.Zoe is different. After herpany was driven out of A City, she redirected all her attention to him and monitored his every move. She was constantly thinking about winning his heart over. Of courseshe would be more aware of such things,¡± Sergio exined as detailed as possible.

    Yadriel gave him a stern look and retorted with dissatisfaction, ¡°Sergio, my guess is you were distracted by Jenna, right? How could you have missed it otherwise? As I said before, women are a bane and you shouldn¡¯t fall for anyone. I think you¡¯ve been letting your emotions run wild and allowed your feelings to dictate your decisions.¡±

    Sergio¡¯s mouth opened but not a word came out.

    ¡°Sergio, you have to understand that Jenna is the daughter-inw of the Richards family. Your feelings for her are somewhat justifiable if she reciprocates your love.But the truth is, she doesn¡¯t love you at all. Why are you so infatuated with her? I think she will ultimately be your downfall if you continue with your ways. You¡¯ve disappointed me,¡± Yadriel lectured. He had high hopes for Sergio and hoped that he would understand that he only meant well.

    He wasn¡¯t opposed to the idea of his son pursuing Jenna initially with the premise that it was possible for them to get together. He never meant for his son to be so obsessed over a woman and acted out of character because of his feelings.

    He would be ruined if he continued falling for this woman.

    ¡°Dad, I know.¡± Sergio was upset and answered softly.

    Yadriel shook his head and let out a sigh. His face tensed up again. He quickly asked, ¡°Has Madam Lilian and Sara identified each other?¡±

    ¡°Dad, my people have been on guard at the Francist Community. On the day of their meeting, Madam Lilian stayed at Sara¡¯s house for two hours and ten minutes.There was no way for me to know what the topic of their discussion was. After their meeting, my people followed them secretly and found out that one of the cars left the Fracist Community and went straight to A City¡¯s government hospital.We found out that they went to theboratory for a DNA test.¡± Sergio frowned as he reported to Yadriel.

    ¡°The government hospital?¡± Yadriel lit up a cigarette and took a deep breath.

    ¡°Yes, Dad. She was definitely carrying out a DNA test. Thest timeSara went to the hospital for an examination, Madam Lilian had already followed her and almost got her test sample for DNA analysis. Fortunately, my people managed to destroy the sample in secret. Otherwise, they would have identified each other by now.¡± Sergio hadn¡¯t quite calmed down from the experiencest time. Madam Lilian was an intelligent woman. She was certain that Sara was her daughter based on her intuition and even got a DNA sample in the hospital. He couldn¡¯t imagine what would have happened if they didn¡¯t discover the sample early.

    Yadriel puffed on his cigarette and walked around the house. A sinister smile appeared on his face.

    Yadriel was Johan¡¯s youngest but longest-serving subordinate. So, he knew the ins and outs of everything. He was Johan¡¯s deputy and Johan was a man who cared about his reputation more than anything. He thought vian would ruin his prestigious family reputation after meeting Lilian. So, he used his influence to cover the news in Capital City, and many people were unaware of the story between them. Yadriel was the one who received orders to take vian out when Johan wanted to chase him away.

    Therefore, he was well aware of the history between Madam Lilian and vian.

 Chapter 580 Divert The Danger

    Johan was arrogant and stubborn. He had never once taken an interest in his disobedient son. He didn¡¯t want to look at Sara as he thought that they were the family¡¯s ck sheep. He even set a house rule that no one should ever mention her. Madam Moore had shed many tears over this matter.

    Johan was a man of his word. He refused to recognize Sara as a member of the Moore family.Some may even describe him as extremely ruthless.

    However, Johan¡¯s temperament had changed gradually in recent years.When he knew about Sara¡¯s tragic situation, he secretly lent Sara a handinstead of staying on the sidelines.

    Never in Earl¡¯s wildest dream would he imagine Sara to be Johan¡¯s granddaughter. He had strategize carefully and tried his best to hide the news from the media, so that the public would not know the truth. He thought his n was wless but he failed to realize that Hansen had always been in love with Jenna.

    Therefore, Earl¡¯s failure was bound to happen!

    What about them?

    Yadriel felt a chill running down his spine as he thought.

    After Jenna¡¯s return to the Richards Group in an attempt to avenge her father,Johan saw her outstanding performance in Richards Group at the press conference. Truth be told, none of Johan¡¯s grandchildren were as capable as Jenna. Yadriel surmised that Johan had had a change of heart since then.

    ¡°If Hansen and Luqman decided to work together, then Johan would switch his stand and side with Luqman because of Jenna. If that happens, then we are doomed.¡± Yadriel lowered his voice. He felt an inexplicable fear.

    Some things became clearer as people got older, especially when it came to guilt. People tended to reflect on things that made them feel guilty in the past.

    Johan was probably having the same dilemma as well.

    No matter how cruel and cold-hearted he was,He still regarded vian as his son although he disliked him very much. He evenimed vian¡¯s ashes back home. This was a prime example of how Johan wasn¡¯t as cold hearted as he seemed to be.

    If Madam Lilian and Sara did end up recognizing each other,then Johan would not be the only one who was important in the matter. The events in the war-torn country and the crimes hemitted would also be exposed.Yadrielpaced around the house as he thought and put out his cigarette after a few moments.

    ¡°Sergio, I want Lilian to get rid of the idea of recognizing her daughter once and for all. I still need her helpwith things in the war-torn country. If the incident were brought to light, then she might still be willing to lend a hand.But she would never help me again if she finds out that we were responsible for framing the Richards Group, in addition to Sara¡¯s existence,¡± Yadriel uttered with a gloomy face and then picked up the phone.

    ¡°Is this A City¡¯s Ministry of Health? I¡¯m looking for Mr. Eder.¡±

    ¡­

    The morning light had just entered the room through the window when Jenna woke up all of a sudden with alertness.

    She had been developing a regr routine. She would go to the park for a walk or exercise every morning.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± A tall and slender figure greeted as he walked towards Jennajust as she walked out of the small path in the Ink Garden.

    ¡°Norton, you¡¯re finally back.¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes lit upand she greeted Norton excitedly. The man in front of her was travel-weary. There was a trace of tiredness on his face but his eyes looked energetic. His face was thinner and his eyes had a more modest glowpared to thest time she saw him.

    Norton¡¯s face lit up with joy when he saw Jenna. His eyes were clear and bright.

    ¡°Jenna, I initially nned on returning after receiving the call, but thepany was recently listed, and it was a critical time for thepany.I called Dad and took a few days leave after learning about Grandma¡¯s condition,¡± Norton exined quickly.

    ¡°Alright. You must be tired, Norton.¡± Jenna smiled gently.

    The two of them walked towards a perg.

    ¡°Norton, how are the sales of the cars? How is the market?¡± The two sat down on the stone bench underneath the perg, and Jenna asked calmly.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry about it. Our cars were well-received as soon as they were introduced. The first batch of cars produced were already sold out barely two weeks in. The orders are stilling inand things seem to be going well.¡± Norton was very excited. He was energetic and cheerful when he talked about thepany. ¡°It is a century-oldpany after all. Our quality and performance are top-notch.¡±

    Jenna nodded her head in agreement. Jersey had already given her a report on Norton¡¯s performance. She was delighted with Norton¡¯s hard work and dedication.

    In fact, Norton¡¯s talent in business wasparable to Old Master Richards.

    He named thepany N&S Group. Jenna knew the story behind the name of thepany.The origin and the meaning behind did not require any more exnation as it came fromNorton¡¯s and Sabrina¡¯s initials.

    ¡°Norton, yourpany will take over all the foreign luxury car production and sales of the Richards Group in the future. The Richards Group will no longer produce luxury cars. Do you understand what I mean?¡± Jenna asked seriously.

    ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry, Jenna. All the legal registrations of N&S Group have beenpleted abroad. It no longer has anything to do with the Richards Group.All the cars that were recalled have undergone facelifts and were re-listed.We started selling them this week.One of the recent batches was well-received when it was introduced to the market, thanks to Whalen Group¡¯s technology and your car design.The Jones Group¡¯s luxury car sales were facing pressure and their sales declined rapidly.Our sales would be more than a hundred million dors this week alone,¡± Norton said excitedly.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna nodded with a smile, but her expression was still tense. She added in a serious tone, ¡°Norton, this is a critical moment where we should work together and disregard the short term profits. I¡¯ve mentioned that the profits of N&S Group will be exchanged for thirty percent of the shares for you. The cost, technology, and design would also be tranted to thirty percent shares. The remaining forty percent belongs to Richards Group. Although Richards Group is safe for now, the charges against them are still outstanding. The enemy, who has framed Richards Group, is still waiting for an opportunity to strike and attack. The Richards Group is attracting too much unwanted attention because of its scale. So, it¡¯s time to divert this risk.¡±

    Norton was stunnedmomentarily. He quickly understood what she meant and repliedimmediately, ¡°Jenna, please don¡¯t worry.All of these still belong to the Richards Group. I was only doing my part even though I¡¯ve established a newpany.It is my responsibility to help.¡±

    Of course, Norton understood that he owed the sess of his newpany to Richards Group. He merely followed Jenna¡¯s instructions and found a different way to make things happen. Jenna already prepared everything for the establishment of a newpany and she could have picked anyone to run the newpany.However, she chose to benefit him at such a time, so that he could make a name for himself. Norton was grateful and had already made a backup n for the safekeeping of theirwyers.

    Jenna wasn¡¯t aware that Norton already had other ns. She smiled faintlyand her eyes were as clear as the sea.

    ¡°Norton, the Richards Group is big enough as it is.There are too many things to handle and too many rumors to tackle. We can¡¯t let anyone with ulterior motives have their chances on us again. We are one family no matter what happens. By splitting the luxury car business, we¡¯ll at least be able to preserve the Richards Group¡¯s traditional business. We can¡¯t lose the family¡¯s traditional business and its core culture. The Richards Group is a family enterprise with a century-old history. It¡¯s our duty to pass them on,¡± Jenna exined with a solemn expression, with her voice clear and firm.

    Norton was deeply moved. He nodded and acknowledged her. ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s truly our honor and pride to have you in our Richards family. On behalf of our family, I thank you.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s actions touched Norton but he couldn¡¯t help feelinga deep sense of guilt at the same time. The things he had done in the past were terrible.

    ¡°Norton, let¡¯s not talk about this. I am the daughter-inw and the head of the Richards family. This is my duty.¡± Jenna shook her head and then continued seriously. ¡°You must try your best to modify and sell all the piled-up luxury cars within a month.If the Richards Group encounters any more difficulties in the future, then it¡¯d be able to survive with yourpany as backing.¡±

    A cool breeze blew over her clear forehead, and a ray of the morning sun shone on her face. She looked lively and charming under the early morning sun.

    Norton slipped into a daze and suddenly realized that Jenna was a woman he would always worship and admire. He had had this feeling for a long time now.

    Jenna was deep in thought.

    At the current stage, the automotive industry was the Richards Group¡¯s pir industry and may even strengthen Richards Group¡¯s revenue and expansion process. By establishing a newpany as a front, Norton would be able to help solve the automotive crisis for Richards Group.The road construction project for the sports tournament and the impending crisis should not be a big problem with thepany¡¯s support.

    Jenna had long nned for all of this and had already told Hansen. Of course, Hansen supported her n enthusiastically.The Richards Group had too many traditional and new industries running simultaneously. If they were not cautious, then they would fall into the predicament of being framed again.

    The situation had forced them to diversify their businesses.

    The two of them exchanged and discussed some challenges thepany was facing, and time flew by without them noticing.

    ¡°Oh, there you are, Jenna. I couldn¡¯t find you just now.¡± Sabrina would meet Jenna every morning and apany her for her morning walk.She didn¡¯t see Jenna when she got up in the morning. So, she went to look for her. She saw Jenna talking to a man who looked like Hansen from a distance.Sabrina didn¡¯t think much and walked towards them.

    Norton¡¯s back stiffened as he heard her voice.

    Sabrina approached slowly and added, ¡°Jenna, I thought we are supposed to walk together. Why didn¡¯t you wait for me today?¡±

    Jenna raised her head and nced at Norton. She turned her head and smiled at Sabrina. ¡°Sabrina,you were sleeping soundly just now. So, I didn¡¯t want to wake you up.¡±

    ¡°Lies. You didn¡¯t want me to follow you because Hansen is apanying you, right?¡± Sabrina chuckled and turned her head to the man and asked yfully, ¡°Hansen, am I right?¡±

    The man¡¯s body trembled a littleand his fingers curled up involuntarily.

    Norton turned around slowly. His gaze was darkand his voice was a little hoarse. ¡°Good to see you, Sabrina.¡±

    The smile on Sabrina¡¯s face froze. Her expression stiffened and she looked surprised!

    This man turned out to be Norton!

    She wasn¡¯t expecting to see him.

    She stood there in shock for a moment and turned around to leave.

    ¡°Jenna, please continue your discussion.I¡¯ll go ahead and take a walk myself,¡± Sabrina said.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    She walked towards the running track of the Ink Garden without looking back.

    A hint of embarrassment shed across Norton¡¯s face followed bydisappointment.

    Jenna smiled faintly and looked at them.

 Chapter 581 An Exciting Moment

    ¡°Norton, women prefer sweet-talkers and men who know how to coax them. You may have made mistakes in the past but I am sure Sabrina would forgive you if you are sincere.Don¡¯t let her go easily if you still like her.¡± Jenna encouraged him as she stood up.

    Norton¡¯s eyes lit up momentarilybut were soon extinguished by self-doubt.

    Norton had just started his careerand he hadn¡¯t had much achievement yet. General Delia had high expectations. So, he didn¡¯t have the confidence to approach Sabrina yet.

    Jenna smiled and advised him.¡°Norton,no matter what you do, always keep in mind that as long as you work hard and treat people with sincerity,you will get what you give out to them. The universe never mistreats anyone. You¡¯re not young anymore. Not only do you have to elerate your career advancement,you should also be mature and earnest when ites to your rtionship. Women are emotional beings. As long as you are genuine and patient, you might just get what you have always wanted.¡±

    Norton listened to Jenna¡¯s words. He looked at Sabrina, who was jogging in the Ink Garden, and his mind stirred.

    Jenna left after she finished her sentence.

    Norton stood there for a while before walking towards Sabrina in resolute steps.

    ¡°Sabrina, have you been well? Thank you for your help in taking care of the Richards Group.¡± Norton followed behind Sabrina and gradually picked up the pace to jog along.

    The familiar scent of Norton travelled along the morning breeze towards her. Her face flushed redder as she jogged. She pursed her lips and turned to face him with a distant expression.

    ¡°I came here to help because Grandma always treated me well and also because Jenna was here. It has nothing to do with you. You really didn¡¯t have to thank me.¡± Sabrina stopped and answered coldly.

    Norton was embarrassed and stuttered. He was the one who was at fault after all and Sabrina has every right to be mad.

    Sabrina turned around and started jogging again.

    ¡°Sabrina, I¡¯ve let you down in the past. I know that I¡¯ve hurt you. Please give me a chance to make it up to you, alright?¡± Norton followed behind her and blocked her way, pleading with her in a sincere tone.

    Sabrina nced at him and snorted. ¡°Mr. Richards, there¡¯s really no need for that. I¡¯ve already given up on you. There¡¯s no future between us.¡±

    She had no reason to trust him anymore, judging from the things he had done in the past and how he deceived her.

    ¡°Sabrina, I know I lost your respectbut I¡¯ll prove myself to you. I am sure you¡¯d ept me again when you see how much I have changed.¡± Norton refused to give up and followed her shamelessly.

    Sabrina remained unmoved and ignored him.

    Nortonfollowed behind her patiently.

    Sabrina jogged as Norton followed. The two of them ran on the running track in the Ink Garden.

    Sabrina felt a sudden annoyance.

    After the secondp, the footsteps behind seemed to have disappeared. She felt a little surprised and curious, and turned her head to look.

    Norton was standing under a parasol tree talking on the phone. The morning sun shone on his tall figure. He lookedperfect from the side view.

    It was apparent that her mind was in chaos. She didn¡¯t even hear when Norton¡¯s phone rang.

    She looked around and calmed down slowly.

    Sabrina felt that Norton had truly changed. He had be much more mature and reliable.

    He looked less gloomy and more confident. He also exuded an air of unswerving determination, with a radiant glow on his face.

    The change in Norton¡¯s movements seemed to be captivating her even more.

    Sabrina suddenly noticed that her heart had always belonged to Norton. Even when she tried to ignore those feelings she had for him, his shadow would always linger on the back of her mind and appear out of the blue to interfere with her determination to move forward.

    Her heart was pounding fast.

    She ran anotherp and stopped. She bit her lip and stood still on the track.

    Norton was still talking on the phone. He looked serious and focused. It seemed as if he was giving orders.

    Sabrina didn¡¯t want to be near him again. She ran away towards the exit after a moment of consideration.

    Breakfast was served at the Ink Garden. It was a rare andblissful event for Richards Manor as Old Master Richards¡¯ family had all gathered due to Vivian¡¯s illness. The long rectangr table was filled with all sorts of sumptuous dishes. The family sat ording to their seniority, with joyful expressions on their faces.

    ¡°Norton, how is the Americanpany now?¡± ude had resolved some of the misunderstanding he had with Norton over the years after the kidnapping incident.He wasn¡¯t as guarded as he used to be when it came to Norton now. He knew Jenna had sent Norton to the United States to start a newpany and he supported the idea. He was rather pleased at his achievement thus far as Norton was his only son.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. Thepany is doing great and has huge potential there. Jenna had nned everything well in the States. Sess wille naturally,¡± he replied joyfully. Norton had heard about how Trevor and Hansen had sacrificed themselves to save ude and he was very touched by their actions.

    ude nodded approvingly.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. You must do your best and produce phenomenal results.Richards Group is still trapped in a sticky situation. Luxury cars have always been the backbone industry of Richards Group. Therefore, it must continue. You must make sure that thepany will be strong enough to support and back Richards Group when necessary.¡± ude reminded him.

    ude was not a fool. The Richards Group was not out of the woods yet. There was still a long way to go for them. He already knew the crimes of the Xanthe family when he was still living in Africa but he could not find any evidence against them. He was well aware of Yadriel¡¯s means of doing things. It is important and essential for the family to unite and fight against the enemy now.

    ¡°Rest assured, father. I¡¯ll do my best. I won¡¯t let you down,¡± Norton replied confidently with a smile.

    Trevor and ude both nodded.

    Sabrina was sitting next to Jenna. She lowered her head and ate her breakfast without a word.

    ¡°Norton, you¡¯re a grown up now. You should start thinking about yourself when thepany gets on track.¡± Maria reminded him. She was always worried about Norton¡¯s marriage and has cried many times in secret over this.As she saw how Norton had changed to be so capable and confident, she felt more assured about his future to establish a family of his own.

    Norton¡¯s face turned sour. He nced at Sabrina before burying himself in his breakfast.

    ¡°Madam Madeline sent someone over to propose a marriage again a few days ago. She wanted to marry her youngest granddaughter, Carme, to you. She¡¯s been here several times before.¡± Maria sat next to Norton, and looked lovingly at him.She then added with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s arrange for a meeting since you are back? Carme is beautiful and she¡¯s a youngdy from a well-known family. I honestly think she¡¯s not bad at all.¡±

    Jenna was stunned when she heard that.

    Madam Madeline had indeed sent someone to discuss the possible union of Norton and Carme. Jenna was the head of the family. So, she knew what had happened. Carme Newton was the youngest daughter of the Newtons¡¯ eldest son. She was well-educatedand it was said that she ran a rather sessful business.She wasn¡¯t young anymore but she hadn¡¯t found anyone she liked.To put it simply,Carmewas a sessful business woman who was still single.

    Vivian was aware of this when she was still alert but shedid notment much regarding the marriage arrangement.Shedid, however, decline the offer tactfully with the excuse that Norton had a history of being jailed.

    The family knew that Madam Madelinewanted Carme to marry Norton as she was interested in the Richards family¡¯s wealth and influence. Madam Madeline wanted them to get married so that she could infiltrate the family.

    Madam Madelinehad always been an astute woman. The marriages in the Newton family had always been arranged between families within their own ss. They only focused on profits even when it came to marriages. Frederic Newton¡¯s marriage was a good example of it.

    The Richards family¡¯s influence and wealth in A City was unrivalled. The Old Madam had long wanted to ally herself with the Richards family. She took it as an opportunity by using Norton¡¯s mistakes as an excuse to arrange a marriage. She thought the Richards family would be desperate as Norton had a record and was jailed before.

    Madam Madeline thought the marriage offer would be a sign of respect towards the Richards familyand believed that the Richards family would be extremely grateful for the offer.

    ¡°Mom, Grandma is on her deathbedand I¡¯m here to see her. Let¡¯s talk about marriageter.¡± Norton¡¯s gaze once again fell on Sabrina. She was drinking her milk slowly, pretending as if nothing had happened.He felt a wave of disappointment and replied to Maria half-heartedly.

    ¡°No, you have to meet Carme this time,and get to know her first.Look at you. You are not young anymore. You should have started nning for a family long ago. I am still looking forward to having a grandson. Now that someone has taken a fancy to you, and shees from a pretty noble and well-respected family too. Don¡¯t miss this opportunity.¡± Maria nagged disapprovingly as she saw how disinterested Norton appeared.

    Norton¡¯s brows furrowed. He looked irritated.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this matter anymore. He¡¯s already an adult. Hecould make his own decision.¡± ude chimed in faintly when he heard the conversation.

    Maria stoppedining after ude intervened.

    The breakfast still ended in a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

    The central air-conditioning of the luxury hotel was cool and cozy. The suite was cool like the spring weather although it was a hot summer.

    Madam Lilian got up early today. After drinking a cup of green tea, she walked around the room.

    She was very excitedand her face had a healthy glow.

    Quina had gone to the hospital to get the DNA test results. She would soon know whether Sara was indeed her biological daughter.

    It had been 50 years. The day Madam Lilian had been looking forward to had finally arrived that day.

    What an exciting moment it was!

    Although she had affirmed and confirmed Sara from the bottom of her heart, she still wanted to see the scientific proof.

    Madam Lilian was detailed and careful. She couldn¡¯t be sloppy even though she thought of Sara as her own daughter.

    She was in a good mood that day. She wore a deep red dress and even matched it with a maroon shawl as a celebratory sign.

    If the results were confirmed, then she would visit the Francist Community immediately with Quina to meet and acknowledge Sara. Then, they could have a good talk as mother and daughter.Madam Lilian nned topensate her for all the lost time.

    Whenever she thought about Sara¡¯s tragic situation, Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes would turn redand her heart would ache.

    That poor child.

    She took a deep breath andthought about ways of making it up to Sara. She wanted her to be happy. Madam Lilian wanted to y the role of her mother.

    Time ticked bybut Quina was still nowhere to be seen.

    Madam Lilian paced back and forth anxiously in the room. She was so excited. She was looking forward to Quina¡¯s arrival yet was also afraid of the moment when they finally acknowledged each other as mother and daughter.

    She didn¡¯t know if Sara would acknowledge her as her mother. After all, Madam Lilian was absent from Sara¡¯s life when she was growing up. She was never there for her when she was in distress and needed help.

    If she was being honest with her feelings, Madam Lilian would probably feel too ashamed to see Sara when the moment arrived.

    Her heart wandered as her restless footsteps echoed in the room.She couldn¡¯t calm herself down.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Time passed by slowly.

    The door was pushed open quietly.

    Quina walked in with a smile.

 Chapter 582 Yadriel Requested To Meet Madam Lilian

    ¡°Quina, have you brought it back?¡± As soon as Quina came in,Madam Liliancouldn¡¯t help asking.

    That was the first time Quina sawMadam Lilianbeing so excited, and she understood her feelings very well. Quina was also happy for her. It would be a good thing ifMadam Lilian could find her own daughter back.

    ¡°Madam, I¡¯ve brought it back,¡± Quina replied with a smile. She produced the folder containing the documents from her hand, andwith both hands,handed it to Madam Lilian.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s exhration coursed through her. Her face was flushed, and her hands were trembling as she took the file. Her heart was extremely heavy,yet she felt an indescribable excitement.

    In the file was the DNA test result between Madam Lilian and Sara,who was Madam Lilian¡¯s only rtive in the world. After this, Madam Lilian would be able to confirm that Sara was the child she had given birth to after ten months of pregnancy, and she would be able to reunite with her.

    How wonderful and exciting it would be!

    Madam Lilian slowly opened the file and pulled the document out.

    She put on her sses and perused it carefully.

    After a while, the initial excitement on her face had turnedto suspicion, then to disbelief. Quina was frightened to watch the changes on Madam Lilian¡¯s face.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s face gradually calmed down. The enthusiasm on her face disappeared, and even her face was full of disappointment and despair. The light from her eyes was bleak and dull. There was also a hint of surprise, suspicion, unwillingness, and desperation.

    Madam Lilian¡¯shands began to tremble as she held the paper. Her entire body was weak and powerless, and she was staggering, even.

    ¡°Madam, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Quina stood beside Madam Lilian and felt that something was obviously amiss. The expression on Madam Lilian¡¯s face was unexpected. There must be something wrong. Quina nervously supported her.

    ¡°Impossible. It¡¯s impossible,¡± Madam Lilian murmured. Her face was nk and anxious, and she seemed to be on edge.

    ¡°Madam, is there something wrong?¡± Quina panicked.Madam Lilian¡¯sexpression was too unsightly. Just now, her face was still beaming, but she was defeated in an instant, and her lips began to tremble.

    ¡°Quina, how is it possible?Apparently, Sara is not my daughter.¡± Madam Lilian grabbed Quina¡¯s hand and asked desperately.

    After hearing this, Quina was also stunned. She was at a loss at what to do.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes were riddled with pain and despair, and she could keep her wits about her no longer.

    Quina touchedMadam Lilian¡¯s hands, only to find them extremely cold. When she heardMadam Lilian¡¯ssad and helpless question, she felt a chill washing over her heart.

    She finally understood the cruel truth. The result of the DNA diagnosis showed that Sara was not the daughter of Madam Lilian!

    How could it be!

    They looked so alike, andMadam Lilian¡¯sintuitions were just as strong. Could it be that fate was really making fools out of people?

    It was beyond their expectation. Never had they expected such a result. God seemed to be joking with them.

    He erased this ray of hope once more.

    Madam Lilian had no strength left. She took the result sheet and flopped down on the bed. She lowered her head, her body felt a blood curdling cold.

    This was the first time such an unforeseen cruel reality struck down the strong woman. At this time, she looked so fragile and so pitiful.

    ¡°Madam, it¡¯s okay. This may be wrong. I¡¯ll ask again.¡± Quinaforted her, who was in distress. ¡°Even if it¡¯s not, it still doesn¡¯t matter. We can continue to search for your daughter until we find her.¡± She picked up the shawl and gently draped it over Madam Lilian¡¯s shoulder,forting her.

    However, Madam Lilian was so disappointed that her face was nk and dispirited.

    At this time, nothing mattered. There was no way to denounce the DNA diagnosis, a testament to the immutable science.

    Quina really didn¡¯t know how tofort her.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible. She¡¯s my daughter, and I trust my instincts.¡± Madam Lilian kept shaking her head and mumbling to herself. At this moment, she was like a child, unable to ept this cruel reality.

    Madam Lilian had been brimming with joy just now. However, the oue was totally divorced from her expectations. How could she be happy?

    ¡°Madam, lie down and rest first.¡± Seeing that she was so emotional, Quina was afraid that something might happen. So, she could only persuade her to lie down and rest.

    Madam Lilian was assisted to lie on the bed by Quina. She closed her eyes.Her heart was in dull difort.

    Sara¡¯s face kept shing in her mind. Her facial features were the exact mold of vian and her. How could she not be her daughter?

    ¡°Quina, did you make sure that you didn¡¯t get the wrong sample when you went to the hospital that day?¡± She suddenly opened her eyes, stared at Quina, and asked.

    After being stunned for a moment, Quina immediately replied, ¡°Madam, it¡¯s impossible. You saw me put the hair together and never took it out again. Plus, I sent it to the hospital immediately and personally handed it to the person in charge of theboratory. I¡¯ve told you so many times that the possibility of making a mistake was virtually zero.¡±

    Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes gradually darkened, and she closed her eyes. She waved her hand and ordered, ¡°You should go out first. I want to be alone.¡±

    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be too overwrought. We will find your daughter sooner orter.¡± It was difficult for Quina to watch Madam Lilian be so sad. Hence, she keptforting her.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    Madam Lilian waved her hand again.

    Feeling helpless, Quina had to go out.

    Madam Lilian wasnguishing in a horrible mood, but she had experienced the vicissitudes of life and could still endure such a blow. She just felt a tightness in her chest and slowly closed her eyes.

    At noon, Quina came in and informed her softly, ¡°Madam, Yadriel is outside the door, requesting to meet you.¡±

    Yadriel?

    Madam Lilian opened her eyes and lookednguid.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Tell him that I¡¯m busy right now.So, it¡¯s not a good time for me to meet him,¡± she answered impatiently with a frown.

    Quina hesitated and did not leave.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem?¡± Madam Lilian nced at her and asked impatiently.

    ¡°Madam, Yadriel mentioned that he has something important to hand over to you. Please, you must take the time to meet him.¡± Quina had expected that Madam Lilian would show such an attitude.So, she had to exin again.

    ¡°Something important that he wants to give me?¡± Madam Lilian asked, her eyes full of doubts.

    ¡°Yes, Madam. That¡¯s what he said when he asked to see you, and he repeatedly made it clear,¡± Quina responded as she nodded.

    Madam Lilian was in a bad mood. She had intended to send him away in this way, but hearing Quina¡¯s words, she thought that Yadriel was also sort of a political person. He came here to see her and even wanted to give her something in person. What was his purpose?

    Thinking about it, Madam Lilianhad no choice but to say, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, take him to the next room¡¯s lounge first, and I¡¯ll summon himter.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Madam.¡± When Quina heard this, she nodded and then walked out. As soon as she took a step, she turned back. ¡°Madam, the situation in the war-torn country is tense now. There was a phone call to rush us. We have to go back immediately. We can¡¯t stay here any longer.¡±

    When Madam Lilian heard this, her face twitched and her eyes darkened.

    ¡°How tense is the situation there?¡± she questioned in a low voice.

    ¡°Madam, ndo and Bovend have now found themselves in a religious conflict with each other. The anti-government military team and the government military team have been fighting fiercely sincest week. The war is getting fiercer and fiercer, and the people are suffering a lot.¡± Quina looked pained and replied truthfully, ¡°We should be providing them with humanitarian assistance now.¡±

    Madam Lilian¡¯s brows were knitted together, and her eyes wereden with an expression that no words could describe.

    ¡°There is something strange about this matter. How could the anti-government military teampete against the government? You should know that the government army owns arge number of forces, advanced weapons, and the united forces of several countries. The anti-government can¡¯t have such an imposing will. No matter what, the battle shouldn¡¯t be as fierce as it is.¡± Madam Lilian spected suspiciously.

    Quina also felt the strangeness of the matter and immediately responded.

    ¡°Yes, Madam, the intensity of this war has never been seen before. Someone in the government said that it was because the anti-government had obtained many advanced weapons that they had the ability tounch an attack. This time, the government army suffered a lot of casualties, and the people suffered more.¡±

    Quina shook her head and sighed with a heavy mood.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s face darkened further.

    The casualties from this kind of war would always be civilians. During this period, she had intervened many times, but it was useless. Constant expansion of ambition, desire, faith, and sectpetition, these were unavoidable.

    ¡°But where did these anti-government soldiers get their weapons? It¡¯s impossible for any country to sell weapons to them at this time. There are clear rules in the United Nations.¡± Madam Lilian frowned tightly, very puzzled.

    Quina was also equally baffled and could only reply, ¡°Maybe they¡¯re sold illegally. Such things are repeatedly prohibited but were unsessful just because of the huge profits. It seems that the authorities should really take good care of it.¡±

    Madam Lilian nodded with a soft murmur.

    The bright yellow curtains made the space inside the suite look very light and bright. However, Yadriel, who was sitting on the sofa, could not rx at all. He could not help but to feel uneasy.

    Madam Lilian would definitely be able to recognize him again. That year, when he had served as Johan¡¯s adjutant, he had brought out vian¡¯s belongings that had been thrown out of the house.

    However, at that time, he was very good at dealing with people.

    The father and son might have had a falling out with each other, but they were, after all, father and son. No matter how deep the enmity between them was, they were still rted by blood. Even though he was under orders to ¡®dally¡¯ them out, he secretly gave them many things. For example, he knew that the fine bone china teapot was vian¡¯s favorite, so he had brought it to him as well.

    Therefore, he was confident that Madam Lilian¡¯s impression of him wouldn¡¯t be too bad.

    Although he felt uneasy in his heart, he still sat calmly, waiting for Madam Lilian toe out to see him.

    After a while, footsteps could be heard.

    He stood up.

    Quina came in and smiled slightly.She politely greeted, ¡°Mr. Xanthe, pleasee with me.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Yadriel responded with a smile. Then, he nodded politely in thanks.

    After that, Quina turned around and walked outside, followed by Yadriel.

 Chapter 583 Return The Gift

    In the reception room.

    Madam Lilian, dressed in formal clothes, was sitting on a rattan chair, reading a newspaper.

    ¡°Madam, Mr. Xanthe is here,¡± Quina informed her in a low voice.

    Madam Lilian raised her head.

    ¡°Hello, Madam.¡± Yadriel immediately took a step forward, walked up to her, took a bow, and greeted her with utmost decorum.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Xanthe.¡± Madam Lilian smiled and gestured her hand towards the reception chair next to her. ¡°Please take a seat.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Madam,¡± Yadriel spoke as he bent down and bowed. He sat down carefully on one side, all smiles on his face.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, you¡¯re really well-informed. You even caught the wind that I¡¯m in A City.¡± Madam Lilian elegantly set down the newspaper, half-teasing, and half-jokinglymented.

    Yadriel¡¯s face instantly tingled as he was caught off guard.

    However, there was no difort in his astute eyes. On the contrary, he was more respectful, with a bright smile on his face.

    ¡°Madam, you are a respectable woman. I have always admired you. Therefore, I always pay more attention to your movements,¡± Yadriel replied with great respect.

    Upon hearing this, Madam Lilian smiled and continued, ¡°Thank you for yourpliment. I really don¡¯t deserve it. May I know the purpose behind your visit, Mr. Xanthe?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too humble!¡± Yadriel¡¯s face was full of ttering smiles as he politely uttered. Then, he questioned with curiosity, ¡°Madam, do you still remember me?¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Madam Lilian was surprised when she heard this. She could not help but to raise her head and sized up Yadriel. She had seen this person on television once or twice. As for knowing him, Madam Lilian really did not have this memory in the recesses of her mind.So, she just shook her head at the moment.

    Yadriel had long known that Madam Lilian would not remember him, but if he did mention it, she might still be able to recall it slightly. After all, for her and vian, the meaning of that daywas all too profound.

    He slowly took out a pouch from his chest pocket. The rose-colored bag was a little old-fashioned, but it was very delicate. Madam Lilian looked at it and felt it was familiar. She stared at the pouch for a moment.

    Then, Yadriel slowly and carefully untied the pouch. A century-old, ssic, women¡¯s watch was presented in front of Madam Lilian.

    She looked at it carefully, and her heart began to tremble.

    ¡°Why do you have this thing?¡± Madam Lilian¡¯s expression changed as she asked in a hoarse voice.

    Yadriel was in no rush. He chuckled,and his attitude was amiable.

    ¡°Madam, I was the one who sent you and Mr. Moore away when the both of you left the Moore family that year.¡± Yadriel¡¯s words were extremely tactful. He did not say anything like ¡®driven away¡¯, nor did he say that he was chasing them away. Instead, he used the words ¡®sent away¡¯,and his attitude was even more easy-going.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s expression changed, and she looked up again at the man in front of her.

    This man should be a little younger than her. He should be in his 60s, which happened to be the age of most high-ranking officials. After taking a closer look at Yadriel¡¯s face, Madam Lilian felt that he was indeed slightly familiar.

    ¡°So, it was you that day?¡± Madam Lilian asked in shock.

    She remembered that when the Moore family had chased them out, vian had been beaten, and it was inconvenient for him to walk. Even Johan¡¯s servants had chased them out. However, that person did not deliberately make things difficult for them. He had even brought them many good things from home, including the fine bone china teapot that vian loved.

    It turned out that Yadriel used to be Johan¡¯s subordinate. On second thought, her face softened a lot, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°That was indeed me.¡± Yadriel observed her facial expressions and soon noticed the change on Madam Lilian¡¯s face. He immediately admitted it. After putting the watch into the pouch, he handed it to Lilian with both hands and exined respectfully, ¡°Madam, this is taken from the Young Master¡¯s room that day. As I left in a hurry, I didn¡¯t notice this. When I handed it to Johanter, he didn¡¯t even look at it and just asked me to throw it away. I thought it¡¯s a pity to throw such a delicate watch away. I nned to give it back to you when I have a chance. So, I kept it. I didn¡¯t expect that I would have the opportunity to return it to you personally today. I¡¯m d that I could finally return it to its faithful owner.¡±

    Yadriel¡¯s tone was emotional and moving.

    The expression on Madam Lilian¡¯s face gradually eased.Even her voice grew kinder. She reached out her hand, nodded, and thanked him. ¡°Thank you, you are really thoughtful.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s what I should do. It¡¯s what I should do.¡± Yadriel noticed Madam Lilian¡¯s change and was pleased in his heart. So, he responded modestly and politely.

    Madam Lilian epted the watch and flipped through it. This was the love token vian had given her years ago. Back then, she thought that she had lost it, but who would have thought that someone would have kept it?

    Now that Madam Lilian was cradling it in her hands, and at the thought of Sara, her heart felt empty and extremely ufortable.

    ¡°Madam, do you have any issues weighing on your mind?¡± Yadriel saw the loneliness in Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes and was aware of her heavy heart. He could not help but to ask with concern.

    ¡°To be honest, I came to A City to look for my daughter. It¡¯s been so many years, but I still haven¡¯t heard anything from her.¡± Madam Lilian sighed. Her heart was heavy as she admitted with some disappointment.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Yadriel nodded as if he was startled and continued, ¡°Yes, Madam, it has been so many years. It¡¯s indeed a little difficult to find the person now. However, Madam, don¡¯t worry. I am very familiar with A City, and I have connections with some people. How about this? I can help you inquire about it. Maybe there will be unexpected gains.¡±

    He spoke very sincerely and enthusiastically. Madam Lilian didn¡¯t want to reject his offer. So, she had to nod with a smile and mumbled, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    To Madam Lilian, it didn¡¯t matter what method she used. As long as she could find her daughter, all is well. This was what she needed the most at the moment.

    Yadriel¡¯s heart was calm. Just like he had imagined, today¡¯s trip was not in vain. Not only did he meet Madam Lilian, he also returned her favor. His goal had been achieved. So, he stood up at the right time.

    ¡°Madam, it¡¯s my honor to meet you. For so many years, I¡¯ve always wanted to visit you so that I can personally return the watch to you, but I¡¯ve never had the chance to do so. Today, my wish is finally fulfilled. Now, my heart is finally at ease. I shall not disturb you any longer, and I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± Yadriel looked relieved, with a smile all over his face, and he bid his farewell emotionally.

    ¡°Thank you so much. Thank you so much.¡± Madam Lilian¡¯s face was also filled with a grateful smile. ¡°Quina, send Mr. Xanthe off.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Quina replied next to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s really not necessary.¡± Yadriel was extremely modest. He turned around and seemed to have recalled something. He then added, ¡°Madam, you don¡¯t have to worry too much about your daughter. Since I know about this today, I will pay attention to it. Please rest assured, I believe that the both of you will definitely be reunited.¡±

    After saying that, Yadriel took another slight bow to Madam Lilian before he left.

    ¡°Madam, do you think that Yadriel was simply here to send a watch over?¡± After he left, Quina looked at his back and whispered.

    In her eyes, Yadriel looked too astute. Furthermore, he was currently in the midst of a tense election. At this point, it was suspicious for him to try and gain an ally by returning a watch to Madam Lilian. However, he was a cunning old fox. He had notid clear of his requests for that day¡¯s visit. On the surface, he was only here to returnMadam Lilian¡¯s token of love.

    It was possible that he was using this method to win Madam Lilian¡¯s heart. It could be imagined that Yadriel was indeed a smart politician with high IQ and impressive means.

    Now, it wasMadam Lilianwho owed him a favor.

    Madam Lilian took off her sses and narrowed her eyes. There was a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth. She had been working in public service her entire life. How could she not understand the intentions of these people? IfMadam Liliandid not see through their thoughts, she might as well have let her time in the field go down the chute.

    ¡°Quina, if Yadriel was able to keep a token of love between me and vian safe for decades, then this person must be exceptionally scheming. Only these ambitious politicians have such a watertight way of doing things. How could a scheming person like Yadriel simply travel all the way from Capital City to give me a watch?¡± Madam Lilian exined with a meaningful smile.

    Quina nodded her head as she listened.

    ¡°s, I just didn¡¯t expect that my visit to A City would be in vain again.¡± Madam Lilian thought about the DNA matter, and the expression on her face was even more inscrutable. ¡°Well, arrange a time for me. I will go and visit Vivian tomorrow night, and then we will go back.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Quina knew that the current situation was tense. So, she could only let it go. She immediately agreed.

    This time, Madam Lilian had been out for too long. It was time to go back. Otherwise, more things would pile up.

    ¡°Dad, how is it? Did you meet with Madam Lilian?¡± Yadriel had just reached the elevator entrance when Sergio was waiting outside. He came up to him and asked somewhat nervously.

    Yadrielughed.¡°Kid, don¡¯t you know who I am? If you can¡¯t meet her, then I¡¯ll find a way. This time, she¡¯ll definitelye to see me. Otherwise, her entire life will be in vain.¡±

    A surprised expression appeared on Sergio¡¯s face when he heard that.

    ¡°Dad, what did you talk about? Did you ask her for help?¡± Sergio couldn¡¯t help but to ask.

    Yadriel nced at him, shook his head, and walked towards the elevator.

    Sergio followed closely behind.

    ¡°Sergio, you¡¯re too na?ve. You really have to learn a lot about this area.¡± After the doors of the elevator were closed, Yadriel spoke sincerely and earnestly.

    Sergio was stunned. He didn¡¯t know what was going on.

    ¡°Oh, you really don¡¯t know much about the ways of the world.¡± Yadriel appeared displeased. ¡°If you made a request the first time you met the person, would they form a good impression of you? You should foster feelings first, no matter what.¡±

    When Sergio heard this, he suddenly realized something and nodded. ¡°Yes, but Dad, we¡¯re pressed for time. If we don¡¯t mention it now, then I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be toote.¡±

    ¡°No. This time, I¡¯ll letMadam Liliapletely sever any threads of hope of looking for her daughter. If things go as expected, she will go back tomorrow. As for the next time, I can tell her the news personally and cause her to be very excited. This way, she will owe me a favor again.¡± Sergio was ying the long game, as he described. When he was finished, he gave a chuckle and got up.

    ¡°Tell her personally?¡± Sergio asked in surprise. ¡°Do you want to tell her personally that Sara is her daughter?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Yadriel smiled disdainfully.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? After she left this time, I don¡¯t know when she wille to A City next time. At that time, my goals have been achieved.So, it doesn¡¯t matter if I tell her.¡± He curled his lips and responded indifferently.

    Sergio was stumped for a moment beforeing back to his senses. He understood what Yadriel meant andughed.

    ¡°Sergio, let me tell you something. I didn¡¯t waste this visit. Madam Lilian will definitely owe me a favor today,¡± Yadriel assured with a little pride.

    ¡°Really?¡± Sergio looked pleasantly surprised.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Yadriel let out augh. ¡°At the very least, when I have a request the next time I meet her, she would be too embarrassed to reject it.¡±

    It was definitely an unforgettable thing for Madam Lilian that he happened to send her the watch today. He was confident about it.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Upon hearing this, Sergio felt relieved.

    It was also a good thing that the mother and daughter could not recognize each other for the time being. At least it could buy them some time.

 Chapter 584 Madam Lilian Visited Vivian

    Jenna sat in the office in the Ink Garden, skimming through the ounting books.

    Maud hurried over.

    ¡°Madam, someone asked me to give this to you.¡± Maud came over with an envelope and handed it to Jenna with both hands.

    Jenna was taken aback. She took it over and opened it. It was a delicate invitation letter. When she opened it, it clearly wrote, ¡°Greetings, Mrs. Richards! Madam Lilian will being to the Ink Garden to visit Vivian at nine o¡¯clock tonight. Please see to the full execution of the security work and ask everyone to leave. Please ensure no word is leaked. Pay extra mind to this.Regards, Quina.¡±

    Jenna was so shocked that she was at a loss at what to do.

    Madam Lilian was actuallying to visit Vivian at Richards Manor?

    DidMadam Lilianknow Vivian?

    How wouldMadam Lilian think of paying a visit to Vivian? Jenna would never admit that Madam Lilian wanted to visit Vivian at Richards Manor because of her. What surprised her, even more, was that Madam Lilian actually went to the Francist Community to visit Sara because of her. This made her feel very excited and moved.

    Such a noble person actually went to see Sara, an ordinary person, and also went to see her in person. This really made her feel fond ofMadam Lilian.

    When she heard the call from Sara, she was incredulous.

    She picked up the phone immediately.

    Whenever Jenna encountered anything, she would immediately think of Hansen and want to tell him everything.

    ¡°Hansen, let me tell you something. Madam Lilian will be visiting Grandma at nine o¡¯clock tonight.¡± Jenna informed in a pleasantly surprised voice over the phone.

    Hansen was in his office and was washed over by surprise to hear this news.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    It was unlikely that Madam Lilian woulde to visit Vivian, as the Richards family was not familiar with her. Did theye for the sake of Jenna, an unassuming woman? It was said that Madam Lilian had regarded Jenna as her granddaughter!

    ¡°Jenna, that¡¯s great.¡± Hansen smiled and teased her. ¡°It looks like my wife is an important figure!¡±

    ¡°Come on. I¡¯m not that well-known. I don¡¯t know whyMadam Lilianwants to see Grandma. I think it may be because Grandma is famous. After all, she is also a reputable woman.¡± Jennaughed in embarrassment.

    Hansen chuckled. ¡°Alright, no matter what, as long as she steps foot into our home, we will weeherwarmly.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Hansen. However, she is a big shot, and we have to prepare for our security detail. Her secretary has already stated that we must do a perfect job when ites to confidentiality and also order all the others to leave,¡± Jenna notified him seriously.

    ¡°Yes, my wife. I¡¯ll return home immediately to help you arrange for it,¡± Hansen immediately answered on the phone. ¡°Rest all you want. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡±

    Hansen was afraid that she would worry. So, he quickly packed up everything while he was on the phone. He then asked, ¡°Did you drink the soup today? Did you throw up?¡±

    Jenna smiled sweetly. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Since there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up first.¡±

    Without waiting for Hansen to speak, she hung up the phone in advance to avoid hearing him bbering. It had to be said that Hansen was too serious about her pregnancy, and he was overly worried about it.

    ¡°D*mn, woman! How dare you hang up on me.¡± Upon hearing the beeping sound from the phone, Hansen scolded her fiercely, but there was a slight tender smile on the corner of his mouth.

    It was quiet in the night, and the bright moon hung in the sky, covering the Ink Garden with ayer of faintly discernible mist.

    Many of the candles in Richards Manor had been extinguished in advance. The mainmps in the Ink Garden were still on.

    Trevor, Hansen, and Jenna were standing at the Ink Garden¡¯s entrance.

    A tour bus slowly drove over and stopped.

    ¡°Madam, we¡¯re here.¡± Quina informed in a low voice.

    Ever since entering Richards Manor, Madam Lilian had been sizing up the hundred-year-old manor. Deep in her heart was a myriad of emotions. Just how many years had it been since she¡¯d entered the ce? She only had the same memory of Richards Manor in her heart.

    The garden didn¡¯t seem to have changed much. The small trees in the past had grown into towering trees, and the scenery in the garden was even more verdant and vibrant. Even though many ces had been modernized, they were still filled with a familiar feeling from the depths of Madam Lilian¡¯s memories.

    It seemed that since she entered the garden, her thoughts were full of eagerness, and the feelings deep in her heart were veryplicated.

    Thest time she came to this garden was the night before 50 years ago when she got a divorce.

    She especially came over to bid farewell to Vivian and asked her to take care of Emilyin the future. At that time, Vivian felt helpless at the thought of Johan¡¯s deep-rooted traditional mindset. However, Capital City¡¯s unspoken rule concerning family status was really too strong back then.

    The wealthy Moore Family could not amodate women from the entertainment industry. The movie stars at that time were far less respected than the celebrities in the present. In the eyes of Johan and many big families, Lilian¡¯s status was simr to that of women in brothels. Therefore, his opposition was expected.

    The open-minded Vivian had no other way. When she heard Madam Lilian¡¯s request, she immediately agreed and requested that she be at ease. She would do her best to help her and take good care of Emily.

    In fact, she really did it.

    After vian¡¯s death, the ten-year-old Emily exhibited threadbare survival ability. After thinking about it for a day, Vivian decided to go to Capital City to find Johan.

    What she didn¡¯t expect was that the old, arrogant, and stubborn Johan would immediately fly into a rage the moment he heard vian¡¯s name. Moreover, he immediately roared, ¡°Whoever dares to mention vian or anything rted to him in the future will be cut off. I¡¯ll nevere into contact with them ever again.¡±

    With that said,he left abruptly.

    Vivian stood there, stupefied. Her expression was thrown off, looking as if she was in a dilemma.

    Johan¡¯s stubbornness was well-known. Everyone in the circle knew that he was a man of his word. Vivian knew that she couldn¡¯t convince him, but she couldn¡¯t break off the rtionship with the Moore family because of this. After all, the rtionship between Old Master Richards and Johan had been forged on the battlefield.

    In actuality, Johan was more furious at vian¡¯s attitude. After so many years, vian had never visited them, regardless of festivities. He never asked about them, much less apologized to Johan. Therefore, the prideful Johan felt that he had been disrespected. He was even furious at vian¡¯s actions. He had long since told the public that this was no son of his.

    At the end of her rope, Vivian had no choice but to return to A City.

    If she helped him out in the open, then she would offend Johan. If she didn¡¯t help him, how could such a young girl survive? What was more, she had already promised Lilian.

    Therefore,she came to vian¡¯s home that night.

    At this time, vian¡¯s family was downright destitute. vian, who¡¯d lost the love of his life and family, turned into an alcoholic and didn¡¯t care about his business. He was withering away in poverty.

    The most unexpected event was that vian despised Johan¡¯s ruthlessness so much that he changed Emily¡¯s name to Sara. Even her surname was changed to Garver. As such, it was obvious that vian did so to prove that Sara was not the Moore family¡¯s granddaughter but Lilian¡¯s daughter. Since then, she had nothing to do with the Moore family.

    At that time, Vivian secretly sighed. The father and son duo really bore the same character. They were stubborn people. Such a father and son were born enemies. Even if they survived, it was impossible for them to recognize each other.

    After giving it some thought, she felt that it would be best if Emily changed her name. This way, she would be able to assist her discreetly. She wouldn¡¯t have to be med by Johan, and she could even avoid the rumors and grow up happily.

    At that moment, she took Sara and Bailey, who had been apanying her for a while, to an old family house in A City. Bailey had been staying with Lilian all the time. She was an orphan and grew up with Lilian. She was only ten years older than Sara.

    Sara had always called her Bailey.

    In this way, Vivian guided Bailey in taking care of Sara and provided them with the monthly living expenses. It was not until Sara had turned 20 that the Old Master of the Murphy family took a fancy to her and married her to Javon. Then, Vivianpletely let go of her.

    Since she sent Sara to the old house, Vivian had never visited them to avoid suspicion, but she would secretly send someone to help.

    Therefore, even though Sara knew of Vivian, she wasn¡¯t very familiar with her. She didn¡¯t know that in the ten years after vian passed away, it was Vivian who had been secretly assisting them. She still thought that it was the inheritance left by her father, and she didn¡¯t know much about her original identity either.

    Since Bailey was also not much older than her and was always beside Lilian, she wasn¡¯t aware of most of the arrangement.

    As a result, Sara still didn¡¯t know that she was Johan¡¯s granddaughter. When she was a child, she only knew that she was an orphan. Her mother was dead, and there was no one in her family, which was the only vague concept she held on to.

    Vivian had always believed that Johan would one day get Sara back since the same blood flowed in them. Nheless, time proved that she was getting ahead of herself.

    In the next few decades, Johan had never asked about Emily, not to mention acknowledging her.

    Until today, Vivian couldn¡¯t be sure if Johan knew that Sara was his granddaughter.

    She could only feel that the matter was exasperating.

    Javon¡¯s tragic death was deliberately covered up. Vivian was also very anxious when she dealt with Earl. She didn¡¯t know if this stubborn old man would lend a hand.

    Yet, just as she hoped, Earl helped her.

    As for whether he was helping Sara because he knew she was Johan¡¯s granddaughter, or for the sake of the Richards family, that remained unknown.

    It had been so many years, and Sara was still mired in such a miserable situation. At this time, even if they recognized each other, they would feel nothing but pain. In fact, at times, Vivian thought, ¡°We¡¯d better just put it behind us. Everyone can still live rtively peacefully.¡±

    This must be a cruel reality.

    Therefore, Vivian never told anyone about Sara. Neither did anyone know about this fact. The Richards family had plenty of money. It was a drop in the bucket for them to help a little girl like Sara. If she didn¡¯t say anything, then no one would know either.

    It could be imagined that if Sara¡¯s family background were exposed too early, then it would absolutely not be a good thing for her. Vivian was afraid that Sara would live in a gue of gossip from then on. Moreover, Johan had been involved in the political circle for so many years. It was inevitable that he would have a few feuds. If political opponents came to seek revenge and threaten him because of this, then the most miserable one would be the innocent Sara.

    One should know that it was better to live a peaceful and happy life!

    Since that was the case, Vivian¡¯s heart was already as tranquil as still water. Her hope for Johan and Sara to reconcile was also diminished.

 Chapter 585 Cherish Her Well

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Madam Lilian.¡± At the sight of Madam Lilian, Trevor, Hansen, and Jenna greeted her.

    Trevor was extremely ttered that Madam Lilian had dropped by to see Vivian.

    ¡°Hello, all of you.¡± Madam Lilian walked down steadily with Quina¡¯s support. With a mild smile, she greeted them and raised her head to nce around. With a sigh, shemented, ¡°A walk down memoryne. This feels so familiar.¡±

    As soon as Madam Lilian said this, not only Hansen and Jenna felt strange, even Trevor felt a little odd. Trevor was the eldest son of the family, yethe didn¡¯t know that Madam Lilian had once visited Richards Manor. Maybe he had really seenMadam Lilianwhen he was at a tender age. Nheless, too many people had shown up at Richards Manor. How could he remember them all? What was more, he had been sent abroad by Old Master Richards when he was very young.

    ¡°Madam, thank you very much foring to visit my old mother. This way, please.¡± On Trevor¡¯s face, a devout and enthusiastic smile was carved. He politely made a gesture to Madam Lilian.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Madam Lilian nodded and walked forward with Quina¡¯s help. Trevor led the way, and Jenna followed closely behind.

    The group traded words as they walked.

    Madam Lilian observed every de of grass and tree in the Ink Garden. With a solemn expression, she asked, ¡°Mr. Richards, how¡¯s Old Madam¡¯s condition now? Is there any need to send her overseas for treatment?¡±

    Hearing this, Trevor answered powerlessly.

    ¡°Madam, my mother is already over 90 years old, and she is in poor health. The medicines she uses are also the finest medicines imported. s, at this age, it is likely useless to send her abroad. Besides, the olddy is not willing to go out for treatment, even at the local hospitals.¡±

    When Madam Lilian heard this, she sighed slightly.

    As they talked, they entered Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    At this time, the Ink Garden was quiet. Hansen and Jenna had already screened out all unrted people. Only Meroy was guarding Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    Madam Lilian walked into Vivian¡¯s bedroom with a solemn expression. She looked up and saw that Vivian was lying on a bed. She looked so frail that she was only skin and bones. Vivian¡¯s body was covered with an air-conditioning quilt, and her head of silver hair was neatlybed behind her. Her eyes were closed, and her hands rested in front of her chest. Her expression was serene. If not for the sound of her faint breathing, one would mistake that life had departed her body.

    ¡°Mom, Mom.¡± Trevor brought Madam Lilian closer, bent down, and whispered in her ear.

    Vivian¡¯s hearing ability had long since declined. After Trevor had called out to her for a long time, she finally heard him and opened her eyes with great effort.

    ¡°Old Madam.¡± Madam Lilian took a step forward, held her hand, and called out to her in a cordial manner.

    Vivian¡¯s hand was like a withered tree, etched with wrinkles, and it felt a little shaky when they held hands. The past was pushed to the forefront of her mind, and sadness was shown on her face.

    Vivian, who had once been wise and capable, had already reached the end of her life. This was thew of life. No one could escape from it.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Grandmother, Madam Lilian hase to see you.¡± Jenna also bent down and notified her loudly.

    Vivian¡¯s face stiffened, and her eyes zed over. After a long time, she rolled her eyes absent-mindedly, yet she did not recognize Madam Lilian.

    ¡°Old Madam, I¡¯ve beente. I should¡¯vee earlier.¡± Madam Lilian¡¯s heart ached when she saw this. She wiped away her tears and choked with sobs.

    She held Vivian¡¯s hand tightly and drew her head before her eyes. Then, she whispered in her ear, ¡°Old Madam, do you still remember me? I¡¯m Lilian.¡±

    Vivian stared at her motionlessly. After a long time, her eyes gleamed, as if she had recognized her. The muscles on her face twitched as if she was very excited.

    ¡°Grandmother, Madam Lilian hase to visit you. Do you know her?¡± Seeing that Vivian¡¯s gaze seemed to reveal some reaction, Jenna felt a sense of joy in her heart as she hurriedly called out in her ear.

    After a while, Vivian asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Lili-Lili-Lilian?¡±

    As expected, Vivian had actually recognized her.

    Everyone was pleasantly surprised. They all joined in. ¡°Old Madam, it¡¯s Madam Lilian. She¡¯s here to see you.¡±

    Both Hansen and Trevor were shocked. Indeed, Vivian knew Lilian. It seemed that Madam Lilian really didn¡¯te to see her for Jenna¡¯s sake.

    Vivian looked straight at Lilian for a while. She suddenly became animated and struggled to raise her hand to point at Jenna with her mouth open. Just as she wanted to say something, a violent cough hit her, and her face turned red. Then, she put down her hand powerlessly andy down on the bed, gasping for air.

    Everyone started to call out for her.

    Everyone was shouting anxiously.

    Madam Lilian hurriedly patted Vivian¡¯s chest to help ease her breathing. However, after Vivian coughed for a while, she started to break out in cold sweat. She only panted heavily and could not say anything else. When they called for her again, she had lost her senses. She could not even recognize the person beside her.

    Helpless, Trevor had to ask Meroy to summon a doctor. Then, he came out with Madam Lilian and went to the reception room.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s emotions were in a mess, and she was also very sad.

    ¡°If I had known this, then I should havee to visit Vivian thest time I came to A City. It¡¯s a pity that the schedule was too tight, and I was in such a hurry.¡± Madam Lilian informed them with regret and wiped her eyes with a tissue. Just now, Vivian seemed to have something to say to her. What could it be?

    Hansen and Jenna¡¯s moods were also upset. They stood silently by the side.

    At this time, Hansen was especially nervous about Jenna. He was afraid that she was in a bad mood. So, he reached out to hold her hand and held it tightly in his palm.

    Jenna looked up at him.

    His clear and bright eyes were gentle and loving. He nodded at her, indicating for her not to be nervous.

    Jenna understood what he was thinking and forced a smile.

    Madam Lilian only sat for a while before she got up.

    ¡°Madam, why don¡¯t we go to the hotel and sit down? I¡¯ll treat you to some famous foods in A City, okay?¡± Jenna remembered thest time she¡¯d treated Madam Lilian to a meal. On the same day itself, she also contacted the hotel and prepared everything.

    ¡°Good girl, I¡¯m getting old. How can I eat anything at night? Besides, I¡¯ll leave A City early tomorrow. My visit here is a secret. I¡¯ve dyed my return for too long, and they¡¯re urging me to go back.¡± Madam Lilian smiled at Jenna, stretched out her hand, and took her other hand. She looked up and down and saw that Hansen was still holding her other hand. Obviously, the two were in love with each other. A few days ago, she learnt from the news that there was a fuss about him marrying a second wife. Now, she felt relieved when she saw how in love they were. ¡°Jenna, you look better this time. A woman must pay attention to her health. Otherwise, she will suffer when she¡¯s old.¡±

    Madm Lilian reminded her in a sincere manner and patted her hand gently after that.

    Jenna smiled and nodded.¡°Thank you, Grandma. I will be careful.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Madam Lilian smiled and nodded with relief. She then turned to Hansen, who was standing beside her, and warned seriously, ¡°Mr. Richards, as a husband, you should take good care of your wife and don¡¯t let her be wronged. Jenna is a good girl. You must cherish her. You should know that it is rare to see a woman like Jenna in such a society.¡±

    After warning him, she continued seriously. ¡°Jenna is my granddaughter now. If I know that you¡¯ve mistreated her, then I won¡¯t forgive you easily.I can¡¯t allow my granddaughter to suffer the slightest grievance.¡±

    One night, Jenna had gone to the hotel anxiously to look for her and asked her to mobilize the army of Tamnd to subdue the terrorists. At that time, her face was full of anxiety for fear that Hansen had had an ident. It was apparent that she loved him so much. She was such a good girl,and Lilian did not want Hansen to mistreat Jenna or betray her. So, she warned Hansen with such earnest words.

    Hansen was stunned for a moment before understanding Madam Lilian¡¯s intentions.

    Of course, he didn¡¯t know that it was Jenna who had gone to ask forMadam Lilian¡¯s helpthat night,and mobilized the Tamnd military to help them out.

    ¡°Madam, please rest assured. Jenna¡¯s life is even more important than mine. I would rather work harder than let her suffer a little grievance. As long as I am here, I will take care of her with all my heart and let her be happy. She is the woman I love the most in my life.¡± Hansen smiled and replied to Madam Lilian firmly.

    When Madam Lilian heard that he was emotional and loyal, she smiled and nodded, setting her mind at ease.

    She knew best how important a marriage was for a woman.

    The greatest happiness in a woman¡¯s life was none other than having a dedicated husband who loved her, adored her, and cared for her.Her marriage had been a failure, and she had experienced the pain and sadness deeply and would never be able to forget it in her life. As such, she did not wish for a simple and beautiful girl like Jenna to suffer in her marriage. As such, Madam Lilian reminded the young man in front of her gravely, hoping that they would be happy.

    After all, Madam Lilian also knew some of their past from the TV news.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I am delighted to see how loving you both are.¡± Madam Lilian smiled kindly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s gettingte, and I have to go. I hope that you and Jenna will be happy and live in harmony in the future and be loving till the end of time.¡±

    As she spoke, it was gettingte. It was time to go back. Quina immediately came forward to support her.

    Jenna took a step forward.

    Madam Lilian wouldn¡¯t go to the hotel for a meal, which was already within her expectations. She smiled and said affectionately, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ve prepared some special giftsfrom A Cityfor you. Please wait for a moment.¡±

    As she spoke, Jenna instructed Larry to bring the stuff in.

    When Madam Lilian heard this, she smiled and giggled.¡°Jenna, I know what you¡¯re thinking. I really don¡¯t need it. Quina has already prepared everything for me.There is only so much I can take.¡±

    Nheless, Jenna did not give up.

    ¡°Grandma, I prepared these especially for you. If you don¡¯t want them, then I¡¯ll be very disappointed.¡± Jenna blinked her sparkling eyes.

 Chapter 586 Very Dear To Me

    Madam Lilian was stunned for a moment before shesuddenly smiled lovingly and replied, ¡°Well, well, since it¡¯s given to me by my granddaughter, I¡¯ll take it.¡±

    Jenna smiled sweetly.

    Larry came over with a few bags.

    Jenna fetched the bag from her hand and offered with a smile.¡°Madam Lilian, let me help you put it in the car.¡±

    Madam Lilian stared at the heavy things in her hands and smiled helplessly. ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re such a good child. These gifts are too much. Can you tell me what gifts you¡¯ve prepared for me?¡±

    Hansen noticed that the object Jenna was carrying was a little heavy.So, he quickly grabbed it from her hand and helped her carry it.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, they are all specialties of A City. Though they are not very expensive,they¡¯re very special. I sure hope you won¡¯t dislike them.¡± Jennaughed wittily and answered in a warm and soft voice.

    ¡°Why would I be unappreciative of them? However, it¡¯s not convenient for me to take so many things with me. Well, I might be back in A City after a while. So, I¡¯ll keep them with you first,¡± Madam Lilianmented sadly, as she thought of her failure in searching for her daughter. She was also afraid that if she didn¡¯t ept Jenna¡¯s gift, Jenna would be upset. Hence, Madam Lilian immediately added, ¡°Look, tell me what gifts you¡¯ve prepared for me, and I¡¯ll pick one and take it with me.¡±

    When Jenna heard this, she also understood Madam Lilian¡¯s identity. It really didn¡¯t suit Madam Lilian¡¯s image to haul along so many misceneous things back. Jenna immediately took a bag from Hansen¡¯s hand and introduced it in detail. ¡°Madam, this is green tea from theGreen Mountain Lake. The quality is top notch.They grow them naturally on the green hills, and there are no pollutants. The fragrance is pure. It may not be a famous brand, but it is absolutely unique. I hope you will like it.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. I like this.¡± Madam Lilian¡¯s heart was immediately filled with joy when she heard about the tea. She immediately expressed it repeatedly with a picture-perfect smile on her face. This child was really clever. It seemed that they had a predestined rtionship with each other since Jenna could even guess which was her favorite thing.

    When Jenna heard that Madam Lilian mentioned that she liked it, she felt delighted and giggled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take this one. You don¡¯t have toment more on the others, as I won¡¯t be able to take it with me.¡± Madam Lilian was smiling from ear to ear. She was very happy with the gift that Jenna had prepared.

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t try to force Madam Lilian into epting them. She was very gratified that Madame Lilian was willing to ept at least one.So, she immediately agreed with a smile.

    ¡°My child, I am fortunate to have known you in this life. You have to contact me often in the future, and you can¡¯t forget me, do you understand?¡± Madam Lilian lovingly stroked Jenna¡¯s hand and told her affectionately.

    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll always be my good grandmother for the rest of my life. I¡¯ll always treasure you, and I¡¯ll never forget you,¡± Jenna replied sweetly.

    ¡°Lovely.I¡¯m happy to hear that.¡± Madam Lilian nodded with satisfaction, and Quina helped her walk outside.

    Jenna hurriedly held her right hand. As such, she and Quina assisted her to walk outside, one on the left and the other on the right. Trevor and Hansen followed closely behind.

    Soon, Madam Lilian got onto the tour bus, and they headed for the gate of Richards Manor.

    In the distance, Jenna saw two luxurious limousines parked on the asphalt road of Richards Manor. Although they were hidden in the darkness, one could feel the solemn atmosphere they exuded.

    The tour bus stopped steadily next to the luxury cars.

    Jenna and Quina helped Madam Lilian carefully to the gate.The bodyguards stood aside and opened the door. Madam Lilian sat up.

    ¡°Grandma, goodbye.¡± Jenna stood outside the vehicle and waved towards Madam Lilian. As the window was rolled down, a loving smile appeared on Madam Lilian¡¯s face. ¡°Goodbye, Jenna.¡±

    The limousine slowly drove out of Richards Manor. Jenna watched as the window was slowly wound up. The ck curtain blocked everything, and soon Vivian¡¯s side profile disappeared into the darkness. Jenna suddenly had an indescribable feeling in her heart. It was a type of sadness of parting with one¡¯s family. She felt her heart tighten, and her entire face was riddled with disappointment.

    ¡°Honey, Madam Lilian has already left. Let¡¯s hurry back and get our rest.¡± Hansen¡¯s warm and powerful handnded on her waist. With a little more force, he pulled her into his embrace and urged affectionately.

    Trevor sensibly followed the electric vehicle back to the Ink Garden.

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached. It was extremely ufortable. Her hands wrapped around Hansen¡¯s waist, and she buried her head in his chest. She called out in a low voice, ¡°Hansen.¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hansen lowered his head and asked dotingly.

    ¡°Hansen, I feel like Madam Lilian is someone very dear to me.I really don¡¯t want her to leave.¡± Her face was rubbing against his chest, and she whispered, full of reluctance.

    Hansen smiled. ¡°Little fool, Madam Lilian is indeed kind to you. It¡¯s natural for you to feel this way. This shows that you and Madam Lilian are very congenial. I believe you will meet again in the future. Don¡¯t be so caught up in your emotions. Let¡¯s go back to sleep.¡±

    He watched as his littledy¡¯s face revealed her true emotions, and his heart started to beat slightly. This woman was friendly to everyone and was not a phony at all. Hansen did not know if it was a good or bad thing. It could be seen that Jenna¡¯s attachment to Madam Lilian and her feelings for her were sincere and not fake. For the time being, he wouldn¡¯tment on whether Madam Lilian was sincere to Jenna. However, Hansen was worried that Jenna would get hurt in the future as she had a habit of not putting her guard up towards other people.

    ¡°Mmm, I hope so.¡± Jenna closed her eyes.

    ¡°Trust me, and even if Madam Lilian doesn¡¯te to A City in the future, I will take you to see her in Europe, okay?¡± Hansen reached out and picked her up, and he chuckled as he carried her towards the electric vehicle.

    In the deep darkness of the night, Jennay in Hansen¡¯s arms. The two of them clung on to each other and slept.

    ¡°Honey, tell me, how did you know that Madam Lilian likes A City¡¯s green tea?¡± In the darkness, Hansen yawned and asked softly.

    That night, when Jenna had introduced those boxes of tea leaves, Madam Lilian¡¯s face lit up,her smile blooming. Everyone could see the excitement and appreciation on her face. Hansen was just secretly surprised. He didn¡¯t expect that Madam Lilian would really love the tea that Jenna gave her.

    It was really strange. Was this young woman already aware of Madam Lilian¡¯s preferences, or was she just guessing blindly?

    Jenna smiled and answered in a low voice, ¡°I have met Madam Lilian several times, and I noticed that she would always be drinking this tea. I guessed that she must really like it.¡±

    In fact, when Madam Lilian had invited Jenna to have some local street food at the hotel, she¡¯d specially prepared a pot of earl grey tea for her, yet she did not drink it. Instead, Madam Lilian had drunk the green tea brought by her secretary. It was conceivable that this kind of tea was her favorite. Such tea leaves were abundant in A City, but the high grades one were rare.

    Jenna specially requested people to find these authentic wild green tea leaves from a tea factory in Green Mountain Lake. She believed that Madam Lilian would definitely like them. Surely enough, she did, and Jenna was also delighted.

    ¡°It seems that my wife is really clever.¡± Only then did Hansen understand why Jenna had chosen this tea. He highly appreciated her careful observation.

    Jenna smiled. ¡°As long as your heart is in it, you can always find the way.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He hugged Jenna tightly and ced his hand on her lower abdomen, rubbing it. He uttered proudly, ¡°It looks like my children will all take after their mother in the future, smart and beautiful.¡±

    Jenna smiled and yawned. ¡°Save it. It¡¯s gettingte. Go to sleep.¡±

    Hansen smiled faintly. The two hugged each other and slept peacefully.

    In the bedroom, a warm and happy atmosphere pervaded the space.

 Chapter 587 Something On Your Mind?

    The lush, verdant trees were entwined around the green vines, painting the outer walls of the Green Jade Garden¡¯s study with a sense of vitality.

    Hansen sat in the study.His charming eyes were focused. The Richards family¡¯sgenealogy book was ced on the table. He carefully searched but could not find Madam Lilian.

    Did Vivian know Madam Lilian? Had they known each other for a long time?

    Why was there not a single trace of Madam Lilian¡¯s records in the past fifty years? Moreover, Madam Lilian¡¯s reputation was well-known throughout the world. Why did Vivian not mention anything about this?

    If Madam Lilian hadn¡¯t visited Vivian at Richard Manor,then they wouldn¡¯t know that Vivian was acquainted with Madam Lilian. Although they were aware that Vivian had always been secretive, such a thing still made Hansen feel a little confused. He vaguely felt that Madam Lilian seemed to have secrets he didn¡¯t know.

    His cell phone rang at just the right time.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Yaris¡¯ mother has already received a notice that her condition is critical from the hospital. It is estimated that Yaris will appear soon.¡± John¡¯s subordinate, Fletcher Dutcher, immediately called after hearing the news.

    Hansen frowned and immediately asked, ¡°Where is Yaris now?¡±

    Fletcher could not figure out Yaris¡¯s movements at this time, but he quickly replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards. We have people following Zoe. As long as Yaris appears in A City or C City, he can¡¯t escape from us. Today, our people heard in the hospital ward that his father wasforting her mother and mentioned that Yaris woulde to see her tonight.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± A glint shed in Hansen¡¯s eyes. He immediately stood up and smashed his fist on the table. ¡°Inform everyone to guard the entrance and exit of the hospital tonight. Once he appears, we will immediately capture him alive. I will inform the police at the most appropriate time.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Mr. Richards.¡± After Fletcher received the order, he was in high spirits. After so many days of waiting, he finally got the news. If he could catch Yaris alive that night, then his efforts for so many days would not be in vain.

    After he put away the phone, he paced back and forth in the room.

    John went to Capital City to cooperate with Luqman and control Ezrah. Alvin went to the war-torn country to rescue Irvin. So, it seemed that Hansen needed to capture Yaris personally.

    At this time, if he could capture Yaris and expose Zoe¡¯s crimes, the usation against the Richards Group could be easily solved. Sergio had to get out of Richards Manor obediently.

    That woman, Zoe, would also receive the punishment she deserved.

    An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. That way, the Richards Group would be safe and sound.

    He quickly took out a pocket pistol from the side of the study, thrust it into the pocket of his suit, and strode out.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you going?¡± As soon as he stepped out of the study, he saw Trevor standing in the corridor in front of him, with a serious look on his face.

    ¡°Dad.¡± There was a look of surprise on Hansen¡¯s face. He did not expect to bump into Trevor the moment he stepped out of the door. Hansen noticed Trevor¡¯s graying hair and felt his heart ache slightly. There were some things that Hansen did not want Trevor to know, as he didn¡¯t want him to be worried.

    Trevor¡¯s expression was solemn.

    His expression was calm and unruffled. He nced indifferently at Hansen¡¯s surprised face andspoke in a grave tone.

    ¡°Hansen,e here.¡±

    After that, he turned and walked forward.

    Hansen was stunned. He didn¡¯t know what was going on. So, he could only follow.

    In Trevor¡¯s study on the third floor, he stood by the window, and his back was a little stiff.

    Under the window, Sergio was walking past old oak trees, one after another, towards the gym. The look in Trevor¡¯s eyes became gloomier, and his fingers curled up unexpectedly.

    In the end, he sighed softly and turned around.

    ¡°Hansen, I have something to give you today.¡± Trevor¡¯s voice sounded a little helpless and aged.

    Hansen¡¯s brows furrowed, and he was obviously curious as he looked at Trevor in confusion.

    Trevor turned around and found a bunch of keys from the bookshelf. He carefully searched for them and then clenched one of them. He looked up at Hansen and walked towards an inconspicuous safe at the corner of the study.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes followed Trevor¡¯s figure as he looked over.

    The door of the safe had been opened.

    A very exquisite,rectangrbox made of leather was lying inside.

    Trevor carefully took out the box, stood up, and walked towards the desk.

    As he approached, Hansen saw that his hand was trembling, and the curiosity in his heart intensified.

    ¡°Dad, what¡¯s this?¡± His dashing eyebrows were deeply furrowed, and his face was full of doubts.

    Trevor lowered his head and slowly opened the box.

    Inside the box was a load of velvet padding. A ring about 14 cm in diameter was lying inside. There was also a screwdriver next to it. What surprised Hansen the most was that there were bullets next to it, which made his eyes open wide.

    What was this? It was definitely not just a ring!

    Some pictures quickly shed across his mind.

    ¡°Hansen, this is a ring revolver. It was collected by your grandfather back then and was also used on the battlefield. There aren¡¯t many left in the world now.¡± Trevor picked up the ring, and his voice was very soft and serious.

    Hansen¡¯s face was full of shock. He had only heard of such ring revolvers, but he had also once seen one in a museum in France. Therefore, when Trevor opened the box, that image shed in his mind.

    This kind of ring could only be found in France and some countries in Europe. Trevor didn¡¯t expect that Old Master Richards would have kept one.

    ¡°Hansen, tit for tat is fair y. Today, I will give this pistol to you because I hope you will be able to protect yourself when necessary. Yadriel is not an ordinary politician. If he is able to buy and sell weapons, it shows that he is a man full of schemes. It is unwise to fight against him head-on. You should take the initiative.¡± Trevor¡¯s trembling hand put the ring on Hansen¡¯s finger and warned him earnestly.

    Hansen finally understood Trevor¡¯s thoughts. Hansen touched the ring, and his heart was extremely heavy.

    ¡°In any case, justified self-defence is not murder. You must know how to protect yourself,¡± Trevor added solemnly again.

    Hansen nodded in all seriousness.

    Jenna got up this morning feeling uneasy and upset.

    Sitting in the office, signing the daily list, she couldn¡¯t help but to run to Vivian¡¯s room again and again. These days, Jenna insisted on watching over Vivian everyday, feeding her, and talking to her. Vivian¡¯s consciousness was still vague, and she rarely woke up anymore.

    After going back and forth a few times, Jenna noticed that she hadn¡¯t seen Hansen, and she felt a sense of loss in her heart. After all, during this period of time, Hansen had always apanied Jenna to care for Vivian. He would even settle thepany¡¯s business at the Ink Garden¡¯s office.

    However, Jenna seemed to have not seen him all day, which made her feel troubled and uneasy.

    Sabrina was curling up in the padded rattan swing, with her eyes slightly closed, as if she had fallen asleep.

    As the cold breeze blew, it made people feel veryfortable.

    Sabrina loved to sit in the rattan swing, and she was often there spacing out.

    She had been curled up in the swing for almost the whole morning. When Jenna came out, she was still in the same posture.

    Sabrina was lyingfortably.

    Jenna was so upset that she couldn¡¯t sit still.

    ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t you feel tired lying in that posture? Come down and apany me for a walk.¡±

    Sabrina opened her eyes and answeredzily, ¡°Jenna, let me be. I¡¯m not in a good mood today.¡±

    Jenna took in the haggardness and annoyance in Sabrina¡¯s bright eyes that couldn¡¯t be concealed. She lookedzy but alsocked the liveliness and cuteness that she used to have.

    She could not help but to frown. This youngdy must have had something on her mind. She looked so clueless. It did not seem like Sabrina¡¯s character.

    ¡°Sabrina, what happened?¡± Jenna asked with concern. ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡±

    Anguid smile appeared at the corner of Sabrina¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t apany you for a walk.¡± She leaned over and stilly with her eyes closed, looking listless.

    Jenna felt that something was bothering Sabrina.So, she patted her a*s and urged, ¡°Sabrina, get up. It¡¯s not good to lie like this for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, am I still a child?¡± Sabrina suddenly stood up, stared at Jenna and asked seriously.

    Jenna was stumped.

    ¡°No, Jenna, I am not young anymore. I am already 26 years old. At this age, some might consider me a spinster.¡± The expression on Sabrina¡¯s face was very persistent and lonely.

    ¡°You all say that I¡¯m still a child. Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m mature?¡± Sabrina eximed.

    Jenna blinked her eyes and suddenly wanted to burst outughing. It seemed that this young woman had been struck by something peculiar that day.

    She suddenly recalled thebreakfaston theday before, when Maria had mentioned that Madam Madeline hade to propose a marriage for Carme. Jenna gave it a thought and spected that Sabrina was actually bothered by the incident.

    Then, Jenna began to look at her carefully.

    Sabrina pouted. Although her beautiful eyes were wandering around, theycked life. It was obvious that Sabrina was in a bad mood.

    It was said that when a girl reached puberty, all she could think about was love. Was Sabrina such a girl?N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    ¡°Forget it. You don¡¯t know anything about it anyway.¡± Seeing that Jenna didn¡¯t respond, Sabrinay down again, feeling even more glum.

    ¡°Sabrina, you¡¯re not a child anymore. However, your current state proves that you¡¯re not mature at all.¡± Jenna nodded andmented.

    When Sabrina heard this, she felt even more dejected. ¡°That was the reason.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why my Dad forced me to marry Sergio, right?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jenna let out a sigh of relief. She finally understood that Sabrina was worried about the rtionship between a man and a woman.

    ¡°Sabrina, did General Delia force you to marry Sergio again?¡± Jenna could not help but to ask with a frown.

    As expected, Sabrina could not hide her feelings any longer. She immediately sprang to her feet and said, ¡°It¡¯s not my father who forced me to do it. It¡¯s the annoying Yadriel who went to my house to talk about the marriage again. On the other hand, my father can¡¯t wait to marry me off. So, he called me today and asked when I¡¯d be going home.¡±

    That was it!

    Jenna¡¯s eyes darkened.

    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Sergio was now living in Richards Manor, Sabrina would have been called back by General Delia a long time ago.

    It was understandable for her to be worried about this.

    ¡°Jenna, Sabrina.¡± Speaking of the devil, Sergioimmediately called outas hesaw that Jenna and Sabrina were sitting near the door and talking.Jenna hadn¡¯t even managed tofort Sabrina yet.

    Sabrina¡¯s face darkened when she heard his voice. She leaned over andy down again, pretending not to know him.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe,¡± Jenna greeted politely.

    Sergio was wearing his sports attire, and it was apparent that he had juste back from his workout. Sergio had a tall and upright figure, and he looked very athletic and handsome. There was a faint smell of tobo on his body, and his amber-colored eyes were filled with a hint of a smile.

    Jenna suddenly felt regretful. If Sergio¡¯s ambitions were not so wild, and if their family did not value their political future so much, then it would be great for Sabrina to marry him. What a pity!

    ¡°Jenna, I happen to have something to discuss with you. What a coincidence for us to meet here.¡± Before Jenna could even process her pity, Sergio took the initiative to speak.

    Jenna could only squeeze a smile. ¡°Mr. Xanthe, I also have something to discuss with you. Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s have a talk in our office.¡±

    After that, Jenna turned around and walked to the office in the Ink Garden.

 Chapter 588 The Xanthe Familyâ€™s Bottomline

    Sergio looked back at Sabrina, who was lying calmly, and informed her lightly, ¡°Sabrina, wait for me here. I also have something to ask you.¡±

    Sabrina justy there without any response, blithely ignoring him.

    Sergio couldn¡¯t be bothered much about Sabrina¡¯s cold demeanor. He didn¡¯t love her at all, and it seemed that she felt the same way.

    Hence, Sergio immediately walked towards Jenna¡¯s office.

    ¡°Jenna, congrattions on your second pregnancy.¡± Sergio entered the room and congratted her with a heart-wrenching expression,his eyes gloomy.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna admitted generously. Hansen loved her so openly and honorably. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising for anyone to knowabout her pregnancy.

    Sergio took a step forward, and his whole body towered over Jenna¡¯s delicate body.

    ¡°Jenna, is there a reason you are looking for me?¡± Sergio was the first to ask.

    Sergio felt intoxicated even though he was just hanging out with her like this.

    Sergio¡¯s figure carried an overwhelming pressurewith it.

    Jenna was not used to this feeling. She leaned back against the chair, entwined her fair fingers, and set them on her knees, trying to maintain herposure. She raised her beautiful eyebrows slightly and spoke directly.

    ¡°Sergio, that¡¯s right. I have something to talk to you about.¡±

    Jenna didn¡¯t want to be alone with him in this office.So, she simply continued.

    ¡°Sabrina is my friend, as well as a friend of the Richards Group. She is more than a rtive to us. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    ¡°So, you want to ask on her behalf about the marriage between her and me, yeah?¡± Sergio was a smart person and immediately understood what Jenna meant. An elusive smile appeared on the corners of his mouth as Sergio asked her indifferently.

    It could be said that he was quite casual. Jenna could not help but to frown as Sergio didn¡¯t seem serious about the marriage.

    ¡°Sergio, marriage is significant to a woman. Sabrina¡¯s straightforward.I don¡¯t want her to get hurt.¡± Jenna¡¯s voice began to be serious.

    The smile on the corners of Sergio¡¯s mouth vanished. ¡°So, what should I do to keep her happy?¡±

    ¡°Sergio, you really don¡¯t understand what love is!¡± Jenna suddenly stood up, and her petite body, with a stern momentum, forced the towering man to take a step back.

    After being stunned for a while, Sergio suddenly burst intoughter.

    ¡°Jenna, what is love? I am confident that no one in the world can have such deep feelings as I have. No man in the world can be so persistent and determined as I am because I know too much about love. I am still single today. This is my sorrow.¡± His voice was a little deste, and hisughter was lonely.

    Jenna was secretly surprised, but she askedseriously.

    ¡°Sergio, do you love her?¡±

    Sergio smiled faintly and retorted mockingly, ¡°Jenna, wouldn¡¯t you know whether I love her or not?¡±

    Jenna avoided his gaze and continued gravely.

    ¡°Sergio, if you don¡¯t love her, then why did you propose a marriage to her family? Is marriage just an exchange of interests for politicians? Would you sacrifice the happiness of a woman for the sake of your own interests? If you don¡¯t love her, then you will not be happy after the marriage. If you really knew love, then you wouldn¡¯t have allowed your father to go to General Delia¡¯s house to propose a marriage.¡±

    Jenna understood the meaning behind Sergio¡¯s words. He did not love Sabrina, and the Xanthe family had sought General Delia to propose marriage because they wanted to further their careers. They did not value women¡¯s feelings at all. It was because of this that Jenna made up her mind that she would never allow Sabrina to sacrifice her own happinessdeliberately. She had to be a step ahead of Sabrina,stop this marriage, and ensure Sabrina her happy life.

    ¡°Jenna, you really are a kind woman. You¡¯re really worthy of my deep love.¡± Sergio sighed softly and shook his head. ¡°There are some things that you can¡¯t understand. This is life. In real life, not every couplees together because of love.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna sneered at once. ¡°Don¡¯t assume others don¡¯t know about lifeand act as if only you know everything. Just based on what you said, you don¡¯t deserve to have Sabrina. Let me get this straight. You can pursue your career in public office, but you are not allowed to drag her with you and ruin her happiness.¡±

    When they had proposed a marriage offer to Sabrina, everyone could see Yadriel and Sergio¡¯s intentions clearly.

    Sabrina¡¯s happiness should not be sacrificed like this.

    It could be imagined what kind of situation it would be if they got married without any feelings and how cruel it would turn out for Sabrina. Jenna really couldn¡¯t let it go.

    ¡°Jenna, you don¡¯t have to concern yourself with my affairs. You can¡¯t understand the pain and difficulty in my heart. It¡¯s my failure that I can¡¯t get you, but nheless, I have to get married,¡± Sergiomented.

    Since Sergio couldn¡¯t get his love, his marriage to another woman would mean nothing! All his love was reserved only for Jenna. Thus, Sergio didn¡¯t have many requirements for any woman.

    ¡°I can only apologize to Sabrina, but I can guarantee that I won¡¯t hurt her after our marriage.¡± Looking at the anger on Jenna¡¯s face, Sergio could not bear it. So, he immediately added, ¡°This is my father¡¯s order. As his son, I can only obey him. Please forgive me, I have my own difficulties.¡±

    The Xanthe family needed to be powerful and theyneeded to expand. He was the heir of the Xanthe family. So, he had the responsibility toplete this mission.

    Listening to Sergio¡¯s words, Jenna suddenly felt a burst of sadness.

    ¡°Sergio, I want to tell you that your feelings for me are not love. Maybe you haven¡¯t seen it clearly, but I know that you are just stubborn and can¡¯t get rid of your fantasies. Love isn¡¯t like this.¡± Jenna shook her head, trying to convince him and hoping that he could take the initiative to cancel the proposal with Sabrina.

    General Delia realized that Sabrina was already twenty-six years old. Hence, he couldn¡¯t help but to get desperate. His feelings were understandable. Moreover, Sergio himself was good-looking and had a good family background, so he naturally wouldn¡¯t mind.

    Yadriel took this opportunity to be General Delia¡¯s inws.

    However, all said and done, this revolved around Sabrina¡¯s happiness, andthey shouldn¡¯t destroy it.

    Jenna¡¯s words had thrown Sergio into confusion.

    Sergio didn¡¯t want to stay too long on this issue.So, he changed the topic. ¡°Jenna, I recalled that you promised me that evening that the Richards family wouldn¡¯t meddle in the election involving our Xanthe family. Do you still remember it?¡±

    Jenna was secretly shocked.

    ¡°Is this what you want to talk to me about today?¡± Jenna was dumbfounded when she heard Sergio bring up the election. She clutched the desk and stood firm and asked with her obsidian eyes.

    Sergio nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly what I wanted to say.¡±

    Jenna took a deep breath and thought about it.

    ¡°Sergio, you should know that our Richards family have never thought of making enemies with anyone. We have always aligned with Old Master Richards¡¯s wish, that we, as businessmen, will never interfere with political affairs. If it were not due to the fact that we had been forced, we would never interfere in these things.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna could be considered as calm, and her words were watertight.

    Though it was true that the Richards family had not intended to meddle in this matter from the very beginning, the behavior of the Xanthe family was indeed disappointing. Jenna did not understand why Sergio would confidently and boldlye here to ask her about such a matter.

    Jenna knew that Hansen had gone to Capital City to meet Luqman, as he had told her about it when he left that night.

    Therefore, she tactfully yed Sergio around.

    ¡°Jenna, do you mean that it is us, the Xanthe family, who has forced you to be enemies with us? Or have you already made up your mind to go against us?¡± Sergio was a little annoyed, but he was really not able to be austere when facing Jenna. Although his words were not pleasant to the ears, his tone was still gentle.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, the incident of unauthorized disclosure of ssified information has not been settled yet. It was clear that Zoe was the one who tried to frame ourpany. However, no matter how hard you try, you are still unable to find out the truth. That was why you moved into Richards Manor and even began to investigate our private life. I would like to know if you moved into Richards Manor just to investigate the case, or if there are any ulterior motives?¡± Jenna did not concede but asked in an aggressive manner.

    They were targeting the Richards Group because they wanted to destroy it.However, the people in the Richards family were no fools!

    ¡°Jenna, forget it. I don¡¯t want to drag this conversation with you anymore. However, I havee today to remind you that if Hansen wants to be an enemy of our Xanthe family and interfere with our election, then we will not let him go. Don¡¯t me us for not going easy on him. I think that you should be very clear about the consequences of this. Mark my words.My father is determined to win this election. No one can stop him,¡± Sergio answered very seriously and clearly.

    For the sake of this election, they had already done their homework. They had to win! No one was allowed to foil it! This was their bottomline.

    If Hansen really intended to fight with them, then they would wait and see who would emerge the winner.

    Jenna caught the viciousness in Sergio¡¯s eyes and couldn¡¯t help but to touch her stomach, feeling waves of fear in her heart.

    She didn¡¯t want to see any idents happen to Hansen. She couldn¡¯t let any trouble befall the Richards Group, and she didn¡¯t want to watch Hansen fall into danger either.

    Therefore, she quickly calmed down and replied in aposed manner.

    ¡°Sergio, worry not. As long as you can let go of our Richards family, Hansen will never think of fighting against Xanthe family. He doesn¡¯t need to do that at all. Don¡¯t think too much about it. The Richards family had always been taught topartmentalize both politics and business. We don¡¯t have the time to care about Xanthe family¡¯s business.¡±

    She spoke very seriously and sincerely, and her face was a little pale.

    When Sergio heard Jenna say ¡®our Richards family¡¯ and was wholeheartedly concerned for Hansen, his heart ached.

    ¡°That¡¯s for the best.Then, please tell Hansen.¡± Sergio couldn¡¯t stay any longer. He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would hold her in his arms andfort her. He could only say this sulkily, turned around, and walked out of the office.

 Chapter 589 Teaching Sergio A Lesson

    Sergio came out,walked towards Sabrina, and solemnly made this request.¡°Sabrina, I hope you can leave the Richards Group and Richards Manoras soon as possible and go back to the Capital City.¡±

    Sabrina gave him the cold shoulder. She leaned over and turned her back to him.

    ¡°Sabrina, it can¡¯t be suitable for you to stay here. I hope you can listen to me. Your father has given the green light to our marriage, and now you are my betrothed fianc¨¦e. You must listen to me.¡± Sergio went to the other side and assigned an order to Sabrina again.

    Looking at Sabrina tagging behind Jenna like a shadow everyday and helping Richards Manor in every means imaginable, he felt aggrieved.

    This woman was childish to a fault!

    The affairs of Richards Manor had almost nothing to do with her. What was the reason for her unbridled zeal?

    ¡°Who told you that I agreed to your proposal?¡± Sabrina couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. She stood up from the hammock andbluntlydenied, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Sergio. I don¡¯t agree.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Sergio felt a little angry from embarrassment. He had long experienced Sabrina¡¯s arrogance. To be honest, he didn¡¯t like such a woman.

    ¡°Whether you agree or not, that¡¯s your business. But General Delia has agreed, and he has epted our wedding gifts.¡± He added with a sneer, ¡°If you¡¯re unwilling, go back and talk to your father. But, before the engagement is canceled, you must listen to me. Leave here immediately, and go back to Capital City. Otherwise, I will send you away using force.¡± There was no room for negotiation in his words, and it was adirectorder.

    It didn¡¯t matter whether he loved the woman or not, but she had to be obedient. Moreover, she could not whip up trouble at this moment. This was his principle. If Sergio really couldn¡¯t solve this problem, then he would have to ring General Delia.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what, I will not listen to you. I won¡¯t obey you.¡± Hearing this, Sabrina was a little anxious and shouted stiffly.

    The corners of Sergio¡¯s lips curled up in a cold smile. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be up to you.¡±

    He reached out and grabbed her by the arm. Then, he dragged her away from the hammock and walked outside.

    ¡°Let go of me. Don¡¯t pull me. I won¡¯t go back to Capital City. Just give up.¡± Sabrina was distressed as she struggled with punches and kicks.

    Sergio scoffed and suddenly stopped. He reached out his hand to grip Sabrina¡¯s chin and approached her. He snickered and mocked her. ¡°Sabrina, you are so willing to stay in Richards Manor and help them. Are you still thinking about the foolish Norton, who went to prison before?¡±

    As soon as he said that, Sabrina was stupefied, and her face immediately turned red.

    ¡°Sergio, who do you think you are! Looking at how you¡¯re behaving, your heart is much more sinister than Norton¡¯s. I¡¯ll tell you now, I¡¯ll do whatever I¡¯m willing to. I won¡¯t agree to marry you. I advise you to hurry and return to the Capital City and let go of the Richards Group, as well as leave the Richards family alone. It¡¯s your best way out. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking. I understand everything. My father is short-sighted now, and he hasn¡¯t discovered your dirty thoughts. If he finds out, he¡¯ll definitely renege. I advise you to tread the right path. That way, you won¡¯t be so annoying,¡± Sabrina roared furiously as she extended her hand and pped away the hand that was holding her chin.

    Sergio¡¯s face flushed.

    ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t go too far. I only care about you for the sake of General Delia. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t even bother to take a nce at you.¡± Sergio was angered. ¡°It seems that you are really a b*tch. Everyday, you breeze about in someone else¡¯s house and not even give up on the man who had been rotting behind bars.¡±

    These words were too vicious. He repeatedly humiliated Norton and thoroughly disregarded her dignity.

    Sabrina¡¯s eyes turned red, and she reached out to punch him.

    Sergio smiled contemptuously and reached out to stop her fist. He gritted his teeth and asked, ¡°Why, did you grow angry out of embarrassment at the mention of your lover and a strike to your nerves?¡±

    ¡°Let go.¡± Sabrina jangled with fury, and she yelled angrily.

    Sergio let out a sinister smile.

    ¡°Let her go.¡± An angry roar came from behind, and they could feel an overbearing atmosphere gushing towards them.

    Freaked out, Sergio couldn¡¯t help but to let go of Sabrina¡¯s hand.

    The two turned their heads back at the same time.

    Norton stood there, his face spilling wrath. His eyes were about to burst into mes.

    ¡°Loser.¡± Sergio looked back and found that it was Norton. So, he didn¡¯t take him seriously and jeered.

    Before his voice had died away, Norton ruthlessly hit Sergio¡¯s face.

    Sergio did not expect Norton to hit him. Before he could react, his face had been firmly punched. With a scream, Sergio covered his face with his hand, and warm liquid flowed out from his nostrils.

    Sergio realized that it was blood when he touched it, which made him furious.

    ¡°Sergio, how dare you touch my woman! You¡¯re as good as dead!¡± Norton cursed. Without waiting for Sergio to react, he delivered a flying kick towards Sergio¡¯s crotch.

    Nheless, Sergio was a soldier. He immediately jumped back and dodged Norton¡¯s kick.

    How could Sergio be willing to ept the fact that he had been beaten? Heunched a punch at Norton¡¯s face.

    Norton was never a soldier, nor had he received any training. Unable to duck in time, his face connected with a powerful fist.

    Sergio had long been under Norton¡¯s skin. Furthermore, he actually dared to seduce his woman. Norton¡¯s wrath was the devil¡¯s own.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    Having been beaten, Norton rushed up again.

    In an instant, the two of them were caught up in a brawl along the corridor.

    In terms of size, the two were equally matched.

    However, in terms of strength, Sergio was a field soldier. Norton had been at a disadvantage after exchanging a few blows with him.

    ¡°Stop, stop now.¡± Sabrina was appalled by this sudden scene. Seeing that Sergio hadid a few punches on Norton, she quickly came to her senses and hurried to stop them.

    Jenna was also awakened by themotion outside. She hurriedly ran out to have a look and saw that Sergio and Norton were fist fighting. She was shocked and immediately used the walkie-talkie to send for the security guards outside to separate them.

    Both of them had bloodshot eyes, ring at each other.

    ¡°Norton, you got balls. How dare you attack a public servant? I¡¯ll sue you.¡± Sergio was in a mess. Although he was attacked by Norton several times, he couldn¡¯t say that he was at a disadvantage.

    At this moment, Norton was in an even more pathetic state. He had been hit several times by Sergio and was even kicked a few times. The clothes on his body were disheveled.

    Nheless, he did not lose his confidence. After hearing such threatening words from Sergio, he immediately sneered and shouted, ¡°Sergio, stop ying dumb. How can a f*cker like you be a public servant? I am not from the Richards Group.Mypany is abroad, and I am also based there. I have nothing to do with the Richards Group here. If you have the ability, go ahead and sue me. You are a public servant, yet you dared to steal my woman? I am going to teach you a lesson today. As a public servant of the country, you still act shamelessly in front of the people.Heck, I do want to find out how you are going to sue me and how you will deal with me.¡±

    Speaking of this, Norton¡¯s rage did not diminish. He stepped forward again and angrily roared, ¡°If you want to fight, I¡¯ll take on the challenge. If you want to sue me, then I will wait for yourwyer¡¯s letter. However, Sabrina is my woman, and I won¡¯t allow you to harass her. If such things happen again, then I will thrash you around every time I see you. I will never let you go.¡±

    With that, Norton stepped forward and brandished his fist, showing no sign of fear.

    As long as Sergio,a public servant, dared topete with him for his woman openly, he was not afraid of losing his dignity, not to mention embarrassing himself.

    At this time, Xanthe¡¯s family was in the midst of an election, and Sergio had to be more mindful of his words and behavior.

    Sergio¡¯s face was drained of color.

    Norton was different from Hansen. If Sergio were to challenge Hansen, then he would be able to use him of interfering with public affairs. After all, the Richards Group was hispany. However, Norton was different. Sergio did not have any evidence against him. Moreover, hispany was abroad and had nothing to do with the Richards Group. It was impossible for Sergio to interfere in the affairs of foreign countries.

    If the fight between him and Norton were spread to the public, then it would be tattled about as the fight for a woman. It would not harm Norton. At most, he would be ridiculed by others. Nevertheless, it would be harmful to Sergio. Now their family was in a sensitive period.So, it would not bode well for them to be the subject of gossip.

    It was even unlike the time he¡¯d defended Jenna. At that time, he was willing to bear the illicit affair news for Jenna. As long as the status behind Jenna was exposed, then he would benefit from it. That kind of illicit affair news was what he was most eager for. Yet, Sabrina was different. The Xanthe family had already proposed a marriage to General Delia.Had such a news seen the light of the day at this moment,then it would be scandalous.

    Sergio weighed his options repeatedly. Finally, he shot a baleful re at Norton and walked towards the guest room.

    A cold smile of satisfaction and disdain appeared on the corner of Norton¡¯s lips. Although he didn¡¯t really have the upper hand, it could be assumed that he had taught the d*mn Sergio a lesson.

    Norton had long been irritated bythe Xanthe family¡¯sevil deeds. Now, he finally had the opportunity to teach Sergio a lesson. He was delighted.

    What was more, there was one point that rankled him.

    The Xanthe family had actually asked for Sabrina¡¯s hand in marriage via General Delia, which was thest thing he could stomach. Sabrina could only be his woman in her life, and he was well aware of that.

    Sabrina was obviously shocked by their fight. She only regained her senses when Sergio left.

    ¡°Norton, are you alright? How are your injuries?¡± Sabrina asked with concern. She walked towards Norton and checked his swollen cheek.

    She had not expected Norton to be able to strike Sergio at this moment. However, it was enough to relieve her of her anger.

    Norton touched the cheek that had been hit, and only then did he feel a burning pain,with embarrassment rushing in. He med Hansen for not chasing the disgusting Sergio away. Hearing Sabrina¡¯s soft tone, the fury that had arisen in his heart immediately ebbed. He shook his head hurriedly and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Sabrina.¡±

    This was the first time Sabrina took the initiative to talk to him after so long. He was overjoyed, and he felt that the beating was worth it.

    However, his face soon darkened. He grabbed Sabrina¡¯s arm and walked to the guest room.

    Jenna was watching them tugging and pulling at each other. She shook her head and chuckled. She did not think that Norton was wrong for teaching Sergio a lesson.

    ¡°Sabrina, did Sergio ask for your hand in marriage?¡± Norton asked with a gloomy expression.

 Chapter 590 There Was No Future Between Us

    ¡°Yes, Norton. However, this is my business. It has nothing to do with you.¡± Sabrina didn¡¯t want to hide anything and admitted it frankly.

    ¡°Nothing to do with me?¡± Norton¡¯s expression turned angry.He jerked her hand forcefully and growled, ¡°Sabrina, I¡¯ve told you long ago that you¡¯re my woman. You¡¯re not allowed to find yourself a boyfriend for a year. Why did his family propose a marriage to you? Why?¡±

    Norton¡¯s face was flushed red. He looked furious,with the veins on his forehead popping.

    This was the first time Sabrina witnessed Norton¡¯s incandescently furious look. His appearance was so terrifying that she was stunned for a moment and soon felt that what he had sputtered was beyond her.

    ¡°Let me go.¡± Sabrina struggled hard and pushed him with one hand. She red at him and reminded him. ¡°Norton, we have already broken off the engagement. Please don¡¯t be unreasonable, okay.¡±

    Norton was fuming, galled by Sabrina¡¯s engagement. He felt terrible, as if he really was about to lose her. The light in his eyes showed disappointment and destion, hoping that this was not true.

    ¡°Sabrina, Sergio forced you into marrying him. He threatened you, didn¡¯t he? You wouldn¡¯t have agreed at all, would you?¡± He stared at her, with hope in his eyes, and asked.

    Sabrina took a deep breath, shook off his hand hard, and answered firmly, ¡°No, I agreed. I¡¯m going to get hitched with him soon.¡±

    What!

    Sabrina¡¯s words were so direct that Norton was dumbfounded, and he felt that he had lost all sense of reason.His eyes turned red.

    ¡°Sabrina, why are you doing this? You promised me that you¡¯d wait for me for a year, didn¡¯t you? You¡¯re just provoking me on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± Norton muttered.His face was ferocious. Half of his face was swollen from Sergio¡¯s hit, and Norton was in bad shape.

    Sabrina was secretly shocked, but she understood that there was no future between them at all. Even if she agreed, General Delia would not. Norton¡¯s performance in the past reeked of a scummy stench.

    The Delia family would never pardon him.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m serious. Since I¡¯ve promised Sergio, I¡¯ll marry him. Norton, wake up. We¡¯re done fooling around with each other a long time ago, and there¡¯s no future between us anymore. I¡¯ve never promised you that I¡¯ll wait for you for a year. That¡¯s just your wishful thinking. Please realize that earlier, and go and meet Carme. She¡¯s a good match for you. Her family background and status match you well,¡± Sabrina answered without hesitation. She tried her best to persuade him to meet Carme.

    Norton bit hard onto his lower lip, and anger was fuming in his eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re that willing for me to meet Carme.So, it turns out that I am not worth sh*t in your heart. I sincerely wanted to turn over a new leaf, and I intended to use my efforts to prove it to you. Apparently, I¡¯m the foolish one. My feelings for you are earnest and true. Yet, you treated me like garbage and disregarded them. My life is aughing stock,¡± Norton uttered with extreme disappointment. At the end of his sentence, he actually began tough, and no matter how hard he tried, hisughter came off sorrowful.

    Sabrina felt a dull pain in her heart, and hisughter went straight into her heart, making her quiver involuntarily,with bitterness festering inher heart.

    If Norton had known that this would happen, then he wouldn¡¯t have done it back then!

    Men only knew how to cherish them after they lost them.

    ¡°Norton, everyone has their own life. Just live with it. I hope that you can work hard and listen carefully to Jenna¡¯s advice. Then, you can achieve sess earlier and prove it to everyone. Once you find purpose in your life, there will be a good woman who is willing to be with you in the future.¡± Sabrina¡¯s voice trembled slightly. She could not bear to see his distorted expression and lowered her head.

    Perhaps Sabrina could only feel Norton¡¯s feelings for her then. In the past, he had no feelings for her. It was only after experiencing all of this that she could finally see through his heart.

    Recalling the past, she was really helpless and sad.

    Such feelings were far from what she needed. The man she loved must love her from beginning to end. He must love her wholeheartedly. At that time, she hadn¡¯t understood the affection between men and women, but now she was finally enlightened.

    Love was free and equal, and people should respect each other. They must also have their own thoughts and principles.

    In fact, Sabrina did not care too much about her partner¡¯s family background and position, nor did she care too much about his past. She paid more attention to her own feelings. However, Norton had left a deep wound in her heart, and she¡¯d even made a fool of herself in front of everyone. After Norton¡¯s matter was exposed, their marriage had be the butt of some jokes among upper ss society, even in the Capital City. In the end, she had not dared to participate in any parties, nor did she dare to face anyone, in fear of being ridiculed. Sabrina could only swallow the bitterness in her heart.

    Under such circumstances, Yadriel took a fancy to General Dalia¡¯s power and took advantage of the situation to propose a marriage. She was well aware of these things, but now that things hade to this stage, she could only be resigned to her fate.

    ¡°Sabrina, I know that I have done you wrong. Although you have treated me like this today, I will not hate you. You are a good girl, and I am not worthy of you. I hope you can marry a man worthy of you and live a happy life forever. However, Sergio is really not suitable for you. You have to consider it carefully. Even if you find someone with a mediocre background, it will be fine as long as he loves you. Marriage is very important to a woman. You must not decide to marry Sergio on a whim. Otherwise, you will not be happy in the future. It will be toote to regret then. Do you understand what I¡¯m trying to say?¡± Norton reminded her.

    ¡°Thank you, and I will.¡± Sabrina drooped her eyes and smiled bitterly. ¡°Love and marriage are mutually exclusive. How many among the rich and powerful families are married because of love? I have seen through it. Don¡¯t worry. I know what to do.¡±

    She looked cavalier, as if she didn¡¯t care.

    Norton stared at her. He remembered thest time he had said the same thing to Jenna. However, Jenna firmly believed that there was love in marriage. She foolishly pursued love and waited for Hansen. Jenna was willing to devote everything to him. Even if Hansen badly hurt her, she would forge straight ahead as usual and never looked back.

    Jenna finally got the love, but why couldn¡¯t Sabrina be like that?

    ¡°Sabrina, why don¡¯t you give me a chance? Why aren¡¯t you willing to wait for me? If there¡¯s true love, then everything is possible. It¡¯s not what you said. I¡¯m not going to meet Carme because there¡¯s no love between her and me. I want to pursue my love, pursue my happiness. Sabrina, I beg you, give me a chance.¡± Norton was unwilling to give up. He started to speak again, earnestly. He was already on the verge of despair, but he was still gripping on a thread of hope that was her hand, and continued to plead.

    Sabrina raised her head and shook her head. ¡°No, Norton. It¡¯s toote now. Please leave. I want to rest.¡±

    She withdrew his hand and turned to go into the bathroom. She didn¡¯t want to talk about this annoying topic anymore.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°No.¡± Her hand slipped from Norton¡¯s palm and she turned around. A fragrant breeze entered his nostrils. His heart suddenly felt a wave of sorrow.His palm involuntarily fell and circled her waist. He tugged at it, and Sabrina fell back. Very quickly,she fell into his embrace.

    Sabrina stared at him with wide eyes, in shock.

    All of the heat in Norton¡¯s body rushed up to his head. He lowered his head, and his lips fiercely covered Sabrina¡¯s red lips. His long tongue came straight in, aggressively absorbing her fragrance.

    Sabrina¡¯s heart beat faster, and she was stunned.

    She couldn¡¯t believe that he was still like this!

    It was only when Norton had taken all of her breath and stopped kissing her violently that she regained her senses. Such a thing had happened several times before, and she should have seen iting.

    When she woke up, she pushed him away and gave him a tight p.

    ¡°You¡¯re too much, Norton,¡± Sabrina cursed hatefully. She turned around and ran outside, with tears filling her eyes.

    She couldn¡¯t stay here any longer. If it went on like this,then she would lose her ground.

    Sabrina had already made up her mind to forget him. It was impossible for them to continue to develop like this. It would be too dangerous.

    She ran to a quiet ce and hid under the shade. She sat on the stone chair with her hands on her head, and tears welled up in her eyes.

    ¡­

    In a world-renowned building in C City, Zoe was browsing a piece of entertainment news. As, her hands typed on the keyboard, her beautiful eyebrows knitted together.

    Octavia knocked on the door and walked in.

    ¡°Miss Yates, I didn¡¯t expect that Liya would be such a sl*t. She was actually aggressive enough to throw herself into Oscar¡¯s embrace. This is simply too shocking.¡± Octavia walked in and eximed in disbelief.

    Zoe didn¡¯t even raise her eyes. There was a disdainful sneer in the corner of her mouth.

    The news outlets knew about what Liya had done in the Richards Group, where she seduced the President to climb the socialdder. The scandal of the staged marriage was notorious in A City. What was even more disgraceful was that Reid was actually a terrorist, and he¡¯d even forced Hansen to marry Lia, using ude¡¯s abduction as leverage. This scandal had ruined her future.

    Zoe moved her fingers slightly. Thepanies in ACityhad cklisted Liya and refused to offer her an opportunity for an interview.

    At this moment, it was difficult for Liya to find a job again. At the very least, not a decent job.

    Her life was in a bind, and it was also part of her n to rely on Oscar.

    It would be better if she went unhinged. Only when she was mad would Zoe be able to control her.

    The thought made Zoe feel even more disdainful. She immediately scoffed. ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? She¡¯s now thrown out of Richards Manor by Hansen. Nopany is willing to hire her. Moreover, she doesn¡¯t possess any special talent. She has her heart set on having things served to her on a silver tter. The oue of her life is imaginable.¡±

    When Octavia heard Zoe¡¯s words, she was slightly stunned. It seemed that all this was still under Zoe¡¯s control.

    ¡°But Zoe, I don¡¯t know what that woman is using. Oscar is actually obsessed with her and will even promise her anything. Rumor has it that a few days ago, he bought a vi by the seashore and stacked countless precious pieces of jewelry for her. If it goes on like this, will Oscar¡­¡± Octavia did not go on, but just looked at Zoe.

    Zoe was Oscar¡¯s current fianc¨¦e. If Oscar spoiled Lia so brazenly, wouldn¡¯t it damage Zoe¡¯s interesst? After all, Sky Sword Group had already suffered a crushing defeat. If Zoe married Oscar,then she would at least form a connection with a rich and powerful family. Although he was a pervert and lustful man, it wouldn¡¯t be bad if Zoe could gain a position.

 Chapter 591 An Unconventional Feeling

    Of courseZoe understood Octavia¡¯s meaning. She sneered.¡°Rx. Matteo is not Oscar. He is shrewd, and he is still in control of the Jones Group.Plus, Matteo is a man who worships money. No matter what he does, he prioritizes profit. He is famous in the industry for being astute and calctive. Also, Oscar is not his only son.As long as Matteo knows about Liya, they will immediately drive her away. At that time, I will make sure that Liya is left with nothing, and her consequences will be grave.¡±

    Zoe knew better than anyone else that the reason Oscar was willing to cooperate with her was that he wanted to take advantage of her means and intelligence. Although herpany was temporarily kicked out of A City by Hansen, seemingly defeated,Oscar¡¯s luxury carpany, which had been on the verge of bankruptcy,took an unexpected recovery because of Zoe. Not only did they manage to sell the leftover luxury cars, they also managed to break into the international market. In this aspect alone, he should¡¯ve made a profit of about 100 million dors. Although he was not long in the global market as a newly-established luxurious carpany,N&S Group managed to steal his thunder. Nheless, Oscar had sessfully steered clear of the bankruptcy, as he earned a spot in the international market. This was something that Matteo was well aware of. Furthermore, Oscar was a typical ipetent and stubborn hedonist. He needed someone like Zoe to be his daughter-inw. Therefore, Matteo agreed to her request to merge theirpanies.The cooperation would benefit him the most, from any angle.

    This was clear as day for Zoe.

    Liya was nothing. Aside from her beauty, she had no talent, and she was not of a reputable family background. Additionally, Liya was just a prodigal¡¯s ything. Unless Matteo were senile, he wouldn¡¯t allow Oscar to leave Zoe behind and marry Liya. This was something that Zoe was still confident of. Of course, she did not care about this marriage with Oscar at all. Even if Zoe really cared about it, she still had a watertight n. The marriage of a wealthy family was never that casual. Or else, she might as well have married Hansen.

    However, when she thought of Hansen,Jenna would also spring up, and she would feel resentful. Why was she inferior to Jenna? Vivian had been determined to marry Jenna to Hansen. At that time, thetter had not fallen in love with Jenna. In fact, in his heart, Jenna had not even been as important as Zoe.

    Zoe clenched her fist.

    The phone rang at this time.

    Zoe nced at the phone and gently knitted her delicate eyebrows. She waved her hand, and Octavia went out.

    ¡°Yaris, anything?¡± She picked up the phone and tried to sound as easy-going as possible.

    Yaris did not answer for a long time.

    Zoe¡¯s brows were knitted even more tightly.

    ¡°Zoe, I want to meet you.¡± After a long while,Yaris¡¯ voice came from the other side of the phone.

    Zoe was really astonished by the request.

    ¡°Yaris, don¡¯t be too stubborn. How can we do it now?¡± Zoe¡¯s voice was as calm as possible as she tried to persuade him in a soft voice.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s possible. I¡¯m in C City right now.¡± Yaris¡¯ voice seemed to drift from h*ll itself, and Zoe was so shocked that she leapt to her feet.

    ¡°What did you say? You¡¯re in C City now?¡± She asked in shock, and her entire body was consumed with nervousness. Based on her intuition, it didn¡¯t seem like Yaris was lying.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m in the hotel right in front of you.¡± Yaris immediately added with certainty, ¡°Come and see me right away.As soon as possible.¡±

    This time, Zoe was incoherent with surprise. ¡°Are you out of your mind? Hansen is sending his men to catch you. You¡¯vemitted so many crimes. Are you prepared to go to prison? Don¡¯t hold your breath thinking that Hansen will let you off.¡±

    Yaris remained abnormally silent on the other side.

    ¡°Zoe, my mother is at the terminal stage of her lung cancer. The doctor has issued a death notice,¡± Yaris admitted.

    ¡°This¡­¡± Zoe didn¡¯t know what to say. She finally understood the reason he woulde back. She pondered for a long time before replying, ¡°Yaris, since this is the case, then don¡¯t be too sad. Just wait, I¡¯lle and see you right away.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Zoe finally understood why there were strange people loitering around herpany in the past few days. It turned out that they were here to monitor Yaris. These people may have been sent by Hansen.

    She dialed her phone and decisively ordered, ¡°Albie, Yaris has already arrived in C City. Everyone, move out and keep a close watch on the hotel on the other side, in case we¡¯re being targeted by Hansen¡¯s men. After that, escort him to A City, and don¡¯t let him fall into Hansen¡¯s hands.¡±

    What if¡­

    A cold and merciless glint shed in her eyes.

    After a while, she changed her clothes and donned on a sunhat before driving out of the basement.

    After taking her time circling C City for half an hour, she suddenly changed into another car in a parking lot. Then, she turned into a small route into the basement opposite Medda Hotel. After confirming that there was no one on her tail, she entered the elevator directly from the basement and went straight to Yaris¡¯ room.

    ¡°Zoe, we finally meet.¡± Yaris saw Zoe and hugged her excitedly.

    Zoe stood there without moving. There was not much expression on her face.

    ¡°Come, sit here.¡± Yaris hugged her and walked towards the couch in the hotel. His face was full of infatuation. ¡°Zoe, I just want to see you. I feel much more at ease when I see you.¡±

    Zoe¡¯s face betrayed no expression as shesaid slowly, ¡°Yaris, it¡¯s not the right time toe back now. You have to know that Hansen has arranged many people around me to monitor my movement. He won¡¯t let you off.¡±

    Zoe was like a cat on hot bricks. If Hansen captured Yaris, the false usation against the Richards Group would be exposed.Zoewas very likely to face the threat of imprisonment. This was not what she wanted. The image of Aria in prison appeared in her mind, and the light in her eyes was even more unfathomable.

    Yaris¡¯ hand wrapped around Zoe¡¯s waist, and he muttered, looking enchanted, ¡°Zoe, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let them catch you. Even if I were captured, I wouldn¡¯t admit it. I wouldn¡¯t point you out.¡±

    Zoe¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°Yaris, thank you for protecting me. For so many years, in this world, only you have truly cared for me and protected me with all your heart. I¡¯m so blessed to have known you.¡± Zoe¡¯s finger touched his lips and eyebrows. Then, she slowly removed his sses. Her almond-like eyes shone as she leaned against him coquettishly.

    ¡°Zoe,¡± Yaris shouted with excitement. He didn¡¯t know how long he had dreamed of such a scene. He hoped that Zoe could rely on him and that they could have children together and live happily.

    ¡°Yaris.¡± Zoe¡¯s hand slowly slid down his face. She closed her eyes.

    Ever since she had been taken advantage of by Oscar, her heart had already turned to ash. She knew how good Yaris was to her. This was the only man in the world who was truly good to her. Zoe was willing to give him everything and even hated that she had not given him her virginity long ago. It just so happened that Oscar, that stupid pig, had gotten it.

    The reason Zoe came here today was precisely that she wanted to do so.

    She wanted to give herself to Yaris.

    This was an unconventional kind of feeling.

    Zoe did not think that this was love. Even when she slept with Yaris, she did not intend to marry him and sign herself up for thepeacefullife of amoner.In her marrow were the genes encrypted for the desire for wildness.Zoe wished to soar high above everyone else. Only a man like Hansen would be able to give that to her and satisfy her. Zoe would never be attached to a man like Yaris.

    Yaris wasn¡¯t aware of Zoe¡¯s thoughts. When he saw that the goddess-like woman had taken the initiative to throw herself at him, he was so thrilled that it got to his head. He had lost his sense of reason. He thought that Zoe had finally seen the light and agreed to be in a rtionship with him.

    He lowered his head and bit her lips gently.

    Zoe responded softly to him as well.

    Yaris¡¯s hands were trembling with excitement, and his body temperature rose. He quickly took off his clothes, appearing clumsy and unfamiliar. Zoe took off her clothes too, as she held his neck and kissed him.

    The two became one.

    ¡­

    The sun was setting in the west, and the sky was a hue of red.

    When the night shrouded C City, Zoe quietly walked out of Yaris¡¯ hotel and disappeared into the night.

    Sara was sitting in the living room, and the television was broadcasting the international news.

    Sara was then fixed upon the channel on the TV that showed international news.

    The news was showing the international conference. The woman sitting to the left side of the chief was elegant and dignified. Wearing a pair of sses, she sat dignifiedly in front of the stage and gave a speech.

    Sara looked at her and sank into deep thought.

    Madam Lilian, who had a high status, needed high-level officials to receive her when she returned. Perhaps because of this, it was rare to see the news concerning her return. Yet, a few days ago, she¡¯de in person to visit Sara, an ordinary person, and even considered Jenna as her granddaughter. This really surprised Sara and made her feel that everything was incredible and dream-like.

    In the past, Sara didn¡¯t care much about international news, and she didn¡¯t even pay much attention to it when watching TV. Nheless,ever since Jenna had mentioned Madam Lilian, Sara would pay attention to her intentionally or unintentionally when she watched the TV.

    Bailey was sitting next to her, peeling apples.

    From time to time, her eyes would fall on Madam Lilian¡¯s face on the TV screen.

    When Madam Lilian visited that day, she always felt that the exquisite face was a little familiar, but she couldn¡¯t remember where she had seen it before.

    When Madam Lilian had left, Bailey was only 11 years old. At this age, many memories were vague.

    Bailey had been raised by the acting troupe since she was a child. She¡¯d met Lilian when she was seven years old. Lilian had pitied her family background, and she happened to need someone by her side due to her rising status. Hence, Lilian had not hesitated to take Bailey in. In fact, she also did that out of kindness.

    Since then, Bailey had been with Lilian until she got married, had a child, and until she left her. Since then, it had been more than half a century, and Bailey could no longer remember Lilian¡¯s appearance.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    What was more, after so many years, the changes were colossal.

    She had never thought that Lilian would be an admirable person in the TV news that day.

    On that day, when Madam Lilian had visited, all she had in mind was Sara. How would she have expected that the 11-year-old little girl would still be with Sara? Moreover, Bailey was now 61 years old, and the changes would be profound. With the passage of time hammering away at its duty, it would be next to impossible for Madam Lilian to recognize Bailey.

    ¡°Madam, is thedy on TV really the nobledy who paid a visit the other day?¡± Bailey stared at the TV with her somewhat blurry eyes and asked curiously. She was not well-educated, and her daily task was to take good care of Sara. This had been her mission since childhood. Even after she got married and had a husband and a child, it had remained unchanged. For decades, her routines had been the same. After her husband had died a few years ago, she had devoted herself to keeping Sarapany.

 Chapter 592 An Old Photograph

    ¡°Yes, she is Madam Lilian.¡± Sara stared at the TV and murmured. Her heart was filled with a kind of emotion that she had never felt before. It was heart-wrenching and distressful. Such a feeling made her feel fearful.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect her to be acquainted with such a famous person. It seems that our Miss Jenna is really loved by all.¡± Bailey chuckled. In her mind, Madam Lilian must havee to visit her for Jenna¡¯s sake. Therefore, she was very proud of Jenna, which was normal since she¡¯dregarded Jenna as her own daughter for all these years.

    Sara was lost in thought.

    ¡°Madam, it¡¯s strange, but I feel that Madam Lilian looks familiar, almost as if I have seen her somewhere before.¡± Bailey frowned slightly and asked while trying to recall.

    Sara gave a burst of disapprovingughter. ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? She often appears on TV.¡±

    Bailey was still confused. ¡°Madam, my eyesight is not good, and I seldom watch this type of news on TV. I usually just casually watch TV dramas.So, I can confirm that I have never seen her on TV.¡±

    Hearing this, Sara giggled. ¡°That¡¯s true. Madam Lilian isfamousinternationally and rarely appears on the local news channels.¡± Then, Sara turned to Bailey, who was thinking hard, and she exined, ¡°Some people just look familiar. What¡¯s odd about that? I think you¡¯d better not worry too much. It¡¯s not as if you could have seen her before,or actually know her.¡±

    Hearing this, Bailey also felt embarrassed, and chortled. ¡°Madam, you¡¯re right. Madam Lilian is so famous. How could I, an ordinary person, know her? It¡¯s absolutely impossible.¡±

    Speaking of this, something urred to her. She continued, ¡°Madam, Miss Jenna called today. She informed us that Madam Vivian is dying, and she is ready to take you to Richards Manor.¡±

    Speaking of Vivian, Sara felt inexplicably heavy in her heart.

    ¡°Yes,Madam Vivian is indeed a rare, good person. Moreover, she¡¯s also a respected figure among us women. I should have visited her earlier.¡± Sara nodded and sighed. She did not feel good about it.

    In the Richards family, only Vivian had been secretly protecting Jenna. Otherwise, with the decline of the Murphy family¡¯s family status, Jenna could hardly have had a bright future in the Richards family. Sara knew and also remembered Vivian¡¯s help.

    ¡°Miss Jenna mentioned that she woulde to pick us up tomorrow morning. So, I¡¯ll pack up now. I guess we¡¯ll have to stay for a few days.¡± Bailey stood up as she said this and began to pack up.

    As for Sara, she just sat there and continued watching TV.

    After a while, Bailey came out with a peculiar look on her face.

    ¡°Madam, I found a photo here, which really reminded me of something.¡± Just as Bailey had gone to pack up, she¡¯d inadvertently found a photo that she kept, which she¡¯d almost forgotten about. It was a photo of Lilian in her younger years when she was still in the entertainment industry. As photographs were notmon back then, Bailey only had this photo and stored it in an old album. She had forgotten that she had it.

    Hearing this, Sara turned her eyes to her face and asked doubtfully, ¡°Bailey, what photo?¡±

    Bailey approached, held the photo with both hands, and handed it over.

    Sara received it and looked at it. It was a beautiful young woman with a kind-looking face.

    ¡°Who is this?¡± Sara questioned in surprise.

    Bailey¡¯s expression was a little strange. She nced at Sara and answered cautiously, ¡°Madam, she is your mother.¡±

    ¡°Mother?¡± Sara¡¯s face changed, and she took the photo and studied it carefully.

    Was the beautiful woman in the photo really her birth mother?

    Sara had not seen her mother¡¯s face since she was a child. Seeing this photo in an instant made it hard for her to believe that it was true.

    ¡°Yes, Madam, this is your mother¡¯s photo. I can assure you.¡± Bailey nodded solemnly.

    ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t you show it to me earlier?¡± Sara showed a hint of me.

    Bailey sighed. All those years ago, vian also had photos of Lilian. Nheless, there were several times when vian would cry bitterly as he hugged Lilian¡¯s photo when he came home drunk, which had damaged most of the photos. There was once after he had a really drunken night, when vian had lost his mind and burned all the photos of Lilian. He died soon after.

    This photo had been kept with her since she apanied Lilian as a child. There had been one time whenvian discovered it after getting drunk and had almost destroyed it, but Bailey had managed to recover it after he¡¯d passed out. However, since then, she had not dared to take it out again, and eventuallyhad truly forgotten about it.

    ¡°Madam, I was still young at that time. I don¡¯t even remember that I had it,¡± Bailey exined in a bashful tone.

    Sara stared at the photo and was lost in thought. She was really indifferent to the concept of having a mother.

    ¡°Bailey, what kind of rtion do you have to my Mom?¡± Sara asked again. She had known about the rtion since she was a kid, but any further details had never been clear to her. This was why she¡¯d asked.

    Sara had asked such questions several times when she was free, but Bailey just couldn¡¯t answer them.

    ¡°Madam, I was brought up by your mother. I don¡¯t remember the past as I was very young, and I really couldn¡¯t remember anything. I even forgot your mother¡¯s appearance. I only had a vague memory when I saw this photo today, but I knew that the photo was your mother.¡± Bailey¡¯s face was a little painful, and she answered sourly.

    Sara stopped talking and touched the woman in the photo, in a daze.

    ¡°Madam, there is something I don¡¯t know if I should say.¡± Bailey nced at the photo in her hand and asked carefully.

    ¡°Go ahead. What do you want to say?¡± Sara urged in a downcast tone.

    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t you think that the photo seems simr to that of Madam Lilian, who came to visit that day?¡± Bailey¡¯s voice was a little low, and her expression was a little mysterious.

    At this point, Sara was actually stunned. She lowered her head, took the photo, and looked at it again.

    ¡°Moreover, I recalled that your mother is also called Lilian. So, Madam Lilian has the same name as your mother.¡± Bailey continued.

    ¡°Lilian¡­ Is my mother also called Lilian?¡± Sara raised her head and asked in shock.

    ¡°Yes, I still remember her name.¡± Bailey nodded firmly.

    Sara¡¯s expression changed a little, but after a while, she shook her head resolutely and said, ¡°Bailey, don¡¯t joke around. My mother is already dead. Even if she is called Lilian, she can¡¯t be the current Madan Lilian. There are many people with the same name as her in the world. This idea is too unrealistic.¡±

    After that, she lowered her head to look at the photo in her hand.

    The woman in the photo was morous, beautiful, and appeared to be in her twenties. Furthermore, Madam Lilian was already in her seventies, and no matter how Sara looked at it, it still seemed impossible. Although the simrities were uncanny, it could not eliminate Sara¡¯s doubts. Besides, how could Madam Lilian, who had such a noble status, be her mother? It was too ridiculous.

    ¡°Bailey, please give this picture to me, and don¡¯t overthink anymore. My mother has already died. How could she be the world-renowned Madam Lilian? Don¡¯t say such things again in the future, or people will think that we want to climb the socialdder.¡± Sara frowned. She had never been a person who wanted to climb up the socialdder.Could it be that just because Madam Lilian was famous,they¡¯d thought that Madam Lilian could be her mother?It was too funny. How shameful would it be if such a thought were to spread out?It was not in Sara¡¯s character to do such a thing.

    Not to mention that even if Madam Lilian was her mother, Sara didn¡¯t want to acknowledge her because she had ignored her for so many years. As to the word ¡®Mom¡¯, Sara had already lost any feelings that she could have had.

    Bailey noticed Sara¡¯s expression and knew that her thoughts were a little far-fetched. When she was very young, Lilian had suddenly disappeared from her life, and she had never seen her again. She had only heard vian say that she was already dead. That was all.

    Bailey went back to pack their things, awaiting Jenna to pick them up the next day to go to Richards Manor.

    In A City¡¯s government hospital.

    The night was dark, and the hot air wasoppressive. In the summer night, the air was warm with a hint of unease.

    Hansen put on his bulletproof vest and drove the Hummer. His face was sullen, and his eyes were focused.

    That night was destined to be an unusual night.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Yaris is on the way from C City to A city. Our men tried to approach him, but it seems that there are still people following Yaris to protect him. We can¡¯t do anything for the time being.We think that they are Zoe¡¯s men, who were sent to protect Yaris.¡± The subordinate ced in C City called over.

    Hansen¡¯s expression changed. He immediately ordered, ¡°Hurry up and retreat. Don¡¯t act rashly, and don¡¯t alert the enemy. Let hime to A City and fall into our trap.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards,¡± the person on the other side replied and quickly withdrew from C City.

    Hansen looked at his phone. It was only ten o¡¯clock. It seemed that Yaris woulde to visit his mother in the early hours of the morning.

    After thinking for a while, he called Charlesof the Public Security Department.

    When Charles received the call,he immediately rushed to the government hospital with several skilled snipers and lurked around.

    Hansen had his own ns. If Yaris came back alone, he could capture him alive, interrogate him, and then hand him over to the police. However, from the tone of his subordinates, Yaris must have gone to meet Zoe first. Hence, she would also have arranged for people to protect him secretly. In that case, there was a possibility for the situation to escte into a gunfight. He had no choice but to inform the police in advance.

    Zoe was a smart woman. With all the time she had on her hands, she had groomed a group of assassins. The man who had attempted to kill Jenna on the square previously must have been sent by her.

    These were conclusions from the detectives whom he had hired in secret. Hansen really had not expectedZoe to be sucha psychopath.Why would she choose to do such evil acts and even involve herself in assassinations? Hansen was even more angered at the fact that he had not been able to catch the murderer, even though he knew that Zoe sent him. He could not punish her, which made Hansen very unhappy.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    He also realized how terrifying Zoe was.Thus, he made up his mind to get rid of scum like Zoe and Yadriel.

    That was why Hansen had notified the police to be present that day.

    As soon as he switched the phone to silent mode, Hansen saw that the words ¡®My Dear Wife¡¯ were shing on the screen.

    He picked up the call.

 Chapter 593 Yarisâ€™ Appearance

    ¡°Hansen, where are you?¡± Jenna¡¯s concerned voice came from the other side of the phone.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled.

    ¡°Jenna, I have something to handle outside. You should go to bed early.¡± Of course, Hansen would not tell her about such a big event, lest she was frightened.

    Jenna¡¯s eyelids had been twitching the whole day, and her mood was unsettled. When she heard the calm and gentle tone from Hansen, her heart was finally at ease.

    ¡°Hansen, get home soon. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Without him, Jenna could not fall asleep. Jenna was pregnant. So, she relied heavily on Hansen, and her heart was also fragile.

    ¡°Little fool, I have a few dinner parties today. I will be home veryte. Don¡¯t wait for me, go to bed early and rest, okay? Otherwise, I will be unhappy.¡± Hearing this, Hansen felt ufortable, and his voice on the phone was a bit serious.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna pursed her lips and put down the phone. Now that Paul had gone to Capital City and Irvin was still in Africa, there were some things that she could not figure out. However,she believed that Hansen wouldn¡¯t hide anything from her. Since he informed her that he had something to do outside, she would believe him.

    In the hospital at midnight, the noise gradually fell silent, and the patients¡¯ groans in the ward was obvious.

    The doctors and nurses on each floor went to their lounges after thest shift ended.

    The corridor was quiet.

    A dark figure slowly approached the gate of the hospital.

    Sitting in the Hummer, Hansen stared at the figure with sharp eyes. He¡¯d finallye!

    Yaris, the man who had once won his trust, had betrayed him. He had almost put the Richards Group and the woman Hansen loved in a situation where they would never be able to recover.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t forgive this man.

    He clenched his fists, but he didn¡¯t take any action.

    Hansen noticed the people who followed him outside. They did not enter the hospital but instead stood outside of the hospital, watching inside with vignce.

    Yaris entered the elevator sessfully.

    The floor indicator on the elevator was changing over and over again. After going up and down several times, he came out of the elevator.

    The people and police who were guarding the entrance followed quietly.

    The long cap almost covered half of Yaris¡¯s face, but it did not prevent Hansen from recognizing him.

    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t move.¡± A cold pistol was ced on his waist.

    Yaris¡¯ face was pale.

    ¡°Who are you? Why do you want to catch me?¡± Even though he knew that he was guilty, he still pretended to be innocent.

    Fletcher sneered and shouted in a stern voice, ¡°Yaris, don¡¯t f*cking pretend to be innocent. Mr. Richards trusted you and promoted you to be the global director, but you betrayed him. How dare you frame the Richards Group about the unauthorized disclosure of ssified information?You are really abominable! Now, both Mr. Richards and thew won¡¯t be able to forgive you.Do the right thing and follow us. The police are waiting for you.¡±

    As he was speaking, Yaris¡¯ hand quickly reached into his pocket.

    ¡°D*mn it.¡± The people under Fletcher were sharp-eyed and kicked at Yaris¡¯ hand. Someone took the opportunity to knock down Yaris and search him, finding a pistol and a sharp knife on him.

    ¡°Yaris, you are suspected of a corporate crime and are under arrest.¡± At this time, the police lying in ambush also gathered around and raised the arrest warrant in their hand.

    At this point, Yaris knew that he could not escape. So, he lowered his head, withhis face full of defeat.

    Hansen was standing at the entrance of the corridor, with his gaze sharp and cold. The lights along the corridor shone on his face, and his expression was frigid as he stared at Yaris.

    The group of people escorted Yaris towards Hansen.

    ¡°Mr., Mr. Richards¡­¡± Yaris looked up and saw Hansen standing in front of him. He opened his mouth and stammered,avoiding his eyes.

    Hansen sneered and yelled sternly, ¡°Yaris, you have guts. How dare you betray me?¡±

    Yaris¡¯ face was full of guilt. He did not dare to look directly into Hansen¡¯s eyes. However, his mother had been right in front of him, and the thought of not getting what he¡¯de here for was unbearable. Yaris was torn with grief. Suddenly, he knelt down and desperately begged. ¡°Mr. Richards, I know that I have done you wrong, but can you please let me see my mother?¡±

    He pleaded loudly as he bowed at Hansen¡¯s feet.

    Hansen¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed. His face was expressionless.

    ¡°Mr.Richards, this person is shameless. Don¡¯t mind him. Take him back to the police station for interrogation. It¡¯s just a matter of time before more trouble urs.¡± Fletcher was impatient, hastily suggesting from the side.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I beg you. Let me take a look at my mother, just a nce. We both have parents, and I¡¯m sure you know how I feel. I beg you.¡± After hearing Fletcher¡¯s words, Yaris became more desperate. He knelt and begged Hansen loudly.

    Hansen sighed and loosened his tie. He cast a nce atYaris¡¯ mother¡¯s ward.

    ¡°Fletcher, take him in to take a look atElowyn.¡± Hansen suddenly directed Fletcher.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, don¡¯t.¡± Fletcher objected loudly when he heard this. This guy just tried to take out his pistol to resist arrest. If he was taken to the ward, there would be some trouble.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. The police will follow them.¡± Hansen looked at the police beside him and spoke to Fletcher once again.

    The person knew how to be filial, which indicated that his conscience had notpletely disappeared yet. Hansen could give him this opportunity.

    Fletcher saw that Hansen¡¯s expression was firm. He had no choice but to turn around and walk to the ward with Yaris. Fortunately, the police were following him.So, he felt relieved.

    ¡°Yaris.¡± Jonah White finally saw his son and tears of joy welled up in his eyes.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Yaris strode into the hospital ward and saw Elowyn lying on her deathbed. He wailed as his tears streamed down his face.

    This time, Yaris actually had not intended to leave immediately because Elowyn was still alive, and he wanted to stay by her side until herst breath.

    Nheless, it was obvious that there were no more chances left.

    In the ward, the scene of loved ones sending off their dying rtives was heartbreaking.

    Outside, Hansen quietly ordered his men to move closer to the people who were following them outside. If he could capture a few more of Zoe¡¯s men alive, then he might find the murderer who had attempted to assassinate Jenna previously. That way, Zoe¡¯s crime would be even more serious.

    Yaris was quickly escorted out by Fletcher.

    ¡°Speak. Who made you do this? Why did you want to frame ourpany?¡± Hansen sternly asked Yaris.

    Yaris¡¯s face was wet with tears. He knew that he could not escape as he had fallen into their hands. He immediately drooped his head and answered, ¡°Mr. Richards, I have let you down. You can do whatever you want with me.¡±

    Yaris didn¡¯t intend to deny it.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Hansen sneered. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that just dealing with you alone is too light. Today, you must reveal the mastermind behind the crime and confess to the crime that youmitted. Elowyn is dying, and Jonah is not young anymore. If you don¡¯t want to hurt them, then you¡¯ll have to ount for the crime and try to make it easier for them.¡±

    At the mention of his parents, Yaris, who had been trying to maintain hisposure, became depressed and anxious. He could take everything else, but the thought of his elderly parents made his heart tremble. He felt a sense of loss and fear.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a man. You spent so many years studying,and yet you can¡¯t even understand the principle of filial piety to your parents, and you have done something illegal. I could have taken you away without seeing your parents, but after taking into ount their emotions, I allowed you to meet them. If you still have a conscience,then you would reveal the truth and strive for lenient sentence. I believe thew will give you a way out. Otherwise, you know the consequences.¡±

    Hansen reminded Yaris seriously, hoping that he would wake up.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    However, it was toote.

    With the sound of a gunshot, a bullet was shot through the window.

    Everyone was dumbfounded as they didn¡¯t expect a sniper toe at them.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, be careful.¡± A dark shadow jumped down from the darkness and pushed Hansen away. Then, the bullet pierced Yaris¡¯ chest at lightning speed.

    Yaris only had time to let out a miserable cry before opening his eyes wide and looking out of the window.

    ¡°Quick, someone is shooting at us from outside!¡±

    ¡°Quick, catch the murderer!¡±

    ¡­

    When Hansen was pushed away, he immediately realized something and ran down the stairs.

    Fortunately, it was only on the second floor.So, he quickly caught up to them.

    He reached the entrance of the hospital.

    He saw a dark shadow quickly get in an all-terrain vehicle.

    The car soon started and sped off.

    ¡°D*mn it.¡± ording to his intuition, Yaris would be seriously injured this time. Hansen had no time to care about his life and death. Besides, there were police next to him, and they would interrogate him.

    He quickly got on the Hummer and chased after the speeding vehicle.

    His Hummer¡¯s engine had the highest horsepower. So, catching up with the off-road vehicle was just a piece of cake.

    He wanted to catch up to the person who had taken Yaris out. During the wedding banquet at Richards Manor,Reid had been assassinated bythe same method of sniping. This person could very possibly hold an important clue,and would be much more important than Yaris.

    In the early hours of the morning, there were not many cars on the street. Hansen skilfully drove his beloved Hummer, chasing the vehicle as fast as he could.

    These people wouldn¡¯t stop until they reached their goal. They kept trying to get at him. If he didn¡¯t get rid of them, the Richards Group would never see a peaceful day.

    He was furious.

    The police car behind him also started to re their sirens, and they followed him all the way.

    Hansen calmly drove his car and did his best to catch up with the vehicle.

    They started to y a cat-and-mouse game.

    Hansen¡¯s Hummer was about to catch up with the vehicle.

    In a hurry, the car turned against the traffic¡¯s flow and drove into the overpass at the side.

    Hansen¡¯s hawk-like eyes stared at the vehicle. He turned the steering wheel slightly, and the Hummer roared and immediately followed. The people in the vehicle in front became anxious and began to shoot at Hansen.

    The bulletsnded on the Hummer¡¯s security ss, sending out bursts of noises and sparks. Hansen¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    How dare he fire shots in broad daylight? There was now and order at all.

    Hansen stepped on the elerator, and the Hummer rushed towards the all-terrain vehicle at high speed.

 Chapter 594 Guilty As Charged

    With a loud bang, the Hummer directly hit the vehicle. The sturdy and huge Hummer almost knocked the all-terrain vehicle over.

    This loud bang scared the wits out of the hoodlums in the vehicle. The color in their faces was drained. It seemed that they would not escape that day.

    The Hummer, which had hit their vehicle, was no ordinary car. The unknown material it was made of was durable. Moreover, the windows were fully bulletproof, and actual bullets had failed against it. Moreover, the loud siren of the police car was getting closer.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s lips curled into a contemptuous smile. He started the car and rammed it into them again.

    The people in front were obviously flustered. The off-road vehicle swayed left and right on the overpass, and the Hummer hit it from one side. In such a critical situation, the off-road vehicle made a sudden turn and finally managed to avoid the force slightly. The rear window and its trunk were knocked askew.

    The vehicle did not dare to stay any longer. If the Hummer continued to knock it again, the car would be ruined. Taking advantage of the gap, the car stepped on the elerator and dashed forward.

    With a coldugh, Hansen easily drove and followed up.

    He followed them closely.

    The off-road vehicle knew that it was no match for Hansen. So, it ran to a fork in the road in front of it. They were ready to abandon the car and escape after getting off the bridge.

    There was a long slope downhill.

    The off-road vehicle went down with force.

    With a disdainful smile, Hansen loosened the elerator, and the Hummer rushed down like an arrow.

    The people on the vehicle were desperate. As soon as it reached the end of the slope, it drove away.

    Hansen twisted the steering wheel and prepared to rush down from one side of the bridge to intercept it.

    All of a sudden, a car drove out from the middle.

    Hansen was startled. He hurriedly stepped on the brakes.

    Soon, he was in a panic.

    The brakes were malfunctioning for some reason!

    Due to inertia, the Hummer went out of control and was heading towards the small vehicle in front of them.

    Hansen waspletely dumbfounded. If he were to hit it at this time, the car in front would likely be destroyed. Moreover, his car was still at the bottom of the overpass, and the car¡¯s speed was fast. The consequences of the brakes failing were unimaginable.

    ¡°What should I do?¡± Hansen thought to himself.

    He clenched his teeth and held the steering wheel tightly, pulling the handbrake quickly.

    However, it was useless. At this time, the Hummer waspletely out of control.

    In a moment of desperation, he had no time to think. He twisted the steering wheel hard, and finally, the center of gravity was disced under his huge pressure. The Hummer hit the back of the small car.Still, with this, the innocent car and its passengers were safe.

    However, the impact sent Hansen¡¯s car flying against the railing in front of him.

    On the opposite side of the railing, there was another caring at full speed.

    Hansen had never been afraid before, but now he was so scared that he¡¯d broken out in a cold sweat.

    He could only turn the steering wheel with brute force and hold onto the handbrake. Hansen¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and he clenched his jaw.

    At this critical moment.

    A ck, extended version of the off-road vehicle steadily stopped in front of him.

    Hansen¡¯s Hummer crashed into the carriage. After a huge crash, the car stopped steadily.

    The other off-road vehicle almost flipped over from the collision. Fortunately, it was a desert off-road vehicle that could withstand the collision.

    Hansen heaved a heavy sigh of relief, and his forehead was beaded with sweat.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, are you okay?¡± A man in ck quickly opened the door of the off-road vehicle that had been hit and jumped out, asking anxiously.

    Hansen was shocked. He looked up and eximed, ¡°Lomen.¡±

    When Lomen saw that Hansen was unharmed through the ss window, he heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Lomen, were you the one who pushed me just now at the entrance of the hospital?¡± Hansen opened the door and walked out. He asked in surprise and uncertainty.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lomen nodded. ¡°Mr. Trevor ordered me to follow you.¡±

    Only then did Hansen understand.

    It turned out that when Lomen saw Hansen driving to chase the criminals, he¡¯d also gotten into another car in a hurry and followed him.

    When he was still on the bridge, he realized that Hansen¡¯s car seemed abnormal. It was as if the brakes had malfunctioned.

    In a moment of desperation, he drove out from another fork of the road and blocked the road in front of him. Only then did he stop Hansen¡¯s car from smashing into the railing and running into the small car on the opposite side of the road.

    ¡°Thank you, Lomen.¡± Hansen patted him on the shoulder. If Lomen had not been following Hansen that day, something might have happened.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s a pity that they escaped again.¡± Lomen sighed andmented with regret.

    Hansen gave a cold re.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. One day, we will capture the sniper.¡± Hansen could only console him. ¡°By the way, how¡¯s Yaris?¡±

    While they were talking, the police car arrived. Charles came out of the car.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it seems like we¡¯ve failed to meet our expected goal for today¡¯s n. Yaris is dead,¡± Charles reported.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡± Hansen was astounded.

    Yaris had actually died. What did that mean? This would mean that the Richards Groupwould be used of a security breach.

    Even though Yaris had done this, he was still a senior executive of the Richards Group, representing the Richards Group. As such, the Richards Group¡¯s reputation would be tarnished.

    ¡°D*mn it.¡± Hansen exhaled deeply. His eyes were burning with anger, and he clenched his fist with immense strength.

    What was even more hateful was that his Hummer¡¯s brake had actually failed. How was that possible?

    Hansen¡¯s car was sent for monthly maintenance. It was impossible for something like this to go undiscovered.

    There was only one possibility, and that was, that someone had tampered with it.

    Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth in anger.

    It seemed that Richards Group would not be at peace for the time being.

    ¡°Lomen, let¡¯s ask someone to tow my car back first and check it out. Let¡¯s find out why the brake had suddenly malfunctioned,¡± Hansen ordered Lomen.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lomen immediately made a phone call.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, don¡¯t be too disappointed. The bad guys will be caught.¡± Charles also knew what the death of Yaris meant to the Richards Group. At the moment, he could onlyfort him.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you for the cooperation.¡± Hansen shook his head, deep in thought.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the driver of Richards Manor to arrive. Hansen got into the car with Lomen, and they left.

    Zoe stood atthe top floor of the government hospital, watching everything that was happening below.

    When the bullet prated Yaris¡¯ body, her heart trembled but she gritted her teeth.

    ¡°Yaris, please don¡¯t me me for being cruel. If you were captured, then I would have been finished too. My ns have yet to be carried out and I have yet to get my revenge. I cannot let anything happen now. I¡¯m sorry. I wish you a good life in heaven,¡± Zoe muttered in her heart. She closed her eyes and a line of tears flowed out.

    The man who had been so unconditionally good to her had not wanted to listen to her advice, but instead insisted on returning to A city.Of course, this would be the only possible ending.

    Everyone had left. Everything hade to an end.

    She stood on the top floor with a nk expression,with the scene of this afternoon vivid in her mind.

    Yaris stroked the scars on Zoe¡¯s body, asking angrily who had injured her.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    She closed her eyes and answered lightly, ¡°Yaris, it¡¯s all right. I identally hurt myself.¡±

    Such an answer could not have removed Yaris¡¯ doubts. How could such a delicate woman like Zoe be so scarred and bruised? Although those scars seemed to be old, the leftover traces were still so shocking.

    Yaris hugged Zoe tightly and felt unbearable pain.

    Nevertheless, there was nothing he could do.

    Zoe closed her eyes and didn¡¯t let the tears flow out.

    Oscar was a d*mned pervert. After Matteo had released him, he¡¯d found her.All the time he¡¯d spent fooling around with Liya, Oscar had also spent doing dirty things to her on asion.

    Zoe¡¯s video was with him. Additionally,he had wanted to manipte Matteo. Hence, she could only swallow her anger.

    Night fell.

    Yaris¡¯ love for her had made her feel the joy of being a woman for the first time. Unfortunately, he was not the man she wanted. The man she wanted must be domineering and courageous. Yaris obviously had not been that kind of man.

    Zoe had no choice but to sacrifice Yaris.

    However, the gun that had been fired at Yaris had not been fired by her subordinate. She had instructed her men that if Yaris was caught and they had no other choice, they should shoot him.

    However, the shooting was very sudden, and its uracy was apudable. None of Zoe¡¯s subordinates had achieved such a level. Nheless, since she had achieved her goal, Zoe didn¡¯t want to investigate further.

    At the darkest time before dawn, Zoe left in a daze.

    As the rays of the morning sun shone into the Ink Garden, Jenna opened her eyes.

    The night before, she had not slept well.

    Jenna got up and found no one by her side.

    Didn¡¯t Hansen return that night? Jenna thought to herself.

    She hurriedly walked towards the living room of the Ink Garden after washing up.

    The HDTV screen on the wall outside of the Ink Garden was broadcasting the news, and Jenna stood still for a long time.

    The scene of a Hummer mming violently into an off-road vehicle shocked her.

    The Hummer was very familiar.

    Jenna could recognize it almost at a nce.

    The news on the television instantly made things clear. There had been a shoot out the night before. Yaris, who had been evading punishment from the Richards Group, had been shot to death!

    Jenna¡¯s face began to turn pale, and her mind was in a mess.

    There was only one figure swaying in her mind, and that was Hansen.

    How was he? Was he hurt?

    It turned out that the night before, Hansen had personally gone to capture Yaris. He had kept her in the dark.

    ¡°Larry, has Mr. Richards returned yet?¡± Jenna immediately asked as Larry walked in.

    Larry shook her head in a hurry. She had just woken up and hadn¡¯t had a chance to see the news.

    ¡°Madam, I haven¡¯t seen the chairman today,¡± Larry admitted.

    There was an uproar in Jenna¡¯s mind, and she ran outside in a hurry.

    ¡°Madam, be careful.¡± Larry chased them from behind. It was not appropriate for a woman to run like this when she was pregnant. Looking at Jenna¡¯s anxious look, Larry was really worried about what could happen.

    Jenna ran back to Green Jade Garden.

    ¡°Aunt E, do you know where Mr. Trevor, Madam Marissa, and Hansen are?¡± Jenna had looked for them in the house, but she had not seen them.Thus, she asked Aunt E in an anxious mood.

    Aunt E was taking care of Jerry. When she heard this, she hurriedly replied, ¡°Madam, Mr. Trevor and Madam Marissa are both in the Ink Garden. They haven¡¯t returned yet.¡±

    All of the Richards family members were staying in the Ink Garden to apany Vivian.So, Aunt E found it strange as to why Jenna woulde over so early and ask such a question.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank all of a sudden.

    She took out her phone and tried calling Hansen¡¯s number, but all she got was a busy signal, and it was impossible to get through at all.

    After hanging up the phone, Jenna didn¡¯t wait any longer and went straight outside.

    Soon, Jenna¡¯s Lamborghini appeared on the street,on the way to the Richards Group headquarters.

 Chapter 595 Caught In A Plight

    The radio channels in the vehicle were all upied with Yaris¡¯ murder case the night before, which triggered a series of rumors about the Richards Group.

    Originally,news on the usation against the Richard Group¡¯s unauthorized disclosure of ssified information on luxury cars had already calmed down. Now, due to Yaris¡¯ death, the case had once again been brought up.

    All sorts of doubt and questions began to arise again.

    People were even cursing the Richards Group for beingdevoid of consciencedespite having a long-established reputation, havingdared to disclose the country¡¯s secrets just for money. Itwas a chilling sight.

    Many people who did not know the truth had begun to hurl abuse at the Richards Group online. They also threatened to boycott the Richards Group¡¯s products. It seemed as if the Richards Group had lost all its good reputation overnight, and all kinds of gossip had begun to spread on the Inte.

    It was not a good sign for apany that relied on sales and profits. Jenna knew this better than anyone else.

    However, there was something else that she was clear on.

    With this charge, many ignorant people had begun to oppose the Richards Group.No matter how they looked at it,it was as if someone had deliberately set up a trap.

    Someone was trying to destroy the Richards Group and Hansen.

    Jenna¡¯s hands were shaking as she drove the car.

    She did not dare to imagine how Hansen was, and she could not imagine how worried he would be.

    Jenna was more troubled about his safety, however. Although the news media had not mentioned that he was injured, she would not be at ease without seeing him personally.

    She finally arrived at the International Kinsey Center.

    She anxiously stopped the car and walked towards the elevator.

    The journey felt like a lifetime. When Jenna reached the 88th floor, Hansen¡¯s office was full of people.

    Trevor, ude, Norton, and even Marissa were present.

    They were all sitting on the couch, looking solemn.

    Hansen was sitting in front of his desk. Although his expression was calm, his face was haggard.

    ¡°Hansen, how are you feeling?¡± Jenna stepped into the office apprehensively and asked Hansen.

    When Hansen heard Jenna¡¯s voice, he raised his head in surprise.

    ¡°Jenna, why are you here?¡± He stood up and walked towards her.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    ¡°Hansen, you didn¡¯t get hurtst night, did you?¡± Jenna looked at him fretfully, forgetting that there were other people in the office. She wanted to personally confirm that Hansen was not hurt.

    Looking at the woman¡¯s anxious face, Hansen¡¯s tiredness from the night before immediately dissipated, and a gentle smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry about me. Nothing happened to me.¡± Hansen knew that these things could not be hidden from her. After all, the news media was already in full swing. It was understood that everyone in A City knew about it, what more his own wife. Therefore, Hansen could onlyfort Jenna.

    ¡°Hansen, such a big thing happened. Why didn¡¯t you tell me? You made me worried.¡± Seeing that Hansen was safe and sound, Jenna finally felt relieved, and she couldn¡¯t help but to me him.

    With a smile, Hansen took her hand and sat down on the couch on the other side.

    ¡°Jenna, you are now pregnant. You shouldn¡¯t havee here in a rush. Such a thing is a man¡¯s business. You should stay at home and take good care of yourself and the baby.¡± Hansen reminded her as he held her hand.

    Jenna sat down on the couch and greeted everyone.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were slightly bloodshot, which made her heart ache.

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s great that you¡¯re here too. You should be aware of these things,¡± Trevor chimed in. He did not object to her arrival, as Jenna would have found out sooner orter anyway. A person who could aplish great things should be able to face temporary setbackscalmly. These were the conditions that someone in this position must have.

    Jenna felt uneasy, but she forced herself to nod calmly.

    ¡°Now that Yaris is dead, all the usations will fall on the Richards Group. This case should be closed soon. You will have to be mentally prepared,¡± Trevor added calmly.

    Jenna listened to Trevor¡¯s calm voice passingjudgment. Her heart was heavy beyond words. Yaris¡¯ death had brought about the end of the trail of evidence that they¡¯d found. He had been a member of the Richards Group. They were all aware that such a grave crime was now on the Richards Group.

    ¡°Trevor, this case can¡¯t be closed. We must find new evidence. This was obviously done by someone else. Are we going to suffer in silence?¡± ude looked very angry. With this charge on the Richards Group, one could only imagine the damage to theirpany.

    ¡°Uncle ude, if there was any evidence, we would have found it before it had be this serious. I am responsible for this matter. I was the one who trusted Yaris in the first ce. It¡¯s a good lesson for me,¡± Hansen added helplessly.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Hansen. Even though it¡¯s true that you shouldn¡¯t harm others, you must guard against them too. Nowadays, there are all kinds of people in this society. In the future, you must learn from this and not trust the wrong person,¡± Marissa immediately said, and she felt miserable.

    Such a big thing had never happened in the Richards Group since it was established. Now, it was unknown what kind of oue they would receive.

    The office once again sank into silence.

    ¡°Trevor, how about this? We¡¯ll go to Capital City, look for Johan. and request him to vouch for us. No matter what, we can¡¯t just let the Richards Group go bankrupt.¡± ude thought for a moment before giving his opinion.

    ¡°No, Uncle ude. Ourpany didn¡¯t make mistakes. So, we don¡¯t need to seek protection. I believe that there is always justice in the world, and we will certainly find useful evidence.¡± Hansen immediately rejected ude¡¯s suggestion. Zoe¡¯s face appeared in his mind, and the light in his eyes became colder.

    Theirpany had not done anything wrong. Seeking protection was a sign of guilt. For so many years, Hansen had led the Richards Group to advance in a moral manner. What kind of setbacks had they not ovee with him at its head? Wasn¡¯t this a fact?

    Hansen wouldn¡¯t believe he couldn¡¯t do the same for this matter!

    Some time ago, he had used a method to drive a wedge between Zoe and Liya, rescuing ude but harming Jenna in the process. Nheless, he had done it as there was no other way.Even in this matter, Hansen had solved his own problems on his own. He had never lowered himself to beg for help. Hansen wouldn¡¯t beg for Johan¡¯s help, as that was not part of who he was.

    Hansen didn¡¯t want to beg anyone because hispany was not guilty.

    Previously, he had used Liya¡¯s favorable impression of Jenna and saved ude with a staged wedding.However, doing so, he had deeply hurt Jenna, which he was still sore over to this day.

    That incident was an insult to him.

    ¡°Nevertheless, in this situation, the result will be announced soon. This is not good for us.¡± ude was a little anxious when he heard Hansen¡¯s stubbornness.

    Trevor¡¯s face remained calm. After a long while, he shook his head and sighed.

    ¡°ude, when I returned from a foreign trip, I went to Capital City immediately and met two people. One of them was Johan. He knew about what happened to ourpany. He called the relevant department a few days ago and made an excuse that he had a big suspicion on this matter, and he needed to verify it. Hence, stopping them from taking action against us. Yet, it¡¯s different now. Yaris is dead and all the evidence is undoubtedly pointing to us. Moreover, the current news mediaandpublic forums are buzzing with the incident. So, the impact is also veryrge. Even if we were to look for him again, Johan would not be able toe forward and help us. If he openly showed favoritism, we will be cursed by society,¡± Trevor analyzed the matter with a heavy heart and also exined to them.

    Jenna nodded her head after hearing this. This was indeed the case. No matter how powerful the person was, he couldn¡¯t openly cover for the criminal. This was a bad image for both the country and the people.

    ¡°Dad, now I think the public forums are ming us. There are bad opinions of us everywhere on the Inte. It is obvious that someone is sabotaging our Richards Group on purpose. The motive is evident. He wants to take this opportunity to suppress us. Since someone wants to harm us deliberately, he will not give up until he reaches his goal. We¡¯d better keep looking. We will definitely find the breakthrough point.¡± Jenna calmed down and seriously studied the current situation.

    When Trevor heard this, he looked at her with admiration and nodded. ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re right. We should not be finding a backer now. We¡¯re going to rely on our own efforts to find evidence. As long as we find evidence, everything will be solved.¡±

    ¡°However, we¡¯ve been looking for this evidence for so long, to no avail. More importantly, the superiors can¡¯t wait any longer.Besides, after theye to a conclusion on this, our Richards Group will suffer.¡± Marissa was so uneasy that she curled her lips andmented. If they didn¡¯t look for someone to rely on, who could suppress the public discussions, the situation would only get worse.

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. Justice will prevail, and one day, everything will be revealed to the world. Some people want to use these unorthodox ways to suppress us, but it won¡¯t work. Remember when they tried todiscredit the car produced by the Richards Group? The product still sold exceedingly well after a rebranding process becauseits quality and price are outstanding. Ourpany can go through this ande out on top.Norton¡¯s automotivepany in the USA had also re-entered the market. It¡¯s developing in a good manner, which is diversifying our risks. As for the other industries that the Richards Group are in, they are all decided by the market forces and will likely not suffer. Therefore, even if sales are lower in this one industry, it will only be for a short time. The leaking of the secret itself has not caused any adverse effects, and so even ifwe were to be punished, the punishment wouldn¡¯t be severe. After all, the superiors have to take our contribution to society into consideration. Who has never done wrong?¡± Jenna analyzed the situation in detail, and she continued, ¡°The tougher the circumstances, the more morally correct we should act. The products that we produce should continue to be worthy of everyone¡¯s standard. I believe that it won¡¯t take long before the market will need our products again, and when that happens, everything will blow over. We should believe in the market, andmaintain our integrity, etiquette, and quality. This is how a brand canst forever.¡±

    When Hansen heard Jenna¡¯s words, he smiled and nodded.

    That was right. The enemy was too impatient. They couldn¡¯t wait toe for him as soon as they found out about the leak of the security secrets. Instead, their impatience had given them a chance to survive.

    Although the market was cruel, apany¡¯s survival was based on its product¡¯s quality.

    Jenna¡¯s analysis was very pertinent.

 Chapter 596 ArchEnemy

    ¡°Jenna, you are right. We should stick to our fundamental principle, and in the meantime, I believe that we will find evidence very soon.¡± Hansen was originally worried that Jenna would suffer a blow. Nheless, after hearing her words today, he was relieved. She was even more confident than him. This was the woman whom he loved.

    At this point, they could only wait for the result.

    Trevor, Marissa, ude, and Norton left thepany one after another and returned to the Ink Garden.

    ¡°Jenna, how are you feeling?¡± After they left, Hansen immediately put his arms around Jenna¡¯s waist and asked carefully.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned slightly red. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m not so delicate.¡±

    This guy had started treating her like a porcin doll.

    ¡°Remember, you are not allowed to rush into thepany so rashly the next time. This road is dangerous.¡± Hansen recalled the previous night¡¯s incident where his Hummer¡¯s brake had failed for no reason and reminded Jenna fearfully.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m an experienced driver. Nothing will happen to me.¡± Jenna smiled and answered casually.

    However, Hansen was unhappy. With a dark expression, he pinched her nose. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to talk back. You should be unconditionally obedient.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna had no choice but topromise in the face of his might.

    ¡°Jenna, since you¡¯vee out today, let¡¯s go out for a meal and rx.¡± Hansen suggested as he held her hand. At this point, Hansen had already calmed himself down. As long as Jenna was with him, and they could live a simple and good life, the other material things meant nothing to him.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna saw that his face was haggard and thought he had been exhausted recently. So, she immediately agreed.

    The two of them looked at each other and chuckled, walking out hand in hand.

    Hansen drove Jenna¡¯s Lamborghini and took his beloved woman to a high-end restaurant in the city.

    Green leaves were creeping onto the wall, and there was a stream of river under the small bridge.

    The environment in the dining room was really different, which was in line with Jenna¡¯s elegant and quiet personality. It seemed that Hansen had chosen toe here because he knew Jenna well.

    The two of them walked hand in hand, talking andughing.

    The atmosphere in the hall abruptly quietened for a few seconds after they came in, with all eyes on them. The general consensus was that, ¡°The Richards Group has had such a big ident.So, how could they still be so calm and rxed? They are talking andughing as if nothing had happened.¡±

    Jenna had long since gotten used to being with Hansen in public. With a smile on her face, she calmly looked around and spoke openly, ¡°Hansen, the hall is full. We need a private room.¡±

    ¡°Of course, honey.¡± Hansen¡¯srge hand sped her waist and replied tenderly.

    The lobby manager recognized Hansen and immediately went up to meet him.

    ¡°Give us a good private room.¡± Hansen gave an order to the lobby manager, who nodded and bowed to them.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards.¡± The lobby manager agreed with a smile and led them to an elegant private room upstairs.

    Hansen¡¯s grip on Jenna suddenly tightened, and the light in his eyes suddenly flickered witha hint of coldness.

    Jenna felt the obvious change in his touch and raised her head in surprise.

    One of the private rooms suddenly opened, and Sergio walked out. He was in a suit, his face was flushed, and there was obvious smugness and arrogance in his gaze.

    They met each other in the corridor.

    Jenna was stunned.

    It was totally unexpected to bump into Sergio here!

    The atmosphere in the air suddenly became tense.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you seem to be so carefree.¡± Sergio greeted Hansen with an evil smile in his eyes as he loosened the knot on his tie with one hand.

    Hansen tightened his grip.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, how are you?¡± Jenna took the initiative to speak up and answered on behalf of Hansen. ¡°I¡¯m tired of eating the food at home. Hence, we¡¯re out for a meal.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Sergio chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s so romantic.¡±

    Sergio¡¯s private room was the second room next to theirs. The door was open at this time. Through the crack of the door, Jenna could see the side profile of a woman.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    The woman was sitting quietly, and Jenna could clearly see that she was listening to their conversation.

    Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and the smile on her face, which had been forced, became a little stiff.

    The woman was Zoe.

    Women¡¯s intuition was very sensitive.

    Jenna recognized her at a nce.

    Zoe and Sergio were actually having a meal together, even though it didn¡¯t seem suspicious. After all, they had known each other since childhood.Still, seeing themtogether with such a warm atmospherecaused Jenna to raise her guard.

    ¡°Jenna, please go ahead and wait for me.¡± Hansen lowered his head and spoke to Jenna with an amiable expression.

    Jenna hesitated, afraid that he would have a falling out with Sergio.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Go ahead.¡± Hansen saw through her thoughts and leaned over to whisper into her ear, ¡°Trust me.¡±

    Jenna had no choice but to follow the lobby manager into the private room alone.

    ¡°What? Is there something that you can¡¯t tell your wife?¡± Sergio looked at them coldly and held back his jealousy. He uttered sarcastically, ¡°Even now that yourpany is going to copse,you¡¯re still in such a good mood,ing out to eat like this. Could it be that you¡¯re only doing this as you¡¯ve given up and want to enjoy your life before you end up in poverty?¡±

    It was obvious that Sergio was trying to humiliate him.

    Hansen shook his head and raised his handsome face. He took a step closer to Sergio and asked sternly, ¡°Sergio, what are you trying to achieve by holding onto the Richards family?¡±

    Sergio looked at him and replied with a forced smile, ¡°Hansen, are you panicking? Yarismitted suicide for fear of punishment. Yourpany will not escape from this crime. I¡¯ll have you know that I have already handed in this investigation result today. It is estimated that the superiors will soon punish yourpany, and Sadiva can¡¯t protect you anymore. Even if you seek Johan¡¯s assistance, there is nothing you can do. The people on the Inte are cursing yourpany.Besides, yourpany¡¯s crimes are too huge, and the impact is too bad for him to openle forward on your behalf.¡±

    Sergio deliberately dragged thest sentence of this exchange. His face was full of pride. If Hansen¡¯s patience was not good, then he might have thrown Sergio down from the second floor.

    ¡°Sergio, you are despicable and shameless. Mypany has done well all this time and will not be destroyed by a viin like you,¡± Hansen retorted with a cold face.

    ¡°Me, destroy yourpany?¡± Sergio raised his eyebrows and responded with an air of exaggeration, ¡°Hansen, who do you think you are? Do you think that I have to destroy yourpany? If you have the ability, show the evidence. After all, everyone is equal in the eyes of thew.The Richards Group will not be an exception either. If you are innocent, then prove it. And if you have broken thew, you should ept the punishment of thew. It is fair and just.¡±

    Sergio spoke straightforwardly and righteously.

    Hearing his words, Hansen¡¯s face was full of derision. He took a step forward, warningin a deep voice, ¡°Sergio, stop pretending to be noble. I already know that you conspired with Zoe. The incident where my Hummer¡¯s brakes failedst night will be investigated, including the off-road vehicle that crashed into me in the underground garage that day. That¡¯s the time thatI¡¯ll finally settle the score between the Xanthe family and me.¡±

    A lingering fear shed through Sergio¡¯s heart. He could clearly sense Hansen¡¯s fury.

    ¡°Sergio, I still don¡¯t understand why you have to force me into a dead end again and again.The Richards family has always separated politics and business. Why do you have to cross the line over and over again? Don¡¯t you know that I will fight back once I lose my patience?¡± Hansen¡¯s gaze was focused, and the rage in his eyes was burning.

    Sergio felt guilty, but the endless jealousy in his heart surged, causing him to lose his mind.

    Ever since he was young, he had not been able to stand Hansen.

    When Hansen took Jenna away, this feeling became even more obvious.

    The term ¡®arch-enemy¡¯ was the most suitable word for them.

    Every species had its own natural enemy. In his subconscious, Hansen was Sergio¡¯s natural enemy.

    They were both important men. Zoewould give him some benefits and bring others and their votes to his family¡¯s side. Moreover, they could look at each other on a simr level.

    However, Hansen wasn¡¯t the same. He had always been high and mighty and had never put the Xanthe family on the same level as himself. Even during the election, when Sergio looked for him, Hansen had always acted as if he had nothing to do with anything, and was arrogant.

    In other words, the better the oue for the Richards Group, the greater the threat they would pose to the Xanthe family.

    This could be seen from what happened in the Wullen Town¡¯s chemical nt.

    They were like two parallel lines. Never crossing paths, and their interests always conflicted with each other.

    This was the reason that Sergio wanted to terminate the Richards Group, not just because of Zoe¡¯s persuasion.

    Reality proved that his thoughts were correct. At the critical moment when the Xanthe family was facing the election, Hansen had actually gone to meet Luqman.

    Hence, Sergio had no reason to let go of the Richards Group.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t know a f*cking thing. The reason why I punished yourpany is that you vited thew. D*mn it. Now people all over the country are scolding you. Can you me me?¡± Sergio straightened his back and held his head high, with his face full of anger. ¡°You are a despicable person. You talked about the separation of politics and business in front of me but colluded with Luqman behind my back. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you are doing. No matter what,any movement of yours can¡¯t escape from my eyes.¡± The more he said, the more agitated he became. His eyes were burning with rage, and it seemed like he could burn Hansen to ashes.

    Hansen was stunned for a moment and suddenly burst outughing. ¡°I must say, Mr. Xanthe. It¡¯s normal for me to meet Luqman. You¡¯re also eating with Zoe right now. Could I actually ruin your family¡¯s future just because I visited Luqman? I can¡¯t make sense of this logic.¡±

    Speaking of this, Hansen stoppedughing and squinted his wide and phoenix-like eyes. He asked in a cold voice, ¡°Is Luqman holding onto any of your secrets? Or perhaps you feel guilty as you have done some bad things that are harmful to the country and the people?¡±

    As Hansen asked, he stared at him and smiled.

    Upon hearing these words, Sergio felt a chill run down his spine.

 Chapter 597 Endless Greed

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sergio asked. Panic shed across his expression as he adjusted the necktie on his cor, clearly looking ufortable.

    Hansen reached out to flick a piece of dust off his suitas he shrugged his shoulders unconcernedly, and said innocently, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just a businessman.What could I do?¡±

    There was a faint smirk on Hansen¡¯s face, as he continued with a stern warning. ¡°Mr. Xanthe, I¡¯m sure you know the saying, what goes aroundes around. If I were you, I¡¯d stop before it¡¯s toote. But of course, I remember everything you did, and I¡¯ll make sure you make up for all of them sooner orter.¡±

    After making such a statement, Hansen left the scene without taking another nce at Sergio.

    Sergio was left dumbfounded.

    It took him a while before he returned to his senses, and walked back to his private room dejectedly. He forgot that he had walked out for a phone call in order to avoid Zoe.

    ¡°Did theye?¡± Zoe asked as she flicked her hair away. She was sitting elegantly on the couch, as Sergio entered the room with a dejected expression.

    Sergio¡¯s cheeks were flushed from the alcohol. He had headed out with an arrogant smirk, but came back with a dejected expression after his encounter with Hansen. The change in his mood was apparent.

    ¡°That ignorant fool is still struggling to survive,¡± Sergio cursed.

    Zoe nced coldly at him and said, ¡°Sergio, a starved camel is stillrger than a horse. Even if he¡¯s struggling financially, even if we have pushed him to the edge, he still has way more resources in his pocket. Do you know how much the Ocean Heart is worth? Rumors had it that a small country in ancient times was wiped out because of it. Its owner owns it all. It¡¯s not an ordinary piece of jewelry.¡±

    ¡°You know about the Ocean Heart too?¡± Sergio asked. His face fell, and there was a glint in his gaze, a glint of surprise mixed with confusion.

    ¡°Of course I know,¡± Zoe replied lightly, without bothering about his strange expression. She continued saying, ¡°Everyone was eager to get it when it was auctioned in France back then, but none of them got it. The organizer cancelled the auction. And it was muchter that we found out Lilian had bought it through her political connections, and gifted it to Vivian. This was just a widely spread rumor though.¡±

    Sergio narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Since you said that it was a rumor, why do you think it¡¯s true then?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to think that it¡¯s true.Besides, I wasn¡¯t the only one who heard about this. Aria knew too, and she has ordered her subordinates to search through Vivian¡¯s bedroom several times, yet she found nothing. I heard that there was a rule in Richards Manor, that the Ocean Heart will only be passed down to the daughter-inw of the eldest grandson in the family,¡± Zoe replied. She had been monitoring the Richards Group for most of her life. She knew and remembered everything within Richards Manor, including the priceless jewel.

    ¡°Are you saying that the Ocean Heart is now with Jenna?¡± Sergio asked in surprise.

    Zoe chuckled in an unpredictable manner. She said, ¡°Mr. Xanthe, are you really that foolish? Vivian is now in a critical condition and might pass away anytime. What makes you think she wouldn¡¯t have already handed the jewel over to Jenna? Why did you want to enter Richards Manor then? Weren¡¯t you after the same piece of jewelry too?¡±

    Sergio¡¯s face fell. She had seen through his actions.

    However, now that the Xanthe family election was over, the thing they needed most was none other than money.

    They wouldn¡¯t have to be involved in arms trafficking if they were rich enough. It was a risky and illegal activity after all. If they were to have won the election, then they would have already decided to abandon life outside thew. Nheless, where would they make money then? In this era of anti-corruption, Yadriel wouldn¡¯t be so foolish as to corrupt or bribe any party. They could only think of another way of making money,one of which was bygetting the Ocean Heart. This piece of jewelry would not only help them increase their social status, but would also help them in dealing with whatever consequences they might face in the future.

    Of course, this was the Xanthe family¡¯s secret goal. They had always tried to hide it, let alone bring it up to anyone else.

    Yet, Zoe had been able to tell what they were thinking. This made Sergio feel as if she had the ability to see right through him. He was embarrassed and furious.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Seems to me that the jewel is the reason why you¡¯re after Hansen too. Am I right?¡± Sergio asked with a solemn expression. Zoe was a woman with crazy thoughts, even delusional ones.

    Zoe chuckled. ¡°Everyone loves jewels, but I don¡¯t need to own them. You know that I am aiming to destroy Hansen, to make him beg me, and fall for me.¡±

    These words were ridiculous out loud, but Sergio tried his best to suppress his disgust and his mockery towards her statement.

    Did Zoe stop for a second and wonder if Hansen was that kind of man?

    The kind of man who would beg a woman to love him?

    It was impossible!

    Jenna, however, was an exception.

    It was getting clearer to Sergio that Zoe¡¯s mindset was already different from before. It was ridiculous for her to believe that her dream woulde true.

    Then, it shouldn¡¯t be a concern for him.

    No matter what, he needed Zoe in order to trap Hansen.

    If Hansen had truly joined forces with Luqman, then Zoe would definitely still be useful to Segio.

    Meanwhile, Hansen walked back to his private room, and noticed that Jenna had already ordered his favorite dishes.

    Jenna looked up and saw that Hansen was in a good mood. She could tell that Hansen must have won the debate with Sergio. Jenna knew very well that Sergio would never get anything from Hansen.

    It was impossible for them not to have encounters, butas long as it wasn¡¯t too outrageous,it was still within the eptable boundaries.

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s head back to Collier Manor after this,¡± Hansen said as he helped himself to the meal.

    Jenna paused for a while before asking, ¡°But why? Shouldn¡¯t we stay with Vivian instead? She could pass away at any time.¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t take long,¡± Hansen said mildly.

    Jenna thought for a moment and nodded.

    Back at Collier Manor.

    Jenna was sitting on the couch while holding Hansen¡¯s arm. She asked in a serious tone, ¡°Hansen, do you know about the Ocean Heart?¡±

    Hansen leaned against the couch with his eyes closed. He was exhausted from the fight the previous night with those criminals. He wanted to rest at Collier Manor with Jenna after their meal, and then head to the Ink Gardenter. Upon hearing Jenna¡¯s question, Hansen couldn¡¯t help but to open his eyes and stare at her.

    ¡°Why are you bringing this up?¡± Hansen asked curiously.

    Jenna¡¯s gaze was solemn as she asked, ¡°Hansen, is it true that the Ocean Heart was Richards Manor¡¯s family treasure?¡±

    Hansen sat up straight and said, ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s just a rumor. We don¡¯t have the Ocean Heart with us.¡±

    He grew up in Richards Manor, and he had never heard the adults talking about this jewel. However, Hansen was aware of the rumors surrounding it. He had never believed those rumors, however.

    It wasn¡¯t until now that Jenna finally understood that Vivian had never told anyone in the family about this jewel, not even Hansen, who was the head of the family.

    Perhaps, Vivian believed that it was safer to keep the jewel away from prying eyes.

    It showed how much Vivian trusted and loved Jenna, that she had handed over the Ocean Heart to Jenna without any condition. Thinking of this, tears welled up in Jenna¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Hansen, the Ocean Heart does exist. Vivian handed it over to me before our remarriage. I¡¯ve kept it somewhere safe,¡± Jenna said as she snuggled into Hansen¡¯s embrace.

    Hansen looked surprised at first. Then, he regained hisposure and wrapped his arms around her as he said, ¡°Jenna, it seems like Vivian favors you more than me,even though I¡¯m her grandson.¡±

    Jenna nced at him. ¡°Hansen, what is mine is yours too.Don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°Definitely. You are already mine for the rest of our lives.¡± Hansen smiled proudly. Then, he said in a firm tone, ¡°Honey, the Ocean Heart is a priceless piece of jewel, and a lot of people have their eyes on it. They only heard of rumors that it¡¯s in Richards Manor, but none of them has seen it before. I believe Vivian must have her own reasons for handing it over to you, and even hiding this from me. All you have to do is to keep it somewhere safe, and not let anyone else know about this. The fewer the better.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Jenna nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry.I¡¯m one of the members of Richards Manor now. I¡¯ll guard it with my life.¡±

    Vivian had mentioned that it was a family treasure when she handed over the jewel to Jenna. She would only pass it down to the wife of their family¡¯s head. Seeing that Vivian had never handed the jewel to Marissa, she could tell that Vivian couldn¡¯t entrust this with Marissa.

    If that was the case, would Trevor and ude also have been kept in the dark like Hansen?

    ¡°Honey, let¡¯s get some rest before we head back to the Ink Garden.¡± Hansen yawned as he carried her up, and headed to their bedroom.

    ¡°By the way, I called my motherst night, and promised that I would pick her up before noon and bring her to Richards Manor,¡± Jenna said. She really didn¡¯t want to bother Hansen any further as she noticed how exhausted he was. She had to hold back her questions. Nevertheless, she was reminded of her phone call with Bailey,which she had forgotten because of the incident earlier.

    Hansen wasa littlestartled and said, ¡°We¡¯ll pick her up after our nap then.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna nodded. He must have been exhausted. Jenna thought. The two of them drifted off to sleep shortly after.

    A series of phone calls woke them up.

    ¡°Hello.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes were hazy as he answered the phone with a husky voice.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you?¡± Trevor sounded solemn over the phone.

    ¡°Dad, I¡­¡± Hansen still sounded drowsy.

    ¡°Hansen,e back with Jenna immediately,¡± Trevor said without waiting for Hansen¡¯s reply and hung up the phone.

    Hansen was dumbfounded as he realized the phone had been hung up. His grogginess faded away with that.

    ¡°Hansen, what¡¯s wrong? Who called?¡± Jenna got up and asked in a drowsy tone. Her cheeks were flushed from her nap.

    Hansen reached out to touch her face and said, ¡°Honey, Dad is asking us to go home immediately.¡±

    Go home?

    Jenna was startled. Then, she stood up, and got changed in a hurry.

    ¡°Hansen, it might be Vivian. We have to hurry,¡± Jenna said. For Trevor to rush them back at this time, Jenna couldn¡¯t think of any other possibility besides Vivian¡¯s condition. There was nothing as urgent as that.

    Her words jotled Hansen. He also got changed in a hurry and headed outside with her.

 Chapter 598 Reading Of The Will

    At the Ink Garden.

    The entire family was gathered there. They were all sitting in silence.

    A plump man in his fifties, wearing a tuxedo with a briefcase in hand, was sitting on the reception room¡¯s couch, exchanging whispered conversations with Trevor.

    He was Mr. Garver, the familywyer hired specifically by Old Master Richards.

    Everyone in the room was anxious at the presence of Mr. Garver.

    Old Master Richards¡¯ will, that had been established more than two decades ago was finally about to be revealed. They were curious about the contents, especially when it would determine what assets each of them would inherit.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, time flies, doesn¡¯t it? I can¡¯t believe it has already been more than twenty years.¡± Mr. Garver said with a sigh, ¡°I was shocked to receive the phone call from Aunt E when I was abroad. I couldn¡¯t believe that Vivian was seriously ill.¡±

    Trevor looked haggard. Wrinkles covered the corner of his forehead, and silver hair could be seen in his sideburns. He no longer looked as noble as before. He nodded in agreement and said, ¡°That¡¯s true. Time really flies. Now that I think of it, I still very much prefer it when the Old Master was still here. I didn¡¯t have to take care of so many things. Life was easier back then.¡±

    Trevor smiled wryly.

    Ever since Old Master Richards had passed away, the Sky Sword Group had taken advantage of it and tried to pull the Richards Group down. Trevor had had no choice but to work through countless sleepless nights alongside Marissa, and with all of their effortsbined, they¡¯d finally defeated the Sky Sword Group and stabilize the Richards Group¡¯s status in the field.

    Trevor finally understood how exhausting it was to lead the group.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy to build and maintain the Richards Group¡¯s legacy for a century. Each head of the family contributed a lot to the Richards Group to reach where it is today.¡± Mr. Garver said, ¡°It¡¯s about time we reveal the Old Master¡¯s will. I can finally fulfill my duty.¡±

    Trevor nodded.

    They were waiting for Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s arrival. The reading of the will was a major event that required the current head of the family to be present.

    Hence, Trevor and Mr. Garver started making small talk.

    Aunt E walked in and said, ¡°Mr. Richards, I had received a call from Mr. Pringle that he¡¯s stuck in traffic, and will take longer to arrive.¡±

    Trevor nodded.

    Aunt E left.

    ¡°Mr. Garver,may I know if the Old Master also gave a copy of the will to Vivian back then?¡± Trevor asked as he thought of something.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    At this point, there was nothing for Mr. Garver to hide anymore. He nodded in reply and said, ¡°Mr. Trevor, you¡¯re right. The Old Master did leave a copy of the will behind for Vivian. She was authorized to make amendments to the will wherever she found appropriate under the current circumstances. This was because the Old Master couldn¡¯t predict the future, and he knew things would change with time.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s guess was right.

    Part of Old Master Richards¡¯ will had been authorized by Vivian.

    The Richards familywyers normally worked directly with their clients, as too many were involved in the family¡¯s inheritance, and Old Master Richards had demanded his children and grandchildren to have families on their own before they were deemed eligible for the inheritance. There had been many obstacles to Norton¡¯s marriage, which was part of the reason why the reading of the will had to be postponed. Now that Vivian was in a critical stage, they couldn¡¯t wait any longer to proceed with the reading. Mr. Garver was aware of this.

    Trevor wasn¡¯t anxious at all about the contents of the will. He knew that the assets that could be allocated by Old Master Richards in his will would be of fixed assets like Richards Manor. As for the Richards Group, although Trevor had taken over it directly from Old Master Richards himself, it was also Trevor¡¯s family who had managed and kept the business in operation. There wasn¡¯t any possibility of allocating the Richards Group to anyone else. ude had also taken over anotherpany from Old Master Richards back then, but as opposed to Trevor, ude had done nothing spectacr..

    Trevor¡¯s concern wasn¡¯t about the contents of the will, but instead, he was troubled about leading the Richards Group through this crisis.

    Now that Sergio had used this to submit their case, the verdict woulde down soon.

    At that moment, footsteps could be heard from the outside.

    Hansen had already rushed over with Jenna.

    As soon as they stepped into the living room, Jenna could feel that there was something off with the atmosphere, but she was more concerned with Vivian¡¯s situation.

    The atmosphere of the living room was solemn, yet there was not a trace of sadness in the air. Jenna couldn¡¯t figure out what was wrong.

    ¡°Hansen, Jenna, Mr. Graver is here today about Old Master Richards¡¯ will. You two are now in charge of the family.So, the reading can only proceed with both your presence.¡± Trevor immediately walked over and said to them as soon as he saw Hansen arriving with Jenna in hand.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Richards,¡± Mr. Garver stood up in a hurry and greeted Hansen and Jenna respectfully.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Garver.¡± Hansen nodded politely in return. He then walked over to them while holding Jenna¡¯s hand.

    At this point, Jenna finally got a grasp of the current situation. Vivian wasn¡¯t dying. Trevor called them over purely for the reading of the will. Jenna could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

    Marissa was sitting next to Trevor. Once she spotted Jenna, she immediately pulled her over and made some small talk with her.

    Shortly after, Mr. Pringle finally arrived.

    Once everyone was present, Trevor made the opening speech, and was followed by Mr. Garver.

    ¡°Hello to all the board members, madams, young masters, and misses. More than twenty years ago, Old Master Richards entrusted me to establish his will.I¡¯m here today to proceed with the reading of his will. Old Master Richards was always a fair man, and a man with principles. He took into consideration each family¡¯s background and circumstances, beforeing up with the contents of his will. Everyone present here today was a family member to Old Master Richards. I hope that we will all respect the deceased, as well as the respect we had for him, while I proceed with the reading of the will. Yourwyers will get in touch with you for the relevant procedures after this. You maye to me if you have any further concerns. I sincerely hope that everyone here can control the urge to let out a second opinion or of your emotions, as Old Master Richards was someone we all looked up to. We have to believe in his impartiality.¡±

    Everyone was silent.

    Mr. Garver began to read out the will.

    Although Mr. Garver was old, he had a loud voice, and everyone present could hear him clearly.

    Just as Trevor and Hansen had expected, the assets were distributed ordingly to everyone¡¯s actual circumstances. The two daughters of the Richards family were allocated to a different ratio of the assets. No one made a fuss about this.

    Mr. Garver was in fact retired. The only task he had left was reading this will. He could finally fulfill hisst task and retire in peace after this.

    Seeing that everyone was listening in silence and without any second opinion, Mr. Pringle stood up.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, Mr. Richards, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to discuss with everyone first.¡±

    Mr. Pringle wasn¡¯t reading a will like Mr. Garver did. His sentence was able to capture everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°I got a phone call from Vivian earlier. She mentioned there are some amendments to the will and wanted me to rush over. I was in court for another case at that time. I still rushed over during the small break in between. However, she was already unconscious when I rushed over to the Ink Garden. She couldn¡¯t even recognize me. Therefore, I am not certain what amendments she wanted to make to the will. Vivian handed me a copy of the will she finalized a couple of months ago, and she had another copy with her. You all should know that she was authorized to amend the will and she has the rights to do so. Therefore, the will with me now is iplete. We have to find the copy that is with her before we canplete the will,¡± Mr. Pringle exined.

    Back then, Vivian did have this intention when she kept a copy with her. Mr. Pringle assumed that Vivian might want to amend the will at any time. He was herwyer and he could only listen to his client.

    This statement stirred up a series of discussions among the family members.

    ¡°Mr. Pringle, are you saying that we need to find Vivian¡¯s copy before we can proceed with the reading?¡± Hansen asked. He was reminded of what Aunt E mentioned before, and he was puzzled about this.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards.¡± Mr. Pringle nodded.

    He was awyer. He had to be fair and objective.

    The will in his hands now was the same will Vivian called him to make amendments to. He had to respect Vivian¡¯s opinion, especially when she was still alive.

    ¡°But Vivian is unconscious now, and she couldn¡¯t even recognize us.How could she revise the will?¡± Marissa asked with doubts.

    ¡°Exactly, she¡¯s already in this state. We can¡¯t get anything from her.¡± Winifred echoed.

    ¡°Trevor, why don¡¯t we do it this way? We just have to find Vivian¡¯s copy and align it with Mr. Pringle¡¯s copy to finalize the will. Then, we can proceed with the reading already. Mom is unconscious now.She can no longer make any further revisions. We are a family. We don¡¯t need to be bothered by such trivial details especially when Mom had already revised her copy when she was conscious. We could already tell some of her contents even.¡± ude immediately suggested to Trevor as he noticed the discussion going on among other members.

    Trevor pondered for a while and said, ¡°It seems like the best solution for the time being. Let¡¯s search for her copy now and get things done with. Let¡¯s not be calctive with each other. We are a family after all.¡±

    Everyone agreed with Trevor.

 Chapter 599 Shocking News

    Jenna was sitting next to Hansen all this while. She had no opinion to express regarding the will. She wasn¡¯t interested in it.She was more concerned about the Richards Group¡¯s current situation. If the verdict was reached,then she was most worried about the possible consequences towards Richards Group as a whole, as well as towards Hansen as an individual.

    Hence, she didn¡¯t have a second opinion.

    However, Hansen, on the other hand, was seen frowning, and his expression was stony.

    Several of them were sent to search Vivian¡¯s bedroom while the others remained in the living room.

    Hansen, Trevor, ude, and Norton were the ones heading to Vivian¡¯s bedroom, with Marissa following behind them.

    Aunt E was feeding Vivian some congee when they arrived in her room.

    They greeted her in unison.

    They called out a few times to her, but she didn¡¯t react at all. She was eating her congee, and with a slight tremble, she asked, ¡°Who are you guys?¡±

    They shook their heads helplessly. Vivian had long been tormented by her illness and she had aged badly. Her mental age was now that of a toddler, where she could no longer recognize her rtives, nor could she do even the most basic tasks.

    They had no choice but to start searching around the room. After a while, they still couldn¡¯t find anything.

    ¡°Aunt E, where do you think she could have ced her will?¡± Hansen asked. He didn¡¯t join the people who were searching around blindly. Instead, he approached Aunt E.

    Aunt E shook her head, but she said with certainty, ¡°Young Master, if the ck case I saw back then with Madam Vivian was the will you mentioned, then I¡¯m sure she ced it around her bed. She has been bedridden for a while now. It wouldn¡¯t make sense for her to ce it any further from her bed.¡±

    They agreed with Aunt E¡¯s reasoning.

    Thus, they began to rummage around the bed.

    It didn¡¯t take long for them to find the ck case in the hidden drawer by the bed frame.

    Aunt E took a look at it and confirmed it was the one she was talking about.

    None of them would have noticed the hidden drawer until they started searching for one. Therefore, it would make sense for Vivian to hide the will in it.

    If it wasn¡¯t because of Aunt E, who had been taking care of Vivian all this while,and had seen Vivian reaching for the drawer while she was bedridden, they¡¯d never have noticed it.

    ¡°Mom, is this your copy of the will?¡± Trevor showed the ck case to Vivian.

    Vivian¡¯s gaze was nk and devoid of any reaction.

    ¡°Mom wouldn¡¯t even recognize us, let alone this bag,¡± ude said with a sigh.

    Trevor¡¯s heart was heavy. He had no choice but to take this case with him as they headed out of the bedroom.

    As soon as they walked out, Mr. Pringle noticed the ck case, and said immediately, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it. The will is in that case.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that the will is in this, Mr. Pringle?¡± Trevor asked doubtfully.

    Mr. Pringle smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Trevor, I saw her putting the will inside this case back then when she called me over for the copy of the will. I¡¯m sure about it.¡±

    Trevor and the rest found his words believable.

    ¡°Mr. Pringle, since this is a will, please take a look at it and see if there¡¯s any changes to the will. Now that everyone is present, let¡¯s proceed with the reading too. I have to say it¡¯s unlikely for Vivian to return to her senses again,¡± Trevor said, handing over the ck case to Mr. Pringle.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Mr. Pringle took the case, and opened the case in front of everyone. There was a stack of documents inside,consisting of around two to three pages.

    Everyone held their breath.

    ¡°It¡¯s the will.¡± Mr. Pringle took a nce at the documents and said excitedly.

    Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

    Mr. Pringle then took out his briefcase and pulled a document file from it. He revealed another stack of documents from the folder, and put on his sses as he started topare the two copies of the will.

    Time ticked by, one second at a time.

    Mr. Pringle carefullypared the documents. His expression was at ease at first, but as he read further on, he said, ¡°Vivian had indeed revised the will. She added a few more sentences.¡±

    Hearing this, everyone¡¯s attention was on him. Someone asked, ¡°What was it that she revised then? She is already so seriously ill.What could she have added to the will?¡±

    Mr. Pringle¡¯s expression was getting stranger, and he was visibly in disbelief.

    How could this be? Why would Vivian wish for Hansen to get a second wife? However, it was indeed written in the will that Hansen must marry Liya as his second wife.Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be eligible to inherit any assets under the Richards Group.

    Mr. Pringle blinked his eyes and rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and he was still reading the same sentence on the will.

    It took him a while, and he still had doubts, yet he shook his head helplessly.

    To be fair, it wasn¡¯t a strange sight for the elderly among the noble families to wish that their grandsons would marry a second woman,especially for noble families in A City.

    Moreover, the rumors of Hansen taking a second wife had spread like wildfire, even though Hansen had repeatedly released public statements that it was a fake marriage and an arranged plot. Perhaps Vivian saw this, and she had wanted to force Hansen into marrying a second wife, hence revising the will. Noble families hadplex rules, which an outsider like Mr. Pringle would never understand, nor did he have a right to voice out against it. As awyer, it was also not professional for him to specte on his client¡¯s private life. His job was to carry out what was written in the will.

    Mr. Pringle looked up and said firmly, ¡°Mr. Richards, Vivian indeed added a few lines to the will. It seems to me that she really wanted me to be there when she revised the will, but I was toote and she was already unconscious by the time I rushed over. I¡¯m guessing she must¡¯ve written these lines knowing that she didn¡¯t have much time left.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible.¡± Trevor nodded and asked, ¡°Does it affect the legal implications of the will?¡±

    Trevor asked in a low voice.

    Mr. Pringle nodded solemnly and said, ¡°Mr. Richards, it should still be effective byw, unless there are traces of forgery, fabrication, or other unique factors.¡±

    Trevor nodded and said, ¡°Please proceed with the reading then.¡±

    ¡°Sure, Mr. Richards,¡± Mr. Pringle replied respectfully. Yet, he stole a nce at Jenna.

    Jenna was getting a little uneasy under his gaze.

    Hansen was walking towards her, and Jenna asked in a soft voice, ¡°Hansen, is Vivian okay?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She was eating congee earlier.¡± Hansen took her hand in his, fingers intertwined, as he replied to her question.

    Jenna was relieved.

    Yet, she was still puzzled by Mr. Pringle¡¯s gaze earlier. Something was off.

    For some reason, she felt a strong sense of unease, and her heart began thumping loudly.

    She tightened her grasp on Hansen¡¯s hand as she leaned towards him.

    Hansen noticed her unease. He nced at her and smiled sweetly at her.

    Jenna felt slightly more at ease.

    Mr. Pringle began the reading.

    The living room was once again in silence.

    It was the same with the reading of Old Master Richards¡¯ will earlier. No one had a second opinion, and they were all paying attention.

    Jenna and Hansen were sitting casually at the side. They were snuggling up to each other, as if they weren¡¯t concerned about the will.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    After reading its contents, Mr. Pringle paused for a while before saying, ¡°Next, I¡¯ll be announcing the new revision to the will,¡± he said as he nced around the room, especially towards Hansen and Jenna.

    ¡°Hansen must take Liya as his second wife.Otherwise, he will be deemed ineligible to inherit all the assets under Richards Manor.¡±

    There was a moment of silence in the air after Mr. Pringle read out the sentence. After a short pause, everyone came back to their senses, and stared in disbelief at one another.

    Was this really Vivian¡¯s will?

    Hansen was the first to react when he realized what was happening. He jumped up in shock.

    Jenna was still sitting down in disbelief. She came back to reality but still looked confused.

    ¡°What did you say? Mr. Pringle, you should not joke about this.¡± Hansen rushed up immediately and snatched the document from Mr. Pringle.

    He studied the document carefully, and no matter how he looked at it, it was written there in the will. He could recognize that it was indeed Vivian¡¯s handwriting.

    There must have been a mistake. How could it be possible? How could Vivian have asked him to take Liya as his second wife?

    He flipped through it over and over again, staring at the contents in disbelief.

    Trevor and Marissa were also dumbfounded. They couldn¡¯t believe it.

    Everyone was in disbelief. None of them knew what was happening.

    ¡°Mr. Pringle, can you confirm if this was indeed handwritten by Vivian? How could this have happened?¡± Trevor stared at Mr. Pringle in shock.

    Mr. Pringle was a smart person. He could tell that Liya wasn¡¯t weed in the Richards family. It was clear to him that they couldn¡¯t ept the revised will.

    However, he did examine the will carefully, and it was stated very clearly in the will.

    He had no choice but to nod in confirmation.

 Chapter 600 Canâ€™t Give Up On The Inheritance

    ¡°It just doesn¡¯t make sense. Vivian must have been too ill to think straight. It shouldn¡¯t count towards the will.¡± Marissa shook her head in objection.

    Mr. Pringle said seriously, ¡°Madam, the revision handwritten by Vivian was consistent and clear. It doesn¡¯t seem like she wrote it when her judgement was clouded. With this alone, your statement is without any legal basis.¡±

    Mr. Pringle¡¯s words were like a ball of thorns rolling towards Jenna. She suddenly felt pain all over her body.

    Wasn¡¯t it a little unbelievable that Vivian would ask Hansen to take Liya as his second wife,and even add this to her will?

    Why would Vivian, who had always adored her, treat her this way?

    Could Jenna stay happy in life if Hansen really took Liya as his second wife?

    How could it have ended up like this even after all the effort they poured in to prevent this from happening?

    Jenna sat there in a daze.

    ¡°This is impossible.¡± Hansen gritted his teeth andnded a fist on the table, where the will was ced. His eyes were red as he kept denying the reality.

    This was definitely not Vivian¡¯s idea. Someone must have imitated her handwriting and added it to the will. Vivian wouldn¡¯t be this foolish. The Richards Group no longer had anything to do with Liya. It didn¡¯t make sense for Vivian to ask him to take Liya as his second wife.

    His fist was clenched tightly. He felt awful. At that moment, he was reminded of something and immediately rushed over to Jenna.

    Jenna was still sitting there in a daze, as if she hadn¡¯t understood what she heard.

    Hansen approached her and pulled her into his embrace.

    Jenna looked up confusedly, staring straight into his tender gaze.

    They were gazing at each other, expressing all their love through their exchanged gazes.

    Hansen gave her an encouraging smile.

    It took Jenna a while to return a smile at himfinally.

    ¡°Jenna, let me take you back to the room for a rest,¡± Hansen whispered gently to her ears. His hot breath stirred up something within her.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen would rather have Jenna heard nothing at all about the reading earlier. That way, he could have felt more at ease.

    Jenna nodded obediently and followed him back to their bedroom.

    They sat on the edge of bed in silence.

    It was as if there were pieces of ice crackling in the air before falling apart. They could even hear each other¡¯s heartbeats in the air.

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t havee back today,¡± Hansen said lightly.

    Indeed, how good it would be if they were still at Collier Manor. They would still be in their sweet dreams!

    Instead, they came back!

    ¡°Hansen, why did Vivian make such a will?¡± Jenna tugged at the sleeves of Hansen¡¯s shirt and asked innocently, ¡°Could it be that she had always wanted you to marry Liya?¡±

    Hansen turned around and looked at her. He patted her head as he gulped and said, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be silly. Vivian is smart and wise. Why would she agree to let me marry someone like Liya? This is just absurd. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some misunderstanding in this. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll find a way to investigate this.¡±

    He pulled her into his embrace and sighed softly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I would be a fool to marry someone like Liya. Even if Vivian¡¯s will was legitimate, even if she really did revise it while fully conscious, don¡¯t you worry about it. I will never agree with it. It¡¯s just the right of inheritance anyway. I can live without it. You and our children are enough toplete my life. We can start from scratch. Those assets don¡¯t mean a thing to me,¡± Hansen said casually as heforted her.

    Jenna looked up at him. His resolute face, bright eyes, and solemnmitment made her feel at peace.

    She believed his words. She buried her head against his chest.

    Later at night, in Richards Manor,some crickets were forming a choir with the frogs out in the yard. It was a rare and precious sight to be this close with nature within an urban city.

    Hansen headed to the reception room in the Ink Garden.

    Trevor, ude, Marissa, and Norton were all there.

    Their eyes fell on him as soon as Hansen walked in.

    ¡°Why are we all here for tonight¡¯s duty?¡± Hansen said in a joking manner as he greeted them one by one.

    Trevor¡¯s expression was solemn. He said, ¡°Hansen, we have to discuss the will.¡±

    Hansen knew the intention that they were gathered together. He yawned and stretched his arms as he said, ¡°Dad, there¡¯s something wrong with the will. It shouldn¡¯t be considered legitimate at all. We don¡¯t have to dwell on it.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, be serious. We must treat this matter seriously.¡± Trevor was not as optimistic. He said carefully, ¡°How are you certain that the will is not legitimate? Just because it didn¡¯t sound possible?¡±

    The Richards Group was in one mess after another. It was as if the entire group was covered by a dark web, and the dark web was manipted by someone else. They were pulling at the thread, making it difficult for the trapped ones to breathe.

    ¡°Dad, isn¡¯t it obvious? Why would Vivian set her will this way?¡± Hansen sneered.¡°I will never carry it out.¡±

    ¡°I agree. I don¡¯t think Vivian would make a will like this. Perhaps she wrote it when she was less conscious, and it shouldn¡¯t be deemed effective. Moreover, since the assets were allocated across our Richards family, and we are the only heirs, it wouldn¡¯t make any difference if Hansen didn¡¯t want his share, as we will reject our shares too. We can never let Hansen marry that kind of woman,¡± Norton said. He never liked Liya, and he would never allow Liya¡¯s existence to hurt Jenna.

    ude nodded in agreement.

    However, Trave put on a grave expression.

    ¡°You are all too na?ve. How can we be so childish when it¡¯s the family inheritance we¡¯re talking about? Even if we don¡¯t acknowledge it, what would the outsiders say about this? Especially when there might be a bigger conspiracy behind this will? I¡¯m just concerned that this would be an excuse for someone else to threaten us. We will be in huge trouble then,¡± Trevor said.

    His thoughts were far moreplicated than them. There was something off in this situation.

    It was obvious that Vivian would never set a will like this. However, if it wasn¡¯t Vivian¡¯s intention, then how could this will exist?

    ¡°That¡¯s right. If Vivian didn¡¯t write it, who wrote it then? It was clearly her handwriting. Why wouldn¡¯t she wait for Mr. Pringle¡¯s arrival before she added the sentence to it?¡± ude had a lot of questions in mind too.

    ¡°If Vivian revised the will because something happened to her, then there must be someone behind this, and we shouldn¡¯t take this lightly at all,¡± Trevor said.

    ¡°That¡¯s horrible.How could someone plot against us in this manner? Are they really fearless of thew?¡± Marissa said. She was already concerned about the contents, and she¡¯d almost fainted after hearing the new revision to it.

    Hansen was her son. She knew well that Hansen would never marry Liya.However, if he lost his right of inheritance because of this, Marissa might as well end her life by then. Hansen was her only son. She couldn¡¯t allow him to give up on the inheritance.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so worried about this. No matter if the will was legitimate or not, I will never marry Liya. What¡¯s more, I can just give up on the inheritance. It doesn¡¯t matter to me anyway,¡± Hansen said casually.

    He really wasn¡¯t concerned about the inheritance at all. He would never do something he didn¡¯t want to. No one could force him, let alone a mere inheritance!

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s not only about the inheritance. Let¡¯s put any conspiracy theory aside. With our current situation alone, you have to prioritize the inheritance and never give up on it. You have to own your inheritance, and make it clear to the world,¡± Trevor said firmly.

    Hansen shuddered slightly with fear as he stared at Trevor.

    ¡°Hansen, you can¡¯t take this lightly.¡± Trevor stood up and said solemnly, ¡°It¡¯s a critical moment now. Do you know what it means if you gave up on your inheritance?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Hansen turned a little pale as his voice trembled.

    ¡°It means that you¡¯re not the head of the family anymore, and you are no longer leading the Richards Group. Do you understand the consequences now?¡± Trevor¡¯s question reverberated throughout the room.

    Marissa lowered her head and sobbed.

    Hansen was shocked and fell back into his seat.

    ¡°Although it was our generation who built up the Richards Group, we are still bound by Richards Manor, which was the original founder, and it was still due to part of Old Master Richards¡¯ efforts. If you give up on your inheritance, then you will be giving up the Richards Group at the same time.¡± Trevor continued saying, ¡°If we were safe and sound now, if we were still at our peak, then you could have been as noble as you wanted and given up on everything, as you have started a new life with your wife and your children. But you know clearly what situation we are in right now, don¡¯t you? The Richards Group is facing the punishment for breaching the security rule, and is being suppressed by Yadriel. Zoe¡¯s plotting in secret as well. None of these problems are easy. We are trapped within them. Can you still say you want to give up on the Richards Group at a time like this? Can you be so irresponsible as to throw everything away?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right. Hansen, there are hundreds of thousands of employees under the Richards Group right now. They¡¯re waiting for you to lead them to the peak. If you give up on your inheritance, then you¡¯re giving up on them too, and putting the Richards Group in even bigger risk. You shouldn¡¯t be doing this,¡± Marissa said with a sob.

    Hansen¡¯s mind was in a mess as he stood there in a daze. He wasn¡¯t willing to face these consequences at all. He was just an ordinary man seeking to build a family. Was that wrong?

    Trevor¡¯s expression turned grave increasingly. ¡°The Richards family is in a critical period now. We should join forces as the present and future generations of the Richards family to get everyone through this crisis. Our family principle teaches us not to bully others, but at the same time, not to allow others to walk all over us too. We should adhere to this, and do our best as part of the family. No one should be casting away their responsibility. We have to prepare ourselves,¡± Trevor said.

    ude also stood up and said, ¡°Trevor, don¡¯t worry. We will protect Richards Manor with our lives. We will protect our family business, and keep it prosperous.¡±

    Trevor nodded gratefully in return.

    ¡°There¡¯s definitely something wrong with Vivian¡¯s will.How about this?We¡¯ll check the surveince camera clips in the security booth tomorrow, to see if there have been any suspicious visitors recently. It¡¯s gettingte now,though.So, we should head back to our rooms to rest,¡± Trevor said at the end. They agreed and then retreated to their rooms.

 Chapter 601 Shameless Woman

    The next day.

    In the dining room of the Ink Garden, the family was having breakfast around the table.

    Maud was seen rushing over.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, something happened,¡± Butler Maud said with a panicked expression.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Trevor¡¯s face fell as he asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, that woman named Liya, hasbrought along a huge crowd of media reporters and they¡¯re gathered in front of Richards Manor. They are here to demand the marriage between that woman with Mr. Richards, based on Madam Vivian¡¯s will. They were arrogant and rude. I couldn¡¯t keep them away either. We couldn¡¯t use force either with this many reporters filming everything,¡± Butler Maud exined in detail, with a difficult expression on his face.

    Everyone else was startled when hearing his words.

    What in the world was happening? The reading of the will had just taken ce the night before, and she was already here demanding for them to proceed with the will. What should they do?

    They stared at each other in disbelief, before fixing their gazes back on Trevor and Hansen.

    Jenna¡¯s vision went ck and she almost passed out.

    ¡°This is outrageous.¡± Hansen¡¯s face fell as he frowned deeply. There was a dangerous glint in his gaze.

    Trevor¡¯s face also fell. This woman had found her way here again!

    ¡°Try to keep her calm first. We will follow behind shortly,¡± Trevor paused for a while before telling this to Maud.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards.¡± Butler Maud retreated.

    ¡°Just how shameless can this woman be!¡± Sabrina was furious to hear this. ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t you allow yourself to be threatened by her and allow her to enter our family. You have to stay away from her influence.¡±

    Sabrina had always been straightforward. She didn¡¯t hide her disgust upon hearing this. She was, at the same time, worried about Jenna.

    Liya was not an easy woman to deal with. She was shameless and maniptive. Sabrina didn¡¯t want Jenna to be hurt over this.

    ¡°Trevor, what should we do? Should we allow her to continue making a scene in front of our Richards Manor and ruin our reputation?¡± Marissa was in a hurry to solve the problem. She looked at Trevor.

    Trevor¡¯s face was gloomy.

    ¡°Hansen, how about this? You¡¯ll follow me downter,¡± Trevor said.

    ¡°No, Dad. Just leave this to me. You don¡¯t have to go.¡± Hansen gulped down the soy milk in hand. He wiped the corner of his mouth with the napkin and said casually.

    It was enough for Hansen to be involved in such an embarrassing scene. Hansen couldn¡¯t allow his father to join him too!

    However, Trevor¡¯s gaze darkened and said firmly, ¡°It¡¯s for the best for me toe along.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right, Hansen. I¡¯ll follow you out too.¡± Marissa stood up and wiped her hands with the napkin. She looked around at Jenna and said, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be worried about this. The Richards family will never ept someone like Liya. I¡¯ll seek justice for you.¡±

    Hansen also turned around to look at Jenna.

    Jenna wrapped up her breakfast and stood up.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna smiled up at Marissa and turned around. Hansen didn¡¯t get to look at her expression. He nced over through her shoulders, and could tell that she was upset.

    He reached out and held her hand, as he stood up.

    ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll take Jenna back to the guest room first,¡± Hansen said.

    Jenna¡¯s hand was slightly cold in Hansen¡¯s, and her palm was sweaty too.

    Hansen held her hand and walked out of the dining room.

    ¡°Jenna, you don¡¯t have to be worried about this. It isn¡¯t worth it to be upset over someone like Liya. She doesn¡¯t deserve your attention. You have to be confident in yourself.¡± Hansen held her in his arms, as he snuggled into her hair and said with a tender tone.

    Jenna didn¡¯t say anything. She gently shoved him away.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t worry. I understand what you mean. You should go to the entrance and deal with Liya first. We shouldn¡¯t allow anyone to threaten us.¡± Jenna smiled graciously.

    Hansen noticed that she was forcing a smile, and he felt terrible for this. He held her hand tightly.

    ¡°Jenna, you have to trust me. I can just give up on my inheritance. We can start over in another country with Jerry. I am just an ordinary man. I don¡¯t need that stuff,¡± Hansen said. His gaze was filled with pain and helplessness as heforted her.

    Jenna smiled without saying anything.

    ¡°Let¡¯s pick up your Momter.¡± Hansen wrapped his arms around her and headed to the guest room. Shortly after, he headed straight towards the entrance.

    At the main entrance of Richards Manor.

    Liya was dressed in a stylish, fiery red dress. Her curves were entuated by her dress. Her bright, blond hair was draped over her shoulders. She had thick makeup on. She looked gorgeous. Hansen could already spot her among the crowd when he was on the electric vehicle.

    He frowned.

    It seemed like Liya¡¯s figure was getting bustier than before. She used to have a lean figure, yet her body was looking plumper and with more curves.

    Hansen had a vague feeling that Liya¡¯s body had transformed quite a lot after leaving for less than two months. He didn¡¯t dare and wasn¡¯t willing either to think of what surgeries she had undergone during this period of time. He didn¡¯t want to see Liya at all. He was disgusted by her mere presence.

    Moreover, Liya brought media reporters with her that day. It was clear that she wanted to make a fuss about this. She was terrible.

    Marissa also rushed over. She was worried that Hansen might not have what it takes to handle Liya.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Liya¡¯s eyes lit up as she noticed Hansen approaching in his electric vehicle. Hansen stepped out of the entrance, and Liya was already rushing towards him, eagerly wanting to rush into his embrace.

    Hansen nced around, observing the surroundings. He extended his arm and blocked her path as he said firmly, ¡°Stand right there.¡±

    Liya could not get any closer to him. So, she pouted at him.

    Marissa already had goosebumps all over her body when she heard Liya calling out to Hansen in such an intimate tone. Marissa couldn¡¯t hide her disdain and disgust towards Liya.

    Yet, in that instant.

    The media reporters who were waiting aside immediately surrounded Hansen and Marissa the second they appeared at the entrance.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, is it true that Madam Vivian had stated in her will that you must take Liya as your second wife.Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be eligible for the inheritance?¡± a reporter asked.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you mentioned before that your marriage with Liya was a fake one. Could it be that you were against Madam Vivian¡¯s decision, and she was upset about this. So, she included this in her will to force your marriage with Liya?¡± another reporter asked.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we heard that you didn¡¯t want to marry Liya. So, you set up that plot to escape from her. Isn¡¯t this somehow what a coward would do?¡± A third question was thrown out.

    ¡°Exactly. Madam, your behavior was simply that of harassing a youngdy. It is not only against our moral standards, but it doesn¡¯t look proper on your end either. We are all disappointed in you,¡± someone echoed.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we can¡¯t believe thatyou would have breached national securityeven with the amount of money the Richards Group is making in our country. Do you have a word for our general public?¡± another reporter asked.

    ¡­

    All sorts of questions andments were thrown at Hansen and Marissa. The media reporters continued to swarm around both of them.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    Marissa was getting anxious and furious. She was almost shoved to the ground by the reporters. Fortunately, Hansen was quick enough to notice this and got hold of her.

    ¡°Enough. All of you, get out of our way,¡± Hansen bellowed angrily.

    The media reporters were terrified of his aura. They immediately took a step back, and there was a moment of silence among the crowd.

    ¡°You¡¯re all being unreasonable. Please leave.¡± Hansen was annoyed. He supported Marissa and was about to head back in.

    Liya was also swarmed by the media reporters. She beamed in secret at the sight of this scene, but she put on an anxious expression as she said, ¡°Alright, guys. Please leave my mother-inw alone. Our marriage is going to happen for sure. You may all return now.¡±

    Hansen had never been attacked by the media reporters like this. He was furious as he took out his phone and made a phone call.

    It didn¡¯t take long for a team of security guards to rush out. They surrounded the media reporters instantly, and the reporters had no choice but to leave the scene.

    The main entrance was finally back in peace.

    ¡°Hansen, let me help you with Marissa,¡± Liya said in a hurry as she noticed that Marissa had turned a little pale, and Hansen was about to head back inside the manor with Marissa.

    She supported Marissa¡¯s right arm as she spoke.

    ¡°Let go of me, b*tch.¡± Marissa immediately withdrew her arm from Liya and bellowed at her.

    Liya looked a little awkward as she stood there.

    ¡°Get lost.¡± Hansen turned around and red at Liya.

    Liya was standing there looking embarrassed. She then sneered.

    ¡°Hansen, you can never drive me away, especially when Vivian has already acknowledged our marriage and stated it in her will. I am now officially Mrs. Richards. I will not leave, and I will never leave, not until you marry me. You owe me this. You told me you would marry me.

    ¡°But you betrayed me as soon as I handed you the evidence of me framing Jenna. I won¡¯t leave this ce.¡±

    Liya was crying and shouting towards the end of her sentence. This had won over some attention from the passers-by.

    It was really a less than graceful scene to look at.

    A security guard was about toe over and pull Liya away.

    Seizing the opportunity, Liya threw a tantrum as she cried miserably.

    Marissa was so furious that her vision almost went ck. She pointed at Liya, yet she couldn¡¯te up with anything.

    Hansen clenched his fists tightly as his expression looked stony. He walked up to Liya.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Liya immediately rushed up to him as she saw him walking over. She snuggled against his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist as she cried out, ¡°Hansen, please don¡¯t drive me away.¡±

    Hansen couldn¡¯t dodge in time and was held firmly in her embrace.

 Chapter 602 Liyaâ€™s Return To Richards Manor

    ¡°Liya, let me go,¡± Hansen bellowed with a furious expression.

    Her strong perfume made him frown in disgust. He reached out and plucked her hand before shoving her away.

    ¡°Liya, know your ce. You should stop bothering us. I have my own family now. I will never marry you. You¡¯d better leave now,¡± Hansen said firmly and was clearly annoyed.

    ¡°No way. Hansen, it¡¯s clearly written in Vivian¡¯s will that you must marry me. You can¡¯t deny it. I will never give up on this,¡± Liya said, standing firmly.

    ¡°From today onwards, I will never leave this ce. I will return to the Ink Garden of Richards Manor to take care of Vivian,¡± Liya said.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Hansen was startled. He did not expect Liya toe up with such a shameless request. He was frustrated.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m only doing this because I love you. I want to marry you. I don¡¯t have any evil intentions here.¡± Liya immediately changed her tone once she noticed Hansen¡¯s expression.

    Hansen exhaled deeply to keep himself calm, before asking, ¡°Liya, we already sent you to the police when you made a fuss here in Richards Manorst time. Are you seeking to repeat history again?¡±

    Liza turned pale instantly upon hearing this. She was reminded of her days in the lockup. There was a glint of hatred in her gaze.

    ¡°Hansen, I will not give up even if you send me to the police again. It¡¯s written in Vivian¡¯s will for you to marry me, but you not only denied it, you also chose to announce to the media that our marriage was a fake one. Now, you¡¯re repeating the same strategy again. I¡¯m not the same Liya from before. I won¡¯t allow you to step all over me again. Now that the media is already aware of the contents in Vivian¡¯s will, if you refuse to acknowledge my identity again, then I¡¯m sure the media will make a good article out of this. I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t want Richards Manor to be involved in a scandal of this scale again, do you?¡± Liya asked.

    Liya looked confident and her tone was certain. It was as if she already had the entire Richards Manor under control.

    Hansen felt a faint pain in his head as rage built up in his eyes.

    ¡°Fine, then. Liya, let me ask you something. How did you find out about Vivian¡¯s will when it hasn¡¯t been that long? It¡¯s a private matter among our Richards family. So, how did you know it already?¡± Hansen asked, as he took a step forward.

    Something felt off. The reading of the will was done the previous night, and she was already here with the media reporters the next morning. Everything felt like they had been deliberately plotted.

    The question was beyond Liya¡¯s expectations, and she was startled upon hearing it.

    Hansen¡¯s terrifying aura brought out a faint hint of guilt in her eyes. She also felt so terrified that she almost spilled everything out. However, she paused for a while, as she regained herposure.

    She then said, ¡°Hansen, the media has already found out about this. It¡¯s just a matter of time for me to be informed too. Anyway, there¡¯s no room for you to push me away anymore. Her will is legitimate and it¡¯s not up to you to deny anything about it.¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    Hansen was just staring at her. He wanted to find something suspicious from her expression. However, Liya was a cunning woman. She did look terrified at first, but her expression turned normal not long after.

    ¡°So what if the media already found out about it? Do you think you can use that as a threat against me and force me to marry you?¡± Hansen snorted before he continued to say, ¡°Liya, it seems like you still don¡¯t know me that well. If you think you can threaten me and force me against my will to marry you,then wouldn¡¯t you have been able to achieve this a long time ago already? Let me give you some advice. Take the chance while you have it, and leave right now. Don¡¯t ever appear in front of me again. I will never allow you to enter our Richards Manor. The men in our family will never marry someone like you. Our standards are better than that,¡± Hansen said.

    Hansen¡¯s expression was as cold as ice. He red at her as he spoke those harsh words. He wasn¡¯t giving any mercy to her at all. He turned around and was about to leave after saying that.

    ¡°Hansen, I will not let you walk away. If you don¡¯t follow what Vivian had stated in her will, then you are not eligible to inherit any assets of Richards Manor, and you will lose everything you had in the Richards family.¡± Liya rushed up and tugged Hansen¡¯s arm. ¡°Hansen, I don¡¯t want you to lose that. I don¡¯t want to see you ending up with nothing. Trust me. I love you wholeheartedly, and I will make you happy. Marry me.¡±

    Her grasp on him was tight as she looked up pitifully at him.

    However, Hansen remained unmoved. His gaze was like a sharp knife as he red at Liya¡¯s arm that was tugging at him. He tried his best to suppress his disgust.

    Hansen was concerned that if he were to react against that, then he might have already thrown her out on the streets.

    ¡°If you continue to be like this, then I¡¯ll call the police and make them take you away,¡± Hansen shouted at her.

    ¡°How can you be such a shameless woman?¡± Marissa was furious too at the sight of Liya still entangled with her son.

    ¡°Hansen, Marissa, call the police then. Just let them take me away and beat me to death. Let the world see how Richards Manor not only refused to acknowledge Vivian¡¯s will, but will even involve the police just to stop me from joining the family. Let the world see how a noble family like yours, a CEO of a multinationalpany like you, chose to bully a powerless woman like me.¡± Liya wept as she spoke.

    If anyone else were to see this, then they would definitely think that Hansen was the bad guy here. Hansen had never encountered a woman this shameless.

    Hansen stood there nkly upon hearing her words, not knowing how to react.

    ¡°Let go of him.¡± A growl could be heard. Trevor was seen walking over with a stern expression. His aura was terrifying.

    Liya was startled by the roar, and immediately let go of her grasp.

    ¡°Dad,¡± Liya called out.

    Trevor gave her a cold look. His eyes, which had been polished over time, were suffused with a cold and dark light, making it difficult to tell what he had in mind.

    ¡°Liya, this isn¡¯t your first time here. Why would you choose to trap yourself in such a difficult situation over and over again?¡± Trevor asked in a harsh tone.

    ¡°Trevor, I¡¯m not the one putting myself in a difficult situation. You are the ones giving me a hard time. Vivian already made it clear in her will, that I am to marry Hansen, but you were the ones working together to plot a fake marriage. You were not only refusing to acknowledge Vivian¡¯s will, but also embarrassing me in return. I am just a woman. What else can I do with my reputation being ruined? I can only marry Hansen.¡± Liya said pitifully, ¡°I never expected Richards Manor would be this shameless as not to keep your promise, and to refuse following the instruction in Vivian¡¯s will. You are all such a disappointment.¡±

    Liyastarted sobbing and putting on a pitiful act, as if she had been wronged.

    Trevor¡¯s expression was dark yet calm. He had never pictured a youngdy to be this shameless. How twisted was her view in life if she could act this shameless?

    He regained hisposure.

    ¡°Liya, what do you want then?¡± Trevor asked with his eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Trevor, I really don¡¯t have any evil intentions. I just want to marry Hansen. I¡¯vee all the way here today.I won¡¯t leave that easily. Vivian has always been nice to me. I have to stay here and take care of Vivian. Otherwise, the outsiders will all think that I¡¯m a disrespectful daughter-inw,¡± Liya said firmly as she looked up at Trevor.

    ¡°Ridiculous, this will never happen.¡± Hansen was annoyed when he heard what Liya said.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t agree. I¡¯ll just tell this to the media, that the Richards family is stepping all over me and not keeping their promise. I¡¯ll find myself awyer, and I¡¯ll meet you in court. I don¡¯t mind losing everything to fight you, now that my reputation is already ruined,¡± Liya said in a fearless manner. Her words were a grave threat.

    Trevor forcefully resisted the anger that surged from the depths of his heart. He frowned tightly and took a long while before he rxed his expression.

    Hansen was also enraged by her threat. He gritted his teeth so hard that they creaked.

    ¡°Liya, I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯ve be this scary. The Richards family don¡¯t owe you anything. Neither will I ever agree to marry you. Can¡¯t you see that there¡¯s nothing between us?¡± Hansen asked.

    ¡°Hansen, I love you. I have always loved you¡­¡± Liya said, shaking her head.

    Trevor exhaled deeply and suppressed his anger.

    He looked like he had already made a decision as he nced towards Liya.

    ¡°Trevor, I believe that you¡¯ll be fair in this. You wouldn¡¯t be as harsh as Hansen was, would you?¡± Liya said in a hurry. She was an observant person. She noticed Trevor was looking at her, and his expression was not as cold as Hansen¡¯s. Hence, she decided to approach Trevor instead.

    Trevor¡¯s eyebrows twitched, as he put on an unfathomable expression and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re so eager to live in Richards Manor, then let¡¯s arrange your stay and continue thister.¡±

    Trevor turned around after saying this.

    ¡°Dad, Trevor.¡± Hansen and Marissa immediately reacted at the same time.

    They had never seen thising. Why would Trevor decide to let Liya live with them? This would only bring them more trouble, as it¡¯d make it even more difficult to kick her out from the family. This would also hurt Jenna deeply. How was Hansen supposed to tolerate this?

    ¡°Hansen, enough is enough. I¡¯ve already made my decision,¡± Trevor said with his back facing Hansen. He then walked towards his buggy without taking another nce at them.

    ¡°Thank you, Dad,¡± Liya said gratefully, in tears, and rushed over to catch up with Trevor. She had finally seeded.

    Hansen could only watch helplessly as Liya walked into Richards Manor.

 Chapter 603 Retrieval Of The Surveillance Records

    ¡°Dad, why? Why let her live with us?¡± Hansen asked. He was in the Ink Garden¡¯s lounge with Trevor. Hansen¡¯s tone was rushed as he asked, ¡°Do you know how hurtful your decision would be to Jenna?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s gaze was filled with helplessness and pain.

    ¡°Hansen, can you please be more mature? Would you rather see Liya smearing our family reputation by iming that we did not acknowledge the will? There are way too many things on the Richards family¡¯s te right now. It would help to have one issue under our control. If all she wants is to live here, then we should just let her live with us. It¡¯s just one more person under our roof. Moreover, you don¡¯t love her at all. Let¡¯s see what else she¡¯ll do about that,¡± Trevor said.

    There was another hiddenyer of meaning in Trevor¡¯s words. It didn¡¯t take long for her to march over right after the reading of the will. Trevor wanted to see what her true intentions were. He was also waiting to see what she could do to the Richards family.

    ¡°Dad, the will is obviously not legitimate. She¡¯s just here after the inheritance. We shouldn¡¯t entertain her, or else we will only bring endless trouble upon ourselves,¡± Hansen said with a cold expression.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Trevor said with a stern tone, ¡°Stop being childish. Jenna is a sensible youngdy. She isn¡¯t as fragile as you im to be. If you think that there¡¯s something off about the will, then let¡¯s investigate further into it. We can only tackle the issue, and kick her out of Richards Manor by then.¡±

    Trevor cast a nce at Hansen as he said this. He then shook his head and walked towards the surveince room.

    ¡°Retrieve the surveince records in the Ink Garden for the past six months.¡± Hansen told the security team leader as they walked in the surveince room.

    ¡°Sure, Mr. Trevor,¡± the security team leader replied. He then started retrieving the surveince records. Hansen and Trevor started flipping through the records to spot if any suspicious person had entered Vivian¡¯s room.

    There were surveince cameras installed along the corridors as well as the living room in the Ink Garden. However, it was impossible for the bedrooms to be equipped with the cameras too.

    Trevor and Hansen spent the whole morning searching thoroughly, and finally spotted a woman creeping into Vivian¡¯s room one night. It was a dark night, and there was no one in the Ink Garden. The lights were dimmed, and the woman seemed to be Liya. However, as they couldn¡¯t see her face, it wasn¡¯t evident enough.

    Hansen fixed his gaze on the monitor as he thought to himself, what was this woman doing creeping into Vivian¡¯s room like a ghost?

    Vivian¡¯s room was the most honorable ce in the Ink Garden. No one could easily get in. Yet, there was no obstacle stopping the woman from entering Vivian¡¯s room that night. It was too strange!

    Trevor and Hansen exchanged looks. Questions were apparent in their gazes.

    The surveince camera slowly shifted the angle to the entrance of the Ink Garden. The woman was already near the entrance by that time, and she looked nervous.

    Through the dim streetlights, although her face was still not shown clearly, they could at least confirm that the woman in the surveince records was none other than Liya.

    Her walking in anding out of the Ink Garden took around half an hour.

    What did she do in that 30 minutes?

    They continued searching through the other surveince records. Yet, this was the only suspicious record they got.

    There were a lot of people who walked in and out of Vivian¡¯s bedroom, but they were either servants or family members. Even Sergio only went in once, and Aunt E was there for the whole process. However, on the night Liya crept in, there was no one in the living hall at all.

    ¡°Dad, it must be an oversight. That woman was definitely Liya,¡± Hansen said with his brows furrowed. He pointed towards the woman captured in the surveince footage and said, ¡°Could it be that she did something to the will?¡±

    Trevor¡¯s eyes were fixed on the surveince record, and his expression stiffened.

    ¡°That¡¯s possible, but didn¡¯t we find the will in a hidden drawer? How did she manage to get the will in such a short time?¡± Trevor asked. He remembered that they only found Vivian¡¯s will after Aunt E guided them. As for Liya, she was an outsider. How could she find the will that quickly?

    Besides, they would never allow Liya to enter the Ink Garden. She shouldn¡¯t be this familiar with the surroundings.

    Hansen also fixed his gaze on the surveince record as he processed this in his mind.

    ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t Aunt E mention that Vivian had the ck bag with her back then? Doesn¡¯t this mean that the will was with Vivian instead of being hidden in the drawer?¡± Hansen asked.

    Trevor¡¯s eyes lit up as he heard this.

    ¡°But why was Vivian holding the will then?¡± Trevor contemted.

    ¡°Dad, I believe Vivian knew and was concerned about the current situation of our Richards family, when she was still conscious. Perhaps, she also expected Liya to plot something against us. That¡¯s why she wanted to revise the will when she was still conscious. For her to call Mr. Pringle over, it was possible that she knew she was about to pass out. She couldn¡¯t wait any longer for him. Hence, she could only revise the will by hand.¡± Hansen analyzed the situation with full attention.

    Trevor¡¯s heart skipped a beat after hearing that. He nodded.

    ¡°Hansen, your analysis is urate. Otherwise, Vivian would not mention specifically that the Richards family doesn¡¯t owe Liya anything anymore. She wanted us to reject Liya no matter what. ording to this logic, what she wrote in her will must be something like, you can never marry Liya if you don¡¯t want to be deemed ineligible for the inheritance. She was worried that you might not know how to reject Liya, or that you¡¯d fall into her trap and hurt Jenna in return. Vivian wanted to use the inheritance to stop you from marrying Liya. Otherwise, ording to her will, you would be kicked out from the family,¡± Trevor said.

    Trevor finally figured out the big picture, as well as Vivian¡¯s intentions. He was moved to find out how protective Vivian was towards Jenna. She was never shy in showing how much she adored Jenna. Trevor sighed.

    Some people were born to love each other, whereas some people were born to be enemies. Perhaps, a lot of things were already arranged in their destiny upon birth.

    However, then again, a daughter-inw like Jenna was really worth the adoration and love from Vivian. Jenna was the perfect daughter-inw in their family. Everyone loved and respected her.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then Liya must have happened to see the revised will in Vivian¡¯s hand when she passed out. Liya then took advantage of the opportunity and amended it. If she really did this, then she¡¯s just evil!¡± Hansen said, gritting his teeth.

    Hansen¡¯s veins on his forehead were bulging as he said, ¡°It¡¯s illegal to tamper with the will. We can send her to jail based on this alone.¡±

    Trevor stood up and paced around the room.

    ¡°But then, Hansen, have you thought about what else she would dowhileinside the room? Who can prove that she tampered with the will? We can¡¯t prove anything just because we caught her creeping into Vivian¡¯s room. Moreover, why was there no one to stop her from entering the Ink Garden? Could it be that there is something more to this?¡± Trevor threw out a couple of questions as he processed this in mind.

    ¡°So, this is an oversight then. We are all to be med for. This must have been the night before the wedding. Everyone¡¯s attention was on the wedding. We were all busy and tired. That¡¯s how Liya got in,¡± Hansen said with a painful expression.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t be discouraged. We have to send the will for further examination, and if there¡¯s any sign of alteration, then we can at least prove that the will was invalid. As for Liya, let¡¯s keep her under our roof before we can confirm about the will. This can at least stop her from dragging our family name through the mud. Once the will is proven to be invalid, we will see how she reacts towards this. I¡¯m sure during her stay, she will somehow give herself away. She¡¯s just a youngdy who¡¯s trying to get smart. I don¡¯t think she will achieve anything.¡± Trevor tried to convince Hansen.

    Hansen¡¯s expression still looked awful.

    ¡°Hansen, there¡¯s something else that I think Liya might be our only solution to.¡± Trevor said in a low voice, ¡°There¡¯s no evidence to the crime that was used of the Richards Group, but Liya is still useful. That¡¯s why I chose to keep her around.¡±

    Hansen stood still and did not say anything in return.

    Not long after, the two of them walked out of the security room, and started strolling around the garden.

    ¡°Hansen, now that we know what to do with Liya, do you have any ns for the Richards Group?¡± Trevor asked.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen¡¯s expression was dark. He looked up to the clear sky above his head and inhaled deeply.

    There was a saying that the sky hanging above Richards Manor was exceptionally clear.This was a raremodity for anyone in the city.Perhaps this was what was attractive in Richards Manor. People admired this ce. Yet, at the same time, the admiration that turned into temptation had caused dangers to lurk around this ce.

    Hansen was reminded of the Ocean Heart which Jenna mentioned to him. His heart felt even heavier.

    It was Hansen¡¯s duty and responsibility to protect the assets as well as the treasures of the Richards family.

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take responsibility for whateveres next. I will protect this ce, every little part of it,¡± Hansen muttered,lowering his head.

    Fear surged in Trevor¡¯s heart as he heard what Hansen said. Hansen sounded lonely, as if he was betting everything on himself.

    ¡°No, Hansen. You¡¯re the head of the family. You have to take responsibility and at the same time stay alive to carry on with our family¡¯s legacy. We can¡¯t let anything happen to you, no matter what sort of time it is,¡± Trevor said.

    How could Trevor allow any unexpected ident to happen to his only son? Trevor strengthened his tone and said, ¡°Hansen, in order to be the best, you not only have to take responsibility but you also have to stay wise enough to stand against all odds. Although Yadriel and Sergio are pushing us to our limits,we still have to stay still and stay confident in ourselves. We can¡¯t let them push us around.¡±

    ¡°If we can survive this,then we will have hope. Now that Norton has already turned over a new leaf, and the Richards family is finally united, these are all good signs that we are heading to a brighter future together.¡±

    Trevor was trying his best to convince his son.

    Hansen lowered his head and listened intently to Trevor¡¯s pearls of wisdom. He was a little moved.

    Paul and John were already working with Luqman in Capital City, whereas Alvin and Irvin were working together in the Middle East. These two forces were against Yadriel. Hansen knew exactly what he had to do!

    ¡°Dad, I have something to ask of you,¡± Hansen said in a serious tone after pondering about.

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Trevor said as he nced at Hansen.

    ¡°I will be heading to theCapital City in the next two days. Please let Lomen follow Jenna around, and keep her safe in my absence,¡± Hansen asked sincerely.

    Looking at how concerned his son was, Trevor already knew what he would see. He nodded with a smile and said, ¡°No worries. Hansen, Jenna is our daughter-inw, and she¡¯s carrying the grandchild of the Richards family too. I will make sure that she¡¯s protected, and no one will ever get to hurt her. I¡¯ll arrange itter tonight.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Dad.¡± Hansen felt relieved to hear that. Vivian had arranged for Paul and Irvin to keep Jenna safe, but now that these two were upied, Lomen was the next candidate in line to protect Jenna.

    Hansen and Trevor continued with their stroll as they talked about the situation in Capital City.

 Chapter 604 Shameless To The Core

    Jenna sat nkly in front of Vivian¡¯s bed as she held Vivian¡¯s hand in hers.

    ¡°Grandma, can you hear me? Can you tell me what I should do now? Did you really revise the will to include that? Were you always hoping that Hansen would marry Liya? Grandma, please tell it to me,¡± Jenna said as tears started dripping on her cheeks, andnded on Vivian¡¯s hand.

    Ever since the will was announced the previous night, Jenna had been feeling terrible. She wouldn¡¯t be bothered if this was someone else¡¯s will. However, it was Vivian¡¯s, whom she had always looked up to. This made her feel worse.

    It was clearly stated in the will, and the handwriting was Vivian¡¯s too. It looked legitimate to her.

    If Hansen refused to marry Liya, then he would lose everything within the Richards Group. She knew about the consequences, and she knew very well that Hansen would end up with nothing. His past efforts would be wasted. This was an extremely cruel thing to happen to a man like him.

    Although Hansen didn¡¯t talk with Jenna about this, she knew what he was facing. She couldn¡¯t allow him to risk everything for her.

    At that moment, Vivian¡¯s eyes that were shut slowly opened up after hearing Jenna¡¯s words. Vivian stared at Jenna with a nk and confused expression.

    ¡°Grandma, can you recognize me?¡± Jenna immediately leaned closer to Vivian and asked in a hurry.

    Vivian looked at her for a while and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Hansen, Hansen.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s bright eyes darkened.

    For the past few days, Vivian had been experiencing hallucinations. She would be calling out to Trevor, ude, Norton, or Hansen from time to time. There were also times where Vivian would call out Jenna¡¯s name. However, Vivian was always in a daze. She was just muttering their names without being aware of what was happening.

    Tears welled up in Jenna¡¯s eyes. She ced her cheek in Vivian¡¯s hand, not knowing what to do.

    She was supposed to pick Sara up ande over to Richards Manor the previous night.However, this had been postponed because of what had happened.

    With Liya making a scene over here, Jenna was not in a mood to pick Sara up. She didn¡¯t want Sara to feel upset about the whole situation. However, with Vivian¡¯s condition worsening by the day, she knew she should somehow bring Sara over before it was toote.

    Jenna was also in a dilemma.

    Aunt E brought over some porridge and herbal soup. Jenna stood up with tears still welled up in her eyes. She was about to take the food over, when Vivian suddenly tugged at her arm.

    Jenna was surprised and she lowered her head to nce at Vivian.

    Vivian was muttering something.

    Jenna hurriedly bent down. She paid attention to what Vivian was muttering about, and was taken aback when she heard, ¡°Lilian, Lilian¡±. Jenna widened her eyes.

    ¡°Grandma, are you looking for Madam Lilian?¡± Jenna asked in a loud voice near Vivian¡¯s ear.

    However, Vivian just continued muttering, apanied with some heavy breathing. She couldn¡¯t say anything else, or more urately, she didn¡¯t hear what Jenna was asking.

    Jenna could only hold Vivian¡¯s hand in hers as she sobbed.

    ¡°This is really annoying me,¡± Marrisa said with a sigh as she walked into Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    Jenna quickly wiped away her tears with one hand and wriggled out of Vivian¡¯s grasp.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jenna forced a smile and asked.

    There was a hint of embarrassment and guilt as Marissa saw Jenna. Then, she spotted Jenna¡¯s eyes, which were already red from the crying. Marissa felt terrible. She took Jenna¡¯s hand in hers and said, ¡°My child, that Liya woman is just really shameless. She found her way in, once again. I am angry, but there¡¯s nothing I can do. I hope you won¡¯t overthink things.¡±

    Jenna was startled. She finally understood why Marissa looked so frustrated.

    Liya was moving in again?

    Jenna¡¯s face turned pale.

    ¡°My child, rest assured, I will always be by your side. If she dares to pull anything, then I won¡¯t let her get away with it.¡± Marissa took in Jenna¡¯s expression and immediately consoled her. She was worried that Jenna¡¯s emotions might also affect the baby in her womb.

    Jenna had a wry smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you.¡±

    However, she was not fine deep down. She felt that something stuffy was swelling in her chest. Jenna lowered her head and covered her mouth as she walked out of the bedroom.

    Jenna was in the corridor when she saw the woman in her red dress, walking towards her in her usual seductive aura. The woman was holding an elegant purse, walking in her high heels, looking confident and arrogant.

    Maud was following behind the woman, clearly looking anxious.

    ¡°Young Madam.¡± Butler Maud immediately hurried over after spotting Jenna.

    Jenna froze in ce.

    The woman standing in front of her was none other than Liya!

    Jenna was staring at Liya with a surprised expression. Liya definitely looked different. If the previous Liya was a young and shy woman with huge ambitions hidden under her exterior, then the present Liya had already be a sultry and seductive woman with gorgeous curves. There was something in Liya¡¯s current vibe that made Jenna ufortable.

    Liya was out of ce, not only among the Richards family, but also with the solemn atmosphere in the Ink Garden.

    Liya walked with her head held high towards Jenna.

    ¡°Hi, there. We meet again,¡± Liya smiled bewitchingly. She confidently stroked her blonde hair. Everything about her looked feminine and seductive.

    Jenna frowned and looked at her coldly.

    ¡°Young Madam, Mr. Trevor told us to let her stay in the Ink Garden¡¯s guest room for the time being,¡± Maud exined.

    ¡°In the Ink Garden?¡± Jenna¡¯s heart sank. Her heart clenched upon hearing this. She felt chills running down her spine.

    Jenna could put up with Liya living in Richards Manor, but why must it be the Ink Garden? Jenna couldn¡¯t help but to frown harder.

    ¡°Young Madam, why don¡¯t you suggest which guest room we should arrange for her stay in?¡± Maud asked in a cautious manner after taking in Jenna¡¯s expression.

    Liya¡¯s arrogant smile was wider as she noticed how disappointed, upset, and hurt Jenna¡¯s expression was.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m thankful that Grandma Vivian arranged this marriage for me. I wanted to take good care of her. Hence, I¡¯m moving into the Ink Garden. I want to take care of her together with you. I hope you won¡¯t feel burdened and will take me in wholeheartedly,¡± Liya said shamelessly as she stepped further towards Jenna.

    Jenna felt sick as she saw those red lips.

    She took a step back. She didn¡¯t even want to face her. The strong perfume on Liya was of a luxury brand, but the fragrance of it was mixed with Liya¡¯s scent, and it upset Jenna¡¯s stomach.

    ¡°Maud, you can take care of this on your own!¡± Jenna nced at Maud, and then turned around as she headed back to the lounge.

    She didn¡¯t want to spend another second looking at Liya¡¯s face.

    Just as she turned around, a force was pressed onto her arm, and Jenna was forced to take a couple of steps backwards.

    Jenna turned her head around in shock.

    Liya was walking past her with her head held high.She hadhit Jenny¡¯s body with her elbow. Although the impact had not been that strong,it had still caused Jenna to step backwards, and as a result, gave Liya more room to walk past her.

    ¡°Young Madam, please watch out.¡± Maud was anxious looking at the whole scene. Jenna was pregnant and the entire Richards family was extremely protective of her and the baby. Liya was being too rough with her. He gasped at the scene and at the same time was concerned about Jenna¡¯s future. Liya was clearly not someone with an innocent mind. Even Trevor and Hansen could only end uppromising with her, let alone Jenna.

    Jenna took two steps back and regained her bnce, whereas Liya was already walking into the living room, with her high heels echoing along the corridor.

    Jenna held her stomach as pain shed across her eyes. She bit her lips tightly in pain.

    There was a small garden pond outside, and it was filled with lotus leaves. The lotus flowers had blossomed and formed a beautiful scenery.

    Jenna sat nkly on the wooden bench by the pond. She was in low spirits.

    It was said that a woman would live a happy life once she had found a man who loved her wholeheartedly. However, why did it seem like she had to go through a lot to obtain her happiness?

    Liya was moving in again.

    Instinctively, Jenna felt that Liya¡¯s presence was even more terrifying than before.

    Moreover, Jenna was in the most fragile state at this time. She couldn¡¯t even tell if Hansen¡¯s love for her brought her happiness or disaster.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re here.¡± A gentle yet maic voice came from behind.

    Jenna knew whose voice it was, but she didn¡¯t turn around. She just sat there with a nk expression.

    Hansen walked over and sat down beside her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he sighed deeply.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry. I was useless as I couldn¡¯t stop her from moving in,¡± Hansen said in his low voice as he sighed.

    He was greatly concerned that this decision would hurt her. Jenna was the biggest victim after all, with Liya moving in.

    Hansen hoped that Liya¡¯s stay wouldn¡¯t be too long.

    Jenna silently turned around. Her crystal clear eyes were overshadowed as she murmured, ¡°Hansen, tell me why do you always attract so many women to you? Why must I put up with those women?¡±

    There was a hint of grievance in her words. Her gaze wascking in confidence, and filled with sadness.

    Hansen felt as if a cat had scratched his heart with its ws.

    ¡°Honey, you¡¯re my only wife. We are living in modern times now. Second wives don¡¯t exist anymore. I don¡¯t want you to overthink things. I don¡¯t allow that, as you¡¯re the only woman I love, forever,¡± Hansen said.

    The sunlight was seeping in through the trees, shining upon Jenna¡¯s face. There was sweat on her forehead and the tip of her nose. Her skin was shining under the sunlight. She snuggled into his embrace, like a rabbit afraid of the danger out there.

    Hansen held her tightly in his arms. He was reminded of how lively and cheerful Jenna used to be, especially at that news conference. She was the world¡¯s top designer. Yet, she had faded away ever since she had decided to be with him. She was now lying in his arms, looking so fragile and lonely. Hansen¡¯s heart ached at this.

    How could he call himself a decent man if he couldn¡¯t even keep the woman he loved happy? Jenna had gone through too much after being together with him, despite the fact that Hansen wanted nothing but the best for her. However, his efforts were clearly not effective at all with Jenna looking so miserable. He might as well just quit everything and focus solely on his family.

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s head back inside. It¡¯s not good for your health to stay outdoors,¡± Hansen said as he lifted her up in his arms. Jenna wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled deeper into his chest. She finally felt secure. She then whispered in his ear, ¡°Hansen, I only want our family to be happy together.I don¡¯t need to have anything else.¡±

    Hansen was startled. His heart ached and his face fell. He tightened his grasp around her as he walked into the Ink Garden¡¯s corridor.

    Jenna wrapped her hands around his neck, as tears flowed from her eyes. She buried her head in his chest.

    They held onto each other intimately, all the way along the long corridor of the Ink Garden, until they reached their room.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

 Chapter 605 I Love My Wife

    After they returned to their guest room, Hansen filled the bathtub with water.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re covered in sweat. Let me help you with that,¡± Hansen said as he stepped out from the bathroom. Jenna was lying on the couch with her eyes slightly shut. He wrapped his arms around her as he whispered in her ears.

    Jenna did not move away and just stayed in his arms.

    The weather was too hot. Anyone else would be dripping in sweat from just standing outside, let alone a pregnant woman like Jenna.

    Hansen gently removed the clothes on Jenna¡¯s body, and helped her dry her sweat off, before carrying her into the bathroom.

    Hansen bathed her attentively.

    After the bath, Hansen helped her to change into her pajamas before returning to the bed. They were cuddlingas Hansen said, ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ll be heading to Capital City tomorrow. You have to take care of yourself. I¡¯ve told father to let Lomen protect you for the time being. You can always look for Lomen if you need anything.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, is there any news from Capital City?¡± Jenna opened her eyes and asked with a hopeful tone.

    Hansen caressed her belly gently. She was around two months pregnant already!

    Hansen would be extremely excited every time he was reminded of this. He couldn¡¯t express how grateful he was towards Jenna for this. He was regretful for not being there during Jerry¡¯s birth. He must be a responsible father this time.

    ¡°Jenna, Luqman is taking care of things in Capital City. It shouldn¡¯t be difficult for us to capture Ezrah and rebel against him. Luqman is well-prepared. I have to get there myself, and find evidence against Yadriel before the Richards Group is convicted,¡± Hansen exined as his breathing grew heavy.

    His hand, which was on her belly, started moving up slowly.

    ¡°Hansen¡­¡± Jenna called out softly and pulled his hand away before he could reach her sensitive spot. Her voice was warm, longing, and slightly afraid, as she could tell what was going on in his mind.

    Hansen held her tightly with another hand and buried his head in the crook of her neck. He murmured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I promise I¡¯ll be gentle with you. I want you.¡±

    His breath was hot and filled with affection.

    Jenna was stimted by his touch. She was trembling slightly.

    Hansen had been restraining himself ever since Jenna fell pregnant. He had been nothing but a gentleman each night where they cuddled to sleep. Jenna knew that he was afraid that he might hurt her.

    Jenna was a smart woman. If she was inexperienced during her pregnancy, as it was sudden, then it was perfectly normal for her to be afraid of this. However, now that she had already given birth to Jerry, she was very experienced in this.

    She was aware that they should restrain themselves during the pregnancy, but it was notpletely disallowed. They just had to be more careful.

    She slowly let go of her grasp.

    Hansen was delighted with her tacit approval.

    He lowered his head and locked her lips in a passionate kiss. His body was tense.

    She was soft in his arms and had a nice scent. As their tongues touched, he knew he was willing to be intoxicated by this kiss for the rest of his life.

    He was addicted to her body each time he felt her in his arms. He just couldn¡¯t wait to unleash himself on her.

    They had known each other for a long time, but each time they got intimate, it was like a whole new experience for Hansen. It was as if they had just gotten to know each other that night. Nothing about this felt routine or boring. They could just get entangled in each other and spend the rest of their lives together.

    She was his wife, someone he could love rightfully. He was proud of this, and he wished time would just stop here.

    However, the happy moments spent together were always too short for them.

    Their love for each other lingered in the room until night fell.

    They were exhausted after climaxing together. They fell asleep in each other¡¯s arms.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡­

    In the second half of the night, Jenna woke up only to find that Hansen was gone.

    She sat up in a panic.

    ¡°Hansen, Hansen,¡± she cried out in the darkness.

    There was no response. The darkness and loneliness were her onlypany.

    She panicked. She searched for her phone but ended up with nothing.

    Slowly, Jenna was reminded of the previous night when Hansen lifted her up from the couch. Her phone must be somewhere by the couch too.

    She got up in a hurry and fumbled for her cell phone.

    Her phone had been turned off. Hansen must have switched it off so as not to disrupt her sleep.

    She pressed hard on the power button and stared impatiently at the screen. She hastily dialed up his number.

    The call was connected.

    She heaved a sigh of relief.

    The phone was picked up a couple of secondster.

    ¡°Jenna.¡±

    ¡°Hansen.¡±

    They called out almost at the same time, and stopped at the same time too.

    Time stopped for a few seconds.

    ¡°Jenna, go back to sleep.¡± Hansen sounded a little tired, but he still coaxed her patiently.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you? Why did you leave so soon?¡± Jenna asked in a hurry, with her eyes wide open.

    ¡°Jenna, you should rest. I¡¯m on my way to the airport right now. I have to get to Capital City as soon as I can. Take care of yourself for the next few days. Don¡¯t make me worry about you. Can you do that?¡± Hansen said over the phone. He was sitting in the car, with the skyscrapers dashing past him. He was reluctant to leave too. He wished he could just go to sleep peacefully with his wife and children.

    No matter, he received John¡¯s call earlier. They already had Ezrah in custody. However, Ezrah was keeping his mouth shut and didn¡¯t give them any opportunity to get information out of him.

    Hansen had to rush over to interrogate Ezrah in person, especially if he wanted to avoid repeating what happened to Yaris back then.

    Time was of the essence.

    If Hansen was able to present something against Yadriel before the Richards Group was convicted, then Hansen might be able to turn the tables around, and at the same time, prove that Zoe was working together with Sergio.

    The election had started that week, and Yadriel had been in the unbroken lead. The people loved him, and everyone had nothing but positive remarks for him. There was nothing Hansen could do besides finding evidence against him, and this was the perfect opportunity.

    Once Yadriel found out that someone else had Ezrah under control, Yadriel would definitelye up with something for his counterattack.

    Hansen could never allow Yadriel to notice this.

    He had to act fast, urately and ruthlessly, for the sake of the Richards Group, as well as to serve justice.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m worried about you,¡± Jenna said with a trembling voice. Her hand was trembling too.

    Hansen¡¯s smile faded away as he heard this. His expression was a little cold as he replied in a stern tone, ¡°Jenna, go back to sleep right now. You don¡¯t have to overthink things. You can¡¯t have me worried about you at this time. Do you get what I mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ understand.¡± Jenna replied with a heavy heart as she said, ¡°Hansen, I¡¯ll wait for your return. Please stay safe.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯lle back as soon as possible,¡± Hansen replied with a gentle and soft tone.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be waiting for you,¡± Jenna said nkly before hanging up the phone. She sat on the couch in a daze.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t understand why she was so anxious at this time. She couldn¡¯t put herself at ease no matter what.

    For the rest of the night, Jenna tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. She finally drifted off when dawn broke.

    The sun was already hanging high in the sky when she got up again. Jenna freshened herself up as Larry sent breakfast over to her bedroom.

    After having her breakfast in a daze, Jenna headed to the office in the Ink Garden.

    ¡°Maud, can you tell me what¡¯s going on? My room is stuffy and hot. It¡¯s located in the west wing, and everything in the room is antique. Are you trying to embarrass me and abuse me just because I¡¯m going to be the second wife?¡± Liya¡¯s high-pitched voice could be heard from inside the office.

    Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard her voice. Jenna frowned.

    ¡°Miss Liya, only the madams and the young madams can stay in the north wing of the Ink Garden. Now that Madam Vivian is in a critical condition, the rooms over there have been fully upied. Therefore, regardless of your identity, or the timing of your arrival, we can only arrange for you to stay in the guest rooms of the west wing. The rooms in the Ink Garden are all identical. The room you¡¯re staying in was renovated and decorated during Old Master Richards¡¯ time. That¡¯s why the things inside are ancient. If you are dissatisfied with the room, then why don¡¯t we arrange for you to go back to the Crystal Cove Garden where you used to live?¡± Maud replied. He was clearly not in the good mood either to have Liya making such a fuss early in the morning.

    Liya paused for a while before cing her luxury handbag on the table. She then sat on the chair, which Jenna normally sat in during work, and crossed her legs while smiling widely.

    ¡°Maud, if that¡¯s the case, then I won¡¯t make things difficult for you. I¡¯ll just continue to stay in the room then,¡± Liya said as she touched her earlobe. She then smiled and said, ¡°How about this then, Maud? I have to attend a party today. I was going to take care of Vivian today given her condition, but then the party was scheduled earlier and I had no choice but to attend. You know, the media is now aware of Vivian¡¯s will, and everyone out there knows that I am the second wife of Mr. Richards, as well as the mistress of Richards Manor. But then, look at me. I don¡¯t look like it at all. I will only embarrass the Richards Group looking like this. Why don¡¯t you help me look for some jewelry and essories? I¡¯ll return them to you once I return from the party,¡± Liya said at a normal pace, as she took out her cosmetic mirror and looked at it. She was not satisfied with how in she looked without all the luxury essories.

    Upon hearing this,Maud finally understood her intentions. He forced a smile and said in a righteous manner, ¡°Miss Liya, I¡¯m sorry but we have our own rules in Richards Manor. Our essories and jewelry pieces are all registered by book. We have to register and keep records of all of them. None of them should be utilized, unless it was for unique events or with the approval from the head of the family. We can¡¯t move those jewelry pieces from their original ces, let alone take them out. I wish I could help you with this, but I can¡¯t. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Hearing this, Liya¡¯s face fell as coldness masked her expression.

 Chapter 606 Jenna Unleashed

    ¡°Maud, you¡¯re nothing but a butler, whereas I¡¯m the appointed second young madam by Vivian herself. Why can¡¯t I take a few essories away for my own use? You have to know that the party I¡¯ll be attending today is an important one. The wealthiest folks in the A City are all attending it as well. If I make a in appearance at the party, then I will only embarrass Richards Manor. Can you afford to bear the consequences of that?¡± Liya screamed. She was no longer putting on the nice act from earlier.

    It was known that Richards Manor had a huge collection of jewelry.So, why couldn¡¯t she borrow a few for her own use? Did they have to single her out that way?

    Upon hearing this, Maud put on a solemn face and said, without leaving any room for mercy, ¡°Miss Liya, I really can¡¯t help you with this. I¡¯m just following the rules. Not only you, even if any of the madams or young madams ask for the same thing, without the head of the household¡¯s approval, they also cannever get to use any of thepieces ofjewelry. They are of the manor¡¯s assets. No one can change the rule. It has existed since decades ago. Please respect the rules and abide by them. Don¡¯t make things difficult for me.¡±

    Liya knew that she couldn¡¯t get anything out of that. She thought she could get at least some benefits justbymoving in, but she couldn¡¯t even get that done with. She was clearly upset as her face was tense and masked with an icy vibe.

    Jenna had been standing by the office door and had overheard the entire conversation. She despised Liya¡¯s behaviour to the core. Liya¡¯s intention of entering Richards Manor was just too obvious. She had just made her way in the night before,and she was already trying to take advantage of theirjewelrycollection.

    Thejewelry collection was included among Richards Manor¡¯s assets. It was ridiculous for Liya to think that she could make use of the jewelry collection, when even Marissa herself couldn¡¯t utilize them.

    Jenna was speechless at how ignorant and rampant Liya was behaving.

    At that moment, some staff made their way into the Ink Garden. They were there to get Jenna to sign some purchase invoices for that day and were dumbfounded at the scene.

    Seeing that it waste, Jenna snorted and walked into the office.

    Liya was about to make another round of fuss just as Jenna stepped into the office. She immediately forced a smile and said, ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re here. Can you help me convince him? I have an important¡­¡±

    ¡°Liya, I have to get to work now. Please leave my office. If you have something to ask of me, then you will have to get in line,¡± Jenna said, interrupting Liya¡¯s sentence.

    She knew what Liya was about to ask and didn¡¯t want to waste anymore time with her.

    Liya couldn¡¯t hide her embarrassment upon hearing Jenna¡¯s words. Her face fell as a dangerous glint appeared in her gaze.

    ¡°Jenna, how can you treat me like this? Vivian herself approved of my marriage with Hansen. Although I¡¯m just the second wife,I¡¯m still rightfully his wife. I¡¯m just here to get some of the essories for the party, but all of you are trying to step all over me. Isn¡¯t this too much?¡± Liya sneered. She was still sitting on Jenna¡¯s seat without budging.

    Jenna red at Liya with her cold gaze, whichwas sharp like a dagger, sayingin a firm manner, ¡°Liya, please leave my office now. You¡¯re interrupting my work. They¡¯re all waiting for me to sign the papers so that all of us can get enough food for the next few days. You don¡¯t want to starve us all, do you?¡±

    Upon hearing Jenna¡¯s words, Liya nced out of the office. Surely enough, more and more household aides were gathered outside, with papers and mobile devices in their hands. They were all ncing at Liya as well. Their gazes were either mocking or filled with ridicule.

    Liya felt slightly guilty. Under Jenna¡¯s assertive gaze, she couldn¡¯t help but stand up from her seat.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be too arrogant. You still think that you¡¯re above us all and that they have to listen to you. I can¡¯t afford to mess with you now, but someday, I will take that away from you. I will take back everything that¡¯s supposed to be mine.¡± Liya threatened with a furious expression.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jenna brushed past her and walked to the office chair. She stared at the wrinkled seat cover that Liya sat on,frowning as she told Maud.¡°It¡¯s dirty.Maud, please get me another chair.¡±

    ¡°Yes,Madam,¡± Maud immediately replied. He walked to the living room and grabbed a new chair over, recing the previous one, before saying respectfully, ¡°Madam, please take a seat.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Jenna nodded and sat down.

    As she looked up, Liya was still there staring angrily at her. It was as if she was simply unwilling to leave the office.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to leave, are you?¡± Jenna asked coldly.

    Jenna¡¯s face was calm, but her gaze that was shot at Liya was fierce and stern.

    Liya¡¯s heart wavered again under Jenna¡¯s gaze. She wanted to leave, but she wasn¡¯t willing to give up just like that. If she stepped out of the office just then, then it would be even more difficult for her to get a simr item in the future. Liya could only be stubborn and stand still. She wanted to know what Jenna would do to her.

    Jenna nced faintly at her before picking up the office phone and dialling a number. A voice could be heard shortly after, calling out in a respectful manner, ¡°Madam.¡±

    ¡°Are you the security team leader? Call a few of your people over here to my office right now. Someone is interrupting my work. Please help maintain order and kick whoever¡¯s being disruptive away.¡±

    Her voice was not loud, but she made it clear and was decisive. There was no room left for negotiation.

    ¡°Duly noted,Madam.We will send someone over immediately,¡± the leader replied respectfully over the phone.

    Jenna hung up the phone. She sat in her seat and nced out of the office.

    ¡°Come in, all of you,¡± she said lightly to the people gathered outside.

    Upon hearing this,Maud immediately took the lead and walked in. He handed the invoicesoverto Jenna and said, ¡°Madam, please take a look at these.¡±

    Jenna epted the invoices and started analyzing them thoroughlypletely ignoring Liya¡¯s presence.

    Liya nced around at the aides. They had already formed a line, with all of them waiting obediently in silence. They had one thing inmon. It was visible through their facial expressions that they admired and respected Jenna. She started panicking.

    As for Jenna, she looked much more dignified now. She was decisive and resembled Hansen so much in this aspect.

    Liya stood there as her confidence slowly diminished. She started to worry and knew that the security guards woulde dragging her out of the office.

    Liya was alone there. All of those aides were clearly against her as they would only lean to the side that would benefit them.

    If she was wise enough, then she would have known when to escape from an unfavorable situation to avoid loss and humiliation. As long as she persisted, she would have the opportunity to seed one day.

    The wisest move for her was to walk out on her owninstead of embarrassing herselfter when the security guards arrived. With that in mind, Liya grabbed her handbag and cleared her throat as she warned spitefully, ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re tough, but remember, there will be more toe.¡±

    After saying that, Liya turned her head around and left with her high heels clicking against the ground.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    By the time the security guards rushed over, Liya was already nowhere to be seen.

    The aides in the office all breathed a sigh of relief after Liya left the office. Some of them even murmured, ¡°What a shameless b*tch.¡±

    ¡°How is it possible that someone as shameless as her still exists in this world.¡±

    ¡­

    Jenna was signing the purchase invoices as the maids murmured around. Jenna heard what they were saying, and she couldn¡¯t even describe how helpless she felt. She had no idea how long Liya would insist on stay in Richards Manorand what troubles were bound to stir up in Richards Manor.

    If things went on like that, Jenna would sooner orter grow exhausted from dealing with her. After all, it wasn¡¯t something that could be handled within a short period of time.

    The grand ball was going on in full swing.

    Liya was dressed in a gown. It was a tube top dress that ttered her voluptuous figure just right. Oscar¡¯s chubby hands were wrapped around her waistas he buried his head in her chest. They were in a tight embrace as they swayed to the music on the dance floor, ignoring the crowd.

    The atmosphere at the scene was passionate and flirty. The warm lighting in the venue filled the air, and everyone was getting passionate with their dance partner.

    Liya had already adjusted well to such a lifestyle. She was following Oscar aroundtely. She no longer had any ambition for her career path, and she already returned all herputing books to her tutor.

    Everything she wore or ate was high-end.Oscar doted on her. He would satisfy her with anything she wanted. Although it wasn¡¯tparable to her days with Hansen,the luxury and squandering lifestyle with Oscar was already up to Liya¡¯s preferences.

    Gradually, with time, Liya no longer felt miserable to be with Oscar. She was enjoying life while not letting anything else hold her back. Moreover, Oscar was exceptionally wealthy too.

    After the dance, Oscar held Liya in his arms lustfully.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, please don¡¯t,¡± Liya grumbled in a coquettish manner. Her hand brushed across Oscar¡¯s most sensitive spot as she steered her waist closer to him. Oscar had already slipped his hand inside her undergarments, trying to please her.

    Oscar had been enjoying life and didn¡¯t have to worry about anything else. He was robust. Now that Liya had moved into Richards Manor, it had been a whole day since Oscarst touched her. He was clearly aroused and excited.

    They impatiently found a secluded spot in the dance hall and immediately had their limbs entangled.

    Liya would rather wear Oscaroutright thenthan have him torturing her for the rest of the night.

    Everyone was cuddling and being touchy with their own partner on the dance floor. No one would cast a nce at what any couple was doing.

    As soon as they sat down, Oscar was already impatient as he ripped off her undergarments and pushed the hem of her dress upwards, immediatelybiting on her body.

    Liya let out a cry as Oscar pressed her against the couch.

 Chapter 607 Zoella Has Been Set Up

    Oscar¡¯s mouth on Liya as he removed his pants impatiently. The two of them were then entangled passionately in the dark and secluded corner.

    There was a coffee table by the exit, near the circr pir. Two women were sitting there, with their gazes fixed on Liya and Oscar.

    ¡°Miss Yates, will we get to intercept Liyater?¡± Octavia nced over at Liya and Oscar, with disgust filling her eyes, as she asked with slight concern.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Liya has moved back to Richards Manor. She has to return there every night.Otherwise, she will be kicked out.¡± Zoe lowered her head and said faintly, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for her by the exitter.¡±

    ¡°Sure, Miss Yates,¡± Octavia replied. She was clearly unustomed to the lustful atmosphere of that ce.Couples there were obviously having fun with each other. She found that ce filthy and disgusting at the same time.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, are you done yet?¡± Liya asked after Oscar roughly possessed her, as he seemed to have the desire for more.

    ¡°Baby, don¡¯t be in such a hurry. Let¡¯s get ourselves a room at the Sheraton Hotel tonight,¡± Oscar said with a heavy pant, clearly not content yet.

    Liya was taken aback when she heard this. There was no way for her to spend the night outside. She immediately hugged him by the neck and said, ¡°Mr. Jones, you know I¡¯m already Hansen¡¯s second wife by name.I can¡¯t spend the night outside. You promised me this.¡±

    ¡°No way. You will still have to spend the night with me even if you¡¯re Hansen¡¯s mother. Otherwise, I will not let you get away with this.¡± Oscar threatened viciously. Lust had already filled his conscience that he couldn¡¯t be bothered about Liya¡¯s concerns.

    Liya could only curse in silence. She couldn¡¯t help but to worry about her future if Oscar continued to be this stubborn.

    Light music started ying from the dance floor. Oscar once again had his hand on Liya¡¯s waist as they slipped onto the dance floor.

    Liya was dancing with Oscar while at the same time plotting an escape n forter that night. Under the sparkling dance lights, she could feel that someone was watching over her. Liya felt goosebumps covering her scalp under that gaze.

    Liya had been feeling this for a while, and she finally got to see that woman¡¯s face. Her presence alone was a nightmare for Liya.

    At the coffee table by the exit.

    Zoe was sitting there, with her gaze fixed on Liya. Her gaze was cold and terrifying, sending chills down Liya¡¯s spine.

    Liya immediately turned around.

    She buried her face in Oscar¡¯s chubby neck as she drowned herself in deep thoughts.

    Zoe, that wicked woman, threatened Liya everywhere she went with the video of her getting intimate with Oscar.

    Liya had never been able to restrain her anger towards Zoe.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, why don¡¯t we y something exciting today?¡± Liya whispered in Oscar¡¯s ear after she nced hatefully at Zoe.

    The perverted Oscar¡¯s eyes lit up as he heard this and immediately asked, ¡°My beauty, what do you have in mind?¡±

    Liya chuckled and whispered something to Oscar. He immediately brightened up and said, ¡°That¡¯s fantastic. Let¡¯s get going then.¡±

    Shortly after.

    Oscar led Liya to a private room upstairs.

    Zoe and Octavia were still waiting for Liya once the party was over. After sipping a cup of coffee, Octavia gasped and said, ¡°Miss Yates, we lost Liya, that b*tch.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Zoe was shocked to hear that. She nced around at the venue. Oscar and Liya were really nowhere to be seen. She then stood up in shock.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Zoe said before leading Octavia outside.

    ¡°Miss Yates, Mr. Jones is asking for you,¡± a man in the corridor said loudly as he approached Zoe. He even made an inviting gesture to her.

    Zoe was startled. How did Oscar find out that she was there?

    Moreover, Oscar was asking for her. Zoe knew well that his intentions would never be pure or innocent.

    Could it be that Liya had already left the venue?

    Zoe was confused as she froze in ce.

    The man took another step forward and said expressionlessly, ¡°Miss Yates, Mr. Jones is waiting for you in room 908 upstairs. I¡¯ve already passed along the message, and I¡¯ll leave now.¡±

    The man didn¡¯t wait for Zoe to respond before turning around and left.

    Zoe felt weak in her knees.

    It wasn¡¯t part of her n for Oscar to discover her. Zoe had fallen into his trap.

    She didn¡¯t even have to think twice before realizing Oscar¡¯s intention of asking her over.

    It must be that he was bored after Liya left.So, he thought of her instead.

    Zoe gritted her teeth as rage built up in her gaze!

    ¡°Miss Yates, what should we do? Should you go and meet him?¡± Octavia asked anxiously as she nced at Zoewith concern.

    Zoe¡¯s face was contorted, struggling for a long while before finally managing to say the word, ¡°Sure.¡±

    Octavia watched in horror as Zoe headed up the stairs. She was flustered.

    Zoe pressed on the elevator button and stood there with a nk expression.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Zoe was at a disadvantage against Oscar. Not only did he have the video recording of her,she also had to make full use of the Jones family. There was no doubt.

    She finally arrived at room 908.

    Zoe rang the doorbell. Her hands trembled.

    After a while, the door was opened from the inside. Oscar¡¯s lustful face appeared in front of Zoe.

    ¡°Oscar, were you looking for me?¡± Zoe asked with slight restlessness.

    ¡°Of course I was. Come in here, my wife.¡± Oscar smiled widely with his yellowish teeth showing as he pulled Zoe into his room, and lifted her up before tossing her onto the couch.

    Zoe was a little dizzy from the impact. She couldn¡¯t react for a while. However, she heard a chuckle from aside, saying, ¡°Mr. Jones, don¡¯t be in such a hurry. I still need her to help me remove these shoes.¡±

    Zoe was dumbfounded to hear this voice.

    There was another woman in the room, and she was none other than that disgusting Liya.

    What the h*ll was going on!

    Zoe sat up hurriedly.

    The lighting was warm, and the lustful ambience in the room almost made Zoe puke with disgust. She suppressed the disgust inside of herand noticed that Liya was sitting across from her in her sultry nightdress, casually crossing her legs. As for Oscar, he had already stripped down and was lounging on the couch. His gaze was travelling between Liya and Zoe, as if he was nning what to do with the two of them.

    ¡°Liya, why are you here?¡± Zoe stood up and asked furiously.

    ¡°Zoe, we¡¯re about to have a good night. How can I not invite you over when we¡¯re about to have fun together?¡± Liya said with a smile that never quite reached her eyes. Her gaze was fixed on Zoe¡¯s furious expression, and she was delighted to have provoked Zoe.

    Liya snorted and sneered as she thought to herself, ¡°B*tch, what are you staring at? Greater humiliation is waiting for you ahead. This will teach you a lesson for trying to step all over me. I¡¯m certain that Oscar will have so much fun torturing you today.¡±

    ¡°What the h*ll are you nning to do?¡± Zoe¡¯s face fell as she asked, ¡°Were you behind all of this?¡±

    Liya crossed her legs and smiled casually.

    ¡°Tsk, tsk. Zoe, don¡¯t make it sound so awful. You may look all noble on the outside, but you can¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re nothing but a sl*t.¡±

    Liya wasn¡¯t bothered by how furious Zoe was at that moment. She continued to say with a click of the tongue, ¡°Mr. Jones is in such a great mood today.You¡¯d better not ruin that. We can¡¯t leave you out of our fun, can we? I¡¯m doing this for your own good. Otherwise, with all that desire pent up inside you, you will fall sick.¡±

    Liya leaned towards Oscar and brushed a finger across his body while she said that, asking flirtatiously, ¡°Mr. Jones, who do you wish to go first? Or do you want both of us to please you together?¡±

    Oscar was extremely excited and energetic under such stimtion. He seemed satisfied and approved of Liya¡¯s suggestion.

    ¡°How about this?My beauty, you can start first. My wife doesn¡¯t know much about this stuff. You may show her the ropes. We have the whole night to ourselves. Let¡¯s take things slow,¡± Oscar said with a lustful tone, anid a hand on Liya¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Sure, Mr. Jones.But then I¡¯m still wearing my heels right now. I don¡¯t want to get my hands dirty from removing the heels. What should I do?¡± Liya leaned further towards Oscar as she extended her calves towards Zoe. She then said, ¡°Zoe, can you be kind and help me remove my heels?¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Zoe finally understood Liya¡¯s intention. She had invited Zoe over to such an outrageous activity and humiliated Zoe by making use of how much Oscar adored her. Zoe was so mad that she pointed a finger at Liya but couldn¡¯te up with a full sentence.

    ¡°Liya, you really are beyond my expectations, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ve never pegged you as someone this ridiculous. You are a sl*t who can sleep with any man just to reach your goal,¡± Zoe said while gritting her teeth. She didn¡¯t move an inch,and rage boiled in her eyes.

    ¡°Wifey,e on.Just remove her heels and stop ruining my mood.¡± Oscar was so excited that his eyes were bloodshot. He couldn¡¯t wait to pouncesimplyon Liya and was annoyed to see Zoe standing over there.

    It was too humiliating if Zoe were to remove Liya¡¯s heels.

    Zoe could never agree to this. She red at Oscar coldly and said, ¡°Oscar, how will Matteo react if he finds out about this?¡±

    Zoe¡¯s words were like cold water pouring on burning charcoal.

    Oscar felt his body cooling down to a certain degree. At first, he was in the mood for more, but after he heard Zoe¡¯s words, he was no longer enticed. Fear appeared in his gaze, and he was frustrated.

    Matteo had a few sons,and the inheritance of his assets was allocated ording to Matteo¡¯s preferences. If Matteo didn¡¯t like one son, then he wouldn¡¯t allocate much to that son¡¯s inheritance. As for Oscar, he had already gotten himself into trouble several times out of his womanizing behavior, and Matteo was not happy with that.

    Oscar wouldn¡¯t be that foolish to dismiss how attractive it was to stay rich.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, she¡¯s an evil woman.She¡¯s the one who got you punished by Matteo thest time, andyou¡¯d better be careful not to let her do it again,¡± Liya said. Shesneered a little as she heard what Zoe had said, wrapping her arms around Oscar¡¯s neckwhile teasing him. Oscar was again aroused by her touch.

    ¡°F*ck, so it was you who reported it to Matteo thest time.¡± Oscar red at Zoe with his red eyes and said viciously, ¡°Let me tell you, Zoe.You better know your ce and stop with your tricks. If you continue to get me into trouble and ruin things for me, I swear I¡¯ll make life difficult for you once you marry into our family. You can try me if you want.¡±

    Zoe¡¯s limbs turned cold as she saw how vicious Oscar looked.

    She knew firsthand just how ridiculous Oscar could be.

    ¡°Take off her heels this instant. Keep me happy, and I¡¯ll give you what you want, orI¡¯ll make you suffer through this night,¡± Oscar growled at Zoe before lying back onto the bed.

    Liya knew that she had achieved her goal, and she immediately leaned against Oscar, with her chest pressing against his arms. She said, ¡°Mr. Jones, don¡¯t be so mad. Let me console you.¡±

    She pressed her lips onto his, and her hands wavered across his body.

    Oscar was smitten and had long forgotten about what happened earlier. He could only focus his mind and body on Liya.

 Chapter 608 Tortured

    ¡°Be quick, remove my heels for me,¡± Liya said in an annoyed tone. She wasughing and flirting with Oscar, but she noticed that Zoe still hadn¡¯t removed her heels for her.

    Oscar was already aroused by Liya, but upon hearing what she had said, his mood was once again ruined. He looked up and saw Zoe standing still. Rage built up in him. He grabbed an ashtray from the coffee table and sent it flying towards her as he let out a curse, ¡°B*tch.¡±

    The ashtray was aimed towards her.Zeo couldn¡¯t dodge in time, and the ashtray crashed into her arm. She immediately felt a stinging pain.

    Liya looked mockingly at her as she said, ¡°Zoe,I only wanted you to remove my heels for me.Was it that hard?¡±

    Zoe could only suppress her anger and re hatefully at Liya. She gritted her teeth as she bent down and started removing her heels.

    It was against Zoe¡¯s will to do this, and the straps on the heels were intricate as well. After several attempts, Zoe still couldn¡¯t manage to remove them.

    ¡°Ouch, it hurts. What are you trying to do?¡± Liyained as she kicked Zoe in the face with her heels on.

    Zoe was caught off guard, and as she was kicked in the nose, sheimmediately cried out andsucked in a breath of pain. Her hand was covered in blood after she wiped her nose.

    ¡°Liya, you sl*t, you¡¯re going too far with this!¡± Zoe had never been set up like that. Moreover, it was by Liya. Zoe couldn¡¯t withstand her anger anymore.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, look at her. She wasn¡¯t willing to remove my heels at all, and she hurt my ankle,¡± Liyained to Oscar in a coquettish manner with a wronged look on her face, although she was delighted to see Zoe being set up.

    Oscar was just getting in the mood to have two beauties spending the night with him. He had all sorts of tricks in mind, but before he could go any further with them, the both of them had already started arguing with each other. He was annoyed, especially after he heard Liya saying that her heels had not been removed yet.

    Oscarimmediately sprungup and grabbed Zoe¡¯s head before pping hard on her cheeks,yelling, ¡°You b*tch, you¡¯d better start listening to me! How dare you keep on ruining things for me! I¡¯m going to teach you a hard lesson today, so that you can never crawl back to report against me.¡±

    Oscar bellowed as he grabbed her head and hit it against the grounduntil he almost knocked her out. He then ripped off her clothes and tied her arms behind her back. He tossed her on the couch as he gritted his teeth, saying, ¡°You b*tch, learn something from her. If you can satisfy me enough tonight, then I¡¯ll let you go away for irritating me. Otherwise, I will not let you get away.¡±

    Oscar was cursing and yelling at her, but the anger in his heart did not subside. Hended another kick squarely on Zoe¡¯s stomachbefore he turned around and continued having fun with Liya.

    Zoe¡¯s head rumbled. Her entire body was in so much pain that it felt as if it was going to split open. She curled up on the couch. The moaning and groaning sounds from Oscar and Liya could be heard.

    Zoe experienced it all, that night, on what it meant to be humiliated, what it meant to be a sl*t, and what it meant to be in so much pain that she wished she could just die.

    That night, Zoe had to endure the pain in her body and surrender herself to Oscar¡¯s maniption, whereas Liya watched aside with a mocking smile. Throughout that night, Oscar would even demand Liya and Zoe to please him with different methods.

    Liya was not as smart as Zoe in plotting against someone, but Zoe could neverpete with Liya in bed.

    Zoe couldn¡¯t satisfy Oscar in bed, whereas it was a piece of cake for Liya. Moreover, with Liya sowing discord, Zoe had to endure physical abuse from Oscar that night. If it weren¡¯t for Oscar, who had held her captive, Zoe would have already taken her own life.

    It was not until dawn when Oscar finally fell asleep.

    Zoey on the couch, gasping vulnerably. She couldn¡¯t get up at all.

    ¡°Hmph, things will only be worse for you if you decide to go against me,¡± Liya said as she stood up and got changed as if nothing had happened to her at all. She walked in front of Zoe and picked up her chin with her cold fingers before saying coldly, ¡°Zoe, let me tell you this. Since you¡¯re threatening me with my video, I also filmed whatever you did with Oscar tonight. If you irritate me further, then I swear I will ruin your reputation and your life.¡±

    Liyaughed sinisterly after saying that. There was a murderous glint in Zoe¡¯s gaze. Liya shot a nce at the wounds on Zoe¡¯s body resulting from Oscar¡¯s whipping, smiled smugly, and walked out of the room in her high heels with her head held high.

    Zoe continued to lie there with a deathly pale face. It took her a long while before she decided to stand up and get changed. She stumbled along her way out of the room.

    Meanwhile, Octavia felt uneasy throughout the whole night in their hotel room. Zoe hadn¡¯t been back the entire night. She paced around in the room anxiously, just as someone twisted the doorknob.

    The scene left Octavia trembling in fear.

    She almost couldn¡¯t recognize that the woman standing in front of her was Zoe.

    Her cheeks were swollen, her nose was bruised, and there was blood seeping through the corners of her mouth. If it weren¡¯t for her outfitand the familiar hairstyle, Octavia could never tell that the woman was Zoe, who had always looked arrogant and tough.

    Octavia didn¡¯t have to ask to know what had happened the night before!

    She sighed in silence.

    If Zoe wasn¡¯t that arrogant, if Zoe wasn¡¯t that proud, then she could¡¯ve led a great career path on her own, but she went down the wrong route and fell in love with the wrong person. Perhaps fate was messing around with her.

    Octavia was aware that Zoe had known Hansen since they were children. They could be considered to be well-acquainted. If Vivian hadn¡¯t arranged for Jenna to marry Hansen back then, then it could be that Zoe would already be Mrs. Richards by now¡­

    Octavia thought about this possibility absent-mindedly.

    Zoe stumbled a few steps and fell head first onto the bed.

    Octavia hurriedly brought over some warm water to help Zoe clean up after pausing for a moment. The more fabric she removed from Zoe, the more she couldn¡¯t withstand the sight of her battered body. She was terrified. Just how pervertedwas Oscar to torture a woman like that?

    If that was the case,then Zoe would definitely suffer throughout their marriage if shewere to get married to him.

    s, women had difficult lives.

    Octavia shook her head and carefully wiped Zoe clean.

    ¡°Octavia, Liya is really good-for-nothing.She¡¯s a sl*t.¡± Zoe groaned in pain while getting those words out from between her teeth.

    Octavia stopped her movement and asked in bewilderment, ¡°Miss Yates, was Liya there too?¡±

    Octavia was shocked.

    ¡°She¡¯s wasn¡¯t just there. She schemed all this.¡± Zoe gritted her teeth and swallowed a mouthful of blood from the corner of her lips,continuing to say, ¡°She¡¯s just shameless. She deliberately pleased Oscar to get him to humiliate me at the same time.¡±

    Zoe once again wanted to die as she was reminded of what had happened the night before. Her hatred for Liya started sprouting and expanding.

    ¡°She¡¯s just too disgusting.¡± Octavia was shocked to hear that. She knew Zoe was implying that she and Liya had spent the night pleasing Oscartogether. Being involved in something like that would only make Zoe feel worse than having to kill her.

    ¡°Not only that, but she also filmed a video of Oscar torturing mest night. She¡¯s using that as a threat.¡± Zoe felt the stinging pain in her cheeks and gnashed her teeth.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Octavia was so shocked that the towel in her hand fell off.

    In their original n from the previous night, Zoe wanted to intercept Liya and threaten her to find the Ocean Heart from Richards Manor. Zoe wanted to exchange the video recording in her hand with that piece of jewelry. Yet, she fell into Liya¡¯s trap.

    Now that Liya also had a video recording of hers, they were even. Zoe could never threaten Liya to do anything for her.

    ¡°Miss Yates, if that¡¯s the case, then we won¡¯t have anything to hold against Liya. What should we do?¡± Octavia felt helpless.

    A sinister smile appeared on Zoe¡¯s face as she said, ¡°I will never let that sl*t get away. If it weren¡¯t for her,Jenna would havealreadybeen in prison. If it weren¡¯t for her, Yaris wouldn¡¯t have died. If it weren¡¯t for her, the Richards Group would have been destroyed.I would have Hansen begging for my mercy, and getting the Ocean Heart wouldn¡¯t be such a hefty task.¡±

    Zoe¡¯s expression was twisted as she said that.

    Moreover, she had been schemed against the night before, and she had to endure Oscar¡¯s torture as well as humiliation. Zoe could never tolerate such a thing.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. We should just cut Liya, that b*tch, into pieces. She deserves it anyway,¡± Octavia replied furiously.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let Oscar, that b*stard, off that easily either.¡± Zoe groaned and muttered, ¡°Just wait until I¡¯m done with Liya. I will maim him as a man. That perverted dumb pig.¡±

    ¡°But then, Miss Yates, we have nothing against Liya anymore. What should we do with her?¡± Octavia asked with concern. She suddenly was reminded of something and hurriedly said, ¡°Miss Yates, how about this? I heard that Oscar has spent tens of millions of dors on Liya. Why don¡¯t we let Matteo know about this? Matteo will be extremely furious and will definitely ask for Oscar. Liya will then be left without her support.¡±

    Octavia said with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

    However, Zoe dismissed her suggestion. She shook her head and said, ¡°No. It wouldn¡¯t be effective on her anymore. She still has Richards Manor even without Oscar. If we want to seek revenge, then we will have to wait for a better opportunity. Moreover, she is still useful to me for now.¡±

    Zoe was staring into the distance as she said that. The bloody scratches on her swollen cheek were still visible. Sorrow started shrouding her gaze.

    Octavia was terrified to see her like that. This was her first time seeing sadness and loneliness in Zoe. It was as if the usually tough and confident Zoe was dead inside.

    ¡°Octavia, Sergio has his eyes on the Ocean Heart. Everyone has their eyes on that priceless piece of jewel, but I can never let Sergio get it.¡± Zoe said with her drifting eyes widened, ¡°Send someone to infiltrate Richards Manor from tomorrow onwards. Ask them to keep an eye on Liya. As long as she¡¯s in there, we will have our chance.¡±

    Octavia blinked her eyes and asked in confusion, ¡°Does Liya even know about thispiece of the jewel?¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°She will know,¡± Zoe said as cold sweat started trickling down her forehead. She curled up with her hand over her stomach as she appeared to be in pain.

 Chapter 609 Forbidden To Set Foot In Vivianâ€™s Bedroom Ever Again

    ¡°Miss Yates, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Octavia gasped and immediately attended to Zoe.

    ¡°My tummy hurts. It hurts.¡± Zoe bit her lips. She was drenched in sweat and looked pale.

    ¡°Ah, let¡¯s get you to the hospital then.¡± Octavia helped her up in a panic.

    Zoe gritted her teeth as she endured the waves of paining from her stomach. She felt as if there was blood flowing out between her legs.

    Oscar kicked her squarely in the stomach the night before, which almost made her pass out from the pain. Not only did Oscar torture her that night, he also shoved cigarette ends and a lighter inside of herunder Liya¡¯s provocation.

    She didn¡¯t know how she managed to survive.She felt cold all over her body, and the pain inside of her abdomen kept surging tothe extent that she was not able to stand up on her own.

    Octavia could only try her best to support Zoe and head outside with her.

    There was more blood flowing out from in between Zoe¡¯s legs.Even a sanitary pad couldn¡¯t stop the bleeding.

    They finally reached downstairs. Octavia drove Zoe to the hospital. After they arrived at the hospital, she helped Zoe out of the car and saw the bloody liquid in the backseat. The scent of blood filled the entire car.

    Octavia panicked.

    She hurriedly got Zoe a doctor¡¯s appointment, and the hospital performed a round of examinations on Zoe.

    The doctor told them with a neutral expression that Zoe had a miscarriage.

    Zoe and Octavia were shocked to hear that.

    Zoe was actually pregnant.

    Shey on the surgical chair in the hospital. Her face was as pale as ash.

    It had been a couple of months since Oscar first tortured her, and she was carrying the fruit of his torture all this while.

    She was pregnant, and it was obviously Oscar¡¯s.

    Oscar happened to have kicked the fetus inside of her the previous night. That was great!

    Zoe shivered with her teeth chattering as she let out a burst of heart-rendingughter.

    After leaving the operating theater, Zoey in the ward with her facepale. She stared nkly out of the window.

    She was pregnant, and the father of the baby kicked her until she miscarried.

    It was fine. She finally didn¡¯t have to bear the psychological burden of carrying his baby around anymore.

    If she was still pregnant,then she wouldn¡¯t know what to do.

    Tears streamed down from her eyes in silence. She shut her eyes.

    Richards Manorwas shrouded in a thinyer of the early morning mist. The birds were chirping on top of a tree, bringing with them a cheerful ambience.

    Liya got out of the electric vehicle. She clicked on her heels, with her purse in hand, as she headed towards the corridor to the Ink Garden.

    After working hard the night before, Liya received two million dors from Oscar, and she managed to teach Zoe, that b*tch, a lesson. Although Liya was tired,she was clearly in a good mood.

    She could see from a distance that Aunt E had taken a pot with her as she walked out of the Ink Garden lounge, heading outside.

    Liya yawned as she was about to return to her guest room for a nap.

    There was no one in the living room when Liya walked past.

    Liya was about to continue walking further down, but she paused and pondered for a while. She cast a nce at the living room, and there was indeed no one inside. Liya was reminded of the time when she snuck into Vivian¡¯s bedroom to tamper with the will, and she was eager to do so again.

    Vivian was the richest person in the Ink Garden. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if she had a vast collection of rare jewels in her bedroom. Liya only managed to tamper with the will previously, and obtained benefits from it. With her current identity, she didn¡¯t have to sneak into Vivian¡¯s bedroom anymore.

    With that in mind, Liya smoothed the creases on her outfitand strode right into Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    Vivian was still lying on her bed. She was so weak that she looked like a ball of cotton wool.

    ¡°D*mn old woman.¡± Liya let out a low curse as she walked over, and nced coldly at her. She then swept a nce around the bedroom, searching for any valuable item.

    However, apart from those heavy brown furniture, there weren¡¯t any particrly fine items in Vivian¡¯s bedroom. Although those heavy brown furniture were valuable as well,it was impossible for Liya to move them out of the bedroom on her own.

    Liya then cast a nce at the desk. There was some antique stuff on it, and she couldn¡¯t tell how much they were worth. She was slightly disappointed at once.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna,¡± Vivian suddenly started to mutter with her throat puffing.

    Liya, who was rummaging around, was startled upon hearing her voice. She immediately lowered her head to look at Vivian.

    She saw that Vivian¡¯s eyes were closed. Although she was muttering,Vivian was not fully conscious.

    Liya heard the name Jenna clearly. She was reminded of how Vivian had stated in her will that Hansen was not allowed to marry Liya herself, and that Richards Manor no longer owed Liya anything. Vivian was cruel to her, yet protective towards Jenna. This thought alone made Liya extremely jealous and upset. She cast a vicious nce at Vivian.

    Why in the world was Vivian still alive? Liya thought to herself. She then bent down and started searching through Vivian¡¯s bed frame, hoping that she could find something valuable.

    There was an antique jade by the headboard. It seemed to be of the finest quality and was worth a fortune. Her hand moved beyond Vivian and was about to reach the jade.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Vivian suddenly asked.

    Liya was frightened to hear that. She immediately looked at Vivian.

    To her surprise, Vivian was staring right at her.

    Although Vivian still looked weak and pale, there was something dignified and terrifying about her gaze, which sent a chill down Liya¡¯s spine.

    Liya withdrew her hand and took a step back out of guilt,drenched in a cold sweat from fright.

    Right at that moment, she could hear someone talking in the corridor.

    ¡°Aunt E, did Grandma eat any congee today?¡± Jenna was heard asking in a gentle tone.

    ¡°Madam, she did eat some congee.¡± Aunt E replied respectfully, ¡°But then, her incontinence problem has caused some blisters on her skin. I did put some napkin pads for her instead, but you know that she values her personal hygiene a lot. She would always try to get rid of them.¡±

    ¡°s, Aunt E, thank you so much for taking care of her. She¡¯s blessed to have you by her side,¡± Jenna replied gratefully. She knew how exhausting it must be for Aunt E to take care of Vivian, and she was doing it even better than Marissa did.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee,Madam. The Old Madam took care of me well all this while. It¡¯s time for me to repay her for this,¡± Aunt E replied politely.

    As they spoke, they walked into Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    Both of them were surprised as they stepped into the room.

    ¡°Grandma, you have to cover up yourself with this quilt. It¡¯s summertime now, but it¡¯s still cold with this air-conditioning. You can¡¯t catch a cold.¡± Liya was speaking in a gentle tone as she bent down and tugged Vivian under the sheets.

    Jenna and Aunt E exchanged horrified looks with each other, as they thought to themselves, why did Liyae in?

    ¡°Liya, how can youe into Grandma¡¯s room as you like?¡± Jenna asked with a dignified tone after clearing her throat.

    Upon hearing Jenna¡¯s voice, Liya turned around with an exaggerated, wide smile on her face.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    ¡°Jenna, how can you talk in such a manner?I¡¯m the rightful second wife to Hansen appointed by Grandma herself in her will. She has done so much for me. So, of course, I will have to take care of her,¡± Liya said in an exaggerated tone.

    Vivian¡¯s will?

    Jenna trembled slightly as she heard that. She was reminded of the contents written in Vivian¡¯s will and felt ufortable.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Aunt E snorted and said loudly, ¡°The Old Madam¡¯s bedroom is only essible to the madams, young madams, and children of the Richards family. As for the other wives and mistresses, they¡¯re not allowed to enter Old Madam¡¯s bedroom on their own. I hope that certain people will keep in mind that Old Madam herself doesn¡¯t like people breaking this rule too.¡±

    Aunt E then faced Liya and said, ¡°You may leave now. We can take care of Old Madam. Please leave this instant.¡±

    She clearly didn¡¯t wee Liya¡¯s presence in the bedroom. Aunt E had always been vocal about her dislike towards Liya.

    Liya lifted an eyebrow as she nced at Aunt E and said coldly, ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t know your ce here, old woman. I¡¯m the second wife to the head of the family, and I¡¯m appointed by Grandma herself. So, tell me. Why can¡¯t I visit her and why can¡¯t I take care of her? You¡¯re nothing but a helper. Who are you to be talking back to me?¡±

    Aunt E¡¯s heart felt as if it was stuffed when she heard that. Her expression darkened. She had been taking care of Vivian for so long. Everyone in Richards Manor respected her. Even Vivian herself adored her, and wouldn¡¯t talk harshly to her. Yet, Liya was scolding her. Aunt E was frustrated.

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t stand it any longer andimmediatelyshouted. She continued saying, ¡°Liya, don¡¯t get too ahead of yourself. You should be d that Mr. Trevor had approved of your stay. How dare you talk so harshly in Grandma¡¯s bedroom? You¡¯re ridiculous. Let me tell you this. From today onwards, you¡¯re forbidden to set foot in Grandma¡¯s bedroom. Otherwise, I¡¯ll ask the security guards to kick you out of the Ink Garden and let you extend your stay in the maid¡¯s quarters in the Green Jade Garden instead. Try me if you don¡¯t believe my words.¡±

    Jenna red at Liya with a serious expression.

    ¡°Jenna, you shouldn¡¯t get too ahead of yourself either. Yes, Vivian did arrange your marriage with Hansen, but as for me? I¡¯m the woman she appointed in her will, the woman that Hansen must marry. So, how dare you act like you¡¯re superior to me? How dare you disrespect me?¡± Liya protested.

    The corners of Jenna¡¯s mouth slightly twitched as she fixed her sharp gaze on Liya.

    ¡°Liya, it¡¯s important for you to know your ce. Do you really think Vivian will revise her will to include that?¡± Jenna asked as she took a step forward.

    Liya was forced to take a step back under Jenna¡¯s imposing aura. Her heart was thumping loudly as she asked, ¡°What do you mean? Are you trying to go against her will?¡±

    ¡°What do I mean?¡± Jenna sneered. ¡°We all know, don¡¯t we? Grandma already stated clearly that the Richards family don¡¯t owe youanythinganymore. Yet, why did she revise her will for Hansen to marry you under the current circumstances? Try to think of this. If you still have doubts, then why don¡¯t we ask Grandma for confirmation then? I¡¯m sure she will give us the correct answer on whether the revised will is valid or not. Although Grandma is mostly semi-conscious,there are times where she is clear-headed. Don¡¯t worry. I will get to the bottom of this.¡±

    Jenna sounded confident, whereas Liya got more and more uneasy. She was reminded of the cold and sharp nce from Vivian earlier. She was once again drenched in sweat. She believed Jenna¡¯s words, and she didn¡¯t dare confront her any further. Liya could only gather up her courage and said, ¡°Let me tell you, Jenna, I¡¯m not afraid of you. I will marry Hansen, and you¡¯ll never stop me. Let¡¯s wait and see.¡± After saying that, Liya left the room in haste.

 Chapter 610 Weâ€™ll See, B*tch

    ¡°Stop right there, Liya,¡± Jenna shouted at Liya, who left in a hurry.

    After taking a few steps, Liya couldn¡¯t help but toe to a halt.

    ¡°Liya, I¡¯m warning you that you¡¯re not to set foot in Grandma¡¯s bedroom from today onwards. We all highly respect Grandma, and I will never allow filthy women like you to tarnish her dignity. Keep this in mind. Otherwise, I will have the security kick you out. Also, you must remember that your stay was approved out of Mr. Trevor¡¯skindness. If you ever try to stir trouble in Richards Manor, then I will never forgive you,¡± Jenna warned with a stern voice.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see, b*tch.¡± Liya let out a low curse. However, she didn¡¯t have the guts to confront Jenna any further in Vivian¡¯s bedroom. It wasn¡¯t because she was afraid of Jenna. She was concerned that Vivian might wake up anytime, and she would be in great trouble by then. Therefore, after letting out a muffled curse, she then left the room dejectedly.

    After returning to her bedroom, Liya nced around at the antique furniture. She thought to herself that her days in the noble Richards family weren¡¯t half as fun as thevish days she spent with Oscar. She nced at the new quilt on her antique bed, and she got even more frustrated, but what annoyed her more was how much more powerful Jenna had be. Everyone under this roof obeyed Jenna¡¯s words while they wouldn¡¯t even bother to cast another nce at Liya. This made Liya feel unfair and upset.

    A wave of drowsiness hit her and she yawned. She did not have the time to think about anything, falling asleep on the bed.

    ¡°Madam, do you really believe that Old Madam would regain her consciousness and testify against Liya?¡± Aunt E asked Jenna as she thought of how Jenna had taught Liya a lesson. She was a little relieved to see Liya leaving the room, panicking.

    Jenna smiled wryly and said, ¡°Aunt E, it¡¯s difficult for Grandma even to recognize us by now,let alone hoping that she will recall all this. I said that just to scare Liya off.¡±

    Aunt E nodded thoughtfully and sighed. ¡°Anyway, there is something really suspicious about Old Madam¡¯s will. No matter how confused Old Madam is because of her illness, it just doesn¡¯t sound like her to make such a will.That¡¯s odd. Could it be that someone else had snuck into her room and amended her will instead?¡±

    Aunt E muttered with a puzzled look on her face.

    Jenna was reminded of the guilty look in Liya¡¯s eyes, and the light in her eyes condensed into a straight line.

    She was lost in thought and didn¡¯t say anything in response to Aunt E.

    ¡°Madam, are you looking for me?¡± Lomen asked. He had been staying in the Ink Garden ever since Trevor had arranged for him to protect Jenna for the time being.

    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Jenna stood up and closed the door to the Ink Garden¡¯s office. She then said seriously, ¡°Lomen, I need you to keep an eye on Liya from today onwards. Take note of whatever she did and wherever she went, and then report to me daily.¡±

    Lomen was stunned. He then shook his head and said, ¡°No, Madam, I can¡¯t do this. Mr. Trevor made himself clear that I have to keep you safe. I can¡¯t fulfil your tasks if it means that I will have to leave your side.¡±

    His words were stubborn and firm.

    ¡°Lomen, I understand where you¡¯reing from, but you have to think about this. I won¡¯t be anywhere else but in Richards Manor. Everyone here respects me. No one will hurt me except for Liya. You keeping an eye on her will be protecting me in return,¡± Jenna replied firmly.

    Lomen noticed how determined Jenna was. He had to agree that her words made sense as well.So, heimmediately said, ¡°Madam, it¡¯s a critical moment now, especially when everyone else around Mr. Richards is upied with their tasks. You have to be aware of your surroundings and keep yourself safe, so that Mr. Richards can focus on getting his things done.¡±

    Jenna smiled faintly and said, ¡°I know about that. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Lomen felt more at ease and left the office.

    In the study of Green Jade Garden, Trevor was practising his lettering skills.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, Madam asked me to keep an eye on Liya from today onwards. What do you have to say about this?¡± Lomen walked in for an inquiry.

    Trevor lifted his head. There was a brief moment of shock on his expression, but soon, a smile reced that.

    ¡°Was that what she asked of you?¡± Trevor asked casually.

    ¡°Yes. She asked me in her office in the Ink Garden and assigned this task to me,¡± Lomen replied honestly.

    With a pen in hand, Trevor concentrated on writing something on the paper before looking up at Lomen again.

    ¡°Lomen, what about the verification of the will?¡± Trevor asked nonchntly.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, that will take much more time than expected,¡± Lomen replied, shaking his head.

    ¡°Lomen, even if we can prove that the handwriting on the will was amended, we still can¡¯t prove who¡¯s behind this. Although we have a hundred reasons to believe that it is Liya,they¡¯re just baseless usations. Therefore, it¡¯s right for Jenna to ask you to keep an eye on Liya. You can just carry out the task as per Jenna¡¯s instruction, while at the same time, protect Jenna at all costs, especially when Liya is at home. You have to be aware if she¡¯ll pull any trick on Jenna,¡± Trevor said in a serious manner as he put his pen down.

    By keeping an eye on Liya, it was possible for them to find more clues to their unanswered questions. This was what Trevor nned to do,and apparently, Jenna shared the same thought.

    Lomen was relieved after getting Trevor¡¯s approval.

    At an apartment in Capital City.

    It was located in a suburb of the city. The trees were dense, and the surroundings were quiet. There were few people living in this area, and itwas secluded.

    Hansen arrived at this ce in the early hours of the morning.

    He arrived in a cab.

    Hansen just stepped into the apartment when Luqman approached him with a wide smile.

    ¡°Young Master Richards, you¡¯ve worked hard,¡± Luqman said as he held Hansen¡¯s hand.

    Hansen smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re wee, Mr. Wood.¡±

    The two of them chatted for a while before taking their seats.

    ¡°Mr. Wood, is Ezrah still refusing to reveal anything?¡± Hansen asked after taking his seat.

    Luqman put on a solemn look and shook his head.

    ¡°His mouth is shut tightly. He was trained by Yadriel himself and had been following Yadriel for a long time. It makes sense that he¡¯s staying loyal to Yadriel.¡± Luqman said helplessly, ¡°I used my connections and sent Ezrah away for some made-up business trips, so that our people could capture him. If he still keeps his mouth shut, with the climax of our election perioding tomorrow, then I can¡¯t keep up with this anymore. I will have to admit defeat by tomorrow, and he will win this withoutpetition. He will get what he wants.¡±

    Luqman was helpless about their situation. If that was the case,then Yadriel would secure his position andwould definitely cover up every misdeed and crime hemitted with his newly attained authority. It would be difficult for them to try to take him down again.

    Hansen frowned and said,¡± Mr. Wood, if you get through this, then you will at least get a couple more days for a shot to turn the tables around.¡±

    Luqman sighed heavily. ¡°To tell you the truth, Young Master Richards, I¡¯ve already lost all my funding for the election. I can¡¯t get through this, not without getting something out of Ezrah. We will have to send the evidence to the disciplinarymittee by tomorrow, so that Yadriel will still be investigated even if he wins the election. He will then be embroiled in his scandals, and his past efforts would be wasted before the trial.¡±

    Hansen calmly loosened a button on his shirt and smiled.

    ¡°Mr. Wood, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll find a way.¡±

    He then took out a stack of documents from his briefcase.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Luqman looked at him puzzledly.

    ¡°Mr. Wood, please take a look first.¡± Hansen pushed the documents to Luqman with his fingers.

    Luqman took them and looked at them carefully. After a short while, his face was filled with joy.

    ¡°Young Master Richards, this is great material! With this in hand, we will no longer be afraid that Ezrah will continue to keep his mouth shut.¡±

    Hansen nodded slightly. ¡°My subordinate, Paul, spent a lot tempting and threatening the involved parties to get this stack of documents proving Ezrah¡¯s corruption. Just show him thister, and he will talk, to keep himself safe.¡±

    Ezrah was different from Yadriel. He was just a subordinate who was greedy for money. Hansen found out about this after sending someone to investigate further. It was easy to get dirt on him. Yadriel, on the other hand, was cunning. Hehad big ns in mind, and wouldn¡¯t bother to get his hands dirty for small benefits like that, let alone leaving any traces behind. Yadriel even managed to put several plots ofnd in Capital City on resale, and the resale was done in a clean manner. Therefore, if they wanted to get anything that could be held against Yadriel, then they had to start from his subordinates.

    ¡°Young Master Richardsis indeed a man with foresight. You did a good job,¡± Luqman praised. He then took a deep breath and continued, ¡°Anyway, we must act quickly. If Yadriel knows that Ezrah is missing, then he will be alert and n his counterattack. We will all be in danger by then. He is a vicious man and aims at winning the election. He won¡¯t allow anyone to destroy his n.¡±

    Hansen nodded. To defeat Yadriel, they had to get evidence of his arms-trafficking deal, but they didn¡¯t know if Ezrah knew anything about that.

    ording to Alvin¡¯s report from the war-torn country, there was no update on the arms-trafficking deal for the past few days. It seemed as if Yadriel knew that someone was watching over them, hence he postponed the deal, andy low for the time being.

    If it dragged on like that, then Hansen was worried that they might not be able to get the evidence, and that his men might not be able to return safely. After all, they had no connection in the war-torn country, unlike in their home country.

    ¡°Mr. Wood, let me meet with Ezrah. I want to see just how stubborn he is.¡± Hansen smirked as he slowly got up.

    ¡°Certainly,Young Master Richards.I believe you can pry his mouth open.¡± Luqman¡¯s eyes lit up, and the light in his eyes shone brightly.

    Hansen smiled and strode outside.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯re here.¡± Paul and John were guarding the door of the room where Ezrah had been locked in. They looked troubled. Ezrah was not only stubborn, but he wouldn¡¯t give in at all even after being tortured. Paul and John were getting anxious.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Open the door,¡± Hansen said faintly, nodding.

    The door swung open.

    Hansen walked in with absolute certainty.

 Chapter 611 Interrogating Ezrah

    Ezrah was kneeling in the corner with his hands tied behind his back. His clothes were in disarray, and his face was livid. He was in a mess. It was visible that Paul and John had tortured him.

    Hansen walked over and stopped right in front of him.

    Ezrah looked up and stared at him with high vignce.

    ¡°Mr. Haris, can you tell who I am?¡± Hansen asked in a neutral tone. He had a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

    ¡°You are¡­¡± Ezrah asked in fearas he inspected Hansen¡¯s facecarefully.

    The smile on Hansen¡¯s face faded away and was soon reced by a sharp gaze. His gaze wandered on Ezrah¡¯s bodyas he smirked, and said in a neutral yet domineering tone, ¡°Mr. Haris, it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t know me, but I do know you very well. I¡¯d advise you to cooperate with me today and answer all of my questions. It¡¯s for our own interests.¡±

    The young man standing in front of him seemed noble, instead of looking like a street punk. In fact, when Paul and John were interrogating him, Ezrah already could tell that he hadn¡¯t been kidnapped by gangsters.From the way they were interrogating him, he knew that they weren¡¯t doing that for money, andwere trying to get dirt on Yadriel through him. Ezrah was even more terrified of that.

    If Ezrah told them about Yadriel¡¯s crime, then Yadriel would neither let Ezrah nor his family get away from that. Ezrah knew that very clearly. So, he would rather keep his mouth shut than to challenge Yadriel.

    ¡°Do you really know who I am? I¡¯m working for the government. Do you know what consequences you¡¯ll face for kidnapping me?¡± Ezrah yelled. He had to act tough in this situation.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Hansen smiled. He still maintained his expression as he said, ¡°Ezrah, you know that arms trafficking is a huge crime, and you¡¯re Yadriel¡¯s subordinate. Every crime hemitted, you were there to help him. Even if I were to execute you today and hand over all the evidence against you, I¡¯d only receive credit for what I did. The superiors will not question my actions.¡±

    Hansen smiled mockingly as he rolled up his sleevesand bent down to reach Ezrah at eye level.

    ¡°You are Hansen Richards from A City?¡± Ezrah asked in shock as he finally got to see Hansen¡¯s face clearly through his swollen eyes.

    ¡°Yes, indeed. What¡¯s wrong? Could it be thatyou have participated inYadriel¡¯s plot against me?¡± Hansen nodded as he lit up a cigarette. He took a puff before stuffing the cigarette in Ezrah¡¯s mouth.

    Ezrah took a few violent puffs, and it was already half of the cigarette. He was in a clearer state of mind after smoking the cigarette.

    ¡°Tell me, what in the world do you want?¡± Ezrah took another puff before spitting out the cigarette buttand asked in a vile manner.

    Hansen stared at him with his neutral expressionand said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s simple. Just tell me everything you know about Yadriel, and I can guarantee that you¡¯ll be alive. Otherwise, you and your family will be facing the disciplinarymittee,and you know very well what that would mean for your future.¡±

    Ezrah looked at Hansen with his eyes wide open.

    Hansen calmly took out a stack of documents from his briefcase, and waved them in front of Ezrah as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s get to the point. These documents here are evidence of part of your crimes. If you aren¡¯t willing to cooperate with me, then I¡¯ll hand them over to the disciplinarymitteeter today. It will take less than an hour for them to run a thorough inspection on your entire family. So, tell me, what lies in your future if something goes wrong?¡±

    Hansen deliberately paused for a moment and looked at Ezrah.

    Ezrah was trying his best to figure out what the stack of documents in Hansen¡¯s hands was. His face slowly turned pale and ashened.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. At such a critical period, if something goes wrong, then do you think Yadriel will save you? No. He will instead cut you offor even kill you offif it means he gets out of this safely.¡± Hansen continued to cut to the chase as he said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you think about it for a second? Yadriel might kill you if you betray him, but that will take at least a couple of days. As of now, he isn¡¯t aware that I¡¯ve captured you. If you choose not to betray him, then with you still as my captive, releasing you or not, I will hand over evidence of your bribery. You will still face the consequencesof Yadriel trying to kill you or even your family. Therefore, what if you work with me instead?¡±

    Hansen paused and looked at Ezrah with his sharp gaze.

    Ezrah¡¯s face was as pale as death, but he was also listening carefully.

    ¡°If you cooperate with me, as long as you can provide me with evidence against Yadriel, then we can take him down immediately.He will no longer be a threat to you. As for you, your sentence will be reduced, as you¡¯ll be testifying against Yadriel, and the most you get will be 10 years in prison. You get to keep your family safe. If you behave well in prison, then I will also try my best to bail you out in advance. I have weighed out the two options for you. Try to think about it. I¡¯ll give you an hour. Ask my men for me once you¡¯ve made up your mind. They¡¯ll be guarding outside.¡± Hansen analyzed in detail for him before standing up. He nced coldly at Ezrah and turned around to leave.

    ¡°Also, let me make this clear. Although I¡¯m a businessman,I value integrity and keep to my word. Otherwise, the Richards Group will not reach its status as it is today. I don¡¯t always make promises, but when I do, I make sure I can fulfil them. For me to say this much to you today, I¡¯m trying to save you. It doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m a good-tempered person just because I¡¯m patient enough to exin things to you. If you cross the line, then I¡¯ll make sure you know that I¡¯m not someone you can mess with.¡±

    With that, Hansen walked out.

    There was a deathly stillness in the air as Ezrah slumped down on the ground.

    In front of the dark floor-to-ceiling windows, Hansen was staring into the distance. He was thinking of Jenna.

    ¡°Young Master Richards, are you certain that he will give in?¡± Luqman asked as hewalked in and sounded less than confident.

    Hansen turned around in silence as he put on a faint smile.

    ¡°Ezrah is a smart man. He knows what he should do,and he¡¯ll give in,¡± Hansen said calmly, ¡°I just don¡¯t know how much he knows about Yadriel. Although he is Yadriel¡¯s subordinate,I doubt Yadriel will reveal something as confidential as the arms trafficking deal to Ezrah, especially when he is such a cunning politician. He has always been careful, butwe should still get whatever we can out of Ezrah, just to stop him for the time being.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Luqman chimed in even though he wasn¡¯t confident about that either.

    An hourter.

    John came over.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Ezrah is willing to confess,¡± John said with slight excitement.

    Hansen and Luqman nced at each other and nodded.

    Another two hours passed.

    ¡­

    Hansen sat on the couch, looking a little tired as herubbed his temples, shutting his eyes.

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Young Master Richards.¡± Luqman handed him a hot towel and thanked him gently.

    Hansen epted the hot towel and wiped his face.

    ¡°Young Master Richards, it is indeed as you predicted. He doesn¡¯t know about the arms trafficking deal, but he did participate in moneyundering. This is a useful hint.¡± Luqman nodded in recognition.

    Hansen wiped his hands and put the towel away.

    ¡°Mr. Wood, we don¡¯t know the origin of the two amounts worth billions of dors mentioned by Ezrah. Can we manage to stop Yadriel with this?¡± Hansen looked up and asked in a serious tone.

    Luqman pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°I will send someone to hand him over to the disciplinarymittee this instant. If they were to start the auditing process, then it will definitely impact him. We should make use of the opportunity and start looking for evidence on his arms trafficking deal if we want to take him down with this, once and for all.¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Hansen nodded in silence.

    Luqman made a phone call after sorting out the information they obtained.

    Soon, a secretary walked in and took the briefcase before leaving.

    ¡°Mr. Wood, what do you think about this?I¡¯ll use my connection and get you some votes, so that you can at least get even with him. This will slow him down as he will have to face another round of the election. He will have concerns with his funding, and to get more funding, he will have to close the arms trafficking deal as soon as possible. By then, we will get the evidence we want,¡± Hansen said with his low voice.

    Hearing this, Luqman smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Young Master Richards, it¡¯s already toote even if you ask the entire Richards Group to vote for me. He is way beyond me. I will only put you all through the trouble for nothing.¡±

    Luqman seemed slightly sad after saying that.

    However, Hansen smiled in disagreement and said,¡± Mr. Wood, I think we still have a shot at this.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Luqman looked up in astonishment.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s someone else you can look for. With his help, I think half of Yadriel¡¯s votes will be gone. It¡¯d be a critical hit to him,¡± Hansen said with great confidence.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Luqman¡¯s interest was piqued.

    ¡°Johan Moore,¡± Hansen uttered, word by word, with a smile.

    Luqman was startled for a while before shaking his head in sorrow.

    ¡°Young Master Richards, Yadriel is Johan¡¯s disciple. Meanwhile, I have nothing in rtion to Johan. It won¡¯t make sense for Johan to support me,¡± Luqman said. It sounded impossible to him. Luqman knew he wasn¡¯t capable enough to get Johan¡¯s attention, let alone his support.

    However, to Luqman¡¯s surprise, Hansen burst intoughter.

    Hansen leaned slightly forward and said, ¡°Mr. Wood, as far as I know, Johan has not intervened in Yadriel¡¯s election so far. He did not help Yadriel either. Yadriel, on the other hand, has asked to visit him several times, but Johan has not entertained him at all. Johan didn¡¯t make any promises to Yadriel, which is why I think this sounds like an opportunity for you.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Luqman¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°But, Young Master Richards, if I ask to meet Johan now, then I doubt he will want to see me. Moreover, what do I have with me to get his attention?¡± Luqman was still not confident enough.

    Hansen sighed with a smile and did not say anything in return.

    At that moment, Luqman¡¯s phone rang. He stepped aside for the phone call.

    Paul entered from the outside.

 Chapter 612 Meeting With Johan

    ¡°Young Master Richards, what should we do with Ezrah now?¡± Paul asked with a whisper.

    Hansen lifted an eyebrow and said lightly, ¡°If we let him go now, then Yadriel will definitely pull a move on him after finding out about this. We¡¯ll keep him with us for the time being. We have sent his confession to the higher-ups, and we¡¯re waiting for them to take action. You can tell him that we¡¯re doing this to protect him.¡±

    ¡°Sure, Mr. Richards.¡± Paul nodded. He was about to leave when he heard Hansen saying, ¡°Paul, I need you to follow me for tonight¡¯s schedule. I¡¯m treating Johan to dinner.¡±

    Paul was startled for a while before he could understand the situation. He nodded.

    Hansen stood up. He was preparing himself to get some rest for his scheduleter that day.

    Hansen wouldn¡¯t beg for Johan¡¯s help if it was only concerning the Richards Group.However, now that they were trying to find dirt on Yadriel, Hansen had no choice but to ask for Johan¡¯s help. Hansen was technically not begging for help, as this was not for himself, but for Luqman¡¯s sake.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Hansen thought haughtily andforted himself.

    After Paul left, Hansen climbed into bed and slept soundly.

    He only woke up when the sun was about to set.

    He freshened up.

    Hansen dialed Johan¡¯s number.

    ¡°Grandpa Johan, I¡¯m Hansen,¡± he said with a faint smile and a gentle tone.

    ¡°Hansen, you little brat, you haven¡¯t called for so long.¡± Johan picked up the phone with a smile and immediately started to berate him over the phone.

    Hansen chuckled. ¡°Grandpa Johan, you¡¯re always on my mind. I only didn¡¯t want to disrupt you.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. Kid, you sound too good to be true.I¡¯ll never believe that. Alright, spill it already. Why did you call?¡± Johan purposely snorted and cut to the chase.

    Hansen knew how stubborn Johan could be. So, he couldn¡¯t try to force a deal out of him. He could only try to persuade Johan softly.

    ¡°Grandpa Johan, I¡¯m now in Capital City, and I¡¯d like to treat you to dinner. Would you like to join me?¡± Hansen asked respectfully.

    After hearing that, Johan was reminded of theirst dinner together, and he put on an indistinguishable smile before saying, ¡°I might not let others treat me to dinner, but boy, you¡¯re an exception.¡±

    ¡°Well, then. I¡¯ll send someone to pick you up,¡± Hansen replied, smiling.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to bother about that. Just send me the address, and I¡¯ll have my driver send me over,¡± Johan said. Judging from hisloud andclear voice, he was still in great health.

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll see youter then, Grandpa Johan. Thank you.¡± Hansen hung up the phone with a smile.

    Johan had favored Hansen since he was a child. Hansen knew how stubborn Johan was. He could be like a child sometimes, where he would be harsh to those he disliked, and spoiled whoever up to his liking. However, of course, Johan only behaved like that in small matters. If it was anything that involved his principles, then Johan would not hold back in his criticism.

    Hansen could still remember that he was scolded by Johan in public because of his arrogant behavior at a party. Many socialites and noble families attended that party. However, Johan did not hold back at all when reprimanding him. This embarrassed Hansen greatly to the extent that he refused to call Johan for the next couple of years.

    Now that Hansen thought about it, that happened a year after he married Jenna. Hansen was arrogant and rude back then. He regarded himself as more superior than anyone else. His career was going strong, although his love life was a mess. It was the time where Jenna had left for another country. Hansen was frustrated, but then he thought of this as an opportunity for him to regain his freedom. He was self-centered and was full of big talk.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t recall what he exactly said to have triggered Johan, but he did remember that Johan gave him a scolding in front of everyone else. It was a terrible experience that would be forever etched in his mind.

    Hansen had been pampered since he was a child. His high self-esteem was taken down a peg from that experience. Hence, he held a grudge against Johan over the next couple of years.

    In fact, when Hansen looked back on it now, it was also after Johan¡¯s scolding that he became more mature. After returning to A City from the party, Hansen would often think back on the scolding, especially at midnight. The scolding was effective in improving hismunication skills, as well as building up his career.

    Hansen smiled helplessly as he thought back on past events.

    Hansen was not an exception for having an arrogant and rude history, especially when he grew up in a privileged environment.

    Moreover, Hansen did get his lessonter on, where he needed to dedicate even more effort in winning back Jenna.

    The streets of Capital City were bustling with the pedestrian crowds as well as traffic. Hansen and Paul took a while before arriving at the Jewelry Hotel. Hansen was already anxious upon their arrival.

    Hansen made his reservation at the same private room as before. It was the same location and at the same time. Hansen¡¯s intention was obvious.

    Hansen ced his orders in advanceand changed the air freshener for the room. He also adjusted the air-conditioner to a suitable temperature. After making his round of preparations, it was about time.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m here.¡± Johan¡¯s voice could be heard as soon as Hansen sat down. Hansen immediately stood up and weed him.

    ¡°Grandpa Johan,e, take a seat,¡± Hansen said respectfully as he helped Johan in.

    Johan was already in his nies. He had his staff tagging along, but Johan didn¡¯t look old at all. He was still in high spirits, and his speech was clear. He was able to recognize Hansen at first nceand even noticed the small wrinkles on Hansen¡¯s forehead.

    Johan knew that Hansen had something to ask of him. At his age, Johan would never dine out as his staff wouldn¡¯t allow it either, but Hansen was an exception.

    Johan knew exactly what Hansen had in mind. If he didn¡¯t agree to join him for dinner, then it would be near impossible for Hansen to visit him at home as well. Johan was well aware of the Richards Group¡¯s crisis, but Hansen had yet to bring it up. Johan was curious as to how he would mention itter.

    ¡°Hansen, I heard that your grandmother is seriously ill. Is that so?¡± John asked as he sat down. Hansen gave him a hot towel and poured him a cup of tea personally. Johan was d to see how obedient and mature Hansen had be.

    Hansen¡¯s heart ached as Johan mentioned Vivian.A hint of sorrow surged in his heart. He nodded and said sadly, ¡°She has been bedridden for months.¡±

    As he heard that, Johan sighed.¡°Your grandmother is a heroine. She has done many kind deeds throughout her life.¡±

    Hansen didn¡¯t understand the underlying intention of Johan¡¯s words.So, he nodded along and said, ¡°Grandpa Johan, she used to talk about you a lot when she was still healthy.¡±

    Johan put on a self-deprecating smile as he heard this.¡°You brat, she was scolding me, wasn¡¯t she?¡±

    Hansen was baffled. Why would Vivian badmouth Johan? He stared nkly at Johan.

    Johan smiled and didn¡¯t say anything else. After taking a sip of tea, he asked, ¡°Tell me, kid. What made youe to me this time?¡±

    Hansen smiled awkwardly.

    ¡°Grandpa Johan, I¡¯ve always wanted to treat you to a meal. I don¡¯t have any special requests.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Johan took a sip of the herbal tea and gave Hansen a sideways nce. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯d be that clueless at my age?¡±

    Hansen knew that he could no longer hide his intentions. Moreover, he was aware that it wouldn¡¯t be advisable to keep Johan outdoors for too long at his age. He paused for a while before saying, ¡°Grandpa Johan, I do have a request. I hope you can help me with it.¡±

    Johan looked at him with a smile and said, ¡°You can always tell me. You¡¯re a man. Stop beating around the bush. You know that I don¡¯t like that.¡±

    Hansen smiled. He was about to exin, but then his phone rang. He lowered his head and saw that it was from Jenna.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grandpa Johan, but I¡¯ll have to answer this call first,¡± Hansen informed him politely before picking up the phone.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you now? Are you alright? I miss you,¡± Jenna said over the phone. Her tone was filled with tenderness and care. Hansen felt a surge of warmth spreading through his body as soon as he heard her voice. He smiled sweetly.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m fine now. Don¡¯t worry. You have to take good care of yourself. Don¡¯t make me worry.Do you understand?¡± Hansen said with a soft voice full of tenderness.

    ¡°I understand. Hansen, my eyelids have been twitching the whole day. I feel uneasy, and I¡¯m worried about you. After all, Yadriel is a cunning fox,¡± Jenna said with concern.

    Hearing this, Hansen¡¯s heart sank. He tried tofort her by saying, ¡°Jenna, you should stop overthinking. Have faith in your husband. I can ovee everything. Also, have you already had your soup today? How much did you eat¡­¡± Hansen started nagging over the phone,pletely ignoring Johan¡¯s existence.

    He continued to talk with Jenna over the phone. It wasn¡¯t until he hung up the phone and turned around, did he notice Johan eating in silencewhile fixing his attention on Hansen. It was as if Johan was eavesdropping on their conversation.

    Hansen was stunned. Could it be that Johan actually had a habit of eavesdropping on some sweet exchanges between married couples?

    Hansen then realized that he had ignored Johan. He cleared his throat and said sheepishly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to keep you waiting, Grandpa Johan. I hope you don¡¯t mind me making that phone call.¡±

 Chapter 613 Paul Cleared Hansenâ€™s Doubts

    Johan mumbled a reply and didn¡¯t mindit,as he said, ¡°Just tell me about your request.¡±

    Hansen sat down and asked in a solemn manner, ¡°Grandpa Johan, it¡¯s about Yadriel¡¯s election. Do you think he¡¯s capable of governing the Capital City?¡±

    Hansen didn¡¯t bring up anything else but this question.

    Upon hearing this, Johan frowned, but his expression was still calm, without any trace of emotion.

    ¡°Hansen, it is not up to me to decide whether he is a suitable governor or not. The citizens will decide his fate through their votes,¡± Johan replied faintlybefore turning around to look at him and said, ¡°Hansen, I heard that your Richards Group is in trouble now. You better tell me what happenedand if there was any crime involved. If there was, then I will never let you get away with this.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face fell as he heard that. He then said, ¡°Grandpa Johan, the Richards Group has always been clean and proper. We will never involve ourselves in any illegal activity. I hope that you will believe that we¡¯re innocent, and we will never leak any confidential information.So, I don¡¯t think that I did anything wrong.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite stubborn, aren¡¯t you? It seems like I won¡¯t get anything out of you.¡± Johan had a stern expression on his face as he asked, ¡°I heard that there are strong usations against you, and the one who leaked the information was from your side. The higher-ups in Richards Group were the ones who broke thew. So, what else do you have to say about this?¡±

    Hansen was shocked. He did not expect Johan to have a clear grasp ofthe Richards Group¡¯scurrent situationalready.

    ¡°Grandpa Johan, we have been framed by someone else. I¡¯m looking for evidence, and I believe that it wouldn¡¯t take long for me to prove myself.¡± Hansen immediately defended himself in an aggrieved manner.

    ¡°s, Hansen, I¡¯m afraid that they might not give you the chance to look for evidence.¡± Johan sighed as he murmured to himself.

    Hansen was dumbfounded.

    After a long pause, he then said, ¡°Grandpa Johan, I hope you can help me put a stop to Yadriel¡¯s election. He doesn¡¯t deserve to be the governor of Capital City.¡±

    Johan looked solemn. He took a sip of his tea and patted Hansen on his shoulder as he said, ¡°You¡¯re still young. You have to be patient.¡±

    Johan then diverted the topic and asked Hansen about Vivian¡¯s condition. There wasn¡¯t any opportunity for Hansen to shift the subject at all.

    After chatting for a while, Johan took his leave. Before he left, he held Hansen¡¯s hand and advised, ¡°Young man, you should cherish your family and have faith in justice. The time wille. Be patient.¡±

    Hansen couldn¡¯t read through Johan¡¯s smile at all. His gaze was as deep as the ocean, as he held onto Hansen¡¯s hand for a while before walking out with his staff.

    Hansen sent him all the way to the hotel¡¯s entrance.

    A military vehicle with a red g pulled over by the hotel¡¯s entrance. Hansen helped Johan to the car.

    The secretary opened the door.

    ¡°Grandpa Johan, take care.¡± Hansen supported Johan into the car before watching him leave.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen was puzzled by the meeting. He did not get any clear answer from Johan,and their conversation was never really on track. Hansen¡¯s heart felt heavy as he thought of Yadriel.

    The night gradually engulfed the apartment. The nightlife in Capital City seemed restless.

    Hansen was seen pacing back and forth in his room as he drowned himself in deep thoughts.

    The doorbell rang.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Hansen spoke in a deep voice.

    Paul entered.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to discuss with you,¡± Paul said seriously, with a calm expression aftering in from the outside.

    Hansen looked up and asked in a slightly surprised tone, ¡°If you have something to say, just tell me.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Paul nodded. ¡°Mr. Richards, there¡¯s someone else you can look for help for the matter concerning the war-torn country.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Hansen asked as he stood still and stared at Paul.

    ¡°Madam Lilian,¡± Paul replied without hesitation.

    Hansen knew that he would bring up Madam Lilian.He shook his head, saying, ¡°Paul, why would someone like Madam Lilian help me? She¡¯s in charge of the United Nations. Why would she help me with our country¡¯s affairs?¡±

    Paul gave a disapproving smile.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, do you still remember what happened at the border of Tamnd that day?¡±

    ¡°At the border of Tamnd?¡± Hansen frowned and asked in confusion, ¡°What does this have to do with that?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, in fact, it was Madam Lilian who helped mobilize the Tamnd military that day,¡± Paulexined how he called Jenna to request help from Madam Lilian back then.

    Hansen finally understood his words.

    It was due to Madam Lilian¡¯s request that the Tamnd military appeared just on time back then.

    ¡°Jenna was the one who put in the request to Madam Lilian?¡± Hansen asked, dumbfounded. He could still recall what had happened that night. He was terrified at the thought of losing Jenna. Back then, he told himself that if they managed to return safely, he would not want anything else but to spend the rest of his life with Jenna and Jerry.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Paul nodded with certainty.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you inform me earlier? What¡¯s the purpose of telling me this now?¡± Hansen asked with a cold voice. His gaze was deep and mixed withplicated emotions.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it was an urgent situation back then.I did not have time to talk about it, andI did forget about itter on. The situation today reminded me of it. What I want to tell you is that Madam Lilian treats Jenna very well. With howplicated things are going on in the war-torn country, I am worried about your subordinates. Of course, I¡¯m also worried about Irvin. Yadriel¡¯s arms trafficking deal isnot that simple, as hehas a widework of connections. I¡¯m really worried that we won¡¯t get any evidence.Now that Yadriel is aware of our moves, he is being extra careful. Things will only be more difficult for us. We can ask for Madam Lilian¡¯s help in this, can¡¯t we?¡± Paul said as he analyzed their current situation.

    Hansen understood what he meant. He was worried about Irvin. After all, Paul was Irvin¡¯s brother. It was normal for siblings to be worried about each other.

    ¡°Paul, don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re thinking too much into this? Also, who do you think Madam Lilian is? She helped us back then because of Jenna. How can we ask for her help again? Also, she¡¯s living in Europe now. What makes you think that she¡¯ll be willing to help us?¡± Hansen asked with a dark expression. He had mixed feelings now that he knew Jenna was the one who requested Madam Lilian¡¯s help back then. He couldn¡¯t help but to picture Jenna asking for Madam Lilian¡¯s help in the middle of the night. How much courage did Jenna gather to do that? She wasn¡¯t someone who would casually ask for help. Jenna hadn¡¯t asked for anyone¡¯s help even when her father died. She quietly returned to the Richards Group as she wanted to take revenge for her father on her own. Yet, that day, Jenna went to Madam Lilian for help, for her husband¡¯s sake. Hansen felt terrible to have thought of that.

    Once was already enough. How could he ask for a second chance? Hansenimmediatelyrejected Paul¡¯s suggestion without a second thought.

    Paul crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall and said casually, ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m just reminding you of how much Madam Lilian favors Jenna. Don¡¯t you think that there are other factors to this?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Hansen was puzzled as he asked, fixing his gaze on Paul, ¡°Paul, what are you trying to say?¡±

    Paul pursed his lips. The smile on his face was somewhat unpredictable.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I heard that Madam Lilian made a secret trip back to A City this timeto look for her long-lost daughter.¡±

    Hansen was shocked upon hearing that. He paused for a while before gasping. ¡°How did you find out about this?¡±

    Paul was still looking calm, as he smiled faintly and said with confidence, ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m a well-known private investigator in A City. In our field, we have our own ways of finding out whatever has happened in A City. I have many informers working for me. You have to believe me.¡±

    Hansen was startled.

    ¡°Are you saying that Jenna might be Madam Lilian¡¯s daughter?¡± Hansen asked in surprise.

    Hansen then was reminded of Sara¡¯s face. Heughed in silence and shook his head as he said, ¡°Paul, you¡¯re too imaginative.Jenna resembles Sara so much. How couldn¡¯t they be rted at all? Even if Madam Lilian is indeed looking for her long-lost daughter, it won¡¯t be Jenna.¡±

    Paul remained as he leaned against the wall,shaking his head as he said, ¡°Mr. Richards, Jenna is indeed Sara¡¯s daughter. That¡¯s correct.But have you ever wondered about Sara¡¯s mother? You¡¯re her son-inw. Do you have any clue?¡±

    Hansen was puzzled upon hearing that question.

    Who was Sara¡¯s mother? Hansen neither had heard anyone talking about it, nor did he ever think of asking anyone about that.

    ¡°Does this mean that Madam Lilian might be Sara¡¯s mother?¡± Hansen narrowed his eyes and asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about this yet, and I can¡¯t confirm anything, but I do know that Madam Lilian already has her doubts. ording to the information I have, Madam Lilian has already met with Sara before her departure. As for the details, you will have to ask Sara herself. I don¡¯t know that much,¡± Paul replied as he had no way of exining.

    Hansen pondered in silence, but he wasrapidlyprocessing all the information he had learnt. He started to recall how fast it was for Madam Lilian to get close to Jenna at Yezon¡¯s party that night.Madam Lilian even asked Jenna about her mother. Their interactions were natural and close. There was nothing forceful in the way they interacted with one another. Could it be that Madam Lilian was actually rted to Jenna by blood?

    Hansen froze in ce and did not say anything for a long while.

 Chapter 614 Malicious Intentions

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Irvin and I were raised by Vivian,and we have been working for her all this while. She gave me a list, and on that list were people whom she had financially sponsored throughout her life. She wanted me to preserve the list in Richards Manor¡¯s history. Sara¡¯s name was on that list. Therefore,Madam Lilian must be somehow connected to Richards Manor.¡± Irvin continued to analyze.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen could no longer remain calm upon hearing that.

    A list of names whom Vivian had sponsored?

    Hansen had seen that list when he had flipped through Richards Manor¡¯s hundred-year long history in the study, but there wasn¡¯t anything to specify what that list about. So, Hansen was clueless about it until Paul brought it up. Hansen did, in fact, see Sara¡¯s name on that list.

    Hansen became more confused as he thought about it. He couldn¡¯t calm down as he tossed and turned in bed that night, unable to fall asleep. He was thinking of Jenna and all the memories they had spent together.

    In a daze, Hansen finally fell asleep. Yet, Jenna was not there in his arms. He rolled over in bed and once again thought of Jenna¡¯s hateful gaze. He tossed and turned around againter that night, feeling even lonelier.

    The next day,Hansen did not wake up in a good state. He stood by the window and thought of the decision he hadpreviouslymade up in his mind. If everything developed to the point of no return, then he wanted to leave everything behind by bringing Jenna and their children to start a new life somewhere else.

    He wanted to live a happy life.

    It was also that day that Yadriel¡¯s election started operating on arge scale.

    At noon,Luqman walked over in a mysterious manner and said unbelievably, ¡°Young Master Richards,do you know thatit¡¯s getting strange out there?A lot of Yadriel¡¯s voters had given up their votes, and his vote count was reduced by half. It doesn¡¯t seem likely for Yadriel to win the election at this critical period of time.¡±

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Hansen was startled. Then, he was reminded of Johan¡¯s expression from the night before. Could it be that¡­?

    However, Johan didn¡¯t promise him anything at all.

    Hansen was in doubt and in deep thought.

    The time woulde. Was he too impatient?

    The main entrance of the Xanthe family residence was shut tight.

    A few sparrows were chirping by the entrance of the dark and gloomy manor. It used to be a lively ce, but it was quiet at noon.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, Ezrah is missing. I¡¯ve searched everywhere, but I still can¡¯t find him. His family members imed that Ezrah was on a business trip, but I found out that he was never at that ce,¡± Edgar said hurriedly, rushingover.

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic.¡± Yadriel nced fiercely at him, with his veins on his forehead bulging.

    Yadriel also received a text message from a colleague in the office just then, saying that his funding worth billions of dors had been exposed to the disciplinarymittee. Themittee would start the investigation soon.

    D*mn it. Who was the one causing all the trouble for him at this moment? Could it be that Ezrah had betrayed him?

    ¡°ording to your spection, where do you think he could have gone?¡± Yadriel asked in a low voice as he clenched his fist to keep himself calm.

    Edgar frowned, with the scar on his face twisting a little. There was a terrifying glint in his gaze.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, I saw Hansen at the Jewelry Hotelst night. He was with Johan,¡± Edgar said.

    ¡°Hansen?¡± Yadriel looked even more terrifying, with his knuckles crackling.

    ¡°Dad, Dad.¡± Sergio¡¯s anxious voice sounded from the outside.

    Yadriel nced at Edgar and waved his hand. Edgar then snuck out of the room from the side entrance.

    ¡°Dad, something¡¯s wrong. Our friends in court have given up their rights to vote. Meanwhile, Luqman¡¯s vote count is increasing, and he¡¯s not too far behind us. If this continues, then we will be in a risky situation. If we can¡¯t win, then we will have to do this again, and we will be tight on our funding,¡± Sergio said. He had rushed back as soon as he got the news.

    Sergio mmed his fist on the couch to vent his anger as he yelled, ¡°These b*stards. They made all those promises to get our money, and they¡¯ve now turned their backs on us.¡±

    Yadriel already knew about that. Thus, he was in a worse mood when he saw Sergio reacting like that.

    There must be someone else behind this.Otherwise, things wouldn¡¯t have changed this drastically, but who was behind all that? Yadriel could roughly figure it out. It seemed that he had been too careless.

    ¡°Sergio, it¡¯s not only that. Someone reported us to themittee, and they¡¯ll start investigating our billion-dor funding,¡± Yadriel said with a low voice.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Sergio¡¯s face turned pale in shock, and he then asked, ¡°Dad, what should we do?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic.¡± Yadriel nced at Sergio, who was overreacting to the situation. He then said, ¡°Although it is a huge sum of money, I doubt they¡¯d get any dirt on this. I have nted a few of my own people inside themittee. They told me that they¡¯ll try their best to put this to a stop. We have to win this election, and no one will be able to take us down once we are elected.¡±

    Sergio finally regained hisposure after hearing that.

    ¡°Sergio, tell me. How is it going on with the charges against the Richards Group?¡± Yadriel asked.

    Sergio smirked.¡°No worries, Dad. The usations are strong. He will never be able to get away from this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Yandriel said with a cold glint in his gaze, ¡°Hansen is determined to fight against us. That¡¯s great. I shall stop showing mercy too.¡±

    ¡°Dad, Hansen is full of himself and horrible. If we don¡¯t get rid of him soon, then it is a matter of time for him to be a huge threat to our Xanthe family. He¡¯s our sworn enemy. We can¡¯t let him go this time,¡± Sergio said, with rage building in his gaze. He looked furious at the mention of Hansen.

    Yadriel lit a cigarette and took a few violent puffs. He then paced around in his room before saying in a heavy tone, ¡°If Hansen returns safely to A City,then you will make use of your power and take him away for disclosing confidential information. We can¡¯t let him destroy our n.¡±

    Sergio was stunned upon hearing his words.

    ¡°I got it, Dad,¡± Sergio replied in a hurry.

    The smirk on Sergio¡¯s face faded away as he asked with concern, ¡°But what should we do with our current situation? It¡¯d be difficult for us to win the election. Even General Delia had given up on his vote. What in the world is happening? What should we do?¡±

    Sergio was anxious. Those people had promised them, but then, all of a sudden, they went back on their word.

    Yadriel smiled casually and said, ¡°Luqman is doomed in this election, but now that he¡¯s suddenly catching up, Hansen must be helping him with this. Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re toote. It won¡¯t be that easy for them to surpass our votes.¡±

    Yadriel took another puff and exhaled. His expression was unreadable in the smoke.

    ¡°But we can¡¯t just drag it on like this. We need a lot of funding to get through each day, and we can¡¯t even take the risk to proceed with things over in the war-torn country. F*ck. This is all because of Hansen. He should mind his own business,¡± Sergio said furiously. His eyes were bloodshot as he gritted his teeth.

    Yadriel blinked several times, hiding away his cold glint, as he lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Sergio, you¡¯ve spent a few days in Richards Manor. Have you heard anything about that jewelry piece?¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about the ¡®Ocean Heart¡¯?¡± Sergio said as he darkened his gaze. There was a light in his eyes, but it ceased right away as Sergio shook his head and said, ¡°Dad, there¡¯s something weird about this. I¡¯ve never heard anyone in the manor talking about this. Not only the helpersbut Trevor and ude themselves seem clueless about it as well. I¡¯m confused. But ording to Zoe, that b*tch, it seems that Vivian had handed over that piece of jewelry to Jenna. However, I don¡¯t find this possible.¡±

    Yadriel narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°No, Sergio. You mustn¡¯t look at the surface. The more peaceful things seem to be, the more problems thaty underneath. Someone must have kept this a secret from everyone else. I saw the jewelry piece myself. I wanted to get hold of it, but Lilian pulled some tricks, and I didn¡¯t manage to get it. I still can¡¯t get over this.¡±

    Sergio listened as he drowned himself in deep thought.

    ¡°Sergio, all these years, I¡¯ve been looking for an opportunity to obtain this jewelry piece, but the Richards family keeps a low profile. There is no opening for me to make my move.If we manage to press charges against the Richards family, then it¡¯d be a critical hit to them, and therees our chance. We can threaten them into handing over the jewelry piece. That¡¯s why you have to find out where they hid it.¡± Yadriel took another puff of the cigarette.

    ¡°Given the current situation, we can¡¯t get involved in any arms trafficking deal anymore, and our losses will only increase with time. If we can¡¯t win the election, then the consequences following behind will require money to solve too.¡± Yadriel continued.

    His eyes were dark as he immersed himself in the smoke.

    ¡°Sergio, we should n a way out. Things are gettingplicated. Johan is not giving us a clear stance, whereas Lilian is obviously on their side. Hansen is determined to fight us. Our future is uncertain. We have to n a way out. If things be worse, then we¡¯ll just get the jewelry piece and leave. With that jewelry piece in hand, we won¡¯t have to worry about our future. It is a priceless piece ofjewelry. We won¡¯t have tomit any illegal deeds anymore.¡±

    His forehead was reflecting the sunlight from the window. Greed was apparent in his gaze.

    Sergio was shocked. For the confident Yadriel to think about nning a way out, things were already clear enough, weren¡¯t they?

    Sergio lowered his head in silence.

 Chapter 615 Milking The Benefits

    Yadriel nced at Sergio, and his face darkened.

    ¡°Sergio, I know what you¡¯re thinking about. You have to stop thinking about being with Jenna, oryou¡¯ll ruin yourself,¡± Yadriel said with a harsh tone.

    Sergio trembled a little as there was somethingplicated in his gaze.

    If Jenna really had the ¡®Ocean Heart¡¯ with her, then what would Yadriel do to Jenna? Sergio didn¡¯t want to imagine that. He could never hurt Jenna.

    ¡°Dad, I understand.¡± Sergio lowered his head in the face of Yadriel¡¯s scolding.

    He did not dare to spend another second under Yadriel¡¯s stern gaze. Sergio left dejectedly.

    ¡°He¡¯s really good-for-nothing.¡± Yadriel sighed as he watched Sergio leave. How could Sergio be so foolish to fall for a woman? Moreover, on top of that, it was an unrequited love!

    Thinking that it was a matter of time for Sergio to suffer a loss, Yadriel¡¯s heart ached.

    It was normal for people to fantasize about beautiful things.If Sergio found Jenna gorgeous, then Yadriel would be perfectly fine for Sergio to fantasize about her. However, it can¡¯t be to the extent of falling head over heels for her!

    Edgar snuck in through another door as soon as Sergio left.

    ¡°Chief, it seems that Mr. Xanthe is driven by his emotions.¡± Edgar sighed.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is a fatal weakness for a politician. He¡¯s an amazing son, but he¡¯s stubborn.¡± Yadriel sighed helplessly.

    ¡°Chief, don¡¯t worry. Mr. Xanthe seems blessed, and I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t suffer much in his future.¡± Edgar consoled Yadriel before asking, ¡°Chief, what should I do about Hansen?¡±

    A fierce light shed in Yadriel¡¯s eyes as he heard that. He smiled sinisterly and said, ¡°He¡¯s basically courting death to be against me during this critical period of time. He shouldn¡¯t me me for not showing him mercy then.¡±

    Yadriel then approached Edgar and whispered something in his ear. Edgar nodded and left the room in no time.

    Thunder filled the sky as lightning started to crack from a distance.

    In the office of the Ink Garden.

    Jenna was sitting on the office chair, checking out the monthly report. Her fingers were clicking on the calctor.

    A typhoon was approaching.

    The wind was getting stronger, making one feel chilly.

    A strong wind entered through the window, causing the window and the door to creak.

    Jenna lifted her headslightlyand brushed a lock of hair from her face. Liya was seen passing by the window. The clicking of her heels was apanied by the howling of the wind.

    Jenna frowned at the sight of Liya.

    Jenna felt disgusted when she thought of Liya.

    She then buried herself in work.

    The clicking of the heels were headed towards the office.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re here, loyal to your work.¡± Liya chuckled as she entered the office. She leaned over the desk, cupping her cheeks with her hands, blinking her innocent eyes at Jenna.

    Her perfume was too strong and sharp. Jenna felt disgusted at her scent. It was even worse when the wind blew in, drifting the scent towards Jenna.

    Jenna looked up and saw Liya¡¯s red lips as well as her heavy makeup. It was as if her makeup would copse at any time with her smile that wide.

    Jenna¡¯s bright eyes condensed into a cold gaze as she stared at Liya.

    Liya¡¯s gaze was a little out of focus, and there was an evil vibe from it. It was nothingpared to the bright and smart vibe Liya emanated when she first started to work under the Richards Group. Jenna was disgusted at how much Liya had changed. She could tell that there was something bewitching about her.

    ¡°Is there something I can do for you? You knowthatI¡¯m working now,¡± Jenna asked coldly with a neutral expression.

    ¡°Jenna, you seem to hate me, but aren¡¯t we family? We share the same husband.¡± Liya blinked her eyes and pouted, deliberately trying to please her.

    Jenna felt goosebumps all over her body as she felt disgusted to hear that.¡°Shut up. What family? Stop saying nonsense.¡±

    Jenna stood up as she wanted to leave the office. She didn¡¯t want to stay a moment longer with that disgusting woman. She felt suffocated to be in the same room as her.

    ¡°Jenna, isn¡¯t that the fact? You can¡¯t erase that fact even if you refuse to acknowledge it.¡± Liya giggled as she took a step forward to block Jenna¡¯s path. She then said, ¡°Don¡¯t leave just yet. I have something to ask of you.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t help but to raise her voice when she saw Liya blocking her path.

    Liya clearly wasn¡¯t bothered by Jenna¡¯s harsh tone at all. She just clicked her tongue and said, ¡°Look at you, looking all so superior just because you¡¯re now the head of the household. You look so dignified as you make all the decisions in this ce. I envy that.¡±

    Jenna nced coldly at her. Clearly looking annoyed, Jenna lifted an eyebrow.¡°Did youe all the way here just to tell me this?¡±

    ¡°Yes and no.¡± Liya dragged her voice and said with a smile, ¡°Now that we share the same husband, can you stop treating me this coldly? You¡¯re now the head of the household. You can at least offer me some benefits in return, can¡¯t you?¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I see it now. You¡¯re here for this!¡± Jenna said with a sneer. She finally understood Liya¡¯s intention.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Look, I¡¯m not here toin to you. I have no job, and nopany is going to offer me a job either. I haven¡¯t been paid for a while, and look at me now.I¡¯m penniless. I can¡¯t even bring food to the table. Can you please be so kind, and offer me some help?¡± Liya pleaded shamelessly as she fiddled with her fingers.

    ¡°You reap what you sow. Do you not understand this? How are you different from beggars on the street? Liya, you¡¯re a top student. You should be doing something meaningful and creative with your own talentsinstead of begging shamelessly for someone to help you. This isn¡¯t the right way,¡± Jenna said seriously with a cold expression.

    ¡°But, Jenna, don¡¯t you see that I¡¯m in trouble now? We are family. Can¡¯t you help me?¡± Liya wasn¡¯t bothered at all by Jenna¡¯s words. She continued to plead for Jenna¡¯s help, and even extended her arm to get hold of Jenna.

    Jenna felt disgusted and swung her arm away. Jenna then tried to walk past Liya in order to leave the office.

 Chapter 616 Endless Greed

    ¡°Jenna, just give me some of it.¡± Liya immediately panicked and held Jenna¡¯s hand when she saw that Jenna was about to leave. She had to get some cash from Jenna no matter what. She then said, ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s not your money. Why do you have to make things so difficult?¡±

    Jenna was furious with her attitude, and she immediately shoved Liya¡¯s hand away and left the office.

    However, Liya continued to hold onto her and kept shouting.

    Disgust surged within Jenna¡¯s heartas she felt like something was rushing up from her stomach. All the pulling and tugging caused Jenna to sprain her ankle,and she was falling backwards.

    ¡°Madam, watch out.¡± Lomen immediately jumped in from the opened window. He got hold of Jenna just in time and thenshouted at Liya, ¡°Let go of her.¡±

    Liya trembled after being shouted at by Lomen. She loosened her grip on Jenna.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? You b*tch,¡± Marissa yelled as she rushed in. She was there coincidentally, and she saw Liya pushing Jenna until Jenna fell backwards. Marissa turned pale at that moment. Thankfully, Lomen appeared just in time and got hold of Jenna. Marissa was terrified and furious.

    How dare Liya try to make a fuss under their roof? The entire Richards family had been protecting Jenna all this while. How could she!

    ¡°Mom, you¡¯re here. I was talking to her.¡± Liya felt guilty under Marissa¡¯s presence. She immediately forced a smile.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Marissa said with a trace of anger on her expression. She then lectured, ¡°Don¡¯t think that we aren¡¯t aware of your intention for moving into Richards Group. Let me tell you what,I know what you¡¯re nning.¡±

    Liya forced a smile to hide her embarrassment, and said, ¡°I¡¯m staying here because of Grandma¡¯s will. I only want to marry Hansen. I don¡¯t have any other ulterior motives.¡±

    Marissa snorted and red at Liya coldly. She then turned around and held Jenna¡¯s hand as she asked with concern, ¡°Jenna, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry,¡± Jenna said with aforting smile.

    Marissa twitched her eyebrow and said in a loud voice, ¡°Jenna, if anyone is trying to milk something out of our Richards family, then you will have to be our gatekeeper, and do not allow those with ill intentions to seed.¡±

    Jenna cast a nce at Liya and said firmly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know what to do. I will not let them milk anything out of us. Or else, I wouldn¡¯t be fulfilling my responsibility as the head of the household.¡±

    Marissa smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Marissa then held Jenna¡¯s arm and said sweetly, ¡°I¡¯ve made you some nutritious soup today. It¡¯s best for this weather. Shall we?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Thank you, Mom,¡± Jenna said politely before heading outside with Marissa. They left the office whileughing and chatting.

    They tantly left Liyabehindand ignored her presence.

    ¡°D*mned old woman,¡± Liya cursed. She was jealous and spiteful to see Jenna being that close with Marissa. She murmured to herself, ¡°Wait and see. You¡¯d better watch out.I¡¯ll make you pay for looking down on me.¡±

    Liya didn¡¯t manage to get anything from Jenna that day. She then returned to her room in frustration. She threw her purse and sat on the couch, groaning. She clearly looked furious.

    If things went on like that, Liya would never achieve anything by living under that roof. Hansen disliked her, and there was no one else in the Richards family who weed her arrival. Even with Vivian¡¯s will backing her up, it didn¡¯t seem possible that Hansen would end up marrying Liya.

    She was right. If she didn¡¯t get to marry Hansen, despite extending her stay there, then she still won¡¯t be able to milk anything out of it.

    The guest room for her was nothing at all whenpared to the mansion Oscar bought her. Even the food could notpare to those she had with Oscar. The Richards family was a noble family, but they wouldn¡¯t have exquisite cuisine for every meal either.

    On top of that, Jenna was still the head of the household. She had been Liya¡¯s nemesis since forever. Liya had never liked her, especially when Jenna was always the perfect wife, mastering not only household choresbut also managing the entire Richards Manor. She organized the manor until it was elegant yet not wasteful. The manor was kept clean and tidy. She also kept tabs on the household expenses. She would spend a lot when it involved socializing events, but on normal days, she wouldn¡¯t waste a cent. Richards Manor was much more structured than before under Jenna¡¯s leadership.

    This was exactly what Liya was frustrated about!

    Liya was already used to thevish lifestyle. She had already felt uneasy even though it was only her second day in Richards Manor. She felt as if her freedom had been taken away and couldn¡¯t even get to enjoy a night out.Thatfrustratedher.

    Liya was sprawled on her bed as she shut her eyes. She started to n something again.

    It took her so much effort to return to the manor. She could not let that all go in vain. She wouldn¡¯t be satisfied to have to end up like that.

    There was a soft knock on the door.

    ¡°Who¡¯s it?¡± Liya asked impatiently.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Letty.¡± A woman¡¯s voice could be heard outside the door.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Liya sat up and frowned.

    ¡°I¡¯ve brought you something to eat.¡± Letty sounded gentle.

    Liya was outside for the whole day. She wasalreadygetting hungry. Therefore, she was delighted to hear that. She immediately got up and opened the door.

    Surely enough, a helper named Letty had brought over desserts and snacks, whichwere all Liya¡¯s favourite.

    Liya was all smiles to see that.

    ¡°Which section are you working in?¡± Liya grabbed a snack from the tray and popped it in her mouth as she asked in a muffled voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m from the Ink Garden¡¯s kitchen,¡± Letty replied with a smile.

    ¡°Why are you sending food to me then?¡± Liya was curious. Not one helper in Richard Manor liked her. They all treated her as if she was different from them. Now that Letty was being kind to her, Liya felt as if she had met an alien.

    ¡°Miss Liya, you¡¯ve been appointed to marry the head of the family in Old Madam¡¯s will. I hope that I can do something to make you like me, so that I will have someone who has my back in the future,¡± Letty said with a smile. Her words sounded natural.

    Liya thought that she made sense. So, she nodded in response, but shook her head and said with a sigh immediately after, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯vee to the wrong person. Jenna is in charge of Richards Manor. Meanwhile, I¡¯m nobody. No one is happy to see me.¡±

    To her surprise, Letty smiled disapprovingly and said, ¡°Miss Liya, that¡¯s not true. Do you know why Jenna is still in charge? That¡¯s because Old Madam adores her! Aria was kicked out because Old Madam didn¡¯t like her. But you? You are appointed in her will to marry to the head of the family. This proves that Old Madam likes you too. You are basically on par with Jenna. Why is she the one who¡¯s respected and in charge instead? In my opinion, you have to work harder, and you will get to turn the tables around. I believe in you.¡±

    Letty was being ttering but Liya found that her words made sense.Her mood was lifted. Shethen grabbed her purse and gave Letty two hundred dor notes as she said, ¡°You have great eyes. This is a bonus for your great performance today. If you keep up with this, then I promise there¡¯s more toe.¡±

    Letty took the dor notes with a wide smile and kept them in her pocket.

    ¡°Miss Liya, since you¡¯re so kind to me, let me tell you something else.¡±

    After saying that, Letty then deliberately kept quiet and kept Liya in suspense.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Liya was curious to know.

    ¡°It¡¯s like this.¡± Letty lowered her voice into a whisper as she took a step forward and asked in a mysterious way, ¡°Have you heard of a treasure named ¡®Ocean Heart¡¯?¡±

    Treasure? Liya widened her eyes upon hearing that. She grew excited.

    ¡°What is ¡®Ocean Heart¡¯? Is it valuable?¡± Liya asked excitedly.

    ¡°Of course, it is priceless, and there are a lot of people out there searching for it. If you get hold of the treasure, then you don¡¯t have to worry about making a living anymore. You can even be among the richest,¡± Letty said in an exaggerated manner, driving Liya even crazier.

    ¡°Where is this treasure now? How can I get it?¡± Liya asked in a hurry as she grabbed Letty¡¯s arm.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush. I can exin to you slowly.¡± Letty put on a mysterious smile and said, ¡°No one else knows about this treasure besides Old Madam, not even Marissa. Only those approved by Old Madam will get the chance to learn of its existence. It is rumoured that the treasure will be handed over to the wife of the head of the family, who also happened to be the eldest grandson. With Hansen being the eldest grandson as well as the head of the family, it only makes sense that Jenna gets the treasure.¡±

    Liya¡¯s face darkened upon hearing that. There was a dangerous glint shining in her eyes.

    ¡°But Miss Liya, don¡¯t worry. Now that Old Madam stated in her will that Hansen has to marry you,you will get a chance. After all, you are also the wife of the eldest grandson. But then, it depends on your ability whether you get it or not,¡± Letty exined further.

    Liya¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. ¡°Letty, then what should I do to get the treasure?¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Letty paused for a while, clearly processing something in her mind, before she whispered, ¡°It¡¯s simple. Just get Vivian¡¯s approval, and you¡¯re good to go.¡±

    Liya was startled to hear that. No one else but her knew about the truth regarding Vivian¡¯s will. She knew that Vivian would never approve of her, whether she was conscious or not. Liya would never stand a chance against Jenna. Liya wasn¡¯t that ignorant. She knew that it was not going to work.

    Liya immediately shook her head and denied the idea.

 Chapter 617 Lomenâ€™s Findings

    ¡°In fact, it isn¡¯t necessary to get Old Madam¡¯s approval. We just have to get hold of the treasure. Vivian can¡¯t recognize anyone anymore. So, this is our best chance. Finders keepers.Not many people know about the treasure, not even Madam Marissa or Mr. Trevor. You just have to think of a way to get hold of the treasure. Then, who is it to say that you can¡¯t keep it as your own?¡± Letty persuaded. She noticed that Liya was a little dejected, and her persuasion made Liya nod in agreement.

    ¡°You did well today, and I¡¯m d you came to me. How about this? You¡¯ll follow me, and I¡¯ll offer you benefits when I stand firm one day.¡± Liya was delighted to get this information, hence she made an offer to Letty.

    Upon hearing this, Letty seemed overjoyed as well. She smiled widely and thanked her repeatedly.

    ¡°By the way, do you have any idea where the treasure is kept?¡± Liya immediately asked as she thought of the question.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about this, but I assume that it¡¯s with Vivian. It¡¯s with her all this while.So, it will only make sense if she keeps it near her ce,¡± Letty said after a round of thoughts.

    ¡°It should be at Vivian¡¯s ce.¡± Liya thought to herself. Wasn¡¯t that obvious? However, Letty was just a maid. Liya shouldn¡¯t expect her to know that. Thus, she said, ¡°That¡¯s okay then. Juste to me if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    ¡°Sure, Mrs. Richards,¡± Letty called out affectionately before leaving with a smile.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Miss Yates? I¡¯m Letty,¡± Letty found a quiet corner before making a phone call. She lowered her voice to a whisper and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already told Liya about the treasure today. I think she¡¯ll make a move soon.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Zoe said. She had been resting on her bed ever since her miscarriage. As soon as she received the news, she smiled sinisterly and said, ¡°Keep an eye on her from today onwards. Once she gets the treasure, do whatever you need to snatch it over, even if it means you have to kill her.¡±

    Rage built in her eyes. Zoe gritted her teeth in anger as she was reminded of the night she was schemed by Liya.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Yates. No one likes her in Richards Manor. Even if I were to make my move on her in public, no one will stand up for her,¡± Letty said with a smug look.

    ¡°Great.¡± Zoe nodded and said, ¡°You will be of her service before she gets the treasure. After all, she¡¯s the only one who can enter Vivian¡¯s bedroom.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I will have to hang up first. Someone else ising.¡± Letty hung up the phone in a hurry as she heard footsteps approaching.

    Zoe smiled sinisterly and made another call after pondering for a moment. ¡°Libby, send someone to keep an eye on Liya whenever she¡¯s out. Let me know immediately if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    After the two phone calls, it seemed as if the hatred Zoe had towards Liya finally lessened a little. She sighed as she shut her eyes.

    Meanwhile, Liya was in high spirits after learning about the ¡®Ocean Heart¡¯. Before this, she was still finding ways to milk the benefits during her stay in Richards Manor. She knew that her days were numbered, and she would have to leave without getting anything in return. However, now that she knew about the treasure,she wouldn¡¯t need Hansen anymore once she got hold of it. She could be rich on her own. Moreover, with Vivian¡¯s will backing her up, it was her right to get hold of the treasure.

    Thinking of that, Liyay down happily in bed. Her mood improved, and shefell asleep without her realizing it. Recently, she seemed to like sleeping a lotand couldn¡¯t get enough sleep no matter what.

    Later that night, Lomen returned to the Ink Garden, and he ran into Jenna.¡°Lomen, where did Liya go today?¡± Jenna asked.

    ¡°Madam, Liya went to the salon during the dayand had lunch at a French restaurant. She went shopping after that. It was a wild round of shopping. There wasn¡¯t anything odd,¡± Lomen reported his findings in detail.

    Jenna frowned. It was only in the morning when Liya told her that she needed money, and she made it sound like she was struggling financially. However, why was she spendingvishly then? Who gave her the money to do so?

    ¡°By the way,Madam, Liya went to a seaside vi today, and she was driving a luxury car. I saw her returning to the vi as if she was the hostess of the vi. I was dumbfounded. How could a woman like her own such things?¡± Lomen gasped as he was suddenly reminded of his findings that day.

    Jenna was puzzled too. If Liya owned that much assets,then why was she still trying so hard to get a ce in Richards Manor? Why did Liya put on such a pitiful act? Was she really that greedy? Did she really own all that stuff?

    On top of that, Jenna was also concerned about Liya¡¯s huge transformation when they finally met again.

    ¡°Lomen, please investigate what Liya did after leaving Richards Manorand if she owned the vi and the car you mentioned.If yes, then who bought them for her? Like what she told me earlier, she hadn¡¯t been working for months and was not paid at all.¡± Jenna immediately gave out orders as she thought of these questions.

    Lomen pondered for a while before nodding.

    After Lomen left, Jenna was still not at ease. Everything about Liya was too weird. She was obviouslyzy and penniless. So, how could she afford to own a vi?

    Trevor and Hansen had each given Liya a piece of expensive jewelry back at their wedding. Could it be that she sold the jewelry and got rich?

    Jenna couldn¡¯t confirm that, and she didn¡¯t dare to make assumptions either. She could only wait for Lomen¡¯s investigation for the time being.

    The night was murmuring, leaving behind a sense of loneliness in the air.

    It had been two days since Hansen left for Capital City. She wasn¡¯t aware of the situation over there. Hansen would only tell her the good news. She wouldn¡¯t get to know about the actual situation if she asked him.

    Now that every useful person in the Richards family was already put to use, Jenna couldn¡¯t get hold of his situation.

    She sighed lightly and headed back to her bedroom with a heavy heart.

    It had been peaceful for Sabrina in the past few days. However, without knowing why, General Delia stopped calling her to ask her to return. He also no longer brought up the marriage with Sergio anymore.

    Sabrina was once again back to her optimistic self. She was happy and carefree. However, with Liya wandering around in Richards Manor, Sabrina was annoyed at her sight. She had to find an opportunity to get rid of Liya. That was the only thing that irritated her recently.

    Sabrina couldn¡¯t understand Trevor¡¯s and Hansen¡¯s intention of allowing Liya to move into the Ink Garden. Were they trying to tarnish the reputation of the Ink Garden?

    Coming out of the shower, Sabrina hummed a song while drying her hair with a towel. Her cheeks were flushed.

    The old-fashioned chandelier lighted up the entire room with the zing white light.

    After drying one side of her hair, Sabrina started drying the other side.

    It was at that moment that she let out a high-pitched scream. She looked up and saw a tall figure leaning by the door frame with hisarms crossedand a faint smile on his face.

    ¡°Who are you? Sabrina shouted with her widened eyes.

    ¡°Sabrina, it¡¯s me,¡± Norton replied with azy tone and a pursed smile.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Sabrina asked. She blinked her eyes, and once she confirmed that it was indeed Norton, she was in a panic as she threw her towel awaybefore covering her chest with her arms.

    D*mn it. Sabrina was wearing ace skirt aftering out from a shower. She didn¡¯t even wear a bra inside. She did not expect a man to appear in her room. Moreover, his gaze was roaming all over her body.

    That was too much.

    Sabrina hurriedly turned around and ran back to the bathroom with her heart pounding. She stared at her reflection in the stone mirror. She was actually blushing.

    But why?

    It had been so long since she felt so overwhelmed with those emotions. It took her a long while to calm downfinally. She got changed and stayed inside for a little while more. This d*mn Norton. Had he left yet? She didn¡¯t want to go out and face him.

    ¡°Sabrina, can youe out now?¡± Norton said just as Sabrina was contemting whether or not she should head out.

    Sabrina¡¯s cheeks were even more flushed upon hearing that. It seemed as if Norton was standing outside the bathroom.

    ¡°Norton, how can you enter my bedroom like this?¡± Sabrina sounded slightly annoyed from inside the bathroom.

    Norton was standing by the bathroom. The corner of his mouth twitched a little as he heard her words.

    ¡°Am I not allowed to look for you for something?¡± Norton sounded a little helpless. ¡°Pleasee out already. I need to tell you something.¡±

    ¡°You can look for me tomorrow. Why did you have to break into my bedroom?¡± Sabrina asked with frustration as she opened the door to the bathroom.

    ¡°I have to tell you now, or else I¡¯ll forget about it by tomorrow.¡± Norton smiled casually. It was as if he wasn¡¯t bothered by her frustration.

    Sabrina could only re at him helplessly.

    ¡°Let me ask you, how did you get in here? You can¡¯t do this again, or else I¡¯ll tell Uncle Trevor.¡±

    Norton shrugged his shoulders and spread out his hands. He said in an aggrieved tone, ¡°I got in through the door. I¡¯ve called out to you so many times, but you didn¡¯t answer. So, I just pushed the door open.¡±

    ¡°Through the door?¡± Sabrina gasped. She remembered clearly that she locked the door, and it was an auto-lock. So, how did he open the door?

    With that in mind, she nced at Norton in doubt.

 Chapter 618 Canâ€™t Help Himself

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like this?¡± Norton asked as he touched his face and eyed Sabrina up and down. Earlier, she was out of the shower and in her pyjamas, but she had changed into the outfit she had worn during the day. Norton restrained from a burst ofughter and said, ¡°Look at you. You don¡¯t even have a nice body. Why are you covering yourself up? No one will even bother to look at you.

    Norton gave her a sideways nce. He was clearly asking for a fight.

    Sabrina was pissed off.

    Anger surged within her. She was chilling in her room after a shower. Not only did he barge into her room and peek at her in such a revealing manner, he also criticized her with such harsh remarks. That was too much of him.

    It was not her personality to let someone bully her like that.

    Sabrina¡¯s face sank as she red at him with her almond-shaped eyes wide open and said, ¡°Norton, I could have kicked you out for breaking into my bedroom, but I didn¡¯t, and it was out of respect for Grandma. You should be apologizing, not mocking me like this. What do you even think of me?¡±

    Norton noticed the flush in her cheeksand the rage in her eyes. He knew that she was angry. Thus, he said with a chuckle, ¡°Sabrina, I¡¯m just messing with you. You don¡¯t have to be that serious.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re annoying.¡± Sabrina snorted with a furious expression.

    ¡°Look at you. You¡¯ll age faster if you continue to be angry. You¡¯re already 26. Stop acting like a teenager, or else you¡¯ll end up scaring every suitor away.¡± Norton chuckled and patted her on the head as he said in a gentle tone.

    ¡°Scaring everyone away?¡± Sabrina was even more annoyed to hear that. Wasn¡¯t it because of him that she was still single at her age? How dare he make fun of her?He was too much. She shoved his hand away and said, ¡°Men will be lining up for me if I give them a chance. Take Sergio for an example. He¡¯s a better man than you¡¯ll ever be, yet I¡¯m not interested in him at all. I am an attractive woman. I am not in a rush to get married.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    Norton choked a little upon hearing her words. He was in a daze. Then, he said, ¡°No matter what, you will end up being married to me. You are mine. Although you are much older now, don¡¯t worry. I will still keep to my word.¡±

    Norton spoke with deep affection and without shame.

    Sabrina was greatly annoyed and said, ¡°Norton, I told you that we won¡¯t work. I¡¯d rather die alone than marry you. You should give up.¡±

    Sabrina wanted to walk away after saying that, but Norton blocked her path.

    ¡°Get out of my way,¡± Sabrina said in a rude manner.

    Norton was hurt by her cold and harsh words. His heart ached. He could only freeze in ce and inspect her with his head tilted to one side. He didn¡¯t intend to step out of her way.

    Sabrina grew impatient. She shoved him away and stepped out to her bedroom.

    Norton was shoved a couple of steps back.In a hurry, he grabbed her hand and caught up to her.

    ¡°Let me go,¡± Sabrina said. They were already by the couch, and Norton was still grabbing her hand. She could not shove him away at all. He was stuck onto her like a piece of chewing gum. She got impatient and annoyed. So, she punched him in the chest as she yelled in rage.

    Norton was somehow in a daze.As if he was addicted to it, he didn¡¯t want to let go of Sabrina¡¯s hand at all. Heatwaves were spreading within his body, and his cheeks were flushed.

    Just as Sabrinanded a punch on his chest, Norton took the opportunity to grab that arm. With his other free hand, he held her waist. After losing bnce, Sabrina fell on the couch, with Norton falling on top of her.

    His body was lying on top of hers. Their gazes met, and their noses were almost touching.

    ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t treat me like this,¡± Norton said with his breathingheavy. His gaze was drifting to and fro.

    Sabrina was pressed onto the couch by Norton. She couldn¡¯t move at all. She was flustered as she stared at him with her widened eyes. Norton¡¯s cheeks were flushed, and he was staring at her with his dark and hazy gaze. She couldn¡¯t read his expression at all, but she felt a sense of danger. She panicked.

    ¡°Norton, get lost,¡± Sabrina shouted out of panic. She wanted to shove him away, but he was holding her hand,and he was lying right on top of her. She could only yell at him like that.

    Meanwhile, Norton could no longer restrain himself. He finally, got the woman whom he had always been thinking of for a few years, underneath him, and he couldn¡¯t hold back his desires at all.

    Norton stared at Sabrina¡¯s red lips, as his mind got blurry and hot-headed. He couldn¡¯t help himself but to lower his head and lock lips with her.

    Sabrina widened her eyes in shock.

    She couldn¡¯t evene up with anything before her lips were caught in a soft and gentle kiss by Norton. He found his way to break in her lips and explore further in the kiss.

    There was a loud rumble in Sabrina¡¯s head as her mind went nk.

    His kiss was aggressive and recklessbut also gentle. He took her breath away within just a couple of seconds, and Sabrina couldn¡¯t even tell the time anymore.

    ¡°Sabrina, I love you,¡± Norton whispered in her ear after kissing her wildly and passionately, as if he wanted to inhale all of her scent.

    He caught her earlobe in his lips, sucking and nibbling on it. His hot breath slowly moved down her neckline. There was no end to his passion in iming her.

    It was not until his hand was on her chest that Sabrina finally came back to her senses. She shoved him away with all of her strength as she cried out, ¡°Norton, you¡¯ve gone too far. I will not forgive you for this. I¡¯ll tell Uncle Trevor that you took advantage of me.¡±

    The agony in Sabrina¡¯s tone gradually awakened Norton, who had already fallen into a deep slumber. He finally returned to his senses andstared at the crying woman in front of him with a nk expression.

    ¡°Let me go,¡± Sabrina cried in shame as she punched and shoved him away with all of her might.

    In a daze, Norton was finally shoved aside. Sabrina quickly got up. She covered her mouth and ran away in tears.

    ¡°Sabrina.¡± Norton let out a weak cry as he watched Sabrina escape the room in panicked tears. Hey on the couch, and had lost all of his energy. He shut his eyes and punched hard on the couch.

    D*mn it, what the h*ll was he doing?!

    Sabrina was running away in tears, and as she rushed into the corridor, she ran into Jenna, who was in deep thought and was heading back to her bedroom.

    ¡°Sabrina, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jenna asked in surprise as she saw Sabrina running away in tears.

    Sabrina was ashamed and anxious, and her mind was in a daze. She ignored Jenna and simply ran outside in tears.

    ¡°Sabrina,¡± Jenna called out. She was in shock. She had never seen Sabrina like that. She immediately ran after Sabrina. It was nighttime and dark outside. She was concerned if Sabrina would run into danger.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. Leave her to me.¡± Norton¡¯s anxious voice could be heard from behind Jenna. She paused midway upon hearing his voice. Jenna could roughly figure out what had happened. She stood on the spot and saw Norton walking over with a guilty expression.

    ¡°Norton, what happened? Did you make her cry like that?¡± Jenna asked with a stern tone.

    Norton¡¯s face turned pale. He gaped, but no words came out of his mouth.

    Jenna shook her head after taking in his reaction.

    ¡°Norton, a girl is to be coaxed. Haste makes waste. You shouldn¡¯t break her heart like this, no matter what,¡± Jenna said. She was worried that Norton was pushing Sabrina to her limit. That would only make things worse for him. Sabrina was from a noble family. She wasn¡¯t a seasoned veteran, and she had high self-esteem. She could never ept Norton if he was acting too aggressive.

    Norton was blushing, down to his neck. The darkness in his gaze terrified Jenna.

    In reality, although Norton had a wed past,he was neither a pervert, nor did he attract many women like Hansen.

    Norton¡¯s good looks didn¡¯t pale inparison with Hansen. However, due to his gloomy personality, he didn¡¯t get to attract many women in his life. Norton was someone who would keep everything to himself. He always walked with his head down and never opened himself up to anyone else. Back in those days when he liked her, he was stubborn and aggressive, even knowing that it was wrong to do so. It took a long time for him to turn around in the end.

    Now that he was in love with Sabrina, it was assumed that he would be as stubborn and aggressive as before. He wouldn¡¯t be able to move on until Sabrina got married and started a family with another man.

    Flirting might not be Norton¡¯s strength. On top of that, his gloomy personality would make people around him feel that he would sooner orter abandon the whole world. If he fell for Sabrina using his own approaches, would Sabrina ept him for being that way?

    With so many obstacles between them, could they get a happy ending?

    Even if Sabrina were to fall for Norton, it wouldn¡¯t be enough too without getting General Delia¡¯s approval. General Delia had always been strict in maintaining their family structure. He was from the military and would always stand by his words. Sabrina was aware of that as well, or else she wouldn¡¯t have agreed to marry Sergio.

    ¡°Jenna, please help mefort Sabrina. I was out of control.¡± Norton begged Jenna with his mortified expression. His eyes were sorrowful and lonely as he said, ¡°I am not in the right ce to beg for her forgiveness.¡±

    He then turned around and walked away.

    Jenna stood there watching him leave. He was a man, yet he looked like a child at that moment as he seemed lonely and helpless. In every man¡¯s heart, there would always be a child. Jenna could only agree to that saying after seeing Norton¡¯s reaction. He looked dejected, like a child who had admitted his defeat for not winning Sabrina¡¯s trust and understanding.

    After walking away for a few steps, Norton turned around and said to Jenna stubbornly, ¡°Jenna, I love Sabrina. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any wrong with this.¡± He then walked away without chasing after Sabrina.

    Jenna froze in ce.

    Indeed, no one could tell what was right or wrong in love. Only the involved parties could tell if they were a perfect match or not.

    Sabrina had a bright and easygoing personality, whereas Norton was gloomy and quiet. She was an extrovert, while he was an introvert. They wouldplement each other if they were together.

    Jenna had that thought. PerhapsVivian had already seen it this way before Jenna did. After all, Vivian approved of their union, whereas Hansen and Jenna were somehow forced into a marriage.

    However, it was apparent that Sabrina and Norton were still trapped in a mazeand couldn¡¯t notice that.

    Jenna pondered for a while before shaking her head, toe back to her senses. Out of concern for Sabrina, Jenna headed towards the direction she ran off to.

 Chapter 619 He Took Advantage of Me.

    By the pond in Ink Garden, Sabrina was sitting on a bench with her face buried in her knees, sobbing.

    Jenna walked over and sat down beside her.

    ¡°Sabrina, tell me, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jenna stroked her hair and asked gently.

    Hearing Jenna¡¯s voice, Sabrina looked up and buried her head in Jenna¡¯s shoulder as she broke down in tears.

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached. That year on New Year¡¯s Eve, she also cried while hiding in a corner, heartbroken. Norton betrayed her just as she first started to fall for someone. She was in pain after being humiliated by the one she loved.

    Jenna regretted keeping that from Sabrina. She wasn¡¯t a good sister figure to Sabrina. How should shefort Sabrina that night?

    ¡°Jenna, I want to leave here tomorrow.¡± After crying for some time, Sabrina looked up at Jenna and said firmly, with tears still welling up in her eyes.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    Jenna was startled. Her gaze was dark and gloomy. Sabrina had been helpful all that while. She couldn¡¯t bear the thought of Sabrina wanting to leave that ce.

    She wanted Sabrina to stay with her forever! She was unwilling to part with such a nice girl!

    ¡°Sabrina, can you tell me why? Why do you want to leave?¡± Jenna held her in her arms as she said gently, ¡°No matter what, I hope you don¡¯t rush yourself into a decision. Don¡¯t act on impulse.¡±

    Sabrina sobbed. She was terrified of Norton¡¯s actions from earlier.It wasn¡¯t the first time, yet it was the worst by far. She couldn¡¯t stay there any longer,or else she could never picture what might happen in the near future.

    General Delia might kill her if she let him take advantage of her. General Delia would never forgive her for tarnishing the family reputation and honor. This could never happen to their family, given their status in Capital City. Her reputation was already tainted after terminating her marriage.

    Sabrina gaped, but she couldn¡¯te up with anything. How could she talk about that? She could only break down in tears again.

    ¡°Sabrina, I know that you¡¯re a kind and sweet woman. If you look up to me as an elder sister, can you let me help you with your troubles?¡± Jenna asked in a gentle tone after letting out a low sigh.

    Sabrina sniffedwith her cheeks flushed. She didn¡¯t know how to bring that up.

    ¡°Sabrina, sometimes you can¡¯t run away from your problems. Trust me.I might be able to help you.¡± Jenna rubbed on her trembling shouldersand continued to say with a gentle tone, ¡°Sabrina, I can¡¯t thank you enough for helping me all this while. I wouldn¡¯t want you to leave our side at times like this. You know, the problems with the Richards Group, and with Grandma¡¯s situation, I have to be there, and I¡¯d be d if you can stay with me. But, of course, I won¡¯t be that selfish to keep you by my side if you insist on leaving. I just hope that you can calm down for a moment and listen clearly to your mind. Don¡¯t act on impulse and regret it in the future.¡±

    Sabrina gradually calmed down upon hearing Jenna¡¯s words. Her mind was slowly clearing up, but her heart was still in a mess. She didn¡¯t know what to do.

    ¡°Sabrina, are you troubled because of Norton?¡± Jenna asked once Sabrina had calmed down.

    Sabrina nced up at Jenna. Concern and doubt filled her gaze.

    She didn¡¯t know how Jenna managed to read her mind.

    Jenna noticed the doubt in her eyes, but she couldn¡¯t read the concerned gaze. With a smile, Jenna said, ¡°Sabrina, I have way more experience than you in being heartbroken. I can understand how you feel, but please remember, running away does not solve your problems for you. We have to be brave enough to face reality.¡±

    Jenna chose to escape to another country in the past, and her father died upon her return. She had been living in regret ever since. If she didn¡¯t choose to leave, then would her father still be alive if she agreed to divorce Hansen?

    ¡°Jenna, I can¡¯t face Norton anymore. He never cherished me back then.So, what¡¯s the point of him trying to do it now? My father will never approve of us, and Norton has been trying to take advantage of me every now and then. I can¡¯t stay here anymore. Jenna, do you know how I feel? I really want to stay and help you, at least until Grandma passes away. She had been nothing but kind to me, but I can¡¯t do this anymore,¡± Sabrina said with a sob and a nk expression.

    Under the dim streetlights, Jenna could still see traces of embarrassment and blushing in Sabrina. Although she seemed ufortable,she looked more in a daze than anything. Jenna¡¯s heart felt heavy at that moment.

    It was apparent that Sabrina was still puzzled by her own feelings. If Sabrina chose to leave, then she might live in regret. Perhaps, Jenna could convince her to stay, and eventually, make Sabrina see through her feelings. With that thought in mind, Jenna said, ¡°Sabrina, it¡¯s true that Norton broke your heart, and it¡¯s normal if you and your father can¡¯t ept him. It¡¯s normal for us women to be serious about our concerns, but now, I really need you. My advice for you is to stay while you still can. Moreover, if your father is still forcing you to marry Sergio, with you going back home, then you can only be considered giving in to him. Also, with Grandma¡¯s condition right now, she might leave at any time. Do you still think that you should leave at this moment?¡±

    Jenna observed Sabrina¡¯s face while she said that, taking in every slight change in her expression. After noticing that Sabrina didn¡¯t look as stubborn as before, a thought appeared in Jenna¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t you worry. I will neither allow Norton to get near you nor take advantage of you from now onwards. If he still does so, then I¡¯ll tell Uncle Trevor myself and have him locked up in a room to reflect on his actions. Otherwise, I can just send him to one of our overseas branches and have him work his a*s off over there. What do you think?¡± Jenna held Sabrina¡¯s hand in hers and asked with a serious tone.

    ¡°Jenna, can you really do that?¡± Sabrina asked with a weak voice. To her, Norton was like a ghost who would creep into her mind at any time. She didn¡¯t believe that he would want to leave.

    ¡°Rest assured. Trust me. You can sleep with me starting tonight. With me by your side, that Norton b*stard won¡¯t dare toe near you anymore,¡± Jenna said with great confidence.

    Sabrina thought for a while before nodding and said, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll trust you.I¡¯ll help you get rid of Liya that b*tch too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great, thank you, Sabrina.¡± Jenna was delighted to hear that. Sheughed and held Sabrina¡¯s arm as she said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get some sleep. It¡¯s gettingte.¡±

    Sabrina finally broke intoughter, and for a moment, she forgot about Norton.

    However,ter that night, Sabrina could not sleep.

    Jenna slept soundly beside her, but the only thing Sabrina could think of was Norton. She felt that he was creeping into her mind, and that he was like a snake, wrapping her up tightly, as she tried to shove him away. She was insecure and annoyed.

    His heavy breathing and tender touches,the sweet words he whispered to her, and his strong arms wrapped around her. She could still feel his body pressing on top of hersand the way he was aroused.

    ¡°Sabrina, I love you.¡± The words he said lingered in her mind for the whole night. She couldn¡¯t get rid of it, no matter how much she tried to resist. She was close to getting insane.

    Sabrina somehow fell asleep without her knowing. All of a sudden, she heard, ¡°Sabrina, I love you,¡± ringing in her ears again. She sprung up in shock.Rubbing her eyes, she realized it wasalreadythe next morning. Jenna was already away from the bed.

    It should be time for breakfast.

    She freshened up in a hurry and headed to the dining hall with dark circles under her eyes.

    As expected, the dining hall was almost fully upied by the Richards family, leaving only hers and Norton¡¯s seat empty.

    Sabrina nced at the vacant seat,and with panic, she withdrew her gaze.

    ¡°Sabrina, take your seat. It¡¯s breakfast soon.¡± Jenna immediately held her arm and said with a wide smile as soon as she saw her.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Sabrina sat down right beside Jenna.

    ¡°Sabrina, didn¡¯t you sleep wellst night?¡± Jenna asked in concern as she noticed the heavy bags under Sabrina¡¯s eyesand the exhausted look on her face.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡± Sabrina shook her head in denial and lowered her head.

    However, Jenna¡¯s question had already garnered some attention from the others towards Sabrina.

    ¡°Sabrina, are you used to living with us?¡± Trevor asked in a kind manner as he looked over at Sabrina with a wide smile.

    ¡°Uncle Trevor, I¡¯m fine. You all treat me well,¡± Sabrina replied politely with a smile.

    ¡°Great.¡± Trevor nodded with a smile. ¡°You have a kind heart, and you¡¯re sticking around even when we¡¯re going through a crisis. We are touched to have you, and we thank you.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Sabrina blushed and said, ¡°Uncle Trevor, Grandma and the Richards family have been nothing but kind to me. I should repay your kindness.¡±

    ¡°Well, it shows that you¡¯re a grateful kid if you know how to repay someone with kindness.¡± Marissa nodded and praised.

    The breakfast session was harmonious and cheerful that morning.

    ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Norton?¡± Jenna asked as she saw the vacant seat. She couldn¡¯t help but to be reminded of what had happened the previous night.

    ¡°Norton has some matters to attend to. Madam Madeline will be visiting Mother today in the Ink Garden. Carme will being too. They will be visiting the Emerald Garden as well. I¡¯ve sent Norton out to purchase some decorative items, so that we wouldn¡¯t be embarrassing ourselves upon their arrival,¡± Maria immediately exined as she noticed that everyone was ncing at Norton¡¯s vacant seat.

    Jenna was startled. She didn¡¯t know Madam Madeline would be visiting.

    ¡°Madam Madeline called mest night. I am Norton¡¯s mother.So, she wanted to discuss things between Carme and Norton with me. We¡¯re trying to let them meet today,¡± Maria exined further.

    Everyone else finally understood the bigger picture.

    ¡°Did Norton agree to this?¡± ude frowned and asked. He didn¡¯t sound pleased.

    ¡°Carme is a smart youngdy. She has her own business, and her fashionpany is operating worldwide. The brands she created are legendary in the fashion industry. With a strong family backgroundand a strong career like this, she¡¯s taking the initiative to get to know Norton. How can Norton say no to this? He¡¯s not a teenager anymore. It¡¯s time for him to settle down. Moreover, we need him to start a family before we can discuss further on the Richards family¡¯s inheritance, don¡¯t we?¡± Maria said casually with a pout. She clearly wasn¡¯t bothered about ude¡¯s concerns.

 Chapter 620 Blind Date

    ude was unhappy to hear that.

    ¡°From what you just said, you¡¯re into this because of how wealthy the Newton family is, aren¡¯t you? You like Carme because of this, don¡¯t you? This is Norton¡¯s marriage we¡¯re talking about. Why does it matter if you like it or not? No matter how amazing Carme is, that¡¯s because of her own effort. Norton has just started building his career. Will he be happy to be with Carme? Madam Madeline has always been a snob. The Newton family won¡¯t be where they are today if it weren¡¯t for their connections. Do you know that none of their youngsters got married out of love? Just take a look at Frederic. Do you really think that Norton and Carme will fall in love with each other if you arrange this for them? You can¡¯t do this without informing Norton beforehand,¡± ude said. He was reminded of his own marriage, which was also arranged by Elmore for the sake of building the Richards family business. There was no love at all between him and Maria, and that was exactly why he didn¡¯t like being at home. His arranged marriage had also led to many more unfortunate events. ude didn¡¯t want the same history to repeat in his son¡¯s future. He wanted Norton to marry someone he loved and lived happily with his spouse.

    Maria looked wronged after hearing what ude had said. She replied, ¡°ude, what you said won¡¯t work anymore. Norton has been like this since he was a child. Just how much time did you spend with him as a father? He got himself in trouble, and you were in Africa. Now that he¡¯s an adult, shouldn¡¯t we at least try our best to find him the perfect match? Are you happy to see him being alone for the rest of his life? With his personality, how can we expect him to start a family on his own? He won¡¯t even approach thedies, and thedies definitely won¡¯t want to approach him too with him looking gloomy all the time. Do you think that there is a line of women waiting for him to pick them?¡±

    Maria¡¯s words sounded logical, but ude looked even more upset. He felt as if she was embarrassing him in front of the entire family. He was about toe up with something, but Trevor interrupted and said, ¡°Well, to be fair, we should leave this to fate. Now that Madam Madeline decided to pay us a visit, we shouldn¡¯t reject them, right? We won¡¯t be giving them any respect if we do so. We should at least meet them, and let things happen naturally. Who knows?The two of them might happen to like each otheractually. With them being adults, they¡¯d know what to do. Let¡¯s stop dwelling on this, shall we?¡±

    Trevor tried to smooth things over as he didn¡¯t want to ruin the harmonious atmosphere during breakfast.

    He managed to keep ude and Maria from arguing further.

    The breakfast resumed.

    Jenna thought about Carme. She had seen Carme a couple of times on TV. Carme was not exceptionally pretty, but she gave off a strong career woman vibe andseemed too domineering. Would such a woman be a good match for Norton?

    Jenna then shook her head.

    With Norton falling head over heels for Sabrina, Jenna doubted that he¡¯d be attracted to other women at all.

    Jenna was still trapped in her thoughts whenshe heard high heels clicking on the ground.A couple of secondster, Liya entered the dining hallwith her usual heavy makeup on.

    ¡°Dad, Mom, Uncle, Aunt, good morning,¡± Liya greeted them with a smilebefore taking her seat at the dining tableon her own and started eating breakfast.

    The harmonious and warm breakfast atmosphere, which was interrupted by Maria bringing up the wedding proposal by Madam Madeline, was further ruined upon Liya¡¯s arrival.

    Jenna had an upset stomach once she saw Liya. She could no longer eat anything.

    Sabrina, on the other hand, was also in a bad mood, and had lost her appetite.

    The both of them took some small bitesbefore exchanging nces and excused themselves from the dining hall.

    They headed to the garden for a walk. They were by the entrance when they spotted Norton rushing over in a hurry.

    The three of them froze in ce, with a distance not too far away from one another.

    Norton looked exhausted. He fixed his gaze on Sabrina, clearly looking embarrassed. He didn¡¯t know how to face her again after the incident the night before. He didn¡¯t expect to run into her.

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s head there,¡± Sabrina said lightly with a cold face as she looked away, and pointed to the lotus pond.

    Jenna noticed that Norton was staring at Sabrina. He was hesitating on whether he should speak up. Jenna wanted to excuse herself, so that the two of them could clear things out, but Sabrina was quick to react. Jenna felt a little helpless at that moment.

    Sabrina tugged on Jenna¡¯s arm as they headed to the other direction, leaving Norton behind.

    Norton stood there for a while, looking helpless all by himself. He couldn¡¯t help himself the night before, that he forgot what had brought him to her room in the first ce. He wanted to inform Sabrina about his blind date with Carme andtell her about his feelings. He didn¡¯t want Sabrina to think otherwise. Yet, things didn¡¯t go as nned.

    Norton didn¡¯t know if Sabrina would be bothered by Carme visiting. He just wanted to let Sabrina know that he would never agree to marry Carme, but it seemed like he had lost the opportunity to exin himself.

    The way Sabrina looked at him just thenwas as if he was her sworn enemy. She was icy. She must be hating him for what had happened the night before.

    Norton didn¡¯t want to take advantage of her the night before. He was too carried away by his desires andcouldn¡¯t restrain himself. He still couldn¡¯t believe that he would hurt her so much.

    Jenna and Sabrina had gone far, but Norton was still standing there with his head lowered. It took him a while tofinallymake way to the Ink Garden¡¯s corridor.

    ¡°Sabrina, with Madam Madeline making her visit today, it seems like we will have to prepare for lunch already,¡± Jenna said. Sabrina¡¯s expression was gloomy, and she was in a trance as her mind kept wandering off. Jenna had been making small talk to her as they walked, but Sabrina hadn¡¯t been responding much to her words. Jenna was helpless and had run out of topics to talk about.

    ¡°What else is there to prepare when Norton can just treat them to a meal outside?¡± Sabrina said with a faint expression.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel right to do that. She¡¯s here to pay Grandma a visit. The least we can do is to treat them to a family meal.¡± Jenna shook her head after a brief pause.

    ¡°They¡¯re here for a blind date. Norton should dine out with them, so that they can talk more about their future together. They can¡¯t talk much with so many eyes looking over at them in this ce, can they?¡± Sabrina continued to say in a faint tone.

    Jenna could tell that she sounded upset and somewhat jealous. Jenna turned towards her and asked carefully, ¡°Sabrina, if there¡¯s anything you¡¯d like to say about Norton¡¯s blind date, just tell me, and I¡¯ll help you think of a way.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s ridiculous.¡± Sabrina immediately shook her head in denial.¡°It has nothing to do with me. Norton is an adult now. It¡¯s perfectly normal for him to go on a blind date. It¡¯s a good thing. Why would I have anything to say?This is too funny.¡±

    Sabrina almost sounded as if she wasn¡¯t bothered at all, with her face nk.

    Jenna sighed lightly. She couldn¡¯t figure out what Sabrina was thinking.

    At ten o¡¯clock in the morning, the Newton family¡¯s luxurious vehicle drove into Richards Manor. ude and Norton stood by the entrance to wee them.

    Madeline was already in her eighties. She respected them enough to pay Vivian a visit in person. They had to be courteous.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Madam Madeline,¡± ude said politely with a wide smile on his face, as Madeline stepped out of her car. She was dressed up elegantly.

    ¡°Likewise, Mr. Richards,¡± Madeline also greeted with a smile. She was in high spirits and still looking healthy.

    Carme was dressed in a suit and had light makeup on. She smiled politely at them. She had a tall and thin figure. She looked elegant and confident. It wasn¡¯t hard to tell that she was a stylish and modern career woman at first nce.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Madam Madeline,¡± Norton, who was at the side, greeted Madelinepolitely.

    ¡°So, is this Norton?¡± Madeline asked with a smile as she sized Norton up.

    ¡°Yes, indeed,¡± ude replied with a humble smile.

    ¡°Great, he¡¯s a talented young man.¡± Madeline was all smiles as she saw Norton¡¯s handsome face and strong figure.

    ¡°Thank you, Madam Madeline.¡± Norton smiled.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Uncle Trevor and Norton,¡± Carme greeted after Madeline. She was polite and well-mannered.

    ¡°Nice to meet you too, Carme,¡± ude immediately replied with a wide smile.

    There was a faint smile on Norton¡¯s face as he greeted her with a nod.

    After exchanging greetings, ude then led Madam Madeline and Carme to the electric vehicle.

    Madeline inspected the scenery in the manor asshe praised.¡°Richards Manor really lives up to its reputation. The greenery andndscaping are so well doneandplements the building well too. It is breathtaking scenery.¡±

    ude smiled. Noticing that Madeline was in high spirits, he ordered the driver to bring them on a tour around Richards Manor before visiting Vivian in Ink Garden.

    Jenna and Marissa were waiting at the Ink Garden lobby for Madeline¡¯s and Carme¡¯s arrival. There was another round of warm greetings before Madeline suggested visiting Vivian.

    Madeline was emotional to see Vivianfinally. After all, Vivian had always been tough and wise,involving herself in many kind deeds. However, looking at her condition right then, Madeline couldn¡¯t help feeling sad and pitiful.

    After visiting Vivian, they led Madeline and Carme to the reception room, and chatted with them there.

    Maria was already waiting for them in the reception room. She was all smiles when they arrived.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    They made small talk, and Madeline was in high spirits.

 Chapter 621 Blind Date In Progress

    ¡°Norton, with us elders talking here, why don¡¯t you take Carme to the lounge? You two can y some chess or chat around in there,¡± Maria said out of concern for the bored Carme in this environment. She was also giving them the chance to get to know each other.

    Carme agreed with this suggestion, whereas Norton froze in ce, as if he wasn¡¯t happy with the idea.

    Maria urged him a few more times. Norton had no choice but to leave with Carme.

    ¡°Norton, I heard that you¡¯re doing well in the N&S Group now, and you¡¯ve managed yourpany well since it was listed. I heard you even defeated the Jones Group,¡± Carme said as they arrived in the chess room at the lounge. She was praising his achievements. It seemed like she knew him well.

    Norton sat casually without putting on any expression as heresponded faintly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s all thanks to Jenna. Even if I did well, it¡¯s because she trained me well.¡±

    Carme definitely heard about Jenna and all sorts of rumors rted to her. She was interested in getting to know more about Jenna.

    ¡°Jenna sounds amazing. Everyone out there has nothing but praise for her. They said that no one should underestimate women from Richards Manor. I have this feeling too after finally meeting her in person today. I do hope to get to know her more,¡± Carme said with genuine admiration.

    Norton smiled upon hearing that.¡°It proves that you have great eyes.¡±

    Norton finally smiled at the mention of Jenna. Carme could tell that Norton looked up to Jenna as well.

    The atmosphere between them finally eased a little. They started with their chess game.

    Meanwhile, inside the office of the Ink Garden, Sabrina was focused on her work and ignored whatever was happening out there.

    However, the chess room at the lounge was facing Sabrina¡¯s office. All it took was for Norton to lift his head, and he would see Sabrina working in the office.

    Although he was ying chess with Carme,his attention was focused on Sabrina, who was working in her office.

    After a round of chess, Carme noticed that Norton wasn¡¯t paying any attention. She saw Norton looking outside in the opposite direction several times. His gaze wasplicated. He messed up in the chess game, but it didn¡¯t seem intentional.

    Women were always more sensitive, and the intelligent Carme was not an exception.

    ¡°Norton, the Ink Garden is beautiful. Why don¡¯t you take me out for a walk outside?¡± Carme suggested with a smile. She won the chess game, but she wasn¡¯t excited at all.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Norton agreed upon hearing that. He was distracted by Sabrina throughout the game, and he had already lost his interest anyway.

    They headed outside.

    Along their walk, Carme was in awe of the antique vibe in the Ink Garden. She couldn¡¯t stop praising it.

    Soon,they went along the corridor andarrived in the living room.

    ¡°There¡¯s actually a lounge and an office here,¡± Carme said with curiosity as she observed the surroundings.

    Sabrina sat in the office, and she clearly heard their conversation outside.

    She frowned. Fortunately, with Jenna by her side, she didn¡¯t feel that terrible.

    After weing Madeline to the manor, Jenna had already returned to the office. She had her own matters to attend to and was not in the mood to keep thempany. Since Marissa and Maria were there to keep Madeline upied, Jenna decided to return to her work as it had nothing to do with her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯re working here. I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you,¡± Carme said with a smile as she noticed Jenna in the office.

    Upon hearing that, Jenna had no choice but to stand up. She smiled and told Norton who was following behind, ¡°Norton, you should bring Carme for a walk around the Ink Garden, or you can always introduce Carme to the restaurants or interesting ces nearby. She¡¯ll be bored if she continues to stay here.¡±

    Carme smiled casually and said, ¡°Jenna, there¡¯s nothing special about the food and ces out there. I am more impressed with the Ink Garden itself. I¡¯d rather spend my day enjoying the scenery since I¡¯m already here. In fact, I can tell that Norton has high respect for you, and I¡¯ve been dying to get to know you too. I hope I can learn more from you.¡±

    Carme was well-mannered, and the smile on her face looked genuine.

    Jenna smiled faintly and said, ¡°Carme, you made me sound amazingwhen I¡¯m just an ordinary woman. If you wish to visit the Ink Garden, you can always ask Norton to take you on a tour.¡±

    ¡°Sure, thanks Jenna,¡± Carme said in a sweet manner. She turned around and saw Sabrina, who was so focused on work and didn¡¯t bother to look up at them. Carme then smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice you there. Hi, I¡¯m Carme Newton.¡±

    Carme took the initiative to extend an arm towards Sabrina in an enthusiastic manner.

    Sabrina could no longer remain unperturbed.

    She stood up and reached out to the extended arm as she said with a smile, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Sabrina Delia.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Sabrina? I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡± Carme smiled widely.

    Sabrina couldn¡¯t help but to wonder where Carme heard about her.Why did she sound so enthusiastic? It was as if she had known Sabrina for a long time. She didn¡¯t even know her that well!

    ¡°It was nice meeting you,¡± Sabrina said with a polite smile. She could only keep her curiosity to herself.

    ¡°Jenna, since the elders are chatting over thereand we youngsters are gathered over here, why don¡¯t we take a walk outside? I understand it¡¯s currently working hours, but you¡¯re not in thepany. You can take this as a chance to rx out there. Let¡¯s spend more time together, shall we?¡± Carme was in high spirits as she proposed this to Jenna.

    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea.¡± Norton immediately agreed. He didn¡¯t want to be alone with Carme, and with this suggestion, he could get Sabrina and Jenna to tag along with them. He looked more cheerful than before.

    Jenna was in a tight spot. It didn¡¯t seem right for her and Sabrina to tag along, when the elders wanted Norton and Carme to get to know each other.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯ve been here since I was a child, andI¡¯m already familiar with this ce. You guys can head out. I¡¯m busy.¡± Sabrina rejected coldly. She sat back down on her own and started working againwith her head lowered.

    Norton¡¯s face darkened.

    ¡°Sabrina, can¡¯t you treat this as keeping mepany for my visit? The more the merrier.¡± Carme wasn¡¯t angry at all although she was rejected by Sabrina, she invited her again with great patience.

    Jenna lifted her head and saw Norton¡¯s darkened expression. She knew what he was thinking. If Sabrina refused to tag along, then he would never agree to be alone with Carme in the garden. If this were to happen, then Carme would feel that she had been ignored,and might notice that something was off. Things would be worse by then. With that in mind, Jenna walked over to Sabrina and held her hand in hers, smiling as she said, ¡°Sabrina, it won¡¯t take long. Let¡¯s just head out and clear our minds for a while, shall we?¡±

    ¡°Jenna, I am really not in the mood for a walk. We haven¡¯t even checked the ounts when the end of month is already approaching. We will only end up taking more time.¡± Sabrina was forced to stand up. She noticed that Norton was staring at her. His gaze was bright, as if he was hoping for her to tag along. Sabrina¡¯s heart raced, and her cheeks blushed slightly. She looked away in a panic. She was flustered.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.I¡¯ll help you by then.¡± Jenna smiled andced her fingers through Sabrina¡¯s. She then smiled at Carme and said, ¡°Let¡¯s head out then.¡±

    Carme happily nodded.

    Norton led them out.

    They were walking along the corridor as Sergio approached them.

    ¡°Seems like you all are having fun together. May I join?¡± Sergio asked Jenna when he met the young and lively group of people.

    Norton¡¯s expression darkened as he saw Sergio. His jaw clenched, and he wished he could kick Sergio out.

    However, Sergio wasn¡¯t bothered at all despite knowing that Norton was not happy about his presence. Not only did Sergio ask Jenna for an invitation, he also started introducing himself to Carme in an enthusiastic manner.

    Carme wasn¡¯t aware of their rtionship, and she believed that the more the merrier. So, she nodded and invited Sergio along.

    They then started to walk around Richards Manor.

    They started from the Ink Garden and then headed to the other gardens.

    Along the way, Norton wanted to move closer to Sabrina, but Sabrina didn¡¯t want to be with him and was basically sticking to Jenna. On the other hand, Sergio was trying to follow Jenna. Thus, the scene looked a little hrious.

    If Sabrina headed left at first, Norton would try to approach herbut Sabrina would run off towards the other direction, keeping a distance away from him.

    As for Sergio, he followed Jenna around. With Sabrina sticking around Jennaand Sergio following closely, it seemed as if Sergio was protecting Sabrina instead.

    Norton could only tag along with a heavy heart. He couldn¡¯t even approach the three of them.

 Chapter 622 A Terrible Fall

    ¡°Norton, I heard that Mr. Xanthe is Sabrina¡¯s fiance and General Delia had already given his approval for them. Am I right?¡± Carme asked in envy as her gaze fell on the three of them. They looked great together with their good looks.

    Norton was already upset as he couldn¡¯t approach them. Upon hearing Carme¡¯s question, he felt even worse. He then answered coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. Didn¡¯t hear about it.¡±

    Carme replied with a smile, ¡°Mr. Xanthe and Sabrina are both the children of famous generals in Capital City. They match well. I actually envy them a lot after hearing about their marriage.¡±

    Norton felt even more terrible upon hearing her words. His face tensedas he lowered his head and walked in silence.

    Sabrina was clearly steering away from him. She wouldn¡¯t let him approach her. No matter where they were headed to, even if they were taking some small breaks in between, Sabrina would make sure to keep a distance away from him. On top of that, Sabrina didn¡¯t even bother to smile at him.

    Norton was already dejected. With Sergio chuckling andughing asionally, he felt even more irritated.

    Richards Manor was built to be arge-scale park. After walking around for a whileunder the hot sun, they were already drenched in sweat. There was a pavilion near them. Carme then suggested they ride around on bikes. She said it would be more fun.

    Sergio, who was already in high spirits, immediately agreed. Sabrina had always been cheerful and bright,and after taking a walk, she seemed to be in a better mood, and she nodded in agreement to Carme¡¯s suggestion.

    Carme, of course, was delighted to see that.

    Meanwhile, Jenna smiled and said, ¡°You guys have fun. I can¡¯t ride on a bike.¡±

    Everyone knew that she was pregnant, and they didn¡¯t force her.

    ¡°Jenna, I can take you on my bike instead.¡± Sergio suggested. He didn¡¯t want Jenna to be left alone.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.I can take her with me.¡± Norton rejected coldly on Jenna¡¯s behalf.He was not that foolish not to see through Sergio¡¯s intention. Moreover, Jenna was pregnant with a Richards family baby. Norton wouldn¡¯t be at ease to let Sergio get close to her.

    Jenna smiled lightly and said, ¡°Norton, you should focus on apanying Carme today. She¡¯s our guest. I can tag along in the electric vehicle. You should join them for the bike ride.¡±

    She did not satisfy either of themand turned around to leave in an electric vehicleinstead.

    Norton somehow agreed with her decision. It was the best choice for her to tag along in an electric vehicle. After all, it was morefortable than a bike.

    He red at Sergio before leaving to choose his bike.

    ¡°Norton, I haven¡¯t ridden a bike for years. My skills might be a little rusty. How about you take me on this instead?¡± Carme eyed the couple¡¯s bike on the sideand suggested to Norton.

    Norton nced at Sabrina, who was already on a bike and had left the scene.

    Sergio also picked his bike and rode away.

    Left without a choice, Norton could only agree to Carme¡¯s suggestion.

    It was obvious that Carme didn¡¯t know how to ride a bicycle. She was clumsy. With Norton riding on the same bike as her, all she had to do was to sit in her seat. They rode downhill along a slope. It was refreshing as the breeze brushed past them.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Carme called out as she extended her arms and enjoyed the breeze.

    Norton had been riding around Richards Manor on a bike since he was a child. It wasn¡¯t a difficult task for him. He also extended his arms as they rode down the slope. The bicycle headed downwards due to its momentum, and they were already ahead of Sabrina, who was riding on her bicycle carefully.

    Sabrina was a woman after all. She was slightly afraid to be on a bike all by herself andpressed on the brake when going down the slope. Even Jenna was already catching up to her pace in the electric vehicle.

    ¡°Jenna, where¡¯s Hansen? I haven¡¯t seen him in the past two days.¡± Sergio approached Jenna on his bike and asked casually.

    Jenna¡¯s gaze darkened, but her expression was neutral as she replied calmly, ¡°He has to wrap up some business deals in thepany. He¡¯d be upied with that for a while.¡±

    Sergio nodded.

    ¡°Sergio, I haven¡¯t seen you for the past few days. What were you up to then? Aren¡¯t you keeping an eye on the Richards Group? How would you not know about Hansen¡¯s whereabouts?¡± Jenna asked without being subtle.

    Sergio looked a little embarrassed and replied with a smile, ¡°I was back in Capital City. Something came up.¡±

    Back in Capital City? Jenna¡¯s heart trembled a little as she nced at Sergio. Sergio was back in Capital City, and Hansen was there too. What happened to Hansen then? She hadn¡¯t received any phone call from him yet that day!

    ¡°Sergio, you should apany Sabrina more. She¡¯s riding on her own with all these slopes. It wouldn¡¯t be easy for her. Keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn¡¯t fall and injure herself,¡± Jenna said casually to Sergio as she stared towards Sabrina¡¯s direction.

    Sergio knew that Jenna was finding an excuse to steer him away. Heughed helplessly and rode towards Sabrina.

    There was a long uphill slope afterwards.

    Norton turned around and happened to see Sergio chatting happily with Sabrina. He was jealous at that sight and felt terrible. He slowed down his pace as he wanted to wait for her.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    It was strenuous to ride uphill. Sabrina clenched her teeth and tried her best to step on her pedal. She looked ahead and saw Norton not too far away from her.

    Carme was sitting on her seat,with her legs crossed and arms extended, as she enjoyed the breeze with a wide smile.

    ¡°Sabrina, are you okay?¡± Carme asked with concern as she spotted Sabrina making a lot of effort to step on her pedal. Sabrina¡¯s cheeks were flushed, and she wasalreadydrenched in sweat.

    Sergio was riding beside her casually, and he couldn¡¯t bear seeing Sabrina like that. She was his fianc¨¦, after all. Sergio then said, ¡°How about you hop on my bike instead? This uphill slope seems too much for you.¡±

    There was no backseat on his bike. The only way Sergio could take her with him was to let her sit in front of him.

    Sabrina would never want to sit with Sergio like that. She shook her head and continued stepping on her pedal in a stubborn manner. She wasn¡¯t bothered by anyone else. Sergio could only let her be.

    ¡°Sabrina, this uphill slope is a little too difficult to tread on. Why don¡¯t you hop on Mr. Xanthe¡¯s bike instead?¡± Carme advised. She was still sitting on her bike casually while enjoying the breeze. Sergio was Sabrina¡¯s fianc¨¦.Carme couldn¡¯t understand why Sabrina refused the idea.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I can do this,¡± Sabrina replied. She looked up and saw Carme smiling brightly at her. Carme was dressed in her own designs, and she looked elegant. She didn¡¯t even have to step on any pedal. She sat there looking all elegant and casual. Sabrina somehow felt that her smile was too dazzling. She didn¡¯t like how confident Carme was. She stepped even harder on her pedal, trying her best to get ahead of them, so that she wouldn¡¯t have to feel that annoyed again.

    Finally, she overcame the uphill slope, and they were now riding on a smooth path.

    A victorious smile shed across Sabrina¡¯s face.

    Meanwhile, Norton slowed down and followed behind Sabrina. It was as if he was trying not to provoke her. Carme talked about the fashion trends and the overseas business operation with Norton along the way.

    Carme was talkative but with a clear mind. She had a great judgement on the market. She was knowledgeable, and she knew how to grasp the targeted audience as well.

    Sabrina wanted to stay away from them, but she was too exhausted. She could only let them follow behind her. She had no choice but to overhear their conversation. They were approaching yet another uphill slope. Sabrina hadn¡¯t recovered from the previous uphill slope but she was once again stepping hard on her pedal.

    However, she couldn¡¯t get rid of them no matter what.

    ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t rush yourself.¡± Jenna was also following behind in her electric vehicle. She saw Sabrina acting stubbornly and stepping hard on her pedal again despite not fully recovering from the previous uphill slope. Jenna was concerned about that. She was about to ask Sabrina to join her in her electric vehicle, but she gasped instead.

    Sabrina was too focused on stepping on the pedal that she didn¡¯t even notice the ground they were riding on. Her bike ran into a rock, and she was thrown off bnce. She didn¡¯t have much energy to steer into another direction, or perhaps she was too exhausted and annoyed to do so. Together with her bike, she crashed aside.

    ¡°Sabrina, watch out.¡± Jenna gasped. She couldn¡¯t reach out to her in time, and could only see Sabrina falling down with her bike.

    With a loud thump, Sabrina crashed to the ground with her bike.

    ¡°Ouch,¡± Sabrina let out a cry as shey on the ground. There was a great surge of pain spreading to her torso from her leg. She couldn¡¯t get up.

    ¡°Sabrina,¡± Norton gasped. He had been watching her closely, but she didn¡¯t bother to cast a nce at him. He felt terrible about that. Upon hearing Jenna¡¯s cry, his heart clenched as Sabrina crashed to the ground right in front of him. The loud thump and Sabrina¡¯s cry almost stopped his heart.

    He quickly stepped on the pedal to get closer to her. He jumped off the bike and ran towards her.

    ¡°Sabrina, are you okay? Is it painful?¡± Norton asked nervously as he lifted up the bicycle that had fallen on top of her. He carried her in his strong arms and let her rest on his knees as he sat on the bicycle.

    Sabrina¡¯s face was a little pale, and her forehead was covered in sweat. She seemed as if she was in pain and that broke Norton¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Sabrina, you should be more careful.¡± Sergio also rushed towards them. He frowned at the sight and said, ¡°How can you injure yourself when riding a bicycle? Can¡¯t you watch out for danger? You should stop riding the bike if you don¡¯t know how to.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Sergio.¡± Norton was furious upon hearing that. How could he still be ming her when she was in such great pain? He didn¡¯t even bother to ask about her. If Sabrina was to marry him, then what would her future look like?

    ¡°Sabrina, are you okay? Is your injury serious?¡± Jenna rushed over in her electric vehicle. She saw Sabrina lying in Norton¡¯s armswith her lips pursed and sweat covering her forehead. Judging by how pale Sabrina looked, Jenna could tell that her injury was not a light one. It was a cement road, after all, and it was under the hot sun. How could Sabrina be fine after the crash? Jenna then said to Norton, ¡°Send her to the medical room right now.¡±

    Norton finally came back to his senses. With Sabrina still in his arms, he headed towards the electric vehicle.

    Carme no longer insisted on the bicycle ride after witnessing Sabrina¡¯s fall. She also hopped on the electric vehicle. The whole group then headed to the medical room.

    ¡°Look at the bruises on her kneesand also the huge hole in her pants. It must be a terrible fall to look like this,¡± Jenna said nervously.

    In the medical room, the doctor was busy cleaning up her wounds. The doctor was about to rip the fabric covering her knees, but her exposed flesh was already attached to the fabric. There was blood everywhere. It was the same situation as the wounds on her arm as well. Sabrina couldn¡¯t help but to cry out of pain.

    Norton¡¯s heart ached at that scene. He could only hold her hands in his. His expression was gloomy, and he didn¡¯t say a word at all.

    The doctor took about an hour to clean her wounds and apply some medicine.Everyone was looking over at the whole process as they started discussing that.

    Sabrina¡¯s eyes were filled with tears, and she gritted her teeth to endure the pain.

 Chapter 623 Sincerely

    ¡°Dr. ncy, does she have a fracture to have an injury this serious?¡± Norton asked with great concern as Dr. ncy started bandaging her wound.

    Dr. ncy thought for a while with a troubled expression and said, ¡°Young Master Richards, it¡¯s hard to tell without the proper equipment. I¡¯d rmend taking some scans at the hospital for further confirmation. A fracture is not something we should take lightly. With the weather being this hot, it¡¯d take her wounds a long time to healpletely.¡±

    Norton was anxious to hear that. He immediately lifted Sabrina in his arms and ran out without hesitation.

    Jenna knew that he was taking her to the hospital for further examination.So, she didn¡¯t tag along.

    Sergio, who was at the side, was somehow frustrated to see Norton carrying his fianc¨¦e away right in front of him. Although Sergio didn¡¯t have feelings for Sabrina,she was still his fianc¨¦e by name.

    Rage was building within him, but Sergio couldn¡¯t show it. He really didn¡¯t have any feelings for Sabrina. He was only frustrated because he thought that Norton was ignoring his presence as herfianc¨¦.

    On the other hand, Carme was still looking calm all the while. She saw how anxious Norton was when Sabrina injured herself. Carme stood there in deep thought.

    Upon returning to the reception room, Maria was chatting happily with Madeline. The atmosphere was warm.

    Carme presented Maria with her self-designed outfit. It looked elegant and trendy, and it fitted perfectly on Maria, who was delighted to receive the gift.

    ¡°AuntMaria, if you like it, then I shall work on more designs for youand bring them to you the next time,¡± Carme said with a smile as she helped Maria fold her cor.

    ¡°I like it a lot, thank you.¡± Maria couldn¡¯t stop smiling and thanking her. She liked Carme a lot.

    ¡°Carme, you should visit your Aunt Maria more in the future. She¡¯s a very kind woman, and she knows a lot about health perseverance. I learnt a lot from her today. You can learn more from her next time.¡± Madeline smiled and said to Carme.

    ¡°Got it, grandmother. I¡¯d dly do so.¡± Carme smiled and agreed.

    ¡°Carme, you¡¯re so sensible. You have a great career, yet you¡¯re still so sweet and well-mannered. I can¡¯t even exin how much I like you.¡± Maria held Carme¡¯s hand in hers as she inspected her up and down with adoration filling her gaze.

    Carme¡¯s cheeks blushed a little as she smiled bashfully.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, you can extend your stay in our Richards Manor for the next few days. What do you think about this?¡± Maria immediately suggested.

    Madeline didn¡¯t say anything as she nced over at Carme.

    Carme gave a knowing smile before saying, ¡°Sure then. Thank you for inviting me over. I¡¯ve always been looking forward to visiting Richards Manor. as everyone around me kept saying that it¡¯s a rare sight in A City. I kind of get what they meant after spending some time here today. It is a bignd, and I only managed to tour a part of it today. I would really love to spend more time in this ce.¡±

    ¡°d to hear that you like it here. You can stay as long as you want. I¡¯ll ask someone to arrange a guest room for you.¡± Maria¡¯s smile blossomed upon hearing that. She immediately rang up Maud and requested a guest room in front of Madeline.

    After another round of chatting andughter, it wasalreadytime for lunch.

    Jenna had already requested the kitchen to prepare a sumptuous lunch. One of the maids approached them and led them to the dining hall once lunch was ready.

    During lunchtime, Trevor and ude kept Madelinepany, and the atmosphere was great. However, Norton and Sabrina were both absent.

    ¡°Where are Norton and Sabrina?¡± Trevor asked Jenna as he noticed their absence, feeling odd.

    Jenna replied in a hurry, ¡°Dad, during our tour in the garden today, Sabrina fell from her bicycle, and her injury was quite serious. Norton brought her to the hospital for a checkup.¡±

    Trevor was anxious to hear that, and he immediately asked, ¡°How is she doing now? Sabrina is a kind, innocent, and adorable youngdy.I hope her injuries aren¡¯t that serious, or I wouldn¡¯t know how to exin to General Delia.¡±

    Madeline¡¯s expression darkened upon hearing that. She asked Maria, ¡°Mrs. Richards, who is this Sabrina?¡±

    Maria replied in a light tone.

    ¡°Madam Madeline, Sabrina is the youngest daughter of General Delia in Capital City. She had been close with our family ever since she was a child, and she¡¯d often spend time here in the manor. She is now here to help us.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, Sabrina is the one who is now engaged to Mr. Xanthe,¡± Carme further exined.

    Madeline nodded and didn¡¯t say anything in return.

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. Norton has already brought her to the hospital. He will call us if there¡¯s anything. With how advanced the medical field is right now, I doubt it¡¯d be that serious.¡± Jenna could only try tofort Trevor.

    Trevor stopped dwelling on that topic. Everyone then started to help themselves to lunch.

    At the government hospital,Norton was finally at easewhen they confirmed that there was no fracture but only minor injuries on Sabrina after running a round of tests.

    ¡°Norton, put me down. I can walk on my own,¡± Sabrina said in embarrassment. After the tests, Norton still held her in his arms as they walked out of the hospital, heading back to the manor. Everyone was stealing nces at them. Sabrina blushed in embarrassment and demanded Norton to put her down.

    ¡°Stop being stubborn. Haven¡¯t you learned your lesson after what happened earlier today?¡± Norton¡¯s face fell. He tightened his grasp around her and said, ¡°Look at your wounds. You need at least a week¡¯s time for them to healpletely. You shouldn¡¯t be walking around. You should avoid friction in your kneesso that your wounds can heal. You¡¯d better stay at home from today onwards.¡±

    Norton still carried her in his arms as they headed downstairs to the parking lot. He only let go of her after he carried her into the car. He let hery down on the seatand tucked her under a nket. He then started the car and drove them back to Richards Manor.

    Until they got off the electric vehicle in the Ink Garden, Norton was still carrying Sabrina in his arms. He didn¡¯t let her walk at all.

    Sabrina saw that Norton¡¯s face was covered in sweat, and he was still looking anxious. She felt sorry.

    ¡°Thank you, Norton. You must be exhausted,¡± Sabrina said in a low voice.

    The corners of Norton¡¯s mouth curled into a beautiful arc upon hearing that.

    Was he tired? Norton didn¡¯t feel that way at all. He was anxious and concerned, but carrying Sabrina like that in his arms was his dream. He enjoyed the feeling. How would he feel exhausted?

    ¡°Anything for you.¡± Norton gazed deeply into her eyes and said passionately.

    Sabrina blushed. Just as she was about to say something, she heard voices approaching.

    The entire family was about to send Madeline away.

    They happened to run into Norton, who was still carrying Sabrina in his arms.

    The blush on Sabrina¡¯s cheeks spread all the way down her neck. The entire Richards family spotted them that way. She was embarrassed!Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    She struggled to get down.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Norton said as he tightened his grasp.

    ¡°Sabrina, are you okay?¡± Marissa immediately walked over to them as soon as she saw them returning, with Jenna following behind.

    ¡°Rest assured. There are no fractures or internal injuries, but we shouldn¡¯t take her external injuries lightly too. You guys can go ahead and send Madam Madeline away. I¡¯ll carry Sabrina back to her room to rest,¡± Norton greeted each of them before heading towards Sabrina¡¯s room with her in his arms.

    They ran into Sergio along the corridor. Sergio was unhappy to see his fianc¨¦e in another man¡¯s embrace, especially out in public. He felt as if it was an insult to his ego. So, he instantly blocked their path andsaid, ¡°Sabrina, how can you allow another man to hold you in public?Get down. You should let me support you instead.¡±

    ¡°Sergio, get out of our way. How can we ask Sabrina to walk when her wounds are this serious? You don¡¯t seem like you know how to treat a woman. I wonder what makes you think you¡¯re qualified to ask General Delia for his daughter¡¯s hand in marriage.¡± Norton gave him a sideways nce as he said in a deep voice. With Sabrina still in his arms, Norton continued walking back to her room.

    Sergio was forced to take a couple of steps back. He could only watch them walk away from him with a thoughtful expression. He didn¡¯t stop them anymore.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get out of bed in the next few days. Just call the servants if you need anything. I¡¯ll let them know about this.¡± Norton gentlyid Sabrina on the bedbefore saying in a soft tone. He then made sure that she wouldn¡¯t be pressing on her injured limbs. He helped her adjust the air-conditioning andpoured a ss of warm water for her. He even headed to the bathroom to heat up the towel before helping her wipe her face and body. He was tender and careful in all those movements. Surely enough, Sabrina wasn¡¯t willing to let him wipe her body on her behalf. She was blushing as she asked him to stop.

    Honestly speaking, Norton was being really kind and sweet to Sabrina at that moment, to the extent that Sabrina might choose to forgive him, but she didn¡¯t.Her heart was heavy, and she was still terrified by what had happened the night before.

    Her falling off the bicycle might be due to herck of sleep from the night before. She couldn¡¯t concentrate, and she was exhausted. With that in mind, she was even more terrified and was unwilling to face Norton.

    After doing all that stuff, Norton sat by the edge of the bed as he cracked some jokes to make Sabrinaugh.

    Being the second young master of the Richards family, Sabrina knew that Norton must have grown up having people take care of him. It wasn¡¯t easy for him to take care of others and it wasn¡¯t until that day that Sabrina got to see his tender side.

    ¡°Norton, you can leave now.I¡¯m fine on my own.¡± Sabrina tried to urge him to leave after spending some time together. There were many people living in Richards Manor. If he stayed any longer, then others might start specting. She wouldn¡¯t want to be the main topic of others¡¯ gossips.

    Norton didn¡¯t want to leave at all. He fixed his gaze on her face.

    ¡°Sabrina, I took care of you for the whole day. Are you dumping me already?¡± Norton said with a dark expression as he scooted nearer to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± Sabrina was a little flustered as she felt the heat radiating from his body as he was getting closer to her.

    ¡°Norton, you are on a blind date with Carme today. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to her for you to stay by my side the entire time. I¡¯m just trying to make things easier for you. I am fine on my own. Just go out already. I can ask the servants if I need anything,¡± Sabrina exined despite knowing that Norton wouldn¡¯t be happy about that.

    Norton¡¯s gaze darkened as he heard about the blind date. He leaned closer to her as he asked, ¡°Sabrina, are you really okay with my blind date with Carme?¡±

 Chapter 624 Barking Up The Wrong Tree

    Sabrina looked up in surprise. ¡°Norton, what are you trying to imply? Shouldn¡¯t I be happy for you? You are at the right age to start a family after all.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ are doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± Norton¡¯s face sank as he stared fiercely at her.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Sabrina was startled. She didn¡¯t know how much clearer sheshouldexin things to make Norton understand. She said, ¡°Norton, Carme is amazing. She¡¯s pretty,has an amazing career, and a strong family background. She is a good match for you. I can tell that you two have a bright future together. On top of that, Madeline likes you, and your Mom likes Carme too. You two are destined to be together. Norton, you should appreciate this more. I give you my blessings.¡±

    Norton did not say anything, and he stared at Sabrinainstead. His gaze was icy, and at the same time, terrifying.

    ¡°Sabrina, it seems like I¡¯ve been barking up the wrong tree. Even after everything we went through, you¡¯re still making fun of me and my blind date with Carme. Even if what you said is right, why does it matter?I don¡¯t have feelings for her. Don¡¯t you know how scary it is to get married to someone without loving them? How good of a marriage do you think this will be?¡± Norton said with a dark expression. It was as if he was suppressing his rage.

    Sabrina looked up in confusion and said, ¡°Norton, you can slowly develop feelings for her after getting married. There aren¡¯t many married couples out there who got together out of love. Take Jenna as an example. She went through so much to finally get to where she is today. Yet, her love life with Hansen is still not progressing smoothly, especially with Liya making her return again. I think you get what I mean now, and you know what decision you should be making. Your Mom wants you to be with Carme, and she¡¯s right. It shows how much Madeline prioritizes your family for her to make a personal visit. This is a wonderfulpiece ofnews for you. Norton, we¡¯re adults now. We have to focus on the present. I¡¯m already engaged to Sergio, and this is the reality we can¡¯t change.¡±

    Sabrina advised him earnestly. She did have feelings for him, but that was back in those days when she was still young and innocent. She had always been following him everywhere he went. He was family to her. She really wanted him to be happy.

    Norton¡¯s expression darkened. He stood up with a scary expression.

    ¡°Sabrina, is this what you really think? Are you a fool all this while, or are you someone with a heart made of stone? You don¡¯t even understand my feelings. Do you really want to marry Sergio? He doesn¡¯t love you at all, and he has no feelings for you. Can¡¯t you see that? Judging from what you said, you sound like you¡¯re determined to marry him. Is this how you n to make me forget about you?¡± Towards the end, Norton almost roared, ¡°Do you know the consequences of your decisions? Sabrina, why can¡¯t you wake up and look at this matter seriously? You¡¯ve studied abroad,and you should know better than this. You will only ruin your whole life if you marry him.¡±

    Norton threw the pillow in his hand onto the floor furiously as he said, ¡°Sabrina, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t love me or if you don¡¯t want to marry me. I admit that you deserve better than me, andI don¡¯t deserve your love, but you don¡¯t have to do this to yourself. You shouldn¡¯t marry a man like Sergio who has no feelings for you at all. That will only destroy you. It¡¯s the same for me. If I marry Carme, then I will only end up like you do if you marry Sergio. I don¡¯t want this to happen to either of us. I used to have the same thoughts as you. ButJenna taught me what love is, as well asbeingmitted. I want to fall in love wholeheartedly. I want my life to be meaningful and beautiful. I don¡¯t want to get married for the sake of starting a family. I got to learn about my feelings for you recently. I want to make it up to you. I want to love you. I know that I was wrong, but you aren¡¯t even giving me a chance. You¡¯re looking down on me, but that¡¯s okay. I was fine with that until now. Even if we are to cut tiespletely, I still won¡¯t allow you to marry Sergio. You can¡¯t marry someone that ruthless and cold-blooded. That¡¯s my bottom line in this.¡±

    Norton let out a heavy sigh and said, ¡°Sabrina, think about what I¡¯ve told you. You saw how Sergio reacted to you getting injured today. He couldn¡¯t be bothered at all. Didn¡¯t you see that? As for me, you don¡¯t have to worry, asI¡¯ll no longer annoy you. I just hope that you can be responsible for your future.¡±

    Speaking of that, Norton¡¯s eyes reddened, and he stormed out, leaving a loud thump as he mmed the door shut.

    Meanwhile, Jenna was still concerned about Sabrina¡¯s injury. After sending off Madeline, she rushed to Sabrina¡¯s roomand ran into Norton, who was storming out of the room in a fit of rage. She gasped and asked, ¡°Norton, is Sabrina okay? What happened to you?¡±

    Norton suppressed his anger upon seeing Jenna. He stood there and tried his best to reply in a calm manner, ¡°She¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just some external injuries, but she needs to rest for at least a week for the wounds to healpletely. Please help to arrange some servants to take care of her.¡±

    Jenna nodded, but then she felt that there was something off in his words. She asked in a daze, ¡°Norton, what about you then? Aren¡¯t you going to take care of her?¡±

    Norton¡¯s gaze darkened as he put on a pained expression. He said, ¡°Jenna, she doesn¡¯t want me to take care of her. She deserves someone better, but that someone will never be Sergio. I¡¯ll leave her to you for now. I¡¯ll be leaving for another country in a couple of days.¡±

    Jenna was a little confused when she heard that. He was carrying her when they got back from the hospital. They looked fine just earlier, but what happened to them for him to look like a different person?

    A quarrel must have happened. It was only normal for Norton to be carried away by his emotions that he couldn¡¯t see his future clearly. Once Jenna heard that he was leaving the country, she was reminded of something and quickly asked, ¡°Norton, is the second batch of cars ready yet? The international car exhibition will be held soon. You can¡¯t miss this golden opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ve been working on it. I¡¯ve beenespeciallyprioritizing your model. I believe we¡¯ll see it making a profit soon. By the way, I¡¯ve added two billion dors to the Richards Group ount from our sales. You can allocate it by then. Now that the Richards Group is going through a tough timeeven financially, and you can¡¯t stop the Regional Games municipal project in hand too. You need money and funding for all of those, but you can rest assured thatI will back you up with mypany. We can¡¯t let the hundred years of traditional Richards family business be defeated. I¡¯m confident.¡±

    Norton spoke with great confidence.

    Jenna nodded and said, ¡°Thank you, Norton. I¡¯m more confident in getting through this, now that I have you on board with your cousin.¡±

    She smiled encouragingly at him.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    The Richards family was in a tight position, now that they were used of leaking confidential information, but with her foresight, she diverted hispany beforehand. So, Norton¡¯spany was still able to support them through that crisis.

    After the conversation, Norton then walked away, looking all lonely.

    Jenna stood there with a thoughtful look, before heading to Sabrina¡¯s bedroom.

    She opened the door with the key in her hand.

    She just stepped into the room, and she had already heard someone sobbing inside. The sobs sounded heartbroken and lonely.

    Since when had the optimistic and cheerful Sabrina started crying with her heart broken into pieces?

    ¡°Sabrina, what¡¯s wrong? Did you fight with Norton?¡± Jenna asked gently as she walked up to Sabrina and held her trembling shoulders.

    Sabrina was still crying miserably. Upon hearing Jenna¡¯s voice, she rushed into her embrace and started crying again.

    Jenna sighed and hugged her tightly. Her heart ached to see Sabrina like that. She didn¡¯t say anything and just allowed Sabrina to cry her tears out. Once she was done crying, Jenna then wiped away her tears and said in a soft voice, ¡°Sabrina, do you trust me enough to share with me your troubles?¡±

    Sabrina shook her head while still looking sad. She said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Jenna. I¡¯m just having a bad mood. I¡¯ll feel better after crying it out.¡±

    Jenna was reminded of the scene where she ran into Norton earlier. He was in low spirits as well. She then poured a ss of water for Sabrinabefore sitting on the bed by her sideand starting a heart-to-heart conversation with her.

    ¡°Sabrina, can you tell me if you still have feelings for Norton? Even if it¡¯s just a little bit?¡± Jenna asked.

    Sabrina lowered her head and said nothing.

    ¡°Sabrina, we¡¯re no longer teenagers. We should be making clear judgements in every situation. If you trust me enough, thentell me how you feel. I will think of a way to help you. You are like a sister anda best friend to me.I want you to be happy,¡± Jenna said tenderly.

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s impossible for me to be with Norton ever again. My father will never forgive him for what he did back then,¡± Sabrina said in a low mood,wiping away her tears.

    Jenna smiled faintly. ¡°Sabrina, I¡¯m asking about your feelings, not your father¡¯s.¡±

    Sabrina sank her head even lower and said, ¡°I won¡¯t forgive him either.¡±

    ¡°Sabrina, tell me. Do you look down on Norton? Do you think that he can never achieve anything in his life? Or are you still hurt from what he did back then that you can no longer trust him anymore?¡± Jenna asked with all of her patience. How could it be that Sabrina no longer had feelings for Norton when she looked so heartbroken? She had always been straightforward in expressing herself. Yet, when it came to that matter, she chose to keep everything to herself.

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s not because of those things. Anyway, there can¡¯t be anything between us anymore. My father already agreed to my engagement with Sergio. We can¡¯t afford to go against the Xanthe family. Everything I had with Norton back then was already gone by now. Carme is eager to marry him, and I¡¯m happy for him. She is a great match for him,¡± Sabrina said as she raised her head and stared outside the window. She had a wry smile on her face.

 Chapter 625 He Loves You

    Jenna could understand the situation roughly up till then. She thought for a while before saying, ¡°Sabrina, is that what you really want? Everything is possible in the name of love. Norton did hurt you before, and I¡¯d support you if you really have no feelings for him anymore, but if you still have feelings, then I¡¯d advise you to just look past that. He has turned over a new leaf, and I can tell that he¡¯s serious about you and that heloves you. No one is wless, and I believe if one was determined to turn over a new leaf, then they¡¯d only be a better person. If your only concern is with your father, that shouldn¡¯t be your concern at all. Trust me, Norton will be more mature in time, and your father will have second thoughts about him.¡±

    Jenna said that after much consideration. Norton was a much better candidate than Hansen to be in the business sector with his calcting and shady tactics. Jenna believed that Norton was guaranteed to achieve sess after a while, especially with the Richards Group backing him up.

    The N&S Group was already growing steadily under Norton¡¯s lead. If he was hardworking and earnest enough, thenhe wouldeventuallystand out.

    It was understandable that General Delia couldn¡¯t notice how much Norton had changed, but not Sabrina. She saw that he had changed. She knew he had changed. If she gave him more time, then things between them could still work.

    Sabrina looked a little lost.

    ¡°Sabrina, just wait for a little longer. Perhaps it will take him less than a year to be a sessful businessman. By then, your father will definitely see him in a new light. However, the only condition for this to workis that you have to be there for Norton within this year. You have to support him and believe in him. You have to encourage him, and you can¡¯t break his heart. Can you do that?¡± Jenna held her hand in hersas she persuaded with a firm tone.

    Tears welled up in Sabrina¡¯s eyes as she stared at Jenna.

    Jenna smiled at her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, General Delia is not an unreasonable person. He has already agreed for you to marry Norton from the beginning.So, he won¡¯t be against it all the time. All it takes is for Norton to be dedicated to turning over a new leaf,making himself a sessful person. By that time,there¡¯s no longer any reason for General Delia to oppose your marriage. You and Norton have to stay in loveand be strong together. I believe everything is possible as long as you two are in love.¡±

    The Richards family was a noble family, to begin with. If General Delia approved of the Richards family in the first ce, it just meant that he acknowledged the Richards family more than the Xanthe family. Assuming that he had no choice but to choose thetter, the Richards family might still have a shot at that. All they had to do was to put themselves back in an advantageous position. Jenna was confident that General Delia would definitely think twice before finalizing his decision, especially when Norton and Sabrina were in love with each other.

    ¡°Jenna, will this work?¡± Sabrina asked weakly.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Jenna put an arm around her shoulders and said sweetly, ¡°Did you forget who I am? I¡¯m now the head of the household of the Richards family, and Hansen is the head of the family. We will visit General Delia when the time is rightand propose the idea to him. We will give you and Norton a grand wedding that will satisfy the Delia family. Trust me.¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s eyes lit up with a bright glint, but it dimmed again. The light in her eyes was shining with uncertainty, insecurity, and hesitation.

    ¡°Jenna, Yadriel is still too powerful, especially now when he¡¯s still posing a threat to the Richards Group with the usations. I don¡¯t know about this. Also, the Newton family visited today with the wedding in mind. Things are more serious than we think. I don¡¯t want the Richards family to be making enemies because of me. I will feel terrible if that happens.¡± Sabrina shook her head in concern after she was reminded of their current situation. She was not foolish to oversee that.

    Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°Sabrina, you¡¯re so kind.Norton and the Richards family will be lucky to have you. I¡¯m willing to defend Richards Manor¡¯s honor alongside you. Let¡¯s work harder and not give up easily, shall we? I believe we can still turn the tables around. With Hansen being in Capital City now, it seems like we are already making progress. Things will be better,¡± Jenna said emotionally with a determined expression, as she held onto Sabrina¡¯s hand.

    Sabrina squeezed her hand and smiled. She might be affected by Jenna¡¯s emotions, but understanding their current situation,she said nothing more.

    ¡°Sabrina, I want you to be my family more than anyone else does. So, I¡¯ll try my best to help you,¡± Jenna said firmly while holding Sabrina¡¯s hand, which was getting slightly colder.

    ¡°Jenna, that¡¯s what I want too, but things won¡¯t happen the way we want them to. In fact, Carme seems like a great woman, and the Newton family is a prestigious family too. She¡¯s smart, she has a career, and she has feelings for Norton. She¡¯s willing to marry him. It will be great if Norton marries her,¡± Sabrina said with her head lowered. She was having mixed feelings about that.

    ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t be silly. Do you think Norton will be happy if that happens? He loves you. So, how can he marry Carme? He will never do that, and I know him that well to say it,¡± Jenna said with a sigh.

    Sabrina lowered her head and twisted the sheets in her hand. She didn¡¯t speak for a long time.

    Jenna could see her previous self in Sabrina. She wrapped her arms around Sabrina as she muttered, ¡°Sabrina, trust me. I will do everything I can to help you two.¡±

    Sabrina looked a little lost as she fell silent.

    ¡°Mom, were you looking for me?¡± Norton asked as he slowly walked into another room. He looked a little exhausted. Maria was sitting on the couch with a fashion magazine in hand.

    ¡°Norton, you¡¯re here.¡± Maria looked up and said in a loving tone upon hearing her son¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Norton asked with a faint smile.

    ¡°My child, I just want to talk about the next big thing in your life with you,¡± Maria said as she pulled Norton¡¯s arm and let him sit down beside her.

    Norton felt a slight headache as he heard that. He knew what Maria was about to tell him. So, hereplied in an annoyed tone, ¡°Mum, this is about me. So, you don¡¯t have to worry much. You should just focus on enjoying your life. I still have things to attend to. I¡¯ll get going,¡± Norton stammered as he stood up to leave.

    ¡°Come back.¡± Maria frowned and shouted at him. She was not pleased with his superficial attitude.

    Norton had no choice but to turn around to face her.

    ¡°Norton, you should be more concerned about this. You¡¯re not young anymore, don¡¯t you know?¡± Maria was no longer smiling as she said with a stern tone, ¡°Let me tell you this. Carme has extended her stay in the manor for the next few days. You¡¯d better start building a romance with her during her stay. We can¡¯t miss out on such a good opportunity. You can¡¯t take this lightly.¡±

    It sounded almost like an order to Norton.

    The headache Norton hadgrew worse. He started raising his voice.¡°Mom, are you serious? How can you allow that without even asking for my opinion first? How can you rush things like this?¡±

    ¡°Me? Rushing things? If I don¡¯t do this for you, then just how long are you nning to stay single? You¡¯re already in your thirties, yet you¡¯re still looking all gloomy around a girl, as if every woman out there annoys you. If you continue to be like this, then can I even live to see my grandchild?¡± Maria berated with a pained expression.

    Norton was greatly irritated. For the past year, Maria had been nagging about that every time they met. He was annoyed to the extent that he no longer wanted to see her.

    ¡°Mom, marriage is a huge life event.I can¡¯t find myself a random woman off the streets just because I¡¯m at the right age to get married, can I? If I do that, then I will not only be irresponsible to the woman, but also to my life. Don¡¯t you understand?¡± Norton hurriedly protested.

    ¡°Stop telling me all that nonsense. I¡¯ve been through this. You can always fall in love after getting married. What matters is whether she suits you or not. As long as you find yourself a decent woman, then it¡¯s fine for me, but you keep making excuses, and it¡¯s as if you don¡¯t want to settle down. I¡¯ve had enough of this. I won¡¯t allow you to be stubborn anymore,¡± Maria said with a determined tone,putting on a straight face.

    Norton was anxious and annoyed upon hearing that.

    ¡°Mom, Carme doesn¡¯t suit me at all. I will not do this with her. You¡¯d better get rid of this thought and be clear with her. Stop giving her false hope. We can¡¯t afford to offend the Newton family. Listen to me. Don¡¯t bring this upon yourself and the Richards family. After all, my marriage should be my concern, not yours. I will have to agree to it no matter what. Don¡¯t me me for anything if you insist on making this decision for me.¡± Norton rejected in a firm tone.

    Maria¡¯s expression darkened, and she immediately stood up.

    ¡°Norton, don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what¡¯s on your mind. I know it well. You¡¯re in love with Sabrina, aren¡¯t you? General Delia had already broken off your engagement with Sabrina.So, how will he allow you to marry her again? On top of that, he has been looking down on you ever since your incident. Even if Sabrina agrees to be with you, even if you two really get married, have you ever wondered how the Delia family will take this? They will only give you a hard time. You won¡¯t be respected over there. So, how will you be happy in your marriage?¡± Maria lectured. She saw him carefully holding Sabrina in his arms earlier that day. She learnt about his feelings right at that moment. It wasn¡¯t that he had no interest in women, but he was already in love with Sabrina. This made Maria anxious, and she immediately called him over to teach him a lesson.

    ¡°Norton, I know that you love her, but it doesn¡¯t seem to me that she¡¯d reciprocate your feelings. As your Mom, I hope that you can stop this one-sided love, and spend some time with Carme. For their family to visit us today, it shows how much they like and appreciate you. I can tell that you will be highly respected in their family. Moreover, Carme is amazing too. She¡¯s smart, intelligent, sophisticated,and she can be a great partner in your career. If you marry her, then she will help boost your career, and you will be outstanding. I¡¯m even confident that you¡¯ll be doing much better than Hansen. I will be able to hold my head up high by then as well. Take a look at the crisis the Richards Group has now. We don¡¯t even know if we can go through this. So, please stop living in your fantasiesand be more realistic. Sabrina is great, but she¡¯s just a girl. She¡¯s immature and not ambitious at all. She follows Jenna everywhere she goes. She may be a good girlfriend,but definitely not a great wife. She won¡¯t be able to aid you in any aspect. People of my age can easily tell who¡¯s the better wife between Carme and Sabrina. Trust me. I only have your best interests in mind. You can¡¯t miss out on this opportunity,or you will regret this for your whole life,¡± Maria said sternly.

    She then grabbed the fashion magazine and waved it in front of him as she said, ¡°Norton, look at this. These famous brands, they¡¯re all designed by Carme herself. She¡¯s such a smart woman with an amazing career. How can you miss out on her? Norton, think about it. I will never harm you.¡±

    Norton stood there solemnly. He was reminded of Sabrina¡¯s cold expression and her telling him, ¡°Norton, things will never work out between us. Please just give up.¡±

    His headache worsened, and his chest felt stuffy. He stood there for a while. His head was rumbling loudly. He didn¡¯t know if he had heard everything Maria had said. He didn¡¯t even know how he left Maria¡¯s room.

    He only remembered walking out nkly in a daze.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 626 Liyaâ€™s IOU

    At noon, Lomen rushed back from outside. He pulled Jenna to a quiet corner and said in a low voice, ¡°Madam, I¡¯ve asked around. The vi by the sea is indeed Liya¡¯s. The luxury car as well.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Jenna frowned and then asked in confusion, ¡°Where did she get the money to buy all these?¡±

    Jenna was shocked to hear that. She didn¡¯t believe Liya could afford those things.

    ¡°Madam, they were all bought by Oscar Jones. From what I¡¯ve gathered, she¡¯s his mistress, and Mr. Jones has spent tens of millions of dors on her,¡± Lomen said with a pained expression.

    Ah! Jenna was shocked upon hearing that fact.Her mouth agape for a long time.

    ¡°Madam, this woman is just disgusting and horrible. She does things that are too shameful. You can already kick her out based on this fact alone. You don¡¯t have to be kind to her anymore,¡± Lomen said. There was a hint of disgust shing across his eyes. He almost threw up when he found out those facts.

    Jenna pondered.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Lomen, isn¡¯t Oscar engaged to Zoe? How is it possible that Liya is his mistress then?¡± Jenna asked in confusion.

    ¡°I also find this strange. I can¡¯t get a clearer picture of this for now, but I guess that Zoe isn¡¯t engaged to him of her own ord. She made use of their rtionship to frame the Richards Group, andshe managed to pull off this by kidnapping Matteo. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s interested in Oscar.¡± Lomen analyzed.

    Jenna narrowed her eyes with a thoughtful look.

    ¡°Lomen, Liya and Zoe, they must be working together on this. Liya was involved in framing the Richards Group back then. Even so, she can only be considered as a witness. We don¡¯t have solid evidence against her. Furthermore, she won¡¯t tell us the truth either. Now that we¡¯ve figured out the situation, we shouldn¡¯t be in a hurry to kick her out. Continue to keep an eye on her, and I¡¯ll think of a way,¡± Jenna said to Lomen as she continued to process her thoughts.

    After thinking for some time, Lomen nodded and analyzed, ¡°Madam, it¡¯s likely that Liya was only involved with Oscar for the past few months. She knows she can¡¯t live a mediocre life anymore, and she has no choice but to resort to such cheap tactics. She¡¯s a terrible woman. She is pestering Mr. Richards now, but I doubt she has feelings for him. She¡¯s just trying to milk something out of thisor get herself the Mrs. Richards title, so that she can continue hervish lifestyle.I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be used to living in the Ink Garden. She will stir up something sooner orter.Madam, you have to be carefnd don¡¯t let her take anything away from Richards Manor.¡±

    The light in Jenna¡¯s eyes dimmed as she said slowly, ¡°Her behaviour is horrifying,but we can¡¯t drive her away for now. Zoe is the one who framed Richards Group, and Liya is definitely still in contact with her. Zoe is no longer in A City.So, we have to keep Liya with us. At least she¡¯s still within our control. It¡¯s better than her hiding out there and making moves on us. Also, we still have to figure things out about the will. We have no choice but to keep her with us. We can slowly figure out what to do with her by then.¡±

    Lomen was silent for a while before saying, ¡°Madam, that works too, but you have to be careful. A woman like Liya is capable of doing anything. If you don¡¯t bring her to justice, we can never stop her. We have to get evidence against her, so that she¡¯ll stop trying to get something out of Richards Manor. This time, we will get rid of the malignant tumors like them.¡±

    Jenna smiled and said confidently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry,I¡¯ll be extra careful. She¡¯s holding herself back during her stay in Richards Manor because of me. She won¡¯t try anything if we don¡¯t make a move on her.¡±

    Lomen could only nod in agreement. He was also hoping that Hansen would return soon.

    After Lomen left, Jenna then headed to her office with a heavy heart.

    She could finally understand what was different with Liya at that time. It turned out that Liya was already with Oscar.

    Upon arriving in the Ink Garden¡¯s hall, Jenna spotted a figure creeping inside. Jenna¡¯s heart trembled a little, and she blinked. After taking a careful look, it was none other than Liya.

    Liya was holding a bag, leaning against the doorframe as she peeked into Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    Jenna frowned. What was Liya nning to do? Was she trying to sneak into Vivian¡¯s bedroom again?

    What in the world was Liya nning to do!

    Jenna walked over and stood behind her quietly, without saying a thing.

    Liya peeked into the room for a while. Then, she withdrew her gaze and turned around.

    ¡°Ah,¡± She screamed out, and then she quickly covered her mouth.

    Jenna was standing right behind her, looking at her with an icy expression.

    ¡°Jenna, what are you doing? Are you trying to scare me to death?¡± Liya was startled and asked in surprise.

    ¡°What am I doing?¡± Jenna frowned and asked in a cold voice, ¡°I would like to ask you the same thing. What are you nning to do by sneaking around here?¡±

    Liya regained herposure. She looked up and down at Jennabefore snorting.¡°Jenna, what else can I do here besides visiting Grandma?Since you don¡¯t allow me to enter her bedroom,the only thing I can do is to peek from outside.¡±

    Her words sounded reasonable.

    It took Jenna only one nce at her to tell that she just came back from outside. Jenna then asked lightly, ¡°Liya, where did you go today?¡±

    Liya put her handbag strap around her shoulder as she said casually, ¡°I went out for a walk. I wanted to take care of Grandma, but you don¡¯t allow me to do so, and I was bored being here. So, I headed out. Look at what I¡¯m wearing. I look so simple and in. No one can tell that I¡¯m from the Richards family at all.What choice do I have when the Richards family is so tight on your budget?¡±

    She sounded like she had been wronged.

    A smile appeared at the corner of Jenna¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Liya, are you short on money now?¡± Jenna asked in a calm and gentle tone.

    ¡°Of course. Jenna,look at me.I don¡¯t even look like I¡¯m from a noble family, andI even had fast food earlier. You know thatI haven¡¯t been paid for months,¡± Liya said as she blinked her eyes, looking pitiful.

    ¡°I see.¡± Jenna deliberately let out a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s quite miserable. Here in Richards Manor, we pay everyone ording to their work category. But you just joined us, and with your identity still unclear, it will be hard for me to pay you.¡±

    Liya¡¯s face fell as she heard that. It was clear that Jenna would not allow Liya to milk anything from the family. Jenna was just toyingaround withher.

    ¡°However, that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t make some considerations for your situation.¡± Jenna said after a brief pause, ¡°Your situation is unique, and I can make an exception by paying you a sum of money in advance.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Liya¡¯s expression brightened up as she stared at Jenna with her clear bright eyes.

    ¡°How about this? There will be somethinging up with the Richards Group, and Mr. Xanthe will send his team over for the next couple of days. I¡¯ll be upied by then too. You can help me attend to Mr. Xanthe¡¯s team and be a good host to them. I can pay you monthly. This is an easy job, but I will still pay you ten thousand dors a month. If you agree, then I can pay you your first ten thousand in advance right now. What do you think?¡± Jenna said after much pondering. Her tone sounded like she finally made a huge decision.

    Ten thousand dors? That was too little for Liya! However, she thought about it for a while. If Jenna was offering to pay her in advance, she would be paid for doing nothing. Moreover, she might even get to know more information about the ¡®Ocean Heart¡¯ while attending to Sergio¡¯s team.

    Thinking of that, a smile emerged on her face. Liya lifted her eyebrows and said, ¡°Jenna, this job sounds great,but isn¡¯t the pay too little? If I¡¯m in charge of the reception, shouldn¡¯t you pay me for the extra charges too?¡±

    ¡°About that, you can always im it with me with the receipts. I won¡¯t take advantage of that,¡± Jenna replied lightly.

    Liya was delighted to hear that, but she kept a neutral expression. She could definitely get way more than her basic pay through those extra charges.

    ¡°Deal. Thanks for taking care of me.¡± Liya thought for a while before answering. She sounded reluctant, although she thought otherwise.

    ¡°I will pay you ordingly as long as you do your job well.¡± Jenna turned around and said as soon as she saw Liya agreeing to it. ¡°Come with me to get your advance payment.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Liya immediately followed behind Jenna to her office upon hearing that.

    ¡°Here, write an IOU first.¡± Jenna took a piece of paper and a pen for her.¡°I¡¯ll read it while you write it down.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, isn¡¯t it only ten thousand dors? Do you need an IOU for that?¡± Liya was not happy. She was azy person, and it didn¡¯t ur to her that an IOU was required for merely ten thousand dors.

    ¡°Liya, this is the rule. We have always been transparent in handling Richards Manor¡¯s finances. It¡¯s like a miniaturepany here. We have transactions and all the details recorded. You¡¯ve worked in a hugepany before. You should understand this, right?¡± Jenna asked with a frown.

    ¡°Fine, then.¡± Liya was left with no choice but to say, ¡°Let¡¯s settle this quickly.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna cleared her throat. ¡°Listen carefully.¡±

    ¡°Due to some unfortunate events recently, I was in a tight situation after arriving in Richards Manor. I can¡¯t find a stable ie. So, I¡¯m asking for my first month¡¯s sry in advance. I will return it by next month,¡± Jenna said out slowly and clearly, word for word, while Liya wrote them down.

    ¡°Jenna, take a look. Is this okay?¡± Liya handed the paper over after she was done with the writing. Jenna took it and read it carefully. With an imperceptible smile, she nodded. Jenna then opened the drawer at the bottomand took out a stack of money for Liya.

    Liya stared at the money for a while before putting them away in her handbag. She then yawned and mumbled, ¡°Alright, then. The deal is on. I¡¯ll go back to sleep.¡±

    Without bothering Jenna any further, Liya walked out the office looking tired, and headed to her room in the Ink Garden.

    Recently, Liya was always sleepy, and she didn¡¯t have much energy. She would go shopping during the day, and sleep soundly at night.

 Chapter 627 The Authentication Result Is Out

    Jenna read Liya¡¯s IOU over and over again before putting it away in her pocket. She then headed to the Green Jade Garden.

    Trevor gave her a call that morning, asking her to meet him in the study at Green Jade Gardenter at noon. He told her to be secretive and not let anyone see her.

    Jenna was a little sleepy at noon, but knowing Trevor, he must have intended their meeting to be in secret, hence arranging it at noon. She got on the electric vehicle and headed towards the Green Jade Garden.

    It was quiet in the Green Jade Garden. Some of the maids were transferred to the Ink Garden, whereas some of them were still taking their nap. Jenna headed upstairs to take a look at Jerry. Aunt E was keeping himpany in his room. Jerry was sleeping soundly. Jenna kissed his cheeks and stayed there for a short while.

    Ever since he knew that she was pregnant again, Jerry no longer stuck to her like glue. Jenna was also upied with a lot of other matters. She was exhausted at most times. Aunt E and Larry were basically taking care of Jerry on her behalf. Jerry was busy with his own stuff too. His home tutor would teach him new things each day, and he would spend everyday with meaningful activities.

    After learning of Jerry¡¯s situation that day, Jenna then headed upstairs.

    The atmosphere was slightly heavy in the study. Jenna walked in to find Trevor and Lomen waiting for her.

    She greeted them both. Trevor then gestured to her to sit on the couch before saying, ¡°Jenna, I have something to tell you today. It¡¯s about Liya.¡± Trevor paused for a while before asking with concern, ¡°Jenna, you must be tired at this hour. It won¡¯t take long.¡±

    The reason Trevor had Jenna over was that he was worried she would beemotionallyburdened with Liya¡¯s presence and be in low spirits. He didn¡¯t want her to worry much, especially when she was pregnant.

    He didn¡¯t have a choice but to keep Liya in Richards Manor, despite knowing that this decision would hurt Jenna the most.

    ¡°Dad, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m getting enough sleep and nutrition everyday.So, I don¡¯t feel that tired.¡± Jenna smiled and shook her head. She could roughly figure out what that meeting was about upon hearing the mention of Liya¡¯s name.

    ¡°Great, you definitely need to make sure you get enough rest.¡± Trevor felt more at ease. He then turned to Lomen and said, ¡°Lomen, you can start telling us the results now.¡±

    ¡°Sure, Mr. Trevor,¡± Lomen replied. He then took out a stack of documents from the folder in hand and said, ¡°I took Old Madam¡¯s will for authentication a couple of days ago, and the result is out now.¡±

    Speaking of that, Lomen paused for a brief moment as he flipped through the documents.

    ¡°Jenna, we never once believed that Grandma would revise her will to be like this, but we need solid evidence to prove it. Therefore, I discussed with Hansen, and we decided to send the will for authentication. Now that the result is out, we want you to join us,¡± Trevor exined to Jenna with a pleased tone.

    Jenna listened calmly, as if she already knew about Trevor¡¯s intention.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor,Madam, the result is like this.¡± Lomen cleared his throat before continuing to say, ¡°The handwriting on the revised notes matches that of Old Madam¡¯s, but the results show that there¡¯s something odd in the ink of this word. It seemed like it wasn¡¯t written at the same time. You can refer to it here,¡± Lomen said as he pointed to the word ¡®must¡¯ on the will.

    Jenna squinted and looked at the word. The ink on the word ¡®must¡¯ was indeed fresh and slightly different from the rest.

    ¡°Then someone must have amended one word,¡± Trevor said with a thoughtful look after taking a look at it.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Trevor.The results state that the curves in this word are highly suspicious.¡± Lomen said in a pertinent manner, ¡°It also states that we should send this to the judicial authority for inspection at a higher level.¡±

    That confirmed Trevor¡¯s spection.However, he was still in deep thought.

    ¡°Dad, what can we do when we prove that someone had amended the will?¡± Jenna asked calmly.

    ¡°We¡¯re already halfway close to our sess to prove that this word, ¡®must¡¯, was amended. Even a slight difference like this can further strengthen our argument. Jenna, you do believe that Grandma wouldn¡¯t revise her will to be like this, don¡¯t you? Vivian has always loved you, and it wouldn¡¯t make sense for her to revise her will in a way that would hurt you. Therefore, there¡¯s no suspense in saying that someone else fabricated the will,¡± Trevor said genuinely and gently to Jenna.

    Jenna nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. I don¡¯t believe Grandma would revise her will this way too. I¡¯ve been reading through the sentence over and over again for the past few days, and I do agree that this ¡®must¡¯ word is suspicious.¡±

    She answered Trevor¡¯s question with certainty.

    ¡°Since it is now proven that the will has been fabricated, then it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for us to dere that the will is invalid.¡± Trevor continued to say in a pertinent manner.

    Jenna looked down, and the light in her eyes dimmed.

    ¡°Dad, have you thought about who¡¯s behind this? Who would be that fearless to fabricate Grandma¡¯s will?¡± Jenna asked faintly.

    Trevor nodded in admiration.

    ¡°Jenna, you are indeed a meticulous child. That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m about to tell you. The reason someone fabricated the will is that it¡¯d benefit her.As for who¡¯s behind this, I¡¯m sure you already know.¡± Trevor fixed her gaze on Jenna with a faint smile.

    Jenna nodded knowingly. ¡°I do know, but I won¡¯t advise you to dere this so soon. We have to defeat herpletely, so that she can stop thinking about the ¡®what ifs¡¯. We have to make sure she¡¯ll never set foot in Richards Manor ever again. Therefore, we have to calm down and investigate this thoroughly before sending it to the authorities.¡±

    ¡°Sure, that is what I intended to do too. I was afraid you might have a second opinion on this. It¡¯s good to know we¡¯re on the same page. Jenna, don¡¯t worry. We will get through this, and we will not only kick her out by then, we will let the authorities take care of her,¡± Trevor said determinedly as he suppressed his urge to kick Liya out.

    Lomen was standing at the side with a frown. His expression was not at ease.

    ¡°Mr. Trevor, if we want to use her of fabrication, the minimum requirement is at least ten words, but so far we only have one word. It won¡¯t be easy for us to ask for high-level authentication based on that word alone,¡± Lomen suggested with a concerned expression.

    Trevor was startled upon hearing that. His expression grewplicated.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad.I have her handwriting with me,¡± Jenna said calmly after taking in Lomen¡¯s words and Trevor¡¯s expression.

    They turned around to look at her.

    With a light smile, Jenna took out a piece of paper from her pocket and ced it on the desk. She then said calmly, ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t you take this and see if it¡¯s helpful for the authentication process?If we can prove that the handwriting on the will is the same as this handwriting, then this will be a piece of solid evidence from our end.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Trevor picked up the paper and looked at it carefully. He brightened up and said, ¡°Jenna, this is fantastic. We can use the same alphabets in this to further validate if the handwriting is from the same person.¡±

    Lomen was also delighted to hear that. He took over the paper from Trevor and nced at it. He was impressed by Jenna.

    ¡°Lomen, take this with you and send it over to the most authoritative authentication agency. Once we get the result, we will have the most solid evidence against her.By then, we can carry out our n smoothly,¡± Trevor ordered Lomen in an excited manner.

    Lomen then left with the material in hand.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re such a great child.I feel like we¡¯ve wronged you by keeping you in our Richards family. I¡¯m ashamed to say this as your elder.¡± Trevor said to Jenna, ¡°I believe your future will only be bright because of how kind you¡¯ve been to us. We¡¯ll definitely bring you justice. Hansen is lucky to have you. The Richards family is even luckier to have you. I feel so sorry to put you through all this.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s heart ached, and he felt helpless at the same time as he said that to Jenna. He felt sorry to let Jenna handle so many things with Richards Manor. He felt like he had not protected Jenna better.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Dad. I¡¯m thankful to be treated so well by your family. I¡¯m content this way,¡± Jenna replied genuinely. In Richards Manor, everyone from Vivian herself, to the helpers respected and adored her. She meant what she had said.

    ¡°Jenna, thank you for being this thoughtful. With Hansen in Capital City now, he might not be able to take good care of you. So, you have to be extra careful in keeping yourself safe.¡± Trevor stood up and said, ¡°Alright, Jenna. You should get some rest. I didn¡¯t want to disturb your nap, but I had no choice since this is the best time to avoid people eavesdropping on us.¡±

    ¡°Dad, I understand. Alright, then. I¡¯ll take my leave,¡± Jenna replied considerately. She also stood up and left the study.

    In a European-style vi near the sea,the natural light was seeping through the many windows of the vi.

    Lilian was seen sitting on a luxurious French-style couch. She was watching a video with her sses on.

    Quina walked in quietly.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, you were right. The gang smuggling weapons in the war-torn country must have heard about the news. They¡¯re now staying put,¡± Quina said.

    Quina¡¯s voice was low, but Lilian could listen to it very clearly.

 Chapter 628 Madam Lilianâ€™s Mind

    Madam Lilian smiled. She said in a peaceful tone, ¡°Don¡¯t rush things. They will be impatient soon.¡±

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, what do you mean?¡± Quina was a little puzzled.

    Madam Lilian smiled again. She didn¡¯t respond to that question.However, instead, she asked, ¡°Quina, how are things going in A City?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Quina eximed, ¡°Ma¡¯am, you¡¯re right about that again! The Richards family is indeed about to face another crisis.¡±

    Quina was emotional about that. She was impressed that Madam Lilian could leave A City without a trace back then. She couldn¡¯t imagine how heartbroken Madam Lilian must be for not being able to reunite with her daughter. However, after the peaceful visit to the Richards family,Madam Lilian left A City without anyone knowing. That might put some people at ease, but what was Madam Lilian nning to do next?

    Quina couldn¡¯t read through Madam Lilian¡¯s mind.

    Her tactics were always beyond her expectations.

    Madam Lilian breathed a sigh of relief and said calmly, ¡°Quina, the world will never be at ease if the arms-trafficking still persists. We have to punish all of them ording to thew.¡±

    Quina was dumbfounded. They were talking about the Richards family just then.Yet, the topic had now shifted to the war-torn country again, but earlier when Quina was talking about the war-torn country, Madam Lilian was the one who brought up the Richards family.

    Could it be that there was some connection between those two?

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, they¡¯re only in this for their personal gain. They¡¯re terrible people. All countries should work together in tackling this,¡± Quina replied softly as she poured a cup of Green Mountain Lake tea for Madam Lilian.

    Madam Lilian took a sip of the tea. She nodded and narrowed her eyes as she said, ¡°I wonder how my dear granddaughter is doing now. She must be troubled, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    Quina smiled upon hearing that. She knew who was Madam Lilian was referring to as her dear granddaughter.

    Of course it was Jenna!

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, I have to congratte you on this. You are once again a great-grandmother. Jenna is pregnant again.¡±

    ¡°Pregnant again?¡± Lilian was all smiles to hear that, but there was something doubtful in her gaze. It was something deep and unreadable.

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Quina nodded. ¡°It¡¯s getting a little cold. I¡¯d better put on a coat for you. Otherwise, it will trigger your gout problem again, and it won¡¯t be convenient for you to visit your granddaughter.¡±

    Quina then grabbed a coat and covered Madam Lilian.

    Madam Lilian smiled and nodded.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯ve always been curious to knowwhy it is so hard for you to reunite with your daughter.¡± Quina said with a sigh, ¡°Sara resembles you no matter how I look at it. How is it that she¡¯s not your daughter? This is just too weird.¡±

    If it wasn¡¯t for the DNA report, she could never believe that Sara and Lilian were not rted at all, but with a piece of evidence like that, there wasn¡¯t anything they could do despite being doubtful about the result.

    Meanwhile,Madam Lilian smiled, but her expression was imperceptible.

    There were some unknown forces against her in A City!

    She had already felt that during her stay in A City. Even when she was in A City, someone dared to scramble the DNA samples. What did that mean? It meant that they didn¡¯t want them to identify each other, and that must have been nned in advance. If that was true, then the DNA result should be invalid.

    Someone clearly didn¡¯t want her to meet her daughter in A City, nor did they want her to stay any longer in A City. Perhaps they were afraid of her power and influence!

    However, she remainedcalm with the unexpected DNA result. Perhaps she was rushing too soon into that!

    After being in politics for so long,Madam Lilian could tell that there must be some underlying factor in that.

    She decided to leave A City, not only to avoid alerting the enemybut also because the situation back then required her to do so.

    ¡°Quina, has Vivian passed on?¡± she asked with a sorrowful tone.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, she¡¯s still alive, but I think her time will soon be up,¡± Quina said with a soft voice.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s cheeks twitchedas pain and sorrow shed across her eyes.

    ¡°Vivian, you lied to me!¡± She thought.

    ¡°How should I thank you? How should I thank you for your selfless help!¡±

    Madam Lilian ced the tablet away as she stood up andslowlywalked towards the window. She stared out at the clear blue sky with a heavy heart.

    She wasn¡¯t that close with Vivian. They met by chance and at most were acquaintances with one another.

    Back then, Vivian was a madam from a noble family, whereas Madam Lilian was just a movie star. The difference between their social status was too obvious not to notice. Although she got married to vian,she still couldn¡¯t elevate her social status. Otherwise, Johan wouldn¡¯t be that stubborn not to acknowledge her identity.

    Fifty years ago, she had no choice but to approach Vivian before leaving A City, so that Vivian could help take in her daughter. Although Vivian had agreed to it,Madam Lilian never expected her to do so,and Vivian didn¡¯t have the right to take care of her daughter either.

    They were neither rted, nor were they very close. It could be said that they were from two different worlds. No one was required to fulfil a request like that. She didn¡¯t expect much from Vivian.

    Such a promise wasn¡¯t made for just the next couple of years. It was a long-termmitment! Not everyone, not even the kindest soul, had the right to fulfil it. Even if they were willing to, they might not be able to carry it out wholeheartedly.

    That year, during the coup,when Madam Lilian led her team in carrying out charity events on the streets,they were attacked by her political enemies. She was seriously injured. Right after waking up on the hospital bed, the first thing that came into her mind was her daughter, Emily Moore. She wanted to look at her daughter, even if it was just to hear her voice. What made her heart ache was she didn¡¯t know if her daughter was still alive. After a lot of internal conflict, she dialled Vivian¡¯s number.

    Madam Lilian neither received updates from vian back then, nor did she have contact with the others. She could only think of Richards Manor that would never copse.

    However, as soon as the phone was connected across the globe and finally reached Vivian in Richards Manor, the only thing Vivian told her faintly was, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Vivian then hung up the phoneresolutely.

    Those three words made Madam Lilian fall into desperation. She could only force herself to give up on thinking about it.

    That was right. Vivian was just an acquaintance of hers among the nobility. She was neither entitled to take care of her daughter on her behalf, nor to know everything about her daughter.

    After recovering from her injuries, Madam Lilian made up her mind and never once called up Vivian¡¯s number again.

    She was in an even tighter and more difficult position after her recovery. Her political enemies were targeting her at all costs. She had no choice but to focus on oveing every obstacle. That was how she let go of looking for her daughter. It wasn¡¯t until she achieved the peak of her political career by bing a dignitary in Europe that she thought of searching for her daughter again. She was already getting older, and she wasn¡¯t that busy anymore in managing her career by then.

    Since there wasn¡¯t any information she knew about her daughter, MadamLilian then decided to visit A City herself!

    However, from that visit to A City, she learnt that things weren¡¯t as simple as she had expected.

    Through the secret investigations about the Richards Group and A City, Madam Lilian realized that Vivian might have lied to her!

    If Sara reallywasher daughter, then Vivian was only trying to protect Sara by lying to her!

    Madam Lilian had to admit that she was indeed targeted by all of her political enemies back then, and they were all ruthless and cruel!

    Vivian was wise enough to make that decision. She wasn¡¯t swayed by Madam Lilian¡¯s concerns and emotions in that phone call, and that protected Sara in return, so that Sara got to grow up safely and happily.

    Vivian was really wise. She took care of Sara on Madam Lilian¡¯s behalfand never once told anyone else about Sara¡¯s whereabouts. She protected Sara from every possible danger.

    Madam Lilian had mad respect for Vivian for that alone!

    Mercy often coexisted with danger. She finally got to see what kind of person Vivian was. Indeed, it was most important for Sara to grow up without learning anything about her true identity. She grew up in a peaceful and safe environment, and that was everything Madam Lilian could ask for.Although she grew up in an ordinary environment, at least she was kept safe.

    As a matter of fact, the DNA results were no longer needed.Madam Lilian could tell that Sara was indeed her daughter!

    Although she grew up without a mother, Sara grew up in a peaceful environment! It was all a result of Vivian¡¯s hard work!

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, do you think the Richards Group will be able to get through this crisis? Should we help them?¡± Quina asked in a low voice. She wasn¡¯t quite sure about Madam Lilian¡¯s n.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I would like to see if he¡¯ll help them. At times like this, I wonder if he can still remain unperturbed.¡± Madam Lilian said calmly, ¡°If a hugepany like them can¡¯t even get through a minor crisis like this, then how can they prosper? We should focus more on the war-torn country. This arms trafficking deal is a lucrative and terrible deal. If the deal goes through, then another bout of war will take ce in the war-torn country again. This is considered a disaster for the citizens. Therefore, we should take measures in advance to stop this dend destroy their hiding spot in one stroke.¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°But Ma¡¯am, Hansen has already sent someone to the war-torn country,¡± Quina said in a low voice.

    Lilian was shocked to hear that,and she asked, ¡°Why did he do so? Could it be that the Richards family is somehow involved in the arms trafficking deal?¡±

    Lilian¡¯s heart trembled upon hearing such startling news.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, you¡¯re overthinking.¡± Quina smiled after taking in Lilian¡¯s expression. She then said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The Richards family will never get themselves involved in matters like this. They are businessmen, after all. They aren¡¯t capable enough to resell weapons. Moreover, they won¡¯t be this foolish to tarnish their century-old reputation with this.¡±

    Quina¡¯s words made Lilian feel more at ease as her concerns were no longer valid.

 Chapter 629 Flustered And Exasperated

    ¡°Then, why did he get involved in this mess? It¡¯s not something to be taken lightly.¡± Lilian was puzzled.

    ¡°Madam, there must be something we don¡¯t know. ording to what our team said, it seemed that Hansen had sent someone over to investigate the arms trafficking deal too. We haven¡¯t found out the specific reason yet but our people have already begun their investigation on this.¡± Quina analyzed with a suspicious look on her face.

    Lilian looked deep in thought. As the president of a multinationalpany, he should be focusing on his business, but instead he got himself involved in thearms trafficking deal. It might put his life in danger. What was he thinking?

    Could there be a connection between the Richards family¡¯s crisis and the smuggling?

    If this was the case,then the Richards Group would be in an even more dangerous position. These smugglers were desperate people, who were capable of doing the most dangerous of things. Nobody in their right mind would cross paths with these smugglers besides those involved in politics, or military personnel. There could only be one reason if Hansen was doing this on purpose. These smugglers or the evidence from the arms trafficking deal must have had something to do with the Richards Group¡¯s crisis. Perhaps he was just doing this out of concern for civilians! However, why would a businessman get himself involved in a thankless task and put himself in an unenviable situation?

    If that was the case,then why didn¡¯t he report it to the authorities in Capital City?

    Lilian pondered over with her head lowered. If lodging a report would work, then they never would have taken this in their own hands.

    ¡°Well, Quina, in the name of the United Nations, please request the neighbouring countries to send their government armies for an ambush nearby.Wait for the perfect opportunity to capture these criminals at once,¡± Lilian ordered.

    ¡°Sure, Madam,¡± Quina answered immediately with a smile.

    ¡°Also, try to avoid sacrificing the innocent. Send some of our people over first.Try your best to protect Hansen¡¯s people,¡± Lilian said thoughtfully.

    ¡°Yes, Madam.Don¡¯t worry,¡± Quina replied immediately. She could tell how much Lilian cared for the Richards family. She then said, ¡°Madam,I will make sure they get caught as long as the deal goes through. I¡¯m just worried that they will either postpone or cancel the deal once they know our motives.

    Lilian only responded with a smile.

    It was the third night since Hansen arrived in Capital City.

    For the past two days, he had been strategizing with Luqman, and they managed to put a stop to Yadriel¡¯s likely victory in the election. That noon,the polling results were announced. The race between Luqman and Yadriel was a tie.

    This was great news to Luqman.Meanwhile, this indicated the beginning of a series of unfortunate events for Yadriel.

    Yadriel was flustered and exasperated. He had to put in more effort and pay more attention to the uing election.

    The results werepletely beyond Yadriel¡¯s expectations. He was furious.

    ¡°Young Master Richards, I have you to thank for today¡¯s result. It¡¯s bold how you managed to let me reach a tie with Yadriel. I still feel surreal about this.¡± Luqman was delighted to taste victoryfinally. ¡°How about this? Let¡¯s head out for a celebratory meal.¡±

    Hansen smiled, hiding his domineering side, as he said, ¡°Chief, it¡¯s still too early for that. Let¡¯s start nning for the next election.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Luqman agreed. He was a veteran in politics. He knew it¡¯d be too early to judge if he had won the fight against Yadriel. They had to focus on getting evidence against Yadriel if they wanted to stop him once and for all.

    ¡°I¡¯m nning to head home tomorrow,¡± Hansen said. He missed his wife, who was far away in the A City. His smile fell as he was reminded of Liya¡¯s presence in Richards Manor. He was worried.

    ¡°Sure, we can slow things down a little for the next couple of days. But,Young Master Richards, please make sure you¡¯ll return soon,¡± Luqman said, nodding. He noticed the longing and concern in Hansen¡¯s expression. He could tell that Hansen missed being near his wife and child.

    Luqman looked at Hansen¡¯s tired face and bid farewell to him to allow him to get some rest.

    Hansen then stood up and freshened himself in the bathroom. Later, he pushedopenthe windows.

    It was dark outside. It was a remote ce. The dim street lights painted several faint circles in the warm night sky.

    ¡°Jenna, are you okay? Did you miss me? Have you been careful for the past few days?¡± Hansen asked over the phone with a sweet and tender voice that melted Jenna¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Jenna sat up in bed as she answered Hansen¡¯s phone. Her cheeks flushed as she said, ¡°I miss you. How are things going on over there?¡±

    Her voice was sweet and pleasing to the ear. Hansen couldn¡¯t help but to smile, and his expression was filled with doting tenderness.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your husband is a capable man. I can solve pretty much everything.¡± Hansen boasted about himself over the phone.

    Jenna almostughed out loud upon hearing this. Hansen had his domineering side, and Jenna liked this about him.

    She loved his confidence!

    ¡°That¡¯s great, then. Please settle them quickly. I¡¯ve been waiting for you toe back home, everyday and every single minute,¡± Jenna said with a pout.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, watch out.¡± Paul dashed into the room suddenly and pushed Hansen away. Hansen waspletely immersed in the conversation with Jenna that he failed to notice the danger that was approaching him. A bullet was fired at him.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Hansen fell to the side after being pushed by Paul. The bullet whistled past Hansen¡¯s ear and was shot directly into the wall. Hansen came to his senses and shouted, ¡°Paul, get him.¡±

    Paul looked out of the window with his eagle-like and sharp eyes. A dark shadow was seen leaping off the tform just below the windowandnded on the ground.

    ¡°Stop right there,¡± Paul shouted angrily and leaped out of the window.

    Hansen threw his phone asideas he stared towards the direction the dark shadow fled to. The corners of his mouth curled up into a cold and terrifying smirk.

    Hansen turned around and ran towards the stairs.

    This dark shadow was indeed bold to attempt to assassinate him.

    Hansen jumped down swiftly from the window by the stairsandnded steadily in front of the man in ck clothes.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for you to show who you are,¡± Hansen said. Although the streemps were dim and the man was wearing a mask, Hansen could still see the sinister light in his dark eyes. Based on Hansen¡¯s intuition, this was the same man who killed Reid and Yaris, as well as the same man who had been after them.

    The man¡¯s shot was extremely precise. However, he missed his shot just moments earlier and Hansen got out alive. This was out of his expectation.

    The glint in the man¡¯s eyes grew more sinisteras he lifted the gun in hand.

    The pitch-ck muzzle was pointed at Hansen.

    A ruthless smile appeared on Hansen¡¯s face. He touched the ring on his index finger and twirled it slightly.

    A bullet whizzed away.

    As the man pulled the trigger, a silent gun was triggered. His shoulder was shot.

    The man screamed as the bullet was shot into his arm. The gun in his hand fell to the ground.

    It was Hansen!

    The man had no idea how Hansen triggered the hidden gun.He almost managed to fire a bullet into Hansen¡¯s heart but he waste by a second.

    All it took was one second.

    For the first time in his life, the man missed his shot.

    ¡°Exin yourself,¡± Hansen shouted as he ran towards the man.

    ¡°Be careful, he has a hidden weapon.¡± Paul¡¯s voice rang out from behind. Hansen saw a white light shoot towards him. He leaned back in shock and managed to dodge the attack.

    The man had already disappeared when he stood up and came to his senses.Paul charged forward.

    Rage was building in Hansen. His sinister eyes were burning in rage like red knives.

    Paul returned dejectedly after a while.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I lost him. Someone helped with his escape.¡± Paul said with a tone full of remorse, ¡°It seems like he was here to kill you. It¡¯s horrible of them.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s gaze was tense. The corners of his mouth were cold and restrained.

    ¡°I shot him just now. Just look out for an injured man and start the search tomorrow,¡± Hansen said before he turned around to leave.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, please be extra cautious from now on. Now that Yadriel has faced defeat, he will never let you get away with this. Please watch out.¡± Paul reminded him with great concern.

    Hansen clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He said, ¡°An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. Yadriel,bring it on.¡±

    Paul¡¯s heart grew heavier.

    ¡°Paul, Yadriel will definitely do something after losing the election today. His ego was bruised. He will not stay put. Ask Irvin to pay more attention to the war-torn country. If I could guess correctly, he will start reselling the weapons in the next couple of days,¡± Hansen said with great confidence.

    Yadriel had been backed into the corner by Hansen, and would have to obtain his funds by reselling weapons illegally. This was a trap for Yadriel. Once he got into this trap, Hansen would make sure to capture him alive.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Paul replied. He understood what Hansen was implying.

    Hansen left without a word. Upon returning to his bedroom, his phone was ringing.

    Hansen was startled. He picked up the phone and the caller ID showed ¡®wife¡¯.There were numerous missed calls from her.

    Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. A bullet was fired towards him during their earlier conversation. Could she tell over the phone?

    ¡°Jenna,¡± Hansen answered the call with a calm and steady tone.

    ¡°Hansen, what happened just now?¡± Jenna sounded anxious.

    ¡°Nothing. Nothing happened.¡± Hansen smiled and answered in a casual tone.

    ¡°But, I heard you shouting, and¡­¡± Jenna retorted. She did not believe what he said. She could tell over the phone that he was angry, icy, and even slightly panicked. She had never heard him shout like that before and she knew he was lying.

    ¡°Jenna,aren¡¯t I alright now? Don¡¯t overthink. It¡¯s not good for you to stay upset.¡± Hansen consoled her with his tender words and casualughter. He wanted to calm her down and stop her from worrying.

    Upon hearing this, Jenna did not insist on asking anymore.

 Chapter 630 Nightmare

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯lle home tomorrow. Wait for me. Now, go rest earlier,¡± Hansen reassured her. He then teased her.¡°Watch out, I¡¯ll check on your diet records for the past few days. I¡¯ll smack your backside if you don¡¯t reach my expectation.¡±

    Jenna poutedand smiled.

    After saying goodnight, they hung up.

    However, Jenna couldn¡¯t sleep well that night. She tossed and turned around in the bed.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna,¡± a low yet familiar voice rang from her ears. Jenna opened her eyes in shock.

    A tall and handsome man was standing in front of her with a gentle and charming smile on his face.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re back.¡± Jenna gasped. She got up hurriedly with a heart full of joy. The man¡¯s face however was vague and Jenna struggled to see him clearly.

    She panicked and asked, ¡°Hansen, is that you?¡±

    Jenna reached out to touch him.

    She thought she reached out to his arm, but there was nothing in her grasp.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± Jenna shouted as she trembled in fear.

    ¡°Jenna,¡± the man called out with a warm voice. His voice was soft but clear. He continued to say, ¡°If I¡¯m no longer here, then please take good care of yourself, of the Richards Group, as well as our children.¡±

    Jenna was startled!

    What did that mean?

    ¡°Hansen, why are you saying this? Where are you going?¡± Jenna asked in a daze with her eyes widened.

    The man smiled faintly and stroked her head.

    She could feel his hand on her head. She reached out to his hand.

    It was ice-cold and trembling.

    This was not Hansen¡¯s hand. It didn¡¯t feel the same. Jenna blinked her eyes in fear as she stared at the man.

    She finally saw his face, but it was covered with blood dripping out of his mouth, nostrils, and eyes.

    ¡°Hansen!¡± Jenna cried out in fear, ¡°Hansen, did you hurt yourself? What happened? Tell me!¡±

    She reached out her hands to pull him desperatelybut all she caught was air. She could only look at him with her eyes wide open.

    His figure gradually faded away like the wind in front of her, leaving only darkness behind.It was pitch-ck and there was no end to the darkness.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t leave me,¡± Jenna cried out desperately. Coldness wrapped around her body. She reached out to the direction he disappeared from.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s wrong? Wake up!¡± An anxious voice apanied by a gentle shake woke Jenna up. She opened her eyes wide, and Sabrina was looking at her with concern.

    Jenna quickly got up. It turned out that it was just a dream.

    She sat there in bed, lost in thought.

    ¡°Jenna, did you have a nightmare?¡± Sabrina immediately took a tissue paper to wipe her sweat after noticing that Jenna was drenched in sweat. She looked pale. Sabrina then said, ¡°It¡¯s alright now. It¡¯s just a nightmare.¡±

    ¡°No, Sabrina. Hansen is hurt! He¡¯s injured!¡± Jenna said with a sob as she held onto Sabrina¡¯s arm.

    Sabrina was startled. ¡°Jenna, Hansen is in Capital City now. How can he be injured?¡±

    ¡°No, I saw it with my own eyes. His face was covered in blood. It was terrifying. He was really injured,¡± Jenna said as she trembled. She covered her face in her hands and started sobbing.

    Sabrina could finally tell that Jenna had a nightmare about Hansen getting injured.Jenna was just scaring herself. She then smiled and said, ¡°Jenna, wake up. It¡¯s midnight now. Hansen is fine. He won¡¯t be injured, okay? He¡¯s tough enough to protect himself.¡±

    ¡­

    At the A City airport.

    The live broadcast announced that the ne wasnding soon.Hansen was sitting in the first ss cabin with his eyes closed.

    It was only ten o¡¯clock in the morning. He would get to see her soon.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t help but to smile at this thought. His face was full of love and tenderness.

    There were not many passengers returning to A City from Capital City that morning. After the nended, the passengers slowly walked out of the cabin.

    Hansen wore a suit and held a briefcase with glossy leather shoes. He was a handsome businessman. There was a faint smile in his expression.

    All of a sudden, his ears perked.

    He frowned.

    At the exit of the airport.

    A few people approached him.

    The smile on Hansen¡¯s face turned coldas he narrowed his eyes after sensing danger.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, pleasee with us.¡± A security member, led by Sergio,blocked Hansen¡¯s path as he presented Hansen his work ID.

    ¡°Why would I?¡± Hansen asked with his eyebrows raised. His expression was icy and calm.

    ¡°Why?¡± Sergio sneered. He leaned closer and gritted his teeth as he said, ¡°Hansen, stop acting.Don¡¯t you understand the consequences of leaking confidential information?¡±

    Hansen fixed his steely gaze on Sergio.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Sergio,are this instructions from the authorities or your own decision to arrest me?¡± Hansen asked.

    There was an excited glint in Sergio¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°We have solid evidence for the crimes you havemitted. You can be taken away at any time. We have shown the Richards family enough mercy to wait up till this day. Stop wasting our time and just follow us,¡± Sergio said in a stern tone as he raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Sergio, you¡¯re abusing your power for your personal grudge,¡± Hansen bellowed in a deep voice.

    Sergio smirked sinisterly.

    ¡°Young Master Richards, your life is over now.So is the Richards Group. This is what happens when going against the Xanthe family,¡± Sergio said.

    Sergio¡¯s face was proud and arrogant, which matched the tone of his voice.

    ¡°Is that so? It¡¯s still not clear who¡¯d be thest man standing.¡± Hansen bursted intoughter abruptly.Then, he said in an assertive voice, ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see, shall we?¡±

    Sergio was startled. He couldn¡¯t help but to feel a little unsure about his reaction.

    How could Hansen stillugh in this situation? Shouldn¡¯t he be crying instead? Plus, he was still acting so arrogant!

    ¡°Do you think Jenna will still love you if you be a prisoner? Your life ends here.How are you going to protect her from now on? But don¡¯t worry, I will protect and take care of her on your behalf while you¡¯re gone.¡± Sergio leaned forward with a mocking smile. He spoke in a low but arrogant tone.

    Bet he wouldn¡¯tugh after hearing this,Sergio thought to himself. He found his weakness and made sure Hansen would suffer. Sergio then narrowed his eyes and stared at Hansen.

    ¡°You are really shameless.¡± Hansen broke intoughter from extreme anger. He said with great confidence, ¡°Jenna wouldn¡¯t even look at you despite all your shy stance and powerful position. On the other hand, if I ever be a prisoner, she would still stay by my side through thick and thin.¡±

    ¡°Do you understand now? The difference between us? You nasty b*stard.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s expression was filled with disdain.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Sergio was furious after being humiliated. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°You¡¯re being stubborn, aren¡¯t you?We shall see then.¡±

 Chapter 631 Losing Her Mind

    ¡°Whatever.¡± Hansen shrugged confidently. His eyes suddenly narrowed with a glint of cold lightas he asked, ¡°Sergio,did you act under Capital City¡¯s orders today?Let me ask you, how did Yaris die? You wouldn¡¯t know, would you? Don¡¯t forget thatthe former deputy director of the Public Security Department, Charles, was present at the scene. He can proved that Yaris was murdered, instead ofmitting suicide to escape punishment. You are doubly guilty for breaking thew as aw-enforcement personnel. I am sure you know better than I do what happened to Yaris!¡±

    Sergio¡¯s heart skipped a beatbut he gave a nk look. His gaze darkened.

    Hansen approached him with conviction and stared at him.¡°You¡¯re just abusing your powers to interfere with my n in the election. You won¡¯t seed.¡±

    Sergio sniggered with a dark glint in his gaze. He looked terrifying.

    However, Hansen remained convinced. The mocking smile on his face slowly faded away and was reced with an icy expression.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Hitting mynd cruiser in my basement garage, Reid¡¯s death, Yaris¡¯ death, the man in ck who tried to assassinate mest night¡­ Iremember every single incident. And I finally understand now. Tell your family to watch out for themselves.The only reason I haven¡¯t made my move yet is because the time hasn¡¯te for me tounch an attack,¡± Hansen said calmly, with his expression neutral. His impassive demeanor was somehow more frightening.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you are implying. You should just admit defeat in my hands,¡± Sergio said. He put up a tough front although he was terrified of Hansen¡¯s unfathomable expression.

    Hansen broke intoughter once again as he could hear the fear and panic hidden underneath Sergio¡¯s harsh words.

    In Richards Manor, the sun was shining brightly although it was still early.The helpers in the garden were already drenched in sweat.

    The sky over Richards Manor appeared a little gloomy that day. The atmosphere wasn¡¯t as serene either.

    Jenna got up early. She was still terrified and exhausted from the nightmare the night before.

    ¡°It¡¯s getting hotter each year. The global temperature keeps rising.¡± Carme¡¯s voice could be heard from the corridor ahead. Jenna looked up and saw Norton walking in with Carme from outside. They seemed to have returned from their morning exercise.

    ¡°Good morning, Jenna,¡± Carme immediately greeted Jenna with a wide smile.

    Jenna was startled. She wondered why Carme was still in the Ink Garden. Is she going to be a long-term guest from now on?

    ¡°Morning,¡± she replied with a faint smile. Her gaze, however, fell on Norton.

    Norton greeted her and stood there in silence. His expression was casual and neutral.

    ¡°Jenna, why are you awake this early? You didn¡¯t even wait for me.¡± Sabrina spotted Jenna as she walked out from the bathroom. She immediately rushed over.

    ¡°Hi, Sabrina,¡± Carme greeted her enthusiastically.

    Sabrina¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Carme was still here. This must have meant that things were going well between her and Norton.Carme was a great person, and she liked Norton too. Of course Norton would hold on to this golden opportunity.

    Sabrina gave a nonchnt smile and greeted Carme.

    However, Sabrina, without realizing at that time, felt a tinge of jealousy.

    She was reminded of the conversation she had with Jenna the previous night. That made her feel sad, and she felt despicable.

    It was ridiculous for her to believe the words of a man who once hurt her deeply. She even thought of marrying him. How despicable was that?

    ¡°Carry on with your conversation. I still have some things to attend to,¡± Sabrina said with a smile. She then turned around and left. She never once took a nce at Norton during their exchange.

    Norton wanted to greet Sabrinabut he felt the coldness from her reaction. There was nothing he could do but to watch her leave. It felt like he was forced to swallow a huge jug of bitter juice.

    ¡°The president of the Richards Group, Mr. Hansen, was taken away by the staff of the safety department as soon as he got off a ne this morning. Through our reporter¡¯s findings, it turned out that he was arrested for leaking confidential information through hispany. ording to reliable sources, the authorities are treating it as a serious crime. The Richards Group must be held ountable for their crimes.¡± The TV outside in the Ink Garden was broadcasting the news of that day

    Jenna was shocked.

    Sabrina froze in her steps.

    Norton gasped upon hearing the news and stood there in a daze.

    Even Carme was shocked. She couldn¡¯t believe what she had just heard.

    She was aware of this incident in the Richards Group. However, was it serious enough to warrant an arrest? Didn¡¯t they insist that there was some misunderstanding regarding this?

    The Richards Group must have offended someone in power. They were framed.

    ¡°No.Hansen.¡± Jenna came back to her senses. She rantowards the TVafter letting out a cry.

    ¡°Jenna, be careful.¡± Sabrina immediately reacted and ran towards her. She held Jenna from stumbling along the way.

    Norton followed after he was jolted from the daze. He said, ¡°Jenna, be careful. Let¡¯s remain calm. There must be some misunderstanding in this. I¡¯ll find out more about it.¡±

    ¡°Norton, Sabrina, what should we do? They already took Hansen with them.Look,¡± Jenna asked as she pointed to the TV screen. She was helpless and miserable.

    Norton¡¯s face fell. He nced at the TV screen and said, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t believe everything you see from the news.Hansen would have already informed us if this was true.¡±

    ¡°No. This is not some entertainment news we¡¯re talking about. It¡¯s making headlines in Capital City news. It is not a baseless im,¡± Jenna yelled helplessly. Tears welled up in her eyes as her heart ached with pain. She said, ¡°Norton, go to Trevor and tell him they took Hansen away.¡±

    Jenna was almost shocked out of her mind. Trevor was the core of Richards Manor now that Hansen was arrested. It¡¯d be most wise to consult him regarding this matter.

    Norton¡¯s mind was clear and he understood the severity of the situation. He only said what he said to console Jenna.

    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s find Uncle Trevor together.¡± Norton nodded and held onto Jenna¡¯s left arm. Sabrina was stunned by the sudden news and shedidn¡¯t feel safe leaving Jenna by herself. Thus, she held onto Jenna¡¯s right arm. The three of them then headed outside.

    Carme stood behind them with a thoughtful look as she watched them leave.

    As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the Ink Garden, Trevor appeared.

    He wasposed. His expression was seriousbut dignified.

    ¡°Dad.¡± ¡°Uncle.¡± The three of them called out at the same time.

    Trevor nced at them with an unfathomable expression. It was as if he was awaiting their presence. He nodded in response with a surprisingly peaceful expression.

    ¡°Dad, they took Hansen away,¡± Jenna said with a trembling voice. Her body was shaking slightly.

    Trevor looked at her with a tender gaze. He smiled. ¡°Jenna, I know. It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to worry about this.¡±

    ¡°Butthis is not something we should take lightly,¡± Jenna said. She was a little confused at how serene Trevor appeared. Seeing his reaction, people might even be surprised to find out that Hansen was his son. Perhaps the news was indeed fake. She felt more at ease as she thought of this.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. Nothing will happen.¡± Trevorforted her. ¡°You¡¯re pregnant now. You should remain calm and avoid getting agitated. Do you understand?¡±

    Trevor then nced at Sabrina and said, ¡°Sabrina, why don¡¯t you take Jenna for a rest? We have to keep her emotions stable. Please try tofort her.¡±

    Sabrina knew Jenna should avoid getting overly emotional but she was caught off guard by the news of Hansen. Sabrina nodded after hearing Trevor¡¯s reminder. She nudged Jenna to leave.

    ¡°No, Trevor.I¡¯m fine. I won¡¯t leave. I can¡¯t rest knowing that Hansen was taken away.¡± Jenna insisted. She came here to find a solution to help Hansen. She was determined that she wouldn¡¯t leave without a solution.

    ¡°Jenna, trust me. It won¡¯t be as terrible as you thought.You are pregnant. What matters most now is to keep you and the baby safe and healthy. Hansen is a smart man.He will be fine over there,¡± Trevor said with a stern voice after seeing the panic in her expression.

    Jenna wasstunned. Trevor sounded so confident. For a second there, Jenna had an illusion that Trevor didn¡¯t care much about his son¡¯s safety.

    Hansen was arrested. Of course it was a serious matter.

    ¡°Jenna, good prevails over evil. Don¡¯t worry too much,¡± Trevor said with a sigh and continued to rationalize with her. He then said with a stern tone, ¡°You know, back in Old Master Richards¡¯ time, he was framed by his rivals and was imprisoned. Look at our Richards Group now. We went through that and we are still doing great, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    Jenna was startled as she heard Trevor¡¯s story.

    His words were powerful. His expression was confident and calm. Jenna finally began to calm down as she analyzed Trevor¡¯s words. As she was trying to calm herself down, she noticed the pain in the back of his eyes.

    The president of the Richards Group had been taken away with the crime of leaking confidential information. Everyone knew the severity of the situation and potential consequences.Trevor hid his worries deep inside his heart. He had to stayposed.

    Jennafinally calmed down and agreed to leave with Sabrina.

 Chapter 632 We Must Solve The Problem Within First

    Jenna was lying in the lounge. Her eyes were closedand her hands were on her belly.Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes and fell silently on the pillow.

    She thought to herself, ¡°Hansen, please be safe. You must hold on. Wait for me. I will find a way to save you.¡±

    The news that Hansen Richards, the president of Richards Group from A City, being taken awaywas reported in all the major news outlets. With that, rumours started spreading like wildfire and the Richards Group¡¯s stock prices crashed. Richards Group fell into a state of chaos.

    All of the sudden, Richards Group was in a dire situation.

    Back at Richards Manor, Trevor remained calm andposed. Panic permeated the air as the news of the head of the family being taken away spread. It was an unprecedented crisis for the Richards family. Fear and unease were written inly on the servants¡¯ faces.

    The weather was sunny but it was gloomy in Richards Manor.

    Jennay down in the lounge, tossing and turning, but couldn¡¯t seem to calm herself down. Her mind was full of the horrible images of Hansen covered in blood from her nightmare the previous night.

    She felt as though her heart was being clenched by a sharp w. The pain was piercing.

    She picked up her phone and started calling Hansen, but the reply from the other end of the line always sounded, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. The number you have dialed is unavable.¡± The distant tone of the automated message was giving her a headache!

    She couldn¡¯t stay still. She checked her cell phone every few minutes, worried that she might miss any updates about Hansen.

    However, her cell phone remained silent the entire morning.She fell gradually into despair.

    During lunch time, she acted as if nothing had happened and forced herself to finish a bowl of soup and a te ofspaghetti. Her hands were trembling gently the entire time as she ate.

    She was the head of the family. So, she could not panic at this time.

    Everyone was counting on her to lead and guide the family through this difficult time.

    People tried to be nice by saying that Hansen had just been taken away but they knew clearly that Hansen was in fact arrested.

    Marissa¡¯s eyes were swollen from crying and she was absent at lunch.

    Although Trevor was as calm as ever and had managed to have the overall situation under control, Jenna could clearly see the pain hidden in the depths of his eyes.

    She was pregnant. So, she knew Trevor would hate to see if she appeared agitated or anxious.

    Hence, she wore a calm smile on her face.

    She returned to the guest room after the meal.

    She was exhausted mentally and physically since shecould not sleep the night before. She was tossing and turning in bed and kept having nightmares.Her entire mind was upied by images of Hansen.

    She could not imagine the chaotic situation in thepany. She knew it was about time for her to show up and take control of the situation.

    She stood up and walked towards the Green Jade Garden.

    Hansen had once given her a set of office keys. They were keys to all the offices of the Richards Group, including the storage of the confidential documents, as well as the official seals of the Richards Group. With the seals and documents, she would be able to give orders in the Richards Group.

    As she was no longer the vice president of the Richards Group,she had to bring the keys with her if she wished to return to thepany.

    She went upstairs with dainty steps and went to take a look at Jerry.

    Aunt E was aware of the situation and knew about the rumors spreading amongst the servants. She looked at Jenna worriedly when she entered the room.

    Jenna smiled gently.

    Jerry was taking a quiet afternoon nap when she walked in.

    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t worry. Old Master Richards had a simr encounter when he was still around. Heeven went to jail for half a year. It won¡¯t happen again this time.¡± Aunt E consoled her softly as tears welled up in her eyes.

    Aunt E was an old servant of the family. So, Jenna wasn¡¯t surprised to hear that she knew about Old Master Richards¡¯ past. Looking into her worried eyes, she smiled and said, ¡°Aunt E, don¡¯t worry. Believe me,I won¡¯t let Hansen go to jail. Please take good care of Jerry.¡±

    Aunt E wiped her tears. Jenna¡¯s calmness made her slightly more at ease. ¡°Mrs. Richards, don¡¯t worry. I will take care of Jerry well. You can focus on what you need to do. You¡¯re pregnant. So, please don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡±

    Aunt E nagged whileJenna smiled and nodded. She returned to her bedroom and found the keys. There was an endless abyss in her eyes as she held the keys tightly in her hands.

    ¡°Jenna, I love you. These are the keys to my office. I will hand them to you now. Perhaps you will need them soon. I will give you everything, including myself. Please take good care of them in the future.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s warm voice and his clear message rang in her ears.Tears welled up in her eyes as she recalled the scene. She bit her lips hard and forced to get herself together.

    The president of the Richards Group had been taken away!

    All the employees were either huddled around the TV screen or stared at their ownputer screens to watch the news. No one could concentrate on their work.

    The senior executives of the Richards Group were gathered in the conference room.They were at a loss at what to do. The stock prices continued to plummet, leaving them helpless. They didn¡¯t know how to deal with this crisis as they were used to Hansen giving them orders.

    Jenna arrived at the 88th floor.

    Yuri was sitting listlessly at her desk.

    ¡°Ah, Mrs. Richards, you are here!¡± Yuri stood up abruptly. Her eyes lit up instantly upon the sight of Jenna.

    She referred to Jenna as Mrs. Richards since she was no longer the vice president of thepany!

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Jenna acknowledged. ¡°Where are all the other senior executives?¡±

    She went straight to the point.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    ¡°They are in the conference room,¡± Yuri replied quickly.She immediately understood the purpose of her visit and her mood was somewhat lifted.

    ¡°Alright, take me there,¡± Jenna said quickly.

    Yuri acknowledged in a clear and loud voice and led the way.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, please wait for a moment. I¡¯ll go in and inform them of your arrival,¡±Yuri said softlyat the door of the conference room.

    Jenna nodded. She didn¡¯t walk straight inas she was no longer the vice president of thepany. Outsiders werenot allowed to get involved in the business casually, even if they are a close rtiveunless there was authorization from the President. This was the rule of Richards Group.

    Yuri walked out after a few moments and invited her in politely.

    Therge conference room reeked of cigarettes smells. An air of dejection permeated the air when Jenna walked in. She frowned at the condition of the conference room.

    ¡°Greetings, Mrs. Richards.¡± The peoplein the conference room stood up and greeted her politely when they saw her.

    The Richards Group was a family business of the Richards family. Even if she did not hold any important position in thepany,she was still respected, as she was the wife of thepany¡¯s president.

    ¡°Hello, everyone. Please take a seat.¡± Jenna gave a vacant look. Her brows furrowed, indicating them to sit down.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards,is Mr. Richards alright?¡± They were bing hasty after themotion in thepany and immediately threw a series of questions at her after sitting down.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, the stock prices kept falling.Millions of dors evaporated just this morning itself. Everyone is in a state of panicand many shareholders want to cash out their shares.¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, the Free Trade Center in A City that Mr. Richards had nned were just starting toe together. Thepany had invested arge sum of capital. Many shareholders who had initially agreed on forming an alliance with us were having second thoughts now that the news has spread. They were creating amotion in the reception room downstairs, demanding to withdraw their shares. This is not looking good at all. Once they withdraw their shares, the loss would be insurmountable.¡± Rory Temple, thepany¡¯s director, knew Jenna was capable of making decisions and reported the situation to her hurriedly. She made her appearance in thepany when Hansen was in danger, which inadvertently made her the decision maker for thepany.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, the employees are feeling unsettled and fearful for the future and outlook of thepany. It is nearing the end of the month for wage payments andthey are worried that they wouldn¡¯t get paid. The payout of the sry requires the official signature and seal of Mr. Richard to be effective.¡±

    ¡°Yes. It is not just an internal problem. External parties who were dealing with us alsorushed over immediately and demanded payment from us when they heard the news. This is really giving us a headache.¡±

    ¡­

    Jenna stood quietly with a cold expression while listening to their summaries.

    She stood there without a word for a long time.

    Gradually, they started to quiet down.

    All of them turned their eyes to Jenna eventually,silently begging her to start making decisions.

    The silence was terrifying.

    ¡°Let me start by asking you a question.Who told you that Hansen was taken away?Have you verified your sources?¡± Her tone was harsh, and the expression on her face was grim.

    The senior executives suddenly realized thatthey indeed had not received any formal notice. They jumped to conclusions and fell into a state of panic after reading the news. They felt guilty upon hearing Jenna¡¯s stern questions and looked at each other in embarrassment.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards,it was on the news.I suppose they wouldn¡¯t broadcast it if it was fake?¡± Someone brought it up to justify their reactions.

    ¡°News?Was that how you worked for thepany? Based on news?¡± Jenna sneered and her voice rose. ¡°Well, even if what the news said was true, what does it matter? Does it mean something bad would happen to Hansen? Would thepany copse because of that? I never knew the management team of the Richards Group would be so foolish and reckless. Instead of thinking calmly, you brought about panic and fear. Did we spend so much money just to train a bunch of morons as executives for thepany?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s words were cold and sharp.

    Some older executives who had worked in the Richards Group their whole life couldn¡¯t stand her line of questioning andsaid immediately, ¡°Mrs. Richards, it wasn¡¯t up to us that we panicked. The customers and shareholders didn¡¯t believe that we would be able to get through this. Most of them havee here to cash out their shares.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna raised her eyebrows and sneered. ¡°Look at yourself. What do you think the clients would think when they see thepany¡¯s own executives panicking.EvenI wouldn¡¯t be convinced that thepany would get through it when I saw how you responded to the news.With a management team like this, even if thepany was in a good state,I am sure the public wouldn¡¯t feel safe putting their money with us. As senior executives of an establishedpany, you all responded to baseless ims with such rash reactions.How are you expecting to lead the employees with such ipetence?¡±

    The senior executives felt ashamed from Jenna¡¯s harsh scoldings. Upon reflecting their reactions, they acknowledged that they were indeed too flustered. Usually, a meeting of such scale would only be held with Hansen¡¯s orders but they had all gathered in the conference room that day without any instructions, which did not reflect well on their part.They didn¡¯t solve any problems by doing so, and in addition, createda sense of anxiety in thepany. The Richards Group was really in a chaotic situation now.

    They calmed down and lowered their heads as they reflected on their mistakes.

 Chapter 633 Find The Entry Point

    ¡°I can tell you now.You are free to resign with immediate effect if you do not have the confidence that thepany will get through this. I will not force you to stay and help ovee this crisis,¡± Jennasaid clearly,sweeping her eyes over everyone.She then waved the keys in her hand and continued, ¡°This is the key to Mr. Richards¡¯ office.He has already authorized me to take charge of thepany. Regarding the payroll, you can give it to me to sign now. Anyone who wants to get signatures for resignation letters could also look for me now.¡±

    The senior executives looked guilty after hearing Jenna¡¯s words. None of them wanted to resign.They held their breaths as they were afraid of getting into trouble. The huge conference room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

    ¡°CFO.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mrs. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Did we receive the two hundred million dors from N&S Groupyesterday?¡± Jenna asked,looking straight at theCFO.

    The CFO thought for a moment and made a phone call immediately. A few momentster, he smiled and said, ¡°Mrs. Richards, the money has just been credited into our ount.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna took over the topic and said quickly, ¡°Let¡¯s do this. The public rtions manager will go down and exin the situation to the shareholders. If they insist, thenimmediately process their shares withdrawal requests. I will approve the documents. But you must make it clear to them that the Richards Group will never work with the shareholders and clients who backed out again, as they have no integrity and did not hold up their end of the bargain. Furthermore, they will also be forever included in ourpany¡¯s cklist.¡±

    The public rtions manager left after receiving the instructions.

    The two hundred million dors that they had just received from the N&S Grouphad almost reignited everyone¡¯s confidence.

    People who were familiar with the workings of the business world understood thatN&S Groupwas actually a subsidiary of the Richards Groupand was doing quite well overseas. The Richards Group was still standing strong. Of course,people wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to resign from such a well-establishedpany.

    ¡°If you still wish to work for thepany, then please go down immediately to take care of your respective departments. Anyone who continues to gossip and spread rumors will be fired immediately.¡± Jenna turned and walked out of the office after finishing her sentence.

    The people in the room stood up cautiously and went back to their respective departments.

    The chaos in Richards Group was immediately resolved. Everything had returned to normal.

    Jenna came to Hansen¡¯s office and began to deal with various matters of thepany,

    The public rtions manager walked up to her with a smile and reported that none of the shareholders or customers wanted to withdraw their shares anymore.They had all left thepany.

    Jenna let out a cold snort, andjust waved her hand without a word.

    The public rtions manager took the hint and left her office quietly.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna started to bury herself in work and did not leave until nighttime.

    Meanwhile, in the luxurious private suite of Walda Hotel.

    Octavia stepped into the VIP room in trepidation with an invitation card in her hand.

    A feeling of fear that she couldn¡¯tprehend followed her along the way here.

    Who invited her here? What was the purpose of the invitation? She was clueless!

    She didn¡¯t want toe but the sender had given out the invitation in a tone that seemed impossible to reject the invitation. It was as if there would be dire consequences if she rejected the invitation.

    She pushed the door open with unease.

    The interior was luxuriously decorated. The room appeared ssy.

    Who would be this pompous?

    ¡°Is anyone here?¡± she asked softly and looked around.

    The private room was empty. Clearly, the person who invited her hadn¡¯t arrived yet.

    She checked the time on her phone and noticed that she arrived right on time. It seemed like the other party had bailed on her.

    She thought for a while before walking out of the room.She proceeded to ask the waiter to see who had reserved the private room.

    The waiter shook his head, as he didn¡¯t know either.

    She felt even more uneasy.She stood in the private room and looked around. She had a vague feeling that something was not quite right and decided to leave.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, this way please.¡± A young man¡¯s voice sounded from outside.

    There were footsteps heading towards the door of the private room.

    Octavia stood still and held her breath.

    Mrs. Richards? She didn¡¯t know a Mrs. Richards!

    The door was pushed open.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you,¡± Octavia eximed,taking a few steps back in shock.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯mte.¡± Jenna smiled and extended her hand towards Octavia. ¡°My name is Jenna Murphy. Thank you foring. Please have a seat.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s hand stretched out in front of her.

    Octavia hesitated, stretched out her hand, and shook Jenna¡¯s hand briefly while her mind was turning and assessing the situation.

    What did she invite her here for!

    She rummaged through her memories trying to find clues about Mrs. Richards. She had heard of her but their paths have never crossed.Why would she arrange to meet her out of the blue?

    She was aware of the incident about Hansen being taken away as it was on the front page of the news today.

    Was it because of this?How can she be of help?

    Her eyes rolled around and her mood calmed down. She did not look as frightened anymore.

    Jenna has nothing on her so she had no reasons to be afraid of.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, what can I do for you?¡± Octavia sat down on the sofa and asked in a casual tone.

    Jenna poured her a cup of tea and ced it in front of her.She then smiled and said, ¡°Nothing, Octavia.I just wanted to chat.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Octavia snorted and said indifferently, ¡°Mrs. Richards, I am just an insignificant employee of thepany. I am not on your level to talk to you and I don¡¯t think we have anymon interests.¡±

    Jenna said with a half smile, ¡°No, we do. We have a lot of topics inmon that we should discuss.¡±

    Her expression was calm, and she was very confident in her actions.

    Octavia¡¯s eyelids twitched slightly.She looked straight at her and felt a little intimidated.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, what do you mean?¡±

    Jenna leaned back on the couch and made herselffortable.She picked up the teacup in her hand, took a sip gently, before talking slowly and courteously, ¡°Octavia, of course, I have my reasons to invite you here today. I hope you can cooperate with me in our conversation. This will benefit you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Octavia refused toply. She stood up and said coldly, ¡°Mrs. Richards, you really think too highly of me. I am just an insignificant employee of a smallpany. I have no value to you at all and we have nothing to talk about. I¡¯m afraid that I have disappointed you. I¡¯m sorry but I shall make a move as I have prior engagements.¡±

    She stood up and was ready to leave.

    Jenna understood what she was implying. She smiled lightly and said, ¡°Octavia, I would suggest you sit down, so that we can have a good talk. We might even have a good time.Who knows? I may even be able to help you.¡±

    Octavia chuckled and said bluntly, ¡°Mrs. Richards, thank you so much. However, there is really nothing to talk about between us and I don¡¯t need your kindness. I am just an unimportant staff member and I can¡¯t provide you with any valuable information. In my opinion, Mrs. Richards, you should spend your energy on dealing with your husband¡¯s lovers.

    Her tone was light and casual. Then, she turned around to leave.

    ¡°Stop.¡± Lomen stood in front of her. He looked at her with a vacant expression and said, ¡°Please show some respect to Mrs. Richards and answer her questions honestly.¡±

    Lomen¡¯s body blocked Octavia¡¯s way out like a stone wall. His sharp but gloomy eyes were staring at her, as cold as iron.

    It was only then that Octavia realized that she might not be able to walk out of here that day!

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, are you going to keep me here now by force?¡± She turned to look andaskedJenna angrily.

    Jenna was sipping her tea at a rxed pacewith an indifferent expression.

    ¡°There is no need for me to use force on you. I believe you¡¯ll cooperate with me,¡± she said in a calm tone.

    Octavia sneered. ¡°Mrs. Richards, you are acting so confident but are you aware that you are using force now to make me stay? I can tell you certainly that I will neither cooperate with you, nor will I answer your questions.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna said with a chuckle. ¡°You are behaving rudely, which is not a good thing. Lomen had only intended for you to allow me to finish my words.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s better that you listen carefully to what I am going to say before you decide what you want to do. What do you think?¡±

    Octavia raised her eyes and looked at Lomen, who was standing in front of her. His face was cold and ruthless, and he would notpromise at all. Then, she looked at Jenna, who was calm andposed. She understoodthat it would be difficult for her to leave if she refused to listen to what she was going to say.

    Well, let¡¯s see what she has to say. Either way, she would not be able to provide her with any useful information at all! Octavia thought smugly.

    She walked back as she contemted and sat down on the couch with an arrogant look on her face.

    ¡°Then, hurry up and say it. I¡¯m listening. Remember, I have very limited patience. There are people waiting for me outside as well. I didn¡¯te here alone.¡±

    Her message was clear. She would not cooperate with her. She can¡¯t be threatened either as she didn¡¯te here alone. Her bodyguards were waiting for her outside, and there were probably more than one of them!

    Jenna understood what she was implying. She smiled and spoke without thinking twice.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t take up a lot of your time. I just need a few minutes.Why are young people so impatient now? You will easily lose out if you continue to behave this way.¡±

    Octavia was getting restless. ¡°Mrs. Richards, just say whatever you have to say. I don¡¯t have much spare time.¡±

    Jenna smiled and put down the cup of tea. She continued to lean back on the couch and asked lightly, ¡°I am sure you have heard of Ziyon?¡±

    ¡°Ziyon?¡±

    Octavia¡¯s face turned pale as soon as she heard this name. Her whole body tensed, and she appeared alert.

    ¡°Who is Ziyon? Which Ziyon? I don¡¯t understand what you are saying!¡± She pretended to question back in confusion.Nervousness and anxiety was written clearly on her face.

    Jenna looked at her calmly.

 Chapter 634 Fight Evil With Evil

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t know him?¡± Jenna asked calmly.

    Octavia hesitated for a moment andanswered unreservedly, ¡°Yes. I do not know him.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Jenna appeared enlightened. ¡°Looks like we got the wrong person. If that¡¯s the case,then forget about it. I thought I¡¯d be able to do something good today.¡±

    Jenna informed Lomen, ¡°Lomen, unfortunatelywe have got the wrong person. I supposed this is God¡¯s will. I thought I¡¯de here with the intention of saving a life. It seemed my hope was in vain. Let¡¯s go. There¡¯s no point in wasting our time here.¡±

    She stood up as she spoke.

    ¡°Well, Mrs. Richards. I supposed we should let it go since there are no other ways around it.Leave the matter of life and deathto the hands of fate.¡±

    Lomen knew Jenna was onto something. He agreed with her and took a few long strides towards her direction to escort her out.

    Octavia¡¯s face turned paleimmediately. A storm was brewing in her mind. The arrogance she disyed just now had suddenly evaporated while panic crept in.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, please exin before you leave.¡± Octavia stopped Jenna.Her voice trembled lightly.

    The corner of Jenna¡¯s mouth curved into a faint smile.

    ¡°Why? Are you interested in what I have to say now?¡± Jenna stopped and asked.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, which Ziyon are you talking about?¡± Octavia tried to remain calm and asked in a steady voice.

    Jenna raised her eyebrows and questioned, ¡°Why? Do you really know Ziyon?¡±

    Jenna kept her guessing deliberately as she grew more anxious. She saw the panic in her eyes and knew that she had flipped the situation. Octavia was practically begging her now.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, I will be frank.I do know a man named Ziyonbut I am not sure if he was the person you were referring to.¡± Octavia clenched her jaw.

    ¡°Do you want to know who I am talking about?¡± Jenna¡¯s red lips parted slightly. She didn¡¯t borate further.

    Octavia tightened her fist. ¡°Mrs. Richards, you are the wife of a noble and decent family. You wouldn¡¯t want to get your hands dirty, would you? It wouldn¡¯t be any good for your reputation if word got out that you yed dirty.¡±

    ¡°Reputation?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes were piercing. ¡°My husband was framed and his life was almost ruined. Do you think I care about my reputation? This is a dog-eat-dog world. In the world of business, the winner rules over the weak and takes it all. Do you think I would still care about my reputation when ites to dealing with b*stards without integrity?¡±

    Octavia looked at her in fear. Jenna¡¯s eyes were cold and sharp, and she looked stern. Her face turned pale again.

    ¡°Then, tell me, which Ziyon? What happened to him?¡± There was a hint of despair in her eyes as she asked slowly.

    Jenna chuckled and sat on the couch. ¡°Made up your mind yet? Ready to have a conversation with me now?¡±

    ¡°Please.¡± Octavia followed and sat down. She looked at her with an incredulous expression.

    ¡°Ziyon Gambon.Year 2, ss 3,¡± Jenna replied softly.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    ¡°No.¡± Octavia sprang to her feet. ¡°What did you do to him? Do not touch him.¡±

    She screamed at Jenna andher eyes reddened.

    Jenna sneered. ¡°Octavia, how stupid can you be?What would I do to him? Aren¡¯t you aware that you were the one who put him in danger?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Octavia¡¯s eyes were wide with confusion.

    ¡°You should know who you have been dealing with. Just think about it. You knew so much insider information. Did you really think she would let you go easily?¡± Jennaughed in disdain and replied sarcastically.

    ¡°Impossible. You are trying to drive a wedge between us.¡± Octavia thought Jenna was trying to manipte herand shook her head in denial. ¡°That is absolutely impossible.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely impossible?¡± Jenna taunted. ¡°Seems like you are loyal. It¡¯s a pity that you have wasted your loyalty on the wrong person.¡±

    Octavia¡¯s face was as pale as ashand cold sweat dripped from her forehead. She fell back and sank into the couch as she lowered her head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you. Your dearest brother was actually locked up by Zoe. She made arrangements for your mother and brother because she had something else nned. Clearly, she didn¡¯t trust you. In fact, she had her people following them closely, in case you ever made any unusual moves. She¡¯d threaten you with their lives if it ever happens. You know very well how she operates,¡± Jenna exined indifferently.

    Octavia¡¯s face twistedand she looked terrible.

    ¡°Why are you telling me this?If what you said was true,then I¡¯d definitely remain loyal to her. I wouldn¡¯t betray her, at the very least, to keep my family safe,¡± Octavia uttered.

    Octavia had been having vague suspicions about what Jenna had saidbut she shrugged it off because she trusted her wholeheartedly.

    ¡°I am telling you because I want you to know what kind of person you are dealing with. You shall judge for yourself what kind of person she is.Also, because I want to save your family.¡± Jenna was very frank and had no intention of hiding the truth from her.

    ¡°What in the world are you trying to say?¡± Octavia raised her head and sneered. Jenna saw the fear in her eyes.

    ¡°Take them away somewhere far and safe as soon as possible. Get away from Zoe for the sake of their safety,¡± Jenna advised in a low voice. ¡°Zoe had been poisoning your mother and brother with chronic poison. If you leave now, then I can find a doctor abroad and they would still stand a chance to be cured. Or else, I am afraid that the chronic toxicity would be too severe to be treated.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Octavia stood up in shock and disbelief. ¡°Mrs. Richards, is that true?¡±

    ¡°Of course.My men have spent a lot of time following her to find out about this. I came to you as soon as I knew it.¡± Jenna appeared certain.

    ¡°Then, why are you doing this? What is your purpose?¡± she asked after a moment of silence.Octavia perspired in fear. Her gaze was dull as she muttered.

    Jennaughed.

    ¡°I do have my intentions. I am a businesswoman after all. I would like to make a deal with you.¡±

    She was frank, which persuaded Octavia to believe her. She knew there was no free lunch in the world.

    ¡°I only did this for one purpose. That is theRichards Group.I care about profit in all the trades I deal with. I¡¯ve provided you with such valuable information because I want you to cooperate with me. I believe you know how ourpany has been framed by Zoe. I hope that we¡¯ll be able to benefit from each other and achieve mutual benefits,¡± Jenna expressed frankly.

    Octavia¡¯s face gradually lit up and she asked hesitantly.

    ¡°How can you be sure that I will fulfil your request? I¡¯m just an unimportant character in the story.¡±

    Jenna raised her beautiful eyebrows and deepened her smile. ¡°Octavia, Zoe has spent so much effort on you. Why would she have given so much thought to your family if you are insignificant to her? She would exchange your loyalty by threatening your mother and brother¡¯s lives. She wanted to make sure that you¡¯d never leave her and would act at her disposal. Don¡¯t you understand?¡±

    Octavia¡¯s eyes shed with griefand cold sweat began to drip down her forehead. She tried to wipe it with a tissue to conceal her fear.

    ¡°Octavia,I am going to be very frank. Leave now and you can still protect your family.If not, thenyou and your family will not end well simply because you know too much about Zoe. She is on guard about you and will not let you go. For your family¡¯s safety and health, they cannot wait any longer. I am sure you understand the consequences.¡±

    Octavia bit her lip so hard that it turned white, and her hands were sped together.

    She would definitely die if she betrayed Zoe now. Zoe wouldn¡¯t let her go before she achieved her goal.

    However, her mother and brother¡­

    She sped her fingers even tighter and she appeared to be in pain. She was in a dilemma and did not know how to handle the situation.

    ¡°Octavia, Zoe¡¯s conspiracy will soon be exposed. Once the authorities start their investigation on her, she will push all the me to you. You have followed her for a long time, and you took part in everything. If you refuse to cooperate with her, then she will threaten you with the toxins in your mother¡¯s and brother¡¯s body. She might even promise you to cure them of their poison if you took the me for her. However, I want to remind you that your mother¡¯s and brother¡¯s conditions have already reached the point of no return, and treatment should not be dyed.Even if you take the me,she might not be able to cure their illnesses. Think about it. I am trying to help you.¡± Jenna stopped for a while and then continued, ¡°We can find a solution even if Zoe pushed the me of framing Richards Group to you. If you tell everything now, then you will only be considered an aplice. Your punishment would be much lighter. If you expose her now, then I promise you that I will find help to cure your family¡¯s illness,¡± Jenna exined patiently again.

    ¡°I¡­¡± The anger and arrogance in Octavia¡¯s eyes had all disappeared, leaving only despair, fear, and helplessness.

    ¡°Octavia,the interrogation method has advanced a lot now.Zoe may be well-prepared butyou can¡¯t rule out the possibility that the authorities will force her name out of you. She would do everything to protect herself. You must be fully aware that she has trained a lot of killers.¡± Jenna analyzed further.

    Octavia was getting more upset as she continued listening.

    ¡°Octavia, you are after all only her underling. These crimes are not terrible. You can still make atonement as long as you expose her. You know my character. I only did this for my husband, as well as the Richards Group. This is a fair trade.¡± Jenna stood up and continued, ¡°Of course, it is also for you and your family.¡±

    The fear in Octavia¡¯s eyes was gettingmore obviousand she appeared anxious. ¡°Mrs. Richards, I need some time to consider this.¡±

 Chapter 635 Irreplaceable

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait.¡± Jenna promised. ¡°I promise to send your family abroad for medical treatment as long as you reveal the evidence of Zoe framing the Richards Group and expose her. This is the condition, which is mutually beneficial.¡±

    Jenna walked away without another word. She turned back after a few steps and remindedher.¡°I would advise you to consider carefully. I will not force you and you are wee to approach me anytime when you are ready. I think you can differentiate right from wrong.¡±

    Jenna and Lomen walked away calmly.

    Octavia sat in the room in a stunned state for a long time.

    Zoe fed her family chronic poison in an attempt to control her. It was so evil, she thought. She had been nothing but loyal since the beginning and trusted her wholeheartedly. She never thought of betraying her. If it was true that she was poisoning her family.This woman was indeed too vicious and cold-hearted. She was not worthy of her trust then.

    She clenched her fists.

    Octavia nned to take her mother and brother to the hospital for a check-up before deciding what to do.

    ¡°Madam, do you think Octavia would testify against Zoe?¡± Lomen asked with uncertainty in the Richards family¡¯s luxurious car, ¡°Will she believe what you said?¡±

    Jenna frowned and remained silent.

    ¡°Madam, I think it would be better to kidnap Ziyon and use him to threaten her instead.¡± Lomen was somewhat puzzled about Jenna¡¯s move.

    ¡°No.We are no different from Zoe if we do that.Besides, kidnapping is against thew. We absolutely can¡¯t do that.¡± Jenna looked out of the window. Shethought aboutHansen¡¯s current situationand felt a twinge of pain in her heart.

    They have to find evidence of Zoe framing thepany for the charges to be lifted.Only then,Hansen¡¯s name could be cleared.

    She was counting on Octavia.

    She had finally found a lead after following Octavia for so long. She never believed that Zoe would treat her with true sincerity because Octavia knew too much about her history. Zoe had always been a skeptical person and wouldn¡¯t let her off easily. As long as Octavia was able to think rationally, Jenna was certain that she¡¯de back to find her.

    ¡°Lomen, Octavia was born into a poor family. She was educated to a certain extent and her conscience was still alive. She would not betray Zoe easily since she was the one who chose her. What we are doing now is to give her a little nudge, so that she would realize what a nasty woman Zoe is,¡± Jenna exined thoughtfully.

    Lomen sighed and nodded.

    ¡°Lomen, how long will it take for the report of the will verification?¡± Jenna asked after thinking for a while.

    ¡°It usually takes fifteen to thirty days to get the results of the handwriting identification. However,we have connections within the authoritative department we sent our will to. At the very least, it¡¯d still take around a couple of weeks.¡± Lomen¡¯s voice was low.

    Jenna kept silent.

    The car headed towards the gate of Richards Manor.

    Meanwhile, in Trevor¡¯s study.

    Trevor was pacing back and forth in the room. The wrinkles on his forehead deepened from the stress, and his eyes revealed his tiredness.

    When Jenna and Lomen walked in, he had just ended a phone call.

    ¡°Dad.¡± ¡°Mr. Trevor.¡± The two of them greeted Trevor.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re here.¡± Trevor smiled amiably when he saw Jenna.

    ¡°Dad,do you have news of Hansen? Do you know where he¡¯s being locked up?¡± Jenna asked anxiously.

    Trevor smiled faintly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Dad, he¡¯s the president of the Richards Group andTheRichards Groupneeds him now. He¡¯s the foundation of Richards Manor,as well as Jerry¡¯s father. No matter what, he needs to be released as soon as possible. Otherwise, the damage on the Richards Group will be insurmountable.¡± Jenna¡¯s mood was grave.

    ¡°We will need evidence to prove his innocence if we want to bail him out now. Everyone is equal in the eyes of thew,¡± Trevor answered.

    Jenna sat down on the chair, feeling a little tired.

    ¡°Lomen, did you find anything about Liya today?¡± Trevor turned his head to Lomen.

    Lomen shook his head and reported, ¡°Mr. Trevor, this woman has been sleeping at home during the day. She didn¡¯t go out. In fact, there is no point in following her now as she¡¯s now Oscar¡¯s mistress, and she despised Zoe. It is impossible for them to collude with each other. Even if we could get anything from her, the evidence wouldn¡¯t be strong enough for a bailout. You would have found evidence from her earlier on otherwise.¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    Trevor nodded. Liya had altered the will secretly, which ended up setting a trap for herself. It was enough of a crime for her to be locked up in jail.

    ¡°Dad, how is the situation in Capital City going?¡± Jenna was uneasy. Hansen and Luqman cooperated with each other. What was important was whether or not they could finally expose Yadriel.

    Trevor smiled faintly and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Yadriel had set this up to frame Hansen precisely because there was progress in the matter in Capital City.¡±

    Jenna felt enlightened upon hearing this!

    There were two leads. Firstly, Zoe framed the Richards Group, and secondly, Yadriel was contesting in the election. It appeared as if there was no link between the two events, but they were in fact connected. Jenna was very certain about this. Otherwise, Hansen would not have paid so much attention to Capital City and personally cooperated with Luqman.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. I believe that everything wille to light. It won¡¯t be long before that.¡± Trevor consoled her confidently. ¡°The most important thing right now is the child you are carrying. You have to take care of yourself well.¡±

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. I will.¡± Jenna smiled andforted him.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Trevor nodded with satisfaction.¡°You should have a good rest.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna bade goodbye.

    At the study¡¯s window,Trevor watched as Jenna¡¯s figure gradually disappeared into the distance as he let out a deep sigh.

    Jenna,Yadriel wouldn¡¯t be so daring to engage in an arms trade if Hansen were not arrested. Hansen was Yadriel¡¯s most hated enemy.With him under arrest, he became bold and fearless tomit even more crimes. That way we could gather more evidence for his crimes.Trevor thought to himself.

    To destroy someone, onefirsthad to make them go crazy.

    The n was to make Yadriel go crazy for money and engage in more illegal trades! They would have a better chance of getting rid of him if he had gone crazy. They just needed to be a little more patient!

    Dark green leaves extended in from the window, covering his white hair.

    The lotus leaves in different shades of green filled the pond. The breeze carried along the fresh smell of lotus flowers towards Jenna.

    Jenna bent her knees, rested her head on them and put her hands together. She curled uplike a baby in a fetal position.

    Experts often said that this was the position assumed when someone encountered danger or had no sense of security.It was an expression of hopelessness.

    Jenna was truly helpless and extremely anxious.

    Hansen had been arrested.

    In thepany, she had to appear as a strong woman. She was calm and did not show any trace of guilt. At home, she was the head of the family. She had to conceal her emotions in front of everyone.

    Only when she was alonewouldshe allow herself to rx slightly.

    She remained in that position for a long time. She gently let out her feelings ofhelplessness, grief, worry, and stressthat had umted throughout the day.

    Hansen had always been the pir of support for the Richards family. He was also the pir of support for her. Her entire spirit was on the verge of copse ever since he had been taken away.

    Hansen was the man in her dream who wascovered in blood. Would he be safe in the hands of Yadriel and Sergio?

    She wouldn¡¯t know.

    That was why she was afraid and worried. She sufferedso much that she could not fall asleep!

    Sergio stood under a hundred-year-old lemon tree and looked at Jenna from a distance.

    He witnessed the strong side of Jenna after he took Hansen away. Jenna didn¡¯t shed tears or cry like other women. Instead,she was unusually calm. She also went to thepany to manage the executives and stabilize the situation. She even took charge of everything at home. He admired her perseverance and strength so much.

    Sergio believed he had good taste when it came to women. The woman he liked must be unique. So, he held onto his love for Jenna.He buried this feeling deep in the bottom of his heart. His heart was reserved for her. He believed that he would never fall in love again.

    ¡°Jenna, are you alright?¡± Sergio walked up slowly to Jenna and stood beside her.

    Jenna was surprised to hear his voice. Her face was full of tears when she looked up at him.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Jenna jumped and stood up upon the sight of Sergio. She wiped off the tears quickly,took a step back and asked coldly.

    ¡°Jenna,get some rest. Take care of yourself.¡± Sergio was concerned, with a touch of tenderness in his eyes.

    Jenna looked at him indifferently. ¡°Sergio, everything is as you wish now. You finally took him away.¡±

    ¡°Jenna¡­¡± Sergio appeared slightly dignified. ¡°I was just performing official duties.It wasn¡¯t up to me.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jenna sneered. ¡°You know fully well that the Richards Group was framed, and this is all a trap.But you¡¯re happy to see it and even refused to take action to rectify it.Is this what you meant by out of your control?¡±

    ¡°Jenna, evidence decides the case, not me. I wouldn¡¯t have taken him away if there was no evidence to support it. You should understand this, right?¡± Sergio asked seriously.

    Jenna clenched her fists. Acold smile formed at the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, please listen carefully. I will find you the evidence that he was framed. I will never let Hansen go to jail.¡± Jenna spoke, word for word, with a crisp voice.

    A wave of emotions crossed Sergio¡¯s eyes, but he was left with only heartache and sadness in the end, as those emotions settled.

    ¡°Jenna, is he that important to you?You¡¯d protect him with your life even if it puts you in danger?¡± He sighed. ¡°I told you a long time ago that you should leave him. You should have left this cebut you didn¡¯t listen.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s determination to save Hansen saddened him. He would be overjoyed if she could just show that she cared for him, albeit only a tiny bit. However, Jenna refused to show any mercy to him.

    Hansen was the stubborn one who couldn¡¯t see where the times were headed. He chose to be enemies with the Xanthe family. Sergio was certain that Yadriel wouldn¡¯t let him off.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, listen carefully. Hansen is my husband and Jerry¡¯s father. This is a fact that cannot be changed. He is the only one in my heart, and no one can rece him. I will never leave him even if he is thrown to jail. But rest assured, I will definitely not allow it to happen,¡± Jenna retorted firmly. The look in her eyes was determined and piercing. He felt a coldness radiating from his heart.

    Jenna moved past him and walked towards the corridor of the Ink Garden.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Sergio looked at her and tried to stop her. She looked determined as she walked past him indifferently.She acted so distant.

    No matter how she treated him, she always had a sacred ce in his heart.

    Jenna stood still with her back facing him.

    ¡°Have you heard of the Ocean Heart?¡± Sergio asked softly after a moment of hesitation.

    These words sounded like thunder from the sky even though his voice was soft. Jenna¡¯s mind was in a tumult. She remained still and looked straight ahead.

    The Ocean Heart was a priceless treasure. How did Sergio find out about it? Was he testing her?

    This was the type of treasure that had been stained with the blood and wrongdoings of many people because of its value. To keep them safe, Vivian had never told the descendants of the Richards family about it. No one in the entire family mansion had ever talked about this treasure. How did Sergio know about it?

    What was his intention in asking?

 Chapter 636 Greed

    Jenna turned her face. There was not a trace of emotion in her eyes. She asked curiously, ¡°Mr. Xanthe, what did you say? What ocean?¡±

    Sergio analyzed her expression carefully. ¡°Jenna, the Ocean Heart is a rare treasure. Many older people have seen it and wanted to own it. That year, the auction attracted huge attention but it was taken off the auction at thest minute¡¯s notice. It simply vanished after that. There was a rumor that Madam Lilian had sent it to Richards Manor. Do you know about it?¡±

    Sergio¡¯s voice was soft like a dream but he was indeed talkingto Jennaabout the Ocean Heart .

    Jenna clenched her fists and she smiled patronisingly.¡°So, that¡¯s how it is. You came to Richards Manor because of rumors of a rare jewel? I have been wondering why youwouldmove into our home when we have no business with you. I now know it is because of the treasure. Mr. Xanthe, you are indeed morally noble, to be abusing your power for your own convenience.¡±

    Sergio¡¯s face blushed slightly as Jenna replied sarcastically.He was curious about the jewelry solely because Yadriel desired it. He wasn¡¯t personally interested in it but he couldn¡¯t exin himself. So, he replied with a snicker.

    ¡°Jenna, I am only doing this for your own good. As the head of the family,I am sure that you are aware a treasure as valuable as this would only bring trouble to the family instead of glory. It might very well end in bloodbath. I am only telling you this to serve as a friendly reminder. Hand the jewelry over if you know where it isin exchange for the safety of Richards Manor. If you do not know where it is, then I would advise you to leave this ce for your own safety. Do you understand?¡± Sergio sounded very sincere. He did not want Jenna to be involved or get hurt because of the treasure.

    Jenna looked at him and smiled suddenly. Her teeth were white and her eyes were bright.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, you must be joking.Let¡¯s not mention if the Richards family actually owns the jewelry. Even if they do, why in the world will I be informed of its existence? I¡¯m just the daughter-inw of the Richards family. You have a really wild imagination. You¡¯ve stayed in Richards Manorfor quite some time now. Have you ever heard of it? This is such a baseless rumor.You are an official with a governmental title. It¡¯s ridiculous that you are making such ims and insisted on me handing over some priceless gem off the books. Are you now in charge of private assets too?¡± Jenna felt absurd with the things Sergio had said.

    Sergio looked at her and sighed. ¡°Jenna, you really don¡¯t get it. I am only doing this to keep you safe.You will understand what I meant today in the future if you insist on being stubborn.¡±

    ¡°What do you want exactly, Mr. Xanthe?The way you are saying it seems like you already know where the jewelry is. Then, why bother asking me? Go and get it yourself. I am going to be frank with you. I have never heard of anything as such and I am not interested in the piece at all. I am sorry but I have to make a move as I still have errands to run.¡± Jenna¡¯s tone was frigid and unsympathetic. Then, she walked towards the corridor.

    ¡°Jenna, I heard that Vivian had handed this treasure on to you.¡± Sergio¡¯s words were like a needle piercing straight into Jenna¡¯s heart from the back. It was so painful that blood drained from her face. Fortunately, she had her back towards him. Otherwise, he would have noticed her change in expression. Her entire back stiffened from his words.

    Not a single person in Richards Manor knew about this. Even Hansen didn¡¯t know until she had personally told him. How did Sergio find out?

    The most difficult task in the world was to guard against people with ill intentions!

    Jenna was in a daze. She finally realized that things were not as simple as she thought. It seemed that many people were coveting this treasure. Now, they are all waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of the chaotic situation in Richards Group¡¯s to steal the treasure.

    The scariest thing in the world was insatiable greed!

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, you¡¯re really well-informed. However, I¡¯ve neither seen nor heard of the jewelry you¡¯re talking about. I don¡¯t know where you got your news from. What do you actually intend to achieve with the knowledge of my possessions?¡± Jenna turned her head and her eyes were frosty.

    ¡°Jenna, you misunderstood me.¡± Sergio smiled and added, ¡°I am just saying that it won¡¯t do any good to you if you decide to keep it. I just want to remind you of that.¡±

    Jenna frowned.

    ¡°Thank you for the reminder. But I really don¡¯t know about the jewelry you are talking about and have never seen it before. Some people are so greedy that they came out with all sorts of ideas and spread rumors about me. That¡¯s their ignorance. Goodbye.¡±

    ¡°Jenna,please reconsider my words. What I said was definitely for your own good.¡± Sergio looked at her from the back and warned her again with a stern voice.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was thumping wildlybut she tried her best to hold it in and walked away with determined strides.

    As soon as she returned to the guest room, she threw herself onto the bed.

    ¡°Hansen, I am so tired. Pleasee back soon.¡± Jenna buried her face in the quilt and muttered to herself. If Sergio¡¯s real intention was the Ocean Heart then Richards Manor might really encounter a bloodbath. Judging from his tone, he was not the only one who had their eyes set on the treasure.

    Jenna felt scared as she thought about it. She was even more fearful of the possibility of her failure to protect the treasure.

    ¡°What should I do?¡± She held the sheet tightly and burst into tears.

    Liya slept so deeply this time! When she woke up, it was already dark outside.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    She washed up and realized she was starving. She hadn¡¯t eaten anything all day.

    Meal hours hadalready passed in Richards Manor.

    ¡°What should I do? Obviously I can¡¯t order takeouts.¡± Liya thought to herself.

    Richards Manor was surrounded by huge pieces of untouchednd. Commercialbusinesses were prohibited in the area. It would take a lot of time and effort for the food to be delivered.

    Oscar had returned to C City for a few days. So, it¡¯s impossible to count on him. Moreover, she was feeling tired and did not want to go out to eat.

    She took her slippers and walked out.She headed towards the kitchen of the Ink Garden to see if she could find something to eat.

    ¡°Pay attention to Jenna¡¯s movements. That jewelry is very likely with her.¡± As soon as Liya passed through the corridor in darkness, she heard a faint voiceing from under a parasol tree.

    Treasure?She thought of the Ocean Heart that Letty mentioned to her the other day. She stoppedimmediatelyand her eyes lit up.

    ¡°Are you sure? We haven¡¯t found anything after following her for days.¡± Another shadow expressed his doubts.

    ¡°Nonsense. Of course it wouldn¡¯t be an easy task since it is a treasure. Even Richards Manor itself barely has anyone who knows about it. What do you think us outsiders would know? Our boss had worked hard to obtain this lead. Of course it would be true. Just keep a close eye on her. Don¡¯t waste your time doubting nonsense,¡± the man scolded in a low voice.

    Liya was stunned. It seemed as though the treasure really existed and so many people were plotting for it. This was a rare opportunity to make a fortune.

    Liya heard that Hansen had been arrested. She deduced that the chances of her bing his second wife was negligible. If she couldn¡¯t marry into the family, then she wouldn¡¯t get any benefit at all.She might as well continue staying at Richards Manor and try to get her hands on the treasure.

    The two men left quietly.

    Liya watched them walk towards the guest room in the Ink Garden.She was still in shock from her encounter. She turned around to walk in the opposite direction towards the kitchen in the Ink Garden.

    She searched the kitchen for a while.It was a huge kitchen. She found some food, and proceeded to heat them in the microwave oven. After filling up her stomach, she returned to the guest room.

    As she passed by Jenna¡¯s guest room, she turned her head on purpose to take a look in the room.

    The door was open.

    She stopped and looked around.

    ¡°Jenna,¡± she called out softly and extended her neck to look around.

    There was no one in the room, but the door was wide open. This was a perfect opportunity to sneak in.

    Liyacrept into the room as she thought to herself.

    Jenna¡¯s room was more spacious and ssier than hers butthe amenities inside were almost the same. Her eyes roamed the room like a hungry wolf looking for prey.

    Jenna¡¯s handbag was ced on the couch on one side.

    Liya looked at the bag. It was a limited edition bag. Although it wasn¡¯t luxurious, it had personality.

    There should be something in there, right? She is the head of the family after all.

    She walked up to the bag and started fumbling.

    ¡°Jenna,willHansen be okay? When will hee back? This is all so heart-wrenching.¡± She heard footsteps approaching and Sabrina¡¯s clear voice rang.

    Liya was startled. She wanted to escapebut it was toote.

    She quickly put Jenna¡¯s bag back to where it was and sat down on the couch.

    ¡°Why are you in my room?¡± Jenna and Sabrina walked in worriedly.Jenna immediately questioned her when theysaw Liya sitting cross-legged on the couch with a casual expression.

    ¡°Jenna, I came to find you but you weren¡¯t here. The door was open. So, I came in,¡± Liya answered shamelessly.

    Jenna frowned and she looked displeased.

    Was the door to her room open? Who opened it?

    ¡°You should¡¯ve waited outside. You don¡¯t look like you have a sincere reason to look for me.¡± Jenna interrogated Liya.

    ¡°You f*cking sl*t. How dare you barge into our bedroom?It¡¯s no wonder I smelled a stench from a distance. It seems like there¡¯s a vixen here in our room,¡± Sabrina said in disgust when she noticed how unperturbed Liya was. Sabrina pointed at the door with her finger andyelled angrily, ¡°Get out of here, sl*t.¡±

    Liya had been mocked by Sabrina several timesand she was intimidated by her.She did not dare to rebuke her when she started scolding. She stood up and smiled. ¡°Come on, Jenna. I really did have something to ask of you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jenna asked.

    ¡°Jenna, I came to ask about Hansen. I heard that he was arrested. I was so worried that I couldn¡¯t sleep. So, I came here to understand the situation,¡± she said with a worried and anxious expression. She approached Jenna and said, ¡°Jenna, do you think Hansen will be okay?¡±

    Jenna sized her upin a hostile manner.

    Liya¡¯s eyes flickered and her coquettish face had an evil glow.

 Chapter 637 Hopeless And Miserable

    ¡°Liya, are you really concerned about Hansen?¡± Jenna approached her and asked seriously.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Liya waved her hand and answered in a stern voice, ¡°Hansen is my husband. How can I not care about him?¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Jenna suddenly smiled and added, ¡°Liya, let me ask you. If Hansen is imprisoned and the Richards Group is taken over, Hansen is likely to be worth nothing. Do you still want to marry him?¡±

    As Jenna spoke, she squinted her eyes and sized Liya up.

    Liya looked around and smiled. ¡°Jenna, I love Hansen. No matter what happens to him, I¡¯ll be willing to marry him.¡±

    ¡°Liar.¡± Sabrina looked at the fake smile on her face and sneered. ¡°If something really happens, then I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be the first to run away.¡±

    Jenna smiled. ¡°Liya, what you said is really beautiful. You have to remember it well. Don¡¯t be afraid of pain and danger at that time.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s words sounded like a warning, and Liya was nervous. She didn¡¯t have the mood to stay any longer. Liya chuckled. ¡°Of course, Jenna. If anything happens to Hansen, then please let me know. I¡¯ll definitely be the first to fight back. I won¡¯t disturb you any longer. I¡¯ll leave first.¡±

    As she spoke, she quickly walked out.

    As soon as Liya returned to her guest room, she closed the door, dragged a tinum ne out of her pocket, and looked at it under the light. She was so happy.

    Surely enough, there were still some treasures in Jenna¡¯s bag. Fortunately, she flipped through the bag. As she thought about this, a proud smile appeared on her face.

    Jenna¡¯s eyebrows knitted together as she watched Liya hurriedly leaving. A cold smile hung from the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°Jenna, this woman is too arrogant. She actually barged into our room. It¡¯s too disgraceful.¡± Sabrina stared at her distant back and uttered with indignation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother about her. Let her enjoy herself for a few days first,¡± Jenna responded lightly. Her eyes caught sight of her handbag, and she went forward to have a look and coldly snorted after rummaging through it.

    ¡°Jenna, did she steal your things?¡± Sabrina also noticed the strangeness and asked hurriedly.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I just lost a ne.¡± Jenna pulled the zipper of her handbag with a faint look.

    ¡°She¡¯s so hateful. I¡¯ll get it back for you. This is theft. You can use this to drive her out.¡± Sabrina couldn¡¯t bear her anger and was about to rush out.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Sabrina.¡± Jenna stopped her. ¡°Let her gloat for a few days first. These things are worthless, and I don¡¯t like them anyway.¡±

    Sabrina saw that Jenna was against it. So, she could only shake her head and give up.

    In the Yates family residence, Zoe was lying on the bed, and her eyes were a bit lifeless. Her face was deathly pale, and her consciousness was in a daze. Her rosy lips had also turned gray and white.

    In the past few days, she had been having nightmares, dreaming that Yaris was calling out to her in her dreams, and his tone was affectionate.

    Zoe didn¡¯t have the courage to see him. So, she kept avoiding him and covered her ears.

    Nheless, Yaris¡¯s voice was like a curse engulfing her, constantly ringing in her eardrums, making it impossible for her to breathe.

    She had nightmares all day, and could neither eat nor sleep. She quickly became thinner. Her initially morous face also became haggard.

    In fact, these days, she also began to wonder why she did all these. Was it meaningful? Was it worth it?

    If Zoe thought too much, then she would have a headache.

    Due to her actions, she lost too many things¡­ Her loved ones, her career, her chastity, her love¡­

    She actually had nothing left, and she couldn¡¯t turn back.

    If Zoe wanted to leave, then she would at least have to see that they ended up with nothing like her. At the very least, they would have to lose some of their most precious things. Only when she saw their pain would she be satisfied.

    Since defeat was a foregone conclusion, Zoe was not willing to retreat like this.

    Zoe needed to find a way out.

    She would first get the Ocean Heart. Then, she would go abroad, and nevere back. This was her only way out.

    Hence, before Zoe left, she had to make them lose everything, little by little, and suffer from the pain. Only in this way could she be satisfied.

    The door opened, and Octavia came in with soup.

    ¡°Miss Yates, drink it while it¡¯s still hot,¡± Octavia whispered.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Zoe soon finished it.

    ¡°Octavia, where did you gost night?¡± As Octavia was about to pack up the remaining bowls and leave, Zoe suddenly asked.

    Octavia was shocked and her hands trembled, and she almost dropped the soup bowl to the ground.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t go anywhere. I went to see my Mom¡¯s friend yesterday.¡± Octavia turned around and smiled, answering casually.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Zoe nodded carelessly. ¡°Octavia, if there is any difficulty in your family, then you must tell me.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Zoe.¡± Octavia¡¯s face turned pale. The night before, Jenna¡¯s words came to her mind. Her heart trembled and she immediately smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m very grateful that you obeyed me. As long as you have any difficulties, I will help you.¡± Zoe assured her seriously.

    Octavia stood for a while and suddenly turned around and requested earnestly, ¡°Miss Yates, my mother is suddenly in poor health these days. She¡¯s vomiting and having diarrhea, and my brother is also weak all over. I want them to leave ACity for Sovento. Can you help me?¡±

    She turned around with hope in her eyes. If Zoe could promise her, then it meant that she was not using her mother and brother tothreatenher, and she was really helping their family. As such, Jenna¡¯s words might not be reliable. Octavia was just probing.

    Octavia¡¯s family was poor. At that time, Zoe mentioned that she could provide a good arrangement for her family. So, she took her mother and brother from the countryside, arranged for them to study in ACity, and rented them the best house.

    Therefore, Octavia had been following Zoe wholeheartedly. She never thought that Zoe would have brought her mother and brother over to threaten and control her. Even if she had doubts,she had pushed them away. Shedidn¡¯teven believe that Zoe would poison her mother and brother.

    She was grateful and remained by her side with her entire heart. Even if she knew that it was a crime, she was willing to do it for her.

    Nheless, Jenna¡¯s words made her tremble with fear. The night before, she had been thinking about her rtionship with Zoe all these years.

    She had always felt assured that Zoe would leave everything for her to handle. She would not hide anything from her.

    Therefore, she became her right-hand person. Octavia also knew many ins and outs about Zoe, including the framing of the Richards Group.

    She had never thought that there would be anything bad about it.

    However, the day before¡­

    She closed her eyes.

    ¡°Octavia, are your mother¡¯s and brother¡¯s illnesses very serious?¡± Zoe was a little surprised and asked with great concern.

    ¡°Yes, Miss Yates, my mother and brother suddenly got sick, and I want to send them to S City for treatment.Miss Yates, please, can you help me?¡± Octavia pleaded with tears in her eyes.

    If Zoe could promise her right now that she would send her mother and brother to Sovento, cure their illness, and let them go, then she would still choose to work for her genuinely and help her execute all her ns.

    ¡°Octavia, since they are ill, they should hurry up and invite a doctor to treat them. As for the matter of going to Sovento, it¡¯s not time yet. Of course, the study environment in Sovento is excellent and is suitable for your brother. However, it is not so simple. Well, I promise to help you, but there is no hurry this time. At the very least, we have to wait a little longer. I have a lot of important things to do now, and you know that. I will invite expert doctors to treat your mother and brother tomorrow,¡± Zoe repliedafter thinking for a while, and her expression was very solemn.

    Octavia¡¯s heart went cold.

    Zoe was trying to evade her request.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    The day before, when Octavia came home, she really found that there was something wrong with her mother and brother. If what Jenna mentioned was true, then the poison in their bodies had reached the critical stage. They couldn¡¯t wait any longer and must be treated immediately. However, Zoe¡¯s words clearly showed that she was dragging her feet. As for the expert doctor whom Zoe offered, could he really cure them if they were poisoned by her?

    Thinking of this, Octavia felt chills all over.

    She was ready to take her mother and brother to the hospital for examination as soon as she went home. Octavia had already made an appointment with the expert, and she did not dare to have high expectations of the expert Zoe invited.

    In fact, Octavia had long wished to send her mother and brother to Sovento. None of these things that she did with Zoe were good things. Sooner orter, their crimes would be exposed. Although she was an aplice, many things had long been unclear. If it went on like this, then the consequences would be unimaginable. She was not afraid of anything but she worried about her mother and brother.

    Therefore, Octavia had made this request a long time ago. She was willing to risk her life for Zoe, and all she wanted was the safety of her brother and mother. However, Zoe always used all kinds of excuses.

    Zoe¡¯sprevaricationturned her heartpletely cold. In fact, on several asions when she came home in the middle of the night, she found that there seemed to be someone following her. She didn¡¯t care before, but after Jenna¡¯s words, she seemed to understand something!

    Octavia knew too many secrets. Zoe was suspicious and would not let go of her.

    ¡°Miss Yates, I beg you, I will obey you and do anything. But my brother and mother are sick now, and it is not suitable for them to stay in A City. All my efforts are for my brother, and the educational resources of Sovento are good. I want to transfer them to S City. Can you promise me now? You don¡¯t need to worry about these things, and I will do it by myself.¡± Octavia¡¯s eyes were full of tears. With a glimmer of hope, she turned to look at Zoe again and begged her.

    Zoejust nced at her lightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I promise I will help you. Besides, it¡¯s not easy to go to Sovento. Let¡¯s first cure your mother¡¯s and brother¡¯s illnesses.¡±

    AsZoeanswered, shelooked at Octavia with cold eyes and added, ¡°Octavia, you repeatedly begged me for this. Are you worried about me?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that.¡± Octavia shook her head in despair. ¡°I know what we do is dangerous. Hence, I don¡¯t want to bring trouble to my family.¡±

    ¡°Of course, if possible, no one wants to implicate their family. You know my character. If I can help you, then I will help you without you telling me. The timing is not right, and it¡¯s useless for you to beg me. You should know what I can do. Stay by my side first, and then I won¡¯t treat you shabbily.¡± Zoe¡¯svoice was a bit unfriendly and also impatient.

    Octavia¡¯s eyes were covered with disappointment and despair, but she did not dare to show it.

    Up to now, all of this proved her conjecture.

    Jenna was right.Zoewas worried about her and would not let her mother and brother go. What should she do?

 Chapter 638 Jaqueline Mooreâ€™s Arrival

    ¡°Octavia, you don¡¯t have to worry too much. I understand your thoughts. I¡¯ve thought about it these days. Everything is not important. My current goal is the Ocean Heart. As long as I get this treasure, I will immediately send your mother and brother to Sovento, and then I will give you arge sum of money to let your family live happily. How about that?¡± Zoe also noticed the despair in Octavia¡¯s eyes, thought about it, andforted her in this way.

    The Ocean Heart? Octavia started to feel depressed. The Ocean Heart was just a rumored treasure. Since the auction many years ago, no one had seen it again. Moreover, no one could tell whether such treasure existed in the Richards Group. Wasn¡¯t this request impossible? Zoe was really terrible! She was too greedy!

    If Zoe was willing to let go of her mother and brother, then Octavia would oblige her wholeheartedly. However, how could she dy curing their illnesses? She couldn¡¯t count on such a vicious and unusual woman to decide the life and death of her loved ones!

    ¡°Thank you, Miss Yates,¡± Octavia responded in a low voice and slowly walked out.

    ¡°Norton, wait for me.¡± Norton was about to go to Ink Garden¡¯s office to look for Jenna when Carme came over from behind and called out to him.

    Norton stopped in his tracks.

    ¡°Carme, what can I do for you?¡± Norton frowned as he spoke in a cold tone.

    ¡°Norton, I¡¯d like to ask you about Hansen. Is he alright?¡± Carme asked with concern. ¡°Hansen is a business tycoon. His aplishments in business are worthy of the admiration of many people. I really don¡¯t want anything to happen to someone like him.¡±

    Norton faked a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No one can do anything to him with his skills.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡± Carme chuckled. ¡°Norton, I also believe that the Richards Group is an invincible force. If the Richards Group falls, then there will be a financial crisis in A City. As such, the authorities won¡¯t just sit back and do nothing.¡±

    Carme thought of Sadiva, the current mayor, who was on good terms with Hansen. The Richards family¡¯s backing was sorge that there were many people who wanted to take him down and out. However, it was probably all wishful thinking. Carme believed in this point without any doubts.

    ¡°Norton, Jaqueline Moore from Capital City, will be here today to visit Grandma.¡± Carme¡¯s face lit up with a bright smile as she informed Nortin in a casual tone.

    ¡°Jaqueline Moore?¡± Norton¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    Carme looked at the suspicious expression on Norton¡¯s face and chuckled. ¡°Jaqueline is my good friend. Back in the USA, we were both in the same university. We were great friends back then. That¡¯s how I found out she¡¯sing to Richards Manor. She even updated it on her social media.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Norton replied simply and stopped talking.

    ¡°Jaqueline is smart, intelligent, beautiful, noble, and talented. She is a well-known beauty in Capital City, and her name is known to everyone in high society there. She is Johan¡¯s most beloved great-granddaughter, and he spoiled her rotten. No matter what parties, banquets, meetings or gatherings they attend, Johan would always bring Jaqueline with him. He loves her very much.¡± When it came to Jaqueline, Carme¡¯s interest was piqued, and her admiration was written all over her face. All at once, she spoke as much as she could.

    Norton frowned.

    Carma was so talkative!

    It was no surprise that Johan would send his favorite great-granddaughter, Jaqueline, to visit Vivian on his behalf. After all, the two families had been close to each other for generations. There was nothing to be surprised about if they were toe and visit at this time.

    However, in the eyes of Carme, Jaqueline was like a fairy who had descended upon the mortal world. This made Norton feel very disgusted with her superficial behavior, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He merely replied with a hum and headed straight to Ink Garden¡¯s office, leaving Carme behind.

    In the office, Jenna and Sabrina were busy.

    ¡°Jenna, Jaqueline is here to visit Grandma today. Madam especially told us that Jaqueline is a distinguished guest and the apple of Johan¡¯s eye. She asked us to take good care of her and not neglect her.¡± Sabrina notified Jenna as she held the ounts books in one hand and the calctor in the other.

    Jenna was surprised, and she looked up with a smile. ¡°Sabrina, do you know her?¡±

    ¡°Of course I know her. She¡¯s the famous beauty of Capital City¡¯s upper-ss society. She¡¯s Johan¡¯s favorite great-granddaughter. Growing up, she attended various high society events and was basically raised to be well-liked and soft-spoken as well. Although shees from a noble family and is loved by everyone, she¡¯s not arrogant. She¡¯s modest, polite, humble, and respectful. Not only that, she is also well-educated and talented. Hence, Johan dotes on her. There are many children in the Moore family, but very few of them have Johan¡¯s favor. You can imagine how smart Jaqueline is.¡± Sabrina stared at the ounts book and sighed, saying, ¡°Her grace is really not something an ordinary person can learn. I¡¯m far inferior.¡±

    Jenna was busy listening, with a slight smile on her face.

    ¡°Jenna, I heard that Johan had the intention to arrange for Jaqueline to be married to Hansen. However, Grandma insisted on you to be her granddaughter-inw. So, Johan didn¡¯t force it. He eventuallyughed it off.¡± Sabrina came closer and suddenly added in a low and mysterious voice. Sabrina then smiled and assured Jenna. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, Jenna. No matter how good Jaqueline is, Hansen won¡¯t like her. She¡¯s 27 now, but she hasn¡¯t found anyone to marry yet. I think she¡¯s too pure and naive to find the ideal partner.¡±

    Jenna paused for a while, and the smile on her face was a bit stiff.

    Just as they were talking, Norton walked in.

    ¡°Jenna, my father went to thepany today to settle some matters. Since you¡¯re pregnant, you should take good care of yourself and rest.¡± As soon as Norton came in, Sabrina¡¯s face became taut. She lowered her head and went to sort out the ounts books.

    Norton had no choice but to greet Jenna.

    Jenna thought for a while and replied, ¡°Norton, do we have an update on Hansen¡¯s situation? We should send someone over to get ready and find a way to see him.¡±

    Norton smiled confidently. ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. Johan intentionally sent Jaqueline to visit Grandma at this time because he wanted to deliver a letter. Please rest assured. He knows all of this.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± A hint of joy welled up in Jenna¡¯s heart as she nodded slightly.

    It seemed that Johan would still help them in secret. Thinking of this, Jenna¡¯s heart was much more rxed.

    While they were talking, the office phone rang.

    Maud called and informed that Jaqueline was reaching soon, and Trevor asked them to wee her outside the Ink Garden.

    Jenna heard from Norton that Jaqueline hade on behalf of Johan, and her visit would be beneficial to the Richards family. She was thinking about what would happen if Hansen was taken away. So, she hurriedly took Sabrina and Norton outside.

    Trevor and Marissa were also sitting in the reception room, waiting for Jaqueline¡¯s arrival.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna and a group of people had just arrived at the door when Carme walked over gracefully with a smile on her face. She stood next to Norton.

    Jenna¡¯s beautiful brows furrowed slightly. What was Carme doing here? It didn¡¯t seem like it had anything to do with her to wee guests!

    Soon, the electric vehicle came from afar and stopped in front of them.

    A noble and beautiful woman walked down, and Jenna looked at her carefully. She was about 25 years old, with a faint smile on her face. She had an elegant temperament, and her every movement was sophisticated and graceful, which surprised Jenna. She was not splendidly dressed, and she was not wearing expensive jewelry.

    She wore a simple French-styled boat neck dress, which was simple and casual. She was carrying a handbag, but it did not affect her whole temperament. She got out of the vehicle and stood quietly. She was gentle and delicate, and she was very eye-catching.

    She was indeed beautiful and unique. Even though she just got off the electric vehicle, people were already fascinated by her beauty.

    ¡°Miss Moore, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. Wee to Richards Manor.¡± Jenna had a good impression of her. Jaqueline seemed to have something that she was familiar with, or perhaps, it could be said that there was a kind of closeness to her. She stepped forward and smiled as she weed her.

    ¡°Hello, Mrs. Richards.¡± Jaqueline held out her hand to Jenna and gently responded. Her voice was crisp and pleasant to listen to.

    This voice would be veryfortable, even for a man and even a woman. Even Sabrina smiled.

    ¡°This is Miss Sabrina, right?¡± After greeting Jenna, Jaqueline took the initiative to say hello to Sabrina. She was very meticulous and did not give anyone the cold shoulder. She acted naturally and gracefully.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Moore. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here,¡± Sabrina replied with a smile.

    She had met Jaqueline a few times, but they were not close friends.

    After shaking hands with her in a very courteous manner, Jaqueline was about to greet Norton.

    ¡°Jaqueline, don¡¯t you recognize me?¡± Carme was standing by the side. She had been waiting for Jaqueline to greet her, but who would¡¯ve thought that Jaqueline hadn¡¯t even looked at her at all? It was Norton¡¯s turn, but she had already interrupted.

    Jaqueline froze for a moment before turning to look at Carme. A momentter, a smile of pleasant surprise appeared on her face. ¡°Carme, you¡¯re here as well?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯vee specially to wee you, but you didn¡¯t even spare me a nce. You¡¯re so arrogant.¡± Carme was deliberately teasing her.

    Jaquelineughed. ¡°This is the Richards family. I didn¡¯t expect you to be here as well. You didn¡¯t tell me in advance either.¡±

    ¡°I saw on your social media that you¡¯re going to visit Richards Manor. That¡¯s why I¡¯vee specifically to wee you. This means that you usually don¡¯t pay me any attention.¡± Carme reached out to hold Jaqueline¡¯s hand and prepared to lead her forward.

    Jaqueline giggled. ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry, Carme.¡±

    Jaqueline let go of her hand and turned to walk towards Jenna. ¡°Mrs. Richards, thank you for weing me. Let¡¯s go and visit Grandma first.¡±

 Chapter 639 Envy Arose In Her Heart

    ¡°Miss Moore, thank you for gracing Richards Manor with your presence. It is my honor to wee you here. Well, let¡¯s go and visit Grandma first. This way, please.¡± Jenna smiled and made a gesture.

    Soon, Jenna apanied Jaqueline towards the Ink Garden as they talked andughed along the way.

    After taking Jaqueline to visit Vivian, Jenna took her to the reception room.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Aunt Marissa!¡± Jaqueline called out warmly as soon as she stepped into the reception room.

    ¡°Jaqueline, you¡¯re here.¡± Marissa immediately stood up and smiled when she saw Jaqueline. Then, she took her hand and seated her next to her. Marissa eximed with admiration, ¡°Our Jaqueline is really getting more and more beautiful. I wonder which lucky man will take your hand in marriage.¡±

    Marissa did not hesitate to praiseJaqueline. On the one hand, shesincerelyliked her. On the other hand, Jaqueline was representing Johan. At this time, Marissa hid all her worries about Hansen in her heart, and the anxiety in her heart could not be reced.

    Upon hearing this, Jaqueline lowered her head and smiled shyly.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s nice to meet you, Jaqueline.¡± Trevor was also smiling, and it was obvious that he had a favorable impression of her.

    ¡°Uncle Trevor, Aunt Marissa, you both really think too highly of me.¡± Jaqueline chuckled decently and sat next to Marissa in a docile way.

    Jenna stood on one side and watched as they chatted happily. She didn¡¯t know why she felt so sad in her heart.

    Trevor and Marissa both valued Jaqueline. She thought that it should be so for the sake of Johan.

    She was about to leave.

    ¡°Jenna,e and sit down.¡± After greeting Jaqueline, Trevor turned to Jenna and invited her to join them with an amiable expression.

    Jenna could not walk away. She had no choice but to walk over and sit down on a reception chair beside Trevor.

    ¡°Jenna, have you taken the soup and supplement today?¡± Marissa nced at Jenna¡¯s stomach and asked with concern.

    ¡°Thank you, Mom. I¡¯ve eaten them.¡± Jenna felt warm in her heart and replied quickly.

    ¡°So, it turns out that Jenna is pregnant.¡± Hearing Marissa¡¯s question, the quick-witted Jaqueline immediately understood. She quickly apologized to Jenna. ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m really sorry. You¡¯re pregnant, yet you still came to receive me. I apologize for that. As a pregnant woman, you should have more rest.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. This is what I should do.¡± Jenna chuckled gently.

    ¡°Well, Jaqueline, Jenna is very sensible and polite. Even though she¡¯s pregnant, she¡¯s still doing the housework. s, there¡¯s no other way. It¡¯s really tough on her.¡± Marissa sighed with guilt in her heart.

    ¡°Jenna is really a virtuous woman. She has been praised by many people outside.¡± Jaqueline quickly giggled and praised Jenna.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s our Richards family that has treated her shabbily.¡± Trevor sighed as well,menting with iparable emotion.

    Jaqueline raised her head and looked at Jenna carefully. Her heart throbbed. A woman who could be praised by her father-inw and mother-inw must be extraordinary, and envy arose in her heart.

    ¡°Dad, Mom, don¡¯t say that. As a daughter-inw of the Richards Family, this is what I should do.¡± Jenna was a little embarrassed, and her face turned red.

    Trevor didn¡¯t say anything else. He turned his head to Jaqueline and asked with a friendly expression, ¡°Jaqueline, how is Johan?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Trevor, my grandfather is in good health. He¡¯s quite robust,¡± Jaqueline replied with softughter. ¡°He¡¯s very concerned about Vivian and the Richards family. That¡¯s why he¡¯s sending me here.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for his concern. We really appreciate it,¡± Trevor replied quickly.

    ¡°Grandpa mentioned that you don¡¯t have to worry about anything. Take good care of Grandma, and don¡¯t worry about Hansen. He knows that well in his heart.¡± Jaqueline smiled sweetly and passed on Johan¡¯s words.

    Marissa heaved a sigh of relief when she heard this. He grabbed Jaqueline¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Thank you for his concern. I feel much more at ease after hearing what he said.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Johan.¡± Upon hearing this, Jenna roughly understood the reason Trevor asked her to sit down. He was implying that she should be assured. Immediately, Jenna also opened her mouth to thank Jaqueline.

    Later, they talked about their daily life and so on. Jaqueline was talkative and knew how to grasp the elders¡¯ hearts. Trevor and Marissa were able to talk to her well, and one could hear theirughter from time to time.

    Jenna knowingly left in advance.

    Jaqueline only stayed here for a night and left the next day.

 Chapter 640 Incomparable Affection

    Liya woke up in the morning and was listless. She felt nauseous and sick when brushing her teeth. She frowned. She wanted to go out and have some fun, but she was tired. After brushing her teeth, she climbed back to bed and went back to sleep.

    Liya only got up at noon. The moment she reached the corridor, she heard a voice. Liya stopped in her tracks and hid behind the walls of the corridor. Then, she stretched her neck and peeped outside, only to see Trevor and Marissa apanying a beautiful woman as they walked towards the dining hall of the Ink Garden.

    Only then did she find out that Ink Garden had a guest again.

    Richards Manor was indeed wealthy. Every guest here was nobler and more beautiful than thest. Liya hid in the corner of the wall and secretly admired them.

    It was almost lunchtime. Liya didn¡¯t n to dine at Richards Manor anymore. Hence, she returned to the guest room to get a bag and walked out.

    Liya went to a high-end restaurant and ordered her favorite food. She was ready to enjoy a good meal.

    The fragrant dishes were served. Liya picked up her fork and spoon and was ready to have a good meal.

    As soon as she put the aromatic and spicy beef into her mouth, she felt revolted. Liya covered her mouth with her hand and quickly ran to the bathroom.

    Lying on the stone tform in the bathroom, she started to vomit all over the ce.

    She was so sick that she felt weak and dizzy. Then, she walked out of the bathroom.

    Yet, when she went to the table again, she couldn¡¯t eat the delicious food she usually enjoyed most.

    What was going on? She was really confused.

    Could it be a cold?

    Liya carried her bag and walked out.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, please stay here for a few days!¡± In a five-star suite in Capital City, a man dressed in a ck work suit informed Hansen respectfully and politely.

    Hansen swept his bright eyes across the room and pursed his lips. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you should stay here and rest for a few days. Do wait for our update.¡± The man in ck bowed to him and was about to leave.

    Hansen turned his head and raised his high-arched eyebrows. ¡°May I ask who your boss is? Why does he want to help me?¡±

    After hearing this, the man in ck chuckled slightly and answered, ¡°Mr. Richards, my boss¡­¡±

    ¡°He is very concerned about you. You don¡¯t need to ask about it, and you¡¯ll know when it¡¯s time.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s handsome face darkened and his bright eyes moved around slightly. The unfathomable expression of the ck-clothed man caused his heart to palpitate a little.

    Yesterday, Hansen was taken to an office in Capital City by Sergio. This afternoon, someone sent him here. What did that mean?

    The man in ck was definitely not Sergio¡¯s man. Hansen knew this well. So, who could it be?

    Hansen smiled. He would cross the bridge when he got there.

    He put down his bag and walked into the bathroom.

    Soaked in the warm andfortable bathtub, Hansen¡¯s whole body rxed, and the tiredness and sleepiness disappeared. After taking a bath, he put on a clean bathrobe, and his mind was much clearer.

    He took out the shaver to fix his unkempt beard. He slightly tidied up his ck and shiny hair that was still dripping with water. His pale skin, the white bathrobe, with his slender and tall figure made him look more like a noble in a Renaissance painting. Hansen¡¯s masculine charm was irresistible, and now he was no longer an immature youth. The mature man¡¯s aura exuded from him, and his charisma soared to the extreme.

    Hansen slowly walked to the edge of the couch, sat down, leaned back, and crossed his legs. He pulled out his special cell phone and was ready to call his wife.

    The day before yesterday, he promised her that he woulde back to see her the day before, but he broke his promise. This woman must be very anxious.

    Hansen dialed a few phone numbers lightly.

    However, the doorbell rang.

    He hung up the phone and opened the door.

    ¡°Sir, this is your exquisite romantic dinner. Please enjoy it.¡± Several waiters were standing in front of the door with all kinds of Western food in their hands.

    Romantic dinner? What the h*ll!

    Hansen looked suspiciously at the exquisite Western food in the waiter¡¯s hands and looked at the waiter in front of him with doubt.

    These waiters had probably never seen such a noble and handsome man before. One by one, they couldn¡¯t help but to fix their gazes on Hansen¡¯s face.

    Hansen coughed lightly. ¡°Waiter, who is it that sent this over?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± The lead waiter blushed and hurriedly withdrew his eyes. Then, he responded, ¡°Sir, this is aplimentary meal from the hotel.¡±

    So, that was how it was.

    ¡°Then, send it in.¡± When Hansen heard that it was aplimentary meal from the hotel, he did not ask any further. Instead, he opened the door.

    The waiters served the Western food on the bar counter in the room one by one.

    ¡°Please enjoy your meal,¡± The waiter spoke politely and went out.

    Hansen¡¯s high-arched brows rxed as he approached the meal.

    It was typical French cuisine with an authentic bottle of French red wine at the side. It looked very romantic and appealing. He smiled slightly.

    Hansen took out the phone and dialed the number again.

    As soon as the phone rang, Jenna picked it up.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you?¡± Jenna¡¯s voice was a little hoarse, and there was a hint of anxiety in it.

    Hansen¡¯s heart sank as he answered tenderly, ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m still in Capital City.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ Are you alright? Did they do anything to you?¡± Jenna heard that Hansen¡¯s voice was as rxed as usual. Her anxious heart became calm, and she asked anxiously.

    ¡°Silly girl, I¡¯m fine. What could happen to me?¡± Hansen smiled gently. His voice sounded rxed and casual.

    ¡°Hansen, the news is saying that you were taken away by Sergio. Is this true? Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± Jenna¡¯s tone was grave.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. ¡°Honey, look. Am I not having a conversation with you? Don¡¯t listen to the words of the news media, and trust me.¡±

    Jenna pouted and blurted out, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. You¡¯re lying to me. You¡¯re lying to me. They caught you. right?¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s have a video call, and I¡¯ll let you see my surroundings.¡± Hansen felt helpless and could only say so.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Jenna decisively agreed and clicked on the video call.

    After a while, Hansen¡¯s handsome face appeared.

    ¡°Baby, do you see me?¡± he asked with a smile and a doting expression on his face.

    ¡°I want to see your whole body and the environment inside the house.¡± Jenna was not satisfied with only seeing his face. She wanted to see if he was in good condition and if he was hurt.

    When Hansen heard this, he smiled teasingly. ¡°Honey, which part of me do you want to see exactly? Do you miss me very much?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face flushed when she heard this. Of course, she knew the meaning behind his words, but she just wanted to see him safe and sound, so that she could rest assured.

    Hansen had no choice but to turn the camera to the room and let Jenna take a closer look at the bathrobe he was wearing. Jenna only believed him when she saw the luxurious guest room, and she finally felt relieved.

    ¡°Honey, let me take a look at your stomach and our baby.¡± Hansen chuckled as he looked at the video.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned red.

    She stood up and aimed the camera of her phone at her slightly raised lower abdomen.

    At that moment, Hansen was ecstatic. He noticed that the small belly on her delicate body was slightly bulging, as if there was a me that warmed his heart.

    Jenna was excited and grateful, as if all his hard work now was worth it.

    Jerry was already a one-year-old child by the time Hansen found Jenna. Back then, her pregnant belly was not obvious when she left him. Hansen felt as if he had missed out on the whole process a father should feel when they were expecting. This made him very unhappy, and also very regretful. This time, he wanted to protect her until she once again became a happy mother.

    ¡°My dear wife, I miss you very much. After these few days, our family will be able to go out for a stroll. Wait for me to return.¡± Finally, Hansen suppressed the excitement in his heart. After asking about Jerry¡¯s recent situation, he spoke intimately.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m waiting for the day toe.¡± Jenna thought of the matter where Liya changed the will. Jenna became confident. As long as this woman could be taken away, she and Hansen would have a bright future. It was just a matter of time. So, she agreed quickly.

    Neither of them wanted to hang up first. They chatted for a while until their faces turned red. Jenna uttered with iparable affection, ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m going to sleep. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    ¡°Okay, honey. Sleep well and have a good dream. Please believe that everything will be fine as long as I am here,¡± Hansen replied affectionately, with a charming smile on his face.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Speaking of a dream, Jenna thought of the nightmare she had that day and felt a chill in her heart. Just as she was about to speak, Hansen¡¯s doorbell rang.

    ¡°Honey, hurry up and go to bed. I haven¡¯t had my meal yet.¡± Hansen looked at the doorbell and could not help but to frown. Who hade again?

    When he stood up and saw the exquisite Western food on the bar counter, he realized that although he hadn¡¯t had dinner yet at thiste hour, he didn¡¯t feel hungry at all. Hansen couldn¡¯t help but to tease her. ¡°Jenna, it seems that chatting with the person you love is very ¡®filling¡¯. Moreover, it is also very nutritious.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so talkative. Hurry up and eat.¡± Jenna heard from the other side that Hansen had not had dinner yet, and she felt her heart ache a little. She quickly urged him and hung up the phone.

    Hansen sensed her concern, and a gentle smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He felt a warm and sweet feeling in his heart.

    He put away the phone, walked to the door, and opened it.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± A sweet female voice came the moment he opened the door, and it drifted into Hansen¡¯s ears. He was taken aback.

    A graceful and beautiful woman was standing in front of him, with a bright and charming smile on her face.

    ¡°Jaqueline,¡± he eximed. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Jaqueline cocked her head and smiled. ¡°Hansen, are you not going to wee me?¡±

    Hansen was astonished. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not. Quicklye in.¡±

    Jaqueline pursed her lips and smiled. Then, she waltzed into the room. Her turquoise dress exuded a light fragrance, which was a very pleasing smell.

    ¡°Hansen, you haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡± She walked to the side of the counter, looked around, andmented with a smile, ¡°It seems that you¡¯re waiting for me to have dinner together, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Hansen closed the door and walked over. He leaned against the wall and frowned.

    ¡°Is this all arranged by Johan?¡± He slightly rxed his eyebrows and asked in a thoughtful tone.

    Jaqueline turned around and gave him a bright smile, but did not answer.

    ¡°Hansen, would you mind if I have dinner with you?¡± Jaqueline asked graciously as she ced her bag on the bedside table and turned her head away.

    ¡°Answer my question first.¡± Hansen straightened his back and demanded in a serious tone.

    ¡°Since you are so smart that you have already guessed it, why do you need to ask?¡± Jaqueline smiled approvingly and replied lightly.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. He looked at the Western food on the counter. ¡°Did you order them to send these over?¡±

    He continued to ask.

    Jaqueline blushed slightly. She turned around and giggled. She had an exquisite beauty. She said dignifiedly and elegantly, ¡°Hansen, I really can¡¯t hide anything from you.¡±

 Chapter 641 Stop Dreaming

    At Wendell za, Liya was sitting in a daze.

    She held a test sheet in her hand with a dull look in her eyes.

    Liya would¡¯ve never guessed that she was pregnant!

    That day, Liya didn¡¯t have much appetite, and she kept vomiting. She thought that she had a cold. So, she went to the hospital to get a prescription. However, after the doctor listened to her words, he asked about her symptoms and gave her a test sheet. The resultstunnedher. She was pregnant!

    She thought about it for a long time. In the end, she finally concluded that the vile child in her womb was Oscar¡¯s!

    What should she do?

    Her morning sickness was extremely severe right now. If Liya continued to stay in Richards Manor, then she would soon be exposed.

    The situation was urgent. She couldn¡¯t care less about her difort and didn¡¯t dare to return to Richards Manor. Liya sat on the chair outside of the za in a daze, trying toe up with a countermeasure.

    If Liya could marry Hansen ording to the will, then there was no doubt that she would have a lot of assets. Nheless, it seemed impossible now.

    She was pregnant with Oscar¡¯s child. So, how could Hansen marry her? Moreover, once the truth came out,the will would be useless. She was likely to get nothing and would immediately be driven out of Richards Manor.

    What if Liya med it on Hansen? The moment this thought popped up, it was immediately rejected by her. Hansen had never touched her before. So, how could she be pregnant with his child? Moreover, it was extremely difficult for her to meet Hansen right now. It was impossible.

    What should she do now?

    She was at her wit¡¯s end.

    After a long time, Liya thought of Oscar.

    This man had promised her that he would make Hansen lose his memory. Yet, there was still no movement. Maybe he had forgotten about it!

    She took out her cell phone and dialed his phone number.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, where are you? I miss you so much.¡± After the phone was connected, Liya¡¯s eyes turned red and sheined in a delicate voice. If it was in the past, then those tears were fake. However, her tears today were somewhat genuine. After all, she was pregnant with a small life, which made her very scared!

    ¡°Sweetheart, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ming to A City soon,¡± Oscar answered lustfully as soon as he heard Liya¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Well, Mr. Jones, I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the Ramada Hotel.¡± Liya sobbed and informed her in a soft voice.

    Oscar¡¯s whole body¡¯s blood was boiling, and he immediately agreed.

    In the past few days, Oscar had been locked up by Matteo and was punished, and was asked to think about his mistakes. He had not touched a woman for several days. After receiving a phone call from Liya, Oscar was burning with desire, and he immediately ran away.

    ¡°Mr. Matteo, then Young Master has run away again.¡± When Matteo¡¯s special assistant noticed that Oscar was nowhere to be seen, he immediately walked over and reported back to Matteo.

    ¡°B*stard.¡± Matteo threw the newspaper in his hand on the table, and a sliver of light shed in his small eyes behind his sses.

    Recently, the financial director reported to him that tens of millions of dors was lost. Furthermore, this inconsistency happened in Oscar¡¯spany, which made himpletely annoyed!

    ¡°Send someone to follow him and get a thorough understanding of the situation,¡± Matteo ordered, feeling a headacheing on.

    This unfilial son was good-for-nothing. Matteo had thought of many ways to find a capable wife for him. Yet, it seemed that this method also wouldn¡¯t work. Zoe couldn¡¯t control him at all. Matteo tried to get them together, but the consequences were getting worse and worse.

    The automotivepany, N&S Group, was developing very webroad, and their luxury car sales had been suppressed. Although they had taken advantage of the crisis of the Richards Group and earned a hundred million dors, now they had squandered tens of millions of dors in such a short time because of this unfilial son. For someone meticulous in his nning, it was basically killing Matteo.

    Especially after the assistant left, Matteo sat down on the couch in frustration, and his head was aching faintly.

    ¡°Baby, I miss you so much.¡± As soon as Oscar pushed open the door, he hurriedly ran over and grabbed onto Liya, about to take off her clothes.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, you finally came. Don¡¯t rush.¡± Liya struggled. ¡°I have something to tell you.¡±

    ¡°Tell me, baby, I¡¯m listening.¡± Oscar nibbled her chest with his lips and uttered vaguely.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, you can¡¯t do this. I¡¯m pregnant!¡± Liya was so worried that she couldn¡¯t help but cry out loudly while struggling.

    ¡°What?¡± Oscar finally stopped and raised his face that was filled with lust, as if he did not hear it clearly.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, I¡¯m pregnant!¡± Liya murmured in a weak voice again. Then, out of fear that he wouldn¡¯t believe her, she raised the test sheet in her hands.

    Oscar then let go of her and doubtfully picked up the test sheet in her hand. After looking at it for a while, his face darkened and he did not say anything for a long time.

    Liya looked at him in fear.

    She wanted to see his reaction, if Oscar would say that she should take good care of herself and give birth to the child.

    She was shaking! Perhaps Liya would give up her current abnormal life and follow him entirely. However, she heard Oscar¡¯s cold voice, ¡°Get rid of the child. Go to the hospital now to get rid of it.¡±

    Get rid of it?

    Liya¡¯s mind was in extreme panic. The tiny life in her belly, she had to get rid of it? Wasn¡¯t this a bit too cruel? Moreover, she was scared!

    ¡°Mr. Jones, I don¡¯t want to get rid of it. Is that fine?¡± Liya asked with her helpless eyes wide open.

    However, Oscar¡¯s expression turned ugly. Without even thinking, he decisively roared, ¡°No. We must get rid of it.¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, I beg you. Let me give birth to him, and then I¡¯ll live with you, okay?¡± In despair, Liya walked over and hugged him tightly, imploring.

    ¡°Live with me?¡± Oscar sneered. ¡°What makes you think you could? You are just a wh*re. Can our Jones family tolerate your existence? Stop dreaming. Hurry up and get rid of it. It is good for both of us. I will give you a sum of money aspensation.¡±

    Oscar¡¯s words were almost callous and ruthless, and they deeply pierced Liya¡¯s heart.

    She knew that it was impossible to count on Oscar, but it would be her first time to go through the procedure. She was dazed, lost, more afraid, and more importantly, afraid of the pain.

    Liya trembled all over and felt a chill. She kept shaking her head and insisted, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to get rid of him. I want to give birth to him. He is my child.¡±

    ¡°D*mn it. Are you testing my patience?¡± Seeing that Liya insisted on keeping the child, Oscar got angry, and his eyes were full of ferocity. If Matteo discovered such a thing, then Oscar would lose his life. It was impossible for Matteo to let him marry Liya. There might be a chance if it was Zoe who was pregnant. After all, Matteo much preferred her. Liya couldn¡¯t even get close to the edge. So, she couldn¡¯t even get married to him as a second wife.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, I am not fooling around with you, and I don¡¯t want to get rid of the child either.¡± Liya raised her head and added stubbornly, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want the child. I will give birth to him myself.¡±

    As Liya said this, she stood up, and was about to walk outside.

    Oscar¡¯s eyes shed with anger. He grabbed her hair and warned fiercely, ¡°B*tch, if you don¡¯t get rid of it, then best believe that I¡¯ll use force.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jones, go ahead and torment me as you wish. I will upload our video to the Inte. At worst, my life will be a living h*ll. Nheless, I have nothing anyway. On the contrary, you are still the son of a rich and powerful family. If I tell the media about our incident, then you and the Jones Group will be caught in a scandal. Wouldn¡¯t the business be affected then? Will Matteo forgive you? You once promised me to make Hansen lose his memory, but he is still fine now. You are shallow. I have already seen through you.¡± Her head was aching. Liya endured the pain, bit her lips tightly, and threatened desperately.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve even learnt how to threaten me and tug on my conscience?¡± Oscar¡¯s face was gloomy, and his voice did not contain the slightest bit of warmth.

    Liya shook off Oscar¡¯s hand and stood there with difficulty. ¡°All in all, this matter won¡¯t be finished. I am not that easy to bully.¡±

    She gritted her teeth and went out.

    Oscar¡¯s eyes revealed a fierce glint. He watched Liya walk out, but he didn¡¯t do anything else to stop her. This woman was already extremely vicious. He really was worried that she would go to the extreme and do things that would be a detriment to him.

    ¡°B*tch.¡± He cursed hatefully and spat at her in contempt.

    Oscar couldn¡¯t be too hasty in this matter. Fortunately, he still had time to think about how to make her reluctantly get rid of the baby.

    Liya walked out of the hotel and directly went to Richards Manor.

    When she got in the electric car, Liya was still immersed in Oscar¡¯s vicious words. She was in a trance and looked sluggish.

    She didn¡¯t know what to do with the baby in his belly.

    When Liya returned to the Ink Garden, it was already veryte at night. The servants had fallen asleep, and the rest of the people who did not keep watch at night had fallen asleep as well.

    As Liya hadn¡¯t eaten anything the whole day, she was famished. Moreover, she didn¡¯t have the appetite, but she wanted to eat something. After thinking for a while, she went to the kitchen.

    The moment she entered the kitchen, she could smell the pickled beans from a distance. Liya was so hungry that she started to drool.

    Liya felt hungry again and couldn¡¯t wait to eat the pickled beans.

    Just as she was wolfing down the food, she heardsounds offootstepsing.

    ¡°Who, who is in the kitchen?¡± Someone shouted outside, opened the kitchen door, and turned on the lights.

    Liya¡¯s mind was hazy. She only grabbed the pickled beans and ate them. She didn¡¯t care who it was who came in.

    ¡°Miss Liya, is it you?¡± It turned out that the person who came in was Letty. After the lights were switched on, she recognized Liya at a nce and cried out in surprise.

    Liya also heard Letty¡¯s voice. She stuffed a handful of pickled beans into her mouth and repeatedly eximed, ¡°Yummy! It¡¯s really delicious. Letty, is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°Delicious?¡± Letty looked at her in surprise and sized her up and down curiously. Then, she continued. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll get it for you. It¡¯s sote at night. Haven¡¯t you had your dinner?¡±

    Letty asked while walking. She was baffled at Liya¡¯s actions.

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Letty. Do you mind giving memore?¡± Liya greedily ate as she looked at Letty and requested for more.

    ¡°Well, but these dishes haven¡¯t been cooked yet. Why don¡¯t I make some food for you?¡± Letty¡¯s eyes moved a little, and she suggested ingratiatingly.

    ¡°No, that won¡¯t be necessary. I¡¯ll just eat this.¡± Liya shook her head. Seeing that Letty had pulled out arge portion of pickled beans from the jar, she immediately grabbed it. Ignoring the dirt on her hands, she reached out for the bag next to her and put it away.

    The sour and rotten smell came out of the jar. Normally, Liya would throw up as long as she smelled it. However, she didn¡¯t find it disgusting at all. On the contrary, she thought it smelled delicious, and it was so tasty. She was very interested in it.

    Letty noticed that Liya¡¯s face was pale, her mind was muddled, and her gaze was scattered. Furthermore, the arrogance and impertinence she used to have were no longer there. Letty frowned at the sight.

 Chapter 642 There Was No Room For Losers, Only Winners

    Meanwhile, in the five-star hotel.

    With an evasive smile, Hansen walked to the couch and sat down.

    ¡°Jaqueline, did Grandpa Johan call you here, or did youe by yourself?¡± After he sat down, Hansen asked her straightforwardly.

    Jaqueline¡¯s face was a little bitter. She was a famous youngdy in Capital City, and many people wanted to have dinner with her. Yet, Hansen didn¡¯t seem to appreciate it. Of course, she didn¡¯t care.

    That year, at the ball held by Johan, all the celebrities in Capital City gathered. Johan took her to meet a lot of political leaders. Jaqueline was adored, and everyone¡¯s attention was on her. Everyone wasplimenting her.

    Johanughed heartily as Jaqueline followed behind him. Her smile was bright and charming.

    Jaqueline stood on the stage and looked down. She immediately noticed Hansen standing leisurely with a smile on his face among all the young handsome men. Like the other men who would turn to look at her with admiration when they heard everyone praising her, Hansen also nced at her. Nheless, there was only a hint of praise, but not a look of worship like other men¡¯s. At that time, she remembered his eyes.

    That was all!

    ¡°What if I said that I came here on my own?¡± Jaqueline asked with softughter as she lifted her dress with her hands and sat down across from Hansen.

    Hansen smiled. ¡°Thank you foring to see me, but it¡¯s not a good time to visit me at this time. How about this? You should go back first, and when I¡¯m done with my matters, I¡¯ll treat you to Western food. What do you think?¡±

    Jaqueline smiled and answered, ¡°Hansen, I secretly learnt that you were staying here from my grandfather. Since you didn¡¯t visit me even when you came to Capital City, I came to look for you. Well, since you¡¯re here in Capital City, I should treat you to a meal. Jenna is not here. Hence, that¡¯s why you dare not to eat with a woman, right?¡±

    After that, she pursed her lips and stood up with a smile. Jaqueline was wearing a long skirt, and looked noble and graceful. She came from a noble family and was influenced by Johan since she was a child. Johan was very fond of her and nurtured her a lot. Therefore, the temperament she exuded was by no means something an ordinary woman could have.

    Hansen smiled helplessly!

    ¡°You think too much. I¡¯m just worried about your safety. Do you know why your grandfather arranged for me to be here?¡± Hansen smiled and raised his eyebrows as he asked.

    ¡°Even though I don¡¯t know, I know Grandpa will definitely ensure the safety of this ce. As such, you can be rest assured and have dinner with me.¡± Jaqueline was indeed clever. She tilted her head and looked at Hansen. ¡°Furthermore, I just returned from Richards Manor today, and I met Jenna.¡±

    When Hansen heard this, he was somewhat astonished. The expression on his face turned a little nervous as he questioned, ¡°You went to Richards Manor? Is Jenna alright?¡±

    Jaqueline saw his concern for Jenna from his face and couldn¡¯t help but to smile. ¡°It seems that you and Jenna are very affectionate. I¡¯m very envious of the both of you.¡±

    Hansenughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. In the future, you¡¯ll have a better Mr. Right to keep youpany. You¡¯ll be happier than us.¡±

    Jaqueline¡¯s heart was slightly sour. She grew up in the spotlight, but she still couldn¡¯t find a partner. Was she too excellent, or was fate making a fool of her?

    Jaqueline looked up, and she giggled. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you still going to have dinner with me?¡±

    Hansen was helpless and could only smile. ¡°If Miss Moore doesn¡¯t mind, then I¡¯ll respectfully ept your offer.¡±

    With that, he stood up, and walked towards the bar with his tall frame.

    Jaqueline smiled triumphantly and eximed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jenna is doing well. Her belly is more obvious too.¡±

    Hearing this, Hansen felt warm in his heart. Jenna¡¯s slightly bulging belly shed in his mind, and the corners of his mouth were full of tender smiles. Hansen felt hopeful, and his mood was great.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have some red wine to celebrate. For Jenna and the child, shall we?¡± Jaqueline opened a bottle of red wine and waved it in front of Hansen.

    Hansen was in a good mood and agreed readily.

    The Western food was very authentic. Although Jaqueline was ady, it could be seen that she liked to eat the food, and they suited her tastes.

    Coincidentally, Hansen was feeling hungry as well. So, he ate a little with her.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    The two chatted from time to time. It was all mindless gossip. Hansen had some personal matters. Hence, he refused to drink after drinking some red wine.

    Jaqueline did not try to force her way through. She bade her goodbye to Hansen and returned hometer on.

    The waiter came over to clean the rest of the food and wine.

    Hansen took a few steps on the balcony and looked out at the bustling lights in Capital City. He was deep in thought.

    He had finallypletely understood what Johan was thinking.

    Yadriel was too cunning. Even Johan had pretended to be unperturbed and ignorant for such a long time. He had to put away his sharpness and wait for the right opportunity.

    ¡°Alvin, the military will start trading within these two days. All of you need to keep a close eye on them, so that you can get some solid evidence.¡± Hansen took out his phone and ordered in a deep voice.

    ¡°Okay, Mr. Richards.¡± Alvin reported in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Richards, I find that there are suddenly some peopleing out of this area. They don¡¯t seem to be from the anti-government military or terrorists. I don¡¯t know where theye from.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s sharp brows furrowed. ¡°Alvin, no matter what, we only get one opportunity, and we must get the evidence. If we can¡¯t get it, then it¡¯s very likely that we can no longer bring Yadriel down. I¡¯m using the election to dy him now, but we still have to rely on this evidence to defeat him for real.¡±

    What Hansen mentioned waspletely correct. After the incident that day, he understood that even the venerable Johan could not take down Yadriel. He pretended to beunperturbed and ignorant, and had not taken any action, but in reality, he still could not find any powerful evidence to take down Yadriel.

    Therefore, Hanse had to be more cautious.

    However, after that day¡¯s incident, Hansen finally realized Johan¡¯s thoughts. Johan actually disliked Yadriel, and he was finding ways to defeat him.

    For Hansen, this was already good news. If he could get the evidence, with Johan¡¯s help from behind the scenes, then Yadriel would be miserably defeated.

    At the same time, Hansen also understood that Johan cared for the Richards family, and his friendship with the Richards family was sincere.

    Hansen was very happy.

    Now, he wanted to use his own abilities to bring down Yadriel, the ck sheep, and turn the tables around.

    He hid here, understanding Johan¡¯s thoughts. Yadriel wanted to catch him because he was their thorn in their side. Hence, they had to control Hansen. Only when he was at ease would they be able to do it freely. As such, he was able to fulfill his wish!

    Hansen¡¯s lips curled into a cold sneer.

    ¡°Yadriel, I don¡¯t believe that you can control the whole world with your bare hands!¡± Hansen thought to himself.

    ¡°Rest assured, Mr. Richards. We will do our best.¡± Alvin¡¯s tone was solemn.

    ¡°Alvin, keep an eye on him and do it boldly. I have informed Christopher here. He has arranged the police force to assist you,¡± Hansen notified Alvin in a low voice.

    ¡°Okay, Mr. Richards.¡± Alvin¡¯s spirits had obviously been uplifted, and his voice became loud and clear.

    After putting away the phone, Hansen took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. He took a deep breath. This was the first time he had smoked after he married Jenna and promised her. There was no reason to have the cigarette but simply to sober up his head.

    Hansen wanted to be happy, and he wanted to provide happiness for Jenna as well as their children. There was no room for losing this time, only winning!

 Chapter 643 Liya Snuck Into Vivianâ€™s Room

    When Liya was about to leave with the pickled vegetables in her hand, Letty stopped her in time. She lowered her voice and whispered mysteriously, ¡°Mrs. Richards, today is a good opportunity. Today, Marissa is staying in Old Madam¡¯s room. Meroy has asked for leave to take a night off because she is sick. So, there is no one else in Old Madam¡¯s room. Since Old Madam is dying, everyone has let down their guard. So, now is a great opportunity. Don¡¯t miss it.¡±

    Letty¡¯s words were clear and logical, which warmed up Liya¡¯s refreshed mind. Her dull eyes were full of vitality.

    The Ocean Heart? If she could get her hands on this valuable treasure, then she could do anything to her heart¡¯s content. Moreover, she could also get rid of Oscar and Zoe. She didn¡¯t have to be bothered about Oscar anymore, and she could be free.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    With these thoughts in mind, Liya nodded and said, ¡°Letty, thank you for your reminder.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me, Mrs. Richards.¡± Letty smiled as she watched Liya leave.

    Liya returned to the guest room. She paced around the room and thought for a while. She was pregnant now. If she didn¡¯t get rid of the child, then the plot would be exposed soon, and she would be kicked out then. Liya couldn¡¯t get any benefits from it. It was better to take something now and make some money out of it. If she could get that priceless treasure, then Liya would be rich in the future and would be able to enjoy a good life.

    With this thought in mind, Liya gritted her teeth and made up her mind.

    In the second half of the night, it was quiet. The heat of the day had already dissipated. At night, the air in the Ink Garden was cool andfortable.

    Liya secretly came to the Ink Garden¡¯s backwn, which was situated at the back of Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    Liya jumped down from here thest time. As the window here was not high, she was sure that she could climb in from there. More importantly, there was no surveince here. She had been paying attention to this for the past few days.

    The Ink Garden was extremely quiet.

    Liya put on a pair of white rubber gloves and brought a rock from the back wall. When she stepped on it, it didn¡¯t take her much effort to climb up the French windows.

    She peeped inside through the ss window.

    The room was dimly lit, and there was indeed no one inside. Marissa was sleeping in the lounge next door, and Meroy was not there either.

    The ss windows were covered, and the door was not tightly closed.

    She quietly pushed open the ss window and climbed in from the outside.

    As soon as Liya entered the bedroom, she began to rummage frantically.

    However, there were really not many expensive and valuable items in Vivian¡¯s room, and the jewelry and other things were probably given to her descendants. Nheless, Liyia no longer focused on those ordinary jewelry. Her goal was the Ocean Heart.

    Before Liya came, she had searched for the Ocean Heart¡¯s images on Google, and she was instantly captivated.

    It was rare to find such a high-purity diamond ring in the whole world. If one could get it, then one would be rich overnight.

    Jenna had ordered that Liya would not be allowed to enter Vivian¡¯s bedroom. Then again, what about it? She could still sneak in.

    Suddenly, a thought shed in her mind. How did Letty find out about this treasure? If Liya could sneak in from behind, then wouldn¡¯t that mean that Letty would be able to do so too?

    The only difference was that Liya was the woman who was written in the will that she could marry Hansen. Hence, she would have the chance to obtain the treasure, and she wouldn¡¯t be talked about even if she obtained it. Nevertheless, was this the only possibility?

    Liya couldn¡¯t figure it out and couldn¡¯t think about it anymore. Since she hade in, she had to find the best solution as soon as possible.

    Just as she was carefully rummaging through the items, Liya heard the sound of Vivian gulping as she took inrge mouthfuls of air.

    Liya was startled.

 Chapter 644 Marissa Was Hurt

    Marissa was asleep in the lounge, but she was still alert. As soon as she heard the sound of Vivian¡¯s gulps and rapid breathing, she woke up, hurriedly got up to get dressed, and ran to Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    Vivian had been in critical condition for such a long time. Everyone knew what she was most worried about at this time. Marissa dared not to be sloppy.

    The lighting of Vivian¡¯s bedroom was good. It was a little higher than the lounge. Hence, there was a small flight of stairs between Vivian¡¯s bedroom and the lounge.

    Marissa hurried up the stairs. Just as she opened the curtain, a blow struck her.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Marissa screamed, and her whole body was pushed to the back by a hand. She was caught off guard, and it was deep into the night. As she was not young anymore, Marissa fell down the stairs with such a push. She only felt great pain from her leg. Then, the back of her head hit the ground, and she immediately fainted.

    Liya was rummaging through the room for treasure when Vivian suddenly gasped for air. Soon after, she heard footsteps outside. She was panicking as she rummaged through the cab beside the door. She did not have time to escape through the window and knew that only Marissa was outside the door, who was keeping watch. When Liya looked up, she saw that Marissa¡¯s hand had lifted the door curtains. She was flustered and hurried over to push Marissa down.

    Shortly, Liya heard Marissa¡¯s scream along with the sound of her body falling to the ground. Liya became afraid and panicked. She was no longer in the mood to look for the treasure. Thus, she frantically ran to the window and escaped.

    After returning to the guest room, Liya was so rmed that she could not sit still. She cocked her head to her side and kept an eye on what was happening outside.

    More than twenty minutester, she heard someone shouting outside. Liya opened the window and listened quietly. She could vaguely hear the crying in the Ink Garden, and her heart was beating fast.

    When Jenna was sleeping soundly, the doorbell of the guest room suddenly rang in the quiet night.

    She was so shocked that she rolled over and got up. It was still dark outside the window. Jenna was in a daze, and her mind was still muddled.

    ¡°Madam, something bad happened. Madam Marissa has passed out.¡± Larry¡¯s voice rang from the outside, and she even sounded as if she were about to cry.

    Marissa had passed out? What was going on?

    Jenna was so shocked that she opened her eyes wide.

    The noise awakened Sabrina too. She scrambled to her feet, and her eyes also widened.

    Both of them looked at each other inexplicably and came to their senses. They got up in a hurry, put on their clothes, and rushed to the lounge of the Ink Garden.

    Several servants in the Ink Garden were in a flurry. Larry and several servants in the Green Jade Garden were Marissa¡¯s distant rtives. When they noticed she had fainted, her face was pale and was unconscious. They were so scared that they began to cry.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jenna walked over and asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°Madam fainted.¡± Everyone heard her voice and immediately made way for her.

    Jenna immediately saw Marissa lying on the ground. She was in a daze and unconscious. Jenna was stunned and quickly bent down to hold her shoulders. Jenna cried out in pain, ¡°Mom, what happened to you?¡±

    ¡°What the h*ll is going on? Why is Aunt Marissa lying on the ground for no reason?¡± Sabrina was also shocked when she saw the situation. She hurriedly asked the servant next to her.

    The servants were all frightened. They all shook their heads to show that they didn¡¯t know. They just answered, ¡°When we heard Larry¡¯s cry, we saw this when we rushed over. I guess Madam fell by ident.¡±

    ¡°She fell down the stairs?¡± Sabrina frowned and looked at the stairwell in disbelief.

    ¡°Hurry up, help Madam to the bed first.¡± Jenna looked up and ordered the panic-stricken servants. Then, she ordered Larry, ¡°Larry, quickly inform Mr. Trevor.¡±

    Larry had always been a close servant of Marissa. In addition to taking care of Jerry, she also followed Marissa. She knew that it was Marissa¡¯s turn to guard that night. So, she couldn¡¯t sleep well with the servants in the Ink Garden. Marissa also had rheumatoid arthritis, and Larry had to bring hot water to her every night. However, she didn¡¯t expect to witness such a horrible situation when she walked in, which really shocked her.

    Everyone carefully carried Marissa to the bed.

    Trevor quickly rushed over. When he saw Marissa lying on the bed, his head buzzed, and he almost fainted.

    Trevor was having severe headaches for the past few days. Marissa felt sorry for him.So, she did not allow him to take the night watch shift and had insisted on recing him. Who knew that such a situation would happen?

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s send her to the hospital first.¡± Jenna noticed that Trevor¡¯splexion looked very pale, and she was worried about his health. Jenna quicklyforted him with tears in her eyes.

    Trevor nodded his head in distress.

    Meanwhile, in the government hospital.

    Marissa was lying on the hospital bed with a ster cast on her right leg. She had already woken up, and her face was full of pain.

    ¡°Mr. Coller, is my wife alright?¡± Trevor asked Mr. Coller with a heavy heart as he stared at Marissa¡¯s pale face in horror.

    Mr. Collerreplied very respectfully, ¡°Mr. Trevor, Madam hit the ground on the back of her head. There is a slight concussion. As long as she rests well, she will recover soon. However, herminuted fracture on the right leg might require her to rest in bed for quite some time. After all, she is not young anymore.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I understand. Thank you.¡± Trevor¡¯s heart was heavy and he nodded.

    Mr. Coller leftwith a respectful expression.

    ¡°Marissa, are you feeling better now?¡± After urging the doctor to leave, Trevor sat down by Marissa¡¯s side and asked in a gentle voice.

    ¡°Trevor¡­¡± Marissa¡¯s eyes were filled with tears, and she couldn¡¯t express herself. She could only bear with the pain in her leg and nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You¡¯ll be fine after some rest.¡± Trevor held her hand andforted her.

    ¡°Mom, do you still remember how you fell from the stairs?¡± Jenna was puzzled about Marissa¡¯s fall. So, she leaned over and asked softly.

    Marissa had forgotten what had happened the day before since she woke up after she fainted. She didn¡¯t remember anything. When Jenna asked her this question, she was stunned, and shook her head nkly.

    Trevor sighed and signaled Jenna to head out.

    ¡°Jenna, do you suspect that she did not fall off on her own?¡± After walking out of the ward, Trevor asked thoughtfully.

    Jenna¡¯s gaze was profound. ¡°Dad, it is very suspicious for Mom to fall down from the stairs. Just now, Meroy called to inform that there were traces of someone ransacking Grandma¡¯s room.¡±

    What!

    A gleam of harsh light shed in Trevor¡¯s eyes, and his whole face became serious.

    ¡°So, someone entered Grandma¡¯s bedroom at midnightst night. Then, Marissa might have heard something, and then¡­¡± He was lost in thought and stopped in the middle of his sentence.

    Jenna certainly understood what he meant, but she didn¡¯t say anything.

    Everyone understood it in their hearts, there was no need to express it.

    ¡°Jenna, your mother-inw is suffering from a concussion. She won¡¯t remember anything for the time being, but she¡¯ll recover in a few days. I¡¯ll ask her again then,¡± Trevor continued gently. However, he was filled with suspicion as he added, ¡°If someone really went into Grandma¡¯s bedroom, then what did they want to do?¡±

    Jenna thought of something after hearing Trevor¡¯s words. However, she did not say anything.

    ¡°Dad, you should stay in the hospital to apany Mom for the next few days. I¡¯ll go home first, and then I¡¯ll ask Larry to take care of Mom,¡± Jenna suggested very thoughtfully.

    Trevor nodded and replied seriously, ¡°Jenna, if there¡¯s anything you need, then get Sabrina and Norton to help you. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Jenna understood and agreed with a smile.

    When she came out of the hospital, Lomen was waiting outside.

    Jenna got in the car, and they headed for Richards Manor.

    Then, Jenna¡¯s cell phone rang.

    She picked up the phone.

 Chapter 645 Happy Best Friend

    ¡°Jenna, what are you doing? Do you miss me?¡± After the phone was connected, a crisp female voice rang. Jenna was stunned for a while before she eximed, ¡°Hannah, is that you?¡±

    It had been a long time since shest saw Hannah. Jenna almost forgot her old best friend. She only knew that she had gone to Europe with Rayan and her Gently Cafeteria had closed down.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Oh, my¡­¡±

    ¡°God, have you forgotten me?¡± Hannah protestedimpatiently on the other side of the line.

    Her voice was light and clear, with a European ent. It had been a few months since theyst met, but her tone was obviously different. It was not only sweet and feminine but also more European.

    Jennaughed out loud.

    ¡°Hey, you heartless friend. You just followed a man and eloped without telling me. You¡¯re such a disloyal friend. Yet, you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m the one who has forgotten about you. Do you still have any kindness in your heart? I now strongly condemn you for your immoral behavior of prioritizing your boyfriend over your friend,¡± Jenna replied righteously.

    When Hannah heard this, she giggled and responded, ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry. I prepared a heartfelt gift, and I¡¯ll give it to you once I return. How about that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Jenna smiled. ¡°Hurry up and tell me, where are you vacationing now with Rayan? Have you made any babies yet?¡±

    Hannah was sitting on a big stone on the beach of Candnd, yfully sshing the seawater with her bare feet. It was very satisfying. Hearing Jenna¡¯s teasing, she looked at the gentleman standing next to her with a happy smile.

    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you.¡± She tilted her head and deliberately teased her.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, then we can forget about our friendships.¡± Jenna snorted and threatened seriously.

    ¡°How dare you! It looks like your true colors are showing.¡± Hannahughed softly. She turned her head around and raised her brows slightly towards Rayan.

    Rayan was stunned, but he immediately understood what she meant. He shook his head and walked away with a smile.

    Hannah saw that he had gone far and was sure that he couldn¡¯t hear their conversation. So, she informed Jenna mysteriously, ¡°Jenna, I already have one.¡±

    Jenna was sitting in the back row, ready to tease her again. When she heard Hannah¡¯s words, she was stunned and immediatelyughed. ¡°Hey, pregnant before marriage?¡±

    Hannah blushed and argued, ¡°Come on, I only learnt from you. Didn¡¯t you and Hansen do the same? Jerry was already over one year old when you both got married. Don¡¯t mock me.¡±

    When Hannah mentioned Hansen, Jenna immediately thought of Hansen, who had been taken away. She felt a sharp pain in her chest as the smile on her face froze.

    ¡°How long has it been? When are you going to get married?¡± After a while, she asked in a pretty serious tone.

    ¡°Well, initially, I didn¡¯t want to get married so soon, but now it seems that there is no other way. For the child in my belly, I can only marry him secretly, and I have to sacrifice my independence.¡± Hannah sighed over there, crying. Jenna could hear the happiness from her tone, and her heart was a little sad.

    Hannah must be happier than she was!

    A man like Rayan would definitely be able to make Hannah happy. She believed that!

    It was alsoHannah¡¯s blessing to be able to meet a man like Rayan. She was really happy for her best friend. Their lives would not be as disastrous as hers and Hansen¡¯s.

    Jenna was relieved. After all, she didn¡¯t have many girlfriends.

    She hoped that Hannah was happy.

    ¡°Hannah, congrattions,¡± Jenna expressed sincerely. ¡°You must tell me when you get married. I will find a way to give you my blessing.¡±

    Due to the current situation, Jenna really couldn¡¯t guarantee that she could attend their wedding, but she would try her best to send her blessings to them.

    ¡°Jenna, are you telling me that you won¡¯t attend my wedding?¡± When Hannah heard Jenna¡¯s tone, she was a little unhappy.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Jenna shook her head. ¡°As long as I can, I will definitely attend, but you have to tell me in advance.¡± Jenna shook her head andforted her.

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Hannah smiled. ¡°Everyone should do something crazy once in their lives.For me, it must have been love that led to this.¡±

    She was assuring herself cockily.

    Jenna smiled.

    ¡°By the way, Jenna, I will return to ACitysoon to rent out the cafe.¡± Hannah¡¯s mood was a little sad.

    Jenna was stunned. ¡°Hannah, are you really going to close the business?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no other way. He doesn¡¯t allow me to run it anymore. Rayan said that his wife neither needs to show her face in public, nor does she need to earn such a meager amount. He can afford it, and I¡¯ll just need to take care of the children at home. Jenna, you are not allowed tough at me. You didn¡¯t think that I would be such a helpless ¡®full-time housewife¡¯ one day, did you?¡± Hannah eximed with tremendous emotion.

    Jennaughed as she replied,¡± If you don¡¯t run the coffee shop, the upper-ss society in A City willck a beautifuldy boss like you. If you¡¯re not in Gently Cafeteria, then it will lose its unique charm and there would be no need for it to exist. If you rent it out, then the vibe would change too. It¡¯s really a pity.¡±

    Jenna couldn¡¯t help but to express the regret in her heart at the thought that the cafe would never exist again.

    ¡°Nheless, I still want to bless you sincerely. Gently Cafeteria is iparable with Rayan. Promise me that you and Rayan will be happy and loving in this life.¡± Jenna sincerely wished her well.

    Wasn¡¯t it the best if a woman foundfort in a man who loved and adored her? This was the purpose of many women. If she didn¡¯t have that, then no matter how sessful her career was, happiness would be far from reach.

    Jenna understood this. Hannah¡¯s happiness also proved this truth, which was long proven to be credible. The independent and confident Hannah was the best proof.

    She really wanted to wish Hannah the best, the most blessed woman in the world!

    ¡°Thank you, Jenna, my best friend. I¡¯lle to see you after Ie back from Candnd.¡± Hannah¡¯s nasal voice was a little heavy. After getting married to Rayan, she could only live in the USA with him. It was a little difficult for them to meet each other. Hence, she was a bit reluctant and broken-hearted to leave. Jenna was a beautiful memory of her teenage years, and all these wereing to an end soon. The past will never repeat itself. Now that they all had someone they loved, they were living different lives.

    While Hannah wasmenting, Jenna was also filled with boundless emotions.

    The two of them chatted for a while more before Jenna arrived at Richards Manor. Only then did she bid her farewell!

    In Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    Jenna nced at the ransacked room, and a cold smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°Madam, do you want to call the police?¡± Meroy looked at the mess in the room and asked sadly. When she came to Vivian¡¯s bedroom early in the morning, she was really shocked!

    There were traces of the room being burrized. The window was open. It was obvious that Vivian¡¯s bedroom had been broken into the previous day!

    The dignified Ink Garden was actually robbed. No matter how Jenna looked at it, she felt a lingering fear.

    Therefore, she thought that Marissa¡¯s fall was not as simple as her being careless. Hence, she wanted the scene to be untouched.

    As Jenna nced around, she looked down, and noticed the mud prints in the room. Following the mud prints, she reached the window and opened it. With a light leap, she jumped onto the windowsill, and when she looked down, she found a big stone on the ground of the back garden.

    It turned out that the thief had crawled in from here!

    Jenna sneered, jumped down, and followed the footprints to the guest room through the corridor. Then, the footprints disappeared.

    Her brows twitched, but she stood there without moving.

    ¡°Lomen.¡± Jenna came from behind and called out.

    ¡°Madam.¡± Lomen turned around and was about to speak.

    ¡°Hush.¡± Jenna raised her finger, indicating Lomen to follow her.

    The two of them came to the office in the Ink Garden.

    ¡°Lomen, did you find anything?¡± Jenna asked softly.

    ¡°Yes, Madam.¡± Lomen¡¯s face was serious, and she exined slowly, ¡°The thief climbed in from the back window. It seems that this person is still from the Ink Garden.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyes narrowed, as a cold smile appeared on her face.

    ¡°Madam, we can call the police now,¡± Lomen reminded her immediately.

    ¡°No.¡± Jenna shook her head and answered steadily, ¡°I have already endured for so long.¡±

    ¡°I can wait a little longer!¡±

    Lomen was stunned. Looking at Jenna, who looked calm and confident, she seemed to understand something and didn¡¯t say anything more.

    ¡°Lomen, go on with your work. I¡¯ll call you if there¡¯s anything.¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes were indescribable, and she informed Lomen.

    ¡°Alright. Madam, if you need anything, please inform me in time. Mr. Trevor is not around now, and you should pay more attention to your safety.¡± Before she left, Lomen warned with concern.

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Jenna smiled and nodded.

    Just as she left, Jenna¡¯s smile froze on her face.

    Why did that person go into Vivian¡¯s bedroom the night before?

    There weren¡¯t many valuable things left in her bedroom. Firstly, Vivian didn¡¯t like luxurious things. Secondly, the precious items had already been distributed to her descendants. The Richards Family¡¯s descendants and servants all knew about this. Thus, they would be excluded from being the ones who broke into the room.

    The number of outsiders could be counted on one hand.

    So, what was the reason for them to go into Vivian¡¯s room?

    Jenna sat there in a daze.

    ¡°Jenna, you should know that such a treasure might not bring glory to Richards Manor. It could very well be a bloodbath. I don¡¯t care if you know. I have to remind you today. If you know, then hand it over in exchange for the safety of Richards Manor as well as yours. If you don¡¯t know, then stay away from this ce, so that you can be safe.¡± Sergio¡¯s words were like the devil¡¯s voice reverberating in Jenna¡¯s mind. One by one, they gnawed at her nerves. She clutched at her blouse and shut her eyes.

    Yesterday, the person who went into Vivian¡¯s bedroom definitely knew the news, and they were there for the Ocean Heart. From this, it could be seen that many people were really drooling over theOcean Heart, and they were also starting to take action!

    Jenna suddenly shivered.

    If the person who entered the previous day was Liya, then Zoe would also naturally know about it. In that case, there were indeed quite a few people who wanted to steal this treasure.

    Jenna¡¯s whole body grew cold. In a stupor, she saw many sharp arrowsing towards her, leaving her nowhere to hide.

 Chapter 646 Do You Still Like Him?

    Flowers were blooming in the Ink Garden¡¯s backwn. All sorts of precious and rare species were blossoming beautifully.

    Sabrina was sitting on the stone bench with her easel in front of her. She was deep in thought, with a concentrated expression.

    On such a morning, time was still, and the beauty of nature opened up her creative mind.

    In the past few days, Sabrina had toe here every morning to finish her summer homework. After this semester, she will graduate. Although her knees were injured, doctors from the health center would apply medicine for her on time everyday. Sabrina had very much recovered. Although she was still limping when she walked, it didn¡¯t bother her much.

    Sabrina wanted to finish designing her ¡®dreamy¡¯ fashion collection beforethe summer holiday ended.If she wanted to be the world¡¯s top famous designer, then she had to create her own brand, which showcased the current trend.

    Therefore, Sabrina was focused on fashion design for the past few years.

    In theing January, she wished to hold her own properly crafted, dreamy, charming, as well as original designs at Provinten¡¯s Fashion Show.

    As the top-rated event in the fashion world, Provinten¡¯s haute couture requirement was very high. One could only be a member and participate in the event if one was invited by its sponsor organization. As such, only when a fashion design reached its requirement could the designer be famous and showcase their work to the world. Then, the designer would be promoted and be thought highly of.

    To be a member, the first thing Sabrina needed to do was to set up a studio in Provinten, which was full of professional and purely custom-made clothing. She knew that genuine upper-ss families and well-known people would only wear handmade formal attires, for example, the people in the Richards family, such as Hansen, Norton, Trevor, ude, and Capital City¡¯s famous family. Every year, they would have to spend a lot of money to order exquisite suits from the expert tailors in Provinten. This was a man¡¯s appearance, and it was also a symbol of one¡¯s status in the business arena.

    Sabrina was very demanding. Once she put her heart into it, she would want to learn from the best, which was her goal. Otherwise, she would rather not do it at all.

    Moreover, she was also trying hard in this direction.

    The morning passed very quickly as Sabrina focused on her sketches.

    Presently, Richards Manor was too chaotic with all kinds of crises. She sighed emotionally, but at the same time, she was deeply worried about Jenna¡¯s situation.

    Nheless, even if Sabrina wanted to help out, shecked the resources. Hence, she could only do so much.

    Finally, Sabrina finished one of her designs. She stretched herself and looked at her work with great satisfaction.

    ¡°Not bad. It¡¯s so beautiful.¡± The sound of praise came from the small path among the flowers.

    Sabrina turned her head and saw that Carme was walking over, wearing an elegant and gorgeous dress. There was a beautiful, pure smile on her face.

    ¡°You¡¯re also studying fashion design?¡±Carmeasked in surprise after she walked over and carefully studied Sabrina¡¯s designs.

    Sabrina smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s just a hobby. I¡¯m not as famous as you.¡±

    She joked self-deprecatingly and stood up. Then, she began to pack up and prepared to go back to the guest room.

    ¡°Mm. Not bad. Your design is beautiful and suits the current youngdies very well. However, itcks a bit of high-end maturity, and the people who fit it aren¡¯t the kind of richdies who are willing to spend money on it. Thus, the sales might not be as great,¡±Carmellmented in a very polite manner.

    Sabrina was unhappy to hear that. She looked gloomy, but she still smiled and answered, ¡°Thank you for your guidance, but I want to say that this is my unique brand, and I want it to have a sense of individualism. Hence, it might not be consistent with the trendy ideas in the market. I believe that the rich woman who prioritizes her beauty also wants to look youthful. Therefore, Ibined the young girl¡¯s dream with its purity in my design. Others can¡¯t see it, but I believe some will understand. After all, everyone has different views. Hope you understand.¡±

    As she spoke, Sabrina quickly tidied up her things. She really wanted to leave this ce as soon as possible. She didn¡¯t like to hang around with Carme.

    ¡°Mmhmm, you¡¯re right. I hope you¡¯ll seed. I¡¯m just telling you what I¡¯m thinking. I hope you won¡¯t mind.¡± Carme smiled.

    ¡°I won¡¯t. Thank you for yourments.¡± Sabrina was generous and smiled indifferently.

    ¡°Oh, by the way, I¡¯ll be going to the judges for this year¡¯s Provinten Fashion Show. If you really want to go to the world¡¯s stage,e over and find me. I¡¯ll help you,¡± Carme suggested enthusiastically with an elegant and confident smile on her face.

    Sabrina¡¯s hands froze, and there was a hint of sarcasm in her eyes.

    ¡°Thank you, Carme. You are so warm-hearted, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary. The world¡¯s stage has always been upied by the fittest, and the weak are eliminated. If the fashionable dress I designed can¡¯t withstand the criticism and is not popr, then it won¡¯tst long even if you can help me get onto the world stage. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Sabrinaughed at herself. She was very impartial and fair.

    When Carme heard this, she let out a smallugh. ¡°Sabrina, that¡¯s true. You¡¯re ambitious. Then, I¡¯ll wish you good luck then.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, I still have something to do. So, I won¡¯t be in yourpany any longer. Please do as you wish.¡± Sabrina cleaned up her easel, put it on her shoulder, and was about to leave.

    ¡°Sabrina, can we have a chat?¡± Seeing that Sabrina couldn¡¯t wait to leave, the smile on Carme¡¯s lips deepened as she called out to her.

    Sabrina turned around and forced a smile. ¡°What do you want to talk to me about?¡±

    She truly didn¡¯t believe that she had anything to discuss with Carme. The two of them weren¡¯t even close to each other. Not only were their personalities ipatible, they were not friends either.

    ¡°It can be said that it¡¯s just a small matter. Do you mind giving me some time?¡± Carme giggled.

    ¡°Well, go ahead.¡± Sabrina had to turn around with a helpless look on her face.

    Carmelooked at her with a smile, but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Sabrina¡¯s heart was suddenly filled with anger. Wasn¡¯tCarmeying with her? Just as she was about to leave, she heardCarme¡¯s question from behind.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Sabrina, do you still like Norton?¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s body shook a little, and the expression on her face was stiff.

    She hadn¡¯t expected thatCarmewould be so bold as to ask such a question.

    ¡°No,¡± Sabrina answered without thinking. Was she testing her? She wouldn¡¯t be fooled.

    ¡°Really?¡±Carmeshrugged and smiled.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s true. I don¡¯t understand what you mean by this.¡± Sabrina was secretly a little annoyed, as if someone had peeped into her mind. Her voice was a little cold.

    Carmechuckled. ¡°But I think you¡¯re still fond of Norton.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, she looked her up and down with a probing gaze.

    Sabrina¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and her face changed slightly.

    ¡°Carme, although I used to be engaged with Norton, you should know that we have already withdrawn the engagement. We are just friends. I really don¡¯t understand what you mean by these words. Don¡¯t worry. If you want to marry Norton, then I won¡¯t interfere and destroy the rtionship. Moreover, I am engaged to Sergio.¡± Sabrina was very anxious in her heart, but her expression was faint.

    By the way, Carmewas really irritating. No one should talk about another person¡¯s sore spot, and it was obvious that Carme was testing her. A woman¡¯s thoughts were impossible to grasp. Yet, wasn¡¯t she trying to marry Norton? Why did Carme have to ask Sabrina these questions? What did this have to do with her? If she had the ability, then she could ask Norton to marry her as soon as possible.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then that¡¯s for the best.¡± Carme had a hearty smile on her face when she heard Sabrina¡¯s exnation. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve admired Norton since I was a child. He¡¯s very handsome and quiet. He¡¯s already be the director of the financial department at such a young age. Although it¡¯s rted to Javon¡¯s case, it won¡¯t affect his image in my mind. Everyone knows that the young masters and gentlemen of the Richards family are both handsome, charming, and attractive. Sabrina, I¡¯m a straightforward person. So, I will say my thoughts aloud, unlike the people who don¡¯t say what they mean. Hence, if I have this belief, then I¡¯ll just say it straight out. You won¡¯t be angry, right?¡±

    Carme¡¯s words were affectionate, and her face was filled with emotions. Her gaze was fixed on Sabrina.

    Hearing this, Sabrina was both jealous and furious. What was Carme trying to say? Was she trying to show off? Moreover, Carme was talking about people who didn¡¯t say what they meant. Was she talking about her?

    ¡°Why should I be angry? What does it have to do with me?¡± Sabrina was very puzzled and asked, ¡°If it¡¯s really like this, then that¡¯s great. Isn¡¯t Norton still single now? You two are an ideal couple, a perfect match. I wish you both happiness.¡±

    By now, Sabrina had understood why Carme was here to talk to her. She was here to demonstrate her feelings for Norton. Sabrina had to stand aside and not disrupt their good times.

    ¡°Sabrina, I really have to thank you. Thank you for your blessing.¡± Carme¡¯s eyes were shining with joy. She walked up to Sabrina¡¯s hand and eximed excitedly, ¡°Sabrina, you¡¯re areallygood and considerate girl. I wish you and Sergio happiness and a loving life. You know that Aunt Maria likes me and wants me to marry Norton. My dad had a few ideas at first, but I¡¯ve convinced my grandmother, and she also likes Norton very much. I also believe that we¡¯ll be very happy in the future.¡±

    As Carme spoke, she held Sabrina¡¯s hand affectionately, as if she was expressing her own feelings to a good friend.

    She held Sabrina¡¯s hand tightly and Sabrina couldn¡¯t get rid of her.

    The bitterness in Sabrina¡¯s heart gradually spread and finally filled her whole chest. Obviously, she felt extremely ufortable, but she still forced a smile on her face. ¡°Carme, though Norton is a little gloomy, he is still very thoughtful and considerate. After you marry him, you will be very happy in the future. So, I hope you will treat him well and love him sincerely.¡±

    As soon as she said this, Sabrina¡¯s heart suddenly ached.

    ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely love Norton well.¡± When she heard Sabrina¡¯s words, Carme¡¯s face immediately lit up and her smile became bright and clear.

    ¡°That¡¯s great. It¡¯s fate. I wish you all good luck.¡± Sabrina forced a smile and vigorously pushed Carme¡¯s hand away. ¡°I still have something to do. I really have to go first.¡±

    After taking a step forward, she turned back and informed her, ¡°By the way, Carme, Norton likes sour and sweet strawberries. He doesn¡¯t like smoking but likes vintage wine. Unfortunately, he is allergic to shrimp and mango. You should pay attention to it.¡±

    After Sabrina finished speaking, she didn¡¯t wait for Carme¡¯s reply. With the easel on her back, she walked away with her head lowered.

    Carme stood there quietly as she looked at Sabrina¡¯s retreating back. A smug smile appeared on her face.

 Chapter 647 Gone Too Far

    ¡°Sabrina.¡± Sabrina had just walked to the corridor of the Ink Garden when she met Norton.

    It was apparent that Norton was anxious to find her. He cried out in concern the moment he saw her.

    Sabrina lowered her head and walked as fast as she could. She didn¡¯t even raise her head when she heard Norton. Her steps were even more rapid, as if she was in a hurry, and she couldn¡¯t wait to get away from Norton.

    Sabrina¡¯s face was cold. She quickly walked past him, as if she hadn¡¯t seen him. Feeling a burst of sadness, Norton just followed her and called out loudly, ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t walk so fast. I¡¯ve got something for you.¡±

    Sabrina didn¡¯t want to talk to him at all. She answered with an unfriendly tone, ¡°Norton, I¡¯m busy now. If you don¡¯t have something important to tell me, then you¡¯d better not say anything.¡±

    Mid-conversation, they arrived at the guestroom. She took out her room card and opened the door. Just as she was about to close it, Norton took the opportunity to hold the door and followed her in.

    ¡°Please leave!¡± Sabrina pointed at the door and roared harshly.

    ¡°Sabrina, what¡¯s wrong with you? You don¡¯t even want to say a few words to me?¡± Norton went up to her and grabbed her arm. He uttered in an aggrieved tone, ¡°I didn¡¯t offend you. Why are you doing this to me?¡±

    His hand was tightly holding her arm. His face was very close to hers, and she felt his hot breath on her face, and made her blush. Nheless, Sabrina was staring at his hand that was holding her, and she reminded him indifferently, ¡°Norton, please pay attention to your image and influence. Your behavior has already offended me a lot. Do you understand?¡±

    Her voice was strict, and her little face was red.

    Norton was frightened by her harshness. Hence, he let go of her involuntarily.

    ¡°Norton, please take care of yourself in the future. Don¡¯t tug at me. It¡¯s not good for our image. Do you understand?¡± Sabrina continued to reprimand him seriously. Her tone was so formal, and the anger in her voice was not concealed at all.

    Norton had never seen such a stern Sabrina. Even though he offended her that day, she had obviously let that go in the past two days. Norton had even gotten along well with Sabrina. He did not expect that she would be so serious and unreasonable after just one morning. He stared at her, a little dazed, but did not know what to say.

    ¡°Since you have something to tell me, just say it. Hurry up. I still haven¡¯t finished my summer assignments.¡± Sabrina slowed down when she saw that Norton was somewhat embarrassed. However, she still spoke in a very natural manner, as if she was doing business.

    ¡°Sabrina, have you recovered from your leg injury? Don¡¯t walk too far when it¡¯s hot.¡± Norton looked down at Sabrina¡¯s leg, with his face full of concern. ¡°What I want to say is that now the environment in Richards Manor is veryplicated. You have to be careful and try not to stay away from me.¡±

    Norton knew that someone had barged into Vivian¡¯s room the previous night. Moreover, the security guards of the manor informed that they kept seeing strangers at night for the past few days. Norton was distressed, and he couldn¡¯t help but to be worried for Sabrina¡¯s safety. After all, she preferred to head out and do her sketching. Once she started sketching, it would be for a few hours.

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Sabrina frowned and replied, ¡°First of all, my leg injury is almost healed. Thank you for your care. Then, I know what you said. You don¡¯t need to worry about me because I will protect myself. Okay, please go out now. I have something important to do.¡±

    Sabrina put away the easel, turned on herptop, and was ready to work.

    Norton stood still.

    ¡°Sabrina, can you stop being so cold to me?¡± Norton asked in a somewhat discouraged manner. He didn¡¯t have enough confidence. Moreover, Sabrina¡¯s distant attitude towards him made him feel extremely ufortable.

    Norton thought of her all day, and he wanted to find some time to spend it with her alone. However, it seemed that she waspletely heartless. Sabrina was even more and more indifferent to him, which made Norton feel both sad and reluctant.

    Norton didn¡¯t like how they were getting further apart. He thought that they should be closer by now.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    Sabrina¡¯s hand trembled as she held theputer. She tried her best to hide her unease.

    ¡°Norton, you know that the Richards family is very chaotic now. You are a man. Hansen has an ident, and you are now the backbone of the family. Shouldn¡¯t you be busy helping Jenna? Why do you have to be involved with me? You should know that it is not good for the both of us to go on like this. Don¡¯t you understand this?¡± Sabrina analyzed very calmly.

    ¡°Sabrina, I understand what you are saying. I am doing it. However, this doesn¡¯t hinder me from caring about you. I am just saying a few words to you and am concerned about you. What does this have to do with me being a man?¡± Norton asked in confusion and pain.

    He didn¡¯t expect Sabrina¡¯s heart to be so aloof and unsympathetic. Furthermore, Sabrina even appeared to be disgusted by his concern. After all, Norton was an emotional person. So, he felt hurt by it.

    Sabrina slightly pursed her lips and turned her back. She tried her best to suppress her feelings, but suddenly, she felt very upset. She even found it difficult to breathe.

    ¡°Sabrina, please, don¡¯t treat me like this.¡± Norton¡¯s emotions were agitated. He couldn¡¯t control them. He reached out his hands and hugged her from behind, hugging her tightly. He muttered, ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t treat me like this, please.¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s heart froze. Norton had already hugged her tightly. He supported the back of her head with one hand, and his hot lips fell on her red lips. He began to kiss her crazily.

    After Sabrinawas confused for a while, she was soon jolted from the daze by his hot breath, and his long tongue rampaged in her mouth. Norton was already captivated by the kiss. His face was flushed, and he continued kissing hercrazily.

    Sabrina came to her senses and pushed him away desperately. She raised her hand and gave him a loud p, shouting, ¡°Norton, you¡¯ve gone too far.¡±

    Five clear fingerprints were imprinted on Norton¡¯s pale face. He stood there in a daze and saw the tears in Sabrina¡¯s eyes.

    Sabrina covered her mouth with her hand and stormed out.

    ¡°Sabrina, where are you going?¡± As soon as she reached the Ink Garden¡¯s living room, she saw Carme walking out of Vivian¡¯s bedroom, with her face full of joy. She greeted her enthusiastically.

    Sabrina lowered her head and walked straight to the office through the living room. As soon as she walked in, she closed the office door.

    Carme was stunned for a moment. Then, when she raised her head again, she saw Norton walking out of Sabrina¡¯s room in a state of dejection.

    She suddenly understood what happened, and a sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth.

    Liya didn¡¯t wake up until noon. Due to what happened the previous night, she didn¡¯t dare to go to the Ink Garden¡¯s dining hall. Now, she increasingly felt that this ce was growing less homely.

    The night before, she pushed Marissa down. She could imagine how serious the consequences would be.

    Nheless, it served her right. Who told her to be meddlesome? Liya put away the unease in her heart.

    She turned on the phone and found that there were several missed calls.

    Liya looked carefully and found that Oscar called her, and there were two unknown numbers.

    Liyaughed coldly.

    It seemed that after finding out Liya was pregnant, Oscar was anxious. Was he thinking of a way to find her?

    The more uneasy he was, the less distressed she was.

    Oscar wanted her to get rid of the childobediently, but there was no way!

    Liya sat on the couch, crossing her legs, and nibbling on an apple.

    The phone rang again.

    She picked up the phone slowly.

    ¡°Liya, where are you?¡± Oscar¡¯s somewhat angry voice sounded from the other end of the line. He had called her quite a few times that day, yet she didn¡¯t answer. This made him feel extremely angry.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, I am sleeping. You should know that when a woman is pregnant, she is tired and has no appetite. She just wants to sleep,¡± Liya answered coyly,pouting.

    Upon hearing the word ¡®pregnant¡¯, Oscar felt a burst of impatience in his heart and a fierce light shed across his eyes.

    ¡°Liya, I¡¯m warning you to get rid of the child quickly, or else you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.¡± Oscar threatenedmenacinglyon the phone.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, why are you so heartless?¡± Liya¡¯s eyes turned red and she choked on her sobs.

    As she continued, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you want me to get rid of him. Give me a billion dors.¡±

    A billion dors? Oscar narrowed his eyes, the veins on his forehead popped, and his eyes were filled with a savage and cruel light.

    This woman was too d*mn spiteful. He put out the cigarette in his hand, and his guts were full of hatred.

    ¡°Liya, today is thest warning I¡¯ll give you. Obey me and get rid of the child. Otherwise, you¡¯ll regret it.¡± After saying this seriously, Oscar hung up the phone.

    Liya took out her phone and was in a daze for a moment.

    Warn her? What could Oscar do to her?

    If Oscar dared to touch her, then she would announce the pregnancy to the media and then go to the Jones family to make a scene. By then, how would the Jones family clear the mess?

    Thinking of this, Liya let out a sinisterugh.She did not take Oscar¡¯s words seriously at all.

    ¡°Mr. Matteo, I found out something about Mr. Oscar.¡± Matteo was preparing to hold a board meeting when he saw his special assistant, Darragh Quartley, hurrying over.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Matteo raised his eyes and asked with a gloomy face.

    ¡°Mr. Matteo, it turned out that Mr. Oscar kept a woman in A City and bought a vi and an expensive car for her. His tens of millions had been spent on her,¡± Darragh reported very gravely.

    Matteo¡¯s heart ached at once, and his expression was dark.

    This was outrageous!

    He threw the document in his hand on the desk and roared angrily, ¡°Disobedient son.¡±

    At this time, Darragh had aplicated look on his face. He wanted to say something but stopped on second thought. Finally, after hesitating for a while, he continued very seriously, ¡°Mr. Matteo, that woman is called Liya. She is pregnant.¡±

    What!

    Matteo was so shocked that he almost jumped up. This b*stard not only had an affair with a woman but impregnated her. How could he not find out about such a big thing? It was absurd!

    After being absent-minded for a while, Matteo fell back to the couch and asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°Darragh, what kind of woman is she? Is she the daughter of a good family?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Darragh shook his head and answered, ¡°Mr. Matteo, that woman is beautiful, but her character is really¡­¡± He shook his head and reported the details of his investigation in full.

    ¡°So, she is the woman whom Hansen canceled the wedding with?¡± Matteo narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Matteo. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with Vivian. I heard rumors that she actually made a will for Hansen to take this woman as his second wife. We all know what type of person Hansen is. So, it is unlikely for him to marry her. Thus, she¡¯s staying in Richards Manor, and is refusing to leave. The Richards family can¡¯t even do anything to her,¡± Darragh responded in a very puzzled manner.

    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. Hansen¡¯s future second wife is pregnant with the child of our Jones family. It will be a joke if the news goes out. Call that unfilial son back quickly. How can he offend the Richards Group? This guy knows nothing but to get himself into trouble. It really pisses me off.¡± Matteo gasped in anger. In the business world, he really didn¡¯t want to offend Hansen. After all, manymercial connections intersected with each other.

 Chapter 648 Each Has Their Own Thoughts

    ¡°Mr. Matteo, I heard that the current president of the Richards Group, Hansen, has been taken away by the authorities because of leaking confidential information via their luxury cars. Now, the Richards Group is managed by his wife, Jenna. Originally, we could have survived the project of A City, but the woman is really not an ordinary person. Her husband was taken away. Yet, in a short period of time, she calmlymanded the Richards Group. Her performance is watertight. Not only were they unaffected, but their business is also growing.¡± Darragh sighed.

    Matteo thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not surprising. She¡¯s the granddaughter-inw of the Richards family whom Vivian took a fancy to. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t be like an ordinary woman. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have approved of Hansen¡¯s marriage. Back then, many people wanted to be affiliated with the Richards family. However, Vivian rejected them. Even Johan¡¯s beloved great-granddaughter, Jaqueline, was rejected by Vivian. Wasn¡¯t there a rumor in Capital City? At the party back in the day, Johan told Vivian that he wanted Jaqueline to marry Hansen. However, Vivianughed softly and told Johan not to be partial, that Hansen already had a candidate, and he would marry Jenna. Of course, Johan was shocked when he heard that. Heughed along, and the matter was put to rest.¡±

    Speaking of the past, there were still doubts in Matteo¡¯s heart. For Matteo, Vivian was being ignorant of the current situation. Who was Jaqueline? She was Johan¡¯s great-granddaughter. Apart from Johan, his sons and grandsons were also important figures in Capital City. If it were someone else, then they would definitely agree to it with a smile. They would immediately send engagement gifts and fawn over with him. However, Vivian¡¯s actions were genuinely unusual.

    Vivian forced her grandson, Hansen, to marry Jenna, whose family was declining and even had no money or support. All the wealthy families were confused about this at that time, but she was so reputable, and it was her decision on who she approved. Later on, an ident happened in the Richards family, and Jenna fled to the USA. When the news of Jenna¡¯s divorce with Hansen broke out, many upper-ss people expressed their grievance for Vivian when they were at a gathering. Could it be that even though she was old, she still hadn¡¯t experienced much, which ended up ruining her grandchildren¡¯s happiness?

    Yet, a strange thing happened again!

    At that time, Hansen was proud of his divorce at the banquet, and he even spoke proudly of it. Johan harshly criticized Hansen in front of many business people and celebrities. Even a fool could hear from his tone that he was dissatisfied with Hansen.

    These actions were not only weird, but also hard to exin.

    Matteo had always attended such events. Therefore, he was confused when he saw this scene.

    However, this had nothing to do with him and he didn¡¯t take it to heart.

    However, when Hansen and Jenna got married again, Vivian spent 500 million dors to hold the wedding for them. Matteo reallymented Vivian¡¯s favoritism for Jenna.

    Wealthy families were tooplicated, and the Richards family was particrlyplex. This was the conclusion that Matteo had reached.

    ¡°Mr. Matteo, what¡¯s really puzzling is that Jenna, who was such a capable woman, has tolerated theshameless behavior ofa woman like Liya a few times. Liya has an embarrassing personality and poor taste. How could the Richards family tolerate and let her rely on Richards Group? Now, the Richards family is bing more and more difficult to understand.¡± Darragh looked like he was full of suspicion.

    Matteo snorted. ¡°There must be a reason for her to do that. Liya is pregnant with a b*stard child. The Richards family has found an excuse. They might even use this as a reason to attack mypany. If something like this happens, then we¡¯ll be in deep trouble. We can¡¯t keep the child in that woman¡¯s belly, and we don¡¯t want such a woman to bear the Jones family¡¯s children. We must quickly think of a way to get rid of it.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Matteo, this is true. This Liya is really a rascal and a ruffian. She¡¯s staying in Richards Manor now. I¡¯m worried that one day she¡¯ll use the child in her belly to me the Jones Group. That¡¯ll be troublesome and would be the talk of the town. It will definitely damage our reputation. Furthermore, that woman iszy and only cares about pleasure-seeking. I really can¡¯t guarantee what kind of things she¡¯ll do.¡± Darragh realized the seriousness of the problem and agreed with him.

    Matteo adjusted his sses and his face turned gloomy.

    ¡°Darragh, how is Zoe now?¡± Matteo diverted their topic to Zoe. Since Zoe was driven out of A City by Hansen, herpany¡¯s situation had worsened. There was no way for her to rise again. For this reason, Matteo was already dissatisfied.

    ¡°Mr. Jones, there¡¯s no improvement with Zoe¡¯spany. It seems that it will be difficult for her to make aeback in a short period of time.¡± Darragh shook his head.

    Matteo¡¯s expression darkened. He sighed andmented, ¡°This woman is too eager to advance. She¡¯s ill-advised and insists on offending the Richards Group. She¡¯s the one who brought this upon herself.¡±

    Darragh smiled and suddenly uttered mysteriously, ¡°Mr. Matteo, it is rumored that the charge against the Richards Group is directed by Zoe. If they were found guilty, then the Richards Group would be punished. If so, there will be a good show to watch. Let¡¯s wait and see what will happen. Maybe there will be a chance.¡±

    Matteo¡¯s eyes lit up and he muttered to himself.

    Zoe was a terrifying woman. It was best to be wary of such a woman!

    ¡°Mr. Matteo, the reason Zoe cooperated with our Jones Group is to take advantage of the situation and take revenge on Hansen. If that¡¯s the case, then our Jones Group has to be careful. She will not be willing to think for us. Moreover, we are only her tools for revenge. Mr. Matteo, you have to think twice before acting.¡± Darragh¡¯s analysis hit right on Matteo¡¯s worries. He nodded, and a gleam of light shed in his astute eyes.

    In the Xanthe family residence in Capital City, the night was as quiet as the sea. It was calm and serene.

    ¡°Dad, it¡¯s a draw this time. This means that we¡¯ll have to prepare ourselves for a fierce battle,¡± Sergio spoke anxiously to Yadriel, who was currently fiddling with his pistol in his room.

    Yadriel¡¯s face tensed up and his gaze grew grim.

    ¡°Sergio, did you see that? It turns out that a part of those who have promised us have already backed off. Have you seen it clearly now? This is the reality, and this is human nature. They obviously took our benefits, but changed their minds at thest minute. They are all inconsistent viins.¡± Yadriel gritted his teeth tightly and mocked hatefully.

    Sergio¡¯s expression was unsightly. ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t have to care about such a viin. Conveniently, we also see through these people.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. When ites to politics, one must be cold and unscrupulous. It¡¯s the survival of the fittest. If you don¡¯t have the steely heart or means, no one will surrender to you. They¡¯re acting like this because we don¡¯t have enough authority to make them submit themselves to us. Thus, power is absolute.¡± Yadriel¡¯s eyes shed sinisterly.

    ¡°Dad, can we take action now? Hansen has been under our control, and he can¡¯t take any action anymore. The election will start soon, and we need this money now,¡± Sergio asked anxiously.

    Yadriel yed with the gun in his hand. ¡°Hansen has already been sent to the secret area of Capital City by us.Every day, there will be people checking on him in turns. At least, they won¡¯t be able toe out for the time being. However, Hansen¡¯s people are still participating in the activities in the war-torn country. We don¡¯t know what evidence Irvin has against us, but we mustn¡¯t underestimate it. Also, Ezrah was forced by Hansen to testify against us on the moneyundering issue. This is also a problem. Although someone from the higher levels has held us off, for the time being, this will be a problem in the future. Moreover, an issue also arose on the conversion of the money into our ount. Obviously, the original method can¡¯t be used.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Ezrah to betray us so easily. It seems that when we gain power, we will have to deal with him first.¡± Sergio couldn¡¯t help but to curse, looking very angry. After a while, he smiled and continued, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. Irvin doesn¡¯t have any strong evidence of us so far.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say so?¡± Yadriel narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s straightforward. If he really managed to obtain strong evidence, then Hansen would have long sincee to Capital City and taken us down. Why would hee to work with Luqman and waste so much effort topete for votes with us?¡± Sergio spected indifferently.

    ¡°Yes, Sergio, you¡¯ve made great progress. Your analysis is very reasonable.¡± Yadriel nodded his head in approval and chimed in slowly.

    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t need to worry. Sergio, you don¡¯t need to go to A City these days. Let¡¯s try our best to finish this deal first and then think about other things. These days, you will go to a ce to deal with the underground bank and prepare tounder the money.¡±

    Sergio nodded.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    In the five-star hotel, night fell.

    After taking a nap during the day, Hansen was in high spirits at night.

    ¡°Mr. Matthews, what are you busy with?¡± he answered Christopher¡¯s call and asked lightly.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m busy like a bee. Whenever you¡¯re in Capital City, I don¡¯t have any good news.¡± Christopher, who was busy over there, bitterlyined.

    ¡°Alright. When it¡¯s done, I¡¯ll treat you to a drink.¡± The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled up. ¡°Prepare yourself. Bring some people with me to the war-torn country tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Why, Mr. Richards?¡± Christopher immediately resisted after hearing Hansen¡¯s words. ¡°For the sake of your family¡¯s affairs, you are going to drag me, a sucker, to be a scapegoat? Besides, I still have work to do. I¡¯ve already done my best when I transferred you to such afortable ce.¡±

    At this time, Hansen was lyingfortably on the couch, with one leg resting on the back of the other couch as he kicked a bottle of mineral water up high.

    ¡°Christopher, will you die if you don¡¯t do it? Couldn¡¯t you do this in front of me? If it weren¡¯t for Johan, then can you save me from Yadriel¡¯s devil ws? Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know about it. I¡¯ll let you know that I¡¯m well aware of it.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was full of contempt.

 Chapter 649 Welcoming A Better Change

    Seeing that his ploy had been exposed, Christopher could only let out a dryugh. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so smart that you even knew this. I now feel that you shouldn¡¯t be a businessman. Instead, you shoulde to the Criminal Investigation Team or Special Affairs Team. It¡¯s more suitable for you.¡±

    Hansen gave a strangeugh. ¡°You little brat, you¡¯ve been doing all these useless things for me all day. You¡¯re a glib talker. Let me ask you, shouldn¡¯t matters rting to arms trafficking be within the jurisdiction of the head of the Public Security Department? Otherwise, what are your duties?¡±

    Christopher knew that he couldn¡¯t win. So, he had to prove his worth. ¡°Hansen, do you have a conscience? Think about it. Even if Johan did something behind your back, they wouldn¡¯t dare to let you go if I, the head of the Public Security Department, weren¡¯t there to interrogate you, would they? Moreover, I arranged such a good amodation environment for you. Thedies there are top-notch. So, you can pick whoever you want. As long as you have the energy, there will be a lineup of girls waiting to serve you every night.¡±

    Hansen was choked by his words and started coughing. It was no wonder that girls had been calling him for the past two nights. They asked him in a coquettish tone if he needed s*xual services. After Hansen scolded them, it was obvious that it had no effect as another phone call was directly connected to his guest room that morning. It turned out that this guy was ying tricks behind his back. He was so angry that his expression turned dark.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. I am just worried about your s*x life. Jenna is pregnant, and you are still far away in Capital City. It¡¯s nothing for men to fool around asionally. I promise that I won¡¯t tell Jenna the next time I meet her. I will promise that thedies here don¡¯t have any diseases and are quite clean. Tell her to rest assured.¡± Christopher tried hard not tough and tried tofort Hansen with good intentions as he imagined Hansen¡¯s exasperated look.

    Hansen¡¯s face turned gloomier. If Christopher were right in front of him, then he would definitely punch him blind.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Christopher. My helicopter will be here tomorrow. Go ahead and be smug. Let¡¯s see how I¡¯ll deal with you tomorrow in the war-torn country. With your police force, you areall teeth and no bite. By then, you won¡¯t be able toplete the mission.¡± Hansenughed sinisterly as he spoke. Christopher¡¯s flustered and exasperated face shed in his mind, and he was in a good mood.

    Surely enough, Christopher was secretly panicking. It was such a dangerous task. So, this brat was really powerful. If Christopher offended Hansen and fell out with him, then he would be courting his own death. He had a bright future, and a good man would not fight when the odds are against him. Christopher just wanted to say something nice to please Hansen, but he heard him saying directly on the other line, ¡°Remember, see you at the military airport tomorrow at 9 o¡¯clock.¡±

    To conceal himself, he had to fly off from the military airport and take the military route. Of course, this was also arranged by Johan.

    Hansen hung up the phone as soon as he finished speaking.

    Christopher smiled bitterly with his cell phone in his hand. This guy was really cocky. He didn¡¯t know why Johan was so kind to him and took care of him all the time.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Such was his luck!

    ¡°Alvin, from tonight onwards, all of our people will retreat and hide. We can¡¯t make any noise. Christopher and I will be there personally tomorrow.¡± After the call with Christopher, Hansen immediately dialed Alvin¡¯s number.

    Alvin was a little confused and informed him. ¡°Mr. Richards, ording to the news we have received, Yadriel¡¯s arms and ammunition dealings are very likely to begin in these two days. At this time, it¡¯s not a good time for us to retreat.¡±

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth lifted slightly. ¡°Our people are in the war-torn country. Yadriel knows about it. If we don¡¯t back down, then he won¡¯t rest easy on trading either. We have to be smart. It doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s back up and hide first. I will have my reasons when I arrive tomorrow.¡±

    Since Hansen had a watertight n, Alvin nodded. Of course, he believed in Hansen¡¯s decision.

    After putting down the phone, Hansen¡¯s face became more serious. He was in a heavy mood. He walked around the room a few times and dialed John¡¯s number.

    ¡°How are you, Mr. Richards?¡± John greeted him.

    ¡°John, go back to A City early tomorrow morning and protect Jenna. Listen to hermands,¡± Hansen immediately instructed in a simple and direct manner.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Yadriel might take action in these two days. Isn¡¯t it inappropriate for me to leave now?¡± John was confused as well.

    ¡°This is an order. You have to return to Richards Manor early tomorrow morning,¡± Hansen answered in a deep voice. ¡°I can¡¯t stay in A City. You have to fulfill your responsibilities. If anything happens to Madam, then I won¡¯t let you off.¡±

    John was stunned and had to nod his head.

    Hansen hung up the phone with a heavy heart. He didn¡¯t let Paul return because he was afraid that he would be distracted and couldn¡¯t protect Jenna as Irvin was still in the war-torn country.

    After these two calls, he sat down on the couch and looked at the map carefully.

    On the 88th floor of the International Kinsey Center.

    Jenna sat in the president¡¯s office and was busy all morning. All kinds of contracts and reports were handed over to her. The pile of work made her so busy that she didn¡¯t even have time to drink a sip of water in the morning. When she was the vice president, she had Hansen to support her. Although she was busy, she didn¡¯t feel so stressed out. Now, she realized how heavy Hansen¡¯s workload was.

    After she finally signed all the sheets, the pile of files on the table became smaller. She stood up and took a breather. She took the cup of water on the desk and drank a sip.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, someone¡¯s looking for you.¡± Jenna had just taken a sip of water and didn¡¯t even move much when Yuri walked in and notified her politely.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Jenna asked faintly.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, it¡¯s Octavia from Zoe¡¯spany. I wonder why that woman wille and look for you?¡± Yuri spoke cautiously.

    Octavia? Jenna¡¯s eyebrows jolted, and she suddenly felt refreshed!

    ¡°Invite her in quickly. Inform everyone that I¡¯ll stop working for the time being. If there¡¯s anything they need of me, then tell me in the afternoon,¡± Jenna quickly ordered and then waved at Yuri.

    Yuri was stunned for a moment. She agreed and left.

    Jenna¡¯s mind was racing, and there was a hint of excitement in her heart. Maybe the charge against the Richards Group would be solved soon!

    After a while, someone knocked on the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Jenna said in a steady voice.

    The half-closed door was pushed open.

    Octavia quietly came in.

    ¡°Octavia, how are you? We meet again.¡± Before she opened her mouth, Jenna smiled and greeted her.

    Octavia¡¯s face was haggard, with two dark circles under her eyes. It seemed that she had been struggling hard, thinking about the matter, and she looked a little sad.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards.¡± After Octavia walked in, she hesitated for a moment. Then, she knelt in front of Jenna and cried out in a choked voice.

    Jenna was shocked. She didn¡¯t expect that Octavia would do this. She was dazed and immediately went over to help her up.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, please help my mother and brother.¡± When Octavia looked up, she had already burst into tears and refused to stand up. She just held Jenna¡¯s hand and kept begging.

    Jenna¡¯s heart sank, and she seemed to understand something.

    ¡°Octavia, don¡¯t worry. Standup, and we will talk about it.Every problem has a solution. Don¡¯t worry, since you are here for me, you should trust me.¡± Jenna noticed that Octavia¡¯s face was full of tears. She cried bitterly, and her eyes were swollen. Jenna really couldn¡¯t bear it. So, she helped her up and seated her on the couch.

    Then, she poured a ss of water and handed it to her.

    Octavia sobbed and took a sip of the warm water. After the water entered her stomach, she calmed down a lot. Only then did she raise her head and sincerely uttered, ¡°Mrs. Richards, I am willing to cooperate with you to clear up the charge against Richards Group. There¡¯s only one condition, to ensure the safety of my mother and brother, and to cure their diseases.¡±

    As expected, Jenna understood it, and she smiled as she answered her decisively, ¡°Very well, I¡¯ve been waiting for these words of yours.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Richards. I used to help Zoe betray the Richards Group. Please forgive me.¡± She wiped her tears and added bitterly, ¡°I¡¯m already guilty. I don¡¯t care about the consequences anymore. However, my family is innocent. Nothing should happen to them. Please help my family.¡±

    Jenna slightly sighed and firmly promised her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will not only help your family but also ensure your safety. Although you have done something wrong, your crime is not punishable by death. I will arrange someone to protect you.¡±

    ¡°Madam, you are really a good person. Thank you.¡± When Octavia heard this, there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes, and she said gratefully.

    Jenna smiled and nodded to her.

    ¡°Madam, I cane out to testify against her. I have taken part in some matters. For example, I have collected your fingerprints as well as Mr. Hansen¡¯s fingerprints and nted an agent in the Richards Group. I have yed a part in all of these. Nheless, there is a video recording of the unauthorized disclosure of national security imnted into the navigation device of your luxury car. The evidence is still in Zoe¡¯s house. I will find a way to get it in a few days. Recently,Zoe had a miscarriage, and I¡¯m taking care of her at her house. It should not be difficult to get it out of there.¡± After Octavia calmed herself down, she immediately exined.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll wait for you. I¡¯ll send your mother and brother over by helicopter first, and then I¡¯ll settle their visas. I¡¯ll contact the best doctor there. A hospital in Sovento has extensive research on this slow poison. The toxicity isn¡¯t in their internal organs yet. It¡¯s not toote.¡± Jenna nodded quickly.

    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Richards.¡± Octavia¡¯s initially pale face became a little brighter after hearing Jenna¡¯s words. ¡°Madam, if there is a life after this, then I will try my best to pick up useful skills, choose a credible boss, and enter your Richards Group. It is just that my education is not good enough, and I¡¯m inexperienced. So, I entered this smallpany. I followed the wrong person and made a lifelong mistake.¡±

    Jenna nodded, smiled, and patted her hand. ¡°Octavia, I am most gratified that you havee to a realization. No matter what happens, your sentence won¡¯t be too heavy. As long as you cooperate with me now and go to the Public Security Department to turn yourself in as soon as possible and strive for generous treatment, I will help you. Please believe me, in the future, our Richards Group will need a lot of talents. No matter what kind of punishment you will get, after the matter is over, we will open our arms to wee you in the future.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s words were heartfelt and earnest. Octavia¡¯s eyes were full of tears. ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Richards.¡±

    She put her palms together gratefully and made a half bow to her.

    Jenna sighed and nodded.

    The two of them talked in the conference room for more than an hour, and finally, Octavia walked away with a serene expression.

    After Octavia left, Jenna was not rxed. Instead, she immediately dialed Lomen¡¯s number.

 Chapter 650 WellDeserved Punishment

    ¡°Lomen, from now on, you are to protect Octavia. Don¡¯t let Zoe hurt her. Also, use the private ne to transport Octavia¡¯s mother and brother to Sovento to cure their diseases. I have already contacted the doctors over there, and we need to get quick.¡± Jenna¡¯s tone was a little anxious. ¡°How about this? You should also bring along more security guards from Richards Manor. At this time, you must protect Octavia and her family.¡±

    When Lomen heard about Jenna¡¯s arrangement, he immediately understood and responded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madam, I will find someone to protect them.¡±

    After she put down the phone, Jenna¡¯s heart finally calmed down a little.

    As long as there was no ident here for Octavia, the charge against Richards Manor would be removed soon, and Zoe would also be exposed. Destroying this woman was equivalent to getting rid of a big worry in her heart.

    Jenna picked up the cup of water in her hand and was finally able to drink it slowly.

    Liya slept in Richards Manor until the afternoon. Then, she slowly walked out of the door.

    For the past few days, the people in Richards Manorseemed to treat her in a more rxed manner. She came in and out of the house, and no one stopped her at all. She was also delighted.

    After leaving Richards Manor, she went to a parking lot and found her luxury car. She drove it towards the seaside vi.

    The vi next to the seashore was very expensive. This was also a good ce for rich people to squander their time.

    Liya slowly drove to the gate, took out the main card, and drove the car in arrogantly.

    Behind her car, a ck sports car followed.

    Liya parked the car, carried her bag, and walked down. She came to the vi¡¯s door and pressed it open.

    Just as she was about to close the door behind her, a strong gust of wind blew towards her. Before Liya had a chance to see what was going on, she was hit by a heavy blow on her head, and she immediately fainted.

    When she woke up again, she was lying on the cold floor.

    Where was she?

    Liya felt a splitting headache and opened her eyes. The corner of her mouth was numb and bitter. Her hands were tied behind her, and she could not move.

    What the h*ll was going on? She opened her mouth and was about to shout.

    A middle-aged gangster with dark skin was staring at her with his fierce big eyes. His gaze was gloomy.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Liya quickly remembered the scene before she fainted. She understood that she had been kidnapped, and she immediately asked in terror.

    ¡°Is your name Liya?¡± The gangster asked coldly.

    ¡°Yes. Who are you? Why did you kidnap me?¡± Liya¡¯s heart was filled with fear, and she questioned viciously.

    ¡°You are the one we wanted to catch.¡± The man smiled gloomily and squatted down. Then, with a loud thud, he gave her a tight p and shouted angrily, ¡°B*tch, behave yourself. Cooperate with us without a fuss, and I will spare your life. Otherwise, you will die without a corpse.¡±

    Liya let out a blood-curdling scream, and blood began to flow from the corner of her lips. Half of her face quickly swelled up.

    She felt dizzy and was seeing stars.

    The man in front of her was fierce and aggressive, which made her scared to open her mouth.

    Liya raised her head and nced around the room in horror. This was her vi, and the three or four men in front of her, wearing ck clothes and ck pants, were staring at her with no expression on their faces. They were not good people at all.

    How did these men know about her vi?

    Liya¡¯s mind was rumbling, but she seemed to have understood something, and she calmed down a little.

    ¡°Who are you? Why did you kidnap me?¡± She spat out a mouthful of blood from the corner of her mouth and red at them.

    The gangster lit a cigarette, took a puff, and blew a smoke ring towards the air.

    ¡°B*tch, don¡¯t you know what you have done and who you have offended?¡± Heughed devilishly and stretched out his hands to pinch her chin fiercely. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, be honest and cooperate with me, or I¡¯ll r*pe you and kill you, and you¡¯ll have a tragic end.¡±

    The temperature in the air suddenly dropped, and Liya felt cold all over. She trembled and asked, ¡°Are you sent here by the Jones Group?¡±

    The gangster gave a cold snort and nced at her. ¡°You¡¯re reaping what you sowed. Be obedient and cooperate with me if you don¡¯t want to suffer much.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Liyaasked in terror.

    The man fiercely took a few whiffs of smoke and blew all of it onto Liya¡¯s face. Then, with an eerieugh, he reached out his hand towards the man standing next to him and coldly ordered, ¡°Hand it over.¡±

    The man standing next to him immediately took out a stack of thick documents from his briefcase, handed them to the gangster with both hands, and then took out a pencil from his pocket and handed it to him at the same time.

    ¡°Hurry up and sign all of this. After you sign it, I¡¯ll let you go.¡± The gangster waved the document in his hands in front of Liya¡¯s face as he spoke menacingly.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Liya¡¯s eyes widened.

    The man let out a disturbingugh andmanded the man next to him, ¡°Untie her hands.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± A subordinate next to him immediately acknowledged. He walked forward and loosened Liya¡¯s binds.

    As soon as she let go of Liya¡¯s hand, she instinctively got up and ran outside.

    The man frowned coldly. He took a step forward, grabbed her clothes and pulled them backwards. Liya immediately fell back. He gripped her throat with his hand and exerted some force.Liya¡¯sface turned purple, and her hands iled in the air.

    ¡°F*cking b*tch, you don¡¯t listen to me at all. Don¡¯t you believe that I¡¯m going to kill you right now?¡± The gangster cursed hatefully. Seeing that Liya¡¯s eyes were starting to be a bit unsteady, he loosened his grip.

    Liya gasped for air and copsed onto the ground.

    ¡°Come on, sign it for me.¡± The man grabbed the hair on the back of her head, lifted her face, and threw the stack of documents in front of her.

    Only after Liya had recovered did she turn to look at the documents.

    She was a high-caliber student and quickly understood the meaning of the documents in front of her.

    Those documents were the name changes in the property of this vi and the luxury car. It turned out that only in this way could Jones Group take back the vi and the luxury car given to her.

    Liya¡¯s eyes darkened. She shouted, ¡°Even if I were beaten to death, I still wouldn¡¯t sign it. Ask Oscar toe and see me now.¡±

    The gangster had a fierce glint in his eyes as he mocked her. ¡°You still want to see Oscar and swindle his money? Dream on. Who do you think you are? You¡¯re merely a wh*re, yet you want to obtain these assets? Then, you still need Matteo¡¯s approval. I¡¯ll let you know that Oscar bought these properties by using Matteo¡¯spany funds. That is illegal, and you should be smart and quickly sign it. Otherwise, Matteo will sue you in court as you have used seduction to swindle money, and you¡¯ll have to spend the rest of your life in prison.¡±

    When the gangster exined this, he lit another cigarette and took a deep drag. His face was full of impatience.

    ¡°F*cking wh*re, hurry up and sign it. Make my life easier.¡±

    At this point, Liya finally understood that it was Mr. Jones who discovered Oscar¡¯s behavior and wanted to take back the property.

    As expected, the Jones family¡¯s goons were merciless and heartless. If she couldn¡¯t get these, then wouldn¡¯t she be impregnated by Oscar for nothing?

    At the thought of this, Liya burst into tears and cried reluctantly, ¡°No, I have paid for these things. You have no reason to withdraw it. I want to appeal to thew and tell the media.¡±

    ¡°Appeal to thew?¡± The man burst intoughter. ¡°You? Think about whether you can walk out of here today. A woman like you is not qualified to talk about thew.¡±

    After saying that, he raised his head towards one of the followers beside him. A fierce-looking man walked over and stepped on Liya¡¯s hands. He took out a sharp knife and put it on her face.

    Liya only felt a heart-wrenching pain on her face, as well as her hands. She let out a miserable scream.

    ¡°Tell me, are you going to sign it or not?¡± The man looked at the sharp knife in his hand, with blood dripping down and a horrible smile on his face. ¡°You have to sign them today. Even if you don¡¯t, it¡¯s not up to you. If you don¡¯t sign it, then I¡¯ll immediately destroy you.¡±

    Warm liquid dripped down from her face. The thick smell of blood filled Liya¡¯s nose. When she smelled the aura of death, her five fingers didn¡¯t feel like they belonged to her anymore. That was a heart-piercing pain.

    Liya understood that she would not have a good end since these hoodlums had kidnapped her. It was not up to her whether she signed it or not.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll sign it.¡± She took a deep breath and answered, trembling all over.

    ¡°Hurry up. If you y tricks again, then I¡¯ll r*pe you in front of everyone, and then I¡¯ll use your hand to sign it.¡± The man¡¯s eyes were ferocious, and his face was full of malicious intent, and he threatened her fiercely.

    Liya¡¯s entire body was quivering in fear. She knew what these bullies were capable of, and right now, she didn¡¯t even know how badly her face was injured. In a state of despair, she picked up the pencil ced on the ground and blindly signed her name under their guidance.

    She didn¡¯t know how much time had passed before Liya finally finished signing.

    ¡°Go in and search first.¡± The gangster picked up the document in his hand and handed it to a man who looked like awyer next to him. The man carefully checked it and confirmed that it was correct. After that, he nodded, and the leading gangster ordered his men.

    Several of his men received the order and immediately went into the bedroom.

    After a while, all of Liya¡¯s gold, silver, jewelry, and essories were found.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I heard that you have a videotape. Where did you put it?¡± The gangster stared at the jewelry with his bright eyes and put them into the bag. Then, he turned back and asked fiercely.

    ¡°No, those jewels are mine. You can¡¯t take them away.¡± Seeing that the entire jewelry collection had been put into the man¡¯s pocket, Liya felt as though her heart had been cut by a knife. She cried out in agony.

    The man gave her a disgusted look and walked towards her. He coldly warned, ¡°If you want to threaten Oscar, then you have made a mistake in your schemes. Let me tell you. The Jones family is unlike the Richards family. It won¡¯t be easy for you to get the properties.A woman who is not smart is just like that, overestimating her own abilities, and getting her fingers burned.¡±

    ¡°Boss, take a look, are these right?¡± A man took out a box from the bedroom, which contained many U-disk and CD, and reported to the gangster.

    The gangster took a look at it and replied faintly, ¡°Whether it is or otherwise, we¡¯ll destroy them all.¡±

    ¡°Yes, boss.¡± The man immediately threw the box on the ground and smashed all those things with his shoes.

    When Liya opened her eyes, her face became deathly pale. All of the evidence she had was gone. Her vision went ck, and she fainted.

    The man nced at her and smiled. Knowing that he had found the right thing, he gave a look to the people around him.

    Someone immediately brought a basin of water from the kitchen and poured it over Liya¡¯s head.

    When Liya woke up from the depth of darkness, she saw the sinister and terrifying face of a vicious looking male.

    ¡°Boss, the medicine is here.¡± A man came with a steaming ck medicine soup and informed him loudly.

 Chapter 651 Tragic Sight

    ¡°Girl, we don¡¯t know who your baby belongs to. Some people don¡¯t like it very much. No matter what, you can¡¯t keep the baby. If you don¡¯t want to get rid of it, then we have to do it for you,¡± The gangster answered with a sinister smile.

    ¡°No, no. Doing something like this is illegal. I¡¯m going to sue you.¡± Liya covered her stomach with her hands, and her voice was filled with terror.

    ¡°Sue us?¡± The manughed. ¡°If you have the ability, then go ahead and sue us. Do you have proof? Do you think we¡¯re all like the Richards family? You can threaten them with just a piece of so-called evidence and torture them with it. I¡¯ll let you know that not only do you not have any proof, even if you manage to obtain it, you¡¯ll also be tortured to death by us unless you don¡¯t want your life anymore.¡±

    Speaking of this, the gangster no longer looked at her and ordered coldly, ¡°Force her to drink it.¡±

    Immediately, two men walked up to her and one of them grabbed her hair and pried open her mouth.

    The other one poured the bowl of medicine into her mouth without letting a drop of fluid leak out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t treat me like this.¡± Liya¡¯s head was grabbed by a man until all of the medicine was poured into her mouth. Only then did she burst out into tears.

    ¡°Throw her out. This is the Jones family¡¯s house. Don¡¯t dirty the ce.¡± The gangster let out a shout andmanded. Immediately, one of his subordinates carried Liya out of the estate gate as though she were a little chick.

    Oscar had forcefully taken back everything he bought for Liya. At this moment, Liya truly had nothing at all.

    The small valuables on her were also taken away by those evil scoundrels.

    At this time, she couldn¡¯t even cry. Even the guard at the gate chased her away disdainfully as she was a sore sight.

    Liya had no choice but to stand up and walk out embarrassedly. Her face and body were all filled with intense pain. An hourter, her stomach began to ache terribly as well.

    ¡°Miss Yates, good news. Liya has been tormented by Matteo. The vi, a luxury car, and all the jewelry that Oscar had given her were taken back. She is left with nothing.¡± Libby, who had been sent to follow Liya, reported the good news to Zoe on the phone.

    Zoewas lying on the bed, resting. These days, she was always restless, and her eyelids were twitching. Zoe was very upset. When she heard the news, she was not as pleasantly surprised as she had imagined. Instead, there was an indescribable feeling. Was it because she sympathized with Liya, as they had the same fate? She could not exin it clearly.

    Matteo was a cunning old fox. He was miserly and ruthless. It was already within Zoe¡¯s expectations that they would treat Liya like this. Liya was a despicable woman. So, she deserved this fate. However, she still felt uneasy in her heart.

    ¡°Miss Yates, you definitely didn¡¯t expect that the little b*tch Liya was pregnant. She had Oscar¡¯s child, and he wanted her to get rid of the child. Not only didn¡¯t she do that, but she also threatened to use those videos to threaten Oscar. This angered Matteo. Now, even the child in her belly was affected, and they have drugged her to get rid of the baby.¡± Libby continued to inform Zoe proudly on the other side.

    Zoe was so shocked that she opened her mouth wide.

    Liya was actually pregnant. Such a thing waspletely possible.

    Oscar was not scary, but Matteo was the truly terrifying one. This person didn¡¯t recognize anything apart from his own interests.

    At that time, Matteo had cooperated with her because she was a cash cow. Yet, now?

    Zoe rolled her dull eyes, and the expression on her face was very stiff.

    Needless to say, the child in Liya¡¯s belly was Oscar¡¯s. For a woman like her, Hansen wouldn¡¯t even touch her. Oscar should be the one who knew this best.

    Nheless, Matteo was so cold-blooded to his own kin. It was easy to imagine what would happen to Liya. It was impossible for her to get anything from the Jones family.

    The moreZoethought about it, the colder she felt, and she felt cold all over.

    Zoewrapped herself tightly around the sheets on her body, and her face was pale.

    It was difficult forZoeto be useful anymore. Would Matteo treat her the same way?

    If Matteo andZoefell out with each other, then she would lose a reliable backer. Then, what else could she have? How could she revive the business of the Yates family?

    She lowered her head and she had lost all hope.

    The door opened and Octavia came in with a smile.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Miss Yates, it¡¯s time to take the medicine.¡± She walked in, picked up the medicine box in front of the desk, took the boiled water, sent it to her bedside, and reminded her softly.

    ¡°Octavia, we have to hurry up and take action.¡± At this time, she had already realized that victory could not be achieved. The second best choice was to get the Ocean Heart, go abroad, and never return.

    If Zoe wanted to live a better life in a foreignnd, it would be more appropriate to obtain that treasure.

    Octavia bowed her head and took her cup of water. She asked softly, ¡°Miss Yates, what are you going to do?¡±

    Zoe¡¯s gloomy eyes revealed a gleam light. ¡°You have to obtain it no matter what. From what I know, right now, Sergio is also coveting this treasure. I won¡¯t let him obtain it. As for that idiot Liya, I¡¯m the only one who can take advantage of her. I¡¯m determined to obtain this treasure. If I get it, then I¡¯ll leave immediately.¡±

    While talking like this, after a while, Zoe finally remembered something and turned to Octavia and assured her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After I get the treasure, I¡¯ll send your mother and brother to Sovento immediately. I¡¯ll give you a big sum of money, so that you won¡¯t have to worry about your basic needs.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Miss Yates,¡± Octavia smiled and answered happily, but she knew it well. As for whether Zoe could get the treasure, even if she could get it, she would not be able to control Octavia again.Yadriel and Sergio were eyeing jealously from the sidelines, and it would be difficult for her to escape.

    Octavia would never bet her own family¡¯s lives.

    After Octavia went out, Zoe immediately picked up the phone. ¡°Letty, Liya has been abandoned by Oscar. She has nothing at all. She will not be satisfied. She will definitely grasp the weakness of the Richards family. These days, she will definitely do everything possible to stay in theRichards family. In the absence of any benefits, she will definitely search for the Ocean Heart frantically. Keep a close eye on her. Once she gets it, you must grab it regardless of all the consequences.¡±

    Letty understood what she meant and immediately replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have asked Liya to search Vivian¡¯s bedroom at night. I didn¡¯t expect that Marissa would find her. She pushed Marissa down in a panic. Now, she has a fracture in her thigh, and she had a concussion. She is still in the hospital.¡±

    Letty smiled, looking very pleased with herself.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Zoe nodded. ¡°The Richards family has been in the most chaotic state in the past two days. It¡¯s best to strike now as they¡¯re at their most vulnerable. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be toote if we don¡¯t.¡±

    She analyzed the situation in this way. Thinking that when Hansen went to Capital City, it was hard to tell who would win the fight between him and Yadriel as well as Sergio. No matter who won or lost, it was not conducive to her treasure-snatching scheme.

    If Hansen won, then he would only be stronger, and she wouldn¡¯t even be able to obtain the treasure. If Sergio won, then he wouldn¡¯t hand the treasure over to others. Zoe knew this better than anyone else.

    Hence, if she wanted to obtain this treasure easily, then these few days¡¯ time would be the best. These few days, the Richards family¡¯s people had gone to deal with the Xanthe family. Those who stayed at the house were old and sick. Marissa was even injured. Jenna had to take care of thepany, and she was pregnant. This chance could not be any better!

    With this thought, the corners of Zoe¡¯s lips curled into a smile.

    Jenna finished dealing with thepany matters in the morning and visited Marissa at noon. In the afternoon, she dragged her tired body back home. Fortunately, Sabrina took charge of the workarrangementin the Ink Garden, which saved her a lot of trouble.

    First, Jenna went to Vivian¡¯s bedroom to check on her. Then, she turned back to the guest room and prepared to have a good rest. Her belly had been bloated these few days. Even though a medical team was ready to take care of her and check up on her at all times, she realized that she did not even have the time for that. She had been busy in thepany for the past few days. Even though ude had taken up a portion of the responsibility, she had to sign the papers everyday. She was exhausted after handling a few health check-up projects.

    Jennaid her head on the pillow, and she was about to fall asleep.

    The internal telephone in the guest room rang.

    She got up and picked up the phone.

    ¡°Madam, something bad happened. Liya fainted on the main road of Richards Manor. Her entire body is covered in blood. It¡¯s terrifying.¡± Maud¡¯s anxious voice could be heard from the other end of the line.

    What? Jenna was stunned when she heard the news.

    ¡°Why did she faint on the road? Did someone hit her?¡± She frowned and asked in disbelief.

    ¡°Madam, I heard from the guard that Liya has been like this since she came back from the outside. She came in and walked for a while and then fainted.¡± Maud told her what he knew.

    Jenna understood the urgency of the matter and immediately hung up the phone and walked out.

    Soon, the electric vehicle stopped by Liya¡¯s side.

    Some servants had already gathered around Liya and were watching her curiously. They whispered to each other.

    Jenna frowned. As soon as she got out of the electric car, a strong smell of blood drifted over, and she almost vomited as she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

    The scene in front of her caught her by surprise, and she was dumbfounded.

    The messy Liya was lying on the road. Her lower body was full of blood, which was dark red. Even the road beneath her was soaked in blood. It was a tragic sight.

    Jenna endured the ufortable feeling in her stomach and bent down. She noticed that there were two deep blood stains on Liya¡¯s pale face, crossing each other. The blood on the wound coagted and blurred, which was terrible.

    At this moment, Liya¡¯s eyes were tightly closed as she sank into a deep unconscious state.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was beating fast. She held her breath and was deep in thought. It seemed that Liya had been attacked by hoodlums. The reason behind it was definitely not simple. It was veryplicated.

    ¡°Maud, hurry up and call the police. Call the hospital.¡± She stood up and said to Maud.

    After hearing the order, Maud immediately started getting busy.

    Soon, the police came over. Seeing this situation, they immediately took pictures and cut off the crowd.

    The ambnce also rushed over.

    The policeman considered Liya¡¯s life-threatening condition and immediately carried her to the ambnce. Jenna requested for Maud to go to the hospital with Liya.

    Then, she ordered someone to rinse off the bloodstains on the road, and she returned to the Ink Garden¡¯s guest room using the electric car. Jenna could not stop thinking about what the woman had done outside and what kind of people she had offended. How did she end up like this?

 Chapter 652 Begin To Strike Back

    Later on, when Maud came back, he immediately reported the situation to Jenna.

    ¡°You mean that Liya is pregnant?¡± Jenna eximed in surprise.

    ¡°Madam, the doctor mentioned that she was pregnant for more than two months. It is obvious that she took some medicine today, and she had a miscarriage,¡± Maud informed with a lingering fear.

    Pregnant? Jenna narrowed her eyes. Lomen mentioned that Liya was being taken care of by Oscar. Hence, it meant that she was pregnant with Oscar¡¯s child. Then, why did she need to take the medicine? If she didn¡¯t want the child, then she could totally go to the hospital and get rid of her baby. Why did she have to drink the medicine alone? It was so dangerous.

    She couldn¡¯t figure out why, and she didn¡¯t see the need to spend so much time and energy on it. After all, this woman was too vicious.

    ¡°Madam, Liya ispletely destroyed. I heard the doctor say that because she had arge amount of medication, the toxicity was too great, and her womb was infected. Hence, her reproductive system is badly damaged. It was very likely that she wouldn¡¯t be able to get pregnant anymore. Moreover, her face had been disfigured, and she needed more than twenty stitches. It seems like she had offended a vicious person, which was why she ended up in this state,¡± Maud uttered with much hatred.

    Jenna was frightened when she heard this. How painful it would be for a woman to lose her ability to bear a child and be disfigured!

    It must be true then that all would receive their just punishments. Liya had brought on her own destruction.

    Jenna sat in shock as she ced her hand on her lower abdomen. Her heart was beating very fast. These days, she especially missed Hansen and wanted to lean on him to alleviate the burden.

    ¡°Madam, shall we just let Liya be in the hospital? She¡¯s not from Richards Manor. Now that she¡¯s pregnant with another man¡¯s child, we can chase her away with this scandal. Regardless of the authenticity of the will.¡± Maud suggested. He had paid for the deposit of Liya¡¯s hospitalization. He really felt that there was no need to care about the woman who tended to act recklessly.

    Jenna thought about it. If she had self-awareness, then it would have been fine for her to leave Richards Manor just like that. Marissa¡¯s fall, falsifying a will, and stealing her things, all of these were severe crimes. However, now that she was in such a state, it was her retribution. If she could leave tactfully, then why would she have to force one person into such a hopeless situation?

    Jenna nodded immediately and agreed. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it. As for her illness and disfigurement, we¡¯ve called the police for her. Let¡¯s leave it to the police. I hope she can change herself and be a different person in the future.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Madam is such a generous person. If it were someone else, then she would definitely expose her crimes and let the police handle it and give her jail time.¡± Butler Maud sighed.

    Jenna chuckled. ¡°Forget it. Anyone can make mistakes, and we should forgive them when possible. It¡¯s the past. So, let¡¯s just let it go.¡±

    As she spoke, Maud took his leave and went back toplete his chores. Lying on the bed with her clothes, she closed her eyes and touched her stomach with her hands. The horrible sight of Liya¡¯s state had left a lingering fear in her heart. At this moment, she wished she could lean in Hansen¡¯s familiar embrace, and when she smelled his scent, she could rest peacefully. However, how was Hansen doing at this time? Where was he? Although Jaqueline hade to report his safety on behalf of Johan, Jenna was still in a state of panic. She had not been able to get through to his phone for the past two days.

    Jenna slightly closed her eyes. She was such a sensitive person!

    She was thinking about Liya¡¯s current state.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    They were both women. So, it was easy to imagine how much a blow it would be for a woman to be disfigured and be infertile.

    A person who didn¡¯t know how to respect themselves,who didn¡¯t understand self-love, and did evil deeds, would definitely not have a good ending.

    Perhaps after such a tragic situation, Liya woulde to her senses and change her ways. She would be more down-to-earth. Jenna had also thought about it. As long as Liya could correct her own mistakes, even if she tampered with the will, and the final result came out, she would not look into it. Jenna would just let it go.

    As she was thinking about the matters, she fell asleep because she was physically and mentally exhausted.

    Hansen took Paul and Christopher on the military helicopter that Johan had prepared for them and flew directly towards the war-torn country.

    Yadriel did not expect that Johan was protecting Hansen. What was more, he came to the war-torn country to gather the evidence of his crime.

    Yadriel had cultivated a troupe of disposable brave soldiers. Some of them had dedicated their lives to Yadriel since they were children. Whenever they had an arms deal, it was done by these expendable soldiers.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I think Yadriel has already gone crazy. He even dares to do such a thing in such a dire situation. If we can get something on him this time, then he will definitely be destroyed.¡± Christopher was very disgusted with the behavior of Yadriel.

    Hansen smiled. ¡°At this time, if he doesn¡¯t carry out this weapons transaction, then he willpletely lose the election. He has been backed into a corner. So, he can only take risks in his desperation.¡±

    Hearing this, Christopher patted him on the shoulder andmented. ¡°Amazing, Mr. Richards. Whoever is against you will die miserably in the end. It seems that I have to curry favor with you so as not to offend you identally. Otherwise, I won¡¯t even know how I died.¡±

    Hansen pped his hand away and warned him. ¡°Go to h*ll, be serious. If you can¡¯t get evidence today, then thousands of people in our Richards Group will have to depend on you to survive. At that time, you¡¯ll be beaten up.¡±

    Hearing this, Christopherughed. ¡°Come on. If I can¡¯t afford to offend them, then I can at least hide from them.¡±

    After the nended, Hansen and Christopher quickly contacted Alvin and the police. After a meeting and discussion, they came up with a n and decided to split up in several ces to hide.

    However, after two whole days had passed, there was no movement between Yadriel and the terrorists.

    Christopher was dumbfounded. Hansen was beginning to grow anxious!

    The next election was about to begin the next day. If Yadriel did not act, then would there be any more money to deal with the next election?

    Could it be that since he was experienced and resourceful, he had made other ns?

    Thinking of this, Hansen called Luqman.

    ¡°Chief, we must persevere in the uing election and exert all our resources to deal with Yadriel. In this way, he can¡¯t hold on any longer and will definitely carry out this arms and ammunition transaction. You must keep cool.¡± After he talked about the situation on the other side of the line, Hansen ordered Luqman seriously.

    It seemed that unless Yadriel was forced to a dead end, he wouldn¡¯t act. After all, this move was too dangerous. This cunning man would not show up until he was at a crucial moment and when he was desperate.

    Luqman was an intelligent person. Of course, he understood the meaning behind this. His face was full of heavy emotions. With the support of Hansen, he had put in all his effort to persist until this point with Yadriel. After this, he really did not have the resources to fight him to the death.

    However, to this day, what surprised him was that through Hansen, he saw Johan, who was supporting Hansen. With the backing of such authority, he was confident.

    Therefore, Luqman gritted his teeth and assured him. ¡°Mr. Richards, don¡¯t worry. I am thinking of ways to raise funds here. I will do my best to support you. I must force him out.¡±

    Hansen smiled. ¡°He¡¯s bluffing and is ingeniously dealing with this matter. Maybe he will take action after the second day of the election. After all, his current situation is not much better than yours. Moreover, many people are suspicious of him and have already given up their tickets. If Johan acts in secret, then there will be fewer people supporting him.¡±

    Luqman¡¯s face was filled with joy. ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s my good fortune to have met you in this life.¡±

    Hansenughed. ¡°Chief, don¡¯t be so polite. Fate brought us together. We are also doing our best to get rid of the viins for the people. We can¡¯t control sess or failure, but we must always firmly believe that evil cannot win.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Luqman hastily agreed. ¡°As expected, I didn¡¯t make a mistake. With your support, I believe that sess is not far away.¡±

    The two chatted for a while before ending the call.

    In the president¡¯s office on the 88th floor of theInternational Kinsey Center.

    Jenna sat on the couch and was reading the information in her hand.

    There was a rhythmic knock at the door.

    ¡°Pleasee in.¡± Jenna¡¯s voice was crisp and clear.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± The Richards family¡¯s designatedwyer, Mr. Olsen, came in and greeted her very respectfully.

    Jenna raised her head and smiled. ¡°Mr. Olsen, please take a seat.¡±

    She pointed to the couch across from her.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mr. Olsen sat down on the opposite couch in a decent manner. Yuri served them tea.

    ¡°Mr. Olsen, look at these first. Can we dismiss the charges against the Richards Group with these?¡± Jenna asked straightforwardly as she handed over the information in her hand to Mr. Olsen.

    Mr. Olsen took the documents with both hands and studied them carefully. After a while, he looked up and uttered, ¡°Madam, this evidence should be enough. How about this? I will immediately organize awyer team and directly appeal to the court. This way, Mr. Richards will be able toe out safely soon.¡±

    As Mr. Olsen spoke, his face was full of excitement, and there was joy between his eyebrows.

    Jenna didn¡¯t look rxed and just nodded. After thinking for a while, she slowly spoke.

    ¡°Mr. Olsen, as far as I¡¯m concerned, can we convict Zoe with just these?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s ultimate purpose was to eradicate Zoe. She must try her best to achieve her goal.

    Mr. Olsen looked over again and sighed. ¡°Madam, she can be convicted of her crimes, but with these pieces of evidence, it seems that her crimes are still minimal. Even if she goes in, just by paying the fine and using her connections, she will be out in no time. All the evidence in this case is pointed at Octavia.¡±

    Mr. Olsen waved the document in his hand, and there was some regret in his voice.

    Jenna raised her eyebrows, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

    Zoe was the most cunning woman in the world. She had no humanity at all.

    ¡°Well, no matter what, let¡¯s move first and remove the charge against the Richards Group. I want Hansen toe out with a great scope. Next, I will contact all the media outlets and hold a press conference to clear the Richards Group¡¯s name as well as Hansen¡¯s,¡± Jenna said, word by word, and her voice was clear and firm.

    ¡°Okay, Madam.¡± Mr. Olsen stood up, and the admiration in his heart came out naturally. He bent over, picked up the documents, and carefully put them away. ¡°Madam, I will immediately start the appeal. The day will soone.¡±

    After saying this, he cautiously left.

 Chapter 653 Gloating

    Jenna breathed a sigh of relief, and her expression was still heavy. Octavia¡¯s gaunt face emerged in her mind. As she expected, Zoe had pushed all the me to this woman. If thewyer¡¯s team leaked the evidence, Octavia would face a serious catastrophe of imprisonment, which she did not want to see.

    Jenna took out her cell phone and dialed Octavia¡¯s number.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, thank you for sending my mother and brother to Sovento. Their illness depends on your care.¡± As soon as Octavia picked up Jenna¡¯s phone, she cried and eximed excitedly.

    Jenna held the phone and did not speak for a long time until she calmed down. Then, she uttered slowly, ¡°Octavia, you have to be mentally prepared. Zoe has med you for all the crimes, and you have be a scapegoat.¡±

    Hearing this, Octavia smiled sadly. ¡°Madam, I have known about it for a long time. I have done something wrong, and I deserve it. I am willing to be punished as long as my mother and brother are safe and healthy. I have been with the wrong person and I can¡¯t distinguish between right and wrong. This is my retribution. I have no regrets.¡±

    Octavia remained calm and undaunted even though she might have to bear Zoe¡¯s crimes. She was well aware of this, and she didn¡¯t me anyone.

    Jenna sighed. ¡°No, Octavia, all this is not for you to bear. Although you have done wrong, you should not bear the responsibility that doesn¡¯t belong to you. This is also sphemy in the eyes of thew. You should utilize thew, find evidence for yourself and clear your name. To tell the truth, Octavia, I don¡¯t want to see you be a prisoner. I am willing to help you, but the premise is that you have to fight for yourself and cooperate with me.¡±

    Octavia¡¯s face shed a gloomy light of pain. She held her cell phone tightly. She understood what Jenna was saying, but she did not have the courage to clear her name. These had long been nned, step by step, by Zoe. It was not easy to overthrow the evidence. Could she defeat Zoe?

    ¡°Madam, thank you for your kindness. I¡¯m already happy that the Richards Group can remove the charge against them. My matter is not important. So, let¡¯s forget about it,¡± Octavia responded and hung up the phone hopelessly.

    Jenna closed her eyes and sighed.

    The door knocked again.

    Jenna turned back, and John appeared in the office. She was so shocked that her mouth opened wide.

    ¡°John, why are you back? Where is Mr. Richards?¡±

    ¡°Madam.¡± John smiled and answered respectfully, ¡°Mr. Richards asked me toe back to protect you.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Jenna¡¯s face fell upon hearing those words. ¡°I am fine now, and there is no need for you to protect me. At this moment, Yadriel is the main opponent, a powerful figure. You should go back to help Mr. Richards immediately.¡±

    The charge against the Richards Group would be lifted soon, and Liya had already been moved into the hospital. So,what else could she do? If they did not get rid of their rival, Yadriel, even if she removed Zoe¡¯s attempt on framing the Richards Group, he would use all other excuses to ce it on the Richards Group. He would not let the Richards Group off. Furthermore, if he were to be elected, then he would be irresponsible towards the citizens. Jenna would not be unable to distinguish this order. Hence, she anxiously requested John to return and protect Hansen.

    John understood that Jenna did not know about Hansen¡¯s recent situation in Capital City, and she did not know that he had already gone to the war-torn country. Thinking that Hansen did not tell her this because he was afraid that she would be scared, John smiled. ¡°Madam, what Mr. Richards is most worried about is your safety. As long as he can protect you, he will be able to handle the big matters. It would help if you trusted Mr. Richards¡¯s arrangement. Since I¡¯m back, I don¡¯t dare disobey his orders anymore.¡±

    Jenna was stunned for a moment, and she secretly sighed slightly. There was no other way.

    ¡°Alright, then go back to Richards Manor and get some rest. I¡¯ll call you if there¡¯s something.¡± Jenna thought for a moment and could only order in this way.

    John had just left when Lomen returned.

    ¡°Madam, the matter at Octavia¡¯s ce hase to an end. Her mother and brother have safely arrived in S City. We have also arranged for the doctors,¡± Lomen reported to her.

    Jenna nodded and sighed. ¡°Lomen, I don¡¯t think the current result is the best. Zoe has pushed all the me to Octavia. Although the charge against our Richards Group will be removed, the real murderer, Zoe, is still atrge. This is not a good thing. The woman is scheming. I am afraid that she will do something unfavorable to the Richards Group in the future. Moreover, I can¡¯t just let Octavia be framed like this. At this time, I have to ask you to continue to watch Zoe and see if you can find a breakthrough.¡±

    Jenna spoke with much distress, and the expression on her face was a little pained and regretful.

    Lomen nodded, and he replied softly, ¡°Madam, when you and Mr. Richards were still in Wullen Town, Mr. Trevor asked me to follow Zoe for a period of time. At that time, she was still preparing for the Miss Universepetition. She came up with a new online shopping mode. This mode is still profitable and popr. Zoe is smart and capable. It¡¯s a pity that her mentality was twisted, and she chose the wrong path. She had many killers by her side. It wasn¡¯t easy to follow her closely. I followed her for a period of time, and it didn¡¯t work. If we follow her now, then it won¡¯t have much effect. Madam, you are the one who can get the evidence for the Richards Group. It¡¯s incredible for you to make a move through Octavia. However, we are really not sure about what to do next.¡±

    This kind of analysis was pertinent, and Jenna was also well aware of it. She was pacing around in the office. ¡°Shall we let her go unpunished like this?¡±

    She couldn¡¯t say how heavy her heart was.

    Lomen sighed slightly and responded, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t worry. Her thoughts are seriously distorted, and she will not give up. On the contrary, she will definitely give herself away. The Public Security Department has discovered her identity and regards her as a key person of interest. Let¡¯s wait and see. Something will happen to her sooner orter. It won¡¯t be too long.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the only way now.¡± Jenna gently sighed. ¡°You¡¯d better pay more attention and try to help Octavia.¡±

    Jenna was not worried that Zoe would kill Octavia. After all, she had to take the me for her.

    ¡°Okay, Madam, I will.¡± Lomen smiled, and then he left.

    When Liya woke up from hera, she saw the white curtains. There was a dull paining from her belly, and her face was also in severe pain.

    She opened her eyes and only realized that she was in the hospital after a long while.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    How did she end up in the hospital?

    Gradually, she shivered and recalled what happened.

    She was forced to drink the medicine by a bunch of gangsters, and then she was thrown out like a piece of trash. She took out the little money she had, got on a bus alone, and was helpless.

    She remembered that before she fainted, there was only one thought in her mind. That was, she must return to Richards Manor. Only when she returned could there be hope for her to live, and only then could she avoid dying in vain.

    At that moment, she thought of what Reid had said before he died. He wanted her to live a peaceful life in Richards Manor and live a happy life. He would look after her in heaven.

    At this moment, she finally realized how absurd her acts were before.

    Shey quietly on the bed and rested for two days.

    In the past two days, Liya had found out that she had lost the ability to give birth. She took the mirror and saw the face wrapped with gauze. There were so many stitches on it. She could not remember how many stitches there were, and neither did she want to remember.

    She was thinking about how to continue her life.

    On the third day, she was lying in bed.

    The door opened.

    She opened her eyes and was shocked.

    Zoe was standing in front of her, looking at her expressionlessly.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Liya asked coldly.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to see you make a fool of yourself. Look at your miserable state, and look at what happens after you went rogue.¡± Zoe¡¯s face revealed a gloating smile, and her words were cruel and shrill.

    Liya¡¯s face turned pale and she sneered. ¡°B*tch, if youugh at me, then you¡¯ll only end up worse than me.¡±

    She retorted without mercy.

    Zoe¡¯s eyes were dark and fierce, and the expression on her face was so cold that it made her terrifying.

    She bent down and red at her. ¡°Liya, do you know why you ended up in such a pathetic state?¡±

    When Liya¡¯s eyes met Zoe¡¯s unfathomable gaze, she trembled all over.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Liya asked vigntly.

    Zoe suddenly burst outughing.

    Liya¡¯s face was full of anger. ¡°B*tch, I was living well, but you found me. Now I¡¯vee to this end because of you. How dare youugh at me? You are f*cking shameless. You even told me that you gave me the money to support me. In fact, it was always Vivian who sponsored me. You¡¯re really audacious. I ended up in this state, and you¡¯ll suffer even worse than me.¡±

    Liya gritted her teeth and cursed. The anger in her eyes was so strong that she wanted to kill her.

    Zoe¡¯s smile gradually froze, and the light in her eyes was as cold as frost.

    ¡°Do you think that Matteo is Oscar? I have long expected you would end up like this. In this world, only when you¡¯re strong will one have dignity, and others will respect you. Don¡¯t expect anyone to do something to you. That¡¯s just fantasy! Think about it, why did Vivian give you that sum of money? It was because she wronged your mother. As for what she gave you, it¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t you think that she was just being kind to help you? Don¡¯t forget, how did Reid die? He died in Richards Manor and was assassinated. I came here today to remind youkindlythat a woman like you, who has been disfigured and unable to bear a child, that which man would want you in the future? What kind of life do you want?¡± Zoe¡¯s words were like a sharp knife that pierced Liya¡¯s heart.

    This was the question that Liya had thought about the most in the past two days. She had nothing at all. How could she continue to live in the future?

    It was impossible for her to stay in Richards Manor. With her current state, even Hansen wouldn¡¯t even spare her a nce. What right did she have to stay in Richards Manor?

    What the Jones family had done to her made her lose the courage to stay with theRichards family.

 Chapter 654 Work Together

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to remind me. You¡¯re not a good person.¡± Liya looked ferocious, and her expression was terribly twisted. She held onto the nket, and her eyes were filled with despair. ¡°Oscar, you¡¯ve ruined me. I won¡¯t spare you.¡±

    Zoe looked at her coldly.

    ¡°Zoe, it was you who nned for Oscar to ruin me. You¡¯re a demon, and I won¡¯t let you off either.¡± After Liya sobered up a little, she looked sharply at Zoe and gritted her teeth.

    A hint of a sinister smile shed across Zoe¡¯s face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that it was you who betrayed me first. For a shameless woman like you had the chance to be fooled by Oscar, it could already be considered as treating you well.¡± Zoe noticed the rage in Liya¡¯s eyes and recalled the matter schemed by Liya that night. Liya and Zoe served Oscar that night, and he brutally ravaged her. Moreover, Oscar kicked the child in Zoe¡¯s belly, and she suffered a miscarriage. Her eyes were also bloodshot, and her gaze could be said to be vicious.

    The two women¡¯s eyes were full of murderous intent and unwillingness. They looked at each other furiously with confrontation.

    Then, they began to curse each other and even began to tear at each other.

    When all the anger was unleashed, they were discouraged and lowered their heads.

    The room was quiet, and there was indescribable sorrow in the air.

    Zoe¡¯s head slowly cleared up. She finally understood why she hade to look for Liya that day.

    After adjusting her clothes that had been torn into a mess by Liya, Zoe steadied herself and reminded her seriously. ¡°Liya, things have already developed to this point. You aren¡¯t doing well, and I¡¯m simrly not doing well, but we still haven¡¯t reached a desperate situation. At this time, we should all unite and fight for our final victory.¡±

    Liya raised her head out of despair and looked at Zoe in confusion.

    Liya, you hate Oscar, and I hate him too. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll avenge you.¡± Zoe spoke convincingly, ¡°Matteo manipted me and used me to make a profit of a hundred million dors, perhaps even more. Yet, now that I¡¯m in dire straits, that old thing wants to add insult to injury. He wants to dispel hispany and shake me off. Even though I¡¯m a viin, I don¡¯t like such meticulous calctions. He¡¯s a scheming and calctive person that hits another when they¡¯re down. Furthermore, he¡¯s a man. Yet, he forced a woman to a dead end. I want to take that money back from hispany, or even more.¡±

    As Zoe spoke, she took a step forward and looked at Liya. ¡°You should believe me. I¡¯m also someone who was abandoned by the Jones family. Theyck virtue. So, I have to make them suffer a lot. My strength is the business field. How about this? From now on, follow my orders, and when it¡¯s done, I¡¯ll pay you fifty million dors aspensation, enough for your future living expenses. What do you think?¡±

    Zoetried to lure Liya into doing so.

    Liya sat there in a daze. She didn¡¯t know if she should believe what she had just said.

    Surely enough, the fifty million dor reward made the despairing Liya¡¯s eyes shine. Disappointed, she looked atZoeas if she was an alien and asked disbelievingly, ¡°Zoe, are you talking in your sleep?¡±

    Zoe smiled confidently and raised her eyebrows. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also willing to believe you, but why should I? Moreover, why would you give me fifty million? Is there still a free lunch in the world? What¡¯s more, how can I believe a woman who goes back on her word like you?¡± Liya really neither thought highly ofZoe, nor did she believe in her nonsense. So, she retorted coldly at the moment.

    Zoe did not answer her. She just opened her leather bag, took out a check from it, and waved it in front of her. ¡°Look, here is ten million dors. The deposit. As long as you are willing to follow me, in the future, if you listen to me, then you can take the ten million dors now.¡±

    Liya¡¯s eyes stared at the cheque in her hands. She turned left and right, but she began to make a n.

    She was penniless now, and getting a proper meal was a problem. If Liya wanted to find a job, then she could not live the life of working everyday and only taking a few thousand dors a month. No matter what, Zoe could pay her ten million dors in advance. It was not a small number for her. It did not matter whether she was sincere or not. After all, a woman like Zoe could not be trusted. It was better to cheat her of ten million dors first.

    As Liya thought so, she asked, ¡°Is thechequein your hand genuine?¡±

    Zoe smiled. ¡°Whether it¡¯s true or not, you can check it out in the bankter. You wouldn¡¯t believe my answer regardless. What¡¯s more, now, I¡¯m giving you money. Real or otherwise, you haven¡¯t done anything for me yet. Even if I give you a fake one, you won¡¯t lose anything. If I don¡¯t give you the real one, then what else can you do for me?¡±

    After hearing this, Liya firmly believed thechequein her hand, but she couldn¡¯t understand it. She was already in this state. What else would Zoe need her for?

    There was no way for her to seduce Hansen with her current state!Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    As if Zoe had seen through Liya¡¯s doubts, she smiled and asked, ¡°You only need to answer whether you agree or otherwise.¡±

    Liya sighed and gritted her teeth. ¡°I¡¯m in this situation right now. What else can I do other than to promise you, but you mustn¡¯t lie to me. If thatchequeis fake, then you won¡¯t extort anything from me. I have nothing left.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Zoeughed loudly as she spoke. With a wave of her hand, a ten-million-dorchequewas handed to Liya.

    Liya looked at the cheque in her hands as if she was dreaming. She squeezed it with all her might, as if she was trying to prove its existence.

    A cold smile shed across the corners of Zoe¡¯s mouth as she watched her movement.

    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± A momentter, Liya calmed down, and only then did she raise her head to ask this question.

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Go back to Richards Manor,¡± Zoe answered briefly.

    Did she need to return to Richards Manor? Liya was stunned. She was no longer nning to go back there.

    Immediately, she shook her head. ¡°You think it¡¯s so simple. Everyone in Richards Manorknows about my condition. Do you really think they¡¯ll allow me to move in?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Zoe did not hesitate and replied loudly.

    Liya was stunned for a moment. Then, she looked at her with suspicion.

    ¡°Let me tell you something. The highlight of Richards Manoris about to begin. How can we miss out on such a good show?¡± Zoeughed in a weird manner.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Liya didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to understand anything. Return to Richards Manortomorrow after you¡¯re discharged from the hospital. Hansen is still in Capital City. The current members of the family are mostly old and frail. It¡¯s a good time for us to strike,¡± Zoe replied mysteriously.

    Liya blinked her eyes, looking a little confused. ¡°But how am I supposed to enter Richards Manor? I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll let me in.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really a f*ckingfool.¡±

    Zoe was a little impatient. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re still Hansen¡¯s second wife that Vivian noted in her will. This will still have a legal effect on you. Don¡¯t you know how to enter Richards Manor with the will? The Richards family isn¡¯t like the Jones family, and you should know that.¡±

    After Zoe¡¯s reminder, Liya finally came to her senses. She finally understood, but soon she had a doubt in her heart. What was the will? Others didn¡¯t know, but she knew very well. Even if she stayed there, it was widely known that she had a miscarriage. If the will was found out to be fake, then it was impossible for her to stay there for too long. Was this okay?

    Zoe sneered. ¡°I know that you changed the will, and it will be exposed sooner orter. Trevor has sent your will to confirm its authenticity. As soon as the resultes out, they can send you to jail.¡±

    Liya¡¯s face turned white. She looked at Zoe in horror. ¡°How did you find out?¡±

    Zoeughed, proudly saying, ¡°You¡¯ve underestimated me. Others don¡¯t understand you, but I do. Who are you? Would Vivian allow such an outstanding grandson to take you as his second wife? As long as one thought it out properly, they would know. Not only I knew about it, but the members of the Richards family are also well aware of it. However, a family like theirs not only cares about reputation. They care about morality and conduct. They won¡¯t touch you if there¡¯s no evidence. This is an opportunity for you to take advantage of. The result won¡¯t be out soon. Thus, you can take this opportunity to go to the Richards family. It won¡¯t be long. Perhaps, it will take a week. That way, you can aplish the task and then you can travel away with this fifty million dors. Otherwise¡­¡±

    Zoe gave a sinisterugh. ¡°If the results are out, then you¡¯ll only be able to spend the rest of your life in prison. It doesn¡¯t matter if you work with me or not. The result will be the same, and you¡¯ll end up like Aria in jail. You should know what happened to her right now, right? She¡¯s been tortured to the point of going crazy in prison.¡±

    Hearing this, Liya¡¯s face turned pale, and her entire body began to grow cold.

    ¡°But on the contrary, if you cooperate with me, then you can still take the fifty million dors. After a few days, you can escape to the USA and live a good life there. You know the other benefits without needing me to tell you.¡±

    Liya¡¯s brain was moving at a high speed. Zoe¡¯s words were true. Right now, she could only traverse this path.

    ¡°Then, why do you want me to enter Richards Manor?¡± Liya made up her mind and asked seriously.

    ¡°It¡¯s straightforward. Cooperate with Letty and obtain the Ocean Heart,¡± Zoe immediately uttered word by word.

    As soon as these words left her mouth, Liya immediately sucked in a cold breath.

    ¡°It turns out that it was you who sent Letty. For the sake of the Ocean Heart, you¡¯ve been using me for a long time.¡± Thinking of what Letty had said to her, Liya¡¯s face changed.

    Zoe smiled arrogantly. ¡°Right now, my goal is the Ocean Heart. After I get it, I¡¯m going to stay far away from thisnd.¡±

    Liya couldn¡¯t help but to sneer. ¡°You really have a big appetite. Everyone wants that kind of treasure. If I get it, then will I give it to you?¡±

    Zoe chuckled confidently. ¡°Without me, you won¡¯t be able to get it. With your level of intelligence, how can you get it?¡±

    Liya¡¯s face turned red, and she roared somewhat angrily, ¡°Since I can¡¯t get it, why do you still want to use me?¡±

    Zoe chuckled. ¡°I have my reasons for making use of you. Your current status is special in the Richards family. You can only help me a little. I¡¯ll just give you fifty million dors just like that. You should be satisfied.¡±

    ¡°But that jewelry is priceless,¡± Liya retorted, unwilling to give up.

    Zoe burst intoughter and jeered at Liya, ¡°Even if you had the chance to obtain this treasure, you wouldn¡¯t be able to use it. If you help me obtain it, then I¡¯ll reward you. This is the best oue.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Liya looked at her in confusion.

    Zoeughed in a low voice. ¡°Do you think a woman like you would still be alive after obtaining the treasure? I¡¯m different. I have many people helping me. As long as I can obtain it, I¡¯ll be able to find its value by taking it abroad. The ones who are interested in this treasure are Yadriel and Sergio. Do you think you have the ability to fight with them? Let me tell you, if you were to take it in your hands, then I¡¯m afraid you would be reduced to nothing.¡±

    When she said this, a sinister smile appeared on Zoe¡¯s face. She was filled with disdain and mockery towards Liya. When she heard this, Liya felt a chill run down her spine.

 Chapter 655 Heart Softened

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to follow me sincerely. After you get the treasure, I¡¯ll give you fifty million dors. This will be enough for you to go abroad. You better consider it well, and I also advise you to get rid of the idea of keeping the treasure to yourself. You won¡¯t be able to get it. Even if you did, you wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy it. That¡¯s all I have to say. You can go to the bank to check if the cheque is real or fake. Tomorrow, you will try to find a way to return to Richards Manor. Then, you¡¯ll listen to my instructions. Letty will contact you.¡± After speaking, Zoeughed. She picked up her bag and was about to leave. As she prepared to leave, she turned around and added, ¡°By the way, you have to listen to Letty¡¯s orders. Letty is a spy in Richards Manor that I¡¯ve groomed, and she and I go way back. Not only do you have to listen to her, but you also have to respect her.¡±

    After that, Zoe walked away gracefully.

    Liya sat there in a daze, as if she had yet to digest Zoe¡¯s words.

    After a long time, Liya went to the bank with pain all over her body. Surely enough, the cheque was authentic. When she held the ten million dors in her hand, her greed arose. She was penniless, but she could use this opportunity to make a fortune, which just saved her from embarrassment. As for the Ocean Heart, she could only appreciate its beauty while she could.

    Moreover, there was only one way to go.

    After returning to the ward, she sat on the bed, thinking about returning to Richards Manor. If she went back like this, then would Jenna be willing?

    The sun was setting in the west, and the sky was blood-red.

    After Jenna finished visiting Marissa in the hospital, John drove her back to Richards Manor.

    Hansen¡¯s order for John was for him to protect Jenna at all times. Hence, when Jenna went to thepany or was out shopping, John would be there next to her, carefully protecting her.

    The vehicle was just about to reach Richards Manor¡¯s gate.

    A woman rushed out and stopped in front of the car.

    Jenna raised her head and frowned.

    This woman was no ordinary woman. It was Liya.

    What was she doing here? Oscar had impregnated Liya, and she had a miscarriage. She still had the audacity toe to Richards Manoragain?

    Thinking about this, Jenna¡¯s frown deepened.

    ¡°What are you doing in front of the car? Are you courting death?¡± John was blocked by a woman who suddenly rushed towards the car. So, he had to use the emergency brakes. Jenna also shook violently in the seat because of the brakes. John was furious. He rolled down the window, stretched out his head, and shouted at the woman, ¡°Get out of here.¡±

    When Liya saw the car stop, she crazily walked towards Jenna¡¯s seat. With the car window separating them, Liya frantically shrieked, ¡°Jenna,e down. I have something to ask you.¡±

    Jenna sat quietly and looked at her coldly.

    This woman was so shameless that she dared to approach Jenna. They weren¡¯t even close to each other.

    Jenna sat there with no expression on her face. She didn¡¯t want to talk to her.

    John couldn¡¯t drive. So, he got out of the car and yelled at Liya, ¡°Go away, woman. If you don¡¯t leave, then I¡¯ll start the car soon. Then, it¡¯s none of our concern if you get hit.¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t leave. I want to meet Jenna.¡± Liya tightly grabbed the car door and pleaded pitifully with John.

    ¡°How dare you! What kind of person is my Madam? Is she someone you can see? F*ck off.¡± John knew her. He was well aware of everything about this woman. Other than feeling disgusted, he did not want to talk much with her. At that moment, he was expressionless and roared angrily.

    Seeing that John was unwilling, Liya could only pat the window and shouted at Jenna, ¡°Jenna, I want to see you. I have something to say to you.¡±

    Jenna sat in the car and didn¡¯t want to go out, but Liya was clinging to the car, and they couldn¡¯t move. Her pale face was glued to the window pane and she was yelling at Jenna, with a pitiful expression in her eyes.

    Jenna didn¡¯t know what this woman was going to do. She had already ordered Maud not to let Liya in if she ever came to Richards Manor. Would Liya really have the dignity toe back? If this was an ordinary woman, then she would probably be ashamed. However, she was really brazen in insisting on staying at Richards Manor.

    John noticed that his roars didn¡¯t work on Liya, and his head was filled with rage. He came up and wanted to pull her away.

    Liya¡¯s hand was tightly holding onto the car¡¯s handle as she burst into tears.

    It really didn¡¯t look good!

    It would only cause gossip if this were to be photographed by the media.

    After thinking for a while, Jenna opened the door.

    As soon as Jenna got out of the car, Liya rushed towards her and cried out, ¡°Jenna, help me.¡± Then, she knelt in front of Jenna.

    John was worried that Liya had hurt Jenna. So, he rushed forward to protect Jenna and blocked Liya.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± John thundered angrily.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    ¡°Jenna, I don¡¯t want to do anything. I just want you to keep me here. I¡¯m penniless, disfigured, and I have nowhere to go. Please be kind and take me in for a period of time.¡± Liya wiped her tears and pleaded miserably. She was crying as she spoke, and her entire body was trembling. Liya¡¯s face was as pale as aghostas she just left the ward.

    Jenna took two steps back and looked at her. She sneered, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s appropriate for Richards Manor to take you in after such a dishonorable incident?¡±

    ¡°Jenna, I know that I have done you, the Richards family, and even Hansen wrong. I also feel ashamed to see you. However, I was also framed by Zoe. The Jones family had lost all their conscience and made me look like this. I had already told the police of the matter the other day, and they said that they would punish them for what had happened. However, I am now penniless and have nowhere to go. If you don¡¯t take me in, then I can only starve to death on the street. Please be kind and let me stay for a few days. Even if it is only a few days, as long as I find a ce, I will leave immediately after finding a job. I will never dare to disturb you again.¡± Liya begged as she sniffled and cried pathetically.

    Jenna looked at her and frowned. What Liya mentioned was true. She was really miserable now, and there was no ce for her to go. Moreover, Fadison was seriously ill. Nheless, it was still impossible for her to live in Richards Manor like this, and there was no reason for it.

    Richards Manor, especially the Ink Garden, was a very solemn ce. How could such a woman live there?

    ¡°Liya, now that you¡¯re an adult, you should have your own life. You can¡¯t always stay in someone else¡¯s house, can you? Besides, you have done so many shameful things, which made others feel ashamed of you. Do you really think Richards Manor will take you in?¡± Jenna added coldly, ¡°How about this? Since you¡¯re a child raised by Grandma, get a room at a hotel, and I¡¯ll let you stay for free for a month. I¡¯ll send someone to pay the costs for it. I hope you can find a job as soon as possible. Do your best, and strive to be a better person.¡±

    After Jenna was done, she was ready to open the door and get in the car. She really didn¡¯t want to see her anymore.

    ¡°No, Jenna. I don¡¯t want to stay in a hotel. It¡¯s cold and lonely there. It doesn¡¯t feel like home, and there¡¯s no food for me there. I want to stay in Richards Manor and have someone take care of me. Jenna, I beg you. I won¡¯t stay for too long. Just let me stay here for a few days. I¡¯ll do my best to find a job and leave as soon as possible. I won¡¯t trouble you. Moreover, I promise you that I won¡¯t continue to bother Hansen, and I won¡¯t seduce him anymore. I know that I don¡¯t have the dignity to see him, and I¡¯ve already given up. I won¡¯t think of doing this anymore. Don¡¯t worry, Jenna. I¡¯m only asking you to keep me here for a few days. I just want to ease myself. I am at my wit¡¯s end.¡± Liya was unwilling to give up such an opportunity. She crawled over from the ground and tugged on Jenna¡¯s skirt, imploring her hard. She even shouted, ¡°Jenna, I don¡¯t want anything. I just want to stay here for a little longer. My face is ruined. I don¡¯t dare to live outside and meet other people. Please, I beg you. I won¡¯t have any delusions about Hansen anymore. Believe me, I don¡¯t deserve it. I know it myself.¡±

    Liya tightly pulled Jenna¡¯s skirt, and Jenna could not leave. John was angered, and he chimed in sternly, ¡°Liya, do you think Richards Manor is a hotel where you cane and live whenever you want to. Get out of here, or I¡¯ll throw you out on the street.¡± John realized that she was clutching Jenna¡¯s skirt and had no intention of letting go. He was worried that she would hurt Jenna. So, he was ready to pull her aside and let the security guard drag her away.

    However, Liya tried her best to grab hold of Jenna¡¯s dress, just like a drowning man clutching at straws. She would not let go even if she died.

    John was irritated. He yanked down Liya¡¯s hands with both hands and dragged her to the other side.

    Liya cried and screamed, with her hands iling in the air.

    Her cry was sad and helpless but also bitter. Jenna could hear how distressed Liya was.

    Jenna held her stomach with her hands, and a faint pain passed through her heart.

    Liya¡¯s current situation was indeed tragic, but why wasn¡¯t she willing to stay at the hotel?

    Was it because it didn¡¯t feel like home?

    There was something that softened her heart. They were both women. Why should Jenna make things difficult for Liya? Wasn¡¯t it just for a few days?

    Besides, Liya was unable to attract Hansen no matter what. Hansen had long lost his patience with her as she was a despicable woman.

    It was like argepany facing a smallpany that was dozens of times weaker than it. If it was aggressive and couldn¡¯t tolerate the other¡¯s existence, and even seized its faults to force it to death, then it was not fair and in appropriate.

    Thinking of this, Jenna let out a sigh.

    Broad-minded people could forgive many matters. Why should she be so cruel?

    Jenna then nced at Liya.

    John was dragging her down the other side of the road.

    The road was covered with blood. It was flowing from her lower body, and her pants were red.

    Jenna felt ufortable and frightened, and her heart softened. She immediately eximed, ¡°John, let her go.¡±

    John looked at her in shock when he heard Jenna¡¯s words. He saw that Jenna was unable to bear it and knew that she pitied Liya. He secretly sighed. It seemed that this woman was about to seed. He should have quickly dragged her away from here.

    Now that Jenna had witnessed Liya¡¯s tragic state, John was afraid that she would have to agree to Liya¡¯s request.

 Chapter 656 Backup Plan

    ¡°Jenna, I beg you. Please let me stay for a few days. I won¡¯t cause any more trouble. I promise,¡± Liya cried miserably, with her face full of tears.

    ¡°I can keep you for a week, but you have to look for a ce after that. Richards Manor will never have anything to do with you again, and you can¡¯t stay here any longer.¡± Jenna informed her as she walked towards her and looked at the blood on her lower body.

    Jenna could not be at ease if Liya were to live in the hotel alone. If something happened to her, then it would be her fault. When she thought about how Elsie had been driven out of Richards Manor by Vivian that year, and she died tragically outside, Jenna could not bear to see it happen and had to take Liya in temporarily. After all, Richards Manor had a health center and a family doctor. They could help her in any way.

    ¡°Thank you, Jenna. You are a good person. You will definitely be rewarded.¡± Hearing Jenna¡¯s agreement, Liyaughed happily as she wiped away her tears.

    At the very least, she hadpleted Zoe¡¯s task and returned to Richards Manor. She could take the ten million with ease.

    At the thought of this, a smile still appeared on her face even thoughshe felt unbearable pain all over her body

    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t promise her. It won¡¯t be easy to get rid of her if we let her in!¡± John reminded Jenna anxiously. Women were too kind. Once Jenna let her in, bad things were about to happen. Such a woman was dangerously desperate. Once she was taken in, how could she go out easily?

    John could see it clearly and could only remind Jenna not to ruin her n because of her kindness. However, at this time, Jenna could not harden her heart and drive her away. She just uttered, ¡°You can live here, but the Ink Garden is Grandma¡¯s ce. You can¡¯t live in it because of what you have done. So, you¡¯d better go back to the guest room in the Crystal Cove Garden. I¡¯ll send family doctors to tend to your injuries.¡±

    When Liya heard this, she also knew that she couldn¡¯t go any further. If she could move in, then she would have achieved her goal. Who cared where she lived? She would decide on it after moving in.

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Jenna.¡± She nodded in agreement with tears of joy on her face.

    After finishing her words, Jenna didn¡¯t look at Liya anymore. She turned around and got into the car, hearing John¡¯s warning on the side. She had mixed feelings in her heart and felt very ufortable.

    John shook his head helplessly. Since she had already said so, there was nothing he could do.

    ¡°Dad, I¡¯ve already taken care of the moneyundering matter with the underground bank. This bank is more reliable, and we can take action now. The election will start tomorrow. Once the election begins, our funding will be out of order. We can¡¯t wait any longer.¡± Sergio rushed back from the outside. Yadriel was sitting in the study drinking tea. Hearing what Sergio reported, he had a veryplex expression on his face.

    ¡°Come, son. Have a seat. Drink some tea.¡± Yadriel waved his hand and informedSergioslowly and courteously.

    Sergio sat down on the couch across from Yadriel and picked up his tea cup.

    ¡°Dad, although Hansen was arrested, the charge against the Richards Group is all because of Zoe. Such a thing will be exposed sooner orter. Hansen is not easy to deal with. Maybe he has been secretly investigating it. Although he is caught, maybe someday the truth will be revealed. Holding him this way is unreliable. We should take action as soon as possible and strive for a stable position during the election. In that case, we will have great power. At that time, we will find a chance to deal with him.¡± Sergio admitted these worries.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    A dark light shed in Yadriel¡¯s eyes, and the expression on his face was unspeakably cold. Of course, he understood what Sergio meant.

    ¡°Sergio, the arms-dealing matter is a serious crime. It would be capital punishment if you were to get caught. Do you think that I¡¯m not in a rush? However, we can¡¯t be careless about this matter, and we must think it over carefully. I¡¯ve already thought it through. We will deal in two locations, and it will be hard to tell if it¡¯s real or a sham. We¡¯ll create a distraction. This is the final transaction, and as long as we seed, everything will go our way. This matter can¡¯t be rushed,¡± Yadriel answered calmly. His eyelids had been twitching badly for the past few days, and he always felt a sense of foreboding. It was that bad feeling that forced him to change the location of the deal in secret. Moreover, he had also sent a lot of people. Although Edgar had a lot of experience in this field, they were now on the cusp of danger, and he had already endured it for a long time.

    Sergio heard Yadriel¡¯s words and agreed wholeheartedly. He nodded. He knew that Yadriel was always good at scheming, and he¡¯s thoughtful as well as meticulous in doing things. It was only right that he would have such ns. Just as Sergio thought he could rx, Yadriel continued.

    ¡°Sergio, no matter what happens, we must prepare for the worst. Everyone¡¯s attention is on us now, and it feels too uneasy. How about this? You should hurry back to Richards Manor and think of ways to get the Ocean Heart. I will prepare for the arms trade and election, and you should prepare to seize the Ocean Heart. It is best if we seed, but we should make arrangements immediately if we don¡¯t. We must flee abroad after taking the treasure. Such a thing is too dangerous. We have no choice but to prepare for the backup n.¡± Yadriel was serious.

    Sergio was slightly surprised when he heard that. After he understood what Yadriel meant, the expression on his face became very perplexed.

    ¡°Sergio, don¡¯t be sentimental at this moment. As a man, you should know when to yield and when not to act on impulse. Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable. I think you should understand.¡± Yadriel took a nce at Sergio and saw the contradicting look on his face. He also had a thorough understanding of Sergio¡¯s thoughts. So, he reminded him patiently, ¡°It¡¯s an urgent time now, and there¡¯s only one winner. At this time, whoever is soft-hearted will fail miserably. So, you¡¯d better not be careless.¡±

    ¡°Dad, you know, I don¡¯t like life abroad.¡± After listening to Yadriel¡¯s words, Sergio added worriedly, ¡°If you have to make such a choice, then let¡¯s just let it go. You don¡¯t have to care about the election¡¯s result, and there¡¯s no need to get involved in the weapons business.¡±

    His mood was rather downcast, and his voice was very passive.

    Yadriel¡¯s face turned red and veins stood out on his temples when he heard that.

    ¡°Sergio, why are you so devoid of ambition? You have to know that moneyes from danger. Can you achieve great things if you¡¯re so easily discouraged? A true man must have ambition. If he lives for nothing, then do you think his life will be meaningful? I¡¯ve never thought that my son would be such a loser, and good for nothing. Our sess or downfall is only a step away. If we win, then we can climb to the peak. Even if we don¡¯t, we can still move abroad and live a good life. This is the mostmon path for people like us.¡± Yadriel spoke of great principles, but atst, he scolded in a stern voice, ¡°Sergio, I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re thinking of. However, you have to cut off your fantasy of Jenna immediately. This is the bottom line and also an order. You have to do it.¡±

    Speaking of this, Yadriel stood up, and his face was full of anger. Then, he went away.

    Sergio stood up with a heavy heart.

    In any case, he must win the election. Only by winning could he have a chance to stay at home, could he not interrupt his political future, and could live the life he wanted. Sergio really didn¡¯t want to live abroad. No matter how glorious he was, he didn¡¯t want to stay away from his homnd and the woman he loved.

    The bad mood that spread from the bottom of his heart made him panic. When he looked up, he seemed to see Jenna¡¯s bright smile, and his heart tightened.

    Returning to Richards Manor and stealing the Ocean Heart was a task that Yadriel had assigned him. He had to return. There were only a few days left for him!

    Hansen and Christopher were discussing in the war-torn country¡¯s desert while holding a piece of paper in their hands. Irvin hurried over.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there¡¯s a new discovery.¡± Irvin brought with it a gust of wind, along with dust and sand. The words came out of his mouth in a hurry.

    Hansen and Christopher raised their heads at the same time.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Hansen asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s like this, Mr. Richards.¡± Irvin swallowed a mouthful of saliva and reported in a clear yet anxious voice, ¡°Yadriel is too cunning. He actually changed the location of the arms deal.¡±

    What!

    Upon hearing Irvin¡¯s words, Hansen and Christopher were astounded. They stood up abruptly.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± they asked almost at the same time.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Mr. Matthews, I felt strange these past two days. They should have acted, but nothing happened after a long while. This is too unusual. After which, I mobilized some people to look around for a breakthrough point. Indeed, they found some strange people in the west today, on a mountain slope about 50 kilometers away. After some investigation, those are indeed Yadriel¡¯s subordinates, Edgar and the terrorists. It turned out that they had secretly changed their positions. They nearly blindsided us,¡± Irvin informed with extreme fear.

    As soon as he said this, Hansen quickly reacted. In fact, he also felt that there was something strange in these two days, but he couldn¡¯t tell what was wrong. After listening to Irvin, he understood where the unease and doubts came from.

    ¡°Irvin, you have done a good job. You should continue to lead the people and observe. Contact us at any time. I will change my strategy immediately.¡± After Hansen gave instructions to Irvin, he immediately called all his allies and began to discuss and reorganize theyout.

    The night shrouded the sky. It was pitch-ck and boundless, and the mountain breeze was howling violently.

    Hansen and Christopher were dressed in bulletproof vests. They led their men and quietly lurked on the mountaintop.

    That night was the second night of the election. Yadriel really could not retain hisposure!

    This time, Hansen was going to catch this cunning opponent by himself.

    Madam Lilian was sitting on the couch in the European-style vi, tapping the couch with her index finger. One could see her sense of heroism between her brows. Her eyes were slightly narrowed, and from time to time, a sharp light shed out from her eyes.

    Quina pushed the door open and came in.

    ¡°Madam, Yadriel has changed the trading location. Our people have been watching them all night and finally found their traces.¡±

    Quina¡¯s words made Madam Lilian¡¯s eyelids twitch. Then, she opened her eyes and asked calmly, ¡°Where is Hansen now?¡±

    ¡°Madam, not only Hansen¡¯s men are present but even Hansen and Christopher have also shown up. They have also discovered the whereabouts of Yadriel¡¯s goon, Edgar, and have already snuck to the mountaintop,¡± Quina immediately replied.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Madam Lilian nodded in surprise. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Hansen arrested due to hispany being suspected of a security crime? Why did he go to the war-torn country?¡±

    Quina smiled and answered, ¡°Madam, it¡¯s Johan who took action on this matter. If I¡¯m not wrong, then this should have been a discussion between Johan and Trevor. He deliberately allowed Hansen to be taken away by Sergio. The purpose of doing so is to let Yadriel and Sergio feel at ease about the arms deal. Then, they wille to find evidence on the spot.¡±

    ¡­

 Chapter 657 Made Him Feel At Ease

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Madam Lilian frowned andmented indifferently, ¡°Isn¡¯t he a big shot politician in Capital City? Yadriel was once his right-hand man, and he couldn¡¯t even control his own men. Isn¡¯t that a p in his own face?¡±

    Quina could obviously feel Madam Lilian¡¯s resistance to Johan. She understood what she was thinking. Quina slightly raised the corners of her mouth and did not speak.

    The doorbell rang.

    Quina went over and buzzed the door open, and a thin and tall man came in.

    ¡°Madam, the weapons deal between Yadriel and the terroristsis huge this time, and many of them are advanced weapons. Therefore, both of them have made a lot of preparations this time. The terroristshave sent a lot of people from the city¡¯s district to the hillside. It seems that they are dead set to win this time,¡± the man reportedseriously to Lilian.

    Upon hearing this, Madam Lilian¡¯s expression altered subtly. There were not as many extreme groups of religions in the war-torn country as there were at Tamnd¡¯s border previously. This was a nned and sophisticated organization with a certain number of modern weapons in its possession.

    Hansen was in danger!

    This was her first reaction.

    ¡°Madam, if this is the case, then a brutal fight will break out, and Hansen will be in danger.¡± Quina also thought of this problem and immediately blurted it out.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s index finger tapped on the back of the couch, faster with each passing moment,and the emotions in her gaze kept changing.

    After a while, she gave a firm order, ¡°The troops that we sent before and all of our people, arrange them to intercept the terrorists who were rushing to the trading zone, to relieve the pressure on Hansen and the others. I¡¯ll personally call the secretary of state to advance his military, who is besieging the neighboring countries¡¯ terroriststo assist and suppress the extreme forces here. This time, we must not let the arms-trading criminal gang escape and strive to eliminate these extreme followers. Our people must also ensure Hansen¡¯s safety.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Madam,¡± the man answered and went out.

    Quina picked up the wireless phone from the coffee table and punched in a few numbers. After that, she handed it to Madam Lilian. Madam Lilian took it and made the call.

    ¡°Dad, our legal team has already submitted the evidence for the charge against the Richards Group. Although we adhered to the judicial procedure, Sadiva personally instructed them to send the evidence directly to Capital City. It is estimated that soon they will clear the charges of our Richards Group. Hansen can also walk out freely.¡± In Trevor¡¯s study, Jenna came in and personally told him the good news.

    Trevor raised his eyes and looked at Jenna, his gaze was filled with the light of a loving father.

    ¡°Jenna, in the past, I didn¡¯t understand why the Old Madam ordered you to marry Hansen. At that time, I also misunderstood you. Nheless, I finally understand it. Only a woman like you can support this family. The Old Madam chose you as she was selecting the sessor of our family,¡± Trevor uttered with boundless emotion, and the corner of his eyes was a little moist.

    His words made Jenna feel a little embarrassed. She blinked her bright eyes and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°Dad, you have always been kind to me, and I am very grateful for your concern. I am just an ordinary girl from a very normal family background who was lucky to be chosen by Grandma. This is my fate, and I am very grateful for it. At that time, when this so-called charge was put against the Richards Group, I felt the pain personally, and it was excruciating. At the same time, I understood my responsibility. I tried my best to get rid of the charge against the Richards Group. This is my duty. You really don¡¯t have to overthink it,¡± Jenna responded very seriously and sincerely.

    Trevor heard her honest confession and burst into tears. He sighed and nodded. ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re really considerate.¡±

    Jenna said as she smiled, ¡°Dad, I am preparing to hold a press conference to clear the reputation of our Richards Group and let Hansene out gloriously.¡±

    Previously, when all the news media had pointed their fingers at the Richards Group because of this usation, she understood the fury and pain in his heart as he braced all sorts of curses, even though he acted calm and unperturbed on the outside.

    No matter what kind of colossal issues befell society, the Richards Group, as arge enterprise, had always put its contributions first. Yet, when such a thing happened, people who did not know the truth would always me them mercilessly. Regardless of whether they could bear it or not, this was the cruelty of reality.

    Jenna could vividly feel it.

    ¡°Jenna, there is something I have to tell you. Currently, Hansen has not been locked up by Yadriel. Johan has long saved him. The purpose of us doing this is to force Yadriel to carry out his final madness. I did not tell you because the fewer people who know about this, the better.¡± Trevor smiled and informed her amiably.

    Jenna gasped. After a while, her face was riddled with joy.

    ¡°Jenna,personal matters are all but inconsequential, butjustice and morality are what should take precedence. At this time, Hansen left you for Capital City alone because he has unavoidable difficulties. If possible, who would be willing to leave his wife and children?¡± Trevormented, and his tone was colored with helplessness.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment and chuckled. It was no wonder that ever since Hansen had been captured, his face was calm and unhurried. It turned out that he and Johan had nned this.

    She felt relieved.

    Trevor looked out of the window. The anxiety and pain hidden in his eyes made his heart throb in pain. He couldn¡¯t help but to hold on to the desk and cough.

    No one knew how agonizing and uneasy he was at this time. His only son was chasing after the criminal gangs involved in an arms trade in the war-torn country. The peril was beyond anyone¡¯s imagination.

    For more than a year, he had traveled to more than half of the world with Marissa and had specially passed through the war-torn country. He had witnessed the environment and battlefields where countless guns rained down bullets.

    Yet now,Hansen, his son, was in that ce.

    He closed his eyes. He could neither imagine this consequence, nor did he dare to imagine it. In the past few days, Trevor had been hiding in the study everyday for a few hours. He just sat there in silence, not a word passed his lips.

    Of course, he dared not to tell Marissa such a thing, let alone Jenna and not even a family member, in case they panicked. However, to send his own son to the battlefield, others could never understand such an ordeal.

    Since he and Hansen vowed to get rid of Yadriel, he often went to the grotto at the outdoor garden, praying for the safety of the Richards family.

    ¡°Dad, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jenna anxiously asked when she saw Trevor in a coughing fit.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m fine.¡± Trevor supported his chest with his hand and the smile on his face was serene. ¡°I¡¯m not young anymore. These past few days, your mother broke her leg and I¡¯m a little tired. It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Jenna hurriedly helped him sit down on the couch and served him a ss of water.

    Trevor took a sip and pointed to the couch beside him. He urged gently, ¡°Jenna, sit down. I have something to say.¡±

    Jenna sat down on the couch opposite him.

    ¡°Jenna, to save ude, Hansen and I have set a trap for him to marry Liya as the second wife. Although this is only a strategy, it is not fair for you. After all, it is shameful for us to do this. Nevertheless, I have to say that this has reduced the loss to a minimum. The only shame is that it has caused harm to you. I have always been deeply uneasy about it. You have obtained Octavia¡¯s evidence, and I¡¯m very impressed that you¡¯re able to do so at such a time. This is important to our Richards family. I¡¯m really indebted to you for your help.¡± His voice was a little jaded, and the wrinkles on his forehead were deep.

    Jenna understood Trevor¡¯s meaning and smiled. ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t have to praise me. All of this wasid out by Hansen long ago. I also found his n in his office. It turns out that he had already sent people to follow Octavia and recorded all these suspicious points. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s not the time yet. I just coincidentally recalled his ideas. So, I interrogated Octavia at the crucial moment. If it weren¡¯t for Hansen¡¯s records of Octavia¡¯s situation, then I wouldn¡¯t have dared to act rashly.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Trevorughed. ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s the mutual understanding between you two. Others won¡¯t be able to do it.¡±

    Jenna bowed her head and smiled shyly. Then, she slightly pursed her lips and did not say anything.

    ¡°Dad, the charge against the Richards Group has been removed, but Zoe is still innocent. Octavia alone is responsible for all the crimes, which is chilling. Zoe must be executed. Otherwise, she wille to frame the Richards Group in the future.¡± Thinking of this, Jenna felt a little sad.

    Trevor nodded solemnly. ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s wait a little longer. After these few days,Hansen will definitelye back to deal with them. The most crucial one at the moment is Yadriel, and we must first eliminate him. Otherwise, our Richards Group will never have peace. We¡¯ll settle Zoe afterwards. Have faith in me.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jenna lightly nodded her head.

    ¡°Jenna, go and rest first.¡± Trevor looked at the time and reminded her considerately.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna stood up.

    ¡°Jenna, Richards Manor will be in its most chaotic state in the next few days. You must always keep John and Lomen by your side and ensure your safety, understand? If anything happens to you, then Hansen will not forgive himself. You must put him at ease.¡± Just as Jenna was about to leave the room, Trevor stopped her and once again reminded her.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment before she understood what he meant. She nodded her head firmly and agreed, and her heart was inted with warmth.

    ¡°Hansen, you muste back safely!¡± Trevor leaned back on the couch and muttered in his heart.

    Trevor got the news that hundreds of terrorists from the war-torn country were outnking the locations of the arms deal, and they all had advanced weapons in their hands.

    Johan was also very agitated. It was obvious that the domestic army couldn¡¯t enter the war-torn country. Not only would they not have a way out, they could not quench their thirst for immediate assistance.

 Chapter 658 Divert The Crisis

    When Trevor caught hold of the news, his legs almost gave out, his whole body was cold, and his heart froze.

    Yadriel was indeed a sinister man. He had devised careful arrangements and made no mistakes. If he knew that Hansen had gone there, then he would not show any mercy.

    Moreover, how could the people Hansen had brought over ever be enough?

    Trevor locked himself in the study,utterly dispirited. He clenched his fists tightly and gasped for air.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    It began to drizzle,and the scorching sun was obscured behind the clouds.

    Jenna¡¯s electric vehicle stopped steadily at the entrance of Ink Garden. As soon as she stepped out of the car, she walked into the corridor. She looked up and saw Sergio standing in the middle of the corridor. His tall figure was nted firmly in front of her, blocking her way.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, please step aside.¡± Jenna hadn¡¯t anticipated meeting him here, but she just muttered lightly and wanted to walk past him towards the Ink Garden¡¯s office.

    However, it was obvious that Sergio had been standing here, waiting for her.

    He made way for her, but followed closely behind her into the office.

    Jenna walked in front. When she heard the footsteps behind her, her beautiful eyebrows were set into a straight line.

    In the office, fine rain was drizzling in through the window. Jenna reached out and closed the window. Then, without raising her head, Jenna asked, ¡°Mr. Xanthe, is there anything?¡±

    Sergio stood in front of her, looking at her with a burning gaze.

    ¡°Jenna, I want to talk to you.¡± He sat down opposite her and looked at her with a very serious expression.

    Jenna also stared at him with cold eyes.

    ¡°About what?¡± The corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

    ¡°Jenna, have you thought about what I said to you the other day?¡± Sergio asked after hesitating for a while.

    Jenna raised the corner of her eyes. ¡°Sorry, did you say anything to me that day?¡±

    She did not understand. So, she asked in reply. Jenna¡¯srge eyes were bright and clear, unflinching.

    Sergio looked at her but did not say anything.

    He was judging her possible answers.

    Was the Ocean Heart non-existent? That was impossible!

    Yadriel had seen it with his own eyes. Was this treasure with her?

    ¡°Oh, yes, that¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°I have already found evidence to prove that our Richards Group had been framed. I have also submitted it. I believe that you will withdraw from Richards Manor soon. As I said, the Richards Group was framed, and now I have secured the evidence.¡± Jenna crossed her hands in front of the desk, and her tone was very confident. She tossed the ball of conversation before waiting for Sergio.

    Sergio¡¯s face darkened. He did not expect Jenna to have such intelligence, to be able to convince Octavia. Her every move reallyimpressedhim.

    When Sergio looked up, he noticed the slight blush on her little face and the vivid smile on her face. He sighed in his heart.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re still too naive. Don¡¯t you understand that it¡¯s an inevitable oue for the Richards Group toe to this day?¡± Sergio¡¯s words were unfathomable.

    Jenna¡¯s smile froze on her face.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, what do you mean by this? Do you mean that it doesn¡¯t matter whether our Richards Group hasmitted a crime, for we will be cruelly defeated? Is that so?¡±

    Sergio chuckled faintly. ¡°Jenna, you are very smart.So, why don¡¯t you understand? At this point, isn¡¯t it only Octavia who¡¯s going to be punished? Such a non-essential person will be punished by thew, and it¡¯s really not a big deal. It¡¯s a charge. Say you¡¯re free today, who knows what other crimes you mightmit one of these days?¡±

    As he spoke, he stared at her with burning eyes. This woman definitely didn¡¯t know that Hansen was currently up the creek and surrounded by terrorists.

    When Yadriel had found out that Hansen had not been locked up as they thought, he immediately lost his mind. Then, he gave an order to all the anti-government militia in the war-torn country, which owned new weapons, to outnk them at the trading spot. They were going to wipe them out. All the hateful people who hindered them were going to be killed with one fell swoop that time.

    Sergio felt a little relieved at the thought that Hansen would die in the hands of the anti-government militia in the war-torn country.

    For ages, he had never felt thisfortable. If the anti-government militia killed Hansen, then it would be the best thing for them. There was no need to think of any tricks to deal with him, and there was no need to strain any brains to deal with the Richards Group. His death would not be investigated. After all, it was a war arena!

    Jenna¡¯s face was drained of color. She stared at Sergio, turning over and over his meaning between the lines, and her eyelids began to throb wildly.

    ¡°Mr. Xanthe, there arews in our society. Do you think some people can control the world with their own hands?¡± Jenna asked, with her tone impassive.

    An indescribable smile floated from the corners of Sergio¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Jenna, believe it or not,Richards Group has already reached its demise. No matter how you remove the charge, it¡¯s impossible for Richards Group to survive this cmity,¡± Sergio answered confidently. The smile on his face was a little unpleasant to the eye.

    Jenna¡¯s body shook and she leaned weakly on the table,and her face was white as a sheet.

    Sergio looked at her with a shred of pity in his eyes, and his gaze became more profound.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be afraid. As long as I am here, I will keep you safe.¡± He could not help but to stretch out his hand and suddenly hold hers. ¡°Jenna, trust me, leave here. Surrender the Ocean Heart, and I will take you out of here. Let¡¯s go abroad, okay?¡± Sergio¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, his face brimming with excitement, and his eyes gleaming.

    ¡°Jenna, bring theOcean Heartwith you and follow me. I will give you happiness, trust me.¡± His hands gripped her hands more and more tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t put your hopes in Hansen. He can¡¯t protect you. Really, haven¡¯t you been hurt by him since you married him? Richards Manor won¡¯t be at peace from now on. Leaving now is the best n. I¡¯ve already prepared a ne and I can take you out of here anytime.¡±

    His eagerness was culminating. His face was glowing with a bright red light, and his eyes looked as if they were about to leap out.

    Jenna was aghast. His grip on her hand closed tighter, and his words made her heart beat wildly. He obviously said it in such an impassioned way, but Jenna could pick up the stench of death from his words.

    What did he mean by this? Did it mean that Hansen was in danger?

    When Jenna thought of Hansen, her heart sank bit by bit.

    Hansen was dealing with the Xanthe family. If Sergio was full of confidence, then wouldn¡¯t it mean that the danger that Hansen was facing would be greater?

    Jenna was so nervous that her heart was in her throat.

    She secretly shouted for Hansen. Jenna stood up and was about to leave, but Sergio clutched her hand unyieldingly.

    ¡°Jenna,e with me.¡± Sergio looked at her and murmured dreamily. Then, he pulled her and wanted to take her away.

    ¡°Let me go.¡± Jenna snapped to her senses and tried to shake off his hands.

    Sergio was delusional. He hadpletely forgotten what he was doing.

    ¡°Let her go.¡± With a shout, Norton rushed in. Then, with a roar, he sucker punched Sergio in the head.

    With a thud, Sergio¡¯s head received a ponderous blow. He couldn¡¯t withstand it and toppled to the side.

    Jenna was steadied by Norton.

    ¡°Sergio, you¡¯re too much. You even dared toy a finger on Jenna,¡± Norton scolded angrily.

    Sergio saw stars thanks to Norton¡¯s punch.He waspletely alert then.

    ¡°Norton,even on your deathbed you¡¯re still this arrogant.Loser.¡± Sergio cursed coldly as he touched his injured face.

    ¡°Jenna, you okay?¡± Norton asked with concern when he saw Jenna¡¯s pale face and bleary eyes.

    Jenna nkly shook her head.

    ¡°Jenna, chew on what I said carefully. I will wait for you.¡± Sergio¡¯s amber eyes looked at Jenna and reminded her meaningfully.

    After saying that, he shot Norton a vicious look and strode away, with his steps solid with conviction.

    Jenna¡¯s figure swayed a little, and her expression was dull.

    ¡°Jenna, what did that son of a b*tch Sergio say to you? You can¡¯t believe him, ever. He¡¯s the evil incarnate. Nothing goodes from him,¡± Norton uttered anxiously to Jenna as he watched Sergio¡¯s retreating figure.

    ¡°Norton, I know all these. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not that stupid.¡± After a long while, she sat down.

    ¡°Jenna, ording to the guards, there are strangers lurking around Richards Manor at night. However, when the guards chased after them, they found no one. Recently, the servants are all saying that there are a lot of burrs in the mansion. You must take care of yourself.¡± Norton continued nervously, ¡°I don¡¯t know when Hansen wille back from Capital City. My eyelids are twitching like crazy. I always feel as if something ominous is going to happen.¡±

    Norton was obviously worried when he said these.

    Jenna looked on absent-mindedly. ¡°Norton, how is the luxury car business in the USA? Is your stay in A City going to affect it?¡±

    Hearing this, Norton smiled and replied, ¡°Rx, Jenna. I took leave toe back for a week, and I¡¯ve made the necessary arrangements. Everything in thepany has been handed over to Mr. Levin and thepany manager. Now, everything is in order. Nothing will happen. What I¡¯m worried about now is the safety of the Richards Group and Richards Manor.¡±

    ¡°Norton, we don¡¯t have to worry about the Richards Group. The evidence of framing ourpany has been unearthed. Now, thewyer¡¯s team has begun to appeal, and it can be dismissed soon. In these two days, you and Sabrina will need to prepare for the press conference. We have to restore the reputation of the Richards Group. I have also contacted the media to release the news simultaneously,¡± Jenna responded with a heavy heart.

    The reputation of arge group was too important. Now that there was no charge, it was only natural to clear their name.

    The words lifted Norton¡¯s spirit. He smiled and praised her. ¡°Jenna, we¡¯re truly blessed to have you in the Richards family.

    The expression on Jenna¡¯s face did not rx. Only she understood that then the crisis of the Richards Group had been diverted to Richards Manor. If these people led by Sergio did not get their hands on the Ocean Heart, then they would not give up. She was very clear about this in her heart.

    Therefore, her mood was more weighed down than ever before.

 Chapter 659 Promise To Aunt Meroy

    Arge-scale press conference was taking ce in the audience hall of the Richards Group.

    Mr. Olsen led the Richards family¡¯s legal team and provided the evidence that defended the Richards Group¡¯s innocence. Capital City attached great importance to it. Hence, after considering the business quality of the Richards Group, the higher level authorities quickly delivered the verdict that the charge against the Richards Group was dismissed and they would reopen the case. Given thatSky Sword Group was suspected of framing the Richards Group,they were ordered to close their business. After that, they were officially banned and shut out by the authorities.

    The charge against the Richards Group was removed, and Sky Sword Group was officially ouwed.

    The news media began to reportferventlythat Sky Sword Group had framed the Richards Group. At the same time, the press conference held by Norton and Jenna in theInternational Kinsey Center¡¯s grand hall was proceeding magnificently.

    This press conference was held with great momentum. Famous mediapanies from A City and overseas were present. Of course, this was carefully arranged by Jenna.

    During the meeting, the authorities of Capital City sent their special envoys over to convey their greetings. At the same time, they also distributed congrattory banners to the Richards Group. As a result, the Richards Group was rewarded with many beneficial development policies and support that would be advantageous to its development.

    Jenna meticulously exined the process of Sky Sword Group framing Richards Group on the luxury cars¡¯ leak in the press conference. She also fielded various questions from the media reporters in detail, generously and euphemistically.

    In the end, Jenna made a solemn promise to the future development of the Richards Group and the development direction of the luxury car. She described a beautiful blueprint and took this opportunity to reveal the Richard Group¡¯s brand new luxury car brand. She created the logo of the unified luxury car in the world, and the main logo of the brand was the shell kept in Hansen¡¯s office. On the shell, there was a car model designed by Hansen with her.

    The purpose of her doing this was to let the N&S Group be the beginning of Norton¡¯s career advancement. He would own brand new shares of thepany, and he would be the only president of the N&S Group.

    Meanwhile, the luxury car of the Richards Group was selected to start over again. After these travails, Capital City generated a lot of preferential policies, which was very conducive for the luxury cars of the Richards Group to start from the beginning.

    In this structure, Norton¡¯s N&S Group managed to prosper. During the interval between the reconstruction process of Richards Group luxury cars, N&S Groupushered in the beginning of its career and gradually developed further. Later on, it positivelypeted with the Richards Group¡¯s luxury cars, which were equally on par in quality and taste.

    The world¡¯s automotive market was gradually dominated by the Richards Group,N&S Group,and Whalen Group, the three major brandpanies.

    The luxury cars developed by the threepanies bore their own characteristics. There would be rtivepetition, but thepanies were still focused on creating a new road for each other. Therefore, theirpetition was benign. Even the leaders of the threepanies often had contact. Through their interactions, this would bring new energy to the car market. With the continuous increase of the world¡¯s living standards, the demand for luxury cars became more extensive, and the interests in luxury cars grew vast.

    The streets of ACity were spanned withcolorfulneon lights, blooming beautifully and enchantingly.

    Jenna sat in the back seat. She stood in the night sky and looked at this bustling and familiar street. A dim sadness rose within her heart.

    She was far away from Hansen and had no idea how his situation was. It had been three days since theyst talked. The panic and unease in her heart clenched her heart like a curse.

    The press conference came to an end.

    John drove her back to Richards Manor.

    After returning to Richards Manor, she did not rush back to the Ink Garden. Instead, she returned to the Green Jade Garden.

    While taking a stroll in the back garden, she could feel the cool night breeze, but it could not blow away the sadness in her heart. She stood firmly under a hibiscus tree. The pale moonlight shone on her through the shadows of the trees, making her figure long and vague.

    That day, they had hugged each other, and Hansen had promised her countless requests. No matter which one, he¡¯d answered her attentively. However, more than a year had whizzed past, and so many changes had taken ce. They didn¡¯t even have time tofullyunderstand the meaning of happiness. Waves and waves of predicaments crashed in one after another, and their dreams were crushed to smithereens.

    After standing for a while, Jenna felt her energy draining. Finally, she sat down on the stone bench and stroked her belly with her hands, with her heart taken over by fear.

    The Richards Group¡¯s celebration was held that day. Their charge was sessfully dropped, which greatly boosted their morale. At that moment, they were all relieved. The members of Richards Manor were all ted. After all, this charge had been loomingrge in the Richards Group for too long. It would be a great pleasure for them to have eliminated their charges that day.

    However, Jenna¡¯s heart was extremely heavy.She curled up in the darkness and half closed her eyes.

    She had only told Hansen about the Ocean Heart. If anyone could share this fear and worry with her, then it would have to be Hansen. Yet, she did not know his whereabouts.

    After sitting in the darkness for a while, she slowly walked out. As Jenna passed by the lemon tree, she stopped briefly.

    In those days, she had been concerned about his safety and stood there waiting for him.

    She touched the lemon tree gently, and her face was stained with tears.

    Raising her head, she vaguely saw that the tall and sturdy figure was holding the little woman in his arms. The two of themughed and walked into the living room.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Whenever you encounter something, you should be strong. If one day I am gone, then you should take care of Jerry well, take care of the Richards Group, and live a strong life.¡± A gentle and maic voice rang in her ear.Hansen had spoken those words in her earwhen they were fooling around.

    At that time, they had been the picture of happiness and bliss, and she had never thought about the meaning of these words. However, that day, they rang in her mind in an unrestrained way, with chills slithering down her spine.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°No, Hansen, you have toe back soon. I can¡¯t hold on any longer,¡± Jenna murmured. She really wanted to put everything aside and let her family live such a peaceful life.

    ¡°I beg you, Hansen,e back soon.¡± She leaned her head against the trunk and looked at the electric car parked under the tree. Her tears were like beads of broken string.

    She could smell danger in the air and felt countless eyes training on her. They were all trying to snatch away the rare treasure, the Ocean Heart.

    ¡°Madam, go back and rest early tonight.¡± John had searched for her everywhere and felt anxious. When he found this ce and saw her mncholic face, he understood why and could only persuade her in this way.

    John couldn¡¯t say anything aboutHansen¡¯scurrent situation.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna nodded.

    ¡°Madam, only if you are happywill Mr. Richards be happy.¡± John followed her to the Ink Garden andforted her along the way. Jenna smiled mildly.

    ¡°John, how have you been in Capital City during this period? Did Yadriel and the others make things difficult for you?¡± Jenna asked him gingerly.

    John smiled. How could he not know her intention when asking such a question?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Yadriel can¡¯t do anything to Mr. Richards. Don¡¯t forget that Johan is behind the entire Capital City,¡± John replied confidently.

    Upon hearing these words, Jenna felt much more reassured, and she did not press any further.

    ¡°John, you should go back to sleep first. I want to visit Grandma.¡± After arriving at the Ink Garden, she informed John.

    John saw that she had returned to the Ink Garden. After all, it was not proper for a man like him to tail her all the time. He could only nod and answer, ¡°Okay, Madam. If there¡¯s anything you need, then call me at all times. When it¡¯s dark, try not to walk around outside. You must pay attention to safety.¡±

    ¡°I will, thank you.¡± Jenna nodded. John turned and walked to the guest room.

    Jenna sauntered towards Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    ¡°Madam, you¡¯re here.¡± Meroy was wiping Vivian¡¯s body in the bedroom when she saw Jenna walking in. She greeted her in a friendly manner.

    ¡°Thanks for your hard work, Meroy.¡± Jenna looked at Meroy gratefully. Vivian had been lying in bed for half a year and she was not able to go to the toilet like normal people. Nheless, the condition of her skin did not deteriorate. This was mostly attributed to Meroy¡¯s careful care. In reality, even Vivian¡¯s daughter, Winifred, did not do her best in taking care of her as Meroy did.

    Therefore, Jenna had to admire Vivian¡¯s ability to judge a person¡¯s character.

    ¡°Madam, this is what I should do.¡± Meroy smiled disapprovingly and answered her. She didn¡¯t think it was a bothersome matter.

    Jenna sat down by the bedside and watched Meroy carefully wipe Vivian¡¯s body,with her tears welling up in her eyes.

    ¡°Meroy, your son will return this year, won¡¯t he?¡± Jenna asked casually,

    Meroy paused for a moment and immediately replied with a wry smile, ¡°Madam, my son is too wishy-washy. His achievements in all fields are mediocre. He only managed to go and study in the USA with Young Master¡¯s help. He wille back this year.¡±

    Jenna smiled. ¡°Meroy, are you willing to let him work for the Richards Group?¡±

    Meroy¡¯s hand, which was holding a towel, trembled for a moment. When she looked up, she immediately realized what Jenna meant. There was a surprise on her face, but soon she looked a little depressed.

    ¡°Madam, I understand what you mean. You want to cultivate my son, but his talent is too ordinary. I am afraid that he will not be able to perform well in the Richards Group. By that time, let him find an ordinary job outside. That will do.¡±

    To tell the truth, Meroy dared not to dream of such a possibility. The Richards Group was arge and famouspany in the country. Everyone there had to possess real talent and skills. Her son¡¯s grades in school were ordinary. Although Hansen assisted his studies in the USA for a few years, she knew his strengths. Therefore, she dared not to hold on to high hopes. Jenna took the initiative to mention it. Although it made her heart light up for a moment, she quickly shook her head and rejected it as she was well aware of the truth.

    Unexpectedly, Jenna smiled andforted her. ¡°Meroy, everyone has their own sets of talents. I have seen your son, and he is not a naughty and stupid person. I believe that he can find confidence in the Richards Group. Don¡¯t worry. When hees back, ask him to find me. I will arrange a suitable position for him. Let¡¯s get familiar with the environment first. Then, when the conditions are all ready, we can make the arrangements. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    As she spoke, she smiled encouragingly at Meroy.

    Meroy was stunned for a moment, but soon she realized that it was not a dream. She was extremely excited. With tears in her eyes, she expressed her gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Madam. I¡¯m very much indebted to you.¡±

    Jenna just smiled and took the towel from Meroy¡¯s hand. ¡°Meroy, leave it to me. Go out first. I have something to say to Grandma.¡±

    ¡°Alright, sure.¡± Meroy was still reeling in shock and surprise. When she heard Jenna¡¯s words, she was so happy that she upped and left.

 Chapter 660 Meroy Was Murdered

    ¡°Grandma, what should I do?¡± Jenna wrung the towel and gently wiped Vivian¡¯s arm. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have given me the Ocean Heart. I really can¡¯t protect it. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll let you down.¡±

    Her voice was very low, like a mosquito buzzing, but her heart was heavy, as if it had been stacked with lead.

    ¡°Grandma, can you tell me where to hide the treasure? I¡¯ve secretly sent it to the safe in the bank for extra precaution, but will it be safe? I¡¯m at a loss at what to do,¡± Jenna mumbled to herself as she cradled Vivian¡¯s hand in hers.

    Vivian¡¯s eyes were slightly shut as she panted for breath. Her cheeks were already deeply sunken in, and her entire face was pale and purplish. Jenna pursed her lips and stared at her face. She gripped her hand tightly and suddenly felt an unmitigated pain in her heart.

    She knew Vivian was still hanging on by a thread as she was bothered about the Richards Group and everything about the Richards family. Even if she was in aa, she would hold fast to the family that she had once guarded for the rest of her life.

    ¡°Grandma, I have good news for you. The charge against the Richards Group has been dropped, and no one can frame the Richards Group anymore. So, you can rest assured.¡± When Jenna mentioned this, her voice was clear and also very loud. She held Vivian¡¯s hand, and the smile on her face was beautiful,albeit there were tears in her eyes.

    After a while, she saw Vivian heaving a long sigh. Her brows seemed to rx a little. Then, Jenna¡¯s eyes lit up, and she asked in a loud voice, ¡°Grandma, can you hear what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    Vivian¡¯s throat made faint groans, as if she was struggling to open her eyes. However, after a while, she turned her head and closed her eyes, still in repose. Jenna could only hear her weak breathing and could not help sighing. Finally, she wiped her tears and stood up.

    Soon aftershe walked out, Meroy went in to take care of Vivian.

    Due to Marissa¡¯s injury, ude took care of thepany. These few days, Trevor¡¯s face was extremely haggard. Winifred¡¯s two daughters were also bustling around in thepany. Furthermore, Vivian had been bedridden for too long. In this fast-paced society, everyone was drowning in endless tasks. Hence, that night, only Vivian¡¯s son-inw slept in the lounge to keep watch.

    Jenna, who was pregnant, certainly could not be on nighwatch duty. When she returned to the guest room, Sabrina was still sitting in front of theputer, painting and sketching. These days, she was immersed in her studies and did her homework aimlessly. She cut herself off from the outside world. Apart from helping Jenna with Richards Manor, she seldom asked about anything else.

    Jenna was exhausted after she left the room. As shey on her bed and saw Sabrina¡¯s focused back, she was a little surprised. Sabrina looked a little lonely, but her expression was raptly focused, and she waspletely engrossed in her painting.

    Sabrina¡¯s had more or less matured.

    At least, her smile was no longer as pure as before. In many cases, Jenna could see her forcing a smile, howshe wanted to speak but stopped on second thought, and there was a hint of gloom hidden in her eyes.

    ¡°Jenna, from now on, I will learn from you and pour my focus on fashion design, and I will establish my own career. As for love, I won¡¯t think about it anymore. Everything is up to fate. If I can¡¯t find someone I like, then que sera sera, I will be lonely for the rest of my life.¡± That night, she and Jenna were lying on the bed, and she revealed her thoughts to her. In fact, she was really doing it, and she was very persistent at that.

    At that time, Jenna had evenughed at her and thought it was terrible for a woman to be a spinster.

    Nheless, Sabrina¡¯s mind was firm and unshaken.

    At that time, Jenna had thought she was just joking. Unexpectedly, this girl took it seriously and brought ¡®no rest for the wicked¡¯ to the next level.

    Jenna sighed, fatigued. She leaned over and slowly fell asleep.

    Jenna was not at ease after falling asleep. From time to time,all kinds of nightmares came unbidden. When she was half asleep and half awake, she seemed to hear cries. She wanted to pry her eyes open, but to no avail. Turning over, she faintly felt that Sabrina also got on the bed to sleep. She fell asleep deeply again, until a rapid doorbell red.

    She sat up in shockand noticed that the sky outside was still gray, heralding dawn.

    ¡°Madam, something bad happened. Meroy was murdered.¡± The servants outside cried out in a tearful voice, which tore the otherwise quiet dawn, and it made people¡¯s hairs stand on end.

    What?! Jenna was appalled!

    She must be dreaming! Jenna shook her head. She didn¡¯t want to believe it at all. Shey down and was ready to go back to sleep. This dream was too horrible.

    ¡°Madam, wake up quickly. Meroy was murdered.¡± The maid outside, not hearing any movement inside, continued bawling.

    Jenna heard it clearly that time, and even Sabrina was disturbed.

    Both of their eyes flew open and turned to each other. They didn¡¯t want to believe that it was true.

    Just after a while, amotion came from the Ink Garden¡¯sliving room, punctuated with faint sobs. The two of them woke up at the same time. They quickly got up, put on their clothes, and walked outside.

    When Jenna rushed over, Trevor had already arrived.Although his face was glum,he could still be considered calm. He was directing the security guards around the messy scene. After preserving the scene, ude also dashed over.

    Jenna passed by the servants and came to Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    Meroy had been stabbed several times and was lying in a pool of blood.

    ¡°Meroy.¡± At the sight of this bloody scene, she approached the body and was choked with sobs. Jenna covered her mouth with her hand, and tears immediately sprung up in her eyes.

    Meroy died just like that!

    Jenna couldn¡¯t ept it.

    Meroy¡¯s face was etched with horrible expressions,and her round eyes were stark with anger. Obviously, she had seen a gruesome thing before she died, and dead she was with lingering resentment.

    What in the world had happened?

    Jenna held her breath and felt a dull pain in her chest.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Meroy had been with Vivian for her entire life. She didn¡¯t expect that she would end up like this in the end.

    She bent over and gently closed Meroy¡¯s eyes, saying solemnly and clearly, ¡°Meroy, don¡¯t worry,I will make a proper arrangement for your son.¡±

    When Jenna thought of what she had said to her the previous night, her tears started streaming down her face. When she had been despised by everyone in Richards Manor and was not favored by anyone, Meroy had always treated her with respect. She had even tried tofort her like how she would her own daughter. She bore such gratitude deep down in her heart.

    Maud had already reported it to the police. The Public Security Department attached great importance to it and sent a criminal investigation team led by Jordan to the Ink Garden.

    Jordan soon cordoned off the scene. Finally, he was done taking pictures and was carrying out the investigative work. After a while, Meroy¡¯s body was carried out.

    Trevormanded the servants toe over and clean up the bedroom.

    Jenna nkly watched as Meroy¡¯s body was lifted just like that. Her face was pale, and she sat in front of Vivian¡¯s bed in a daze, holding her hand in silence.

    Meroy had been killed in Vivian¡¯s bedroom. What did this mean? It meant that someone had entered her bedroom that night. Why did theye in?

    Jenna¡¯s face became paler. Sergio¡¯s words came to her mind again. ¡°Don¡¯t think that the Ocean Heart will bring any glory to Richards Manor. Maybe it will bring a bloody hurricane!¡±

    Sergio was right. Could it be that the bloody hurricane had arrived?

    Jenna was in a stupor.Her hands and feet were cold!

    Should Jenna take out the Ocean Heart? What should she do? It seemed that Jenna had put Meroy in danger. Jenna held onto Vivian¡¯s hand as she was deep in thought.

    Trevor¡¯s expression was solemn. His eyes were so deep and profound that there was not a speck of light in them.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be too sad. The police have begun to investigate, and the murderer will be arrested soon.¡± Trevor looked at Jenna, who was sitting there in a daze with a pale face, and felt sorrow in his heart. He had toe over tofort her.

    Sabrina had been at a loss since she saw Meroy¡¯s corpse. It was the first time she had seen such a bloody scene in her life. Moreover, she had known Meroy since she was a child. Hence, she was as worried and confused as Jenna.

    Trevor¡¯s words failed to anchor Jenna back to her senses. However, when Sabrina heard it, she became clear-headed.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be sad. Meroy is our elder and also a person we respect. She died just like that. We can¡¯t be sad now. We must help her find the murderer and give her justice.¡± Sabrina immediately stood beside Jenna. When she thought that Jenna, who was pregnant at this time, faced such a gory scene, it would definitely harm the child in her belly, and Sabrina became anxious.

    Such a thing had happened.The descendants of the Richards family soon gathered in Vivian¡¯s bedroom. They discussed among themselves.

    After a while, Jenna saw that Lomen was bringing Jordan and the rest to Vivian¡¯s rear garden¡¯s ss window. It was likely that Lomen would tell them about the incident where a thief had broken into Vivian¡¯s room previously, as well as Marissa¡¯s injury.

    Someone dared tomit murder in the Ink Garden. Such a thing was a great shame for Richards Manor, and it was unimaginable. Apart from the words tofort Jenna, Trevor¡¯s silence was exceedingly terrifying.

    Jenna pursed her lips tightly and lowered her head to wipe the tears from the corner of her eyes with one hand. At this time, she really didn¡¯t know what else she could do except for being calm.

    All of a sudden, Jenna¡¯s hand, which was holding Vivian¡¯s, began to twitch. She soon heard a gurgling sounding from her throat. Everyone turned their gazes to Vivian¡¯s face and held their breaths.

    After a while, the sound in her throat toned down, and she gasped for air.

    Everyone saw her movements and shouted at the same time.

    ¡°Mom!¡± ¡°Grandma!¡±

    After Vivian exhaled a few mouthfuls of air, her eyes slowly opened and a rare blush appeared on her face.

    The crowd shouted again. This was the first time they saw her open her eyes since she had been in aa for so long. Vivian¡¯s eyes seemed to be very bright. Everyone was surprised and eximed.

    With great effort, Vivian opened her eyes and carefully surveyed everyone in front of her. When she looked at them, she recognized all her most beloved rtives. Yet, there was a hint of reluctance in her eyes. Tears constantly trickled down the corners of her eyes. She slightly raised her hands and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something.

 Chapter 661 Vivian Had Passed Away

    Jenna was the closest to her. So, she leaned over and put her head close to her. She reached out to lift her wrist, but Vivian stopped her.

    ¡°Grandma.¡± Jenna stared at her with wide eyes and shouted with heartache.

    Vivian opened her mouth and looked at her. Tears welled up in her eyes. She took a few deep breaths, and her body began to convulse.

    ¡°Call a doctor.¡± Jenna immediately came to her senses. She only had time to raise her head and shout out this sentence. Then, she saw Vivian open her eyes for thest time, suddenly exhaled, and lolled her head to the side. Her whole body sagged.

    ¡°Mom!¡± ¡°Grandma!¡±Everyone realized something and called out at once.

    Jenna was stupefied. She only felt that Vivian¡¯s grip was getting loose, and her hand was getting colder. Jenna cried out, ¡°Grandma.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    In an instant,everyone was shocked to their core.

    Vivian had passed away!

    This was everyone¡¯s shared understanding.

    After only a short while, the room immediately burst into loud cries. Everyone started to cry out loud for Vivian.

    The whole room was filled with the sound of crying and screaming, shrouding it in an air of sorrow.

    Everyone began to recall Vivian¡¯s amazing life. She had been like a heroine. The kindness that they had received, the joy that she had brought to them, as well as the woman who had established the prosperous Richards Manor, had left just like that.

    The pain was felt by everyone, including the servants of Richards Manor, and they all began to sob bitterly.

    Right then,Richards Manorwas already pervaded with mournful cries.The sound of weeping shook even the sky.

    Jenna was lying on her stomach beside Vivian¡¯s bed, sobbing non-stop.

    Vivian had spoiled and taken care of her. Jenna was deeply touched, and she always reserved gratitude and respect for Vivian. Vivian¡¯s departure made her heart ache beyond words. Apart from crying, she really didn¡¯t know what else to say.

    Only she understood that Vivian had left the world with regrets.

    Her beloved grandson, Hansen, was not there with her at herst breath, and she couldn¡¯t meet him, the grandson whom she was most proud of in her life. What a pity it was.

    Jenna knew why Vivian had held onto her hand and opened her mouth before she died. She¡¯d wanted to say something, and Jenna understood it.

    Dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky outside the Ink Garden,casting shadows on everything.

    In just one night, Richards Manor had lost two lives. Vivian and her closest aide, Meroy, had left just like that. The entire mansion was cloaked in a sense of fear and bereavement.

    Everyone was immersed in grief.

    Jenna¡¯s mind gradually turned unusually clear. She knew that at that time, she couldn¡¯t afford herself the time to grieve!

    Hansen was still in the capital and had lost all contact with her. Moreover, she was the head of the family. So, it was a heavy responsibility for her.

    She wiped away her tears and clenched her jaw,mencing the work at hand.

    ording to the established procedures, Jenna should first report to the news media that Vivian had passed away. Trevor wouldplete this process. However, Trevor had obviously suffered a huge blow. After all, he had been in aa for three years. Vivian had passed away, and Hansen was still besieged by the extremists in the war-torn country, being caught up in a life-and-death situation. Trevor seemed to have aged overnight, and he could not lift his spirits no matter what he did.

    The final procedure waspleted by Norton.

    After the statement was sent out, it was the instation of the vigil. There would be many people from all walks of lifeing to pay their final respects. The process wouldst for about three days, and then Vivian would be sent to the funeral parlor to be cremated.

    The busiest days would be these three days.

    With Hansen gone, Norton yed the most important role. Even though Jenna had already made all kinds of preparations under Marissa¡¯s guidance, when the real moment came, she still felt a little powerless.

    Fortunately, Norton had inherited some of ude¡¯s genes. He was able to remain calm even in the face of danger. He quickly recovered from his grief and began preparing for the funeral.

    Sabrina was also extremely helpful. She not only assisted Jenna in managing the living expenses of the family but also prepared the following funeral list and all kinds of trivial matters. Unfortunately, as Hansen was not here and she was pregnant, Jenna could only represent Hansen and followed Norton, together with Trevor and ude, greeting those who came to mourn and guard the funeral hall.

    Everyone had their own heavy responsibility. They couldn¡¯t even grievebefore taking up this substantial responsibility. They had to meet all kinds of people who came and wanted to mourn. This was the way of life. Whether one was willing or not, one had to go through the motions.

    Jenna thought of Hansen and gathered herself together to preside over the funeral ceremony.

    After Vivian¡¯s death, Trevor sent someone to pick Marissa up. After all, she was the eldest daughter-inw. So, she had to be there.

    At noon, news of Vivian¡¯s death spread everywhere on the news media. Once again, Richards Manor was in the public eye.

 Chapter 662 The Retaliation Against The Jones Family

    Zoe was sitting in front of theputer,with her face livid,and her figure solitary.

    ¡°Miss Yates,both Octavia¡¯s mother and brotherhave disappeared.¡± Libby came in a hurry and reported.

    Zoe¡¯s expression was gloomy in every sense of the word.

    Never would she have dreamed that Octavia would betray her, least of all seeing thetter seeding in it.

    It was not until Octavia went to the Public Security Department to turn herself in and the police came to her door that she had any inkling that Octavia had betrayed her.

    When the police told her that Octavia had turned herself in and requested Zoe to cooperate with them in the investigation, a rare and sad smile emerged on her face. However, she seemed to have predicted that that day woulde. After all, she had never gone into any battle unprepared, nor had she provoked any trouble or trusted a soul. Therefore, herwyer quickly sorted out a document and brought out in the open all the information she had carefully prepared.

    As a result, each of the crimes were pinned on Octavia. Octavia was the scapegoat, while Zoe was just an innocent superior who knew nothing. Although there were mistakes, she paid the fine, and thewyer broke through some rtions. So, she was released safely.

    ¡°Where did they go?¡± Zoe¡¯s face was frosty as she asked coldly.

    Did Octavia have the ability to move her mother and brother away from under Zoe¡¯s nose? It was impossible.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Miss Yates, this is really unclear. We have turned over the whole A City, and we have not found it.¡± Libby scratched his head, puzzled. Although Octavia¡¯s parents were not the key surveince targets, their people had been observing nearby,yet they did not know when Octavia¡¯s mother and brother had left.

    Zoe scoffed. ¡°She must have been prepared for this since she dared to betray me. There must be a mastermind behind this. Anyone with half a brain would know thatJenna must have helped her. Otherwise, she would not have betrayed me.¡± Speaking of this, Zoe fished out a cigarette from her pocket with trembling hands.

    Libby immediately bent down and lit her cigarette with his lighter.

    Zoe took a deep breath and exhaled a mouthful of smoke. Then, she regained her senses of herself. Since Yaris died, she had begun smoking, and the habit had only worsened. It seemed that only in this way could she get rid of her inner loneliness and sadness.

    ¡°Miss Yates, don¡¯t worry. This woman betrayed you. Even if we have to dig to the bottom of the earth, we will find her mother and brother to avenge you,¡± Libby uttered.

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Zoe took another drag on the cigarette and waved her hand. Octavia¡¯s mother and brother had been poisoned by chronic poisons. There was no antidote to this kind of poison within the country. Even if they left her control, they would not live for many years.

    In the past few years, she had been providing for their basic needs. She had also sent people to buy vegetables and cook for them. On the surface, they had a good life. Only she herself knew what would happen to such a life. It was to control them.

    She showed a regretful smile at the corner of her mouth. ¡°Libby, although Octavia betrayed me, her mother and brother are innocent. Considering that she has been with me for so long, let it go. Let them go.¡±

    Speaking of this, she sighed again and muttered with regret, ¡°Libby, I am not a stone-hearted person either. Initially, I did not intend to let Octavia be imprisoned and promised her that I would send them abroad with generous remuneration so that they can live a life free of any worries. But, c¡¯est vie. She was stupid enough to haveturned on me and helped the Richards Group. That¡¯s no fault of mine. After all, I am still a loyal person. She was heartless and caused me to lose thepany¡¯s reputation, but I can¡¯t just let it go. She was willing to go to jail. That¡¯s her business, and I don¡¯t want to meddle in it. As for her rtives, that¡¯s all. Just let them go, period.¡±

    ¡°Miss Yates is really chivalrous and loyal. It can only be med on Octavia for not knowing what¡¯s good for her, and she courted death. Now, not only did she suffer her own hardshipsbut also implicated Miss Yates.¡± Libby was ttering Zoe.

    Zoe smiled and responded, ¡°Libby, chill. As long as you can help me get through this and seed, I will definitely take you abroad to have a good life.¡±

    Hearing this, Libby¡¯s face was full of smiles, and he fawned, ¡°Miss Yates, don¡¯t worry, I will do my best. I will never be the second Octavia.¡±

    ¡°Lovely.¡± Zoe smiled approvingly and changed the topic. ¡°How is Matteo?¡±

    After Octavia turned herself in and was locked up, Zoe¡¯s most miserable loss was that Sky Sword Group had been destroyed, and Matteo directly stopped supporting her. When this news was announced, he released a statement in the newspapers that hispany had cut off all rtions with Sky Sword Group. He directly annulled the contract. Privately, he called Zoe and requested her to auction off theSky Sword Groupin exchange for cash, which would be returned to him ording to the investment¡¯s equity.

    Zoe couldn¡¯t help but sneered at such a matter.

    ¡°Miss Yates, Matteo is too smart for his own good. He is a scheming person and only wants to make a profit. As soon as the unfortunate news came to light, he immediately wanted to let go. Talk about cruel and merciless. He¡¯s utterly hateful.¡± Libby realized Matteo¡¯s ruthlessness and profit-oriented attitude and felt angry in his heart.

    Zoe snorted and took a drag on her cigarette. ¡°He is smart, but there is someone smarter than him. Don¡¯t think that everyone is a fool at his disposal. Tell you what, how much money did he make by taking advantage of me? I will let him spit it all out. Moreover, my Sky Sword Group will directly announce the dissolution and he¡¯ll be left with not a bloody penny.¡±

    Hearing this, Libby had a look of admiration on his face. He believed that Zoe could do it as she waspetent.

    ¡°Libby, call mywyer toe over. I have something to do here, and I¡¯ll find youter,¡± Zoe informed him, standing up after smoking a cigarette.

    Libby immediately called thewyer.

    After a while,Zoe¡¯swyer, Mr. Mandell, came in.

    ¡°Miss Yates, ya lookin¡¯ for me?¡±

    ¡°Take a seat.¡± Zoe smiled and waved to him, indicating that he should sit down on the couch. Then, she offered him a cigarette.

    ¡°Much appreciated.¡± Mr. Mandell took the cigarette and sat down on a small couch next to her.

    Zoe came over and sat down as well.

    ¡°Mr. Mandell, take a look at this. How much will the Jones Group lose with this?¡± After Zoe seated herself, she took a stack of documents on the table and handed them toMr. Mandell.Mr. Mandelltook them over and studied them carefully.

    After a while, he looked up as he rified with her. ¡± Miss Yates, ording to the information, all the crimes of Sky Sword Group about framing the Richards Group, in addition to being manipted by Octavia, are also manipted by Jones Group. There are parts of the evidence that are credible,but some, however, are not eptable. Nheless, it is enough to make Matteo guilty of suspicion. At least, it will be investigated by the authorities. Even if he can clear his suspicion in the future, I am afraid it will be toote. Furthermore, one of them is for the sake of his own luxury car, and he deliberately implicated hispetitors and got involved in the framing. The evidence is conclusive enough to make the Jones Group luxury car business close down. Additionally, during the Richards Group¡¯s luxury car incident, Matteo was the one who profited off it. This is a fact not up for debate. Of course, if it continues, then the Richards Group will use this as an excuse to arrest him, and his crime will be heavier.¡±

    Mr. Mandell exined carefully, and a sinister smile appeared at the corner of Zoe¡¯s mouth.

    In fact, Zoe kept this because after the sess of the matter, she used to threaten Matteo to cancel the engagement with Oscar. However, what she did not expect was that after her ident, Matteo announced the cancetion of the engagement with the excuse that Oscar was a disappointment and messed around with women outside. Matteo also requested for Sky Sword Group¡¯s stock dividends, which made Zoe anxious and angry.

    Zoe didn¡¯t care about the asinine and hideous Oscar at all, but he had ruined her. Besides, Matteo was an unkind and vile person who really made her feel ufortable. She was enraged and couldn¡¯t get rid of her hatred. So, she took this path and wanted Matteo to have a taste of the consequences of being such an unruly and greedy person.

    ¡°Well, just do it. Also, our Sky Sword Group will immediately announce its bankruptcy, withdraw all the assets, and disband directly. In the end, Matteo will not get a penny,¡± Zoe answered decisively.

    ¡°Gotcha, Miss Yates, be doin¡¯ it right away.¡± After Mr. Mandell received the order, he put away the document and went out.

    Zoe lit another cigarette and took a deep breath, puffing circles in the air. When she imagined the flustered and exasperated image of Matteo, she couldn¡¯t help but tough heartily.

    ¡°Oscar, you stupid pig. I will not let you go like this.¡± A momentter, Zoe stoppedughing and coldly mumbled. This disgusting, stupid pig had ruined her innocence. Initially, she had obliged because of Matteoand wanted to manipte him. However, Zoe didn¡¯t make a move on Oscar. Nheless, she did not intend to let him go then. Her eyes were aze with the me of indignance and hatred.

    ¡°Libby,¡± Zoe shouted at the door.

    Libby answered and walked in.

    ¡°Miss Yates, what can I do for you?¡± Libby nodded and bowed.

    ¡°Here is one million dors, a reward for you,¡± Zoe said lightly to Libby as she took out a stack of bills and set them on the table.

    Libby¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. ¡°Thank you, Miss Yates.¡± As he expressed his gratitude, his hands were about to reach out for it, but Zoe held down the cash. ¡°Within three days, I want Oscar to be robbed of his manhood. Also, he has a video that he wants to threaten me with. I want you to bring it back too. Are you up to the task?¡±

    Libby only froze for a moment before he immediately beamed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Yates. Oscar is only interested in saving his neck. As long as I catch him and torture him, he will immediately hand it over. Just leave this task to me.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Zoe loosened her grip and pushed the pile of money towards Libby with her slender fingers. She then gently parted her red lips and continued. ¡°After the deal is done,another one million awaits you.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure. I¡¯ll take action now.¡± When Libby heard that there was still one million dors left, his body was pumped with adrenaline coursing through his veins. He bowed his head and promised her.

    The corners of Zoe¡¯s mouth curled up slightly, and a cold smile formed on her face.

    Libby smiled and epted the money. After bidding farewell to Zoe, he quickly walked out.

 Chapter 663 An Unexpected Event

    Surely enough, three dayster, Matteo¡¯s was dumbstruck.

    On the morning of that day, no sooner had he popped into the office than the authorities came for an investigation. It was beyond his imagination that hispany would actually be involved with the framing of the Richards Group. Moreover, in the face of arge amount of evidence, his legal team could not reverse the case. Finally, the Jones Group¡¯s luxury cars were forced to be banned and withdrawn from the global market once and for all. Not only that, the one hundred million dors that he had earned previously was all used up to pay the fine.

    The peak of his fury was the rumors spreading within the market due to the authorities¡¯ investigation, and the news media seemed to have caught wind of the news long ago and swarmed to theirpany, having a field day. Influenced by this bad news, the Jones Group stock took a nosedive, and its market value had shrunk by a hundred million. In the absence of an external bailout, and as it was sudden, the Jones Group was seriously damaged.

    His investment in Sky Sword Group was directly dismissed by Zoe, thereby rendering all his investments invalid.

    Under the dual pressure, Jones Group was hit in the vital part. It was greatly weakened and could no longer be revived. In addition, his sons did not know much about management. Just like that, in the next few decades, Jones Group would be struggling to stay afloat. They would no longer be able to be as powerful as they were. The previous glory would have been gone with the wind.

    It didn¡¯t help that the incident of Oscar being castrated by someone haddumbfoundedhim that he immediately passed out. Matteo was so furious that hey in the bed pitifully,menting endlessly.

    Later, hey down on the hospital bed,nguishing in his own mental anguish. When he recalled the past, he found out that the Jones Group was most glorious when cooperating with Zoe. At that time, the Richards Group had been battered by Zoe,teetering at the edge of the precipice.

    It was only then that he finally understood that he had offendedZoe, and what he did was over-the-top!

    He lowered his head and epted his fate. However, from then on, the name Zoe Yates and even the word ¡®women¡¯ scared the sh*t out of him whenever he thought of them. Therefore, he also earnestly warned his descendants not to mess with Zoe. Even if they were poorer than before, it wouldn¡¯t matter. However, of course, that was doomed to be only an afterthought.

    After dealing with them, Zoe felt invigorated, and even her self-confidence had ratcheted a few more notches.

    After Libby received the money, he became fiercely loyal to her.

    On that day, Zoe was sitting in front of the window, staring at theputer screen.

    All of a sudden, she frowned, and her face was full of coldness.

    That afternoon, Richards Manor announced Vivian¡¯s death to the outside world. To her, this announcement was a piece of good news. After all, it would be best if Vivian passed away at that time.

    The more chaotic the Richards family became, the greater the chance for her.

    That was the effect she wanted.

    However, when she saw the news below, her expression turned dark.

    The headline of the news was about Vivian¡¯s death, but the following news rattled her core.

    Although the news of Meroy¡¯s death came only after Vivian¡¯s news, it still packed a punch. After all, it was a murder case, not to mention that it had taken ce in Richards Manor. This was no small matter.

    Her brows were knitted tightly,and her face was devoid of expression.

    ¡°Libby,¡± she called out loudly.

    ¡°Anymand,Miss Yates?¡± Libby answered and came in.

    ¡°Libby, Letty and Liya went into Vivian¡¯s bedroomst night, didn¡¯t they?¡± she asked sternly, frowning.

    Libby also came across the news and knew what Zoe was referring to. He was a little flustered.

    ¡°Could be.¡± He carefully spected.¡°Yesterday, I passed your order to Letty and asked her to think of a way to interrogate Vivian¡¯s personal maid, Meroy. They probably snuck into her roomst night and interrogated her. I don¡¯t know what happened, but they might have ended up killing her.¡±

    Libby was following this train of conjectures, buthe didn¡¯t know who killed Meroy.

    ¡°Fool! Stupidity at its finest!¡± Zoe gritted her teeth and mmed her palm on the table. Zoe angrily cursed, her face turning ck.

    The day before, she had instructed Libby to inform Letty to find a way to interrogate Vivian¡¯s servant, Meroy. This woman had always been by Vivian¡¯s side and had won her trust. Such a secret matter could be something her descendants might not be privy to, but chances were, she might be aware of it. After all, Vivian needed to keep such an important piece of jewelry a secret for so many years. It was evident that Vivian couldn¡¯t do it alone. The person whom she had chosen had had to be particrly loyal or had something extraordinary to do with her. She was definitely someone whom she had thought highly of.

    Therefore, she thought of starting with Meroy by coercion and enticement to see if she could find out the whereabouts of the jewelry.

    The Ocean Heart was the treasure of the Richards family. She had heard about it before Mars¡¯ death. Back then in Europe, when this treasure was being auctioned off, a few well-known families had sent people over to buy it because they wanted to bet on its reputation.

    As this treasure was a legend in the business world, whoever got their hands on it, their family and business would be prosperous for five generations toe. At that time, many people went to the auction to admire it.

    However, none of them ever received this treasure. Instead, for some inexplicable reason, the auction was canceled.

    Regardless, the few business tycoonster found out that Madam Lilian had employed political means to obtain the Ocean Heart and sent it to Richards Manor. This was a piece of gossip. However, after spending so much time abroad, Zoe had gone to the museum in person. She learnt from an elderly that this treasure was indeed auctioned off by Madam Lillian because there was a record of it in the museum. This could not be wrong. Since it was not mistaken, it was absolutely possible that she had sent it to Richards Manor.

    In any case, Zoe believed that such a valuable family treasure would be stored somewhere in the Ink Garden or Richards Manor. Therefore, she sent Letty to snoop around as an undercover in Richards Manorfor many years, but she had never discovered anything unusual. Some older servants in Richards Manor had once,after drinking,loosened their lips that the treasure could only be handed to her daughter-inw. Now that Vivian was dead, the treasure should have been handed to Jenna.

    Initially, she thought that she could win over Hansen by using Liya to push away Jenna. Then, she would marry Hansen and procure this treasure. Nheless, she understood that it was impossible. Especially after being yed by Oscar, she was even more discouraged.

    When Sergio had mentioned it, she instantly understood that he was also looking for the treasure.

    So, was it Letty or Liya who had killed Meroy when they went into the Ink Garden for interrogation, or was it Sergio¡¯s man who did it? She couldn¡¯t make up her mind.

    Her original intention was to let Letty and Liya know the whereabouts of the Ocean Heart through Meroy. She didn¡¯t want to alert the enemy and make a n to find itter. She didn¡¯t expect that such a thing would happen. Meroy had been killed.

    If Liya and Letty had done this, then it would be too stupid. What if Sergio did it?

    ¡°Miss Yates, don¡¯t be too anxious. Many people want that treasure. I don¡¯t think Letty and the others did it. It¡¯s likely for Sergio¡¯s men to do it. After all, he is still living in Richards Manor. If we could think of interrogating Meroy,then why not Sergio? Perhaps, Meroy discovered his evil intentions, causing him to fly into a rage and kill her.¡± Libbyforted her in a soft voice.

    Zoe also had an uncertain expression on her face. ¡°Then, in your opinion, could it be that Sergio had found out the whereabouts of the treasure from Meroy and then killed her?¡±

    Libby rolled his small eyes, shook his head, and answered, ¡°Miss Yates, the possibility is next to zero. Sergio is still a high-ranking official. He may want fancy treasures, but he doesn¡¯t have to resort to murder for it.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Libby¡¯s words made Zoe¡¯s heart turn cold.

    It was not a good sign that the treasure had been involved in a murder case before it was found.

    She was anxiously pacing back and forth in her room.

    ¡°Miss Yates, I guess it¡¯s very likely that Liya and Letty did it. I called them today, but I couldn¡¯t get through to any of them. Obviously. they are scared to pieces,¡± Libby informed in a panic.

    Zoe finished smoking a cigarette and uttered indifferently, ¡°How about this? Libby, prepare something and head to Richards Manor for Vivian¡¯s memorial.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Libby agreed and left the room.

    However, after a while, he turned back and asked softly, ¡°Miss Yates, what kind of things do we need to prepare for the memorial?¡±

    Zoe rolled her eyes at him. If Octavia were here, then there was no need for her to worry about these things at all. Octavia would prepare everything and just followed her. It was obvious that Zoe could no longer find such a thoughtful person. Thinking of this, she felt lost.

    Was it because she did not cherish her, or had she been incited by Jenna, that b*tch? Recalling Octavia¡¯s help in the past, she was depressed and just waved her hand. ¡°Forget it. I will prepare it myself.¡±

    Libby immediately retreated when he heard this.

    The dark night was swirling with sand and pebbles, hitting their faces and bodies, causing them to ache badly.

    Hansen and Christopher hid next to another hill. After a short while, they could feel the sand and stone in their mouths and noses.

    Their eyes were fixed on another hillside. Hansen picked up a binocrs and looked at it from time to time.

    The night was getting deeper. The sun was scorchingly hot in war-torn country during the day, but sand and stones were sweeping in the evening. The temperature dropped by more than ten degrees. It was surprisingly cold.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, they¡¯re about to move.¡± Christopher notified him softly as he stared in front of him. He poked Hansen, who was beside him, with his finger. With his binocrs,Hansen looked over at the other side of the hill. Surely enough, an emergencymp and shlight appeared. His spirit was instantly roused.

    All of this waiting was for this moment! Jenna¡¯s face appeared in his mind, as well as Jerry¡¯s tender face. He gripped the gun in his hand tightly.

 Chapter 664 Fierce Battle

    ¡°Alvin, at the first sign of their signal light, we¡¯ll charge forward in no time.¡± Hansen gave an order on his cell phone.

    Time trickled by slowly.

    Everyone held their breath, just for the sake of this moment.

    Finally, the signal light shed. From another direction came five extremists of the sect, wearing bvas and donning long robes.

    The people from both sides slowly approached.

    ¡°Go.¡± Hansen waved his hand and gave the order.

    Everyone surreptitiously rushed forward from the back.

    ¡°Raise your hand, don¡¯t move.¡± As their whistles rang out and the tradingmenced, Hansen and the others stormed forward, raising the guns in their hands and aiming at them.

    ¡°Raise your hand. You are surrounded.¡± With a roar, Christopher pointed at the leader with the long rifle in his hand and approached them.

    ¡°Now.¡± Alvin and the others jumped forward and shouted as they urged.

    Those people were obviously caught off guard. They didn¡¯t expect that they could be tracked in such a ce. In a panic, they all put down the things in their hands and lifted their hands.

    Through the light of the shlight, Hansen saw the man in ck. He was the man who had tried to assassinate him that night. From his back and the malicious look in his eyes, Hansen could sense it even though they were far away.

    Surely enough, this man was Yadriel¡¯s subordinate. Everything had a reasonable exnation.

    He had killed Reid and assassinated Yaris!

    This man hadmitted the most heinous of crimes. He wasa suicide martyr trained by Yadriel.

    Hansen knew that this person¡¯s martial arts were extraordinary, and his sniping skills were especially urate. Therefore, his eagle-like eyes were firmly fixed on his every movement. As long as he made any bad moves, Hansen would pull the trigger first.

    There were not many people who were in charge of the weapons trade this time around. On Yadriel¡¯s side, there were five people led by the man in ck. On the other hand, there were only five people from the extremist organization. They each carried a leather bag and held what they needed. As long as that day¡¯s transaction was over, the weapons that were hidden in the dark would end up in these extremists¡¯ hands. After that, bloodshed and a grisly battle would ensue.

    When Hansen thought of this, he clenched his teeth tightly.

    ¡°Alvin, right this instant, put away these pieces of evidence. We will take our men and leave this ce in the night.¡± Seeing that they had lost the chance to resist, Hansen immediately ordered in a deep voice.

    Alvincaught on to it,and quickly cleaned up the evidence ced on the ground with Paul.

    ¡°Has the helicopter arrived?¡±Christopher asked loudly.The wind roared and the debris sent him squinting his eyes. This ce was gloomy and horrible. The sooner they fled, the better. They couldn¡¯t afford to waste any time.

    ¡°Christopher, retreat quickly. The helicopter has touched down. It¡¯s parking on the t ground in front of us.¡± Hansen saw the military helicopternding from the sky. The tnd in front of them was bright. He knew that Johan had sent someone to pick them up. His mind stirred as he shouted at Christopher.

    Christopher also heard the noise, and he decisively ordered, ¡°Let¡¯s retreat as soon as possible.¡±

    The group escorted the prisoners and began retreating.

    ¡°Stop, all of you. Put down your guns.¡± Someone was shouting at them in a foreignnguage. As no one among them understood thisnguage, they continued to move.

    With the sound of a gunshot, two men tumbled to the ground.

    Hansen was all over the ce.

    As far as the eye could see, in the darkness, there were a lot of armed forces dressed in robes who wereing in session from the other side.

    At that moment, he heard loud gunfire from a short distance, mixed with the sound of an explosion. It seemed that there were two on-lookers engaged in a fierce battle.

    He was not the only one stunned. Christopher was also shocked.

    What the h*ll was going on?

    ¡°Careful, Mr. Richards!¡± Just as Hansen was lost in his thoughts, Irvin suddenly rushed up and shoved him aside. A bullet flew from his back and past his ear. ¡°You¡¯re looking for death.¡±

    Irvin cursed and kicked away the rifle in the man¡¯s hand. He was immediately kicked to the ground.

    Two people came up and tied his arms behind him. One of their feet stepped on his back.

    At that time, the enemy¡¯s bullets rained on them.

    ¡°Be careful.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes were red as he shouted at the crowd. His sharp eyes swept across his surroundings, and many terrorists were barricading and attacking them.

    Obviously, the people who were fighting ran over to them. He instantly understood that someone was helping them to intercept these terrorists. However, there was a disparity in their forces. So, they couldn¡¯t defeat them. Theterroristswere closing in on them.

    Hansen didn¡¯t have time to think about who was secretly lending them a hand, but he could see that many enemies hade this time, and there were new weapons in their hands. His serious eyes were heavy and gloomy.

    Needless to say, Yadriel had expected that he woulde to the war-torn country. This was a life-and-death battle, and it would also be the final fierce battle. The oue of sess or failure was still in the bnce. He would not let him off the hook.

    Hansen was doomed to be unable to escape that day!

    At that moment, Jenna¡¯s and Jerry¡¯s faces shed in front of him, and his hand held the handle of the gun tightly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it seems that today¡¯s disaster is more ominous than it is good. We can only fight to the death.¡± Christopher also realized this point and said with trepidation.

    Hansen gritted his teeth. ¡°Christopher, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s dragging you down. You shouldn¡¯t havee here yourself. If there¡¯s a next life, then let¡¯s be brothers again.¡±

    With a tragic smile on his face, Christopher replied, ¡°Alright, boy. You¡¯ve finallyid bare your conscience.¡±

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled into a smile. It was speckled with sand, and his dry lips ached.

    ¡°Christopher, this is Yadriel¡¯s final act of mayhem. He is determined to win. So, he mobilized everyone to kill us. We¡¯ve been dealt the cr*ppiest card tonight, with no choice but to fight to death. I will let someone cover for you to break out of the encirclement. If you can retreat peacefully, then please help me pass myst word to Jenna. Tell her to take good care of our children in the future, divide the Richards Group, protect the core of the fixed assets, and live a peaceful life.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    The more powerful the Richards Group was, the more dangerous it would be and the more troubles it would get mixed up with. If they could only keep their ancestral business, then she and their children could spend the rest of their lives infort. That was enough.

    Speaking of this, Hansen closed his eyes, and something sour slipped from his eyes.

    ¡°What are you talking about? Hansen, you are not allowed to talk about useless things at this time. We must try our best to break out of the encirclement.¡± Christopher¡¯s face was dark ashe thundered at Hansen.

    How long had Hansen been in love? Had it been so long that he had lost his backbone?At that time, he was still talking gibberish, wasn¡¯t it annoying?

    Christopher observed the terrain. Years of police experience gave him a clear understanding of the current situation.

    It was not the time for despair yet.

    There was a group of people helping them from the dark. As for who it was, he was not very clear. Since there was someone helping, it meant that there would be a chance.

    After Christopher¡¯s reproach, Hansen¡¯s mind cleared a little.

    He quickly caught the two leaders. One of the men in ck was Yadriel¡¯s subordinate, and the other was the leader of the war-torn country. Pressing the pistol to their temples, he shouted loudly, ¡°Put down your guns, all of you. Otherwise, I¡¯ll shoot the two of them first.¡±

    ¡°Edgar.¡± Someone shouted in horror to the man in the dark, who was in Hansen¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Quit the hysteria. Shut up, all of you.¡± The man called Edgar shouted calmly, and no one else dared to speak.

    ¡°So, you are Edgar, huh?¡± Hansen sneered and asked angrily.

    With a calm face, Edgar responded insidiously, ¡°Yes, the name¡¯s Edgar. It¡¯s a pity that I didn¡¯t seed in assassinating youst time.¡±

    He grinned sinisterly and continued in a strange tone, ¡°Today, this is where you meet your end. Yadriel will never let you go. Dying in a foreignnd, body lost and undiscovered, I reckon it would feel exhrating, yeah?¡±

    Speaking of this, Edgarughed.

    Hansen tightened his grip onEdgar¡¯s arm, and his voice was as cold as ice. ¡°Reid¡¯s and Yaris¡¯s death was all because of you, right? You havemitted the most heinous of crimes. You won¡¯t be able to escape.¡±

    Edgar bared his teeth and held back his wildughter. ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re too conceited. Today is the day you¡¯re going to die. Boy, you gotta take care of yourself first. You don¡¯t even know how you¡¯re going to die now!¡±

    ¡°F*ck, you¡¯re truly unbelievable.¡± Next to him, Paul stretched out a foot and sent a gant kick at Edgar.

    Hansen heldEdgar¡¯s arm tightly. This guy was a martial arts practitioner, and his skills were excellent.

    Both sides were on the verge of a stalemate.

    In terms of people and weapons, the opponents greatly outnumbered them.

    Hansen and Christopher both had heavy hearts. They could only grab the two leaders and stall for time. They had to think of a way to break through again. If these two leaders were not important enough in the eyes of the other, then they might have no choice at all.

    They had this idea in their minds. With a gunshot, the extremist¡¯s leader in Christopher¡¯s hands let out a scream, and his blood sshed on Christopher¡¯s face.

    Sh*t.Christopherquickly came to his senses.

    Christopher¡¯sthoughts weren¡¯t wrong. The other party had already given up on this leader.

    ¡°Quick, shoot, cover, retreat to the hillside,¡± Christopher roared, grabbed the leader, who had been shot, and used him to shield the gunshots. Then, hemanded everyone to fight, ready to retreat to the hillside to cover him.

    Hansen¡¯s heart sank the moment he heard the gunshot. He held Edgar in one hand and shot at the enemy with the other.

    The gun battle officially began.

    Hansen epted the challenge calmly. Paul and Irvin protected him on the side, and Edgar was used as a shield.

    In the darkness, the bullet was ruthless.Edgarwas shot several times, and blood was gushing out of him like water.

    After a fierce battle with guns, Hansen and Christopher had retreated to a sand dune. They broke out from the encirclement this way and formed a semicircle. Finally, they had something to rely on. However, Hansen could see through the blurry light that a few of his men were injured, and some of them were even shot.

    This almost drove him crazy. The most difficult situation was that there were not many bullets left in the guns in their hands, yet the number of enemies had increased.

    Hansen bit his lips tightly,his eyes turning red. It seemed that death was in store for him that night.

    He held Edgar¡¯s arm so hard that his bones cracked, andEdgargroaned.

    ¡°Hansen, luck is not on our side tonight.¡± Christopher looked into the dark night, and the wind blew wildly.

    ¡°This kind of awful weather is unbearable.¡± A policeman next to him cried out. They didn¡¯t usually train in such a harsh environment. Most of them grew up after the war. They had never seen such a bloody scene. They watched their colleagues die one after another. Some of them were seriously injured. Seeing that there was no way out, they all leaned against the hill and cried out loud.

    Hansen¡¯s expression was as gloomy as the dark sky.

    Their crying made his heart feel like a hammer had struck it. He had really let them down, but he could no longer go back. He punched on the sand dune, gritting his teeth so hard that they creaked.

    Edgar let out a strangeugh. ¡°Hansen, you can go to theherworld to take your revenge on Yadriel.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s fist smashed into his chest. Edgar, who had been injured by the gunshots, passed out with a grunt.

    The enemies began to approach slowly, and gunshots rang out from time to time.

    Among the enemies, someone shouted, ¡°I heard that Hansen, a global magnate, is here. Catch him alive and get a ransom.¡±

    All of a sudden, the enemy camp burst into an uproar.

    The encirclement began to shrink.

 Chapter 665 The Tides Had Turned

    Just as Hansen and Christopher were desperately trying to fight their way out against the enemy, the sound of a helicopter reverberated in the sky.

    He looked up and saw several helicopters hovering above his head. Someone was shouting in English, ¡°Put down your weapons and surrender. We are the government army. You are all surrounded.¡±

    When Hansen heard this, he felt like a magnificent rainbow had appeared in the sky, illuminating the entire night sky.

    Christopher also heard it. He turned his head and eximed excitedly, ¡°Hansen, we are lucky to be saved.¡±

    Hansen also nodded his head in excitement.

    All of them put down their guns.

    The helicopterdder was extended whenthe extremists realized something and began to shoot back at the government army.

    As expected, the government army were all well-trained masters. Moreover, they had advanced weapons in their hands. So, after only a few rounds, they had severely suppressed the extremists.

    When the terrorists saw the government rescue armying over for no reason, they knew that this operation had been leaked, and the arms trade could not bepleted. Losing all desire to fight, they began to retreat.

    However, the army fighting fiercely in the rear began tounch another outnk from the back, forming a front and back pincer attack.

    After the arrival of the army, Hansen and the others smiled,loosening up.

    The intensebat was not long. Under the attack of the government military, except for some people who had escaped, all of them put down their guns and surrendered.

    This was a great victory.

    Hansen was overjoyed, but at the same time, he found it baffling. Why did the government military appear at such perfect timing?

    Was it really because of his good luck?

    ¡°Hansen, it seems that we are all blessed. As the saying goes, if one survives a great disaster, then one will have good fortune afterwards. It seems that we can enjoy our lives well from now on.¡± Christopher smiled and teased him.

    Hansenughed when he heard that.

    ¡°May I know which one of you is Mr. Hansen?¡± someone asked in English.

    Hansen was shocked and replied, ¡°I am.¡±

    Upon hearing the reply, an authoritative person walked over and gave him a friendly smile. He handed him a letter and informed him. ¡°This is from Madam.¡±

    Madam?

    Hearing this, Hansen thought of something. Madam? Was it Madam Lilian by any chance?

    He remembered the scene when he had been on the border with Christopher in Tamnd previously. At that time, when they were in extreme danger, the government army had suddenly appeared.

    Was this the same as the previous time,when Jenna had gone to plead with Madam Lilian again?

    In his memory, he was afraid that she would be worried.Hence, Hansen had never told her about this. So, was it Paul or the people around him who let her in on this?

    Nheless, Madam Lilian didn¡¯t seem to be in A City!N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± He reached out his hand to take the envelope and turned his head to look at Paul.

    Paul looked at him a little inexplicably.

    Irvinilluminated the letter with his shlight. Hansen opened it and saw what was written on it. ¡°Mr. Hansen, please hand over the business here to the high-ranking official. He will deal with it when the timees. You can go home now. Vivian has passed away. Please remember to protect my little granddaughter. Madam Lilian.¡±

    Vivian had passed away? The news struck Hansen¡¯s mind, and his hands began to tremble.

    D*mn it, he didn¡¯t even have the time to be there for her at her final breath!

    Even though Hansen was sad, he soon understood everything, and he was touched. Without Madam Lilian¡¯s help, none of them would have been able to leave here alive.

    ¡°Who disclosed to Jenna about my action tonight?¡± Thinking of this, Hansen turned his head and asked the people around him very seriously.

    Everyone searched each other¡¯s faces in dismay, expressing that they had no idea.

    He took the shlight and shone it on everyone¡¯s faces in the room to make sure that they were not aware of it, and then he gave up on this idea.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I really didn¡¯t tell Madam this time. After all, Madam Lilian isn¡¯t in A City, and Madam might not be able to find her. Besides, she might not be able to help. Most importantly, Madam is pregnant. So, we are afraid that she will be frightened.¡± Paul understood Hansen¡¯s mind and took the initiative to exin.

    Hansen snorted coldly. ¡°If I were to find out that you told her, then I will not spare you.¡±

    ¡°I cross my heart.¡± Paul grimaced as he nodded his head repeatedly.

    Hansen thought about it and still he could note up with a reason. He thought that Madam Lilian must have been paying attention to Richards Manor. Otherwise, she would not know the news of Vivian¡¯s death.

    Thus, it could be said that Madam Lilian assisted him for Vivian¡¯s sake. At that moment, Hansen uttered lightly, ¡°Well, let¡¯s pack up and go back to A City immediately.¡±

    ¡°What about you? Do you want to follow me back to A City or directly return to Capital City?¡± On the ne, Hansen was in a heavy mood. There was only one helicoptering.

    Christopher¡¯s face was also gloomy. He, who had escaped from death,couldn¡¯t rx. He answered indifferently, ¡°Vivian has passed away. Of course I have to go back to A City to mourn her. She passed awayst night. It seems that we still have time to go back to attend her funeral.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head straight back to A City.¡± After saying this, Hansen lightened up with relief. To be able to escape with his life was indeed beyond his expectations. He thought of that woman. He did not know how she was doing. At that moment, his heart had been consumed with fear, his mind filled with her image. He was really worried that he would never see her and his child again. Even when he calmed down, Hansen could still feel his heart mming against his chest.

    In Xanthe family¡¯s old mansion in Capital City.

    Yadriel¡¯s entire body shook and his face turned pale.

    He lost everything.

    Initially, he was sure that he would win and had made the most thorough preparations. Nevertheless, Yadriel didn¡¯t expect that at the crucial moment, the government army appeared and the tides were turned!

    What the h*ll was going on here? Why did the government army suddenly appear?

    He couldn¡¯t think clearly, and he wasn¡¯t willing to ept it.

    All his people had been arrested. Although they had not been sent back to the country yet, it was just a matter of these two days.

    The door was quickly pushed open.

    Sergio swept into the room like a gust of wind, gasping for breath. ¡°Dad, why¡­ why is it like this?¡±

    His face was covered with sweat, his body in the grip of anxiety.

    This sort of news was nothing more than a nightmare for him, causing the Xanthe family to descend into a bottomless abyss.

    Yadriel¡¯s face was pale, and his eyes were devoid of all the energy and arrogance he had previously had.

    ¡°Edgar and the others have all been caught. We have no way out.¡± Yadriel¡¯s cold eyes could not hide the defeat, and he looked so frustrated.

    ¡°Dad, what should we do now? We¡¯ve already expended everyst bit of our family¡¯s wealth in the election. Now that something has happened here, as long as Edgar and the rest are escorted back to the country, the evidence will be the end of us.¡± Sergio was like a defeated warrior. The initial self-confidence and pride were all gone, leaving only panic and lingering fear.

    ¡°Sergio, luck is not on our side. I never thought that the government army would appear for no reason. It was supposed to be a perfect n, but it failed. Is there a hidden traitor among them?¡± Yadriel¡¯s obsidian eyes shed with feorcity, and he gnashed his teeth in anger.

    ¡°No, Dad, this isn¡¯t a traitor. No one will be as loyal as Edgar. It seems that someone has been monitoring our whereabouts for a long time.¡± Sergio¡¯s heart was as cold as ash.

    Yadriel was shocked and looked up at Sergio.¡°Sergio, why does he, Hansen, have the ability to fight with me? Isn¡¯t he just a mere businessman? Is he capable of doing that?¡±

    Sergio lit a cigarette with his quivering hands. ¡°Dad, do you really think that we can be taken down by Hansen alone? In thest official election, many people gave up their votes, including General Delia. At first, I thought it was Luqman who did the public rtions, butter someone told me that it was Johan who did it. Originally, I thought there was a huge gap between Luqman and us, and Johan has always underestimated us. It doesn¡¯t matter if he doesn¡¯t support us, as we can beat Luqman with our own strength. Unexpectedly, at the most dire moment, there was another government army. The arms trade failed and it made us lose everything. We are being trapped, and the evidence is conclusive. We arepletely done.¡±

    Sergio copsed on the couch. He punched the couch and gritted his teeth.

    ¡°Son, is this incident done by Johan again? This is impossible. His influence is not strong enough overseas, and he holds no sway in the political situation of any other country. I have predicted all of this.¡± After inhaling the cigarette deeply, Yadriel contemted for a while, shook his head, and denied it.

    After hearing this, Sergio was also baffled. He couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it.

    ¡°I got it.¡± A fierce light shed in Yadriel¡¯s eyes, and he suddenly shouted, ¡°It must be her. She helped Hansen.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Sergio was shocked.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, my money¡¯s on her.¡± There was a dull light in Yadriel¡¯s almond eyes.

    ¡°Why would shee to help Hansen? Until nowshe doesn¡¯t know what Jenna has to do with her. After the failed DNA result that day, shouldn¡¯t she be disappointed?¡± Sergio did not understand this.

    ¡°No, Sergio, you are not seeing it clearly. No one would interfere in this matter except for her. Even if they want to, they know where it is. It seems that Madam Lilian is indeed a crafty old fox.¡± Yadriel shook his head with hatred in his eyes.

    ¡°But, Dad, she met you in ACitst time, and you said that she owed you a favor. Even if she didn¡¯t help, she wouldn¡¯t put you to death.¡± Sergio was still confused.

    Yadriel seemed to be calm in his heart. He replied disapprovingly, ¡°Madam Lilian and Vivian are friends. Even if she did not know anything, she wouldn¡¯t watch as Vivian¡¯s grandson dies. Because of Madam Lilian, the Ocean Heart was in Richards Manor¡¯s possession. This is my negligence. Everything has gone wrong. I did not think that such a secret event would be known to her. I think that she was suspicious of me when she came to A City to look for her daughter. I saw that she had returned to Europe with disappointment in her heart and did not expect that she was just pretending. I was really relieved and did not even retain my judgement. I am too careless. It seems that this woman is really cunning. Even I was blindsided by her. It¡¯s no wonder she managed to get into the political circle of Europe. She is really not simple.¡±

    Yadriel was steeping in pain and regret. He had indeed fallen for Madam Lilian¡¯s trap. It turned out that she had backed out on purpose in order not to arouse his suspicion. He had been tricked.

    Yadriel could not have been more regretful at the thought of this, but there was nothing he could have done!

    ¡°Sergio, we can¡¯t count on anyone now. So, we can only rely on ourselves. There are still a few days left. Edgar and the others have not returned yet, and the evidence has not reached our country yet. We have to hasten our n to get the Ocean Heart, and then flee to the USA to apply for political asylum. In this way, everything will be done once and for all.¡± Yadriel looked at Sergio with bloodshot eyes, and he made up his mind.

    Sergio¡¯s face darkened and he hung his head in silence.

 Chapter 666 General Deliaâ€™s Arrival

    ¡°Sergio,as soon as the Ocean Heart is in our possession, we can get ready to leave. The ne is on standby, and all procedures are done and dusted.¡± Yadriel¡¯s wily eyes were eclipsed by a shadow. He had already made preparations for this day. ¡°Head over to Richards Manor in A City to find ways to get the treasure, and I will deal with tomorrow¡¯s election. Remember, this thing can¡¯t be dyed any longer. If it goes on, then what awaits us will be the threat of imprisonment.¡±

    Yadriel warned sincerely.

    Sergio nodded and walked out,pletely disheartened.

    The strong dominated the weak. That was thew in this world. From then on, would he spend the rest of his life in a foreignnd? No, he didn¡¯t want to, forhe might never be able to see her again.

    He lowered his head and trudged out of the Xanthe family¡¯s courtyard.

    Liya was hiding in the guest room of Crystal Cove Garden. She covered her head with the quilt,with her whole body trembling.

    What happened the previous night was too horrifying.

    She had never thought that such a thing would happen.

    The night before, Letty had requested them to start with Meroy and ask her about the treasure¡¯s whereabouts. She didn¡¯t want to go. Eversince the miscarriage, her body hadn¡¯t recovered yet. However, Letty was very aggressive.

    Helplessly, Liya had no choice but to discuss a method with her.

    Meroy was Vivian¡¯s personal caretaker. Usually, she wouldn¡¯t leave her easily. If they wanted to find out the treasure¡¯s whereabouts, then they would have to go to Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    However, both of them were not allowed to enter Vivian¡¯s bedroom.

    Liya thought of climbing in through the window in the back garden. Nheless, due to Marissa¡¯s incident, she was worried that someone might suspect her. She was also worried that the windows in the back garden would be locked. So, they decided to enter at the darkest time before dawn.

    It was likely that Richards Manor had been too chaotic over the past few days. The windows remained the same. Letty had been in Richards Manorfor a few years and had long learnt of a path. They could travel from the kitchen in the Ink Garden directly to Vivian¡¯s back garden.

    At this moment, Richards Manorwaspletely silent. They entered Vivian¡¯s bedroom, and were safe and sound. Coincidentally, Meroy was helping Vivian change her clothes.

    After the two of them went in, they quickly restrained Meroy and stuffed a piece of cloth into her mouth.

    They had thought that this old hag would tell them where the treasure would be hidden after being subjected to duress. However, she was stubborn. Not only did Meroy refuse to give away any information, she also scowled at them. She would rather die than surrender.

    After a long time, Liya heard small voices in the lounge outside. It seemed that the person who was on night watch duty was about to wake up. They immediately panicked. At that time, the bloodthirsty Letty produced a knife and stabbed Meroy to force the word out of her.

    Meroy¡¯s clothes were stained with blood. She would rather die than to submit.

    Liya was worried about that it would go out of hand.So, she pulled Letty away.

    However, the woman grabbed their clothes tightly, and footsteps wereing in from the lounge outside. Panicking, she also picked up a knife and shed her.

    Meroy suddenly rushed over and clung to her leg. She refused to let go of her even if she died, and her mouth was mumbling.

    Letty lost her patience and slit her neck twice again until she let out herst breath. Then, she pried open her hand and the two of them escaped.

    Liya couldn¡¯t fall asleep ever since she escaped from the crime scene, and she didn¡¯t dare to go anywhere. She just shivered in the quilt.

    In a daze, she saw Reid standing in front of her, saying, ¡°Liya, you have to stay in Richards Manor in the future and live a happy life. I will be looking after you in Heaven.¡±

    ¡°No, no. Why did it turn out this way?¡± Liya was a bit distracted. Her entire body was trembling, and she curled up in the nkets in great fear.

    For the entire day, she didn¡¯t dare to get up, much less go out. Shey there in a daze, like a withered tree. Sometimes, when she identally opened her eyes, she would see that rare treasure standing in front of her, shining brightly. Liya¡¯s expression was one of excitement, as if she had be the richest woman and envied by all the other women in the world. She was so excited that she would burst into hystericalughter.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    However, when she reached out to grasp it, the treasure vanished. In her hand, there was nothing but blood. She widened her eyes as though she saw Meroy¡¯s bloody eyes staring at her.

    She was so scared that she quickly shook her hand and screamed in horror.

    Liya was lying on the bed in a daze and trembling all over the whole day. She was either terrified, extremely excited, in tears, orughing hysterically. Her mind was haunted with all kinds of horrible images and hallucinations,pushing her over the edge of sanity.

    In the mourning hall, the white ribbons hung high, fluttering in the wind. All of the descendants of the Richards family were dressed in mourning clothes, kneeling in the mourning hall.

    Two days after Vivian¡¯s death, people from all walks of life, rtives, and friends visited to mourn her death.

    As there were too many people, Jenna made a notice that read, ¡°People from all walks of life will pay their respect today, and friends and rtives tomorrow. In this way, the workload would be reduced a little.¡±

    The mourning hall was located in the living room of the Ink Garden. The coffin was facing the main hall of the Ink Garden.

    Marissa couldn¡¯te out to wee the guests as she was injured, and Hansen hadn¡¯t returned from Capital City yet.

    Norton was in charge of standing at the door to wee the guests and lead them to the mourning hall.Given that Trevor and ude were old, after standing for a while, they were exhausted. They could only support each other to the mourning hall to rest and stand guard.

    Jenna stood in front of the memorial tablet with her big belly. After every guest came to pay their respects sincerely, she would express her gratitude. Then, she invited them to get up and return the courtesy to them. Afterwards, she would lead them to the rest area of the guests.

    After bustling for the whole morning, she was so tired that her waist and knees were sore and tired.

    Yet, Jenna didn¡¯t feel like it was a big deal. She wasn¡¯t that weak and delicate. When she was carrying Jerry, she had suffered far more than this. Even then she had been able to endure it. To her, it really wasn¡¯t a big deal!

    Jenna tried to keep a clear head and calmlypleted every procedure. She even personally watched over every purchase and selected the restaurant in charge of their meals.

    The news broadcast the event live when Richards Manor was fully opened, and the people from all walks of life came to mourn Vivian. All the guests and the audience on TV could see Jenna wearing mourning attire over her big belly. She swallowed her grief and calmlymanded the scene. The whole mourning process wasplex, which involved arge number of people. However, the whole process was clear and in order. All guests entered from Richards Manor, took a tourist van, and headed to the Ink Garden. The rituals were done smoothly. Everyone could see the long queue stretched out far and wide. All of them were silent and proper, with a solemn look on their faces. The scene was decorated in ck and white, and was utterly imposing.

    However, the President of the Richards Group, Vivian¡¯s eldest grandson, Hansen, did not appear on the TV screen. This led many people to hatch various guesses. After all, the charge against the Richards Group was also announced to have been dismissed in the press conference. During the whole process, they did not see Hansen. They were also puzzled about the rumor that he had something important to deal with and had left A City.

    However, most of them cast an approving nce at Jenna.

    During these two days, Jenna was not only grievingbut also in a state of anxiety, no less.

    Her eyelids kept twitching, and her heart was beating fast from time to time. She wondered, where did Hansen go? At that moment, Vivian was dead, but he hadn;te back. When she asked Trevor, his face was still as pale as a ghost. He closed his eyes and sat in the mourning hall, holding rosary beads in his hand. He was silent and grief-stricken.

    Jenna could not figure out whether he was sad about Vivian¡¯s death or worried about Hansen¡¯s condition.

    She had never felt so uneasy in her heart!

    ording to the procedures, after all of the rtives and friends finished mourning, they would spend the night in the Ink Garden. The day after tomorrow, the final procedure, which was the memorial service,will be held.

    When the time came, there would be more people, and the scene would be more ceremonious. After that, Vivian¡¯s corpse would be sent to the funeral parlor to be cremated.

    Meroy¡¯s funeral was also held step by step in the funeral hall in between all these events, and this was all attributed to Jenna¡¯s guidance. In the funeral hall, Jenna had arranged Meroy¡¯s funeral ording to the highest standard,forting Meroy¡¯s rtives. If she had not been calm enough, then Jenna, who had held back the grief, would have almost fainted several times.

    The next day,Jenna picked Sara up. As the Richards family had been busy all this while, Jenna did not have the courage to bring Sara here, mainly out of fear that she would be heartbroken and worried when she saw her.

    Sabrina was not a Richards family descendant. Although she didn¡¯t receive guests like the daughter-inw of the Richards family, she was still dressed in mourning clothes and helped with various affairs. She was kept busy during the whole event.

    At noon, a military vehicle from Capital City slowly entered Richards Manor.

    The driver got out of the car and opened the door.

    A mighty, middle-aged man in a military uniform walked out of the car, apanied by a secretary wearing sses and a briefcase.

    It had been more than a year, but Richards Manor was still lush and green. However, in General Delia¡¯s eyes, it seemed to have experienced many vicissitudes of life.

    Vivian,who had fought valiantly,had just left the world. How would the future hold for Richards Manor? Would they be able to maintain their honor? That was unknown.

    Maud, who was guarding the door, spotted General Delia¡¯s arrival immediately and came forward to greet him.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, General Delia. This way, please.¡± Maud led General Delia into a fancy tourist van with white flowers on it and headed straight for the Ink Garden.

    Trevor, ude, and Norton all came out to wee him.

    ¡°Hello, General Delia.¡± Trevor and ude greeted him first with a solemn look.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the Old Madam has left. I¡¯m deeply sorry for your loss.¡± General Delia¡¯s expression was grave as he nodded slightly.

    ¡°Nice seeing you, Uncle Delia. Thank you so much foring here to pay the final respects to Grandma,¡± Norton uttered piously as he walked up to him. He handed him a sleeve and a white flower.

    The secretary took it and helped him put it on.

    General Delia¡¯s dignified gaze swept briefly over Norton before he shifted his gaze away from thetter. He merely snorted through his nose as a way of greeting.

    Norton knew that General Delia didn¡¯t have a good impression of him. He felt guilty and immediately lowered his head. He followed Trevor and the others to send General Delia to the mourning hall of the Ink Garden.

 Chapter 667 General Deliaâ€™s Fury

    Jenna came forward, took a bow, and brought General Delia before the memorial tablet.

    General Delia ced the flowers before bowing sincerely three times towards Vivian¡¯s portrait. Then, he retreated to one side with Trevor.

    Sabrina had heard that General Delia wasing,and had hidden herself somewhere with the excuse that she had to deal with something.

    As a result, General Delia didn¡¯t see his daughter Sabrina despite having waited in the Ink Garden for the whole afternoon. Displeasure was written all over his dark face.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    When the sun set, he remained standing in the back garden of Ink Garden with both hands clutching a newspaper behind his back. He was in a dark mood.

    The funeral hymns in the mourning hall echoed from time to time, causing his mood to be clouded with worry.

    His daughter, Sabrina, was 26 years old. A few years ago, she broke off the engagement with Norton Richards, and her reputation had been tainted because of what Norton did. As for the well-known bachelors in Capital City, they had already married. There weren¡¯t many men left. As for those who were qualified, he assumed that they wouldn¡¯t like his daughter. Hence,the matter of Sabrina¡¯s marriagehad been a headache for himfor the past few years.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, General.¡± Just as General Delia was lost in thought, a young man¡¯s voice sounded in his ear. When he raised his head, Sergio¡¯s young and handsome face appeared in front of him.

    He was a little stunned.

    After a short while, he understood.

    ¡°Hi, Sergio.¡± He chuckled slightly.

    ¡°General, my condolences to you about Vivian passing away.¡± Seeing him standing there with his eyebrows knitted, Sergioforted him in a soft voice, thinking that he was reminiscing about Vivian.

    ¡°Well.¡± General Delia¡¯s eyebrows twitched but he didn¡¯t say anything.

    Sergio thought of something, and his face darkened.

    General Delia had abstained from voting at the most critical moment of their election. Why had he done that? Did he know something?

    ¡°Sergio, is your father alright?¡± General Delia asked casually.

    Sergio¡¯s heart moved slightly. He could only nod his head and pretended to be courteous. ¡°He¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s thest day of the election tomorrow. Are you nning to stay here?¡± General Delia asked with a faint smile.

    Sergio originally wanted to talk about Sabrina, but he didn¡¯t expect General Delia to avoid mentioning her at all. He was worried when General Delia asked about the election instead. He didn¡¯t know if General Delia had already known about his family¡¯s failure.So, he just said a few words in a hurry and left.

    General Delia looked at his retreating back and shook his head regretfully.

    ¡°Aunt Maria,e this way. Be careful. That tile has gotten loose. The housekeeper should have sent someone to repair it a long time ago. What if someone trips over it?¡± Carme was carefully helping Maria towards the general¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Well, Carme, you¡¯re right. The housekeeper only knows how to please Jenna. That¡¯s all he does. The situation in Ink Garden is already considered alright. Wait till you see Emerald Garden. There are so many holes in that ce. Maud hasn¡¯t gone there all year round. Even though we reported this issue several times, nothing happened. After a long time, we decided to leave it be,¡± Mariained.

    Carme smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aunt Maria. Once Norton gets married, he¡¯ll have some of the power. At that time, you¡¯ll be in charge. You¡¯ll be able to fix it however you like. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make arrangements ording to your wishes when the timees.¡±

    When Maria heard this, a wide smile appeared on her face. She instantly praised Carme for being so obedient. Carme smiled as her face became red. The two of them chatted andughed as they walked into the mourning hall.

    There was a stone in Maria¡¯s chest after staying in the mourning hall for too long. Furthermore, she had nothing to do with these matters. So, she had nothing to do. Carme was watching the situation from the sidelines. When she saw how ufortable Maria was, she took the initiative to take a walk outside with her.

    General Delia stood under a tree, staring at Maria and Carme as they walked and chatted together.

    ¡°Sabrina, your father is here. Aren¡¯t you going to meet him?¡± Norton came over and spoke to Sabrina.

    During these two days, he had been responsible for receiving guests and running errands, while she had been responsible for gifts and the memorial service. Every decision was made by Norton.

    The two of them cooperated very well. With Sabrina by his side, Norton did not feel very tired. Furthermore, he could chat with her from time to time. It made him feel content.

    Sabrina focused on sorting out the expenses at the hotel for the day. Shepletely ignored Norton.

    Norton had long mastered a set of techniques to amuse Sabrina. That was to stick with her regardless of what she thought of him. If Sabrina ignored him, then he would find another way to deal with her.

    ¡°Sabrina, it¡¯s rare for your father toe to Richards Manor. You should ask him to stay for a few days. After I¡¯m done with work here, we can bring your father to the beach.¡± Norton ced his head on his elbow and leaned towards Sabrina. He looked at her meaningfully.

    As soon as Sabrina looked up, she saw his sparkling eyes, and she couldn¡¯t help but to blush.

    ¡°Grandma¡¯s been gone for less than a day, and you¡¯re chatting about having fun at the beach. Is that appropriate?¡± She red at him and rebuked.

    Norton looked at her haggard face after days of work. His heart ached. He couldn¡¯t help but to touch her face and said, ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t stay up tonight. Go to bed early. Leave everything to me.¡±

    ¡°Move your filthy hand.¡± Sabrina reached out and hit his hand. Norton took the opportunity to hold her hand and said softly, ¡°Sabrina, my heart aches when I see you so tired.¡±

    He said with affection written all over his face.

    He held Sabrina¡¯s hand so tightly that she couldn¡¯t move it. She was so angry that her face turned red.

    Just as the two were struggling, they heard a cold snort.

    Both of them were taken aback and looked up. General Delia was standing behind them with a stern face.

    ¡°Dad.¡±

    ¡°General.¡±

    The two of them cried out at the same time, blushing. Norton quickly let go of Sabrina¡¯s hand and hurried out.

    General Delia¡¯s eyes were dark and his face was gloomy.

    ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t know you came.¡± As soon as Norton left, Sabrina smiled and tried to lie.

    General Delia said discontentedly with a snort, ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s grown up now and learnt to ignore their parents.¡±

    Sabrina replied with an awkward smile, ¡°Dad, please have a seat. I¡¯ll get you a cup of Green Mountain Lake tea, your favourite.¡±

    In order to avoid the questions from General Delia, she lowered her head and attempted to slip away as she said this.

    General Delia seemed to have read her mind and instructed her. ¡°Come back.¡±

    Sabrina stopped in her tracks immediately.

    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re enjoying your stay at Richards Manor. You work harder than when you are at your own home.¡± General Delia looked at theputer and the receipts on the desk. He said this with a mocking tone.

    Sabrina¡¯s face reddened before she said, ¡°Dad, the Richards family is having a tough time. I just want to help.¡±

    ¡°Is it really as simple as just wanting to help?¡± General Delia¡¯s eyes sharpened as he questioned.

    Sabrina raised her head in panic. ¡°Dad, I just want to help them. After all, Vivian treated me so well. Plus, I used toe here when I was a child.¡±

    Sabrina hurriedly defended herself. General Delia stared at her, and his face darkened.

    He had been watching when she and Norton were tugging at each other when he entered the manor. Others might not know, but he knew his daughter. She hadn¡¯t been seen for the entire summer break. She was staying here instead. It wasn¡¯t her usual style. Thus, he was very clear about what she was thinking.

    ¡°Then, when are youing home?¡± He took two steps forward and asked.

    ¡°Dad, I¡¯m studying fashion design now, and I¡¯m looking for inspiration. After Vivian¡¯s funeral, I nned to travel around Europe. I¡¯ll go home during the new year,¡± Sabrina replied.

    ¡°You¡¯re being ridiculous.¡± Hearing this, General Delia could not help but to berate her angrily. ¡°You are an adult. Have you ever thought of the consequences of staying in someone else¡¯s house as a woman? This will lead to the outside world¡¯s spection. You haven¡¯t even called. You are not young anymore. Didn¡¯t you think about your own reputation?Wouldn¡¯t this do more harm than good?¡±

    Hearing this, Sabrina defended herself. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m just helping Jenna and the Richards family as best as I can. How would this damage my reputation? Besides, I don¡¯t want to marry Sergio. Quit forcing me to go back.¡±

    Sabrina just thought that General Delia wanted her to marry Sergio. However, his face darkened even more.He threw the newspaper on the desk in front of her and shouted angrily, ¡°You¡¯re so disappointing. Take a look at it.¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡± Sabrina raised her head in shock. Seeing General Delia¡¯s angry face, she quickly picked up the newspaper and looked at it. It was written in a more prominent ce. ¡°In Vivian¡¯s funeral ceremony, we have been observing a prominent figure,Sabrina, who is Sergio¡¯s fianc¨¦e. She has been busy working for the Richards family, such as managing Vivian¡¯s funeral ceremony. Her enthusiasm is really touching. However, her rtionship with her ex-fianc¨¦, Norton, has also aroused people¡¯s suspicion.¡±

    Sabrina didn¡¯t want to see it. At first nce, she felt anger rushing to her head. Her sight went ck, and she almost fainted.

    The media was absolutely disgusting. What did her stay with the Richards family have to do with them?Moreover, they were even sshing her engagement with Sergio in the headlines. It was ridiculous considering thatshe and Sergio had never been officially matched together. If they reported it in that manner, then of course it would taint her reputation.

    That was way over the line! She used to stay in the Richards family¡¯s house like this too. At that time, there had been no media gossiping about her. It was so infuriating!

    ¡°Now you know how powerful he is. Come back to Capital City immediately.¡± General Delia snorted and ordered in a cold tone.

    Sabrina¡¯s eyes were red with tears. ¡°Dad, even if I go back, I¡¯m not marrying Sergio.¡±

    ¡°Then, who do you want to marry? Norton Richards?¡± General Delia asked angrily, his eyes sharp.

    Sabrina said through gritted teeth, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t think so before? You¡¯re right.¡± General Delia raised an eyebrow. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. You stayed in the Richards Manor using the excuse thatyou were only helping out. With such a lousy excuse, who would believe that? Look, even the media doesn¡¯t believe you. How can I be assured of your ability to handle this? Norton has humiliated you enough. Do you still insist on staying here and keeping up with this? Get rid of this ridiculous idea!I won¡¯t agree to you marrying Norton. A woman must cherish her reputation. Norton had an affair with someone. Do you want to be his mistress? If you continue to ruin the family¡¯s reputation, then I¡¯ll have to forbid you from entering our home.¡±

    General Delia said sternly and left after a flick of his sleeves.

 Chapter 668 Didnâ€™t Think You Were a Gossip

    General Delia¡¯s words scoured Sabrina¡¯s heart. She felt chills running down her spine and could not think of anything to say for a moment.

    She suddenly felt a burst of pain in her stomach. Her face was pale as she squatted down.

    ¡°Sabrina, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Norton, who was worried about her, stayed in a corner of the corridor. When he saw General Delia stomping out of the hall, he rushed in. He saw Sabrina squatting on the ground with a hand over her stomach and panicked.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    Sabrina slowly raised her head.

    Norton saw her pale face. Tears had welled up in her bright, grief-stricken eyes. His heart tightened. He couldn¡¯t help touching her face, wanting tofort her.

    ¡°D*mn it.¡± Sabrina pushed his hand away and pped him hard on the face. Then, she covered her mouth and ran outside.

    Norton was stunned and was rooted to the spot.

    He hadn¡¯te back to his senses when Sabrina¡¯s figure disappeared.

    After a long time, he saw a piece of newspaper on the ground and picked it up. There was news about Vivian¡¯s death and some news about Sabrina in a minor section. After he read it carefully, his face turned dark and he clenched his fists.

    No one came to mourn in Ink Garden anymore at night.

    Jenna sat in front of her grandmother¡¯s memorial tablet, feeling exhausted.

    After a while, a strong smell of perfume drifted over.

    Jenna raised her head and saw Zoe swaggering in with a strange smile on her face.

    Why was she here?

    Jenna was shocked and looked at her warily.

    At that moment, everyone in the hall turned to look at her. Their eyes were filled with surprise, disdain, and loathing.

    The Sky Sword Group had framed the Richards Group. This issue had already been addressed in a press conference.So, what was the purpose of this woman, the president of Sky Sword Group, actuallying?

    How shameless she was! Even if the Sky Sword Group was banned, everyone knew that it was Zoe who framed them. So, they despised this woman from the bottom of their hearts.

    Under everyone¡¯s gaze, Zoe strolled to Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet and bowed to her with a devout look.

    Jenna looked at her coldly.

    ¡°Rest in peace, Vivian.¡± Zoe had no expression on her face. She raised her eyebrows and winked at Vivian¡¯s portrait. The smile on her face was bewitching.

    Jenna smiled coldly. ¡°Thank you foring. Please do as you please.¡±

    The expression on Zoe¡¯s face twitched a little as she walked out of the room.

    ¡°Who allowed this woman toe in?¡± Trevor frowned.

    ¡°Dad, the Richards family¡¯s hall is open to the public. We can¡¯t stop her froming. I just didn¡¯t expect her to have the gall to do so,¡± Jenna exined softly.

    Trevor looked much better at that time. Compared with the haggard face the day before yesterday, even though there was still grief on his face at that time, his mental condition was obviously much better. Jenna looked at him and felt it was strange.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true too. It¡¯s just that her way of thinking is weird. I¡¯m really worried about her.¡± Trevor nodded. He felt that this woman was really detestable.

    On the small path in the forest, Zoe carried a bag and walked in a rxed manner. Her face was calm.

    Sergio was walking towards her.

    The two chanced upon each other outside Ink Garden.

    It was deep into the night. Thenterns in the garden were brightly lit tomemorate Vivian¡¯s death.

    Sergio¡¯s face was a little haggard. When he saw Zoe, there was shock on his face, followed by a contemptuous smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have the audacity toe to Vivian¡¯s funeral. Tsk tsk, it¡¯s rare to see someone so shameless.¡±

    Zoe did not know that Yadriel had failed to sell weaponsin the war-torn country. She thought that the Xanthe family would win and get the top position. So, she was a little afraid of Sergio. However, she would not let go of the high position.

    ¡°Sergio. It¡¯s true that Sky Sword Group Company came to a bad end. So what? You wanna gloat over it? Don¡¯t forget, we are in the same boat, and my failure just shows that you are ipetent.¡± Zoe chuckled.

    ¡°Stupid woman.¡± A dark light shed in Sergio¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°You think you¡¯re so smart, fooling around with us?The ending you got was rather kind considering what you did.¡±

    After saying that, he showed a strange smile.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zoe looked at him with fearful eyes.

    Sergio narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. He whispered in a cold voice, ¡°Vivian¡¯s servant, Meroy, was killed by your underlings, wasn¡¯t she?¡±

    His eyes stared straight at Zoe.

    Zoe was shocked. ¡°How is that possible? What would I get from killing her?¡±

    Sergioughed dryly and said, ¡°I know exactly what you want to do. I¡¯m advising you to give up. I¡¯m not afraid to tell you that everyone knew your people went into Vivians¡¯s room that night. At that time, Jenna¡¯s assistant, Lomen, was spying on you. It was my people who distracted him. I didn¡¯t do this for you. I just didn¡¯t want to alert the enemy and cause any trouble.¡±

    His words made Zoe take in a deep breath.

    It was to be expected.

    Meroy had not been killed by Sergio¡¯s people. It was Letty and Liya. Those two stupid women had killed Meroy. D*mn it!

    ¡°Do you think the police and staff at Richards Manor are stupid? Let me tell you, the police are at the manor now and your men are about to be arrested. By then, your identity will be revealed and you will be sent to prison. If you are smart, then take a flight out of the country. At least you¡¯ll not be in prison,¡± Sergio warned.

    Zoe¡¯s face began to turn pale, and for a moment, her eyes were filled with panic.

    After saying that, Sergio left with a big smile on his face.

    Zoe stood there, finding it difficult to walk. She was breathing heavily.

    ¡°Carme, a word,¡± Norton said coldly with the newspaper in hand.

    Carme was chatting with Maria when she saw Norton approaching them. She pressed her lips together and smiled. Her face was a little flushed.

    ¡°Go ahead, Norton is looking for you,¡± Maria said to Carme with a smile.

    ¡°Alright, Aunt Maria. I¡¯ll get going.¡± Carme nodded and left obediently. When she raised her head again, she saw that Norton had already walked quite some distance away. She hurriedly followed behind him.

    ¡°Carme, you did this, didn¡¯t you?¡± Norton took out the newspaper and ced it in front of her. He asked with a serious expression on his face.

    When Carme read through the newspaper, she finally understood. It turned out that Norton had wanted to ask what she had been up to.

    She looked down, with her eyes full of grievances.

    ¡°Norton, a reporter asked me about Sabrina yesterday. So, I answered a few questions. I told them the truth. Sabrina is really enthusiastic and helpful. I didn¡¯t mean for this to happen. I am really grateful for what she did for the family.¡±

    Norton¡¯s condemning expression hurt Carme badly. He was so concerned about Sabrina that he had toe to question her because of a few scandals.

    ¡°Is that so? I didn¡¯t know you were such a gossiper. Don¡¯t you know that those reporters like to stir up drama? You disappoint me. Please don¡¯t do this ever again. Otherwise, you leave me no choice but to tell Madam Madeline.¡± Norton continued with a cold voice, ¡°Also, please stay away from my mother.¡± Then, he turned around and strode away.

    Carme stood there in a daze ascolor drained from her face.

 Chapter 669 He Came Back

    The rays of the morning sun gradually conquered the canopy of darkness that hung over the Richards Manor. A faintyer of mist enveloped the ce. The entire mansion was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere. It was exceptionally sorrowful.

    When Jenna opened her eyes, she found herself in the guest room with a quilt covering her body.

    She was stunned, and her eyes shone with confusion. She didn¡¯t know where she was.

    The funeral music in Ink Garden drifted in like the sound of a weeping song, apanied by bouts of noisy chatter. Soon, she came to her senses. Grandma Vivian¡¯s funeral was still going on, and she had slept in the guest room the previous night.

    She hurriedly got up and walked into the bathroom. In front of the mirror of the marble counter, there was her reflection. It was a slightly tan face, and pyjamas illustrated with a smiling cartoon bunny.

    What was going on?

    Jenna¡¯s hand, which was holding the toothpaste tube, stiffened.

    The night before, she had been wearing a maternity dress. Why was she wearing these pyjamas?

    Who had changed it for her?

    Her heart skipped a beat when she thought of how someone had changed her clothes the previous night. Her cheeks began to flush red.

    Then, she hurriedly pulled open her pants. The person had even changed her underwear for her!

    Her face quickly became hot.

    Who helped her to change?It was impossible that it was Sabrina. She would never help her get changed.

    The scene from the previous night gradually came to her mind.

    It was about four in the morning, maybeter.

    She was sitting in front of Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet, her head heavy and her eyelids twitching.

    At that moment, everyone in the mourning hall was in a state of drowsiness, until a series of footsteps could be heard.

    She seemed to be half asleep when she opened her eyes.

    She saw two wild-looking men.

    They had dishevelled grey hair and dirty faces. Their bodies were covered in sand. She couldn¡¯t see their faces clearly, but their bodies reeked of blood.

    They knelt down in front of Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet and bowed deeply. She seemed to be able to hear the man¡¯s painful sobs. She wanted to stand up, but the smell of blood made her stomach churn. As she struggled to stand up, her vision went dark¡­

    The doorbell rang.

    She went out.

    ¡°Madam, we¡¯re here to examine you.¡± The entire medical team of the Richards family entered the room. They all behaved with utmost respect.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment, and then she understood. She said with a smile, ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯m busy today. You see, it is Vivian¡¯s funeral ceremony, we¡¯ll be expecting guests.¡±

    As soon as she said that, all of them panicked and pleaded with her. ¡°Madam, if you don¡¯t let us perform a checkup for you, then we will lose our jobs.¡±

    ¡°Is it that serious?¡± Jenna smiled disapprovingly.

    ¡°Yes, Madam.We might even get a punishment ten times worse than this.¡± Dr. Parker, the head of the medical team, begged. ¡°Madam, let us examine your condition. You faintedst night, and we were scolded by the chairman the whole night.¡±

    Chairman?

    Jenna stood, gaping. After a while, there was a sparkling light in her eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s Hansen. He¡¯s back, isn¡¯t he?¡± she asked anxiously.

    ¡°Yes.¡± All the experts in the medical team nodded and answered almost at the same time, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart jumped and her body started getting pumped with adrenaline. She couldn¡¯t wait any longer. So, she tried running outside without thinking.

    ¡°Madam, you can¡¯t go.¡± She was soon brought back to the room by them. In other words, she had been brought back against her will.

    They all surrounded her. After a series of hands pulling and pushing her, she was forced to lie on the bed.

    Then, they began to take out the required instruments and started the checkup.

    With such actions, Jenna could onlyallow them to carry out their inspection.

    The medical team assigned to her by Hansen was an all-female team of orthopedic experts. This was because he had refused to allow any men to examine his wife.

    ¡°Madam, I¡¯m sorry, but please listen to us for now.¡±

    ¡°Madam, after you faintedst night, Mr. Richards was so angry that he scolded us one by one. If you leave today, then our careers will be over. We will only be able to starve to death on the street. Please let us do this checkup.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam. When Mr. Richards came backst night and you fainted, he looked furious. We were all called over and got scolded in the middle of the night.¡±

    ¡°Madam, our sry this month has been deducted by Mr. Richards. It¡¯s awful.¡±

    ¡­

    While they were examining her, they chattered on and on.

    This was so exaggerated that it was funny. However, it was true that Hansen¡¯s angry face was quite frightening.

    She could only helplessly lie down and let them run their examination. Sheforted them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I promise that your sries won¡¯t be deducted.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great. Thank you, Madam!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Madam.¡±

    ¡­

    In the study of Green Jade Garden.

    Dressed in mourning clothes, Hansen¡¯s expression was solemn.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there have been someplications in the security of the mansion.¡± Alvin and John came in and said worriedly.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hansen¡¯s eyebrows were knitted into a tight line. The light in his eyes gave off a terrifying aura.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, many strangers have visited the mansion for the past few days, especially in the evening. It seems that they have been searching for something.¡± John told what he had seen during thest few days when he was protecting Jenna. Since he had to protect Jenna, he did not dare to follow them. Now that Hansen had returned, he immediately reported the situation.

    Hansen pressed his thin lips together. His face was frosty, as the light in his eyes turned cold entirely.

    ¡°What kind of people are they?¡± he asked coldly.

    ¡°ording to my conjecture, this must be Sergio¡¯s doing,¡± John said without any hesitation.

    Hansen¡¯s brows twitched, and a mocking smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°Do you want to continue with this war? I will apany you to the end. For someone who has experienced life and death on the battlefield, these little thieves are nothing.¡±

    Alvin¡¯s face was full of doubt. ¡°Mr. Richards, this is really strange. What are they looking for? Earlier today, I went to the jewelry vault. The heirloom jewels of the family are still there. Didn¡¯t these people find this ce, or did theye for something else other than money?¡±

    Hansen exhaled and walked to the window. Standing in front of therge ss window, he surveyed the mansion. The light in his eyes was like that of a raging sea.

    Vivian¡¯s death was like a knife piercing into his heart, causing constant pain.

    Since he was young, his grandparents¡¯ influence on him was greater than Trevor and his wife¡¯s. In his heart,his Grandma was the person whom he respected the most. Although he had thought of his grandmother leaving him one day, he had never thought that she would leave in this awful period of time.

    He hadn¡¯t even had time to attend the burial ceremony.Even then, he didn¡¯t have time to sit in front of the memorial tablet until the end. One could only imagine the guilt in his heart.

    The previous night.

    After he got off the ne, he didn¡¯t have time to clean the sand and blood off his face. He went straight to his grandmother¡¯s memorial tablet and bowed three times. He sobbed as he walked to his grandmother¡¯s coffin and saw her. Christopher apanied him all the way.

    The moment Jenna fainted, his guilt was eating him alive. He also realized that he couldn¡¯t grieve for a long time. What awaited him was even moreplicated matters.

    He was the head of the family, a man with responsibilities to carry. He was also the CEO of the Richards Group. However, the pressure had been ced on the shoulders of the woman he loved.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Therefore, he could only bring Jenna back to the guest room. After helping her change into her pyjamas, he hurriedly took a shower before heading out.

    What made him angry was that the medical team had no clue about Jenna¡¯s physical condition. Moreover, during this period of time, they didn¡¯t give Jenna any check-ups. Immediately, his face turned livid, and his fury was like thunder.

    When she was pregnant with Jerry, she passed out in front of him. The reason was that she was malnourished.

    That time, she had passed out in front of him again despite the fact that there were so many medical experts around.

    He simply couldn¡¯t stand his dignity being harmed.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, bad news. Yesterday, a few thieves slipped into Richards Manor. The ce has been turned into a mess,¡± Lomen reported as he hurried into the room.

    The veins on Hansen¡¯s forehead throbbed. He clenched his fingers to suppress the anger boiling in his heart.

    ¡°Did we lose anything?¡± he asked solemnly.

    ¡°Nothing is stolen, but many ces are in a mess. And the person who came in is definitely a pro. The security guards in the mansion couldn¡¯t do anything to them.¡± He felt a little uneasy as he said.

    ¡°How many people do we estimate to have entered?¡± Hansen continued asking.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, these few days are the most chaotic times in Richards Manor. While you were not around, there had been more than a handful of people who snuck in. Apart from the jewelry vault, we¡¯ve searched every possible ce we can find. It¡¯s chaotic these days.¡± Since Lomen was staying in Richards Manor, he knew better than anyone else. Thus, there was a lingering fear in his voice.

    Hansen loosened his clenched fists and sneered. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re taking advantage of my absence to cause trouble. Fine, I¡¯ll fight them to the end.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, that¡¯s true.¡± Just as Lomen was about to reply, he continued. ¡°That night when Meroy was killed, I saw two figures slip into Vivian¡¯s bedroom with my own eyes. Just as I was about to follow them, there was another man dressed in ck following them. The guy was agile. He must be quite skilled in martial arts. After I noticed them, they ran towards the guest room. I was afraid that they would hurt Vivian. So, I went after them. I didn¡¯t expect Meroy to be murdered that night.¡±

    Just thinking of the scene that night sent goosebumps all over his skin. His face was full of sadness.

    Meroy¡¯s death twisted the knife that was already stuck in Hansen¡¯s heart.

    The esteemed Richards Manor was filled with ruffians who ran amok andmitted murder at any time. This was too much to handle.

    It was one thing that he had been unable to do anything against Yadriel. What about Richards Manor? This was his own home!If this continued, then his role as the head of the family would be for naught.

 Chapter 670 Lose Confidence

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the person who went into Vivian¡¯s bedroom could be the one who changed her will. We can arrest her and interrogate her now. Not to mention, that day, she pushed Madam to the ground. It should be her.¡± Standing next to him, Lomen recalled.

    Hansen narrowed his eyes and asked coldly, ¡°Is she still in Richards Manor?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she was Oscar¡¯s sugar baby. Matteo was furious after he found out about it. He sent people to reim all his property and money. She came to Richards Manor in this desperate situation. Madam saw that she had been disfigured and had lost the ability to bear children. So, she took her in for a few days, hoping that she could turn over a new leaf. As we can see, she hasn¡¯t changed even after all this,¡± Lomen reported everything that happened in the past few days after Hansen left, his tone was filled with indignation.

    John at the side also nodded and agreed. ¡°Madam is too kind. She shouldn¡¯t have let that woman in.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Some people won¡¯t learn unless they are taught the hard way.Jenna had already let her off. If she had learnt something from it all and left readily, I would have stopped the investigation for the sake of my grandmother.However, she obviously doesn¡¯t know how to repent and is still so vile aftering in.Thus, this time, she won¡¯t be able to escape thew.¡±

    Speaking of this, he thought of Vivian¡¯s will. Shifting his gaze to Lomen, he asked, ¡°How long will it take for Grandma¡¯s will toe out?¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯ve been hurrying them.I¡¯ve even asked a finance manager who has a close rtionship with the Richards Group for news. He said that the results wille out ahead of schedule. I think it¡¯ll just be a matter of one or two days,¡± Lomen immediately replied.

    ¡°Well, Jenna has given her a chance and done her utmost to be kind to her. However, she did not repent but took advantage of it. Such a woman is trouble. This time, hand over all the evidence to the police. Let¡¯s settle this once and for all.She cannot me others. It¡¯s just a matter of time beforeher free ridees to an end,¡± Hansen said coldly with no expression on his face.

    If Liya had promisedneverto enter Richards Manor again, then the Richards family wouldn¡¯t have gone this far despite her heinous crime. However, she had chosen the path herself with her actions.

    ¡°Alvin, gather everyone in the Grand Eagle. From this day forth, I will clear every evil in this manor and return peace to our family.¡± Hansen hesitated no longer and gave orders to Alvin.

    Alvin nodded and left immediately.

    Hansen was about to lead his men down to catch Liya when he caught a glimpse, from his window, of Jordaning over with two policemen.

    He frowned and thought for a while before bringing Paul downstairs with him.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯re back.¡± When Jordan heard that Hansen had returned, he immediately came. When he saw him, he walked up to shake hands with him.

    After they shook hands, he said, ¡°Mr. Jordan, please take a seat.¡±

    They sat down on the couch in the living room.

    ¡°Mr. Jordan, have you found the cause of Meroy¡¯s death?¡± As soon as they sat down, Hansen asked.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we have already obtained two fingerprints at the scene, but considering that Madam Vivian¡¯s funeral is still ongoing, andthe workload of any subsequent action will be heavy, we thought we¡¯de to you to ask whatyou think,¡± Jordan said frankly.

    Hansen thought for a moment and questioned, ¡°Mr. Jordan, if you have something to say, then just say it.¡±

    ¡°Well, Mr. Richards, I¡¯ll not beat around the bush then,¡± Jordan said decisively.¡°In our line of work, there are no assumptions made. ¡®Evidence¡¯ is everything.We found two fingerprints on Meroy¡¯s clothes and the knife handle. These are very important pieces of evidence. As long as we can find out who they belong to, it will be solid evidence. No one can deny it. So, we can directly arrest the murderer to be brought to justice.¡±

    Hansen listened carefully before asking, ¡°Mr. Jordan, based on your analysis, who do these two fingerprints belong to?¡±

    Jordan smiled. ¡°We analyzed the scene and checked the surroundings of the manor. ording to the case report, it¡¯s temporarily confirmed that someone who works or lives in the mansionmitted the crime. However, evidence is crucial. Thus, to find out who killed Meroy, I need the fingerprints of those who were in the mansion that night, including Mr. Trevor. We were hoping you could provide them. This is quite challenging. After all, Madam Vivian¡¯s funeral has yet toe to an end. Plus, there¡¯ll be a memorial party tomorrow. The number of people will only increase. If we want to find the owner of the two fingerprints, then I¡¯ll need your cooperation. That¡¯s why I came.¡±

    Hansen narrowed his eyes. His brows tightly knitted together as he remained silent.

    Grandma was so generous and had done countless good things in her life. No one had expected that even her funeral ceremony would be disturbed by such matters. However, he believed that Vivian would understand and agree with him.

    Soon after, he stood up and said decisively, ¡°Well, close the clinic from now on and postpone Grandma¡¯s memorial service for one day. Today, I¡¯ll ask Maud to gather everyone and get their fingerprints.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jordan stood up as well. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m relieved. Sorry to disturb you. This must be disrespectful to Vivian. However, what we¡¯ll be doing is also for the greater good. I believe that Vivian will understand.¡±

    Pain shed across Hansen¡¯s eyes. Without a word, he strode outside.

    ¡°Ask Maud to see me.¡± As soon as he walked to the gate of Ink Garden, he paused and ordered John.

    ¡°Alright.¡± John nodded and turned to leave. However, as soon as he took a few steps, a gorgeous sightseeing car came in front of him. An electric vehicle followed closely behind with Maud in it.

    After the electric vehicle stopped, Maud immediately jumped down from the back.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Mr. Moore and Miss Jaqueline havee to mourn Vivian.¡± Maud came down and reported to Hansen loudly.

    At that time, only Hansen and Norton were at the gate of Ink Garden. When Hansen heard the announcement, he was shocked. When he looked up, he saw Nuncio and his daughter Jaquelineing down from the cart.

    After being stunned for a moment, he hurried forward to greet him with a half bow.

    ¡°Mr. Moore, Miss Moore, thank you foring.¡± Nuncio raised his hand slightly and said, ¡°Hansen, my condolences to you and your family.¡±

    Norton immediately handed them their sleeves and flowers.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡± Jaqueline took a step forward andforted him in a soft voice.

    ¡°Thank you, Jaqueline.¡± Hansen nodded slightly at her and said to Maud, ¡°Wait here.¡± Then, he took Nuncio and Jaqueline to his grandmother¡¯s mourning hall.

    When the guards in the room saw the Moore familying, they all stood up to wee them.

    Nuncio and Jaqueline came to Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet. Each of them solemnly bowed three times to Vivian and offered her flowers.

    ¡°Thank you foring to Grandma¡¯s funeral. This way.¡± Jenna respectfully curtsied at Nuncio and led him to the guest resting area where Trevor was stationed.

    The Moore family were the Richards family¡¯s important guests. So, she did not dare to irritate them.

    ¡°You are Jenna, aren¡¯t you?¡± Nuncio asked after looking at her from head to toe.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jenna answered, lowering her eyes.

    Nuncio looked at her again, paused for a second, and then looked away.

    Jenna was uneasy and led Nuncio to Trevor¡¯s side before politely walking away.

    Jaqueline was standing in front of Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet. Jenna was about to lead her to the guest area to sit down. When she looked up, she saw Jaqueline bowing to her. Hansen was standing beside her.

    ¡°Jaqueline, thank you foring.¡± Hansen looked at Vivian¡¯s portrait on the memorial tablet and felt bitter in his heart. Since he arrived, it was the second time he hade to his grandmother¡¯s spirit tablet. For the following days, he might be so caught up in work that he did not have much time to stay until the burial ceremony.

    ¡°Hansen, you can defeat Yadriel no matter what. Grandma will be happy in heaven. My condolences to you and your family.¡± Jaqueline saw Hansen¡¯s sorrowful gaze. So, sheforted him in a soft voice.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes turned to look at her as he nodded slightly at her.

    At that time, Jaqueline¡¯s eyes were full of considerate care, and her beautiful eyes were intelligent and clear.

    Jenna, who was about to step here, suddenly halted, and her heart was in a daze.

    Ever since her husband had gone to Capital City, she had been scared. That day, he had finallye back. However, the first woman he talked to was not her, but Jaqueline, who came from Capital City.

    Jaqueline was dressed in a long ivory dress, looking stunning. Standing by his side, the scene was truly beautiful.

    They were standing in front of Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet and whispering something to each other, acting veryintimate.

    Her eyes suddenly teared up.Suddenly, she didn¡¯t want to bring Jaqueline to the resting area anymore. She felt that her help was unnecessary and that she would even disturb them. This was an indescribable feeling, which made Jenna lose her self-confidence.

    She lowered her head and turned around.

 Chapter 671 Erasing The Trauma

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Just as she was about to walk to the side, a gentle voice that she had not heard for a long time stopped her.

    Hansen had been standing next to Jaqueline, waiting for Jenna toe and take her away, only to see her turn away after starting to head towards their direction. He thought that she had forgotten that a female guest had arrived. So, he stepped forward and stopped her.

    Hearing the voice that was familiar even in her dreams, a sudden warmth flooded Jenna¡¯s heart. All the grievances, longing, and worries in the past few days were visible in her eyes. She looked up at him.

    He grieved for the loss of his grandmother. It was evident through his teary eyes. However, when he looked at her, the only thing she could see in his gaze was love.

    She understood everything that just by looking into his eyes, all her feelings were subverted.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Her heart softened. Her eyes shone brightly when she saw his thin and slightly tan face. She first thought that he was the ¡®wild man¡¯ before she fainted the previous night. She felt a little baffled by the feeling she had just then.

    What in the world was she thinking about!

    Given his appearance the night before, he must have been in danger previously. It was truly a blessing that he had already returned safely.

    Hansen stretched out his hand to hold hers, with hisrge hands wrapping tightly around her small ones.

    They held hands, and their eyes met. There seemed to be thousands of words that they wanted to say but didn¡¯t know where to start. At that moment, they were grateful that they were standing here together, safe and sound, and would never be separated from each other again.

    ¡°You fool, don¡¯t you recognize your husband?¡± Hansen saw Jenna looking at him in a silly manner. Confusion shed across her eyes. He could not help but to bow his head and ask in a low voice.

    Jenna lowered her head as her cheeks turned red.

    He saw her slightly sallow face, and his heart ached. The anger in his heart rose again. That medical team hadn¡¯t even done routine examinations for her while he was gone. D*mn it!

    ¡°Jenna, bring Jaqueline to the guest area. She¡¯s a guest of the Moore family. Try to make her feelfortable,¡± he whispered in her ear.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Jenna came to her senses and nodded repeatedly.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ll look for youter. I have something urgent to deal with first.¡± After that, Hansen let go of her and walked outside.

    A spring breeze blew over Jenna¡¯s heart, melting all the shadows.

    She briskly turned her head and walked towards Jaqueline, with her face brimming with confidence.

    ¡°Miss Moore, thank you foring today. This way, please.¡± She walked over and greeted Jaqueline, not forgetting to gesture to her to walk first.

    Jaqueline had long since noticed their love for each other. She looked up and tried to conceal the disappointment in the depths of her heart. She nodded to Jenna as a polite gesture, and followed her to the women¡¯s guest lounge.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Hansen walked out and saw Maud standing outside, waiting for him.

    ¡°Sir, are you looking for me?¡± Maud rushed up to him the moment he saw him walk out.

    ¡°Maud, close all entrances of the mansion from now on. Post a notice outside, informing all the rtives who came to mourn that the time has been changed to tomorrow, and Grandma¡¯s memorial service will be postponed for a day,¡± Hansen immediately ordered Maud when he saw him.

    Maud was stunned for a while.

    ¡°Gather everyone in the mansion right now. I have something important to announce.¡± Hansen frowned, raising his voice.

    Maud was jolted out of his idle state and silently confirmed the instructions. He quickly turned around and went to carry out the order.

    ¡°Norton, prepare the ice coffin immediately and put Grandma¡¯s body into it.¡± He turned around and said to Norton.

    Norton seemed to have understood something when he heard Hansen¡¯s arrangement. He simply nodded.

    ¡°Hansen, the ice coffin is still in the bunker. It¡¯ll be difficult to move it out at once.¡± Norton thought of the weight of the ice coffin. It would take a lot of effort to move it out.

    ¡°No matter how difficult it is, we have to move it out as soon as possible. There¡¯s no time to hesitate. Otherwise, Grandma¡¯s body will rot,¡± Hansen said decisively.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll bring some men with me right away.¡± The matter was urgent. Norton knew that he must have his reasons for doing so.So, he didn¡¯t question him. He agreed and called the captain of the security guards. He then left with a group of security guards.

    As soon as Norton left, Alvin called.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the members of the Grand Eagle have arrived,¡± Alvin briefly reported.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes darkened. He immediately headed for Green Jade Garden.

    Sitting in a luxurious sports car, Sergio held his cell phone tightly in his hand. He said in a trembling voice, ¡°Dad, Hansen returned to Richards Manorst night. I couldn¡¯t find where they keep the treasure.¡±

    Yadriel¡¯s face was pale and there was a sinister smile on his face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. What can he do? We¡¯ll have to get the Ocean Heart this time.¡± His voice was like a ghost on the phone. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this for the time being. We must leave for the United States the day after tomorrow. I¡¯ve already arranged it.¡±

    Beads of sweat formed on Sergio¡¯s palms, and his face grew pale.

    ¡°Dad, now that Hansen is back, it won¡¯t be so easy to get hold of the Ocean Heart. Now, Richards Manor is being heavily guarded. The people Zoe sent identally killed Vivian¡¯s servant, Meroy. This no doubt alerted the enemy. At present, there¡¯s a group of security guards patrolling the mansion round the clock. It¡¯s not an easy task to get the treasure within two days.¡±

    He sounded a little discouraged. It was not his fault. In the past few days, he had searched the entire Richards Manor, despite Jenna¡¯sck of cooperation, to no avail.

    ¡°Sergio, how could it be so easy to obtain a treasure? Vivian must have made thorough arrangements for this matter when she was alive. We must find it no matter how difficult the process is. Since it¡¯s not in the mansion, do think of other ideas. We have no way out now. We suffered a great loss in our finances due to the election.We must seize this opportunity. This is ourst chance,¡± Yadriel ordered on the other side of the line.

    Sergio gritted his teeth and his eyes turned red. He didn¡¯t want to leave this country. He didn¡¯t want to flee abroad. This was his home. He had never wanted this.

    ¡°Sergio, listen to me. We can¡¯t be soft-hearted now. We must try our best to get that treasure for a better future. If things don¡¯t work out, then I will support you.¡± Yadriel did not hear his son¡¯s response and felt uneasy. So, he warned him again.

    With a ¡®m¡¯, Sergio violently dropped his phone. He closed his eyes for a short while before starting the car.

    The car engine roared as it moved forward.

 Chapter 672 Badly Frightened

    Liya was curled up on the bed, her hair disheveled. She covered herself with a nket. Her face was pale and she felt dizzy.

    After a while, there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t find me.¡± She trembled and grasped the quilt tightly, screaming with fear, ¡°Meroy, I didn¡¯t mean to kill you. Don¡¯t find me. I didn¡¯t mean to kill you.¡±

    The knocks on the door became louder and louder.

    Liya was badly frightened. Her entire body was trembling as she covered her ears with her hands. She shook her head frantically, feeling extremely terrified. She kept muttering, ¡°Meroy, please don¡¯t look for me. Forgive me, please.¡±

    ¡°Liya, hurry up and open the door.¡± There was a knock on the door. The person outside seemed to have be impatient after waiting for a while. She shouted out in a rough voice.

    Liya let go of her ears and raised her head.

    The voice belonged to Letty.

    She suddenly lifted the quilt and sat up.

    ¡°Liya, hurry up and open the door. There¡¯s no time.¡± Letty¡¯s impatient voice rang out from outside again.

    These days, there were a lot of footsteps outside the Emerald Garden and it was always noisy, especially at night. However, that day, the usually chaotic garden seemed to have quietened down.

    Stunned for a moment, she got out of bed and rushed to the door to open it.

    Letty was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and pants,with a hat as well. She was standing by the door with two bags in her hand. It seemed that she was ready to go out.

    ¡°Quick, Hansen is back. They are about to close all the entrances. We have to escape before they do so, or we¡¯ll be finished.¡± Letty saw Liya looking at her with frightened eyes. She looked like a ghost. Her face was deathly pale and her lips were trembling. She sneered in her heart and looked at her disdainfully, reminding her.

    ¡°Did Hansene back?¡± After opening her eyes for a while, Liya came back to her senses and questioned.

    Letty looked at her with contempt and said with ace of sarcasm in her tone, ¡°Are you still dreaming of being Hansen¡¯s second wife? From what you did, I can guarantee that you will be caught by Hansen when hees back. Be smart, pack up your things, and leave.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Liya¡¯s entire body was trembling. Her eyes were nk as she opened her mouth. Hansen¡¯s face appeared before her eyes, the elegant figure of the young master whom she had admired from a young age. He was the only one who had helped her in Richards Manor when she was young.

    A sense of warmth that did not belong to her rose in her heart. After that, she got very excited again and her whole body seemed to be floating in the air.

    The sound of footsteps downstairs became louder and louder. Through the shade of the trees in the corridor, Letty saw that many security guards were lining up in the garden and heading towards the gate. There was also security personnel patrolling in the garden.

    She was scared out of her wits. When she turned around to look at Liya, she saw that she waspletely in a daze. Sometimes, she would cry. At other times, she wouldugh. She waspletely out of her mind.

    Letty had lost her patience. Shejust urged her a few more times before walking out quickly with the bags in her hand.

    This woman was out of her mind. If it weren¡¯t for Zoe asking her to bring Liya out, afraid that she would not stand the interrogation and end up exposing them, then she wouldn¡¯t have cared about this stupid woman¡¯s life or death. However, at that moment, she could only run for her life.

    As she thought, she lowered her hat, held the bags, and walked out as if nothing had happened.

    Hansen had just walked out of the study of Green Jade Garden whenhe saw the security captain hurrying over.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we¡¯ve just caught a servant who tried to sneak out from the back door. What should we do?¡± The head of the security team was busy giving orders to close all entrances of every building when he overheard the security guards stationed at the small door at the north wing of the manor reporting that a woman had been trying to sneak out.

    The head of the security team had worked in the mansion for years. He was more wary these days,given that a murder case had urred in the mansion.It was very significant that the chairman, who had just returned from Capital City, haddecided to close the exits of the mansion, even during Madam Vivian¡¯s funeral. Thus, when he found this woman, he ran to the mansion and told Hansen in person.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes shed as he asked in a deep voice, ¡°What¡¯s the servant¡¯s name? Where was she located?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, she¡¯s Letty, a kitchen staff in Ink Garden,¡± The captain of the security guards replied.

    ¡°Letty?¡± Hansen could not recall anyone named Letty. He had never paid much attention to the servants of the mansion, but it was obvious that this Letty wanted to sneak into the mansion at this point in time. He immediately ordered in a serious voice, ¡°Take her to the conference room right now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the captain of the security team answered.

    The closing of the entrances of Richards Manor proceeded in an orderly fashion.

    Zoe stood in the bedroom, pacing back and forth, with a cigarette in hand. She looked haggard.

    Ever since she hade back from Vivian¡¯s funeral at Richards Manor the previous night, she had begun to feel restless.

    The night before, she had met Sergio in the Richards Manor. The words he said pushed her into the dark abyss. Letty and Liya, the fools, had actually killed Meroy,undoubtedly alerting the enemy. Her n was about to be exposed even before it started. Hence, she had ordered Letty to bring Liya back from the mansion.

    However, she had not heard from them after that.

    She sat on the couch and began to smoke.

    ¡°Miss Yates.¡± As soon as she smoked the cigarette in her hand, Libby came in with an anxious look on his face.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Zoe raised her head.

    ¡°Miss Yates, our people searched the entire mansionst night but couldn¡¯t find the treasure. This morning, Hansen returned home. There is security posted in the mansion now, and Hansen has already ordered the closure of the entrances of the mansion. This is very serious. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be very difficult for us to find the treasure.¡± Libby blurted out in a panic.

    Zoe thought about it as the cigarette was lowered down slowly. She took one final drag of the cigarette before discarding it in the ashtray.

    ¡°Have Letty and Liyae out yet?¡± she asked in a low voice.

    Libby shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t be able to walk out of here alive.¡±

    Zoe took a deep breath and fell back on the couch. If they couldn¡¯t escape, then their crimes would be exposed. Would this lead to her own crimes being exposed?

    ¡°Libby, bring our brothers with you, and let¡¯s retreat to the Mariya Church.¡± Her face had turned pale.

    Narrowing her eyes, she gave the order decisively.

    Libby was stunned and asked a little unwillingly, ¡°Miss Yates, what about the ¡®Ocean Heart¡¯?¡±

    Zoe¡¯s eyelids jumped as she calmly said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush. Someone else should be more worried than us. Just wait and see. No matter what we do, it¡¯s just a matter of a few days.¡±

    Libby didn¡¯t understand what she was trying to say but nodded regardless.

    ¡°Miss Yates, I¡¯m afraid that Liya is finished this time. I¡¯m afraid that she will betray you when the timees,¡± Libby said with some worry.

    Zoe frowned and said indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of one or two days. Who cares about her anyway? After we get the treasure, we¡¯ll leave here immediately.¡±

    Libby thought about it, smiled sinisterly, and went back to work.

 Chapter 673 No Way To Go

    It was only fifteen minutes after Jenna greeted Jaqueline and her father, and returned to the memorial tablet when she heard the loudspeaker of the broadcast room ringing. Maud was conveying Hansen¡¯s instructions through the loudspeaker. ¡°All entrances of the mansion have been closed. No one is allowed to leave. Vivian¡¯s memorial service is postponed for a day and all rtives who came maye back tomorrow. All guests and staff, please gather at the conference room. There is an important matter that needs to be addressed.¡±

    Jenna was a little stunned when she heard this.

    Hansen had just returned home and was shutting down the mansion, evendying Vivian¡¯s memorial service. Wouldn¡¯t this be disrespectful to Vivian?

    However, too many things had happened during this time. It seemed that he was going to take action.

    Just as she was lost in her thoughts, she saw a few security guards walking in, carrying an ice coffin.

    ¡°Norton, what are you doing?¡± Trevor was talking to Nuncio. He heard Maud¡¯s voice from the speakers and saw Norton and some staff carrying an ice coffin. He immediately walked up to them and asked.

    ¡°Trevor, this is Hansen¡¯s order. The memorial service is postponed for a day. The weather is too hot. He is afraid that Granny¡¯s body will rot.¡± Norton thought that there must have been something else behind what Hansen had done. So, he exined it in this way.

    Trevor¡¯s eyes shed as he nodded. Now that Hansen was the head of the family, his decision was not to be questioned even if he was his father. Therefore, he did not say much.

    ¡°Everyone, please move to the conference room in Ink Garden.¡± In the broadcasting room, Maud¡¯s voice sounded over and over again.

    At that moment, be it the guests or masters who remained in Richards Manor, all of them began to walk towards Ink Garden.

    Jenna had originally nned to send a chauffeur to pick up Sara and Bailey, but now, that had to wait. She would discuss it with Hansen after the meeting.

    The conference room was in the hall of the joint vi in Ink Garden, and people who came and went would pass through the corridor.

    Soon, Jenna saw Jordan leading the police in, and she seemed to understand something.

    There must have been some progress in Meroy¡¯s murder case. They had found some clues, and then they needed to verify the evidence.

    When she turned, she saw Norton bringing a few men to ce Vivian¡¯s corpse into the coffin.

    She didn¡¯t dare to leave. ording to tradition, someone had to take care of Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet.

    She would wait until the rest of the guests and servants left to coordinate with the police. Thinking of this, she sat down in front of Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet and lit a candle for her.

    ¡°Grandma, please look after our family. I also pray that the Ocean Heart doesn¡¯t fall into the wrong hands.¡± She ced the candle in front of Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet. She intertwined her fingers together as she silently prayed in her heart.

    Now that Hansen had returned, her heart was finally at ease.

    She slightly closed her eyes and exhaled before slowly opening them. She saw a pair of white sneakers stained with dirt. Looking up, she saw a pair of jeans that were covered with dust and dirt. The woman had shoulder-length hair and was wearing a wrinkled red T-shirt. Her face was as pale as a ghost.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna gasped, and instantly stood up.

    ¡°Liya, what are you doing here?¡± If it weren¡¯t for the jade she was wearing on her hand, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to recognize her. Her face was pale and she was extremely skinny. Her eyes were sunken. She was no different from a ghost.

    Liya stared at Jenna, her lips closed, and her pale fingers fell on Vivian¡¯s coffin.

    ¡°Liya, what do you want? Go to the conference room. Everyone is there now,¡± Jenna said in a harsh tone.

    However, Liya¡¯s face was expressionless. She didn¡¯t show any reaction. Instead, she walked towards the memorial tablet, step by step.

    Jenna stepped back and frowned as she watched.

    ¡°Liya, I was kind enough to take you in. Vivian has raised you since you were young. Have you repented?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes were cold as she asked.

    Liya¡¯s eyes slowly shifted to the memorial tablet in front of her. She looked at Vivian¡¯s portrait and her body froze. A trace of fear appeared in her eyes.

    Jenna looked at her coldly.

    ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, you¡¯d better bow three times to Grandma.¡± She stood behind her and said in a harsh voice.

    Liya was in a daze. Surely enough, she knelt down and bowed three times before the memorial tablet.

    ¡°Liya, listen carefully. These three bows were something that you owe the Richards familyand Vivian. From now on, you are a stranger to the Richards family. We no longer owe you anything,¡± Jenna said sternly.

    Liya lowered her head, and her entire body shrunk into a ball. She knelt down dispiritedly, but her eyes were fixated on the ice coffin. She didn¡¯t say a single word.

    ¡°Liya, you had something to do with Meroy¡¯s death, didn¡¯t you? You pushed Madam Marissa down too, am I right? Why did you do that? How could you do such a vicious thing? The Richards family helped you so much. Why don¡¯t you appreciate us?¡± Jenna bit her lip and asked.

    Liya hugged herself. When she heard the name ¡®Meroy¡¯, her entire body suddenly began to tremble. Terrifying images shed through her mind. She suddenly turned around and stared at Jenna. Her eyes were filled with an extremely vicious light.

    Jenna looked at her.Liya seemed to have lost her mind.Asense of foreboding welled up in her heart.

    At that moment, Liya looked like she had really gone mad. It was terrifying.

    ¡°Jenna, where is the Ocean Heart? Give it to me.¡± Liya suddenly took out a sharp knife, aimed it at Jenna, and threatened her. ¡°Hand over the Ocean Heart and get me out of this mansion, and I will let you go.¡±

    She approached her with the knife in her hand.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment, before understandingthe situation.This must have been her reason foring. After having failed to find it in the mansion, this must be herst attempt to find it.

    This woman was terrible. It was impossible for her to change!

    ¡°Jenna, if you give me the treasure, then I will let you live, andI will no longer interfere with the Richards family anymore.However, if you don¡¯t hand it over, then I will kill you and your child. Think about it carefully,¡± Liya said in a low voice whileughing insidiously.

    Upon hearing this, Jenna¡¯s heart turned cold.

    Liya walked closer still. Jenna held her belly and retreated a few steps. There was a wall behind her, and she had nowhere to hide. Liya¡¯s knife was aimed at her. If she were to flee, then she would most likely be hurt before she could do so.

    Only now did she begin to feel scared. It was obvious that Liya had nned this. At that time, everyone had gone to the conference room. Taking advantage of this, she hade to threaten her, making these demands.

    She had purposelye for Jenna.

    It was the truth.

    When Letty hade over to get her to escape, her mind had already cleared up. Yet, she had never intended to follow Letty. Rather, she had nned to take the treasure for herself.This was why she had pretended to be mad in front of Letty.

    It was the perfect timing that Maud had summoned everyone to the conference room just then.

    There were only two possible hiding spots for a treasure like the Ocean Heart. Vivian could be hiding it herself, or she had handed it to one of the family members. The eldest granddaughter-inw, Jenna, must have been holding on to it. Therefore, the mourning hall would be the best ce to be right now.

    She stood by the window of the bedroom and watched as groups of people walked from all directions towards Ink Garden. She went downstairs too. There were so many people. So, there were not enough cars. As such, she lowered her head and hid among the crowd moving towards Ink Garden. Then, she took the opportunity to hide in a corner. Her eyes were fixed on Jenna, who was standing in front of the memorial tablet.

    She didn¡¯t show up until Jenna had sent everyone away.

    At that time, security personnel were in every part of the mansion. She knew that there was no use running away, and she had no time tomit a crime. She could only threaten Jenna, force her to hand over the treasure, and then force her to get her out.

    ¡°Liya, please put down the knife! Let¡¯s talk it over.¡± Jenna held her stomach, her heart aching. Only then did she regret letting her in. A woman like this had lost her mind. She shouldn¡¯t have treated her like a regr person at all. It was toote to have regrets then. Her mind was spinning. She was stalling for time, waiting for Hansen toe and save her. Seeing that Liya¡¯s face was filled with viciousness, she was worried that she would suddenly do some crazy things. So, she tried to persuade her, ¡°Liya, if I hadn¡¯t called the police for you and asked Maud to send you to the hospital in time, you would¡¯ve been dead by now. Don¡¯t you remember? Why are you trying to hurt me now?¡±

    Liya¡¯s eyes turned red. She grinned and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want your sympathy. Don¡¯t pretend to feel sorry for me. I won¡¯t thank you. If you know what¡¯s good for you, then hand over the Ocean Heart now, and I¡¯ll let you go. After that, we won¡¯t cross paths anymore. Otherwise, we¡¯ll die together today. I don¡¯t have anything to lose.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not you.You¡¯re the precious wife of the Richards family head, respected by everyone. I bet all that is waiting for you in the future is happiness.¡±

    As Liya said this, the jealousy in her heart intensified, making her act irrational.

    ¡°You want the treasure,but isn¡¯t that a simple thing?Put the knife down. I know where the treasure is. I will take you to retrieve it, okay?¡± Jenna didn¡¯t fear for her life, but for the child in her stomach. Now that Hansen was back, she believed that he would soone here to search for Liya. She had to fight for more time. Therefore, she tried her best to buy time. She kept whispering in her heart, ¡°Hansen, hurry.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, stop ying tricks on me. If you lie to me, then I¡¯ll have you killed immediately. You know how Meroy died. If you¡¯re not afraid, then you can die with her.¡± Liya looked at her with a death stare as she threatened her.

 Chapter 674 Interdependent Love

    At that time, Hansen was standing on the tform, looking at the hundreds of people below. For the moment, he did not see John and Liya, and he could not help but to frown slightly.

    After he had finished ordering Maud to close the mansion, the captain of the security team had informed him about Letty¡¯s attempted escape. He feared that Liya might also try to escape. So, he had immediately instructed John to find Liya and bring her here.

    However, John had been gone for so long without news, that he couldn¡¯t help but to wonder if John could catch her in time.

    At that moment, John, who was in charge of finding Liya, hurried over and whispered, ¡°Mr. Richards, Liya is missing.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Hansen was rmed. ¡°Has she already escaped?¡±

    At that moment, Maud was counting the number of guests and staff below. Hansen¡¯s heart sank. He quickly walked to the microphone and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Maud, is everyone here?¡±

    Maud had worked in the mansion for years and was quick to act. All this time while he was counting the number of people, he was actually checking whether Liya was present. After some deliberation, he replied in a loud voice, ¡°Sir, Madam Jenna and Liya aren¡¯t here.¡±

    The moment those words came out of Maud¡¯s mouth, it was as if a bolt of lightning had streaked through dark clouds, jolting Hansen.

    He quickly turned around, walked down from the stage, and strode towards the mourning hall.

    John was also frightened when he heard this. However, he had not seen anyone inside the mourning hall just then when he passed by. What was going on? With this thought in mind, he walked towards the mourning hall as well.

    The scene in the mourning hall was clear.

    When they were about to arrive at the mourning hall, Hansen¡¯s heart tightened. It was as if he had heard a cry from Jenna,echoing in his heart.He felt so uneasy. Such panic was something he would never forget for the rest of his life.

    He slowed down his pace and looked inside.

    ¡°Liya, I¡¯m the only one who knows where the Ocean Heart is. If you want to get it, then you need my help. But you¡¯re pointing a knife at me. You know I¡¯m carrying a child and can¡¯t stand being frightened. If I faint, or if my life is threatened, then I might forget where it is. Then, it¡¯ll be rather troublesome, don¡¯t you think?¡± Jenna had been backed into a corner by Liya. She looked at the gleaming knife in Liya¡¯s hand. It was the sharpest knife on the market and could cut through iron. If it was used on a person, then she wouldn¡¯t want to imagine how it would turn out.

    Her palms were covered with sweat. She could only try to cate her in a kind manner as she tried to stall for time. When Jenna saw Hansen at the entrance of the mourning hall, she felt hopeful. Yet, her expression did not change. She only raised her voice, but her face was full of fear.

    Hansen was very sensitive to Jenna¡¯s voice. However, he was shocked by the scene in front of him. His heart almost stopped beating.

    Liya had forced Jenna to a corner. If it weren¡¯t for Jenna¡¯s loud voice, then he would have run in just then because he couldn¡¯t see her.

    This would startle Liya, and she might have done something crazy.

    D*mn it, why didn¡¯t he think something like this would happen? He came back and Jenna was by his side, but he had been careless and put his beloved wife in danger.

    A surge of anger rose in his chest. His face was dark and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle¡¯s.

    He had just returned from a battlefield. His body was still pumping with adrenaline. Who did Liya think she was?

    At that time, Liya and Jenna were standing face to face, and they were very close to each other. The sharp knife in Liya¡¯s hand was aimed at Jenna. He did not dare tounch an attack from a long distance because he was afraid that if there was even a slight mistake, Jenna would be hurt.

    He carefully walked towards them. He didn¡¯t dare to be careless. At the same time, he signalled Jenna and quietly approached Liya from behind.

    ¡°Stop ying tricks on me. Hurry up and take me to it,¡± Liya shouted. She held the sharp knife in her hand and aimed it towards Jenna¡¯s heart.

    Jenna¡¯s face was pale. Her palms sweaty, she put her hands on her belly and saw that Hansen was only a step away. If Jenna took Liya away right then, then she would see him.

    At that moment, Liya¡¯s vicious stare was wandering. She was on the verge of losing her cool. What if she was provoked and stabbed her with the knife? It was hard to imagine the damage she would cause.

    Hence, she remained calm and said, ¡°Liya, put down your knife. I promise to give you the treasure. You should know that you¡¯remitting a crime while doing this. Now that there are police in the conference room, if you act like this, then they will take you away as soon as they see you. Even if you kill me, you won¡¯t be able to get the treasure, much less leave here. If I don¡¯t cooperate, then even if you get the Ocean Heart, you won¡¯t be able to escape. Have you forgotten about your uncle and his words toyou before he died?¡±

    As Jenna spoke slowly, there was a trace of lingering fear in Liya¡¯s eyes, and her hand, which was holding the sharp knife, was shaking violently.

    ¡°So, take me to the treasure now, and then I can leave here immediately,¡± she said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°No, even if I give it to you, you can¡¯t run away. They will find out that I am gone ande for me. Don¡¯t forget that we are in Richards Manor. But if you have my help, then it will be different.¡± Jenna analyzed the situation very carefully for her.

    Liya was a little confused by Jenna¡¯s words.

    Footsteps could be heard from outside.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    Liya panicked for a moment. After a moment of absent-mindedness, she heard a hissing sound. Arge hand reached out from behind and grabbed her wrist. With a bit of force, an excruciating pain erupted from her wrist. Grunting,she let the sharp knife fall to the ground.

    ¡°Disgusting woman.¡± Following a shout, Liya turned to look at Hansen¡¯s eyes that were bursting with a cold killing intent. Her heart skipped a beat. Before she could respond, Hansen grabbed her wrist and pushed her far away to the ground.

    ¡°B*tch. Committing a crime in the mourning hall. How dare you!¡± At that time, John took a step forward and shouted at her angrily.

    John followed Hansen out of the center of the stage. When they had reached the door of the mourning hall, they had seen Liya wielding a bright knife at Jenna. As for Hansen, he had seemed nervous, as if he did not dare to step forward. He immediately realized the danger.

    At that time, Hansen turned his head and gave John a look. John understood and immediately went back and summoned Jordan and the other police officers.

    Therefore, when Hansen got hold of Liya, Jordan and the rest rushed over.

    ¡°This woman is nuts.¡± Jordan looked at Liya, who was lying on the ground, trembling like a frightened bird. He snapped at the two policemen beside him and ordered, ¡°Put some cuffs on her and bring her to the conference room.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The two policemen beside her cuffed her hands and dragged her towards the conference room.

    As soon as Liya¡¯s knife fell to the ground, Jenna knew that the danger had passed. She heaved a sigh of relief, and her body slumped onto the ground. After Hansen had gotten Liya away from Jenna, he rushed to hold her in his arms, shouting nervously,¡°Jenna.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s long eyshes fluttered slightly. She looked at Hansen. She wanted to cry but she held her tears back.

    The scene just then was really tense. When Liya was threatening her with a knife, she had been fearing for the child in her belly, as well as their child, Jerry. What would have happened if he lost his mother?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jenna. It¡¯s my fault. I failed to protect you.¡± Hansen¡¯s face twisted with pain. He caressed her cheeks gently and soothed her in a deep and husky voice. It carried a sense of guilt. His eyes were filled with destion.

    If something had happened to her that day, then how would he have lived?

    After the police took Liya away, they all left knowingly, leaving them some space.

    Hansen hugged her tightly in front of Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet. He closed his eyes slightly and enjoyed the momentary peace.

    Jenna returned the embrace. As she smelled the familiar scent of the river water that made her feel at ease, tears welled up in her eyes.

    ¡°Jenna, after we pass this threshold, we will live a happy and safe life. I will build an indestructiblemercial kingdom. I will spare time to apany you and our children, and make you the happiest woman in the world.¡± Hansen wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, leaned his head in her hair, and assured her.

    After that incident, Jenna finally believed that there was no possibility for Liya to turn over a new leaf. The sins she hadmitted had been too severe.

    She ran her fingers through his thick, ck hair. With one arm wrapped tightly around his waist, she stared at him with a smile.

    They had found the happiness that belonged to them.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯ve obtained evidence against Yadriel, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Her eyes were full of spirit as she asked softly.

    ¡°Yes, I just came back from the battlefield in the war-torn country yesterday. Yadriel has smuggled the soldiers of the army to the battlefield. We have obtained enough evidence. His illegal deals wille to an end soon.¡± Hansen raised his head, facing Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet.

    Tears welled up in Jenna¡¯s eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She said excitedly, ¡°Hansen, Grandma would have been so happy to hear that.¡±

 Chapter 675 Punishment For The Criminal

    ¡°Well, I still need to thank Madam Lilian for this. If she hadn¡¯t helped¡­¡± Hansen didn¡¯t continue. Jenna¡¯s face turned pale. She understood what Hansen meant.

    The dangers he had encountered these days must have been beyond her imagination.

    ¡°Grandma, your grandson, Hansen hase back. He has obtained the evidence of Yadriel¡¯s crimes. The Richards Group will be safe and prosperous from now on,¡± Jenna said to Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet in a low voice.

    Hansen pursed his lips and said bitterly.

    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t able to see you off. Forgive me.¡±

    He lowered his head in guilt.

    ¡°Grandma, I misunderstood you because of the modification to your will, and let you down. I¡¯m very grateful that you found me such a good woman like Jenna to marry. Please rest assured. I understand your painstaking efforts now. From now on, Jenna and I will love each other forever. We will work together to create a better future for the Richards Group and Richards Manor. We will not let you down. May you rest in peace.¡±

    They confessed their thoughts in front of Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet. In the end, they hugged each other tightly.

    In the conference room, the collection of fingerprints was being carried out in an orderly manner.

    Hansen sat in front of Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet with Jenna in his arms.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m going to bring my mother here. Aunt Lee has called me several times in the past few days to urge me to bring my Mom over. My mother is very sad about Grandma¡¯s death.¡± Jenna should have brought her mother here earlier. However, things in the mansion had been getting more and more out of control. She didn¡¯t want to make her mother worry about her. Right then, Liya couldn¡¯t cause trouble anymore. So, all was well.

    ¡°Okay, baby. I¡¯ll pick her up myselfter. Go back and rest. Leave this to me,¡± Hansen said gently, smiling.

    Jenna nodded.

    ¡°Hansen, I have to tell you one more thing.¡± Jenna thought of the Ocean Heart. This treasure will only bring more trouble. After that day, she finally understood the danger and horror that came along with being its beholder. So, she had to tell him.

    ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m listening.¡± Hansen continued to bury his head in her hair as he muttered softly.

    On the battlefield the previous night, what he feared most was never seeing his wife in his arms ever again. When he was surrounded by strong enemies, he was fearful of being on the brink of death. At that moment, his heart fell into a dark abyss that was beyond redemption. He thought that if he could get out of danger safely, he only wanted to live a peaceful life with her and their children. Screw thepany and everything else.

    However, when he thought about it again, he knew that he was being selfish, and it was impossible. As long as he was the head of the family, he had to take responsibility. As long as he was the president of the Richards Group, he had to lead thepany well.

    Therefore, he felt guilty for Jenna and their child.

    ¡°Hansen, do you remember when I told you about the Ocean Heart?¡± Her fingertips gently pressed against his head, and her lips moved close to his ear as she quietly asked.

    Hansen was taken aback.

    ¡°Liya was trying to force you to give her the Ocean Heart, wasn¡¯t she?¡± Hansen asked softly after staying silent for a while.

    ¡°Yes, she was, endlessly. She snuck into Grandma¡¯s bedroom several times to look for it,¡± Jenna replied with certainty.

    Hansen suddenly raised his head. The warmth in his eyes gradually faded, and a murderous aura reced it.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s what they werelooking for. D*mn it,¡± he growled.

    ¡°Hansen, did you notice anything?¡± Jenna asked, her heart pounding with fear when she heard this.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s what they were looking for all this while, the Ocean Heart. Looks like I¡¯ve underestimated these people,¡± he muttered to himself.

    Jenna understood and sat up straight in his arms.

    ¡°Yes, Hansen, the danger in the Richards Group has been transferred to the Richards Manor because of the Ocean Heart. If it was only Liya, then it would not be a big deal. But now, Zoe and Yadriel are still racking their brains to get it, and they won¡¯t give up. A greater disaster will follow. Perhaps, this was what they had beening for all along.¡± Jenna¡¯s voice trembled, and her heart fluttered with fear.

    These days when Hansen was away, she could only bury these worries in her heart and not tell anyone. Now that he was back, she could finally say what was in her heart. It was a relief.

    ¡°Grandma gave this responsibility to me. I really can¡¯t do it on my own. Hansen, I¡¯m so scared these days. I¡¯m afraid that someone will take it away. It¡¯s the Ocean Heart, our family treasure. I¡¯m afraid to the point where I dreamed about someone stealing it. I only hoped for you toe back sooner.¡± When Jenna said this, she was choked with sobs and buried her face in his chest. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and soon, his shirt was wet. She felt peace and warmth in his embrace. At that moment, she could finally put down the heavy burden in her heart.

    Watching her cry made his heart ache.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jenna. It¡¯s my fault for not being considerate enough. I¡¯ve been making you worry for the past few days. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle the rest,¡± Hansen¡¯s hand caressed her head as he spoke softly.

    Jenna closed her eyes and replied with a ¡®hmm¡¯ sound. Every single nerve in her body had rxed. This was afortable feeling that she hadn¡¯t felt for a long time.

    ¡°Jenna, where is it now?¡± Hansen continued to pat her head as he asked in a low voice.

    Jenna immediately moved closer and whispered in his ear, ¡°Hansen, it has always been closely guarded by Grandma. I don¡¯t understand why Grandma didn¡¯t put it in a safe box. But now I understand. If she put it in the safe box, then many people would know that this is the property of the Richards family. The treasure of the Richards family can¡¯t be exposed, not to mention that this is a very rare treasure. Grandma¡¯s close protection for so many years has made it unknown. At least, no one in the mansion knows about this treasure.¡±

    ¡°Later, Grandma handed it to me. I wanted to keep it close to me, but it seems impossible now. The treasure has to be exposed to the public. So, I n to store it in a secret warehouse in a cave within the grounds of Richards Manor. A few days ago, I moved it to a safe box in the bank. Soon, everyone in the family will know the existence of this treasure.¡±

    Jenna said this and broke free from Hansen¡¯s embrace. She knelt in front of Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet and bowed three times. With tears in her eyes, she said, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t keep this secret. I will do my best to protect the treasure from falling into the wrong hands, together with Hansen.¡±

    Hansen stretched out his hand and picked her up. With a pained expression, he said, ¡°Jenna, you did your best. Grandma won¡¯t me you.¡±

    Jenna stood up and leaned into Hansen¡¯s embrace. The two of them hugged each other as they stared silently at Vivian¡¯s portrait.

    After a while, the door opened and people came out in groups of two and three.

    ¡°Jenna, they have collected all the fingerprints. There¡¯s only the two of us left. Let¡¯s go.¡± When they were done, Hansen took her small hand and walked towards the conference room in Ink Garden.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, just in time. Now that the fingerprints have been collected, how should we deal with this woman, Liya?¡± Jordan asked for their opinion when he saw Hansen and Jenna.

    Liya¡¯s hands were sped together, and her face was as pale as death. She was currently lying on the ground.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes darkened. He didn¡¯t even spare her a nce. He held Jenna¡¯s hand and said to Jordan, ¡°Mr. Jordan, I reckon our fingerprints haven¡¯t been collected yet. Don¡¯t forget this. Please collect our fingerprints for the record.¡±

    Jordan was stunned. Then, he smiled and nodded to the policeman beside him.

    The police took the equipment and took their fingerprints.

    ¡°Mr. Jordan, thew never lets go of those whomit crimes. You don¡¯t have to ask me for my opinion. Everything must be done ording to thew. I hope that thew can punish the murderer and bring justice to our family,¡± Hansen said to Jordan directly.

    Jordan understood the meaning behind Hansen¡¯s words. He nodded and said, ¡°We can immediately arrest Liya for her assault just now.¡±

    Hansen nodded solemnly.

    ¡°Mr. Jordan, when will the DNA resultse out?¡± he asked, after thinking about it for a moment.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll head back to the Criminal Investigation Room immediately to analyze the screening. We¡¯ll try our best to have the results out by tomorrow. When the resultse out tomorrow, the murderer who killed Meroy will be revealed. We can arrest the murderers and bring them to court. Today, pleaseplete the security work in the mansion,¡± Jordan said firmly.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes looked as if they had been set on fire. He said in a deep voice, ¡°No matter who killed Meroy, it was murder. It cannot be forgiven. The murderer must be punished for his deeds.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured, Mr. Richards. They will be punished ording to thew.¡± Jordanforted him. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯ll take the prisoners and return to headquarters first. I¡¯lle back tomorrow to tell you the news.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Hansen nodded and added, ¡°The truth about the tampering of my grandmother¡¯s will will be revealed in the next few days. I¡¯ll provide you with the evidence when the timees.¡±

    ¡°Very well, Mr. Richards. We¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Jordan nodded, motioning for his men to prepare for evacuation from Richards Manor.

 Chapter 676 Sara Is Missing

    Liya had been sitting on the ground in a daze until she heard two policemen talking about her. Only then did shee back to her senses. She knew that she wouldn¡¯te out again after she was sent in. She cried for a while and muttered like a madman, ¡°The Ocean Heart is mine. None of you can take it away.¡±

    ¡°Stop talking. Don¡¯t pretend to be crazy.¡± Seeing her acting mad, the policeman by the side got impatient. He shouted and nudged her forward.

    When she passed by Hansen and Jenna, Liya red at him. A light shed in her eyes and she suddenly rushed towards his direction. ¡± Hansen, save me. I¡¯m the bride Grandma wanted you to marry. It¡¯s written in her will.¡±

    She shrieked, and her face was twitching abnormally.

    Hansen shielded Jenna with his body and shouted, ¡°Liya, enough! I was kind enough to tolerate you till today. Grandma¡¯s will wille out in two days. If you are smart, then confess the crimes you¡¯vemitted, so that your punishment can be lenient. The Richards family will never have anything to do with you anymore.¡±

    Speaking of this, he took Jenna¡¯s hand and turned to walk away.

    Liya was restrained by the two policemen on both sides. She could not move,and her heart was numb. She lowered her head and stopped struggling. When she walked out of the mansion, she took onest look at the majestic mansion. Breathing in the fresh air, she shut her eyes.

    In fact, it was only now that she realized that every good and bad moment in her life had something to do with this ce. In retrospect, all the happiness in her life had been given by the Richards family.

    When she was very young, her family barely had enough food to put on the table. She remembered that old house. She recalled seeing her father drinking all day long, beating his mother, and her mother¡¯s terrifying screams. It made her terrified of her family since she was a child.

    Ever since she came to Richards Manor with her mother, she had lived a stable life. She had not needed to worry about putting food on the table. Even though she was looked down upon by the servants here, Richards Manor was beautiful. It had delicious food, interesting things, and dazzling scenery. Moreover, she could meet someone as handsome and noble as Hansen. After living here for three years, she knew what life meant and what happiness was. Her young heart had had a strong desire to pursue this kind of life.

    When Zoe found her, she thought that she could live the dream life she had as a child. She had been so excited and had high expectations at that time.This was aplete contrast from her original desires and nature.

    She remembered that when Jenna told her that Vivian had paid for her higher education, she had been moved. What had changed in her? She was still confused.

    At present, she had nowhere to go.

    Hansen had just sent Jenna back to her room to rest when his phone rang.

    He took out his phone and saw that it was andline number, a familiar one.

    With his brows furrowed, he picked up the call.

    ¡°Sir, is Miss Jenna around?¡± Bailey¡¯s anxious voice could be heard. Hansen was shocked to have a call from Sara¡¯s household. It was no wonder he was so familiar with the number. It was Bailey who called. He was supposed to pick them up that day. Perhaps, they were calling as a reminder. He looked at Jenna and replied, ¡°Aunt Lee, she is right beside me. Just a moment.¡±

    After saying that, she handed the phone to Jenna and said, ¡°It¡¯s Aunt Lee.¡±

    Aunt Lee?

    Jenna thought of her mother.

    Why did she call Hansen instead?

    She picked up the phone immediately.

    ¡°Aunt Lee,¡± she greeted in a crisp voice. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Bailey asking in a somewhat hurried manner, ¡°Miss Jenna, have you brought Madam Sara over?¡±

    Jenna was taken aback after hearing this and replied, ¡°Not yet. I¡¯lle and pick her upter. Let her have some rest. I have some matters to attend to right now.¡±

    ¡°Miss Jenna, are you sure you didn¡¯t pick up Madam Sara?¡± Bailey¡¯s voice somewhat trembled after she heard Jenna¡¯s words.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna raised one of her eyebrows and answered, ¡°Of course, we have been busy all morning. We were going to pick you guys up, but something came up.¡±

    Once she heard this, Bailey¡¯s hand, which was holding the phone, began to tremble. She said, choking with tears, ¡°Miss Jenna, Madam Sara is missing.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jenna abruptly stood up from the bed, and her face turned pale. ¡°Aunt Lee, what are you talking about? Exin to me.What do you mean by ¡®Madam Sarah is missing?''¡±

    Beside her, Hansen¡¯s body shifted as he turned his head to look at Jenna.

    Bailey became more and more anxious. She said incoherently, ¡°Miss Jenna, Madam Sara was not in a good mood today. So, I brought her out for a walk. After a while, it got a little sunny, and Madam Sara was covered in sweat. Therefore, I brought her to the pavilion to rest. The wind was strong at that time, but Madam Sara didn¡¯t want to go back. I saw that her clothes were wet. So, I went home to get a towel and prepared a ss of juice. However, when I went back, I couldn¡¯t find Madam Sara anywhere. I looked for her everywhere in themunity and even asked the security. They didn¡¯t see Madam Sara. I thought of Vivian¡¯s funeral that we were supposed to attend today and called you. But no one answered. So, I had to call Hansen.¡±

    Jenna listened as Bailey exined everything in detail and her entire body trembled slightly. Her face was deathly pale.

    ¡°Did you call her?¡± Even so, Jenna tried to remain cool. She was afraid that her mother would be lonely.So, she gave Sara the best cell phone. Sara often yed with her cell phone when she was free. So, she asked at the moment.

    As soon as he asked, she thought of her own cell phone.

    Since she was pregnant, she didn¡¯t bring her cell phone with her most of the time, for fear that the radiation would hurt the fetus.

    She stood up and looked for her phone. After looking around the room, she remembered that her cell phone was in her bag. So, she hurried to look for the bag.

    Hansen listened to their conversation and saw Jenna¡¯s flustered face. His heart tightened and an ominous feeling began to envelop him. He hurriedly asked, ¡°Jenna, what is it? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Jenna was so anxious that she kept calling out, ¡°My phone, where is my phone?¡±

    It was only then that Hansen understood. So, he searched for it with her.

    ¡°Miss Jenna, I¡¯ve called Madam Sara many times. Her phone has been turned off. Did Madam call you?¡± Bailey asked anxiously over the phone.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was on fire at that time. She could not calm down no matter how hard she tried. After all, she was her only mother.

    ¡°Jenna, here, your phone is here.¡± Hansen found her phone on the corner of the couch. He handed it to her andined. ¡°Do you need to be so anxious over the phone? Rx.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face was red. She grabbed the phone and turned it on. There were a lot of missed calls. They were all from Bailey. Sara had not called her, not even once. Her heart began to race. Something was wrong.

    ¡°Miss Jenna, what should we do? I¡¯ve searched the whole area, but I can¡¯t find Madam Sara. Logically speaking, she can¡¯t go far in a wheelchair, but we searched everywhere and still can¡¯t find her. This has never happened before. What should we do? I¡¯m so worried.¡± Bailey was practically screaming on the other end of the line. She was so panicked that her forehead was full of sweat.

    Dark spots began to form in front of Jenna¡¯s eyes, and her heart sank.

    If this was in the usual days,then she would not have thought much about it. However, it was a troubling time right then. If anything happened to her mother, then how could she forgive herself?

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Hansen saw Jenna¡¯s face getting paler and paler. Moreover, she was biting her fingernails. Something must¡¯ve gone wrong. Yet, she didn¡¯t exin. So, he could only ask her.

    Jenna¡¯s hand, which was holding the phone, trembled, but she just said calmly, ¡°Aunt Lee, don¡¯t worry. Search again. I wille soon.¡±

    After Jenna hung up the phone, she suddenly copsed onto the ground.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Hansen hugged her and asked anxiously.

    Jenna leaned against Hansen¡¯s chest. Her forehead was beaded with sweat as she whispered, ¡°Hansen, my mother is missing.¡±

    ¡°What? Mom¡¯s missing?¡± Hansen gasped. He held Jenna in his arms as his thoughts wandered. He immediatelyforted her with a smile. ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. They must have been mistaken. Mom is in a wheelchair. Where can she go? Aunt Lee must be forgetful. They will find her in a while. Everything will be fine.¡±

    He wiped away the sweat on her forehead and caressed her face, feeling distressed. Although he was trying tofort her, he didn¡¯t know what to do either. He was flustered.

    ¡°No, Hansen. Mother can¡¯t go far in a wheelchair. It¡¯s strange that they can¡¯t find her. This is bad.¡± Jenna slumped onto the ground and said weakly. She struggled to stand up and walked outside. ¡°I have to find her.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± She had only taken a few steps before her legs be wobbly. Hansen was extremely anxious. He held her in his arms,forted her as he walked. ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here for you. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll find her.¡±

    As he said this, he didn¡¯t dare to stop. He carried her in his arms and ran out of the Ink Garden like a gust of wind.

    They got in a car and drove directly to the Francist Community.

    Bailey was calling out Sara¡¯s name over and over again in the neighbourhood. She had no idea what to do. Hansen drove to the gate of the Francist Community. He rolled down the window and asked the guard at the entrance, ¡°Did you see a woman in a wheelchair walking out of here? Lady Sara. She lives in room 2808. She¡¯s the former wife of Javon, the former minister of defence.¡±

    When the guard saw Hansen, he immediately stood up. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, ¡°Mr. Richards, we know who Lady Sara is. We didn¡¯t see her go out today. Besides, she¡¯s in a wheelchair. So, it¡¯s not convenient for her to go out alone.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were sharp and cold, and he frowned. He nodded and drove in.

 Chapter 677 Donâ€™t Fret, Iâ€™m Here

    ¡°Jenna, how about this? I¡¯ll drive around the neighbourhood, and you just lie facing the window and look carefully to see if you can find where Mom is. Then, there are two exits in themunity. We¡¯ll go and check,¡± he said calmly, lowering the window as he spoke.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna leaned against the car window and nodded. She stared at every person outside carefully.

    Hansen drove at a steady pace around the neighbourhood. He was also looking at every spot, not letting off anyone who could be Sara.

    Hansen drove in this way for some time. Soon, they had wandered around the neighbourhood two times, and specifically questioned the guards at the exit of the other two gates. Unfortunately, they had not seen Sara going out. At that time, Hansen was certain that Sara was not in the neighbourhood. When they drove to a corner, he saw that Baileywas asking around in the neighbourhood. She asked everyone she met, with her face full of sweat.

    Jenna¡¯s heart froze and she felt a sharp pain in her heart. She called out to Bailey, and Baileyheard her voice in an instant. When she saw Hansen and Jenna in the car, she ran towards them hurriedly. Before she could speak, tears flowed down her face.

    ¡°Sir, Miss Jenna, Madam Sara is missing. I¡¯ve already searched the entire district and the surrounding area. I can¡¯t find her. D*mn it. I¡¯m so careless.¡± Aunt Lee med herself. At the same time, she began to cry. People started to gather around her, gossiping.

    ¡°Yes, I saw Mrs. Murphy at the pavilion earlier, and I greeted her. She also said something to me and smiled at me. How could she have gone missing in such a short time?¡±

    ¡°Yes, isn¡¯t it? There are not many people in themunity today. It¡¯s hot. They should have found her in this hot weather.¡±

    ¡°In my opinion, she might have gone out for a walk. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t worry. She shouldn¡¯t have gone far.¡±

    ¡­

    The crowd discussed among themselves and came up with ideas.

    Bailey was so worried that she could not stop crying.

    Jenna¡¯s head was roaring,her whole body was frozen, and she could not say a word.

    ¡°Aunt Lee, go home. We wille back soon. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes narrowed as he sized up the surrounding area with a cold gaze. He then instructed Bailey.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    Bailey had no idea what to do. When she heard Hansen¡¯s reassuring words, she only nodded her head and walked back home.

    Hansen drove steadily to the base of Sara¡¯s building.

    As soon as he stopped the car, Jenna opened the door and ran outside.

    ¡°Jenna, wait for me.¡± Seeing Jenna¡¯s staggering steps, Hansen¡¯s heart was up in his throat and he hurriedly shouted behind her.

    She was really in a hurry. She ran as fast as she could, unaware of the road under her feet.

    He saw that she was about to fall when her foot hit a rock.

    Hansen leaped forward and hurried over to catch her in time.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± As she fell into the warm embrace of Hansen, she grabbed his clothes tightly with both hands and sobbed. ¡°My mother has been kidnapped by them, they will not let my mother go.¡±

    Speaking of this, she burst into tears in his arms.

    Hansen¡¯s heart trembled. His heart felt like it was being burned alive. He hugged her tightly and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Jenna, do you have a clue who kidnapped your mother?¡±

    ¡°No, Hansen. I don¡¯t.¡± She shook her head and choked on her sobs. ¡°All I know is that they want to get the Ocean Heart. They think I have the treasure. That¡¯s why they kidnapped my mother. They want me to hand it over.¡±

    Jenna cried as she spoke.

    Hansen¡¯s expression was painful. His fists tightened. Yet, he did not say a word.

    He walked to the 28th floor and entered the room.

    He ced Jenna on the couch and began to examine the room carefully.

    Sara¡¯s crutch and prosthesis were still in the room. She just disappeared, along with her wheelchair.

    ¡°Aunt Lee, is there any suspicious person who came to the house these days?¡± He walked out and asked Bailey calmly.

    Bailey was wiping her tears as she tried to recall what happened. After a while, she shook her head and said, ¡°Madam Sara doesn¡¯t wish for the house to be lively, and usually no one visits. In the past few days, it was only Sergio who came.¡±

    ¡°Sergio Xanthe?¡± Hansen¡¯s brows tightened as a cold glint shed in his eyes.

    ¡°Yes, he used to visit asionally. Madam has always liked him. He oftenes here to chat with her. Madam is always in a good mood when he visits,¡± Bailey exined.

    ¡°Aunt Lee, when was thest time Sergio came to the house?¡± Jenna raised her head and asked when Bailey mentioned Sergio.

    Bailey thought for a moment and said, ¡°Yesterday, he came and talked with Madam for a long time. He even had dinner at home. Madam was chatting with him, and she looked quite happy.¡±

    Jenna fell silent.

    Sergio¡¯s words that day rang in her ears. ¡°Jenna, bring the treasure with you. We can live abroad together. I will give you happiness. I will wait for you toe.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s body was trembling, and her face was as pale as a ghost.

    She recalled that since Vivian passed away, she seemed to have not seen Sergio in the past two days, except at her funeral that day. Where would he go?

    Could it be rted to him? Or was it rted to Zoe? Or maybe, there were more terrible people hiding in the darkness. She could not imagine it.

    Hansen¡¯s face turned pale. He took out his phone and dialed a few numbers. ¡°Alvin, gather your men to find my mother-inw, Sara. Search the whole A City if need be.¡±

    Alvin quickly understood what had happened on the other side. He agreed and led the Grand Eagles team into action.

    Hansen heaved a sigh of relief and sat down on the couch. He held Jenna andforted her. ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. They will not harm your mother until they get what they want. I believe that there will be news soon. Don¡¯t worry, I will never let those kidnappers get away.¡±

    Jenna nodded with tears in her eyes.

    Hansen sighed and took a piece of tissue to wipe away the tear stains on her face. He said softly, ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m here. Don¡¯t fret.¡±

    Jenna closed her eyes and leaned into his arms, with all kinds of possibilities running through her head.

    Hansen hugged her tightly as he patted her back. He rubbed her temples gently. In a short while, Alvin¡¯s call came. He gave instructions to them through the phone.

    Two hourster, Alvin walked in with John.

    Hansen stood up and led them to Javon¡¯s study.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± He stood in front of the window and looked down at the district, with his voice hoarse and low.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we¡¯ve already searched the whole area and asked around for any information about Lady Sara. Some people are searching somewhere further,¡± Alvin answered.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we have not seen Sara go out. We have retrieved the surveince video in the security room. Indeed, Sara did not go out. But we found a ck Bentley drove in at 11 o¡¯clock in the morning and drove out in less than half an hour,¡± John reported their findings.

    Hansen¡¯s brow twitched, and a cold light shed in his eyes.

    ¡°Alvin, are there any fingerprints that match Sergio¡¯s?¡± he asked in a cold voice.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, he is the only person who had escaped on the night of Meroy¡¯s death. He had disappeared ever since you returned to the mansion. He has never appeared again, and no one can find him,¡± John said, sounding a little discouraged.

    ¡°But he was here yesterday.¡± Hansen frowned.

    Alvin was stunned. Right then, he also felt that things were weird. It would not be as simple as they thought. After all, this was Jenna¡¯s mother. It was a matter of life and death. He suggested, ¡°Mr. Richards, let¡¯s call the police.¡±

    Hansen shook his head.¡°It¡¯s been less than 24 hours since Sara disappeared. The police won¡¯t file a case.¡±

    He straightened up and said, ¡°From now on, search the whole city for Sergio. As long as there are any traces of him, report to me immediately.¡±

    Alvin and John hurried away after receiving the order.

    Hansen paced back and forth in the study as thoughts flooded his mind.

    If it was Sergio who drove the Bentley into the Francist Community that day, then Sara was very likely to have been kidnapped by him! Why did he take her away? Hansen refused to believe that he just wanted to please Sara and invite her out to y. Thinking about this, he shook his head. Now that Yadriel had lost, he was going to be arrested soon. At that time, Sergio would never do such meaningless things.

    If that wasn¡¯t the case, then he must have kidnapped Sara to reach his goal. Onest attempt!

    The purpose of his actions was very simple. Just as Jenna said, he wanted to get the Ocean Heart by kidnapping Sara and fleeing abroad. If that was the case, then not only would Sara be in danger, but things would be more difficult to deal with.

    Of course, there was also a possibility that Sara had been kidnapped. After all, there were people who wanted the Ocean Heart, such as Zoe!

    The most important thing right then was to find Sergio¡¯s whereabouts.

 Chapter 678 I Want Jenna To Be Happy

    After a while, he thought of something and called Paul. ¡°Paul, check Zoe¡¯s whereabouts now.¡±

    Paul agreed.

    Hansen paced back and forth in the study for another two rounds before walking out.

    Jenna was also pacing back and forth in the living room. When she saw Hansening out, she went up to him. ¡°Hansen, is there any news?¡±

    Seeing her pale face, Hansen¡¯s heart ached. He took her hand and sat down on the couch. He then exined calmly, ¡°Jenna, pay attention to your phone. If someone really kidnapped your mother, then they must have a reason, andwill definitely ckmail us. What we need to do now is to calm down. Since we can¡¯t find your mother, we wait for them toe to us.¡±

    He had reason to believe that if it was really Sergio¡¯s doing,then he would be more anxious than them.

    After all, the evidence of their crimes would soon be revealed to the country. The people in Capital City would not let Yadriel and his son get away with it.

    That was the only time Sara had been struggling for a while before this. Therefore, she would not have disappeared so quietly.

    Jenna believed in Hansen, but when she thought of her poor mother who had to suffer such a disaster, she felt regretful, and couldn¡¯t help bursting into tears.

    ¡°Jenna, trust me, I won¡¯t let your mother suffer any harm.¡± Hansen caressed her hair as heforted her.

    Jenna nodded with tears in her eyes. She held her phone tightly with both hands and stared at it desperately. From time to time, she would wipe her tears with a tissue when her vision was blurred.

    Hansen pressed his lips tightly and held Jenna in his arms. He didn¡¯t know how tofort her. His heart was bitter, and he felt even more guilty.

    Bailey was also wiping her tears at one side.

    The atmosphere was very dull.

    Time passed by, and they found it hard to stay put.

    It waste at night. On the mountain road of Sunshine Mountain, a ck Bentley was being drive at high speed.

    Sergio sat in the passenger seat in the front row, with his eyes closed. He listened to the sound of the engine and murmured something.

    They had been driving for almost a day since they came out of the Francist Community.

    The winding road of Sunshine Mountain was getting steeper and steeper in the deep forest. They had gone up, but they drove down from another fork. The road went on again and again until it waste at night. The car stopped in front of a gorgeous vi in the depths of the mountain.

    When Sara woke up from her slumber, she had already been wheeled into a luxurious master bedroom by Sergio.

    ¡°Sergio, where are we? Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re taking me to Richards Manor?¡± Sara asked uneasily as she surveyed everything in the room.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Jenna wille to pick you upter. This is a funeral tradition,¡± Sergio said slowly with a faint smile on his face.

    Tradition? Sara looked confused, but when she heard that Jenna woulde, she felt a little relieved.

    ¡°Call Jenna to pick me up earlier. It would be impolite to miss Vivian¡¯s funeral.¡± Sitting in the wheelchair, she slid her hands into her pockets to look for her phone, but she couldn¡¯t find it no matter how hard she tried. She remembered carrying it with her before she got in the car.

    ¡°Sara, you don¡¯t have to look for it. It looks like your phone has run out of battery.¡± Sergio sat down on a vine chair next to her. He crossed his legs and wore his signature smile.

    ¡°Really? Lend me your phone.¡± Sara did not realize the danger approaching. After all, Sergio was close with her, and he often visited her. He was also a government official. So, she would never anticipate Sergioing with bad intentions at that time.

    That morning, Bailey had brought her out for a walk in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the sun was too bright. It took only a while and she was already sweating. Bailey then pushed her to a shady ce and went back to get her a towel and some drinks.

    A whileter, a Bentley drove over and stopped in front of her. She lifted her head.

    Sergio was getting out of the car. His attitude was modest and polite, and he was all smiles.

    ¡°Sergio, you¡¯re here!¡± Sara smiled politely at him. Sergio always came to visit her, chat with her, and buy her stuff. He knew what she liked and could easily win her heart. She liked Sergio more than her son-inw, Hansen. Therefore, when she saw him, a smile appeared on her face.

    Sergio got out of the car, smiling brightly. ¡°Sara, hi. Jenna got too busy. So, she sent me to pick you up. It¡¯s Vivian¡¯s funeral today.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Sara smiled gratefully when she heard that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you again.¡±

    That day was indeed the day Jenna said that she would bring her to Richards Manor to attend Vivian¡¯s funeral. Therefore, Sara was easily convinced.

    ¡°No problem. Jenna is too busy, beingthe head of the family. She asked me to pick you up. Of course, it is my honor to do so.¡± Sergio smiled with enthusiasm and was about to wheel Sara into the car.

    ¡°Wait, where is Bailey? She went to pick up something for me.¡± Sara hastily stopped him.

    Sergio saw that Bailey hadn¡¯te down and said with a smile, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You can get in the car first. We will pick Bailey upter. You may have to live there for a few days. I think she¡¯ll need some time to pack up your essentials. We must hurry though. Wouldn¡¯t want to miss Vivian¡¯s funeral.¡±

    As Sergio said this, he pushed Sara, together with her wheelchair, into the limousine.

    Sara felt uneasy and wanted to say something, but Sergio interrupted her. ¡°Sara, you don¡¯t have to worry. It¡¯s just you and me. I am a government employee. What can I do to you? We wouldn¡¯t want to miss Vivian¡¯s funeral.¡±

    Sara didn¡¯t know what to say. She just smiled and didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± After getting in the car, Sergio ordered the driver to get out of the Francist Community.

    ¡°Aunt Sara, the weather is very hot, right? Come, have a drink.¡± Sergio was sitting in the front seat. He took a bottled drink, and opened its lid before handing it to her.

    Sara¡¯s throat was dry. Without thinking, she took the ss and drank it in one go.

    Soon, Sara lowered her head and her vision went ck.

    When she woke up, she had already arrived in this house.

    It waste at night. The air was chilly. She didn¡¯t know when she had arrived in Sunshine Mountain.

    She reached out to take Sergio¡¯s phone, but he walked away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will call Jennater. You can talk to her then. Shall we have a chat in the meantime?¡± Sergio answered politely.

    Sara had been feeling dizzy and ufortable ever since she had woken up. She only wanted to see Jenna and Vivian so that she could rest earlier. Her physical strength was weak and there was an unpleasant odor from all the sweating. She was very picky about the bed and also prioritized cleanliness. Hence, when she heard that Sergio wanted to chat at that time, she was displeased. However, out of politeness, she said patiently, ¡°Sergio, it¡¯s already midnight. Can we talk about it tomorrow?¡±

    Unexpectedly, Sergio shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s toote.My family will fly to the United States tomorrow.¡±

    The whole family? Flying to the United States? Sara was startled. She couldn¡¯t understand what he meant.

    Sergio gave her a meaningful look. He slightly leaned over and asked with a smile, ¡°Sara, I have always been nice to you, haven¡¯t I?¡±

    Sara thought for a while and nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I love Jenna. You like me too. Let¡¯s take my Dad on the way. Then, we can go abroad and live together,¡± he said. His amber eyes were shining, and bright halos were encircling his face.

    Sara gasped when she heard what he said. He must have been out of his mind.

    What he said did not sound right at all.

    ¡°Sergio, what are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Her expression darkened and her lips tightened.

    ¡°Sara, Jenna is mine. I love her. Hansen is neither worthy of her, nor can he give her happiness. You know this too. Therefore, I want to take you and Jenna away from here. We will rebuild our family and live a happy life.¡± Sergio¡¯s face glowed as he eximed.

    No matter how surprised Sara was, she finally understood why he brought her here.

    Sergio had kidnapped her. Her daughter and son-inw didn¡¯t even know about it.

    Her heart sank, and her face was full of panic.

    ¡°Sergio, do you hear yourself? What are you doing?¡± She gulped and asked strenuously.

    Sergio chuckled. ¡°Of course, I know very well that I want to makeJenna happy.¡±

    He muttered with great confidence.

    Sara¡¯s face darkened.

    ¡°No, Sergio, you are wrong. Feeling this way towards a woman who has a family, this is not love, but selfishness. I know Jenna, and she loves Hansen. She has never loved you. How could you make her happy? Get rid of this crazy idea. I am leaving. Please let me go,¡± Sara¡¯s voice became stern.

 Chapter 679 Gone Mad

    ¡°Leave?¡± Sergio panicked when he heard Sara say this.¡°Sara, haven¡¯t you always thought that I was more suitable for Jenna? Besides, I love her more than Hansen does. You have also always thought that I was more considerate than him, isn¡¯t that so?¡±

    His eyes sparkled with eagerness and anticipation.He wanted to get Sara¡¯s affirmation so that he could continue doing what he had been doing. However, Sara was clearer than ever. Her stare was so cold, as if he was aplete stranger. She said seriously, ¡°Sergio, you are a government official. You should be wiser than ordinary people. Jenna and Hansen are a legally married couple. Even if they have conflicts, or if I don¡¯t approve of them, it¡¯s the indisputable truth. They have children. They are a family. You can¡¯t change that.¡±

    ¡°Sergio, snap out of it. Jenna is not suitable for you.Even if Hansen and her were not suited for each other, the same would apply even more strongly to you.Think clearly. What you are doing now is against thew. Don¡¯t ruin your future because of this.¡± Sara began to persuade Sergio earnestly.

    In the past, she had always thought that this young man was good. He was open-minded and flexible, especially when it came to her daughter. She guessed that he liked Jenna from the way he always spoke of her with admiration. However, that was all there was to it, admiration. However, even if he did like her, what could he have done? After all, Jenna already had a family and a child. This was a fact that could not be changed.

    She thought that he would understand. After all, he was a top student who now was in a high position in society.

    In this regard, she had always felt guilty. So, she was always weing whenever he came to visit her. She treated him like her own son. She had never expected that he would have developed this distorted idea of things. He had even put all his efforts into making it work.

    How horrible!

    Sergio had gone mad. Facing Sara¡¯s discouragement, he showed great anxiety and impatience.

    ¡°Sara, don¡¯t worry. As long as Jenna follows me, I won¡¯t care about what happened in her past. I will love her as if she were my life. Please give me your approval,¡± Sergio begged.

    Sara then began to regret having regarded Sergio as a good guy. She had brought only harm to the ones she loved and herself instead.

    ¡°Sergio, c¡¯mon now. It¡¯s not toote to make everything right. Send me home immediately. I will act as if nothing had happened and still treat you as my son in the future. If you continue to persist, then you will be doomed. You know my son-inw, Hansen, is not an ordinary person. If he finds out about what you did, then he will not let you go that easily.¡± Sara persuaded him.

    Sergio didn¡¯t listen. When he heard the name ¡®Hansen¡¯, he jumped up like he had been possessed by a demon. His fists were clenched and his eyes were burning with fire.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention that jerk¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°There is no turning back. Whether you are willing or not, Jenna will leave with us along with the treasure, and we¡¯ll nevere back.¡± Sergio¡¯s whole body was trembling as he raised his voice.

    Sara¡¯s mind went nk. She looked up and saw Sergio¡¯s face twisting with anger, as well as his cruel and angry re. Her heart sank.

    Sergio had gone mad. Perhaps he had always been like this,and she just hadn¡¯t noticed. However, at that time, it was toote for her to regret it!

    Sergio had already taken out his phone and begun to dial a number.

    After a while, the phone was connected, and Sara looked at him nervously.

    ¡°Hello.¡± The phone was connected almost a second after it rang. Jenna sounded very anxious. Sergio was very pleased. The more anxious she was, the more likely she would cooperate with him.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± With a smile on his face, he called her slowly and politely.

    ¡°Sergio, where are you?¡± Jenna was different from her usual cold self. That time, she was extremely anxious and proactive.

    Sergio smirked. She was anxious,but he felt in control.

    ¡°Sergio, where are you?¡± Jenna repeated.

    That night, she and Hansen were cuddling in the living room, waiting for one of their phones to ring.

    From afternoon till night, other than a few calls from Richards Manor, her phone had been unusually quiet.

    The two of them were guarding their phones, and their hearts were beating faster every minute.

    After Hansen called the police, everyone, including his men and arge number of police officers,had not managed to find Sara. No one had any idea where Sergio would be.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    This greatly tested Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s patience. With so many people searching for them, to have no news at all was very hard.

    Nevertheless, he had carefully analyzed it. The deeper the situation continued, the more suspicious Sergio would be.

    At the same time, he understood that Sergio was here for the Ocean Heart. As long as they did not give him this treasure, he would take the initiative toe to them. Therefore, he exined to Jenna and persuaded her to calm down.

    It waste at night when Sergio called.

    He looked at Jenna encouragingly. With one hand holding hers, he indicated for her not to panic as she received the call from Sergio.

    ¡°Jenna, have you considered what I said to you the other day?¡± Sergio asked calmly.

    Jenna¡¯s eyebrows twitched as she raised her head. Hansen was looking at her encouragingly. Her heart felt warm and she calmed down. Her thoughts started to be clear.

    ¡°Sergio, is my mother with you?¡± Although her hands were shaking, her tone was still calm.

    ¡°Jenna, you know, I¡¯ve been waiting for you the entire time. Bring the treasure here. I look forward to your arrival.¡± Sergio didn¡¯t talk about Sara.

    Jenna frowned. Hearing Sergio¡¯s speech, he seemed to have known of Sara¡¯s whereabouts quite well. She began to believe that her mother must have been in his hands. It was even possible that he had kidnapped her mother to threaten her.

    ¡°Sergio, do you think it¡¯s possible? I advise you to think about your future carefully. You can still turn back. People are bound to make mistakes. The most important thing is to have the courage to correct your mistakes. Some things are not what you think, and I will note to you.¡± Jenna¡¯s face was cold as she persuaded him calmly, hoping that he could turn from evil to good and return to the right path.

    At that moment, even if Yadriel had failed, most of the crimes weremitted by him. As a father, if he took all the me, although Sergio would also be punished by thew, as long as his attitude was good and he was positive, then he was notpletely irredeemable. What was scary was that if he continued to be insensible, then he would make a big mistake, which would be a big pity.

    However, facing her earnest persuasion, Sergio not only didn¡¯t listen, but continued with his delusion.¡°Jenna,bring the treasure over. I will bring you to the United States. I can give you happiness.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s head began to ache faintly. She was afraid that he would get crazier.

    ¡°Sergio, I have a husband and a child. How could I go with you? Wake up,¡± Jenna said. She did not dare to refuse his request directly. She was afraid that he would lose his mind. As she said this, she held her breath and listened to his reaction on the other side of the line.

    There was heavy breathing, and Sergio sounded as crazy as a demon.

    ¡°Jenna, listen to me, bring the Ocean Heart and leave Hansen. I will bring you, your mother, and my father. We will leave this ce. We will live in a beautiful ce. Our family will be very happy in the future.¡±

    His face was full of emotions, and he was seeing all kinds of hallucinations. He even imagined that he would hold Jenna¡¯s hand, and that they would live together forever. That was his deepest desire. The desire enveloped him entirely, and left him breathless.

    Surely enough, Sara was in his hands.

    At that point, Jennapletely understood. He had kidnapped her mother, and it was to make a point to her.

    She thought quickly. The hasty and uncontroble breathing on the other side of the linescaredher. She was afraid that Sergio might hurt her mother out of anger. How could she ever forgive herself then?

    Sara was her beloved mother.

    ¡°Sergio, wait. Let¡¯s talk about it. I want to speak to my mother now.¡± She chose to make sure that her mother was fine before they proceed.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. I will give you happiness. Be brave ande to me. Your mother is next to me. I will let her speak to you.¡± When Sergio heard Jenna¡¯s conceding tone, he was ecstatic. He quickly handed the phone to Sara and threatened her. ¡°Sara, Jenna is going to talk to you. Ask Jenna toe quickly. We are waiting for her.¡±

    Sara finally understood everything when she heard this. It turned out that Sergio wanted Jenna to bring a treasure over. So, it was for the sake of money.

    She really didn¡¯t expect Sergio to be such a person. It seemed that she had misjudged him the whole time.

    No matter what, she couldn¡¯t let her daughter fall into his trap. She took the phone and cried, ¡°Jenna, is that you?¡±

    ¡°Mom, are you okay?¡± Jenna immediately burst into tears when she heard Sara¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Mom. I got you into trouble.¡±

    Sara felt relieved when she heard her daughter¡¯s voice. ¡°My sweet girl, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry. Listen to me, please live a happy life with Hansen. If it means that I have to die, then I¡¯m willing. Don¡¯t me yourself, me me for being ignorant. Don¡¯t listen to Sergio¡­¡±

    Before she could finish her words, her phone was snatched away by Sergio.

 Chapter 680 Torture

    Hansen was standing next to her with a gloomy face. His fists were clenched so tightly that they could hear his knuckles cracking.

    He had heard the entire conversation between Jenna and Sergio. Jenna¡¯s phone was on loudspeaker mode, and he was incensed by what Sergio said.

    Sergio was simply a d*mn ckmailer. He openly imed that he wanted to take away their child and the family¡¯s treasure.

    Was that what a reasonable person would say?

    Yadriel had already lost, and they were about to be taken into custody by the authorities. Before that, they were trying to escape abroad, in hopes of a better future. This was too ridiculous.

    He almost grabbed the phone several times, but Jenna stopped him.

    Jenna was worried that it would trigger Sergio into acting rashly and he would hurt her mother.

    ¡°Mom. Mom!¡± Jenna could not hear Sara¡¯s voice anymore, and her heart sank as she cried out.

    ¡°Sara, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so stupid. Do you really think that I am that easy to deal with?¡± Sergio¡¯s eyes were fierce. He finally showed his true colors. ¡°I really love Jenna wholeheartedly, but you didn¡¯t even give me a chance. The ne will take off tomorrow night. Whether you are willing or not, Jenna must bring the treasure here, otherwise¡­¡±

    Sara had given up on him the moment she saw his face. She smiled coldly and said, ¡°Sergio, I should have died a long time ago. If you want to threaten my daughter with me, then you¡¯re wasting your time. Jenna will not listen to you. I am also not afraid of death. Do what you want to do. Don¡¯t waste your time.¡±

    With a livid face, Sergio grabbed the phone even more tightly and shouted, ¡°Jenna, bring the Ocean Heart over now if you want your mother to live, or you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.¡±

    At that time, Sara shouted at the phone, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t listen to him. Don¡¯te over.¡±

    ¡°B*tch.¡± A guard outside came in and punched the back of Sara¡¯s head when he heard Sergio shouting. With a grunt, Sara fainted.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sergio shouted with dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Chief, this woman is shouting. It¡¯s annoying. Just let her have a rest for a while.¡± The man looked at Sara with disgust and said, ¡°Although it¡¯s remote here, there are a lot of hunters on the mountain. It¡¯s better to keep quiet before anyone suspects anything.¡±

    Sergio saw Sara lying in the wheelchair. For a moment, he was upset. He just ordered, ¡°She is my mother-inw. Keep an eye on her. Don¡¯t make things difficult for her.¡±

    ¡°Roger that, chief.¡± Hearing Sergio¡¯s words, the man was stunned. He didn¡¯t understand why, but he nodded regardless.

    Sergio walked out in frustration.

    He had just stepped outside when his phone rang. When he picked it up, he heard that it was Yadriel calling.

    ¡°Dad,¡± he greeted his father impatiently.

    ¡°Sergio, how¡¯s the situation over there?¡± Yadriel¡¯s voice was a little anxious. ¡°We need to hurry. We need to escape as soon as possible.¡±

    Sergio¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°Dad, I have Sara. Jenna will soone with the treasure,¡± he said on the phone.

    He knew Jenna very well. She would not allow Sara to fall into danger like this. She would definitelye over.

    ¡°Well done.¡± Yadriel praised him on the other side of the line.¡°We will leave once we obtain the treasure. In the future, we will be invincible.¡±

    On the other end of the line, Yadriel was talking excitedly.

    Sergio¡¯s face darkened, and his mind was in turmoil.

    ¡°Sergio, you have to be careful of Hansen. This fellow has quite a number of people in his hands. He will not let us seed so easily,¡± Yadriel warned.¡°But don¡¯t worry, I have your back.¡±

    There was a sinister light in Yadriel¡¯s eyes, and a smirk hung from the corner of his mouth.Even if the extremists in the war-torn country had suffered such a great defeat, they were not resigned to it. They had already quietly followed a group of people over. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you¡¯ll still be able to escape your fate this time around at Richards Manor.¡±

    Thinking of this, he couldn¡¯t help but tough out loud. He felt extremely satisfied with the oue.

    After Sergio put down the phone, he stood on the balcony of the vi and looked at the dark road at the foot of the mountain.

    ¡°Jenna, we will meet soon.¡±

    As he thought so, a sinister smile appeared on his face.

    After a while, his phone rang.

    He looked at the screen. It was Jenna.

    The phone kept ringing. Only after a long while did he pick up.

    ¡°Sergio, what did you do to my mother?¡± While Jenna was talking to Sergio just then, she heard Sara¡¯s scream, which made her heart throb. She didn¡¯t know what happened to her mother. At that time, she only had one thought, which was to save her mother. So, she called him in a hurry.

    Sergio, with a faint smile on his face, raised his eyebrows and ignored her question. Instead, he asked, ¡°Jenna, what do you think? Have you made up your mind? When will you bring your treasure? I have been waiting for you.¡±

    Jenna was anxious and warned him. ¡°Sergio, if something happens to my mother, then I will not let you go. You¡¯d better not go too far.¡±

    Sergio chuckled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jenna. Your mother is my mother, and I will treat her well. Of course, if you do not obey me, then I can¡¯t do anything about it. My men are very impatient people, and they don¡¯t have a sense of morality.¡±

    ¡°You.¡± Jenna gritted her teeth. ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Sergio smiled. ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ll be waiting. Don¡¯t y any tricks.¡± As he spoke, he waved his finger. ¡°I especially don¡¯t want to see Hansen. Remember that.¡±

    Jenna nced at Hansen, who was standing beside her with a gloomy face. She gritted her teeth and asked, ¡°Where are you now? How can I find you?¡±

    Sergio smiled and said, ¡°Come to the designated area. I¡¯ll send someone to pick you up.¡±

    Jenna held her phone tightly. ¡°Okay.¡±

    She put down the phone and looked up.

    Hansen was staring at her.

    ¡°Hansen, I can¡¯t leave my mother there. I have to save her.¡± Her eyes were brimming with tears.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze lowered as he looked at her. His eyes were slightly red as he reached out to hold her in his arms. He said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t. If you go now, then you¡¯ll fall into his trap. Sergio is out of his mind. He¡¯s putting up a final struggle. It¡¯ll be dangerous if you go now.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jenna was so anxious that she started to cry out loud.

    ¡°Hansen, she¡¯s my Mom. No matter how dangerous it is, I¡¯ll go. I¡¯m going to save her. I can¡¯t stand by and watch her get hurt.¡± She insisted. She pushed him away and was about to rush out.

    ¡°Jenna,¡± Hansen grabbed her hand in time and said seriously, ¡°Fool, your mother is also like my mother. Do you think I¡¯m not worried about her? I¡¯m more worried about her safety than you. But we can¡¯t go like this. We must stay calm. Calm down. As long as they haven¡¯t obtained the Ocean Heart, he won¡¯t hurt your mother. He is definitely more anxious than us.¡±

    Now that the Xanthe family would soon be charged with a crime, this must have been a sign that Yadriel was guilty. He was eager to get the treasure so that he could enjoy a happy life abroad. Therefore, he was waiting for them to fall into his trap.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    However, Jenna had long lost her rationality when it came to her beloved mother. She was worried that he would do something to hurt her in his anger and shame. As such, she was really anxious and it was hard for her to calm down.

    Hansen held her back.

    After a while, Alvin, John, and Paul came back from outside.

    After Hansenforted Jenna, he brought them to the study.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, ording to our observation, we found a ck Bentley near Sunshine Mountain today. Sergio might have taken Sara somewhere on Sunshine Mountain.¡± Alvin analyzed the situation after he came in.

    ¡°In addition, we did not find any traces of Sergio anywhere. Now, we can narrow the search area to Sunshine Mountain,¡± John said with certainty.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, since Sky Sword Group was banned, Zoe disappeared. This event may have nothing to do with her, but it is really hard to tell if she is behind this. We should also pay attention to her,¡± Paul reported that he had sensedthe feelingof being watched.

    Hansen¡¯s brows furrowed tightly. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as his expression became frosty.

    ¡°Sergio is carrying out his dying struggle. I¡¯ve already informed the police, but we can¡¯tpletely rely on them. I can¡¯t let him harm Sara or flee abroad. The Ocean Heart mustn¡¯t fall into the possession of filthy b*stards like them. It¡¯s our family¡¯s treasure and one that belongs to our country. We mustn¡¯t let it be taken away. Sergio needs to learn his ce,¡± Hansen said sternly, with his face full of anger.

    Everyone in the room was very tense.

    After a while, there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s me.¡± Jenna¡¯s voice sounded.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Hansen said as he walked over and opened the door.

    ¡°Hansen, Sergio has sent a message stating that I need to bring the treasure to him in a town near Sunshine Mountain at five o¡¯clock in the morning. There will be someoneing to pick me up.¡± Jenna stood at the door with her phone in hand. Her face was haggard.

    Seeing her red and swollen eyes, Hansen¡¯s heart ached. It was still midnight, and she had not slept at all. She was pregnant. How could she take it?

    Now that Sergio was going to put her in danger, his eyes were filled with heartbreak. He resented Sergio.

    ¡°Jenna, take a nap. I will make some arrangements with my men and wake you upter. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll try my best to save your mother. Trust me.¡± He took Jenna to her bedroom and forced her to lie down on the bed.

    Jenna felt dizzy and her stomach was bulging ufortably. Hansen tucked her in and bent down to kiss her forehead. Heforted her. ¡°Baby, there¡¯s still an hour and a half before five o¡¯clock in the morning. I¡¯ll wake you up one hourter, and then let¡¯s go save Mom.¡±

    Jenna opened her eyes wide. Hansen¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. She didn¡¯t know that Hansen had already spent an entire night on the battlefield in the war-torn country, not getting to rest even after he came back to Richards Manor because of Vivian¡¯s funeral. Even then, he was trying his best to hold on.

    That night was destined to be a sleepless night. It made Hansen feel even more ufortable than when he was on the battlefield.

    This was a matter of life and death. Right then, the enemy was in the dark, and they were in the light. They wanted to drag his wife in as well. This made his heart feel as if it was being scorched over a me.

    Afterforting Jenna, he turned off the lights and snuck out.

 Chapter 681 Personally Face Danger

    As soon as Jenna closed her eyes, she slept lightly.

    After a while, she felt as if she had fallen into a sea of clouds and was covered in ayer of fog. She tried her best to find a way out but she could not. She could only run and shout until she came to a small house where she saw Sara lying in a pool of blood.

    ¡°Mom!¡± she shouted as tears rolled down her cheeks. When she bent down and saw Sara¡¯s eyes open, she found it hard to breathe. She reached out and was about to hold Sara when her face suddenly changed. With blurred vision, she looked at the face desperately. That face had turned into Hansen¡¯s face. It was so pale, so haggard, and his mouth was full of blood.

    ¡°Hansen¡­¡± She began to cry.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Her hand was held by a big palm. She heard the voice, and then her whole body was lifted up. She opened her eyes and saw Hansen in front of her, staring at her with a concerned look on his face.

    She was covered in sweat as she stared at him.

    ¡°Jenna, what¡¯s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?¡± Hansen held her in his arms and asked softly. He took a towel and wiped the sweat on her forehead gently.

    Jenna¡¯s whole body was ice-cold. She pursed her lips and looked at him. It was just a nightmare.

    ¡°Baby, did you have a nightmare?¡± Hansen smiled at her and touched her belly. He sighed and said, ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry you have to go through this. I will try my best to make it up to you in the future.¡±

    Jenna looked at his bloodshot eyes, and her heart was filled with pain. She had seen his tiredness just then, which exined why she had that dream. She wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her face into his chest, and hugged him tightly. ¡°Hansen, promise me that you will be fine. You promised that you would make me the happiest woman in the world.¡±

    Hansen was stunned for a moment before understanding what was going on. He hugged her tightly and replied in a hushed voice, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. Our family will be fine. I can guarantee it.¡±

    Although Sara had been kidnapped, with Hansen by her side, she was much more at ease. She was no longer helpless and dejected.

    ¡°Hansen, what time is it now?¡± Jenna remembered her mother and straightened up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll bring you there immediately.¡± Hansen stood up with her in his arms and walked down the stairs.

    ¡°Hansen, Sergio asked that I go there alone.¡± She remembered that Sergio said that he did not want to see Hansen.

    Hansen hugged her tightly. ¡°You fool, how can I let you go there by yourself? Just follow me. I have it all nned out.¡±

    Jenna looked at him and said nothing. She relied on him a lot, and she was also afraid to face the unpredictable danger of going alone.

    Hansen carried her to a small ck car downstairs. Jenna had never seen this car before. After she was put into the passenger seat, Hansen went around the front of the car and sat in the driver¡¯s seat and started the car.

    ¡°Hansen, are we going to the town near Sunshine Mountain now?¡± she asked anxiously.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hansen nodded. ¡°Follow what I sayter. Don¡¯t panic and do your best to dy the person who picked you up.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°Hansen, are you going alone like this? Let me go alone. No matter what, I am a woman.So, Sergio can¡¯t do anything to me.¡± She thought of that nightmare and insisted.

    Hansen¡¯s face tensed up.

    ¡°Do you really think that I will let my woman take the risk? Cooperate with me,¡± Hansen said forcefully. They headed for the darkness. This was the darkest period before dawn, and their surroundings were pitch-ck.

    After the car started, through the rearview mirror, Jenna saw that there were two cars following theirs. She was relieved. She knew that Hansen would have made the most thorough arrangements.

    The best way she could help at present was to listen to him.

    Therefore, she just sat there and remained silent.

    They drove in the darkness for about twenty minutes before Hansen stopped the car.

    Jenna looked up and found that they were stopping at the roadside. At that time, she saw that the car following behind had stopped.

    ¡°Jenna, here¡¯s your phone. I have installed thetest listening device in it. Remember, you have to use it with the loudspeaker more throughout the process. This is a power bank. As long as you¡¯re using the phone, I can see your every move. Negotiate with the man whoes to pick you up calmly. Follow his request and don¡¯t oppose him. I will be following you secretly. Don¡¯t be afraid. The process will notst too long,¡± Hansen said. He took out her phone and put it in the middle seat. He checked the phone and some facilities in the car before he said solemnly.

    ¡°Jenna, to avoid Sergio from getting suspicious, we¡¯ll have to split up here. You can drive down the highway in front of us. If you drive a little further, then you¡¯ll be in Sunshine Mountain town. When you arrive, contact Sergio. Alvin and Paul are in the town. Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll follow you from another route with John. I¡¯ve carefully arranged everything. If they appear in Sunshine Mountain town, then we¡¯ll surround them and catch them. If there¡¯s something wrong, then we¡¯ll follow you all the way and act ording to the circumstances. Just keep an eye on your phone, I¡¯ll send you a message at any time.¡±

    Hansen exined patiently. He touched her head and said encouragingly, ¡°Remember, don¡¯t fight against them. Listen to them, so that they won¡¯t make things difficult for you. I¡¯m here for you.¡±

    Jenna looked at the dark road in front of her. She would be lying if she said that she wasn¡¯t afraid. However, her mother was still in their hands, and Hansen was by her side. She nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do my best to hold them back.¡±

    ¡°You are smart and beautiful. You willplete the task. I trust you.¡± Hansen smiled at her and handed her a jewelry box. Jenna was shocked when she saw it. Wasn¡¯t this the box that Vivian had given her, containing the Ocean Heart? Why had he brought it here?

    ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised. It¡¯s just a box. I¡¯ve sent Alvin to the bank to take out this box today. There¡¯s a piece of fake jewelry inside. Just in case. They won¡¯t doubt it,as the imitation is very precise. It can dy some time.¡± Hansen understood her doubts and exined. He then told her the password.

    Jenna heaved a sigh of relief. She finally understood what was going on.

    Hansen held her hand, and his dark eyes were full of tenderness and encouragement.

    Jenna knew his concerns and smiled at him.

    In the dark night, the two of them sat in the car while looking at each other. They could see the emotions in each other¡¯s hearts, as well as the warmth and love in each other¡¯s eyes. There were thousands of words to say, but they didn¡¯t know where to start. They could only express their love through their silent gazes.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s almost time,¡± John got out of the car behind and walked over to greet Hansen. They could not wait any longer. John looked at his watch. It was only ten minutes away from five o¡¯clock. He had to walk up and remind them. When he came up, he saw Mr. and Mrs. Richards sharing a moment. He knew that they loved each other deeply. Therefore, he left after reminding them.

    Hansen shut his eyes and had no choice but to get out of the car.

    Jenna opened the door.

    ¡°Jenna, be careful when driving.¡± Jenna walked to the driver¡¯s seat. Hansen took her cold hand. He rubbed it. ¡°Remember what I said. Don¡¯t go against them. I¡¯m by your side.¡±

    Jenna nodded. Her mother¡¯s face shed through her mind and her heart ached. She resolutely got into the driver¡¯s seat.

    Soon, she started her car.

    She slowly drove forward.

    The darkness apanied by the blurry car lights lengthened Hansen¡¯s shadow. His tall figure seemed to have turned to stone. In the depths of his eyes was endless pain and unease. He did not move and stared at Jenna¡¯s car as it drove away.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, get in the car.¡± John started the car.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s follow her on another path.¡± Hansen came to his senses and got into the car, ordering John.

    John made a u-turn and rushed back before taking a different route.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    The car following John got through a bridge in the middle.

    Jenna carefully drove the car. At that time, it was very dark. She turned on the bumper headlights and looked warily at the sign on the roadside. She soon drove into the town of Sunshine Mountain.

    This was a very old town. The streets were not wide. Even though they were built in a modernized way, they had retained the unique charm of a small town.

    Jenna parked her car in front of a shop and called Sergio.

    However, Sergio¡¯s phone was turned off. She called several times and gave up. However, she was sure that Sergio had done it on purpose.

    After all, he was the head of the Department of Security, and he was very good at acting mysterious. He would never believe that Jenna woulde alone as she promised. Moreover, the satellite positioning of his phone was very urate. So, he would not reveal his location that easily.

    Just as she was waiting in the car, a message popped up.

    ¡°Drive to the hospital in town.¡±

    Jenna was stunned for a while before she understood.

    They were hiding in the dark. They knew she wasing. They just wanted to confirm whether she came alone and whether there was any threat or not.

    Apparently, they had changed their location again.

    She gritted her teeth and started the car.

    At that time, the street was so dark that she couldn¡¯t see anything beyond the car headlights. There was no one on the road. Although she was afraid and didn¡¯t know where the hospital was, she gritted her teeth and followed the navigation to the hospital.

    However, after waiting for five minutes in front of the hospital, no one approached her. There was only endless darkness surrounding her.

    She did not know where Hansen would be. He had said that he would follow her not far away in the dark. She felt warmth in her heart when she thought about it, and she was no longer that afraid.

    She sat in the car with a splitting headache and her mother¡¯s face appeared in her mind constantly. She was very anxious.

    After another five minutes, another message came.

 Chapter 682 I Wonâ€™t Betray You

    ¡°How dare you bring someone along?¡±

    As soon as this text popped up, Jenna gasped.

    Could they have discovered Hansen and the others?

    Her heart skipped a beat, but she remained cool and immediately replied, ¡°No, I came here alone. I brought the treasure. Please bring me to Sergio.¡±

    After the text was sent, she felt uneasy. Her phone was silent for a long time.

    After sitting for a while, she felt anxious in her heart and dialed Sergio¡¯s number, but his phone was not turned on. Jenna was anxious and angry, sitting in a daze.

    After a while, there was still no text from him.

    She thought about it. That day when Sergio saved her, she remembered he had another phone number. She took out her phone and searched for it. As expected, she found the other phone number. When she was about to dial it, she hesitated.

    After thinking for a while, she sent a message instead.

    ¡°Sergio, I came to the town as you asked, but your men think I¡¯m suspicious. I¡¯ve waited for a while. Yet, no one came to pick me up. Is this your sincerity? I am a frail woman. What can I do to you? What¡¯s more, my mother is in your hands. I¡¯s starting to wonder if you were just toying with me.¡±

    After sending this message and waiting for a while, she received a reply.

    ¡°Drive and follow my instructions.¡± He used the same trick.

    Jenna frowned. These people were indeed special agents. They were so cautious. She thought of Hansen and wondered how they were doing. Did they know that they had changed their location?

    It was as if he knew what she was thinking. Very quickly, Hansen sent a message.

    ¡°Jenna, do as he instructed. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s spirits lifted when she saw this text. She knew that Hansen had her back. She felt relieved and drove forward.

    Whenever there was an intersection, a message woulde over and tell her which way to go. In this way, after another half an hour ride, Jenna arrived at a small vi, which was isted from the vige at the front and back.

    She parked there, and there were no texts for a long time.

    She sat in the car, and a headache was throbbing in her head. However, she did not dare to let tiredness engulf her body. Her palms were sweaty as she feared for her mother.

    ¡°Jenna, calm down. They¡¯re about to show themselves.¡± Her phone beeped with a new text. Jenna lowered her head to take a look. It was from Hansen.

    When she looked up, she saw that on the vige¡¯s field, the sun was rising slowly, and a thinyer of fog was lingering on the rice field. The scene was extremely beautiful. As the breeze blew gently, it was cool and refreshing, and Jenna was much more awake.

    ¡°Get out of the car.¡± At that moment, a message popped up.

    Jenna hesitated for a moment before she picked up the box and got out of the car with her phone.

    ¡°Walk forward. Stop whenever I tell you to.¡±

    Jenna looked at her phone and obeyed.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    In front of her was a forked road, and next to it was a ditch. Jenna was walking carefully.

    All of a sudden, a ck car rushed out from the side. It seemed to have been driven out of a farmhouse. Before she could figure out what was going on, the door was opened, and a hand pulled her in.

    Jenna screamed. The door was mmed shut. The engine roared, and the car drove to the road ahead.

    Jenna was still in shock before she came to her senses. Only then did she see that there were two middle-aged men in ck sitting in the car. Their faces were covered, and only their eyes were revealed. A sharp knife was pressed against Jenna¡¯s waist.

    Jenna¡¯s heart trembled. She put a hand on her belly and whispered in her heart, ¡°Child, don¡¯t be afraid. Your father wille to save us. Mommy is here with you. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    The route on the mountain was in circles, sometimes to the east and sometimes to the west. Jenna felt dizzy. She couldn¡¯t even tell the direction they were going. Finally, when she was in a daze, a man held her arm and put her down.

    When she opened her eyes, she found that she was in the depths of the mountain. There was a very beautiful vi here.

    ¡°Go in.¡± The man behind her nudged her forward, and Jenna almost fell down. It took her a lot of effort to stand firm. She walked inside.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re finally here.¡± Sergio was wearing pure white pyjamas and his hair wasbed back. At that time, he was standing on the stairs and looking down at her with a smile.

    ¡°Sergio, where is my mother?¡± Jenna stood in the room and followed the sound to see Sergio with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He was leaning against the stairs with a smirk on his face. She was in no mood to pay attention to him. So, she questioned him directly.

    ¡°B*tch, be polite to our chief.¡± A man next to him looked at Jenna and cursed at her.

    Sergio looked at the box in Jenna¡¯s hand. He smiled, and was obviously in a good mood.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t scare my wife.¡± He waved to them.¡°This is your future mistress. You should treat her politely.¡±

    The two men beside him nced at each other, and then answered one after another, ¡°Yes.¡± They then lowered their heads.

    ¡°You can leave now and guard the door carefully. We will leave at night.¡± Sergio waved the men away.

    ¡°Jenna. You didn¡¯t have breakfast yet, did you? I have prepared some for you. Come with me.¡± Sergio came over, smiling at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. Sergio, where is my mother? I want to see her.¡± Jenna rejected the offer and asked coldly instead.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re already here. Why are you so anxious? We¡¯re going to be a family in the future. Your mother is like my mother too. You know she likes me. How can¡¯t I treat her well?¡± Sergio just smiled cheekily.

    Jenna felt anxious. She gave him a death stare that pierced through his soul.

    Sergio took a step back and looked at Jenna¡¯s haggard face. He sighed and said, ¡°Jenna, if you had listened to my advice earlier, then we wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. Maybe we would have gone abroad earlier to enjoy a wonderful life.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Sergio. Do you know what you¡¯re doing now? You¡¯vemitted a crime. I¡¯m already a person with a family. How can I fall in love with someone like you? Stop dreaming and let go of my mother. She¡¯s ill now and can¡¯t live without medication everyday. If you don¡¯t let me see her, then you¡¯ll be convicted of murder if something happens to her,¡± Jenna said sternly, mercilessly, and sharply.

    When Sergio heard this, he hesitated. What she said was true. Sara had had a kidney transnt, and she needed to take medicine everyday to maintain that.

    ¡°How about this, Jenna? Give me the treasure, and I¡¯ll take you to your mother.¡± Sergio reached out to the box as he said.

    Jenna gripped the box tightly and said, ¡°No, I want to see my mother first,¡± When she said this, she was afraid that he would not believe her. She then added, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare take the treasure away by force, even if we are in your territory. Let me tell you. You need a password to open this box. If I don¡¯t tell you, then you can¡¯t open it even if you get it. If you take it abroad, then you can¡¯t sell it. You¡¯d better cooperate with me.¡±

    Sergio squinted at her, and the corner of his lips twitched. After a while, he said with a smile, ¡°Jenna, that¡¯s not necessary. You¡¯re going to the United States with me. We¡¯ll talk about it then. We are family after all.¡±

    Speaking of this, he said while pouting, ¡°Jenna, you don¡¯t believe me no matter how well I treat you. Okay, since you don¡¯t believe me, I will take you to see your mother first.¡±

    As he spoke, he led her to the second floor.

    Jenna tightly held the box and followed him.

    After a few steps, Sergio suddenly turned around.

    Jenna jumped up in fright. Sergio was tall and big while Jenna was thin and delicate. As soon as he turned back, Jenna saw theplex emotions in his eyes. There was a mix of pain and loneliness. His gaze was focused on her face before tracing back to her belly. The gloom on his face shed and disappeared.

    ¡°Jenna, you still refuse to believe me. You don¡¯t want to go with me. All my infatuation for you is in vain,¡± he said in a low voice, he sounded a little weather-beaten.

    Jenna¡¯s heart started to thump wildly. She didn¡¯t understand what he meant. Had he found anything amiss? Or did he find out that Hansen was following them from behind?

    Was there something wrong with her behavior?

    With aplicated stare, he stood in front of her. However, after a while, he muttered to himself, ¡°Even if the world betrays me, I won¡¯t betray you. Jenna, I only beg you to take me seriously. I won¡¯t make things difficult for you.¡±

    After saying that, he sighed in a low voice, turned his head, and went upstairs.

    They stopped in front of a door on the second floor.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was about to jump out of her chest.

    Intuitively, she knew that her mother should be locked up here.

    Sergio turned around to look at her. He could not help but to smile when he saw her face flushing red out of anxiety. Then, he pushed open the door.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Jenna was the first to rush in.

    ¡°Jenna, why are you here?¡± Sara was lying on the bed. Although her face was gaunt, her expression was calm. However, after seeing Jenna, her eyes dimmed and her face darkened.

    ¡°Mom,I finally found you.¡± When Jenna saw Sara, she felt that all the fear was worth it. She rushed up and burst into tears with Sara in her arms.

 Chapter 683 Fury

    ¡°Jenna, you silly girl, you shouldn¡¯t havee!¡± Sara¡¯s hands trembled as she caressed Jenna¡¯s face. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She knew how difficult it would be for her daughter to escape from here safely, not to mention that she was carrying a child.

    ¡°Mom. You are my mother. No matter what, I wille for you and save you,¡± Jenna cried.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Sara hugged Jenna and said in a trembling voice.

    She had always thought that Sergio was a good person, before seeing his true colors. She had put everyone in danger by doing so. It did not matter whether she lived or died, but she could not put her only daughter at risk. Her heart ached terribly.

    ¡°No, Mom, you are the closest person in the world to me. How can I leave you here?¡± Jenna wiped her tears and said, ¡°Mom, I brought the medicine that you need to eat everyday. Hurry up.¡±

    In the midst of her grief, Jenna did not forget this important matter and took out the medicine.

    Sergio was standing in the room the whole time, listening to their conversation. His eyebrows were sometimes furrowed, and he looked anxious.

    Something that he had been insisting on copsed in an instant, and an inexplicable sorrow enveloped his heart.

    He watched as Jenna carefully fed Sara her medicine. Her back view was slim and delicate, petite and beautiful, which once made his heart skip a beat.

    However, it was clear that she would never belong to him. It truly was his wishful thinking.

    He took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took in a deep puff, and walked to the window.

    His phone rang.

    ¡°Sergio, did you get the treasure?¡± Yadriel asked.

    Sergio exhaled a mouthful of smoke. He looked at Sara and Jenna, who were talking to each other intimately, and said, ¡°Dad, Jenna is here with the treasure.¡±

    ¡°Okay, great. Now that we have the treasure, my helicopter will arrive tonight. We¡¯re leaving here forever.¡± Yadriel was a little excited, and he sounded impatient.

    Sergio hung up the phone and smoked in silence.

    Jenna and Sara embraced each other and whispered something. With a gloomy face, he walked over.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯ve seen your mother. It¡¯s time for you to give me the Ocean Heart.¡± He interrupted.

    Despite knowing that moment woulde sooner orter, Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but her face was very calm.

    Although the box of the Ocean Heart was real, inside it was a fake piece of jewelry. What would he do if he found out?

    As she thought so, her eyes swept around. She really hoped that Hansen would appear in front of her at that moment. However, the silence around her caused her heart to sink.

    ¡°Here you go.¡± She handed the box to Sergio.

    ¡°Jenna, the Ocean Heart is the most precious treasure of Richards Manor. How can you just give it to an outsider?¡± Seeing Jenna with the treasure, Sara¡¯s heart tightened and she objected to it.

    ¡°Mother, as long as I can save you, everything will be fine. No matter how precious the treasure is, it is not worth a person¡¯s life,¡± Jenna imed. As she said this, she looked at Sergio, observing his facial expression.

    Sergio took the box, looked at it carefully, and turned on his phone.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    Jenna knew that he was checking if this was the right version. Fortunately, Hansen had given her the real jewelry box. Surely enough, after a while, Sergio¡¯s face rxed.

    He saw a box inside the bag.

    ¡°Jenna, what is the code?¡± He took the box and tried several times, but he couldn¡¯t open it. He then turned back and asked her.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was pounding, and her fists were clenched.

    In reality, Vivian didn¡¯t have a box like this when she handed it over to her. It was obvious that this was what Hansen prepared in order to stall for time.

    She lowered her eyes, looking a bit tired.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t tell him. This treasure belongs to Richards Manor. You can¡¯t let it fall into the wrong hands.¡± Sara¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw that there was a lock on the box. She quickly interjected.

    Rage shed in Sergio¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Jenna, you have to cooperate with me now. You have to think of your mother and the child in your belly. You know that my father is not patient. He wants the Ocean Heart.¡± He raised his voice.

    Jenna¡¯s lips tightened into a straight line andfurrowedher eyebrows. She raised her head and said seriously, ¡°Sergio, is wealth really that important to you? God dered, ¡®If you clench your fists, your hand will be empty. If you stretch out your hand, you¡¯ll have the whole world. Money can fill your stomach but also fill your heart with greed. Things that belong to you will be given to you. Things that don¡¯t belong to you don¡¯t. You won¡¯t be blessed if you force something.¡¯ Sergio, it¡¯s not toote. You had a good future, but you were blinded by greed. You lost the whole world. People who don¡¯t have a conscience don¡¯t deserve to have wealth.I¡¯m just afraid that if you get the Ocean Heart, then you will not be blessed with it.¡±

    Jenna persuaded, hoping that he would not go to this extreme.

    Sergio took another shaky drag of the cigarette, and his hands were trembling.

    It was toote. If he started over, then maybe he could choose, but now he had no way back.

    ¡°Jenna, tell me. These things are meaningless.¡± Sergio was very impatient.

    ¡°Chief, chief.¡± A man¡¯s voice came from outside.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Sergio said matter-of-factly.

    ¡°Chief, there¡¯s a caring in from the foot of the hill,¡± a man reported anxiously from the outside.

    ¡°Who is that?¡± he asked sternly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s an unlicensed ck car,¡± the man outside reported.

    A ck car!

    A trace of joy shed across Jenna¡¯s eyes. It should be Hansen!

    Sergio¡¯s eyes shed with fury. He looked at Jenna and asked angrily, ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s you who led them here, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°No, what? Sergio. I¡¯ve been following your instructions the whole time. How could Imunicate with someone? Plus, my mother is in your hands. How would I dare to disobey you?¡± Jenna still shook her head and exined calmly.

    Sergio narrowed his eyes. Looking at Jenna¡¯s phone, he smiled coldly.

    ¡°Guards, take Sara away,¡± he shouted.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Two people immediately arrived outside the door.

    ¡°Sergio, where are you taking my mother to?¡± Jenna panicked and rushed forward to protect Sara. At that time, the two men came up and pushed her away. Jenna struggled to regain her footing as she was pushed back a few steps. Her head knocked onto Sergio¡¯s chest. Sergio reached out a hand and grabbed her in time.

    ¡°Jenna, be careful!¡± Sara screamed in pain when she saw her daughter being pushed around. Her heart was up in her throat the entire time.

    ¡°Jenna, I told you to be obedient. My men are very rude.¡± Sergio took her hand and held her in his arms, his tone soft.

    ¡°Sergio, where are you taking my mother?¡± Jenna shoved him away. After asking that, she was going to stop the two men who were pushing Sara¡¯s wheelchair. However, Sergio gripped her wrist and pulled her into his arms.

    ¡°Jenna, do you really want to go against them? You know, there is a child in your belly. If they try to hurt you again, then I can¡¯t imagine the consequences.¡± Sergio was right. Jenna had no choice but to keep quiet. With tears in her eyes, she watched Sara get pushed away by the two men.

    Looking at Jenna¡¯s pale face, Sergio slowly exined, ¡°I¡¯m just worried that some bad guys wille and she¡¯ll get hurt. I¡¯ve already sent her to a safe ce. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let them hurt her.¡±

    At that point, Jenna was helpless. She prayed that Hansen woulde soon.

    ¡°How about that? Can you tell me the password now?¡± After Sara was taken away, Sergio pulled Jenna close and lifted her chin. There was an odd smile on his face.

    Jenna stared at him coldly.

    ¡°Say it, Jenna. Although I have always loved you, it doesn¡¯t mean that I will be patient regardless.¡± Sergio looked at Jenna. The warmth in his eyes gradually faded away as his voice became cold.

    The sun had risen above their heads. She must have been here for a while. Hansen should be here soon. At that time, she figured that Sergio would suspect something if she continued to stall for time. She was most worried about the child in her belly.

    Therefore, Jenna gave him a string of numbers.

    The corners of Sergio¡¯s mouth curled into a smile as he let her go.

    As he punched in the numbers, he slowly opened the box, with his eyes widening.

    His face turned pale as he looked up.

    With a bang, the door was kicked open, and Hansen stormed in.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± Jenna cried out in surprise when she saw the familiar figure.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Hansen flew to Jenna¡¯s side at lightning speed and pulled her into his arms.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Sergio immediately reacted. He quickly took out a pistol from his bag and aimed it at Hansen.

    Hansen held Jenna in his arms and raised his eyebrows. There was a cold sneer on his face.

    ¡°Sergio, you¡¯ve been defeated. You¡¯ve failed in the arms deal and the election. I advise you to be smart and surrender. Don¡¯t fight anymore. You¡¯re done.¡± Hansen hugged Jenna tightly as he spoke to Sergio in a calm voice.

    Upon hearing his words, Sergio, who was usually confident, was angered, and his eyes lit up with fire.

 Chapter 684 Unbelievable

    ¡°Hansen, you destroyed the Xanthe family. I won¡¯t let you get away with it,¡± Sergio roared.

    His voice was filled with anger and resentment, as well as a strong sense of unwillingness. His eyes were filled with the desire to chop Hansen to pieces.

    Jenna was terrified that Hansen would be killed. She wanted them to be happy together. Unfortunately, everything was a mess, and she could do nothing about it.

    Hansen let out a scoff. His face was devoid of any trace of fear, and his entire being was calm andposed.

    He held Jenna¡¯s hand and gave it a squeeze. Her hand was very cold, which made him frown slightly.

    ¡°Sergio, do you think that you are still the old you? Do you think that you can bully the Richards Group?¡± He sneered. ¡°No, you are a soon-to-be prisoner. Tomorrow, you and your father will be taken away by the police of Capital City. You will be suspended and examined. To put it bluntly, you are nothing, and your future ispletely ruined. If you want to have a better end, then I advise you to stop and turn yourself in. You have another shot at life. I am not afraid to tell you that my people have surrounded this vi. Put down the gun and surrender now.¡±

    He had followed Jenna all the way. Sergio was indeed cunning. Along the way, he changed countless directions, but he finally found this ce with the help of the satellite positioning system installed on her phone.

    Along the way, he was afraid that Jenna would get hurt.

    Therefore, when they found this ce, they only made some arrangements and rushed in. Surely enough, Sergio had just opened the box. From the look on his face, he knew that this piece of jewelry was fake.

    Sergio had seen a picture of the Ocean Heart before. This fake one was a piece of jewelry that Alvin found randomly in the market the day before. For safety reasons, Hansen had set up a lock. This was just to buy some time. Surely enough, Sergio keyed in the password as given by Jenna and opened it.

    Fortunately, Hansen and his men arrived in time when Sergio, who was furious, was about to deal with Jenna. Hansen had a lingering fear in his heart when he imagined what would have happened if they hadn¡¯t rushed in time.

    ¡°Hansen, you are despicable. You tried to fool me with a fake Ocean Heart?¡± Sergio¡¯s face twisted with anger. His eyes spurted fire, which could burn him to death.

    He aimed the gun in his hand at Hansen.

    ¡°No.¡± Looking at the gun, Jenna screamed out loud. She was really afraid that Sergio would lose his mind and shoot.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Hansen held her tightly andforted her. He looked around with sharp eyes and touched the ring in his hand.

    At that moment, a loud gunshot was heard downstairs.

    It seemed that the battle between Hansen and Sergio¡¯s men had already begun.

    Suddenly, Hansen¡¯s eyes were sharp and his hands were nimble. He swiftly carried Jenna and leapt to one side. He protected Jenna with his body. With a loud boom, Sergio pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed towards Hansen. No matter how fast he was, Sergio was a soldier. His technique was fast, urate, and ruthless. It was truly beyond his expectations.

    When he jumped over, the bullet went straight into his left arm.

    An immense pain radiated from his arm. Hansen grunted in pain. He moved the ring on his finger. A bullet suddenly shot Sergio. Since Hansen was holding Jenna in his arms to dodge the bullets, he shot inurately. The bullet went through Sergio¡¯s shoulder instead.

    The moment the bullet got into Sergio¡¯s shoulder, he was stunned. To be exact, he didn¡¯t know where the bullet came from, and he was shot.

    All of this was unbelievable.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± Alvin and John who led the Grand Eagles to fight Sergio¡¯s men below heard the gunshot upstairs and hurriedly ran up. Alvin kicked the pistol in Sergio¡¯s hand away and aimed a pistol at Sergio¡¯s head.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, are you alright?¡± John walked up and saw fresh blood continuously seeping out of Hansen¡¯s left arm. John¡¯s face turned pale with fright. He hurriedly found a pair of pyjamas in the room and tore it apart, wrapping it around the bullet wound.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you hurt?¡± Jenna was protected by Hansen in his arms. She could only smell the stench of blood. She was extremely flustered. She didn¡¯t know where he was hurt when the gunshot was fired. When she heard Alvin¡¯s question, her voice trembled.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m fine,¡± Hansen said softly as he shielded her eyes with his hand.

    ¡°How is it going outside?¡± After answering Jenna, he turned back and asked Alvin.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we caught everyone, but there are many traps in this ce. It¡¯s hard to talk under these circumstances. Ah, andthe police came,¡± Alvin quickly replied while staring at the wound on his arm.

    ¡°Alright. Have you found Sara? Find her as soon as possible.¡± A fine bead of sweat dripped down from Hansen¡¯s forehead as he instructed.

    Jenna had understood then. Hansen was injured.

    She removed Hansen¡¯s hand from her eyes. His hand was warm. At that moment, he felt that his palms were cool, and her heart sank.

    She got up and said, ¡°Hansen, how is your injury? Let me have a look.¡±

    Her voice was full of tears. She knelt in front of him and examined his wound. Alvin had bandaged up the bloody wound. Her mind was filled with wild thoughts, and she was extremely anxious.

    Was the previous night¡¯s dream an indicator? He was injured.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. This bit of injury is nothing to me.¡± When Hansen saw how anxious Jenna was, he could only console her. John helped him to his feet.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go down.¡± Hansen looked at Sergio, who was also injured, and a mocking smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Alvin¡¯s pistol was pointed at Sergio¡¯s temple. He pulled him up and ordered him. ¡°Get down.¡±

    After a short struggle, Sergio looked calm, as if he had anticipated the arrival of that day.

    His eyes met Hansen¡¯s. He immediately averted his gaze onto Jenna¡¯s face.

    Her face was filled with pain, anxiety, and worry.

    Sergio knew that it was for Hansen because he was injured.

    He felt pain in his heart. He was extremely disappointed.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we haven¡¯t found Sara.¡± As soon as they went downstairs, the members of the Grand Eagles, who were searching the whole vi, came up to report.

    A mocking sneer appeared on Sergio¡¯s face.

    Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard this. She cried out loud, ¡°Mother!¡±. She held onto Hansen¡¯s arm but held back her tears. She was afraid that Hansen would be heartbroken upon hearing this.

    ¡°Hurry up and look for her. We must find her.¡± Hansen was anxious as he ordered in a low voice.

    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your effort. You won¡¯t be able to find her.¡± Sergio confidently said,raising his eyebrows and smiling sinisterly.

    ¡°Sergio, are you nuts? You kidnapped an old woman,¡± Hansen bellowed angrily. He wished nothing more than to step forward and kill him.

    Sergio clutched his injured shoulder and his eyebrows furrowed. The smile on his face was terrifying.

    ¡°In this world, the strong prey on the weak.The winner takes it all. As long as you seed, does it matter what methods you use? Since ancient times, those who seeded always had their hands stained with blood,¡± he said without the slightest sense of shame.

    Jenna¡¯s face turned pale.

    It seemed that it would be difficult for her mother to escape!

    ¡°Sergio, if you let go of my mother, then I will give you the Ocean Heart,¡± she said loudly through gritted teeth.

    Sergio looked at her nkly, but the smile on his face was very arrogant.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re not qualified to negotiate with me now. It¡¯s toote.¡±

    ¡°Sergio, you broke thew. You¡¯re guilty of the crimes youmitted. We will not let you get away with it this time.¡± Hansen red at Sergio fiercely.

    ¡°Really?¡± Sergio smiled. He said calmly, ¡°Let me go.¡±

    He spoke in a calm voice as if he was sure that Hansen would let him go. His face was rxed.

    Hansen stared at him,and his stare was cold.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again. Release me immediately.¡± Sergio slightly raised his head. His voice was not loud, but it was powerful.

    Jenna clutched Hansen¡¯s clothes, her expression was extremely tense.

    Hansen turned around and smiled faintly at her, telling her not to be afraid.

    ¡°Alvin, let him go.¡± He looked up at Alvin and ordered calmly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we can¡¯t let him go. If we let him go, then it¡¯ll be hard to catch him again.¡± Alvin objected.

    ¡°Release him.¡± Hansen raised his voice as he spoke in a dignified manner.

    He had promised Jenna that he would use all means necessary to save Sara and not let her get hurt. If he didn¡¯t let him go now, then he would definitely hurt Sara. He couldn¡¯t take the risk.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    Alvin sighed as he put away his gun.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Sergioughed wildly, seeing that he had won.

    ¡°Sergio, release Sara immediately. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to leave this ce. You knowthis ce has already been surrounded by my people,¡± Hansen shouted in a stern voice.

    ¡°Hansen, Hansen, you really have guts.¡± Sergio looked back at him and walked out of the door.

    Hansen gave Alvin and the others a look. Everyone followed him out of the room.

    Outside, the soldiers of the Grand Eagles had already captured a few of Sergio¡¯s men. As soon as he appeared at the doorstep, they immediately aimed their guns at him.

    Sergio looked at them with contempt, and then walked forward with ease.

    A siren rang at the foot of the mountain and was heading towards this direction.

    The veins on the temples of Sergio¡¯s forehead throbbed and he clenched his fists. His eyes were terrifyingly red.

    ¡°Bring Sara out.¡± He walked to the end of the vi and ordered his men who were guarding it.

 Chapter 685 An Emergency At Richards Group

    The gate on one side of the vi slowly opened, revealing a deep ck hole.

    Everyone looked inside. The door on this side led to a basement, and the darkness inside was unfathomable.

    They all held their breaths.

    This seemed like one of Yadriel¡¯s hiding spots, which had been carefully built a long time ago. At that time, he could not act rashly. Otherwise, he would not know how he died.

    ¡°Chief, I¡¯ll bandage your wound.¡± Sergio stood at the door. One of his men came out from another door with a first aid kit.

    Jenna covered her mouth with one hand, with tears in her eyes.

    Her other hand slowly held Hansen¡¯s. His warm palm was then so cold that sent chills down her spine.

    His arm was shot, and blood dripped from it from time to time.

    Both of them were precious to her.

    On one side was her husband, and on the other side was her mother. At that time, the fact that she had to make a decision tortured her so badly that she couldn¡¯t breathe.

    If she were to ask Hansen to return,then he would never go. If this dragged on for too long, then not only would Hansen¡¯s wound be infected, even her mother was in danger. After all, she was still a patient.

    At that time, she could imagine how pressured she felt.

    After his wound was bandaged, Sergio stood up with a sneer on his face.

    After the door was opened, the sound of a wheelchair slowly came from the dark basement below.

    Jenna held her breath and looked towards the direction of the source of the sound. She clenched her fists, and her palms were covered with sweat.

    Soon, Sara was pushed out of the basement by a dark and thin man with fierce eyes.

    The man had a gun aimed at Sara¡¯s temple.

    Sara¡¯s hair was messy, and her face was pale and haggard. Her hands were tied to the wheelchair. She blinked several times as she was wheeled out from the dark basement due to the bright light outside. Even though she had shut her eyes, she could guess what was going on.

    ¡°Mom,¡± Jenna shouted when she saw her mother¡¯s miserable state, and she was about to rush forward.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Hansen had expected her to be emotional. He immediately wrapped her tightly in his embrace so that she could not move. ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be agitated. They have nowhere to go. Don¡¯t rush over rashly. You¡¯ll only fall for his trap. Just wait.¡±

    ¡°But, Hansen, I am so worried about Mom. She looks horrible. She is still a patient. She shouldn¡¯t have to go through this,¡± Jenna cried in his arms, choking with sobs.

    The rims of Hansen¡¯s eyes reddened as his brows knitted tightly together. Jenna¡¯s tears tore his heart into pieces.

    However, he just held her tightly in his arms, and his face was as dark as coal.

    As time went by, it was noon, and the sun made people feel unusually warm.

    ¡°Sergio, what exactly do you want?¡± He gulped before saying in a stern and hoarse voice.

    Sergio¡¯s smile was very frivolous, and he sounded very arrogant.

    ¡°Hansen, if you want Sara to return safe and sound,then hand over the real Ocean Heart and send me away from the country safely.¡± He tidied his hair, which was soaked with sweat, with a smile on his face.

    Hansen¡¯s brows furrowed and his expression was calm. He had long expected such a request. His eyes darkened and a faint smile appeared on his lips. ¡°You abducted an olddy and made shameless requests for wealth. You are really scum. But it doesn¡¯t matter. I agree to your request.¡±

    ¡°No, Hansen, you can¡¯t promise him.¡± After Sara got used to the bright light outside, she heard her daughter crying. Her heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and snapped at him.

    ¡°Mom, this treasure is nothingpared to your life. Don¡¯t worry, we will save you,¡± Hansen gave her a reassuring smile.

    Sara¡¯s tightly knitted brows rxed. She smiled and said, ¡°Hansen, theOcean Heart is a national treasure. It can¡¯t be handed over to bad people who are escaping abroad. My life is not important. It doesn¡¯t matter what he does to me. Take my daughter and leave here quickly. I gave my daughter to you. Promise me that you will make her happy for the rest of her life.¡±

    Tears flowed down her cheeks and she looked fearless. She raised her head and looked at the blue sky and the white clouds in the distance. Her face was devoid of fear as she said coldly, ¡°Sergio, I misjudged you. I deserve to die. Quick, shoot me. Don¡¯t be a coward. I won¡¯t let you have the Ocean Heart. I won¡¯t allow them to submit to you either.¡±

    After saying these words, she seemed to have used up all her strength and lowered her head as she panted.

    Panic flitted across Sergio¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, old woman.¡± Standing next to her, the man who was pointing at Sara¡¯s temple with a pistol cursed. He pushed the pistol against Sara¡¯s head hard, which pushed her head to the side. A strand of silver hair fell on her face, emitting a dazzling white light under the sun.

    ¡°Mom!¡± Jenna cried out in pain, and tears rolled down her cheeks like beads of broken string.

    ¡°Sergio, if you dare to hurt my mother,then I won¡¯t let you get away with it.¡± Hansen¡¯s heart tightened as he gritted his teeth and swore harshly.

    Sergio burst outughing.

    ¡°Hansen, this day next year will be the anniversary of your family¡¯s funeral. Remember. These are the consequences of opposing the Xanthe family¡­ death. I¡¯m afraid you have no choice but to go to h*ll and learn this lesson.¡±

    He spoke in such an arrogant and evil manner, and there was a gloomy chill radiating from him.

    These words made Hansen¡¯s heart race. For a moment, he was confused. He could not understand the meaning behind his words.

    At that time, the phone in his hand rang urgently.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you? Things are not looking good. Richards Manor has been surrounded by spies. They¡¯ve buried a lot of bombs in the mansion. We¡¯re in grave danger.¡± Norton¡¯s anxious voice travelled from the other end of the call.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes widened and the expression on his face changed. His entire being was shaken into a daze.

    What was going on?

    It turned out that Sergio had tricked them toe here. This b*stard didn¡¯t even want to let go of his family. He was crazy!

    ¡°Sergio, you are so vicious. I hope you burn in h*ll.¡± The blue veins on Hansen¡¯s forehead bulged. He took out a pistol and pointed it at Sergio. Yet, he held back the urge to shoot.

    ¡°Like your present? Mr. Richards, do you think today will be your family¡¯s death day?¡± Sergio saw Hansen¡¯s reaction and smiled proudly.

    It was all part of his n. He kidnapped Sara and forced Jenna to hand over the Ocean Heart. On the other side, he forced Richards Manor to hold Hansen back and seek revenge.

    After the terrorists from the war-torn country failed to trade weapons, they flew into a rage out of humiliation and followed them to A City, which was exactly what Sergio wanted. Consequently, he ingeniously took full advantage of the turn of events.

    That time, he would settle everything with the Richards family once and for all.

    Hansen had never imagined that Yadriel would be so insidious. He was so crazy that he would do such a thing. Hansen¡¯s heart was throbbing so hard that it might burst out of his ribcage anytime soon.

    At that time, the police led by Jordan hade.

    They were pressing for time. He did not have time to worry. He said to Alvin beside him, ¡°Alvin, lead Grand Eagles and the police back to the mansion. Protect the mansion and everyone inside. Sergio has set bombs there. Some terrorists have also surrounded the mansion. The situation is extremely critical. We must go and rescue them as soon as possible.¡±

    Alvin¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, but you¡¯re in danger too,¡± he retorted with concern as he was jolted from his daze.

    ¡°Quick, go. I¡¯ll take care of things on this end. The Ocean Heart is in my hands. He can¡¯t do anything to me for the time being,¡± Hansen roared anxiously.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    Jenna had already understood everything at present. She only saw ck spots in front of her, and her heart felt like it was going to stop beating.

    Hearing Hansen¡¯s painful cry awakened her from her stupor. At that moment, she said firmly, ¡°Hansen, go back to the mansion. There are hundreds of lives there. We can¡¯t be sloppy with the Richards family¡¯s legacy that has been passed down. They need you more. Leave this to me. Don¡¯t worry, Sergio won¡¯t do anything to us.¡±

    A sorrowful smile appeared on Hansen¡¯s face. He lowered his head and said in a gentle voice, ¡°Jenna, I promise you that even if I were to risk my life to save our mother, I won¡¯t let them hurt her. Don¡¯t worry, Christopher and General Delia are in the mansion. They will know how to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°Christopher and General Delia didn¡¯t bring their men there, and they don¡¯t have any weapons. They have no way to deal with this. This is no ordinary matter.¡± Jenna was so anxious that she begged him. ¡°Hansen, go back. There are too many people there. Go and settle it. You also have to treat the gun wound on your arm.Otherwise, it will get infected.¡±

    Hansen naturally understood Jenna¡¯s thoughts. He smiled fearlessly. ¡°Jenna, remember, you are everything to me. No one¡¯s life canpare to yours. This time, I choose to stay by your side. Treat it as me being selfish.¡±

    He held her tightly and spoke firmly. He didn¡¯t allow her to deny it.

    Jenna was greatly moved by his words. This was the most beautiful speech she had ever heard in her life. It made her want to break down on the spot. It made her really feel blessed. Although the current situation was difficult and dangerous, she truly was loved by this man.

    However, she could not be selfish. Richards Manor was their everything, with hundreds of lives. Would she be so selfish and keep Hansen here?

    The rims of her eyes were bloodshot, and she felt unbearable pain in her heart.

 Chapter 686 An Opportunity

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already sent Jordan, Alvin, and the rest back. General Delia is still in the mansion. Nothing will happen. Trust me.¡± As he said this, Hansen turned and saw Alvin standing in a daze. He could not help but to shout angrily, ¡°Alvin, why are you still here? This is no time to hesitate. How can you be so sissy?¡±

    Alvin looked at the fierce-looking men in ck beside Sergio and his heart ached. However, it was fortunate that they had control over some of the criminals. It was better than nothing.

    ¡°Take care, Mr. Richards,¡± Alvin said, gritting his teeth.

    The situation was urgent then. He had no way of disobeying Hansen¡¯s orders. He could only retreat and meet up with Jordan. He exined the situation at the mansion to Jordan. Jordan¡¯s face turned pale with fright. He didn¡¯t hesitate, led his men, and retreated. However, before he left, he left Paul and a few policemen there.

    After they left, Hansen rxedpletely.

    It was as if the heavy stone on his shoulders had been lifted. He took a deep breath.

    However, Jenna became anxious. She was relieved that Hansen stayed. Yet, she was also more concerned about the people in the mansion. No matter how she begged, Hansen was determined to stay. In addition, she secretly prayed that God would protect the mansion and everyone in it.

    Looking at Alvin¡¯s and Jordan¡¯s distant backs, the smile on the corner of Sergio¡¯s mouth became more evident.

    ¡°Hansen, I advise you not to y any tricks. We¡¯re leaving this ce tonight. You can¡¯t stop us. I advise you to give up and cooperate with me.¡± He smiled sinisterly. ¡°If you agree to my request, then perhaps I will consider letting you and the people in your mansion live. Think before you act. Otherwise, today will be the day when your family¡¯s blood stters over the mansion.¡±

    With these developments, Hansen was surprisingly rxed. He said with sarcasmced in his tone, ¡°Sergio, do you really think that you can destroy Richards Manor so easily? Don¡¯t forget that our mansion has been through 100 years of trials and tribtions. Yet, it is still in good condition. Can you destroy it? I¡¯m just worried that you can¡¯t escape from thew.¡±

    In fact, Christopher and General Delia were in Richards Manor. Hansen still had some confidence in them. After all, these two, one was the leader of the army and the other was the head of the Department of Public Security. What was more, it was their responsibility to protect the mansion. Therefore, he believed that Richards Manor would escape this tragic disaster.

    All of a sudden, he seemed to understand what came after Vivian¡¯s death. She was using her death to save the Richards family. If not for her death, then how could Christopher and General Delia havee to the mansion? Thinking of this, his respect for his grandmother deepened.

    ¡°Haha.¡± At that time, Sergio guffawed. ¡°Hansen, you are overestimating yourself. As long as my father gives an order, your mansion will immediately be razed to the ground. If the police are that useful, then will there be so many crimes in this world? Be realistic. The only thing you should do is to cooperate with me.¡±

    After he finished, he flicked his sleeves and said calmly, ¡°Let me tell you, I¡¯ll count to three now. If you don¡¯t hand over the Ocean Heart, then I¡¯ll kill Sara .¡±

    After saying that, he looked at the man who was standing next to Sara with a pistol on her temple. A smug smile appeared on his face.

    Hansen narrowed his eyes. He calmly put down the pistol in his hand and took out the jewelry box from his person with a yful smile.

    ¡°Sergio, you don¡¯t have to count. Look, I have the Ocean Heart.¡±

    He smiled faintly as he held the jewelry box. He turned it in front of him while examining it and said in a calm voice, ¡°Sergio, if you dare to hurt my mother, then I will shoot you and break the ne immediately, or maybe donate it to the national museum. Then, you can screw yourself.¡±

    Hansen raised his eyebrows. When he said this, his eyes were bright and clear. He held his ground. Panic shed in Sergio¡¯s eyes. If Hansen refused to cooperate, then they would lose. No one would benefit from it.

    Hansen picked up his gun again. He aimed the gun at the Ocean Heart and tightened his hands on the trigger.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t forget that there are still hundreds of lives in your mansion waiting for you to save them. Even if you don¡¯t care about your own life, they are your loved ones. Won¡¯t you feel pity if that mansion explodes?¡± Sergio panicked and threatened him. He did not believe that Hansen didn¡¯t care about the lives of hundreds of people. If it was about money, then maybe he wouldn¡¯t care. However, after all, those people were his family.

    As expected, Hansen¡¯s face turned pale instantly. mes of fury burned in his eyes.

    Sergio saw his reaction and gave him a sinister smile.

    ¡°Hansen, this is not another piece of fake jewelry, is it?¡± he questioned, and his head tilted to one side.¡°This time, if you dare to fool me again, then I will make sure you never see your family again.¡±

    When he thought of how Jenna had used a fake one to fool him, his eyes were filled with anger. Otherwise, perhaps his father would not threaten to destroy Richards Manor. This was their fault. What he did not expect was that Yadriel had long nned for this to happen. Whoever was in the way of his future, he would deal with them till the very end. Hence, he would not let the Richards family go that easily.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    At that time, the sun was shining brightly above their heads. Sara was panting heavily due to her being detained for a whole night the night before. She was obviously sick. After seeing such a dangerous scene, her face turned pale as she gasped for air.

    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t scare me.¡± Jenna saw Sara¡¯s situation. Their rtionship was very strong since she was a child, and she cried out loud.

    ¡°Jenna, hurry up. Leave here with Hansen. Don¡¯t worry about me anymore. My life doesn¡¯t matter. As long as you are happy, that¡¯s all I could ever wish for.¡± Panting, she shouted at Jenna with all her might. Her eyes were full of attachment and worry for her daughter. Then, she slowly lowered her head and fell into aa.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes were blurred by tears. She wanted to rush up to hug her mother but was held back by Hansen. She could only scream in pain.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be agitated. I¡¯ll rescue Mom right away. Just look at me and be alert.¡± Hansen lowered his head and whispered in her ear, ¡°When you hear gunshotster, my men will surround and attack them. When the timees, take the chance to wheel Mom outside and into the police car. Then, don¡¯te out again.¡±

    He stroked her face and whispered something in her ear.

    They were extremely affectionate with each other. From an outsider¡¯s perspective, theypletely ignored the current situation. Even at that time, they ignored the risks in front of them. They were busy showing their affection publicly.

    Sergio¡¯s gaze was as cold as frost. In his opinion, Hansen was totally showing off his power. He was the winner. He won Jenna¡¯s heart while Sergio would always be the loser.

    His face was terribly gloomy, and his eyes were murderous.

    Jenna listened to Hansen¡¯s words and stopped crying. At that time, she felt extremely helpless. She could only lean closely against Hansen. Her mother¡¯s life was threatened. If it weren¡¯t for Hansen, then she would have had a mental breakdown already.

    At that moment, Hansen was the only person she could rely on. She leaned closer against him, finding the courage and calmness she had.

    He was d that he hadn¡¯t listened to her and left her behind.

    ¡°Sergio, aren¡¯t you worried that the jewelry is fake? Well, I¡¯ll show it to you now.¡± Hansen smiled and threw the gun in his hand to the ground, ready to reach out, and open the box.

    That time, everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on him. Paul tightened his grip on the spear in his hand, with his eagle-like gaze sweeping left and right as he stood beside Hansen.

    With a smile on his face, Hansen slowly unlocked the jewellery box.

    A gleam of dazzling blue light shone from the box. Hansen picked up one end of the ne and slowly pulled it out under the sun. The blue light became brighter and brighter, and suddenly, rays of light shot out in all directions. Everyone looked carefully at the blue-tinted diamond which was emitting a dazzling light. It shone everyone¡¯s eyes.

    The air was silent.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were wide open as they stared at the treasure.

    A muffled shot rang out.

    Hansen took the opportunity to pull the trigger. The bullet flew out and was shot directly at Sergio¡¯s chest.

    As expected of a soldier, Sergio¡¯s skills were impressive. As he caught sight of the Ocean Heart, he also saw Hansen¡¯s ring. He quickly reacted, but darkness struck his vision.

    With him being in the army for years, he saw the bullet and instinctively leapt to one side. Even so, he was shot in his right arm and then his waist.

    ¡°Shoot.¡± After Hansen pulled the trigger, Paul reacted and shouted at the remaining policemen.

    Gunshots were fired in all directions.

    Paul shot down the man in ck who was standing beside Sara with one strike.

    At that moment, the few guards outside all felt a striking pain in their eyes at the same time. Everything went pitch-ck. They didn¡¯t even have the time to fire their guns before they were swiftly hit by Hansen¡¯s men. They were all shot and fell to the ground.

    They were shocked when everything in their vision went dark for no reason. They had been shot and copsed to the ground before they could see the jewelry.

    Hansen saw the sunlight and thought of the reflection of light. He deliberately took out the Ocean Heart and aimed it at the sunlight directly. Such a legendary treasure would definitely attract everyone¡¯s eyes. When the Ocean Heart faced the sun, the diamond absorbed the bright light and reflected it. The strong light nketed everyone¡¯s sight for a short time. Sergio was directly facing the sun. They were all fooled, including Sergio himself.

    Taking advantage of this opportunity, Hansen took the lead and fired.

    He spared no effort to take care of the enemies outside.

 Chapter 687 A Taste Of Your Own Medicine

    ¡°Search inside. Search the whole hiding spot.¡± Hansen saw that the matter had already been resolved. He told Paul and the police that if they did not catch all of them, they would only harm more people.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Several men in ck outside were lying in a pool of blood. Even Sergio was on the ground with his hands on his waist. A policeman was standing beside him as he bled. He clenched his teeth.

    Jenna remembered Hansen¡¯s words and ran up quickly.

    She needed to bring Sara to the police car in time.

    Sara was unconscious.

    Jenna was distressed. She took out the medicine and water that she had prepared and fed them into Sara¡¯s mouth. At that time, the sun was shining bright, and their bodies were covered with sweat. She didn¡¯t dare to stay any longer under the sun and hurriedly wheeled Sara away from the scene.

    At that time, there was a gun pointing out of a narrow hole upstairs which was aimed at Jenna.

    ¡°No!¡± As Jenna pushed the wheelchair away, Sergio sensed Jenna. He was lying on the ground when he saw that the gun was pointed towards Jenna. His heart tightened and he immediately shouted.

    The gun upstairs fired.

    Sergio couldn¡¯t help but to stand up and scream Jenna¡¯s name. He pounced on Jenna in reflex and pushed Sara¡¯s wheelchair away with all his strength. He shielded Jenna with his body.

    The bullet from upstairs was urately shot into his heart from behind, and blood sshed all over Jenna.

    He let out a muffled groan. His body stiffened, and he then slowly fell onto the ground.

    ¡°Sergio.¡± Yadriel, who was hiding in the attic, was shocked to see that his son had blocked Jenna from his bullet. He gaped and watched with a pale face. After a long time, he could not help but to shriek, ¡°Son, are you stupid? Why did you fall in love with a woman who doesn¡¯t love you at all? You¡¯re even willing to sacrifice yourself for her.¡±

    He punched on the wall and screamed. Tears streamed down his face as he slowly copsed on the ground.

    It was not until Sergio¡¯s body slumped to the ground that Jenna realized what had happened.

    ¡°Sergio, Sergio!¡± Seeing Sergio lying on the ground, His two zed eyes were looking at her. Yet, he had a charming smile on his face.

    That smile was the same as when she met him in Wullen Town that year. It was warm and charming. Her eyes were filled with love and reluctance to part with him. Her heart started to flutter.

    That day, he was the one who helped her avoid the bullet, to protect her from death.

    How did things turn out this way?

    She knelt down and shouted at him. The pain in her eyes could not be concealed.

    When he heard the gunshot from outside, Hansen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He called out Jenna¡¯s name. His face was pale as he ran outside.

    ¡°Jenna, are you hurt?¡± Sergio saw the pain in Jenna¡¯s eyes. However, there was only regret and sadness, but no love. He understood it in his heart. The corners of his lips curled up into a bitter smile as he asked with great strain.

    Jenna shook her head, and tears rained down. She said while sobbing, ¡°Sergio, why?¡±

    ¡°Jenna, I had let you down and hurt you. I owe you. Please forgive me for what I have done.¡± Sergio stretched out his trembling hand to Jenna and said with difficulty, ¡°If there is a next life, I promise not to repeat my mistake.¡±

    ¡°Sergio.¡± Jenna bit her red lips and reached out to hold his hand. She cried, ¡°Sergio, why didn¡¯t you listen to me earlier and insist on doing this?¡±

    A faint smile appeared on Sergio¡¯s face as he looked at Hansen, who was rushing over to them. He used hisst ounce of strength and said, ¡°Hansen, take good care of Jenna. I loved her very much.¡±

    He struggled to finish this sentence. He looked at Jenna with turbid eyes the whole time. Slowly, his eyes began to lose focus, but there was a charming and peaceful smile on his face. Until thest moment, he saw the sad andplicated expression on Jenna¡¯s face. He finally repaid her and could leave in peace.

    He neither thought of living abroad, nor did he want to be exiled. He was relieved to be able to save the only woman he loved in his life from his father. At least, he had reduced the harm he had done to her. When Yadriel aimed the gun at Jenna, he did not think much about it. He simply rushed forward and protected her, because she was the woman he loved. It waspletely out of instinct and he had no ulterior motive. Now that he was dying, he finally understood what true love meant.

    Sergio gradually closed his eyes and soon he stopped breathing.

    Jenna covered her mouth with her hand and cried.

    No matter how detestable Sergio was, it was undeniable that he had feelings for her. He had saved her twice. Yet, he did not want anything in return.

    However, in this life, she loved Hansen, and it was impossible for her to fall in love with any other man. Fate split them apart from the start.

    ¡°Jenna, get up and leave. Hurry.¡± Hansen¡¯s mind was clear after seeing Sergio¡¯s death. He realized that there might be threats nearby. They had to leave as soon as possible.

    He held her up by the waist. Paul went over, pushed Sara¡¯s wheelchair, and together they went into the police car.

    ¡°Paul, stay here and protect them. I¡¯ll go and take a look,¡± Hansen instructed.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I suspect that Yadriel is here. The gunshot just now was probably fired by Yadriel.¡± Paul analyzed.

    He had his reasons for giving this analysis. Sergio¡¯s men were basically caught or killed by them, but this shot obviously came from above, which they had not discovered. Such a ce was generally used to hide the master, and it would also be the safest ce.

    Hansen had also thought of this possibility. There was a fierce glint in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s best if he¡¯s here. Then, I can get rid of this crisis.¡±

    Paul nodded. ¡°Mr. Richards, you should stay here to protect Mrs. Richards and Madam. I¡¯ll look for them.¡±

    He was not at ease if Hansen went up. After all, he was injured.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯ll go up. Stay here and protect them.¡± After saying this, Hansen turned around and strode off.

    Paul shut the door, stood aside, and waited for a while. When he saw a policeman escorting out a man dressed in ck, he thought for a moment and called the policeman over. He asked him to stand guard by the car with a gun before walking upstairs.

    It had been two nights since Hansen slept. At that time, he was not alert as usual, not to mention that he was injured. Moreover, it was very dangerous here. He was Vivian¡¯s beloved grandson, the head of Richards Manor, and the president of the Richards Group. If anything happened, then the consequences would be unimaginable.

    Paul understood the pros and cons of this matter better than anyone else. He was entrusted by Vivian to protect Hansen and Jenna. He could not allow anything to happen to Hansen. Therefore, after he instructed the police, he immediately walked into the vi inrge strides.

    He predicted that the murderer had stayed hidden as his location was exposed after the blow. It was safe outside, which meant that he was inside. Therefore, he was worried.

    Jenna sat in the police car, feeling dizzy. When Sergio looked at her before she died, she was immersed in fear. Her head was numb, and she could not think about anything.

    She just sat there in a daze. Her face was pale and she was listless.

    She did not love Sergio, but she was not a person with a heart of steel. She was notpletely unaware of how he had saved her. It was just that he had drifted further and further away, and there was nothing she could have done about it.

    In the morning, a private jetnded slowly from the other side of the ocean at the airport.

    When the cabin door opened, two young men in dark suits stood on the side, with their chins high and chest out.

    ¡°Madam, please.¡± Quina supported Madam Lilian and stood up cautiously. Soon, they left the luxurious cabin.

    Yezon and a few non-official local management leaders were standing in front of the cabin and weing Madam Lilian.

    ¡°Madam, wee to A City.¡± Yezon hurried forward with a polite smile.

    This was an unofficial visit by Madam Lilian to A City. It was carefully arranged by her. She came to mourn Vivian¡¯s death.

    Therefore, she refused the reception of A City¡¯s government officials and did not intend to disturb the official personnel.

    However, the mayor, Sadiva, paid great attention to Madam Lilian¡¯s visit. Although he could not show up to wee her, he asked the administrative department to invite Yezon, who had retired abroad, to apany him to the airport in person.

    It was reasonable to have done so. Madam Lilian understood. So, she didn¡¯t say anything.

    The significance of her whereabouts at present was extraordinary. She was mainly here to mourn Vivian. However, since Vivian was popr in A City, the family hall of Richards Manor was in the public eye right then. It was impossible for her to go in without people noticing during such a trip. Moreover, her appearance was also a form of respect for Vivian.

    However, after all, this was a private visit. She did not want any official to interfere. Therefore, her secretary had rejected the mayor, Sadiva¡¯s invitation and repeatedly emphasized this point.

    ¡°Mr. Hawk, thank you,¡± Madam Lilian answered with a smile.

    ¡°You look beautiful as always. Now that you have returned to your hometown, you look extraordinarily well.¡± Yezon stepped forward, hugged Madam Lilian, andplimented her. He served in Europe all his life and had never held a formal meeting at home. Moreover, this was a private visit. So, he, who was good at grasping the atmosphere, made the meeting more rxed and cheerful.

    ¡°And youare wise at picking your words, Mr. Hawk.¡± Madam Lilian smiled, seemingly easy-going.

    ¡°Definitely.¡± Yezon used a word that was popr at the moment, which made everyone burst intoughter, and the group of people walked outside.

    A few luxury cars had already been waiting at the side.

    Everyone apanied Madam Lilian to get in the car and held a grand wee ceremony. After having lunch, Madam Lilian went back to the hotel with the excuse that she didn¡¯t feel veryfortable.

 Chapter 688 The Tale Of The Ocean Heart

    ¡°Madam, the funeral at Richards Manor has been postponed until tomorrow. The funeral has also been postponed for a day.¡± Madam Lilian had a gut feeling that something was wrong and her mind was already in a state of chaos. She had long since lost interest in public matters. Therefore, when she returned to the hotel, she sent Quina out to investigate the situation. However, she only rested for a while before Quina walked in.

    Madam Lilian straightened and adjusted her sses. Confused, she asked, ¡°Why did they change the time?¡±

    This was Vivian¡¯s funeral. They had already announced the time to the public. It was very strange to change the date this suddenly, and it looked like they did not respect the deceased.

    ¡°Madam, it was changed, and it was announced to the public by Hansen, the head of Richards Manor. The specific reason has not been stated.¡± Quina agreed with a puzzled look on her face.

    Madam Lilian closed her eyes. The light in her eyes flickered.

    Vivian had always been a highly respected elder, and Hansen was her beloved grandson. There was no reason for him to change the date of the memorial service for no reason. That was disrespectful to the deceased. There was only one reason for this, that something was wrong!

    When she was deep in her thoughts, the doorbell rang.

    Quina opened the door.

    A tall andthin man came in.

    ¡°Madam, Richards Manor is a mess these days. There have been a lot of idents. Hansen has begun to reorganize the mess ever since he returned from the war-torn country. I suspect that the memorial service is postponed because of this. We found out that Vivian¡¯s personal staff, Meroy, had been murdered. It seems that Richards Manor has indeed encountered some trouble.¡± The man entered the mansion and exined the events that he had heard in detail.

    Madam Lilian was silent as she listened, her expression was exceptionally serious.

    Meroy, the good-natured doctor,had been murdered. This was unbelievable.

    ¡°How could a murder case happen in such a rich and powerful family like Richards Manor? How could the security measures be so poor?¡± she asked in great surprise, with a little unbelievable expression on her face.

    ¡°Madam, that¡¯s true. It¡¯s because during this period of time, the master of the Richards family, Hansen, had gone to the war-torn country, and some bad guys slipped into the Richards family,¡± the man said. He wanted to speak. So, after hesitating for a while, he said, ¡°Madam, today I investigated a rumor. It has something to do with Richards Manor. It sounds logical and reasonable. I think it¡¯s very likely that these disasters of the Richards family were caused by these rumors.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Madam Lilian was very surprised. So, she asked, ¡°What rumor? Tell me.¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing.¡± The man gulped and exined, ¡°There¡¯s a rumor saying that there¡¯s a treasure called the Ocean Heart in Richards Manor. The diamonds on this piece of jewelry are extremely rare, and are the only few in the world. It¡¯s dark blue in appearance. Its value attracts the envy of all passersby. Now that Vivian is dead, it¡¯s said that she had handed this treasure to Jenna, Hansen¡¯s wife. Since then, strange things have happened in the mansion. I¡¯m afraid it has something to do with this.¡±

    The man had just finished speaking when the expression on Madam Lilian¡¯s face changed.

    ¡°The Ocean Heart.¡± Her eyes were a little dull. After muttering under her breath, she waved the man away.

    Madam Lilian closed her eyes.

    ¡°Madam, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Quina was surprised to see that Madam Lilian was in a bad mood, and could not help asking with concern.

    Madam Lilian suddenly opened her eyes and there was a sharp gleam in them.

    ¡°Quina,something¡¯s wrong. My granddaughter is in danger. Hurry, send someone to bring Jenna over,¡± she said urgently.

    Quina was stunned. Realizing the severity of the matter, she immediately nodded.

    ¡°Wait. It¡¯s better for you to pick up Jenna in person.¡± Just after Quina took a few steps, Madam Lilian ordered from behind. Quina¡¯s eyes widened. To prevent Madam Lilian from worrying, she agreed.

    It was not until Quina had left that Madam Lilian breathed a sigh of relief.

    However, at that time, she began to pace back and forth restlessly in the room.

    Memories of the past slowly resurfaced in her mind.

    The Ocean Hearttruly existed. It was no rumor. She was well aware of this.

    In the museum in France that year, she had seen the extremely rare, beautiful, blue diamond in person. At that time, she had also been captivated by its beauty.

    That auction had gathered all the rich businessmen and jewelry experts in the world. All these people came for the sake of taking a look at this rare diamond. It was big, with a weight of forty or fifty carats. It could be said that there were only a few of them left in the world.

    That day, many well-known people came, which gave this diamond a mysterious aura.

    Old Master Richards had been one of them.

    Madam Lilian was standing on a podium in the museum when she saw Old Master Richards. Being rather observant, she realized theplexity of the current situation. The owner of the museum was one of her friends. At that time, the coup in Europe was a little chaotic. He was afraid that it would interfere with the Ocean Heart¡¯s auction.So, he had specially invited Madam Lilian.

    Having been invited, she brought some people to the scene to maintain order.

    However, when she brought guests here, France¡¯s temporary government suddenly gave the order that the treasure could not be auctioned without giving any reason.

    Therefore, the scene that day was very chaotic. Many people hade to see the Ocean Heart. However, if news leaked out, then the scene would probably be out of control.

    After seeing Old Master Richards in the crowd, Madam Lilian had other ns.

    This diamond had been found by Old Master Richards when he went on a business trip in a small country in the southwest region at a young age. At that time, the Richards family was in a difficult period. It was also the time when Old Master Richards first started his business. He had no choice but to sell this diamond in France in order to make the payment.

    In fact, Old Master Richards regretted selling this diamond when the treasure appeared in front of everyone¡¯s eyes. This was something that everyone wanted.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    At that time, he made up his mind to redeem the treasure regardless of the cost. He waited tillthat year¡¯sProvinten auction. The Richards family¡¯s business had also reached a new level after all his hard work. More importantly, Trevor and his wife had already expanded the Richards Group. Hence, that year, he brought a huge sum of money to France.

    Later, he learnt that the government banned the auction of this treasure as soon as they knew its worth. At that time, he was extremely disappointed.

    However, there was always a way out. At this time, Madam Lilian actually bought it from the government agency through political means and gave it to Old Master Richards.

    Old Master Richards was both surprised and happy at the time. Back then, Lilian did note to see him in person. Her identity was special, and she did not want to see him either. She was afraid that he would be implicated.

    At that time, she did it out of selfishness.

    When she left A City many years ago, she once entrusted her daughter to Vivian. She hoped that she could help take care of her daughter. Hence, she secretly returned the jewelry that belonged to Old Master Richards to him. She also hoped that Vivian would take care of her daughter for her sake.

    What was more, even if Old Master Richards found this jewellery, it belonged to the country. It was not out of the ordinary to give it to him. It could be considered as having done a good deed for the country.

    Due to all those reasons, she did that at that time.

    At that time, when Old Master Richards returned home, he gave the jewelry to Vivian and told her about it.

    However, he didn¡¯t know about the rtionship between Madam Lilian and Vivian. He didn¡¯t even know that Madam Lilian was Johan¡¯s daughter-inw.

    After Old Master Richards retrieved the jewelry, he then passed away after a few years.

    Vivian quietly kept the jewelry and did not mention it to anyone else.

    Later, when Madam Lilian had been injured, she called Vivian to ask about her daughter¡¯s whereabouts. Vivian just said that she had no clue and sent her away. At that time, Madam Lilian¡¯s heart sank into the deepest waters of the ocean. She stopped thinking about Richards Manor, andpletely forgot about the jewelry.

    Madam Lilian was pacing around in the room. Her steps were anxious, and there was unease in her heart, which was evident by her furrowed eyebrows.

    After auctioning the Ocean Heart and giving it to Old Master Richards, she had heard rumors about it. Such beautiful jewelry was always associated with beauty and evil. In the past few decades, it had been stained with peculiar and tragic experiences.

    It had always brought the new owner bad luck.

    Madam Lilian once heard that when Old Master Richards sold this treasure to a rich businessman in France, he was insanely happy. Later, he spent a huge amount of money to craft it into the Ocean Heart. In less than a year, he died of a strange disease.

    Then, the treasure was resold. That time, it was a high-ranking official in France who gave it as a present to his wife. However, his wife only wore it once and died. Then, their son was beaten to death by political opponents.

    After that, the treasure had been sold several times and bought by a banker. Coincidentally, the banker soon married a French actress. In just a few years, the actress went bankrupt. She then sold the treasure because she was poor.

    As a result, from the Europeans¡¯ view, this treasure was cursed.

    Over the years, Madam Lilian was busy in politics everyday and never paid too much attention to this treasure. These legends were only heard some timeter. At that time, after hearing these rumors, she regretted buying the treasure for Old Master Richards.

    When the Old Master Richards died, she did not know about it. Later on, because of Vivian¡¯s ¡®heartlessness¡¯, she gradually forgot about it.

    If not for the fact that her subordinates had inquired about this news that day, Madam Lilian would never have thought of these past events.

    That time, Madam Lilian, who usually wasn¡¯t superstitious, was in a state of panic. Meroy¡¯s death in particr made Madam Lilian¡¯s heart jump.

    She had never felt this way.

    She paced back and forth anxiously in the room. She was so restless despite being an experienced politician. Unease enveloped her, which nearly drove her crazy.

 Chapter 689 Madam Lilianâ€™s Anger

    The atmosphere in the guest room was filled with all kinds of unease.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    As Madam Lilian walked around the room, she felt tired. As soon as she sat down on the couch, she saw Quina rushing back anxiously.

    ¡°Madam, no one has seen Jenna and Hansen in the mansionthe whole day,¡± Quina said in a hurry.

    In a daze, Madam Lilian¡¯s face turned pale, as if some part of her body was missing. She felt a heart-wrenching pain and panicked.

    ¡°Speak slowly, dear.¡± She calmed herself down, and a sharp light shed in her eyes, which had only sharpened over time.

    ¡°Madam, I went to the mansion. It¡¯s heavily guarded inside, but no one saw Jenna go out. Later, Trevor told me that Hansen and Jenna had hurried out today. They said that they went to the Francist Community. But why did they go there? Neither of them exined it to the family. It¡¯s said that they had gone there to pick up Sara. However, they were nowhere to be seen. When they called them, they just said that they were busy. They were not seenter for the whole night. The Richards family is also waiting for Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s return for Vivian¡¯s funeral to proceed,¡± Quina exined.

    When it came to Sara, Madam Lilian¡¯s eyebrows furrowed together tightly, and the anxiety in her eyes became obvious.

    ¡°What happened after that?¡± She continued to ask.

    Rarely did Quina see Madam Lilian so anxious. She understood and replied, ¡°Later, I rushed to the Francist Community, but I received some shocking news.¡±

    ¡°What? Tell me.¡± Madam Lilian¡¯s entire body tensed up as she urged.

    ¡°Madam, Sara had disappeared since yesterday morning,¡± Quina said anxiously. After she finished, she looked at Madam Lilian with worry. She was afraid that Madam Lilian could not stand this.

    ¡°I¡¯m toote.¡± Madam Lilian¡¯s face instantly turned pale. She seemed to have aged ten years in a few seconds. She muttered with bitter hatred in her heart.

    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t worry.¡± Quina bent down and patted Madam Lilian¡¯s back as sheforted.

    After a brief period of grief, Madam Lilian finally calmed down.

    ¡°What about now? Have they found Jenna and Hansen?¡± Madam Lilian asked in a deep voice.

    Quina¡¯s face was gloomy. She shook her head and said, ¡°When we went to Sara¡¯s room, only Bailey was there. She told me Hansen and Jenna were in a hurry to find out Sara¡¯s whereabouts when they found out that she was missing. After leavingst night, they haven¡¯te back. Bailey is also worried. She even cried.¡±

    Madam Lilian paused and took a step back.

    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t worry too much. Mr. Hansen is not an ordinary person. He will save Sara.¡± Quina immediatelyforted her. She could not bear to see Lilian so sad.

    ¡°It¡¯s really not over yet.¡± Madam Lilian calmed herself down and suddenly smiled coldly.

    Quina looked at her in confusion.

    ¡°Did Trevor tell you about the Ocean Heart?¡± she asked calmly.

    Quina was unsure about the Ocean Heart. She had never even heard of it before. She immediately shook her head and said, ¡°Madam, ording to my observation, he does not seem to know that the Richards family has such a treasure. This is really strange. Trevor is the eldest son in the family. How couldn¡¯t he know? Perhaps this treasure is really just a myth.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Madam Lilian understood. She couldn¡¯t help but to give praise. ¡°Vivian is so wise. It¡¯s no wonder this treasure was able to stay safe in Richards Manor for so many years. That¡¯s the only reason.¡±

    Hearing this, Quina became more and more curious. She looked back with a full face of doubt.

    Madam Lilian sighed at Vivian¡¯s wisdom in her heart. The rumors said that the treasure did not belong to anyone for more than three years. However, she stayed with Vivian for twenty years. It was not until she passed away that it set off a great storm. The treasure was not as evil as others said. It just depended on the owner¡¯s wisdom.

    Those who wanted this treasure would use it to show off. What could such a treasure bring to them if not disaster?

    However, Vivian had apletely different approach. She was cautious and secretive. Even her own son and grandson did not know of the existence of such a treasure in the mansion. ording to her estimate, all these years in the mansion, only Meroy, who was by her side, knew.

    One would never feel fulfilled with wealth. Now that news of the treasure had leaked out, it had brought disaster to the Richards Family. Not only would this misfortunend on Meroy, but so many other people as well.

    Would her granddaughter, Jenna, be able to take on such a heavy responsibility?

    ¡°Quina, how many people did we bring?¡± she asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°Madam, although we did not bring many people, they have all been active in A City recently and are familiar with the situation here,¡± Quina immediately replied.

    ¡°Very well. Order them to search the city for Jenna and Hansen.¡± Madam Lilian issued thismand solemnly.

    Quina also had a feeling that things were not going well. She agreed and left immediately.

    As soon as she went out, the doorbell rang again.

    ¡°Pleasee in,¡± Madam Lilian said in a husky voice.

    The door opened, and the man who had just gone out in the morning came in again. That time, his face was full of anxiety.

    ¡°Madam, something bad has happened.¡± That time, his face was full of anxiety.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Speak,¡± Madam Lilian asked calmly.

    ¡°Madam, Richards Manor is in trouble.¡± The man blurted out, ¡°When I led my men to the mansion just now, I discovered that there were a considerable number of terrorists from the war-torn country around the mansion. Then, a lot of police headed for the mansion. I heard that these terrorists took advantage of the fact that Hansen was not at the mansionst night and buried a lot of explosives there. Now, as soon as Yadriel gives out an order, the bomb will explode at any time. The Richards family is in danger.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Madam Lilian flew into a rage and stood up.¡°This is outrageous! What a nuisance! I didn¡¯t expect such lowly people to take on such a high post in Capital City. He even wanted topete for state attorney. He is absurd.¡±

    ¡°Madam, there are a lot of police there now. To eliminate these terrorists, we need to find out where the bombs are nted. We need a bomb disposal expert, but we need to be quick.¡± The man sounded helpless.

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t Hansen returned yet?¡± Madam Lilian asked in a low voice as she walked to the counter.

    ¡°Not yet. He must have gone to save Sara,¡± the man answered.

    ¡°Ah, they¡¯ve fallen into Yadriel¡¯s trap. We mustn¡¯t be sloppy in this matter,¡± Madam Lilian said with a sigh. She picked up the phone on the cab and dialed a few numbers.

    ¡°General Ritchie? Please send ten bomb disposal experts to Richards Manor in A City right now. Get there as soon as possible. A group of terrorists from the war-torn country have snuck into the city and buried bombs around Richards Manor,¡± Madam Lilian said eloquently.

    It didn¡¯t take long for them to agree.

    After hanging up the phone, Madam Lilian¡¯s expression did not rx. She was even more worried about Sara then. Yadriel¡¯s purpose of kidnapping Sara was definitely to get the Ocean Heart. She couldn¡¯t imagine how Yadriel would treat Sara.

    ¡°Can you find Hansen¡¯s and the others¡¯ whereabouts immediately?¡± Madam Lilian asked with a sullen face. Right then, time was precious, and every second of it was crucial.

    ¡°Madam, we have already searched the whole city.They must have gone to Sunshine Mountain. Now our men are rushing over there.¡± The man blinked as he said clearly.

    ¡°Alright, you should hurry over as well. Let me know immediately if there¡¯s any news,¡± Madam Lilian ordered. The man turned and walked out.

    The sky above Richards Manor was shrouded with a terrifying shadow. Panic and unease pervaded the air. One could smell the stench of blood that was about to drift in the air.

    That day was the most terrifying incident that had ever happened since Richards Manor was built. At that moment, there were terrorists and bombs nted there, which she had only seen on TV in the past. Furthermore, it was closely rted to the lives of the family. This caused the people in the manor to descend into extreme panic.

    However, in a sh,the news about the Ocean Heart had been spread among the people in the mansion. At that time, everyone realized that Vivian had hidden such a rare treasure up till her death and secretly gave it to Jenna. They were envious of Vivian¡¯s preference for Jenna. Facing such a dangerous situation, when the head of the Richards family, Hansen, was not around, everyone looked upon Trevor for leadership.

    In the study in Ink Garden, Trevor, ude, and Norton had gathered together and were discussing countermeasures.

    Maud hurriedly walked into the room.

    ¡°Sir, there¡¯s a man who asked me to hand this letter to you.¡± As soon as Maud entered the room, he handed the letter to Trevor with both hands.

    Trevor¡¯s eyes darkened. He reached out to take the letter and opened it. He put on his sses and read the letter carefully. His face turned pale with the letter in hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Trevor?¡± ude saw the unusual expression on Trevor¡¯s face and could not help but to ask anxiously.

    Trevor slowly loosened his grip, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

    ¡°ude, it seems that our family is doomed today.¡±

    ude¡¯s face also went pale. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Trevor handed the letter to ude, and his face was as pale as death.

 Chapter 690 Everyone Is Jittery

    ude took it over to have a look and saw that it read, ¡°Trevor, my son died to protect Jenna. I killed my son, my only family. I will not let your family live on peacefully. Today, let¡¯s settle it once and for all. I will raze your mansion to the ground. Mark my words.Yadriel.¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    ude understood Trevor¡¯s concern when he saw this. He closed his eyes and felt chills running down his spine.

    Norton was stunned by their expressions. He hurriedly took the letter from ude¡¯s hand and read it. His face instantly turned pale.

    ¡°Quickly evacuate all the family, guests, and servants in Richards Manor. We have to try our best to minimize the casualties. Yadriel has gone crazy.¡± Trevor¡¯s gaze was stern as he decided.

    That day was the day when their rtives and friends hade to mourn Vivian. Their guests came early in the morning, and more wereing. Initially, everything was in order. However, only when Alvin and John brought their men back in a hurry did they know that Yadriel hadmanded the terrorists from the war-torn country to nt bombs in the mansion.

    This news put the mansion in utter chaos.

    Upon hearing the news, the rtives and friends began to grow restless. The scene was extremely chaotic, but under Sabrina¡¯s reassurance, the funeral went on as usual.

    After all, it was a peaceful time.So, no one took it seriously.

    At that time, the rumor of the Ocean Heart,the rare treasure in the Richards family, continued to spread widely. The fact that the Richards family had hidden it aroused the crowd¡¯s curiosity. Therefore, everyone stayed to watch as events began to unfold.

    However, the letter sent by Yadriel caused Trevor to fall into panic mode.

    He stood in front of the window, holding the letter Yadriel had sent him. He looked at the numerous rtives and friends in the mansion. His eyes were deep and shallow, filled with boundless darkness.

    Richards Manor was at stake. His son¡¯s and daughter-inw¡¯s lives were in danger. Yadriel hadpletely gone mad. He could do anything.

    For a moment, he felt as if the end of the world had arrived. Everything was dark in front of him, and he felt helpless.

    At that moment, after receiving orders from Trevor, Norton immediately took Alvin, John, and the others out to evacuate the crowd.

    After a while, screams of panic were heard.

    ¡°This is not good. We can¡¯t go out. There are terrorists at each gate shooting those who try to escape. Several people have died.¡± All kinds of panicked voices sounded.

    Trevor¡¯s body trembled. He held the letter tightly and his eyelids twitched.

    Overwhelming sobs and shouts could be heard.

    Following this, the situation in Ink Garden became extremely chaotic.

    Some of the guests had nned to leave after hearing that a bomb had been nted in the mansion, but were forced back by the gunfire outside. Some began to cry. Their weeps filled the halls of Richards Manor.

    Trevor¡¯s entire body trembled, and everything before his eyes turned ck.

    At that time, footsteps could be heard, and the gate of the Ink Garden¡¯s office opened. General Delia and Christopher rushed in with big strides.

    ¡°D*mn it!¡± General Delia¡¯s face was pale as he roared furiously, ¡°How dare he! To do something as major as this in broad daylight. It¡¯s disgusting.¡±

    Never in his wildest dreams did General Delia expect something as dangerous as this to happen in Richards Manor.

    Christopher had told him everything about Yadriel. He finally understood why Johan had stopped him from supporting Yadriel at that time.

    ¡°General Delia, Mr. Matthews, I¡¯m sorry for troubling you all,¡± Trevor said, feeling guilty.

    ¡°Trevor, Yadriel is abominable. He allowed these terrorists to cross the border ande to Richards Manor. That man is vicious. He deserves to be punished.¡± Christopher¡¯s face twisted in anger and was flushed red.

    He knew better than anyone else how critical the current situation was. It was more terrible than being on a battlefield. The damage they would suffer was bigger. There were many innocent people here.Yadriel was out of his mind.

    General Delia punched the office table and said angrily, ¡°Yadriel has broken thew and colluded with terrorists. His actions are unforgivable.¡±

    Even as he was talking, he saw Jordan and many policemen running over from outside the window. After he asked the police to stay where they were to maintain order, he immediately strode to the office. Seeing Christopher, he saluted and said, ¡°Mr. Matthews.¡±

    Christopher¡¯s eyebrows furrowed tightly. He nodded and asked, ¡°Mr. Jordan, how is the situation outside? How many policemen have you brought?¡±

    With a solemn face, Jordan replied.

    ¡°Mr. Matthews, the current situation is very, very bad. Yadriel kidnapped Sara to kill two birds with one stone. On one end, he could force Jenna to hand over the Ocean Heart. On the other end, Mr. Richards was lured away from the mansion yesterday to save Sara. He had already sent all his men to Sergio¡¯s hiding spot. The police also sent a lot of people back while putting Liya under custody. This was taken advantage of bysome terrorists, who infiltrated Richards Manor and nted many bombs. Now they are keeping guard outside with advanced weapons. They n to kill everyone in the mansion. It is a very dangerous situation.¡±

    Jordan told him what had happened on Sunshine Mountain. Trevor couldn¡¯t help but to burst into tears as he listened.

    He picked up Yadriel¡¯s letter and handed it over to General Delia. At that moment, he could not guess what happened to Hansen and Jenna after Jordan and the others left. However, Sergio was already dead. That was for sure. Gunfire must have taken ce there.

    His possible death was not worth his attention. However, his son and daughter-inw were still young.

    General Delia took the letter and read it. He knitted his eyebrows tightly and handed the letter to Christopher. After reading it, Christopher¡¯s frown deepened.

    ¡°Looks like it is even more dangerous right now. Sergio is dead, no doubt,and Yadriel is desperate for revenge. There¡¯s no time to waste. We have toe up with a way to deal with this,¡± Christopher said worriedly.

    Only then did Jordan know that after they left, Sergio was killed, making the matter even more urgent.

    General Delia¡¯s gaze was like a burning dark cloud. He muttered, ¡°Calm down, everyone. We should mobilize our troops to deal with the terrorists. I¡¯ll call A City¡¯s army to surround the terrorists and wipe them out in one fell swoop.¡±

    When Christopher heard this, he nodded in agreement, but his face still looked thoughtful. ¡°General Delia, the army can handle the terrorists, but what about thendmines? That¡¯s the most critical thing. At present, we don¡¯t even know where they are buried, how many of them are there, and when they will explode. It¡¯s unpredictable.¡±

    General Delia understood what Christopher meant. He was instantly immersed in deep thoughts as well.

    ¡°I have a n.¡± A clear voice came from behind. Everyone was shocked and turned around, only to see Jaqueline quietly walking over with a calm smile on her face.

    Everyone was shocked. At that time, many people were so scared that they were crying. It was rare for a woman to be so calm. Everyone thought that it made sense then why Johan favored this great-granddaughter of his. She had really beenraised quite well.

    ¡°Jaqueline, any ideas?¡± Christopher looked at her seriously.

    Jaqueline smiled and said very seriously, ¡°There is a famous bomb disposal expert in Capital City. I will call my grandfather and have theme immediately.¡±

    General Delia¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard this. He immediately said, ¡°This is good. This bomb disposal expert was specially trained by Capital City. He has advanced equipment and had sessfully dismantled many bombs in the past.¡±

    At that point, it was the only way. Christopher replied, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s split up.¡±

    Soon, General Delia called the army in A City. They immediately sent a group of well-trained soldiers.

    Christopher immediately ordered, ¡°Mr. Jordan, maintain order in the crowd. Evacuate these civilians at the right time. The rest of you, let¡¯s wait and observe.¡±

    Jordan epted the order and left.

    The field army quickly rushed over and began to shout at the terrorists with a vuvuz.

    After a while, they heard gunshots outside.

    Everyone held their breaths.

    At that time, Jordan had already moved everyone outside to a safe spot. He started to evacuate these people after the gunfight outside ended.

    Christopher was quite familiar with Richards Manor. He had participated in capturing Reid before. So, he quickly led Trevor and the rest to an upper floor, staying alert.

    Helplessly, they all stood here and waited for any news.

    After the field army came, General Delia personally led the battle. The gun battlested for more than two hours before it stopped.

    After a while, themander came in and reported to General Delia, ¡°General, seven terrorists were killed. Ten of them are caught. That must be all of them.¡±

    General Zhang nodded. ¡°Mr. Matthews, I¡¯ll leave these terrorists to you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Christopher nodded and said to Jordan, ¡°Mr. Jordan, take them back to the station. Charles will interrogate them personally. Find out the location of the explosives as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Jordan received the order. He sent part of the police team to evacuate the masses and escorted the terrorists back to the police station for interrogation.

    After taking care of the terrorists, everyone had yet to calm down.

    After all, there were still manyndmines buried in the mansion. No one knew when they would explode, and no one knew what Yadriel would do next. There were still unforeseen dangers.

    Under the guidance of the police, many rtives, friends, and servants of the Richards family began to leave the mansion. After a while, the mansion suddenly became quiet.

    Terribly quiet.

 Chapter 691 I Wonâ€™t Get Married

    ¡°Sabrina, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± When Norton found Sabrina atst, he grabbed her arm and dragged her outside.

    He had been looking for her the whole time. He was very worried about her safety and wanted her to stay under his watch.

    At the time of the incident, he was busy formting ns with Trevor and ude. When he finally came out, Sabrina was already gone.

    In fact, since these things happened, Sabrina had been busy. Jenna was not there. So, she took the initiative to take over her position and did what she could. When everyone was frightened and crying, sheforted the crowd by mentioning that her father, General Delia, and Christopher were here. With this, she sessfully maintained order in the crowd.

    Everyone had heard of General Delia¡¯s reputation and knew that Christopher, the head of the security team in Capital City, was here. They were relieved. Therefore, even in the most chaotic time, there was no ident of stepping on the dead and killing people. This was all thanks to Sabrina.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Sabrina was dragged aside by Norton and could not help but to ask.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

    He simply walked up to her and dragged her out. He acted as if she hadmitted a crime. This made her very ufortable.

    ¡°Sabrina, hurry up and leave. It¡¯s very dangerous here,¡± Norton said, pulling her arm while heading for the car in front. He had to send her out personally to a pre-booked hotel. Only then could he feel at ease.

    Sabrina understood what he meant. She violently shook off his hand and angrily said, ¡°Norton, stop it. You have no right to ask me to leave.¡±

    Hearing this, Norton¡¯s face flushed red. He looked extremely anxious.

    ¡°Sabrina, now is not the time for this. Although the terrorists are no longer a threat, there are bombs in the mansion. It is very dangerous for you, a woman, to stay here,¡± he exined in such a hurry that he would carry her out if he had to.

    Sabrina had known this. So, she just red at him. She didn¡¯t want to talk to him. So, she turned around to leave.

    ¡°Sabrina, did you hear what I said? Leave this ce.¡± Seeing that Sabrina did not listen to him at all, in a moment of desperation, he stopped her.

    ¡°Go away. If you stop me, then I¡¯ll not tolerate you anymore.¡± Sabrina rolled up her sleeves, put her hands on her hips, and rolled her eyes at him.

    Norton¡¯s expression was serious. ¡°Sabrina, listen to me. Leave this ce immediately. All women must leave.¡±

    Norton¡¯s imposing manner was very aggressive. He did not allow her to resist at all.

    Sabrina was extremely angry and was about to speak when she heard a burst ofughtering from the front.

    She looked up and saw that Carme was walking with Jaqueline towards them. Their expressions were calm andposed, without the slightest hint of worry. When Sabrina saw this, she couldn¡¯t help but to let out a coldugh. ¡°Norton, did you get the wrong person? You should be asking Carme to leave. She¡¯s your fianc¨¦e. You should take care of her instead of me.¡±

    Norton¡¯s face turned red because of Sabrina¡¯s words. He was both anxious and angry. So, he persuaded her. ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t you understand my feelings for you? You are the only woman I care about. Carme has nothing to do with me.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Sabrina felt it was unbelievable and rebuked him. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I don¡¯t need your kindness. I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t harass me in the future. You make me feel sick. Don¡¯t try tomand me or please me, because people will misinterpret the situation. I don¡¯t want rumors that I¡¯m a sl*t spread all over the ce. I¡¯m still nning to get married.¡±

    Sabrina harshly used Norton. He was disturbed. He truly cared about her and was worried for her safety. However, not only didn¡¯t she listen to him, she was disgusted by him.

    Therefore, he got anxious and blurted out, ¡°Sabrina, you won¡¯t marry Sergio¡­ because he¡¯s dead. Yadriel shot him.¡±

    When these words came out of Norton¡¯s mouth, Sabrina¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    Was Sergio dead?

    However, she soon understood it and felt bitter in her heart. She said self-deprecatingly, ¡°He was an evil and corrupt man. It doesn¡¯t matter if he¡¯s dead. Anyway, I don¡¯t care whether I will marry him or not. At the very worst, I will stay unmarried for the rest of my life and be a nun. But even so, I don¡¯t need your so-called kindness, and I definitely don¡¯t need you to tell me these things.¡±

    ¡°Sabrina.¡± Norton said, raising his voice, ¡°Do you really have to talk to me this way? You¡¯ll be my woman for the rest of your life. You won¡¯t be able to escape.¡±

    Norton felt as if a piece of his heart had been sliced off. How could his woman be a nun? What was she talking about? He angrily added, ¡°If you be a nun, then what about me? Do I have to be a monk too?¡±

    As he spoke, he grabbed her hand and was about to leave without any exnation.

    Sabrina was not willing to listen to him. She reached out to brush off his hand, and the two of them were entangled.

    ¡°Jaqueline, I didn¡¯t expect the bomb expert to arrive so quickly. Richards Manor is finally safe from danger. What happened today really gave me a shock.¡± Carme ttered Jaqueline as she said.

    Jaqueline said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.It is only right that my grandfather should do something about all these terrorists roaming around the city. What¡¯s more, it¡¯s Richards Manor, which is protected by thew. Besides, our families have been friends for decades. If Grandpa doesn¡¯t show up this time, then he would seem like a fool. I¡¯m just worried about Hansen and Jenna now.¡±

    As she spoke, the anxiety in her eyes was very obvious.

    While speaking, the two of them approached Norton and Sabrina who were pulling on each other.

    ¡°Norton, all the guests have left. The bomb expert has also begun dismantling the bombs. Uncle Richards was looking for you over there,¡± Carme said with concern as she walked up to them.

    Norton had no choice but to let go of Sabrina¡¯s hand when he saw them. He greeted Jaqueline, ¡°Jaqueline.¡±

    He was expressionless when it came to Carme.

    Jaqueline nced at Sabrina once. She then smiled and said to Norton, ¡°Norton, now that Hansen isn¡¯t around, you should go and help Uncle Richards. They¡¯re looking for you.¡±

    Norton also knew that the situation was critical. He didn¡¯t have much time to reason with Sabrina, but he didn¡¯t give up. He pulled Sabrina¡¯s hand and walked forward. ¡°Sabrina, since you refuse to go out,e with me. I¡¯ll bring you to General Delia.¡±

    Norton figured that General Delia would definitely care about his daughter. If she stayed in Richards Manor at that time, then he would certainly scold her and ask her to leave. Even if she refused, General Delia would take care of it. This was equivalent to having one more person to protect Sabrina, so as to prevent him from making a mistake.

    Just like that, Sabrina was dragged forward by Norton, unable to get rid of him even if she wanted to. Sabrina¡¯s face was red. She didn¡¯t want to fight with Norton in front of Jaqueline and Carme. They would only seem more intimate. Therefore, as she couldn¡¯t get rid of Norton, she could only follow his wishes and walk with him.

    Carme looked at their backs as they walked along hand in hand. Her heart was filled with an inexplicable sourness, and a trace of loneliness shed through her eyes.

    Jaqueline nced at her and the corner of her lips curled up.

    ¡°They look great together. Looks like there¡¯s good newsing for the Richards family,¡± Jaqueline said, making a guess with a smile.

    Carme¡¯s face turned pale when she heard that, and a dark light shed in her eyes.

    ¡°Do you mean Norton and Sabrina?¡± she asked, unwilling to give up.

    ¡°Of course. Who else do you think I was talking about?¡± Jaqueline nced sideways at her in disappointment. She sighed internally. This woman was quite smart. So, why did she do such things? In the past few days, watching her interactions with Maria, anypetent person could tell that she was the type to use unorthodox methods to get what she wanted. However, love was not a war. What would be the use of those unusual ways?

    Women always joined the husband¡¯s family when getting married. If her mother-inw liked her, then all was good. Still,at the end of the day, the man must have feelings for the woman, or the marriage will not work out. However, Carme, who was usually strong and wise, seemed to be unclear at that point, which was regrettable.

    Jaqueline shook her head and said, ¡°Looks like women be stupid when ites to love to the point where they can¡¯t tell what is right or wrong. Love is truly a dangerous and terrifying thing.¡±

    She was secretly d that she had never gone crazy for love. That was why she had always been very rational.

    ¡°Jaqueline, Sabrina is going to marry Sergio. There¡¯s already an engagement.¡± Carme ignored what she said. She wasn¡¯t willing to ept this. Although it was just a statement, she still wanted more.

    Jaqueline couldn¡¯t help but tough. It seemed that Carme was really eager to get married. It was no wonder that she was so nice to her.

    ¡°Carme, Sergio was never interested in Sabrina at all, but more to the point, he¡¯s now dead.¡± She continued to walk forward. The wind caused her skirt to flutter in the air. It was a beautiful sight to behold. However, what she said shocked Carme so much that she went into a stupor.

    Sergio did not have feelings for Sabrina. She knew that. Still, so what if he did not have feelings? A political marriage was more secure than any true love. Once a woman entered this circle, she had no choice but to marry for the family or political interests.

    The descendants of the Newton Family were living examples. Before Sergio had died, she had not been worried whether the marriage between Sergio and Sabrina could be achieved. This was because their feelings were negligiblepared to the bigger picture.

    However, in just one night, everything had changed. Sergio was dead!

 Chapter 692 Ironic

    ¡°Carme, I¡¯m warning you as a friend. Don¡¯t me me for reminding you, but some things aren¡¯t meant to be yours. Don¡¯t be greedy, lest you make a fool of yourself. You¡¯re a strong woman, as is your reputation. You know the importance of maintaining your reputation.¡± Jaqueline turned to look at Carme. Her tone wasn¡¯t soft.

    Carme¡¯s heart sank. Her face turned pale and she was lost in her own thoughts.

    She was a proud woman. She had once held her head high in front of men.What had happened to her? What exactly was she doing?

    In a small de in Richards Manor, the bomb disposal expert sent by Johan was busy dismantling the explosives. The instruments they brought detected some safe spots where there were no bombs present. Therefore, everyone in Richards Manor gathered there. Trevor established a temporarymand center urgently and took charge of directing the operation of dismantling the bombs.

    When Norton brought Sabrina over, almost everyone from the mansion had arrived. Not long after, Jaqueline and Carme arrived as well.

    Marissa and Trevor¡¯s sister were standing in front of Vivian¡¯s memorial tablet. No matter what, someone had to guard her memorial tablet these days.

    General Delia was sitting in front of themand table, examining theyout of the mansion. He discussed the possible dangers with Christopher and Trevor in a low voice.

    When Norton brought Sabrina here, General Delia swept a nce at Sabrina. He frowned and his eyes darkened, with an unreadable emotion in their depths.

    Sabrina didn¡¯t dare to return the look. She just lowered her head and pretended not to see him.

    General Delia just raised his head and nced at her. Then, he lowered his head and continued discussing the details with Christopher and the others.

    ¡°Sabrina, since you don¡¯t want to leave, then stay by my side and let me protect you. There might be dangers. Remember, don¡¯t leave my side.¡± Norton brought Sabrina to a corner not far away from General Delia and whispered.

    His voice was gentle and maic. He was holding her hand tightly, as if afraid that she would disappear.

    Sabrina began to feel dizzy. The scent of the man next to her continuously poured into her nose and she began to feel as if she was floating in the air. It was only when Carme looked at her with a cold gaze that she felt like someone had suddenly sshed a bucket of cold water on her face. The panic and confusion in her eyes dissipated and was shrouded in ayer of frost. She calmed down and began to brush off Norton¡¯s hand with all her strength.

    Norton looked around. The more Sabrina struggled, the tighter he held her hand. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t move. If there¡¯s anything, then we¡¯ll die together. I¡¯ve said that you can only be my woman in this life.¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s face was burning with anger. Fortunately, his voice was low enough. No one noticed them because of the tension of the scene. Otherwise, she couldn¡¯t imagine how embarrassed she would be.

    However, just like this, she stayed with Norton and her hand was still in his. This alone was enough to make her feel flustered.

    She regretted it all of a sudden. If she had known it would be like this, then she would have gone out earlier. It was really embarrassing.

    Carme¡¯s eyes drifted back and forth as she looked towards their direction from time to time. Her face darkened every time.

    After a while, Gareth, who was working on the bombs, came over, and said to General Delia with a serious look, ¡°General, we have found several ces with explosives, and some are timed bombs, all set at seven o¡¯clock in the evening. Unfortunately, there is also a ce buried with poison gas bombs, which is very dangerous.¡±

    As soon as he said that, General Delia, Christopher, and everyone frowned.

    The seven members of Gareth¡¯s family had been dismantling bombs for their entire lives. They were experts in this field. So, his words had a high degree of authority.

    ¡°General, the poisonous gas bombs require an authoritative bomb disposal expert. Moreover, the mansion is quiterge. First of all, we have to run a thorough check and find out how many ces are buried with bombs. Of course, it¡¯s best to bring another person to the crime scene to verify itpersonally. We can¡¯t be careless. After all, it¡¯s a bomb. This workload is veryrge and we¡¯re afraid we won¡¯t be able to dismantle every bomb. The person behind this really wants the mansion destroyed. This is definitely arranged on purpose. I¡¯m afraid he knew that there aren¡¯t any experts in the country who can dismantle these bombs in such a short time. He is desperate to destroy the mansion,¡± Gareth said, feeling a little frightened.

    Although he had been a bomb expert for generations, he had never seen such a dangerous scene. He was sweating profusely.

    ¡°No matter what happens, we have to protect Richards Manor. You have to act as soon as possible. Dismantle as many bombs as possible.¡± General Delia stood up with a grave expression on his face as he gave out the order.

    Gareth could only nod. While trembling in fear, he hurried to carry out the order.

    ¡°General Delia, Yadriel is horrible. This move is beyond our expectations.¡± Christopher muttered, ¡°It¡¯s toote to find every bomb disposal expert in the country. Once the poisonous gas bomb explodes, it will be awful.¡±

    General Delia¡¯s eyes darkened as he said, ¡°Christopher, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s toote. There isn¡¯t such an advanced bomb disposal expert in the country. It seems that Richards Manor is really in trouble this time.¡±

    As soon as General Delia finished his words, there was dead silence around them.

    Trevor, ude, and Norton all had sorrowful expressions on their faces. Sabrina could feel that Norton¡¯s grip on her hand was bing tighter. She turned and saw that his entire body was tense, as if he had fallen into a state of emptiness.

    Her heart was heavy as well. The family hall of Richards Manor carried many beautiful memories for her. If such a beautiful ce was destroyed, then she would be pained for the rest of her life.

    However, they were facing a crisis that even her father could not solve, and even the bomb disposal experts sent by Johan felt helpless. So, what could she do?

    Her heart ached more and more as time went by.

    On a t piece ofnd deep within Sunshine Mountain, Yadriel sat on the ground with no trace of life in his eyes. He clenched his fists tightly and his entire body was trembling.

    He had killed his son, his only son. He could not bear this ending.

    He had been proud of Sergio since he was a child, but then he had killed him. How ironic!

    ¡°My silly son, why did you have to fall in love with that woman? Why couldn¡¯t you be like me?¡±

    His heart ached.

    He had been too careless!

    When he saw that his son had been shot by Hansen, his heart tightened. He only wanted to kill Hansen and his wife to avenge his son. He had been negligent and forgot that his son was in love with Jenna. He did not expect that he would protect her with his own body.

    Or perhaps he didn¡¯t think that his son would be so foolish.

    After a long time, he stood up.

    ¡°Sir, when are we leaving?¡± The helicopter was parked in this open space. It had been designed by Yadriel a long time ago. A few years ago, he had secretly built this vi on Sunshine Mountain, as well as an escape tunnel underground that led to this open space, which could amodate a helicopter. He had thought about it a long time ago. He would take off in this area of A City and run away with the Ocean Heart. This was thest escape route and also the most secretive n he had prepared. Everything could have gone as nned, but he had ended up being the only person left.

    He copsed onto the ground and muttered, ¡°Trevor, I lost my son. I will make you lose everything too. Just wait and see. You won¡¯t have a good ending when you go against me.¡±

    The pilot stood there in silence.

    ¡°The time when the bombs nted in Richards Manor explodeis the time to for us to leave. Now that they¡¯re in a mess, they¡¯ll be too scared out of their wits to care about me.¡± Yadriel fished out a cigarette and lit it before taking in a deep breath. The muscles on his face twisted as he let out a sinisterugh. Hisughter was extremely terrifying.

    However, once again, Hansen barged into the vi and led a few policemen in a search. An hourter, they had not found anyone. Not just Yadriel, but not even one of his men were found.

    After Paul came in, they also helped to search around the area. There was nothing left in the vi except for some weapons and food. It was difficult to find anything valuable.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it seems that the person who tried to shoot Madam Jenna is gone. He may have left the vi,¡± Paul said to Hansen after observing the vi for a while.

    Hansen nodded. ¡°Looks like Yadriel escaped.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there should be some secret tunnel in this vi, given that he was able to escape so quickly. But let¡¯s not continue to search for it. Even if we can catch up with him, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡± Paul¡¯s eyes shed with sharp light, and he was very reasonable with his suggestion.

    Of course, Hansen understood. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. We¡¯ve rescued Sara. We achieved our goal. What¡¯s more, Richards Manor is in danger now. We have to rush back immediately. How about this? Let¡¯s retreat first.¡±

    After saying this, he walked outside.

    Sara, who was in the police car,had gradually fallen into aa with her lips turning white.

    Jenna hugged her tightly and kept shouting, ¡°Mom, wake up.¡±

    ¡°Quickly go to the hospital,¡± Hansen instructed when he saw the situation.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    The police car drove towards the closest hospital.

 Chapter 693 Do The Surgery

    In a five-star hotel.

    ¡°Madam, the bomb expert sent by General Ritchie has arrived.¡± After receiving the news, Quina rushed in and told Lilian.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lilian, who was sitting restlessly in the room, immediately stood up and nodded. The increasingly strong and ominous feeling made her body tense. After hearing from Quina, she ordered, ¡°Ask them to rush to the mansion immediately.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Quina nodded. She hesitated for a moment and said cautiously, ¡°But Madam, Johan sent a bomb expert to the mansion.¡±

    Lilian sneered with disdain, ¡°These terrorists are from the war-torn country. The bomb must be foreign to them. No matter how powerful the experts he sent are, they can¡¯t solve this mess. If they could, then I would have called them long ago.¡±

    After hearing this, Quina suddenly realized Lilian¡¯s intentions.

    ¡°I am doing this out of respect to Vivian. She was wise throughout her life. Now that it¡¯s only been days since she passed, the mansion that she guarded her entire life has ended up in such a fate. I can¡¯t bear to see that. I can¡¯t watch them sink into danger. I disdain people who think they¡¯re noble, yet just sit and watch when their rtives are in need. Things are all a cycle of cause and effect. Life is precious. I want to do what is right.¡± Madam Lilian¡¯s face was expressionless as she continued.

    Quina understood who she meant. She immediately said, ¡°You are right.¡± Then, she immediately went to perform her task.

    Lilian slowly walked to the window. Her heart was full of sorrow. She would not fuss over the past. At that moment, she had nothing to ask for but Sara and Jenna to be happy and safe. She would make sure of that.

    This was her only wish at the moment.

    ¡°God, please have mercy on us and bless my daughter and me. Amen.¡± She closed her eyes, sped her hands together, and murmured.

    The doorbell suddenly rang.

    ¡°Come in.¡± She pressed the door and said in a low voice.

    The door opened. A tall and thin man walked in with a worried look on his face.

    ¡°Madam, Yadriel has escaped from Sunshine Mountain. Hansen has brought Sara and Jenna back,¡± the man said as soon as he entered.

    Lilian¡¯s whole body rxed.

    ¡°How are they?¡± She continued to ask.

    The man wanted to say something but stopped on second thought.

    ¡°What is it? Tell me.¡± Lilian¡¯s heart started to beat faster and she immediately asked.

    ¡°Madam, Hansen took them to the hospital.¡± The man had to tell her what he saw. When he arrived at Sunshine Mountain, the battle was over, and he didn¡¯t see Sara. Therefore, he didn¡¯t know what was going on. However, he knew that the police car was heading to the hospital.

    Lilian¡¯s face turned pale, and the ominous portent suddenly came back.

    ¡°Bring me to the hospital right now,¡± She didn¡¯t have time to wait for Quina toe back, and immediately ordered the man.

    ¡°Yes, madam.¡± The man nodded and brought her to the hospital.

    Hansen rushed to the hospital. As soon as he ran towards the entrance, he called Dr. Wooley, an expert who had been treating Sara.

    The few of them lifted the wheelchair gently. Sara was in aa in the wheelchair.

    When Dr. Wooley saw this, he didn¡¯t dare to act careless. He immediately ordered a nurse to send Sara to the operating theater and began all kinds of detailed examinations.

    Outside the operating theater, Jenna¡¯s lips were dry, and there were fine blood streaks on them. She stood still at the door, and her body was stiff.

    She didn¡¯t know what would happen to her mother. She just knew that she couldn¡¯t lose her mother. Her mother had been dragged into this because of her. How could she feel at ease if her mother was hurt?

    Hansen was standing at the entrance of the operating theater, not moving at all. He looked at Jenna¡¯s haggard expression and felt anxious in his heart.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we need to take the bullet out from your arm immediately. We can¡¯t afford to waste any more time. Otherwise, there will be side effects.¡± Paul walked up to Hansen and reminded softly.

    His words stirred both of them. Jenna raised her head in shock. Hansen¡¯s arm, which was wrapped tightly with cloth strips, was dripping with blood. His face was unusually pale and haggard, and his eyes were full of blood streaks. Her heart tightened and she went up to support him. She said anxiously to Paul, ¡°Bring the doctor over.¡±

    Paul turned around and left.

    The figures in front of Hansen became blurry. He stood up with great strain.

    From the war in the war-torn country until then, he hadn¡¯t slept for three days and three nights. His body was extremely tense. At that moment, he was on the verge of copse, but he couldn¡¯t fall down.

    Richards Manor was still in danger. Moreover, Yadriel had escaped.

    He was the head of the family.There was no time for him to rest.

    ¡°Hansen, are you alright? Hold on,¡± Jenna asked anxiously as she saw the beads of sweat on his forehead. His eyes were a little unfocused.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m a man.¡± He shook his head slightly and stared at the lights of the operating theater. ¡°I can only rest assured if Mom is safe.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached when she heard this, and her eyes were filled with tears.

    ¡°Hansen, my mother has been rescued. She will be fine.¡±

    While they were talking, nch Jenkins, the surgeon, followed by Paul, hurried over.

    ¡°nch, Mr. Richards has a gunshot wound on his arm. Please take a look.¡± Paul¡¯s tone was full of worry.

    nch looked up and saw that Hansen¡¯s arm was dripping with blood and was swollen. His face darkened.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, please enter the operating theater,¡± he said in a very solemn tone.

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Hansen shook his head. ¡°After Momes out of the operating theater, I¡¯ll have to rush back to the mansion. I can perform this operation after making sure that the mansion is safe. It won¡¯t take too long.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± nch raised his voice. ¡°We must have an operation immediately. Otherwise, we can¡¯t save the arm.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s expression was calm. His eyes were like an unruffled abyss.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± he said coolly. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about itter.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there are a lot of people in Richards Manor now. Alvin called and said that Johan has sent in a bomb expert. General Delia¡¯s troops have taken care of the terrorists. Even if you go back, you won¡¯t be able to do much. Now, what¡¯s more important is to treat the wound on your arm. We can¡¯t dy any longer. No matter what, you must go for the operation immediately.¡± Paul was worried, and his voice was full of anxiety.

    The swollen woundmeant that it was infected. If he did not perform the surgery, then it was very likely that his arm would have to be amputated. At that moment, Paul strongly requested that Hansen perform the operation immediately without thinking.

    However, Hansen was only looking at the lights of the operating theater. He didn¡¯t take his words to heart at all. He didn¡¯t intend to have the surgery at that time.

    Paul was very anxious and shifted his focus to Jenna.

    Jenna understood the importance of the matter. She pursed her lips and took a step forward, pulling Hansen¡¯s arm. Her voice was not loud, but very determined. ¡°Hansen, listen to nch, do the operation. We have to take out the bullet in your arm. I¡¯ll take care of everything here. Don¡¯t worry, the surgery won¡¯t take long. If you are worried about the mansion, then we¡¯ll go after the operation. Dad and General Delia are at the mansion. They know how to handle it.It¡¯s just two more hours.¡±

    Hansen looked at her and tried to say something.

    ¡°Hansen, hurry. If you still want to give me a better future, then save your arm. Listen to me. Go for the operation.¡± Jenna did not wait for him to reply and ordered, ¡°I have to be selfish this time. I want to protect my husband¡¯s arm.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    She directly said to Paul, ¡°Paul, take him to the operating theater.¡±

    Paul nodded and dragged him away.

    Hansen was too tired to fight back. He was pressed down on the bed by Paul. His entire body rxed, and he slowly fell asleep.

    In the course of the operation, except for a few muffled groans, he didn¡¯t wake up.

    The hot sun scorched the ground in the afternoon, and the weather was very stuffy.

    Jenna stood in the hallway. In a short while, she saw Hansen being wheeled into the operating theater. She didn¡¯t see his face. She only saw him sleeping as if he was in aa.

    For a time, her two rtives all went into the operating theater, leaving her alone outside. She was sad and lost.

    Something bitter came out of her throat, and she felt very ufortable.

    After Hansen left her alone, the corridor became utterly quiet. It was as if there were countless phantoms and snakes that were baring their fangs and brandishing their ws as they ran towards her. She stood there in a panic, with her hands touching her lower abdomen. Her heart was filled with fear and unease.

    Suddenly, there was a warm sensation around her, which calmed her.

    She slowly rxed. She had been anxious the whole day. Once she did, she felt exhausted.

    She put a hand on the wall to support the weight of her body. She didn¡¯t have time to think about where this feeling came from.

 Chapter 694 Take My Blood

    ¡°Child, you must be tired.¡± A warm and kind voice rang in her ear. The voice was familiar,ing from the distant horizon. She wanted to turn around to see who it was, but a pair of warm hands held her up.

    ¡°Come and sit here. Don¡¯t worry.¡± She didn¡¯t know who the person was and was led to sit on the lounge chair beside her. Naturally, she raised her head and found them looking at her. There was kindness and anxiety in their eyes. She had seen these eyes before. They were so familiar and warm.

    ¡°Madam Lilian,¡± Jenna cried out in surprise as she stared.

    Why was she here?

    ¡°Yes, child, it¡¯s me.¡± Madam Lilian didn¡¯t exin anything. She just sat down beside her and held her hand. She rubbed it gently and sighed. ¡°Your hand is so cold. Child, you have suffered a lot. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte.¡±

    Jenna was still watching her dumbfoundedly. It was beyond her expectation that Madam Lilian would be so kind.

    In fact, she and Lilian were not close. For Lilian to be so concerned about her mother or her made her feel like she was dreaming. She felt strange too. The more she looked at Lilian, the more she could see the simrity, especially when she looked closely.

    The feeling brought by Madam Lilian was heartwarming. It was like having family by her side. She had longed for it for a long time. Therefore, she was not willing to wake up from this dream.

    Jenna looked at her in a daze, and her helpless expression made Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes well up with tears. Lilian took out a paper towel and wiped Jenna¡¯s face, and then said while holding her shoulder, ¡°My child, if you are tired, then my shoulder is yours. Please rest. Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m here.¡±

    Jenna wasid down on Lilian¡¯sp. She did not object. She justy peacefully on her knee without saying anything. She didn¡¯t even think that doing so would be inappropriate.

    She closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber in a short while.

    Perhaps, it had only been a while.

    She heard someone ask, ¡°Where is the patient¡¯s family?¡±

    She immediately bounced to her feet.

    ¡°Dr. Wooley, how is my mother?¡± She grabbed Dr. Wooley¡¯s arm and asked anxiously without thinking.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, please calm down.¡± Dr. Wooley nodded at Jenna, and said politely, ¡°Your mother¡¯s kidney was damaged from too much pressure, which caused her to fall into aa. Generally speaking, for such patients, we advise you to pay more attention to this part of her body.¡±

    Dr. Wooley¡¯s words were obvious, that was, her family did not protect the patient well which caused her kidneys to suffer damage.

    Upon hearing this, Jenna¡¯s mind went nk and she became more and more confused. She just stood there, speechless.

    ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s the patient now?¡± Madam Lilian stood beside, listening. Seeing that Jenna remained silent, she asked calmly.

    Dr. Wooley did not know Madam Lilian. Not in his dreams would he expect that the elegant woman in front of him would be the world-renowned Madam Lilian. However, given her temperament, he dared not to ignore her. He immediately answered, ¡°Madam, the patient is still in aa. Because of the damage done to her kidney, she¡¯ll need a blood transfusion. She must enter the ICU department for further observation and treatment. The worst side effect of her kidney transnt is if her body rejects the organ. Initially, the patient¡¯s physical condition was good, but the kidney damage is very serious. If we can stop the bleeding, then we may reduce theplications. But these are urgent. Therefore, we need to observe the patient after the surgery. Next, she¡¯ll need to be hospitalized until she fully recovers.¡±

    When Madam Lilian heard this, her face darkened, and she said decisively, ¡°Doctor, no matter what, please try your best to save her life. What medicine do you need? Just tell me, if it is not avable in the country, then I will provide it.¡±

    Dr. Wooley looked at her in surprise. He wasn¡¯t sure who she was, but it was impossible for an average person to say something like that.

    ¡°Madam, there is a newly prescribed medicine in the United States called Zemr. This medicine is very effective for the kidney, and the side effects are minor. If you can get it, then we can give it to the patient. It will be good for her recovery.¡± After thinking for a while, Dr. Wooley suggested.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Madam Lilian immediately took note of it and expressed her thanks.

    Dr. Wooley turned around and was about to leave.

    ¡°Wait a minute, doctor.¡± Madam Lilian suddenly thought of something and stopped Dr. Wooley. She cleared her voice and said, ¡°If the patient needs a blood transfusion, then take my blood.¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Dr. Wooley looked surprised. After a while, he shook his head and said, ¡°Madam, if the patient needs a blood transfusion, then we will go to the blood bank. But, thank you.¡±

    After Dr. Wooley finished, he nodded politely and walked away.

    Jenna stood by the side in a daze as she listened to the doctor¡¯s words. Finally, when she heard Madam Lilian¡¯s suggestion, she was even shocked.

    Could it be said that Madam Lilian was overtaxing herself? She was already 70 years old, but she was willing to donate her blood. How could she have been so generous?

    She couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    However, she was truly moved by Madam Lilian¡¯s concern for her mother.

    After a while, Sara was transferred to the ICU ward.

    On the other hand, Hansen¡¯s surgery waspleted very quickly. When the nurses wheeled him out of the ward, he was still asleep.

    When Jenna hurried to the ward, she saw Hansen lying on the hospital bed with a pale face. He was still unconscious. Her eyes couldn¡¯t help but to tear up. She ran forward to hold Hansen¡¯s hands and cried silently.

    Hansen seemed to have had a horrible dream. In the dream, he felt pain all over his body, but he was too tired to open his eyes. He even thought that he was dead and was sent to h*ll.

    However, his conscience reminded him all the time that there was still danger in Richards Manor, and there were many explosives buried there. He couldn¡¯t just leave this soon. He was the head of the family. So, he had to take responsibility for it.

    When he felt the tears dripping on his hands, he woke up.

    The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Jenna¡¯s red and swollen eyes. Seeing that she was crying, he got up abruptly.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re awake!¡± Jenna gasped. In an instant, she asked in surprise.

    Hansen sat up. Although he had only slept for two hours, he was clearly much better. Although the wounds on his arm were burning with pain, it was nothing to him.

    ¡°Jenna, how is our mother?¡± After he woke up, he was stunned for only a second, and immediately took her hand and asked her.

    Jenna wiped her tears with her hand, lowered her eyes and said in a low voice, ¡°Hansen, Mom¡¯s kidneys have been squeezed by an external force and she is still in aa. She has been sent to the ICU.¡±

    ¡°D*mn it, Sergio.¡± When Hansen heard this, his heart sank. He gritted his teeth and cursed, his hand clenched into a fist.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to see Mom.¡± He stood up and was about to leave.

    ¡°Hansen, be careful. You still need an infusion.¡± Hansen stood up. The needle on his arm was moved and blood flowed back. Jenna was so frightened that she cried out, ¡°Sit down. Go after the nursees.¡±

    Only then did Hansen notice that there was a needle on the back of his hand. He looked at it. He pulled it out and said coldly, ¡°This is nothing. I am a man. How could I be so delicate?¡±

    After that, he stood up and walked outside.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Jenna was extremely worried and followed him out.

    In the ICU department, Madam Lilian was sitting in a germ-proof gown, wearing white gloves. She held Sara¡¯s hand. Looking at the unconscious Sara, she felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife.

    She hated herself for noting sooner.

    If she hade to A City earlier, if she had more patience and visited Vivian a few more times, then perhaps everything would not be the way it was. All these misfortunes might not have happened.

    It was karma.This was what she deserved.

    She didn¡¯t deserve to be a mother!

    As soon as Hansen came to the hallway, he saw Quina, who was waiting outside.

    For a moment, he was a little confused and thought that he was having a hallucination.

    However, Quina nodded and greeted him with a smile. ¡°Hello, Hansen.¡±

    Only after hearing her voice did Hansene back to his senses. He was sure that it was Madam Lilian.

    At that time, Jenna rushed over and reminded him. ¡°Hansen, Madam Lilian is here to see my mother. She is inside.¡±

    Hansen was shocked and soon came back to his senses. He politely nodded back to Quina and said, ¡°Hello, Quina.¡±

    ¡°Madam Lillian is inside,¡± Quina said while gesturing into the ward.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    Through the ss window, Hansen saw that in the monitoring room, Madam Lilian was holding Sara¡¯s hand. Her face was full of sorrow. It did not seem like she was concerned about a stranger.

    He was startled and remembered something. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

    Jenna stood beside Hansen. She was also surprised to see Madam Lilian¡¯s concern for her mother in the ICU. She was more touched than Hansen. Yet, she didn¡¯t understand why Madam Lilian acted this way.

    They all stood there quietly, looking at Sara, who was lying on the hospital bed. Lilian was beside her, holding her hand, with her head down.

    They were moved by Madam Lilian¡¯s actions and were even more shocked by the pain lingering in her eyes. They could feel her sadness through the ss door.

    For a moment, everyone was deep in thought, and no one spoke.

    Hansen stood there in thoughtful silence.

    After a while, his phone rang.

    Hansen picked up his phone.

 Chapter 695 Evacuation

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s me,¡± Alvin said anxiously. ¡°Several bombs in the mansion have been deactivated, but there¡¯s a poisonous gas bomb. We can¡¯t take down bombs with different models. Currently, the bomb disposal experts are at a loss at what to do. They have never seen this type of bomb before. So, they don¡¯t dare to touch them. The sun is setting. ording to Mr. Jordan¡¯s interrogation of the terrorists, Yadriel ns to flee abroad tonight at seven o¡¯clock. Before he flees, he¡¯ll definitely trigger the bombs. The time for these bombs is all set at seven o¡¯clock too. Time is running out. It¡¯s bad.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s hand, which was holding the phone, trembled slightly. Soon, he said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He hasn¡¯t achieved his goal yet. Now, the police and army are searching for him. He can¡¯t escape. This must be onest dying struggle. Since he is still giving conditions, it means that he has some concerns. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    As Hansen spoke, his heart sank.

    ¡°Jenna, stay here with Mom. The situation in Richards Manor is urgent. I have to return quickly.¡± He lowered his head and told Jenna. His gaze was soft and full of pain. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom will be fine. She¡¯s under intensive care. Take this opportunity to rest. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡±

    After saying this, he turned around and was about to leave.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Jenna stretched out her hand and grabbed his shirt, asking nervously, ¡°Hansen, is your arm alright?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This is nothing. Besides, there¡¯s a doctor in Richards Manor.¡± He smiled at herfortingly.

    ¡°But what about the mansion? Is there any danger?¡± Personally, she would rather Hansen not go back at that time. However, this was not part of his personality. She knew that, but she could only try to persuade him.

    ¡°Nothing will happen. Yadriel hasn¡¯t got his hands on the Ocean Heart.So, he¡¯s using this to threaten us. He buried those bombs with that intention. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let him seed. Just stay here with Mom.¡± Hansenforted her, turned and left in a hurry.

    Jenna wanted to follow him back, but her mother was so seriously ill that she couldn¡¯t bear to leave. She felt a headache pounding in her head and felt very ufortable.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, don¡¯t worry. The mansion will be fine. Madam Lilian has already sent an international bomb expert team. I believe that the bombs in the mansion will be removed soon.¡± Quinaforted her after seeing Jenna¡¯s ufortable expression.

    As Quina said so, she thought, ¡°When Madam Lilian came to the hospital, the bomb disposal expert had already arrived in A City. It has been more than an hour since then. He should be there deactivating the bombs.¡±

    When Jenna heard that Madam Lilian had actually sent in a bomb expert, she was relieved.

    ¡°Thank Madam Lilian for us,¡± she said with tears in her eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. We¡¯re a family,¡± Quina said with a smile.

    Jenna did not understand the hidden meaning behind these words and simply treated them as being polite. Immediately, she nodded with tears in her eyes.

    Inside Richards Manor, gloom once again shrouded the ce.

    Gareth was thinking hard about dismantling a bomb. He seemed to be at a loss and the atmosphere was tense.

    General Delia and Christopher looked serious. They sat next to each other and discussed countermeasures.

    Trevor looked at the mess in the mansion and discussed with ude about sending Vivian¡¯s body to the cemetery.

    Yadriel had gone mad. If Richards Manor exploded, then the consequences would be unimaginable. He could not let the olddy¡¯s corpse disappear without a trace.

    If Vivian¡¯s body was transported to the cemetery, then her funeral could only be held there the next day.

    Thinking that Vivian had done her best for the Richards family but still couldn¡¯t find peace after death, Trevor couldn¡¯t help bursting into tears.

    Just as they were about to take action, they saw the captain of the security team running over. Panting, he said, ¡°Mr. Trevor, more than a dozen non-citizens have arrived at the door. A man brought them here. He said that they are an international bomb expert team. He wants to see the chairman.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, everyone quietened down and looked at the captain. They didn¡¯t quite understand what had happened.

    ¡°What did you say? International bomb experts?¡± Trevor asked in disbelief.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what they said,¡± the captain replied with certainty.

    Trevor¡¯s eyes lit up, but he looked at General Delia first.

    ¡°Who sent them here? How do they know that there¡¯s a bomb inside Richards Manor?¡± Even though rumors were spreading everywhere, it was impossible for non-citizens to have known this so soon. Thus, General Delia asked.

    The captain of the security team scratched his head. Suddenly, he thought of something and said, ¡°Oh, right. They said that they are here under Madam Lilian¡¯s orders.¡± As soon as these words were spoken, Trevor understood, and his spirits were lifted. He quickly said, ¡°Please, bring them in.¡±

    As he said this, he hurriedly followed the captain to meet them in person.

    ¡°It seems that Madam Lilian is very concerned about the Richards family.¡± Christopher¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard that Madam Lilian had sent in experts. He heaved a sigh of relief knowing that the Richards family would be saved. However, deep in his heart, he felt puzzled about why Madam Lilian had saved them several times.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s love for the Richards family seemed to have gone too far. It made one¡¯s imagination run wild. What kind of connection could there have been?

    General Delia did not know much about the inside story.

    Christopher told them about Lilian¡¯s help during the war in the war-torn country. In the end, he said fearfully, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the government army sent by Madam Lilian that night, then we would have lost our lives.¡±

    When General Delia heard this, he also felt that Madam Lilian was indeed righteous. He was moved.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    ¡°Dad, who is Madam Lilian?¡± Jaqueline, who was listening nearby, hurriedly asked Nuncio.

    Behind Nuncio¡¯s sses, his eyes shed, and the expression on his face was calm.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been abroad for so many years. Don¡¯t you know who Madam Lilian is?¡± There was a hint of reproach in his tone. ¡°You¡¯re so short-sighted.¡±

    Jaqueline was embarrassed to be scolded by her father. Then, she remembered and could not help eximing, ¡°Dad, is she the famous Madam Lilian? I heard that she is a citizen of our country.¡±

    When she said this, she looked at Nuncio¡¯s expression. He seemed fine with the decision. This confirmed her guess, and she was so shocked.

    When she was studying abroad, many people had known Madam Lilian, especially the female ssmates who regarded her as an icon. From time to time, they were eager to learn from her. They didn¡¯t expect such a famous person abroad to have a connection with the Richards family. This was really beyond her expectations.

    Nuncio¡¯s expression was unfathomable. He just sat there and didn¡¯t say anything.

    ording to the information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Madam Lilian arrived in A City that day. Since it was a private visit, although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs knew, they could not show up to wee her. After all, a private visit from Madam Lilian had nothing to do with the government. Madam Lilian¡¯s secretary had also declined their invitations.

    He was going to leave after attending Vivian¡¯s funeral, but he received a call from the Minister of Foreign Affairs. To meet Madam Lilian, he had to stay and observe.

    Recently, a controversial topic in the country was put in a deadlock, in order to break this situation.

    After the discussion, they all agreed that it was appropriate to ask Madam Lilian for help. After all, Madam Lilian was a citizen. Hence,she would help her country. At that moment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had made contacting Madam Lilian at the top of his priorities.

    Nuncio was part of the team, and he would take responsibility.

    Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was paying close attention to Lilian¡¯s whereabouts. As soon as he heard the news, they informed Nuncio.

    Nuncio stayed. ording to his spection, he would definitely see Madam Lilian at Vivian¡¯s memorial service. When he heard Christopher¡¯s words, he was even more certain. Madam Lilian was returning to A City to mourn Vivian.

    If this was the case, then this would be an opportunity and a part of his responsibility as a government official. He couldn¡¯t miss such a good opportunity.

    Since Carme had been living abroad for a long time, she was very interested in Madam Lilian. In her opinion, no matter how much trouble Richards Manor was in, its cultural background and glory were legendary. It couldn¡¯t be surpassed.

    She had always felt an emotional connection with Richards Manor. She had admired it since she was young. Wealth and nobility were two different things. There were many wealthy families. They were rich, but they had no nobility at all. They were typical nouveau riche.

    However, Richards Manor was different. It had a profound cultural foundation. It was opulent and contained the noble and artistic temperament that most people could not have.

    It was just like how when she walked through Richards Manor, every de of grass and tree seemed to shine with life. Even the air here was fresh. If she walked slowly, then the air would seep into every pore of her skin, cleansing her soul. It always feltlike she had entered a new realm.

    That had always been her impression of Richards Manor.

    Soon, Trevor brought a team of people over. Everyone looked up and saw that they were all non-citizens with golden and blue eyes. Luckily, the leader, a tall man, knew how to trante their words.

    After the expert took a look at Gareth¡¯s equipment, he spoke to the tall man in a foreignnguage.

    The man walked over and said to Trevor, ¡°Mr. Richards, leave everything here to us. Ask your bomb experts to evacuate immediately.¡±

 Chapter 696 Norton Was Shot

    The people led by Gareth were so busy that most of them were sweating. Sensing the tall man¡¯s obvious contempt for them, they were irritated. The man looked at them and said, ¡°Mr. Richards, we have been here for more than an hour. We have inspected the surroundings. It is basically safe outside. So, we would like you to cooperate.¡±

    Trevor also knew that Gareth and the rest were unable to deactivate these bombs. Initially, he had wanted them to work together. However, the other party wasn¡¯t friendly andpletely looked down on Gareth and his men. It was areallybad time for him to say anything. After all, they had been working hard.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Madam Lilian invited the world¡¯s top bomb experts. These bombs were all transported from the war-torn country. Your bomb experts should leave. Even if they deactivated them sessfully, there will be risks. Therefore, I ask you to cooperate and ask them to leave as soon as possible. We are pressing for time. Either you continue to let them work, or we will leave right away.¡±

    ¡°Umm.¡± Trevor was a little stunned. After all, Gareth and the others were sent by Old Johan. They had been working for so long. If he sent them away, then wouldn¡¯t it ruin Old Johan¡¯s reputation? Just as he was in a daze, he heard a voice saying, ¡°Alright, please start immediately. I will get them back to the capital right away.¡±

    Trevor gasped. He looked up and saw Hansen walking over. His arm was wrapped in bandages. Anxiety and relief struck him at the same time. ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re back. What¡¯s wrong with your arm? How¡¯s Sara?¡±

    Hansen didn¡¯t have the time to answer Trevor¡¯s questions. He simply said, ¡°Dad, you should rest. Leave the rest to me. Jenna¡¯s mother has already been sent to the hospital.¡±

    Trevor couldn¡¯t believe that his son had returned alive. Although his arm was covered with gauze, Trevor felt relieved.

    Hansen knew very well that the task of deactivating bombs was technical. These non-citizen experts did not wish for their techniques to be learnt by the experts in the country. Therefore, Gareth and the rest had to leave.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the men Gareth brought to be given some money each and sent off in a diplomatic way.

    Then, the bomb experts sent by Madam Lilian began to work.

    ¡°Hansen, do you trust these bomb experts? Gareth and the others are top-tier experts in the country, and they have sessfully deactivated many bombs. If you let them leave, then¡­¡± Jaqueline saw that Hansen had really sent Gareth and the others away and was a little anxious. It was not a matter of whose reputation was ruined. If these non-citizen experts could not solve the problem, with Gareth and the rest gone, then the consequences would be horrible.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Jaqueline, I understand what you mean. Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine.¡±

    ¡°Well, okay,¡± Jaqueline said reluctantly. Since Hansen had said so, she had to let it go. After all, this mansion belonged to the Richards family.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hansen nodded indifferently.

    Jaqueline pursed her lips. Just as she was about to say something, she saw Hansen turn around and walk forward. She followed behind and asked with curiosity, ¡°Hansen, are these people sent by Madam Lilian? Does this mean that Madam Lilian was nning to attend Vivian¡¯s funeral?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s body froze and hestopped in his tracks. He remained silent for a moment before walking away without saying a word.

    Jaqueline watched as he left, not wanting to go after him. However, a strange feeling enveloped her heart, and she became quiet for a very long time.

    Time passed by. Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

    As the sun set, it illuminated the mansion. The scenery was as beautiful as a painting. The birds in the forest were chirping cheerfully, interrupting the quietness in the mansion.

    Standing on the top floor of Green Jade Garden, Hansen swept his binocrs across every spot of the mansion. His heart was filled withplicated emotions.

    He was waiting.

    Yadriel had not seeded in obtaining the Ocean Heart and did not blow up the Richards Mansion in time. He set the timed bombs at seven o¡¯clock in the evening. Obviously, he was making a final crazy escapade.

    Alvin stood by his side and was also waiting for Yadriel toe.

    ¡°Sabrina, are you afraid?¡± Norton was still holding Sabrina¡¯s hand. He had not loosened it once. It was getting dark, and the bomb dismantling was still being carried out. He wondered what had made her choose to stay. Such a scene was very terrible to watch. She should leave as soon as possible.

    Sabrina¡¯s mind had been in a state of chaos the entire afternoon, so much so that she forgot that Norton was holding her hand. She wasn¡¯t even aware that he was leading her around like a puppet. It wasn¡¯t until Norton asked her something that she finally returned to reality. At that time, both her and Norton¡¯s palms were covered with sweat.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? Isn¡¯t Carme still here? Shouldn¡¯t you go find her? Why are you here?¡± Sabrina was impatient and snapped.

    Norton lowered his head to look at her. Sweat was beading on the tip of her nose and her face was flushed red. He didn¡¯t know if it was because of the weather, or because she was so nervous, but thest thing he noticed was the frustration on her face.

    The corners of his mouth curled up. He tilted his head and asked, ¡°Sabrina, are you jealous?¡±

    Hearing this, Sabrina¡¯s face turned redder. She suddenly shook off his hand and rebuked him. ¡°In your dreams. Who would be jealous of her?¡±

    Norton smiled gently and said in a low voice, ¡°Sabrina, I only care about you. It¡¯s none of my business what others do.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t need your concern,¡± Sabrina replied coldly,turning her head away.

    ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t treat me like this. If something happens tonight, then at least I can die in peace knowing that we had a rather peaceful time.¡± Norton suddenly lowered his head and pleaded.

    Sabrina¡¯s heart trembled. Suddenly, she felt an inexplicable pain in her heart. She turned around and refused to look at him anymore.

    Norton turned around too.

    Just as he was about to continue teasing her, the bushes beside him rustled. Facing him was a pitch-ck muzzle, aimed straight at Sabrina. There was a sound of a click.

    ¡°Careful!¡± His face suddenly turned pale, and he cried out urgently.

    However, it was toote.

    He only heard the gunshot.

    Norton was mad. He quickly stepped forward and protected Sabrina with his body. The bullet happened to be shot right in Norton¡¯s back.

    As soon as the gunshot rang, the ce became a mess.

    Even though General Delia and Christopher were both well-trained soldiers, they heard Norton¡¯s scream and immediately turned their heads.

    The murderer was too fast.

    They watched helplessly as the bullet entered Norton¡¯s back.

    General Delia¡¯s eyes shed with anger. He snatched the pistol from Christopher¡¯s hand and shot the murderer with uracy. With a scream, the man hiding in the bushes fell to the ground.

    ¡°Seize him. Check if there¡¯s any more of them!¡± His experience told him that there should be more than one person hiding. General Delia decisively ordered, and Christopher dashed out of the crowd.

    At that time, the Grand Eagles arrived as soon as they heard the gunshot.

    ¡°Look carefully! Don¡¯t let the viins get away!¡± Christopher shouted at John, who had rushed here after hearing the shot.

    At that time, the crowd began to stir. Another sniper then started to fire, and another person had been shot.

    ¡°Quick, protect the guests.¡± John began to shoot towards the direction of the gunshot.

    A gunfight began.

    The gunfight that timested only ten minutes. A few people in the crowd were shot. However, the three viins hiding in the dark were captured.

    Hansen was standing on the rooftop holding a pair of binocrs. When the gunshots rang out, he was startled and immediately directed the binocrs towards the location of the gunshots. Very quickly, he saw a scene that made him tremble in fear.

    The ce where their rtives had gathered was where the battle was taking ce. This was thest thing he wanted to see.

    ¡°Quick, Alvin, save them.¡± Hansen threw away the binocrs in his hand. Alvin hurriedly rushed to the scene.

    Just then, Hansen¡¯s phone rang.

    When he was about to throw his phoneaway,Hansen saw that it was Yadriel calling.

    He was shocked. Seeing that it was almost seven o¡¯clock, he had to stop in his tracks, but in an instant, he realized that he was the mastermind of the gunfight.

    ¡°Yadriel, what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± he asked sharply once he picked up the phone.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    From the other side, Yadrielughed sinisterly. His voice was as eerie as a ghost¡¯s.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m showing my gratitude to your family for ruining mine. Let me tell you, there are a total of twenty-two terrorists from the war-torn country. You captured seventeen of them this morning. Three of them have been hiding in your mansion sincest night. I¡¯m sure there must be quite a number of casualties in your mansion, aye?¡±

    The veins on the corner of Hansen¡¯s forehead throbbed with rage. Fire gushed out of his eyes and his fingers, which were holding his phone, creaked.

    ¡°Yadriel, you¡¯re pathetic. Why do you involve civillians in this war? You deserve to burn in h*ll,¡± Hansen bellowed,ring at his surroundings with red eyes.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Yadrielughed arrogantly on the other side. ¡°Let¡¯s see who¡¯s the one going to h*ll first. Before I die, your family needs to pay.¡±

    Speaking of this, Yadriel stopped smiling and said in a cold voice, ¡°Hansen, do you think that you¡¯ll be fine with Madam Lilian and those international bomb experts? Let me tell you, I have two terrorists with bombs on their bodies. How will you deactivate them? You don¡¯t even know where they are hiding. Once I give an order, they will start the timer and blow up the whole ce. Tell me, what are you going to do?¡±

    Yadriel¡¯s words left Hansen dumbfounded. There were goosebumps all over his skin.

    ¡°What do you think? Are you afraid? If you are, then obey me. Maybe I will make Richards Manor a historical keepsake if I¡¯m satisfied,¡± Yadriel said with a smug smile on the other side of the phone.

 Chapter 697 Facing Danger Alone

    ¡°What exactly do you want? Come at me if you have the guts. Don¡¯t implicate the innocent,¡± Hansen asked through gritted teeth,holding back the anger in his heart.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. Hand over the Ocean Heart and send it to the ce I¡¯ve chosen. If you want to be quick, then you must reach it within fifteen minutes. Otherwise, my suicide bombers will blow up and cause everyone to perish together with the mansion. I will send the address to your phone.¡± After saying these words ferociously, Yadriel immediately hung up the phone.

    Hansen remained rooted to the spot.

    Soon, there was a message. He opened it and saw an address.

    Even though Hansen had grown up in A City, it took him a long time to figure out where the address was. It was indeed precise.

    When he arrived at the scene, the gunfight was over.

    Sabrina was protected by Norton as she heard a gunshot. Only a momentter did she realize what had happened. Warm liquid flew out from Norton¡¯s body. She knew what it was, but her eyes still widened in fear as she stared at him. At that moment, the world became still. Those gunshots seemed to havee from a distant horizon. It felt surreal. However, the sight of the pool of blood triggered her nerves, causing her mind to recover from her shock. She finally managed to ask in a trembling voice, ¡°Norton,Norton, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Sabrina, are you alright?¡± Norton¡¯s face was pale as he struggled to speak. His eyes were wide open.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine.¡± Sabrina shook her head vigorously and burst into tears.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m relieved.¡± A consoling smile appeared on Norton¡¯s face. Slowly, he closed his eyes.

    ¡°No! Norton, wake up.¡± Sabrina¡¯s heart broke into pieces. She climbed out of Norton¡¯s embrace and sat on the ground. She used all her strength to lift up his head and wept. ¡°Norton, wake up. I beg you, please.¡±

    Her entire body was trembling. She hugged Norton and cried. The gunshots had already subsided. With tears in her eyes, she yelled at General Delia, ¡°Father, I beg you. Please save him. He was injured because of me. Please, father.¡±

    ¡°Quick, bring him over.¡± As the gunfire died down, many people were scared out of their wits. Sabrina¡¯s cry startled everyone. Following General Delia¡¯s roar, everyone immediately took action.

    ¡°Norton, hey!Can you hear me?¡± ude, who had juste back to his senses, realized that his son had been shot and ran over anxiously.

    ¡°Quick, send him to the hospital.¡± General Delia¡¯s eyes were burning with anger. He immediately ordered two members of the Grand Eagles to lift Norton up. Then, he called his secretary to send Norton to the hospital.

    Sabrina could not care about anything else. She kept shouting at Norton as they were on their way to the hospital. Norton was still bleeding and his face was as pale as a sheet of paper. His eyes were closed tightly. No matter how loud Sabrina shouted, he didn¡¯t open his eyes.

    Sabrina¡¯s heart was raised up to her throat. She remembered the words he said before he was shot. ¡°Even if I die, I would die in peace knowing that we had a peaceful time.¡±

    She was going crazy. Her shoulders were shaking. She cried until there were no more tears. Until then, she had a feeling. She was afraid of losing him. She was afraid that she would never see him again.

    Before he got shot, she shouldn¡¯t have been mad at him. If it weren¡¯t for that, then he wouldn¡¯t have lost focus and missed the bullet. It should have been her who was shot, not him.

    She would rather be the one who was shot than to see Norton lying there, as if he would leave her at any time. She was so scared of losing him.

    She held his hand while crying until Norton was sent to the operating theater. She still stood numbly in the corridor, stubbornly in a position. She didn¡¯t even want to sit down.

    Hansen walked over with a gloomy face. The gunfight had stopped. He saw that Norton as well as some rtives had been shot.

    It felt like his own heart had been shot and was bleeding out.

    However, at that time, his mind was clear.

    He still had important matters to deal with. He couldn¡¯t be sad. He needed to stay calm.

    Besides, a cunning enemy like Yadriel was hiding in the dark, and he could not rx at all. At that moment, every second mattered.

    ¡°Dad, General Delia, Christopher, Yadriel called,¡± he said in an extremely calm manner,walking up to them.

    ¡°What did he say?¡± They immediately cast their eyes over, and their faces were very nervous.

    ¡°He sent me an address. He wants me to bring him the Ocean Heart in fifteen minutes,¡± Hansen said calmly.

    ¡°D*mn it.¡± Christopher hit the table with his fist. ¡°We can¡¯t send him there. We can¡¯t let him take advantage of us.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face was solemn, and his eyes were full of light. After a moment of silence, he shook his head and said, ¡°No, only I can bring it to him.¡±

    Afterwards, he told them about the suicide bombers set up by Yadriel and how they would blow up the mansion at any time. Immediately, the atmosphere became so quiet, even breathing sounds could be heard. Everyone watched silently.

    A suicide attack. How terrible!

    Who knew where they could be hiding? Who would bear the consequences?

    What should they do?

    This was a question everyone, including Hansen, was thinking about.

    ¡°I must go there. The Ocean Heart is just a treasure.Life is what¡¯s most important. I can¡¯t gamble on innocent lives with Yadriel. I can¡¯t afford to lose.¡± With this, he turned to Christopher and said, ¡°Christopher, I¡¯ll send the Ocean Heart to him right away. Take charge of everyone here for me. You must evacuate the unrted personnel as soon as possible, lest anyone gets hurt again.¡±

    As he said these words, his face was very calm. He was about to leave.

    ¡°No, Hansen, I¡¯ll send someone to trail behind you.¡± General Delia came to his senses. At that moment, if Hansen delivered the treasure alone, then Yadriel would not spare him. It was only appropriate to send someone with him.

    ¡°No.¡± Hansen shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll go alone. If Yadriel gets angry, then we¡¯ll risk putting more lives in danger.¡±

    He exhaled a deep breath. There was a gleam of lightin his deep and cold eyes,resolute and steady.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯ll take your ce.¡± Alvin stepped forward.

    The corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth twitched and he said solemnly, ¡°Alvin, Yadriel is not a fool. He told me to go alone. I have to do it myself. Otherwise, when he realizes that I¡¯m not alone, he would go into a rampage. Now, you have to lead the Grand Eagles under themand of Mr. Matthews and begin searching Richards Manor for the two terrorists. Do your best to protect Richards Manor and everyone here.¡±

    Alvin was stunned for a moment and snapped. ¡°But Mr. Richards, we can¡¯t let you go alone. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards. You can¡¯t go alone. Yadriel is too cunning. We don¡¯t know what he will do to you. We¡¯ll follow you and wait for the right time to act.¡± John also suggested.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°No.¡± Hansen was enraged when he heard this. He bellowed, ¡°That¡¯s enough! We must fight for every second. We don¡¯t have enough manpower, and we can¡¯t act on impulse. You¡¯re wasting time trying to stop me. I¡¯m telling you, what¡¯s important now is to protect the mansion and not let anyone get hurt. That¡¯s it. I¡¯m just sending him this treasure. It¡¯s not as serious as you think. Don¡¯t make a fuss about it. Hurry up and get on with your own business.¡±

    With such harsh words, Hansen turned around without giving Alvin and the others the opportunity to stop him.

    Alvin and the rest stood there nkly, scared for Hansen¡¯s safety. At that moment, they could only watch as Hansen walked forward.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Just as he walked a few steps forward, Trevor called from behind. His voice was trembling with pain.

    Hansen stopped in his tracks. His heart began to tremble, but he didn¡¯t dare to turn around.

    He was afraid to face his father, afraid to see the pain and helplessness in his eyes, as well as making his father feel worried.

    Everyone knew that once he had delivered the Ocean Heart, there would be some unexpected danger, but no one said it out loud.

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± he said with a faint smile on his face. His voice was calm and gentle, but he didn¡¯t turn around.

    Then, under everyone¡¯s gaze, he took firm steps forward.

    In the hospital.

    Madam Lilian came out of the ICU. Her eyes were red, and the wrinkles on her face were obvious.

    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be too sad. Miss Sara will be fine.¡± Quinaforted her softly.

    Madam Lilian was having a headache. Her footsteps were heavy. She sighed and said, ¡°I was toote.¡±

    ¡°Madam, let¡¯s go to the lounge first.¡± Quina could not bear to look at Madam Lilian ming herself. So, she apanied her to the lounge. Madam Lilian¡¯s face was haggard and sad, and her mood was extremely heavy.

    ¡°Madam, the results of Sara¡¯s and your paternity tests are out.¡± As soon as she entered the hospital¡¯s lounge, Quina told her directly.

    In fact, during this period of time, Madam Lilian¡¯s men had been secretly moving around in A City to learn about all of Yadriel¡¯s crimes. At the same time, she also thought of obtaining Sara¡¯s DNA sample. Therefore, beforeing to A City, her DNA sample had been sent over for testing.

    In fact, Madam Lilian was not very interested in the DNA test. She believed that Sara was her daughter. Especially when she saw her unconscious face in the ward just then, she couldn¡¯t help but to feel a connection between them. She looked so simr to vian and could see herself on her face.

    She had already epted it in her heart!

    Nevertheless, she had toplete this procedure.

    She was worried that Sara would not recognize her and reject all of this. It must be medically verified for Sara to trust her.

    Therefore, when Quina said this, she raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°Let me have a look. What¡¯s the result?¡±

 Chapter 698 Happiest Woman Alive

    ¡°Congrattions, Madam. Sara is indeed your daughter.¡± Quina carefully opened the results. After reading it, she handed the results to Madam Lilian with a smile.

    With trembling hands, Madam Lilian epted the results and took a look. Then, she took off her sses and her eyes were filled with tears.

    She had found her daughter, but her daughter was now on the brink of death.

    This was the most painful and unbearable thing for a mother. She was only fifty years old, yet she looked older than that.

    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be sad. No matter what, you have an excellent granddaughter, Jenna. Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself. I believe that Sara will get well soon.¡± Seeing Madam Lilian in a miserable state, Quina felt distressed. She tried tofort her.

    When Jenna was mentioned, Madam Lilian came back to her senses and raised her head in a hurry.

    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s it going in Richards Manor?¡±

    ¡°Madam, the bomb experts have removed the bomb, but just a moment ago, there was a gunfight in the mansion. The situation is bad,¡± Quina answered.

    A sharp light shed in Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    ¡°No matter what, I must protect Richards Manor and my granddaughter. Since I¡¯vee here, I must not let this tragedy continue further. This is my bottom line.¡±

    Her tone was harsh, and the expression on her face was frightening.

    Quina nodded. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Quina walked over and opened the door. A tall and thin man came in with an anxious expression.

    ¡°Madam, the situation is not very good. After Yadriel fled to the depths of Sunshine Mountain, hisst attack was to send two terrorists from the war-torn country with time bombs strapped to their bodies in the mansion. It is very likely that they willmit a suicide attack. On the other hand, Yadriel is preparing to flee abroad by helicopter at seven o¡¯clock. Now, he is using extreme means to threaten Hansen to hand over the Ocean Heart.¡± His tone was very anxious. The situation then was extremely dangerous.

    In an instant, Madam Lilian bounced up in shock.

    ¡°Kimmel, how is Hansen doing?¡± she immediately asked.

    ¡°Madam, for the safety of Richards Manor and to control Yadriel, Hansen is on his way to meet him alone. It¡¯s expected that Yadriel will not let him go so easily.¡± Kimmel spoke out his thoughts and analyzed carefully. ¡°Yadriel is already out of his mind. With Sergio¡¯s death, it means he¡¯s even more easily triggered. It will be impossible for him to let go of Hansen.¡±

    ¡°No, nothing can happen to Hansen.¡± Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes dimmed as she mmed the table and yelled.

    If something happened to Hansen, then would her granddaughter Jenna still be happy?

    Her marriage was no longer happy. She could not allow her family to be unhappy too. For a woman, the happiest thing was to have a man who loved her, having their own family, and living together for a lifetime.

    Her granddaughter, Jenna, needed to be the happiest woman alive with her husband.

    ¡°Kimmel, where is Yadriel hiding?¡± She took a few steps into the room and asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°Madam, our men have been searching around Sunshine Mountain and found a t space where a helicopter was parked. Yadriel must be hiding there,¡± Kimmel immediately reported the information he collected.

    When Madam Lilian heard this, she sneered and said without a hint of hesitation, ¡°He¡¯s nning to escape abroad, that is, if we let him.¡±

    ¡°Madam, we can¡¯t let such scum escape.¡± Kimmel said seriously, ¡°Should we destroy his helicopter right now?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Madam Lilian stopped him when she heard this. ¡°Before we eliminate the two terrorists with the time bombs, we can¡¯t do anything to Yadriel. If we do that, then we will only trigger him to do something more extreme. This can¡¯t be rushed.¡±

    As she spoke, she paced back and forth in the room. After a while, she calmly said, ¡°How about this, Kimmel? Command your subordinates to take control of the helicopter at Sunshine Mountain secretly. Yadriel would be leaving soon. Then, before he leaves, he will definitely use the two time bombs for revenge and hurt Hansen if he is mad. At that time, we will use his own life in exchange for Richards Manor¡¯s and Hansen¡¯s safety.¡±

    Kimmel understood Madam Lilian¡¯s intention after hearing this. He said anxiously, ¡°Madam, if that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s very likely that Yadriel will escape.¡±

    However, Madam Lilian smiled calmly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he can¡¯t escape from me.¡±

    When Kimmel heard this, he was relieved. The confident look on Madam Lilian¡¯s face indicated that she had already found a way to deal with it. He always believed in her.

    ¡°We must not let him take the Ocean Heart away. He doesn¡¯t deserve it.¡± Lilian breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes gleamed, and her voice was extremely cold.

    ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go and stop him immediately.¡± Kimmel nodded and walked out quickly.

    After Kimmel left, Madam Lilian seemed to be unable to bear the pressure and bent over.

    Quina hurriedly held her up to sit on a chair in the lounge.

    Madam Lilian was so tired that she closed her eyes, but the expression on her face was more nervous than usual.

    As Norton was sent to the hospital, Sabrina¡¯s cry startled Jenna. She rushed over. When she saw Norton lying with blood all over his body, her heart sank.

    Sabrina stared at the entrance of the operating theater. Her body was curled into a ball as the scene of Norton getting shot shed through her mind continuously. Tears kept flowing out. Jenna rushed over and held her shoulder, calling in a low voice, ¡°Sabrina.¡±

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Hearing Jenna¡¯s voice, Sabrina finally rxed. She hugged Jenna and burst into tears.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sabrina?¡± Jenna did not know that a gun battle had taken ce in Richards Manor. However, seeing Norton¡¯s current state, she guessed a thing or two.

    ¡°It¡¯s Norton. He saved me. He is seriously injured. Jenna, I am so scared. I¡¯m afraid something will happen to him and he will leave me,¡± Sabrina cried in her arms.

    Jenna was stunned for a while, and then she realized why Norton was shot.

    It seemed that Norton¡¯s love for Sabrina was genuine. He would rather get hurt himself than let her get hurt. His behaviour had very well expressed the true essence of love.

    Now that Sabrina was in such pain, she understood her feelings for him.

    What would happen to Norton?

    Could he really turn over a new leaf and win over his true love?

 Chapter 699 Confrontation

    Jenna gently stroked Sabrina¡¯s hair. Her face was full of sadness. She sighed and whispered, ¡°Sabrina, don¡¯t worry. Norton is a good guy. He will be fine.¡±

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have gotten angry with him in the first ce. Otherwise, he won¡¯t get hurt. If anything happens to him, then what should I do?¡± Sabrina shook her head and cried harder.

    Jenna¡¯s hand froze. She simply hugged her shoulder, not knowing how tofort her.

    Norton had done her wrong before. He was using his actions to prove himself. If anythingreallywere to happen, then how could Sabrina bear this?

    ¡°We can only pray that God saves him!¡± Jenna closed her eyes.

    Two hourster.

    The door of the operating theater slowly opened.

    ¡°Doctor, how is Norton?¡± Sabrina bounced up from her seat and ran towards the doctor. She grabbed the doctor¡¯s sleeve and asked in a hurry.

    Director Brooks had a grave expression on his face. He looked at her and said gently, ¡°Please calm down, Miss.¡±

    Jenna stepped forward and asked, ¡°Director Brooks, how is he?¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, the patient¡¯s wound is very grave. The bullet has hit his left chest, but it can be considered a blessing. It missed his heart just by a few inches. Otherwise, he would have died,¡± Director Brooks said solemnly.

    Upon hearing this, Jenna felt a chill in her heart, but the words after that gave her hope.

    Sabrina cried harder when she heard that.

    ¡°Then, how is he doing now?¡± she asked cautiously, with her heart up to her throat.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, the patient is still unconscious. He is going to be transferred to the intensive care unit for further observation,¡± Director Brooks answered politely.

    Jenna nodded and used a hand to support Sabrina.

    Soon, Norton was wheeled out by the nurse.

    ¡°Norton!¡± Sabrina rushed to him. She looked down at Norton, who was still sleeping. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and she cried out in pain.

    ¡°Miss, please get out of the way,¡± the nurse said. Soon, Norton was wheeled into the VIP intensive care unit with Sabrina following behind closely.

    Jenna stood there, looking at Sabrina with pain in her heart. She wanted to say something tofort her, but shook her head instead.

    That time, Norton¡¯s injury was worth it. He had won Sabrina¡¯s heart.

    After this tragedy, he would have a beautiful life from then on. It was a good ending.

    Hansen¡¯s Hummer stopped at the destination. He stared in front of him with sharp eyes, constantly alert of his surroundings.

    Yadriel wanted to escape after getting the Ocean Heart, but he would not let him seed. However, he had to consider the two time bombs still lurking in the mansion. He had to try his best to keep the Ocean Heart from Yadriel, and protect Richards Manor.

    As the head of the family, he had to put the safety of the family first.

    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± When Hansen saw that fifteen minutes had passed, he took the initiative to call Yadriel.

    Yadriel was sitting in the cabin of the helicopter and smoking a cigarette leisurely. When Hansen called, the corner of his mouth curled up. He sat up and took a deep puff of the cigarette in his hand. He slowly exhaled. Narrowing his eyes, the muscles on his face twitched.

    ¡°Very good. Now put it on top of the Spirit Pawnshop No. 47.¡± After a while, he replied. He suddenly took a deep drag of his cigarette and exhaled deeply. In the midst of the smoke, Yadriel¡¯s face was as sinister and terrifying as the Joker.

    Hearing these words sent a chill running down Hansen¡¯s spine. He tightened his grip on the Ocean Heart.

    The sky was dark, with only a few dim streetmps shing.

    He was at the outskirts of the city, close to the Moon River Mansion.

    Inside the carriage, Hansen pondered for a moment before picking up the Ocean Heart and opened the door.

    As he got out, a hot summer night breeze blew on his face and messy hair. He used his hand tob his hair as he swept his eyes across the surrounding environment.

    He was in the middle of a forest, and there were neither hawkers nor houses nearby. Not far from it was the main entrance of the Moon River Mansion. It seemed creepy, and no pedestrians could be seen. The only things with movement were the streetmps.

    What exactly was the Spirit Pawnshop No. 47 referring to?

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were sharp. He cautiously scanned his surroundings, but he didn¡¯t find any shop.

    He grabbed the Ocean Heart firmly, and he was thinking about every possibility. His eyes scanned every spot around him, not leaving any suspicious areas.

    Yadriel sat in the cabin, staring at aputer in front of him.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen¡¯s slender figure appeared on the screen.

    A sinister smile appeared on his face.

    In the surveince video, Hansen was walking carefully and looking around. He was holding something in his hand. Yadriel wasn¡¯t sure if it was the Ocean Heart, but he was sure that at that time, Hansen would not bring a fake one.

    After all, there were two time bombs that could destroy the mansion at any time.

    His phone rang again.

    He looked at the phone screen, took a deep puff of the cigarette, and picked up the call.

    ¡°Yadriel, what the h*ll are you doing? There¡¯s no ce like the Spirit Pawnshop No. 47. What in the world do you want? If you don¡¯t want the jewelry, then I¡¯ll leave,¡± Hansen shouted.

    In the video, Hansen was holding a phone. He stood under an old oak tree by the side of the road. His entire face was facing the video and his tone was stern. A few oak tree leavesnded in front of him. Yadriel could clearly see the impatience in his face. Yadriel caught the fear in his eyes. After all, he had threatened Hansen with two time bombs. Surely, he wouldn¡¯t want to see his family get hurt.

    Yadriel could control him easily. Otherwise, how could someone as proud as Hansen send over the Ocean Heart so obediently?

    A triumphant smile appeared on Yadriel¡¯s face. He took a few puffs of the cigarette in his hand and said lightly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will see it soon.¡±

    After he said that, he chuckled devilishly.

    When Hansen heard this creepyugh, he felt that Yadriel was nearby. He turned his head and looked around, feeling a chill run down his spine.

    If Yadriel were to confront him personally, then he would be fearless. Even if he were to point a gun at him, there would not be a trace of fear in his heart.

    However, at that time, he was like a ghost, ethereal and invisible.

    He couldn¡¯t even figure out what the h*ll he was up to.

 Chapter 700 Dreadful Confrontation

    ¡°Who should I hand it over to? You should know that I don¡¯t have much patience.¡± Hansen¡¯s sword-like eyebrows knitted tightly, and his thin lips curved into a straight line, cold and stiff.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Yadrielughed. ¡°Mr. Richards, your death is nigh. I suggest you appreciate every second you have left.¡±

    After saying that, he muted the call and ordered the pilot in front of him, ¡°Wait,ter when I say ¡®go¡¯, take off immediately.¡±

    ¡°Okay, sir,¡± the pilot in the cockpit answered.

    Yadriel switched the surveince video to another location. Immediately, the image of Richards Manor appeared on the screen.

    In Richards Manor, the hiding ces of the terrorists were clear at a nce. One of them was hiding in a hundred-year-old tree in the Ink Garden, and the other was hiding in the underground passage in the Green Jade Garden. He had sent people to dig this passage a long time ago. It wasn¡¯t huge, but it was enough to hide one person. Moreover, no one would have thought of this ce.

    Yadriel always did things in a unique way, making people clueless of what his next move was.

    Since Sergio moved into Richards Manor, he had been working on these ns. Of course, if the election was sessful, then so be it. If not, then he had a backup n.

    There were many security guards in Richards Manor, including the policemen who were patrolling with shlights. However, it was impossible to find them.

    The corners of Yadriel¡¯s lips curled up, and heughed hard.

    At that moment, as long as he gave the order, Hansen and his mansion would be blown into a bloody mess. He could sit on the ne and watch everything turn into ashes from high above. It would be entertaining to watch.

    This was what would happen when Hansen went against him.

    Delightedly, he switched back to the surveince video of Hansen.

    Hansen was pacing back and forth under the tree, appearing very anxious.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± He had sucked away thest drag of his cigarette and started speaking in a sinister manner. ¡°From now on, you will do as I say.¡±

    When he said this, he felt excited, and his whole body was shaking uncontrobly.

    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Hansen shouted sternly from the other end.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, young man. You¡¯re going to meet my son soon. It¡¯s funny to see that you¡¯re so eager to die.¡±

    When Sergio was mentioned, Yadriel¡¯s voice became hoarse and the muscles on his face twitched. His entire face twisted in pain. He shouted loudly.

    ¡°Hansen, stand under the tree on your left.¡±

    Hearing Yadriel¡¯s words, Hansen was shocked.

    Where was Yadriel? From his tone, it seemed like he was just beside him. He could clearly see his every move, but he knew nothing about Yadriel¡¯s whereabouts at all.

    This sort of confrontation was beyond terrifying.

    ¡°Hurry up.¡± At the moment when Hansen was lost in his thoughts, Yadriel yelled sharply. His voice was full of viciousness and arrogance, and he was very impatient.

    Hansen felt a chill run down his spine. At that moment, however, he had no choice but to follow his instructions and walk to the tree.

    If he couldn¡¯t see Yadriel, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything at all.

    ¡°Take five steps forward.¡± Yadriel¡¯s cold voice rang in his ears again.

    Hansen inhaled a deep breath. His eyes were filled with sorrow.

    Things hade to this point. For the safety of the Richards family, he could only listen to Yadriel¡¯s arrangements. Looking at the current situation, Yadriel had already prepared everything and would not let him off the hook that easily.

    He was doomed that night.

    He counted his steps and took five steps calmly. Then, he said in a cold voice, ¡°Yadriel, if those two terrorists attack the mansion, then I will immediately destroy this jewelry. You will not get it. I advise you not to go all out. Otherwise, you¡¯ll lose everything.¡±

    As he spoke, Hansen raised the jewel in his hand. He knew that he could see it.

    Surely enough, just as Yadriel was about to speak, he stopped.

    At that time, Hansen seemed to have grasped Yadriel¡¯s thoughts and slowly opened the jewelry box. He picked up the dazzling diamond that shone with blue light from the box.

    The diamond gave off a seductive light in the night.

    Yadriel¡¯s eyes widened to the size of brass bells as he fixed his eyes upon the Ocean Heart, with his mouth dripping with saliva.

    This was the diamond he had always dreamed of. His love for this diamond was even greater than that for his own son.

    At that moment, this attractive treasure was swaying in the hands of Hansen. It made his heart itch. He gulped a few times. Suddenly, he saw Hansen take out a pistol. It was aimed straight at the jewel.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, Hansen. We can negotiate.¡± His tone softened, and his voice was a little hoarse.

    Hansen could destroy the treasure. However, this treasure had been used to defeat his son at noon that day. He was not stupid.

    What was more, Hansen couldn¡¯t see where Yadriel was.

    ¡°Yadriel, I¡¯m not afraid to tell you. It doesn¡¯t matter if I die, if Richards Manor were to suffer a little. Today, I will hold onto the Ocean Heart and die together with you. No one can get it.¡± At that time, when hearing Yadriel¡¯s voice, Hansen softened, knowing that he had seen the light of the diamond. At that moment, his heart was aching. He immediately changed the topic and shouted angrily with a stern look.

    At that time, he could only go with the flow. He had to fight. Even if Yadriel wanted him dead, as long as he could protect the mansion, it was worth it.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yadriel snorted heavily and said gloomily, ¡°Hansen, I advise you to be honest. You are under my control. If you want to destroy the treasure, then you will not live. Why bother? Since I can make youe here, I have a way to control you. This is my territory, and you can¡¯t escape from my grasp. You¡¯d better cooperate. As long as I give an order, your mansion will be destroyed in a few minutes. Don¡¯t you understand?¡±N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Hansen sneered. ¡°Of course I understand. I know if I were to hand over the Ocean Heart, you won¡¯t let me go. Either way, death is my fate. So, think about it. Why should I hand over the jewel to you? Wouldn¡¯t it be better for it and I to perish together?¡±

    Yadriel was in a daze. This was indeed the case.

 Chapter 701 Save The Mansion

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to save Richards Manor?¡± He finally stirred from his train of thought and continued to question Hansen.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m starting to negotiate the terms with you now,¡± Hansen said straightforwardly.

    ¡°What¡¯s your condition?¡± Yadriel narrowed his eyes and asked in a cold voice.

    Hansen raised his head. The light in his eyes was gloomy. He said word by word, ¡°Remove the two terrorists.Then, I¡¯ll give you the diamond. That¡¯s my condition.¡±

    Yadriel narrowed his eyes at Hansen in the video.

    He stood firmly, ignoring his own life and death. He only wanted Yadriel to let go of Richards Manor.

    Wasn¡¯t he afraid of death?

    The reason he came that day was most likely because he was prepared to die. Once Yadriel had obtained the Ocean Heart, he wouldn¡¯t let Hansen go either.

    Faced with such a dangerous situation, he had the courage toe here. He also discussed the terms with him, only to protect his family. Yadriel had some admiration for Hansen in his heart. However, it was a pity that they were not friends.

    ¡°What makes you think that I will agree to your conditions?¡± Yadriel was silent for a moment before he asked.

    A disdainful sneer appeared on Hansen¡¯s face.

    ¡°You want the Ocean Heart,and you want to kill me and destroy my mansion. That is too greedy of you. Think about it. How is this possible? I am not a fool. If you want me dead, then I¡¯ll dly cooperate. But you must let go of the mansion. This is my bottom line. Otherwise, I will destroy the jewel.You¡¯ll never have it.¡± Hansen analyzed.

    Yadriel had already lost so much to obtain the Ocean Heart. Even his own son had died. At that moment, he would not give it up.

    At that time, Yadriel couldn¡¯t help but to feel frightened after hearing what Hansen said. If he wanted to have a better future, to reappear in the European political arena, then he needed money. If he didn¡¯t have money, then it would make no difference. Everything he did was for this treasure. How could he allow it to be destroyed?

    He thought about it for a while.

    If he agreed to Hansen¡¯s request to let the two terrorists leave the mansion and surrender them to the police, then he would lose the leverage to exact revenge. However, Hansen would not be able to escape from his hands that evening. Richards Manor and the Richards Group were sorge. If Hansen was no longer around, then would there still be a rich and powerful Richards family?

    The answer was obvious.

    What a painful thing it would be for Trevor to lose his only son. He bet Trevor would want to die more than to live after Hansen¡¯s death. In fact, it could torture even more people.

    He was articting the whole situation, and his eyes shone with light. After a while, he agreed. ¡°Okay, I promise you.¡±

    As soon as Yadriel agreed, Hansen¡¯s nervous heart was finally set at ease, and his whole body rxed.

    ¡°Then, ask the two terrorists to turn themselves in.¡± Hansen shouted from the other end, ¡°After that, I¡¯ll consider giving you the Ocean Heart.¡±

    After thinking for a while, Yadriel said, ¡°I will order them to show themselves. After they turn themselves in, you must take five steps to the left. There will be someoneing over to get the diamond.¡±

    He took a step back and made the final arrangement.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Hansen gritted his teeth and agreed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jenna. I need to protect Richards Manor. I¡¯m sorry for not being able to stay. Please take good care of the Richards Group and Richards Manor. Take good care of our children too.¡± He closed his eyes. Jenna¡¯s voice and her smile emerged in his mind, and tears flowed down his face.

    Yadriel redirected his focus to the surveince video at Richards Manor and picked up his earphones.

    At that moment, Richards Manor was heavily guarded. As long as he ordered the two terrorists to show themselves, they would be seen and arrested immediately.

    Yadriel¡¯s eyes were fixed on the video. After thinking for a while, he finally gave the order and asked the terrorists toe out.

    The terrorists never expected that, at that crucial moment, they would be asked to surrender themselves. After a moment of astonishment, they walked out from the tree and the underground tunnel ording to Yadriel¡¯s orders.

    They were dressed in strange clothes and there were bombs bound on their bodies. The patrolling policemen and members of the Grand Eagles were everywhere in the mansion. Thus, as soon as they appeared, they were immediately discovered. They were arrested and brought away from the mansion.

    Now that the two terrorists had been taken away, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, where are you?¡± At that time, Alvin was most worried about Hansen. He couldn¡¯t get to him. So, he immediately dialed another phone number.

    When Hansen saw Alvin calling, he knew in his heart that Richards Manor was safe.

    ¡°Alvin, I¡¯m fine. Is the mansion safe now? Did the two terrorists surrender themselves?¡± he asked in a deep voice.

    Alvin understood then. The reason those terrorists turned themselves in was because of Hansen¡¯s negotiation with Yadriel over there.

    At that moment, he thought of something more serious. If Yadriel promised to let go of Richards Manor, then he would not let go of Hansen.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± He paused for a second, then he hung up and ran.

    Hansen felt bitter in his heart. He took out his phone and dialed a number. After a while, Trevor answered.

    ¡°Dad.¡±

    As soon as he spoke, Trevor¡¯s trembling voice rang out. ¡°Hansen, my son, is everything good? Be careful. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s eyes lit up, and he said softly, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    At that time, when Yadriel saw that the terrorists had been taken away, Hansen was calling someone on the phone and did not walk to the left. Yadriel immediately screamed on the phone.

    ¡°Hansen, take five steps to the left.¡±

    ¡°Dad, Richards Manor is safe now. Have a good rest. I have something to do here. I¡¯ll hang up first,¡± Hansen showed a bitter smile, but stillforted him before he hung up the phone.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    At that time, he walked into Yadriel¡¯s trap and couldn¡¯t get away.

    Yadriel instructed him to take five steps to the left. After doing so, he noticed a bomb just five steps away from him. He guessed that there were also many guns aimed at him in the dark.

    At that time, he could only destroy the Ocean Heart before he died to prevent this national treasure from falling into the wrong hands.

 Chapter 702 Thrilling and Exhilarating

    A strong beam of white light shot towards them from a turn. Hansen looked up and saw a ck off-road vehicle plowing towards him.

    ¡°Five steps to the left, immediately, and then give the Ocean Heart to the people in the car.¡± Yadriel¡¯s voice immediately red sonorously into Hansen¡¯s ears like a siren.

    As long as Hansen took five steps forward, Yadriel¡¯s subordinates would immediately snatch the Ocean Heart from his hands. Then, the bomb that was buried under his feet would explode in a few dozen seconds as soon as it was stepped on.

    Of course,should Hansen not do this, they already had snipers staking out in the woods.

    However,pared to being shot by the bullets, Yadriel would rather see Hansen die from the explosion.

    After all, Hansen was well prepared and was wearing a bulletproof vest. In this case, the best way for him to die in an instant was by bombing him.

    All in all, Yadriel would not let Hansen walk away alive that time.

    He observed Hansen taking a few steps forward.

    The first step, the second step¡­

    He was so excited that he cried out.

    Yadriel was so pumped up that he was in a state of ecstasy while watching Hansen pacing step by step to the edge of death.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± A cold, ck muzzle was suddenly pointed at Yadriel¡¯s temple.

    At that moment, Yadriel wasughing so hard that he could not even shut his mouth before hewas petrified in that instant.

    What was going on?

    It was too sudden!

    ¡°Mr. Hansen, please stop. Don¡¯t go any further. Protect the Ocean Heart and avoid the bullets.¡± Kimmel jumped onto the cabin and aimed his pistol at Yadriel¡¯s head. He then grabbed the phone from Yadriel¡¯s hand and immediately shouted at it anxiously.

    With his resolution to die, Hansen took a step forward. Just as he was about to take the final step, Kimmel¡¯s voice came from the phone.

    He was shocked, not understanding what was going on.

    ¡°Don¡¯tnd on the final step. Stop immediately.¡± Kimmel saw from the screen that Hansen¡¯s foot, which was midair, almostnded on the ground. He continued to roar, ¡°I was sent by Madam Lilian to save you.¡±

    Kimmel invoked Madam Lilian¡¯s name in his exnation to prevent Hansen from suspecting him.

    After a moment of shock, Hansen understood immediately that Madam Lilian¡¯s men had already taken control of Yadriel. He felt a wave of joy in his heart and pulled back his foot in time. Simultaneously, he clenched the Ocean Heart.

    At that time, the off-road vehicle arrived in front of him in an instant. Someone rolled down the window and reached for the Ocean Heart in his hand.

    Hansen leaped forwardnimblyand dodged the pair of hands.

    Several pitch-ck muzzles immediately appeared and were aimed at him. He could even see the ck explosive in the car.

    Kimmel was stunned to see this situation.

    Hansen dodged the attacks agilely with his instincts, yet waspletely dumbfounded at the same time.

    Intuitively, he felt that there were pistols pointed at him in the woods behind.

    ¡°Marvelous!Madam Lilian has finallye to save Hansen, her grandson-inw in distress.¡± Yadrielughed wildly when he looked at the screen.

    ¡°Tell your subordinates to stop and let Hansen go. Otherwise, I will put you to death with onesingle shot.¡± Kimmel pressed the pistol against Yadriel¡¯s temple and ordered harshly.

    Yadriel had a calm, collected smile and replied without any fear, ¡°Oh, you won¡¯t. Because if you shoot, death is the only way out for Hansen.¡±

    Kimmel turned to look at Hansen. Fortunately, the Ocean Heart was still in his hands. They still had to take care of him. If he had stepped down just then, then he would really die a tragic death with his body unable to be recovered.

    However, looking at the current situation, outsmarting Yadriel was absolutely crucial in this stalemate.

    ¡°Do you think you can still leave A City in one piece today?¡± Kimmel smiled coldly and asked without mercy.

    ¡°Yes or no, that¡¯s not up to me. Whatever happened will prevail soon.¡± Yadriel did not pay attention to what Kimmel said and answered with aplomb.

    After taking a few steps back to avoid the bullets, Hansen stood up and looked at the pitch-ck muzzles and bomb in front of him, determination and disdain evident on his face.

    He clenched the Ocean Heart even harder, prepared to destroy it at any time.

    It was as ifhis thoughtshad been seen through.

    Before he could steady his footing, several ghoulish-looking men jumped out of the car and rushed towards him.

    Hansen knew that they were here to snatch the Ocean Heart.

    He immediately took a step back and pointed his gun at the jewelry. He shouted, ¡°If you dare take another step forward, then I¡¯ll st it off.¡±

    Everyone halted upon hearing his pronouncement.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Hansen, you can¡¯t break your promise. We have made an agreement that if I let go of Richard Manor, then you will hand the Ocean Heart to me.¡± Seeing this, Yadriel¡¯s facial muscles began to twistand started screaming frantically at the phone screen. However, it was taken away by Kimmel. Hence, his shouting didn¡¯t work on Hansen at all.

    ¡°Would you still keep to your word when dealing with a viin such as you?¡± Kimmel sneered from the side. ¡°Today, not only can¡¯t you get the Ocean Heart, but you will also lose your life.¡±

    Yadriel¡¯s eyes slowly turned bloodshot, which were ghastly and terrifying.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I won¡¯t let Hansen off either. Allow me to tell you this. I¡¯m prepared to be destroyed today.¡± He gritted his teeth and continued. ¡°As long as you shoot me, my subordinates will immediately ignite the bomb in the car. That¡¯s no ordinary bomb. When ignited, the entire area will be a sea of fire and Hansen will not live.¡±

    Madam Lilian definitely would not allow it if Hansen lost his life.Yadriel seized this deadly weakness and threatened madly.

    Kimmel¡¯s palm began to sweat.

    That day, Madam Lilian wanted him to save Hansen. Therefore, he would not care whether Yadriel was dead or not, but Hansen needed to live.

    Hence, he could not let Yadriel die easily. Kimmel needed to make use of Yadriel¡¯s life to save Hansen.

    ¡°Yadriel, Hansen will not die sinceI¡¯m here today. As for you, whether you live or not, it¡¯s in your own hands.¡± Kimmel held his pistol tightly to the point that it was about to emit smoke.

    A hint of slyness in Yadriel¡¯s eyes flickered like an eagle. He stared at the phone screen,with the cogs in his brain turning swiftly.

    A sharp beam of light lit up on the screen again.

    Yadriel rubbed his eyes.

    In the darkness not far away, two desert off-road vehicles were driving towards the scene.

    Soon, the door was pushed open. Alvin, John, and the Grand Eagles all popped out of the car.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± Alvin and John jumped out of the car and called Hansen.

    The other car alsosteadilyslowed to a stop, and several strong men came out of it. Among them were some non-citizen men. When Kimmel looked at them and found that the people he had sent to save Hansen had also arrived in the nick of time, he instantly felt rxed.

    ¡°Alvin, who asked you toe over?¡± Hansen¡¯s facial expression became incensed as heined when hesaw Alvin and Johne over with the Grand Eagles.

    In such a situation, the fewer people came, the better. Whereas the more people came, the more misgivings he would have and the more sacrifices he would have to make.

    He had reason to believe that the insane Yadriel would definitely think of a way out at that moment. The final gamble, then, would very likely be the one where the bomb on the car would detonate, resulting in everyone perishing together.

    The bomb in their car was an extremely powerful one. How could Yadriel, who wasn¡¯t able to obtain anything, be willing to give up?

    When the time came, they would all die together. The more people Hansen had with him, the more Yadriel would be tempted in doing so.

 Chapter 703 I Want Hansen Back Alive

    ¡°We¡¯re all worried about your safety, Mr. Richards.¡± Alvin¡¯s sharp gaze scanned their surroundings, dreadfully worried.

    ¡°Nonsense, have you forgotten my orders? If I really needed you here,then would I still wait until now?¡± Hansen looked on as more than a dozen armedrades of the Grand Eagles came out of the car, and his eyes were bloodshot.

    Everyone in the Grand Eagles was specially selected by him from the special forces or martial arts troupes. They were all swornrades who had fought together. He even gave them the best sry and welfare, and asked them to serve hispany. In fact, he had already regarded them as fellow brothers for so many years. He didn¡¯t want them toe over and get annihted together with him.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, our duty is to protect you. When you are in danger, we have to stand up for you and shield you from bullets and knives.¡± Therades of the Grand Eagles all shouted loudly.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes reddened. He was moved yet furious at the same time. He yelled, ¡°Alvin, bring them out of here quickly. This ce is very dangerous. Just me here is enough. This is not the time for all of you to block the bullets for me. Once the bomb explodes, no one can leave this ce.¡±

    As more of Hansen¡¯srades turned up, Yadriel¡¯s subordinates, who initially felt that they had no chance of winning, really lifted the gigantic bomb from the car and put it on the road.

    It was only then that Alvin and John noticed the dangerous situation they were in, and also understood the reason Hansen reprimanded them.

    Their emotions rose, and they were grateful to Hansen. However, since the situation hade to this point, they had made up their minds. Even if they had to die, they would die together, and would never leave Hansen.

    Yadriel saw a life-and-death situation on the screen and could not help but tough out loud.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re still the smart one. And with that, you¡¯ve managed to save Richards Manor. However, you know what¡¯s even better? There are more people walking to their deaths.¡± He ced his hand in front of Kimmel and said, ¡°Hand me the phone.¡±

    Kimmel looked at him and threw the phone to him.

    ¡°Hey, you. Shoot if you dare! Our code name for today¡¯s operation is Soul Pawnshop 47, meaning that everyone will all die. If you don¡¯t mind, then it¡¯s absolutely fine if we die together.¡± Yadriel looked at the screen where more people appeared, his eyes narrowing into a straight line as he let out a strange smirk.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I wouldn¡¯t dare. At least your life is in my hands.¡± Kimmel¡¯s lips pursed tightly, looking extremely icy.

    Yadriel smiled faintly and talked back. ¡°My life is not as valuable as Hansen¡¯s. As long as you guys make any unusual moves, that explosive will be detonated in time. Don¡¯t worry, we will perish together. Why not?¡±

    Kimmel¡¯s expression changed.

    ¡°What exactly do you want?¡± He was a bit discouraged and asked helplessly.

    ¡°Nah, forget it, I¡¯m already disheartened. Since it has already gotten to this stage, if you want to save Hansen, then I will help you. Just hand me the Ocean Heart, let me fly away safely, and then I will let go of him.¡± He nced at the screen as if he had made a great determination.

    ¡°You wish. The Ocean Heart is a national treasure. How can it be brought abroad by a greedy man like you? Absolutely not.¡± Although Kimmel denied it, there was hesitation in his heart.

    If he could save Hansen, then this method was actually feasible. However, he was afraid that this crafty and sly fox would y tricks on him.

    ¡°No? Fine. Then, we¡¯ll let Hansen and the rest of you perish together.¡± Heughed again, not the slightest bit timid.

    Hansen heard the conversation between Yadriel and Kimmel on the phone. He roared angrily, ¡°Yadriel, didn¡¯t you want me to die? Then, hurry up. You don¡¯t even have the chance to get hold of the Ocean Heart.¡± After he finished, he roared at Alvin and the rest, ¡°Quick, all of you, retreat at once.¡±

    Everyone sent by Alvin and Madam Lilian did not retreat.

    The whole situation remained in a stalemate.

    Meanwhile, the sirens of the police cars headed towards them in the dark. There were more peopleing, and the scene was getting more intense.

    Yadriel¡¯s eyes were grim and his expression was calm.

    The more people there were, the less afraid he was.

    Kimmel began to stand up uneasily, and the pistol beside Yadriel¡¯s temple was also shaking.

    ¡°Tell Madam Lilian that if she wants Hansen to survive, thenshe will have to hand me the Ocean Heart and let my ne take off safely. This is my only condition. Otherwise, both parties will be injured and no one will survive.¡±Yadriel, who was deep in the mountains, couldhear the harsh police siren. His facial muscles twisted and his sharp eyes gleamed like an eagle¡¯s. He also curled his fingers while dering ferociously.

    ¡°Are you afraid?¡± Kimmel noticed Yadriel¡¯s guilty conscience, as well as his viciousness, and his mocking smile on his face.

    Yadriel¡¯s facial expression changed, and the corners of his mouth twisted together. He lit a cigarette, smoked half of it, and spat out a smoke ring. His voice was like that of a demon from h*ll. ¡°I¡¯ll only give you three minutes to think about it. You have to give the Ocean Heart to me and let me take off, or else I¡¯ll detonate the bomb and turn everyone to ashes.¡±

    After finishing speaking, he leaned his back against the chair and exhaled heavily, looking extremely tired and disheartened.

    Time passed in silence.

    ¡°Only one minute left. Don¡¯t me me for not reminding you.¡± Yadriel opened his eyes slowly. His voice was cold and rough, like the night winddeepin the mountains.

    Kimmel looked at the scene on the screen. Hansen was aiming his gun at the Ocean Heart, while Alvin and the others were standing aside. They took out their pistols and aimed at Yadriel¡¯s subordinates, but they just stood there calmly. The leader in the middle held a bomb in one hand and kept lighting up the lighter with his other hand, disying the act where he was ready to perish together.

    More and more policemen gathered outside, holding their microphones and beginning to talk.

    It wouldn¡¯t do good for anyone if this scene escted.

    Kimmel did not doubt for a second that the mad Yadriel would light a bomb for his subordinates and then take them down with him. Since the light in Yadriel¡¯s eyes was terribly cold and desperate, filled with pain and hatred, his ck pupils were not in sight. Only his horribly white sclera could be seen, blinking from time to time.

    This was a sign that one was about to go crazy.

    Kimmel¡¯s palm was stained with sweat.

    He dialed Madam Lilian¡¯s number.

    ¡°Kimmel, let Yadriel take off. I want Hansen toe back alive.¡± After Kimmel reported the situation here to Madam Lilian, she barely hesitated and immediately said so.

    After Kimmel received the order from her, he had no choice but to nod and agree.

 Chapter 704 Hit In the Sore Spot

    ¡°Yadriel, you seeded.¡± He let out a sigh and said somewhat frustratedly to Yadriel.

    Yadrielughed. ¡°I knew it. Madam Lilian feels guilty towards Sara. How would she be willing to let her granddaughter lose her husband?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so smug. First, have your people get rid of the bomb, and then I will call Hansen to hand over the Ocean Heart to your subordinates.¡± Kimmel pushed the gun in his hand to Yadriel¡¯s head hard again, and gave a stern order.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m dim-witted? If one of my men were to extinguish the bomb, then wouldn¡¯t they be immediately killed by all of you?¡± Yadriel sneered. Without any hesitation, he continued. ¡°Stop with the ridiculous stuff. Get Hansen to hand over the Ocean Heart. Then, we¡¯ll leave this ce immediately.¡±

    Kimmel pondered for a while and picked up Yadriel¡¯s phone.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, please hand the Ocean Heart over to them to avoid any unnecessary casualties,¡± he said with some difficulty.

    ¡°No, this is the treasure of the Richards family, as well as this country¡¯s national treasure. I can¡¯t give it to these greedy people,¡± Hansen replied firmly on the phone.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, this is Madam Lilian¡¯s order. Please don¡¯t break her heart as she¡¯s hoping for you to return safely. You have seen the current situation. There are too many innocent people involved. If the bomb explodes, then everyone will die.¡± Kimmel knew that Hansen was not afraid of death, but it was too cruel for so many people present to die for this treasure. He thought that Hansen should understand this.

    Surely enough, when Hansen heard what he said, he fell silent.

    Should he sacrifice his favorite general, the subordinates sent by Madam Lilian, and the policemen just for a treasure?

    This also hit him in the sore spot.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give the Ocean Heart to you. You should all step back first.¡± Hansen looked at the dark bomb in front of him and said to the man with the bomb fuse in his hand.

    The man looked around and stared at the jewelry in Hansen¡¯s hands, and then ordered the subordinates around him. ¡°You can all go back to the car first.¡±

    ¡°Please be careful of his tricks.¡± After reminding him, his subordinate next to him gazed around and retreated to the car at the same time.

    Hansen narrowed his eyes as he held the Ocean Heart with his fingers and slowly handed it over.

    The man¡¯s eyes widened and he snatched away the jewelry from his hand.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He turned back and jumped into the car, shouting at the driver.

    The driver had already started the car. As soon as he stepped on the gas pedal, the car sped up.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, be careful!¡± Alvin¡¯s eyes had been staring at Hansen. When Yadriel¡¯s gangsters wound down the window and threw a grenade at Hansen, Alvin leaped forward and pushed Hansen away. Simultaneously, Kimmel¡¯s man, and a foreign man with blond hair and blue eyes quickly ran up and threw the grenade, which was emitting white smoke, into the woods.

    Soon, the sound of an explosion came from the woods.

    Hansen¡¯s thoughts were all focused on the Ocean Heart. He quickly got up from the ground and shouted at Alvin and the others, ¡°Hurry up! Catch them and get back the Ocean Heart!¡±

    Alvin and others immediately jumped into the car and headed forward as fast as they could.

    Now that they were far away from the bomb and along with the probability where innocent people got sacrificed, with their skills, they should be able to get the Ocean Heart back.

    Hansen quickly started his Hummer and chased after them.

    Seeing that his men had taken away the Ocean Heart from Hansen, Yadriel¡¯s eyes lit up. He rushed back with lightning speed and kicked Kimmel off the ne.

    ¡°Start the ne quickly,¡± he roared in a deep voice.

    The ne then took off immediately.

    Kimmel saw from the screen that Yadriel¡¯s subordinates had thrown a grenade at Hansen from the car window. He was startled and was absent-minded for a second, and this had given Yadriel a chance to sneak up on him.

    Yadriel¡¯s private ne rose into the air and he stood up angrily. He saw Yadriel¡¯s face emerging from behind the window in the cabin, and looked down at Kimmel with a grin on his face as he fired his gun at him.

    He quickly hid under a big tree and fired back at Yadriel. Unfortunately, the distance between them was too great, and the uracywas extremely lowas the ne was gaining altitude.

    He watched helplessly as the ne flew towards the endless blue horizon.

    ¡°Madam, we made a mistake and let Yadriel escape.¡± He took out his phone to make a call to Madam Lilian and reported in a deep voice.

    ¡°How is Hansen?¡± Madam Lilian did not respond to him. She only asked about Hansen¡¯s situation.

    ¡°Madam, the Ocean Heart was also robbed by Yadriel¡¯s men. Now, we are chasing after them,¡± Kimmel answered very disappointedly.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s refined eyes were filled with calmness, and a sneer appeared on her mouth.

    If scum like Yadriel was able to escape, then may Heaven stop him from seeding.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    ¡°Hurry up and help Hansen get back the Ocean Heart.¡± After giving this order, she hung up the phone.

    After walking around the lounge for two rounds, she personally made an international phone call. She spoke in fluent English, ¡°General Milon, in half an hour, a helicopter will pass through the sky above the Pacific Ocean. Think of a way to shoot it down. It¡¯s a government official who illegally colluded with criminals engaged in arms trafficking. He won¡¯t be on the legal cruising route.¡±

    ¡°Understood, ma¡¯am,¡± General Milon replied respectfully.

    After Madam Lilian hung up the phone, she let out a sigh of relief and fell on the leather chair.

    ¡°Quina, has my Emily woken up?¡± She sat with her head down and asked Quina, who was standing aside in a low voice.

    Quina pursed her lower lip tightly andforted her softly. ¡°Madam, Jenna is waiting by her side. The doctor has said that as long as there¡¯s no fever, she will be fine if her condition stabilizes.¡±

    Madam Lilian still sat there with her head down.

    ¡°Has the medicine arrived from overseas?¡± she asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Madam, the helicopter wille over soon with it. As long as Miss Sara wakes up, we can let her drink it,¡± Quina answered gently.

    Madam Lilian lowered her head and kept silent.

    For so many years, she had never asked about her daughter. Now that her daughter was in such a terrible situation, Madam Lilian¡¯s heart felt as if there were needles piercing through and embedded deeply in her bones.

    She was too ashamed to meet Sara.

    Her fingers clutched and tightened, and the part of the pants around her knees was wrinkled into a mess.

    Two lines of tears rolled down her cheeks.

    Hansen¡¯s Hummer chased forward like lightning.

    His Hummer, which was gradually getting faster, soon approached the off-road vehicle in front of them.

    The gangsters in the car ahead began to shoot at them.

    The bullets hit the bulletproof windshield of the Hummer from time to time, forming sparks.

    Hansen took out his pistol and focused his sharp eyes on the off-road vehicle in front of him and fired the bullets towards the tires.

    As long as the tires exploded, they had a chance to eliminate them.

    However, since his arm was injured, he didn¡¯t have enough strength. Also, the Hummer was speeding very fast. Thus, it was difficult for him to aim properly at the tires.

 Chapter 705 When Put In A Dire Situation Only Would One Advance Fearlessly

    Both vehicles were neck to neck, neither was able to pass the other.

    At that moment,the sound of spinning des could be heard above his head. Hansen looked up and saw a helicopter hovering above. From the Hummer, he could vaguely see numerous intimidating faces.

    It seemed that the helicopter, which would be taking them out of the country, had arrived!

    ¡°Stop them. We can¡¯t let them board it.¡± Seeing the helicopter hovering above their heads and thedder being let down, Hansen started bing anxious. At that moment, the gangsters were also starting to worry. If it weren¡¯t for Hansen and the others chasing after them, then they would have already begun to escape from this piece ofnd.

    Therefore, they began to concentrate on shooting Hansen and his partners.

    The gunfight became more intense.

    Hansen¡¯s Grand Eagles went after them and began to surround and intercept the culprits.

    At that time, the sky was dark, and with the helicopter hovering above, the situation seemed dire.

    The few cars in the suburban area were speeding forward.

    Soon, they were in the downtown area. Although it waste at night, there would be more cars. If they continued to shoot like this, then there would be more unnecessary casualties.

    Hansen became more anxious.

    The police were still behind them, cleaning up the mess and checking for bombs. Could they stop these viins from getting on the helicopter? It was clear that it was a crucial moment.

    The gunfight continued, and neither side had an obvious upper hand.

    The number of bullets Hansen had left became fewer and fewer, while it was obvious that the ammunition in the viin¡¯s car was sufficient. Yadriel was fully prepared.

    Even though Hansen¡¯s Hummer was made of special bulletproof material, it was made uneven by bullets and was riddled with holes.

    However, the performance of his Hummer far exceeded that of ordinary cars. He clenched his teeth and pushed his Hummer to hit the off-road car in front of him with enough force.

    With a loud crash,strong sparks erupted from the impact between the two cars as they collided.

    The assants¡¯ car was knocked far away, with two of its tires still spinning while suspended in the air.

    It was obvious that the driver was experienced and immediatelyunched the car forward from the inside. The car then flew up from its side andnded steadily on the ground again. When itnded, several bullets shot out from the inside. Hansen¡¯s Hummer was repeatedly hit, forming several holes. So, he had to stop.

    The culprits took the opportunity to continue escaping while Hansen took a breather to regroup. It seemed that they were about to get away.

    At the street junction ahead of them.

    An off-road vehicle suddenly rushed out, andpletely blockedthe path towards where the assants¡¯ car was heading.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Noticing that something was wrong, the culprits immediately manoeuvred their vehicle to the other side.

    A ck, high-caliber muzzle suddenly extended out from the desert off-road vehicle in front of them. It was aimed at the bandit¡¯s car and started shooting wildly. Their car was riddled with holes and looked pretty miserable. At that point, screams could be hearding from inside the car.

    With a loud ¡®bang¡¯, the muzzle shot urately at their tires, which immediately ttened out, and the whole car copsed. The car was finally critically damaged and could no longer be driven forward.

    After that, Kimmel jumped out of the car and aimed his muzzle at the men in the vehicle. After a few shots, multiple screams and howls could be hearding from the inside¡­

    Hansen and the Grand Eagles quickly surrounded them as well.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, then quickly get down and surrender.¡± White smoke was still rising from Kimmel¡¯s ck muzzle as he shouted at them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t shoot anymore. We¡¯ll surrender.¡± Immediately, terrified shouts could be hearding from within.

    Kimmel smiled coldly.

    Quickly, the damaged car door was opened, and three bandits came out with their heads in their arms. Alvin and the others immediately stepped forward and subdued them.

    When the helicopter hovering above interpreted that the situation was not favourable, it flew away quickly.

    At that moment, Kimmel went up and grabbed the Ocean Heart from one of the men. He walked over and respectfully handed it over to Hansen.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Madam Lilian hopes that you can take good care of this rare jewel,¡± he said in a solemn tone, smiling.

    Hansen stared at the Ocean Heart in Kimmel¡¯s hand and felt a surge of excitement in his heart. He epted it with both hands and said sincerely, ¡°Thank you, Madam Lilian.¡±

    Kimmel smiled and nodded.

    At that point, with the help of Madam Lilian, Hansen finally seeded in keeping Richards Manor safe and taking back the Ocean Heart. Nevertheless, it was a pity that Yadriel had gotten away.

    In the hospital.

    Madam Lilian was sitting in the lounge with her eyes closed, resting.

    Half an hourter.

    A ne flying across the Pacific Ocean was hit by a guided missile, and the ne instantly turned into a fireball in the sky.

    Atst, Yadriel, with his dream of getting the Ocean Heart, fell into the depths of the sea.

    Everything seemed to be at peace.

    After receiving Kimmel¡¯s call, Madam Lilian breathed a sigh of relief.

    After that episode, Madam Lilian, who was no longer very young, was exhausted both mentally and physically.

    Disturbed by her anxiety, Quina forcefully carried her back to the hotel to rest.

    The next day, the gates of Richards Manor were opened once again. After a night of cleaning, the manor finally weed back its quietness and peace.

    Vivian¡¯s memorial service finally began as scheduled.

    After experiencing such a huge life-changing episode, everyone started to shift their attention instead to the funeral of this great woman.

    In Richards Manor, the funeral flowers extended from the gates till the mourning hall of Central Ind. The religious funeral songs sounded like cries from heaven and grief for the terrible loss.

    After a short break, Hansen immediately put in all his efforts into his grandmother¡¯s memorial service.

    He hadn¡¯t managed to see Vivian onest time at the end and felt guilty. When all the danger had been eliminated, he invested all of his energy into the memorial service.

    Vivian¡¯s memorial service, which was carefullyhandled by Hansen,was very grand and proper.

    The day after, Madam Lilian woke up early in the morning and rushed to the hospital.

    Sarastillhad not woken up from thea the previous night. So, she was very worried.

    Jenna stayed with Sara in the ICUall night.

    ¡°Mom, you finally woke up.¡± In the early hours of the morning, Jenna finally saw Sara opening her blurry eyes, and she couldn¡¯t help crying out in surprise and joy.

    Sara¡¯s eyes zed over as she stared nkly at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. She was still in a daze.

    As she had just woken up from thea, her mind was not clear.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Jenna held her hand tightly and cried excitedly again.

    Sara rolled her eyes and came to her senses.

    Where was she?

    Gradually, a familiar feeling welled up in her heart. In particr, Jenna¡¯s voice woke her up.

    She was in the hospital and was still hooked to IV drips.

    Her fainting incident from the day before gradually came back to mind.

    ¡°Jenna, my daughter.¡± She struggled to reach out her hand and widened her eyes in horror.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m here.¡± Jenna hurriedly grabbed one of her hands and held it tightly, while calling out as she teared up.

    Sara¡¯s nk and frightened expression deeply upset her heart.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she choked as she spoke.

 Chapter 706 An Extremely Heavy Heart

    ¡°Jenna, my child, are you alright?¡± Sara finally heard Jenna¡¯s voice and asked excitedly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m alright.¡± Jenna shook her head repeatedly and put her hand on her chest. She held back her grief with a sad yet beautiful smile on her face.

    Sara could finally recall some events, but Jenna was more worried that the excitement would be bad for her health condition. This was what she didn¡¯t want to see.

    ¡°Then, that¡¯s alright. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine.¡± Sara¡¯s eyes lit up as she muttered to herself. All of a sudden, she seemed to have thought of something and asked nervously, ¡°How about Hansen? Is he fine?¡±

    ¡°Mom, he¡¯s doing well. Right now, he¡¯s atGrandma¡¯sfuneral at Richards Manor.¡± Jenna wiped away the tears on her face and answered softly.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Sara heaved a sigh of relief, feelingpletely rxed. She muttered to herself, ¡°Now that Vivian has passed away, I should be mourning for her. Jenna, take me to Vivian¡¯s memorial service today.¡±

    ¡°Mom, your health is not good for now. Your kidney has been damaged and you can¡¯t walk out of the ward. You can rest assured that I will inform Grandma of your situation at the memorial tabletter. I think Grandma in heaven will definitely understand your sincerity.¡± Sara¡¯s body was so weak that she could not leave the ward. Therefore, Jenna would not allow her to go. At the moment, sheforted her in a gentle voice, but her words were very determined.

    Sara was in pain from head to toe and just by saying a few words would make her pant. She understood what was going on with her body, and tears rolled down her cheeks helplessly.

    ¡°Mom,Yadriel and Sergio are already dead, and the Ocean Heart was not taken away. These are all joyful events. You shouldn¡¯t be sad and be happy instead. After you¡¯ve recovered, I will take you to Grandma¡¯s grave to pay your respects.¡± Jenna used a tissue to wipe away Sara¡¯s tears and said softly, ¡°Mom, you need to be fine. Dad has left, and I can¡¯t lose you. You are my most precious loved one. Please be happy, Mom. Live on for me.¡±

    She took Sara¡¯s hand and pleaded with grief evident all over her face.

    How could Sara not understand what she meant? She held Jenna¡¯s hand tightly.

    In the gorgeous recreational vehicle.

    ¡°Madam, aren¡¯t you going to acknowledge Miss Sara today?¡± Quina took the paternity test result in her hand and asked in confusion.

    Madam Lilian looked at the result and sighed. She shook her head and replied, ¡°Quina, keep it first. It¡¯s not time yet. As a mother, I have never cared about my daughter and she doesn¡¯t even know about my existence. Now that her illness is so serious and her body is weak, I am worried that she can¡¯t ept this sudden news. Getting too emotional will be bad for her health. Patients with kidney problems should avoid extreme emotions.¡±

    After hearing this, Quina nodded thoughtfully.

    In fact, in the depths of Madam Lilian¡¯s heart, she was afraid and fearful that Sara would not acknowledge her as her mother. This was not her spection, but based on the twists and turns that day when she visited Francist Community. She knew that Sara¡¯s personality was extremely simr to vian¡¯s, aloof and proud, as well as having extremely strong self-esteem. For Madam Lilian, who had never made her existence known, to appear suddenly and introduce herself as her mother, Sara would definitely be disgusted.

    However, if Sara was in a healthy condition, perhaps Madam Lilian couldn¡¯t wait to disclose their rtionship. However, now that she was lying in the hospital bed, and feeling so weak that she could pass away at any time, she just couldn¡¯t say anything.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes were dim and was feeling downcast.

    Quina could understand Madam Lilian more or less. She could only sigh secretly.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    After the car arrived at the government hospital, she held Madam Lilian¡¯s hand and went straight to the ICU.

    ¡°Mom, this is the best kidney medicine in the world that Madam Lilian specially airlifted from overseas. The doctor instructed you to drink it everyday. I will open it for you now.¡± In order to reassure Sara, Jenna chirped happily while showing a positive attitude towards life. Then, she took the medicine that Madam Lilian delivered¡­

    ¡°Madam Lilian?¡± Sara paused for a moment and looked at Jenna in disbelief.

    Why would Madam Lilian buymedicine for her?

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s Madam Lilian. She¡¯s been very kind to both the Richards family and us,¡± Jenna stated proudly with a smile.

    Sara responded with an ¡®oh¡¯ and her mind couldn¡¯t keep up with what she heard.

    At that moment, the door frame opened, and a woman in a white germ-proof gown came in. She happened to look into Sara¡¯s eyes, and Sara took in her face.

    Her eyes were filled with shock, disbelief, and then when she realized that it was Madam Lilian, she sat up, and thanked Madam Lilian at the same time.

    With sharp eyes, Madam Lilian immediately stepped forward, held her down, and asked in a friendly voice, ¡°Madam Garver, are you feeling better now?¡±

    Sara smiled sheepishly and immediately replied, ¡°Madam, I¡¯m so sorry that you¡¯re worried about my illness. In fact, I¡¯m just a good-for-nothing person with a leg already in a coffin. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Madam Lilian¡¯s heart ached when she heard Sara¡¯s self-deprecating words. She immediately said gravely with a serious look, ¡°Child, don¡¯t say that. You are still young and have a long, wonderful life ahead. We must haveplete faith in life, love life, and be grateful to God for bestowing us with it. Everyone should live happily and positively. Life is full and interesting. Look at me, I am twenty years older than you, but I never give in to fate no matter what setbacks I encounter.¡±

    When Madam Lilian spoke up to that point, she recalled the scene of how she had divorced vian and cruelly left Sara without hesitation.

    She carried her suitcase and walked down the old and narrow streets. The feelings from that moment were impossible to forget. After so many years, she forgot the cruelty of her political opponents and the pain of physical injury. However, that day, when she cruelly left her only one-year-old daughter, her feelings were as if they had been branded with hot iron, scarred forever in the deepest part of her memory.

    Sara listened to Madam Lilian¡¯s words, but she was notpletely relieved. Her eyes were gloomy, and an unstable smile was hanging on her face.

    ¡°Madam, you are of noble status. You are respected and worshipped by thousands of people. As for me, it is inconvenient for meevento live humbly and move around. The only thing that makes me happy is that I have a daughter. But the longer I live, the more I am a burden to her,¡± Sara exined and sighed slightly. The pain she had gone through was losing a husband, being physically disabled, suffering from illness. No woman in this world would be able to experience this.

    Besides, she couldn¡¯t be a burden to her one and only daughter.

    Madam Lilian understood what she was thinking, and her face was very serious.

 Chapter 707 I Have No Courage To Acknowledge Her

    ¡°My child, you¡¯re wrong. Others may think that I¡¯m high and mighty, but that¡¯s just an illusion. My life is much sadder than yours, but I¡¯ve always lived with a positive and optimistic attitude. I¡¯ve always been working hard until my efforts are recognised and approved. Now, my life is giving me back what I deserve. That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you, you can¡¯t give up easily. You have to strive in life,actively and optimistically. What¡¯s worse in our existence is not the suffering from illness or the pain of losing one¡¯s family, but oveing the hurdles in your heart. You have to believe in yourself.¡± Madam Lilian sat in front of the bed and held Sara¡¯s hand while exining to her patiently and carefully.

    Sara¡¯s weak consciousness for survival and her aloofness in dealing with worldly affairs did not belong to apositive and optimisticperson. In fact, she had shown that she had given up on life, was dissatisfied with her current situation, and just going through her life without care.

    That was being irresponsible with her own life. She isted herself and was unwilling to interact with anyone. As time passed, she would seal herself from society, which would be bad for her body, especially as a patient with kidney problems.

    The day before, Madam Lilian came to the hospital to ask the dean about Sara¡¯s physical condition in detail. Then, she learnt that although Sara¡¯s kidney was damaged when she was in a car ident, it waster cured. However, the disease rpsed and triggered uremia because she was always in a bad and foul mood. Plus, her will to live was weak. Therefore, Madam Lilian visited Sara that day to instill the correct and positive outlook in life.

    Sara had no parents since she was a child. She must have grown up with low self-esteem. It was not her fault to have such a character. Madam Lilian could only me herself for not fulfilling her duty as a mother.

    Hearing what she said, Sara looked at her with confused eyes.

    Madam Lilian held on tightly to her hand and spelled it out earnestly.

    ¡°My child, everyone¡¯s life will not be smooth sailing and it depends on one¡¯s attitude in life. We must be optimistic, energetic, and live happily. Only then will we get to enjoy the beauty of life. Those who are conservative and negative will only live in the shadow of the past. Not only will there be no happiness, but they also lose the meaning of life.¡± Madam Lilian sighed at that point. ¡°My child, in fact, you are much more blessed than I am.¡±

    At the end of her sentence, not only Sara, but even Jenna, who was standing to one side, was a little surprised. Madam Lilian, the person who had everything, was less blessed than Sara, who was lying on the hospital bed. Who would have believed this?

    However, Madam Lilian seemed to understand what they were thinking. She held Sara in one hand and Jenna in the other, put their hands together, and said lovingly, ¡°My dear, at least you have an excellent daughter apanying you, but I¡¯m different. I¡¯m alone.¡±

    At that point, Jenna finally understood that Madam Lilian was missing her loved ones. She blinked her bright and clear eyes and smiled, showing her row of white teeth. She said wittily, ¡°Madam, you¡¯re wrong. Don¡¯t you still have me, your granddaughter? Why are you alone?¡±

    Her words were firm, which stunned Madam Lilian for a moment. She immediately smiled brightly and quickly replied, ¡°Yes, indeed, I¡¯ve said it wrongly. I still have you, a good granddaughter. Therefore, I am a blessed person.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Jenna immediately said proudly, and smiled.

    A glowing light was evident on Madam Lilian¡¯s face. She then smiled like a child. Obviously, she was very happy.

    Sara was moved and began tough together.

    ¡°Madam, where are your rtives?¡± Sara thought that with Madam Lilian¡¯s fame and status, she should have many children and grandchildren. However, for some unknown reason, she said that she was alone. Thinking of that, Sara asked out of curiosity.

    Upon hearing this, Madam Lilian didn¡¯t me them. Instead, she smiled and showed the glory of maternal love on her face. She held Sara and Jenna even tighter in her hands.

    ¡°As for me, I once had a daughter, but when she was only one year old, I was forced to leave her because of all kinds of mistakes. Since then, I have neither seen her again nor taken care of her, until¡­¡± Madam Lilian fell into a daze of memories. She had a motherly smile on her face, and waspletely immersed in the beautiful memories of the past, as if she could not extricate herself from them.

    Jenna was stunned. Looking at the yearning expression on Madam Lilian¡¯s face, she felt a kind of inexplicable sadness.

    ¡°Madam, how is your daughter now? Have you found her?¡± After a while, Jenna asked in a low voice.

    Madam Lilian, who was caught up in her memories, listened to Jenna¡¯s words. She nodded and whispered, ¡°She is fine. I have already found her.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great. Then, you have a daughter.¡± Jenna said excitedly, ¡°You can acknowledge her again.¡±

    However, the glow on Madam Lilian¡¯s face was gone, reced with a painful and uneasy expression.

    ¡°No.¡± Madam Lilian shook her head and said with doubt, ¡°Although I found her, I don¡¯t dare to do so.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Jenna was extremely puzzled when she heard this.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a little shameful.¡± Madam Lilian sighed with her hand on her wrist. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to acknowledge her. I¡¯m just afraid that she won¡¯t recognize me as her birth mother. After all, I left her when she was only a year old. I never took care of her again and provided her any motherly warmth. I was afraid that she would hate me and isn¡¯t willing to recognise me.¡±

    After speaking, Madam Lilian¡¯s facial expression became gloomier.

    Hearing this, Jenna also became silent.

    ¡°Madam, I think you should take the initiative to acknowledge her. After all, blood is thicker than water, and family affection is continuously shed. Your daughter has had no mother since she was a child. So, she must live a very bad life. It is understandable if she has some resentment. But as long as you take the initiative, I think she will be fine. After all, everyone in the world wants a mother, not to mention a great mother like you.¡± Jenna thought for a while and started to encourage Madam Lilian.

    ¡°Really? Do you really think so?¡± After hearing Jenna¡¯s words, Madam Lilian seemed to be encouraged. Her face was filled with excitement, and tears welled up in her eyes. She held their hands tightly and asked seriously, ¡°Jenna, is what you said true? If I do so, then my daughter will ept me, won¡¯t she?¡±

    Jenna didn¡¯t think much of the expectant look in Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes. She just nodded her head fervently.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    She wanted to see the dignified Madam Lilian happy. So, she seriously nodded in response. In fact, she was not sure in her heart, but she needed to do this tofort her.

 Chapter 708 A Happy Man

    ¡°Are you sure? Madam Garver.¡± With Jenna¡¯s affirmation, Madam Lilian was extremely happy. She looked at Sara, who was lying on the bed with a hopeful look in her eyes, and asked eagerly.

    Sara was in a daze for a moment, staring nkly at Madam Lilian. Her intuition was very strange, and she didn¡¯t know how to answer at the moment.

    However, when Madam Lilian looked at her, her eyes were bright and full of anticipation. If she didn¡¯t answer the question, then it would be too cruel and impolite. After a while, she nodded and smiled. ¡°Madam, I think your daughter will ept you. As long as you are sincere enough, she has no reason to abandon her own mother.¡±

    Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes brightened when she heard that. The expression on her face was clear as she said, ¡°Of course I¡¯m sincere. I dreamt of taking my daughter back and spending the rest of my life with her. If she is willing to haveme in and not hate me, then I¡¯ll smile even in my dreams.¡±

    When Madam Lilian heard Sara¡¯s answer, she seemed to be in very good spirits. She looked very relieved, and her face also showed a trace of happiness.

    Sara and Jenna didn¡¯t understand the true meaning behind Madam Lilian¡¯s words. Perhaps, they didn¡¯t dare to think about it, or maybe all of this was impossible. ording to their spections, they would never guess who they actually were. Therefore, as Madam Lilian was happy for them, they were also happy for her, an olddy. That was all there was to it.

    While they were talking and joking, the phone rang.

    ¡°Jenna, Grandma¡¯s memorial service is at ten o¡¯clock. I¡¯ll send someone to pick you up.¡± Hansen¡¯s call came through. Although his voice was a little tired, he sounded fine.

    Jenna certainly remembered this matter and agreed immediately.

    At that time, Madam Lilian took Sara¡¯s hand and said very seriously, ¡°My child, treat your illness well. When you get better, if you have any wishes, as long as they are within my ability, then I will fulfil them and never break my promise.¡±

    Sara was stunned. Madam Lilian was too good to be like this. She really didn¡¯t need to be so nice to her. She was just about to refuse when she saw Madam Lilian¡¯s face sink. She quickly said, ¡°Please don¡¯t refuse me, or I¡¯ll be sad.¡±

    Sara¡¯s eyes suddenly warmed up, and she couldn¡¯t say anything to refuse her.

    Madam Lilian took her hand and asked her about her health. The two of them soon began chatting well.

    Jenna thought of Norton in the ward. He was Vivian¡¯s blood grandson. She wondered how his injuries were and if he would be able to attend the memorial service. With this in mind, she took her leave and left.

    ¡°Come on, Norton, have this.¡± As soon as Jenna entered the ward, she saw Sabrina feeding Norton a bowl of nutritious porridge.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to eat.¡± Norton was behaving like a spoiled child. He deliberately turned his face away and said, ¡°I¡¯m not eating it.¡±

    ¡°No, you must.¡± Sabrina put the spoon of porridge to his lips and coaxed him softly.

    Norton¡¯s face was full of happiness. Yet, he was purposely pretending to be pitiful. That time around, Sabrina disyed fondness from the bottom of her heart and such tender love made Norton forget about the injuries on his body. His entire being seemed to be radiant and energetic.

    Jenna initially thought that Norton wasn¡¯t injured at all and was just acting.

    ¡°Come, there¡¯s still one more spoon. Open your mouth.¡± Sabrina was about to put thest mouthful of porridge to Norton¡¯s lips. Obviously, he could open his mouth and eat it, but he waited for Sabrina to beg him gently before opening his mouth.

    When Sabrina saw that he had finished the porridge, she was very happy and praised him. ¡°That¡¯s a good boy, excellent.¡±

    As she spoke, she took out a tissue and began to wipe his mouthcarefully.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Norton took the opportunity to hold her hand and grind against itrepeatedly.Sabrina did not object at all, allowing him to do whatever he wanted. Her face was full of affection.

    The two of them were talking to each other, and their affection for each other was strong. Even when Jenna came in, they were indulged in their little world andpletely ignored Jenna¡¯s existence.

    At that moment, Norton became the happiest man in the world!

    Jenna had entered the ward for a long time, but both of them were still enjoying each other¡¯spany and did not see her at all. In desperation, she was about to leave when she heard footsteps. Jenna turned back and saw General Delia striding in.

    Seeing Jenna, General Delia nodded to her, and then his eyes fell on the happy couple who were immersed in their affection wholeheartedly. There wereplications in his eyes, but the expression on his face was obviously much softer than before when he saw them.

    Norton had personally blocked the bullet for his daughter. This allowed General Delia to see his sincerity that he had turned over a new leaf.

    Only a man with sincere feelings would use his own body to save a woman¡¯s life.

    This left a deep impression on General Delia.

    Especially after Sergio¡¯s death, and knowing what they had done, he then turned a blind eye to Norton and Sabrina¡¯s flirtations. That day, he came to visit and thank Norton, who was heavily injured, in order to save his daughter. However, when he entered the ward and saw how close they were to each other, his heart felt indescribablyplicated.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± General Delia strode in. The couple did not notice him and even ignored him, which made him feel very uneasy. He was not here to peek at his daughter¡¯s love rtionship. So, he coughed.

    General Delia¡¯s heavy coughpletely jolted Sabrina and Norton. They turned around at the same time, only to see Jenna standing in the room and looking at them with a faint smile on her face, while General Delia stood there with a dignified face. The expression on his face wasplex and unpredictable.

    ¡°Dad, Jenna, when did you guyse in?¡± Sabrina¡¯s face and ears suddenly blushed. She immediately bounced to her feet and asked with embarrassment.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, sir, and Jenna as well.¡± Perhaps, it was due to his severe injuries, as his face was a little too paleeven with the tint of flushness from the flirting, and his voice was weak.

    Hearing his frail voice, General Delia¡¯s face lit up and his gaze softened.

    Sabrina stood timidly, looking at General Delia uneasily from time to time.

    He gave her a dignified look and instructed her in a serious tone, ¡°Sabrina, follow Jenna out. Vivian¡¯s memorial service is about to begin. Wait for me downstairs.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Sabrina stood still, as if she was worried about Norton.

 Chapter 709 I Want To See Actions

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to listen to me?¡± General Delia frowned and asked in a serious tone.

    From her observation, Jenna roughly understood how General Delia felt at that moment, seeing that Sabrina did not leave as she was obviously afraid that General Delia would hurt Norton. Hence, Jenna stepped forward and took Sabrina¡¯s hand while smiling. ¡°Sabrina, let¡¯s go downstairs and wait for your father. Grandma¡¯s memorial service is about to begin. This is thest day of the funeral, and since we have to care for her dignity, we can¡¯t miss the time. I¡¯ll arrange a nurse to take care of Norton.¡±

    As she spoke, she winked at Sabrina, motioning her toe out with her.

    Sabrina was guided out by Jenna, but she was still a little anxious. Her father didn¡¯t really like Norton and was afraid that he would make things difficult for him because of personal feelings.

    ¡°Silly girl, what are you thinking about?¡± Jenna poked Sabrina with her hand and asked with a warm smile.

    There was worry in Sabrina¡¯s bright eyes, and she didn¡¯t bother to smile back at Jenna.

    ¡°Sillyss, you¡¯re really going to be the daughter-inw of the Richards family. You can¡¯t escape even if you want to.¡± Jenna smiled wittily and tapped her little nose, teasing her with strongughter.

    ¡°Jenna, what are you talking about?¡± Sabrina blushed, but there was still worry in her eyes as she pouted.

    ¡°Sabrina, tell me honestly now, can you be sure that you still love Norton?¡± Jenna tilted her head and looked at her up and down, coaxing her with a smile.

    Sabrina¡¯s face blushed even more, and she mumbled, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t tease me. It¡¯s bothersome.¡±

    Jenna smiled and looked at her, saying, ¡°I am not making fun of you. Look at you, acting like a poor little wife who has suffered a lot. Will it be a marriage with hatred or resentment?¡±

    Sabrina took Jenna¡¯s hand and said very seriously, ¡°Jenna, tell me the truth. Will my father make things difficult for Norton? I dare not leave as he was seriously injured from saving me.¡±

    Jenna snorted, put her hands behind her while slightly raising her head, and deliberately answered very earnestly, ¡°This is possible, since your father doesn¡¯t like Norton at all, and there are no good feelings at all.¡±

    After stating this, Sabrina became even more anxious. Beads of sweat appeared on the tip of her nose, and she didn¡¯t dare to move.

    Jenna did not dare to tease her anymore. She squished her cheeks and asked, ¡°Tell me, are you still in love with Norton now? If you tell me, then I will think of a way for you.¡±

    Sabrina was too worried about Norton. She blushed and nodded in acknowledgment.

    Jennaughed out loud and took Sabrina¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Silly girl, let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t worry. Your father will definitely agree to your marriage this time. This time, the wedding will be held at Richards Manor.¡± Jenna¡¯s tone was rxed and full of confidence.

    Sabrina was stunned for a moment and then she understood. Confused, she asked, ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re not joking, right? My father is well-known for being stubborn.¡±

    Jenna smiled mysteriously andforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this time it will definitely be an exception and he will definitely agree to it. Just believe what I have said. To put it short, we are sure to be inws.¡±

    Sabrina blinked with her big eyes, which were as bright as stars.

    She believed everything Jenna said.

    After Jenna took Sabrina away, the situation in the ward suddenly quietened down.

    Even though General Delia¡¯s expression had be a lot more amiable, his eyes were firmly fixed on Norton and this made his hair stand on end. Norton was incredibly nervous.

    ¡°You brat. How bold of you to hit on my daughter. Don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll thank you after taking the shot for my daughter. I won¡¯t fall for this kind of trick,¡± General Delia said preemptively as he took a step forward.

    ¡°Uncle Delia.¡± Norton¡¯s face darkened. His voice was somewhat hollow, and the redness on his face instantly subsided before turning as pale as a sheet. ¡°I am sincerely loyal to Sabrina. I¡¯m not performing any tricks. I may have done a lot of wrong things in the past, but please believe that I will never do it again. I am wholeheartedly in love with her, and will never make her sad again. Please trust my sincerity.¡±

    When Norton finished speaking, he was exhausted and began to pant.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± General Delia stared at him. After pacing around the room, he came over to keep a close eye on him, causing Norton¡¯s hair on his body to stand on end. ¡°If you love my daughter so much, then what¡¯s going on with Carme Newton?¡±

    His voice was very frosty, and his facial expression was icy.

    Norton was shocked for a moment when he heard this. In the next instant, he understood what was going on, and joy flowed out of his chest. If General Delia asked him about Carme, then it meant that he wouldn¡¯t object to his love for Sabrina. He thought about it for a moment before saying, ¡°Uncle Delia, my mother was the one who wanted Carme to remain for a few days. Furthermore, Grandma happened to have passed on. So, she stayed behind to mourn her death. This isn¡¯t what I meant.¡±

    ¡°So, your mother prefers you to marry Carme Newton, doesn¡¯t she?¡± General Delia¡¯s voice turned even colder. ¡°Are you going to listen to her?¡±

    When Norton heard this, he got too excited and hurriedly exined, ¡°It¡¯s not like this. Uncle Delia, please believe me. I¡¯m the one in charge of my life decisions. Sabrina is the only person I love, and I¡¯ll only marry her. As for Carme, since Grandma passed away and she¡¯s here to attend the memorial service, I have no reason to chase her away. But after the funeral, I¡¯ll call my mother to send Carme away. Please believe me.¡±

    He said with great strain. After that, he struggled to call Maria to show his sincerity. However, the wound was too deep. He cried out in painas soon as he turned over.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no hurry. Men should not be afraid to love or hate. Since you love Sabrina, you should behave like a man and give her happiness, instead of cheating on her. I¡¯m going to tell you this. If you hadn¡¯t taken a shot for Sabrina, then it¡¯s useless no matter how you pester my daughter. But since I¡¯veseen it with my own eyes, I was moved.¡± As he spoke, General Delia bowed slightly and looked at him. ¡°How is it? Is the wound still serious?¡±

    Norton¡¯s heart thumped when he heard the concern in General Delia¡¯s tone. For a moment, he was so excited that happiness seemed to have arrived too quickly. It appeared that he had agreed to their marriage.

    ¡°Thank you, Uncle Delia. I¡¯m fine,¡± Norton replied while shaking his head.

    General Delia stared at him again as his lips curled into a yful smile.

    ¡°Kid, don¡¯t think everything will be fine just because you took that shot for Sabrina. What I want to see is your action and behaviour, understand?¡± General Delia gave him a dissatisfied look, looked up with a smile, and stood up straight.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Rest assured, Uncle Delia. I¡¯ll definitely prove it to you and satisfy your conditions once I¡¯ve recovered.¡± Norton¡¯s cheeks were flushed with excitement. He stammered incoherently.

    ¡°Good.¡± General Delia nced at him again and grunted. He continued indifferently. ¡°Then, have a good rest.¡± With that said, he turned around and walked out.

    Norton had been extremely nervous. After he finished dealing with General Delia, he rxed. A great joy rose from the bottom of his heart. He exhaled and turned his head to the side, got too excited and fainted.

 Chapter 710 Madam Lilian Attends The Memorial Service

    When General Delia walked out of the hospital, he saw Sabrina pacing back and forth downstairs. She looked worried and her eyes were fixed at the floor above from time to time. Without looking, he knew what she was doing and thinking.

    s, a grown woman wouldn¡¯t stay at home. This was really an eternal truth.

    He shook his head. If he hadn¡¯t seen Norton pounce on Sabrina recklessly toblock the bullet for her the day before, then he wouldn¡¯t have agreed to let her marry Norton no matter what. After all, he had yed around too much in the past.

    However, that time round, based on his observation these days, he discovered that Norton had really changed. He had be more mature and steady. At the same time, he had also seen his infatuation for Sabrina.

    It was only then that he started to inquire about Carme Newton¡¯s background. After learning about it, he felt more at ease and went to the hospital to visit Norton, while having the opportunity to clear things up. After all, he would be returning to Capital City that very day after the memorial service.

    ¡°Dad, thank you for your hard work.¡± Sabrina saw General Delia striding out with a calm look on his face. She really couldn¡¯t tell his emotions. She felt uneasy and hurriedly ran up to him and spewed nonsense.

    General Delia snorted and nced at her. Without saying a word, he went straight to the car.

    ¡°Dad, is Norton¡¯s injury okay?¡± Sabrina asked incoherently. She was worried that General Delia would make things difficult for Norton, but she didn¡¯t know what to ask.

    General Delia didn¡¯t even bother to look at her. He just ordered the chauffeur. ¡°Go.¡±

    The chauffeur quickly started the engine.

    Sabrina hid her head in the back seat and stopped talking.

    ¡°Do you really want to marry him that much?¡± General Delia suddenly opened his mouth and looked at Sabrina through the rear mirror. He said with deep eyes, ¡°You should know that he had hurt you before.¡±

    Sabrina was shocked. She immediately shook her head and exined, ¡°Dad, Norton loves me sincerely. Don¡¯t judge one¡¯s past as everyone will make mistakes. As the saying goes, a prodigal son who returns home is worth more than gold.¡±

    She tried so hard to defend Norton. General Delia nced at her and snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any other man besides him to marry in your life?¡±

    Sabrina blushed and her neck was stiff. She made up her mind and said, ¡°Yes, Dad. I must marry him.¡±

    ¡°How bleak.¡± Hearing this, General Delia¡¯s face darkened and he snorted heavily.

    He had long understood his daughter¡¯s thoughts. In the past few days in Richards Manor, he had witnessed her every move with Norton. It was not that he neither understood her, nor did he expose her. That time around, he hade here to put an end to this matter. He looked at her silently and chided her. ¡°Ady must be modest, talented, and noble.¡±

    After that speech, he didn¡¯t say anything more.

    Sabrina looked down and finally understood what her father meant. However, she was a straightforward person. Love was love. Hate was hate. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to pretend or learn to be high and mighty. She was her very own self.

    After Jenna took Sabrina out, she thought of Sara and went back.

    Sara needed someone to take care of her. She couldn¡¯t always trouble Madam Lilian. Besides, why should Madam Lilian take care of her mother?

    With these thoughts in mind, she quickly went upstairs. Just as she was about to change into her germ-proof gown and enter the room, she saw the ss door open and Madam Lilian walked out.

    ¡°Madam, you¡­¡± Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the expression on Madam Lilian¡¯s face darkened.

    ¡°You still call her Madam? You should change the way you address her.¡± Quina, who was approaching from behind, heard Jenna and saw the disappointment from the bottom of Madam Lilian¡¯s heart. She hurriedly reminded her with a smile.

    Jenna was stunned for a while and reacted quickly.

    ¡°Hello, Grandma.¡± She saw the loneliness on Madam Lilian¡¯s face and called out in a crisp voice. Madam Lilian¡¯s face immediately lit up with a smile.

    ¡°My little granddaughter,e,e with me.¡± Madam Lilian held her hand and said with a smile.

    Go? To where?

    Jenna was stunned and did not understand Madam Lilian¡¯s intention. She could only smile and say, ¡°Grandma, my mother¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already arranged for someone to take care of her. Today is Vivian¡¯s memorial service. I¡¯ll apany you there,¡± she said with a solemn expression on her face.

    ¡°Are you attending the funeral as well?¡± Jenna was a little surprised.

    Madam Lilian smiled. ¡°Of course. Vivian was wise all her life and had done me a favor. She also raised my daughter. For this reason and sentiment, I¡¯m going to pay my respects to her.¡±

    Hearing this, Jenna was surprised. It turned out that her daughter had been raised by Vivian. It was no wonder that she cared so much about Richards Manor. Was it because of this rtionship that she was so kind to her?N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    With this thought, she stole a nce at Madam Lilian and noticed the solemn look on her face. However, Jenna felt that there was something she could not see on Madam Lilian. Moreover, there was a very natural intimacy to her. As long as she saw her, she would have an inexplicable sense of belonging in her heart.

    Taking Jenna¡¯s hand, Vivian went downstairs directly and got in her limousine.

    Jenna saw the car sent by Hansen and had to call him to withdraw it. She also told him that Madam Lilian was attending the memorial service and asked him to get ready.

    The memorial service took ce on Central Ind. As there were too many people,it couldn¡¯t be held in the Ink Garden.

    Early in the morning, from government officers to normal citizens, and even people from the welfare institutions, people of all walks of life came to participate.

    The gardens were filled with security guards, and the police were present to maintain order. Hansen¡¯s Grand Eagles were stationed throughout the various corners of the ce.

    At the south gate of Richards Manor.

    Trevor, ude, and Hansen were quietly waiting in front of the door for Madam Lilian¡¯s arrival.

    At nine thirty in the evening, a luxurious recreational vehicle slowly drove over and stopped at the entrance.

    After the car stopped, Kimmel got off to open the door first and stood respectfully on one side. Quina walked out and then turned around and bent down to support Madam Lilian.

    Trevor, ude, and Hansen all took a step forward.

    Madam Lilian got out of the car, and at the same time, she held Jenna¡¯s hand tightly with her right hand.

    Jenna wanted to refuse, but Madam Lilian held her hand tightly and refused to let go. She had no choice but to let her do as she pleased.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you foring to the funeral.¡± Trevor was the eldest son. So, he immediately stepped forward and saluted, as a gesture to thank her very respectfully.

    Madam Lilian looked solemn and dignified.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. I should havee.¡± Madam Lilian raised her hand gently, indicating Trevor not to be too courteous.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Madam Lilian.¡± ude and Hansen greeted her immediately.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be modest,¡± Madam Lilian stated in a friendly manner.

    ¡°Dad, Uncle ude.¡± Jenna also greeted Trevor and ude.

 Chapter 711 Excessive Affection

    ¡°Jenna, Madam Lilian is a guest of honor. Quickly, wee her and let her get on the electric vehicle.¡± Trevor ordered as he saw that it seemed to be rude for Jenna to follow Madam Lilian this way.

    Madam Lilian could tell from the way Trevor spoke that he was reprimanding Jenna for being insensible. She frowned slightly and immediately said, ¡°Jenna is my little granddaughter. It¡¯s my honor to be with her. It¡¯s my fault for not knowing what¡¯s proper and insisting on pestering her. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m disturbing her and I am worried.¡±

    When Trevor heard that Madam Lilian was so affectionate with his daughter-inw, he was also very happy. After all, treating his daughter-inw well was also for the sake of the Richards family.

    ¡°Madam, the funeral is about to begin. Pleasee in.¡± He immediately led Madam Lilian and the rest towards the electric vehicle.

    Richards Manor had gates in four directions, east, south, west and north. The east gate was now wide open and people of all backgrounds were pouring in, including the news media. Thus, it was too crowded there. Hansen opened the south gate especially just to wee Madam Lilian.

    They got in the electric vehicle and headed towards Central Ind.

    Jenna sat beside Madam Lilian. In a daze, she felt as if she hade to this courtyard for the first time in her life despite staying here for quite a period of time. Furthermore, she was still the mistress of the family, as well as the eldest daughter-inw of the Richards family.

    However, this kind of feeling quietly rose from the bottom of her heart, making her feel confused and at a loss. She knew that this was caused by the reason she followed Madam Lilian.

    Madam Lilian held her hand and took care of her everywhere, giving her the illusion that it was the first time for her to enter this family with a noble identity. It also gave her the sense of making up for the loss and unease that she had entered this garden for the first time as a child.

    She was confused, but she could not understand this strange feeling.

    The electric vehicle headed straight towards Central Ind. Along the way, everyone was silent, immersed in the sorrow of Vivian¡¯s death. No one spoke.

    Jenna¡¯s other hand was suddenly gripped by a big and warm palm. The palm was soft andfortable, as well as feeling warm and familiar. The feeling of it brought her back to reality.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    She turned her head and saw Hansen sitting behind her. He stretched out his hand and grabbed her hand.

    ¡°Jenna, how are you? Have you been tired these days? How is my baby?¡± When the electric cart stopped, Hansen got off ahead and carefully held her hand to help her down. At that point, Madam Lilian let go of Jenna¡¯s handsensibly.As soon as she got out of the car, Hansen whispered in her ear.

    Jenna¡¯s face was a little flushed, and she pursed her lips and nced at him.

    At that moment, Hansen was dressed in mourning clothes. He had fair skin and handsome facial features. No matter how one looked at it, he looked iparably noble. He then exuded the aura of a mature man, obviously different whenpared to the impulsive boy in the past. This kind of man loved her with all his heart. In the future, they would excel together to take care of the family.

    This kind of feeling gave Jenna a lot of happiness and fulfillment.

    When she looked up at him, Hansen was also staring at her. The worry and concern in his eyes were obvious.

    Jenna¡¯s heart beat slightly, and her lips bent slightly, but she didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Jenna, you should follow Hansen and change into mourning clothes first as you areVivian¡¯sgranddaughter-inw.¡± Madam Lilian stopped after getting out of the car and said to Jenna, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Grandma.¡± Jenna agreed. Hansen took her hand and walked to the reception room on the side.

    At that moment, the background music, ¡®Amazing Grace¡¯, was ying on the center of Central Ind, and even the atmosphere was filled with sadness.

    Jenna had taken care of Sara for an entire night. Thus, she did not have much energy left. When she was led away by Hansen, her footsteps were somewhat hollow.

    ¡°Jenna, how is Mom?¡± Hansen asked worriedly as he examined Jenna¡¯s tiny face.

    ¡°She¡¯s already woken up today. Madam Lilian had imported medicine of the highest quality shipped over. I don¡¯t think anything will happen to her,¡± she replied softly and yawned. She was really a little tired.

    Hansen¡¯s brows furrowed. He stretched out his strong arms and picked her up easily.

    ¡°Hansen, put me down. It looks crude.¡± It was Grandma¡¯s memorial service and the manor was crowded. People would see how they behaved. Jenna¡¯s face turned red, and she hurriedly stopped him.

    However, Hansen remainedposed. ¡°Honey, what are you afraid of? Do I have to be concerned about how people look at us even when I hug my wife?¡±

    After he said that, he saw that Jenna was a little nervous. So, he only whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. There are few people here who can see you. You are too exhausted. Plus, you are pregnant.¡±

    As he spoke, he wrapped her in his arms and took a few strides into the lounge.

    He ced Jenna lightly on the chair, took out a mourning dress, and personally helped her put it on.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Hansen looked into Jenna¡¯s eyes and stared at the lounge¡¯s curtains in a daze. She seemed to be in deep thought. Hence, he could not help asking.

    ¡°Hansen, do you feel that Madam Lilian is too kind to me?¡± She tilted her head,asking in a silly voicewhile her bright eyes seemed to recover her wits a little bit.

    Hansen was dumbfounded for a moment. Silently, he reached out to hold her head and patted her on the shoulder. He said softly, ¡°Silly girl, if someone is good to you, then that¡¯s your good fortune. You don¡¯t need to think about the meaning behind those actions so much. Madam Lilian is no ordinary woman. She has her own reasons for doing things. There¡¯s no need to think about these things.¡±

    Jenna had no choice but to nod and agree with him. ¡°That¡¯s true. But today, Madam Lilian said that Vivian raised her daughter. Now, I understand why she saved you in the war-torn country and why she cares so much about Richards Manor. It turns out that she is expressing her gratitude. But I¡¯m very curious. What do you think her daughter looks like?¡±

    After she finished, she raised her tiny face again with a curious look.

    ¡°You said that Grandma raised her daughter?¡± This made Hansen even more curious. He suddenly recalled the list of names in the family register. Paul had once told him that the names of the children on the list were all raised by Grandma, including Sara. Could it be that¡­ this was true?

    ¡°Hansen, let¡¯s leave quickly. Madam Lilian is still waiting for us.¡± Jenna thought of this serious problem and hurriedly tugged at Hansen to leave.

    Hansen raised his deep and serene eyes and gave her a heavy look. He turned his hand around and held her hand, walking outside.

    ¡°Jenna,e, follow Grandma.¡± Madam Lilian was standing on the other side and chatting with Trevor and the others. When she saw Hansen and Jennaing over, she reached out her hand to Jenna and chirped lovingly.

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Grandma.¡± Jenna took her hand out of Hansen¡¯s palm and walked towards Madam Lilian. Then, Madam Lilian took her hand lovingly, with her face expressing happiness and satisfaction.

    A group of people surrounded Madam Lilian and walked to Central Ind.

    Hansen walked behind Jenna and saw that Madam Lilian¡¯s hand had been holding onto Jenna all this while. He remained silent.

 Chapter 712 Grandma Vivianâ€™s Memorial Service

    ¡°Madam, this way please.¡± As soon as they arrived on the ind, the emcee greeted them and led them forward.

    At that moment, people stood solemnly by the side and waited for the imminent memorial service. Fortunately, Central Ind wasrge enough to amodate many people.

    When Trevor and the rest escorted Madam Lilian over, everyone¡¯s eyes were on them.

    The camera lenses of the mass media outlets were also focused on them.

    Their eyes were all focused on the world¡¯s most well-known woman, Madam Lilian. Such a woman was usually only heard of. They did not expect that she would appear up close at Vivian¡¯s funeral.

    At the same time, they also saw the special love and care of Madam Lilian for Jenna. She held Jenna¡¯s hand, with a doting face and extremely intimate words and deeds.

    The mourning hall was silent.

    Kimmel and another guard wearing a pair of sses stood by Madam Lilian¡¯s side.

    The emcee led Madam Lilian and the rest towards the center of the mourning hall. Then, they stood up, picked up the microphone, and said, ¡°Dear family members, please take your ce on the left of the mourning hall.¡±

    ¡°My child, go.¡± After hearing this, Madam Lilian let go of Jenna¡¯s hand and said to her lovingly. She was the eldest granddaughter-inw, and her role was stated there. The protocol must not be ignored.

    Jenna nodded her head in a very solemn manner. Hansen came over and held her hand and led her to the left.

    ¡°Everyone who is present to mourn Grandma Vivian, please take your seats in the mourning hall.¡± With the start of the background music, the farewell ceremony for the departed began.

    Since Vivian passed away, Hansen hasn¡¯t even had time to feel sad. Up till that moment where everything had been arranged properly, just by listening to the painful music, all the pain buried in the bottom of his heart burst out.

    He recalled little by little that the most important woman in his life was in fact not his mother, but Vivian. Even Jenna, the woman he loved most in this life, had received Vivian¡¯s kindness. Otherwise, he might never be happy for the rest of his life.

    He wasn¡¯t sure ifhe would be able to properly support his life in the future and before something big happenedafter Vivian left. However, the spiritual wealth that Vivian had left him wouldst forever. Furthermore, she had bestowed upon him a good wife, Jenna. This was the most important treasure in his life.

    In the sombre mourning hall, the intertwining tears of sorrow and memories slowly flowed through his loved ones and friends. The music unearthed the deep feelings and respect they had for Vivian.

    Madam Lilian took the initiative to recite a tribute to Vivian. In the end, the funeral ended with the head of the family, Hansen, expressing his gratitude.

    As the family members were circling the coffin, Jenna saw Vivian quietly lying in the ss coffin. Her expression was the same as when she was alive, and tears flowed down her face naturally.

    Vivian¡¯s funeral news was broadcast throughout the service, and all the politicians and celebrities turned up. Hansen finally used his own efforts to provide Vivian a solemn and decent funeral. He thought that her soul in heaven would be pleased. After all, the Richards Group and Richards Manor were safe, and all the major crises were over.

    After the memorial service, Jenna invited Madam Lilian to stay in the Ink Garden for the night.

    Madam Lilian readily agreed.

    Everything seemed to be progressing in a good direction.

    In the quiet pavilion, Carme stood there quietly. Her face was haggard, and the light in her eyes was as clear as water.

    As soon as Vivian¡¯s memorial service was over, she came here.

    The scene of Norton risking his life to protect Sabrina from the bullet was vivid in her mind. It turned out that she didn¡¯t believe in love. She even thought that marriage was just a kind of alliance for both parties¡¯ benefits.

    However, Norton¡¯s actions from the day before had shocked her.

    From this, she could tell that Norton truly loved Sabrina. He had no feelings for herself at all. Even the rtionship between them could not be considered a friendship.

    Carme was not an ornamental piece who had to rely on a man to survive. She had her own career as well as her own dignity.

    The only thing missing in her life was love. Reminiscing the scene from the day before made her think and understand a lot.

    She was wondering if the reason her life had been so calm was that she had never truly loved a person. Even towards Norton, her feelings for him were an illusion. It was a kind of self-serving love. She knew that her grandmother was interested in the Richards family¡¯s fortune and family background. That was why she agreed to let her and Norton go on a blind date. However, Carme actually attended it happily, which may not have been a wise thing.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    In the living room of Emerald Garden, Maria¡¯s face was full of worry. She was about to pack some clothes and visit Norton at the hospital. She was so anxiousthat she criedwhen he got shot. It was not easy for her to endure it until the memorial service was over. Then, she began to hurry and packed things up and headed to the hospital to take care of Norton.

    ¡°Nice to see you, Aunt Maria.¡± Carme walked in and greeted her politely.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you, Carme. Come and sit down.¡± When Maria saw that Carme had walked over, a smile appeared on her face. She pulled Carme to sit down with her.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Aunt Maria. I¡¯m here to say my goodbyes to you,¡± Carme said with a faint smile, and in a natural and graceful tone.

    Goodbye? Maria froze for a moment and soon understood what was going on.

    Everyone had seen with their own eyes that Norton took the bullet for Sabrina. He was so adamant that he had devoted all his efforts to Sabrina. As a mother, she could do nothing about it. She smiled apologetically and murmured, ¡°Carme, are you going to leave now? I don¡¯t want you to leave.¡±

    Carme smiled back. ¡°Aunt Maria, if the future permits, then I¡¯ll bring you over to mypany for a visit. Mypany¡¯s business is very lively and busy. I should have left a long time ago, but since Grandma Vivian passed away, I wanted to join the memorial service. Now that it¡¯s done, there is nothing else for me to be concerned with. It¡¯s time for me to leave.¡±

    She spoke in a rxed and easy way.

    Maria heard this and saw the loneliness on her face inadvertently. She felt inexplicably sad deep in her heart.

    Carme was smart and capable, and was also sessful in her career. She was actually hoping to see Carme and Norton get married to each other, but there was nothing she could have done about it. Besides that, she couldn¡¯t waste the prime of Carme¡¯s life, right?

    At the moment, she was at a loss. However, she said, ¡°Carme, do visit me often when you have time in the future.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely, Aunt Maria. Thank you for your hospitality. I¡¯ll be taking my leave first,¡± Carme expressed her promise with a smile. She then turned around but seemed to have thought of something. She turned back and continued. ¡°Aunt Maria, please send my regards to Norton. I wish him a fast recovery.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Maria stood there nkly while watching Carme walk further from her step by step. It was a pity that she didn¡¯t manage to get such a good daughter-inw.

    Just as she was in a daze, ude walked in.

 Chapter 713 Clearing His Name For Her

    ¡°ude, how is Norton now?¡± When Maria saw her husbande in, she put her regrets aside and asked ude hurriedly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s fine,¡± replied ude as he looked at her indifferently.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to the hospital to see him after I finish packing up some things. Do you want toe with me?¡± Maria just remembered her purpose and asked ude.

    When ude heard this, he frowned and his eyes shed. He immediately shouted, ¡°What are you going to do in the hospital? Just stay at home.¡±

    Maria felt wronged when she heard that. ¡°ude, Norton is our only son, after all. He was shot and injured so badly. Shouldn¡¯t we as parents go and have a look? Are you really his biological father?¡±

    ¡°What can you do if you go there? Are you going to create issues?Sabrina is taking good care of him in the hospital. What is your purpose for going there? He wille back in a few days. By then, you can look at him in any way you want,¡± ude shouted in a rough voice. ¡°From now on, you should stay at home and live your life as normal. Don¡¯t stir up any more trouble.¡±

    Maria finally understood when she heard this. It turned out that ude was worried that she would disturb Sabrina¡¯s and Norton¡¯s union. Thinking of this, Maria could not help feeling angry and her face darkened.

    ¡°ude, now thatNortonhad blocked the bullet for her, Sabrina knows that he is a good person and has looked over his past. It was her family who proposed the annulment of their engagement at that time. Everything is up to her family to decide. She¡¯s just showing her power.¡± She pouted and nagged.

    ude¡¯s blood pressure rose when he heard that. He bellowed angrily, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? It was your son who didn¡¯t behave well in the past and became a b*stard and ruined the reputation of others. Now that Sabrina doesn¡¯t care about Norton¡¯s past and still loves him, what else do you want? I¡¯m going to tell you this, listen up. This time, you¡¯re not allowed to interfere in Norton¡¯s matters. When he gets discharged from the hospital, I¡¯ll send him to General Delia¡¯s home to propose to Sabrina. General Delia¡¯s family is a prominent family in Capital City and their reputation is important. I won¡¯t allow you to stir anything again, or else I won¡¯t forgive you.¡±

    After saying that, ude went upstairs angrily.

    Maria stood there in a daze, and her face was bitter. She wanted to go to the hospital to take care of Norton, but hadpletely lost interest in doing so.

    In the reception room of the Ink Garden, Trevor sat on the lower right side of Madam Lilian and bent down to make tea from Green Mountain Lake for her. He sincerely thanked her. ¡°Madam, I¡¯m really thankful towards you for saving Hansen and Richards Manor when they were in danger. On behalf of our family, I¡¯d like to express my sincere gratitude to you.¡±

    After Vivian¡¯s memorial service was over, Jenna convinced Madam Lilian to stay for the night in Ink Garden. Trevor and Marissa apanied her all the way and prepared a grand banquet to receive her.

    Jenna was pulled by Madam Lilian to stay by her side, and the two of them spoke and acted very intimately.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. This is what I should do. Besides, the Richards family has always been kind and generous to others. This is also the main reason you were able to avoid this disaster. I hope that you can continue to carry the legacy of the Richards Group and live up to Vivian¡¯s reputation. Don¡¯t let me down. Besides, I have my own motives for doing this. Vivian has done me a favor, and my granddaughter, Jenna, is the eldest granddaughter-inw of the Richards family. How can I not provide you with this favor?¡± Madam Lilian nodded and smiled, speaking with a deep meaning in her words. She then held Jenna¡¯s hand with a doting expression.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Trevor listened carefully. When he heard that Madam Lilian was obviously lifting Jenna up, he knew very well. He immediately agreed and said, ¡°Madam, you tter me. Our family¡¯s culture has been around for a hundred years, and we will definitely not change. But in the future, this important task can only be handed down to Hansen and Jenna.¡±

    Hansen stood on one side with a serious look on his face. As the head of the family, he understood the heavy responsibilities on his shoulders. It was precisely because of this sense of responsibility that, when faced with the death trap set by Yadriel, he had boldly rushed forward without hesitation and did not care about his own safety, and had to protect Richards Manor. This was his duty as a man, as well as the culture of the family.

    ¡°Madam, Dad, please be assured. With me and Jenna here, the tradition of Richards Manor and the Richards family will surely be handed down ordingly and they will definitely be more glorious.¡± His eyes were full of love as he looked at Jenna, who was sitting beside Madam Lilian, and he was very proud and confident in his promise.

    ¡°Mmhmm.¡± Madam Lilian gave him an approving look and nodded her head in satisfaction.

    ¡°Madam, Hansen is responsible, liable, and has his own strategies. Don¡¯t worry, he will lead the Richards Group to new heights,¡± Marissa also said with a smile on her face at that time. She had always been proud of having an outstanding son like Hansen.

    ¡°The tea from Green Mountain Lake is indeed fragrant. It¡¯s soothing and very tasty.¡± When Madam Lilian heard Marissa¡¯s words, she only held onto the cup and lowered her head to drink the tea.

    Marissa smiled even more and repeatedly agreed.

    At that moment, the doorbell to the reception room rang. Hansen went forward and pressed the switch. The door was opened and Lomen was outside, holding a file holder in his hand.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the report of Liya tampering with the will hase out.¡± Lomen gave a clear report while standing at the entrance.

    Everyone in the room heard it. Madam Lilian raised her eyebrows, and there was some confusion in her eyes.

    ¡°Lomen.¡± Trevor raised his head and instructed him. ¡°Bring in the documents.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Trevor.¡± Just as Lomen heard Trevor¡¯s instructions, he nced at Hansen and quietly walked in. He handed over the report of the will¡¯s authenticity with both hands.

    ¡°Madam, I¡¯m sorry to have to make you see this unpleasant scene.¡± Trevor took over the will testimonial and apologized to Madam Lilian in embarrassment.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Do take care of your family matters. Don¡¯t worry about us.¡± Madam Lilian continued to lower her head to sip her tea as she spoke indifferently.

    Trevorughed at himself and took out a pair of sses from his pocket and put them on. He opened the folder and started to look at it thoroughly.

    ¡°Dad, how is it? The will had been tampered with by Liya, hadn¡¯t it?¡± Hansen blurted out as he saw Trevor¡¯s face bing more serious.

    In fact, what happened to Liya was a thing of the past. No matter if she altered the will or not, her sins were doomed to be irreversible and absolutely unforgivable.

    However, Hansen had other thoughts. Liya had tampered with the will to be his mistress, and it was Vivian¡¯s will. This was indeed not good for his and Jenna¡¯s reputation. He wanted to clear his name and give Jenna a satisfactory exnation.

    ¡°This woman is just too reckless.¡± Although Trevor was already mentally prepared, he could not help being angry when he saw how this testimonial pointed out that Liya had altered an olddy¡¯s will.

    ¡°This woman has evil intentions. She¡¯s certainly not a good woman. I was against her living here in the first ce.¡± Marissa didn¡¯t have a good impression of Liya. When she heard this, she gritted her teeth and spoke out angrily.

 Chapter 714 Cannot Be Careless

    Madam Lilian looked calm and said slowly, ¡°This is your family matter. I shouldn¡¯t have meddled in it, but since it¡¯s rted to my granddaughter¡¯s happiness, I may have to interfere. A big family should have the ability to adapt and distinguish right from wrong, instead of letting this kind of thing happen. This would hurt Jenna, and I don¡¯t want such things to happen again.¡±

    When Hansen heard what she said, he was extremely ashamed. In fact, he had never believed that Vivian would make such a will. This was almost impossible. Besides that, he had never thought about marrying Liya in the first ce.

    After the scandal, especially with Liya, he was very angry with those who misused his marriage for bad things. He immediately made a promise to Madam Lilian. ¡°Madam, please don¡¯t worry. I have this matter reported on the news to rify all the facts and tell the whole world that I, Hansen Richards, only have one woman in my life. That woman is my wife Jenna. I will never marry any mistress, let alone have any lover out there. I don¡¯t think such an absurd thing will happen in the future.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s voice was resolute and full of confidence.

    Madam Lilian looked at him and nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Love affairs brought not only negative news to a big family, but also many unnecessary issues. A harmonised family will prosper in all affairs. This is an unspoken rule for thousands of years.¡±

    Hansen listened carefully and looked at Jenna with hisbrightsmiling eyes.

    Marissa was shocked when she heard this from the sidelines. Although she did not oppose Hansen¡¯s promise, she felt that he was too domineering and it might not necessarily be a good thing.

    Jenna raised her eyes and looked into Hansen¡¯s eyes. She pursed her lips and her face blushed slightly red, but felt extremely sweet and warm in her heart.

    Just as they were speaking, Maud walked over.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Jordan Yates brought the police here to look for you.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    When Hansen heard that, a conflicted expression appeared on his face.

    ¡°Hansen, since you have matters to attend to, go ahead.¡± After hearing this, Madam Lilian was the first to speak to Hansen. It was not practical for her to stay here with the whole family in her presence, as it was unreasonable to do so.

    Hansen stood up and politely took his leave.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the results of the fingerprint identification havee out. The murderers who killed Meroy are Liya and Letty from Richards Manor. Today, I am here to arrest Letty. Please cooperate with me.¡± Seeing Hansen, Jordan immediately told him the results and the purpose of his visit.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were filled with fury when he heard that. He clenched his fists.

    Meroy, whom he had always respected, had been brutally killed by these two filthy women. Furthermore, it happened in the Ink Garden of the manor. How dare they do this.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, ording to Liya¡¯s statement, Madam had also been maliciously pushed down by her that night. This time, I have made her spit out all her crimes and she won¡¯t be able to escape the punishment of thew,¡± Jordan exined Liya¡¯s interrogation, including the case of Liya pushing Marrisa down that night.

    When Hansen heard that, he became even more furious. His head throbbed in pain.

    ¡°It seems that it¡¯s all my fault. I should have driven her out as soon as possible without giving a care.¡±

    Keeping such an evil woman at home hurt his family members.

    This sort of lesson wastrulytoo painful.

    Jordan experienced all the hardships that the Richards family had gone through from beginning to end. He sighed and said encouragingly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards. Evil people will all receive their karma one day. I believe that Richards Manor will be a peaceful ce in the future. It will be a ce with both fortune and glory.¡±

    Finally, the fury on Hansen¡¯s face gradually subsided. ¡°I hope that thew will not let these evil people off. We must severely punish them.¡±

    Jordan nodded. With some concern evident on his face, he said, ¡°Mr. Richards, there¡¯s one more thing worth noticing. Don¡¯t be careless. We need to be more vignt. ording to Liya, at the beginning, she snuck into the Richards Group under Zoe Yates¡¯ orders. And the original culprit who framed the Richards Group is probably Zoe. However, she is cunning and has pushed all the evidence to Octavia, who has no evidence to refute it. Therefore, Zoe is currently walking free.¡±

    As soon as Jordan raised this issue, Hansen¡¯s expression changed.

    ¡°Liya also mentioned that it was Zoe who ordered her and Letty to sneak into Richards Manor. Letty was a subordinate trained by Zoe for many years and was specially sent to work as an undercover spy in the manor. She also directly reported to Zoe. The purpose of her sneaking in was to find out where the Ocean Heart was.¡±

    ¡°It was also Zoe who gave the order directly and led herthe night they killed Meroy.¡± Jordancontinued.

    Hansen stood solemnly as his expression turned uglier.

    ¡°Hey, Mr. Richards, Zoe is a cruel woman, and she has a lot of subordinates. We now suspect that it was her who sent people to kill Jenna at Wendell za previously. Because of these crimes, the Public Security Department has issued a warrant to hunt down Zoe Yates within the borders of the country.¡±

    At the end of Jordan¡¯s speech, he told Hansen about the warrant which had just been reviewed by the directors in the meeting.

    Even though this was the case, it didn¡¯t ease Hansen¡¯s expression much.

    He clearly knew that Zoe not only had many followers, but also was mentally unstable. Compared to Yadriel, Zoe was not so capable, but she was also a woman with a strange mind. If she really did plot anything, the consequence would not be much better than that of Yadriel.

    ¡°Mr. Jordan, thank you for your help.¡± After staying silent for a long time, he expressed his gratitude, but his face was so gloomy that it was terrifying.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you have to be careful. This woman hasn¡¯t shown up recently, and her actions are unusual. Besides, she is interested in the Ocean Heart. She won¡¯t just stop. You have to watch out for her.¡± After contemting for a moment, Jordan was still worried and warned him seriously.

    A fierce glint shed across Hansen¡¯s eyes. He replied coldly, ¡°If she dares to y any tricks again, then I won¡¯t let her off this time.¡±

    ¡°Well.¡±

    ¡°It would be better if she doesn¡¯t have any tricks up her sleeve, but it¡¯s better to be wary of her. After all, she still has many subordinates. Besides, this woman is abnormal and vicious.¡± Jordan added, nodding in agreement.

    At that point, a police officer escorted Letty out. Jordan saw that everything had been briefed clearly and bade goodbye to Hansen.

    Hansen stood rooted to the ground. His heart sank as he remembered Jordan¡¯s words. He did feel that something was iplete for the past few days. This made him unable to calm down and be at peace at all. Now that Jordan had warned him, he immediately came to his senses.

    It turned out that there was still a woman like Zoe Yates. Moreover, during this period of time, she was too quiet, almost making him forget her.

    In the afternoon, General Delia and Christopher returned to Capital City.

    Then, what about the Ocean Heart?

    After this disaster, the Ocean Heart had already be famous. Would Zoe Yates give up on the precious piece of jewellery?

    Hansen summoned Alvin and the whole of the Grand Eagles and made detailed arrangements for the Ocean Heart, only then did he feel at ease.

 Chapter 715 The Dangerous Zoella Yates

    Inside Mariya Church.

    Zoe¡¯s face was pale, and she sat motionlessly in front of the window.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Libby came in and announced in a frightened and uneasy voice, ¡°Miss Yates, both Letty and Liya have been arrested. The traitor, Liya, had already sold you out. Letty also confessed.Hence, the situation is very unfavorable to us. Just now, our subordinates came back from the foot of the mountain and said that the Public Security Department has issued a nation-wide search warrant. Now, the police everywhere including cities and rural areas are hunting you down. Moreover, Yadriel and Sergio have also been defeated. It seems that we can¡¯t stay in A city any longer. The best solution is to leave as soon as possible.¡±

    Zoe¡¯s face gradually darkened, and she bit her lips. She felt an unprecedented sense of despair, and a sinister smile appeared on her lips.

    She trembled and took out a cigarette, and Libby immediately lit it for her.

    ¡°Miss Yates, where there is will, there is way. At present, the situation is extremely unfavorable to us. Let¡¯s escape first.¡± Libby spelled out cautiously. ¡°Now, our subordinates are also very depressed staying in A City.¡±

    Zoe took a deep puff of her cigarette and spat out a ring of smoke. Her voice was so frosty that Libby shuddered.

    ¡°If we retreat, then we won¡¯t be able toe back. I have put in so much effort. So, I can¡¯t leave in vain. At least, I will make thest attempt.¡± She clenched her fingers into a fist and gnashed her teeth, saying, ¡°IfYadrielcouldn¡¯t get the Ocean Heart, then it doesn¡¯t mean that I won¡¯t be able to get my hands on it. They are incapable, but it doesn¡¯t mean that I am too. If Yadriel can¡¯t defeat Hansen, then it doesn¡¯t mean that I can¡¯t defeat Jenna.¡±

    As she said this, she let out a sinisterugh, and her eyes were slowly filled with a terrifying red color.

    Libby was shocked. Only then did he understand how ambitious this woman was. Even the powerful Yadriel and Sergio, who were so cunning, could not get the Ocean Heart. Could a woman be more capable than them?

    It was incredible!

    Previously, he neither doubted her ruthlessness nor her intelligence. It was just that if it was so easy to obtain the Ocean Heart, then that Yadriel and Sergio would not die in vain.

    ¡°Libby, don¡¯t worry. Just listen to me. This time, I¡¯ll definitely obtain something and won¡¯t mistreat you. On the contrary, if we don¡¯t get this treasure, then it¡¯ll be hard for us to survive even when we¡¯re in a foreign country.¡± Zoe noticed Libby¡¯s hesitation and gave him a shot of encouragement.

    Upon hearing this, Libby immediately gave an obsequious smile and said, ¡°Miss Yates, I¡¯m here to report that Hansen is now staying in Richards Manor, and that the Richards family has Madam Lilian backing them up. In that case, it won¡¯t be so easy to get hold of the Ocean Heart.¡±

    ¡°Madam Lilian?¡± Zoe¡¯s body trembled when she heard the name. She had never imagined that the Richards family would actually have such a reputable woman supporting their backs. This waspletely beyond her expectations.

    She was watching a fight between two tigersfrom a distance.

    For the past few days, she had been observing the life-and-death struggle between Yadriel and Hansen. She had not moved the entire time, only secretly observing them. A mantis stalked a cicada while oblivious to the bird stalking him. She was not in a hurry.

    After all, Yadriel was experienced and astute.

    She was happy to watch them fight. It was the best thing ever seeing both parties either defeated or injured.

    In the war-torn country, she thought that Hansen would have died there. Among the chaos, she was very confident in snatching the Ocean Heart. However, she did not expect that Hansen would return safe and sound.

    During the days when Yadriel was fighting with Hansen, she remained silent and felt happy.

    Yadriel¡¯s sniping skills were truly excellent and he was equipped with many traps.

    She didn¡¯t think that Hansen and Jenna would still have managed to live, but something astonishing happened.

    Sergio died after getting shot by Yadriel.

    Meanwhile, Hansen and Jenna were safe and sound again!

    Then, the crazy Yadriel would suffer a double loss. He would definitely not let the matter rest.

    She had made up her mind and was ready for it.

    At the final juncture of their fight, she began to take action. She had everything prepared. All she could do was to wait till the final moment, where she could snatch away the Ocean Heart from Yadriel¡¯s subordinates.

    On that day during the battle in the suburbs, the helicopter hovering above was flown by a subordinate she sent.

    Before that, they had killed Yadriel¡¯s pilot on the helicopter and reced him. Initially, she thought that it was a foolproof n, but she did not expect that Madam Lilian would appear at thest moment. Her subordinate, Kimmel, messed up the n and saved Hansen.

    That time, her heart waspletely broken and she was very disappointed.

    It was obvious that there was no chance of winning a battle with Hansen. Then, what about Jenna?

    A hint of an evil smile shed across her face.

    ¡°She¡¯s just a pregnant woman. Surely it would be easy to deal with her?¡± Zoe thought.

    She clenched her fists again, and her eyes were filled with an unfathomable gleam of light.

    She had tried to kill Jennamany times, but failed. Could it be possible that Jenna was a very lucky person?

    If their ns couldn¡¯t work in the open, then they should do it in the dark. If it couldn¡¯t work using the hard way, then the soft method would have sufficed¡­

    She stood up.

    ¡°Libby, prepare the car. We need to arrive at the women¡¯s prison when it¡¯s dark.¡± She gave the order decisively.

    ¡°Okay, Miss Yates.¡± Libby didn¡¯t understand her meaning behind doing so. However, most of them were ouws and had no resources to live. They could only rely on Zoe. Plus, most of them owed her either too many favors or too much money. Or, they had a weakness that she had known. Therefore, they could not live without Zoe and could only obey her orders.

    Night slowlydescended.

    Mariya Church was built in the middle of Sunshine Mountain. As night fell, the summer¡¯s heat had faded away. Before they knew it, summer hade to an end and autumn was approaching.

    The night breeze carried a slight chill. When it brushed against one¡¯s skin, one would feel a refreshing sensation. It was clearly different from the hot and restless feeling from a few days ago.

    Under the stimtion of the night wind, Zoe¡¯s mind became much clearer.

    There was not much time left. So, she had to hurry up and take action.

    Outside the city at the foot of the mountain, after Liya and Letty were arrested, almost all the policemen were hunting after her on the streets.

    She couldn¡¯t stay in A City any longer.

    ¡°My child, my child.¡± In the prison cell of the women¡¯s prison, Aria was wearing a ragged prison suit. Her hair was disheveled and her face was covered with dirt, only revealing two frightened eyes. She touched her belly with both hands and held a pillow, muttering to herself.

    Since her child had been tortured by the gangsters in prison, her mind had gone out of control. She often held the pillow, muttered to herself, crying andughing.

    At that time, as long as she had the opportunity to see other people¡¯s children, she would rush to them like crazy. Even if she were to see children on TV, she would also rush to them madly, crying and shouting that they were her children.

    In such a state of dizziness and semi-consciousness, it wasmon for her to be beaten and tortured by the prison inmates. As such, there was not a part of her body that was clear from injuries.

    That night, she buried herself in the prison¡¯s iron bed as usual. She held the pillow, pped her hands, and foolishly said, ¡°My child, don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. Mom will sleep with you.¡±

    As she spoke, she held the pillow and shook it gently, and her expression was intoxicated.

    In a short while, she began to sing nursery rhymes. She was indeed a born actress. Even if she was just singing a nursery rhyme, it was still very beautiful.

    The door was suddenly kicked open.

 Chapter 716 Aria McAdams Out Of Jail

    ¡°Ah, no, don¡¯t hit my child.¡± When the door was kicked open in an instant, an aggressive aura quickly spread out to the atmosphere. Aria picked up the pillow like a frightened bird. Her arms were sped tightly around the doll in her chest as she cried out in terror.

    Such a scene happened too many times. There were so many incidents that she couldn¡¯t count them.

    Every time the door was kicked open like this, it was as if those cruel and merciless guys were fiercely beating her up. She had nowhere to escape and was beaten up all over. Plus, those guys were watching by the sidelines as though they watching a y, taking pleasure in it andughing.

    It was not until that time when the blood flowed out ofher lower body without stopping that the prison guards found her, and then just like that, her baby was gone.

    As a result, as soon as this kind of scene appeared, she instinctively covered up her head, with her entire body trembling as she tried to avoid being beaten up.

    However, that time, after a while, there were no fistsing for her.

    A long-lost, familiar, imported, branded perfume smell lingered in the air in front of her and gradually seeped into her breath.

    That kind of aura waspletely different from the filthy smell of the prison cell. It was as if there were twopletely different spaces.

    Perhaps, this familiar smell had aroused some sort of desire in her heart. So, she raised her head.

    Zoe and Libby were standing in front of her.

    She looked down at her from above, and the smile on her face was unfathomable.

    Aria¡¯s eyes were zed over as she stared at her. Her expression showed her disbelief.

    Zoe slowly bent down and stared at her.

    Aria McAdams, who used to be beautiful and graceful, now had deep-set eyes and a face full of dust. Her fair skin was covered with ayer of dirt and her hair was in a mess, looking like a drowned rat.

    Even her once s*xy body was dry and shriveled, and not as charming as it used to be.

    This was life in prison.

    Zoe looked at her, and her sneering lips slowly faded away. Suddenly, she felt a chill that she had never felt before, which made her shudder.

    She understood that if she failed the next day, then she would be the current Aria, or perhaps even worse. This reality made all the hairs on her body stand on end.

    ¡°Who are you? What are you doing here?¡± Aria didn¡¯t recognise her. She only looked at her and asked in a silly manner, wanting to reach out her hand to touch her face.

    Zoe reached out and swatted her hand away, and a look of disgust appeared on her face.

    Everything regarding Aria in the prison, from beginning to end, was under Zoe¡¯s control.

    Her men had already reported her situation to her. Aria, who had lost her child, had gone crazy. Most of the time, she was in an abnormal state, sometimes crying, and sometimesughing. She had basically wasted away.

    This kind of situation was exactly what she needed, and the final product had finally been prepared.

    ¡°Aria, don¡¯t you recognize me?¡± Zoe gave a yful smile and raised her eyebrows.

    Aria¡¯s eyes were distant and unsettling. Staring at her, she shook her head violently, foolishly saying, ¡°Miss, your clothes are so beautiful.¡±

    She eyed the beautiful clothes with envy and the delicate makeup made her eyes lit up in excitement.

    ¡°Aria, I¡¯m here to take you out of jail today to see your child. Are you happy about it or not?¡± Zoe looked at her and bent down even lower. Her face was almost an inch away from her face and her voice was warm and gentle, as if she was trying to coax her.

    Child! This word flowed into Aria¡¯s ears. After a moment of confusion, she immediately became excited as if she had been injected with dopamine, and her eyes shone abnormally bright.

    ¡°My child, my child, I want my child, I want¡­¡± She jumped up and downcrazily,threw away the pillow, and immediately got up. She pulled Zoe¡¯s clothes and pleaded with her. ¡°Please give back my child, give him back to me, please.¡±

    ¡°Let go.¡± Libby saw Aria holding Zoe¡¯s exquisite clothes and hurriedly knocked her hands off. She scolded her in disgust.

    Maybe Aria was afraid of being hit, as Libby¡¯s shout immediately made her stoop down. She shyly withdrew her hand, curled up her whole body, and shouted in a trembling voice, ¡°Don¡¯t hit me, don¡¯t hit me.¡±

    ¡°Libby, don¡¯t be like this.¡± When Zoe saw that Aria was curled up like a porcupine that had been beaten and shouted nervously, she revealed a satisfied smile and then chided Libby.

    ¡°Miss Yates, this woman is mad.¡± Libby alerted her in a low voice. She really did not understand why Zoe would take the risk to visit such a useless woman. What use would such a woman have?

    However, Zoe ignored Libby. In a very gentle voice, she said to Aria, ¡°Aria, don¡¯t be afraid. As long as I¡¯m here, no one will dare to bully you. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    With Zoe¡¯sforting words, Aria only regained herposure after a long while. However, she did not dare to approach her. She only revealed her pair of timid eyes to her.

    ¡°Alright, Aria, I¡¯m here to take you out of jail today. I¡¯m here to take you to see your child. I¡¯ll also return your child to you,¡± she said in an amiable and easy-going manner, and her face was full of kindness.

    ¡°Really?¡± Aria¡¯s eyes instantly lit up with joy, and her pitch-ck eyes began to shine brightly.

    ¡°Of course.Would I lie to you?¡± Zoe raised her eyebrows and continued in a tempting tone. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, thene with me now.¡±

    Aria heard it clearly that time. Her big eyes were in a daze for a few minutes. Her heart was filled with joy and she began to cheer.

    She could finally see her child. She was pregnant, but that day, the female prison doctor imed that her child was gone. She didn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± She stood up and looked like she was in high spirits.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Zoe smiled and led her outside.

    ¡°Miss Yates, are we really going to bail her out?¡± Libby couldn¡¯t help worrying when Zoe took Aria out of prison. What else could such a mad woman do other than to stir trouble when brought out? She couldn¡¯t stop worrying.

    The corners of Zoe¡¯s mouth curled into a smile. ¡°Of course, you can enjoy the show then.¡±

    Libby didn¡¯t understand, but since Zoe was so confident,she could only nod her head in agreement.

    ¡°My child, my child¡­¡± Aria was extremely excited in the car, and kept mumbling to herself.

    Zoe leaned against the back of the passenger seat in front while tapping the back of the seat lightly with her fingers. Her eyes were slightly closed and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

    She believed that a good show was about to begin. That time, she was sure to get hold of the Ocean Heart.

    ¡°Jenna Murphy.¡±Zoe silently repeated the name, and the sneer on her lips was getting colder.

    The car stopped in front of a hotel in the suburbs.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    ¡°Is my child inside?¡± Aria was pulled out by Libby and she looked around curiously.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you down first. Look at you, you¡¯re stinky. Your child won¡¯t like you if he sees you like this. What should we do thenif he doesn¡¯t want you and won¡¯t dare to approach you?¡± Zoe exined. Hearing this, Aria smiled and replied, ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll have to dress up and leave a good impression on my son.¡±

    ¡°Then, hurry up and go.¡± Libby let out a cold snort, and then he dragged Aria into the hotel.

    Aria¡¯s face was wreathed in smiles,with her eyes wandering around as she followedLibbyin happily.

 Chapter 717 Jaqueline Moore Was Desolate

    Just as Jenna was speaking with Madam Lilian and Trevor, Hansen left as he had some matters to attend to.

    After a while, Jaqueline came in gracefully.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯m Jaqueline Moore.¡± Jaqueline came in andbowed respectfully to Madam Lilian andintroduced herself with a smileaftergreeting Trevor and Marissa.

    She was born into a good family, was knowledgeable, and possessed good qualities and self-confidence. Therefore, in front of Madam Lilian, she was naturally well-mannered and considerate while ring her style of a notabledy.

    Madam Lilian nced at her with a faint smile on her face.

    ¡°Miss Moore, hello. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Madam, it¡¯s my honor to meet you. When I was studying abroad, my ssmates often mentioned you and admired you. I may have to ask for your advice in the future, Madam Lilian.¡± Jaqueline smiled sweetly, and her voice was crisp and sweet.

    When Madam Lilian heard this, she smiled lightly and spoke.

    ¡°Miss Moore, I¡¯m just an ordinary woman, just like everyone else in the world. I¡¯m just relying on my diligence and luck to be where I am now. I believe that you¡¯ll be far ahead of me in the future, Miss Moore. You have great potential.¡±

    ¡°Madam, you are too modest.¡± Jaqueline replied with genuine appreciation, ¡°Madam, I have seen your memoir, and only then did I know that you are also from A City. I am really proud after knowing this.In the memoir, I read that you have an unforgettable memory when you were in A city.¡±

    In order to meet Madam Lilian, Jaqueline had gone to great lengths to find the memoir written by Madam Lilian in order to understand her past. Although it was not exined in detail what the unforgettable memory was, Jaqueline wanted to use it as an opportunity to have a casual talk with Madam Lilian to narrow the distance between them.

    However, it was obvious that she had miscalcted that time.

    ¡°I think your unforgettable memory in A city must be very inspiring. Would you please tell us to encourage our young ones?¡± She continued topliment her with a smile.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s smile froze for a moment, and her eyes dimmed.

    After a while, Madam Lilian looked at her and asked calmly, ¡°Miss Moore, you seem to be polite and well-dressed. You must havee from a noble family, right?¡±

    Trevor heard her from the side and quickly replied, ¡°Madam, Miss Jaqueline is a famous youngdy in Capital City. She excels in piano, chess, her studies, and painting. She¡¯s the great-granddaughter of the well-known Johan Moore of the Moore family in Capital City. She has been brought upcarefullyby Johan Moore since young and is raised well, as well as being outstanding. The Moore family is a well-known family in Capital City. Madam, I think you¡¯ve heard of them.¡±

    Trevor exined with great interest. He did not notice that Madam Lilian¡¯s gaze was gradually turning dark.

    ¡°Madam, Uncle Richards¡¯ praises are just to tter me. I am not as good as he said. However, Madam, my father, Nuncio Moore, is now the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He admires you very much and would talk about you all the time. All he wants to do is to visit you.¡± Jaqueline was aware of Nuncio¡¯s intentions staying in Richards Manor. She smiled sweetly whileplimenting and acknowledging Nuncio.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Arguably, an internationally-renowned person like Madam Lilian could have ignored the affairs of the country, but she would definitely have a good impression of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. After all, they might contact each other in the future. What was more, since the Minister of Foreign Affairs represented a country, she would at the very least have the courtesy by meeting up with him.

    However, Jaqueline was gradually surprised to find that Madam Lilian¡¯s expression had remained indifferent. After hearing their conversation, except for the superficial smile of hers, her facial expression remained dark, and even the smile seemed a little icy in Jaqueline¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°All the big shots should be like this. They are hard to figure out.¡±

    Jaqueline thought in this way, and didn¡¯t give much thought to it.

    Right then, Quina, who was standing at the side, silently nced at Madam Lilian. Her heart was as clear as a mirror. It would be strange if Madam Lilian had a good impression of Johan Moore or the Moore family. However, she did not say anything. She only stood up and reminded her in a low voice. ¡°Madam, it¡¯s not frequent for you toe to Richards Manor. It¡¯s a good opportunity to take a walk in the manor, rx, talk about the old days, and enjoy the scenery.¡±

    When Madam Lilian heard that, she was satisfied. She immediately nodded and said, ¡°Quina is right. It¡¯s not advisable for an olddy to sit for a long time. So, why not go out for a walk? What do you think?¡±

    As she spoke, she looked at Trevor.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Madam. Let¡¯s go together.¡± Trevor and Marissa immediately stood up and said enthusiastically.

    Madam Lilian smiled and nodded. ¡°Thank you then.¡±

    Marissa immediately smiled. ¡°It¡¯s our honor that you¡¯re willing toe and view our garden. We¡¯re really happy about it. It¡¯s just that until recently, Richards Manor had been quite chaotic and there are ces where it¡¯scking. Please don¡¯t mind them.¡±

    When Madam Lilian heard this, sheughed out loud and didn¡¯t mind at all.

    ¡°Richards Manor has endured centuries of wind and rain. There had been many times where I dreamt ofing here. Today, I can take a look and reminisce about the past.¡±

    As she said this, Quina supported her left arm, and Jenna supported her right arm to help her stand up.

    ¡°Jenna,e, follow me.¡± Madam Lilian saw Jenna holding her hand, hurriedly took her hand, and spoke with a loving smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Madam.¡± Jenna was always doted upon by Madam Lilian. She felt like she was being spoiled by her only. However, she felt very uneasy. After all, her father-inw and mother-inw were still present. Besides that, there was a feeling that she was being biased. She wanted to pull her hand away from Madam Lilian¡¯s hand. However, Madam Lilian seemed to have made up her mind to let everyone know that Jenna was the one she cared about the most. She held her hand forcefully, smiling and showering her with affection.

    Jenna had no choice but to be led by Madam Lilian and follow her, with a happy smile on her face. She had never enjoyed such love since her father died. Right then, Madam Lilian gave her this feeling, which made up for her attachment to her loved ones in her heart.

    The group of people walked slowly, talking andughing.

    Jaqueline followed by her side. There were many times that she wanted to get close to Madam Lilian, but she was given the cold shoulder repeatedly. Being ignored once or twice wouldn¡¯t have mattered to her. Slowly, she realized, however, that Madam Lilian didn¡¯t seem to have much of a good impression on her.

    She doted upon Jenna very much, as if she were her biological granddaughter.

    At the thought of this, Jaqueline felt a little disappointed.

 Chapter 718 Nuncio Moore Was Desolate

    The banquet was held in the open garden of Ink Garden.

    Since Vivian had just passed away, the banquet was grand and solemn.

    Not only was the long wooden table covered with a white gauze tablecloth,but the white tables and chairs also made the whole banquet look holy and sacred.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna had specially invited a western chef from a five-star hotel. The chef prepared both the specialties of A City and western cuisine, which were solemn and refined. The meal was served buffet-style and one could choose the variety of dishes as one wished. The atmosphere was casual yet romantic.

    Later in the evening, the faint moonlight was shining, and the summer breeze was a little cooling, making it very pleasant.

    Jenna sat beside Madam Lilian. After several times having dinner with Madam Lilian, she had already learnt some of Madam Lilian¡¯s dining preferences. From time to time, she would pick some dishes and desserts, and put them in Madam Lilian¡¯s bowl. No matter what she took, Madam Lilian ate them happily.

    Madam Lilian was very easy-going, and the dinner was rxing and harmonious as a whole.

    Nuncio was also a guest of honor. Trevor arranged for him to sit to Madam Lilian¡¯s right, while Trevor and Marissa sat on his left. Jenna naturally sat directly beside Madam Lilian.

    Even Hansen was kept to the side standing.

    ¡°Madam, your fame has spread far and wide. It¡¯s my honor to be able to meet you today. Allow me to propose to you a toast. May you be in good health and everything will turn out as you wish.¡± Nuncio saw that the time was ripe. Thus, he took a ss of red wine from the table, carefully walked to Madam Lilian, and spoke respectfully.

    Madam Lilian was wiping her hands witha napkin when she saw the ss of red wine Nuncio ced in front of her. She did not immediately pick up the ss in front of her. Instead, she sat there calmly and wiped her hands in a slow manner.

    Nuncio¡¯s hand, which was holding the ss of red wine, hung in the air for a moment. He had never met Madam Lilian face to face, but he had heard from others that she was an unpredictable woman, who would neither meet any politician nor talk casually with them.

    Nevertheless, it should be fine, considering it¡¯s a family banquet that day.

    When Jenna invited Madam Lilian to stay for the night, it was exactly what Nuncio wanted as he could take this opportunity to get close to Madam Lilian and examine her intentions. In this way, the task received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could be carried out smoothly. If he could get the help of Madam Lilian, then it would be a great contribution for him.

    However, Nuncio obviously didn¡¯t know Madam Lilian, and couldn¡¯t even win her favor.

    His hand, which was holding the ss, was ignored. Many people felt that something was wrong, including Trevor. However, just as everyone was feeling embarrassed for him, Madam Lilian raised her hand to ept it at just the right time.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She picked up the ss and gave him a slight touch.

    Nuncio¡¯s stiffened facial muscles began to break into a brilliant smile when he saw Madam Lilian taking the ss.

    It turned out that Madam Lilian wasn¡¯t giving him the cold shoulder. Her actions were just slow. So, he breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Madam, I¡¯ll give you a toast first. It¡¯s up to you to return it,¡± Nuncio said respectfully. He raised his head and gulped down a ss of red wine in his hand in an attempt to show his sincerity.

    Madam Lilian didn¡¯t even look at him. She just took a sip of the wine and put the ss down.

    After putting down the ss, Madam Lilian said to Nuncio politely, ¡°Mr. Moore, you don¡¯t have to be so courteous. Just have the meal casually. Today is a family banquet. So, you don¡¯t have to be so formal.¡±

    She emphasised the word family banquet. Hearing this, Nuncio nodded with a smile.

    He was agitated. It seemed that Madam Lilian was not easy to get close to. He wanted to show his sincerity, but right then it seemed that she didn¡¯t appreciate it.

    Since she mentioned that it was a family banquet, was it a hint that she didn¡¯t want to talk about any official business that night?

    He was a little disheartened thinking about it this way.

    However, on second thought, he did not tell Madam Lilian that he had some ulterior motives. Could it be that Madam Lilian had already seen through him? Was she expressing her rejection?

    He sat down anxiously. After that, no matter how hard he tried to get close to Madam Lilian during dinner, she always appeared indifferent. Since he was a distance away from her, hepletely lost the chance to talk to her.

    Madam Lilian just focused all of her attention on Jenna. She personally took some food for her and evenughed with her. She even observed her facial expression. As long as there was unpleasantness shown on her face, she would immediately ask Quina, who was next to her, to dispel it. After asking in a low voice, she would choose the dishes she liked to eat again and put them on her te.

    She even remembered how much food Jenna ate.

    This gave Nuncio the impression that Madam Lilian at that moment, who was serving Jenna, was not the rumored powerful woman in international politics. She was just Jenna¡¯s elder, or her nanny, who got close to her, asked about her health, and cared for her. If someone cast a puzzled look at her, it would make her unhappy.

    Of course, with the exception of Jenna,Madam Lilian had been acting rather casually toeveryone else, including Hansen.

    This strangeness made Nuncio feel that Madam Lilian was indeed as difficult to get along with as the rumors stated. Of course, this conclusion excluded Jenna.

    After dinner, Nuncio was in low spirits. Except for that toast, he didn¡¯t have a chance to talk to Madam Lilian. It was not that he didn¡¯t want to, but Madam Lilian didn¡¯t want to give him a chance.

    ¡°Dad, Madam Lilian treats Jenna really well. This makes me feel very surprised and a little puzzled.¡± When they returned to the guest room, Jaqueline came to Nuncio¡¯s room and asked in confusion.

    Nuncio took off his sses and rubbed his nose.

    ¡°Jenna has principles, manners, and respect. Besides, she¡¯s the granddaughter-inw of the Richards family. It¡¯s not surprising that she can win Madam Lilian¡¯s heart,¡± Nuncio answered with a weary look on his face.

    Jaqueline nodded and shook her head at the same time.

    ¡°Dad, I don¡¯t think so. People out there say that Madam Lilian and Jenna share some kind of kinship. They have already pledged to a foster grandmother-granddaughter rtionship. I don¡¯t think this has much to do with Richards Manor.¡± Jaqueline rationally analysed. She was also snubbed by Madam Lilian during the banquet. In fact, she was not impolite to Jaqueline. However, ording to her way of thinking, Madam Lilian shouldat leastshow her that she favored her since she tried so hard to please Madam Lilian. Even if she didn¡¯t really like her, she should show her respect.

    However, there was no such thing.

    Madam Lilian acted as cool as a cucumber with her and did not show any special concern for her. She couldn¡¯t even bepared to Jenna.

    She couldn¡¯t understand at all.

    Moreover, it was obvious that her father had not been able to rope Madam Lilian in and achieve his desired goal. He did not even have a chance to close in on her.

    This was too weird!

    ¡°Then, what do you think? Why is Madam Lilian treating Jenna so well?¡± Hearing his daughter¡¯s exnation, Nuncio asked thoughtfully.

    Madam Lilian would leave Richards Manor the day after. Such a chance was really hard to grab.

    ¡°That¡¯s also something I can¡¯t figure out.¡± Jaqueline¡¯s brows knitted together as she racked her brains.

 Chapter 719 Got Snubbed Again

    ¡°Dad, have you ever heard if Jenna has rtions with us,the Moore family?¡± She frowned, seeming to be thinking about something.

    Nuncio raised his head.

    He thought of something and shook his head.

    In fact, when he was very young, he had heard of vian, his biological uncle, who had developed an intense rtionship with a woman and ignored his grandfather¡¯s objections. He had married the woman, who then gave birth to a daughter, angering his grandfather. Then, his grandfather had disowned him and chased him out. He then met his demise out there.

    However, these had all been brought up by the elders back home. At that time, he was very young and didn¡¯t understand such adults¡¯ matters.Thus, he paid no heed to it.

    ¡°Dad, it seems that Madam Lilian is not very willing to help. Then, your task may not be able to bepleted.¡± Jaqueline was a little anxious for Nuncio and sighed helplessly.

    Nuncio narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°You should go to bed first. It¡¯s my business. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. What about you? When will you find your Mr. Right?¡±

    Jaqueline¡¯s face blushed the moment she heard that.

    ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± She didn¡¯t want to talk to Nuncio about this problem, but avoiding it was not the right way. She was not young anymore. Year after year, Nuncio dredged up this topic more frequently whenever he saw her.

    Nuncio stared at her back and shook his head. Right then, his daughter¡¯s marriage was really giving him a hard time.

    As night enveloped the dark garden, the Ink Garden was quiet and peaceful, with the breeze blowing gently. The ambience was still immersed in the atmosphere of Vivian¡¯s passing.

    Madam Lilian stood in front of the window and looked at the Ink Garden that was engulfed in darkness. She heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Madam, it seems that Nuncio has motives for staying here.¡± Quina stood by and mentioned it with a smile on her face.

    The corner of Madam Lilian¡¯s mouth twitched, and her eyes were gloomy.

    When Nuncio hade to propose a toast to her, she immediately understood his intentions.

    As a political figure, she had a keen eye for political intent.

    Therefore, she avoided himskillfully.

    ¡°Madam, he probably came to ask you for your help in the current controversial issues in international politics.¡± Quina sighed, and her tone was weak.

    Madam Lilian turned around and slowly paced to the couch to sit down have a seat

    After a while, she looked away from the screen and stated calmly, ¡°Quina, this is a topic rted to territorial disputes. It is a matter stemming from historicalplexities and can¡¯t be solved through political and diplomatic means.¡±

    Quina nodded and handed her a ss of water and a few pills.

    ¡°Madam, it¡¯s time for your medicine.¡± She reminded her in a low voice.

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Madam Lilian put down the tablet, took both the water and medicine, and swallowed them in one gulp.

    ¡°Madam, now, a country is using this as an excuse tounch a war against Tambend. It also has been divided into several small states to besiege this country, making the situation look unpromising. Nuncio probably came to ask for your help under the cab¡¯s pressure. Madam, it is true that you cannot change the status quo. After all, this is not a small matter, but a deep-rooted national crisis,¡± Quina exined, but the issue gnawed at her all the same. If Madam Lilian could express her opinions on behalf of the United Nations and vote against it during the United Nations¡¯ meeting, then it might ease Tambend¡¯s diplomatic ties to an unprecedented effect and win the public sense of justice. This way, many smaller countries would dare to take a stand and support Tambend¡¯s situation. This was indeed a good choice and an excellent opportunity, but Madam Lilian might not be willing to do so.

    That was so, unless the Minister of Foreign Affairs was someone else!

    Of course, if she stood by Madam Lilian¡¯s side, then Quina did not want her to do this. She also had a position to take care of. Doing this would offend many people, and she might not please them at all.

    At that time, Madam Lilian looked up at her and asked, ¡°Quina, what do you think I should do?¡±

    After hearing this, Quina smiled and said, ¡°Madam, we are both of Tambend heritage. We may have left this country and no longer belong here, but it would be great if we could assist this country. But considering your position in certain political systems, Madam, you belong to the United Nations, which is a global organization. You have toply with the contract of its legal system. It is not advisable to help out because of personal feelings,for it gives off a biased outlook, and it is very likely to offend certain countries and be pressured by them.¡±

    Madam Lilian nodded and answered thoughtfully, ¡°That¡¯s true. This is also the reason why I ignored Nuncio.¡±

    ¡°But he will not give up,¡± Quina answered immediately, based on her own political experience. As Madam Lilian¡¯s secretary, she should think about the problems between Madam Lilian and the global situation. Therefore, she did not want Madam Lilian to be involved in this. After all, the consequences of offending a country would not be good.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s facial muscles twitched, and a sharp light shed behind the lens of her sses. The expression on her face was inscrutable.

    If she wanted to do something, then no one could stop her. It was just offending some big countries, wasn¡¯t it? At the very worst, she could just step down.

    However, at that moment, she didn¡¯t want to do this, not at all.

    Quina looked at Madam Lilian and racked her brains.

    The most influential man of the previous era had been cast off because he had offended a certain country. Besides, he was extremely close to being assassinated. She, as a secretary, had to factor in all these potential dangers.

    It was just that she would never be able to guess what Madam Lilian¡¯s methods were. For so many yearsshe had never relied on luck to get herself to this position.

    Moreover, Madam Lilian was very concerned about Sara and Jenna. Would this have any effect?

    She was pondering about it.

    The doorbell rang.

    Quina stepped forward and peered through the peephole. Nuncio was standing respectfully outside the door.

    She immediately walked over and announced smilingly, ¡°Madam, Nuncio Moore is here.¡±

    Madam Lilian raised her eyes. She was obviously a little tired of this topic and was no longer willing to say anything else. She immediately ordered coldly, ¡°Tell him that I¡¯m already resting. Let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    This was to be expected.Quina smiled, nodded, and agreed.

    Nuncio got snubbed again and left.

    ¡°Madam, your obvious refusal is a little embarrassing. In fact, even if there are troubles which you can¡¯t help or are unwilling to assist, you can change your way of rejection.¡± Quina reminded her subtly.

    Madam Lilianughed in disdain and stubbornly said, ¡°Regarding the Moore Family, I have never had a good impression of them. There¡¯s no need to entertain them.¡±

    After hearing that, Quina didn¡¯t know whether tough or to cry.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    At that time, Madam Lilian was not like a political figure at all. Instead, she was like a child who was impulsive. Perhaps, only the Moore family could make her lose herposure like this. This was her weakness.

    Therefore, there were many variables in this matter.

 Chapter 720 Jerry On Cloud Nine

    In the bedroom on the second floor of Green Jade Garden.

    Jerry was in Jenna¡¯s and Hansen¡¯s bed, jumping up and down in excitement.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Ever since Vivian had fallen ill and passed away, the entire Green Jade Garden was cold and quiet. Grandpa and Grandma, and even his parents had all moved into the Ink Garden. Jerry found it exceedingly difficult to meet them. To Jerry, this was too cheerless, and he felt as if he was being neglected.

    Therefore, when Hansen and Jenna had returned to Green Jade Garden that day, he was on cloud nine.

    This kind of family affection gave Jerry an extra dose of happiness, and he didn¡¯t want to let his mother and father sleep at all.

    ¡°Mom, that olddy is so kind today. Me likey.¡± Jerry put his hands behind his back and said in a grown-up manner.

    Jenna was cleaning her clothes when she heard Jerry. She couldn¡¯t help tittering.

    ¡°Jerry, how about letting you follow this Grandma to an English elite school next year? What do you think?¡± She took the opportunity to ask him.

    Jerry blinked his eyes and asked curiously, ¡°Does she live in Ennd?¡±

    Jenna nodded. ¡°Well, more or less.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Jerry seemed to be swimming in his thoughts, but he still shook his head and said, ¡°I cannot bear to leave you and Dad. I don¡¯t want to leave you all.¡±

    Jenna had been thinking of sending Jerry to an elite school abroad for a long time.

    For Jenna, this elite school in Ennd was the ideal choice. It was not as fancy as people thought, advocating for luxury,fort, and whatnot. Instead, it carried out a strict management system and tough training from childhood. The students would be sleeping on hard beds and eating coarse and simple meals. It was even more of a rigorous regime than normal schools.

    Jenna wanted to cultivate Jerry into someone who was well-educated, responsible, self-disciplined, and practised good habits. This was essential to every head of Richards Manor. Richards Manorhad made a rule that the eldest grandchild who was not strictly nurtured by the aristocratic schools could never inherit the position of the head of the family. Even though Jerry might not be the head in the future, she still had to consider it at this stage.

    It was just like Hansen whohad spent most of his time sacrificing his own happiness and life to protect Richards Manor and ude. This form of noblesse oblige had been instilled in them from a young age.

    Jenna walked over and patted Jerry¡¯s head while she said with a smile, ¡°Silly child, you¡¯re still young, but you¡¯ll have to go sooner orter. I¡¯m already trying to secure your degree in line.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s hold it off. Right now, I just want to be together with you and Dad.¡± Jerry grabbed the opportunity to hurl himself into Jenna¡¯s embrace, acting like a spoiled child. Jenna looked at him, and her heart turned soft and was filled with love.

    Jerry looked more and more like Hansen. His tall, straight nose, and beautiful curved lips were just a chip off the old block.

    ¡°Mom, that nasty woman has finally been caught, and she will nevere to steal Dad again. I¡¯m extremely happy.¡± Jerry¡¯s head was rubbing against Jenna¡¯s arms, and he was very cheerful.

    Jenna smiled and added, ¡°Jerry, Dad belongs to you and no woman can take him away.¡±

    ¡°But that woman will take him away, and she¡¯ll even harm me.¡± Remembering Liya would make him think of the scene of her pushing him into the water, and Jerry¡¯s heart was still fluttering with fear,with his dread palpable.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, such a thing will never happen again.¡± Jenna hugged him tightly, feeling guilty as she patted his head and softly consoled him.

    ¡°I¡¯m d,Mom. I trust you.¡± After all, Jerry was still a child. He quickly forgot about this matter and recalled Jenna¡¯s promise that after the funeral, she would bring him out to y. Thus, he immediately brought it up and said, ¡°Mom, promise me that you would bring me to the Ocean Park tomorrow.¡±

    Hearing this, Jenna felt a wave of remorse. During this period of time, Jerry had indeed been neglected. It was high time to bring him out to y as he was still a child after all. She nodded and said, ¡°Okay, Jerry, I will take you there tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yay, awesome!¡± Jerry was so happy that he cheered.

    ¡°Then, you have to promise me to go to bed early. Otherwise, you will have no energy to y tomorrow,¡± Jenna whispered softly.

    At that time, Hansen came out of the bath in his bathrobe. When he saw that Jerry was still babbling in the room, he frowned slightly and said with dissatisfaction, ¡°Jerry, it¡¯s alreadyte. Go to sleep. Your mother has a baby in her belly. You can¡¯t torture her like this.¡±

    In these few days, Hansen was exhausted as he had not been getting enough sleep. Now that things were over, all he wanted was to catch up on a good respite. Therefore, he drove Jerry out as soon as he came in.

    ¡°Dad, I want to sleep with you two today.¡± Jerry ignored Hansen and stated his request.

    ¡°You br*t, are you trying to be the third wheel?¡± Hansen yawned and slumped headfirst on the bed as he asked.

    ¡°Just a night is fine.¡± Jerry¡¯s face was brazen as he giggled.

    After a while, when he saw that there was no reaction from Hansen, he curiously drewhis tiny facenearer to take a look. Hansen had already dozed off after copsing onto the bed. After a short while, he could hear steady breathing sounds.

    When Jenna finished her bath and came out, both father and son were lying on the bed,already deep in slumbend.

    She smiled helplessly. After supporting Hansen¡¯s body to let him rest properly, she adjusted Jerry¡¯s sleeping posture and let out a yawn. These past few days, she was too tired and wanted to have a good night¡¯s sleep.

    As she packed up her things and was about to turn off the lights and go to bed, she heard a slight knock on the door. When she went out, she saw Larry standing in front, respectfully saying, ¡°Madam, Miss Jaqueline wants to see you.¡±

    Jaqueline Moore? She wanted to see her at such ate hour?

    Jenna was very curious and asked with a face ridden with doubts, ¡°Larry, what did shee to me for?¡±

    Larry shook his head. ¡°She didn¡¯t say anything. She just said that she has something important to talk to you about. I already told her that you are asleep.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here at thiste hour?¡± Jenna thought for a while. Then, she nodded and said, ¡°Well, let her wait in the living room downstairs. I¡¯ll be there right away.¡±

    Larry agreed and walked away.

    Jenna returned to the bedroom and changed into her loungewear. Then, she took the slippers and quietly went downstairs.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m so sorry to disturb you at such ate hour.¡± Jaqueline was standing in the living room. When she saw Jenna walking down the stairs, she immediately went to greet her and spoke in a very embarrassed manner.

    Jenna smiled and said dismissively, ¡°Jaqueline, what can I do for you at thiste hour?¡±

    Jaqueline looked at the living room and suggested to her. ¡°Jenna, can we go out for a walk and talk, yeah? This way, we won¡¯t bother the people at home.¡±

    Jenna smiled and nodded without hesitation.

 Chapter 721 Jaqueline Mooreâ€™s Request

    The night was enchanting as the breeze flurried gently.

    In the garden of Green Jade Garden, Jenna and Jaqueline walked side by side.

    ¡°Jaqueline, just cut to the chase. Why are you looking for me?¡± Jenna smiled and started the conversation. In reality, she wasn¡¯t all that chummy with Jaqueline, and she really did not know why she woulde looking for her.

    Jaqueline smiled and stated her purpose very politely. ¡°Jenna, I came to see you because I had something to ask you for help. Would you be willing to help me?¡±

    Jenna was stunned upon hearing this, but she very quickly and modestly replied, ¡°Jaqueline, I am just an ordinary woman. I really don¡¯t know what I can do to help you, but don¡¯t worry, as long as it is within my abilities, I will give it my all.¡±

    ¡°Great, I¡¯m relieved to hear you say that.¡± Jaqueline immediately smiled and said happily, ¡°Jenna, you are not ordinary at all, and I believe that you can help my father.¡±

    ¡°Your father?¡± Jenna finally understood. It turned out that Jaqueline came to ask her to help Nuncio out. However, he was a dignified person. Hence, why would he look to her for help?Speaking of which, was she that influential? At that moment, she asked doubtfully, ¡°Jaqueline, is there anything wrong with him?¡±

    Jaqueline nodded solemnly and exined the purpose of Nuncio¡¯s stay. In the end, she said earnestly, ¡°Jenna, my father did this for the nation. Now, Tambend has encountered difficulties in this aspect. It is absolutely possible to solve itif Madam Lilian is willing to lend a hand. Therefore, I hope that you can help to persuade Madam Lilian.¡±

    When Jenna heard this, shepletely understood the purpose of her visit.

    ¡°Jaqueline, this is politics. I¡¯m a stranger to this. I think Madam Lilian is a veryrighteousperson. Your father can discuss this with her. I believe that as long as it¡¯s within her means, Madam Lilian will do her best to help.The truth is, she is just a lonely olddy.¡± Jennaughed quickly to reassure her.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    However, Jaqueline had a wry smile on her face.

    ¡°Jenna, if Madam Lilian is really as you described, then I won¡¯t have to beg you now. My father will return to Capital City tomorrow. It will be a pity if he can¡¯t finish the task and goes back like this. After all, we are all citizens of Tambend,¡± Jaqueline said righteously.

    The smile on Jenna¡¯s face gradually faded away, and her face picked up a sliver of seriousness.

    ¡°Jaqueline, as far as I know, Madam Lilian is a person who has a strong grasp of political ties. Since your father had gone to meet her and she didn¡¯t agree, it meant that she really has no way of helping, or her hands are tied. It would be uselesseven if were to I go to her. If this is the case, then we can¡¯t put her up in a bind.¡± She analyzed seriously. She was not willing to do soif it wouldnd Madam Lilian in a dilemma.

    Moreover,Madam Lilian would not agree to help the Minister of Foreign Affairs any more than she would Jenna,an ordinary person. Jenna believed that she would not refuse on purpose. She must have done so as there were difficulties to deal with.

    However, Jaqueline didn¡¯t think so. She smiled confidently and immediately added, ¡°Jenna, others may not be able to do so, but you can. With your close rtionship with Madam Lilian, I think she will definitely agree to your request.¡±

    Jennaughed after hearing her. ¡°Jaqueline, aren¡¯t you too childish? Madam Lilian and I are not rted by blood.Perhaps, we are kindred spirits and nothing else. Besides, our rtionship is a private one. How would it rte to a national matter? You don¡¯t understand politics. No matter how good a personal friendship is, once it involves politics, it will be a matter of principle and integrity, and no longer a personal problem. In the face of a huge problem, it¡¯s not up to her alone to decide. Politics often have nothing to do withfamily affection andfriendship. Madam Lilian is a mature politician. Hence, she won¡¯t be influenced by an ordinary woman like me. Don¡¯t just base it on the fact that I seem very close to her now. She¡¯s just taken to me as a person. If it goes against her principles, then she will be equally merciless to me.¡±

    Jenna really felt that Jaqueline¡¯s view of the problem was too shallow. Just because she was on good terms with Madam Lilian, how could she think that Madam Lilian would agree to help her with such aplex international political issue because of her little request?

    This appeared as though it was child¡¯s y. If Madam Lilian had been so insensible, then she would not be where she was currently.

    However, the confident look on Jaqueline¡¯s face did not change. She continued with conviction.¡°Jenna, logically speaking, you are right and it¡¯s true. But this time, it is definitely an exception. I can guarantee that Madam Lilian¡¯s conscience is muddled. She has a grudge or is biased against my father.¡±

    ¡°Jaqueline, do you mean that Madam Lilian is unwilling to help because of your father? Did he offend Madam Lilian?¡± Jenna waspletely stunned. After a long time, she opened her mouth and continued. ¡°Besides, she is a famous person. It¡¯s not advisable to talk like this. It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s with me, but don¡¯t breathe a word outside.¡±

    ¡°No, as far as I know, the Moore family and Madam Lilian have never had any conflicts. It is because of this that I am surprised.Hence, that¡¯s why I came to you,¡± Jaqueline said adamantly. She was extremely clever andhad already felt that Madam Lilian didn¡¯t like her and Nunciowhen she gave them the cold shoulder. Perhaps, she should put it that Madam Lilian probably did not like the Moore family. This was her intuition. She had been following Johan Moore around all the time. She wasn¡¯t sure if the Moore family had offended Madam Lilian for some reason. ¡°I didn¡¯t simply conclude this. I can perceive that Madam Lilian doesn¡¯t have a good impression of us, the Moore family. If she refused to help us just because she hates us, then it would be a shame as it is not beneficial for the country and the nation. So, I would like you to try persuading her. I think she will definitely reconsider it for your sake.¡±

    Jenna parted her lips for a long time before she closed it. She shook her head again and said, ¡°Jaqueline, you are too biased regarding this. How can Madam Lilian hate the Moore family? You people have never crossed paths, and you don¡¯t even know each other. How can she hate the Moore family for no reason at all and give up on helping Tambend? Ites across as too unrealistic. Besides, am I that influential? How could I ask for help from the person whom the Minister of Foreign Affairs himself couldn¡¯t manage to do so? Isn¡¯t this a bit tooughable?¡±

    ¡°Jenna, whether you believe me or not, I beg you to have a try. If you really can¡¯t do it, then I have nothing to say. But I¡¯m telling you that what I said is not just spection, it is genuine. Although there is no evidence now, I will investigate clearly. I want to find out why Madam Lilian is so averse to me and my father, and why she hates the Moore Family so much.¡± Jaqueline¡¯s face was flustered and a little stirred up. There was a dark light shing in her crystal-clear eyes.

 Chapter 722 Is That So?

    Jenna stood there in a daze and couldn¡¯t tell if Jaqueline was joking or not.

    Logically speaking, she had never seen this bright girl shaken up before. If it hadn¡¯t been for this reason, perhaps she wouldn¡¯t have acted like this. Thinking back to that afternoon, Jaqueline had been behaving rather politely. She wouldn¡¯t have lost to Jenna in any aspect. However, Madam Lilian had been indifferent and behaved coldly towards her, and she also treated Nuncio as evasively as she could.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna was also confused for a moment. She couldn¡¯t bear to see Jaqueline so stirred up. Thus, she took her hand and consoled her with a smile. ¡°Jaqueline, if things are really as you said, that Madam Lilian is just unwilling to help resolve the dispute because of her prejudice against the Moore family, then I will try my best. Although I may not be able to achieve anything, I promise that I will ask her for help. What do you say?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jaqueline¡¯s eyes sparkled as she asked joyfully.

    Jenna noddedsolemnly.

    ¡°Sure, Jenna. I hope I can see your action, and then I will find out the reason as soon as possible and convince you,¡± Jaqueline said confidently.

    ¡°Uh-huh, I promise you.¡± Jenna smiled slightly.

    Frankly speaking, Jaqueline was smart, cheerful, and well-behaved. Jenna had no reason not to believe her. Although what she said that day was a bit extreme, Jenna still promised her. She didn¡¯t want to trouble Madam Lilian, but since they were citizens of Tambend, they should do their best to help each other. Even if they couldn¡¯t help, they wouldn¡¯t feel any regrets.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll leave it to you. It¡¯s already veryte. So, I won¡¯t disturb you any further. I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡± Jaqueline¡¯s face lit up as she announced in a satisfied manner.

    ¡°Good night.¡± Jenna also smiled and bade each other good night.

    Jaqueline left with jubnt steps. It seemed a fait apli to her that as long as Jenna could assist in this matter, Madam Lilian would definitely help Nuncio solve this problem.

    Meanwhile, Jenna felt an indescribable strangeness.

    In fact, there was another important reason why Jaqueline was so enthusiastic about this matter. Jenna understood clearly and had long heard that Johan Moore was going to let Jaqueline join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She presented a good image and was eloquent, fitting the bill for a position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with perfection. Therefore, Jaqueline was eager to assist in this matter for the ministry to warm up her skills in this aspect, as she was about to take on the position.

    If Nuncio could get Madam Lilian to help them,then it would be a golden opportunity for the Moore family.

    Jenna stood in the garden and watched Jaqueline¡¯s beautiful figure dwindle away. After a moment of silence, she turned around and went back to Green Jade Garden to sleep.

    Bright sun rays prated the purple window gauze curtain.

    When Jenna opened her eyes, Hansen had already left.

    After such a long cmity, the internal affairs of the Richards Group had piled up like a mountain. It had been ten days or half a month since theyst returned to thepany to work.

    Hansen didn¡¯t dare to be careless. He had already driven to work in thepany early in the morning.

    After Jenna got out of bed and washed up, and remembering that Madam Lilian was still there,she hurriedly walked to the Ink Garden.

    ¡°Madam, are we going back to the hotel or to the hospital today?¡± As soon as Jenna entered the guest room in the Ink Garden, Quina¡¯s voice rang.

    Apparently, Madam Lilian had already gotten up early to do her exercises. The door was ajar.

    Jenna felt a little remorseful. The night before,it was a littlete when Jaqueline had chatted with her. When she returned to her bedroom, she thought about what she had said. She tossed and turned as it was difficult for her to fall asleep. Hence, she woke upte in the morning.

    Just as she was about to push open the door with her hand, Madam Lilian¡¯s words swept into her ears like a tornado, making her feel as if it wasn¡¯t real.

    ¡°Of course I have to go to the hospital to take care of my daughter. It took me a lot of effort to find her, and she is very ill. How can I let her in the hospital alone? This time, I have to perform well and take care of her personally until she recoverspletely and is healthy,¡± Madam Lilian said decisively without hesitation, and then ordered, ¡°Quina, call to report that I have something important to do in A city and will be staying here for a while.¡±

    Quina understood and immediately said with a smile, ¡°Okay, Madam. I¡¯ll call right away. I¡¯m afraid that the other party will urge me. After all, there are many things to do recently.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no use urging me. I¡¯ve lived my entire life for others. This time, I want to do something for my daughter. I¡¯ll take care of her myself and fulfill my duty as a mother. It may be toote, but I¡¯ll do my best topensate her.¡± Madam Lilian sighed deeply, but her tone was quite determined.

    ¡°Madam, in fact, it¡¯s better for Sara to be sent abroad for treatment. I¡¯m not sure if you are nning to do so?¡± Quina thought of this question and reminded her.

    When Madam Lilian heard this, she felt a lump in her throat and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Quina, do you think I don¡¯t want to? But now, I¡¯m still unsure if they will ept me. It will be too abruptif I take her abroad like this. This will arouse her suspicion. Looking at her character, how would shee with me?¡±

    Speaking of this, Madam Lilian¡¯s heart sank.

    ¡°s, Madam, you and Sara will reconcile sooner orter. It¡¯s better to take this opportunity to let her know and tell her about the stakes. We might as well take her abroad to cure her illnespletely.¡± Quina certainly understood the uncertainty Madam Lilian was feeling. The suggestion she gave was too heart-wrenching and distressing for her to go on like this.

    When Madam Lilian heard this, she could no longer control herself. Hot tears welled up in her eyes and she could not hold back her sobs.

    ¡°Quina, do you think I don¡¯t want to? But her body is so weak, and she still has such a temper. She¡¯s so simr to vian. If I force this knowledge on her, then I¡¯m afraid that her condition will worsen if she gets too emotional. It¡¯s not worth risking it. I can¡¯t rush this matter and will take my time in this. Who in this world doesn¡¯t want their own flesh and blood to ept them and reunite as soon as possible?¡±

    Madam Lilian sobbed as she wiped away her tears.

    The mood in the guest room was very depressing.

    Jenna¡¯s hand, which was about to knock on the door, stopped mid-air, and could notnd on the door.

    The conversation in the room all clearly entered her ears, and anyone with half a brain could understand it.

    So, that was what it was¡­

    Jenna seemed to have understood everything in an instant, but she also seemed to be unable to think of anything. Her mind was in a mess.

    She could not push the door open.

    Such news was too sudden. Not only was it hard for Sara to ept it, but it was also difficult for Jenna, who was part of the younger generation, to imagine so.

    Her arm slid down silently, and she whirled around and walked out nkly.

    It was sunny outside, and the garden was bathed in a golden light. The weather in autumn was fresh and clear.

    Jenna tried hard to keep the confusion in her heart on a tight leash. She looked up, took a deep breath, and even shed tears from the corner of her eyes.

    The sky above Richards Manor was a deep shade of azure and was refreshing. Yet, her heart was in shambles.

 Chapter 723 Sure Enough

    ¡°Mom, Mom.¡± No sooner had Jenna walked out of the gate to the Ink Garden thanshe saw Larry stepping out of the electric car with Jerry. As soon as he caught a glimpse of Jenna, he shouted and ran over to her. He pestered her and said, ¡°Mom, you promised mest night that you would take me to Ocean Park to y. Don¡¯t go back on your word.¡±

    Jenna looked down at Jerry¡¯s tiny tender face, which was shing with a sheer exuberant smile. Her heart was moved, and a warm smile appeared on her lips. She bent down and held him in her arms.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m going to the underwater park to sleep with the great white shark, okay?¡± Jerry put his arms around her neck and kissed her on the cheek with his small lips, pleading with her in his childish voice.

    Jenna gently touched his face with her hand.

    ¡°Who in this world didn¡¯t want to reunite with their own flesh and blood as soon as possible?¡±When Madam Lilian¡¯s words reyed in her ears, Jenna felt an uncanny feeling in her heart. Her hand stroked Jerry¡¯s face, and her expression was a little dull.

    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong with you? Are you going back on your word? Then, you¡¯re being too mean.¡± Jerry hugged Jenna¡¯s neck and saw that she didn¡¯t give him a positive response. He was unhappy, pursing his lips. His little face was swarmed with grievances and confusion. In his eyes, Jenna must have broken her promise. She didn¡¯t want to take him to y, which was why she was wearing this kind of facial expression.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna was woken up by Jerry¡¯s call and came back to her senses. When she saw Jerry¡¯s aggrieved expression, she smiled dotingly and said, ¡°Jerry, I will definitely do what I promised. However, there are still guests at home today and I have something to do here. How about this? I¡¯ll have Larry bring you to y first, and I wille and pick you up when it¡¯s over, alright?¡±

    When Jerry heard this, he was relieved that he was able to y. Although Jenna wouldn¡¯t go with him, Larry was there to apany him. Furthermore, she also agreed toe and pick him up. It sounded like a good idea.

    ¡°Mom, then I¡¯m going to sleep with the great white shark. I want to spend the night in the aquarium today.¡± He thought for a moment, with his eyes blinking as he brought up the request.

    ¡°Okay, fine, that¡¯s it,¡± Jenna responded to him dotingly and softly. ¡°You can y with Larry here first, and then Dad and I wille and sleep with you and the great white shark, okay?¡±

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s awesome.¡± Jerry was so happy that he cheered.

    ¡°Larry, take Jerry to the Ocean Park at Ekka za and enjoy the visit to your heart¡¯s content. Hansen and I will onlye overter.¡± Jenna turned her head and instructed Larry.

    As soon as Larry heard this, she nodded and agreed with a smile.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this, I¡¯ll send two bodyguards with you. This way, you can take care of each other. Please be careful.¡± Larry took Jerry and was about to turn around and go to the Green Jade Garden to pack up some things. Jenna thought about it and instructed from behind. She wanted Paul to go with them, but Paul and Irvin were usually secret guards and would not show up easily. Besides, they had been busy for quite a while, and she was too embarrassed to bother them with such a small matter. It was time for them to have a good rest.

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry, Madam. I will pay attention to safety,¡± Larry said respectfully, smiling.

    Jenna nodded and after seeing Larry off with Jerry, she stayed rooted there in a daze. She was a little absent-minded.

    Jenna had been sitting on the big stone on Central Ind for what seemed like an eternity.

    After sending Jerry away, her mind was in a state of chaos, and she couldn¡¯t calm down at all. She arrived at this ce,pletely lost.

    At that point, it seemed that she could finally see the light to most issues.

    The reason Madam Lilian was so nice to her, the way she repeatedly inquired about Sara, and even visited her in person, and going to the hospital that moment to take care of Sara in person, everything finally had a reasonable exnation.

    When she was in the hospital the day before, what Madam Lilian had said to Sara filtered through her mind again, and she came to understand everything.It was no wonder she had spoken like that the day before. It turned out that Sara was Madam Lilian¡¯s daughter, and she was her granddaughter.

    She gradually recalled the scenes of her acquaintance with Madam Lilian.Later when the two of them had pledged to be in a grandmother-granddaughter rtionship,she became more clear-headed.

    It seemed that Madam Lilian had known about their rtionship for a long time, but both she and Sara had been kept in the dark.

    She closed her eyes andy her whole body on the big stone,with her heart jangling with mixed emotions.

    In the spacious and bright president¡¯s office, Hansen wasreviewing documentsseriously and attentively.

    Yuri quietly walked in.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there¡¯s a man by the name of Paul Wace waiting outside to see you.¡±

    Paul Wace? Hansen raised his head. He pondered for a moment and immediately instructed her. ¡°Invite him in.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Yuri gently agreed and walked out.

    After a while, Paul, aman with a medium-sized build, came in.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, everything that you asked me to investigate is clear now,¡± Paul said in a low voice, walking in.

    Hansen¡¯s brows twitched. He put the documentdownin his hand and stood up.

    ¡°Come, sit here.¡± He went to the couch and sat down. Leaning against the back of the couch, he lifted a pitch-ck bronze statue, and made a gesture signalling Paul to sit. He asked seriously, ¡°Paul, what¡¯s the oue?¡±

    Paul sat down on the couch and announced seriously, ¡°Mr. Richards, I can now confirm now that the daughter whom Madam Lilian is looking for is Sara Garver.¡±

    ¡°Is that really true?¡± It seemed to be within Hansen¡¯s expectation, but he also felt that it was a bit too good to be true. It was hard to imagine. He raised his head thoughtfully and nodded. ¡°Sure enough.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards. I¡¯ve been suspicious of their rtionship since Madam Lilian visited Sarast time. But that time, Madam Lilian left quietly, which surprised me a lot. It seemed that there was no turning point. But today, when Madam Lilian showed up in Sara¡¯s ward again, everything proved that Sara is Madam Lilian¡¯sdaughter,¡± Paul added with boundless emotion.

    Hansen¡¯s sharp brows furrowed slightly. The expression on his face calmed down after a brief moment of shock.

    ¡°Are you sure about the mother-daughter rtionship between them now?¡± he asked, lightly tapping the back of the couch with his fingers.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Paul said confidently, ¡°I¡¯m sure of it. Madam Lilian haspleted a paternity test, but out of all kinds of concerns, she hasn¡¯t told Sara yet. I predict that it won¡¯t be far off from now. It can be seen that Madam Lilian hadn¡¯t sessfully acknowledged her daughter previously, probably because there was something going on. Maybe it was at that time that she learnt about Yadriel¡¯s plot and deliberately left.¡±

    Hansen pondered for a moment before nodding.

    ¡°That is to say, although Madam Lilian knows about this rtionship, Sara and Jenna are not privy to it.¡± Hansen repeated. He remembered that during Vivian¡¯s funeral, Jenna had repeatedly doubted the intimacy Madam Lilian showed towards her. It seemed that the smartdy had already had a hunch and had already sensed it.

 Chapter 724 Way Too MindBlowing

    ¡°Yes indeed, Mr. Richards. Madam Lilian has a lot of qualms now. I think what tops the list is Sara¡¯s health and the fear of aggravating her condition.¡± Paul analyzed the situation pertinently.

    Hansen¡¯s gaze turned deep and dark, and there was a faint exhration in his heart. It turned out that Madam Lilian had helped him several times because of Jenna¡¯s background. When he thought about it, Paul said clearly from the opposite side, ¡°Mr. Richards, not only does Sara have this background but there is also another unexpected background. I am afraid that only Vivian knew about this matter. After all, Sara had been secretly raised by her since she was eleven years old.¡±

    When Hansen heard this, he raised his head. His eyes were wide open in shock.

    ¡°Paul, what do you mean? Are you trying to say that Sara has another identity?¡± he asked, and his face was cloaked with confusion.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s true.¡± Paul nodded and continued to say with certainty, ¡°Sara Garver is also Johan Moore¡¯s very own granddaughter.¡±

    Johan Moore¡¯s granddaughter? Hansen was astounded. He had already expected Sara to be Madam Lilian¡¯s daughter, but not the fact that Sara was also Johan¡¯s granddaughter. This was too much for Hansen to take in. He didn¡¯t even dare to imagine it.

    ¡°s, I¡¯m afraid that only your grandmother, Vivian, had any clue to all of this.¡± Paul also sighed and ryed to him all the information he had investigated. Hansen was a little absent-minded after hearing this.

    Although there were already too many incidents in life,this particr one was really hard for Hansen to digest. It was too uncanny, even more legendary than a movie plot.

    ¡°Johan knows that Sara is his granddaughter, but he¡¯s ignored her for so many years. Moreover, Sara was brought up by my grandmother. Besides, Javon had been framed and Sara was severely injured in a car ident. At that time, she was alone, and there were hardly any rtives around to take care of her. She obviously had such a powerful family background. Isn¡¯t this way too cruel to her?¡± Hansen was reeling in shock as he thought of the past, and resentment filled his heart.

    Paul furrowed his brows and nodded.

    ¡°Therefore, there must be a lot of enmity between Madam Lilian and Johan. I¡¯m afraid that this unpleasantness will be difficult to clear up. Now, it will be tough for Sara to ept Madam Lilian as her mother. You asked me to investigate all of this, where everything is undoubtedly correct, but I can¡¯t predict what may y out in the near future.¡±

    At that point, an inconspicuous smile emerged from Paul¡¯s lips. It was a family matter. Naturally, it was better for the parties involved to work it out by themselves. Outsiders should not get entangled in this. So, he continued quietly.

    ¡°However, I think that your position is very special. You could make use of it to temper these incidents, but this is just my two cents. You have the final say.¡±

    After saying these words, Paul took his leave.

    Hansen sat on the couch and lost his mind for a while. He then stood up and walked to his desk to make a call.

    ¡°Maud, is Madam Lilian gone?¡±

    On the other side, Maud immediately replied, ¡°Mr. Richards, Mr. Trevor and Madam Marissa had sent Madam Lilian off early in the morning.¡±

    ¡°What about Jenna?¡± Without hearing Jenna¡¯s name, Hansen¡¯s heart stirred. He could not help but to ask.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I haven¡¯t seen her today. Perhaps, she¡¯s too tired these days and is probably resting,¡± Maud could only answer in this way.

    When Hansen heard that, he put down the phone and tapped his fingers lightly on the phone¡¯s receiver.

    Madam Lilian had such a close rtionship with Jenna. Well, they were immediate rtives after all. When Madam Lilian left,would Jenna not be there? It was absurd. So, was Jenna in the hospital or at home?

    He looked at the files on his desk. That day, he came to thepany early and had finished a lot of things. He even brought Alvin here in order to restore his identity as the vice president so that he could help to manage thepany. He immediately called Alvin over and entrusted him with some tasks. Then, he left the office.

    He drove straight back to Richards Manor.

    Subconsciously, Jenna had been sitting on the stone on Central Ind for more than two hours. She did not stand up until her legs were numb.

    After the welter of messy thoughts in her mind had settled down, she finally regained her peace.

    She walked slowly towards the exit.

    Just as she reached the exit, Hansen, who had hurried there, came into view.

    His handsome face was flushed, and there were drops of sweat at the corner of his forehead. His breathing was very rapid, indicating that he had jogged here. Anxiety was lining all of his features.

    ¡°Jenna, why are you here? Why didn¡¯t you bring your phone with you? It took me a while to find you.¡± Hansen approached her. His tone was warm and soft, but there was a hint of reproach in it.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Jenna looked up and saw that Hansen was already standing in front of her.

    ¡°Hansen, didn¡¯t you go to thepany? Why did youe back?¡± Her eyes were blurry, and there was confusion in them.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± Hansen grabbed her hand and looked at her carefully. ¡°I¡¯m worried about you, that¡¯s why I came back to take a look.¡±

    His worry was not illogical. At that point, Jenna¡¯s face was a little pale and her expression was very dull, as though she was not her usual self at all.

    Did she already know?

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m fine. Just go back to work.¡± Jenna shook her head and denied softly while walking forward.

    ¡°Jenna, tell me, do you have something on your mind?¡± Hansen followed closely behind her as he asked out of concern and consideration.

    Jenna shook her head and suddenly remembered something. ¡°Hansen, go back to thepany and attend to your tasks. In the evening, we will go to Ocean Park to spend some time with Jerry.¡±

    The Ocean Park? Hansen was taken aback. ¡°Has Jerry gone out?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. He has been cooped up for some time now. It¡¯s time for him to go out and y. After all, he¡¯s just a kid,¡± Jenna exined as she nodded her head.

    A faint sense of unease rose within Hansen. However, Jenna¡¯s words were fair. He thought for a moment and only nodded his head in agreement.

    ¡°Jenna, Mom is ill. Let me apany you to the hospital to see her.¡± He took her hand and asked cautiously.

    ¡°No, thank you, Hansen. I want to get some rest today and not go there for the time being.¡± Jenna shook her head and swatted his hand away. She frowned and rejected him in a dim voice.

    She knew that Madam Lilian was then taking care of Sara in the hospital. Madam Lilian, as a mother, would not be any worse in taking care of Sara than her, the daughter. She could rest assured about this.

    Nevertheless, she hadn¡¯t figured out how to face Madam Lilian, her grandmother.

    All of this happened too abruptly!

    Therefore, she didn¡¯t want to see Madam Lilian for the time being.

    Jenna was in a dilemma.

    It was not a matter of whether she would ept it or not. She had always had a good impression of Madam Lilian. Moreover, Madam Lilian had a very high reputation. It was an extremely glorious thing to have her as her grandmother. However, that was just how people were. They would feel uneasy and even ufortablewhen their lives were suddenly disrupted.

    Especially for Sara, the consequence of this fact revealed to her was a huge psychological pressure, which mightpletely upend her current life.

    Sara was not a person who fawned over power and nobility. She would not immediately ept Madam Lilian just because of her noble status.

    Most of the time, she had her own persistence and principles. In her vocabry, the word ¡®mother¡¯ was too strange and distant. Over the years, she had suffered and shed too many tears, and was left with only her broken body. If she wanted to ept Madam Lilian naturally, then it might prove to be a feat.

    What was more, she was severely ill!

    If one looked at it clearly after taking a step back, if one¡¯s feelings could be epted so casually, then everyone in the world could abandon their spouses and children, ignore their families, and pursue their own ideals. Since they did not have to worry about their own family affection whatsoever, they only needed to amass money and power.

    Reality couldn¡¯t be more of a far cry than this.

    Hansen observed Jenna properly and was contemting it. From her behavior, was she already aware of her background?

    She was extremely smart and bright. She must have had a sense that something was off.

    She wouldprobably be very anguished if she found out about this.

    Should he inform her of the details he had investigated? If he wanted to, then how should he start?

    Hansen wrapped his arm around Jenna¡¯s waist and pulled her into his embrace. He did not know what to say for a moment.

 Chapter 725 Hansen Richardsâ€™ Warning

    ¡°Hansen, Jenna.¡± A soft and clear female voice came from the front. The two raised their heads and were met with Jaqueline standing in front of them,looking at them with a yful and bright smile on her face.

    Hansen¡¯s sharp brows drew together slightly.

    Paul had mentioned that Sara was Johan¡¯s granddaughter. In that case, Jaqueline would be considered to be Jenna¡¯s cousin. He couldn¡¯t help eyeing Jaqueline more than ever. After secretlyparing them, he realized that there was a bit of simrity in their looks. It was just that back then, he hadn¡¯t known and examined them carefully.

    ¡°Jaqueline, is there something?¡± Hansen looked at her and asked calmly. They were together and she just interrupted them straight away. Was there something important?

    ¡°Hansen, I have something to discuss with you,¡± Jaqueline announced with utmost grace.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s talk here.¡± Hansen looked displeased. He only wanted tofort Jenna right then and not leave her for some meaningless things at that time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Hansen. I won¡¯t take a long time. I just want to discuss something with you.¡± Jaqueline was very serious and persistent. Then, she looked at Jenna and said, ¡°Jenna, I have something to talk to him about. You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡±

    Jenna suddenly recalled what Jaqueline had said when she met her the night before. Up until then, she might be able to guess the reason she was looking for Hansen. In fact, thinking about it then, maybe what she had said the day before had its own logical exnation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Hansen, since Jaqueline wants to speak to you, just go ahead. There must be something behind it,¡± Jenna said in a very considerate and gentle manner.

    As for Hansen, he was looking at her with his intense eyes.

    Jenna only nodded to him and left first.

    ¡°Jaqueline, what can I do for you?¡± After Jenna left, Hansen looked at her distant back and asked Jaqueline without any thought.

    ¡°Hansen, do you know anything about Jenna¡¯s background now?¡± Jaqueline asked directly without beating around the bush.

    Hansen was taken aback. A glint darted across his eyes as he immediately asked, ¡°Jaqueline, what do you mean by this?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t as if Jenna¡¯s identity had anything to do with her. Although she was her immediate cousin, it really had little to do with her.

    ¡°Jenna¡¯s background is not ordinary. I just want to know whether you, as her husband, know about it or not?¡± Jaqueline smiled mysteriously and asked wittily.

    ¡°Jaqueline, what exactly do you know? What¡¯s the point of asking this?¡± Hansen narrowed his eyes, and his face was solemn.

    ¡°Hansen, Madam Lilian is Jenna¡¯s grandmother, and Sara¡¯s mother.¡± Jaqueline dered in a clear voice after thinking about it.

    An icy look shed across Hansen¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°So what?¡± Hansen questioned coldly.

    His voice was extremely frosty, bereft of any warmth.

    This was the first time Jaqueline had seen this kind of expression on Hansen¡¯s face. It was cold, and the displeasure on his face was obvious.

    ¡°Hansen, I don¡¯t have any ill intentions. I won¡¯t hurt Jenna. But you should know why my father is still staying in Richards Manor,¡± she said as tactfully as possible.

    ¡°What for?¡± Hansen had witnessed the scene of Nuncio trying to please Madam Lilian the day before. Obviously, Nuncio had failed to achieve his goal. Did she want to take advantage of the rtionship between Jenna and Madam Lilian to achieve their so-called purpose? Thinking of this, his eyes darkened even more.

    ¡°Hansen, now the country¡¯s domestic and international ties are in jeopardy. These controversies have been lodged in history for a long time. This is bad for both the country and the nation. Therefore, my father has the responsibility to request Madam Lilian to solve the diplomatic problems. Hansen, you should also know that this is not for our own sake,¡± Jaqueline hurriedly exined as she saw Hansen¡¯s face turn even more sullen.

    ¡°If you want to ask Madam Lilian, then by all means, utilise the abilities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to do it, not by getting my wife involved. I¡¯m warning you, I will not allow you toapproach my wife withsuch a purpose. She is just an ordinary and kind woman. Having lost her loved ones in her life, she has lost a lot of happiness that she should have had. I don¡¯t want politics to be involved in her reconciliation with her immediate rtives. Such a little bit of happiness will be deprived of the so-called morality in your purpose. Jaqueline, I have made it very clear. Remember this, or else don¡¯t me me for being ruthless.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was gloomy, and he spelled it out with sheer gravity. After saying that, he strode past her and walked forward.

    ¡°Hansen, please don¡¯t think of me like this. There¡¯s a reason why I¡¯m doing this.¡± From a young age, Jaqueline had been pampered. She had never been spurned and given such a ruthless expression before. She stayed rooted and spokein a loud and aggrieved voice while looking at Hansen¡¯s back.

    Hansen stood still and swiveled his head around.

    ¡°What, pray tell, is the reason then?¡± His face was as cold as ice, and he sneered.

    ¡°Hansen, Madam Lilian is prejudiced against us, the Moore family. If we were to handle it just like this, then it would be too unfair for our country. That¡¯s why I thought of asking Jenna to do it.¡± Jaqueline pursed her lips, looking helpless.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Hansen took a few steps forward and red at Jaqueline. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s the Moore family¡¯s misfortune. You should ask the reason why this happened. To me, Madam Lilian is very friendly and kind to everyone here. But why does she hold such prejudice against your family? If so, then shouldn¡¯t your family find the crux of the problem and deal with it instead of pushing the responsibility onto my wife? The Ministry of Foreign Affairs can¡¯t use nepotism to get work done. If you want to have further developments in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and do something for the country and the people, then I advise you not to involve my wife.¡± After saying this with an austere face, Hansen didn¡¯t look at her anymore and walked forward.

    Jaqueline was rooted to the ground.

    Hansen was enraged deep down. It was still up in the air if his wife could sessfully reunite with Madam Lilian. Just how much of an impact these things might foist on her? As her husband, he didn¡¯t know how much pressure she was under at the moment. It would be too tragic to bear such a feeling whenone had to go through political pressure in the name of family reunion.

    Why couldn¡¯t the Richards family live their lives with the freedom of their privacy? Must they consider others in everything?

    Jaqueline was very smart. She wanted to take this shortcut, but she shouldn¡¯t be this smart.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t plead with Madam Lilian for this reason,and yet employed the same excuse for a reconciliation.

    He would never allow anyone to interfere with her life like this.

    Whether or not they reconcile with Madam Lilian should be up to Sara and Jenna, and not against their will. Otherwise, it was very likely that it would leave asting psychological trauma on them.

    Besides, Johan had not cared about his own granddaughter for so many years. Now that he had something to ask of her, could he deprive Sara and Jenna of their happiness just because of the country¡¯s morality? As if Hansen would allow it.

    It was understandable that Madam Lilian had some prejudice against the Moore family. They should have abided by the right and correct way of taking down the wall of antagonism between them for everyone¡¯s delight and satisfaction, instead of getting Jenna caught up in this.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    With this thought in mind, Hansen tookrge strides to keep up with Jenna¡¯s pace and arrived at the top floor of Green Jade Garden.

 Chapter 726 Jerry Had Gone Missing

    ¡°Jenna, if you don¡¯t want to go to the hospital, then stay at home. Let the medical team check the baby for you.¡± As soon as he entered the door, he picked up Jenna and sat down on the couch,cing his big hand on her lower abdomen and gently stroking it.

    Jenna felt nothing but profound weariness. She slightly closed her eyes and leaned against Hansen¡¯s sturdy chest. When she listened to his calm heartbeat, she felt a strange sense of sce.

    She wound her arms around his waist tightly and buried her face in his chest. She murmured, ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t leave me. Stay with me for a while.¡±

    Her soft body fell pliantly into his embrace. Hansen hugged her tightly. When he heard her soft words, he felt an inexplicable excitement in his heart. At that moment, he felt an iparable sense of bliss. His mind was blinded by this kind of happiness, so much that should a feeling of unease spring up from the depths of his heart, it would be automatically filtered away.

    He liked this feeling, content and happy. He only wanted that moment tost forever.

    He held her tightly in his arms,embracing her. However, deep in his heart, an unsettling feeling welled up, as if it was trying to destroy his happiness. He suppressed it, trying his best not to think about it.

    ¡°Jenna, when our child is born, I will hold the most magnificent banquet in the world for him and make him the happiest baby in the world.¡± He embraced her, buried his face in her arms, and uttered with unadulterated affection.

    After a while, he did not hear Jenna¡¯s voice, only the sound of her breathing. When he looked up, he found that Jenna was already fast asleep.

    He smiled and noticed that her face was pale and gaunt. He couldn¡¯t help feeling his heart in agony. He hoisted her up and walked to the bed. Until he put her on it, her hands were still tightly wrapped around him, devoid of the wish of letting go.

    The corner of his mouth was raised slightly.

    For fear of waking her up, he held her and fell asleep together. With one hand, he put the quilt over her body, and then put one hand touching her slightly swollen lower abdomen, and the other tightly held her in his arms. They hugged each other and fell asleep.

    This was a good respite.

    When she woke up, it was already afternoon.

    ¡°Honey, have you slept well?¡± Hansen¡¯s ck pupils shone brightly, and he was in high spirits. He asked Jenna, who had just opened her eyes, intimately.

    After sleeping, Jenna was feeling much better, especially with Hansen keeping herpany. The pleasant smell of his body endowed her with serenity, as if she had taken a sedative, and her mind slowly began to be clear.

    After she woke up, the first people she thought of were Madam Lilian and Sara.

    She had decided that she would try her best to make Sara ept Madam Lilian and see the mother and daughter reconcile with each other.

    Sara was so pitiful, and putting status aside, Madam Lilian was also an olddy deserving of sympathy. She thought of the cautious and fearful expression on Madam Lilian¡¯s face when she wasforting Sara in the hospital. In fact, Madam Lilian was also suffering deep down.

    She wanted all of them to be happy as they were all her loved ones.

    However, the premise was that she had to wait for Sara¡¯s illness to stabilize.

    After just a nap, she quickly made up her mind.

    She thought that she should have told this idea to Hansen.

    Just as she was about to speak, the phone at the bedside rang with an air of emergency.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    Hansen reached out his hand and fetched the phone.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, bad news. Jerry is missing.¡± The voice of Larry came through the phone in a tearful tone.

    ¡°What?!¡± Hansen was shocked. He immediately shouted, ¡°Larry, speak clearly.¡±

    Jenna was lying on the bed when she heard Hansen¡¯s shout.Appalled, she sat up and her heart skipped a beat when she heard him calling ¡®Larry¡¯. An ominous feeling immediately hit her.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I was ying with Jerry at the Ocean Park. He was having a good time. Then, we went to the restroom. He insisted on going to the gents. I couldn¡¯t follow him. So, I stood outside and waited. After waiting for a long time, he didn¡¯te out. Then, I called him again and again outside. He did not reply. I became flustered andasked the men who came out, but they said they didn¡¯t see any kids in there. I was scared and immediately got a security guard to go in and looked for him. Then, we separated and looked for him, using the announcement. But our efforts are in vain. Jerry went missing for no reason.¡± Larry tried her best to speak properly through the phone. At the end, she burst into tears. Then, she apologised. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Richards. I lost Jerry. I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±

    Larry had already burst into tears on the phone. She was not only afraid, but also sad. After all, she had brought up Jerry for a long time. Right then he had disappeared. Her heart was burning like a fire, and she was in anguish.

    Hansen¡¯s face instantly turned pale. He clutched the phone tightly and blue veins popped out on his skin.

    He was not afraid that he himself would face any danger, but he could not allow his loved ones to get into any ident, especially when Jerry was still a child.

    At that moment, he was scared out of his wits.

    ¡°Larry, look around nearby. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± He tried his best to calm down and ordered gravely.

    After putting down the phone, he turned around.

    His heart started to palpitate.

    Jenna¡¯s face was deathly pale as she stared directly at him. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead and the tip of her nose.

    Her face was terribly nched, and there was only despair and pain in her eyes.

    ¡°Hansen, tell me.Jerry, could it be that Jerry has gone missing?¡± she asked in a trembling voice. Her voice was both bitter and heavy.

    Hansen¡¯s heart throbbed painfully. Gradually, the pain spread to his limbs, as if there was a sharp knife stabbing at his heart.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s fine. With me here, Jerry will definitely be fine.¡± There was no way to hide such a thing from her. Furthermore, she was already very close to listening to the conversation. So, he could only reach out and try tofort her.

    ¡°No, Jerry, my child.¡± Jenna let out a shrill cry, and her vision turned ck as she fell limply onto the bed.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna.¡± Hansen was heartbroken and bent down to pick her up.

    He patted her and shouted outside, ¡°Somebody,e over!¡±

    Aunt E was in the next room, hanging Jerry¡¯s clothes. When she heard the shout, she rushed over.

    ¡°Aunt E, have the medical teame over. Hurry,¡± Hansen shouted with his bloodshot eyes.

    When Aunt E heard the anxiety in Hansen¡¯s shouting outside, she knew that something must have happened to Jenna. Thrown out of the loop, she answered and immediately picked up the internal phone in the corridor and dialed a number.

    Hansen anxiously took out his phone.

    ¡°Alvin, immediately get all the members of the Grand Eagles to the Ocean Park in Ekka za to search for Jerry.ASAP.¡± After giving the order, he only felt that the hand holding his phone was bing weak, as if his soul had been drained from his body.

    How did Jerry disappear? Was this just a coincidence, or was someone pulling tricks from behind?

    If someone had schemed against him on purpose, then who could it be, seeing that Yadriel and Sergio were already dead?

    A woman¡¯s face shed across his mind.

    Could it be her?

    She had been thrown out of A City by him. Suddenly, he remembered what Jordan had said to him that day.

    At that time, the police were searching the city for Zoe, who hadmitted all sorts of crimes. Could it be that she was the one who did this? At the thought of this, he felt a chill all over his body and his heart froze.

    D*mn it!

    How could he forget her?

    This was definitely an oversight.

    When he was like a cat on hot bricks in the room, Aunt E came with the medical team.

 Chapter 727 The Deranged Zoella Yates

    ¡°Quick, examine Jenna. She has passed out from the shock,¡± Hansen roared, agitated.

    Hearing this, the medical team didn¡¯t dare to be careless and immediately got to it.

    After a while, Jenna inhaled a deep breath and gradually woke up.

    She opened her eyes for only a brief moment before she remembered something. She struggled to her feet and cried out in anguish, ¡°Jerry.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, calm down.¡± Jenna leapt to her feet and wanted to storm outside, but Hansen went and grabbed her.

    Jenna turned around and looked up with tearful eyes. When she saw that it was Hansen, she cried out in pain, ¡°Hansen.¡± She threw herself into his embrace. ¡°Hansen, quick, Jerry is missing. Our child is missing. Quick, search for him.¡±

    Hansen hugged her tightly andforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already sent people to look for him. You¡¯re pregnant now, don¡¯t get too worked up. Rest at home first, I¡¯ll look for him myself.¡±

    He helped her lie down on the bed as he spoke. Then, he turned around and instructed the medical expert. ¡°Watch her and take a good look at her condition.¡±

    Speaking of this, he held her hand for a while before heturned around and strode out.

    From the moment of the incident happening till then, Aunt E had understood everything, standing by the side. After Hansen left, she asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Madam, is Jerry missing?¡±

    Hearing this, Jenna¡¯s tear nds were again triggered to shed tears.

    At that point, the whole medical team could make out what was going on. They all turned pale with fright,with whispers passing around.

    Jenna was so overwrought that she could lie down no more.

    She had been destitute and homeless when she was expecting Jerry, and it had been difficult to give birth to him. This child was her life itself.

    She closed her eyes,with her face deluged with tears, and she choked with sobs.

    At that time, when Aunt E saw Jenna¡¯s appearance, the bad omen proved it. She only trembled and cried out, ¡°Good grief!¡± Immediately, she bawled at the top of her lungs.

    Ever since Jerry had returned from Wullen Town, she had personally taken care of him. Now that she heard of his disappearance, it was as if her heart had been ripped away.

    This matter was soon known by Marissa and Trevor who were downstairs. The two of them rushed up when they heard the news. After hearing Jenna¡¯s story, their faces were drained of color, and words could not escape their lips. On top of that, Trevor had weathered a series of twists and turns, and was already in poor health. When he heard this forbidding news, he fainted immediately.

    Marissa took a look and immediately hugged Trevor, crying her eyes out.

    Immediately, the whole Green Jade Garden escted into mayhem.

    Hansen ignited his Hummer and charged outside.

    Not long after the car was driven off, his cell phone rang.

    He picked up the phone and found that it was an unfamiliar number.

    Answering it, he tapped on the loudspeaker button.

    ¡°Hello,¡± he briefly greeted.

    There was no sound from the other side.

    Hansen was behind the wheel,and his sharp brows furrowed. Just as he was about to end the call, he heard a woman¡¯s terrifyingughter shrieking from the other end.

    He was shocked and turned the wheel quickly. With a screech, his Hummer stopped on the side of the road.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± he snapped.

    The woman continued her madughter for a while, and then it petered out.

    Hansen¡¯s face began to turn pale. He could already tell that this was none other than Zoe¡¯s voice.

    At that moment, Zoe¡¯sughter sounded horrible, gloomy, and even neurotic. It sounded nothing like theughter of a normal woman.

    The ominous warning was like a basin of ice water, poured directly on top of Hansen¡¯s head, causing his teeth to chatter from the cold.

    He punched the steering wheel.

    He didn¡¯t have to rush over. No matter how hard he tried, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find Jerry. He must have been hidden by this unhinged woman. When he thought of the child already in the hands of this woman at such a young age, Hansen¡¯s heart twinged, and a metallic taste came out of his throat. A string of sparks spattered before his eyes.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, you know who I am, don¡¯t you?¡± Zoe asked in a bizarre voice. She picked up the cigarette in her hand and put it to her lips, mped it, and took a generous drag. Then, she leaned back against the couch and crossed her legs.

    ¡°Zoe, what do you want? I warn you, let Jerry go, or I¡¯ll let you die without a grave.¡± Hansen steadied himself and shouted angrily.

    The corners of Zoe¡¯s mouth curled into a malicious sneer. She snorted and replied with a charming smile, ¡°Hey, Mr. Richards, why are you so fierce? Be gentle, thank you. Why, I called you out of kindness.¡±

    Hansen heard her nauseating voice and began to feel goosebumps sprouting on his skin. He suppressed the wave of nausea and asked coldly, ¡°What do you mean? Where¡¯s Jerry?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a long story.¡± Zoe deliberately put on an act and continued saying, ¡°You will be anxious if you know that your child is lost, which is why I¡¯m calling you right away.¡±

    ¡°Tell me, what kind of tricks are up your sleeve?¡± Hansen¡¯s patience had reached its peak. He was worried about Jerry. So, he was not in the mood to beat around the bush with her.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, this is no way to talk. Since you¡¯re treating me like this, then forget it. Why should I please you?¡± Zoe said, pretending to be aggrieved. At that point, she was about to cut off the call again.

    When Hansen heard her, he grew agitated. If Jerry was really hidden by her, and if he angered her now, then the one who would suffer would be Jerry. Thinking about this, his heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife. However, he managed to keep his anger in check, and his voice softened.

    ¡°Fine, tell me. What conditions do you need to have Jerry released?¡±

    He gritted his teeth and tried to keep his voice as leveled as possible. ¡°Zoe, you are also a woman with parents. You will also have children in the future. If you kidnap a child like this, then karma will get you back. Aren¡¯t you afraid of retribution formitting such immoral things?¡±

    Hansen tried his best to persuade her. He wanted to see if her conscience could get better of her, so that she would refrain from inflicting any pain on Jerry.

    ¡°Children.¡± Zoe¡¯s heart ached when she heard this word. She would never have a child in this life of hers. That little bit of jealousy quickly made her even more unhinged. She immediately chortled strangely and added, ¡°Say, Mr. Richards, you really know how to sweet talk me. But let me tell you, Jerry wasn¡¯t kidnapped by me. I just came to deliver the information to you out of kindness.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s not you, then who could it be?¡± Even if he was beaten to death, Hansen would not believe her. This woman was at the top of her game when it came to sadism, and no other women could second her.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    Zoe, however, wasughing contentedly on the other side.

    ¡°Hansen, you sowed the seed of your misdeeds before, and now it¡¯se to im your child. Voil¨¤, serve you right. You might as well think carefully about who would take your child away from you.¡± Zoe raised her eyebrows and puffed out some smoke. Her voice seemed to skitter from a distant h*ll.

    ¡°What exactly are you on about? Who kidnapped Jerry?¡± When Hansen heard Zoe, the cogs of his brain went into motion. However, other than her,he really could not recall who else would have done such a thing.

    ¡°She was abused at first and abandoned in the end, you ruined the woman¡¯s entire life. Now, she¡¯s released from prison to seek vengeance upon you.¡± Zoe wasughing her head off on the other end of the line with a smug look on her face.

    Released from prison? When Hansen heard this, he immediately racked through his brain. The muscles on his face jumped a little, and he immediately asked in a solemn voice, ¡°Are you talking about Aria?¡±

 Chapter 728 A Shameless Threat

    ¡°Well, well, well, she¡¯s indeed the woman you¡¯ve fooled around with!A brief nudge and she sprang up in your mind, didn¡¯t she?¡± Zoe¡¯s voice was very soft, wedged with a hint of disgust.

    After being thrown off for a split-second,it dawned on Hansen. It was Aria indeed.

    He couldn¡¯t help but to unexpectedly breathe in a mouthful of cold air.

    ¡°Zoe Yates, allow me to tell you, I¡¯ve neither yed around with Aria, nor did I ever touch her. I don¡¯t evene close to being known as someone who abandoned her after messing around with her. She was the one who pestered me. I didn¡¯t expect each of you women to be more heartless and vicious than the other. Looks like you really won¡¯t shed tears until you see your coffin. Gird your loins epting God¡¯s very own wrath.¡± He said coldly, ¡°You¡¯d better tell me where Aria hid my son right now.¡±

    ¡°Hey, hey.¡± Zoe smoked leisurely on the other line, not in a hurry at all. After slowly puffing a smoke ring, she said coldly.

    ¡°There ain¡¯t a hurry. It¡¯s normal for you to want to know where your son is. But, Mr. Richards, why should I tell you this?¡±

    ¡°Alright, just tell me what your conditions are and I¡¯ll agree to it. However, the child is innocent and I hope that you will treat him well. If you want to vent your anger, thene at me and let the child go first.¡± Hansen¡¯s heart was burning with anxiety. No matter what conditions she offered, he would agree as long as Jerry¡¯s safety was guaranteed.

    Zoe smiled triumphantly on the other end of the line. She was very satisfied with the way Hansen was at that moment.

    ¡°Conditions? Of course, that is necessary. However, such a negotiation is too unrefined. Look, if you really want to discuss the conditionssincerely,then let¡¯s meet face-to-face. What do you say to that?¡± Zoe raised her headslightly on the other side. Thinking of Hansen¡¯s handsome face and strong figure, she imagined all kinds of beautiful and charming scenes. She was a little abnormal as she said it in the grip of infatuation.

    Face-to-face? A fierce glint shed in Hansen¡¯s eyes. He felt sick, but he only thought for a moment before replying immediately, ¡°Okay, where are you? I¡¯ll be right over.¡±

    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s no hurry.¡± Zoe was a little nervous when she heard that Hansen was about toe over, and her face turned red, flustered. She sat up and put the cigarette into the ashtray on the desk to snuff it out, and said coyly.

    ¡°Then, when?¡± Hansen was extremely worried for Jerry¡¯s safety and immediately asked.

    ¡°Well.¡± Zoe rolled her eyes and added enchantingly, ¡°If you want to see me, then it¡¯s okay. But you have to make all the police who are searching for me retreat first, so that I cane to see you.¡±

    ¡°You have done all kinds of evil things. Those police officers were sent by the Public Security Department to arrest you. This has nothing to do with me,¡± Hansen retorted icily.

    ¡°Oh, no, you¡¯re capable of that. But of course,that¡¯s up to youwhether you want to or not. You have to know that Jerry is now in Aria¡¯s hands. That woman is already out of her mind, and she can do anything. The longer he stays by her side, the more dangerous it will be. I advise you to think about it carefully, and don¡¯t miss this opportunity,¡± Zoe reminded him in a ¡®caring¡¯ way.

    Jerry¡¯s cute, crying face, as well as the image of Jenna fainting shed across Hansen¡¯s mind. He gritted his teeth and agreed. ¡°Okay, I promise you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it,¡± Zoe said with a smile,letting out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Where can I see you then?¡± Hansen continued to ask.

    ¡°Now, chill out.I¡¯ll tell youafter you have the police withdrawn. But don¡¯t try to y any tricks. Jerry is still in Aria¡¯s hands. As long as I give the order, Aria won¡¯t take pity on the child. If anything happens to Jerry then, don¡¯t me me for being cruel and merciless.¡± Zoe¡¯s tone remained light as she threatened.

    Hansen was green in the face.

    ¡°My son is in your hands. What else can I do?¡± he roared in anger.

    Zoe gave a peculiarugh. ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. I want to see your action.¡±

    After that, she hung up the phone.

    Hansen clenched his fists,with blue veins popping out on his skin. He then loosened his fist and called Jordan.

    After hearing Hansen¡¯s request, Jordan was so astonished that he did not know what to do. In the end, after Hansen¡¯s persistence, Jordan withdrew all the police first.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, if there¡¯s anything you need, then just hit me up,¡± Jordan finally told him.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry. My people will inform you immediately.¡± After Hansen expressed his thanks, he decisively hung up the phone.

    In any way,e what may upon Hansen, Jerry must be saved. Otherwise, Jenna would not be able to bear it. Not to mention, Trevor and Mariisa could not bear it, as well as he himself. After all, until then, Jerry was the only grandson of Richards Manor.

    After Jordan had all the police retreated, Hansen also summoned Alvin and the others back to thepany, twiddling their thumbs at Zoe¡¯s call.

    In a dark room on Sunshine Mountain, Jerry woke up from being knocked out earlier. He saw that the room was filled with darkness, and there was a pungent and musty smell. At such a young age, he immediately realized that he had been kidnapped by an evil person, and his eyes widened in fear.

    ¡°I want to go out, let me go.¡± Jerry opened his eyes and immediately cried out. His little hands were tied behind him and he couldn¡¯t move at all. He was so scared that he was about to cry.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°My child, my child, don¡¯t cry, Mommy is here.¡± A skeletal woman ran in from outside in a hurry and coaxed while hugging him in her arms.

    Jerry opened his pitch-ck eyes and stopped crying. Upon closer inspection, he realized that she was not his mother at all.

    Although this woman¡¯s eyes wererge, she had a dull look on her face. There was an intimidating wickedness in her eyes and brows. When she looked at him, her eyes were suffused with white light that wouldn¡¯t belong to an ordinary person.Her pupils were greenish and scattered. Such a scene would make one¡¯s hair stand on end.

    Jerry had never seen such a terrifying woman before, thus he was scared till the color in his face was drained.

    The woman held him with her thin and bony hands, which were not gentle at all. She patted him without considering her strength. It was painful.

    Jerry was terrified.

    ¡°Who are you? You¡¯re not my mother.¡± He looked at her and asked warily.

    Aria hugged him even tighter. She murmured, ¡°Be a good boy, darling. I¡¯m your mother. Mommy likes you. Don¡¯t leave Mommy.¡±

    Then, she picked him up.

    Jerry felt no warmth on her body, and his entire body was inundated with an unfamiliar aura. He struggled with all his might. ¡°You¡¯re not my Mom! Let me go! I want to go home! I want my Mom!¡±

    All said and done, he was just a little child. His hands were tied behind his back, limiting his movement. Under these circumstances where he was panicking in fear, he could only exert all his strength to shout and cry.

    However, Jerry¡¯s cries seemed to crank up an ounce of excitement in Aria. She lowered her head to look at Jerry, with her eyes shing like lightning. As she relished Jerry¡¯s cries, she reached out to pinch his tender cheek.

    It seemed that she had never pinched such tender cheeks. It was very addictive, and she didn¡¯t consider her strength. She just pinched his cheeks as she pleased. After a while, patches of blue and ck mushroomed all over Jerry¡¯s face as a result of Aria¡¯s pinches.

 Chapter 729 Please Donâ€™t Hurt The Child

    ¡°You she-devil, you pinched me! My Dad won¡¯t let you go!¡± Jerry was in pain and fretful. He kept crying and cursing at her.

    Aria, however, had her excitement reaching its peak. Seeing the little boy writhing and making noises in her arms, not to mention how fun it was, she actually started gesticting.

    Perhaps because she had been confined in jail for too long that she was used to being beaten, scolded, and suppressed too much. At that moment,it was both novel and funto see Jerry, who was weaker than her, struggling in her arms.Exerting her strength, she then pinched every part of Jerry¡¯s body. The more Jerry cried out, the more delighted she felt.

    It wasn¡¯t until Jerry¡¯s sad and shrill cries rang out in the forest for a long time that the door was kicked open.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t hit me, don¡¯t steal my child.¡± Aria¡¯s expression changed when she heard the violent kicking sound from the door. She hurriedly held Jerry in her arms and cried out in a trembling voice.

    Jerry had run out of strength from crying, so he could only stare nkly at the woman who came in with an even more ferocious expression. He didn¡¯t even bother to cry.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Hmph, crazy woman, you think it¡¯s your child just because he¡¯s one? You¡¯re really shameless.¡± Zoe was finally annoyed by Jerry¡¯s crying. So, she kicked open the door and walked in.

    Just then, Hansen had already agreed to her request. She was really worried that this crazy woman would cause irreversible damage to Jerry. Then, it wouldn¡¯t be good for her negotiations.

    ¡°Aria, do you think a woman like you is qualified to give birth to a child?¡± Zoe¡¯s eyes were filled with a fierce glint, and she showed a mocking smile. She had already lost the ability to get pregnant. Seeing Aria fantasize about having a child in such a deranged state, her heart was bursting with contempt and impatience. At the same time, she felt a deep sense of loss.

    Aria blinked her eyes and hugged Jerry even tighter. She cautiously said, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to snatch away my child. He¡¯s mine.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Zoe sneered. ¡°With the ten million dors you paid Brock Moore to get rid of the child in Jenna¡¯s womb, you deserve to die ten thousand timesover. How shameless you are to say that this child is yours.¡±

    Speaking of this, she looked at Aria with a disgusted expression and took out her cell phone.

    In the living room of Green Jade Garden, after being rescued by the family doctor, Trevor¡¯s face was pale as he sat on the couch. He was in low spirits and Marissa was holding a ss of water and feeding him medicine.

    Jenna was pacing around in the hall with an apprehensive look on her face.

    Her ears seemed to be ringing with the miserable cries of Jerry calling out to her, and she felt her heart being shed by a knife.

    In a short while, she received a call from Hansen.

    ¡°Hansen, have you found Jerry?¡± Jenna grabbed the phone and asked hopefully.

    At the other end of the phone, after a suffocating silence, Hansen opened his mouth to speak. His voice was a little bitter and heavy.

    ¡°Jenna, there¡¯s no need to go look and for Jerry. He¡¯s been kidnapped by Zoe, so you need to stay strong. Larry will be back soon. Don¡¯t tell this to Mom and Dad for the time being. I¡¯ll go to Zoe¡¯s to save Jerry right away. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely think of a way to save our son.¡±

    Hansen had no choice but to tell her the truth. Hewould not be able to keep from her the fact thathe did not have much confidence in what would happen next.

    When Jenna received the call, she felt a tumble in her stomach, and a bloody, metallic smell spilled out of her throat. Her eyesight darkened, and she hurriedly walked to the side to clutch on to the couch armrest.

    ¡°Jenna, you must be strong. Trust me.¡± After Hansen repeatedly told her, she finally put down the phone.

    Jenna stood still in a daze.

    ¡°Jenna, how is it? Has Jerry been found?¡± After hearing Jenna finish speaking, Marissa immediately asked.

    Jenna held the armrest with cold sweat dripping from the corner of her forehead. She then closed her eyes, clenched her teeth, and turned around after a long time.

    ¡°Dad, Mom, Jerry is fine. Hansen has already gone to pick him up. You can go and have a rest.¡±

    Her voice was steady. Although her cadence was trembling, she tried to hide it as much as possible. After that, she smiled slightly and walked upstairs,looking soulless.

    Leaning against the cold door, she could only picture Zoe¡¯s sinister smile in front of her.

    Jerry, her poor Jerry, had fallen into the hands of such a vicious woman. The consequences were¡­

    Tears poured down Jenna¡¯s face like fallen beads from a broken string.

    She clutched the door frame with her fingers.

    Behind the door frame, Aunt E asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Madam, is Jerry in danger?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s fingers were shaking so badly that her whole body was quivering as well.

    ¡°Madam, I know you¡¯re hidingthe fact that Jerry has been kidnappedfrom Mr. Trevor and Madam Marissa, right?¡± Aunt E asked grimly while tearing up.

    ¡°Aunt E.¡± Jenna turned around and replied tearfully, ¡°You can¡¯t tell Madam Marissa and Mr. Trevor about this. Don¡¯t make them worry.¡±

    Aunt E¡¯s face was terribly pale with tears. She consoled her. ¡°Madam, don¡¯t worry. Your body is not yours alone. You should have faith in Mr. Hansen.¡±

    Aunt E, who had been very attentive, hadnoticed Jenna¡¯s subtle expressionwhen she was downstairs.She knew that Jenna kept it from Trevor and Marissa since she was afraid that they would be worried. However, she was concerned about Jenna and immediately followed her upstairs. As she had expected, Jerry was indeed missing.

    This was heart-wrenching news for her. She had long since regarded Jerry as her own grandson. Since Jerry had gone missing, she wouldn¡¯t feel better than anyone else. However, other thanforting Jenna, there was nothing else she could have done. She was so anxious, yet she couldn¡¯t reveal it.

    She supported Jenna to sit down on the couch and kept herpany, sharing her tension and pain.

    Both of them were teary-eyed and silent.

    The phone suddenly rang after a while.

    ¡°Jenna, how are you?¡± As soon as Jenna picked up the phone, a cold and strange feminine voice came from the other end of the line. Jenna was so scared that her whole body trembled and her face suddenly nched.

    This woman¡¯s voice was frosty and horrific. Obviously, it was not the voice of a normal person.

    ¡°Zoe, what are you trying to do? Give me back my child.¡± Jenna was petrified for only a second before she heard Zoe¡¯s voice and condemned angrily.

    Zoe burst outughing on the other side of the line.

    ¡°Now, Jenna,don¡¯t be so worked up. Your child has been kidnapped by Aria and has nothing to do with me. Whereas me, I¡¯m here to pass along the news. Of course, if you do well ordingly, then I will save his life.¡± Zoe looked at the sky with a strangeexpressionand an exaggerated swagger. She switched her phone to the other hand with a faint smile.

    Aria? Jenna felt needles pricking her heart when she heard this name. All of the memories that had been buried in her heart flooded back.

    Did this woman get released from prison?

    Naturally, she didn¡¯t believe that Aria woulde out to kidnap Jerry. She wasn¡¯t even done with her sentence. So, how could she have been released from prison? However, if she really dide out of prison, then there could only be one exnation to it. That was, Zoe had bailed her out, and then used her to kidnap Jerry. After all, right then the entire city was scattered with police hunting down Zoe. Thus, she couldn¡¯t show up easily.

    ¡°Zoe, no matter how much you hate me, the child is innocent. I beg you to let him go. Of course, I can give you anypensation, or charge at me with the hatred you harbour towards me, but please don¡¯t hurt the child.¡± At that point, Jenna knew that it was not wise to go against her. Therefore, she could only go along with her. For Jerry, not only dignity, she could practically discard just about anything.

    Therefore, Jenna begged Zoe in a humble voice on the phone.

 Chapter 730 The Ocean Heart For Jerryâ€™s Life

    Zoe chuckled. ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s all because of your sheer luck. Shouldn¡¯t you share some of your luck with me, a woman who has been dealt a bad hand in life?¡±

    She was acting off the wall, and it was obvious that she harboured foul intentions.

    ¡°Zoe, we are all women. Why do we have to make things difficult for the child? Tell me, as long as it¡¯s within my means, I can give it to you. I only ask that you don¡¯t hurt my child.¡± Jenna begged pitifully on the phone, with tears dripping down her face.

    Zoe waited until she was done pleading before slowly saying, ¡°Alright, looking at your sincerity, I¡¯ll give you a chance. But, you shouldn¡¯t y any tricks.Know that Jerry is in my hands. In the unlikely event that you pull even the slightest trick and provoke me, I¡¯ll immediately have Aria end his life for good.¡±

    ¡°No, please, I beg you, I won¡¯t have any tricks up my sleeve, I promise I won¡¯t.¡± As soon as Jenna heard Zoe, her heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife and she could not help but to promise over the phone.

    ¡°Rx, I¡¯ve already said that it all depends on you.¡± Zoe smiled gratifyingly at Jenna¡¯s attitude.

    ¡°Then, what exactly do you want me to do?¡± Jenna bit her lips and fought back her anguish.

    ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re so sincere, I won¡¯t beat around the bush.¡± Zoe seemed to have finally made up her mind and continued, ¡°Bring me the Ocean Heart now in exchange for Jerry¡¯s life.¡±

    The Ocean Heart?

    After hearing this, Jenna could finally put her finger on her intentions, and her mind became much clearer. However, at that moment, whatever her demands were, she would satisfy them all the same. After all, Jerry was still a child, and he was innocent and couldn¡¯t endure any torture.

    The Ocean Heart was no lucky charm, and Jenna did not intend to have it. What she wanted was the safety of her child. So, she immediately promised her. ¡°Okay, fine. I will immediately send the Ocean Heart to you, but you have to ensure my child¡¯s safety.¡±

    The smile on Zoe¡¯s face deepened and she looked very pleased with herself.

    ¡°Sure, if you¡¯re sincere, then I¡¯ll give Jerry to you in one piece,¡± she said in an open and straightforward manner. ¡°What¡¯s the use for me, keeping a child.¡±

    Jenna couldn¡¯t wait any longer. Anxiously, she asked, ¡°Then, where should I send the Ocean Heart in exchange for Jerry?¡±

    On the other side, Zoepsed into silence for a while.

    Jenna held her breath and her heart almost jumped to her throat.

    ¡°Just go to thendmark I sent you. Remember, don¡¯t you dare y tricks. Only you alone are allowed toe here.¡± Zoe finally spoke.

    Jenna immediately agreed and replied, ¡°Okay, fine, don¡¯t worry. I will definitely do as you requested, as long as my child is safe.¡±

    Jenna did not hesitate and immediately deferred to her request. Just as she was about to disconnect the phone, she thought of something and immediately asked warily, ¡°Zoe, I can satisfy all your requirements, but where is my child now? Is he still alive? Why should I trust you? Let him speak on the phone first.I want to confirm his safety.¡±

    Jenna finally thought of this heart-wrenching problem. Since Zoe was a cunning woman,she needed to confirmwhether Jerry was still safe and sound.

    ¡°Jenna,do you think you are in any position to negotiate terms with me?¡± Zoe raised her eyebrows and asked coldly.

    ¡°Zoe, you must know that I have to ensure that my child¡¯s alive. Only when he¡¯s alive will this ransom be meaningful. Otherwise, why would I send the Ocean Heart to you for nothing? Now that I¡¯ve shown enough sincerity,you should let me listen to his voice!¡± Jenna ordered gravely, ¡°The Ocean Heart is a mere stone to me. I never cared about it, but my child is my life. You should believe me. As long as I can save my child, I¡¯ll give you everything. I¡¯m a mother after all.¡±

    When Zoe heard her, she fell silent.

    ¡°Alright, hold on. I¡¯ll let you hear Jerry¡¯s voice.¡± She finally agreed and walked to the side.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t take my child.¡± Aria held Jerry in her arms, shivering. When she saw Zoeing towards her, she couldn¡¯t help screaming out in fear.

    ¡°Libby.¡± Zoe shot him a look, and he immediately understood. He took a step forward, grabbed Aria¡¯s hair, and pulled her back. Aria felt the pain and loosened her grip, causing Jerry to fall from her hands and onto the bed.

    ¡°Scram, get out.¡± Libby dragged Aria outside as she cried out in pain.

    When Jerry witnessed these rough scenes, he was so frightened that he began to cry and shout.

    ¡°Jerry, my Jerry, quick, let me talk to him.¡± Jenna heard Jerry¡¯s wails and Aria¡¯s cries of frustration on the other end of the line. Her heart constricted and her face turned pale from the pain. Aria had indeed been released from prison. Jenna could only whimper in agony on the phone.

    Aunt E faintly heard Jerry¡¯s cries from the other side of the line. She was so frightened that she trembled. She couldn¡¯t help but to cry out Jerry¡¯s name.

    Listening to Jenna¡¯s heartbreaking scream on the phone, Zoe felt extremely exhrated.

    ¡°Jerry, do you miss your Mom?¡± asked Zoe tauntingly as she approached Jerry, who was crying and shouting.

    Jerry looked up, with tears welling up in his eyes at Zoe¡¯s sinister face, and then he stopped crying.

    ¡°You bad woman, let me out, or my Dad will beat you to death.¡± Jerry¡¯s eyes were filled with anger as he tried to intimidate her.

    ¡°Oh, no.How scary! But Jerry, I¡¯m telling you, your Dad won¡¯t want your Mom anymore. He¡¯ll be with me in the future. What will you do?¡± Zoe asked with a chuckle.

    ¡°No way. He won¡¯t be with a bad woman like you. He¡¯ll kill you.¡± Jerry was still a child. Hearing this, he grew jittery and immediately retorted.

    Zoe burst outughing. ¡°Jerry, you¡¯re too young to understand men. Your Dad was with me just now.¡±

    When Jerry heard this, he even forgot about his fear. He stretched out his leg and sent a fierce kick to Zoe, but his calf was simply too short. How could his kicknd on Zoe¡¯s body? In a moment of desperation, he spat at her and cried out, ¡°You bad woman, you seduced my father.I won¡¯t let you go when I grow up.¡±

    Zoeughed until tears brimmed in her eyes when she heard that. ¡°Oh, Jerry, you still get to grow up?¡±

    Jerry¡¯s eyes widened as he red hatefully at Zoe.

    She finally stopped taunting Jerry and cast away the smile on her face.

    ¡°Jerry, don¡¯t be in such a hurry, yeah. Your Mom wille to pick you upter.¡± She took out her phone and waved it at Jerry.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying, you bad woman.¡± Although he didn¡¯t believe Zoe, his face lit up when she talked about Jenna, and though there was hope aze in his eyes,he didn¡¯t fully buy it.

    ¡°Hmm, why would I lie to a child? C¡¯mere, I¡¯ll let you talk to your Mom.¡± Zoe arched her eyebrows and put the phone to Jerry¡¯s ear.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

 Chapter 731 Zoella Yatesâ€™ Doubts

    ¡°Jerry, Jerry, it¡¯s Mom. How are you doing now?¡± As soon as the phone was beside Jerry¡¯s ear, Jenna¡¯s anxious voice traveled into his ears.

    As soon as the familiar voice reached Jerry¡¯s ears, he began to bawl. ¡°Mom,e and save me! I don¡¯t want to stay here! They¡¯re all so fierce! It¡¯s so dark here! I¡¯m scared!¡±

    Jerry¡¯s cries were akin to a hammer pounding Jenna¡¯s heart. It was so painful that she used one hand to clutch her chest tightly, suppressing her grief and indignation. She then consoled him in a soft and clear voice. ¡°Jerry, be good, don¡¯t be afraid, be strong. Mom wille and pick you up right away.¡±

    ¡°Mom, I want you to pick me up as soon as possible. Please be here,¡± Jerry screamed on the phone.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I-¡± Before Jenna could finish her sentence, Zoe took the phone back and put it to her ear.

    Jenna wailed in agony on the phone, as if her heart and lungs were being torn apart, while on Zoe¡¯s face, an immensely satisfying smile was evident on her face.

    ¡°How is it? Did you hear that? Your son is crying here. Allow me tell you this, he¡¯s still able to cry now. If you don¡¯t keep your promise and try to scheme things, then I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be able to cry even if he wants to,¡± Zoe said nonchntly.

    Jenna heard it as if she¡¯d been struck by lightning. Jerry¡¯s shrill cries kept ringing in her ears, coursing straight to her heart. She seemed to have gone mad and could not care about anything else. She shouted loudly, ¡°Zoe, I beg you not to hurt my child. I will deliver the things you want to you right now. Just wait for me, I beg you not to hurt him.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best if you do that. Remember, you have toe alone. If I find out that you¡¯ve called the police or that you¡¯ve brought other thugs with you, then woe betides Jerry.¡± Zoe¡¯s smile was blooming as she cloyingly reminded Jenna.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know. I won¡¯t take anyone else here. Send me the address quickly, and I¡¯ll be there in no time.¡± Jenna promised and ran downstairs, even ignoringAunt E¡¯sshouts behind her.

    Her mind was invaded by Jerry¡¯s miserable cries. As a mother, she ced all of her attention on her child at that moment. Treasures and wealth were but drifting clouds to her, not to mention that she wouldn¡¯t even hesitate to swap her life for Jerry¡¯s.

    Zoe raised the corners of her mouth, hung up the phone, and sent an address not longter.

    ¡°Libby, keep an eye on Jerry. Don¡¯t let that lunatic Aria y with Jerry for now.He will be of use to meter.¡± Zoe walked out and instructed Libby, who was standing outside.

    ¡°Okay, Miss Yates.¡± Libby agreed with a smile.

    Zoe smoothed her hair over,with the corners of her mouth curling upwards. Right then was the time for her to meet up with Hansen.

    When she thought that she would kill two birds with one stone soon, she was so happy that she erupted in evilughter.

    However, Jenna scuttled downstairs like one with an unsound mind.

    Since the skirmish involving the Ocean Heart, Hansen had made careful arrangements for it. At that point, Alvin had been given full authority to keep watch over the Grand Eagles.

    Jenna and Hansen each had a key to the ce where the jewelry was kept. Therefore, Jenna took the key and rushed over to retrieve the Ocean Heart before going.

    ¡°Mr. Robertson, Madam just took the Ocean Heart away.¡± As soon as Jenna left, a member of the Grand Eagles, who was guarding the ce where the Ocean Heart was, felt that something was wrong and immediately informed Alvin. Hearing this, Alvin was caught by surprise.

    At that time, he was acting under Hansen¡¯s orders to search for Jerry in the Ocean Park, and then he received a notice from Hansen asking them to withdraw first. He didn¡¯t expect to receive a notice from his subordinates on the way back. It was no rocket science to hypothesize that Jerry¡¯s disappearance must have had something to do with the Ocean Heart.

    ¡°Was she alone? Did she have anyone else around her?¡± he immediately asked tensely on the phone.

    ¡°Mr. Robertson, she was all strung out when she came. She was alone, and there were no other people following her. We wanted to ask her what she wanted to do with the Ocean Heart, but it was difficult to broach the topic. Seeing her anxious face, we thought that it¡¯s best we tell you,¡± the subordinate answered, looking very puzzled.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    Alvin¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and an ominous feeling was spread throughout his body.

    Where was Jenna going? What was she going to do with the Ocean Heart? He had no idea.

    He hurriedly took out his phone and dialed Hansen¡¯s number. However, Hansen¡¯s phone was turned off. Although his other phone number got through, no one answered.

    For a moment, he was out of his depth and didn¡¯t know what to do at all.

    After thinking for a while, he, the person leading the Grand Eagles, should rush back to Richards Manor to await Hansen¡¯s instructions.

    In a gorgeous hotel room at the foot of Sunshine Mountain.

    Zoe was decked out in a skimpy nightgown, sitting on the couch charmingly and enchantingly. She was staring at her blood-red fingernails, thinking of Hansen¡¯s handsome face in her mind, with the ghost of a smile lining her lips.

    When Hansen pushed the door open, Zoe raised her exquisitely made-up face, disying her ever-so-charming smile.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Richards. Pleased to see you.¡± Zoe stood up. Her slender waist was swaying, and the smile on her face was extremely enthralling.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he steadied himself. He had no choice but to set his gaze on the woman¡¯s face. Pushing down the disgust in his heart, he asked coldly, ¡°Zoe, where¡¯s Jerry?¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be in such a hurry. You gotta set the mood going.¡± Zoe revealed an enchanting smile and strutted towards him. Her handnded on Hansen¡¯s shoulder as she spoke in a tender voice.

    Zoe was really a woman with a concrete will. She was undoubtedly a world apart from Aria¡¯s and Liya¡¯s gracefulness and delicateness. Her coy words were contrived from her throat, and when Hansen heard them, it made him sick to his stomach. His entire body was covered with goosebumps.

    If the shrewd and capable Zoe in the business world could make people cheer for her wisdom and ability, then the current fawning Zoe was enough to make Hansen puke. It didn¡¯t help that she was thinner at the moment, especially with her face showing her ruthless and cunning personality, which creeped people out.

    It must have been nothing short of a paranormal urrence for a man to be interested in a woman like her.

    However, the current Hansen had no choice but to cater to her whims. His child was still in her hands, and this, of all moments, had gotten his hands tied.

    Zoe twisted her waist while casting sheep¡¯s eyes at him. Her five fingers on her right hand gently rested on his shoulder while leaning and sticking her body to his slender body. The other hand¡¯s fingers gently touched Hansen¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Hansen, after so many years, you haven¡¯t looked me in the eye. Is it because I¡¯m not excellent enough, or because I¡¯m not pretty enough?¡± Zoe¡¯s eyes were hazy as she looked at Hansen¡¯s handsome face and asked somewhat obsessively.

    This had always been a riddle she had not been able to fathom.

    She believed that she was excellent enoughand would not be any weaker than Jenna. Yet, she would never be able to capture his heart. He had never given her a second look. This was the most unreconciled aspect of her life. It was a conundrum.

 Chapter 732 No Man Will Like You

    Hansen grasped what this woman was plotting, and a mocking smile materialized on his lips.

    His finger brushed the tips of her red nails away and slightly lowered his head. He whispered beside her ear, ¡°Do you really want to know?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Zoe¡¯s face reeked of intoxication and curiosity. She blinked her eyes and nodded repeatedly.

    Her eyes were swirling with affection and seduction, and all kinds of amorous feelings. No man alive could escape from the passionate web she spun. Nevertheless, Hansen¡¯s words soon made her gasp.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°No, you are beautiful and excellent, but your heart is also venomous. Since childhood, your possessiveness has been extremely strong, and you are sinister. Think about it, will any man like you, a scorpion-like woman? I can tell you clearly now, even if you give yourself to me, I will never touch you.¡± Every word spat out by Hansen was clear, decisive, and firm.

    Zoe¡¯s facial expression went through myriads of changes. In the end, it was a pale white color, and the vicious light in her eyes was revealed bit by bit.

    ¡°Hansen, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t like me. But I want to tell you that in real life, women have to be as smart and strong as me. They also need to have means to support a big, wealthy family. Reality itself has borne witness to this fact. I¡¯ve already won the moment you came obediently to beg me.¡± Zoe¡¯s finger once again caressed Hansen¡¯s face, and the expression on her face was of infatuation and mania.

    Hansen¡¯s brows furrowed tightly. This woman was already hopeless to a point beyond redemption!

    Obviously,it would only be a waste of timeif he continued to talk to her.

    ¡°Zoe, hurry up and return Jerry to me.¡± With all his fingers, hesqueezed her hand that was touching his face. When he exerted more strength, Zoe¡¯s face was drained of color and she whined in pain.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were icy and ferocious. He clenched his teeth and thundered.

    ¡°Zoe Yates, if you don¡¯t hand over Jerry, believe it or not, I will end you right now.¡±

    Zoe clicked her tongue and raised her eyebrows. With a dim light shing across her eyes, sheughed out loud.

    ¡°Hansen Richards, do so if you dare. Since I cane to you today, why would I be afraid of death? But let me get this straight, as long as you touch me, Jerry will be joining the Land of the Dead.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s grip on Zoe¡¯s hand trembled. He gritted his teeth and asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Zoe, what exactly are you trying to do?¡±

    She looked at his trembling hand and chuckled. Her face was mysterious as she stated, ¡°Hansen, what do you think a man and a woman can dotogether?¡±

    His face darkened when he heard this. He snapped, ¡°Zoe, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be so shameless as to want to sleep with a married man.¡±

    Sheughed heartily, andher face was riddled with lust. ¡°Hansen, do you know what betrayal feels like? Today, I¡¯ll let you have a taste of this feeling. I¡¯ll let your beloved woman watch as you and I go at it between the sheets. I¡¯ll let her experience the feeling of having her beloved man betray her. Don¡¯t you think this game is fun?¡±

    As Zoe spoke, she yed coy,with anticipation written all over her face.

    ¡°Zoe, what do you mean?¡± When Hansen heard her say, ¡®beloved woman¡¯, he knew that she was referring to Jenna. A thought rattled through his mind and his expression immediately changed. He asked furiously, ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯ve sent Jenna here?¡±

    Zoe gave a smile as her answer. She pointed to his chest with her delicate fingers and rubbed his chest from top to bottom, and the smile on her face was flirtatious.

    ¡°Why are you so nervous, huh?I want boththe jewelry and you. If she doesn¡¯t send the Ocean Heart to me, then how can I get it?¡± She exhaled like a delicate flower and reached out two fingers to undo his buttons.

    ¡°Hansen, if a woman like me doesn¡¯t care about such things, then why would you, a man? Come on, let¡¯s have fun first.¡±

    She smiled devilishly and pulled him to the bed.

    Hansen grabbed her wrist and sneered.¡°I really didn¡¯t expect a woman to be shameless to the hilt. Do you think it¡¯s meaningful to go at it like an animal?¡±

    Zoe¡¯s face turned slightly red after being reprimanded by Hansen, and there was a glint of anger in her eyes.

    ¡°Hansen, you should have thought of this when you came here today. If you want Jerry and your woman to live, then listen to me like an obedient man. I¡¯m not certain if I¡¯ll let go of your woman and child. Or else, you may as well suffer for the rest of your life by losing your loved ones. I¡¯m a woman of my word. You should be very familiar with my methods. Also, I¡¯m telling you that Jenna ising here.¡± Zoe¡¯s facial expression changed, and her gaze was heinous as she threatened Hansen.

    When Hansen heard this, he slumped and couldn¡¯t move.

    He knew very well that there was no limit to what this crazy woman could do.

    Even if it was a mountain of des and a sea of mes in front of him, he would jump in without hesitation. However, right then the woman and child he cared about most were caught up in it, which was more painful than losing his life.

    At present, in addition to obeying her, he really didn¡¯t know what to do.

    Zoe looked at his enraged face. He didn¡¯t dare to say anything but just stood there stiffly and helplessly. She felt utterly euphoric.

    Letting go of his arm, she spun around, walked to the table, picked up the red wine ss in front of her, and gently swirled it.

    ¡°It¡¯s such a beautiful day. If you don¡¯t have fine wine for entertainment,then it will be a real bummer.¡± Zoe¡¯s fingers held the wine ss lightly and smiledfortably. She turned around and took a ss of red wine to Hansen.

    Such a handsome man used to be so superior, but at that moment, he lowered his voice and restrained himself in front of her, which greatly fueled her pride.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,e, knock back this ss of red wine first. Let us get in the mood. I don¡¯t like to force men, especially a handsome one like you. It would so boring if I force you. There must be mutual consent for us to enjoy it, no?¡± Zoe brought the ss to Hansen¡¯s lips, with her lips curled into a seductive one, a definition of charming.

    Hansen blinked his cold eyes and spoke coldly.

    ¡°Zoe, are you trying to make me drink an aphrodisiac? Let me tell you, even if I drink it, I won¡¯t touch you. If you want the Ocean Heart, then I can fulfill your wish. As long as you let Jerry go, everything else will be fine.¡±

    Zoe smirked and her fingers unbuttoned his shirt and reached for his strong chest while muttering, ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t be so cruel, willya? It¡¯s not a crime for a man to be lustful. C¡¯mon, be good and take a swig. I¡¯ll y with you.¡±

    The scarlet liquid swirled in front of his lips, carrying with it the mellow aroma of wine. Hansen, almost a connoisseur of red wine, immediately sniffed that the wine was unusual. It had been mixed with an aphrodisiac. His heart shrank, and felt the light in his eyes fading.

    Zoe had already handed the wine ss to his lips and said in a tempting and soft voice, ¡°Listen to me, be a good boy and drink it, and we¡¯re going to enter a world of bliss soon.¡±

 Chapter 733 Drink It Well

    Hansen suppressed the nauseated feeling in his stomach. ¡°If I could just knock Zoe out and control her, will I be able to get hold of Jerry?¡± he thought.

    Obviously, the astute Zoe had long since thought of this. She was already prepared for this.

    She took the phone from the table next to her and tapped on the video. In the video, Jerry was crying and screaming. She presented it to Hansen.

    In an instant, Hansen had forgotten all of his schemes. His heart was twitching and the muscles on his face were twisted.

    He owed Jerry too much.

    When Jenna had been pregnant with him and had given birth to him, they had no ce to live outside. He had not fulfilled his duty as a father, and at that moment, he was in the hands of such a vicious woman.

    How much suffering would he have to go through?

    A fire burned in his heart. He clenched his fists,and his sanity was close to snapping.

    ¡°Hansen, if you dare to scheme anything again, then I will makeJenna and Jerrydie without leaving behind their remains. Don¡¯t think about your bodyguards. The time is too tight, they wouldn¡¯t be able to get here at all, and the police are also useless. As for me, I don¡¯t mind a life-and-death struggle.¡± Zoe blew in his ear, and her words were cold enough.

    Hansen stood thereabsent-mindedly.

    ¡°Open your mouth obediently, hurry up.¡± Zoe¡¯s voice was getting frostier and more impatient. Her tone was dull yet passionate.

    Hansen closed his eyes and obediently parted his lips.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Zoe pursed her red lips tightly together and smiled. She then slowly tilted the ss of red wine into Hansen¡¯s slightly-opened mouth.

    It took everything in Hansen to swallow the red wine.

    After a while, his whole body was hot and restless, and he felt ming waves in his body that kepting, but he clenched his hands and gritted his teeth.

    Zoe looked at him with her lustful and charming eyes. Her slender hands went down from the side of his handsome face, and soon took off his clothes, revealing his strong and beautiful body.

    ¡°Is it very ufortable?¡± She breathed outsciviously and continued in a soft voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will satisfy you right away.¡±

    An increasingly intense heat surged from the bottom of his heart. Hansen¡¯s breathing became ragged and his entire body was burning. All the heat surged towards his lower body, as if it was about to explode. His body, on the other hand, became softer.

    Zoe¡¯s cheeks turned red, and she buried her face in his chest.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to bed.¡± She held him softly and seductively.

    Hansen was helped onto the bed like a puppet.

    ¡°Let go of my child first.¡± Hansen took the opportunity to grab hold of Zoe¡¯s hand with great effort. He gritted his teeth and growled in a low voice. Before he lost control of himself, he asked Zoe to release Jerry first.

    Zoe gave a yful smile, and the expression on her face was very vivid.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take you to Jerry after we¡¯re done. As long as you listen to me, Jerry will be safe.¡± Zoe was shameless, and Hansen¡¯s eyes were filled with anger.

    Jenna took the Ocean Heart and headed toward the address Zoe had provided.

    For the sake of Jerry¡¯s safety, she didn¡¯t dare to have anyone tag along. She was afraid that the woman would change her mind if she found out about it.

    Along the way, she kept calling Hansen¡¯s phone. However, out of his two phone numbers, one was turned off and the other was left unanswered. She felt like she was going crazy.

    Her heartache was more intense than ever before.

    She was only a mother, and her child was in trouble. How could she feel at ease?

    The moat, which had been through countless hardships, flowed from Sunshine Mountain range to A City¡¯s municipality area and divided the whole city into two halves. The moat had a long history. Even if there were various environmental pollution in recent years, the basic attributes of the moat had not changed. It nurtured the citizens of A City.

    Jenna reached the ce where Zoe wanted her to be.

    She opened the car door and surveyed around.

    She then sucked in a breath of cold air.

    This ce was high up in the mountains where there were strange boulders everywhere, making it seem iparably deste.

    At the bottom of Sunshine Mountain range, the ancient moat gurgled along the stream, as if it was singing cheerfully all the way forward.

    This woman, Zoe, was hiding in such a mountain range. It was no wonder that she had not been captured even after a wanted notice had been distributed to the entire A City.

    At that moment, her heart was burning with anxiety. She looked around and only wanted to see Jerry¡¯s shadow.

    However, it was deste all around. There was no sign of life.

    She felt uneasy. After a while, she received a message, asking her to stand there and wait.

    Jenna was extremely helpless and could only stay there and wait for Zoe¡¯s arrival.

    She looked around and finally locked her eyes on a small bridge on the moat. This bridge was connected to the messy cliffs halfway up the mountain, and there was a very deep cave.

    Her gaze wastched to the inside of the cave. Could Jerry be there?

    ¡°Madam, something bad has happened.¡± Madam Lilian was chatting with Sara in the ward, trying tofort her. Although they had yet to acknowledge their rtionship, they were still connected by blood and flesh. Soon, they became very close to each other. When the phone got connected, Madam Lilian heard the voice and immediately stood up. She smiled at Sara and said calmly, ¡°Take a rest first. I¡¯ll go out to answer the phone.¡±

    After she finished talking, she walked out.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She covered the phone¡¯s microphone until she reached the end of the hospital corridor and asked solemnly.

    ¡°Madam, something bad happened this time. Jenna¡¯s son, Jerry, is missing.¡± Kimmel¡¯s tone was very anxious over there.

    When Madam Lilian heard this, her hands trembled and she quickly asked, ¡°What is this? It hasn¡¯t even been half a day, yet something like this has happened?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam, I just knew this,¡± Kimmel immediately replied.

    When she thought about the disappearance of Jenna¡¯s child, and how painful and sad it would be for a mother, Madam Lilian trembled.

    ¡°Kimmel, do you know why Jerry is missing? Where are Jenna and Hansen? Do they know about it? How are they?¡± Madam Lilian couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and questioned one after another.

    ¡°Madam, calm down. It¡¯s like this. Today, my men were wandering in A city and found that Hansen¡¯s Grand Eagles were searching for Jerry. After asking, I learnt that he disappeared mysteriously in the Ocean Park. I was very surprised. If someone had deliberately kidnapped Jerry at this time, then it must have been premeditated. They took advantage of this period when everyone was rxed andmitted the crime. If it was just a normal missing person¡¯s case, then they wouldn¡¯t have needed to search with such thoroughness, and they would have found Jerry soon. But now, the situation is not like this.¡± Kimmel informed everything he knew. Before he could finish, Madam Lilian was already questioning anxiously.

    ¡°Where are Jenna and Hansen? How are they doing now?¡±

    Kimmel¡¯s heart was very heavy as he continued to say, ¡°Madam, you have to be mentally prepared. In fact, when I just called Alvin, he told me that Jenna had already gone out with the Ocean Heart. After Hansen told Alvin to go back, he went to look for the child alone. ording to my spection, they probably already knew Jerry¡¯s whereabouts and went to negotiate. But the bad news is that we have no idea about their specific locations.¡±

    ¡°And it has something to do with the Ocean Heart again?¡± Cold sweat broke out on Madam Lilian¡¯s forehead. This thing was really a misfortune.

    ¡°Madam, if I¡¯m not wrong, they kidnapped Jerry just for the Ocean Heart. This is a premeditated plot that happened when everyone was letting their guard down. Just imagine that they had been observing Hansen and Jenna to look for a chance to attack. They wanted to use Jerry to threaten Jenna and Hansen and meet them separately. It¡¯s really very dangerous.¡± Kimmel¡¯s analysis was very pertinent. When Madam Lilian heard this, her facial expression changed.

 Chapter 734 Go On, Beg Me

    ¡°Kimmel, I am now giving a d*mned order. No matter what, this time, you must ensure the safety of Jenna¡¯s family. Take your subordinates to investigate quickly, and report to me as soon as you discover any clues. I will go personally this time.¡± Madam Lilian just thought for a moment, and immediately instructed. When she was about to put down the phone, she thought of something and immediately added, ¡°Kimmel, if the criminals only want Jenna and Hansen alone, then you should be particrly careful. Don¡¯t let the criminals know your actions. After all, Jerry is still in their hands.It is very likely that they will kill the childif they get angered. This will be very unfavorable to Jerry. Nothing must happen to him.¡±

    Kimmel was aware of Madam Lilian¡¯s sharp mind. He immediately understood and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madam. I will be careful only to show up at critical moments and not to alert them.¡±

    After Kimmel put down the phone, he immediately gathered his men and began to take action.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s hand, which was holding the phone, fell softly, and her other hand was clutching at her chest. Her heart was beating erratically, and her palm was mmy.

    This sort of premonition was extremely bad.

    This was a type of premonition unprecedented to her, making her shiver inwardly.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    After a long time, Madam Lilian finally understood why this feeling was so intense. It was precisely the pain of losing one¡¯s loved ones. If something were to befall Jerry, then Jenna would be in so much pain that she would rather perish from this world. If something were to happen to Jenna, then what would be of Sara? This was something inconceivable even in imagination.

    Familial love and ties bound by flesh and blood were exactly what their family needed the most right then. This kind of hard-won family reunion was just right in front of them, but then there was such a major upheaval. How could she stand it?

    She had to hold on to this happiness.

    She slowly walked from the corridor back to the lounge, and then heavily flopped down on the bed.

    At that moment, she did not dare to enter Sara¡¯s ward, worrying that her bad mood would affect Sara. The current Sara would definitely not be able to withstand tragic news. If an unfortunate thing really happened, then it would be a terrible blow to her. This was not something she could allow.

    Lying on the bed, the heat waves within Hansen¡¯s body rushed towards his lower body. His mouth was dry as he was engulfed by the heat. His lower abdomen was bloated with pain and his face was flushed red.

    Zoe lowered her head and used her hand to tease him, muttering, ¡°Hansen, beg me, go on, beg me, then I¡¯ll satisfy you. I¡¯ll give you everything. You¡¯ll find that I¡¯m much more gentle and caring than Jenna, and much more interesting. I¡¯ll make you wish to die a coitus death while enjoying the finest pleasure of being a man.¡±

    Zoe¡¯s facial expression was dripping with infatuation. She buried her face in Hansen¡¯s chest and listened to his rapid heartbeat. The otherwise emptiness in her heart was strained at its seams at that moment.

    As all the wishes in her dreams came true at that moment, she felt a sense offort that she had never before encountered. She closed her eyes and stroked him with her hand. The fantasy in her dream emerged little by little in her mind, and a jubnt smile appeared on her face.

    Hansen¡¯s body became hotter, and all the heat was concentrated on his lower body. He felt that his body was about to explode, but Zoe¡¯s hands were still teasing him. He felt his vital energy and blood were going against the current. So, he could only clench his teeth and open his bloodshot eyes. He really didn¡¯t know when this cuckoo woman would let him go.

    It would be even more disgusting than eating a fly if he wanted a woman like her. He definitely didn¡¯t want to touch her, but what about Jerry?

    After dwelling on it for a while on top of his body, Zoe slowly raised her head, and her face was misty with lust.

    ¡°Hansen, follow me. In the future, we will live together and soar together happily like the gods. I will also shower you with tenderness that Jenna can¡¯t provide. You have to believe in me. Today, we will have a passionate night together first. Let¡¯s have a try.¡± Zoe¡¯s fingers brushed against Hansen like sparks, and her flushed bodyy atop of Hansen, tightly sticking to him as if their souls had merged.

    Hansen¡¯s nerves started to be more agitated. He felt mucus flowing out from his nasal cavity. His endurance had reached its limit, and his lips were pervaded with the metallic tang of blood as he gritted his teeth.

    The sudden burst of the phone¡¯s ringtone interrupted the two of them.

    Zoe¡¯s face was swollen and flushed, and her feverish red lips searched for Hansen¡¯s lips, trying to covet him.

    Hansen¡¯s consciousness remained clear. Instinctively, he avoided her lips.

    Zoe gradually lost her patience, and her eyes were no longer lustful.

    ¡°Hurry up and answer the phone. Perhaps there¡¯s a police officering after us.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he deliberately reminded her in an attempt to divert her attention.

    Surely enough, this way, Zoe¡¯s finally became a little sober, and she looked up with her bleary eyes.

    The phone still rang over and over again, as if it was in a hurry.

    She rolled over and got up, reaching for her phone.

    ¡°Miss Yates, mayday. That Ariab*tchhas already run outside with Jerry in her arms. She¡¯s now standing on the cliff halfway up the mountain. It¡¯s very dangerous.¡± Libby¡¯s voice boomed from the other side.

    ¡°Idiot, you had one job! Didn¡¯t I ask you to guard her well? How could she have run away?¡± Zoe¡¯s state of mind cleared up when she heard this, and she scolded angrily.

    If something were to happen to Jerry, then the weakness that she had worked hard to procure would be wasted. At that time, not only could she not get the Ocean Heart, even Hansen would end her life on the spot. Also, it happened to interfere with her impending bliss. It was too d*mn disappointing for her.

    ¡°Miss Yates, you can¡¯t me me for this. That Ariab*tchhas already gone mad. She took advantage of the moment I was in the bathroom and snuck out. I didn¡¯t expect her to be so mischievous. She should be sleeping, but she ran in and took Jerry away. What should I do now?¡± Libby wailed with a sorrowful expression on his face.

    ¡°You bozo.¡± Zoe couldn¡¯t help cursing him again.

    ¡°Zoe, has something happened to Jerry?¡± Hansen asked, his tone smoldering with anger.He had overheard the words ¡®child¡¯ and ¡®Jerry¡¯. His blood was boiling, and his heart was incandescent with anxiety. With a flip, he climbed to his feet.

    Zoe¡¯s body shook and she covered her phone tightly. She turned around and smiled coyly. ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t worry. The child is still in Aria¡¯s hands. Everything is fine.¡±

    As she spoke, a terrifying light appeared in Hansen¡¯s eyes, as if he was going to swallow her whole. Feeling guilty, she crawled out of bed and left in a hurry.

    After Zoe left, Hansen did not have the mood to stay any longer.

    He held back the burning fire that was about to burst out from his whole body, and he bolted out, until he reached a mountain spring and jumped down.

    The cold spring water drenched his whole body, and gradually, the hotness in his body subsided a little, and his mind was put in order.

 Chapter 735 The Frustrated Aria

    Jenna stood at the foot of Sunshine Mountain, listening to the blowing wind from time to time and the chirping of insects on the mountain,with her heart overwrought.

    Without any leads to find Jerry or Zoe, the longer she stayed here, the more she felt restless and uneasy.

    She continued to pace back and forth, her heart was burning with agitation.

    A gust of wind blew, and the sad and shrill cry of a child drifted into her ears.

    Jerry!

    Jenna only had this consciousness. She immediately stopped and held her breath.

    This cry was so familiar to her that it tugged at her heart.

    As far as she could remember, Jerry had never cried in such a miserable way. However, as a mother, she could tell so.

    ¡°Jerry, my child.¡± After she pricked up her ears and heard it twice more, she began to yell in a shrill voice.

    ¡°Jerry, Jerry,¡± she called out anxiously, with her voice growing louder than before. Her voice echoed out through the valley.

    After a while, her ears still attuned, but seemed to hear his cries no more.

    Jenna became even more anxious. She began to walkfranticallythrough the valley, running and shouting non-stop.

    After a while, she seemed to hear a voice calling ¡®Mom¡¯, and her eyes lit up.

    This was Jerry¡¯s voice. Even though it was hoarse, it was so crisp that Jenna could hear it clearly.

    She was ecstatic and quickly replied, ¡°Jerry, Jerry, Mom is here. Where are you?¡±

    She continued to run along towards the cries. Her forehead was covered with sweat, but she didn¡¯t dare to stop. She was worried that if she missed this chance, she would no longer be able to hear Jerry¡¯s cries.

    Her mind was filled with Jerry¡¯s tender and pitiful little face. The sound of his sobs mmed into her heart, driving her to the brink of insanity.

    ¡°Jerry, don¡¯t be afraid. Mom is here,¡± she shouted as she ran, and her voicewas piercing.

    Gradually, the sound became clearer. Jenna was breathingboriously, and her eyes were shining.

    ¡°Jerry, don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here.¡± She tried her best to shout, thinking that Jerry must have heard her call. After crying for a while, she heard him call out for ¡®Mom¡¯ with all his strength.

    She was pleasantly surprised.

    She finally heard a child yelling ¡®Mom¡¯.

    She was going to see Jerry.

    At least it could prove that her Jerry was still alive.

    But where was he?

    Jenna followed Jerry¡¯s cries and circled around the foot of the mountain. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t see where Jerry was. All she could hear was his increasingly crystal-clear cries.

    Leaning against the tree trunk, she panted heavily.

    Her eyes looked far into the distance and were empty. There was no one in sight.

    Her heart sank bit by bit.

    Jerry¡¯s sobs grew hoarse and weak.

    Jenna was so anxious that she was spinning around.

    ¡°Zoe, don¡¯t you want the Ocean Heart? Come out, I¡¯ll give it to you, give my child back to me,¡± Jenna shouted,with tears all over her face.

    If something were to happen to Jerry that day, then what was the point of her being alive?

    She would rather exchange her life for Jerry¡¯s.

    When she was gripped by anxiety, a burst of horrible and strangeughter seemed toe from the sky and echoed throughout the valley.

    Jenna stopped shouting, opened her eyes wide, and looked around.

    The madughter hovered above the forest. She raised her head and looked around.

    Finally, she found that the sound came from a cliff halfway up the mountain.

    She ran towards it. As she approached it, she raised her head.

    At that moment, she saw a woman with unkempt hair, who was thin like a ghost, standing on the cliff with Jerry in her arms. There was a deep cave behind, and below the cliff was the moat.

    The moat was gushing and roaring as it rushed towards the city.

    ¡°Aria.¡± Jenna drew near. Only then did she see clearly that the ghost-like woman in front of her was actually Aria. She immediately let out a scream.

    Aria let out another strangeugh when she saw Jenna.

    ¡°Aria, quickly let my child go.¡± Jenna screamed andforted Jerry in a loud voice. ¡°Jerry, don¡¯t be afraid. Mom is here. I¡¯ming to save you.¡±

    Hearing Jenna¡¯s voice, Jerry¡¯s eyes lit up with joy. He immediately cried out in a hoarse voice, ¡°Mom,e and save me, I¡¯m scared.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Jerry. I¡¯m here to save you.¡± Jenna¡¯s heart was in a mess, and she was crying as she consoled him.

    ¡°Aria, let Jerry go first. If you have anything to say, then let¡¯s talk it over.¡± Jenna thought of a way to stand on a rock in the middle of the river. It was the closest ce to Aria. So, she could only use a pleading tone to shout at her.

    Aria stood on the rocks of the cliff, facing the wind. Her thin body was shivering in the wind.

    She struggled to hold Jerry in her arms. Jerry was heavy for her and her hands were trembling. From Jenna¡¯s point of view, both of them were standing on the cliff, wobbling, and were on the verge of falling down at any time.

    The river below was the source of the moat, which had a tremendous and swift current.

    Jenna was trembling with fear. If Aria¡¯s hands were shaky, then Jerry would fall into the river and die immediately.

    She felt as if her heart was hung in mid-air. Regardless of her safety, she continued to call out to Aria. ¡°Aria,e down quickly. I can give you whatever you want.¡±

    Aria stood on the cliff with Jerry in her arms. Her face was flushed red as she stared at Jenna with her exquisite eyes.

    ¡°Jenna, your time has arrived.¡± Sheughed heartily and cried out in excitement.

    ¡°Aria, no matter what you¡¯re thinking, the child is innocent. Please let him go.¡± Jenna felt that her tears had already dried up. In this situation, she could be as dangerous as she wanted. Not to mention begging her at that time,she would not hesitateto kneel down if Aria wanted her to or use her life to trade for Jerry¡¯s.

    At that moment,Jerry, who was in Aria¡¯s arms, was scared and frightened. His face was full of tears, and his eyes were looking at the gushing river. He was so scared that his face turned blue.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t bear to look at Jerry¡¯s frightened eyes.In Jenna¡¯s eyes,his pitiful appearance was heartbreaking and anxious. She couldn¡¯t wait to jump into the moat to end her life. Shejust couldn¡¯t stand this kind of torture.

    ¡°Jenna, a few years ago, the child in your belly should have died, but he didn¡¯t, and you even gave birth to him. Talk about luck! Now everything shoulde to an end.¡± Aria suddenly opened her eyes, and looked straight at Jenna.

    In the past few years, what kind of life had she lived? Her father had been sentenced to death, her mother had gone mad, and her life had been ruined.

    A wonderful family was destroyed just like that, all because of the b*tch, Jenna. She was extremely frustrated. Every day in the prison, she had been tortured and beaten by the gangsters sent by Zoe. She had already lost all hope of living.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    Sometimes she was really crazy, but there were times where she was sober. Every time when the night was quiet and painful to the extreme, she would wake up. Hatred would twine around her like vines, rendering her unable to breathe, lodging her hatred deep within her bones.

    She knew that Zoe would definitely get her out of prison to make use of her, so she had to work hard just to wait for judgement day to arrive.

    She wanted to regain everything, to serve a dish cold called ¡®revenge¡¯.

 Chapter 736 Take Good Care Of Jerry

    ¡°Aria, regardless of how great your resentment is, just direct it at me. The child is innocent. How about this? Come down first. If you have any requests, then feel free to speak up.So long as it¡¯s within my abilities, I will definitely fulfil them.¡± Jenna held back the grief and indignation in her heart and tried to persuade her civilly. She knew that if she were to reason with such a mentally twisted person at that moment, it would be akin to talking to a brick wall.

    At that point, the best way was to go along with her and save Jerry from her.

    Jerry was her life.

    ¡°Me? Go down?¡± Ariaughed hysterically. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯mthatstupid? As long as I go down, I¡¯ll be immediately caught by you. Do you really think that I¡¯m dumb to this extent?¡±

    Aria continued tough scornfully, with her eyes ncing behind her.

    Jenna jumped in surprise as her eyes followed the direction of Aria¡¯s line of sight.

    Behind her, they saw that Kimmel and the policemen led by Jordan were slowly approaching her.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Quick, let them step back first. Don¡¯te over, or else I¡¯ll immediately kill the child.¡± Aria was triggered, causing her hands to tremble even more violently. She raised Jerry high up in the air and howled sharply.

    Jerry cried and shouted in Aria¡¯s arms. He struggled with his face looking downwards. When he saw the turbulent moat below, he was so scared that he lost all the desire to cry.

    ¡°No! Alright, alright. I¡¯ll make all of them step back.¡± Jenna was so frightened by this situation that she was shuddering all over. She hurriedly gave her word to Aria.

    ¡°Quick, back off, all of you, don¡¯te up.¡± Aria, who had been provoked, was once again in a muddled state of consciousness as she shouted fiercely.

    ¡°Don¡¯te over, all of you. Back off quickly.¡± Jenna was afraid that Aria would dump Jerry into the moat after getting triggered. So, she quickly turned around and called out to Jordan and Kimmel.

    That day, she hade alone and did not take anyone with her because she was afraid that the situation would be out of control. She did not expect that they would stille. However, at that time, they might ruin the whole thing. This was what she had dreaded the most.

    Jerry was her only priority at that time. Seeing Jerry¡¯s pale face was like a whip dipped in salt water,shing her.

    She must make sure Jerry was safe at all costs.

    This was the only thought that came to her mind.

    ¡°Quick, all of you, back off. Don¡¯te any closer.¡± Seeing Jordan and Kimmel just standing where they were, Jenna hesitated for a moment and then shouted. Granted, as long as she could protect Jerry, there was nothing she would not give.

    ¡°Mr. Jordan, let¡¯s step back.¡± Seeing Aria holding up Jerry, Kimmel was startled and frightened. He remembered what Madam Lilian had said and quickly advised Jordan.

    At that time, Jordan had no choice but to stop his men from moving forward.

    As such, there were a bunch of people who could only watch from afar and did not dare to approach.

    Seeing that everyone was standing still, Aria hugged Jerry in her arms again.

    ¡°Aria, tell me, what do you want?¡± Once again, Jenna grovelled before her.

    Aria saw that there were so many people looking at her, yet they were at her mercy. Sheughed again.

    ¡°Jenna,e up now and give me the Ocean Heart,and I will return the child to you.¡± She stared at Jenna, who was standing on a rock in the water, and said with a grim smile.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll go up right away. Wait for me.¡± Jenna immediately nodded her head and agreed. She took out the Ocean Heart in her hand and waved it towards Aria. Only after she had observed the surroundings did she begin thinking about where to climb up.

    She first went back to the shore from the rock, and then went around the shore to the bottom of the opposite cliff. There was a slope where she could slowly climb up.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t.¡± Just as Jenna was about to climb up, a ground-shattering cry came from behind. She turned around and saw Hansen yelling at her from the river not far away.

    Jenna pursed her lips and looked at him for a moment.

    Hansen rushed over and saw Jenna, who was pregnant, trying to climb up such a high cliff. His heart ached and he wailed out in sorrow.

    Jenna looked at him and wiped her tears with her hand.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t be scared,¡± Jenna said loudly, and her face was filled with a tragic smile. ¡°I can do it. From now on, you must take care of Jerry. You can¡¯t let him be frightened like this again.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Hansen roared. ¡°Jenna, just you wait for me. Let me send the Ocean Heart.¡±

    With that said, Hansen ran towards Jenna.

    Hearing Hansen¡¯s voice, Aria,from the other side of the river,lowered her head and looked at the handsome figure of the man whom she had been so deeply in love with. The emotion buried deep in the bottom of her heart was suddenly stirred up, and hatred rose.

    ¡°Hansen, you can¡¯te over. Quickly back off. I¡¯ll only let Jennae. Otherwise, I¡¯ll throw the child to death right now.¡± Aria wasn¡¯t that foolish. If Hansen were toe up, then would she still have a way out? Thus, she raised Jerry in her arms and threatenedfiercely.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t.¡± Jenna was worried to the point of insanity when she saw such a scene. She immediately stopped her and immediately turned her head to speak to Hansen. ¡°Hansen, if you still want Jerry to live, then quickly back down and don¡¯t let theme up. Trust me, let me go to her. This is the best solution.¡±

    When she finished her sentence, Jenna no longer looked at him. Clenching her teeth, she began to scale the cliff.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. He could only stop and watch as Jenna climbed up step by step, with herswellbelly. Blood was dripping from his heart.

    He turned his head and ran back.

    ¡°Say it, where can you take a shortcut from that high up?¡± Hansen turned around and took out a pistol from his pocket and pointed it at a filthy man behind him. His eyes were red as he bellowed in a deep voice.

    It turned out that when Zoe had left in a hurry, Hansen had tried his best to find herir. He had caught one of her underlings there and had him lead the way here. However, everything was toote. It was toote. Aria had already brought Jerry and stood on a dangerous cliff. He could only think of another way.

    ¡°Please spare my life.¡± The man was kicked in the shins by Hansen. He immediately knelt on the ground, picked up his hands, and put them on his head, screaming.

    ¡°Spit it out.¡± Hansen snapped, cocking the trigger of the pistol in his hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll talk, from here¡­¡± The man raised his head and pointed to a small path in front.

    ¡°Quick, take me there.¡± Hansen picked him up and had the man lead the way.

    The man staggered to his feet. The moment he looked up, he saw Hansen¡¯s contorted face and bloodshot eyes. He was so scared that his legs began to tremble.

    Kimmel¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw that this man could find another way. He also quietly followed behind.

    Jenna tried her best to climbthe rugged mountain route,with the journeypounded bythe peculiar rocky road path up the mountain.

    Her fair fingers gripped the mountain rocks and the sharp edges had left her slender hands bleeding, but she didn¡¯t register any pain. She just tried hard to climb and there was only one thought in her mind, to rescue Jerry.

    There were a few times where she almost fell, but she stubbornly held onto the stones on the path.

    Step by step, relying on her strong andunyieldingwillpower, she finally scaled halfway up, getting closer and closer to Jerry.

 Chapter 737 Ariaâ€™s Fate

    ¡°Mom,Mom,¡± Jerry screamed excitedly as a smile appeared on his pale little face when he saw Jenna. He kept shouting for her in a raspy voice.

    ¡°Jerry, it¡¯s alright now. Mom¡¯s here. I¡¯m here to save you.¡± Jenna used her hand to wipe the sweat off her forehead and smiled encouragingly at Jerry.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jerry nodded. After enduring an onught of frights, he looked much better right then.

    Jenna¡¯s heart ached when she saw the bruises on Jerry¡¯s face. She wasn¡¯t sure how bad his injuries were.

    ¡°Aria, I¡¯m here. You must keep your promise. I¡¯ve brought the Ocean Heart. You must release Jerry now,¡± Jenna solemnly said to Aria,standing on a rock closest to them.

    Aria¡¯s ghostly figure turned around, staring at Jenna. Then, sheughed sinisterly when her eyes swept over Jenna¡¯s belly.

    ¡°First things first, hand over the Ocean Heart.¡± She suddenly stoppedughing and yelled at Jenna.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give it to you right away.¡± Jenna took out the Ocean Heart. ¡°But you have to release my son first! As you know, I¡¯m just a woman,standing on the cliff, and I¡¯m pregnant. It¡¯s impossible for me to y any tricks.¡±

    She spoke very sincerely as she kept her eyes on Jerry.

    Aria¡¯s eyes darted all around. Her hands were trembling as she held Jerry. When Jenna saw this, chills ran down her spine. She was worried that Jerry would slip out of her hands and plunge into the rushing moat, with his body unrecovered.

    She held her breath. She knew that she had to engage Aria with reason while prodding at her sensibility as well.

    ¡°Aria, I know Zoe ordered you to do this. I cannot me you for it. That woman is extremely vicious, but it doesn¡¯t matter. Ifyou can return Jerry to me,then I¡¯m willing to let go of any grudges between us and wipe the te clean. When you get out of prison, I promise to give you an apartment and money. You have to trust me. The child is innocent, and as people, we have to be conscientious, right? I¡¯m pregnant now and I¡¯m no match for you here. You have to believe in my sincerity. Once I hand you the Ocean Heart, you can live a noblewoman¡¯s life. You¡¯re still young and have a bright future ahead of you. Why must you be stuck in the past?¡±

    Jenna gently persuaded her like a friend. She wanted her to picture the perfect life she had ahead of her and wanted her toe out from this delusion.

    When Aria heard this, her face slowly softened. Her hands began to tremble even more.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was about to jump out of her mouth.

    In order to attract her attention, Jenna slowly opened the box and took out the Ocean Heart. ¡°Hey, look at this. This is a rare jewelry, and not everyone can get their hands on this. I¡¯ll give it to you as a gift, as long as you hand Jerry over to me.¡±

    The Ocean Heart emitted a sparkling blue light, which was dazzling. Aria¡¯s eyes gaped as she stared at it motionlessly. She began drooling at the sight of it.

    At that time, Aria was blinded by the Ocean Heart. Her body began to shake out of excitement, and she inadvertently let go of Jerry.

    Jerry was about to slip out of her hands.

    Jenna quickly stretched out a hand to grab Jerry¡¯s arm.

    Fortunately, she kept her eyes on Jerry and had good reflexes. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

    However, Jerry was a little too heavy for Jenna. She did not have the strength to pull him up with just one hand. Thus, Jerry was suspended midair.

    Jenna was on tenterhooks. The beads of sweat on her forehead started to trickle down her face. She gritted her teeth and held onto Jerry tightly as she did her best to pull him to safety.

    At that moment, Aria was admiring the Ocean Heart. She suddenly let out a loudugh.

    Zoe had done everything she could to get her hands on the Ocean Heart but failed, yet Aria seeded. Heavens was rather generous with her.

    ¡°Aria, hand over the Ocean Heart.¡± Just as Aria was feeling smug, Zoe appeared out of nowhere and held a gun to Aria¡¯s head. She continued on fiercely, ¡°D*mn, you look like a mad person right now.¡±

    Zoe¡¯s voice was as cold as a demon¡¯s,devoid of any trace of warmth.

    That time, it was Aria¡¯s turn to be scared silly.

    No one knew when Zoe had gotten here.With no telltale signs she just happened to show up behind her. It was downright terrifying!

    ¡°No, this is mine. I can¡¯t give this to you,¡± she said firmly. She immediately hid the Ocean Heart behind her back.

    Zoe sneered. She pulled the trigger of the gun in her hand and pressed it hard against Aria¡¯s head. ¡°Aria, how can such a foolish woman like you think that you can escape from me? Hand over the Ocean Heart now and I¡¯ll let you live. Otherwise, I¡¯ll end you in a heartbeat!¡±

    Zoe did not dare to be too overbearing as she was afraid that Aria would fall into the river. It wasn¡¯t because she was worried that she would die, she was more worried about the Ocean Heart. If the Ocean Heart sank to the bottom of the river,it would be gone once and for all.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Therefore, she smiled and said, ¡°Aria,e with me. I¡¯ll provide you with food and clothing for the rest of your life.¡±

    Aria saw through her thoughts. Sheughed and said, ¡°Zoe, you just want to get your hands on the Ocean Heart. In your wildest dreams.If I can¡¯t get the Ocean Heart, then neither can you.¡±

    ¡°D*mn it!¡± A fierce light shed through Zoe¡¯s eyes. She suddenly let out a sinisterugh. ¡°Aria, don¡¯t you want to seek revenge? Look, your man¡¯s son is about to be pulled to safety.¡±

    As she spoke, she looked towards the direction of Jenna and Jerry.

    As expected, her words attracted Aria¡¯s attention again.

    At that moment, Jenna did everything she could to pull Jerry back tond.

    ¡°Jerry, my baby.¡± Jenna hugged Jerry tightly, feeling a sense of joy in her heart.

    However, as she had struggled for too long, the stone that she was standing on began to get loose. It started to shake beneath her feet.

    Aria stared at the rock where Jenna was standing as it shook, and asinisterugh bubbled from her throat, just as she was about to kick the rock.

    Libby rushed out of the narrow cave behind her with lightning speed and grabbed Aria by her throat.

    Aria remained rooted to the spot. Meanwhile, Zoe sessfully snatched Ocean Heart from her hands.

    Zoe felt a surge of excitement the moment she got hold of the Ocean Heart,with her face beaming with joy.

    She finally managed to get her hands on this rare jewelry.

    ¡°All of you, go to h*ll.¡± Zoe kicked Aria hard out of excitement. Aria lost her bnce and fell down the cliff behind her. Zoe then held up the gun in her hands and aimed it towards Aria¡¯s falling body. Aria was instantly shot and she coughed out a mournful scream. Blood sttered from her chest as she descended into the river.

    The group of people who were stationed on the other side of the rivercould only see a small ssh from a distance. Ayer of blood pooled on the surface of the water. Very soon, Aria¡¯s body was submerged into the river and disappeared along with the river current.

    All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Jenna only had time to cover Jerry¡¯s eyes when she saw Zoe aiming her gun at her and Jerry.

    She was stunned all of a sudden.

 Chapter 738 In The Water

    At that time, Jenna was uncharacteristically calm. She had to be strong for the sake of her son. Her eyes fell onto a rock next to her and she was about to step on it.

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s your turn. Goodbye.¡± Zoe¡¯s sinister and eerieughter rang out.

    Jenna felt panic surge through her as she shuddered. The instant she raised her eyes, she saw Zoe smirking at her and Jerry as she pulled the trigger of the gun.

    ¡°Jesus.¡± She suddenly had a bad feeling. She was about to step on another stone, but it was toote.

    ¡°Burn in h*ll,¡± Zoe said, d that this cat and mouse game was about to end. She watched as Jenna and Jerry struggled. She then stretched her leg and kicked the stone that Jenna was standing on.

    ¡°Jenna!¡± A painful cry could be heard as Hansen suddenly emerged from the cave.

    It turned out that when Hansen had been escorting the man around the path behind him, he discovered that Jenna¡¯s car was parked by the river bank. When they crossed the bridge and climbed halfway up the mountain, they discovered a cave. As they entered the cave, they found a tunnel that stretched deep and long. Hansen instantly understood why Aria had been able to stand at the edge of the cliff. It turned out that the cave behind her was connected to the cliff.

    As they continued forward, they could vaguely see the light outside the cave. At that time, they heard a gunshot.

    Hansen¡¯s heart sank when he heard the gunshot. He immediately ran towards the sound, like a madman.

    At that moment, Zoe wore a ghoulish smile on her face.

    She had been standing on a stone as she pulled the trigger at Aria. At the same time, she stretched one of her legs and viciously kicked the rock that Jenna was standing on.

    The rock and the ground instantly cracked apart. Jenna carried Jerry in her arms and fell into the moat below the cliff.

    When Zoe had extended her leg to the rock, Jenna had instantly realized that she would not be able to escape the plight.

    When Jenna heard Hansen¡¯s screams, she took advantage of the time she had left before the groundpletely cracked apart, gathered all of her strength, and threw Jerry into the open space in front of her.

    However, this also elerated the rift forming between the stone and the ground.

    By the time Hansen emerged from the cave, he saw Jenna thrust Jerry into the open space in front of her with all her might.

    It was a pity that she did not possess enough strength to throw Jerry far enough.

    ¡°Jenna!¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes darkened as he screamed. He watched as Jenna fell off the cliff. However, the important thing was to save Jerry. He quickly opened his arms and leaped towards Jerry. He managed to catch Jerry just in time while hanging onto the rock. The whole action waspleted in an instant.

    ¡°Bang, bang.¡±Kimmel, who was behind Hansen, immediately rushed out after hearing two sessive gunshots. With his sharp eyes, he had seen that Zoe was about to shoot Jenna and Jerry. He immediately reached for his gun and shot Zoe in the chest.

    He quickly looked around and saw Hansen hanging onto a rock.

    ¡°Quick, catch Jerry,¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes were already red. He threw Jerry at Kimmel and was about to jump off the cliff to save Jenna.

    At that time, there was a muffled sound at the bottom of the river. Jenna had already fallen into the river. Almost in an instant, her body was being tossed and turned by the strong currents of the river.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Hansen¡¯s vision suddenly went dark as his grip loosened.

    At that time, the calm andposed Kimmel managed to catch Jerry. He then quickly reached out and grabbed Hansen¡¯s hand before he slipped and fell into the river. Kimmel shouted, ¡°Hansen, I¡¯ve got you. Come up quickly.¡±

    ¡°Let go of me. I have to save Jenna,¡± Hansen roared. He wanted so desperately to save Jenna. He bellowed so loudly,that it shook theground and the sky?.

    Kimmel ced Jerry on the open space in front of the cave and quickly took out the rope that he brought. He tied one end of the rope to a sturdy rock and the other to Hansen¡¯s wrist. He breathed a sigh of relief and freed his hands to pull Hansen.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± At that time, Hansen watched as Jenna plunged into the rapid river and disappeared. He wanted nothing more than to jump into the river to save her, but Kimmel had tied a rope around his wrist.

    Kimmel stared at the cliff at his feet and said in a stern voice,¡°Hansen, climb up quickly.¡±

    ¡°No, untie the rope. I¡¯m going to save Jenna,¡± Hansen yelled back. His eyes were red, and he looked as if he was in the grip of bloodlust.

    Kimmel was extremely calm as he shouted, ¡°Hansen, do you want Jerry to lose his parents? Come on up. There¡¯s a bomb buried in the cave. It¡¯s going to explode anytime soon.¡±

    Kimmel knew better than anyone else that if Hansen were to jump into the river right then,death would be his only ending.

    His words caught Hansen¡¯s attention. Kimmel seized the opportunity to grab hold of his arm and used all his strength to yank him up. Thankfully, he managed to pull him up just in time.

    Kimmel did not waste any time. As soon as he pulled Hansen up, he grabbed him along with Jerry and headed for the cave.

    It wasn¡¯t long after they entered the cave.

    ¡°Boom!¡± Suddenly, there was a loud explosion at the entrance of the cave. The huge explosion shook the rocks in the mountain and swallowed the entrance of the cave.

    In Hansen¡¯s mind, there was only the scene of Jenna falling into a bottomless abyss. The moment before the bomb exploded, he struggled to get rid of Kimmel¡¯s hand. At that time, a burst of burning light shed up to the sky. Just as he was about to turn towards the cliff, he felt a burning sensation in front of his eyes. He cked out and fell onto the ground.

    ¡°Jenna, my child.¡± A ck car pulled up by the foot of the cliff. Quina then helped Madam Lilian out of the car. She was met with a scene that she would never be able to forget. The scene where Jenna had thrown Jerry to safety as she was about to fall off the cliff. Hansen had opened his arms to catch Jerry while he hung onto the rock.

    Her vision was poor. She could only watch helplessly as Jenna¡¯s body fell into the abyss below the cliff, and before long, was devoured by the fast-moving river.

    Her vision suddenly went blurry as she cried out Jenna¡¯s name. Soon after, she fainted.

    When Alvin had seen that Jerry was being held by Jenna, he realized that the threat wasn¡¯t too great. So, he decided to lead the Grand Eagles team up the mountain. Unfortunately, it was a long way up from the foot of the mountain to the top. By the time he arrived at the top, he only saw the enormous burst of me caused by the explosion.

    At that time, Jordan led a team of policemen up the mountain as well.

    However, they were toote.

    Alvin¡¯s heart ached. At that time, in order to avoid provoking Aria, Hansen had insisted that he went to meet her alone. No one could bear such a heavy consequence. For the first time in his life, Alvin shed tears of pain.

    The mountain wind was blowing, the river was roaring.

    Autumn wasing.

    At that moment, on Sunshine Mountain, the autumn rain began to fall faintly, bringing with it waves of coldness.

    Everyone stood there in a daze, and the silence was blood-curdling.

    Everything in the world returned to tranquility.

 Chapter 739 Alvin Was Punished

    A yearter.

    In the bright and spacious president¡¯s office.

    Hansen had a pair of reading sses on as he pored over the documents, while Alvin was standing right beside him. He then signed the documents after he finished reading them.

    The utched office door was pushed open.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the construction of the headquarters in Capital City is nearingpletion. It will be done in a few days,¡± Jose said cautiously as he entered the office.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Hansen nodded his head indifferently. He then ordered, ¡°Thepany¡¯s headquarters will be moved to Capital City in a week¡¯s time.Soon, we must hold a meeting with all of the executives.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards.¡± Jose immediately nodded and left.

    Luqman was very grateful to Hansen for what he had done for him after he assumed power. It was also for the development of the country. He specially assigned a piece ofnd in the golden triangle of Capital City and sold it to Hansen with various preferential policies.

    At the same time, he instructed the president of the Richards Group, Hansen, to submit a bid for and in the south of Srirano to establish a special economic zone, which would be able to generate millions of dors for years, focusing mainly on pharmaceutical and automobile nts.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen also seized the opportunity and purchased the petrochemical factoryin Wullen Town. With that, he was able to solve the problem of raw materials in the automobile sector.

    After this cmity from a year ago, the Richards Group was now financially strong.

    Within one year, after numerous sleepless nights, he was able to build his own business empire. His name had been the talk of the town. He, who already had such a sessful career at such a young age, was the embodiment of sess in A City as well as all around the world.

    ¡°Alvin, get ready for the meeting,¡± he said in a low voice.

    Hansen was used to working in this fast-paced environment during the past year. This was the only way he could cope with the ineffable pain of losing Jenna. He sought sce in work to avoid falling into the great agony of longing.

    However, Alvin did not move. His face was filled with confusion.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, if you don¡¯t treat your eyes, then you¡¯re going to miss the treatment window,¡± Alvin said as he stood beside Hansen with a heavy heart.

    ¡°Alvin,lead me to the conference room, thank you.¡± Hansen turned a deaf ear to his words. He stood up and said in a cold voice.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you have to listen to me. Thepany now is on a whole new level. You don¡¯t have to bury yourself in work anymore,¡± Alvin said as he refused to move from his spot. He had been utterly distressed with the way Hansen had been burning candles at both ends.

    The Richards Group was now invincible under Hansen¡¯s management. After the cmity, Hansen had been determined to implement a series of rted ns for thepany. Thepany right then had reached new heights. Even if Hansen decided to take a few months off from work, thepany¡¯s operations would still go on without a hitch. No one would be able to intrude. As for women like Liya and Zoe, Hansen felt that they were repulsive to the core. When dealing with women like them, Hansen¡¯s methods could be called cruel and heartless.

    ¡°Alvin.¡± There was a hint of anger on Hansen¡¯s handsome face. His voice turned even colder, and he sounded impatient.

    Alvin had always sounded like a broken record whenever it came to this. Hansen was very displeased with him.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, please listen to me. We¡¯ll immediately go to the USA to treat your eyes. It¡¯s still not toote.¡± Alvin did not notice the anger on Hansen¡¯s face, or maybe he did not care. Until then, this issue had been an elephant in the room.

    Hansen refused to seek treatment for his eyes. He could not let go of Jenna because he was remorseful for her death. He would rather see nothing and live in the boundless darkness.

    During that year, as long as someone mentioned his eyes, he would fly into a rage. After a long time, no one dared to bring it up again.

    Alvin understood it better than anyone else. If the person whom he trusted the most did not dare to broach the subject, then no other soul would. Therefore, he had to persuade him to seek treatment. Otherwise, he would be blind forever.

    On that day in the cave, after Hansen had rescued Jerry, the cave suddenly exploded. When Hansen had broken away from Kimmel¡¯s hand, his eyes burned with pain. He instantly cked out and lost consciousness. When he opened his eyes again, he could see nothing but darkness.

    Hansen was still young and was a promising young leader of thepany. If he med himself for not being able to save his wife and punished himself by going blind, then it would be too cruel.

    What was more, the Richards Group needed an able-bodied leader, a wise leader. Alvin knew better than anyone that they would be busy for the next month once the headquarters of the Richard Groups moved to the Capital City.By then, Hansen would not have the time to seek treatment. However, Alvin also knew that the move could still be dyed.

    Hansen appeared to be furious with Alvin, who treaded fearlessly into his darkest ce.

    ¡°Alvin, that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s get ready for the meeting.¡± He tried his best to hold back his anger since it was Alvin, but his tone had reached an extremely terrifying level.

    Although Alvin knew that he was furious,his face betrayed nothing as he persuaded Hansen. ¡°Mr. Richards, I have already contacted a hospital in the USA. Your flight is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. You have to go.¡±

    ¡°How dare you!¡± Hansen was incensed. He pounded his fist on his desk and bellowed, ¡°Alvin, you are very gutsy. From now on, you will be in charge of cleaning the men¡¯s and women¡¯s restrooms. I no longer need you by my side.¡±

    After Hansen gave his orders angrily, he shouted, ¡°Yuri!¡±

    Yuri walked in quietly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± She held her breath when she saw the anger disyed on Hansen¡¯s face. Over the past year, Hansen had been reticent and acting strange. Countless executives were scolded or punished.

    Yuri used to be Jenna¡¯s secretary, but Jenna had assigned her over to Hansen. So, Hansen was exceptionally lenient towards her.

    However, she did not dare to go any further into his office. She stood at her spot and respectfully answered Hansen.

    ¡°Yuri, from now on, Alvin will be assigned to clean all the men¡¯s and women¡¯s restrooms in this building. He is no longer my assistant. He is henceforth banned from setting foot here. Jose will be my new assistant,¡± Hansen ordered expressionlessly.

    Yuri was so dumbfounded that words were robbed from her.

    Alvin was Mr. Richards¡¯ most trusted employee,the President¡¯s assistant. However, right then, he was relegated to cleaning all the men¡¯s and women¡¯s restrooms. Yuri initially thought that her ears had failed her.

    However,with only the slightest change on Alvin¡¯s face, he calmly retrieved the key of the president¡¯s office from his pocket and ced it on the desk. He said seriously and persistently, ¡°Mr. Richards, no matter how you punish and humiliate me, I will stand my ground. Please go to the USA to treat your eyes.¡±

    After saying those words, he turned around and walked out.

    ¡°Out!¡± Hansen shouted angrily as hepicked up the stationery on his table and threw them at him. Yuri was so frightened that she scurried out in a panic.

    s, Mr. Richards¡¯ behaviour had only grown stranger by the day. Yuri shook her head with fear, but could do nothing about it.

 Chapter 740 Jerry Is Headstrong

    In Richards Manor, the flowers and trees weregrowing luxuriantly. After that disaster, Richards Manor had regained its former tranquility, and the serenity was ever-present.

    ¡°Charge! We have to kill all of the bad guys in order to save Mommy. All of you have to beat them to death.¡± Four-year-old Jerry was wearing a child¡¯s ysuit as he held a gun in each hand. He was leading a group of kids as they yed a game of cops and robbers in the courtyard of Richards Manor.

    Ever since Jenna died, this had been the game he yed most.

    He had to rely on his own abilities to save his mother.

    Ever since he had been kidnapped by Aria the previous year and witnessed Jenna tumble into the abyss, Jerry had been scared out of his wits. Soon after the explosion that day, he passed out.

    After returning from Sunshine Mountain, he had been admitted into the hospital for a high fever. He talked nonsense and had not recovered until a monthter. He kept crying for his mother when he returned home. He would also wake up crying from his dream.

    Hansen had put aside his grief and hired a psychologist to treat Jerry for half a year. Jerry had graduallystoppedfrom being haunted by the nightmares.

    He was no longer in the mood to go to school.

    Hansen had to personally take care of him for the past year. He had done everything by himself, acting both as a mother and a father to Jerry. However, he was too busy recently, so he did not have much time to apany him.

    In this way, Jerry, who was unrestrained, gradually became headstrong.

    He often invited his friends from kindergarten or the kids of the staff of Richards Manor to y a game of cops and robbers with him. In this regard, Jerry had a unique talent.

    He came up with this game all on his own, even the details were very realistic.

    Of course, every time in the game, he would be able to kill the bad guy and save his mother.

    There would invariably be a big group of kids at his heels because they knew there would always be fun and games as well as good food.

    They were more than happy to do his bidding.

    After that ident, Hansen had specially assigned more people to watch over Jerry.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Wherever Jerry went, there would always be arge group of people following him. It was an impressive sight to behold.

    Richards Manor had lost a hostess ever since Jenna died.

    After Norton recovered, he went straight to Capital City to find General Delia to ask him for Sabrina¡¯s hand in marriage. General Delia saw his sincerity and agreed for the time being on one condition. It was that he must be able to make a name for himself. Careerwise, he had to be at least on par with Hansen.

    Norton confidently agreed to General Delia¡¯s request for the sake of Sabrina. As soon as his injury healed, he flew over to the States with Sabrina.

    Sabrina studied fashion design while she helped Norton with the N&S Group.

    They gradually grew to be as thick as thieves and developed feelings for each other.

    ¡°Beat this bad guy to death! How dare he cause harm to my Mom?¡± As soon as Hansen came out from his car, heheard Jerry¡¯s angry roaring from the back garden.

    ¡°Don¡¯t hit me, don¡¯t hit me,¡± the child cried out in fear.

    ¡°Young Master, stop hitting him. He¡¯s not a bad guy.¡± The two men from the Grand Eagles squad Hansen had appointed to protect Jerrystood there, helpless as they watched him hit the child. They were afraid that he would injure the kid, so they could only try to persuade him.

    ¡°Not a chance, this bad guy is too stubborn. I can¡¯t seem to end him,¡± Jerry said in an arrogant manner,perching both of his hands on his hips.

    It turned out that in Jerry¡¯s game, the bad guys had to be beaten to death. Every time he sessfully killed a bad guy, everyone would be rewarded 100 dors each. That day, the kid ying the bad guy refused to die. If it were other kids, then they would have pretended to be dead long ago. However, this particr kid was stubborn and thought he could outsmart Jerry and the other peers. Therefore, for a long timehe wasn¡¯t willing to ¡®die¡¯. Fury got the better of Jerry and he held the water gun and toy sword,manding his troops to kill the bad guy.

    His troops outnumbered the bad guy, and thetter was finally subdued. After the insensible child was knocked to the ground, all the kids went up and besieged him. The child, frightened, started crying.

    Hansen¡¯s expression darkened as he immediately understood what Jerry was doing. He immediately shouted, ¡°Jerry.¡±

    Wearing a pair of goggles,Jerry was instructing his troops to beat up the bad guy. He started when he heard his father¡¯s voice. At that moment, the other children¡¯s expressions changed when they saw Hansen. They cried out ¡®run!¡¯ and quickly dispersed.

    Jerry had no choice but to brace himself and approached his father. He obediently greeted him, ¡°Hi,Dad.¡±

    He stood and looked up at Hansen. Anyway, Hansen could not see him. Although he was afraid in his heart,he had astupefied look on his face.

    ¡°Jerry, what are you doing?¡± Hansen asked, pulling a long face when he sensed Jerry walking over.

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just trying to save Mom.¡± Jerry wiped his nose with his dirty hands and said in a nonchnt voice.

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± When Hansen heard that he was entertaining himself with these absurd games again, he could not help but to reproach him.¡°Did you forget what I told youst time?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Jerry curled his lips in disdain.

    ¡°What kind of attitude is this?¡± Hansen heard the flippant tone in Jerry¡¯s voice and could not help but to turn red with anger. He immediately bellowed, ¡°You¡¯re being rebellious. You don¡¯t even listen to me anymore, always fooling around with a bunch of kids. Let me ask you, have you finished your homework? Did you practise your writing? Have you done your training?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s tone was stern as he raised one question after another.

    Although he had put in a lot of effort in Jerry,the more he thought about it, the more he felt that he could not control him anymore.

    There were many times he had felthelpless when it came to Jerry.

    Jerry knew that Hansen could not see him, so he made a face at him. He stuck out his tongue and did not say anything.

    Molten anger rolled through Hansen. He then reached out and grabbed Jerry.

    Jerry was very quick and managed to avoid Hansen.

    ¡°Jerry, how dare you run away?¡± Hansen gritted his teeth and held his breath. He tried and reached out to grab Jerry again. That time, he sessfully caught him. He said, ¡°Jerry boy, you are getting more and more rebellious now. You fool around every day and fight with others. It looks like I have to teach you a lesson today.¡±

    Jerry¡¯s recent behavior had been giving Hansen a headache. He was extremely naughty and whipped up an awful lot of trouble. That day, he happened to bump into him and decided to give him a piece of his mind. If he did not teach him a lesson that day, Heaven forbid that Jerry might turn out to be the boss of the underworld.

    Every dayJerry would put on a pair of goggles and hold a toy gun. He would have a group of kids following him, strutting as his chin tipped skyward. Had he continued like this, it wouldn¡¯t bode well for his future.

    Now that the Richards Group was expanding, Jerry¡¯s status as the young master became more and more precious. The people around him were ttering him, and this was exacerbated by Marissa spoiling him.Jerry had already lost the ability to tell right from wrong. He was bing very pompous and pretentious.

    Hansen¡¯s heart sank when he realised this. At first, he had not dared to be too harsh on him because of his traumatic experience, but right then he was determined. He held Jerry¡¯s hand tightly and walked home.

 Chapter 741 Proud Of Jerry

    This was the end! Jerry could feel that Hansen was being serious that time around. It was very likely that his father was going to punish him. Tears started to well up in his eyes as he spoke.

    ¡°Dad, you didn¡¯t even have the ability to protect Mom. Why can¡¯t you let me protect her?¡±

    Hansen was immediately stunned when he heard Jerry¡¯s words. He unknowingly rxed his hold on his son¡¯s hand.

    Jerry, aware that he was right, smiled. His heart was bursting with pride.

    He knew that whenever Hansen wanted to give him the stick, all he had to do was to mention Jenna¡¯s name and his expression would change, being exceptionally benevolent to him. It was no exception that time.

    However,by then, it was aplete turnaround.

    Hansen had only paused for a moment beforeing back to his senses. He admonished him.¡°Jerry boy, if I don¡¯t punish you now, then you are bound to get into trouble sooner orter. I would have let yourte mother down.¡±

    As he spoke, he grabbed him by the arms and walked towards the living room.

    Jerry was frightened. His eyes widened and he felt his head spinning. However, he came out of his daze quickly.

    As soon as Hansen threw Jerry onto the couch, he took advantage of the situation and rolled onto the carpet. While rolling, he cried, ¡°O Merciful Lord, please have pity on me. A boy without a mother I am, and my father still wants to torture me.¡±

    He cried out pitifully.

    Just as Hansen was about to punish Jerry, his heart was softened by the sound of his sobs. He froze in his spot, unable to say anything.

    This child already led such a hard life. Jenna had suffered a lot outside when she was pregnant with him. It hadn¡¯t been easy for them to reunite, yet Jenna had left them. Not only that, that had been his second time being harmed by those bad people.

    After all, he was just a child.

    The reason he ended up like this was that his beloved mother had died in front of a bad person. This was a great psychological blow to Jerry. Even an adult like Hansen wasn¡¯t able toe to terms with it, let alone a child like Jerry.

    As soon as he thought about it, he gave up on the idea of punishing Jerry. A wave of guilt and pain billowed in his chest.

    Jerry was right. He was incapable!

    He did not have the ability to protect his wife and son, so what right did he have to punish Jerry?

    Hence, this had been his motivation to fortify the Richards Group into an empire. He would never allow any Trojan horse to seed again. Just as he finally had everything under his control, his other half was no longer here.

    Now that Jerry was kicking up a fuss, he was at his mercy!

    He might have a sessful career, but in the face of his son, he waspletely hopeless.

    He closed his eyes and dropped down onto the couch, with tears in his eyes.

    He had no idea how he had managed to get through the past year. He wasn¡¯t able to rx at all. He could only bury himself with work to make up for his guilt and heartache. He did not want to think about these painful pasts. However, in the dead of the night, even though he was sleep deprived, he still would not be able to fall asleep. He would stay up and think about all the past memories involving Jenna.

    He knew that he owed her big time and that he would never be able to pay it back for the rest of his life.

    While on the verge of death, Jenna had done everything she could to throw Jerry to safety, sacrificing her own life in the process. Furthermore, she had also been pregnant at the time. This maternal love would often put him to shame, and an unbearable pain would shoot through his entire body.

    As her husband, he could not do anything about it. He could only watch her as she fell off the cliff into the river. During the past year, whenever he dreamed about her, he would be jolted awake from the heartache.

    ¡°Do you want Jerry to lose both his mother and father?¡± Kimmel had grabbed hold of his hand and roared at him at the edge of the cliff that day.At that moment, his heart had been torn into half.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    That day, he had wanted nothing more than to jump into the river to save Jenna. He had known that if he failed, he would perish together with her. That was the only thing that was running through his mind that day.

    The river under the cliff was deep and the current was strong. He had known that even if he jumped down, he would not be able to save her. He would only die in vain.

    It was obvious that Kimmel had understood it better than he did.

    Therefore, he said that to snag his attention. He had then taken the opportunity to pull him up and dragged him away from the cave that was about to explode.

    Hansen covered his face with his hands as tears rolled down his cheeks.

    He needed to manage the Richards Group well and raise Jerry to be a good person. These were the only things he could for Jenna, and these were his only reason for survival.

    Managing the Richards Group was his forte, buthe knew not the first thing when it came to raising Jerry.

    ¡°Jerry, what happened?¡± Marissa asked in distress as she came rushing down the stairs when she heard Jerry¡¯s cries. She hurriedly picked him up from the ground.

    Jerry had long noticed the change in Hansen¡¯s attitude, and his wails from the beginning had petered out to fake sobs. Marissa held him in her arms, with her face full of distress.

    Jerry knew that he had managed to escape punishment from his father.

    At that time, two figures emerged through the door.

    ¡°Hi, Aunt Marissa. Hi, Hansen, Jerry,¡± Sabrina greeted them with a smile as she entered the house with Norton.

    ¡°Aunt Sabrina,¡± Jerry greeted her happily. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw her.

    After Jenna had left, Sabrina would asionally fly over from the USA to take care of Jerry. Of course, Norton would always apany her, tailing her like a lost puppy. The only time they were separated was when Sabrina had to attend a ss. Otherwise, they were basically joined by the hip.

    ¡°Jerry, do you miss me?¡± Sabrina took Jerry from Marissa¡¯s arms and hugged him as she asked in a coy tone.

    After Jenna¡¯s death, she felt a great deal of pity for Jerry, and even more so for Jenna¡¯s suffering. She would often remember the pain in her heart ande back to visit Jerry whenever she could. She would also take the opportunity to take care of matters in Richards Manor.

    Jerry wrapped his arms around Sabrina and shamelessly said, ¡°Aunt Sabrina, I miss you so much. You have to spend as much time as you can with me.¡±

    ¡°Sabrina, Norton, you¡¯re back!¡± Hansen said as he quietly wiped away the tears from his eyes. He lifted his tired face and greeted the two before standing up. ¡°Norton,e over here. I have something to discuss with you.¡±

    As he spoke, he took the lead in groping his way up the stairs and headed for the study.

    ¡°Sabrina, why don¡¯t you stay here and apany Aunt Marissa and Jerry? I¡¯ll head upstairs for a while,¡± Norton said to Sabrina before following Hansen up the stairs.

    ¡°Sabrina, it¡¯s all thanks to you for oftening back to take care of Jerry over the past year. You even help to take care of the matters in Richards Manor.¡± After Norton left, Marissa took Sabrina¡¯s hand and sat down on the couch. She smiled and said, ¡°Jerry, look at how beautiful Aunt Sabrina¡¯s dress is. It can¡¯t be good if you dirtied her dress, can it?¡±

    Marissa said lovingly to Jerry as she took him from Sabrina¡¯s arms and sat him on herp.

    Jerry pouted his lips and ensconced himself obediently on Marissa¡¯sp.

    ¡°Aunt Marissa, Jenna left us all of a sudden. She was so kind to me when she was alive. She treated me better than my own sister. Jerry is too pitiful.Plus, Hansen is so busy, and he¡¯s not willing to hire anyone to take care of Jerry. He insists on doing everything himself. Isn¡¯t that an impossible mission. I don¡¯t feel at ease, so I make sure toe back and take care of Jerry whenever I have the time. This is my duty,¡± Sabrina said in a low voice as tears started to pool in her eyes.

    Tears started to well up in Marissa¡¯s eyes when Sabrina mentioned Jenna. She lowered her head and wiped away her tears.

    Both of them fell into grief for a moment and did not say anything.

 Chapter 742 Donate The Ocean Heart

    In Trevor¡¯s study.

    Trevor, Hansen, and Norton sat around a table as they sipped their tea.

    ¡°Norton, now that you¡¯re back, there¡¯s something I have to tell you.¡± Trevor¡¯s hair waspletely white. His voice wavered and sounded shaky. The Green Jade Garden had been too quiet and lifeless ever since Jenna had left. Simrly, Trevor had aged with a whoosh in the past year.

    Norton nodded and said courteously,¡°Sure, Uncle Trevor. Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°The Ocean Heart was buried in Sunshine Mountain afterst year¡¯s explosion. Some time ago, someone from the municipal government finally went there to clean up the debris and found the Ocean Heart. They sent it to usst week. Your father, Hansen, and I have discussed this matter. Although the Ocean Heart is a rare piece of jewelry and was discovered by your grandfather, after this incident, I feel that the Ocean Heart is no longer auspicious. Well, at least it¡¯s not suitable to be kept in Richards Manor. So, I nning to donate the Ocean Heart to the museum in A City. The Ocean Heart is our family¡¯s treasure and every descendant of the family has the right to know and make decisions. Therefore, the reason I¡¯m telling you this is to ask for your opinion,¡± Trevor exined and looked at Norton.

    Norton smiled and immediately replied, ¡°Uncle Trevor, Grandma had given the Ocean Heart to Jenna. Now that Jenna has left, and you¡¯ve decided that it is no longer auspicious, you and Hansen can decide what to do with it. I have no objection.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, since you think so, then this matter is settled.¡± Trevor immediately nodded and made a decision when Norton had no objections.

    Norton nodded.

    At the thought of Jenna, no one could say anythingfor a moment.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    ¡°Norton, how are the sales in America now? Are you facing any problems?¡± Hansen asked as he sipped on his tea, breaking the silence.

    ¡°Everything was arranged by Jenna before it was handed over to me. It¡¯s not difficult to develop the rest. Don¡¯t worry. Everything is going in the right direction,¡± Norton said confidently.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Hansen nodded. ¡°Now that we have cleared the Richards Group¡¯s name in the luxury car industry, there is a call for another kind of demand. ording to Jenna¡¯s n before her death, I was nning to runch N&S Group. From tomorrow onwards, you will be solely in charge of thepany. I hope you will work hard and prove yourself to General Delia.¡± Hansen retrieved a contract from his desk drawer and handed it to Norton.

    ¡°Starting tomorrow, you will wholly own N&S Group. Thepany is now under your name. If you have any difficulties,then you cane to me at any time.¡± Richards Group had originally owned 70% of N&S Group shares, while Norton had 30%. However, ording to Jenna¡¯s decision during thest press conference, Hansen had already restarted the development of luxury cars. The 70% shares that had been owned by the Richards Group were now transferred to Norton.

    Norton¡¯s hands trembled as he epted the contract. He said with tears of excitement in his eyes, ¡°Thank you, Hansen.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. Jenna had everything nned out for you and Sabrina. She hoped that you and Sabrina would be able to tie the knot soon,¡± Hansen said seriously.

    Tears glistened in Norton¡¯s eyes. He did not expect Jenna to have left them so soon. He had been devastated when he heard the news of her death. He hadn¡¯t been able to eat and sleep well for many days. Without Jenna wandering the grounds of Richards Manor, the ce was really like a pool of stagnant water. The ce was so quiet that itcked liveliness. Jenna had left a lot behind, and her being gone was unbearable to everyone.

    Jenna had died an early and tragic death. It was precisely for this reason that even though a year hade in between, everyone had yet to make peace with it. The grief that hung over Richards Manor was even deeper than when Vivian had passed away.

    ¡°Thank you, I will,¡± Norton said in a serious tone.

    ¡°Norton, I hope you will be able to take thepany to greater heights and produce arge number of luxurious cars. Then, thepany would be one of the Richards Group¡¯s mainpetitors. But of course, if there are any difficulties, then feel free toe and look for me.¡± Hansen set his teacup on the table and leaned his back against the couch as he spoke seriously.

    ¡°Got it, Hansen. I¡¯m confident that we will be able to catch up to the Richards Group. After Sabrina graduates from fashion design school, I will work hard alongside her in the apparel industry. I will try my best to diversify the businesses of N&S Group,¡± Norton said confidently, with his face filled with happiness.

    Speaking of Sabrina, Trevor immediately said, ¡°Norton, you and Sabrina are not getting any younger. It¡¯s about time the two of you tie the knot. When are you going to make her a part of the Richards family and have kids?¡±

    Norton blushed and immediately said, ¡°Uncle Trevor, I¡¯ve discussed it with Sabrina. We¡¯re nning to have the wedding at the end of the year.¡±

    ¡°Have you decided on a venue?¡± A rare smile appeared on the corner of Hansen¡¯s lips as he asked affectionately.

    ¡°I have discussed this with Sabrina. We¡¯ve decided to hold the wedding here, in Richards Manor. We do not intend to have a destination wedding. After all, the atmosphere here in Richards Manor is too deste now. I want to take this opportunity to liven things up.¡± Norton did not even think about it before answering.

    A smile appeared on Trevor¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Very well, Norton. This is the right idea. Our Richards Manor is going to be lively soon.¡±

    ¡°Norton, marriage isn¡¯t easy. There are challenges in sustaining a marriage. Once you get married, you¡¯re going to have to work hard to look after it. Sabrina is definitely a woman worthy of your love,¡± Hansen said earnestly.

    Norton nodded. His heart capsized at the thought of Jenna.

    ¡°Hansen, I heard that the headquarters of Richards Group will be moved to Capital City?¡± He could only bring up positive topics.

    ¡°Yeah, we will be moving in a week.¡± After saying this, Hansen thought of Jenna. His heart ached and he quickly stood up. ¡°Dad, Norton, that¡¯s all I have to say. You two can continue chatting. I¡¯ll excuse myself first.¡±

    Hansen stood up and walked out the door, disappearing before them.

    Trevor watched the grief-stricken back of his son, and the dark light in his eyes became more and more intense.

    Norton¡¯s mind was alsoden with heavy thoughts.

    In the back garden of Emerald Garden.

    The autumn wind was blowing,cool and refreshing.

    Norton and Sabrina strolled hand in hand around the garden. Both of their faces were the paragon of happiness.

    After a while, Sabrina sighed.

    ¡°Norton, Hansen is very pitiful. Ever since Jenna left, he has never smiled. He works all the time. When he gets home, he has to take care of Jerry. If he continues on like this, I¡¯m sure he will be kaput sooner orter.¡± Sabrina had a sullen look on her face. Her eyes were full of sheer regret and sadness.

    ¡°But the dead cannote back to life. What else can we do? Jenna is already gone.¡± Norton looked gloomy as well as he lowered his head.

 Chapter 743 You Must Not Look For A Stepmother For Me

    ¡°Norton, what happens if Hansen continues on like this? He¡¯s still young. He can¡¯t go on living like this, can he?¡± Sabrina¡¯s eyes crinkled with concern. It did not matter what he did, for Sabrina wouldn¡¯t be able to watch. If he remarried,then Jerry would be too pitiful. If he did not remarry,then he could not go on like this anymore. After all, Hansen was still young. Besides, he was a talented man with asessful career. She knew that he wouldn¡¯t be short of any pursuers.

    She felt extremely irritated at the thought of this. She hated Zoe and Aria to the core.

    ¡°I despise both Zoe and Aria with passion. We should have made them suffer for what they¡¯ve done. It was such a waste to let them die just like that,¡± Sabrina said with hatred.

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±Norton held her hand tightly and sighed. ¡°There¡¯s no good karma for being a good person in this world. Good people don¡¯t live long. It is so unfair.¡±

    ¡°Norton, I just want to tell you that no matter how busy you are, no matter what you encounter in the future, you must find a way to help Hansen. You have to manage thepany well, or else it will be hard on Hansen,¡± Sabrina ordered seriously.

    ¡°Yes,my wife,¡± Norton immediately responded.

    Hansen arrived at the bedroom on the second floor. He washed up, having nointentions to leave the room again that day.

    Just as he was about to get ready for bed, he heard a slight noise by the door.

    ¡°Jerry,e in,¡± Hansen shouted towards the door.

    After a while, Jerry, who was pacing back and forth at the door, entered the bedroom. Aunt E had helped to get him cleaned up and he was then dressed in afy T-shirt. At that moment, Jerry looked handsome and cool.

    Hansen could not see his handsome face, but his voice sounded particrly like Jenna¡¯s.

    Jerry¡¯s features looked more like Hansen and bore a little resemnce to Jenna. With such an impressive gene pool, it was no surprise Jerry turned out to be a pretty attractive kid. This was also the reason why everyone adored him. It was just that his voice sounded very simr to Jenna¡¯s.

    ¡°Dad, do you miss Mom?¡± Jerry walked in and asked loudly.

    Upon hearing his voice, Hansen thought of Jenna. He instantly felt a pang of sadness in his heart and became slightly absent-minded.

    Jerry sighed when he saw Hansen in a daze.

    ¡°Boy, why are you sighing at such a young age?¡± Hansen was finally brought back to reality by Jerry¡¯s sigh. For some reason, he was a little annoyed. His son was already sighing at such a young age.

    ¡°C¡¯mere, son.¡± He held out his hand to him.

    When Jerry saw this, he obediently walked up to him.

    Whenever he was in a situation like this, Hansen would always dote on him. Of course, he understood this point.

    Hansen bent down and picked him up.

    He stroked his head and asked lovingly,¡°Jerry, do you miss Mom?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I miss her a lot, but she¡¯ll nevere back, will she?¡± Jerry said as tears started to well up in his eyes.

    ¡°No, she wille back. I¡¯m sure she cannot bear to part with you and me. She¡¯ll definitelye back.¡± Hansen really did not know how to exin to Jerry the meaning of life and death. He could onlyfort him like this.

    In fact, as soon as Hansen had woken up on the day of the incident, he had immediately gathered a search and rescue team to try and scour for Jenna¡¯s body in the river. However, after hours and hours of searching, they had only managed to find Aria¡¯s body. Jenna¡¯s body was nowhere to be found.

    He had spent a mad amount of time trying to find Jenna¡¯s body, but since the water current had been raging, even until that day he was without any news about it. Nothing belonging to Jenna had been discovered, and it seemed as though she had disappeared from the river.

    Logically speaking, if a pregnant woman like Jenna had fallen into such a deep river, the possibility of surviving was very slim. Even though they were unable to find her body, they could not rule out the possibility of her being dead, because the chance of her surviving was little to none.

    After all, the river current had been too strong. After the branch flowed into the moat, the scope and depth of the river elevation were beyond his imagination.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Some time ago, when they had begun clearing up the debris on Sunshine Mountain, the police had managed to find Zoe¡¯s body. She had been burned beyond recognition.

    Due to all the crimes that Zoe hadmitted, the Public Security Department had decided to search her house and the Mariya Church on Sunshine Mountain. They had unearthed no small amount of evidence, as well as some of Zoe¡¯s men. Her men had exposed all of Zoe¡¯s crimes to the police.

    The police had reopened Octavia¡¯s case ording to the evidence that they had collected. In the end, Octavia¡¯s prison sentence was reduced to one year. In the same year, she had been released from prison and had returned toSoventoto reunite with her mother and brother.

    Hansen refused to believe that Jenna was dead. He would onlye to terms with it when he saw her body. As long as he did not see it,he would not admit that she had died.

    ¡°Then, Dad, when will Mom being back to see me? Everyone says that she¡¯s already dead,¡± Jerry asked pitifully, tears dripping down his eyes.

    Hansen hugged him tightly, feelingstabs of pain in his heart.

    ¡°Jerry, Mom had always hoped that you would grow up and be a useful person in society,am I right?¡± he asked in a gentle tone.

    Jerry thought for a moment, and then he nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. If you study hard and be a good boy,then I¡¯m sure Mom wille back and see you,¡± Hansen exined, after thinking for a moment.

    When Jerry heard this, he nodded his head seriously.

    ¡°Alright, then. Dad, from now on, I¡¯m going to study diligently. I want to show Mom what a good boy I am,¡± Jerry replied solemnly, his chest puffed out.

    ¡°That¡¯s my boy.¡± Hansen felt a twinge of pain in his heart. He smiled in relief and caressed his soft hair.

    ¡°But, Dad, you have to promise me something.¡± Jerry thought of one very important matter, and immediately brought it up.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Hansen was caught by surprise. He had no idea what request his witty son would have. He had a hunch that something was going to happen when Jerry hade to him, but he wasn¡¯t sure what it was.

    ¡°Dad, you¡¯re not allowed to find me a stepmother. You are not allowed to remarry, alright?¡± Jerry stared into Hansen¡¯s eyes as he spoke in a very earnest manner.

    Oh, so that was it! This young fellow can still be very soft.

    Hansen paused for a moment and smiled. He made a solemn promise to Jerry.¡°I can promise you this. I will not remarry and that your Mommy will be my only wife in this lifetime. Don¡¯t worry, I promise I will not look for a stepmother for you in the future.¡±

    He said it very seriously. It sounded as if he was mumbling to himself, yet it also came across as if he was making a promise to himself.

 Chapter 744 Forget About The Past

    ¡°Really? Pinky promise.¡± Jerry¡¯s eyes lit up as he wrapped his arms around Hansen¡¯s neck and kissed him on the face. Then, he patted his shoulder and said righteously, ¡°Worry not, Dad. I¡¯ll take care of you when you¡¯re old.¡±

    Jerry¡¯s words amused Hansen,with tears moistening his eyes.

    Holding Jerry in his arms,Hansenleaned against the headboard of the bed. Then, he said seriously, ¡°Jerry, since I promised you, then you have to promise me one thing as well. You have to make a pinky promise, alright?¡±

    ¡°Oh, what is it?¡± Jerry tilted his head.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, Jerry. You are turning four this year. Your mother has left us and will not be able to take care of you. As for me, I will be heading over to Capital City to work in a few days.Your grandparents are old now, and they don¡¯t have the energy to take care of you. ording to my observations, you haven¡¯t been behaving welltely, and it¡¯s not a good thing. In fact, this is very serious. That¡¯s why I¡¯m nning to send you over to Ennd to study. I¡¯m going to enrol you in the Royal National Academy, what do you think?¡± Hansen had never been so patient in exining anything to Jerry, and at the same time also seeking his opinions.

    Jerry¡¯s life was in a state of chaos, now that he had lost his mother. What he was doing right then could only be described as a little rogue, and no one could control him.

    Marissa doted on him very muchbecause he had lost his mother and suffered a lot at a young age. All the servants did not dare to offend him. Right then, he was just a little bully. Hansen was really worried that he wouldbe corrupted by bad influence.

    ¡°Dad, do you intend to find a bad woman like Liya to be my stepmother once you send me away to Ennd?¡± Jerry was not stupid. After thinking about it for a while, he immediately asked Hansen.

    In the past few days, he had been hearing the servants talk about how young and powerful his father was. Not only that, he had a long line of pursuers.

    As far as Jerry was concerned, this was an abysmal rumor. He just could not ept it.

    This was the reason he had snuck into Hansen¡¯s bedroom to remind him. Otherwise, he would not have to worry about this.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled up slightly as helooked at his son affectionately.

    He reaffirmed in a serious tone again,¡°Silly boy, I promised you that your mother will be my only wife in this life. I even swore in front of Madam Lilian that day. You still don¡¯t believe me?¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Jerry lowered his head and thought for a long time before raising his head.

    ¡°Alright, as long as you don¡¯t find me a stepmother, then I¡¯ll promise you to study hard. Once I have the ability to take care of you in the future, I will do so in return,¡± Jerry said seriously as he agreed to Hansen¡¯s request.

    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s a pinky promise,¡± Hansen immediately said when Jerry saw eye to eye with him. He was afraid that Jerry would go back on his word.

    ¡°Alright.Cross my heart and pinky promise.¡± Jerry and Hansen cheerfully promised each other.

    That was the first time Hansen had a smile in such a long time, a smile that came from the bottom of his heart.

    ¡°Hansen,¡± Marissa called out. She heard Jerry¡¯s and Hansen¡¯sugh as soon as she arrived at the bedroom door. She had a loving smile on her face as she walked in. She said to Jerry, softly, ¡°Jerry,e here. Let¡¯s head to bed.¡±

    Jerry could not be any happier after Hansen made a promise to him. He immediately reached out for Marissa¡¯s hand and obediently followed her out.

    Marissa turned around and said as she led Jerry to the door,¡°Hansen, wait for me at the study. I have something to discuss with you.¡±

    Hansen had long expected Marissa to look for him. His expression was very calm.

    He had known that Marissa had something to discuss with him, but every time he woulde up with some excuse to dodge the bullet. It seemed that he had to grab it by the horns then.

    Well, there were some things that could not be avoided. It was better to make it clear.

    Hansen, dressed in his nightgown, was standing in the study. The heater had been turned on, and the room was brimming with warmth. Autumn hade early that year, so the weather was much colder than in the past years.

    ¡°Mom, please take a seat,¡± Hansen said indifferently as he held a shell in his hand and gently caressed it. He could hear someone entering the study and immediately knew the person was Marissa.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Marissa sat down on the couch in the study and greeted him. For a moment, she felt sad and lowered her head.

    Hansen fumbled to sit opposite her.

    ¡°Mom, what can I do for you?¡± After he sat down, he did not hear Marissa speak for a long time, so he asked gently.

    Marissa sighed. ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s been a year since Jenna left us, hasn¡¯t it?¡±

    She sounded as if she was asking Hansen, but in fact, it seemed like she was talking to herself.

    Hansen¡¯s expression darkened. The pain in his eyes was evident.

    ¡°Yes, Mom,¡± he answered in a low voice.

    ¡°Hansen, Jenna was a good woman, a woman who had suffered a lot. I regret that I did not give her as much love as I should have, and made her suffer when she married you.¡± Marissa lowered her head and wiped her tears. She felt very distressed.

    With trembling hands, Hansen fished out a cigarette from his chest pocket. He lit it up and took a puff.

    ¡°Hansen, you should not smoke. It¡¯s not good for your health. You are my only son. All I want is for you to be healthy,¡± Marissa begged in a low voice. She coughed lightly when she smelled the cigarette smoke.

    Hansen fell silent. He stood up and walked over, feeling for the curtains and parting them. He took a few more puffs before he stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray.

    ¡°Mom, I owe her too much. It¡¯s impossible for me to repay her. I am a man who could not protect his wife.¡± He finally calmed down and leaned against the desk. He looked out of the window and into the darkness. His low and hoarse voice was filled with remorse.

    ¡°No, Hansen.¡± Marissa¡¯s voice trembled, with her eyes full of tears. ¡°You cannot take all the me. That woman had been nning it for so long, so how could it¡¯ve been avoided? Since ancient times, how often this scene has yed out. To achieve glory, there will be risks. The only constant in life is change.¡±

    Marissa was afraid that Hansen would be like this. The more guilt he felt in his heart, the more difficult it was for him to ovee it. This was not what she wanted to see.

    ¡°But why did it have to happen to her? It¡¯s unfair. It¡¯s so unfair,¡± Hansen growled in a low voice.

    Marissa lowered her head and was speechless. After a long time, she spoke.

    ¡°Hansen, may the deceased rest in peace while the living must move on with their lives. Son, listen to me. You have to pull yourself together. You have to honor the past and wee the future. You have to start over a new life.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Hansen turned his head. His eyes were empty. There was a glimmer of light on his face. He said firmly, ¡°Mom, Jenna is not dead. Up until now, I still refuse to believe that she¡¯s dead. She must be alive somewhere. She must be waiting for me to pick her up.¡±

    His tone was underscored with conviction, his face full of determination as he said, ¡°I will find her sooner orter.¡±

    Marissa was stunned for a moment. Tears started rolling down her cheeks.

    She, too, could not believe that Jenna was dead when she had heard the news. However, the facts were in front of her. How could her son have said these words?

    But the chances of a pregnant woman surviving a fall from a cliff into a river with strong currents was a glimmer at most.

    ¡°Hansen, please wake up! Stop being stubborn! I believe that Jenna does not want to see you in such pain and sorrow, a good man who lives in the darkness every day and can¡¯t walk out of the shadow of the past. This is not a good thing, and what¡¯s more, you are still so young.¡± Marissa¡¯s heart ached. ¡°Hansen, please go to the USA and seek treatment for your eyes tomorrow. I beg you. If you turnpletely blind, then what would be of Jerry? Don¡¯t you want to see your son¡¯s handsome face?¡±

    Marissa pleaded with him. She nearly had to resort to dropping onto her knees to beg him.

    She felt as though blood was slowly dripping from her heart when she saw how her son had wallowed in torturous remorse in the past year.

    For the past year, he would bury himself in work and refuse to talk to anyone.When he returned home, he would give his attention to Jerry. Even if she wanted to say some words offort to him, she somehow found it hard to approach him.

    Obviously, Hansen had shed quite the pounds over the past year. He also had asional mood swings. As his mother, she could neither persuade nor could she figure him out at all.

    Hansen was still rtively young, onlyin his early thirties. He could not continue living on like this, could he?

    He had to start a new Chapter in his life. Arduous as it might be,it was a hurdle he had to ovee.

 Chapter 745 Forever Alone

    ¡°Mom, is this the only thing you want to talk about? I know what to do. It¡¯s gettingte, you should go to sleep. Tomorrow, I have to fly over to B City¡¯s World Trade Center.¡± Hansen did not want to listen to Marissa any longer, so he urged her to go downstairs. He wanted to have a good sleep as he had an early flight to catch the next day.

    Marissa understood what his intentions were. She remained seated on the couch.

    ¡°Hansen, yesterdayJohan sent someone over¡­¡± Marissa said after she thought for a while.

    ¡°Mom, I need to get some sleep now.¡± Hansen cut his mother off. His face was full of impatience, and his tone was heavy.

    Marissa had no choice but to rise to her feet and leave. However, before she left, she said in a stern voice, ¡°Hansen, it has already been one year. You really should get your life together. I only have you, my only son. I feel distressed whenever I see you. Eventually, you will have toe to terms with it and start all over again.¡±

    Hansen could read between the lines of Marissa¡¯s words.

    He immediately pursed his thin lips and smiled coldly. ¡°Mom, I understand. But I¡¯ve got to be frank with you, I will never remarry. Jenna will be my only wife in this life. As for whether I wille to terms with her death, I will only believe it when I see her body.¡±

    ¡°But, what if you don¡¯t?¡± Marissa¡¯s face turned pale. She sighed and asked in horror.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be forever aloneandnever remarry.¡± With that, Hansen stood up and walked out of the study.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Marissa sighed deeply and plopped back down onto the couch.

    At Redondo International Airport.

    A bustling ce with nes taking off and touching down, there were streams of passengersing in and out.

    Jose Trenton patiently escorted Hansen out of the airport.

    ¡°Alvin, how are the preparations at the World Trade Center?¡± Hansen asked in his low, maic voice.A pair of sunsses perched on his nose, he was dressed in his tailored, bespoke suit. He was the picture of a debonair man.

    Jose was stunned, smiling bitterly in response. He could only reply softly, ¡°Mr. Richards, don¡¯t worry. Everything has been prepared.¡±

    From the day before until then, Hansen had inadvertently mistaken his name for Alvin¡¯s!

    He had no choice but to ignore it.

    What else could he have done!

    When Hansen heard Jose¡¯s voice, he became absent-minded for a while.

    He had inadvertently addressed Jose as Alvin again.

    Alvin had been the one taking care of him during the past year when he lost his sight.

    Although Alvin was a stubborn man,he was a veteran of the cutthroat business world, and attentive to boot, especially when it came to Hansen.

    He could urately analyze every movement of his and execute countermeasures in time.

    After all those times, Hansen was actually already ustomed to having Alvin by his side.

    Reflexively, Hansen sighed. He felt a pang in his heart as he shook his head.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Hansen heard a crisp feminine voiceing from behind him,apanied by the nking sound of high heels. An elegant jasmine-scented perfume wafted through the breeze and traveled into his nostrils.

    Hansen¡¯s brows furrowed, and his ears twitched. The expression on his face was stoic.

    ¡°Jaqueline, what are you doing here?¡± he asked in a cold voice.

    ¡°Hansen, Grandpa Johan said it might be inconvenient for you to move about because your eyes are injured, so he asked me toe and take care of you.¡± Jaqueline smiled, with her face blooming with joy.

    ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m good.¡± When Hansen heard this, he furrowed his brows even deeper. ¡°I have my assistant with me.¡±

    After that, he ignored her and said to Jose, ¡°Mr. Trenton, let¡¯s go. We¡¯re almost runningte.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards.¡± Jose did not dare to disobey him and strode forward to help Hansen.

    Jaqueline remained rooted to the spot as tears started to swirl in her eyes.

    Again, without exception, he had avoided her like a gue whenever he saw her. His expression was always frigid, devoid of any warmth.

    Must he have acted in this way!

    After a while, Jacqueline picked up her knapsack and quickly trotted forward to try and catch up to them. However, as soon as she stepped out of the gate, Hansen¡¯s and Jose¡¯s figures were nowhere to be seen.

    Back in the Moore family residence.

    Nuncio sat on the couch in the living room, nursing a cup of tea while he perused the newspaper. His wife, Marilyn, walked up to him.

    ¡°Nuncio, Jacqueline has just passed her exam. Do you think she can take over as the Deputy of Foreign Affairs?¡± Marilyn,the epitome ofelegance, spoke in a soft and gentle voice.Her gaze was delicate, and she was wearing light makeup.

    Nuncio put down the newspaper and said thoughtfully, ¡°Duringst year¡¯s dispute, Madam Lilian didn¡¯t agree to help. I¡¯m alsocking in confidence. Furthermore, Jaqueline is still young. I think it¡¯s best for her to work as a secretary for a while before promoting her.¡±

    Marilyn was disappointed upon hearing this.

    ¡°Nuncio, we¡¯re talking about a job at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Why, it¡¯s an advantage to be young. The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not young anymore, so it¡¯s time to nurture the next generation. Jaqueline is very knowledgeable and has a good image. She¡¯s well-versed in multiplenguages, which is an excellent skill to cultivate. It¡¯s hard toe across such a perfectcandidate,¡± she reminded Nuncio in a low voice. It was as if she was afraid that he could not see their daughter¡¯s strengths.

    Nuncio took a sip of tea, and then raised his head to look at her.

    ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, Jaqueline is not young anymore. As her mother, you should be more concerned about her love life rather than her career.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Marilyn blushed and somehow lost her confidence. She said, ¡°Jaqueline has been spoiled by her grandfather ever since she was young. She has ambitions. I doubt she would take a liking to ordinary men.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that she¡¯s going to remain single for the rest of her life?¡± His tone became even more serious. He did not look pleased at all.

    When Marilyn saw that Nuncio was unhappy,she held back from provoking him. She just sighed and remained silent for a while.

    Nuncio narrowed his eyes and said after pondering for a moment,¡°I think Grandpa¡¯s intention is to set her up with Hansen. Now, this is an opportunity. As a mother, you should pay more attention to it.¡±

    ¡°Hansen?¡± Marilyn was taken aback. ¡°Do you mean Hansen Richards, the president of the Richards Group?¡±

    ¡°Yup, that¡¯s him, alright.¡± Nuncio immediately nodded.

    After a moment of shock, Marilyn was baffled.

    ¡°Nuncio, Hansen has a business empire. His wife died in front of himst year. He¡¯s a single father. Thest I heard was that he has lost his sight. Are you sure he is suitable for Jaqueline?¡± she asked worriedly.

    ¡°That¡¯s so typical of you.¡± Nuncio nced at her and said discontentedly, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what,in this world, there is only one Hansen Richards. No one in this world is able topete with his business empire. If Jaqueline can really marry him, then it¡¯s her fate. This was initially Grandpa¡¯s n before, but unfortunately, Vivian had disagreed with it. Now, the opportunity has presented itself, and Jenna is dead. Grandpa is more optimistic about Hansen¡¯s future, so he wants to introduce Jaqueline to him.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Marilyn nodded thoughtfully after hearing Nuncio¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Jacqueline when I have the time. I¡¯ll ask her to invite Hansen over for a meal and try to evaluate the situation.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry.¡± Nuncio sighed. ¡°This Hansen fe is very devoted to love. Ever since Jenna left, he buried himself in work. He seems to be absent of emotions. He is also unwilling to seek treatment for his eyes and is devoted to taking care of his child. See, a one-woman man like this onlyes once in a blue moon.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Marilyn¡¯s heart trembled with fear. ¡°Hansen is pretty unlucky. His marriage with Jenna had been through so many twists and turns. Even if I¡¯m not in A City, I will still hear news about him. It¡¯s a pity that Jenna died at such a young age. All women want is a stable family life. They couldn¡¯t care less about how extravagant their life is.¡±

    Marilyn said with a stark worried look on her face.

 Chapter 746 Was That Her?

    ¡°You don¡¯t know it but people only appreciate the good things. The Richards family is very brilliant. Everything that has happened seems to be idental, but in fact, it is inevitable. Think about it. How many wealthy families have ever experienced such a thing? Why did it have to happen to the Richards family? That¡¯s because the Richards family is very spectacr. It¡¯s not a bad thing to have such an experience. Hansen is in the prime of his youth. After experiencing these hardships, I¡¯m sure he will mature quickly. He is unrivalled with Luqman¡¯s backing. Isn¡¯t every woman¡¯s dream to marry a rich, powerful, and devoted man? You have to trust Grandpa, he has a good eye,¡± Nuncio patiently exined to Marilyn.

    After listening to Nuncio¡¯s words, Marilyn¡¯s worries dissipated and a happy smile appeared on her face.

    The unprecedented International Auto Show was taking ce at the World Trade Center in B City.

    Hansen had decided to take part in the event as part of the publicity for the runch of the Richard Group¡¯s luxury cars.

    That year, the Richards Group had arge number of talents. The performance in thepany was on the rise. The luxury car industry had always been an indispensable industry to the Richards Group. After the news of the vindication of the Richards Group, Hansen had decided to expand and runch thepany¡¯s line of luxury cars. All kinds of publicity events had long been in ce.

    When the time came, everything would be carried out in an orderly fashion. There was no need to worry at all.

    Since Hansen did not need to do anything, he had no intentions of showing up at the World Trade Center lest he provoked the media. So, he motioned for Jose to take a walk with him outside of the hotel.

    After leaving the morous exhibition area, they chanced upon an empty square.

    The bright sunlight shone on the magnificent walls of buildings. Hansen could feel the sunshine on his face. He recalled Alvin¡¯s words and sighed inwardly.

    Hansen knew that if he were to seek treatment then, there was still hope that he would still be able to see again. However, that was not what he wanted.

    He would rather live in the darkness and honor his promise made to Jenna. In this way, he would not betray her by indulging in physical temptations.

    He only had one wife in his life and that was Jenna Murphy.

    After she left, his life was iplete. He was driven out of the light and plunged into darkness.

    People wereing and going in the square. There were all kinds of people of different races from all over the world, speaking all sorts ofnguages.

    Jose led Hansen to a fairly empty part of the square.

    After settling down, Hansen turned around and said, ¡°Mr. Trenton, there¡¯s a contract which we need to follow up in the exhibition area. Can you go inside and get it?¡±

    Hansen wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and brought the contract for Srirano over with him. The contract aims to increase the sales of auto parts. He had just finished drafting the contract and had forgotten to bring it out.

    ¡°Okay, Mr. Richards, I will go back and get it right away.¡± Jose said and left in a hurry.

    Hansen stood where he was and waited for him.

    ¡°Lexantra, the design of this car model is perfect. I did not expect to receive so many orders.¡± The young man¡¯s pleasant voicerang not far away and soon drifted into the ears of Hansen.

    Hansen overheard the conversation.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern, it¡¯s my duty, as long as it works.¡± Lexantra¡¯s voice was soft and melodious. It sounded particrly soothing.

    Hansen¡¯s body began to tremble when he heard the voice. A thought suddenly shed through his mind.

    In an instant, he cried out in a low voice, ¡°Jenna.¡±

    He turned around towards the direction of the voice and began to look frantically for the woman whom the voice belonged to. While he was looking for the woman, he shouted, ¡°Jenna, Jenna, is that you?¡±

    Unfortunately, Lexantra seemed to have left. He did not hear her voice again.

    For once, Hansen suspected that there was something wrong with his hearing.

    However, the voice was soft and melodious. It sounded exactly like Jerry¡¯s, a voice which he heard every day. There was no way he could have been mistaken.

    He was certain about it!

    That voice he just heard must have belonged to Jenna, the Jenna who had suffered a lot.

    His Jenna was not dead.

    At the thought of this, he was full of vim. His whole body seemed to have been injected with new energy.

    He had searched through the entire river for days and failed to find her body. How could she have disappeared without a trace? He felt that Jenna somehow survived.

    He firmly believed that Jenna was still alive.

    He was even more excited when he thought of it. He shouted even louder.

    People started to give him weird looks.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Mr. Richards, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jose came back to find Hansen walking around in circles as he called out Jenna¡¯s name. His face was full of excitement and yearning.

    ¡°Mr. Trenton, quick, look around and see. I think my wife is here. I just heard her voice.¡± Hansen excitedly reached out for Jose¡¯s hand and ordered loudly.

    Jose felt that it was strange. He immediately agreed and looked around. However, there were so many people around. There were numerous blond-haired and blue-eyed people. He could not find anyone thatvaguely resembled Jenna.

    There was not even a single woman who had the same build as her.

    He shook his head!

    ¡°Sigh, it seems like Mr. Richards misses his wife a lot! He¡¯s even having hallucinations of her.¡±

    After looking around, he had no choice but to say, ¡°Mr. Richards, I can¡¯t seem to see Mrs. Richards anywhere.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible, I swear I heard her voice just now,¡± Hansen said firmly, his face full of dissatisfaction.

    Jose had no choice but to search around again. However, he really did not see Jenna in the vast sea of people.

    Hansen was probably hallucinating.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you may have heard wrongly.Although somepeoplemight sound quite a bit alike, I can¡¯t seem to see Mrs. Richards anywhere.¡± Jose looked carefully again and confirmed that he did not see Jenna. He walked up to Hansen andforted him. ¡°Mr. Richards, let¡¯s go back to the hotel. You must be tired. You should have a good rest.¡±

    Hansen was very displeased. It seemed that Jose thought that he was a madman. However, things had already reached this point, and there was nothing he could¡¯ve done. He was unwilling to ept this, yet there was nothing he could do. He was blind after all. He had no choice but to follow Jose back to the hotel.

    Hey on the hotel bed, tossing and turning. He could not seem to get the woman¡¯s voice out of his head, so he sat up in bed.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    He knew he had heard right. He would not me anyone for not being able to recognize her voice, but he would me himself. He firmly believed that the voice he had heard just then belonged to Jenna.

    With these thoughts in mind, he took out his phone.

    ¡°Yuri, can you ask Alvin to book me a flight to the USA? I¡¯m on my way back.¡± After saying this, Hansen immediately called Jose over and quickly left B City.

 Chapter 747 Yintern Group

    Two monthster.

    Srirano, a small ind country.

    The snow was steadily falling from the sky. asional drops of snowkes would drift along with the wind.

    Pedestrians huddledunderneaththeircoats as they hurried home.

    Steffan was sitting in his office. He had the heater turned on to an ideal temperature of 28 degrees Celsius. It was warm and cozy.

    He was tall and wore a well-fitting suit. He was sitting leisurely on the couch and he held a cup of tea in his hand. From time to time, he would take a sip of tea. He had a dark, steady gaze.

    The Yintern family was very well-known in Capital City.

    Steffan was the youngest among his siblings. Even though he was the youngest in the family, he was not getting any younger.

    He was 38 years old that year.

    Unlike many heirs from rich and powerful families, he was mature and introverted. He was indifferent to fame and fortune. He was not keen on social gatherings, but he was enthusiastic about car design.

    In order to fulfill this dream, he studied abroad for five years before returning to the country the previous year. Then, under the coercion of his father, he inherited the family business in Srirano and became the president of the Yintern Group.

    Srirano was only a small ind country. The country¡¯s primary sector is agriculture. The Yintern Group was involved in various business projects in Srirano, including luxury cars.

    Therefore, Yintern Group was very famous here in Srirano. He inherited thepany under his father, Genaro¡¯s name. Srirano was not very developed yet. The cars produced were mainly domestic cars. Although Genaro had always been passionate about designing, he was not very good at running apany. Fortunately, in such a small ind country, there was littlepetition. Although there was not much improvement in their business, the economy was not bad.

    In recent years, the small ind country had slowly begun to develop. The country¡¯s economy had improved. The most obvious thing was that the government had actually sold arge area ofnd to the business mogul, Hansen Richards. Their purpose was to develop the economy on arge scale and increase the per capita ie of the country.

    In this way, with the country in such a strategic geographical location, one could imagine how much the country¡¯s economy would improve.

    The Yintern¡¯s Group also felt the pressure in order to meet the market¡¯s demands. Steffan was ready to reform thepany and improve itsinfrastructure.

    The country was sparsely popted. There was a high demand for cars in themunity. With the increase in economic growth, sooner orter, there would be a pursuit of cars of certain qualities in the country.

    As a result, there was a sense of urgency in the development of luxury cars.

    Steffan had seen thising a long time ago. After inheriting thepany, the first thing he did was to develop luxury cars. He wanted the car to be unique in its own way. He wanted to put into practice whathe hadlearnt when he studied abroad.

    There was a soft knock on the door, apanied by the sound of high heels.

    The corners of his mouth raised slightly and he said in a calm and powerful voice, ¡°Pleasee in.¡±

    The door opened and a graceful figure walked in.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern, this batch of drawings¡­¡± The woman¡¯s voice was very delicate. She had a pair of beautiful bright eyes. Her body exuded elegance.

    Steffan had always been attracted to her elegance. His gaze was full of appreciation and amazement as it fell upon her.

    To a certain extent, Steffan could be regarded as an artist. He enjoyed all things beautiful and that included beautiful women.

    The luxury cars that he designed were very artistic. They were elegant and unique. It was obvious that they were not popr in the market, but he would spend a lot of money on production. He was not focused on making profits. In this way, it was destined that the luxury cars designed by the Yintern Group would fail.

    That was until he met the woman in front of him.

    Steffan was a very stubborn person who would not easily change his mind. However, he was fairly impressed by the car designed by the woman in front of him.

    Therefore, he served her profoundly.

    As expected, at the World Trade Center two months ago, they had managed to make a huge profit. The amount of orders received was at an all-time high. It meant that the luxury cars produced by the Yintern Group were on a whole new level.

    That was the first time that Steffan was willing to allow anyone to design thepany¡¯s luxury cars. She managed to integrate art and the market demands into her car designs. He very quickly epted her designs and put them into production.

    It brought great benefits to the Yintern Group.

    It was as if he had found a buried treasure. He was ecstatic.

    ¡°Hush, what are you calling me?¡± Steffan broke into a smile as he admired thedy in front of him. He lifted his index finger to the corner of his mouth and asked in a somewhat dissatisfied manner.

    The woman blushed a little. She corrected herself and said, ¡°Steffan, there are some aspects in this batch of drawings that don¡¯t make sense. It needs improvement.¡±

    Steffan smiled and pointed to the couch across from him and said, ¡°Lexantra, please have a seat. Make yourselffortable.¡±

    Lexantra was a little stunned.

    This was the new name that she had given herself. She felt a little strange. She was still unustomed to it, especially when she heard it from other people¡¯s mouths.

    She stood there, a little confused. It seemed that she was not used to his manner of interaction. She said, ¡°Steffan, I think it¡¯s best I stand up. I have been sitting all day.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± he asked as he looked at her. His voice was very soft. ¡°Dory, you don¡¯t want to be too close to me, do you?¡±

    His tone was somewhat helpless. He looked at her with his deep and bright eyes. It was as if he was trying to read her thoughts.

    A year had passed.

    It had been a year since he brought her back to Srirano. From being indifferent to her at the start to then admiring and appreciating her.She constantly surprised him.

    However, until then, she seemed to be keeping her distance and not allowing him to see through her.

    The more she behaved like this, the more interested he became, just as how he was interested to know her past.

    A woman who was too straightforward would not be liked by men too much.

    He roughly could tell thatLexantra was not that young.When she had been saved, she was also pregnant.

    However, her voice was pure and innocent. She still looked like a girl who waswaiting in the boudoir for a marriage proposal.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    It was just that she was a little more mature and romantic. She was also quite charming but she was a mystery. She seemed to be a mass of mist. When touched, the nothingness would disperse, which annoyed people.

    There was no doubt that this woman was Jenna, who fell off the cliff one year ago.

    When Jenna fell into the water from such a high cliff, she felt a roar in her head. She could see nothing but white light. Then, she lost consciousness.

    When she woke up, she found herself lying on the hospital bed and when she looked up, she saw the man in front of her.

    She lost her memory and forgot everything about the past, including her own name.

    For the past year, there was basically nothing in her mind. The only thing she could remember was designing cars.

    Although Jenna had lost her memory, her talent for car design kept on improving every day. It even reached unprecedented heights.

    Jenna felt a little helpless when she heard how disappointed Steffan was. She had no choice but to take a seat at the opposite end of the couch, still feeling a little uneasy.

    Steffan was her superior and she was just a designer in Yintern Group. She knew her ce.

    ¡°Steffan, most of these drawings are not bad, but some of them are just boring¡­¡± Jenna went to speak but was cut off by Steffan.

    ¡°Dory, let¡¯s not talk about work today. Let¡¯s think about what we¡¯re going to eat tonight.¡±

    Steffan had lived in Europe and America for a long time. His thought process and habits were simr to those of the French.

    He did not like working long hours. Thepany had implemented a four-and-a-half days¡¯ work week. No one was allowed to work during the holidays and Saturdays. Thepany prioritized work life bnce. It was a sharp contrast with domesticpanies who had long working hours.

    The employees who worked in the Yintern Group livedfortable lives. Although there were not many economic benefits, they lived fulfilling lives.

 Chapter 748 Donâ€™t Turn Me Down

    Steffan was happy and easygoing. He was also very considerate. The slight crow¡¯s feetat the outer corner of hiseyesmade him look more mature and masculine.

    Jenna smiled helplessly. She was aconscientious and proactiveworker.She was theplete opposite of Steffan.

    ¡°Steffan, I¡¯m not hungry yet,¡± she said softly as she lowered her head.

    Steffan would frequently take her out to eat all kinds of delicious food. As long as it was what she wanted to eat, he would not hesitate to take her to eat it. He would not take no for an answer. Over the past year, he had be her guardian.

    After a long period of time, she developed some sort of dependence on him. However, deep down, she had an uneasy feeling. She was unable to get over it.

    Steffan once told her that he had found her by the river.

    A year ago, he was in the depths of Sunshine Mountain in A City, searching for inspiration. He sat by the riverbank as he sketched an image of a car.

    Suddenly, a wave in the river swept over.

    A woman¡¯s body was unexpectedly washed ashore. He was surprised at that time.

    He walked over to check on the woman and realized that she was inhaling and exhaling shallow breaths.

    At that time, he knew he could not leave her. He immediately put away his drawing and gathered her in his arms.

    He called her ¡®Dory¡¯ because he found her in the water.

    ¡°I know that you are a conscientious employee, but you should know that I am not a tyrant. You don¡¯t have to work so hard. Our health is more important.¡± He stood up and smiled. ¡°Dory, let¡¯s go. It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go out for dinner. I¡¯m going to take you to a sushi restaurant.¡±

    Jenna was not able to dissuade him. She knew that she had to listen to him. Otherwise, he would not be happy. She smiled back at him and stood up.

    The snow was steadily falling from the sky. Srirano wasvast, but sparsely popted. Everything wascovered withyers of snow.

    She was dressed in a ck wool coat and looked noble and elegant.

    He stood under a big tree as he waited for her.

    Jennahad been afraid of the cold ever since shewas fished out of the water. She wore a thick down jacket over her light blue turtle-neck sweater. It was paired with a long skirt that dragged on the ground as she slowly made her way to Steffan.

    ¡°Come here.¡± Steffan reached out a hand to her when she approached him.

    A trace of embarrassment shed in Jenna¡¯s bright eyes. She did not reach out for a long time.

    Steffan smiled at her. He then reached out and grabbed her hand. He held her hand tightly.

    Her hand was cold. Even if he held her warm hand with his own warm ones, he would still not be able to warm her.

    He held her hand and led her away.

    ¡°Steffan, let go of me. I can walk on my own.¡± She struggled.

    He had been showing her affection recently. He would asionally flirt with her as well. This made her feel extremely uneasy.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t turn me down.¡± He held her hand even more tightly and whispered, ¡°You should know that this was not how I treated you when I first found you.¡±

    Jenna was a little stunned.

    When he rescued her, he did not have much patience and just regarded her as a bystander. He wanted to send her on her way. Later, she was able to convince him and she witnessed a change in his attitude.

    The snowkes were drifting in front of them. Jenna shivered in the cold. Steffan knew very well that she was afraid of the cold and wanted to hold her in her arms, but Jenna skillfully avoided him when she realized what he wanted to do.

    ¡°Steffan, don¡¯t be like this. I once had a child and my background is unknown. I don¡¯t want to ruin your reputation,¡± she said firmly, avoiding him.

    All Steffan told her was that she had been found in the river at the foot of Sunshine Mountain. In fact, at that time, she was pregnant. Even if she wasn¡¯t sure whether she was married before, the least she knew was that she had a romantic partner. This was the reason she did not want to get close to Steffan.

    The Yintern family was a renowned family in Capital City and Steffan was still single. There were many women who wanted to get close to him.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    She did not want to be the person to ruin his reputation.

    There was a little disappointment in Steffan¡¯s eyes. He forced a smile and said, ¡°Dory, you will not ruin my reputation. However, you just can¡¯t seem to open your heart to love. I¡¯ve told you before that I don¡¯t care about your past, I just want to be your future. From now on, you must not hurt me by refusing me, alright?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face stiffened when she heard his words.

    ¡°Steffan, do you know who I am? Do you have any idea where I was originally from? Because I have no clue. Although there is a certain distance between here and A City, the local customs are almost the same. We better pay attention to our words and behavior. Besides, I¡¯m not ustomed to being entangled with other men,¡± Jenna said in a serious tone.

    Steffan was stunned for a moment. He suddenly asked in a low voice, ¡°Dory, am I really just a stranger in your eyes?¡±

    Jenna bit her lips and lowered her head without saying anything.

    Steffan stared at her. A bitter smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth.

    ¡°I admit that you¡¯re the first woman that I¡¯ve ever wanted to get to know, but I won¡¯t force you. I will heed to your wishes.¡± After a while, he said with a serious sigh, ¡°I¡¯ve lived abroad for so many years and never cared about gossip. I¡¯ve only ever regarded following my heart as the most important thing.¡±

    He was telling the truth. This was something Jenna had to admit.

    He was a very good man.

    He was very assertive and had his own views. He was not one to keep himself up to date with thetest entertainment news. He knew nothing about celebrities unless the person was a football star. However, that did not mean he knew nothing. He was a very knowledgeable man. He was well-informed when it came to health, geography, and customs all over the world. He never paid attention to popr, paid news or rumors. It was a waste of time.

    ¡°Since you are afraid to appear in public, then we¡¯ll head back home to have dinner. I¡¯ll cook for you,¡± Steffan said when he saw Jenna¡¯s increasingly embarrassing disposition. He immediately drove back to the Yintern family vi.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Jenna stood at the door and hesitated. It was already dark. ¡°Steffan, I think it¡¯s better if I go back to the dorm and have dinner in the dining hall.¡±

    She lowered her head and felt embarrassed. Her voice was low. Her face was still pale.

    She did not have the courage to stay in a man¡¯s home alone.

    Srirano was a small ind country. Thepeople here were simple and honest.She really did not want to ruin his reputation.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s cold. There¡¯s no heater at your ce. Come on in,¡± Steffan said in amanding tone. Then, he ced a pair of slippers for her to change into in front of her.

    From the time she was discharged from the hospital and brought to Srirano, she insisted on working and making money to support herself.

    Ever since she started working at the Yintern¡¯s Group, she had been reluctant to move into his vi. She had to ask thepany to arrange a ce for her to stay.

    Steffan was helpless. He had no choice but to ask his subordinate to arrange for her to stay at the dormitory. However, the conditions were far worse.

    He had thought it would not take long for her to request to move into his vi.

    However, that day did note.

    There were a few times where he tried to convince her to move in with him because he was worried about her health. However, she seemed reluctant. She would refuse him and looked up at him with her watery eyes. Her eyes were full of begging.

    When he looked into her almond-shaped eyes, he could see pain in her bright eyes. Then, he would give up trying to ask her to move in.

    However, that day was a very cold day. This was the coldest winter in history. That day¡¯s temperature was the lowest and there wasn¡¯t a heater in the dormitory. He refused to allow her to live in the cold dormitory.

    Jenna realised that Steffan was getting more and more unhappy. She was afraid of hurting him even more.

    In the end, she decided to put on the slippers and enter the vi.

 Chapter 749 Heâ€™s Making Dinner

    The Yintern family vi was huge. It was a three-storey mansion which had its own entrance and courtyard. The interior decorations were luxurious and the ce was equipped with central heating.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna entered the house and took a seat on the couch. Steffan brought her a ss of warm milk and said, ¡°Women must know how to maintain their health. Otherwise, they will age faster.¡±

    He then opened the refrigerator and took out the ingredients that were needed to make dinner.

    The kitchen was very big and exquisite.

    After Steffan gathered all the ingredients, he then began chopping the vegetables to make soup.

    Jenna walked over and leaned against the kitchen door. She was surprised at his cooking abilities.

    ¡°Steffan, did you often cook when you were abroad?¡±

    ¡°Not really, but I¡¯d asionally cook. I don¡¯t really like French cuisine,¡± Steffan exined as he shifted his focus to cleaning the ham and chicken.

    Jenna sighed inwardly as she watched Steffan getting himself busy in the kitchen.

    She stood by the kitchen door in a daze and watched as Steffan made his way to the patio. After a while, he came back with a bunch of vegetables in his hands.

    ¡°And you even nt your own vegetables?¡± Jenna could not help but to cry out in surprise.

    Steffan smiled and said, ¡°You did not expect that, did you? In fact, I am a man with many talents. It¡¯s up to you to decide whether you want to learn these things about me.¡±

    Jenna blushed when she heard his words.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to get smoky in here. I think you should wait in the living room. I¡¯ll be done soon,¡± he said considerately as he urged her to leave the kitchen.

    Jenna wanted to help him but he did not allow her to do so.

    ¡°Today has been one of the coldest days in history. No offence, but you¡¯re quite frail. Why don¡¯t you take a rest in the living room? There¡¯s not much heat in the kitchen,¡± Steffan continued to persuade her.

    Jenna was helpless. She had no choice but to go out.

    The light in the living room was warm and yellow.

    In the middle of the room was an easel. It was filled with car design sketches.

    Jenna approached the easel and flipped through it with a slight smile on her face.

    Steffan¡¯s car designs were very artistic. It was definitely not the preference of themon popce. If it were to be sold on the market, then not many people would¡¯ve bought it.

    Steffan was a little too stubborn. This was the impression he gave her after getting to know him in the past year. This could be seen as one of his ws.

    He was not willing to listen to other people¡¯s opinions. However, she still managed to find a way to get him to ept her car designs that were on disy at the World Trade Center.

    Jenna sat in the living room and turned on the TV out of boredom.

    Srirano¡¯test local news was being aired on TV at that moment.

    It was reported that the government had sold a piece ofnd to the business mogul, Mr. Hansen Richards, and it seemed like he would being to Srirano in person to break ground on the construction of a new factory.

    It was also reported that Hansen would turn Srirano into the region¡¯s top business hub. He was going to set up an automobile and a pharmaceutical factory. He would then invite several other countries into joining this business hub.

    Soon, Steffan emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of soup in his hands.

    ¡°If Hansen was able to transform this region into one of the top business hubs in the world, then it would be very profitable to all the countries in this region. At that time, it will create an estimated six million jobs. These are all the things the government is very happy to see,¡± Steffan said as he watched the evening news. He sounded a little emotional.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Jenna stood up and took the bowl of soup from his hands.

    Soon, dinner was ready.

    Due to the cold weather, Steffan decided to make them each a barbecue. On each of their barbecue grills, there were all kinds ofingredients, such as thinly sliced meat and vegetables. The aroma was fragrant.

    It was steaming hot. Jenna was very hungry and devoured all the food on her grill.

    ¡°Do you like it? If you like it, then I¡¯ll cook it again for you next time.¡± Steffan looked at her as she wolfed down her food. He was surprised by her appetite.

    They had been on this small ind country for several months then. After he rescued her and sent her to the best hospital in Capital City, only did he find out that she was pregnant.

    She spent a few days unconscious in the hospital. When she woke up, she looked dull and haggard. While she was asleep, she would asionally call out for her son.

    Steffan usually would not care about these kinds of women.

    He just wanted to make sure that she was alright since he was the one who rescued her from the river.

    Miraculously,ter on, the doctor¡¯s words left him speechless. The doctor said that because of the violent trauma to her head and how it triggered her mind, she had lost her memory!

    The doctor also told him that the chances of her being able to regain her memory was high if she went abroad for treatment immediately.

    At that time, his father, Genaro, was urging him to take over the family business. That meant that he needed to fly over to Srirano as soon as he could. However, he could not tell his family that he had saved Jenna.

    The situation was very urgent. After thinking about it, he decided to send her to a well-known hospital in Europe for treatment while he made his way to Srirano.

    Three monthster, he became the president of Yintern Group and had familiarized himself with thepany¡¯s operations. Everything was on the right track. He went to Europe for a business trip. He suddenly thought of her and decided to head over to the hospital to visit her.

    He could never forget what he saw that day.

    She was wearing a white hospital gown. Her beautiful hair was hanging over her shoulders, only revealing half of her face.

    She was leaning against the window of the ward with a pencil in her hand. She was very focused as she sketched.

    He walked up to her. She still did not notice his presence after a long time.

    At that moment, he was very excited and overjoyed because of this discovery.

    As she sketched, the vivid model of a car suddenly appeared on the paper. This immediately made his eyes light up.

    He really did not expect that he had saved such a talented artist. An artist with a unique talent in car design.

    At that time, he immediately made the decision to hire her as thepany¡¯s car designer.

    Steffan was in a daze as he reminisced about the past. An imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

    ¡°Thank you. However, it¡¯s only right that I cook for you next time. I should thank you for saving my life,¡± Jenna said sincerely.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be waiting for you then.¡± He did not pause to think and immediately agreed when he heard her words.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment. She should have held her tongue.

    She did not want to get too close to him.

    ¡°There are many guest rooms upstairs. You can pick one room and spend the night. I¡¯ll sleep downstairs,¡± Steffan offered quickly after dinner in order to dispel her concerns.

    After saying this, he went out.

    Jenna did not know where he had gone. When she saw the table looking very messy, she began to tidy it up.

    By the time Steffan came back, the table was already clean and spotless.

    He entered the dining room with a bag of items.

    ¡°There are toothpaste, toothbrush, and daily necessities in this bag. I¡¯m the only one who lives here, so I don¡¯t have an extra change of clothes for you,¡± he said as handed the bag to Jenna. ¡°You¡¯ll have to make do with these for now. If you need anything else, then I¡¯ll take you to the city to buy it tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna epted the bag and smiled. ¡°This is good enough.¡±

    Steffan looked at her with his head tilted to one side.

    Jenna felt ufortable all over after being stared at by him.

    ¡°What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?¡± she asked in confusion.

    Steffan shook his head as he smirked at her. ¡°I am wondering what kind of family you are from. Judging by your words and deeds, as well as your artistic ability, I¡¯m sure you are definitely not from an ordinary family. However, you are very frugal and you¡¯re able to adapt to all kinds of environments. This does not make you look like you are from a rich family.¡±

 Chapter 750 Final Apprentice

    Jenna suddenly smiled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what kind of family we are from. What¡¯s more important is a person¡¯s character. How noble and lowly we are is decided by our own cultivation. It has nothing to do with our family¡¯s background.¡±

    Steffan blinked slightly. The smile on the corners of his mouth was more intriguing.

    ¡°Of course, Dory. I¡¯m not surprised that you think that way. I¡¯m just curious.¡± Steffan smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯ste. You should go to bed early. There¡¯s an important meeting tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna lightly smiled as she nodded her head. She picked up the bag and made her way into the room.

    ¡°If you need anything, let me know. I¡¯ll be downstairs,¡± he said as he watched Jenna entering the room, with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Jenna quickly closed the door and leaned against the back of the door. She actually felt that her heart was racing and her palms were a little sweaty.

    The bedroom wasfortable and tidy. It was also warm and bright.

    After Jenna washed herself up, she felt the exhaustion creeping up on her as she crawled into bed.

    Shey on the warm bed and stared at the ceiling. She was tired but she could not sleep.

    ¡°Who am I? Where am I from?¡±

    Why was her mindpletely nk? Why didn¡¯t she have a single memory in her head?

    It was as if a part of her memory had been cut off. Her mind was nk and confused. Fortunately, her artistic talents were still intact in her mind.

    All of a sudden, she understood that her artistic abilities were no ordinary skill. In fact, she was born with it. Therefore, it was impossible for her to forget it.

    After tossing and turning for a while, she made a decision.

    Now that Steffan had just assumed the position of president of the Yintern Group, it meant that things were going to get busy for a while. Once the busy period ended, she was going to start her own journey of searching for her past.

    ¡°I can¡¯t continue living this way. If I don¡¯t find out about my past, then I will not be able to open myself up to the future. I am responsible for my life.¡±

    It was seven o¡¯clock in the morning.

    She quietly got up and went downstairs.

    The light in the living room was still on. She saw a figure lying on the couch downstairs. Steffan had spent the night on the couch. His sleeping posture was very elegant.

    It seemed that he was sleeping soundly.

    There was also a pot of fragrant tea on the coffee table in front of the couch. It was obvious that he had stayed upte to sketch the night before.

    Jenna was deeply moved by Steffan¡¯s obsession with car design.

    She quietly left the house.

    At eight o¡¯clock every morning, she would go to Mr. Tangger¡¯s ce to learn car design.

    Ever since Jenna came to Srirano, the one thing that she was most happy about was meeting Zevulon Tangger, an experienced car designer.

    If Jenna¡¯s car designs were amazing, then Zevulon¡¯s car designs were out of this world. He was one of the best car designers in the world!

    Jenna never dreamed that she would be able to meet one of the masters in car design.

    Zevulon was fromTambend.He lived in Srirano all year round.

    Jenna met him through Steffan.

    Prior to this, Steffan was Zevulon¡¯s only apprentice. However, ever since Zevulon met Jenna, he soon epted her as his second and final apprentice.

    Zevulon was a huge factor in why Jenna was willing to continue working and staying in Srirano.

    She wanted to learn car design and bring her car designs to a whole new level. Zevulon was the only person who could develop her talents.

    Zevulon¡¯s home was not too far away from where Steffan stayed. It was about half a kilometre away.

    It was just a short walk away.

    Jenna arrived at his house at exactly eight o¡¯clock.

    This was a very exquisite vi. Unfortunately, Zevulon made it seem like a junkyard of cars.

    The porch of the vi was filled with a lot of cars. It ranged from new cars, there were antique cars to collector¡¯s editions¡­

    He had collected almost all of the most distinctive cars in the world. He had cars from the olden days till the present days. He also had one of the cars Jenna had designed in his collection.

    Jenna was proud of that aplishment.

    She was proud that her mentor actually recognised her work.

    All of the cars were gathered together and covered with some ugly canvas. It was not parked properly. It was so messy that it was hard to look at.

    It was absolutely appropriate to describe Zevulon¡¯s vi as messy and dirty!

    Jenna pushed open the small door to the courtyard in front of the mansion. She could not even find a decent walkway.

    She had no choice but to walk through the gaps between each car.

    When she entered the room, she felt helpless.

    The living room, which she had just cleaned up for him the day before, was then filled with the pungent smell of gasoline.

    The floor of the living room was scattered with all kinds of carponents that had been removed by him. There was no standing room at all. There were even prints of gasoline and oil on the white walls.

    Jenna shook her head in dismay.

    She bent down and started tidying up the ce.

    It was not until she finished picking up the spare parts and the floor was cleaned that the living room looked a little pleasing to the eye.

    She then heard a snoreing from the bedroom that was connected to the living room.

    The door was ajar.

    Jenna walked over quietly and wanted to help him close the door, but frowned when she caught the whiff of alcohol.

    On the desk in the bedroom.

    The previous day, she had given him a bottle of wine and arge packet of beef jerky. There was not even a piece left.

    There were clothes scattered all around the bedroom floor.

    Jenna dismissed the idea of closing the door. That was because the air in the bedroom was worse than that in the living room.

    She passed through the living room and headed to the second floor.

    The design studio was located on the second floor.

    Zevulon did not know how to useputers. So, all of the car designs were hand-drawn by him.

    His drawings were of high quality.

    Jenna had her homework to bepleted every day. Zevulon led a carefree life. He did not bother about trifles and was arrogant. However, he was a person who had high demands when it came to art.

    Even a talented person like Jenna would often be reprimanded by him. It was needless to say when it came to Steffan. He would often be lectured by Zevulon until he nked out.

    Jenna sat down in front of the canvas and began sketching.

    Zevulon had asked her to start from the basics. This obviously showed that he had underestimated her artistic abilities. However, Jenna would notin. She would always follow her master¡¯s instructions silently.

    In this way, after a period of time, Jenna actually felt that she was on a whole new level when it came to car design.

    ¡°Dory, why did youe alone? Have you eaten breakfast?¡± She did not know when Steffan arrived. He held a cup of warm milk in one hand and a breakfast chicken burger in the other.

    Jenna raised her head and caught a whiff of the burger. Only then did she suddenly feel hungry.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I saw that you were sleeping soundly, so I didn¡¯t wake you up,¡± she answered with a slight smile as she began sketching.

 Chapter 751 You Are Not Allowed To Mistreat Dory

    ¡°Here, have something to eat. Don¡¯t starve yourself.¡± Steffan handed the breakfast to her in a doting manner.

    Zevulon put on his slippers and slowly made his way to the design room. His stomach growled when he smelled the aroma of cheese and said, ¡°Young man, why didn¡¯t you bring me breakfast? It seems like you prioritize Dory over me.¡±

    Zevulon could see Steffan¡¯s intentions. He had been keeping a close eye on his every move.

    Since he epted Jenna as his apprentice, Steffan, whcked perseverance in his work, would stay back and apany Jenna in the design room. He was attracted to Jenna¡¯s artistic abilities and began to be more open-minded. He was addicted to the beauty and abstraction in art. He began to understand the market demands and became less self-centered in his designs.

    Presumably, everything in the world mutually reinforced and bnced out each other.

    Zevulon sighed inwardly. In the past, no matter how much he lectured Steffan, he just would not change his way of thinking. It wasn¡¯t until Jenna came along that he was willing to change. Everything was different then.

    Jenna blushed when she heard Zevulon¡¯s usation.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, Steffan brought this for you,¡± she said as she handed the breakfast to Zevulon.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s more like it.¡± Zevulon did not stand on ceremony. He epted the breakfast and started eating.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, you haven¡¯t brushed your teeth, have you?¡± Steffan reminded him. Zevulon had drunk until he was drunk the previous night and ording to his past experiences, he knew that Zevulon would not wake up until noon. He did not expect him to wake up so early. Therefore, he could only watch as Zevulon devoured the breakfast that he had brought for Jenna.

    Zevulon understood what he meant. He snorted with disdain. He was not in the mood to answer him.

    Steffan was worried about Jenna¡¯s health. She usually liked to skip breakfast and it was not a good thing.

    When he did not see her that morning after he woke up, he instantly knew that she hade here.

    She would alwayse by here early in the morning to help Zevulon clean up his house. Ever since Jenna started doing that, his house looked more liveable. It used to be extremely messy.

    ¡°Dory, let¡¯s go out and get breakfast.¡± Steffan immediately took her by the arm when he saw that she was still immersed in her drawing. He wanted to take her out for breakfast.

    ¡°Steffan, I don¡¯t want to.¡± Jenna looked up and saw Zevulon¡¯s using look. She blushed intensely and immediately broke away from Steffan¡¯s hold. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading into the office at nine o¡¯clock. I will eat then.¡±

    ¡°Dory, the first thing we should do when we wake up is to have breakfast. Only then would it be beneficial to our body. It¡¯s not good to eat breakfast after nine o¡¯clock. You¡¯re very weak, this won¡¯t do. Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you to eat breakfast,¡± Steffan said, dissatisfied. He refused to give in.

    Zevulon was delighted to see the nervous look on Steffan¡¯s face. He propped up a chair next to him and sat down to watch the scene unfold.

    ¡°Since you have the time to quarrel, why don¡¯t you head out and order take out instead?¡± Zevulon suggested.

    Upon hearing this, Steffan smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, Mr. Tangger. I¡¯ll leave now.¡± After that, he turned around and left. After a few steps, he turned around again and warned him. ¡°Oh, and Mr. Tangger? You are not allowed to mistreat Dory while I¡¯m gone. Otherwise, I will not be bringing you any wine tomorrow.¡±

    Zevulon pursed his lips and said, ¡°All right. Now you know how to care for a woman. What were you doing earlier?¡±

    He had been enlightened. Otherwise, he would not have lived such a lonely life for so many years.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, your standards are too high. Dory¡¯s car design is amazing. She¡¯s even helped you do a lot of housework. She still has to be wined and dined by you every day. Please, do not ask her to do anything else for you.¡± Steffan was worried. At that time every day, Zevulon would give her a list of tasks toplete. He would assign her all sorts of strange tasks. This made Jenna very busy every day. Steffan was very serious about this matter.

    Zevulon sneered and said, ¡°Come on, Steffan. Didn¡¯t I ask you to wash my underwear when I first epted you as my apprentice? Stop being a sissy. If you are worried about her, then I think it¡¯s best you make a quick run to get her breakfast.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I said you¡¯re not allowed to mistreat her.¡± Steffan warned him before leaving in a hurry.

    ¡°Dory, it seems like Steffan cares about you a lot,¡± Zevulon said as he watched Steffan walk away in a hurry. He said with a yful smile, ¡°I have never seen him so concerned about a woman before.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face was flushed. She looked embarrassed.

    ¡°Dory, this guy has been following me for more than ten years. He does not care about what happens in the outside world. There are only two things he cares about. One is football and the other one is car design. I initially thought that he would never fall in love with a woman in his life. I did not expect that he would change after he met you.¡± Zevulon was feeling a little emotional.

    Jenna lowered her head. Half of her face was covered by her hair, hiding her expression.

    She did not say anything.

    For the past six months, Steffan¡¯s attitude towards her had been changing. He was more affectionate towards her and she was at a loss at what to do.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    She could not find any reason to reject him.

    Nheless, she knew that she could not take it for granted.

    Her identity was unknown to her. The history of her past wasplicated and confusing.

    She was an adult, and love was not a trifling matter.

    ¡°Dory, you are very talented in car design. As for Steffan, although his car design is not as good as yours, he is still the descendant of a well-known family. Besides, he is dedicated. If you don¡¯t hate him, then you can try to ept him. In life, there are some things you should cherish. Fate is in your own hands.¡± Zevulon was a little upset. He had been drifting alone for half of his life and only had Steffan as his apprentice. Steffan was already 38 years old and was still single. This made him feel very bad. He did not want Steffan to end up as lonely as he was.

    Besides, Steffan was unlike him, who had many shorings. He was regarded as an outstanding and faithful man. It was really rare to see such a man in modern society. Although Jenna was equally outstanding, in Zevulon¡¯s eyes, Steffan was a guy worth marrying.

    Zevulon and Steffan had been staying abroad for a long time. This was a miracle. Both of them were people who did not care about what was going on in the outside world. Logically speaking, Jenna was a famous car designer. Zevulon even had one of her car designs in his collection but he did not know who she was. He hadn¡¯t even heard of her name before. It was impossible for him to know that Dory was Jenna.

    Steffan was the same as well.

    Zevulon was not a person who liked to watch the news. He preferred to live in his own world. Although his car collection was massive, he did not know anything about the designers of every car. He felt that there was no need for him to know about this. It was a waste of time and energy.

    The smile on Jenna¡¯s face froze when she heard Zevulon¡¯s words.

    She knew Zevulon was doing this for her own good.

    She was not young anymore. For a woman,there was no doubt that she would be in safe hands if she married Steffan.

 Chapter 752 Offering Guidance

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, thanks for reminding me. I understand.¡± Jenna looked up with a smile and continued sketching.

    Zevulon scratched his head and tapped his head. ¡°Dory, I heard that the government had sold a piece ofnd to some business mogul. He intends to build an automobile parts factory here in Srirano. I heard they are about to break ground soon. Based on your level of expertise in automotive design, I think you should consider working for thatpany. What is thepany¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°s, I¡¯m getting old and I¡¯m getting forgetful. I remember reading it in the newspapers but I seem to have forgotten the name. However, I know that the cars produced by thatpany are very famous. The cars are very expensive and sold all around the world. With your talent, it would be positive in your personaldevelopmentif you moved into thatpany. Steffan is an artist, he¡¯s not suitable to be a businessman. With that being said, there¡¯s not much room for personal development in thispany. Even if you are doing your best to help him, it will be a little difficult for him to take the conventional route. Do you understand?¡±

    Jenna stopped sketching. She suddenly thought back to what she had watched on the news the day before. She looked up and smiled. ¡°Mr. Tangger, are you talking about Hansen Richards of the Richards Group?¡±

    ¡°Probably. I can¡¯t remember what the guy¡¯s name was. It doesn¡¯t matter who it is, as long as you know it. I¡¯m just giving you some advice for your future development. I¡¯m sure you will make a mark in the automotive design industry. I also hope that you can make a career out of it and be one of the world¡¯s best car designers,¡± Zevulon said, waving his hand. He never remembered the names of these famous people. To him, it was pointless. He only valued the results.

    Jenna was stunned for a moment and smiled slightly. ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Tangger. I know what to do.¡±

    While they were talking, Steffan entered the room with bags of food.

    Zevulon looked at the bags in his hand andughed as he teased him. ¡°You¡¯re so considerate. Did you get some for me?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, did you mistreat Dory while I was gone?¡± he asked worriedly.

    ¡°Steffan, Mr. Tangger adores me. How could he possibly mistreat me?¡± Jenna immediately corrected him when she saw how much he cared for her.

    Speaking of which, his intentions were very clear.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Steffan smiled and said, ¡°Dory, Mr. Tangger is known for bullying his apprentices. I don¡¯t trust him.¡±

    He did not care whether Zevulon was embarrassed or not. He just said it out loud.

    In the past few years, Steffan had been put through the wringer by Mr. Tangger. In his own eyes, Mr. Tangger was someone who needed to be taught a lesson!

    Zevulon had not been able to change anything about Steffan at all.

    ¡°Dory, hurry up and eat your breakfast. We need to go to the office early today. There¡¯s an important meeting to be held.¡± Steffan took out the breakfast and urged her.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna could no longer focus on sketching. She could only stand up and eat her breakfast.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, Dory is the best apprentice you have. You should cherish her and teach her. Otherwise, I will not allow her toe here again,¡± Steffan said in a serious tone. ¡°You are very experienced in automotive design. I introduced her to you because I want her to improve her skills, but I haven¡¯t seen you teach her anything special thus far.¡±

    Steffan wasplimenting yet threatening him. Zevulon was a little irritated. He said with a straight face, ¡°Steffan, what are you talking about? Dory is far more talented than you in automotive design. I would rather disown you as my apprentice than Dory. What do you know about automotive design? The skill is not developed overnight. I am slowly helping her to cultivate her talent. If you continue to talk nonsense like this, then I¡¯ll rip your skin off.¡±

    The three of them chatted andughed. Soon, Jenna finished her breakfast.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Yintern, Miss Lexantra.¡± Steffan¡¯s secretary, Corrine, quickly stood up and greeted them enthusiastically and respectfully when she saw them walk through the door.

    Steffan nodded and smiled amiably, acknowledging her.

    Everyone in thepany knew that Steffan liked Dory. She was his confidante.

    Therefore, none of them dared to look down on Dory.

    As for Dory¡¯s background, no one knew and no one dared to inquire about her.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern, Richards Group has set up a branch inColombo¡¯s prime business district. It seems that soon, there will be huge development here in Srirano,¡± Zeruiah immediately reported as soon as they arrived in the president¡¯s office.

    ¡°Which means that the Richards Group will be our neighbour,¡± Steffan said as a smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Yintern. We are only one street away from the Richards Group¡¯s office.¡± Zeruiah nodded immediately.

    He sat down solemnly on the soft chair in front of his desk, his five fingers rubbing each other, looking calm.

    ¡°It¡¯s also a domestic enterprise. The Richards Group is nning to build a carponents factory and a pharmaceutical factory. It has nothing to do with us, so we don¡¯t have to worry about it. Now, I want to know what¡¯s the progress on the list of orders we obtained from the World Trade Center?¡± He immediately changed the subject and asked.

    With a confident smile, Zeruiah said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Yintern. It¡¯s been two months since the production started. We¡¯ll be able to deliver the goods soon.¡±

    ¡°Very good.¡± Steffan smiled. His eyes were vivid as he said, ¡°Well, I have another car design here and that is going to be put into production. I¡¯ll organize arge auto show to promote thepany¡¯s cars in about a month or so. Thepany¡¯s output will be doubled this year.¡±

    As he said this, he picked up a folder on the desk and handed it to Zeruiah.

    ¡°Alright, Mr. Yintern.¡± Zeruiah immediately epted the folder and went out excitedly.

    ¡°Steffan, in this case, thepany needs new talent,¡± Jenna said. She was standing in front of the bookshelf as she flipped through a magazine.

    Steffan raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a huge smile on his face. He was in high spirits.

    ¡°I know that. But I just became the president of thepany, so I have to prove my worth. Otherwise, what¡¯s the difference between me and my Dad?¡± he said with great confidence. He was much more confident than Genaro.

    Jenna smiled.

    Of course, she had reason to believe that the Yintern Group, which had a fairly good reputation in Srirano, could expand further. After all, there was not muchpetition here. With Steffan¡¯s leadership, it was not difficult to imagine the development of thepany.

    ¡°That is to say, the main agenda of today¡¯s meeting is to discuss the details of the auto show that will be held next month,¡± Jenna said, following his train of thought.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You are very smart. You¡¯ve never failed toput me in my ce.¡± He smiled and praised her without hesitation.

    Jenna smiled.

    ¡°Dory, do you know who Melvin Adames is?¡± he suddenly asked her out of curiosity.

    Melvin Adames? Jenna was stunned. She looked up and shook her head after thinking for a while.

 Chapter 753 Donâ€™t Waste Your Energy On Me

    ¡°Oh, right. You have lost your memory. It¡¯s natural that you don¡¯t know him.¡± Steffan said, shaking his head. ¡°Melvin Adames is a well-known automotive designer who specializes in designing the interior of a car. He is being headhunted by all of the top automobilepanies. This person is powerful but he is very hard to please. Nevertheless, we should try our best to win him over.¡±

    He had not cared about this sort of news until he became the president of the Yintern Group. Moreover, he heard that Melvin would being to Srirano soon. That was what excited him.

    Jenna was slightly absent-minded. She knew that car design had many design elements. She was only good at designing the exterior of the car. The interior design of a car was much moreplicated and difficult. It was out of her league.

    Jenna admitted that interior car design was beyond her level of expertise. Even Zevulon, who was dismantling and assembling various car parts every day, was still developing those skills. However, up until then, he was still unable to master it.

    Automotive design itself was purely technical. To put it simply, whether a car¡¯s quality was good or not had a lot to do with the car¡¯s design. However, a car that was not in line with the current trend, whether the design was attractive or not, was all down to the designer.

    The Yintern Group was looking to make a paradigm shift in terms of car quality. Of course, they also needed to hire another car designer.

    The corners of Steffan¡¯s lips curled up when he saw that Jenna was in a daze. He then said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, although this person is famous for being difficult to work with, it doesn¡¯t mean that there is no way out. He will be flying over next week. By then, I¡¯m sure we will have found a way to hire him. This time, our auto show will disy arge number of cars designed by world-renowned designers. It¡¯ll give ourpany¡¯s cars a huge leap forward.¡±

    Steffan spoke confidently. Jenna smiled. She was very happy for him.

    The two of them talked andughed as they walked towards the conference room.

    In the spacious president¡¯s office in Capital City.

    Hansen stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows as he surveyed the numerous buildings at his feet. His expression was stiff and cold.

    All he could see was shes of lights and could hear the noise below. Although he could vaguely make out the structure of the buildings, they were a little blurry.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, this is the next month¡¯s budget sent by various departments. Please sign it.¡± Alvin came in from outside with a stack of reports in his hand.

    Hansen pursed his thin lips and turned around.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, let me help you,¡± Alvin said thoughtfully,immediately stepping forward.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I can walk on my own.¡± Hansen quickly refused. He had just gone through two months of therapy. He was very fortunate to have just made it within the treatment window. He had managed to keep his eyes, but the recovery process was very slow.

    He could see big objects, but he had to rely on Alvin to see some small things.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, do you still want me to read these reports to you?¡± Alvin was not sure whether he needed to read Hansen, so he asked just in case.

    Hansen still had to wear a pair of sses. His eyes seemed to be blinded by heavy curtains, though there was some blurry light that seeped in.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m going to sign it now.¡± He stretched out his hand and Alvin immediately handed the report to him.

    Hansen¡¯s fingers searched the paper for a while before he found the signature line. He picked up the pen with his right hand and quickly signed his name.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, with regards to next week¡¯s trip to Srirano, do we need to send someone else to go on your behalf?¡±Alvin suggested sinceHansen¡¯s eyes had yet to recoverfullyand that the project in Srirano was only in the early stages of construction, there was no need for him to go personally.

    ¡°No, I have to personally go there.¡± Hansen waved his hand and answered with certainty. ¡°Melvin Adames will be heading over to Srirano next week. We have to do our best to hire him.¡±

    His face was expressionless and serious.

    Melvin was a very powerful man. He was also very hard to please. If he did not personally fly over there to talk to him, he might not necessarily be able to hire him.

    Moreover, this project was huge. It was very important to the country¡¯s reputation. Therefore, the higher ups were very concerned about this project. He definitely could not allow any unfavorable situations to happen.

    When Alvin heard Hansen¡¯s answer, he knew that there was no way he could change his mind. So, he immediately stopped talking.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± Hansen caught a whiff of the faint fragrance. It was apanied by a sweet feminine voice as it drifted towards Hansen.

    Alvin immediately excused himself.

    ¡°Jaqueline, what are you doing here?¡± The facial muscles on Hansen¡¯s initially expressionless face stiffened when he heard Jaqueline¡¯s voice. Even his voice was a few degrees colder.

    Jaqueline did not mind his hostility. He had been like this since Jenna left.

    She understood him.

    The pain of losing the love of his life was indescribable.

    It was perfectly normal for Hansen to feel so ufortable. It was understandable.

    It was also because of this that Jaqueline learnt that Hansen was very devoted to love. In real life, it was simply too rare to find such a powerful man to be so devoted to his wife!

    Therefore, Jaqueline treated Hansen with utmost patience. She patiently waited for him to emerge from the pain of losing Jenna. She was going to waitpatientlyfor him until he decided to start over a new life.

    After all, he was still young. She firmly believed that itwas impossible for a sessful man to live such a lonely life.

    Apart from Jenna, she was the most suitable candidate for Hansen. On one hand, she looked a little like Jenna, and on the other hand, her aplishments and background were a match for Hansen. She firmly believed that she would be able to give happiness to Hansen.

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯ve specially asked someone to bring back some medicine from the USA for your eyes. This type of medicine has good effects on your eyes and is hard toe by,¡± Jaqueline said with great enthusiasm. As she spoke, she took out two pale green ointments from her handbag.

    Hansen¡¯s brows were tightly knitted together. The expression on his face was cold.

    ¡°Jaqueline, my eyes have been treated. I don¡¯t need any medicine. Take them back.¡± He immediately refused.

    ¡°Hansen, this medicine ispletely different from the medicine that you¡¯re using. It will only aid your eyes. It will not affect the medicine that you¡¯re currently using. You must try it no matter what.¡± Jaqueline was very patient and spoke earnestly.

    Hansen looked very impatient.

    ¡°Jaqueline, you should focus on your work rather than waste your energy on me.¡± He tried his best to persuade Jaqueline. She had been visiting him quite oftentely. This exhausted and annoyed him.

    He was truly not interested in Jacqueline. She was Jenna¡¯s cousin and the daughter of the Moore family in Capital City. She was a noblewoman and could not bepared with an ordinary woman.

    But he did not have any feelings for her.

    Right then, he was a little scared and resistant to women who intended to get close to him. That included Jaqueline.

    Therefore, he was almost indifferent to Jaqueline.

    However, he was still unable tobreak her determination.

    He did not believe that she did not understand what he meant. However, she was very persistent and it gave him a headache.

 Chapter 754 My Jenna Isnâ€™t Dead

    ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m only a secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I¡¯m not very busy. I¡¯m just worried about you. All you do is work and neglect to seek treatment for your eyes. You don¡¯t even cherish yourself!¡± Jaqueline¡¯s expression was mncholic. She said seriously, ¡°Hansen, stop suppressing your grief and learn to heal. Don¡¯t be too stubborn. You cannot turn back time. The fact is that Jenna is dead. You must learn to ept reality and start a new life. You can¡¯t torture yourself like this forever.¡±

    Jaqueline¡¯s eyes were filled with deep regret. There was also a sense of helplessness in her words and actions.

    When Hansen heard these words, he choked on his own breath. His face turned even more gloomy and terrifying. He immediately mmed his hand on the office table and bellowed angrily, ¡°That¡¯s enough Jaqueline! Don¡¯t ever challenge my bottom line again! Please stay away from my life. Let me tell you this, I firmly believe that my beloved Jenna isn¡¯t dead. She will forever be in my heart. No one can rece her.¡±

    Jaqueline was stunned. To be more precise, she was shocked by the rage that overcame Hansen.

    She looked at him in disbelief and felt wronged in her heart. She was just trying to persuade him to ept the truth. Why did he have to get so angry? After all, she was ady who was unmarried.

    The only thing was¡­

    Was Jenna still alive?

    It was impossible.

    How was it possible for apregnant woman to survive falling from such a high cliff?

    It seemed that Hansen was bing a little hysterical.

    She felt a little sad in her heart at the thought of this. It seemed that Jennawould alwaysholda specialce in his heart.This meant that she had lost to a dead person. This was sad.

    No matter, at that point, she did not want to turn back then.

    ¡°Hansen, wake up! Jenna is already dead. This is an indisputable fact. No matter what you feel, no matter how much you miss her, you muste to terms with this. You are only in your early thirties. It is impossible for you to live in the shadow of the past for the rest of your life.¡± She had always been a strong woman. She was not intimidated by Hansen at all. She just raised her head and argued confidently.

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Hansen was furious. He sneered as he said, ¡°Jenna is your cousin. Are you cursing her?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Jaqueline was forced to take a few steps back by Hansen¡¯s words. Her face was pale. ¡°Hansen, I¡¯m not cursing her. She is my family. I want nothing more than for her to be alive and happy with you. But the truth is, she¡¯s dead.¡±

    She was choked with sobs at the end of her sentence.

    In his eyes, she was the most vicious woman!

    Jenna was her cousin. She had only found out about it after a secret investigation in the past year.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s rejection of the Moore Family aroused her strong curiosity. As a result, she started her secret investigation. From the investigation, she found out that Sara was the illegitimate daughter whom vian had with Madam Lilian.

    vian, on the other hand, was her grand-uncle.

    That was to say, Sara was her aunt.

    She was surprised when she found out about this.

    It was also under these circumstances that she understood their past grudges and also cleared her doubts about Madam Lilian¡¯s actions.

    ¡°Hansen, Grandpa sent me to take care of you because of this. Jenna left us all of a sudden. He is very upset and does not want Jerry to grow up without a mother. So, he wanted me to rece her so that I can take care of you and Jerry. This is actually a form of trust andpensation for you. I think you can understand. After all, Jerry is also part of the Moore family. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be a cruel stepmother. I will treat Jerry very well,¡± Jaqueline exined straightforwardly.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    She knew that Hansen understood this in his heart. He was just unwilling to ept it.

    Indeed, when Hansen heard her words, his expression became even colder.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then should I also thank your grandfather?¡± His tone of contempt grew even stronger. ¡°If he really is so kind, then why has he been so indifferent to his own son and granddaughter for so many years? He won¡¯t even lend a hand when he sees Sara struggling. Now that his granddaughter is dead, he sent his great-granddaughter to take her ce. Does that even make any sense? He doesn¡¯t practise what he preaches. This is why I think lowly of him.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s words were cold and heartless. His tone was full of ridicule and contempt.

    Jaqueline¡¯s whole body froze in an instant. Tears gradually pooled in her eyes. She ced her hand on the desk to support herself. She initially wanted to persuade him toe out of the shadow of his past, but then she waspletely destroyed by his words.

    He even regarded her great-grandfather poorly.

    It was because of his love for Jenna that he looked down on Grandpa Johan. If this continued, then would he ever have a good impression of her?

    She felt inexplicably disappointed and sad.

    ¡°Hansen, I will not mention our family¡¯s past grudges. After all, it has nothing to do with us, but I just want to tell you that Jenna is already dead. Even if you insist on seeing her, there is no way you can bring her back to life. You¡¯d better consider Jerry¡¯s needs. By the way,our aunt is still waiting for you to go back to eat,¡± she said with tears in her eyes as she picked up her leather handbag, covered her mouth, and walked out quickly.

    Hansen¡¯s expression was as cold as ice. His gloominess was terrifying.

    He would not allow anyone to say that Jenna was already dead.

    He would not allow it!

    It was impossible that Jenna was dead. He had clearly heard her voice when he was standing outside the World Trade Center that day.

    ¡°Alvin,¡± Hansen growled in a low voice after Jaqueline left.

    Alvin, who was guarding outside, immediately walked in.

    ¡°Have you heard any news about my wife these days? Have you guys been seriously looking for her?¡± he asked in a serious tone.

    Alvin did not know whether tough or to cry.

    Ever since Hansen returned from B City that day, he not only volunteered to seek treatment for his eyes, he also gave them a task. The task was to search the entire world for Jenna.

    They had searched every city in the country for her during the past year. However, the world was so huge. How was it possible for them to find her?

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the Grand Eagles squad has already begun their search for Mrs. Richards. However, the world is packed with people and it¡¯s really hard to find one person,¡± Alvin said helplessly.

    This was reality. He had to admit that it was impossible.

    Hansen had mixed feelings. Of course, he understood Alvin¡¯s words.

    Nheless, he had clearly heard her voice that day at the World Trade Center. He knew he did not hear wrong.

    The people who participated in the trade show were from all over the world. Therefore, since they were not able to find Jenna here in the country, they had no choice but to search the other countries.

    He firmly believed that his analysis was correct.

 Chapter 755 A Secret Between Father And Son

    ¡°Mr. Richards, there¡¯s something I don¡¯t know if I should say.¡± Alvin felt the need to tell Hansen the truth when he saw his disappointed face.

    ¡°Go on,¡± Hansen said impatiently.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, what I want to say is that the chances of Mrs. Richards surviving such a high fall is very slim¡­¡± Alvin thought for a while before he spoke. He really could not bear to see the disappointed look on Hansen¡¯s face.

    ¡°B*stard, all of you seem to be cursing her.Where is your conscience?¡± Hansen was furious. He picked up a stack of documents from his table and threw it at Alvin.

    Alvin stood still. The documents hit him and fell to the ground.

    He bent down and carefully picked up the documents.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you can be mad at me, but you can¡¯t ignore my words. You and Mrs. Richards were deeply in love with each other. If she was still alive, she would havee to find you. The Richards Group has branches all over the world. As long as she went to report herself in either one of the branches, I¡¯m sure we would have obtained the information. Or, as long as she called you¡­¡± Alvin said as he gathered documents and ced them back on the desk. He had thoroughly analyzed the situation.

    This world was full of people. It was impossible to find one person. It would be likelooking for aneedle in a haystack.

    Hansen¡¯s face was gloomy as he fell onto his chair. His gaze was terrifyingly cold.

    Yes, if Jenna was still alive, then why didn¡¯t shee to look for him?

    They had a family together and they were a loving couple.

    The day before the incident, she was still sleeping in his arms. They loved each other very deeply.

    ¡°Jenna, where exactly are you?¡±

    ¡°If you were still alive, then why didn¡¯t youe and find me?¡±

    ¡°Have you lost your confidence in me?¡±

    He asked the heavens above!

    Hansen buried his head in his hands. He could feel a headacheing on.

    Then, his phone rang suddenly.

    He let it ring for a while before eventually answering it.

    ¡°Hello.¡± As soon as he opened his mouth, Marissa said, ¡°Hansen, you have toe home early for dinner today. Jerry will be leaving for Ennd tomorrow. You have toe back and spend some time with him before he leaves.¡±

    As soon as Marissa finished speaking, Jerry grabbed the phone from the side and said, ¡°Daddy, you have toe back and drink with me. I¡¯ll be flying off tomorrow. I need to study hard in Ennd. So, you must apany me today.¡±

    A doting and gentle smile immediately appeared on Hansen¡¯s frosty face. His voice was also particrly gentle as he said, ¡°Very well, Jerry. Wait for me.¡±

    He hung up the phone as a smile appeared on his face.

    He stood up and picked up his briefcase.

    Alvin followed him closely. He always paid attention to Hansen¡¯s movements, fearing that he might bump into something.

    ¡°By the way, Alvin, I want you to conduct an investigation of the Yintern family. I want you to check which Yintern family runs an automobilepany,¡± Hansen ordered Alvin. His mood seemed to have improved drasticallypared to moments ago. It was as if a ray of light was shining above his head.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards.¡± Alvin did not understand why Hansen wanted to do this, but he agreed anyway.

    Hansen felt much more at ease after giving out his orders as he made his way out of the building.

    Hansen had rented a house in Capital City a long time ago.

    The Richards family¡¯s vi in Capital City was also quite luxurious.

    As soon as Hansen pulled into the garage.

    Jerry came rushing out of the living room.

    ¡°Dad, you¡¯re back!¡± Jerry rushed out and shouted at Hansen, who had just gotten out of his car.

    When Hansen heard Jerry¡¯s familiar and amiable voice, he smiled happily.

    ¡°Jerry.¡± He vaguely saw his son rushing towards him. He reached out and picked him up. He kissed his face and asked, ¡°Jerry, do you miss me?¡±

    ¡°Of course, Dad!¡± Jerry wrapped his arms around his neck as he whined. He was acting like a spoiled child. In the past, Jerry would¡¯ve never done such things to Hansen. He would only do it with Jenna. However, after Jenna left, he naturally acted spoiled with Hansen.

    ¡°Has Grandma finished cooking?¡± Hansen smiled and allowed him to act like a spoiled child as he asked in a friendly manner. He then carried him and walked towards the living room.

    ¡°Yes, she is. Grandma made all of our favourite dishes.¡± Jerry nodded his head and said proudly. After that, he ced his lips close to Hansen¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°Daddy, let me tell you a secret. Thatdy is here again. She¡¯s talking andughing with Grandma, but I don¡¯t like her at all. Do you like her?¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    A cold glint shed in Hansen¡¯s eyes. He immediately understood who Jerry was referring to.

    Of course, he was referring to Jaqueline.

    She had been very close to Marissa eversince the headquarters of the Richards Group had been moved to Capital City. Furthermore, it is known that Marissa was very fond of her. It was as if she wanted her to be his second wife. Even Jerry could sense this.

    ¡°What is she doing here?¡± Hansen¡¯s voice suddenly turned cold as he furrowed his brows.

    He did not expect her to show up at his house after she left thepany. This made Hansen very ufortable. He only wanted to reunite with his family. He did not want anyone else to be present.

    ¡°Dad, I¡¯m guessing that she has a crush on you,¡± Jerry said angrily. ¡°But I don¡¯t like her at all. I¡¯m even more unwilling for her to be my stepmother. Dad, you have to stand firm. You must not let her seed. Especially after I go abroad. You must not get together with her. Otherwise, I will have to sever ties with you.¡±

    Jerry was very decisive. It carried a hint of a threat.

    Hansen was taken aback. He touched his little head with his hand and solemnly promised him. ¡°Jerry, I don¡¯t like her either. It¡¯s impossible for me to marry her. Regardless, she¡¯s your aunt. She¡¯s one of our rtives. We must show her some respect, do you understand?¡±

    ¡°No, I just hate her. She¡¯s trying to take you away without permission.¡± Jerry¡¯s face was filled with worry. His eyes were filled with caution. ¡°Daddy, you have to remember that we have already pinky promised. You must not go back on our promise. When I¡¯m abroad, you must not flirt or hook up with her. You promised me.¡±

    Hansen smiled when he heard this. ¡°Jerry, I will be flying straight to Sriranoafter I send you off to Ennd tomorrow. I will not being home for a while. Also, in the future, I will have to focusfullyon the project in Srirano. Don¡¯t worry, she will not have the opportunity to get close to me.¡±

    When Jerry heard this, he finally felt at ease.

    They entered the living room as soon as they finished speaking.

    ¡°Hansen, you are back!¡± Marissa greeted him with a smile when he entered the living room with Jerry in his arms. After greeting him, she reached out for Jerry and said, ¡°Jerry,e here. You¡¯re going to leave for Ennd tomorrow. I am going to miss you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±Jerry was disgusted with Marissa because shewas close to Jaqueline. He turned his head away and caught sight of Jaqueline walking out of the kitchen. He was even more conflicted and immediately shouted, ¡°I only want Daddy. I don¡¯t want to see any other woman in our house.¡±

    His voice was so loud that everyone in the living room could hear it clearly.

    Marissa obviously understood what Jerry meant. She looked a little helpless.

    ¡°After all, which kid would want a stepmother? However, his biological mother is already dead, isn¡¯t she? Life goes on.¡±

    She sighed.

 Chapter 756 This Is Our Secret

    ¡°Jerry, I¡¯ve made your favorite c chicken wings. Come over and eat.¡± Jaqueline smiled warmly as she said to Jerry. She wasn¡¯t offended by Jerry¡¯s words.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like to eat your food. I only like to eat the food cooked by my mother.¡± Jerry¡¯s face creased as he angrily said, ¡°You¡¯re not my mother, so I¡¯m not going to eat your food.¡±

    Jaqueline¡¯s face looked pained.

    She understood that Jerry was very resistant to her.

    He was still a kid. She firmly believed that one day, he was going to ept her. She just needed to be patient and sincere to him. Then, he would be moved.

    ¡°Come, let¡¯s have dinner. We¡¯ve been busy all day. Jerry is leaving for Ennd tomorrow. We¡¯re going to have a nice dinner today.¡± Marissa quickly tried to ease the awkward situation with a smile.

    Hansen did not say much and did not even look at Jaqueline. He carried Jerry over to the dining room and sat down.

    Trevor did note over to Capital City. However, Marissa decided to bring Jerry over to Capital City to get him to spend time with his father before he left for Ennd. She would take care of Jerry while Hansen was at work.

    What made Jerry unhappy was that ever since they arrived at Capital City, Marissa had been constantly inviting Jaqueline, who had malicious intentions to steal his father away, over to their house.

    ¡°Jerry, I¡¯m going to apany you to ¡®drink¡¯ today. We¡¯re going to have a father and son bonding session. We¡¯re not going to stop until one of us gets drunk, how about that?¡± In order to dispel Jerry¡¯s worries, Hansen took the initiative to persuade him to ¡®drink¡¯ whenhe saw his son¡¯s face was full of displeasure.

    When Jerry heard that they were going to drink, he immediately became excited. The unhappiness in his heart disappeared in an instant, and he immediately cried out happily, ¡°Okay, Dad, I¡¯ll toast you.¡±

    Just as Hansen was about to put him down on the floor, he wrapped his hand around Hansen¡¯s neck and whispered in his ear, ¡°Daddy, remember what I said. I don¡¯t want our rtionship to be severed.¡±

    ¡°This boy!¡±

    ¡°This was clearly a threat!¡±

    However, Hansen loved it when Jerry acted like this. At the very least, he knew that his son loved and wanted to protect Jenna. He was very proud of him! He was filial!

    ¡°I know, don¡¯t worry,¡± Hansen replied quietly.

    ¡°What are you two whispering to each other? Are we not allowed to know?¡± Marissa asked with a smile when she saw the father and son whispering to each other.

    Jerry was actually treating Marissa as an outsider. She felt a little helpless.

    Jerry was full of confidence this time after Hansen reassured him.

    ¡°This is between me and Daddy. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± Jerry waved a dismissive hand as he sat down beside Hansen. He reached out and picked up a bottle of soft drink and forcefully unscrewed the cap.

    ¡°Come on, Daddy. Let¡¯s toast to our secret.¡± Jerry then ced one bottle in front of his father. Hansen immediately picked up the bottle with a smile and clinked it with Jerry. ¡°Cheers!¡±

    The sound of the bottle clinking rang through the air. After that, they each took a gulp at the same time.

    Of course, they were just drinking soft drinks.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Jerry was still too young to drink. Naturally, Hansen would not allow him near any alcohol.

    ¡°Jerry, you have to study hard when you¡¯re in Ennd. I wille to check on your progress every once in a while. Don¡¯t go back on your word, or Mommy is going to be unhappy when she sees you,¡± Hansen said seriously after he emptied the contents in his bottle.

    Jerry patted his chest and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Daddy, leave it to me. I will be mightier than you in the future. At the very least, I will be able to protect my woman.¡±

    That time, even Marissa, who was next to him, was amused by him.

    Jerry med Hansen for Jenna¡¯s death. Heined that he had failed to protect his mother. Therefore, he would use this incident to criticize him from time to time. Marissa sighed when she heard his words.

    As for Hansen, he never opposed what Jerry said to him. That was because he himself felt that he was not worthy of being a good husband and father.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth lifted slightly when he sensed Jerry¡¯s righteous expression. He did notin at all.

    ¡°Hansen, isn¡¯t it a little harsh for you to send Jerry over to Ennd at such a young age?¡± Marissa asked as she entered Hansen¡¯s study after dinner. She was concerned about Jerry¡¯s well-being.

    Hansen was sitting on the couch, nursing a cup of tea. He raised his eyebrows when he heard his mother¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s best to cultivate good lifelong habits at a young age. Moreover, Jerry is old enough to live on his own. Besides, I will be spending more time in Srirano. I will not have the time to take care of him. Your health isn¡¯t very good either. I think it¡¯s time for him to cultivate good habits and cut out the bad ones as soon as we can,¡± Hansen said rationally.

    Marissa felt a wave of sadness when she heard this. ¡°Hansen, does it mean you¡¯re going to leave me too?¡±

    Marissa¡¯s heart was filled with unspeakable difort when she heard that Hansen would be spending time in Srirano.She had been suffering from all sorts of illnesses during the past year due to her old age. Herbody was not as strong as before, especially after being pushed down the stairs by Liya. She had been getting very emotional those days.

    However, what worried her the most was that her only son was still single and did not have a woman by his side to take care of him.

    ¡°Mom, I need to go there for work. I wille back to visit you. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Hansen quicklyforted his mother. He could not bear to see how upset his mother was.

    The initially shrewd and strong Marissa was getting older each day. Hansen¡¯s heart felt very ufortable and his mood was extremelyplicated.

    Marissa took the opportunity to approach her son when she heard hisforting words. She noticed how patient he was. She reached out for his hand and said, ¡°Hansen, you are my only son. I will not be happy if you don¡¯t live well. Our Richards family may be rich and powerful, but we don¡¯t have many descendants. Right now, we only have Jerry. Do you remember Grandma¡¯s wish when she was alive? Her wish was for the children of the Richards family to flourish and prosper.¡±

    Marissa brought up Vivian in an attempt to persuade Hansen to help him get out of this passive state of mind. She wanted him to start a new family and a new life.

    Hansen raised his eyes as the loving expression of his grandmother appeared in his mind. His heart trembled as he said with great strain, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. I will do my best to help the Richards family prosper. I will bring the Richards Group back to its former glory.¡±

    Marissa understood his words. Tears quickly welled up in her eyes.

 Chapter 757 Madam Lilianâ€™s Worries

    ¡°Hansen, are you being ignorant or do you not understand? Even if you manage Richards Group well and it bes a powerhouse, so what? All your efforts will still go down the drain in a few years because there is no one to take over thepany. What we need now is more descendants. The world will only continue if there are people to carry on living. It¡¯s impossible to rely on your strength alone. We must think about the future. All of the rich and powerful families have plenty of sessors in the family. Only then will they be able to inherit the family¡¯s business. Don¡¯t you understand this?¡± Marissa was choked with sobs and wiped her tears with a tissue.

    Her son was not interested in other women anymore. In fact, he was avoiding them.

    He only cared about work. His character was getting stranger everyday. If it went on like this, then what was the point of having so much money when he did not have anyone to inherit it? Every man would need a sessor in order to continue the family business. Hansen was no exception.

    Therefore, Marissa began to worry about Hansen¡¯s love life after Jenna died. She really hoped that her son would be able to remarry and give birth to a few children in order to preserve the family line. Jaqueline was the best candidate.

    It was just that her son had turned a deaf ear to her advice. She was worried that Jaqueline would give up on him after failing to get his attention.

    Since Hansen was leaving A City the next day, she had to make full use of the time she had to talk some sense into him.

    Hansen understood Marissa¡¯s intentions. He knew that she did it for the good of the Richards family, but he just refused to listen to her advice.

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t we already have Jerry? All he has to do is to get married early. If you want, then you can ask him to have more kids. I¡¯m not going to change my mind, but I can guarantee that I¡¯ll give Jerrypeaceandprosperity. I¡¯ll ensure that he¡¯ll live a happy life. He will not be like Jenna and me,¡± Hansen said firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.

    ¡°Hansen, how long will I have to wait until Jerry gets married? Who knows what will happen in the future? Besides, Jerry is your only child. It¡¯s going to take a lot of effort to manage such a huge business. I should have given you a sibling and perhaps, the thing with Zoe would not have happened. After all, there is safety in numbers, isn¡¯t it right? I¡¯m just offering you my advice. I hope you can think about it. I really hope that you will consider remarrying. I am in the position to offer you this advice, as other people won¡¯t. Why don¡¯t you think it through?¡± At that point, Marissa was very upset. She knew that Hansen had made up his mind. It was easy to say, but she was not reconciled. She still tried hard to persuade him.

    ¡°Mom, I know, you don¡¯t have to keep reminding me. You ought to go to bed now lest you have a headache tomorrow,¡±Hansen answered superficially.He could not bear to see his mother so upset.

    However, Marissa continued, ¡°Hansen, Jaqueline is a good woman. First of all, she¡¯s Jenna¡¯s cousin. Secondly, Grandpa Johan also likes her and has raised her well since she was a child. Grandpa Johan has your best interests in mind. He is afraid that you will suffer after Jenna¡¯s death, and that¡¯s why he is willing to give his great-granddaughter¡¯s hand in marriage to you as apensation. Don¡¯t be ungrateful.¡±

    When Hansen heard this, his expression changed and immediately stood up. His voice was as cold as ice. ¡°Mom, isn¡¯t that very selfish of you? Let me tell you something, a family can only go far if they have profound virtue.It may notnecessarily be a good thing if they only rely on descendants, not to mention that I still cannot get over Jenna. I¡¯m also not sure whether she¡¯s really dead or not. This is unfair to Jaqueline. I don¡¯t love her at all. Isn¡¯t it a little selfish of you to see her as a baby factory just for the sake of having descendants for the Richards family? This is not the kind of family I want to build. My heart will only have Jenna and Jenna alone.¡±

    ¡°But, Hansen, you¡¯re just being stubborn. You¡¯re unwilling to let yourself go. If you don¡¯t like Jacquline, then fine! Why don¡¯t you find someone whom you like? I will not object to whichever woman you decide to bring home. I just don¡¯t want you to live a lonely life. Is it wrong of me to think that way?¡± Marissa¡¯s voice trembled as tears welled up in her eyes. She refused to give up.

    However, by the time she was done, Hansen was already making his way out of the study. When he reached the door, he turned around and said in a cold voice, ¡°Mom, can you please stop interfering with my love life? You should enjoy your remaining years. Don¡¯t bring trouble to yourself. Remember the thing with Aria? If you hadn¡¯t interfered, then would she have been able to marry into the Richards family? Would the subsequent events have happened? People should always reflect on their own pasts, so that they wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake.¡±

    After saying this, Hansen strode out of the study and left the vi.

    Marissa sat there in a daze. She clenched her fist as she cried out loud.

    ¡°Jenna, my son¡¯s life has been ruined by you. It¡¯s good that you are dead, you don¡¯t have to worry about this. But as a mother, I can only watch helplessly as he continues living a painful life. Tell me, what should I do?¡± she cried in grief.

    Hansen sat by the moat and smoked two packs of cigarettes before returning. That night, he spent the night with Jerry.

    After Jenna left, Jerry was very dependent on him. He often snuggled up to him until he fell asleep. Even when he was asleep, he would grab onto his clothes and not let him go.

    Hansen was heartbroken for him and often hugged him to sleep.

    That night, the father and son had a good night¡¯s sleep.

    Early in the morning the next day, Hansen helped Jerry put on his clothes and shoes. When they left the vi, he was still sleeping soundly in his arms.

    Hansen opened the Hummer door with a slight smile on his face. Hid Jerry on the soft bed in the back seat and covered him with a quilt. He then called on Alvin and the trio left for the airport.

    When they arrived in Ennd, they immediately upied themselves with Jerry¡¯s school enrolment process. After thinking for a moment, Hansen then took Alvin to the airport.

    In a quiet vi, in Lincon City.

    Sara was sitting in a wheelchair. Madam Lilian was pushing her while they enjoyed a stroll along the beach.

    The sea breeze blew on their faces. It was very refreshing.

    The seagulls danced gracefully on the surface of the water, seemingly free and at ease.

    Everything was peaceful and beautiful.

    ¡°Madam, Jenna hasn¡¯te to see me for a year. Why is she so busy?¡± Sara looked out into the sea and asked in confusion.

    Lilian smiled calmly and changed the topic. She asked lovingly, ¡°Sara, are you still not willing to address me as ¡®Mom¡¯?¡±

    Mom? This strange yet familiar word brought back so many sad memories. She was unwilling to mention it.

    After Sara recovered, Lilian slowly broke the news to her. She was afraid that she would not believe her, so she took out their maternity test.

    Sara fell silent.

    This was beyond Lilian¡¯s expectations.

    She initially thought she would cry and have a fit when she heard the news, but she did not. She responded with silence. She was strangely calm.

    However, the more Sara behaved like this, the more uneasy Lilian became.

    Lilian was worried that Sara would not be able to ept her. She was afraid that she would be disgusted with her and that it would trigger her emotions. If that happened, then it would not have been conducive for her recovery. However, Sara remained calm.

    However, Lilian was a little uneasy when she saw how calm she was. Ever since their true rtionship had been revealed, her heart had be increasingly heavy and uneasy.

    Of course, this was mainly about Jenna.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    In the past few months, Sara had obviously asked a lot of questions. She would asionally talk about Jenna and ask her why Jenna hadn¡¯t been visiting her. She wondered why Jenna was always so busy. Sometimes, she would ask her whether she was hiding something from her.

    These questions all made Lilian tremble with fear.

    She was afraid that she would not be able to hide the truth from her forever.

    She was afraid that Sara would find out the truth.

    If that was the case, then what would Sara do?

    She really didn¡¯t dare to imagine.

    The best she could do then was to make up all sorts of excuses or avoid the topic altogether.

    All she wanted was for her to be healthy and that they could spend more time together.

    In this world, there was not a single parent who would be able to ept that their child was dead before them.

 Chapter 758 Saraâ€™s Doubts

    The sea breeze blew through Lilian¡¯s hair, and she took the opportunity to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes.

    One year ago, she had passed out after witnessing Jenna as she fell off a cliff into the fast-flowing river down below.

    She deserved to be called a big shot as the first thing she did after waking up was rush to the hospital. She made a prompt decision and ordered for someone to prepare the helicopter to fly Sara over to Europe for treatment.

    During the past year, she came up with all sorts of ways to hide Jenna¡¯s death from Sara.

    Social media was so advanced those days. It was impossible to hide the truth from her if they continued living in the country.

    Lilian wasn¡¯t sure how much longer she was able to hide the truth from Sara, but one thing she knew for sure was that Sara would be devastated when she learnt the truth about Jenna¡¯s death.

    However, her body was in no condition to bear such an emotional pain.

    This was too miserable!

    During the past year, Lilian had endured a great amount of pain. She would always cry herself to sleep thinking about Jenna.

    However, she could not show it in front of Sara. She was afraid of being seen through by her, so she tried her best to put on a smile.

    But the problem was, how long was this going tost?

    Sara was silent for a while and deliberately avoided Lilian¡¯s question. She said, ¡°Madam Lilian, if I¡¯m not mistaken, Jenna is due soon. Do you think she¡¯ll be having a boy or girl? I hope she brings her baby over soon.¡±

    Lilian¡¯s heart ached when she heard her daughter¡¯s words. It took everything tohold back her tears.

    ¡°Sara, Jenna¡¯s still in confinement. She has just given birth and her body is weak. That¡¯s why she can¡¯te to visit you.Didn¡¯t she tell you that she¡¯de to visit you once you¡¯ve recovered?¡± Lilian said as she looked into the distance with watery eyes. Although her voice was calm, she could not hide her grief.

    Sara was a little stunned. Her eyes lit up as she said, ¡°I¡¯m a grandmother again. So, did Jenna give birth to a baby boy or girl?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a girl,¡± Lilian replied as pushed Sara¡¯s wheelchair with both hands and slowly walked forward. Her voice came out as a soft whisper against the wind. She wondered when this was torture going to end.She knew that she would not be able to hide the truth from her any longer.

    One day, the truth woulde to light.

    When the day came, what was she to do?

    She closed her eyes.

    ¡°A girl? That¡¯s great. Girls are caring. Jenna is very caring. She is my pride and joy.¡± Sara¡¯s face was flushed. She was extremely excited.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, girls are much more caring.¡± Lilian murmured, ¡°Sara, when are you going to take care of me? When are you going to address me as ¡®Mom¡¯?¡±

    Lilian asked expectantly. Sara could hear the anticipation in her voice. Her face was dull and her expression was nk. She did not know what to think.

    In the past year, Lilian had personally taken care of her until she was fully recovered. She even kept her out of danger.

    She was able to see Lilian¡¯s sincerity.

    Lilian also chose the right time to reveal her identityslowly. She did her best to make her ept her.

    If she was unhappy, then she would not force her to ept her as her mother.

    In the past year, Lilian had taken care of her very meticulously. Lilian would try her best to give her whatever she wanted. She wanted to make up for the pain of not growing up with a mother.

    She granted whatever she asked for.

    ¡­

    Sara could sense her motherly love for her.

    She was not a cold-hearted woman and she knew how sincere Lilian was. She was initially indifferent but had graduallye to ept her as her mother.

    Although she did not address her as ¡®Mom¡¯,deep down, she had already epted her as her mother. What was left for Sara to do was to call her ¡®Mom¡¯ out loud.

    But she just could not bring herself to do it.

    She was just waiting for the right moment.

    As for what was considered the right moment, she did not know either.

    However, everyday she longed for Jenna.

    She wanted to see her only daughter. She longed for her so much that she even suspected that Lilian had kidnapped her and brought her here. She wondered whether there was any conspiracy in this.

    Was Lilian afraid that she would not ept her?

    This kind of confusion often made her feel uneasy.

    She lowered her head and did not speak for a long time.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, Miss Garver, Mr. Richards is here,¡± Quina said with a smile,walking over from the back garden.

    Both Madam Lilian and Sara were taken away from their thoughts.

    ¡°Let him in.¡± Sara¡¯s eyes were filled with hope.

    Hansen woulde by almost every month to visit Sara ever since Lilian had brought her to Europe, and every time he came, he would give her an update about Jenna.

    Hansen would always dispel any doubts that she had. Until that day, she believed that Jenna was still living happily in Richards Manor. It was just that she could nottravel long distances because she was pregnant.

    But she knew she would be able to reunite with her daughter soon.

    ¡°Hi,Mom,Grandma.¡± Hansen walked in with a radiant smile on his face.

    ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re here!¡± Sara¡¯s impression of Hansen hadpletely changed after being kidnapped by Sergio.Right then, she treated him as her own son. He was especially close to her and she felt a sense of dependence on him.

    ¡°Mom, have you been feeling goodtely?¡± Hansen approached her and asked with concern.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m almostpletely recovered,¡± Sara replied with a smile. She then looked into his eyes. ¡°Hansen, your eyes are almost healed, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mom, it¡¯s almost healed. It¡¯s still in the recovery period,¡± Hansen replied carefully.

    ¡°Ah, you should have sought treatment earlier. You should be careful when you drive next time. You must not allow such a thing to happen again,¡± Sara reminded him with concern.

    Hansen could not hide the fact that his eyes were injured. Hence, he had no choice but to tell Sara that one night, when he had been driving, he identally knocked into someone else¡¯s car. His eyes were blinded by the sparks from the collision.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Sara believed him. In fact, she could not imagine such a dangerous scene. Hansen¡¯s exnation was also very reasonable.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom, it will not happen again.¡± Hansen quickly promised and handed the bag of supplements in his hand over to Quina, who was standing aside.

    Quina epted the bag and brought it into the vi.

    ¡°Hansen, who¡¯s taking care of Jenna while she¡¯s in confinement? She needed someone to take good care of her while she recuperates from childbirth. That way, she will not feel tired when she gets old in the future,¡± Sara asked with concern.

    Hansen was stunned for a moment and quickly understood that Madam Lilian had lied to her. He immediately replied with a smile, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. Jenna is the apple of my eye. I will not let her suffer one bit. She deserves the best there is.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I trust you.¡± Sara smiled and said, ¡°Tell her to take good care of herself. I¡¯ll go and see her when I am fully recovered.¡±

 Chapter 759 Hansenâ€™s Pain

    ¡°Alright.¡± Hansen agreed readily.

    At that moment, Lilian was standing beside him and he could feel her breath hitch while he gave Sara an update on Jenna. Once he was done, she heaved a sigh of relief. He, too, exhaled deeply.

    In the past year, Lilian had done her best to conceal Jenna¡¯s death from Sara. The reason she was able to hide it so well was also because of Hansen.

    Regardless, Sara¡¯s health was their utmost priority. They were going to wait until she had fully recovered before breaking the news to her.

    This was both Hansen¡¯s and Lilian¡¯s n.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Jerry? Has he been naughty? He must not bully his baby sister,¡± Sara asked with a smile.

    Hansen cleared his throat and replied with a smile, ¡°Jerry has been enrolled in the Royal National Academy in Ennd. He said he is going to study diligently and make all of you proud.¡±

    Hansen smiled brightly when he talked about Jerry.

    Hansen did not dare to bring Jerry to visit Sara becausehe had witnessed Jenna fall off the cliff firsthand.He was afraid that Jerry would not be able to bite his tongue and identally bring up Jenna¡¯s death.

    Therefore, he often recorded videos of Jerry for Sara to dispel her doubts.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be hard for Jerry to go abroad and study at ayoung age.¡± Sara was a little worried when she heard this.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Jerry is very sensible. I¡¯m sure he will be able to adapt to the environment.¡± Hansenforted her.

    ¡°Mom, starting from tomorrow, I will be heading over to Srirano for work. I may not be able to visit you as much. You should rest well, anddon¡¯t worry too much.¡± Hansen purposely came over to say his goodbyes. He wanted to inform her that he would not be able to visit her as frequently as he did then.

    ¡°Alright. No matter how busy you are at work, you must still pay attention to your health. If you are too busy, then you don¡¯t have toe. You can just call,¡± Sara said with concern, nodding. As soon as she said this, she realized something and said, ¡°Why, it¡¯s been a long time since Jenna called me.¡±

    Call? Hansen felt a slight headache arising as soon as she mentioned it.

    In the past year, he had searched high and low before he came across a woman who sounded like Jenna. He would then record her voice and let Sara hear it. Sometimes, he would ask the woman to talk to Sara over the phone. Of course, that was only possible when Hansen was able to meet up with the woman. These phone calls were able to dispel Sara¡¯s doubt. However, he would not be able to make these kinds of phone calls to Sara in the future.

    ¡°Mom, Jenna will be joining me in Srirano once she¡¯s done with her confinement. There¡¯s a batch of drawings she needs to get done. Things are going to get busy and we might not have the time to call you.¡± Hansen quickly came up with an excuse. He did not know how he was going to smooth things over.

    Fortunately, Sara was very rational. She immediately nodded and said, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Work is more important. At the same time, you have a reputation to uphold. I can understand.¡±

    Hansen heaved a sigh of relief.

    Ever since Hansen arrived, Madam Lilian spoke very little. She maintained a grave expression on her face.

    The family chatted casually while they strolled along the beach.

    Soon after, Sara felt a little tired. Hansen took the wheelchair from Madam Lilian and pushed her into the house.

    ¡°Hansen, we cannot keep her in the dark like this,¡± Madam Lilian said anxiously as they made their way to the back garden after Sara fell asleep.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen¡¯s handsome face darkened. He was silent.

    She was right. Sara would eventually find out the truth.

    What were they going to do when the time came?

    They did not dare to imagine it.

    ¡°Grandma, we¡¯ll cross that bridge when ites to it. For now, we can only take things one step at a time,¡± Hansen said with great strain.

    ¡°Jenna, my poor child.¡± Madam Lilian could not help but to feel sad. Tears started to well up in her eyes. She was choked with sobs. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. This would not have happened if I had reunited with them and brought them to Europe.¡±

    Madam Lilian¡¯s guilt left Hansen speechless. He was even more ashamed of himself.

    In fact, he was the useless one. He had failed to protect the love of his life.

    In that year, his self-me and guilt followed him closely like a shadow and tortured him from time to time.

    ¡°Hansen, since it has already happened,let¡¯s not mention it anymore.¡± Lilian was also aware of Hansen¡¯s recent situation. She quickly pulled herself together. It was good for everyone if she did not mention such a sore subject.

    ¡°Hansen, how have you beentely? Have you encountered any difficulties?¡± Madam Lilianwiped away her tearsand changed the subject.

    ¡°Grandma, everything is fine. There won¡¯t be any more incidents in the Richards Group. I believe we are able toconquer every obstacle. We are unrivalled,¡± Hansen replied confidently.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good.¡± A slight smile appeared on Madam Lilian¡¯s face. ¡°Is there any problem with thend in Srirano?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t foresee any problems. The people of Srirano are simple and honest. They¡¯ve always had a good rtionship with our country. They wee all sorts of investment to their country.¡± Hansen smiled slightly. He had a foolproof n.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Madam Lilian nodded approvingly. ¡°Hansen, do your best. The world is your oyster. I believe that you will soon create a legend in the business world. Srirano is a religious country and has always been friendly with people. I believe that your good deed will be endorsed by them.¡±

    However, Hansen sighed and smiled bitterly. ¡°Grandma, no matter how glorious my career is, it cannot bepared to the pain of losing Jenna. I¡¯m already a walking corpse. I am only doing this out of obligation, and alsofor Jerry. I want him to suffer less than I did when I took over as the family¡¯s head. This is my only intention.¡±

    His voice was heavy and low, filledwith endless disappointment.

    Madam Lilian also sighed. She did not know where to start. She knew that eventuallyhe would emerge from the shadow of his past. He just needed more time.

    The two chatted for a while. After a while, Quina came to inform them that dinner was ready.

    Thus, they made their way to the living room.

    ¡°Grandma, I don¡¯t know why, but I feel that Jenna isn¡¯t dead. I believe that she¡¯s still alive.¡± After just a few steps,Hansen stopped and solemnly said to Madam Lilian.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes lit up for a moment, before she became gloomy and said, ¡°Hansen, I also want to believe that Jenna is still alive. But, I saw with my own eyes how Jenna fell off the cliff into the river. The chances of survival are very slim.¡±

    Madam Lilian¡¯s face was riddled with helplessness and sadness. It was impossible for her not to believe that Jenna was dead. The thought that Jenna might have survived the fall did not cross her mind at all.

    ¡°No matter what, I believe that Jenna is not dead. I believe that one day I will be able to find her,¡± Hansen said firmly. It was as if he was trying to convince both himself and Madam Lilian.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes were moist. She shook her head and sighed. ¡°Hansen, you have suffered a lot.¡±

    Then, she did not say anything else.

    Hansen believed that Jenna was still alive. It was just a beautiful wish and she was not willing to destroy his fantasy.

 Chapter 760 Caring And Considerate

    The Yintern Group¡¯s dormitory could be described as simple.

    There wasn¡¯t any washing machine or air conditioner in the dorm.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    The weather was extremely cold.

    Jenna turned on the faucet on her balcony and washed her clothes.

    Her hand turned red when it came into contact with the ice-cold water. She lowered her head as she forcefully rubbed her clothes together.

    ¡°Lexantra, the water is too cold. I think it¡¯s better for you to bring yourundry back to the office and use the washing machine there,¡± Joanne, Jenna¡¯s colleague, said when she saw Jenna washing her clothes with great effort.

    ¡°Miss Gambon, you¡¯re here. Please have a seat.¡± Jenna looked up at Joanne and greeted her with a smile,¡°Make yourself at home. I don¡¯t have the time to entertain you.¡±

    Joanne was fromTambendand was fluent in Srirano¡¯s localnguage. She also knew this country very well as her parents had a business establishment here. They had immigrated to this country many years ago. Therefore, although she was educated in Tambend, she decided to remain in Srirano because there were many more opportunities here. She was very talented and versatile.

    This was also the reason Steffan had hired her.

    ¡°Lexantra, there is no need for you to wash your own clothes manually. The weather is so cold that it has turned the water into ice. You will soon run out of water. It¡¯s best if you take yourundry back to the office to give them a wash.¡± Joanne was warm, friendly, and lively. She was very confused when she saw Jenna busy washing her clothes. ¡°Lexantra, why are you doing this to yourself? You do know that Mr. Yintern will grant all of your requests just as long as you open your mouth, right? There is no need for you to be holed up in this dorm. Anyway, I really have no idea what you¡¯re thinking.¡±

    Joanne shook her head in confusion.

    Jenna smiled and said, ¡°Miss Gambon, I treat Mr. Yintern as my superior. It¡¯s not what you think. Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Besides, the washing machine in the office is forpany use only. How can I use it to wash my dirtyundry?¡±

    Jenna did not care about Joanne¡¯s words.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡± Joanne curled her lips. To put it bluntly, Steffan was the only one using thepany¡¯s washing machine. As for Jenna¡¯s rtionship with Steffan¡­

    ¡°Lexantra, I know you¡¯re not one to get mad easily, so I just wanted to ask you, how long are you nning to hide it from us?¡± Joanne immediately asked when she saw that Jenna was trying to avoid talking about Steffan.

    ¡°Hide what? What are you talking about?¡± Jenna was so bewildered that she stopped what she was doing. She raised her head and asked. She was a little puzzled by Joanne¡¯s question.

    ¡°Do you really have no idea what I¡¯m talking about?¡± Joanne yelped. ¡°Fine. It seems like you¡¯re not willing to let me in on the secret either. Some friend you are.¡±

    The muscles on Jenna¡¯s face gradually tightened as she asked seriously, ¡°What in the world are you talking about? I genuinely have no idea what you¡¯re referring to.¡±

    Joanne noticed how serious she was. It did not seem like she was faking it. She could only remind her, ¡°I¡¯m talking about the good news.¡±

    After finishing her words, she smiled and looked at her frivolously.

    This caused Jenna to be even more confused.

    ¡°What good news? Whose?¡± she asked in surprise.

    ¡°You¡¯re very good at pretending. I¡¯m talking about your good news.¡± Joanne and Jenna were veryfortable with each other. She spoke without any restraint and justughed happily.

    Jenna was stunned. She was a little annoyed as she said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing at all. I don¡¯t even know anything. You¡¯re talking nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Is there no such thing?¡± When Joanne realized that Jenna was telling the truth, she felt a little strange. ¡°Didn¡¯t he propose? How couldn¡¯t you know? Now, that¡¯s strange.¡±

    ¡°Propose?¡± Jenna could not help but to scream. ¡°Who proposed? Who told you?¡±

    Joanne looked at her again, covered her mouth, andughed. ¡°Lexantra, I heard that Mr. Yintern proposed to you. He even got down on one knee and all. You don¡¯t have to hide it from me. I¡¯m sure everyone in thepany knows about your rtionship with Mr. Yintern.¡±

    Joanne¡¯s words made Jenna blush for no reason.

    This was the rumor that was being spread around? It was outrageous.

    She blushed and said with a serious face, ¡°Tell me,Miss Gambon,who told you this?¡±

    When Joanne saw the solemn look on Jenna¡¯s face, her smile froze. ¡°I heard it from one of our colleagues. I¡¯m not sure who started the rumor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± Jenna immediately corrected her. ¡°There is nothing going on between Mr. Yintern and me, let alone a marriage proposal. Those rumors were all made up. You can¡¯t believe a single word of it.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna looked very serious. Joanne could not tell that she was lying when she looked at her. She was starting to believe her.

    ¡°Of course¡­¡± Before Jenna could finish her words, the door swung open and a tall figure came in.

    Steffan entered the dorm with a smile on his face.

    ¡°You¡¯re still saying there¡¯s nothing going on between you and Mr. Yintern?¡± Joanne covered her mouth and smiled, winking at Jenna.

    She was caught red-handed!

    Jenna started to blush intensely. Of all the time he could pick, why did he choose to show up then? Who would believe her then if she said that there was nothing going on between them?

    She was a little annoyed.

    Joanne looked at Jenna¡¯s expression. She held back herughter and greeted him solemnly,¡°Hello, Mr. Yintern.¡±

    ¡°Good day, Miss Gambon,¡± Steffan replied politely, smiling.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern, rumor has it that we will be getting a raise soon, is it true?¡± Joanne knew that she should leave now that Steffan was here. However, she could tell that he was in a good mood, so she did not hesitate to ask about the pay rise.

    Steffan raised his eyebrows and chuckled. His eyes werewildly luminous, but they were full of inscrutable information.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Gambon. Ourpany now has Dory, who is an excellent designer. Hopefully, we will be able to persuade Melvin Adames, one of the most sought-after car designers, to join ourpany. Furthermore, ourpany will be organizing one of thergest auto shows next month to showcase the work of all the famous car designers. Once our business starts to boom, I will definitely give each of you a raise. You just have to do your job well.¡± Steffan promised confidently.

    When Joanne heard his reply, she felt that there was no point asking the question because she wasn¡¯t given a definite answer.

    When she turned to look at Steffan, she realized that his eyes were on Jenna, his being was very close to pouncing on her. She knew that it was pointless to ask any more questions. If she stayed, then she would be third-wheeling in in sight.

    Immediately, she pursed her lips into a smile and quietly left. She did not forget to close the door for them when she left.

    ¡°Dory, it¡¯s such a cold day, why are you washing your clothes? Your hands are going to get frostbitten if you keep washing your clothes. Didn¡¯t I tell you that there¡¯s a washing machine in the office?¡± Steffanined as he approached Jenna. He realized that her hands were turning red from the cold. His heart ached at the sight. He reached out to hold Jenna¡¯s hands and brought them to his mouth, blowing at her hands in an attempt to warm them up.

    Jenna blinked her beautiful eyes and struggled to get rid of his hand.

    ¡°Steffan, some clothes cannot be washed with the others, or else it will be stained. Besides, this is nothing too tiring,¡± she exined softly. She wanted to lower her head to continue scrubbing her clothes.

 Chapter 761 Master Adamesâ€™s Birthday Invitation

    ¡°Hey, look at you, you¡¯re shivering. Even if you enjoy doingundry, the water is still too cold. Come on, let¡¯s get out of the dormitory. It¡¯s freaking cold in here. I¡¯ll take you out for a cafe auit. I also have something to discuss with you.¡± Steffan tugged at Jenna¡¯s hand, urging her to follow him.

    Jenna¡¯s body was not on good terms with the cold. She could not help but to shiver as soon as she stepped out into the cold. Steffan had to protect her from the cold wind before quickly heading back to her room to fetch her down jacket. Once he helped her put it on, only then did he lead her onto the streets.

    In the concrete jungle of Colombo¡¯s prime business district.

    Steffan brought Jenna to a decent cafe.

    He ordered a cup of Brazilian coffee as well as some desserts.

    He had ordered an entire table¡¯s worth of delicious and fragrant food.

    The two sat opposite each other.

    The temperature in the cafe was perfect. As Jenna sipped on her cup of coffee, she gradually felt herself warming up.

    ¡°Dory, I have ns to produce a batch of cars that you¡¯ve designed for next month¡¯s car exhibition. I¡¯ve picked out some outstanding designs. Hopefully, I¡¯ll be able to convince Melvin Adames to join ourpany to help with the interior designs. Both of you will have to work closely. That way, there¡¯s no need for me to worry about the quality of cars, not when I have the two of you working together,¡± Steffan said as coffee slipped down his throat.

    Jenna smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Yintern, you are very wise. This is an excellent n, but I¡¯m afraid you might not be able to convince him to join ourpany.¡±

    Steffan smiled as he swept his eyes across her face. He then said, ¡°The Yintern Group may not be arge corporation or well-known all over the world,but we are quite reputable in Srirano. I¡¯m confident that Melvin¡¯s value will not drop, should he choose to join ourpany.¡±

    What Steffan said was true. The Yintern Group was the bestpany in Srirano at the moment. If even the Yintern Group was unable to convince him, then there wouldn¡¯t be anypany that would seed in persuading him to join theirpany.

    ¡°I heard that Melvin is nning to make his mark here in Srirano. He¡¯ll be a fool not to join yourpany.¡± Jenna nodded in acknowledgement.

    ¡°Here, take a look at this.¡± Steffan smiled as he retrieved a card from his pocket and waved it in front of Jenna.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Jenna was very curious.

    ¡°Master Adames¡¯s birthday party invitation.¡± Steffan smiled brightly, his entire face was lit up.

    ¡°Melvin sent you an invitation?¡± Jenna asked in surprise.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Steffan replied, sounding very pleased with himself. ¡°All of the notable people in Srirano have been invited, including the Yintern Group. I heard that ourpany was the first to receive his invitation.¡±

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing!¡± Jenna smiled as she gave him a thumbs up.

    ¡°Therefore, we¡¯ll have two days topile everything. We¡¯ll have to pick out a few of your designs and present them to Melvin during his birthday banquet. I don¡¯t think there will be any reason for him to reject us,¡± Steffan said confidently, and the smile in his eyes was radiant.

    Jenna pondered for a while and nodded. When she heard the word ¡®we¡¯, she asked, ¡°Steffan, am I supposed to attend Melvin¡¯s birthday banquet as well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Steffan nodded, though he was a little hesitant for her toe with him. For one, Melvinwas a person who was hard to deal with. Secondly, he heard that Melvin was a pervert. Jenna was a very beautiful woman. He was afraid that Melvin would take advantage of her. It would be bad if he did. As he thought to himself, he could only hear the reluctance in Jenna¡¯s voice as she asked, ¡°Steffan, can I not go?¡±

    He cleared his throat and reached out to grab Jenna¡¯s small hand. ¡°Dory, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll be apanying you the whole time. No one would dare to take advantage of you.¡±

    Jenna blinked her eyes and asked in surprise, ¡°Is Melvin a devilwho would take advantage of people just because it¡¯s his birthday?¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡± Steffan coughed lightly and said, ¡°No, there¡¯s no such thing. It¡¯s just that you¡¯re very beautiful, so I¡¯m afraid that all the men will not be able to take their eyes off of you. I don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to you, lest it damages your reputation.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Jenna smiled. ¡°Steffan, you¡¯re such a joker. You think too highly of me.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not joking. I¡¯m just worried about you.¡± He raised his eyebrows and propped his chin on his hands as he looked her straight in the eye. ¡°Dory, I¡¯m sure you know how I feel about you.¡±

    He would asionally utter these kinds of intimate words when the two of them were alone. Jenna was not used to such a situation, so she lowered her head and said in a low voice, ¡°Steffan, we are in public. Please watch your words.¡±

    Steffan¡¯s eyes grew darker. He smiled and rxed the muscles on his face.

    ¡°Dory, I know how you feel, and I¡¯m aware of your concerns. I will never force a woman to ept me, so to speak. But you have to be fair. Why don¡¯t you give me a chance and try it out with me, am I right?¡± Steffan¡¯s expression gradually became solemn. He reached out and held Jenna¡¯s hand tightly. Jenna felt that she had no way to escape.

    In fact, Steffan wasn¡¯t one to sweet-talk. Ever since he fell in love with Dory, he had been very solicitous about her. However, he did not make any exaggerated actions. At most, he would just dole out some loving words.

    But then it was different. He felt that he had to take action. He did not want to wait any longer. He had already reached his limit. He wanted to shower her with love, in hopes that she would slowly ept him and fall into his arms.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was racing. She found it hard to speak but she eventually muttered, ¡°Steffan, I need to find out about my past before I fall in love again. Could you please give me some time?¡±

    She did notoutrightlyrefuse him.

    She was pregnant when she had fallen into the river. There were two questions that popped into her mind. Firstly, why had she fallen into the river? Secondly, who was the father of the baby?

    Was there any conspiracy?

    These questions were like a tangle of knots, failing to be unraveled.

    She knew she had to get to the bottom of these questions regardless. That was how she was.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Steffan was the one who had saved her, and he had a good impression of her. Moreover, in all honesty, he was an excellent man.

    Was there any reason for her to reject him?

    ¡°Sure.¡± Steffan¡¯s lips curled into a sincere smile. This was the first time that Jenna had seen him put on such a heartfelt smile.

    Steffan was a little more confident then. Although she still had some concerns,she did not reject him. That meant that she did not dislike him.

    He felt that he had a chance with Jenna.

    The atmosphere soon becamefortable again.

    Steffan quickly changed the topic and began to talk casually.

    In the fancy-looking office.

    Jenna was sorting out the designs in her hands. Steffan had instructed her to pick out some outstanding designs and bring them to Melvin¡¯s birthday banquet the next day.

    Steffan also said that Melvin¡¯s requirements weresky-high. Generally, he would only proceed with the designs that he liked. Moreover, he had a keen eye. Jenna was very meticulous as she perused her designs.

    Since the olden days, it was known that gifted people had strange behaviors and they stood out. Hence, it wasn¡¯t hard to understand.

 Chapter 762 Steffanâ€™s Apprehension

    ¡°Hey, I heard that ourpany is nning to hire Master Adames. This is electrifying news.¡± Several secretaries were chattering in the office.

    ¡°It is. It¡¯ll be great if he joins the Yintern Group. With him joining forces with Lexantra, I¡¯m sure ourpany¡¯s business will see a boom. Mr. Yintern said that if our business is good, then he will give us all a raise,¡± Joanne announced.

    ¡°A raise?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes brightened up when they heard this.

    ¡°Yes, I heard it with my own ears. He also said that he will give the design department a higher incrementpared to the others.¡± Joanne stroked her chin with her hand, her face full of smiles. ¡°Kudos to Lexantra! We are very lucky to have one heck of an outstanding designer.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Lexantra is an outstanding designer. I once heard that there was a famous automotive designer by the name Jenna Murphy. They say it was rare to find such a talented designer, but it seems that Lexantra has surpassed her. It looks like Lexantra is going to be famous soon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. But I feel like Lexantra looks a little like Jenna Murphy, don¡¯t you think?¡± One of the secretaries tilted her head and thought for a while before saying.

    They would never have imagined that the woman in front of them was actually the famous Jenna Murphy, forit was beyond their imaginations.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ording to their sources, Jenna was married to a business mogul. How could she appear in such a small country?

    Therefore, there wasn¡¯t a single doubt in their minds. Moreover, they had only seen Jenna on TV, and it was rare for her to appear on TV. However, she did look a little different in real life. In addition, it had been a long time since shest appeared on TV, and it wasmon for a person¡¯s features to change over time.

    ¡°Oh, right. If Melvin does end up joining ourpany, do you think he will be working here with us, in this office?¡± one of the female interns asked excitedly. There was a glint of hope in her eyes as she said, ¡°If he does, then we would be colleagues. Rumor has it that Master Adames is extremely good-looking.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but don¡¯t hold your breath. Even if thepany managed to convince him to join us, I doubt he will be working here with us. I¡¯m sure thepany will give him special treatment. He will definitely have his own personal office.¡± Joanne was quite rational.

    Some people weed the good news, but there were some who opposed it. For a moment, the office was very lively.

    The morning flew by as they chattered.

    ¡°Lexantra, Mr. Yintern is asking for you.¡± At around noon, Corrine, Steffan¡¯s secretary, came over to inform her.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Jenna gathered the designs that she had picked out, some of which were modified with color, and made her way to Steffan¡¯s office.

    Steffan was sitting on his desk chair as he read the newspaper with a frown on his face.

    He did not put down the newspaper when Jenna entered his office, he just continued to stare at it in a daze.

    ¡°Steffan,¡± Jenna called out when she felt something was amiss. He would usually stand up to greet her when she entered his office and asionally crack a joke. However, his face was a little dignified then. It was as if he was contemting something. He just kept staring at the newspaper. She had no idea what he was reading.

    Only when he heard Jenna¡¯s greetings did he lift his head up and straightened up.

    Jenna handed over the designs in her hands to him as she said in a somewhat less than confident tone,¡°Steffan, take a look at these designs that I¡¯ve picked out and let me know what you think.¡±

    He crossed his arms and looked at her. He raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Why? Do you not have any confidence in your own work?¡±

    Jenna smiled and said, ¡°Of courseI have confidence, but I don¡¯t want to be overconfident. As you know, we are going to give this to Melvin. If he doesn¡¯t like it, then all of my work will be in vain.¡±

    Steffan smiled and said, ¡°You seem like a person who has lost the fight even before it began. You do know that Melvin is human, right?As picky as he may be, his talents are not necessarily above yours. You must have confidence in yourself. Otherwise, you will suffer a lot when you work with him in the future.¡±

    Steffan gave her a heads-up in earnest.

    When Jenna heard it, she immediately nodded her head.

    Steffan then flipped through the designs that she had picked out. From time to time, he would nod with a smile.

    Jenna stood to the side as he flipped through her designs. Her eyes swept over the newspaper that he had been reading. She saw the words, ¡®Business mogul, Hansen Richards, will be arriving in Srirano tomorrow¡¯.

    She was a little stunned.

    Had Steffan been reading this article just then?

    She lifted her head and so happened to have met Steffan¡¯s eyes.

    It seemed like this indeed was the article that he had been reading.

    It wasn¡¯t that bad of a thing that a business mogul was willing to invest in Srirano. She doubted that it would affect the Yintern Group much.

    Why was Steffan so into this article? He had not even noticed that she was in his office. Obviously, he cared about it.

    ¡°This is good. It¡¯s settled then.¡± He returned the designs back to Jenna as he raised his head. He caught Jenna staring at the newspaper next to him. His gaze darkened and he said faintly, ¡°Dory, the business mogul, Hansen Richards, will be arriving in Srirano tomorrow.¡±

    Jenna said a faint ¡®oh¡¯, expressing that she knew of such a thing.

    Steffan¡¯s gaze drifted into the distance.

    ¡°Dory, do you think his arrival will have any impact on ourpany?¡± he murmured as looked out of the window, into the distance. He somehow felt that Hansen¡¯s presence in the country would herald some shocking changes, which made him feel a little uneasy. It seemed that even the space around him was pervaded with such an air of unease.

    Surely enough, he was a little apprehensive about Hansen¡¯s arrival.

    Jenna could not help but burst outughing.

    ¡°Steffan, don¡¯t fret. Hansen is one of the richest businessmen in the world. His intentions in visiting Srirano are well documented. He¡¯s nning to invest here, not topete with us. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±

    ¡°You got a point.¡± Steffan nodded and smiled. ¡°Even if he wants topete with us, he would have topete with our quality and designs. I have an excellent designer like you and an iing professional talent like Melvin. Even if he ns on producing cars here in Srirano, I am confident that we would still have the upper hand.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Jenna alsoughed. ¡°The Richards Group is arge corporation. I¡¯m sure they will not care about a small corporation like us.¡±

    Steffan smiled. He then retrieved a note from his desk drawer, handed it to Jenna, and said, ¡°Read this carefully. This is Master Adames¡¯s hobby. You¡¯ll do well to remember it.Then, we will cater to Master Adames¡¯s pleasure in the banquet and try to invite him to ourpany.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I will.¡± Jenna epted the note and read it. She made sure to memorise it.

 Chapter 763 Heâ€™s Acting Weird

    On a freezing cold morning.

    Jenna went to Zevulon¡¯s house as usual.

    To her surprise, Zevulon¡¯s door was already open. The courtyard that she had tidied up the day before was not as messy as she would usually find it to be. It seemed like he had deliberately sorted out the ce. It looked immactely clean and neat.

    No sooner had Jenna pushed through the door that sheheard the sounds of someone rifling through something.

    Was Mr. Tangger already awake?

    Zevulon would usually have a drink or two before bed and would not get up until noon. Usually around that time, he would still be in dreand.

    ¡°Dory, you¡¯re here! Quick! I need help with my outfit,¡± Zevulon said excitedly when he saw her. He seemed to have been waiting for her.

    Jenna was stunned.

    At that time, in Zevulon¡¯s room, his closet door was wide open and there were clothes strewn all over his bed.

    Zevulon had a suit in his hand while checking himself in the mirror, clearlylooking none too pleased.

    Jenna dragged her eyes across the selection of clothes. The clothes that were strewn on the bed were mostly wrinkled, while those in his closet had seen better days. There were even some shirts that had ck stains on them.

    Strictly speaking, none of his clothes were decent.

    It was just that.

    Zevulon was acting a little out of character that day.

    Why would a person who usually did not care about his appearance, be up so early, wondering what clothes to wear? Did he have a special asion he needed to attend?

    She raised her head and looked at Zevulon. She realised that his aged face was aglow. His grey eyes were especially bright right then.

    Humans definitely glowed when met with good news!

    The first thing that came to her mind when she saw his face was that he did have a special asion he needed to attend.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, all of these clothes are a little old-fashioned. They clearly do not suit you,¡± Jenna said in a very professional tone, smiling.

    ¡°Really?¡± Zevulon¡¯s face was immediately filled with disappointment.

    Jenna really wanted tough. She was amused by Zevulon¡¯s reaction when she told him that his clothes were a little old-fashioned.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, you can make aplete turnaround to your entire wardrobe whenever you want, but I¡¯m just wondering, why is there a need to pick out an outfit today?¡± Jenna held back herughter, tilted her head, looked at him carefully, and asked casually.

    Zevulon¡¯s face turned red. He seemed a little off that day.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing really. I have a friending over today.I might be old, but I still want to look presentable,¡± he said indifferently.

    Try as he might sound indifferent,there was a hint of excitement in his voice.

    ¡°I see.¡± Jenna nodded as if she suddenly realized something. ¡°So, that¡¯s what it is.¡±

    But did Mr. Tangger have friends? Was his friend a man or a woman? She was sure she had never seen his friend before!

    ¡°Dory, I¡¯m going to give you a day off today, but you will have to apany me to the store to pick out a new outfit,¡± Zenvulon said in a pleading toneas he gathered all of the clothes on his bedin one fell swoopand chucked them back into his closet.

    Delighted, Jenna said, ¡°Mr. Tangger, thisfriend of yoursmust not be an ordinary one.¡±

    ¡°Nah,definitely an ordinary friend.¡± He hedged, not admitting to anything.

    Jenna found it strange that he would go through all these hassles just for an ordinary friend. She refused to believe his words. She thought about it before she asked again.

    ¡°If so, then can you tell me whether this friend of yours is a man or a woman?¡±

    Zevulon rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Dory, it¡¯s your duty as my apprentice to apany me to shop for clothes. I¡¯m not asking for much. There¡¯s no need for you to ask these silly questions.¡±

    But Jenna was determined to get to the bottom of this. So, she made a face at him and spoke wittily.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, don¡¯t you know, this question is very important to determine what kind of outfit we are going to pick. If it¡¯s a man, then we can choose something casual, but if it¡¯s a woman, then we¡¯re going to have to put in more effort into choosing the right outfit. If you don¡¯t tell me, then I will not be able to pick the chicest outfit. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    Zevulon immediately became nervous when he heard this. In the end, he had to disclose to her that it was a female friend. Nevertheless, he kept on insisting that she was just an ordinary friend and that there was nothing going on between them.

    Jenna felt that he was just trying to protect the truth by building walls of excuses! She was amused by his behaviour. She pursed her lips and kept on smiling.

    As a result, Jenna had to apany Zevulon to the shopping mall in the morning. She gave him a full body makeover.

    Zevulon, who was standing in front of her, looked very different then. Even Jenna almost could not recognise him.

    In fact, Zevulon was rather good-looking. He had arge forehead and an angr face. It was just that he loved to grow out his beard and couldn¡¯t care less about his appearance. He would usually dress like a beggar, which made him look older than his actual age, when in fact he was only in his fifties.

    He was quite attractive now that he was all dressed up, coupled with his unique artist¡¯s aura.

    When Steffan dropped by Zevulon¡¯s house in the afternoon, he could not even recognise him.

    He stepped in and dragged Jenna away. ¡°Dory, Melvin¡¯s birthday banquet starts in a few hours and you are still here, dilly-dallying. Come on, let¡¯s go. You need to get dolled up.¡±

    ¡°Steffan.¡± Jenna broke away from his hand and said calmly, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a birthday banquet? Is there a need for me to get all dressed up?¡±

    ¡°Dory, those people attending the banquet are the most notable people in Srirano.Come rain or shine, you must dress up,¡± Steffan quickly said. He nearly said that as his girlfriend, she had to dress up. That way, she would stand out and look reputable!

    However, Jenna did not feel that way. If she had the choice, then she did not want to stand out. This kind of consciousness seemed to be firmly imprinted in her mind. She had no idea why she had this kind of thought,but perhapsthat was how she felt, in her marrow, about public asions.

    She did not like to attract attention.

    In fact, Steffan did not mind at all. It was just that this was the first time they would appear in public together. He felt that there was a need for her to dress up to set the tone of their future days. He did not have any other intentions. He just wanted to elevate her value and status.

    He did not want to wrong her!

    ¡°Oh, it turns out you fes have a banquet to attend tonight. Go ahead! I¡¯m all set,¡± Zevulon said, when he saw them tugging at each other.

    Only when Steffan heard Zevulon¡¯s voice thathe spun around and realised that there was someone else in the room.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    As soon as he turned his head, he shouted, ¡°Excuse me, who are you?¡±

    Zevulon was fixing his beard in front of the mirror. When he heard Steffan¡¯s cries, he frowned and said in anoffended tone, ¡°You brat! You cannot even recognise your own master. I¡¯ve wasted my time cultivating your talents.¡±

    ¡°My master?¡± Steffan let go of his hold on Jenna, turned around, and looked at him up and down. He was genuinely surprised as he clicked his tongue. ¡°My goodness, I did not expect I would actually see my master all suited up, fancy-schmancy. You look very dapper. I was just wondering where did this handsome mane from.¡±

    Zevulon was gratified with what he had heard. It was as if he enjoyed his ttery.

    This was the reaction he had been waiting for! This indirectly proved that he actually looked decent!

    However, he deliberately blew at his beard and gave him a death stare as he said, ¡°Steffan, don¡¯t you try to lick my boots. Can you spare me some cash? I¡¯m going to need it tonight.¡±

    When Steffan heard this, he said with a sad face, ¡°Why, why, Mr. Tangger, you sure know how to extort your disciples. This is too mean.¡±

    ¡°Brat, grow up! Don¡¯t be stingy. I¡¯m doing it for yourpany¡¯s sake tonight,¡± Zevulonsaid righteously as herolled his eyes at him.

    Steffan did not dare to talk back. He obediently took out his wallet and asked, ¡°How much do you need?¡±

    ¡°Ten thousanddors,¡± Zevulon answered without hesitation.

    ¡°You what? That much?! I don¡¯t have that much cash on me. I¡¯ll ask someone to send it to youter,¡± Steffan said as he closed his wallet. He then turned around and left with Jenna.

 Chapter 764 That Fragrant Scent

    The ne was flying through the clouds in the blue sky.

    With his sses on, Hansen rested his eyes in the first-ss cabin.

    Alvin, who was seated next to him, said softly, ¡°Mr. Richards, John and I did an investigation on the automobilepanies owned by people from Tambend. There are not many families with thest name Yintern, but there is one from Capital City and they own apany. However, they are involved in automotive design, not so much in developing luxury cars. They have subsidiaries that produce cars overseas.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Hansen¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Whichpany are you referring to?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I was referring to the Yintern Group. The Yintern family is one of the most notable families in Capital City. They can be described as a schrly family. Although Laisoman Yintern has never served in the army,he was appointed as a government official. He has two sons and a daughter. After he passed away, his second son, Genaro Yintern, has been very active in Srirano. He moved the Yintern Group to Srirano. Thepany is very reputable in Srirano. Thepany¡¯s main business is to produce cars for the locals. But it is just enough to meet the country¡¯s demands. The car quality isn¡¯t that high, even so, it is popr,¡± Alvin exined in detail.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that the Yintern Group is now based in Srirano?¡± When Hansen heard this, he sat forward and showed a strong interest. For a moment, an indescribable feeling arose in his heart.

    ¡°Sounds about right,¡± Alvin answered. He was a little puzzled. He did not understand why Hansen was so fascinated with thatpany.

    ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Hansen pondered as he leaned back in his seat. He then closed his eyes to rest.

    As soon as they got off the ne, Maloney Whitlock, the general manager of the Richards Group in Srirano, greeted them with a group of senior executives.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Richards, Mr. Robertson.¡± She had a big smile on her face,and her words were clear and confident.Only a nce and one would know that she was an alpha female.

    ¡°Yes, nice to meet you, Miss Whitlock.¡± Under Alvin¡¯s guidance, Hansen nodded his head gently.

    Maloney used to be the manager of the design department in thepany¡¯s headquarters. She was extremely smart,petent and was highly appreciated by Hansen.

    Once the project in Srirano had been given the green light, Hansen had decided to transfer her over and appointed her as the general manager. After all, this project was very important. It involved several internationalpanies. Hansen did not dare to be careless.

    The group of people made their way into their own luxury cars. A fleet of luxury cars that was a rare sight in Srirano then made their way to thepany in a grandiose manner.

    The cars were very eye-catching. The reporters quickly took pictures of it. Even the pedestrians on the street also came to check out the cars.

    As soon as they arrived at thepany, a representative from the government of Srirano came up and greeted Hansen. He even presented a token of appreciation. Moreover, the news that the President of Srirano was about to meet with Hansen had been conveyed and discussed in detail.

    Hansen had initially intended to stay here for a few months to supervise the development of thepanypersonally. He immediately decided on the time and schedule after discussing with Maloney.

    In this way, the news that Hansen had arrived in Srirano and that he was about to be received by the President of Srirano was quickly reported by the media. The public also showed great interest and goodwill in Hansen¡¯s investment.

    By the time he was done dealing with these trivial matters, it was already noon.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, today is Master Adames¡¯s birthday. Ourpany received his birthday invitation a few days ago.¡± As soon as Hansen was done looking through the documents, he saw Maloney approaching him with a smile, with a tinum-colored invitation card in her hand.

    As the former manager of the design department, she knew the importance of Master Adames to thepany¡¯s luxury cars. Therefore, as soon as most of the problems had been resolved, she took the invitation card and came over to ask Hansen for his opinion.

    Hansen raised his brows and used his hand to prop up his sses.

    ¡°It¡¯s a must for us to attend his birthday banquet. What time does it start?¡± he asked without hesitation.

    ¡°At seven o¡¯clock,¡± Maloney clearly replied.

    ¡°Oh, what time is it now?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s twenty-five minutes past twelve.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll attend the banquet tonight.¡± Hansen tapped his fingers on his office desk and said decisively, ¡°It¡¯s settled then.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, Mr. Richards.¡±

    She answered with a gentle smile and said carefully, ¡°I¡¯ve already made a reservation for lunch in theGdari Hotel. I¡¯ve also booked the presidential suite there for the duration of your stay.¡±

    When Hansen heard this, he frowned and said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯m here for work. I¡¯ll be staying here for a while. You ought to cancel the booking for the presidential suite and change it to an ordinary one.¡±

    Maloney stood there and did not say anything. She was wondering whether to change the rooms or not.

    Hansen¡¯s face immediately turned cold.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Maloney immediately replied when she saw the change in his expression.¡°I¡¯ll change it right away,Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Hansen nodded his head, with his expression easing.

    Maloney quickly went out and made a phone call to change Hansen¡¯s amodation from the presidential suite to an ordinary suite.

    ¡°Steffan, could you just let me be? Just let me wear something casual to the banquet?¡± Steffan drove into the basement parking lot of the Gdari Hotel and dragged Jenna to the beauty salon that was located in the hotel. Jenna wasmenting as she walked.

    It was her first timeing to a hotel to dress up ever since she was given a new lease of life. She felt it was too extravagant!

    ¡°Women need to dress up. Come on, be good.¡± Steffan smiled at her. His hands fell on her beautiful hair as he looked at her affectionately.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    It would be their first time in public together. As his girlfriend, she had to leave a positive impression on others. He was a reputable person and she, too, had to match his status, right?

    Jenna felt so helpless as she was being dragged towards the beauty salon. She had no choice but to follow himobediently.

    The beauty salon was located on the second floor, between the guest room and the dining room. It was very luxurious. Of course, only thoseupper-ss women could afford to patronize here.

    The hotel¡¯s TV screen was hot with news of Hansen¡¯s arrival in Srirano.

    Jenna followed Steffan as they made their way to the beauty salon.

    As soon as they entered the beauty salon, they could hear footsteps in the corridor leading to the dining room.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, they serve a variety of dishes here. They have local delicacies as well as a wide variety of international food. The taste is rtively authentic,¡± Maloney exined carefully. She was worried that Hansen might not find the local Srirano food to his liking.

    She had heard that Mr. Richards was very picky with food when he traveled. He would only eat the food cooked by his wife back home. He would eat restaurant food only if he had to entertain his clients.

    She had done a thorough research before finally deciding on this hotel.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything. It¡¯s just lunch,¡± Hansen said indifferently. This was not what she had expected him to reply.

    Maloney heaved a sigh of relief and then said in a friendly tone,¡°Alright then. If the food doesn¡¯t suit your tastes,then do let me knowandI¡¯ll find another ce.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m good. This will do.¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes were a little blurry, and his ears perked up. This should be a quiet environment. There was no noise.

    Suddenly, a faint fragrance wafted through the air anddrifted into his nose. This scent smelled very familiar. An indescribable feeling made Hansen¡¯s spirit waver. He took another deep breath, his eyebrows rxing.

    ¡°Alvin, what¡¯s this ce?¡± he asked Alvin, who was beside him, in a low voice.

    Alvin looked up and immediately answered, ¡°Mr. Richards, this is a beauty salon. The dining room is just up ahead.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Hansen slowed down. It was as if he was a little reluctant to part with this fragrant scent.

    For some reason, a trace of sadness drifted through his heart.

    Nheless, in the end, he followed the group of people and continued on towards the dining room.

 Chapter 765 Your Girlfriend Is Really Pretty

    ¡°Hi, can you please give her a full body makeover? I want her to look as elegant as possible,¡± Steffan informed the manager, who greeted them at the entrance of the beauty salon. After that, he turned to look at Jenna with a smile and said encouragingly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t take long.¡±

    Only when he saw the smile on Jenna¡¯s face did he turn around and walk happily towards the chairs in the waiting area.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Of course, the manager of the beauty salon knew who Steffan was. She immediately instructed her best makeup artist to do Jenna¡¯s makeup. After that, she brought a ss of cold water to Steffan.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern, thatdy must be your girlfriend.It looks like an important event awaits you both.¡±

    After saying that, she handed over the ss of cold water to Steffan.

    ording to Srirano¡¯s customs, the host had to serve their distinguished guests a ss of cold water as a sign of respect.

    Steffan was delighted when he heard the manager¡¯s words. He smiled brightly and leaned back against the soft chair. He crossed his legs and sat gracefully. He reached out to ept the ss of water and took a sip.

    ¡°It seems like there¡¯s an important guest here in the hotel today,¡± he said instead of answering her question, smiling.

    The manager wasquick-witted. She immediately knew who he was referring to. She smiled happily and said, ¡°Indeed, the business mogul, Mr. Hansen Richards, will be staying in this hotel for the duration of his stay in Srirano. He is our guest of honor, even our president wants to meet him.¡±

    As soon as she finished her words, she heard the makeup artist and the other beauticians shouting excitedly.

    ¡°He¡¯s here! Mr. Hansen is here!¡±

    The beauticians immediately dropped everything and quietly walked to the door to catch a glimpse of Hansen. It was not until Hansen and the others passed through the door that they returned to work.

    ¡°Wow, he is so attractive! He¡¯s not only rich, but he¡¯s also young and handsome! It¡¯s so rare to find these kinds of men.¡± The women were all swooning over him.They had never seen such a rich and handsome stud before. They felt that he was much more attractive in real lifepared to what they had seen on TV.

    Steffan closed his eyes and sat in the chair calmly.

    Jenna was sitting in front of the dressing table. Although she did not understand the local tongue,she knew who they were talking about. After all, the news on TV kept on reporting Hansen¡¯s arrival in Srirano. She was smart and could naturally understand who these women were swooning over.

    A faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth and she just sat there quietly.

    ¡°I¡¯m envious of Mrs. Richards. I heard that Hansen spent a staggering fifty million on their wedding. I also heard that she is very beautiful. What a blessed woman.¡± The beauticians sighed at the side.

    They had seen her a couple of times on TV before. However, none of them could ever imagine that at that moment, the seemingly ordinary woman sitting in the beauty salon was actually Mrs. Richards whom they were talking about. If they knew about her life experience, then they probably would not be envious of her.

    She might have appeared as a noble and beautiful bride on TV, but not many people knew what she had been through after marrying Hansen Richards. After all, she was just a woman who was married to a wealthy man. She rarely appeared on TV. In this small ind country, the people were simple and honest. The entertainment news was not as crazy as those in the big cities. Therefore, even if Jenna appeared in front of them, none of them would believe that it was really her.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, please contain yourself. Let¡¯s get back to work. None of these has anything to do with you. Thisdy here is our guest of honor. We don¡¯t have much time left. Let¡¯s dress her up!¡± The manager came over and urged everyone to hurry up. Soon, they quietened down and continued on with their work.

    Jenna felt a little tired after just having lunch.She soon nodded off as the makeup artist did their work.

    ¡°All done!¡± After an unknown period of time, Jenna was awakened by the makeup artist¡¯s voice and opened her sleepy eyes. She looked in the mirror and saw that she had rosy cheeks,and her hair casually coiffed up. She looked graceful and elegant.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern, your girlfriend is very pretty,¡± the manager immediatelyplimented Jenna when she saw Steffan walking towards them.

    Steffan smiled. He was very satisfied with the results.

    ¡°Could you pick a delicate evening gown for her? I want the word ¡®elegance¡¯ to ooze from her.¡± Steffan retrieved his wallet from his pocket and tipped them.

    They smiled and thanked him.

    ¡°Dory, please cooperate with them. I¡¯ll wait for you outside,¡± Steffan whispered into Jenna¡¯s ear. His voice was extremely warm.

    She could feel his breath on her face.

    Jenna took a step back. Her vision was a little blurry and she felt a little dizzy.

    She would always feel helpless when he treated her so well. She just did not know how to react. However, she had her own principles and bottom line. She was determined to figure out her past before she opened her heart up to love another man.

    Thus, she had to maintain a suitable distance from him.

    No matter how outstanding he was to her at the moment, he was just a stranger to her.

    He had saved her and she wanted to repay him with her gratitude. End of story.

    ¡°Alright, I will. Don¡¯t worry.¡± She took a step back, smiling as she nodded.

    Steffan returned the smile, turned around, and exited the beauty salon.

    That night would be the first time they appeared in public together. This would also be Jenna¡¯s first time facing the media after her assumed ¡®death¡¯. In Steffan¡¯s mind though, he knew that after tonight, at least in the eyes of the public, everyone would know about his rtionship with Jenna. Everyone would think that she was his girlfriend.

    And that made him very happy.

    ¡°Miss, your boyfriend is handsome and rich. I really envy you,¡± one makeup artist said sincerely.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna smiled, but firmly denied it. ¡°He is not my boyfriend, he is just my boss.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s so gentle and considerate. How could he not be her boyfriend?¡± The makeup artist thought to herself.

    Of course, the makeup artist refused to believe her. She just pursed her lips and smiled. She did not say anything else.

    Steffan made his way to the basement parking lot to collect his car after exiting the beauty salon.

    After all, it was not convenient for Jenna to walk so far, dressed in an evening gown.

    Just as his car pulled up in front of the hotel, a ck Bentley drove over and stopped in front of his car.

    He frowned.

    The Bentley door opened, and ahandsome man decked out in a suit emerged from the car with a smile on his face.

    The moment he saw him, his face darkened and tensed up.

    ¡°Hey, Steffan, my brother! You¡¯re actually here!¡± Yurij Yintern walked over and leaned against the car door, with a cynical smile on his face.

    Steffan opened his car door and got out of the car. He asked in a deep voice, ¡°Yurij, what are you doing here?¡±

    Yurij chuckled and raised his hand and was about to rest it on Steffan¡¯s shoulders.

    However, Steffan turned around, and Yurji¡¯s hand was left hanging in the air.

 Chapter 766 A Goddess

    Yurij guffawed in a loud, self-deprecating way. ¡°Steffan, c¡¯mon, don¡¯t be like this!¡±

    After saying that, Yurij took a step forward, approached Steffan, and spoke with a bitter expression.

    ¡°Steffan, you know that the current economy is not doing well. Ourpany in Capital City is mainly focused on literary and artistic products. Not many people are interested in them these days. Plus, the government has imposed heavy taxes on corporations. After Master Yintern passed away, our regr patrons don¡¯t visit us anymore. Our family is basically going broke soon, and it won¡¯t be an understatement to say that it would be a terrible sight.¡±

    Yurijined about his hardships. He was glib-tongued.

    Steffan¡¯s expression was getting colder by the minute. The only time Yurji woulde to look for him was when he needed money. He would always make up all sorts of excuses.

    Yurij was not cut out to be a businessman. He waszy but he was very good at sweet-talking. He knew how to make Master Yintern happy, and that was why Master Yintern had left the bestpany in Capital City to him. However, since he did not know how to manage apany and loved indulging in sensual pleasures, he was soon going to run out of money.

    Right then, the Yintern Group in Capital City was going downhill day by day. Only a handful of people recognized the Yintern Group those days.

    Steffan sighed inwardly. All said and done, they lived a separate life, and this was not his responsibility. He did not want to meddle in other people¡¯s affairs and wanted to avoid it if possible.

    However, in the past year, it seemed that Yurij did not want to let him go. Every once in a while, he woulde and extort money from him. This galled him to no end.

    ¡°As a president of thepany, you should devote your time and energy to thepany. You should read up on how to keep up with thetest trends and reuse talents, and not spend your time in nightclubs every other day.¡± Since Steffan knew the reason he was here, he cut to the chase.

    Master Yintern had a family motto. ¡®Brothers should live in harmony and help each other¡¯. After all, blood was thicker than water.

    Steffan was not a person who valued money. He attached great importance to brotherhood. Since thepany in Capital City was in financial turmoil,he would not turn a blind eye to it. He had generously helped him the first couple of times. As time went by, even the wealthiestpany would not be able to avoid bankruptcy. Gradually, Steffan not only became fed up but it became a problem that he could no longer solve.

    ¡°Steffan, I¡¯ve done my best. You also know that the business in Capital City is not good. It¡¯s not our fault that we have not been popr these days, especially after the Richards Group moved itspany headquarters to Capital City. Even ourpany, which used to be popr in cinema and cultural studios, has almost been surpassed by Hansen Richards¡¯abundant financial resources. If it goes on like this, then there will be no way out for us.¡± Yurij wore a sad face and bemoaned the situation.

    Steffan listened to hisments and soon became impatient. He briefly nced at the watch on his wrist and realized that Jenna should being out soon.

    He neither wanted Yurij to see Jenna with him, nor did he want Jenna to know that he had a brother, so he stiffly interrupted him, ¡°Just tell me how much do you need.¡±

    When Yurij heard that there was hope, his eyes lit up. He immediately smiled and said, ¡°Not much, only 5 million dors.¡±

    Steffan¡¯s expression was frigid. He did not want to argue with him any longer, so he took out his cheque book from his pocket and wrote a cheque for five million dors. He said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯m doing this for the sake of the Yintern family. This will be thest time I¡¯m helping yourpany. I hope you will buck up and put in more effort into managing thepany well.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Yurij¡¯s eyes were bright. After epting the cheque and ncing at it, he carefully tucked it in his pocket with a huge smile on his face. He then said, ¡°Steffan, Grandma misses you. She said it¡¯s time for you to find a partner and settle down. You are already 38 years old. You¡¯re not getting any younger. She is looking forward to you bringing your girlfriend home.¡±

    After that, he looked towards the luxurious hotel again and said with a mysterious smile on his face, ¡°It looks like you¡¯re here with your girlfriend, right?C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    A smile subconsciously appeared at the corner of Steffan¡¯s mouth, but he declined to say anything.

    The smile on Yurij¡¯s face became even more apparent.

    In order to prevent Yurij from ruining the atmosphere, he took out a card from his pocket and handed it to him. He said, ¡°There are a couple of thousands of dors in here. Why don¡¯t you use the money to get your kids some food and new clothes? I have something else to do, so I won¡¯t keep you here. And please pay more attention to thepany. The Yintern family has always been very intelligent. People who earn sries are not rogues in the market. You have to be good-tempered.¡±

    When Yurij saw Steffan offer him his bank card, his face blossomed into a wide grin. He quickly reached out and epted the card as he said, ¡°Yes, I will. Thank you on behalf of my kids.¡±

    ¡°Then, you should leave now.¡± Steffan took another nce at his watch and ordered him to leave.

    ¡°Alright. Steffan, you¡¯re the best. Although this is an ind country, the Yintern Group has a good reputation and status. The economy is pretty good and it¡¯s quitefortable here.¡± Yurij went on before he left. However, he also reminded Steffan, ¡°But now, you have to be careful. Hansen is now in Srirano and that¡¯s not a good thing. Now, all the popr industries in the country are inseparable from the Richards Group. The current Richards Group is very popr and unrivalled. You must keep an eye on them.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I know,¡± Steffan replied. He sounded a little unhappy.

    Yurij got what he wanted and said courteously,¡°Then, I¡¯ll be making a move. Don¡¯t want to interrupt you on your date, do we?¡± He then got into his car and left. Before he drove off, he did not forget to remind him, ¡°You need to bring a girl home as soon as possible.¡±

    As soon as Yurij left, Steffan breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Take care, Mr. Richards.¡± Just as Steffan breathed a sigh of relief, he heard the sounds of footsteps behind him. He could not help but to turn around.

    He saw a handsome man dressed in a suit and tie surrounded by a throng of people as he exited the hotel. He was wearing a pair of sses, his strides self-assured, and had no expression on his face.

    Needless to say, he immediately knew that this was Hansen Richards, the business mogul who was the talk of the town.

    He had seen Hansen in the newspaper headlines and TV news a couple of times, so he naturally left an impression on Steffan.

    His hands in his pockets, Steffan stood there with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

    The hotel manager led a group of ministers and walked them out of the hotel.

    It seemed that everyoneput their loyalties where their interests were. When they saw that there were rich businessmening over, their tters could echo for some distance.

    Steffan had always been indifferent to these things. He had never paid any attention to these sessful people. He raised his head and looked towards the entrance of the hotel.

    He roughly knew that Dory was about toe out.

    There was still some time until seven o¡¯clock. He was nning to take her out for a walk before they headed over to the banquet.

    As soon as Hansen¡¯s footsteps and the others passed by in front of him, his eyes lit up. Jenna, donning a white dress, emerged from the hotel.

    Her beautiful hair was styled into a bun. Her makeup was exquisite and she looked very elegant. She stood in front of him like a proud peony. It was as if a wall had been erected around her, separating her from the ordinary, leaving only her nobility and fragrance.

    The distinctive scent wafting from her gradually drifted through the air.

 Chapter 767 Please Put Aside Your Feelings

    Steffan sauntered towards her with a smile on his face.

    Hansen was surrounded by a huge crowd as he walked forward.

    For some reason, he smelled a familiar scent as it wafted through the air.

    He naturally slowed down.

    He wanted to turn around and track down this scent.

    Unfortunately, at that time, a few luxury cars drove over and stopped in front of him.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, please.¡± Corrine, his secretary, opened the car door and politely gestured for him to enter the car.

    Alvin carefully led him to the car and said softly, ¡°Mr. Richards, be careful. Step in front, just a little.¡±

    Hansen thought for a moment, buthe soon dismissed the idea and was forced to enter the car.

    The car was started.

    Hansen was seated in the back seat. He turned around and looked outside through the tinted windows.

    Although his vision waspromised, he could somewhat see a gorgeous woman standing not too far away, smiling at him.

    He was shocked. His heart skipped a beat and he straightened up in his seat.

    However, his illusion soon disappeared when the car started.

    Hansen heaved a sigh of relief,his breathing rxed due to this inexplicable illusion. He rxed and leaned back in his seat. It was only then did he realize that his palms were sweaty.

    This feeling was very uncanny.

    But he liked this feeling.

    It was just like how he liked the faint fragrance on Jenna.

    He was intoxicated by her smell.

    He believed he had made the right decision bying to Srirano.

    ¡°Dory, you look absolutely lovely,¡± Steffan said as he approached Jenna. He admired her as if he was appreciating a work of art,with his eyes full of amazement and praise.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna smiled and slightly blinked her bright eyes.

    ¡°Dory, it¡¯s still early. Why don¡¯t we go for a walk?¡± He reached out his hand to her with a gentle smile. Jenna hesitated. She was unwilling to hold his hand. She did not want to lead him on before she could figure out her past.

    Steffan smiled and took a step forward towards her. He gently reached out for her hand.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t refuse me. You are wearing high heels. I don¡¯t want you to trip over,¡± he reminded her softly. It was obvious that she was not used to wearing high heels. ¡°I don¡¯t have any other intentions.¡±

    His words made Jenna blush. She then reached out and held his hand as they ambled towards the car.

    It was winter in Srirano.White and pristine snow nketed everywhere. This scene was extraordinarily enchanting.

    Steffan and Jenna strolled along the river that overlooked the boundless expanse of snow. It was very peaceful.

    ¡°Steffan, my passport is with you, right?¡± The two of them walked along the river. The weather was cold, and Jenna was draping a thick red overcoat that was fluttering in the wind.

    When Steffan heard her question, his heart sank a little.

    ¡°You know, Dory, you don¡¯t have a passport,¡± he replied in a low voice.

    ¡°No way.¡± Jenna was very surprised. ¡°If I don¡¯t have a passport, then how could I have gone to Europe? How would I have been able to enter this country?¡±

    The wind blew so hard that the bare branches creaked, and snow would asionally fall to the ground.

    Steffan slightly leaned forward and exhaled a deep and heavy sigh.

    ¡°Dory, are you nning to leave me?¡± He sounded a little deste.

    Jenna stopped and turned to face him.

    Steffan could almost imagine what Jenna was going to say to him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything. I know what you¡¯re thinking. I don¡¯t want you to reject me. Whatever I did for you, I did it on my own will. I am willing to apany you and protect you for the rest of my life. But of course, only if you allow me to do so.¡± Steffan shrugged his shoulders.

    Jenna stood in the wind. Her hands were numb due to the cold breeze.

    Oh, God. What was she supposed to say?

    ¡°Dory, I understand how I feel about you, and I know how you feel about me. But I just want to let you know that I will not give up. I know you want nothing more than to find out about your past, but I firmly believe that you weren¡¯t happy with your past life, or else you would not have met me. I know I have the ability and patience to wait for you to ept me wholeheartedly.¡± He narrowed his eyes and said forcefully, ¡°I am a stubborn person. There is nothing that can change my mind once my mind is set, unless I am really wrong.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jenna felt a little sad.

    She understood what Steffan meant. She had a hunch that she had not lived a happy life in the past. Otherwise, she would not have ended up in the river, and pregnant at that.

    Nevertheless, she was very cautious.

    No matter how glorious the past was, she had to face it instead of avoiding it.

    When all of her questions were answered, only then would she put the past behind her.

    However, at that moment, she could not bring herself to ept Steffan.

    Steffan was not getting any younger. He should not waste his time on her.

    Steffan had seemed more persistent since that day at the cafe where he was met with her silence. This was what she was afraid of.

    ¡°Dory, you promised me that once you figure out your past, you would give me a chance, right?¡± Steffan asked, a glint of hope in his eyes.

    Jenna opened her mouth and did not know what to say. After a while, she said with difficulty, ¡°Which is why I was asking for my passport, Steffan. Once everything is settled down after the auto show next month, I¡¯ll leave this ce in search of my past. Once everything is figured out, I¡¯ll re-evaluate my feelings. You¡¯re a good man. I have no reason not to give you a chance. I also have no reason to reject a man who has been treating me so well. But before that, please put aside your feelings for me.¡±

    ¡°But Dory, your passport isn¡¯t with me.¡± He lit a cigarette and took a deep breath. Then, he continued, ¡°I used to be engaged to Yesenia Moore, of the notable Moore family from Capital City. At that time, I never loved her. During that year, she fell seriously ill and the doctors had no way to treat her. In order to make her happy, I decided to take her to Europe. She passed away not long after we got back from Europe. I kept her passport. When I pulled you out of the water, I knew that I did not have much time if I wanted to save you. I realized that you looked somewhat like Yesenia. I did not know your background at that time and I did not have time to investigate. So, I used her passport for you. Moreover, I have some connections in Europe. At that time, you were seriously ill, so I managed to get through customs easily. That is why I said I don¡¯t have your passport. Do you understand it now?¡±

    Jenna was stunned by his exnation.

    It turned out that she was a person without any identification.

    And Steffan had once been engaged to another woman.

    ¡°Steffan, you told me that you pulled me out of the river near Sunshine Mountain. So, I¡¯m most likely from A City.¡± Jenna raised her head and looked at the snow in the distance, seemingly trying to recall something.

    After a moment of silence, Steffan said, ¡°Dory, I haven¡¯t investigated your background because I don¡¯t have the time and there is no need to do so. As you know, I rarely go home, but I feel that something tragic must have happened for a pregnant woman to end up in the river. If so, do you really think that it¡¯s necessary for you to remember everything about the past? Whatever happened in the pastis already the past. It no longer exists. But here in Srirano, I can give you an identity. You can start your life all over again without any baggage. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s good?¡±

    Steffan took a drag of his cigarette. The crow¡¯s feet at the corner of his eyes condensed into a deep crease at that moment.

    Jenna nkly looked at him.

    What he meant was that she shouldpletely forget her past and restart her life.

    But was it possible?

 Chapter 768 Felt Like Crying

    Suddenly, Steffan leaned forward and locked his eyes on Jenna. He said in a low and solemn voice, ¡°Dory, trust me. I will definitely be able to give you happiness.¡±

    His breathing was ragged, his breath hot as he stared at her with burning eyes.

    ¡°After our auto show next month, I¡¯ll help you to apply for a Srirano passport. Then, I¡¯ll bring you back to Capital City to meet my parents. What do you think?¡±

    He was very aggressive. He was so intimidating that Jenna could not help but to take a few steps back.

    ¡°Steffan, please don¡¯t force me¡­ Don¡¯t forget that I was once pregnant,¡± Jenna said as she started to panic.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t say that again. I¡¯m willing to do this. I have thought about all the consequences.For those people in your past, you don¡¯t exist anymore. It¡¯s better to start over,¡± Steffan said seriously.

    Jenna felt a headacheing on.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s almost time. I think we should make a move,¡± Steffan quickly said after taking a quick nce at his watch. He realized that Jenna did not look so good all of a sudden. He sighed and said, ¡°Dory, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll give you some time to think about it. I want you to think before rejecting me.¡±

    Jenna felt as if her heart was clogging up.

    She did not know what else to say to Steffan. She had time and time again rejected him, explicitly or implicitly, and she could no longer bring herself to hurl cruel words at him anymore.

    There was no reason for her to reject him after what he had done for her. He had taken care of her and showered her with affection.

    Putting aside the past, she was currently on her own. She had no one to rely on. If she left Steffan, she could not imagine what might lie in the road ahead.

    All of a sudden, the loneliness that had been hidden at the bottom of her heart suddenly burst out like a broken dam.

    She felt extremely ufortable. She wanted to burst into tears at that moment.

    She lowered her eyes and could feel nothing but sheer loneliness. Tears began to pool in her eyes.

    She was lonely and helpless.

    The feeling of loneliness kept on growing and growing that her entire body was frozen in the snow.

    At that moment, she was worried that she would fall over.

    Snowkes began to flutter down from the sky. They came one after another. It was as if the snowkes resembled the loneliness in her heart.

    She was in so much pain that she could not control herself. She crouched down and buried her face in her hands. She instantly burst into tears.

    ¡°Dory, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Steffan was afraid that he had offended her. He reached out to ce aforting hand on her shoulder and said in a soft voice that carried a little of self-me, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please don¡¯t cry. I shouldn¡¯t have forced you.¡±

    All the fear and loneliness that she had been hiding came pouring out at that moment. Jenna could not control herself.

    Steffan quietly helped her to her feet. She was crying so much that she could not stand up straight.

    He had never seen her cry like this in such a long time.

    She must have suppressed her emotions for a long time. It was better for her to let it all out.

    He took out some tissues to wipe her tears and said dotingly, ¡°Look, your makeup is all messed up now. Silly girl! Just let it all out. Don¡¯t worry, I will not force you anymore.¡±

    He knew that Jenna was a woman who liked to keep things to herself. She would not reveal the secrets in her heart easily, nor would she show her emotions in front of others easily. She buried all her bitterness in her heart. Although she always had a smile on her face, no one knew how much she was suffering within.

    It was because of this that Steffan was finally willing to give in.

    He did not want to see her in pain. He would feel sorry for her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go and fix your makeup first,¡± Steffan said softly when he saw thatJenna had finally calmed down.

    They soon made their way back to theGdari Hotel.

    ¡°Dory, we are runningte. I¡¯m going to head back to the office to grab the designs and invitation card while you fix your makeup.¡± Steffan did not expect that they would be running behind schedule. He looked at the time and realized that it was better to leave from here. He kindly told Jenna, ¡°If you feel a little tired after fixing your makeup, then you can take a rest here.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jenna nodded obediently.

    Then, Steffan left in a hurry.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Alvin, what time is it now?¡± After eating lunch, Hansen went back to the officebrieflyto deal withpany affairs. He then brought his luggage and followed Alvin back to theGdari Hotel to take a nap.

    Ever since hended in Srirano, he could always feel a type of strange and unpredictable aura lingering around him. Even when he fell asleep, he would still be surrounded by this feeling.

    When he firsty down on the hotel bed, he could not help but to toss and turn. He just could not seem to fall asleep.

    He couldn¡¯t sleep as peacefully as before ever since Jenna left. In the past, he had always held her in his arms when he slept. But now he was cold and lonely. Most of the time, his nights were not visited by sleep.

    When he was finally able to fall asleep, he heard a woman¡¯s faint crying. However, the voice sounded very familiar. It was as if his mind was teasing him.

    He was so shocked that he wanted to sit up, but he could not open his eyes.

    When he woke up again, he realized that the sky outside was getting a little dark. He knew that it was gettingte.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s almost six o¡¯clock now. It¡¯s about time we leave for Master Adames¡¯s birthday banquet,¡± Alvin reminded him seriously after checking his phone.

    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s set out.¡± Hansen nodded.

    After Alvin helped Hansen clean up,the two made their way out the door.

    Jenna stood at the entrance of the hotel, anxiously checking her cell phone from time to time.

    ¡°Steffan has been gone for some time. Why isn¡¯t he back?¡±

    She stood there, fidgeting.

    Alvin apanied Hansen into the elevator as they made their way to the first floor. They then exited the elevator once it announced its arrival at the first floor.

    The light at the door was a little blurry. Hansen adjusted his sses. It seemed that it would take some time for his eyes to recover.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I heard that Melvin Adames has a strange character. He is a lecherous man. You¡¯ll have to put in more effort if you want to convince him to join ourpany,¡± Alvin said with some worry.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s lips curled into a yful smile. ¡°Atalented person chooses a patron of integrity. He¡¯s a human after all. Although he might be picky,he¡¯s also a man with desires. It shouldn¡¯t be difficult to convince a person like him. In today¡¯s world, are there any automobilepanies that can rival our Richards Group? Unless, he does not want to be famous.¡±

    When Alvin heard this, although he agreed,he still could not bring himself to loosen up.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, the Yintern Group is currently thergest corporation in Srirano. Ourpany is just starting out here. I heard that Steffan Yintern, the president of the Yintern Group, is also very fond of him. I also heard that Steffan¡¯s girlfriend is a very talented automotive designer.She¡¯s the one who designed the car model that broke the pre-order record at the auto show at the World Trade Centerst month. At present, Steffan is nning to organize an auto show next month to showcase his car designs. I heard that he is nning on expanding his business worldwide,¡± Alvin exined the details of his investigation.

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Hansen smirked at Alvin. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just the Yintern Group?¡±

    In the business field, there was nothing he could not ovee. The Yintern Group was nothing!

    Just as Hansen mentioned the word ¡®Yintern¡¯, Alvin suddenly thought of something. He could not believe his eyes.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards!¡± Alvin suddenly shouted in surprise.

 Chapter 769 Melvin Adamesâ€™s Birthday Banquet

    ¡°What?¡± Hansen blurted out as his body trembled.

    He could smell the familiar scent again as it traveled through the air.

    Alvin stood with his mouth agape. It was as if he had seen a ghost.

    He saw the back of a graceful woman standing by the entrance of the hotel. Judging by her figure, she looked like the woman whom Hansen had beenbitterlyyearning for over the past year.

    He was about to rush up to the woman.

    Suddenly, a ck luxury car drove over.

    The car door opened swiftly.

    The woman bent down and entered the luxury car.

    It was driven away assoon as Alvin arrived at the entrance of the hotel.

    ¡°Alvin, what did you see? Did you see my wife?¡± Hansen asked,hurrying over to Alvin.

    Alvin was stumped for a while before he replied in surprise, ¡°Mr. Richards, I cannot believe my eyes! There was a woman standing here just now. She looks like Mrs. Richards from behind.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Hansen raised his eyebrows and immediately said, ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sure it was her. That woman has to be Jenna. I knew she was still alive. She has been in Srirano all this while. I could sense that she was near me.¡±

    Hansen was extremely excited. His entire body began to tremble. ¡°Alvin, where has she gone?¡±

    ¡°She got into a luxury car and left,¡± Alvin said curiously.

    ¡°A luxury car? Whose car? Quick! Let¡¯s give it a chase.¡± Hansen¡¯s heart started to race. His face was flushed.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, just a moment ago I managed to catch a glimpse of the license te. I¡¯m going to send the license number to Maloney and ask her to check it immediately.¡± Alvin had never believed that Jenna would still be alive as it was imusible. However, just then, when he saw the woman¡¯s back, his whole body began to tremble.

    That figure could be superimposed with Jenna¡¯s.

    Hansen was very certain that she was still alive, under the premise that there had never been any information from Jenna.Maybe there was really an unseen force that was bringing them together. Perhaps, God was giving them a chance to reunite.

    This was the biggest shock Alvin had ever had in his life.

    He quickly texted the license number to Maloney.

    ¡°Alvin, hurry up. Let¡¯s give chase to the luxury car.¡± Hansen was already losing his patience as he anxiously instructed Alvin.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Alvin replied as he put away his phone. He quickly started the car and drove towards the direction of the luxury car, with Hansen in the back seat.

    The Adames Mansion was brightly lit at night. It was as bright as the stars in the sky.

    This was really an eye-opening experience for Jenna. The Adames Mansion not only stood out, but the design of the courtyard door was also different from others.

    The entire mansion was magnificent and wasparable to the royal pce. It was said that Melvin had specially hired a European designer to imitate the pces in Europe, which was grand and emphasized its nobility.

    After Steffan steadily parked the car, he got out of the car, opened the door, and reached a hand out to Jenna.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna hesitated for a while before epting his hand.

    Steffan smiled and reached out to hold Jenna¡¯s ice-cold fingers.

    The two of them held hands as they made their way towards the grand hall.

    Jenna had a feeling that if Melvin was not an old man like Mr. Tangger, then he had to be like Steffan. After all, he was an automotive designer!

    Soon, Jenna could not be more wrong.

    The banquet was very easygoing. Guests scattered and chatted in groups of twos and threes. Theughter was endless. There was no solemn atmosphere at all. It was like a high school party.

    As soon as she entered the hall, Jenna saw a young man with curly hair, dressed in red pants. He was holding a ss of red wine while being surrounded by a group of s*xy and attractive women.

    He held the stem of the wine ss between his thumb and middle finger, and asionally took a sip. He smiled as he flirted with the women around him.

    ¡°Is this Melvin?¡± Jenna blinked her eyes hard and asked incredulously.

    Steffan¡¯s lips curled into a smile as he said, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve never seen him before. I heard that he used to work here in Srirano before he left for Europe. He was initially determined to make a name for himself in Europe, but for some reason, he suddenly returned to Srirano.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Adames, here, have a sip of my wine,¡± said one of the many women around Melvin. This gave them confirmation.

    It gave them confirmation that this androgynous man was actually none other than Melvin Adames.

    There were many guestsing and going, but he did not entertain them at all. He somehow managed to attract arge group of beautiful women.

    The guests seemed to have adapted to his behavior. They came and went freely and no one cared about these small rituals.

    Jenna had done her preparation beforeing. She had also deliberately sorted through her designs and picked out the most outstanding one. She genuinely had good faith. She wanted to have a good talk with him and try her best to convince him to join theirpany.

    In the end, it all went out the window.

    Jenna instantly had the feeling that her homework waspletely in vain.

    Melvin was drunk and his face was full of lust. It was very obvious that he was nning on gettingid with all these beautifuldies that night.

    How could Melvin possibly be the most sought after designer with this behavior?

    Had Steffan made a mistake?

    Jenna felt her doubts creeping in on her.

    Melvin did not look like a world-renowned designer at all. He looked more like a yboy who enjoyed sleeping around.

    Clearly, it was not stated in the list of hobbies that Steffan had given to her the day before.

    There was a sudden moment of tranquility in the midst of the party. Perhaps, it was because Steffan and Jenna had entered the hall.

    Everyone felt that the entire hall seemed to be lit up by a strange light. They all had their eyes on Steffan and Jenna.

    At that time, some media personnel next to them raised the cameras in their hands and began taking their pictures.

    That was the first time Jenna had appeared in the media ever since she had been rescued. Not only that, she appeared hand in hand with Steffan.

    She felt very ufortable.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go over and say hello to Master Adames.¡± Steffan ignored the media and smiled. He gracefully walked towards Melvin with Jenna in tow.

    ¡°Hello, Master Adames,¡± Steffan greeted Melvin with a smile. He extended his hand out to Melvin politely.

    Melvin also felt that the atmosphere was unusual. He quickly broke free from the arms of the beautiful women around him. When he saw Steffan¡¯s extended hand, he reached out and shook his hand slightly before letting go.

    Melvin looked at Jenna with fascinating eyes.

    His eyes suddenly lit up.

    When Jenna realized that Melvin was staring at her, she took a deep breath and smiled back gracefully. She then said, ¡°Hello, Master Adames. I¡¯m pleased to meet you. My name is Lexantra, I¡¯m the automotive designer at the Yintern Group.¡±

 Chapter 770 To Cross Paths (Part One)

    ¡°Oh, my!You¡¯re a beautiful car designer. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡± Melvin¡¯s face immediately beamed. He reached out his hand and held Jenna¡¯s tightly, showing no signs of letting go.

    Jenna was sure she had not extended her hands towards Melvin. Outof her instinct of self-preservation, she would never reach out to shake hands with such a Don Juan.

    However, Melvin gently stroked her hand intimately while smirking devilishly.

    ¡°Do you mind if I ask how old you are, mdy? Are you engaged in matrimony?¡± Melvin continued to ask, wrestling with his drunkenness. He approached her with a smile.

    There was an awkward expression on Jenna¡¯s face. She pursed her red lips tightly and did not know how to reply for a moment.

    When she got closer, she realised that Melvin was actually quite handsome, especially with his amorous eyes. He was more beautiful than a woman.

    ¡°Master Adames, I am¡­¡± Steffan frowned when saw the malicious look on Melvin¡¯s face as he held Jenna¡¯s hand. He dared not unleash his destructiveness in public but only wanted to divert his attention. So, after he introduced himself, Melvin waved a dismissive hand and said, ¡°Whatever. Go and get yourself some wine.¡±

    The muscles on Steffan¡¯s face stiffened. His expression darkened and a gleam of light shed in his eyes.

    ¡°Ma belle,e here. So, tell me, how long have you been designing cars?¡± Melvin asked as he continued holding Jenna¡¯s hand. He showed great interest in her.

    Jenna was not used to being held by a man like this. At the moment, she wanted to pull back her hand, but Melvin seemed to know what she was thinking, so he tightened his grip on her hand.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not go there. Actually, it¡¯s just my hobby.¡± Jenna had no choice but to answer.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just your hobby? That¡¯s amazing! You are gifted.¡± Melvin rambled on as he looked at Jenna with fascinating eyes.

    At that time, Jenna¡¯s body was exuding a noble aura. Those beauties around her were not on the same level as her.

    Melvin instantly felt as if his soul had been ripped out of his body. As he stared at Jenna, he actually felt suspicious and said to himself, ¡°Miss Lexantra, you are very beautiful. You look somewhat familiar.¡±

    Jenna did not know whether tough or to cry. By the way, Melvin had not even seen the model of cars that she had designed. How could he praise her like this? It seemed that this guy was not going to let her go easily.

    ¡°Master Adames, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m going to bring my girlfriend into the hall.¡± Steffan, who was standing to one side, was getting impatient. He immediately coughed and quietly reached out to pinch Melvin¡¯s hand. Melvin flinched and could not help but to let go of Jenna¡¯s hand.

    It turned out that she already had a beau!

    Melvin was a little discouraged. He seemed to notice Steffan¡¯s presenceonlyafter being pinched. He was a little sober then but he did not give up. He immediately grinned and threw a sly leer at Jenna. He smiled and said, ¡°Alright, please go ahead.¡±

    Jenna did not protest when Steffan addressed her as his girlfriend due to Melvin¡¯s actions.

    If the Yintern Group was able to hire Melvin,then they needed to work on a lot of things. However, as Steffan¡¯s ¡®girlfriend¡¯, she was probably safe from Melvin¡¯s advances.

    When she was finally out of Melvin¡¯s grasp, she reached out for Steffan¡¯s hand and made their way into the hall.

    Soon, Jenna was shocked by what she saw.

    She was surprised to see Zevulon, who was dressed in a suit with his hairbed back, in the corner of the room. He was brimming with energy as he sat opposite a woman.

    Jenna was stunned.

    The woman was around forty years old. She looked graceful and elegant, wearing a light blue evening gown. Her demeanor was very sophisticated and ssy. At first nce, one could tell that she was a well-educated woman.

    ¡°It turns out that Mr. Tangger has such a beautiful confidante.¡± Jenna was genuinely surprised.

    Zevulon was usually bedraggled and homely, but he was able to capture the heart of such a woman. It just goes to show that one should not judge a book by its cover.

    She could not help but to nudge Steffan and whispered, ¡°Steffan, look! Mr. Tangger is here as well.¡±

    At that time, Steffan was staring at the man who had just entered the hall. This man was tall and handsome. He had an extraordinary temperament. Even the men following him were also dignified and distinctive.

    This person was none other than Hansen Richards.

    Steffan frowned slightly at the sight of him and a hint of panic shed in his eyes.

    What was he doing here? It was only his first day here in Srirano.

    Even if Melvin had invited him just because of the reputation and influence of the Richards Group, there was no need for him to grace the banquet with his presence.

    In other words, there was only one exnation. It meant that the Richards Group also wanted to hire Melvin!

    If that was the case¡­

    Just as he was lost in his thoughts, Jenna, who was beside him, nudged him and whispered the name, ¡®Mr. Tangger¡¯.

    Only then did hee back to his senses. He followed Jenna¡¯s gaze. Soon, hehad a look ofsurpriseonhis face.

    It turned out that Zevulon came here to pick up women!

    Steffan had been his apprentice for more than ten years. This was the first time that he had seen Mr. Tangger all dressed up in a suit while talking andughing with a woman.

    Steffan was genuinely taken aback.

    After a while, he suddenly became happy and whispered in Jenna¡¯s ear, ¡°Dory, you¡¯re in for a treat. Mr. Tangger will no longer dare to make things difficult for you in the future. When we go back, I¡¯m going to ckmail him. I¡¯m going to ask him to teach you all the techniques that he has been hiding.¡±

    Jenna smiled when she heard this. She understood what Steffan meant. She immediately said, ¡°Forget it.Mr. Tangger has been a bachelor for half of his life. We¡¯ve never seen him with a woman before. It¡¯s rare for him to find a woman whom he¡¯s interested in, so please don¡¯t make things hard for him.¡±

    Steffan thought for a moment and agreed. He took her hand and whispered in her ears, ¡°Well, you¡¯re very kind-hearted. You¡¯re more concerned for Mr. Tangger than I am. Fine, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±

    Jenna pursed her lips and smiled. Her eyes fell on Zevulon and the woman.

    ¡°Alvin, are you sure that the luxury car was driven here?¡± Hansen and Alvin had been chasing after the luxury car. Unexpectedly, they ended up at Adames Mansion.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m sure. I¡¯ve broken all the speed limits just to catch up to them. You have to trust my driving skills.¡± The two entered the hall. At that time, people wereing and going in the hall. Melvin had already been in the arms of a run-of-the-mill beautiful woman.

    When Hansen and the rest arrived, no one came to receive them. Instead, many of the media personnel rushed over to snap photos when they saw him.

    Alvin and Hansen deftly avoided the media.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Alvin, seize the time andtry to look for her here. By hook or by crook, I must find my wife today.¡± Hansen¡¯s heart itched with that clueless feeling. If his Jenna was really here, then he must be able to find her that day. He wanted to ask her, why didn¡¯t shee home?

 Chapter 771 To Cross Paths (Part Two)

    ¡°Got it,¡± Alvin answered. He nced around and immediately asked, ¡°Mr. Richards, where should we put Melvin¡¯s gift? It seems like there isn¡¯t any gift table. I mean, the party is a little chaotic.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I have my ways with Melvin,¡± Hansen immediately said. As the president of the Richards Group, he was not afraid of failing to hire Melvin Adames. He was already honoring him by attending his birthday banquet.

    Melvin was truly a jerk in every sense of the word. They had been there for so long, yet no one came to receive them. What was more, this looked less like a normal banquet and more like a frat party.

    He had heard a little about Melvin Adames.

    At that moment, a special person could only use a very special method to deal with him.

    ¡°Alright, why don¡¯t you take a seat? I¡¯ll go and look around,¡± Alvin said as he led Hansen to a dark corner. Then, he left in search of Jenna.

    Steffan led Jenna around the hall before finding a ce to sit down. After a while, his cell phone rang.

    Steffan answered his phone and his expression changed in an instant.

    ¡°Okay, give me a sec, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± After a moment, he put down the phone and stood up.

    ¡°Steffan, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jennaasked worriedly when she sawthe change in Steffan¡¯s expression. She sensed that something was wrong.

    Steffan had a serious look on his face.

    ¡°Dory, something happened in the car production nt in the eastern suburb. Some local ruffians and hooligans broke in and attacked some of our employees. I¡¯m heading over there to check on the situation. How about you stay here and wait to see if there¡¯s any opportunity for you to show Melvin your designs? Just do your best to convince him,¡± Steffan said. He was very anxious.

    Upon hearing this, Jenna¡¯s expression changed as well.

    Srirano was quite a safe ce, so how could something like this have happened? And it had to happen at a time like this. She had never heard of anything like this before.

    She could not me Steffan for being so skittish after hearing the news. This was the first time something like this had happened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, go ahead. I know what to do.¡± Jenna could not hide the worry in her eyes. There was nothing she could do besidesforting him.

    Steffan took a deep breath, turned around and left. After taking a few steps, he turned back quickly.

    ¡°Dory, you have to be careful when you¡¯re with Melvin. This guy is a little rogue and he¡¯s also very lecherous. Do not let him take advantage of you. If you can¡¯t convince him, then so be it. I¡¯ll think of a way tomorrow. Fortunately, Mr. Tangger is here as well. You can go and find him if you need help.¡±Steffan was very worried when he thoughtof how Melvin had acted around Jenna when they entered the room just then. That was why he had to turn back around to remind Jenna. Finally, he said with great concern, ¡°No, Dory. I think it¡¯s best if youe with me.¡±

    Jenna understood his worries and was a little moved, but her mind was clear. She immediatelyforted him. ¡°Steffan, don¡¯t worry. I have to stay here. This is a rare opportunity for us. Melvin is going to showcase his workter on. I don¡¯t want to miss this opportunity.¡±

    Steffan felt that her words were reasonable. After thinking for a while, he said, ¡°Sounds fine to me, but you have to pay extra attention to your surroundings. I¡¯lle back as soon as I¡¯ve settled the situation. Wait for me here. If you need any help, then I¡¯m only one call away.¡±

    After giving the order, he walked out in a hurry.

    Jenna started to feel uneasy as soon as Steffan left.

    She was a little worried about Steffan. She did not know if he could deal with such violence. From many angles, Steffan looked like an artist. Could he handle such violence? Furthermore, this incident happened out of the blue.

    She sat there in a daze. Little did she know that there was a pair of eyes that had been staring at her the whole time from a distance.

    A man approached her and asked hesitantly as he hunched,¡°Mrs. Richards, is that you?¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Richards?¡± Jenna, taken by surprise, looked up. The man was slightly swarthy. He was tall, but he was quite handsome. He looked like he was in his twenties.

    Her mind was nk after thinking for a while. She felt that she did not recognise him.

    She looked up at him in surprise and asked uneasily,¡°May I ask who you are looking for?¡±

    Alvin carefully examined Jenna. He immediately knew that he was right.

    She was indeed Mrs. Richards.

    Not only did she look like her, but she also sounded like her.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, it¡¯s really you!¡± He sounded very excited. He was very delighted that he had found her.

    Jenna was even more bemused. She nced around and realized that people were looking at them.

    She could only stand up and cautiously ask, ¡°Sir, are you sure you¡¯ve found the right person?¡±

    Although she had lost her memory,she had just been here for less than a year and only knew a handful of people. Her social circle was very small. She did not know any other men apart from the people at work, and Zevulon.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, do you really not recognise me?¡± Alvin asked in surprise. He was initially suspiciousbefore he became certain. Right then, he was surprised.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,but no.¡± Jenna thought for a while and shook her head. However, she realized that this man did not seem to be kidding. His expression was very cautious and serious. Was he someone she had known in the past? And what was he doing here in Srirano? He even addressed her as ¡®Mrs. Richards¡¯. Was this her former identity?

    At that moment, she heard a voice beside her saying, ¡°Miss Lexantra, here, I¡¯d like to propose a toast to you.¡±

    Melvin appeared out of nowhere and forced himself in between Alvin and Jenna. His face was slightly flushed and his eyes were blurred from intoxication. He had a sinister smile on his face.

    Alvin was then blocked by Melvin. He forced himself to calm down for a moment. After thinking for a while, he walked to the other side.

    ¡°Miss Lexantra, you look exquisite. You have very beautiful ears as well.

    You must be blessed.¡± Melvin approached Jenna. He reeked of alcohol as he looked at her with a smile. While Jenna was not paying attention, he reached out for her hand and gently stroked it. He said, ¡°Look at your hand. It¡¯s so soft and delicate. Long and slender fingers. You will definitely be a rich and noble person in the future.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face flushed immediately. She did not expect Melvin to be so unrestrained in public. Perhaps, it was one of his traits as a yboy, but for Jenna, all he was doing was no different from flirting.

    She then said in a serious tone, ¡°Master Adames, the Yintern Group came to attend your birthday banquet with the utmost sincerity. Please show us some respect.¡±

    After that, she struggled to break free from his hand.

    Melvin seemed to be a little tipsy. He quickly realized that he had been neglecting his etiquette.

    He immediately let go of her hand. However, his eyes immediately lit up with interest.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    He felt aroused when he saw the serious look on Jenna¡¯s face. Beautiful women flocked around him, and all of them were eager to sleep with him, except for the woman in front of him.

    She was different from the other women. She was more mature. She had a noble and elegant temperament. Most importantly, there seemed to be an invisible halo hovering above her,ing in and out of his vision. She was unattainable, and it wagged up his desire to conquer her.

 Chapter 772 To Cross Paths (Part Three)

    ¡°Miss Lexantra, Yintern Group is a well-knownpany and I really admire your work. It¡¯s an honor to have you here.¡± Melvin was quick to react, letting go of Jenna¡¯s hands and bowing slightly, an honest and sincere expression on his face.

    His expression put Jenna at ease.

    ¡°Master Adames, I¡¯m here today on behalf of ourpany to celebrate your birthday, and to extend a sincere invitation for you to join Yintern Group.¡± Jenna knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If he continued going on like this, she might not have a chance to show him her capabilities. Not wanting to let the opportunity pass her by, she immediately revealed the real reason for her visit.

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s the reason for your visit.¡± Melvin¡¯s expression changed to one of surprise. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I wasn¡¯t aware that you had such an idea.¡±

    Jenna narrowed her eyes as she sized him up, trying to figure out how sincere he was being.

    Melvin looked quite serious, which was a rare urrence. It was as if he was apletely different person from before.

    Purely based on his reaction, he really did seem like a dedicated designer.

    Jenna had wanted to leave, but for the sake of thepany¡¯s interests, she decided to stay put. She simply nodded her head and said, ¡°Yes, Master Adames, ourpany does have an interest in you.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Melvin¡¯s expression became even more serious. ¡°Yintern Group is a goodpany indeed. All of you have shown your sincerity bying all the way here to extend your invitation in person, and that makes me very delighted. Why don¡¯t we have a chat and discuss the details? What do you think?¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡± Jenna hesitated a little.

    She had high hopes for today¡¯s meeting. Now that there was such an opportunity, she should try her best to seize it.

    ¡°Miss Lexantra, we¡¯ll just be talking about work. There shouldn¡¯t be anything to worry about!¡± Melvinughed out loud, seeming to have read her mind.

    Jenna felt a little embarrassed under his steady gaze and could only nod her head. With a slight smile, she said politely, ¡°Okay, if you insist, Master Adames. I¡¯ve brought some of the designs that we have so far. It would be a pleasure to show them to you so that you cane to a decision.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Melvin nodded his head in agreement. ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t we go over to that quiet corner and have our discussion there?¡±

    Melvin pointed to a corner and led the way, walking with his back tall and straight.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t quite fathom Master Adames¡¯s quirky character, nor did she know the degree of his sincerity. She hesitated for a while, then decided that she didn¡¯t want to miss such an opportunity. She had no choice but to follow him.

    ¡°Come, Miss Lexantra, please have a seat.¡± Jenna followed Melvin through a passage, past a small door, and ended up at a secluded area. It was actually a small bar, meticulously designed by Melvin himself. It had a small, tranquil garden outside, and the air was crisp and fresh.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Melvin bent down to dust off the bar stool,then gestured for her to take a seat.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t intend to stay for long.She sat down gracefully and immediately handed the designs to Melvin with both hands.

    Melvin took them and flipped through the designs. They seemed to pique his interest. ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t expect you toe up with such good car designs. It¡¯s rare to see. There aren¡¯t many women who can design cars, especially pretty women. This has really broadened my horizons. Your ideas are very innovative and unique. They definitely suit my taste. I like them.¡±

    Melvin wasn¡¯t stingy with his praise, appearing to appreciate her talent like a cherished treasure.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t help smiling and said rather hurriedly, ¡°It¡¯s easier to get things done when they are treated as hobbies. It¡¯s nothing. I wonder if Master Adames would be interested in coborating with ourpany?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Melvin nodded immediately with an intrigued look. He stood up and said, ¡°I must personally whip up a cocktail for you to celebrate this asion.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Master Adames.I don¡¯t usually drink anyway.¡± Jenna refused politely upon seeing him heading towards the bar.

    ¡°Hey, how can we not celebrate with some alcohol on such an eventful day? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m an expert mixologist. My cocktails are known to intoxicate without being potent,alluring with an unforgettable aftertaste. It¡¯ll be such a pity if you don¡¯t give it a try,¡± Melvin said with augh, leaving no room for Jenna to object.

    His long, slender fingers pick up several different bottles of alcohol in front of him. Soon, the beautiful concoction wasplete.

    Holding the narrow stem of the cocktail ss with two fingers, Melvin walked towards Jenna.

    ¡°Miss Lexantra, I propose a toast to our forting coboration.¡± He handed the cocktail ss to Jenna with a smile.

    Jenna took the ss but she didn¡¯t raise it. She just looked at him and said in a serious tone, ¡°Master Adames, if you¡¯re willing to coborate with Yintern Group, why don¡¯t we sign the contract now? Mr. Yintern has some business to attend to, but he¡¯ll be joining us soon.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that sounds good.¡± Melvin agreed excitedly, ¡°Let¡¯s have a toast first. After celebrating, we¡¯ll sign the contract immediately. I¡¯m honored to have the chance to work with you, Miss Lexantra.¡±

    He looked at her with a smile as he said this, his eyes radiating with sincerity.

    Jenna realized what he means. It seemed that he wouldn¡¯t sign the contract if she didn¡¯t drink the cocktail.

    If Melvin agreed to join them, it would definitely benefit the car exhibition. It also meant that she could leave this strictpany soon. This was a golden opportunity.

    After all, it was just a cocktail. Although her alcohol tolerance was low, out of politeness, she had no choice but to clink sses with Melvin.

    ¡°Here¡¯s to a pleasant cooperation.¡± Melvin smiled and said in a soft voice.

    ¡°I look forward to working with you,¡± Jenna said. She proceeded to lift the ss to her lips and gulped down the cocktail.

    Melvin¡¯s eyes lit up and he couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Miss Lexantra, I love your enthusiasm, but this cocktail isn¡¯t meant to be drunk like that.¡±

    Jenna finished her drink and ced the ss on the table. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and said loftily, ¡°Master Adames, I¡¯m certain that Yintern Group can afford to hire you. I¡¯m also confident that I cane up with a design that will suit your tastes. If you¡¯re willing to work with us, then let¡¯s get down to it and sign the contract now. If you don¡¯t want to, then I apologize for taking up your time. I guess we don¡¯t have to look at your workter either. You can just pretend that I wasn¡¯t here.¡±

    The alcohol was burning in her stomach. She felt her tongue begin to twist and her head started to spin. Her body became weakand she started to go limp.

 Chapter 773 To Cross Paths (Part Four)

    Melvin approached her and caught her swaying body. Pressing his lips close to her ear, he whispered,¡°Miss Lexantra, you¡¯re really adorable. I don¡¯t like to y games. It¡¯s more fun to be direct. I concocted this cocktail specially for you to ensure that we¡¯ll have a romantic and memorable time together.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s head was getting heavier and heavier, and she could barely hear what he was saying. She only knew that her vision was starting to get more and more blurry by the second, her head was spinning, and her body was going limp.

    Melvin stared at Jenna¡¯s face with a cold smile on his face.

    On the other side of the living room,

    Alvin quickly left Jenna¡¯s side and headed in Hansen¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯ve found her. I¡¯ve found Miss Lexantra.¡± He said excitedly the moment he sat down beside Hansen.

    ¡°Really?¡± Hansen¡¯s eyes lit up, as if a ray of light had pierced through his darkened vision. With a look of excitement, he stood up and said, ¡°Where is she? Lead the way.¡±

    Alvin stood up immediately as well and ced a hand on his arm. ¡°Calm down, Mr. Richards. She doesn¡¯t know who I am. I suspect that the situation is much moreplicated than we anticipated. If we don¡¯t maintain ourposure, we may end up alerting the enemy.¡±

    ¡°What? Aplicated situation?¡± A cold light shed across Hansen¡¯s eyes and his handsome face was etched with rage. ¡°Who dares to provoke my woman? This person must have a death wish!¡±

    Alvin¡¯s face was grim as he said, ¡°I¡¯m sure that the woman is Miss Lexantra, but when I went forward to talk to her, she didn¡¯t remember me. I did some digging and found out that she¡¯s the current girlfriend of Yintern¡¯s Group¡¯s CEO. What¡¯s more, Melvin seemed to be very interested in her and was pestering her.¡±

    Alvin recalled the desirous look on Melvin¡¯s face when he left and quickly informed Hansen about it.

    When Hansen heard this, his heart raced with anxiety, he could no longer stay calm. ¡°Alvin, take me to Jenna right now,¡± he urged.

    So, she was now Yintern¡¯s girlfriend. This was absurd. It was simply absurd. But Hansen had no time to think about it right now. First, he needed to see Jenna. There had always been a special bond between them. He couldn¡¯t imagine that Jenna would be willing to be someone else¡¯s girlfriend, just as he had been devoted to her.

    Alvin hurriedly nodded and said, ¡°Mr. Richards, no matter what, don¡¯t be too excited. I don¡¯t know if it is really aplicated situation. After all, this is Srirano, and both Yintern and you are people of power and status.¡±

    Alvin pulled Hansen towards Jenna¡¯s direction as he spoke.

    At this moment, Hansen¡¯s emotions were running high. Jenna didn¡¯t die. She was still alive.

    Sure enough, his intuition was right. Their hearts were linked.

    Their love must have touched the heavens, allowing them tofinally meet in Srirano. The two of them could finally reunite!

    With adrenaline pumping through his veins, he followed Alvin¡¯s footsteps.

    At this moment, he really wished he could see her. He had missed her terribly and thought of her day and night.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Unfortunately, his vision was still a little blurry.

    ¡°Hey, where did she go?¡± By the time Alvin and Hansen arrived at the spot where Alvinst saw Jenna, she was nowhere to be seen.

    Alvin¡¯s heart sank. Recalling Melvin¡¯s unrestrained behavior earlier, he immediately questioned the people around him.

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Mr. Yintern¡¯s girlfriend, right?¡± Someone nearby had seen her and said, ¡°She just left with Melvin.¡±

    ¡°What? She went with Melvin?¡±

    This time around, it wasn¡¯t just Hansen who was getting anxious. Even Alvin was starting to panic.

    Melvin had malicious intentions towards Jenna and was a well-known yboy. If Jenna fell into his hands, the consequences would be¡­

    When Hansen heard this, his forehead broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°Hurry, Alvin. Let¡¯s split up and look for them,¡± he ordered in a low voice.

    ¡°But Mr. Richards, but what about your eyes?¡± Alvin felt uneasy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Just look for them. Hurry!¡± Hansen roared in a low voice.

    Alvin dared not retort and hurried off to look for her.

    Hansen began his search as well, fumbling around.

    A few minutes passed and they still couldn¡¯t find Jenna.

    With his limited vision and the dim lighting, Hansen could just about make out a small corridor in front of him. He turned to Alvin and said, ¡°Alvin, search the first floor. I¡¯ll go to the balcony over here.¡±

    Alvin nodded and ran immediately towards the first floor.

    Hansen stood in the corridor, groping his way forward.

    ¡°Jenna! Jenna, where are you?¡± He called out as he shuffled along.

    There weren¡¯t many people at this part of the house and the lighting was dim.

    Hansen could only rely on his instincts to walk forward.

    He was beside himself with worry. Who knew where Melvin had taken her to?

    He was about to spiral into another panicked thought.

    Suddenly, there was a faint fragrance. A familiar scent drifted in the air.

    His heart skipped a bit as he stood still.

    He knew the scent.

    Hope stirred within him.

    His footsteps quickened as he followed the scent.

    ¡°No¡­ don¡¯t¡­¡± Jenna was still in a hazy state of mind, but her subconscious was telling her that she was being taken advantage of!

    Melvin held her limp body and started ying with her hair. Heughed and said, ¡°You¡¯re such a beauty, unlike all the other chicks I¡¯ve been with before. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had a taste of such a sweet, fresh thing. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m very skillful and you¡¯ll soon be in seventh heaven.¡±

    Hansen had approached them and overheard these obscene words. He flew into a rage and let out a loud scream.¡°No!¡±

    Without needing to take a clear look, he could tell that Jenna was being taken advantage of by Melvin Adames, the well-known yboy.

    He couldn¡¯t help but close his eyes in anger, clenching his fists so tightly that the veins on his arms bulged.

    For the longest time, the idea of being unable to protect his woman had tortured him to the point that he felt like he was going crazy. At this point, Melvin was really courting death.

    His whole body emitted a dangerous aura.

    He reached out to grab Melvin by the cor and swung his fist towards Melvin¡¯s face. Melvin¡¯s whole body was thrown into a corner.

    Then, he caught the unsteady Jenna with both hands.

    With a loud ng, the bottles and empty jars in the corner all fell down and shattered on the ground.

    ¡°Jenna! Jenna!¡± Holding Jenna in his arms, he struggled to look at her. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t see her face clearly. However, the soft body that leaned against him and the familiar scent of her body¡¯s natural fragrance made his heart soar.

    This really was Jenna!

    He finally found her after searching for a long time.

    Melvin¡¯s body mmed against the wall and he was in so much pain that he gasped for air. But he had no time to think about the pain. He raised his head and saw a tall figure standing in front of him. The cold aura emanating from the person¡¯s body was enough to make him shiver.¡°Who are you?¡±

    Melvin knew for sure that he had never met such a domineering man in his life.

    Realizing that he had encountered a formidable person today, he was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape.

    He scrambled to his feet in a panic, intending to run away.

    Hansen didn¡¯t say a word. He gently ced Jenna on a small chair and let her head rest on the coffee table. Then, he turned around and roughly pulled Melvin outside by his cor.

    This ce was too small. It wouldn¡¯t be satisfying to teach this b*stard a lesson in such a small space.

 Chapter 774 A WellDeserved Lesson For Melvin

    Melvin¡¯s body was practically lifted up by Hansen as he dragged him outside. He was in a state of extreme panic and cried out in a strangled voice,¡°What are you trying to do? I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    The man¡¯s hand seemed as dangerous as a knife that would stab him in the heart at any time. He was also extremely strong.Melvin knew that he was no match for him at all.

    On the other side of the door were two pairs of couples whispering with each other. They were shocked to see the two mening through the door. Seeing that it was Master Adames, one of the men stepped forward to intervene.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get into trouble, then get the hell out of here. I won¡¯t hesitate to beat all of you up too.¡± The dangerous aura that was emitting from Hansen¡¯s body was like boilingva that could instantly burn a person to death. His words were sinister and terrifying.

    The man was stunned, feeling a sense of danger. As expected, he didn¡¯t want to get into trouble. He turned back immediately and pulled his girlfriend away. Then, he left in a hurry with his head down.

    Hansen swung his fist and let out a shaky breath. His swift and powerful punchnded directly on Melvin¡¯s face.

    The punch was hard and fierce, mixed with fury.

    ¡°Ahh!¡± Melvin let out a scream. Half of his face swelled up in an instant he started bleeding from his mouth.

    Before he could register the pain, he was hit by another powerful punch.

    The iron-like fist seemed to have hit a vital part and the excruciating pain made him see stars.

    Melvin¡¯s mouth was full of blood and several of his teeth had been knocked out. Crouched over in pain, he yelled, ¡°What makes you think you have the right to punch me? I¡¯m going to sue you!¡±

    A slight smile appeared on the corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he lifted Melvin up and threw another punch at his head.

    Melvin grunted in pain and fainted.

    Hansen sneered. He raised his fist and was about to aim another powerful punch at Melvin¡¯s face.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, that¡¯s enough.¡± Alvin rushed over, quickly holding back Hansen¡¯s arm. He added anxiously, ¡°Mr. Richards, if you continue to punch him, he¡¯ll die. Melvin is also a powerful person. There will be consequences.¡±

    Of course, Alvin knew what was going through Hansen¡¯s mind. He had been dissatisfied with his fate and was venting all his frustrations through his punches. Whoever got a taste of those powerful punches was in unlucky!

    But losing one¡¯s mind was not a good thing.

    Of course, it was undeniably a well-deserved lesson for the deviant Melvin.

    It was only when his arm was held back by Alvin that his anger eased a little.

    He rxed his fist and let it fall.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± She instantly appeared in his mind. ¡°How is she? When I found her just now, she was still unconscious.¡±

    With this thought in mind, he hurriedly turned around and walked towards the bar.

    Alvin hurriedly helped him open the door to the bar.

    They were shocked. There was no one at the bar.

    Jenna wasn¡¯t there. She was nowhere in sight.

    Hansen was dumbfounded.

    ¡°Jenna? Jenna!¡± Hansen cried out anxiously. He seemed to have gone mad as he roared at Alvin, ¡°Quick, go look for her! She had fainted just now!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Alvin was also in a state of panic and began to search for her anxiously.

    ¡°Jenna!¡± Hansen roared. Her familiar scent was no longer in the room. He felt as if his heart had been ripped out. He turned around and ran outside, but he couldn¡¯t see clearly and could only stumble along.

    ¡°Melvin!¡± By this time, more and more people started pouring in from outside. They seemed to be Melvin¡¯s family and friends. When they heard that something had happened to Melvin, they were so worried that they rushed over immediately.

    Luckily, Alvin still had his wits about him. He nced at Melvin¡¯s limp body, still unconscious, and shouted.

    ¡°Quick, send him to the hospital!¡±

    ¡°Melvin, what¡¯s the matter?¡± A woman cried.

    Chaos soon erupted.

    Alvin thought of Hansen and hurried out.

    By then, the lights in the living room had all been turned on. It was obvious that the guests knew that something had happened inside, and their eyes were filled with uneasiness.

    Alvin looked around anxiously but couldn¡¯t find Hansen. He had no choice but to rush outside. The ce was empty, and he started to get even more anxious.

    As soon as he ran to the parking lot, he saw Hansen standing by the car, about to open the door.

    Clearly, he was thinking of driving himself.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, let me do it.¡± He rushed forward and stopped Hansen.

    ¡°Quick, drive and catch up with the car in front.¡± Hansen roared loudly.

    Alvin nodded and got into the car swiftly.

    They followed the car in front for a while, but due to Hansen¡¯s poor eyesight, he wasn¡¯t able to catch the car¡¯s number te. So, for a while, they could only chase after the car blindly. But in the end, they couldn¡¯t keep up with it. They continued driving around the main streets, keeping an eye for any simr cars.

    Hansen thought of the dazed look on Jenna¡¯s face. The feeling of not knowing what had happened to her made him so worried and anxious that he mmed his fist onto the car seat.

    Earlier, he had managed to trace her faint scent lingering in the air and followed it outside. As soon as he stood out front, he heard a vehicle roaring past him, then Jenna¡¯s scent had disappeared without a trace.

    He was sure that Jenna had been taken away by someone in a car!

    But where she had gone, he couldn¡¯t be certain!

    D*mn it!

    His eyes were red and his gaze was dark.

    At this moment, Alvin began to regret his actions. He should¡¯ve dragged Jenna to Mr. Richards at once. He really did not expect that Melvin would lure Jenna away in such a short time!

    Earlier, when Steffan rushed to the car production nt in the suburbs, it turned out to be a false rm.

    Several local ruffians had gotten into a fight indeed, but they had been stopped by the factory¡¯s security personnel. Although some employees were injured, the injuries were minor. After Steffan arrived, he only had to deal with some minor issues before heading to the banquet.

    Perhaps because it was the weekend, he was caught in bad traffic the moment he arrived back in the city. By the time he hurried to the banquet venue, Jenna was gone.

    After searching around for a while, he started getting anxious. His knowledge of Melvin¡¯s character made him even more uneasy.

    When Zevulon found him, Steffan told him that Jenna was missing. Zevolun¡¯s face fell upon hearing the news, and immediately told Steffan to head towards the bar to look for her.

    The bar was tucked away in a corner of a corridor that was only essible through a small door. As he was searching for the bar, he heard a screaming from the corridor. Shocked, he had rushed in immediately, but there was no one there. There was only a man beating up another man.

    He had no time to wonder what was going on and had rushed straight to the bar counter.

    Sure enough, Jenna was slumped in a chair with her head on the table, unconscious.

    His heart ached as he picked Jenna up in his arms.

    At the time, the lights at the bar were a little dim, and the lights in the corridor weren¡¯t bright either.

    Steffan couldn¡¯t figure out how Jenna had ended up fainting there.

    But he didn¡¯t have time to think about it carefully.

    In desperation, he quickly carried Jenna out. When they were outside, he saw that Jenna¡¯s clothes were neat and tidy. Obviously, nothing bad had happened, and he was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

    Jenna, on the other hand, was still unconscious. Her face was a deep red, her brows were knitted together, and her breathing was heavy.

    He had no idea what happened to her, but he was anxious.

    He had to send her to the hospital as soon as possible.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    This was the only thought that ran through his mind.

    Therefore, he drove to a hospital in Srirano immediately.

    Instead of going to thergest hospital, he went to the nearest one.

 Chapter 775 Unbearable To Look At

    Once they were at the hospital, Steffan restrained the storm that was brewing in his heart and told the doctor what had happened.

    The doctor was a professional indeed and was quick to grasp the overall situation.

    Humans and their sly tricks. Just to be on the safe side, the doctor ordered the nurse to take Jenna¡¯s blood sample to run some tests.The results confirmed his suspicions, and he prescribed some medicine ordingly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She consumed somethingced with sedatives, but I¡¯ve given her an antidote. She¡¯ll wake up soon with no side effects,¡± said the doctor before heading out of the room.

    ¡°Okay, thank you, doctor.¡± Steffan finally let out a sigh of relief.

    After the doctor left, Steffan¡¯s face turned cold and stony.

    Sedatives? Steffan fumed to himself.

    Melvin, you dirty dog! You hateful person!

    He narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.

    Soon after, he received a phone call. After covering Jenna with a quilt, he walked out.

    In the blink of an eye, his car disappeared into the night.

    It was busy and noisy at Srirano¡¯srgest hospital. Steffan walked along the corridor and waited for the noise in one of the wards to subside before he proceeded to walk in.

    Melvin suffered a great loss this time!

    Two of his front teeth were knocked out, and his handsome face was swollen like a steamed bun. His features werepletely distorted and his nose was crooked from Hansen¡¯s iron-like punch. His appearance was simply unbearable to look at!

    Steffan moved closer to him.

    The nurse was wiping Melvin¡¯s face with disinfecting cotton swabs. Even so, he did not forget to touch the nurse¡¯s small hand from time to time, whining while his eyes shed with desire.

    He waspletely unaware of Steffan¡¯s presence until Steffan approached him with an icy expression. Even though he couldn¡¯t see the man in front of him clearly, he trembled in fright and instinctively raised his hands in a protective gesture around his head, screaming, ¡°Don¡¯t hit me! I didn¡¯t do anything!¡±

    A sneer yed on Steffan¡¯s lips, and he signaled for the nurse to leave the two of them alone.

    ¡°If you really did do something, do you think that you¡¯d still be alive right now?¡± He reached out and grabbed Melvin¡¯s cor, growling in a low voice. Slowly, he raised his fist.

    Melvin covered his face with both hands and started to beg for mercy.¡°Please spare my life, sir. Please stop hitting me. What¡¯s there to discuss? It was all my fault. I won¡¯t do it again.¡± Hansen¡¯s beating had scared him stiff.

    ¡°Again?¡± As soon as Steffan heard this, anger coursed through his heart. He raised his fist and gnashed his teeth.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare! Absolutely not!¡± Melvin realized his blunder and hurriedly attempted to exin himself.

    ¡°Hmph, what a p*ssy.¡± He gazed at Melvin and gave a snort of derision. Sneering contemptuously, he said, ¡°Listen carefully. You can¡¯t go around touching every woman as you please in this world. They are not objects for the satisfaction of your desire. You¡¯d do well to remember that.¡±

    With a sad face, Melvin nodded without saying a word, admitting his bad luck.

    ¡°Apologize to Miss Lexantra now. Hurry up.¡±

    He lowered his fist and slowly took out his cell phone from his pocket. Opening the video calling app, he aimed the camera at Melvin.

    Melvin has been scared out of his wits. His hands were still covering his face, and his eyes were so swollen that they were only thin slits.

    ¡°Quick!¡± Steffan ordered in a stern and low voice.

    A shiver ran down Melvin¡¯s spine and he raised his head. When he looked up, he found that the man standing in front of him was not the man who had taught him a lesson the previous night. It was Steffan Yintern.

    Steffan was Miss Lexantra¡¯s boyfriend. He had already known this when he met Jenna the previous night.

    So, what was the beatingst night all about? Melvin wondered to himself. Here was Jenna¡¯s boyfriend standing in front of him right now. This man had the full right to settle the score with him.

    Melvin had always lived as he pleased, going around having casual flings. He never thought that he would meet his downfall at Srirano.

    He had never encountered such an unlucky situation before. This time, he had fallen to the lowest point in his life.

    What could he do?

    He could only me himself for baiting the wrong woman. He was out of luck.

    Fortunately, there were many beautiful girls in this world. Come to think of it, the most important thing was his life right now. Why not take this opportunity to apologize so that Steffan would forgive him as soon as possible?

    ¡°Okay, Mr. Yintern. I¡¯m sorry.¡± He sat up straight and kept bowing down in front of the camera.

    Upon seeing him apologizing so sincerely, Steffan decided to let him off the hook and put away his phone.

    ¡°I¡¯m warning you, when you see Miss Lexantra in the future, you can¡¯t ignore her. You will address her respectfully as ¡®Miss¡¯. Otherwise, my fist will not spare you.¡± Steffan raised his fist to his lips and blew on it, then pretended to aim a blow at Melvin¡¯s face. Melvin was so scared that he covered his head and screamed out, ¡°Mr. Yintern, if I see Miss Lexantra next time, I¡¯ll even call her ¡®Madam¡¯. Is that all right?¡±

    ¡°Surely that¡¯s enough, Steffan. Be lenient wherever possible.¡± Before he could withdraw his fist, he heard Zevulon¡¯s voiceing from the door. He raised his head and saw Zevulon walking in with a pile of medicine in his hand.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger!¡± He cried out in surprise.

    Hmm, what does Mr. Tangger have anything to do with Melvin? Steffan pondered. It seemed that he was taking care of Melvin.

    Zevulon looked rather drained. He was not surprised to see Steffan, and said to him, ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait for me outside?¡±

    Steffan was so confused. He had no choice but to wait for him outside.

    After a while, Zevulon came out with a dejected look on his face.¡°Mr. Tangger, what can I do for you?¡±

    Zevulon took his hand and sat down on one of the chairs in the corridor. He said in a low voice, ¡°Steffan, I know what happened. It was his fault for messing with Dory. I was also very angry, but in the end, nothing happened. Why don¡¯t you just forget about it? For my sake.¡±

    Steffan had never seen Mr. Tangger speak to anyone in such a humble way. For a moment, he was a little confused.

    Dory and him were both Mr. Tangger¡¯s mentees. What kind of person was Melvin? Why was Mr. Tangger so protective of him? Steffan wondered.

    After a while, there came the sound of high heels clicking on the floor. Steffan looked up and saw that woman. The same woman who was with Zevulon in the living room of Melvin¡¯s house. She was walking toward them with arge bag of toiletries in her hand.

    As soon as Zevulon saw her, he immediately stood up and followed her obediently, leaving Steffan alone.

    At that moment, Steffan saw the light.

    Zevulon was driven mad by that woman¡¯s beauty-what a betrayal this was!

    Poor Dory and him!

    Steffan shook his head and walked outside.

    Jenna felt like she had been in a very deep sleep. When she opened her eyes, she only saw the whiteness of the whole room, the strong smell of medicine in her nose.

    What¡¯s going on? Jenna wondered.

    Had she been sent to the hospital?Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    She looked at her surroundings in a daze.

    Soon, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps and a man¡¯s face came into view.

    ¡°Dory, you¡¯re awake!¡± Steffan eximed.

    ¡°What happened to me?¡± Jenna rubbed her eyes, looking at him in confusion.

    Well, how was he going to break the news to her? Steffan pondered for a moment.

    Steffan sighed and bent down to look into her eyes. He said gently, ¡°Dory, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have left you. I¡¯m sorry for making you suffer.¡±

    Jenna blinked her eyes and remembered what had happened.

    She remembered that she passed out after drinking the cocktail that Melvin made for her.

    She had been taken advantage of by Melvin.

    Her face suddenly turned red. She looked down at her body and was relieved to see that it looked perfectly fine.

 Chapter 776 Why Did He Have To Snoop Around To See His Wife?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Someone has already dealt with him, and I¡¯ve forced him to apologize. I¡¯m sure this kind of thing will never happen again.¡± Sitting on the edge of the bed with a look of concern on his face, he asked, ¡°Are you all right? How are you feeling?¡±

    Jenna was confused, not quite understanding the meaning of Steffan¡¯s words. Looking at the guilt on his face, she smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine. I just slept for a while.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Steffan felt that he could rx atst. He reached out and held Jenna¡¯s cold hand. ¡°If you don¡¯t feel well, I¡¯ll call the doctor over. Your health is the most important thing. Don¡¯t take it for granted.¡±

    Jenna gave an easy smile, lifted the quilt, and got down from the bed. Then, she took a few steps around the room.

    ¡°Look, don¡¯t I seem just fine? I¡¯m really all right. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    She picked up her handbag that was on the bed and was about to leave.

    Steffan looked very worried, ¡°No, I¡¯ll be worried about you if you just go back like this. Stay at the hospital tonight and let the doctors observe your condition.¡±

    Jenna was unwilling to stay overnight at the hospital. She immediately refused and was adamant about wanting to leave. After carefully considering what the doctor had told him earlier, Steffan decided that it should be fine for her to leave. He took out his phone and yed the video of Melvin¡¯s apology.

    Jenna looked at Melvin¡¯s swollen face in the video and listened to his desperate apology. Suddenly, she had the urge tough.

    Steffan put his phone away and helped Jenna out of the hospital. It was cold and windy outside. Jenna, who was only in her evening gown, shrank back as a gust of cold wind blew. She had always been sensitive to the cold and she let out a sneeze. Steffan stood next to her and felt her shivering. He reached out to hold Jenna¡¯s hand tightly and said in amanding tone, ¡°Dory, the weather¡¯s too cold. You¡¯reing home with me today. Don¡¯t go back to the dormitory.¡±

    Jenna smiled and shook her head. She wrapped her clothes around her tightly and walked out quickly.

    ¡°Steffan, it¡¯s really not necessary. It¡¯ste. Go back and have a rest.¡± Jenna said as she shook her head, refusing his offer. As she walked towards the car, she asked, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing tomorrow morning, I¡¯d like to take a half-day rest. What do you think?¡±

    It was a cold and windy night in the middle of winter.

    ¡°All right then,¡± Steffan replied in a resigned tone, knowing that there was no point in arguing with her. Once Jenna had made up her mind, he had little chance of changing it.

    In the car, Steffan started the engine and turned on the heating to the highest setting.

    ¡°Dory, if you don¡¯t want to go back to my house, I¡¯ll help you get a room at a hotel. How about it? The weather is too cold and there¡¯s no heating in the dormitory. Your delicate body won¡¯t be able to take it.¡± Steffan suggested as he looked at the white frost on the leaves outside the car window.

    ¡°It¡¯s really not necessary, Steffan. Just send me back to the dormitory. I still want to rest for half a day tomorrow.¡± Jenna replied firmly, not wanting to dwell on the matter further.

    After everything that she had been through that night, she felt quite weak. Since she fell into the water, she had been afraid of the cold. She had to go back to the dormitory. That was her home and she would only be able to feelfortable there. She wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep well at a hotel.

    Steffan smiled bitterly. He had no choice but to send her back to the dormitory.

    Under a big tree near the dormitory, a ck luxury car was parked in the darkness. Hearing the sound of a car outside, Hansen asked Alvin, who was beside him, in a deep voice,¡°Who is it, Alvin? Is she back?¡±

    After they had driven along the main streets a few times, Alvin had been sure that they wouldn¡¯t find the car they were looking for.

    Hansen couldn¡¯t set his mind at rest after seeing Jenna faint. He didn¡¯t even have a clue how she was doing in Srirano. There were too many doubts in his heart. He couldn¡¯t calm down, and he just wanted to find her.

    Alvin nced at Hansen, who seemed to have lost all sense of reason. He knew that if he didn¡¯t find Jenna tonight, he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep.

    Jenna was missing. There was only one usible exnation, which was that she had been taken away by Steffan.

    He had called Maloney immediately and asked her to send someone from Yintern Group to find out about Jenna¡¯s whereabouts in detail.

    He knew that she usually stayed at the dormitory.

    That was why they hadn¡¯t moved, waiting for her to appear.

    When Hansen first learned that Jenna lived in this simple and crude dormitory, his heart was filled with both sadness and surprise.

    He felt sad because Jenna, who had a hard life, had been wandering in a foreign country all alone. On the other hand, he was pleasantly surprised that she would stay in a dormitory, which meant that she was not Steffan¡¯s girlfriend as others said.

    No matter what, the girlfriend of a bigpany¡¯s president wouldn¡¯t live in such a simple dormitory. This wouldn¡¯t suit Steffan¡¯s status. Jenna could live in such a simple dormitory without fear of hardships, which indicated that Jenna still maintained her original habits even after being dealt a heavy blow, which was the most gratifying thing for him.

    The thought pacified Hansen¡¯s uneasiness.

    It was not until the car carrying Jenna appeared at the door of the dormitory that he perked up his ears.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Sure enough, Jenna wouldn¡¯t stay out at night. That pleased him.

    However, when he recalled how she had fainted, Hansen started to panic. ¡°How is she?¡±

    Alvin¡¯s eyes were fixed on the car. When he heard Hansen¡¯s question, he immediately replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards. There should be nothing wrong with Madam¡¯s body. She must have just drunk some sedative that Melvin gave her. That kind of drug will break down and be digested by the body. She¡¯ll be fine in a few hours.¡±

    Alvin was a free spirit who liked to travel,so he inevitably knew of the little tricks of this tainted world. He immediately consoled Hansen.

    Soon, Jenna opened the door and stepped out of the car.

    Hansen understood Alvin¡¯s exnation, but he was impatient with worry. He moved to open the car door and rush towards Jenna.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush, Mr. Richards. There are paparazzi secretly taking pictures.¡± Alvin¡¯s sharp eyes immediately picked up the two silhouettes not far away.

    Holding cameras in their hands, it was obvious that they were the paparazzi.

    After all, Srirano was a small country. The people were simple and unsophisticated, and rather isted.

    These paparazzi wouldn¡¯t dare to take photos openly. After Melvin¡¯s birthday banquet, there must be a lot of surprising news that the tabloids could make a story out of. Among the hottest news would be Steffan and Jenna, as well as Melvin¡¯s injury.

    The paparazzi would never give up on such a big story, so they tracked him all the way here in the middle of the night.

    If Hansen got out of the car now, he would definitely lose control of his emotions when he saw Jenna. It would be worse with Steffan around. The situation could get out of control.

    Furthermore, Jenna didn¡¯t know what was going on right now. Before she had a clear idea of what was going on, it would be unwise to act rashly and risk drawing unwanted attention in the news. As such, Alvin acted rationally by restraining Hansen.

    Hansen¡¯s face darkened when he heard that there was paparazzi tracking them.

    Why did he have to snoop around to see his wife? Hansen fumed.

    However, for the sake of Jenna¡¯s reputation and to avoid any furtherplications, he had no choice but to restrain himself.

    Jenna got out of the car along with Steffan.

 Chapter 777 Force My Way In

    ¡°Steffan, there¡¯s no need to see me off. It¡¯s veryte. You should head home early.¡± Jenna really wasn¡¯t used to the cold weather. She was chilled to the bone. As the cold wind swept over her, she felt as if her whole body was encased in a block of ice. Even her voice was trembling as she spoke.

    Steffan was about to take off his coat and give it to Jenna, but after saying those words, she ran quickly into the dormitory.

    It was just too cold!

    She couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, not even for another minute.

    Steffan stood rooted to the spot, sighing heavily as he looked at her retreating back. After a while, he returned to his car and left.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, are you sure you want to go up and visit Madam at thiste hour?¡± Alvin had observed that Jenna seemed to be in a hurry and it was already veryte at night. Although Steffan and the paparazzi had left, he felt that Jenna must be exhausted by now.

    However, Hansen raised his eyebrows sharply. ¡°Why not? I found my wife, so why shouldn¡¯t I go up and meet her?¡±

    Alvin had never been in love, so how could he know the pain of lovesickness? How could he understand the excitement of seeing one¡¯s lover?

    Hansen had a gut feeling that if he didn¡¯t meet her today, he might not be able to meet her tomorrow either.

    This same thing had happened several times. He had experienced the same feeling when he was in Fisher Town and Wullen Town. It made him anxious and jumpy.

    How much longer did he have to keep on searching and snooping around?

    They had lost too much precious time.

    He couldn¡¯t afford to y such a game. He had to seize this one chance at happiness.

    He opened the car door, braved the cold wind, and went into the dormitory.

    When Jenna returned to her dormitory room, she felt even colder. She hurriedly took off her dress and put on some thick pajamas. After quickly washing her face and brushing her teeth, she climbed into bed and covered herself with a quilt.

    For some reason, she felt an uneasiness in the air and a sense of longing deep in her heart that seemed as if it was about to burst out. The feeling surprised her and she didn¡¯t dare to turn off the lights. She turned on themp on the bedside table and proceeded to stare nkly at the pink curtain.

    After a while, she heard footsteps.

    The footsteps were fast and heavy.

    She lived on the right side of the dormitory. This side of the building housed all the single-person rooms, and those who stayed there were all female employees. The footsteps didn¡¯t sound like that of a female.

    Her heart began to pound, and for some reason, she was a little nervous.

    It was obvious that the footsteps had stopped in front of her door.

    In Srirano, she only knew one man, and that man was Steffan. However, Steffan had just left. He wouldn¡¯t have returned, right?

    As she had anticipated, there came a knock on the door.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna, open the door.¡± It was an attractive male voice, but it was obviously mixed with uncontroble excitement, as if there was a burning heat and yearning in it.

    Jenna became nervous.

    She didn¡¯t recognize the man¡¯s voice. He must have found the wrong person. At this thought, she called out, fully alert.

    ¡°Excuse me, who are you looking for?¡±

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna, it¡¯s me, Hansen Richards.¡± Hansen heard Jenna¡¯s voice from the other side of the door and became unusually excited.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± With the quilt still wrapped tightly around her, Jenna sat up in her bed. She whispered the name to herself. It felt vaguely familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, who exactly are you looking for?¡± She raised her voice, feeling a little afraid. The man outside seemed like he was barely able to restrain himself from breaking into the room. The door shook as he knocked on it over and over again.

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ve been searching for you. I never believed that you were dead, and now, I¡¯ve found you.¡± Alvin told him that Jenna didn¡¯t remember anything from the past, but Hansen believed that Jenna would recognize him, so he said, ¡°Jenna, open the door first. Let¡¯s speak face to face.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jenna became even more terrified. ording to the man¡¯s tone, he must have been desperately searching for someone, so desperate that he came to the door of another woman in the middle of the night and started acting absurdly.

    But his words were full of affection and urgency, even passion. It sounded like he was looking for a woman he deeply loved.

    But right now, in the middle of the night, she didn¡¯t want to think about these things. She just wanted to send him away as soon as possible so that she could go to sleep. At the moment, she was so cold that even the quilt didn¡¯t seem to offer much warmth. What¡¯s more, she was exhausted.

    ¡°Sir, you¡¯ve really found the wrong person. I¡¯m not the Jenna you¡¯re searching for.¡± Worried that he would break into the room, she answered him in a voice that was an octave higher than her original voice.

    Outside, Hansen was stunned. Jenna didn¡¯t recognize his voice. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disappointed.

    But then he shook his head. It was impossible. They had a special connection.

    All this while, he had refused to believe that she was dead. Sure enough, she was alive and well.

    It was by the grace of God that he was able to stand in front of her now.

    His yearning surged like a tide at the bottom of his heart. He was determined to take her away that night.

    He wouldn¡¯t allow his woman to sleep in such a shabby dormitory.

    At the thought of this, he started knocking on the door with even more force.

    ¡°Jenna, please open the door and look at me,¡± he said affectionately. ¡°I havee for you. I¡¯m your husband.¡±

    Husband? Jenna thought to herself. That was absolutely ridiculous!

    She wasn¡¯t even a citizen in Srirano. How could she have gotten married to someone here?

    ¡°Sir, I said that you¡¯ve found the wrong person. I¡¯m not your wife. Please leave now. It¡¯ste. Stop pestering me or I will have to call the police!¡± Jenna¡¯s voice became serious and impatient.

    Hansen¡¯s heart shattered when he heard these words from the other side of the door.

    The voice clearly belonged to his Jenna. Could it be that he had mistaken her for someone else?

    This situation wasn¡¯t as simple as he had thought!

    He had held her when she was unconscious, and her body had felt soft and familiar. How could he be wrong?

    It had taken him a lot of effort to find her, but she didn¡¯t recognize him. She even refused to meet him. The pain in his heart began to grow.

    What the hell is going on? Hansen wondered.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    He didn¡¯t want to be separated from her any longer. They were a legally married couple and they should be together. He was a husband looking for his wife. Even if it waste at night and she was forced onto the bed, so what?

    It was legal.

    He wasn¡¯t going to leave this ce. There were a lot of questions that he was eager to know the answer to.

    ¡°Jenna, open the door first. When you open the door and look at me, you¡¯ll know that this isn¡¯t a mistake.¡± He stopped pushing against the door and said patiently. Towards the end, he sounded as if he was almost begging.

    When Jenna heard this, she felt like something was amiss. Did he take her for a fool? It waste at night and he was a man. It was also obvious that he wasn¡¯t thinking straight. If she really opened the door, what would be the consequences?

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t open the door. You should leave now. I don¡¯t know you.¡± Jenna suddenly felt a little angry. This man was really unreasonable. Why was he behaving like a lunatic in front of her door in the middle of the night? What the hell?

    At this point, Hansen was certain that Jenna didn¡¯t know him. The situation couldn¡¯t be exined in just one or two sentences.

    ¡°Jenna, if you don¡¯t open the door, I¡¯ll have to force my way in.¡± Hansen raised his brow and spoke in a grave tone.

    He had plenty of ways to deal with his own woman!

    Jenna was stunned when she heard this. This man was really ridiculous.

    It was too much!

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I won¡¯t open the door for you. Hurry up and leave, or I¡¯ll call the police,¡± Jenna threatened. ¡°Even if I really am the person you are looking for, you have to wait until tomorrow. It¡¯ste at night, and I won¡¯t open the door. You can forget about it.¡±

    She had barely finished her sentence when the door crashed open with a loud bang.

    A gust of cold wind blew in as a slender figure made its way through the door.

 Chapter 778 Not Allowed To Escape From Me

    Jenna let out a small scream as she dove under the quilt.

    ¡°Jenna!¡± Hansen rushed into the room. His eyes were wide open as he struggled to look for her. His vision was blurry and he could only follow the sound towards the thin figure crouched on the bed. She was holding the quilt tightly and her body seemed to be trembling.

    ¡°Don¡¯te over!¡± Jenna cried out when she saw Hansen approaching her, anxious and scared. ¡°I¡¯m going to call the police!¡± She screamed loudly.

    Following her voice and scent, Hansen made his way towards her in a few quick steps.

    ¡°Call the police?¡± Hansen grabbed her wrist andughed in a low voice. ¡°Even if I sleep with you right now, I would just be sleeping with my wife. What can the police possibly do to me? I can¡¯t ask for anything more than that.¡±Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna was unable to resist the strong and overbearing aura emanating from his body. The words came out of his mouth so naturally, as if she was really his wife.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Jenna sat there and looked at him nkly. For a moment, she didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Using a little strength, Hansen pulled Jenna towards him.

    ¡°Hey, this has gone too far! What makes you think that you have the right to treat a woman like this?¡± Jenna was in a panic and she reached out to grab him, wanting to push him away.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s lips curled up slightly. He stretched out a hand and grabbed her hands, which were iling helplessly. Just by applying a little force, Jenna could no longer move.

    ¡°Oh no, what should I do?¡± Jenna panicked, wondering how she should escape.

    Jenna was so anxious that she was about to cry!

    She struggled as shey sprawled across the bed, trying to fight him off.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. You should know that I have limited patience for women in bed.¡± Hansen lowered his head, his hot breath on her ears, his voice hoarse and evil.

    His breath was burning hot, and his body seemed to smolder like dry firewood. It was as if the heat emanating from his body would burn the whole room down into ashes if she continued to resist him.

    Jenna¡¯s brain was buzzing and she didn¡¯t know what to do.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled up. He stretched out his other hand and blew on his palm to warm it. Then, he reached under her pajamas and ced his hand on Jenna¡¯s back, moving it back and forth across her smooth and delicate skin. He trailed his fingers across the raised scar on her back and caressed it gently. Under the light of the bedsidemp, his face was filled with tenderness and passion.

    ¡°Jenna, do you still remember this scar? That day, in order to save me, you shielded me from that stab. Did you know that? From that day onwards, I made up my mind to hold onto you for the rest of my life. I¡¯ll never allow you to escape from me.¡±

    His voice was gentle and full of affection, and his warm palm that touched her back glided back and forth gently.

    A shiver ran through Jenna¡¯s body. The heat of his palm made her skin flush and a wave of warmth washed over her. It was so warm that even the coldness at the bottom of her heart disappeared miraculously.

    Sheid on the quilt, her mind in a trance. She didn¡¯t even have the strength to resist.

    Even as she was pressed down on the bed by a strange man with the warmth of his skin on her back, she didn¡¯t feel that it was so out of ce. Somehow, it felt familiar.

    She felt like she was sinking into a warm embrace.

    Hansen¡¯s hand caressed the scar on Jenna¡¯s back, the pain in his eyes gradually intensified. His eyes reddened. Then, he touched the quilt on the bed with his other hand. It was too thin.

    In one quick motion, he picked her up, turned her around, and pulled her into his arms.

    He held her face with both hands and leaned closer, trying to see her face clearly.

    ¡°Are you Hansen?¡± Jenna asked in a daze. It was only when he drew closer that Jenna finally saw his face clearly.

    ¡°Yes, Jenna, are you finally able to recognize me?¡±Excitement spread across Hansen¡¯s face when he heard Jenna saying his name.

    ¡°Well, I saw you on Srirano¡¯s news. It said that you¡¯re here to invest, right?¡± Jenna remembered the news she saw on TV a few days ago. The Hansen she saw on TV looked very simr to the man in front of her. No wonder there was a sense of familiarity. She had forgotten about it!

    She didn¡¯t expect that a public figure like him would miraculously appear before her.

    So that was how she recognized him! The momentary joy he felt sank to the bottom of his heart. She had only recognized him because of what she saw on TV.

    That meant that she didn¡¯t even know that he was her husband.

    This was bad.

    ¡°Jenna, tell me, are you feeling better?¡± Because Alvin had already informed him, he was mentally prepared.Hansen¡¯s brows furrowed and his heart beat rapidly at the thought of Melvin¡¯s attempt to sedate her.

    How does he know that I wasn¡¯t well? Jenna wondered.

    Jenna was a little confused and gave him a puzzled look.

    After a while, Hansen stopped talking and stood up with Jenna in his arms.

    Realizing that Hansen might take her away, she started to panic and asked uneasily, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Hansen didn¡¯t answer her. Carrying her in his arms, he walked towards the door and called out to Alvin in a low voice.

    Alvin, who was standing guard outside the door, came up to them.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Call Maloney immediately. Ask her to book the presidential suite at Srirano Hotel. We¡¯ll be there soon.¡± He ordered in a low voice.

    ¡°Okay, Mr. Richards.¡± Alvin answered. When he saw Hansen holding Jenna, he quickly grasped the situation. He turned around and walked out, took out his mobile phone and called Maloney.

    It was turning out to be a night of bad luck for Maloney. She still had to book a room for her superior in the middle of the night. At this rate, would she even be able to get any sleep?

    ¡°Let me go, Mr. Hansen. I¡¯ll say it again. I¡¯m not the Jenna you¡¯re looking for, you can¡¯t take me away from here.¡± Jenna was really anxious this time. She was about to be taken away by a man. What was she going to do?

    ¡°Then what¡¯s your name?¡± Hansen asked, feeling helpless as she still didn¡¯t admit her true identity.

    ¡°I¡¯m Miss Lexantra, a car designer for Yintern Group. Everyone knows this. Please show some respect.¡± Jenna immediately defended herself.

    Miss Lexantra?! To hell with that! Hansen thought angrily.

    ¡°What about your real name?¡± He asked in a low voice.

    Real name? She couldn¡¯t seem to recall her real name. All she knew was the name others addressed her with.

    After pondering for a while, Jenna replied, ¡°It¡¯s Dory.¡±

    The corner of Hansen¡¯s lips curled up in disdain. He said nothing more and continued walking with her in his arms.

    ¡°Hey, put me down! It¡¯s illegal for you to do this!¡±Jenna cried out, struggling with all of her strength.

    ¡°Jenna, if you continue to shout, you¡¯ll end up attracting the paparazzi and I can guarantee that the picture of you in my arms will appear on the news all over the world. Do you think that would be appropriate? Although we are husband and wife, it won¡¯t look good if such photos are seen by the whole world.¡±

    As soon as Hansen said this, Jenna didn¡¯t dare to move. At this time, there was no one outside the dormitory. It was obvious that Alvin had taken care of things.

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled up as he hugged her tightly and hurried out of the dormitory building.

    Jenna was nestled against his warm and strong chest. The heat from his body warmed her and she could hear his steady heartbeat. It was soforting that she couldn¡¯t even feel the chill outside.

    Held in his embrace, she looked up at him dazedly. His eyes were dark and seemed to hold a certain emotion that burned more and more intensely.

 Chapter 779 His Emotions Overtook Him

    Inside the luxurious presidential suite, it was as warm as spring.

    Jenna had been brought to the suite by Hansen. The warmth enveloped her, melting the coldness deep in her heart little by little.

    She wasn¡¯t used to staying in such an upscale hotel, but at this moment, she felt an unprecedented sense of calm. Everything seemed to feel right and natural.

    The feeling was extremely shocking to her!

    ¡°Jenna, stay here for the time being. I¡¯ll bring you to buy a new set of clothes tomorrow.¡± Hansen approached her, his voice gentle.

    Even though Jenna was surrounded by so much luxury, her mind was still clear.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, that doesn¡¯t make any sense. I can¡¯t stay here,¡± she said calmly.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make sense?¡± Hansen sneered. ¡°If things made sense, we would be making love to each other on this bed right now.¡±

    Jenna didn¡¯t expect him to speak so explicitly, her face flushed immediately.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, even if I really am your wife, that¡¯s just your side of the story for now. I may have lost my memory, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll trust a man so easily. I¡¯ll look into what happened in the past myself. I¡¯m sure that once I find out everything, the truth will prevail.¡± Jenna had no intention of moving into this gorgeous presidential suite just like that. She couldn¡¯t afford it and she didn¡¯t want to owe him any favors.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to look into it. I¡¯ll tell you. I have a way of slowly helping you to remember everything about us.¡± He came closer again, his presence overbearing. Such was the strength of a manpared to a woman. It was absolutely dangerous!

    Jenna didn¡¯t want to get involved with a man she barely knew.

    Based on her keen observation, there seemed to be something wrong with Hansen¡¯s vision. If that was the case, then there was still hope for her to escape.

    She reached out her hand and waved it in front of him. Seeing that he didn¡¯t react, she said kindly, ¡°Mr. Richards, why don¡¯t you get some rest first? I need to use the restroom.¡±

    With that, she sneaked a nce at him and started tiptoeing towards the door.

    Although there was something wrong with Hansen¡¯s eyes, he was still able to see vaguely. When Jenna waved her hands in front of him, the ring on her hand had caught the light and shed before his eyes. This would be too easy!

    He sensed her breathing moving towards the door.Smirking, he rushed over to her and grabbed her arm.

    ¡°Does that mean that you¡¯re leaving?¡± He demanded to know with some resentment. This d*mned woman actually tried to trick him!

    After getting caught, Jenna resigned herself to her bad luck and spoke with an air of righteousness.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s impossible for me to live here for no reason. It¡¯s not my style.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Hansen chuckled softly. ¡°It¡¯s not my style to let you go either. I would tell you that you¡¯re staying here for a reason. If we were to form some kind of rtionship between us, would you be more at ease with the idea of staying here?¡±

    As he said this, he grabbed Jenna¡¯s wrist with his big hand and with a little tug, Jenna fell into his arms.

    Jenna fell backwards and her back hit his chest. It was hard. Even through theyers of clothes, his skin seemed to burn her.

    Uneasiness flooded her and she panicked, struggling to break free from his grip. ¡°Mr. Richards, please don¡¯t. Please respect my wishes and let me go.¡±

    Hansen tightened his grip, causing Jenna¡¯s breath to catch. It was as if he wanted to draw her into his body. He raised his hand to hold the back of her neck, breathing rapidly.

    Jenna¡¯s heart pounded wildly. She pulled at his hand with both hands as she turned her head around. Her eyes shed with anger as she red at him.

    Even if he didn¡¯t look at her, Hansen would have been able to tell that she was in a rage.

    Locking his eyes on her, he moved his hands up to hold her face with a smile. Then, he started kissing her forcefully, prying her lips apart and tangling their tongues together, licking her lips gently. He held her tightly in his arms as he covered her lips with his, kissing her passionately, as if to release all the love and yearning he had for her over the past year.

    Jenna was stunned. She didn¡¯t expect that he would be so crazy. He was a well-known businessman, but he behaved as if he had not seen a woman for many years.

    From the time they were in her dormitory room until now, his behavior had been overbearing and obsessive, whichpletely threw her off bnce.

    The numbing sensation from the tip of her tongue flowed through her entire body like an electric current. Her mind was in a state of confusion and she felt dizzy as her entire body started to go limp. Beads of sweat began to form on her body as her temperature rose from being held so closely to him.

    The kiss was deep and long, feeling as if itsted a century. For a split second, familiar feelings and images flooded her mind. Her head began to throb.

    In a panic, she pushed her hands against his chest, trying to escape from the odd feeling.

    Hansen was overwhelmed by the joy of regaining what he had lost. He grabbed her hands with one hand and ced his other hand on the back of her head, preventing her from moving. Then, he pressed their lips together again.

    Just when Jenna thought that she would lose everything that night, Hansen released her.

    ¡°Jenna, do you know how much I¡¯ve been thinking about you all these days?¡± He murmured in a low voice, satisfaction gleaming in his dark eyes. His fingers gently caressed her lips that were swollen by his kisses. She could sense the delicate and deep yearning in his words, wrapping itself around her like silk, as if binding her tightly.

    Jenna¡¯s head was spinning when they finally pulled apart and she gasped for air.

    After a while, she raised her hand and pped him hard.

    He had gone too far. They just met a few hours ago, but they were now close to sleeping with each other.

    It didn¡¯t matter if she was his wife. The past was a nk to her. How could she behave so casually before she had even figured out the past?

    Therefore, she decided to teach him a lesson.

    After being pped hard by Jenna, Hansen was feeling a little confused and asked uncertainly, ¡°Jenna, can¡¯t you feel my love for you?¡±

    Jenna took a few steps back and said in a stern tone, ¡°Hansen, you¡¯re a celebrity, a wealthy merchant, a rich man. That¡¯s all true. You¡¯re able to afford such a luxurious ce for me, but I¡¯m telling you that I don¡¯t care about all that. Let me also tell you that I, too, am a human being. A human being who has her own thoughts and pride. You disrespected me, so I had no choice but to teach you a lesson.¡±

    For a moment, Hansen was dumbfounded, but then he gradually regained his senses.

    He had been a little too anxious indeed, but it was because he was too excited at seeing her that he allowed his emotions to overtake him.

    How could she not understand his feelings?! Hansen thought to himself.

    His heart ached.

    But he knew full well that Jenna was a principled person. She hadn¡¯t changed, but the rtionship between the two of them hadpletely changed.

    There were too many things for them to deal with now. He shouldn¡¯t have behaved so recklessly.

 Chapter 780 The Tragedy Of Fate

    ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry, I was too excited today.¡± There was a sense of defeat in Hansen¡¯s eyes. He then raised his head and said in a heavily aggrieved voice, ¡°But, Jenna, you¡¯re my wife. We still have a child we have to raise together. This is an indisputable fact. Even if my actions hurt you, you must know that this is my love for you.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart felt like it was torn apart, and she took a step back. Because of his kiss, her flushed face gradually became pale, and her heart was pounding ufortably.

    At that moment, Hansen¡¯s eyes were full of confusion. His face was full of grievance, like a lost child.

    She had to admit that he didn¡¯t look like he was lying at all.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I have already lost my past memories, and I do not doubt the authenticity of your words. But no matter what, you are a stranger to me right now. What you¡¯ve told me is one side of the story, and I can¡¯t give you my answer right now, but give me time and I will find out. And please, I ask you to respect me.¡± She tried her best to suppress her unease and restlessness while she replied with great strain.

    The meaning behind these words waas painfully obvious. ¡°I can¡¯t be certain that you¡¯re my husband. If you, Hansen Richards, want to take advantage of me, then I will not hold back!¡±

    Hansen was blown out of his mind. He was unwilling to give up,so he pressed harder.

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe what I said, right? Then, tell me, what kind of evidence do you want? As long as you can think of it, I can provide it to you, including our marriage certificate. If you want to see it, then I¡¯ll have my men to bring it right away.¡±

    Jenna had a deep look in her eyes, but she was also very rational. She raised her head, looked at him and spoke loudly.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, do you know why I came to Srirano? Do you know howI¡¯ve lived my life for the past few months? If you really are my husband, then I would like to ask you, was I ever truly happy? Can you tell me why I appeared in theke while I was pregnant?¡±

    Hansen froze instantly.

    These questions struck a chord on his already thumping chest. He opened his mouth to answer but he could not mutter a word.

    Yes, had his wife ever been happy? How had she lived for the past year? Does he even have the right to ask her?

    At a dangerous moment, in order to save Jerry¡¯s life, she had to entrust Jerry to him, which caused her to fall from such a high cliff. Moreover, she still had a child in her stomach¡­

    The child! He just thought of the child!

    Hansen¡¯s mind began to crackle with electricity, hitting his nerves one after another. He felt a dull pain in his chest as he rested his palms on his erratic heartbeat. He asked with much difficulty and bitterness, ¡°Jenna, where¡¯s the child? Where¡¯s our child?¡±

    Where was the child? Where was the child!?

    This question was like a loud scream in the still air.

    Such a painful feeling struck Jenna¡¯s heart. Where was the child in her belly?

    Some horrible and vague scenes began to appear in her mind instinctively. In an instant, she knelt down, with her hands covering her face, as she covered her face in tears.

    The dark night wasing at them with bared fangs and brandished ws. The darkest time before dawn was approaching quietly.

    Jenna¡¯s heart-wrenching cry made Hansen¡¯s entire heart tighten. He groped forward, wanting to hold her in his arms. When he reached out his hand, he felt a handful of tears. His heart ached. He could almost imagine the result. He forced himself to hold her in his arms again and stroked her back with his palms. His eyes were red and he muttered to himself, ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t cry. No matter what the result is, we will face it together. We can still have another child in the future.¡±

    More and more tears poured out endlessly, and all the irrepressible pain poured out at that very moment. That night, she seemed to have gone through h*ll on Earth. Everything came rushing towards her, confusing her. Her thin body could no longer bear such exhrating pain. She turned her head and fainted.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna!¡± Feeling the woman in his embrace going limp, with no movement in sight, Hansen panicked. He hugged her tightly and shouted for her with all his might, but she did not respond. She did not even resist.

    ¡°Alvin, Alvin!¡±

    He took her into his arms, stood up, and dialed for Alvin, roaring anxiously.

    Soon, Alvin frantically rushed over.

    ¡°Quick, send Madam to the hospital.¡± Hansen was so anxious that he couldn¡¯t even speak coherently.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Analyzing the grave situation, Alvin panicked too. He immediately held onto Hansen and said worriedly, ¡°Quick, Mr. Richards, follow me.¡±

    Inside Srirano¡¯srgest hospital, it was aplete mess.

    Hansen¡¯s face was gloomy. His entire being was like a volcano about to erupt, ready to engulf and burn the hospital at any time.

    Whether it was a doctor or a nurse, they all recognized this handsome and cold man in front of them. He was Hansen Richards, a rich businessman knowninternationally, who came to Srirano for an investment. The president was about to meet him. None of them dared to neglect him and threw themselves into tackling the stressful operation to rescue Jenna.

    In reality, Jenna was just exhausted. She fell asleep under the pressure. It was nothing serious. However, Hansen forced the doctors to check up on her multipletimes. Only after he was sure that she was fine did he feel relieved.

    It was dawn then!

    The hospital gradually quietened down.

    Jenna fell asleep in the VIP ward. Hansen took her hand and sat in front of the bed with his eyes closed. His expression was filled with angst.

    After a while, he pushed open the door of the hospital ward¡¯s balcony and walked out. The cold air blew on his face, and his mind was much clearer.

    He shouldn¡¯t have pushed her too hard that night.

    It was indeed his fault.

    The sun was rising quietly from the horizon. A red sun broke through the clouds, getting rid of the coldness and gloom that hadsted for days. Perhaps, it was time for the sun to clear the sky!

    A peaceful melody from a restaurant nearby filled the quiet air.

    ¡°Never me the tragedy of fate.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared of the bumpy road throughout your journey.¡±

    ¡°Go to the ce of your dreams.¡±

    ¡°Even if it was a mistake, I won¡¯t regret it.¡±

    ¡­

    Hansen took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. He was just about to take a puff when he remembered something and proceeded to put it out. He then took out the whole pack of cigarettes from his pocket and threw it into a trash can.

    Early in the morning, Steffan drove solemnly to the office.

    Dory said she would take a half-day leave the previous night.

    Thinking that she would not appear in the office,hefelt a little disappointed.

    As soon as he arrived at the front desk, the secretary nervously informed him, ¡°Mr. Yintern, someone is looking for you.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± He raised his eyebrows in a serious manner and asked indifferently.

    ¡°Mr¡­ The globally known businessman, Mr. Hansen Richards. He¡¯s so handsome.¡± The secretary had a look of infatuation as she could not help herself from speaking out.

    Steffan raised his eyebrows, a trace of coldness apparent on the corner of his mouth.

    ¡°Where is he?¡± he asked coldly.

    Upon seeing Steffan¡¯s cold expression, only then did she realize that she had lost herposure andimmediately came to her senses.

 Chapter 781 Duel With Me?

    ¡°Mr. Yintern, he¡¯s in the meeting room. I¡¯ll take you there,¡± said the secretary warmly. She seemed to have never seen such a serious expression on his face before.

    Steffan merely nodded his head and did not object.

    In the spacious conference room, Hansen was sitting on the reception chair. His side profile was as cold as ice, perfect and wless. Even his thick sses were unable to hide his cold gaze.

    Alvin stood by his side with no expression on his face.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern, this is Mr. Richards. He said that he has something to talk to you about¡­¡± The secretary informed him as they entered the room.

    ¡°Prepare some tea.¡± Steffan waved her off.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The secretary obeyed and left.

    He walked over in a solemn and natural manner, sitting down on the opposite side of Hansen.

    ¡°You¡¯ve found her,¡± he said calmly, the expression on his face as calm as the waves.

    Hansen lifted his brows, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. He raised his hand to signal for Alvin to leave the two alone.

    After a while, the secretary sent two cups of tea and proceeded to leave the meeting room.

    In the entire conference room, those two men were the only ones left.

    The temperature in the room seemed to have dropped significantly.

    ¡°Are your eyes still alright?¡± Steffan inquired as his slender fingers picked up the teacup on the table, gazing up from his teacup to look at Hansen.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I probably won¡¯t go blindpletely.¡± Hansen crossed his legs under the table as he pressed both his palms together on the conference table. His body was straight and his aura was cold and arrogant.

    He gazed at Steffan, his expression gradually bing terrifying, the outline of his face emanating an awe-inspiring chill.

    ¡°What exactly do you want from me in order for you to let her gowillingly?¡± he asked aggressively. His tone was cold and hard, as if he was shooting an urgent arrow.

    Steffan pulled his lips into a tight smile. Although he knew this was going to be a sharp blow to him, he still straightened up and sat up straight.

    ¡°What¡¯s yours is yours. Even if you steal something that doesn¡¯t belong to you, it¡¯s still not yours,¡± he still responded to him calmly with no fear on his face.

    ¡°That is to say, you¡¯re doing this on purpose?¡± Hansen¡¯s brows knitted together as his aura became even more oppressive.

    Steffan was stunned, as a smile started to form on his lips. ¡°Oh, the great Mr. Richards, are there that many ¡®purposes¡¯ in life? Are you saying that I deliberately picked up a woman from a river? Do you really think I¡¯m that bored and have nothing to do in my life ?¡±

    Hansen fell silent.

    ¡°Then, what is your motive? I think you¡¯re well aware that Jenna is my wife, and we are a legal couple.¡± Light shone through Hansen¡¯s eyes and his tone did not allow him to deny it.

    Steffan¡¯s face fell for a moment, but then he raised his eyebrows again. He chuckled and said, ¡°As expected, Mr. Richards is used to getting along well in the business circles. In his eyes, everyone is a despicable person with impure intentions.¡±

    Hansen remained unmoved and was very dissatisfied with Steffan¡¯s answer. He continued to question him.

    ¡°Oh, since you are so noble, why didn¡¯t you inform me that you found her since you¡¯re aware she¡¯s my wife? Why didn¡¯t you send her over to me?¡±

    The breaths in the air were colliding between the two men, and it seemed that traces of gunpowder could be smelled.

    Steffan could not help but to squint his eyes as a cold smile yed on the corner of his mouth.

    The previous night, after seeing Hansen at Melvin¡¯s birthday party, he was surprised. He had never paid attention to these celebrity news, but he had spent most of his nights looking at articles regarding Hansen on hisputer. Of course, he understood everything about him, including Jenna.

    That night, he smoked for half the night and didn¡¯t fall asleep until dawn.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, perhaps you¡¯re a famous person in the eyes of the world, rich and powerful, but in my eyes, you¡¯re nothing. What makes you think I would like to befriend you? And what makes you think you can order me around? Tell me, did youe here today to denounce me, or are you going to rob someone from me?¡± He looked straight at him and asked disdainfully.

    Hansen looked at him and clenched his fists. In the end, he unclenched them.

    ¡°There is no need to snatch my wife away from you. Thew states that she is my wife. From today onwards, she muste home with me. I¡¯m only here to ry my message to you,¡± he dered, word by word. He sounded resolute and firm as he dered his family¡¯s fate solemnly.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Steffan raised his serious eyebrows and asked, ¡°Is she willing to go with you?¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Hansen was stunned. He hesitated a little and said, ¡°You should know that she is only willing to stay by your side now because she has lost her memories. Once she regains her memories, she will return to me without hesitation. After all, we love each other.¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have the right to say this.¡± Steffan¡¯s heart trembled and he felt an uncontroble guilty conscience. He looked up and instantly thundered, ¡°Why did your wife appear in the river during her pregnancy? Did you know? If I had sent her to the hospital a few minutester, then she would not be in this world right now. What makes you have the right to say this now?¡±

    A loud bomb seemed to have exploded in Hansen¡¯s mind and his entire body froze. A chill rose from the soles of his feet up towards his face, as he turned pale. His vision started to be blurry. He put his hand on his chest and stood silent, his expression seemed to be filled with endless thoughts.

    Steffan stared at him sternly and aggressively. He couldn¡¯t see the look in Hansen¡¯s eyes, so he couldn¡¯t understand what was going through his mind, but he knew that he had already hit a vital spot.

    There was a yful smile at the corner of his mouth.

    Both of them looked at each other and did not speak a word. The atmosphere in the air was heavy and depressing, as if they had been struck by thunder.

    After a long while, Hansen¡¯s thin lips curled into a rigid arc. His expression was grim to the extreme before he started revealing his anger.

    He had carefully guarded the woman that the whole world was looking for. When they finally met again, however, it turned out that there was another man by her side.

    And he actually couldn¡¯t find a reason to take her away! Maybe there were thousands of reasons, but it was not enough to convince her to follow him.

    This raging heat was burning his chest.

    ¡°Steffan, does that mean you want to duel with me?¡± A sinister smile finally formed on the corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth as he spoke in a harsh tone.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± A dark, domineering aura was hidden on Steffan¡¯s face as he continued in an indifferent tone, ¡°Great Mr. Richards, you are the richest person in the world. Yourpany is all over the country. Compared to you, mypany is nothing more than the tip of an iceberg. If you fly into a rage, then I wouldn¡¯t be able to sit here and negotiate peacefully with you anymore. However, I¡¯ll have you know that money isn¡¯t something that you can use to buy people¡¯s hearts. If you really want toy your hands on me, then I¡¯ll listen to you. However, I do not care about money whatsoever.¡±

    When Steffan muttered these words, he deliberately paused, and then continued to say, ¡°If you want to take Dory away from me by force, then I can tell you that I don¡¯t agree.¡±

    His tone was firm, and his face was neutral.

    ¡°What¡­ What right do you have to stop me from taking my wife away?¡± Hansen was enraged once again. He pointed at him and asked with great anger.

    Steffan¡¯s words made him feel a faint headache. He really didn¡¯t expect that this person had such abilities. He really couldn¡¯t underestimate Steffan.

    ¡°What right do I have?¡± He said with a serious chuckle, ¡°Mr. Richards, don¡¯t forget that Miss Lexantra is now a designer in mypany. She has a contract with me. Anyone who wants to take her away must get my consent. Is there a problem with this?¡±

    Hansen clenched his fist and then loosened it. Gritting his teeth, he posed a question.

    ¡°Then, tell me, what exactly do you want?¡±

    At that moment, he was already very impatient. He continued harshly, ¡°Let me tell you, Steffan. I really don¡¯t like the fact that you¡¯re staying by my wife¡¯s side, and I hope you can stay away from her.¡±

    Steffan elegantly picked up his cup and drank a mouthful of tea. His voice was calm and steady.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°So, Mr. Richards, I hope that you will respect Dory and follow her decision. If she is willing to go with you, then I can¡¯t stop her. But if she is unwilling and you¡¯re forcing her to go with you, then I will not hold back. Can you understand this?¡±

    Steffan¡¯s words were full of challenge, and his eyes were full of confidence.

    ¡°Are you so sure that Jenna won¡¯t go with me?¡± Hansen suddenlyughed savagely. ¡°Steffan. If you insist on fighting with me, then I will not back down till the end, paying whatever price you have to pay.¡±

    There was an arrogant smile on the corner of his mouth, which was as cold as ice. ¡°I will tell you that all I¡¯ve said today was not a joke.¡±

    ¡°Then, do as you please. If there is nothing else, then I will not see you off.¡± Steffan stood up from his seat, his face as indifferent and confident as ever. After a few steps, he turned his head and said, ¡°Oh, by the way, Mr. Richards, please don¡¯t forget that no matter what you have done, you must have a sense of propriety. Please don¡¯t hurt Dory¡¯s heart.¡±

    After that, he strode away.

    ¡°Steffan¡­ ¡± Hansen stood up abruptly and mmed his fist on the table.

    On the wide and t road, luxury cars were driving by at the speed of light.

    Hansen ced both of his hands on his temples, his face still filled with anger. He asked, ¡°Alvin, how big is the market value of the Yintern Corporation now?¡±

    Alvin¡¯s eyes were sharp. He looked ahead and replied seriously, ¡°Mr. Richards, the market value of the Yintern Group in Srirano is at most two hundred million yuan.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Hansen snorted coldly as the cold glint in his eyes gradually converged.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, do you want to buy it? Don¡¯t worry, I guarantee that Yintern Group will disappear from Srirano overnight.¡± Alvin was calmly spinning the steering wheel in his hand.

    Hansen caressed his forehead with his finger. After a long while, he said indifferently, ¡°Steffan saved my wife.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Alvin immediately understood. He did not mutter a word after that.

    More than anyone else, Hansen knew that if he were to wipe off Yintern Group, Jenna¡¯s heart would be the one who would get hurt in the end. ¡°Steffan saved her life. I¡¯m afraid that this d*mned woman wants to devote herself to him now!¡± he thought.

    Judging by her personality, he could only give it further thought.

    Steffan was right. If he hadn¡¯t brought Jenna to the hospital in time, then would he still be able to see his Jenna? Would Jerry still have a mother?

    He looked out of the car window and stared at the scenery silently.

    ¡°Alvin, transfer 500 million from the Richards Group. I¡¯m going to nibble away at Yintern Groupslowly, keep them on their toes and settle the restter.¡± He instructed without any expression on his face after a period of silence.

    ¡°How dare you steal my woman away from me?¡±

    Furthermore, Jenna was hiswfully wedded wife. Yet, he had gone so far as to stop him from bringing his woman home. That b*stard¡¯s attitude showed that he did not put him in his eyes at all. He was too arrogant!

    An ufortable feeling washed all over Hansen¡¯s body.

    He wanted to go against him, it would depend on how serious Steffan was, and how much torture he could withstand.

    He had a lot of methods to deal with such a man.

    He wanted to see Steffan struggle in the palms of his hand, wailing. Then, Steffan would know that he was not one to be trifled with. If he knew better, then he would retreat when he realized theplexity of the situation.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards.¡± A faint smile appeared on the corner of Alvin¡¯s mouth as he immediately replied.

 Chapter 782 The Richards Group Is Coming

    ¡°Am I really Hansen Richards¡¯ wife?¡± Jenna sat in the office, looking at the ceiling in a daze with her head tilted.

    ¡°Thump. Thump.¡± A series of sounds came from her ceiling upstairs. Sitting on the office chair, Jenna could even feel the floorboards shaking.

    ¡°What the h*ll are they doing?¡±

    The building had a total of 28 floors, and Yintern Group upied the third floor. Jenna¡¯s office and Steffan¡¯s office were on the same floor, which was on the 20th floor. Jenna had never cared about who lived on the floor above her.

    The floor above her, which had always been quiet, was then filled with an ufortable noise, and Jenna¡¯s eyebrows were knitted together.

    After a while, she turned on herputer.

    She stared at theputer, with the screen frozen on the Wikipedia page for quite some time. Then, she lifted her fingers and entered the name ¡®Hansen Richards¡¯ without hesitation.

    ¡°Dory, do you still feel unwell?¡± When Steffan walked in, Jenna was sitting in a daze, her entire mental being in a state.

    ¡°Ah, nothing.¡± Jenna was snapped back to reality upon hearing his voice. She looked a little flustered, sat up straight, and shook her head.

    Staring at her seriously, he bent down and looked at her. His eyes were full of concern. ¡°Dory, if you are not feeling well, then go back and have a rest. Work is not importantpared to health.¡±

    Jenna pursed her lips and slowly raised her eyes to look at him. When she looked into his deep-set eyes, for a moment, she felt as if she had traveled through time and space.

    She gazed into his eyes, searching for an answer but she only saw the caring and warm light in his alluring eyes. It was so clear and honest.

    She was a little confused. Her lips parted as she was about to speak.

    ¡°Squeak¡­ Squeak¡­¡± The rushing sound from upstairs was like thunder rumbling from the sky, breaking the silence between the two.

    That noise was overbearingly annoying. Jenna felt that her eardrums were going to burst any minute.

    ¡°D*mn, what the h*ll is going on upstairs?¡± Steffan hated unwanted noise the most. Upon hearing it, he was very angry and shouted angrily for someone to attend to him.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern.¡± The secretary walked in immediately.

    ¡°Go upstairs and take a look. What¡¯s wrong with them today? What exactly are they doing? Are they unaware that thepany is in operation downstairs?¡± He ordered the secretary with a serious and embarrassed expression.

    The secretary epted the order and hurried upstairs.

    ¡°Steffan, they might be renovating. Forget it, we don¡¯t have to go through such trouble.¡± Jenna rarely saw Steffan in such an angry state and she was afraid that he would argue with the people upstairs on impulse, so she immediatelyforted him.

    ¡°Dory, you¡¯re too understanding.¡± Steffan obviously understood Jenna¡¯s thoughts. He immediately shook his head and sighed emotionally.

    Jenna smiled and thought of something. She couldn¡¯t help but to ask, ¡°By the way, Steffan, what are we going to do with Melvin? Are we still going to coborate with him?¡±

    When he heard this, his face darkened. The scene of Hansen going to Melvin¡¯s birthday banquet the previous night went through his mind. He was deep in thought and did not utter a word.

    If the Richards Group also pursued Melvin, in reality, he didn¡¯t think there was much hope for the Yintern Group, even if Hansen had beaten Melvin up .

    Under the temptation of arge sum of money, no one would be able to resist it, not to mention Melvin, who was famous for his love of wealth and lechery.

    ¡°Dory, in fact, it doesn¡¯t matter whether we coborate with Melvin. I firmly believe that as long as you have the design, our luxury cars will do well on the market.¡± Steffan smiled fondly, as if he did not care about it at all.

    Jenna¡¯s eyebrows drew together in a straight line.

    ¡°Steffan, you must have forced Melvin to apologize and offended him in the process. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll hire him for you,¡± she said righteously.

    Steffan had only taken over thepany for about a year. His father had been obsessed with artistic training all day, so he was not good at managing thepany. Due to the fact that thepany was rtively isted aside from Srirano, there was less chance ofpetition for thepany, and with thew regarding the development of the hardware facilities and software that could not be kept up, it was safe to say that this was a ¡®take it or leave it¡¯ situation for thepany.

    At that time, Steffan was able to detect the weaknesses in thepany. He was brave to reform it, set up new policies, and used the sess of the World Trade Fair to start the car trade fair and expand the market. This was a good opportunity. If he could coborate with Melvin Adames, then it would undoubtedly be the icing on the cake. The cars produced by Yintern Group indeed were far from perfect.If they wanted to develop further, then there was no doubt that connections would help thepany.

    Steffan had saved Jenna¡¯s life, so she should repay this debt of gratitude. Moreover, Yintern Group was considered to be pretty solid in the industry. Hence, Jenna had no intention of turning a blind eye to this matter.

    ¡°Dory, even if I gave up thepany, I would never let you deal with that b*stardever again.¡± At the thought of Melvin¡¯s attempt to drug Jenna, he became very angry and refused firmly.

    Jenna smiled brightly and talked with ease, ¡°Steffan, although Melvin isscivious, after this painful experience, it¡¯s safe to say that he will never dare to provoke me ever again. As for me, I¡¯m also determined to be an outstanding car designer. If my design caught the eyes of such an infamous designer like Melvin, then it would be such an honor for me. Therefore, from my perspective, I also hope that Yintern Group can coborate with Melvin.¡±

    Steffan locked his eyes on her delicate little face, with his gaze were deep. ¡°Dory, do you really think so? If so, then I will support you at all costs.¡±

    Jenna blinked her bright eyes and nodded. The smile on her face was as bright as the stars!

    Steffan was affected by her emotions, and he grinned back at her.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern, we¡¯ve just found out about thetest news. The Richards Group has bought the whole 21st floor. Right now, thepany is doing a full-scale renovation of the office upstairs.¡± The secretary ran down, panting, as she delivered the newly found information to Steffan.

    This was so sudden.

    Jenna and Steffan looked at each other, stunned.

    ¡°That is to say, the Richards Group has moved upstairs.¡± After a long while, he asked with a serious face.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Yintern. Technically, that¡¯s certainly so,¡± the secretary said with an inscrutable and serious expression.

    Hansen Richards!

    A slight smile appeared on the corner of his lips as Hansen¡¯s exasperated retreating figure in the morning floated into his mind.

    Surely enough, this action was so soon!

    He wanted to see what Hansen could do to him.

    ¡°I got it, you can go back to work,¡± he said to the secretary calmly,slightly inclining his head.

    After studying Steffan¡¯s expressionless face, she did not respond much and left the room. She didn¡¯t think much of it. Her mind only drifted to the handsome Hansen Richards, who will be working above their office from that day onwards.

    It seemed that this tall building would be more famous because of the participation of the Richards Group.

    With this thought in mind, she went back to work happily.

    ¡°Dory, Richards Group has moved upstairs and is firmly standing above us. I¡¯m excited to see what we have in store for us in the future.¡± Heughed at himself profoundly.

    Jenna did not speak. She lowered her eyes with heavy thoughts.

 Chapter 783 Madam Lilianâ€™s Reasons

    ¡°Well, Dory, since the Richards Group will be renovating their office, there¡¯ll be no peace downstairs. Why don¡¯t we take the rest of the afternoon off and go for a walk?¡± Steffan stood in front of her, as the hammering sounds continued to glisten the air. The environment was indeed bad, so how could they possibly work?

    Upon seeing the situation, Jenna was helpless. She could only nod her head in agreement.

    ¡°How about this? Let¡¯s pay a visit to Mr. Tangger. Who knows? The good-for-nothing master might have found a partner by now. Let¡¯s have a look at their rtionship development.¡± Thinking about Zevulon and his infatuation with that woman, Jenna giggled.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Steffan smiled.

    The two of them walked towards the exit.

    Before they left, Steffan looked up at the ceiling with a serious look and a cold smile on his face. When he walked out of the door, it was quiet in the corridor, and onlyJenna¡¯s office was exceptionally noisy.

    He couldn¡¯t figure out what Hansen was up to, but he could imagine that the future would not be peaceful!

    Meanwhile, in a European garden vi.

    Madam Lilian was wearing her reading sses, browsing the news on the tablet.

    ¡°Madam, I heard some good news today.¡± Quina came in with a blush on her face, holding the Global Times in her hand.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes lit up. She raised her head and smiled, ¡°Tell me about it.¡±

    Quina¡¯s smile had never been so bright. She muttered excitedly, ¡°Madam, your granddaughter is not dead. She¡¯s still alive. Look!¡±

    At the same time, she handed the newspaper to Madam Lilian with both hands.

    Madam Lilian took the newspaper gratefully and read it carefully.

    The newspaper shows two pictures of Steffan and Jenna together. One was Steffan holding Jenna¡¯s hand solemnly during Melvin¡¯s birthday event. The other was a picture of them looking intimate outside the dormitory in the middle of the night.

    On the other page of the newspaper, the news of Hansen teaching Melvin a lesson was also reported.

    This news was discovered by an entertainment reporter in Srirano,and they had quickly published it.

    The journalists were all very familiar with newsabout Hansen, but the news of Mrs. Richards apparently not being dead was shocking to these journalists. What was more, Steffan had risen out of nowhere. Such breaking news discovered by the entertainment journalists made a good story to sell. They were ecstatic and quickly published it. The tabloids¡¯ headlines read, ¡°Mr. Richards¡¯ wife, Jenna Murphy is not dead! What is her rtionship with this mysterious man in Srirano?¡±

    The news spread like wildfire that morning. In fact, Madam Lilian had already seen the news on the tablet. Although she was in a great deal of surprise, she also maintained her rationality.

    ¡°Madam, Jenna didn¡¯t die. This is great news.¡± Quina did not think too much, she was overjoyed at the news that Jenna was indeed still alive. Besides, she had been in a solemn mood alongside Madam Lilian that year.

    It wasn¡¯t easy for Madam Lilian to find her familyfinally,and yet they hadn¡¯t even begun to get to know each other, when such a tragic thing had happened. What was more, Sara still didn¡¯t know anything. Everything was kept in the dark. How long could this situation be concealed? It was too miserable and too heart-wrenching!

    Right then, it seemed that the sunrise was finally around the corner.

    Jenna had not died, but instead came back to life miraculously.

    It really was a blessing from heaven.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, Sara can finally be reunited with her daughter!¡±

    This piece of news was simply too good!

    ¡°Madam, you can finally wee back your granddaughter. In this case, you don¡¯t have to worry about Miss Sara. This is simply too good to be true.¡± Quina was still immersed in excitement, and immediately suggested.

    Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes were fixed on the newspaper, looking at it intently. She couldn¡¯t help but smile joyfully, but at the same time, her expression was dignified.

    After a while, she slowly put down the newspaper, and the smile on her face was one with a serious tone.

    ¡°No, Quina, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s okay, as long as I know that my Jenna is still alive,¡± she said calmly. She took off her sses, picked up the soft cleaning cloth on the ss table, and wiped it gently. Her voice was faint and deep, which prevented Quina from figuring out her thoughts.

    ¡°Oh, by the way, about Mr. Hansen, they will be reunited again.¡± Quina seemed to have just thought of Hansen and spoke as if she suddenly realized something.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    The light in Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes dimmed. When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with coldness.

    ¡°Quina, please deal with these entertainment reporters and have them delete all this news. I can¡¯t tolerate such scandals when they don¡¯t know the truth. They¡¯re spurting out nonsense as they please, ruining my granddaughter¡¯s reputation,¡± Madam Lilian said furiously. In order to attract the attention of the public, they decided to ignore the truth, taking advantage of the misfortunes of these people and publishing them as news. It was unbearable! How could Madam Lilian allow them to mess with her granddaughter?

    Only then did Quinae to her senses from excitement. She immediately understood why Madam Liliam was so angry.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madam. I¡¯ll handle this small matter.¡± She immediately consoled her.

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s good.¡± Madam Lilian said in a low voice, ¡°Their personal love lives are their own business, and they should solve it by themselves. It¡¯s a blessing that Jenna survived the fall from such a high cliff. Steffan saved her, and she should be grateful. Although the child lost her memories, she is quite capable of deciding what¡¯s right and wrong. It¡¯s not difficult to find out the truth of her identity. With a little research, she can find it on the Inte. But when Hansen found her, she did not return to the Hansen side. And as for me, since Hansen hasn¡¯t called me to inform me of such good news, it shows that there must be some problem between the two. These things can¡¯t be rushed. Let¡¯s give them some time first.¡±

    When Quina heard this, she understood and asked thoughtfully, ¡°So, Madam, do you mean that you don¡¯t need to pick up Jenna for the time being?¡±

    Madam Lilian¡¯s eyes darkened. She thought for a moment and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This kind of thing should be handed over to them to deal with, the others can¡¯t help them. Emotions are one of the biggest problems in a rtionship. Let¡¯s wait and observe from the sidelines. If this matter isn¡¯t solved after two months, then it won¡¯t be toote to start then. I want Jenna toe back homewillingly. I want her to regain all her memories of the past ande back without any regrets. No matter what it takes, I will open my arms to wee her with a smile when she returns.¡±

    It was not until she heard this that Quina realized that Jenna was Madam Lilian¡¯s sole granddaughter, as well as Sara¡¯s only hope. How could she bear to let her be stranded in a foreign ce?

    However, there had to be a reason behind Madam Lilian¡¯s actions.

 Chapter 784 Zevulon Drinking

    Surely enough, after a while, she heard Madam Lilian speak with a heavy voice, ¡°Quina, for a powerful man like him,it is too difficult for him to be faithful to others. I am old and my daughter is disabled, my only hope is for my granddaughter. Just think about it, Jenna and Hansen have been married for so many years, and what is the result? All the while when Jenna was with Hansen, she was always injured and bruised. She has suffered more than the average woman. I have seen Hansen¡¯s loyalty towards her, but at least until now, I think Hansen is not the perfect man in protecting my granddaughter. This man can¡¯t even protect his own woman, and she had to suffer through so many consequences. Although sometimes it was unintentional and was driven by external forces, it makes me feel uneasy. Men with power are more attractive and difficult than ordinary men. I don¡¯t want such things to happen again.¡±

    ¡°And so.¡±

    ¡°I would like to see how Hansen, who has experienced ups and downs in life, will perform this time around. Will he let me feel rest assured for Jenna to be with him? Will he be able to protect his own woman? Don¡¯t me me for being too suspicious. Please forgive me for just looking out for my loved ones. Although it seems selfish, it is still understandable. After all, I don¡¯t have many loved ones, and Jenna should deserve true love and happiness.¡±

    When Madam Lilian said this, she was depressed.

    Quina pondered and nodded in agreement.

    It seemed that Madam Lilian was worried about Hansen. Surely enough, at that time, Hansen was well-known globally. He was rich and powerful, young and promising. Among the men from wealthy families in A City, how many of them had no affairs outside their marriages? Although Hansen and Jenna had gone through many difficulties and had be as strong as steel, beauty doesn¡¯tst. Jenna was no longer young. Not to mention that Richards Group had reached a brand new height. All kinds of glory and temptation would only increase. If Hansen could not stand the temptation and something bad happened again, then Madam Lilian would definitely worry again.

    Therefore, it was understandable that Madam Lilian was worried. There was a knot in her motherly heart,and this was a worry that every parent would go through. Quina instantly understood the feelings of such an old woman. Although she wanted to take Jenna back home, she held back for Jenna¡¯s future happiness.

    ¡°So, Quina, this matter should not be mentioned in front of Sara for the time being,¡± Madam Lilian continued, still not feeling at ease.

    Quina smiled and agreed.

    ¡°Also, contact Professor Pir of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. I want him to go to Srirano to restore my granddaughter¡¯s memory.Note that this can only be done secretly and definitely cannot be known by others. Let the private affairs of my descendants be handled by themselves. Do you understand what I mean?¡± Madam Lilian raised her head with a serious expression on her face.

    Quina caught on fast and she immediately understood her assignment. She nodded solemnly.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, Mr. Tangger.¡± Steffan and Jenna came to Zevulon¡¯s room upon seeing that the door was tightly shut and there seemed to be no one inside. Jenna sensed that something was strange and called out to him twicefrom outside. She thought that he must have gone on a date with that woman again!

    After a while, there was still no movement inside.

    Jenna was reminded of the fact that she had note to her ss for two days. Zevulon should not be at home. When she was about to turn back and leave, she heard Steffan sniffing around with a smile on his face, saying, ¡°Dory, don¡¯t go. He¡¯s sulking while drinking alcohol. Let¡¯s go in and apany him.¡±

    Jenna was very surprised to hear that. ¡°Andhow did you know that?¡±

    He said with a serious smile, ¡°I have a special ability. Of course, I know.¡±

    Jenna cheered up when she heard this. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t tter yourself. Open the door quickly. He may have drunk a lot.¡±

    He solemnly took out the key and forced the door open.

    ¡°Mr.Tangger!¡± Jenna called out softly as she walked towards his room.

    ¡°Libera, you are so cruel.¡± As soon as they walked through Zevulon¡¯s door, they heard his criesing from the front of the closed door. The pungent smell of liquor made everyone feel ufortable.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Who¡¯s Libera?¡±

    The two of them looked at each other and then solemnly pushed open the half-closed door.

    ¡°Dory, the smell is too strong. You should stand outside and wait for me to help him out of the room.¡± He frowned, smelling the hard liquor. He was afraid that Jenna would feel ufortable, so he asked her to stand outside and wait.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Steffan supported Zevulon, getting him to lean against his body. Jenna noticed that he was still wearing a suit, but he was not as energetic as he had been that day. His suit and tie looked like a beggar¡¯s. It was wrinkled, and his hair was notbed. At that time, he seemed to be in a mess. He seemed to have returned to the state of a middle-aged man in a sh. She had heard from Zevulon that at that time, he was actually only 51 years old.

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± The five o¡¯clock shadow was apparent on his chin , and his face was red from the alcohol.

    Steffan seated Zevulon on an armchair outside. Jenna also moved another chair and sat next to him.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, could you tell us what happened?¡± Jenna sat down and asked patiently.

    Zevulon raised his bloodshot eyes and looked at her. He waved his hand and said, ¡°s, you kids don¡¯t know much. Go, leave me alone.¡±

    As Jenna and Steffan heard him, they instantly didn¡¯t know whether tough or to cry.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, if there¡¯s something troubling you, then why don¡¯t you share it with us? We might be able to help you out. You have to know that there¡¯s no obstacle that you can¡¯t ovee in this world.¡± Jenna patiently tried to persuade him.

    Zevulon was holding his head high and drinking a mouthful of liquor. He heavily put down the bottle and looked at Jenna with wide eyes. He asked, ¡°Dory, is everything okay with your body? Melvin, that jerk, had drugged you that night. Don¡¯t be afraid. I already punished him for you. I promise he won¡¯t do it again.¡±

    Jenna was stunned for a moment. It turned out that Zevulon was not inebriated yet. She smiled slightly and said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Tangger. I think Melvin will never do such a thing again.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Zevulon nodded and sighed. ¡°In fact, his life is not smooth-sailing either. He suffered a lot when he was a child. Although he is talented, he is left with a lot of shorings. To be exact, he can¡¯t be med.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    As Zevulon was speaking, he heaved a deep sigh. Deep guilt and unease were emanating from his words.

    Jenna listened, but she felt it was very strange. She secretly stole nces at Zevulon. When she saw tears shing in his bloodshot eyes, she was even more surprised.

    As the saying goes, a man¡¯s tears can¡¯t be shed easily.Zevulon was so emotional that hemented for Melvin, that b*stard. It was an enigma.

    Just as she was lost in her thoughts, Zevulon said to her seriously, ¡°Dory, I¡¯ve been there,and done that. I¡¯m telling you, you must be careful when dealing with your feelings. Not everyone can find their true love in their lifetime. When you meet someone, you should cherish them. Don¡¯t give up easily. You should be responsible for your family and rtionship. Otherwise, you will never be happy in the future, and the child will suffer from the consequences.¡±

    Zevulon was just spouting nonsense at that point. He raised his head and gulped down the wine in the bottle. Then, hey drunk in his chair and began to cry like a child.

 Chapter 785 Keeping A Distance

    Jenna and Steffan were both stunned!

    ¡°There, there, Mr. Tangger. Tell us what we can do for you. Even if we can¡¯t help you, at least we can listen to your troubles.¡± Jenna knelt down and tried tofort him.

    ¡°You two, it¡¯s okay.¡± After a while, Zevulon dried his tears, stood up, and staggered towards the bedroom.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to have a rest.Both of you can go back home.¡±

    When he just walked towards the bedroom, he held the door frame, turned back, and huped as he said, ¡°Oh, by the way, don¡¯t worry. I will have Melvine to yourpany to work with you. If the car designed by Melvin and Dory is truly a perfectbination, then it will truly benefit thepany. Such an opportunity can¡¯t be missed.¡±

    After saying this, Zevulon continued wobbling forward. He was only a few steps in when he flopped himself on the bed andy still.

    When Jenna and Steffan walked in, he was already snoring.

    Steffan shook his head with disapproval. After cleaning him up with warm water, he covered him with a quilt. He then turned off the lights and walked out.

    In fact, Zevulon had led a tough life all these years. ording to Steffan¡¯s memories, Zevulon had always been a loner, with not a woman in sight throughout his whole life. But that day on Melvin¡¯s birthday, he had seen a brand new Zevulon Tangger. He had thought that things would change, but then it seemed that it was not the case.

    When they came out of Zevulon¡¯s residence, it was alreadyte in the evening. He and Jenna habitually came to the river to take a walk.

    The two of them walked side by side, the chilly evening breeze blowing in their faces.

    After a while, he asked in a seemingly casual way,¡°Dory, you¡¯ve known the truth about your own identity, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Hansen and Jenna were not ordinary people. As long as they looked into Jenna¡¯s background on the Inte, they could easily find out. This was an undeniable fact. Of course, he didn¡¯t want to hide anything from her. In reality, when he had gone to the office that day, he already saw her researching on herputer.

    Speaking of this, Jenna¡¯s mood became heavy. Hansen¡¯s face shed in front of her, and her heart inexplicably wrenched.

    ¡°Indeed, Hansen¡¯s wife seemed to be an exact mold as me. I don¡¯t think this matter is false,¡± Jenna replied, nodding. The light in her eyes was glistening. She already admitted to the fact that she was his wife.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Steffan¡¯s heart capsized. He looked back at her and smiled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you surprised? Your husband turned out to be such an excellent person. Are you delighted?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were deep as she gazed at the stillness of the river.

    A thinyer of ice was slowly forming on the surface of the water. The water seemed to be reflecting a cold frosty light. Jenna looked at the light reflection, shivering from the coldness.

    She had fallen off the cliff like a nightmare on a dark night. It was a bottomless pit beneath her. She felt dizzy and could only feel the terrifying coldness. The coldness engulfed her blood and seeped through her bones. It was something she would never forget. Just reminiscing about it would make her feel cold and afraid.

    Why did she have this kind of feeling? She reasoned that it was because she had fallen into the water before.

    ¡°My past is a nk te. Even if I acknowledge that he is my husband, I still want to know about my past life. Mr. Tangger is right, marriage is not a trifling matter.¡± Jenna thought for a while, but deep down she was extremely troubled.

    When she did her research, she was able to obtain the basic information about her and Hansen. Life after marriage was iprehensible. These introductions were just basicpersonalinformation. The positive things might be recorded in it, but the bad sides were never exposed. She decided to calm down before making any rash decisions.

    Where was the child?

    This was the real reason there was an empty feeling inside her heart. Without including the child in her belly when she had fallen into the water, it was also noted on the inte that she and Hansen still had another child.

    ¡°Jenna, you can¡¯t be sloppy in your lifetime. I will respect any choice you make, to pursue the right choice that your heart tells you to.¡± After a moment of silence, Steffan said rationally, and then smiled quietly, ¡°Of course, I have neverined about you. I like your character and your talent. If you can give me a chance, then I will cherish you more.¡±

    In the past two days, he had sent some people to look through some old newspapers about A City. He read about Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s past life carefully. From some promiscuous news, it seemed that the title of ¡®Mrs. Richards¡¯ was not easily epted. Just a little more than a year after their wedding, the rumor about Hansen allegedly marrying his mistress hade out. In addition to the ident that had happened in Richards Manor, such rumors were not necessarily favorable towards a woman¡¯s reputation.

    Although he loved Jenna and was moved by her talent, he looked at the issue from her perspective and supported her to make her own decision after she figured everything out. He would not stop her, no matter what choice she made. However,if Hansen just wanted to take her away,out of fameand to protect his reputation, then Steffan would not leave her alone.

    ¡°Steffan, thank you.¡± Steffan¡¯s words sounded more like a big brother¡¯s care towards his little sister. Jenna was moved and spoke with a smile.

    Steffan smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I also have my own selfish motives. I have said before that it is rare for me to fall in love with a woman throughout my life. Mr. Tangger said that true love is very valuable. If you meet one, you should cherish them. I will give you a chance, and at the same time, also give myself a chance.¡±

    Steffan said these words whileughing. It seemed that he was teasing her, but at the same time, his words also had a deep meaning. Jenna nced at him with a heavy mood. She understood that Steffan was being serious. If she really was Hansen¡¯s wife, then itmeant that she was a married woman byw, and she should not be giving Steffan any hope.

    They should keep a distance from each other.

    If she kept up with this attitude, giving him mixed signals,then this would take a toll on Steffan in the long run, which would add to her guilt.

    It was a good thing that he had saved her. Ifshe became his enemy justbecause she floundered when dealing with her rtionship issues, and if he could not even be her friend, then it would be a great pity.

    ¡°Dory, let¡¯s go to a cafe and sit down. It¡¯s too cold.¡± He proposed with concern when he observed that Jenna¡¯s face was turning pale and her body seemed to be trembling.

    Jenna assumed that he still had some things to say to her, and it was not something that could be clearly exined in a few words, so she simply nodded and agreed.

 Chapter 786 His Persistence

    The two of them sat face to face by the window.

    ¡°Steffan, I remember thatEarl Grey isyour favourite tea. Shall we have that then?¡± Jenna skimmed over the list of teas handed over by the waiter and said with a smile.

    ¡°Get that then, Dory. I¡¯m truly happy that you still remember such details.¡± He spoke in a somewhat serious yet excessive manner. The luster in his eyes could warm one¡¯s heart.

    The way Steffan spoke, it pushed Jenna further into her guilt trip.

    He had been nothing but kind to her. Jenna was not a fool at that point. From the moment he had taken her from the States to Srirano, his care and consideration had been constantly meticulous. In this vast sea of people, she was moved by the fact that there was a man who cared about her so much. Therefore, she cherished their friendship and was even willing to give him a chance.

    Until then.

    She didn¡¯t seem to think so anymore.

    To her, there was no love between them.

    In order to maintain their friendship, she had to make it clear. Therefore, she quickly gathered her courage and said, ¡°Steffan, you¡¯re like a brother I¡¯ve never had. If you don¡¯t mind, I don¡¯t want to ruin our friendship.¡±

    The intention that came out of Jenna¡¯s mouth was as clear as day.

    Steffan had expected that she would say that, so his reaction didn¡¯t show a glint of surprise.

    He gazed at her face, and a glimmer of light rose from the depths of his eyes. ¡°Dory, I really don¡¯t mind. We¡¯ve been like brothers and sisters all this while,no?¡±

    Jenna was stunned,her eyes filled with confusion as she stared at him, as if she wanted to distinguish the true meaning to his words.

    Steffan smiled slightly andrested his palms on her hair, gently stroking them between his fingertips. His voice was calm andposed. ¡°Dory, I understand what you mean. Let¡¯s live our lives filled with happiness. Don¡¯t worry about it. I told you, I¡¯m doing this out of my own free will. You don¡¯t have to feel any sort of guilt or burden. In the future, no matter the status of our rtionship, you¡¯ll always be my sister. I can promise you this. Don¡¯t be hasty in making a decision when we still don¡¯t know what the future holds.¡±

    He seemed to have seen through her thoughts as he spoke in a warm and caring manner. His expression was calm andposed.

    Jenna¡¯s throat tightened, a lump forming in her throat.

    Steffan¡¯s attitude had once again exceeded her expectations.

    She was a married woman, but he was still willing tovish his affection on her?

    It was destined that nothing woulde to fruition between them, so why was he doing this?

    She bit her lip and tightened her fists on the table, unsure of what she should do to make him give up on his feelings. After a while, she twisted her stiff neck and hesitated. ¡°Steffan, I don¡¯t think you understand my painstaking efforts. Initially, I didn¡¯t know the truth of my identity. I could¡¯ve been a poor, pathetic girl. And you are an impable man that I have no reason to refuse. But now it¡¯s different. I am a married woman. No matter what kind of life I had lived in the past, for the sake of my child, I have no choice but to go back. So, I can¡¯t promise you anything. Steffan, there are many good women in this world. I don¡¯t deserve you.¡±

    Her voice was very clear, as if she was afraid that he couldn¡¯t hear her clearly. In the end, she deliberately added more weight to her tone.

    ¡°Shh.¡± Steffan raised a finger to shush her. ¡°Silly girl, I know better than anyone whether you¡¯re worth sacrificing for. Trust me, I¡¯m an adult, and I understand what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    A sense of powerlessness washed over Jenna. No matter how much she wanted to refuse, no matter how she said it, all her efforts seemed to be in vain when it came to Steffan.

    ¡°I have a streak of being unreasonable, and I certainly do not give up easily,unless you tell me I am in the wrong. Otherwise, I refuse to discard my original intention,¡± Steffan continued seriously and persistently.

    ¡°But, Steffan, I¡­¡± Jenna looked up, feeling very helpless. But before she could even finish her sentence, she was interrupted by Steffan. ¡°If you can¡¯t even confirm it yourself, then you¡¯d better not say it out now. Just wait a little longer. Maybe things would be different. Silly girl, stop being so persistent with your words.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    After that, Steffan took a look at the tea in front of the table, picked up the teapot, and poured himself a cup of tea. He said in a caring manner, ¡°Dig in, you¡¯ll be in a good mood if you eat more desserts.¡±

    Then, he picked up a piece of cake and put it on Jenna¡¯s te, saying in a soft voice, ¡°Eat up, and I¡¯ll take you to a good steakhouseter.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s body couldn¡¯t stand the cold. On such a cold day, her body generated a lot of heat, and so she felt hungry. After saying ¡®thank you¡¯, she picked up the cake on the te in front of her and put it into her mouth.

    It was very sweet and melted in one¡¯s mouth.

    Jenna swallowed the delicious food greedily, but her heart was still restless and uneasy. Even the sweetest dessert could not dispel the bitterness in her mouth.

    ¡°Dory, promise me one thing,¡± he asked in a serious and low voice.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jenna¡¯s body trembled anxiously. She raised her head, and when she looked into Steffan¡¯s deep eyes, she couldn¡¯t help but look a little flustered.

    He smiled solemnly upon seeing her embarrassment. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I just want to pursue you, don¡¯t refuse me so quickly. After seeking the answer that you¡¯re searching for, and if you happen to refuse Hansen, then please choose me. Remember, I will always be waiting for you, unconditionally.¡±

    His words were earnest,his face filled with utmost sincerity.

    Jenna was flustered and defeated,for no matter what she said, she could not make him give up. In fact, for the past few months, she had often said these words of refusal to him, directly or indirectly. Nevertheless, she had never been met with her desired response.

    It seemed that the result would be the same that time around.

    In order to conceal her panic, she stood up.

    ¡°Steffan, it¡¯s gettingte. It¡¯s time for me to go back to the dormitory,¡± she said as she walked outside.

    ¡°Wait for me, Dory.¡± When he saw her in a panicked state, he followed behind her closely. When they were almost at the door, he took her hand and said, ¡°Dory, think about what I said. Just as I said, I will respect any choice you make.¡±

    Outside, the street was illuminated with lights, and snow was falling from the sky. As soon as she stepped out from the warmness of the cafe, a gust of wind blew in her direction.

    Steffan held her hand, his voice gentle and soft, carrying a burning heat.

    Jenna looked at the fluttering snowkes above the sky, and for once she sensed Steffan¡¯s burning passion for her.

    ¡°If the day reallyes,then I¡¯ll promise you,¡± she said softly.

    A glint of hope was lit in his serious eyes, and it was vivid and touching.

    ¡°Really, Dory?¡± He felt a strange sense of excitement.

    Jenna smiled wryly. She thought to herself. If she chose not to go with Hansen, if she really did not have Hansen in her life, then there was no other man in this world who would treat her as well as Steffan did. Did she have any reason to reject him?

    Therefore, she made up her mind.

    Steffan had saved her. Hispany needed her then. She had to help him and repay his kindness. Although she might never be able to repay him for saving her life, at least she could try her best to repay him within her own capabilities. In this way, she would not feel like she owed him too much.

    As for what would happen in the future, that was something to talk about a monthter.

    However, she was certain that after Yintern Group¡¯s car show the next month, she would be able to leave this ce and leave Srirano.

    As long as she returned to A City, she would visit her child, and everything would fall into ce.

    Under the dim streetlights.

    A ck limousine was quietly parked in the corner, and the car was fogged with smoke.

 Chapter 787 Iâ€™m Here For My Wife

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I think we should go and teach that pathetic excuse of a man a lesson. He¡¯s too full of himself! He knows that Jenna is your wife. It¡¯s bad enough that he did not relinquish Jenna unto your hands, the least he could do is to keep a distance from her. Not only did he not do that, but he also took advantage of Madam¡¯s memory loss to weasel himself into her heart. D*mn, that dude.¡± Alvin¡¯s sharp eyes stared at Steffan, who was escorting Jenna. Sparks of anger lit up in his eyes. That was the first time in his time serving Hansen that he was this incensed.

    ¡°Have theye out?¡± A cold glint shed in Hansen¡¯s eyes. He took a deep drag of his cigarette and asked with a dark expression.

    That morning, Jenna had taken advantage of the time when Richards Group was busy in the office and ran out of the hospital. On top of it, she went back to that contemptible Yintern Group to work. Did this d*mned woman need to be so dedicated? It should be noted that he was her husband. Escaping from him was equivalent to fleeing from her family. It should not be like this.

    ¡°They¡¯re out now, Mr. Richards. Do you want me to go up and give that Steffan b*stard a good beating? Beat him until his face is bruised?¡± Alvin asked with a look of hatred.

    ¡°No.¡± A disdainful smile appeared on the corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth. ¡°We should consider this matter carefully. There¡¯s no need to hurry at this time.¡±

    He was the only man familiar with his wife, Jenna. Although she had lost her memory, her nature had not changed. Otherwise, she would not have lived in the dormitory. Steffan had saved her life. If he ran up and gave Steffan a serious beating, then it would make Jenna feel even more disgusted. If his predictions were correct, then Jenna had probably already regarded Steffan as her savior and was trying to repay his kindness. If he acted impulsively, then it would onlydestroy his own imageand work in Steffan¡¯s favor. By doing this, he would not only lose Jenna¡¯s trust but also intensify her guilt towards Steffan, which would only push her further away.

    Of course, he had a way to bring his woman back. He had the confidence to do so.

    ¡°Dory, let¡¯s go eat some fillet mignon. I know a good restaurant with their award-winning steaks.¡± After getting in the car, Steffan ignited the engine and turned his head towards Jenna.

    ¡°No, thanks.Just send me back to the dormitory. I¡¯m a little sleepy today and I want to rest early. There is still a project to be carried out tomorrow.¡± Jenna shook her head, refusing.

    ¡°But you haven¡¯t had dinner.¡± Steffan was worried. She was weak, and it would certainly bring harm to her body.

    Jenna smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there are still some toasts and eggs in my dormitory. I can fix something for myself. The food in restaurants tends to be unclean, and I am not used to it.¡±

    ¡°Those things aren¡¯t nutritious, you can¡¯t.¡± Steffan shook his head rhythmically, rejecting tly.

    ¡°Steffan, I really don¡¯t want to eat outside. I just want to go back early and rest. I still have a blueprint to be studied.¡± Jenna¡¯s big bright eyes were full of pleading.

    Steffan took onest look at her. It was really impertinent to force her, so he had no choice but to acquiesce,though he still offered,¡°Well, there is a supermarket right up front, I¡¯ll buy you something to eat. That should be fine, yeah?¡±

    What else could Jenna have done other than to agree to Steffan¡¯s request?

    Due to the cold weather outside, he parked the car on the side of the road and went into the supermarket to buy some food.

    Jenna sat in the car and yawned. She was about to close her eyes to rest. Just as she leaned her head against the seat, she noticed a ck limousine parked behind her through the mirror. The car seemed to be a little familiar.She sensed something strange and couldn¡¯t help but to look at it a few more times.

    The night before, when she had been taken away by Hansen, she could not sleep at all. As soon as she leaned her head against the cushion, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

    Jenna was sleeping soundly when Steffan walked in with a bag full of groceries.

    He started driving, with his mind wandering aimlessly. The shared dormitory where Jenna stayed was too simple and crude. It was really not right to send her back there. Just as he was thinking about switching the route back to his vi, Jenna opened her eyes, as if sensing his thoughts.

    ¡°Steffan, have you arrived at the dormitory?¡± Her voice sounded sleepy, a little hazy, but the consciousness of her mind was still clear. Steffan sighed, defeated. From beginning to end, this woman was very resistant to being alone with him. She was never willing to go back to his vi. He knew that it was her instinctive resistance to him.

    Loneliness festered in his heart, but he couldn¡¯t bear to let her go. He could only mutter, ¡°Just sleep, I¡¯ll wake you up when we get there.¡±

    ¡°Okay, remember to wake me up.¡± After Jenna said this, she closed her eyes and fell asleep again.

    In the end, he once again sent Jenna back to the dormitory. Over the past year, he had more or less understood Jenna¡¯s character and did not dare to disobey her.

    It was not until he sent her to the door and watched her carry the groceries upstairs that he fell back into the driver¡¯s seat and left the area.

    As soon as Jenna returned to her room, she immediately changed into a thick hoodie. Then, she pulled up the hood over her eyes. After covering her head, she felt warm.

    Steffan had bought her a lot of delicious food, consisting of cooked food, and raw vegetables.

    Jenna didn¡¯t want to eat the cooked food, so she picked up a box of chicken stew and started to prepare the ingredients.

    She knew that Steffan specifically bought the stew for her. Throughout the year, she would often cook chicken stew for herself and drink it.

    Fortunately, they had a kitchen and a bathroom in the single dormitory.

    Jenna went into the kitchen to clean the chicken, and proceeded to boil the chicken along with a broth that was filled with herbs and vegetables.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Once she was done, she turned around to leave the stew to simmer. What weed her next shocked her out of her mind.

    On the edge of her bed, Hansen Richards was sitting there in all his glory. His expression was an inscrutable one,calm and tranquil. He acted as if this was his own home.

    ¡°Hey, why are you here again?¡± When she thought of the previous night, Jenna began to have a headache and immediately asked.

    Judging by Jenna¡¯s tone and her footsteps, he knew that she was questioning him. He couldn¡¯t help but frown and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with meing to find my wife?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Jenna opened her mouth and realized she couldn¡¯t say a thing.

    If he really was her husband, then it didn¡¯t seem like there was anything wrong with him dropping in on her.

    Hansen didn¡¯t hear her response. He could smell the scent of victory, and the corner of his mouth couldn¡¯t help but curve up.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Jenna said somewhat angrily,¡°Even if we reallyarehusband and wife, you should only be able to enter after obtaining my permission. Besides, all of this happened too suddenly. You have to give me some time, you know.¡±

 Chapter 788 Iâ€™m Hungry

    ¡°Do I have your approval?¡± A hint of mockery shed across the corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth. ¡°Jenna, will you give me this chance? If I patiently wait till you¡¯re ready, then I¡¯m afraid that in the future, the one by your side would no longer be me, your husband, but that homewrecker, Steffan. If that¡¯s the case, then that would be such a waste, and it¡¯s unfair to me. If time is what you need, then there¡¯s no problem. From today onwards, I will show the utmost patience by apanying you until you regain your memories.¡±

    Crimson red painted across Jenna¡¯s face and ear, while she said in annoyance, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Be reasonable!¡±

    She didn¡¯t agree with Hansen¡¯s description of Steffan. It was true that Steffan was in love with her, but it wasn¡¯t like he wanted it. It was no fault of his. Besides, choosing whom to love was in their own right.

    ¡°Am I being unreasonable?¡± Hansen smiled sarcastically, his voice turning cold. ¡°I¡¯m here today to judge your reasoning. You¡¯re a married woman, but you have no care towards your husband and child. Instead, you¡¯re entangled with another man. You¡¯re ming your own husband foring to see you in front of your doorstep. Do you think this is fair to me?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s words were sharp and aggressive, making Jenna shrink due to theck of confidence.

    ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t willingly follow you right now,¡± Jenna replied firmly after thinking for a while.

    ¡°I said I would give you time. If you¡¯re not willing to leave with me, then I¡¯ll follow you,¡± replied Hansen without even thinking.

    Bring it on, he thought. Bickering came naturally between a husband and wife.

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Cook something for me.¡± Hansen took off his coat and put it on the chair beside him. Then, he sat down at the head of the bed, with his back against it. It seemed like he was going to linger on the bed for a while.

    Jenna took a look at him and epted her bitter fate. This small dormitory was meant to be her own personal space, but then Hansen was dering that he wanted to stay here too. Never in a million years.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, you don¡¯t want to cook for me?¡± It had been a long time since Hansen heard Jenna¡¯s voice. Knowing that she stood rooted to the spot without moving, he raised his brows and asked, ¡°You must know that this is your fault. Are you trying to abandon your responsibilities? Or, aren¡¯t you willing to admit that you¡¯re mywfully-wedded wife?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s tone was not polite as he pressed for answers.

    No matter how Jenna tried to read between the lines of his words, she felt aggrieved. However, it was gettingte and her stomach was growling, so she turned around and walked to the kitchen.

    Upon hearing her footsteps heading towards the kitchen, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, and he called for Alvin outside the door.

    Alvin came in with a big bag in his hand.

    ¡°Throw out all the thingsbought bythat b*stard and use the groceries I bought to prepare dinner,¡± Hansen instructed in a domineering manner.

    ¡°Alright, Mr. Richards,¡± Alvin answered loudly. Then, he carried the groceries in his hand to the kitchen and said respectfully to Jenna, ¡°Madam, please use these ingredients to cook instead. Mr. Richards was so angry that you left the hospital, so he skipped lunch. He must be famished now.¡±Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    As Alvin said this, he began to inspect all the groceries that Steffan had bought for Jenna and proceeded to jettison them away.

    Jenna helplessly watched Alvine in withrge quantities of produce. She was extremely shocked. The items kept appearing out of nowhere in the blink of an eye. Did he know how to do magic tricks?

    She soon learnt that they were indeed the two mysterious figures in the ck limousine who had followed her and Steffan to the supermarket previously.

    Helplessly, she looked at Alvin as he threw away everything that Steffan had bought for her, including the chicken stew she had been cooking. Even if she wanted to stop it, it was impossible. After all, Hansen was the textbook definition of domineering, and he had every reason to do so!

    She was his wife after all,which she had already confirmed earlier in the day when she was looking for information on the inte.

    She pouted her mouth, feeling hungry. She had to use the ingredients that Alvin brought instead to cook her meal again.

    A variety of ingredients sat on the kitchen counter. Of course, there were also ingredients for a chicken stew.

    ¡°Alvin, why don¡¯t you help Madam?¡± In the end, Hansen was worried that Jenna would be exhausted. When he sensed that Jenna was busy, he knitted his brows and gave instructions to Alvin, who was standing outside.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Alvin immediately stepped in. He rushed to take over everything that required the use of cold water. In the end, Jenna could only stand by his side, observing him.

    It didn¡¯t take a long time to cook. Soon, a few other dishes were all ready to serve. Jenna walked into the bedroom and set up a small table to enjoy the dinner. When she looked up, she saw Hansen lying on her bed, fast asleep.

    At that time, there was no heating in the bedroom. The temperature in the room was very low. His coat had been taken off, leaving him with only a shirt, and even then the hem of his trousers was damp from snow. He justy there without even covering himself with a quilt. Jenna stood still, looking at his sleeping face in a daze.

    When Alvin walked out of the kitchen, he saw her heading to her bed, draping a quilt across Hansen¡¯s body.

    Alvin¡¯s heart was moved slightly. It seemed that Madam still cared about Mr. Richards. Although she had lost her memory, she couldn¡¯t bear to see him feeling cold. After a long pause, he walked over and said to Jenna, who was standing up, ¡°Madam, I have something to say to you, but I don¡¯t know if you are willing to listen.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart missed a beat after she stood up. Without much thought, she knew what Alvin was going to say. She remained silent.

    ¡°Madam, it¡¯s only a few words. Pleasee out with me.¡± Alvin pleaded sincerely.

    Jenna slowly walked out. Upon seeing this, Alvin was very happy and followed at her heels.

    ¡°Madam, I have a small request. Would you agree to it?¡± Alvin¡¯s face was very serious and his voice was very low.

    ¡°What request?¡± Jenna raised her head and asked in confusion.

    ¡°It¡¯s about Mr. Richards¡¯s eyes.¡± Alvin said uninhibitedly, ¡°Madam, since the year you left, Mr. Richards had been trying really hard to get by. He had to fit in the role of a father and a mother. Because of his hectic life, he was not willing to treat his eyes, so he missed the best period to receive treatment. He¡¯s receiving treatment now. It was originally effective, but these days, due to the fact that he was worried about you and seeing you with Steffan all day, he grew furious and refused to receive any treatment. Mr. Richards¡¯s eyes have reached a critical stage. We must cooperate with the doctor¡¯s treatment in order for him to get better. I hope you can help Mr. Richards.¡±

    Alvin finished these words in one breath, and the expression on his face was very painful.

    Jenna began to breathe heavily, and the expression on her face wasplicated and inexplicable.

    Seeing the change in Jenna¡¯s expression,Alvin went on to give her a detailed exnation regarding Hansen¡¯s loss of sight and the cause of which involved her disappearance.

    Jenna began to feel waves of pain in her head. She tried her best to remember something, but it was still nk and her face was as pale as snow.

    ¡°Alvin.¡± At some point, Hansen had walked out and snapped at Alvin.

 Chapter 789 The Duty Of A Husband

    That morning, Hansen had specially done his research on the inte. People who lost their memory should not be forced into recollecting their memories as this would worsen the patient¡¯s state. It was obvious that Alvin was too hasty and hadn¡¯t factored this into his decision.

    Alvin only realized this when he saw Jenna¡¯s agonized expression. However, it was already toote. Luckily, he had only exined the condition of Hansen¡¯s eyesight. He lowered his head, feeling a little guilty.

    Hansen gave him a hard stare and turned around. He reached out his hand and embraced Jenna. He whispered into her ear affectionately, ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s fine to forget everything about the past. It wasn¡¯t anything wonderful anyway. I was also a jerk. I once hurt you deeply, but I can guarantee that it was all unintentional. Just forget about the past. From now on, I will give you everything that you need, I will make you feel like the luckiest woman alive. It is not toote. We still have countless beautiful tomorrows.¡±

    He embraced her tightly with a solemn promise on his face.¡°Jenna, I will prove to you that I am a good husband and a good father.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s nostrils were full of the familiar aura from the man. Her head was dizzy. Hansen¡¯s figure was tall and strong, his arms covered her delicate body, blocking her from all the wind and rain outside.

    The warmth of his body seeped into the chilliness that was settled at the bottom of Jenna¡¯s heart, melting it awaypletely.

    In his arms, she looked up at him. Her bright eyes were clear and bright, without any impurities. Just like it had been many years ago, when he had met her for the first time at the campus, with eyes sparkling with joy. She was like a piece of precious jade, illuminating his heart, a remembrance that he would never forget.

    Hansen lowered his head and caressed her face with both hands. He opened his eyes and tried his best to make out her face. Under the dim lights, he saw a pair of crystal clear eyes, which were sparkling. They were looking up at him, sizing him up. The light in her eyes was confused, yet gentle and submissive.

    Did Jenna ept him?Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    At the very least, she did not refuse to be embraced by him.

    He was overjoyed, but the little face in his hand thathe had once knownwas obviously not as plump as before, it was then skin and bones.

    He felt a stab of pain. He sighed softly with deep pity. This woman¡¯s body became thinner and thinner. His palm rested on her waist. He could still feel the familiar flesh, but it was apanied by her bony hip.

    Throughout the year, after she had toppled over from such a high cliff, he had no idea how she had survived. How hard it must¡¯ve been for her! Thinking hard about it, this was also due to him neglecting his duty as a husband. He hadn¡¯t fulfilled his duty to protect her. His heart ached at the thought.

    Now that he had finally found her, it was impossible for him to give up. He would not let her suffer any longer. From then on, he would not leave her side.

    As he gradually tightened his grip on her, he carried her up and walked towards the bedroom.

    It was odd that Jenna did not resist, but rather, she obediently leaned against his chest.

    His chest was sturdy, towering over her like a mountain. He blocked all the coldness from the wind and rain, and his heart was so calm andpassionate.

    She looked up at him and saw the gentleness on his face. She could even see the pain and guilt on his face. At that moment, his existence was ever so real and the expression on his face was so natural. It was clear that it was the love of a husband towards his wife.

    He hugged her so genuinely and was so considerate, as if all other doubts and thoughts were a joke.

    This man, this handsome and rich man, was indeed her husband, and he loved her deeply.

    She really had no reason to deny everything.

    The cutlery was quickly set up on the table. Due to the cold weather, Jenna specially prepared a small bowl of stew.

    ¡°Jenna, eat more.¡± Hansen fumbled around, picking up a piece of vegetable to ce it onto her te. However, he had not seeded after several attempts. Jenna lifted her te and caught it.

    ¡°Have you taken the meds for your eyes today?¡± Jenna set down her fork, looked up at him and asked in a concerned voice.

    Hansen was caught by surprise. His eyes lit up. Jenna was beginning to care about him.Was this really happening?

    ¡°No.¡± He shook his head.

    ¡°Why not? Do you want to go blind?¡± Jenna was a little angry.

    He sensed a slight fury in her voice. His heart warmed up and his face brightened. He was in a good mood due to the fact that there was some sort of reaction in Jenna¡¯s voice. He immediately said, ¡°I forgot. I¡¯ll eat immediately.¡±

    After that, he immediately said to Alvin, ¡°Alvin, help me get the meds from the office. By the way, you can head back and have dinner first.¡±

    Alvin heard his order and immediately understood what he meant. He nodded in agreement, with a slight smile appearing on his face. It seemed that Madam had already taken his words into consideration and started to care about Mr. Richards.

    Mr. Richard¡¯s days seemed to hold a bright future, and he could finally rx.

    As Jenna heard Hansen¡¯s active response, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly and she began to eat.

    Hansen¡¯s eyesight was severely weakened, causing him not to be able to eat normally. In the end, it was Jenna who fed him. However, for several times, Hansen¡¯s hands urately found its ce on her body, especially when she was trying to feed him. Once when she slipped, his hands urately wrapped around her waist and almost lifted her up.

    For a moment, Jenna was a little stunned, and even suspected that he deliberately pretended to have bad eyesight. But when she looked at his face closely, it was true that his eyes were nk, and his countenance was of those who were blind!

    After they had dinner, Alvin rushed over with the medicine.

    Alvin took out the medicine and carefully gave the instructions to Jenna.¡±Madam, these medicines are to be applied to the eyes, while these are to be taken orally.¡±Jenna nodded at Alvin, thinking, ¡°Such a great, thoughtful man.¡±

    ¡°Alvin, you can go back to the hotel to rest first. Come and pick us up for work tomorrow morning at eight.¡± After Alvin handed Jenna the medicine, Hansen instructed.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Once the medicine was handed over to Jenna, Alvin felt all loosened up. He was so euphoric that he nodded his head in agreement and waltzed away.

    ¡°Are you going to sleep here tonight?¡± Upon seeing Alvin leave, Jenna was a little jittery. In such a cramped space and such a small bed, even amodating one person would be stretching it, least of all with the addition of the well-built Hansen. She blushed in embarrassment at the thought of lying beside him.

    ¡°Yes, of course. It¡¯s all because you don¡¯t want to go to the hotel with me.¡± Hansen¡¯s face was written with an expression that said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that natural?¡± as he smiled wickedly. ¡°Wherever the wife is, the husband should be by her side. It¡¯s my unequivocal duty to sleep by my wife¡¯s side.¡±

 Chapter 790 Coaxing And Pestering

    ¡°Somehow, the conditions here are too simple and crude. It can¡¯t possibly suit your needs.¡± Jenna¡¯s face was red as she fumbled for an excuse.

    ¡°You can endure living here, so why can¡¯t I? Didn¡¯t you say that a husband and wife should advance and retreat together, and should be willing to suffer together?¡± Hansen smiled as he dered his decision righteously.

    Jenna was speechless, and she huffed a breath in annoyance. ¡°Well, whatever floats your boat. I don¡¯t care.¡±

    Her face was red, and she reached for the eye medicine.

    ¡°Come on, take your medicine first.¡± Her tone was stiff.

    Hearing her voice, Hansen knew that she was annoyed.

    ¡°First, open your eyes and rinse them with this.¡± Jenna took out the bottle of medicine and carefully read the instruction manual.

    Hansen was verypliant.

    Jenna¡¯s movements were soft and delicate, as gentle and agile as the spring breeze caressing the surface of his face. Ripples seemed to form in the depths of Hansen¡¯s heart.

    After helping Hansen apply his medicine, Jenna sat on the wooden chair that was situated at the edge of the bed, thinking about how they would sleep that night.

    It was such a small bed. As soon as Hansen sat down, the mattress sunk down in return. She herself already had to make do with the size of the bed,so how could he possibly stay here?

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± Hansen stretched out his hand and took Jenna¡¯s little hand. Jenna clenched her palms into a fist and struggled to get out of his grip. Hansen forced his index finger into her palm and gently circled it on the palms of her hand, like a dog. ¡°Will youe back to the hotel with me tomorrow?¡±

    He shook her hands, begging for mercy.

    Jenna was blushing, and she couldn¡¯t resist his coaxing and pestering. She was in a dilemma. If she didn¡¯t agree, then he would sleep here with her. To make things worse, this was a women¡¯s dormitory.

    She didn¡¯t make a sound.

    Delighted,a smile spilled from the corners of Hansen¡¯smouth.Her silence was tantamount to conceding to him.

    He held out his hands and held her in his arms with joy.

    ¡°You¡¯ll sleep in my arms today. I¡¯ll experience staying in this humble abode and see exactly whatkind of hard life my dear wife is being put through.¡±

    ¡°And then I¡¯ll reflect on myself. In the future, I¡¯ll definitely let my dear wife have a good life, yes?¡±

    His voice was gentle and moving, carrying a type of maism. It was extremely pleasant to listen to.

    Jenna struggled, and she was also worried that he might¡­ unleash the beast in him!

    She could tell from this guy¡¯s rising body temperature! It was very dangerous!

    ¡°Don¡¯t move, I won¡¯t do anything to you. Even though I really want to, I won¡¯t force you, unless you are willing to ept me.¡± He hugged her tightly in his arms, speaking in a gentle and soft voice.

    He really would not force her. Even if he was passionate, he had deliberately endured it. He was afraid that she would not be able to ept it.

    Jenna did not dare to move. She felt warm in his arms. She was so tired that she fell asleep.

    When she opened her eyes again, the sky was already beginning to be bright.

    That night, she had slept very soundly and did not feel cold at all.

    Alvin arrived at eight o¡¯clock on the dot.

    They walked down the stairs together, with Jenna holding Hansen¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Alvin, let¡¯s go to the hotel to have breakfast first.¡± After getting into the car, Hansen sat next to Jenna, with a jaunty smile on his face.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Alvin was in a good mood too.

    The car was heading for the La Jo Hotel.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you have ameetingscheduled at ten o¡¯clock in the morningthis Friday with the president of Srirano,¡± Alvin informed Hansen after going through the day¡¯s schedule.

    Hansen¡¯s expression was calm as he nodded indifferently.

    ¡°Do you need the secretary to prepare a draft for you? The Ministry of Srirano has already submitted several important documentsto usfor the uing meeting. You can take a look first. If you need anything else, then I will call Maloney right away,¡± Alvin asked very thoughtfully.

    Hansen thought for a moment and tightened his grip on Jenna¡¯s hand. He instructed, ¡°Tell Maloney that I¡¯ll be bringing my wife to attend the meeting.¡±

    When Alvin heard this, a hint of a smile appeared on the corners of his mouth. He immediately nodded in agreement.

    Jenna raised her head in shock. This guy was probably going crazy, he¡¯s even taking her to attend the meeting. As she pondered, she realized that the purpose of him doing this was to announce that she was his wife!

    At the thought of this, she cast a sideways nce at him, only to see the corners of Hansen¡¯s lips curling upwards, with a look of self-satisfaction on his face. She couldn¡¯t help but to feel a bit vexed.

    She didn¡¯t want to show up in the spotlight with him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous.I, your husband, will take care of everything. Just follow my lead.¡± Hansen sensed her unease. He leaned over and whispered some forting¡¯ words, with a yful smile on his face.

    ¡°Hey, you know very well that I don¡¯t think this is a good idea!¡± She thought to herself in exasperation.

    She rolled her eyes at him, but there was nothing else she could do.

    The breakfast table was filled with scrumptious food. However, due to Hansen¡¯s eyesight, he couldn¡¯t exactly enjoy it. Due to Jenna¡¯s presence, Alvin left the two alone. In the end, Jenna had to feed him again.

    After breakfast, Hansen was going to take Jenna to work. The moment Jenna stood up, she remembered that she was supposed to be at Zevulon¡¯s ce.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hansen asked in a soft voice. His awfully sensitive awareness had sensed her abnormality.

    ¡°You can head over first, I have to go to Mr. Tangger¡¯s ce.¡± Jenna looked at the time. Her work started at half past nineevery morning. It was thirty minutes to nine o¡¯clock. There was still an hour left, so it was totally possible to arrive on time.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger? Who?¡± Hansen did not understand and frowned.

    Fearing that he would be overly sensitive, Jenna had to tell him that she wanted to be Mr. Tangger¡¯s apprentice. Hearing this, Hansen smiled and said, ¡°This is a good thing. My wife is smart and studious. She is my right-hand woman. I must support her. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you there.¡±Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    As he spoke, he took Jenna¡¯s hand and headed for the car outside. Jenna found it strange. He could not see clearly, but he was light and speedy on his feet.

    She really felt that he had attached himself to her, and there was no way out for her.

    When the car arrived at Zebulon¡¯s mansion, Jenna saw that Steffan¡¯s car was parked there. She felt a little nervous for no reason.

    ¡°It looks like there¡¯s someone more proactive than me. No wonder you¡¯re here. A paramour is waiting for you.¡± Hansen¡¯s words sounded bitter. When Jenna heard it, she knew that he was backhandedly mocking Steffan. She could not help but to feel amused and angry.

    ¡°Puh-lease, Steffan is one of his apprentices too. Of course, he¡¯s here to learn.¡± Jenna opened the car door and stepped out. Before she could leave, her hand was pulled by Hansen. ¡°Take me there, I want to go too.¡±

    He pulled her outrageously and insisted on going in.

    ¡°It¡¯s dirty and messy there. What will you do inside? Mr. Tangger doesn¡¯t even know you.¡± Jenna shoved him away. Unexpectedly, Hansen picked up her hand and walked towards the courtyard.

    Jenna hesitated for a while and could only shake her head.

    When Zevolun saw Jenna holding Hansen¡¯s hand anding in, he thought that he had drunk too much the previous night and his old eyes were fooling him. When he looked again, he found that the man Jenna was holding was indeed Hansen.

    It was not surprising that Hansen was able toe over. The strange thing was that Jenna was holding his hand.

    His apprentice was not just an ordinary person. Even Steffan, who had been by her side for a long time, had not even held her hand in public!

    A solemn look hung on Steffan¡¯s face as he helped a blond and blue-eyed man down the stairs. For a moment, the atmosphere was rather awkward.

 Chapter 791 Professional In Treating Amnesia

    ¡°So, you¡¯re Mr.Tangger. Forgive my rudeness.¡± Hansen stood in the middle of the room and spoke to Zevulon in an imposing manner.

    Zevulon was never known for being nosy. Naturally, he didn¡¯t think much about the rtionship between Hansen and Jenna. When he heard Hansen calling Jenna his wife, he was floored for a long time beforeing back to his senses. He then nced at both Sfeffan and Hansen, and cleared his throat.

    ¡°Oh, Mr. Richards,nice to meet you. It turns out that Dory is your wife. Forgive my feeble old brain for failing to see this. Well, how about this?¡± He took a step forward, bowed his head and whispered teasingly, ¡°I always dote on my apprentices, but sometimes I can be a bit harsh. If I had offended Dory in the past, then allow me to offer my apology.¡±

    As he spoke, he took out a cigarette from his pocket, put it under his nose, and sniffed it. Then, he lit it slowly and steadily.

    ¡°Alvin.¡± Hansen was a wise man. He was clear-headed and immediately smiled. He said to Alvin, who was standing beside him, ¡°Go to the trunk and bring the top-grade cigars for Mr. Tangger.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Alvin obeyed, immediately heading out.

    ¡°Oh, please, you didn¡¯t have to.¡± Zevolun¡¯s expression was taken over by seriousness. ¡°It¡¯s only right for a teacher to teach his apprentices.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course.¡± Hansen smiled. ¡°And it¡¯s only right for me to be courteous to such a respected master.¡±

    While they were talking, Alvin came in with a bag of wine and cigarettes, as well as a top-grade cigar.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, I¡¯ll leave this with you.¡± Alvin put a bag full of expensive things on a short stool beside him, deliberately leaving the bag open. It was loaded with the exquisitely packaged, pure, top quality cigar. Amazement filled Zevulon¡¯s eyes.

    Steffan stood by the side, with his face twitching. His respected teacher¡¯s eyes were shining brightly. His expression had long betrayed the thoughts of him being bribed by Hansen.

    s,his master was good at everything, but he liked to take advantage when given an opportunity. How mortifying!Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    He shifted his gaze to Jenna. Finally, his gaze fell on the hand that Hansen was holding on to Jenna. His eyes darkened.

    If the current Jenna had a slight sense of rejection in her eyes, or perhaps she was a little annoyed or repulsed by Hansen, then he would have taken her away from his side regardless of anything.

    However, she didn¡¯t. There was even a shy expression on her face, and she didn¡¯t even spare a nce at him. He waspletely ignored. At that moment, he had a sense of defeat.

    ¡°Mr. Tangger, I have something to do at thepany. I have to go now.¡± He walked past Zevulon with a cold face.

    ¡°Hey, boy¡­¡± Zevulon was about to say something to him, but Steffan only left him a view of his back and soon disappeared at the door.

    Zevulon shook his head.

    ¡°Oh,e to think of it, Dory, this famous expert in the United States, Pir, has done meaningful research on amnesia. After he saw what happened to you in the newspaper, he came here on his own initiative and decided to treat you actively. Well now, you can cooperate with this expert in the future. I also hope that you can return to your normal life,¡± he informed, gesturing towards Pir.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Lexantra.¡± Upon catching sight of him, the foreigner, Pir, smiled and made the first move to greet her enthusiastically with a vivid expression.

    Jenna was stunned. It turned out that the foreign man in the room was an expert in amnesia, and he hade here especially for her. It was no wonder he was so interested in her when he saw her.

    She was nervous. On one hand, she still hoped to remember the past. On the other hand, she had a faint worry. Was she worried that her past was not as she expected it to be? She couldn¡¯t say.

    In reality, this feeling was deeply imprinted in her mind and she also understood that she was worried that her previous life was an unhappy one. She was afraid that she would choose to give up the man who was holding her hand by her side.

    At that time,Jenna just bowed her head and said,¡°Mr. Tangger, there is still some time left. I will go up to the drawing room first.¡± She did not answer Zevolun¡¯s question directly.

    When Steffan had left the grounds, Hansen felt very relieved. He did not insist on going up with her.

    Jenna sat in the drawing room. From time to time, she could hear theughter between Hansen and Mr. Tangger downstairs. It seemed that this guy really had some tricks up his sleeve. He had charmed Mr. Tangger so quickly. Obviously, they got along quite well.

    ¡°The air here is so terrible. I won¡¯t allow you toe here again.¡±

    As soon as they sat in the car, she heard Hansen¡¯s overbearing voice. It was because he was not used to the smell of the paint. He knitted his eyebrows together.

    ¡°I already told you that you didn¡¯t have toe. Who¡¯s to me for kicking up a fuss?¡± Jenna said somewhat impatiently. The reason she could still stay so calmly in Srirano was mainly that she wanted to learn the art of car design from Zevulon.

    It had to be said that Zevulon was an expert in this area. From these few days of learning, she had understood the true essence of art. With such a good opportunity, how could she give up so easily?

    Hansen heard the irritation in her tone and smiled. It seemed that this woman¡¯s anger had grown a lot after she lost her memory.

    ¡°You know, it¡¯s fine if you want toe here every day. In the future, I¡¯ll get someone to clean up this ce. I also hope that you¡¯ll agree to get treated by Professor Pir.¡± He immediately changed his words and smiled.

    Jenna felt very helpless in front of him, a man who went back on his word.

    Hansen took the opportunity to sit and squeeze himself next to her. Jenna had nowhere to run. She could only force herself to adapt to his existence.

    In a sh, the car came to a halt at Yintern Group¡¯s building. Jenna took out her mobile phone to have a look and could not help but sputter an ¡®ah¡¯.

    ¡°Oh no, it¡¯ste. It¡¯s already ten o¡¯clock.¡± She opened the door in a panic and got out.

    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± Hansen also got out of the car. He held her hand and said calmly.

    ¡°Each family has its rules, each country has its rules, and eachpany has its rules and regtions. I¡¯m an employee of the Yintern Group, so of course, I can¡¯t vite the rules and regtions.¡± Jenna picked up her pace.

    ¡°As the boss, I don¡¯t even care. Why are you in such a hurry?¡± The corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled slightly. He continued holding her hand, and walked slowly and measuredly.

    Jenna¡¯s heart was coiled with anxiety. She hadn¡¯t heard the meaning of Hansen¡¯s words, or perhaps, she couldn¡¯t have imagined it.

    ¡°Let go of me. I¡¯m going to enter thepany.¡± Jenna shook off his hand.

    ¡°No can do, I can¡¯t see clearly.¡± The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth rose as he continued acting like a rogue.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have Alvin with you?¡±

    ¡°Alvin is not as sweet as my wife.¡±

    Fine, Jenna caved in.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you need to go to work?¡± She had to change her strategy. ¡°I mean, we¡¯re in front of the elevator.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m just going to work. My office is on the 21st floor.¡± Hansen smiled deeply.

    Jenna thought about it. That was right. The Richards Group had moved above their floor the day before. They were the cause of the shing and ttering sounds around their office on the previous day. That was why she had gone out with Steffan.

    He probably had done it on purpose.

    Thinking of this, she shot a nce at him. The elevator bell rang, and she immediately got rid of his hand and ran out.

    She didn¡¯t let out a sigh of relief until she ran to the elevator door.

 Chapter 792 Unreasonable

    As Jenna¡¯s hand left Hansen¡¯s palm,he felt a gust of emptiness. It was as if his heart was empty.He immediately sought Alvin.¡°Alvin, have you finished tidying up my office?¡±

    Alvin smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Richards. I¡¯ve been working overtime the whole night and now it¡¯s finally done.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Hansen smiled.

    As soon as Jenna opened the door to the office, a fresh floral fragrance wafted into her nose. She was shocked to see a bundle of roses waiting on her desk.

    She was stunned.

    She was sure it hadn¡¯t been there the previous afternoon.

    She gripped the key in her hand. Yes, the key was still with her, so it was impossible for someone to have opened the door to her office.

    But where did these flowerse from?

    She walked over, picked up the roses, inspecting them. They were fresh, as if they had just been plucked.

    She lowered her head and thought for a while. Such a thing could only be Steffan¡¯s doing!

    At the thought of Steffan, she actually felt a little depressed. She slowly walked to the desk and sat down. Unthinkingly pressing on the keyboard, her mind drifted to the events on the previous night.

    The night before, she had slept in Hansen¡¯s arms, seemingly very soundly. The warmth was still preserved on her body as of then.

    There was a slight blush on her face.

    ¡°Stop thinking about it. There is still a car show n to be carried out today,¡± Jennawarned herself, shakingher head.

    Sheposed herself, switched on theputer, and immersed herself in her task. Time passed by in a sh. Just as she was lost in her work, a dark figure appeared in front of the desk.

    She looked up, andstanding in front of her was Steffan.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern.¡± Her speech faltered. With the previous night¡¯s events, she felt ufortable facing Steffan.

    ¡°Dory, are you busy with the n? These are the procedures of the car exhibition. I¡¯d like to discuss when you may need to make an appearance,¡± Steffan said gently, holding a stack of drawings in his hand,pletely ignoring the expression on Jenna¡¯s face.

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Jenna nodded her head in a hurry upon receiving an important task.

    Steffan walked towards the couch, and Jenna also stood up and followed him.

    They both sat down on the couch.

    Steffan spread the drawing in his handand pointed to one of the corners. ¡°The prelude to the exhibition must be grand, but the real climax will be around this time. So here I am, to discuss it with you.¡±

    Both of their heads were almost pressed together as they looked at the drawing n intently.

    Jenna studied the drawing with Steffan¡¯s indication. She agreed with his decision and was about to open her mouth to speak.

    ¡°Knock, knock, are you working, or are you flirting?¡± A teasing voice suddenly appeared in the office, which startled the two of them as they looked up at the same time.

    Hansen had appeared out of nowhere. He stood tall and upright as he spoke with a jealous tone.

    Jenna was immediately dumbstruck. Where did he evene from?

    From her point of view, Hansen¡¯s appearance was certainly eerie. It was as if he had drilled through the wall, appearing out of nowhere. If Hansen hade through the door, then the both of them surely must¡¯ve heard him.

    His appearance waspletely baffling.

    ¡°Jenna, I happen to have something I need to discuss with you.¡± Hansen gave a yful smile. He ced a hand on Jenna¡¯s waist and pulled her back a little. Jenna was almost lifted up from her seat. He sat down next to Jenna, wedging himself between Steffan and her.

    It wasn¡¯t until Hansen sat between them that Jenna came to her senses.

    ¡°Jenna, the roses are beautiful, don¡¯t you agree?¡± Hansen turned his head and smiled at her.

    The identity of the sender of the roses had been made known to Jenna.

    ¡°How about this? You both can continue to discuss your n, andI¡¯ll talk to Jennater.¡± He chuckled and motioned between the two with his index finger. It was obvious that he had nothing to say and was only here to spy on them.

    A dark aura shrouded Steffan, and his eyes were cold and gloomy.

    Jenna was also ticked off. As if they could continue their discussion when there was a whole man-child sitting between them.

    The air came to an impasse, and Steffan knew that it was impossible to continue the discussion, so he could only stand up.

    ¡°Dory, since Mr. Richards has something to discuss with you, go ahead and deal with him first. Come by my officeter,¡± he said to Jenna before he left.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? I¡¯m at work, you know that right?¡± Jenna red at him and asked with disapproval.

    Even if he was her husband, he couldn¡¯t possibly interfere with her work like this.

    ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying. I¡¯m going to ask you a question. Is your job or your husband¡¯s eyesight more important?¡± Hansen asked unhesitantly.

    Jenna was caught off guard for a moment, and then she remembered that Hansen had not applied his eye medicine that morning.

    ¡°Are you a three-year-old child? You don¡¯t even know how to take your own meds.¡± Jenna rolled her eyes at him and said impatiently, ¡°What¡¯s more, Alvin is with you.¡±

    ¡°If only I were able to see, then I wouldn¡¯t need someone to help me with this. Alvin has something to do this morning. Besides, he¡¯s thepany¡¯s vice president. He can¡¯t always stay by my side, acting like my wife. Needless to say, I have my wife now. It¡¯s so unfair that my wife is not treating me as she should.¡± Hansen reasoned with her.

    A pang of guilt struck her chest.

    She immediately nced at him and took a deep breath.

    Didn¡¯t Alvin say that his eyes had reached the critical period of treatment? It urred to her that Hansen indeed hadn¡¯t taken his medicine that morning. Defeated, she immediately extended her hand and asked, ¡°Ugh, where¡¯s the meds?¡±

    A smug smile shed across Hansen¡¯s face. He took out the medicine from his pocket and handed it to Jenna.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    Jenna nced at him and realized that this guy came fully prepared. He brought the medicine with him at all times.

    She shut her mouth and headed to the bathroom to wash her hands.

    When she walked into the bathroom, she sensed something odd, but after a quick nce behind her, she dismissed the thought.

    When she came out of the washroom, Hansen was lyingfortably on the couch, waiting for her.

    ¡°Please leave after I apply the medicine for you. Don¡¯t bother me anymore. I still have a lot nned for today, I don¡¯t want to stay back overtime.¡± Jenna took the medicine and warned in advance.

    Hansen¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What n? You¡¯re a designer, not an administrative secretary. That Steffan guy is good at ripping my wife to pieces. That¡¯s outrageous.¡±

    When Jenna heard this, she found that this guy was unreasonable. As long as Steffan wasmentioned, he would grind his teeth.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t act so unreasonably. This is my job.¡± She shook her head, feeling peeved.

    Hansen smirked devilishly and stretched out his hand to pull Jenna¡¯s hand. Losing her bnce, Jenna immediately collided with his chest.

    ¡°I¡¯m only unreasonable with women in bed. At other times, I¡¯m always reasonable. Do you understand?¡± He breathed heavily, and his tone was extremely warm.

    Jenna¡¯s face instantly turned crimson red.

 Chapter 793 He Fell From The Sky

    Hansen could imagine Jenna feeling all cringey as he held her in his arms, and he startedughing out loud.

    Jenna stretched out her hand to thump him, but he grabbed it and seized the opportunity to take advantage of the situation. Jenna waspletely defeated.

    A five-minute task turned into a thirty-minute task with Hansen¡¯s constant teasing.

    After applying the medicine, Hansen had no intention of leaving at all. He took out his cell phone and fumbled around, clicking on a news channel. Putting on a pair of headphones, he lounged on the couch.

    Jenna had long been acquainted with Hansen, that scoundrel. If he didn¡¯t leave, then she wouldn¡¯t be able to force him to leave either.

    She just pretended that he didn¡¯t exist.

    The hour of the car exhibition was approaching, and she couldn¡¯t dy her work anymore.

    Refusing to pay him any heed,she walked to the desk and continued her work.

    However, she was really not used to having someone staying by her side when she was at work, especially when it came to such a man whose second nature was to encroach upon her personal space. It would only make her feel uneasy and distracted.

    Hansen just continued toy im to his seat, unable to be driven away. Jenna expended what seemed like an interminable stretch of time to get used to his presence.

    Outside the office, Steffan stood in front of her door.

    Theughter and flirtatious banter in the office struck his nerves from time to time. He stood there, with his fists clenched, and hisfacestiffened.

    It wasn¡¯t until theughter had died down that he turned his head and walked away.

    At noon, Hansen dragged Jenna to the hotel to have lunch. After forcing her to take a break,he then brought her back to work in thepany.

    In order to help him apply his medication, she had wasted a lot of her precious time. By the time she got off work, the program drafts were still not done. In order toplete the n that day, Jenna had to work overtime.

    ¡°Jenna, are you going to sleep in the dormitory today, or are you going to follow me back to the hotel?¡± Hansen questioned when it was time to get off of work.

    Jenna thought of the embarrassing situation the previous night. If she did not follow him, then this guy would not let it go. Instead of another night of squeezing, it was better to y along with his orders. At that moment, her eyes turned to him and she said, ¡°I promise to go to the hotel with you, but you have to promise me that you¡¯ll leave me here so I can continue my work without distractions. Wait for me at the hotel.¡±

    ¡°Not a chance. If I leave you, then who knows if that scoundrel, Steffan, would step inside your office?¡± Hansen was not at ease and resolutely rejected her offer.

    ¡°But if you don¡¯t leave, then I can¡¯t concentrate onmy work, which will only prolong my working hours.¡± Jenna gnashed her teeth and stomped her feet, her face turning red with fury.

    Hansen pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do this. I¡¯ll wait for you in my own office upstairs. However, don¡¯t work until toote.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± As long as this guy left her alone, she would be thankful. She didn¡¯t care where he would be. Jenna immediately agreed.

    Hansen ordered dinner for the two of them. After they had their dinner, he finally left Jenna and returned to his office.

    Without any distractions in the dead of the night, there was stillness and inspiration, so the n waspleted.

    She stood up, exhausted from her neurotic thoughts.

    Due to the poor conditions and uneven water heating system in her dormitory, Jenna was ustomed to taking a bath in the office before going back home.

    Habits came naturally.

    After work, she stretched her waist, rxing her muscles and bones, and went to the bathroom. She turned on the tap, filling the tub with water.

    After a while, she ensured that the office door and bathroom door was locked, took off her clothes, and stepped into the tub. She usually felt sleepy after taking a warm bath.

    The warm water temperature chased away the tiredness on her body, and her whole body was warm, which made her feel veryfortable.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    She closed her eyes, slightly enjoying thefort with a faint smile on her face.

    After a while, she seemed to hear a noise banging on the wall and opened her eyes in shock.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡± she screamed, and then something strange happened. The wall slowly cracked open, and a tall figure came through the wall. She was so scared that her face contorted in fear as she continued screaming.

    ¡°Why are you screaming? It¡¯s me.¡± Hansen, rmed at Jenna¡¯s screaming, engulfed her in an embrace.

    In the bathtub, under the warm water was pale and smooth skin, which was glossy and lustrous. Her graceful body was partly hidden yet also visible in the bathtub. Hansen could vaguely make out the outline of her body. At that, his breathing suddenly tightened, and a long-suppressed desire rose from the depths of his heart. It was almost gushing out, and even his voice became raspy.

    ¡°How did you get in?¡± she asked in horror.Jenna hugged her knees and sat up. She hurriedly plucked a bath towel and wrapped herself in it. It was outrageous for her wall to open up like that.

    Hansen understood her surprise and chuckled.¡°Don¡¯t you know that your husband is so powerful? I¡¯ve already connected my office with yours. As for me, I cane in and out of my wife¡¯s office at any time and supervise your situation.¡±

    With a calm expression, he seemed to take it for granted.

    How could hee up with such tactics!?

    Jenna was stunned, and as she pieced the puzzle together, it exined the reason why he had appeared out of nowhere that afternoon. It turned out that he hade in from this small door. Her mind drifted to the noisy renovations the day before. It was amazing how they had been able to finish such a task overnight.

    Sheined inwardly, ¡°This guy is indeed a lunatic. This is a bathroom. How could he install a passage door in here? Only he, such a freak, woulde up with this idea.¡±

    After understanding the whole situation, Jenna finally calmed down.

    ¡°Get out, and wait for me to finish my bath.¡±

    ¡°Why do I need to go out? I happen to need a shower too. Well, we can shower together. First of all, we can save water. Secondly, my eyesight is limited,so you can help me scrub my body.¡± He gave a Lucifer-like lopsided smile, and was too pleased with himself.

    It turned out that he had already installed a surveince camera in Jenna¡¯s office. Jenna¡¯s every move in the office had been under his control. It had been a long time since he had heard anything from the surveince records. He had felt suspicious. Could it be that Steffan had taken Jenna away? He had grown anxious and drawn his eyes to the screen for a closer look. He had seen that the blurry figure on the white screen had disappeared.

    In a grip of panic, he had immediately stormed over from the small door. He hadn¡¯t expected that Jenna was taking a bath.

    That time, it yed out exactly like how he wanted!

    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Jenna¡¯s face reddened and her heart raced when she heard this. She immediately retorted.

    If only Hansen would care about her refusal. Immediately, he took off his clothes and in a short while, he waspletely naked as he slipped into the bathtub with her.

    Jenna, embarrassed to the core,pushed him with her hand. However, Hansen was tall and powerful. He was extremely strong. Jenna¡¯s strength was like throwing an egg at a rock.

    It wasn¡¯t long before Hansen extended his hand. Her hands were gripped by him.

 Chapter 794 The Time Of His Life

    ¡°Hmm, it seems that I should hasten the treatment for my eyes. It¡¯s a pity that I can¡¯t see such a breathtaking scene, my dear wife¡¯s beautiful figure.¡± Hansen¡¯s hand fell on her skin, his hot breath fanning her ears. There was a very warm smile on his face.

    Jenna was in a narrow bathtub,with their limbs tangling together. His touch couldn¡¯t help but leave a spark on her body.

    This guy was all too familiar with her body, every tiny movement of his seemed to tease her.

    She soon felt like she was melting in his gaze and touch, and it was difficult for her to control herself.

    She couldn¡¯t help but tremble and plead,¡°Can you let me go?We¡¯re in theoffice.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more exciting in the office.¡± Hansenughed. His face was covered with desire, emotions ming like a soulful fire.

    Ever since Jenna had ¡®drowned¡¯, he had buried all these emotions deeply, quickly forgetting this feeling of intoxication. He never thought that he could ever experience it again during his lifetime. It turned out that the heavens had given him this opportunity again. He was ecstatic, with his feelings erupting like a volcano.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    There was no need for him to either hold back or ovee these feelings. He should be allowed to satisfy his desires.

    He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, ¡°Jenna, I want you. You¡¯re my wife, and this is what I can ask for.¡±His fingertips trailed her face and rested on her chin, his lipsnding on hers. And soon enough, their tongues fought for dominance.

    A long-lost feeling of intoxication rose from Jenna¡¯s heart and spread throughout her whole body. It felt a little fantastic yet she couldn¡¯t bring herself to resist him.

    ¡­

    By the time they came out of the bathroom, it was almost dawn.

    This was Hansen¡¯s time of his life.

    Due to his limited eyesight,Jenna had taken charge of every detail during their lovemaking. This kind of gentle care made him feel like he was blooming in spring, surrounded by sheer joy.

    At times, he even hoped his eyesight would take its own sweet time in getting better.

    Since it was only in consideration of his terrible eyesight thathe received such gentle treatment from Jenna.

    That night, Jenna hadpletely surrendered her armor, obediently submitting to Hansen¡¯s ¡®lecherous¡¯ state. The two of them had frantically begged for each other in therge presidential suite, from the bed to the couch, all night long¡­

    As a result, Jenna felt sore when she woke up the next day. It seemed that she hadn¡¯t slept well that night, but she was still in good spirits.

    The next morning, as Jenna held Hansen¡¯s hand, walking out of the door, he was full of joy, and the corners of his eyes and eyebrows were full of smiles.

    He had never thought that life could be so beautiful. It was as if the darkness within had dissipated in an instant and was then filled with a golden glow. The light brought him to the heavens, traversing into the garden of Eden.

    The two of them appeared in Yintern Group hand in hand.

    As for Jenna, Hansen had always liked to be high-profile, especially in front of Yintern Group. Therefore, he appeared at the office, tightly holding Jenna¡¯s hand.

    Everyone looked at them with a look of disbelief on their faces.

    Wasn¡¯t Miss Lexantra the woman whom Mr. Yintern was infatuated with? Why would she get herself tangled with the Richards Group? When had she be so intimate with Hansen Richards?

    Jenna felt extremely awkward. As soon as she came to the door of the office, she saw Steffaning out of the elevator, with a briefcase in his hand. She couldn¡¯t get away from Hansen¡¯s tight grip, and her face was ridden with panic and embarrassment. She ducked her head in fear and avoided his eyes.

    Steffan¡¯s gaze fell on her face for a moment, and he understood everything.

    There was a sh of darkness in his clear eyes, and heshed out at some of the staff members who were whispering in the corridor. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t you need to go to work?¡±

    He had no expression on his face, and his words were cold. His entire demeanor was demanding, just like gunpowder that was about to explode.

    The staff sensed his change in temperament. They had never seen such a serious Steffan, and no one dared to upset him. They bowed their heads and tiptoed to their office.

    After sending Hansen to the office, Jenna lowered her head and hurried back to her office.

    As soon as she walked in, the secretary came over and said, ¡°Miss Lexantra, Mr. Yintern would like to see you.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She did not know why he was looking for her, but she had seen his expression just then andit was very serious.

    ¡°Okay, be there in a sec,¡± she answered, feeling a little guilty.

    The secretary left.

    ¡°Lexantra, when did you start being in a rtionship with the president of the Richards Group?¡± Joanne ran over during breaktime and asked with a face full of surprise.

    It was really strange. She remembered seeing Jenna and Steffan appear in the newspaper during Melvin¡¯s birthday party. It seemed like things had quietened down. How could she be thick as thieves with Hansen in such a short time?

    This was too strange!

    She stared at Jenna. Since she had a good rtionship with her, she took the initiative toe over and ask her questions.

    Jenna understood her confusion. This bizarre situation was really too difficult to exin. After pondering for a while, she said, ¡°If you have time, then you can take a look at Hansen¡¯s background information on the inte. Mr. Yintern is looking for me right now. I have to go now.¡±

    After that, she pushed her to the side and said with a smile, ¡°The car show is taking ce soon. Go and get your work done.¡±

    Joanne was puzzled, and Jenna took the opportunity to sneak out.

    When she was about to arrive at Steffan¡¯s office, Jenna¡¯s heart was already in her throat. She neither knew what he would say to her, nor did she know what he was thinking about.

    Nevertheless, she knew that she had to face all of this sooner orter.

    She was the spouse of Hansen Richards. This was a fact. It was impossible for him to be in a rtionship with her. She had long since made this clear.

    However,that day was different from usual. As soon as she arrived at the door of the office, she heard a man¡¯s voice.

    She hesitated for a while and knocked on the door.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Steffan¡¯s voice could be heard inside.

    Jenna adjusted her mood and gracefully walked in.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern¡­¡± Just as she entered the room and was about to speak, he was shocked by the people inside the room.

    Melvin was dressed in dark red sportswear, with curly hair draped over his shoulders. He was sitting elegantly on the couch.

    On the opposite side, Steffan waspersonallypouring tea for him, and the two of them were talking andughing.

    Jenna was astonished.

    ¡°Dory,e here.¡± Steffan raised his head and waved to her. He looked calm andposed, not as gloomy as Jenna had imagined.

    ¡°Come, sit down and have some tea.¡± Jenna¡¯s heart was relieved. She slowly walked over.Steffan gestured to her to sit down on the couch next to him, and served a cup of tea in front of her.

 Chapter 795 Bravo!

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Steffan had no reaction whatsoever, so why should she feel nervous? Jenna thought as she sat down, with the burden lifted off her shoulders.

    When Melvin saw Jennaing over, he raised his eyebrowsand stared at her slyly.

    Jenna felt stuffy at his near voyeuristic gaze.

    Melvin¡¯s sly eyes were as blue as ever. The only difference was that the bridge of his nose had been bandaged with a gauze. His wound alsohadnot recoveredpletely. Even so, it seemed that he still had not rectified his lecherous nature, and his behavior was still as mischievous as ever.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Steffan cleared his throat ¡°Dory, Master Adames will be joining Yintern Group from today onwards. The two of you will be working with each other to design cars. I hope to be amazed at a groundbreaking model at the fair next month.¡±

    Did Melvin really join Yintern Group? Jenna was a little surprised. She remembered Zevulon mentioning Melvining to work in Yintern Group, and to her surprise, he really came here.

    She mused inwardly, ¡°Since when did Mr.Tangger be so powerful!¡±

    As if he had seen through her doubts, Melvin said faintly, ¡°Okay, I may need to put in a disimer here. I¡¯m here because I don¡¯t want to go against my mother¡¯s wishes. It¡¯s all because you people have the ability to win her over.¡±

    As he said this, he lifted the teacup to his lips, a very reluctant expression was on his face.

    Jenna blinked her eyes.

    From Steffan¡¯s information on Melvin, she knew that Melvin was a filial son. He listened to his mother, Libera, especially. It seemed that he was right.

    ¡°Master Adames, I hope that our future coboration will proceed smoothly.¡± Jenna smiled slightly as she spoke in a generous and courteous manner. She employed an unpretentious modus operandi in handling Melvin¡¯s previous indifference towards her. After all, it was inevitable that they woulde into contact with each other again in the future.

    When Melvin heard these words from such a beauty, what with the past and all, they had all been flushed out of his mind. He wanted to reach out to shake hands with Jenna, but when he saw Steffan¡¯s cold expression, he immediately withdrew his hand and sat still.

    ¡°Dory, Mr. Tangger¡¯s office will be right next to yours. It will be more convenient for you tomunicate with him in the future,¡± Steffan said as he turned his head towards Jenna.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna nodded.

    ¡°Okay then, that will be all. If you need anything, then just let me know.¡± He stood up and walked back to his desk.

    It was obvious that they were allowed to leave.

    s, the atmosphere was a little different.

    Jenna observed Steffan in front of his desk, buried in hisdocuments. His side profile was stoic and cold. This was definitely aplete turnaround from the usual warmth on his face he always had before.

    It seemed that he had already figured it out, and this was also good.

    At the very least, there would still be friendship between them.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna felt a little relieved. The atmosphere was not as embarrassing as she had imagined. Rxed atst, she followed Melvin out the door.

    Melvin had been sitting in his office for less than five minutes before he slipped into Jenna¡¯s office.

    ¡°Hey ya, Dory.¡± He came in as if he owned the stage. ¡°Gimme your drawings. I didn¡¯t manage to look at them carefully that night.¡±

    Jenna was editing the car model on theputer. Upon hearing his words, she immediately nodded and agreed. She opened the drawer, took out a stack of drawings, and handed them to him.

    Melvin epted the drawings gratefully with a smile, turned it over, and eximed, ¡°Oui, Dory, your car model is really well-designed. It¡¯s definitely a fine product, and well suited for such a beautiful woman like you. I must say, I cannot help but praise you.¡±

    He eximed in excitement uponying eyes on the drawings.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been looking for high-quality designs for the car¡¯s structure, but I couldn¡¯t find the ideal person for this job. I really didn¡¯t expect such a person to be just right in front of me. Talk about me being careless!¡± He was really attracted to Jenna¡¯s design. On the night of his birthday, he had drunk too much and did not pay much attention. That night, his intentions had been impure, but when he looked at them carefully right then, he couldn¡¯t stop praising them.

    Jenna smiled and looked up at him. ¡°Thank you for yourpliment, Master Adames. I¡¯m very happy that you recognize my efforts.¡±

    ¡°Of course! I¡¯m just afraid that my n will ruin your talent,¡± Melvin said modestly.

    He seemed to be hesitant about letting go of the drawings. He raised his eyebrows, with his eyes sparkling with amusement. ¡°Dory, you¡¯re so beautiful and talented. It¡¯s no wonder Steffan likes you so much. Not to mention him, even I¡­¡± As he said so, he shifted his gaze towards Jennaand was that close to wrapping his palms around Jenna¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± A dissatisfied snort rang out in the room.

    Both of them were shocked. Jenna was about to dodge his palm, but when she heard that certain snort, she immediately recognized the voice.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t hit me,¡± Melvin screamed, bringing his arms up to protect his face upon realizing that it was Hansen, the very same man who had beaten him up on that eventful night, standing in the room like he had just descended from the sky.

    Jenna burst outughing.

    ¡°I warn you, if you dare touch my wife again,then I will beat you out cold.¡± Hansen shoved his hand into the pocket of his suit. His tall figure stood upright, with his imposing manner radiating majestic and domineering energy. His biting-cold gaze scared Melvin out of his wits.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare, I wouldn¡¯t dare,¡± Melvin took the blueprint in his hand and said in a hurry. Suddenly, he scratched his head and shouted as he came to a realization, ¡°Hold your horses.Dory, aren¡¯t you Steffan¡¯s girlfriend? When did you be Hansen¡¯s wife?¡±

    When Hansen heard these words tumbling out of the clueless boy¡¯s mouth, he couldn¡¯t help but to be jealous. He shouted angrily, ¡°Are you blind? Get your facts right. See who¡¯s Jenna¡¯s man. If you dare to say that again, then I will sue you for nder.¡±

    Melvin had been scolded for no reason. He blinked his eyes. After a while, he seemed to understand the real reason he had been beaten up that night. It turned out that Jenna was loved by two very powerful men. Andsince Melvin wasn¡¯t yet clear about their rtionship, hewas digging his own grave at the moment.

    It seemed that in order to survive, he shouldn¡¯t be making any moves on Dory.

    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll take my leave. I won¡¯t bother your lovey-dovey time with each other.¡± Melvin up until then really wasn¡¯t tactful. He turned to walk outside. As soon as he took two steps outside, an idea came to his mind and he turned back. He continued, ¡°That reminds me, Dory, you should be the car designer, Jenna Murphy, right?¡±

 Chapter 796 Whatâ€™s On Your Mind?

    Jenna was stunned. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder your designs are so good.¡± Melvin pped his hands, realization dawning upon him. That exined why he thought she was familiar when he first caught sight of Jenna during the birthday party. He couldn¡¯t help but to say with a sigh, ¡°Ms. Murphy, I¡¯m so sorry that I couldn¡¯t recognize you. As a car designer myself, I am terribly ashamed for not recognizing you sooner.¡±

    He had been in the car design industry for so many years,yet he had not recognized Jenna. Nevertheless, he could not be med. After all, this matter was too bizarre. Jenna was the spouse of Hansen, so she should not have been in Srirano in the first ce. What was more shocking was that she appeared by Steffan¡¯s side, serving as a designer for Yintern Group. Moreover, Steffan openly proimed that she was his girlfriend. It would be no mean feat to rte one unimagined thing to another.

    As Melvin said these words, the surprise on Jenna¡¯s face disappeared and she buried herself in her thoughts.

    ¡°Now, this sounds more like it.¡± These words made Hansen happy. Up until then, apart from Alvin, the only person who could recognize Jenna¡¯s talent was this hateful person named Melvin.

    The fact that Melvin was able to recognize Jenna had indeed encouraged Hansen. His loathing for him had dissipated quite a bit, and the color on his face had also eased.

    Melvin walked out of the room with his mind filled with incredulity.

    In between the days, he hade over multiple times to discuss work with Jenna. Most of the time when he came in, he could see Hansen, who stayed by Jenna¡¯s side like a guardian angel. He¡¯d feel a chill in his heart and quickly retreated.

    With that, Jenna¡¯s and Melvin¡¯s car design coboration was smooth-sailing. With the increasing frequency ofmunications with Melvin, Jenna found that they both had very simr views and concepts. There wasn¡¯t a barrier between them. With these simrities, the two of them got much closer.

    With Hansen guarding by her side, Melvin behaved quite the proper man with Jenna. This made Jenna feel even more satisfied. After a long time, the two became much more familiar with each other. The previous obstacles buried deep in their heart also disappeared, building amon ground.

    However, Melvin was still unhappy with the fact that Hansen had hit him. He alwaysined in front of Jenna while Hansen was busy. From time to time, he called Hansen a ¡®demon¡¯.

    Jenna just smiled and didn¡¯t answer him.

    ¡°Hey, can you give me exclusive news in exchange for our sessful cooperation in the past few days?¡± Melvin took his blueprint and came over to Jenna. Taking advantage of the fact that Hansen was going to be busy with the chairman¡¯s weing event, he couldn¡¯t hide his great curiosity and asked Jenna with a wink.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Jenna raised her head in puzzlement.

    ¡°You know¡­ Do you really like Hansen, or do you like Steffan? Is Steffan your ex-boyfriend? I¡¯m guessing that you were kidnapped by that ¡®demon¡¯, but deep down you actually love Steffan. Am I right? So you secretly came to work at hispany. It must be like this, right?¡± Melvin was spouting nonsense, with his eyes shing with mischievousness, and the smile on the corners of his mouth was very annoying.

    In fact, after the birthday banquet, all the news was put to a halt by Madam Lilian. He did not know that Jenna had lost her memory. This matter was too much for him to be curious about. He had long wanted to ask, but since Hansen guarded her fiercely every day, he hadn¡¯t had a chance to do so.

    ¡°You are such a nuisance!¡± Jenna was both angry and amused by his question, so she had to scold him.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be ungrateful. I really don¡¯t care to inquire about other people¡¯s affairs.¡± Melvin continued to press on passionately, with a treacherous smile on his face.¡°I do think that Steffan is in love with you, but it seems like Hansen has defeated him.¡±

    Jenna sat up straight and said in a serious manner, ¡°Master Adames, I think if you restrain yourself from other women, then you will be a good man. You have the demeanor of a promising man. You¡¯re serious, no-nonsense in your work, and you¡¯re notsloppyat all.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Melvin curled his lips and said scornfully, ¡°What a joke.How could you question my masculinity and charm? How about I treat you to lunch today? Let me have a good talk with you about men, and I¡¯ll analyze your current situation, guiding you on the correct path.¡±

    As he said this, he sidled up to Jenna, trying to wrap an arm around her shoulders. She immediately dodged it, with her beautiful eyebrows raised questioningly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you have that demon by your side. No matter how desperate I am, I won¡¯t fall for you. I¡¯m doing this for your own good.¡± Melvin dropped his arms and chuckled. He lowered his head, catching the uneasy expression on Jenna¡¯s face. Only then did he realize that he really should change his habitual action of hugging a woman whenever he saw one.

    Jenna raised her eyebrows, squinted at him, and said, ¡°I¡¯m talking about you. Hurry up and find a partner for Aunt Libera so that she won¡¯t have to worry about you.¡± After saying this, she asked in a mysterious voice, ¡°Can you tell me what is the rtionship between her and Mr. Tangger?¡±

    One moment Melvin wasughing out loud, the next moment his face fell.¡°Hey, I asked you a question first. Stop picking on me. Forget it, it¡¯s boring, I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    As he spoke, his face was covered in ayer of ice. Mist began to rise from his body as he strode out.

    Jenna stared at his back nkly.

    ¡°Jenna, what are you thinking about?¡± As soon as Melvin left, Hansen came in from the small door in the bathroom. When he saw Jenna¡¯s dazed look, his face changed slightly and he immediately asked, ¡°Did that Melvin creep bully you again?¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no such thing.¡± Afraid that he would misunderstand the situation, Jenna immediately shook her head and denied it.

    ¡°Then, why is my wife so absent-minded? Is she thinking about her husband?¡± Hansen grinned. He walked to her and put his hand on her waist, drawing circles on her waist. His words were full of passion, and his expression was ambiguous and affectionate.

    In the past few days, under the care of Jenna, his eyes seemed to recover very quickly. Of course, Alvin had also invited a few top-notch doctors from the United States for him. Therefore, his vision had vastly improved.

    ¡°Stop it.¡± Jenna pushed his hand away with her hand and murmured, ¡°Why do I have a feeling that Melvin bears a resemnce to Mr.Tangger?¡±

    Upon hearing this, a faint smile appeared on the corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth. ¡°Silly woman, so it turns out that you¡¯re thinking about this problem. If you have any questions, then why don¡¯t youe and ask your husband? You¡¯re so stupid.¡±

    ¡°Do you know something I don¡¯t?¡± Jenna eximed.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

 Chapter 797 A Trick Explanation

    ¡°Of course.¡± Hansen chuckled and breathed a mouthful of air into her ear. ¡°Tonight, as long as you are obedient, I will tell you everything I know.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re indecent,¡± Jenna said as she smacked his hand away, rolling her eyes. Her face was red, but her curiosity was intensified. ¡°What exactly do you know? Tell me everything.¡±

    The more anxious she was, the calmer Hansen became. In this way, he was keeping Jenna on her toes.

    ¡°It must be a lie. You don¡¯t know anything at all. Hmph, I don¡¯t believe you.¡± Recalling the multiple times she had been deceived by him,Jenna was discouraged and continued to say so disapprovingly.

    ¡°You¡¯re suspicious of your own husband?¡± Hansen was unhappy. He smiled and asked confidently, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then you will never be able to figure out the rtionship between the two. Why don¡¯t you carefully think about the situation? Why does Melvin want to join the Yintern Group?¡±

    ¡°He simply listened to his mother¡¯s words,¡± Jenna immediately answered.

    ¡°Well, this is only one of the reasons.¡± Hansen nodded and shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that our Richards Group also wants to hire him. If I insisted on hiring him, then do you think he would¡¯ve joined Yintern Group?¡±

    Jenna turned her head, parted her lips, and looked at him.

    Hansen smiled as his finger gently caressed her earlobe. He bent down and walked towards the couch with her in his arms.

    A feeling of softness and numbness spread across Jenna¡¯s ears towards her body from time to time, making her feel uneasy. For the past few nights, Hansen had explored her body continuously. Under the stimtion of his superb skills, sometimes she even felt like a wh*re. Whenever she thought about these things during the day, her face would turn red.

    But then they were in her office, in Yintern Group¡¯s office no less. He didn¡¯t have to go this far!

    ¡°Hey, let me go.¡± Hansen pressed her down onto the couch, hovering over her delicate body. A pair ofrge, warm hands reached into her clothes. Jenna let out a groan as she struggled and pushed him away.

    Hansen grinned, refusing to let her go.

    Jenna was anxious. She took advantage of the moment when his lips touched hers and proceeded to bite down harshly. Hansen was in pain and had no choice but to let go of her.

    ¡°Are you trying to murder your husband?¡± Hansen touched his lips and shouted discontentedly.

    ¡°Who told you to be such a beast?¡± Jenna pushed him away and stood up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± Hansen would not let her leave him like that. He immediately grabbed her waist and forced her back into his embrace. He smiled and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let you in on this.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jenna stopped struggling. She stared at him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t keep me guessing. Just tell me.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face was full of warm smiles as one of his hands caressed her bodysciviously.

    ¡°You fool, Melvin is Zevulon¡¯s son,¡± he said slowly and courteously.

    ¡°What, how is this possible? Mr. Tangger didn¡¯t even get married!¡± Jenna was shocked by this news and blurted out.

    Hansen reached out a hand and grazed her nose. Heughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you still believe that Mr. Tangger is still an old virgin? Can¡¯t you have a child if you¡¯re not married?¡±

    Well¡­ Jenna thought for a moment. It seemed very reasonable, and she had nothing to say at that moment. She had never really thought about this problem.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case,then why is Melvin¡¯s surname different from Mr. Tangger¡¯s?¡± she continued to ask in confusion.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡± Hansen smiled gently. ¡°Melvin took his mother¡¯s surname.¡±

    ¡°So, Libera is Mr. Tangger¡¯s ex-girlfriend.¡± Her eyes were bright and she smiled.

    ¡°Libera is the only woman whom Zevulon has ever loved in his life. She is also his first love. Back then, after Zevulon and Libera had be an item, he was arrogant and unrestrained. Because of his undying passion towards art and no guarantee for a secure future, he was strongly opposed by Libera¡¯s mother. Zevulon was arrogant by nature, and he did not want to please his mother-inw. And with that, Libera was set off to marry another man under her family pressure. She had been pregnant when she got married. After she gave birth to Melvin, her husband found out about it and they got divorced. So, Libera and Melvin began their unstable lives and moved from country to country. Melvin got his artistic skills from Zevulon. Though the apple doesn¡¯t fall far from the trees, he has now far surpassed Zevulon in his artistic skills.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s surprise turned to eptance, andher mind had taken a detour or two since then.

    It turned out that Mr. Tangger had such aplicated past. It was no wonder that Steffan had told her that Mr. Tangger had never been close to a woman. He only knew how to drink, and drink he would. It seemed that he had a wounded heart.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Melvin¡¯s return probably has something to do with Zevulon. It should all be Libera¡¯s idea.¡± Hansen continued, ¡°Melvin has grown up with his share of youthful indiscretions because hecked his father¡¯s love ever since he was a child. As you can see, he is lecherous, greedy, takes advantage of people, acts as he pleases, you name it.¡±

    Jenna blinked her eyes and said in confusion, ¡°But, Mr. Tangger is not ascivious person. He¡¯s not a skirt chaser. This can¡¯t be considered as inheriting one¡¯s genes, no?¡±

    Hansen startedughing. ¡°Silly girl, do we have to inherit everything from our parents? This only proves that he¡¯s devoted to romance, but it doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s notscivious. In my opinion, this type of loyal man is morescivious, because he only lusts after one woman, which makes it even more intense. Am I right on the mark?¡±

    ¡°What kind of exnation is that?¡±

    This was the first time Jenna had heard of such a ridiculous exnation for ¡®man being lustful¡¯. She didn¡¯t know whether tough or to cry.

    Hansen chuckled.¡°My wife, my exnation is very reasonable, right?¡±

    ¡°Reasonable, my a*s.¡± Jenna reached out to grab his ear and pinched it hard.

    ¡°Madam, please spare me,¡± Hansen cried out in pain.

    Seeing that he was in so much pain, Jenna¡¯s heart softened and her hands rxed.

    ¡°Hang on, how did you know about this?¡± After a moment, she finally came to her senses and immediately asked with suspicion.

    This dude, Hansen, had just arrived in Srirano. He only knew about Mr. Tangger when she mentioned it to him. How could he know all this?

    ¡°I, your husband, am very capable. How can the matters of this world be hidden from my Fiery Eyes of Truth?¡± Hansen bragged to the heavens.

    ¡°Be serious. Tell me now.¡± Jenna¡¯s curiosity culminated, so she immediately put her arms around his neck and shook it yfully.

    ¡°I can tell you, but you have to tell me if you¡¯ll follow me back to A city.¡±Hansen relished Jenna¡¯s coyness very much. Witha smile on his face,he took the opportunity to ask.

    To be honest, there was no other choice for Jenna except to go back with him. What was more, she also wanted to know more about her previous life. Although professor Pir was treating her amnesia, it was obviously better for her to restore her memory when she returned to A City. After all, she had lived there before.

    However, she learnt from Hansendeliberatelyto keep her guessing. ¡°That will have to depend on your performance.¡±

 Chapter 798 Only This Once

    ¡°Oh,and what kind of performance do you mean? The one in bed, or the psychological one?¡± Hansenughed out loud as he joked.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Jenna was embarrassed and shouted. Her face turned red, and she gnashed her teeth. ¡°You know I didn¡¯t mean that.¡±

    Hansen was pleased, letting out anotherugh. After a while, he stopped smiling and teasing her. ¡°Silly, you should have thought about what your husband¡¯spany is up to. Melvin is talented. It makes sense that Richards Group wants to wee him aboard, but he is also coveted by a lot ofpanies. He may not necessarilye. Knowing the enemy will ensure a sessful battle. Therefore, I have investigated Melvin¡¯s background before I came to the headquarters. I have already gathered this important information. Otherwise, how can Ipete with him?¡±

    It urred to Jenna that Steffan had also done a background check on Hansen. However, it was not as detailed and broad as Hansen¡¯s. This guy must be a veteran in the business circle.

    ¡°So, Melvin is able toe work at Yintern Group because of you.¡± She raised her little face to look at him and raised her eyebrows slightly.

    Hansen smiled and hugged her tightly.

    ¡°My wife is smart. It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯re my woman.¡±

    Jenna was shocked when she heard that. Steffan wanted to hire Melvin. If Hansen were to get involved in it, Steffan might not even be able to do it even with Mr. Tangger¡¯s help. She felt a sense of foreboding for Steffan.

    Soon enough, Hansen spoke.

    ¡°Jenna, if I really wanted to hire Melvin,then how could Yintern Group possibly have any hope?¡± At that point, Jenna did not speak. Hansen continued as he sensed her speechlessness. ¡°You are still more worried about Steffan, so to speak. Is he more important than your husband?¡±

    These words did not sit well with Jenna. She defended herself, saying, ¡°I am working for Yintern Group right now,and it should be a given that I¡¯m thinking about thepany¡¯s future. I can¡¯t possibly follow my personal interests.¡±

    Hansen was enraged by her words,with his face showing a hint of anger. ¡°You¡¯re so loyal to yourpany that you¡¯re treating me so heartlessly? Let me tell you, if it weren¡¯t for you, then would I have given up on Melvin?¡±

    Every time Steffan was brought up, Hansen would jump into this mode. Jenna observed that he was really angry, so she tangled their palms together and whispered, ¡°Hubby, this is what I owe him.¡±

    These words were like a ray of sunlight descending from the heavens.

    In the blink of an eye, all the rage on Hansen¡¯s face faded away. Ayer of dazzling light once again appeared on his face.

    In other words, she was just returning his favor and paying him back for saving her life!

    If that was the case, then he had no objection.

    For the past few days, they had actually gotten along well together, and his determination to destroy Yintern Group had quickly dissipated. When he heard her saying it in person, he was infected with joie de vivre.

    ¡°Jenna, if you only want to repay his kindness, then I will help you. I will help you expand Yintern¡¯s Group. It¡¯spletely capable, for Richards Group,¡± hesaid softly,holding her small hand.

    ¡°Really?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°With this, you won¡¯t be angry at Steffan, will you?¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Yes.¡± He buried his face in her hair and said softly, ¡°He saved my wife. I do owe him a favor. This is what I should do. I have transferred an extra 500 million to you. It depends on you how to use it.¡±

    A sudden warmth rose in Jenna¡¯s heart. She put her hands on his neck and said, ¡°Thank you, my dear husband.¡±

    ¡°I ept your gratitude. You just need to perform well tonight. I don¡¯t want anything else other than you.¡± Hansen hugged her tightly, thinking about the lonely and cold nights in the past.Only when his loneliness was thenpletely filled with this hard-earned happiness could his life be considered to bepleted. There was nothing else toin about.

    Steffan sat on the bar stool,with tworge empty bottles of wine. His eyes were as deep as the depths of the ocean, and his face was terrifyingly cold.

    In just a few days, Jenna hadpletely returned to Hansen¡¯s embrace. They were husband and wife, and there was no chance for him at all.

    To deal with his loss and pain, he had to drink.

    It was only then that he finally understood why Mr. Tangger was always drinking. Drinking did ease his sorrows.

    He was also a decent man with his pride and self-esteem intact. Especially when it came to rtionships, what he required was that she was willing to be with him. Even if it was only threadbare. Forcing her would not work in his ce.

    Therefore, in the course of his interaction with Jenna, he had be a modest gentleman. Other than encouraging her with words, he had never forced her to do anything out of herfort zone.

    She was a noble and pure woman. She should be the kind of person who would slowly warm up under someone¡¯s gradual influence.

    Just when he thought he was about to get her to warm up to him, Hansen appeared.

    He had not only upied her space domineeringly, but he had also sessfully conquered her heart.

    This was something that he had never expected.

    The alcohol burned a path down his throat, warming his heart, but it could not relieve him from his morose mood.

    He knocked back one ss after another.

    At the end of the day, Hansen took Jenna back to the hotel after work.

    After the two of them had dinner at the hotel, they went upstairs affectionately.

    Hansen went to the gym to exercise for a while. He then went to the medical room to treat his eyes. Jenna carefully applied the medicine to his eyes.

    ¡°Hansen, how is your eye? What did the doctor say?¡± she asked carefully.

    Hansen ced his hand on her waist and caressed it. He smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he said that I¡¯ll recover quickly in the next few days. I should be able to fully recover soon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Jennaughed happily.

    ¡°It¡¯s all because of my wife.¡± Hansen smiled proudly.

    The phone rang.

    Both of them went to look for their cell phones. Jenna¡¯s cell phone was the one that was ringing. She picked it up. ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Is this Dory?¡± There was a strange man¡¯s voice on the phone.

    Jenna was stunned and immediately replied, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me. Is there anything I can do for you?¡±

    ¡°Miss, here¡¯s the thing. A gentleman named Steffan is drunk¡­¡± Jenna¡¯s face fell. She hung up the phone and walked outside.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Hansen was especially sensitive.

    ¡°Hansen, get a rest. I need to go out for a while. Steffan is dead drunk in a bar.¡± Her voice sounded a little anxious, and she was also walking in a hurry.

    Hansen¡¯s face darkened as his huge body quickly stepped forward and grabbed her hand.

    Jenna turned around and looked into his eyes.

    His eyes were not very focused, but they were shing with dim light. He bent down to look at her, and his imposing manner wasing at her with an oppressive sense.

    Jenna instinctively took a step back.

    Hansen grabbed her arm with his hand,with possessivenesswritten all overhis face. He said in a heavy voice, ¡°Jenna, I don¡¯t want you to have close contact with any other men except me. I don¡¯t like you worrying about others.¡± After saying this, he said with great reluctance, ¡°Of course, he can be an exception, but this exception can only be allowed this one time. In the future, you are not allowed to worry about other men. Remember, this is my bottom line.¡± After saying this, he took her hand and walked out. ¡°You can drive, I will apany you.¡±

    Jenna, who had been assertive in the beginning, started walking with him passively.

    She was worried that something would happen to Steffan while he was drunk, so she no longer objected. She just drove the car carefully after getting on.

    Hansen sat there silently. The multicolored streetmps illuminated his handsome features, but his expression was very cold.

    Jenna was worried about Steffan, and he was very displeased at the fact.

    Jenna understood him and didn¡¯t want to waste time talking to him.

    Steffan was drunk in a bar at that very moment. He was alone. If she did not look out for him, then no one would care for him.

    Especially because she was the sole reason for him to get drunk, so how could she possibly ignore him?

 Chapter 799 Argument

    It was loud in the bar. Jenna walked in, grasping her cell phone beside her ear. She made multiple phone calls and looked around, searching for Steffan¡¯s figure.

    Hansen ced one hand on her waist and relied on the dim light, trying to protect Jenna as they walked inside.

    Lying on the bar counter, Steffan was drunk and unconscious.

    ¡°Steffan.¡± Jenna saw him at a nce, hurriedly approached him, and shook his body.

    ¡°Go away. Don¡¯t worry about me. Bring me some wine.¡± He pped Jenna¡¯s hand away.

    ¡°Waiter, how much did he drink?¡± Jenna raised her head and asked the waiter at the front desk.

    ¡°Miss, he drank two bottles of wine, and then downed a few bottles of beer, that¡¯s about it.¡± The waiter exined, ¡°When he was drunk, he kept calling your name. I checked his cell phone and found your name, so I called you.¡±

    ¡°I see.Thank you for your phone call. I will send him back home. His car will be kept here. I¡¯ll have hime fetch it tomorrow.¡± Jenna thanked the waiter at the bar. She tried to help Steffan with one hand, but was blocked by Hansen.

    Hansen reached out his hand to help him up. He lifted him up and walked out with Jenna¡¯s guidance.

    They walked to the parking lot outside, and opened the rear door of Jenna¡¯s car.

    Hansen helped him into the car.

    Jenna ignited the engine and headed for Steffan¡¯s vi.

    Along the way, she looked back at Steffan from time to time through the inverted lens. She saw him leaning against the back seat, sleeping like a log.

    ¡°Why did he drink so much if he can¡¯t hold his liquor well?¡± A grim expression pervaded Hansen¡¯s face. There was also a tone of me in his voice.

    ¡°Steffan usually doesn¡¯t drink much, isn¡¯t it fine if he gets drunk once in a while?¡± Jenna replied.

    Hansen sneered.¡°He¡¯s already in this state, why are you still speaking up for him? You¡¯re protecting him.¡±

    Jenna raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°Hansen, can you stop being so wet behind the ears? Steffan just got drunk once asionally, so there is no need to kick up such a fuss. Besides, he didn¡¯t ask you to help him. You came here on your own volition. Why are you talking so much nonsense now?¡±

    Jenna was worried that Hansen¡¯s words would push Steffan further into his depressive state, so she defended him.

    Upon hearing this, Hansen felt even more ufortable. With a gloomy smile, he said, ¡°Jenna, do you think I have a generous temper to the point that you can refute me as you please? I¡¯ll have you know that you are my wife. He called for my wife while he was drunk. What¡¯s this?¡±Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen¡¯s voice was loud, clearly doing it on purpose for Steffan to hear it. She couldn¡¯t help but to feel a little angry. ¡°Did you hear it clearly? He didn¡¯t call me. It was the waiter at the bar who called me up. This has nothing to do with him at all. Please be reasonable and show a little sympathy.¡±

    ¡°Great, absolutely great. You¡¯re actually picking a fight with me because of him. Who is he to you? Who am I to you?¡± Hansenughed in extreme anger. His voice was very cold.

    Over the past year, Steffan had been the one who took care of and protected her. He held a special ce in her heart. That said, Hansen had endured it all. Although he did not want her to work in the Yintern Group, he endured it. He was even willing to repay the kindness for her.

    However, right then with the drunk Steffan by his side, he thought differently. Every man would feel ufortable when another drunk man called for their wives. On top of that, when another man was drunk, his wife woulde to attend to him, to his dismay. To be exact, he was jealous.

    His woman could only care for him. This should always be the case for him.

    At that moment, he had alreadypromised!

    ¡°Hansen, please don¡¯t cause any more trouble. I¡¯m driving right now, and I don¡¯t want to quarrel with you.¡± Jenna was also starting to get impatient.

    ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s unreasonable?¡± Hansen sneered. ¡°After losing your memories, your abilities and influence have gradually grown. Not bad!¡±

    Jenna thought to herself, Steffan had saved her life, and he had always been so kind to her. He was in low spirits and was drunk. Shouldn¡¯t it be a given for her to take care of him? What was more, he hadn¡¯t had the best of life. As for her, she had already given her heart and body to Hansen, yet he was still so petty and domineering.

    Her mood chafed as she thought about this. If this continued, then there would definitely be countless quarrels between them in the future. She did not know how she had been before she lost her memory. Nheless, she knew that after losing her memories, she was a woman with self-esteem and self-worth, one that deserved to be respected. At that moment, her heart was rejecting such a domineering and unreasonable Hansen. Hence, she averted her face and drove the car. She did not speak again, her face flushing with anger.

    The car soon arrived at Steffan¡¯s vi.

    Jenna got out of the car and opened the door.

    Steffan was out cold. Hansen helped him walk outside. Jenna walked with him and supported him with her other arm. The two of them supported each other and walked into Steffan¡¯s vi.

    Theyid him down on his bed.

    ¡°Ugh, we finally brought him back home.¡± Jenna looked at Steffan, who was lying in bed, and waggled her arm.

    ¡°Stay here and watch over him. I¡¯ll get him some water.¡± After giving this order to Hansen, she walked towards the kitchen.

    ¡°Do youe here often?¡± Hansen asked in a low voice. His expression was even gloomier when he saw how familiar she was with the directions of his house.

    Jenna nced at him and replied casually, ¡°You¡¯re wee to unleash the wildest of your imagination.¡±

    After that, she ran to the kitchen like a gust of wind.

    Hansen was depressed. This woman was keeping him on tenterhooks.

    He stood still, looking coldly at Steffan lying on the bed. The corners of his mouth turned up, and he smiled disdainfully. ¡°Alright, stop pretending.¡±

    Surely enough, Steffan¡¯s eyshes trembled slightly. He slowly opened his cold eyes and met Hansen¡¯s emotionless eyes.

    He couldn¡¯t discern the expression on Hansen¡¯s eyes, but he understood that this man had an absolute advantage in front of him.

    Jenna had been with him for so long, yet she had kept a safe distance from him all the time, deliberately avoiding staying alone with him. However, in front of Hansen, this woman would get angry, throw tantrums, and even talk back to him. In fact, there were also regr frictions caused by the rtionship, which revealed spontaneity and affection.

    He had attempted to walk into her heart, and had also tried to be close to her, but in the end, he had failed. He would never be able to cross into her heart. To him, it truly was a blow. Other than making use of alcohol to drink himself into oblivion, he really did not know how else to dispel his pent-up frustrations.

 Chapter 800 Hansenâ€™s Palpable Jealousy

    ¡°How did you know that I was just pretending?¡± Steffan sat up, raised his eyebrows, and asked coldly.

    A cold smile emerged from the corner of Hansen¡¯s mouth. He said slowly, ¡°When Jenna and I supported your body back to your room, you ced all of your weight on my side. A drunkard wouldn¡¯t be able to do this.¡±

    Steffan was shocked that he was able to figure this out.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to put my weight on her.¡± He pursed his lips slightly,with all of the calmness and none of the embarrassment.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Hansen chuckled. ¡°You sure know how to bepassionate with women. It¡¯s not in vain for her to be so sincere towards you.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Steffan said shamelessly, ¡°I know Dory¡¯s character the best.¡±

    ¡°Hence, you¡¯re using her gratitude and guilt towards you to hold her back?¡± Hansen asked as he raised an eyebrow. His expression was stern.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Steffan let out a snort, and resumed speaking with disdain.

    ¡°Dory chose to be with you because she¡¯s aware that you are her legal husband and that she is a married woman. Period. As I said, if you have the ability to let her follow you willingly, then I won¡¯t object.¡±

    Steffan thought it was exined reasonably, and he was boasting without shame.

    Hansen smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she will be willing to follow me. I know my own woman best.¡± At that point, he continued to smile yfully. ¡°You must be thinking that I will be triggered by your words and seek revenge on you, destroying yourpany, and then have Jenna take pity on you, right? But you¡¯ve underestimated me. I can destroy yourpany easily, but I won¡¯t do that. First of all, I won¡¯t be fooled by you. Secondly, you did save my wife¡¯s life, and I am willing to repay you. Just remember, the sole reason Melvin is able to work at yourpany right now is because I deliberately gave in. Oh, one more thing. Melvin¡¯s design along with Jenna¡¯s will be the perfectbination. I hope they can cooperate with each other to create remarkable work. I have a way of cherishing talent and aesthetics. I hope that you can take advantage of this opportunity, for that will be beneficial to everyone. But may I add, if you go against the will of heaven, then I will not stay still.¡±

    Steffan thrust his hand into his pocket and took out a cigarette. He lit it and inhaled deeply. He looked at Hansen with his calm eyes, already learning what thetter was thinking.

    Steffan was a serious man as well. Of course, he was not scared.

    The meaning behind Hansen¡¯s words was very clear. If one were to oppose him,then there would only be one consequence. Death, a miserable death.

    He had never been afraid of these things. If Jenna was willing to choose him, then he would not have done all of this, but¡­

    Through the thick smoke, he asked tly, ¡°Are you trying to assert your dominance?¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say then.¡± Hansen paced to the side of the curtain. He ced his hands in his pockets and looked indifferent. ¡°You hold a special ce in Jenna¡¯s heart. You¡¯re her savior. If I hadn¡¯t appeared, then perhaps she would have regarded you as my recement. But unfortunately, I¡¯m here. She¡¯s my wife. No matter what you do, you can¡¯t take her away. I have this confidence.¡±

    Ever since Jenna had sacrificed herself for him, she seemed to have melted into a part of his body. It had been branded into his bone marrow that would never be separated again. No one would be able to take her away from him. It was his determination to protect her.

    His eyes were as deep as the ocean, revealing an expression of determination.

    Steffan smoked his cigarette and didn¡¯t say anything else.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake?¡± When Jenna came in with the ss of water, she saw Steffan smoking two cigarettes and asked in surprise.

    Steffan flicked off the cigarette butt in his hand and put it out.

    ¡°Here, drink some water.¡± Jenna put the ss in front of him and said softly, ¡°Do you have a headache? Don¡¯t get drunk without any reason next time. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    Upon hearing this, he looked up and smiled gently at her. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m fine now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine. You better not get drunk again,¡± she warned softly. When she watched him obediently drink the water, she let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do it again,¡± he promised in a serious tone.

    Hansen stood in front of the curtains, furrowing his brows. His facial features had been zed over with a faintyer of iciness.

    They were so familiar with each other that he felt a stab in his eyes and a pain in his heart.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern, since you¡¯re fine now and it¡¯s gettingte, I¡¯ll take my leave with Jenna.¡± He stepped forward and held Jenna¡¯s hand, his voice a bit stiff.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to help me send Dory back to the dormitory,¡± Steffan said with a smile.

    For the past few days, Hansen had been living together with Jenna. Steffan, ever the sensitive person, had long known about it. However, he had deliberately said so.

    Hansen¡¯s face twitched. Without batting an eyelid, he wrapped his arm around Jenna¡¯s waist and said gently, ¡°My wife, Mr.Yintern here isn¡¯t a three-year-old child. He knows what he should do. Let¡¯s go home first.¡±

    He deliberately emphasized the words ¡®go home¡¯, and then dragged Jenna¡¯s hand out.

    ¡°If you have any difort, then call me at any time.¡± Jenna tried to dispense a couple of reminders to Steffanwhile being dragged away by Hansen.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Steffan smiled at her.

    Hansen¡¯s expression froze. He quickened his pace as if there was poison on the floor. He quickly took Jenna¡¯s hand and left.

    Jenna was driving the car at a fast speed. She was in a bad mood, her speech non-existent. Hansen also lost his sense of humor. He pulled a long face, as if he was sulking.

    Jenna felt like the atmosphere was too suffocating, so she opened the window. The cold night wind blew on her face, sobering her up.

    ¡°Are you that worried about him? Since the moment you heard that he was drunk, you have been anxious. Now that you¡¯ve left, you are still worried about him. When have you ever been this worried about me?¡± Hansen¡¯s voice was hard and bitter, mixed with resentment and grievance.

    Jenna curled the corners of her mouth and took a deep look at him from the rearview mirror. She opened her mouth to speak, but she said nothing in the end.

    It was not until they came out of the car and he held her hand tightly that she felt a little less ill and at ease.

    After returning to the presidential suite, he simply did not hesitate to sit on the couch, refusing to clean himself.

    As Jenna urged him to clean himself up, he left all the responsibility to Jenna, including washing his face, washing his hands, changing his clothes, taking a bath¡­ He imed that he couldn¡¯t see with his bad vision, so he wanted Jenna to serve him.

    At that time, Hansen was really like a child, grumbling and stubborn.

    Jenna¡¯s mouth curved into a smile as she looked up at the magnificent chandelier hanging over her head. She took a deep breath and lowered her gaze. Kneeling down in front of him, she reached out with her small hands to grab his hand. She said gently, ¡°I feel guilty towards Steffan¡­¡±

    This was true. In Srirano, in Europe, she had lost all her memories, and she had no idea about her past. All alone, Steffan had stayed by her side, giving her a sense of security. Moreover, he had put his heart and soul into treating her well. How could she be indifferent when she saw him suffering because of her?

    Hansen closed his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. He felt a dull pain in his heart.

    At that moment, he truly felt the pain and unease in her heart.

    He reached out and held her tightly into his arms, as if he wanted to pull her into his body. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jenna, I didn¡¯t protect you well and made you suffer. I swear, I will never let you fall into such a dilemma again.¡±

    Tears trickled down from the corner of Jenna¡¯s mouth.

    Hansen carried her towards the bed.

    He kissed her passionately and loved her until he entered her body, and gradually blended in with her. Only then did his heart calm down, and he felt his feelings for her were real.

 Chapter 801 Identity Restored

    On Friday morning, Hansen woke up early.

    On that day, he was going to bring his wife, whom he had lost previously, to see the President of Srirano. They were going to make an appearance together on international TV news.

    Despite Jenna¡¯s unwillingness to go, Hansen grabbed her hand and dragged her into the car.

    The meeting time had taken only less than half an hour,as it was very brief. In the midst of her daze, Hansen held Jenna¡¯s hand as they walked out.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Just as they crossed the entrance, Jenna was about to shake his hand off.

    ¡°Look, there are a lot of reporters outside.¡± Facing the swarm of media reporters, Jenna was really not used to this environment, and she could not wait to find a hole to sneak into.

    With a smile on his face, Hansen kept his eyes straight. Not only didn¡¯t he avoid the reporters,but he also held her waist with his other hand and cooperated with them, posing for pictures.

    This guy was born to be an actor, so he was very used to showing off in front of the media.

    ¡°Thank you.Here, take a photo of my wife and me. Make sure wee out looking great. Otherwise, you may just lose your bread and butter.¡± He beamed, with his passive-aggressive statements rolling off his tongue.

    When the media saw them approaching, they rushed up to pick up the cameras in their hands. shing lights filled their vision soon after.

    ¡°Hansen, did you do this on purpose?¡± Jenna red at himas she was being dragged away.

    With a cheeky smile on his face, Hansen whispered in her ear, ¡°My dear wife, the reporters are also at work. Everyone hasn¡¯t got it easy. Just cooperate with them and smile, okay?¡±

    Jenna really couldn¡¯t do anything. Facing the never-ending shes of lights, she had cooperated with him and revealed a reserved smile, not wanting the pictures to turn out too bad.

    With a joyful smile on his face, Hansen casually fielded a few questions from the reporters before leaving the scene, escorted by Alvin and his bodyguards.

    With this, Jenna¡¯s identity had finally been restored.

    She was the spouse of Hansen Richards, as well as one of the world¡¯s famous car designers. The news of her working together with Melvin for an uing project spread like wildfire.

    Yintern Group had be a shining star, and its poprity had been greatly improved.

    It could be imagined that this car show would be sessful.

    Of course, Hansen was behind all of this.

    He had said before that he wanted to help his wife repay Steffan¡¯s kindness for saving her life. At the same time, he was extremely disgusted with Steffan¡¯s feelings. However, he also restrained his negative emotions and chose to help him.

    Inside the Richards Manor.

    ¡°Trevor, have you seen the news? Jenna is still alive.¡± Marissa rushed into Trevor¡¯s study like a gust of wind.

    Trevor removed his spectacles and raised his head. His face was filled with light.

    ¡°Hansen¡¯s persistence is right. Jenna is in fact not dead.¡± Truth be told, he had already seen the news. He was waiting for Hansen to call him to break the news, but unfortunately, Hansen had not called him once. He had been wondering if there was a problem.

    He still knew his son. If things went well, then he would have called to tell them the good news. However, he hadn¡¯t heard about them until they appeared in the news media. It was a bit unusual.

    ¡°It¡¯s good news that Jenna is not dead. Hansen can look forward to a bright future.¡± Marissa smiled happily. ¡°It seems that our Richards family will be blessed soon.¡±

    Trevor did not say anything. Blessings and happiness had arrived. He understood what Marissa meant. She was talking about the child in Jenna¡¯s belly.

    She looked up slightly, and the light in her eyes was as deep as the blue sky and white clouds.

    ¡°I should go and see her,¡± Marissa said and went down.

    ¡°Come back.¡± Trevor stopped her and raised his sword-shaped eyebrows. ¡°Let the children solve their own problems by themselves. Don¡¯t get yourself into trouble.¡±

    Dissatisfied,Marissa said coldly, ¡°I just want to see my grandson. s, Jenna gave birth to my grandson alone. She must have struggled a lot. I¡¯m going tofort her.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s expression became more grave. Marissa was direct and outspoken, always speaking her thoughts, but Trevor¡¯s way of thinking was moreplex.

    The world really knew how to y with strings of fate.

    Jenna hadn¡¯t died. This matter was mysterious enough. Then, what about the child in her belly¡­

    Marissa came downstairs with a smile on her face. She was in a good mood.

    As soon as she stood in the living room and asked Larry to help her pack her things, Jaqueline¡¯s crisp voice floated in.¡°Aunt Marissa.¡±

    Marissa turned around and returned the greeting. She couldn¡¯t help but to feel awkward, her gaze nervously darting around.

    Now that Jenna was not dead, Hansen must want his wife back. Then, Jaqueline¡­

    ¡°Aunt Marissa, are you going far away?¡± Seeing that Larry was helping her clean up, a trace of confusion shed in Jaqueline¡¯s eyes and she asked, clueless.

    That morning, she had been enjoying her beauty therapy, so she hadn¡¯t paid attention to the news.

    ¡°Yes, child,e here.¡± After Marissa thought for a moment, she nodded and beckoned for Jaqueline.

    ¡°Jaqueline, thank you for apanying me this year. I remember all your kindness. But the thing is, Jenna has been found, and she is not dead. She¡¯s with Hansen in Srirano, as a couple. I miss my grandson. I want to visit Jenna and their child. To be honest, Jenna has suffered a lot this year. It can¡¯t be easy.¡± Marissa took Jaqueline¡¯s hand and sat down on the couch. She sighed. When she said thest sentence, her eyes were full of tears.

    She knew what Jaqueline was thinking, but Marissa loved her son too. Seeing that Jenna was not dead, every possibility between Jaqueline and Hansen had been stamped out. Therefore, she took the initiative to say it, so that she could find another way out.

    ¡°Aunt Marissa, are you saying that Jenna didn¡¯t die?¡± Jaqueline was extremely surprised. It was indeed the first time that she had heard of such a bizarre urrence.

    ¡°Yes, child, Jenna is still alive.¡± Marissa smiled and nodded with tion in her eyes.

    After a long while, Jaqueline finally closed her mouth and forced herself to ept the fact.

    Unexpectedly, Jenna hadn¡¯t died.

    She was her cousin. Shouldn¡¯t she be happy for her?

    But why did she have a strange feeling seeping deep down in her heart? It even tasted a little bitter.

    ¡°Jenna is not dead. That¡¯s a good thing. Jenna is beautiful, kind, and talented. She didn¡¯t deserve to die. She deserves happiness,¡± Jaqueline muttered and could not sit still any longer.

    ¡°Yes, yes, Jenna deserves happiness.¡± Marissa was happy to hear Jaqueline being the first to bring it up, so she quickly went along.

    ¡°Aunt Marissa, are you going soon?¡± After a while, she brushed away the embarrassment on her face and asked Marissa.

    ¡°Well, I want to see her and my grandson.¡± Marissa smiled,pletely immersed in rhapsodies of delight.

    ¡°Then, please say hello to Jenna for me. Congratte her in my stead. Please inform her that I will surely visit when I have time,¡± she said seriously in spite of her forced smile.

 Chapter 802 Marissaâ€™s Arrival

    ¡°Yes, of course, I will. I¡¯ll congratte her on your behalf.¡± Very soon, Marissa went bustling about her business, and Jaqueline took her leave.

    After returning to the Capital City, she went to work with a heavy heart. As soon as she arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Minister told her that Hansen was with the President of Srirano. They were nning to send two representatives to Srirano.

    After hearing this, Jaqueline asked without hesitation,¡°Would it be fine for me to tag along?¡±

    The Deputy Minister nced at her and thought that it was a good chance for a fledgling diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to gain some experience. Jaqueline had great requirements and it was a good opportunity. So, he immediately nodded and agreed.

    ¡°Then, you should go home and prepare for it. We¡¯ll leave tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jaqueline nodded in agreement. However, her mind was in a daze. She would be working on technical policies, which she was unfamiliar with. She didn¡¯t know why but she just felt a strong desire in her heart shouting, ¡®Go, just go¡¯.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    It was as if something was pulling her towards it. She turned around and walked home.

    At the same time, after Jenna and Hansen had attended the meeting, they returned to thepany, immediately causing an uproar.

    Her identity as a designer and the title of ¡®Mrs. Richards¡¯ made her a star in thepany. Soon, she was surrounded by a crowd. They inspected her from head to toe, bombarding her with such-and-such questions.

    When Steffan stepped into thepany, Jenna was deeply troubled.

    ¡°The biggest car show of thepany is about to begin. Why are all of you not working? Gathering here like a bunch of fools, do you want to be fired?¡± Steffan¡¯s voice was cold, and there was a trace of anger on his handsome face.

    Upon incurring their president¡¯s wrath, they all dispersed quietly.

    ¡°Gosh, Steffan, I owe you one,¡± Jenna said gratefully when she saw Steffane in.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± He nodded and looked at her with his ocean-like eyes. ¡°Congrattions, Dory.¡±

    He had always called her Dory. Even though he knew who she was,the practice had been ingrained in him.

    In his heart, she was indeed like a unique Dory fish that could not be reced.

    ¡°Steffan, stop joking around. I just found my way back home. A home that all the women in the world deserve to have. There¡¯s nothing to congratte me about,¡± she said softly, her expression extremely awkward. She didn¡¯t know how to face Steffan in this situation.

    ¡°Yes, for an ordinary person, a home is indeed a basic necessity, but for us, it is not so easy.¡± He was serious and emotional. He caught the bashfulness on Jenna¡¯s face and a touch of tenderness at the corner of her mouth. ¡°Dory, as I said, if you choose to go home willingly, then I won¡¯t stop you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Steffan was extremely understanding, and Jenna was very touched. That was all she could say. She always felt a little guilty about him. Therefore, she would try her best toplete her job for the uing event, to repay his kindness.

    He looked up and saw Hansening out of the bathroom. He did not want to face Hansen. This man guarded Jenna every day as if he was about to catch a thief in the act. Steffan assumed he was not that ¡®thief-like¡¯,so he took the initiative to excuse himself.¡°As for the arrangement of the exhibition fair, I have already briefedthe secretary. She¡¯ll tell you all ¡¯bout it in detail. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±

    Melvin walked in just as Steffan had left.

    Hansen signed a few projects after receiving them from the President of Srirano. This was also a necessity for him to havee here personally. When he saw that Steffan had taken his leave, he felt at ease.

    As for Melvin, Hansen didn¡¯t have to worry at all.

    Therefore, he just said a few words and then went back.

    With that, everyone began to immerse themselves in their work and got busy.

    When Jenna opened her eyes the next day, the clock on the wall pointed to half past nine.

    ¡°I¡¯m done for. I¡¯m going to bete!¡± She got up hurriedly. She had been pestered all night long by Hansen, which had caused her to stay upte. And right then she was going to bete for work.

    For the past few days, Hansen had seemed to make up for the time that he had missed out in a year. He wanted her every night, the word ¡®content¡¯ missing from his vocabry. Enjoy as Jenna might have with her time, she was suffering all the same. She had her hands full with her work, yet this man was not being considerate at all.

    ¡°What¡¯s the hurry?¡± Hansen saidzily, with an evil smile on the corner of his mouth. He stretched out his hand and pulled Jenna to him. She had just got out of bed, but she was quick to fall back onto his solid chest.

    ¡°Hey, are you done?¡± Jenna¡¯s nerves jangled with aggravation. Had she let him continue to mess around like this, her body would not be able to take it.

    Hansen¡¯s hand snuck into Jenna¡¯s clothes, teasing her skin like a tiger caressing its prey. Jenna¡¯s face flushed red as she gasped for breath.

    Turning over on the bed, he hovered over her,and then said with a smile, ¡°Chill out, let¡¯s go at it again.¡±

    After that, his mouth was scooting in to kiss her.

    Nervous, Jenna reached out her fist to pound him.

    Her fist, akin to tickles to him, did nothing to hurt him at all. On the contrary, it whetted his appetite even more. Just as he was about to continue savoring her, he suddenly heard his phone ring.

    He frowned. He had some important business these days, so he did not dare to be careless. He was afraid that it would be a call from his subordinate, so he let go of Jenna and picked up the phone.

    ¡°Hello.¡± Early in the morning,his voice was husky.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you? I¡¯ve already arrived at the airport. Come to pick me up. I¡¯m here to see Jenna. You brat, why didn¡¯t you say anything when you found Jenna? You made mee all the way here.¡± Marissa kept bombarding Hansen like a cannon, chattering incessantly.

    Hansen was stunned. He had never thought that Marissa would personallye to Srirano.

    ¡°Hansen, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jenna looked up and saw the grave expression on Hansen¡¯s face. She could not help but to be worried as she hurriedly asked.

    ¡°Mom, just wait at the airport, and I will send someone to pick you up right away.¡± Hansen sounded like he was troubled. Marissa hade all the way here, so he couldn¡¯t push her away.

    ¡°Jenna, Mom is here. You may not know her, but it doesn¡¯t matter. I will introduce her to you. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡± Hansen knew that there was no hiding this.

    Mom? Jenna imagined this beautiful word and nodded with sparkling eyes.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go and pick her up,¡± she spontaneously said.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. You can head to work first. We can have lunch together at noon.¡± Hansen smiled, running his fingers through her hair.

    An odd feeling of meeting the inws for the first time popped up in Jenna¡¯s heart, and she was a little apprehensive.

    Jenna sat in the office throughout the whole morning,with her mind all over the ce. She hadpletely forgotten her mother-inw¡¯s appearance. Under the guidance of Professor Pir, her mind began to recall vague memories. At night, she often had nightmares. Sometimes, she would even wake up crying. Fortunately, Hansen was there to hold andfort her. His presence calmed her down.

    For the past few days, no matter what kind of fragmented memories attacked her, Hansen would always apany her gently, carefully, and considerately. Heforted her and made her feel a real sense of happiness.

    Soon enough,the morning passed in the blink of an eye.

 Chapter 803 Encountering Danger

    At noon, Hansen walked into her office.

    ¡°Jenna, let¡¯s go. We have a lunch date with Mom.¡± Hansen waltzed over to her and held her hand.

    In just a few days, his eyes recovered with promising speed. He could almost make out Jenna¡¯s face clearly. The truth was, he didn¡¯t need anyone to support him when he walked, but he always made use of his injury to ask for Jenna¡¯s characteristic special care.

    He enjoyed her gentle care. Owing to his limited vision, Jenna often held his hand and gave in to him, whereupon it fed his ego because he couldmand her attention.

    Marissa was pacing back and forth in the hotel, and her emotions were stormy. As soon as she saw Jenna, she stepped forward excitedly and took her hand.¡°Jenna, my child.¡±

    She was thrilled with her visit to Srirano.

    For starters, her only son¡¯s mental state was theplete opposite from before. He looked refreshed, like a gentle spring breeze. His eyes had also recovered very well, he could almost see her then. This was something she had not expected.

    On the other hand, Jenna was still alive, which mitigated her son¡¯s pain. As a mother, nothing could be as joyous.Hence, her buoyant heart.

    Jenna looked up at Marissa in a daze, as if she had once been familiar with her.

    ¡°Jenna, say hi to my Mom.¡± Hansen could see the unresponsive expression and baffled look in Jenna¡¯s eyes. He hurriedly whispered in her ear.

    Jenna snapped out of her trance and immediately called out crisply, ¡°Mom.¡±

    Marissa smilingly responded to the greeting. She took her hand and let her sit next to her.

    Hansen had already told her about Jenna¡¯s amnesia. Therefore, she was prepared.

    ¡°Jenna, my sweet little girl, you have suffered so much.¡± Marissa took her hand, and tears were banking at the brim of her eyes. Reminiscing about the past and her son¡¯s bitter life, a lugubrious feeling inadvertently came over Marissa.

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s such a rare urrence for our family to reunite. Isn¡¯t it such a good thing? Shouldn¡¯t you be happy?¡± Hansen knitted his brows slightly when he heard her cries.

    Marissa was quick-witted. She immediately understood his meaning and wiped away her tears. She smiled and said, ¡°Jenna, Hansen,e, let¡¯s mark our reunion today with this meal. Your father doesn¡¯t want toe. I initially wanted to drag him here so that he could take a breather. Just look at this. Srirano is really beautiful. It¡¯s his loss.¡±Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    She couldn¡¯t hide the joy on her lips as she said this.

    Jenna felt warm. It turned out that her mother-inw wasa kind woman. Jenna was worried that Marissa wouldn¡¯t receive her well. After all, she had disappeared for more than a year. She had feared that her mother-inw would not ept her sudden reappearance, but then it seemed that this waspletely unnecessary.

    ¡°Jenna, Hansen, how long are you going to stay in Srirano? Jenna should go back to see Jerry and her mother.¡± The family was having a good meal and had a good appetite.

    ¡°Mom, there¡¯s no hurry. We still have something to do here in Srirano. I estimate that we¡¯ll have to stay here for another while. Then, I¡¯ll take Jenna back home,¡± Hansen immediately replied.

    Jenna also nodded. After she organized Yintern Group¡¯s car show, she should consider leaving. Steffan had also stated that he would not stop her decision.

    ¡°Mom, you can also stay here for a while. The scenery here is very beautiful. When I have time, I¡¯ll take you around for sight-seeing.¡± Jenna smiled and suggested.

    ¡°Okay, sure.¡± Marissa smiled.

    After lunch, Marissa returned to the hotel¡¯s guest room. Hansen brought Jenna back to the presidential suite to rest.

    Freezing rain began to pour as the evening progressed, the rhythm of the rain only picking up by the moment.

    Jenna was sketching a blueprint in the office when Hansen walked in.

    ¡°Jenna,e on, put on this mink coat. I specially asked someone from Australia to send it to us.¡± Hansen knew that Jenna was especially afraid of the cold.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jenna expressed as she listened to the wind howling and the pattering rain outside. She felt warm.

    ¡°Here, put it on.¡± Hansen helped her drape on the coat. Although he couldn¡¯t see clearly, the rosy mink coat looked very warm. He embraced her.

    ¡°Jenna, I have a contract to sign this afternoon. I have to go out for a while. After work, just wait here for me, and I will pick you up.¡± He touched her face and said softly.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna smiled sweetly. ¡°Take your time. I also have something to do today.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Hansen hugged her and gave her a warning with a smile,¡°Remember, don¡¯t flirt with other men while I¡¯m away. Be obedient and I¡¯ll give you a good reward tonight.¡±

    As soon as he said this, Jenna¡¯s face turned red. Of course, she knew who the other man that Hansen was talking about. This guy was really narrow-minded.

    After the two of them cajoled each other for a while, Hansen followed Alvin out the office.

    Jenna also got into the flow of her work.

    By the time she raised her head subconsciously, it was already eight o¡¯clock in the evening. Hansen had note to pick her up.

    Could it be that he had some matters to attend to?

    She picked up the phone and dialed his number.

    ¡°Hansen, have you finished signing your contract?¡± Jenna asked on the phone.

    Hansen¡¯s voice rang out very quickly. ¡°Jenna, there is about ten minutes left. I¡¯ll be there soon. Wait for me.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jenna hung up and began cleaning up her desk.

    After cleaning up her desk, she picked up her leather bag. It was about time, so she went downstairs in advance. She was famished.

    Waiting downstairs, the rain started getting heavier and heavier, and she was shivering in the cold. Fortunately, the coat was able to keep her warm. Otherwise, she would not be able to stand it.

    Standing at the sidewalk of the building, she was waiting to see the familiar ck limousinee pick her up.

    However, after who knew how long, there wasn¡¯t a single trace of him.

    She continued to wait for another ten minutes or so, but she felt so cold that her hands and feet were numb. She had to take out her phone and call Hansen. However, it kept being put on hold. After a while, she gave up and decided to call for a taxi back to the hotel. After all, it was not too far from the hotel.

    She opened the umbre, faced the wind and walked towards the street, waving her hand to hail a taxi.

    Perhaps, it was due to the frigid weather, as the taxis were nowhere in sight.

    Finally, she saw one. When she was about to wave her hand for it, it had already been upied.

    Just as she was starting to get a little anxious, a ck van ploughed towards her. Before she could even figure out what was going on, the door of the van opened suddenly, and a tall ck man came out of it. He rushed towards her, sped his hands over her mouth, and hauled her into the van.

 Chapter 804 All Hope Turns To Dust

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡±the strangermanded her as soon as the door was shut.

    The van continued to drive forward.

    When she sensed the chemical fumesing from therge hands that were covering her nose and mouth, Jenna knew that trouble was in store for her.

    As the man hurled her into the van,with her mind slowly slipping in a daze, she realized she might have been caught by some of Srirano¡¯s deadly theft gangs.

    Good grief. She might be doomed to die on that day.

    She struggled to get up, only to find that there were another four or five men in the van. Each of them had strong builds, and sly smiles on their faces.

    ¡°Let me go, or I¡¯ll call the police,¡± Jenna resisted loudly.

    ¡°This girl seems like a catch. This mink coat she¡¯s wearing is worth at least a hundred thousand. Not only have we made a fortune, we can also enjoy the night away.¡± One of the men grinned. Soon, the car erupted in sinisterughter.

    Jenna shivered. As a car designer,she knew how to open the door to this type of car. She inched closer to the door, pretending to be asleep, but her hands were shifting along to find the lock.

    At that time, she would rather jump out of the car than fall into the hands of these detestable men and be taken advantage of.

    As long as the door was opened, she would immediately topple over. Even if she had to die, she would be able to escape, her subconscious told her.

    ¡°Motherf*cker, you sly fox.¡± Just as she was about to open the lock, one of the men noticed her and immediately flew into a rage. He struck Jenna on the head, andwith a golden light shing in front of her eyes,Jenna passed out.

    She woke up to endless darkness.

    She felt the chilling ground on her back.

    ¡°Sh*t, hasn¡¯t she woken up yet? If you want to y, then better do it while they¡¯re awake.¡± A man swore, and there was a smell of alcoholing from the other side of the room.

    Jenna opened her eyes. She was locked in a dark room. The door of this dark room was like a rolling gate. It seemed likely that she had been abducted and moved into an abandoned factory.

    The gangsters were drinking in a small room next to hers,with obscenities weaving from their lips.

    ¡°What should I do?¡±

    Jenna felt devastated to no end, and she could clearly understand the meaning of ¡®all hope turns to dust¡¯.

    ¡°Hansen, Hansen, where are you? Come and save me.¡±

    She was silently shouting in her heart. Her mind was filled with Hansen. How much she wished for that tall and familiar figure to descend from the heavens, to stand by her side, and to embrace her.

    Unfortunately, she knew that at that moment, it was only a hopeless dream. In such a deste ce, even if Hansen knew that she had been kidnapped, he would not be able to rush over in time.

    She closed her eyes in despair.

    As soon as Hansen rushed out of the meeting venue, he hurriedly instructed Alvin to pick up Jenna. His phone rang not long after they started the car.

    ¡°Hello.¡± He thought that it was Jenna who had called him, so he immediately picked it up. His face was full of gentleness and his voice was particrly mellow and moving.

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s me. Where are you?¡± Jaqueline¡¯s melodious voice rang out from the other end of the phone.

    Hansen¡¯s expression turned cold in tandem with his voice.

    ¡°Jaqueline, is there anything?¡± he asked indifferently without any expression.

    Jaqueline could clearly sense his change of tone and felt a tinge of bitterness in her heart. However, since she had already arrived in Srirano, she wanted toe over and take a look at him. Even though she knew that the end result was bleak, she could not stop her actions.

    ¡°Hansen, can you guess where I am?¡± she asked in a teasing manner,smiling over the phone.

    Hansen frowned and suppressed his impatience. He said indifferently, ¡°Jaqueline, I¡¯m busy right now. I¡¯ll have to hang up if there¡¯s nothing else of importance.¡±

    He was not in the mood to y wherefore-art-thou with her. He was not interested in her at all.

    ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t be like this.¡± Jaqueline pouted and confessed, ¡°To be honest, I am now in Srirano,very near to your location. I arrived here today with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Wood wants to see you. We have a business proposal. He wants to talk with you. We are going to visit the government office tomorrow. But before that, he has something important to discuss with you, I assume. That¡¯s why he asked me to call you.¡±

    Upon hearing Jaqueline¡¯s words, the expression on Hansen¡¯s face faltered. Since Luqman had travelled all the way to Srirano to meet him, it showed that this investment matter was his purpose of visit. It was absolutely possible for him to meet her.

    Before setting up a meeting, it was a big deal to have a look and gather some information about the situation.

    Thinking for a while, he asked slowly, ¡°Where are you now?¡±

    ¡°We are in Srirano¡¯s Foreign Affairs Residence. Today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited us to a banquet. Mr. Woods wants you toe over,¡± Jaqueline exined. After that, she said with some grievance, ¡°Hansen, I know that you don¡¯t like me. I also know that Jenna is not dead. I am really happy for you. I wish you good luck. But this time, it¡¯s really just for entrepreneurship reasons. I¡¯m just a messenger and I have nothing to do with it. I hope that you don¡¯t mix public and personal feelings.¡±

    As she spoke, she didn¡¯t hear any opposition from Hansen and knew that he would definitelye. She hung up the phone and waited for him.

    ¡°Alvin, make a detour and head to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs first. Luqman ising. He¡¯s asking to see me.¡± He looked at his watch. It was almost eight thirty. ¡°Call Maloney and ask her to send a car to pick up my wife and send her to the hotel.¡±

    Alvin nodded his head and agreed. He immediately gave Maloney a call, and only then did he feel at ease as he walked towards the official residence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Srirano.

    However, he had never imagined that Jenna would fall into the abyss of eternal damnation right at the same moment. It called to mind a lingering fear and unbearable pain when he thought of it many yearster.

    It was not until an hourter that Maloney, who couldn¡¯t find Jenna, called him with trepidation. It drained the color off his face. He immediately bid goodbye to Luqman and flew outside, getting in the car.

    He searched the whole office like crazy, and called Steffan in the shared dormitory. Finally, he concluded that Jenna was missing.

    Hansen waspletely deranged!

    His entire face was covered in sweat, and the veins on his forehead bulged threateningly.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Alvin kept calm and looked at the location.

    He went to the security office to check outthe surveince footage.

    He immediately contacted the local police station when he saw through the surveince video that Jenna had been taken away in a van.

 Chapter 805 Donâ€™t Worry, Youâ€™ve Got Me

    ¡°No¡­ Please¡­ Don¡¯te over.¡± Several drunk men turned on the lights in the small room. They approached Jenna slowly as she stood up and retreated, pleading in horror.

    These vicious men did not take such a delicate woman seriously. They continued to make their way towards her and grinned crookedly.

    In order to fend for herself, she couldn¡¯t help but to reach for a bag that stood beside her on the ground, swinging it in an attempt to drive them away.

    She kept hitting it around with all her strength, not daring to stop for a single moment. She was afraid that once she stopped, those men would continue to move forward.

    Needless to say, the men could not approach her for a short while as she brandished it around her body.

    But after all, her strength was limited. As she exerted all her strength to fight back,her stamina would gradually weaken. Even so, she still didn¡¯t stop and continued wielding her arms crazily.

    Her strength was whittled down, and her whole body was sweating in exhaustion.

    The men grinned wickedly. Slowly, they unbuttoned their pants and drew closer to her.

    Jenna¡¯s arms felt numb. Her whole body was on the verge of exhaustion, and she could no longer hold on. She just waved the bag in her hand mechanically, trying to drive these detestable men away.

    Even when her body gave out as she fell to the ground, she still waved the bag and cried out miserably, ¡°Don¡¯te near, don¡¯te near!¡±

    A ck car rushed over at a very fast speed.

    As soon as Hansen got out of the car, he heard Jenna¡¯s miserable cry. His heart tightened, and then it shattered.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± A huge roar burst out from his throat. His eyes seemed aze with fire. He met her extremely nervous figure, waving the bag in her hands to resist the despicable men. Hansen could see the sheer horror-stricken expression on her face.

    His heart throbbed in pain as he ran over to her quickly.

    ¡°Jenna.¡± He rushed in, squatting down to hold Jenna, who was still wielding the bag aimlessly. He held her arms tightly, and stopped her from moving. That familiar heavenly voice filled Jenna¡¯s ears, and she rxed in response. Her beloved hade to save her.

    Those men who were not afraid of death continued to approach them. Their eyes were ferocious and their faces were full of wicked smiles. They had no idea who the man standing in front of them was.

    A red glow as sharp as a saber shot out of Hansen¡¯s eyes.

    With a sneer, he quickly shoved one hand into his pocket and covered Jenna¡¯s eyes with the other.

    After a few gunshots, the men¡¯s screams reverberated in the night sky.

    All of this was done in a few seconds.

    When Alvin parked the car and came over, the men were pressing their crotches with their hands, screaming in agony. Blood pooled all over the ground.

    ¡°Alvin, hand them over to the police.¡± After saying this, Hansen picked up Jenna and walked towards the car.

    A little whileter, a police car rushed over to the destination.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be afraid. I am here now, and you will be fine.¡± In the car,Hansen patted her back tofort her. ¡°I promise that I will protect you in the future and won¡¯t let you suffer any more grievances. This is thest time.¡±

    He was d that he had arrived in time. Although she was frightened, she tried her best to hold on and waited for him.

    He hugged her tightly and lowered his head to look at her. He caressed her face and helped her wipe off a bead of sweat.

    The lights in the car were as bright as day.

    This was the first time that Hansen had seen Jenna¡¯s small face after he lost his sight. Her face was paler than snow and her forehead was covered in cold sweat. Her eyes were filled with fear,and her entire body was trembling.

    His heart throbbed with pain.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jenna. I wasn¡¯t able to pick you up personally this evening. As a result, I almost hurt you.¡± He hugged her and keptforting her.

    He noticed that her back was drenched in sweat. Taking a towel from the back seat, he gently wiped her back and wrapped aquilttightly around her.

    When they returned to the presidential suite, Jenna was still trembling in fear.

    Alvin had gone to the hospital and asked the doctors to give her some sedatives. With that, Jenna fell into a deep sleep.

    ¡°Alvin, how¡¯s the status of the investigation conducted by the police? Was there anyone behind this matter?¡± Hansen asked. He stood in the study, his lips pursed and his fist was clenched. The veins on his forehead were bulging, his jaw stiff and tight.

    This horrible thing had happened when Jenna had not been by his side. Had he arrived even a few minutester, Jenna would have been taken advantage of. If this had been ordered by someone, then it would be unforgivable.

    Alvin¡¯s face was imbued with solemnness.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I was there from the beginning to the end of the interrogation of those men, but I hardly got any meaningful clues. ording to their confession, they were indeed penniless. At that time, they saw a woman standing on the side of the road. Her clothes were very expensive, so they came up with an evil idea. ording to their confession, there was no one behind this exchange.¡±

    Upon hearing Alvin¡¯s words, Hansen fell silent and walked to the desk with great difficulty. He felt his throat tighten,and his breath was short.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked, still worried.

    He still couldn¡¯t believe that it was just a coincidence.

    He would never allow anyone to hurt his woman again. This was his bottom line.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, at present, there is no sign that someone was trying to deliberately murder your wife.¡± Alvin still shook his head.

    ¡°It would be best if that¡¯s the case,¡± said Hansen through gritted teeth as he picked up his coat beside the table and walked out.

    Alvin followed closely.

    The floor numbers of the elevator shifted by each floor. Hansen stared at it nkly, with a troubled expression on his face.

    Jaqueline was sitting in front of a mirror, putting on some light makeup and humming a song. That day, she would follow Luqman to meet the chairman of Srirano, who was of extraordinary significance. If she handled this task well, then it would be of great help to her development in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    A colleague came in and said to her,¡°Jaqueline, someone is looking for you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, where are they?¡± Jaqueline asked in surprise.

    ¡°In the corridor rest area, it¡¯s a young man.¡± Her colleague didn¡¯t recognize Alvin.

    A man?

    Jaqueline blinked her eyes. It could only be him if it was a man from Srirano who came to see her.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She was in a good mood. She stood up and walked outside.

    It was silent in the corridor, and the rain outside was falling heavily.

    Jaqueline¡¯s heart rate quickened for some reason when she arrived at the corridor.

    At the end of the corridor, a tall figure was standing there. His back was stiff, and the chill emanating from his body was colder than the air outside.

    She shivered for no reason, and a sense of foreboding rose from the bottom of her heart.

    As she got closer and closer, the man turned around. His face was expressionless, his eyes were dark, and the light in his eyes was terrifying.

 Chapter 806 Heavy Heart

    ¡°Hansen, are you looking for me?¡± At that moment, she was a little timid and asked uneasily.

    Hansen¡¯s face was frosty as he raised his eyes to stare at her. Jaqueline saw the chill in his eyes. She had wanted to ask if his vision was improving.

    However, before she could open her mouth, Hansen spoke. His voice was cold and harsh. ¡°Jaqueline, where were youst night?¡±

    Last night? Jaqueline was stunned.

    ¡°Hansen, we were togetherst night, weren¡¯t we? We were with Mr.Wood. And we continued to discuss matters after you left abruptly,¡± she said in confusion, her eyes full of questions.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes, which were staring at her, were finally withdrawn.

    ¡°My wife, Jenna, was kidnappedst night. She was almost taken advantage of,¡± Hansen said word by word, his eyes glowing with fury.

    ¡°Jesus. Then, how is Jenna now?¡± Jaqueline¡¯s mouth hung wide open. It took a long time before she closed it and asked with concern.

    Hansen¡¯s sharp eyes locked onto her face, as cold as a sword.

    Gradually,Jaqueline¡¯s astonished face turned pale. At that moment, she understood why Hansen hade to find her. Tears swirled in her eyes, with bitterness pervadingher heart.

    Hansen suspected that she had instigated someone to harm Jenna. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t havee looking for her on his own ord.

    This was too ridiculous, and it was simply an insult to her. She bit her lips and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Hansen, why are you doubting me? Why are you trying to humiliate me? No matter how bad of a person I am, and no matter how much I love you, I can¡¯t possibly harm Jenna. The only reason I had the idea of marrying you is that I thought that Jenna was dead. Great-grandfather loved you, so he asked me to rece Jenna to marry and take care of you. It was really stemming from good will. Putting aside the fact that you did not appreciate it at all, do you really think I¡¯d follow Aria¡¯s and Liya¡¯s footsteps and harm Jenna?¡±

    Sheined in an aggrieved manner, with her tears streaming down.

    ¡°It¡¯s best if that was the case. If I find out that you are even a tad bit suspicious, then I will not hold back from sending you to prison. I will destroy the prime of your life. As long as anyone harms my wife, I will do anything to hold them ountable.¡± Hansen looked at her coldly. His tone was strict.

    Tears of sadness and grievance flowed out from Jaqueline¡¯s eyes. She sobbed. ¡°Hansen, you have gone too far. You have insulted me too deeply. From now on, I will sever our rtions and never contact you again.¡±

    With that, she turned her head and dashed away, covering her mouth and lowering her head.

    She was sure that she had been hurt beyond repair that time.

    ¡°Jenna, Jenna, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Hansen hurriedly came back to the hotel and saw Jenna lying on the bed with a face that was flushed red. She groaned in pain, and his heart tightened. He hurriedly bent down to pick her up and shouted anxiously.

    With this hug, Hansen was rmed and horrified. He was in extreme pain.

    At that very moment, Jenna¡¯s body was burning hot, and her eyes were tightly shut. She had fainted.

    ¡°Alvin, Alvin,¡± he yelled with anxiety.

    Alvin rushed in quickly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mr. Richards?¡±

    ¡°Hurry up, get the car ready and send her to the hospital,¡± he roared in agony.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Alvin obeyed.

    In the pit of darkness, she had lost her footing and was now hovering in mid-air. Cold wind howled beside her ear. The ice-cold water was piercing through her bones, and the child¡¯s cries continued to collide with one another in Jenna¡¯s subconscious.

    ¡°Mom, Mom.¡± The tender child¡¯s voice cried and shouted in the darkness. Floating from the distance, it was mixed with fear and horror. Each and every sound tugged at her heart.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t hurt my child,¡± Jenna cried out in extreme panic.

    The dark night was endless, sweeping through the sky. She kept running, not daring to stop. Different scenes appeared one after another. Some were horrible, some were warm, and some made her miserable. It triggered her bit by bit, sending her into a splitting headache. Until she shouted ¡®Jerry¡¯, her tensed body finally rxed and she fell into the seamless darkness.

    Hansen hugged Jenna tightly day in and day out, not daring to sleep.

    She frowned, and her face was full of pain. Hansen stood by her, constantly helped her to cool down and relieve her nerves.

    Sometimes, muscles all over her body would tighten, and the expression on her face would be one of extreme pain. She would fall into a state of unconsciousness. Sometimes, her breathing would bebored, and her hands would clutch tightly at Hansen¡¯s clothes.

    Hansen was in a state of agitation.

    He called the doctor and consulted them over and over again, and yet he did not feel assured.

    At dawn, Jenna finally cried out a painful ¡®Jerry¡¯ and sunk into unconsciousness again.

    Jerry!

    These words caused Hansen to raise his head from his quandary. After being stunned for a few seconds, he anxiously roared, ¡°Alvin.¡±

    Alvin rushed in quickly.

    ¡°Call Professor Pir to the hospital, and then go and pick up Jerry from Europe. There¡¯s no time to lose.¡± He gave a brief order to Alvin.

    Alvin nodded his head solemnly.

    ¡°Doctor, my wife has been crying all night. If she is unconscious, will this affect her body?¡± As Alvin left, Hansen sent for the doctor. After exining the situation, he asked anxiously.

    The doctor carefully examined Jenna again and stood up.

    This doctor was quite old,and his experience was extensive.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, your wife must have been triggered by something in the past. She had suffered from blunt force trauma to the head during the incident. It is likely to trigger some bad memories of the past, which will cause her to be in pain. But rest assured, we will treat her. She might have some psychological trauma, but it won¡¯t cause much harm to the body. So, I suggest that you call up a psychologist after your wife¡¯s condition is stable,¡± the old doctor said seriously, and prescribed her some sedatives before he went out.

    Not long after, Pir quickly rushed over.

    Hansen immediately rted to him about everything that had happened, as well as Jenna calling for Jerry that morning.

    Upon hearing this, Pir was a little excited.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, if I¡¯m not wrong, this should be a good sign. Your wife must have remembered something. Children hold a special ce in a woman¡¯s heart. Therefore, she might be able to remember the child,¡± said Professor Pir thoughtfully.

    Children, just how heavy this word was!

    During this period of time, in front of Jenna, Hansen had deliberately avoided this sensitive topic. He was afraid that she would be tormented by anguish.

    But if she remembered about her child, then¡­

    ¡°Mr. Richards, it may be a little painful for your wife to start restoring her memories in this way, but things have already happened, and only you can help her. During this period of time, you should give her enough care and love. My suggestion is to return to a familiar environment, which will help her restore her old memories,¡± Professor Pir continued to suggest.

    ¡°Okay, I understand. Thank you.¡± Hansen thanked him with a heavy heart.

    Never would he have anticipated that Jenna would remember the past in this way, nor had he thought that she would be in danger after he left her for such a short time.

    None of this was what he wanted to see.

    In the past, as the name suggested, it was just a thing of the past. It would be great if she could remember some good memories. However, if it were unfortunate ones, then it had better remain as water under the bridge.

    In the past few days, he had gotten along well with Jenna. Other than the interlude with Steffan, they seemed to have entered a new height of affection. There was nothing more he could ask for.

    It would have been beneficial for Jenna to live like that. It was better than the situation right then, where she recalled the past in such a painful way.

    She had suffered too much, and he hoped that she could be happy.

    If forgetting about the past could make her happy, then he would rather she forget everything, even if there were some minor regrets.

    After Professor Pir prescribed some medicine, Hansen booked him a room in the hotel. In this way, he could stay here and keep an eye on Jenna¡¯s condition at all times, helping her to get through this difficult procedure of recovering memories.

    Throughout the night,Hansen took care of Jenna, who fell into a state of unconsciousness, from time to time. He helped her wipe her body, fed her medicine, and even held her to sleep. Duringthe period,Jenna regained consciousness several times, but each time she stared listlessly at his face, not saying a word.

    Hansen¡¯s heart was aching. He smiled at her kindly. He knew that she must have thought of something, and her mind was in a tug of war.

    ¡°Jenna, do you know me?¡± Every time she woke up, he would pick her up and ask her kindly.

    However, Jenna¡¯s eyelids were very heavy, and she just stared at him. After a while, she would close her eyes and fall asleep.

    The next night, when Hansen was measuring her body temperature, Jenna¡¯s eyes suddenly flew open. She grabbed his hand, anxiously shouting, ¡°Jerry, my child.¡±

    Hansen was stunned, but he quickly figured it out. His eyes shed with a glimmer of light.

    In the period where she fell ill, whether in her dreams or semi-consciousness, the person she called out the most was ¡®Jerry¡¯.

    This was theplete opposite of her recent behavior.

    Previously, when they were together, Jenna had seemed to be deliberately avoiding something. She hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about the child. Only once had he asked about the child, and she had cried and wept. She was so sad that she passed out. Since then, he didn¡¯t dare to broach the subject of their child in front of her. He was afraid that she would be in pain and sorrow.

    However, in the past two days, her mind seemed to be filled with matters regarding the child, and she was even in the throes of anxiety. This was obviously the love of a mother towards her child. It seemed that the feeling of maternal love, after she had sustained a blow to her body and mind, had finally exploded within her.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    He was happy and pleased, although she did not even say a single word to him. When he hugged her and coaxed her, she would not even recognize him. She would only stare at him,with her gazeckluster.

 Chapter 807 Will Mom Forget Me?

    Jenna had numerous mood swings throughout her stay and she was unconscious most of the time.

    Nevertheless, Hansen had the patience to wait for her to call him ¡®Hansen¡¯willingly, the name she used to call him.

    Besides, he would rather that she forgot about the unpleasant memories.

    On the rare asions when she was awake, Jenna would always lean forward to scrutinize his features with a vacant expression on her face.

    However, she became highly dependent upon him.

    She would burst into tears whenever he was not around and cradle her pillow in frustration. Ever since Jerry came over, she would cradle him in her arms and sob as if Hansen had abandoned the both of them.

    The fact that she relied on him for everything and was pretty obedient satisfied his pride as a man. Although regret sat in his stomach and he tried to make up for his mistakes as best as he could, he felt that her amnesia was not such a big deal.

    Through these hardships, his business had grown and he was then far wealthier than before. He even trained a group of subordinates who were only loyal to him. Hence, he had the time and patience to apany the both of them and they could finally live a happy and peaceful life, which they had always longed for.

    ¡°Alvin, are you really going to bring me to my mother?¡± On the airne, Jerry wrapped his arms around Alvin¡¯s neck and asked ecstatically.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Alvin stroked his head and said affectionately, ¡°Jerry, your mother misses you very much.¡±

    ¡°Great, I miss her very much as well. I haven¡¯t seen her for a very long time. Let me tell you, I dreamt of herst night but she vanished after a while. I was so frightened that I burst into tears in the dream.¡± Tears welled up in his eyes as he recalled the dream from the night before.

    Alvin¡¯s heart ached for him and he hugged Jerry tightly. He saidfortingly, ¡°Silly, your mother is doing fine right now. Why would she disappear? Your Dad is taking good care of her. Nothing bad will ever ur again. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Well, I believe that Dad is now very strong and powerful and will never let Mom encounter danger again.¡± Jerry summed up his experience and analyzed the situation in detail. That time, he hadplete faith in Hansen.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Alvin nodded in agreement.

    Jerry beamed from ear to ear throughout the journey. He was on cloud nine.

    In the VIP suite of the hotel.

    ¡°Dad, when will Mom wake up?¡± Jerry inquired Hansen as hey down on Jenna¡¯s bed with his hands under his chin. He stared at Jenna who was still fast asleep.

    Jenna¡¯s face was scarlet due to the high fever and her body was warm to touch. Jerry was on tenterhooks as he blew onto her face, attempting to cool her down. He would stroke her hand once in a while. His face creased with worry.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She will wake up soon. She muttered your namest night.¡± Hansen wiped Jenna¡¯s body with a cloth as he said reassuringly.

    ¡°Did Mom really get amnesia? Will she remember me when she wakes up?¡± Jerry touched Jenna¡¯s face and asked hesitatingly.

    Once he was done wiping Jenna¡¯s body to help her cool down, Hansen noticed that the flush had then faded from her face, revealing her pale skin. His heart ached terribly for her. After covering her with a nket, he hugged Jerry and said, ¡°Jerry, even if she forgets everyone else, she will never forget you. You are our baby. There¡¯s no way that she will forget you. Go and y somewhere else and let her have a good rest.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Jerry nodded his head obediently as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. ¡°Dad, I feel terrible seeing Mom so ill. You must make her get better soon.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s heart ached. He hugged him and gave him a peck on his forehead as he nodded his head and made a promise. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will try my best to help her get better as soon as possible. She is my wife. I want her to recover soon as well.¡±

    As they were in the midst of their conversation, Marissa rushed into the room. ¡°Hansen, what¡¯s wrong with Jenna?¡±

    ¡°Grandma.¡± At the sight of Marissa, Jerry cried in a croaky voice.

    ¡°Jerry, you¡¯re here.¡± Marissa immediately beamed with joy upon seeing Jerry who was in Hansen¡¯s arms. She stretched out her arms to hug Jerry.

    ¡°Mom, Jenna is fine. She is probably recalling her memories now.¡± Hansen didn¡¯t want to reveal the truth about the tragedy that Jenna had encountered to Marissa for fear that she would be worried. Hence, he kept it simple and said casually.

    Marissa took Jerry from Hansen¡¯s arms and hugged him. ¡°Wow, you are heavy.¡± She teased with a smile on her face before she put him on the ground and held his hand. She walked over to Jenna¡¯s side. Seeing that she was fast asleep, Marissa let out a sigh. ¡°Jenna has faced many hardships in life. Hopefully, from now onwards, everything will take a new turn and you guys can finally live a happy life.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. You can take Jerry out to y for a while. I will call you guys when Jenna wakes up.¡± Hansen stood beside her andforted her.

    Marissa had no choice but to nod her head and leave the room with Jerry, who was content just to see his parents.

    Meanwhile, the representative of Srirano was interviewing Luqman on television. It was grand and serious. He was apanied by Jaqueline, who sat by his side and recorded the details of the interview with herptop. Once the interview was done and the floor was open to questions by the reporters, she stood gracefully in front of the cameras and answered all the provocative questions thrown at her smartly. She had the aura of an external liaison officer.

    Her lips held a faint smile and she had an elegant demeanor. Apart from that, she was pretty polite and well-mannered.

    It was no wonder Johan adored her. She would definitely seed in her career. Nevertheless, no matter how outstanding Jaqueline was, she was still inferior to Jenna in Hansen¡¯s opinion. Well, it was a fact.

    Meanwhile, in another country.

    The sea was kindling its own symphony and thegushing waves wereforting. The sea glistened in the sun as waves crawled gently to the shore.

    Hannah, who was wearing a white bespoke dress, was strolling leisurely on the beach. Feeling the texture of the coarse sand beneath her feet gave her a sense of inner peace.

    Rayan was dressed in a T-shirt with designer denim jeans. Although he was dressed casually, it could not hide his elegant demeanor. He was always such a gentleman and kept herpany.

    Both of them had good looks and caught the attention of the passers-by.

    They walked along the beach.

    ¡°Rayan, I¡¯m nning to return to A City for a while.¡± She gazed at the wavespping on the shore, apparently lost in thought.

    Rayan understood at once what was on her mind and a smile touched the corners of his mouth.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Okay, let us return with our child.¡±

    After marrying Rayan and giving birth to their child, Hannah became quieter and more reserved as she led a luxurious life as his wife. She looked more mature and charming, and her skin was well-maintained with skincare.

    They had a great time together. Rayan knew what was important in life and valued quality time together instead of focusing all his energy on thepany. Gains and benefits were not his priority in life. This was exactly what Hannah liked.

    Therefore, their life after marriage was pretty happy and peaceful.

    However, although she was satisfied and blessed with her life, something was troubling her and that was her best friend, Jenna.

    ording to her, all the joy and happiness she had then was thanks to Jenna. If it weren¡¯t for her, then she would not have met Rayan, who was wealthy and influential.

    Jenna was her only friend in this world.

 Chapter 808 Her Best Friendâ€™s Happy Life

    One year ago, Jenna did not make her appearance at Hannah¡¯s and Rayan¡¯s wedding ceremony. Hannah was pretty surprised back then and could not wrap her head around it.

    To make matters worse, she could no longer reach Jenna as she never answered her calls.

    She wanted to return to A City and ask her why she didn¡¯t attend her wedding ceremony but Rayan, who was usually gentle, stopped her and prevented her from returning with various measures.

    In fact, she was pregnant back then and perhaps due to her age, there were a fewplications and she had been hospitalized so that they could save the baby. Hence, Rayan was strongly against her returning for fear that she would be exhausted.

    It was not until she gave birth to the baby and rested for a month that she prepared to return. However, to her dismay, Rayan revealed the brutal news.

    Jenna was already dead!

    At that moment, she was so shocked that she could barely utter a word. Only then did she understand Rayan¡¯s painstaking efforts to stop her from returning and why he had done so.

    He was afraid that she could not bear the blow. It would be detrimental to her health as well as to the fetus if she was crestfallen.

    However, how could she ever bear the blow?

    Jenna was such a kind and considerate woman. She was gone just like that. How could she possibly ept the fact? It was impossible.

    If that was the case, then was there really such a thing as justice?

    How could fate be so cruel?

    Grief overwhelmed herpletely and she could barely eat or sleep. Fortunately, Rayan was there tofort her and talk to her. As time progressed, she slowly epted the fact.

    In fact, Rayan was also in anguish. However, this was Jenna¡¯s destiny. Apart from sympathizing with her fate, there was nothing he could have done.

    After all, they had to live on.

    Just a few days ago, they received a piece of shocking news. Jenna was still alive! She appeared at the weing ceremony for the representative of Srirano together with Hansen.

    What great news!

    Hannah was over the moon.

    Seeing her in the exuberance of joythrilledRayan as well.

    ¡°Rayan, I¡¯m sure you know how I feel. I can¡¯t stop worrying about her. She has faced so many hardships in life.¡± Hannah heaved a sigh. There was sorrow in her voice.

    ¡°Hannah, you are really kind-hearted. It¡¯s no wonder you are Jen¡¯s best friend.¡± Rayan wrapped his arms around her shoulders andforted her in a gentle voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Those who do good will live a long and happy life. Jen has faced many struggles and challenges. From now onwards, her life will be smooth and peaceful. She will live happily after. You must have faith that things will take a new turn. Jen is a kind soul who has always done nothing but good. She will be blessed. Don¡¯t fret. From now onwards, her life will be better.¡±

    Rayan¡¯s pearls of wisdom and encouragement always enlightened her at the right moment so that she was filled with hope. Even though life was harsh and filled with challenges, he always knew how to cheer her up and help her adopt a more positive outlook.

    This must have been the reason she chose to marry him. Hannah thought silently to herself.

    He was indeed her Mr. Right.

    ¡°Rayan, I am also blessed to be able to meet you in my life.¡± She raised her head and looked into his eyes. Her eyes twinkled and shone brightly with joy.

    Rayan shed her an elegant smile and pulled her into his arms.

    ¡°Silly, it¡¯s my blessing to be able to meet you.¡±

    They stood in an embrace as they broke into a smile.

    ¡°Sir, someone wants to see you. The person is waiting over here.¡± A boy walked over from under the palm trees by the beach and handed him a piece of paper with a phone number and an address written on it.

    Rayan epted it in surprise. He was about to ask the boy about the other party¡¯s identity.

    However, the little fellow had disappeared and was nowhere in sight.

    ¡°Rayan, who wants to see you?¡± Hannah asked in surprise upon seeing the piece of paper with the address and phone number. She noticed the confusion that crossed Rayan¡¯s features. It looked like Rayan had no idea who was looking for him as well.

    This was a small country, close to the maind. The economy was pretty developed.

    Hannah was pretty sure that they did not know anyone in the country.

    Rayan looked at the phone number again and the image of a person shed through his mind. He thought for a moment and smiled.

    ¡°Hannah, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll go and have a look. Wait for me here.¡±

    ¡°Rayan, let me apany you. I¡¯m worried about you,¡± Hannah said earnestly, holding onto his shirt coyly.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry. I promise I¡¯ll be back soon. Trust me.¡± Rayan stroked her hair and grinned before he walked away.

    Hannah knew that Rayan had learnt some martial arts before. However, for some inexplicable reason, something felt amiss as she watched him walking away. Nevertheless, it was only a while. She believed that everything would be fine.

    Tourists were having a great time taking photos beside an old-fashioned hut. The sound ofughter filled the air.

    Although he was still quite far away, he noticed the person at a nce. After all, they used to be acquainted. She had once followed him around and she was once head over heels for him. Hence, it was only natural that he still remembered her.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    They had not met each other for a few years. Hilda had changed a lot.

    Although she sat quietly over there and was as beautiful as ever, he could still notice some differences as he approached her. She had gained weight and her cheeks were flushed. In a nutshell, she seemed fuller.

    Her shoulder-length hair was still curly and wavy. She wore a ck gown and her demeanor was still elegant.

    ¡°Rayan, hi, I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time.¡± The moment she heard the sound of the approaching footsteps, she knew at once that it was Rayan. Although many years had passed, her heart still fluttered when she sensed him approaching. Being the man she used to love from the bottom of her heart, Rayan would always be someone important to her although she would only keep those memories to herself. She thought to herself and smiled as she turned around to greet him.

    Rayan seemed to know that it was her. He walked over and sat down opposite her. There was a faint smile on his face.

    Many years had passed. She had probably let go of her obsession.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, what about you?¡± He sat down and picked up the ss in front of him to take a sip.

    Hilda stared at him and said lightly, ¡°Rayan, I¡¯m surprised that you dare to drink it? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll poison you?¡±

    Rayan was caught off guard for a moment before he shed her a smile. ¡°Even now, I still believe that you have a kind soul.¡±

    Upon hearing what he said, Hilda forced a smile.

    ¡°Unfortunately, you don¡¯t love me no matter what I do.¡± She sighed in exasperation and her voice was self-deprecating. She seemed to be in low spirits.

    Rayan pondered for a moment.

    ¡°Hilda, everyone is different. We all have our purpose in life. This is destiny. We cannot force it,¡± he said gently with an air of indifference.

    ¡°I just want to say,¡± Hilda muttered to herself and let out a sigh. ¡°Rayan, forgive me. I really didn¡¯t want to shoot you back then, but if I hadn¡¯t shot you, then my father wouldn¡¯t have let you go. Fortunately, you survived.¡±

    Rayan was slightly touched when he recalled the past and smiled. ¡°Hilda, I have never med you. If you had not shown me mercy, then the bullet would have pierced through my heart and I wouldn¡¯t even be here right now.¡±

    Hilda was dumbfounded and eximed, ¡°Rayan, you knew?¡± She looked a little abashed.

 Chapter 809 You Are My Dearest Sister

    ¡°Of course.¡± Rayan smiled. ¡°You know that I won¡¯t sit back and let Jenna take the shot for me. I¡¯m a guy. How can I let a woman take the shot for me? You must have considered that when you pulled the trigger, which was why you did not aim straight for the heart. Otherwise, with your shooting skills, it would be impossible for me to survive.¡±

    Back then, the bullet only deviated from his heart by one millimeter. She was a well-trained assassin, so she would not make an error like this. She had everything under her control. Nobody else saw through her intentions but Rayan understood at once what was on her mind.

    ¡°Rayan, my father has a grudge against you. If he pulled the trigger, then everything would be different. However, I was deeply in love with you, so how could I let you die? I might have lost my mind and aimed my gun at Jenna. My apologies for that and I should probably apologize to her as well. Fortunately, you took the shot for her. Otherwise, I would forever be indebted to her.¡± Hilda became agitated as she reminisced about the past. ¡°To be honest, I knew that you would take the shot for her. Hence, before pulling the trigger, I aimed the muzzle slightly to the right. Nevertheless, my dad was watching. Hence, I had to pull the trigger.¡±

    At that point, the atmosphere at the tablewas heavy.

    Hilda¡¯s face flushed with embarrassment and a shadow of guilt darkened her eyes. Sorrow crossed her face and it grew pale.

    It was a good idea to talk about the past. After settling the misunderstandings, they could finally let go of the past and start afresh.

    Rayan stared into the horizon and said lightly, ¡°Hilda, everything will pass. Let¡¯s not talk about the past anymore. We must move on.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. People must move on no matter what happens.¡± Hilda seemed to be lost in thought as she assumed a vacant expression and her gaze slowly softened. ¡°Rayan, my dad has passed away. He died in a global anti-drug operation.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± The news caught him off guard but it was as though he had foreseen it. He did not speak further but he was clouded by a sense of sadness.

    Jonas helped him before. He owed him. Although he did not have a noble status, not everyone was born into a prestigious family. No matter what, it was not right to forget those who had helped him before.

    ¡°Hilda, how are you doing now?¡± He raised his head and asked, being careful to avoid that question. There was anguish in his eyes.

    At the mention of her father, Hilda felt as if she would choke with sorrow. She could barely utter a word.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. My dad sold all his properties back then and got me a ce and started a business over here. I now have my ownpany and life is pretty good.¡± After a while, the sorrow faded from her face and she spoke in a low voice. A slow smile worked its way across her face and into her eyes.

    Rayan nodded his head and did not ask any more questions.

    He knew the answer from her expression. She would live a happy life.

    Not long after, a middle-aged man appeared with a boy.

    ¡°Mom.¡± The little boy dashed over and threw himself into Hilda¡¯s arms. The anguish on her face vanished in an instant, reced with a loving smile as she responded and carried him in her arms.

    ¡°Hilda, do we have guests?¡± The middle-aged man entered and beamed. It was clear that he cared about Hilda very much and listened to her.

    ¡°Yes, this is my cousin. We ran into each other here today.¡± Hilda shed him a smile and introduced him to Rayan.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    She had invested in some properties at this tourist attraction site. They were here on a business errand and she did not expect to see Rayan over here.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s your cousin. Come and have a seat at our house.¡± The man had tanned skin. His jaw was broad and his eyes were bright. In short, he looked like an honest man who valued his family. After Hilda introduced Rayan to him, he immediately greeted him cordially.

    Rayan was finally satisfied when he saw the scene. It was a good ending for Hilda. He was truly relieved. If she was having a rough time, then he would feel uneasy. Right then, he could finally be at ease.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I still have something to do, maybe next time. My wife is still waiting for me over there. I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡± He beamed and rejected the offer.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll see Rayan off.¡± Hilda handed the boy over to the man and followed Rayan out.

    ¡°Hilda, there¡¯s no need to do so. Go back and enjoy your life. Appreciate those who are by your side. Cherish the love and joy as they did note by easily. Your father gave this to you. You must live a happy life so that your father can be at ease even though he is no longer here. Your husband seems like a trustworthy man.¡± After taking a few steps, Rayan came to a halt and turned around as he spoke to Hilda with a serious expression.

    ¡°Okay, I will.¡± Hilda nodded her head. She was still a little reluctant to let him go and she was still a little drawn to him. ¡°Rayan, it was really a pity that I did not manage to send a gift over on your wedding day with Hannah. However, I can see that Hannah is the right woman for you. I wish you guys all the best, and stay happy and sweet.¡±

    She spoke in earnest. Her face lit up with anticipation as she asked solemnly, ¡°Rayan, can we still hang out in the future like siblings?¡±

    She did not have any other rtives in the world. Her Mom passed away a long time ago and her father was no longer here as well. Only Rayan was left. Rayan, whom she had been deeply in love with back then had been by her side as she grew up. Her feelings for him were irreceable and not many would understand it.

    At that moment, Rayan also understood what was on her mind. He reached out his hand to stroke her head and chuckled. ¡°Hilda, you have always been a sister to me. Whether it¡¯s in the past or the future, this will never change. If you happen to run into any trouble in the future, then feel free to find me. You will always be my little sister.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Rayan.¡± Having received Rayan¡¯s assurance, Hilda was so jubnt that tears streamed down her cheeks and she choked with sobs.

    ¡°Go back, don¡¯t let your family wait.¡± Rayan smiled and reminded her in a gentle voice. He then waved his hand and strode away.

    ¡°Rayan, who was it that wished to see you?¡± Hannah was waiting anxiously for him by the beach. Upon noticing him approaching her with a smile on his face, apparently in high spirits, she walked over immediately. Her eyes were filled with concern and her features creased with worry.

    ncing at her anxious expression, Rayan¡¯s heart was filled with warmth. He pulled her into his arms and said affectionately, ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me?¡±

    Hannah was slightly stunned when she heard his reply. He seemed to be indicating something, but Hannah let it go after a while.

    She trusted him. She had always done so. For certain stuff, if a man was willing to reveal it, then he would do so, but if he wasn¡¯t, nothing good coulde from pestering him. It would be a fruitless attempt. Hannah was an easygoing person. She refused to be that pathetic.

    ¡°Rayan, let¡¯s book a ne ticket for next week. I just called Hansen. He is going to take Jenna back to A City next week. I want to go back and see my best friend.¡± Hannah changed the topic and said gently. She looked at him dearly.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to what you say.¡± Rayan agreed immediately.

    Time really changed people. Even an independent woman such as Hannah would change in a rtionship. She had changedpletely and had attained the happiness of her life.

    The two snuggled up to each other and walked away.

    Giggles andughter filled the air as the gentle sea breeze swept over the beach.

 Chapter 810 Resolve Their Misunderstanding

    ¡°Sara, what are you doing?¡± Lilian had just returned from work from the United Nations Bureau. She walked into Sara¡¯s room with a wide smile stered on her face.

    Sara was sitting on the bed, knitting a sweater meticulously with a serious expression. She raised her head upon hearing Lilian¡¯s voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m knitting a sweater for Jenna¡¯s child. I haven¡¯t had the chance to see my little grandchild yet. I want to go back to A City,¡± Sara answered, but she did not stop what she was doing. Her fingers were nimble as she worked furiously to finish knitting the sweater.

    ¡°Sara, why must you knit the sweater yourself? You can easily buy a sweater anywhere.¡± Lilian felt that she was too hard on herself and did not want her to bother herself with some mere trifle. Upon saying that, she asked, ¡°Did the instructor urge you toplete your training today?¡±

    Her tone was dead serious when she asked the question.

    Remaining immobilized in a wheelchair for a long time without sufficient exercise was detrimental to a person¡¯s health. Hence, she attached a limb prosthesis to what was left of her limb and hired an instructor to curate an exercise routine for her condition.

    Not only that, but Lilian also invited some psychologists toe over and conduct psychotherapy to help her ovee her demons. Besides, she apanied her all the time and would talk to her about her life. She described the exasperation and the struggles that she had faced before in life. Every day, she would wriggle out of appointments with clients so that she can stay by her side as much as possible.

    Thanks to her efforts, Sara began to adopt a more positive outlook in life and became happier as time passed. She was near recovery but her longing and concern for Jenna would often make her feel agitated and withdrawn.

    Initially, this was what Lilian feared the most. However, now that they had news of Jenna, she could finally be at ease. Relief washed over her and a smile of pleasure never left her face.

    ¡°Sara, don¡¯t knit anymore. Come, let me bring you outside for a walk.¡± The nanny told Lilian that Sara insisted on knitting for hours every day and barely had time to do anything else. Her heart went out to her when she heard it.

    Sara knew that there was no room for objection. She could only put down the sweater in her hands and say, ¡°I can walk there on my own. You don¡¯t need to push the wheelchair.¡±

    If she disregarded her identity, Lilian was actually in her seventies. She had been helping to push her wheelchair for the past few days. To be honest, Sara felt sorry. Hence, now that her condition had improved, she insisted on walking by herself.

    ¡°Okay, I will help you then.¡± Sara¡¯s eagerness really cheered Lilian up. She recalled the times when she just moved over here. Sara seldom smiled and always wanted to return to A City. At first, she still spoke to her but once she knew of their rtionship, she assumed an air of indifference and paid no heed to her. She was cold and distant.

    Lilian knew that she could not force her to ept her. Hence, she took her time to prove her sincerity. Eventually, Sara had started to ept her presence. Although she still did not call her ¡®Mom¡¯, she had already epted her identity as her mother.

    The security was strict outside the vi. Lots of policemen dressed casually were in sight. The international agents stood upright as they guarded the premise, emitting a formidable aura.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Lilian supported Sara carefully as she leaned against her walking cane. They were engulfed in the beauty of the sun which was setting over the horizon.The golden orange hue stretched far and wide. It was the color of fire hearths and tangerines.

    ¡°Sara, Jenna will return to A City from Srirano next week. If you wish to go back, then I¡¯ll apany you.¡± Lilian gazed at the sun setting over the horizon. Her voice was light and soft.

    As Sara got along with Lilian, she realized how precious her mother¡¯s love for her was and started to cherish it. She appreciated their rtionship.

    In fact, she started to learn about her struggles after living with her for a year. When there was a lot to do, Lilian had to workte into the night despite already being in her seventies.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, you are so busy. You can just send someone to apany me.¡± Sara thought for a while before she answered.

    ¡°Sara, are you still refusing to live with me?¡± A wave of loneliness washed over Lilian when she heard Sara rejecting her offer. Looking pretty downcast, she asked in a soft voice.

    Both of them shared a kind of connection.

    Sara sensed how lonely Lilian was feeling right away. Lilian never put on airs when she was with her. Instead, she was always cautious with her words, afraid that she would hit a raw nerve.

    Sara came to a halt. Her mouth opened and closed, without making a sound. She was at a loss about how to respond.

    In reality, she felt a deep sense of loneliness as well and did not wish to leave Lilian.

    However, she grew up in A City and longed to see her daughter.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, you can return to A City and live with us.¡± She dropped her head and spoke in a low voice.

    Lilian chuckled. ¡°Silly child, how inconvenient it would be if you live on your own in A City. Jenna might be around but she has her own family to worry about. She can¡¯t be there forever. I suggest you continue staying here. No matter what happens, I will take good care of you. Don¡¯t deny my right to care for you as a mother.¡±

    Her love for her! The answer made her tremble with joy!

    Sara lowered her head as Lilian prattled on, trying to persuade her to stay in earnest. She was also a mother, which was why she wished to return to A City upon recovering to stay by Jenna¡¯s side.

    However, she did not utter a word and staggered forward with the help of her walking cane.

    Lilian stared as she walked away. Sara¡¯s back remained upright, as if she was protesting in silence. Knowing her stubbornness, Madam Lilian sighed. No matter what, she did owe her.

    If it weren¡¯t for Vivian, she could not fathom how Sara would survive as a kid.

    Therefore, she was grateful to Vivian.

    Sara was struck by longing for A City for the past few days. After all, she had grown up in A City. Where she lived right then might be great but it was still a foreign country to her.

    She staggered forward with the help of her walking cane, lost in thought as she recalled the hardships that Lilian had faced over the years. Suddenly, she lost her bnce by ident and fell sideways.

    ¡°Emily.¡± Lilian caught a glimpse of what had happened and eximed in dismay. She dashed over and caught her in the nick of time. However, her bnce was poor due to her advanced age. Although she had caught Sara, she lost her bnce and fell sideways. Within seconds, she hit the ground and Sara fell on top of her.

    An excruciating pain shot up Lilian¡¯s leg and she grimaced in pain as her face grew pale.

    At the moment when they fell together, Sara knew instinctively that things would be bad. She was not injured at all but she fell on top of Lilian. Lilian was doing this for her sake.

    Sara trembled in fear. Panic-stricken, she eximed in a trembling voice, ¡°Mom, are you alright?¡±

    She struggled to stand up while shouting, but it was a fruitless attempt. In the end, she had to ce both her hands on the ground and crawl to the side so that she was no longer on top of Lilian.

    Lilian sat on the ground, apparently in a daze. Shepletelyforgotabout the pain as tears of joy welled up in her eyes.

    ¡°You finally called me ¡®Mom¡¯, did you?¡± A few seconds ago, Sara was so worried that she called her ¡®Mom¡¯ without even thinking about it. She said it so naturally as if she really regarded her as her mother. This made Lilian jubnt.

    The day she had been waiting for had finally arrived! It was not an easy process!

    She stared at Sara, too shocked for words as her eyes brimmed with tears.

    Sara was also stunned. She sat on the ground and stared at Lilian. She really didn¡¯t expect that she would call her ¡®Mom¡¯ in a situation like this.

    For numerous times, she had thought about when she could finally call her ¡®Mom¡±. Nevertheless, it never crossed her mind that she would say it so naturally in a scenario like this.

    She could not believe her ears.

 Chapter 811 Lilianâ€™s Concern

    ¡°Madam, what¡¯s wrong?¡± The agents standing outside caught sight of what happened and dashed over quickly. They helped Lilian and Sara up and asked uneasily, ¡°Madam, are you injured?¡±

    Lilian had sprained her ankle and her butt was injured. In actuality, she was in pain. At her age, it was not a good thing if she had broken her bone. However, she masked the pain and gave a dismissive wave of her hand. ¡°I¡¯m alright. Help Miss Sara back to her room.¡±

    After that, everyone was busy. Lilian had injured her ankle. It was not easy to treat it. She probably couldn¡¯t go to work the next day.

    Nevertheless, Lilian was over the moon. Her daughter finally called her ¡®Mom¡¯. She had anticipated that moment for a few decades.

    Silence filled the night. Lilian was sitting in her bedroom, reading a book with the help of her sses. At that moment, Quina rang the doorbell.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Lilian responded with an air of nonchnce. Only Quina was allowed to enter her bedroom. Everyone else was not permitted.

    Quina came over and examined Lilian¡¯s foot. Her eyes were clouded with concern. ¡°Madam Lilian, have you sprained your ankle? Is it serious?¡±

    Lilian put down the book in her hand and a smile touched the corners of her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not a big deal. Please help me apply for leave for the next few days. If there¡¯s anything, then I canplete it at home.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Quina agreed immediately upon hearing what she said. However, she was still worried. ¡°Madam Lilian, let¡¯s go to the hospital and have a proper examination. If the injury is too severe, then it might affect your schedule next week.¡±

    Quina¡¯s concern was reasonable. After all, she was in her seventies. Getting a sprain can be detrimental.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just a sprain. No damage has been done.¡± Lilian shook her head and her face lit up with joy. ¡°Great news! Emily finally called me ¡®Mom¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions, Madam Lilian.¡± Quina was overjoyed as well upon hearing the news. ¡°Your worries are finally settled and you have found your granddaughter. It¡¯s a blessing.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lilian nodded. The smile on her face faded and she asked, ¡°How¡¯s everything at Srirano?¡±

    ¡°Madam Lilian, Jenna almost met her doom. Luckily, Hansen arrived in the nick of time.¡± Quina reported what her men had found from their investigation over there. What she said sent a chill down Lilian¡¯s spine and she narrowed her eyes.

    ¡°It seems that I must intervene. Jenna has suffered way too much. She deserved happiness.¡± Her eyes glowed with a savage fire. ¡°Who are the men who hurt Jenna? Was there someone behind the scene?¡±

    Quina¡¯s expression was solemn but she shook her head. ¡°Madam Lilian, our men have always been in Srirano. Hansen and Jenna have never been separated. In fact, they had be closer than ever before. Although this incident urred, we did not find any evidence to prove that someone wishes to harm Jenna from our investigations. At first, we suspected Jaqueline. After all, she has feelings for Hansen as well. Johan intended for her to rece Jenna and marry Hansen. However, even though she is interested in Hansen, that was only if Jenna did pass away. She is currently working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and she is not someone without integrity. Besides, she will one day be a political figure. There¡¯s no point for her to do something like this.¡±

    Lilian fell silent upon hearing Quina¡¯s analysis of the situation. Why did her family have to suffer more than others?

    ¡°Madam Lilian, although what happened was not a blessing, it is not necessarily a bad thing. From this incident, we found Hansen to be much more powerfulpared to the past and he now has the capability to protect Jenna. Besides, he pays Jenna his utmost attention and treats her very well. It¡¯s so precious and fortunate for a woman to have a husband who loves her unconditionally and is faithful to her. I believe that Jenna will lead a happy life in the future,¡± Quina exined immediately upon seeing Lilian¡¯s face creased with worry.

    Surely enough, Lilian¡¯s expression softened gradually.

    ¡°After this incident, I¡¯m no longer at ease for Jenna to continue staying in Srirano.¡± Genuine fear still lingered.

    While they were talking, her phone rang.

    Quina picked up the phone from the chair and handed it over to Lilian.

    Lilian answered the call.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, I¡¯m Professor Pir.¡± Professor Pir¡¯s voice rang.

    ¡°Hi, Professor Pir.¡± Upon knowing the identity of the caller, she immediately greeted him cordially.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. Madam Lilian, regarding Jenna¡¯s amnesia, there¡¯s some improvement. She was attacked on the head by the men and suffered an injury, which was why she had fallen into aa. Although it was a misfortune, it might help her regain her memory. We are currently giving her some medication to help her. The therapy might take some time.¡± Pir insisted on reporting consistently to Lilian about Jenna¡¯s condition to put her at ease.

    When Lilian heard that Jenna had fallen into aa, her heart sank.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She thanked Professor Pir gently.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, I suggest Ms. Jenna return to where she lived. Seeing familiar faces and ces may help her to regain her memory,¡± Pir continued.

    Lilian pondered for a moment before replying, ¡°Professor Pir, I hope that you can continue to treat my granddaughter until she recovers.¡±

    What Lilian meant was she hoped that Professor Pir could follow Jenna back to A City. Pir understood at once what she meant and chuckled. ¡°Sure, Madam Lilian. For your sake, I will go the extra mile and help her till she recovers.¡±

    After all, he owed her. Polo shrugged his shoulders.

    ¡°Thank you, thank you very much.¡± Lilian immediately expressed her thanks.

    Not long after she ended the call with Pir, Hansen called.

    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ve already found Jenna in Srirano. You should have seen this on the news, right?¡± Hansen¡¯s gentle voice rang. He could barely mask his joy.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lilian nodded. ¡°Why are you only telling me now?¡±

    ¡°Grandma, Jenna has developed amnesia and lost her memories of the past. I did not want you guys to worry. Hence, I kept it a secret from our families,¡± Hansen said with a sincere tone.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    ¡°Alright, I ept your exnation.¡± The smile returned to her lips. ¡°How¡¯s Jenna¡¯s current situation?¡±

    ¡°Grandma, Jenna was kidnapped by some drug-dealers who fled to the country. It was a shock for her. She had a high fever for the past few days and fell into aa. However, she called for Jerry in her dreams. There¡¯s a possibility that she might regain her memories from the incident. Hence, I n to bring her back to A City next week as it might be helpful for her to restore her memories,¡± Hansen immediately exined in detail.

    Lilian sighed with a heavy heart.

 Chapter 812 Blessed Woman

    ¡°Hansen, Jenna has been through a lot of hardships.I hope that you will treat her well, appreciate her, and provide her with a happy andpeaceful life. Can you promise me that?¡± Lilian could not help but to feel a lump in her throat as she tried to finish her sentence.

    Hansen¡¯s heart instantly sank.

    ¡°Grandma, everything that happened to Jenna was because I didn¡¯t do my duty as a good husband. I promise that I will provide her with nothing but happiness from now on. I want her to be the luckiest girl in the world. Please trust me.¡± Hansen made a promise to Lilian in a serious tone.

    Lilian did trust Hansen¡¯s promise to her because back then at Ink Garden, he had made a promise. He had promised that Jenna would be the only woman for him in this life and he had managed to keep his promise for more than a year then.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Hansen, I trust you,¡± Lilian said in a low voice and hung up the phone.

    ¡°Quina, do we have anything arranged by the United Nations?¡± After a while, Lilian turned to ask Quina, who was standing beside her.

    Quina understood Lilian¡¯s intentions and answered instantly, ¡°Madam,UNICEF will be holding an event soon. You should take this chance and take a trip to Srirano since there are many underprivileged kids there.¡±

    A sh of light glimmered in Lillian¡¯s eyes. Then, she nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s decided then. We will depart to Sriranothe day after tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°What about Miss Sara?¡±

    ¡°Since Sara¡¯s condition prohibits long trips, I¡¯ll just bring her along to A City once I¡¯m back here. Hansen is a man after all and there are some things he can miss out on when ites to taking care of a woman. Moreover, I feel much better handling it by myself,¡± Lilian replied.

    Seeing that Lilian had already made up her mind, Quina immediately smiled and said, ¡°Madam, you¡¯re such a responsible grandmother. Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll go and make preparations right now.¡±

    Lilian sighed and said, ¡°Quina, you have no idea. If I were to have reunited with Sara and Jenna earlier, then perhaps these horrible incidents wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±

    Quina nodded and said softly, ¡°Madam, God tends to make us go through hardships, so that we could learn how to be strong. All these experiences may not have been all bad to Jenna because she has never been an ordinary woman. I believe that she will have a sessful future. Or perhaps all these were just fate. Madam, you should not be so hard on yourself about it.¡±

    Lilian nodded as she listened. She remained silent.

    ¡°Jerry! Jerry!¡± In the endless darkness, images shed through Jenna¡¯s mind in her dreams. She started crying out loud.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m here,¡± Jerrysaid in a childish tone as heleaned over the bed and reached out with his little hand to grab Jenna¡¯s hand.

    Jenna opened her eyes.

    Jerry¡¯s baby face appeared in front of her.

    Her forehead was covered in sweat as she stared at Jerry¡¯s face, lost in thought.

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t you recognize me? It¡¯s me, Jerry.¡± Jerry took some tissue from the headboard and gently wiped the sweat off her face. He stared at her with his round, ck eyes.

    After a moment, she murmured, ¡°Jerry, Jerry.¡± The boy¡¯s little hand caressed her forehead like a spring breeze. It was soft and warm. She felt a sense of warmth flooding her heart.

    ¡°Mom, I beg you, please get well soon, okay?¡± Jerry said as he touched her face with a heartbroken expression. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you in pain.¡±

    ¡°Jerry.¡± A hint of a smile appeared on Jenna¡¯s face as her hand caressed Jerry¡¯s face. A few images violently collided in her mind.

    ¡°Mom,¡± Jerry called out to her in a soft voice.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re up.¡± Hansen came in and said with joy when he saw this scene.

    As he walked closer to her, he noticed that Jenna was still weak. It looked like she had to use great effort to reach out her hand to touch Jerry¡¯s face. Hansen instantly pulled her into his arms and got her nearer to Jerry.

    Jenna¡¯s hand caressed Jerry¡¯s face, and the smile on her face became even more gentle. She didn¡¯t need her memory because Jerry¡¯s features looked extremely like the man who was holding her. It was all clear to her.

    In fact, she was a blessed woman with a husband and a child.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll be taking care of you from today onwards. You must get well soon since I will be going to Ennd soon for my studies, and we shouldn¡¯t dy it,¡± Jerry said proudly like a mature, responsible man.

    A faint smile appeared on Jenna¡¯s face. Her hand caressed Jerry¡¯s ear as she blinked, agreeing to his request.

    ¡°Jenna, you haven¡¯t been eating much for the past few days. Your body needs a lot of nutrients right now, so that it will heal quickly. Go ahead and leave those unhappy memories in the past. You don¡¯t have to remember them,¡± Hansen uttered softly as he hugged her. Then, he made a call with the phone by the bed and after a short while, a waiter brought some herbal soup into the room.

    ¡°Mom, let me feed you.¡± Jerry stood up on the bed and knelt in front of Jenna¡¯s bed. Hansen held a bowl. Jerry picked up a spoonful and fed her mouthful by mouthful.

    The three of them were having a warm moment in the bedroom.

    The news about Lilian visiting Srirano spread quickly throughout all forms of media.

    Jenna¡¯s condition finally got better. She managed to eat some food during the night, under the care of Jerry and Hansen.The mother and son slept in Hansen¡¯s arms all night. Her fever did not resurface again.

    After breakfast the next day, Hansen arranged for Marissa and Jerry to watch the elephant show on the streets of Srirano to let them discover more about the culture in Srirano.

    The winter sun was warm and peaceful, with bright and clear rays, butthere was no heat to it.

    Hansen helped Jenna into a rose-colored mink coat and held her hand. They went for a walk by a small river in Srirano.

    ¡°Jenna, the man in ck who kidnapped you has been deported by the Srirano police. Don¡¯t worry, it will never happen again.¡± His big palm gently rubbed Jenna¡¯s hand and passed the warmth from his body to her.

    ¡°Hansen, thank you for saving me.¡± Jenna stopped and looked back at him. The traumatizing image from that night shed through her mind and she felt her head ache. She quickly shut her eyes in fear.

    Soon, the fearful scene was reced by a kind of warmth that made her feel safe. When she had been worn out, this man by her side had saved her. Then, he had taken great care of her and kept her protected by his side.

    In recent days,even though different types of images would pop up in her mind randomly, no matter how painful the memory was, it would dissipate under the warm hug and love of this man, until she no longer felt afraid.

    She had never thought that her sense of reliance on this man would be so deep and strong.

 Chapter 813 Reenacting The Classic Kiss

    As Jenna called out his name, Hansen¡¯s hand trembled in hers. He felt overwhelmed. He was wondering if she had recalled her memory or if she was calling out his name passionately because they had been spending a lot of time together for the past few days.

    He turned his head to look at her, just in time to meet her bright, clear eyes.

    His gaze was full of tenderness.

    Jenna stared at his face in a daze.

    Recently, she had always liked looking at him in a daze. Her gaze towards him was filled with loss but it was also filled with her trust and dependence towards him.

    The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and a smile appeared on his face. He stroked her face with his palm.

    Her face was cold, and there was no heat on her face.

    He covered her face with his big, warm palms and bent slightly to look at her.

    ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t you recognize me?¡± he asked softly.

    Jenna remained silent but continued to stare at him. The light in her eyes grew from confusion to rity. The light in her eyes was as clear as the sky after the rain.

    The light was like a void and it brought out Hansen¡¯s deep love for Jenna. Then, one of his arms moved down to her waist and grabbed her tightly,while his other hand cupped the back of her head to kiss her with his lips. It was gentle and it slowly turned more passionate as he upied her breaths.

    Their lips and tongues intertwined. Their lips and teeth became one.

    The kiss was long and passionate. It was delicate and intimate. It felt like it went on forever.

    Jenna¡¯s mind was in a state of confusion, and her nose was filled with Hansen¡¯s strong, familiar scent. She felt as if she was standing on a teau and the air was gradually bing thinner. She felt that all of her weight was on him.

    Hansen¡¯s lips separated from her red lips. He took a deep breath and passed it through her mouth before he continued kissing her passionately again.

    Jenna¡¯s face was burning red and her body was filled with warmth.

    This kiss and this feeling had once been engraved deep down in her soul. Her in, empty memory was gradually filling up with memories of the same sort of kiss from the past, and it was shing with her thoughts.

    It was said that the most memorable thing in her memory would be carved into her soul. Even if she had lost her memory, her soul would remind her of the good and bad times from her past, with any chance it could get.

    Their grand wedding and the way they hugged each other at their wedding, had been deeply engraved in their souls. At that moment, it was all taking shape.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Hansen.¡± As soon as Hansen¡¯s lips left hers, she called out affectionately. She wrapped her arms around his neck, refusing to let his head rise. Then, she took the initiative to kiss him back.

    Hansen was stunned for a moment as a ray of light shed through his mind. He understood everything.

    Her tone that was filled with affection had already exined everything.

    Their souls were connected and they didn¡¯t have to say anything.

    He was overjoyed and held her waist tightly with his big hands. They began to kiss each otherpassionatelyand forgot about everything else.

    Hansen was the second person whom Jenna had remembered, after Jerry.

    Those beautiful memories caused Jenna¡¯s mind to be more and more clear. Her heart had found its home, and she had also found the love of her life.

    In the president¡¯s office of Yintern¡¯s Group.

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t Miss Lexantra beening to work for the past few days?¡± Steffan asked Mervin nervously, as Mervin was drinking tea leisurely on the sofa opposite of him.

    A mischievous look shed through Melvin¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern, I¡¯m telling you, you should stop hanging out with Zevulon all the time. If this goes on, be careful that you¡¯ll end up alone forever just like him,¡± Melvin said jokingly. Steffan was shocked and confused.

    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you think Mr. Tangger is a good person?¡± Steffan frowned as his eyes were filled with the exhaustion that he was unable to hide.

    ¡°Of course he¡¯s great. He¡¯s an academic.¡± Melvin smiled,with aplex emotion appearing in his eyes fleetingly.

    Steffan looked at him with a serious gaze. Although Melvin was disrespectful towards Mr. Tangger with his words, Steffan was unable to hate the talented man in front of him.

    ¡°Miss Lexantra¡¯s actual name is Jenna Murphy. She is Hansen Richard¡¯s wife. This is a fact. I think you¡¯re paying too much attention to her well-being,¡± Melvin said calmly as if he could see through Steffan.

    Steffan came to his senses and finally understood what Melvin meant. He replied in an angry tone, ¡°Listen up, brat. I know that and I don¡¯t need you to remind me about it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s great that you do. You should stop your feelings before it¡¯s toote. She¡¯s not your type and there¡¯s no point thinking about her. There are many women on this, so why bother torturing yourself for one?¡± Melvin said calmly as he finished half of his tea.

    Steffan didn¡¯t know about Jenna¡¯s abduction that night. Hansen had been extremely private about it and the incident hadn¡¯t been broadcast on any news.

    He didn¡¯t want there to be any more news about them in a foreignnd. All he wanted was to bring his wife awayquietly.

    ¡°Master Adames, if Dory doesn¡¯te to work, then will you be able toplete the design?¡± Steffan¡¯s thoughts were in a mess as he quickly changed the topic with a serious tone.

    All the preparations had begun for the car exhibition. If the timeline for the design team was dyed, then it would be very troublesome.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Melvin smiled. ¡°I¡¯m a car engineer, not a car designer. It¡¯s two different things and we have our own designs. I just need the car design from her and I will engineer the structure of the car ording to her design.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Steffan thought seriously and said, ¡°It should be all good then. I hope that everything will go smoothly for next month¡¯s car exhibition.¡±

    There were all kinds of advertisements being made for this exhibition and it was not a small event. He wanted to make sure everything would go well.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re lucky to have hired me for this event. We should thank Zevulon for this,¡± Melvin said with a mocking tone as he leaned his back against the couch while crossing his legs.

    Hearing Melvin refer to Mr. Tangger as Zevulon, Steffan was filled with anger.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know respect? It was Mr. Tangger who took care of you back then when you were beaten up. He even came to beg me for help because of you.¡± Steffan was unhappy with Melvin¡¯s disrespectful attitude towards Mr.Tangger.

    Perhaps this sentence really touched a nerve in Melvin¡¯s heart. After a moment of silence, he viciously said, ¡°I don¡¯t need his care and he deserves the way I treat him.¡±

    There was a sense of sorrow in Melvin¡¯s tone and it didn¡¯t sound like the usual happy and enthusiastic Melvin. Steffan was dumbfounded.

    Melvinstopped talking. He stood up and walked out of the room, as if he was a little sulky.

    Steffan looked at Melvin¡¯s back as he walked away, with a strange expression on his face.

 Chapter 814 Jaquelineâ€™s Visit

    There was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern, Miss Moore here to see you,¡± his female secretary announced after she knocked on the door, shortly after Melvin left.

    Miss Moore? Steffan had a strange feeling hearing the name. He didn¡¯t know who it was.

    However, before he could react, he heard the sound of high heels approaching his office and soon, a beautiful figure showed up at his office door.

    ¡°You may leave now.¡± He solemnly waved his hand to the secretary.

    The secretary turned around and saw a beautiful and elegant woman. Her eyes were drawn to this woman.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the woman who wants to see Mr. Yintern? I wonder what the rtionship between them is.¡± The secretary thought to herself.

    ¡°Steffan, you¡¯re here, as expected.¡± Jaqueline walked in gracefully with a broad smile on her face.

    ¡°Jaqueline, it¡¯s you.¡± Steffan came to a realization andughed at himself. ¡°I saw you on televisionst night, I should¡¯ve known it was you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is my presence unwee?¡± Jaqueline walked over and gave a sly smile as she asked in a straightforward manner.

    ¡°How is that possible? Please take a seat.¡± Steffan immediately stood up and gestured her to the couch.

    They walked towards the couch and sat down opposite each other.

    ¡°Steffan, it seems that you¡¯ve been doing pretty well over here,¡± Jaqueline said with a smirk as she looked around the office.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just a smallpany with a small space.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so modest about it. I heard that yourpany is going to host a car exhibition next month and the streets of Srirano are filled with yourpany¡¯s advertisements. I think you¡¯re about to blow up in fame.¡± Jaqueline was right about the advertisements of Steffan¡¯spany. They could be seen everywhere in Srirano.

    Steffan could only smile.

    ¡°Jaqueline, you¡¯re such a powerful woman and you were born to be a politician. I can tell that you have great potential and a bright future in this career,¡± Steffan said in admiration as he thought about Jaqueline¡¯s appearance on television.

    Upon hearing this, Jaqualine only smiled and didn¡¯t deny it. Then, she proceeded to change the topic.

    ¡°Steffan, so many years have passed, are you still single?¡± Jaqueline asked curiously as she looked him up and down.

    Back then, she was still young when her older sister, Yesenia, had been engaged to Steffan. When Yesenia had passed away,she and her mother, Marilyn, had felt miserable. It was a dark period for their family.

    Her parents still had a great impression of Steffan.

    When Yesenia was seriously ill, Steffan had always been there to take care of her and didn¡¯t try to break the engagement due to Yesenia¡¯s illness. He even brought her travelling all over Europe. He loved her passionately and he fulfilled her wishes.

    Jaqueline remembered that her sister passed away with a smile on her face.

    Steffan¡¯s efforts yed a huge part in making it happen.

    Hearing Jaqueline¡¯s question, Steffan¡¯s heart felt uneasy and he thought about Dory. Then, he let out a sigh and mumbled, ¡°I wish to have someone too but no one is attracted to me.¡±

    Jaqueline nced at his face, his expression looked depressed and he would asionally be in a daze.

    ¡°Steffan, you look like you¡¯re heartbroken,¡± she said as she observed him.

    Steffan fell into deep thought and he was inplete silence.

    His charming features looked mysterious under the bright lights of the office. Gradually, Jaqueline felt a sense of tension in the air.

    After a while, she understood that it was sympathy!

    His loneliness and silence brought tension into the room.

    ¡°Steffan, I heard that you saved Jenna?¡± Jaqueline asked after a long pause. Indeed, Steffan¡¯s reaction had proved her assumptions right. He was indeed in love with Jenna.

    Steffan was pulled back to reality from his distant memory as Jaqueline asked him that question. He looked up with an undisturbed gaze and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. I saved her when she lost her memory.¡±

    After that, he looked up and asked, ¡°You know her too?¡±

    Jaqueline¡¯s heart was filled with bitterness. She said lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t just know her, she has a connection with us,the Moore family too.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Steffan raised his head in confusion.

    ¡°Steffan, you¡¯re always abroad and absent, so there are certain things that you don¡¯t know about. Let me put it this way. Jenna is my cousin and she is rted to the Moore family by blood,¡± Jaqueline said in a serious manner. There was a sense of sadness in her tone.

    She let the silence rest for a while, and her gaze was a little deep.

    ¡°Is that so? It¡¯s no wonder I found her familiar when I first met her,¡± hesaid abruptly,easing the frown on his face.

    ¡°Therefore, Steffan, you shoulde home more often. If you were back in the country more then perhaps all this wouldn¡¯t have happened. Jenna wouldn¡¯t have had to stray abroad for a year.¡± During this period of time, for some reason, Steffan had been reluctant to return to the Yintern family home.

    Master Yintern had been treating him indifferently and would rather have passed on the family business in Capital City to Yuri, who was irresponsible and would waste the business away, than handed it to Steffan.

    The reason Steffan chose to stay in Srirano,was more so because it was an escape as opposed to him liking the life here.

    ¡°Steffan, the Yintern family business in Capital City has been going downhill. Of course, it had nothing to do with you but it was due to the shenanigans of the other members of the Yintern family, but you should still visit home asionally to see your mother.¡± She tried to convince him sincerely. Jaqueline was visiting Srirano and she knew that Steffan was here. She came to see him because they had almost be family back then. Therefore, before she visited him, she paid a visit to the Yintern family home and saw Steffan¡¯s mother. She pulled out a letter and handed it to him.

    ¡°Steffan, your mother is most worried about you finding your other half. Everyday she is hoping for you to go home to them with a wife. You should put some effort in doing so. Don¡¯t let yourself stay this way forever.¡±

    Jaqueline fully understood that Steffan was in love with Jenna.

    This was a dangerous matter.

    Jenna has a family and Steffan¡¯s behavior would only be a mistake. Therefore, she was here to remind him about it.

    Jaqueline could understand Steffan¡¯s situation more than anyone. She came to Srirano, carrying the same emotions and she had almost fallen into a void of helplessness. Nheless, she finally understood that, feelings can¡¯t be forced.

    Therefore, she came to see him, in hopes that he could snap out of his emotions.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Thank you, I will.¡± Steffan¡¯s expression turned heavy as Jaqueline brought up his mother.

    He grabbed the letter his mother wrote for him from Jaqueline¡¯s hand with a gentle expression on his face.

    ¡°Steffan, do you know why Jenna hasn¡¯t beening to work for the past few days?¡± Jaqueline quickly changed the topic as she couldn¡¯t bear to watch him feel sad.

    Upon hearing this question, he looked at her with a dumbfounded expression.

 Chapter 815 Itâ€™s A Secret

    ¡°The day before, when Jenna was kidnapped, the situation seemed very dangerous,¡± Jaqueline said as she recalled Hansening to see her with a scary expression on his face. She felt pain in her heart.

    What kind of person did Hansen think she was!

    Why would she possibly do such a despicable and shameless thing?

    Her political future was bright, so it was unnecessary for her to ruin her own future like that!

    Steffan was stunned.

    All of a sudden, he stood up and his face turned pale.

    ¡°Dory was kidnapped? Is she alright? Was she hurt?¡±

    Jaqueline looked calmly at him.

    His face was filled with concern and worry for Jenna.

    It seemed that he really loved her deeply.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Hansen is with her. She will be fine,¡± Jaqueline slowly said with a deep gaze.

    Steffan instantly dropped his body backwards and sunk into the couch. He closed his eyes helplessly.

    Although Steffan wasn¡¯t able to be Jaqueline¡¯s real brother-inw, all these years, Jaqueline had treated him like he was in return for the effort he had made for the Moore family.

    The two chatted for a while and Steffan insisted on treating Jaqueline to a meal. She was done with her work for the day and she didn¡¯t have any ns after, therefore she agreed.

    The two of them walked out of his office.

    ¡°Jenna, we will be heading back to A City next week. You are gradually regaining your memory and you shouldn¡¯t miss this opportunity. Going back to A City would benefit your condition.¡± At night, Hansen whispered gently to Jenna as he embraced her in bed.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Jenna said in a low voice and there was a sense of uncertainty in her expression.

    Hansen let out a sigh and touched her face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the Yintern Group¡¯s car exhibition. I will put in effort and handle it for you. I will ensure that you repay Steffan for his good deed and that the exhibition will go smoothly.¡±

    He had realized her thoughts long ago and already begun preparing for it.

    The cars that will be exhibited will need to be of the highest quality and have a trendy design. Jenna had done great preparation when she was at work before this. Hansen checked with Melvin and thepany just needed Jenna¡¯s design drawing.

    Therefore, he didn¡¯t think that Jenna needed to head back to Yintern Group for work anymore.

    Jenna pondered for a moment and nodded when she heard what Hansen said.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Jenna, it¡¯s time for you to go home and see Mom and Grandma. They miss you very much. You¡¯ve been missing for more than a year and as a woman, the most important thing right now would be your family.¡± Hansen continued as he felt thrilled that Jenna agreed.

    Jenna smiled slightly to show her agreement.

    There was a soft knock on the door.

    ¡°Jerry,e in. The door is not closed.¡± The corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled up as he spoke in a friendly manner.

    Soon, the door opened.

    Jerry¡¯s small figure floated in.

    ¡°Dad, Mom.¡± Jerry ran over as fast as he could and quickly crawled under the nket.

    ¡°Mom, are you feeling better? I¡¯m worried about you. I want to take care of you tonight,¡± Jerry said as he squeezed himself into Jenna¡¯s embrace. His tone sounded like an adult.

    A sh of warm motherly love filled the air as Jenna carried Jerry into her arms and kissed his little face.

    Jenna and Hansen knew that Jerry was only looking for an excuse to get their attention and to be with them.

    Jenna had been separated from Jerry for a long time until they were finally reunited. Jenna would spend everyday with Jerry if she could.

    ¡°Mom, when you weren¡¯t here for a year, it was tough on Dad. He has to work during the daytime and manage hispany. Then, he has to take care of me at night. It wasn¡¯t easy for him. You should reward him,¡± Jerry said into Jenna¡¯s ears as he hugged her. She felt heartbroken as she heard his words.

    ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Hansen asked as he walked out from the bathroom and saw the two of them whispering to each other. Then, he crawled into bed with them and lightly hit Jerry on the buttocks.

    ¡°It¡¯s a secret,¡± Jerry mysteriously said as he leaned closely against Jenna.

    ¡°Kid, do you think you should be in the way of your Mom and Dad?¡± Hansenined as he couldn¡¯t reach Jenna with his hands.

    He was used to cuddling Jenna to sleep but with Jerry in between them, it was bothering Hansen. He thought about Jenna¡¯s silky skin but he wasn¡¯t able to touch it.

    ¡°Dad, I want to take care of Mom. You¡¯ll have to bear it.¡± Jerryforted as if he knew everything.

    Hansen was speechless.

    After dinner, Steffan and Jaqueline felt more at ease. After sending her back to the ministry, he returned home.

    Before he entered his home, he could feel that something strange was going on inside it.

    He frowned and took out his key.

    Before he could open the door, Yurij opened the door and said with a smile, ¡°Steffan, you¡¯re finally home.¡±

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± he asked in a low voice with a cold expression after a pause.

    ¡°Come on, Steffan, don¡¯t be like this. I¡¯m here to see you, aren¡¯t I?¡± Yurijreplied,ignoring his tone.

    Steffan took a deep breath and walked past Yurij into the living room.

    ¡°Tell me, what are you doing here?¡± he asked stiffly. He hated this cousin from the bottom of his heart.

    ¡°Nothing, I just came to see you.¡± Yurij went to the refrigerator and poured himself a cup of milk tea, sitting on the couch, and drinking leisurely.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m great. Now that you¡¯ve seen me, you may leave.¡± Steffan didn¡¯t bother speaking more to him and only wanted him to leave his house.

    ¡°Steffan, don¡¯t be so heartless. After all, we are from the same family,¡± Yurij said unhappily without standing up from the couch.

    He turned away, put down his briefcase, and walked towards his bathroom.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Steffan yelled furiously at Yurij right after he saw him going through his briefcase as he came out of his shower.

    Yurij was focused on going through Steffan¡¯s things and he was shocked as he didn¡¯t think Steffan would be out so quickly. The briefcase fell onto the ground from his hand.

    ¡°No, nothing.¡± He looked a little flustered.

    ¡°Hmph. How much money do you want this time?¡± Steffan said coldly.

    Hearing this, Yurij¡¯s eyes lit up and his face was full of bitterness.

    ¡°Steffan, I really have no choice. Thepany is in a critical time and I just need to borrow two to three million dors of cash to get through this. When we earn the money back, I promise to return all the money I¡¯ve borrowed from you with interest, including the money you loaned me in the past.¡± Yurij finally confessed the reason he was here.

    Steffan¡¯s gaze was filled with coldness and his expression was stern.

    ¡°You must have lost all your money in gambling, didn¡¯t you? I¡¯ve said before that the previous time would be thest time I¡¯m lending you money. It¡¯s not happening anymore this time,¡± Steffan roared.

    Yurij had taken the money Steffan loaned him previously and gambled them away in Macau with a few of his gambler friends instead of using it to improve hispany.

    Steffan had found out about it when he called his mother earlier that night. His eyes widened in rage and he wanted to beat Yurij up.

    When he returned home and saw Yurij opening the door, his fist tightened up. Then, when he saw what Yurij was doing after he came out from his shower, he was infuriated.

 Chapter 816 Teaching Yurij A Lesson

    ¡°Steffan, I beg you. Please help me get through this rough period. I still owe a few million dors from gambling. If I don¡¯t pay back the money in time, then they are going to beat me to death.¡± Yurij begged with a desperate expression on his face.

    He had terrible luck gambling the other day.

    After losing the five million dors loaned from Steffan, he had refused to give up and ended up borrowing three million dors more from loan sharks to try to win his money back. He didn¡¯t expect to lose all of that money too.

    He was getting hunted down by loan sharks and there was nothing he could do to save himself. Other than Steffan, he couldn¡¯t find anyone else to seek help from.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, don¡¯t even think about getting a single cent from me again.¡± Steffan rejected him with a stern face.

    Yurij¡¯s face was filled with disappointment.

    ¡°Steffan, if you don¡¯t loan me money, then don¡¯t me me for what I might do under pressure,¡± Yurij said casually then sat down on the couch.

    Wait. What is that supposed to mean?

    In a split second, a thought shed through his mind.

    All of a sudden, Steffan thought of something and shouted, ¡°Yurij, what have you done?¡±

    His serious voice, mixed with anger, shook the entire living room!

    A hint of panic shed across Yurij¡¯s eyes. When he looked up, he saw a furious face close to him.

    ¡°No, Steffan, I¡­¡± Before he could finish his sentence, a strong, heavy fistnded on his head.

    ¡°Tell me now! Were you the one who arranged someone to kidnap Jenna the night before yesterday?¡± Steffan yelled as he punched Yurij on the head continuously.

    Yurij cried and howled, covering his head and curling into a ball. His face had blood all over it.

    ¡°Steffan, stop hitting me! I¡¯ll confess!¡± Yurij howled as he drowned in pain. Steffan was in deep rage and he had lost control of himself as he beat up Yurij. Yurij knew Steffan¡¯s temper well, so he knew that he had to approach him in another way. Therefore, he quickly confessed himself.

    Surely enough, Steffan stopped throwing punches at him. Steffan threw him a kick and roared, ¡°Be honest with me now!¡±

    The truth was, Yurij didn¡¯t dare toe to Steffan after he had lost all the money and at the same time, he found out about Jenna¡¯s identity. He knew that she was a good target.

    Hansen and Steffan were both deeply in love with her and Yurij wanted to kidnap her to get some money out of it. It was supposed to be an easy task but he didn¡¯t expect Hansen¡¯s shooting skills to be so good. He effortlessly defeated the men Yurij hired for the kidnapping.

    Yurij had lostpletely and he could onlye to Steffan.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Steffan howled as he was infuriated. He grabbed Yurij and started beating him again mercilessly.

    Yurij¡¯s screams echoed in the night.

    The next morning, Hansen was with Jenna at the entrance of the hotel. The hotel entrance was filled with security guards and there were police officers patrolling the area.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    It must have been someone famous or influential arriving at the hotel.

    Over the past few days, Hansen had been busy taking care of Jenna. He didn¡¯t have the mood or time to read the news.

    The past few days had been a rare and heartwarming time for them. Hansen, Jenna, and Jerry were able to spend intimate time together every day and they had forgotten about the outside world.

    ¡°Hansen, things seem different today in the hotel. There are so many security guards around,¡± Jenna said with curiousity as she saw the security guards and policemen in their full uniform standing by the entrance of the hotel. The policemen all had actual guns with them. Jenna¡¯s condition was much better after two days of rest and Hansen¡¯s gentle care.

    ¡°Honey, we should focus on enjoying our own time. It has nothing to do with us,¡± Hansen said casually, smiling. He didn¡¯t know why the crowd was there but it truly had nothing to do with him and his family.

    Jerry was jumping up and down as he stood in between Jenna and Hansen, holding each of their hands.

    Jenna thought that Hansen¡¯s words made sense, so she smiled and didn¡¯t speak any further.

    At that moment.

    A ck limousine drove past them and headed for the hotel parking lot.

    Hansen narrowed his phoenix-like eyes.

    ¡°Madam, why don¡¯t I invite Hansen and Jenna to meet you here?¡± Inside a luxury room of a hotel, Lilian was drinking tea with a rosy face.

    Lilian had hurt her ankle and it was inconvenient for her to move around. Therefore, Quina had booked a room for her in the hotel that Hansen and Jenna were staying in, at Srirano.

    Of course, when Hansen was on a call with Lilian the other day, Lilian did not inform him that she was visiting Srirano. Therefore, Hansen had no idea that Lilian had arrived at the hotel.

    Quina had rejected political wee meetings for Lilian in Srirano. Other than some necessary meetings, Lilian would stay in the hotel and it was good for her leg injury.

    Furthermore, Lilian was here for personal reasons. Work was just an excuse.

    ¡°Not yet. I want to find out more about certain matters first.¡± Lilian shook her head and focused on the newspaper in her hand.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Quina knew that Lilian had always been a careful person, so she didn¡¯t say anything further.

    After a while, footsteps were heard near the door.

    Someone knocked on the door.

    Quina went over and opened the door.

    Steffan¡¯s charming face showed up at the door, his face covered in exhaustion.

    ¡°Mr. Yintern, you¡¯re here.¡± Quina was not surprised to see Steffan. She was the one who phoned him toe over.

    ¡°Yes, is Madam Lilian here?¡± Steffan asked politely as his expression shed with uncertainty.

    ¡°Yes, pleasee in.¡± Quina smiled slightly and allowed Steffan into the room.

    ¡°Hello, Madam Lilian,¡± Steffan said as he walked into the study. Lilian was sitting down, waiting for his arrival. She had a warm and gentle smile on her face.

    ¡°Steffan, hello.¡± She waved her hand at him with a smile. ¡°Come, child, sit here. It¡¯s easier for us to talk.¡±

    Lilian pointed at the couch beside him as she said to Steffan.

    He sat down in a solemn and obedient manner.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, I¡¯m sorry. I just found out about Dory¡¯s rtionship with you,¡± Steffan said.

    Madam Lilian smiled amiably. ¡°Steffan, I really have to thank you properly. If you didn¡¯t save my granddaughter back then by the river, then I would have been all alone by now.¡±

    When Madam Lilian said this, the rims of her eyes were a little moist.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, don¡¯t say that, I would feel ashamed. It¡¯s only the right thing to do. It was Dory¡¯s good luck to have met me and it was what I should have done.¡±

    He said those earnest words sincerely, without sounding pretentious.

    Madam Lilian sighed and said, ¡°Steffan, it was Jenna¡¯s honor to have met you. You did save her and it is the truth. She¡¯s a kind child and I think that she is really thankful for you deep down or else she would have left Srirano long ago.¡±

    Steffan¡¯s hands trembled. The words that Yurij said the previous night had got him feeling terrible and unsettled.

 Chapter 817 What Happened To Her Child?

    ¡°No, Madam Lilian. Dory does not owe me anything and anyone would have done the same thing in that situation. I am truly ashamed.¡± Steffan couldn¡¯t hide it any longer and confessed the truth about everything Yurij had said to him. In the end, he said with an uneasy expression on his face, ¡°Madam Lilian, if you think that Dory owes it to me for saving her, based on the harm that Yurij has done to Dory, it was well paid off. I should apologize to you and Dory for my family member¡¯s actions.¡±

    He lowered his head and his voice got softer.

    Lilian gazed at him and noticed his expression was filled with despair and misery.

    She couldn¡¯t help but to sigh. She could tell that Steffan was sincere and he truly had genuine feelings for Jenna. It was normal for young people like him, to have certain thoughts due to love, so it was not a big deal.

    ¡°Steffan, you¡¯re a great kid. I believe that you will be able to find your happiness one day. You should believe in karma and that what goes around,es around.¡± Lilian said with a heavy tone, ¡°And about Yurij, I won¡¯t be pursuing the issue further, as you should ask him to start afresh for the better.¡±

    ¡°No, Madam Lilian. He is addicted to gambling and the things he does are horrible. I am not going to let him off. I have to do what¡¯s right for Dory. Before I came here, I had already sent him to the police station. If I were to let him off easy, then his situation would only get worse. I hope that he can be better from now on.¡± Steffan said with a sense of justice,lifting his head.

    Madam Lilian nodded.

    ¡°Steffan, do you have anything else that you would like to say to me?¡± Lilian asked with a warm tone as she looked at him.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, about Dory, I do adore her but her heart doesn¡¯t belong to me and feelings cannot be forced. After Hansen had gone through so many challenges, I could tell that his feelings for Dory are sincere. Therefore, I choose to give up on my feelings for her and I wish the best for her.¡±

    Light shed in Lilian¡¯s gaze. After a while, she asked in a low tone, ¡°Steffan, can you tell me, how¡¯s the child that Jenna was pregnant with?¡±

    ¡°Child?¡± Steffan looked up as if he was thinking of a distant memory. Perhaps, the topic was too heavy and he chose to forget about it. After a long pause, he slowly came to his senses and gradually spoke.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, it¡¯s a long story but you should know that Dory had fallen from a high cliff and it¡¯s a miracle that she is even alive. How could the child in her belly have possibly survived?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Madam Lilian nodded her head and fell into an unusual silence.

    ¡°Madam Lilian, when I sent Dory to the hospitalthat day, she lost a huge amount of blood. The doctor in the emergency room told me that the child had already died in her belly. She also said that the centa of the baby was tightly stuck to her and there may be a high possibility that she had to have her uterus removed. She asked if I was her family and told me to sign an agreement for the procedure.¡± Steffan¡¯s deep voice sounded ice-cold in the room and Lilian was holding her breath as she listened to him speak. The atmosphere was tense.

    ¡°I thought about how painful it would be for a young woman to lose her ability to have offspring in the future. I asked the doctors and an older doctor told me that there was a medicine in America that could stop the bleeding and there was also a special medicine that was able to remove the centa from her body itself. If we could make it in time, then she could get injected with the medicine that stopped the bleeding and also keep her uterus. When I heard the news, I brought Dory to America immediately and kept her alive. What happened to the child must be the most heartbreaking thing for her and I couldn¡¯t bear to bring it up to her. Since she had lost her memory, she doesn¡¯t remember any of this too or she might have forgotten about it intentionally. It was a painful memory, so perhaps it was for the best to forget about it, don¡¯t you think, Madam Lilian?¡±

    Lilian understood the truth. She grabbed Steffan¡¯s hand with her trembling hands and said, ¡°Thank you, Steffan. Jenna is truly lucky to have met you.¡±

    The rich families would never be satisfied with just having one child. Steffan¡¯s decision had given Jenna a new chance in life. Although Hansen might not mind it, Marissa and the Richards family elders might.

    Perhaps, this was all Jenna¡¯s good karma. She had been kind all her life and God gave her a chance.

    As Lilian thought of this, a grateful smile appeared on her face.

    ¡°Does Hansen know about this?¡± After a while, she asked in a serious tone.

    Steffan shook his head and said, ¡°Hansen never asked about it and I don¡¯t intend to bring it up. I think everyone could guess that the child in her belly would not have survived the fall from such a great height. Regardless, that period has passed and I hope that things only get better from here.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t worry, I will let Hansen know about it. Steffan, Hansen and Jenna are people who don¡¯t forget a debt, and I believe that they would find a way to thank you. I hope you don¡¯t reject their thoughts. I believe that, not long after, you will be sessful in both your career and love life.¡± Lilian said, nodding.

    Her expression was filled with joy.

    Steffan smiled and replied, ¡°Money isn¡¯t the most important thing to me in life. In my whole life, Dory was the only woman whom I¡¯ve ever had feelings for. She doesn¡¯t belong to me but I have no regrets. This matter has finallye to an end and Dory has found the right person for her. I feel relieved.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    He smiled and stood up, ready to leave.

    Madam Lilian also stood up and said gently, ¡°Steffan, everyone has their own destiny. Don¡¯t force it. I believe that God is fair to everyone.¡±

    Steffan showed an honest smile and nodded slightly.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± As soon as Steffan walked to the parking lot, a tall and dark figure rushed out from the side and stood in front of him.

    Steffan looked up and smiled. ¡°Mr. Richards, Madam Lillian wanted to see me, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here,¡± he said with a casual tone and an indifferent expression.

    ¡°Madam Lilian is here?¡± Hansen was somewhat astonished. His face was filled with shock.

    She hadn¡¯t told him during the call he had with her two days ago.Why was she here all of a sudden? It was no wonder the hotel was filled with security. It turned out that Madam Lilian was here.

    Steffan¡¯s face shed with a lonely smile.

    ¡°Hansen, of course Madam Lilian is here for Dory. You are one lucky man to have met such a beautiful and kind woman like Dory. I apud you. I¡¯ve read about Dory¡¯s past on the inte. Since I saved her life, I hope that she could have a happy life. Hansen, do you think you can do that?¡± Steffan said with a forced smile on his face. His tone was stern.

    Hansen¡¯s brows rose and his eyes were locked on Steffan¡¯s face. He could see the depression in his eyes.

    Hansen could tell that Steffan had feelings for his wife, Jenna, and he sighed to himself.

    Steffan was considered a capable and sessful man. For such a man to fall for his wife, was it considered an honor or should he feel sad about it?

    Regardless, his wife was an outstanding woman and he should be proud of her as her husband.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will take good care of my wife and provide her with a happy life,¡± Hansen said proudly.

 Chapter 818 Because Of Love

    ¡°Do you really think you¡¯ve given her happiness?¡± Steffan sneered. ¡°Your identity, position, wealth, and power don¡¯t necessarily mean that you¡¯ll be able to give a woman happiness. Rather, it could even mean the opposite.Why else was there a scandal about you marrying a mistress? Also, why was she med for the disasters of the Richards Group? It may have been caused by misunderstandings and never your original intention, but nheless it is the truth. A man like you may not be able to provide a woman with happiness. She might as well marry an ordinary manpared to marrying you. Why don¡¯t you think about it? For a pregnant woman to fall into a moat, it doesn¡¯t matter what the reason was, it was a very unfortunate thing to have happened to a woman. I think the happiness that women want is very simple.¡±

    Hansen was forced to take a step back at his words. Panic and embarrassment shed across his face. His heart felt like it was being crushed by a boulder, rumbling incessantly. Steffan was right, ever since Jenna married him, she had been forced to endure a lot of hardships and pain brought by him and his family.

    He had never thought about this issue at all.

    ¡°But, nothingpares to the love I have for her. I may not be able to control fate but I can love her with my most passionate and genuine feelings. I believe that as long as a man can love a woman with all his heart, he will be able to provide her with happiness. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Hansen quickly rebutted after recovering from the shock.

    Steffan¡¯s emotions turned calm and his judgemental expression gradually disappeared.

    Hansen acted confident and bold in front of him. Despite facing his tough questioning, he was still able to react well.

    Perhaps, it was because of love.

    Love is about doing what felt right for one and what one¡¯s heart told one to do, it was simple as that.

    It was this thing in life where it had always been right, therefore it existed just like that.

    ¡°I wish you two the best,¡± Steffan said in a low tone and left quickly. He himself didn¡¯t have any love life to speak of, and he had no right to question anyone about theirs.

    Half a monthter.

    Inside Richards Manor.

    Maud was extremely busy.

    Hansen had returned with Jenna and Richards Manor was in the midst of weing their true female head of house. Business clients and partners of thepany had all found out about the news and sent Hansen their greetings through gifts and calls. Maud had not been sleeping for days and he was working hard with dark circles around his eyes.

    Richards Manor was filled with joy and people¡¯s voices.

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s time to get up. We have to start the preparations for Sabrina¡¯s and Norton¡¯s wedding,¡± Jenna murmured as she walked out from the bathroom, seeing that Hansen was still lying under the covers in bed.

    This guy was really good at sleeping. What time was it already?

    After a while, Hansen still hadn¡¯t moved one bit.

    Jenna had to bend down and lift the covers.

    A gust of warm air hit her. Before Jenna could make a sound, a strong arm wrapped around her and pulled her under the warm covers.

    The next second, she was pressed under a strong body.

    ¡°Hansen¡­¡± Before Jenna could speak, her red lips were covered by scorching hot lips. It was as if his soul was a snake and it had entwined around her body.

    ¡°Hey, you!¡± Jenna looked up and saw Hansen¡¯s unsatisfied, dark gaze. He looked dangerous. She wanted to push him away but his strong arms left her unable to move.

    Jenna was helpless.

    In the next few days, they were going to be busy with Norton¡¯s and Sabrina¡¯s wedding. She had promised Norton that, as his sister-inw, she would personally visit General Delia¡¯s home to get Sabrina¡¯s family¡¯s permission for them to get married. Since they had a tight schedule that week, she had made an agreement with Hansen that they wouldn¡¯t engage in anything s*xual for these few nights.

    He had promised her but it had only been one night and he¡¯d already¡­

    She was annoyed.

    After a while, Hansen¡¯s lips finally moved away from her lips and went to her ears.¡°Honey, could you less selfless? You are mine, so you don¡¯t have to care so much for other people!¡± he said in a childish tone.

    ¡°Nonsense. Norton is your younger brother, how could he be considered as other people?¡± Jenna rebutted after taking a deep breath.

    ¡°Come on, my great wife. Don¡¯t be so stubborn. You don¡¯t have to worry about the wedding any more than they do! What time is it right now? If they were worried about it, then they would have rushed over here by now. But look, no one is even here yet! What¡¯s the point of you rushing about it?¡± Hansenughed.

    Hansen¡¯s words reminded Jenna and she quickly looked up at the clock on the wall. It was already nine o¡¯clock in the morning. She had clearly told Sabrina and Norton to meet up with her here at the Green Jade Garden at half past eight. The two of them must have forgotten about it!

    ¡°Therefore, you¡¯re going to get punished for treating your husband coldly.¡± Hansen let out a sneakyugh. His hot lips moved down her neck slowly.

    Jenna had always been unable to resist his intimate moves on her. He once told her that men can get very horny in the morning.

    It was true and Jenna did not question it at all. It was early in the morning and he had sucked her dry. He was not holding himself back at all. In the end, Hansen finally let her go after her persistent imploring.

    After they freshened up, they went downstairs to have breakfast. Even so, they did not see Sabrina and Norton anywhere at all.

    Jenna showed a bitter smile and Hansen had a proud expression on his face, as if he knew this was going to happen anyway.

    Unexpectedly, Sabrina and Norton did not show up but Hannah and Rayan did.

    Right then, the hall was bustling with people.

    ¡°Jenna, you¡¯re such a busy person. I¡¯ve tried to ask you out for days but you¡¯ve never been free. I have no choice but to try my luck here.¡± Hannahined as she walked into the room. She grabbed Jenna¡¯s hand and started inspecting her up and down, down to everyst strand of her hair.

    Jenna smiled embarrassedly and said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m just d you¡¯re doing fine.¡± Hannah smiled and hugged Jenna tightly. ¡°This recent year, I have been so worried about you. You have to stay well or I won¡¯t let you off easy. Remember that,¡± Hannah said as her eyes turned red.

    ¡°Okay, I will.¡± Jenna¡¯s heart ached and her voice turned nasal.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    The two best friends hugged each other tightly.

    Rayan and Hansen shook hands and sat down on the couch. They started having a conversation about the car industry, the usual topic that men would have. Woman, on the other hand, would tended to be emotional with their interaction.

    ¡°Stop it. We¡¯re already sote. Do you think it¡¯s appropriate?¡± Sabrina¡¯sint was heard from outside the hall.

    Norton had a carefree expression on his face as he had his hand over her shoulders.

    The two of them were flirting openly in public!

 Chapter 819 True Love Is Out There

    ¡°Jenna. Hansen.¡± Sabrina greeted them with uncertainty as she walked into the room with Norton. Then, she greeted Rayan and Hannah too. Meanwhile, Norton acted indifferently.

    ¡°Hey, you two. We agreed that we would be dealing with your matter today. It¡¯s almost noon now, can we still make it to Capital City? If General Delia gets upset about it, then don¡¯t me me for not reminding you about it.¡± Hansen lectured them with a straight face as if he was angry.

    ¡°Yes, yes¡± Norton and Sabrina said with a smile, ¡°Hansen is right. It¡¯s all our fault.¡±

    Jenna, on the other hand, was sitting at the sideughing.

    Sabrina saw Jenna giggling and blushed. She swung Norton¡¯s hand off her and walked towards Jenna and Hannah.

    ¡°Sabrina, since Hannah is here today, I think we should postpone the visit to your house to tomorrow. You should make a call to your family to let them know about it.¡± Jenna could only say so due to the time.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll exin to my Dad,¡± Sabrina said with a red face. She pulled out her phone and made a call. ¡°Dad, it was really due to my own reasons. It was not the Richards family dying the time, it was really me and Norton¡­¡±

    Listening to her trying to exin to her father, Jenna and Hannah looked at each other andughed.

    At noon, there was a ceremonious lunch gathering in the Ink Garden.

    Both Lilian and Sara were staying in rooms in the Ink Garden.

    Marissa was with them the whole time and made sure the ceremony went smoothly.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Marissa had no idea that Jenna had such a powerful background. If it weren¡¯t for Madam Lilian¡¯s help, her son would have been in danger. The realization had shocked her and it also made her learn to be grateful.

    Therefore, she treated Lilian and Sara as well as she could. She also treated Jenna like her own daughter.

    After being lifeless for more than a year, the Richards Group was finally filled with life again.

    A monthter.

    In the Capital City Vi.

    ¡°Madam, Miss Moore is here to see you,¡± Larry said gently to Jenna, who was in the study sorting out some documents.

    Miss Moore?

    Jenna raised her head with a confused expression.

    ¡®Madam, it¡¯s Miss Jaqueline Moore.¡± Larry reminded her. ¡°Miss Moore isn¡¯t a decent person. During the time that you were away, she was hoping to get married to Mr. Richards. Thankfully, he told her that he was not interested in her while he focused on taking care of Jerry and looking all over for you.¡±

    Larry sighed as she thought about the hardships that Hansen had gone through in the past year and said, ¡°Madam, I truly noticed how deep Mr. Richard¡¯s love is for you. Everyone thought that you were gone but he was determined that you were still alive and he never once gave up looking for you. He even had a fight with Mrs. Richards by saying that he was not going to marry Miss Moore. He also said that he was not going to marry anyone else in this life other than you. His actions moved everyone. Even when his eyes were damaged due to being too sad about your departure, he was unwilling to treat it, to the point where he almost lost his sight. For a man to act like this and for a man from a rich family, it was indeed rare. His loyalty and passionate love for you was truly moving. I¡¯m really happy for you to have found a man who loves you so deeply.¡±

    Larry went on and on.

    Jenna stood there in a daze. Hansen had never told her these things. Although she had heard most of it from other people,when Larry told it to her personally that day, she still felt overwhelmed and touched.

    Life was a long journey and one may have met a lot of people along the way but Hansen and Jenna know well that in this life, they will only love each other and no one else.

    They were determined with the same belief even though they were far apart. Despite her losing her memory and all the challenges they had to face, they were deeply engraved in each other¡¯s hearts. Although their conscience was in the way, their souls were deeply entwined, looking for each other in space, until they finally reunited.

    This was all thanks to their determination.

    ¡°Let here in.¡± Jenna blinked slightly, wiped away the moisture in her eyes and said to Larry casually.

    Larry agreed and went downstairs.

    ¡°Congrattions on returning home safely, Jenna.¡± Jaqueline greeted her as she walked into the room elegantly, wearing a fashionable designer outfit.

    ¡°Jaqueline, thank you for visiting me.¡± Jenna invited her to take a seat on the couch in the living room and then poured her a cup of tea.

    Jaqueline held the teacup in her hand and there was a sense of loneliness in her gaze. ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m really happy to see you in good shape now and I feel d for Hansen too,¡± Jaqueline said softly.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jenna smiled faintly. ¡°I am grateful for your blessing.¡±

    Jaqueline¡¯s gaze was deep and there was no light in it.

    ¡°Jenna, to be honest, I¡¯m truly jealous of you. The true love between you and Hansen, has truly moved me. I thought that true love doesn¡¯t exist in the world of wealthy families but you and Hansen were an exception. It gave me hope,¡± Jaqueline said.

    She was right. In reality, true love among wealthy families was getting rarer because the marriages were all about political benefits or the economy. The deep love between Hansen and Jenna was indeed rare.

    Jenna¡¯s heart jolted and she had a sincere smile. ¡°Jaqueline, true love is out there, you just haven¡¯t seen it yet. Everyone thinks that Hansen and I are doing well now but who could understand the hardships and pain we¡¯ve been through in the process of getting here? It takes a lot of effort to maintain a good rtionship and make it work.¡±

    Perhaps it was so.

    Jaqueline muttered to herself, as if she was deep in thought.

    ¡°Jaqueline, what brings you here today? Why don¡¯t you just be honest with me? ¡± Jenna sat calmly, with an insightful look in her eyes.

    After being through so much, Jenna could read people very well. Whether it was business or in her personal life, she was well aware of people¡¯s behavior around her.

    There was not much interaction between her and Jaqueline. Furthermore, Hansen was extremely cold to her. For her toe and see Jenna without any rtion, it was odd even if the reason was due to politeness or responsibility.

    Jenna was smart enough to think about the reason Jaqueline was here before she even entered the room.

    There was a tinge of awkwardness on Jaqueline¡¯s face. She smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Jenna, truly nothing gets past your sight. I think you¡¯re aware that I¡¯m trying topete for the position as the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. My identity and capability is outstanding but when ites to politics, because of the rtionship between my great-grandfather and Madam Lilian, the management has had second thoughts about me. During thest argument, Madam Lilian did not help me due to her personal reasons and it¡¯s only normal for Capital City to have such concerns in this matter.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, you¡¯re here to convince me to help you?¡± Jenna asked calmly with an eyebrow raised.

 Chapter 820 Happy Ending

    ¡°Jenna, no matter what, you have the Moore family blood flowing in your veins. Let the past stay in the past. There¡¯s no point dwelling on it,¡± Jaqueline said with a wronged gaze as she stood up.

    Jaqueline thought that her actions had not been wrong, and now that those said actions were affecting her future, she was unhappy.

    Jenna suddenly chuckled and said lightly, ¡°Jaqueline, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re in a time where capability and hard work stand out. If you¡¯re capable and your work is outstanding, then you will naturally be picked. You have to believe in that. Regarding my grandmother, you should rest assured that she is a mature politician. She understands the situation well and if she did not lend a hand, it only means that she had political reasons not to. It¡¯s not something I can control.¡±

    Jenna was good in her words. She did not reject Jaqueline directly but she did not agree to do it either. Jaqueline stood there in an uneasy position. ¡°Jenna, if you¡¯re not going to take it seriously, then you can just pretend that I was never here today.¡±

    ¡°Jaqueline, please don¡¯t mix personal feelings with business. If the Moore family is truly sincere, then you can have your great-grandfather apologize to my grandmother. Then, allow my grandmother, mother, and our family members to visit vian¡¯s grave. Don¡¯t put your family on a pedestal. It doesn¡¯t work on me. Everyone has their own life and if you are truly sincere about resolving this issue between our families, then I would be very happy to lend a hand,¡± Jenna said in a serious tone as she stood up from the couch too.

    Until that day, ever since Johan retrieved vian¡¯s ashes and buried it, Sara and Jenna had never been able to visit their father¡¯s grave. Who should be med for it?

    Now that actual benefits were on the table, Jaqueline was here to argue about it. Jenna was not dumb enough to fall for it. If it weren¡¯t for her grandmother¡¯s own hard work, then she might not have known her true ancestors in that lifetime.

    Reality was cruel. Jenna was human, and she too had her own boundaries and pride.

    As a matter of fact, Jaqueline¡¯s participation in the election had little to do with Lilian. It was too forceful a request and it seemed like all Jaqueline wanted was to get an advantage from Lilian.

    Jaqueline stood in a daze and realized the gravity of the problem. After a long time, she said seriously and sincerely, ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s my mistake. I didn¡¯t think from your point of view in this matter. Don¡¯t worry, let me handle this issue. I will try to change my great-grandfather¡¯s mind. Trust me.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Jenna nodded in a reserved manner, with a faint smile on her face.

    ¡°Thank you for your reminder and cooperation.¡± Jaqueline nodded slightly, turned around, and was about to leave.

    ¡°Jaqueline.¡± Jenna called out to her. ¡°Whether it¡¯s in life, work or love, if you want to seed and be respected by other people, then it has to be your own hard work. Try bing more sessful than me, find a better manpared to me, then it will be your own sess. Or else, I would only have a poor opinion of you and the Moore family.¡±

    Her words made Jaqueline¡¯s face turn red and pale at the same time. Finally, Jaqueline bit her lips and said, ¡°Jenna, rest assured, I will. I will also resolve the issue between our families.¡±

    After that, she turned around and walked out with firm steps.

    Jenna gazed at her back. She seemed a little proud and stubborn. It seemed that Jaqueline¡¯s personality was quite simr to hers.

    A faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

    Two yearster.

    On the global forum¡¯s summit.

    As the world¡¯s only female outstanding car designer and a private business owner, Jenna attended the forum.

    Standing on the podium, she was elegant and graceful, with a myriad of manners.

    Her clear and graceful speech was witnessed all over the world. At that point, she was truly in the eyes of the media and audiences from all over the world. It was the start to her amazing life.

    Standing under the stage, Hansen¡¯s face was filled with joy. He was holding a few months old baby boy in one hand and Jerry in the other. The three of them were watching Jenna on stage.

    In the suite of the hotel, it was filled withughter from their family.

    The end.

    Dear beloved readers, up until now, this story had taken about a year toplete. I would like to thank all the readers who have supported me through this journey!

    Ever since the Chapter about the wedding of the century, I have received many opinions on this work and was under great pressure. To be honest, I have wanted to give up many times. However, one should never give up on anything halfway, therefore I worked hard toplete it despite some mishaps.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    About all the readers¡¯ments, I am unable to reply to all of them and I hope for all of your understanding. If there are a thousand views, then it means there are a thousand readers and there will be a thousand opinions. Everyone has their own opinion. It is the truth and it is the market.

    This work contained my painstaking effort, and it was also integrated into my true feelings. I lost a lot of sleep due to writing this story. I also had a hard time trying to figure out plot ideas. Whether it was good or bad, I¡¯m d to have given all of you an answer. Up till this point, I feel bad about this farewell. This story has been with me every day for almost a year and it was a part of my life. Now that I¡¯m losing it, my heart feels empty.

    There will always be bittersweet moments along the way of creating and I hope that you all, my readers, will try to understand us writers. I would like to thank you all again!

    Also, due to many reasons, my work for this story ends here and the next Chapter will be written by another writer. Whether it¡¯s good or bad, it has nothing to do with me. I hope that you all appreciate every writer¡¯s hard work. Thank you for reading and for your support.

 Chapter 821 Forced To Confess

    August had just ended and it was time for students to start school again. Inside the wealthy homes of Capital City, everyone was making preparations for their children who were about to return to school.

    At Capital City, in the Ink Garden of the Richards Group.

    There was afortable couch and a spacious living room. It was just like Richards Manor in A City, down to its art and furniture.

    Marissa was used to living in A City. Capital City was livelier than the A City but once a person came to a certain age, they preferred a quieter and more peaceful environment.

    Despite that, her grandchildren were in Capital City, so Marissa had no choice but toe live here.

    That time, she was invited by Jenna. The Ink Garden was specially cleaned up for her stay. Meanwhile, Jenna and Hansen lived in Green Jade Garden. They were close by.

    Marissa was satisfied with her life, especially seeing her grandson who was about to graduate from school and was already the vice president of thepany.

    ¡°Jerry, are you going to schoolter? Have you seen Zorion and Deanna?¡± Marissa asked as she watched the television with a jade fan in her hand. She looked elegant and graceful.

    The Ink Garden had a more refreshing environmentpared to any other part of the house. Although August had passed and the weather was still hot, Ink Garden had undergone a renovation and it was a great ce to escape to in the summer. Otherwise, her grandchildren wouldn¡¯t be here.

    At that time, Jepherson was reading a book on a big couch. He was wearing his usual ck pants and white shirt. He looked calm and graceful. Jepherson was only 23 years old and he had inherited his father¡¯s good looks and intelligence. He was probably even more outstanding than his father in the past.

    Hearing Marissa¡¯s question, Jepherson looked up and replied, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen them yet. Zorion and Deanna are going to college this year. Their training before school has ended and they are officially entering as students tomorrow.¡±

    Marissa leaned forward. ¡°Jerry, do you think Deanna is nice?¡± Marissa could not help admiring Rayan as she thought about what an obedient girl she was.

    Rayan had been doing well himself and his two children were obedient and brought up well.

    Deanna was the only preferred choice as Marissa¡¯s granddaughter-inw.

    ¡°She¡¯s great. How couldn¡¯t she be?¡± He looked up at Marissa. ¡°What are you trying to say, Grandma?¡±

    ¡°What do you think Grandma is trying to say? You¡¯ll be 23 years old once you graduate and you¡¯re about to take over thepany. What do you think?¡± Marissa had been reminding the family about it but Jenna and Hansen said that it was all up to Jerry and they didn¡¯t want to meddle in it.

    He didn¡¯t have to get married, but he could get engaged first.

    Jepherson turned his face away and lowered his head to continue looking at the book in his hand. ¡°Deanna is still young and I¡¯ve always treated her like a younger sister.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not your actual sister and you two are not rted by blood. You¡¯ve taken good care of her since she was young and she has said that she liked you. If you two were to get together, don¡¯t you think it will only bring our families closer?¡± Marissa said. She thought that it was important for two individuals to have simr family backgrounds to get married.

    Jepherson thought about it. His thin and handsome face was as calm as water. ¡°Thirty is when one¡¯s life is truly stable. I won¡¯t be thinking about marriage until then. Grandma, I don¡¯t think you should force me about it anymore.¡±

    Jepherson stood up and rushed towards the exit as he instructed, ¡°Stuart, let¡¯s go to school.¡±

    Jepherson left in a rush and Marissa was left upset. He was so opinionated at such a young age, just like his father!

    ¡°No, I have to think of a way.¡± Marissa thought.

    In Elkton University of Capital City.

    The grand Elkton University was one of the famous buildings in Capital City. The Richards family, who owned Elkton University, was also one of the well-known powerful families in Capital City.

    Twenty years ago, the Richards family built Elkton University, and then it had be one of the top schools for wealthy students from all over the world to attend. The students who attended this school were from all kinds of wealthy family backgrounds. The school also epted students who were geniuses in various subjects.

    During that time, the freshman ball was in preparation.

    Jepherson¡¯s car stopped at the entrance of Elkton University and Stuart went out of the car to open the door for him. The school board were all there to wee him, including the principal of the university.

    ¡°Young Master Richards, this is an invitation that Madam Lilian asked me to hand to you.¡± The principal was more than 60 years old but he still bent over to speak to Jepherson out of respect.

    Jepherson got out of the car and grabbed the invitation handed to him. He then started walking into the university. He looked down at the invitation and realized it was for the freshman ball.

    He casually handed the invitation to Stuart and said, ¡°You can go.¡±

    ¡°Young Master Richards, Madam Lilian¡¯s intention is to introduce Miss Deanna to everyone tonight and you must attend the ball, or Madam Lilian is going to call Madam Jenna about it,¡± the principal said with his body and head bowed.

    Jepherson turned around, looked at him, and understood what he meant. Then, Jepherson turned around and grabbed the invitation from Stuart¡¯s hand.

    Inside the back room of the hall of the freshman ball.

    ¡°Do you see this? This is your schrship application form. If I were to tear this apart, then don¡¯t even think about applying for a schrship anymore. So, are you done considering it? Are you going to do it or not?¡± A few girls surrounded Raeleigh inside the room as one of them held her schrship application form to threaten her. They wanted to humiliate her by making her send an inappropriate love letter to someone. Raeleigh refused to do so and she was cornered by them.

    ¡°Are you sure you guys want to do this? This is a society of rules andws and we are in a university!¡± Raeleigh was one of the candidates who were chosen toe to Elkton University based on her outstanding results in car designing. She had the highest score in all of Capital City and she even got first ce in an international drawingpetition. She did not have a powerful family background and she wasn¡¯t the daughter of a wealthy corporation. She got into this school solely based on her talents. The spoiled, wealthy girls in front of her could neverpare to her.

    Raeleigh looked at them with a cold gaze. Her eyebrows tightened and she knew she shouldn¡¯t go against them because it would only make her situation worse.

    However, she was also unwilling to give in. Her mind and body were fully against it.

    ¡°Thew? I am thew here! Raeleigh, we were hoping that you would get along with us but it seems like you¡¯re not willing to and there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. I¡¯m going to tear your schrship application form into pieces now, and you better not regret it.¡± Quirina raised her hand and was about to tear the form apart. Although Quirina was a new student in Elkton University but since she had a powerful background, she was known for being bossy and it was never a good thing to be her victim.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Raeleigh finally gave in after she thought about the eyes of her hopeful grandmother. It was not easy for her to get into Elkton University. All she wanted was to graduate smoothly and not be involved in any drama.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Raeleigh gave in atst. The girl who was holding Raeleigh down threw a love letter to her, along with a ck velvet box.

    Raeleigh nced at the box and asked, ¡°What¡¯s inside?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to bother with that. Just go and do it. Once you¡¯re done, your schrship application form will naturally be returned back to you. You¡¯re the top student in Capital City and it would be a piece of cake for you to get your schrship. We wish you good luck.¡± Quirina sneered at her. ¡°Raeleigh Anson, who do you think you are? What¡¯s so great about a top student?¡± Quirina insulted Raeleigh in her heart.

    Quirina disliked Raeleigh because she was always focused on her studies, without a care for anything else, and she thought she was better than anyone else. Also, Raeleigh was beautiful. Not only did she have good grades but back in military training, Raeleigh would be first ce in most of the courses like swimming, shooting, and running. Quirina was so annoyed and she even heard that Raeleigh was also first ce in an international drawingpetition. Quirina was extremely intimidated by her and wanted to humiliate hepletelythat day.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say a thing and she looked around at the people surrounding her. She looked down at the love letter and saw that it was addressed to Jepherson Richards.

    ¡°Who is Jepherson Richards?¡± Raeleigh asked all of a sudden. Since they wanted to humiliate her, she had to find out who she was sending the letter too.

    It was dead silent all around.

    All of the girls, including Quirina, were stunned by Raeleigh¡¯s question. How could one be in Elkton University and yet not know who Jepherson Richards was?!

    How could she not know Jepherson Richards! In themunity of students in Capital City, it was equivalent to her not knowing who the president was! Everyone in Capital City knew who Jepherson Richards was. He had the best grades and he was first ce in basketball, shooting, and many more! He was also rich and intelligent. The wealthy girls from all over the country were all trying to get into Elkton University just for him. Was it possible for someone not to know who he was?

    Furthermore, there was a huge poster of Jepherson at the entrance of the school. Students would go in and out the entrance during their military training, was Raeleigh blind?

    However¡­

    The group of girls smiled at each other and winked at each other. They found the situation even more amusing.

    ¡°We will tell you who he is. As long as you do as you are told, we will give this back to you.¡± Quirina tapped the schrship application form in her hand. ¡°Or else, we will tear it up into pieces and kick you out of Elkton University.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh could not be bothered to say more. ¡°I understand. I hope you guys won¡¯t lie about that.¡±

    Then, she turned around and walked out in a white dress that her grandmother prepared for her.

    When it was time for the freshman ball to start, Quirina found Raeleigh and brought her to the ball.

    At that time, the ball was filled with people and everyone was trying to squeeze themselves to the front. It was hard for anyone to move in the crowd. The crowd was here to see Jepherson. Screams were heard throughout the hall.

    ¡°Wow, he¡¯s so handsome!¡±

    ¡°Oh, my gosh! He looks a million times better in person!¡±

    ¡°If Young Master Richards could look at me once, then I would die in peace.¡±

    There were girly screams everywhere. Raeleigh thought that the girls were acting foolish and she was getting a headache from all the noise.

    As they were standing near the outer fringes of the crowd, Raeleigh looked at Quirina and the girls, and then asked, ¡°Are you guys sure we can make it to the front?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my problem, you just take care of your part,¡± Quirina said. Then, she pushed someone away and said, ¡°Get out of the way, do you hear me?¡±

    The girl that was pushed by Quirina was a petite girl. She had specially dressed herself up and arrived early at the freshman ball just to see Jepherson. She had also entered Elkton University just to see Jepherson.

    Unfortunately, she quickly backed away when she saw Quirina trying to get her way in. It was obvious that Quirina could get her way most of the time in school.

    The reason Quirina could get her way was because she was from the Moore family. Everyone in Capital City knew who the Moore family was and Johan Moore was a well-known figure too.

    He was then over a hundred years old but still energetic as always. He was one of the main seniors of Capital City.

    Johan Moore was the grandfather of Jepherson¡¯s mother. Everyone in Capital City was aware of the rtionship between these two families. Furthermore, Elkton University was owned by the Richards family,so didn¡¯t that mean that half of it belonged to the Moore family?

    Quirina was from the Moore family and she was well-respected in school. Everyone thought it was normal for her to be bossy.

    The students who were pulled away by Quirina, moved out of the way, and gradually everyone in front moved out of her way too.

    ¡°It¡¯s your turn,¡± Quirina said to Raeleigh as she pointed at the empty pathway in front of her. Raeleigh was helpless and she could only walk forward with the love letter and a little velvet box in her hand.

    ¡°Do you see that guy with his back facing you? That is him. He is the one in the ck shirt. Hand the box to him, open it up, and read the contents out loud. If I don¡¯t hear your voice clearly, then it doesn¡¯t count. Then, open up the item and hand it into his hands. If you fail to do any of this, then look at this,¡± Quirina said as she waved Raeleigh¡¯s schrship application form in her hand. ¡°It will be the end of you.¡± She added.

    Raeleigh looked at Quirina and said, ¡°I hope that you can keep to your word and return it to me.¡±

    Letting out a subtle sigh, Raeleigh walked towards the man whose back was facing her, as everyone looked. She didn¡¯t know what Quirina and the other¡¯s intentions were and she didn¡¯t know what she was about to get herself into but it all didn¡¯t matter to her. The only thing she cared about was toplete her studies at Elkton University.

    At that moment, Quirina and the other girls were waiting to watch a good show.

    A long-haired girl said to Quirina, ¡°You¡¯re savage. Who doesn¡¯t know that Young Master Richards hates girls making the first move? I heard that the girls who made a move on him always end up inplete humiliation.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow, the whole school will know that Raeleigh, who is good in everything, is blinded by love too. It feels satisfying just thinking about it.¡± Quirina sneered as she yed with her hair.

    Raeleigh walked towards Jepherson step by step.

    Stuart noticed that someone was approaching them and Jepherson noticed it too. Then, Jepherson turned around to see who it was.

    At that moment, Jepherson was stunned.

    Raeleigh was wearing a white dress, which was specially prepared for her by her grandmother. She initially intended to wear it that day for the freshman ball but she didn¡¯t expect it to be for this purpose.

    She had her hair down and she was wearing a pair of pink sandals. It was the most luxurious pair of shoes she had.

    She was petite and she had a delicate face. Her dull gaze didn¡¯t look around at the crowd surrounding her and she didn¡¯t look up at the person in front of her either. All she wanted was to finish her task and get back her schrship application form.

    As for this senior named Jepherson Richards, he had nothing to do with her.

    She paused. Then, without looking up at the person in front of her, she opened up the love letter gradually with a stiff movement. She cleared her throat and said loudly in front of everyone, ¡°Please ept my confession.¡±

 Chapter 822 A Confession

    After finishing her words, Raeleigh opened the love letter in her hand. At that moment, she had yet to look at Jepherson at all. It was as if she wasn¡¯t here to confess her feelings but she was here for a reading instead. She read out the letter with focus. ¡°Jepherson Richards, I fell for you at first sight. I hope that you can ept my first¡­¡±

    At that moment, Raeleigh just frowned and neither stopped nor did she blush. Then, she continued, ¡°I am sincere about this. I really look forward to your hot lips on my skin. I would relive that moment every night and remember it forever. I hope that you can fulfill this small request of mine. This is a gift I specially prepared for you. Here it is.¡±

    The crowd was in shock. Everyone wasmenting out loud. ¡°My God! She is shameless!¡±

    ¡°She is the most shameless person ever! How could she say all that without blushing? Does she want to offer him her first time? I¡¯m sure she had slept with a ton of guys.¡±

    Raeleigh finished thest sentence of the love letter andined in her heart about how badly the letter wasposed. She opened up the velvet box in her hand and pulled out a pair of underwear. She didn¡¯t have much of a reaction because she imagined it would be worse than that.

    ¡°Please ept this.¡± Raeleigh presented a male ck underwear.

    Stuart was stunned. A piece of underwear?

    The crowd once again burst into an uproar. Everyone was whispering to each other and waiting for Raeleigh to be humiliated. Young Master Richards was known to be cold to girls and anyone who tried to make the first move on him, didn¡¯t end well. They were all waiting for him to ridicule her in front of everyone.

    There was no reaction from Jepherson and Raeleigh remained waiting for it. She was thinking about if her task was considered done if he didn¡¯t have any reaction?

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to look up at me when you hand me a love letter?¡± An elegant voice could be heard.

    If someone were asked to look up, then they subconsciously would. Raeleigh looked up instantly and saw a charming face in front of her. He had thick eyebrows, dark and deep eyes, and intricate features. His voice sounded pleasant to her ears too. She was surprised.

    Raeleigh only took a nce at him and quickly looked away. For her, it didn¡¯t matter if he looked incredibly good because it had nothing to do with her.

    Jepherson was a little surprised at her sudden silence as she did not reply. For a moment, she was giving him a hard time. He did not know what to say.

    They froze for a while, and then more people gathered around to watch. Everyone stayed silent and was waiting for him to get rid of her.

    After a while, Raeleigh became impatient. She raised her head and urged, ¡°Are you going to ept it or not? I have other¡­¡± She paused her words. She wanted to say that she had other things to do but figured it was better not to say it.

    Jepherson almostughed out loud.

    Stuart was shocked. Was Young Master Richards smiling? He was smiling at a girl? Was he possessed? It must be a hallucination.

    ¡°Do you know what this means? What does it signify?¡± Jepherson asked with a mischievous gaze.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. She wanted to say something but she chose to stay silent. She wanted all of this to be over quickly. Everyone was staring at her and all they wanted was for her to be humiliated. If she were to fight back then, then she would upset Quirina and the others, and her schrship application form would be destroyed. It was just a form to those people and they would easily get one but it wasn¡¯t that case for her. It was important to her and she knew that she couldn¡¯t afford to lose it. Therefore, Raeleigh acted indifferently.

    She wondered if she was supposed to be more excited in that situation.Therefore, she tried her best to act it out.

    However, the sense of indifference in her gaze was noticed by Jepherson.

    Jepherson smiled again.

    Stuart saw it clearly that time and he was dumbstruck. He smiled twice!C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Jepherson looked down at the items in Raeleigh¡¯s hands and grabbed them. Then, he said, ¡°I ept it, but I hope that you can have the first dance with me tonight. It will also be the only dance for me tonight.¡±

    ¡°The first dance?¡± Raeleigh was stunned.

    At the same time, everyone around was equally shocked.

    Did they hear it wrong? Was Mr. Richards joking? He epted it?! He did?! And he was inviting that shameless girl for a dance? That shameless girl was not good enough to dance with him, and to be his first dance of the night? Moreover, the most important point is thatMr. Richards had never danced with anyone ever!

    At that time, Quirina and the group of girls came to their senses and felt furious. Quirina was extremely infuriated. She wanted to go up and pull Raeleigh out of the way and tell Jepherson that this shameless b*tch had been set up by her.

    How could this be possible? How could this be the oue? Why was this b*tch not humiliated by Mr. Richards and chased off by him? Why wasn¡¯t she kicked out of Elkton University forever? Why? This was impossible! Why would Mr. Richards ept Raeleigh? The contents of the letter were so inappropriate and cheap! How could this happen?

    ¡°Shame on you!¡±

    ¡°Surely enough, you¡¯re a cheap b*tch!¡±

    The girls around were making noise and Raeleigh was starting to feel worried about her schrship application form. She didn¡¯t expect this oue. Were they going to return the form to her?

    Jepherson noticed Raeleigh¡¯s silence as she had a frown on her face. He walked towards her and reached out his hand. At the same time, he called out to Stuart.

    ¡°Yes, Young Master Richards.¡± Stuart walked to the front from his back and took away the two presents from Raeleigh. Jepherson didn¡¯t wait for her to react and ced his hand on her waist, and then pulled her into his embrace. His other hand grabbed her hand and guided it onto his waist. He moved her to the center of the ball.

    The crowd moved away and formed a circle around them. The violinist noticed that they were about to dance and quickly started ying the first song of the waltz.

    Raeleigh was led into a dance and she finally paid attention to the person in front of her. Why was he so annoying?

    ¡°Let me¡­¡± Before she could finish her words, Jepherson pressed her into his chest, lowered his head, and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what your reason is, I can help you, as long as you cooperate with me.¡±

    ¡°Help me?¡± Raeleigh sneered. ¡°You¡¯re such a busybody. Why didn¡¯t you reject me? You ruined my n.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? You wished that I would reject you? Or else I would have ruined your n?¡± Jephersonughed out loud. ¡°What about now?¡±

    After that, he leaned closer to her, under the eyes of the crowd.

    Raeleigh was shocked and turned her face away by instinct. Jepherson¡¯s lips touched the tip of her nose. Then, he nted a kiss on her lips.

    It was a gentle kiss. The crowd was so shocked that the air fell into silence.

    Jepherson pulled his warm lips away. Then, he pulled Raeleigh and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Not knowing what had happened, Raeleigh was dragged out of the ball by Mr. Richards. They went past the crowd, as if it was a scene where someone had snatched a bride from her wedding.

 Chapter 823 How Did She Get This Lucky?

    As they walked out of the ball, Raeleigh ran into Zorion and Deanna who wereing towards their direction. They were well-dressed but with different intentionspared to Quirina and the others. They were well-mannered and they were the heirs of the Whalen family. Therefore, they would put effort in the way they look when they attended any public events.

    Zorion walked at the front and he was wearing a light grey shirt. He looked like an elegant and charming 19-year-old young man. He was tall and ssy. His masculine features were eye-catching. If the Young Master Richards of Capital City wasn¡¯t here, then Zorion would easily be in the first ce.

    At that time, following behind him was Deanna. She was in a graceful outfit. Deanna was Zorion¡¯s twin sister. They were born ten minutes apart. They were both born good-looking and under their parent¡¯s care, they had grown up well.

    Deanna wore her hair up as it was customary during these events. Her parents would never allow her to let her hair down in such a public event because it would make her seem less formal, especially an event like that day.

    Madam Lilian had contacted her earlier in the afternoon that she would be introducing Deanna to everyone as her great-granddaughter-inw. Therefore, she wanted Deanna to have her hair up and look striking.

    But at that moment, Deanna was stunned by the sight in front of her. Was that Jepherson?

    The joy on her face disappeared instantly. ¡°Zorion.¡± Deanna called out. She looked down with a sad expression. Didn¡¯t Madam Lilian say she was going to introduce her to everyone? What was going on?

    At that time, Zorion noticed the person in front of him. It was Jepherson Richards, also known as Mr. Richards.

    Zorion didn¡¯t hesitate and quickly blocked Jepherson¡¯s way. Although he was shorter than Jepherson, he had inherited his parents¡¯ good genes. He was already more than six feet tall at the age of neen.

    ¡°Jepherson.¡± Zorion¡¯s charming face looked serious. In his opinion, Deanna was going to marry into the Richards family by marrying Jepherson. Also, Deanna did like Jepherson. Although they don¡¯t have an engagement,Madam Lilian had specially called that day to let them know that she was going to announce the rtionship between Deanna and Jepherson. They were friends with Jepherson since they were young, going in and out of Richards Manor freely. All these years, Jepherson had rejected countless girls, was it not because of Deanna?

    Zorion¡¯s face looked upset. He wasn¡¯t going to let Jepherson go without getting a proper exnation from him that day.

    Jepherson paused and looked at Zorion, who was in his way. Zorion was four years younger than him and their family had always had a good rtionship with each other. As the older brother, Jepherson saw them as under his care, but this didn¡¯t mean he would spoil them.

    He didn¡¯t have any feelings for Deanna. It wasn¡¯t Zorion¡¯s fault either. It was all because of his grandmother.

    ¡°I have something else to do, we¡¯ll meet again another day.¡± Jepherson was about to walk away but Zorion stopped him again. Then, Zorion turned to look at Raeleigh, who was behind Jepherson. He looked her up and down. Although Raeleigh didn¡¯t look at him, she could tell that this person wasn¡¯t a fan of hers.

    However, she lowered her head slightly and did not focus on the situation. On the contrary, she wanted to leave immediately. If this went on, then her life was going to get ruined by Jepherson.

    Raeleigh twisted her hands, trying to break free. Jephersonforted her by gently caressing the back of Raeleigh¡¯s hands with his thumb. He did not want Raeleigh to mess around at that time.

    Raeleigh looked around her surroundings. There was a group of people that wereing out of the ball to see what was going on. This was not what Raeleigh wanted. What was going to happen to her application form? Is this person really going to help her like he said? She doubted that he would actually help her.

    He ruined his n and forcefully pulled her out of the ball. He was obviously being controlling and cocky.

    Raeleigh twisted her arm a few times and finally calmed down. She slowly looked up and at that moment, Zorion stared at her with an unfriendly gaze, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Raeleigh could feel the hostility from the man in front of her, but she didn¡¯t care about it. Instead, she looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°Let me go.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re trying to escape now? It¡¯s not that easy. A woman who provoked me, Jepherson Richards, now wants to run away. It¡¯s not that easy. I¡¯ve epted your confession and gift, and ording to the Richards family rules, you will soon be mine. Why? Are you scared now?¡± Jepherson said in front of everyone. It was as if a huge rock hadnded on Raeleigh. The crowd looked furious and red at her with cruel gazes as if they wanted her to disappear from their sight that instant.

    ¡°Such a shameless sl*t. She seduced Mr. Richards and now she¡¯s trying to seduce Mr. Whalen too. How could someone be this cheap?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Who is she topete with Miss Deanna? There is no way she canpete with her.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! I will teach her a lesson.¡± Quirina was in a deep rage among the crowd. She felt like rushing towards Raeleigh and ripping off all her clothes, so that she would be embarrassed. She wanted everyone to know that Raeleigh was just a cheap sl*t and she should never try to steal her man.

    Quirina narrowed her dark eyes. ¡°Raeleigh, you better watch out. I will teach you a lesson for going against me.¡±

    Quirina was extremely angry. She pushed away a few of the girls in front of her and walked off. Her followers behind her quickly chased behind her as they saw her leave.

    ¡°It¡¯s all that b*tch¡¯s fault! We can¡¯t let her off like this. Shepletely ruined our n!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. She ruined itpletely.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. Raeleigh Anson, I will make you feel pain.¡±

    ¡­

    No one noticed that Quirina and the others had left. The ones who were pushed away weren¡¯t bothered by it because Quirina had always acted this way in school and they were used to it.

    Moreover, they were all focused on what was going on between Jepherson and the others.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s small hand tightly. He wanted to smile because he figured that her hand must have looked good since it looked so small.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Then, Jepherson picked up Raeleigh¡¯s hand and looked at it. He was very distracted by it because it was lean and beautiful.

    He had thought that Raeleigh had a good-looking pair of hands but he didn¡¯t think it would be this slender and beautiful.

    Raeleigh¡¯s expression remained indifferent but she was in a bad mood. How could he be observing her hand at a time like that?

    Raeleigh tried to pull her hand away from Jepherson but he didn¡¯t let go of it. Then, he ced her hand back down but with his hand still holding on to hers.

    Stuart was stunned once again. Was this really Young Master Richards? He was letting this girl act moody in front of him? It was truly a miracle.

    What did this girl do in her life to get this lucky?

 Chapter 824 Passionate Kiss

    ¡°Show me the gift I gave to you earlier.¡± Raeleigh calmed down and asked. She knew she had to remain calm in that situation or else she was going to have a hard time here in school in the future. The most important thing for her was to get back her schrship application form. If she didn¡¯t manage to get it back, then she would actually have to leave this ce by then.

    Raeleigh raised her eyebrows. She wanted to get the love letter and underwear back from Jepherson.

    Jepherson suddenlyughed. He leaned down to her ear and said, ¡°You want it back? Sure thing, but you¡¯ll have to give me a kiss first. I promise to return it back to you.¡±

    ¡°You¡­!¡± Raeleigh was about to swear but she stopped herself. She stared at Jepherson and cried, ¡°What do you want from me?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Jepherson asked with a charming smile. ¡°Be my girlfriend.¡±

    Everyone around was stunned by his words, except for Raeleigh.

    Her gaze was dull. She was used to seeing wealthy guys y with girls by sweet talking them. She knew it was all meaningless flirting and she would never believe them.

    Raeleigh remained calm, as she figured it was not time for her to act impulsively.

    ¡°You want to pursue me?¡± Raeleigh thought about it and asked Jepherson intentionally.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Jepherson answered in a straightforward manner as he looked into her eyes. She was surprised by his words but she did not give up.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    ¡°What can I do to make you believe me?¡± Jephersonughed as he took a step near her and looked down into her eyes from above.

    Raeleigh had a pair of attractive eyes. They looked clear and lively.

    Jepherson squirmed his lips and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing that I, Jepherson Richards, can¡¯t do here. I can give you anything you want.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it. I just want toplete my task quickly. Let me go.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to argue with him because she didn¡¯t have the same background as him and she couldn¡¯t afford to y the game.

    She was giving in because she wanted to get back her schrship application form. If she went to look for Quirina and the others right then, then she might still be able to make it.

    But if he didn¡¯t let her go,then she couldn¡¯t go anywhere, could she?

    Jepherson lowered his clear gaze and focused it on her delicate hands. ¡°They look beautiful!¡±

    Raeleigh looked towards where Jepherson was focused on, it was nothing but their hands that were holding onto each other. Did he mean her hands?

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at him. It was the first time she had ever heard such a pick up line.

    She had asked him to let her go but he ended up changing the subject to somethingpletely unrted. She was left speechless.

    Raeleigh¡¯s expression turned cold and Jepherson didn¡¯t react to it. He turned around and looked at Deanna, Whalen family¡¯s second heiress. She looked like she was about to cry.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Jepherson.¡± Deanna could barely say his name as she felt a lump in her throat. If it weren¡¯t for her manners, which was never to embarrass herself by crying in public, then she would have broken down long ago.

    At that moment, Deanna couldn¡¯t bear it anymore but she managed to hold her tears in. Her hands were tightly gripped by Zorion¡¯s hand.

    Zorion¡¯s expression looked even more displeased. He had always been protective of his sister. Then, he looked at Raeleigh with a hostile stare but didn¡¯t choose to embarrass her further in public. He looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°Jepherson, I will be paying a visit to the Richards family to get an exnation.¡±

    After that, Zorion turned around and held his sister in his arms. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here.¡±

    Raeleigh watched Zorion and Deanna leave and she felt helpless. She figured she wouldn¡¯t be having a peaceful time in school since she was hated by so many people then. All she wanted was to study well and repay her grandmother.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jepherson pulled Raeleigh towards the exit of the school. ¡°Where are you bringing me? I still need to go to ss,¡± Raeleigh cried as she was getting pulled away unwillingly.

    Jepherson smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon.¡±

    Raeleigh struggled all the way and finally arrived on a paved road on campus. Under the mottled shadows of the trees, Raeleigh was pushed onto the tree trunk by Jefferson. One of his hands rested on her waist while his other hand rested on her head as his fingers yed with her soft hair.

    Raeleigh¡¯s hair was very beautiful. It was soft, shiny, and silky without being treated. Furthermore, it had a great jasmine scent and coincidentally it was Jepherson¡¯s favorite scent. It was refreshing.

    While ying with her hair, he lowered her head and stared at Raeleigh, who was trying to figure out what to do next. Jepherson thought that she was not extraordinarily pretty or stunning and she didn¡¯t have an outstanding figure but she was oddly attractive. She was the type that one would find more and more beautiful as time passed.

    Raeleigh¡¯s shiny eyes were the most appealing feature. They were so bright and clear that it was hard not to fall for her.

    Jepherson lowered his head, and his lips almost touched Raeleigh¡¯s ear. ¡°What if I tell you that I can help you as long as you give me a tiny reward in return, what would you say?¡±

    At that time, there was no one around them. Stuart had been assigned to stand at a corner and stop people froming near them. Although there were people who tried to go near them, they were chased off. The crowd had no idea what was going on as they stood far away. They could only tell that Mr. Richards was having an intimate time with some girl.

    Jepherson¡¯s posture and movement made it obvious.

    Many of the girls wanted to rip Raeleigh apart and Raeleigh could sense the hatred around her.

    ¡°I won¡¯t agree to it.¡± She turned him down. Although she wanted to give in so she could continue studying in this school, she was not going to do anything she didn¡¯t want to with her body.

    Stuart was very convinced that Young Master Richards was falling for a girl he didn¡¯t know.

    Then, Stuart looked away. Jepherson smiled and took a bite on Raeleigh¡¯s lips. It was soft and gentle. His dark gaze was fixed on Raeleigh, who was in shock. Yes, this should have been the reaction.

    Following that, Jepherson tilted his head. He first bit Raeleigh¡¯s lower lip with his teeth. She refused to open her mouth. Then, Jepherson slowly moved down and bit her on her chin. He kissed her sharp chin. Shepletely froze and didn¡¯t react. She had never encountered anything like this. What was going on? Why wasn¡¯t her body moving?

    Jepherson continued his gesture. He started kissing her on her neck and her lips trembled lightly. She wanted to push him off her but her body was not cooperating with her. Her whole body had lost its strength.

    Then, Jepherson opened his mouth and kissed Raeleigh on the centre of her neck. Her mouth opened slightly and gasped for air. He then moved upwards and kissed her passionately on her lips again.

    Raeleigh gradually recovered from her shock as Jepherson continued to kiss her aggressively.

 Chapter 825 Being Held

    Did he just kiss her against her will?

    Raeleigh was still in a daze as a normal person would be in this situation. Did he just force a kiss on her out of nowhere?

    Raeleigh¡¯s expression turned colder as she stared at the man in front of her, who had a smile on his face. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± she asked.

    She felt angry, but she had to put on a calm face. She had no choice but topromise right then, as she had to get back her schrship form as soon as possible to ensure her stay at the university.

    On the other hand, Jepherson acted indifferently. There was a sparkle in his gaze and he looked like he was enjoying his time. He was not bothered at all. The crowd who was watching them were stunned. The whole of Capital City knew that Young Master Jepherson had reached 23 years old, and he barely came in contact with any women. There were tons of women waiting for a chance to confess to him, even if they knew that they had no chance to be with him at all and usually end up in a bad state. How was it possible that Young Master Jepherson was attracted to this woman?

    The crowd finally came to the realization that he was able to put on a gentle smile, but it was just not for them.

    Quirina was walking back and forth. She was in a rage. Although she was an illegitimate child, she was still part of the Moore family. Everyone respected the Moore family in Capital City. Her identity may not be able topare with Deanna, who was the second daughter of the Whalen family, but Quirina¡¯s background was much more powerful than the normal students.

    In Quirina¡¯s opinion, if she were topare herself to Raeleigh,then Raeleigh was just a filthy nobody and a cheap wh*re.

    She wasn¡¯t going to ept the fact that she lost to Raeleigh.

    Therefore, Quirina went back to the scene, and saw Raeleigh and Jepherson standing together. She swore that she wouldn¡¯t let Raeleigh off easily. She wanted to torture Raeleigh to the point where Raeleigh would beg her to stop.

    ¡°Hey b*tch, how dare you seduce a man in front of everyone like this! You cheap wh*re!¡± Quirina yelled. She no longer wanted to leave the ce, and there were a few of her followers behind her.

    They weren¡¯t decent girls either. Their families all worked for the Moore family and to prove their loyalty for the Moore family, they were sent here for studies by their family. It was mainly to maintain a good rtionship with the Moore family and secondly, to prove their loyalty.

    Although Quirina was a child born out of wedlock of the Moore family, the family of those girls did not care. They would rather degrade themselves to gain a good impression in the eyes of the Moore family.

    This was how society worked. If one was not as capable as someone else, then one will have to crawl up thedder through them. There was only one way to do that, which was to be their follower and try to fulfill what they asked for. One day when they finally notice one¡¯s hard work, they might reward you generously.

    It was obvious that this was what Quirina¡¯s followers and their family¡¯s mindset were like.

    This was the reason that Quirina was acting recklessly in school and her attitude was getting worse as time passed. The Moore family never bothered addressing the issue. The head of the Moore family, Johan, hadn¡¯t been managing the business and had handed it on to his descendants to handle it. He would only asionally give them guidance on what to do.

    Johan¡¯s three sons had not been dealing with the business either. It was all managed by Johan¡¯s grandchildren. The Moore family had been around Capital City for a long time and their family had a strong position in the city.

    Among Johan¡¯s children, Yousif was the most outstanding one. He was sessful and he had four wives. He also had an affair outside of his four marriages.

    The Moore family rules were odd in their own ways. The members of the family were allowed to have more than one wife.

    Of course, Yousif¡¯s wives were all from wealthy family backgrounds and it was the reason he was so sessful in his business.

    Quirina was the child of Yousif¡¯s mistress. As many people said, the grass was greener on the other side. Yousif treated his affair with great care, and the reason he didn¡¯t marry her was because she didn¡¯t have a good background. Yousif was ready to bring this woman into the Moore family once Johan passed.

    This was the reason Quirina, the child out of wedlock, was able to get everything her way in the school owned by the Richards family.

    Due to the rtionship between the Richards family and the Moore family, Quirina could be considered as Jepherson¡¯s cousin. Considering the position of the Moore family and the sess of her father, she did whatever she wanted and whenever she wanted.

    Jepherson nced at Quirina as she left. Then, he turned to look at Raeleigh. ¡°Is she the one who threatened you?¡± he asked casually.

    Raeleigh was dumbfounded. She looked at Quirina, who was leaving and eximed, ¡°How could you tell from so far away?¡± Raeleigh looked at Jepherson as if he was some strange man with strange powers.

    ¡°I recognize that horrible voice from anywhere.¡± Jepherson liked the softness of Raeleigh¡¯s lips and her scent. It was his first time encountering this taste, and he wanted more. Therefore, when Raeleigh was looking at him, he leaned down and kissed her again. But that time, she was not going to allow him to do as he wished.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Let me go¡­¡± Raeleigh reached out her hand and wanted him to let go of her, but Jepherson had glued his lips on hers as his eyes darkened. Raeleigh felt her heart tightened as Jepherson prolonged the kiss into a long one.

    Stuart could hear the intense breathing sounds between Jepherson and Raeleigh. Although Stuart was shocked that his Young Master was behaving this way,he wasn¡¯t surprised about it after he thought about his personality. Jepherson had never paid attention to any girls in the past, but now that he had met the one he was interested in, he was not hesitant with his gestures. He had always been an efficient person.

    Although Raeleigh¡¯s heart was numb to these games,she couldn¡¯t help but to feel angry as she was being bullied this way. It seemed that her resistance was too weak.

    Soon, Jepherson held her face and started kissing her intensely.

    Raeleigh felt a little dizzy. She did not know whether it was due to theck of oxygen or something else. She didn¡¯t have enough strength to push him away.

    Jepherson¡¯s mouth curled upwards with satisfaction. He pulled her into his arms and walked towards the entrance of the school. Just like that, Raeleigh was brought into his car.

    Raeleigh was brought into the car. ¡°Crack!¡± The sound of something falling from the car door could be heard and Raeleigh came back to her senses. She looked at Jepherson, who was sitting next to her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Before Raeleigh could figure out what was going on, Jepherson had urged the driver to start the car. As the car started moving, Raeleigh grabbed Jepherson¡¯s hand. He looked at her and then he nced at his hand that was being held by her.

    Raeleigh realized what she had done and as she was about to move her hand away, Jepherson gripped it tightly.

 Chapter 826 Keep It Or Iâ€™m Not Letting You Out Of This Car

    ¡°What in the world do you want from me? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve done enough to me?¡± Raeleigh could not hold it in anymore. She was infuriated because if it weren¡¯t for Jepherson, then she wouldn¡¯t be in such a bad situation right then. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t done with his games and he wanted to make the situation worse for her.

    ¡°Let me think about it.¡± Jepherson leaned on one side. He moved his hand away from Raeleigh and sat in a thinking posture, with one hand supporting his face while the other tapped on hisp. He was still smiling brightly at her.

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson with a poker face. She was not afraid but she felt frustrated. Jepherson had ruined her n and she didn¡¯t care who he was. All she wanted was to get back her schrship application form.

    Jepherson was calm andposed. He thought that the situation was getting more and more interesting.

    He was only curious at first but then he could not get enough of it.

    In the past, he never had such a strong desire to own someone. He never liked a girl so much that he would do anything to make her happy.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    This feeling¡­ felt good. It was great!

    ¡°Kiss me and I¡¯ll let you out of the car immediately,¡± Jepherson said in a mischievous tone with a faint smile on his face as he noticed her cold emotions.

    Stuart was stupefied. Had his Young Master lost his mind?

    Raeleigh secretly gritted her teeth as she stared at Jepherson¡¯s handsome face. She wanted to beat him up.

    However, she thought about her grandmother and her unfinished studies. She leaned over and pecked Jepherson on his cheek willingly and then moved away. ¡°Are you happy now?¡±

    At first, Jepherson paused for a moment.Then, he slowly turned to look at Raeleigh. He noticed how indifferent she was and asked, ¡°Other than me, has anyone else kissed you? Or have you kissed anyone else?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. She had heard such questions on the television before. She knew that Jepherson was asking out of pride, and she decided to give him a pleasing answer. It was because she had figured that if Jepherson had gotten the answer he wanted, he would let her out of the car as promised. Therefore, she replied to him, ¡°There¡¯s no one else.¡±

    Jepherson stared into Raeleigh¡¯s eyes with his deep and dark eyes. It was almost like he could see through her emotions. The tension inside the car was high.

    Suddenly, Jepherson turned his face to look out the window. There was a mischievous smile on his face. ¡°On the lips.¡±

    Stuart was stunned once again. He nced at Raeleigh through the rear mirror,and then quickly looked away. Raeleigh didn¡¯t hesitate and leaned over to Jepherson¡¯s side. Her position was not the best and even if she leaned over, she was unable to kiss Jepherson, who was facing the other direction.

    Raeleigh stopped for a moment and sat steadily. ¡°How can I kiss you on the lips if you do not turn this way?¡±

    All Raeleigh wanted was to leave immediately.

    At that time, Jepherson slowly turned his face and looked at Raeleigh. His gaze was as dark as the night sky. It was mesmerizing.

    Raeleigh gasped in her heart. ¡°It¡¯s just a kiss. It¡¯s just a short one.¡± She convinced herself.

    Raeleigh ignored Jepherson¡¯s gaze and leaned over to attempt to kiss him again. Jepherson cast a quick nce at Stuart and the driver. Then, the two of them instantly lowered their eyes. Jepherson focused his gaze back on Raeleigh and grabbed her body, who was moving towards him because he didn¡¯t want her to fall because of him. She held onto his shirt out of instinct because she could easily fall from her position and she was afraid of that too.

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth curled up slightly. Her soft touch made his heart skip a beat. He felt electrified. He realized that this was the reason his father liked to be around his mother so much and thought that Jepherson was always in the way.

    Wonderful, Raeleigh was his from then on.

    She moved away. Then, she looked at him and asked, ¡°Can I leave now?¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t let her go. He held her tightly in his arms and said, ¡°From today onwards, you¡¯re not allowed to have any bodily contact with other guys, and that includes hand holding. Also, you¡¯re not allowed to ept anybody who is interested in you, other than me. You¡¯re not allowed to fall for anyone but me. Not even girls.¡±

    He spoke calmly at an adequate speed. His voice was gentle and mesmerizing.

    Any woman would be attracted by his alluring voice, but not Raeleigh. All she could think about was her schrship application form and how she was going to get it backter when she returned to school, as things were not going to her n.

    Jepherson noticed that Raeleigh didn¡¯t have any reaction to his words. He then pinched her chin and said, ¡°This isn¡¯t going to be easy if you keep staying silent.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I promise you,¡± Raeleigh said, after thinking about it. Her gaze moved around and finallynded back onto his face. ¡°I promise.¡±

    Jepherson wasn¡¯t surprised. He knew that she was the kind who acted indifferent all the time. Or, perhaps she didn¡¯t care.

    Nheless, he was willing to spend time to win her over. As long as he had enough patience, he was confident that he could win her heart.

    ¡°I¡¯lle to see you from time to time. I¡¯m working in thepany now and I won¡¯t be able toe see you every day. Remember to take care of yourself,¡± Jepherson told her. She nodded and agreed.

    Since they were then in agreement, Jepherson took off the tinum bracelet that was on his wrist. The bracelet had a unique print on it. It also had a few hidden diamonds on it, and each of them was incredibly valuable. It was handpicked from a mine and then sent to a skilledpidarist in Switzend to further process it in order to mold each of the diamonds into the same size, shape, and weight. They were all made to look identical. Lastly, the intricate diamonds were then sent to a group of highly skilled jewellers in France to be made into a bracelet. The cost of the bracelet would probably be enough to buy over Elkton University.

    Raeleigh watched Jepherson¡¯s every move. He pulled her hand over and put the bracelet onto her wrist. There was a ring-shaped lock on the bracelet. Once he pressed it, a code system appeared. Then, Jepherson blocked Raeleigh¡¯s eyes and reset the password on the bracelet. This way, she won¡¯t be able to take it off.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes. The bracelet was left on her wrist. She didn¡¯t know much about jewelry. Although she knew the bracelet might cost a lot,she had no idea how valuable it was.

    Jepherson was happy with the way the bracelet looked on Raeleigh¡¯s wrist, as it matched her very well. He earned the bracelet for the work he had done over the summer break and not many people had seen it on him before.

    Stuart was secretly stunned. His Young Master was giving this girl the bracelet he had earned through his hard work. Did it mean that his Young Master had set his eyes on her?

    ¡°But when has the Young Master not been able to make up his mind?¡± Stuartughed to himself.

    Raeleigh looked at the bracelet on her wrist and intended to take it off.

    ¡°Take it off me.¡± She didn¡¯t want Jepherson¡¯s bracelet.

    ¡°Keep it on or I¡¯m not letting you out of this car.¡± Jepherson instructed her. His charming face and his deep eyes that were staring at her made it harder for her to reject him. Raeleigh thought about it. Then, she decided to put her hand back down. She figured she would just find a chance to take the bracelet off and then return it back to him.

    ¡°So, can I get out of the car now?¡± Raeleigh asked as Jepherson still held her in his embrace. She was ufortable but she didn¡¯t move away.

 Chapter 827 The Arrival Of The Man In Black

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what would happen if she resisted again that time.

    He finally promised her to let her g. No one knew what tricks he woulde up withter.

    ¡°Stuart,¡± Jepherson suddenly said. Stuart quickly got out of the car and turned around to open the car door for Raeleigh. Jepherson was still holding her hand. He lowered his head and said, ¡°It was nice meeting you and sorry for not being as friendly. Take care of yourself.¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to roll her eyes, but she neither said anything, nor did she move her body.

    ¡°You may leave now,¡± he said before letting go of Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Raeleigh didn¡¯t hesitate. She turned around and got down from the car. She stood outside the car and waited for him to leave.

    Stuart closed the car door, turned around and got back into the car. Soon, the car was driven off.

    Raeleigh saw that Jepherson¡¯s car was far gone. Then, she turned to look at the gate of the school. She walked towards it as she thought about what she should do next.

    At that time, Jepherson¡¯s eyes turned cold. He looked at Stuart and instructed him. ¡°Get someone to watch her and see what is going on.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡­

    Once Raeleigh stepped into the school, a pail of dirty water was poured onto her. She instantly blinked her eyes and looked down onto her body. She was drenched in a filthy liquid.

    Raeleigh raised her hand and smelled it. Luckily, it was not toilet water.

    She looked up at the crowd who was watching her. Quirina and her followers were in front of her,ughing at her situation. In Quirina¡¯s hand was Raeleigh¡¯s schrship application form, and they were tossing it around.

    ¡°Raeleigh, aren¡¯t you a brave girl? You¡¯re actually trying to steal my man? I want to see where you have gotten your guts from. See this? Do you want it back?¡± The girls behind Quirina started cheering for Quirina. Meanwhile, Raeleigh looked at Quirina calmly.

    Some people would panic when they encounter a situation like this, but Raeleigh was the opposite. She tended to react calmly to horrible situations, and she would be incredibly calm about it.

    She neither fought nor spoke. She wanted to get her schrship application form back.

    ¡°Come here,¡± Quirina called out. The crowd around her was waiting to watch a good show. Then, Raeleigh walked over helplessly as she wanted to get her form back.

    ¡°On second thoughts, stay there. You¡¯re filthy.¡± Quirina pinched her nose and made a disgusted sound. She wanted Raeleigh to stay two meters away from her, so that she wouldn¡¯t dirty her. Raeleigh stopped and stayed in ce as Quirina ordered.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    A bunch of students were watching themotion. Although most of them were usually bullied by Quirina, they wanted to see what would behold in this situation for Raeleigh as she had stolen Jepherson for herself. He was every girl¡¯s crush, and they didn¡¯t think Raeleigh was good enough to be with him. Who was she to steal him away from them? Who was she to seduce him?

    Some people even shouted, ¡°Beat her up. Shame on her!¡±

    There were people gathering at the school entrance and there were also students who made a report to the school about this matter, but nobody dared to meddle with the issue.

    Things were getting out of control.

    Quirina smiled, as she red at Raeleigh with her almond-shaped eyes. ¡°Kneel. I want you to bow to me.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Quirina and said, ¡°You promised that you will give me back my schrship application form if I confessed to him out loud and opened up the present in front of Jepherson. You said you will not bother me after this, and I did as I was told. Now that things are not going your way, this has nothing to do with me anymore. Give it back to me as promised. We¡¯re even now.¡±

    People were fearless when they were left with no options.

    Raeleigh wanted her schrship application form back and if Quirina wasn¡¯t going to give it back to her despite what she did, then she was not going to give in and kneel to her.

    Upon hearing Raeleigh¡¯s words, Quirina suddenly burst intoughter. ¡°Raeleigh, are you finally fighting back? Have you been awakened? But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little toote?¡±

    ¡°I asked you to kneel to me, I think it¡¯s best you do what I say, or else I can¡¯t promise what I will do next. Let me tell you, you can¡¯t afford to fight me.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you can get away with this? It¡¯s fine that you bully me, but aren¡¯t you worried that this is going to ruin your reputation if it was made known to the public? You will all be judged in the future by how you conduct yourself now. Aren¡¯t you all afraid that once you leave school, there will be rumors about you?¡± Raeleigh wanted to fight Quirina with this psychology, but Quirina was an illegitimate child, and she was not as well taught as the other members of the Moore family. She never thought before she spoke. All she knew was to create trouble and bully others with her status. She figured she could get anything she wanted as her father was Yousif Moore.

    Quirina smiled and nced at Raeleigh with an insulting gaze. ¡°You¡¯re right, I should take note of how I conduct myself but you can ask around the crowd and see how many of them want you dead.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and looked around. An egg was thrown at her with a strong force. She felt pained and looked down on her dirty dress. She didn¡¯t feel bad for herself, but this white dress was made by her grandmother for her.

    ¡°B*tch, you seduced Mr. Richards! You deserve this!¡± One of the students yelled as she was about to throw another egg at Raeleigh. Before Raeleigh could react, the egg was caught by someone.

    Raeleigh was waiting for the egg tond on her, and a man in ck showed up in front of her. He blocked the egg for her. Everyone was stunned as they had no idea where this man came from.

    Raeleigh was also surprised. She didn¡¯t see where this man came from either.

    He was over six feet tall, and he emitted a cold aura. He had a ck leather jacket on and ck cks with shiny leather shoes.

    He had an average appearance. Raeleigh thought that he was a man in his twenties and he was not a student from this school.

    Quirina stepped back as she saw this man in ck. Then, she yelled at the man as she pointed her finger at him. ¡°You! Who are you?¡±She wasn¡¯t afraid of anything as long as she was part of the Moore family.

    The man in ck looked at her and started walking towards her. Quirina was shocked and took a few steps back. Her eyes were wide open and she asked him, ¡°What are you doing? Who are you? Don¡¯te near me!¡±

    No matter how she yelled or what expression was on her face, the man was steadily walking in her direction. Quirina¡¯s legs started to tremble.

    Her followers were afraid too and they didn¡¯t dare to go near Quirina. All of them froze in ce.

 Chapter 828 From The Same Dorm

    The man in ck approached Quirina, reached out his hand and said, ¡°Give me the form.¡±

    Quirina froze. She nced at the form in her hand, realizing the man¡¯s intention. Then, she instantly turned arrogant.

    ¡°Give it to you? Who are you to ask me to do so?¡± Quirina said as she stood in ce and looked at the man in front of her. She was no longer afraid of him. She then took a circle around the man. The man stood still coldly and waited for Quirina to stand in front of him again.

    Quirina paused. Then, she sneered, ¡°Are you her boyfriend? If so, there¡¯s something you should know. Your so-called girlfriend is a cheap sl*t. She was flirting and being intimate with another man. She could have been a mother by now. I think you should go back and teach her well about how she should act, or else you will just continue being cheated on.¡±

    The man didn¡¯t show any reaction and continued to stare at her and then said, ¡°Give me the form.¡±

    ¡°You want it?¡± Quirina said. Then, she pointed onto the ground and added, ¡°Kneel to me. Kneel and apologize to me. Or else¡­¡±

    Before Quirina could finish her words, a scream broke the silence on the campus of Elkton University. Everyone took a few steps back out of shock and their faces turned pale.

    The man grabbed Quirina by her hair, dragged her,and then kicked her in her knee. Quirina had never had physical training, and she had never experienced such treatment. Therefore, she instantly fell to the ground on her knees.

    She felt so much pain that she thought her knees had fractured. Her tears were flowing from her eyes due to the shock. She looked up at the man who was grabbing her by her hair. She had always taken great care of her hair and worked hard in maintaining it to be long and smooth. That day, she was wearing a feminine dress that showed off her figure, and she had her hair tied into a ponytail behind her head.

    At that moment, the man in ck grabbed her by the ponytail. Because of the pain, she grabbed hold of the man¡¯s arm, and the form fell to the ground.

    Raeleigh watched as the scene unfolded in front of her. She had no idea who the man was, but it seemed like he was here to help her.

    Right then was her chance to get the form back. Raeleigh hesitated, and she started walking towards Quirina.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m not going to let you have it.¡± Quirina let go of one of her hands from the man to grab the form. All of a sudden, the man stepped on her and Quirina let out a shrill scream. Her body trembled due to the pain.

    Quirina looked up and her makeup on her face was smudged. She was starting to look ugly and anyone who saw her in this state would find her disgusting.

    Raeleigh found a clean spot on her dress and wiped her hands on it as she grabbed the form.

    She looked at Quirina, and she knew that Quirina would continue to find trouble with her in the future. There was no point in continuing to y nice with her. It was best for Raeleigh to fill up her schrship application form and hand in it to the school first. Then, she¡¯ll worry about Quirinater.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you¡­¡± Quirina was still acting mean despite the situation she was in. Raeleigh wasn¡¯t bothered with it because she had already gotten what she wanted, and that was all she cared about.

    Raeleigh turned around and was about to leave, but Quirina shrieked, ¡°Stop her!¡±

    Soon, Quirina¡¯s followers emerged from the crowd and stopped Raeleigh but since Raeleigh¡¯s body was drenched in dirty water, they were unwilling to get close to her, and they all had their noses pinched.

    Raeleigh paused for a moment and turned her head to look at the man. Then, the man said, ¡°Get out of the way.¡±

    Quirina¡¯s followers then quickly moved aside and Raeleigh rushed off instantly.

    After Raeleigh left, the man pushed Quirina away and she fell onto the ground. She didn¡¯t dare to get up, so she ended up pretending to be passed out in front of him.

    Only then did the man disappear into the night and no one knew where he went. When the school management arrived, Quirina was already in bad shape.

    The school administrative crowd quickly dispersed the crowd and contacted the Moore family. Then, they called the ambnce, and soon the Elkton University entrance was filled with cars.

    In a car that was not far away from the school, Stuart received a call. Then, he turned and said to Jepherson, ¡°Young Master, Hadrian had already handled the situation. Please let us know of the next move.¡±

    Jepherson leaned against his car seat as his brows tightened. He looked moody.

    ¡°Hadrian¡¯s next task is to protect her. Let Hadrian know that I don¡¯t wish for today¡¯s matter to happen again.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Stuart quickly made a phone call back to Hadrian.

    ¡°Let Hadrian protect her in secret and not expose himself too often. Make a call to Scarlette and get her here too.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Young Master.¡±

    Stuart made detailed arrangements ording to Jepherson¡¯s instructions on the phone call.

    ¡°Young Master, should we do something about Quirina Moore?¡± Stuart asked Jepherson after he hung up his phone. Jepherson remained silent for a moment before replying, ¡°There¡¯s no need to. They are my grandfather¡¯s family, and although we aren¡¯t close,the connection is there. I think my father wouldn¡¯t wish for the Moore family and I to have any rtions. There is no need for me to teach her a lesson personally. But if she doesn¡¯t change, then we¡¯ll deal with it afterwards.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s car slowly drove off into the distance as his gaze remained focused on the Elkton University entrance.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh went back to her bedroom, got her toiletries, and rushed off to the washroom. She bathed herself thoroughly until she was sure that there was no longer a bad smell on her. She used a lot of soap and shampoo until she was finally convinced that she was clean.

    She had no idea where the pail of dirty water came from, but she was thankful it wasn¡¯t toilet water or water from the drain.

    She was used to seeing people forming gangs in school and she wasn¡¯t surprised at all.

    After getting herself cleaned up, Raeleigh locked herself in her bedroom. She took out her schrship application form and filled it up. Then, she kept it well on her and made sure no one could steal it from her again.

    When she was ready, Raeleigh walked out from her bedroom. She thought about the man who helped her. She had no idea who he was, but it seemed like he was instructed by someone to help her.

    Raeleigh walked to the school cafeteria without anyone noticing her. At the same time, she was looking at the bracelet on her hand.

    Why did Jepherson have this on him? What was it used for?

    Raeleigh attempted to undo the bracelet but after messing with it for some time, she was still unable to get it undone. On the other hand, she noticed a few stones hidden within the bracelet.

    As it was getting dark, Raeleigh could not see what was inside the bracelet. She was able to touch the stones, and they weren¡¯t cutting into her skin.

    Raeleigh then gave up and put her hand down since she was unable to get the bracelet off her. She then arrived at the entrance of the cafeteria, and she saw a girl walking back and forth with some luggage. The girl looked decent. She had her hair in a ponytail, and she was almost the same height as Raeleigh. The girl went up to Raeleigh when she saw her and handed her a note. The girl smiled politely at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Hi there, I am a new student here. Due to some reasons, I enrolled fifteen dayste. May I know where this dorm room is located?¡±

    Raeleigh grabbed the paper and took a look at it. Was she from the same dorm as her?

 Chapter 829 Meica Wilson

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Scarlette. What¡¯s your name?¡± Scarlette introduced herself as Raeleigh brought her back to their dorm after dinner.

    Raeleigh reached out her hand to her too and said, ¡°My name is Raeleigh Anson. You can call me Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°I have no parents and I grew up in an orphanage. I managed to get in here with my results. What about you?¡± Scarlette asked. Raeleigh paused for a moment. Although Raeleigh had a grandmother, she also grew up in an orphanage. When she was ten years old, the orphanage she lived in got burnt down due to a fire and her grandmother adopted her.

    At that time, her grandmother had no issue supporting her but things changed after that.

    ¡°I got in here with my results too.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to say much on this topic because she didn¡¯t have the same personality as Scarlette. She was more introverted. Therefore, Raeleigh didn¡¯t bring up her past in the orphanage.

    ¡°I was wearing red clothes when I was left at the orphanage. Therefore, the orphanage¡¯s caretaker named me after it. What about you? Does your name mean anything specifically?¡± Scarlette asked. Scarlette was the same age as Raeleigh. They were both 19 years old. However, Scarlette seemed approachable, and she always had a smile on her face when she spoke, which brought a warm feeling to people around her.

    Raeleigh stared at Scarlette and answered briefly, ¡°I¡¯m not too sure how I got my name and I never asked about it. I think your name is much better than mine. It sounds beautiful.¡±

    ¡°I think so, too. Oh, how many people are there in our dorm?¡± Scarlette put down her luggage and sat on the bed opposite of Raeleigh. Raeleigh looked around and said, ¡°There were four of us here and now that you¡¯re here, it will be five of us. I¡¯m not sure if one of us had gotten the wrong dorm room number.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t think much about it. Since Scarlette was new here, she wanted to help her out.

    After all, gaining a new friend was better than gaining a new enemy.

    ¡°Do you think I got the wrong one?¡± Scarlette asked Raeleigh. Raeleigh looked into the room and said, ¡°The others aren¡¯t back yet and I don¡¯t think they will be back here tonight. If you don¡¯t mind, then you can share my bed with me tonight. I¡¯ll bring you to the school office and check with the teacher if this is fine. I have to take a trip there anyway to tell them that the other three students aren¡¯t back tonight.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go then. I¡¯ll unpack when we get back,¡± Scarlette replied. Then, the two of them went to the school¡¯s office and talked to a teacher on duty about their situation and also about the other three students.

    ¡°You two can take a seat first. I¡¯ll make a call to confirm about the situation.¡± The teacher on duty turned around and went off to make a call. She returned shortly after.

    ¡°Due to Raeleigh¡¯s matter, the school had arranged the other three students to another dorm. Scarlette enrolledte, so her dorm cement was taken by Raeleigh. Now that the dorm is cleared out, Scarlette, you may live in the same room. I¡¯ll help you register and Scarlette can move in tonight. Later, there will be people over to move out the luggage of the other three students. You two may go back now.¡±

    The teacher on duty exined the situation and Raeleigh felt relieved. If she were to remain roommates with Quirina, then things would only get worse.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving then. Thank you, madam,¡± Raeleigh said. Then, she turned around and headed back to her dorm with Scarlette. Raleigh wondered about how Quirina was doing. The school was extremely silent and no one was talking about the incident. She wondered if Quirina¡¯s family thought the incident was too embarrassing and had made sure that no one was talking about it in school.

    Regardless, Quirina will eventually return. Even if she was admitted into a hospital right then, she would be discharged eventually and find fault with Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh thought about it as she walked. She waspletely lost in her thoughts and she had forgotten about Scarlette who was walking alongside of her.

    ¡°Here we are.¡± Scarlette reminded her as they reached the dorm entrance when Raeleigh was about to walk into the door. Raeleigh came back to her senses and looked at Scarlette in a daze. Then, she turned to the dorm entrance and responded, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Why are you thanking me? You don¡¯t have to be so polite with me, it feels off,¡± Scarlette said. Her eyes were glistening like the night stars. Raeleigh wasn¡¯t surprised because she had never been bothered about what people say about her. It didn¡¯t matter because all she wanted was a simple life. Her only wish was toplete her studies and work hard to build a happy life for her grandmother.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you say anything?¡± Scarlette seemed to have a lot of questions to ask. Raeleigh figured that she would no longer feel alone.

    ¡°I was thanking you out of habit. You might feel slightly weird about it because I have a different personality from yours,¡± Raeleigh answered calmly. Scarlette replied, ¡°Isn¡¯t this better? It¡¯s better to talk and get along. Come on, the room is waiting for us. Let me get my luggage, and we¡¯ll get to know each other better.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Raeleigh and Scarlette headed back to their room and before they stepped in, they could hear someone in the room. Who could it be at that hour?

    The two of them pushed open the door and walked in. They saw a few people inside packing things up. From their clothes, it was easy to tell they were not from ordinary backgrounds.

    The people noticed Raeleigh and Scarlette walking into the room and turned to look at them. One of them scanned the two of them.She was displeased, but she did not say anything about it.

    She was from the Moore family, and she was Quirina¡¯s mother, Meica Wilson.

    Meica had seen her daughter before she came to her dorm. Her daughter was beaten up badly and Meica felt heartbroken.

    She was scolded by Yousif due to this matter and he had never treated her this way.

    Yousif¡¯s other wives from the Moore family were all bullying her with their positions due to this matter too.

    The Moore family was a ce where one¡¯s family background was highly valued. In the past few years, she contributed a lot and worked hard. She had helped Yousif a lot. Not to mention, what right did his wives have to challenge and humiliate her? She was the only one who was helping Yousif with his business.

    In the end, they were all ming her and backstabbing her. Johan had asked Quirina to leave the Moore family, so that she would reflect on herself.

    When Meica saw Raeleigh and Scarlette, she felt a strong sense of hatred in her heart but since there were other people here, Meica could only force a smile on her face. It was only the beginning of the show.

    ¡°You two must be Quirina¡¯s schoolmates. I am her mother, and I¡¯m here to pack up her things for her today. Quirina had some conflict with one of her schoolmates today, and she had been admitted into the hospital. She won¡¯t being to school in the meantime.¡±

    ¡°Which one of you is Raeleigh?¡± Meica asked in a straightforward manner. Raeleigh could sense that things were not as simple as she thought.

 Chapter 830 Wasted Her Breath

    ¡°I am,¡± Raeleigh said. She felt that one should be responsible for what they had done and since Quirina ended up in the hospital because of her, she had to admit who she was.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re Raeleigh?¡± Meica said with a forced smile on her face. ¡°I am so sorry about what happened. As a mother, I had not taught my child well, and it had caused you trouble. I will reflect on this matter and I hope that I can have your forgiveness. Raeleigh, will you forgive me? Can you forgive Quirina for my sake too?¡± Meica bowed towards Raeleigh and spoke, despite how upset she was on the inside.

    Raeleigh had a calm expression on her face,although she felt a little surprised on the inside about the fact that Quirina¡¯s mother apologized to her. Meica did not look like someone who would apologize so easily.

    Meica had a tall and curvy figure. She was wearing a red dress. She had dark hair and soft curls. Her lips were bright red. Everything about her appearance made her look like she was an unapologetic person, especially her mysterious eyes.

    Raeleigh bowed back to her and said, ¡°This matter was not entirely Quirina¡¯s fault, and I was responsible for part of it too.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to exin or argue any further about the matter. It was obvious who was right and who was wrong in the situation. It was up to the person to decide on how they look at the matter.

    The wealthy always get their way. She was not going to challenge the situation, and she just wanted to put an end to it.

    ¡°Oh, Raeleigh, you¡¯re so kind. How should I thank you for this?¡± Meica took a few steps closer to Raeleigh and grabbed her hands in a friendly manner. Everyone else in the room was quiet because they knew that Meica was not going to let this issue go easily.

    Meica was known for being cunning and mean. She was the woman Yousif had outside of his marriages. Since she had won Yousif¡¯s admiration, it showed that she was very good at manipting a person.

    Meica¡¯s daughter, Quirina, had been beaten up so badly and Meica was not going to let Raeleigh off easily. They heard that Johan had kicked her out of the house and she was also ridiculed by Yousif¡¯s wives. It was a great insult to Meica and she would never let this go.

    The youngdy in front of her neither had a good background nor any power, so it was only a matter of time.

    Raeleigh only replied, ¡°We¡¯re schoolmates. It¡¯s not right to behave this way.¡±

    ¡°You are sensible, Raeleigh, I care about this matter. If you have anything you need in the future, then feel free toe talk to me. If it is within my capability, then I would be more than happy to help. About Quirina, I have been too easy on her all these while. Don¡¯t worry about it. When I get home, I will make sure to teach her a lesson so that she won¡¯t bully her schoolmates anymore.¡±

    Meica patted Raeleigh on her shoulder. Raeleigh remained silent as she knew that Meica was not going to remember the good side of her, but the opposite instead.

    Regardless, the incident had happened and there was nothing a nobody like her could do. She could only go with the flow and see what happened next.

    Meica continued to make polite small talk. Then, she finally left with Quirina¡¯s luggage. After they left, the beds were empty again.

    Scarlette moved her luggage to the bed that was opposite of Raeleigh¡¯s bed. She covered the bed with sheets, and opened up her suitcase. It was filled with books and some clothes. The books looked old and worn.

    Raeleigh sat down opposite of her, picked up one of the books, and started reading it. Scarlette¡¯s book were all books that Raeleigh had been wanting to read, but she could neither find them nor afford them. ¡°You¡¯re read all these books?¡± Raeleigh asked Scarlette.

    ¡°Not yet. I major in car designing. What about you?¡± Scarlette said as she took out all the books from her suitcase and ced them on her desk. Raeleigh thought about it and replied, ¡°I major in car designing too. We¡¯re in the same major.¡±

    ¡°Really? Let me take a look at your books.¡± Scarlette grabbed one of Raeleigh¡¯s books and started flipping through it. Then, she handed it back to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Let¡¯s exchange our books to read.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, and then nodded her head.

    However, Raeleigh thought it was strange to see these books because they were from some time ago and some were limited editions that were incredibly hard to find then.

    ¡°Scarlette, where did you get these books from? I¡¯ve heard of some of these books, but I¡¯ve never seen them before. I assume they must be expensive.¡± Raeleigh was curious.

    Where did theye from?

    Scarlette thought about it. Stuart had handed these books to her without telling her about them. Other than that, Young Master casually dropped one of the books that he had in his hand into the suitcase.

    ¡°I have a good friend, and he gave me these books, but I have to return them after I read them,¡± Scarlette said after some thought. Then, she sat down beside Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Are you always this thirsty for knowledge?¡±

    ¡°The lights would not go off so soon after dinner. So, I like taking this time to expand my knowledge. What else can I do with this free time?¡± Raeleighughed and asked Scarlette.

    ¡°The most important thing abouting to college is to graduatesessfullyfrom it. After that, it¡¯s all about finding a job after graduation or to further your studies. I don¡¯t think there is much meaning to this. When I first applied to a university, everyone told me that this ce would be like heaven. As long as I graduate four yearster, manypanies would want to hire me and I wouldn¡¯t have to take it so seriously,¡± Scarlette said, as she made it all up. She had no idea what the meaning was in graduating from college.

    Raeleigh looked at the girl beside her and felt that she was talking nonsense.

    ¡°Scarlette, we¡¯re not like the other girls. We don¡¯t have a powerful background that allows us to do anything we want. All we can do is to study hard so that we can apply the skills we learnt into our jobs one day. Don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re able to be here today because of the effort you¡¯ve put in the past?¡± Raeleigh asked Scarlette. Then, Scarlette thought about her experience in life and replied, ¡°That is true, but I¡¯ve heard that manye to college to get a partner!¡±

    ¡°Some people think that way. For example, those girls from wealthy families. They will eventually have to work for their families once they graduate, and it doesn¡¯t matter if there arepanies out there who want to hire them or not. They will have a job regardless, and they may evennd a high position like vice president once they graduate.¡±

    ¡°But for us, if we don¡¯t go for job interviews, then what else can we do? If we don¡¯t have strong skills, then we can only work for other people, and we will never be able to get the life we want.¡±

    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t mean that you should force yourself in your studies every day. There should be some fun in your life, don¡¯t you think?¡± Scarlette said as she got up to get herptop. She turned it on beside Raeleigh and logged into a mystical game. Once she logged into it, it showed a strange username, Ruthless Scarlette.

    Raeleigh stared at Scarlette, the new student sitting beside her, and thought that she had wasted her breath on her.

    ¡°Go ahead and y your game. I¡¯ll be here reading.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t know how to y games, and she hardly got a chance to do so. She treasured herptop a lot and would only use it to look up information.

 Chapter 831 I Didnâ€™t Know You Could Earn Money This Way

    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you have aptop?¡± Scarlette asked Raeleigh as shemunicated with another yer in the game. She was trying to look for a yer named Shadowless Hadrian.

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t bothered by it but she leaned close to Scarlette as she spoke. She wasn¡¯t able to focus on reading her book, so she looked at Scarlette and said, ¡°I hardly use myptop. Moreover, I don¡¯t have any games and I don¡¯t know how to y any.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re truly old-fashioned. Look at what century we¡¯re in. You¡¯re too conservative. This isn¡¯t a good sign. Furthermore, you can use it to earn some allowance,¡± Scarlette said as she focused on herptop. ¡°I¡¯m not like you. You have your family to support your studies, but I don¡¯t have any money since I¡¯ve left the orphanage. If I don¡¯t y games, then I have no money to attend school.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Scarlette and her gaze slowly fell on her face. ¡°You can earn money by ying games?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Why else would a girl like me be ying games?¡± Scarlette wanted someone to apany her in ying games.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh needed extra cash but she had no idea how to y games.

    ¡°Scarlette, what game are you ying?¡± Raeleigh leaned forward to see Scarlette¡¯s screen. Then, Scarlette exined the game to her.

    ording to Scarlette, she was ying Fairy Tales. There were treasures and magical tools in the game. One would have to upgrade one¡¯s character¡¯s level before one could start hunting for treasures. There were many powerful magical tools in the game and if one can find them¡­

    She smiled widely. ¡°These tools could be sold for more than ten thousand dors.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and asked, ¡°That much?¡±

    ¡°But that will probably be a master level¡¯s magical tool. It¡¯s not easy to find one. You have to join the game and train your character by fighting monsters. You¡¯ll be getting a lot of unwanted tools once you¡¯ve leveled up, unless you have a skilled yer in the game to guide you. If that¡¯s the case, then you will gain some worthy tools. Although they¡¯re not worth more than ten thousand dors, the smaller ones can be sold for a few hundred dors while the bigger ones could be sold for a few thousand dors.¡±

    Scarlette exined proudly. Raeleigh continued to ask, ¡°Was that how it was when you first joined the game?¡±

    Scarlette was stunned for a moment and recalled the first time she yed the game. She was ten years old and she would crawl under Hadrian¡¯s covers to y the game. Then, she was kicked out by Hadrian when she was about thirteen years old.

    ¡°Sort of. I had to do it to earn some allowance. When we¡¯re in the virtual world, nobody knows who we are. We can do anything we want there. I did it to survive and there¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about.¡±

    Raeleigh thought about it for a long time. Her grandmother¡¯s health was getting worse by the day and when Raeleigh went to the civil administration office the other day to get funds given out by the government to help the citizens in need, she was criticized by the officers there. They said that she had the money to attend Elkton University, but didn¡¯t have money to provide healthcare for her grandmother.

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t bothered by their words because she had worse things said to her. If this money could help her get supplements for her grandmother, then she didn¡¯t mind doing it.

    ¡°Scarlette, what level are you on? Are you a master?¡± Raeleigh wanted to try the game but she didn¡¯t have the confidence.

    Scarlette replied, ¡°I¡¯m only considered a junior master, but I am earning enough for my allowance.¡±

    ¡°Then. can you guide me? I don¡¯t need a lot of money. If there are tools that are worth below a hundred dors, then you can bring me and I¡¯ll fight the battle for you. Once you sell it, you can give me twenty percent of the price sold.¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t a tool below a hundred dors. Even if there is, no one is going to buy it. Those people who are buying tools, are people like you who don¡¯t know how to y the game. They aren¡¯t skilled when they first join the game, so they would buy tools to defend themselves.¡±

    ¡°Making money off the game is easy. You¡¯ll just have to find a skilled yer to guide you.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t worry about it. There are plenty of masters in the game and they are really nice to women. When I first joined the game, there were a bunch of guys who offered to guide me in the game and promised to share some good tools but¡­¡± Scarlette¡¯s tone gradually turned sadder. Raeleigh stared at her and asked, ¡°But what?¡±

    ¡°When they found out I was ten years old, they then ignored me.¡± Scarlette felt wronged as she thought about it. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Hadrian was the only one who offered to guide her, then she wouldn¡¯t have been with him. He¡¯s cold and boring!

    ¡°You started ying when you were ten years old. How are you not a master yet?¡± Raeleigh was shocked. She figured that Scarlette was someone who got into Elkton University with her own results and even if she weren¡¯t good at the game, she had been ying it for ten years.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand. The game is constantly changing, and before you can get good at it, there will be a new update. How could I be a master so easily?¡± Scarletteined. If Hadrian hadn¡¯t always changed to a new character when they got to a higher level in the game, then she would have been a master a long time ago.

    There was nothing she could do. She only had Hadrian to depend on in the game.

    Raeleigh could understand most of the things she said, so she asked, ¡°Was it because the master, who was guiding you, is constantly changing spots?¡±

    ¡°You could say that. His name is Shadowless Hadrian,¡± Scarlette said with a smile as she found him in the game. Then, Scarlette bumped Raeleigh with her shoulder and said, ¡°Give me some time. I¡¯ll get something good and I¡¯ll treat you to some nice food.¡±

    Raeleigh kept quiet as she held a book in her hand. Instead of reading her book, her attention was on Scarlette¡¯sptop screen.

    Soon, a man in a blue outfit showed up on the screen. He was wearing a ssy outfit and had charming features. He was also holding a huge sword in his hand. His name, Shadowless Hadrian, was shown on his head.

    Shadowless Hadrian¡¯s body emitted a faint glow and there was a huge bright circle under him. The circle looked like the back of a tarot card. It had a huge star and it was glowing too.

    It was Raeleigh¡¯s first encounter with games and she was observing every little detail on it.

    At that moment, Scarlette said coldly in the game, ¡°Shall we continue to fight monsters today?¡±

    ¡°Today, we¡¯re hunting for creatures,¡± Shadowless Hadrian replied. Then, Scarlette exined to Raeleigh, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t underestimate the creatures in this game. There are all types of creatures, such as magic creatures, spirit creatures, immortal creatures, goblins, and so on. If you manage to defeat one, then you will be able to get a magical tool, and you can sell it for money.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know anything about it, so she remained quiet most of the time as she listened to Scarlette¡¯s exnation.

    Raeleigh had a good memory, and she would always remember the things she listened to. She could remember the things that her lecturers taught in ss.Therefore, she could remember everything that Scarlette was telling her.

    Then, Scarlette asked Shadowless Hadrian, ¡°Can I have the magical tool that we¡¯re gettingter? My friend is with me and I want to buy her some candy.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Shadowless Hadrian agreed. Scarlette felt excited. In the game, they went into a deep cave at Peach Blossom Garden. Shadowless Hadrian quickly found a fierce spirit creature. The spirit creature instantly pounced on them when it saw them, and Scarlette was stunned. Shadowless Hadrian quickly got into a battle with the spirit creature. Raeleigh looked at Scarlette. Then, he turned back to look at the game. The battle was intense and Scarlette joined the battle. It was a heated battle, but Scarlette and Shadowless Hadrian won. It was all thanks to Shadowless Hadrian¡¯s huge sword.

    The spirit creature exploded and a beam of light shone through. Scarlette picked up the bright item from the creature¡¯s body and opened it. Her face lit up with a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s the Spirit Collection Pearl! I¡¯m going to be rich.¡±

    ¡°How much is this worth?¡± Raeleigh asked. Scarlette conversed with Shadowless Hadrian in-game and then replied to Raeleigh, ¡°This is at least worth twenty to thirty thousand dors. I¡¯m going to sell itter.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of it?¡±

    ¡°Well, if you hang it on your character¡¯s neck, then it can absorb the spirit of other masters in the game and it can also absorb the spirit of the spirit creatures around. It¡¯s no wonder it felt like my spirit was taken away during the battle earlier with the spirit creature. It must have been this reason. I¡¯m going to sell it offter with a good price.¡±

    Then, Scarlette told Shadowless Hadrian, ¡°I¡¯m having a stomach ache. I¡¯m going to the toilet. You can go ahead.¡± Scarlette quickly went offline.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to sell the tool?¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t understand why she went offline.

    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t understand. Since he had offered me the tool, it¡¯s mine now. He might regret his decision, so it¡¯s better for me to go offline. It¡¯s fine if the tool was worth one or two thousand dors but it¡¯s worth much more than that,¡± Scarlette said, although she knew that Hadrian wasn¡¯t that kind of person.

    ¡°Really?¡± Raeleigh was speechless.

    Scarlette didn¡¯t reply. She logged in back to the game with her other ount after some time. She took out the precious tool from her pouch and put it up for sale. Soon, she was offered a price as a yer was interested to buy the tool. The yer haggled with her, and she ended up selling the tool for two thousand dors cheaper.

    Instantly, Scarlette received a notification on her phone and the money was transferred to her.

    ¡°Look at this. I got the money.¡± Scarlette showed Raeleigh her phone and Raeleigh reached out to take over the phone. Raeleigh was extremely surprised how easy it was for Scarlette to earn money.

 Chapter 832 What A Coincidence!

    ¡°Scarlette, can you guide me to y this game?¡± Raeleigh wanted to give it a shot. She told Scarlette about her interest to join on the spot and Scarlette quickly agreed to it.

    Raeleigh focused on learning about the game. Once she joined the game, she tried to learn the basics of it. She was at the beginner level, and she could easily level up to seventy or eighty levels even if she was away from the keyboard.

    Raeleigh created a username for her character. It wasn¡¯t as dramatic as Scarlette¡¯s character name as Raeleigh just casually thought about it. It sounded right to her ears.

    Little Raeleigh!

    ¡°This name doesn¡¯t sound formidable at all. You had to think about it. What if one day you be a master, but you still have this as your username. It does not sound like you¡¯re mighty at all.¡± Scarlette reminded her, as she thought it was not a good name.

    Raeleigh nced at her and replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what my username is. I don¡¯t want to be a mastereither. I just want to earn some allowance out of it to get my grandmother some health supplements.¡±

    Due to her studies, her grandmother had been saving up a lot of her daily expenses just to buy her a dress. She felt deeply sorry towards her grandmother.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just keep that username. As long you like it.¡± Just like that, Raeleigh joined her first game. She wasn¡¯t in a hurry to earn money, and she was trying to find her way around the game. To her surprise, not a single creature had defeated her in the game.

    Of course, she only battled with the smaller creatures. She knew that she wouldn¡¯t be getting any good prizes, at least before she made it to the hundredth level. She was only spending her time learning the game then.

    During that time, Raeleigh hade across Shadowless Hadrian in the game once. She noticed another man who was next to Shadowless Hadrian. He was wearing a red piece of clothing, and he was way beyond the master level.

    Scarlette saw him and felt envious too. She told Raeleigh that the clothing on that character cost eight hundred thousand dors. Raeleigh thought that it was too absurd to have a character in a game to wear such expensive clothing.

    However, the eight hundred thousand dors clothing did look good. It looked graceful because it was long and flowy.

    ¡°Shall we go over to them?¡± Scarlette pulled Raeleigh over. ¡°It¡¯s about time for us to sleep. Let¡¯s rest,¡± Raeleigh said.

    Raeleigh checked the time. It was almost eleven o¡¯clock at night. She would be exhausted the next day if they yed any longer.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s character was called Arsel in the game. It was a simple name, and it didn¡¯t attract any attention. She also registered her character as male, so the girls in the game wouldn¡¯t interact with her, since she¡¯s not a master, and guys would just ignore her existence too.

    At that time, Raeleigh was still at a very low rank and she was wearing a blue and white striped shirt. It was obvious that she was a beginner in the game. She didn¡¯t intend to change her outfit but she did have some magical tools with her, but they were all beginner level magical tools.

    Raeleigh grabbed Scarlette¡¯s arm and said, ¡°We should go.¡±

    She pulled her out of the game and quickly, the two of their profile pictures turned dark. They were logged out of the game.

    ¡°Why were you leaving in such a hurry? We should check out the masters. Who knows? Maybe they would be willing to guide you.¡± Scarlette seemed slightly disappointed. Raeleigh kept herptop and ced it aside.

    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± It was an hour before their curfew, and Scarlette had a great appetite, especially at night.

    Scarlette¡¯s eyes brightened as she heard Raeleigh¡¯s question. ¡°What do you mean? Are you going to bring me out to eat?¡±

    ¡°I have some instant food and two apples. Do you want some?¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t have much nice food, and these were precious to her. She had the two apples with her since she joined the school. It had been half a month, and she hadn¡¯t touched them yet. They might turn bad if she didn¡¯t eat them soon.

    Scarlette looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Instant food?¡±

    She thought for a moment,and then added, ¡°They seem fine. I¡¯m starving!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll cook for you then, since we still have power.¡± Raeleigh was efficient. She quickly prepared two tes of pasta for them. The two of them sat together and enjoyed their meal.

    It was Raeleigh¡¯s first day ying the game and Scarlette constantlyplimented her. ¡°You¡¯re a true genius. I can barelypare myself to you. It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s your first time ying this game.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only because you guided me well,¡± Raeleigh said sincerely.

    Scarlette took a mouthful of her pasta and said, ¡°I still think it¡¯s because you¡¯re really smart.¡±

    Raeleigh kept quiet and focused on eating her food. Then, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s sleep after we¡¯re done eating. We¡¯ll clean up tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    After finishing her pasta, Raeleigh ced her te and utensils in one spot. Then, the two of themy down in their beds under their covers. The lights in the school were soon switched off and Raeleigh finally rested.

    Raeleigh woke up early to wash the dishes. She woke up at six o¡¯clock in the morning to read, and she ate breakfast at seven o¡¯clock. Scarlette thought it was still early when she woke up but she insisted on following Raeleigh out the room.

    The two of them headed to the ssroom after their meal. When they arrived at the ssroom, Raeleigh noticed that the lecturer was treating them with a nicer attitude that day.

    The lecturer saw Raeleigh and said, ¡°Go and take a seat.¡±

    The lecturer would normally ask her why she arrived to the ssroomte.Therefore, Raeleigh made sure she was neverte to ss. Oddly, the lecturer was early to ss that day and many students weren¡¯t here yet. Raeleigh was unsure what the lecturer¡¯s intentions were.

    ¡°Good morning, Sir. My name is Scarlette, and I¡¯m new here.¡± Scarlette introduced herself before Raeleigh said anything. The lecturer was dumbstruck.

    ¡°I see. You two can go take a seat.¡± The lecturer behaved formally. The lecturer first instructed them to take a seat and proceeded with the lesson.

    When the other students arrived at the ssroom, the lecturer¡¯s expression turned strict and lectured them before allowing them to sit down.

    Raeleigh was good in her studies but she had been bullied by the other students in school. If it weren¡¯t for that, then she would have had a much better time in school.

    Although she had not been here for a long time but solely from that incident, she had been used by many of her ssmates. Moreover, the lecturer would pretend not to notice the situation and protect Quirina, causing Raeleigh to have a hard time in school.

    The lecturer¡¯s attitude towards Raeleigh had changedpletely, and she found it strange. Even if Quirina wanted to put on a show, there was no reason for the lecturer to have done this.

    Raeleigh finished her morning sses and went to the cafeteria to have lunch. She stumbled upon a few students who would usually bully her but when they saw her, they quickly fled, as if they were afraid of Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh turned around and watched them hurrying off. She figured that someone must have said something to them behind her back or the few students wouldn¡¯t have been this frightened by her. She felt like a huge tiger, scaring the teachers and students around her.

    After her lunch, Raeleigh wanted to visit the dean¡¯s office. Scarlette asked her, ¡°Why are you going there?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a while and realized that something was wrong.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you being so mysterious? Are you hiding something from me?¡± Scarlette stared at Raeleigh with her eyes widened.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head there first. If you want toe along with me, you can.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to say much about it because she knew that she should be careful of whom she trusted. She was too careless before this, and she ended up losing her schrship application form. She can¡¯t afford to lose it again.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll apany you.¡± Then, the two of them headed towards the office. They went downstairs and Raeleigh headed to the dean¡¯s office.

    When they arrived at the door of the dean¡¯s office, Raeleigh knocked on the door. The person inside instructed her to enter the room, and she did.

    As she opened the door, she saw a man with his back facing her. She knew who it was by looking at his figure.

    Jepherson Richards?Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    What a coincidence!

 Chapter 833 Stamp

    Raeleigh and Scarlette stopped at the entrance. Their eyes were fixed on the dean, who was around sixty years old. He was standing up from his seat.

    Raeleigh bowed towards the dean politely and said, ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Hello, are you Raeleigh?¡± the dean asked in a formal way. Raeleigh nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    ¡°Hello, sir.My name is Scarlette, and I am a new student here,¡± Scarlette said as she stood beside Raeleigh. Then, the dean greeted Scarlette back.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± the dean asked. Raeleigh hesitated and then replied, ¡°I¡¯m here to hand in my schrship application form.¡±

    Raeleigh approached the dean to face him and handed it to him with both her hands. She was oddly calm.

    The dean grabbed the form and took a nce at it. Then, he sat down in his chair and took out his personal stamp and the university¡¯s stamp. He stamped her application form and then handed it to Jepherson, who had yet to turn around.

    Then, Jepherson finally turned around to look at Raeleigh and Scarlette. He called out to Raeleigh, ¡°Come here.¡±

    Raeleigh did not move. She stood in ce.

    Jepherson smiled as the corner of his lips lifted. His gaze was gentle.

    ¡°Do you want me to carry you?¡± Jepherson said with a flirty gaze as he leaned on one side. Raeleigh wasn¡¯t sure why Jepherson was here and why he wanted her to go near him, but everything seemed moreplicated than she thought.

    For the sake of her schrship, she walked towards Jepherson.

    As soon as she got near him, Jepherson grabbed her hand. She wanted to avoid him, but he easily pulled her onto hisp. The dean lowered his head in awkwardness as he was not young anymore, and he couldn¡¯t stand to watch them. Stuart also turned around, so he could not see Jepherson and Raeleigh. Scarlette was standing behind them, so they wouldn¡¯t notice if she was staring.

    Raeleigh blushed instantly and said, ¡°Jepherson, you¡¯re crossing the line.¡±

    Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms. He remained silent with a smile on his face. He then ced Raeleigh¡¯s schrship application form onto the table. Afterwards, he grabbed Raeleigh¡¯s wrist as he pulled the stamp pad near him. At that moment, Raeleigh thought something was off.

    She calmed herself down as she watched Jepherson open up the bracelet on her wrist, and pressed down the opening of the bracelet onto the stamp pad. Then, he pressed the bracelet down on the schrship application form.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on an exquisite stamp on her application form. She looked at it carefully and realized it was Jepherson¡¯s full name.

    As Raeleigh was in a daze, Jepherson had already pulled out a piece of napkin and wiped the surface of the bracelet which formed the stamp. He fastened the bracelet once again on Raeleigh¡¯s wrist and also reset the password before she realized it.

    Raeleigh lowered her head and realized that the bracelet was back on her wrist.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone tell you who I am?¡± he asked her. Since she was on hisp, she appeared slightly taller than him. She had to look down to meet his eyes.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Raeleigh was still lost in the situation.

    ¡°Kiss me here and I¡¯ll tell you,¡± Jepherson said as he tapped his lips with his finger.

    Raeleigh blushed a little. Although she didn¡¯t care about him, she was still a woman and she was fairly new to interacting with men.

    It was as if she was a youngdy meeting a man who was experienced in dating. She was defenceless against his attacks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go too far.¡± Raeleigh bit her lip. If Jepherson were to continue to force her,then she was not sure what she was capable of doing.

    ¡°Okay, we won¡¯t go too far here. Let¡¯s continue outside.¡± Jepherson let go of her hand after he finished his words. He gently urged her to stand up, and she took her time to get off him.

    When Raeleigh stood up, Jepherson had already stood up from the chair. He nced at the schrship application form on the table and told the dean, ¡°I don¡¯t want this matter to be an issue in the future. Do you understand?¡±

    His tone sounded calm and casual, but it carried some weight. Raeleigh thought that Jepherson wasn¡¯t joking, instead it sounded more like a warning to the dean. The dean quickly stood up and replied to Jepherson, ¡°If anyone were to ask me about it, then I¡¯ll tell them that I have made an announcement about it. If we amend it at thest minute, then it will greatly affect Elkton University.¡±

    Jepherson ignored the dean, turning to look at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and walked towards the exit. Raeleigh stood rooted to the spot inside the dean¡¯s office helplessly. If she could,then she would give up the application form, but she had no other choice but to refuse as she had no other means to remain in Elkton University.

    ¡°Miss Anson, Mr. Jepherson is waiting for you outside.¡± Stuart reminded Raeleigh. Jepherson had never waited for anyone in his life.

    Those days, strange things had been happening around here.

    Stuart was waiting by Raeleigh¡¯s side. Raeleigh turned to look at Scarlette who was hiding at the corner of the entrance. She was worried for Scarlette, so she walked to her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. You can wait for me in our dorm. We¡¯ll y the game together tonight.¡±

    Raeleigh spoke in a low voice but Stuart was able to hear her words.

    Scarlette nced at Stuart with wary eyes, before turning to leave the room.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh watched as Scarlette left.Only then did she follow Stuart out. Before that, she bowed to the dean and said, ¡°Thank you for today.¡±

    The dean was in a daze. He stared at Raeleigh and the bracelet on her hand as she walked out of his office.

    The personal stamp of Young Master Jepherson of the Richards family was in the hands of this woman. What did this mean?

    The dean¡¯s gaze then fell onto the schrship application form that was on the table. It seemed that the reason Jepherson was here that day was much more than this application form.

    Raeleigh walked out of the dean¡¯s office and headed downstairs. Stuart was following behind Raeleigh, maintaining a few meters away from her.

    After walking for a while, Raeleigh turned back to look at Stuart. They made eye contact for a while, and she realized that Stuart was just following orders. So, she turned back around and continued walking.

    When they arrived downstairs, Raeleigh did not see Jepherson. She went out of the school to look for him.

    ¡°Miss Anson, Young Master Jepherson was afraid to create trouble for you, so he decided to wait for you in the car outside. I hope that you won¡¯t make him wait any longer as he never waited for anyone in his life.¡± Stuart was not a nosy person, but he had to interject that time.

    Raeleigh took a look at Stuart and walked towards the outside of the school. After a ten minute walk, Raeleigh saw a car parked outside the school entrance and headed towards it.

    Stuart opened the door and Raeleigh looked inside the car. The driver immediately got out of the car and said, ¡°Miss Anson, if you may, please enter.¡±

    Raeleigh looked around to make sure she didn¡¯t catch any unnecessary attention before she finally went into the car.

    As Raeleigh got into the car, the door was closed shut by Stuart. Raeleigh could only sit to one side and look at Jepherson, who was looking out of the car window.

    The atmosphere in the car suddenly fell into silence. Raeleigh¡¯s breathing was heard clearly throughout the car.

 Chapter 834 Classical Concert

    After being in the car for some time, Jepherson moved his hand from his thighs and reached towards Raeleigh. Raeleigh had her head lowered as she watched him ce his hand onto hers. He held her hand gently, with his thumb on the inside of her palm while the other fingers held her palm.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t move. She knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape despite what Jepherson wanted to do to her that time. It was the second time meeting him and she didn¡¯t get the feeling that he was going to do anything s*xual towards her.

    On the contrary, Jepherson seemed to be trying to show her that he was being considerate towards her. But why was he doing that? Raeleigh had no idea.

    After holding her hand, Jepherson turned his face to look at her. He had a light smile on his face.

    ¡°Was it interesting?¡± Jepherson whispered as his body moved towards her. Raeleigh didn¡¯t avoid him but she just stared at him. Jepherson couldn¡¯t get a reaction out of Raeleigh and his expression showed that he was disappointed. His eyes looked sad and he sighed out of frustration.

    ¡°If it were someone else, then would you have no reaction either? You¡¯re as stubborn as a rock, given your good looks,¡± Jepherson said with augh. He leaned in to kiss her, and she moved back to avoid him, but before she could escape, he pressed his hand on the back of her head and pushed her towards himself.

    Raeleigh widened her eyes, staring at Jepherson¡¯s lips on hers. Her eyebrows tightened and then slowly rxed.

    Seeing that she didn¡¯t react much, Jepherson turned around and pressed her against the car seat. He neither kissed her nor took any other actions, and all he did was to look at her silently. Jepherson noticed a sense of coldness in her gaze, as if she had disconnected herself from the world.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    ¡°Here.¡± Jepherson pointed his finger to his lips. Raeleigh¡¯s beautiful eyes turned to look outside the window. She knew that if she didn¡¯t kiss him then, he wouldn¡¯t move away from her.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment and wanted to do as he ordered. Jepherson smiled and kissed her before she could kiss him.

    Then, Jepherson got up and adjusted his shirt.

    ¡°Stuart,¡± Jepherson called out from the car. Raeleigh got up as she watched Jepherson sit up.

    ¡°Book two tickets to the ssical violin recital.¡± Jepherson instructed as Stuart was holding the car door open from the outside. Jepherson¡¯s expression looked indifferent and he didn¡¯t seem like someone with a bad temper.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a while and then asked, ¡°You want to go to a ssical concert with me?¡±

    ¡°What else could it be? Don¡¯t all rtionships start by going on dates?¡± Jepherson recalled how Raeleigh confessed to him and thought it was funny. ¡°We had already exchanged gifts. Shouldn¡¯t we at least go to a ssical concert?¡± he added.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to date you. You deliberately misunderstood it. You knew that I was forced to confess to you, yet you epted the gift. Not only did you almost cost me my schrship application form, you made me Quirina¡¯s nemesis,¡± Raeleighined. She was upset about being dragged into this situation. Even without Jepherson, Quirina was never going to let her off easily, but Jepherson¡¯s interference worsened her situation. No one would want to be in such a situation.

    ¡°I¡¯ve epted your gift. How could you just decide not to date me? It doesn¡¯t make sense, and why are you making it sound like it¡¯s reasonable? I am the Young Master of the Richards family. You confessed your feelings to me publicly and I epted it in front of everyone. If people found out that you dumped me, then how embarrassing would that be for the Richards family? What would it do to my reputation?¡±

    ¡°You are clearly not being reasonable at all.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡± Stuart interrupted Raeleigh¡¯s sentence. Jepherson turned to Stuart and replied, ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, about the ssical concert, there are two sessions. We could still make it there on time if we leave now but the repertoire isn¡¯t the best.¡± Stuart was frustrated that they were so unlucky.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Jepherson looked at Stuart and asked. ¡°It¡¯s Love Story, followed by Butterfly Lovers,¡± Stuart replied.

    ¡°We can¡¯t make it in time for Love Story?¡± Jepherson asked. Stuart replied, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go for Butterfly Lovers then.¡±

    Stuart was stunned for a moment but he still circled back to the other side of the car and got in.

    The driver drove the car straight to the hall where the concert was being held.

    When the car arrived at the venue, Jepherson got down ahead of Raeleigh. Then, he turned around and reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hand, waiting for her to get down from the car.

    Raeleigh sat in the car and her gaze fell on Jepherson, who was outside the car. Raeleigh said, ¡°I will get out of the car if you promise me that you¡¯ll send me back by ten o¡¯clock. If you don¡¯t, then I won¡¯t get off.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I will send you back by ten o¡¯clock.¡± Jepherson wasn¡¯t forceful and he maintained a faint smile on his face.

    Then, Raeleigh got down from the car without Jepherson¡¯s help.

    She looked up at the sky and realized it had turned dark. It was almost eight o¡¯clock at night. If he were to send her home by ten o¡¯clock, then she would still have time to learn the game.

    Jepherson withdrew his hand after Raeleigh had gone out of the car. There was a sh of disappointment in his eyes. He turned to look at Stuart and said, ¡°Stuart, get us two cups of coffee. One mhiato and one Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Stuart turned around and left. Jepherson took a look at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go in. We¡¯rete.¡±

    Jepherson instinctively reached out his hand to Raeleigh, but she didn¡¯t reach out to grab it. She thought that it wasn¡¯t necessary to do so since they had nothing to do with each other.

    Then, he grabbed her hand without waiting for her to grab his and headed for the hall.

    There were two people standing in front of the concert hall entrance. They quickly went forward to Jepherson when they saw him.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll only be here for a short while, as usual,¡± Jepherson replied and pulled Raeleigh into the concert hall. They got into an elevator and headed straight for the convention center where the concert was held. They walked to Jepherson¡¯s designated seat. The seat beside it was originally for Stuart, but it was meant for Raeleigh that.

    Jepherson¡¯s seat was not all the way at the front, and he wanted it that way, so it made it easy for him to go in and out of the concert without catching much attention.

    As they took their seats, the second half of the concert had just begun. Raeleigh looked around her, and she thought that she didn¡¯t belong here because the people attending this concert were all wealthy and upper ss.

    Stuart came from one side and handed them the cups of coffees. He then sat down at a seat nearby and remained alert.

    Jepherson handed one of the coffees to Raeleigh. He then leaned over to her and whispered in a voice that only she could hear, ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, then I¡¯ll get you a different one next time.¡±

    Raeleigh moved away and stared at Jepherson. She didn¡¯t understand why he was doing this. Had he possibly fallen for her?

    ¡°Forget about it. Someone like me doesn¡¯t belong in a ce like this. It¡¯s only normal for wealthy guys to y with our emotions and take us on a ride.¡± She thought about it and found it funny.

    Raeleigh was well aware when it came to this matter.

    Love had no boundaries, yet one mustn¡¯t go above one¡¯s rank.

    Since young, Raeleigh had seen many rtionships fall apart, even among average citizens around her. Life would be normal from the start as they struggled with their daily activities, but then they would end up separating from each other. It was all because they didn¡¯t have money. It happened way too often and because of that, Raeleigh didn¡¯t have big hopes in marriage.

    Perhaps she might meet someone in the future, but that was not something she could worry about right then. It was too far away from the present, and she didn¡¯t want to think about it.

    She wasn¡¯t against being friends with wealthy people, but it didn¡¯t mean that she would ept all of them.

    Jepherson opened the lid of his cup of coffee and then sat quietly as he listened to the concert. Raeleigh watched him in confusion, and she then shifted her focus to the concert too.

    Butterfly Lovers was an extremely difficult song to perform on violin. Raeleigh was incredibly focused on the performance.

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh in the middle of the performance. She held her coffee in her hand and her eyes were fixed on the performers on stage. She looked so focused that it seemed like she had forgotten where she was.

    He did not disturb her and allowed her to enjoy the concert in peace.

    Raeleigh would smile from time to time as she watched the performance. Although it was only a faint smile, and it disappeared from her face quickly, Jepherson was able to catch every expression she had.

 Chapter 835 Mr. Jepherson In Deep Trouble

    After leaving the concert hall, Raeleigh became incredibly silent. She wasn¡¯t sure why Jepherson had brought her here and even though she had never been to a ce like this, she knew that she wouldn¡¯t have been allowed into the concert with the attire she was wearing.

    If it weren¡¯t for Jepherson, she wouldn¡¯t have been allowed to go in at all.

    The concert had yet to end, and they could¡¯ve left slightlyter, but it would have been crowded at the end of the show. Raeleigh was aware that Jepherson didn¡¯t want to attract any unnecessary attention, therefore they left the concert early.

    The two of them walked out of the elevator as Stuart walked in front of them. Jepherson got into the car after Raeleigh. The concert hall¡¯s supervisor and manager watched them leave as they stood outside Jepherson¡¯s car.

    On the way back, Raeleigh closed her eyes without thinking as she leaned against the car seat. She usually went to bed at ten o¡¯clock at night and due to spending her time focusing on the game the night before, she felt exhausted that day. Moreover, it waste.

    Jepherson leaned over and pulled Raeleigh to him, so that she could lean against his body. He lifted his wrist to check the time as one of his arms circled around her. It was way past ten o¡¯clock.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, are we heading back to the university?¡± Stuart asked as he figured that there was no point heading back since it was closed.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡­

    More than half an hourter, the car arrived and stopped at the entrance of Elkton University. Stuart and the driver got down from the car. He then stood aside and guarded it. Jepherson leaned against the car seat with his eyes closed as he did a light patting motion on Raeleigh with his hand.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t notice anything wrong as she was dreaming. She had a dream that her grandmother was patting her to sleep.

    She recalled a huge fire at the orphanage back then. Everyone perished in the fire, and she was the only one who made it out alive.

    She remembered that her grandmother was nearby, collecting recyble items that day. She heard people screaming and ran towards the direction of the screams. It waste at night. She tried to look for help, and she saw Raeleigh on the ground crying. Raeleigh had a wet nket covering her body that was put on her by the orphanage¡¯s caretaker.

    She was still physically fit back then, and she quickly grabbed Raeleigh away from the fire.

    The orphanage building copsed and a bright light shone. Just like that, the fire took away the orphanage from her while ending more than ten innocent lives.

    From that day onwards, she was given the name Raeleigh.

    She thought it was a good name for her.

    Raeleigh could still remember that she had a high fever after she was saved from the fire. The fever wouldn¡¯t go down, but her grandmother did not admit her to the hospital. She said that there must have been a reason behind such a huge fire, and it was her destiny that she happened to be nearby that night. It was a sign from God.

    A few days after the incident, there were a bunch of people who showed up asking about the incident. They asked if anyone around saw the kids that escaped the orphanage. Her grandmother imed that she did not see any of them. Those people didn¡¯t seem like they were from the management team of the orphanage, and it meant that there was a hidden truth behind the fire.

    Raeleigh remembered that there were seven other girls in the orphanage who were the same age as her. She heard that they only managed to find six bodies and that must have meant that there was one missing girl from the fire. The bunch of people must have been looking for the seventh girl.

    From then on, Raeleigh would get nightmares every night. She would often cry or yell in her sleep. As a result, her grandmother was worried about her and would always pat her to sleep. Raeleigh¡¯s condition got better ever since she went to high school.

    Raeleigh dreamt that her grandmother was patting her to sleep.

    Raeleigh was in a deep sleep and she only woke up in the morning. When she opened her eyes, it was already past six o¡¯clock in the morning. She was woken up by the sound of students passing by to go into the school.

    Jepherson could only feel how sore his arm and body was.

    However, when he noticed Raeleigh had woken up, his mouth curved upwards and nted a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Morning,¡± he said.

    His heavenly voice rang into her ears and she gradually looked up at him. She paused at the view of his charming and handsome face. She then looked away but looked back at him shortly after.

    Before she turned to look at him, Jepherson was already smiling. Raeleigh was stunned, and she didn¡¯t react for a long time. She was recalling back to what happened the previous night.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± Raeleigh looked upset. Then, her expression turned cold again. Without waiting for him to reply, she turned around and got out of the car, heading straight towards the school.

    Jepherson couldn¡¯t help but to smirk as he watched Raeleigh getting upset. He knocked on the car door and Stuart came forward instantly. ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re done here. Let¡¯s go to thepany.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Stuart and the driver got into the car at the same time. They obeyed Jepherson¡¯s instruction and headed to thepany. There was an important meeting that day and since the president of thepany was abroad, every little matter in thepany was handled by the vice president of thepany, which was Jepherson.

    The outsiders thought that Jepherson was still in school, but in fact he had been working in thepany for some time, and he had been doing very well. His parents were very proud of him.

    Jepherson got down from the car and headed into thepany. Then, Stuart got a call from Marissa.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, Old Madam Marissa is on the phone.¡± Stuart handed the phone to Jepherson who was next to him. Jepherson red at him and said, ¡°Have you seen me?¡±

    His tone was stern and it was nerve-wracking. Stuart was well-trained for this situation and he knew what to do.

    Stuart immediately understood and picked up the phone. ¡°Old Madam Marissa.¡±

    ¡°Why are you picking up the call? Where is Mr. Jepherson?¡± Marissa was upset. Jepherson was acting out of line,and there was no reason for women to be popping out everywhere beside him when they had already made a promise. She wanted to get to the bottom of it.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t know how to exin to Rayan about the situation as she was the one who wanted to introduce the Whalens¡¯ daughter to the public, but the situation ended up horribly. Although Zorion Whalen hadn¡¯t said anything about it, he came to visit Marissa with a gift. He wouldn¡¯t have visited her out of the blue. He was probably here for an answer and Marissa had to find out before it was toote.

    Marissa was furious. Everyone in the Ink Garden felt worried about her too. Marissa had barely lived there for a few days, and she was already upset. If Mr. Hansen and Madam Jenna were to find out about it, they might be in a tough spot. They were all the elders who moved here from A City, and they were not familiar with Marissa as they had barely met her.

    They just found out that Mr. Hansen was abroad for a business trip and had forcefully brought Madam Jenna along with him. They had only been here once.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson is in a meeting right now.¡± Stuart stalled Marissa as he watched Jepherson, who had already entered the building.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re just giving me an excuse. Make sure you ask him to return my call once he is done with his meeting! He¡¯s driving me mad!¡± Marissa then hung up the call. Stuart quickly followed behind Jepherson.

    Was Mr. Jepherson going to be in deep trouble?

 Chapter 836 Could Barely Afford To Survive, How Am I Supposed To Get A Laptop

    Marissa felt furious about what happened. She tried to cool herself down with the exquisite fan in her hand but to no avail. Then, she pulled out her phone and called her daughter-inw.

    However, her son picked up the call instead.

    ¡°Mom, howe you¡¯re calling so early in the morning? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hansen sleptte the night before. Although he had taken good care of himself, despite being middle-aged, he was as fit as a young man. He still had urges in bed as usual.

    Hansen had just woken up from his sleep when he picked up the call and it was Marissa¡¯s call that woke him up. He was worried that the sound would wake Jenna up, so he quickly picked up the phone instead.

    Marissa was stunned, and she pulled a long face. ¡°What do you mean? Are youining about the fact that I¡¯m calling you?¡±

    ¡°How could that be? I asked you that because I just thought that it must be an important matter for you to call at this hour. Who angered you? Where¡¯s Jepherson? Isn¡¯t he with you?¡±

    ¡°He was the one who angered me. Can you pay more attention to your son and teach him some manners?¡± Marissained. Hansen was surprised because Marissa had always been very protective of Jepherson.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What did he do this time?¡± Hansen said as he moved his hand to Jenna¡¯s face. He caressed her face with the back of his fingers and moved her hair out of her face. There were barely any signs of aging on Hansen¡¯s and Jenna¡¯s faces. Jenna¡¯s hair were soft like how it was when she was young.

    The cover was pulled downwards and Jenna¡¯s smooth and fair shoulders were revealed.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    She was lying in bed without clothes on. As the covers were pulled downwards, her beautiful back was shown. There were faint kissing marks on her back and she looked breathtaking.

    It had been years since they had been on a honeymoon together, therefore Hansen was extremely passionate.

    When Hansen noticed the kiss marks on Jenna¡¯s back, he couldn¡¯t help but to lean in to kiss her back again. Jenna was at her limit and she would be risking her life if they continued. Therefore, she chose to y dead.

    Hansen felt bad for Jenna, so he pulled the covers back up to cover her and focused on his phone call with Marissa.

    ¡°It¡¯s about the engagement of course. I¡¯ve already told you many times that you should urge Jerry in this matter but you didn¡¯t bother with it. None of you listened to me.¡±

    ¡°Now, things are awkward with Deanna from the Whalen family. Why didn¡¯t you settle this matter earlier? There¡¯s no point waiting on it.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to talk about this matteronlyafter Jepherson graduates from school? Despite your interest for Deanna to be with Jepherson, you know the rules of the Richards family, which was to ept polygamy. Rayan is not going to agree with that.¡± Hansen had always wanted to remove this crazy rule of the Richards family because it was allowing men to have fun behind their wives¡¯ backs and also putting women in unnecessary pain.

    Unfortunately, it was a difficult mission. Hansen had brought up the issue many times but Marissa had always disagreed with it. It was obvious what intentions she had in mind.

    Although she had no intention to make him marry again, she wanted to keep the rule, so that she could have a way to upset Jenna or warn her.

    Hansen didn¡¯t need anyone else other than Jenna, and he didn¡¯t wish for his son to have more than one wife either.

    A man should be loyal to one woman in his life.

    Hansen wanted to use this as an excuse to get rid of this rule in the Richards family. This way, the Richards family could avoid affairs from happening under the excuse of passing on the family name.

    It¡¯s a modern society and for a man to have more than one wifelegally, no one from a decent family would allow their daughter to be involved in that.

    Let alone Rayan.

    Hannah would cut ties with them.

    ¡°How do you know that Rayan would disagree with it? It doesn¡¯t matter if he does because his daughter would agree. Deanna likes Jerry.¡± Marissa disagreed on removing the Richards family rule and Trevor had no say in it.

    Hansen knew that Marissa would say so, therefore he didn¡¯t intend to bring up the fact that Jepherson saw Deanna merely as a younger sister, and not as a potential partner.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we can still wait till after they graduate.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s working right now. Don¡¯t use their graduation as an excuse to shut me up. I know what you¡¯re thinking. You say you will let the children choose for themselves, but I¡¯m telling you, don¡¯t forget that your and Jenna¡¯s marriage was arranged by your grandmother and you two are happier than ever. This is the proof. What else do you have to say?¡± Marissa brought up his grandmother to pressure Hansen, but he was unaffected by it.

    ¡°But they haven¡¯t even graduated from school yet. Furthermore, Jenna and I are abroad and you¡¯ll have to wait for us to get back before you could arrange the marriage.¡±

    ¡°Deanna has just entered university, and it is her first year there. If we want to ask for Deanna¡¯s hand in marriage, then it doesn¡¯t seem like Rayan would agree to it.¡±

    ¡°You two shoulde back now then. You are a mature couple, you can travel anytime.¡± Marissa was satisfied with Jenna as her daughter-inw, but she didn¡¯t like how Jenna was always agreeing to Hanson¡¯s arrangements.

    She should not obey him blindly. What if one day he were to ask her to end her own life? What would be of her by then?

    ¡°Jenna is asleep. I¡¯ll talk to her about it once she wakes up.¡± Hansen brought Jenna up in the conversation. Although Marissa wanted Hansen to wake Jenna up,she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say so because Jenna had always treated her extremely well.

    ¡°Fine, let her rest then. Ask her to call me back once she¡¯s up. It¡¯s about ten o¡¯clock over here, what time is it over there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about four o¡¯clock.¡±

    ¡°You should rest then.¡± Marissa hung up the phone. She thought about it, and she then stood up from the chair. She couldn¡¯t wait for Jepherson toe home, so she decided to do it herself.

    Marissa brought some help along and visited the Whalen family.

    There was no one at the Whalen family residence other than Hannah. She said a lot of kind words, but she didn¡¯t bring up her daughter during the conversation. Hannah thought that Deanna was still young, and they should leave the topic for the future.

    In fact, both of the families knew it very well that Marissa couldn¡¯t seem to see the issue clearly.

    That time, Rayan had be more determined about his decision. Jepherson was a great kid, but he wouldn¡¯t rush his daughter to marry into the Richards family. The Richards family had a huge business and tons of rules. Rayan had not forgotten about what happened to Dory in the past.

    Therefore, this marriage wasn¡¯t a good idea.

    Raeleigh rushed back to her dorm after she got down from the car. Nobody noticed hering in since there were too many people in school. It was early in the morning and nobody possibly knew where she went. She could have just gone out for a walk for some fresh air.

    Raeleigh entered the room and acted calm. She saw Scarlette gaming on herptop. She fell into a daze and then quickly locked their dorm room.

    Scarlette yawned and looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    She looked exhausted, but she didn¡¯t stop what she was doing.

    Raeleigh sat down and looked at Scarlette¡¯sptop. She asked, ¡°Did you log in to my ount and let the game run?¡±

    ¡°What else? Your ranking in the game is too low and if it remains this way, when will you be able to earn money off of it? Therefore, I helped you. But remember to log out from your game the next time. Why don¡¯t you get aptop with a fingerprint lock? Allptops have that now, and you know our major. We have to store our designs in ourptops in the future. Aren¡¯t you afraid that someone will try to steal your designs one day?¡± Scarlette said in a straightforward manner.

    Raeleigh was lost in thought. In fact, she knew these things very well. However, how could she afford aptop with a fingerprint lock when she could barely sustain her daily life?

 Chapter 837 Design

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? What happened between you and that manst night?¡± Scarlette was still speaking in a straightforward manner. Raeleigh looked up at her and replied indifferently, ¡°We went to a ssical concert and I fell asleep on the way back. We slept at the entrance of the school and only woke up this morning.¡± She wasn¡¯t acting shy or as if she had something to hide like other girls would.

    ¡°How did you sleep at the school entrance?¡± Scarlette was surprised as she imagined Raeleigh and Jepherson lying on the ground together at the school entrance.

    ¡°I slept in the car outside the school entrance. Jepherson didn¡¯t wake me up.¡± Raeleigh couldn¡¯t understand why Jepherson made her go out with him but didn¡¯t end up doing anything to her. Everything was oddly normal.

    ¡°It seems like he¡¯s good to you.¡± Scarlette recalled her first time seeing Jepherson when she was a kid. Although the encounter was fine, Jepherson had always been cold and quiet. He wouldn¡¯t give extra attention to any girls either. Girls probably didn¡¯t mean anything to him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about him. Let¡¯s talk about you,¡± Raeleigh said as she looked at Scarlette. ¡°What about me?¡± Scarlette replied in confusion.

    Did she find out the truth about Scarlette?

    ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep all night yesterday. Can you still make it to ss today? Why don¡¯t you take a day off?¡± Raeleigh was considerate towards Scarlette.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Scarlette was here to protect Raeleigh.How could she leave her?

    ¡°I¡¯m not going either then. I¡¯ll keep youpany.¡± Raeleigh never had any friends until Scarlette. Moreover, Scarlette helped her, so she decided to stay and be with her.

    ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me, are you?¡± Scarlette blinked her huge eyes in surprise. She remembered in Raeleigh¡¯s data, it stated that she had never ditched ss before since young, other than that one time when Raeleigh¡¯s grandmother was sick.

    ¡°Why would I lie to you? Do I have the face of a liar?¡± Raeleighughed. Scarlette fell into a daze for almost a minute.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Raeleigh asked as she felt that Scarlette was acting strange.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Scarlette replied.

    Scarlette was deeply drawn to Raeleigh as she let out augh. If Jepherson saw Raeleigh¡¯s smile,then would he fall head over heels for her? He was probably interested in her because he had seen her smile.

    ¡°You should rest first then. I asked for leave for the both of us. I¡¯ll tell the teacher that you caught a cold, and you don¡¯t feel well, so I¡¯ll be taking care of you and won¡¯t be heading to ss. Then, I¡¯ll bring some food for you on my way back here. Get some rest.¡±

    Raeleigh conveyed her words so considerately that Scarlette felt moved. Scarlette liked this type of girl too.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    Scarlettey down in bed while Raeleigh left the room to freshen up. Then, she went to let their lecturer know that they were taking leave before heading to the cafeteria.

    ¡°Oh, look.It¡¯s the shameless girl! To get Mr. Richards¡¯ attention, she read a love letter to him out loud in front of everyone and gave him a pair of underwear. She also offered him her virginity. What a slut.¡±

    Raeleigh heard some whispers about herself as she walked back from the cafeteria. She continued walking forward and ignored thements.

    This ce had always been like this. If she were to fight back, then she wouldn¡¯t be able to stay here anymore.

    She neither had any power nor a good background, if she were to argue with them, then she wouldn¡¯t have a way out.

    ¡°She¡¯s truly a b*tch. Look at her, putting on a pitiful face. She looks like a tramp.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. For Mr. Richards to fallevenfor a girl like this, then even a prince would fall for me!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± They sneered.

    ¡°Ah!¡± One of them shouted. Raeleigh paused and turned around to look at the girls who were talking ill about her. One of them had her hands on the back of her head.

    ¡°What are you looking at? Aren¡¯t you afraid we¡¯ll take your eyeballs out?¡± The girls were proudly talking ill of her in public and were aggressive towards her. Raeleigh nced at them. She then turned around and continued walking.

    ¡°B-blood!¡± One of them yelled in shock. Raeleigh turned around to look at the girl who previously had her hands behind her head. The girl¡¯s hand was then in front of her face, and it was covered with fresh red blood.

    The people around her started to panic and quickly fled the scene. No one was helping her.

    The girl was left alone crying. ¡°Ambnce. Someone, call the ambnce. I¡¯m about to die.¡±

    Raeleigh took out her phone and called the ambnce as she stood in ce. After a while, the girl dropped to the floor.

    Raeleigh walked over to take a look at the girl. A metal te poked out from behind her head.

    Raeleigh was stunned and started looking around to see who was the one who did it.

    The ambnce arrived shortly after and sent the girl to the hospital. They wanted to bring Raeleigh along but for some reason did not.

    Raeleigh watched the ambnce leave, feeling strange. What was going on?

    Raeleigh went back to her room afterwards. Scarlette was in deep sleep and she turned her body once as Raeleigh stepped into the room. Raeleigh didn¡¯t wake her up and started doing her revision. After a while, Raeleigh thought about Jepherson¡¯s car.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know that Jepherson designed his own car. As the heir of the Richards family fortune, Jepherson inherited his father¡¯s business mind and his mother¡¯s talent in designing cars.

    At the age of neen, Jepherson had already designed his very own car and he designed both its interior and exterior.

    The lines and other parts of his car design were internationally recognized. When he first published his design, he received an international award for it and due to that, the yearly revenue of the Richards Group had doubled.

    It was legendary.

    It was due to that design that Jepherson was introduced to thepany and was appointed as the vice president.

    He was still too young at that time and the news of him entering thepany as the vice president was put on a dy for two to three years. Then, Jepherson ended up finishing school a year earlier and officially entered thepany.

    Raeleigh thought about Jepherson¡¯s car and felt that it was top tier when it came to its shape and quality. She wondered whether the designer had only focused on giving the car a powerful look that itcked a tinge of softness to it. However, the car was near perfect, and its dashing appearance did not suit women.

    Therefore, Raeleigh wanted to design a car that was as beautiful as his but made for women.

    Raeleigh got herself busy at her desk for the whole morning and finally came up with a car design that she was happy with.

    When she was drawing her design, Scarlette had already woken up from her sleep. Scarlette didn¡¯t want to disturb Raeleigh, who was in deep focus. She secretly took a photo of Raeleigh, who was busy working on her design and due to her angle, she got a close up photo of Raeleigh¡¯s design.

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t upset when she noticed Scarlette taking pictures of her.

    ¡°Why are you taking photos of this?¡± Raeleigh asked without blocking her drawing. It was fine if someone wanted to steal her drawing because she will be able to design something even better. One could only do so much by stealing other people¡¯s designs.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. As long as I¡¯m here, you can live your life herefortably,¡± Scarlette said as she clicked the ¡®send¡¯ button on her phone. The photo was sent out along with Raeleigh¡¯s design.

 Chapter 838 It Was Odd

    In the Richards Group¡¯s Ink Garden in Capital City.

    ¡°Jerry, do you hear what I¡¯m saying?¡± Marissa was slightly impatient. She had been questioning Jepherson, and he hadn¡¯t replied to her a single word about what happened between him and the girl.

    Jepherson was looking at his phone. He was looking at Raeleigh¡¯s design drawing, which was thest photo sent to him. His eyes and soul werepletely blown away by it. Although he could only see part of the design, it was enough for him to tell that he had found a rare treasure.

    Jepherson put his phone away and looked towards Marissa with a smile, ¡°Grandma,do you want me to start my own family?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I like Deanna a lot. Don¡¯t you like her too? Our families are perfect for each other, and it is one of my wishes. Do you know that Deanna hasn¡¯t been over for a few days? Has there been a conflict between the two of you?¡± Marissaasked,grabbing Jepherson¡¯s hand. She was afraid that he was going to run away like the previous time, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to chase after him then.

    Jepherson smiled and said, ¡°How could that be? Deanna is such an obedient and likable girl. Why would I have conflict with her? It must be because of a past incident.¡±

    Jepherson sighed, as if something was bothering him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You can tell me about it. I promise I will help you.¡± Marissa was getting impatient as she held Jepherson¡¯s hand. He then looked around the room and Marissa instantly instructed, ¡°You may all dismiss yourself. The room feels suffocating with everyone here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Old Madam.¡± Everyone in the room, including Stuart, dismissed themselves. Marissa watched as everyone left the room and asked Jepherson, ¡°Can you tell me now?¡±

    Jepherson was direct and replied, ¡°Grandma, if I tell you about it, then you¡¯ll have to keep it a secret.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡± Marissa¡¯s heart was at her throat since if the rumors about Jephersonwere true, then it would be hard for Deanna to join their family as Jepherson¡¯s wife, and Rayan wouldn¡¯t allow it.

    ¡°The truth is, when I attended the freshman ball the other night, I was initially waiting for you to introduce Deanna but before you and Deanna showed up at the ball, something bad happened.¡± Jepherson decided to tell the truth that the Moore family was involved in the incident.

    Despite everything, Johan hadn¡¯t treated Jepherson¡¯s mother, Jenna, well and Marissa had always disliked the Moore family. If it weren¡¯t for a diplomatic rtionship, then the two families wouldn¡¯t have been kind to each other.

    In recent years, the Moore family had been thriving in Capital City, but they didn¡¯t have much support from the citizens. Marissa knew it better than anyone. The Richards family was doing equally well and therefore the Moore family didn¡¯t dare to underestimate the Richards family. Marissa had always wanted to form a marriage of convenience between the Richards family and the Whalen family in order to strengthen the rtionship between the two families, so that they would be more sessful than the Moore family.

    The Richards family had always been under Johan¡¯s watchful eye and as long as he was still alive, the Richards family would never be able to break itself from the bond. On the other hand, the Richards family wondered about who was going to take charge of the Moore family once Johan passed away.

    If the person were to be Yousif, then the Richards family would have a rough time.

    Jepherson was old enough and he would join Hansen in corporate nning and Hansen had told him about most of the truths. This way, Jepherson knew the power within Capital City well.

    The Moore family was the main family in Capital City and the other families were only minorpared to them. The Richards family had always been focused on business, and they didn¡¯t bother with the politics in the city. Jepherson and Hansen were very much alike when it came to avoiding politics. They wouldn¡¯te in contact with them unless necessary.

    The Richards family had a powerful cement in Capital City and if they were to join forces with a family that was simr to theirs, they would be even more powerful. Therefore, Marissa was nning for the Richards family to join forces with the Whalen family. The reason she wanted to do so was because they already had a good rtionship with one another. Secondly, both families were simr when it came to their backgrounds. Lastly, the children from both families were decent people.

    Jepherson knew Marissa¡¯s intentions very well, and he figured he should tell Marissa about the Moore family at that moment.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Marissa asked. Jepherson replied, ¡°Grandma, you don¡¯t know this but Yousif has a mistress outside his marriage and due to her poor background, Johan did not allow them to marry. Yousif and that woman had a daughter together and Yousif treats her extremely well. I¡¯m not sure what he said to Johan, but he managed to bring his daughter into the Moore family.¡±

    ¡°The girl is a child out of wedlock, but she acts as she wishes in the Richards¡¯ family¡¯s Elkton University. She would bully other students but the Richards family didn¡¯t make it a big deal due to the rtionship with the Moore family, but she ended up causing me a problem.¡±

    ¡°What? A daughter out of wedlock is bullying my grandson?¡± Marissa was furious. The Moore family was powerful in Capital City but the Richards family wasn¡¯t doing any worse than them.

    Marissa was upset. She smacked her luxurious fan onto the table, and it split into two. Jepherson quicklyforted her and patted her on her chest to calm her down. ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t be angry. Listen to me first.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Marissa couldn¡¯t help but to feel angry.

    ¡°So, what happened was, Quirina from the Moore family, caught a girl and forced her to read a love letter to me. She also forced the girl to give me a pair of underwear. Quirina humiliated her in public along with me. If I were to reject the girl furiously in front of everyone, then how embarrassing would it be once you and Deanna arrive?¡±

    ¡°And?¡± Marissa asked.

    ¡°So, I yed along and took the girl away. I epted her gift and her confession. I wanted Quirina to give up and this way, I¡¯m able to protect Deanna too. Otherwise, considering how naive Deanna is, she would be hurt¡¯.¡± Jepherson emphasized the danger that Deanna may be in. Marissa quickly felt worried and became afraid by the thought of it.

    Marissa knew very well thepetition between wealthy families. In the past, Jenna was too innocent and naive. On the other hand, Marissa wasn¡¯t aware of what was going on, and she almost ruined Jenna.

    She didn¡¯t know what the Moore family members were capable of.

    The illegitimate child must have had ill intentions and if she were to really hurt Deanna, then it would be toote.

    Marissa¡¯s face turned pale. She grabbed Jepherson¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°What happened after?¡±

    ¡°After that, I continued to mislead everyone to believe that I epted the girl¡¯s confession. This way, Quirina wouldn¡¯t n to do anything to hurt Deanna anymore,¡± Jepherson exined reasonably. Marissa thought it made sense too.

    This way, Deanna wasn¡¯t going to get hurt and Quirina¡¯s matter was handled. It was a good thing.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What about the girl then? Is she going to take it seriously? What if she gives you trouble? If Deanna finds out about it, then it¡¯s going to be hard to exin the truth.¡± Marissa was worried.

    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t happen. The girl doesn¡¯t even know who I am. She¡¯s a top-scoring student and due to her poor background, she worked very hard to get into Elkton University on a schrship. She would always get bullied by Quirina because of her poor background. Therefore, if I am with the girl, then Quirina wouldn¡¯t dare to harass her in public anymore. The girl has every reason to cooperate with me and¡­¡±

    Seeing that Jepherson was hesitating, Marissa continued to ask, ¡°And what?¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have any reaction towards me. She¡¯s very cold. Therefore, I suspect that she is¡­¡±

    ¡°She is what?¡± Marissa was confused. Jepherson leaned over and whispered something into Marissa¡¯s ear. Her eyes widened in shock. ¡°Is that true?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure either,¡± Jepherson added. Marissa was convinced by Jepherson¡¯s words, and she got someone to carry out an investigation on Raeleigh. The investigation confirmed that Raeleigh was a decent child but due to her poor background, she was constantly being bullied by other students.

    She was excellent in her studies. On the other hand, she hasn¡¯t had any male friends since she was young.

    Right then, she was living in the same dorm with a girl named Scarlette, and they would have their hands over each other¡¯s shoulders when they¡¯re around in school. It was odd.

 Chapter 839 Am I Really Going To Participate?

    After investigating Raeleigh¡¯s identity, Marissa made up her mind. If there was such a person to help with the situation and ensure Deanna¡¯s safety, then it was considered good news.

    At the very least, Deanna¡¯s safety was guaranteed. On the other hand, they would be able to tell who was trying to sabotage the matter.

    As for Rayan, Marissa could only try to provide them an exnation. She believed that everything was going to be resolved.

    Rayan was a smart man. Moreover, Hannah and Jenna were best friends. They would agree that this was good news too.

    Marissa made up her mind. She called the dean of Elkton University to make sure the school took good care of Raeleigh.

    Since the Richards family was making use of Raeleigh, they should at least give her something back in return.

    After attending the early morning sses, Scarlette pulled Raeleigh to one side. As they were walking, Scarlette told her that the Richards Group was nning to hold apetition for car designing. Scarlette told Raeleigh that she was going to participate in thepetition, and she wanted Raeleigh to join too.

    Raeleigh was surprised. She looked at Scarlette and said, ¡°Howe I¡¯ve never heard about this? Moreover, the Richards Group is a well-known multinationalpany. Why would they hold a car designingpetition among the students of Elkton University? Shouldn¡¯t they be holding apetition and open it for everyone in the city instead? Don¡¯t be fooled, Scarlette.¡±

    Raeleigh had seen many university students falling for scams.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. It¡¯s a real event. I have my way of knowing things. Just wait and see. Thepetition is going to be held in Elkton University,¡± Scarlette replied casually. Raeleigh felt even more confused and asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Come here, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Scarlette pulled Raeleigh to one side. They sat down somewhere quiet where there was no one around. Then, Scarlette said, ¡°Do you know which family owns Elkton University?¡±

    Raeleigh thought of Jepherson and she replied, ¡°The Richards family?¡±

    Scarlette nodded her head and said, ¡°So?¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Raeleigh thought about it and replied, ¡°So, the Richards Group is going to hold a car designingpetition in their own university because they want to hire talents into their ownpany. This way, they would be able to secure and expand their market.¡±

    Scarlette nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re so smart!¡±

    Raeleigh kept quiet. She focused on the surroundings in silence. She was weighing if she should join thepetition.

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you going to apany me to join thepetition?¡± Scarlette asked as she tugged Raeleigh¡¯s arm. Raeleigh lifted her head to look at Scarlette and replied, ¡°We are students, and as students, we should focus on our studies now. If we were to join the car designingpetition, then we might put ourselves in trouble.¡±

    ¡°What kind of trouble?¡± Scarlette asked as she leaned on one side. Raeleigh was worried about many things. She was not in a good state financially and all she wanted was to finish her studies. If something bad happened due to thepetition that would ruin her studies, then it would be a huge loss to her.

    ¡°If I were to join thepetition, then I¡¯ll have toe up with a design and it¡¯s going to take up my focus. I still have to study and deal with my dissertation. Also, I have to spend time gaming too.¡± Raeleigh had put her hopes in earning all of her allowances off the game. She managed to earn fifty dors from the game the night before.

    If this went on as she hoped, then she would be able to buy her grandmother some supplements after a week.

    Although supplements weren¡¯t the most effective thing,they would still help improve her grandmother¡¯s health. Raeleigh didn¡¯t want her ns to be ruined.

    Scarlette replied, ¡°Is ying the game part of your schedule now?¡±

    Scarlette was astonished.

    ¡°It is. Didn¡¯t we just earn some money off itst night?¡± Raeleigh walked somewhere else and Scarlette followed behind her. Scarlette thought about how a bunch of them went to steal a treasure chest, and they were able to sell it for fifty dors per person. She felt frustrated because she wanted to fight more monsters after that but Raeleigh wasn¡¯t willing. In the end, each of them only managed to earn fifty dors.

    Fifty dors! That wasn¡¯t even enough for her to buy one meal.

    Nheless, Raeleigh was happy with it. She was truly in awe.

    ¡°By the way, are we going to hunt for the treasure chest tonight?¡± Raeleigh was very interested in the treasure chest that gave her fifty dors. She earned the money without being distracted from her studies. She figured it was well worth it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t change the topic. I¡¯m talking about us joining the car designingpetition held by the Richards Group. Are you going to join?¡± Scarlette had no choice but to be aggressive as she had toplete her mission.

    Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any designs. I¡¯m not going to join.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t have any designs? Didn¡¯t you just draw one the other day in our dorm?¡±

    ¡°That was just a random sketch. It can¡¯t be qualified.¡± Raeleigh thought that if she were to do something, then she would do her best in it or not participate at all.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I think that you just need to work a little harder on that original design that you have, and it would easily win you an award. I think the most important part is not the award but the cash prize,¡± Scarlette said with a serious face. Raeleigh took a few steps forward before pausing and turning around to look at Scarlette. ¡°Won¡¯t the winner of thepetition get to work in the Richards Group after graduation?¡±

    ¡°What are you thinking about? The Richards Group doesn¡¯t have that much money to feed that many of us. They clearly stated in the terms and conditions that the winning design would be bought by them. The design would then be modified by the Richards Group and to be mass-produced. On the other hand, the winner would also be getting a hundred thousand dors of cash reward. Regarding what you said, I¡¯ve never heard of that condition. I just want to get the cash prize. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to join.¡±

    Scarlette spoke as she shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Is there really a hundred thousand dors cash reward?¡± Raeleigh asked in shock.

    ¡°What else could it be? Do you think I would lie to you? It¡¯s not like I have a hundred thousand dors to give you.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a while and said, ¡°Is there a registration fee for thepetition?¡±

    ¡°I think money is all you think about now. How about this? Join thepetition with me. If I were to win first prize, then I¡¯ll give you twenty thousand dors from my share. If you were to win thepetition, then you¡¯re giving me twenty thousand dors. I¡¯ll pay for the registration fee for you,¡± Scarlette said. Raeleigh thought about it and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll give you money for the registration fee.¡±

    ¡°Forget about it. It¡¯s not a lot of money anyway.¡± Scarlette shook her hand. They finally decided on the matter.

    The next day, Elkton University put up a notice that the Richards Group will be holding a car designingpetition within the university. It was open to all students of the university despite what major they were in and everyone was encouraged to join. Students who do not major in car design were allowed to participate in thepetition too.

    All of a sudden, the whole Elkton University was talking about it and there were more than a hundred people who signed up on the first day.

    ¡°Look, there are so many people signing up for thepetition.¡± Scarlette stood at the end of the line, waiting to register for thepetition. Raeleigh looked at her and said, ¡°There are so many people here, let¡¯s just forget about it.¡±

    ¡°The more people there are, the more reason we have to join thepetition and showcase our skills. Why give up now?¡± Scarlette pulled Raeleigh back. On the other hand, Raeleigh thought that they shouldn¡¯t be signing up for it.

    After they returned from signing up for thepetition, Raeleigh stared at the entry card in a daze. ¡°Am I really going to participate in thepetition?¡± She wondered.

 Chapter 840 The Encounter

    Deanna heard that the Richards Group was about to hold a car designingpetition and it was held in Elkton University. She was intrigued to join but she stood by the entrance hesitantly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zorion asked. Zorion didn¡¯t go to school for the past two days and stayed at home to apany Deanna because he was afraid that she would feel upset.

    However, ever since Deanna got a call from Marissa, she wasn¡¯t feeling emotional anymore and insisted on going to school.

    ¡°Zorion.¡± Deanna ran towards him with a smile when she saw him. She hugged his arm, like a child asking for attention.

    Zorion and Deanna were open to each other about everything. If there was one thing that Zorion couldn¡¯t live without, it would be his sister, Deanna.

    ¡°What are you so happy about?¡± Zorion asked as his eyebrows lifted.

    ¡°Zorion, did you hear that the Richards Group will be hosting a car designingpetition in Elkton University? You¡¯re so good at car designing, so why don¡¯t we sign up for thepetition?¡± Deanna had long ck hair, and she was wearing a white dress. She had big eyes, and she looked like a life-size doll. Zorion couldn¡¯t say no to her.

    Zorion reached out to rub Deanna¡¯s headgently. Her smooth ck hair moved under his touch.

    ¡°If you want to join it, then I can help you sign up for it, but I¡¯m not keen to join myself.¡± Zorion had always disliked huge events, and therefore he rejected the idea.

    Deanna agreed. She didn¡¯t want to force Zorion because he had always disliked meddling in anything rted to the Richards Group. Zorion could do anything he wished. She got what she wanted, which was to join the car designingpetition.

    There were more than five hundred people who signed up for thepetition, but it was quickly filtered down to not more than seventy people. Although thepetition was open to everyone in school, they had to pass different stages. The first stage was a test of the participants¡¯ knowledge of cars. Therefore, not many were left topete.

    After passing the first stage, Raeleigh went to ss.She and Scarlette both got pass the first stage sessfully.

    There was nothing wrong with that and they didn¡¯t think it was a huge deal.

    After their afternoon sses and lunch, they went back to their dorm and worked on theirpetition design.

    They were the only ones in their dorm room and it was quiet. Raeleigh quickly finished her design, kept it, and started reading.

    Scarlette, who was sitting opposite her, looked up and said, ¡°Howe you¡¯re done so quickly?¡±

    ¡°There are so many people in thepetition and I may not be able to make it to the finals. Therefore, I don¡¯t n to waste too much time on it. I¡¯ll just leave it at that.¡± Raeleigh decided on the thought that there were too many people in thepetition, and she wouldn¡¯t know if they had an unofficial winner beforehand.

    ¡°You¡¯re not even putting in any effort,¡± Scarlette said as she cleared up her things.

    ¡°Are you done with your design as well?¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t see Scarlette draw her design.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel inspired right now. I¡¯m going to y games for a some time. Who knows? Maybe I¡¯lle up with an avant-garde car design,¡± Scarlette said. The truth was she had no idea how to design cars.

    ¡­

    The two of them ditched their designs and started ying the game. Around ten o¡¯clock at night, they managed to find a huge treasure chest. The two of them obtained it together without anyone else, so they earned a lot from it. Scarlette sold the treasure and split the money evenly.

    Raeleighy down in her bed shortly after.

    She chatted with Scarlette for a while and then fell asleep.

    The next morning, Raeleigh heard that Deanna and Quirina were also in thepetition.

    Many people have their bets on Deanna winning thepetition. On the other hand, nobody had hopes on Quirina because she hardly paid attention in ss.

    Raeleigh was walking within the universitypound when she was surrounded by a group of girls.

    ¡°Raeleigh, we meet again,¡± Quirina said as she had a few of her followers with her. Raeleigh and Scarlette were surrounded by them. Quirina had a hat on. It was obvious that she hadn¡¯t fully healed from her injury the other day.

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t afraid when she saw Quirina and just said, ¡°Whatever happened was never my intention. It wouldn¡¯t have happened if you guys didn¡¯t cross the line.¡±

    ¡°Such high and mighty words. Raeleigh, let me tell you this. Only one of us can remain in this school. If you want to live, then I think it¡¯s best for you to remove yourself from Elkton University as soon as you can. You hurt me, and I¡¯m never letting you off.¡±

    Quirina spoke as she approached Raeleigh. She lifted her hand and pushed Raeleigh. Scarlette grabbed Quirina¡¯s hand and pushed her back as she cried, ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±

    ¡°What am I doing? What do you think I¡¯m doing? Can¡¯t you see it for yourself?¡± Quirina sized Scarlette up with an evil gaze.

    Scarlette moved towards Quirina, but she was held back by Raeleigh. ¡°Forget it. Don¡¯t bother with them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You don¡¯t have to bother with us. Are you going to seduce Mr. Richards right now?¡± Quirina was getting meaner with her words. Soon, there was a crowd around them.

    ¡°Everyone! Take a look at this shameless wh*re. She seduced Mr. Richards and still dares to show up in school! Let¡¯s teach her a lesson!¡± Quirina hated Raeleigh. She wasn¡¯t going to admit defeat, and she wanted Raeleigh dead. Despite her mother, Meica¡¯s reminder to reflect on her behavior and not act impulsively,Quirina was unable to hold back.

    Raeleigh looked at the people who had crowded around them. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you will do, I¡¯m not going to leave Elkton University. I¡¯m studying here and so are you. I don¡¯t have a reason to leave, and you don¡¯t have a reason to chase me out.¡±

    ¡°Chase you out?¡± Quirinaughed. The few people behind herughed along too.

    Suddenly, Quirina stoppedughing and said, ¡°That is exactly what I want to do. If you don¡¯t leave this ce, then I¡¯m going to make life hard for you here.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to say anything else, and she was about to pull Scarlette away. There was no point in continuing this conversation with them.

    ¡°Stop right there! Can¡¯t you hear me?!¡± Quirina yelled as she saw that Raeleigh was about to walk away. Quirina pulled Raeleigh and stopped her from leaving. Raeleigh turned around and tried to break herself free from Quirina. Just as Quirina was about to hit Raeleigh and Scarlette was about to take action, a voice could be heard from not far away. The owner of the voice sounded upset.

    ¡°Stop everything.¡± Everyone was stunned, and they followed Raeleigh¡¯s gaze towards the perimeter of the crowd. It was the Whalen siblings. Zorion was walking behind Deanna. Deanna hurried towards Raeleigh and pulled Quirina¡¯s hand away from her.

    Then, Deanna used her body to shield Raeleigh.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± In Elkton University, everyone was afraid of Quirina but Deanna and Zorion were not. Deanna had heard all about Quirina in the past, about how Quirina bullied everyone in school and was also a bad student in ss.

    Before Deanna attended Elkton University, she had already heard about Quirina. Since she came here, she also heard a lot about Quirina bullying the other students. Marissa had exined about Raeleigh¡¯s matter with Deanna and Deanna thought it was lucky that she wasn¡¯t in that situation that night.

    ¡°Deanna Whalen?¡± Quirina took a few steps back. Quirina knew who Deanna was and Deanna¡¯s father was Rayan Whalen. He was a well-known man in Capital City. Her father had told her before that Rayan was bing more influential in recent years. He also said that if it weren¡¯t because of Quirina¡¯s identity, he was hoping to arrange a marriage between her and the Whalen family.

    Quirina recalled it and turned to look at Zorion.

    Zorion¡¯s gaze was cold as he swept his gaze across the surrounding people. His neck was long, and he had a ssy appearance. Although he was only neen years old,one could tell from his gaze that he was much more intelligent and gracefulpared to his peers.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    He walked in front of Deanna.

    Once his cold gazended on her, he shed her an indulgent grin.

    It was full of love for his sister.

 Chapter 841 A Visit

    After smiling at Deanna, Zorion nced at Raeleigh, and then at Quirina. His eyebrows tightened and he looked disgusted. ¡°If you don¡¯t wish for me to question Johan about his upbringing, then it¡¯s best that you disappear from my sight. This is a university, not somewhere you can just act as you wish.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, you¡¯ve misunderstood me. We haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time, and we¡¯re just catching up. I¡¯m not messing with her. Raeleigh, isn¡¯t that the case?¡± Quirina looked at Raeleigh with a sh of hatred in her gaze, warning her to choose her words wisely.

    Raeleigh was not concerned, but the smaller the trouble, the better. If she let things go,then she would not suffer from any losses. If she did, then she could not do anything about it.

    Quirina had a powerful family background and there was no way she could win against her.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. We¡¯re fine. Thank you.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t know Deanna and Zorion personally. She had only met them once back then when Jepherson dragged her out of the ball. They were stopped by Zorion on their way out and Raeleigh recalled that Zorion had a dislike for her.

    She didn¡¯t want any trouble.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, there¡¯s really no conflict between me and her. You heard her too, didn¡¯t you?¡± Quirina stered a gentle smile on her face, trying to act like a good girl. Zorion didn¡¯t look at her but turned to look at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer his question. She turned to look at Deanna and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine now. Thank you for your concern.¡±

    Then, Raeleigh dragged Scarlette away and left the scene.

    Seeing that Raeleigh had left, Deanna said immediately, ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll gobble her up, so why was she leaving in such a hurry?¡±

    ¡°Do you think they¡¯re all as innocent as you?¡± Zorion said as he watched Raeleigh walk away. Then, he pulled Deanna and walked towards Raeleigh.

    ¡°Raeleigh, wait,¡± Zorion said as they left the scene. Quirina clenched her fists as she ground her teeth. Then, she winced. She was not going to let Raeleigh off like this.

    ¡°Miss Quirina, Madam Meica is looking for you.¡± Just as Quirina was in a rage, a woman in her thirties came forward to her. Quirina turned to look, and it was her mother¡¯s helper, Auntie Hannia.

    ¡°Auntie Hannia, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Quirina had just left the hospital, and her family was already looking for her.

    ¡°Madam Meica wants to see you.¡± Auntie Hannia didn¡¯t say much about it. She knew very well that Quirina had to be punished and taught a lesson, or else she would go on creating trouble in school every other day. Even if she was able to marry an influential man in the future, it wouldn¡¯t be a good thing if she failed to behave herself.

    Quirina thought for a moment and replied, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±From N?velDrama.Org.

    Quirina turned around and followed Auntie Hannia. Everyone else soon evacuated the scene.

    Raeleigh went back to her dorm room and fell into a daze. ¡°Why are you afraid of her? She takes advantage of people like you. If you don¡¯t speak up, then she¡¯ll only act worse towards you. If she gets used to bullying you in the future, then what are you going to do?¡± Scarlette said.

    Raeleigh looked at Scarlette from her bed and said, ¡°I just want to spend mycollegeyears in peace.¡±

    ¡°Then, you shouldn¡¯t havee. It¡¯s rare for people to have a peaceful college life. You¡¯re too na?ve,¡± Scarlette said casually. Then, Raeleighughed.

    ¡°Why are youughing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s as if you know everything.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Scarlette walked to the side of Raeleigh¡¯s bed and sat down, leaning against her. Scarlette proceeded to lecture her about everything. Then, when it was about time, Raeleigh pulled out herptop and said, ¡°Shall we y a game?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Immediately, Scarlette felt energized at the mention of their game.

    Scarlette intended to bring Raeleigh along on a mission with Hadrian in the game that day, but she didn¡¯t manage to find him, so they went looking for the expert in red instead.

    ¡°Raeleigh, let¡¯s go and have a look. Perhaps, we could befriend him, and we would be able to do anything we want in the game with his guidance. We would be able to make money off this gameeasily,¡± Scarlette said as she nudged Raeleigh. Raeleigh didn¡¯t move and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine this way.¡±

    Then, Raeleigh went offline.

    ¡°Hey¡­ why did you log off?¡± Scarlette looked at Raeleigh while Raeleigh had already switched off herptop. Raeleigh grabbed a few clothes and ced them into her pail. ¡°I¡¯m going to do myundry. I¡¯ll help you with yours too. You can go ahead and have fun. I want to retire early today.¡±

    Then, Raeleigh went to do herundry. Scarlette stopped ying the game too and followed Raeleigh to doundry.

    ¡­

    Jepherson put down theputer and got out of his bed. He smiled and said, ¡°Stuart, prepare the car.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡± Stuart turned around and went out. Soon, he returned and said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, the car is ready.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jepherson changed his outfit and followed Stuart out the door.

    Marissa saw Stuart walking out of the door and quickly asked, ¡°Where are you heading out thiste?¡±

    ¡°I have something to deal with,¡± Jepherson said, and then headed straight into the car. Stuart got into the car too, and they departed from Richards Manor.

    Raeleigh was surprised to receive a call. It was Jepherson. Scarlette picked up the call for her.

    ¡°It¡¯s for you.¡± Scarlette didn¡¯t mention who it was and Raeleigh grabbed the phone from her. Jepherson¡¯s elegant voice could be heard from the other end of the line.

    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you outside the entrance.¡± He hung up the phone after he finished his sentence.

    Raeleigh remained silent for a while. The call ended and she continued doing herundry. Scarlette didn¡¯t say anything either. When it was time for them to go to bed, Scarlette had already fallen asleep. At that moment, Raeleigh received another call from Jepherson.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to pick up the call, but for him to call thiste¡­

    Raleleigh sat up as she picked up the call. Scarlette didn¡¯t react as she was in a deep sleep.

    Raeleigh was afraid to wake Scarlette up, so she whispered into the phone.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    It was silent on the other end of the line. Then, Jepherson said, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you downstairs.¡±

    ¡°Downstairs?¡±

    ¡°Below your dorm.¡±

    Raeleigh hesitated as the call was hung up. Jepherson was at the school entrance earlier, and right then he was waiting for her below her dorm. If she didn¡¯t meet him,then was he going toe up to her?

    At the thought of this, Raeleigh got up and changed. Then, she walked out of her room.

    Raeleigh attempted to open the entrance of the dormitory, and it was not locked.

    Raeleigh truly admired the power that Jepherson had in this school. He could even unlock the doors of the women¡¯s dormitory. It seemed like there was nothing that he wasn¡¯t capable of and if she didn¡¯t go to him, then he would make his way up to her.

    Raeleigh looked around and paused at the door. She looked around the corridor and there was indeed a slender figure downstairs under the moonlight.

    The figure had his head lowered and his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a snugly fitted grey shirt and he looked ssy.

    Jepherson seemed to have heard her walking down and turned to look at her. His thin lips curled slightly upwards. Then, he turned around and walked forward.

    Raeleigh was at a loss for words. Was she supposed to follow behind him?

    It was already past midnight. What was he trying to do?

    What if someone noticed that she wasn¡¯t asleep at this hour?

    Raeleigh stood there for a while and finally followed Jepherson.

    Jepherson¡¯s pace was neither fast nor slow, and Raeleigh gradually caught up to him. She walked up next to him.

    ¡°Why did you want to see me?¡± Raeleigh walked up to him and paused. Jepherson nced at her and paused too. He stood opposite her and asked, ¡°Can¡¯t I see you for no reason?¡±

    ¡°Why would youe and see me for no reason?¡± Raeleigh replied with an indifferent expression. There was a hint of impatience in her eyes.

    All of a sudden, Jephersonughed. It was unsure why heughed but he did.

 Chapter 842 Physical Cooling

    When Raeleigh saw Jepherson¡¯s smile, she was momentarily stunned. Then, before she could react, he grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her forward. As she tried to loosen her hand from his grip, Jepherson said, ¡°Keep your voice down. Someone ising.¡±

    Raeleigh quietened down and checked in front of her as well as behind her.

    There was no one behind her. She looked around again. Jepherson¡¯s pace was faster than Raeleigh¡¯s and by the time she had ascertained that nobody was around, he had already led her to a secluded corner of the school.

    Raeleigh wanted to argue with Jepherson, but she was cornered by him with her back to the wall. Raeleigh didn¡¯t dare to move because she was afraid of being found out. If someone showed up, then she would be at a loss for words. As for Jepherson, no one would do anything to him.

    Raeleigh did not move as Jepherson lowered his eyes and asked, ¡°Did you miss me?¡±

    Raeleigh wore a dark expression. Her face was tense. ¡°We¡¯ve met but a few times casually and we don¡¯t have any sort of rtionship or mutual dealings. We can barely be described as acquaintances, so please mind your words.¡±

    ¡°I do not agree with you that we only have a casual rtionship with no real friendship or otherwise. How could I when I still have the love token you gave me, of which I too have reciprocated with my own? You were the one who pursued me first and now that you have, do you think you can just push me away? Who is going to bear the responsibility for my hurt emotions? Who will foot the bill for my psychological trauma?¡± Jepherson lowered his head and nibbled her ear, as he asked her these questions.

    Raeleigh raised her hand and pushed against Jepherson, whilst she managed to control her thirst, keeping calm as best as possible. When Jepherson nibbled and sucked on her earlobe that way, her mind went nk and she forgot everything. Her brain had gone haywire. When she opened her mouth to speak, a multitude of thoughts crashed in followed by a confusion of twists and turns, and deep suction. She didn¡¯t know what had happened, only that the lips on top of hers were very soft.

    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± She could not help but to let out a groan, but it sounded foreign to her, not at all like it hade from her. She could only tell that it was a drifty voice that wasing both from afar and very close by.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Her lips were released, and the air rushed into her mouth. She felt like she was drowning and she took sudden deep breaths. Meanwhile, Jepherson held her waist in one arm and her face in the other as he waited for her waves of excitement to pass, but her body was so soft in his arms that he couldn¡¯t help himself but to want to go in for more.

    Raeleigh took a few deep breaths and raised her head slowly as she looked clearly at the handsome figure in front of her. Under the moonlight, he looked like a beautiful picture that had been presented before her eyes. This made her frown deeply, and she was¡­

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Raeleigh hade to realize that Jepherson¡¯s kisses were irresistible, that they took away her ability to speak, in such a way that she was only able to shake her head weakly.

    From a distance, Stuart stared distractedly.

    Usually, the young master, who was purely devoid of lust, would not even look at a woman. He didn¡¯t think he would¡¯ve had it in him to go that crazy. In fact, from this angle, he did not look like an inexperiencedd, but rather, he looked like a man who had won many wars.

    Stuart tried not to stare, but he couldn¡¯t help it.

    Stuart is Alvin¡¯s adopted son, and had been Jepherson¡¯s constantpanion since childhood. Besides the special training sessions with Hadrian and Scarlette, they were always together, be it studying, doing their homework, and even sleeping together.

    Therefore, Stuart knew about everything that happened in Jepherson¡¯s life. Jepherson had never had a girlfriend. He had never even taken any interest in the opposite s*x. In this area, he had always thought that Jepherson could not bepared to his younger brother.

    Upon thinking of Jepherson¡¯s younger brother, Stuart shook his head. The younger master was always getting into trouble provoking girls, so the head of the family had to send him abroad. Stuart wondered how he was doing then.

    Once again, Jepherson let go of Raeleigh. Raeleigh felt weak all over. Her hands had been held in ce next to her waist by Jepherson as he held her body in his arms. She wanted to struggle, but his deep and maic voice said softly to her, ¡°Stop moving about, or you¡¯ll have to take responsibility for the consequences.¡±

    Raeleigh gradually came to her senses that time. She remembered scenes from the movies, and feeling Jepherson¡¯s warm body, she blushed and didn¡¯t dare to move as she leaned against him.

    Jepherson felt really warm. He held Raeleigh in one arm as he took off his coat with the other. Then, he pulled out his tucked in shirt and undid the top two buttons. Whilst Raeleigh was still in a daze, Jepherson interpreted and understood what Raeleigh¡¯s push indicated. Afraid of hurting her, he stroked her back, and said, ¡°Be good and don¡¯t move. Otherwise, I might really be unable to control myself.¡±

    Raeleigh stiffened and held on to his waist, not daring to move anymore.

    ¡°Otherwise, if something really happens, what am I to do?¡± thought Raeleigh.

    She raised her head slowly and looked at Jepherson, as a drop of sweat from his brows dripped onto the tip of her nose. It trickled further down her nose and onto the corners of her lips. Jepherson lowered his head and stared into her eyes with his own dark pupils, as they reflected the bright moonlight. Raeleigh remained silent as he swallowed down a sensual growl. His smile, his elegant voice wormed into her heart. The glint in his eyes were deep and unnaturally calm as the corners of his thin brown lips curved upwards and without another word, he lowered his head further to kiss her.

    Raeleigh withdrew her head backwards as Jepherson pulled away. Then, she sealed her lips shut, afraid that he would kiss her again.

    That time, her lips were swollen and red. He had wanted to go gently but in his inexperience, he still applied too much force.

    However, looking at Raeleigh¡¯s full lips, Jepherson had the strong urge to bite them again.

    A drop of sweat slid from Jepherson¡¯s neck down his chest. Raeleigh was then in the perfect position to witness it. She lifted her head towards him without saying a word but her heart kept pondering a question, namely, what sort of biological reactions can really be suppressed.

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Jepherson exhaled a deep breath as he pushed her into a blind spot, where Stuart could not see from his vantage point. Raeleigh started to worry and even fear that as a woman, if that thing were to happen to her, then she would have everything to lose and so she couldn¡¯t just leave it be.

    However, Raeleigh had a feeling deep down that Jepherson would not follow through with his desires.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Raeleigh bit her lip. Jepherson turned to look at Stuart. Seeing no one, he turned his focus back on her.

    ¡°Now, my body is very hot. I just want to relieve it. I don¡¯t want to cause trouble, so don¡¯t resist me. Otherwise, I can¡¯t guarantee that nothing will happen.¡± After saying that, he lowered his head and kissed her very gently, like a dragonfly skimming the surface of a stream. He imagined as his kiss traversed to other ces of her body. Raeleigh¡¯s eyes stared back, with her body motionless as her hand held on tightly to Jepherson¡¯s sleeve. That was her first time discovering that there was this type of physical cooling.

    After kissing for a while, Jepherson¡¯s hand lingered to Raeleigh¡¯s chest. She felt as if she was about to be out of breath and a noise unwittingly escaped her lips. Upon hearing that sound, Jepherson immediately covered his hand over her mouth and held it that way for a long time, as he continued to tend to his erection. Then, slowly, after some time, his temperature cooled.

 Chapter 843 Once And For All

    Jepherson¡¯s temperature dropped, but Raeleigh¡¯s went up. Raeleigh leaned against the wall and stared at Jepherson, who had recovered a little. His shirt was wet through the front and back of it. Although he was wearing a coat on top of his shirt, outside, her body had been stuck close to his and her hand had been holding onto the back of his shirt, so she knew very clearly.

    Jepherson slowly detached himself and pulled her hands off his back. Then, using the corner of his previously discarded outer coat, he wiped her hands clean.

    Jepherson took off shirt and coat, and slung it over his shoulders. The wind blew past but there was no unpleasant smell of sweat. Instead, there was a faint fragrance of fresh flowers.

    Raeleigh¡¯s big and watery eyesnded on Jepherson¡¯s white shirt. The design looked simple enough but every part of the shirt was hand-stitched, which hinted at the expensive price tag of the shirt. This was probably why under wet or even sweaty conditions, a light fragrance could be smelled, instead of the unpleasant odour of sweat.

    Seeing her staring at him, Jepherson pulled her to him and blew into her eyes. ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    The low and deep voice was extremely pleasant to her ears, especially on such a silent night.

    But Raeleigh didn¡¯t feel that way. She just wanted to go back as soon as possible. However, he did not say goodbye and take his leave. Instead, he kept walking forward, with one hand holding onto hers, while the other held onto the clothes over his shoulder.

    ¡°You have a grandmother?¡± Jepherson asked while walking, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. She was wondering why Jepherson had asked such a question, so she raised her head to look at Jepherson.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t have much of a reaction. He simply smiled faintly at her and asked, ¡°How is your grandmother¡¯s health?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. She couldn¡¯t figure out why Jepherson would ask these questions.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh was asked something else instead when she didn¡¯t answer Jepherson¡¯s question, ¡°Has Quirinae back recently? Did she bully you again?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. She didn¡¯t think there was a need to do so.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you like to talk when you are with me?¡± Jepherson asked as he nced at Raeleigh in amusement. Raeleigh continued to keep mum. ¡°You can ask me anything but I will not reply, so say whatever you want.¡± This had always been Raeleigh¡¯s character. She couldn¡¯t be bothered by anything other people said.

    After walking around for a while, Jepherson sent Raeleigh back. The moment Jepherson loosened his grip on her hand, she immediately left to go back. As a result, as soon as she left, she was pulled back by Jepherson again, and before waiting for her to respond, he kissed her. That time, she did not avoid it and warmth crept into his eyes. He was satisfied with her response. After they separated, Jepherson added, ¡°You really are like a piece of rock. A stinky, hard one.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson. ¡°Actually, you¡¯re that rock.¡±

    With a smile on his face, he asked, ¡°It¡¯s not a rock if it doesn¡¯t heat up?¡±

    Raeleigh did not speak and simply pulled her hand back. Jepherson did not move. ¡°Go in. I¡¯ll watch you go in. It¡¯s time for me to go back. It¡¯ste and my family will be looking for me.¡±

    Although Jepherson was a man, he had never stayed out all night. He had never stayed overnight in school. He wasn¡¯t used to it. Even if he woke up early, he wouldn¡¯t go earlier to school, and even afterte night revisions, he would drive back home.

    Raeleigh turned around and walked into the dormitory building without looking back. Jefferson watched her enter the dorm. Then, he put on his coat, buttoned up and walked towards his car.

    Raeleigh watched him leave from inside and only let out a breath of relief after.

    It was already three in the morning when Raeleigh returned to the dormitory. When she entered, she checked on Scarlette and seeing that she was deep in slumber, she closed the door, went to her bed, took off her shoes and clothes, andy down.

    The full moon outside the window was shining its light through the window. She looked up quietly at the moon and without realizing it, she fell asleep. Having spent most of the night with Jepherson, she did not rest well and when she awoke the next morning, she had dull aches all over her body, almost as if they had actually done it.

    Although she had sleptte, she got up very early. Raeleigh was used to getting up early every day. Unless there was something special that made her stay upte, only then would she get upte. This was because most of the time when that happened, she would only be going to sleep in the morning, so she couldn¡¯t possibly be waking up shortly after.

    When she woke up, Scarlette was in the midst of washing up. When she entered the room, and found that Raeleigh was awake, she looked at her strangely but did not ask her anything.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep a little longer? This morning¡¯s sses are pretty pointless,¡± Scarlette said, walking in as she wiped her face. ¡°Since I¡¯vee to study, I must be diligent,¡± replied Raeleigh.

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    Raeleigh took her toiletries and went outside to wash up. Then, she went to the cafeteria with Scarlette to have breakfast before ss.

    As soon as they sat down, they were surrounded by several senior male students.

    Several male students sat beside Raeleigh and Scarlette. Scarlette had a nice head of hair at which one of the boys lifted it up with his hands and pulled at it. Scarlette¡¯s anger rose immediately and she pushed hard against him, to which the boy responded by grabbing hold of her hand. Scarlette reacted by pping him in the face, saying, ¡°Shame on you.¡±

    The boy had not expected to be pped. Raeleigh too had not thought that Scarlette would have reacted by pping a person so quickly. In fact, she had been so fast that Raeleigh had not even registered it properly, and her eyes were still blurry from the speed.

    ¡°You dare fight back?¡± When the boy had been pped, the others had also stood up. However, one of the boys in the gang had not stood up. He was the one who had sat with the back of his chair facing forward from the start. Right then, he smacked his hands against the back of the chair, with his face looking forward. He was staring calmly at Raeleigh, his eyes protruding as he ogled her chest.

    The rest of them did not speak. It was this person who said, ¡°Come and have dinner with me tonight, and today¡¯s matter will be considered resolved. Or else, we will meet outside school tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°F*ck¡­¡± Sometimes,Scarlette would swear but it was all in the heat of the moment.

    Raeleigh grabbed her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t speak.¡±

    Scarlette shut up and Raeleigh said, ¡°What about right now?¡±

    ¡°Cool. You can have your meal now. I¡¯ll wait for you at the school gate tonight.¡± Then, he stood up and smiled at Raeleigh with a fleshy face.

    Raeleigh did not speak. She dragged Scarlette away and had their breakfast. After eating, she left the cafeteria, with no regard for the onlookers pointing fingers and making snidements.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I don¡¯t mean to me you, but you are too honest. Why did you agree?¡± There were too many things that Scarlette didn¡¯t understand. The most confusing thing was, howcould¡¯vethe young master taken a fancy towards Raeleigh, who was a pushover?

    ¡°That guy just now is not a good person. I heard that his family is very rich and he has an uncle who is a judge. We can¡¯t afford to offend him.¡± Raeleigh had some concerns. She didn¡¯t know whether this matter had anything to do with Quirina.

    ¡°Then, what do you mean? Are you really going to eat with that pig head? Don¡¯t you know that he wished to have you sleep with him and not really have a ¡®meal¡¯ with you?¡± Scarlette was just remindingRaeleighand looking out for her. Raeleigh stared at her feet and answered, ¡°I know, so even if nothing happens tonight, I have to find a way to solve this problem once and for all. Otherwise, he wille to us again next time.¡±

    Scarlette did not speak. Instead, she took a bite of chocte and gave Raeleigh a piece. Raeleigh took it and put it in her mouth. She sucked on it instead of chewing it. She had just finished her breakfast and was not in the habit of snacking, but she would not reject snacks either, and simply ate less of it.

    Raeleigh went with Scarlette to ss. On the way there, Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the bracelet on her wrist. Perhaps, only by making use of it would she be able to solve this problem once and for all.

 Chapter 844 Taken Away

    ¡­

    ¡­

    Raeleigh and Scarlette had been preparing for the whole day. When night fell, ording to the agreement, they went to the school gate.

    Raeleigh stared at the school gate as she walked. At that time, some people had gathered there. Amongst them was the guy from breakfast, who had requested Raeleigh to have a meal with him.

    But Raeleigh was quite surprised that so many people would show up.

    Scarlette, on the other hand, seemed not to care. She blew bubbles as she walked. It was not bubblegum, but soap bubbles from a small blue bottle. She blew them as she walked.

    Raeleigh nced at her and asked, ¡°Have you really practised martial arts?¡±

    Raeleigh was not assured, so she asked several times.

    Scarlette said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯ve been practising since I was young. It¡¯s definitely not a problem for me to deal with a couple of good-for-nothings.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at the school gate. Those sturdy guys, were they good-for-nothing?

    ¡°If something really happens, then you can leave first. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t think it would result in any lives lost.

    She nced at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that beneath that timid exterior of yours, you are such a loyal person. Simply based on what you just said, I will not leave you behind. Even though we have met and been acquainted by chance, I must say, other than being overly cautious, you are a finess.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. ¡°Is this apliment?¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her eyes and thought for a while. ¡°In any case, you must listen to me. Don¡¯t talk about this matter any more. If something happens to me, then call the police, although I don¡¯t think I will be in trouble so soon.¡±

    ¡°You really are a mastermind. You can rest assured that I will act ording to the n.¡± The n was in ordance with other people¡¯s ns.

    Raeleigh and Scarlette stopped when they reached the school gate. Upon seeing her, the guy who asked Raeleigh to apany him to dinner whistled lewdly. Raeleigh walked up to that guy and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Without any care, that guy unceremoniously ced his hand on Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder, grabbed her by her waist, and walked outside.

    The crowd began to spit usations at Raeleigh. ¡°You¡¯re really a little gold-digging bitch. When Mr. Richards isn¡¯t around, you just hook up around with anybody in the school. You¡¯ve really defiled the young master of the Richards family. You even dare to act like some innocent virgin when you¡¯ve already slept with god knows how many people.¡±From N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh, hearing those words, turned to look around. She did not speak, but quietly followed him to the ck car parked ahead.

    Someone opened the door and Raeleigh bent over to get into the car. That person had to lean on her to get up to the car. Just then, Scarlette wormed her way up into the car. The other person saw this, but on ount of her beauty, he turned a blind eye, thinking that it was a waste to chase away such a beauty, who had dished herself up on the tter.

    Right after that, he got into the car and ordered the chauffer to drive off.

    Raeleigh and the gang took up three to four cars. When the cars drove away, it was witnessed by many fellow university students, including Quirina.

    Quirina stood at an inconspicuous spot and watched as Raeleigh was taken away. She smiled slyly. She wanted to see how Raeleigh was going to seduce the young master of the Richards family then.

    Quirina remembered what her mother, Meica, had said to her. To destroy a person, the most vicious thing was neither to humiliate her in her face, nor to personally kill her. The best way is for the person to die in your hands without knowing how they had been destroyed so miserably.

    Thinking of this, Quirina gave this gift of a task to that pig head.

    With a satisfied smile, Quirina turned around and was about to leave when she saw Zorion and Deannaing over. Seeing them, Quirina suddenly grew reserved and hid the proud smile on her face, which became warm and gentle.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, Miss Whalen.¡± Quirina had learnt a lot of things under her mother Meica¡¯s guidance. Not only did she need to be stronger, she also needed to be prepared for the battle on both sides. Only in that way could she be the one to smile till the end.

    Zorion himself didn¡¯t like to approach women. ¡°Strangers, do not approach.¡± This was constantly written on his face wherever he went, so he was indifferent to any woman, especially those with neither status nor dignity like Quirina.

    Deanna was different. She was kind and naturally friendly with everyone and everything, but she couldn¡¯t be nice to Quirina, and even hated her. In her eyes, Quirina was a bad person regardless of what happened. She never had a good impression of people known to be bad. This could be clearly seen on her face.

    ¡°What did youugh about just now? You seem to be very happy to see Raeleigh being taken away.¡±

    Deanna was a straightforward person. This had something to do with her kind personality.

    Quirina was stunned for a moment. She didn¡¯t expect her initiative to show kindness would be met by ash sttered in her face. Of course, she felt ufortable. However, Quirina tried her best not to show it. Instead, she exined herself, ¡°I had just passed by here and didn¡¯t specificallye here. I saw Raeleigh leaving with the others. I¡¯m just feeling indignant on Mr. Richards¡¯ behalf. For such a woman, he had almost be theughing stock of the university and destroyed his poprity and status. I was still processing my upset emotions, so where would I have found time to be happy?

    ¡°Really? But I had indeed seen you smile, I just didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be such a coward to dare not to admit it.¡± Deanna said usingly to Quirina, but Quirina insisted, ¡°I really didn¡¯t. It¡¯syou,Miss Whalen, who must have been mistaken. Mr. Whalen, did you see anything?¡±

    Quirina had been wanting to befriend Zorion for quite some time, but shecked the chance. She thought that this was the best opportunity to do so, or at the very least say a few words to him.

    Quirina was still wearing a cap as she still had a head injury. At that time, she smiled slightly, and her face was ruddy like a peach blossom.

    However, Zorion did not pay any attention to her. Instead, he looked at his sister, Deanna and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time to go home.¡±

    After that, Zorion took hold of Deanna and walked away. Quirina turned around to look, clenching her fists tightly. Why were they all like this, why did not one take her seriously?

    Quirina was determined to make Jepherson and Zorion surrender at her feet. Otherwise, she would not be living up to her name.

    After they had exited the school gates, Deanna turned to see the spot where Quirina had already left and said, ¡°I had caught her in the act and yet she still dared to deny it and spin some half-baked exnation. How can there be such shameless people? The Moore family is truly a h*llish ce. Not one of them are good people. Don¡¯t you agree, Zorion?¡±

    Zorion opened the car door and said, ¡°Yes, I agree, now get in the car, my most honorable princess.¡±

    ¡°Hmm!¡± Deanna sat in the car with a worried look on her face. Zorion sat beside her. Deanna hugged his arm and said, ¡°Zorion, why don¡¯t we go and help her? What if Raeleigh gets into real trouble?¡±

    Deanna was truly worried.

    Zorion leaned on his side and ruffled the top of her head. ¡°You¡¯re a girl. It¡¯s not good for you to meddle too much in other people¡¯s business. So, don¡¯t meddle in this matter.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care, but¡­ Zorion, Raeleigh is innocent. She was treated like a target and bullied by others because of me and in my stead.¡±

    Zorion¡¯s face was full of amusement. Heughed and said, ¡°Silly girl, don¡¯t simply believe other people¡¯s words. They just want to appease you. Don¡¯t think it¡¯s true. If that were the case, then Jepherson wouldn¡¯t wait till now and still not show up. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Zorion, there you go again.¡± Upon hearing Zorion say that Jepherson did not like her, Deanna¡¯s face grew unhappy. She lowered her head in an aggrieved manner and took her hand away from Zorion¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll not talk about it, okay? Jepherson likes Deanna, is that okay?¡± Zorion said exasperatedly. Deanna stared out of her window and did not reply. The driver was secretly impressed. Only Master Zorion had this kind of patience with the Young Lady Deanna.

 Chapter 845 Richards Family Car

    ¡°Zorion, go and have a look then,¡± Deanna said after a while. Zorion asked the driver to stop and got out of the car.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and take a look. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to find it, and even if I do, I might not be able to help at all. Don¡¯t expect too much, do you understand?¡± Zorion bent down and looked at Deanna in the car. Deanna said quickly, ¡°I know. Zorion, I¡¯ll be waiting for you to have a meal.¡±

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t drive too fast.¡± Zorion instructed the driver. The driver immediately acknowledged him. ¡°Got it, Young Master.¡±

    The Whalen family was not an ordinary family. Rayan and Hannah only had a pair of children. They cherished this pair dearly, such that all their instructions revolved around the protection of these two kids.

    When Zorion and Deanna were six years old, they had followed Hannah to the shopping mall. When Hannah was looking at some clothes, Deanna had been taken away by a stranger. Zorion, who witnessed it had held on tightly to the stranger, refusing to let go. So, in the end, they were both kidnapped. Later, when Rayan had heard about it, he immediately rushed back from abroad and ced a lockdown on the whole city. Unfortunately, they were unable to locate them. Rayan had gone home that night and deployed the whole cavalry overnight in search of his children. On the second day, they had managed to draw the kidnappers out and rescue his children. Naturally, it did not end well for the kidnappers.

    No matter, that incident also heightened Rayan and Hannah¡¯s alertness. For this reason, every time Zorion and Deanna went out, they would drive the same cars, with four cars at any given time. If necessary, they would be separated and which car that would be used would always be decided on the spot, and never predetermined.

    After Zorion got out of the car, another car from behind had immediately stopped in front of him. Then, the driver got down and opened the door for Zorion. Zorion got onto the back seat and the driver shut the door securely behind him. Then, the driver got into the car, overtook the others and went on their way.

    ¡°Young Master, where are we going?¡± The driver had asked immediately after getting into the car.

    ¡°Check out where the private cars that stopped by Elkton University went.¡± Zorion was going to find Raeleigh right then. He had broken his promise to his sister.

    After giving out the order, Zorion confirmed it on his phone and then headed in Raeleigh¡¯s direction.

    Raeleigh sat on the left side of the car, while Scarlette sat in the middle. The guy with the round neck sat on the right.

    This person was nicknamed, ck Bear. He was also quite well-known in school. His parents were famous in Capital City. His family business started off with coal. Since their move to Capital City, they have undergone massive changes. They had gained both wealth and status. But among the upper ss society, they were always regarded as nouveau riche and outsiders.

    As for ck Bear, his parents often turned a blind eye to him.

    Otherwise, ck Bear would not have dared to be so arrogant.

    ck Bear had been interested in Quirina for a long time, but Quirina was a member of the Moore family and he had been held back by his inability to court her. That day, Quirina had taken the initiative to find him and cried pitifully for a while as shemented her sufferings. ck Bear felt that Quirina was somewhat interested in him and as long as he tried a little harder, he could win her heart.

    He had boasted that he was going to help Quirina vent her anger and upon hearing it, she had shed a smile at him.

    Right then, ck Bear was wondering if he could kill two birds with one stone in the execution of this matter.

    Just as the car was passing through a driveway lined with towering trees on both sides, the driver said, ¡°Sir, there is a car parked in front of us.¡±

    ¡°Whose car is it?¡± ck Bear stuck his head outside the car to take a look. Before he could see clearly, the driver immediately said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure but it looks like the Richards family car.¡±

    ¡°Richards family?¡± ck Bear¡¯s eyes nted. ¡°Nonsense, how is it possible for the Richards family car to be in such a secluded area. Are you blind? Go down and have a look.¡±

    With ck Bear shouting his head off, the driver quickly stopped and got out of the car to take a look. He didn¡¯t dare to go forward. After a few steps, he ran back. Standing outside the car, he leaned towards where ck Bear was seated and said, ¡°Sir, it¡¯s the Richards family, the Richards family car.¡±

    ck Bear snorted and asked, ¡°Do you know how to manage people¡¯s affairs?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding, sir.¡± The people outside were scared and were almost moved to tears. They all knew of the three people in Capital City who cannot be offended. The old master of the Moore family, Hansen of the Richards family, and Rayan of the Whalen family. If they did, then it would cost lives.

    The Richards family car in front of them was different from others¡¯. It was exclusively equipped by thepany. They were a carpany and hence the special privileges. Even if other people who could afford it wanted it, they could never have it.

    ck Bear looked at his men and felt that something was wrong. He looked at the two women in the car. It was said that Raeleigh was the woman who Jepherson had yed with. Was it true?

    ¡°Why hadn¡¯t Quirina mentioned that?¡±

    ck Bear¡¯s real name was Hussain. It was quite a good name, but he was rather dark-skinned. Hence, his parents nicknamed him Little ck. When he first entered the school, he liked to wear a mink coat. It is not known who had started nicknaming him ck Bear behind his back butter on, he had indeed been nicknamed ck Bear.

    ck Bear was actually quite young. He was only in his third year that year, but he looked a little anxious. In addition, he didn¡¯t like studying, he liked to socialize. So, he set up a small club in the university and openly started to bully men and women.

    That day, ck Bear was really scared. He quickly took out his cell phone and called home. Coincidentally, no one answered. He even called his parents, and no one answered. He didn¡¯t know what to do.

    ck Bear didn¡¯t dare to get out of the car. There were still two hostages in the car. If the terms of the negotiation were satisfactory, then he would release them. If that didn¡¯t work, then he would hold on to these two as hostages. If they made ck Bear suffer, then he would not sit idly by and allow them simply to take what they wanted either. He will make them lose too. He¡¯d rather fight to the death.

    Raeleigh sat on the side and looked out through the ss window. It was indeed Jepherson¡¯s car.

    ¡°Back, get in the car and go.¡± ck Bear thought of running away, but his buddies outside the car said in shock, ¡°Behind, behind u, there are cars too.¡±

    ck Bear looked back and was so scared that his face was covered with sweat. There were six or seven cars parked behind and they were lined up so that not a single car could pass.

    There was only one car in front, but ck Bear didn¡¯t dare to get close, fearing that he would lose his life.

    ¡°You¡­ go and ask what¡¯s going on?¡± ck Bear was not about to get out of the car anytime soon. He would not under any circumstances leave the car. In the worst case scenario, he would make sure the two girls died together with him as a casualty.

    As Raeleigh observed what was happening outside, Scarlette continued ying with the bubbles. She kept blowing so that the soap bubbles filled up the car. Earlier on, ck Bear had found it appealing, but by then he was highly irritated by it. He wound down the window, snatched the bottle from her hands, and threw it out the window mercilessly.

    Scarlette¡¯s face was instantly enraged and she came close to hitting ck Bear.

    ck Bear looked outside. His goon didn¡¯t dare to refuse his order, so he ran timidly over to the car ahead. The window of the Richards family car rolled down and the person inside mumbled something. Then, the goon ran back over and said to ck Bear, ¡°Sir, they say that they¡¯re simply passing by and that they want to have a word with you.¡±Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    ¡°Passing by? Passing by? Oh, in that case, it¡¯s negotiable. I¡¯ll go and will be back in a minute.¡± ck Bear did not think much about it, pushed open the door, got out of the car, and walked to the front. When he reached the front of the car, he politely said to the person inside the car, ¡°I am Hussain. I don¡¯t know which member of the Richards family you are, please take care of me. I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯ll be passing by today, and I hope that you will find it in your magnanimous heart to forgive my mistake. If you have any use for me in the future, then just let me know. I will do it.¡±

    ck Bear had always thought of himself as a man of society, and at that time, he could be vouched for.

 Chapter 846 Donâ€™t Touch Anybody Elseâ€™s Woman

    No one in the car said a word. Soon, several people got out of the car and walked towards ck Bear¡¯s car. Shortly after, the car door was yanked open and Raeleigh and Scarlette got out of the car.

    ck Bear thought for a moment and said, ¡°If you like, then these two women are yours.¡±

    A wise man would submit to the circumstances. ck Bear thought it was just as well if he could curry favour with the Richards family.

    How many people in Capital City eagerly awaited to curry favour with the Richards family? They all were simply stuck at not having the opportunity to do so. That day, God had opened a door for him and ck Bear was determined to grab hold of the opportunity.

    So, he went with the flow and presented Raeleigh and Scarlette as gifts.

    Raeleigh and Scarlette were sent to the front of the car. The person inside the car said something. Then, the car door quickly swung open. Raeleigh was invited into that car while Scarlette was led to a separate car.

    Raeleigh got into the car. Several people who had just gotten off the car walked to ck Bear and pulled him aside. Then, they forced his right arm straight upwards onto a tree. Next, someone took out an iron bar, walked towards ck Bear, and without allowing him any time for negotiation, hit down hard at his outstretched arm. A loud crack was heard, followed by a pitiful scream that sounded worse than a pig that was led to the ughter.

    ¡°You? Why are you doing this?¡± ck Bear was thrown to the ground. Holding onto his injured arm, he stared at the people in front of him.

    One of them said, ¡°Remember, next time, don¡¯t touch anybody else¡¯s woman. Today is a lesson. Don¡¯t appear in Capital City again from now on. Otherwise, it will not be just an arm the next time.¡±

    After that, the man in ck turned around and went back towards the car. He bowed his head and said something and the person in the car seemed satisfied enough. The car then slowly departed as the fleet of cars behind followed suit.

    ck Bear grimaced in pain on the ground, sweating profusely all over his body. He tried to figure out what he had touched, but he could only recall having hugged Raeleigh by her waist. Right then, his arm was lost.

    When Zorion arrived, the good show had just ended, so he only witnessed the ending.

    ¡°Young Master, something seems to have happened. But it looks like they¡¯ve already packed up,¡± the driver said. Zorion looked at it and said without a care, ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Zorion.¡± Initially, Zorion didn¡¯t want toe, but then everything was alright. It was time to go back and report for duty.

    Raeleigh sat in the car, staring at Jepherson, who was smiling at her. ¡°Were you frightened?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head and pursed her lips. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Jephersonughed. Raeleigh thought for a while and said, ¡°I have nothing to give you.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t said it yet. How do you know whether it¡¯s true or not? Or are you afraid that I will tell you something you wouldn¡¯t dare to listen to?¡±

    Raeleigh did not speak. She looked at Jepherson¡¯s beautiful face. The car windows had been affixed with a privacy sheet lining. Nobody could see through the tint to look at what was going on in the car. But from the inside, the view was crystal clear.

    Shadows cast from the trees shed across Raeleigh¡¯s and Jepherson¡¯s faces again and again like lost time. They were quiet and neither of them spoke a word. But in a world devoid of words, they seemed to have endless unspoken words.

    Jepherson suddenly smiled funnily as he looked out of the car, and crossed his legs and his arms. In the next moment, he suddenly uncrossed his hands and patted on the empty seat beside him and said, ¡°Scoot over.¡±

    There was no one else in the car. The driver sat in the front seat, and by his side was Stuart. So, Raeleigh moved over, with her back facing Stuart.

    Initially,Raeleigh hadthought thatJepherson would not have missedsuch a good opportunity to flirt with her. She had not expected Jepherson to wait for her to sit down and then produced something in his hand from his pocket. Raeleigh looked down at it. Jepherson unfurled his delicate hand and in his palm was a butterfly ornament. It looked ordinary, with neither special features nor was it eye-catching. If anything, it was totally not worth mentioning.

    But Raeleigh was a little confused as she fixed her eyes on the bow.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Jefferson raised his hand to clip the bowtie on Raeleigh¡¯s headband. Then, he took a picture of it on his cell phone. The picture was only of the ornament and her apanying hair. It did not capture her face.

    The red bowtie paired with Raeleigh¡¯s jet-ck, soft, shiny hair, greatly enhanced her beauty.

    ¡°Does it look good?¡± Jepherson asked as he showed Raeleigh the photo on his phone. Raeleigh stared at the bow and her hair, and silently looked at Jepherson. She identally blinked her eyes. Jepherson smiled brightly and held Raeleigh¡¯s hand that was resting on her leg. He locked her hand in his palm, shut his eyes, and lightly yed with her fingers, tickling her, with a casual air.

    The car was then quiet for a long time. Time was like a ruler shuttle, bring along with it this pleasant surprise.

    It was not long before the car stopped at the entrance of a restaurant. Jepherson exited the car, smoothed over his clothing, turned around, and offered his hand to Raeleigh. She hesitated for a moment before exiting the car, but she did not give him her hand.

    Jepherson was not offended. He smiled as brightly as he did in the car. After a few steps, he still went to hold Raeleigh¡¯s hand. He lowered his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, it¡¯s you who¡¯s pursuing me.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head. ¡°But I was forced to do that?¡±

    ¡°So, does that mean you can shirk your responsibility now?¡±

    ¡°You knew that it was a mistake. You had the chance to refuse me at that time, but you didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± asked Jepherson.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s nothing more,¡± Raeleigh said with a poker face. Then, she turned her face to look aside. Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and walked into a private dining room.

    The whole restaurant had been booked, and there were no guests in it except for staff members.

    Raeleigh entered the restaurant and saw several children ying the violin and carrying flower baskets in their hands. There were roses of various colors in the baskets. Each child passed them busily, as they moved to spread the flowers in hand on the table and then went on to the next. They looked like they were acting, but at the same time they did indeed look like busy bees, working hard at their tasks.

    After Raeleigh was led inside, Jepherson let go of her hand, pulled out her chair, and invited her to have a seat. Raeleigh looked left and right before sitting down in her chair.

    Soon, the waiter came from the side door and began to serve the food. They sat for a while. Then, Jepherson invited her to eat, and Raeleigh held the knife and fork, and began to eat. Although she did not eat Western food, it was not difficult for her to learn to enjoy it.

    Raeleigh was silent as she ate. She and Jepherson had nothing to say, so they grew quieter as they ate.

    Jepherson rarely touched alcohol. He liked drinking tea. But that day, he drank a little, and he also poured some red wine for Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t touch her drink, and Jepherson didn¡¯t force her. He drank some himself. As he ate, Jepherson kept an eye out for Raeleigh¡¯s preferences and learnt from his observation what she liked and disliked.

    Jepherson would have sent people to investigate them, but he didn¡¯t like results obtained in such a manner.

    There were things that he wanted to experience personally. It was skin to sampling tea. Whether or not the vor profile of the tea matched its fragrance can only be known if one tasted it personally. What Jepherson wanted was exactly this process, wherein every tiny discovery was made by and owned entirely by himself.

    For him, even watching Raeleigh eat was a form of enjoyment, with happiness at its core.

 Chapter 847 Listen To Her Opinion

    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough.¡± Raeleigh dabbed at her mouth, and she then put down the napkin.

    ¡°Hmm, you haven¡¯t had much.¡± Having said that, Jepherson stood up, walked over to Raeleigh, and once again offered her his hand. She stood up from her seat, but did not take his hand.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Raeleigh as she moved forward to leave. Jepherson followed after her.

    Outside the door, Jepherson said to Raeleigh, ¡°You¡¯re going to have to stay over at my ce tonight. I wonder whether you are scared or not?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°You could send me back.¡±

    ¡°If we go back now, then who knows what will happen tomorrow. Maybe the entrance of Capital University will be packed with people, just to watch you make the walk of shame. Even it we don¡¯t go back, it¡¯s fine. If we go back and you get out of the car in the middle of the night, what would the consequences be?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. As she listened to Jepherson¡¯s words, every word he had just uttered made a good point, leaving no room for refusal.

    He was right. Who knew how many people had probably gathered at the school gate to make fun of her? Surely, Quirina will not miss this opportunity to be there either.From N?velDrama.Org.

    If the university disciplinary board were involved in this, then there would be severe consequences.

    If Quirina requested the university to expel her, even with a schrship, then it would not protect her from expulsion.

    ¡°Take me to a hotel then.¡± Raeleigh meant to stay there by herself, but Jepherson followed her.

    The car stopped at the back entrance of a magnificent hotel. Stuart got out of the car and went towards the back seat to open the door. Jepherson got out of the car and offered his arm to Raeleigh. She looked out and thought to herself, ¡°Isn¡¯t this such a luxurious ce?¡±

    Raeleigh said with unwillingness in her eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t have the money to stay at such a ce. You¡¯d better drive me to another ce.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to pay her as this is my family¡¯s ce.¡± That time, instead of waiting for her to get out of the car, Jepherson grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the car.

    Unsteadily, Raeleigh fell into Jepherson¡¯s arms. Just as she was about to raise her head, Jepherson adjusted his position and covered Raeleigh¡¯s face with his clothes. For the time being, he didn¡¯t want to reveal her identity to the outside world. He was very careful in everything he did.

    Raeleigh generally understood his intentions and did not struggle.

    Jepherson lowered his eyes and looked at the quiet littless in his arms. This was nice. With one arm around Raeleigh¡¯s shoulders, he tapped it lightly and they walked together into the hotel.

    At the front desk, the manager and the two other department heads of the hotel had already been notified about the visit and hade personally to invite them in. When they saw Jepherson enter, they bowed their heads and followed after him.

    It was alreadyte into the night when the hotel received the order. They immediately cleaned up the ce where Jepherson was going to stay and promptly left afterwards. No one was allowed to enter the suite.

    Of course, in order to avoid news of this getting out to the public, the hotel had been very professional.

    They cleared the hallways using the brilliant idea of informing guests of a lucky draw, which required them to return to their rooms to check and see if they had won.

    This was why not a single soul was to be seen as Jepherson walked down the hallways of the hotel.

    The manager walked Jepherson to the door of the private elevator and bowed slightly. Jepherson led Raeleigh into the elevator and patted her gently twice.

    Raeleigh wanted toe out from under the jacket after the door of the elevator closed shut. Just as she moved, she heard his voice saying, ¡°There¡¯s a camera in here.¡±

    Raeleigh became quiet again and started to feel depressed. ¡°When would they finally arrive, how high were they going and why was the elevator taking so long?¡± She thought.

    While Raeleigh was waiting in silence, the elevator stopped. After a long pause, the elevator doors opened up and Jepherson led her out.

    After a few more steps, the door of the room on the highest floor of the Richards family hotel was opened and Raeleigh was escorted in.

    After Stuart closed the door, Jepherson let Raeleigh go and turned on the lights.

    Raeleigh felt that the sudden switching on of the lights was too bright for her eyes. It took her a long time to squint her eyes open and move her hands away from her eyes.

    However, the magnificent scene in front of her made Raeleigh lose herself in her thoughts for a moment.

    Raeleigh had never been to such a luxurious ce. It wouldn¡¯t sufficejustto describe it as being glorious. After all, it had been designed with much care, with attention to detail, and very cleverly too. It was evident that the designer had taken special care in designing this room, and had been going for a casual and elegant effect.

    Raeleigh took a few steps forward and started to admire the room in front of her. Jepherson did not disturb her. He stood behind her and elegantly stared at the person in front of him.

    This hotel was the very first startup business venture of the Richards family in Capital City. It was not to make money, but to entertain guests. The Richards family mansion in Capital City was the private residence of the Richards family. Although it was good for visitors, they did not like to be disturbed by outsiders. For this reason, Jepherson¡¯s father, Hansen, had deliberately built a hotel in Capital City to entertain his business clients.

    And it was such that the Richards Group had a stronghold within the hotel industry, and the hotel became the main attraction of Capital City.

    The design here was made from thebination of many new elements of design as well as Jepherson¡¯s parents¡¯ own input of ideas. The project of designing the top floor had been handed over to Jepherson to manage.

    Even though he had only been 16 years old back then, till then, his design concept hadn¡¯t been surpassed by anyone else. This was something even his mother, Jenna,pletely agreed with, and had sung praises about him. To have had such achievements at such a tender age, it was only a matter of time before anything came out of the blue.

    Presently, Jepherson¡¯s achievements had surpassed even his mother¡¯s aptitude. This was the reason he was able to gain a firm foothold in the Richards Group.

    Hansen had high hopes for him. If it weren¡¯t for his capability and skill, then he wouldn¡¯t have been given the position of vice president so early in his career.

    Compared to the other son of the Richards family, Hansen could only ce his bets on Jepherson. Hansen, who had always been wise and shrewd, couldn¡¯t he possibly be wrong about this.

    Raeleigh admired it for a while longer and she then turned to look at Jepherson standing at the door. He smiled gently at her and said, ¡°It¡¯s an element designed in the earlier years. Although I made some changesst year, it¡¯s basically the same. You¡¯re the top student in the design department. You should have higher requirements in this respect. I really want to hear your thoughts.¡±

    Raeleigh was slightly stunned. She hadn¡¯t expected that it would¡¯ve been Jepherson who designed this ce. For a moment, she was surprised. At the same time, she hadn¡¯t expected that Jepherson would ask her for her opinion.

    Jepherson walked towards Raeleigh and was one step away from her before he stopped. Then, he looked up at the ceiling of the room and also looked back at Raeleigh. His handsome eyebrows twitched a little. The roof was designed to be opened to the sky. However, due to the soundproofing device and the fact that no one lived here, the open-air design was not utilized. As everyone knew, the open-air design would have a certain effect on the overall concept of its aesthetic. Therefore, the design of the roof was very special. It was t without any decorations. The rhombus square was also proof of the unique mind of the designer, making up for the fault in the open-air design.

    But even so, the design of the roof still couldn¡¯t bepared with the design of the room.

    That was why¡­

    From Raeleigh¡¯s point of view, Jepherson¡¯s design was not perfect enough. At least that was what she thought.

 Chapter 848 Do You Need Me To Hug You?

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t speak but simply stared at the ceiling. She turned and walked round and round, looking at the ceiling, at how it blended with the rest of the designs of the room. The four corners of this room were at a right angle. It meant that the designer had put in a lot of effort. The room was very big. Normally, other angles such as the 60-degree ones will be the preferred choice as it is naturally more stable. However, skyscrapers like this had their own strengthened framework. The designer had to consider utility, maximization of space, and the smooth movement from one end to another. Perhaps, that was why he had chosen the 90-degree angle.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Jepherson, who had been observing her. She asked, ¡°Is your specialty in interior design?¡±

    Raeleigh had heard some things about Jepherson in the school. Having been forced into a rtionship of sorts with him, she naturally had to keep a listening ear for matters regarding him.

    Jephersonughed and said, ¡°The Richards family has a car manufacturingpany. This is just some of my ideas, not my actual profession. My profession lies in car science and design.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, this is great work.¡± Raeleigh sincerely praised him.

    Jepherson retorted, ¡°From a woman¡¯s point of view, itcks some functional elements. If you have any good suggestions for me, then I can add them in. That is, if you are willing to help me.¡±

    Raeleigh pondered over Jepherson¡¯s words. ¡°Can this count as repayment for your help?¡±

    Jepherson hesitated slightly. He knew what she was thinking. The sooner she returned the debt she owed him for his help, the sooner she could distance herself from him.

    ¡°That would only have been regarded as ¡®help¡¯ if I were your boyfriend. So, if you think this arrangement is appropriate, then I have no opposition either,¡± Jepherson said this and Raeleigh let out a breath of relief. She then agreed to help him.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Do you have the architectural drawing of the building? And the design of the building? I want to have a look.¡±

    Jepherson smiled and turned around to call the manager. It was not long before some hotel staff came to the upper floor of the hotel and knocked on the door. A few people came in and put down the drawings and so on.

    Closing the door, Jepherson handed the drawings to Raeleigh, who had juste out of the bathroom. Raeleigh sat down and picked up the drawing. She carefully looked at the frame of the building. After a while, she put down the drawing and leaned on it, thinking about something silently. She looked like a beautiful painting. With the intricate designs of the background, she looked like those beautiful and mysterious women in portraits, especially when she was lost in thought.

    The silence was broken by a series of phone rings. Jepherson got up to answer the phone. Raeleigh came back to her senses, and saw Jepherson¡¯s elegant and long back. Suddenly, an inspiration shed through her mind, but she didn¡¯t hurry to do it. Instead, she continued to think about it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to go back for a while. There are some fruits here. Call the hotel manager if you need anything. He will be on duty throughout the night. Oh, and¡­ call me if anything pops up. Don¡¯t stay up toote. Have an early rest. I¡¯ll get going.¡±

    ¡°You are leaving already?¡± Raeleigh felt the instinctive urge to stand up. She put her hands on Jepherson, who was about to leave. At that moment, Jepherson suddenly didn¡¯t want to leave. He wanted to rush over and hold Raeleigh tightly in his arms.

    His blood was pumping and heat was rushing to every part of his body. Jepherson was sore to part with her.

    But he just smiled and said, ¡°I have to go back to take a look.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer, and he didn¡¯t approach her either. He was worried that if he did so, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to control himself.

    Beforepletely consolidating Raeleigh¡¯s status, Jepherson did not want to possess Raeleigh¡¯s body so quickly. The woman he wanted had to be willing to belong to him.

    He had to go home to take care of some problems and eradicate some of the ancient rules while he was at it.

    The road ahead was long and far. Jepherson had to wait for some time.

    Jepherson had left with a smile. After the door was shut, Raeleigh took a look at the drawings and continued to ponder over them.

    Stuart was shocked. What had the young master done in the room? His smile was brighter than the sun, and fresher than freshly cut flowers.

    Raeleigh began to pay attention to the design drawing after he left, and without realizing it, fell asleep for a while. Just when she had fallen asleep, the front door was opened and Jepherson slipped back in.

    Upon entering the front door, he was greeted by Raeleigh¡¯s sleeping figure. He merely adjusted the temperature of the air-conditioning, not wanting to disturb her.

    Taking off his coat, Jepherson went to the bathroom to take a bath.

    When Raeleigh woke up from her nap, she had not discerned any disturbances. So, she picked up a pen and started designing.

    Not long after, Raeleigh had sketched the drawing and modified it. Then, she put down the pen and stood up to stretch and rxed for a while. She ced her hands on her back when she turned around. Just three metres away, stood a man in a white bathrobe. Raeleigh instantly fell silent.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Jepherson, who was dressed in a bathrobe and preparing to wipe his hair with a towel. Her face turned slightly red, and then she turned around.

    ¡°When did youe in?¡± Raeleigh thought that it was most likely when she was asleep just then.

    ¡°You were asleep. I didn¡¯t want to disturb you.¡± Jepherson walked to Raeleigh while drying his hair. ¡°Were you frightened?¡±

    ¡°Can you remember to knock on the door before you enter next time?¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything. He walked to Raeleigh¡¯s side and looked down at her with a smile. He didn¡¯t say anything and went to the other side of the design drawing. He put down the towel in his hand and sat on the couch.

    Jepherson was wearing a bathrobe, so it was not difficult for Raeleigh to stay calm. But she still felt a lot of pressure when she was with Jepherson.

    Why was he taking a bath here?

    Raeleigh went back to sit down. Jepherson picked up the blueprint and looked at it. His handsome face seemed fairer and cleaner, even revealing a rosy and pinkish color. She stared at Jepherson peacefully. It was a miracle the way Jepherson had grown into the man he was. It was a miracle how fair and smooth his skin was.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± The corner of Jepherson¡¯s mouth curved upwards, and he smiled with satisfaction.

    Raeleigh was not sure what Jepherson meant, but she didn¡¯t ask more questions. After all, she didn¡¯t want to know what he meant.

    He then pushed the blueprints to Raeleigh¡¯s side. ¡°If you have this kind of talent, then why did you choose to focus on car design?¡±

    ¡°Everyone has their own path and choice. I didn¡¯t think too much about it. An architect¡¯s job requires many on-site work trips, whereas designing cars can all be done from thefort of my office, and I much do rather thetter.¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Raeleigh¡¯s answer rendered Jepherson speechless again.

    Mr. Richards stared into Raeleigh¡¯s eyes, to which she neither withdrew from nor refused. They stared into each other¡¯s eyes as waves ofmunication and connection were exchanged between the both of them. After about ten seconds, Jepherson stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll sleep on the left side, and you sleep on the right side.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s gaze sought Jepherson¡¯s. She didn¡¯t understand. ¡°There are ces to sleep everywhere. Why do they have to share the same bed?¡±

    Raeleigh did not move over but she stood her ground. After hesitating for a moment, she nced at the couch beside her and said, ¡°I can sleep on the couch.¡±

    ¡°Then, you should sleep on the bed and I¡¯ll sleep on the floor,¡± said Jepherson as he walked inside. Raeleigh was unaware that he had his own wardrobe here. After disappearing into it for several moments, he reemerged, dressed in what looked like gray three quarter pants. She couldn¡¯t tell at that point whether it was the pants¡¯ original design or if it was just that his legs were too long, making the pants look more like shorts.

    His upper body was dressed in a loose and flowy singlet, and his hair had been dried in the air-conditioned room.

    Jepherson picked up a pillow from the bed, and then took the nket from the other bed, put it on the floor, and made himself a simple makeshift mat to sleep on. Meanwhile, Raeleigh stood opposite him, watching him in silence.

    ¡°Do you need me to hug you?¡± Jepherson shed her a beezy smile. Any other woman would probably have squealed in delight over his dashingly sharp features, what more then if he had treated them as he did her at the moment with such gentle attentiveness? But Raeleigh did not feel anything. She looked at the quilt on the ground, back at the bed, and she then walked over to the bed.

 Chapter 849 Sent Back To School

    ¡°I too can sleep on the floor,¡± Raeleigh said but she still went to pull back the covers and settled into the bed. After lying down, she looked at Jepherson. There was another bed, and a couch, but he had chosen to sleep on the ground, so it wasreallynot her fault and she wasn¡¯t about to guilt-trip herself.

    Jepherson found it funny. He saw through Raeleigh¡¯s thoughts and said, ¡°This way, I can be a little closer to you.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Then, she turned around and looked at the roof, lost in thought.

    It didn¡¯t take long before Raeleigh fell asleep.

    Jepherson waited for her to fall asleep. Then, he got up from the ground and walked to Raeleigh¡¯s drawing. He carefully studied the drawing and raised his head and looked at the ceiling from time to time. This design was really suitable to be used here. He could imagine it. Every time night fell, it was as if the room was under the starry sky. It was really beautiful.

    If he couldbine them together and make the image of the night sky on the roof move along with the seasons, then he believed that it would be very lifelike and refreshing.

    After all, always staring at the same thing would cause one to be bored and tired of it.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Jepherson held a pen and modified it on the drawing. At two o¡¯clock in the morning, he finally felt satisfied. He got up, rolled up the blueprint, and put it away.

    When Raeleigh woke up in the morning and looked around, she still felt very warm and cozy, so much so that she almost thought that she was still in a dream.

    After sitting on the bed for a while, Raeleigh got up. When she got up, she found that there was nobody on the floor beside it. But then there was the sound of someone jogging in the room. Raeleigh stood up and looked around. Her eyesnded on a ss window. Raeleigh walked to the outside of the ss window and stood there, staring at it. Just then, the window slid open and out came Jepherson as he wiped his sweat.

    The two met face-to-face.

    Seeing Raeleigh, his lips curved up into a smile. ¡°Did I wake you up?¡±

    Raeleigh looked past Jepherson from the side to see what was behind him. Inside was an indoor gym, where there was a variety of sports equipment. Just then, Jepherson had been exercising inside.

    Raeleigh raised her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to have a try?¡± He wiped off his sweat, turned around, and motioned to the equipment behind him. She thought about it for a while and said, ¡°No, thanks.¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡± Jepherson turned around and went back in, not giving her a chance to refuse him. He turned and walked towards the treadmill, calling for her toe over.

    Raeleigh stood outside for a while. ¡°I want to go back. When are you going to send me back? It¡¯s five o¡¯clock already.¡±

    Five o¡¯clock?

    Raeleigh frowned.

    Exactly what time had he woken up to exercise?

    ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast at six. I¡¯ll send you back at seven. It¡¯s five o¡¯clock now, so lets have a ten-minute run.¡± Jepherson pulled Raeleigh towards him, and he then rushed her onto the treadmill. She jogged for ten minutes and shealreadyfelt exhausted.

    ¡°I can¡¯t anymore.¡± Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. He gradually slowed the treadmill to a stop and immediately got off it. The first time was always like that, one would feel drained of energy.

    Raeleigh stepped down as Jepherson supported her. He then wrapped her in an embrace and said with a chuckle, ¡°Your stamina is too weak. You need to exercise. Don¡¯t just sit and study all day. Your body is the vessel of your life. Without it, your knowledge is useless.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Jepherson, trying to get out of his arms. Jepherson bent over and lifted her up supine in his arms.

    ¡°Jepherson, what are you doing? Put me down.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s voice was loud for a change and he instantly wanted to attack her little mouth.

    But he did not do it. He was afraid that Raeleigh¡¯s lips would be red and swollen like the previous time.

    And if the swelling did not subside in time, then there would be more trouble awaiting her when she went back to campus.

    ¡°Go and take a bath. You have enough time.¡± Jepherson walked to the bathroom and opened the door, and he then set her down.

    Raeleigh looked back at Jepherson. Her body was soaked with sweat. She should indeed take a bath.

    But what about her clothes?

    Raeleigh lowered her head. ¡°I don¡¯t have a change of clothes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll prepare them. Just take your shower, or it¡¯ll be toote.¡± Jepherson reminded her. Raeleigh thought about it and went into the bathroom.

    As soon as she entered, Jepherson said at the door, ¡°There are new disposable toiletries in the cab, and the bathrobes are underneath.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and froze there. She didn¡¯t know why Jepherson did this. She didn¡¯t respond to Jepherson until his door closed.

    Raeleigh went to take a bath and came out after washing up. She opened the lower closet below, and took out the bathrobe, and put it on. Obviously, the bathrobe did not fit properly as they were all men¡¯s bathrobes, but they should all belong to Jepherson, who hadn¡¯t worn them yet.

    Raeleigh tied up the belt of her bathrobe reassuringly. She took a clean towel, dried her hair, and opened the bathroom door. The moment she walked out, she saw Jepherson standing outside with clothes ready for Raeleigh.

    When she came out, he had turned around to look at her. He fixed his eyes on Raeleigh¡¯s face. Then, his gaze trailed down to the rest of her body, which was d in his bathrobe, to which he felt immensely satisfied. Jepherson immediately smiled as he lowered his head, with his smile bing more meaningful. This feeling made Raeleigh feel ufortable.

    Raeleigh wiped her hair and came out of the bathroom. ¡°I will take myundry out. Do you have any bags for me?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that . I¡¯ll send help.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not ustomed to others washing my clothes for me. So, no, thank you.¡± Raeleigh decisively refused, so Jepherson had to go outside to find a bag for herundry. She utilized this time to get dressed.

    Her undergarments were pure white, and they felt soft andfortable. The dress too was white and of a simple design, but not mboyant.

    Thebel had been cut off. Raeleigh looked down at the brand. She didn¡¯t know of these things, so she didn¡¯t know the exact price of the clothes that he had gotten her, but she knew it most likely was not cheap.

    Jepherson came in from outside with a bag in his hand. He looked up and saw Raeleigh, who was standing beside the bed with her ck hair loosely draping her shoulders. Her wearing the white dress indicated that she had already taken a bath. Raeleigh, with a ruddy face, stood there like an angel.

    Then, sunshine poured in from behind Raeleigh, which made Jepherson rooted to the spot.

    Raeleigh shifted a bit. ¡°I¡¯m done changing and I¡¯ve also taken out myundry. Hand me the bag.¡±

    Jepherson walked to Raeleigh, handing the bag over to her. She put herundry in and checked the time. ¡°It¡¯s time for me to go back. I¡¯ll need to trouble you to send me back,please.¡±

    Jepherson took the bag from Raeleigh while he held her hand. She turned around and walked to the door. She wanted to refuse his help, but when she opened the door and saw Stuart, she kept silent.

    When they walked out, Jepherson covered Raeleigh¡¯s face with his coat as he escorted her down. Only when she had gotten into the car was the coat removed.

    They did not get out of the car to eat. Instead, Jepherson instructed Stuart to go down and pack some breakfast for them, which they then ate in the car along the way. When they were finished, the car arrived at the university gate.

    When they arrived at the university, morning sses had already ended. The school had received a call in the early morning, informing them that Jepherson Richards would being that day to talk about the car designpetition.

 Chapter 850 Fake Fall

    Everyone had to gather at the sports ground, so all the students atElktonwere too busy cooperating to remember about the whole Raeleigh affair.

    Before Raeleigh got out of the car, she was still worried. However, when she got out of the car, the front gate was deserted, save for the principal of the university, who stood there waiting for Jepherson¡¯s arrival. She saw no one else.

    When the principal saw Raeleigh alight the car together with Jepherson, he immediately strode over to wee them, going first to Jepherson to greet him. ¡°Young Master Richards.¡±

    Jepherson did not reply to him. The principal looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Raeleigh, the university had organized a car designingpetition and there¡¯ll be peopleing over shortly to talk about it, so why don¡¯t you go in first.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at Jepherson, nodded to the principal, and then hurried to her dorm.

    She didn¡¯t dare to wear the clothes Jepherson had given her as she was afraid of being put in the spotlight. Whenever there was a formal gathering at the university, it was the school¡¯s rules that those in attendance must wear the school¡¯s uniform. So, she quickly went to her dorm to change her clothes before making her way to the sports grounds.

    Jepherson watched Raeleigh walk towards the dorm instead of the sports grounds. He was not in a hurry and took his time following the principal to the sports grounds. Just as she got onto the grounds, Jepherson stepped up to the podium on the stage to give his speech.

    As soon as Jepherson¡¯s figure appeared, there was immediately a series of screams on the sports grounds beneath the stage. Some of them, with no regard for their own dignity or image, shouted, ¡°Jepherson Richards, I love you.¡±

    Jepherson acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard anything. His face was cold as usual. His eagle eyes surveyed the ser field below, sweeping every corner. He only ever showed a trace of his warmth and gentleness in the presence of the person he wanted very much to meet. Otherwise, his face would be stoic and cold.

    ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m Jepherson Richards. Today, on behalf of the Richards Group, I¡¯vee to Elkton University to¡­¡±

    Raeleigh stood below, staring at the noble Jepherson, as he stood high above on the tform. It was only then that she knew who Jepherson really was, his rtionship with the university, and his family connections.

    Jepherson ended his speech and left the tform. The school had adopted security measures, so that no one coulde into contact with Jepherson. Just like this, Jepherson disappeared from the university in the blink of an eye.

    Raeleigh understood that Jepherson had done this for her, to distract the attention away from her.

    Otherwise, this kind of event would¡¯ve been pre-nned and scheduled in advance.

    Scarlette stood beside Raeleigh on her right. After her speech had ended, she wrapped her arm around Raeleigh¡¯s and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe back that day?¡±

    ¡°Yesterday?¡± Raeleigh reminded Scarlette. Not that day, which would imply many days, as it was the day before.

    She said disapprovingly, ¡°It makes no difference. Now, tell me, what did you do?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask. I can¡¯t exin it clearly.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to exin. The more she exined, the more confused she would be.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell me, then it¡¯s alright. Just forget about it then.¡± She didn¡¯t pursue the matter any further as she knew Raeleigh¡¯s character well.

    Raeleigh and Scarlette went back to ss and on the way there, they bumped into Quirina.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you are back?¡± Quirina asked as soon as they met. Her voice was purposely shrill to attract the attention of others.

    Scarlette was angry upon seeing Quirina and she really wanted to go up and give her a big p in the face, but Raeleigh held her back, saying, ¡°Just leave it, and let¡¯s go to ss, don¡¯t stoop to her level.¡±

    Scarlette rolled her eyes at Raeleigh impatiently. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±

    After saying that, she and Raeleigh had intended to leave, but Quirina blocked their path. Raeleigh and Scarlette stopped and looked at Quirina, who stood in front of them.

    Quirinaughed and said, ¡°Raeleigh, when did youe backst night? I had something to ask you and waited outside your dormitory for nearly a whole night but you never returned, causing me to fall asleep outside.¡±

    ¡°Interesting. When Raeleigh and I got up this morning, we didn¡¯t see you outside our dormitory. Were you sleepwalking? Or were you dreaming?¡± Scarlette was no pushover, so she argued back.

    ¡°Scarlette, this is none of your business.¡± Initially, Quirina had just wanted to prod at Raeleigh to instigate her anger, but to her disappointment, Raeleigh had not taken the bait and simply kept silent. Instead, Scarlette had jumped forward to defend her, so of course Quirina had to warn her to back off.

    ¡°Yesterday, Raeleigh and I went out together. You¡¯re now saying that she did not return to her dorm, which means that you are by extension using me of doing so too. So, of course it is my business too.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that you and Raeleigh didn¡¯t go back to the dormitory. I just said that I waited outside your dormitory for a night and I didn¡¯t see you both.¡± Quirina had a reputation to keep and she couldn¡¯t allow it to deteriorate any further than it already had. The Moore family had already said that if she caused trouble at Elkton again, then she would be cut off entirely and disowned from the Moore family.

    Quirina was used to crying and throwing tantrums at home to get her way. Yousif too felt that she needed to be properly disciplined whenever she had an episode but she was after all his favourite lover¡¯s daughter, and even if she was a brat, she was still his child.

    In the end, it had taken Yousif to promise to take her back officially into the family after Old Master Moore had died, which made Quirina settle down.

    For this matter, Quirina too had to wait, and in the meantime, she could not cause too big of a scene.

    Initially, Quirina had tried to be patient and wanted to endure it. She had so manyckeys around her, some of which were bold, reckless, and unafraid of trouble. These were the people who often whispered in her ear of all the gossip making the rounds. It did not help that she really couldn¡¯t stand the sight of Raeleigh either, and so she schemed to put Raeleigh in her ce, but without doing it too openly so as to attract attention.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t see us because we were in the dormitory. Who knows what was squatting in front of the door. It could have been an old rat, grinding its teeth at the door. It¡¯s no wonder I was unable to sleep properlyst night. I must¡¯ve felt the ominous presence of said ¡®rat¡¯.¡± At that point, the onlooking crowd had burst intoughter. Even some of Quirina¡¯sckeys, who stood behind her, had snickered. It was only when Quirina snapped her head and red at them that they stopped.

    But Raeleigh never smiled from beginning to end. She even reached out her hand to tug at Scarlette, so as not to let her continue speaking.

    It was only when Scarlette stopped talking that Quirina turned to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s funny?¡±

    Raeleigh had not even smiled. She looked at Quirina and said, ¡°I did notugh and I don¡¯t find it funny either.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t find it funny, then why are you looking at me? You must beughing in your heart.¡± Quirina was looking for someone to bully when she was unhappy. Raeleigh was the person to be bullied. Quirina spent every waking minute thinking of ways to bully and torture her because she simply did not like Raeleigh.

    ¡°Think what you like about it. ss is about to start and I want to be in it.¡± Raeleigh grabbed Scarlette¡¯s hand and was about to leave when Quirina shed a signal to herckeys and they formed a line to block their path.

    ¡°We are all ssmates, why do you keep picking on me and bullying me like this?¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t understand. There were so many people in the school, and Quirina was a well-known bully. But she wasn¡¯t the type to bully anyone she saw. So, why was she targeting her and acting so distasteful to her?

    ¡°When did I bully you? Don¡¯t you nder me. This is such a big university. Howe I haven¡¯t bullied anybody and nobody has said anything about me bullying them either? Why didn¡¯t I hear of other people¡¯s bullying?¡± Quirina said arrogantly as Raeleigh struggled to reason with her.

    ¡°Scarlette, let¡¯s go.¡± Raeleigh intended to walk to the other side, but she was stopped by Quirina when she had just taken two steps. ¡°Want to go? Have you asked me for permission?¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Quirina and said, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°What do you think? What do you say?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to say. It¡¯s time for ss.¡±

    ¡°ss? Do you still know your sses? With that pretty face of yours, you can just sleep around with men and be settled. Why even bother attending sses?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go too far. I can sue you for defamation.¡±

    ¡°You want to sue me for defamation?¡± Quirina sneered and raised her eyebrows. ¡°If you have the ability to do so, then try it.¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Get out of my way.¡± Raeleigh insisted on leaving. Quirina raised her hand and pushed her. Raeleigh lost her bnce and fell down after taking two steps back.

    Scarlette was about to fight back when she saw that people from across the street wereing in this direction. So, instead, she pretended to slip and fall, but she did not get up.

 Chapter 851 Missing Design Blueprint

    Raeleigh was in great pain after having fallen to the ground. She only managed to get up with Scarlette¡¯s help. Then, Quirina rested on one of her girlfriend¡¯s outstretched hands in a rather unbing pose.

    ¡°If you want to leave, then you can crawl out from under my crotch. Then, I¡¯ll let go of the fact that you have just insulted me.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Quirina¡¯s posture. Quirina was wearing a royal blue pleated skirt. The way she raised her legs was a very indecent gesture.

    When Raeleigh was about to stand up from the ground, a guy came up and gave her a push, causing her to fall down again.

    Raeleigh did not get up after that, but Quirina was waiting for her proudly.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it lively here?¡± Zorion came up from behind. His voice was low and elegant. Everyone was shocked when he came over. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Mr. Whalen?¡±

    Quirina quickly put her foot back down and turned to bat her eyelids coyly at Zorion. ¡°Mr. Whalen?¡±

    Zorion didn¡¯t even take a look at Quirian, as if that just one more nce could smudge and taint his eyes.

    Raeleigh also looked at the source of the voice that had just spoken, Zorion. She didn¡¯t expect that it would¡¯ve been his voice. She looked at Zorion, and her eyes fell on the school uniform he was wearing.

    Elkton University¡¯s uniform was royal blue. Girls wore royal blue skirts and white shirts, while boys wore royal blue shirts and ck pants.

    This colour and design had been in season for two years at Elkton University. It would be modified every year, though the changes were minimal.

    That day, there was an official event. So, Zorion had changed into his school uniform to apany Deanna to attend it. Normally, the dress code was not this strict.

    Seeing Zorion, Raeleigh got up from the ground and pulled Scarlette up as well.

    Zorion nced at Raeleigh coldly and distantly. Then, he turned to Quirina and said, ¡°The Moore family¡¯s style is really eye-opening. Miss Moore, it¡¯s really surprising.¡±

    ¡°Young Master Whalen, no, it¡¯s not like that. I was just showing her a pose for gymnastics exercises. Raeleigh didn¡¯t understand it, so I had to demonstrate it. Ask her if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Quirina looked at Raeleigh. Then, Zorion turned to Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Was that really it?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Everyone knew that Quirina was bullying her. It had not been only for a day or two.

    She endured it many times, but Quirina didn¡¯t let go of her. She had been begging forpromise, but what she got in return was just more bullying.

    Raeleigh shook her head.

    Zorion¡¯s gaze was frozen for a while. His gaze, that was like the stars and the moon, slowly left Raeleigh, and finally fell on Quirina. Zorion did not say anything, but just walked away.

    Quirina was about to catch up with Zorion to exin herself when he said, ¡°What are you both still doing there? Keep up with me, don¡¯t you have a ss to attend?¡±

    Raeleigh tugged at Scarlette and they both went to ss together with Zorion.

    Quirian stomped her feet in anger and shouted from behind, ¡°It¡¯s not like that. Mr. Whalen, you have to believe me.¡±

    Zorion paid no attention to her. He had encountered such a situation on his first day of school¡­

    ¡°Thank you so much for what you did just now.¡± Raeleigh went up to the empty space beside him and thanked him.

    Zorion merely turned back and looked at her with a gloomy expression. He was cold and distant. Raeleigh certainly knew that he had not done that because he fancied her, rather it was simply because he could not stand to see Quirina¡¯s underhanded bullying methods.

    Turning around, Zorion walked away. Raeleigh did not look at him as he left. Instead, she dragged Scarlette towards their ss.

    On the way, she asked Raeleigh, ¡°That Mr. Whalen sure looks devilishly good. Don¡¯t you like him?¡±

    Raeleigh did not even look at her and replied, ¡°Why, do you like him?¡±

    ¡°Anybody would be attracted to anyone who looks good. But you have no reaction at all to such people. You seem tock interest in this matter.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer her question. When she arrived at the door of the ssroom, it was time for ss. Raeleigh knocked on the door. The teacher asked them toe in and asked them to take a seat without saying anything else.

    ¡°Zorion, you¡¯re back?¡± Deanna saw Zorioning back and ran over to him. She had just finished her ss.

    Zorion agreed and raised his hand to rub Deanna¡¯s hair.

    ¡°How is she? Is she alright?¡± Deanna¡¯s mind was racing. It was she who had asked Zorion to help Raeleigh.

    When they arrived, they had both seen Quirina bullying Raeleigh, but Deanna really didn¡¯t like Quirina, so she hadn¡¯t gone over. Instead, she took Zorion¡¯s hand and asked him for help.

    ¡°They¡¯re alright now,¡± Zorion answered and went into the ssroom. As soon as he sat down, the others all went out. As per usual, Zorion¡¯s face had an expression that warned strangers against approaching him. So, whenever people saw him, they would avoid him at all costs unless they were attending ss.

    Deanna sat by her brother¡¯s side, as they were deskmates.

    They had always been deskmates since they were little.

    ¡°Zorion, do you think that Raeleigh is a good person?¡± Deanna had never seen a girl with such a good temperament. She neither liked to gossip about others, nor did she have problems with anyone. It was only people like Quirina who would pick on people like Raeleigh to bully.

    Zorion looked at his sister. ¡°I can¡¯t tell.¡±

    Deanna¡¯s heart was trembling as she asked, ¡°How do you think she looks?¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Zorion thought for a moment before replying, ¡°Just so-so.¡±

    Deanna¡¯s heart trembled as she asked, ¡°What about her results?¡±

    Zorion didn¡¯t say anything that time. She was a well-rounded student and was indeed quite good.

    Deanna thought it was not bad, so she held her brother¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Brother, between you and her, who do you think is better?¡±

    Zorion nced at his sister. ¡°Me.¡±

    Zorion had such confidence. He was not modest at all. Deanna was stunned. She stared at her brother and said, ¡°Brother, can¡¯t you be a little modest?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Zorion smiled and looked at the window. Thinking of Raeleigh¡¯s indifferent eyes, he wondered what had happened to make a 19-year-old girl such as her so aloof.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t have her design drawings with her. When she had realized it, she had looked all over the ce for it. It was not in the room, so she wondered if she had identally misced it somewhere else or if they had simply gone missing.

    Scarlette stepped in from outside and when she saw Raeleigh hunting high and low for something, she asked her, ¡°What are you looking for?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to hand in the design drawings tomorrow? I¡¯ve put my drawings on the table together with yours, but now mine¡¯s missing.¡±

    Raeleigh and Scarlette were very very close. Despite not having known each other for the longest of times, Raeleigh trusted her personal view of people, and Scarlette was a friend to be trusted and was dependable as well.

    So, Raeleigh had put her work together with Scarlette¡¯s since they had agreed to go to the event together, but right then, Raeleigh¡¯s work was missing.

    She frowned and said, ¡°No way, your drawing was on the right side of my drawing. Are you sure you¡¯ve looked carefully?¡±

    Scarlette was not at ease. She pulled open the drawer and searched for a long time. There was indeed only her blueprint left in it. She stood on one side and said, ¡°That¡¯s strange. Why is mine still here while yours is missing?¡±

    ¡°Scarlette, have you written your name on yours?¡±

    Scarlette looked at Raeleigh and replied, ¡°Yes I had, had you not?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer her question. Raeleigh was in for a big loss that time. She had not written her name on her work.

 Chapter 852 The Overnight Review

    ¡°Then, draw another one, write down your name, and hand it in.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m not going to do it.¡±

    ¡°How can you do that? It¡¯s your work. Someone stole it. We have to tell the lecturer.¡± Scarlette was so excited that Raeleigh had to hold her in ce and said, ¡°Don¡¯t go. Leave this matter to me. I¡¯ll go and hand in the drawings with you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, you are too unassertive. This is exactly why they pick on you.¡±

    ¡°I have no evidence to rify this matter. No matter who took my blueprints, once a simr one is submitted, then the school will mp down hard on both for giarism.¡± Raeleigh insisted and Scarlette found herself speechless. In the end, the matter amounted to nothing.

    In the evening, Scarlette said to Raeleigh, ¡°If you¡¯re not attending the event, then there is little meaning for me to go, so I¡¯ll skip it too.¡±

    ¡°Go and do your thing,¡± Raeleigh said to Scarlette, who simply shook her head. It was meaningless for her because the drawings belonged to someone else.

    The next day, while Raeleigh was in ss, a teacher dropped by and said, ¡°Raeleigh, could you pleasee out for a moment?¡±

    Raeleigh followed the teacher outside. She left the ssroom and asked Raeleigh, ¡°Did you sign up for the car designpetition?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did sign up for it,¡± Raeleigh replied honestly.

    The teacher was puzzled and asked, ¡°Today is the day to submit the blueprints. Where is yours?¡±

    A teacher was put in charge of collecting the blueprints, or else it could allow students to hand it in as they pleased of their own ord. The university had a special department to deal with such matters.

    Raeleigh¡¯s teacher had received a call from the principal, who said that all thestudents¡¯blueprints who had registered for thepetition had been submitted, all except Raeleigh and Scarlette. Then, the principal went to great lengths to inquire about Raeleigh and why she hadn¡¯t submitted it. The emphasis on Raeleigh and theck of further mention of Scarlette implied that this was a matter of urgency and that there will be consequences for Raeleigh¡¯s future.

    Her teacher¡¯s temperament was also very mild, but the fact that Raeleigh didn¡¯t have a blueprint still shocked her teacher.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t draw my blueprint. I am forfeiting from thepetition.¡±

    The teacher was in a state of shock and could note back to his senses. After a long time, he asked, ¡°Raeleigh, I think the school highly values your work. I¡¯ll work something out with the school, so how about you go back now and concentrate on drawing out your blueprint?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Time is too limited. I can¡¯t prepare it in time.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, if you don¡¯t try, then how do you know whether it will work or not?¡± The bell rang and the students of the other sses came out, talking about the blueprints they had handed in that day.

    ¡°The results wille out in three days. I heard that at that time, there were lots ofpeting talents. Those who can enter the top three may win a lot of rewards.¡±

    The sound of these discussions were heard by Raeleigh as the students who said them passed by her. She did not say anything but just fixed her eyes on her teacher.

    The teacher seemed helpless. How was he going to exin this to the higher-ups?

    ¡°Raeleigh, go back and think about it. I will try andmunicate with the school to see if they can extend the submission deadline for you.¡± After the teacher spoke, he left.

    Scarlette stepped out of ss and went to Raeleigh asking her, ¡°What¡¯s happened, why did the teachere round looking for you?¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°It¡¯s about the blueprints.¡±

    ¡°What did you say then?¡±

    ¡°I said that I am no longer participating, and that I am forfeiting.¡±

    ¡­

    Scarlette was speechless as she thought to herself, ¡°What a stubborn person!¡±

    After lunch, Raeleigh and Scarlette went to ss and the teacher came round looking for her again. However, Raeleigh simply said that there was not enough time and so she did not hand in the blueprint in the end.

    At six o¡¯clock in the evening.

    In the principal¡¯s office at Elkton University.

    Jepherson raised his hand to look at the time. He put down his wrist and tapped on the table. ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day.¡±

    The principal stood opposite him and bowed politely.

    In theuniversityprincipal¡¯s office, the top ten blueprints were selected overnight. Those selected were indeed innovative pieces.

    At three o¡¯clock in the morning, the drawings were delivered to Jepherson, who was in the middle of his break. Jepherson personally took a look at it.

    The principal was by Jepherson¡¯s side as he looked at them one by one. Finally, he picked out three blueprints from them that would allow them to enter the top three.

    One of them was from Quirina Moore, one was from Deanna Whalen, and the other was from a male student in the university.

    The names were covered, so no one could cheat.

    However, when Jepherson saw Raeleigh¡¯s blueprint, he smiled a very strange smile.

    Stuart breathed in sharply. Jepherson¡¯s smile had sent shivers down his spine.

    Even the headmaster felt cold sweat on his back. He was in his sixties, but he had been on edge for the entire night. He didn¡¯t know what the result was.

    ¡°The school will pay attention to the people who made it to the top ten. The Richards Group will sponsor a part of the schrship, and request them to fill out the form within a week and hand it in.

    The top three participants will be invited to the Richards Group¡¯s third quarter ball. The corporation would invite them to the party, and prepare some extra rewards for them.

    ¡°Tomorrow morning, the university will hold a press conference to announce the results. At that time, please invite the top ten and their parents to join the award ceremony.¡±

    Jepherson got up and handed the blueprints to Stuart. Then, he walked towards the door. The president wiped his sweat and immediately agreed.

    The next day, the university announced a full day¡¯s holiday. They started preparing for the awards ceremony at six in the morning.

    ¡°I heard it was personally reviewed by Young Master Richards this time. The speed of the review is really remarkable. Initially, it would take three days to produce the results. But someone saw that Young Master Richards brought more than a dozen people to review the blueprints in the president¡¯s office overnight. In the end, Young Master Richards selected the first, second, and third cers from the ten finalists. Now, the only thing we don¡¯t know is who the first ce drawing belongs to.¡±

    Raeleigh had just sat down on the ground with Scarlette when they heard this being discussed. Scarlette looked unconcerned and Raeleigh too could not be bothered about thispetition.

    She was not sure where her blueprint had gone, but she just wanted to have a look.

    Soon, some distinguished people appeared in Raeleigh¡¯s line of sight. Those people were either the wealthy or nobles. They were all invited to the school to attend the event.

    The principal had already called and told the parents of these students that their children had been in the top ten, hoping to participate in the publishing of the results in person.

    This kind of thing was very public in Capital City, so the students¡¯ parents also cooperated with each other.

    The seats in the front were for the winners and the parents, while Raeleigh and the others sat in the back. There were a lot of car design rted decorations around them.

    Raeleigh had been staring at the surrounding arrangements. She had also contributed to the decoration, so she just wanted to have a look around to see if there was anything inappropriate. Other than that, she didn¡¯t pay much attention to anything else.

    Quirina soon appeared in Raeleigh¡¯s field of vision, apanied by her mother, as she wore a light pink dress. After Meica arrived, she started greeting several acquaintances, and then sat down in the seat in front of her. Meica wore a in white dress that day, as she sat in front of Quirina, looking elegant.

    Thest few people to enter Raeleigh¡¯s line of sight were the Whalen siblings and a woman who bore much resemnce to Deanna.

 Chapter 853 Raeleighâ€™s Blueprint

    Hannah was dressed rather inly. She wore a skirt suit, with in and inexpensive essories. Sitting next to Deanna, people couldn¡¯t help but to admire her. Many people thought that Hannah was Deanna¡¯s older sister, but after she addressed her as mother, everyone understood.

    Hannah had preserved her looks well. No one could tell her actual age from her face.

    ¡°Mom, I haven¡¯t seen Raeleigh yet. Let me introduce her to youter.¡± It was expected that Deanna¡¯s design would be selected. Deanna and Zorion had had been previously trained overseas in car designing. Then, they ended up studying in Elkton University, simply because Deanna liked Jepherson. Otherwise, with Rayan¡¯s financial capabilities, it was inconceivable that he would have them graduate from a local university.

    Hannah patted her daughter¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense again. If your brother is not happy when he goes back, then he will ignore you.¡±

    In fact, there was no need for Hannah to attend the event, but her daughter said that her brother had someone he liked, so she hade.

    Hannah knew that the likelihood of her son taking fancy of someone was slim to none as he was extremely picky. The only reason she hade that day was because her daughter had made it into the top ten finalists for the car designpetition. Whilst this was all within their expectations and would¡¯ve happened sooner orter, as her parent, she had to show up, to support for her daughter. Otherwise, she would¡¯ve felt guilty for letting her down.

    The mother and daughter continued to talk innocuously whilst Zorion stared straight ahead, not caring for what the people around him had to say and maintained his silence.

    It seemed that he was out of tune with this world. He faced everything in front of him with a sort of detachment.

    He was only 19 years old, but he seemed to have a heart with centuries of experience.

    Raeleigh saw Zorion seated in front of her. It was not that she was purposely looking for him. It just so happened that he was smack in the center of her field of vision from where she sat, such that it was impossible not to see him when she looked up straight ahead.

    Without further ado to the guests present, the awards ceremony began.

    The principal of Elkton University stepped forward on the stage and gave a short speech.

    The principal started off with a few pleasantries to the parents in attendance. Then, he moved on to talk about the designpetition in question.

    The apuse continued in waves,ing one after another. Finally, the principal looked to one side and said, ¡°We want to invite thepetition organizer, the vice president of Richards Group, Mr. Jepherson Richards, toe on stage and announce the results. Wee.¡±

    Jepherson walked to the stage from the side and paused on the stage. He took out a card in his hand and politely nodded to everyone present with a smile.

    Hannah was full of praise. The children of her good friends were just different. They were so distinctly outstanding that as soon as he went on stage, he had instantly made everyone fall silent. Who else couldpete with him?

    At the thought of this, Hannah instinctively nced at her son, Zorion. Actually, her son was not bad either.

    Zorion seemed to know what his mother was thinking. When Hannah looked at him, he also looked at his mother. Although it was just a casual action, a look from him was enough to make the girls around squeal in delight.

    At that time, Zorion smiled casually and then he looked up at the podium again.

    Jepherson was the main focus that day, with a gray body-fitting suit. He looked infinitely capable and every movement he made had an aura of maturity.

    Jepherson nced at the cue card in his hand, put his hands behind his back, and spoke into the microphone. ¡°I would like to thank each and every parent in attendance today foring today, and I would also like to thank all the participants for all the hard work and time put into your submissions during your term to participate in our annual Richards Group car designingpetition. I am extremely honored to have been part of the organizing team as the chairman, and now, let us announce the outstanding top ten finalists.¡±

    Jepherson took out the cue card from behind him and announced the list of names cing from the fourth to the tenth.

    At the same time, they went on stage,one by one,to receive their rewards. Deanna sat quietly and waited.

    Quirina wore a smile and turned around to look at Raeleigh¡¯s side. She met Raeleigh¡¯s eyes and showed out a defiant look.

    Raeleigh did not pay her any attention but continued to look forward.

    At that time, Zorion looked thoughtfully in Quirina¡¯s direction. He then followed her gaze and turned slightly to look behind him.

    Raeleigh was looking forward, their sights directly opposite.

    ¡°Next, the second runner up goes to¡­¡± Jepherson started with the third ced award first. It went to a male student. He received the certificate with excitement on the stage. Without having the chance to take a photo with Jepherson, he came down from the stage.

    Then, Jepherson went on to announce the names of the participants in the first and second ces.

    ¡°In second ce is Deanna Whalen.¡± Jepherson put down the card in his hand and pped his hands and smiled politely as his gaze shifted to Deanna. In an instant, she became the focus of everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m going up.¡± Deannan stood up, kissed Hannah, and hugged Zorion. Then, she turned and walked to the stage. Although she was in second ce, she was still very happy as she thought that Deanna had definitely secured first ce. The only thing she did not understand was why she was seated at the back.

    ¡°Jepherson.¡± Deanna leisurely walked towards Jepherson on the stage and called after him with a warm smile.

    Instead of being distant as he had been with the third ce winner, Jepherson took two steps forward and wrapped her in his arms. He patted her on the back. ¡°Congrattions, Deanna,¡± he said.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    After they parted, Deanna epted the award certificate. Jepherson smiled at her and then she stepped off the stage.

    When she got off the stage, she was surrounded by envious murmurs.

    ¡°I heard that the rtionship between the Richards family and the Whalen family is unlike the others. They have been close childhood sweethearts. As soon as Miss Deanna graduates, they will get married.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that supposed to be Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is just a fling. Do you think he takes it seriously? Is she even worthy of him?¡±

    Scarlette tugged at Raeleigh, who remained unaffected. Instead, she simply said, ¡°Let¡¯s not meddle in other people¡¯s affairs. Just watch the ceremony.¡±From N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh could not control what other people said. People would say what they wanted to say and she can only ensure that she yed her part appropriately and well, and that would have been enough.

    ¡°How can there be a woman such as you in this world?¡± Scarlette said as she shook her head. She really did not understand what Jepherson saw in her friend.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes forwards. It was thest name to be announced and Quirina was so excited that she almost leapt and rushed up to the stage. But she couldn¡¯t do that, so she waited as patiently as she could.

    Jepherson raised his hand and looked at the card in his hand, saying, ¡°The first ce¡­¡±

    Just as Jepherson was about to speak, a person¡¯s voice came from the big screen behind him, ¡°Scarlette, what are you doing? Stop recording me. If you continue, then I¡¯ll be really angry.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were on the big screen. On the big screen, there was a scene of Raeleigh drawing her blueprint. The person in the video was clearly Raeleigh, and the video also featured the blueprint she had been drawing.

    For a moment, everyone present was deepin thought, even Raeleigh.

 Chapter 854 Quirina in First Place

    Jepherson¡¯s expression was of total indifference. He turned back to see what was being disyed on the screen without a word.

    ¡°Scarlette.¡± Raeleigh turned to look at her friend. Scarlet yanked her hand out from under Raeleigh¡¯s, stood up, and nudged her to go forward. Everybody noticed this little incident and all eyes turned to look at Scarlette.

    At that time, Raeleigh could only sit back quietly. No matter what she did then, it would only make people assume that she had a part to y in this whole video incident. So, she could only sit still and do nothing to avoid being further talked about.

    Raeleigh did not move, but just watched as Scarlette walked onto the stage.

    Seeing Jepherson, she bowed politely. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disturbing thest part of the award announcement, but this is the only way. My friend there is too cowardly. She would rather be bullied than to stand up and use someone.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Scarlette and said, ¡°Tell us then what it is that you have to say, but I hope that you¡¯re not trying to make a fool out of us.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± After saying that, she walked to the principal with the remote in her hand and bowed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, for swapping your advertisement video.¡±

    The principal neither replied, nor did he say anything.

    Scarlette stepped up to the microphone and said,¡± I apologize to all of you for taking up your precious time. I am Scarlette of Room 302 and my roommate is Raeleigh. I am furious over her blueprint for thispetition that went mysteriously missing. If I say anything today that upsets you all, then I hope that you can look at how I am trying to stand up for my friend and find thepassion within yourselves to forgive me and not have me expelled from Elkton University.¡±

    ¡°When Raeleigh had been drawing her car design blueprint, as a joke, I had taken a video of her. She had refused to be filmed, so I did it secretly. As you all have seen just now, that video features Raeleigh clearly making that drawing, and her drawn blueprint was also clearly captured in that video. I am the eye witness, and here is the physical evidence of the ims I just made. But then, just a day before submissions of the blueprint were open, her work mysteriously went missing.¡±

    Everyone present was in an uproar, but Raeleigh sat still and didn¡¯t move.

    Zorion looked back at Raeleigh casually. Raeleigh had lowered her head and said nothing.

    ¡°The strange thing was, if we had identally misced our work, then the missing piece would not only have been hers, but mine too. However, mine was still intact. We had stored our work together in the desk, but in the end, only Raeleigh¡¯s went missing.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s probably because mine was not good enough, or maybe it was because I had written my name down.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, maybe whoever took it was in such a hurry that they didn¡¯t manage to take everything.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh was unable to produce her work, so she forfeited in the end, but I believe that the person who took her blueprint wouldn¡¯t have just thrown it away. Instead, I suspect that the person must have used it as a submission piece for thepetition.¡±

    ¡°So, I came here because I wanted to know if there is any one among all these drawings that belongs to Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°You see, the top nine blueprints are on the big screen, and now there is only one left. I want to confirm if this drawing that won the grand prize is in any way rted to Raeleigh¡¯s missing blueprint.¡±

    As soon as Scarlette said these words, Quirina suddenly stood up and pointed at Scarlette, and said, ¡°You¡¯re full of sh*t. The blueprint is obviously mine.¡±

    Meica¡¯s face turned pale all of a sudden. She had been pulling on her daughter¡¯s arm, trying to hold her in ce but she failed. Right then, it was so embarrassing.

    ¡°Quirina,¡± Meica called out to her daughter. Quirina did not listen. Instead, she was staring angrily at Scarlette, wanting to tear her mouth apart. Scarlette looked at Quirina and narrowed her eyes with disdain. She looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°Mr. Richards, please announce the name of the winner of the first prize. Otherwise, this is not enough to convince the public.¡±

    Jepherson pondered a bit, looked at other people, took a look at the card in his hand, picked it up, and said, ¡°The first prize winner is Quirina.¡±

    After that, Jepherson inadvertently nced at the principal and turned to leave.

    Right then, Quirina¡¯s winning blueprint was disyed on the big screen. Other people couldn¡¯t help but to exim. Meica couldn¡¯t stay there any longer. Although she was extremely reluctant to do so, she still raised her hand and gave her daughter a p. ¡°You have disappointed me too much. Is this how I raised you?¡±

    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Quirina had never been beaten by Meica and almost cried. She felt wronged and held back her tears, just short of spilling forth from her eyes. Holding onto her pped cheek, she called after her mother.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that. I¡¯m not your mother. How can I have a daughter like you? Do you want to kill me?¡± Meica looked so infuriated that it was almost as if she wouldbust on the spot and die. Then, she thumped her chest hard and said, ¡°Come, kill me.¡±

    Seeing Meica in this state, nobody could say anything and nobody rational dared to say anything either. Only some foolhardy people dared to mutter some unsavoryments.

    ¡°Mr. Horacio.¡± Meica walked towards the principal and bowed to him. She almost knelt down to the principal and held his hand, crying.

    ¡°This whole matter is my fault for not educating my daughter properly, and for theck of supervision. I apologize to you.¡± Then, Meica grovelled at the president several times in a row. The principal did not make a sound from the start and even then. His silence was because of the rather vulnerable position that he found himself in on both sides. It looked like Scarlette too was on Young Master Richards¡¯ side since he had a lot of influence there.

    Meica then apologized to the students and parents under the stage. That time, she had been truly and utterly embarrassed.

    Then, finally after all that apologetic theatrics to every else present, Meica walked up to Raeleigh and apologized deeply. ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve spoiled Quirina, can you please give her another chance?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the people around her. What could she say? She had even bowed to her.

    ¡°I forgive her,¡± Raeleigh said, looking around. She then walked to the stage, pulling Scarlette. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s quite enough already?¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    After that, Raeleigh dragged Scarlette and left. The other students dispersed as well, having lost interest in the concluded matter.

    In the end, there was no match for those wealthy nobles who got away with everything. Mr. Richards did not take any action against Quirina. This indicated how much immunity the Moore family had in Capital City and their rtionship with the Richards family, such that even in a situation such as this, Jepherson was inclined to show a degree of respect and leniency to them.

    Long after Raeleigh had left, Hannah was pulled by her daughter, who said, ¡°That was Raeleigh.¡±

    Hannah hadn¡¯t seen her quite clearly, but one thing she learnt from this whole debacle was that the daughter of the Moore family was really something.

    Fortunately, other than that one time, the name Yousif was never mentioned again. Otherwise, it would really be worrying.

    ¡°I still have something to do. Remember to study hard, alright? I have an appointment with someone and need to get going.¡± Hannah had seen all there was to see and left.

    The Whalen siblings sent Hannah off and then went home.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything when she went back to her bedroom. She knew that Scarlette had done all these things for her sake but she was worried that after causing a scene like this, there would be more trouble awaiting them in the future.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± Scarlette sat for a while before asking, with her eyes staring at Raeleigh.

    ¡°What do I have to be angry about?¡± Raeleigh sat on the bed, indifferent. She only had one question, which was how Scarlette had managed to pull this off.

    Scarlette leaned in towards Raeleigh and said, ¡°I did this all for your sake. People like Quirina have to be taught a good lesson. The more you submit to her, the more shameless she will be and bully you to no end. You¡¯ll lose anyway, so you might as well go down with a fight.¡±

    Raeleigh turned her head slowly and looked at Scarlette for a while, but did not say anything.

 Chapter 855 Grandmaâ€™s Suspicion

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Raeleigh replied in amusement, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±

    ¡°You must have something to say.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so impulsive in the future. You¡¯re too unruly.¡±

    Scarlette fixed her eyes on Raeleigh. ¡°Seriously, that¡¯s your reaction?¡±

    ¡°What else can I do?¡± Raeleigh picked up a book next to her hand, opened it and looked at the exercises inside. She was not interested in anything, not even in the exercises.

    Finally, the day had quietened down. Raeleigh nned to go home to see her grandmother over the weekend, so Raeleigh began to prepare for it on Friday afternoon.

    ¡°Raeleigh, why do you need to pack up your things?¡± Scarlette asked. She did not know why, since she had no ss on Friday afternoon. So, she went back to her bedroom, intending to sit down for a good gaming session with Raeleigh, only to find her packing up as if she was ready to run away.

    Raeleigh bowed her head and continued to pack her belongings. ¡°I need to go home to take a look.¡±

    That week, Raeleigh¡¯s schrship allowance had been transferred to her ount. She hadn¡¯t expected it to be that fast. That, together with the money she had won from gaming with Scarlette, she could buy some health supplements for her grandmother.

    Raeleigh felt guilty when she thought of her elderly grandmother, who still worried about her daily.

    ¡°Go home? You¡¯re going home, too?¡± She knew Raeleigh had a grandmother, but other than that, she didn¡¯t know much about her family.

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Scarlette. ¡°Can¡¯t I go home?¡±

    ¡°Of course you can. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect your family to be in Capital City as well.¡± Scarlette sat at the side, feeling bored. ¡°There¡¯ll be nothing for me to do after you leave. Why don¡¯t you bring me along?¡±

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment. ¡°If you have nothing else to do, then you can go back with me and let my Grandma see you.¡±

    ¡°OK, then I will prepare for it.¡± Upon hearing Raeleigh agree to let here along, Scarlette rushed to pack her things up and was ready shortly after. Then, they both set off, leaving the university and reaching her Grandma¡¯s ce before it got dark.

    Raeleigh¡¯s grandmother was amoner and it was she who had brought Raeleigh up ever since she had been a kid. The two of them lived together, and depended on no one other than each other and although life was tough, they were content and happy.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t have any unrealistic dreams. She just hoped that her Grandma would be able to live a happy life after Raeleigh started earning afortable living.

    How much money would she earn apart from recycling clothes? Back then, they barely managed to get by that way.

    When they arrived at the gate, Raeleigh got out of the car, followed by Scarlette. The both of them walked in a single file and entered the small walkway.

    ¡°Raeleigh, is your house a bungalow?¡± She didn¡¯t expect that there were bungalows on the outskirts of Capital City.

    ¡°This house doesn¡¯t belong to Grandma. We used to live in a rented house. Before that, we lived in the countryside. Later, it was because of my studies that we moved here to Capital City. We tried to rent an apartment but they were simply too expensive, so we ended up here.¡±

    ¡°Why did you live in the countryside? Is your family from the countryside?¡± Scarlettee asked as she walked. Raeleigh had already reached the door of her home. She didn¡¯t answer but just said, ¡°The rental house in the countryside was my grandmother¡¯s. We live there well. If it weren¡¯t for my studies, then perhaps we would have lived there forever.¡±

    Scarlette stopped questioning her. Raeleigh raised her hand and knocked on the door. ¡°My Grandma¡¯s health is generally alright. However, over the past few years, her leg is often swelling up and in a lot of pain. It is because she spent so much of her youth outside in freezing temperatures without proper instion.¡±

    ¡°Your grandmother really lived quite a harsh life.¡± Scarlette shook her head, pitifully.

    It was not easy for an olddy to take care of her granddaughter alone.

    Raeleigh knocked on the door for a while but no one answered. Raeleigh took out the key and unlocked the door, leading Scarlette into the house. When they entered the room, there was no one in the room, but it was clean and had been tidied up, although there were no furnishings in the house.

    ¡°Come on in first, she must¡¯ve gone out.¡± Raeleigh invited Scarlette in as thetter put down her backpack and walked around the house, stopping here and there to take a peek.

    Raeleigh put down her backpack and went to the front door.

    After watching for a while, she finally saw an olddy dragging her heavy body as she trudged back home.

    Seeing Raeleigh, the olddy smiled immediately. In her hand was a small packet of meat.

    ¡°Grandma, why did you go out?¡± Raeleigh hurried to support the olddy. The olddy smiled kindly and said, ¡°I¡¯ve gone out to see if you¡¯ve arrived. I passed by the meat stall along the road and so I decided to buy a piece, so that I can broil it for you tonight.¡±

    The olddy was very polite when she spoke and when she looked at Raeleigh, her gaze was kind.

    Raeleigh¡¯s Grandma was no ordinary person. Although she used to pick old torn clothes for a living in her youth, she had amassed a lot of life experience and encountered all sorts of people. Not only was she tough, she was also tenacious.

    Raeleigh had learnt all the valuable lessons from her grandmother, such as how to be calm even in the midst of a crisis and not to be easily triggered.

    ¡°If you want meat, then I can go and buy it. Didn¡¯t I give you a phone? Just call me if you need anything. It¡¯s not inconvenient for me toe back.¡± Raeleigh was normally a person of few words, but with her Grandma, she was unusually chatty.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    The old madam chuckled. ¡°How can it be the same? The meat you buy is for my consumption, as for the meat I buy, it is for you.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing?¡± Raeleigh was quite exasperated. Sometimes, there wasjustnothing she could do about her grandmother.

    The grandmother and granddaughter duo talked all the way until they reached home. When they entered the house, only then did the grandmother notice another person present in her house. She smiled and asked, ¡°Raeleigh, is this your ssmate?¡±

    Scarlette was looking at Raeleigh¡¯s photographs in the house, as well as some of the awards Raeleigh had won as a child.

    Raeleigh¡¯s trophies and medals adorned the walls. In the olddy¡¯s words, other people kept money in their safe boxes, but in their house, it was Raeleigh¡¯s trophies.

    The olddy said that she wouldn¡¯t feel at ease even if she put them somewhere else, so she feltfortable when she put them on the wall.

    Raeleigh had hung the medals on the wall ording to her grandmother¡¯s wishes.

    Scarlette, who had never seen that many trophies and medals in her life, was shocked.

    ¡°Scarlette, this is my grandmother. Grandma, Scarlette is my dorm mate. There¡¯s only me and Scarlette in our dormitory. I¡¯ve brought her along for you to meet her,¡± Raeleigh exined. The olddy was shrewd. Her granddaughter¡¯s words hinted at something else hidden away.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? I¡¯ll buy some more food.¡± The old madam chuckled and Scarlette said hurriedly, ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything. You don¡¯t have to make any special preparations for me. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be embarrassed toe again next time.¡±

    The olddy smiled and said, ¡°That won¡¯t do either. This is your first time here. How about this? Scarlette, stay here and help me watch the house. Raeleigh and I¡¯ll buy some more food. What do you like to eat, Scarlette?¡±

    She felt embarrassed and said with a smile, ¡°Why don¡¯t I go shopping with Raeleigh? You can stay at home.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not good. Scarlette, please stay. Raeleigh and I will go and buy the food. It¡¯s not far away from here.¡± The olddy insisted. Scarlette did not argue any further with her. Raeleigh saw that her grandmother had something she wanted to say to her alone. So, she ced the packet of meat on the table and she then held her grandmother¡¯s arms to support her as they walked out.

    A short distance away from the house, the olddy asked Raeleigh, ¡°Raeleigh, tell me, how did you meet Scarlette?¡±

    Her grandmother was her closest rtive, so Raeleigh had never kept anything from her. Thus, she told her everything there was to know about how she and Scarlette met. After hearing this, the olddy sighed. ¡°Raeleigh, I know that you are unwilling to go to that ce. But I¡¯ve always felt that you are not an ordinary girl. You must know that I¡¯m not capable and so I have only you to rely upon.¡±

    ¡°People like us are easy targets to be bullied in society. You¡¯ve had your fair share of troubles since childhood.¡±

    ¡°It is not a new thing for rich people to bully the poor.¡±

    ¡°But I still have to tell you that it¡¯s not a big deal for them to bully us, but we can¡¯t lose our dignity. I don¡¯t expect you to rebel against them, but a person cannot live without dignity, so no matter what they do to you, you must remember that you are a person with dignity.¡±

 Chapter 856 A Shadow in Red

    ¡°Grandma, I know that and I will deal with the school affairs ordingly. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want her Grandma to worry too much, but she still told her about the people who bullied her in ss.

    The olddy was a reasonable woman and she understood the struggles. Her granddaughter was very dignified and beautiful, and was also outstanding in her studies. Not to mention in such an expensive school, even if it was an ordinary school, there would be a lot of bullies who picked on poor people.

    ¡°But society is like this. There are too many frauds and scammers out there. If you don¡¯t learn to protect yourself and get along well with this society, then you can¡¯t establish a foothold in this society.¡±

    The olddy sighed, because she did not have the ability to protect her granddaughter.

    Raeleigh held her grandmother¡¯s arm and smiled without saying anything.

    The olddy didn¡¯t forget Scarlette. She said, ¡°Scarlette doesn¡¯t look like an ordinary person. You have to be careful when she¡¯s by your side. I am never wrong when ites to people, this child¡­¡±Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

    The olddy hesitated for a while and said, ¡°The human heart is deep and deceitful, you should be more vignt.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Grandma.¡± Raeleigh did not say anything more. She helped the olddy get to the nearest vegetable market.

    The ce was not veryrge, and the food market near her grandmother¡¯s house was very small. So, she and her Grandma went in and began to choose the raw ingredients they needed to cook dinner that day. Raeleigh bought a fish specially for her. Throughout her life, the olddy didn¡¯t like many things, with the exception of fish. She loved fish.

    Raeleigh had known that her grandmother liked eating fish since she was a child. However, she would always hold back, giving the fish meat to Raeleigh while she ate only the bones. Her grandmother would always say that Raeleigh should eat the meat, as it was nutritious, and would help in her growth and development. She always said that she would not let her granddaughter have stunted growth due to theck of nutrients.

    When she grew up, she couldn¡¯t eat any more. Raeleigh still had 100 dors that she had saved from her game earnings. She bought some vegetables and fish that day. The olddy did not stop her as they had a guest.

    When they returned home, they found that Scarlette hadid down to sleep. Raeleigh helped her grandmother inside to take a seat. Seeing that Scarlette was still asleep, she went to prepare dinner on her own. The olddy thought to herself about Scarlette, ¡°This child is so careless.¡±

    She had fallen asleep while looking after the house.

    After Raeleigh finished preparing the dishes, the olddy woke Scarlette up to eat. She was still groggy when she opened her eyes and saw the two people in front of her. She remembered Raeleigh but the olddy¡­

    It took her quite a while to remember who the olddy was.

    ¡°Come, eat, I don¡¯t know what you like to eat. What do you like to eat? I¡¯ll have Raeleigh cook it for you in the future when you visit here.¡± The olddy cut her a piece of fish and Scarlette immediately handed her bowl and received it. No matter what was served, she would love it.

    The olddy had a good impression of Scarlette. On the way to the market earlier, Raeleigh had mentioned that Scarlette did not have a family as she was an orphan.

    Regardless of whether it was true or not, the child seemed alright.

    After dinner, the olddy went to watch TV. Raeleigh showed Scarlette around the ce. When they were about to go to bed, the two of them took out theirptop and connected it to the wi-fi hotspot from their cell phones and started gaming.

    ¡°It¡¯ste. Why don¡¯t you rest?¡± The olddy had slept early. She didn¡¯t know what Raeleigh was doing, only that she wasn¡¯t sleeping, so she enquired about it out of concern.

    ¡°There is this game online where we can make money. I have yed it with Scarlette for quite some time now. Although it¡¯s not much, it is enough to cover my living expenses. Grandma, you can go to sleep first and don¡¯t worry about us.¡±

    The olddy was not worried when she heard that. She knew that the child she raised was not someone who was addicted to games. If it weren¡¯t for those little living expenses, then she wouldn¡¯t have been bothered.

    ¡°Go on and y, but don¡¯t stay up toote.¡± The olddy went back to her room to sleep. There were two rooms in the house. One of them was the olddy¡¯s, and the other one was where Scarlette and Raeleigh slept in.

    Raeleigh¡¯s room was not spacious, and it had been used to store some sundries.

    Normally, Raeleigh would not stay here. Even when she came back for a visit, she would just sleep together with her grandmother in her room. Raeleigh had told her grandmother that they did not need to have such a big ce. Just a room and a dining area would suffice. Her grandmother, who was frugal, had managed to hash it out with thendlord and rent a two-bedroom ce.

    The olddy said that Raeleigh was a grown woman and that she can¡¯t stay with the olddy for the rest of her life. Besides, this was the age where she should have a boyfriend. So, what if the boyfriend dropped by? He would need a ce to stay too, hence the two rooms instead of one.

    In fact, the olddy also understood their condition. It was not easy for Raeleigh to find a boyfriend as long as she didn¡¯t have to work and was still studying.

    It was not due to the olddy¡¯s greed or vanity. It was because the olddy thought that Raeleigh was not the kind of person who would find a boyfriend casually. If the family¡¯s conditions were poor, to put it bluntly, then the olddy would not be willing. Consequently, if the family¡¯s conditions were too good, the olddy was worried that Raeleigh would be bullied.

    In other people¡¯s eyes, Raeleigh might be an ordinary child, but the olddy always thought the opposite. So, when it came to finding a boyfriend, let alone one that had no money, even if he was rich and had a high status, the olddy might not be willing to let her marry him.

    The olddy was not going to hide the fact that she was a trash collector either. She neither stole nor did she rob, and had raised a child to adulthood depending only on the work of her own hands. She would think that she was better and stronger than those who made a living out of selling one¡¯s body.

    If Raeleigh¡¯s future boyfriend could not see this point of hers, then based on that alone, the olddy will not be willing to have any further discussion on the continuation of his and Raeleigh¡¯s rtionship.

    ¡°What does a person want to live for? It is for this speck of stubbornness. To put it inly, one needs to grow and have a backbone!¡±

    It didn¡¯t matter if he or she was poor. As long as they did not steal or rob, then they would still have a spine and preserve their dignity.

    It was alright if only one person slept in Raeleigh¡¯s room, but two people was a tight squeeze. After dinner, the olddy had asked one of them to sleep in the empty room, but Raeleigh declined, saying that she never liked sleeping in other people¡¯s rooms, and that there would be a moldy smell. Instead, she asked Scarlette to go over. Scarlette refused as well. She said that she had stayed in all kinds of rooms before, once even in one that had rats. So, at that moment, she didn¡¯t have a problem with squeezing a little tighter to sleep with another person.

    After the olddy left, Raeleigh and Scarlett began to y the game. As they yed, Scarlett said to Raeleigh, ¡°Why don¡¯t you find someone to take you with them? When will you be an expert if you keep ying like this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now. You can find Shadowless Hadrian. I¡¯m good here.¡± Raeleigh was quite a natural. She snorted with disdain and left quickly.

    Raeleigh was the only one left. She found a treasure box in the game that she could open. She opened one that had 200 dors and was satisfied.

    ¡°Why have you stopped ying?¡± With a look of surprise on her face, Scarlette asked as Raeleigh packed up theputer and put it aside. ¡°I opened a Treasure Box just now and sold it for 220 dors. I will buy an outfit for Grandma tomorrow.¡±

    Scarlette was speechless. ¡°What logic is this? It isn¡¯t even eight o¡¯clock yet and you¡¯re already calling it a day? Just because of the two hundred dor treasure chest, what if you open a two thousand dor one?¡±

    Raeleigh did not listen to her words. She tidied herself andy on the bed. ¡°To begin with, one is already guaranteed to lose at least half the time when ites to gambling. Don¡¯t be fooled by the ¡®logic¡¯ that seems obvious before your eyes. You can rest, store your money and energy, and if you have good fortune, then the two thousand dor option will still be there for the taking.¡±

    Scarlette didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Go to sleep then. I¡¯m going to y without you. Ye of little faith.¡±

    Scarlette continued to y and it didn¡¯t take long for Raeleigh to fall asleep.

    Scarlette noticed that besides Hadrian, a shadow in red appeared. Aftermunicating two lines, she shut theptop.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh and Scarlette got up early the next day and went out early. They bought some things from the morning market and went out again after breakfast. They bought some stuff for the olddyto wear and use.

 Chapter 857 Taken Away

    ¡°Raeleigh, you should keep this extra money and spend it on yourself. You shouldn¡¯t spend it all on me. I don¡¯t even like these things,¡± the olddy said. In actuality, it was not that she didn¡¯t like it, but that she didn¡¯t want the money to be wasted on her. To put it bluntly, even if she had the best clothes to wear then or the best things to use, she didn¡¯t have it in her youth when she could¡¯ve really used and enjoyed it. So, what was the point of having it, now that she was already so old.

    ¡°It was quite cheap, so I bought it. Grandma, we¡¯re going back today. Call me if you need anything.¡±

    Raeleigh reminded her again and again, and so did the olddy. After walking for a while with Scarlette, they saw a cab and was about to hail it to get back to the university.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a bus,¡± Scarlette said as she pulled Raeleigh towards the bus station instead. Scarlette had spotted a bus card in Raeleigh¡¯s bag and inferred that Raeleigh normally couldn¡¯t bear to spend extra money on a cab. So, Scarlette thought there was no need to hail a cab just to apany her when this was what Raeleigh preferred.

    When they arrived at the bus station, they waited in line when a sleek ck car arrived and stopped ahead. It was too striking, which caught everybody¡¯s attention.

    Raeleigh saw the car logo and knew that it was Jepherson¡¯s car.

    Stuart quickly got out of the car, after which he walked to Raeleigh and said politely, ¡°Miss Anson, please.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at the people around her, who were looking on, and then she walked over.

    The door was opened and Stuart invited Raeleigh to get into the car. Raeleigh turned around and took a look at Scarlette. Bending over, she got into the car.

    Scarlette initially intended to get into the same car as well, but before she could step closer, the man outside the car, Stuart, said, ¡°Sorry, Young Master Richards is getting changed. Miss Scarlette, please take the other car.¡±

    She raised her head and narrowed her eyes at Stuart. Alright!

    She turned around and strode over to the other car, which wasing over to her. Then, she bent down and got into the car.

    Stuart then got into the car. By that time, Jepherson was done changing his clothes and was sitting in the car and reading from a notebook.

    Closing the book, Jepherson raised his head and asked, ¡°Is there any other special arrangement for today?¡±

    ¡°There are none.¡±

    ¡°Tell the Old Madam that I have something to do and cannot go back for dinner today. I¡¯ll be back tomorrow,¡± Jepherson immediately ordered. Raeleigh looked at Jepherson with her dark eyes thoughtfully for a while.

    ¡°Where are you going to take me?¡± Raeleigh had to go back to school the next day, which was why she had to leave one day earlier, as the travelling distance was very far. Even by car, it would take two hours.

    Why would Jepherson appear?

    ¡°I need to go out for a bit today. I don¡¯t have a femalepanion. Since you have nothing to do, keep mepany for a while and I¡¯ll have you back by tomorrow morning and it won¡¯t affect your ns.¡± Jepherson¡¯s tone was calm, as if they were an old couple who had been together for many years. Raeleigh frowned. What was Jepherson¡¯s intention?

    All of a sudden, the car was silent. Raeleigh lowered her head and subconsciously fixed her eyes on the bracelet on her wrist. ¡°What did Jepherson want to do?¡±

    ¡°I still have something to do at eight o¡¯clock tomorrow. Are you sure you can send me back by eight o¡¯clock tomorrow morning?¡± Raeleigh finallypromised. On one hand, she couldn¡¯t argue with Jepherson. On the other hand, even if she had tried to argue her way out of this, she wouldn¡¯t be able to win over him, and this really was the key factor.

    Jepherson smiled thinly and said, ¡°Alright.¡± Then, he turned his face to the side and elegantly crossed his legs and affixed his hands on his thighs, his gaze focusing on the road outside the window. He looked rxed and free from all desire, that Raeleigh, who had been staring, had him go into a little daze.

    Raeleigh had seen a lot of elegant men, but it was the first time she¡¯d seen someone of Jepherson¡¯s age being able to achieve such natural elegance.

    A book was ced beside Jepherson. Raeleigh was slightly stunned when she saw the signature on it. It was the signature of one of Germany¡¯s top car designers and it was an artistic collectible item. It had been said that there were only ten of such copies in the whole world and that its price was invaluable.

    Raeleigh sat there for a while, her eyes fixed on the diary.

    ¡°Can I have a look?¡± Raeleigh finally decided to break the silence and requested.

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s lips curled into a smile. From the clean and elegant side of his face, he seemed to be a beautiful sculpture, reflecting the beauty of the contours of his features.

    Jepherson slowly turned around and nced at the book next to him. ¡°It¡¯s a gift for you!¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re gifting it to me?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t want it?¡± Jepherson¡¯s thin lips moved. The love in his eyes caused the temperature in the car to rise.

    Raeleigh was speechless for a moment. Raeleigh might not care for other things, but she had been dreaming about this design book for a long time. She had thought about it more than once. If she could be a famous car designer before the age of 40, then the first thing she would do was to visit Germany and go to this deceased designer¡¯s grave to pay her respects and offer her thanks for his contribution.

    However, dreams were always too far away. They were so distant that she didn¡¯t dare to dream about them. Perhaps, it was a dream that would never be realized.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    So, she told herself, ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t worry. If I can¡¯t do it in 40 years, then I¡¯ll spend the rest of my life trying to achieve it!¡±

    But she hadn¡¯t expected that such a dream woulde true. In an instant, the diary was in front of her, giving her a chance to take a look at it.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°Let me have a look. I will give it back to you afterwards.¡±

    ¡°Take it.¡± Jepherson suddenly picked up the book and put it in Raeleigh¡¯s hand. The book seemed to have ws and firmly grabbed at Raeleigh¡¯s heart.

    She looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°Let me have a look. I¡¯ll return it to you after I finish.¡±

    Jepherson turned his face away, crossed his legs, and calmly looked outside. This stone was hard enough. It seemed that he had to prepare well for a long battle.

    Thinking about this, Jepherson lowered his eyes and smiled.

    Raeleigh did not notice this. Stuart however did and it scared him as he thought, ¡°What was their young master doing? What was he fantasizing about? About it?¡±

    Sensing that someone was spying on him, Jepherson turned his headnguidly and caught Stuart peeping at him. Stuart was so scared that his face turned pale, and he quickly turned back to the front, redirecting his attention to the traffic ahead.

    ¡°Get off,¡± Jepherson suddenly said. The driver stopped the car steadily by the side of the road. Stuart pushed the door open and got off. He closed the door and the chauffeur drove away.

    Raeleigh had been looking at the book when the car stopped. She raised her head and saw Stuart getting out of the car. When Raeleigh realized what had happened, the car had already left.

    Raeleigh looked back in a hurry. Meanwhile, Stuart stood rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed on their car. He stood there like that until the other car behind stopped for him and picked him up.

    Raeleigh was at a loss, and looked at Jepherson in a strange way. However, Jepherson had already turned his face to look at the outside of the car, whichfurther confusedRaeleigh.

    After looking at him for a while, Raeleigh lowered her head and continued to look at the book in her hand, not wanting to meddle with his affairs.

    Raeleigh liked the book very much and looked at it all the way. When the car stopped, she was still looking at it. Time had passed by without her noticing it.

    Raeleigh stopped and took a look outside the car but she did not stir. But then, she looked at the people zooming in and out, the cars passing by, as well as the huge billboards, and she knew that they had arrived at the airport.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± When Raeleigh asked, Stuart had opened the door from the outside. Jepherson then got out of the car. He did not leave with Raeleigh, but walked into the airport first.

 Chapter 858 A Trip to the Orphanage

    The car pulled away and a person appeared and stood in front of Raeleigh. She said politely, ¡°Miss Anson, if you please.¡±

    Raeleigh felt a little strange, but she had gotten out of the car anyway and went outside.

    When she went into the airport, Raeleigh only saw Scarlette and two other people. She did not see Jepherson.

    Scarlette rushed to Raeleigh and stood in front of her asking, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. We¡¯ll be fine.¡± Raeleigh could only say so then. She had no idea what exactly Jepherson nned to do.

    Soon, someone brought over ne tickets for Raeleigh and Scarlette. They were assigned to sit next to each other. Raeleigh and Scarlette were escorted to the ne, and then the other people left, one after another.

    Halfway through, someone invited Scarlette to another seat. Shortly after, Jepherson came from the first ss cabin and sat beside Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh was reading the book. She raised her head to have a look. She was not surprised to see Jepherson sitting beside her. If it were someone else, then she would have been surprised.

    Raeleigh had been looking at the book for quite some time then, but she was still absorbed in it.

    Jepherson did not disturb her. Instead, he was focused more on Raeleigh¡¯s expression.

    After a short break, the ne started its descent and Jepherson pressed his hands against Raeleigh¡¯s ears, covering them as she looked up at him. It was Raeleigh¡¯s first time on a ne. She didn¡¯t know anything and didn¡¯t pay attention to the noise. Jepherson¡¯s action was a little sudden. When she looked up, she saw that Jepherson was smiling at her. She wanted to push Jepherson¡¯s hand away, but she didn¡¯t. Instead, she quietened down.

    After the nended, the sound disappeared. Jepherson took his hands away from Raeleigh¡¯s ears and he then smiled.

    She didn¡¯t like the fact that he smiled at her. When a man smiled at her, she wouldn¡¯t like it. Since it was Jepherson, she disliked it even more.

    Jepherson got up from his seat and simply packed up Raeleigh¡¯s stuff. Then, he took Raeleigh¡¯s hand and left the ne.

    When they got off the ne, Raeleigh heard the people around her talking about one thing, how handsome Jepherson looked and how elegant his movements were.

    Looking at the people around her, Raeleigh wanted to ignore them, but she couldn¡¯t do anything since they kept talking about her.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Outside the airport, there was a car waiting for them. Raeleigh followed Jepherson out of the airport and went straight into the car. The chauffeur drove them away. Raeleigh then knew that this was a small town next to the coast. Although the town was not big, it was already considered as a first-ss city, so it was still very prosperous.

    Inside the car, Jepherson began to read the information. It was said that he was going to an orphanage to find someone.

    ¡°What has the other party said?¡± Jepherson was then acting like a bossy president. He had a cold and unpredictable expression, deep and quiet eyes, and his whole body was emitting a serious aura. Even Raeleigh, who wasn¡¯t paying much attention to him, could feel that his aura was different from before.

    ¡°I have already contacted him and the director has called.¡± Stuart, who was in the front seat, answered quickly.

    Jepherson turned his face away. The calm on his handsome face was swept away and reced with coldness. Raeleigh stared at Jepherson¡¯s eyes with the light of the setting sun outside the window. She saw a touch of pain in his eyes.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know if it was an illusion. She looked down for a while to check the bracelet in her hand. At that time, the car passed by several busy streets and finally stopped in front of a very remote suburban agency.

    When Raeleigh got out of the car and saw the sign in front of the door, she froze for a moment. ¡°Isn¡¯t this an orphanage?¡±

    At that time, some people stood in front of the gate of the orphanage. The old dean, who had seen Jepherson, rushed out to greet him. Jepherson said, ¡°Madam Garver, there¡¯s no need for the pleasantries.¡±

    Madam Garver?

    Raeleigh looked at the person opposite her. The director of her orphanage also had the family name of Garver.

    What a coincidence!

    ¡°Mr. Richards, wee. With the money you have donated to our orphanage, we believe that it will help more children improve their lives. It really is us who should thank you. And to think that we had to trouble you toe all the way here to see us, we really don¡¯t know how to thank you for all this.¡±

    ¡°No, madam, you are too polite. Charity has always been something that my parents are keen on. We also hope that there will be more children who will get well taken care of and have ess to better logistics.¡±

    ¡°But this time, I have a favor to ask, and I hope you can help me.¡±

    ¡°Are you referring to the person you were looking for?¡± The dean had already been notified, so she had already prepared the relevant information.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, pleasee with me.¡± The director led them and soon, Raeleigh and Jepherson found themselves inside the orphanage.

    As they walked in, Raeleigh stared nkly at the things in the orphanage, which reminded her of many things.

    ¡°Here is the list of all the children who have been here at this orphanage since I took over its management. Here it is. Mr. Richards, please have a look.¡± The director took out two heavy books and put them on the table in the dean¡¯s office, inviting Jepherson to have a look.

    There were not many people in the director¡¯s office at that time. There were only the director and assistant director, Jepherson, Raeleigh, and Stuart.

    Jepherson sat at one side. He opened the book and read it from the beginning to the end. He finished the whole book.

    Rubbing his eyes, Jepherson began to read the second book.

    When Jepherson finished reading the second book, there was a trace of loss in his eyes, and then he hid it.

    ¡°Sorry to have troubled you, but the person I am looking for is not here.¡± Jepherson handed the book to the director. The director nodded and said, ¡°If there is anything we can help with, then please let us know and we will try our best to help you. There¡¯s one other thing. Today, the children in our orphanage prepared a performance for you. They hope you can stay to watch them perform and leave after having dinner.¡±

    By that time, it was already dusk. If they were to leave then, then they would have to waste quite a bit of time.

    Jepherson nced outside. ¡°In that case, I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Madam Garver.

    ¡°No trouble at all. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The director went to the door and invited Jepherson and Raeleigh to watch the children¡¯s performance.

    The show was performed in the courtyard of the orphanage. The ce was decorated withnterns and streamers. Raeleigh apanied Jepherson at the front seats. There were two children who gave them flower wreaths. It was a very lively scene.

    After the show ended, they had dinner in the yard. The children were all waiting in an orderly fashion for dinner. Raeleigh looked at the children and thought of herself when she was a child.

    After dinner, Raeleigh and Jepherson went to take a rest. The dean arranged two rooms, but Jepherson still stayed over in Raeleigh¡¯s room.

    The room itself was not spacious, and the conditions in the orphanage were limited. It was impossible for everyone to have a big room.

    The rooms that were allocated to Raeleigh and Jepherson were specially prepared for donors to have a short rest. So, it was not spacious. It was just a room to rest in.

    But that day¡­

    Raeleigh stood in the room and looked around. In such a small room, it was a good ce for one person, but it would be crowded if there was one more person. Besides, it was not appropriate for them, being unmarried, if they were to stay in a room together.

 Chapter 859 The Stone That Simply Cannot Be Warmed

    ¡°Aren¡¯t there two rooms?¡± Raeleigh asked him, standing by the bed, when she saw that Jepherson had no intention of leaving at all.

    ¡°The weather seems downcast. The orphanage is located in a cold, damp ce with thick trees surrounding it. It may be cold when we sleep at night. I¡¯m not used to it,¡± Jepherson said. He then sat on the bed. He took off his shoes andy on the bed without taking off his clothes.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t understand. Jepherson¡¯s response didn¡¯t answer her question. She said there were two rooms. He said that he couldn¡¯t sleep well, and he would feel cold at night.

    ¡°If you¡¯re really cold, then you can cover yourself with more nkets. It¡¯s still summer, so it¡¯s not going to be all that cold.¡±

    ¡°There are rats here,¡± Jepherson added.

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of rats.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m scared!¡± Jepherson looked at Raeleigh. He spoke carelessly. It didn¡¯t sound like he was afraid, but his eyes were focused and serious.

    Raeleigh was speechless for a moment.

    Was there a man who was afraid of rats?

    He had said it in such a frank tone.

    ¡°If you wantpany, then get Stuart toe in here.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that is appropriate?¡± Jepherson asked. Raeleigh was left speechless by his question.

    So, it was inappropriate for Stuart to sleep with him in the same room but not her?

    Thinking of this, there were only the two of them. Raeleigh also knew that it was going to be impossible to refuse Jepherson. Since he had brought her here, it meant that he would have a way to make her give in finally.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment and went to the bathroom. After she came out, she went to get some rest.

    ¡°We must set a boundary. Nobody is allowed to touch the other person,¡± Raeleigh said andy down. They were both dressed. It was not like they had never been alone, so there shouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    Jepherson closed his eyes and didn¡¯t say anything. Raeleigh regarded it as a tacit agreement.

    After turning off the lights, the floor was bathed in the moonlight. Raeleigh did not cover herself with the quilt, so Jepherson did it for her instead and she felt tensed all over her body. Though she knew that he wouldn¡¯t do anything, she was still nervous.

    ¡°Do you have any sports that you like in particr?¡± With his eyes closed, Jepherson asked in a soft voice. Raeleigh didn¡¯t rx until she thought that he was about to fall asleep.

    ¡°I neither have any sports that I like, nor do I like exercising.¡± Raeleigh did not lie. She was telling the truth.

    ¡°I like sports.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Jepherson. She didn¡¯t ask, so why did he offer an answer?

    ¡°I have many interests, like running, basketball, swimming, and so on.¡± Raeleigh did not ask, but Jepherson once again volunteered this personal information.

    ¡­

    At first, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t fall asleep, but she became sleepy as she listened. It was not because she wasn¡¯t interested in it, but because she didn¡¯t want to hear it.

    Raeleigh intended to close her eyes and listen, but then she fell asleep.

    In the morning, a ray of sunshine woke Raeleigh up. She did not know if she had slept in toote or if it was too warm. When she was fully awake, it was already past six o¡¯clock.

    Opening her eyes, Raeleigh froze.

    This was¡­

    Raeleigh looked down. She was actually holding Jepherson, who was lying down t on his back. Although Jepherson too was holding her hand, the position was in such a way that it was her who was holding him in her arms.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t dare to move. She withdrew her hands away gently, blushed, got out of bed, put on her shoes, and left the room first.

    Closing the door, Jepherson slowly opened his eyes. She was truly like a rock.

    With a smile, the haze of Jepherson¡¯s sleepless night was finally lifted. He closed his eyes and was about to rest. However, because of his promise the day before, he got up and sat up.

    Raeleigh stood in the orphanage, watching the children who were washing up in the morning. They lined up and stood at the edge of the sink. Then, the running tap brought back a scene from a memory ten years ago.

    ¡°Miss Anson, are you up?¡± the director said to Raeleigh, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t hear her. The director saw that she was in a daze and did not go forward to disturb her. Jepherson came out of the room and the director went to talk to him instead.

    ¡°Miss Anson seems to like children very much.¡±

    ¡°Right, all women like children.¡± Jepherson talked with the dean for a while. When Raeleigh came to her senses, she did not know what had happened. She walked over and stopped in front of Jepherson.

    ¡°We agreed to go back today.¡± Raeleigh knew that Jepherson came here because he had something to do, but she also had her own things to deal with as well.

    ¡°I know.¡± Jepherson looked at the director and said, ¡°When I go back, I will discuss it further with my parents, to donate another sum for buying more books and some entertainment facilities, so that the children can live here without worry and they don¡¯t need to worry about having to leave the orphanage so soon.¡±

    ¡°We are really grateful for your help.¡± The director¡¯s gratitude was beyond words. After all, everyone liked to go to the auctions to donate to charity. Who still remembered to give the money directly to the orphanage?

    From the way Jepherson did this, it was obvious that he was a happy and kind person.

    It was eight o¡¯clock by the time Raeleigh and the entourage had breakfast, and only then did Jepherson take Raeleigh out of the orphanage. Then, just as they arrived at the airport, before they could enter the airport, there was lightning and thunder outside. Soon, heavy rain poured down from the skies. It was difficult to get out of the car, let alone get on the ne to fly back.From N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh kept her eyes fixed outside, showing no anxiety on her face, but she was actually slightly worried in her heart. It wasn¡¯t a big problem even if they couldn¡¯t go back at that time, since even if she got back, there wouldn¡¯t be time for her to do anything. Besides, buying the tickets would take some time too and even after that, it was not guaranteed that the nes would be allowed to take off.

    Even if they could get on a ne, it would take time for the ne to reach the destination, and from the airport, they needed time tomute to the university as well. Calcting all these factors in, by the time they got back, it would already be dark.

    But the car had closed cirction system, and there were four people in the car then. If they continued on just waiting about here, then there would soon be ack of oxygen in the car.

    Raeleigh looked outside the car. It was raining heavily, so they could barely see anything outside, let alone get out of the car.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see how the weather is.¡± Jepherson nced at the time. He still did not want to break his promise.

    He hoped that she knew that he was not a person who did not keep to his promises.

    Stuart took a look at the weather on the t screen disy and turned to look at Jepherson. ¡°We may not be able to go back today. The rainfall today is estimated at an average of more than 80 millimeters.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Stuart. She thought to herself, ¡°There lies the difference in ssy goods. They possessed all sorts of detailed information such as this.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hotel.¡± Jepherson knew that it was impossible for the rain to stop so soon. Since it would not stop, then they might as well not waste any more time.

    The driver took a look outside and made sure that he could drive away. Then, he started the car and drove to the front.

    Not long after, the car stopped at the entrance of a hotel. The man got out of the car and went out in the rain. He took out the raincoats and opened the door to ask Jepherson to get off.

    Stuart had thoughtfully prepared two umbres, one which he used for himself, and the other he used to cover Jepherson. Before getting out of the car, Jepherson had already taken off his outer coat. He took the umbre and Stuart stepped aside, continuing to shield him. Jepherson bent over and looked into the car where Raeleigh was still seated. Raeleigh on the other hand, had clutched the book tightly to her chest. She didn¡¯t mind getting drenched, but she was worried about the book getting wet.

    Stuart didn¡¯t know what to say. He was willing to hold the umbre and shield Jepherson because he was employed to serve and watch after Jepherson. Jepherson was willing to give his umbre to Raeleigh because he cared for her and loved her. But Raeleigh, she only cared about the book. Stuart pitied Jepherson because the girl he had been pursuing for such a long time remained unmoved.

    Even if her heart was made of stone, shouldn¡¯t it have been melted or even warmed up by then? How was it that her icy heart could not turn mellow?

 Chapter 860 Leg Warmer

    When Raeleigh got out of the car, Jepherson immediately held her in his arms. He undid his coat that he had taken off and wrapped Raeleigh in his arms. She raised her head and looked at him, but Jepherson could not be bothered. He held Raeleigh in his arms and walked into the hotel. Except for her feet, Raeleigh was not wet at all when they walked into the hotel. On the contrary, it was Jepherson himself, whose shoulders were totally covered in rain water. The rest of his body too was drenched.

    ¡°Master Richards, don¡¯t catch a cold. Let¡¯s go to the room first.¡± Stuart couldn¡¯t afford it if Jepherson were to fall ill. Stuart rushed Jepherson to the hotel room. Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and walked to the door of the elevator. Stuart had already arranged for someone toe over. He had already obtained the room card. At the door of the elevator, someone was waiting for Jepherson.

    When he reached the door, Stuart quickly took the room card and followed him into the elevator.

    It wasn¡¯t until he stepped into the elevator that he let Raeleigh go. He didn¡¯t care about the dampness on his shoulder. Instead, he lowered his head and found that Raeleigh had taken out her hand to check the book. She didn¡¯t soak the book in her hand and felt relieved.

    With a smile, Jepherson looked at the door of the elevator. Maybe marriage was a tomb, but as someone said, it was better than the dead bodies in the wilderness that did not even have a tomb.

    Stuart didn¡¯t know what had happened to the young master. His temperament was getting weirder and weirder recently, and he was often smiling without thinking.

    However, after having learnt his lesson previously, Stuart didn¡¯t dare to look at them again that time.

    Aftering out of the elevator, Jepherson stepped out first. Raeleigh then followed him out, holding the book in her hand, as if it was a priceless treasure.

    Stuart led the way and went to the door of the room which he had booked for Jepherson and Raeleigh. He opened the door and pushed it open.

    ¡°Young Master, Miss Anson, please.¡± Stuart stood at the door. Jepherson raised his hand and took the room card. Then, he followed Raeleigh into the room.

    When they entered the door, Jepherson took off her coat and put it aside. Her shirt was clean.

    Jepherson took off his shoes and put on the hotel slippers, after which he went straight into the bathroom.

    Not long after, Raeleigh heard the sound of running watering from the bathroom. Raeleigh looked at herself and found that she was not wet at all.

    Raeleigh put down the book and changed her shoes. Then, she picked up the book and walked into the room. She sat there, leaning against the couch. Feeling the coldness of her feet, she folded her feet up under her on the couch and huddled up.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t remember when it happened. The temperature of her hands and feet was different. Her hands were warmer than her feet, but they were not very hot.

    However, with poor cirction at her feet, when winter came and the weather dropped to freezing temperatures, her feet would be ice-cold to the touch. This was especially so on those winter days when no matter how manyyers one wore, one would still feel a bit chilly.

    Raeleigh curled up. When Jepherson came out of the bathroom, he saw Raeleigh reading on the couch. He did not disturb her. He made a phone call and called for room service. After he hung up the phone, Jepherson, who was wearing a bathrobe, walked over to Raeleigh¡¯s side and sat quietly beside her.

    Raeleigh forgot where she was and was used to folding her legs against herself tightly.

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh¡¯s small feet. They were pale and clean like lotus roots. They were very thin and did not look big enough to be held in one¡¯s palms.

    The bathrobe worn by Jepherson was specially prepared by the hotel for the guests. In such a hotel where only rich people could stay, anything prepared was carefully selected and strictly supervised.

    Although Jepherson had a fear for germs, he didn¡¯t reject the bathrobe in this hotel. He didn¡¯t like to expose his bare back in front of anybody, unlike those exhibitionists who enjoyed putting their bodies on disy. Even when he wasswimmingin an outdoor pool, he could only swim smoothly when there was no one around.

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh¡¯s tight little feet, which looked very cold.

    Jepherson raised his hand and took off his bathrobe. He held Raeleigh¡¯s foot and withdrew his hand. He hesitated for a moment and he then looked at Raeleigh, as if he was scared.

    Raeleigh blushed and withdrew her foot. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Why are your feet so cold?¡± This a strange question,ing from Jepherson.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and said nothing. She was like a woman who wanted to take advantage of others but had not seeded. However, she had to find a legitimate excuse to say something. What else could she have said?

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°My feet have been like this since I was a kid.¡±

    Jepherson frowned deeply. ¡°The weather now is not very warm but it¡¯s not cold enough to justify the temperature of your feet. Why don¡¯t you have it checked out?¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent as she felt a little helpless. Only rich people could ask such a question.

    It used to be that even having a meal would break the bank, what more going to the doctors? Besides, this sort of problem was not unheard of. Many women¡¯s bodies are like that and her grandmother had told her that it wasmon for women¡¯s hands and feet to freeze easily. However, her grandmother had also mentioned that Raeleigh should get it checked out. It was just that Raeleigh was unwilling to spend money on something minor like this.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to say more, and continued to resist.

    Jepherson touched Raeleigh¡¯s hand and tried to feel her body temperature. Raeleigh wanted to take it back but he held it tightly. She didn¡¯t budge and her face turned a little red.

    ¡°You can read while I will warm you up.¡± When Jepherson spoke, Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything. He had already held her cold feet and put them in his arms.

    When Raeleigh¡¯s feet touched Jepherson¡¯s warm chest, she couldn¡¯t help shrinking. However, Jepherson held her feet tightly and pressed them to his chest instead of letting them go.

    Raeleigh blushed suddenly. How could a woman put her foot in a man¡¯s arms?

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like this, I don¡¯t¡­¡± When Raeleigh spoke, Jepherson held her other foot and put it in his arms. Since he was in a bathrobe, she looked like a baby, with both her feet in Jepherson¡¯s arms.

    Raeleigh¡¯s face turned redder. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he dislike being dirty?¡±

    Looking at Jepherson, he clearly looked like a person who had a phobia of anything unclean.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips, and her face turned as red as fire and she could not read the book anymore.

    Jepherson breathed heavily again and again, and his chest began to rise and fall.

    Raeleigh put down the book and tried to pull Jepherson away, but he said, ¡°Read your book. I¡¯ll be alright in a moment. I¡¯m in the middle of something here. Don¡¯t disturb me and be a good girl. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.¡±From N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh went rigid for a moment and did not respond. It was also the first time that she had encountered such a situation. She did not know how to deal with it.

    Jepherson made it sound like she was being naughty, like she was torturing him, but she had done nothing.

    Raeleigh gradually calmed down and watched her feet that were ced in his arms. Maybe in this world, there were people with abnormal personalities who liked to do some incredibly weird things. If one blindly entangled oneself with them, then one¡¯s life would be difficult for.

    Raeleigh calmed herself down and she then picked up her book, concentrating as hard as she could on it, not caring about her feet that were apparently not her concern anymore.

    Jepherson put Raeleigh¡¯s feet in his arms and wrapped them with his clothes. Then, he reached out for his phone with his free arm and gave Marissa a call.

 Chapter 861 The Test

    ¡°Jerry, where have you been? Deanna and Zorion are here.¡± Marissa knew that Jepherson had left the house. She knew it was probably for that matter again. The thing is, after so many years, if it still existed, then he would¡¯ve and should¡¯ve found it. He shouldn¡¯t still have to look for it then.

    However, Jepherson was unwilling to give up and Marissa could not bear to burst his bubble, so she did notment on it.

    ¡°I¡¯m out. I went to the orphanage. Grandma, I won¡¯t be able to make it back today. It¡¯s pouring here and there¡¯s a thunderstorm outside now. The ne can¡¯t take off, so I can only stay at a hotel for now.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re not gonna be able to make it back, why don¡¯t you say a few words to Deanna?¡± Marissa then handed the phone to Deanna, who was sitting on the couch, with a little cushion wrapped in her arms.

    ¡°Jepherson, were you looking for your elder sister again?¡± Deanna had only heard Marissa say that Jepherson had always been looking for someone. She was a girl about her age, so Deanna felt that it could be an older sister.

    She had never heard about it from her mother before, and had never heard the Richards family talking about it either, other than Marissa, who seemed to know only that it was a girl, of whose rtionship to Jepherson was unbeknownst to her too.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Deanna knew that she shouldn¡¯t dig too much into people¡¯s private matters either, so she kept it casual and just assumed this unknown girl was an elder sister.

    Jepherson knew that Marissa had mentioned it to her before, so he did not me her for knowing a little about it.

    ¡°Is Deanna here too?¡± When Jepherson was on the phone, he nced at Raeleigh, who was reading a book. It seemed that she didn¡¯t hear anything. Frowning slightly, Jepherson raised his head and pressed lightly against Raeleigh¡¯s feet. She moved slightly and raised her head to look at him. Jepherson rubbed his temples lightly and continued to listen to the phone.

    ¡°Jepherson, when will youe back? Do you want me to pick you up?¡± Deanna was so innocent that people couldn¡¯t help but want to be nice to her. But Jepherson was genuinely nice to her as a sister.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯ll probably be back tomorrow or maybe even the day after. You have sses tomorrow, don¡¯t miss them.¡± Jepherson talked to Deanna no different from how he normally did and Raeleigh momentarily looked up at him. It was not that he didn¡¯t notice it, it was just that he was used to being this frank and was not bothered by the need for pleasantries.

    After he was done with his conversation, he put his phone down. Then, he leaned against the couch and fell into deep thought. If that matter had not been brought up, if he had not suddenly thought of it, then his mood would have been better.

    Jepherson began to zone out as he stared out of the window at the pouring rain. Raeleigh was looking at her book, but after he remained silent for such a long time, she lifted her head to look at him and only then did he realize that he was in a daze.

    Watching Jepherson¡¯s wless side profile, she sank back into it. Men who looked this handsome were really a bane to society. It was no wonder so many girls in the school had fallen head over heels for him.

    With such a face, not to mention a woman, even a man would cast many nces at him.

    Raeleigh continued to read the book. She was so engrossed that she could sit there without moving all day, almost even forgetting Jepherson¡¯s presence.

    In fact, Raeleigh really did forget about him, such that when she subconsciously twitched her foot, Jepherson felt like he was going to have a stroke as blood pumped and coursed through his veins at an rming rate.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh was still entirely engrossed in her book.

    Indeed, her personality fitted so her well. She was always very safe.

    It was dark, and Raeleigh felt hungry. She put down the book in her hand. When she was thinking about getting up, her feet were held back. She looked at Jepherson, and found that he had fallen asleep.

    Even though he had fallen asleep, Jepherson¡¯s hands were still holding on tightly to her feet. Her feet were only separated from him by a flimsy bathrobe.

    The light in the room was so bright that Raeleigh couldn¡¯t properly see what was further in front of her. She stared forward for quite a while before deciding to pull her feet away from Jepherson. Consequently, her movement woke him instantly.

    Jepherson opened his eyes and turned his gaze towards Raeleigh. She had already stood up and reluctantly put down the book in her hand by the minibar and said, ¡°I¡¯ve finished reading it, so you can have it back now.¡±

    Jepherson nced at the book and said, ¡°Since I¡¯ve already promised to give it to you, I have no intention to take it back. You can keep it.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t ept it as I have done nothing to earn it. Besides, it¡¯s too expensive,¡± Raeleigh said and went to the bathroom. Jepherson turned around and looked at her impassive look. He tookthe bookaway and walked towards the window. The window provided adequate air venttion even at this level of the building.

    When Raeleigh came out, Jepherson opened the window. Raeleigh asked him, ¡°What are you doing? It¡¯s raining outside.¡±

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t want it, I will throw it away,¡± Jepherson said as his hand reached out. The book in his hand was already starting to get wet. Raeleigh blurted out without thinking, ¡°I want it.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and stared at Raeleigh. ¡°Are you sure you want it?¡±

    Raeleigh stood at the door of the bathroom, staring at the diary. ¡°I want it.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to give it to you now.¡± Jepherson refused to withdraw his hand. Raeleigh took two steps closer to him and said, ¡°Come down first, and we¡¯ll discuss it then.¡±

    ¡°No room for discussion. There is nothing to discuss. I begged you just now to no avail. So you begging me now won¡¯t work either,¡± Jepherson said as he mentioned letting go of the diary. Raeleigh¡¯s face was instantly drained of color. Then, she turned to him and said to his face, ¡°What is it that you want? Come down and we can talk. Those are all uminated paper. Once they¡¯re soaked through, they¡¯ll be ruined.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s smile remained on his handsome face. ¡°So what if it gets wet, it¡¯s not as if I can trade the book in exchange for your heart.¡±

    ¡°How do you know it can¡¯t be traded? Come down quickly and we can still discuss it, or else I¡¯ll leave.¡± Raeleigh made her decision. Then, Jepherson said, ¡°Leave then.¡±

    Raeleigh bit her lip. ¡°You are a man. I didn¡¯t expect you to make such a scene.¡±

    ¡°Be my lover.¡± Jepherson¡¯s voice rang in the air, yet he had a calm and gentle expression on his face.

    Raeleigh looked at the book and wanted to leave, but she was reluctant to do so.

    ¡°OK, fine, I promise. Now,e down.¡± Raeleigh was worried about the book, even though it was absurd.

    Jepherson came down from above and closed the window. Half of his body was soaked. Raeleigh walked over and took away the book from Jepherson¡¯s hand. She took a towel and carefully wiped it. More than half of the book was soaked through. Raeleigh¡¯s heart ached for it.

    Raeleigh turned to look at Jepherson. When she turned to look at her, half of his body was wet. Raeleigh found that Jepherson¡¯s eyes were somewhat displeased.

    ¡°You are only worried about that book, don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t care about me?¡± Jepherson said unhappily. Raeleigh was stunned. She had never seen such a person.

    ¡°You asked for it. You were the one who had to climb up there and do that. Now, you me me. Look at what you¡¯ve done to¡­ the book¡­¡± Jepherson pulled Raeleigh to himself without her asking, lowered his head, and kissed her.

    Raeleigh raised her hand to push Jepherson away, but could only feel a wave of heat sweeping through her body.

    Jepherson bent down and picked Raeleigh up. He reached the bed in a few steps and threw Raeleigh on it.

    Raeleigh got up and wanted to escape. Jepherson got up and pressed her down with both hands. His eyes were deep. He stared at her with a hint of sternness, but there was no anger on his face. ¡°Even ice can be melted. Are you an ice queen?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about. Get up, quickly.¡± Raeleigh struggled hard, but her hand was held down. How could she have the strength to push him away?

 Chapter 862 Lady, You Are Destined To Be Mine

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± Jepherson lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh¡¯s chin. Raeleigh twisted her chin twice. Jepherson raised his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you three seconds to call me ¡®hubby¡¯. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.¡±

    ¡°You are a bottom feeder.¡± Raeleigh despised men who bullied women.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll do you one better and go lower that that.¡± After saying that, he suddenly blocked her mouth with his. He forced the tip of his tongue into Raeleigh¡¯s mouth and stirred it inside her mouth. He held her hand with one hand and touched her lower body with the other. He intended to unfasten her pants. Raeleigh shook her head with her eyes wide open¡­

    ¡°Jepherson¡­ don¡¯t¡­¡±

    Jepherson suddenly stopped. Raeleigh stared at him breathlessly. ¡°Hubby.¡±

    Jepherson just wanted to scare Raeleigh. He didn¡¯t expect Raeleigh to surrender so soon. He was a little excited at the moment. He felt a little distressed. He regretted that he had yed too much.

    He loosened his hands and held Raeleigh in his arms. Then, he chuckled against Raeleigh¡¯s body. His chuckle reverberated through her body like a spoiled child.

    Raeleigh neither dared to move nor push him.

    A man, without any clothes on who was d only in a bathrobe, if he were to go mad, could be worse than an animal.

    Raeleigh gasped for breath, feeling that she was about to copse.

    Jephersonughed for a while and kissed Raeleigh. He looked at her and said, ¡°I want to hear it again.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Hubby.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it as if you¡¯re going to kill someone. Your tone is not right.¡± Jepherson corrected Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh bit her lips. ¡°Hubby.¡± Her voice became softer.

    Jepherson froze for a moment and he then kissed her lips. ¡°Good girl!¡±

    Raeleigh struggled internally. Did men really coax women like this these days?

    ¡°Get up.¡± Raeleigh gave him a little push. That time, she did not dare to push him hard.

    Jepherson stood up and picked up Raeleigh in his arms. Then, he put her on hisp and wrapped his arms around her waist. ¡°From now on, when we are alone, you will address me like this.¡±

    Raeleigh turned her head slowly with a look of incredulity in her eyes, ¡°Jepherson, don¡¯t push your luck¡­¡±

    Before she could even get in a word, Jepherson had already sealed her mouth with his. After a struggle between their lips, she lost her rage and her determination.

    With a blush on her face, Raeleigh bit her lips and looked around.

    She hated being controlled by a man like this. She had seen so many people like this since she was a child.

    She had never thought that this kind of thing would happen to her one day.

    When Raeleigh was angry, she would not speak, but would instead be very calm. But Jepherson only thought that she was ufortable and did not think much of it.

    Fortunately, after he hugged Raeleigh for a while, he let her go because he was afraid that she would be disgusted by him.

    Raeleigh left his arms and did note any closer, and Jepherson did not force her. He got up and opened the door. The room service staff had been waiting outside for a long time.

    The door opened and Stuart was standing at the door. The waiter was not allowed in. Instead, it was Stuart who pushed the dinner cart into the room, who then turned and left.

    ¡°Come here.¡± Jepherson sat down first, and removed the metal lid of the dish as he called for her.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh was hungry. When she saw the food, she walked over and sat opposite Jepherson.

    ¡°Eat something. Only then will you have the strength to be angry,¡± Jepherson said with a faint smile. Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were cold. She didn¡¯t understand what was funny about it.

    In the end, he still smiled.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what you like to eat. So, I ordered some in food. Have some now. If you¡¯re feeling up for something with a stronger vour and more filling, then just ce another order.¡± Jepherson handed the knife and fork to Raeleigh and he began to eat.

    Seeing him eating, Raeleigh grabbed the knife and fork to eat. The two ate very quietly, without making any sound. asionally, Jepherson looked up at her, but that was all.

    After dinner, Raeleigh sat down by the side. Just then, Scarlette called.

    ¡°Where are you?¡± Raeleigh was still worried about Scarlette.

    As she yed the game, she said on the phone, ¡°I¡¯m in the next room gaming now, and there¡¯s someone looking out for me. But you can rest assured that they¡¯re nice to me. I¡¯m eating well and it¡¯sfortable here. They even provided me aptop for my games.¡±

    Raeleigh was a little speechless. Only Scarlette could still be rxed enough to be gaming under such circumstances.

    ¡°Do you want me toe over to see you?¡± Raeleigh asked as she took a look at Jepherson. It would be best if she actually could.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯m teaming up with that guy to y doubles. There¡¯s no need for you toe over. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± She hung up the phone in a hurry. Raeleigh looked at her cell phone and then put it down.

    She had finished reading the book and had then finished her dinner. If Scarlette wouldn¡¯t have her over, then what was she supposed to do for the rest of the very long night?

    Jepherson walked to the window with a cup of water and stood there. It was raining cats and dogs outside, and it had yet to stop.

    As the rain pattered against the ss, Jepherson elegantly wrapped his arm around himself and sipped his ss of water. Raeleigh just stared at him.

    ¡°What should I do next?¡±

    Raeleigh remembered the book that was drying and went over to have a look. She sat down and gently flipped through the pages, cherishing it.

    Even when he was done drinking his ss of water, Raeleigh was still looking at the book. He put down the empty ss and went to the door. Stuart pushed in two boxes, which Jepherson opened to look at them. He found a set of clothes that he was satisfied with and went into the bathroom to get changed. When he came out, Raeleigh was still fixated on the book, and her expression was chillingly stern, almost as if something of consequence had happened.

    ¡°Change your clothes.¡± Jepherson took some clothes from the box and handed them to her. Raeleigh nced at the clothes and wondered what sins she had done in her past life to have led to her meeting Jepherson.

    Then under his control, if she did not change into those clothes, what if he personally changed her clothes?

    Raeleigh took the clothes and went inside to change into them. When she came out, she felt that it was quite suitable for her.

    Jepherson said to her, ¡°When a person is beautiful, she looks good no matter what she wears.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing. Jepherson checked the time and called out to Raeleigh. ¡°Come here.¡±

    Raeleigh stood in the same ce and hesitated for a moment. ¡°You can¡¯t talk to me like this. I am a person, not a kitten or a puppy.¡±

    Jepherson stopped and looked back at her. ¡°Come over here for a while.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. The words were not much different, but the tone had changed.

    Raeleigh walked to Jepherson¡¯s side. He took out aptop and Raeleigh wondered what he intended to do. Then he produced a set of earphones, plugged them in and opened a file where he had stored a downloaded copy of a violin recital that he wanted to watch with her.

    At first, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t calm down, but after listening for a while, she found that her heart gradually found some peace. When she looked at Jepherson, she found that Jepherson¡¯s handsome and elegant face was extremelyfortable. However, she was still nervous and took everything seriously.

    Raeleigh turned her face away and continued to listen to the violin performance. Without realizing it, she leaned against the couch and fell asleep.

    Jepherson slowly opened his eyes and turned to look at Raeleigh. He inadvertently smiled,plementing the soft and beautiful lights. Faint looks of adoration flowed from his eyes.

    The more she looked unconcerned, the more he wanted to cherish her. The passion and heat that exploded from his heart was something he couldn¡¯t wait to share with her all at once, and that was a very strange feeling!

    Jepherson removed the earphones from Raeleigh¡¯s ear and looked carefully at her delicate and graceful features. He smiled elegantly. ¡°Lady, you¡¯re destined to be mine!¡±

 Chapter 863 Enough Space

    Raeleigh woke up after a night¡¯s sleep. She found herself lying in Jepherson¡¯s arms and was stunned for a moment before she extricated herself from his embrace.

    The night before¡­

    Raeleigh tried to recall carefully what had happened and concluded that she had once again been cheated by his peaceful appearance.

    Raeleigh got up and stared at Jepherson, whoslowlywoke up and opened his eyes to look at her. Jepherson¡¯s sleepy eyes fell on Raeleigh¡¯s little face, as if he had something he was very happy about. His thin lips moved and he stretched his body. Then, he stood up, walked over to the bed, peeled back the covers, and copsed onto it. Under the covers, Jepherson said, ¡°This is the worst kind of weather. It makes one feel lethargic. Since we¡¯re stuck indoors, we might as well sleep for a while longer.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson patted on the left side of the bed with his hand. The soft bed was covered with a pure white quilt. With Jepherson¡¯s elegant hand on top of it, she fell silent. She looked around and saw that it was still raining outside the window. She did not know why it was raining in that season.

    Raeleigh did not go over to lie down beside him. Instead, she went back to the couch and turned on the television, watching it on mute, as she wondered in her heart when the rain would let up. Otherwise, she won¡¯t be getting home that day.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t care too much. He hadn¡¯t rested all night. What else could he have done when he was holding his beloved in his arms? He was young and energetic. He could control himself, but he was patient enough. It was like a fairy tale, to be sleeping in like this.

    Raeleigh watched the TV for a while and she then decided to make a phone call to Scarlette, but she did not answer the phone. Raeleigh stood up. She took a look at the sleeping Jepherson, who looked like he was really at ease.

    Raeleigh opened the door and saw Stuart standing at the door.

    ¡°Miss Anson,¡± Stuart called out politely.

    Raeleigh nced at Stuart and said, ¡°I want to see Scarlette.¡±

    Stuart hesitated for a moment and turned to theroomopposite of Jepherson¡¯s. He raised his hand and knocked on the door of the room. It was not long before he came out of that room and opened the door. Scarlette came out groggily with a bed of messy hair. She was wearing white pajamas.

    The moment Raeleigh saw her, she stared at her with her round eyes, as if she had been poisoned.

    About more than a dozen secondster, Scarlette raised her hand and scratched her head. ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Scarlette. ¡°It seems like you are enjoying yourself.¡±

    Raeleigh spoke and walked in. She could not be more impressed by Scarlette. How could she sleep so soundly like this in such a situation?

    ¡°How did you¡­¡± Raeleigh went in and had just turned around as she shut the door when her eyes inadvertentlynded on the bed in the room. On the bedy a man about 1. 80 meters tall, with no clothes on and an exposed upper body. His bronze skin was smooth and glistening, which made him look like a bodybuilder. The quilt was covering the man¡¯s waist and his lower body.

    Raeleigh could not see the man¡¯s face clearly. His face was turned to the other side. Raeleigh could only see the back of his head that was full of ck hair. However, she felt like she had seen him before, as though she knew him from before.

    But Raeleigh was shocked by the suddenness of the situation. She neither spoke nor looked at him any further, but turned slowly to look at Scarlette.

    She came back from the door and grabbed two locks of her hair. ¡°He¡¯s the one who was watching me. I was tired from all the gaming, so I went to sleep. There is only one bed, so we had to share.¡±

    She said it very frankly. Raeleigh could tell that Scarlette was not lying, but looking at the messy bed and the person lying on the bed, she simply could not imagine them making it through the night without having done anything.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright? If he had forced himself on you, then we can sue him.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright. Nothing happened. Raeleigh, don¡¯t get me wrong. That¡¯s not what happened between me and him. Even if it did happen, it¡¯s probably me who made the move on Hadrian.¡± She cast a nce at Hadrian¡¯s excellent figure.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to say. She stood there for a while and felt that she was even lessfortable here than when she was with Jepherson. She said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back first. We¡¯ll talkter.¡±

    ¡°Then, you go back first. I¡¯lle over after I take a shower.¡± As Scarlette spoke, Raeleigh cast her a nce once more to the sleeping figure on the bed. She was not sure who that was and she did not know what Scarlette had been thinking, but she felt that it was rather inappropriate of her.

    Raeleigh exited Scarlette¡¯s room and Stuart immediately escorted her back to her room. Scarlette narrowed her eyes at Stuart and thought to herself that she will remember this betrayal of his.

    Raeleigh looked back at the door after closing it. It was raining outside. With Scarlette¡¯s situation next door, right then she really had no ce to go.

    When she entered the door, Raeleigh took a look at Jepherson, who was still sleeping soundly. She did not have anything to do, so she went back to the couch. She picked up the booklet and looked carefully at the design drawings on it.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    The design of the vehicle was to keep reporting the core elements of the concepts. Therefore, it needed to be constantly filled up, to understand the performance of each vehicle and the demand from people at different levels. She had safely read many design drawings of famous car designers, but no one had seen this design. It was the design of the present day¡¯s developments.

    Many car designers were limited to one kind of element, or an era. What Raeleigh wanted to do was to surpass these people and not be limited by these people¡¯s elements and era.

    Raeleigh turned on the TV and watched the introduction of all kinds of cars for a while. It was almost noon and she was a little hungry. Jepherson had yet to wake up and Scarlette, unlike what she had promised, had not shown up either.

    Raeleigh put down her book and went to wash up. When she came out, she froze for a moment.

    Jepherson was getting up from the bed. Stuart was standing in the room, holding Jepherson¡¯s clothes. He was serving him like how a butler would serve his master. Seeing hering out, he turned around and looked at Stuart. Stuart understood. He put down the clothes in his hand and said hello to Raeleigh. Then, he turned around and went outside.

    The door of the guest room was closed, and Raeleigh turned her eyes to watch Jepherson, who was still bare-chested, with his buttons still unfastened.

    Raeleigh turned her face away and tried not to look at Jepherson¡¯s body, even if it was indeed perfect.

    Raeleigh fixed her gaze on the door, trying not to think about Jepherson¡¯s body. She did not know what was going on. It was as if Jepherson¡¯s body possessed a kind of magical power that attracted Raeleigh. She couldn¡¯t help but to turn around and take a look.

    But just as Raeleigh tried to peek again, Jepherson had already put on his clothes and got out of the bed.

    Raeleigh turned her face and gazed at the TV. A strange line came into her mind, but soon the line disappeared.

    Jepherson also felt that Raeleigh wasn¡¯t looking at him. She was thinking about something else. However, he didn¡¯t say anything. He wanted to give Raeleigh enough space.

 Chapter 864 Because You Are My Lover

    ¡°Hungry?¡± Jepherson sat down and looked at Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh raised her head. ¡°A little.¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Jepherson did not know why her gaze was transfixed on him. He didn¡¯t want Raeleigh to feel ufortable when she was with him.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright with anything.¡± Raeleigh was not a picky eater and ate almost everything. She disliked only food that was overly oily but even then, she would not refuse it.

    Jepherson leaned against the sofa and was wearing a gray attire. Raeleigh found that Jepherson seemed to like this kind of gray. Most of his clothes were of this color.

    At least, it seemed to be from the few times that they have met so far.

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡± Leaving the couch, Jepherson put his hands on hisp. Raeleigh raised her head to look at him but she did not agree. However, her attentive eyes showed that she was listening to him.

    ¡°When you are with me, you can say whatever you want and do whatever you want. You can treat it as if I am not in front of you.¡± Jepherson hoped that he was not holding her in a circle of restrictions.

    What he liked and cared about was the living person in front of him, instead of a statue with a good figure.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. She stared at Jepherson for a while. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. When are we going to eat?¡±

    Jepherson subconsciously paused for a moment. It seemed that it would be a little difficult for this permafrost to melt.

    ¡°Soon, I will go and prepare it, wait for me.¡± Getting up, Jepherson went to take care of it himself. He took off the coat that he had just put on. He then went to the door, opened it, and went out for a while. He said something at the door, and soon returned to the guest room.

    After entering the door, Jepherson began to get himself ready. He undid two buttons on the cor of her shirt and pulled his tucked in shirt out of his trousers. He unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up in circles. The movement of his arms switching back and forth was dazzling to Raeleigh¡¯s eyes. She did not know what she was going to do.

    Not long after, there was a knock on the door. Raeleigh looked at the door. Jepherson went to open the door. Stuart wheeled in some ingredients and some kitchen utensils through the door.

    Raeleigh stood up. Jepherson pushed the two carts through the door simultaneously. Then, Stuart turned and left.

    Closing the door, Jepherson took out an apron from the cart and hung it around his neck. He nced at Raeleigh casually and said, ¡°My mother is good at cooking. I don¡¯t know what you like. I¡¯ll prepare some for you.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the two carts. It was well-equipped with kitchen utensils and all kinds of raw ingredients. It was like aplete miniature kitchen set-up.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go through so much trouble. I can eat anything the hotel prepares.¡± Raeleigh felt that it was unnecessary. Why all the fuss for one meal? Besides, it was already midday and she was really hungry.

    She didn¡¯t know how Jepherson¡¯s cooking skills were. If they were passable, then it would be alright. Otherwise, if he lit the room on fire, then it would be such a hassle. Not only would her hunger not be satiated, if it was very serious, then he would have to pay a heftypensation as well.

    Although Jepherson was very rich, there was no need to joke about this kind of thing.

    ¡°If eating is troublesome, then what is not troublesome? There are three meals a day to be prepared and consumed. If that is regarded as troublesome, then we might as well go on a hunger strike,¡± Jepherson said as he pushed the cart to one side. Raeleigh looked around and said, ¡°There aren¡¯t any smoke vents in this room.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that there isn¡¯t one? Did you design this building?¡± Jepherson felt it was funny. He then took out a chopping board from the cart, together with some carrots and apples. They were pre-washed and so could be used on the spot.

    Jepherson found the knives in the middle of the cart. He looked at them for a while and then went into the bathroom to wash his hands before returning, to resume his food preparations.

    The vegetables and fruits were cut and ced in a bowl and they were arranged into a fruit sd.

    Putting it aside, Jepherson took out two clean lobsters from a pail on the lower deck of the cart.

    It was the first time that Raeleigh had seen such big lobsters, let alone eaten them.

    Jepherson put the lobsters on the te and put them in the steamer. During this process, he also prepared some red wine and side dishes.

    After a little over half an hour, Jepherson had not only prepared lunch but had cleaned himself too.

    Raeleigh sat at the opposite side of the table, not knowing what to do with the knife and fork in her hand. She really didn¡¯t know how to deal with this colossal lobster in front of her.

    Jepherson stood up and sat down beside Raeleigh. He raised his hand and demonstrated it to her. After observing him for a while, she said, ¡°I can do it myself. There¡¯s no need to bother you.¡±

    Jepherson pecked Raeleigh on the cheek, got up, and went to the opposite side of the table and sat down. She lowered her head and focused on the food, as if nothing had just happened.

    Raeleigh held the knife and fork. She really couldn¡¯t see through Jepherson and normally she was quite clear about these things.

    After dinner, Jepherson packed up and sent the things to the door, pushed the carts out, came back through the door, and went to the bathroom. He asked Raeleigh to join him for a bath.

    Raeleigh did not move. She looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are treating me like this, but I sincerely hope that you will stop.¡±

    ¡°How have I treated you?¡± Jepherson asked quizzically.

    ¡°It seems to me that our rtionship is quite good.¡±

    ¡°So, don¡¯t we care about each other?¡± Standing at the door of the bathroom, Jepherson¡¯s handsome face kept smiling. Raeleigh didn¡¯t know how to say it to him. Facing his obviously cheeky smiling face, she was annoyed. Who had she provoked to deserve this?

    Seeing Raeleigh¡¯s troubled face, Jephersonughed more and his interest was piqued. He asked, ¡°Hugs?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Shame on you!¡±

    ¡°Shame on me?¡± Jepherson stepped towards Raeleigh. ¡°Tell me, do I have a face to be ashamed of? If I do, then point it out to me.¡±

    Raeleigh said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t you know whether you are shameless or not? Why should I have to point it out to you?¡±

    ¡°Because you are my lover.¡± Jepherson¡¯s words were shocking to the point that Raeleigh was just short of dying of anger.

    ¡°Who said I¡¯m your lover?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that it?¡±

    ¡°Who gave you permission?¡±

    ¡°Although I haven¡¯t asked for permission, we have already exchanged love gifts. Are you going to deny that too?¡± Jepherson lowered his head, wanting to obtain a kiss but Raeleigh avoided him.

    ¡°Go and take a bath. I don¡¯t want to argue with you over this matter.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to be at a disadvantage. She isn¡¯t going to get anything beneficial from Jepherson.

    However, Jepherson didn¡¯t leave. He stretched out his hand to pull Raeleigh. Raeleigh lost her bnce and tripped, but she fell lightly and was not hurt.

    ¡°Now, you have two choices. One is to go and wash yourself, and the other is for me to wash you. Which one do you choose?¡± Jepherson lowered his head and blew on Raeleigh¡¯s ear. Raeleigh flinched a little. Even if she pretended to be indifferent, she was still a woman, so there were some things that she couldn¡¯t avoid.

    She pursed her lips and raised her hand to cover her face. She did not speak, but she was silently in a tantrum, like a little girl.

    Jepherson then released her hand and stopped teasing her. She turned around and went into the bathroom alone to take a bath. After the bathroom door was closed, Raeleigh lowered her hand from her face but she stood rooted to the spot, facing the door, in a daze.

 Chapter 865 Neither Here Nor There

    While Jepherson was in the bath, Raeleigh stared out of the window. The rain was still pouring and it was not known for how much longer it would continue. She took out her phone. Other than this room, she seemed to be cut off from the rest of the outside world. Even Scarlette was nowhere to be found and had not yete to look for her.

    She had wanted to find Scarlette, but there was a man over there and so she really did not want to go over.

    She wondered what the situation was with Scarlette right then.

    Raeleigh wanted to call Scarlette only to discover that her phone was out of credit.

    Looking at her cell phone, she heard the voice of the operator announcing to her in a foreignnguage that her phone was out of credit. Raeleigh exasperatedly flung her phone to one side. They were then in a foreign country and telephone charges in this ce using her data n would be charged as overseas calls and hence was very expensive. In order to save money, Raeleigh could only turn off her phone.

    Raeleigh put away the phone and was about to get up when Jepherson came out of the bathroom. He wore a white bathrobe with a towel in his hand as he rubbed his hair dry. The bathroom door was closed. He looked up at Raeleigh. When she saw her, he said, ¡°Go and wash up. I¡¯ve prepared a bath.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. After eating seafood, there was a fishy smell on her body, so she had to wash up.

    After entering the bathroom, Raeleigh froze for a moment. Then, she went to the tub. The tub had been filled up and she put in some aroma oils and soap. Without waiting for it to be foamy, she sat into the bathtub and felt herself surrounded by a light floral scent with some sweet notes.

    Raeleigh had only nned to take a shower, but she looked at the water in the bathtub and she went in for a soak.

    Raeleigh had never been to such a luxurious hotel, but she was not affected by the decadent stuff in front of her. For her, no matter how good it was, it had nothing to do with her. Other people were still themselves, but she was still her.

    Although these things were not ipatible with each other, they were not of her world.

    After taking a shower, Raeleigh came out of the bathroom. Jepherson had already changed his clothes and gone out. Her bathrobe was ced at the door frame. Raeleigh saw a box on the bed with a card on it. She towel-dried her hair while looking at the card.

    A string of words was written in French on the card which said, ¡®If you don¡¯t like it, then don¡¯t wear it.¡¯

    If it had been someone else, then they might not understand what was written on it, but she was different. She had gained entrance to Elkton University as an all-rounded schr and was fluent in a number of foreignnguages.

    After putting down the card, Raeleigh opened the box and took a look at the casual clothes in the box. She checked the room and then went to put them on.

    Her clothes were not dirty, but that did not mean she could go around wearing the same outfit for the whole day.

    She changed her clothes and was about to wash her clothes when Jepherson¡¯s phone rang on the bed. Raeleigh fixed her eyes on it and took a look at it. She intended to give it back to Jepherson at the door, or maybe even hand it over to Stuart. However, the name ¡®Jepherson¡¯ was disyed as the caller ID on the screen, which surprised Raeleigh.

    After hesitating for a while, Raeleigh answered the phone.

    ¡°Bring the clothes out. I¡¯ll wait for you at the door.¡± Then, Jepherson hung up the phone. Raeleigh thought for a moment and took his phone to the door with her clothes. The door opened and Jepherson was indeed waiting for her outside.

    ¡°Take the clothes and get them washed.¡± Jepherson took the clothes from Raeleigh¡¯s hands and gave them to Stuart. Raeleigh reached out to stop him. She said, ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. I can do it myself. Please help me¡­¡± Raeleigh wanted to wash her own clothes, but Stuart didn¡¯t give Raeleigh a chance to refuse him. He took the clothes, turned around, and walked away.

    Raeleigh looked at Stuart¡¯s retreating back helplessly.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that. We don¡¯t have the rtionship that you imagined. If you insist on making this one-sided decision and confirming what it is, then that¡¯s your business. It has nothing to do with me. I hope you can remember this,¡± Raeleigh said as she pulled a long face and confronted Jepherson. However, in the end, he burst intoughter at the most inappropriate time,pletely disregarding Raeleigh¡¯s seriousness.

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is you find so funny tough like that.¡±

    ¡°There is indeed nothing tough about,¡± said Jepherson even as he raised his fist to his mouth to block his smiledeliberately, so that Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t see it. As if she wouldn¡¯t notice it just because he did that.

    Raeleigh had nothing to say, so she stopped talking. She raised her hand and handed Jepherson¡¯s cell phone back to him. ¡°Here¡¯s your phone.¡±

    ¡°Take it with you. Call me if anything happens. I have already made a preset for you. Here are some pictures of the car design blueprints that I have downloaded here. You can take a look at them when you¡¯re free.¡± With this, Jepherson took out his phone and gave it to Raeleigh. Raeleigh was stunned for a moment. ¡°Did you just buy a new one?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t just buy it back. This phonees in a pair to begin with. It¡¯s part of aplex tool. If one of my phones is lost, then I can use the other to retrace its travel journey and track it down to its current position. Within five minutes, I¡¯ll be able to locate it anywhere in the world.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh understood and handed the phone back to Jepherson. ¡°It¡¯s so valuable. I can¡¯t take it with me. If I were to lose it, then you¡¯ll suffer a great loss. I¡¯d better give it back to you.¡±

    Jepherson looked down at Raeleigh, who held his hand and put the phone in his hand. He did not give it to Raeleigh. Instead, he walked towards the trash can. He raised his hand, and threw the phone into it. Raeleigh froze.

    ¡°You?¡± Before Raeleigh could say anything, Jepherson stepped towards the elevator door. An imperceptible coldness and rigidity were suppressing his furious face, and Raeleigh could tell that he was in a bad mood.

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson, who had walked to the door of the elevator and was waiting there. With her head slightly lowered, Raeleigh straightened her face and put her hands in her pockets.

    Raeleigh looked inside the trash can, opened it, and looked inside.

    Fortunately, there was nothing in the trash can, which was still clean. Raeleigh even suspected that few people could afford to live on this floor, so even the trash can was so clean.

    Raeleigh bent down and picked up the cell phone inside. She checked it and found that the outer shell was not broken. That was the good thing about stainless steel covers. It was not easy to scratch its surface.

    Raeleigh turned on the phone and had a look. There was no problem with turning on the phone.

    Raeleigh took out a piece of wet wipes and wiped the cell phone. She did not n to return it to Jepherson, but walked towards Jepherson.

    After she stopped, she stood quietly at the door of the elevator and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Jepherson asked, ¡°Since you didn¡¯t want it, why did you pick it back up?¡±

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t tell whether Jepherson was angry or not, but he liked to smile at her. Since he didn¡¯t smile, it meant that he was unhappy.

    Except that whether or not he was happy had nothing to do with her. She just felt that it was a pity to throw away such a good cell phone.

    ¡°You¡¯re very rich. I¡¯m not. But you¡¯ve shown me and made me understand how rich people use their money,¡± Raeleigh said. Jepherson was stunned and looked at Raeleigh standing beside him. He was speechless for a moment.

    Raeleigh walked into the elevator. There was no one else in it. They just stood there facing each other. Raeleigh asked him, ¡°Are youing in?¡±

    With a slight frown, Jepherson stepped into the elevator.

    The door of the elevator closed after he entered. Raeleigh stood still in her ce. Jepherson stood in front of her and kept mum. His anger and frustration was neither here nor there, and there was a fire nesting in his chest.

 Chapter 866 Playing Golf

    Jepherson held back his anger and kept silent the whole time. He stared at Raeleigh¡¯s little face. He didn¡¯t mean it, but he was angry that she was always unwilling to ept anything he did for her.

    When the elevator door opened, Stuart saw his master¡¯s bodynguage, and thought that they had done the thing in the elevator and didn¡¯t dare to disturb them. So, he quickly turned around.

    But Raeleigh walked around Jepherson from the inside and left the elevator.

    Jepherson came out of the elevator. His face was cold, and he was very angry.

    Raeleigh came out and looked around. She turned around and saw Jepherson, who had alreadye out. ¡°Where are we going? It¡¯s raining outside.¡±

    As they had already arrived downstairs, Raeleigh wasn¡¯t about to go out in the rain.

    Jepherson was so angry that he was momentarily confused. In his anger, he had nearly forgotten what he hade down to do.

    What had hee down to do?

    ¡°Come here.¡± Getting angry, Jepherson ordered, and he then turned and left.

    Stuart¡¯s expression was one of iprehension. He was stunned and did not react. Who exactly was he angry at? He seemed fine just then.

    ¡°Miss Anson, the hotel has an underground golf course. The young master has booked the ce over there. Let¡¯s go.¡± Stuart hurried to remind her after he came out of his reverie. Raeleigh took a look at Stuart, and then followed Jepherson, who was disappearing into the distance.

    A few minutester, Raeleigh entered through a door downstairs, apanied by Stuart. When she entered the room, she found that the room was almost all-epassing, but the room was not a golf course, it was a lounge connected to the golf course.

    There were no guests in the lounge, except for three young attendants, and all of them were men in their twenties.

    Raeleigh observed after she came in that there was a changing room on one side, and opposite it was a transparent ss window, inside of which was arge golf course. The reason it was referred to as arge area was that Raeleigh could not see the edge of the field from her position.

    Stuart took a look at the three attendants, who were looking at Raeleigh, and walked over to tell them, ¡°You can go out first. We don¡¯t need you here. If anything happens, then we will call you.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡± The three waiters nodded politely. Then, they left the room to go outside. Before they left, they took a look at Raeleigh¡¯s side.

    Stuart was an experienced assistant and he did not miss out on the details.

    Raeleigh stood in the lounge and waited for a while. Only then did she realize why Jepherson had prepared her a set of casual clothes. The clothes should be tailored for ying golf.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Jepherson toe out of the dressing room. He had already changed into a set of clothes.

    Raeleigh¡¯s mind went nk for a moment when she saw Jepherson. Some people had a kind of talent. It was the type where they could wear and carry any piece of clothing with their unique temperament. It was not surprising that Jepherson was one of those people.

    Seeing Raeleigh looking at him, Jepherson let out a sigh of relief. No matter how bad he was, at least his excellent figure helped make up for his shorings.

    But perhaps this could only attract her attention for as long as two looks.

    Jepherson suddenly felt that his thoughts were very funny.

    What the h*ll was going on?

    ¡°Come here.¡± His tone was a little better than previously. After that, Jepherson walked towards the ss window, pushed it open, and walked through it.

    As Raeleigh watched him going in, she thought he would make a scene if she did not follow suit, so she went in with him.

    It was not until she got past the ss door that Raeleigh found that the golf course here covered an area of almost one football field. It was a rather big area, considering that this was an indoor golf course.

    Raeleigh observed the whole golf course as she walked. It was entirely surrounded by ss covers. Even if it was raining outside, people could only see the drops of water on the ss roof flowing to both sides. Everything else was the same as it was in the daytime, except that the sky was not so bright and clear.

    But there weremps all over the ce, so that probably made up a little for theck of natural lighting.

    Raeleigh raised her head for a while. She liked the atmosphere very much. She even walked forward for a while. Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and saw from her expression that she liked it here. His heart felt like it was about to melt as Raeleigh smiled, and his anger disappeared entirely.

    Jepherson pulled a cart and walked towards Raeleigh¡¯s side. Stuart immediately took over the cart and handed Raeleigh a pair of gloves, saying, ¡°Wear it.¡±

    Raeleigh was shocked by the sudden interruption and turned around to look at Jepherson. She saw Jepherson¡¯s face turning away and then she looked at the gloves Jepherson had ordered Stuart to hand to her. She put them on without hesitation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to y golf,¡± she said.

    Although Raeleigh was an all-rounded schr, she had nevere into contact with golf before in high school, so she did not know how to y it. In other words, due to her economic conditions in high school, she could only study in a public school, so she had no ess to some sports of the upper ss society.

    The key point was that Raeleigh had passed the high school graduation examination with flying colors. What was more, a lot of renowned universities had sent her offer letters to study at their school but she had refused all of them.

    The other thing was that while many of these schools offered her schrships that covered her fees, some of these prestigious schools had many misceneous charges that she could not afford to pay, such as a uniform which cost a few thousand dors per set or textbooks that cost 200 dors per book.

    As Raeleigh could not afford to spend all that extra money, and her home was very far away from campus, Raeleigh had to give up on those offers in the end.

    Raeleigh had managed to study at Elkton on the basis of being the top scorer in the whole of Capital City, which made her status in school ascend to mythical levels.

    An ordinary girl, without good mentors, without ess to a first-ss high school, and without special tutoring, graduated with full marks in her high school¡¯s examination. It was a miracle in Capital City.

    Raeleigh simply was a miracle.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You can learn it.¡± Jepherson handed the golf club to Raeleigh. She lowered her head and took a look. She liked new things, so she took it.

    Then, Jepherson took the pick and stepped to the front. He took a club, bent down, and put the golf ball in ce. Then, he got into position, removed the pole, and perfectly shot the ball. Raeleigh stared at Jepherson the whole time. After that, she also took a pick and ced the golf ball on it. Following Jepherson¡¯s posture, she repositioned herself again. Before she swung the club, she asked Jepherson, ¡°Is this right?¡±

    Jepherson looked at it for a moment and handed the club to Stuart. He walked behind Raeleigh and held her from behind. Raeleigh was rigid for a moment and moved her hand that was holding the club. She didn¡¯t like him teaching her like this.

    ¡°Do you treat every girl like this? Do you hold them when teaching them to y golf?¡± It was not because she was jealous, but because Raeleigh just wanted to remind him that teaching her to y golf was not an excuse to take advantage of her.

    However, Jepherson did not take it seriously. He held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Your posture is still somewhatcking. It will be better if you stick to me. Don¡¯t be distracted when you y golf. Watch your ball and hold the club steadily. If you think that you can¡¯t get either a hole in one or can¡¯t make a good shot, don¡¯t worry. Try to n the rtionship between the ball and the pole.¡±

    After swinging the club twice, Jepherson suddenly said, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the ball. When the ball hit the pole, its explosive power was astonishing. Raeleigh stared at the ball as it went flying into the sky and then fell onto thewn in the distance. She was stunned for a moment. Then, Raeleigh turned around to look at Jepherson, who was looking at her. She saw him lift his arm to grab her neck and pressed her to the front, lowered his head, and kissed her on the lips.

 Chapter 867 Confirmed Absence of a Relationship

    Raeleigh did not react at all, and she just stood there, stunned. Jepherson, on the other hand, had already let go of her hand and moved to put another pick in the ground in front of her. Then, he moved to the side and started stretching his arms whilst walking towards the ball.

    Stuart didn¡¯t dare to look. Besides, he felt that there wasn¡¯t a need to do so.

    Seeing Stuart leave, Raeleigh blushed intensely. Fortunately, there was no one around to witness it. It took a long time for Raeleigh to calm down. She even nned to throw the club on the ground and simply leave, but she stayed in the end. Looking at the ball in the distance, Raeleigh summoned up the courage to walk towards it.

    It never hurts to acquire another skill as one would never know when it coulde in handy.

    Otherwise, even if she went back to the top floor, she could only stand there and wait aimlessly.

    Scarlette had a man in her room and she couldn¡¯t enter Jepherson¡¯s room without him.

    Holding on to the club, Raeleigh walked over to Jepherson¡¯s side. He hit a ball and she went over and hit one too, but her skill was not quite there yet and she kept thinking back to that kiss from earlier.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to let this go on. She couldn¡¯t be bullied by Jepherson all the time.

    She was then studying in Elkton University, which belonged to Jepherson¡¯s family. Jepherson coulde and go as she pleased. In other words, she was like a fish in a fish tank. Whatever Jepherson wanted to do to her was all at the mercy of his whim, and she couldn¡¯t just leave Elkton either. Knowing him, he would not give up easily and even if she were to leave, Jepherson would not just take it as if she had gone missing.

    ¡°Stuart.¡± Seeing that she was lost in her thoughts, Jepehrson handed his club to Stuart. Stuart did not dare to look. It seemed like the Young Master was about to y the same trick again.

    Before Raeleigh had noticed anything, Jepherson had already stood behind her, holding her body and her hand, readying her to strike the ball. Raeleigh recovered herself and bit her lips. She looked up at Stuart, who was already leaving, and then at Jepherson, who was so close that their faces were practically stuck to each other.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question yet.¡± Raeleigh was right. Was it necessary for every woman to teach them how to y golf in this way?

    Jepherson exhaled a breath on Raeleigh¡¯s plump red lips, and then stuck close to her lips. He murmured in a deep and throaty voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know how other people teach it, but this is how I teach people. As for you, this is my first time teaching women of your type.¡±

    As he spoke, Jepherson opened his mouth and bit Raeleigh¡¯s lip. Before Raeleigh could dodge, Jepherson had already released her hands and held Raeleigh in his arms, deepening the French kiss between them.

    Raeleigh felt like she was about to be out of breath. With both her hands stuck behind her, she couldn¡¯t push him away until Jepherson slowly let go of her.

    Raeleigh gasped and stared at Jepherson

    ¡°You are too¡­¡±

    Raeleigh had intended to say that Jepherson was a rogue pervert, but looking at his excited eyes, she shut her mouth for a while.

    She was still a little worried.

    Jepherson let go of her and took the club from her hand, as if nothing had just happened. Right then, it was Raeleigh¡¯s turn to be in a fit of anger that was neither here nor there.

    ¡°Are you pursuing me?¡± Raeleigh couldn¡¯t let it go on like this. Otherwise, she would be swallowed whole by Jepherson.

    ¡°If not, then do you think you¡¯re the one who¡¯s pursuing me?¡± Jepherson swung the club and hit a nice shot as the ball flew away. He shuffled over to Raeleigh¡¯s side. When he stopped, she said, ¡°Since you are pursuing me, shouldn¡¯t you also respect me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not disrespecting you. I¡¯m a man. I¡¯m young and full of vigor. Oftentimes, I can¡¯t control myself. I can only try my best to control the feelings that are bursting forth from my chest.¡±

    ¡°I am a woman. A woman values dignity more than anything else. To be in a romantic rtionship, marriage has to be the premise. You can¡¯t do anything to me before we get married unless I agree to it,¡± Raeleigh said then.

    Jepherson paused and turned to Raeleigh. ¡°Does this mean that you have epted my courting you and be my girlfriend?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°Yes, I ept it, but you can¡¯t use your position as my boyfriend to force me to do anything I¡¯m unwilling to do. Otherwise, I will refuse your advances.¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Jepherson stepped in front of Raeleigh and said, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a guarantee.¡± What Raeleigh wanted was his guarantee.

    ¡°Then, what level have I reached in my chase?¡± Jepherson was somewhat reluctant, but in order to make Raeleigh feel at ease, he decided topromise.

    ¡°What do you mean by what level?¡± Raeleigh asked in confusion.

    Jepherson could only sigh. ¡°When a normal man and a woman get along with each other and be lovers, they can hold hands, kiss, and even have s*x with each other. Which stage are we at then?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re so vulgar.¡±

    ¡°Men are vulgar,¡± Jepherson retorted. He enjoyed seeing Raeleigh angry. She looked better than when she was calm and expressionless.

    Raeleigh red at him. ¡°You are the most¡­¡±

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh with a dark gaze. Raeleigh pursed her lips.

    ¡°We¡¯ve just been acquainted with each other and haven¡¯t progressed to the stages you mentioned yet. We still need to interact for a while longer.¡±

    ¡°But I think since we¡¯re lovers, our bodies will inevitablye into contact with each other. Besides, lovers can hold hands and hug each other asionally.¡± With his silver tongue, Raeleigh finally had nothing to say.

    ¡°You can hold my hand, but you can¡¯t let others see it. As for hugging, it depends on the situation. You can¡¯t hug me at will,¡± Raeleigh said all she wanted to say in one breath.

    Jefferson took another step forward, sticking his body to Raeleigh¡¯s. He raised his arms to hug her and with one palm pressing her head down on her shoulders.

    Raeleigh struggled for a moment and he said, ¡°Girlfriends will not refuse their boyfriends like this. Are you sure that you want to be my girlfriend in exchange for yourfort and safety for the time being?¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to push Jepehrson away, but she raised her hand and put it down again.

    This was temporary, and everything would be alright.

    Raeleigh finally gave up on refusing to be Jepherson¡¯s girlfriend. When she confirmed their rtionship status, Jepherson bent down and lifted her up horizontally, as if he had won a big prize. He tossed Raeleigh up, which frightened Raeleigh so much that her face turned pale.

    ¡°Jepherson you are crazy. Put me down¡­¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s smile was brilliant. ¡°He¡¯s gone mad!¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh had never seen someone like Jepherson. After being thrown in the air several times, she could not say a word. She held onto Jepherson tightly, not daring to look down. In case he failed to catch her, a fall like that would definitely leave her disabled.

    With Raeleigh in his arms, Jepherson smiled brightly and breezily. After a long time, he finally put her down and Raeleigh, having been frightened from all that throwing, was still a little shaky in her legs. She felt like she had met a madman.

    However, in the next moment, Raeleigh was wrapped in Jepherson¡¯s arms.

    This was the only time that Raeleigh had truly been frightened to the core by him. She swore that she would never make any deals with him in the future no matter what happened.

    Raeleigh then proceeded to stay with him at the golf course for another three hours, but for those three whole hours, she simply sat at the side. She had been so frightened by Jepherson that her legs were still like jelly. It was scary just thinking about what would¡¯ve happened if she had fallen.

    She wasn¡¯t afraid of dying, she was just very worried about what would be of her Grandma if something had happened to her.

    While Raeleigh was sitting on the chair, Jepherson, on the other hand, felt very refreshed. Even though it was still raining outside, he felt cheerful, as if sunlight had been shining on him, and his swings were free and easy. The noble aura radiated from his body, as if he was the king of this world. He could dominate the whole world with just a gesture of his hand.

 Chapter 868 Rock, Hard Rock

    Raeleigh came out of the golf course. It was four o¡¯clock in the afternoon. She did not y much and so she did not sweat. On the contrary, Jepherson had perspired a lot, so he went upstairs to change his clothes. After taking a bath, he came out in simple and functional clothes.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the TV, waiting for the next meal.

    Just then, Scarlette knocked on the door looking for Raeleigh. She went to open the door, checking that the person outside was indeed Raeleigh before letting her in.

    This was a habit of Raeleigh¡¯s. No matter where she was, at home or out, she would always check the door to see who was outside it before opening it to let them in.

    This was a habit she acquired when she was ten. Before then, she had lived her childhood in a carefree environment at the children¡¯s home. Ever since she had gone to stay with her grandmother, her life had changed.

    Her grandmother was always highly suspicious of people, so she would drill it into Raeleigh over and over again about the importance of being vignt.

    This caused a major behavioral change in Raeleigh.

    Seeing Raeleigh, Scarlette asked her, ¡°Raeleigh, have you had dinner yet?¡±

    Raeleigh looked back. Jepherson had gone into the bathroom and was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°No,¡± Raeleigh replied to Scarlette, who had just entered, who in turn said as she was walking around, ¡°Me too. I haven¡¯t eaten the whole day.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Scarlette and asked her, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you eaten?¡±

    ¡°How am I supposed to eat when no one has prepared any food for me?¡± Scarlette and Hadrian were at that time not on speaking terms because of an argument they had about the game. Stuart had been by Jepherson¡¯s and her side the whole day. So, naturally, her welfare, including her meals were not looked out for by anybody. Scarlette had to go over to Raeleigh¡¯s ce because she simply couldn¡¯t stand being hungry anymore. Hopefully, with Raeleigh present, Jepherson would not do anything to her.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t give you any food?¡± Raeleigh was quite surprised. She walked over to Scarlette and sat down. Scarlette didn¡¯t know how to exin it all to Raeleigh but she tried her best anyway. ¡°I had been gaming with the person who was in charge of looking after me. But then, we got into an argument, so he hasn¡¯t prepared anything for me to eat.¡±

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t thought that this would¡¯ve happened. Just then, Jepherson stepped out of the shower and walked over to Scarlette when he saw her.

    Scarlette stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m here for a meal.¡±

    Jepherson nced at Scarlette and then his gaze moved to Stuart, who was standing by the door with an air of inquiry.

    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it.¡± Stuart walked over to the Scarlette and said, ¡°Miss Scarlette, please.¡±

    Scarlette looked at Raeleigh and thought for a moment before she said, ¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t we eat together?¡±

    ¡°OK.¡± Raeleigh agreed at once and then looked over to the other side at Jepherson.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s eat together.¡± Jepherson was still very tolerant¡­ with Scarlette.

    The dinner was soon ready. Raeleigh was sitting next to Scarlette, while Jepherson was sitting opposite her. Stuart stood at the door.

    Scarlette had a lot of things to say and did not stop even as she ate. She kept talking about the game with Raeleigh, to which Raeleigh would asionally reply to her with a line or two. Otherwise, she was focused on her food.

    Raeleigh was not used to talking while eating. She did not have such habits, especially not in front of guys who were strangers.

    It was like this. In Raeleigh¡¯s eyes, Jepherson was still a stranger.

    After she had finished her meal, Scarlette looked like she had no intention to leave, as she went to sit on the couch and refused to get up. Raeleigh then watched some television with her while Jepehrson sat at the side, with his phone in his hands, texting.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Scarlette¡¯s cell phone to ring. She looked at it and thought, ¡°Hadrian?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m dead.¡± Just as she was about to hang up the phone, something interesting happened. She suddenly got up from the couch and rushed to the door. Raeleigh then got up. Scarlette had rushed to the door, looking as if she would¡¯ve flown right out the door if she could.

    Scarlette stopped and nced at Raeleigh, saying, ¡°I, uh, I¡¯ve something to do. I have a score to settle with that person. I¡¯lle and look for youter. I¡¯ll not bother the both of you then.¡±

    Having said that, Scarlette opened the door and left. Raeleigh stood by the couch as she watched the door shut, feeling like something weird was going on with Scarlette.

    No matter what the reason was, it was always inappropriate to get along with a strange man so quickly.

    Raeleigh looked back at Jepherson, who lowered his head and continued to look at his phone. He was so quiet that it seemed a little strange.

    Around ten o¡¯clock, Raeleigh was a little sleepy. She intended to have a rest, staring at the bed in a daze. ¡°Should I sleep on the bed or on the couch tonight?¡±

    ¡°Get some rest.¡± ncing at the time, Jepherson stood up and walked towards the bed. Raeleigh sat on the couch and thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep on the couch.¡±

    Jepherson stopped and turned to Raeleigh. ¡°Where are you sleeping?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll sleep on the couch.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll sleep on the couch too.¡± Jepherson remained still where he was. Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°We can only sleep separately. I can¡¯t sleep with you before we get married.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go back and get registered tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t promise to marry you. So, don¡¯t you try to make light of this matter.¡± Raeleigh pulled a long face and looked unhappy.

    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding. I don¡¯t want to be sleeping on the bed while my girlfriend sleeps on the couch. To me, it¡¯s cruel and tantamount to insulting my manhood,¡± Jepherson said as he nced at the door. Stuart was outside. Normally, when he slept, Stuart would always either be in the room with him or just outside the door.

    ¡°Stay away,¡± Jepherson said to Stuart. Stuart had been with him for such a long time since they were children that he was almost like Jepherson¡¯s shadow. However, sometimes it could get irritating.

    Stuart left without hesitation.

    Raeleigh turned to look at the door. Hearing him leaving, she turned to look at Jepherson and hesitated for a moment. ¡°I have no intention of insulting you, and I hope you will consider my position too.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll sleep together, but I¡¯ll not do anything to you that you are unwilling to do. If you are not assured, then I can sleep on the floor.¡± Jepherson promised her.

    Raeleigh took a look at the floor and said, ¡°The floor is not conducive for sleeping.¡±

    ¡°But I want you to be by my side. Only then can I feel secure.¡±

    Raeleigh froze. She didn¡¯t know what to say next. But she always felt it was inappropriate to let her and Jepherson sleep together like this.

    ¡°Have we ever slept in the same bed?¡± Jepherson asked very seriously. There was an undeniable emotion on his handsome face.

    Raeleigh nodded her head, fixing her eyes on Jepherson¡¯s unhappy eyes.

    ¡°Have I ever done anything to you?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head.

    ¡°Then, why do you insist on sleeping separately?¡±

    ¡°Then, why do you insist on us having to sleep together?¡±

    ¡°Because I have already decided and epted that you are the one for me.¡± Jepherson turned his back to the bed, started to undress, and changed into his pyjamas shortly after.

    Raeleigh turned around from the beginning to the end, not looking at Jepherson.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Jepherson was also angry. Hey down and turned off the bedsidemp. When Raeleigh went to see him, he had already turned off the lights and settled down to sleep.

    She still breathed a sigh of relief, sat down on the couch, andy down on her side.

    She couldn¡¯t fall asleep at first, and then Raeleigh fell asleep. When she fell asleep, Jepherson opened his eyes and got out of bed. He walked up to Raeleigh and looked at her. This woman¡­

    She was a rock, a hard rock!

 Chapter 869 Fist Fight

    Raeleigh turned to her other side and felt a softness under her hand, and her eyes instantly shot open. The couch was soft, sure, but it was absolutely not this temperature.

    However, when Raeleigh opened her eyes, she saw that she was not on the couch, but she was sleeping opposite Jepherson.

    Raeleigh suddenly got off the bed and looked down at Jepherson.

    Jepherson woke up slowly and looked at Raeleigh, whose face was shrouded with a look of shock. ¡°I saw you sleeping and so I carried you up here. I didn¡¯t do anything you didn¡¯t want to do.¡±

    After exining it to her, Jepherson got up and went straight to the bathroom.

    Raeleigh had hugged him all night. He was a man, so it would be unusual if that did not elicit any response.

    When Raeleigh got down from the bed, Jepherson was already done washing up and had exited the bathroom. Raeleigh waited for a while and she then went into the bathroom.

    Raeleigh thought that Jerpherson was irritable, like a child who was prone to throwing tantrums.

    Although he was older than her, he did things without considering the consequences. He had a bad temper and was childish.

    If she didn¡¯t provoke him, then perhaps they could get along together easily.

    Raeleigh stared at herself in the mirror for a while, making sure that Jepherson had indeed not done anything. Then, she felt relieved.

    In TV series and novels, it is often said that the male protagonist would always take advantage of the female protagonist when she was asleep or just unconscious in general.Raeleigh was most worried about this.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that he didn¡¯t,¡± Raeleigh said, feeling relieved.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    When Raeleigh came out of the bathroom, Jepherson was already dressed. Raeleigh was dressed in the golfing attire she had worn the previous day.

    On the bedy Raeleigh¡¯s clothes. Raeleigh walked to the bed and intended to take them away and get changed in the bathroom. Jepherson stopped her and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go out.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson stepped out and closed the door, leaving the whole room to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh looked at the door for a while. Then, she got changed and stepped outside.

    Stuart stood at the door waiting for Raeleigh. When he saw her, Stuart said, ¡°Young Master has gone to the restaurant downstairs to wait for you. Miss Anson, if you please.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Raeleigh followed Stuart downstairs and asked about Scarlette while they were in the elevator.

    ¡°Stuart, do you know anything about Scarlette¡¯s matter?¡±

    Stuart was stunned for a moment, but he hid it immediately in a short time. ¡°Miss Anson, you¡¯re asking if she has gone down for her meal?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Raeleigh said, as if it was what she meant.

    ¡°She has already gone downstairs,¡± Stuart replied. Raeleigh nodded, and then they went to the restaurant downstairs.

    Raeleigh entered the restaurant and found Jepherson inside. Then, Stuart walked towards Jepherson and pulled out a chair for Raeleigh, who sat in it.

    There were not many people here and there were not many people eating. The waiter quickly came over. Jepherson put his hand on the table and handed the menu to Raeleigh. Meanwhile, he was reading a newspaper, which was in his hand.

    Raeleigh took the menu and had a look at it for a while. Then, she ordered two dishes that she wanted to eat and asked Jepherson, ¡°Would you like steak for yourself?¡±

    Jepherson picked up the water from the table and took a sip. ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, please add a portion of steak, medium rare.¡± Raeleigh looked at the waiter next to her and informed him.

    The waiter epted her request and immediately asked Raeleigh, ¡°Do you need anything else?¡±

    Jepherson flipped through a page of the newspaper. ¡°How do you know that I like medium rare steak?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°Thest time I noticed, you had ordered your steak medium rare too.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything else,¡± Jepherson answered, but he didn¡¯t look at the waiter, so Raeleigh had to be the messenger andmunicated it to the waiter.

    The waiter took his leave politely. Raeleigh took a look around and found that the atmosphere was quite good.

    ¡°Stuart, book a ticket to return home in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Stuart turned to the side and Raeleigh took a look around. She wanted to go to the bathroom, so she stood up.

    Jepherson raised his head to look at her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°I am going to the loo.¡± Raeleigh turned around and walked towards the bathroom. Jepherson looked at Stuart, who had note back yet. He didn¡¯t know where Scarlette and Hadrian had gone either. He put down the newspaper in his hand and then followed Raeleigh towards the direction of the bathroom. He had left to follow her about half a minuteter. However, when he passed by, there was no one in the corridor.

    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Raeleigh¡¯s voice came from inside a room. Jepherson followed her voice and walked towards that direction. He had a hunch that something was wrong.

    Inside the washroom was a restricted area where the hotel cleaning staff kept the disinfectants. Jepherson knew that most hotels, for the convenience of the cleaning staff, allocated such a room for easy storage and ess of the cleaning products. This was also as a marketing gimmick, to let their guests know that they take sanitation very seriously.

    Jepherson stepped towards the entrance of the washroom. There was a series of pinging noises from within along with some men¡¯s husky voices.

    ¡°Who wants to have a go first?¡± a man said.

    ¡°Remember, we agreed¡­¡±

    With a bang, the door to the storage room was kicked open by Jepherson. Jepherson¡¯s gaze was as fierce as a hungry wolf¡¯s, as he appeared at the door with a cold expression.

    At that time, there were three young men standing in the room. Raeleigh was knocked unconscious and thrown on top of a cotton quilt on the ground. It was obvious what they were nning to do.

    Jepherson mmed the door of the store room shut with a bang, loosened his cuffs, and walked towards the three men.

    The three of them nced at each other and walked towards Jepherson. In the end, the three of them fought with Jepherson.

    When Stuart returned and did not see anyone at the dining table, he immediately looked for them. By the time he made it to the toilet, the door flung open from the inside and Jepherson came out from the store room, carrying an unconscious Raeleigh in his arms.

    ¡°Young Master.¡± Stuart stood at the door in a daze. Jepherson cast him an impatient look and then walked out to the corridor, with Raeleigh still in his arms.

    Stuart went in to have a look and was greeted by the sight of three unconscious men on the ground. He didn¡¯t know how they had been knocked out, and they were probably not dead, but none of them seemed to be breathing.

    There was a lot of blood on the ground, but there was no blood on the Young Master¡¯s body.

    Stuart closed the door and left the hotel with Jepherson without saying a word.

    Raeleigh woke up on the ne and felt dizzy when she opened her eyes. However, as soon as she opened her eyes, she came to her senses and she struggled to leave.

    ¡°Shh¡­¡± Jepherson¡¯s breath whispered on Raeleigh¡¯s ears. Raeleigh slowly looked at Jepherson. She found that Jepherson was looking at her gently, with a hint of affection in her eyes. Raeleigh felt wronged and said, ¡°They¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve been dealt with.¡± Jepherson put Raeleigh¡¯s head on his shoulder and stroked Raeleigh¡¯s hair. Raeleigh finally calmed down.

    Although she was very strong, she had never encountered such a thing, not to mention that she was only neen years old.

    Feeling Raeleigh¡¯s helplessness, Jepherson slightly narrowed his eyes. It seemed that he hadn¡¯t beaten them harshly enough.

    Scarlette was seated in front and when she turned back and saw Raeleigh¡¯s slightly shivering body, she sped her palms into tight fists and thought to herself that she would surely beat those men to death if she ever met them.

    On the way back, Raeleigh didn¡¯t say a word. Jepherson did not feel that it was safe to send her back to the university, so instead, he brought her back to the Richards Group Hotel. Raeleigh protested and requested to be sent back to school but she was forcefully held back.

 Chapter 870 The Diary That Was Taken Away

    Raeleigh was still worried that she had not made it back to the university. She had already wasted three days of her term time. If this went on, then she would end up missing the whole week¡¯s sses.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now. You can send me back to school.¡± Raeleigh decided to make it clear.

    Jepherson looked at her and said, ¡°I have the final say in this matter today. As your boyfriend, I have to wait for your emotions to stabilize, and then I will send you back. Otherwise, I will be worried.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s all over and I¡¯m fine?¡± Raeleigh stood there, not far away from Jepherson. He raised his hand and pulled her wrist, intending to pull her onto hisp, but Raeleigh avoided his hand, so instead, he allowed Raeleigh simply to sit next to him.

    ¡°It¡¯s already noon. Even if we go back, it¡¯ll already be evening. Do you really have to go back?¡± Jepherson had already spoken gently, but Raeleigh still wanted to go back.

    Although he was unwilling, Jepherson still sent Raeleigh back.

    When the car arrived at the school gate, it was already three o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Jepherson did not get out of the car. He handed Raeleigh her bag. When Raeleigh got out of the car, she checked to see if anyone was at the front gate. Not seeing anyone, she went in.

    Stuart shut the passenger seat door and got back into the car. He nced at Jepherson, who was watching the departing Raeleigh.

    His heart really ached for his Young Master.

    ¡°Stuart.¡± Leaning against the car, Jepherson spokenguidly that it made Stuart¡¯s heart skip a beat. He was busy looking at Jepherson in the rearview mirror, and he lifted his eyelids to look at him. ¡°Young Master.¡±

    ¡°Next time, if you criticize me, then I will let you run back with the car.¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes seemed to appear uncaring, but it scared Stuart to death. It seemed that his words were not in jest. Was he going to have him run back?Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Yes, Master Jepherson.¡± Stuart¡¯s response was unspeakably bitter.

    Jepherson let out a ¡®hmph¡¯ as a response and leaned to one side. He had turned in the direction of the school to try and look at it from afar, but instead, he was greeted by the sight of the booklet and the phone that he had gifted Raeleigh on the car seat.

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze became much dimmer when he saw these two things. He did not touch them but instead left them in the original spot.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. The old madam may still be worried about me. Is Madam Jenna back?¡± Jepherson looked at Stuart. Stuart had been in contact with Alvin the whole time. Therefore, even if Jepherson did not call his parents, he would know when or if they woulde back at all.

    Stuart said, ¡°It will probably take her two months.¡±

    ¡°That long, huh?¡± His old man must have really loved his wife more than his life. All these years, he had been waiting eagerly for his eldest son to grow up and take over the management of the office, so that he could take his wife travelling around the world. When they had left, they had said it would only be for two weeks. Then,ter it became another half a month, and then another month, and right then, it had been extended to another two months. Jepherson thought that at that point, they might as well extend their holiday to two years. That way, he could be like a runaway horse. Free to never return.

    The car stopped in front of the yard of Richards Manor. Stuart got out of the car hurriedly to open the door. Jepherson then got out of the car. The moment he got out of the car, he heard Deanna¡¯s voice.

    Jepherson looked up. Deanna was taking a walk with his grandmother in the yard. When she saw him, she ran towards him like a little swallow.

    When they were little, Deanna and Zorion were always here and asionally lived here for a period of time. Grandma Marissa had always liked it, but they didn¡¯t have many chances to meet up. Only when Jepherson returned to A City would they have time to y and only then could they get together.

    However, Deanna was a very lovable girl. Almost everyone in the Richards family liked her. However, Zorion was something else.

    Deanna had liked Jepherson since she was a child, and this was also a well-known fact in the Richards family. Deanna liked to follow Jepherson around since they were children. No matter where he went, she loved to follow him.

    In Jepherson¡¯s eyes, Deanna was like his sister. He was indeed very good to her.

    Deanna ran towards Jepherson, and her face was red withughter.

    Jepherson raised his hand to pat Deanna¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re already a growndy, but you still run about like a child.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with running around? Can¡¯t growndies run?¡± Deanna made a face as she spoke. Jepherson suddenlyughed. This was a rare smile that Jepherson had. It was a smile that he gave only to his family.

    Deanna asked with her hands sped behind her back, ¡°Jepherson, what¡¯s in your car?¡±

    Jepherson froze for a moment before turning to look at the car. The car door was not closed. Deanna saw it with her sharp eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Deanna bent down and went into the car. She put her phone aside and took out the hidden booklet.

    Stuart was annoyed at himself as he should have closed the door.

    Deanna naturally knew that one was a cell phone. She was not interested in the cell phone, much less interested in the sensitive information stored within it.

    She was instead extremely interested in the booklet, which she held in her hand.

    ¡°Jepherson, where did you get it? I¡¯ve been looking for it all this time.¡± After saying that, Deanna turned over and found that there were traces of water stains.

    ¡°What a pity.¡± Deanna¡¯s tiny face was filled with sadness as her beautifulrge eyes shimmered. ¡°Why is it like this?¡±

    ¡°It was an ident,¡± Jepherson exined and looked at Grandma Marissa, who was walking towards them.

    Marissa¡¯s smile was as bright as a flower. When she saw Deanna and Jepherson getting along well with each other, she was relieved.

    ¡°Deanna knew that I didn¡¯t have a good rest these past few days, so she specially sent me some tonics to soothe my nerves. She¡¯s much better than you, my boy,¡± Marissa said as he walked over to Deanna¡¯s side, with how she looked at her with fondness.

    Jepherson did not say anything. Deanna held the manuscript in her hand and did not let go. Jepherson stared at it.

    ¡°Jepherson, can you let me see it? I¡¯ll give it back to you after I see it.¡± Deanna thought about her brother, Zorion, who had been looking all over for this diary, as there were only ten copies of it in the world. But most of the collectors didn¡¯t want to share it with others, so they had not managed to get their hands on one even then. It was said to be extremely precious. She didn¡¯t expect to see it here, so she had to take it back to her brother to have a look.

    But she couldn¡¯t say that she was bringing it back for her brother, Zorion. Otherwise, Jepherson would directly reject her request.

    ¡°Then¡­ ¡±

    ¡°Silly child. What are you so polite with him for? He is basically already your family. Take it if you like it. Then, whenever he wants to see it, he can go over to your ce to have a look.¡± Marissa didn¡¯t wait for Jepherson to say anything and grabbed the book for Deanna.

    Jepherson was stunned for a moment. ¡°This book isn¡¯t mine. It belongs to a friend of mine. I can¡¯t give it to Deanna.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright. But can I take a look? Just for a few days.¡± Deanna was not like the other girls. She was not selfish. What belonged to others was theirs. She never wanted them. This was also one of the main reasons Jepherson regarded her as his sister.

    ¡°You can take it, but don¡¯t ruin it. I still have to return it back,¡± Jepherson said. Deanna immediately agreed and said, ¡°I will keep it safe and won¡¯t let it get damaged. Thank you, Jepherson.¡±

    After saying that, Deanna hurriedly put away the book in her hand, so as not to let it be seen by her brother.

    From thest incident, Deanna knew that her brother, Zorion, had an opinion about Jepherson, so she wanted to avoid preventing her brother from viewing the book.

 Chapter 871 Stuck Once Again

    Marissa held Deanna¡¯s small hand. ¡°Stay for dinner. Isn¡¯t your school having an off day today?¡±

    ¡°Zorion said he needs to go hometer, so¡­¡± Deanna carefully nced at Jepherson. Jepherson¡¯s attitude was the same as usual. He didn¡¯t make much of a fuss as he apanied Marissa and the rest to the Ink Garden.

    Stuart asked the chauffeur to drive the car away and he then followed him.

    Jepherson helped Marissa to the door. The moment they entered, they saw the person sitting inside. Zorion was sitting on the couch, reading a book.

    When they heard someone approaching, they looked up at the door. When they entered the door, they saw Zorion standing up and greeted him politely. ¡°Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°When did you arrive?¡± Jepherson asked.

    ¡°This morning.¡± Zorion smiled as if he were a close friend. Seeing Marissaing over, he raised his hand to give her a hand. Marissa, of course, liked Zorion. She didn¡¯t have a granddaughter in this family. If she did, then she couldn¡¯t wait to let her granddaughter marry him.

    The Whalen family¡¯s potential candidates for marriage were good. As for Rayan¡¯s son and daughter, who did not like them? What was more, they had been yeraning for them since they were children.

    Marissa sat down and pulled Deanna to take a seat beside her as well. However, she did not have Jepherson or Zorion sit by her side. This showed her recognition and special concern for Deanna.

    ¡°Zorion, do you have to go back today? It¡¯s rare that you are all here, and I am alone. I am normally very depressed and lonely, so why don¡¯t you all stay for a while and keep mepany? I have asked Deanna but she says that only your word counts, Zorion. So, why don¡¯t you humor this olddy for once and stay for dinner, please?¡±

    Marissa¡¯s words really pulled at the heartstrings. If it were anyone else, then they would not have been able to refuse her either, let alone Zorion.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll have to bother you. The fact that you are not bothered by our presence is of course a good thing.¡± Zorion rarely spoke, but when he did, he had a way of coaxing people into great joy.

    Marissa couldn¡¯t help but tough. ¡°It¡¯s you who really understands me. Zorion,e and sit opposite me and tell me all about it. Is there anything interesting in the school? I for one am extremely bored at home. You also know that since Jepherson took over thepany, Uncle Hansen has been absent from this home and he would probably have it that way forever if it were up to him. Grandpa Trevor is also busy. No one talks to me. It¡¯s too boring here.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, what would you like to know?¡± How could Zorion not realize that Marissa was creating an opportunity for his younger sister, Deanna and Jepherson to be alone with each other.

    Marissa thought for a moment. ¡°If there is anything interesting, then tell me.¡±

    Zorion nced at his sister, Deanna, and said, ¡°Grandma, let¡¯s listen to Deanna. She knows the most.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Marissa immediately changed her mind. Zorion was not a simple boy.

    Fortunately, Zorion had grown up under the Richards family¡¯s wing. Rayan and his wife had a good rtionship with Marissa¡¯s son and daughter-inw. If not, then Rayan¡¯s influence in Capital City would have grown day by day and his career would have been at its peak. In the future, if these siblings were to join another family by marriage, then it would definitely be a big problem for their family.

    Marissa smiled and said, ¡°Deanna, why don¡¯t you tell Grandma, dear?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Deanna answered and immediately told Marissa about the school¡¯s affairs. She looked innocent to a fault, like a child who was not yet grown up.

    Zorion observed that his sister was full of joy and had a carefree little face.

    Deanna¡¯s innocent personality would make it impossible for her to survive in the Richards family household.

    Zorion lowered his head, as if he was deep in thought. Sitting on the opposite side, Jepherson looked at Zorion. Was it a holiday that day?

    Jepherson looked at Stuart casually. He was in charge of arranging the affairs with the school. Scarlette and Hadrian had gone back to the university earlier and they had not mentioned anything about a holiday.

    ¡°Since there is no holiday, then why did this pair of siblingse to Richards Manor?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t long before the food was ready. Marissa took the three of them for a meal. After dinner, Zorion left with Deanna.

    Jepherson left the Ink Garden to see Zorion and his sister off. Deanna was held by Zorion as they walked off towards the door.

    When she was a child, Deanna had gone missing once. Zorion had always med himself. He thought that it was because he hadn¡¯t taken good care of his sister, which allowed those people an opportunity to kidnap her.

    Ever since then, Zorion held his sister¡¯s hand no matter where he went. This had been so since he was a child, and he had been doing it until then.

    Jepherson sent the Whalen siblings to the door. Zorion waited until Deanna had gotten into the car before he turned around and said politely, ¡°Jepherson, we¡¯re leaving.¡±

    ¡°Alright, call me when you get home. Be careful on the way,¡± Jepherson said. Zorion sat in the car, and said as the window was lowered, ¡°Will do. We¡¯ll call you when we get home.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Good night, Jepherson.¡± Deanna waved to Jepherson from inside the car. He dipped his head slightly and replied, ¡°Good night, Deanna.¡±

    ¡°Nights.¡±

    The car window rolled up and the cars left one after another. Then, Jepherson said, ¡°Call the school to confirm if the school is on a holiday today.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Stuart made a phone call, and then he said from the side, ¡°It¡¯s not a holiday today.¡±

    Jepherson frowned and turned around to go back inside.

    On the way, Deanna was tired and slept in Zorion¡¯s arms. Zorion made a phone call. ¡°How is it?¡±

    A young man¡¯s voice came from the other side of the phone. ¡°She arrived at the school at three o¡¯clock. It was Mr. Richards¡¯ car that sent her here.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Zorion put down his phone. He lowered his head to gaze at his sister. With him around, he would definitely not allow his sister to marry into a family like the Richards family.

    Raeleigh went back to school to look for Scarlette. She had fallen asleep on the bed. When Raeleigh entered the room, and saw Scarlette¡¯s state, she really did not know what to say.

    Raeleigh had note back safely yet, and here Scarlette was, sleeping soundly.

    Raeleigh put down her backpack and unpacked her things. Then, she sat on the bed and studied her textbooks for a while. At dinner time, she woke Scarlette up to eat. After dinner, they chatted with each other and yed games for a while. Raeleigh felt that life had finally returned to normal.

    Before she turned off the lights, she had fallen asleep. She was not Scarlette, who could stay awake until two in the morning. She was not willing to stay upte either as that made her groggy the next day.

    The next morning, Raeleigh got up very early. After washing up and going to the cafeteria for breakfast, she was stopped by several people before she arrived at the restaurant.

    Raeleigh stopped. The one who took the lead was none other than Quirina.

    Seeing Quirina, Raeleigh was a little bit overwhelmed. Anyone would feel frustrated over time. Couldn¡¯t she use another way?

    Raeleigh dragged Scarlette, and was ready to leave. Quirina, dressed in a school uniform, said, ¡°Stop.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and turned around to look at Quirina. ¡°I haven¡¯t offended you. You don¡¯t need to be against me all the time.¡±From N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you?¡± Quirina was so angry with Raeleigh that she wanted to scratch Raeleigh¡¯s face.

    Walking towards Raeleigh, Quirina chuckled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you have the ability to seduce Mr. Richards? Then, tell me, in these few days that you have not been in school, have you climbed into Mr. Richards¡¯ bed yet?¡±

    Raeleigh opened her eyes wide. ¡°When you speak, please respect me and have some respect for yourself.¡±

    ¡°Me, disrespecting you? You wh*re. Do you still have the audacity to wave around your chastity belt? All of you, tell me, isn¡¯t that the mostughable thing?¡± Quirina said as she raised her head andughed.

 Chapter 872 Worsening The Situation

    Raeleigh looked at Quirina and smiled. She did not get angry but she said, ¡°We are going to the cafeteria. Please get out of the way.¡±

    ¡°Get out of the way? You¡¯ve got a lot of guts. I think you¡¯re asking for trouble! Get down on your knees!¡± Quirina suddenly said in a harsh voice.

    Raeleigh just looked at Quirina. In order to retain her ce of study here, she couldn¡¯t fight with Quirina. Otherwise, she would¡¯ve given Quirina a good beating.

    ¡°Excuse me, who are you asking to kneel down before you? Do you know no shame? Yourst incident of stealing and giarizing Raeleigh¡¯s work hasn¡¯t even been settled yet, yet today you daree here to cause trouble. The one who should be kneeling down today is you.¡± Scarlette couldn¡¯t be bothered about the consequences. She only knew that if a person had neither sense nor shame, then it should be beaten into them, be it physically or metaphorically.

    ¡°Scarlette, I initially had no intention of bringing you into this, but you yourself are shameless and you keep insisting on pitting yourself against me. I was going to let that matter go, but since you¡¯ve brought it up, I have to say this. If it had not been for you and your little tricks, then would I have been so publicly humiliated?¡± Upon recalling the incident with the blueprint, Quirina was immediately infuriated. She had been pped by her own father when she had gotten home that day and he had even warned her that even Old Master Moore had heard about that incident. Since that day, she had yet to see her father.

    Her mother also med her for that, even after she had been beaten. When had she ever been treated like this? How could she let Raeleigh and Scarlette go?

    ¡°Come at me then. Don¡¯t think that just because your family has power and influence, I¡¯ll be afraid of you. In fact, I¡¯m not afraid to tell you that I¡¯m good for nothing and at the very worst, I¡¯ll just give up on my studies.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t even be considered as the daughter of a second, third, or fourth wife. What right do you have to pretend to be all powerful in front of me?¡±

    Upon Scarlette¡¯s shout, Quirina lost control of herself, raised her arm, and aimed a p at Scarlette. At the same time, Scarlette reacted by swiping Quirina¡¯s legs from under her. Quirina was neither good at martial arts nor self-defence, and so she could not bepared to Scarlette. Scarlette¡¯s swipe knocked her over and she fell down heavily, with her face immediately draining of color at the intensity of her pain.

    ¡°Scarlette, you dared to hit me, Attack her and beat her to death.¡± Quirina was lying on the ground, shouting while pointing at Scarlette. A few girls who followed her saw that Quirina was at a disadvantage and they all rushed up to her and thenunched themselves at Scarlette. In the end, Scarlette was the only one standing, with all the others lying on the ground.

    ¡°Do you dare to even try this? Girl, you are biting off more than you can chew.¡± Scarlette dusted her hands and pulled the slightly stunned Raeleigh away, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go and eat.¡±

    After saying that, Raeleigh was dragged away by Scarelette. Raeleigh looked back at those people, who had been beaten up so hard that they could not get up. Then, she turned around and looked at Scarlette. She did not say anything and seemed to think of something. ¡°Grandma was right. Scarlette is not as simple as she seems.¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything along the way. When they arrived at the cafeteria, they had their meal and they then went directly to their sses.

    As a result, after ss, they heard the news that Quirina had been bullied by her ssmates andevenhad broken a bone. The school was investigating the matter, and soon, they would find the relevant students to verify the incident.

    Raeleigh looked at Scarlette. ¡°You have gotten us into trouble.¡±

    Scarlette said disapprovingly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with inciting trouble?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°We should¡¯ve just gone for our sses and let it go. The matter would¡¯ve been blown over. Now, they won¡¯t let it go.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I would¡¯ve just let them go at that either.¡± She put her legs on the table, with her face unconcerned.

    Raeleigh looked at Scarlette. ¡°You can leave, right?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Scarlette looked at Raeleigh, at her pretty little face which was glowing. It sounded like Raeleigh was nning to run away.

    ¡°Quirina will bite back and will definitely want you dead. So, you can¡¯t stay here. You must leave first. Give it some time and only then could youe back, and when you do, don¡¯t forget to pay my Grandma a visit.¡± Raeleigh pulled Scarlette and nned to drag her back to the dormitory to help her pack her essential things. She had to take whatever was valuable and bring as much cash with her as possible. Raeleigh still had 2000 dors, which she had saved up from her frugal budget and nned to give it to Scarlette, for her to bring along.

    Scarlette wore a funny look as she was dragged outside by Raeleigh.

    ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t be afraid. I will be fine.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know people like Quirina. She is a mad dog and once she bites, she will never let go. Just go into hiding for a while, at least until you ride this wave over. Then, it¡¯d be safe toe back.¡± Raeleigh could not think of any other n, so getting Scarlette out of the eye of the storm would have to be done for that time.

    As for herself, perhaps on ount of the fact that she could still be tormented, Quirina would not chase her out.

    ¡°Raeleigh, if I leave, then what are you going to do? They will make things even worse for you.¡± Scarlette had no other girlfriends. She never did even as a child. The only three people she was familiar with were Hadrian, Stuart, and her master, Alvin.

    That really was her first time meeting someone like Raeleigh. People couldn¡¯t really call her weak as she was tough in her bones and neither could they call her stupid, seeing that she was an all-rounded schr.

    That time, Raeleigh was even nning to take the me for her. So, she really didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°I am not the one who beat them up. So, I will be fine. You can leave first. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Scarlette was dragged into the bedroom by Raeleigh. Raeleigh immediately began packing together a bag for Scarlette and when she was done, she took out a bank card from her wallet and ced it in Scarlette¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°The PIN is 768422. There¡¯s two thousand dors inside. Keep it for when you run out of money.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, you are someone who treats even fifty dors as a lot of money and now you¡¯re giving me two thousand dors. You better think it through. After I leave, you won¡¯t be able to get it back.¡± Scarlette deliberately tested Raeleigh. In fact, even if Raeleigh took back the money then, she would still ept Raeleigh as her friend.

    Raeleigh looked at Scarlette and said, ¡°I know that you are no ordinary person. Ordinary people won¡¯t have such good fighting skills. You may have some purpose for staying by my side, but I don¡¯t think you are a bad person. You can go. The Moore family is not easy to deal with. I heard that they are all very powerful. You don¡¯t have to worry about me for now. You cane back when this matter dies down.¡±

    Raeleigh said as she dragged Scarlette towards the door. However, as soon as she arrived at the door, several uniformed people walked directly into the women¡¯s dormitory and stopped them.

    One of the uniformed men took out his badge and arrest warrant, and said, ¡°We are from the Criminal Police Unit of the Sixth District in Capital City. Do you know Quirina Moore?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know her.¡±

    Scarlette looked at Raeleigh strangely. An honest person also had times when they would lie.

    ¡°You¡¯re Scarlette?¡± The other party put away the badge and she hesitated for a moment. ¡°No.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. She looked at the person on the opposite side and asked, ¡°Why do you want to see me?¡±

    ¡°Are you Scarlette?¡± the officer asked.

    Raeleigh nodded and Scarlette felt even more curious.

    Raeleigh said, unfazed, ¡°What can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°Quirina has been seriously injured by you, and she is in the hospital. Now, she wants to file awsuit against you. You need toe with us,¡± the policeman said.

    Raeleigh took a look at Scarlette, sending her a silent signal, which seemed to say, ¡°Looks like I won¡¯t be able to leave. Help me keep my clothes in the drawer first. I¡¯ll leave with them for now. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    Raeleigh followed the officer as they were made to leave. Scarlette immediately rushed forward and pulled Raeleigh back behind her, saying, ¡°I am Scarlette. Why are you trying to be the hero? Here, this is my ID to prove it. The person you are looking for is me. This is my friend, Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°What the h*ll is going on with you guys?¡± The police officer was upset. He had almost been cheated.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. My friend was worried about me and wanted to cover for me. Officer, I have something to ask you. You said that Quirina has broken bones. Do you have any evidence?¡± Scarlette was a quick thinker too. The police nced at Scarlette and asked, ¡°Would Quirina dare to report a false case?¡±

    ¡°I might as well say that you are my father and that I am your illegitimate daughter. Would you take this as a genuine statement or a joke?¡± A sentence from Scarlette made the police choke back on his words and worsened the situation at the same time.

 Chapter 873 Danger Resolved, Order Restored

    Scarlette was arrested for the assault and battery of a schoolmate and attempted evasion from arresting officers. Raeleigh too was arrested for the obstruction of justice.

    ¡°If you both tell us what happened truthfully and admit to your crimes, then we can let you off easily on ount of your student status, and not announce this matter to the public.¡± The police officer opposite Raeleigh raised his hand and smacked the file he held in the other. Raeleigh looked back at him and replied, ¡°We did not do anything. We don¡¯t even know Quirina Moore.¡±

    Raeleigh insisted that she didn¡¯t know Quirina. The police officer was angry and paced around in the room. They had been interrogating her for an hour. No matter how much pressure they put on her, they couldn¡¯t find anything. Raeleigh just insisted that she didn¡¯t know Quirina Moore. So, the police couldn¡¯t do anything to Raeleigh.

    If she didn¡¯t know her, then how could she have fought her?

    Scarlette was even harder to deal with than Releigh. She simply refused to say even a word. She kept silent throughout the interrogation, did not answer any of the questions posed to her, and just stared at her interrogating officer, as if she were sizing him up.

    So, this case, for the police, was also very tricky.

    Raeleigh and Scarlette were both students. Even if they didn¡¯t have powerful families to back them up, the police wouldn¡¯t go too far. They wouldn¡¯t do anything to them unless it was absolutely necessary. However, once they started, Raeleigh and Scarlette would have h*ll to pay for.

    ¡°Drink some water.¡± The police poured a ss of water for Raeleigh. This was a trick. The police often used this kind of tactic to deal with women.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a crime to let you drink water here, so have a drink.¡±

    After consuming fluids, it was inevitable that the need to relieve oneself would arise. When that time came, they could use it against the detainee to threaten them into answering or deal with the alternative of not being allowed to go to the loo.

    This tactic did not work on men since if the urge arose and they were not allowed to go to the loo, then they would simply do it on the spot.

    This alternative is inconvenient and mostly inessible to women.

    Raeleigh looked at the water. ¡°I am not thirsty.¡±

    ¡°Have a drink.¡± The police suddenly became friendly, which made Raeleigh feel ufortable, so she didn¡¯t drink it.

    The police officer was not in a hurry and looked up at the camera. The people outside had been used to this method for a long time. They knew what it meant to turn off the air-conditioner with just one look from the officer in the interrogation room.

    This season was rather warm. The four walls of the interrogation room were closed and there were no venttion ducts. If the air-conditioner was turned off, then it would definitely be hot and people would not be able to withstand it for a long time.

    The policeman stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while. You should think about what I said.¡±

    The police took the notebook and left. Raeleigh felt a little hot. She stared at the cup in front of her and recalled that the air-conditioning was turned off when she refused to drink it. She drew the connection between the two and became even more convinced that the water was not to be drunk.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    It was too hot in the interrogation room. Raeleigh felt ufortable andy down t on the table. As a result, by the time someone hade to bail her and Scarlette out, she had passed out on the table.

    The person who had bailed them out was the principal of Elkton University himself. He was undeniably a reliable bailor.

    When Raeleigh and Scarlette were released, Scarlette was well. After all, she was much stronger and fitter than Raeleigh. Raeleigh, on the other hand, came out in quite a bad shape. She was still semi-conscious and had to be carried out. When the principal saw the bracelet on Raeleigh¡¯s wrist, he was so scared that he broke into cold sweat immediately.

    ¡°How can you torture her like this? Is there even anyw and order anymore?¡± Even being the principal, he couldn¡¯t suppress his anger. This matter could affect his old age and retirement ns.

    He was going to retire soon. He couldn¡¯t afford to lose out on his luxurious retirement life for failing to handle Raeleigh¡¯s problem well.

    Since Young Master Richards could ce such an important item in Raeleigh¡¯s possession, it showed that Young Master Richards¡¯ intentions were set. Young Master Richards¡¯ principle and style were something the principal knew very clearly. He would not do it, but once he set out to do it, there would be no going back. Even though Raeleigh didn¡¯t have an impressive lineage whatsoever, and whilst in any normal circumstance, the chances of her bing part of the Richards family would be slim to none, yet with the young master determined to rein her in, and his position as the youngest and most likely the longest serving leader of the Richards Group, who was to say what could happen?

    The principal would not live for more than a few years, but he still had children and grandchildren.

    They also had to rely on Young Master Richards for their future careers.

    The principal¡¯s face darkened. He had conveniently taken along with him Raeleigh¡¯s ss teacher as well as the head of the teaching department.

    Both of them were women. Although they did not know how Raeleigh would¡¯ve alerted the principal toe over in person, they also knew that if Raeleigh had no backing at all, then the principal would not have asked so many people toe and bail her out of the police station.

    Everyone in Capital City knew that the Moore family was involved in this matter.

    If even the principal had dared to take the chance of ruining his future, rushing all the way here from the airport, giving up the opportunity to be a guest speaker at a foreign university, then it was obvious that Raeleigh¡¯s predicament was a matter of the highest importance.

    Raeleigh¡¯s ss teacher and the head of the teaching department rushed to Raeleigh¡¯s side to check on her condition.

    The head of the teaching department had encountered many students¡¯ sudden illness, so she was very good at handling this situation.

    ¡°She passed out from a heat stroke and needs to be sent to the hospital immediately,¡± the head said, which made the principal¡¯s face look even worse.

    She had a heat stroke in the police station?

    ¡°Our student was still in good condition when she came in. The current weather outside is about 28 to 99 degrees and you somehow managed to get my student into a heat stroke in the police station. I suspect that yourw enforcement department is abusing your powers and working against justice. We will investigate this matter to the end. Now, we will go to the hospital to collect evidence. You¡¯d better look out for what you¡¯ve goting at you.¡± The principal led the small entourage out of the bail office and Raeleigh was immediately escorted into a ck car waiting outside upon exiting the police station.

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes were much different from normal. Raeleigh was put in his arms. He lowered his head and swept Raeleigh¡¯s messy hair neatly to the side. The principal then sat in the car and said, ¡°It¡¯s a heat stroke.¡±

    Jepherson raised his eyes and took a look at the police station. ¡°Gather a parade and protest against the police terrorizing students into forced confessions. Contact the student union and have them put pressure on the police by gathering at the police station and blocking them. A private detective will give you some information about Quirina. Find a way to hand it over to the student union.¡±

    As Jepherson ordered, the car was driven to the hospital. The car stopped in the parking lot of the hospital¡¯s VIP passage. The principal got out of the car and the school staff sent Raeleigh to the hospital. Jepherson sat in the car and looked towards the direction in which Raeleigh was being wheeled away.

    ¡°Tell them that they are not allowed to leave Raeleigh¡¯s side, not even half a step.¡± When the door was closed, an impatient look appeared in Jepherson¡¯s eyes. ¡°The Moore family¡­¡±

    Raeleigh woke up soon after first aid was administered on her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Scarlette sitting beside her. She was gaming on aptop that she had with her. Raeleigh stared at Scarlette for a while. She did not know what to say, to think that she still had the mood to yputer games at that time. She really took her hat off to Scarlette.

    ¡°Scarlette, are we out of trouble?¡± Scarlette had not realized that she had woken up, so Raeleigh had to call out to her. Only then did Scarlette stop her gaming, put herptop aside and focused her attention on Raeleigh. ¡°How are you? Are you out of the woods yet?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine now. Let me ask you, are we out of trouble now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay now. Now, the school is in the midst of suing the police station for abuse of police powers in interrogating and forcing confessions out of students to the point of requiring hospitalization. As for Quirina¡¯s matter, the school is also investigating the matter closely and if they¡¯re not wrong, then they should be able to arrive at a conclusion soon and restore truth and order to this matter,¡± Scarlette said firmly. Raeleigh didn¡¯t feel like talking anymore. She was just amazed that a person such as Scarlette, with her unique character, existed in this world at all.

 Chapter 874 Matters That Would Be Better Off

    ¡°Are you hungry? I prepared some chicken soup for you. Have some. It¡¯ll help with the heat stroke.¡± Scarlette adjusted the bed and brought a bowl of chicken soup she had lovingly made for Raeleigh. Raeleigh reached out her hand to take it, sipped it, and asked, ¡°You know how to cook chicken soup?¡±

    ¡°I am an orphan after all. What don¡¯t we orphans know?¡± Scarlette sat by her side and Raeleigh was momentarily stunned. She raised her head and looked at Scarlette. She did not speak but ate the chicken soup in her hand quietly.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh handed over the small bowl to Scarlette after she finished eating. Then, she took a look at the weather outside and said, ¡°What day is it today?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Thursday,¡± Scarlette answered while putting the small bowl aside. Raeleigh looked at her quizzically. ¡°Isn¡¯t it Wednesday.¡±

    ¡°Wednesday has passed. You¡¯ve been sleeping for a day.¡± Scarlette turned around and sat down, Raeleigh knew only then that she had been in hospital for a whole day.

    ¡°How did you answer them about the matter with Quirina?¡± Raeleigh asked. It urred to her that they were here because Quirina wasunching an investigation on them.

    With a look of disapproval on her face, she replied, ¡°What could I say? I simply kept silent.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t say a word?¡± Raeleigh was quite surprised. Scarlette said, ¡°Haven¡¯t you learnt anything from the TV shows? I have the right to remain silent.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and then burst intoughter. ¡°You really have a solution for everything.¡±

    ¡°This is barely a solution. It¡¯smon sense. When in an unknown territory, before you have ascertained your enemies¡¯ motives towards you, you must not simply open your mouth or else you might fall into their trap and be killed by them for saying the wrong thing.¡± Scarlette remembered clearly these words that her master, Alvin, had taught her. Thinking about him, she started to miss him.

    Raeleigh thought about what she said and thought that Scarlette made a lot of sense. She nodded and moved to get out of bed. ¡°I want to go to the bathroom.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Scarlette helped Raeleigh to the toilet. After she went in, Raeleigh looked up at the surveince camera in the ward and squeezed out a smile at it.

    Jepherson stood up from his seat, picked up a cup of tea on the desk, and blew on it while walking.

    Stuart stood aside. The young master had not slept for the whole day and kept sipping on the tea. If this went on, then he wouldn¡¯t be sleeping that night either.

    ¡°Stuart.¡±

    ¡°Young Master.¡±

    ¡°Let the Old Madam know of this matter.¡± Jepherson drank his tea and stood by the window, looking down. Stuart thought for a moment before replying, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Marissa was admiring the flowers at home when she heard some of the servants gossiping about something. She turned and asked them, ¡°What are you discussing today?¡±

    The few servants quickly replied, ¡°Madam, it¡¯s nothing much.¡±

    ¡°Nothing? What is it then that I heard about something happening at the university?¡± Marissa looked at these servant girls whom she had spoiled. These girls had followed her here from A City. So, they knew the Old Madam very well. They were favored upon in the Ink Garden. Even when the old caretakers of this ce saw them, they would be respectful to them.

    Marissa liked them because they were sensible and obedient. What was wrong with them that day? They had acted out of ce and were gossiping at the side.

    ¡°Old Madam, you¡¯d better see it yourself.¡± The maid saw that Marissa was unhappy, so she hurried to turn on the TV to show Marissa. Marissa nced at them, and just like the Queen Mother from the Victorian era, she walked to the couch with a regal air and sat down.

    The TV had already been set to the news channel, and Marissa saw the explosive news just as she sat down.

    It had been noted that the daughter of the Moore family¡¯s mistress had fought over Jepherson Richards with another woman. She also took advantage of the Moore family¡¯s influence in this matter tond the woman in the police station, which forced the woman to be hospitalized on ount of the harsh interrogation by the police. This matter had attracted attention from all walks of life. Even the school was denouncing the police station. The student union had also organized a demonstration for justice just outside the police station.

    Marissa pped her hand on the table. ¡°How shameless could the Moore family be! How dare an insignificant mistress¡¯ daughter do that? What does she take the Richards family for? Does she think that the hallways of Richards Manor are for anyone to walk all over? Even if she was the legitimate daughter of the Moore family, her status would still be subject to consideration, what more that she was the daughter of a mistress.¡±

    ¡°Old Madam, don¡¯t be angry. It¡¯s bad for your health. Madam Jenna will reprimand us when shees back.¡± The servant was busyforting Marissa and to which she replied smoothly, ¡°Don¡¯t tell Madam Jenna about this. If word gets out to her, then I¡¯ll be looking to you all for an exnation¡­¡±

    After all, Madam Jenna was rted to the Moore family and being such a kind person, she would be sure to forgive them.

    The servants looked at each other and promised her.

    Marissa had finally seen through the Moore family. They were too shameless!

    ¡°Is the young master at home?¡± Marissa thought of her grandson. Such a big thing had happened outside, yet he did not let slip even the slightest piece of news. He had indeed grown up and his wings had toughened.

    Marissa ordered someone to get Jepherson on the line. Upon receiving the call, Jepherson returned to the Ink Garden from his matters outside.

    Marissa had made a phone call to Deanna early in the morning. She had called under the pretense of enquiring about the matter. However, in reality, she had meant it as a show of solidarity for Deanna and to exin the Richards family¡¯s position, so that she would not misunderstand them. Unfortunately, what she got in return was Deanna defending Raeleigh for a good part of the conversation.

    When Marissa put down the phone, she sympathized with the girl and pitied Raeleigh for getting caught in this matter, simply because she was poor and had no backing, bing the prime target for Quirina Moore to bully. She too felt that Raeleigh had been unjustly used.

    However, Marissa also had her own thoughts. In order to protect and hold on to Deanna, she couldn¡¯t care too much for Raeleigh either.

    When Jepherson¡¯s car arrived outside the house, he was barely awake from his sleep and the minute he got out of the car, he was observed by Marissa, who was at the doorstep.

    Jepherson walked towards Marissa and he then called out to her, ¡°Grandma.¡±

    ¡°You still know then that I am your grandmother? Such a big thing has happened, but it was kept a secret from me. I wonder what your intentions are,¡± Marissa said to Jepherson, but she knew him very well and her eyes carried a hint of pity.

    ¡°I was afraid that you would get angry, so I daren¡¯t let you know. How did you know, Grandma?¡± Jepherson walked to Marissa¡¯s side and held her hand. The grandmother and her grandson walked hand in hand into the house and Marissa saidically, ¡°How could I not know? It was all over the news. The entire Capital City knows about it.¡±

    Jepherson hadn¡¯t taken a rest for 24 hours. There were dark circles under his listless eyes, but he did not say anything.

    Marissa nced at her grandson. ¡°Deanna has already told me about this. It has nothing to do with you. But this girl born out of wedlock from the Moore family has gone too far. It doesn¡¯t matter if she wants to shame herself. However, if she implicates the Richards family, then it¡¯s her fault. I don¡¯t know how the Moore family manages their children. They¡¯re so ill-mannered, yet they¡¯re standing up for her.¡±

    ¡°Yousif has always doted on his mistress. If not for her lowly status, then he would have brought her into the family officially a long time ago. He wouldn¡¯t have waited until today. But the fact that this thing happened now is not a surprise,¡± Jepherson said calmly. Marissa looked at her grandson again. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Grandma, there¡¯s something you don¡¯t know. It¡¯s one thing for Quirina to run amok in the school. Since she¡¯s a member of the Moore family, as your grandson, I can ignore that and turn a blind eye to it.¡±

    ¡°But she really has a pig¡¯s brain, and her actions are nothing a person would do.¡±

    ¡°How should I put it?¡± Marissa was then quite curious. This was shameful enough, and to think that Quirina could do something worse than this, was a wonder.

 Chapter 875 Deannaâ€™s Visit

    Marissa sat down with Jepherson¡¯s help and he told her all about Quirina stealing Raeleigh¡¯s work. Marissa really hadn¡¯t seen iting. This little punk from the Moore family named Quirina was so shameless that she had stolen someone else¡¯s drawing and was now still trying to fight for her ¡®reputation¡¯.

    ¡°How did this kind of person from the Moore familye into being?¡± Marissa had nothing else to say.

    Jepherson looked tired. He got up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to rest. I have to go out at night. If someone from the Moore familyes, then please help me deal with it.¡±

    ¡°Someone from the Moore family?¡± Marissa looked at her grandson thoughtfully.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything either and went back to the room to get some rest. Marissa called out to Stuart, ¡°Stuart, is the Moore family looking for the Young Master?¡±

    ¡°Madam, Yousif¡¯s butler hade to look for him earlier,¡± Stuart answered truthfully. Such a thing had indeed happened.

    Marissa¡¯s face suddenly turned nasty, and she snorted. ¡°You did such a shameful thing, but you still have the audacity toe to me. You are really shameless and untouchable!¡± She thought to herself.

    ¡°Stuart.¡±

    ¡°Madam,¡± Stuart hurriedly replied.

    ¡°Pack up a fruit basket, the best one. Send it to the girl named Raeleigh and tell her that I gifted it to her to help her calm down.¡±

    Stuart was stunned for a moment and he then asked, ¡°Is it alright to do this, Young Master¡­¡±

    ¡°If you and I don¡¯t say anything, then how will he know? Stuart, the Moore family has humiliated us, so we have to do the same as well. Otherwise, they will really think that the Richards family is easy to bully.¡± After Marissa finished speaking, he immediately went off to prepare the gift. After Stuart left, she looked at the servants around her and said, ¡°Did you hear that? Someone mighteter. Do I need to tell you what to do?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need, madam. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Only then did Marissa get up to get some rest. She was just a daughter of an insignificant mistress from the Moore family. How dare she vie for her grandson?

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t expect to receive the fruit basket from Jepherson¡¯s grandmother. She was still in a daze, sitting on the bed. Scarlette unwrapped the fruit basket, picked a fruit, washed it, and cut it in half to be shared between her and Raeleigh.

    ¡°Eat.¡± Scarlette took the first bite of her half of the apple. This expensive apple was certainly delicious.

    Raeleigh held on to her half of the apple. ¡°Is this really a good idea?¡±

    Scarlette looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it? You can¡¯t throw it out if it¡¯s gifted to you. That would be disrespectful of you. It¡¯s better not to waste it by eating it.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Scarlette and took a bite of the apple. She was right. She could not throw the fruit basket away as that would be impolite of her. Besides, if she threw the fruit basket away, then it would be a waste. So, she had to eat it.

    Raeleigh talked to Scarlette as she ate her apple. Scarlette did not know much else to talk about, so they ended up talking about gaming.

    A day had passed in the blink of an eye. Raeleigh was reading a book when evening fell. Just then, a knock on the door was heard. Scarlette got up and went to open the door. She was stunned at the people she found outside the door. She looked back at Raeleigh, who was reading her book and did not respond as she had assumed it was simply one of the hospital staff.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Scarlette was used to Raeleigh¡¯s bookworm habits, so without asking her for confirmation, she had epted the fruit basket gift and invited Zorion and Deanna into the room.

    ¡°Pleasee in.¡±

    After receiving the invitation from Scarlette, Deanna turned her head to look at Zorion and followed him into the room.

    Raeleigh turned around and fixed her eyes on the person who came in, and was stunned for a moment.

    Seeing that she gotpany, Raeleigh put down the book in her hand and asked, ¡°What brings you all here?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯vee to see you.¡± Deanna was very enthusiastic, from the depths of her heart.

    After entering the room, Deanna walked towards Raeleigh and sat opposite her. ¡°How are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a mild heat stroke. I¡¯m fine.¡± Raeleigh was receptive to people being nice to her. She smiled at Deanna.

    Deanna stared at Raeleigh. ¡°Your face looks pale. You must be in poor health. These people are too negligent, to have arrested you like that without sorting out the truth. I heard that Quirina has been creating a lot of trouble for you. But fear not, for justice will always prevail for those in the right.¡±

    While Deanna was talking, Scarlette pulled a chair over, saying, ¡°Mr Whalen, please take a seat.¡±

    Zorion sat down unceremoniously and crossed his legs. He gazed at the pale face and thin body in front of him. Usually, he could not see the shape of her figure under the school uniform. But then, she did indeed look so thin that a strong gust of wind would almost certainly have blown her away.

    Zorion stared at Raeleigh for a while and he then looked at his sister, Deanna. He was infuriated over Quirina¡¯s evil deeds, but he had to put on a supportive face for his sister.

    Standing on one side, Raeleigh took a look at Scarlette, and said, ¡°Scarlette, please help me get two sses of water for Miss Whalen and Mr. Whalen.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± As Scarlette went to pour some water for the Whalen siblings, Raeleigh looked at Deanna and said, ¡°Thank you for visiting me today.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s my brother too,¡± Deanna mentioned him on purpose. Raeleigh froze for a moment. Then, she took a look at Deanna and nced at Zorion, not taking interest in the way he was dressed.

    If it were any other woman, then they would¡¯ve squealed at the sight of him.

    But Raeleigh didn¡¯t, neither did Scarlette.

    Raeleigh simply treated what had happened as any other normal thing. She was neither overly humble nor pushy, but just acted with a calm indifference.

    ¡°Thank you to you both,¡± Raeleigh replied. Deanna was disappointed. She took a look at her brother, Zorion, and said, ¡°In fact, you don¡¯t have to care about what those people think. The innocent people are always level-headed. Those people don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. You don¡¯t have to care about them.¡±

    Deanna thought for a moment before she spoke. Raeleigh nodded. ¡°You are right, Miss Whalen. Do what you need to do and ignore other things.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Miss Whalen. It sounds very awkward. We¡¯re actually in the same course. It¡¯s just that we don¡¯t share the same sses. Why don¡¯t you call me Deanna and my brother Zorion?¡± In the end, she pulled Zorion in as well.

    Raeleigh did not answer but she simply smiled.

    Deanna did not leave immediately. When she saw Raeleigh reading the book, she took the book over and took a look at it. ¡°So, you like reading this kind of book too. I like it, too.¡±

    Deanna took theic book and showed it to her brother Zorion. ¡°Both Zorion and I likeics.¡±

    Raeleigh actually wanted to say that theic was not hers, and that Scarlette had simply lent it to her to pass the time.

    ¡°I saw it.¡± Zorion was always patient with his sister, Deanna. As for others, it was another matter.

    After that, Raeleigh listened as Deanna chatted. She quickly felt sleepy even as Deanna continued pattering on.

    Zorion took a look at the time and stood up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time to go back.¡±

    ¡°Zorion, I want to stay.¡± Deanna did not want to leave, so she held Raeleigh¡¯s hand.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t go back, then who will apany your mother for supper?¡± Zorion said and Deanna thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Why don¡¯t you give Mom a call then?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Zorion nced at Raeleigh. Her dark eyes seemed to be looking at something deeper. He said in a calm tone, but there was a hint of rejection in his voice.

 Chapter 876 A Bright Day

    Jingyun stood up and said, ¡°Well, we can¡¯t break our promise. Anran, let¡¯s go back first. Don¡¯t forget my phone number. If you have something to say, remember to call us.¡±

    ¡°I see. Be careful on your way.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    Anran finally sent Jiang Yuecheng away. She stepped on the snow and came back to lie on the bed, as if she was very tired.

    She took a look at Anran and asked, ¡°Are you scared?¡±

    Anran raised her eyes and fixed her eyes on walking on the snow. ¡°Jingyun is a naive person. They are too far away from each other.¡±

    ¡°Really? You also saw it?¡± It was funny for her to walk on the snow. She pulled the quilt for Anran and said, ¡°It¡¯s almost 10 o¡¯clock. Take a break.¡±

    ¡°You should take a rest too. Don¡¯t y it anymore. Too many games will hurt your body.¡±

    ¡°I know more than you. You rest.¡± The snow-covered man checked the door to make sure there was nothing wrong before he went back to his bed to rest.

    After a good night, Tang Xia got up in the morning and was ready to leave the hospital.

    But before he was discharged from the hospital, someone came at the door.

    She knocked on the door, and before she could open the door, Wen Yumei came in with two people.

    The sadness on Anran¡¯s face showed up when she saw Anran¡¯s gentle and beautiful face.

    ¡°Anran, you have to help me. Otherwise, I can¡¯t live any longer.¡± Then she took Anran¡¯s hand. Anran stood there with a nk look on her face, staring at her.

    ¡°Anran, please, don¡¯t make a big deal out of it. I sincerely apologize to you for Biqi. She is younger than you and doesn¡¯t know how to behave. Please forgive her.¡± Wen Yumei knelt on the ground and scared Anran to step back. Then she bent down and tried to help her up.

    ¡°What are you doing? Get up.¡± Anran helped Wen Yumei to get up. However, Wen Yumei refused to get up and insisted that Anran would not make things bigger.

    Anran said helplessly, ¡°I don¡¯t know what is going on with this matter. I can¡¯t solve it even if you kneel in front of me. What should the school do and what should the student union do? I haven¡¯t told you about it. I just don¡¯t know what happened. I haven¡¯t done anything.¡±

    Anran exined that she needed to help Wen Yumei up, but Anran refused. This was what she knew best since Wen Yumei was so naughty.

    Now she knew that her daughter had bullied Anran. The Mo family was also suppressing her. Now, she had to keep her daughter alive and gain sympathy from others.

    Anran held onto Ayumei but Ayumei did not stand up.

    ¡°Anran, you are the only one who can help auntie with this matter.¡± Wen Yumei¡¯s crying face was full of tears. Anran was also very helpless. When she helped Wen Yumei get up, Wen Yumei couldn¡¯t get up.

    At this moment, a few reporters with cameras rushed in from the door. They opened the door on the snow and began to shoot at Anran and Wen Yumei. Anran watched those who came in and finally understood what was going on.

    This was all done by Wen Yumei¡¯s director.

    Anran found that everything Tang Xia had arranged when she looked at the grieved face of Wen Yumei.

    Treading on the snow and narrowed her eyes. ¡°If you don¡¯t do it, you won¡¯t die. It seems that for Wen Yumei, this sentence fits you perfectly.¡±

    She nced at the camera above the corner and thought, ¡°What is Big Master doing now?¡±

    Ruan Jingyun smiled slightly. Liansheng looked cautiously at Ruan Jingyun. They had been together since they were little. However, he was unable to see through the First Young Master. He did not know what the First Young Master was thinking.

    However, every step Big Master took seemed to have been pre-nned in advance, just like what happened to Wen Yumei in front of her.

    Looking at Ruan Jingyun and smiling, even life had a feeling that Asura had climbed out of hell. He was busy turning his face to the monitor disy.

    Anran stared at the reporter but did not panic. The reporter saw that Wen Yumei took pictures on her knees on the ground and interviewed Anran and Wen Yumei. At this time, Anran did not speak but took the initiative for Wen Yumei.

    ¡°Anran, I have knelt down for you. I beg you. Let go of Tanqi.¡± Wen Yumei said as if she was asking Anran to kneel. She didn¡¯t go to beat Anran.

    Anran said nothing but looked at the reporters, bent down and helped Wen Yumei to get up. However, Wen Yumei still did not get up and begged Anran to let go of Mo Yuqi.

    Anran had no choice but to take her bag away.

    ¡± Treading on the snow, let¡¯s go.¡± Anran dragged her hands and squeezed out of the group of people.

    The reporters followed him out one after another. Wen Yumei saw that everyone had gone, and she smiled proudly. Then she got up and went out.

    There were a lot of people surrounding Anran after she got out of the door. Anran and Pingxue reluctantly got on a taxi from the hospital to get rid of those people chasing after her.

    ¡°This Wen Yumei is really shameless. No wonder she has such a daughter. Anran, don¡¯t worry. People like her won¡¯t seed.¡± Anran was looking forward. When she heard the words from the snow, she took back her eyes. ¡°She did this for her daughter.¡±

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you see hering out to defend you when her daughter bullied you?¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± Anran was just thinking things were more rational. But walking on the snow was totally different. In Anran¡¯s eyes, this was an era where one could fight violence with violence. If you hit me, then I would hit you. There was nothing to discuss.

    When Anran and the others returned to school, the school was rtively quiet. Anran and her feet in the snow finally entered a normal state.

    Putting down the luggage, Anran and Anderived went to the president¡¯s office. They called in advance and said that they were going to leave the hospital. It was not strange for the president to see Anran and Anran. They just asked about their physical condition as a routine and then the matter was over.

    Anran and She walked on the snow and left the Principal¡¯s office. The Principal called Ruan Chengyun.

    ¡°Big Master, Anran and her foot on the snow are back.¡±

    ¡°I know. Don¡¯t disturb them during this period of time. Anran needs to have a rest. I don¡¯t want reporters to sneak into the school to secretly take photos or to follow her.¡± Ruan Jingyun exined.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡­

    After hanging up the phone, Ruan Jingyun arranged people to go to the school gate. They would check over there 24 hours. People had to sign their own names when entering and entering the school. All the teachers and students had to make fingerprints to prove themselves, to ensure that everything was foolproof.

    Anran heard that she was reading a book, so she talked about it with Anran on the snow. Anran stopped reading and nced at the window, thinking of Ruan Chengyun.

    With such a big action, apart from Ruan Jingyun, who else could be able to do it in such a short period of time.

    Anran thought about it carefully. They hadn¡¯t met each other since they came backst time. How could he know about her things so soon?

    Anran looked over to the other side of the snow, ¡°Treading the snow, tell me, who is helping behind the scene?¡±

    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± She sat down.

    Anran did not answer his question but continued reading. She stepped on the snow to see Anran, ¡°Why did you say ¡®help¡¯? Why did you stop?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t swallow. There¡¯s nothing that I can¡¯t tell you.¡±

    ¡°Snow-treading, you¡¯ve lived alone since you were a child, won¡¯t you be lonely?¡± Anran raised her head and asked her. On the snow, she thought, ¡°Won¡¯t you be lonely.¡±

    Anran wore a smile as Tang Xia¡¯s answer made her smile clear.

 Chapter 877 To Continue The Familyâ€™s Lineage

    After Raeleighid low at school for a few days,she was summoned by the school authorities.

    After ss, the teacher informed her, ¡°Raeleigh, please head to theprincipal¡¯s office.There¡¯s a matter to be discussed.¡± Upon hearing that, Raeleighwalked to theprincipal¡¯soffice with Scarlette, no questions asked.

    When she arrived, she knocked on the door and was promptly met with the principal telling her to enter. She and Scarlette pushed the door open and did just that.

    Raleigh froze the moment she stepped foot inside. Jepherson was sitting there with his back to her. She then nced at Scarlette.

    Scarlette shrugged. Essentially, she was insinuating that he hadbusiness with only Raeleigh andnot her.¡¯

    ¡°I have something to attend to, so I¡¯ll take my leave first,¡± said Scarlette as she turned to leave.

    The principal also stood up and walked out, ¡°Scarlette, wait a minute. I have something to verify with you. Mr. Jepherson, I¡¯ll head out too to see to some matters.¡¯

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jepherson was tapping his fingers. He did not turn around andhis gaze remained focused on the window.The principal took his leave.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    It was Monday.There was an event at school in the afternoon.Raeleigh did not attend it, but most people were participating in it.

    Due to Quirina¡¯s incident, Raeleighhadn¡¯t gone out for a while and shehad been staying in school for the past three days. Her weekends were spentin the dormitory.

    Raeleigh did not attend any eventsheldby the school either.

    Raeleigh closed the door and strode towards Jepherson.It was 4 p. m. Raeleigh stood there, staring at the sunset outside the window. Looking at the motionless Jepherson, she said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Jepherson turned to Raeleigh, ¡°Is there anything else that you want to say?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer him, but her clear gaze remained fixated on him. She asked, ¡°What else do you want?¡±

    Jepherson uncrossed his legs.Looking at Raeleigh¡¯s face, which was delicate and clearly much recovered, he raised his hand and patted hisp.

    Raeleigh took a breath and looked around before saying,¡°There are surveince cameras in here.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve turned the cameras off,¡± Jepherson knew that Raeleigh would be concerned about that and also use it as an excuse.

    ¡°What if someone¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll get something unexpected as a reward if you sit here,¡± Jepherson patted hisp again,signaling Raeleigh toe over and sit on his legs. After mullingitover for a while, Raeleigh followed his orders as a show of gratitude.

    Raeleigh¡¯s body was as stiff as a board when she sat down. In contrast,Jephersonraised his arm to wrap it around Raeleigh¡¯s waist, taking her into his arms.

    ¡°Don¡¯t sit so properly. I¡¯m not a chair; I¡¯m here to make you feelfortable,¡± Jepherson parted Raeleigh¡¯s hair and pulled her towards him.There was no light in the room, and the sun was setting. If she were to rx just a little bit, Raeleigh would be able to marvel at the beauty of the scenery outside. However, shewas so nervous that she did not move an inch. Her breaths were sobored that it was almost concerning.

    After a long while, Jepherson noticed that Raeleigh had rxed a little and he finally felt her body was no longer as tense. With an arm around her waist, he gave her a pat. He said, ¡°Look ahead, not at me. You have plenty of time to do that.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment then turned around to look out the window. Outside, the crimson sky was filled with clouds. The sunrays reflected on the ss,illuminating the office, making the room look like a dated painting.

    Such a sight stunned Raeleigh.Jephersonlooked at Raeleigh, somewhat dazed. Taking a breath, heheld her, rocking gentlyon the chair.Then, he gave her rhythmic pats on her back.

    Jepherson had been fatigued recently. He had gone to an orphanage outside the city during the day, thendropped by the office before returning home. Knowing that there would be a resplendent sunset that day, he hurriedto enjoy it with Raeleigh. If it were not for that, he wouldn¡¯t havee at such a time. If it was just an inkling of yearning in him to see Raeleigh,he could haveeter after he washed up at home.

    Raeleigh¡¯s stunned expression pleased Jepherson greatly.

    Leaning against the chair,Jephersonfell asleep while patting her on the back.

    Raeleigh was fully absorbed in the scenery outsideas if she was in a trance. The hand that was patting her back slowly slipped onto her thighs. Jepherson¡¯s other hand rxed. Raeleigh lowered her head to look at his hand. When she looked up at his face again, she saw that he had fallen asleep.

    In disbelief, she carefully observed his face.

    The afterglow of the setting sun outside the window showed Raeleighthat Jepherson was really asleep.

    She wanted to get up, but his hand suddenly pulled her back. However, as soon as she stopped moving, the grip on her gradually loosened.

    Raeleigh slowly stood up, trying not to disturb Jepherson.She put her coat over his body.

    Jepherson leaned against the chair, his thick, jet-ck eyshes fluttering, pleading, ¡°Don¡¯t leave.¡±

    Raeleigh stood aside and asked him,¡°Weren¡¯t you asleep?¡±

    Jepherson harrumphed a reply in return softly, surprisingRaeleigh. Staringnkly at Jepherson for a moment, she then answered, ¡°I won¡¯t leave.¡±

    Not saying anything more, he raised his hand to Raeleigh and uttered only one word,¡°Hand.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at his outstretched hand.Realizing that she had no other choice,she did not refuse his request. She pulled a chair over and took his hand. Jepherson pulled her hand over, held it tightly, and stuffed it under his clothes. It did not take long forhim to fall back asleep quietly.

    Raeleigh sat aside and looked atJephersonfrom time to time, trying to maneuver out of his grip.Jepherson¡¯s hand was sweating as he slept, but he did not let go of her.

    Raeleigh could not weasel her way out, so she quietly enjoyed the scenery outside.

    The sky turnedpletely dark and everything was enveloped in ck. Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, who was still sleeping on the leather chair. She could not wake him until he stirred himself.

    Soon, the lights outside the university flickered beforelighting up their surroundings and the sky.

    The sound of people outside the window and insects apanied the sight of the stars and the moon in the sky.Raeleigh looked at the rising moon.

    Jepherson slowly opened his eyes and stared at the moonlit Raeleigh.Tugging on her hand, he kissed her on the lips. Raeleigh slowly turned to look at him and asked, ¡°Why are you being so nice to me? What are your motives?¡±

    ¡°Would you believe me if I said that my actions were to continue my family¡¯s lineage?¡± Jepherson said in a somber tone. Although most men did not consider that when doing the deed, such an idea came naturally to Jepherson, who was quite calm.

    After a short silence, Raeleigh replied,¡°I believe you.¡±

    Raeleigh turned away and looked outside, replying,¡°However, I won¡¯t love you. I won¡¯t ept your affection either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not in a rush. We have all the time in the world. Take your time,¡± Jepherson answered.Raeleigh looked back at him in distress, saying,¡°I believe many other women would be willing to bear your children.¡±

    ¡°That has nothing to do with me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re acting like this.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that. You just need to ept my love. ept meand everything that I¡¯ve given you,¡± Jepherson exined himself sincerely. However,Raeleighwasstill unable to trust him. There was no way that Cindere¡¯s story woulde true in real life as fairy tales did not exist in the world.

 Chapter 878 Quirina Had Returned

    It was ten o¡¯clock at night when Raeleigh andJepherson came out of the principal¡¯s office. There was barely anyone left in the school.

    Stuart was waiting for Jepherson downstairs. When Raeleigh exited the room, Stuart hastily stepped outside thepound.

    At such an hour,they would attract people¡¯s attention by driving the car inside thepound. Raeleigh walked Jepherson out.

    As they were walking, Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°How are you going to deal with the design?¡±

    Raeleigh was not worried about that, so she answered casually, ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it. Since it has already caused a great disturbance, it¡¯s inappropriate for me to take it out again. If I get it, I¡¯ll consider it a stroke of good luck. If not, then that¡¯s just the way things are.If it was meant to be mine, it will be. If it¡¯s not, then I can¡¯t force it to be.I never wantedto participate in the car designpetition anyway.¡±

    ¡°The Richards Group is extremely prominent in the automotive field. If you can demonstrate your talents as a student and have such an achievement recorded in your resume,you may have a chance to go abroad for a doctorate,¡±Jephersonwas looking at the bigger picture. He was not being partis it was a fact that Raeleigh was skilled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go abroad.Tambend is fine.Yes, theRichards Group is excellent,but that¡¯s irrelevant. I still have a long way to go till I have to consider matters after graduation. I haven¡¯t graduated yet, so my mission now is to study well. I can search for jobs after I¡¯ve graduated.¡±

    That night, Raeleigh acted more talkative than usual, carrying on theconversation with Jepherson.He was satisfied from that alone, so he did not press the issue further.

    The two left the schoolpound.At the door, Raeleighmented that she had to sign her name at the dormitory recordsto indicatethat she had left the campus.However, Jepherson just took her hand and urged, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Thus,Raeleigh left the schoolpound and got into the car with Jepherson. She asked him calmly, ¡°Where are you taking me?¡±

    He replied, ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten yet. Let¡¯s have dinner. I¡¯ll send you back after that.¡± Raeleigh had no more questions to ask after hearing his reply. After all,Jephersonhad already reassured her that she would be sent back to her dormitory after dinner.

    The car stopped at the door of a restaurant. Raeleigh followed Jepherson to a private room. He stepped in first, whereas she followed suit with Stuart.

    The menu was nothing special and both of them did not have much of an appetite either.They ate their own dishesin almost absolute silence.

    ¡°Have some meat. You¡¯re too skinny,¡± Jepherson put some food onto Raeleigh¡¯s te, and she ate it. She would not reject others¡¯ good intentions.

    After dinner, noticing the time, Jepherson sent Raeleigh back to Elkton University.

    Just as Raeleigh got out of the car, Jephersontook a letter out and gave it to her. ¡°Deanna took this two days ago and read it. Keep it. Don¡¯t show it to her.¡±

    Raeleigh stared the letter in her hands, not knowing what to say.As she was hesitating, Stuart took it on her behalf and passed it to her. He told her,¡°No one has ever been the recipient of Mr.Jepherson¡¯s kindness.¡±

    Raising her head, Raeleigh looked at Stuart, who had put the letter into her hands, and turned back to the car.Jephersoninstructed the driver to leave and he slowly made his departure.

    Looking down again, Raeleigh gazed at the letter. Then, she turned around, took a look at the empty schoolpoundand entered.

    Upon returning to her bedroom, Raeleigh was met with a sleeping Scarlette. Amidst her snoring, Scarletteheard Raeleigh pushing the door open. Shemoved slightly, turned around, and continued to sleep.

    Raeleigh looked at the time. She had been out for dinner until midnight, yet she still managed to enter the university.

    After putting the letter away, Raeleigh went to sleep.

    The next morning, Raeleigh heard that the results of the car designpetition had been changed. Since the previous cings had caused such a dispute, their qualifications had been temporarily revoked. The remaining positions did not change. Due to the fact that the first ce belonged to no one, thepetition that year gained far more infamy than their past ones.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment upon seeing the notice.Thinking back towhatJephersonhad said the night before, she realized thathe had asked for her opinion on whether to maintain the first ce or vacate it.

    ¡°Since the champion has been disqualified, why wasn¡¯t the second ce promoted to first?¡±

    Many people were buzzing over the notice.

    ¡°I heard that a girl named Raeleigh Anson came first andMr. Richards is involved with her. That¡¯s whyQuirinaacted out. Maybe because of Mr. Richards, the first ce was indisputably Raeleigh¡¯s.¡±

    Raeleigh stood aside, unwilling to hear the gossip.When she turned around, she saw Zorion and Deanna standing opposite her.

    Raeleigh frowned upon seeing Deanna. It was an obvious fact that Deanna had a crush on Jepherson.

    ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t listen to their nonsense. I don¡¯t care about first ce, so don¡¯t be discouraged. Since the first ce is yours, you don¡¯t have to worry about things like that. Don¡¯t worry about what others say. You are worthy of that position and you deserve it, okay?¡± Deanna walked toward Raeleigh, held her hand, andforted her. Raeleigh had no idea what to say. How could such a na?ve person exist?

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry. I was just about to leave.¡±

    ¡°Leave? Then, let¡¯s go together with Scarlette,¡± said Deanna as she shot a look at Scarlette, who was smiling awkwardly. Such asmile told Raeleigh that Scarlette was reluctant to tag along with her, and she did not want things to be ufortable.

    ¡°Miss Whalen, don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we¡¯llhang out together in the future,¡± Deanna was d to have befriended Raeleigh and Scarlette. Remaining quiet, Scarlette andRaeleigh walked ahead, with Zorion following behind them.

    Deanna was talking andughing, seemingly full of life. Zorion, on the other hand, remained indifferent. He lowered his head and followed them wordlessly.

    Many had their opinions about Raeleigh due to what had transpired. They whispered that Raeleigh was a vixen who only went after men from rich families.

    Raeleigh did not have many friends. After Scarlette had hit Quirina,she had been ostracized from her schoolmates, and no one dared bring the matter up to her.From N?velDrama.Org.

    As they had decided to live in ignorance, Raeleigh andScarlette had a peaceful week at the university.

    A weekter, Raeleigh received the news of Quirina¡¯s withdrawal andan open apology from the police station for forcing a confession out of her. Thus, the matter came to an end.

    However, Quirina would soon return.

    Raeleigh was unhappy about that. She knew thatQuirinawould not let her go unscathed just like that.Shealso knew that it was impossible for Elkton University to disrespect the Moore Family and expelQuirina.

    Over the weekend,Raeleigh and others went out as it was a holiday. She returned to Novalie¡¯s ce for a visit and bought some supplements for her. Of course,Scarlette tagged along as well, saying that she had nowhere else to go and she was reluctant to be alone.

    Raeleigh had never seen someone who could have so much fun sitting in front of aputer, yet still insist that being alone was meaningless.

    They left on Saturday and went back on Sunday. Raeleigh andScarlettewent shopping for clothes. However, the clothes that Scarlette bought were gifts to Raeleigh instead of for herself.

    Raeleigh refused her presents.Scarlette was adamant about buying two sets of clothes, one for each of them. She also bought a pair of running shoes, pointedly sayingthat Raeleigh did nothing in the morning despite being an early riser, so it would be better for her to go on runs and improve her stamina.

    It was difficult for her to reject Scarlette¡¯skindness, so Raeleigh epted the gifts.

    At the school, Scarlette and Raeleigh headed for the dormitory. When they arrived at the door, they saw some clothes, coats, and underwear, most of which were Raeleigh¡¯s, strewn all over the floor and trampled on by numerous people.

    Raeleigh recognized her own underwear and clothing at a nce, and she realized that Quirina had returned.

 Chapter 879 Ignored As If She Was Invisible

    ¡°Who did this?¡± Scarlette asked, furious.RaeleighpulledScarlette asideandforted her, ¡°Forget it. Take a look and see if there¡¯s anything missing.¡±

    Raeleigh heard that a video of Meica kneeling from that incident in the past had been uploaded online again. The video hadcaused an uproar in the university forum and fingers were being pointed at Jepherson and her. Later, another video of the incident was posted.The second video exposed Meica¡¯s horrible attitude. Not onlywasQuirina scorned, but Meica was implicated too.

    Since Meica had been humiliated,Quirina¡¯s return would definitely cause more trouble for Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh was indifferent about those thingsas shejust wanted to finish college quietly.

    Scarlette refused to calm down, insisting,¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°I know, but we have to pick these things up eventually,¡± Raeleigh looked at her pitiable underwear. Her face was burning hot, not because of embarrassment but because she could not tolerate Quirina any longer. However, they could not fight Quirinaopenly. EvenJephersonwas unwilling to deal with the matter, which was a clear indicator of the Moore family¡¯s power.

    Raeleigh pulledScarletteby the hand and picked up all the clothes. As she was doing so, someone in ck leather shoes stepped on Raeleigh¡¯s hand. As Raeleigh¡¯s hand was smand weak, her face paled from the pain.

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at the perpetrator. It was none other than Quirina.

    ¡°What? Don¡¯t you recognize me anymore? Are you surprised? Didn¡¯t you think that this would happen eventually?¡± Quirina sneered and kicked Raeleigh on the shoulder,toppling her over.

    At the sight of Raeleigh tumbling over, Scarlette headed over to hit Quirina. However, before she could do anything, several young girls intervened and shielded Quirina behind them.

    Scarlettetook a step back and looked at the girls in front of her. They were about the same age as her, roughly eighteen or neen years old, but their eyes were fierce and cold.

    She subconsciously smiled and asked, ¡°Who are you? Why haven¡¯t I seen you all here before?¡±

    A few of the girls in front smiled and answered, ¡°We¡¯vee to Elkton University for our studies. Why does it matter to you who we are? We haven¡¯t seen you in school either.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve yet to meet a lot of people, but the fact remains that I¡¯m a registered student. Can you say the same about yourselves?¡±Scarlettekicked them and started tussling with four of the girls.Raeleighstood quietly aside, not daring to speak as she looked at Scarlette, deeply concerned.

    Scarlettewanted to beat them up for good,but she was alert. When she noticed Zorioning over withDeanna, she deliberately let them kick her.

    Scarlettfell to the ground.

    Seeing her fall, Quirina did not intend to let her off. Instead, she ordered, ¡°Beat her to death.¡±

    Her voice was loud and clear, and everyone around them heard her.

    The girls lifted their feet, and stomped on Scarlette. Seeing her plight, Raeleigh abandoned all other thoughtsand ran over.

    ¡°Scarlette!¡± Raeleigh shielded her from the stamping.

    ¡°Raeleigh, Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Faced with such a sight, Deanna was so scared that her small face turned ghostly pale.She screamed and tugged on Zorion, who was beside her. Zorion picked up a few stones from the ground and threw them at one of the girls who were attacking Scarlette and Raeleigh.

    The girls immediately stopped and looked at Zorion.

    Zorion slowly walked towards them.

    Raeleigh was lying on top of Scarlette, who was lying prone on the floor. The other onlookers had retreated.Only Quirinawas standing close to the scene.

    Quirinawaspletely dumbfounded. How could there be such a coincidence?Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    She was just in the midst of teaching Raeleigh andScarlette a lessonwhen Zorion and Deanna arrived. What a coincidence it was!

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, you¡¯re here?¡± When Quirina saw Zorion, her eyes immediately lit up, and she ran towards him. Zorion turned around and looked at the short Quirina in front of them.He remained silent, as if he had not seen her at all. After looking around, he squatted down to help Raeleigh pick her clothes up one-by-one.

    Deanna looked at Zorion, who was picking up the clothes, and busied herself by helping Raeleigh andScarlette up.Although she was timid, she had a sense of justice. She knew that the four unfamiliar faces were Quirina¡¯s minions.Without hesitation, she went up to Quirina and confronted her, asking, ¡°Why are you bullying Raeleigh?¡±

    Quirina¡¯s face was a picture of innocence as she refuted,¡°Miss Whalen, I didn¡¯t do anything of the sort. I apologized to Raeleigh, but Scarlettehit me. You know that I was previously hospitalized for half a month because of her. I came with my new ssmates because I was afraid that she would seek revenge on me. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask the people around us.¡±

    Quirinaraised her hand and pointed to the girls around her. Whoever denied the matter would sufffer dire consequences in her hands.

    As expected,with just a lift of her finger, everyone chimed in, ¡°Scarlette started the fight. This has nothing to do with Quirina.¡±

    Deanna failed to believe their words.Not even looking at them, she gazed directly at Quirina andwarned, ¡°No matter what the reason is, if I ever see you bully Raeleigh again, I will definitely get even with you.¡±

    ¡°Miss Whalen, I dare not do so. Youreallyhave misunderstood my intentions,¡± Quirina cried out as she stepped back towards Zorion.Standing by Zorion¡¯s side,she asked, ¡°Mr. Whalen, do you really believe that I hit Raeleigh?¡±

    Zorion remained quiet. He continued picking up the clothes, putting them into Raeleigh¡¯s basket which was in his hands.In the process, he noticed the letter from Jepherson.

    Zorion paused for a moment and reached out to take a look at the letter before putting it back.

    After clearing the area and making sure that there was nothing left, Zorion stacked the two baskets together,holding onto them with both hands, and walked towards the direction of the female dormitory.

    ¡°Oh my god, oh my god, Mr. Whalen hase to our dormitory. It¡¯s true!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, this is my dorm.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, do you want to¡­¡±

    Raeleigh nced atScarlette and asked,¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why were you so silly just now? What would we do if you got hurt?¡± The very thought scared Scarlette. She had intended to seek Zorion¡¯s help all along, but she had not anticipated Raeleigh to act faster than him. When Raeleigh had shielded her, she had been scared out of her wits for Raeleigh.

    ¡°How could she stand by and watch you get into trouble on her behalf? Raeleigh, am I right?¡±Deannaexined from the side. Raeleigh looked atDeanna and said, ¡°Luckily, you were there.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not me who helped you.Zorion did most of the work,¡±Deannaemphasized.

    Raeleigh could only say, ¡°Thank you, you two.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Let¡¯s go inside. Let me see what your dorm looks like,¡± Deanna took Raeleigh into the dormitory. With Deanna¡¯s arrival, the people standing at the door of the dorm quickly made way for them. Quirina was ignored as if she was invisible.

 Chapter 880 The Letter Was Taken Away

    Quirinaturned away from the dorm and gritted her teeth. The matter would not blow over that easily.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡±Quirina left the dormitory and brought her minions away.

    Raeleigh went to the door and pushed it open. Zorion passed the baskets to Raeleigh and Scarlette, who set them on the floor. Then, he closed the door casually,closing off the onlookers meandering around outside the door.

    ¡°Take a look and see if anything is missing,¡± Zorion lowered his head and nced at them. Raeleigh took a rough look at the baskets, saying,¡°Nothing is missing. Thank you so much for your help.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, aren¡¯t you being too kind? Aren¡¯t you angry that Quirinabullied you like that?¡±Deannawas furious and she despised Quirina.

    Raeleigh answered, ¡°It¡¯s normal that ssmates would have friction between them. I can¡¯t pick a fight with her because she bullied me. It won¡¯t settle anything.¡±

    Deanna widened her clear doe eyes, thinking that she had misheard her. She asked, ¡°Raeleigh, why are you so easy-going? You¡¯re a convenient target for bullies.¡±

    Raeleigh stayed silent. No matter what she did, she was unable to solve the problem. If even Jephersoncould not solve the issue, she could not think of anything else.

    School bullies weremon everywhere, especially in private schools. The powerful and influential made the rules.Raeleighwas a nobody. How could she square up with them?

    Standing opposite Raeleigh, Zorion stared at her quiet and indifferent face and frowned slightly. Raeleigh was not someone who would let things slide that way.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I¡­¡± Deanna grabbed the hand which Quirina had stepped on, sending Raeleigh into great pain. She hissed.

    Deanna looked atRaeleigh¡¯sretractinghand and called out, ¡°Zorion,Zorion, look!¡±

    It had be a habit for Deanna to rely on Zorionif any issue arose, and he hadnever ignored her pleas for help either.

    AsZorionstepped forward towards Raeleigh, he took her hand from Deanna andnoticed that her hand was scraped.

    Raeleigh¡¯s hand was pale and delicate as she was just a student. She did her skincare regrly, so her hand was as tender as a baby¡¯s. Since Quirina had used all her strength to step on Raeleigh¡¯s hand, she had hurt Raeleigh¡¯s hand to a horrible extent.

    The wound on the back of Raeleigh¡¯s handthat wasbleeding horribly.

    Raeleigh was about to withdraw her handas she replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll go to the infirmary to deal with itter.¡±

    Zorionheld onto Raeleigh¡¯s hand and told her, ¡°You¡¯re going tobe a designer in the future. If your hand gets scarred from this wound, you¡¯ll regret this your entire life.¡±

    ¡°Zorion, what should we do?¡± Deanna did not give Raeleigh a chance to speak, her eyes wide and frantic. Scarlette was also in a state of panic.

    ¡°Pack your things up. I¡¯ll bring you to the doctor,¡± Zorion answered as he let go of Raeleigh¡¯s hand. His gaze held a dark glint.

    Deanna immediately agreed and helped pack her belongings.

    ¡°Deanna, request a two-day leave for Raeleigh,¡± Zorion stopped Deanna, who had begun packing on Raeleigh¡¯s behalf.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll go and do that,¡±Deannaresponded and went out. Naturally, Zorion could not let her go alone. Looking at Scarlette, he said, ¡°Scarlette, go with her.¡±

    Scarlettetook a fleeting look at Raeleigh, then turned around and went out.

    After they had all left, Zorion bent down and rummaged through Raeleigh¡¯s clothes. Then, he took the letter inside from the basket.

    ¡°Consider this as remuneration,¡± Zorion could not let Deanna find out that the letter was with Raeleigh as he did not want her to be sad.

    At that moment, it came to Raeleigh¡¯s mind thatJepherson had imed that the letter had been taken away by Deanna before.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Raeleigh said, having no other option. Although it was a gift from Jepherson, the cat was already out of the bag. Moreover,Zorion had proven himself to be a threat.

    Zorion took a look inside Raeleigh¡¯s bedroom. There was nothing else to take with her. He turned around and told Raeleigh, ¡°Let¡¯s head out.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s heart sank.Had she gone to ElktonUniversity to fight, or to study?

    By the time Raeleigh exited the room, her hand was already red and swollen.

    While escorting Raeleigh, Zorion made a call to a driver, instructing him to drive into the schoolpound.Raeleigh walked quickly and caught up to him in no time.Deanna and Scarlette had also returned after requesting a leave for Raeleigh.

    The four of them convened and walked out of the dorm.

    Not long after, Zorion¡¯s car drove into thepound.

    Raeleigh got into the car and left withDeannaandZorion in tow.

    As they looked at the Whalen family¡¯s car, which hade into thepoundspeciallyto pick Raeleigh up, many students made remarks of awe.

    The exclusive Whalen family car stopped outside the school on a daily basis, one that was specially reserved for the Whalen siblings. That day, they had actually driven intoElktonUniversity for Raeleigh¡¯s sake. How astounding that was!

    Quirinastood in a hallwaywith a cruel look in her eyes.She muttered to herself, ¡°Raeleigh, there¡¯s no room for the two of us here. I won¡¯t let things go as you please.¡±

    Raeleigh was taken to the airport by Zorion. After purchasing the flight tickets, they prepared to board the ne to go abroad.

    Raeleigh tugged at Zorion¡¯s arm, saying, ¡°I can¡¯t go abroad. It¡¯ll take too long.¡±

    ¡°Is your educationmore importantthan your future?¡± Zorion stopped and turned around to look at Raeleigh,leaving no more room for objections.Raeleigh loosened her grip and thought over it for a while. In the end, she stayed firm,¡°Even so, I can¡¯t go abroad with you.¡±

    ¡°The doctors here can¡¯t help you reconstruct your hand. Do you have any other choice?¡± Zorion retorted, taking the ne tickets.Deanna tugged at Raeleigh too, and asked,¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t you believe in us?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just that I need to take care of my grandmother. I promised her that I would pay her a visit this weekend. If I don¡¯t fulfill my promise,she¡¯ll be worried about me,¡±Raeleigh exined, also taking Scarlette into consideration.

    ¡°It¡¯s a weekend today. There are still seven days before the next weekend. You will be back in time.¡± After saying that,Deannatook their passports, ready to board the ne. Raeleigh had no choice but to board the ne along with her.

    To prevent anything from happening to Raeleigh¡¯s handfor the time being, Zorion used his handkerchief to wrap her woundso dust particles would not be able to infect it.

    Scarlettewas sitting in her seat in a state of unease. She had yet to inform Jepherson about the matter and she wondered if Jephersonwould kill her once he found out about it.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson,¡± Stuart entered the room hurriedly. Jepherson, who had been reading a book on the sofa,looked up at Stuart as soon as he entered. Jepherson asked, ¡°Why are you in such a panic?¡±

    Stuart hesitated for a moment and nced atMarissa, who was sitting beside Jepherson.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°What is it that you don¡¯t want me to know?¡± Marissa gave Stuart an angry look. Stuart, to her, was just as unlikable as Alvin. They were indeed father and son.

    Stuart hesitated for a moment, then informed them, ¡°The school just called and notified that Quirina stirred up trouble in school. She was bullying her ssmates.Deanna couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to it and went to stop her. She waspushed down and her hand was scraped badly. She has gone abroad and is ready to undergo reconstruction surgery for her hand.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±Marissa¡¯s expression instantly darkened.

 Chapter 881 Quirina Was Disfigured

    A scrape on the hand was no big deal, butMarissacould not bear such treatment anymore. The Moore family had gone overboard!The matter a few days ago had just died down, yet they were stirring up a ruckus again. What¡¯s more, their attack was directed at the na?ve Deanna!

    Jepherson was no ordinary person and he deciphered Stuart¡¯s expression immediately. He suddenly stood up and walked towards the door.

    ¡°Book a ticket for me,¡±Jephersonmanded as he walked out.

    Marissapaused for a moment. Then, shestood up, followed him to the door, and praised,¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±

    Something came to Stuart¡¯s mind. He turned to look at Marissa, saying,¡°Madam Marissa, I heard that Mr. Whalen doesn¡¯t want his parents to find out about the matter. What do you think about that?¡±

    Marissa red at him,¡°I¡¯ll y along with them. Are you chastising me now?¡±

    ¡°No, no, I would never,¡±Stuart let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°What are you doing? Aren¡¯t you going to apanyMr. Jepherson?¡±Marissawas angry. Stuart really was less sensible than Alvin.

    ¡°I am,¡± Stuart walked out, soothing Marissa¡¯s ire. Well, they had all been raisedtogether and she got along with him better than others.Marissabelieved that Deanna would join their family sooner orter.

    When Jepherson exited the Richards Family Manor, the car was already parked at the entrance. Stuarthurriedlystrode out as well asJepherson entered the car.He circled the car to get into the passenger seat.

    As the chauffeur began driving, Jephersonlooked atStuartand asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Quirinawas discharged from the hospital today. When she returned to the university, she threw Miss Anson and Scarlette¡¯s clothes out. Miss Anson wasn¡¯t going to pick a fight at first; she just wanted to pick up her own clothes. It was then thatQuirinawalked over and stepped on Miss Anson¡¯s hand before Scarlette could stop her. Thus, herhand got scraped. Fortunately, Mr. Whalen arrived in time. Otherwise, Miss Anson might have gotten paralyzed due to the beating.¡±

    Stuart continued, ¡°Quirinaeven took several minions along to the university. It seems that she¡¯s serious about teaching Miss Anson a severe lesson this time.¡±

    ¡°Where was Hadrian?¡±

    ¡°There were too many people present. There was no way for Hadrian to intervene directly. Back then, Mr. Whalen was coincidentally present at the scene. Hadrian informed me of that.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s expression turned ugly,showing his impatience.

    When the car arrived at the airport,Jephersonimmediately boarded the ne. At the same time,something had befallen Quirina at Elkton University.

    Meica was so frightened upon receiving a particr call, and her phone ttered to the ground.

    She ran into the room in her pajamas, shouting,¡°Yousif, Yousif¡­¡±

    Yousif was resting in bed. He had just arrived at Meica¡¯s ce. He had not seen Meica andQuirinafor some time.

    Thest incident had displeased Johan Moore greatly. He had even called him over to rebuke him. Such a treatment sent him into a turmoil, thus he had not gone there in a while.

    Yousif really adored Quirina. After all, Quirina was his own flesh and blood. No matter what happened,she could stillfort him.

    That being said, Quirinaalways got herself into trouble.Yousif had grown tired of it.In addition,Johan wanted him to cut ties with Meica. In order to cate him,he did not visit them.However, the moment he paid them a visit,trouble arose yet again.

    Yousif had just finished doing the deed with Meica. It was typical for men to grow sleepy afterwards. Yousif had not even washed up yet; he had fallen asleep on the bed. It was then that Meica rushed in from outside the room.From N?velDrama.Org.

    Thinking that there was an emergency,Yousif sat up, asking,¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Quirina! Something happened toQuirina,¡± Meica told him, sobbing. Sitting on the bed, Yousif asked, ¡°Wasn¡¯t she sent back to the university this morning?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Meica had only one daughter. No matter what,Quirina had the Moore family blood in her. Even if she lost Yousif,Quirina remained as her link to the Moore family.No matter how heartless the Moore family was, they would still spare Quirina and Meica some luxuries. Furthermore, Yousif had promised to distribute the family¡¯s assets toQuirinawhen he wrote his will.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Realizing the seriousness of the matter,Yousif got up from the bed and put on his clothes.

    Covering her mouth, Meica could not find the words to speak, only able to wallow in a pool of tears.

    ¡°Speak up. Why are you crying so much?¡± said Yousif, his face icy. He disliked clueless women who only knew how to cry when things took a turn.

    Not onlywasMeica beautiful, she was also calm and intelligent. That was the reason why he liked her.Judging from her intense reaction, Yousif realized matters were more grave than he had initially thought.

    ¡°Quirina! Someone disfiguredQuirina!¡± Meica was out of breath from crying. She grabbed Yousif and cried out, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault.You were the one who abandoned us, causing us to get bullied by other people!You¡¯ve forgotten how many people pursued me back then. I treated you so well, yet this is what I get in return? IfQuirina really is disfigured, I¡¯ll never spare you.¡±

    There was a sh of impatience in Yousif¡¯s eyes and he pushed Meica. Meicalost her bnce and hit her head as she fell.

    Meica raised her hand to touch her head. She tipped her head back and stared incredulously at Yousif, saying indignantly,¡°How dare you hit me?!¡±

    ¡°Meica, let me have a look,¡± Yousif hurried over and pulled Meica up, looking at her wound.

    Yousif was not apletely heartless person. If he were as heartless as the rumors said, he would have left Meica andQuirina back then. Regardless, he still harbored some feelings for Meica.

    It was also because he had taken a fancy to Meica at first nce. She was different from other women, who only harbored malicious intentions towards him for their own gain.

    ¡°You pushed me?¡± Meica cried miserably, as if she had gone mad.

    Yousif hugged Meica and cated her,¡°I was just in a hurry. Please don¡¯t be angry with me. I won¡¯t sit by and do nothing about this. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make things up to you. Don¡¯t you know how well I treat you?¡±

    Meica was a smart woman and she knew when to stop her antics.

    ¡°Okay, you must get revenge forQuirina,¡± Meicaid in Yousif¡¯s arms, and he promised her exactly just that.Then, the two of them hurried out of the house. Along the way, Yousif personally bandaged Meica¡¯s wound.

    When Yousif arrived at the school gate, Meica suddenly said, ¡°Don¡¯t go with me. It won¡¯t be good if we get seen. We embarrassed you enough thest time. I¡¯ll go in alone and take a look.¡±

    Meica wiped away her tears, suppressing her sorrow as shegot out of the car. She was the woman with whom Yousif had just copted. It rattled Yousif to see her enter the schoolpound alone. Meica had alwaystaken his position into consideration. Even if she was a mistress, she was still his partner, and she had even birthed a daughter for him.

    Yousif got out of the car and walked over. Meica paused for a split second, looking at Yousif with her beautiful eyes as she said,¡°Why did youe out from the car? No one has seen you yet,so you should head back inside. I¡¯ll deal with this myself.¡±

    ¡°I know how to protect myself.You are mine. Although we aren¡¯t married, that isn¡¯t becauseI don¡¯t want to let you into the family. The outside world knows about us too. I love you, and you alone. Anyone who wants to judge us can do so. It¡¯s high time that I did something for you and Quirina.¡±

    Yousif strode towards Elkton University. The secretary behind him nced at Meica and greeted, ¡°Madam Meica, please.¡±

    Meica felt emboldened. She was finally being called ¡®Madam Meica¡¯, a legitimate title!

 Chapter 882 Before The Surgery

    Meica quickly followed them. Upon seeing Quirina¡¯s mangled face when they entered the room, she fainted.

    Yousif walked to the bed in the medical room and was stumped when he sawQuirina¡¯s damaged face whichwas covered with blood. She really had been disfigured.

    The principal, who hade, exined,¡°Mr. Moore, we also just found out about the matter, but we dare not deal with it.¡± He was in the dark about what was going on, but ruining someone¡¯s face to such an extent was really an extreme method.

    The matter probably had something to do with Jepherson.

    If anyone was to me, they could only me Quirina for being too domineering. After so many incidents, she still had no idea how to restrain herself.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want this thing to be known to others. I hope you take care of this well,¡± said Yousif as he bent down and picked Quirinaup. He turned around and walked towards the door.After finally waking up,Meica was supported by Vann to exit the room.

    Then,Quirinawas also sent abroad for cosmetic surgery to fix her face.

    Raeleigh¡¯s ne arrived at the designated location a dayter. An exclusive car immediately picked her up after her nended. The stic surgeon was ready and arranged a check-up for her.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Raeleigh asked, not daring to look at Deanna. She felt a little squeamish at the sight of the blood. Zorion stayed with Raeleigh in the examination room, while Scarlette apanied Deanna outside.

    After the few professionals conducted the examination, they turned to look at Zorion, who then asked a few questions.

    One of the men, who had blond hair and blue eyes, replied, ¡°We will do our best in repairing her face, and I can guarantee you that the changes won¡¯t be noticeable. It¡¯s just that the procedure will be a little bit more expensive.¡±

    ¡°Money isn¡¯t a problem. As long as you can pull off a good job likest time, I will transfer the money into your bank ount. I can pay you first.¡± Although Zorion did not have the power to take over the Whalen family¡¯spany, it was not difficult for him to transfer such an amount of money. What¡¯s more, Raeleigh was just undergoing a reconstruction surgery for her hand. He did not think it would cost a lot.

    When Raeleigh heard that the procedure required a lot of money, she stood up from the chair and argued, ¡°Wait a minute. I have something to discuss with my friend.¡±

    After Raeleigh said that, she walked to Zorion and told him, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to do this. I don¡¯t have the financial ability to pay you back, and I can¡¯t afford to do so either.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that you need to return the money to me. I¡¯ve already gotten my reward. I think it¡¯s quite appropriate for you to use that diary in exchange for your hands,¡± Zorion answered immediately.Raeleighthen lowered her head and looked at the ce where her hand had been torn open.She hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°That diary doesn¡¯t belong to me. It belongs to someone else. I don¡¯t have the right to do so. If you just take it away from me by force, I would be willing to let goof it. However, if you want me to use my hand in exchange for the diary, I¡¯d rather my hand remain ugly.¡±

    ¡°Then, you are ruining your own career. The nerves in your hand may be damaged. You know very well how important one¡¯s nerves are to a designer. Without them, you will be destined to be a loser.¡±

    ¡°Even so, I don¡¯t want to do such a thing,¡± Raeleigh said as she stared at Zorion, before turning around to walk towards the door. Zorion shouted, ¡°I won¡¯t give it back to you even after we leave this ce.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped at the door and thought for a moment. Then, she turned around and answered Zorion, ¡°Since you have made your decision, I¡¯ve also thought about the consequences of mine. Thank you for bringing me here. You can send me home now.¡±

    Raeleigh walked out of the examination room. Scarlette and Deanna, who were waiting anxiously at the door, walked towards her. Deanna was a little surprised to see Raeleigh¡¯s hand. She asked, ¡°Why did youe out? Is your hand incurable?¡±

    ¡°The surgery is too expensive. Let¡¯s go,¡± Raeleigh pulled Scarlette along with her instead of Deanna.

    Deanna turned to look at Zorion, asking,¡°Zorion, don¡¯t you want to save Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s the one giving up, not me,¡± Zorion came out and walked towards Deanna.Deannaturned around and ran to Raeleigh, blocking her way. She insisted, ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t treat yourself so poorly. My father said that as long as money can solve a problem, the problem doesn¡¯t exist at all.¡±

    Raeleigh knew thatDeanna held good intentions, so she did not think too much into her words. However, she still responded, ¡°I can¡¯t afford it.¡±

    ¡°You can pay the money back in the future. If you miss this opportunity, you can no longer treat your hand. Even if you don¡¯t have the money in the future, you¡¯re still young.If you earn a hundred thousanddors a year, you can pay the full amount back one day. Why are you being so stubborn?¡±Deannastopped Raeleigh from leaving. However, Raeleigh looked at her and insisted, ¡°You don¡¯t understand. Once I owe someone too much, it will be the death of me.¡±

    ¡°Why is that so? If you have the money, you can pay it back to me. If you don¡¯t have the money, you can do so once you do. If not, you can find a good, powerful husband who will take good care of you in the future. You can ask him to help you, okay?¡± Deanna was close to tears, but Raeleigh still did not agree to her pleas immediately.

    ¡°Zorion, what should we do?¡± Deanna¡¯s reflex was to look for Zorion for help. He did not refuse her request for help either.

    ¡°If you think that moneyreallyis more important than your hand, I have nothing to say. However, you can¡¯t letDeannadown,¡± Zorion walked behind Raeleigh. She turned around and looked at Zorion, not refuting anything.

    The doctor,the man with blond hair and blue eyes,came out of the examination roombehind him and he reminded them, ¡°It¡¯s best to treat her hand within 24 hours as we can¡¯t do anything after that.¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Zorion and others turned to look at the doctor one after another. After a moment of hesitation, Zorion replied, ¡°I¡¯ll decide on this matter. You¡¯ll have to undergo the operation to makeDeannahappy. By doing so, you won¡¯t owe anyone anything. As for the money, you can pay it in installments, or not pay it at all.¡±

    After saying so, Zorion bent down and picked Raeleigh up. Stunned, her eyes were fixated on him. Although her hands were bandaged, she instinctively hugged him as his movements were too sudden.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Where is the operation room?¡± Zorion nced at Raeleigh, who was in a daze in his arms, and looked at the doctors who were standing opposite them.

    ¡°Pleasee with me. We¡¯ll get ready right away,¡± The doctors turned around and walked forward. Zorion followed them, Raeleigh still in his arms. She tried toe down from his embrace, but he warned her sharply, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    Raeleigh calmed down and fixed her eyes on Zorion who had not finished speaking. She felt that he still had something else to say.

    They looked at each other. Although Zorion was only staring at her, Raeleigh immediately understood that he wanted to use the diary to threaten her.

    Raeleigh had to give in to him, for she failed to have the ability to change anything.

    She insisted, ¡°Put me down. I¡¯ll go there by myself.¡± Just as Raeleigh said so, the doctor had already entered the operating room, and a wheelchair was pushed out.

    ¡°Please put her here,¡± the doctor reminded them. Zorion bent down and put Raeleigh down. As they got close to each other, Raeleigh could feel Zorion¡¯s breath on her face, and her expression immediately shifted.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go in with you.¡± Before Zorion let go of her, Raeleigh shook her head and rejected his request, ¡°No need. I don¡¯t need a whole-body anesthesia. I can be inside alone.¡±

    Zorion left, staring at Raeleigh¡¯s reddish face with his dark eyes.He said, ¡°I¡¯lle in if anything happens.¡±

    Raeleigh said no more. After Zorion left, she was pushed into the operating room.

 Chapter 883 Hospital Visit

    When the door of the operating room closed,Raeleigh shut her eyes.

    Zorion could see Raeleigh from the television screen outside. However, he was still quite surprised to see Raeleigh closing her eyes after entering the room.

    Deanna pulledZorion and asked, ¡°Zorion, what¡¯s wrong with Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s probably tired. She didn¡¯t rest on the ne,¡± Zorion pulledDeannato the opposite side and sat down. As he was taking a break with her,Scarlette paced back and forth.

    After walking for a while,Scarlette asked Deanna,¡°I¡¯m going to the washroom.Deanna,do you want to tag along?¡± In reply, Deanna shook her head and replied,¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll tag alongter.¡±

    ¡°All right,¡± Scarlette sprinted to the bathroom and made a call to Stuart.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson,¡± Stuart, who was waiting for the call, said in greeting.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for her surgery. I¡¯ll send you a text messageter,¡± Scarlette hung up on the phone, washed her hands, and went outside.

    Jephersonwas sitting in a car outside the hospital, apanied by Stuart. He was waiting for the results, his eyes narrowed.

    ¡°They¡¯ve already started the operation,¡± said Stuart as he put away the phone.Jephersonslowly opened his eyes. Not saying a word, he only sat in the car.

    Stuart secretly sighed. Things were not going well for Jepherson. He was dying to rush in andsee Raeleigh. However, since Zorion and Deanna were present, it was inappropriate for him to show up. He could only rely on someone else to send his regards and check on the situation.

    AfterRaeleigh¡¯s operation, whichstedseveral hours, she nodded off in the surgery room. As she was pushed out, Deanna called out to her, but she was still asleep.

    ¡°She¡¯s asleep,¡± the doctor answered, amusement apparent in his tone.

    Zorion thanked him. As the nurse pushed her into the ward, Deanna went in and started taking care of Raeleigh. At the same time, Raeleigh also woke up.

    The doctor asked Zorion about the payment. After asking them to wait, he picked up the phone and called Rayan.

    Rayan, who was having a business negotiation abroad, was surprised to receive a call from Zorion as he seldom called on his own initiative.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, guys. I have to answer this,¡± Rayan informed his business partners politely and then turned around to go outside.

    Their business negotiation was taking ce on an ind. Facing the sea, Rayan took the call from Zorion, greeting him,¡°Well, it¡¯s rare to receive a call from you.What¡¯s up?¡±

    Rayan smiled calmly. Although he was not young anymore, there were very few traces of signs of aging on his face.

    Zorion hesitated for a moment before replying to him, ¡°I¡¯m just letting you know that I¡¯m going to use some money.¡±

    ¡°When did you start informing me of your financial matters? Did you get into trouble?¡± Rayan held Zorion in high regard, giving him chances to make his own decisions since he was a child. As long as he was notmitting any morally corrupt crimes, Rayan would let him do anything.

    Due to that, Zorion had be independent since he was a child.

    ¡°A student in Elkton University had an ident,and her hand was scraped open.Her wound needs to be treated. I was only able to request for the surgery to take ce now because I used your name. Now that I¡¯m using a great sum of money, I have to tell you.¡±

    ¡°A great sum of money?¡± Rayan¡¯s smile deepened. It seemed that Zorion had grown up and he was finally interested in a woman. Nheless, he had no clue what kind of woman Zorion would fall in love with.

    ¡°No, not really. Nevertheless, I still have to notify you of such an incident.¡±

    ¡°Just use the money in the ount if it¡¯s enough. Otherwise, you can call the bank and request for more.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I only need a few million.¡±

    ¡°Your pocket money is more than enough for that. Why did you have to call me to tell me all this?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re droning on and on again,¡± said Zorion before hanging up on the call. Rayan nced at his phone, thinking, ¡°Am I really that talkative?¡±

    ¡°Give me your bank ount, and I¡¯ll transfer the money to you,¡± said Zorion to the doctors as he opened the banking application on his phone.

    One of them handed over his ount details to Zorion, and he reminded the doctor in return, ¡°If something goes wrong, it won¡¯t just be about the money.¡±

    The doctor was quite confident as he insisted, ¡°You can rest assured.¡±

    Zorion then transferred the money over to the doctor. Raeleigh, who was lying on the bed, asked, ¡°How much is it?¡±

    Zorion took a look at Raeleigh but did not answer her question, only continuing to talk to the doctor. He also shook hands with him and suggested for Raeleigh to stay in the hospital for half a month.

    The expenses, of course, needed another payment from Zorion.

    Everything had been taken care of, and Raeleigh stayed in the hospital, Scarlette took care of her every day. Deanna was worried about Raeleigh, so she stayed in the hospital to attend to her as well.

    After receiving a call informing them that Raeleigh was fine, Stuart asked Jepherson,¡°Mr. Jepherson, should we¡­¡±He wanted to confirm if they would go back home or stay.

    ¡°Book a room for me,¡± Jepherson did not wait for Stuart to finish speaking and interrupted him.

    ¡°Got it,¡± Stuart did exactly just that and then went to the hotel.

    In the evening, Marissa called to inquire about Deanna¡¯s situation.

    ¡°How are things? IsDeannaokay?¡±Marissawas really concerned about the matter. However, an entire day had passed, yetJepherson had not called her back, andMarissacould not sit still. Was Deanna¡¯s injury serious or not?

    Jephersonhad been sitting for a while. Upon receiving the call, he answered straightforwardly, ¡°Deanna is fine.It wasn¡¯t her who got hurt. Stuart didn¡¯t know the situation clearly. It was Raeleigh who was injured.¡±From N?velDrama.Org.

    Marissawas a little confused as she asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t Stuart say that it was Deanna who got stepped on? Why is Raeleigh the victim now?¡±

    Jepherson gave her a brief rundown of the incident. He did not miss out on the fact that Zorion had brought Raeleigh over from abroad.

    After hearing his exnation,Marissawas a little puzzled. She asked, ¡°Jerry?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±Marissahad already been ustomed to calling Jepherson that nickname, and he could no longer change her ways.

    Jepherson did not feel that there was anything amiss with his words, so he answered her naturally as well.

    Marissaasked him, ¡°What on earth is the matter with that Raeleigh girl? Why was she with Zorion?¡±

    ¡°Deannafelt guilty as Raeleigh always stood up for her, so she often helped Raeleigh in school. The incident this time should be because of Deanna again. I haven¡¯t seen Zorion, so I don¡¯t know the details. It¡¯s gettingte, so I won¡¯t return home today. I¡¯ll see if I can go home tomorrow,¡± said Jepherson.However, Marrisa continued, ¡°In any case, Raeleigh still got hurt because of you. SinceDeannahase forward to help, you¡¯d better head over there to check things out. Otherwise,Deannamay think you are a cruel person.She is na?ve, and she gets taken advantage of quite easily.¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll be there tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯ve been traveling all day, and you¡¯re tired. Rest well.It¡¯s good that it wasn¡¯t Deanna who got hurt,¡± Marissa hung up on the call after that. However, Jepherson did not rest all night. Stuart stood by his side the entire time, watching over him. He knew that Jepherson was worried for Raeleigh.

    The next morning, Jepherson took a nap and immediately went to the hospital.

    Raeleigh was resting, and her hand was tightly bandaged. Jepherson walked all the way from the corridor to the door of the ward. Standing outside the ward, he peered inside. Seeing that Raeleigh was sleeping, he was finally relieved.

    Deanna was in the ward chatting with Scarlette when she noticed Jepherson, who was standing at the door. She instantly stood up and went towards him like a little bird flitting to a nest. Opening the door, she asked, ¡°Jepherson, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here for a visit. How are things now? Was the operation sessful?¡± As Jephersonspoke, hepletely ignored Deanna. At the same time, Raeleigh woke up, and Zorion sat up from the other side of the room.

 Chapter 884 Guilt

    The ward was spacious enough to amodate a few people, and each and every one of them had their own beds.

    Deannapulled Jepherson past the door. Zorion stood up and stared at Jepherson for a while before asking, ¡°How did you know we were here?¡±

    ¡°When there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way,¡±Jephersondid not need to exin himself. He looked at Raeleigh, who was lying on the hospital bed, and asked, ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Raeleigh subconsciously nced atScarlette and found thetter¡¯s face betraying no emotions. Her gaze then settled on Jepherson who was standing opposite her.

    ¡°Jepherson, you don¡¯t know how nasty Quirina acted! Look at how she tortured Raeleigh,¡±Deannapulled Jepherson toward Raeleigh. He just frowned and turned to look at Zorion, ¡°I¡¯ll tell the university about this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your own business. I¡¯m not concerned about it,¡± Zorion turned to one side and sat down, having nothing else to say.

    Raeleighy on the bed and did not get up. She had always treatedJepherson in such an indifferent way.

    Deanna misinterpreted that Jepherson hade to see her. She pulled Jepherson to one side and asked him a few questions as Scarlettestayed at the other.

    As noon drew close, Raeleigh was woken up to have a meal, and Stuart arranged for some dishes to be sent over. They had lunch in Raeleigh¡¯s ward.

    Raeleigh did not eat much. As she had hurt her right hand, she was unable to use it for a while. However, Raeleigh was quite clever and she quicklylearned how to eat with her left hand.

    After dinner, Raeleigh went to have a rest as she had nothing else to say to the other people in the ward. Several times when Jepherson inadvertently looked at Raeleigh, she came off as though she was looking at a stranger. There was nothing special in her gaze, and she only diverted her eyes to look at other people.

    In the evening,Jephersongot up and was about to leave. As Deannafollowed him out, Zorion stood up and went out as well.

    Raeleigh watched as the door closed. Zorion gave her a feeling that he would not rest assured no matter who Deanna ended up with. He could only feel relieved when he was taking care of her under his wing.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I don¡¯t mean to me you, but you¡­¡± Scarlette opened up after ensuring that the others had left. She wanted toment on Raeleigh¡¯s attitude, but Raeleigh immediately interrupted her, ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±

    Scarlette rolled her eyes and stopped making further remarks. Then, she passed Raeleigh¡¯s cell phone to her, saying, ¡°There are some things of note inside. You can delete them after going through them.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her hand and took the cellphone over. After pondering for a moment, she unlocked it and read a text message.

    ¡°Take good care of yourself before going back. I will go back first. I will take care of your grandmother.¡± The text message wasckluster, but Raeleigh only deleted it after reading it for agoodtwo minutes.

    Raeleigh put down the phone.ZorionandDeannacame back from outside. Raeleigh felt ufortable as she watched the two siblings walk in, especially upon spotting Deanna.

    She did not care ifQuirinabullied her as she was the one who was on the suffering end.Quirinahad done many bad things, andRaeleighbelieved that she would receive retribution. One day, she wouldreap what she sowed. Hence, Raeleigh did not care much about Quirina¡¯s antics. They were still young. Novalie had also mentioned before that the heavens were always watching them, thus every bad deed would be punished, and good people would be rewarded.

    Raeleigh firmly believed in such a theory, so she nevermitted any heinous deeds.

    However, Deanna was different. AlthoughDeanna treated her well, she could tell thatDeannatruly loved Jepherson.

    Although she was unclear about Jepherson¡¯s intentions, without her presence, Raeleigh believed thatDeannawould get together withJepherson.

    Deanna came in and saw Raeleigh staring at her. She stepped aside with her hands sped behind her back. Raeleigh then looked away. Zorion, who was behind her, walked to one side and sat down. Then, he picked up his cellphone and started to scroll the screen.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you were staring at me so intently just now. Did you fall in love with me?¡±Deannasat beside Raeleigh and grabbed an apple, intending to peel it for her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat an apple. Don¡¯t peel it,¡± Raeleigh sat up and leaned against the head of the bed. As she genuinely liked Deanna, she felt a surge of guilt in her heart.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t eat it,Zorion will. I¡¯ll peel it for him,¡±Deannastill peeled the apple, but she gave half of it to Raeleigh and the rest to Zorion.

    Zorion took away the apple and lowered his head to munch on it,not looking up.

    Raeleigh held the apple but found it hard to swallow.

    Seeing that Raeleigh was unable to eat, Scarlette took it away and helped herself to it, saying, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to eat it, then give it to me. You don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, looking at her. Then,Deannaquickly chimed in, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to Raeleigh like that, or she¡¯ll think you¡¯re being serious.¡±

    ¡°How would you know?¡± As she ate the apple,Deanna chased after Scarlette, making a fuss. They were soon having fun. Raeleigh looked at them andughed along happily.

    Zorion raised his head to look at Raeleigh. It was the first time for him to see Raeleigh smiling so happily.

    Night befell them. Raeleigh wanted to have a rest, so she did not call out to the others. Sheid down and closed her eyes first. Soon, the others followed suit.However,Raeleigh could not fall asleep even after midnight and she got up from the bed. She came down, put on her shoes and a coat, then went out of the ward as she noticed the others were resting.

    When she reached the door, Raeleigh shot the corridor a nce, sat down on a chair, and then leaned against it to listen to someone else¡¯s conversation.

    Raeleigh found that a beautiful girl with tanned skin lived opposite her. Raeleigh thought that anyone from abroad, who had blonde hair and blue eyes, would not have stic surgery except for those with blemished skin and obsidian eyes like herself, who loved to undergo stic surgery to enhance their beauty, thanks to their sky-high beauty standards.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh first heard the girl inside sobbing, and then she heard a man cursing in another foreignnguage. It was clear that they were quarreling.

    After watching them for a while, Raeleigh felt that it was fine to eavesdrop on normal conversations, but it was a bit ill-mannered for her to listen to an argument. So,she got up and went somewhere else.

    There was a staircase in the hospital. Raeleigh was ustomed to using the stairs from a young age, so she did not like taking the elevator. She walked down the stairs step-by-step.

    Zorion came out of the ward and turned to Raeleigh¡¯s direction, noticing that she was walking down the stairs. He looked around. The Whalen siblings were always protected by guards whenever they were outside. After Zorion left, several people immediately stood at the door of the ward. Zorion went down the stairs step-by-step until he reached where Raeleigh was standing.

    Raeleigh stood at the bottom of the stairs, raising her head to look at Zorion, who came down. He halted in his steps for a moment upon seeing Raeleigh, but he still walked towards her in the end.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I can¡¯t fall asleep, so I came out for a walk. I stopped when I heard someone following me.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Zorion¡¯s tone was still unfriendly, but Raeleigh was used to such treatment.

    She did not mind other people treating her icily.

    Raeleigh turned around and walked out of the hospital. Zorion looked behind him. It was the first time for him to be so far away from Deanna, ever since they were six years old.

    Raeleigh walked to the door, and Zorion followed her.

    Raeleigh felt a little morefortable upon feeling the slight cool wind outside, and the uneasiness in her heart also dissipated.

 Chapter 885 Really Done For

    The environment in the stic surgery hospital was excellent, with lights illuminating the night. Raeleigh strolled around for a while. When she turned around, she was taken aback upon seeing Zorion. She asked, ¡°Why are you still following me?¡±

    Zorion fixed his eyes on Raeleigh¡¯s surprised face through the dim light.He asked, ¡°Oh, is this your territory?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and answered, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡±

    ¡°Since it isn¡¯t yours, why can¡¯t I walk around as I please?¡±

    In Raeleigh¡¯s opinion, Zorion¡¯s words clearly held malice.

    Raeleighturned around and walked to one side. Then, she found a ce to sit down, ignoring Zorion.

    Zorion also seated himself next to Raeleigh, staring in the direction she was looking at.

    Raeleigh remained silent as she buried her hands inside her pockets, still self-conscious of the state of her right hand.

    Zorion questioned her, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you don¡¯t care about matters like that?¡±

    Raeleigh turned her head to look at him,¡°When did I say that? I think you might have misheard.¡±

    ¡°Am I wrong?Jephersoncame to visit you from afar. Do you think that what you¡¯re doing is fair to Deanna?¡± Zorion leaned on one side, elegant as a swan but as sharp as a knife.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Raeleigh stared at Zorion and did not exin herself as she felt that there was no need to do so.

    One¡¯s impression of another was determined at first sight. Zorion¡¯s first impression of her was bad, so there really was no use in her wanting to clear the air up.

    Zorion, still leaning on one side, looked up at the moon in the sky. Raeleigh disliked being with Zorion, so she got up.

    However, as soon as she stood up, Zorion stopped her. Raeleigh asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°There are many other methods for you to use. Why do you insist on taking one that follows me?¡± Zorion was implying that she had chosen a path that would separate Jepherson andDeanna, right?

    Raeleigh frowned as she replied,¡°Then, I¡¯ll get out of your way.¡±

    Turning around, Raeleigh intended to walk away. However, she slipped and stumbled. Zorion noticed that she was about to fall, so he grabbed her arm, intending to support her. However, instead of making sure she stood upright, she dragged him down with her. Raeleigh turned around, and Zorion did not manage to steady himself, causing his body to fall onto her.

    Raeleigh suddenly fell on thewn, with Zorion¡¯s weight on her.

    Raeleigh felt something soft on her lips, which frightened her a lot. Not showing any response in return, her face was as red as a beetroot.

    Zorion gazed at Raeleigh. Instead of parting their lips at once, he quietly stared at Raeleigh¡¯s shining eyes until she raised her hand to push him away.

    Zorionid on the ground after being pushed away. Raeleigh stood up suddenly and stepped back. She turned around and left, feeling quite annoyed.

    Zorion stood where he was for a while before returning.

    Hearing someone open the door of the ward, Raeleigh turned around and covered her head. However, she felt something was amiss and she let go again.

    Raeleigh wanted to sleep, but she felt ufortable after knowing that Zorion had returned to the ward.

    Zorion entered the door and stared at Raeleigh, continuing to do so while he was lying on his bed. It was not until the sun rose that Zorion fell asleep.

    When they woke up the next morning, Scarlette and Deannafelt that something was amiss as the usual early birds were still sleeping.

    ¡°Zorion, why aren¡¯t you awake yet?¡± said Deanna as she sat in front of Zorion¡¯s bed, holding her chin in her hands and looking at him. Zorion opened his eyes and answered her, ¡°I¡¯ll get up in a bit.¡±

    Raeleigh had slept after the sun had risen, eventer than Zorion. Scarlette called her, but she was still asleep.

    However, Scarlette found that Raeleigh seemed to be off, and her face turned pale at once.

    ¡°Raeleigh, your hand¡­¡± Scarlette¡¯s loud voice awoke Raeleigh. Deannahurried to her side, and Scarlette was holding her hand with a shocked expression.

    Zorion got out of the bed, stood behind Scarlette and took a look at Raeleigh¡¯s hand.

    Raeleigh sat up in a daze from the bed. Her eyes fell on the back of her hand, and the white gauze was stained red.

    Zorion¡¯s eyes fell on Raeleigh¡¯s face. Raeleigh remembered the incident where she had pushed Zorion harshly the previous night. Suddenly, she fell into silence.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to call a doctor,¡± Zorion strode to the door and came back soon.

    The doctor came in and conducted an emergency check-up. After doing so, he was sent into a state of confusion.

    After the doctor finished the examination, he told Zorion and the others,¡°This treatment requires more hassle, but there is still a chance for recovery.¡± Zorion turned his gaze to Raeleigh. After looking at her for a while, he turned his gaze.¡°I will send you the money. I will give you an extra 30% for the second operation. I hope the extra reimbursement won¡¯t be in vain. If the surgery fails, you won¡¯t live another day in the medical field.¡±

    The doctors looked at each other before replying, ¡°We will try our best to help her recover.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Zorion first gave the money to the doctors, and Raeleigh underwent yet another operation. She did not return to the ward by the doctors, but was carried back instead by Zorion.

    Just like thest time, Raeleigh came out of the operation room asleep as the surgery really took an extremely long time. However, things were a little different at the moment. Raeleigh was fine, but Zorion, who was sitting outside, seemed to be losing hisposure.

    ¡°Call a doctor here,¡± Zorion said, taking two steps outside. The doctor immediately came over and asked, ¡°Mr. Whalen, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Is your anesthesiologist really that well-versed in his field?¡± The foreign doctors were stunned upon hearing his question. Scarlette was not fluent in the localnguage, and she had not practiced speaking it when she was studying. She could not hear clearly what Zorion had said, but she roughly understood the situation.

    Deanna also felt that there was something amiss with theanesthesiologist. A lot of people who underwent stic surgery would have problems with anesthetics.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Is theanesthesiologistreally experienced with anesthesia?¡± Deanna also questioned, her ring eyes making the doctors feel uneasy.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, please rest assured. Our anesthesiologist is esteemed, and he is extremely knowledgeable in his field of study.¡±

    ¡°Why did she fall asleep right after getting the anesthesia?¡± Zorion asked as he was still worried. He looked serious. On the contrary, Deanna chimed in, ¡°She didn¡¯t sleep wellst night and was in a daze the entire morning. It¡¯s normal for her to fall asleep during an operation. Zorion, have you forgotten that Raeleigh did the same thingst time?

    Zorion nced at Deanna. What st time¡¯ was she referring to?

    ¡°Zorion, you haven¡¯t forgotten about it, right?¡± Deanna felt that that posed as a possibility.He had met many girls before but he could barely remember any of their names. He had always acted like that since he was a child.

    Zorion thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Deanna was rendered speechless.

    ¡°Zorion, sit down. I think you¡¯re too worried about Raeleigh,¡± Deanna pulled Zorion to have a seat. The doctor left as he felt that there was nothing else for him to handle. However, after Zorion sat down, he immediately stood up again, staying in that position.

    Deanna was not that worried about Raeleigh¡¯s health, but about the results of the operation.

    Scarlettethought shereallywas done for. She had slept soundly the previous night, and she had no idea that Raeleigh had even gone out.

 Chapter 886 A Passionate Kiss In The Elevator

    Zorion was standing by the doorwhenRaeleigh was pushed out from the operating room.He walked up to her.Feeling a huge burden getting lifted off his chest, the doctor said,¡°The operation was extremely sessful, but there¡¯s no more room for idents. If anything goes wrong, there¡¯s nothing else we can do. No amount of money will be useful by then.¡±

    Zorion acted as if he had not heard them. He lowered his head to watch Raeleigh, bent down, and picked her up. Standing by the side,Scarlette was totally stunned.

    Busy holding onto the IV drip,Deanna followed Zorion. She hadpletely forgotten about Scarlette.

    After a while, Scarlette caught up with them and went to the ward, unsettled.

    Along the way,Raeleighkept dozing off. Zorion carried her all the way to the ward and put her down. He covered her with a quilt and hung the IV drip.

    Deanna followed behind Zorion, asking, ¡°Zorion, why have you suddenly be so affectionate?¡±

    Zorion nced at Deanna,¡°Was I not like this before?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Deanna raised her hand and touched Zorion¡¯s forehead, teasing,¡°You don¡¯t have a fever either.¡±

    ZoriontookDeanna¡¯s hand away and asked, ¡°Are you hungry?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡±Deannawas indeed starving as she had yet eaten her breakfast. Zorion stepped out to buy some for her.

    The longer Scarlette sat in the ward, the uneasier she felt. She sent a text message to Jepherson.

    The contents of her message were straightforward, ¡°Raeleigh¡¯s hand was injured again, and she underwent a second operation.She¡¯s fine now.¡±

    Scarlette did not dare to say that Zorion might have gone out the previous night as well. Her heart was in turmoil. It was best ifJepherson was kept in the dark about that matter. Only after a few days would she tell him about Zorion¡¯s unusual behavior. That way, she would be able to live.

    Jephersonwas in the hotel, getting ready to get up when he received Scarlette¡¯s message. Then, he immediately went to the hospital.

    Jepherson arrived at Raeleigh¡¯s ward and stood by the door, looking down at something. Deanna was readingRaeleigh¡¯sbook, and Scarlette was sitting restlessly.

    Zorion was not in the ward.

    Jepherson raised his hand and knocked on the door. Deanna looked up and noticed that the visitor was Jepherson, and she immediately stood up. She went to the door and opened it, asking, ¡°Jepherson, why are you here? Isn¡¯t your flight today?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯vee to see if there is anyone who wants to go back too.¡± As Jepherson spoke, his eyes fell on Raeleigh, who failed to turn around. Raeleigh knew that Jepherson hade to visit her. After all, the knock on the door had proved that he was not Zorion, and the doctors would not rap at the door and wait for others to open it.

    After excluding so many people, there was only one possible person left. If it was not Jepherson, who else could it be?

    With Raeleigh still refusing to turn around, Jephersonentered the door and did not sit down.

    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±Jephersonasked Raeleigh, her back still facing him.However, neither Raeleigh nor Scarlette answered him. Seeing that no one answered, Deanna replied, ¡°She¡¯s fine now. The doctor reminded her to be careful. You don¡¯t know how dangerous it was yesterday. Raeleigh overexerted her hand identally, and she had to undergo a second operation. I¡¯m responsible for Raeleigh now. I¡¯m looking after her everywhere. She¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Jepherson lowered his head to look at Deanna, asking, ¡°Are you happy that she¡¯s okay now?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I am,¡± Deanna was full of smiles, but Jepherson could not even muster up one at all.

    ¡°Stuart, don¡¯t you have something to talk to Raeleigh about?¡± Raeleigh refused to turn around, soJephersonhad to find another solution.

    Stuart stood at the door and replied, ¡°I do have something to talk about with MissRaeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh also knew that Stuart had no business with her, and that Jepherson was only acting. However, if she did not turn around, she had no idea what other excuse Jepherson would conjure up to deal with her.

    ¡°Stuart,what do you have to say?¡± Raeleigh turned around and fixed her bright eyes on Stuart, not looking at Jepherson at all.

    Jephersonwas standing on one side, staring at Raeleigh.

    Even Stuart felt a chill down his back. Thus, he made an excuse and responded, ¡°Miss Raeleigh, you told mest time that there was a prescription at home that can cure insomnia. So, I want to ask for it from you.¡±

    Raeleigh was amused by his words, impressed that he could think of such a thing.

    ¡°I will send you the prescription. Give me your phone number,¡± Raeleigh answered after thinking for a while. Stuart added, ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s convenient for you toe out now, but my friend is staying nearby here now. Why don¡¯t you apany me to meet him and tell him about the medicine yourself, MissRaeleigh? He¡¯s old and it is inconvenient for him to leave the house. I¡¯m also afraid that I won¡¯t be able to convey the message clearly.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. She knew that all of Stuart¡¯s words were a ploy, but she had no other option than to y along.

    ¡°I see. If so, I¡¯ll go with you. Mr. Richards, you can stay here and keep Deannapany,¡± Raeleigh said, walking towards the door. Upon hearing her words, Stuart felt another surge of uneasiness.

    IfJepherson stayed in the hospital while Stuart went out with Raeleigh,he would definitely suffer dire consequences.From N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Miss Raeleigh, I have to protectMr. Jepherson. I have vowed that I can¡¯t be more than ten meters away from him,¡± Stuart informed her firmly.

    Deanna asked, ¡°Stuart, why don¡¯t I know of this?¡±

    Stuart¡¯s palms were sweaty as he replied, ¡°There are still many things that Miss Deanna doesn¡¯t know about. Our agreement has always been like this.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Deanna, still doubtful, hummed in assent.

    ¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t you go ahead? Maybe Stuart just wants to take you out for a spin,¡± said Deanna, who was no longer that fond of Stuart. Although he was good-looking and nice, he was no match for Zorion. If Stuart wanted topete with him in pursuing Raeleigh, she would not give them her blessings.

    Deanna thought about it and pushed Jepherson, asking, ¡°Jepherson, why don¡¯t you apany Raeleigh out?¡±

    Jepherson lowered his head to look atDeanna, ¡°What about you then?¡±

    ¡°I haveScarlette with me,¡± answered Deanna, grabbing Scarlette¡¯shand. For Zorion¡¯s sake, she would do everything she could tonot let Stuart take advantage of the situation.

    Deanna noticed that Stuart harbored no good intentions towards Raeleigh.

    Stuart truly was despicable!

    Scarlette smiled and urged, ¡°You can head on your way now. If we all leave at the same time,Mr. Whalen will be worried when he isn¡¯t able to find us.¡±

    ¡°MissRaeleigh,we¡¯d better go there earlier so we have more time to inform my friend about the medicine.Mr. Jephersonhas a flight to catch, so if we dy any longer,we might dy his flight,¡± Stuart insisted, worried that they would run into Zorion. If that happened, he would no longer have any chances to let the two have their alone time.

    Raeleigh took a look at Deanna and Scarlette, telling them, ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. Wait for me.¡±

    ¡°Bye,¡± Deanna waved her hand with a na?ve look on her face. Raeleigh knew that Deanna had no idea about Jepherson¡¯s rtionship with her and she felt bad, so she wanted to make things clear with him as well.

    Raeleigh looked at Stuart and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Miss Raeleigh, this way, please.Mr. Jepherson, please.¡± How could Stuart dare to walk in front? He waited until Raeleigh and Jepherson walked out before he followed them from behind. AfterStuartwalked out of the door and swept his eyes around to make sure that Zorion was not there, they entered the elevator together. Then,right in front of Stuart,Jepherson dragged Raeleigh into his arms and pressed her against the elevator as it stopped at the floor below them. Stuartpressed the button and did not allow anyone else toe in.Stuartdid notdare to move, and his whole body was stiff. He did not dare to look back, for he was afraid of interrupting Jepherson¡¯s fun time.

    Raeleigh, who was pressed against the elevator, raised her hands, not daring to move, and her face flushed red. Jepherson held her tightly. Then,he lowered his head and bit Raeleigh¡¯s lips, intertwiningtheir tongues.Jepherson¡¯srestrainedanger burst out at once, not giving her any chance to refuse his advances. She struggled against his hold, shaking her head as Stuart was still in the elevator. What exactly wasJepherson trying to do?

 Chapter 887 French Kiss

    When the elevator opened, Jepherson let go of Raeleigh, who was almost out of breath.

    Jepherson came out of the elevator,his face flushed slightly red. He pulledRaeleighto a ward downstairs, Stuart hurriedly following after him. When they arrived, Jepherson went in with Raeleigh in tow, and Stuart stood guard by the door. He was afraid that someone would enter and disturb them.

    AsRaeleighwas pushed against the wall, she felt that her heart was about to jump out of her chest.

    Jepherson pushed Raeleigh¡¯s shoulders with both of his hands, his gaze as hungry as a wolf¡¯s. She pursed her lips, her little face painted a hue of red. She knew that he had missed the taste of her terribly. If outsiders were to see them, they would think that Jepherson had gone rabid.

    ¡°You¡­ mmm¡­¡± Raeleigh had just begun to speak whenJephersonsuddenly kissed her, effectively blocking her mouth. She raised her hands to shove him away. However, with only a bit more force,Jephersonpressed Raeleigh back against the wall. As he canoodled Raeleigh, he untied her cor, held her small hands, and kissed her.

    ¡°No¡­ no¡­¡± Raeleigh kept shaking her head, but Jepherson was no longer in the right mind to control himself. As Raeleigh was too weak to resist his strength, she soon stopped fending him off.

    As soon as Raeleigh gathered herposure, Jepherson calmed down a little.

    As he kissed Raeleigh gently, he put his hand behind her neck and lowered his head to leave more on her neck. In a hoarse voice,he asked, ¡°Did you miss me?¡±

    The fire inside Jepherson had subsided for the moment. Raeleigh felt his body emanating bouts of passion. If she did not cooperate with him and handle the situation well, she would get into trouble.

    Raeleigh nodded lightly with a blush on her face.

    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Jepherson was in a good mood, which could be inferred from his deepughter. Raeleigh pressed her hands against Jepherson¡¯s shoulders. With his head down, his handsome face flushed slightly, and there were droplets of sweat on his forehead. Staring at Raeleigh, he kissed her lips. He put his hands on her waist and touched her gently with his fingers. Raeleigh, inexperienced,immediately gripped his shoulders tightly and turned her face away. She bit her lips hard, but she still could not easeJepherson¡¯s desires.

    When Jepherson saw Raeleigh¡¯s expression, he yearned to get even closer instead.

    As he approached Raeleigh, her face seemed to contort. He failed to notice the change in her behavior, but upon seeing her hand, he realized that she was restraining herself.

    Jepherson bent down and picked Raeleigh up. There were a few chairs in the room. Raeleigh lowered her head when she was set down on one. Jepherson put Raeleigh¡¯s hand aside and looked at it carefully. The bandage had been wrapped neater than her previous ones, thus her hand was unaffected.

    Jepherson put Raeleigh¡¯s hand down, saying, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I forgot that this would happen.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a while before turning her head to look atJepherson. She noticed that his gaze was still burning with desire, thus she immediately retracted her gaze.

    He was the young master of a well-known family. How could she not be surprised upon hearing such an easy apology from him?

    Raeleigh lowered her head. Jepherson tucked her hair to the back, revealing her entire face. However, Raeleigh kept her head down, showing nothing but her scarlet cheeks.

    Jepherson looked at her and kissed her. However, Raeleigh flinched.

    She still did not look at Jepherson.

    Raeleigh wanted to fight back but she knew that her efforts would be futile.

    If so, there was no need for her to struggle any longer.

    Raeleigh lowered her head in silence. Then,Jepherson drew her chin over to him and put her hand on his shoulder so as to not hurt her injured hand.

    Raeleigh could use the other hand as she liked.Jephersonput one hand around Raeleigh¡¯s waist and held her in his other. Despite having her body towards him, Raeleigh kept lowering her head.

    Jepherson could smell Raeleigh¡¯s light fragrance, and he leaned forward, taking a breath obsessively. He said, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you just now. Answer me.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Raeleigh answered, her face reddening even more.

    Jepherson paused for a moment and slightly frowned, ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡±

    Raeleigh nced atJepherson,¡°Yes.¡±

    Smiling in satisfaction,Jepherson said, ¡°What proof can you provide?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment before replying, ¡°I have no proof, but I did think about you. I even wondered if you would ask me the exact same question.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s to saythatyou also thought of others?¡±

    Seeing that Raeleigh did not answer his question,Jephersonpressed his lips on Raeleigh¡¯s ear and kissed it. Her ears were pale and delicate, tinged light red.

    Jepherson held it with his tongue and sucked on it.

    Raeleigh grabbedJepherson¡¯s clothes. He stared at Raeleigh with a suggestive gaze Seeing her blushing like a red apple, he let go her ear and went for her face.

    Seeing that Raeleigh still wasn¡¯t moving, Jephersonasked, ¡°Do you want this or not?¡±

    After asking that in a deep and husky voice,Jepherson¡¯shandsnded on Raeleigh¡¯s legs, rubbing them up and down. Every timeJepherson caressed her thighs, her whole body would tremble. To prevent herself from quivering, she had to hold his hands and stop him from doing so again.

    Jephersoncalmed down a little. He dropped his eyes to look at Raeleigh¡¯s hands and pressed her hands with his thumb, urging, ¡°Kiss me.¡±

    Raeleigh subconsciously looked at Jepherson,staring at him with disbelief in her beautiful eyes.Jephersontilted his head slightly and added, ¡°I have a flight to watch. Give me a reward before I go back.Statiate me. Otherwise, I will no longer be as easy to deal with.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned, ¡°You¡¯re despicable.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I act that way with my woman?¡± said Jepherson as he moved closer and touched her private part with his hand. Raeleigh immediately pressedJepherson¡¯shand and gave in, ¡°If you want to do this, you should close your eyes.¡±

    Jepherson pursed his thin lips and slowly closed his eyes.

    Raeleigh knew that Jepherson would not be deceived. She would suffer even dire consequences if she attempted to trick him.

    Raeleigh did not continue to hem and haw and she kissedJepherson¡¯s lips.

    Then, she left.

    Jepherson slowly opened his eyes. He originally intended to let Raeleigh go just like that, but those eyes of hers were too captivating, and her beauty was too alluring. He regretted his decision and wanted even more.

    ¡°A French kiss,¡± Jepherson¡¯s words were astonishing, causingRaeleigh¡¯s whole body to go stiff.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know how to.¡±

    To Raeleigh, that sentence of hers was like a nail, pinning her down.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jephersondid not give up. Although he could hear that Raeleigh was a little nervous and was trembling, he still held her in his arms and did not let her go.

    ¡°Hurry up.¡±

    Raeleigh bit her lip, insisting, ¡°I really don¡¯t know how to.¡±

    ¡°You can learn. C¡¯mere, I¡¯ll teach you,¡± Jepherson¡¯s voice was low and elegant, as if he had descended from the heavens. However, for Raeleigh, hesounded like a demon who had made her fraught with unease.

 Chapter 888 Jephersonâ€™s Return

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to teach me. If you continue to act like this, we shouldn¡¯t remain a couple any longer. You don¡¯t respect me at all,¡± said Raeleigh as she lowered her head. Jepherson gently rubbed her waist with his long hand, making her feel ufortable.

    However, Jepherson was incredibly patient despite her insistence.

    He looked at her for a while before saying, ¡°If you¡¯re breaking up with me because of another man, I will continue to treat you like this.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head to look atJepherson. How did he know what she was going to say?

    Was he so smart that he could discern her thoughts at a nce?

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and darted her eyes away without saying another word.Jephersongently patted Raeleigh¡¯s waist and held her in his arms. His desire had ebbed, but he still wanted more of her. He knew that what he felt was not pure lust, but more of a yearning for her.

    He genuinely had feelings for her, hence the yearning he felt.

    With him patting her constatnly,Raeleigh felt truly ufortable. She had no idea what the unforeseeable man in front of her wanted to do, either.

    Suddenly, Jepherson called out to her,¡°Raeleigh.¡± Stunned, shelooked at him. Jepherson smiled calmly and touched his lips, saying, ¡°Kiss me now. I¡¯m going to catch my flight soon.¡±

    ¡°Will you leave after I kiss you?¡± Raeleigh wanted to make sure that he would do so. Jepherson was too cunning. Others would use words to cheat, but Jepherson used his gaze. He could deceive people without even moving.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave once you kiss me,¡±Jepherson assured her with a calm smile.

    ¡°What if you don¡¯t leave?¡± Raeleigh needed even more confirmation.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t leave,then I¡¯ll stay behind to make a baby.¡± When Jepherson finished speaking, Raeleigh froze. She asked, ¡°Who are you going to do that with?¡±

    ¡°You.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh went silent for a while. She knew that she could not say anything that would annoyJepherson, as making him angry would only bring dire consequences.

    Others thought that Raeleigh was a person who possessed amounts of forbearance. Nheless, with her family background and upbringing,if she had not swallowed her anger,she would not have lived till then.

    Novalie had always reminded Raeleigh that just a touch of impatience could ruin great ns. Ever since she was a child, Raeleigh had been the target of bullying. If she did not endure such treatment, they would hurt her more.

    And so she endured it.

    Raeleigh failed to possess Scarlette¡¯s fearless personality. When she first metScarlette, she was unable to understand why both of them were orphans. However, she was always overcautious. No matter how much others bullied them, she could endure it because she still had her grandmother, and she knew that there was a bright future ahead of her.

    However, things were different forScarlette. Whenever she encountered a problem, her temper would be worse than anyone else. However, Raeleigh could not do the same.

    Later on, Raeleigh finally understood whyScarlette acted that way. Scarlette was not alone, butRaeleighonly had her helpless, weak grandmother.

    Raeleigh bowed her head and kissed Jepherson, not leaving immediately. Instead, she waited for Jepherson to open his mouth and kiss her lips. Indeed, Jepherson did exactly what he promised. With her lips still on his,Jepherson let her ride on him, straddling him. He hugged her body and kissed her very lightly. However, he would softly touch the tip of her tongue, varying between smothering her and pecking her.

    Raeleigh did not want to be entangled with him for too long as that would not do her any good. So, she closed her eyes and let Jepherson do whatever he wanted.

    Jepherson knew what she was thinking, so he gave her a chance. He held her tongue and sucked hard until she made a small sound, like a kitten begging for mercy. Only then did Jepherson let her go.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes slowly and stared atJepherson, whose ears were flushed scarlet.

    ¡°Can you let me go now?¡± Raeleigh intended to get up. However, Jepherson pulled her back and kissed her harshly. Raeleigh did not struggle against his hold, andJepherson eventually let go of her. Then, she covered her face and used another hand to button up her clothes. She had crossed the line by letting Jepherson touch her all over. Otherwise, she would not have made such a shameful sound.

    At Raeleigh¡¯s age, it would be a lie to say that she did not understand the love between men and women. At present, people, no matter how pure they were, knew about intercourse-even teenagers.

    Nheless, Raeleigh really did not understand things like that. She had no idea when Jepherson had put his hand in just then, and with that pinch, she grew even more embarrassed.

    Seeing that Raeleigh was buttoning her clothes,Jephersonalso tidied his shirt and let go of her.Jephersongot up, adjusted his clothes, turned around, walked to Raeleigh, and lowered his head, saying, ¡°I need to go back first, or Grandma will be worried. You stay here and recover. I¡¯ll contact you after I go back. Don¡¯t leave your phone behind. Contact me if there¡¯s anything. I¡¯ll visit your grandmother when I get back.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned, ¡°You¡¯re going to visit her?¡±

    ¡°Who else would do the same?¡±Jephersontook out his wallet and slid out a gold card from it. ¡°It¡¯s natural for you to use what¡¯s mine. Take this money, andI¡¯ll send the password.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want your money.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s instinct was to refuse him. She instantly gave the gold card back to Jepherson, taking his hand and stuffing the card in it.

    ¡°Take it,¡± Jepherson ordered Raeleigh, and she did. If Raeleigh failed to do so, unimaginable consequences would follow.

    Raeleigh put away the gold card.Jephersonturned around and walked towards the door, going out and waited. Raeleigh followed him out. Stuart lowered his head, not daring to look up.

    Jephersonhad frightened him so much just then that he did not dare to go over and take a look.

    Raeleigh blushed, not having the guts to look up.Jephersonstepped forward, followed by Raeleigh.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    When they arrived at the gate of the hospital, Jepherson stopped and turned to Raeleigh, saying, ¡°Take care of yourself.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her headas she replied,¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Although Jepherson was worried, he still left.

    Stuart then came out to open the door to the car. Jepherson sat down inside andmanded, ¡°Arrange a few more people to stay by Raeleigh¡¯s side and protect her. Make sure that Hadrian stays.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Mr.Jepherson,¡± Stuart agreed, getting into the car.Jephersonlooked towards the hospital. Even if he was worried aboutRaeleigh, he could not stay any longer. Quirina¡¯s face getting disfigured was no joking matter, so he had to attend to her.

    Jepherson flew back. On the same day, he was invited by the Moore family to be their guest.

    The moment Jepherson entered the door, he saw Marissa sitting on the sofa. She was waiting for Jepherson as well. When she saw him, Marissa patted the seat beside her.

    Jepherson walked over, and both of their subordinates retired. Stuart stood guard outside the door.

    Marissanced atJepherson. After all,he had gone through a lot. When she was younger, she hadn¡¯t understood Vivian. Since she was older at the moment, she finally understood it all.

    Marissa¡¯s current goal was simple, and it was to ensure that the Richards family got better and better.

    The Moore family was a renowned family in Capital City, but it did not mean that they could have everything in their own hands. A legal system still existed in their world.

    However¡­

    There was something else they could achieve.

 Chapter 889 Insulting Jepherson

    WhenJephersonsat down, he first greeted Marissa,¡°Grandma.¡± Marissawas actually satisfied. Back then, Marissa was actually jealous of how Hansen had treated Vivian. However, at her age, she finally understood why it was easier for grandparents to be on good terms with grandchildren.

    ¡°The Moore family¡¯s invitation is here. It¡¯s from Johan. How do you want to reply to it? After all, the Moore family is rted to your mother. Although we don¡¯t get along with each other, we still have to save face. Ihaven¡¯t toldyour parents about this, so you call the shots.¡±

    Marissapassed the invitation on the table to Jepherson. He leaned against the sofa, picked up the invitation, and skimmed it. It was a personal invitation from the Moore Family, which meant that the banquet was going to be in full swing.

    In other words,they had an ulterior motive.

    Jepherson looked at it for a while and set down the invitation.

    ¡°Grandma, what are you trying to say?¡± Jepherson knew quite well thatthere would be no return if they epted the invitation.

    ¡°Although the Moore family is no good, they¡¯re still your mother¡¯s family. Johan is your mother¡¯s great-grandfather. It¡¯s time for you, the very blessed grandson, to visit him. ¡±Marissathought for a moment and added, ¡°However, you have to take someone with you. I¡¯ll be worried if you go alone. No matter what, your mother is still a member of the Moore family. I don¡¯t know what they have done to be so blessed to have your mother as part of their family. As for the rest¡­¡±

    Marissa paused for a moment and continued, ¡°Of course, your grandparents are quite nice as well.¡±

    Jepherson wasn¡¯t fussy about the matter. As people aged, their words would grow harsher and harsher, but there was no actual malice behind them.

    Marissa looked atJepherson as she said, ¡°I¡¯ll call Mr. Whalen and ask him to go with you. If you don¡¯t like that, then¡­¡±

    ¡°Grandma, there¡¯s no need for others to apany me. I¡¯ll go alone.¡±

    ¡°Alone?¡±Marissalooked atJepherson. ¡°Are you sure you want to go alone?¡±

    ¡°Positive. I don¡¯t believe that I¡¯ll be bullied on my first visit to the Moore family. If they really dare to do so, they¡¯ll be the ones who will lose their dignity.¡±

    Marissathought for a moment, then she replied, ¡°You¡¯re right. The Moore family will have to uphold their own name, so they won¡¯t do anything malicious.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry about this. I will handle this.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go rest. I¡¯ll leave this matter to you. The young are surely fearless, huh. Don¡¯t worry, I will watch over you.¡± Marissa had long heard of Johan, but she had never met him.

    One reason was that she was not in Capital City. The other reason was that Johan was so old that he could note out and meet anyone easily.

    No one dared to look down uponMarissa¡¯s identity at present. However,she had been nothing in the first twenty years.

    ¡°I got it,¡± Jepherson agreed. Since Marissa had exined everything clearly, she returned to her room. After she left, he went back, sat down on the sofa, picked up the invitation card, and continued to read it.

    Stuart came in from the outside and asked, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, should we tell Mr. and Mrs. Richards about this?¡±

    ¡°No, I can handle this myself. If I can¡¯t, they will naturallye back to help me. Do you really think that the old man doesn¡¯t know what happened?¡± Jepherson put down the things in his hand and leaned on them with his eyes closed.Puzzled, Stuart asked, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, I lost you.¡±

    Jepherson said, ¡°It¡¯s enough for you to just listen. There are some things that you don¡¯t have to say when the time isn¡¯t right, even if that means that you have to keep it a secret forever. Remember that.¡± Stuart hurriedly nodded.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, will we go tonight? Do you need to rest?¡± Stuart was worried that Jepherson¡¯s body would not be able to endure the constant traveling.

    Jephersonanswered, ¡°I¡¯m going to rest for a while. Wake me up at 10 p. m.¡±

    ¡°Mr.Jepherson, the Moore family set the time to 6 p. m. Are we only going at 10?¡± Stuart failed to understand his motives.Jepherson nodded but did not exin himself. After that, he got up and went to his room. He entered the room and began to sleep. At ten o¡¯clock, Stuart woke him up. Then, he took a bath and changed his clothes. It was already midnight when they reached the Moore family.

    At the Moore family¡¯s entrance.

    Jepherson got out of the car and looked up at the gates of the Moore family residence. The Moore family was worthy of their reputation as a big shot in Capital City, as well as the reputable lineage in politics. Their houses alone were more luxurious and majestic than other families¡¯.

    However, the Richards Group Manor was notcking either. Jepherson¡¯s gaze was incredibly calm. As he was a person born with a silver spoon in his mouth, his reaction was expected to be one of surprise.

    Jepherson stopped as Stuart hurried to the door. He raised his hand and first pressed the doorbell, then stood at the door and waited for the Moore family members toe out.

    Jepherson nced at the time, not taking a step away. After waiting for a few minutes, no one from the Moore family came out. Jepherson turned around and was about to leave.

    At that moment, someone from the Moore family came out.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    The Moore family¡¯s butler hurriedly came out to open the door. When he saw Jepherson, he notified him, ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯rete. Old Master Johan has already retired to his quarters. Please,e in to rest.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. We¡¯ll head back to rest and get up early to visit.¡±Jephersonturned around and returned to the car. He sat in the car and picked up a book, reading it by the faint light in the car.

    The butler was already fifty years old. He had been with the Moore family long enough and had worked hard to reach such a position. It was not an easy feat.

    He looked at the unperturbed Jepherson in the vehicle and could not help but be worried for the Moore family¡¯s current generation.

    Among the Moore family, there was almost no one who could rival Jepherson. What else did he have to be afraid of?

    Stuart hurried back to the car, and the driver drove away. Jepherson put down the book and leaned against the seat, closing his eyes to rest.

    The Moore family¡¯s butler returned from the entrance and hurried over to Johan¡¯s side. Johan was old, but his health was still in good condition. At that moment, he was sitting on his bed.

    The butler entered through the door and hurried over to Johan¡¯s room. Johan¡¯s room was surrounded by members of the Moore family, including Yousif.

    They were all waiting for Johan¡¯s speech.

    The butler whispered something in Johan¡¯s ear. Then, he snorted, ¡°It seems thatJephersonis going to strike back.¡±

    The Moore family members lowered their heads one after another. Johan¡¯s savvy eyes fell on Yousif as he said, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault for bringing down the entire family and even letting Jepherson control us and act atrociously. You¡¯re so useless. You can¡¯t even deal with a kid.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,Grandfather.¡± Yousif was usually brave, but faced with Johan, he was as timid as a mouse. He did not dare to retort.

    Johan added, ¡°Since her facehas already been disfigured, give her the best treatment. Treat it to the best it can.

    ¡°No matter what, Quirina is still part of our Moore family. Just marry her to Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Grandfather¡­¡± Yousif suddenly raised his head. Johan had already closed his eyes in an unbothered manner. He raised his aged hand and waved outward, indicating to everyone to retreat.

    Yousif nced at the butler and thetter nodded. Yousif then led his men out one after another.

    No one said anything, but they knew in their hearts that Johan was deliberately insulting Jepherson.

    What else could he mean by betrothing a child, who was not even born from a mistress, to Jepherson?

    If that wasn¡¯t an insult, what else could it be? By doing so, Meica¡¯s status in the Moore family would drop even lower.

    Johan was killing two birds with one stone: He would ruin Jepherson and pile the mess on Meica.

    Yousif¡¯s mood took a turn for the worse. No matter how low Meica¡¯s status was, she was still the woman he had his eyes on. He possessed the authority to the current Moore family. He was only waiting for Johan to die before he could bring Meica into the Moore family.

    Nheless, with Johan¡¯s current ns, Yousif was thrown off track.

    Johan was not insulting Jepherson, but Yousif instead!

 Chapter 890 The Moore Family Rules

    The next day, at six o¡¯clock in the morning, Jepherson arrived at the Moore family¡¯s gate. He stepped out of the car and waited at the door for a while. Stuart went to wait for the door to open. When he came back to tell Jepherson, Jepherson followed the butler to Johan¡¯s ce.

    Johan was lying on the bed. The filial descendants of the Moore family gathered around him. Under the butler¡¯s lead, Jepherson strode into Johan¡¯s room.

    After entering, Jepherson let his gaze run across everyone present. He did not enter but waited for the butler to lead him in. The butler bowed politely and uttered, ¡°Mr. Richards, please follow me.¡±

    Finally, Jepherson walked to Johan¡¯s side. Johan opened his eyes and looked at Jepherson. ¡°You¡¯re Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡± Jepherson¡¯s attitude was cid, neither humble nor pushy. Johan eyed him for a moment and eximed, ¡°No wonder Quirina has done so many silly things. What a young and handsome man!¡±

    Johan coughed twice, as if he was on the verge of losing his breath.

    What kind of person was Jepherson? How could he not understand the meaning behind Johan¡¯s words? He did not reply but merely smiled. He swept hisunfathomablegaze over everyone present.

    Almost all of the Moore family¡¯s well-known figures showed up. It seemed like he came at the right time! He could finally experience it!

    ¡°Yousif, why don¡¯t you ask someone to get a chair for Jepherson?¡± Johan¡¯s tone was serious. If Johan had asked Jefferson to take a seat directly, that would bemon. However, he asked someone to get the chair for him.

    Of course, Jepherson understood that Johan was just deliberately showing off power as a warning.

    Nevertheless, he did not want to sit.

    Jepherson¡¯s handsome face was calm. The corners of his mouth twitched, expressing that he was smiling. He was in an excellent mood. He then looked at Yousif. ¡°No, I¡¯m good. I¡¯vee today to apologize for yesterday¡¯s incident. I¡¯ve dyed my time toe to the banquet because of some trivial matters. Pardon my ill manners. I had been punished by my grandmother after returning home. I came here early today to apologize to Old Master Johan.

    ¡°Old Master, you¡¯re already old. As a junior, I should havee early to pay my respects to you. However, I waste. I hope that you can ept my apology. I¡¯m just a fledgling and is still young, please go easy on me.¡±

    Johan¡¯s shrewd eyes nced at Yousif. Yousif personally took a chair and asked Jepherson to sit down. As usual, Jepherson should sit down. As for Yousif¡¯s status, even if he was rich enough to rival a state, he should show some respect to his politicians. Moreover, Jepherson was only the vice president of the Richards Group. Even if he took over the family in the future, he would not be able to grasp the fate of Capital City. It would be out of the question to reign the entire city.

    However,Jepherson¡¯s character far exceeded Johan¡¯s imagination. Even if Hansen himself came, he had to listen to him. He did not expect thatJephersonwould not give him any face at all.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to sit, and I dare not sit either.¡± Jepherson¡¯s words caused an uproar in Johan¡¯s room.

    Johan coughed twice. His savvy eyes had already sized up Jepherson.

    The younger generation was to be feared.Johan frowned and looked at the Moore family. In this generation, there were all girls, and the boys were all good-for-nothings.

    The reason for Jepherson to be this arrogant was also that he had the capital to be arrogant.

    ¡°Old Master, drink some water.¡± The butler hurried forward to serve him. Johan waved his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I know this body of mine. I don¡¯t have many days left to live.¡±

    The butler quickly added, ¡°You can¡¯t say that. You¡¯re in good health.¡±

    The surrounding members of the Moore family did not say a word as they lowered their heads slightly.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Johan had said the same thing for the past ten years, and here he was,still alive and kicking.

    ¡°You say that you don¡¯t dare to sit? Is there a nail on this chair?¡± Johan sat on the side. Although he was old and his face was full of wrinkles, there were two shrewd eyes.

    Jepherson nced at the chair. ¡°Because of what happened yesterday, I was punished by my grandmother to kneel on the ground for half a night after I went back. I didn¡¯t dare to move when I got in the car, and it was even more difficult for me to get off it. If the Old Master wants me to sit on the chair, I certainly won¡¯t stand.¡±

    Johan¡¯s heart was full of approbation. What an apudable young man. Hansen was a capable man. Like father, like son.

    If he were to make Jepherson sit down today, he would be considered bullying him. Jepherson came alone to meet him, even his followers were outside. This meant that he was well prepared.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee to juststand there. I¡¯m afraid that when you go back and tell your mother, it woulde across as I¡¯m bullying you. Anyway, the Moore family and your mother have some rtionship. Your ancestors are also my people. Although I am almost dying, I can¡¯t help but miss the past. When I see you, it¡¯s like seeing your ancestors, thinking about the past¡­¡± His words broke into coughs.

    ¡°Old Master, let¡¯s not talk about the past lest you be sick again.¡± The butler hurried forward to stop him. Jepherson understood what was going on. He did not say anything but just stood there silently.

    Johan had never brought up this matter. Now that there was an exception, the Moore family also understood what was going on.

    Johan looked at Jepherson for a while. ¡°Jepherson, I heard that Quirina-¡±

    ¡°Old Master, I came here today to exin this matter. Grandma has already taught me a lesson at home. I realized that it was indeed my fault. I also made Quirina feel ashamed. I should be responsible for this.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s words prompted Johan, as well as the rest of the Moore family, to stare at Jepherson. They were all thinking about this.

    Johan asked, ¡°What do you mean by this?¡±

    Was the Moore family still willing to submit to him with their status?

    Jepherson replied, ¡°Old Master, I¡¯ve already learned fromGrandma¡¯s edifying teachings. Since I¡¯m engaged to Deanna, I should announce it to the public. This way, I won¡¯t get into any misunderstanding.

    At times,Quirina can be a little willful, but she is too naive to do anything abominable.

    It¡¯s a pity that my family has already betrothed Deanna to me. Otherwise¡­¡±

    Following this subject, Jepherson continued, ¡°I know the rules of the Moore family. Everything must be done in an orderly manner.Quirinais not born of the eldest daughter, but her innocent temper is very pleasing. Nheless, sometimes I can¡¯t take care of her all, and I have to exin the Whalen family. Mr. Whalen is already angry about this matter. He thinks that I am not doing things fastidious enough, which led to today¡¯s misunderstanding.

    Grandma raked me over the coals pretty good,and she asked me to humbly seek out the Old Master¡¯s opinions on how to deal with this matter. I was also thinking about this matter. Firstly, the Whalen family had already interfered in this matter. Secondly, everyone knew that although my grandma changed her name, she was also a member of the Moore family. In addition, my great-grandma had high hopes for me. She didn¡¯t want me to decide my marriage at such a young age, and she didn¡¯t want me to marry more than one woman. She warned my father because of this matter too. My father had promised my great-grandmother that he would not allow me to marry twice.

    Old Master, I wonder how would you make a choice if it were you?¡±

    Yousif took a cold breath. It was obvious that Jepherson came here bearing bad intentions. The meaning of his words was that Rayan had already asked about this matter.Jepherson and Quirina were cousins. ording to the currentw, they were not allowed to be together. Besides, Hansen had also promised Lilian that he would not allow Jepherson to have more than one wife. If Jepherson wanted to have more than one wife, he had to ask for permission.

    Was Madam Lilian not Johan¡¯s daughter-inw?

    Yousif knew that Madam Lilian had some tricks up her sleeve. Furthermore, she had never taken a liking to the Moore family. He was not very sure about the details either.

    ording to Jepherson¡¯s words, he had Madam Lilian and Rayan to back him up. Either way, the Moore family would lose more than they would gain.

    During this period of time, Jepherson did not mention the rtionship between the two families, his parents, or his rtives. This meant that he did not recognize this ties in his heart at all.

    It was only then that Johan understood. What did Jephersone here for today?

    His face turned red.

    Johan stared at Jepherson for a while. Suddenly, he smiled. No one had ever seen such a friendly expression in the Moore family.

    ¡°Jepherson, Quirian isjust messing around. It is better not to be frightened by her. She is not the legitimate child. At her age, she is a bit willful. I have already asked someone to teach her a lesson. She is not with me. Shecks discipline and etiquette. You can rest assured that she will understand in the future.

    As for Madam Lilian, I haven¡¯t seen her for many years. I believe she will agree with you. It¡¯s a long story. Let¡¯s leave it here. We¡¯ll talk about it after your parentse back.¡±

    Jepherson did not reply and just smiled. He did not nod either.

    Johan nced at Yousif and the others. ¡°I¡¯m a little tired. I¡¯m not feeling well. Why don¡¯t you apany Jepherson to have dinner in the backyard?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Old Master,¡± Yousif answered in a hurry. He nned to invite Jepherson to dinner in the backyard. Jepherson simply raised his wrist and nced at him. ¡°My apologies, I still have something to do. I¡¯ll apany the Old Master another day.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson bowed politely and nodded his head to say goodbye to Johan. He did not wait for Johan¡¯s response and turned around to leave.

    Johan stared at Jepherson¡¯s carefree and untamed figure. His face revealed a hint of displeasure. He thought that Jepherson was an uppity child.

    After Jepherson left, Yousif went to Johan¡¯s side. Johan suddenly looked at Yousif and scolded, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault. You¡¯re entangled with such a woman and had such a child. Are you satisfied now?¡±

    Yousif lowered his head and did not dare to speak.

    ¡°Back then, you asked me to choose someone among you all. I chose you out of the consideration of the public. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so soft-hearted. You did such a thing for a woman. You have brought shame to the Moore family,¡± Johan said fiercely. Yousif still dared not speak, and the others in the Moore family remained silent too. Everyone was very clear why Johan liked Yousif. It was all because Yousif¡¯s father had been willing to take care of Johan. At that time, Yousif had stepped into the political circle, and Johan often gave him advice. In troubled times, someone had tried to assassinate Johan. Yousif¡¯s father had died on the spot because he had blocked Johan¡¯s deadly shot. That was how Yousif became what he was today.

    Yousif lowered his head,his face nched. He did not dare to say a word. In the end, Johan uttered that he was tired. He snorted, ¡°Since you can¡¯t let them go, you¡¯d better take care of them. If they bring shame to the Moore family next time, I won¡¯t tell you when I take matters into my own hand. If you can¡¯t do it, then you can only let others help you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Old Master. Your health is more important than anything in the world.¡± The butler immediately helped Johan lie down on the bed.The members of the Moore family also went down one after another. Yousif then turned around and left.

 Chapter 891 Scarlette Did Not Give A Chance

    Jepherson left the Moore family and returned to the Richards Group Manor. The first thing he did on the way was to callRaeleigh.

    Raeleigh froze instinctively when she answered the phone, nipping tothe bathroom. After that,Jephersonsent a text message to Raeleigh.From N?velDrama.Org.

    The content was very simple: ¡°Everything is in order.¡±

    Raeleigh did not reply. She felt that there was no need for her to reply him. Holding the phone, Jepherson looked out of the window with satisfaction, the expression of a young man who did not know worry.

    Stuart sat in front of him and asked, ¡°Mr.Jepherson, are you sure we don¡¯t need to tell anyone about this?¡±

    ¡°Stop meddling.¡± Jepherson nced at Stuart, his eyes full of contempt and impatience. He shifted his gaze away and continued to stare out of the window.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh came out of the bathroom and noticed that Scarlette was standing outside the door, waiting for her turn. When she saw Raeleighing out, she hurried in.

    Raeleigh could only shake her head, then went to the other side of the bed, lifted the quilt, and sat down on the bed.

    Raeleigh was an introvert. When others did not speak, Raeleigh could remain silent all the time. Even if others did, Raeleigh would make still her appearance inconspicuous.

    This was different from other girls. Scarlette loved to mess around with Deanna. On the other hand,Raeleighwas not like them, as she spent most of her time reading. It was as if there was a treasure in her book. WhenRaeleighread, she could be immersed in it for a long time. If no one disturbed her, she would be able to read without a care for the world.

    Zorion was not a person who liked to mess around, and Deanna¡¯s character was just the pr opposite of his. There were very few people they hade into contact with since childhood. As Deanna liked to y, Zorion would apany her. Deanna now had a new friend, Scarlette. Hence, she had long ignored Zorion.

    Zorion leaned on the bed, looking at Raeleigh. Raeleigh also felt that he was looking at her, and very intently at that. Nheless, she did not want to pay attention to it because she could not do much about it.

    It was time for dinner. Someone knocked on the door of the ward. Zorion stood up and walked toward the door. When he opened the door, Raeleigh also looked up.

    Zorion moved a little. The maid pushed the multiyered cart into the room from the door. Raeleigh put down the book in her hand and got out of the quilt. When she got down from the bed and took a look at it, she helped out.

    ¡°Let me do it,¡± Raeleigh said, as she was going to push the cart. Then, Zorion chimed in, ¡°It¡¯s ok. You stay put. You shouldn¡¯t be using your hand much.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at her bandaged hand. ¡°It¡¯s all right now. My hand has begun to recover these two days. It¡¯s a little itchy inside.¡±

    The purpose of Raeleigh¡¯s words was to make Zorion feel assured. On the contrary, Zorion¡¯s handsome face showed a trace of worry. He let go of the cart in his hand, took Raeleigh¡¯s wrist, and examined it. Then, he knitted his eyebrows tightly. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s ok. It might be lipoma.¡±

    ¡°Lipoma?¡±

    Zorion did not understand the corrtion between lipoma and it being itchy. He looked down at Raeleigh¡¯s mummified hand, with the bandages and all, then turned around and ordered, ¡°Call the doctor.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a while and followed him to the door.¡°Let¡¯s have our meal first. There¡¯s no need for us to go. My hand is fine.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be more at ease if we check it out. We can eatter.¡± Zorion was not very hungry. He turned to Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Are you hungry?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. She did not do anything all day. How could she be hungry?

    Their breakfast was at seven o¡¯clock. It seemed that all she did was eat, and she could have gained two pounds in the past two days.

    Raeleighknew thatZorion¡¯s family background was good. However, she did not expect that it was so good that several chefs would prepare their meals every day.

    Raeleigh could not imagine how Zorion and Deanna would react when they saw her life with Novalie. Moreover, she could not imagine what their world would be like.

    ¡°Zorion, is the food here?¡± Deanna had just gone to the bathroom with Scarlette. After washing her hands, she saw a cart and hurried over. She had been messing around with Scarlette the whole day, so she was hungry. Sometimes, she would feel hungry again after eating, unlike Raeleigh, who always sat quietly reading books. It would be strange if she did not gain any weight.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just food. It¡¯s a proper meal,¡± Zorion corrected Deanna. He thought that the way she said it makes it sounds inelegant..

    Deanna stuck out her tongue and wanted to start eating.

    ¡°Why are the both of you standing at the door?¡± Seeing that Zorion and Raeleigh were walking out, Deanna was full of curiosity.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You both can eat first. You can go too.¡± Zorion pointed in the direction of the dining cart with his chin, indicating that Raeleigh and Deanna were going to have dinner together. Raeleigh stood at the door without moving.

    Although Zorion was the same age as Raeleigh, as an elder brother, he had a glorious mannerism like an adult. In fact, Raeleigh appreciated people like Zorion very much. He was responsible and reliable.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait with you, or you can apany me there.¡± It was time for their meal. Zorion stood at the door of the ward waiting for doctors, which made Raeleigh feel sorry for Deanna.

    They were neither rtives nor friends, so there was no need to.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Whenever Deanna heard anything, she would ask for rification.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Deanna. ¡°My hand itches a little. It seems to be a lipoma. I want to visit the doctor to have it checked.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you eat first?¡± Deanna looked at Raeleigh with her big watery eyes. There was no doubt that she was innocent.

    Raeleigh felt happy and wanted tough whenever she saw Deanna. She did not know why, but she would always be in a good mood when she saw her. Perhaps it was because Deanna was harmless by nature. People whom Raeleigh had met since her childhood were so calctive and scheming. It seemed that as long as they were human, and as long as she knew them, everyone would approach her with a purpose. As such, Raeleigh would rather know no one. That was why she did not have any friends. As for those people, she kept a respectful distance from them.

    Zorion nced at the two people in the room. ¡°Wait for us. We¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s leave some food. We won¡¯t eat too much,¡± Deanna answered obediently, but she was famished.

    ¡°No, just eat. I¡¯ll take Raeleigh out to eat.¡± On the one hand, Zorion was worried that Deanna was reluctant to eat; on the other hand, he wanted to go out for a walk.

    He was always cooped up in the hospital, and it was taking a toll on his mental health even though he felt fine physically.

    Raeleigh¡¯s character was different from Deanna and Scarlette¡¯s:She was too quiet.

    Zorion intended to take Raeleigh out for a walk.

    Deanna replied with an understanding expression, and her big eyes rolled around.

    If it were during normal times, Deanna would make a fuss and tag along. After all, the Whalen family¡¯s siblings were like conjoined twins:They would definitely be together as they walked in and out.

    This time around, Deanna sat down and uttered, ¡°I¡¯m a little sleepy. I¡¯ll go to bed after the meal. You both can go ahead. By the way, send two more people to protect me.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go with Raeleigh.¡± Scarlette could see through Deanna¡¯s mind, which was all the more reason why she could not give Zorion the chance.

 Chapter 892 Zorion Had Nowhere To Spend His Wealth

    Jepherson was not there, so Scarlette could not allow Zorion to seed especially when she had not yet been punished for Raeleigh getting injured. If anything bad happened again, she would definitely be in big trouble.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. We¡¯lle back right after we¡¯ve seen the doctor.¡± Raeleigh did not intend to eat out. She did not take Zorion up on his offer. The fact of the matter was, she really did not want to eat out with him.

    Facing Zorion, Raeleigh was stressed out. She really did not want to go.

    Zorion did not press on the matter, and turned around to walk away. While striding away, he ordered, ¡°Call me if there¡¯s trouble. Take good care ofMiss Deanna. She is not to leave the ward. Keep your guard up against anyone nearby.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Zorion.¡±

    That attitude was nothing new. If Zorion was not by Deanna¡¯s side, he will fret particrly about anything happening to her.

    Raeleigh trailed behind Zorion. She could not care less about going out for food. Neitherwas she nervous that anything would happen to Deanna.From N?velDrama.Org.

    First, they went to the doctors, who had gathered around todeal with Zorion. After all, the sum of money involved was huge, and Zorion had brought so many people with him. It seemed to them that he was using his wealth to pressure them.

    The hospital was still extremely concerned and afraid of people like him!

    When Zorion pushed the door open, the doctors got up one after another.They felt anxious for some reason when they saw him. Even though their country once colonized Tambend, and most citizens looked down on Tambend citizens,an imposing air radiated from that young man, subconsciouslyhumbling them,

    Zorion entered and stood inside the room. One by one,all the doctors stood up.

    The doctor facing Zorion immediately asked, ¡°Mr. Whalen, is there anything we can do for you?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t my subordinates show up?¡± Zorion questioned, standing face-to-face with the doctor.

    Raeleigh stood behind him. She saw the terror in the doctors¡¯ eyes. It was evident that they were scaredof Zorion.

    ¡°Yes, they did. We are currently making preparations,¡± answered the doctor immediately. Zorion took a look at him and curtly replied, ¡°There¡¯s no need for preparations. I¡¯ve brought her here,so you guys check her out.Let me know if you need our cooperation on any issue.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at the handsome Zorion.He exuded the charm of a natural-born leader. It was as though he was royalty, and wherever he went, people should kneel at his feet.

    The doctors nced around. One of them stepped forward to Raeleigh and asked politely, ¡°Excuse me, is there any difort in your hand?¡±

    The doctor was a little distressed. Raeleigh¡¯s condition was easy to deal with under normal circumstances. They just needed to restore it back to usual.However, at present,Raeleigh¡¯s hand could not be operated on again. If anything urred to her hand, they could do nothing.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that the area that was operated on feels a little itchy, so we came over to ask what¡¯s going on,¡± Raeleigh spoke fluently in the country¡¯s nativenguage. It elicited a smile from the doctor, as though he was just granted amnesty. He told her, ¡°That¡¯s a normal symptom. The itchy feeling indicates that the area is healing. If it continues that way, we can remove the stitches in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Raeleigh asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, you can rest assured that Miss Anson¡¯s hand will make a full recovery soon.¡± The doctor went to exin to Zorion, who thennced at Raeleigh.Zorion asked, ¡°Is there anything that we need to observe?¡±

    ¡°As long as she follows our advice to avoid certain foods, that will be all.¡±

    ¡°I see. Let¡¯s go then.¡± Turning around, Zorion left the doctors¡¯ office and went out with hisckeys.

    After leaving the room, Zorion walked towards the elevator. Raeleigh¡¯s ward was in the opposite direction from the elevator. Zorion obviously did not intend to go back there.Following behind him, Raeleigh asked,¡°Do you really want to eat out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made arrangements.You don¡¯t want to?¡± Zorion turned around and asked. His eyes were long and almond-shaped, entuated with thick, ckshes.When he looked downwards,hisshes lidded his eyes perfectly. When he looked upwards, they formed a striking, deep ent to his eyes, making them look even more beautiful.

    Raeleigh stared at Zorion.In fact, she did not want to go at all.She replied, ¡°I want to go back to the ward and eat. With that amount of food,Deanna and Scarlette can¡¯t finish it. Besides, you brought along so many people just to have a meal. It¡¯s really unnecessary. This ce is also really far from any eatery. It will take some time to go there and back here again. We should eat here.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished what she had to say, she turned around and went back. Her words were not to negotiate with Zorion. They were to inform him that it did not matter to her if she ate in the hospital or at an eatery outside.

    Raeleigh had thought that the two girls could not finish that huge amount of food, but when she walked back, she saw that there was nothing left.

    Zorion stood at the door,his handsome face calm. It was Raeleigh who said she wanted to go back there.She could not me him if there was no food left.

    Raeleigh took a look and asked, ¡°You both finished the food?¡±

    Scarlette was a glutton. When Zorion was around, she certainly could not eat as much as she wanted. However, after Zorion left, Deanna ate without a care in the world.Hence, Scarlette also joined in to eat to her heart¡¯s content. In the end, both of them finished the food.

    Deanna had just exited the bathroom. Looking at Zorion and Raeleigh, her expression was bewildered. ¡°Why are you back? Have you eaten?¡±

    Zorion did not speak. His gazended on Raeleigh. Raeleigh knew that he was doing it on purpose, but it did not ruffle her.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t eat. We wanted toe back and eat with you, but you didn¡¯t wait for us. You even finished the food.¡± Raeleigh nced at the cart pointedly.

    Deanna did not feel the slightest bit embarrassed. After all, if one was hungry, they had to eat their fill.

    ¡°Then you should go and eat out with Zorion. We¡¯re resting now. Zorion, I want some fruit, so get some for me,¡± Deanna said. Zorion smiled and agreed amiably. Deanna pushed the cart towards the door, waiting for Raeleigh and Zorion to leave.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and took her mobile phone and wallet. Zorion waited a while at the door before they went out for dinner.

    When they stepped out of the hospital, the car designated for Zorion had already arrived at the doorstep. A man in ck opened the door.Raeleighbent down and got in first, followed by Zorion.

    Upon entering the car, Zorion ordered, ¡°Go downtown.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Zorion.¡± Raeleigh noticed that the driver and the car were both the same as before.

    Raeleigh frowned. It seemed that they had sent their own local car abroad.

    Just how rich was Zorion¡¯s family?

    The car drove smoothly to the location requested by Zorion. When it arrived, the car door was opened for them. Zorion walked out and looked at Raeleigh. Upon getting off, Raeleighrealized that they were already downtown. She just wanted to eat. She did not want to spend too much time there on it.

    They were led to a restaurant.Zorion walked straight into the premises, toting Raeleigh along. Besides the waiters, the ce was empty.

    Raeleigh stood at the door and stepped in after a long time.

    It was just a meal. Why was the restaurant that grand? Did Zorion have nowhere else to spend his money?

 Chapter 893 Odd Siblings

    Raeleigh had initially nned to pay for Zorion¡¯s meal, but she had not anticipated that Zorion would take her to such a fancy establishment. Not only that, he had even booked the whole restaurant.Internally, she was embarrassed, because she definitely could not afford to treat Zorion to dinner there.

    The manager went to escort them in person.Raeleigh and Zorion went to their reserved seats. Zorion pulled out a chair, and Raeleigh sat down on it. She lowered her head and ced the napkin on herp. Since they were already there, she might as well eat.

    Raeleigh was acting extremely calm. This sparked Zorion¡¯s curiosity.

    The menu was set down on their table. Raeleigh took a look at the options, and then then ordered two dishes ording to her tastes.

    The waiter left. Raeleigh, still sitting, observed the interior of the restuarant. It was a rotating restaurant, and they were on the first floor. Raeleigh was surprised that she could see the rotating design.

    Her eyes inadvertently took in every corner of the restaurant.

    The ce was divided into several sections by partitions. Raeleigh was seated the furthest away from its center, but it offered her a bird¡¯s eye-view of the entire establishment.

    Raeleigh observed the entire interior of the restaurant. The partition in the middle was decorated trendily. Since it was in the middle of the ce, the guests¡¯ attention would naturally be drawn to it. Raeleigh was no different. Her gaze did not leave the partition.

    She took a fleeting nce at Zorion, then got up to head there. Making a round to bypass the table, she stood in front of the partition, looking at the picture on it. The top was an abstract painting. Raeleigh could discern that it was just an ordinary abstract background with no special meaning. But a new model of a car was drawn on the canvas. Raeleigh had never seen that model. As she was a car designer, she remembered many car designs. Her excellent memory stored every single design that was out there.

    The car on the picture was not on the market. It signified that the car¡¯s design had not been put forth by the designer.

    There were two people in front of the car. A man was leaning against it. A womanwas sitting on the ground, either ying or holding a violin. Such an abstract painting would attract the attention of guests for sure. At the very least, they would wonder whether the girl was ying the violin or just holding it.

    Raeleigh had an idea. She looked at the painting for a while and whipped out her cell phone to take two photos. She intended to set it as her screensaver to study it and figure out what it meant.

    Raeleigh put the phone away and went back. The waiter had served the food she had ordered.

    Raeleigh sat down and began to eat. She ate quietly. It gave the impression that she was a particrly silent person.

    Zorion, too, did not speak while eating.

    Both of them were immensely satisfied with the meal. Afterwards,Zorion wiped his mouth and stood up, leaving the restaurantwith Raeleigh. Before he went outside the premises, a waiter delivered some desserts to Zorion. It seemed as though Zorion had booked the desserts in advance. Taking the desserts, Zorion handed them to his subordinates and got into the car with Raeleigh.

    The car gradually departed. Soon, they stopped at the entrance of a shopping mall. Some fruit stalls were set up there. Zorion alighted, went over, and began selecting various kinds of fruits. In the end, he bought a few and returned to the car.

    Raeleigh could not help but wonder about Zorion¡¯s upbringing.He spent money like it was nothing, but haggled over the price of fruit with the vendors nheless.

    Although Raeleigh was sitting in the car, she could not help but notice that Zorion was speaking the native tongue of the country with the vendor while selecting the fruits.

    Back in the car, Zorion put down the fruits and did not say a word all the way.

    It was surprisingly quiet inside the car. It was aforting kind of silence.

    When they reached the hospital, Raeleigh got off the car. Zorion did too, with the fruit and desserts in hand. Together, they walked into the hospital.

    As soon as the ward door opened, Deanna bustled out. Her sudden appearance shocked Raeleigh out of her wits.

    ¡°Did I spook you?¡± Deanna was like a child, with her big bright eyes boring intoRaeleigh¡¯s. It took Raeleigh a while to regain herposure. Her heart beat furiously.

    ¡°A little bit.¡±

    ¡°Next time you¡¯re spooked, you can throw yourself into Zorion¡¯s arms.¡± Deanna pointed to Zorion. Zorion nced at Raeleigh, without rejecting the proposition or admonishing Deanna for her nonsense.

    Raeleigh smiled and started saying, ¡°Mr. Whalen¡­¡±

    ¡°Call me by my first name.¡± Zorion¡¯s tone was cold andmanding, leaving no room for Raeleigh to refuse.

    Raeleigh subconsciously turned her gaze to Zorion. Deanna immediately piped up, ¡°Raeleigh, why are you calling him Mr. Whalen? It¡¯s like you¡¯re mocking him if you address him that way in this society.Zorion and I don¡¯t like others calling us ¡®Miss¡¯ or ¡®Mister¡¯, but we can¡¯t help it due to the many rules our family has. But you¡¯re our friend. You can¡¯t just address us like that and hurt our feelings.¡±

    Helpless, Raeleigh took in Deanna¡¯s pitiful expression. Her big eyes were brimming with innocence.Raeleigh had not meant it that way,but she realized it might have sounded like that when Deanna voiced her perspective.

    ¡°Deanna, I didn¡¯t mean that. I¡¯m just not ready to consider Zorion my friend. We¡­¡±

    ¡°Are we strangers?¡± Zorion suddenly asked. It perplexed Raeleigh. That had nothing to do with the matter at hand. But with the way Zorion put it, he linked the two issues.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hiding any secret meaning behind my words.I just addressed you ording to my subconscious. If you take offense to that, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Raeleigh was at a loss as to what to say, so she apologized.

    ¡°Is that a sincere apology?¡± Zorion did not let up. His tone betrayed his dissatisfaction.

    Deanna immediately tugged on Zorion and asked, ¡°Zorion, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Zorion looked at Deanna.¡°I¡¯m fine. She just pissed me off.¡±

    When he spoke to Deanna, Zorion was very gentle. He gave her a warm smile and was extraordinarily doting. On the contrary, when speaking to Raeleigh, his eyes were piercing.

    Raeleigh did not want matters to devolve into an argument. She continued to murmur, ¡°I sincerely apologize to you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking.¡±

    ¡°Zorion, you¡¯re pushing it. Raeleigh has already apologized to you. Why are you acting this way, making everyone unhappy?¡± Deanna was aware that Zorion was targeting Raeleigh. Raeleigh was not a fool, she knew that too.

    However, as an ordinary civilian, she was no match for Zorion.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already apologized. If you insist that I¡¯m not sincere, I can¡¯t do anything about it. I¡¯m going to take a quick bathroom break,¡± Raeleigh responded as she walked toward the washroom. Zorion¡¯s gaze did not leave Raeleigh as she walked inside the washroom. It was only when she went inside thathe put his arm around Deanna¡¯s shoulder, his focus returning to the ward. He handed the desserts to Deanna and said, ¡°These are for you.¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Zorion, did you go to our family¡¯s restaurant?¡± Deanna would always request her favorite dessert whenever they did. After she took it,immediately called Scarlette over.

    Raeleigh exited the restroom andlooked at the siblings. Shefinally understood why Zorion had booked the whole restaurant.

    ¡°Zorion, did you make sure to get a good price when buying these fruits?¡± When Deanna asked that,Raeleigh stood there in a daze. These siblings were an odd pair!

    They were the oddest of the odd.

 Chapter 894 Twenty Thousand Dollar Phone Charge

    Raeleigh looked at the pair of siblings in front of her for a while. Finally, she settled on reading her book quietly. The doctor examined Raeleigh again that night to make sure that everything was alright before they left.

    After the doctor left, Raeleigh¡¯s gaze flitted to her phone. If she did not return that week, what would happen on the weekend when she was supposed to visit her grandmother?

    Novalie would be worried.

    Raeleigh picked up the phone and made a long-distance call to Novalie. Novalie wouldunderstand if she exined it to her.

    The call connected. Although it was 4 a. m. in Tambend, Novalie had already woken up by that time.Raeleigh knew that she usually went to bed early and got up early too.When Novalie was young, she would go and collect recybles to earn a living. If she got upte, those bottles and cans would be picked up by others.

    Novalie had a habit of getting up early since her youth. It was an unbreakable one whichshe could not change afterwards.

    However,after she woke up, Novalie had broken her habit of going out to collect those recybles.After adopting Raeleigh, she did not collect recybles anymore for Raeleigh¡¯s sake. Children grew up too fast. If, after Raeleigh grew up,people found out that she had a grandmother who picked up recybles for a living,it would not reflect well on her.

    Even though Novalie did not care about the nature of the job, she was obliged to create a good environment forRaeleigh to grow up in. To that end,shewould do as much as she could.

    Novalie was resting with her eyes closed when her phone rang. No one else would call her other than the welfare institution of the districtmittee, andRaeleigh.

    Novalie fumbled to get her phone and answered the call.

    ¡°Grandma.¡± When Raeleigh talked to Novalie, her voice was child-like, like she was dependant on Novalie. It wasn¡¯t the same asDeanna¡¯s tone towards Zorion, but a softness and weakness within Raeleigh. Zorion never heard Raeleigh speaking that way usually.

    Zorion quietly watched Raeleigh.She was smiling blissfully.

    ¡°Something came up, so I went abroad with my friend.¡± Raeleigh paused for a moment after saying that. She was waiting for Novalie¡¯s reply.The reply seemed to havee, andRaeleigh uttered a sound of agreement. Then,she continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t want toe at first, but there were some matters that led to this..¡±

    ¡°Yes,I know. You may not be able to go back this weekend. Please take good care of yourself. Don¡¯t skimp when you want to buy anything; I have living expenses now.¡±

    Raeleigh was on the phone for a while. Novalie had absolute faith in Raeleigh, and reminded her to look out for herself. After hanging up, Raeleigh was mainly worried about the cost of the long-distance phone call.

    Sure enough, when the call ended, a text message came in.The phone was out of credit.

    Raeleigh held her cellphone. She was d that she had called Novalie.

    Zorion watched asRaeleigh let out a sigh of relief, then returned to being silent.

    Raeleigh put away the phone. Then, Scarlette walked over and asked, ¡°Is the phone out of credit?¡±

    Scarlette understoodRaeleigh well. Thest time she traveled with Jepherson, she did not top up her phone credit either. Scarlette really could notment much onRaeleigh. All she could say was, she was grateful that Jepherson gave her the phone.

    ¡°I don¡¯t make calls, so we won¡¯t need to worry about the credit yet.I¡¯ll top it up when we get back to Tambend,¡± Raeleigh replied Scarlette as she sat on the bed. It was dark outside, and Raeleigh did not give a second thought to the matter. However, her phone began ringing in the middle of the night.

    It was midnight, and the phone was going off in the room where everyone was asleep.Moreover, the ringtone was a luby. Anyone would be rattled by it.

    Raeleigh sat up, groped for her phone, and checked it. A notification showed that 500 dors had been credited to her number. Raeleigh held the phone, suspecting that it was Jepherson.

    Then,Raeleigh receivedanother message. It was another 500 dors. Raeleigh¡¯s cellphone kept ringing. Ten minutester, it amounted to 20, 000 dors.

    Sitting up on the bed, Raeleigh crunched the numbers and concluded that it was indeed 20, 000 dors.

    Everyone in the ward woke up due to the noise. Thest one to get up was Deanna. She rubbed her eyes, plopped onto the bed, and kicked her feet around,asking Raeleigh, ¡°Raeleigh, is your phone broken?¡±

    Raeleigh forced a smile. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Thenwhat happened?¡± Deanna stood up, trying to get a look. Raeleigh put the phone aside immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Scarlette knew what was happening. After all, she was the one who texted Jephersonabout it.Jepherson was really impressive. It was the middle of the night¡­

    Oh, right. It was daytime where Jepherson was.

    ¡°If it¡¯s nothing, then let¡¯s rest.¡± Deannay down again and pulled the quiltover herself.Raeleighy down as well, but she could not fall asleep.

    She set the phone to silent mode so that it would not make any sound. However, it kept going off,so Raeleigh had no choice but to check it again.

    Only then did she realize that that some of the money credited to her was from a different number.

    The number was familiar to Raeleigh, but it was not Jepherson¡¯s.

    Afterying down for a while, Raeleigh looked at Zorion, who was on the bed opposite her. He was awake and fiddling with his mobile phone.

    Raeleigh wanted to peek, but by then, Zorion had put it away,id down, and covered himself with the quilt to rest.

    Raeleigh did not fall asleep until the morning. Her phone was set aside.

    Deanna got up, took Raeleigh¡¯s cellphone and asked as she looked at it, ¡°Raeleigh¡¯s cellphone looks so new. Did she just buy it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been around for years.¡± Scarlette had just gotten dressed and came out of the washroom.Deanna turned around to look at her, and questioned again, ¡°How did you know that?¡±

    ¡°I asked her and she told me that.Look at it. The brand isn¡¯t viable anymore. You only think it looks new because she¡¯s frugal and barely uses it.¡± Scarlette did not hold back with her words.

    As soon as Deanna thought of her own expenses, she immediately looked up at Zorion and softly called out to him, ¡°Zorion.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zorion also wanted to get dressed. Since the room was unisex. they would need to go to the washroom to get changed.

    Zorion went to change, and Deanna followed him to the door of the bathroom. The door was closed, but not locked.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    ¡°Zorion, can I go in?¡± Standing outside the washroom, Deanna queried politely.Since they had been together since they were little and took baths together then, the siblings did not mind being exposed each other.

    However, when they were ten years old, Hannah had ordered that they were not to look at each other when they were undressed, especially if it was Deanna. If they did not properly wear their pajamas and pranced around in their underwear, they would be thrown into the sea to be shark fodder. Deanna had been very sorrowful because of that arrangement. Her sorrow persisted for a week. She even went to ask Rayan about it.

    Rayan did not exin it to her. He merely told her that it was a matter of courtesy. Even her parents would do the same thing.

    Later on, after Deanna grew up, she finally understood.

    However, Scarlette thought that it was extremely bizarre. There was a great possibility that this pair of siblings had some unspeakable secrets between them.

    Nheless, Raeleigh saw through it clearly.There was a line that could not be crossed, even between siblings. As the older brother, Zorion would take great care to observe those boundaries.

    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m changing into my pants, wait a minute.¡± Zorion¡¯s calm voice sounded as if he was coaxing a child.

    Scarlette stood aside and cast a coquettish nce at Raeleigh, ¡°It would be great if I also had such a brother.¡±

    It was a pity that Hadrian was mean! She could only envy the rtionship between Zorion and Deanna.

 Chapter 895 Dare Not Accept

    ¡°Come in.¡± After Zorion put on his pants, he spoke from the bathroom once more. Deanna pushed the door open and went in.

    Scarlette wondered if anything interesting was going on inside. She went over to try and peek, but the door was closed. No one could tell what they were discussing either, as there was no sounding from inside.

    When she heard footsteps heading towards the bathroom door, Scarlette walked back to Raeleigh¡¯s side and sat down. Raeleigh raised her head to eye Scarlette. There was nothing that piqued her interest.

    ¡°Raeleigh, we¡¯re going to the mall. Do you want to join us?¡± Deanna went out of the restroom and invited Raeleigh, who shook her head.¡°You guys have fun.I¡¯ll stay in the hospital and read.¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t do. If we go out and leave you alone in the hospital, there¡¯s no point. We might only return at night. If youe, you can roam around. Have you been here before? This city is lovely, especially at night. People fill the streets. We can share our joy with them. Unless you have none.¡± Deanna went on and on. Raeleigh gave it a serious thought while sitting on the bed. Evidently, Deanna wanted her to go out.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going. I don¡¯t have anywhere I want to go to.You guys can go without me.¡± Raeleigh vehemently refused.

    Deanna shook her head and started persuading her again, ¡°Raeleigh, you have to expand your horizons and see the world outside of Tambend. Only then will youe up with better designs.This country is really amazing, you know.¡±

    ¡°As I am right now, it isn¡¯t convenient for me anyway. Just go without me.¡± Raeleigh staunchly made up her mind not to go, but Scarlette on the hand was very eager to visit the shopping mall. She wanted to get aptop to game on as she had nothing to do. Apanying Deanna everyday got on her nerves.

    ¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t we go and have a look? I want to go too,¡±Scarletteurged Raeleigh. Raeleigh nced at her and answered, ¡°Youshould join them, Scarlette.I can take care of myself. If we all stayed here, there¡¯s nothing much we could do too, right?¡±

    Scarlettewas speechless. Whenever she proposed something to do with Raeleigh, Raeleigh would always have a retort to it.

    If Raeleigh did not go,Scarlette would notdare tag along.

    ¡°Deanna, you guys go. I¡¯ll stay here and apany Raeleigh,¡±Scarlettemurmured asshe waved, looking as though she was taking the high ground.

    A sense of unease twisted Raeleigh¡¯s heart.She couldn¡¯t let Scarlette stay with a clear conscience.

    ¡°Since it¡¯se to that, I¡¯ll go too.¡± Raeleigh got out of bed. Deanna immediately cheered up. She had been waiting for Raeleigh to agree.

    Deannaheld onto Raeleigh¡¯s arm. Her wide smile made her face flush red.

    Raeleigh nced at Scarletteand said, ¡°I¡¯ll go get dressed.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll wait for you,¡± Scarlette replied.Raeleigh loosened her arm from Deanna¡¯s grip and took a change of clothes into the bathroom.It was the same outfit as the one she wore when she arrived there.

    After she went out of the bathroom, Raeleigh set the hospital attire down. Zorion took a look at her. Her appearance was nothing special. Beautiful women came in hordes; Raeleigh was not the only one. Raeleigh¡¯s most striking feature was her indifferent, calm eyes.

    Her eyes were akin to a quiet pool of water, seemingly bottomless. They contained multitudes.

    Turning around, Zorion walked towards the door.Deanna, carrying her bag, tugged on Raeleigh¡¯s armand pulled her in the same direction.

    Raeleigh followed Zorion andDeannaout. They got in the car and headed straight to the local city center skyscraper.

    Raeleigh got out of the car and looked around. She did not like ces that were too shy, but asionally she would stop and observe the architectural style of the area.

    Standing there, Raeleigh tipped her head back to take a better look. Zorion began walking ahead of them.Deanna tugged Raeleigh along, withScarlette trailing behind. Some men in ck blended into the crowd, trying not to arouse suspicion.

    When they entered the mall, Raeleigh chose to tag along with Scarlette. However, Scarlette was an avid shopper. There was nothing that she wasn¡¯t interested in. At first,Raeleighwas following along by Scarlette¡¯s side, butter on she had to look around to find her.

    Deanna pointedly dragged Scarlette away from Raeleigh. Soon, Raeleigh was left alone.

    She was not the only one left behind. Zorion was there with her.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    Zorion followed Raeleigh all the time. Raeleigh was slightly disappointed at being left behind. She gave a helpless look at Scarlette.

    Well, who was actually in charge of protecting the other?

    ¡°Do you wantScarlette towatch over you all the time?¡± Zorion walked beside Raeleigh. He noticed every expression contorting Raeleigh¡¯s face.

    ¡°I just want to be with Scarlette.¡± Raeleigh thought over it and pursed her lips.

    ¡°If you lie, you¡¯ll be punished.¡± Zorion¡¯s reminder was a little odd. Raeleigh nced at him, but his face was expressionless as though he was dead serious.

    Raeleigh did not reply. She remained quiet.

    ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with Jepherson?¡± Zorion asked as he walked,his hands behind his back. His handsome face attracted the attention of countless people.

    It never urred to Raeleigh that Zorion would ask her that so bluntly, but she replied in the same blunt manner, ¡°It¡¯s not a real rtionship.¡±

    ¡°I can get my mind around the fact that he is pursuing you, since you guys are not in a real rtionship. But you didn¡¯t agree to it, nor do you have the intention to agree.So you had no choice but topromise?¡± Zorion¡¯s view was very objective. Raeleigh could not decline it outright. However,she did not have to reply. It was a private matter, regarding her rtionship. There was no needto tell anything to a third party.

    Raeleigh¡¯s silence left Zorion aloof.Hestopped in front of a store selling teddy bears and picked one. He bought it and gave it to Raeleigh, saying,¡°Hold it.¡±

    Raeleigh looked down at the bear in her arms, thinking it was for her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want it. You¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too highly of yourself. This is for Deanna. Hold it for me.¡± After saying that, Zorion put away his wallet and left the store.Raeleigh thought that it made her a silly spectacle.It was even more foolish that she kept holding onto it dutifully without passing it to Zorion.

    Raeleigh followed Zorion all the way to the third floor.

    Electronic products were sold everywhere on the third floor. Deanna was looking at a bunch of mobile phones, most of which were pink.

    ¡°Zorion,e and have a look. Which one looks best? I want to buy three. One for Raeleigh and one forScarlette.Scarlette said shedoesn¡¯t need anything. Can¡¯t you help me persuade her?¡± Deanna had actually intended to buy it for Raeleigh, which was what she and Zorion discussed in the bathroom earlier.

    Raeleigh also rejected the offer.¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you need it? Do you think my phone isn¡¯t good?¡± Deanna¡¯s face was ovee with bitterness. She looked pitiful.

    Zorion raised his hand to pinch her cheeks. ¡°That¡¯s enough.If you like it, then get it.¡±

    Zorion would always let Deanna have her way. As long as she liked it, she could have it. If it were within his ability, he would fulfill any request.

    Scarlette shot a nce at Raeleigh. ¡°Raeleigh, do you want one?¡±

    Raeleigh walked over and answered, ¡°My phone is still usable. It will be waste to buy one for me. Deanna, don¡¯t. Friendship is not something you buy with money.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m buying our friendship?¡± Deanna, who had looked cheerful earlier, now looked gloomy,miserable and pitiful.

    ¡°Zorion¡­¡±

    Zorion looked at Raeleigh, ¡°Money can¡¯t buy friendship, but it can test it.¡±

    After he said that, Zorion nced at the phones on the counter and selected three. ¡°Pack them up.¡±

    The staff nodded right away and requested Zorion to wait aside. Deanna was finally happy again. She took Raeleigh to the side as well.

    ¡°Raeleigh, we mean no harm,¡± Deanna exined as she walked. Raeleigh certainly knew that there was no malice in her words, but she dared not ept such an expensive thing.

    ¡°This isScarlette¡¯s.¡±Deannagave the phone toScarlette, who refused to ept it. She looked atScarletteand suggested, ¡°How about this? We¡¯ll yrock-paper-scissors,and you take it if I win. If I lose, we¡¯ll return it.¡±

    Raeleigh was taken aback at how stubborn and forceful Deanna could be.

 Chapter 896 Threat

    Scarlette thought for a moment, then asked, ¡°You¡¯ll honor your bet?¡±

    ¡°I never go back on my words. If you don¡¯t believe me,just ask Zorion.Every time we bet, I always keep my promise. Zorion, you can testify to that for me.¡± Deanna looked at Zorion, whonodded and said,¡°Yes.¡±

    Raeleigh eyed Deanna.To Deanna,perhaps Jepherson was not the most important person. It wasZorion. If she had to make a choice, Deanna would definitely choose Zorion.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±Scarlette doubted that she would lose.

    Raeleigh did not say anything. She turned her attention to Scarlette¡¯s hand. Deanna walked towards Scarlette without a care in the world.She put her little hand behind her and then dered, ¡°Let¡¯s get ready first. I¡¯ll count to three and then we¡¯ll show our hand.If you lose, you take the phone. If I lose,I will return it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t trust you to count.Raeleigh should be the one to do it.¡± Scarlette nced at Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh looked around. ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys not embarrassed at all for doing this in front of such a big crowd?¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Deanna could not care less about appearances when she was abroad.

    ¡°You count, Raeleigh,¡± Scarlette urged.Raeleigh gave another ce around them.¡°All right, you guys get ready.¡±

    Raeleigh was not hopeful at all.Deanna¡¯s countenance toldRaeleigh how confident she was.

    ¡°One, two, three.¡± Raeleigh counted steadily.Her unhurried manner made Scarlette feel that she should have let Deanna count. There was no purpose to ying like that.

    As a result, Scarlette lost.

    ¡°I won. The phone is yours.¡± Deanna took the phone and handed it to Scarlette.Scarlette was a prideful person, so she took it.

    She would honor their bet too!

    ¡°Raeleigh, it¡¯s your turn!¡± Deanna turned to Raeleigh. Raeleigh stood there for a while, then gave in. She told Deanna,¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s my loss. Give it to me.¡± Raeleigh extended her hands. Deanna¡¯s big eyes were glimmering. They formed a crescent squint when she smiled.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you know me too well. I can boldly tell you that I have never lost since I was a child. My mother said that I would lose one day.

    However, I haven¡¯t lost yet. I defeated both Zorion and Jepherson.¡± Deanna took Raeleigh¡¯s arm proudly. Raeleigh stared at Deanna, without saying anything. She had known it all along.

    People always had their unique strengths or points. Maybe Deanna had the ability to perceive what other people would show during arock-paper-scissors?

    It was hard to say.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Raeleigh asked, holding her new phone. Deanna looked up and answered, ¡°Let¡¯s shop around upstairs. Since we are all here,we should get a meal before going back.¡±

    Outside the store, Deanna waslike a wild little pony, running all the way furiously upstairs as she dragged Scarlette along with her. Raeleigh and Zorion were left behind once again.

    By the time Raeleigh arrived upstairs, Deanna had been standing in the jewelry area for a while, studying a pair of earrings with Scarlette.

    Raeleigh went with Zorion, but she did not look at the items. She had never been interested in these things. Even if she was interested, she could not afford it.

    ¡°Raeleigh, do you like it? I can get it for you,¡± Deanna implored as she tugged on Raeleigh.Raeleighshook her head and told her,¡°My ears are not pierced.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Deanna immediately looked at Raeleigh¡¯s ears and saw that her ears were really not pierced.

    ¡°Zorion, Raeleigh¡¯s ears are not pierced.¡± Deanna was so shocked, butRaeleigh did not think it was out of the ordinary at all.

    Zorion had also just realized that Raeleigh¡¯s ears were unpierced. Her pale ears were unmarred.

    ¡°Let me see.¡± Zorion put his hands close to Raeleigh¡¯s ears and brushed Raeleigh¡¯s hair back, taking a close look.Raeleigh blushed immediately as she was not ustomed to anyone touching her ears.

    ¡°There is nothing to look at.¡± Raeleigh reached upwards to remove Zorion¡¯s hand. Zorion smiled and teased her, ¡°Are you shy?¡±

    ¡°Zorion, why do you ask in that¡­¡± Deanna nced at Zorion and cut herself off.

    Zorion let go. He turned around to peruse the items on disy,but he was left displeased. Thus, he walked around the counter and peered at the other items inside.

    ¡°This.¡± Raising his hand, Zorion knocked on the counter. The sales assistant immediately took some bracelets out and set on the counter to show it to Zorion. Zorion picked one of the bracelets inside and walked to Raeleigh. He raised his hand to take Raeleigh¡¯s. Raeleigh put her hand behind her back and refused, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want such a valuable thing.¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    ¡°How valuable is it? Is it more precious than a kiss?¡± With those words, Zorion took Raeleigh¡¯s hand. What was Zorion talking about? Was he threatening her?

    ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood me.¡± It was obvious from Raeleigh¡¯s expression that she was ticked off. What happened that night was an ident. She had tried to forget it, but Zorion had gone and brought it up again then.Raeleigh was at a loss for words.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by that. If you don¡¯t like it, forget it.¡± Zorion put down the bracelet. He turned around, sweeping his gaze over everyone. ¡°Deanna, if you aren¡¯t going to buy anything, let¡¯s go out first and get something to eat.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Deanna rushed to Zorion¡¯s side and held his hand. ¡°Zorion, I want to eat your favorite foods.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    Deanna had always been perceptive of a person¡¯s speech and expression. Knowing that Zorion was not feeling his best, she went to coax him.

    The siblings went downstairs first, and Raeleigh followed behind.

    ¡°Raeleigh, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Scarlette asked. Although it struck her that something was off, it was not her ce to pry. However,Raeleigh really seemed quite upset.

    ¡°Nothing, let¡¯s go.¡± It took them some time to go downstairs. Raeleigh went for a toilet break midway, and Scarlette apanied her to the restroom. Hence, they were quitete when they met up with Zorion and Deanna again.

    Zorion was sitting on a chair with his legs crossed, with Deanna sitting beside him. They had not started eating as they were waiting for Raeleigh.

    Seeing Raeleigh, Zorion subconsciously uncrossed his legs.

    After that, he picked up the menu, and started ordering. As Raeleigh was not very hungry, Scarlette only ordered one dish for her.

    Before their meal, Deanna told Raeleigh, ¡°There are very few girls without pierced ears. I think you should do it. You¡¯d look even more beautiful if you did.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Raeleigh just smiled. The orphanage did not allow the children to pierce their ears. Novalie wanted to take her, but she had been afraid of pain since she was young. Through all that, they ended up not going.

    ¡°How does it not matter?Men prefer women to doll themselves up. Without earrings to essorize, it looks awkward.¡± Deanna was very serious. Her face was tense.

    Raeleigh fixed her gaze on Deanna and answered, ¡°Many earrings can be worn without piercings.¡±

    ¡°Then, are you saying that you don¡¯t want to pierce your ears?¡± Deanna¡¯s expression was stiff.She had never met a girl that did not prioritize her beauty. Raeleigh was a very strange beauty.

    ¡°Zorion, do you like girls without pierced ears?¡± Deanna¡¯s childish appearance tickled Raeleigh¡¯s funny bone. Her mood was slightly improved, but when she looked at Zorion, Raeleigh still felt displeased.

    She had not expected that Zorion would threaten her.

 Chapter 897 Nightmare

    The waiter served the food and politely greeted them before leaving.From N?velDrama.Org.

    Deanna tugged on Zorion.¡°Zorion, do you like that?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Zorion¡¯s gaze was fixated Raeleigh when he spoke. He thought that would elicit some reaction out of Raeleigh, but she just lowered her head and began to eat.

    Scarlette also tucked into the food. Matters seemed to be getting more and moreplicated. Scarlette was of the mind to report the matter to Jepherson.

    ¡°Raeleigh, Zorion likes it that way,¡± Deanna informed her proudly. Raeleigh did not answer. After eating, she took in their surroundings. She liked observing. Without observation, one would never notice anything. Only with observation could one find inspiration.

    Zorion did not eat much. He took a trip to the restroom after he was done eating. When he came back, Raeleigh was hanging around at the spiral staircase, looking at the crowd below. Scarlette and Deanna were examining their phones.

    Zorion walked toward Raeleigh, mimicking her posture, and looked down. ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much.¡±

    ¡°You say it¡¯s nothing much, but you¡¯re looking so attentively. What would you look like if it was really something?¡±

    Raeleigh gave Zorion a nce and turned to look at Deanna and Scarlette. She then said, ¡°What happened that night was a misunderstanding. If you misunderstood something, can I rify it to you?¡±

    Zorion let out a sudden bark ofughter. ¡°It¡¯s not a misunderstanding to me. If you think that a man¡¯s first kiss is a misunderstanding, then I can only shrug at how unlucky I am.¡±

    First kiss?

    Raeleigh looked at Zorion in surprise.Did he say that it was his first kiss?

    Zorion turned to face Raeleigh. ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of pain, it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t pierce your ears.¡±

    After he said that, Zorion swiveled around and walked back to Deanna and Scarlette.He sat beside Deanna and watched her fool around with her phone. Raeleigh was a little stunned. It was Zorion¡¯s first kiss?

    Raeleigh faced away from them. She wanted to escape somewhere, but her feet remained nted to the ground there the whole time.

    Deanna finally got a handle on how to use her new phone. She walked to Raeleigh¡¯s side and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Raeleigh was caught off guard.Her face drained of color, as if she had been caught stealing.

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you okay?¡± Deanna asked hurriedly. Raeleigh shook her head and replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. You must have been frightened by me. You¡¯re too timid. I won¡¯t be that brash next time.¡± Deanna felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just dizzy after standing for too long. It¡¯s too high up here. Come on, let¡¯s go back.¡± Raeleigh stepped forward. Deanna hurried to chase after her, hugging the teddy bear that Zorion had bought for her.Raeleighwas particrly quiet on the way back. Her mind was upied with the incident that night.The mess was only getting messier.

    After returning to the hospital, Raeleigh went to lie down first. As her hand could note in contact with water, she did not intend to shower. Even if Scarlette offered to help, she would not do it.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to shower?¡±Scarlette asked, seeing that Raeleigh was lying down.

    ¡°No. You guys can go ahead.¡± Raeleigh was feeling downcast. When she thought of the fact that it was Zorion¡¯s first kiss, her emotions went into turmoil. She put the quilt over her head to go to sleep.

    Deanna asked, ¡°Raeleigh¡­ what¡¯s up?¡±

    When Deanna talked, she would drawl like a child. Raeleigh would ordinarily answer her, but she could not do it that day.

    Raeleighy under the quilt and said, ¡°The light is too bright. I want to rest. You guys should rest too.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll suffocate inside there. Be careful,¡± Deanna reminded her.Then, she walked away, taking off her clothes for a good rest.

    After the light in the ward was turned off, Raeleigh uncovered her face and stared at the moonlight outside the window in a daze. She knew that it was a misunderstanding, but she was still unable to rest well. In the end, she went sleepless the whole night.

    Raeleigh was obviously in a bad mood in the morning. When Deanna brought her food, she questioned, ¡°Raeleigh,you didn¡¯t sleep wellst night?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m feeling slightly homesick. I wonder when we can return.¡± Raeleigh ate without looking up. Zorion, opposite her, keptstaring at her. Raeleigh could feel Zorion¡¯s gaze on her even if she did not look up.

    ¡°How about I goask the doctors when you can be discharged?¡± Deanna quickly finished her meal and got up. She went to inquire about Raeleigh¡¯s discharge date with the doctors, and soon returned.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I have good news for you. We can leave the hospital today,¡± Deanna told her, her eyes wide open.

    ¡°We can?¡± Raeleigh had to admit that it was a piece of good news which excited her,but in the next moment¡­

    ¡°However, there is a condition,¡± Deanna immediately followed up the good news with that.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°We have to return this time next week to remove the stitches.¡± Deanna had quizzed the doctors thoroughly.

    Raeleigh¡¯s gaze fixed itself on Deanna. What kind of good news was that?

    It would take 24 hours for them to return. Furthermore, she would have to deal with jetg due to the timezones.Then, she would need to spend another 24 hours to go back to that hospital. Raeleigh could not envision any benefit to that torment.

    Raeleigh sat down. When she waspletely worn out, she said, ¡°Then we¡¯d better not go back to Tambend. Let¡¯s wait until the stitches are removed.¡±

    She had already informed Novalie that she would not be back that week. There was no need to rush to return the week after.

    Since Raeleigh was already there, she might as well stay and make the best out of it. There was no challenge that was insurmountable.

    Raeleigh cheered up when she thought of it that way.

    Deanna responded with an ¡®oh¡¯ and sat down. Perhaps it was in her head, but Zorion had reacted poorly, as if he did not want Raeleigh to return to Tambend.

    The ward was quiet for a time.When she got out of the bathroom,Scarlette felt that something was off with the atmosphere, but she felt at ease as she had already informed Jepherson about the situation there.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I bought aptop. Why don¡¯t we y some games?¡± Scarlette took it out, but Raeleigh showed no interest in it. She said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to y. I want to go downstairs for a walk.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything to see downstairs?¡± Although Scarlette was not in the mood to go out, she put theptop down when she saw Raeleigh¡¯s expression. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I want to walk alone.¡± Raeleigh stood up and put on her shoes. Scarlette followed worriedly. Deanna also stood up, ready to go out with them.

    Since so many people wanted to tag along, Raeleigh stopped in her tracks.

    ¡°All right, we¡¯ll stay here.¡± Scarlette realized that Raeleigh felt a little ufortable. She had just wanted to go for a walk but she would have that many people hovering around her. Thus, Scarlette allowed Raeleigh to go alone.Anyway, there were people around downstairs.

    Raeleigh then left out the door. There was nowhere in particr that she had in mind. She trotted downstairs towards the yard, finding a bench to sit on, in a stupor.

    Someone passed by and kicked a football toward Raeleigh. Raeleigh looked at it and picked up the ball to give it to the kid.

    The child smiled innocently. Raeleigh stared at the child. Suddenly, she recalled something from her childhood. It was the fire.

    When she thought of it, her face became pale. Too many people had died, too many people. If Novalie did not save her from that ce while she was passing by, she would have been like those children, burned to death.

    Raeleigh did not want to find out about her past. She just wanted to live quietly without anyone bothering her.

    However, one could not erase what had happened. The sudden fire waslike a nightmare that Raeleigh could not escape from.

 Chapter 898 Horrible

    Raeleigh did not know when Zorion had sat down beside her. She had been off with her thoughts alone for quite a while. She did not know how long Zorion had been there. He was just there whenshe came to her senses.

    Raeleigh raised her head, seeing Zorion there. It caught her by surprise and she did not react for a while. By the time she regained herposure enough to react, Zorion had already turned to look elsewhere.

    Raeleigh was engrossed in her stupor for so long, it was as if she had lost her mind!

    After staring agape for quite some time,Raeleigh finally asked, ¡°Why are you sitting in silence?¡±

    ¡°Should I be in high spirits?¡± Zorion retorted immediately. Raeleigh had never offended him, yet Zorion made it a point to antagonize her from the start.

    Raeleigh looked away and decided not to speak further. Otherwise, he would say something that would make her want to crawl into a hole somewhere.

    ¡°Let¡¯s date.¡± What Zorion said caught Raeleigh off guard. At first,she did not hear it clearly. After she grasped what he said, she turned to Zorion and asked dumbfoundedly, ¡°What?¡±

    Raeleigh thought she had misheard.

    Zorion did not say anything. He looked around and turned to kiss Raeleigh on the lips. Raeleigh stood up subconsciously. She was not angry. She was frightened.

    Zorion pursed his lips after that kiss. He faced away, looking at the other side as hesat there gracefully.

    Raeleigh raised her hand to wipe her mouth then walked away.

    When Zorion looked back, he noticed Raeleigh escaping in a hurry. He suddenlyughed and covered his mouth. Then, he shouted at Raeleigh. His loud and powerful voice filled the area, echoing within the vast expanse.

    Raeleigh stopped and faced Zorion, who was then standing opposite the bench. Zorion was smiling. He blinked, thenlooked around and walked towards Raeleigh. Raeleigh stood there and stared at him. She asked, ¡°What do you want to do?¡±

    ¡°I want to love you!¡± Zorion answered very frankly. His reply flusteredRaeleigh. She could not help but yell, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking nonsense. It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t ept it. I want to love you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t love me then.¡± As Raeleigh was about to leave, Zorion raised his hand to take Raeleigh¡¯s arm. Raeleigh lifted her hand to hit him, but Zorion grasped her hand, not allowing herto do so.

    Zorion did not do anything futher. He merely held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and dropped his gaze. ¡°I mean no harm. I don¡¯t want to force you into anything. Since you aren¡¯t receptive, you can turn a blind eye to it. However, I won¡¯t let you escape easily.¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Zorion released his grip and stepped around Raeleigh. Raeleigh followed him. Zorion suddenly halted, but he did not look back. He put his hands in his pockets and said, ¡°If you love Jepherson, and he loves you back, ifyour feelings are mutual. I can stop. It¡¯s a gentleman¡¯s choice.

    However¡­¡±

    Zorion turned around and stopped in front of Raeleigh. ¡°If you don¡¯t love Jepherson, or ifJephersondoesn¡¯t love you enough, I am your ¡®however¡¯.¡±

    Zorion returned to the hospital. Raeleigh watched his retreating figure as he left.She did not go back as it would make her feel uneasy.She found a seat nearby with less people around and went back to her thoughts.

    Raeleigh¡¯s mind was thrown into a whirl. She was not sure what had happened.

    It was nightfall when Raeleigh got up from the bench and walked back. When she arrived at the ward, Deanna was waiting for her at the door. She looked at Raeleigh strangely and asked,¡°Raeleigh, what¡¯s up with you? Why did youe back sote? Is there something wrong?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head and answered, ¡°I just wanted to breathe in some fresh air. The hospital smells awfully of disinfectant¡­¡±

    Hearing what Raeleigh had to say, Deanna raised her hand and sniffed at herself.¡°Hmm, I guess you¡¯re right, but we have to persist for another week. Just one more week.¡±

    Raeleigh was dragged into the room by Deanna. When she entered the room, Raeleigh took a look inside the ward. Zorion was not there, so it put her at ease.

    Back on her bed, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Zorion?¡±

    ¡°Zorion went outto ask the doctors if there are any special precautions we have to observe. If not, we¡¯re going to the hot springs. I heard that hot springs promote one¡¯s blood cirction. There is a natural hot spring here.Zorionand I used to go there often. This time, we¡¯ll go together, and Scarlette too.¡±

    ¡°Hot springs?¡±

    ¡°The hot springs here have the effect of healing and rxing the nerves. Many people from all over the worlde here for them.Zorionand I havee here once a year since we were ten years old. You see,Zorionand I have good skin. My mom said that hot springs are good for one¡¯s beauty.¡± Deanna was saying astounding things.Raeleigh certainly did not believe it, but she did not say anything.

    ¡°I won¡¯t go. The wound hasn¡¯t healed.It won¡¯t be good for me if ites into contact with water.¡± Raeleigh rejected her directly.

    Deanna began to look at Raeleigh bitterly. Raeleigh continued, ¡°You¡¯re an adult. Could you not treat me like this? I won¡¯t go. The surgery is expensive. I don¡¯t know when I can pay it back to you. Do you want me to owe you one more favor? How about I go and watch you guys instead?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, we aren¡¯t even sure if we can go or not. Zorion has to find that out from the doctors.If they say no, then you can¡¯t go, and we won¡¯t go either. When you¡¯re well, we¡¯ll go together.¡± Deanna was determined to go to the hot springs. Scarlette realized that the girl had ulterior motives.

    Scarlette sent a text message to Jepherson, informing him about the situation there.

    ¡°Don¡¯t wait for me. I¡¯m fine alone. I don¡¯t like to the hot springs either.¡± Raeleigh exined again and again. Deanna had her own point to make in reply.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you only don¡¯t like it because you haven¡¯t been before. You will know after you give it a try.¡± Deanna vouched for it. Raeleigh firmly decided not to go, but she did not continue refuting.

    The door opened and Zorion walked in. Deanna saw Zorion and ran over. She took Zorion¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Zorion, what did the doctor say?¡±

    ¡°Not now. We need to wait until she removes the stitches.¡± As Zorion spoke, he nced at Raeleigh, who was reading a book. She had no interest in looking at Zorion.

    ¡°Let¡¯swait until then.¡± Deanna let go of Zorion, turned around, walked to Raeleigh, and read her book after seeing that Raeleigh was reading too.

    Over the next few days, Raeleigh¡¯s hand continued making a smooth recovery, but on asion it felt itchy and prevented her from sleeping.

    The others were all sleeping. She was the only one in a daze.

    It was really a burden. Why did she get injured? She went toElkton University with a schrship to study. Why did it feel like she went there to fight with her ssmates?

    Raeleigh was a quiet sort of girl, but what really left her speechless was seeingthat Zorion was still not asleep at midnight. Zorion saw Raeleigh looking at her hand.He got out of bed and poured her some water to drink.

    ¡°It will be better if you drink some water.¡± Zorion handed the cup to Raeleigh. Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Zorion, who appeared in his pajamas in the darkness. It did not take her by surprise, it was more urate to say that it was terrifying.

 Chapter 899 God! Save Her!

    Raeleigh got up from the bed and put her phone under the pillow. Although Deanna had given her a new phone, she did not use it and kept it aside. She continued using her own phone.

    For the past few days, every night, Jepherson would send her a text message. It was the weekend.Jepherson had mentioned that he went to visit Novalie. Raeleighwas waiting for a text back.

    Raeleigh put down her phone and sat up, takingthe water. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Zorion pulled a chair and sat face to face with her.

    There were four people in the ward. The other two seemed to be asleep, but in fact, they were all feigning it. No one was sleeping. They were just pretending to be asleep.

    Holding the cup, Raeleigh drank the water. Zorion leaned against the wall and asked, ¡°You get text messages every day. Who is it?¡±

    ¡°A friend.¡± Raeleigh took a look atDeanna, who seemed to be sleeping.She would have to turn her phone off,orDeannawould find out about it the next day.

    Raeleigh was in a dilemma. Even though she knew thatDeannaliked Jepherson, she was still entangled with him. She did not know whetherDeannawould hate her if such a thing were exposed.

    For Raeleigh, it was torture.

    Was Zorion reminding her about a certain thing, by mentioning it deliberately at that time?From N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Your hand will be fine in two days. Let¡¯s go to the hot springs,¡± said Zorion.

    Raeleigh held onto the cup of water. She knew that it was not a malicious invitation from Zorion, but it was not offered out of kindness either. Since she was threatened in that fashion, it was definitely not goodwill.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Raeleigh had no choice. It was impossible for her to refuse.

    After drinking, Raeleigh set the cup aside. Then, shey on the bed. Zorion stood upright and bent down to cover Raeleigh with the quilt. The words which left Raeleigh were unnatural for her.¡°I don¡¯t need your help. My hand has almost recovered. Thank you for your care.¡±

    ¡°I hope you get it in your head that I regard you as someone special.¡± Zorion snatched his hand away and went back to his bed. He got out his phone and looked at it while lying on the bed. He sent a text message to Raeleigh. Raeleigh¡¯s cell phone rang, and she got out her phone too. Although she thought it was Jepherson, she could not rule out the possibility that it was Zorion. She opened the phone and found that it was indeed a text from Zorion.

    ¡°Stop texting Jepherson every night. I don¡¯t like it.¡± Though it was just a text message, Zorion¡¯s overbearing tone betrayed what he was about to do.Raeleighthought about it for a while and replied to the text, ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. Jepherson and I will clear things up,but it¡¯s not because of you.¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to get up from the bed now?¡± Zorion replied.Raeleighlooked at him. He was also looking at her.Although it was dark in the ward, there was moonlight outside the window, bright enoughfor her to see his expression.

    Raeleigh read the text and typed, ¡°You¡¯re pushing it. I didn¡¯t offend you. I told you it was a misunderstanding.¡±

    Zorion received the text. He then got up and walked towards Raeleigh. He lowered his head to kiss her, making her tense up with fear. Her phone nearly fell to the ground.

    Zorion left her bedside and watched her. Raeleigh stared at him wide-eyed, as if she could not process what had just happened.

    ¡°Are you¡­ insane? How could you do that to me?¡± Raeleigh muttered in a trembling voice.Deannaopened her eyes wide and turned around, looking at Zorion.

    Scarlettewas scared out of her wits. If Jepherson knew about thister, would he kill her?

    Scarlette shifted in her bed. Raeleigh turned slowly to look at the two who were eavesdropping, then faced Zorionand raised her hands to hit him. Zorion gripped her hands and warned, ¡°Don¡¯t do it again. If you don¡¯t listen to me, the oue will only worsen. I can¡¯t control what I¡¯ll do. You should cooperate with me.¡±

    ¡°Lunatic.¡± Raeleigh pushed Zorion away forcefully, got up and went to the bathroom with her phone. She squatted down inside.

    Zorion walked to the door of the washroom and waited for her. He knocked on the door and asked, ¡°Are you not feeling well? I¡¯m going in.¡±

    Zorion twisted the door lock. It was then thatScarlette turned on the light in the room. She rubbed her eyes as she got out of the bed and walked toward the bathroom, looking at Zorion there.¡°Are you going to the bathroom, too?¡±

    Zorionughed out loud. ¡°No, I¡¯m waiting for Raeleigh. She¡¯s inside.¡±

    Scarlette¡¯sheart was pounding wildly in her chest. She did not even dare to look directly into Zorion¡¯s eyes. His eyeswere even more terrifying than Jepherson¡¯s.

    ¡°Raeleigh is inside?¡±Scarlettelooked back at Raeleigh¡¯s bed. Then she turned back and said, while looking at Zorion,¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ming out.¡± Raeleigh opened the door from the inside. Seeing Raeleigh walk out, Scarlette immediately rushed in and mumbled, ¡°Me first.¡±

    The door closed, and Scarlette hurriedly patted her chest. It was too terrifying!

    Raeleigh took a look at Zorion. It was obvious that he had already washed his face.

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Give me your phone.¡± Zorion reached out. Raeleigh put the phone behind her and raised her head to stare at him. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for my grandmother¡¯s call. Don¡¯t be like this.¡±

    Zorion retracted his hand and said, ¡°Rest early.¡±

    Zorion went back to his bed to lie down.When Scarlette came out of the bathroom,Raeleigh was already lying down. Deanna was facing elsewhere, not daring to interrupt Zorion¡¯s pursuit of Raeleigh.

    Even though it was a bit hard to understand,Deannawas still quite happy. After all, there was some progress.

    Scarlette returned to her bed andy down. ¡°Raeleigh, my heartbeat is erratic. Do you think that there¡¯s a problem with my heart?¡±

    Raeleigh had shut her eyes and was about to fall asleep. She pried her eyes open and turned to Scarlette. ¡°Are you really not feeling well?¡±

    Raeleighwas about to get up as she saw Scarlette nodding. Then,Scarlette added, ¡°I¡¯m just a little bit scared. Why don¡¯t youe over and sleep with me?¡±

    Raeleigh sat up,got out of the bed, walked towardScarlette¡¯s bed.

    That time,Scarletteheld onto Raeleigh¡¯s waist as theyy down.As they were both rather slim girls, the bed was enough to amodate both of them.It was not a tight squeeze at all.

    Raeleigh knew thatScarlette was helping her, so she turned to hug Scarlette.Scarlette ced her arms around Raeleigh, so Raeleigh was in her embrace. That way, no one would notice that she was texting on her phone.

    Deanna sat up in a daze. She rubbed her eyes, turned back and looked at Zorion pitifully. ¡°Zorion¡­¡±

    Her tone was soft. It seemed thatDeanna was veryaggrieved.

    Zorion looked at Deanna. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Look atScarlette. What is she doing? I also want to sleep with Raeleigh.¡± Deanna was secretly sulking. It was unfair that Scarlette was able to hug Raeleigh to sleep. It should be Zorion instead!

    Scarlette chimed in, ¡°I¡¯m scared I can¡¯t sleep.¡±

    ¡°Go to sleep.¡± Zorion got out of bed too. He tucked Deanna back in, covering her with the quilt. He patted her through the quilt. Deanna lookedat her Zorion with sufferance. Zorion continued patting her and coaxed, ¡°Go to sleep.¡±

    Deanna held Zorion¡¯s other hand and closed her eyes to sleep.

    Scarlette let out a weak breath. God! Save her!

 Chapter 900 Novalieâ€™s Call

    Zorion only left Deanna¡¯s side when she had fallen asleep.He went back to his bed andy down. He sent a text to Raeleigh, which read, ¡°Sleep early.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at the message, but she did not reply. She was worried that it wouldnd her in trouble.

    At three o¡¯clock in the morning, Raeleigh¡¯s phone suddenlyrang. Raeleigh picked it up right away and sat up under the quilt.

    From the other end of the line came Jepherson¡¯s elegant and deep voice. ¡°Your grandmother has something to say to you.¡±

    Then, Novalie¡¯s voice chimed in from over the line, ¡°Raeleigh, is your hand better? Why didn¡¯t you tell me the truth? When will you change your habit ofkeeping silent about major matters, even though you willingly admit to minor issues? Always reporting good news but not the bad news. Do you want me to worry about you?¡±

    ¡°Grandma, it¡¯ste. Why are you still awake?¡± Raeleigh was ticked off, but she did not me Jepherson for it. She had actually wantedto tell Novalie about her hand, but she decided to tell her when she returned. However, Jepherson told her in advance. It seemed thatJepherson had his own thoughts on the matter.

    ¡°It¡¯s already evening here. Are you confused? It should be three o¡¯clock there, right?¡± Novalieughed from the other end. She was also sizing up the person drinking water in front of her, the onewho had been hanging around her the whole day, Jepherson.

    When Novalie went out in the morning, she met Jepherson. He was driving a very luxurious car. As Raeleigh was taking a car design course,there were some books about cars in her house. Novalie did not know where the books came from, but she would still flip through them when she had nothing to do.

    That kind of car was expensive. It couldamodate a lot of people.A chauffeur would drive it while his boss lounged in the backseat.

    Jepherson was dressed up, and had impable manners. He was not an ordinary person. Novalie could tell at a nce that he was not just anyone.

    However, where she lived, there were no rich people. To put it bluntly, it was not much better than a slum.

    Novalie had intended to buy two buns and a bowl of soup. Before she could go far, she was stopped by Jepherson, who went up to her.

    Jepherson exined that he was there to meet someone as per a friend¡¯s request. He wanted to ask Novalie about the person.

    Novalienaturally asked who he was looking for.Jepherson answeredthat he was looking forRaeleigh¡¯s grandmother. He also said that he was a friend of Raeleigh.

    Novalie thought about it for a moment and admitted that she was Raeleigh¡¯s grandmother. She asked who Jepherson was, and Jepherson mentioned that he was just a person who came over to see her.Then, the chauffeurbrought some fruits out of the car.

    He did not bring anything else except thefruit. Jepherson even told Novalie that he was there since the early hours of the morning, as early as four o¡¯clock, but he had not been able to find her so he kept asking around.

    Novaliecertainly did not believe it fully, but Jepherson added that he had yet eaten anything.Novalie had not eaten yet either, so she went to buy breakfast with Jepherson in town.Novalie informed him that she was going to buy buns and soup. Jepherson disclosed that he had never eaten those before and wanted to try them.

    Novaliereturned, hobbling with a cane that was evidently not the best.Jepherson did not say anything then. He carried the food back toNovalie¡¯s house. After entering, he did not act like a rich young master at all, andserved the food for her. He acted perfectly, without a single misstep.

    Jepherson was not picky with his food either. He ate two buns and a bowl of soup.

    Novaliewas used to a in and simple lifestyle. She did not know anything else but that type of food.

    As for Jepherson, he finished eating andmented, ¡°It¡¯d be even better if there was some salt in it.¡±

    Novalieunderstood that the soup as it was was in and tasteless. It was already a miracle that he ate it, something that wasn¡¯t easily faked. Furthermore, he had evenmented on the food.

    Novaliedid not ask any questions. If they were just friends, Jepherson would not havee to her ce. The fact that he was so calm after he came meant thatJephersonalready knew Raeleigh¡¯s family background.

    Novalie did not ask why he came or what he was going to do during the visit. Jepherson was frugal with his words too, until after they were done eating, when he asked Novalie whethershe was used to living at that ce. He even asked if she had the habit of walking around the neighbourhood.

    Jephersoncame from a rich family, but he was very gentle when he spoke. It was like listening to a charming aria which soothed the heart.

    He did not put on airs and even helped with the house chores. He cleaned up some parts of the houseand he also tidied the master bedroom.

    At noon, Novalie wanted to make lunch.Jephersonapanied her to the nearby vegetable market. They bought some meat, vegetables and eggs.

    Whenthey were preparing lunch, Jepherson cracked the eggs with the ir of a professional chef.Novaliewas a little dumbfounded. Was he a renowned chef?

    He made seafood chowder, grilled some meat, roasted some vegetables, and fried eggs.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    The main dishes were all prepared by Jepherson.Novalieonly prepared the pasta.

    While they were eating,Novalielooked at the dishes on the table and asked, ¡°Does your family run a restaurant?¡±

    Jepherson answered that his family was in the automotive design industry.

    Novaliethought that it was because of Raeleigh¡¯s good grades that the automotivepany wanted to sign an agreement to work with her in advance. That was how she understood it at first.

    However, Jepherson informed that he did note there for work. Simply put, it was because hewas Raeleigh¡¯s friend.

    Jepherson had even read a lot of Raeleigh¡¯s books.Novalie realized that he really was not there for work purposes.

    At around three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Jepherson left the house.Novaliethought he left for good, but not long after, he came back. He took some woodworking tools and got off the car. His chauffeur carried a piece of wood.

    At first,Novalie did not know what was going on. Later, she noticed that he was actually making a crutch for her, all by himself.

    Novaliedid not know what kind of wood was he using. ording to Jepherson, he had spent fifty dors on it at the market.To Novalie, it was not a cheap purchase.However, it was definitely not an expensive purchase forJepherson.

    The olddy could not give 50 dors to Jepherson.

    Jepherson busied himself with making the crutch for Novalie the whole afternoon, and stayed for dinner.

    They did not cook anything new up for dinner. They heated up the leftovers from lunch to eat.

    Novalie was embarrassed, but Jepherson assured her that he was the same when he was at home. He also told her that his mother was very frugal, and she had told them that if they did not finish the food, it would go bad the next day.

    After eating and tidying up, Jepherson did not intend to leave. It seemed that he wanted to stay there with her. Novalie took out Raeleigh¡¯s quilt and told him that Raeleigh rarely stayed there. But it turned out that Jephersonjust wanted to stay by her side, regardless.

    Jepherson only went to Raeleigh¡¯s room when Novalie mentioned that she rarely stayed at that house.

    That was not the end of the matter.

    Jepherson told Novalie about Raeleigh¡¯s situation. He did not exin the details but told her that Raeleigh¡¯s hand was hurt. It was no big deal, but she needed the surgery.

    As Raeleigh was an excellent student,a subsidy from the school covered her surgery abroad.

    That was what was going on. To reassure Novalie, Jepherson made a call to Raeleigh. Hence,Raeleigh received a call from Novalie then.

 Chapter 901 A Mess

    ¡°It¡¯s already the evening,¡± Raeleigh said, giggling like a child. ¡°I forgot.¡±

    ¡°Is there something else that you¡¯ve forgotten? How¡¯s your hand?¡± Novalie looked at Jepherson, then focused on chatting with Raeleigh. As usual, Raeleigh only told her the good news while leaving out the bad news.

    Of course, Novalie did not believe it for a second. However,since matters had already transpired, what she said wouldn¡¯t change anything. She will only be able to find out what really happened after Raeleigh returns.For now, she could only ask cursorily over the phone.

    ¡°My hand is fine now. I¡¯ll be back in a few days.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re abroad now, so I can¡¯t help you with anything. You have to take care of yourself, don¡¯t put yourself down. I know how you are. You¡¯re now an adult, and I trust you a lot. I¡¯m just worried because you always avoid the important matters and only face the trivial ones. Patience is a virtue, but there is also a limit to that.¡±

    Novalie was the one who brought Raeleigh up. She knew Raeleigh¡¯s character inside and out.Raeleigh was someone who could endure any hardship.

    Because of that, Novalie felt that sometimes it was extremely difficult for Raeleigh. Her heart ached at the thought of it.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can look after myself. Grandma, I think you¡¯ve forgotten that I¡¯m an amazing person.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, how are you feeling?Have you been eating properly?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Novalie didn¡¯t mention Jepherson. Raeleigh was currently abroad with an injured hand. Instead of going to Raeleigh, this stranger in front of her hade here. Since Raeleigh didn¡¯t bring it up, she must have her reasons.Novalie was not anxious to uncover them. She knew that the truth would be revealed to her sooner orter.

    They continued chatting for a while before hanging up. Raeleigh put the phone down and leaned against the headboard. She couldn¡¯t sleep.

    Scarlette was sitting up in bed, andDeanna and Zorion were also awake.

    Raeleigh nced at them. She was neither a coward nor a weak person. The world was ruthless. Even if you were weak, no one would pity you. So, she couldn¡¯t be weak.

    Raeleigh continued sitting in bed for a while. When she saw that it was still the early hours of the morning, shey down and shut her eyes.

    Deanna got down from her bed and walked to Raeleigh. She lowered her head and looked at Raeleigh for a while.¡°Are you okay, Raeleigh?¡± asked Deanna.

    ¡°I miss my grandmother.¡± Raeleigh opened her eyes and looked at Deanna. Deanna mulled over how to respond and finally said, ¡°I miss my mother too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. If it wasn¡¯t for me, Zorion and you wouldn¡¯t havee here; if we hadn¡¯te here, we wouldn¡¯t be feeling this way.¡± Raeleigh felt quite guilty.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. We¡¯re doing it willingly. It¡¯s true. I¡¯m thrilled to have you as my friend. I never had any friends since I was a child. Those who got close to me always had ulterior motives. If it wasn¡¯t to curry favor with me, it was to curry favor with my parents. They all approached me with hidden agendas. They yed with me and always let me have my way. Raeleigh, I don¡¯t like such friends. I like friends like you,someone who knows how to respect boundaries and isn¡¯t interested in climbing the socialdder.¡±

    Raeleigh was chagrined when she heard what Deanna had to say. She felt bad and quickly sat up. Scarlette didn¡¯t lie back down either.

    Scarlette had her own thoughts on the matter. Raeleigh was too soft-hearted. If things went on that way, she would end up giving Jepherson to Deanna sooner orter. Deanna was too good at ying mind games.

    Scarlette was well aware that this kind of harmless person was the most lethal, because menand women alike would feel sorry for them.

    Although she saw through it all, she couldn¡¯t do anything about it. After all, Deanna was not doing it intentionally. Deanna really liked Raeleigh.

    ¡°Deanna, I know that you treat me as a true friend, and I also know that you want me to ask you for help when I¡¯m in need of it.I understand all this.

    Actually, I didn¡¯t have friends while growing up either. The people around me all antagonize me. They got close to me just to bully me. Only you are different. You have no ulterior motive in befriending me either. I can¡¯t help but feel guilty because you¡¯re so kind to me.

    Deanna, I know that you see things in a very innocent and sincere light. I truly want to be friends with you, but could you please give me some time, and just let me be a sincere friend too?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, you¡¯re already a sincere friend, truly.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°No.¡± Raeleigh shook her head and forced a smile. She was afraid that Deanna would be sad. She wanted the best for Deanna, but she couldn¡¯t give her that now. She wanted to sort out her affairs first and then be friends with Deanna.

    Zorion knew from Raeleigh¡¯s words that she cared about them.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. Did you befriend me because of some hidden agenda?¡± Deanna turned around and looked at Zorion, disappointed etched across her face.

    ¡°Deanna, I don¡¯t know how to exin it to you, but that thought never crossed my mind. It¡¯s just that I need to conceal certain things from you for now because I don¡¯t know how to exin them to you. I¡¯m worried you¡¯ll be hurt.So, please give me some time. When I¡¯ve settled everything, we¡¯ll be friends.¡± Raeleigh knew that what she was saying sounded absolutely ridiculous andughable.

    Jepherson was Deanna¡¯s weakness. She liked him so much that she wanted to be with him all the time, even in her dreams.Then there wasRaeleigh dating Jepherson behind her back. Even though Raeleigh was an unwilling party, even if she broke off the rtionship, would Deanna really forgive her? The answer was a simple ¡®no¡¯.

    Howughable.

    ¡°Raeleigh, what are you hiding from me?¡± A little scared, Deanna took Raeleigh¡¯s hand.

    Raeleigh knew that Deanna was starting to suspect her.

    ¡°Deanna, I¡¯m¡­¡± Raeleigh wanted to tell her the truth, but she felt Scarlette nudging her and her voice trailed off. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Deanna nced at Scarlette. ¡°Did the both of you get close to me deliberately?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Scarlette answered immediately. Deanna shook her head, left them, and went to Zorion. ¡°Zorion.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with them, and Raeleigh didn¡¯t lie to you. I did some investigating and found that Raeleigh was referring to something else. Jepherson is Raeleigh¡¯s boyfriend in name, and you like Jepherson.Raeleigh was talking about that.¡± Zorion gave Deanna aforting pat on the shoulder so that she wouldn¡¯t feel sad about it. Deanna looked up at Zorion and asked, ¡°Is that true?¡±

    Zorion nodded, his gaze flitting to Raeleigh. Raeleigh felt powerless.Now that Zorion had put it that way, it was evenmore difficult for her to rify things.

    Raeleigh said nothing. Deanna faked a smile andwalked to Raeleigh¡¯s side, holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand as she sat down. Her mood changed as fast as the weather.

    ¡°Raeleigh, if it was because of that, I should apologize to you. Think about it. Quirina hates you because she knows that Jepherson likes you. She always causes trouble for you. In this case, if Quirina found out that the one Jepherson likes is me, wouldn¡¯t the person she hates be me instead? Then, even if Quirina is afraid of Zorion and doesn¡¯t dare to do anything to me, who knows if she will do something behind my back? Right?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. She looked at Zorion. Her mind was getting more and more confused. It was all a mess. Who knew that she would feel so sad?

 Chapter 902 Mixed Bath

    Raeleigh finally nodded. Pleased,Deanna smiled and said, ¡°So, it¡¯s me who owes you,Raeleigh. We¡¯ll begood friends. I¡¯ll make it up to you and treat you well. Okay?¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s rest.¡±Deanna was about to hop onto Raeleigh¡¯s bed whenScarlette stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t. I don¡¯t like youing here. It¡¯s already a tight squeeze for both of us, so don¡¯t even think about joining in.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t you just sleep in my bed?¡± Deanna said, tugging on Raeleigh¡¯s arm.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t refuse Deanna, soshe said, ¡°How about I sleep in my own bed? Scarlette, it¡¯s dawn already, so you should be able to sleep now.¡±

    Raeleigh wrested her quilt from Deanna and she went to lie down on her own bed.

    At first, Deanna remained silent, but her eyes glittered with a calctive look. Raeleighy down on her bed.Scarlette thought that Raeleigh would get some restsince she stayed up all night. Anyonewould feel tired after staying up all night. Scarlette decided not to go over and bother her.

    However,once Deanna saw Raeleigh lying down, she immediately grabbed her quilt and went to lie by Raeleigh¡¯s side.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes and looked atDeanna, who was hugging her like a pillow, just like how Scarlette was just now.

    Deanna was slightly thinner than Scarlette,which is a result of herbeing pampered since young.Deanna had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth; she didn¡¯t even need to lift a finger to do anything.

    In Novalie¡¯s words, Deanna was frail and weak.

    ¡°Deanna,¡± Raeleigh called out, nudging Deanna. However, Deanna gave no response. Sheid there obstinately, unwilling to go.

    Amused, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Do you want to strangle me?¡±

    It was only then that Deanna loosened her grip.Furious, Scarlette raised her hand and smacked her own forehead twice. Was Deanna trying to torment her? Scarlette thought to herself.

    Was Deanna sent by the gods to punish her?

    The gods must have sent Deanna to make her life harder!

    Plopping back on her bed, Scarlettepulled her quilt up over her head and let out a frustrated scream.

    Raeleigh turned towards Scarlette, wondering if she had gone crazy.

    Zorion hadn¡¯t rested all night either. After giving some instructions, hey on his bed right away.

    The four of them slept the entire morning. After lunch, Raeleigh would be getting the stitches on her hand removed.

    The doctors filed into the room. Raeleigh was ready.

    Unexpectedly, she wasn¡¯t nervous. As a doctor began removing the stitches from Raeleigh¡¯s hand,Deanna started to get nervous.She held Zorion¡¯s hand tightly, staring at Raeleigh¡¯s hand all the while.

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes lit up and she looked up at the doctor in front of her with amazement. Zorion watched her closely and didn¡¯t miss any of her expressions. Raeleigh was pleasantly surprised. She hadn¡¯t expectedthe back of her hand to recover that quickly.

    When it was done, the doctors congratted Raeleigh and themselves in session.They had lived up to Zorion¡¯s expectations. They couldn¡¯t bear to imagine how Zorion would have treated them if they had failed.

    ¡°Thank you all,¡± Raeleigh said gratefully as she looked at her hand.

    The doctors left. There were only a few people left in the ward. Deanna hugged Raeleigh, jumping up and down in delight.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t disy any response of delight. She smiled, but she didn¡¯ugh as high-spiritedly as Deanna did.

    Scarlette rubbed her temples in irritation. Having to put up with the cheerful Deanna must be torture for Raeleigh.

    To celebrate, Deanna suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hot springs.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Zorion and agreed helplessly, ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Deanna was overjoyed that Raeleigh had agreed to it. Deanna pulled Raeleigh behind her as she led the way,impatient as ever to go to the hot springs.

    Raeleigh had never been to the hot springs and Deanna had to guide her on what to do.Meanwhile, Zorion trailed quietly behind them.

    They had to take a shower first. After the shower, Raeleigh put on the loose clothing provided and followed Deanna out. Zorion had also changed into loose clothing after his shower.

    They met at the entrance to the changing rooms. Raeleigh¡¯s clothes were white with a watercolor pattern on it. They revealedher pale calves and legs.

    They had removed their shoes before entering the hot springs. Raeleigh¡¯s feet were thin and pale, and her calves were smooth and delicate.

    The oversized clothes emphasized Raeleigh¡¯s slight figure.Her forearms were exposed, showing herfair skin and delicate hands. Her face had just been washedand her hair was held back with a w clip. Overall, it gave her the look of an elegant woman, one that wouldeasily win a man¡¯s heart.

    When Zorion saw Raeleigh, shewas with Deanna. However, she kept her head lowered. Her reluctance to look up and her flushed face meant she was probably embarrassed. She was not as calm and indifferent as Scarlette, nor was she as cheerful and bubbly as Deanna.

    When Deanna saw Zorion, she immediately ran over and grabbed his arm. ¡°Zorion, look at Raeleigh. Doesn¡¯t she look good?¡±

    Zorion looked at Deanna first, then he turned to Raeleigh, not saying a word. His bottomless dark eyes betrayed his thoughts, even without him doing anything.

    Zorion took a step towards Raeleigh. Raeleigh looked to the side. She didn¡¯t know why Zorion¡¯s presence made her ufortable. Was she afraid or was it something else? Raeleigh wondered.

    If it was because she was being coerced, well, Jepherson was more of a master at that. However, she didn¡¯t fear Jepherson at all.

    Zorion was different.Even the thought of him caused her to tense up.

    ¡°Look at me.¡± Zorion didn¡¯t like it when Raeleigh avoided his gaze. He loved looking at Raeleigh¡¯s eyes. They were bright and clear, yet unfathomable.

    Raeleigh turned and looked up at Zorion. Before she could say anything, Zorion had already raised his hand to grab her chin, angling her face upwards. He fixed his gaze on her wless countenance, wantingto examine it carefully, but Raeleigh pushed his hand away.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to go soak in the hot springs? Let¡¯s go.¡± Raeleigh made her way towards one side of the hot springs, but Deanna hurried to catch up with her and said,¡°Raeleigh, we¡¯re not going here. We¡¯re going to the other side. Zorion has booked the pool over there. Come, let¡¯s go for a soak together.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Together?¡± Raeleigh¡¯s head snapped around and she stared at Deanna. Deanna nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, all four of us.¡±

    ¡°Four of us? It¡¯s a mixed bath?¡± Raeleigh thought she had misheard.

    Deanna nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    Terrified, Raeleigh stared at Deanna and Zorion in disbelief. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    ¡°Do I scare you that much?¡± Zorion asked, looming over Raeleigh. Raeleigh took a step back hurriedly. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer.¡±

    ¡°What if I insist?¡± Zorion stepped forward again, forcing Raeleigh into a corner.Raeleigh nearly tripped from fear.

    If Zorion hadn¡¯t caught her in time, she would have definitely fallen to the ground.

    Raeleighwas about to push him away whenhe bent over and picked her up. Then, he turned around and walked towards the bathing pool with Raeleigh in his arms.

 Chapter 903 Twisted Personalities

    ¡°Zorion, what are you doing?¡± Raeleigh¡¯s face was drained of color from the shock and she grabbed at Zorion¡¯s clothes, demanding an answer from him. However, he didn¡¯t even have time to answer her because his clothes were of such a loose fit that they were practically being pulled off him under her tight grip.

    Raeleigh caught a glimpse of Zorion¡¯s body under his clothes andlet go immediately, as if she had been scalded.

    Zorion lowered his head to look atRaeleighand pinched her hard. He didn¡¯t answer Raeleigh¡¯s question. Instead, he looked down at his clothes, which were nearly falling off.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you taking things too quickly?¡± The moment Zorion said this, Raeleigh blushed with exasperation and said hotly, ¡°Put me down. I can walk by myself.¡±

    ¡°If I do that, you¡¯llwalk right out of here.¡± Zorion chuckled and raised his eyebrows at her questioningly, then he looked ahead and walked straight through the door towards the hot springs.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    Hot steam swirled up from the baths and gently enveloped them. Raeleigh was taken aback by how misty it was. She couldn¡¯t see anything.

    Zorion lowered his head to look at Raeleigh. ¡°Although it¡¯s a mixed bath, there is a screen in the middle. We can choose to keep it up or down when we get into the water.

    When I was a child, my family bathed openly. As we grew older, the screen was only removed after we got into the water.

    The steam here is so thick that no one can see anything, even if you¡¯re naked.¡±

    Zorion ced Raeleigh back on her feetand Raeleigh took several steps back hastily. At the same time,Scarlette and Deanna came rushing up to them.

    Deanna was the first to reach Raeleigh andshe couldn¡¯t helpughing. Raeleigh blushed and turned to look elsewhere, saying, ¡°It¡¯s too hot. I don¡¯t want to be here¡­¡±

    ¡°Come on. It¡¯s just for a little while.¡± Deanna pulled Raeleigh towards the bath and forcefully removed Raeleigh¡¯s clothing.Scarlette was rendered speechless by this. Underneath the loose fitting clothes, Raeleigh had a bath towel wrapped around her,but she still felt as though she was stark naked.

    Deanna was used to that kind of thing. Moreover, Zorion was her brother, so it didn¡¯t bother her in the least. She took Raeleigh¡¯s clothes and handed them to Zorion, ¡°Zorion, put these over there. Raeleigh¡¯s too shy.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say a word. She lowered herself into the hot spring bath, her hands over her chest. What else could she do? Let others see her in her birthday suit?

    Zorion gazed at Raeleigh, smiling happily.

    Deanna raised her hand to nudge Zorion. ¡°Zorion, you won¡¯t stop doting on me in the future, right? You¡¯re smiling like a fool!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. Go on, then.¡± Zorion turned around and ced Raeleigh¡¯s clothes inside the locker. He closed the door and took off his clothes. Then, he put them into a locker too.

    Zorion had a bath towel around his waist, so he wasn¡¯t fully exposing himself.

    Scarlette followed Deanna over to the lockers. They also removed their clothes and ced them in the lockers.The bath towels they were wearing underneath covered them nicely.

    The two of them went into the hot springs together. Scarlette sighed to herself. Zorion was really something else. She worried about Jepherson¡¯s reaction if he found out about this little incident. Would he kill her?

    Scarlette felt that the only thing she had gotten out of this trip abroad so far was a constant fear for her life.

    Raleigh huddled in a corner of the bath after getting in. She wasn¡¯t a good swimmer. She had learned to swim in junior high, but her swimming skills were barely passable. It would be an exaggeration to say that she could swim well.

    Raeleigh leaned against the rocky wall of the bath, surrounded by white steam. There was a partition on the other side.

    Zorion walked past Raeleigh and the others. Seeing Zorion, Raeleigh turned her face away.Deanna and Scarlette went over to Raeleigh.

    Deanna got into the water and asked, ¡°Raeleigh, why are you still wearing your towel while soaking?¡±

    ¡°This is fine for me. If you want to take yours off, please go ahead.¡± There was no way that Raeleigh would take off the bath towel, even if she were to be beaten to death.To take it off would be the same as taking her life itself.

    Deanna looked down at herself for a while before saying, ¡°Then I¡¯ll wear mine as well. I won¡¯t let you see anything.¡±

    Scarlette was dumbfounded. What sort of person was Deanna?Who had said they wanted to see ¡®anything¡¯?

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t remove her bath towel, and neither did the others. With the press of a button, the partition in the middle was lowered after Zorion had gotten into the water.

    The white steam obscured Raeleigh¡¯s field of vision that she could barely see Deanna and Scarlette.Her vision was limited to three meters ahead of her. Based on her hearing, Raeleigh estimated that Zorion was at least ten meters away.

    Raeleigh finally felt relieved, but she was still afraid that Zorion would suddenlye over.

    Then¡­

    The water rippled.Raeleigh knew that Zorion was heading for them. She had an overwhelming urge to find a ce to hide.

    Raeleigh turned around, intending to leave, but was stopped by Deanna.

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you afraid of Zorion? Why are you running away when he¡¯sing over?¡± Deanna held Raeleigh¡¯s hand, not wanting her to leave. Raeleigh¡¯s other hand was covering her chest.She couldn¡¯t go any further, but she didn¡¯t turn back either.

    Scarlette blocked Zorion¡¯s path. She would rather Zorion see her than Raeleigh. However, it was no use.

    Zorion went directly to Raeleigh¡¯s side, blocking her path so that she couldn¡¯t run.

    ¡°Leaving as soon as you see me, am I that horrible?¡± Zorion asked with his head turned to the side. Raeleighbreathed a sigh of relief. She looked around, pulled her hand away from Deanna, and leaned against the rocky wall of the bath.

    Zorion approached Raeleigh and lowered his head to look at her. Gazing at herfrom the shoulders upwards, he asked, ¡°Are you that afraid of me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of you.¡± Raeleigh answered, annoyance written all over her face.It was the first time Scarlette had seen Raeleigh angry. It wasn¡¯t a pretty sight.

    ¡°Rae-¡± Scarlette opened her mouth to speak and was about to go over when Deanna stopped her.¡°Shall we go over there? Zorion will take care of Raeleigh,¡± said Deanna.

    Deanna pulled Scarlette¡¯s hand, intending to move to the other end of the bath.

    Scarlette was amused. How was Zorion going to take care of Raeleigh?

    ¡°Raeleigh, we¡¯re going over there. Come along, won¡¯t you?¡± Scarlette called out to Raeleigh. Raeleigh was about to join them, but Zorion stopped her. She leaned back again in defeat.

    ¡°You guys go ahead. I¡¯ll rest here for a while.¡±

    ¡°See, I told you Raeleigh wouldn¡¯te, so stop asking her.¡± Deanna was in high spirits as she dragged Scarlette by the hand and moved about ten meters away from Zorion and Raeleigh.

    Scarlette leaned against the rocks with a frustrated expression. This was going to be the death of her.

    ¡°If you aren¡¯t afraid of me, then what¡¯s the issue?¡± Zorion had prevented Raeleigh from leaving and he wouldn¡¯t give up until he got what he wanted. Raeleigh was exasperated at first, but she soon calmed down. Was she feeling this way because she was really angry? She wondered to herself.

    ¡°I hate you.¡± Raeleigh showed no kindness to people like Zorion. He had bullied her first.

    Even the most gentle person would retaliate when provoked to their limit. Raeleigh was obviously no different.

    Zorionughed and asked, ¡°Which part of me?¡±

    ¡°Every single part.¡± Raeleigh turned around and leaned further away from him. She didn¡¯t want to talk to Zorion; she wished he would go away right there and then.

    Zorion leaned against the rocks as well, mimicking Raeleigh. The smile on his handsome face was as bright as the sun.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t understand why the two siblings hadpletely different personalities. Were they both twisted?

 Chapter 904 Spread Like Wildfire

    Raeleigh remained silentand Zorion also gradually said no more. The water temperature was kept at a constant high heat and Raeleigh quickly started feeling a little dizzy, but she knew that she couldn¡¯t fall asleep while in the bath.

    Soon, Deanna called out to Zorion from the other end of the bath. ¡°Zorion, my head is spinning a little.¡±Zorion immediately went over to Deanna, but before he went,he urged Raeleigh to go with him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll go over. You can go and take a look. I¡¯ll get out of the water in a bit.¡± Raeleigh really didn¡¯t want to dawdle in the hot springs much longer.

    Raeleigh¡¯s calm reply put Zorion at ease. She didn¡¯t seem like she was going to run away.Nheless, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t leave. If you¡¯re dizzy, just wait outside the water.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Raeleigh repliedandZorion left. Raeleigh was about to get out, but then she felt a ripple in the water. Something was approaching her.

    Raeleigh looked at the water around her. Asmall boat made of white paper was floating on the waterwith a candle on it. It drifted slowly towardsRaeleigh.

    Raeleigh took the paper boat and blew out the candle. Then, she took a closer look at it.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    The boat was a letter. A sentence was written on it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you outside,¡± it said. Raeleigh recognized Jepherson¡¯s writing.

    She stood up immediately to get out of the bath. If she didn¡¯t do so immediately, Jepherson might storm in the next moment, inciting even more chaos.

    After putting on her loose fitting clothes, Raeleigh left the hot spring baths, changed into her ownoufit, and blow-dried her hair.Then, she walked out of the hot spring resort. A green taxi was stopped out front. Raeleigh looked around and walked towards it. As soon as she leaned in to take a closer look, the door opened and she got in.

    The door closed and the taxi drove off immediately.

    Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief when she ascertained that it was really Jepherson inside.Jephersonsat with his legs crossed. One hand was resting on the seat whilethe other held a book that belonged to Raeleigh. Raeleigh knew that he must have taken it from her house; otherwise, how could it be in his possession?He could¡¯ve bought the book himselfas it was easily avable since it wasn¡¯t rare or valuable, but this one obviously had her name written on it in her handwriting.

    Jepherson continued reading it as he asked, ¡°Have you recovered?¡±

    Raeleigh knew that he was referring to her hand. ¡°It¡¯s healed,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s healed, does that mean you can now go to the hot springs with another guy?¡± Jepherson¡¯s offhand tone made Stuart break out in a cold sweat.

    Jepherson had rushed over as soon as he received the call. He hadn¡¯t rested for an entire day and night; he had simply read Raeleigh¡¯s book all the while.

    Jepherson brought up this topic as soon as they were reunited,which meant that he must be very angry.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer his question; she didn¡¯t know what to say. She pursed her lips and turned away, gazing at the scenery outside the car window.

    The car crossed a bridge that stretched over the sea. Raeleigh was entranced as she had never seen such beautiful scenery.

    Jepherson turned around slowly to look at Raeleigh, putting down the book in his hand. He reached over and grabbed Raleigh¡¯s hand.He examined her hand carefully toconfirm for himself that the injury was healing well.However, there was a faint scar from the stitches.

    Jepherson frowned. He raised his head and stared at Raeleigh, who met his gaze. ¡°What¡¯s up with these marks?¡± he asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. They said that they¡¯ll fade eventually, in two years at most.¡± Raeleigh was at a loss as to what to say. She wanted to retract her hand, but Jepherson pulled her into her arms and hugged her.

    Raeleigh had half a mind to struggle and push him awaywhen she heard him say in a low, hoarse voice,¡°Don¡¯t move. I just want tofort myself.¡±

    Raeleigh froze. She didn¡¯t make any more movements.

    Jepherson patted Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder lightly, leaning against the car seat.

    Soon after, Jepherson dozed off from his fatigue. WhenRaeleigh peeked at him, he was already fast asleep.She was about to push him away, but Stuart stopped her.

    ¡°Mr.Jephersonhas not rested for three daysin order to rush here. He went to meet someone in Ocean City two days ago and went to see Novalie immediately after he returned. Then, he rushed here in a day.So, he hasn¡¯t had a good rest in a long while.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Stuart. She rested her hand on Jepherson¡¯s shoulder. There was nothing she could do, then.

    She didn¡¯t move. Jepherson was leaning on her, fast asleep, but his hand still gripped hers tightly. It seemed that this was the only way he could feel at ease and sleep soundly.

    Stuart was also taken aback.Jepherson had seemed to be incensed, but he didn¡¯t unleash his fury.

    Raeleigh sat silently in the carasStuart drove around. After a short while, he drove back to the hot spring resort. ¡°Miss Anson, Mr.Jepherson¡¯s flight is in an hour.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Stuart, surprised.Jepherson hade over even with such a tight schedule.

    Raeleigh eased her hand out of Jepherson¡¯s grip,got out of the car, and shut the door.Then, Stuart drove off right away.

    Raeleigh stood outsidethe hot springs resort,staring in the direction the taxi was going until it disappeared from her sight.

    Jepherson had woken up when Raeleigh got out of the car. He opened his eyes and asked Stuart, ¡°What time is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s past two o¡¯clock.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh turned around and saw that there were several people at the door.They seemed to be looking for her. Deanna spotted Raeleigh and shouted,¡°Zorion, Raeleigh is here!¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, where have you been?¡± Deanna asked as she rushed over Raeleigh. Raeleigh gestured towards the road and said,¡°I went outside. Didn¡¯t you bring anyone with us? I thought your bodyguards were watching over me outside.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t like them following me around. I told them not toe,¡± Deanna exined.

    Deanna must be Jepherson¡¯s benefactor.Every time she made a decision, Jepherson would take advantage and benefit from it.Raeleigh thought to herself.

    ¡°Where have you been?¡± Zorion demanded as he came rushing out. Raeleigh pointed and replied, ¡°Outside.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wander around next time, lest something bad happens.¡± Zorion had been looking for Raeleigh for an hour. He hadn¡¯t brought any bodyguards with them. It never crossed his mind that Raeleigh would wander out.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer him.Scarlette was thest to run out. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Raeleigh. Who knows what would have happened if she lost Raeleigh.

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you okay?¡± Scarlette was still worried.She went to Raeleigh with a questioning look, upon whichRaeleigh shook her head and replied, ¡°I felt dizzy after soaking in the water for a long time, so I came out to get some fresh air. I almost got lost.

    ¡°Thendon¡¯t wander around in the future. You could¡¯vereally gotten lost.¡± If Raeleigh got lost, Scarlette had no idea how she would inform Jepherson about it.

    Raeleigh nodded. Everything was settled.

    Zorion looked at Raeleigh, who was indeed unharmed. Then, he raised his wrist to look at the time on his watch. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    They left the hot spring resort and went to the hotel they had booked to rest for the night. After having breakfast at eight o¡¯clock the next morning, they boarded the ne at the airport. One dayter, they were back in Tambend.

    After getting off the ne, Zorion sent Raeleigh and Scarlette back to their university.

    ¡°Call me if anything happens. I¡¯ll inquire about Quirina. If shees looking for you again, call me. You know my phone number.¡± Zorion handed Raeleigh¡¯s belongings to herand Scarlette took them hastily.Deanna hurried out of the car as well.¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t youe home with us? I¡¯ll get my mom to treat you well, okay?¡± she pressed.

    ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll fall behind in my studies if I do that,¡± Raeleigh replied, declining her offer point-nk.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be heading back with Zorion.Call us if you need anything.Scarlette, you too.¡± Worried, Deanna kept pestering them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Scarlette assured her. She wished that Zorion and Deanna would disappear instantly.

    It wasn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t like them, but because she was really scared.

    Zorion nced at Deanna, then walked to Raeleigh. Lifting an arm, he put it over Raeleigh¡¯s shoulders andembracing her in his arms. Then, he patted her on the shoulder and told her, ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    After saying that, Zorion went back to his car.Many members of the Whalen family were waiting in cars outside as well. Raeleigh did not respond to what Zorion said. Neither did the other members of the Whalen family. Deanna widened her eyes and ran back into the car, downcast. She waved as she gave Raeleigh a final nce. ¡°Bye, Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything. She merely watchedZorion, who didn¡¯t look her way.

    The next day,the news of Zorion hugging Raeleigh spread like wildfire throughout the university.

 Chapter 905 His Pain Was Not in Vain

    When the news finally reached Raeleigh¡¯s ears, it had already spread all over campus. Many people hated her for it.

    Wherever she walked,rocks would be thrown at her.

    As Raeleigh walked, someone threw a rock towards her from behind. The stone hit Raeleigh¡¯s back. Raeleigh spun around to look at the culprit, but there was no one around.

    Scarlette was left speechless by the whole affair. ¡°Raeleigh, if this continues, we will soon cause a riot on campus,¡± she said worriedly.

    Raeleigh nced at Scarlette and replied, ¡°What does this have to do with me? It¡¯s not my fault. Are you putting the me on me?¡±

    Scarlette was the only person left in Raeleigh¡¯s world, soRaeleighcould only vent her frustrations on her.

    Scarlette appeared aggrieved. She shrugged and muttered, ¡°Go ahead and rage at me as you wish.¡±

    Raeleigh gave Scarlette an apologetic look. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have a bad temper. I shouldn¡¯t vent my anger on you.¡±

    Scarletteraised her eyebrows and met Raeleigh¡¯s gaze. Then, she gave Raeleigh a hug and saidfortingly,¡°What¡¯s mine is yours and vice versa. You don¡¯t have to be so formal with me.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. You¡¯re amazing.¡± Raeleigh forces a smile on her face, feeling lucky to have a friend like Scarlette.

    In the afternoon, Raeleigh andScarlettemade their way back to their dorm room to do some revision. However,as soon as they arrived at the room, they were shocked by the scene in front of them.

    The door was open and the room had been turned upside down. Their belongings were strewn about everywhereand the floor was covered with water. The quilts on the bed were also soaked, dripping water onto the floor.

    ¡°Who¡­Who did this?¡± As soon asScarletteentered the room and took one look at the mess, she was all riled up and ready to settle the score with whoever did this.She couldn¡¯t suppress her zing temper.

    Raeleigh grabbed Scarlette¡¯s arm and said,¡°Forget it. Why are you so worked up over this?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, you¡¯re simply too nice. How can we stay in a room like this?¡± As Scarlette thought about all the water damage, she ran inside to check on herptop, only to realize that there was no way herptop could still be working. Water had been sshed everywhere. There was also a bucket of water in the middle of the room with boththeir twoptops in it as well asthe phones Deanna had bought them.Theptop was still emitting bubbles from where the water had gotten inside.

    Scarlettefelt like she was about to lose her mind. She spun around, stormed outside, and pulled Raeleigh into the room.

    ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s useless for you to fight them. They¡¯ll still bully us next time anyway. Let¡¯s get theptops out quickly andsee if they¡¯re still usable.¡± Raeleigh reached over to fish theptops out; however,Scarlette remained rooted to the spot. Theptops were soaked through, how could they still be usable?

    Scarlette took out her phone and sent a text message to Jepherson. Jepherson was in the midst of a meeting when the phone he used to contact Scarlette buzzed.Jepherson took the phone out and nced at it. Raising his hand to signal for the meeting to stop, he got up and went over to the window to read the text.

    Jepherson lowered the phone and held it behind his back, tapping his finger on it as he pondered for a moment.Then, he held it in front of him once again, lowering his head to reply to the text.

    When Scarlette received his text message, her eyes widened and sheughed.

    Putting her phone away,Scarlettewalked over to Raeleigh and pulled her aside. Raeleigh stood to one side and said, ¡°Let¡¯s take them out and see if they can be fixed.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me. I¡¯ll ask a good friend to do it. First, get a bag and put theptops in it,¡± said Scarlette. Raeleigh immediately went searching for a bag.Scarlette ced thetwoptops and two phones into the bag that Raeleigh found. Then, she looked around at the other items in the room. They were all worthless now,all except for Jepherson¡¯s books.She heard that they were rather valuable.

    Thoseidiots who were behind this definitely had no idea that those books were worth a lot; otherwise, they would have destroyed them. They still appeared to be in good condition at the moment.

    When she saw the books, Raeleigh looked for a box to put them in. After wiping the books, she ced them inside the box and held it tightly. ¡°Where did these bookse from? Could you return them? I¡¯ve finished all of them. Don¡¯t bring them here anymore. It¡¯s a good thing that nothing happened to them.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have anywhere to store them now. Why don¡¯t you bring them home first? I don¡¯t think the bullies will go all the way to your house.¡± Scarlettehanded theptops to Raeleigh and took the box. Raeleigh didn¡¯t have much strength, so it was better forScarlette to handle the heavy items.

    Raeleigh wanted to protest and say that she was perfectly fine carrying the box, butScarlette had already walked out, so she didn¡¯t say anything. She hurried out and tugged on Scarlette¡¯s arm.¡°Don¡¯t go, wait for me. I¡¯ll tidy up the clothes inside.¡±

    Raeleigh put down theptops in her hands and walked back to pack up the clothes.Scarletteput down the box, went back inside, and dragged Raeleigh out the door again.¡°Let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t waste your effort. Those clothes can¡¯t be worn anymore.¡±

    Scarlette finally managed to get Raeleigh out of the room. Raeleigh stood helplessly at the door, looking at the mess. Whoever did this had gone too far. What was once a nice and proper dormitory had nowbeen ruined.

    Scarlette gaveRaeleigh the bag with theptops, then she bent down and took up the box of books. They left the dorm together.

    Many students came out to gloat over their Raeleigh¡¯s and Scarlette¡¯s misfortune without any inkling ofwhat was about to befall them.

    Raeleigh and Scarlette made a beeline for the campus gate whereRaeleigh hailed a taxi. Raeleigh¡¯s emotions were all over the ce. She hadn¡¯t anticipated that there were so many in the school who hated her.It was just as Scarlette said, she had aroused the anger of the public.

    Raeleigh only snapped back to reality when the taxi arrived at their destination. Scarlette hade with her to her house.

    Raeleigh nced atScarlette. Since Scarlette was finally back in Tambend, she should go home.

    Carrying the bag with theptops, Raeleigh went in to see Novalie.

    Novalie was sitting on the bed when she heard the door open. She opened her eyes and got out of bed. The only person who could open that door right away was Raeleigh. Others had to knock before they could be let into the house.

    When she spotted Raeleigh, Novalie immediately walked over to peer at her hand.From N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m all right. It¡¯s all good. I was supposed toe and see you earlier. but we¡¯ve been unpacking and tidying up the dorm room for two days, that¡¯s why we didn¡¯te back immediately.¡± When Raeleigh mentioned this, she was once again dumbfounded by what had just transpired. They had just cleaned the dorm room onlyfor it to end up in that state.

    Novalie chatted with Scarlette for a while before she turned to talk to Raeleigh.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. It doesn¡¯t matter when youe back. How¡¯s your hand?¡± Novalie had examined it several times, but she was still worried and nced at it ever so often.

    Raeleigh held Novalie¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s all right now. Look.¡±

    Raeleigh showed her hand to Novalie again.Novalie felt reassured that it was healed.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Novalie began questioning Raeleigh about the matter.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t tell the truth. ¡°I identally fell down and a ssmate who was passing by stepped on me, hurting my hand. What a coincidence, right? That ssmate was scared to the point of tears.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t lie to me.¡±Novaliewasn¡¯t having it. She has gone through many experiences in life, so she can tell when something¡¯s off.

    ¡°I¡¯m not. You always doubt me, Grandma. You¡¯ve gone to the university to ask so many times and there was not once where I wasn¡¯t perfectly fine.¡± Raeleigh brought up the past to pressure Novalie, whothen replied, ¡°Fine, as long as you¡¯re not lying to me. Are you two staying over tonight? It¡¯s already thiste.¡±

    ¡°We still have something to do, so we¡¯ll be going back to the university in the evening. We won¡¯t be staying here tonight.By the way, Novalie, we lost a book.¡± When it came to lying, Scarlette was far more convincing. She was a better actress than Raeleigh,

    Novalie looked at Scarlette,pondering for a moment.¡°Lost a book?¡±

    ¡°Yes,here are the books I borrowed from a friend.Isn¡¯t it frustrating? That thief could have stolen anything, but he went and stole one of those books.It isn¡¯t about the cost of the book or anything like that, but as I said, I borrowed the book from a friend. She hasn¡¯te back yet, so I can¡¯t return her book to her. I¡¯m scared that the thief wille back and steal more books, so I thought of keeping them here first. I¡¯ll return the books to her when she¡¯s back. Is that okay, Novalie?¡±

    Scarlette made a good point. After all, Novalie lived alone. Even though it wasn¡¯t a big house, there was still space for a few books.

    ¡°You can put them in Raeleigh¡¯s room ande back for themter.Don¡¯t get them mixed up with Raeleigh¡¯s books.Raeleigh likes reading, but we couldn¡¯t get her many books due to our limited resources, so she only has a few. If you¡¯re not going to return them soon, you can lend them to Raeleigh.¡± As usual, Novalie always thinks of Raeleigh first.

    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ve finished reading all those books. When Scarlette¡¯s friend is back, we¡¯ll return them to her,¡± Raeleigh replied.Novalieagreed.

    ¡°All right, set the box down. You should get going if you still have something to do. Don¡¯t dawdle here.¡±Novaliewas afraid that she would be taking up their time.

    Raeleigh got up and slipped a little money intoNovalie¡¯s hands. ¡°I earned this money from gaming, please take it. I can make a little money now.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let your designing talent go to waste because of those games, especially not for such short-term benefits. Got it?¡±Novalie trusted that Raeleigh would focus on her studies, but she was worried for Scarlette.Scarlette didn¡¯t look like a studious person.

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll only y for one hour a day. I look for items people no longer want, then I sell them to earn a little money.¡±

    ¡°You still want to do that?¡±Novaliewas shocked. She didn¡¯t want Raeleigh to do the same thing as her.

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. I meant that I find precious items in the game and sell them. Besides, other yers don¡¯t know me.¡±

    Novalierxed a little when she heard this.After that, Raeleigh left with Scarlette, taking theptops with her, and followed Scarlette to theputer repair shop.

    Scarlette ced theptops on the shop¡¯s counter. She had already made prior arrangements. The owner had never seen such badly-damagedptops since starting his business, but against his conscience, he lied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no huge problem, they can be fixed. But I still think it¡¯s time to upgrade, otherwise you¡¯ll fall behind, especially when ites to gaming.It¡¯ll affect your earning potential.¡±

    The man had never told such a t-out lie. Even if he tossed these twoptops onto the street, no one would want them.When he said that he could fix them,nothing could be further from the truth.

    Scarlettegrinned and asked, ¡°How much can these twoptops sell for?¡±

    ¡°Not a lot.3, 000 dors for both.¡± The man said through clenched teeth.

    Scarlettelooked at Raeleigh, who had dragged her outside the store. Raeleigh said,¡°I think we should sell them. You can buy a newptop and two mobile phones for 3, 000 dors. I¡¯ll buy a used one. Bubbles were stilling out from thoseptops and they might not even be usable anymore. Even after the repairs, they probably won¡¯t function well.¡±

    Scarlette¡¯s heart ached. Raeleigh was too naive! Scarlette thought to herself.

    ¡°Why don¡¯tI ask if the phones can be sold for 2, 000 dors?¡±Scarletteturned around and walked back into the store. Pointing at the phones, she said, ¡°We haven¡¯t turned these phones on yet. They were bought abroad and were going for over 20, 000 dors. How much can you give me for them?¡±

    ¡°3, 000 dors.¡± The man forced the words out of his mouth.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and nced atScarlette. That was good.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let them go for 4, 000 dors. Together with theptops, that will be a total of 7, 000 dors. If you can ept that price, I¡¯ll sell for cash,¡±Scarlette dered with a pompous wave of her hand.

    After thinking it over, the man said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you 6, 800 dors, nothing more. If you can¡¯t ept that, you can go.¡±

    ¡°6, 900 dors.¡±

    ¡°6, 850 dors.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh stood aside. It felt like she was dreaming.She had envisioned several different oues, but none like this.

    After exiting theputer repair shop, they put the money away, hailed a taxi, and headed straight forAeon Computer Center.

    AfterScarletteand Raeleigh left, Hadrian came out from behind the shop. The man turned around to look at him and immediately walked over, saying, ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±

    ¡°This is yours.¡± Hadrian handed 20, 000 dors to the man, took theptops and mobile phones away,and left to report back.

    After Hadrian left, the owner of theputer repair shop held the 20, 000 dors in his hands and counted them carefully. It was not a small amount. He smiled. His pain had not been in vain.

 Chapter 906 Unable to Attend Lectures

    Raeleigh andScarlette soon arrived at Aeon Computer Center. They got out of the carand Scarlette immediately led Raeleigh inside.It was almost closing time. Like many other retail shops, Aeon Computer Center closed at nine o¡¯clock at night. It was nearly eight o¡¯clock by the time Raeleigh and Scarlette reached.

    After checking the time several times, Stuart whispered in Jepherson¡¯s ear, ¡°It closes at nine o¡¯clock.¡±

    Jephersoncontinued reading Raeleigh¡¯s book. He didn¡¯t even raise his head when he heard what Stuart had to say,andmerely said calmly, ¡°Call them and have them dy their closing time.¡±

    ¡°Right away,¡± Stuart replied and instantly went to make the call. Just as he was calling theputer center,Scarlette received a message. Then, she brought Raeleigh to the designated store.

    ¡°Here, it¡¯s here.¡±Scarlettepointed at one of the stores, pulling Raeleigh along. Raeleigh followed obediently. Both of them went into the store, which specialized inptops.

    Before they had even entered, a salesperson was already beckoning them in.Scarlette walked in with Raeleigh and started asking about the features and specifications of the differentptops. Finally, she found one model that she was happy with andreally good value for money.

    ¡°Is your manager here?¡± Scarlette asked. The salesperson immediately responded by asking,¡°Do you know our manager?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Tell him thatScarlette is looking for him.¡± Scarlette was so convincing that even she herself thought that she should be a professional actress.

    Thesalespersonimmediately went to get the manager, who wasa man in his thirties. When he saw Scarlette, he did a double take and asked,¡°You came here thiste?Did you sneak out?¡±

    Scarlette was secretly impressed! This man was a professional!

    ¡°No way.Myptop is broken, so I came here to buy two.Why don¡¯t you rmend some options so that I can see if there¡¯s anything suitable? However, please make sure that they¡¯re not too expensive. I don¡¯t have much money,¡±Scarletteexined the situation clearly. Raeleigh gazed at her withadmiration.

    Scarlette seemed to know everyone.

    The manager raised his hand and pattedScarlette¡¯s shoulder. ¡°No problem.Are there any that you like so far?¡±

    Without hesitation,Scarlettewalked to the front of the counter and pointed to the model that Raeleigh and her had taken a liking to. Raeleigh guessed that it would be at least 10, 000 dors, but the price tag on it said 4, 999 dors.

    Raeleigh even suspected that it was a used one.

    The manager went over and showed Scarlette the price. ¡°This model has the best performance in the market and it¡¯s a new model. The manufacturer is currently doing a promotion; otherwise, it would normally cost more than 8, 000 dors.If you want it, I¡¯ll even give you a 20% discount.¡±

    ¡°Stop with all this talk of discounts. I don¡¯t have that much money. Why don¡¯t you sell us two for 7, 000 dors?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± the manager refused at once. Raeleigh made some quick calctions in her head. With the 20% discount, it would meana discount of about 1, 000 dors for twoptops. Although it was still a lot of money to spend, it wasn¡¯t too bad if theptops were new.

    ¡°Scarlette,e over for a while.¡± Raeleigh gestured at Scarlette to join her outside the store.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Scarlette asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any money on me. Don¡¯t you have less than 7, 000 dors? You¡¯re broke too, right?Hmm, 8, 000 dors for two¡­ All right, how about this?Can you get him to guarantee that thoseptops are brand new? If you can, we¡¯ll take him up on his offer. You¡¯ll earn the money back with just one round of gaming.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Scarlettewent over to the manager to negotiate further andtold him that she would reward him with some valuable items in the game. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, the manager sold the twoptops to them for 7, 800 dors.

    They were two brand newptops. The manager asked someone to open the boxes up andhanded the twoptops over to Raeleigh and Scarlette after they were done setting them up.

    Scarlette also asked for twoptop bags. They had everything else they needed.

    Raeleigh was very happy. She kept smiling as she held theptop in her arms.Jephersonwas watching Raeleigh from outside the store and hesmiled with satisfaction.

    After Raeleigh and Scarlette left, Stuart took some money out and handed it to the manager. The manager immediately thanked them.Then, Jephersonstood up and left through a different exit.

    When Jepherson exited Aeon Computer Centre, he instructed his driver to stop the car in front of Scarlette and Raeleigh. They were both carrying theirptops as they waited for a taxi. It was already ten o¡¯clock at night.However, since they had used up all their money, Scarlette was arguing that they should take the public transport back. While they were discussing how to get back to the dorm, Jepherson¡¯s car pulled up.

    Raeleigh froze and stared at the car window thatwas being wound down.Jephersonpoked his head out of the window and asked,¡°What¡¯s wrong with yourptop?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s all because¡­¡± Scarlette wanted to spill the beans, but Raeleigh stopped her.Jephersondidn¡¯t seem to catch what she said, but Raeleigh heard it clearly.

    ¡°We came here to buyptop bags.¡± Raeleigh lowered her head and nced at theptop bag with thebel still on it. Jepherson¡¯s eyes followed her gaze and said,¡°Youcame toAeon Computer Center just to buy aptop bag at this hour? You could have easily bought it online.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that next time,¡± Raeleigh answered.

    ¡°Get in. I¡¯ll send you back.¡±Jephersonremained seated inside the car asthe driver quickly got out of the car and opened the door for them. Stuart was standing to one side as well, waiting for Raeleigh to get into the car. ¡°Miss Anson, this way,¡± said Stuart.

    Raeleigh clutched herptop in her arms. ¡°No need. We¡¯ll take a taxi home.¡±

    ¡°Get in.¡± Jepherson¡¯s voice was calm, but his tone meant that she couldn¡¯t reject the offer.

    Scarlette lowered her headand whispered in Raeleigh¡¯s ear, ¡°We don¡¯t have any money now and we¡¯ll need money to take the bus. Furthermore, we¡¯re not even sure if the busses are still running at this hour.¡±

    Raeleigh nced atScarlette. She was on Jepherson¡¯s side, so of course she would say that.

    Raeleigh suspected that it was Scarlette who askedJephersontoe.

    Clutching herptop firmly, Raeleigh got into the car.After Raeleigh got in, she quickly scooted closer towards Jephersonto make space for Scarlette, worried that Scarlette would be forced to take a separate car. Raeleigh looked pleadingly at Scarlette and said, ¡°Scarlettee in too.¡±

    Scarlettepeeked at Jepherson, who remained silent. So,Scarlettequickly got into the car. It was rare for her to be driven around in Jepherson¡¯s car.

    Stuart closed the door. Jepherson looked at Raeleigh, who was still holding herptop. When it came to her gaming setup, Scarlettewas particrly good at striking bargains and getting something for cheap. She had deliberately chosen a 15. 6-inchptop and even asked for aptop bag. Raeleigh appeared even smaller than usual with the hugeptop and bag.

    The backseat was made to fit three people, but Raeleigh was pressed up against Jepherson. Jepherson upied half of the backseatwhile Scarlette was used to taking up half of the space, leaving Raeleigh no choice but to sit close to Jepherson.

    Raeleigh dared not lean closer to Jepherson. Her wholebody was tense and she kept shooting nces atScarlette, wanting Scarlette to move over slightly so that she would have more space.

    However,Scarlette appeared not to notice her and kept her gaze fixed on herptop.

    Scarlette was over the moon. Theptop was actually worth 37, 000 dors and she was busy thinking of all the functions it offered.

    Raeleigh nced to the side helplessly.Jephersonslipped his arm behind Raeleigh and gently wrapped it around Raeleigh¡¯s waist, pulling her even closer to him and holding her in his arms. Startled,Raeleigh trembled and turned to look atJepherson. ¡°I¡¯ll sit on the opposite side,¡± she muttered.

    Raeleigh was about to get up, but Jepherson held onto her and said, ¡°Here¡¯s fine.¡±

    Raeleigh gave up on it before she could even get up, but she was uneasy all the way.

    When the car stopped, Raeleigh looked out the window at the university campus.Suddenly, Scarlette asked, ¡°Why are we here? We can¡¯t live here anymore.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette,¡± Raeleigh said in a low warning tone. She didn¡¯t want Jepherson to interfere because it wasn¡¯t the first time something like this had happened.Ever since she was a child, many ssmates had disliked her and bullied her, but none of them had ever shown it to that extent. This time, she wouldn¡¯t even be able to attend lectures.

 Chapter 907 Sharing a Bed

    Raeleigh was a simple girl. Whether she was good or bad, who cared.Some people just loved to bully others and would only stop once they reached a certain point.

    Raeleigh wanted to stick it out at ElktonUniversity for a few years and shewanted to pass her time at university peacefully.She didn¡¯t want to be an alumni well-known for being associated with notorious scandals.

    Scarlette had spoken without thinking, spilling the beans toJepherson.

    ¡°Stuart.¡± Jepherson¡¯s voice was calm as always, as if no problem was too much for him to handle.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson,¡± Stuart answered quickly.

    ¡°Take care of it.¡±

    ¡°Right away.¡±

    Jepherson gave no further exnation andStuartdidn¡¯t say anything else either. But once Jepherson gave the order, there would be those who would surely suffer.

    Raeleigh felt uneasy. She thought that she would be sent back to Novalie¡¯s, but she was taken to the entrance of Richards Hotel instead.

    When the car stopped at the hotel, the hotel¡¯s manager had already been waiting outside for a long time. Any potentially unsightly areas have been cleaned up so as not to draw Jepherson¡¯s ire. The manager personally escorted them through the lobbyand even pressed the button for the elevator.

    Raeleigh and Jepherson walked into the elevator. Themanager lowered his head, not even daring to look at them.

    Raeleigh realized thatScarlette was not with them. Shemust have been taken elsewhere.

    As soon as the elevator doors closed, Jepherson turned around to look at Raeleigh. He lowered his head and kissed her on the lips. Her gaze was fixed on him. She neither dodged nor pushed him away, but she lowered her head.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Jephersonughed, curious.

    ¡°No reason. I¡¯m just curious why you had Scarlette apany me.¡± Jepherson was not surprised that Raeleigh had figured it out.

    However, he didn¡¯t offer an exnation. She would have found out sooner orter.

    Sometimes, exnations weren¡¯t necessarily a good thing.

    Jepherson turned to face the elevator doors with an indifferent expression on his handsome face. When the elevator doors opened, he took Raeleigh¡¯s hand and pulled her outside.Stuart gave a respectful nod of his head as they got out of the elevator before leaving. Jepherson took Raeleigh into one of the rooms.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t see anything amiss when she entered the room. She had been there before.Jepherson brought her here thest time too, right? Raeleigh thought to herself.

    Raeleighlooked around the room. It was already dark outside and the room was brightly lit. Curtainsadorned both sides of the floor-to-ceiling French windows.

    Raeleigh kept a tight grip on herptop.Jephersonfollowed her into the room, closing the door behind him. He took theptop from Raeleigh and set it down on a table. As he put it down, he cast a nce at Raeleigh, but he didn¡¯t say anything.

    Raeleigh noticed the small gesture. It indicated thatJepherson had also known about theptops.

    Raeleigh took one step closer and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Jepherson took off his jacket and ced it aside beforeturning back to face her with his arms crossed in front of him. He was wearing a crisp white dress shirt and his tall height made him appear even more dashing.

    ¡°That¡¯s the only thanks you¡¯re giving me?¡±Jepherson uncrossed his hands, waiting for Raeleigh to make a move.Raeleigh looked around nervouslywithout moving.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to you.¡± Jepherson approached Raeleigh, lowering his head to kiss her. Raeleigh immediately raised her hands, pushing against Jepherson¡¯s shoulders. Jepherson wasn¡¯t perturbed in the slightest and took his time. He kissed her once, then again. Raeleigh was no longer pushing him away. In fact, she didn¡¯t even dare to touch his shoulders anymore.

    Jepherson circled an arm around Raeleigh¡¯s waist, pressing her against him.However, he didn¡¯t go any further and merely held her close while continuing to kiss her.

    Initially, Raeleigh struggled to avoid his kisses, but soon she felt her breath waveringand her knees going weak. Her hands clung ontoJepherson¡¯s shoulders.

    Jepherson bent slightly and lifted Raeleigh up into his arms.

    ¡°Jepherson, you can¡¯t do this¡­¡±

    ¡°Do what?¡± Jepherson¡¯s ears reddened as he carried Raeleigh and set her down on the bed. Then, he turned around and reached for the remote control. He turned off all the lights in the room and put the remote control away before taking off his clothes.

    Terrified, Raeleigh was about to bolt from the bed. But at that moment, a projection of stars appeared on the ceiling. Raeleigh raised her head and gazed at the ceiling, enthralled.

    Jepherson undressed quickly and changed into a pair of pajamas that was on the side of the bed. WhenRaeleighturned to look at him, he was already done changing. Under the light from the projector, Raeleigh could clearly see that Jepherson had changed into a pair of purple pajamas.

    Raeleigh had always thought thatpurple and blue pajamas were unttering on men.

    She had never seen men wearing pajamas of that color in person, but she had seen many good-looking actors wearing them on TV. However, no matter how she looked, they always seemed odd to her. She thought that those colors were hideous.

    However, she had to admit that they looked good on Jepherson and somehow made him look ethereal.

    ¡°Put on the nightdressand let me have a look.¡±Jephersonced the nightdress he bought for Raeleigh on the bed, then turned his back towards her.

    Raeleigh was at a loss of words. She stared at the nightdress on the bed and finally murmured, ¡°I don¡¯t want to wear it.¡±

    ¡°I want to see you in it.¡±Jepherson¡¯s was being surprisingly gentle with her.

    Jepherson still had his back towards her. He was using his own tactics to makeRaeleigh give in.

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes surveyed the nightdress. It was purple. Raeleigh was sure that the nightdress was hideous because of its color.

    She took another look at it again. If it was too revealing, she wouldn¡¯t wear it; but if it wasn¡¯t,then she would try it on.In the end, she tossed it aside.There was no way that she could wear such a sexy piece.

    Jepherson turned around and gazed at Raeleigh, a trace of helplessness shing across his eyes. Jepherson bent down and opened a drawer in the side table, taking out a set of pajamas that matched his. He set them down on the bed and took away the nightdress.

    ¡°Here, change into this. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll just have to do it for you.¡±

    After ncing at the pajamas, Raeleigh took them and went to the bathroom to change.

    Jepherson gave her a once over when she came out.¡°You can take off your bra. It¡¯ll be morefortable.¡±

    ¡°Then have you taken off your underwear?¡± Raeleigh¡¯s gaze was trained at Jepherson¡¯s lower body. Shocked by her question, Jepherson froze as his gaze followed her line of sight. Raising his head, he looked at Raeleigh questioningly. ¡°Do you want me to take it off?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. She pursed her lips. How could he say sucha thing?

    ¡°You asked me first,¡± Raeleigh countered through gritted teeth.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson wasstill confused. ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°And, nothing,¡± Raeleigh said huffily. She couldn¡¯t take how adorable Jepherson looked at that moment. He usually looked so cold and distant.She walked to the side of the bed, lifted the covers, andy down.¡°You can¡¯t touch me,¡± she warned.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I wanted to touch you.¡±Jephersonalso lifted the covers andy down on the bed, feeling very wronged.

    Raeleigh looked at him with aslightly annoyed expression, as if she actually wanted him to touch her.Without another word, she turned around in bed, facing her back to him.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t take another look at Jepherson. She focused on the stars on the ceiling. She had always dreamed of sleeping under the stars like this, butnever in her wildest dreams did she expect that it woulde true. Perhaps only wealthy people like Jepherson could make this sort of thing a reality.

    When Raeleigh finally nced at Jepherson, he had already fallen asleep.She could hear his steady breathing. She turned to take a better look, surprised. Was he really asleep? Raeleigh wondered.

 Chapter 908 A Penny Is Fine Too

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know when she fell asleep. However, when she woke up in the morning, she was in Jepherson¡¯s arms. They still had their pajamas on them. What¡¯s more, Jepherson was lying t on his back, and she was the one hugging him.

    Feeling a little bewildered, Raeleigh hurriedly disentangled herself from Jepherson¡¯s embrace,waking him up in the process.

    When Jepherson awoke, he didn¡¯t say a word. He merely looked at Raeleigh as hey in bed. If it was not because his phone started to ring, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten up.

    Raeleigh had been in a daze for more than ten minutes when Jepherson got down from the bed to get his phone.

    It wasHoraciocalling, the president of Elkton University. He had called specially to askJephersonabout the incident at the school.

    Jepherson gestured towards the curtains. Raeleigh noticed that the light outside the window was shining directly onto Jepherson¡¯s face. He probably found it blinding. They didn¡¯t close the curtains before going to bedst night.

    Raeleigh went to the window and closed the curtains. Then, she turned to look at him.

    Jepherson was sitting up on the bed,leaning against the headboard. Even though he was on the phone,he raised his hand and patted the bed, signaling for Raeleigh to join him in bed for a while.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I slept well.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s words were just a polite rejection.

    But the person on the other end of the phone broke out in a cold sweat. Horacio wondered if they were already living together.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to you,¡±Jepherson said and hung up.Horacio stared at the lecturers in front of him.

    ¡°Expel them.¡±Horaciofelt that that was the best way to go. Since he was working for Jepherson, he had to do his best to protect Jepherson.

    The lecturers exchanged nces. So, it seemed that the rtionship between Raeleigh and Jepherson was real.

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Now that you¡¯re clear on that, go and make the necessary arrangements.Clean up Raeleigh¡¯s dorm room without alertingthe other students. Get everything in order and clear the room out. Let¡¯s assign them to a new dorm room.¡±

    ¡°Mr.Horacio, Zorion is here.¡±

    As Horaciowas giving out his instructions, someone knocked on the office door.A lecturer came in and informed him of Zorion¡¯s arrival.

    ¡°Show him in.¡±

    It¡¯s just been one thing after another. They couldn¡¯t afford to offend any one of these people in the university.

    ¡°You all can leave first. I¡¯ll inform you of any other arrangements. I don¡¯t want such things to happen again.¡± With that, the lecturers left.Then, Zorion and Deanna walked in.

    After the lecturers had all gone, Horacioclosed the door and invited Zorion and Deanna to take a seat.

    Zorion sat opposite Horacio. Deanna immediately went up to Horacio and asked, ¡°Mr. Horacio, what¡¯s going to happen to Raeleigh? They¡¯re bullying Raeleigh, but you don¡¯t care about it.¡±

    ¡°Deanna, I do care. I¡¯ve already taken action. This time, it¡¯s so serious that I¡¯ve already expelled those who were involved. It stresses me out as well, but rest assured that our university will alwaysput the safety of our students first,¡±Horacioexined as he poured a ss of water for Deanna. He was treating Deanna with utmost politeness.

    The Whalen family was different from the other influential families in Capital City. Although they aren¡¯t involved in politics, Rayan was someone with a mysterious background, so Horacio couldn¡¯t help feeling uneasy.

    What¡¯s more, the Whalen family was loaded!

    Horacioscrutinized Zorion¡¯s expression.As long as Zorion didn¡¯t say anything, he could handle this matter easily.

    ¡°But those people were still bullying Raeleigh. Why did they bully Raeleigh? Raeleigh is such a nice person.¡± Deanna looked unhappy, but Horacio could only gaze at her helplessly. He heard that it was Zorion who had hugged Raeleigh and caused all this trouble, yet here they were asking him to settle the matter.

    ¡°I¡¯m not too clear about it either, but I heard that it was because Raeleigh got herself a good boyfriend who saw her off at the campus gate. The girls got jealous of her, so that¡¯s why this happened. However, I¡¯m really not too sure about the details. We¡¯ll have to ask Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Deanna turned to look at Zorion. ¡°Zorion, isn¡¯t that¡­¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Zorion had already stood up. Seeing this, Deanna stopped speaking.

    ¡°Deanna, let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t make things difficult for Mr.Horacio. We¡¯ll leave now. Sorry to bother you.¡± Zorion gave Horacio a polite nod of the head. Horacioimmediately nodded and replied, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. If there are any other problems, you cane to me at any time.¡±

    ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡± With that, Zorion left Horacio¡¯soffice with Deanna.

    Once they were out the door, Deanna immediately asked, ¡°Zorion, how could those girls be so annoying? Who you like doesn¡¯t have anything to do with them!¡±

    ¡°Jealousy can kill a person.¡±

    ¡°But Raeleigh is innocent.¡± Deanna frowned unhappily. So many things had happened in just one night. She was really worried about how Raeleigh would make it through the next few years at the university.

    Deanna was suddenly struck with a brilliant idea.¡°Zorion, do you think I should move in and live with Raeleigh?¡±

    Zorion paused for a moment and looked at Deanna. The siblings lived in a special apartment on campus. However, it wasn¡¯t entirely urate to say that they lived there. They would only stay the night there asionally as they usually went back home. They had only started staying at the apartment more frequently after Raeleigh came.

    Zorion didn¡¯t agree to Deanna¡¯s suggestion immediately. Instead, he stood there pondering for a while.

    When Raeleigh arrived back at the university, it was already the afternoon. She walked into the campus with theptop in her arms. Jepherson had dropped her off at the campus gate and left.

    Raeleigh was afraid of being seen, so after getting down from the car, she quickly walked off with Scarlette.

    As they walked,Scarlette said, ¡°Why are you so heartless? Aren¡¯t you grateful to Jepherson at all? If not for him, we would have spent the night on the street.¡±

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have! He showed up on purpose.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t expose Scarlette, but her tone was firm.

    Scarlette didn¡¯t dare to rebut her.She sensed that Raeleigh had found out about the part she yed.

    ¡°Raeleigh!¡± From afar, Deanna waved at Raeleigh. Raeleigh froze for a moment when she saw Deanna. Shedidn¡¯t even notice Zorion.

    It was only when Scarletteand her got closer that she saw Zorion standing to the side. He was dressed in a white shirt and a pair of ck cks. His shirt was untucked, giving off a youthful vibe.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I know what happened.

    Are you all right?¡± Deanna walked around Raeleigh in a circle,pletelyignoringScarlette.

    Confused, Scarlette said, ¡°Deanna, I¡¯m here too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Deanna waved her hand dismissively, as if she couldn¡¯t care less.

    Scarlette snorted. ¡°Well, I¡¯m never partnering up with you in the game again. You canforget about getting to the treasure chest.¡±

    As soon as Scarlette mentioned gaming, Deanna immediately walked over to her and started to cajole her. ¡°Scarlette, I didn¡¯t mean that.To me, you¡¯re so amazing thatothers won¡¯t bully you, soyou¡¯ll be fine, won¡¯t you? On the other hand, Raeleigh needs our help, right?¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it,¡± Scarlette said,forgiving Deanna.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you bought aptop?¡± Deanna turned around and looked at theptop in Raeleigh¡¯s arms.¡°My oldptop was thrown into a bucket of water.Scarlette sold it off to someone she knows, as well as the phones you bought for us,¡± Raeleigh exined.

    Scarlette gulped.

    ¡°Theptops were still worth something even though they were soaked? Is that true?¡± Deanna had a lot of mobile phones andputers at her house that were yet to be discarded.

    ¡°Scarlette, I have manyputers and phones at home. Why don¡¯t you sell them off for me?¡± Deanna suggested, holding Scarlette¡¯s hand so tightlythat it hurt.

    ¡°It depends on the devices themselves. You just bought us our phones and they¡¯re still new, that¡¯s why they¡¯re worth more.Theptopsweren¡¯t worth much.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Even a penny is fine too!¡±

    Scarlette stared at Deanna, speechless.

 Chapter 909 Are You His Maid?

    ¡°You¡¯re fine with just a penny?¡± Scarlette said disbelievingly.

    ¡°A penny is good enough. I¡¯ll just take it as recycling.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you ask about it when I get the chance then,¡± Scarlette answered helplessly. There was no way that she was going to fork out her own money for it.

    Deanna grabbed Scarlette¡¯s arm happily as she counted the number of electronic devices at home that she could sell. ¡°Your family is so rich. Do you stillck that little bit of money?¡± Scarlette asked, confused.

    ¡°After I sell them, I can donate the money to those in need. Then, they can eat better.¡±

    ¡°You can do that with your allowance.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡±

    ¡­

    While they were talking, Zorion took Raeleigh¡¯sptop and opened it. ¡°How many tens of thousands did you buy this for?¡±

    Scarlette¡¯s jaw nearly dropped when she heard this. Raeleigh just stared at Zorion.

    ¡°Less than 4, 000 dors,¡± Raeleigh replied.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Deanna¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I want it! I want it too!¡±

    Scarlette was getting a headache. God, please save me! Scarlette thought to herself.

    ¡°This is estimated to cost around 37, 000 dors. Who sold it to you?¡± Zorion knew full well that Jepherson had given it to her,but he still examined it carefully. Raeleigh stood there without saying a word. Zorion handed theptop bag to Raeleigh, turned on theputer, and looked at the programs inside. Shooting a nce at Raeleigh, he closed it.

    ¡°It¡¯s imported,¡± Zorion remarked. Raeleigh turned to Scarlette and asked, ¡°Could it be that we took the wrong ones?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±

    After taking a look at Scarlette¡¯sptop, Deanna cried out, ¡°You¡¯re so lucky, you got such goodptops!Did you leave your phone number? You¡¯ll be held responsible if they find out.¡±

    ¡°I know the seller,¡± Scarlette replied. ¡°I¡¯ll go back and ask.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask. Maybehe doesn¡¯t know.¡±

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to Deanna¡¯s remark. The apple never falls far from the tree, and the Whalen family were a family of business people. They were really very shrewd.

    That might be the reason behind the saying that all businessmen are dishonest.

    With Zorion¡¯s help, Raeleigh put theptop away. She continued to hold it, refusing to let it go as shetrailed behind the others.

    As they walked, Deanna brought up the proposal of having them stay at their apartment, but Raeleigh refused.

    Zorion had caused that whole debacle. If she moved there, who knew what would happen.

    After all, those female students were so obsessed with Zorion that they didn¡¯t know what they were doing.

    The only person Raeleigh was worried about was Quirina. She couldn¡¯t figure out what she should do if Quirinapestered her again.

    Quirina was persistent.

    Time and time again¡­

    At the door to their dorm room, Scarlette saw that there were two people waiting for her, one of whom was the head lecturer for Raeleigh¡¯s course.

    Seeing Raeleigh, the lecturer stepped forward and greeted her. ¡°Raeleigh, itmust¡¯ve given you quite the scare. Theuniversity is deeply sorry for this. We have taken the necessary measures. You can continue staying here in peace in the future.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Raeleigh replied, clutching herptop tightly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll show you the new dorm room Scarlette and you will be staying in. Scarlette, are you all right?¡± The lecturer remembered to ask after Scarlette as well.If she didn¡¯t, Scarlette would think that she was being ignored yet again and that she was unimportant.

    Raeleigh followed the lecturer to the new dorm room. It was much better than their original one.

    ¡°This incident has angered Mr. Horatio and all the lecturers. It was a unanimous decision to expel the students involved, so many rooms are now empty. This room is for you two. You can stay here without any worries this time,¡± said the lecturer. Raeleigh looked around and thanked the lecturer again.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    Before the lecturer could leave, Deanna hurriedly called out to her.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Deanna?¡± The lecturer¡¯s attitude towards Deanna was even better than that of Mr. Horatio¡¯s.Even though she was a lecturer,it wouldn¡¯t hurt to curry favor with Deanna.

    ¡°May I stay with Raeleigh and the others? I want to stay here too.¡± Deanna looked at the lecturer intently,who was more than happy to oblige.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem, but you¡¯re not a student in my ss.¡±

    She was hinting that Deanna should join her ss.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we juste over?¡± Zorian interjected.

    Although he was still young, Zorion had an aura about him that gave off an invisible pressure, intimidating and indubitable.

    The lecturer had just wanted to trick Deanna into joining her ss. However, after hearing what Zorion said,she banished the idea from her mind.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± As soon as thelecturer changed hermind, Deanna immediately sped her hands together and thanked her fervently.

    Thelecturer gave an embarrassed smile. Deanna was much more likeable than Zorion.

    ¡°There are four beds here, so you can all stay here. You just need to go over to the campus housing office to sign some paperwork.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go and do thatter. Sorry to trouble you,¡± Zorion answered.Feeling uneasy, thelecturer made up an excuse that she had other matters to attend to andleft hurriedly.

    After she left, Deanna started picking which bed to sleep in. She pointed to the lower bunk, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll stay here, and Raeleigh will sleep opp¡­¡±

    Deanna thought for a moment and changed her mind. ¡°Scarlette, you sleep opposite me. Raeleigh and my brother will sleep opposite each other.¡±

    Scarlette raised her eyebrows and asked, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not having a fever?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Deanna replied, touching her forehead. She walked to Zorion and said, ¡°Zorion, can you check my temperature?¡±

    Zorion ced his hand on her forehead. ¡°You¡¯re not sick.¡±

    Scarlette was speechless. Was Deanna doing all this on purpose? Scarlette wondered.

    Scarlette looked over at Raeleigh, but Raeleigh was silent. Raeleigh looked around at the room. It was indeed better than the one they were staying in.

    Raeleigh put down herptop and wandered around the room.She was quite pleased with it.Then, she sat on the bed.

    A delighted Deanna hurried home to pack her belongings.

    After the siblings left, Scarlette sat opposite Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Do you not know what happened just now? Do you need me to exin it to you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. Deanna said that she wants to live here.¡± Raeleigh heard it herself.Sheknew that there were many things that she couldn¡¯t change, so she pretended that she didn¡¯t hear it.

    Scarlette sighed sadly and said, ¡°How did I ever cross paths with you?I feel so helpless.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave then?¡± Raeleigh shot an angry look at Scarlette. Scarlette red at Raeleigh and retorted, ¡°If I wanted to leave, do you think I would stay?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t take Scarlette¡¯s response to heart.She nced at Scarlette and asked, ¡°Do you like that man named Hadrian?¡±

    ¡°Hadrian?¡± Scarlette scratched her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t ask any more questions. She was thinking thatScarlettewas actually quite innocent.

    Scarlette thought of something suddenly. Shelooked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°How do you know Hadrian?¡±

    ¡°I heard you talking in your sleep.¡± Raeleigh got up and began putting their things away. Scarlettegot up and followed her, asking, ¡°I don¡¯t talk in my sleep, so how could you have heard anything?¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Raeleigh answered Scarlette¡¯s question with another question. Scarlette raised her eyebrows. ¡°You¡¯re so sly. I wonder if Mr. Jepherson would still like you if he knows about it.¡±

    ¡°Who do you call him Mr. Jepherson? Are you his maid?¡± Raeleigh looked atScarlettestrangely.Scarlette stopped talking immediately.¡°I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    Amused, Raeleigh replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that you said anything.¡±

    Scarlette stopped talking, but Raeleigh still thought that it was hrious.

 Chapter 910 Stopped at the Water Station

    After packing up her things, Deanna returned to Raeleigh¡¯s dorm room. She had so much stuff that theytook up two beds. Her luggage alone was more than Raeleigh¡¯s and Scarlette¡¯sbined, but there was nothing they could do about that.

    After putting away her things, Deanna said to Zorion, ¡°Zorion, I want aptop like Raeleigh¡¯s. Can you buy one for me too?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get it for you in the afternoon,¡± Zorion replied, patting Deanna on the head. He would promise her the world if he could.Pleased,Deanna took out the delicious snacks she had brought to share with Scarlette and Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t have any, butScarlettetucked in without hesitation. She knew that Deanna¡¯s family were well off, so this was nothing to them. She might as well just eat the snacks and not let them go to waste.

    Scarlette took a packet of beef jerky and began munching on it.Deanna found a packet of jelly and held it out to Raeleigh. ¡°You should eat some too. There¡¯s no harm in eating these.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at the jelly in her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t eat snacks, it¡¯s just how I was raised. You eat it. I¡¯ll go and fetch some water. We don¡¯t have any hot water. We might need to use it at night.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and went out on her own while holding two sks.

    Deanna had never done that before. She got up and asked, ¡°What is Raeleigh doing?¡±

    ¡°Getting water. Sit down. I¡¯ll go and apany her so that she won¡¯t be bullied.¡± Scarlette was about to follow Raeleigh, but Zorion had already stood up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go. You apany Deanna.¡± Zorion didn¡¯t giveScarlette any room for argument. He turned around and left the room.

    Scarlettewanted to protest, but Deanna stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t be a third wheel. It¡¯s rare for Zorion to like a girl, so don¡¯t stop him. If it¡¯s because you like him, I¡¯ll tell you right now that he doesn¡¯t like you. Don¡¯t be fooled by his appearance, he¡¯s actually a bad-tempered person.¡±

    Deanna¡¯s words were a reminder for Scarlette tostay away from Zorion.

    Scarlettewas speechless. How self-absorbed could one person be?How could Deanna think that she had a crush on Zorion? Scarlette thought to herself.

    Yes, Zorion was good-looking, but that was it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like Zorion. No matter how good-looking he is, that¡¯s none of my business. It has nothing to do with me.¡±Scarlettesat in a corner eating her beef jerky. Since there is no catch involved with eating the snacks, she should eat more.

    Deanna gazed atScarlette as sheate a packet of fruit jelly. ¡°It¡¯s even more of a mistake to like Raeleigh. You¡¯re a woman. It¡¯s impossible for a woman to have a child with another woman.¡±

    Scarlette almost choked on the beef jerky. It was all so maddening that she felt like crying, but no tears came. ¡°Just kill me now, won¡¯t you?¡± she muttered.

    ¡°Murder is illegal,¡± Deanna replied righteously.

    Scarletteturned away to avoid looking at Deanna andcontinued eating the beef jerky. Yes, she should just eat.

    It was quite a distance to the water station. When Raeleigh finally arrived, there was a line of students.

    Most of the students wouldn¡¯t fill up water from the water station, but there were still some who would do so.Some people chose not to drink purified water because they would need to pay for it.The students that used the water station were those who didn¡¯t have much money, just like Raeleigh.

    There were a few boys in front of the water station. For some unknown reason, they were catcalling girls as they filled up their bottles.When Raeleigh joined the line, they were hooting while eyeing the girls¡¯ skirts.

    Raeleigh had heard of them. They were the infamous delinquents of Elkton Universitywhohad a particr obsession for girls¡¯ underwear. Sometimes, they even bullied the girls into taking theirpanties off and fooling around with them.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Raeleigh had never met them before, but she had heard of the stories. She had not anticipated that she would see them as soon as she arrived at the water station.

    Raeleigh was about to leave as she didn¡¯t want to cause any trouble. However, before she could even turn around, she was stopped by two people.

    ¡°Raeleigh?¡± A male student called out her name. Raeleigh raised her head and fixed her eyes on his face. She didn¡¯t answer him; she wasn¡¯t scared either. Her expression was calmness and serene. Being scared wouldn¡¯t help her; she could only face him bravely. Otherwise, she would bepletely helpless.

    ¡°Are you Raeleigh?¡± He was about six feet tall and was wearing a ck shirt with baggy pants. He stood with his hand in the pocket of his pants, obscuring Raeleigh¡¯s path.

    Raeleigh still didn¡¯t answer him. She took a step forward, intending to go around him, but he shifted to block her way. Raeleigh wanted to leave, but she had no way out.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking if you¡¯re Raeleigh.¡± He quirked his lips into a smirk, his eyes cold and emotionless.

    ¡°What difference will it make if I answer your question? Since you¡¯vee to provoke me and stir up trouble, you must already know who I am.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a smart girl. If the rest of you have no business here, then leave.¡± The student waved his hand, signaling for the other students to leave.

    Knowing that things weren¡¯t going to end well, Raeleigh slid her hand into her pocket, wanting to call for help. However, as soon as she did so, someone held her down and pulled her phone out of her grasp.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Raeleigh raised her hand, trying to grab the phone back, but that person threw it into the small fountain nearby. Raeleigh ran over and fished it out. She was afraid to turn it and could only shake the water off it and wipe it dry before putting it away.

    A group of six people surrounded her, all of them looking menacing.Some of them had their hands in their pockets, some had their arms crossed, and some were ying with knives.

    There were some people peeking around the doorway of the water station to see what was going on,but none of them intervened. It was clear to all that this was a precarious situation.

    As Raeleigh stashed her phone away, she asked, ¡°Why are you targeting me?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± The leader of the group burst into sarcasticughter. ¡°Because of you, the university expelled my girlfriend. So, what do you think the reason could be?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know your girlfriend.¡± Raeleigh stood unmoving,the two sks still in her hands.

    ¡°My girlfriend was the one who trashed your dorm room. You don¡¯t know her, but she was expelled because of you. I¡¯m going to show you the consequences of offending her. You have two choices-take off your clothes and dance for us or jump out the window and break your arms and legs.

    Of course, I¡¯m open to any other ideas you may have.¡±

    The men began to grin lewdly.

    Raeleigh¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far. Don¡¯t you all have mothers or sisters?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? So what if I do? How can that stop me from having my way with you?¡± Unable to tolerate his lewd words any longer, Raeleighhurled one of the sks in her hand at him.

    The men dodged the sk and started bearing down on Raeleigh, ready to strip her.

    ¡°Help, help!¡± Raeleigh was frightened. There were so many people approaching her.

    Just as they were about to pounce on Raeleigh, a shout came from the doorwayfollowed by two loud cracking sounds.

    The men who were about to defile Raeleigh turned around and looked towards the door. Everyone was stunned. Zorion was cracking a whip at the door,who knows where he had gotten it from.The sound of the whip hitting the door reverberated through the room.

    The men exchanged nces and started walking towards Zorion.

 Chapter 911 Destroy the Evidence

    ¡°Mr. Whalen.¡± The leader of the group knew Zorion. Zorion¡¯s family was rich, but at Elkton University,wealth meant nothing.

    Zorion was a new student and just a junior. They hadn¡¯t gotten around to putting him in his ce yet. Unexpectedly, they wound up meeting here.

    ¡°Where are you b*stards from?¡± Zorion demanded, tapping the whip against the palm of his head. None of themresponded.

    Their expressions were grim.They hadn¡¯t dealt with Zorion yet, and here he was acting all arrogant.

    ¡°Zorion, we addressed you as Mr. Whalen because we think highly of you, but don¡¯t think that you can do whatever you want at this university just because your family is rich.Let me tell you, if we kill you now, allyour parents can do is cry about it.¡±

    Zorion walked towards them as if he didn¡¯t hear a word they had said,still cracking the whip.Zorion lowered his head slightly, no one could see the look in his eyes.By this time, Raeleigh had already gotten to her feet. When she saw Zorion, she dashed over to him immediately, cowering behind him in fear, as if he was herst shred of hope.

    Zorion looked back at Raeleigh, who was trembling with fear.Ruthlessness shed in his eyes for a moment. However, when he talked to Raeleigh, his voice was still very gentle.

    ¡°Go and wait aside.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Zorion, quivering. Zorion¡¯s gaze was resolute, butkind.After hesitating for a moment, Raigh backed towards the door, leaning against the doorway.

    Zorion turned to face the men in front of him, scowling,and said, ¡°Come on.¡±

    ¡°You little brat, you¡¯re being too arrogant. It¡¯ll only mean a tragic end for you,¡± said one of the delinquents as he swung a punch at Zorion. Zorion quickly turned to the side, dodging it.At the same time, he raised the whip in his hand andshed it at the man. His opponent¡¯s face crumpled in pain and immediately retracted his hand. However, Zorion wasn¡¯t about to let him off the hook that easily.

    His opponent retreated, but Zorion¡¯s whip never stopped moving.Whoever dared to approach him would surely be hit. The water station echoed withscreams and yelps of pain. At first, the six delinquents were all gung ho and aggressive, but very quickly they couldn¡¯t help but keel over in pain. They were no match for Zorion.

    Raeleigh stood by the door, dumbfounded.

    Even though the delinquents were already kneeling on the ground, Zorion didn¡¯t stop. Tossing the whip aside, he took up an iron pipe in the water room and started beating them violently. Those who were beaten slumped to the ground, unable to get up.

    At first, the spectators outside thought Zorion looked very cond urged him on,but now they had all ran away.

    Raeleigh suddenly came to her senses and ran to Zorion, tugging on his arm.¡°Don¡¯t hit them anymore! Don¡¯t hit them! You¡¯ll kill someone if you continue.¡±

    Zorion paid no attention to Raeleigh and continued hitting them. Raeleigh didn¡¯t know how else to get him to stop. In desperation, Raeleigh flung her arms around Zorion from behind and forcefully dragged him a couple of meters away.

    Zorion finally stopped, panting heavily, and turned to look at Raeleigh.

    ¡°If anyone dares to bully you again, I¡¯ll make them rue the day they were born.¡±

    Raeleigh gazed at Zorionspeechlessly.

    She would be lying if she said that she wasn¡¯t touched by his words. Nheless, there shouldn¡¯t be such a feeling between them.

    Raeleigh quickly snatched the iron pipe from Zorion¡¯s grasp. Then, she walked to the water dispenser and ran hot water over it, washing away the fingerprints and blood.

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t the kind of person who was afraid of death. She had just been frightened of what the delinquents would do to her.

    At that moment, she was extraordinarily clear-headed. She couldn¡¯t let anything happen to Zorion.

    The iron pipe was clean, but Raeleigh continued holding it under the hot running water for a long time.

    A thought came to Raeleigh¡¯s mind.Raeleigh turned around and looked at Zorion. She picked up Zorion¡¯s whip and put it on the ground,rinsedit, and stuffed it inside her shirt. Since she was thin, it wasn¡¯t noticeable under her shirt. She also used the cardigan she was wearing to cover it up.

    There was a water pipe connected to a tap in the water station.Raeleigh used it to clean the floor, their feet, and any footprints that remained.

    Panting heavily, Raeleigh lifted her head and looked at Zorion. He appeared to be oblivious to the gravity of the situation.

    After taking a nce at the men who were bleeding non-stop as theyy on the ground, Raeleigh took Zorion¡¯s hand and ran out of the water station.

    ¡°Go take a shower and change your clothes. Go, now. I¡¯ll get rid of the whip. If anyone asks, say that we were in our dorm room all this while. I¡¯m going back there now.¡± With that, Raeleigh turned around and dashed off.

    Zorion looked at Raeleigh running all the way back and actually smiled, as if he found the incident funny.

    Raeleigh barged into the dorm room. Her sudden appearance scared the life out of Deanna and Scarlette and their faces paled. They thought that something awful had happened to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh filled them in on what had happened.¡°Where¡¯s Zorion?¡± Deanna asked suddenly.

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t be afraid. As long as he denies it, there won¡¯t be any evidence. Moreover, your family is wealthy. The university will cover it up foryou. Scarlette, you¡¯d better stay here and watch over Deanna. I¡¯m going to take a shower. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Raeleigh turned and scurried out of the dorm room with her soiled clothes and some detergent.

    Raeleigh showered quickly,dried her hair,changed into fresh clothes, and washed the clothes she was wearing during the attack.It urred to her that Zorion could possibly still be dressed in the same clothes.At the thought of this, Raeleighhurried back to the dorm room immediately.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to look for Zorion, wait for me here. No matter what happens, don¡¯t go out. I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± Raeleigh said to Deanna and Scarlette before leaving.ording to Deanna¡¯s guess, Zorion might be at the apartment, so she went there.

    Raeleigh knocked on the door of the apartment. Zorion had juste out of the shower and was drying his hair. He nced through the peephole. Seeing that it was Raeleigh, he opened the door.

    Usually, Raeleigh would be embarrassed if she saw Zorion wearing only a bath towel. However, she didn¡¯t think too much of it that day. Zorion stepped aside as she brushed past him and walkedinto the bathroom to inspectZorion¡¯s clothes. When she was sure that there was no blood on them, Raeleigh felt relieved. That being said, she still washed his clothes. Since she didn¡¯t have any detergent, Raeleigh washed them with shampoo. Once the clothes were spotless, she hung them up to dry.

    Raeleigh also helped Zorion to clean up the bathroom. When that was done, she walked out of the bathroom and headed for the door.At that moment, Zorion blocked Raeleigh¡¯s path.

    ¡°Does this mean that you care about me a lot?¡± asked Zorion. While Raeleigh was busy in the bathroom, he had already changed into fresh clothes.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    He wore a white shirt and ck cks, looking the same as before. He had plenty of simr outfits.

    ¡°Remember, you have never been to the water station, and I have never been there either. There are no CCTVs along there. As long as we don¡¯t admit it,any witness statement will be useless. Your family is powerful; the university can¡¯t do anything to you or me.

    We should both get our stories straight and say that we were in the room with Scarlette and Deanna.¡±

    Zorion remained silent at first, but then he smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not bury our heads in the sand. Who will believe that story?¡±

    ¡°The world is unjust. As long as we don¡¯t admit it, no one can do anything about it. The university will help us.¡± Raeleigh took a step towards the door, then turned around and looked at Zorion. ¡°There aren¡¯t many people outside during this hour. Let¡¯s go back right away.¡±

 Chapter 912 Good Day, Sir

    Raeleigh headed back to her dorm room. Opening the door, she sawScarlette, who looked like she was about to doze off. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t care less.

    Deanna began to panic. She was afraid that Raeleigh would be mad as they did not leave some food for her.

    Before Raeleigh returned, they had been talking to each other as if nothing had happened.

    Deanna stood up immediately when she saw Raeleigh.¡°Raeleigh, you¡¯re back.¡±Raeleigh nodded, walked to her bed, then fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

    Scarlette shook her head. She was that tired!

    Not long after that, Zorion came in. When he saw Raeleigh sleeping, he couldn¡¯t help but walk over to take a look.

    Raeleigh was exhausted and could not be woken.

    Zorion was also feeling worn out. He took off his shoes andid next to Raeleigh. He rested his head on his arms and dozed off in no time.

    Feeling anxious, Scarlette wanted to wake Zorion up. However, Deanna objected and covered them with a quiltinstead. She pulled Scarlette aside and whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s not be the bad guy. Come on, let¡¯s eat!¡±

    Scarlette threw a sidelong nce at Deanna. Why did she feel like Deanna was treating her like a pet?

    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

    Someone from the university had called the police and the victim had been sent to the hospital. A witness imed that Raeleigh was the one behind it.

    The police were now searching for Raeleigh.

    Deanna got up to open the door, but before that she reminded Scarlette not to cause trouble. Two uniformed policemen stood outside the door.

    Without waiting for them to speak, Deanna put her hands together in front of her and bowed. ¡°Good day, sir.

    The policemen froze. Was this the wrong ce?

    At the sight of the policemen, Scarlette stood up and walked towards Deanna.Pulling Deanna aside, she said in a tone tinged with sarcasm,¡°Who do you think is the one that caused trouble this time?¡±

    Displeased, Deanna hissed, ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

    ¡°Step aside.¡± Scarlette ignored Deanna and askedthe policemen, ¡°Are you the security guards?¡±

    The policemen were speechless. Which one of them was Raeleigh? Were they mental? They thought to themselves.

    ¡°We¡¯re from the FBI. Here are our badges and search warrant.¡± The policemen took out their badges and search warrant and showed them to Scarlette. After taking a nce at them, she asked, ¡°How can we help you?¡±

    ¡°Do you know Walforf and¡­¡±

    The policemen rattled off a list of names, but none of them seemed to ring a bell.She turned around and asked Deanna, ¡°Do you know any of them?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Deanna muttered.

    ¡°Is Raeleigh your dorm mate?¡± The policeman continued asking.

    ¡°Yes, she is,¡± Scarlette responded.

    ¡°She¡¯s asleep,¡± Deanna added.

    The policemen were surprised. So neither of these girls was Raeleigh?

    ¡°Asleep?¡± The policemen were astonished that she could still go to sleep after what had happened.

    ¡°Wake her up,¡± they ordered.

    As Scarlette gestured towards Raeleigh, Deanna asked, ¡°Why? What happened?¡±

    The policemen took a look inside the dorm room and werestartled.

    They took a second look. It was a girl¡¯s dorm, but there was a boy on the bed. Elkton University¡¯s campus culture was indeed one-of-a-kind.

    ¡°What is he doing here?¡± The policemen asked. ¡°That¡¯s my brother. He was exhausted and fell asleep on Raeleigh¡¯s bed. He likes her bed,¡± Deanna exined.

    He liked her, not her bed.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    The policemen gave up questioning any further.

    It didn¡¯t matter to the police if they were fooling around. As for barging into another person¡¯s dorm room, it was none of their business, so they just turned a blind eye.¡°Wake her up,¡±the policemen demanded.

    ¡°You¡¯re being unreasonable. They¡¯re just sleeping,¡± Deanna argued.

    ¡°Wake Raeleigh up!¡± the policemen repeated loudly. The policemen¡¯s booming voice woke Raeleigh and Zorion up.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes, still unaware that Zorion was sleeping next to her. All she knew was that the police hade to look for her.

    After sitting up, Raeleigh finally realized that Zorion was on her bed.

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±

    Zorion chuckled, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who wanted me here?¡±

    At that moment, it hit her that she had indeed asked Zorion to be there.

    The policemen lost their patience at being ignored like that.

    ¡°Raeleigh,get up now!¡± The policemen stormed into the room. Raeleigh got up from the bed, put on her shoes, and stared at them.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Raeleigh deliberately asked as Zorion sat up and looked at her.

    ¡°Do you know Walforf and¡­¡± The police repeated the same question they had asked Scarlette and Deanna. Raeleigh shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know them.¡±

    ¡°Did you go to the boiler room earlier this afternoon?¡±

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t gone out today. I¡¯ve been here the whole time,¡± Raeleigh replied.

    Next to her, Scarlette announced, ¡°I can confirm that.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    The policemen frowned and said, ¡°Raeleigh was seen being bullied in the boiler room. Zorion attacked the bully to save her.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me? I¡¯ve been sleeping the whole time. How could I hurt anyone?¡± Zorion jumped to his feet. The policemen were stunned for a moment. ¡°Zorion? Are you Zorion?¡±

    One of the policemen turned to look at the representative sent by the school. He looked like he knew nothing.

    ¡°Is he Zorion?¡± the policeman asked. The teacher shifted his sses uneasily and said, ¡°I think so.There are too many students. I can¡¯t remember.¡±

    Speechless, the policeman barked,¡°Show me your ID card.¡±

    Zorion took out his ID card and handed it to the policeman. The policeman stared at it for a long time before returning it to Zorion.

    ¡°A witness imed that you hurt someone with a horsewhip and an iron pipe in the boiler room. Did you do it?¡± The policeman asked.

    Zorionughed mockingly, ¡°That¡¯s bullsh*t. I didn¡¯t do anything. Someone must be messing with me.¡±

    The policeman¡¯s expression was stern. Everyone in this dorm room seemed suspicious, except one. Who were they? He pondered.

    ¡°We¡¯re from the FBI. Here¡¯s my badge and search warrant,¡± the policeman said as he showed them to Zorion. Zorion simply took a nce and said, ¡°How would I know if this is real?¡±

    As the policeman put his badge away, Raeleigh asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Ignoring her question, the policeman snapped ¡°Since you don¡¯t have a clue, you¡¯ll have toe with me to the station.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Zorionughed disbelievingly.

    The policeman walked towards Zorion and repeated in a firm voice ¡°I said, pleasee with us for further investigation.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know what happened. Why should we go with you?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice. Let¡¯s go.¡± Even though the policemen had ordered Raeleigh and Zorion to follow them, neither of them moved an inch.

    The policemen walked out of the dorm room and turned to look at Zorion and Raeleigh.Feeling helpless, they traded nces and walked out.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Scarlette and Deanna, who had alsoe out of the dorm room and were locking the door behind them. She realized that both of them were each holding a notebook. Deanna was holding Raeleigh¡¯s andScarlette was holding her own.They looked serious.

 Chapter 913 Released On Bail

    The police car was parked outside. However, it wasn¡¯t as intimidating as the Whalen family¡¯s fleet of cars.

    The police knew that this case wasn¡¯t as straightforward as it appeared.

    Raeleigh and Zorion were led into the police car and taken away. Deanna was already on the phone with herwyer, ready to file awsuit in order to prove their innocence. Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t have to worry about anything at all.

    Deanna got into another car and tailed the police.

    She arrived at the police station moments after the policemen did.

    Holding the notebook in her hand, Deanna got out of the car and walked towards the policemen. ¡°You drove too slowly. I had to ask my driver to stop several times,¡± she said teasingly.

    The policemen were dumbstruck. What in the world?

    As soon as Raeleigh and Zorion got out of the police car,she rushed over tofort them.¡°Don¡¯t worry. Justice is on our side. I have already called mywyers, they will be here in no time.¡±

    Before Deanna could even finish talking, four ck sports cars pulled up in front of the police station simultaneously,upying all the parking spaces that were meant for the police¡¯s own use. Then, a few people alighted from the cars.

    There were four men in ck suits. Their assistants hurried behind them, carrying bags.

    They approached Raeleigh and Zorion.¡°Mr. Zorion, Miss Deanna.¡±

    Deanna introduced Raeleigh to thewyers. Turning towards Raeleigh, they greeted her politely, ¡°Hello, Miss Anson.¡±

    Raeleigh responded with a swift nod.

    One of thewyers said, ¡°We¡¯re going to do a full-body check to prevent any hups. Kindly cooperate with us.¡±

    As soon as thewyer said this, the people behind him started taking out the things they would need to conduct the check-up.

    There was even a photographer who took a picture of them as well.

    ¡°Mr. Zorion, this way, please.¡±

    ¡°Miss Anson, this way, please.¡±

    ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡±

    Raeleigh and Zorion entered the police station. Scarlette rubbed her temples. If she was part of the Criminal Investigation Team, she would surely flip out. Scarlette thought to herself.

    Carrying the notebook, Deanna followed them into the station. She sat together with thewyers, listening attentively to what the police were saying.

    The Criminal Investigation Team was under a lot of pressureas they were up againstfour prominentwyers from Capital City.

    Raeleigh and Zorion were being detained in the police lock-up.

    Not long after, Jepherson arrived.

    He dashed into the police stationwith Stuart behind him.

    Stuart immediately pulled up a chair for Jepherson. He sat down with his legs crossed, his gaze focused on Scarlette and Deanna, who were busy gaming.

    ¡°Jepherson, you¡¯re here,¡± said Deanna.

    She was so busy gaming that she didn¡¯t even bother to look up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, there¡¯s no hurry,¡± Jepherson didn¡¯t want to pester Deanna. Instead, he threw a sharp nce at Scarlette. It made her heart thump like mad.

    She instantly stopped what she was doing and looked at Jepherson,startled.

    Even Stuart had an annoyed expression on his face. It was already veryte at night and they had disturbed Mr. Jepherson¡¯s rest. What were they up to? He thought to himself.

    What happened was no small matter. If the principal had not called, would Scarlette have kept it to herself? Jepherson fumed.

    Scarlette felt wronged.Her phone had been confiscated, so she had no chance of telling him.She was with Deanna all this while, not to mention that Zorion¡¯swyers were there too.

    Jepherson looked away when he saw the head ofthe Criminal Investigation Team.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    He approached Jepherson, but Jepherson didn¡¯t even look up.

    The head of the investigation team knew that Jepherson was not someone to be trifled with.The rtionship between the Richards family and the Whalen family was not an ordinary one.Handling this matter wouldn¡¯t be easy if Jepherson was here on behalf of the Whalen family.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± The head of the investigation team was aware of Jepherson¡¯s identity. As the youngest vice president in Capital City, he was legendary.

    Jepherson looked at him and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want any details. I¡¯ll find out for myself. I only want to know if they can be released on bail.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± It was impossible for the Criminal Investigation Team to reject Jepherson¡¯s request.

    Jepherson stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll bail them out.¡±

    ¡°This way, please.¡±

    As soon as Jepherson signed the necessary paperwork,Raeleigh and Zorion were released from the police lock-up.

    Raeleigh yawned as she walked out, feeling sleepy. It was alreadyte at night.

    Zorion walked over to Raeleigh and so did Jepherson. From the looks of it, it seemed that Jepherson was here to see Zorion, but in fact, he was there to see Raeleigh.

    Jepherson made sure that Raeleigh was fine before turning to Zorion.

    ¡°How are you?¡± Jepherson asked Zorion. Zorion knew full well that Jepherson was not here for him.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jepherson turned around and walked away. Raeleigh looked at his retreating figure and followed him with Zorion,Scarlette, and Deanna behind her.

    Raeleigh was practically dozing off once she got into the car.Next to her, Zorionlifted his arm, wanting to pull her closer so that she could lean on his shoulder.

    Jepherson caught sight of it and asked, ¡°What just happened?¡±

    Jepherson raised his voice so that it woke Raeleigh up. She had never heard him speak so loudly, it seemed like he was mad.

    She opened her eyes and looked around.

    Scarlette and Deanna were fast asleep, only the three of them were awake.

    Jepherson had deliberately spoken loudly.

    Raeleigh pondered for a moment before leaning away to one side.

    Zorion answered, ¡°We have no idea.¡±

    Jepherson stopped questioning. In fact, he wasn¡¯t interested in Zorion. Even if something happened, he knew that Rayan would own up to it. Zorion would be all right.

    Raeleigh was the reason he came tonight.

    Tremendously exhausted, she was about to fall asleep again.

    Zorion scooted closer to her and said, ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Raeleigh opened her eyes and turned to Zorion. Zorion nced at his shoulder, hinting at Raeleigh to lean on it.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s all right.This will do.¡±

    Jepherson lowered his head and looked at his watch. ¡°Your mom called. She wants you back home. I¡¯ll send you back.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be unnecessary. Raeleigh and Scarlette can stay at my ce tonight,¡± Zorion interjects.

    At this, Raeleigh jolted awake again. She turned to him and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Scarlette and I will go back to our dorms. We can¡¯t stay at your ce.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ste. You might not be able to enter.¡±

    ¡°But we still shouldn¡¯t stay at your ce.I¡¯ll go home, then.¡± Raeleigh decided. For a moment, Zorion was silent. He red at Jepherson, who was sitting opposite him.

    Zorion and Deanna were dropped off at their home. Deanna was still holding Raeleigh¡¯s notebook.

    Zorion took it from her.

    Deanna watched as the car drove away.

    Taking out his phone, Zorion dialed a number and said, ¡°Follow Jepherson. See what he¡¯s up to.¡±

 Chapter 914 Donâ€™t Come Back

    Raeleigh was taken to a hotel.The car stopped at the entrance and Jephersonalighted with Raeleigh. She nced at Scarlette,the look in her eyes exined it all. She was not given the chance to turn down his offer.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jepherson turned and walked into the hotel.The hotel manager bowed when he saw him.He had seen Raeleigh several times and his impression of her was that she was a soft-spoken woman.She had an aura of nobility and grace about her. Mr. Jepherson had good taste in women indeed.

    Maybe she will be his wife in the future.

    However, he knew that the Richards family was one of the most affluent families in Capital City. It might be a torment for an ordinary woman like her to marry into such a family.

    Everyone knew that the Richards family had many mistresses.

    Jepherson walked past the manager, who had his head bowed, and into the lobby. Suddenly, he came to a stop, turned around, and shot a death stare at the manager. ¡°This hotel needs to be reorganized.¡±

    The manager could only drop his head even lower insilent acquiescence, not daring to look up at Jepherson.

    Jepherson shifted his gaze to Raeleigh, who was walking towards him. He stepped forward and pulled her after him into the elevator.

    Stuart was hurrying over behind them, but whenhe saw Jepherson leading Raeleigh into the elevator, hebacked off to wait for the next elevator.

    When Jepherson came out of the elevator, Stuart was already waiting for them, sweat beading on his forehead.

    Raeleigh nced at Stuart and then at Jepherson. The rich were such bullies.

    A sense of familiarity hit as Raeleigh walked into the lounge. Jepherson let go of her arm as soon as they walked through the door. Raeleigh made her way to the bathroom as if it was her own house.

    ¡°Prepare something to eat,¡± Jepherson instructed Stuart.

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Stuart answered and hurried off. After taking off his jacket, Jepherson went to the bathroom.Raeleigh was washing her hands asJepherson gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Slowly, he approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist.

    She lowered her head and looked up at Jepherson through her eyshes. She didn¡¯t know what was going on in his mind, but from the looks of it, she knew that Jepherson would have her that night.

    ¡°Why are you so quiet? Are you regretting your decision?¡± Jepherson said mockingly.Raeleigh was dumbfounded.How could someone like this even exist? Raeleigh pondered. Regardless of the situation he was in, he could smile so effortlessly. Even if the world ended, it would not even matter to him.She was at her wits end over the incident earlier, but it didn¡¯t even seem to affect him at all.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Raeleigh was not an ingrate. She still had a heart.

    Jepherson chuckled as he tightened his arms around her.In his white shirt, Jepherson looked pure and innocent. Indeed, he had a charm that could make girls swoon over him.

    ¡°Thank you? That¡¯s all?¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes were as deep as the ocean and they gazed at Raeleigh¡¯s reflection.Shaking off the water droplets on her hands, she turned around to faceJepherson.He loosened his arms.

    ¡°What do you want me to dothen?¡± Raeleigh asked, her expression cold and distant. It was obvious that she couldn¡¯t care less about what Jepherson wanted, she simply wanted to thank him.

    Jepherson fixed his gaze on her face, slowly shifting it down to her lips. Raeleigh¡¯s face turned red as she knew what he wanted.

    After a moment¡¯s hesitation,Raeleigh let out a sigh and tiptoed to get closer to him.

    Jepherson lowered his gaze.When their lips were about to touch, Jepherson turned his head, loosened his grip, and walked out.

    Raeleigh was startled. Where was he going?

    After a long while, Raeleigh finally came to her senses. Had she been rejected by Jepherson?

    She turned to look through the open door and sawJepherson pushing a dining cart into the living room. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s eat,¡± he called out.

    Raeleigh went out and stood staring at Jepherson.He had his head lowered asheced the dishes on the table.

    Just as Raeleigh was stomping towards Jepherson, he walked past her and said, ¡°I have to use the bathroom. Go ahead and eat.¡±

    Jepherson headed into the bathroom, leaving Raeleigh standing there in a daze. She turned around, only to see that he had closed the bathroom door.

    Was he angry? Raeleigh wondered.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    After a while,Raeleigh sat down to wait for Jepherson.

    Soon, he came out of the bathroom.ncingat the table, he saw that Raeleigh had not eaten. ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Not quite,¡± Raeleigh muttered as she looked at the food in front of her. She didn¡¯t have any appetite after what had happened.

    Jepherson took a fork and handed it to her. ¡°Come on, eat. You¡¯ll starve if you don¡¯t eat.¡±

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment beforegiving in and taking the fork from him.

    The entire time, his head was lowered and he didn¡¯t even bother to look at Raeleigh. Even when he was putting food on her te, he only looked at her te and not at her.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± Raeleigh wasn¡¯t nning on asking, but she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    Didn¡¯t she go to kiss him as he wished? He was the one who turned away.

    As he chewed, Jepherson arched his brows and nced at Raeleigh. He swallowed before he spoke.

    ¡°Do you feel ufortable being with me?¡± Jepherson asked.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, thenpretended not to understand the true meaning of his words.¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Are you not happy to be with me?¡± Although he showed no emotions, she could tell that he was boiling with anger. His knuckles were white from clenching his fist.

    ¡°You wanted me to thank you, so I did as you wished. Why are you pissed?¡± Raeleigh tossed her fork across the table.

    She knew that the people from rich families were ill-tempered, and often were nonsensical.

    As she got to know Jepherson better, she thought that he was different. However, his current behavior proved her wrong.

    Calmly, she stood up and said, ¡°I think I might have misunderstood.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± In a trice, Jepherson tossed his spoon aside as well.

    Raeleigh nced at the door and turned to him.¡°Are you thinking of telling me that once I walk through that door, I shouldn¡¯te back?¡±

    Jepherson was stunned for a moment.Those words had never crossed his mind and he had never said such a thing.

    He rose to his feet without a word,wanting to stop her from leaving.But she beat him to it. She was already out the door.

 Chapter 915 Cancer

    Raeleigh stormed out furiously asJepherson stood rooted to the spot, staring nkly at the door. By the time he dashed out, Raeleigh was already gone. There was onlyStuart standing at the door.

    Stuart stared at him. What went wrong? Jepherson should have taken care of her. How could he let her leave in the middle of the night?

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop Raeleigh?¡± Jepherson yelled as he saw the empty corridor. His face darkened as he red at Stuart with fury.

    Stuart was dumbstruck.That was unfair of him!

    ¡°Sir¡­¡±

    ¡°Go and look for her. It¡¯s dangerous for a girl to be by herself in the middle of the night. If something happens to Raeleigh,you¡¯re fired.¡± Jepherson walked towards the elevator as he spoke. He pushed the elevator call button repeatedly and immediately stepped in when the doors opened.

    Stuart got into the elevator too and they went down to the lobby.

    She was nowhere to be seen.

    Standing in the hotel lobby, Jepherson nced at his watch. It was indeedte and it would be dangerous for Raeleigh. Immediately, he sent his men to look for her. However, they still could not locate her.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Raeleigh was headed to the university whenshe got a call from Scarlette.

    ¡°Scarlette, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, where are you? I heard that you left.¡±Jepherson had called to ask Scarlette if she knew where Raeleigh was, soScarlette had also rushed out to look for Raeleigh.

    ¡°I¡¯m in a cab on my way back. You can stay at the hotel tonight. I¡¯ll see you at the university tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, where¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s almost light out.

    ¡°I¡¯ll arrive soon and I¡¯ll be sure to take care of myself.¡± Raeleigh said hastily before hanging up. She put away her phone, looked around, and continued walking.

    Raeleigh had suffered a lot since she was a child and the dark didn¡¯t scare her.In fact, she felt that it was safer for her to walk instead of hailing a cab.Instead of walking under the streetlights, she preferred to walk in the shadows so that no one could see her in the dark.

    Raeleigh had seen Jepherson as he rushed out from the hotel lobby looking for her. When she saw him, she had stood still in a corner not too far from the hotel.

    When people searched for something,they would most likely head to ces that were brightly illuminated as it would be easier to see, andoverlook the darker areas.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t move until Jepherson and the others started going further to search.

    So even if he came backter to the darker areas near the hotel to look for her, she wouldn¡¯t be found.

    She continued walking for a while. When she was certain that they would not find her, she thought about taking a bus back to the university.

    Just as she stopped walking,a ck car came into sight.Raeleigh thought it was Jepherson.Instead,she saw Zorion wind down the window.

    ¡°Get in,¡± Zorion said, opening the car door and beckoning for Raeleigh to get in.

    Raeleigh looked around. She had no other choice but to get into Zorion¡¯s car.

    After she got into the car, Zorion leaned over to fasten her seatbelt.

    ¡°Take me to the university. It¡¯s almost dawn, soI¡¯m sure they¡¯ll let me in.¡± Raeleigh looked at the time. It would be almost six o¡¯clock by the time she arrived.

    Zorion eded to her request and headed towards the direction of the university.

    Neither one of them cared to initiate a conversation throughout the entire drive there. Raeleigh was exhausted as she had not slept the whole night. When they arrived, she got out of the car and watched Zorion drive away.

    As soon as she stepped into the campus, she caught sight of Scarlette.

    Scarlette yawned as she left the guardhouse. Ugh, she was worn out!

    Raeleigh paused for a moment when she saw Scarlette, then she walked over and asked,¡°Why did youe back? Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay there?¡±

    Scarlette gave Raeleigh a tight hug. ¡°Since you came back, why would I stay there?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t that obnoxious.

    It was almost seven o¡¯clock when Raeleigh returned to her dorm room. It had been a long day and she didn¡¯t get any rest at allst night. Drained, she was reluctant to go to her sses, so she plopped on her bed.

    Compared to Raeleigh, Scarlette was way more energetic. She approached Raeleigh and said, ¡°Are you okay?I can apply for leave if you want.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a nap. Could you help to apply for two days¡¯ leave?You should go to the police station.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t know the details, but there must be some procedures they had to adhere to after being released on bail.Scarlette had to report to them every day.

    ¡°You go ahead and rest. I need to make a call.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded and shut her eyes.

    Raeleigh had only intended to take a short nap, however, she was soon down with a fever.

    Scarlette immediately called the nurses at the medical center.As Raeleigh was down with a high fever, they insisted that she go to the hospital right away. Without thinking twice, Scarlette carried Raeleigh out of the room on her back.

    There was a car waiting for them at the gate. The car door opened and Scarlette helped Raeleigh into the car.

    Jepherson was terrified as he held Raeleigh tightly in his arms. All the way to the hospital, he kept kissing Raeleigh¡¯s forehead.Raeleigh was only semi-conscious at this point and could onlyvaguely hear Jepherson¡¯s voice.He kept whispering, ¡°It¡¯s okay.You¡¯re going to be okay.We¡¯re almost there.¡±

    When they arrived at the hospital, Jepherson got down in a sh and carried Raeleigh out of the car, usinga special route to enter the hospital.

    Upon their arrival, the nurses dashed over to help Jepherson. Raeleigh was ced on a hospital bed and taken away so that they could run some tests on her.

    Half an hourter, the test results were out.

    ¡°Pneumonia?¡± Jepherson repeated, looking at the doctor questioningly.

    ¡°The test results showed thatMiss Anson¡¯s lungs were injured at a young age,¡± the doctor exined.

    ¡°Get to the point.¡± Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. Scarlette had never seen him so stern.

    ¡°We can¡¯t determine the exact cause at the moment, but we¡¯re sure that her lungs are severely injured. We have to ask Miss Anson about it.

    At the moment,we can¡¯t eliminate the possibility that this is a result of Miss Anson being exposed to cigarette smoke from a young age.Chances are that she had pneumonia then, but due to certain limitations, she didn¡¯t recoverpletely and her illness persisted.¡±

    The doctor exined every detail of her illness so that Jepherson could understand.The more he heard, the more grim he looked.

    The doctor continued, ¡°We found a dark spot on Miss Anson¡¯s lung. Wesuspect that it¡¯s a scar from her previous lung injury. It¡¯s called a calcification.

    This calcification can range in size. They are usually no cause for worry, but sometimes they can lead to rpses. It may never happen, or it could happen after ten or twenty years. It¡¯s different for everyone.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the worst-case scenario?¡± Jepherson asked, his gaze as sharp as a knife. The doctor was able to understand the feelings of a patient¡¯s family members, so he spoke with extreme caution.

    ¡°Cancer.¡±

 Chapter 916 Rayan Returns

    Raeleigh felt as though she had just woken up from a deep slumber. In a daze, she looked around her and saw Jepherson in the room.

    Jepherson sat in front of herwith his legs crossed,a book in one hand and the other hand resting on his cheek.Just like that, he had dozed off.

    Raeleigh wondered what was weighing on Jepherson¡¯s mind for him to frown while sleeping.

    When she shifted in bed, Jepherson woke upimmediately. He looked at her and said, ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. She wanted to sit up in bed, but before she could, Jepherson had already put down the book in his hand and helped her up. She leaned back obediently as Jepherson covered her legs with the quilt beforepouring a ss of water for her.

    ¡°Here, drink some water. Doctor¡¯s orders,¡± Jepherson said as he sat back down.

    Raeleigh had a bad feeling about this. Why was she in the hospital?

    Her eyes scanned the room before focusing on Jepherson. ¡°Why am I here?¡±

    ¡°You have a fever. Your pneumonia worsened and you had to be hospitalized. Scarlette brought you here,¡± Jepherson exined briefly. Raeleigh stared at him for a while before asking, ¡°Where is Scarlette?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s outside,¡± Jepherson nodded towards the door. Raeleigh realized that he didn¡¯t let Scarlette into the ward.

    Raeleigh was silent.She tried to get down from the bed after a while, but Jepherson bent down and picked her up in his arms once again. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Raeleigh let out a little cry of surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯ll carry you there,¡± he said. With Raeleigh in his arms, Jepherson walked to the bathroom, pushed the door open, and ced Raeleigh down on her feet.Then, he turned around and left the bathroom. As the door closed, he called out, ¡°Call me when you¡¯re done.¡±

    When the door was shut, Raeleigh felt her heart pounding as if it would jump out of her chest any moment.

    Jepherson was behaving as he usually did. Wasn¡¯t he angry about that night?

    After Raeleigh was done, she washed her hands at the sink.Jepherson knocked on the door;Raeleigh took a nce at the door and said, ¡°I can go out by myself.¡±

    Without a word of warning, Jepherson barged into the bathroom,walked to Raeleigh¡¯s side, and bent down to pick her up.

    Blushing, she turned her head to look away.

    Even if she didn¡¯t mind it, it still felt awkward.

    Jepherson carried Raeleigh out of the bathroom and ced her on the bed. They sat across from each other,exchanging nces, before Jepherson broke the ice and said, ¡°Although I didn¡¯t do anything wrong that night, I want to apologize. Frankly, I was furious, but I never wanted you to leave. You left before I could exin.¡±

    Her eyes widened as she stared at Jepherson, puzzled. The events of that night was clear in her mind. Indeed, Jepherson did not ask her to leave.

    Was she mistaken?

    Raeleigh lowered her head and tooka few deep breaths, collecting her thoughts. She then raised her head to face Jepherson and said, ¡°Since it¡¯s not your fault, you don¡¯t have to apologize.¡±

    ¡°But I was wrong to cause you to misconstrue my words. I should¡¯ve expressed myself better,¡± Jepherson replied. Raeleigh sensed that he was waiting for something to happen.

    What could it be? Raeleigh pondered.

    To someone as inexperienced at rtionships as her, Jepherson seemed like a beast.

    But for someone like Jephersonwho had no experience with love, wasn¡¯t it also difficult for him to face Raeleigh?

    ¡°I want to pick up where we left off.¡± Without waiting for Raeleigh to respond, he leaned in and kissed her.

    Raeleigh wanted to push him away, but when she raised her head and their eyes met, it was toote.

    ¡°I just feel that you¡¯re not yourself when you¡¯re with me. We are each other¡¯s firsts, but you won¡¯t let me into your heart.The wait is making me a little anxious. Do you know that?¡± Jepherson murmured in between kisses. Raeleigh could see Jepherson¡¯s lips moving but she heard none of it.

    Jepherson kissed her a few more timesbeforeshe finally came to her senses. He responded by deepening his kisses, fully immersing himself in the moment and forgetting everything in the world. At that moment, it was just the two of them.

    Gathering every ounce of her remaining strength, Raeleigh pushed him away. He stumbled into the chair behind him with a confused look on his face,not knowing what went wrong.

    Raeleigh¡¯s expression turned stony. It was too much for her.

    She wiped her lips and said coldly, ¡°I want to be alone for a while. Please leave.¡±

    Raeleighid down and covered herself with the quilt. What was wrong with her? She wondered. Why was her heart beating so wildly?

    As she pulled the quilt up to her chest, she felt the racing beat of her heart under her fingertips. She was sweating as her heart was pounding.

    Jepherson stood still for a while, his hands gripping the back of the chair.¡°Where do you want me to go? Do you want me to leave you here alone?¡±

    Having said that, Jepherson pulled the chair over and sat down.Raeleigh took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down,but it was no use. Her heart continued to thrum hard against her ribcage; she couldn¡¯t control the intense emotions rolling over her like waves even if she wanted to.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it stuffy under the quilt? You¡¯ll get dizzy,¡± Jepherson said as he reached out to pull down the quilt. However, Raeleigh clutched it tightly, as if something terrible would happen the moment she let go.

    ¡°Let go. It¡¯s not good for you to keep doing this.¡± Jepherson¡¯s voice was low.

    Raeleigh still did not let go, so he let out a sigh, ¡°If I leave, will youe out from under the quilt?¡±

    Jepherson was negotiating with Raeleigh. After hesitating for a moment, Raeleigh pulled the quilt down.

    They looked at each other. Finally, Jepherson shook his head and said, ¡°I just want you to feel better. Since you don¡¯t want me here, I¡¯ll leave.¡±

    Relieved that Raeleigh had finally pulled the quilt down, he turned around and headed out the door.

    Stuart caught sight of Jepherson as he walked out of the ward.Surprisingly, he had a calm expression on his face.

    It seemed that his temper was improving day by day.

    Raeleigh let out a sigh of relief as shey on the bed. Her emotions were still all over the ce and she ran her hands over her hair in frustration.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, may I go in and see Raeleigh?¡± Scarlette had been waiting outside the whole day.Since Raeleigh had been hospitalized, Jepherson had not given her a chance to see Raeleigh.

    Since he hade out, could she go in? Scarlette thought to herself.

    ¡°Take good care of her. I¡¯lle over tonight; I¡¯ve some things to attend to,¡± he replied. Jepherson looked at Hadrian, who was standing across him, straight-faced like a wooden log.

    He walked to Hadrian and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want Zorion killing someone again.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Mr. Jepherson,¡± Hadrian answered hastily.

    Without another word, Jephersonwalked towards the elevator with Stuart following behind him.

    When they stepped out of the elevator, he nced at Stuart and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the location?¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°At the Whalen family¡¯s hotel. Rayan prepared a banquet, but he isn¡¯t there,¡± Stuart answered hurriedly.

    Getting into the car, they headed to meet the Whalen family.

    Rayan has returned.

 Chapter 917 I Like Raeleigh

    After parking the car in front of the Whalen family¡¯s mansion, Stuart got out of the car and dashed over to open the door for Jepherson.

    Jepherson stepped out of the car, straightened his clothes, and walked towards the entrance.

    At the sight of Jepherson, the housekeeper rushed forward and greeted him politely, ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    Jepherson nced at the housekeeper with a nk expression. ¡°Is Mr. Whalen back?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards. Pleasee in.¡± With a warm smile, the housekeeper stepped aside to open the door,gesturing for Jepherson to go in. Jepherson walked in with Stuart shadowing him.

    As he passed by the mansion¡¯s central courtyard, Jepherson spotted Deanna, who was clutching Rayan¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Dad, Raeleigh is amazing. How could Zorion not like her?¡± Deanna was trying to setRaeleighup with her brother.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Rayan brushed his daughter¡¯sments aside. After all,Zorion has never listened to him.

    What¡¯s more when ites to the matter of marriage.

    ¡°Of course!He has never taken an interest in matters that don¡¯t concern him,¡± Deanna rattled on. At this moment, Rayan caught sight of Jepherson, who was approaching them.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen,¡± Jepherson greeted politely. Deanna released her grasp on Rayan¡¯s arm and ran towards Jepherson.

    ¡°Jepherson,¡± Deanna said shyly, blushing as soon as she saw Jepherson.

    Looking at his daughter, Rayan was reminded of his past self. Back then, he had deep feelings for Jen, but too bad it was a one-sided love.

    As luck would have it, he found himself a woman who was even better than Jen; otherwise, how could he have be the person he was today?

    ¡°Pleasee in,¡± Rayan turned around and went inside. Jepherson followed him with Deanna tailing along as well.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    Rayan led the way to the luxurious living room andsat down. Zorion, who was watching TV, stood up as he nced at Jepherson and greeted him.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Jepherson replied.

    ¡°Sit down,¡± Rayan said. The servants had already prepared some refreshments. Jepherson sat across from Zorion on the sofa.

    Rayan nced at his daughter. ¡°What are you doing? Sit down.¡±

    Deanna wanted to sit next to Jepherson,but Rayan¡¯s re indicated otherwise. She gave in andsat next to Rayan instead.

    ¡°Jepherson,would you like an apple? I¡¯ll peelone for you,¡± As soon as Deanna sat down, she immediately grabbed an apple, readyto peel it for Jepherson.

    ¡°No, thanks.I¡¯m not hungry. You can have it.¡± Jepherson turned down her offer.

    Across from him, Zorion grabbed an apple and reached out for the knife. ¡°Hand it over.¡±

    Deanna passed the knife to Zorion and he peeled the apple in silence. When he was done, he offered the apple to Deanna.

    She snatched it from Zorion ungraciously.

    Rayan observed the entire interaction between them.He knew that Zorion was against the idea of Deanna marrying into the Richards family. There would surely be a sh of personalities; Jepherson was indeed not a good fit for his daughter.

    Rayan had once hoped that it would happen. He patted Deanna¡¯s hand gently, worried that she would make a mistake and destroy everything that they had.Many people had been trapped in love and also been ruined because of it.

    Although it might not show on his face,he was getting older. He had to prepare his children for the future.

    Actually, there was one person in the Richards family that he was satisfied with. It was Jepherson¡¯s younger brother, Santiago.

    Santiago was still a little young, but he was sure to grow up into a promising young man. It was unfortunate that Jepherson spoiled him so. If it wasn¡¯t for that, he would be much more powerful than Jepherson.

    Deanna ate the apple quietly.Looking at Zorion, Rayan let out a long sigh. ¡°This is a matter of life and death. What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill him. Where¡¯s the evidence?¡± Zorion couldn¡¯t care less about this.The victim was killed by ident, not because of him. They were a bunch of b*stards bullying the weak. No matter what, they deserved to die.

    Zorion had shown them mercy by not messing with their family.

    It was true that someone had called the police, but no one was looking for him.

    What Rayan admired most about Zorion was his calm attitude when dealing with things.If he didn¡¯t have this trait, he wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve anything.

    Compared to him,Zorion had matured earlier. However, Rayan thought that this was a good thing.

    Smiling, Rayan kept quiet. Then, his gaze fell on Jepherson.¡°What about you? What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an outsider and have no say in this. I merely came here to pay you a visit.If you need me to do anything at all, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Jepherson grinned.

    It was a such waste for someone like Jepherson to live like that.

    Jepherson was an exceptionally tough nut to crack. Rayan was certain that there would be a bloodbath in the near future.Those who would be able to stand strong and secure prominent positions within Capital City would be the Whalen family, as well as the Richards family. The Moore family was nowhere as powerful as their previous generations;it was just a matter of time before they were reced.

    This was also the main reason why Rayan wanted Zorion to get along with Jepherson. An alliance would be crucial.

    The strong have to unite as one to achieve greater sess.

    Beaming, Rayan said, ¡°I appreciate your kindness. However, the trouble was caused by Zorion, solet him prove that he¡¯s capable of dealing with it on his own.¡±

    Jepherson only smiled while remaining silent. As Zorion picked up an apple and sniffed its delicate fragrance,Rayan asked casually, ¡°How¡¯s the girl?¡±

    Zorion raised his head. ¡°Jepherson took her home. I haven¡¯t seen her yet.¡±

    ¡°Dad, Raeleigh is fine now.What do you think about inviting her over?¡± Deanna cut in. Rayan raised his hand to pat her cheek. ¡°Hmm, your mother and I have already booked a flight, so I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s not possiblethis week.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Disappointment was written all over Deanna¡¯s face.Rayan couldn¡¯t bear to see her like this,so he gave her a pat on the head and said, ¡°I promise we¡¯ll invite her over when we¡¯re back, okay?¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s fine,¡± Deanna answered with a smile. She hugged Rayan and said, ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your father. How can I not treat you well? I¡¯m tired, I¡¯ll head upstairs to get some rest.¡± Rayan got up from his seat and started to head upstairs. As he walked, a thought came into his mind. He turned to Zorion and asked, ¡°By the way, what¡¯s the girl¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Raeleigh. Why do you have such a bad memory?¡± Deanna rolled her eyes at him.

    Rayan nced at his daughter. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I forgive you,¡± Deanna smiled sweetly as she went up to hold Rayan¡¯s arm and walk upstairs with him.

    Rayan continued, ¡°I heard that Jepherson likes Raeleigh. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Nope, Raeleigh pretended to be Jepherson¡¯s girlfriend for my sake. It was a misunderstanding,¡± Deanna exined hastily.Rayan looked at his daughter and grinned, ¡°Nonsense. You¡¯re like a sister to Jepherson. How could you say that it¡¯s for your sake? Anyway, I¡¯m asking Jepherson, not you.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Pulling herself together, she threw a nce at Jepherson.

    Jepherson stared wordlessly at Rayan, straight-faced.

    ¡°Jepherson, I know that Deanna has had a great impact on you,but please,stay true to your heart. I can understand your feelings. If you have made your choice, please let me know. I promise that Deanna won¡¯t cause you any further trouble, and that your decision will not affect the rtionship between both our families.

    Your mother and I are very close;I believe you know that.Besides that,your father and I have several business partnerships.

    No matter what, I trust that you won¡¯t ruin this bond between us.

    As for Deanna, she¡¯s still young and she can be a bit childish sometimes. You should listen to your heart.

    A love must be strong and unshakable. As a father, I certainly hope that my daughter will have a blissful marriage.In life, we will stumble and fall, but no matter how heavy the storm hits, there wilways be a rainbow at the end. One must be willing to suffer for a brighter future.

    What do you think?¡±

    Rayan¡¯s words held a deep meaning. With Jepherson¡¯s intelligence, he was sure to easily understand what it truly meant.

    Jepherson rose to his feet and opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Rae-¡±

    ¡°Dad, I like Raeleigh.¡± Without waiting for Jepherson to speak, Zorion cut in to make his feelings known.

    ¡°Zorion¡­ That¡¯s great!¡± Deanna eximed, her eyes widening.Releasing Rayan¡¯s arm, she ran over to Zorion and grabbed hishand as she jumped with joy.

    Zorion couldn¡¯t help but smile at Deanna¡¯s reaction. Deanna was on cloud nine.

    Zorion bent down to hug her. As he beamed with joy, helifted his gaze to look at Jepherson.

    Rayan had a slight frown on his face ashe nced at his children. ¡°I¡¯ll have to meet Raeleigh.¡±

    At this, Rayan walked upstairs, leaving the two men to stand gazing at each other.

    Filled with excitement, Deanna was dancing around the room.

    ¡°You¡¯re not suitable for her,¡± Jepherson said indifferently. Deanna gasped and let go of her brother slowly.

    She turned to look at Jepherson, her eyes full of disbelief. ¡°Jepherson, what do you mean?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze bored into Zorion, who was looking defiant. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Please let Mr. Whalen know.¡±

    In the blink of an eye, Jepherson left.

 Chapter 918 Unhuman

    Raeleigh was awakened by a terrible nightmare in the middle of the night.In her dream, she had been surrounded by agroup of people who were snatching her things away,leaving only her diary in her hands.

    Raeleigh could only stare nkly as even her diary wastaken away by Zorion.

    ¡°Give it back, that¡¯s all I have left.¡± In her dream, Raeleigh had pleaded for Zorion to return the diary to her, but he refused and tossed it into the sea. She watched as it was swallowed by the waves.She had jumped into the ocean to look for it, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. To make matters worse, she got a cramp in her leg. Within a matter of seconds, she had sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

    She had jolted awake, gasping for air.

    Raeleigh was trembling and had broken out in cold sweat.

    The nightmare was so unsettling that she had trouble falling back to sleep. Propping herself up against the bed frame, she tried to pull herself together.

    She felt suffocated, as if there was water trapped in her lungs.

    Scarlette was resting in a corner of the room.When she heard the noise, her eyes flew open and she looked around anxiously.

    Hastily, Scarlette turned the lights on. Then, she poured a ss of water for Raeleigh. ¡°Was it another nightmare?¡±

    Scarlette recalled the petrified expression on Raeleigh¡¯s face when they were in the car on the way to the hospital.

    ¡°How did you know that I have nightmares?¡± Raeleigh asked in surprise as she held the ss of water.

    ¡°I carried you all the way from our dorm to the school gate.Along the way, you kept muttering something about a fire. You looked as though you were in pain.Then when we were in the car, you repeated it over and over again while you were in¡­ his arms.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°I should be thanking you,¡± she said slowly.

    ¡°No need to thank me. Hang on, have you experienced something like this before? When you were having a high fever, you kept saying the word ¡®fire¡¯. Did you used to have high fevers frequently when you were little?¡± Scarlette genuinely saw Raeleigh as a friend and was concerned about her.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°My health was good as a child. I¡¯ve never been in poor health as I am now nor did I have to visit the hospital several times in a month.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, how did you develop pneumoniathen? Have you ever beenseverely intoxicated before?¡±

    Raeleigh recalled that her grandmother refused to tell her about the fire at the orphanage. Shaking her head again, she said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t remember.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s strange,¡± Scarlette mused to herself. ¡°He¡­¡±

    Scarlette stopped.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this isn¡¯t a secret.¡± Raeleigh said with a smile. Scarlette sat down in front of her and rolled her eyes, ¡°Even so, you have to pretend that you don¡¯t know; otherwise, Jepherson will kill me for sure.¡±

    Raeleigh nced towards the door to the ward. ¡°What if he already knows?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he does. He¡¯s so short-tempered. If I don¡¯t do something well, he¡¯ll-¡±

    ¡°So this is how others perceive me,¡± Jepherson said as he walked into the ward.Scarlette¡¯s facepaled in shock as she stood up.She staggered a few steps backwards beforeshe fell andnded hard on the ground.

    Jepherson walked straight up to Scarlette and asked,¡°Am I that horrible?¡±

    ¡°No.

    Mr. Jepherson, you misunderstood. I was talking about Hadrian. He¡¯s the scary one. You, on the other hand, have always been very kind to me,¡± Scarlette stammered as she stood rooted to the ground. In response, Jepherson rolled his eyes and said, ¡°The only mistake I made was hiring you. You can¡¯t do anything right. I want you to write this sentence a thousand times?-¡®You¡¯re a useless fool that can¡¯t do things right!''¡±

    With that, Jepherson went into the bathroom, mming the door shut behind him.

    Wanting to lighten her punishment, Scarlette rushed towards the bathroom. ¡°Mr. Jepherson, I-¡±

    ¡°Two thousand times,¡± Jepherson called out nonchntly.

    Scarlette stepped forward and Jefferson said from inside the bathroom, ¡°Three thousand times.¡±

    Scarlette gave up and was about to dash out the ward whenRaeleigh called out to her.¡°Come back.¡±

    Pouting her lips, Scarlette threw a death re at Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh let out a sigh as she gestured for Scarlette toe back.¡°Come here. I have something to tell you.¡±

    With a deep frown, Scarlette walked towards her. Raeleigh gestured for her toe even closer and whispered something into her ear.Her words caught Scarlette off guard.

    ¡°What if something happens?Are you going to take responsibility?¡± Scarlette mumbled softly.

    ¡°Are you being ungrateful?¡± Raeleigh had a stern expression on her face.

    Scarlette waved her hand dismissively and said, ¡°I know, you¡¯re a good friend. Hold on.¡±

    Scarlette searched frantically for a piece of paper before Jepherson came out of the bathroom. Then, she quickly scribbled a few words on the piece of paper.

    When she was done, Scarlette shouted in the direction of the bathroom, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, I¡¯m done with the lines.¡±

    There was no response from Jepherson,so Scarlette took the opportunity to escape as quick as lightning.

    Just as the door to the ward shut, Jepherson came out of the bathroom.With a somber expression, he scanned the ward only to find that Scarlette wasn¡¯t there.

    ¡°Where is she?¡± Jepherson looked as if he was about to explode.

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Scarlette didn¡¯t mean any harm.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not for you to decide. She can speak for herself.¡± Jepherson¡¯s tone was as cold as ice. This was the first time he was speaking to Raeleigh this way.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?Did you have a bad day?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s dazzling eyes were focused onJepherson¡¯s face, which was as icy as if it was covered in ayer of frost. He never failed to radiate a cold and domineering aura every time they met.

    After leaving for half the night, he seemed to have turned into a whole other person.

    Jepherson was silent as he sat on the chair opposite her. Raeleigh had a feeling that something was bothering him.

    ¡°Scarlette wanted you to have this,¡± Raeleigh turned around and handed the piece of paper to Jepherson.She thought that it might raise Jepherson¡¯s spirits.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t have any idea what was going on, but she couldn¡¯t just ignore Jepherson¡¯s feelings.

    Lifting his long and slender fingers, Jepherson took the paper from Raeleigh.Confusion was written all over his face as he nced at the paper, freezingwhen he saw the words that were messily scribbled on it.

    ¡®I want you to write this three thousand times?-¡®You¡¯re a useless fool that can¡¯t do things right!¡± was written on it.

    Looking up atRaeleigh,Jepherson said, ¡°I¡¯ve told her countless times that her handwriting is just too ugly. She needs to work on it.¡±Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    Covering her mouth with her hands, Raeleigh burst intoughter.

    Puzzled, Jepherson shot a sharp look at her. Tapping the piece of paper with his fingers, he snapped, ¡°Are you happy seeing me in pain?¡±

    Raeleigh immediately stoppedughing and lowered her head.In a sh, he bounced up from his seat, his mood lifted. He took off his coat, poured himself a ss of water, and drank it in one go. He then turned around to face Raeleigh.

    A thought crossed Raeleigh¡¯s mind.Jepherson was only human. He had feelings as well, just like any other human being.

    Everyone else only judged him by what they saw on the surface without actually taking the time to get to know the real him.

    Raeleigh has heard rumors that Jepherson was ced on a pedestal when he was in school. With his good looks and good grades, he seemed untouchable, like a demigod.

    In face, he seemed almost¡­ unhuman.

 Chapter 919 Tricked By The Old Man

    It waste in the night. Jepherson still did not look like he was going to leave.After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Raeleigh muttered, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯m going to bed.¡±

    She crawled into bed,id down, and pulled the quilt over her. Jepherson raised his head to look at her, heavy-eyed. As Raeleigh nced at him, he asked, ¡°Can we sleep together?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment before saying, ¡°No.¡±

    She turned away, her back facing Jepherson.She had never encountered someone so unreasonable.

    At first, Raeleigh had trouble sleeping. After tossing and turning, she eventually fell asleep. In the middle of the night, she suddenly felt as though she couldn¡¯t move her body. Her eyes widened as she realized that Jepherson had his arm wrapped around her waist.

    ¡°Stop moving or else,¡± Jepherson said in a rough voice. His breath was warm on Raeleigh¡¯s ears. She tightened her grip on the quilt, afraid of what Jepherson might get up to.

    Raeleigh took a deep breath and said, ¡°I won¡¯t move.¡±

    Jepherson chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s even worse.¡±

    With Raeleigh in his arms, Jepherson reached around to hold her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t like Zorion near you.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°It¡¯s not up to me who approaches me. What¡¯s more-¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jepherson hugged her tighter. ¡°Have you ever thought about me?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t like where this was going.¡°Get off,¡± she said as she tried to push him away.The thought of being intimate with someone was sickening to her.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jephersonyquietlybehind her for a moment, ¡°All right, I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut!¡±

    His breath was heavy as he tightened his arms around her.

    Raeleigh restrained herself from making any sound as she clutched the quilt tightly.As Jepherson felt Raeleigh¡¯s body tensing up, he moved his hands over her body, caressing gently.She felt like she would go mad if he continued and quicklywarned him, ¡°Jepherson, don¡¯t cross the line.¡±

    He stopped his roving hands andgave her a peck from behind. He brushed aside the hair on her neck andleaned closer, dropping light kisses on her neck.

    Raeleigh tried to shove his hands aside, but her arms were pinned to her side.Jepherson grabbed her hands and moved them to her front, holding them in ce. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t help letting out a little cry.Suddenly, Jepherson sucked in a deep breath and whispered,¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    Panting with fear, she dared not look behind her.Who knew what would happen if she did.

    ¡°Go away,¡± Jepherson hissed.Raeleigh trembled in shock at his words.

    Jepherson tightened his arms around Raeleigh,whispering reassuringly, ¡°Not you.¡±

    Raeleigh felt her face turn red and she pulled the quilt up to cover her face.

    This seemed to have be a habit of hers nowadays.

    When the noise at the door had faded away, Jepherson pulled the quilt away and started nibbling on her ear gently.

    Raeleigh thrust her hand out to push him aside and immediately jumped down from the bed.She dashed into the bathroom without another thought.

    Jepherson turned over, looking up at the ceiling. The buttons on his shirt were half undone and his chest was exposed.After a long time, Raeleigh still did note out.

    Jepherson took a nce at the bathroom, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any movementing from inside. Just as he sat up to see what she was up to, Raeleigh came out.

    Raeleigh had washed her face with cold water. Her face was no longer red, but her body was cold.

    Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Did you wash your face?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t respond.What¡¯s wrong with washing her face? She wondered.

    ¡°With cold water?¡± Jepherson sounded so different from when he was whispering to her in bed. Not knowing how to respond, Raeleigh froze.

    ¡°Get in here,¡± he ordered as he stepped into the bathroom.

    Raeleigh turned around. The bathroom door was ajar.She hesitated for a moment, but still went to him. He had filled up a bowl with warm water, thentaking Raeleigh¡¯s hands, he soaked them into the warm water.Instinctively,she pulled her hands away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take them out; your hands are too cold.You should take care of your body since you¡¯re not feeling well.¡± With one hand gently massaging the back of Raeleigh¡¯s neck, he ced a towel on her face.

    She stood as still as a statue.

    Raeleigh ced her hands back in the water.She had never thought that someone like Jepherson would treat her this way.

    It wasn¡¯t something she would even dream of.

    Raeleigh managed to stay still for a few minutes beforeshe moved her head slightly. Jepherson took away the towel on her face and said, ¡°When I was little, I took a cold bath once, butmy mother caught me.This was how she warmed me up.¡±

    Before Raeleigh could react, Jepherson ced the towel on her face again.She raised her hands to try to push his hand away, but Jepherson¡¯s voice suddenly turned cold as he said,¡°Lower your hands.¡±

    Obediently, Raeleigh gave in and ced her hands back into the warm water.

    After gently massaging her neck, Jepherson took away the towel and tossed it into the sink.Turning around, he took a fresh towel to dry her hands and face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do this again. You¡¯re cute when you blush. I don¡¯t like it when your face is pale.¡± As he left the bathroom, Raeleigh remained frozen to the spot, not knowing how to react.

    From the sound of it, it seemed like everything she did was to win Jepherson¡¯s favor.

    Jepherson picked up a call as soon as he came out of the bathroom.The conversation seemed intense. While he was on the phone, he pulled Raeleigh closer to him and patted her head gently. After a while, he took away his hand and walked to the window.

    ¡°I¡¯ll resolve this matter as soon as possible. When will you return?¡± Jepherson was on the phone with his father, Hansen.

    ¡°But¡­You told me that you¡¯d be back in less than two months.¡± Jepherson felt as though he had been tricked by the old man.

 Chapter 920 Taken Away

    Hansen was lying on the bed, half-naked. Upon hearing his son¡¯sints, he pondered for a while before saying, ¡°It¡¯s rare for your mother to be out like this, so how can I bear to ruin her mood?¡±

    Jepherson was taken aback. Hansen knew his soft spot and never failed to take advantage of it.

    ¡°Well, take care of yourselves then.¡± There was nothing else Jepherson could saybut to remind his parents to be mindful of their health.

    Delighted that he would have a few more months of freedom, Hansen said cheerfully, ¡°I¡¯ll pass the phone to your mother. She¡¯s resting, let me get her.¡±

    Hansen nced at the dressing room as he lied without batting an eye.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s all right. Have fun.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to tell her.¡±

    After hanging up, Hansen tossed the phone onto the bed and leanedagainst the headboard.He felt pleased that he finally had a say in this family after so many years.

    Jenna twirled out of the dressing room in a gorgeous lc-colored dress. ¡°Hansen, is this dress a little too tight? Does it make me look fat?¡±

    ¡°No, you look stunning!¡± Hansen gave her an approving look ashe got down from the bed and scooped her into his arms.

    Jenna¡¯s heart fluttered at this. After being together for so many years, he was still the same.

    After ending the call, Jepherson turned to Raeleigh and said, ¡°I¡¯ve got to go.You stay here, all right? I¡¯ve asked the nurses to take good care of you. Call me if you need anything.¡±

    With that, Jepherson headed for the door. He had taken a few steps before he stopped, turned around, andwalked back to Raeleigh.

    ¡°Stay away from Zorion,¡± he reminded her as he leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips.He thenturned around and walked away reluctantly.

    Raeleigh stood and watched his retreating figure.Somehow, she knew that Jepherson wouldn¡¯t be back anytime soon.

    After the door closed, Raeleigh went back to bed.As soon as sheid down, someone knocked on the door. Scarlette strolled in, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t get up. Scarlette walked over to her and asked, ¡°It¡¯s eight o¡¯clock. Are you hungry?¡±

    Raeleigh looked up at Scarlette and answered, ¡°Hmm,now that you mention it, I do feel a littlehungry.¡±

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have breakfast. The doctor will being by to check on youter.Headvised you to eat clean and observe to see if there are any symptoms. If there aren¡¯t any, we can simply conclude that it¡¯s pneumonia. If there is,things might not be looking good.¡±

    Scarlette deliberately exaggerated Raeleigh¡¯s condition, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t buy any of it.

    After all, she had been in good health ever since she was a child.She refused to believe that she had an illness out of the blue.

    Raeleigh sat up and threw a sharp nce at Scarlette, ¡°I helped you yesterday, but instead of thanking me, you say such things to scare me.I won¡¯t help you ever again.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± Scarlette said, sitting down next to Raeleigh and scanning her whole body to check if she was all right. Once she was sure that Raeleigh was fine, she added,¡°Although Mr. Jepherson can be ill-tempered, he¡¯s a loyal guy. Plus, he treats you well. What don¡¯t you like about him? Why are you acting all shy when it¡¯s clear that the two of you have already slept together?¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Scarlette spoke freely and inly. When she was first sent to watch over Raeleigh, she had been scared out of her wits of misspeaking.Things were different now; she could say anything she wanted.

    ¡°So you¡¯re finally showing off your true colors, are you?¡± Raeleigh found it funny. She liked how straightforward Scarlette was; she even found her adorable.

    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject.Just tell me why you¡¯re not interested in him. This thing on your wrist is something that symbolizes an important identity. I heard from Stuart that Mr. Jepherson put a lot of effort into getting it done. It¡¯sworth half of the Richards family¡¯s fortune.

    The Richards family own a massive business and all their assets are distributed evenly among the family members. However, all of them are now in Jepherson¡¯s possession. Since Santiago is not of age yet, he is only given an allowance.

    The entire Richards family is under Jepherson¡¯s control, and that thing on your hand is worth more than half of the Richards family¡¯s fortune.

    Even the heavens know that he treats you well. Howon earth are you still not satisfied?¡±

    It boggled Scarlette¡¯s mind. Why wasn¡¯t Raeleigh willing to ept Jepherson?

    ¡°Scarlette,let¡¯s say you met a handsome young man out of the blue. He¡¯s attracted to your beauty and fascinated by you. He likes you very much and treats you well,maybe even better than how Hadrian does.Will you abandon Hadrian for him?¡±

    ¡°What in the world? That¡¯s ridiculous. Why would I leave Hadrian to be with a total stranger?¡± Scarlette paused for a moment after answering and stared at Raeleigh with wide eyes.

    ¡°That¡¯s the point.Jepherson¡¯sa total stranger to me.¡± Raeleigh shrugged.

    Scarlette rolled her eyes at Raeleigh. ¡°How is that the same? Jepherson¡¯s not a stranger. It would be impossible for you guys to get so intimate if he was a stranger. It seems to me that you¡¯re making something out of nothing.¡±

    It was clear thatScarlette would side with Jepherson, no matter what. Raeleigh knew better than to go against her.

    ¡°Believe it or not, that¡¯s the truth. I¡¯m not ready to ept a man who is a stranger to me.In your eyes, there¡¯s only Hadrian, so you wouldn¡¯t understand. It¡¯s different for me, I can¡¯t afford to do something so reckless. We¡¯re from two different worlds,¡± Raeleigh exined.

    It wasn¡¯t just that. There was alsothe people who risked their lives for her, so much so that theyeven set the whole orphanage on fire.

    In disbelief, Scarlette muttered under her breath,¡°You¡¯re unbelievable. I¡¯m done here.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to continue the conversation. Even if she told Scarlette the truth,Scarlette would only dismiss it and say that there was something wrong with her.

    Outside the ward, Hadrian knocked on the door. ¡°The food is here.¡±

    A momentter, Scarlette got up to open the door for Hadrian, who was pushing a dining cart.Raeleigh didn¡¯t realize how hungry she was until she got a whiff of the delicious aroma from the food. ncing at both Scarlette and Hadrian, she couldn¡¯t help but ask,¡°Are you orphans adopted by the Richards family?¡±

    It didn¡¯t bother Scarlette if people knew that she was an orphan. Lifting the lids off the dishes to see what they had to eat, she answered frankly, ¡°Hadrian, Stuart, and I are orphans. The three of us were adopted by Mr. Alvin, not by the Richards family. However, Stuart was the lucky one.He has been Mr. Alvin¡¯s favorite since he was little because he¡¯s quick-witted and sensible.I heard that he¡¯ll be getting married in a few years¡¯ time, and Mr. Alvin will personally choose his wife.Unlike us, he¡¯s going to have a wonderful life; we¡¯re not in Mr. Alvin¡¯s good graces.¡±

    The whole timeScarlette was talking, Hadrian remained silent.When Scarlette threw a nce at him, he simply excused himself and left.

    As the door closed, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Is Hadrian always this quiet?¡±

    A memory of Hadrian came shing into her head. It was him who had helped her when she was being bullied by Quirina at the school gate the other day.No wonder he had looked so familiar.

    Raeleigh had forgotten about Hadrian. How could she forget the person who had saved her? It seemed that she was all over the ce recently.

    ¡°He has always been this way, as quiet as a mouse.Mr. Alvin said that something happened to his family when he was a child. A bunch of gangsters stormed into his house and hit him hard on the head; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be like that.¡± After thinking for a while, Scarlette sat down, ready to dig in. Raeleigh watched her carefully as she asked, ¡°Do you believe what Mr. Alvin told you?¡±

    ¡°Of course. He¡¯s my adoptive father.¡±

    Raeleigh knew Scarlette well enough to know that she would believe anything someone said as long as they treated her well.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Raeleigh sat down and started digging in. Not long after they were done eating, thedoctor came by to check up on Raeleigh.To their surprise, Raeleigh seemed to be recovering well. The doctor suggested to do a full body check-up. If there were no problems, she could be discharged from the hospital.

    ¡°Raeleigh, let¡¯s do the check-up,¡± Scarlette urged, trying to persuade Raeleigh.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s not bother with that. I can be discharged from the hospital now.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t like staying in hospitals. Not only was it filled with patients, but it was also costly. Raeleigh didn¡¯t dare to think how much a medical check-up would cost.

    ¡°No, if Mr. Jepherson finds out, he¡¯ll put the me on me. Let¡¯s go ahead with the check-up. If everything is well, then we¡¯ll leave. If not, we¡¯re staying.¡± Scarlette stood blocking the door, refusing to let Raeleigh leave.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Scarlette. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll do the check-up. If there is nothing wrong, I¡¯m leaving. You have to promise me.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I promise.¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh agree to do the check-up.When it was done,Raeleigh waited patiently for the results.

    The results were satisfactory.The doctor informed her cheerfully, ¡°Congrattions, Miss Anson, you¡¯re good to go. You just need to pay more attention to your health to prevent a rpse in the future.¡±

    After thanking the doctor profusely, Raeleigh left the hospital with Scarlette.

    Raeleigh left the hospital without even a backwards nce. She never wanted to be hospitalized again.

    They hopped into Hadrian¡¯s car and headed back to school.On the way there, Scarlette urged Raeleigh to give Jepherson a call, but the call wouldn¡¯t go through.

    ¡°His phone isn¡¯t turned on.¡± Why wasn¡¯t Jepherson answering the phone? He said that she could call him anytime.Was there something wrong? Raeleigh wondered.

    Raeleigh fell into deep thought and it wasn¡¯t until the car stopped that she realized they were at the school¡¯s entrance. She got down from the car and saw Scarlette waiting for her with her own notebook in her hand.She recalled that Deanna had taken hers away the other day without knowing why.

 Chapter 921 Feeling Upset

    ¡°You can go now. Raeleigh and I will head back to our dorm room. I¡¯ll call you if I need anything. You¡¯d better find a way to contact Stuart and tell Jepherson about this,¡± Scarlette instructed. Hadriansimply nodded and drove away.

    After Hadrian left, Raeleigh turned around and started walking back to their dorm. After walking past the campus gate, she spotted a few girls loitering around. She didn¡¯t know them. Raeleigh immediately sensed that something was amiss.Who were they and why were they here? Raeleigh wondered.

    ¡°Scarlette,e here.¡± Grabbing Scarlette¡¯s hand, theysprinted towards the campus gate.As they ran, Scarlette nced back and saw that the girls were chasing after them.Scarlette handed the notebook to Raeleigh and stopped running.Turning around, she confronted the girls, ¡°Where did youe from? Tell me!¡±

    A girl in a pink shirt stepped forward and said haughtily, ¡°Go away. It¡¯s none of your business.We aren¡¯t here for you.¡±

    ¡°What if I don¡¯t leave?¡± Scarlette cast a contemptuous nce at the girl.

    The girl snorted and answered coldly, ¡°Then let¡¯s fight.¡±

    In a sh, the girls bolted towards Scarlette, ready to pick a fight. AsHadrian was nowhere to be seen, Raeleigh quickly took out her mobile phone to make a call. With only a few contacts on her phone, she hadno choice but to call Zorion.

    However, as soon as she made the call, she caught sight of Hadrian heading in their direction. Raeleigh hastily hung up the phone and shouted at the top of her lungs, ¡°Hadrian! Come, quickly!¡±

    As soon as Raeleigh started shouting, Hadrian got out of the carandwalked up to the campus gate. He could see that Scarlette was caught in a tussle with those girls.

    ¡°What are you waiting for? Scarlette needs help!¡± Raeleigh was worried that something would happen to Scarlette. However,Hadrian just stood at the gate, watching silently.In disbelief, Raeleigh tried to get him to help, but he didn¡¯t even bother lifting a finger.

    In the end, Scarlette sessfully knocked the girls onto the ground.With one foot grinding on a girl¡¯s head, she spat out, ¡°Who the f*ck do you think you are to have the guts to yell at me?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. What in the world?

    The girl with her head pushed against the ground muttered something under her breath, but Raeleigh couldn¡¯t hear what she said. Giving the notebook to Hadrian, Raeleigh rushed forward and pulled Scarlette aside. ¡°Forget it.¡±

    Scarlette dusted off her sleeves andstrolled towards Hadrian. As she took the notebook, she red at the girls sprawled on the ground.

    Scarlette then grabbed Raeleigh¡¯s hand and walked into the campus.

    Hadrian watched them for a while before leaving.

    When Raeleigh turned around, he was already gone.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    ¡°Scarlette, you¡¯re so good at fighting.¡± Raeleigh gave her a thumbs-up as they walked back to their dorm. Scarlette raised her eyebrows and smirked, ¡°Is that apliment?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±Raeleigh responded, amused by Scarlette¡¯s words.

    Scarlette made her way towards a big tree. They had to pass that way to get to their dorm.

    As they got closer to the tree, theboth of them slowed their steps and came to a stop under the tree.

    ¡°At first, I didn¡¯t understand why Jepherson liked you. Now I do,¡± Scarlette said.

    ¡°Really?¡± Raeleigh found it funny. She couldn¡¯t figure out what would have made Scarlette suddenly realize the reason for it.

    ¡°Silly! You¡¯re so silly!¡± Scarlette shook her head, turned around, and walked away. ¡°Why am I silly?¡± Raeleigh asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s the sort of silliness that can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Raeleigh snapped. Scarlette rolled her eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯m confused. Jepherson treats you so well, yet you don¡¯t want to be with him. On the other hand, Deanna is trying to matchmake you and Zorion. Can¡¯t you tell?¡±

    ¡°Stop it. I don¡¯t want to talk about this. I¡¯ll talk to Jepherson about breaking up soon.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s thoughts were in a mess. She didn¡¯t want to continue the conversation after hearing what Scarlette said. She quickened her pace and hurried towards the dorm.

    When she entered the dorm room, Raeleigh plopped down on the bedin a daze.At first, she couldn¡¯t care less about Jepherson getting back together with Deanna, but why was she feeling so upset?

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Scarlette came up and leaned over to peek at Raeleigh¡¯s face.Raeleigh shook her head, trying tobrush it off.¡°Nothing. Since it¡¯s the weekend, there¡¯s no one here.Let¡¯s rest for the day.¡±

    Raeleighy on the bed, her mind whirring with a jumble of thoughts. She didn¡¯t want to talk about it and merely curled up on the bed, staring nkly into space.

    Scarlette leaned nearer and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. If you think that I took things a little too far, just tell me. I can apologize.¡±

    When Raeleigh heard this, she opened her eyes and said,¡°Yeah, you should apologize.¡±

    Scarlette was dumbfounded for a second. Raeleigh was behaving unpleasantly.

    Taking off her shoes, Scarlette sat down on her bed and said, ¡°Dream on.¡±

    ¡°I knew that you weren¡¯t being sincere,¡± Raeleigh replied. Jepherson¡¯s feelings for her probably weren¡¯t sincere either.Raeleigh turned her back towards Scarlette. Her mind was in a chaotic mess and she needed to think in peace.

    Raeleigh shut her eyes for a moment, then opened them again. Even if his feelings for her were genuine,it would still be impossible for her to¡­

    At this, Raeleigh shut her eyes again.She¡¯ll feel better once she gets some rest. Raeleigh told herself.

    When Raeleigh woke up, Scarlette asked, ¡°What on earth is the matter?¡±

    Raeleigh gave no response. However, she was feeling much better after she had slept for a while.

    Since it was the weekend, it was rather quiet on campus. When the both of them went out for dinner, they saw that the dorm was practically empty.

    ¡°Raeleigh, let¡¯s go over to your grandmother¡¯s tonight.¡± Scarlette suggested as she didn¡¯t like staying on campus.

    Raeleigh agreed as it had been a while since shest visited. After packing some things,they headed over to Raeleigh¡¯s grandmother¡¯s house.

    They arrived at eight o¡¯clock in the evening andNovalie was taken aback to see them. The olddy then ushered them in and asked if they had already eaten.

    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry about it. We already had dinner. It¡¯s the weekend and we don¡¯t have ss, so we came to pay you a visit. We¡¯ll leave tomorow,¡± Raeleigh exined as she led her Novalie to the sofa.Patting Raeleigh¡¯s hand, Novalie said,¡°That¡¯s great. I was worried that you had rushed over on an empty stomach.

    Scarlette,e sit.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about me, Grandma.I¡¯ll make myself at home,¡± Scarlette replied as she sat in a corner and turned on herptop.

    Novalie could see that Scarlette was indeed someone who would be able to make themselves at home anywhere.

    After a short chat with Novalie,Raeleigh took Scarlette to the room that they were going to sleep in that night.

    The next day, they had a meal together before heading back to campus.

    Once they arrived, Raeleigh heard the news that Quirina was dropping out.

    Raeleigh was surprised. Quirina was dropping out?

    ¡°At least she¡¯s being sensible; otherwise, she¡¯ll be punished sooner orter,¡± said Scarlette. However, Raeleigh didn¡¯t believe her. Quirina wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would back down when faced with difficulties. Quirina¡¯s mother, Meica, also wasn¡¯t someone who would give up so easily.

    Like mother, like daughter. It didn¡¯t make sense for Quirina to leave just like that. There must be something going on.

    Unable to figure it out, Raeleigh brushed it off andfollowed Scarlette back to their dorm. Then, they went to ss as usual.

    In ss, everyone was staring at Raeleigh,whispering and pointing at her.

 Chapter 922 Unconcerned

    ¡°It¡¯s her. She¡¯s the reason Quirina left. It seems that she nned for this to happen.¡±

    ¡°We had better stay away from her.I heard that Mr. Whalen likes her very much. Plus, Deanna¡¯s her best friend. Do you think that she¡¯s ipetent?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,she¡¯s such a b*tch.¡±

    ¡­

    Furious, Scarlette stood up and red at the gossiping people behind them.Raeleigh quickly tugged at her arm to stop her from starting a fight. It was not worth it.

    Giving in, she sat down and rolled her eyes at Raeleigh. ¡°This is exactly why you¡¯re always being bullied.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. If she had someone to back her up, like how Deanna had a brother to protect her, perhaps she would be as fearless as Deanna.

    However, some things in life were just not meant to be, butshe neverined about it. This was how her life was destined.The heavens were ying a trick on her.

    The other children at the orphanage had loved to y with her. Unfortunately, because of the fire, they were gone forever.

    The dean,the caretakers, and all her friends; they were all under the sod.

    She had just been a child then. In her dreams, she saw those childrenstanding around her and asking her to join them. ¡°Come and y,¡± they would say.

    Petrified, she would jolt up from her bed every time she had that nightmare.

    As she grew older,she became convinced that the fire had been her fault.

    Countless people had died that day because of her.

    She should have died that day. The gods were unfair to snatch away numerous innocent lives instead.

    Although she was physically alive,a part of her died after that incident. Stricken with fear, she lived each day for her grandmother¡¯s sake.If it wasn¡¯t for Novalie,she wouldn¡¯t even have the will to live.

    Why would anyone care for someone like her?

    ¡°All right,settle down and let¡¯s begin,¡± the lecturer called out as she walked into the lecture hall. Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to stir up any trouble.

    Knowing that Raeleight didn¡¯t want trouble, Scarlette decided to let it go.No matter what the other students said, Raeleigh simply brushed it off. As long as Raeleigh didn¡¯t rise to the bait, they would have no choice but to give up.

    ¡°Raeleigh, have you been like this since you were young? You don¡¯t care when people are talking cr*p behind your back?¡± Scarlette asked Raeleigh at dinner.

    ¡°People get jealous easily and they love to gossip. As soon as they have nothing to talk about, they¡¯ll just stop. They¡¯ll get tired before you know it. It¡¯s just temporary.

    Why should I waste my life on things like these?¡± Raeleigh said as she continued eating. Scarlette gave her a thumbs-up, saying, ¡°I admire you.¡±

    Raeleigh kept her head low as she ate. The food in the cafeteria is too expensive. Raeleigh thought to herself.

    It would be great if it was cheaper.

    Seeing that Raeleigh gave no response, Scarlette raised her hand in a salute and added, ¡°I¡¯m impressed.¡±

    ¡°Likewise,¡± Raeleigh replied with a smile. She took a drumstick and ced it on Scarlette¡¯s te, saying, ¡°Here you go. You can have this.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be picky. You have to eat more.¡± Scarlette tried to give it back but Raeleigh stopped her. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m already full. You can have it.

    One can¡¯t turn back time. We can¡¯t change the past, the present, or the future. I¡¯m not a coward, I can endure hardships that most people can¡¯t. Scarlette,always think before you act. Don¡¯t act on impulse and make reckless decisions.

    Don¡¯t pick a fight when something can be solved easily.Violence is never the answer, you¡¯ll only get yourself hurt.¡±

    Raeleigh said wisely as she continued eating.

    Tilting her head, Scarlette asked, ¡°Are you trying to prove that you¡¯re better than me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that it¡¯s not good to be impulsive. Remember those words you wrote on that piece of paper that day?Jepherson didn¡¯t mention anything about it after that, right?¡± Raeleigh calmly raised her and gazed darkly at Scarlette. Scarlette froze for a moment before saying, ¡°If you say so. I thought that was a little sneaky of you.¡±

    Raeleigh looked down at her te without answering.Forsomeone who nearly died, what was there to be afraid of? All she wants is a peaceful life.

    If someone stepped on her toes, she would fight back.

    Maybe she was just being obsessive.

    Sinking her teeth into the drumstick, Scarlette said, ¡°Raeleigh, if I wasn¡¯t working for Jepherson, how would you have treated me?¡±

    Raeleigh pondered for a moment before raising her head to look at Scarlette. ¡°You¡¯re still Scarlette,¡± she said simply.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    ¡°Would you hurt me?¡± Scarlette asked, furrowing her brows.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never hurt anyone before!¡± Raeleigh protested.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t hurt anyone before, but that doesn¡¯tmean that you wouldn¡¯t.¡± Scarlette knew that Raeleigh was someone who hid her true feelings and was only pretending to grin and bear. If that was the case¡­

    Scarlette felt a shiver run down her spine asRaeleigh gazed at her, silent but smiling. That eerie smile of hersgave her goosebumps all over.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I got goosebumps just by looking at your smile.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay. I¡¯ll stop smiling.¡± Lowering her head, Raeleigh continued eating.All of a sudden, she felt a nudge on her shoulder.Lifting her head, she saw that Scarlette was jerking her head towards the entrance. It was Zorion and Deanna. Deanna was in a white dress and holding a handbag while Zorion was dressed in ck.They appeared to be looking for someone.

    ¡°Here we go again,¡± Scarlette muttered helplessly.

    Raeleigh turned around quickly and was immediatelyspotted by Deanna.

    ¡°Over there,¡± Deanna said as she started walking towards them. Raeleigh continued eating as the siblings made their way over.

    ¡°Raeleigh,¡± Deanna called out. Raeleigh looked up at her with a smile and said, ¡°Hi! What are you doing here?Aren¡¯t you going home tonight?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here to pick you up.We have to make a trip to the police station. It¡¯s regarding the murder case; they need us to go over and sign some forms.Didn¡¯t they tell you?¡± If it wasn¡¯t for Deanna reminding her, Raeleigh would havepletely forgotten about it. No one on campus had mentioned anything about the murder case, so it seemed as if it had never happened.

    Raeleigh had encountered something simr during middle school.Two students had beaten another student to death. After that, the victim¡¯s parents had taken the matter to court, but justice was never served. The school wasn¡¯t any help as they imed that they couldn¡¯t do anything about it. In the end,it simply became an unsolved case and the two students were simply transferred elsewhere.

    Raeleigh knew that Zorion would be fine. She knew it in her gut.

    She was unconcerned.

 Chapter 923 Someone Is Looking For Her

    Raeleigh, Deanna, and Zorion went to the police station immediately.Everything was taken care of quickly and discreetly by theirwyers.The Whalen family wanted to keep a low profile and settle things as soon as possible.

    When everything was done, Raeleigh walked out of the station and was surprised to see thatthere were no reporters at the gate.

    ¡°Raeleigh, it¡¯s gettingte. You can stay at ours tonight,¡± Deanna said as she stood next to the car. She had already nned to invite Raeleigh over.

    ¡°No,thanks. I¡¯d like to head back to the campus. The semester is almost ending and there are a lot of things that I need to catch up on.¡±

    ¡°Okaythen. Zorion will send you back. As for Scarlette, you cane with me,¡± Deanna said as she got into the car. Scarlette quickly answered, ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.Just have one of your drivers send us back. You can go home, don¡¯t worry about us.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette, you don¡¯t seem to like me very much.¡± Annoyed, Deanna stepped forward to grab Scarlette¡¯s arm, dragging her into her car.

    Raeleigh knew that it was all nnedas Zoriondidn¡¯t try to stop Deanna.

    Without a word, Raeleigh got into Zorion¡¯s car.It made Scarlette¡¯s blood boil to see Raeleigh get into his car just like that.

    As the door closed, Zorion¡¯s gaze fell on Raeleigh. He was expressionless, but he watched her closely.

    The driver started the car and drove away slowly.

    ¡°Scarlette, you¡¯re always trying to keep my brother away from Raeleigh. Don¡¯t you think that they look like a perfect couple?¡± Deannained as she got in the car. The driver held back hisughter. Deanna indeed had a way of making people tongue-tied.

    Scarlette was so mad that she wanted to kick the door open and get down from the car, butshe gritted her teeth and sat still.

    ¡°How have you been these past two days?¡±Zorion asked after a while, breaking the silence. Calmly, Raeleigh replied, ¡°Good. Nothing much happened.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m attending an event tomorrow. Would you care to join me?¡±

    Lifting her head, she gave him a puzzled look. ¡°Why don¡¯t you bring Deanna?¡±

    ¡°Deanna has someone in mind that she wants to go with.¡±

    Raeleigh guessed that she was going to invite Jepherson.

    If that was the case, what would Jepherson think when he saw her as Zorion¡¯s plus one?

    Raeleigh thought for a moment before answering,¡°I¡¯m busy tomorrow. You should ask someone else.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Zorion turned to look out the window and they didn¡¯t exchange another word.Upon arriving at the university,the driver got out and opened the door for Raeleigh.As she turning to leave, Zorion called out her name.

    Raeleigh turned around and Zorion handed a book to her.

    She nced at it and saw that it was a book about cars.

    ¡°I borrowed it from someone else, thinking that you may be interested. You can have a read. I¡¯ll return it when you¡¯re done,¡± Zorion exined, smiling. Without responding, Raeleigh simply closed the door and stood waiting for Scarlette. A momentter, Deanna¡¯s car arrived.

    To her surprise, Scarlette got out of the car in silence.

    Raeleigh thought that that was rather abnormal.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Raeleigh asked. Scarlette just shook her head and said, ¡°Have you ever met someone who is so skilled at tormenting people with their words? I almost died listening to Deanna back there.

    Raeleigh, I think you¡¯ll be a match for her. You should just give up.¡±

    Raeleigh burst out inughter. ¡°I¡¯m sure Deanna meant no harm.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what she said, but she never fails to give me chills whenever I¡¯m around her.¡± Scarlette let out a long sigh as she stomped away.

    ncing at the book in her hand, Raeleigh contemted whether it was worth it to have this book in exchange for her diary.

    She flipped through its pages and a piece of paper fell out onto the ground.

    She bent down to pick it up andwas taken aback by what she saw.

    It was a photo of Zorion, a faint smile on his lips. It seemed to be an old photo, probably taken when he was inhiste teens.

    Raeleigh looked at the picture of young Zorion in a white top, with his hands in the pockets of his ck joggers. She then slipped the photo back among the pages as she headed back to her room.

    Seeing that Scarlette was still fuming to herself, Raeleigh buried her nose in the book for the whole night.

    The next morning, Raeleigh didn¡¯t get out of bed. Having learnt her lesson, Scarlette got up and nudged Raeleigh. Raeleigh opened her eyes, but she continued lying on her bed.

    ¡°Scarlette, I pulled an all-nighter to finish a bookst night. I want to take a nap. Besides, we don¡¯t have any sses today.¡± With that, Raeleigh turned around and went back to sleep. Reluctantly, Scarlette went out, locking the door behind her.

    She was still a little worried about leaving Raeleigh by herself.

    With Scarlette gone, the room was empty and quiet, and Raeleigh fell into a deep slumber. When Scarlette came back, she was still asleep.

    Raeleigh finally got up at noon. She was thinking about going down to get some food when she sawa girl at the door.¡°Raeleigh, someone is looking for you. She¡¯s a lecturer for the third-year sses.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Scarlette. ¡°A lecturer is looking for us?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Scarlette said as she shrugged her shoulders.Raeleigh could tell that Scarlette didn¡¯t know what it was about either.

    They went down andsaw a woman in her forties standing there. Compared to the other lecturers, she appeared rather young.

    Raeleigh walked up to her and asked politely, ¡°Excuse me, ma¡¯am.I heard that you¡¯re looking for me?¡±

    ¡°Are you Raeleigh?¡± the lecturer asked. Raeleigh nodded without hesitation.

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    ¡°Come with me. Someone wants to see you.¡± The lecturer turned around and started walking. Raeleigh wanted to refuse, but the lecturer was already quite far away.

    Scarlette nodded reassuringly, telling Raeleigh that nothing would happen as Hadrian was around. Only then did Raeleigh follow the lecturer.

    As they rounded a corner, the teacher stopped and said to Raeleigh, ¡°He wants to see you,not anyone else. Your friend can stay here.¡±Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    Scarlette¡¯s eyes darted around, clearly ufortable with that arrangement.

    ¡°Who are you? Why are you looking for me? If you don¡¯t exin things clearly, I won¡¯t go without Scarlette,¡± Raeleigh insisted.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. We visited your grandmother. She seems like she¡¯s in good health,¡± the lecturer replied. Stunned, Raeleigh¡¯s face turned pale.

    ¡°Why were you visiting my grandmother?¡± Raeleigh could ignore anyone but her grandmother.

    The teacher just smiled and said, ¡°Follow me, we don¡¯t mean any harm. It¡¯s best for you toe.¡± After saying that, she turned around and walked away.Scarlette hastily pulled Raeleigh¡¯s arm, ¡°Don¡¯t go, we don¡¯t know them.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice, Scarlette.¡± Pushing her hand away, Raeleigh followed the lecturer. Scarlette immediately made a call to Jepherson.At the same time, Hadrian also came over and started tailing them.

 Chapter 924 A Threat

    Raeleigh went with the teacher all the way out of campus. After a couple of turns throughthe quiet corners of the school, Raeleigh saw a car parked in a quiet spot outside the campus. There were a few people surrounding the car.

    At this moment, the female teacher halted in her steps and looked at Raeleigh, ¡°Go ahead, he won¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    As she nced at the teacher, she asked, ¡°Will you hurt my grandmother?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just following orders to bring you here soI can¡¯t answer that. If you have any questions, you can ask the man in the car.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at the sleek ck car. Hardly anyone would drive such a car nowadays as it was a tremendously expensive andold-fashioned car.

    Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the car. However, she did not look at who was in the car.

    Raeleigh understood that the more she knew, the more trouble she would get into.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Raeleigh stood outside with a calm look.

    Smirking, the man in the car said with a low voice, ¡°Are you Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    ¡°Do you know why I came here to look for you?¡± The man sounded like he was in histe fifties. Shrugging, Raeleigh replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a smart girl and you¡¯ve been doing pretty well since you were young. It¡¯s a pity that your grandmother has been a burden to you.¡±

    ¡°My grandmother is not a burden, and we¡¯re fine. There¡¯s no need for you to stick your nose into someone else¡¯s business. Get straight to the point.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Alright, I want you to be together with Zorion because I want to stir up conflict between him and Jepherson. The bigger the better. Can you do that?¡± He sounded like he was smiling.

    ¡°I won¡¯t hurt others. You should look for someone else,¡± Raeleigh rejected as her face turned pale.

    They were threatening her with her grandmother. What else could she do?

    ¡°My dear, I¡¯ve only got a few days to live. For the most part,I don¡¯t usually bring people into my affairs, but you broke in and interrupted my ns. Don¡¯t you think you should pay the price?

    If it weren¡¯t for you, Quirina will take your ce. But now, you got her out of the game. Shouldn¡¯t you do something to pay for this?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. Quirina left in her own will.¡±

    ¡°No, she left because of you, otherwise, my n would have seeded.My dear, you¡¯re now involved in this mess. If you want to keep yourself safe, you must cooperate with me. I can¡¯t guarantee what will happen if you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Who the hell are you? Why are you doing this?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who I am. What¡¯s important is who do you want to save.Am I right,dear?¡±

    Without a response, Raeleigh kept quiet.From the passenger side of the car, a young man with a pair of shades alighted.He approached Raeleigh and handed her a cellphone. ¡°This is a phone I¡¯ve specially prepared for you to trackyour location 24/7 and follow up on what you¡¯re up to.

    Don¡¯t try to go against us. You can¡¯t.¡±

    The young man shoved the phone into Raeleigh¡¯s arms, turned around, and went back into the car.

    As the door was shut,and the old man added, ¡°You¡¯re very beautiful. No wonder both of them likes you. Take care of yourself.¡±

    With that, the conversation ended and they drove away.

    Confused, Raeleigh stood there stared nkly at the gate. At this moment, Scarlette was dashing towards herandHadrian fainted on the spot.The female teacher wasnowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Hadrian, Hadrian, what¡¯s wrong?¡± She ran up to him as soon as she saw him lying on the ground. Holding him in her arms, she touched his cheeks gently.

    Opening his eyes, Hadrian lifted his fingers and pointed in the opposite direction. Scarlette looked over and understood. After putting Hadrian¡¯s head down slowly, she got up and chased after them.

    Raeleigh wanted to stop her, but she failed. Scarlette had already rushed out before she could speak.

    At the school gate, she helped Hadrian up and said, ¡°Hadrian, how are you feeling?¡±

    He nced at Raeleigh, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I need to call Jepherson.¡±

    While Hadrian was on the call, Raeleigh took the opportunity to hide the cellphone.

    With a threat that involves her grandmother, Raeleigh had topromise.

    ¡°Hadrian, you¡¯re injured. Let me bring you to the hospital.¡± Fumbling to look for her phone, she called Scarlette right away.

    ¡°Scarlette, Hadrian is hurt.Don¡¯t go after them, you may not be able to catch up.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying we should let it go?¡± Furious, Scarlette kicked the ground hard.Her expressions were beyond description as she ran faster than a bolt of lightning.

    ¡°You shoulde back. Hadrian needs to treat his wound. His head is bleeding.¡± Raeleigh hung up the phoneand asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your car?¡±

    Hadrian refused to leave. ¡°I have to wait for Scarlette.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. Come with me. You¡¯re here to protect me, not her.¡± Disregarding everything else, Raeleigh brought Hadrian to the car. When she got to the driver¡¯s seat, she took the car key from him and said, ¡°Get in the car. I¡¯ll drive.¡±

    Meanwhile, Hadrian was standing there, looking at Raeleigh with wide eyes. There was nothing on Raeleigh¡¯s file that said that she was good at driving.

    ¡°Get in the car.¡± Raeleigh got in and examined the car system.

    ¡°We can take a taxi.¡± For the first time, Hadrian cared about his life.

    Raeleigh raised her head, ¡°What are you afraid of?Scared that I¡¯ll crash?¡±

    Hadrian was dumbstruck.This was a life or death situation. How could she ask such a question? It sounded like she was making a joke out of his life.

    ¡°Get in the car.¡± Without waiting for a reply, Raeleigh urged him anxiously. Without a choice, he had to get in the car.

    ¡°I can do this,¡± Hadrianforted himself. Raeleigh looked at him pathetically and said, ¡°I won¡¯t let anything happen to you. I¡¯m a car designer, trust me.¡±

    Fastening her seatbelt, Raeleigh ignited the engine. With both hands on the steering wheel, she looked at the rearview mirror to make sure that it was clear before reversing the car.As soon as it was fine,Raeleigh drove the car out of the parking lot. Hadrian broke out in a cold sweat.

    It was obvious that Raeleigh was awful at driving. However, judging from Raeleigh¡¯s calmness, it was not a big deal.

    Hadrian recalled the first time that Scarlette drove. She had bumped into his and Jepherson¡¯s car. As he thought about this, he looked at Raeleigh in a daze.

    While they were on the way, Scarlette called. Raeleigh answered the phone with one hand and the other on the steering wheel. With his heart in his mouth, Hadrian raised his hand to cover his eyes.

 Chapter 925 Brother and Sister

    ¡°I¡¯m heading to the nearest hospital. I¡¯m driving now so I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m there.¡± Raeleigh hung up as the traffic light in front turned red.Abruptly, she stopped the car as the tires screeched sharply. It scared the living daylights out of Hadrian.He thought that they had an ident.

    Brushing it off, Raeleigh continued on and looked for the hospital. At the sight of an empty parking spot, she went in and helped Hadrian down the car.

    As he alighted, he remarked, ¡°I¡¯m not as weak as you think.¡±

    Without a response, Raeleigh went into the hospital together with him. After a simple check-up and treatment, Hadrian was good to go.However, he sat on the bed and fixed his gaze at Raeleigh the whole tiime.

    When Scarlette came, Raeleigh had already settled the hospitalization procedure. She urgedHadrian to stay there, but he refused.

    ¡°You¡¯re prone to tetanus. I think it¡¯s better for you to be hospitalized.¡± Raeleigh said with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡±

    ¡°Let me see,¡± Scarlette walked over to Hadrian¡¯s back and looked at his wounds. Hadrian didn¡¯t move. Instead, he threw a nce at Scarlette.

    She returned the look and said, ¡°You should stay.¡±

    Standing aside, Raeleigh kept quiet. After a discussion with Scarlette, theydecided that Hadrian should stay in hospital.

    ¡°Raeleigh, thank you for helping, if it weren¡¯t for you¡­¡± After Hadrian settled down, Scarlette went to look for Raeleigh. She was sitting outside the ward.

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at her, ¡°You misunderstood Hadrian and I.¡±

    As her eyes widened, she turned away and said, ¡°What are you talking about? I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Hadrian has been staring at me becauseI drove here. On the way, he was scared out of his wits,¡± Raeleigh rified.She could see that Scarlette was uneasy.

    Embarrassed, Scarlette sat down next to her. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. A lot of people like you.¡±

    ¡°That also means more troubles,¡± Raeleighughed, so did Scarlette. Scarlette asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be angry about? It¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s all good now,¡± Raeleigh was very clear-headed as she knew that as long as one is alive, anything could be solved.

    The dead were iparable to the ones who were living.

    Leaning against her side, Raeleigh squinted her eyes. Scarlette asked with curiosity, ¡°Did you see who was in the car?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t see him. I just heard a man with an old voice. Frankly, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s that old.An old man wouldn¡¯t speak so arrogantly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily the case. Alvin is just like that.¡± It came to the realization that Alvin was long in the tooth.

    Puzzled, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Is Stuart¡¯s father also grey-haired?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s about the same age as Jepherson¡¯s father. He¡¯s in his fifties butI don¡¯t know exactly. I¡¯ve never asked.¡± Raeleigh was fiddling with her fingers as she kept quiet.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Could a fifty-year-old be considered old? If not, what age was considered old?

    ¡°Scarlette, does Jepherson have any enemies? Any family rival?¡± Raeleigh wondered.

    Why did he want to ignite a conflict between the Whalen and Richards? What was going on?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but Jepherson¡¯s family is involved in a business. After all these years, do you think it¡¯s possible that he hasn¡¯t offended anyone? I heard that the business field is crueler than the battlefield. Death is a verymon thing. Be it the loss of stock or being schemed and forced, peoplemit suicide easily. Just like those in TV series.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, maybe. Let¡¯s rx for a bit. You go in, I¡¯ll stay here. No one will hurt me now that Quirina is gone¡±

    Scarlette thought she had a point, so she went back to the ward whileRaeleigh rested outside.

    At this moment,her phone rang. It was the man in the car.Taking her phone out, she saw that it was a video of hergrandmother buying groceries.

    In a daze, Raeleigh deleted the video from her phone.Then,it rang again but this time was a short message.

    ¡°Just do as you¡¯re told,and your grandmother shall live,¡± Annoyed, Raeleigh switched off her phone.

    After putting away the device, she took a nap outside. In the evening, Deanna gave her a ring.

    ¡°Hey Raeleigh, I was wondering if you¡¯re free toe over tonight? There is no one else in my house,¡± Deanna was whining on the phone.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment, ¡°I¡¯m in the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Hospital? Raeleigh, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Deanna broke out in cold sweat as soon as she heard that Raeleigh was in the hospital.

    Pausing for a moment, she bbered on. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Scarlette. She¡¯s having terrible cramps so I brought her to get some painkillers. I¡¯m here to take care of her.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette is having menstrual cramps?¡± Deanna thought. She also had an issue with this. ¡°Raeleigh,tell her to skip the medicine as it¡¯s not much of a help. My mother often cooks ginger soup for me to ease my cramps. I can send it over if Scarlettes wants some.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll cook it for her. It¡¯s gettingte.You should get some rest.I¡¯ll see you in school soon.¡±

    ¡°Alright.I¡¯ll invite you over some other time,¡± Deanna happily hung up the phone.

    Zorion sat across her in the living room as he was reading a book. She walked over to him and sat down to peel an orange for him.

    Zorion looked up at his sister and uttered, ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating. You act like you¡¯re on cloud nine eveyday. It¡¯s silly!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being a little silly? As long as you¡¯re here, I can act however I want.¡± Deanna handed the peeled oranges to Zorion but he declined.¡°You should have them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll peel more if I want to eat them.¡± Deanna insisted that Zorion have the oranges. As she tried to shove it into his hands, Zorion let a sigh, ¡°My hands are full, I¡¯m reading.Plus, I don¡¯t wanna dirty my books.You can have them.¡±

    Deanna

    She peeled the orange in half. One half was for her and the other was forced into Zorion¡¯s mouth. ¡°This should do.¡±

    On seeing that Deanna was annoyed and impatient,Zorion ate it immediately.

    As he ate, he lowered his head and read the book in his hand.In a sh, Deanna called, ¡°Zorion.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°If you like Raeleigh, and she likes you too. In the end, both of you get married. Will you still love me as much as you do now?¡± Deanna had been struggling with this question for a long time.

    Lifting his head up, he raised his eyebrow. As he thought of Raeleigh¡¯s independence, he replied, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°If Raeleigh and I were to fall into the water, who will you save? Don¡¯t lie to me. You have to tell me the truth,¡± Deanna questioned.

    Zorion thought for a moment, ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Zorion¡­¡± Disappointed, Deanna sighed. Zorion smiled and put down the book in his hand. He looked at her and exined, ¡°I¡¯m your only brother. If you are dead, I can¡¯t have another sister. Likewise, if I am dead, you won¡¯t have a brother.¡±

    Puzzled, Deanna tilted her head to look at him. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying that if one day, you and Raeleigh were drowning and I¡¯m only able to save one person,it would be Raeleigh. I would get her to safety before saving you.

    ¡°If I can¡¯t save you, I will die with you. If that¡¯s the case, even if you die, you¡¯ll still have me.¡±

    ¡°What about Raeleigh?¡± Deanna pitied Raeleigh.

    ¡°If she hadn¡¯t gotten married, she would find a man better than me.Raeleigh is an amazing woman. Someone will love her more than I do.

    ¡°If we get married, she can choose to remarry. It¡¯s her choice.¡± Zorion wasvery wise andclear-headed in his way of doing things.There were no blind spots when he faced trouble.

    Deanna hesitated for a long time, ¡°If Raeleigh is okay, and I am fine too. But if you drown, I¡¯m going with you.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Without hesitation, Zorion refused.

    ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you scared of death?¡± Deanna couldn¡¯t understand, her expression was extremely pitiful.

    ¡°If you and Raeleigh are fine, it won¡¯t matter if I die. Raeleigh will take care of you, and you will take care of her,¡± Zorion smiled.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re going to die?¡±

    ¡°Everyone will face death sooner orter. It¡¯s just a matter of time. What¡¯s there to worry about?¡± Zorion said as he held the book in his hand. His gaze softened as he nced atDeanna.

    ¡°¡­¡± Deanna was speechless. She creased her browsas the thought of death came rushing to her mind. It came to the realization that she didn¡¯t understand much about death. In the end, it was just a simple word to her.

    After a long while, she finished her oranges and leaned towards Zorion.¡°Zorion, I¡¯ll still love you even after I get married. I promise I won¡¯t fight with Raeleigh.¡±

    While Deanna was speaking, Zorion couldn¡¯t help but broke into a smile.¡°Why would you want to fight her?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my brother. If Raeleigh marries you in the future, she¡¯ll be my sister-inw. We¡¯ll definitely argue from time to time, but I won¡¯t fight her. I¡¯m just pretending to frighten her. Otherwise, she¡¯ll look down on me as your sister.¡± Deanna nodded hard.

    Shaking his head, he continued to read.¡°Let¡¯s talk about itter.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Deanna responded. At the side, the servants were observing this harmonious scene of the Whalen siblings.

    After all, a good connection among siblings is quite rare nowadays.

 Chapter 926 Liking Someone is Pointless

    Raeleigh woke up at five in the morning after a good night¡¯s rest. Feeling chilly, she got up and went to take a look in the ward. Inside, Scarlette was sleeping soundly in Hadrian¡¯s arms.

    After buying some food, she inquired about Hadrian¡¯s situation. It turned out that the doctor gave him an injection and some medicine. Basically, there was nothing left that can be done.

    ¡°Oh, Raeleigh, did you sleep outsidest night?¡± A wave of guiltiness hit Scarlette when she saw Raeleigh outside. Raeleigh set down the breakfast in front of her and went to see the doctor. ¡°Can he be discharged from the hospital judging from his current state?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best for him to stay for a few more days. We don¡¯t rmend him being discharged this early since his back is still injured.¡± Yesterday, the doctor gave Hadrian a minor surgery to sew the wound on his back. ording to them, it would take at least a week to recover.

    ¡°Hadrian, what do you think?¡± Raeleigh prioritized Hadrian¡¯s opinion.Shaking his head, he sat up,¡°I am fine. I can be discharged from the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s leave the hospital,¡± Raeleigh nodded. She felt that Hadrian was not lying either. She looked at the doctor and said, ¡°We can¡¯t afford to stay much longer. There are still a lot of things at school that we need to catch up on. I hope you understand.¡±

    Raeleigh tried to be polite. A doctor wouldn¡¯t force those who were poor as they would leave if they couldn¡¯t bear the fees.

    After the doctors left, she went to Scarlette and said, ¡°I slept fine outsidest night. Don¡¯t worry about me.If you don¡¯t tell Jepherson, he wouldn¡¯t know.¡±

    Looking at Raeleight, Scarlette whined, ¡°Raeleigh, why are being you so nice?¡±

    ¡°Okay, quit the talking. Let¡¯s eat. We should go back after that,¡± Raeleigh opened the lid and sat down to eat.

    During the meal, Scarlette kept serving Hadrian, but he did not seem to be aware.

    Raeleigh let out a sigh.One of them was pouring their heart out while the other hadn¡¯t noticed.

    From the looks of it, Hadrian seemed to regard Scarlette as a sister despite the fact that Scarlette fancied him.

    ¡°Raeleigh, if Jepherson finds out, he¡¯ll be furious,¡± Hadrian stated as he raised his head to look at Raeleigh.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. If he finds out, you can tell him that it was all me. I was the one who brought you hereand also the one who drove,¡± Worried that Hadrian would me it all on her, she hoped that he could be discharged as soon as possible.

    Although he lost a lot of blood yesterday, he recovered fast. Raeleigh did not dare to make decisions for him.

    After dinner, they left the hospital and went to Raeleigh¡¯s grandmother¡¯s house.

    This time, the olddy did not expect there to be one more person, let alone an injured one.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Raeleigh exined, ¡°This is Scarlette¡¯s brother. Yesterday, he got hurt because of me. He knocked his head on the ground.¡±

    Hearing Raeleigh¡¯s words, Novalie became anxious. She pulled Raeleigh¡¯s arm and asked, ¡°Oh dear, what happened?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just a few ssmates messing around. They tried to hurt me. Fortunately, I¡¯m fine because Scarlette and Hadrian were there. However, Hadrian got hurt in the fight.¡±

    Raeleigh exined while she cleaned up her room for Hadrian.In the end, her grandmother said, ¡°You can sleep in my roomIf you don¡¯t mind. Let me knowif you¡¯re feeling ufortable at night.¡±

    Hadrian stared at her. As long as he wasn¡¯t staying in Raeleigh¡¯s room, he was willing to do anything.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sorry for troubling you.¡± The female teacher had pounded vigorously on Hadrian¡¯s head, which made him feel a little dizzy still. After settling down, heid down on the bed. Scarlette was busy taking care of him and couln¡¯t be bothered by Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh gave them some space.She then went out with Novalie to get some groceries.

    On the way there, Novalie was curious as she asked about what was going on.

    ¡°Grandma, they¡¯re all good people. They were sent by Jepherson to protect me.¡±

    ¡°The man who made these for me?¡± Novalie pointed at her walking stick as she observed her granddaughter¡¯s reaction carefully.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him.¡± Taking a glimpse at Novalie¡¯s walking stick,Raeleigh felt a pinch in her heart. She thought it was indeed rare for someone pampered to personally make this for her grandmother.

    Humans had feelings. She was a human, not a stone. It was hard to fight shy of the emotions she felt.

    Grinning, Raeleigh lowered her head, ¡°Do you like him, grandma?¡±

    Novalie broke into a smile, she responded, ¡°What¡¯s the use of me liking him? My granddaughter needs to like him.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point? We¡¯re both very different people, and it¡¯s hard to tell if he actually likes me. It¡¯s probably provisional.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy for one to like someone.It takes courage. You¡¯ve never had feelings for a guy.¡± Novalie burst out inughter. She had not seen her grandmother so happy for a long time. In the past, she was always worried that Raeleigh would give up the idea of life because of her past and what she had been through.

    In her younger days, Novalie was as pretty as a picture, and countless men were attracted by her. Unfortunately, she was being cheated onbecause of her family issues.

    Novalie thought of taking her life numerous times. Fortunately, someone saved her, and she survived.

    When one was in a miserable state, they would choose to end their lives. It was a normal thing to do.

    However, Novalie knew in her heart that Raeleigh was not like any other ordinary human being. There must be a reason for her to suffer from such a big misfortune.

    She was mature enough to see things from a wider perspective. If she had passed on, no one would take care of Raeleigh.

    As far as she knew, if Raeleigh¡¯s parents were to appear out of the blue, she might not even recognize them. If she was dead, there would be no witness. Would Raeleigh deny her identity?

    She was still herself even if she didn¡¯t want to admit it.There were so many people after her. Sooner orter, she would be killed.

    Novalie set her heart on finding someone who would take care of Raeleigh. It would be better if that someone was influential and brave.

    Originally, she thought that Jepherson liked Raeleigh only for her talent. Now that she knew the truth, Novalie was on cloud nine.

    She thought that rich families were not high-minded. In fact, one could see and know that Jepherson was different.

    At this moment, Novalie couldn¡¯t stop smiling andRaeleigh was dumbfounded. After all these years, she hadn¡¯t admitted anything so frankly. What was happening to her?

    Novalie and her granddaughter arrived at the supermarket.

    Beating around the bush, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Grandma, did you notice anything or anyone strange recently?¡±

    Knowing exactly what she was indicating, Novalie replied, ¡°No, I think those people gave up. s, you have a hard life. I¡¯m sorry to trouble you, dear.You might be living the best life now if it weren¡¯t for me.¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Raeleigh held her grandmother in her arms as they exchanged nces.Without another word,they headed to the supermarket.

 Chapter 927 Her Dress is Torn

    Raeleigh and her grandmother came back from the supermarket with few bags filled with groceries. Upon arriving at the gate, they caught sight of a ck car that was parked at the entrance.

    Novalie was neither deaf nor blind. Shecould recognize Jepherson¡¯s car right away.

    What¡¯s more, there was a person standing by the car.

    ¡°Speak of the devil.I should have bought more. It looks so shabby now.¡± Novalie threw a nce at her granddaughter who was standing still, looking nervous. ¡°Grandma, he may not stay for dinner.¡±

    ¡°How would you know that?¡± Novalie chuckled.Standing by the car door, Stuart waitedfor Jepherson to get out of the car.

    After alighting the car, Novalie tidied up her coat and buttoned it. Then, she walked towards Jepherson and Raeleigh with a bright smile.

    Novalie was an expert in reading people¡¯s minds. However, she could not see through Jepherson.His attractive smile seemed to mask his true self.Besides, his aura was strong and influential. Even though he did not have a group of people following him, but just looking at his imposing manner, one could tell that he was not someone to be trifled with.

    Novalie nced at Raeleigh, which had not moved an inch. She questioned, ¡°What are you doing? Haven¡¯t you seen him before?¡±

    Although Novalie had no status or wealth, she was not an ordinary person.

    Raeleigh gasped and threw a re at her, ¡°Grandma.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Novaliepretended to be impatient.

    At this moment, Jepherson approached them. He first looked at Raeleigh andgreeted with a smile. Then, he turned over to Novalie, ¡°How are you? I haven¡¯t seen you in a while. Do you remember me?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s manner of speaking was polite. There was no reason for Novalie to dislike him.

    ¡°How could I forget? You were the one who made my crutches. I thought you came to invite Raeleigh to work in yourpany. I didn¡¯t expect you to be a true friend. My bad,¡± Grinning, Novalie rified.The smile on Jepherson¡¯s face did not diminish at all. ¡°That¡¯s fine. It¡¯s my duty. I¡¯m just afraid that the crutches aren¡¯t to your liking and you won¡¯t be able to use it.¡±

    ¡°I am an old woman. There is nothing to be picky about. Besides, you have put in so much effort to make this for me. I am beyond gratefs it¡¯s much better than the previous one. A lot of people were jealous of me.¡± The olddy was always talkative. Raeleigh, who was standing beside, could tell that Jepherson was in her favor.

    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ll bring you inside. It¡¯s getting cold.¡± Raeleigh held the olddy¡¯s arm and walked back with Jepherson by her side. The three of them quickly returned home. As they entered the door, Raeleigh put down the groceries and helped Novalie into her room.

    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ll be back. I would like a few words with Mr. Richards,¡± Raeleigh settled her grandmother and left. Jepherson was standing outside while watching TV.

    Walking towards Jepherson, she gestured, ¡°Let¡¯s talk outside.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh,buy more ingredients and ask if Mr. Richards is staying for dinner. If he doesn¡¯t mind, we can have dinner together,¡± Novalie shouted from inside.Awkwardly, sheturned around and met Jepherson¡¯s gaze. Before she could say anything, Jepherson had already gotten hold of her as he grabbed her into his arms.The room was empty,so he leaned towards her face and nted a kiss on her lips.

    Raeleigh was caught off guard.How could Jepherson do such a thing in her house?

    As she pushed Jepherson away, she bolted out of the room.

    Jepherson went after her. With her blood boiling, Raeleigh stomped out the door and headed to the supermarket. On the way, she turned around and shot a death re at Jepherson. ¡°You crossed the line.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not what it seems. I know how to be a man,¡± Jepherson stepped towards Raeleigh, and she halted hastily.

    Wait a minute¡­

    ¡°What are you talking about? A man?¡± A scene of a couple making love came shing into her mind.

    Knowing that she misunderstood, Jepherson arched his eyebrows.

    When she was not aware, Jepherson groped her. He brought her into an area where it was blocked from the outside.

    As he leaned down to stroke her cheeks, lust was burning wild all over his body. He moved his hands all over Raeleigh¡¯s body while kissing her. Raeleigh struggled to break free but she couldn¡¯t. Jepherson¡¯s grip was too intense. If he had not loosened his grip, who knew what would happen to her.

    When Jepherson let go of her, she panted in fear as tears filled her eyes.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Jepherson mimicked the way his father treated his mother. He peeked on them once. However, this was not the reaction he was expecting.

    Was it true that only the experienced was better?

    At this time, Jepherson¡¯s thoughts were in a mess.

    Raeleigh was about to bite his head off. She raised her head, red at Jepherson and punched him hard, ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I have to try.¡±

    Pursing her lips, Raeleigh froze for a moment. She was silent.

    ¡°Are you mad at me? I admit that I was too reckless just now. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± It had been a few days since hest saw Raeleigh, so he held her tightly.

    However, no one noticed that Raeleigh was struggling to break free.

    In the end, Jepherson managed to undress her.

    At that moment, Raeleigh flew off the handle.She hadn¡¯t been like this before. How could she sumb to Jepherson so easily?

    After holding Raeleigh for a while, he let go of her and tidied up her clothes. As her dress was torn open, Raeleigh¡¯s chest was exposed.At the sight of her white bra, Jepherson¡¯s body tensed up. He felt like he was in heaven moments ago, but now¡­

    Without hesitation, Jepherson took off his coat and covered Raeleigh with it. It was the least he could do.

    Blushing, Raeleigh clutched the cor tightly, afraid that her body would be exposed.

    Jepherson scooped her up in his arms and walked towards the car. Raeleigh did not have the strength to fight back.It was ten o¡¯clock in the morning. What if someone saw her?

    With that being said, Raeleigh buried her face in Jepherson¡¯s arms as shegripped onto his sleeve tightly with both hands.

    Stuartopened the back door of the car for them and Jepherson ced her in the car carefully before getting in.

    In the car, Jepherson ordered, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hotel.¡±

    As soon as Stuart got in the car, the driver drove towards the hotel.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you buy me a new set of clothes?¡± Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Jepherson, ¡°Or you can ask someone to get my clothes from school.¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    Raeleigh thought that this was the only way.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the mall.¡±

 Chapter 928 A Pro at Everything

    Upon arriving at the mall, Jepherson got off the car.

    With her headid low, Raeleigh followed behind him. She knew that Jepherson¡¯s appearance would attract attention. Now that Raeleigh was wearing his clothes, it was more obvious. She then tugged lightly onto his sleeves, gesturing to be more low-key.

    Jepherson held her hand without a word and walked into the mall.

    Stuart immediately called the boutique to arrange a special slot for both of them.

    Not long after, the designer was already waiting upstairs.

    In this mall, Jepherson had his own stylists. Even though it was rare for him to visit the mall, the Richards Family didn¡¯t pay them for free.

    When they got upstairs, a gorgeous woman in her thirties greeted Jepherson politely. She then looked at Raeleigh and gestured, ¡°Follow me.¡±

    As she brought Raeleigh away, the manager came over, ¡°Master, please wait for a moment. I¡¯ll make you a cup of tea.¡±

    ¡°Design a simple outfit for her that matches with my attire. It would be best if she looks like my secretary. I don¡¯t want to draw attention.¡± Turning around. he sat down and crossed his legs. The manager immediately ordered the rest of the staff ording to his words.

    Jepherson waited outside while he sipped on his tea. After half an hour,they were done.

    Stunned, his eyes scanned Raeleigh as she walked out.

    A ck knee-length skirt was wrapped around her hips and it was matched with a simple white blouse. Her hair had been styled simply. Although she had no makeup on, she looked heavenly.

    With a pair of ck heels, she looked an inch taller.

    Annoyed, Raeleigh stood there as she clenched her fist.

    How could she go to the grocery store in this? She looked like she was going to attend a business meeting.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡± Raeleigh red at Jepherson, who was gawking at her. Leaning aside, Jepherson thought for a while before he said, ¡°Get rid of the jacket and put mine on.¡±

    ¡°Okay, a moment, please.Follow me.¡± The woman brought Raeleigh back to the dressing room. She reced her coat with Jepherson¡¯s. Walking out, she felt ufortable.

    Wearing a tight-fitting skirt, high heels, and Jepherson¡¯s jacket¡­Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Raeleigh could not even recognize herself in the mirror.

    Standing up, Jepherson walked to her side. On the way, he grabbed a pair of shoes for her. Jepherson bent down,held Raeleigh¡¯s foot, and put it on.Losing her bnce, Raeleigh immediately clutched on his shoulder. He helped her change into afortable pair of ts.

    As Jepherson got up,he nced at the shoes andmented, ¡°Much better.¡±

    Raeleigh was silent as she wasn¡¯t surprised that he knewshe was ufortable.

    ¡°Pack her clothes, we¡¯ll take them with us.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    After it was all settled, Jepherson collected her things and left with Raeleigh.

    As they got back to the car, Raeleigh let out a sigh of relief.

    Stuart closed the door and drove back to Novalie¡¯s house. Both of them alighted from the car and headed to the supermarket.

    Watching Jepherson and Raeleigh, Stuart shook his head.

    Strolling past themunity hall and the park,they arrived at the supermarket.

    ¡°I want some tofu.¡± When they were almost done, Jepherson stood in front of the tofu stall, refusing to leave.

    Frowning, she bought him a few pieces of tofu.

    With a smile, the boss asked, ¡°Raeleigh, is he your boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s my boss. I¡¯ll work at hispany after I graduate,¡± Raeleigh exined andthe boss simply nodded.

    Jepherson denied right away, ¡°No, I¡¯m her boyfriend. She is afraid of being judged so she doesn¡¯t want to admit it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Raeleigh looked over. Jepherson had already left with the tofu and the other food ingredients.

    ¡°Raeleigh, he¡¯s a good guy. He has been here with your grandmast time.¡± On hearing this, Raeleigh forced a smile.

    They went back.

    ¡°Why did you say that?¡±

    ¡°What should I say?¡± Jepherson didn¡¯t think that was wrong.

    Raeleigh did not respond.

    Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Jepherson asked frankly, ¡°We¡¯re a couple. Why can¡¯t we admit it?¡±

    ¡°No reason. Let¡¯s break up.¡± Without hesitation, Raeleigh snapped.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible.I¡¯ll have to go through a roller coaster of emotions to get over you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a man. You want me to take responsibility for your loss?¡±

    ¡°Are men not humans?¡±

    After bickering for a little while, they arrived at the gate of Novalie¡¯s house. Jepherson always found a way to make Raeleigh tongue-tied.

    In his mind, Jepherson thought he was always right.

    Before entering the house, Raeleigh threw a re at Jepherson and warned, ¡°Don¡¯t talk sh*t to me.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t speak nonsense, I won¡¯t either,¡± Jepherson smirked.In a spur of the moment, Raeleigh wanted to tear him apart.

    However, she held back and simply walked into the house.

    At home, Novalie had been waiting anxiously.Scarlette was circling back and forth in the room. Both of them wondered what was taking Raeleigh so long to return.

    Novalie was worried that something went wrong and that she was out of her mind.

    At the sight of Raeleigh, Novalie got up and walked to her, ¡°What took you so long?¡±

    ¡°My clothes were torn. He bought me some new clothes, so we came backte.¡± Putting her things down, she walked to her grandmother. Novalie was not suspicious at all. Plus, It didn¡¯t matter.

    ¡°I¡¯ll cook dinner. I don¡¯t know what happened to Scarlette. Ever since you left, she has been walking in circles. She definitely has got something on her mind. You should ask her.¡±

    Novalie was about to cook when Jepherson rolled his sleeves and brought an apron over. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Raeleigh and I will do it.¡±

    As Jepherson stepped into the kitchen,Scarlette whispered something to Raeleigh.

    ¡°I see. Take care of Hadrian,¡± Raeleigh understood what was going on.

    ¡°Grandma,you have a rest today. I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    When Raeleigh went into the kitchen,Jepherson was staring nkly at the pots.As he was the son of a noble family, Raeleigh figured that he didn¡¯t know how to cook.

    ¡°Let me do it.¡±

    Jepherson stepped aside as Raeleigh started to prepare the ingredients. Trying to prove himself, Jepherson attempted to cut the tofu.

    After Raeleigh was done, she turned around to check on Jepherson. He had already seasoned the tofu and ced it in a bowl.

    As Raeleigh was walking over to him, he picked up a spoon and sent it to her mouth. ¡°This proved that I, theYoung Master, is a pro at everything.¡±

 Chapter 929 Whoâ€™s Looking for You

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t deny that the tofu was tasty. She wanted to keep indulging it.

    During dinner, Novaliealsoplimented the tofu dish.

    However, Raeleigh didn¡¯t raise her head to look at Jepherson. She did not have a say in it asJepherson wouldn¡¯t agree to break up.

    Her thoughts were all over the ce as she was caught in a dilemma.

    Should I be honest with him, or keep it a secret?Thinking to herself, she had to think of a way to persuade him that she was dating Zorion.

    To be honest, she couldn¡¯t ept Jepherson nor she could be with Zorion. She did not want toplicate things.

    As she ate, Raeleigh was absent-minded. She didn¡¯t even look up when her grandmother was talking to her. After a while, Novalie asked, ¡°Raeleigh, is there anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Raeleigh put down her cutleries but remained seated next to her. It was rude to leave before the guests finished their meals.

    Soon, Hadrian finished eating, and so did Scarlette. Novalie didn¡¯t eat much either. Although she enjoyed the tofu dish that Jepherson prepared, she was stuffed.

    As the others left one after another,the dining table was left with Raeleigh and Jepherson. He was taking his time to ingest his food. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t help but felt impatient as he was being too slow.

    Novalie had excused herself to watch TV.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    On the other hand, Hadrian had no reason to stay and so he left.He quickly went along with Novalie.

    ¡°Are you done?¡± Raeleigh was agitated. She knew it was impolite to say that, but she had never seen anyone eat so slowly. It was just a meal. At this rate, he would have only finished it by tomorrow.

    ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± Jepherson finished thest piece of tofu. Heput down his cutleries, wiped his mouth, and stood up. ¡°Do you need help?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Raeleigh was cleaning up.Walking into Raeleigh¡¯s room, he found a book and read it on her bed.

    When Raeleigh was done, Jepherson was already halfway through the book.

    The book consisted of design samples with pictures and exnations. Anyone in this field could understand it at a nce, but for those who were not, they couldn¡¯t understand it even if they tried.

    Jepherson had prior experience, so he understood everything.

    Upon entering her room after doing the dishes, she saw Jepherson on her bed. Her heart was pacing.

    This was her house. How did Jepherson get sofortable?

    ¡°Are you done with the dishes?¡± Jepherson raised his head and looked at Raeleigh, who was reluctant to go near him.

    ¡°Am I the gue?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Raeleigh furrowed her eyebrows.

    ¡°Every time you see me, you tend to stay away from me. It feels like I am the gue when you try to iste yourself from me,¡± Putting down the book, he waited for Raeleigh¡¯s respond.

    Unexpectedly, Raeleigh did not refute this time. She walked over to Jepherson and sat down beside him.

    ¡°Can we?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    As soon as she spoke, she was rejected.

    She watched as Jepherson unbuttoned his shirtand lied on the bedzily.

    Raeleigh wanted to speak, but she kept her words back.

    As it was inappropriate to discuss, Raeleigh could only sit aside as she got lost in her thoughts.

    ¡°Come here,¡± Jepherson was secretly waiting for Raeleigh to go to bed. However, she took so long that he had to invite her instead.

    Raeleigh stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to my grandmother¡¯s room¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you want me out of your bed?¡± That was a naked threat.

    After exchanging looks,she finallypromised.

    Raeleigh felt ufortable after getting on the bed. After turning off themp, Jepherson held Raeleigh from behind as he whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s spoon.¡±

    Knowing that there was no chance of refusing, she decided to let him be.

    She could not fall asleep at first, but after a while, she fell into a deep slumber.

    Upon waking up in the morning,she noticed that Jepherson was no longer beside her. Raeleigh got up and scanned the room. At this moment, Scarlette walked into the room.

    ¡°They went to the supermarket. Grandmasaid she craved for tofu, so they went to get some.¡±

    Letting out a sigh of relief, Scarlette knew that she was in a safe spot.She was happy as ark and was humming a sweet melody.

    Raeleigh went to prepare breakfast while Scarlette took care of Hadrian.As they returned, Raeleigh heard loud chattering andughter.

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±

    Jepherson and Raeleigh¡¯s grandmother got along very well.

    She just couldn¡¯tprehend howsomeone like Jepherson would fall in love with her.

    Raeleigh was cluless. Was it really because of Santiago¡¯s confession?

    Lost in her own thoughts, Raeleigh didn¡¯t notice when Jepherson put the tofu on the stove. He walked to get the apron to make aspecial dish for Novalie.

    Standing next to him, Raeleigh stared at him nkly.No matter how hard she cracked her head, Jepherson didn¡¯t seem to be someone who knew how to cook.

    All of this was like a dream to Raeleigh.

    After the meal, she said, ¡°Hadrian still needs to be taken care of. I think it¡¯s only appropriate for him to stay. Of course, he can also go back to your ce.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, it¡¯s best for him to stay here. I don¡¯t want anyone to know what happened to Hadrian.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Raeleigh couldn¡¯t help but me herself for the incident.

    Jepherson lowered his gaze. After a moment, he stood up and said, ¡°Follow me.¡±

    Turning around, he went outside directly. Raeleigh nced at the others before she heading out.

    Getting into the car, she saw that there were other people as well. As soon as they saw Raeleigh, they got out of the car.

    The atmosphere in the car was tense, but she did not know what was wrong.

    ¡°Who¡¯s looking for you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just know that it was an old man.¡±

    At this point, she had no choice but to tell Jepherson.

    ¡°What happens after that?¡± Jepherson frowned deeply as someone came into mind.

    ¡°I need to stay away from you,¡± Raeleigh said while looking outside.She did not want to deceive him,but she was a hostage and also had to consider Novalie¡¯s safety.

    As for Jepherson, nothing could possibly happen to him.

    ¡°I have something upter in the afternoon. If you need to be somewhere, I¡¯ll take you there,¡± Jepherson looked ahead. He knew that Raeleigh was lying, but he did not confront her.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just take a taxi,¡± Raeleigh opened the door and got out of the car. Jepherson watched as Raeleigh closed the door.

    Rolling down the window, he remarked, ¡°I will find out who was in that car. Take two days off and don¡¯t go anywhere.¡±

    Without a chance to speak, the window had been rolled up.

    Stuart and the others got into the car and they drove away instantly.

    Raeleigh stood still and watched as Jepherson¡¯s car disappear. She was in a daze.Should she trust Jepherson?

    If he could resolve this matter, perhaps she need not go against her will.

    After all, she did not want to be manipted.

    Jepherson¡¯s face turned cold, ¡°What has the old man done recently?¡±

    A chill ran down Stuart¡¯s spine. He was stressed out by the Young Master¡¯s expressions.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t in touch with him.¡±

    ¡°Call him now and ask if Alvin saw the old man.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Stuart was busy making phone calls. When he received confirmation, he told Jepherson, ¡°No.¡±

    Jepherson ordered, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Whalen family¡¯s house.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

 Chapter 930 The Whalen Siblings

    Upon Jepherson¡¯s arrival,Rayan was ready to head out.

    With a wide grin, Jepherson got out of the car.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson, what brings you here?¡± To her surprise, Deanna asked as she clutched onto Rayan¡¯s arm. When she saw that Jepherson was walking towards them, she smiled politely.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t go to the office?¡± Rayan came back because he was caught up with something urgent. He wasn¡¯t expecting Jepherson.

    ¡°I have something to ask you, Mr. Whalen. Do you have time?¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m heading to the airport now. If you don¡¯t mind, let¡¯s go together,¡± Rayan nced at his son, Zorion, ¡°You¡¯ll go with Deanna.¡±

    ¡°Sure, dad.¡±

    Zorion threw a nce at Jepherson and walked towards the car. Someone opened the door for Zorion,and he got into the car in a haste.

    ¡°Jepherson, I¡¯ll be with my brother,¡± Deanna informed and went to the car afterwards.

    Rayan stepped towards the car after his children had gotten in.Stuart hurriedly opened the back door for Rayan,followed by Jepherson.

    As they drove away, Jepherson asked, ¡°Mr. Whalen, have you been to Elkton University recently?¡±

    ¡°Why are you asking me this out of the blue? Is there anything wrong with the university?¡±

    ¡°No, I was just curious.There are some things that I need to find out. I¡¯d like to ask around before taking action,¡± Jepherson¡¯s attitude was modest. Moreover, Rayan had been nice to him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never been there.¡±

    Taken by surprise, Jepherson¡¯s brows furrowed.

    ¡°Alright. Thank you, Mr. Whalen.¡±

    Beaming, Rayan said, ¡°Did you get into trouble? If you did, you can ask Zorion for help. I¡¯ve been jealous of your father recently. I want to retire early as well. When I¡¯m gone, hopefully, you¡¯ll train Zorion more often. I hope that you two get along well and will be business partners.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Mr. Whalen, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m relieved to hear that. Anyway, Zorion is still a child. He¡¯s different from you and he¡¯s a few years younger. There¡¯s a lot that he still needs to learn.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Upon arriving at the airport, Jepherson got out of the car and sent Rayan to the departure hall. After watching Rayan board the ne, he was ready to leave.

    ¡°Jepherson, you look like you¡¯re in a hurry. What¡¯s up?¡± Deanna followed Jepherson and asked with curiosity. He smiled and responded, ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m quite busytely.¡±

    ¡°Are you heading to the office? I want to ask if Raeleigh wants to carpool with us to school,¡± Deanna looked at Jepherson with puppy eyes.

    Patting Deanna¡¯s head, he uttered, ¡°I¡¯m not sure where I¡¯m headed to. You can meet her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with Zorion then. See you,¡± Deanna walked back to his brother.The siblings exchanged nces.Then, Jepherson took a glimpse at Zorion before leaving.

    Stuart followed him.

    ¡°Zorion, I think something is wrong with Jepherson. He doesn¡¯t look great,¡± Deanna realized.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably about thepany. Since Mr. Richards isn¡¯t here, he has to be in charge of thepany alone. Let¡¯s not bother him. Oh, right. Didn¡¯t you say you want to meet Raeleigh? Do you know where she lives?¡± Zorion stepped forward. As Deanna followed behind him, she assumed, ¡°I thought you knew.¡±

    Pausing for a moment, Zorion turned to look at his sister, ¡°I¡¯ll find out.¡±

    When Raeleigh went out of the house to buy some groceries, she caught sight of Deanna and Zorion as their car was parked on the opposite side.

    Raeleigh stopped when she saw them alighting from the car. The driver immediately walked to the back, opened the trunk, and handed them a few boxes of supplements. Deanna carried them as she walked across the road.

    ¡°Raeleigh,¡± Deanna was jumping in joy as soon as she saw Raeleigh. On the other hand, Zorion scanned the surroundings to ensure that it was safe for Deanna. Besides, he wanted to check out the neighbourhood.

    The living environment was decent, but the traffic was not the best.

    The more Zorion looked around, the more his frown deepened. In the end, he approached Raeleigh and asked before she could speak, ¡°You live here?¡±

    Caught off guard, she froze for a moment and then looked around. Was the prestigious Mr. Whalen bbergasted when he saw this ce?

    ¡°Zorion, you shouldn¡¯t talk to Raeleigh like that. Weren¡¯t you the one who told me that wealth and poverty do not define someone? How could you talk like that?¡±

    Deanna snapped as she couldn¡¯t bear to see Zorion¡¯s attitude towards Raeleigh.

    Zorion¡¯s expression softened a little, ¡°Right, sorry.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Raeleigh. My brother¡¯s heart ached to see you live in an environment like that. It¡¯s not that we¡¯re judging you. Don¡¯t misunderstand.¡±

    Struggling to hold the boxes, Deanna tried to clear the air.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I admit that the environment here is not the best,¡± Raeleigh faked a smile as she lied.Raeleigh thought that it was an amazing neighborhood as the people here were nice and caring. They took care of her grandmother when she was at school.

    The supermarket was within walking distance, which made it very convenient. There was also a park nearby. When her grandmother had nothing else to do, she could at least walk around the park.

    Compared to a big vi,the conditions were definitely worse here. It was noisier and crowded.

    However, it didn¡¯t cost her a lot to live in a decent house.

    Raeleigh had no other extravagant desires.

    To Zorion, he was so used to living in an enormous mansion and so he couldn¡¯t ept anything other than that.

    He would never get used to this.

    Forcing a smile, Raeleigh asked, ¡°What brings you here?¡±

    ¡°We came to see you and also,give you a ride to school. Our father went traveling all of a sudden, that¡¯s why Zorion and I didn¡¯t go to school. Now that he left, we¡¯re going back, and we are bringing you with us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m taking a break for the next two days. I¡¯m not going to school.I¡¯ve already informed the teacher.¡±

    ¡°Huh, why?¡± Deanna¡¯s eyes widened asRaeleigh told her the truth.¡°Scarlette¡¯s friend was injured because of me. Now, they¡¯re staying at my house. I can¡¯t go to school and leave them here.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, you¡¯re such a kind soul.¡± Deanna walked towards the gate as she said, ¡°Raeleigh, which one is your house? I brought a present for your grandmother. Where is she?¡±

    Amused, Raeleigh turned to look at Deanna.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to bring us gifts.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already here! My mom said that it would be impolite for young people to not bring gifts when visiting the elderly,¡± Deanna exined.On seeing that Raeleigh was silent,Deanna followed her inside.

    Since the arrival of the Whalen siblings, Raeleigh felt that her house has suddenly shrunk. She had to think about where they should stand, not to mention sit.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 931 A Phone Call

    Despite the slightly poor environment, Raeleigh was grateful to have a peaceful life.

    As Raeleigh was cooking, Deanna went to the kitchen to have a look, ¡°Raeleigh, can you teach me how to cook?¡±

    ¡°What do you want to learn?¡± Willingly, Raeleigh offered.

    ¡°What dishes do you make? Just teach me a few easy ones.I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to learn the hard ones,¡± Deanna felt stupid as she didn¡¯t know how to cook.

    Handing her some cucumbers and tomatoes, she gestured for Deanna to wash them,¡°You can start by cleaning the vegetables. I started off helping grandma with the washing as well.¡±

    Excited, Deanna rolled up her sleeves and picked up a basin. Before she could grab it, she knocked a ss te by ident and it shattered onto the ground.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Deanna screamed.Putting down everything on her hands, Raeleigh rushed over to check on her, ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    ¡°Zorion¡­¡±

    On hearing Deanna¡¯s wail, Zorion dashed into the kitchen hastily. Holding Deanna in his arms, he patted gently on her head tofort her, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡±

    Aggrieved, Deanna frowned, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Zorion felt distressed. He turned to look at Raeleigh, who was staring at them nkly, ¡°Don¡¯t try to teach Deanna how to cook. She can¡¯t.¡±

    After that, Zorion brought Deanna away.Not knowing how to react, Raeleigh stood in the kitchen as she watched them leave.

    Scarlette, who was standing by the door, saw everythingcrystal clear. She fetched a broom to help clean up the mess. Clearing up the ss pieces on the ground, she said, ¡°Sooner orter, she¡¯ll kill you.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. She didn¡¯t mean it.¡±

    Disregarding it, Raeleigh continued to clean up. She held no grudges against Deanna. Although Scarlette was making a fuss about it, she simply brushed it off. Giving up after receiving the silent treatment, Scarlette put down the mop in her hand and helped to prepare the dishes.

    It took ages for Deanna to pull herself together as she was still in shock.

    Novalie sat beside her. Compared to the rich and pampered guests, Raeleigh was good-tempered and independent. She had never teared up so easily like how Deanna did. Whenever something went wrong, Deanna would burst out in tears and needed someone to take care of her.

    Raeleigh had no one at all.

    ncing at Deanna, Novaliefelt bad for her granddaughter. She had been made a scapegoat for other people¡¯s mess.

    Judging from Raeleight¡¯s actions, it seemed like she had a soft spot for the pair of siblings, so Novalie kept quiet.

    Watching Novalie leave, Deanna let go of her brother¡¯s arms and asked, ¡°Zorion, does grandma dislike me?¡±

    Zorion shook his head, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Zorion knew his sister better than anyone else. Deanna was not putting on an act,she¡¯s still a child.

    ¡°I¡¯ll check on Raeleigh. I may have been rude just now,¡± Zorion went to the kitchen.Feeling uneasy, Deanna followed him as this was trouble that she had caused.

    In the kitchen, Raeleigh was preparing food when she heard the footsteps. She knew it was the Whalen siblings.

    But she didn¡¯t look at them.

    The disparity between their identity and status was iparable. No matter how hard they tried to close these gaps, it could not be done.

    ¡°I¡¯m heading out.¡± The moment Scarlette saw Deanna, she felt annoyed.

    Scarlette was free-spoken and she despised Deanna¡¯s personality. Deanna was a spoiled child.

    At first, she reckoned that Deanna was a sweet and innocent girl who urged people¡¯s protection. As time went by, she became sick of it.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Scarlette brought out a fruit tetoshare with Novalie.On the other hand, Raeleigh was still busy in the kitchen.

    She enrolled in Elkton University with one reason in mind, which was to get a higher education.

    If she knew that she would encounter so much trouble, she would rather go elsewhere.

    Zorion paused at the door and walked to Raeleigh¡¯s back, ¡°I was rude just now. Please don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Without ncing at Zorion, Raeleigh served the food she had prepared.

    Zorion turned around and followed her out.Deanna was tailing along.

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you mad?¡± Deanna looked at Raeleigh, trying to read her emotions. Instead,Raeleigh was calm, notshowing a trace of anger.

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry.Go wash your hands, tell Scarlette and Hadrian that dinner¡¯s ready,¡± Seeing her smile, Deanna smiled too.

    ¡°Let me help you.¡± Deanna was about to head toward the kitchen when Raeleigh stopped her, ¡°No, what if you burnt your hand or slip? You can set the table and help my grandmother out.¡±

    ¡°You can count on me. I¡¯m great at taking care of people.¡± Deanna went to Novalie¡¯s room. Raeleigh went to the kitchen and ced the dishes on the dining table.

    Zorion stood aside for a while. After Novalie was out, they sat down one after another,waiting patiently for Raeleigh.

    At the dining table, Deanna was talkative.From family matters to funny stories, she made the atmosphere lively.

    After dinner,Raeleigh sat on the sofa while watching TV. Although it was gettingte, Deanna and Zorion had not left, and Deanna wanted to stay at Raeleigh¡¯s house.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I see that there¡¯s still some space in your room. Can we stay here today? We can go to school together tomorrow.¡± The reason Deanna went to school was for Raeleigh. Otherwise, why would she even be there?

    ¡°My room is quite damp, I don¡¯t usually sleep there. Plus, I have already asked for leave as I don¡¯t n on going to school¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. If you let me sleep over tonight, I won¡¯t go to school.¡±

    ¡°If you stay here, what about me?¡±

    ¡°Zorion, you can¡­¡± Deanna couldn¡¯t think of any other ways.In the end, she gave in and headed home with Zorion.

    In the car, Deanna said, ¡°If Raeleigh¡¯s house was bigger, perhaps we could stay there. Don¡¯t you think so, Zorion?¡±

    Deanna¡¯s stubbornness was beyond description. Sometimes, Zorion didn¡¯t know how to deal with his sister.

    ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t you think that they are your arch-nemesis?¡± After the Whalens left, Scarlette asked heavy-heartedly.

    Without a response, Raeleigh simply nced at her and returned to her room. She stayed together with Scarlette, while Hadrian was still in Novalie¡¯s room.

    She didn¡¯t feelfortable lying down. At the witching hour, she tossed and turned but failed to fall asleep. Giving up, she put on a coat and went outside to gaze at the stars. What should she do?

    At the thought of this, Raeleigh¡¯sphone rang.Although she had her phone with her the whole time,the phone call gave her chills in the middle of the night.

 Chapter 932 How was that Good News

    Raeleigh epted the call and as she expected, an old man¡¯s voice came over the phone.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    ¡°Youngdy, you¡¯ve crossed the line. Now, Jepherson is looking for all over the ce for me. It seems that you won¡¯t understand what type of person I am until I show you what I can do.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. He went to search for you of his own ord, because he found out that you all came looking for me. That was your own fault.You can¡¯t me it on me.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Say whatever you want.First, I¡¯ll show you what I¡¯m capable of,otherwise you won¡¯t obey me.¡±

    ¡°No, wait! I¡¯ll do what you say,¡± Raeleigh shouted, panicked. She was worried about Novalie, her grandmother.

    The old man paused for a moment, and then said, ¡°Good. But you have to prove to me that you¡¯re really on my side.¡±

    ¡°How do I prove it?¡±

    ¡°Use your phone and call Zorion. Askhim to pick you up. We will be watching you.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Okay.¡±

    Raeleigh answered. Abruptly, the phone call was cancelled. She sat there in a trance for a while before she made the call to Zorion.

    When Zorion arrivedRaeleigh was standing outside wrapped in a coat,looking skywards.

    Hearing the sound of the car engine, Raeleigh looked over.

    Zorion did not get out of the car, soRaeleigh walked over, bent down and peered inside the car.

    The window was gradually rolled down. Then, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Can you take me for a ride?¡±

    It took Raeleigh more than half an hour to think of a reason to ask him out.

    Zorion pushed the door open and said, ¡°Come on in.¡±

    Raeleigh sat a safe distance away from him when she got into the car.

    ¡°Let¡¯s drive around theke for a while,¡± Zorion leaned on the door, looking at the scenery outside of the car. It seemed as though his mind was upied.

    The interior of the car was very spacious, but Raeleigh remained stock-still in the furthest corner away from Zorion the whole time. She didn¡¯t say anything, nor did she show any emotion. They were so far apart from each other that two more people could fit in the space between them.

    The driver drove around theke in circles. Zorion didn¡¯t ask why she called. Raeleigh didn¡¯t tell him why either.

    After a few rounds, Zorion said, ¡°Send Miss Anson back.¡±

    The driver nced at Zorion in the rearview mirror, nodded and drove Raeleigh back immediately.

    When they reached the ce, Raeleigh got out of the car and turned to look at Zorion, ¡°Thank you for taking me around.¡±

    Zorion simply angled his face to the other side, refusing to look at Raeleigh.All he said was,¡°Be careful.¡±

    Raeleigh did not respond. She turned to walk back to her room.

    The driver got out of the car and closed the car door. Then, he settled himself back into the driver¡¯s seat and drove off.

    Raeleigh went down to her room and stood there for a while. At two o¡¯clock in the morning, stars were twinkling in the sky. It was only after she gazed at the sky for a while that Raeleigh went back to bed.

    Hearing the door open, Scarlette sat upright on her bed.

    Her lights were still on. Thus, Raeleigh did not concern herself with waking Scarlette up. Since they were staying in the same room, Scarlette would definitely know if anything happened.

    Initially,Scarlette thought that Raeleigh had gone out for a walk because she couldn¡¯t fall asleep. However, she couldn¡¯t find Raeleigh when she went out to apany her, so she began to worry.

    ¡°Where have you been?¡± Scarlette got up from the bed. Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°Nowhere in particr. I went out to see the stars and forgot the time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying. You obviously went out with Zorion. Raeleigh, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re in love with Zorion?¡± An anxious expression was stered on Scarlette¡¯s face. If Jepherson were to find out about this, she couldn¡¯t imagine how furious he would be.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. I don¡¯t even like Jepherson. How could I like Zorion?¡± Raeleigh took off her coat and went to lie down on the bed. Scarlette was watching Raeleigh as she confessed, ¡°It always feels like you have a lot on your te to me. I get the hunch that Mr. Jephersonwill suffer because of you sooner orter. Raeleigh, promise me you won¡¯t hurt him. Then, I won¡¯t tell him about this. Do we have a deal?¡±

    ¡°I promise,¡± Raeleighy down beside Scarlette and pulled the quilt over herself.

    Scarlette looked at her.¡°Raeleigh, you aren¡¯t lying to me, right?¡±

    ¡°No, of course not,¡± Raeleigh closed her eyes then. She didn¡¯t want to say anything more.If she didn¡¯t sleep right there and then, there was no way she could fall asleepter.

    Raeleigh soon fell asleep, butScarlette was tossing and turning on her bed.

    If Scarlette did not tell Jepherson about it, she did not feel at ease. On the other hand, she would feel sorry for Raeleigh if she did. After all, they were friends, and Raeleigh had saved her many times regardless of her own safety.

    Scarlette finally fell asleep at dawn.Raeleigh got up early the next morning to prepare breakfast. As soon as she went into the kitchen, she received a phone call.

    It was from that old man in the car. Raeleigh picked up the phone and stared at the bowl of eggs on the counter.

    ¡°Youngdy, you did a good jobst night. Now, you have to think of a way to stir up conflict between Zorion and Jepherson. The more intense the fight, the better. Both of them must suffer.If you do that, your taspleted and I assure you that we won¡¯t hurt your grandmother.¡± The call was cut off there.Raeleigh went back to prepare breakfast. She could not give anything about the matter away.

    Before Raeleigh could eat, a car pulled up at the door. Raeleigh went outside to see who it was. It was Deanna and Zorion. They got out of the car, having brought a huge basket of fruits over.

    Deanna walked ahead of Zorion.Their chauffeur followed behind the two, carrying the basket.

    ¡°Miss Anson,¡± The driver greeted Raeleigh as he approached and handed the basket to her. He then exited swiftly.

    Raeleigh was focused on Deanna and Zorion. She asked, while holding the basket, ¡°What brings you here so early in the morning?¡±

    ¡°We were nning to have breakfast here,¡± Deanna stepped towards Raeleigh¡¯s house, without waiting for an invitation. Zorion stood behind her. As always, his appearance and the charisma he radiated was alluring to many.

    It took Raeleigh a long time to think over it before she finally said, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Raeleigh reckoned that since they hade all the way here, she could not possibly reject them.

    Raeleigh strolled into the house after them. She did not neglect to prepare two more tes and sets of cutlery. They began eating soon after.

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious,¡± Deannaplimented as she ate. Novalie sat at the head of the table, staring at her. Why was she eating as though she had been starved for days?

    Zorion was busy indulging in his food, but in a very elegant manner. Novalie snuck a sideways nce at him.

    That child was not a simple one. She could tell from the way he looked at Raeleigh.

    After breakfast, Novalie went back to her room. After recuperating in bed for two days, Hadrian had fully recovered.Deanna was curious about him. She went to stand in front of him and asked,¡°You¡¯re Hadrian?¡±

    Hadrian didn¡¯t answer. There was no expression on his face.

    Zorion, opposite them, did not react to Deanna¡¯s question.At that moment, Deanna began circling around Hadrian as she asked, ¡°Are you Scarlette¡¯s brother?¡±

    Hadrian continued to remain silent. Confusion was written all over Deanna¡¯s face.¡°Isn¡¯t Scarlette an orphan?¡±

    Hadrian still kept quiet. Deanna gave a loud gasp, ¡°I see, you¡¯re mute!¡±

    An offended look shed over Hadrian¡¯s face, but it soon disappeared.

    At that, Scarlette pulled Deanna outside, ¡°No more questions!I never asked anything about your brother also. Don¡¯t you have ss?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going.Tell you a good news! I¡¯m also on leave. I¡¯ll be staying here with my brother,¡± Deanna said, beaming.Scarlette¡¯s face drained of color.How was that good news?

 Chapter 933 Completely Immersed

    Hadrian¡¯s injury was almost healed, so Raeleigh was busy packing things up so that they could return to school with Scarlette on Wednesday.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    ¡°We should take a break today. Raeleigh, have you asked Deanna about yourptop?¡± Laying on the bed, Scarlette questioned Raeleigh.Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°She said that she¡¯s used it. She asked me to buy another one.¡±

    ¡°Well,how rich of her. Where will you get the money?¡± Scarlette disliked Deanna more and more each passing day, but she didn¡¯t know the specific reason.

    ¡°Deanna said that she would buy it for me. She will give it to meter,¡± Raeleigh answered. To her, that was fine. She didn¡¯t have any preferences when it came toptops.As long as it was usable, that was enough for her.

    It was only appropriate for Deanna to give Raeleigh a newptop after she had taken hers.

    Right as they were talking about it, Deanna came in with aptop, the same model as Raeleigh¡¯s.Even without looking, Raeleigh could guess that Deanna and Zorion had appeared.Whenever they showed up, the dorm would be surrounded by a crowd and it would be buzzing withmotion.

    Deanna¡¯s luggage was still there, which meant that she would be staying there in the future.

    ¡°Raeleigh, look what I brought you,¡± Deanna gave theptop to Raeleigh and sat beside her.

    Behind her, Zorion closed the door, cutting off the rabble from outside.

    Raeleigh opened theptop and examined it. She asked,¡°Are they the same model?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but this one is better. Zorion said that there were special configurations to it. It cost4800 dors.¡±

    Deanna counted the amount on her fingers.

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes widened in shock.¡°That much?¡±

    ¡°Your original one was 3700dors. Now the price has risen. I¡¯ve asked around and was told that the graphics card in this one is newer.¡±

    ¡°But, Scarlette¡­¡± Raeleigh did not continue, for she knew that her words were futile.

    Scarlettey with her back facing them. She couldn¡¯t get up. She felt nauseated.

    Zorion found a spot to sit down. He looked at Raeleigh, who was protesting, ¡°It¡¯s too expensive. You can return mine anduse this instead.¡±

    ¡°As you said, it¡¯s the same model!Take it. Raeleigh, I didn¡¯t buy this notebook with my parents¡¯ money. I bought it on my own,¡± Deanna was eager to show off.

    After eventually getting up from the bed, Scarlette leaned against the wall and yawned. Obviously, she was curious where Deanna got the money from.

    Deanna said, ¡°Raeleigh, I broke my piggy bank. I used all my savings. The man who sold me theputer helped me count it all morning.¡±

    ¡°Piggybank?¡± Scarlette asked with her eyebrows raised.

    ¡°The can where I save money!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± The nausea returned.

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s all the more reason I can¡¯t ept this. Just give me my original one. This is too expensive. I haven¡¯t even paid you back for the costs of the operation. If I use thisptop, I won¡¯t be able to pay all of it back to you.¡±

    ¡°We never asked for any payment. Why are you always thinking about that? Raeleigh, you look down on me, don¡¯t you?¡± Deannaughed bitterly. Scarlette rubbed her temples gently. Raeleigh was in too deep at that moment.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I¡¯m just saying, thisptop is too expensive. You can send it back and buy a cheaper one for me,¡± Raeleigh refused to ept it.

    ¡°I love using yourptop, so much so that I can¡¯t get rid of it. Why do you insist on taking it back?¡± Deanna didn¡¯t want to give it back either. Scarlette hopped onto her bed and covered herself with the quilt. She did not want to look at them.

    Raeleigh nced at Scarlette. Knowing what Scarlette was thinking, she had no choice but to ept it. If she did not take it, Scarlette wouldin again.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll ept it,¡± Raeleigh put theptop aside and checked the manual.

    ¡°Raeleigh, my brother bought aptop bagfor you too.I ran out of money! We even set a screensaver for you. Here, turn it on,¡± Deanna sat on the bed and switched theptop on. Its screen lit up faster than Raeleigh¡¯s previous one.

    When Raeleigh saw the screen, she froze for a moment. It was a photo of Zorion and Deanna. They were on the beach with their backs against each other. Deanna was blowing bubbles while Zorion was resting on her shoulder.

    The photos looked quite recent.

    The blue sea, the white sand, it would be the perfect cover for an album. Zorion was wearing a light blue shirt and a pair of ck cks. His sleeves and pants were rolled up. In contrast, Deanna was wearing a white beach dress. Their hair and clothes moved with the wind. An aqua blue car suddenly appeared in Raeleigh¡¯s mind, one with beautiful lines and an exquisite design.

    Raeleigh stared at the screen, entranced.Deanna beamed with happiness.¡°I knew you would like it!I came up with the idea for you.My brother and I secretly went for a photoshoot yesterday. We hired a lot of photographers.¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly came back to her senses. She raised her head and looked at Deanna.¡°Photoshoot?¡±

    The image of the aqua blue car was still fresh in Raeleigh¡¯s mind.

    But at that moment, Scarlette was whining like a dying cat.

    Deanna was driving her crazy!

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty. I like it very much,¡± Raeleigh smiled, setting theptop up, but her mind was filled with images of cars.

    They sat for a while before Deanna stood up. With Zorion¡¯s help, she unpacked her luggage and set herptop down on her bed.

    She would also be living in that dorm from that day onwards. It made her feel proud.

    Raeleigh sat aside and left theptop on the desk. With a pen in hand, she gotout a sketchbook.Her surroundings faded out of her conscious mind. All she focused on was her drawing. The images from a few moments ago were burning brightly in her memory. She had full faith that she could use them tocreate a perfect design.

    ¡°Zorion, is Raeleigh going to draw?¡± After Deanna settled down, she wanted to go over and have a look. Zorion pulled her back and held her still. He put a finger on his lips and shushed her.

    Deanna immediately understood and went back to sit on her bed. To prevent any disturbance,Deanna locked the door. Zorion sat on another bed. Silence filled the room. In Raeleigh¡¯s mind, she was back on the beach, barefoot on the white sand, enjoying the sunshine and the sea breeze. In front of her¡­

    A car that she designed was parked there.

    Raeleigh smiled and began to draw. She waspletely immersed.

 Chapter 934 Pure Talent

    It took Raeleigh two hours to finish her sketch. During that period, she had gotten up once to take a sip of water. She paid no heed to anyone else in the room and went right back to drawing afterwards.

    Deanna envied her so much that she wanted to go peek. However, Deanna was worried about breaking Raeleigh¡¯s concentration.

    So unlike Scarlette who began gaming on herptop. In order to make more money and get nicer outfits, Scarlette agreed to y with Deanna for a while after Deanna pleaded with her.

    As soon as the game started, Deanna¡¯s character was killed. Scarletteughed at the top of her lungs. She never had the guts to do anything to Deanna, nor could she do anything in reality. But in the game, Scarlette could bully Deanna as payback.

    After finishing her drawing, Raeleigh stood up calmly. She took a good look at it and smiled with satisfaction. When she turned around, she saw Deanna and Scarlette busy gaming. Zorion, on the other hand, was watching her.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and checked the time, ¡°Why are you guys still here?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, how could you forget about us? People like you are prone to dementia, you know,¡± Deanna said, still focused on the game. She had been killed nearly a hundred times. by then. Scarlette was initially having fun,at that moment she had grown irritated. She had never seen someone as stupid as Deanna.Was she ying the game or was she being yed?

    It would be a mortifying embarrassment if she continued being killed. Even Raeleigh was better at it.

    Raeleigh would be calm throughout the game, which was why Scarlette liked her better.

    Deanna truly was in high spirits, but she was always the first one to die. Scarlette was going mad watching the way she yed.

    Gosh, she was too stupid!

    ¡°Shut up, pay attention. Look out for enemies¡­¡± Deanna died again!

    When that happened, Scarlette shot Deanna a death re,but Deanna didn¡¯t look up and missed it. She revived the next second, and then died again the second after!

    Scarlette scratched her head hard and warned, ¡°If you die in the game one more time, I¡¯ll die here right in front of you!¡±

    Deanna said cidly, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to die. Why are you so angry? I¡¯ll give you a set of high-level equipment if you want. Zorion, is that okay?¡±

    Zorion replied calmly, ¡°Sure.¡±

    Scarlette¡¯s hands shook, ¡°Which one?¡±

    ¡°The one you mentioned just now. Didn¡¯t you say that it¡¯s precious and you want it so bad? Wait till Raeleigh joins us, each of us can have one. We¡¯ll be Three Swordsmen. What do you think?¡±

    Scarlette had goosebumps all over. Could Deanna stop talking like a child? Forget it, she needed that set of equipment!

    ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re that sincere, I¡¯ll ept it.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. Wasn¡¯t Scarlette the one who always talked ill of Deanna behind her back?

    Scarlette busied herself with the game to intentionally avoid meeting Raeleigh¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°You all must be hungry,¡± Zorionmented as he stood up. Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. Her gaze was directed to the girls who were immersed in the game.

    ¡°Zorion, I want pizza.I don¡¯t want it delivered. Go get takeout!¡± Deanna smiled.

    ¡°Seafood pizza?¡± Zorion knew his sister very well. She was not picky with food, but she loved bargaining.When they were children, she had seen someone doing that, so she developed such a quirk. As long as they bought anything, she would want to bargain with the seller, even if it was over a mere penny.

    Others might think that she was wrong in the head, but Zorion knew that it was just one of her hobbies which gave her pleasure.

    ¡°Yes, seafood. But you should ask Raeleigh and Scarlette too.I¡¯ll eat whatever they eat. Oh, and buy some French fries and burgers for supper.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s rather unhealthy. How about ordering that after dinner?¡± Zorion suggested with a smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s so troublesome. I want to eat the burger and fries after I finish the pizza.¡±

    Scarlette nced at Deanna, ¡°You sure eat a lot.¡±

    ¡°Zorion, Scarlette doesn¡¯t want to eat. Don¡¯t buy anything for her,¡± Deanna always had her own way around things.

    ¡°I¡¯ll eat. I didn¡¯t say I don¡¯t want dinner,¡± Scarlette hastily replied.Raeleigh was confounded when she heard that.

    ¡°Are you free? You cane with me if you are,¡± Zorion asked Raeleigh while putting on his coat. Raeleigh looked at the two girls. She was worried about leaving them both there.

    ¡°Raeleigh, could you please buy me some pads?¡± Deanna suddenly said. Scarlette saw through her ns and said, ¡°I have some.You can use mine. Is that alright?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like the one you¡¯re using. I want a specific brand,¡± Deanna added without raising her head.

    Scarlette let out a cold snort.

    ¡°What kind of brand do you use?¡± Raeleigh figured that if Deanna used the same brand as her, she could give Deanna one of hers.

    Instead, Deanna said, ¡°Little Bird.¡±

    Scarlette had a mental breakdown right then and there. Raeleigh asked with a frown, ¡°Little Bird?¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll see when you go to the store. It¡¯ll be on the shelves,¡± Deanna didn¡¯t look up, so Raeleigh couldn¡¯t see her expression. In the end, Raeleigh changed into some decent clothes and followed Zorion out.

    Zorion wouldn¡¯t possibly buy her sanitary pads!

    As they headed out of the school, Raeleigh and Zorion walked through the hallway. Most students were in ss at that time, and those who weren¡¯t wouldn¡¯t be in that hallway either. If the teachers saw them, they would have to go back to ss and get detention.

    The hallway was empty. Zorion walked with his hands in his pockets. From time to time, Zorion would turn to look if Raeleigh was falling behind.

    ¡°You¡¯re so talented in designing. You should have worked in apany or participated in a designpetition towork more,¡± Zorion had seen Raeleigh¡¯s design. The fact that his sister was no match for her showed that Raeleigh was incredibly talented. Jepherson had not been biased towards either of them.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    Although Deanna had talent too, shecked real-life experience. In many aspects, she was still immature.

    This was Deanna¡¯s greatest weakness, but it was also her greatest advantage.

    It was possible for a person to be happy all the time, but very few adults could keep the innocence of being a child.

    Deanna was one such person. If she could grasp that strength and use it wisely, she would definitely be sessful in the future.

    However, the Whalen family did not pressure Deanna to be extremely sessful. It was also a blessing that Deanna was notpetitive by nature. The Whalen family did a good job in creating a peaceful atmosphere for her to grow up in.

    With all Deanna had going for her, the Whalen family did not specifically nurture Deanna¡¯s talents. Instead, they simply hoped that she could grow up happily. That was what they all hoped for.

    But Raeleigh was different.From Zorion¡¯s perspective, Raeleigh needed to make a name for herself.

    Raeleigh walked silently, then said,¡°I didn¡¯t think that through. A lot of things are not as simple as I thought, like the fact that we can¡¯t change anything about the life we were born into.¡±

    Snow could never be rain. Even after it melted, it would simply be water.

    Raeleigh had tried applying. But her school was not well-known or prestigious. Even the top achievers would be rejected. Plus, those popr designers all got awards because they came from highly-ranked schools.

    The world had always functioned that way. The family you were born into would determine the world you lived in.

 Chapter 935 Dr. Xanthus Osteen

    Jing Yunzhe gazed at the girl in front of him, unable to speak for a long time.

    Compared to his sister Deanna, she was more heart-wrenching.

    She encountered a family change too early, which made her learn to be strong. At the same time, she was also robbed of her youthful vitality, which should have belonged to her.

    She had a youthful face, yet with a thousand-year-old heart.

    The world was so cruel, and she was so helpless!

    Jing Yunzhe walked away. Along the way, he didn¡¯t say much. When he came out of the school, he was silent, and there was no color on his silent face.

    Walking to the door, Anran looked around for Jing Yunzhe¡¯s car. She knew that Jing Yunzhe¡¯s car coulde over at any time, so she needed to find the location of the car aftering out.

    Suddenly, a blue car sped out from the side. It seemed it seemed to being for her, whether it was intentional or not. Raeleigh¡¯s reaction at that time was very slow. She was shocked and had her feet rooted to the ground. If she had moved even a bit, she would have avoided the car with ease.

    Since Raeleigh did not move, Zorion pushed her aside and both of them fell on the ground. Raeleigh was also pressed under Zorion¡¯s body.

    All of this happened in an instant. While Anran was lying on the ground, countless people around him had already rushed up and surrounded them. Another group of people were chasing after the cars in front of them.

    Wuhen also ran out, but he was stopped by others.

    Raeleigh could not stand up as Zorion was on top of her. Someone around him asked immediately, ¡°Master, how are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Jing Yunzhe tried very hard to get up from Anran¡¯s body and stretched out his hand to pull Anran up.

    At the moment when Raeleigh was pulled up, Zorion frowned and his face darkening.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Raeleigh felt that something was wrong and held Zorion in a hurry. The people around them suddenly became silent,lowering their heads and not daring to breathe heavily.

    ¡°I think I sprained my waist.¡± Zorion forced himself to take two steps and moved aside. Raeleigh immediately followed her with her hand holding Zorion¡¯s arm. The bodyguards opened the door and Zorion sat in.

    Anran sat beside Jing Yunzhe and fixed her eyes on his waist.

    ¡°Go to the Department of Orthopedics,¡± Jing Yunzhe said, enduring the pain. His face was getting paler and paler.

    ¡°Where are you feeling the pain?¡± Raeleigh was too worried and wanted to reach out to touch it. Zorion grasped Raeleigh¡¯s hand tightly, ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Raeleigh held Zorion tightly. At this time, she could not care about what had happened between men and women.

    The driver drove away quickly and they arrived at the hospital after a while. A representative was sent by the hospital to wee them. Zorion got out of the car andy on the bed. At this time, Zorion could not walk anymore. His smooth forehead was full of sweat.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell my dad.¡± Zorion was worried and he didn¡¯t want to involve too many people.

    The people around them immediately fell silent. This could be a big issue or a small one.

    Jing Yunzhe¡¯s eyes suddenly turned cold. ¡°Did you hear that?¡±

    It was a great threat. The people around him immediately replied, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    No one wanted to offend him because of this. They all just hoped that he could be safe.

    Zorion was soon sent to the hospital¡¯s examination room for an x-ray. He was apanied by Raeleigh all the time. Zorion held Raeleigh¡¯s hand all the time, and Raeleigh was also holding his hand.

    The doctor thought that Raeleigh was Zorion¡¯s girlfriend, so he came out and told Raeleigh, ¡°Your boyfriend needs to have his bone reset. There is a certain risk and you need to sign it.¡±

    The doctor handed the list to Raeleigh. The people around were somewhat unsatisfied with the doctor¡¯s way of handling it. However, Zorion had been keeping his gaze on Raeleigh. They all understood that she had to deal with this matter and did not want them to intervene.

    Raeleigh signed the documents nheless.

    ¡°Come with us. We need someone to apany the patient.¡± The doctor was a tough man in his thirties. He walked with a gust of wind. He did things at a fast speed like lightning. Raeleigh had no idea what had happened but still followed the doctor.

    ¡°Doctor.¡± Anran held Jing Yunzhe¡¯s hand and shouted at the doctor who had just left. Two people immediately came out from behind.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The doctor stood in front of Anran with a unhappy look on his face. He was also an internationally famous orthopedic doctor. He didn¡¯t expect that when he encountered such a forced selling, he didn¡¯t necessarily have to serve rich people.

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were very pure and clear. She was unhappy to see the doctor being unhappy, so she apologized first, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My friend is unreasonable to you because of me. I hope you don¡¯t mind. I just want to know if you want to operate on my friend, or do you want to do something else?¡±

    ¡°There is no need to do any surgery on his wound. I will only need to reset the position of his bone. If you are not satisfied, or you don¡¯t trust me, you can leave immediately.¡±

    His tone was cold and his face was full of displeasure. No one had ever done such a thing to him before.

    Raeleigh looked him up and down, fixing her eyes on the staff card on his chest. It was the Chief Assistant professor of the Department of Orthopedics of the International Medical Association.

    Anran didn¡¯t know what this position was, but such a high position should not be something that could be used by others.

    ¡°I was over-worried. Sorry to bother you. We will cooperate with you at once.¡± Raeleigh bowed politely and asked people to let her go. Then she turned around and strode away.

    Other doctors, including the Vice President, ran over and personally pushed the cart to the processing room.

    While Raeleigh and others went over, the Vice President exined, ¡°Mr. Whalen, this is Dr. Osteen and he is not from our hospital. He¡¯s just a visiting doctor. He¡¯s here to give lectures.When I heard that you were hurt, I persuaded him toe and have a look.Please don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Zorion did not look at the vice-President at all, but directly looked at Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh said to him, ¡°I will be there with you. Nothing will happen.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Zorion held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and his fingers moved. It was covered with sweat, When he moved, the sweat slipped down from their palms.

    Raeleigh looked down and said, ¡°I will be by your side.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    After entering the processing room, the doctor had already put on dark green clothes and was ready. After other people went in, the doctor said, ¡°Unrted people should leave, or we will not be responsible for what happens.¡±

    Dr Osteen turned around and walked to one side, preparing for his work.

    At this time, the other people were persuaded by the vice president to go outside. As the door of the processing room was closed, Dr Osteen said, ¡°Hold him carefully, take off all his clothes, and leave the pants of the lower body.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment then turned around and asked the doctor, ¡°Can he really stand in his current condition?¡±

    ¡°Then let it be. I can leave. You can go. Please ask someone else for help. See if there is any surgery that can be done without the patient being up,¡± The doctor was impolite. He turned around and looked at Raeleigh with indifference in his eyes.

    Anran was very angry. She had never seen such a bad-tempered doctor.

    Anran nned to fight back at once, but held it in her mind at the thought of Jing Yunzhe.

 Chapter 936 You Might Get Yourself Killed

    ¡°Let me help you,¡± Raeleigh turned around and carefully helped Zorion down. She could tell that Zorion felt very ufortable at the time. He even felt very painful when he moved. Beads of sweat rolled down from his temples and neck. The pain was inevitable.

    Raeleigh¡¯s breathing was unsteady, ¡°Just a minute.¡±

    Zorion kept quiet. He simply shut his eyes and nodded. He held Raeleigh¡¯s hand harder.

    The doctor came over and pushed the cart against the wall. He nced at the medical bed and said, ¡°Take off your shirt,leave your pants on and lie down on your chest.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at the doctor and had the urge toin about him to the hospital.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take off your shirt. Stand still,¡± Raeleigh was worried that she would hurt Zorion¡¯s spine. The only thing she could do now was to help him take off his shirt as gently as possible.

    Zorion struggled to nod his head. He slowly let go of Raeleigh¡¯s hand and tried to stand up. Raeleigh quickly helped Zorion unbutton his coat.

    Zorion raised his eyebrows slightly and stared at Raeleigh, ¡°Only my mother and sister had ever taken off my clothes.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment before she unbuttoned Zorion¡¯s shirt one by one.

    Zorion lowered his gaze at Raeleigh¡¯s red face. She looked cute. At this moment, Zorion¡¯s pain subsided somehow, he felt better.

    In order not to let Zorion feel pain for the second time, Raeleigh unbuttoned all the clothes and wanted to take off both the coat and the shirt together.

    After the cuffs of his shirt were also unbuttoned,Raeleigh pull off the remaining attire from Zorion.

    Zorion was sweating, barely enduring the pain. Fortunately, his shirt was remove without too much fuss.

    But after taking off the clothes, Zorion leaned against Raeleigh, with sweat dropping down from his body. Raeleigh hugged Zorion¡¯s waist immediately, but her hands did not put pressure on his waist. She just hugged him by his waist using her arms.

    Zorion leaned on her, and his hand was also exerting force.

    Raeleigh pushed Zorion away slowly. When he regained his footing, she supported him and they walked towards artificial bed.

    When they arrived there, Raeleigh helped Zorion to get up. The doctor said,¡±Open his zipper.¡±

    Raeleigh seemed to be at a loss for words, looking at the doctor slowly.

    For a moment, Raeleigh suspected that this doctor was fooling around. But looking at the doctor¡¯s eyes, she felt that he was always looking for an excuse to leave Zorion alone. She did not say anything and immediately did as the doctor said.

    Zorion¡¯s hand moved slightly, pressing Raeleigh¡¯s hand that was on his waist. He lowered his head and shifted his gaze to his own waist. He didn¡¯t want Raeleigh to be forced to do thing if she¡¯s ufortable about it.

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m fine,¡± Raeleigh brushed off Zorion¡¯s limp hand. She fixed her eyes on Zorion¡¯s pants, unbuttoned it, and slid the zipper down.

    Zorion¡¯s gaze trembled slightly. His body was tense. Raeleigh loosened her hand right after she unzipped his face without looking.

    ¡°I will help you up the bed,¡± Raeleigh held Zorion, who was as docile as a rabbit. He stared at Raeleigh without saying a word. Raeleigh asked him to lie on the bed, and he went to the bed as Raeleigh asked.

    After a moment of struggling to sit, Zorion finallyy on the bed. The doctor ordered, ¡°Put your hands on your head.¡±

    Following the doctor¡¯s instructions, Zorion put his hands on his head. Raeleigh walked over to Zorion immediately to wipe his sweat and raised her head to look at the doctor.

    ¡°Hold his hand down. It may hurt a lot. I don¡¯t want him to yell like a dying cat.¡± After saying that, the doctor walked to Zorion¡¯s side while Raeleigh held his hand, instead of pressing him down.

    ¡°If it hurts, feel free to cry out loud,¡± Raeleigh told Zorion.

    The doctor looked at Raeleigh coldly, his eyes were as cold as ice. Then, he ced his hands on Zorion¡¯s waist, and soon a cracking sound of bones arose. Raeleigh gasped and watched Zorion¡¯s reaction, only to find that he didn¡¯t flinch a bit but just clenched his teeth.

    Raeleigh¡¯s chaotic thoughts gradually faded away under Zorion¡¯s quiet state. She looked at the doctor while holding Zorion¡¯s hand tightly.

    Originally, Raeleigh thought that it would be very troublesome, but she didn¡¯t expect that the doctor would leave right after the treatment.

    Raeleigh froze for a while, confusion flooded in her eyes.

    The doctor turned around to wash his hands and said, ¡°Okay, try standing up.¡±

    Raeleigh froze. At this time, Zorion slowly got up from bed and felt like he was reborn miraculously.

    Zorion nced at Raeleigh and got out of bed. He pulled the zipper of his pants up. With his upper body naked, he looked at the doctor. At that moment, he was as fit as any healthy person, as if there was no pain at all.

    Raeleigh¡¯s hand was still held by Zorion, although it was loosened a little.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    His naked upper body was exposed in front of Raeleigh. Raeleigh had just started to pay attention to it, but she couldn¡¯t help but blush.

    ¡°I am getting you some clothes,¡± Raeleigh pulled her hand out of Zorion¡¯s grip. Then, Zorion turned around and nced at Raeleigh, a questioning look on his face.

    When he turned back, his eyes darkened. His gaze was sharper, and it seemed to be able to pierce through one¡¯s soul.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Zorion¡¯s voice was icy cold.

    Zorion was unhappy about the fact that he asked Raeleigh to take off his pants. He did not think that it was necessary.

    Dr Osteen turned to look at Zorion, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°From today onwards, you¡¯re not leaving Capital City.¡± When Zorion spoke, Raeleigh had already walked up to him. He was sweating. Raeleigh took off her coat and helped him put it on.

    Zorion looked at Raeleigh, his shirt was unbuttoned. Then, he took the coat and put it on. He reached out to hold Raeleigh¡¯s hand, turned around, and left.

    Raeleigh was taken out by force. Xanthus frowned slightly and thought, ¡°Why does this girl seem familiar?¡±

    How old was she?

    There were a lot of people standing outside the detention room. As Zorion came out, the vice director hurried over and took the initiative to greet him.

    Zorion nced at the vice president, ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, you are definitely most wee.¡±

    The vice director was ttered and hurried out with Zorion to send him off. After Zorion got in the car, he breathed a sigh of relief.

    Nothing happened, thank the heavens.

    ¡°Mr. White,¡± Dr Osteen came from behind and called the vice director.

    The vice president turned to look at him,¡±Dr. Osteen, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Who were those two people?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know that girl. Maybe she¡¯s from school. That guy is very famous. He¡¯s Rayan¡¯s son, the eldest son of the richest man in Capital City. He¡¯s very sessful at a very young age. In fact, he¡¯s undeniably more handsome and charismatic than his father.¡±

    Indeed, the vice president had never seen such a good-looking man before.

    ¡°Which school is she from?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Whalen is studying at Elkton University, same for the girl I guess. I¡¯m not sure though. Dr. Osteen, please don¡¯t tell me you have feelings for the girl. Although that girl is beautiful, it¡¯s not worthwhile to offend Mr. Whalen for her. You may get yourself killed.¡±

    Killed?

 Chapter 937 Inappropriate to Reject

    After arriving at the entrance of the Whalen mansion, Zorion got out of the car and looked at Raeleigh, who was inside the car. Raeleigh on the other hand, was not ready to get out of the car.

    ¡°Do you want to get changed?¡± Raeleigh sat in the car and asked Zorion, ¡°In movies all the rich kids are obsessed with cleanliness. It¡¯s not good if they¡¯re dirty.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything to you. What are you afraid of? Get out of the car,¡± Zorion reached out his hand to pull Raeleigh. However, Raeleigh quickly withdrew her hand and said, ¡°No, I can¡¯t go out like this. I¡¯ll wait in the car. It¡¯s cold outside. Plus, Scarlette and Deanna might call.¡±

    ¡°That is ame excuse. Get out, or I¡¯ll force you to,¡± Zorion bent down and got into the car once again. He tried to pull Raeleigh¡¯s arm when she said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go down by myself.¡±

    ¡°Okay, fine,¡± Zorion waited for Raeleigh outside the car.

    Raeleigh got out of the car and stood in front of Zorion.

    The door was closed. He turned and walked into the vi, followed by Raeleigh.

    Since they were here, she might as well follow him.

    After entering the Whalen mansion¡¯s yard, Raeleigh was shocked by the luxurious decoration in front of her. She didn¡¯t expect the Whalen family to be so rich.

    However, Raeleigh didn¡¯t think much about all of this. She was just a guest, and she was just looking around.

    After they arrived in the living room, Zorion said, ¡°I¡¯ll go upstairs to take a bath. Do you want to take a bath too?¡±

    ¡°There is no need,¡± Raeleigh decisively refused.

    ¡°You can wear Deanna¡¯s clothes. They¡¯re new. I¡¯ll take you to her room. You should get changed,¡± Zorion said with a smile.

    Raeleigh shook her head, ¡°You can take a shower. I want to look around.¡±

    Zorion was not angry that he was rejected. He stood silent for a while before saying, ¡°Prepare some fruit for Raeleigh. I am taking a shower.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master, Miss Anson, please wait a moment.¡± After the maid left, Zorion walked upstairs. Raeleigh watched him leave and then found afortable spot on the sofa.

    She actually didn¡¯t n to look around. She just didn¡¯t want to take a shower.

    The servant put down a te of fruit in front of her. Raeleigh sat quietly and didn¡¯t eat. Scarlett didn¡¯t even call her till now. It seemed that she won¡¯t be calling.

    As Raeleigh was sitting there, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps from behind. When she looked back, she saw Zorion in a pair of ck pants and a white shirt walking towards her from upstairs.

    His clothes were exactly the same. Raeleigh admired his role as a brother.

    Raeleigh stood up calmly. Zorion walked to her side and looked at her face that was a little dirty, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to take a shower? Your face is a little dirty.¡±

    ¡°Where is the bathroom?¡± Raeleigh looked around, found the bathroom, and went inside.

    Zorion waited outside for a moment. He was in a particrly good mood.

    The servants had never seen the eldest Young Master so happy before, he even giggled while facing the wall.

    Not long after Raeleigh came out of a shower, Zorion has his eyes fixed on her face. Her face was clean and she has tied her hair into a ponytail.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Deanna must be starving,¡± Zorion stepped outside along with Raeleigh. They then ordered pizzas, hamburgers and French fries.

    ¡°Is there anything you like?¡± While Zorion was paying, he asked, but Raeleigh shook her head, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Not a picky eater, I see. You¡¯d really make a good wife,¡± Zorion lowered his head and put away his wallet. Raeleigh watched him silently. He was not making sense.

    ¡°A box of fried chicken perhaps?¡± Raeleigh thought for a moment, ¡°And coke.¡±

    Zorion saw Raeleigh, took out the money, and told the waiter, ¡°Please give me a set of what she ordered.¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    After putting away his wallet, Zorion came out with Raeleigh. He got in the car and Raeleigh asked, ¡°Where do we find the sanitary pads, Little Bird¡­?¡±

    A car crash nearly urred. Zorion¡¯s face suddenly turned cold, but he did not scold the driver. He just nced at the rearview mirror with fierce eyes. The driver panicked as seen by how much he was sweating.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ll ask someone,¡± Zorion had never heard of this brand of sanitary pads before. Deanna rarely bought her sanitary pads from the convenience store around here. Most of them were brought back by their mother who was staying abroad, and she always brought a lot of them. He never cared about such things.

    He had helped her before, the situation was urgent. At that time, it waste at night. Zorion went to buy some pads in the hotel. Despite receiving weird nces from the counterdy, he couldn¡¯t care less.

    After the call was picked up, Zorion was stunned for a moment at what he heard. Then, he nced at Raeleigh who was sitting beside him and hung up the phone.

    Raeleigh was waiting for an answer, ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°Deanna was joking, the brand does not exist. She¡¯s starving. Let¡¯s go,¡± Zorion put his phone away and looked at the driver, ¡°Go back to school.¡±

    It was already six o¡¯clock in the evening when they returned.

    Deanna¡¯s stomach was growling. She stared at the door with her legs swinging on the bed. She had no strength to y another match.

    Raeleigh pushed the door open and came in. Deanna immediately stood up and rushed to her side. She took the pack of fries and indulged them like a wolf.

    ¡°Slow down,¡± Zorion¡¯s hands were already upied. Therefore, he could only warn her.

    Deanna shook her head firmly, indicating that she did not want it.

    ¡°Eat slowly,¡± Raeleigh also said.

    Scarlette was about to be starved to death, so she snatched the pizza from her, ¡°We thought you fled to some magical world together.¡±

    Scarlette didn¡¯t have the courage to say the word ¡®eloping¡¯ out loud. If Zorion found out, she would be doomed.

    Raeleigh sent a nce at Scarlette, ¡°Something went wrong on the way.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Look at how you guys are doing right now. Did you run into a gang of robbers and save the damsel in distress?¡±

    Raeleigh briefly stated that something had happened on the way, so the first thing that came to Deanna¡¯s mind was traffic.

    If something happened, it would be impossible. After all, who dared cut in the Whalen Family¡¯s way?

    Deanna ate a bag of fries and went to grab a pizza. She was already half-full, so she asked, ¡°Who has the guts to provoke you, big brother?¡±

    While Deanna was talking, Raeleigh nced away slightly. She thought that the way Deanna asks questions are just like Zorion. She was very smart, but she woul always start her question in a very different point of view.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Zorion stated and went to wash his hands. Then, he came out and sat beside Deanna. Unexpectedly, he took a piece of pizza for Raeleigh.

    As Deanna looked at the ground, her eyes lit up, ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    She got up and ran towards the bucket of fried chicken. Hugging therge bucket of fried chicken in her arms, she walked to Raeleigh, ¡°Zorion is being unfair. He never buys me these.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. Zorion loved Deanna more than anyone. How could she say that?

    The way he treated her was far different from treating an outsider. He had to be careful around his sister, yet it was inappropriate for him to reject an outsider too!

 Chapter 938 Drug Addict

    Deanna was sleepy after she finished eating.

    ¡°You should go home, Zorion. I¡¯m staying here tonight. It¡¯s not appropriate for a man to stay here,¡± Deanna said while sitting on the bed.

    Scarlette couldn¡¯t agree more.

    Zorion rose to his feet and looked at his watch.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to my apartment. Call me if you need anything,¡± Zorion went outside, where a group of girls were watching. Their gazes were envious and filled with poison when they looked at the girls in the dorm.

    Raeleigh knew that she would not be able to live a peaceful life from now on.

    ¡°Go now, Zorion. I will call you if there is anything,¡± Deanna did not get up from her bed. Zorion turned to look at Raeleigh once before leaving.

    The girls behind him were extremely excited. It would be great if he was here to see them.

    After closing the door, Scarlette asked,¡±Anyone going for a shower?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not. I don¡¯t want to shower here,¡± Deanna didn¡¯t feelfortable taking a shower with her ssmates. Moreover, the school¡¯s bathroom waspletely different from her spacious bathroom at home. Therefore, she chose not to take a shower.

    If she had to, she could always go to her brother¡¯s apartment.

    On the other hand, Raeleigh needed a shower. She has been sweating all day. When Zorion was undergoing his treatment, she was busy supporting him.

    She was almost frightened to death. If something really happened to Zorion, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to wash up. Deanna, are you okay on your own?¡± Raeleigh was still worried. After all, Deanna¡¯s identity was different from theirs. They couldn¡¯t exin what had happened to her.

    Deanna shook her head, ¡°No, not okay. I don¡¯t want to be left alone.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take a shower first. In the meantime, Scarlette will apany you. When I¡¯m done, Scarlette will go for her shower. Is that okay?¡± Raeleigh asked. Deanna nodded with a smile, ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°No, I have to look after you. There are too many people in school who don¡¯t like you. I have to go with you,¡± Scarlette refused firmly.

    Deanna also felt the same way, ¡°Then what should we do?¡±

    Scarlette raised her eyebrows, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go take a shower with us? Otherwise, just stay here alone. There¡¯s no other way.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not taking a shower here, and I can¡¯t be alone,¡± Deanna said seriously.

    ¡°Scarlette, I¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Raeleigh tried to persuade Scarlette to stay. But she shook her head and decided, ¡°No.¡±

    Deanna frowned ¡± Scarlette, I¡¯ve realized that you¡¯re always very ruthless to me. You¡¯re obviously targeting me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. My thoughts exactly.¡±

    ¡°Alright, stop this. Deanna, why don¡¯t youe with Scarlette and me to the school¡¯s toilet? I¡¯ll go in first. You and Scarlette can wait for me outside. After I¡¯m done, it will be Scarlette¡¯s turn, and I¡¯ll apany you. Is this okay?¡±

    Raeleigh could not think of a better way. Deanna thought that this was a good idea and agreed at once.

    ¡°Okay, great. Let¡¯s go,¡± Deanna went to the door and waited as Raeleigh and Scarlette prepared their shower essentials. Then, they were headed toward the toilet.

    When they arrived, Scarlette first went inside to have a look. After making sure that there was no one inside, Raeleigh went to shower. Then, it was Scarlette¡¯s turn.

    After they finished showering, they went back to their dorm together. At this time, the bathroom was getting crowded. More people came to take a shower. Most of them were going to head to bed afterwards.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    As Raeleigh and the others passed by, there would always be murmurs. Deanna was mad and wanted to fight them, but Raeleigh dragged her back to the dorm before she could speak.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you are too kind. Why do you tolerate them anyway? The reason they pick on you is that you don¡¯t fight back. You have to learn from people like Scarlette and me. If you are mad, you can beat them up. After that, whenever they see you, they will run far away. Understand?¡± Deanna was so angry that she began to blurt out a lot of words.

    Scarlette, for the first time, found Deanna adorable.

    ¡°You finally said something that I agree. But don¡¯t expect her to change,¡± Scarlette locked the door, and skipper over the matter.

    She got on the bed and pulled the quilt, ready to go to sleep.

    Deanna walked to the door and said, ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m going to find them, and I¡¯m bringing you with me.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just go to bed,¡± Raeleigh pulled Deanna back to her bed and covered her with the quilt.

    ¡°Goodnight,¡± Raeleigh went back to lie down. She then turned off the light. She already had Scarlette to worry about. Now she had one more Deanna.

    Zorion did not return to his apartment. After walking out of came out of the school, his men did not appear after a long time of waiting.

    Soon, his driver came and Zorion got in the car and left.

    ¡°Master,¡± The driver called. Zorion narrowed his eyes slightly and looked out of the window. He asked, ¡°Have you found him?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a drug addict. We found a lot of drugs in his car. He was intoxicated when he bumped into you and Miss Anson. We chased after him and almost got into an ident on the way.¡±

    Zorion looked at the driver, ¡°Where is he?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been put under surveince. Apparently, he has quite a strong addiction to drugs.¡±

    ¡°Bring me to him,¡± Zorion swiped through his phone and looked out of the window casually. At this time, the neon lights shed illuminated the dark street, and there were pedestrians shuttling back and forth.

    After a while, they stopped in front of a warehouse, and the car door was pulled open. Zorion got out of the car and was given a pair of disinfected gloves by his driver. Apanied by a group of his men, Zorion walked into the dark warehouse.

    This wasan abandoned factory onthe outskirts of the city. No one had been here for a long time.

    After entering the room, Zorion saw a man curled up on the ground, his body was trembling.

    He did not look like a 25-year-old, his body was covered with scars and bruises. It was not difficult to guess how he got those scars.

    Zorion walked over and stopped a few steps after. Someone immediately brought a clean disinfected chair for Zorion. He then sat down and leaned against the chair.

    Someone got a basin of water and sshed it directly on the man lying on the ground.

    The man¡¯s body trembled. He said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Give it to me, give it to me¡­ I want¡­ I want drugs¡­¡±

    ¡°I want to see his face.¡± Zorion was no longer a neen-year-old youth. Instead, he looked more like a mature man who had grown up in society. Regardless of whether it was his words or his aura, he was enough to give off a shocking aura, enough to force the people around him to take a step back.

    Two of them followed Zorion¡¯s instructions and went over to the drug addict. They held the man up to his feet, and another held his chin to show the man¡¯s face to Zorion.

    Zorion¡¯s gaze was very calm, revealing a faint but warm light under the dim streetlights.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Zorion asked in a t tone.

    The person shook his head like a fool, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Zorion suddenlyughed, ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t, I won¡¯t ask any more questions. Oh, by the way, your acting sucks,¡± Zorion got up and walked toward the drug addict who was held by his men.

 Chapter 939 A Visit to the Doctor

    ¡°He has been taking drugs all year round, resulting in damages of his organs, in many parts of his body. Among them, the most serious one would be his reproductive organs.

    The reproductive organs of the man was in his lower body. Even though it¡¯s trembling while erected, it is still not asid as a drug addict¡¯s p*nis will be. Although you look thin, your p*nis is robust, shows that you are not an ordinary drug addict. In his case, he should have been taking drugs for at least 5 to 10 years. If so, he should be thin as wood.

    ¡°If you are not convinced, I can ask them to take off your pants to have a look,¡± As Zorion spoke, a few men immediately came up and tried to unzip the man¡¯s pants, but he tried to fight back.

    ¡°Zorion, you don¡¯t seem to be 19 years old.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more, it¡¯s a pity that this doesn¡¯t prove anything,¡± Zorion¡¯s eyes were deep. The other party was being held, which made it impossible for him to escape.

    He was still shocked that Zorion caught his act.

    ¡°You¡¯re so young. How did you know? Are you a drug addict yourself?¡± The man¡¯s hair covered his eyes, but Zorion could see them.

    Zorion lowered his gaze at the gloves he was wearing. His smile was elegant, ¡°I refuse to answer your questions. Next time, if you want to act like a drug addict, you¡¯d better take some of them. Otherwise, I won¡¯t believe you. A drug addict¡¯s pupils are as small as the tip of a needle. That¡¯s why their visions are blurry, and they hallucinate. Your knowledge is too shallow.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your point? You might as well tell me how are you nning to kill me?¡± The other party¡¯s face was filled with madness.

    Zorion stepped outside and said, ¡°Since you like drugs so much, then suck it up.¡±

    Zorion strode away, ¡°Just give him a quick death if he doesn¡¯t confess.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    Zorion went out and sat in the car. After closing the door, he took off his gloves. He rolled down the car window and threw them outside. The men guarding outside immediately picked up the gloves and put them aside. Then, the gloves were burnt on the spot.

    As for that man in the warehouse, he was destined to die.

    Inside the car.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    ¡°Find out where Quirina is recently. What¡¯s wrong with the Moore family, especially Meica?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    The driver drove past the expressway. More than a dozen cars galloped on the highway, one after another. Zorion narrowed his eyes as he went back to school.

    ¡­

    At the entrance of Elkton University.

    Jepherson watched the campus from the car and Raeleigh came out from the campus.

    Raeleigh approached him after a moment of hesitation. Stuart opened the door for her.

    Stuart returned to the driver¡¯s seat and drove away immediately.

    ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Jepherson looked at her, Raeleigh lowered her head. She was indeed injured.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m alright now,¡± Raeleigh tried her best to stay calm. Jepherson moved closer and said, ¡°Let me have a look.¡±

    Raeleigh felt sad for no reason, so she did not answer his question nor did she make any movement.

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh¡¯s arm over and rolled up her sleeve to find that her skin had rashes.

    Raeleigh quickly withdrew her arm. Only then did Jepherson put her hand down and bent down to looked at her knees. Raeleigh shrank, covered her knees and pulled her skirt further down, refusing to let Jepherson to look at her wounds.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look,¡± Raeleigh was not seriously injured. She felt so embarrassed that a man opened her skirt.

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Jepherson straightened up and leaned on the other side, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t need to go to the hospital.¡±

    Raeleigh really didn¡¯t want to go to the hospital.

    ¡°You will let me take a look if you¡¯re really fine,¡± Jepherson¡¯s trick worked. Raeleigh pursed her lips and said, ¡°Wait until there is no one around.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes swept forward. The driver understood and immediately drove to the side of the road and stopped. The driver and Stuart quickly got off the car as if they were avoiding the gue.

    Since there was no one in the car, Jepherson didn¡¯t wait and lifted up Raeleigh¡¯s skirt. After looking at it, his face darkened.

    Raeleigh¡¯s body was limp. Suddenly, Jepherson pulled her to sit on hisp. When she came to her senses, she tried to push him away, but it was toote.

    Jepherson held her in his arms and knocked on the door. Stuart and the driver immediately returned to the car. No one dared to look at them. The driver started the car and rushed to the hospital.

    When arriving at the hospital, Jepherson did not give Raeleigh any chance to refute. He simply picked Raeleigh up in his arms and walked into the hospital.

    Stuart went up to a young female doctor and exined the situation clearly. The female doctor examined Raeleigh immediately. At this time, there were only Raeleigh, Jepherson and the female doctor in the room.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t leave. He stood right next to Raeleigh, which made her feel ufortable.

    ¡°You should wait outside.¡±

    ¡°Promise I won¡¯t peek,¡± Jepherson turned to face the door. Raeleigh felt embarrassed.

    What if he turned around?

    Jepherson¡¯s back was facing her. The doctor was waiting, so Raeleigh had to lie on the bed for the doctor to help her apply some ointment.

    While the doctor was applying some ointment, Jepherson nced at Raeleigh. Raeleigh¡¯s face turned red.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get up,¡± Jepherson ordered. He looked at Raeleigh and felt unhappy. She was seriously injured but still said that she was fine.

    Raeleigh turned her face to the other side when Jepherson walked up to her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. You can go now.¡±

    The female doctor¡¯s eyes widened. Jepherson seemed unhappy that she had touched the woman in front of her.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    The doctor put down the ointment and left. Raeleigh was about to get up, but Jepherson had already sat down.

    ¡°Would you prefer a stranger¡¯s touch than mine?¡± Jepherson applied a little ointment on Raeleigh¡¯s thigh gently.

    Raeleigh¡¯s face was red as a tomato. She lowered her head and said nothing more.

    After he finished applying the ointment, Jepherson pulled down Raeleigh¡¯s skirt and handed a few bottles of ointment to Raeleigh, ¡°Do you want to head home?¡±

    ¡°Deanna didn¡¯t know I came out. She must be worried. Scarlette couldn¡¯t care less, but yes, I want to,¡± Raeleigh stood in the processing room, feeling a little uneasy.

    ¡°What about me? I will be worried about you too,¡± Jepherson lifted Raeleigh¡¯s chin, but soon, she brushed his hand off, ¡°Thank you for bringing me here. Sorry to bother you tonight. I have to go back.¡±

    Raeleigh finished and got out of the car. Jepherson suddenly sighed as he didn¡¯t know how to deal with Raeleigh¡¯s faked indifference.

    Jepherson insisted on sending Raeleigh back to school.

    After getting out of the car, Raeleigh waved goodbye and went into the school. Jepherson sat in the car with half of the window rolled down. After Raeleigh was out of sight, Jepherson asked the driver to drive away.

    After he left, Raeleigh came out of school again. She stood at the door and looked outside for a long time before she went back.

    It was still bright at school. Raeleigh was heading upstairs to her dormitory when she found someone standing there. Raeleigh thought it was some drunk man and tried to avoid him. When she saw the person¡¯s face, she was relieved and approached him.

    Seeing Zorion, Raeleigh took the initiative to say hello to him, ¡°Well someone¡¯s worried about Deanna.¡±

    Zorion turned around without answering.

 Chapter 940 An Encounter at the Hotel

    Raeleigh walked outside with Zorion for a while before she went back at one o¡¯clock.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t feel well after tonight, I¡¯ll take you to the doctor.¡± Before leaving, Zorion said while standing at the door. Raeleigh said that she was fine now. In order to prove it, she waved to Zorion.

    Zorion looked at Raeleigh and said with a smile, ¡°I know it hurts. Sorry that I only cared about myself during the day. I forgot to ask how were you. Next time, I will try to be more considerate.¡±

    ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time. I don¡¯t like this joke.¡±

    ¡°Really? Well, I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± Raeleigh turned around and left, while Raeleigh was staring nkly at the back of Zorion.

    She was not sure how Zorion would end up like this.

    It was already midnight. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t sleep in either the daytime or at night. Now, not only was her biological clock flipped upside down, she felt like her whole world was also upside down.

    Raeleigh went back to the dorm to have a rest. Deanna was lying with her head upside down, ¡°Raeleigh, I miss my brother so much. He called me just now, he was downstairs.¡±

    Raeleighy down on the bed and did not know what to say.

    ¡°You¡¯d better go back tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I will eventually leave my brother. I need to learn to take care of myself.¡±

    Deanna felt quite disappointed when she said these words. Raeleigh, who was lying on the bed, had a kind of indescribable feeling.

    Standing on the side, Scarlette said, ¡°I think you¡¯d be better staying with your brother.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to marry Jepherson in the future.¡±

    ¡­

    The mood in the dorm was killed off by what Deanna said. Raeleigh was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling the whole night. The three of them didn¡¯t rest until early in the morning.

    Raeleigh woke up at six o¡¯clock in the morning. She stood up and tried to wake the other two girls. However, neither of them wanted to get up, so Raeleigh gave up.

    ¡°Sigh continue sleeping guys. I¡¯m going to ss. I can¡¯t skip sses all the time.¡±

    Both of them did not respond. Raeleigh knew that it was useless to say anything, so she left after saying goodbye.

    Raeleigh received a call from Jepherson as she was on her way to ss. He asked if she had time and told her that he was waiting at the school gate.

    Raeleigh did not know what Jepherson was up to that he had toe to the school gate to find her.

    At the door, as expected, Jepherson¡¯s car was parked there. Raeleigh didn¡¯t hesitate and approached him. Stuart immediately rushed over to open the door for her.

    Raeleigh got in the car and closed the door. Then, Jepherson ordered the driver to start the car.

    ¡°Where are you going to take me? I have sses to attend. Scarlette and Deanna are still sleeping,¡± Raeleigh was worried about Deanna in particr.

    ¡°I¡¯ve received a text from Scarlette. Don¡¯t worry. I need to take a look at your arm,¡± Jepherson sent his hand over. Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to do. Her hand was pulled over by Jepherson and pulled her sleeve directly.

    Jepherson¡¯s expression eased a little when he saw that her wound had scabbed.

    The car then stopped at the entrance of a hotel. The hotel had already been prepared for their arrival. Jepherson then got out of the car and Raeleigh was led into the hotel and upstairs.

    Raeleigh stood at the entrance. Jepherson said while walking, ¡°You should change your clothes and take a nap. Scarlette said you didn¡¯t rest all night. Is your wound painful?¡±

    ¡°How does Scarlette know that I didn¡¯t rest all night?¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t answer, but Raeleigh understood what he meant through his gaze. He believed everything Scarlette said.

    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t sleepst night and I¡¯m very sleepy now. I hope I can nap for a while,¡± Raeleigh couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    Jepherson looked at the big bed and walked to Raeleigh. He bent down to pick her up in his arms and carried her to the bed.

    As soon as he put Raeleigh down, his body was pressed down on Raeleigh¡¯s. Raeleigh could feel his warm breath on her face, it was like the stirring wind, which made Raeleigh feel a little ufortable. She desperately tried to leave.

    ¡°Why are you always avoiding me? Is this really what¡¯s best for us?¡±

    Raeleigh could not push him away, so she said, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re smart,¡± Jepherson stood up and covered Raeleigh with the quilt, ¡°Take off your clothes so you don¡¯t worsen your wounds. I have nothing to do in the afternoon. Let¡¯s talk about work.¡±

    Scarlette had already sent Raeleigh¡¯s new car design to Jepherson. For Raeleigh, a highly talented car designer, finding a sponsor who understood art was her best chance, and Jepherson would not miss this opportunity.

    Raeleigh had yawned a few times. She hesitated whether or not to take off her clothes, but she still took them off in the end.

    After putting away her clothes, Raeleigh covered herself with the quilt and fell asleep.

    Jepherson sat aside and looked at the car design on his phone while he looked after Raeleigh who was sleeping soundly on the bed.

    At one o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Marissa called Jepherson.

    ¡°Jerry, why aren¡¯t you home? Where did you run off to?¡± Marissa had some matters to attend to today, she had a few friends to meet. However, it was troublesome to ask them toe over to their house.

    Marissa thought of asking her grandson to arrange this matter, so he called someone.

    ¡°Something came up, grandma. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Just a few friendsing over. You know that I don¡¯t have many friends. They were my childhood friends. Please arrange it for me,¡± Marissa was not reluctant to ask her grandson¡¯s to do her a favour.

    ¡°When will they be there?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already arrived at the hotel. If you have time, send someone to wee them.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Jepherson hung up the phone and sent a text message to Stuart, asking him to make the proper arrangements.

    After putting down the phone, Jepherson went to bed. He put down the book, changed into his pyjamas andy down beside Raeleigh. He fell asleep soon after.

    When Stuart called, Jepherson opened his eyes. At this time, Marissa had already walked to the door of the hotel room with her friends.

    Jepherson picked up the phone and slightly frowned.

    After hanging up the phone, Jepherson stood up and covered Raeleigh¡¯s body with the quilt.

    At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that there was someone inside? What is he doing?¡± Marissa walked to the door apanied by several people and looked at Stuart unhappily.

    ¡°Stuart, you¡¯re getting more and morezy. Not only are you guarding at the door, but you keep calling others. Your phone is also from our Richards family,¡± Marissa reminded Stuart. She was telling Stuart that if he didn¡¯t respect her, he will also be disrespecting the Richards family.

    Stuart put his phone away and quickly said, ¡°You¡¯re right, Madam. I¡¯ll pay more attention next time.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Stuart stood straight. Marissa was here to see his grandson, Jepherson. He didn¡¯t say anything. He went to open the door. When Marissa was about to open the door, Jepherson had opened it, he was wearing purple coloured pyjamas.

    ¡°Grandma.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson, what took you so long?¡± Marissa was going to enter, Jepherson did not stop her. Instead, he let Marissa enter the door first. However, Marissa came out as soon as he entered.

    ¡°By the way, I have something to finish. I have to go back first.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t you want to stay for a while?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Marissa¡¯s face was full of joy. Her grandson had finally grown up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll visit another day. I have something to do,¡± Marissa left with her friends.

    After seeing his grandmother off, Jepherson went back inside. At this time, Raeleigh¡¯s face was exposed from the quilt.

    Jepherson sat back and leaned on the bed. Marissa¡¯s call came soon after.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    ¡°Jerry, what happened in your room just now?¡± Marissa was already on the way back. In order to talk to Jepherson, she took a separate car.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Jepherson lied.

    Marissa was silent for a short while, ¡°Why are you lying to your grandma?¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything, but Marissa found a very good starting point here, that was, Deanna.

    At first, Marissa thought that the person sleeping on the bed was Deanna. No one else came up to her mind.

    ¡°I like Deanna very much, but she¡¯s still too young. This should be kept a secret. I also hope that Rayan won¡¯t me you.

    You¡¯re young, but you have your weaknesses.

    But I believe that you are sensible.¡±

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh, whose face was red. He ran a hand through her hair gently while she was sleeping soundly. In her dream,she though her grandmother was stroking her hair.

    During the call, Jepherson lowered his head and gave a kiss to Raeleigh.

    Marissa seemed to hear something.

    She smiled. She understood that she should hang up and give them some space.

    ¡°Alright, enjoy yourselves. I¡¯m heading back to meet a few friends at home. Child, you always like to do things fast. It would be best if you can get married soon.¡±

    Marissa did not wait for Jepherson¡¯s exnation. She only believed what she witnessed.

    After putting his phone aside, Jephersony on the bed to hug Raeleigh. He slowly unbuttoned her shirt one by one.

    Jepherson¡¯s hand slid further up into Raeleigh¡¯s shirt.

    Raeleigh jolted up from her sleep and was covered in sweat. Jepherson caressed Raeleigh¡¯s chest and whispered, ¡°My grandma wants us to get married.¡±

    Raeleigh took a deep breath, trying to calm down, yet her face turned red.

    ¡°No¡­ don¡¯t¡­¡±

    As Raeleigh was talking, Jepherson turned over to face Raeleigh. He lowered his head to kiss her without hesitation. Raeleigh only shook her head and was unable to say a word.

    After struggling for a while, Jepherson put his hand on Raeleigh¡¯s thigh and drew circles on it with his finger. Raeleigh started panting heavily.

    Jepherson lowered her head and looked at her, ¡°Marry me.¡±

    Raeleigh felt cold all of a sudden. It felt like someone sshed a basin of iced water on her body.

    What did Jepherson say?

    Raeleigh stared at him with wide eyes. Suddenly, Jephersonughed.

    Raeleigh was stunned when she heard hisughter.

    Raeleigh got up in a hurry and covered her body with her hands.

    ¡°I looked through them,¡± Jepherson smiled brightly. He got up from the bed to pour a ss of water for Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh took the cup over and held it in her hand for a while before she drank it.

    After drinking the water, she was fine but still very tired. It was not that she wanted to stay on Jepherson¡¯s bed, she was just really tired.

    However, facing Jepherson, how dare Raeleigh sleep here?

    ¡­

    Later, Raeleigh felt sleepy. She intended to lean against the sofa for a while and watch TV, but she didn¡¯t expect that she would fall asleep.

    When she woke up, she found that she had changed into her pajamas. Jepherson was lying beside her, holding her hand while reading a book.

 Chapter 941 Turning Into a Beast

    Seeing that she was awake, Jepherson put down the book in his hand and turned over to press her down on the sofa, not giving her any chance to escape.

    Raeleigh was tired of struggling, so she finally gave in.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Jepherson suddenly stopped when the entanglement was to a certain extent. He asked her in a low and hoarse voice, but Raeleigh felt a sense of oppression and stopped talking, face blushing.

    Jepherson revealed a yful smile and said, ¡°Do you like it or not?

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Jepherson. She had to admit that his eyes were very captivating. The only thing Raeleigh could think of was that she was no match for him.

    Looking at Jepherson¡¯s smirk, Raeleigh simply nodded after a long time. But as she nodded, she seemed to be apletely different person. She was like a lost child who couldn¡¯t speak orugh. The only response was nodding like a puppet.

    No one wanted to live emotionlessly. No one wished to only remember the tough times. However, the past had left deep scars on her heart. It was a scar that she would never be able to heal from for the rest of her life. She did not know how to ept this sudden change.

    Raeleigh never expected to live a luxurious life, nor wished for a good fate. She just hoped that her grandmother would be happy and that she could spend more time with her before she passed.

    But she didn¡¯t expect that she would encounter so many things and so many people.

    Seeing Raeleigh nod her head, Jepherson gradually restrained the waves on his back, pulled Raeleigh into his arms, and then raised his hand to pat her.

    Raeleigh, who seldom took the initiative, raised her hand to embrace Jepherson. She put her face on his smooth and powerful shoulder and gently rubbed against him. Then she tightened her arms and closed her eyes.

    Jepherson turned his face to look at Raeleigh, only to find that she was sleeping. The rosy colour on her face was fading away.

    Raeleigh¡¯s body was covered with hickeys. She looked thin from behind. Raeleigh looked like a high school student who had just graduated, definitely did not look like a college student. She curled up with such ssical beauty.

    As for what was in front, Jepherson was very clear.

    Raeleigh just hugged Jepherson. They did nothing. Jepherson carried her from the sofa, it was as if he was holding a wounded child who had been abandoned.

    Raeleigh was unwilling to lift her head. As if he was her saviour, she hid in his arms, unwilling to open her eyes. Her dark eyshes fluttered slightly.

    After cing Raeleigh gently on the bed, Jepherson put his hand on her face and gently caressed it, waiting for Raeleigh to open her eyes. However, Raeleigh refused, so he did not let go of his hand and it slid down to caress her neck.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t open her eyes. Jepherson lowered his head and kissed her. Raeleigh was like a lost deer in the mountains. She was holding Jepherson¡¯s hand tightly, crying and trembling like a child¡­

    Today, Raeleigh¡¯s world had no one else, including herself. She didn¡¯t know what to think, how to do things. She didn¡¯t want to think about the past or the future¡­

    With furrowed eyebrows, sweat dripped from Jepherson¡¯s forehead. Raeleigh opened her eyes to catch her breath and found Jepherson looking at her. Suddenly, she woke up from her dream and blinked a few times.

    At this time, Jepherson could no longer control himself. Raeleigh also had no time to refuse. Jepherson¡¯s deep voice sent goosebumps all over her body. Then, she felt a striking pain in her bones.

    After such a struggle, Raeleigh was finally let go, but soon she fell into a deep sleep.

    When she woke up, she found Jepherson kissing her. Raeleigh tried to shrink to the side like a frightened elk but was pulled back instantly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Jepherson¡¯s deep voice rang in Raeleigh¡¯s ears. She was petrified and didn¡¯t dare to move.

    But soon, she felt Jephersoning into her again as the bed squeaked.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t move. Jepherson continued tofort her with his kisses. He didn¡¯t know why, but as soon as he got close to Raeleigh, he wouldn¡¯t be able to contain his desire to have her. Even if he tried, he couldn¡¯t resist the feeling.

    Raeleigh¡¯s entire body tensed as she felt the warmth of him and the impact. She felt as if she was on the brink of death. She used all her strength to hold Jepherson¡¯s arm, all the way until he stopped.

    After some time, he stopped, and Raeleigh was panting heavily. It would not be long before Jephersone crashing into her again, which made Raeleigh anxious. Though Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything, her terrified look was an obvious indicator.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t want her to be afraid, but he couldn¡¯t control himself. He tried to slow down. But even so, Raeleigh was still in a lot of pain.

    When he stopped, Raeleigh didn¡¯t have the strength to struggle anymore.

    At this time, Raeleigh slightly squinted her eyes like a kitten. Jepherson gently held Raeleigh. He knew that she was very tired and in a lot of pain. After all, it was her first time, but so was he.

    Jepherson gently kissed Raeleigh¡¯s forehead as she stayed still in his arms. He held her until it was dark outside and never got up from the bed.

    Marissa called Jepherson to ask him to go back. He said that someone from his family came. Jepherson answered the phone call then ended the call immediately.

    Marissa put down her mobile phone and looked at her fellow friends, ¡°Young people are always so busy. Forget about him. Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Marissa didn¡¯t call because of dinner.

    Raeleigh also slowly woke up after hanging up the phone. She looked at Jepherson in front of her and was slightly lost in thought. She couldn¡¯t say that she forgot what had happened.

    But¡­

    Raeleigh slowlyid down and covered her chest with the quilt. There was no sadness, no joy, literally no expression on her face.

    Jepherson got up from one side and held Raeleigh¡¯s body in his arms. At the same time, his elbow was pressed on his pillow and dragged Raeleigh¡¯s face on the other side with his hand, gazing at Raeleigh¡¯s face.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    What would she say?

    Sure enough, after a few minutes, Raeleigh looked at him and said, ¡°It is a misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°For example?¡± Jepherson rubbed Raeleigh¡¯s body and smiled. He then lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh¡¯s forehead, ¡°As long as we don¡¯t break up, anything is fine.¡±

    Raeleigh froze. Jepherson saw through her.

    Jepherson left and lifted the quilt so that their bodies could be pressed together closer.

    Raeleigh¡¯s body tensed up all over. She was short of breath. Jepherson was in the same state as her. He thought about controlling himself. There must be a limit. However, he just couldn¡¯t control himself. For some unknown reason, he couldn¡¯t resist her charms.

    Raeleigh raised her hand to push Jepherson, and he whispered in Raeleigh¡¯s ear, ¡°I¡¯ll try to be gentle.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s breathing became faster. This wasn¡¯t even the beginning.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh was even more nervous. She pushed Jepherson¡¯s chest, so nervous that she could hear her heartbeat loud in her eardrums. Somehow, she pulled the quilt to cover her body in reflex and gripped it tightly.

    Raeleigh was like a swaying willow branch in the wind, who was so soft that people could not take it off their hands. Especially her shining eyes, which were wandering around.

    From this alone, it was enough for Jepherson to turn into a beast!

 Chapter 942 The New School Doctor

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know when she fell asleep. Thest time she remembered was that she cried, nothing after that.

    When Raeleigh woke up, she wasying on the bed. Jepherson seemed to be exhausted as he did not respond when she moved.

    When she got out of bed, she felt as if her bones had been crushed and she couldn¡¯t move at all due to the pain. But even so, Raeleigh dragged her heavy body into the bathroom, took a hot bath, and sat in the tub for a while.

    Raeleigh was lost in thoughts while leaning against the bathtub. She didn¡¯t understand what did it meant for her and Jepherson afterst night. In the beginning, she wasn¡¯t willing to make love to him. However, it also couldn¡¯t be considered rape. Was it not rape? Was it?

    Raeleigh covered her mouth and thought, ¡°What should I do?¡±

    ¡­

    After a while, Jepherson woke up and slowly sat up on the bed. As he realized that Raeleigh was not beside him, Jepherson¡¯s brows furrowed. He got out of bed and put on some clothes before walking to the door. When he opened the door, his sharp gaze swept across the hallway, his expression darkened.

    At this time, Stuart came out of the restroom and saw Jepherson standing at the door. He went up to greet him.

    ¡°Sir.¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    ¡°How long have you been away?¡±

    ¡°A few minutes,¡± Stuart had to use the bathroom, which cost him a lot of time.

    It was not Stuart¡¯s fault since he didn¡¯t need to ask for Jepherson¡¯s permission.

    ¡°Where is Raeleigh?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s tone was murderous.

    Stuart was stunned, ¡°Is she not in the room?¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Jepherson stepped outside the room and went straight to the elevator. He entered the elevator. Stuart did not dare to ask questions. He followed Jepherson downstairs, but Raeleigh was nowhere to be found.

    Jepherson searched around for his phone only to realize that he didn¡¯t bring it with him. Stuart quickly gave his phone to Jepherson.

    A phone rang. Raeleigh came out of the bathroom, but did not see Jepherson. She just heard a phone ringing.

    She was so confused afterst night that she just wanted to be alone for a while.

    She didn¡¯t answer the phone. She simply put on her clothes and went to the door. Raeleigh was a little surprised. She had thought that Stuart would be guarding the door, but she didn¡¯t see him when she headed out. No one was there.

    But this was good. Raeleigh didn¡¯t need to answer any questions.

    Think about it, Stuart was Jepherson¡¯s butler. She could imagine how many questions he would ask her.

    Raeleigh closed the door after she came out. Then, she got into the elevator.

    When she got out of the elevator, Raeleigh did not see anyone downstairs. She passed by the front desk lobby and went outside of the hotel. She then ordered a cab to Elkton University.

    When Raeleigh arrived at the school gate, she saw Scarlette approaching her right away. She scanned Raeleigh up and down as Jepherson was calling her in a hurry as if something terrible had happened. However, Raeleigh was perfectly fine standing in front of her.

    ¡°Raeleigh, why did youe back alone? Jepherson is looking for you everywhere. Did you fight?¡± Scarlette asked, her face full of worry.

    ¡°Nothing. You can call him. I need some time. Don¡¯t ask him toe to me. I need time to calm down,¡± Raeleigh said and went to the school. She walked on the snow and called Jepherson. When she received the call, Jepherson also arrived at the school gate. The car stopped and someone got out of the car.

    He stood at the school gate and looked in the direction of Raeleigh¡¯s dorm, but he didn¡¯t go in.

    ¡°Boss, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of Raeleigh,¡± Scarlette promised with a smile.

    ¡°You¡¯ll take care of her?¡± Jepherson raised his eyebrows. Someone else might be more trustworthy. Scarlette on the other hand¡­

    No way!

    Scarlette nodded with a smile.

    ¡°Scarlette, if you make a mistake again, I will find someone to marry you,¡± Jepherson threatened and walked back to the car. Stuart nced at the dumbfounded Scarlette as he drove away.

    After watching the car leave, Scarlette felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. It was so unfair!

    He was insane!

    Raeleigh entered the dormitory. Deanna has got addicted to the game recently, and she had not gone out for two days.

    As Raeleigh stepped in, Deanna reckoned that Scarlette hade back, so she said at once, ¡°You are dead.¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a moment, ¡°How did I die?¡±

    Deanna looked down and found that she was dead in the game too.

    ¡°Raeleigh?¡±

    She lowered her gaze at her dead character, Little Red in the game. She was not happy!

    ¡°Raeleigh, is your grandmother well?¡± At this time, Deanna had already gone to find Raeleigh. Scarlette replied that Raeleigh¡¯s granmother was sick these days, so Raeleigh went back to take care of her. Then, she once again used the game to lure Deanna to stay, so she did not go out at the end.

    They didn¡¯t attend ss. Her brother had visited several times, but he didn¡¯t see Raeleigh so he promised to find her, but to no avail.

    Seeing Raeleigh, Deanna had to ask.

    ¡°She¡¯s feeling better,¡± Raeleigh walked to her bed. Then, she took the clothes out and intended to put them on.

    As she remembered the hickeys on her body, she put down her shirt.

    ¡°I won¡¯t peek, Raeleigh,¡± Deanna was fiddling with herputer and her character was about to be respawned.

    Raeleigh was sitting opposite Deanna, guilt was slowly swallowing her.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little tired, Deanna. I¡¯m going to take a nap. Have fun.¡±

    Raeleigh took off her shoes andy on the bed. Deanna looked up and said, ¡°I was going to look for you, but Scarlette said that I would only make more trouble if I did. She also said that your grandmother doesn¡¯t like me¡­¡±

    Deanna hesitated for a moment, she was unhappy hearing this.

    ¡°Grandma likes you a lot. Don¡¯t listen to Scarlette.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Deanna immediately cheered up as Raeleigh said with a smile, ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°I also don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible.Scarlette is just joking around,¡± Deanna looked down at the game, ¡°Raeleigh, go to bed. My brother is taking us out for dinner tonight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass. I¡¯m kind of tired. I want to rest early.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get something delicious for you.¡±

    Raeleigh did not speak. She just turned over on the bed. When Scarlette came back, she was still lying on the bed.

    After Scarlette closed the door, she looked at Raeleigh. Then, she cast a nce at the clothes Raeleigh put on. After that, she turned around and took away Deanna¡¯s notebook.

    ¡°What are you doing? It wasn¡¯t easy to respawn my character.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get addicted to gaming. Get up, let¡¯s go have dinner. You can rest afterwards,¡± Scarlette pulled Deanna outside by her arm. Raeleigh waited until they left, then only did she got up to change her clothes. She then fell asleep in a daze.

    It waste at night when Raeleigh woke up. She sat up from the bed and leaned against the bed frame for a while. Deanna and Scarlette were both sleeping. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t sleep after sheid down once again.

    Raeleigh got up early in the morning, but she didn¡¯t go out. Instead, she sat on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

    Upon seeing Raeleigh, Deanna was surprised and quickly got off the bed. She then walked to Raeleigh in her girly pyjamas, ¡°Raeleigh, you did not sleep at night, did you? You look horrible.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head at Deanna, ¡°No, I just woke up early. I fell asleep pretty early yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Give me a moment to get changed. Then, we can go for breakfast and go to ss,¡± Deanna was busy getting changed while Scarlette looked at Raeleigh from her bed at the opposite side, ¡°If you¡¯re still tired, you can stay and rest. Deanna and I will head to ss.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Raeleigh went to wash up before she was headed to the cafeteria with Deanna and Scarlette.

    As soon as Raeleigh went over, she heard rumours that there was a new doctor at school. He was not only handsome but also kind-hearted and easy-going.

 Chapter 943 Goodbye, Dr Osteen

    Adored by everyone?

    While eating, Raeleigh watched those girls who were discussing about the new doctor excitedly. She really couldn¡¯t understand why they were so excited.

    Was a man¡¯s appearance that important?

    If one¡¯s appearance was so important, what about his character?

    After the meal, they went out of the cafeteria. Scarlette has been talking with Deanna while Raeleigh walked aside, she didn¡¯t talk much.

    While they were walking, Zorion came out from the front. Deanna was busy talking and did not realize his appearance. Raeleigh on the other hand had been paying attention to the front. Therefore, when Zorion appeared, Raeleigh saw him at once.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment when she saw Zorion.

    It was strange that Zorion didn¡¯t apany Deanna in the morning!

    Zorion stared at Raeleigh for a while before looking at his sister, Deanna.

    Raeleigh and the others approached Zorion, who smiled at her, ¡°Wee back.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Zorion got her reply and proceeded to walk beside her. Deanna looked at her brother and suddenly pulled Scarlette to walk in front, not allowing Scarlette to ruin the moment for them.

    It could be said that Deanna had cracked her brain to create an opportunity for Zorion.

    ¡°Deanna, if you keep acting like this, I won¡¯t be your friend anymore. Can¡¯t you see that Raeleigh doesn¡¯t like your brother?¡± Scarlette couldn¡¯t help but said after walking for a while.

    Deanna stopped in her steps and withdrew her hand that was holding Scarlette¡¯s arm. Her eyebrows were furrowed, a sign that she was unhappy. She did not want to hear this. In her opinion, Raeleigh and her brother were a match made in heaven. No one else had the right to get involved. She would not allow Scarlette to , ¡°Say it then, who does she like?¡±

    Scarlette almost blurted out Jepherson¡¯s name, but she refrained herself from doing so.

    ¡°Nevermind,¡± Scarlette turned away, feeling bitter in her heart.

    Deanna watched as Scarlette left and hurriedly chased after her, ¡°My brother is very outstanding. I know you like my brother, but Scarlette, you can¡¯t force a rtionship. You have to understand that my brother isn¡¯t the one for you. Your fate isn¡¯t rted to my brother.¡±

    Scarlette suddenly stopped and snapped, ¡°Deanna, have I ever show any sign of interest toward your brother?¡±

    Scarlette was upset. As Raeleigh and Zorion were approaching, Scarlette waved it off and scratched her head, ¡°Think whatever you like. But I tell you, you are so extra.¡±

    Scarlette then turned to leave, and Deanna followed behind and snapped, ¡°The same goes for you.¡±

    Scarlette did not say a word. The only emotion she felt toward Deanna was annoyance.

    She scratched her head and remained silent.

    Raeleigh was looking at Scarlette and Deanna as she walked.

    ¡°Deanna is so innocent, she¡¯s a child at heart,¡± Zorion exined by the side. Raeleigh didn¡¯t hear him at first. Then, Raeleigh met his eyes. But Raeleigh immediately nced elsewhere.

    ¡°That¡¯s a great quality to possess,¡± Raeleigh tried to force a smile. Now, her brain was in a mess. She could think about nothing and was confused.

    If it was Jepherson, she could directly ignore him. After all, she didn¡¯t have the chance to meet him. If she paid attention to her academics, she probably wouldn¡¯t spend her time on these things.

    But Jepherson and her¡­

    Raeleigh did not know what to say, so she fixed her eyes on what was in front, her mind still in a chaotic mess.

    When she arrived in the ssroom, Deanna said to Raeleigh, ¡°Zorion and I are in this ss.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you surprised?¡± Deanna blinked herrge eyes.

    Raeleigh shook her head. Was there something Zorion could not do?

    ¡°Raeleigh, I find that you are not in a good state today. Are you still worried about your grandmother? If you are, you can go back first.¡±

    ¡°No need, the teacher ising. Let¡¯s go to ss.¡± Raeleigh said as she walked in, but someone was sitting on her seat. She looked at him and stopped.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at several peopleing in. Scarlett said helplessly, ¡°Your seat is at the back. Behind me.¡±

    Scarlette walked into the ssroom and found herself an empty seat. Raeleigh peeked inside and found that there was an empty seat behind her.

    Looking further to the right, there were the two empty seats near the window. Raeleigh sat in the front row, same for Scarlette. Zorion chose to sit behind Deanna which was on the same row with Raeleigh.

    Scarlette felt helpless and took out her stationery.

    Raeleigh seemed to understand what was going on. However, it was useless to say anything. So, she just sat down.

    As long as her ssmates did not pick on her, she was fine.

    Raeleigh sat down, took out her stationery from her bag, and waited for the lecturer toe into the ssroom. As the bell rang, the teacher soon came in and conducted the ss.

    Today¡¯s lesson was for reviewing previous lectures. It could be said that it was specially prepared for Raeleigh. After the lesson, the teacher asked Raeleigh if she understood and she nodded.

    She knew in her heart that this was all Zorion¡¯s and his sister¡¯s doing.

    Deanna dragged Raeleigh to the single room for lunch. It was a small room packed with more than a dozen people. Raeleigh has nevere here for lunch, she usually eats at the cafeteria.

    Deanna wanted some privacy, so she dragged Raeleigh into a private room she booked.

    Raeleigh was not hungry. So, she went to the bathroom after dinner. Usually, Deanna would have followed her. However, she did not move at all after she got up, whereas Zorion stood up.

    Raeleigh looked at Zorion after she got out, ¡°Are you going to the restroom too?¡±

    A female student walking with a male student would definitely cause some rumours. Regardless of whether it was Zorion, people would speak ill of the girl.

    Zorion paused for a moment, fixing his eyes on Raeleigh¡¯s elegant face, ¡°I¡¯m worried about you. I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡±

    As Zorion recalled what happenedst time, his eyebrows were knitted together tightly. Without waiting for Raeleigh¡¯s reply, he stepped towards the restroom.

    Raeleigh really wanted to go to the restroom and she would not be affected by Zorion.

    Zorion walked in the direction of the restroom. Raeleigh turned to look and decided to follow him.

    Raeleigh nced at Zorion, turned, and walked into the women¡¯s restroom. Zorion was waiting outside. A group of girls nearby was watching him. They knew that Zorion was waiting for Raeleigh, so they were jealous.

    When Raeleigh came out of the toilet, a girl in the restroom noticed that Raeleigh was absent-minded, so she kicked her leg. Raeleigh was thinking about what happened between Jepherson and her. In a blink of an eye, she lost her bnce and fell onto the ground.

    ¡°Ah! Raeleigh, are you okay?¡±

    It was unclear whether it was intentional or not. There were a lot of girls screaming, but everyone only looked at Raeleigh and none came forward to help. Some people even took out their cellphones, prepared to post about Raeleigh¡¯s incident on the school¡¯s website.

    But as they were taking pictures, Zorion rushed into the women¡¯s restroom.

    As he entered the door, he saw that Raeleigh was surrounded by a group of girls. One of them pretended to care about Raeleigh¡¯s situation while some other girls were busy taking pictures of her. Raeleigh was holding her knees in pain. Since she had fallen down so suddenly, she was now in so much pain that she could not open her eyes.

    Zorion¡¯s gaze was as sharp as a knife. He nced across the crowd was surrounding them quickly. After that, he bent down and picked Raeleigh up from the ground. He then started walking outside.

    ¡°Raeleigh, Raeleigh. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Scarlette and Deanna came out to find Zorion holding Raeleigh in his arms and was about to head out, Deanna immediately ran after him.

    Raeleigh shook her head painfully. Her knee hurt a lot.

    Scarlette rolled up her sleeves and asked, ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you all!¡±

    Zorion stopped and turned to look behind him, ¡°Scarlette.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone in the restroom leave,¡± Zorion¡¯s face was as cold as ice as he spoke.She immediately understood what was going on andreassured him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Zorion nced at those around them who were watching. Then, he turned around and walked toward the infirmary with Raeleigh in his arms.

    Raeleigh seemed to be experiencing a striking pain from the way she held her knees, not daring to move.

    Zorion held Raeleigh in his arms andforted, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Everything will be fine.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head, ¡°It hurts.¡±

    Zorion furrowed his brows tightly.

    ¡°I know. Hold on. I¡¯ll take you to the hospital right away,¡± Zorion changed his mind at once. He found Raeleigh was in so much pain that she didn¡¯t seem to have fallen down.

    Raeleigh shook her head, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the infirmary and let the doctor have a look. We can go to the hospital if it¡¯s serious.¡±

    Zorion saw that Raeleigh was in so much pain and nodded.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Zorion picked up Raeleigh in his arms and ran to the infirmary quickly. When he entered, he put Raeleigh down and went to find the doctor.

    ¡°Doctor,¡± Zorion shouted as he held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Dr Osteen froze at the scene in front of him.

    Dr Osteen came out of the processing room wearing a pair of gloves. He then walked toward Raeleigh. Zorion was surprised to see him.

    ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°What does it matter?¡± Xanthus squatted down and abruptly cut Raeleigh¡¯s pants with a pair of scissors. He looked down at Raeleigh¡¯s bruised knee and frowned, ¡°Did you fall down?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded.

    ¡°See if you can stretch out your legs,¡± Xanthus tried to remove Raeleigh¡¯s hands which were holding her knees. Tears were filled in Raeleigh¡¯s eyes.

    She had been enduring the pain, but it was to much to handle.

    ¡°She¡¯s in so much pain. Doesn¡¯t she need to go to the hospital?¡± If it weren¡¯t for Zorion¡¯s experience, he would have pushed Dr Osteen away and left while holding Raeleigh in his arms.

    ¡°If you want to go to the hospital, go ahead,¡± Dr Osteen got up and was about to leave. Zorion pleaded, ¡°Please help.¡±

    He sent a nce at Zorion and pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hand away, which made Raeleigh grunt in pain.

    ¡°Hold her hands. Don¡¯t let her move,¡± Xanthus instructed. Zorion immediately pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hands over and held them still.

    Dr Osteen put his hand on Raeleigh¡¯s knee. Raeleigh was in so much pain that she broke out in sweat and began to tremble.

    ¡°Be gentle,¡± Zorion said suddenly. Dr Osteen raised his head and looked at him. He was not affected at all. He held Raeleigh¡¯s leg with one hand and grabbed Raeleigh¡¯s knee bone with the other.

    ¡°How did you do it?¡± Dr Osteen asked. Raeleigh was in so much pain that she could not speak. Zorion exined everything again. While he was speaking, Dr Osteen twisted Raeleigh¡¯s knee with great force. Raeleigh grunted as if she was about to die. Suddenly, her vision turned ck and she passed out before she knew it.

 Chapter 944 Hug

    When Raeleigh woke up, she found out that she had been asleep for more than ten minutes. To be precise, she had passed out for more than ten minutes.

    The past ten minutes was not a big deal for Raeleigh. However for Zorion, who had been hugging her, every second felt like centuries have passed.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Raeleigh opened her eyes and Zorion tightened his arms immediately. Raeleigh¡¯s face scrunched in pain. Only then did Zorion loosened his grip a little.

    When Raeleigh sat up, Zorion¡¯s legs were already numb.

    ¡°Is it finished?¡± Raeleigh checked her leg and rubbed it. She felt a little pain, not from her bone, but from her skin.

    Raeleigh fell down on tiles. It was lucky that her bone didn¡¯t fracture.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    However, Raeleigh waspletely freaked out this time. If it weren¡¯t for Xanthus, she didn¡¯t know what would happen to her.

    When Raeleigh was alright, the first thing she did was to thank Xanthus.

    ¡°Thank you, Dr. Osteen,¡± Raeleigh made sure that this man was the one who treated Zorion in the hospital, so she said so.

    Xanthus scanned Raeleigh up and down, ¡°It¡¯s part of my job. Since I havemitted to work here, it is indeed fate for you to be my first patient. I hope that we can get along well and help each other if needed in the future.¡±

    ¡°Sure, doctor. Thank you,¡± Raeleigh thanked him politely and then turned to look at Zorion, who had already stood up.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, and thank you.¡±

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t imagine the consequences if Zorion wasn¡¯t there.

    ¡°Thank the heavens you¡¯re alright,¡± Zorion was calm as usual. There was nothing wrong with his words, but there was a cold look in his eyes.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Zorion stepped out first. Raeleigh watched him, she had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.

    ¡°Goodbye,¡± Raeleigh waved at Xanthus and ran after Zorion immediately.

    By the time Raeleigh got out of the infirmary, Zorion had walked far away. Raeleigh trotted after Zorion and when she finally caught up with him, she was out of breath.

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Raeleigh caught up with Zorion and asked him hurriedly. Zorion said as he walked, ¡°I want to change things.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Although she was grateful for what he has done, she could not allow him to do that.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now. That is unnecessary,¡± Raeleigh held Zorion¡¯s hand, but he brushed it off.

    His expression was scary, but it was not directed toward Raeleigh.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you sick of this? When will you stand up for yourself? Is letting this slip really the best way? If it weren¡¯t for Dr. Osteen and I, who could have known what would happen?¡± Zorion suddenly raised his voice.

    The people nearby stared at them. Raeleigh stood on the spot and nced around, ¡°So what? There are too many evil people in this world. You can make everyone afraid of you, but you can¡¯t control every single one of them.¡±

    ¡°But here!¡± Zorion pointed a finger at the ground. His handsome face was unusually cold as he said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t do.¡±

    Raeleigh froze. She did not expect Zorion to be so angry about this matter.

    When she came back to her senses, Zorion had already left.

    Raeleigh followed him to the cafeteria, only to find that a mess there. Scarlette and Deanna stood while panting heavily.

    Inside, there were a few girls curling in a ball on the ground. Some of them were bleeding on their faces, and some of them on their arms. The scene was very scary, no one dared to go up to stop them.

    Zorion had a broken wooden chair in hand. It was dripping blood.

    Raeleigh ran into the cafeteria and stood at the door foolishly. Although she had seen a lot of violence in school before, this was definitely the most frightening one.

    Deanna was scared out of her wits that her face was pale.

    Even Scarlette who was used to seeing people fight was petrified.

    It was difficult to look at. Scarlette quickly held Deanna in her arms to protect her.

    The rest of the students in the cafeteria had long since been too scared to step out.

    Zorion sneered. His handsome face was that of a demon¡¯s. A single nce from him was enough to crush one to pieces.

    Raeleigh walked to Zorion¡¯s side at a slow pace, took the chair from his hand, and threw it aside.

    ¡°Go, quickly,¡± Raeleigh said to the girls lying on the ground. They were trembling as they picked themselves up. They were afraid that Raeleigh would not stop Zorion and would attack them again.

    After the others ran away, Raeleigh finally breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the bloodstains on Zorion¡¯s body and took him to his apartment.

    Scarlette and Deanna followed closely behind. The crowd watched them in silence, but not directly.

    They all knew that Zorion¡¯s killing spree was for Raeleigh. In the future, no one would have the guts to bully her anymore. If they did, they were risking their lives.

    When they arrived at Zorion¡¯s apartment, Raeleigh asked, ¡°What¡¯s the password?¡±

    Zorion said the password. Raeleigh opened the door and brought him inside. She then opened the bathroom door and said, ¡°You should take a shower, take off your clothes.¡±

    Zorion knew what Raeleigh was thinking. Before he entered the bathroom, he began to take off his clothes in front of Raeleigh. Raeleigh quickly looked away. Zorion smiled proudly and went to take a shower.

    Raeleigh closed the door and folded his clothes. She was ready to head out to wash his clothes.

    Deanna and Scarlette arrived at the apartment soon after. When they entered, Raeleigh was burning the clothes that had blood stains n them.

    Deanna nodded and hurried to help her.

    She was impressed by Raeleigh, ¡°Raeleigh, can you make some food?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer, she could not think of anything else. She just knew in her heart that Zorion was being reckless just now.

    If it went on like this, it would be a disaster.

    Quirina left, then Zorion came. Neither of them was easy to deal with.

    Raeleigh opened the window when they burned the clothes. She then cleaned up the remains and threw them away into a trash can. Someone came knocking on the door asking if there was a fire ident.

    Seeing that Deanna¡¯s face was dark, the school staff left immediately.

    Raeleigh and the others went back to the apartment. As soon as they entered, Zorion hade out, freshly bathed, buttoning his shirt.

    When she saw Zorion¡¯s body frame, her jaw dropped. Deanna immediately raised her hand to block her vision.

    Raeleigh watched Zorion and Deanna. It was evident that they were indeed siblings when it came to the telepathy they had.

    Deanna blocked Scarlette¡¯s sight while Zorion took off his shirt and walked to Raeleigh.

    ¡°Help me,¡± Zorion said. Scarlette tried to pull down Deanna¡¯s hand to see what was going on.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°You should do it yourself. I don¡¯t know how.¡±

    ¡°How do you know if you don¡¯t try?¡± Zorion pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hand and ced it on his shirt. He waited for Raeleigh to fasten the buttons. Raeleigh blushed instantly.

    She tried withdrawing her hand but failed. Instead, he pulled her into his arms.

 Chapter 945 A Night Out

    In Raeleigh¡¯s world, she was a clown, beingughed at and ridiculed everywhere. They were neither cheering nor happy for her. All of them were making fun of her.

    As a clown was ugly and did clumsy things that were ridiculous, others wereughing at her.

    This time when Raeleigh was held in Zorion¡¯s arms, she also felt it ridiculous.

    She shoved Zorion hard, but Zorion didn¡¯t let go. In fact, he held her tighter.

    Deanna¡¯s eyes widened as she watched Raeleigh and her brother as if she was enjoying a beautiful scenery. Deanna was happy for them.

    At this time, Raeleigh snapped, ¡°Can you show some respect?¡±

    As she spoke, Raeleigh looked up at Zorion with tears in her eyes.

    Zorion was slightly stunned and immediately let go of his hand.

    Without waiting for people¡¯s reactions, Raeleigh turned around and left.

    After that¡­

    Zorion didn¡¯t see Raeleigh all day.

    He didn¡¯t know what happened to Raeleigh. After walking for some time, she just wanted to find a ce to calm down at first, but she didn¡¯t expect that she would get lost outside of school.

    It was dark outside. Raeleigh did not have her cellphone with her. She recalled that she had put it in the cafeteria.

    Raeleigh continued to walk for a long time and finally arrived at a crowded ce. However, she was sure that she had gone astray.

    There were people around, but the school was nowhere to be found.

    Raeleigh found a spot to sit down and rest. During the time, a ck car stopped in front of Raeleigh. Raeleigh raised her head slowly and saw Stuart getting out of the car. He went to the other side of the car to open the door and said politely, ¡°Miss Anson, please get in the car.¡±

    Raeleigh was sitting on the ground like a beggar, looking so miserable that Stuart couldn¡¯t bear to look at her.

    Her pants were torn.

    One side of her pants was ripped and shorter. Her knees were still bruised and swollen.

    Stuart couldn¡¯t bear to look, so he lowered his head slightly.

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh from inside the car and said in a cold voice, ¡°Come here.¡±

    Raeleigh did not move. Stuart simply had his head down. Jepherson stepped out of the car, picked Raeleigh up from the ground and returned to the car.

    Raeleigh slightly pursed her lips and looked away.

    When the door was closed, Stuart immediately got into the shotgun before the car slowly drove out.

    At this time, Raeleigh¡¯s gaze was glued to the streetlights outside the window. She seemed helpless. She didn¡¯t know what was going on. She had always been very calm. However, this time, her mind was in a mess and she couldn¡¯t calm down no matter how hard she tried.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    Jepherson looked at her back and his heart ached.

    His face suddenly turned cold, and he focused in front and did not say a word on the way.

    When they arrived at the hotel entrance, Jepherson got out of the car and carried Raeleigh out. Raeleigh said she could walk, but Jepherson ignored her.

    The manager of the hotel had already received the news. At this time, he was busy sending Jepherson to the elevator. When he entered, the manager did not dare to look up.

    Aftering out of the elevator, Jepherson went straight to the door of the lounge and Stuart hurriedly pushed the door open. Jepherson stepped in and took Raeleigh to the bathroom.

    After putting her down, Jepherson started the water for Raeleigh to take a shower. Raeleigh thought it would hurt and wanted to go out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think of moving,¡± Jepherson walked to the bathtub with some medicine and ointment in hand.

    He picked Raeleigh up and allowed her to sit on the edge of the bathtub. Holding Raeleigh¡¯s calf, he wore a serious look on his face as he started to apply some ointment on her injured knee.

    At first, Raeleigh hissed in pain, but she slowly got used to it.

    After taking a bath, Jepherson helped Raeleigh to bandage her knee. Then, he carried her to the bed in the room. He covered her with a quilt and sat opposite to her.

    In white pyjamas, he crossed his legs and stared at Raeleigh¡¯s face.

    Raeleigh tried to fall asleep but failed, yet she did not open her eyes.

    Jepherson sat for a while and patted Raeleigh to sleep. After a while, he stood up and changed into his usual clothes.

    Raeleigh heard the noise and figured that Jepherson had something to do and was heading out. Therefore, she opened her eyes and looked at Jepherson. Jepherson came out of the dressing room in a ck shirt. He put on a ck leather jacket on the way to the door. Then, he put on a ck leather glove and opened the door and went out of the lounge.

    Raeleigh got out of bed and walked to the window after the door closed.

    Raeleigh waited for a while. Finally, she saw Jepherson and Stuart downstairs. As they were far away at sight, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t see them clearly. But she could tell that it was them.

    No matter how a person changed, how blurred his figure was from afar, or what he wore, he still walked in the same way.

    A ck leather coat flitted across Raeleigh¡¯s eyes. Raeleigh had a bad feeling. The fact that Jepherson went out right after she was settled in meant that someone was bound to suffer. But as for who would suffer, she did not know.

    ¡°Master, Miss Anson is watching us,¡± Stuart said as they entered the car. With that being said, Jepherson looked up at the hotel.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    After Stuart got into the car, the car started.

    In the car, Stuart turned his head to look at Jepherson. ¡°Boss, are we going to Cook family or Lee family?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s head was lowered. His body was tense and he wore a murderous look on his face. He was like an ice sculpture, cold and pressing. His words were calm as usual. However, his tone made people feel as cold as if they were in a cier.

    ¡°Who did it?¡±

    ¡°It was Marianna,¡± Stuart had already expected it. Marianna¡¯s ending would not be good.

    ¡°We¡¯re visiting the Cook family.¡±

    Jepherson narrowed his eyes and leaned against the car door.

    Stuart thought for a moment and said, ¡°But, Boss¡­¡±

    ¡°Say it.¡±

    ¡°The Cook family is Yousif¡¯s wife¡¯s family. If we go there now, they may find trouble with us. Yousif¡¯s concubine was wronged outside and he didn¡¯t react not because he didn¡¯t care but becauseit¡¯s Old Johan who forbade him from reacting. If something happens to Yousif¡¯s legal wife¡¯s family,I think he¡¯ll do whatever it takes.¡±

    Jepherson still had his eyes closed, ¡°So what?¡±

    Stuart was silent and turned to see if the boss was angry.

    ¡°The Moore Family is in the Capital City as a sign of respect for Old Johan. If not, he would have been angered to death, the Moore Family in the Capital City¡­¡±

    Jepherson paused for a moment and said, ¡°That¡¯s all?¡±

    ¡°That may be the case, butboss, I¡¯m afraid that you will be in trouble if the Old Master finds out about this,¡± Stuart was not only worried about the Moore family in the Capital City but also about Mr Trevor Richards.

    Jepherson was silent for a while before he said, ¡°My grandfather is getting old, he can¡¯t make the decisions. We just have to get through my father.¡±

    After hearing that, Stuart was even more worried. If the president knew this, it would be more troublesome.

 Chapter 946 Making a Scene

    They soon arrived at the gate of the Cook¡¯s mansion. Stuart got off the car to open the door for Jepherson. After getting out of the car, Jepherson walked to the gate. He simply casted a nce at it. It was obvious that the Cook family has grown stronger in the Capital City these few years.

    In the past few years, the Cook family was just ackey in front of the Moores. Old Johan has favored their daughter who was born an extraordinary beauty and wanted Yousif to marry her. From then on, the Cook family flourished and got stronger each day.

    Jepherson stood at the gate for a while. Stuart signalled for their men who followed to press the doorbell. Someone immediately did so.

    Tonight, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. It was a particrly stunning view. However, it was ipatible with Jepherson¡¯s cold face.

    At this time, most of the people are probably asleep.

    Although the lights were still on in front of the gate of the Cook¡¯s mansion, there was no one guarding the gate.

    The doorbell rang, and soon, a servant of the Cooks came out, which meant that someone didn¡¯t rest yet.

    When the servant of the Cook family saw them standing at the gate, she was a little scared. It was strange for someone to ring the bell in the middle of the night. Plus, there were so many of them, they even drove the car of the Richards family.

    Everyone in the Capital City knew about the Richards family. They couldn¡¯t afford to offend them. What was going on today?

    The servant was in a hurry to inform her master. Soon, the head of the Cook family came out with his two sons and a grandson.

    He was clear about what happened in the morning. Her granddaughter was beaten and sent to the hospital because of a girl named Raeleigh, and the one who beat her was Zorion, Rayan¡¯s eldest son.

    Originally, the Cook family was very anxious and uneasy because of this matter. They didn¡¯t expect that the Richards family would send someone here at night.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    It seemed that they were out of luck.

    Before he came out, the master of the Cook family had already called his son-inw. However, Yousif didn¡¯t answer the phone for some reason.

    Syncere was worried that Jepherson would lose his patience, so he brought his sons and grandson out with him.

    Seeing Jepherson and his men, the Cook family knew they would lose this unfought war.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, please excuse us for the dy,¡± Syncere responded with a smile on his face.

    Syncere was originally a member of the Moore family. Being a seventy-year-old official, he has been givingadvice to the Moore family for a lifetime.Plus, his daughter married Yousif. Therefore, the Cook family¡¯s status in the capital was preserved.

    Otherwise, how could the Cook family prosper when there were so many other noble families in the Capital City?

    Jepherson didn¡¯t buy it. He didn¡¯t say a word.

    Syncere thought to himself, ¡°Oh no, this isn¡¯t going ording to his n!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, what is the reason for your visit in the middle of the night?¡± Syncere¡¯s second son, Lucius asked. He was unhappy to see his father pleasing Jepherson.

    Though the Richards family should not be underestimated, the Cooks was not an ordinary family either. There was no reason for them to bow down to Jepherson and tter him.

    Syncere¡¯s face was gloomy, obviously unhappy with his second son¡¯s stupidity.

    Who did he think the Richards family is? What kind of person did he think Jepherson is? If Jepherson didn¡¯t have the confidence to destroy their family, he wouldn¡¯t be so arrogant ande to their mansion in the middle of the night.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say a word and pretended to not hear anything. He simply fixed his eyes on the Cook¡¯s mansion.

    Syncere was exceptionally awkward.

    After all, he was aging. No one in the Capital City, even the Old Master of the Moore family has ever treated him this way.

    Syncere admitted that the Richards Family was as glorious as the sun in the capital. Their glory was not something that could bepeted with. The Richards Family indeed had the ability to do so.

    However, the Cook Family was also powerful in the Capital City. No matter how powerful Jepherson was, or how dazzling he was, he was still a junior. Age still held some weight in the city.

    Even if Hansen was the one who hade, he wouldn¡¯t have acted so arrogantly regarding today¡¯s matter.

    Back then, when Trevor was still in charge, he had to speak politely when he saw Syncere. Even though there was no difference in status between them, Trevor did not dare to be arrogant.

    What about now?

    Syncere¡¯s face was trampled by Jepherson.

    Would Syncere be pleased about that?

    ¡°Mr. Richards, why have youe here today? If the Cook family offended you, we are willing to give you an exnation,¡± Syncere¡¯s eldest son, Seas stated. He was not ignorant. They could not afford to offend the Richards family. In fact, this time, it was their fault.

    At this time, they should first get on Jepherson¡¯s good side so that he wouldn¡¯t be unhappy.

    He didn¡¯t know why they couldn¡¯t get in touch with Yousif or the Moore family.

    Some time ago, his sister, Meica quarrelled with Yousif and went back to her parents¡¯ home toin. The Cook family was unpleased, but they decided to put it aside for the sake of interest.

    He didn¡¯t know if Yousif was angry because of this matter, it was hard to say.

    Seas had no choice but to consider this as well.

    Jepherson still acted as if he didn¡¯t hear them. But at this time, Stuart said, ¡°My Master is here to see Miss Cook. Is she home?¡±

    ¡°Marianna?¡± Marianna was Seas¡¯s eldest daughter. He couldn¡¯t shirk her responsibility from causing such a scene. Since a single person could save a family, Seas was still willing to sacrifice his daughter.

    Although the Cook family was under the Moore family, they have to sacrifice when needed be.

    After all, the Cook family had a lot of descendants. It was only reasonable that one or two of them were sacrificed. This was part of living in noble families. Since they were born into rich and powerful families, they could only ept the rules.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Stuart answered.

    Seas said, ¡°Mr. Richards, pleasee in. I¡¯ll send someone to bring my daughter back. I will ask her to apologize to you.¡±

    Hearing Seas¡¯s invitation, Jepherson didn¡¯t hesitate in the slightest. He then stepped into the mansion in an ostentatious manner.

    His men followed him into the mansion. After entering the house, Seas invited his father to sit down and have a chat with Jepherson. At this moment, he had already asked his wife to bring their daughter from the hospital immediately.

    Eloisa didn¡¯t know what had happened either. All in all, she brought her daughter back as told.

    Marianna was still frightened after being beaten up by Zorion. She constantly felt like someone was going to beat her to death. She started to shiver as she got out of the car. She clutched her mother¡¯s hand and started babbling, ¡°Mom, why are there so many cars? Are they sent by Mr. Whalen? Tell Mr. Whalen that I¡­ I won¡¯t do it again. Mom, I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m really scared¡­¡±

    Eloisa was in a bad mood because of her daughter¡¯s affairs. She did not know how much she hated Zorion in her heart, but what else could she do? They could not afford to offend the Whalen family. They had heard that they knew people from both the government and the underworld, including some gangsters. The Cook family could not afford that.

    Back in the days when her aunt had just gotten married to the Moore family, Yousif respected them. No matter what, he would always think of their family.

    However, since Meica came, the Cook family had a lot of change. Yousif had an open affair with that woman, which brought nothing but humiliation to the family. Soon after, the Cook family¡¯s business downgraded, which eventually led to today¡¯s situation.

    Eloisa gripped her daughter¡¯s hand tightly and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine. I¡¯m here.¡±

    Marianna cried as she followed Eloisa into the house. However, she didn¡¯t expect that she was slowly getting closer to hell bit by bit. She never imagined what was waiting for her inside.

 Chapter 947 No Tears Left To Cry

    Eloisa entered the house withMarianna. She immediately felt something was amiss when saw the amount of people in her house.However, she was too focused on her daughter to pay much attention to the cars parked outside of her house.Though if she stopped to think about it, it definitely would¡¯ve felta little strange.

    When Eloisa entered the house, she saw a young man dressed in a ck leather sitting on the sofa. She had never seen him before, andshe instinctively tightened her hold on her daughter¡¯s hand.He was a stranger but judging from what she saw, she suspected that he was Zorion Whalen.

    Women in many rich and powerful families were viewed as worthless. A ything for men to y with and use however they wished.

    She was lucky. She had a good life. Her father had married her off to Seas. A man who thought highly of her and treated her well.

    There were of course women with whom Seas had slept with and then passed them off to other men. They were rode hard and put away wet.

    It wasn¡¯t that Eloisa was naive and did not know about these things. It was just that¡­

    So what if she knew?It wouldn¡¯t change a thing. Seas was smart and capable. He would never have allowed an illegitimate child to exist. Women were disposable to him. To put it bluntly, anything that he had used, he would never reuse.So how was it possible that he would have an illegitimate child?

    Therefore, Seas only had three children, two sons and a daughter. All of whom were born by Eloisa. Her children definitely increased Eloisa¡¯s status in the Cook family.

    Syncere¡¯s wife had died young. As the Cook family was a ce of servitude and order, she as the eldest daughter-inw of the familynaturally had to manage the affairs of the Cook family.

    In the past few years, she thus enjoyed unlimited glory.

    Of course, Eloisa was astute. She knew that it wasmon for men to have affairs with other women. Therefore,their children were bargaining chips to solidify their status.

    At first, Eloisa thought that Marianna¡¯s life would be fine and turn out to be like hers. After all, she had two brothers. However, now that trouble is here, how could Eloisa not know what was going to happen?

    Eloisa could tell from this young man¡¯s eyes that he was not an ordinary person. His gaze was hard. She knew that her daughter would be in danger.

    It was such a pity that she could not do anything as her mother.

    Noble families were truly an abyss of suffering. Even with all their prestige, their hands were tied.They did not have to worry about putting a roof over their heads or when their next meal was going toe, but they led a miserable life.

    At least the men still had a way out,the women on the other hand¡­

    Eloisa gripped her daughter¡¯s hand tightly, rmingMarianna.She looked at her mother and then back at Jepherson sitting on the sofa. An image of Raeleigh falling suddenly shed through her mind. Terror sealed her throat.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! It wasn¡¯t me! I won¡¯t do it again!¡± Marianna cried as she stumbled backwards. She wanted to turn around and run, but she was blocked by the Cook¡¯s family staff at the door.

    Eloisa¡¯s was frantic. ¡°What should I do? What should I do?¡±

    Eloisa, whose face was as pale as death, looked at Syncere and said, ¡°Dad, please save Marianna. She is still young and ignorant. I will ground her and ban her from leaving the house. I will make sure she does not leave the house ever again!¡±

    Eloisa knew thatSyncerewas the only one who could save Marianna now. She hoped that Syncere would let Marianna off the hook because she was thefleshandblood of the Cook family.

    Syncere sighed and nced at Jepherson as he said, ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s up to you. I¡¯ve kept my end of the promise by bringing you to my granddaughter.¡±

    Marianna stopped when she heard Syncere¡¯s words. She turned around and looked at her grandfather, who doted on her the most. Syncere had always said that he would find her a good husband to marry in the future, but now¡­

    Marianna stared at her grandfather, but he did not look at her.

    Eloisa was overwhelmed. She fell to her knees as a realisation dawned upon her.¡°Does this mean that my daughter is going to die?¡±

    Marianna was a very beautiful girl. Men would get lost in her attractive eyes. This was one reason why Syncere treated her well. Girls were very useful in rich and powerful families, especially beautiful girls.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    Marianna shook her head and looked at Jepherson. She ran to him and dropped to her knees before him.

    Stuartfrowned at the sight. Actually, it was not Mr. Richards who was unwilling to let her off the hook. It was her own family.The Cook family thought that with Marianna was gone,this matter would be settled.

    Unfortunately, this wasn¡¯t Jepherson¡¯s intentions at all.

    The reason why Jepherson was there was because he wanted to ask the Cook family to leave Capital City. Then,all will be forgiven.

    However, the Cook family were reluctant to give up their status in Capital City. Thus, it was impossible to settle the matter even if they offered Marianna in exchange not to leave.

    Even Stuart himself could see through Mr. Richard¡¯s intentions. He did not believe that the Cook family was blind to it.

    It seemed that the Cook family¡¯s n was to sacrifice Marianna and continue staying in Capital City.Unfortunately for them, their n would not work.

    ¡°Miss Cook, you¡¯re begging the wrong person. You should be begging your grandfather. What Mr. Jepherson¡¯s wants is for the Cook family to leave Capital City and never return. Not only that, they must have nothing to do with the city. Furthermore Miss Cook, you must not go near Raeleigh and endanger her. Then, you will be safe and sound.¡±

    When Stuart realised that Marianna was about to beg,he firmly reminded her as well as the Cook family that it was impossible for this matter to be settled with a a mere slip of a girl.

    In Jepherson¡¯s eyes, Marianna was not fit to even lick his boots.

    Marianna slowly raised her head. Syncere, Seas and the rest of them sat still like stone and pretended they didn¡¯t see the turmoil in her eyes. Her family were obviously unhappy about this matter but none of them lifted a finger to help. Because honestly,if it wasn¡¯t for Marianna, they wouldn¡¯t be in this position. The Cook Family would not have been forced into such a dead end by Jepherson.

    Marianna rushed to kneel in front of Syncere. She grabbed his hand and begged, ¡°Grandpa, please save me. I promise I will be good in the future. I will not make anymore troubles. I promise to get married after graduation.¡±

    In fact, Marianna knew that people like her would not have a good fate. She was willing to marry even an old man or a yboy.

    After all, her father was such a person. She could not ask for more. Her mother had taught her that daughters had to be considerate of their parents.

    Although she did not agree, but she could notin.

    However, todayshe had no way out. She regretted treating Raeleigh so badly. She would not have done that if she what would happen.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do. You¡¯re responsible for the survival of our family. We have been in Capital City for so many years. We are never going to leave this ce. If Mr. Richards is willing to let you go, then I will naturally protect you. You¡¯re my granddaughter. How can I not pity you? My days may be numbered, but what about your parents, rtives and siblings, how are they going to survive?¡±

    Syncere¡¯s words were very touching. However, Eloisa scoffed. They were throwing her daughter to the wolves.

 Chapter 948 Letâ€™s Have A Talk

    Marianna stared at her grandfather, dumbfounded.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Trembling, she stood up and stumbled to her room. She feared that there was no way out of this.

    Marianna entered her room and didn¡¯t bother to close the door. She walked right to the window, flung it open and jumped from the second floor. She died instantly.

    One of the maids happened to be walking pass Marianna¡¯s room and heard the thud. Her scream immediately brought Eloisa up to Marianna¡¯s room. Eloisa stood at the window and looked down in disbelief.Her daughter had jumped to her death!Clenching her fist to her chest, she stared down in shock.Her daughter was dead!What kind of ce was this?

    With tears in her eyes, Eloisa stepped up onto the windowsill and following her daughter, she jumped.

    The maid screamed again. By the time Seas rushed upstairs, both his wife and daughter had already jumped to their deaths.

    Seas would lying if he said that he did not hurt, the tears rolling down his cheeks spoke volumes. As for the rest of the family, they were secretly d that this matter hade to an end.

    In the rich and powerful families, being was cold and detached was the norm.

    Everyone was the same!

    Stuart went upstairs and looked down from the window. Eloisa and Marianna were both dead. He briefly nced at Seas, expressing softly that there was nothing he could have done. Stuart was genuinely confused. Mr. Richards had no intention of killing anyone. It was the Cook family¡¯s indifference that had driven Eloisa and Marianna to their deaths.That spelled trouble for the family, and their ruin was surely not not far off.

    Stuart went back downstairs and returned to Jepherson¡¯s side. He said, ¡°Marianna and her mother had jumped to their deaths.¡±

    Jepherson slowly raised his eyes to stare at Stuart andstood up without looking at the others. Their deaths would not solve anything, not even the grievances they¡¯ve caused.

    The Cook family was simply too naive!

    Jepherson promptly left the Cook family¡¯s vi. He briefly nced at Eloisa and Marianna¡¯s bodies before heading out the gate. Getting into the car, he went back to the hotel.

    After Jepherson left, Syncere immediately ordered, ¡°Go to the Moore Family and inform your sister of what had happened.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Lucius replied and quickly left. Syncere stared up at Seas, who stood on the stairs to the second floor. Syncere met his son and remarked, ¡°In order to achieve great things, we must not allow trivial matters to stand in our way. As a man, you must be able to deal with it and let go.¡±

    Seas nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡­¡­.

    Inside the car.

    ¡°Please call my father,¡± Jepherson bit out with narrowed eyes. He knew that the Moore family would being to him.

    At that moment, Hansen was with his wife Jenna on vacation.They were on the beach basking in the sun when he received a call from his son.

    ¡°You¡¯ve caused this trouble,settle it on your own,¡± Hansen said and immediately hung up the phone. Jepherson stared out the window. That was weird, his fatherdid not even ask what had happened.

    It was too quiet!

    ¡°What happened?¡± Jenna asked Hansen after he hung up.Sipping on his wine, Hansen brushed off her concern, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Our son is urging us to return home.¡±

    ¡°So when do we leave?¡±

    ¡°Not anytime soon. We rarely get to go on vacation. Let¡¯s not think about that for now.¡±

    ¡­¡­.

    As soon as they arrived back at the hotel, Jepherson rode the elevator to the penthouse. Entering, he saw that Raeleigh was resting. The sound of locks disengaging woke Raeleigh up and she locked eyes with Jepherson.

    Jepherson walked in,shrugged off his clothes and sat down in front of Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh sat up from bed and studied Jepherson¡¯s expression. While she knew that men like him could kill without batting an eyelid, she felt that he was different. She knew he couldn¡¯t kill.

    However, she could not read his expression at that moment. Jepherson¡¯s eyes were t and cold.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Raeleigh asked Jepherson. He had crossed his legs and looked out the window, avoiding her stare.

    When no answer came, Raeleigh debated if she should push the matter.Decision reached, she asked again. ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    Jepherson sat there without speaking for a moment before he whispered,¡°I don¡¯t want to change who I am or how I do things, but I have no choice. There are some lines that have to be crossed.¡±

    When Raeleigh said nothing,Jepherson turned to face her and implored, ¡°The Cook family is ruthless. In order to solve this problem, they drove Marianna and Eloisa to death. Both of them jumped to their deaths.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and stared at Jepherson¡¯s clenched jaw. She looked into his eyes and saw bottomless loneliness. She could not stand it!

    Raeleigh wanted to but did not know how to relieve his loneliness.In any case,Jepherson seemed to know what she was thinking,as he reached out to pat his leg, motioning for her to go over.

    Raeleigh hesitated then gave in, she got up and sat on Jepherson¡¯sp.

    Jepherson raised Raeleigh¡¯s chin and kissed her lips. He kissed her while unbuttoning her pyjamas then lettinghis hands wander all over her body.

    By the time Raeleigh fell asleep, it was already four in the morning.Still, she woke up a mere hourter.

    There was no sign of Jepherson.

    Raeleigh got up from bed and saw the Jepherson¡¯s note on the table.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already submitted a leave request on your behalf.Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure the Whalen siblings know what to do. I have to head over to the Manor today. Have a good rest.¡±

    As Raeleigh put the note down she realised that there was a set of clothes ready for her.After she looked it over, she decieded that she liked both the style and colour very much. She washed up and change into it.

    Nheless, she did not listen to Jepherson¡¯s instruction to stay at the hotel.

    Then again, Jepherson had anticipated her n. As soon as she arrived at the lobby of the hotel, she saw the hotel manager standing in her way. It seemed as if the manager had been waiting for her.

    The manager greeted Raeleigh and exined, ¡°Miss Anson, if you would like to go out, I could drive you.¡±

    Raeleigh thought about and declined,¡°There is no need. I will just get a taxi. Could you please inform Mr. Richards that I have a ss to attend?¡±

    The manager agreed immediately, ¡°Of course Miss Anson.I will ry your message to him.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your trouble,¡± Raeleigh said and walked out of the hotel and got a taxi to school.

    Raeleigh returned to her dormitory. Since it was the weekend, she thought that no one would be around. She did not expect to find Deanna and Zorion waiting for her.

    When Zorion saw Raeleigh enter the room, he immediately stood up from where he had been lounging on Raeleigh¡¯s bed.

    ¡°What are you guys doing here?¡± Raeleigh eximed in surprise.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you are back!¡± Deanna looked excited andran over to hug Raeleigh.Raeleigh felt a little embarrassed and said, ¡°I went out for a walk and somehow ended up here.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Deanna blurted out.

    ¡°I was also in the wrong. I should not have walked out.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, let¡¯s not argue anymore,¡± Deanna implored and looked at Raeleigh earnestly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. There was nothing to argue about, I just overreacted.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Zorion and he looked back without saying a word.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk outside,¡± Raeleigh finally said and turned around to go outside. Daenna nced at her brother worriedly, ¡°do you think that Raeleigh is still mad?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.Just stay here with Scarlette,¡± Zorion left the dormitory and caught up to Raeleigh.

 Chapter 949 Someday

    Raeleigh left the dormitory and found a quiet ce to talk. If she werepletely honest, quiet was somewhat rtive in school but then needs must.

    Raeleigh walked towards a big tree and only once she was out of sight of everyone did sheturn to Zorion.¡°I don¡¯t like you.¡±

    Zorion countered, ¡°and?¡±

    Raeleigh was silent for a while but finally replied, ¡°it means that we can¡¯t be together.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t like me since that¡¯s your decision, not mine.Nheless, my feelings toward you remains. Your views can¡¯t change that.¡± Zorion¡¯s gloomily answered. This bitterness was a side of him Raeleigh had never seen.

    Raeleigh looked at Zorion, not expecting a usuallygood tempered guy to react in such a sharp and irritated way. She exined, ¡°I just want to finish college. I don¡¯t want to get in between you guys. Why do you have to keep badgering me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I won¡¯t let you finish college. On the contrary, I want you to excel. But I know that you will find it hard to continue on with your studies without me here. I don¡¯t mind being your secret boyfriend for now. I¡¯m willing to wait until you feel that I am worthy enough to be your husband.¡±

    Zorion said this all calmly while each word stressedRaeleigh out even more. She panicked at the determination she saw in his eyes

    ¡°That would never happen,¡± Raeleigh said bluntly. She wanted to tell him about Jepherson but since it would not help, she bit her tongue.

    Zorion moved in closer to Raeleigh,¡°I will pretend that I don¡¯t know what happened between you and Jepherson, but if you want to stay in school, then you ought to get along well with me.¡±Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    ¡°I am not asking you to ept me immediately, but you should weigh your options. I may not be able to treat you as well as Jepherson, but¡­time reveals a person¡¯s heart. I can give you whatJepherson will never be able to give to you. Why don¡¯t you think about it?¡±

    ¡°Deanna is going to be Jepherson¡¯s wife. Are you willing to share with her? Be the other person in their rtionship? A second wife? Because that¡¯s the family you will be getting into.¡±

    ¡°The Richards family are not who you think they are.The world of the rich and powerful families is different.Jepherson may not be able to promise you that you¡¯d be his one and only wife, but I can!¡±

    ¡°Unlike Jepherson, I am willing to give up everything for you.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Zorion in horror. She had ignored everything he said after he mentioned Deanna¡¯s name.

    ¡°Wait, what did you say? What did you say about Deanna?¡± Raeleigh had never heard of such a thing before. What century were they living in? She and Deanna would share a husband?

    Zorion said smugly, ¡°Deanna has been in love with Jepherson ever since we were little. While I like him andappreciate him, and he will forever be her brother and friend. But he can¡¯t be Deanna¡¯s husband.¡±

    Deanna was innocent and romantic. In the Richards family, there were people from all walks of life but there were also many rules. Perhaps the most ridiculous one of all was that men could marry concubines.

    And that was the most horrible thing.

    Honestly if a man was allowed to marry a concubine, whycouldn¡¯t it work the other way round? Why wasn¡¯t a woman allowed to marry more than one man?

    Zorion looked at condescendingly.

    ¡°This is the Richard family¡¯s rule. Uncle Richard is a perfect example. He has had many concubines in his life.While none of them remained by his side for long, his entanglement with women is legendary and made life somewhat difficult forAuntie Richards.¡±

    ¡°Marissa Delia adores Deanna.Don¡¯t forget she holds a lot of sway.If she insists on Jepherson marrying Deanna, then that is what will happen.Jepherson would then of course suggest taking a wife and a concubine.¡±

    ¡°Based on my understanding of Jepherson, I¡¯m sure that is what he would do.¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned, that was the first time she had heard of this. She thought only the Moore family would do such a thing.

    Raeleigh was quiet for a time before asking, ¡°Would you agree to allow Deanna to share a husband?¡±

    Zorion chuckled and sneered, ¡°I will kill Jepherson.¡±

    Raeleigh gasped, ¡°You are so impulsive! You look mature and you act as if you are wise and unppable. But deep down, you are just¡­¡±

    Raeleigh did not continue saying what was on her mind. Rather she pursed her lips,turned around slowly and walked away.

    Zorion chased after her and demanded,¡°hey, you haven¡¯t finished your sentence. But I¡¯m just what¨C?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment, ¡°you pretend to be indifferent.¡±

    ¡°I pretend to be indifferent?¡± Zorion raised his eyebrows,¡°you¡¯re talking about me?¡±

    Raeleigh turned her to look at him, ¡°who else would I be talking about? Me?¡±

    ¡°You think you are better than me?I wouldn¡¯t be able to distinguish between you and a stone!¡± Zorion was extremely angry then.

    Raeleigh ignored his outburst. She was upset too. Her emotions were getting increasingly out of control these days. Her initialconfusion about her rtionship with Zorion forgotten, all she could think about now now wasJepherson¡¯s n to marry a concubine in the future.

    What a mess.

    ¡°Think what you will. Stone and all¡­,¡± Raeleigh trailed off then stopped to lean against a tree. Zorion followed suit and frowned at her expression, ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Nothing? Thenwhy did you stop talking?¡±

    ¡°You talk too much.¡±

    ¡°Mostly because I¡¯m talking to you. I will not be talking this much if I were talking to anyone else.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent and studied Zorion, who mirrored her pose against the tree. Finally she relented, ¡°you¡¯re from a rich and powerful family. Does that mean your family has many concubines too?¡±

    She deliberated against it but gave in to her curiosity. Try as she might she just could not wrap her head around the Richards family¡¯s rules.

    The only thing on her mind was that Jepherson would have a concubine.

    Zorion¡¯s face was full of amusement when he replied, ¡°no.¡±

    Raeleigh tilted her head to scrutinise him. ¡°Why do you look so happy?¡±

    ¡°Happy? Am I not allowed to be happy?¡± Zorion deflected with a question.Raeleigh held her tongue. She would use silence as a weapon if an argument was doomed to go nowhere. She hated arguing anyway.

    Life was short. Her life may seem endless inparison to those who had died. Yet,pared to a person who was still alive, the lives of those who had died were extremely short. Things can change in the blink of an eye.

    Raeleigh thought about it then smiled, choosing toignore Zorion¡¯s childish words. After all, he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had lived a stable life. Therefore, he would not understand her worries and fears.

    When Zorion saw Raeleigh¡¯s smile, he became quiet too. He had never imagined that one dayhe would meet a person that he would worry about.Her presence disturbed his equilibrium and now all he thought about was her.

    As he regarded Raeleigh, Zorion felt his mood calm down. It was not toote, she was not yet married so she could still choose him.

    After all, she was young and still easily enchanted by her first lover.

    But he had absolute confidence that one day, she would be his.

    As they both leaned against the tree in silence, Raeleigh¡¯s thoughts were going round in circles, leaping from memories to hopes and dreams then back again.

    When she left, she did not expect Zorion to follow her. She firgured since it was the weekend, she shouldgo home to see her grandmother. Decision made, shedid not head back to the dormitory and walked insteadto the school gate.

    So she was stunned when she turned around and sawZorion was right behind her.

 Chapter 950 Marissa Is At Ease

    ¡°Why are you following me?¡± Raeleigh asked when she realised that Zorion was following her. He nced around, nobody paid them any mind. Hesmiled at her, ¡°did you tell me to not follow you?¡±

    Looking around and realising she did not have a way to make him leave, Raeleigh gave in.

    ¡°I am going to visit my grandmother.Would you like to give me a ride?¡± If she could not get rid of him, he might as well be of use to her.

    Right away, Zorion led the way out of school. The moment his set foot outside the school gates, the Whalen¡¯s family car drove up to meet them. Like a gentleman, Zorion opened the car door and gestured for Raeleigh to get in.

    Raeleigh climbed into the car with Zorion right on her heels she did not notice his bright and happy smile.

    In the car, Zorion made sure to give Raeleigh some space. He took out a book that he enjoyed and handed it to her.

    ¡°Here, if you¡¯re bored,you can read this book.¡±

    Raeleigh ced at the book in Zorian¡¯s hand then back up at him. After a briefhesitation,she took the book from him, leaned back andbegan to read.

    To be honest, the book was not very appealing to her. After all, it was a romance novel, not an automotive design book.

    Raeleigh rarely read books that were not on automotive designs. Her interest was in automotive designs, that was pretty much the only books she read.

    Between conversing with Zorian and reading a boring book, she chose the safer option.

    As calm settled in the car, Raeleigh began to feel a little dizzy from reading so she closed it and leaned her against the car door.

    ¡°Stop the car!¡± Zorion instructed the driver. The driver immediately pulled over by the side of the roadandlooked at Zorion through the rearview mirror, wondering why he was ordered to stop driving.

    Zorion took the book from Raeleigh and put it aside the book. Gently raising her head, hefrowned down at her. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head.She felt a little weak.

    ¡°I feel dizzy. It must be motion sickness.¡±

    Raeleigh figured that reading in a moving vehicle triggered her motion sickness. She should better now that she stopped.

    Zorion gently released Raeleigh head and sat beside her. ¡°Do you still feel unwell?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take you to the hospital.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to go to the hospital,I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a little dizziness.¡±

    Raeleigh did not think it was necessary to go to the hospital, but Zorion was adamant and hadinstructed the driver to drive them to the hospital. When they arrived at the hospital,he immediately grabbed hold of Raeleigh¡¯s hand and led her to the emergency room.

    Raeleigh struggled out of his hold and crossed her hands behind her back.

    Zorion whirled round to re at Raeleigh.

    Before Zorion could say a thing, Raeleigh pointed out, ¡°you may not mind being intimate with other girls, but I do.¡±

    Zorion crossed his arms,¡°I do mind.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded,¡°I can go in by myself.¡±

    ¡°After you,¡± Zorion stepped aside and gestured for Raeleigh to enter first.

    Zorion walked beside Raeleigh to the emergency room, silently observing her out of the corner of his eyes.

    After the examination, the doctor handed Zorion the report. He frowned down at it.

    Hypoglycaemic?

    ¡°What is it?¡± Raeleigh tried to get a good look at her report but whenshe reached out to grab the report he moved away and shoved it into his pocket.

    ¡°Give her some medicine.¡± The resident looked at him in askance. He didn¡¯t recognise Zorion who clearly expected some sort of special treatment.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    But since the patient needed medicine,the doctor did asrequested.

    ¡°Medication is just a temporary solution. In order to properly treat this condition, the patient has to change her eating habits and get more rest.¡± The doctor counselled.

    ¡°Alright, thank youdoctor.¡± Zorion collected the medicine and left the hospital with Raeleigh. They stopped to buy tonics and groceries before heading to Novalie¡¯s ce.

    As they waited for the car to be brought round, Raeleigh eyed the bags with slight apprehension.

    That amount of groceriesmeant that they would be staying for dinner.

    Sure enough, Zorion invited himself to dinner the moment he walked through the door.

    When Raeleigh kept quiet,Novalie knew that her granddaughter was growing up and starting to have suitors.

    Ah puberty! No one was spared.

    Novalie was very open-minded and wouldept any man, irregardless of his background, as long as he treated Raeleigh well.

    There was bound to be a suitable guy for Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh cooked while Zorion sat with Novalie in the living room. Novalie truly enjoyed the casual chat she had with Zorion.

    And vice versa, since Zorian chatted away up til dinner.

    By the time Zorion decided to call it a night and excused himself it was after dinner.

    Raeleigh watched from the doorway as Zorian left, lost in her own thoughts.Novalie even had to call her back into the house.

    Novalie and Raeleigh kept their thoughts to themselves for a time.

    When Novalie brought up Zorianter that night, Raeleigh sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t like him, but I do not have a choice. I see him in school all the time. We are the same year andin the same sses.¡±

    Novalie understood her dilemma. ¡°You have to let him down sooner rather thanter. Don¡¯t wait until it¡¯s toote. That would not be fair for all.¡±

    ¡°I know that, but I can¡¯t do it right now. Anyway, he won¡¯t give up even if I did tell him.¡±

    ¡°It could a good sign. It means that you have many good qualities, my dear.¡±

    Speechless, Raeleigh pulled the quilt over her head. She did not try to exin that it was Zorian¡¯spetitive spirit that was motivating him.

    Raeleigh did not get much sleep that night. Coincidentally, neitherdid Jepherson.

    In the Ink Garden of Richards Group Manor.

    ¡°What a mess!Why did you provoke the Cook family? I know you did it for Raeleigh, but how are you nning to get yourself out of this mess?¡±

    Marissa sat the sofa, looking extremely angry.

    For a slip of girl, consequences were ignored. A dangerous situation since the Cook family had ties to the Moore family. It did not matter what the cause was, once matters came to light, theMoore family could seize this opportunity to punish them as a warning to others.

    The Moore Family was big and affluent.Any losses they suffered were but a drop in the bucket.They were no ordinary family and would be able to bounce back instantly.

    With two deaths in the Cook family, this was noughing matter.

    Madam Marissa was furious! Head bowed, Stuart could only stand by while Mr. Richards remained silenton the sofa.

    ¡°Tell me, who is Raeleigh to you? Why would you go to such lengths for her? What are you going to do ifthe Whalen family misunderstands your actions?¡±

    Marissa was worried that Rayan would misunderstand the situation and cause trouble.

    Yet Jepherson continued saying nothing. Marissa grumbled, ¡°I can¡¯t believe that family. How did they raise such a bully of a daughter?¡±

    Marissa ranted and tried to elicit a reaction from Jepherson, who sat there as if carved out of granite.

    Until finally she relented, at ease.

 Chapter 951 Elina Cook

    Moore Family.

    ¡°Old Master, what do you think we should do?¡± Yousif¡¯s wife, Elina, sat at the foot of Johan¡¯s bed and wept.Tears notwithstanding, she was an attractive woman despite getting on in years.

    Johan sat up carefully. His body may be old but his mind was still sharp as a tack. Things rarely slipped his notice. In this case, he knew that there must have been a reason behind the trouble the Cook family was stirring up.

    This time however Jepherson had gone too far. He really should not have gone to the Cook family to take matters into his own hands.

    He should have found out who the mastermind was before cutting the puppet strings.

    Jepherson¡¯s actions were not merely an affront to the Cook family, Rather, he had offended the entire Moore family.

    In any case, if Jepherson was allowed to continue like this, the Moore family would have much to lose.

    Johan nced over at Elina. He had always appreciated her usual self-assured and confident attitude.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    She was down to earth, never harsh or rude to anyone. Even to those who probably deserved it. Even when Yousif wandered,she kept her wits about her and diligently stayed home and faithfully took care of the kids.

    Johan admired her greatly for that.

    It was only the tragic deaths of Marianna andEloisathat prompted her to seek his counsel. Even then she did not ask for his direct help and involvement. Instead, she just asked him for advice on what she should do.

    It was time to make a decision. He rarely cared about much.Since Elina had never asked him for anything before, he couldn¡¯t just sit by and watch. No, he had to do something.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Why don¡¯t you go and visit your parents? Tell your father that I¡¯d visit if my health permitted. While it may seemlike Jepherson is trying to find fault with the Cook family don¡¯t forget what he does to them, affect us too. Anyone who touches the Cooks are touching the Moores.¡±

    ¡°Sorry for the Cook family!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask Yousif toe home. That inconsiderate boy is really something else to ignore this situation.¡±

    Elina dried her tearswent to her parents¡¯ home. Alone. She did not bother waiting for her husband, Yousif, to apany her.

    After all, theirs was a marriage of convenience, a business merger. There was no point in hoping for more from Yousif.

    Elina approached Johan because her father requested she do so.

    As Elina left, Johan asked his servant to call Yousif to tell him to return home immediately.He was going toget an earful and would be made to support Elina.

    Thus for the next three days, Yousif and Elina spent time with the Cook family. They remained until Marianna andEloisa were buried.

    It was time forJohan to call a family meeting.

    Yousif was not cut out to be the head of the family, Indeed Johan needed to choose someone else.

    He wasn¡¯t getting any younger, managing family affairs took more out of him than he¡¯d like to admit.

    Unfortunately, Johan did not have much of a choice. None of his sons were capable or willing to take on the mantle.One had health issues and the other refused toe home.

    Both sons however suggested thatJacqueline should assume the role of the head of the Moore family.

    Johan hesitated.

    Truth be told, no matter how capable and remarkable a girl was, she would not be able to handle being the head of the family. Especially when marriage would divide her loyalty.

    Johan was still deliberating whenYousif returned home.

    Yousif greeted his father and approached him.

    Johan nced over at Yousif in annoyance.It seemed like he had no choice but Yousif. He just hoped the boy stepped up to the challenge.

    ¡°What has been going on in Capital City?¡± Johan mused. If trouble could not be found within Richards Group then perhaps it was time to stir something up.

    A pity really, since He and Hansen used to be on such good terms. Yet now¡­

    Yousif considered his father¡¯s words and suggested,¡°there¡¯s a project where we are nning to bid on,though it would probably be the Richards who will win. Again.¡±

    Someone had to take them down a peg. If Yousif couldn¡¯t get hold of that project he¡¯d do everything in his power to make sure they did not win it either.

    Johan contemted his son, the n forming in his mind.

    ¡°Start the bid.Just be cautious about exposing our family to political vultures. We would not want to be taken advantage of.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I understand.¡±

    ¡°And how is my granddaughter doing?¡± Johan suddenly thought of Quirina.

    ¡°She¡¯s almost fully recovered, but she still needs to take it easy.¡± Yousif was puzzled as to where Johan¡¯s thoughts went. Why Johan would suddenly ask about Quirina?

    ¡°Ask her toe home. After all, she is part of our family.¡± A n was taking shape in Johan¡¯s mind, that girl¡­

    He closed his eyes. ¡°Find a wise person and teach him well and he will be of use in the future.¡±

    The implication was clear.

    Jepherson¡¯s actions caused two deaths that will not go unpunished. A mole was what he needed, one that would wreck Jepherson.

    His n became clearer,Meica would have to lose her reputation.

    Her daughter would take her ce in the Cook family and be a tool to be wielded.

    While Johan obviously had a measure of regard for Elina, Meica and Quirina enjoyed no such affection. They were mere chess pieces to him.

    Bitterness rose in Yousif towards his father. After all, Quirina was still his daughter.The thought of allowing his daughter to be used in such a way did not sit well with him. It could even be said thathe would lose his pride.

    For the family¡¯s sake, however, and his status in said family, he had no choice but to sacrifice his daughter.He could not wait for Johan to die. Then, he would bring Meica and Quirina back into the family fold. At that point,there would be no one who can naysay him.

    He vowed to make it up to them.

    Johan saw through his son but he kept it to himself.

    After all, Yousif had more than one daughter.

    Moreover,Yousif also had a son.

    ¡°You may leave now. Do as I say.¡± Johan dismissed with a careless wave of his hand but then stopped Elina from leaving.

    Johan looked at Elina.¡°You have been with me for many years. I know your character.You¡¯ve done pretty well over the years and have taught the kids well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s time for Flynt toe home andapany his sisters. He hasn¡¯t been home in a while, has he? The house needs a livelier atmosphere. When I die, it will be easier for him to take over being head of the Moore family.¡±

    Elina bottled up her happiness and tried not to let her joy show on her face when she heard this. She deflected and said, ¡°you¡¯re still strong. Don¡¯t worry too much about the future. The children are doing well and we still have Yousif to run things, don¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Yousif will let you and your son down. It¡¯s just a matter of time.Ask Flynt toe home and take up his responsibilities towards the family. At least when I die, you and the kids have someone to rely on.Imagine what would happen if Yousif brought back his illegitimate child? I will spin in my grave.¡±

    Johan¡¯s words made Elina very happy. She excused herself and left.

    As Elina left,she smiled to herself, it was time to see who woulde out on top,

 Chapter 952 Flynt Mooreâ€™s Return

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Tears streamed down Meica¡¯s face.She waspletely at her wit¡¯s end.Were the Moores reallynning on using her daughter as a bargaining chip?

    Yousif looked on helplessly.¡°You and Quirina have to suffer for now, but¡­¡±

    Yousif carefully looked around to make sure they will not be overheard.¡°Patience my dear. We still have a long way to go. One day, I¡¯m going to make you thedy of the house and nothing can stop us from proudly living together.¡±

    ¡°But what you ask of Quirina is too much.¡± Meica couldn¡¯t stop her tears.The stakes were almost too high and yet there was no other way. After all, Yousif promised her.But if they lost this gamble, then she and Quirina would be left with nothing and nobody to rely on.

    When Yousif saw Meica crying, he tried to console her.¡°Please don¡¯t cry. There¡¯s something else I need to tell you. It seems like Johan is nning to remove me as the head of the family. He thinks I¡¯m not cut out for the role. He¡¯s requested for Flynt toe home. As you know, Flynt has been fond of me and we do not get along. Everyone knows why Johan has asked him toe back. So, we must be prepared.¡±

    That stopped Meica¡¯s crying.She raised her head to stare at Yousif in horror.¡°They would act that ruthlessly?¡±

    Yousif gently stroked her face, wiping away her tears, and nodded. ¡°My family isn¡¯t a ce where affection and righteousness thrive.It¡¯s every man for himself. Only you would believe that the world is filled with sunshine and rainbows.¡±

    The Cook family.

    The next morning, the family received a phone call. Flynt wasing home.

    Seas asked his son, Haesar, to pick Flynt up from the airport. s when Haesar arrived at the airport, Flynt was nowhere to be seen.

    The Cook family immediately made a call to Elina, but Elina had no idea where he was either.

    It was night whenFlynt arrived at Johan¡¯s ce.

    Flynt ignored everyone else.He went directly to visit with Johan andnobody knew where he went after that, not even Elina.

    The atmosphere was tense at home, everyone was very anxious. Yousif did not try to help ease the situation and did not even make an effort to contact his son.

    It seemed as if the Cook family had been dealt with another blow. An anonymous source hadgathered evidence on the Cook family¡¯s tax evasion practices, a delicate and extremelyawkward situation to be in.

    Syncere never would have imagined that no one from the Moore family was willing to lend a helping hand during such a dire time.

    The day Eloisa and Marianna died, he remembered seeing Yousif and Elina at the house. He wondered what happened to them.

    ¡°Have you gotten in touch with your cousin yet?¡± Syncere asked anxiously.

    Haesar shook his head¡°I¡¯ve tried to call, but he¡¯s not answering. Even Aunt Elina¡¯s calls went unanswered.¡±

    ¡°What should we do?¡± The fire in Syncere¡¯s eyes was dim. He was so tired.

    A police car stopped right in front of the entrance. Officials came in, presented their search warrant thentook Lucius and Seas into custody.

    The family suffered a huge change in circumstance overnight.

    Elina paced the length of her room. She knew what was happening in the Cook Family, but her hands were tied. She could not seek Johan or Yousif¡¯s help.Her only option was to wait for Flynt toe home. However, he was still nowhere to be found.

    Elina was still pacing back and forth when her daughters,CynthiaandYanora, entered the room.

    ¡°Mom.¡±

    ¡°Mom.¡±

    Elina turned around and saw her two beautiful and dignified daughters entering the room. She hurried over to hug them.

    ¡°You guys are back!¡±

    ¡°Flynt couldn¡¯te with us because he had something to do. He wanted us to let you know.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Your brother is bing very independent. He doesn¡¯t even answer my calls these days.¡± Elina sat down and grumbled. However, she had a feeling that her son was up to something.

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t dare leave you in the dark. He did ask us to let you know why he did note home.¡± Cynthia and Yanora were studying abroad. Brilliant and attractive, they attended Elkton university to further their studies.Johan arranged for nothing but the best for his granddaughters. Their future was mapped out and well thought of. Unlike Quirina¡¯s, who had chosen to go to the Richards family¡¯s college.

    Now that all of Elina¡¯s children were back in the country and though she had yet to see hide nor hair of her son, her daughters¡¯ exnation on Flynt¡¯s behalf mollified her somewhat.

    Her son must have his reasons and she would concede to him for now.

    It was just that¡­

    Elina frowned, ¡°But the Cook family is my sister¡¯s family after all. Are we really going to just sit by and do nothing to help them?¡±

    Elina understood why her son acted thus, but her family was family after all.

    Cynthia, Elina¡¯s second daughter, shook her head. ¡°Mom, Uncle Seas, and Grandpa Syncere just stood there and watch as Aunt Eloisa and Marianna jumped to their deaths. In fact, it showed their true colours. There is no family affection. If they are willing to do that to them, I¡¯m sure they would do the same to you.¡±

    ¡°But we are different. We have to protect Flynt. At this rate, if we are not careful,we will be dragged into the muck too. Ihave to think this through.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°Flynt standing on the sidelines does not mean that he is ruthless. He is angry. Mom, think about it. The fact that they are willing to sacrifice Marianna is evidence that theyare not the kind worth saving. They will never return the favour.¡±

    Elina understood her eldest daughter Yanora, meant well. However, she did not say anything. Her heart was too filled with sadness.

    ¡°Alright. You guys should go ahead and get some rest. I¡¯ll be fine. I need to rest.¡± Elina did not want to discuss the matter anymore. She waved a dismissive hand, gesturing for them to leave.

    Cynthia and Yanora looked at each otherthen got up and left.

    Elinay in bed and sighed.What a cruel world. She wondered how Syncere was doing. Would he me his ruthlessness for how matters turned out? What a disappointment to his children. She wondered whether he would regret his actions.

    When Elina thought of Marianna, she could not help but feel sad. It was no wonder why Flynt did not care about Cook family. After all, it could have easily been him.

    But if Jepherson could be forgiven, then what about them? Was hiding behind closed doors really more important than a life?

    Elina silently contemted her options. She felt every bit of her age then.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    As the night wore on,the Cook family received yet another bad news. Syncere had passed away in the hospital. Elina hurried over but was not in time to see her father onest time.

    When Elina found out that her father was dead, she fainted.

    It was chaos!

    After Syncere¡¯s death, the Cook family dered bankruptcy.Few attended Syncere¡¯s funeral.Seas and Lucius were arrested and being investigated. They were used of crimes involving tax evasions,corruption, and bribery.

    Thus was the beginning of the end for the Cook family. Since their family propertieswere confiscated and were forced todere bankruptcy, theyhad nothing left.

    The family was aplete mess, their reputation utterly ruined.

    As Elina was stood beside her father¡¯s coffin, her two daughters apanied her. Yousif was present but he kept his distance.

    With was dead and Lucius and Seas were arrested, the only person left in the Cook family was Haesar.In Yousif¡¯s opinion, that family had no value left.

    Appearances must be kept up though.

    As Elina cried her heart out, a car stopped outside the house, depositing a man.

    Nobody tried to disguise the fact that they were staring. Hewas well dressed in ck and had a stern countenance. As he got closer, the whispers started. ¡°Mr. Moore is here!¡±

    It was an uproar! Nobody had anticipated his arrival.

 Chapter 953 The Half Brother

    23-year-old Flynt Moore cut a striking figure as he solemnly walked in. The weight of manypairs of eyes on him did not seem to faze him one bit as he strode right up to Syncere¡¯s coffin. Someone immediately handed him a candle as soon as he reached.

    ¡°Mr. Flynt, here.¡±

    In the eyes of the crowd,even his father, Yousif, could notpare.

    Flynt epted the candle, lit it then said a prayer. Respects paid, he made his way over to his mother, Elina.

    Elina was d to see her son. However,with her father was dead and her brothers arrested, she couldn¡¯t summon the energy to smile at him in wee.

    She sighed and gestured for her son to join her outside. She held her son¡¯s hand as they sat in silence.

    After Flynt¡¯s arrival, the Cook family beganing through the door one after the other, bringing along wreaths. Some paid their respects, and left while others decided to stay a little longer to get close to Flynt.

    That evening, Seas and Lucius were allowed to go home.

    When Elina saw her brothers, her tears flowed unchecked. She did not expect them to shop up and genuinely thought that they were going to miss their father¡¯s wake.

    ¡°Flynt,this was you, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Elina gripped her son¡¯s hand tightly. She knew that it was because of Flynt that her brothers were allowed toe home.

    ¡°It was the least I could do. I¡¯m sorry to have made you upset.¡± Flynt said gently. Elina shook her head as Flynt wiped away his mother¡¯s tears. He swept his eyes across the room and then took out his handkerchief to wipe his mother¡¯s tears.

    He turned a blind eye towards his father. People would assumeit was because of Meica. They did not know that even ifMeica did not exist, Flynt still would not acknowledge his yboy father.

    Flynt gathered his mother into his arms and gently stroked her back. Elina sighed, emotionally drained.

    Syncere was buried the next day. Flynt stood by his mother as they watched the coffin lowered into the ground.

    ¡°Mom, why don¡¯t you wait for me in the car? I have something to discuss with Uncle Seas and Uncle Lucius.¡± Flynt¡¯s eyes were calm and unreadable.How grown up her son was. She acquiesced,turned around, and made her way to the car.

    After Elina left, Flynt said to his uncles, ¡°Grandpa is dead and the Cook family has been torn apart. I¡¯ve told the powers that be that you have been wronged. I promise I will solve this matter.However, you must leave Capital City immediately and never return. Your naive insistenceon remaining in Capital City offended Jepherson andled to the deaths of Aunt Eloisa and Marianna. There will no longer be a ce for you here.¡±

    ¡°The Cook family¡¯s assets have been confiscated to repay your debtsI have prepared a cheque for you. It will be enough for you to start a new business elsewhere as long as you promise to never set foot back in Capital City.¡±

    Flynt extended the cheque toHaesar. Once it was epted heturned and left without another word.

    Seas and Lucius looked at each other,at a loss of what to do next.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    Flynt made his way to the car and spoke gently to his mother.

    ¡°Mom, please forgive me asI may not return home.I¡¯ve already informed Grandpa Johan.Please take care of yourself, mom.¡±

    Elina felt that her son was all grown up now after hearing his words.

    In the past, she has always felt that it would be a long time before Flynt matured. His time abroad had truly changed him.

    ¡°You can do as you wish.¡±

    Elina had no qualms.

    Flynt dropped Elina off at the entrance of the Moore Family Manor, smiled goodbye and left whileElina saw him off.

    She started when she turned and saw Yousif behind her. Before she could speak, he stepped closer and hissed.¡°Is that what you call a good son?¡±

    Elina would not be riled up.¡°It¡¯s not my fault that you and Flynt don¡¯t get along well. It¡¯s not as if he does not acknowledge you as his father. I yed no part in your quarrels. There¡¯s no point venting your frustrations on me.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to teach me a lesson?¡± Yousif was angry that his son would ignore him in such a manner.

    Elina brushed off his frustration.¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    Stepping around him, she left him stewing. His expression dark he stared daggers at Elina¡¯s retreating back. He itched to discipline her. A pity they were among the Moores.

    Elina did not only have Johan to back her up, she had Flynt as well now.

    As she left Yousif at the door, Elina felt hopelessness wash over her.Men were so unreliable. She used to be an iparable beauty with the world at her feet. Now, what did she have to show for years of marriage and loyalty? What did she get in return for being with Yousif all these years?

    Now, they could not even behave civilly towards each other because of his concubine.In fact, Elina was sure that Yousif would be thrilled if she died today. That would solve his problems for sure.

    Elina shook such depressing thoughts away.She was fortunate shehad Flynt.

    The moment Raeleigh came back from her grandmother¡¯s ce,Scarlette pounced and informed her about what had happened to the Cook family.

    Raeleigh stored at Scarlette in stunned silence.

    ¡°Wait,you¡¯re saying that Marianna is dead and her family dered bankruptcy?¡± Raeleigh put her book down. Their ss may be starting in a few minutes but reading was impossible then.

    Fortunately, there was no one in the ssroom with them.That was probably why Scarlette chose to tell her right at that moment.

    Deanna did not seem to care about what Scalette was saying. She actedas if it was old news.

    Raeleigh may not be severely affected but she would imagine Deanna, with heryoung and naive personality would react more strongly.How could she be indifferent to such a massive event?

    ¡°Marianna and her mother are dead and their family is bankrupt. The whole family is ruined.¡± Scarlette corrected Raeleigh.What a horrid event!

    Raeleigh thought quietly for a while. There wasn¡¯t much she could say about what had happened.

    Deanna looked over at her.¡°It has nothing to do with Zorion. He said it was all Jepherson¡¯s doing.What I don¡¯t understand is why Jepherson would do that to help you. I wonder whether your parents will be mad if they found out?¡±

    Raeleigh felt a prickle of unease asDeanna stared at her with big round eyes.

    Scarlette snorted.¡°How would she know?¡±

    Deanna looked at Scarlette derisively. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you either.¡±

    ¡°In fact¡­¡±

    ¡°Deanna, what are you trying to say? Are you ming Raeleigh?¡± Scarlette eximed unhappily. Deanna turned around, the picture of innocence. ¡°I am just curious. I wasn¡¯t ming Raeleigh.Actually, if I were to suspect anyone, it¡¯d be you.¡±

    Scarlette heaved out a sigh at Deanna¡¯s words. Scarlette worried briefly at the look Raeleigh gave her. She looked like she had something else to say but thankfully she decided to keep whatever it was to herself.

    Soonss began and the teacher introduced a new student.

    ¡°I would like to introduce a new student to the ss. Everyone, this is Flynt Moore.¡± The teacher moved aside and gestured for him to enter the ssroom.Stunned, Raeleigh locked eyes with Flynt. He was tall and slender, wearing grey trousers and a white shirt.

    The ss greeted him with a cheer. Flynt¡¯s good looks couldpete with Zorion.

    Raeleigh nced over at Zorion by her side. He was quiet, a slight frown on his face. It wasDeanna who asked what they were thinking.¡°What is he doing here?¡±

    Her question drew Raeleigh¡¯s attention. Deanna curled her lip and said, ¡°He is a member of the Moore family. That is Quirina¡¯s half brother.¡±

    Raeleigh was astonished. Quirina¡¯s half-brother?

    Quirina left, and here to take her ce was Flynt?

 Chapter 954 Late Night Tryst

    After his introduction,Flynt walked to the back of the room.Being tall,it made sense for him to sit at the back of the ssroom.

    It was just her luck that the only seat avable in the ss was the one next to Raeleigh.

    Flynt took a seat and spared Raeleigh a nce. He brief flick of his dark eyes looked her up and down before he dismissed her and looked forward.

    Raeleigh returned the favored. She already hadhands full with Jepherson and Zorion. She did not need anotherplication.

    Deanna sneered,¡°Miss,I would like to swap ces with Raeleigh.¡±

    To be honest,Deanna wasn¡¯t interest in Flynt.It was just that she did not want anything in the way of her brother,Zorion and Raeleigh getting together.

    The teacher did not know what to do.Did that mean that Deanna likes Flynt?

    The teacher felt that there was no harm in doing that.

    Of course, the teacher was willing to give a helping hand to others.

    Just as the teacher was about to say something,Zorion said,¡°I¡¯ll swap ces with Raeleigh.¡±

    While saying that,Zorion stood up before the teacher could say anything.When Raeleigh saw Zorion gathering his books,she had no choice but to follow suit.It was best to stay away from unnecessary troubles.She was just going to do whatever he wanted.

    Deanna wore a satisfied smile when Zorion swapped ces with Raeleigh.

    Flynt did not mind that Zorion had changed ces with Raeleigh. On the contrary,he nced at Zorion and said,¡°Hey,long time no see.¡±

    Zorion was also very polite,¡°I heard that you¡¯ve graduated from overseas university.What brings you to Elkton Univeristy?¡±

    There was a sudden dead silence in the ssroom.What did Zorion mean?

    What was a man,who had just graduated university,doing in an undergraduate ss?Why did he not choose to pursue his masters?

    Flynt did not answer him and remained looking ahead.

    The teacher had no idea what was going on.

    There could never be two domineering man in one ss.

    Soon, the teacher began the lecture ss. It was very quiet. The students were usually very serious during the lecture. Once the teacher was done, the students were given time to do the tutorials given.

    Raeleigh managed to finished it rtively quickly.So,she used the extra time to read a book.Flynt then said,¡°Can I please borrow a pen?¡±

    At first,Raeleigh did not respond,but everyone was staring at her.It was only when she lifted her head that she realised that Flynt was asking to borrow her pen.

    Raeleigh took a look at her pen and said,¡°I don¡¯t have an extra pen.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just use that one on your table,¡± Flynt said.Raeleigh thought for a moment and was about to hand him the pen when she heard Deanna say,¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Deanna and asked,¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled.¡± Deanna looked at Flynt unhappily.Flynt¡¯s expression was very calm.He did not say anything and patiently waited for Raeleigh to hand him the pen.

    Scarlette immediately snatched Raeleigh¡¯s pen away and offered her own pen to Flynt as she said,¡°Here,use mine.¡±

    Flynt nced at Scarlette and epted the pen.He lowered his head and began drawing.

    Raeleigh took a look at the people around her and realised that they were looking at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m done with my tutorial,I¡¯ll excuse myself,¡± Raeleigh stood up and went outside.Deanna and Scarlette followed suit.

    After the girls left,Zorion looked at Flynt and said,¡°Just tell me what you need next time.You don¡¯t have to ask Raeleigh.¡±

    After saying that,Zorion stood up and exited the lecture hall.

    Flynt raised his head and watched him leave.Then,he lowered his head and continued to draw.

    ¡°Raeleigh,how can you be so naive? In the future,if you see any boys talking to you,just ignore them.Please take into consideration my brother¡¯s feelings,alright?¡± Deanna immediately said when they exited the lecture hall.She exhorted Raeleigh not to talk to other boys.

    Raeleigh did not answer,but Deanna kept going on and on about this matter.

    Scarlette could tell that Deanna had already set her mind on Raeleigh being Zorion¡¯s girlfriend.

    After dinner, they went back together.Zorion walked them to the girls¡¯ dormitory but did not leave immediately. He went in and sat for a while before leaving.

    Raeleigh kept herself busy.It was as if she had a lot of things to do.She did not even noticed that Zorion had been standing,waiting for her.Deanna had no choice but to kick Raeleigh to get her attention as she said, ¡°Look,my brother is waiting for you.¡±

    Only then,Raeleigh lifted her head and looked at Zorion.

    ¡°Do you mind walking me out?¡± Zorion was perhaps afraid that Raeleigh would reject him,so he quickly turned around and made his way out the dormitory after saying that.Raeleigh,looked up from her work,stood up and followed him.

    Raeleighfelt a little mncholy as she apanied Zorion out.

    This was a girl¡¯s dormitory.It was unprecedented for Zorion toe and go freely.

    Raeleigh remained silent the whole time as she walked Zorion out.She treated it like it was her duty to walk him out.

    However,as they walked,Raeleigh seemed to have noticed Flynt standing below the dormitory building.Zorion followed her eyes and realised that she was looking at Flynt.

    Zorion then said to Raeleigh,¡°Why don¡¯t you head back to your dorm?¡±

    Raeleigh did not protest and went straight back to her dormitory.

    After Raeleigh left,Zorion then made his way to Flynt.The sky was a getting little dark as the sunset slowly set in the horizon.

    Zorion stopped in front of Flynt and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to, but you¡¯rete.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not toote, and it¡¯s not the end. If the Moore family is fine, she¡¯s fine. If the Moore family has trouble, so will she. I never liked fighting over a girl, but no one can stop me from getting the girl I want.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try.I am not as capable as you.I¡¯d like to see how long the Moore family would be able tost in the Capital City.¡±

    After saying that,Zorion took a detour and walked straight to the apartment.

    Flynt turned around and watched as Zorion walked away.Zorion quickly took out his phone and instructed,¡°Find out where the Cook family people are.¡±

    Flynt lowered his gaze and lifted his head to look at Zorion.Zorion turned to look at Flynt and said, ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me with my people. You can¡¯t afford to y this kind of game.¡±

    ¡°How would I know whether I can y this game if I don¡¯t try?¡± Flynt was amused.Zorion kept away his phone and walked towards Flynt.Zorion sized him up and said,¡°Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯ve asked your people to go into hiding,doesn¡¯t mean I cannot do anything to you. Don¡¯t forget that you are a human being, not a beast. It¡¯s easy to kill you.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Zorion turned around and left after he finished speaking.Flynt was not angry and was not ignorant.but he turned around and looked up at Raeleight¡¯s dormitory.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ I like you!¡±

    Flynt suddenly shouted.His shout not only made Zorion stop and turn around, but also made the people in the girls¡¯ dormitory stick their heads out to look down.

    When Flynt saw the girlsing out of their dorms,he smiled and waved.

    Zorion stood in front of him.Flynt sized him up and said,¡°There are somethings we cannot predict.I want to see if you have the guts to make a deal with me.¡±

    ¡°I can use the Moore family in exchange for Raeleigh or I can use her in exchange for the Moore family.The decision is in your hands. If you agree, then she is yours, or else, she belongs to me. Don¡¯t think that love is tofind each other¡¯s congenial. As No one can stop me from getting the girl I want.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to see how serious you are with her!¡±

    ¡°There is atripartite confrontation now in Capital City.The Richards family is in full swing.The Whalen family is pursuing us closely.Although the Moore family is not as strong as before,but the old trees are rooted in their roots. Without any natural disasters, this tree will not die even if it is not destroyed.¡±

    ¡°You want to join forces with me to defeat the Richards family?¡± Zorion asked,his eyes deep and profound as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

    Flynt smiled calmly and turned to look up at Raeleigh¡¯s dorm.¡°I¡¯m not nning on defeating anyone.I just want these three families to have equal power.Now the Moore family is mixed with all kinds of people and is in a mess. It has lost its past glory.¡±

    ¡°However, no matter how bad it is,they are my family.I cannot let the Moore family be destroyed like this.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt others, and I don¡¯t want others to hurt me.¡±

    ¡°The Cook family is the my gift to the Whalen and Richards family.It¡¯s up to you whether you want to ept this gift.The Lee family and the other families have also paid a painful price. What else do you have to be dissatisfied with?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°In my opinion,only us three families have the ability to control Capital City.Your Whalen family is has a strong family background,which is equivalent to having a privatew.The Richards family has a lot of money and business dealings,while our Moore family is very influential in the officialdom.¡±

    ¡°A new generation reces the old one. There is no famine, no disputes here.We share everything.Capital City belongs to us. What¡¯s wrong with that?It¡¯s a win-win situation,everyone will be happy!¡±

    Zorion sneered,¡°That¡¯s very naive of you to think like that.I didn¡¯t expect that I would hear such thing from you.¡±

    ¡°So,do you agree?¡± Flynt looked at Zorion¡¯s young and brilliant face.Zorion lowered his head and said, ¡°This is a good idea, but I have to tell you that my woman can¡¯t be my woman for external reasons.It was wrong of you to suggest this deal. I believe in myself and her.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being ignorant,¡±Flynt walked forward.Zorion turned to look at Flynt and watched as he made his way back to the apartment.

    Raeleigh stood by the window,feeling mentally tired.

    Deanna leaned on one side and said,¡°I met Flynt when I was younger.My father told me that we should stay away from people like him.Raeleigh, you should stay away from him as well.Don¡¯t be fooled by him. He is not as good as my brother.¡±

    Deanna was about to go crazy. Even she herself felt the same way.

    Raeleigh turned around and took a look at Deanna, ¡°I know. I don¡¯t like him either.¡±

    Deanna smiled and said,¡°Raeleigh¡­I feel that you¡¯re much more adorable than Scarlette.¡±

    Scarlette rolled her eyes and said to Deanna,¡°I also think that Raeleigh is much more adorable than you.¡±

    ¡°I know,because I¡¯m beautiful!¡± Deanna raised her eyebrows and said.Scarlette wanted to gag when she heard her words.Raeleigh could not hold back herughter and beganughing out loud.

    They talked for a while and decided to y some games before going to bed.

    Today,Raeleigh talked to the man in red in the game,but realised that they had nothing much to talk about.She left right after she went to find Hadrian.Scarlette did not know where she was going.She kept on entering the wrong room.Deanna only entered the game when Scarlette came out,by then, the man in red had already left.

    Raeleighy down on the bed for a while and realised that she could not sleep.

    She wanted to go to bathroom,but she suddenly received a call from Jepherson.

    ¡°I¡¯m downstairs.Can you pleasee out?¡± Jepherson immediately hung up the phone.

    Raeleigh came out of the bathroom and hesitated for a while.Then,she decided to go and meet Jepherson.

    Outside the dorm, under the shade of a tree,Jepherson held a book in his hand and stood with his back to Raeleigh.He only turned around when he felt Raeleigh approaching.

    ¡°What are you doing here sote?¡± Raeleigh wasn¡¯t sure why she had asked such a question.

    ¡°Can¡¯t your boyfriende to visit you?¡± Jepherson teased. He turned around and walked forward.Raeleigh followed suit.

 Chapter 955 They Will Not Turn Against Each Other

    Jepherson slowed his steps letting Raeleigh catch up to him then reached out and took her hand in his.

    Raeleigh instinctively tried to pull her hand away. Laughing, Jepherson held on, ¡°Come on, there¡¯s no one around.¡±

    Raeleigh narrowed her eyes at him Jepherson. What a bully!

    But did she really want to tug her hand away? She continued walking. When Jepherson stopped walking did she finally ask what had been on her mind. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I need your help.Remember that blue car you designed?I want to invest in thatand name it after you. You do know that mypany needs talented designers like you, right? I hope you will consider joining mypany.¡±

    Raeleigh thought of her design.As proud as she is of her design, she had a feeling that Scarlette was behind this sudden request. This was not the first time after all.

    ¡°Jepherson, I¡­¡± Raeleigh was about to refuse, but before she could say more, Jepherson interrupted.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell say that you want to focus on your studies. You need to n for your future anyway. Promise you¡¯ll help me.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Irritation welled up in Raeleigh at Jepherson¡¯s overbearing behaviour. He did not even give her a chance to refuse his offer.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to make any rash decisions, but if you are truly fond of the design and want to put it into production, then I can give it to you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re willing to give it to me?¡± A huge smile appeared andRaeleigh could not help but feel something was amiss. She couldn¡¯t put her finger on it but there seemed to be a hidden meaning behind his words.What was Jepherson up to again?

    Slightly uneasy, she borated, ¡°That¡¯s all I can give to you.I will not promise you anything else.¡±

    ¡°What if you sold it to me?¡± Jepherson asked.

    Raeleigh knew that it was a trap.

    ¡°That drawing is not a big deal. I did it on a whim so there¡¯s no value in keeping it. As for its name, I actually like the name Lanox.Of course, you don¡¯t have to use it if that name doesn¡¯t sound good.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. What do you currently value the drawing at?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±

    ¡°If I put it into production, I reckon you would receive at least 10 million dors. Of course, that¡¯s just a rough figure.If you sign a contract with me, then you¡¯ll get more money in the future. Are you sure you want to just to give it to me?¡± Jepherson asked again. Raeleigh said, ¡°It¡¯s just a piece of paper. If you think it¡¯s worth something, go ahead. It may not appeal to others anyway. Different people have different opinions. I know where I stand.¡±

    ¡°What if it¡¯s your dowry?¡±

    Raeleigh whipped her head up and gaped at Jepherson. Was he was crazy?

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a dowry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to marry into the Richards family if you don¡¯t.¡±

    Raeleigh did not have a retort. Every time she talked to Jepherson, it felt as if there were hidden meanings behind his words.Like a spider spinning his web, drawing her in.

    Raeleigh pacedand looked at Jepherson every so often. Atst, he said, ¡°Lanox is a good name. I will produce a limited edition of 100 cars. That will be your dowry.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Raeleigh stalked off, heading back to her dorm, and did not look at Jepherson anymore. She walked off her frustration and made her way back to the dormitory.

    When Raeleigh entered the dormitory, she looked for Scarlette, who turned out to beawake and smiling at her. Raeleigh asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of having a nightmare by doing this?¡±

    Scarlette avoided her gaze then, she had no choice either.

    Raeleigh did not see Jepherson for the next few days, nor did she receive any calls. She felt like she was being ghosted. Rather than enjoying some peace and quiet, Flynt seized his chance to insinuate himself in her life. The guy she saw plenty of.

    The ss was noisier now with Flynt in their ss.

    Raeleigh preferred keeping to herself. If Deanna stopped bugging her, she would even forget about her existence.

    As Raeleigh went out of the ssroom, intending to go back to the dormitory for something she forgot, shebumped into someone.

    And that person was none other than Flynt.

    The notebook that Raeleigh was holding fell out of her hand onto the ground after they collided.As she reached down to pick it up, Flynt beat her to it, quickly picking it up and handing it back to her.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the notebook and said nothing.Quickly she turned away, hoping to avoid any further interactions.

    Flynt stopped her in her tracks.¡°Don¡¯t you want to know why I decided to study here?¡±

    Raeleigh stopped, but she did not look back.

    Raeleigh disliked meddling in other people¡¯s affairs.She really did not want to know his purpose ofing here.

    Flynt watched as Raeleigh started walking again, further and further away from him backto the dormitory.He let her go. Flynt knew he had to be patient and bide his time.

    When Flynt turned around he realisedZorion was right behind him.

    No words were spoken. They just stared each other down. After that, Flynt walked away while Zorion followed Raeleigh route to her dormitory.

    Raeleigh came out of the room with a book in her hand,then handed it book to Zorion.

    ¡°Thanks for the book.¡±

    Zorion epted the book and asked, ¡°What did Flynt say to you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. He asked me whether I wanted to know the reason why he¡¯s here.¡± Raeleigh did not think that Zprion had any harm in hiding the truth.

    ¡°So, did you want to know?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°What does other people¡¯s business have to do with me?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s here to make a deal with me.¡± Zorion was very serious when he spoke.rm bells rang in her head.

    ¡°He wants my help in defeating Jepherson.¡±

    Raeleigh froze then she forced a smile and said, ¡°Is that so?¡±

    She didn¡¯t have time for this. Her ss was starting in a few minutes and she needed to leave.Zorion reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving. She scowled at him.

    She did not like his smile. ¡°If I agree to his n, you¡¯ll be mine. Flynt is willing to give you up.¡±

    Raeleigh asked in disbelief, ¡°Are you that stupid?¡±

    Zorion was stunned for a moment at her sharp words. Then he smiled brightly and said, ¡°Of course not.¡±

    When Zorion released her she quickly walked towards the ssroom. Zorion followed andasked, ¡°You do know that I will not turn against Jepherson, right?¡±

    ¡°Why would you turn against him?¡± Raeleigh really hated having this conversation. She wasn¡¯t like Deanna, who spoke her mind all the time; neither was she likeScarlette, who did not filter her words.

    Raeleigh was usually one who filtered her thoughts before speaking, weighing it before giving voice to them. However,todayshe spokeher mind.

    Zorion contemted her and said, ¡°For you.¡±

    That stopped her. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°You are not the kind of person who would turn against someone for the sake of a woman.¡±

    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± Zorion could feel Raeleigh¡¯s confidence when she said it.

    She would not understand the past he and Jepherson¡¯s shared.

    Though he probably would not betrayJepherson for even himself.

    Raeleigh stared at Zorion for a while, but kept silent and continued walking. Then, ¡°It¡¯s just like Deanna and I. We will not turn against each other for Jepherson.¡±

    Zorion frowned. ¡°You can only speak for yourself. You can¡¯t speak on behalf of Deanna.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Exasperated, Raeleigh said, ¡°I give up very easily. How about that?¡±

    ¡­

    Zorion was speechless. He had no reply to that statement.

    It was true that she could not speak on behalf of Deanna, but she could resolve this matter in her own way.

    Zorionughed, ¡°But neither one of us are the kind of person who gives up easily.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head, ¡°You will.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°I just feel it.¡±

 Chapter 956 En Route To The Grocery Store

    Raeleigh left to attend her ss.Thankfully, nothing much happened all day. Zorion would asionally drop by to find Raeleigh focusing in ss.

    When sses were over in the evening, she found a quiet ce to sit,nked by Deanna and Scarlette.

    Deanna asked, ¡°Raeleigh, would you like toe over to my house this weekend?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head, ¡°Nothanks,I need to visit my grandmother.¡±

    ¡°How about I apany you then?¡± Deanna suggested. If Raeleigh did not want to go over to her house that weekend, then she would go over to Raeleigh¡¯s instead.

    Scarlette¡¯s face was full of disdain. ¡°Can you please grow up? Why must you follow Raeleigh? Also wereyou going to invite me over to your house?¡±

    Deanna grunted. ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I wouldn¡¯t go even if you did.¡±

    Raeleigh chuckled when she saw Deanna and Scarlette bickering.

    At longst, it was the weekend. Raeleigh had already packed her for the weekend and was eager to leave. However,as she was about to head out the door, she was informed that someone was waiting for her downstairs.

    Xanthus!Raeleigh was surprised to see him.

    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± She walked over and asked. Xanthus said instead, ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk.¡±

    Since he had helped her before, she owed it to him to hear him out. Oddly enough he had questions for her.

    ¡°Do you remember where you were born? Your childhood?¡± Xanthus asked. She replied, ¡°In the countryside. My grandmother is from there. I was born in the midst of a gue. Both of my parents are dead. My grandmother had to go around begging for food. She did whatever she could to make sure we have food to survive.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell that you were an orphan. It seems like I was wrong,¡± Xanthus frowned.

    ¡°Are you looking for someone?¡± Raeleigh asked.Xanthus nodded, looking somewhat disappointed.

    Raeleigh did not askbut Xanthus exined anyway.¡°About 19 years ago, my parents moved here and was unluckily encountered their enemies. They took my sister away. Til now, we are still looking for her.¡±

    Raeleigh looked Xanthus in the eye. ¡°What made you think that I might be your sister?¡±

    ¡°There is a sense of familiarity when I¡¯m around you.¡± Xanthus said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have bothered you.¡±

    Xanthus walked away,Raeleigh frowning as she watched him leave. She put the strange conversation out of her head and made her way back to the dormitory.

    As soon as she entered the room, Deanna rushed over and asked, ¡°Was it my brother? Did hee to ask you out on a date?¡±

    Raeleighughed.¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then who is it?¡± Deanna asked, feeling a little disappointed.

    Raeleigh did not answer. She looked over at Scarlette and asked, ¡°Are you really going home with Deanna?¡±

    Stubbornness on her face, Scarlette said,¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°Alright, have fun with Deanns then. I¡¯m going,¡± Raeleigh picked up stuff, and they left the dorms together.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Zorion was waiting outside for them when they came out. Scarlette and Deanna waved goodbye to Raeleigh. She rode withZorion who had offered to drop Raeleigh off at her grandmother¡¯s ce.

    Raeleigh thanked Zorion for the lift and watched as he drove away before heading into her house. Before she can call out, heardsomeone talking to her grandmother, Novalie.

    Curious, Raeleigh put her things down andshe went in search of Novalie.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Raeleigh blurted out when shesaw Jepherson.Surprise was an understatement since she did not see his car nor Stuart on the way in.There went her ns for a peaceful weekend. .

    Raeleigh entered Novalie¡¯s room and pulled a chair out to sit.

    Jepherson nced at her but continued his conversation with Novalie.

    Raeleigh sat waiting quietly.

    Novalie too felt that Raeleigh was behaving a little strangely that day.

    As for Raeleigh herself, she sat still and silent in her chair the whole time.Woolgathering, she did not even hear her grandmother ask for a cup of water.

    rmed at her behaviour, Novalie called her name.

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡± But she didn¡¯t respond.

    Novalie called out louder, ¡°Raeleigh!¡±

    Raeleigh jerked and came back to her senses. She blinked at her grandmother,as if she had just woken up from a dream. Novalie frowned and said, ¡°Have you been very busy at schooltely? You seem a little tired.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head.¡°No, I was thinking about a new design.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard her words but when hecarefully studied her expressionhe realised that Raeleigh was definitely not thinking about any design.

    Novalie believed her though, so Jepherson did not contradict Raeleigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Dinner?¡± Novalie inquired.

    Only then did Raeleigh realise that she hadn¡¯t made dinner.

    Raeleigh stood up.¡°I¡¯ll go and make dinner. You can continue your chat.¡±

    Raeleigh excused herself and made her way into the kitchen. The fridge was empty.

    She popped back to inform her grandmother,¡°I need to go out and get some groceries.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡± Jepherson offered. It was dark outside,Jepherson was worried about letting Raeleigh go out to buy groceries alone.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, you stay and talk to Grandma,¡± Raeleigh said as she made her way out the door. Novalie could tell that Jepherson was worried about Raeleigh.

    She gave him a nudge. ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone to apany me. Jepherson, go with her. Remember to bring a shlight. It¡¯s getting dark and who knows what dangers lurk on the road.¡±

    Dismissing them, she rest her head back on the bed and closed her eyes. Raeleigh knew what she meant better than anyone else.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then,¡± Raeleigh said as she retrieved a shlight from one of the drawers and led the way. Jepherson followed suit.

    Raeleigh stepped out of the house and looked around for Stuart.

    There!Raeleigh spotted Stuart standing not far away from them in the dark conversing with someone, she couldn¡¯t see his face and he quickly left when they came out. However, Raeleigh knew that the man was Hadrian.

    Raeleigh tripped slightly. She did not like walking in the dark. It made her a little ufortable.

    Jephersontook her arm and said casually, ¡°Are you alright? You seem uneasy.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson wide-eyed. ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m just making sure to shine the light on your path.¡±

    At times Jepherson was like a very considerate husband.Considerate but somewhatignorant and eager to please.

    ¡°Give it to me.¡± Jepherson reached out and took the shlight from her. He then drew her closer and held her more securely as they walked.

    It was odd, the road wast, but Raeleigh was unsteady on her feet.

 Chapter 957 What Does He Like About Her?

    They walked inpanionable silence but once they arrived at the market, Raeleigh shook off his hand.

    Jepherson stayed silent. He calmly turned off the shlight and followed Raeleigh into the market. Most of the stalls stillopen were selling fruits.

    Raeleigh walked around and bought some vegetables, then left. Jepherson faithfully behind her.

    When they made their home,Jepherson took the grocery bag from Raeleigh and shifted it so that he could still hold her hand and shine the shlight. It was awkward, to say the least.

    Jepherson was amused with her squirming.

    He was sure Raeleigh liked him. She just was not ready to admit it yet.

    He looked forward to the day she stopped lying to herself and give in to her feelings for him.

    When they arrived at the house, Raeleigh found Stuart still standing at the door.She chidedJepherson, ¡°You should let them wait in the house next time.¡±

    Raeleigh went in, not noticing that Jepherson stood outside, enjoying the gentle night wind.It was a beautiful night with the bright moon in the sky outshining the stars.

    Raeleigh waited for Jepherson to bring in the groceries. When she saw no signs of him, she went back outside to call him in.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Raeleigh asked when she found him just standing outside. Jepherson went in then went to give Novalie somepany while Raeleigh got started on dinner.

    With all the extra people over, Raeleigh purposely made bigger portions. After she finished cooking,she called everyone to dinner.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to invite Stuart and Hadrian to join us. I made extra portions.¡± Raeleigh said as she headed outside.

    Stuart briefly looked over at Jepherson, joining only when he did not object.

    Stuart and Hadrian hurriedly ate dinner then excusedthemselves.Their haste contrasted with Jepherson¡¯s leisurely pace. He did not seem to n onleaving anytime soon.

    After dinner, Novalie felt a little tired, so she decided to call it an early night. Raeleigh walked her back to her room, out of earshot, before asking Jepherson, ¡°When do you n on leaving?¡± Jepherson shrugged.¡°I don¡¯t n on leaving.¡±

    Exasperated Raeleigh said,¡°And where are you nning on sleeping?¡±

    Jephersondid not answer. He just looked in the direction of her room.

    Raeleigh blushed,¡°No. No way. You can¡¯t sleep there.¡±

    Jepherson did not bother arguing. He stood up,entered her room, andy back in her bed, making himself veryfortable.

    ¡°Stop doing that,¡± Raeleigh grumbled.

    ¡°We can share the bed. I promise I will not touch you,¡± Jepherson said seriously.Raeleigh sincerely doubted that.

    ¡°Fine. Sleep here. I¡¯llbunk with grandma.¡±

    Novalie looked up when she came in. ¡°Raeleigh, you don¡¯t have to apany me.¡± Novalie was shrewd. Raeleigh ignored her protests andy down. She then lookedat her grandmother and asked, ¡°What did he say?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t have to say anything. I know my granddaughter.¡± Novalie could tell that Raeleigh was interested in Jepherson.

    One doesn¡¯t get to her age and be blind towhat was going on.

    Raeleigh remained silent for a long time. Then she said, ¡°Grandma, am I useless?¡±

    Shocked, Novalie started. ¡°Why would you such nonsense?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not ready.¡±

    ¡°No one is really ready. There are a lot of people who aren¡¯t ready to give birth, but don¡¯t they do it anyway?¡±

    ¡°You can never be prepared for everything.Especially not matter of the heart.¡±

    Novalie sighed.Her granddaughter was brilliant but can be so stubborn about her own feelings.

    Raeleigh did not know how long she slept. By the timeshe woke up,Jepherson had been to the grocery store and back and was already busying himself in the kitchen.

    When Raeleigh entered the kitchen to help, he shooed her away.¡°Go rx out there.It¡¯ll be done in a second.¡±

    ¡°Let me help you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±

    Raeleigh stubbornly refused to leave. But two can y this game. Eventually, she gave up and left. He was almost done anyway.

    Jepherson followed with breakfast. Novalie sat down and smiled at the spread with satisfaction,immediately reaching for the food and digging in.

    Raeleigh considered Jepherson then averted her gaze and served herself breakfast.She did not know what to say to him.

    After the meal, Raeleigh asked Jepherson.¡°When are you leaving?¡±

    ¡°I think I will stay here for a while.It¡¯s the weekend so there¡¯s nothing much going on in the office.¡± As he spoke, Jepherson settled down and showed no signs of leaving. Whenever Raeleigh wanted him to leave, he would say something to embarrass her.

    That made Raeleigh so angry her face turned red. She stormed out of the room and Jepherson to his own devices.

    The stand-off continued until after lunch. Not thatJepherson seemed to mind. He chatted with Novalie as if nothing happened. After lunch, whenJepherson finally stood up, Raeleigh cheered internally. Finally!

    However, as soon as he got up, he sat back down again.

    ¡°You¡¯re not leaving?¡± Raeleigh asked unhappily as she looked at Jepherson. The bounder had the cheek tostand up and sit back down again.

    Raeleigh flopped onto the other side of the sofa and pursed her lips.

    Jepherson looked into her eyes and fell for her even more.

    At 2 p. m. Jepherson approached her.¡°Can I borrow yourputer?¡±

    Before she could agree. Or disagree for that matter, Jepherson reached out and took herptop, bringing it backto her room and making himselffortable on the bed.

    Raeleigh thought he had an urgent work matter to do. Instead, he wanted to borrow it to watch the live broadcast of an ongoing auto-show.

    When Raeleigh followed him in, Jepherson motioned her over.

    When Raeleigh did not budge. Jepherson looked up from the screen and arched a brow.¡°Do you want me to carry you over?¡±

    Raeleigh scowled. She sat down and looked at the cars on disy in the auto-show.

    ¡°This why you want to borrow myptop?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡± Jepherson quipped casually.. Raeleigh finally stopped talking andjoined in watching the autoshow.

    Raeleigh soon fell asleep.

    Jepherson put aside theptop and gently carried Raeleigh over to the bed.

    If only he knew that Raeleigh did not get a good sleep the previous night because she dreamt of Jepherson. Every time she dreamt of him, she would wake up in shock.

    After covering Raeleigh with the quilt, Jephersony back in bed next to Raeleigh. As a result¡­

    When Raeleigh woke up,she was shocked to find herself in Jepherson¡¯s arms.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    Raeleigh flushed red and her heart raced. She hurriedly pulled herself out of his arms andgot out of bed. She watched as Jepherson slowly woke up.

    Opening his eyes, Jephersony there for a moment and his eyes sought out Raeleigh¡¯s. Herubbed the sleep from his eyesand sat up.

    ¡°Why are you standing there?¡±

    Raeleigh chose not to answer. Instead, she walked out of the room. It waste and time forJepherson to leave. It was her house after all.

    However, when she turned around and saw himing out from the room, she could not bring herself to ask him to leave either.

    Grabbing an apple, she sat down in the living room. Instead of eating, she just stared at the apple in her hand.Why is her life so chaotic?

    Jepherson came out, briefly nced her way, then went tothe kitchen.

    When Raeleigh heard the sounds of nging pots,she went to investigate. Arriving, she realised that Jepherson was preparing to make dinner.

    She stared at the scene uprehendingly.

    It boggled the mind. Just what did Jepherson like about her?

 Chapter 958 Roadblock

    After dinner, Raeleigh watched TV with Jepherson while Novalie rested in her room.

    It was quiet in the living with just the two of them. Raeleigh was stared at the screen, not really seeing anything. Jepherson decided to go into the kitchen to cut some fruits for her. He noticed that he had not seen her eating any junk food or fruits, which was a little strange.

    Raeleigh looked at the fruit in front of her and made no move no take one. Jepherson reached out, snagged a slice of apple, and held it to her lips. However, she did not respond.

    So, Jepherson ced the slice of apple in his mouth, then lowered his head to hers. Her eyeswidened and she opened her mouth. What¨C Quick as a sh,Jepherson slipped the apple into her mouth.

    Eyes wide, Raeleigh raised her hand to his chest, fully intending to push him away.However,Jepherson did not let her up.She tried to wriggle out of his arms but to no avail.

    ¡°Eat your apple,¡± Jepherson said as he finally released her,his breathing heavy.

    Flushing beet red, Raeleigh slowly chewed on the apple.Satisfied,Jepherson ced a gentle kiss on her cheek. Then,nodding to herptop, he asked,¡°What were you thinking about just now?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Jepherson took a piece of apple and ate it. He did not buy it.

    But he kept his scepticism to himself and just kept handing Raeleigh slices of apple.

    ¡°I can¡¯t eat anymore,¡± Raeleigh eventually moaned, as she pushed his hand away.

    So Jepherson ate it instead, his eyes on the screen.

    At eight o¡¯clock, Jepherson went back to Raeleigh¡¯s room and began undressing.Raeleigh did not bother following him and chose to bunk with her grandmother for another night.

    Novalie stirred her eyes as Raeleigh entered the room. What a stubborn granddaughter she had.

    Raeleighy down and stared at the door. She had locked itbut wasn¡¯t sure if Jepherson would be eavesdropping on their conversation.

    Probably not.

    ¡°Grandma,¡± Raeleigh said in a low voice. Novalie was shrewdly stayed silent and allowed hergranddaughter to gather her thoughts.

    After a bit, she encouraged her. ¡°You can tell me. He¡¯s not out there.¡± Novalie had sharp ears after all.

    Raeleigh turned her head to look her grandma fully in the eyes and said, ¡°Someone asked me where I was born.¡±

    Stunned, Novalie didn¡¯t know what to answer.Raeleigh continued, ¡°He thought that I might be his sister. He told me a story about how someone stole his sister right after she was born.¡±

    Raeleigh told Novalie what Xanthus had said.

    Novalie was quiet for a while, before saying in a low voice,¡°If that is true, then they should have put up notices, or go to the authorities rather than trying to find her on their own.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Raeleigh thought so too.Xanthus¡¯s story seemed far-fetched.

    Yet since Xanthus hade to her, it could mean that he knew something about her past.

    ¡°Raeleigh, do you still remember what I told you?¡± Novalie asked calmly.¡°Of course, I must not be confused by other people¡¯s words and I must not trust strangers.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you remember. I¡¯m sure you remember what your childhood was like. Why would your memories of it suddenly change?¡± Novalie closed her eyes and asked calmly, while anxiety churned her insides.

    Her days were numbered and it was difficult for her to get around.When she died, Her granddaughter would be left all alone in this world.

    Those vicious peoplewould not let Raeleigh go.

    Novalie did not sleep well. She got up early the next day, nning to go for a walk to clear her head. It was a Monday and Raeleigh had to get to school early. Novalie needed to speak to Jepherson soon before Raeleigh could suspect anything.

    When Raeleigh realised that her grandmother was already up, she too hurriedly got out of bed.

    ¡°Go back to sleep. It¡¯s only four o¡¯clock. I¡¯ll go check if Jepherson is awake. I¡¯ll ask him to go with me to buy some breakfast,¡± It was odd for Novalie to be so robust, she usually walked very slowly.

    Novalie quickly left the room and went to wake Jepherson up.

    ¡°Are you up?¡± She was not courteous to Jepherson, rapidly knocking on his door. It was indeed too early for Jepherson to be awake.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    The sky was still dark out with dawn hours away.

    However,with the racket Novalie was making outside the door,Jepherson did not really have much choice.

    He opened the door and greeted Novalie. She said, ¡°Come with me to buy breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Alright, give me a moment toget dressed.¡± He was curious as to what Navalie wanted. He turned around and got dressed, thenapanied Novalie out the door.

    By the time Raeleigh woke up, Novalie and Jepherson were already back from the store. Jepherson was helping Novalie with setting out breakfast. The breakfast was still warmand he hurriedly called Raeleigh over to eat.

    Raeleigh had no idea what her grandmother and Jepherson talked about. But they looked thick as thieves. Infact, he looked more closer to Novalie than she was.

    After breakfast, Raeleigh had to head back to the university.

    Jepherson briefly exchanged some words with Novalie before he personally sent Raeleigh back to the university.

    ¡°What did the two of you talked about?¡± Raeleigh could not help but ask after getting in the car.

    Jepherson casually answered,¡°She said that you were a smart kid when you were younger.¡±

    Raeleigh was quiet for a while then said, ¡°I¡¯m sure all the kids were smart when they were younger.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± Jepherson announced with a smile. He seemed proud of it too. Not borating, he kept his gaze front, something obviously on his mind.

    Stuart knew he was lying, but it wasn¡¯t his ce toment.

    On the drive back to the university, Raeleigh listened to Jepherson with half an ear.As they approached the university, she immediately gathered her things, wanting to get out of the car right away. As soon as they arrived, Jepherson watched as Raeleigh hurriedly got out of the car. He bid her goodbyethen he slowly drove off.

    Raeleigh watched as he drove away. Thenshe turned around and walked into the campus with herptop and bag. While she was walking, she could feel a car following her.

    Picking up her pace, Raeleigh did not turn around to look,Just thenher phone rang.

    Raeleigh stopped to take her phone out. She answered and turned to look at the car that was following her.

    A man¡¯s voice came from the phone. ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m sure you know that it was me. Why are you walking so quickly?¡±

    Raeleigh stared at the car.Slowly she put away her phone and walked towards the car. Her grip tightened on herptop.

    She stopped next to the car,quickly scanning the area.

    There weren¡¯t many people around at that time. Most of the students were already in ss. That exined the driver¡¯s audacity in following her so closely.

    Raeleigh stood outside the car for a while. The driver said without preamble, ¡°You and Jepherson have been getting along pretty welltely. I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned at him, her gaze direct.¡°I can¡¯t do what you¡¯ve asked of me.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh,only the dead are capable of doing nothing.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. The person in the car pressed on, ¡°My patience is running thin.Cease your contact withJepherson. It¡¯s hard to say what will happen if you don¡¯t.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent the whole time, and the car drove away from her quickly.

    Raeleigh stood there for a second before she quickly went into the building.She didn¡¯t realise thatJepherson saw the exchange and decided to follow the car.

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes were cold. Stuart looked back to confirm his intentions.¡°Mr, Jepherson, do we follow that car?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡±

    Stuart hurriedly turned around and followed the car.

    As expected, impulsiveness rarely spelled sess.

    ¡°Someone is following us,¡± said the driver. His passenger did not say a word. The driver immediately reacted, intending to shake off their tail.

    However,just as he was about to shake off the car, he realised that there was a car that was stopped in the middle of the road.

    The driver hurriedly looked at his passenger through the rearview mirror as he waited for further instructions. Only then did the passenger speak,¡°Go around the car.¡±

    Just as he was about to do that, five other cars appeared n front of him, blocking the entire road. The driver had no choice but to jerk the car to a stop. He turned around, helpless, and was met with an irritated face.

 Chapter 959 Santiago Richards

    ¡°D*mn it!¡± The moment after he swore, there was dead silence in the car. Then, Zorion got out of the car to check on it.

    Jepherson, too, got out of the car and walked towards the car.

    Just as Zorion was about to approach the car, his phone suddenly rang.

    He answered the phone. After he hung up the phone, he turned around and went back into his car.

    Jepherson, too, received a phone call. He, too, turned back around and got into his car.

    After getting in the car, Stuart turned around and asked, ¡°Young Master?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jepherson turned his face away. He did not even get the chance to see who the person was before leaving.

    Zorion¡¯s car had already left. Soon, the cars on both sides drove away and the car that was nlocked also left the road.

    Raeleigh decided to head back to the dormitory to drop her things off before heading over to the lecture hall. However, she bumped into Flynt, just as she came down from the dormitory.

    Raeleigh paused for a moment when she saw him. Flynt turned around to look at her.

    ¡°I saw youing this way, so I decided to follow you.¡± Flynt smiled, but Raeleigh did not say anything. However, she had a ss to attend, so she started walking towards the lecture halls.

    Flynt followed Raeleigh to the lecture halls. They were neither too close nor too far away from each other, so it seemed that they were walking together. In fact, Raeleigh kept a respectable distance from Flynt the whole way. It was just that Flynt closed that gap.

    Raeleigh was someone who did not like to be around strangers, especially those with ulterior motives. So, she walked the entire way without looking at Flynt.

    Just as they were about to arrive in front of the lecture hall, Flynt asked her, ¡°What kind of person do you think I am? You don¡¯t seem to care about my presence at all.¡±

    Raeleigh neither answered his question nor did she look at him.

    If meeting Jepherson was by chance and meeting Zorion was a coincidental, then meeting Flynt could only be regarded as inevitable. She wanted nothing to do with this stranger.

    It was because in the Raeleigh¡¯s world, it was highly unusual for her to be friends with a boy. In fact, it was a miracle for her to be friends with two guys. There was no room for a third guy, regardless of his intentions.

    Raeleigh did not pay attention to Flynt. She pretended as if she could not hear his words. She knocked on the door of the lecture hall. Then, she waited for permission to enter before she pushed the door open and walked in.

    The attitude of the lecturer towards Raeleigh had already changed dramatically. She did not mind that Raeleigh was skipping sses, hence Raeleigh was not reprimanded for her behavior.

    ¡°Take your seat,¡± the lecturer said and looked down at her book. She did not notice that there was someone behind Raeleigh.

    Scarlette and Deanna stared at Raeleigh as she made her way to her seat.

    As soon as Raeleigh took her seat, Deanna asked, ¡°Raeleigh, where¡¯s my brother?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a while. How would she know?

    Raeleigh shook her head, indicating that she had no clue where Zorion was. Deanna was disappointed. It was as if Raeleigh did not care about Zorion at all. She pulled a long face and said, ¡°Raeleigh, I was so kind to create opportunities for you and Zorion. Why didn¡¯t you keep a close eye on him?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. She realized that the entire ss, as well as the lecturer, was looking at her. She was unable toe up with an exnation. So, she did not say anything. Deanna¡¯s words had made her be the target of public ridicule.

    On the contrary, the lecturer thought highly of Raeleigh. She knew that Raeleigh had a bright future ahead of her, regardless of whether she chose to be with Zorion or Jepherson.

    The lecturer smiled and prayed that those men would treat her well.

    On the other hand, the other students were looking at Raeleigh with fury in their eyes. Why was she so lucky?

    What did those men see in her?

    Just then, someone knocked on the door. The lecturer looked at the door and said, ¡°Pleasee in.¡±

    Flynt walked in from the door. When the lecturer saw Flynt, she hurriedly said, ¡°The ss hasn¡¯t started yet. Please take your seat.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± After saying that, Flynt went back to his seat and sat down, staring at the front.

    Deanna¡¯s expression darkened when she saw Flynt. Her brows furrowed.

    Just as the ss was about to begin, there was another knock on the door. The lecturer looked at the door and wondered what was going on.

    ¡°Pleasee in.¡±

    Zorion came in from the door. However, he was not alone.

    Zorion didn¡¯t need an introduction. He was handsome and dignified. As for the one behind him?

    He was about 1. 8 meters tall, which wasparable to Zorion¡¯s height. However, he was much more handsome than Zorion, especially with that attractive set of eyes. It could make any heart skip a beat at first sight.

    But then again, everyone from the Richards family was good-looking. Both the men and the women were. However, the most handsome one of them all had to be Santiago.

    Santiago was only 17 years old. He was young and carefree. He always had a smile on his face.

    He was much more kind-heartedpared to Jepherson. He could light up the world with his smile.

    Deanna sat in her seat, depressed over the fact that Raeleigh did not seem to care about her brother. When she saw Santiago walking behind Zorion, her eyes widened in shock. ¡°Santiago?¡±

    Santiago shook his head and said, ¡°It seems like the ss is full.¡±

    When the lecturer observed the rtionship between Santiago and Zorion, she quickly said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a seat at the back first? I¡¯ll arrange it for you after ss.¡±

    The lecturer did not want to miss the opportunity to retain these powerful and influential students in her ss.

    Santiago had a disapproving look on his face. He randomly found a chair and carried it to the back of the ss. He did it so naturally that he captivated the whole ss.

    Even the lecturer was confused. She could not help thinking, ¡°Which family is this kid from? He¡¯s extremely attractive.¡±

    Santiago had caused quite a bit of stir that day. However, he was brought here by Zorion and Jepherson.

    The person who threatened Raeleigh that day was none other than Santiago Richards.

    Santiago was studying abroad and had graduated ahead of time. He felt bored, so he decided toe home. As a result, he ran into his elder brother, Jepherson. He was sneaking around with Raeleigh, and he found that interesting.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    He had never seen his brother with any woman before. He intended to y along with them.

    Then, he found out that Zorion had a thing for Raeleigh, which excited him even more. He was so excited that he couldn¡¯t fall asleep.

    So, he bought a car and gathered several people. He did a quick research on Raeleigh¡¯s background and decided to y a prank on her.

    However¡­..

    Santiago was caught in the midst of his own prank.

    He immediately admitted his mistake to Zorion and Jepherson in order to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

    He was let go because of his sincere attitude.

    However, people lived to suffer and punishment was inevitable. Jepherson immediately enrolled Santiago into the university.

    Why didn¡¯t Santiago see through him? Why did he have to listen to him? But then again, with his frivolous attitude, he could not hang around and do nothing.

    Santiago brought his chair and ced it beside Raeleigh. He put his elbow on the table and stared at her. She appeared to be ufortable and had no idea what was going on.

    Raeleigh raised her head and stared at Zorion. Zorion stood up and shoved Santiago¡¯s head away, which caused him to nearly hit his head on the table.

    Santiago¡¯s expression was full of innocence. He said, ¡°I think I¡¯m going crazy!¡±

    Zorion stared coldly at Santiago and asked, ¡°Do you want me to bash you up?¡±

    Santiago heaved a sigh and said, ¡°Nope!¡±

    ¡°Behave yourself then.¡± Zorion returned to his seat and sat down. Deanna grinned and turned back to her brother to give him a thumbs up. She said, ¡°You¡¯re amazing!¡±

    Zorion did not reply. However, Santiago felt as if he was about to lose his mind.

 Chapter 960 Turn a Blind Eye

    All the students in the ss were in a daze. This was what Raeleigh thought anyway. Their attention was focused on her becausethere was an attractive guy sitting right next to her.She found it ridiculous that he could still fall asleep under the watchful eyes of the crpwd.

    Santiago was wearing a loose green T-shirt, along with a pair of white jeans. The outfit looked particrly good on him because his skin was fair.

    Therefore, he immediately captured the hearts of all the girls.

    Santiago was easily more handsome than Zorion and Flynt.

    Some of the girls were staring at the bracelet on Santiago¡¯s wrist. There was a sparkling sapphire and emerald gem on it. It was an incredibly amazing sight.

    Some girls were staring at the diamond earring on one of his ears.

    His outfit suited him perfectly.

    Especially with hisperfect slicked-back hair. All the girls wanted a piece of him.

    Because of this, the girls were not in the mood to listen to what the lecturer had to teach that day. They had all submitted themselves to Santiago¡¯s charm.

    When the bell rang, everyone waited in anticipation for Santiago to wake up. However¡­

    Santiago did not wake up and continued sleeping.

    When ss was dismissed, no one moved either. Everyone was waiting for Santiago to wake up.

    In the end, the lecturer had no choice but to leave.

    Raeleigh stared at the person beside her. She was very curious about him!

    That was the first time that Raeleigh was genuinely curious about what kind of person Santiago was.

    ¡°Raeleigh, stop looking at him. He is a devil. He¡¯s a master at seducing women. If you fall for him, then you¡¯re screwed!¡± Deanna hurriedly pulled Raeleigh out of her daze.

    In fact, Raeleigh wasn¡¯t doing anything. She was just looking at Santiago.

    Although Santiago was tall, Raeleigh could tell that he was rtively young.

    ¡°Nonsense, why did you call me a devil? I¡¯m an angel!¡± Santiago immediately said, after being awakened. He nced unhappily at Deanna before turning to Raeleigh and said, ¡°I¡¯m an angel!¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and did not know how to react.

    She had never seen anyone as self-righteous as him.

    ¡°Shame on you!¡± Deanna said as she turned her face away. The group of people around her hated Deanna. If it weren¡¯t for Zorion, then she would have been in trouble.

    At that time, Raeleigh did not care about anything else. The atmosphere was a little weird. It seemed like everyone was looking at them.

    Raeleigh gathered her things, and she then stood up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll excuse myself for a moment,¡± Raeleigh said and immediately left the room.

    Santiago stood up as well and wanted to make a beeline for the exit, in search of Raeleigh. Petite and beautiful, he found her to be very interesting.

    Just as he was about to leave, he was pulled aside to take a seat next to Zorion. Zorion stood up and nced at him with contempt. He said, ¡°Sit down.¡±

    Santiago raised his head to look at Zorion. He stared at Zorion and said, ¡°Pfft!¡±

    After Zorion left, Santiago looked at the person next to him. Santiago extended his hand and said, ¡°Hi, my name is Santiago Richards.¡±

    Flynt lowered his head to look at the hand in front of him. Then, he said, ¡°Flynt Moore.¡±

    Flynt raised his hand to shake Santiago¡¯s hand. Santiago withdrew his hand and smiled devilishly, ¡°I was just teasing you!¡±

    Flynt¡¯s expression froze. He gave a sarcastic smile and withdrew his extended hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± With that, he stood up and left. Santiago watched as he walked out the door and smiled even more wickedly.

    Raeleigh came out of the ssroom and found a ce to sit down. It tookZoriona long time before he found her. He took a seat right next to her.

    Raeleigh cast a nce at him and asked, ¡°Who was that guy?¡±

    ¡°Santiago Richards,¡± Zorion answered directly, not wanting to hide the truth. Raeleigh froze for a moment before she said, ¡°Is he Jepherson¡¯s younger brother?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s him.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded as if she knew it all along.

    ¡°He meant no harm,¡± Zorion exined.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡­

    They were quiet for a while, and then the ss bell rang. Zorion stood up and said, ¡°Are you heading back to ss?¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and said, ¡°Not yet, you can go ahead. I want to sit here for a little while longer.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll apany you then.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±

    Even if Raeleigh said that there was no need for him to remain with her, he insisted on apanying her. He sat with her until lunchtime.

    At noon, everyone went to have lunch. Raeleigh also got up and followed Zorion to the cafeteria. However, when they arrived, they found out that Santiago had reserved the private dining room. In fact, he had reserved it for the entire year.

    Raeleigh followed Zorion into the cafeteria. Before she could take a seat, she heard Santiago shouting, ¡°Hey, Raeleigh, my sister-inw! Come and sit with me!¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent for a moment!

    Sister-inw?!

    She quickly looked at Deanna. Deanna then exined to her, ¡°Raeleigh, Santiago is younger than my brother. He¡¯s just a little anxious.¡±

    Deanna blinked but Santiago paid no attention to her. He immediately pulled out a chair for Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh felt embarrassed. She stood aside and said nothing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him. Just sit anywhere you like.¡± Zorion looked at Santiago sternly, giving him a warning. Santiago knocked on the table and asked, ¡°Won¡¯t you let me eat?¡±

    ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re talking to?¡±

    Just as everyone was about to eat, they saw a person entering the cafeteria. Raeleigh turned around to have a look. She was met with Jepherson, along with Stuart, who was walking behind him.

    ¡°Miss Anson.¡± Stuart greeted Raeleigh as soon as they arrived at her table. However, Raeleigh did not answer.

    Jepherson turned around and nced at Raeleigh. Then, he swept his eyes across the entire room. Deanna immediately stood up.

    ¡°Jepherson?¡±

    Santiago raised his eyebrows and nced at Jepherson. He then poured himself a ss of water and sat down to drink it.

    Jepherson walked over to the table and sat down. He nced at the empty seat beside him and said, ¡°Miss Anson, you can sit here.¡±

    Raeleigh did not move. If she could not sit with Santiago,then that meant that she could not sit with Jepherson too, right?

    At the thought of this, Raeleigh walked around the table and chose a seat right next to Scarlette.

    Deanna said, ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you sit opposite of him. I will not say anything.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile on her face and did not speak. Scarlette wasoverwhelmed by the people teasing Raeleigh. Wasn¡¯t this considered bullying?

    Everyone seemed to be bullying Raeleigh.

    Scarlette lowered her head and tried her best not to look up.

    Zorion could only sit next to his sister. At that time, there was an empty seat on Santiago¡¯s other side. Raeleigh motioned for Scarlette to take a seat. Deanna was seated between Jepherson and Zorion.

    Raeleigh wore a poker face and ate calmly. Then, she lowered her head and remained quiet the entire time.

    ¡°Miss Anson, don¡¯t you like fish?¡± Jepherson gave some fish to Raeleigh. He suddenly lost his appetite when he saw her eating sd.

    Santiago rotated thezy susan and personally scooped some fish into Raeleigh¡¯s te. Then, he rotated thezy susan again.

    ¡°It¡¯s not dirty. I changed my utensils,¡± Santiago said as he peeled the shrimp. Once he was done, he ced it on Raeleigh¡¯s te.

    Scarlette initially assumed that he was peeling the shrimp for her.

    Raeleigh did not eat much throughout the entire lunch. She just ate some food here and there. She genuinely did not feel like eating when she was faced with these four people.

    After having some food, Raeleigh then excused herself and made her way to the restroom. When Scarlette saw her leaving, she quickly got up and chased after Raeleigh. She immediately locked the door when she entered.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    Raeleigh washed her hands and looked at Scarlette through the mirror. Her face was full of anger. ¡°What are you afraid of? Why don¡¯t you tell Deanna?¡±

    Raeleigh blew her hands dry after she finished washing them. Then, she said calmly, ¡°Deanna is innocent.¡±

    ¡°She is innocent and you are silly. Do you know that?¡± Scarlette was furious. Raeleigh stared at her and did not say a word until they heard a knock on the door. It was Deanna. She asked, ¡°Why did you lock the door? What are you two talking about?¡±

    Deanna kept pounding on the door. Raeleigh had no choice but to unlock the door and exit the restroom.

    As soon as she stepped out of the door, Jepherson came into sight. She had no choice but to turn a blind eye and retreated back into the restroom.

 Chapter 961 Evil Intentions

    After Deanna was done with her lunch, she immediately went over to Jepherson¡¯s side and held his arm. However, Jepherson did not refuse her. Instead, he raised his hand to touch her head.

    Scarlette was so upset that she wanted to leave the scene. She was on the verge of a breakdown. She did not know whose side she was on, whether it was Jepherson¡¯s or Raeleigh¡¯s.

    She just knew that Raeleigh was as dumb as a rock.

    Raeleigh came out from the cafeteria. Scarlette was standing right next to her, talking her ears off. Raeleigh lowered her head, not paying much attention to what Scarlette was saying. She couldn¡¯t do anything about Jepherson and Deanna.

    To put it bluntly, Jepherson needed to be with someone of equal standing. As for a person like her, who was a nobody, she wasn¡¯t worthy of Jepherson¡¯s affections.

    ¡°Raeleigh, do you want toe and hang out with us?¡± Deanna called her from behind. Raeleigh walked to a tree, and she then turned around to look at her. She shook her head and said, ¡°No, thanks. I want to go back and have a rest. I have a couple of sses to attend in the afternoon. You guys can go ahead.¡±

    Deanna looked at her brother and said, ¡°Zorion, why don¡¯t you apany Raeleigh? We¡¯ll bring Scarlette and Santiago along with us.¡±

    The person that Denna was most worried about was Santiago. With Santiago¡¯s presence, the women of this world would all be led astray by him.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to pass. I want to hang around the campus,¡± Santiago said as he smirked. He nced at Zorion, who was standing next to Raeleigh, then at Jepherson, who was standing next to Deanna.

    Santiago then turned around and reached out his hand to Raeleigh as he said, ¡°Come with me, I want to take you to a ce.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago¡¯s hand and remained rooted to her spot. She then reached out for Scarlette¡¯s hand and made her way towards the dormitory.

    Everyone was looking at Raeleigh while Scarlette was looking back at the others as she walked away. After a while, Scarlette turned around.

    Raeleigh said to her, ¡°I¡¯ll take you out in the afternoon. I need to win some money, so that I can buy things for my grandmother.¡±

    Scarlette was impressed with Raeleigh¡¯s attitude. Her boyfriend had been taken away by someone else, yet she still had the mood to y games. Besides, she usually would only spend 100 dors to y a game. To Scarlette, this amount of money did not make a difference.

    After Raeleigh left, Deanna let go of her hold on Jepherson and walked towards Santiago. She raised her head and said to him, ¡°Don¡¯t try to hit on Raeleigh. She belongs to Zorion.¡±

    ¡°Zorion?¡± Santiago raised an eyebrow, and he then said, ¡°No way, I think she belongs to Jepherson.¡±

    Deanna was stunned. Santiago looked at Deanna and Jepherson, and said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Enjoy yourselves.¡±

    Santiago turned around and made his way towards Raeleigh¡¯s dorm, whistling as he walked.

    Deanna shouted from behind, ¡°Shame on you!¡±

    Santiago turned around and looked at Deanna. He threw her a flirtatious nce, and Deanna stomped her foot in anger.

    Zorion and Jepherson, however, were speechless.

    Zorion and Jepherson realized that they were not as open-minded as Santiago. They were basically iparable to a teenager.

    Raeleigh immediately sat down after entering her room. She took out herptop and quicklyunched the game.

    ¡°Raeleigh, do you really n on letting Deanna have Jepherson?¡± Scarlette asked anxiously as she sat opposite Raeleigh. She looked more anxious than Raeleigh herself.

    Raeleigh lowered her head, her eyes fixed on theptop screen as she logged into the game server, ready to find treasure chests.

    Before she could start ying, she heard a knock on the door. It was Santiago.

    Raeleigh raised her head and realized that Santiago was already in the room.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. She did not expect that Santiago would invite himself in without permission.

    Raeleigh cast a nce at Scarlette and it was only then that Scarlette remembered that she had forgotten to lock the door.

    ¡°I remember locking the door after I came in,¡± Scarlette lied.

    Raeleigh did not say anything. She just looked at Santiago as he walked over to her side. He looked down at herptop and realized that she hadunched Fairy Tales. So, he sat by her side casually and observed her ying style. Then, he reached over and put his fingers on the keyboard, quickly entering the game.

    Raeleigh was a little surprised with his ying style as he swiftlypleted the mission.

    She raised her head and stared at Santiago, who was focused on the game. He did not even need to use a mouse. He was able to move very efficiently in the game, and he was basically invincible.

    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Santiago asked Raeleigh. Raeleigh said after a while, ¡°I want to find a treasure chest worth 100 dors.¡±

    The corners of Santiago¡¯s lips twitched. He asked, ¡°100 dors? That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Santiago slowly turned around to look at Raeleigh, and said, ¡°Interesting!¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and said nothing. Santiago shifted his focus back to the game. Meanwhile, Scarlette slowly got onto her feet and walked over to the other side of Raeleigh. She watched as Santiago moved through the game with her eyes wide open.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    She pointed at Raeleigh¡¯s health bar as well as the coins that were slowly multiplying.¡°Look! You¡¯re rich!¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. After all, being rich wasn¡¯t everything.

    Raeleigh used to think that she was not greedy. However, she suddenly realized that it was not that she was not greedy. Instead, she did not know how to grab hold of an opportunity.

    But then again, she would not refuse money.

    For a moment, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t utter a word as she looked at Santiago¡¯shandsomeprofile.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    The edges of Santiago¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°Arsel.¡±

    Raeleigh was looking at him when he turned around. However, since they were seated very close to each other, he almost rubbed his nose on Raeleigh¡¯s.

    Santiago burst intoughter. Hisughter was extremely clear and melodious. He was genuinely very handsome.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Santiago. She could not believe that there was such an attractive guy in this world!

    Santiago turned his face away and took a screenshot of the game. Then, he withdrew from the game and sold all the items in the treasure chest. Suddenly, Raeleigh¡¯s phone rang. She looked down and realized that tens of thousands of dors had been deposited into her ount.

    Scarlette snatched Raeleigh¡¯s phone away and screamed happily when she saw her ount.

    Raeleigh looked at Scarlette and said, ¡°That¡¯s mine.¡±

    Scarlette suddenly quietened down. She felt as if someone had poured cold water on her. Her excitement vanished within seconds.

    Santiago was looking at Raeleigh on one side. Scarlette then handed Raeleigh¡¯s phone back to her.

    ¡°Santiago, why don¡¯t you help me as well?¡± Scarlette said as she fawned over Santiago. He smiled delightfully and said, ¡°If you give me a kiss, then I will help you.¡±

    Scarlette¡¯s face flushed, but she quietly calmed down. She said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Forget it then.¡± Santiago continued to look at Raeleigh and smiled more proudly. Raeleigh looked at him. She had no idea why she was not fond of Zorion¡¯s or Jepherson¡¯s character. Instead, she was fond of Santiago¡¯s.

    Raeleigh found it very strange.

    Scarlette watched them for a while before she brought Raeleigh back to her senses.

    Raeleigh turned around to look at Scarlette and said, ¡°Santiago is famous for seducing women. Do not give in to your temptations, Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette, I¡¯ve always treated you well. What are you on about?¡± Santiago came to Raeleigh¡¯s side and said casually. Scarlette could not afford to offend Santiago, so she lowered her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Can you please go and get us some popsicles? I feel like having some popsicles,¡± Santiago casually ordered her. Scarlette was a little reluctant to go out because she was worried about Raeleigh.

    ¡°Santiago, it¡¯s not the right time to eat popsicles now. Besides, by the time Ie back, it¡¯ll have melted. Why don¡¯t you apany me? That way, you¡¯ll be able to eat it before it melts.¡±

    Santiago immediately took off his shoes and asked, ¡°Are you really not going to get me my popsicles?¡±

    She looked at Santiago¡¯s shoes and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re rebelling against my orders?¡± Santiago raised his brows. Scarlette could tell that Santiago was here to cause trouble for her.

    She looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t youe along with me?¡±

    Raeleigh was about to stand up when Santiago raised his foot and put it on her leg. She lowered her head to look at his leg. He then looked at Scarlette and said, ¡°Scarlette, are you ying games with me?¡±

    Scarlette was so scared that she bolted out of the door towards the direction of the stores to get Santiago the popsicles he wanted.

    After Scarlette left, Santiago removed his leg from Raeleigh¡¯s, ced them at the foot of her bed andy down.

    He tucked his hands underneath his head and closed his eyes. He then said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll catch a cold. Can you cover me with a quilt?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago. After thinking for a while, she put down herptop and covered him with a quilt. Santiago noddedfortably and said, ¡°If you¡¯re good to me, then I will be good to you too.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s hand, which was pulling the quilt, paused for a moment. She looked at Santiago¡¯s calm but extremely handsome face. Santiago slowly opened his eyes.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you don¡¯t recognize me?¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh froze for a moment before removing her hands. She looked at Santiago and sat herself aside nkly. He smiled happily.

    He put down his hand, patted himself and said, ¡°People must learn to be more assertive.¡±

    Raeleigh did not understand. She stared at Santiago. Santiago said, ¡°I¡¯m a little sleepy. When Scarlette gets back, tell her not to talk too loudly. I don¡¯t like her because she¡¯s very talkative. When she was younger, I told Alvin that she shouldn¡¯t be called Scarlette. Instead, she should be called by other names. Clearly, Alvin did not listen to me.¡±

    With that, Santiago¡¯s breathing became steadier. It wasn¡¯t long before he fell asleep.

    Raeleigh was shocked by him.

    Raeleigh watched him sleep for a moment before she turned around and sat on the bed in a daze. She looked at him and could not believe that he was the man who had threatened her earlier that day.

    She thought it would be an old man. She did not expect it to be him.

    But why did he do that?

    When Scarlette came back,Raeleigh was thinking about this question over and over again. Scarlettebreathed a sigh of relief whenshe entered the door and saw Santiago fast asleep. She handed Raeleigh a popsicle and said, ¡°Here, have one.¡±

    Raeleigh broke the popsicle into two and handed the other half to Scarlette. The two of them began to eat the popsicle. Raeleigh then proceeded to ask a few questions about Santiago.

    Only then did she learn of Santiago¡¯s incident.

    In Scarlette¡¯s own words, Santiago was good at everything, but he did not always carry good intentions.

    Scarlette wrote the words on Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Raeleigh raised her head slowly to look at her. It seemed that Santiago was particrly unpopr among his friends!

    Otherwise, why would Scarlette hate him too?

    Raeleigh wiped her hands. After finishing her popsicle, she lowered her head and looked at the tens of thousands of dors in her ount. Then, she looked over at Santiago. What kind of person was he?

    Scarlette was very anxious as she thought to herself, ¡°Why does she keep looking at Santiago when she has Jepherson to gawk at?¡±

 Chapter 962 Buy Them Dinner

    By the time Santiago woke up, it was already dark outside. He opened his eyes and remained on the bed for a while. He flipped over to find that Raeleigh was sleeping on Deanna¡¯s bed. Scarlette was a little worried, so she kept an eye on them from her bed.

    To Scarlette, Santiago was a devil, a devil who liked to order people around to do his bidding.

    Scarlette rarely got annoyed at people ever since she was young, but she was annoyed with Santiago.

    When she realized that Santigo was finally awake, she hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten the popsicle that you asked me to buy. If you like, I can go out and get you some.¡±

    Santiago looked out of the window and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯ll bring youdies out for dinnerter.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already dark outside. Isn¡¯t it a littlete for us to go out for dinner?¡± Scarlette was a little worried. Jepherson still had not called to check up on them, so she did not know what to do.

    But then again, Scarlette did not dare to wake Santiago up.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not toote,¡± Santiago said as hey on the bed. Soon, Raeleigh began to stir and wake up.

    When Santiago realized that Raeleigh was awake, only then did he sit up on the bed.

    ¡°Raeleigh, get up. Let¡¯s go out and have dinner.¡± Santiago stood up from the bed and walked straight to the door.

    Raeleigh said to Scarlette, ¡°I think I will pass. You guys can go ahead without me.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, you¡¯d bettere with us. There is nothing that Santiago can¡¯t do. If he wants to cause trouble, then I¡¯m sure he will kill you.¡±

    Scarlette was afraid of Santiago. She was like a mouse confronted with a cat. She was instinctively afraid of him, afraid to the bones.

    After thinking for a while, Raeleigh got up from the bed, put on her clothes, and walked out the door with Scarlette.

    There was no one at the door. Raeleigh looked around and was pulled away by Scarlette. She exined, ¡°There are so many people here. Santiago prefers quiet ces. Let¡¯s go out and take a look.¡±

    Surely enough, Santiago was waitingoutside the dormitory building.He was looking up at the sky with his hands in his pockets. Under the moonlight, Santiago did not seem human at all.

    His shirt was worn casually. His stance was very rxed, and his overall appearance made it seem like he was some sort of gangster.

    Raeleigh cast a nce at Scarlette. Jepherson had a noble and elegant appearance. Why was Santiago the total opposite of him? Why did he look like a wicked man?

    Scarlette dragged Raeleigh to face Santiago. Santiago briefly looked at both of them, and they then walked towards the direction of the university entrance.

    The dormitory was located quite a distance away from the main entrance. It took them half an hour to get there.

    While they were walking, Raeleigh suddenly received a phone call from Jepherson. She trailed behind Scarlette and Santiago while talking on the phone.

    As they made their way to the entrance, they would asionally bump into some of the ssmates. They were surprised to see Raeleigh with such a handsome man like Santiago.

    Once they exited the campus, Santiago stood there for a while. There wasn¡¯t any car nor anyone around.

    He looked at the time. Then, when he saw a taxi driving towards their direction, he casually hailed the taxi over. He opened the back door, looked at Raeleigh, and said, ¡°Get in.¡±

    Raeleigh ended the call and got into the car. She thought she would be sitting in the back with Scarlette. However, Santiago got in the back with her while Scarlette sat in front.

    The taxi driver then started the car and made his way to the destination that Santiago had mentioned. Once they arrived at the ce, they got out of the car and made their way into the restaurant.

    When they entered the door, people started fawning over Santiago. They could not believe that such an attractive man actually existed in this world.

    Was he human?

    The manager was also shocked when he saw Santiago. He hurriedly led them inside.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Hi, this is my girlfriend.¡± Santiago raised his chin and pointed at Raeleigh. The manager looked at Raeleigh carefully and greeted her, ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything and just remained still. As soon as they arrived at their table, Santiago pulled out a chair and said, ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Raeleigh sat down and motioned for Scarlette to sit beside her. Her status was exposed at once.

    ¡°I want something light,¡± Santiago said, looking at the manager.Santiago was sitting close to Raeleigh, crossing his legs. The manager immediately agreed, turned around, and went to give out orders. That night, he personally served them.

    ¡°You look a little weak. You should eat more nutritious food,¡± Santiago said as he scooped some food over to her te. The manager lowered his head slightly and didn¡¯t dare to watch them.

    It was said that Mr. Santiago was a yboy. However, he had never been spotted with a woman before. Raeleigh seemed like an ordinary woman, yet she managed to capture his heart.

    Raeleigh lowered her head.Then, she looked up at Santiago and said, ¡°I can manage on my own.¡±

    Santiago did not say a word and just ate his food.

    They sat inside the luxurious private room. As Santiago was eating, he had his head lowered, but his aura was strong enough to overwhelm anyone.

    The manager felt his blood pressure rising. He did not even dare to look at Santiago.

    After eating, Santiago asked the manager, ¡°Do you have any special desserts?¡±

    ¡°Yes, all kinds. Each one is unique in its own way. We have a few newer ones too,¡± the manager answered in haste.

    ¡°Please give me two of your desserts then.¡±

    Santiago picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. He poured himself a ss of orange juice and took a sip. Then, he stood up and walked to the window, stretching his waist.

    The manager left the room to prepare the desserts. When he came back, Santiago handed the desserts to Raeleigh and Scarlette each. Once they were done, he paid the bill, and they left the restaurant.

    The manager walked them all the way to the door and watched them get into the car.

    When their taxi had finally left, the manager raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He was genuinely frightened of Santiago.

    Thankfully, he was gone!

    Back in the taxi, Santiago¡¯s eyes were half-closed as if he was asleep. Raeleigh quietly observed Santiago. She looked as if she was in a daze.

    Scarlette then gently coughed a little.

    Santiago¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Scarlette, do you want me to throw you out of the car?¡± Scarlette immediately turned around and lowered her head, not daring to speak.

    The taxi driver dropped them off at the entrance of the university. Before getting out of the car, Santiago instructed Scarlette, ¡°Pay the driver.¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    She did not dare to protest and obediently handed the money over to the taxi driver. She got out of the car and looked at her wallet. With this, she was broke for the month.

    Santiago walked ahead, followed by Raeleigh. After walking for a while, he turned around to look at Raeleigh.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you walk?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s unhurried attitude amused Santiago. He thought to himself, ¡°What was so good about her? What did Zorion and Jepherson liked about her?¡±

    However, there was one thing he found interesting.

    It was that she did not do anything against her conscience for her grandmother¡¯s sake.

    Santiago waited for Raeleigh as she approached him. Then, he turned around and began walking side by side with Raeleigh.

    ¡°How¡¯s your grandmother doing?¡± He did not know what to say. Perhaps, he just wanted to strike up a conversation.

    Raeleigh nced at Santiago and said, ¡°She¡¯s doing pretty well.¡±

    ¡°In the future, if you need help, then do not hesitate to tell me. I¡¯m sure no one will dare to do anything to you when I¡¯m around,¡± Santiago said. Raeleigh stopped walking for a moment. Due to their height difference, Raeleigh had to look up at Santiago.

    Santiago stopped and turned around to look at Raeleigh. He said, ¡°There has to be a reason why my brother likes you. Even though I might not understand why, apart from being ignorant, I don¡¯t see how you stand out from the other girls. However, being ignorant can also be considered as noble, right?¡±

    ¡°Is this apliment?¡± Raeleigh¡¯s small face was full of anger. How can Santiago speak this way about her?

    ¡°What else?¡±

    Santiago smiled. Then, he continued walking Raeleigh and Scarlette to their dormitory building. Once they arrived, he stopped, looked at Raeleigh, and said, ¡°Alright, off you go. I have something else to do.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Scarlette and made her way up to their dormitory. Scarlette looked as if she had been granted a special pardon and hurriedly followed Raeleigh into the room.

    Santiago had been watching the entire time. When they entered their room, he turned around and swept his eyes across his surroundings. The corner of his mouth lifted as he walked away.

    Flynt, who was hiding behind a tree, came out and watched as Santiago walked away.

 Chapter 963 Santiagoâ€™s Arrogance

    Raeleigh received a call from Jepherson the next day. He told her that he was waiting for her outside.

    Raeleigh walked straight to Jepherson¡¯s car when she saw it. Stuart opened the car door and asked her to get in. Raeleigh stood there for a while and said, ¡°Come and pick me up at six in the evening.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, she turned around and made her way back to ss. Jepherson did not leave until Raeleigh was safely within the campus.

    During ss, Deanna would asionally look at Raeleigh from time to time.

    Santiago was then seated beside Raeleigh. He basically just added a table right beside hers. In order to ease Santiago into the ss, the lecturer deliberately transferred one of the students to another ss.

    The teacher also felt that she had climbed up in status then.

    Most of the notable and influential students in Elkton University were all in her ss and she was very proud of that.

    A few ssester, Raeleigh decided to follow Deanna and the rest to have lunch. Wherever Santiago went, he would always choose to sit beside Raeleigh. It was as if he was her boyfriend.

    ¡°Santiago, don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re handsome, you can sit beside Raeleigh. Let me tell you this, Raeleigh belongs to my brother,¡± Deanna said while eating.

    ¡°Let me tell you something, Raeleigh belongs to my brother.¡± Santiago had been like this since he was a child. He was not the kind of person who would give in to anything.

    That was why when Santiago said this, Deanna was so angry that her face turned red. She did not think much about the meaning behind Santiago¡¯s words.

    ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t listen to him.¡± Deanna pulled a chair and sat between Raeleigh and Santiago.

    Santiago did not say anything else. He still managed to take the food and put it on Raeleigh¡¯s te while they were eating.

    ¡°Raeleigh, say something. You can turn him down,¡± Deanna said angrily.

    Scarlette, who was sitting opposite of them, lowered her head, not daring to say a word.

    Zorion, too, kept his head down and remained silent as he ate.

    ¡°Zorion¡­¡±

    Deanna called out to her brother anxiously. Zorion then said, ¡°I¡¯m sure Raeleigh knows what to do. Why don¡¯t youe over and join me?¡±

    Deanna was extremely reluctant, but she got up and went back to her seat anyway.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    Her face was sulky.

    After lunch, Raeleigh then made her way back to ss. While walking, Deanna wrapped an arm around hers and began telling her about all the bad things that Santiago had done when he was younger. She remembered them very clearly.

    Santiago was walking with Zorion. The two of them did not say a word.

    It was not until there was a distance between them and the girls that Zorion asked, ¡°Tell me, why did you decide toe back all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°Ipleted my studies ahead of schedule. So, I thought, why don¡¯t Ie back and find myself a wife?¡± Zorion had nothing to say to Santiago¡¯s answer.

    After walking for a while, Santiagoughed and said, ¡°My brother has always given in to you when we were younger, so why don¡¯t you return the favour now?¡±

    Zorion stopped and turned to look at Santiago. He said, ¡°You¡¯re still young. You won¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that much younger than you.¡± Santiago stopped in his tracks, his eyes sweeping Zorion from head to toe. His eyes briefly stopped at certain ces before meeting Zorion¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, I¡¯m like two years younger than you.¡±

    ¡°Are you looking for trouble?¡± Zorion¡¯s face suddenly sank. Santiago turned his head and continued walking. As he walked, he said, ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you not to get in the way of my brother and Raeleigh. He might not care, but I do!¡±

    Santiago took a step forward and walked over to face him. Zorion ignored him from behind.

    The group entered the lecture hall together and continued on with sses.

    Raeleigh left ss earlier and waited at the entrance at six o¡¯clock.

    When Jepherson saw Raeleigh, he motioned for the driver to drive up to the entrance. Stuart then hurriedly got out of the car to open the door. After Raeleigh got into the car, he gently closed the door, and the car sped off.

    After the car left, Flynt came out of his hiding spot and watched as the car disappeared into the distance.

    ¡°Flynt, I heard that your grandfather is dead?¡± Santiago was like a ghost, haunting him. Wherever he went, Flynt could hear him.

    When Flynt heardsomeone talking behind him, he quickly turned around and was met with Santiago. He was not surprised. He just smiled casually and said, ¡°Although this school belongs to the Richards family, no one said that the Moore family is not allowed to attend sses here. Also, stop showing up behind people¡¯s backs. What if you scared someone to death?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very funny. You¡¯re one to talk. You¡¯re following Raeleigh. I¡¯m just here to protect her. How is it that I¡¯ve scared you? If you¡¯re so easily frightened, then it must be because you¡¯ve done something wrong.¡±

    Santiago walked up to Flynt and stopped in front of him with a face full of provocation.

    ¡°Why does Jepherson have a brother like you?¡±

    ¡°Why does the Moore family have a b*stard like you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true how young people often have less fear. I don¡¯t want to waste my time arguing with you. The person I¡¯m looking for is your brother.¡±

    Just as Flynt was about to leave, Santiago inserted both of his hands into his pockets and said, ¡°I¡¯m warning you, do not mess with the Richards family. You ought to stop whatever ns you have, or you will be sorry.¡±

    Flynt stopped and turned to look at Santiago, who had his back against him, and said, ¡°Even Jepherson would not dare to say this to me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that he wouldn¡¯t dare to, but he just does not want to stoop to your level. I am different. I¡¯m young and reckless. I¡¯m willing to face whoever dares to provoke me. If people don¡¯t listen to me, then I¡¯ll deal with them immediately. It¡¯s that simple.¡±

    Santiago turned around and smiled enchantingly. ¡°If you refuse to listen, then I will not hesitate to deal with you either.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too arrogant. It¡¯s no wonder you don¡¯t have a share of the Richards family inheritance. If I were Hansen, then I wouldn¡¯t even give you a single cent.¡±

    ¡°At least he¡¯s better than your father, who has many wives and mistresses. I heard you have a lot of brothers and sisters. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re not easy to deal with. It must be tough fighting with them all day.¡±

    ¡°Santiago, don¡¯t go too far. I¡¯m sure one day you¡¯ll be sorry.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense.¡±

    ¡­

    A gust of wind blew across Santiago¡¯s face. Santiago¡¯s face was full of amusement. Flynt, on the other hand, was very agitated, so much so that his body began trembling.

    ¡°You will regret it.¡± Flynt turned around and walked away upon finishing his words.

    ¡°Why did you have to provoke him?¡± Zorion asked Santiago as he came out from his hiding spot after Flynt left.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Santiago asked, raising his eyebrows. Zorion did not reply.

    The two of them looked at each other and they then returned to the apartment together.

    ¡°Please stop the car up ahead,¡± Raeleigh said, sitting in the car for a while. Then, Jepherson turned to him and said, ¡°Stuart.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Young Master.¡±

    Then, the driver pulled over at the side of the road. After that, Stuart and the driver both got out of the car. It suddenly became very quiet in the car. Raeleigh was staring at Jepherson¡¯s handsome face.

    For a moment, her heart trembled. It seemed that she did not want to part with him. However, she felt that their rtionship was too messy and it was best to make things clear before it was toote.

    It would be beneficial to both of them.

 Chapter 964 He Knows Everything

    After a moment of silence, Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it. I don¡¯t think we are suited for each other, so let¡¯s break up.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your reason for breaking up?¡± Jepherson asked. He was not angry. Raeleigh turned to look at him. Jepherson reached over to take her hand, saying, ¡°Please do not give up on us right now.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just notpatible.¡±

    ¡°Give me another reason. If you can convince me, then I¡¯ll consider ending our rtionship. However, if you can¡¯t, then I will not ept us not beingpatible as a reason for breaking up.¡± Jepherson said as he stroked Raeleigh¡¯s hand. She pursed her lips for a long time before she said, ¡°I do not want Deanna to have a misunderstanding over this matter. She¡¯s too naive. If she finds out, then I doubt she would be able to take it.¡±

    ¡°Then, you just assume I can take it? I like what I like. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Jepherson¡¯s face fell. Raeleigh did not know what to say. She had a feeling that she would not be able to convince Jepherson.

    If Jepherson was the type of person who wanted to give up or was willing to give up, then she would not need to waste so much time convincing him.

    Raeleigh felt restless for a while and had to say, ¡°I feel that you should not force yourself to be with me. I just can¡¯t seem to ept your family, your identity, your talent, and even your temper. Our rtionship started out as a misunderstanding. You just wanted something new and so happened to enjoy hanging out with me. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get bored of me sooner orter and would just dump me. But I can¡¯t ept this kind of ending.¡±

    Raeleigh started rambling. Jepherson had never heard her say so many words at one go, ever.

    His expression was indifferent as he digested the words that Raeleigh had just said.

    Finally, he summed up her words into one word, excuses.

    Jepherson sighed softly and said, ¡°If you really think we¡¯re not suited for each other, then why don¡¯t we take a break from each other? Once you think it through, then you can give me an answer.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s state of mind was very calm. This was something that he had long thought of.

    Deanna was very naive and simple-minded. If Jepherson could not bear to hurt her, then neither could Raeleigh.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    He could only wait for Deanna to sort it out, it would be an amicable split. What was more, Jepherson had another thing to do then, which was to protect Raeleigh.

    Flynt¡¯s appearance was by no means idental. If it was not idental, then what was his purpose?

    Raeleigh thought for a while and said, ¡°If my answer remains the same after a few days, then would you agree to break up with me?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve thought it through, if deep down, you¡¯re no longer in love with me and truly have no feelings for me, then I promise you, I will end our rtionship,¡± Jepherson said calmly. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t see through his mind. However, she had never seen two brothers who were the total opposite of each other. One was down to earth, while the other wasmboyant.

    However, since Jepherson promised her, then it meant that she could leave him.

    Raeleigh wore a faint smile on her face and she then said, ¡°Then, do you mind sending me back to the university?¡±

    ¡°You want to go back now?¡± Jepherson hesitated. He leaned to one side and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t had dinner yet.¡±

    Raeleigh, too, hadn¡¯t had dinner yet. However, she was left speechless when she realized how quickly Jepherson could change the topic.

    Jepherson then rolled down the window and asked Stuart and the driver, ¡°Are there any restaurants nearby?¡±

    Stuart and the driver immediately got into the car and drove Jepherson to the nearest restaurant. When they pulled into the restaurant, Raeleigh was surprised to find that she was at the same restaurant where Santiago had brought her and Scarlette the day before.

    They got out of the car and Jepherson walked ahead. The manager was stunned to see Raeleigh since she hade with Santiago a day ago and that day, she was with Jepherson.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡± The manager hurried forward to greet him. Jepherson said, ¡°Santiago was causing trouble yesterday when he brought Raeleigh over yesterday. Are you aware of it?¡±

    Causing trouble?

    The manager immediately understood his words and said, ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson. You can rest assured.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten yet. Can you arrange a table for us?¡± Jepherson turned around and looked at Raeleigh. He strode inside. He even knew which private room they had used a day ago.

    The manager sweated and motioned for Raeleigh to follow.

    Raeleigh followed him to the private room. She had no idea why Jepherson had brought her here that day. What was he trying to say?

    Did he want to tell her that he had been watching her?

    Once they entered the room, Jepherson pulled out a chair and looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh stood at the door for a while and finally went over to sit down.

    Did he want to tell her that he knew Santiago had done the same thing too?

    Maybe it was Scarlette who told him? How could she forget that Scarlette was with them the previous night?

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, would you like to order what Mr. Santiago had orderedst night?¡± The manager could see through Jepherson¡¯s intentions. He could tell that Raeleigh was actually Jepherson¡¯s girlfriend and not Santiago¡¯s.

    Jepherson looked up at the manager for a while and asked Raeleigh, ¡°What would you like to eat?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s order the same as yesterday¡¯s.¡±

    Since he already asked, then she had nothing to hide. The only thing she was afraid of right then was that Scarlette had told him what she and Santiago had talked about the previous night.

    ¡°You got that?¡± Jepherson asked the manager. The manager immediately agreed. ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson. Please wait for a moment while I put in your order.¡±

    The manager immediately turned around and went out. He immediately sent the order into the kitchen. It was not long before he re-entered the private room along with a waiter to bring them their food.

    It was a rule that Stuart was to stand outside.

    Jepherson looked at the dishes and raised his head to ask the manager, ¡°Do you have pumpkin soup?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we do.¡±

    ¡°Can you please get me a bowl? I¡¯m afraid Raeleigh is not feeling well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and get it right away.¡±

    ¡°Ok, don¡¯te in if there¡¯s nothing else.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡­

    After the manager left, Raeleigh picked up her fork and started to eat. She looked at the amount of food on the table and realized that she could not stomach this food. How were they supposed to finish all this food on the table?

    How did they manage to finish this food the day before?

    She took a bite of a piece of vegetable and took a sip of water. Then, she quietly sat and ate her food.

    She had always felt that Jepherson had no temper. In fact, he hid it very well.

    Jepherson did have a temper, it was just that he had not reached his boiling point. Just like this matter for example, he did not tell her out loud that he knew that Santiago had brought her here the previous night. Instead, he had to bring her here on purpose to show her that he knew everything.

    After the meal, Raeleigh ordered dessert as usual. When they exited the restaurant, there was a gentle breeze. Jepherson took off his coat and draped it around her shoulders. Then, he took away the dessert in her hand and held her hand, as they took a stroll along the riverside.

    Neither of them uttered a word as they quietly watched the flowing of the gentle river. They walked from one end of the river to the other.

    An hourter, Raeleigh felt a little tired. Jepherson bent down and gathered her in his arms. Then, he turned back around and made his way back to the car.

    Raeleigh did not protest. Instead, she blushed a little.

    If Jepherson had done this at the beginning of the walk, then she would have definitely protested and struggled to break free.

    However, Raeleigh was tired then. She was at a loss at what to do.

    He had held her hand for more than an hour as they walked along the riverside. It was a little toote for her to protest, wasn¡¯t it?

    After getting into the car, Raeleigh decided to focus on the scenery outside the window. She was wondering what they would look like many yearster when she looked back.

    When a car passed by, Raeleigh saw a person whom she had met a few times. That person was Xanthus!

 Chapter 965 Old Friend

    Raeleigh saw Xanthus standing in front of an old restaurant with a paper in his hand. It was as if he wasparing something to the paper.

    Raeleigh wondered what Xanthus was doing here.

    Raeleigh looked around and was a little surprised when she realized that this ce used to be an orphanage.

    Raeleigh turned her face and kept her eyes on Xanthus. He left after a while.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Jepherson lowered his head to look outside the window. Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°Nothing. I was just fascinated by the buildings.¡±

    Raeleigh said somewhat awkwardly.

    Xanthus said that his sister was lost, but she always felt that Xanthus¡¯s words were not as simple as they sounded.

    If his younger sister was lost, then why didn¡¯t they put up a missing person¡¯s notice like what her grandmother had said?

    Why did hepersonally have to find her on his own?

    Raeleigh lowered her head with her eyebrows knitted tightly.

    Jepherson leaned on one side and said, ¡°There used to be an orphanage here. However, there was a big fire that happenedst time and most of the children perished in the fire.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. Though she did not say anything, the color drained from her face.

    Jepherson said, ¡°The children were aged between 3 to 12 years old. It is said that there were no survivors at all.¡±

    ¡°How do you know this?¡± Raeleigh asked strangely.

    Jepherson remained silent for a while. After a long time, he said, ¡°It was a big fire and the casualties were all children. How could I not know about it when the people around me talked about it for more than half a year?¡±

    ¡°I remember my parents telling me that this ce brings people sadness. Countless innocent souls had died. It¡¯s too miserable!¡±

    Jepherson closed his eyes as he spoke. It was as if he was tortured by the memories of it. He seemed like he was in pain.

    Raeleigh did not understand. What was wrong with Jepherson?

    ¡°Did you know anyone that died?¡± Raeleigh could not help but to ask. Jepherson opened his eyes slowly and thought for a moment. He said, ¡°We were not acquainted, but she was very important to me. She might not have seen me before, but I had never forgotten her.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. What did he mean when he said that the person might not have seen her before, but he¡¯ll never forget her? Had Jepherson fallen in love with someone when he was younger?

    Had he fallen in love with someone when he was a child?

    ¡°Was she your childhood sweetheart?¡± Raeleigh initially did not want to pry but she could not bite on her tongue. She instantly regretted it after asking.

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh with a helpless smile.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    ¡°She was an old friend.¡±

    An old friend?

    Raeleigh felt that she guessed right.

    ¡°Miss Anson, it¡¯s our¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Jepherson immediately cut Stuart off short as his face turned ice-cold. Stuart hurriedly shut his mouth.

    Stuart turned his face away and looked at the front. Raeleigh then looked at Jepherson, feeling even more determined.

    She was surprised to learn that Jepherson had a childhood crush on someone.

    Jepherson did not give her any exnation. Silence fell across the car. Jepherson dropped off Raeleigh at the entrance of Elkton University. She wanted to get out of the car but she could not because Jepherson was holding her hand.

    ¡°Can you please keep mepany tonight?¡± Stuart heard Jepherson asking Raeleigh as he got out of the car. Stuart then immediately got back into the car and did not give Raeleigh the chance to answer before driving away.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Stuart and the driver. It was obvious that they were picking on her.

    ¡°I still have sses tomorrow.¡± Raeleigh did not know what else to say.

    No matter what she said, Jepherson¡¯s unique character was not something that she could change.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you back first thing in the morning tomorrow.¡±

    Raeleigh briefly looked at Jepherson and did not say anything else the entire way.

    There was no point talking.

    When the car pulled into the hotel, Raeleigh then got out of the car and followed Jepherson back to his room. As soon as they entered the room, Jepherson immediately went to take a shower. After emerging from the bathroom, he then put on his pajamas and proceeded to lie down on the bed. After that, Raeleigh took her pajamas and ced them by the door before entering the bathroom to take a shower. When she was done, she reached through the small gap for her pajamas and quickly put it on beforeing out of the bathroom.

    When Raeleigh saw that Jepherson seemed to be asleep, she turned around and went to the couch.

    She sat down and looked at the ceiling with the starry sky. In fact, when she first saw it, she was in awe, but she had slowly gotten used to it and was no longer amazed by the sight.

    Raeleigh stared at the ceiling for a while before falling asleep.

    After she fell asleep, Jepherson opened his eyes and sighed gently. Jepherson was helpless when it came todealing with Raeleigh, who was stubborn and unsophisticated.

    She was the most stubborn person he had ever met in his life.

    He would have to work even harder the next time.

    Right then, he could not disclose his rtionship with Raeleigh to everyone just yet. He needed to be sure that she would stand firmly together with him. He needed to protect her. He wanted them to put on a united front.

    Otherwise, either way would put him in a dilemma.

    There were too many rules in the Richards family. If Raeleigh was not willing to acknowledge him, then he would be faced with enemies on both sides.

    Jepherson then walked over to the couch and gathered her in his arms. He carried her over to the bed. In fact, she was not asleep yet, but she just did not dare to wake up.

    Back on the bed, Jepherson nted a kiss on Raeleigh¡¯s cheek before hugging her to sleep.

    The next day, at around four in the morning, Raeleigh woke up from her sleep and sat for a while on the bed. She wanted to get out of bed, but Jepherson suddenly woke up and gave her a kiss.

    ¡°What are you doing so early? Did you sleep well?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I want to get back to the university a little earlier to avoid being seen.¡± In fact, Raeleigh wanted to sleep in for a little while because it was still very early.

    However, the university was about an hour away from here. If she did not go back right then, then the chances of being seen by others were very high.

    Sometimes Raeleigh felt tired of life.

    There were too many things to worry about!

    Jepherson immediately got out of bed. He went straight into the bathroom to take a shower. However, when he emerged from the bathroom, Raeleigh had already changed out of her pyjamas.

    ¡°I took a showerst night, so I¡¯m good for now. I¡¯ll take a shower when I go back to the univeristy,¡± Raeleigh said as she quickly opened the door and made a beeline for the elevator.

    Jepherson felt a little helpless as he followed from behind.

    Stuart quickly pressed the button for them when he saw them emerging from the room. When they arrived at the lobby, Jepherson asked her if she wanted to eat something. Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t feel like eating. I want to head back to the university first.¡±

    Whatever the case was, she wanted to head back to the university as soon as possible.

    Jepherson got into the car and sat back. He had been ustomed to Raeleigh¡¯s introverted personality.

    ¡°I will be away for a few days. If you need help, then you can ask Santiago. He will help you,¡± Jepherson said. He had an eight o¡¯clock flight he needed to catch.

    He initially nned to spend some time or perhaps do something with Raeleigh before he left, but judging by her mood then, it was best for him to follow her wishes and drop her back at the university.

    Once they arrived at the university, Stuart got out of the car to open the door for Raeleigh. After she got out of the car, Jepherson called out to her, ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Jepherson. Jepherson just looked at her for a while before saying, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything. Stuart was anxious as he thought to himself, ¡°Why couldn¡¯t she read Mr. Jepherson¡¯s eyes? Boy, is she slow!¡±

    After that, Stuart got back into the car and briefly nced at the clock before asking, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, shall we leave?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 966 What Kind of Person Is She?

    The driver drove the car away. Jepherson gave a call to Santiago. At that time, Santiago was yawning as he walked out of the university. He talked as he walked, ¡°Next time, can you please drop her off a littleter? It¡¯s way too early.¡±

    Jepherson sneered. ¡°If you don¡¯t want the old man to know that you¡¯re back, then it¡¯s best if you behave yourself.¡±

    ¡°Old man?¡± Santiago grabbed a handful of his hair. ¡°How old is he?¡±

    ¡°You usually call him that, don¡¯t you?¡± Jepherson turned his face and looked outside. To be honest, their father was rtively young.

    If the three of them stood together, people would think that they were brothers instead of father and sons.

    Old man?

    Jepherson smiled.

    ¡°Yes, I do call him that because I¡¯m much younger than you,¡± Santiago said as he quickly walked out.

    Jepherson was silent for a while. Then, he said, ¡°Please take good care of Raeleigh for me. Do not let anything happen to her.¡±

    ¡°You should have brought her with you then.¡± Santiago walked over to Raeleigh and immediately blocked her way. She raised her head and was surprised to find Santiago up so early.

    Santiago raised his hand and held Raeleigh¡¯s arm, standing in front of her, not allowing her to leave.

    There was no sound on the phone. The conversation between the two brothers had reached a stalemate.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her. I promise I will take care of her,¡± Santiago said as he hung up the phone and shoved the phone into his pocket. He raised his eyebrows as he looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I genuinely don¡¯t understand what my brother sees in you. You¡¯re stubborn as hell.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand either. Are you sure you¡¯re rted to Jepherson? Why are the two of you so different from each other?¡± Raeleigh pulled a long face.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not rted to him, then do you think I will be this good looking?¡± Santiago turned around and walked forward. Raeleigh followed Santiago and asked, ¡°What are you doing being up so early?¡±

    It was still quite early in the morning. Not a single soul was around them. Not even those early birds who usually woke up early in the morning to work out.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to. My brother asked me to. Why would I voluntarily wake up at the crack of dawn?¡± Santiago chuckled.

    Raeleigh did not speak at first. She walked with Santiago for a while and she then asked, ¡°You seem to have a good rtionship with your brother.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about that. But then again, he is my brother. I can¡¯t betray him. We are family, after all. If he bullies me, then I will definitely fight back. It¡¯s what brothers do. At the critical moment, uniting against the outside world is a promise we stand by together.¡±

    Santiago spoke as he walked. As they walked past a big tree, he sprang to his feet and plucked a leaf for Raeleigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± Santiago lowered his head to look at Raeleigh. She held the leaf in her hands. She did not understand why he had given her the leaf.

    However, the leaf was quite beautiful. She nodded earnestly.

    Santiago smiled and turned around to walk away. While walking, he said, ¡°Women should smile more. You should not pull a long face every time, it¡¯s not pleasing to the eyes. It¡¯s as if you¡¯ve umted so many worries that you can¡¯t get rid of them.¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything, but she was very surprised that Santiago knew so many things.

    Sometimes, even she herself could not understand herself, but Santiago could.

    After walking for a while, Santiago continued, ¡°When you¡¯re with Jepherson, you must behave like when you¡¯re with me. Untie the knot in your heart. Perhaps¡­¡±

    Santiago turned around to look at Raeleigh, who stopped to look at him. Then, he said, ¡°You will discover something else.¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything. She just looked at Santiago. Santiago looked around and said, ¡°He has never liked anyone. You are the only one. If you have feelings for him, then neither the Richards family nor Deanna will be a problem.¡±

    ¡°I just can¡¯t bring myself to do it,¡± Raeleigh said as she continued walking towards the dormitory. Santiago pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hand and they stood face to face. Santiago said to her, ¡°Which part?¡±

    ¡°Deanna, my identity, your family.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very smart. You know there is a distance between the two of you, but you do know that he will not give up, right?¡± Santiago continued walking towards the dormitory. Raeleigh followed him at an unhurried pace. When they arrived, Santiago stood at the door and said, ¡°I¡¯ll watch you from here. I¡¯ll wait for you in the cafeteriater. You should stay away from Deanna in the future.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. These two brothers were quite different from each other.

    ¡°You can head back to your room now.¡± Raeleigh turned around and went up to her dormitory. Santiago knew that he would not be able to fall back asleep after being woken up so early in the morning. So, he decided to take a stroll for a while and found a big tree to lean against.

    As soon as Raeleigh entered her dormitory, she was held up by Deanna.

    Deanna did not have a good night¡¯s sleep when she realized that Raeleigh did note back the previous night. She opened her eyes as she emerged from under the quilt and looked at Raeleigh with pain in her eyes.

    ¡°Raeleigh, where were youst night? It¡¯s not good to spend the night out,¡± Deanna said as she sat up in her bed. Raeleigh said as she closed the door and went back to bed, ¡°I went to find Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m so disappointed with you. I don¡¯t like you anymore,¡± Deanna said, sulking.

    Raeleigh walked over to her bed and sat down for a while. When Scarlette realized what was going on, she immediately got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom.

    There was no one else in the dormitory. Deanna got out of bed and looked at Raeleigh as she said, ¡°My brother loves you so much. I have never seen him so infatuated with someone before. Raeleigh, don¡¯t you see that my brother likes you? He has reached the point where he is incapable of tearing himself away from you.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Deanna, feeling extremely helpless.

    After a pause, Raeleigh said, ¡°But I¡¯m not in love with Zorion.¡± Deanna left the bed, walked over to Raeleigh, and sat down. She reached out for her hands and said, ¡°If you¡¯re not in love with him, then does it mean that you hate him?¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing. Indeed, she did not hate Zorion, but so what?

    ¡°Raeleigh, if you don¡¯t say anything, then it means that you do not hate him. Since you do not hate him, then why can¡¯t you get together with him?¡±

    ¡°Deanna, do you hate Santiago?¡± Raeleigh asked, after thinking for a long time. Deanna immediately said with a tense face, ¡°Santiago is not a good person. He is a yboy. He likes many girls. And he has been bad news ever since he was a kid. Even Uncle Hansen said that he sometimes crosses the line.¡±

    ¡°But I think Santiago is not as bad as you said. You might have misunderstood him.¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s a misunderstanding, so what? He¡¯s a womanizer. What do you like about him? You¡¯ll regret it in the future.¡±

    ¡°If Santiago likes you, then will you like him back?¡± It was just a hypothetical question. Deanna stood up and said, ¡°I dare him to court me. I¡¯m sure my brother will bash him up if he finds out.¡±

    Raeleigh felt helpless. She sat up after a while and said, ¡°Look at how violent you are! Why don¡¯t you change out of your pyjamas? Let¡¯s go and brush our teeth.¡±

    ¡°Oh, wait for me.¡± Deanna immediately changed out of her pyjamas and followed Raeleigh to the bathroom.

    After waiting for Scarlette toe back, they went straight to the cafeteria together.

    When they arrived at the cafeteria, Deanna kept looking around for Santiago. She breathed a sigh of relief when he was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± Raeleigh asked Deanna. She shook her head and said, ¡°I was just looking for Zorion.¡±

    While they were talking, Zorion and Santiago came in through the door. Deanna smiled brightly when she saw her brother. However, when she saw Santiago, her face immediately became gloomy.

    The corner of Scarlette¡¯s mouth twitched when she saw how quickly Deanna¡¯s mood changed.

 Chapter 967 Accident

    ¡°What¡¯s everyone having?¡±Santiago asked as hesat down and looked at the menu. He was the Second Young Master of the Richards family, so money wasn¡¯t a problem for him. However, others were not as fortunate as him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just have a te of pasta.¡± Raeleigh looked at the waiter and said, ¡°Carbonara, please.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have the same as well,¡± Scarlette said.

    ¡°Me too.¡± Santiago put down the menu and raised his head to look at the waiter.

    The waiter wrote it down, and then looked at Zorion and Deanna and asked, ¡°What about Mr. Whalen and Miss Whalen?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have the same as well,¡± Zorion said. Deanna did not protest. She hadn¡¯t tried the cafeteria¡¯s pasta carbonara before.

    She wondered whether it was delicious.

    The waiter turned around and went out. It was still early in the morning, and he already found his task daunting, all because of a few tes of pasta.

    After breakfast, Raeleigh followed Santiago to the lecture halls. On the way there, she kept hearing Deanna nagging Santiago.

    Santiago did not say a word. He remained silent regardless of what Deanna had said. He had an excellent temper.

    Scarlette was walking beside Raeleigh. They were already used to Deanna¡¯s endless chatter. After all, when they first met, Deanna was already such a chatterbox.

    Whenever she was unhappy or whenever she felt a matter was unreasonable or did not go ording to her n, she would start ranting to people.

    When they arrived at the entrance of the lecture hall, they entered the hall one after another. Raeleigh finally felt peace when ss officially began. Otherwise, she really had no idea when Deanna would stop ranting.

    The lecturer immediately started the ss as soon as she entered the room. However, Santiago did not pay attention and remained asleep the whole time. The lecturer turned a blind eye and continued on with the lecture.

    Raeleigh stared at the unconscious Santiago, who was sleeping beside her. She could not me him since he woke up very early that morning.

    With thunder rumbling, the sky outside darkened, and dark clouds quickly gathered in the sky. Raeleigh watched as rain fell outside the window. She did not expect that it would rain at noon because the weather was perfect in the morning.

    As the lecturer went to close the window, the students around felt a little cold as they rubbed their arms from time to time.

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago as he briefly stirred. He was wearing a green shirt and was still fast asleep. She had no idea whether he felt cold.

    Almost everyone was listening to the lecturer attentively as the lecturer wrote on the board. Raeleigh took off her coat and draped it over Santiago¡¯s shoulder, hoping that he would not catch a cold.

    Santiago frowned and continued to sleep.

    When the sses ended, Santiago was still asleep. The sound of thunder and rain was so peaceful that Raeleigh fell into a daze.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    ¡°Here, wear this.¡± Zorion took out his jacket and handed it to Raeleigh. She shook her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m not cold.¡±

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re not, you should wear it,¡± Zorion said as he helped Raeleigh put on the jacket. Then, he turned around and sat down, following Raeleigh¡¯s eyes.

    By the time Santiago woke up, it was already lunchtime.

    Since it was raining outside, Santiago quickly made a call to the cafeteria to order some takeout. He counted the number of people and swiftly put in an order for five people.

    When their food arrived, a few of them went downstairs to pick it up and they ate their lunch in the lecture hall.

    Raeleigh and the others did not have many sses in the afternoon. They were basically done by three in the afternoon. Many people decided to brave the rain and ran back to the dormitory, while Raeleigh stood downstairs in a daze.

    Santiago found an umbre from somewhere and opened it up for Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you walk Scarlette back to the dorm?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll stay with you.¡± Santiago said as he handed the umbre in his hand to Scarlette. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go ahead? It seems like the rain is going to stop soon. I¡¯ll stay with Raeleigh.¡±

    Deanna stood aside, looking extremely reluctant. She frowned and said, ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯ll stay here with you. I¡¯ll ask my brother to send you back.¡±

    No matter how she looked at Santiago, she felt that he seemed to be harbouring malicious intentions. She was a little worried about leaving Raeleigh alone with Santiago.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Deanna. I think you should follow your brother back to the apartments. It¡¯s better there. The dormitory can get very moldy when it rains. I don¡¯t want you to get rashes. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t go back today.¡±

    Deanna was really worried when it came to rashes caused by dirty rainwater. She looked down at her skirt and the rainy sky outside.

    ¡°Raeleigh, do you think there will be thunder?¡±

    Deanna was very afraid of thunder. She did not like the rain at all.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°Zorion, let¡¯s go back to the apartment to sleep today,¡± Deanna said as she looked at Zorion. She didn¡¯t dare to sleep alone.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Zorion said as he opened the umbre. Then, he briefly looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I¡¯lle back and walk you back to the dorm.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take care of her,¡± Santiago said. Zorion continued, ¡°You will have to go back eventually. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to wait until the rain stops before going back?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call and ask someone to send an umbre here.¡± Santiago made a phone call. Zorion did not know what else to say. He looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll head off first. I¡¯ll call you tonight.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. She was not nning to answer his call.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯ll call youter,¡± Deanna hurriedly said. Only then did Raeleigh nod her head. After Zorion and Deanna left, Scarlette stood on one side but did not leave.

    ¡°Scarlette, you can go ahead. I¡¯ll wait here with her. We¡¯ll go back together.¡± Santiago urged Scarlette to head back to the dorm. They stood under the building and waited. After a while, someone came and sent an umbre to him. He opened up the umbre and wrapped an arm around Raeleigh, as they made their way back to the dorm.

    Raeleigh raised her hand and tried to get rid of Santiago¡¯s hand. However, Santiago refused to let go. Instead, he asked, ¡°Has anyone apart from my brother touched you before? What about Zorion?¡±

    Raeleigh blushed instantly and said, ¡°Whatever the case is, you¡¯re still Jepherson¡¯s younger brother. How can you talk to me like this?¡±

    Santiagoughed. ¡°Oh, now you¡¯re referring to me as his younger brother. Why didn¡¯t you admit this earlier?¡±

    Raeleigh did not speak and continued walking. It was still raining. Santiago did not let go as they walked along the campus road. There weren¡¯t many people around since it was raining. Most of them were already back at their own dorms. At present, Raeleigh and Santiago were the only ones out.

    Santiago kept on talking as they walked. Raeleigh kept silent. The good impression that she had of Santiago slowly disappeared after he had his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

    Just then, Santiago stopped. His expression was gloomy, as if he had heard something. His ears perked up.

    Raeleigh stared at Santiago curiously and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your ears?¡±

    As soon as Raeleigh asked that question, they suddenly heard a sound behind them. Raeleigh looked back abruptly and saw a Lamborghini rushing out of the building behind. It was heading towards them.

    Raeleigh raised her hand to cover her mouth. Everything happened so quickly.

    There was a man sitting in the car. He stepped on the elerator, aiming for Raeleigh. Raeleigh felt her body leaning to one side, and she fell to the ground. Santiago hurriedly reached out to pull her to safety. The two fell into a bush on the roadside, with Raeleigh falling on Santiago¡¯s body. It took her a long time to recover from the shock. She quickly got up and ran out to see what had happened.

    ¡°Come back.¡± The next moment, Santiago pulled Raeleigh back and she fell back onto him again.

    Raeleigh did not stand up that time. She just stared at Santiago¡¯s pale face in a daze.

 Chapter 968 Bashing Up

    In the school clinic.

    ¡°How is he?¡± Raeleigh hurriedly asked Xanthus as she looked at Santiago, who was lying in the treatment room. Xanthus was currently examining him.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just a scratch. However, I suggest that the two of you go to the hospital for a thorough examination. You must not take this lightly. I can¡¯t be sure that there isn¡¯t a bone fracture,¡± Xanthus said frankly. He was as handsome as usual.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and turned to look at Santiago. ¡°Are you able to walk?¡±

    Santiago sat up and said, ¡°Do I look like I am unable to walk?¡±

    Santiago was already on his feet as he spoke.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll apany you to the hospital for a thorough examination.¡± Raeleigh reached out to help Santiago out of the treatment room. Xanthus washed his hands and seemed to remember something. He turned back to Raeleigh and said, ¡°There is an orphanage nearby. It caught fire many years ago. Have you guys heard about it?¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and raised her head to look at Santiago. She asked, ¡°Have you heard of it?¡±

    Santiago frowned and turned to ask Xanthus, ¡°Why are you asking this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone. That orphanage is myst clue.¡± When Xanthus spoke, he subconsciously looked over at Raeleigh before looking at Santiago.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of it,¡± Santiago answered and turned to go outside. Xanthus wiped his hands, turned around, and continued with his other matters.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    Outside the door, Santiago asked Raeleigh, ¡°Do you know which orphanage he was talking about?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Raeleigh answered. Santiago looked at her and said, ¡°Since you know, then why didn¡¯t you tell him?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the fire. I heard about it from your brother. He told me yesterday,¡± Raeleigh said, supporting Santiago as they walked. Santiago chuckled. ¡°Some people are really silly.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Raeleigh did not know why but she was very curious to know about Jepherson¡¯s connection with the orphanage. She always felt that it was somehow rted.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask him?¡± Santiago looked down at his leg and did not answer Raeleigh¡¯s question. They slowly made their way to the outside of the school. By then, it was already past ten o¡¯clock and Raeleigh was worried that they would not be able to get a taxi.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you call someone to pick us up?¡±

    Santiago quickly made a phone call. Not long after, a car came to pick them up. If Raeleigh remembered correctly, this was the car he had used to intimidate her the other day.

    Raeleigh looked at the car and then at Santiago. How could he be so shameless?

    A young man got out of the car and opened the door for them. The two got into the car and were driven to the hospital.

    After getting out of the car, Raeleigh apanied Santiago while the doctor gave him a thorough examination. Once the results were out, only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

    The results showed that everything was normal. There was nothing wrong with Santiago.

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Why don¡¯t we spend the night at the hospital?¡± Santiago sat outside the corridor with his legs crossed. Raeleigh had never seen such a person before.

    Compared to Jepherson, Santiago looked more like a gangster.

    There was another person apanying them. When he heard Santiago¡¯s words, he immediately went to arrange it.

    Soon, the person returned to inform Santiago which ward he would be staying in. Santiago stood up and leisurely walked over to the ward. He pushed open the door and walked in. The first thing he did was to take a shower.

    Raeleigh stood in the ward and did not know what to do.

    About ten minutester, Santiago emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a loose nightgown. He tied the belt as he came out.

    He then walked over to the bedside, lifted the quilt, and threw it at the foot of the bed. Hey down and took out his cell phone. Pointing at the bed beside him, he said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should sleep soon, or else it¡¯ll affect your skin.¡±

    Raeleigh stood at the side nkly, as if she had heard a joke. However, she went over to the bed andy without taking off her clothes. She then pulled the quilt over herself and turned to look at Santiago.

    At that time, Santiago was talking on the phone, ordering someone to investigate what had happened to them earlier.

    Raeleigh could not fall asleep at first. Then, she gradually fell asleep while listening to Santiago. When she woke up, it was already dawn. It was Santiago who woke her up.

    Raeleigh sat up on the bed and ran her hand over her face. She fixed her big watery eyes on Santiago.

    ¡°Have you taken a fancy to me?¡± Santiago lowered his head. He had already changed into a new set of clothes.

    He was wearing beige cropped pants that were loose-fitting with two pockets. He paired it with a white sleeveless top that was a little sheer.

    Santiago¡¯s skin was rtively fair. He was tall and had a good temperament. He always had a smile on his face. Raeleigh was a little at a loss when she saw him.

    She briefly looked around the room, ignoring Santiago¡¯s words. Then, she asked, ¡°What are we doing in the hospital?¡±

    Santiago raised his hand and caressed Raeleigh¡¯s head as he asked, ¡°Have you lost your memory?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. She remembered exactly what had happened the night before.

    ¡°What time is it?¡± Raeleigh immediately got out of bed, put on her shoes, and ran into the bathroom to wash her face. Once she was certain she was wide awake, she finally emerged from the bathroom.

    As soon as she came out of the bathroom, Santiago threw his dirty clothes on her face. She hurriedly caught it and held them in her arms. Then, she looked at Santiago, who was already at the door.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Santiago said as he walked out. Raeleigh lowered her head to have a look. Then, she followed him out as she held his dirty clothes in her arms.

    Once they exited the hospital, they hurriedly got into the car and made their way to a restaurant for breakfast. After they finished, they went straight to the dry cleaners to drop off hisundry. Santiago asked one of his men to wait for hisundry while they made their way back to the university.

    After getting out of the car, Santiago sent his men away and went straight to ss with Raeleigh.

    When they entered the lecture hall, everyone was silent. Santiago nced at the room and then made his way to his seat. He nced at Flynt and said, ¡°Last night, I was nearly hit by a car. I was wondering if you saw what happened?¡±

    ¡°How would I know?¡± Flyntughed.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you didn¡¯t see it. I¡¯m a vengeful person. If someone provokes me, then I¡¯ll be sure to fight back twice as hard. If you find someone to hit me, then I can also do the same.¡±

    While they were talking, the lecturer entered the room and everyone turned towards the front. All of the students were scared out of their wits as they lowered their heads.

    The lecturer was very satisfied with the attitude of the students that day. It could not have been any better.

    The lecturer left as soon as the bell rang. Raeleigh closed the book and looked at Santiago, who was fast asleep.

    Deanna stood up, went over to Raeleigh, and asked, ¡°Why did you twoe together?¡±

    ¡°Yesterday afternoon, as we were walking back to the dorm, a car rushed out and tried to hit us. He was hurt, so I apanied him to see the doctor.¡±

    ¡°A car hit you?¡± Deanna widened her eyes in horror as she stared at Raeleigh. She was afraid that she was hurt.

    Scarlette was so frightened that her face turned pale. Why didn¡¯t Hadrian mention this matter to her?

    Zorion, who was standing aside, looked at Flynt, who was silent on the opposite side. Flynt then stood up and went outside.

    ¡°I hope this matter has nothing to do with you. If I find out that you were involved, then there will be serious consequences,¡± Zorion warned. His voice was so cold that it drew everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Such unbridled arrogance requires a reason for it as well. I hope you all know what you are doing,¡± Flynt said as he walked out the door. Santiago stood up from the table and looked at him with a frown.

    Zorion looked at him and said, ¡°I told you not to provoke him, but you didn¡¯t listen. If something happens, then how are you going to exin it to Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to exin it to him. I¡¯ll exin it to him myself.¡± Santiago¡¯s attitude was not only haughty, but it was condescending, even more so.

    Zorion frowned deeply and said, ¡°I think you need some bashing up.¡±

 Chapter 969 Helpless

    Santiago leaned to one side and did not reply. The ssroom also descended into silence.

    Zorion sat down, looked at the people in the ssroom, and said, ¡°Everyone, get out.¡±

    The rest of the students immediately scrambled out of the room, thinking that Zorion and Santiago were going to start a fist fight.

    However, they waited outside for a long time but there was no movement.

    ¡°Can you please check where has Flynt been to recently?¡± Zorion said as he put down his cell phone and nced at Santiago. ¡°Stay put for the next two days. Do not bring Raeleigh out either.¡±

    ¡°Zorion, is there someone trying to harm Raeleigh?¡± Deanna immediately became worried.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you should stay put as well.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Deanna sat next to Raeleigh, held her hands, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Zorion will protect you.¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything. She was still a little worried, but not for herself. Instead, she was worried about her grandmother.

    After lunch, Raeleigh made her way back to the dormitory. Just as she stepped into her room, she received a call from Jepherson.

    ¡°I have arranged everything for your grandmother. Everything will be fine. Just focus on your studies.¡± Jepherson cut to the chase. For a moment, Raeleigh was stunned. She turned to look at Deanna, who was ying with her phone. She did not reply to Jepherson.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a few days. I¡¯m aware of what has happened in Capital City. If you need anything, then just let Santiago know. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Raeleigh still did not say anything. Jepherson continued on before finally hanging up the phone.

    ¡°Raeleigh, who was that?¡± Deanna looked up and asked. She said, ¡°A friend.¡±

    ¡°What kind of friend?¡±

    ¡°Can you please focus? You¡¯re about to die, yet you still have the mood to meddle in other people¡¯s business,¡± Scarlette said hurriedly from the side. Only then did Deanna stop asking.

    Raeleigh was feeling a little sickly that day and fell asleep after lying down for a while.

    In the evening, Scarlette handed her phone to Raeleigh. It was a news article.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the news. She raised her head and looked at Scarlette. She was a little surprised.

    Flynt was involved in a car ident in Elkton University?

    Why didn¡¯t they know?

    ¡°When did it happen?¡± Raeleigh asked in confusion. Scarlette sat beside her and said, ¡°Two hours ago.¡±

    Raeleigh read the news article as a bad feeling washed over her. However, she did not say anything.

    This kind of school violence, evil against evil, was verymon. However, she felt that this was not the right way to solve a problem.

    If this continued on, then the world would be destroyed sooner orter.

    However, Raeleigh really could not think of any other solution to solve school violence besides fighting evil with evil.

    Raeleigh found it hard to fall asleep that night. She did not sleep until midnight. Just as she was about to fall asleep, her cell phone beeped, indicating an iing message. She took out her cell phone to have a look. It was a text message from Jepherson. He had sent a few night scenery pictures.

    Raeleighy under the quilt and scrolled through the pictures. They were not particrly outstanding, but they were beautiful nheless. She could imagine his helplessness sending those pictures.

    Raeleigh did not fall asleep until one in the morning. Scarlette only slept after ensuring that Raeleigh had fallen asleep.

    However, after they fell asleep, Deanna got up from the bed with a sleepy face and unkempt hair. She tiptoed over to Raeleigh¡¯s side and reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s phone, which was underneath her pillow. She quietly pulled her phone out from under the pillow.

    Deanna hid in a corner and went through the messages in Raeleigh¡¯s phone. She was stunned.

    Scarlette wasn¡¯t sure what she had eaten wrong, but her stomach felt ufortable as soon as she fell asleep. She got up and was about to make her way to the bathroom, but was frightened by the sight of Deanna.

    Deanna looked at Scarlette and asked, ¡°You already knew, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Scarlette was a little confused as she sat there in a daze.

    Raeleigh was awakened and immediately sat up in her bed.

    She looked at Deanna and then at the cell phone in her hand. It was her cell phone and the screen was lit. She was certain that she had read everything.

    Raeleigh felt that there wasn¡¯t a need to set a password for her cell phone, since there was nothing important in it. She felt it was troublesome, but she did not expect that Deanna would take full advantage of it.

    ¡°Let me exin,¡± Raeleigh quickly said. Deanna threw the cell phone at Raeleigh and ran out of the room.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    She did not even bother to put her shoes on.

    Raeleigh got up and immediately chased after her. However, by the time she stepped out of the room, Deanna was nowhere to be seen.

    Raeleigh quickly reached for her cell phone and hurriedly called Zorion.

    ¡°When?¡± The voice on the other side of the phone was cold. Raeleigh lowered her head and said, ¡°Just now. I wanted to chase after her, but she was gone as soon as I stepped out of the room. I have a feeling she should still be in school. She wasn¡¯t wearing any shoes and was in her pajamas.¡±

    Raeleigh did not know how to describe what she was feeling right then. This was all her fault.

    Zorion hurriedly changed out of his pajamas and hung up the phone. Then, he immediately summoned his men toe to the university to help search for Deanna and asked them to block the main entrance.

    However, for some unknown reason, Zorion spent the whole night trying to find Deanna with no sess.

    Both Scarlette and Santiago helped out with the search. They searched everywhere but still could not find Deanna.

    Due to their status, Zorion could not publicly announce that Deanna was missing. It would only make matters worse if anyone else found out about it.

    At seven in the morning, Raeleigh was standing outside on the Elkton University sports ground, still dressed in her white pajamas, which had little flowers printed on it. People slowed down to stare at her as they walked by.

    Santiago, who was standing beside her, took off his coat, and draped it around her shoulders. ¡°Scarlette, why don¡¯t you apany Raeleigh back to the dorm to get changed? It¡¯s no use standing here.¡±

    Scarlette walked over to Raeleigh and dragged her to leave.

    However, standing amidst the morning breeze, she felt blood draining from her body, leaving her dry like a leaf in the autumn. She had been blown away by the wind, abandoned by the tree.

    Scarlette failed to get her to follow her. Raeleigh¡¯s clothes were a little loose on her body. It made people feel that she had no strength and was about to fall over.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for a while. Maybe Deanna wille back soon,¡± Raeleigh said with hope. She fixed her empty eyes on the surroundings.

    Santiago looked helpless and said, ¡°And if she doesn¡¯t, are you nning on waiting here until she gets back?¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head slowly. ¡°What else am I supposed to do? What about Deanna?¡±

    ¡°What can you do? This is not your fault. If she wants to die¡­Then, it¡¯s her will,¡± Santiago said as he walked over and bent down to pick Raeleigh up.

    Raeleigh struggled to break free. However, Santiago carried Raeleigh all the way back to her dorm.

    Wherever they passed, everyone was watching them.

    Scarlette followed them in a hurry.

    As soon as Raeleigh arrived at her room, she immediately went to change her clothes. Santiago turned around and stood in a corner. He said, ¡°If she wants toe back, then she would¡¯vee a long time ago.¡±

    Raeleigh put on her clothes and did not say anything. Then, she pushed the door open and went out.

    Santiago quickly followed Raeleigh. She was walking faster than before. Then, she picked up the pace and eventually broke into a jog.

    Santiago chased after Raeleigh from behind. Raeleigh walked out of the school gates and ran out of the campus.

    If they couldn¡¯t find her within the campus, then it meant that she was definitely outside. It was extremelyte when she left, what if something had happened to her?

    Scarlette followed Raeleigh. She wanted to say something, but when she saw the look on Raeleigh¡¯s face, the words were stuck in her throat.

    After searching for an entire day, they still could not find her. Hershoes were already worn out asshe leaned against the wall. Her face was deathly pale.

    Santiago had been following Raeleigh the whole time. When it got dark, Raeleigh finally stopped and fell to her knees. She held her head and cried!

 Chapter 970 Santiago the Devil

    ¡°Get up,¡± Santiago said as he walked to Raeleigh. He lowered his head and urged her to stand up. Raeleigh was kneeling on the ground as she wiped her tears.

    Santiago asked Raeleigh, ¡°What are you afraid of? She chose to run away. You did not force her. It¡¯s not your fault she¡¯s in a bad spot now.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. It took her a long time before she got onto her feet and continued her search for Deanna.

    ¡°Stop looking! You will not be able to find her. She¡¯s clearly hiding from you.¡± Santiago pulled Raeleigh and shouted at her.

    Raeleigh began to argue with Santiago because of this.

    ¡°She¡¯s human, not a kitten or a puppy. You two are family friends. Don¡¯t you have any concern for her?¡± Raeleigh bellowed as she shoved Santiago. She had never been this angry before.

    It was also not the right time for her to lose her temper.

    Santiago held Raeleigh¡¯s arm with both his hands as he stared at her with dagger eyes.

    ¡°I treat Deanna like a sister. I am also very worried. Although I am not fond of her, she is still someone I respect.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do now to help the situation.¡±

    Raeleigh froze. Santiago pushed Raeleigh away with great force and looked at her with contempt in his eyes.

    Raeleigh stumbled backwards. Scarlette did not dare to go over. Compared to Jepherson, Santiago was merciless. His temper was even more unpredictable. He wasunscrupulous.

    Scarlette still remembered an incident when she was about eleven or twelve years old.

    Santiago was still quite young then. However, she snuck out to y once and was beaten up by a group of boys. At that time, she was dressed like a tomboy and her hair was short. People would mistake her for a boy.

    She was surrounded by a group of boys and they began beating her up.

    She was beaten up until there were bruises all over her body. Her face was covered with scars. After that, she went back home to hide. One reason was that she did not want others to know that she had gone out to y, and the other was that she felt embarrassed that she had been beaten up.

    At that time, Scarlette and Hadrian were being trained by Alvin.

    Scarlette was the only girl in the group.

    At that time, it was Santiago¡¯s first day. Scarlette found a room and thought it was empty, so she quietly went in to disguise herself. However, she did not notice that there was another person on the upper bunk.

    Scarlette was shocked to realize that she was not alone. Before she could say anything, Santiago asked, ¡°Who hit you?¡±

    Scarlette thought that Santiago was just like her, an orphan, who hade to Alvin to be trained. So, she told him the whole story.

    At that time, Santiago had jumped down from the bed. Santiago had been particrly fierce since he was a child and was a little taller than all his peers. Although he was younger than her, he was still slightly taller than her.

    After that, Santiago motioned for Scarlette to follow him. She initially did not want to follow him, but when she saw the fierce look in Santiago¡¯s eyes, she eventually gave in.

    Scarlette did not like fighting with people she knew.

    Santiago found two sticks in their rooms and hid them behind his waist. Then, he asked Scarlette to follow him.

    She did not dare to follow him because there were too many people.

    But Santiago was walking ahead, and it was impossible for her not to follow him. So, she obediently did so.

    When they got out, it was already dark. They walked to the ce where she had been beaten.

    ¡°I was beaten up right here,¡± Scarlette said as she pointed at the ce.

    Santiago did not go back. He looked around and began to walk around with Scarlette. However, they saw no signs of the people who had beaten her up. In the end, he decided to head back with Scarlette.

    As soon as they entered through the door, everyone thought that it was Santiago who had hit Scarlette. Santiago did not defend himself. Alvin even punished him. However, Scarlette did not understand why he did not defend himself.

    On that day, Jepherson was also here. However, as the first son of the Richards family, he did not stay in the same room as Scarlette and the rest. He had his own room.

    No one had any doubts about Scarlette, especially Stuart, who was still a little worried.

    The next day, when the others were training, Santiago brought Scarlette out again. They searched around for the entire day before finally finding those people who had beaten up Scarlette.

    ¡°Hey, punk, you brought a friend?¡±

    At the time, those people were really arrogant. Scarlette was a little scared because she had been beaten up by them.

    However, Santiago did not care. He took out the sticks that he had brought and fought with them. Scarlette could tell that Santiago wasn¡¯t good at fighting back then. He did not have any tricks up his sleeves. He was just going with the flow as he punched the people who approached him.

    However, he still managed to defeat at least seven people. One of them was badly beaten up to the point his ears began to bleed.

    Scarlette hurriedly pulled Santiago away, urging him to leave.

    Santiago warned them. ¡°Next time, you guys ought to think carefully before picking a fight.¡±

    At that time, he was just a ten-year-old kid but he was bigger than his peers. Even Scarlette was frightened by him. When Santiago fought, he looked as if he had turned into a devil.

    This was Santiago whom Scarlette was terrified of all these years.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    Jepherson had never been like this. But Santiago could be regarded as the devil, and no one dared to provoke him.

    At that moment, even if Scarlette wanted to go over to help Raeleigh, she was too afraid.

    She did not dare to go over to help Raeleigh up.

    Santiago stood there coldly. Scarlette felt that it was not that he did not want to find Deanna, it was just that right then, there was no point in worrying.

    Raeleigh stayed on the ground for a long time. Once she calmed herself down, she gradually got back up on her feet.

    ¡°What should we do now?¡± Raeleigh asked, standing behind Santiago.

    ¡°Zorion has assembled a team of people to look for her. The only thing we can do is to observe the surroundings. This campus is not that big. How can she disappear just like that? Unless someone has been waiting for her all this while,¡± Santiago said as he looked at Raeleigh and Scarlette.

    Scarlette did not understand who would have the courage to kidnap Deanna.

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s Flynt?¡± Raeleigh immediately asked. Santiago smiled and said, ¡°You are quite smart.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago,¡± Scarlette immediately called out to him. He turned to look at her and asked, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Flynt involved in a car ident?¡±

    ¡°That was what was reported in the news. Who actually saw it happening? It would still be considered as a car ident if only his car was damaged. If he isn¡¯t dead, then he¡¯ll still be able toe out and do a lot of evil things.¡± Santiago had thought through these things. He was not as naive as Scarlette.

    Raeleigh took a deep breath and said, ¡°What if Flynt could not gain what he wants from us? What if he wants to take revenge on Deanna?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to talk about revenge. However, I¡¯m sure Deanna is safe in Flynt¡¯s hands. He is not a fool. Capital City is under three families¡¯ control. He wants to draw the Whalen family over to his side to bnce out the power in Capital City. If he can capture Deanna, then he will be in control of this ce. I doubt he would do anything to Deanna.¡± Santiago had long thought about this. There was only one reason why they hadn¡¯t been able to find her after so long, and that was because she had been kidnapped.

    As for the person who had the courage to do so? The answer was pretty obvious.

 Chapter 971 Visiting Richards Manor

    Raeleigh was calm. This was her character. The more dangerous the situation was, the calmer she was.

    If it were not for Deanna, then Raeleigh would not have lost herposure.

    At that time, Raeleigh was thinking the same thing as Santiago.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s Flynt, how about we go and find him now?¡± Raeleigh raised her head to look at Santiago. Santiago shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s useless. Even if Deanna was actually with him, I doubt he would release her. If he admitted that he had kidnapped Deanna, then it would cause great harm to the Moore family. Mr. Whalen is not in the country. The decision is in Zorion¡¯s hand, and knowing him, he would definitely not let the Moore family go.¡±

    ¡°As you know, young people are fearless. Once the Moore family triggered this battle, Zorion would definitely subvert the entire Capital City.¡±

    ¡°The Moore family had been entrenched in Capital City for many years. But then again, they could only be regarded as influential figures in the political situation. They cannot fully control Capital City.¡±

    ¡°Over the years, the Moore family had not made any great achievements. The Whalen family had already sealed the fate of Capital City. The Moore family has failed to change the situation. If they wanted to reverse the situation, then they would have to start from our generation.¡±

    ¡°Flynt thinks highly of himself and refuses to agree to his sistersmarryinginto either one of our families. Of course, we think poorly of them too. Therefore, there are only two ways for him to turn the tables on us, and that was to draw one of us to his side while pinning down the other side.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, the Richards family and Whalen family are inseparable. Even without the marriage alliance between Deanna and Jepherson to consolidate everything, our two families are still allies. With Jepherson and Zorion here, even if the road is endless, we still would not be separated.¡±

    ¡°Flynt is making things worse for himself.¡±

    ¡°Of course, he is smart in his own way, but why did he want to get us involved? We would not be easily harmed by him.¡±

    Scarlette lowered her head. Why were his words so unpleasant?

    Raeleigh was stunned for a moment. Santiago was extremely frivolous, but Jepherson was the one who had to bear all the responsibilities.

    ¡°But we can¡¯t just sit around and do nothing. Deanna is too naive. If Flynt was the one who kidnapped her, then I¡¯m sure she will not let it go. She would not sit there and wait to be rescued.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are right. However, Zorion has already sent out a search party. I¡¯m sure he will be able to find her faster than us. What we need to do now is to think about how we¡¯re going to tell my grandmother about what happened between you and Jepherson.¡±

    Raeleigh did not respond to Santiago¡¯s words.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Santiago rolled his eyes at Raeleigh and said, ¡°About how Jepherson is interested in you.¡±

    Raeleigh did not understand. Scarlette suddenly sighed. Raeleigh was not a dumb person. She knew everything. However, Scarlette had no idea why she was so slow when it came to these things. At that time, she was still worried about Deanna. She was afraid that she would not be able toe out safely from the kidnapping.

    Jepherson was nowhere to be seen now that Deanna was in trouble. It was impossible for Zorion to keep everything a secret. Once Old Madam Richards found out about this, the next person she would deal with would be Raeleigh, yet Raeleigh was still worried about Deanna. Scarlette wondered whether Raeleigh was actually dumb.

    A realization suddenly dawned on Raeleigh and she asked, ¡°You mean, your family¡­¡±

    ¡°By now, my grandmother would have probably heard about what happened to Deanna. Now, there are two things you have to be mentally prepared for. The first thing is to meet my grandmother, and the second thing is toe clean to her about your rtionship with Jepherson.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned and said, ¡°There is nothing going on between your brother and me.¡±

    ¡°You are smart,¡± Santiago said, raising his hand. Raeleigh¡¯s heart was racing. She could not bring herself to calm down.

    She had already fallen into a crisis because of this matter. She was also not sure what to do.

    Santiago briefly nced at Scarlette and said, ¡°When my grandmother asks about thister, tell her that I¡¯m interested in Raeleigh and that I want her to be my wife.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Scarlette was slightly stunned. Raeleigh looked at Santiago quietly. Santiagoughed evilly and said, ¡°Jepherson is a good man. My grandmother isn¡¯t worried about him finding a wife. However, I¡¯m different. She will be very happy if someone is willing to marry me. You mighte off as a weirdo in my grandmother¡¯s eyes.¡±

    ¡°However, you have to be mentally prepared. Due to the rtionship between the Richards family and Whalen family, my grandmother will most likely ask me to give you up to be with Zorion.¡±

    ¡°I can tell you that now we are in a united front. If you do not help me, then I will not help you. If you make a mess, then no one will take care of you, so¡­¡±

    ¡°I understand. We are now a couple.¡± Raeleigh immediately promised. However, Scarlette wasn¡¯t surprised.

    If Santiago wasn¡¯t here, then she would have pulled her aside and talked some sense into her. However, she did not dare to do it because he was here.

    ¡°Very good. You¡¯re a smart girl. Come on, let¡¯s go and pay my grandmother a visit.¡± Santiago turned around and began walking. Raeleigh was busy wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, lest she saw anything.

    ¡°Don¡¯t we need to prepare ourselves? Do we have to visit her now?¡± Raeleigh felt that they should wait untilter, or at least until they found Deanna.

    Santiago lowered his head and said as he walked, ¡°Now is the best time. Otherwise, if Zorion reaches them before us, then we are screwed.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing and followed Santiago to Richards Manor.

    By the time they arrived, Raeleigh had already calmed down. She was then like a death penalty criminal, who was being rushed to the guillotine. It was just that it was a quicker death. In fact, regardless of what it was, she was going to die either way.

    However, right then, she had no other choice but to put an end to this matter.

    She could only do what Santiago said.

    As they were walking, Santiago suddenly stopped in his tracks. The servants were shocked to see him. They greeted him, one after another.¡°Mr. Santiago, you¡¯re back!¡±

    Santiago raised an eyebrow. ¡°What do you mean? Am I not weed?¡±Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    The servant quickly lowered her head and said, ¡°No. Of course, you are! I¡¯m going to inform Old Madam Richards right away.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Where is Grandma? I¡¯ll go and meet her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s having dinner in the Ink Garden.¡±

    ¡°Perfect. We haven¡¯t had anything to eat yet,¡± Santiago said. He reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hand as they made their way to the Ink Garden. The people in the vi were so scared that they did not dare to breathe. They had no idea what was going on.

    They only knew that Santiago was back and there would not be any peace in this ce anymore.

    Soon, Raeleigh was brought to the Ink Garden by Santiago.

    ¡°Madam Marissa, Young Master San-¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? How¡¯s the matter with Deanna?¡± Marissa was worried about Deanna. Rayan was not home, so it would be troublesome if something happened.

    What was she supposed to do by then?

    And what was with this girl named Raeleigh? How did she manage to anger Deanna?

    The servant stammered and could not say a word.

    Santiago stepped through the door as he pulled Raeleigh, who had lowered her head.

    Marissa looked up and was slightly stunned to see Raeleigh.

    Marissa had seen Raeleigh¡¯s photo, so she knew this woman was Raeleigh for sure. She did not have to expend any effort, and Raeleigh had shown up at her doorstep.

    Marissa¡¯s face darkened. Just as she was about to lose her temper, her eyes suddenly fell on Santiago¡¯s and Raeleigh¡¯s joined hands. She instantly fell silent!

 Chapter 972 Loneliness

    ¡°Santiago, what¡¯s the story with you and Miss Anson?¡± Marissa asked as she sat on the big couch in the living room. Her expression was cold.

    It was obvious that she was not happy with Raeleigh.

    She had not invited Raeleigh to sit with them. Raeleigh stood next to Santiago. He was sitting on the couch as he gently stroked Raeleigh¡¯s hands. He briefly swept his eyes across the entire room and realized that everyone seemed nervous. The servants had no idea what was going on. They were only aware that Santiago had a crush on someone else¡¯s girlfriend.

    And at that time, he was so full of pride that he brought Raeleigh back.

    Raeleigh stood still. She looked as if she had been bullied. She knew that Santiago had his own tricks, and all she needed to do was to y along with him.

    Santiago pretended as if he did not hear Marissa¡¯s question. It took him a long time before he turned to look at Marissa. He said, ¡°I thought I just told you. I like Raeleigh. I want to marry her.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Marissa mmed the table in anger. The people in the house were so scared that they neither dared to speak nor make a sound.

    Santiagoughed and asked, ¡°What? Do you think I¡¯m joking?¡±

    ¡°How old are you? Jepherson isn¡¯t married and yet you¡¯re already thinking about getting married?¡± Marissa was furious. She found it ridiculous that he actually brought a girl home and told her that he wanted to marry her. What was he thinking?

    If it were someone else, then she would have let it go. However, this was Raeleigh they were talking about. She was the person who made Deanna run away.

    Anger coursed through Marissa¡¯s veins.

    ¡°If Jepherson won¡¯t get married, then does mean that I can¡¯t either? What does it have to do with me if he doesn¡¯t want to fight for love?¡± Santiago¡¯s face was full of displeasure. He was unhappy.

    Marissa¡¯s face turned pale. She then said, ¡°You¡¯re only in your teens. Why are you in such a hurry? Besides, Deanna is missing now. Aren¡¯t you worried about her?¡±

    ¡°Deanna is Jepherson¡¯s future wife, not mine. She has nothing to do with me. The person I want to protect is Raeleigh. She will be my future wife. I can¡¯t neglect Raeleigh¡¯s feelings just because of our family¡¯s rtionship with the Whalen family.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh put her cell phone aside while we were in a conversation. Deanna caught sight of our conversation. Then, she took Raeleigh¡¯s phone away to peek at our messages. After that, she even threw Raeleigh¡¯s phone away. I don¡¯t understand. What right does Deanna have to do that? Does she want to be my wife and not Jepherson¡¯s?¡±

    Marissa was stunned. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I said, Deanna chose not to sleep that night and tried to peek at Raeleigh¡¯s and my text exchanges. After she read the conversation, she threw away Raeleigh¡¯s phone and ran out of the room. What does all of these have to do with Raeleigh?¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    ¡°You cannot me this on Raeleigh just because Deanna is from the Whalen family.¡±

    ¡°Deanna is human, but so is Raeleigh.¡±

    Marissa quietened down and was a little confused.

    She looked at her grandson, Santiago,and then at Raeleigh. ¡°Raeleigh, is he telling the truth?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer immediately. Santiago then said, ¡°Give me your phone.¡±

    Raeleigh did not want to give him at first. However, she eventually took out her phone and handed it to him. He opened their conversation and showed it to Marissa, ¡°This is her inbox. Have a look.¡±

    Marissa opened it and realized that there was only one conversation in the inbox. It had the name Richards.

    Marissa frowned and asked, ¡°Deanna has misunderstood the whole thing, hasn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°How would I know?¡± Santiago did not care at all.

    ¡°You guys are to me as well. You should have used your full name, not just Richards. Then, we wouldn¡¯t have this problem, would we?¡± Marissa was not only unhappy with Raeleigh, but also with Santiago.

    Raeleigh knew very well that this matter was orchestrated by Jepherson. She used Jepherson¡¯s first name when she texted him, but right then it was changed to Richards. It showed that Jepherson knew everything that was going on here.

    ¡°She should have thought it through before running off. How is this Raeleigh¡¯s fault? If Deanna does end up marrying Jepherson, and she so happened to have seen a girl texting a person named Richards, is she going to assume that the girl is texting Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°How many times would she have to run away then?¡±

    Marissa was stunned for a moment. She thought about it carefully and realized that Deanna was indeed a little impulsive. She would rather run away than to face the truth.

    ording to what Santiago had said, it seemed like she loved running away on impulse.

    ¡°Alright, I get it. You can go now. Don¡¯t stay here and be an eyesore.¡± Marissa stood up, intending to head back to her room to rest.

    Raeleigh could feel that there was a huge disparity between her and Deanna¡¯s status in the Richards family.

    She remained standing during their entire conversation. No one even bothered to invite her to sit down. If she were Deanna, she believed that she would not be treated like this.

    ¡°Grandma.¡± Santiago rose to his feet. Marissa turned to look at Santiago and asked, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I know that at home, men are seen as superior to women, and we have to respect our elders. However, I hope that you can give some respect to Raeleigh. I¡¯m human and so is she. This is not Raeleigh¡¯s fault. You can¡¯t even be bothered to look at Raeleigh. I think that you think poorly of me.¡±

    ¡°I, think poorly of you?¡± Marissaughed. ¡°What are you saying?¡±

    Marissa looked at Raeleigh and snorted. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve been living afortable life recently. You ought to know where you stand in this family. Don¡¯t think that you can bring back whoever you want into our house. I didn¡¯t drive you out because of your mother. I am very disappointed in you. Your mother is such a good person, yet she gave birth to someone like you. In my opinion, it is your father who spoiled you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think my family has spoiled me, but I know there are a lot of people who look down on me.¡± Santiago was full of defiance. Marissa sneered. ¡°Let me tell you this, if you want to have a casual fling with this girl, then it¡¯s fine. I will not say anything, but I will not allow you to marry this girl. You should give up before it¡¯s toote.¡±

    After saying that, she turned around and left. Santiago held Raeleigh¡¯s hand tightly.

    Raeleigh felt sorry for Santiago. He was also part of the Richards family and shared the same mother as Jepherson, yet he was treated badly.

    It was not a surprised that Santiago had received such a treatment from his family.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Santiago held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and left quickly. He did not care about what Marissa had said.

    Santiago went to the garage after exiting the manor. He opened the garage door and stood there for a while. Then, he drove Jepherson¡¯s favorite car out of the garage.

    Raeleigh got into the car and Santiago made his way out of the manor. However, he was stopped by the butler at the door.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, you cannot drive this car. This is Mr. Jepherson¡¯s car. Furthermore, you don¡¯t even have a driver¡¯s license yet. If you get caught¡­¡±

    ¡°Scram!¡± Santiago spat. The butler shuddered in fear. Santiago then stepped on the elerator and the car roared to life. The butler did not dare to stop him. Santiago was like a wild horse that had left its reins. No one dared to provoke him.

    The butler then quickly got out of the way as Santiago drove out of Richards Manor.

    When the car finally stopped, Raeleigh turned to look at Santiago. He then got out of the car and went into a nearby convenience store to buy a bag of chips and a packet of cigarettes. He tossed the bag of chips to Raeleigh as soon as he got into the car. Then, he lowered his head and took out a cigarette before lighting it up and putting it in his mouth. He took a drag and leaned back on the chair. He rested his hand, that was holding the cigarette, on the door and held the steering wheel with the other.

    The streetmps were brilliant and dazzling. The soft glow enhanced his handsome face. However, it could not bepared to his current state of loneliness.

 Chapter 973 The Most Useless Person

    Raeleigh looked down at the bag of snacks on herp. She did not usually eat junk food, but somehow she was feeling a little hungry that day, and she wanted to vent her anger by eating.

    Raeleigh reached into the bag and took out some packet of cookies. She opened it and began eating it.

    Santiago took a drag on his cigarette and asked her, ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Raeleigh chewed on a cookie and lowered her head.¡°I¡¯m coping.¡±

    Santiagoughed and blew a puff of white smoke. ¡°This is how society works. They thinkthat it¡¯s better to get ahead in the world by abandoning their own principles than to endure poverty. It¡¯s alright for you to do bad things, but it¡¯s a sin if you are poor.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago and asked, ¡°What should we do now? Deanna has not been found yet.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such a good friend to Deanna. If she knew half of your goodwill, then things would not have ended up like this,¡± Santiago did not answer her question. He took a drag on his cigarette and threw it out of the window. Then, he started the car and drove away.

    Raeleigh turned to look at Santiago and said, ¡°You¡¯re still young. You shouldn¡¯t be smoking. It¡¯s unhealthy.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°He said the same thing as well.¡±

    Raeleigh knew that he was referring to Jepherson. She could imagine that Jepherson was the only person in the entire Richards family who understood him.

    That was why he was willing to help Jepherson to deceive everyone else.

    Santiago stopped the car at the entrance of the hospital. He looked at the hospital and said, ¡°Flynt has been admitted here. The only thing we can do now is wait.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Where is Zorion? Does he know about it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he knows. He¡¯s secretly waiting as well while looking for Deanna. I have a feeling that she must be somewhere close. I doubt she went far.¡± Santiago reached into the bag for a donut and took a bite. He was not picky about food.

    Raeleigh also saw that he had bought a packet of beef jerky. So, she opened it and handed a piece to Santiago. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy all day. You have to eat up.¡±

    Santiago did not stand on ceremony. He took the jerky and continued eating the donut.

    Raeleigh looked around and said, ¡°Your license te is very striking. I¡¯m sure it will attract people¡¯s attention if you park here. I¡¯ll go down and have a look. Why don¡¯t you park somewhere else? I¡¯ll give you my phone number. You can call me if anything happens and I¡¯lle right back. I will not go too far.¡±

    Raeleigh opened the door and got out of the car. By then, it was already past ten o¡¯clock. Raeleigh had not slept for nearly 24 hours, but she did not feel tired at all.

    She was worried about Deanna. There was no way she would be able to sleep.

    Raeleigh closed the door and looked at Santiago, waiting for his response.

    Santiago smiled and finished all the food in his hand. He then started the car and drove off. Raeleigh turned around and looked at the hospital. When she saw the name ¡®Moore¡¯ in the hospital¡¯s name, she instantly knew that the Moore family owned this hospital.

    That was why¡­

    At that point, no one knew how bad the ident was or if Flynt was actually injured. Everything was reported by the Moore family themselves.

    Raeleigh stared at the hospital for a while before entering.

    After entering the hospital, Raeleigh looked around. The hospital was so big that no one was suspicious of her. Raeleigh walked upstairs and was deep in thought as she walked. If Deanna had been brought here, then it could have been possible that she was locked up in a ward. Furthermore, this ward had to be in close proximity with Flynt¡¯s. In this way, he could still keep an eye on Deanna.

    If what Santiago said was true, if Flynt¡¯s purpose was to draw the Whalen Family over to his side, then he would take full advantage of Deanna.

    Raeleigh walked up to the first floor and decided to check things out. There weren¡¯t any doctors or nurses around. She assumed that they were on their breaks. She also saw some people standing outside the operating theater.

    Raeleigh walked over and realized that there was an orthopedics surgery going on. She knew she hade to the right floor. At least, it meant that she was indeed in the orthopedics department.

    If Flynt was actually injured,then she would definitely be able to find some clues on this floor.

    However, she found nothing. So, she went up another floor and soon, she finished searching the entire building. She searched the whole hospital but found no trace of Flynt. So, she took the elevator and went back down to the first floor.

    It was already quitete at night, so there wasn¡¯t anyone in the elevator. As soon as she arrived on the ground floor, she exited the elevator and walked out of the hospital.

    Raeleigh took a look around after emerging from the hospital. She had visited most of the wards while she was here. It waste at night, so it was no surprise that the patients were asleep and that the lights were off.

    Raeleigh stood there for a while and observed the people downstairs. Soon, she saw some ck cars that were parked neatly at the car park.

    Raeleigh decided to walk a little closer to observe those cars. The cars had red gs on them. This license number was rarely seen in Capital City.

    However, it also made known the identities of the owners of these cars. This brand of cars could only be used by high-ranking officials.

    Raeleigh believed that she had made a discovery.

    There was someone guarding the car and there was also a driver inside it.

    This showed that these cars belonged to someone of high status. They all came with a driver. However, who was their boss?

    Raeleigh was not in a hurry. She went to an inconspicuous ce and hid.

    Raeleigh looked around before sending a text to Santiago. She typed, ¡°I have some clues of Flynt¡¯s whereabouts. You can follow¡­¡±

    Raeleigh heard someone approaching from behind. She paused for a moment and turned around slowly. When she realized it was Santiago, she breathed a sigh of relief.

    Thankfully, it was Santiago.

    Santiago put the phone into his pocket and looked at Raeleigh. It seemed like he was checking whether she was hurt.

    ¡°Don¡¯t run around on your own. What if something happens to you?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°I promise I will not do it again.¡±

    Santiago looked at her and then briefly at the time. It was already one o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Santiago put his hand down and said, ¡°I have long known that Flynt is here.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a while and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me.¡±Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t ask.¡±

    ¡­

    The two of them did not say anything for a moment. Then, Raeleigh finally said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I was trying to prove myself, I just wanted to find Flynt first.¡±

    ¡°I understand that you¡¯re worried about Deanna but don¡¯t forget, haste doesn¡¯t lead to sess. You have to be patient. You have to have a rational mind to solve this matter.¡±

    ¡°Or else, we will never be able to find Deanna.¡±

    Raeleigh understood Santiago¡¯s words. But then again, she was very surprised to hear him speak like that.

    Santiago turned around and began walking as he said, ¡°Be careful. There are a lot of people below, all of whom are thugs. I can only bring one person with me and there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to bring you. I¡¯m sure you know why.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Raeleigh immediately followed him. Regarding this matter, her goal was the same as Santiago¡¯s, which was to find Deanna.

    Therefore, if something happened, then they could only sacrifice the one who is the most expendable and everyone agreed she was the most useless one.

 Chapter 974 Rescue Deanna

    The two of them then quietly made their way to the inpatient department. Santiago made a gesture indicating Raeleigh to enter first. She went in from the side entrance, and he followed suit.

    They were not surprised that the people in the cars had already fallen asleep, considering the fact that it was already veryte.

    Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that there wasn¡¯t anyone guarding the door.

    They opted not to take the elevator because it was usually equipped with surveince cameras.

    Raeleigh quickly made her way to the stairway. She had briefly scouted the ce and roughly knew which rooms were still lit.

    Santiago did not stop her and followed her up the stairs. It did not take long before they reached the second floor.

    When they arrived on the second floor, they realized that all the lights had been turned off, only ultraviolet lights were on and that there wasn¡¯t anyone on the floor. Raeleigh whispered to Santiago, ¡°Do you know which room?¡±

    Santiago shook his head and said, ¡°If I knew, then I would havee earlier.¡±

    Raeleigh felt like a fool. She was about to lose her mind after having wasted the entire day trying to look for Deanna. She found it strange that Zorion was nowhere to be seen, and that Santiago remained calm the whole time. But, she knew there must have been a reason, she just did not know what it was.

    She finally understood what was going on now that she thought about it. It was obvious that Santiago knew that Flynt had been admitted here all along and had long suspected that Deanna was here too. The reason they had not taken action was because Flynt was a member of the Moore Family. They could not just show up here and confront Flynt.

    They knew Flynt would not let Deanna go so soon, so they were waiting for the right time for Flynt to let his guard down beforeing in to rescue Deanna.

    It was just that Raeleigh wondered where Zorion was at that time. Was he frantically rushing around trying to find Deanna like what she did earlier that day?

    ¡°I vaguely remember that there were a few rooms that were still lit. I suspect that they must be in one of those rooms. I think I remember which rooms. Let¡¯s go and check it out.¡±

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s impressive!¡± Santiago said, amused. The corners of his lips curled into a smile. He looked even more devilish in the darkness.

    Raeleigh nodded and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. I have a feeling that Deanna must be locked up alone. If Flynt wants to win the Whalen family over, then I doubt he would do anything to her. I¡¯m sure he will treat her well. Let¡¯s hope we can find her. Once we find her, if we are lucky, then we can escape together. Or else, I want you to take Deanna out of here. I¡¯ll find a way to get myself out of this ce. I will hold them back.¡±

    Santiago did not say anything but stared at Raeleigh in the dark. For a moment, there was a hint of gentleness in his eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Raeleigh had encountered countless dangerous situations ever since she was a child. She knew that she would be fine. Otherwise, she would have long been dead.

    Santiago asked, ¡°Deanna likes Jepherson and so do you. You really don¡¯t mind at all? If Deanna dies, then you can have Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°If Deanna died, then Jepherson would not forgive me. I would not be able to forgive myself either. However, I¡¯m sure Deanna wille out of this alive.¡±

    Santiago did not reply. He looked around and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll follow your n.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Raeleigh said and followed Santiago up the stairs. The two of them slowly made their way upstairs. She had to rely on her memory to try and find the correct room. Soon, they arrived at the highest floor possible.

    This was the second highest floor in the building. Raeleigh made a gesture to keep quiet. She asked Santiago to hide behind her while she stretched her neck out to check the surroundings.

    Santiago stood behind her with an amused expression on his face. How dare she!

    He should be the one in front instead.

    Raeleigh briefly checked the surroundings before quickly stepping back. Terror coursed through her. She looked at Santiago and said, ¡°We¡¯re at the right ce.¡±

    Santiago looked at her. He was not nervous. Instead, he was amused.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and have a look,¡± Santiago said. He was about to leave, but was stopped by Raeleigh.

    Santiago turned to look at her with his back against the wall. Raeleigh said, ¡°ording to our n, I¡¯m supposed to lure them away while you rescue Deanna. I have a feeling that she¡¯s in a room that is heavily guarded. I¡¯m sure you can find a way to escape.¡±

    Santiago did not reply immediately. Instead, he asked Raeleigh, ¡°Do you know what will happen to you if you get caught, and we aren¡¯t able to save you?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. She knew that she had nothing. She wasn¡¯t from a notable family and she did not have a backer. If Flynt caught her, then he would not treat her as well as he would to Deanna. Perhaps, she would be treated inhumanely.

    But she did not want to owe Deanna anything. There was no point waiting here. They could not inform anyone.

    But then again, if they did not take any action right then, then they would havee here in vain.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment before she said, ¡°I will be fine. I will wait for you toe and save me.¡±

    After that, Raeleighquietly slipped out the corner. She did not give Santiago the chance to think. She stuck close to the wall as she walked. Even if she did not know how to fight, she did not want to do anything either. Not long after, she was discovered by those people. She hurriedly pressed the elevator button and went inside it as soon as it arrived.

    When Santiago saw those people chasing after Raeleigh, he quickly changed his hiding ce and hid in a corner. Those people decided to split into two groups with one group using the stairway.

    Raeleigh almost seeded.

    After the group of people left, Santiago made his way towards the wards. In one of the wardsy Flynt, who was sleeping. There were two people inside protecting Flynt.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    There were also two people inside the other room. Deanna was tied up as shey on the bed.

    Santiago knocked on the door from the outside. The people inside got up to open it. There was no one guarding the door.

    It was ady who answered the door.

    Santiago, who was on one side, swiftly pulled thedy over and raised his hand to hit her on the neck. She immediately passed out.

    Santiagoy thedy on the ground and made his way into the room. When he opened the door, the person inside had already got up. He was stunned when he saw Santiago. Just as he was about to call for help, Santiago raised his hand to strangle him and knocked him out with a punch.

    At that time, Santiago gestured for Deanna to keep quiet. She was not a fool and did as she was told.

    Deanna looked pale and her eyes were red and swollen. She looked a little different.

    Santiago immediately removed the restraints and reached out for some binds. He carried Deanna on his back and quickly left the ward. First, he made sure that Deanna was steady on his back before he took the binds and went to the door of Flynt¡¯s ward to tie the door.

    The people inside heard the noise and immediately made a beeline for the door. They were a little surprised to find that they could not open the door.

    They immediately knew that something was wrong. At that time, Flynt slowly stirred awake and realized what was going on.

    Santiago turned around and walked towards the elevator. He pressed an elevator button and went straight down to the first floor.

    Deanna looked at Santiago as she sniffed. Then, she asked, ¡°Why did youe to save me? Where¡¯s my brother?¡±

    Santiago squinted at Deanna and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with meing here? Am I not humane?¡±

    Deanna was extremely upset. She sniffled on Santiago¡¯s neck. Santiago nearly wanted to drop her.

    ¡°Can you stop sniffling on my neck?¡± Santiago did not like others wiping their snot on him.

    Deanna sobbed. ¡°Jepherson doesn¡¯t want me anymore and Zorion doesn¡¯t seem to care about me. Both of them prefer Raeleigh over me.¡±

    Santiago snorted and said, ¡°Stop crying. I¡¯m going to leave you if you don¡¯t stop crying.¡±

    Deanna did not answer. However, she could not control her tears from falling.

 Chapter 975 Raeleigh Is Still Inside

    The elevator soon arrived at the first floor. Santiago leaned against one side of the elevator and looked up at Deanna.

    When the elevator door opened, there were about five people waiting for them.

    Immediately, two people rushed into the elevator. Santiago gripped Deanna¡¯s thighs with both hands and proceeded to kick the closest person to him. Then, he turned around and kicked the other person.

    One fell to the ground and the other one dodged his kick.

    Deanna was sniffling. She cried even harder and somehow still managed to utter, ¡°My brother will not let you guys go. My brother is Zorion Whalen!¡±

    Santiago was so frustrated when he heard her words. But then again, he was impressed that she could still utter those words at that time.

    Santiago soon emerged from the elevator and began fighting with the rest of the people. While he was fighting, a group of people brought Raeleigh out.

    ¡°Stop fighting, or else I¡¯m going to kill your friend here,¡± one guy said. He was a member of the Moore family. It was just that he wasn¡¯t that well-known.

    Santiago felt that this guy seemed a little familiar.

    There was a knife on Raeleigh¡¯s neck and it was the guy from the Moore family who was holding the knife to her neck.

    Deanna froze as she stared at Raeleigh. She was frightened down to the soles of her shoes.

    Raeleigh was injured. One of her arms was bleeding, but she did not look like she was in pain. She just looked pale.

    Raeleigh did not say a word as she stared at Santiago and Deanna.

    Santiago¡¯s face suddenly darkened. He bellowed, ¡°What did you do to her?¡±

    The other partyughed and said, ¡°This is a good trade, eh? Deanna Whalen in exchange for Santiago Richards, plus this woman. From what I hear, both Jepherson and Zorion fancy her.¡±

    Santiago stared at those people with dagger eyes. He steadied Deanna on his back and sneered. ¡°What? Do you think we care about her?¡±

    ¡°I dare you to kill her.¡±

    As Santiago spoke, Raeleigh kept her eyes on him and saw his mouth twitched. Only then did she rx a little.

    ¡°Santiago, don¡¯t think that we don¡¯t know what you are thinking. If you put Deanna down now, then we¡¯ll allow you to leave. We¡¯ll also let this woman go. Otherwise, we are going to kill her.¡±

    ¡°Fine, let her die. I¡¯m tired of her anyway,¡± Santiago said and walked towards the door with Deanna on his back.

    The man from the Moore Family did not dare to ask someone to chase after Santiago, but he sliced the knife through Raeleigh¡¯s skin.

    Raeleigh did not scream as she watched Santiago walk out the door. No one dared to stop him.

    After Santiago left, the man tossed the knife aside and gave Raeleigh a hard push. She stumbled to the ground.

    The man looked down at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I gave Santiago a choice but he chose Deanna. Don¡¯t me us. Pick her up and bring her to Flynt.¡±

    Someone immediately walked to Raeleigh after hearing the order. He did not care whether she was injured or not, he just went over and dragged her to see Flynt.

    After they exited the hospital, Deanna turned around and stared at the building while sniffling. She then turned to look at Santiago and asked, ¡°What is Raeleigh doing here?¡±

    Santiago did not reply and ran as fast as he could while carrying Deanna on his back.

    Santiago carried her from the hospital to his car. When he finally got to his car, he immediately opened the door and put her in. He then made a call to Zorion while getting in the car.

    ¡°I¡¯ve found Deanna. Where are you?¡± Just as Santiago asked, the Whalen family¡¯s car arrived at the entrance of the hospital. Zorion and the others got out of the car.

    Santiago turned to look at them and shoved his phone into his pocket. He opened the door and said, ¡°Get out of the car.¡±

    Deanna raised her head to look at Santiago and asked, ¡°Why are you being so rude to me?¡±

    Deanna cried as she spoke.

    ¡°I am being kind. This matter has nothing to do with Raeleigh, yet she is now in danger because of you. The only reason I managed to save you is because of her. I thought you would be worried about her and would be cracking your head, trying toe up with a way to rescue her. You are not a fool. You should know that I am not capable of saving you by myself, yet you pretend to know nothing.¡±

    Deanna stared nkly at Santiago. ¡°I¡­¡±

    By then, Zorion was already standing in front of Santiago¡¯s car. Santiago looked at him and said, ¡°I did not expect that you would not do anything.¡±

    Zorion did not answer. He bent over and carried his sister out of the car. Then, he turned around and walked back to his car with Deanna in his arms. Deanna was crying as wrapped her arms around her brother. Zorion suddenly said, ¡°I was held up by someone. That was why it took me a while to get here.¡±

    Santiagoughed and asked, ¡°What about now? We¡¯ve managed to save Deanna. What about Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°I doubt Flynt would hurt her. Deanna is a little traumatised right now. I have to watch over her.¡± Zorion gritted his teeth. He seemed a little different than usual.

    ¡°I know. It¡¯s fine, you can go.¡± Santiago did not tell Zorion about Raeleigh¡¯s injury. There was no point telling him. Deanna would always be his priority.

    Other people¡¯s lives probably did not matter.

    Santiago closed his car door and walked towards the hospital. Scarlette and Hadrian immediately ran over to him.

    ¡°Get lost, all of you!¡± Santiago scolded as soon as Scarlette and Hadrian approached him. After that, he immediately ran into the hospital.

    Zorion sat in the car as he held Deanna tightly, trying his best to stroke her back and calm her down.

    Deanna slowly raised her head. She looked extremely pitiful as she asked, ¡°Zorion, what should we do?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. You need to get some rest,¡± Zorion said as he held Deanna tightly. In the end, they decided to leave.

    The cars left, one after another. Scarlette was furious. She clenched her fist and said, ¡°They are heartless. Raeleigh is being held in the hospital and yet they chose to leave.¡±

    Hadrian watched as Santiago entered the hospital. Then, he said to Scarlette, ¡°I think you should call Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Scarlette immediately made a call to Jepherson.

    Stuart answered the phone and informed her that they were already on their way.

    ¡°We¡¯ve just gotten off the ne. Where are you guys now?¡± Stuart felt that something bad was going to happen since Jepherson did not want to answer the phone.

    ¡°We¡¯re at the Moore family¡¯s hospital. Deanna has been rescued but Raeleigh is being held inside right now. Mr. Santiago told us not to follow him. He¡¯s currently in the hospital.¡±

    Stuart looked over at Jepherson and saw that his expression was as cold as ice. He did not say a word the entire time.

    Stuart hurriedly said, ¡°Just listen to Mr. Santiago.¡±

    Everyone knew about Santiago¡¯s temper. He would not do anything if he wasn¡¯t confident.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    Scarlette hung up and then looked inside the hospital.

    Her mind was in a mess. She wondered, how was Raeleigh doing?

    The door of the ward was pushed open and Raeleigh was shoved inside. She was injured and could not stand firm. So, she stumbled to the ground.

    When she raised her head, Flynt was sitting up on the bed. When he saw Raeleigh, he frowned as he adjusted the quilt and said, ¡°It¡¯s such a pity to see a woman injured like this. What can I say? What¡¯s so good about being with Jepherson?¡±

    There were only a few people in the room. Flynt nced at the person opposite him and said, ¡°Bring her a chair.¡±

    Someone immediately brought a chair for Raeleigh after hearing Flynt¡¯s order. Raeleigh did her best to remain on her feet, opting not to sit. She just stared at Flynt without saying anything.

 Chapter 976 Thank You

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything else. Since your friends abandoned you here, I think it¡¯s best for you to cooperate with us. It¡¯ll be good for both parties.¡±

    Flynt lowered his head and said, ¡°There are so many ways I can deal with you, yet I don¡¯t want to hurt you. I still have some patience.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing. She looked as if she was about to pass out as blood kept dripping from her arm. She could not focus on what Flynt was saying.

    She swayed a little, but she did not say anything.

    ¡°You are very beautiful. If you wish for it, I can give you whatever you want, including bing part of the Moore family,¡± Flynt said, and he could not help but to frown. His initial n was for her to cooperate with him. He did not have any other intentions, but why did he suddenly say those words?

    He wondered whether the Moore family would ept her?

    Raeleigh still did not say anything. Flynt lifted his quilt and got out of bed. He walked over to Raeleigh¡¯s side and pulled her to him. He ripped open her sleeves to check on her wound. However, he was a little surprised when he saw it and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think your wound would be this bad.¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to pull her hand back, but Flynt did not let go.

    ¡°Someone, call the doctor.¡± Flynt frowned and looked at the surrounding people. The people around him immediately went to get the doctor. After they left, Flynt turned to look at another person and said, ¡°Get a basin of water and bring over a towel.¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    Someone immediately went into the bathroom to fetch a basin of warm water, along with a towel.

    The person ced the basin on the table and Flynt quickly used the towel to wipe the blood off Raeleigh¡¯s body. Raeleigh was feeling a little dizzy and was about to fall over at any time. When Flynt saw this, he hurried over to catch her before she fell onto the ground.

    ¡°Mr. Flynt.¡±

    Someone shouted. There was dirt all over Raeleigh at the moment.

    Flynt was a man who was obsessed with cleanliness.

    Flynt raised his hand and did not say anything. His men immediately took a step back.

    Flynt bent down and picked Raeleigh up. Just as he was about to ce her on his bed, the door of the ward was pushed open.

    Flynt looked up and saw Santiago standing at the door.

    No one dared to approach Santiago but there were a lot of people standing guard at the door, in case he did anything stupid.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    When the group of people inside the room saw Santiago, they immediately went up to attack him. However, Flynt suddenly shouted, ¡°Stop!¡±

    His men retreated one after another, not daring to get close to Santiago. They all lowered their heads.

    Santiago looked at Raeleigh as he entered the ward. He did not say anything as he reached out and gathered her in his arms.

    ¡°I¡¯ll settle the score with youter,¡± Santiago said as he reached out to gather Raeleigh in his arms. Flynt said, ¡°I apud you. You are very capable. I¡¯ll let her go today. Consider this as my gift to you, but remember, you owe me a favor. You¡¯ll have to return it sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°A favor? You¡¯re kidding, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m not going to remember it. I came here today to save her, regardless. You¡¯re going to have to let her go. You have a lot of people here, and I¡¯m easily outnumbered. If you are not happy with it, then you can ask your men to stop me from leaving. But isn¡¯t it a little ridiculous for you to say that I owe you a favor?¡±

    After saying that, Santiago turned around and walked out of the room. No one dared to stop him.

    Flynt turned his hand over and held on tightly to it.

    His eyes were fixed on Raeleigh, who was unconscious.

    A few minutester, Santiago emerged from the elevator. As soon as he walked out of the door, he was met with Jepherson.

    Santiago immediately walked over to his brother. Then, he said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I failed to protect her.¡±

    As he spoke, he handed Raeleigh over to Jepherson. Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and made his way back to his car. After getting in the car, he did not say a word, he just held her tightly in his arms. At that time, blood was still flowing from her arm. Even the driver was so scared that his face turned pale. He immediately stepped on the elerator and exceeded every speed limit to get to the nearest hospital.

    Santiago followed from behind. He, too, was speeding like crazy.

    Scarlette and Hadrian were in one car. Both of them looked extremely worried.

    As soon as they pulled up to the hospital, Jepherson quickly carried Raeleigh out of the car. There were already people waiting for them at the entrance of the emergency room. When they saw Jepherson and Santiago, they immediately came over to greet them.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, Mr. Santiago.¡±

    Jepherson did not say anything as he entered the hospital, gradually picking up his pace. The people behind him also followed suit.

    They walked through a VIP passageway. Furthermore, it was veryte, and most of the patients were already asleep.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, why don¡¯t you put her on the gurney first? We need to take her to the operating theater,¡± the doctor said,ing over. Jepherson did not follow the doctor¡¯s orders. He looked at the front and strode forward, not saying a word.

    The doctor and the chief of the hospital did not dare to say anything when they saw Jepherson¡¯s expression. They could only follow him.

    After entering the operating theater, Jepherson ced Raeleigh on the operating table and stood to one side.

    ¡°You can start now.¡±

    The doctor immediately put on a straight face and started issuing orders, focusing on what he could do to stabilize Raeleigh.

    At that time, no one dared to say a word. They did not want anything to happen to Raeleigh.

    Soon, Raeleigh¡¯s surgerymenced. Jepherson was seething inwardly as he stood in the corner of the operating theater. However, the corner was dimly lit and made him looked like a trapped beast as his eyes kept looking around.

    Stuart hurried into the operating theater. He walked over to Jepherson and whispered, ¡°Do you need me to get the stic surgeon?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ask them toe now.¡±

    ¡°They are already waiting outside. I¡¯ll let them in.¡± Stuart went out in a hurry. Soon, several stic surgeons came in and helped with the surgery.

    Raeleigh¡¯s operation took more than four hours and that was also how long Jepherson stood in the operating room.

    After the surgery, Jepherson picked Raeleigh up and personally carried her into the ward.

    ¡°You can all leave,¡± Jepherson immediately ordered everyone to leave after cing Raeleigh on the bed. Scarlette hesitated before finally leaving the room.

    After everyone left, Jepherson helped Raeleigh change out of her dirty clothes and wiped her body clean. The dirty clothes were then thrown away. He also took a shower and changed into a new set of clothes before taking a seat by her bedside.

    He sat there for an entire day.

    Raeleigh woke up the next morning. She felt as if she was a robot with a cast on her arms and on her neck. She could not move at all.

    When Jepherson felt movements on the bed, he slowly opened his eyes. When he saw that Raeleigh was awake, he quickly stood up.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re awake.¡±

    While talking, Jepherson lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh on her lips. Raeleigh was caught off guard, with her mouth agape. Then, Jephersonimmediatelydeepened the kiss.

    Raeleigh felt that Jepherson wasn¡¯t really kissing her. Instead, he was trying to kill her. For a moment, she felt as if she was out of breath.

    Thankfully, she could still move her other hand. She hurriedly reached out to nudge him, indicating that she could not hold on any longer. Otherwise, she would have died of suffocation right there and then.

    By the time Jepherson finally pulled away, Raeleigh was very close to being suffocated to death. Her entire face was flushed.

    That time, Raeleigh did not avoid him. Instead, she looked straight at him.

    Jepherson sat down and reached out for her hand. Then, he said, ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Raeleigh did not respond at all. She had no idea why Jepherson was thanking her.

 Chapter 977 Like Brothers

    ¡°Someone,please call the doctor,¡± Jepherson ordered. He was still holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand. She wanted to pull her hand back, but she couldn¡¯t.

    Soon, the group of doctors entered the ward and immediately greeted Jepherson, ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Can you please give Raeleigh a thorough examination to check whether she¡¯s alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    One of the doctors quickly examined Raeleigh. Once he was done, he immediately backed away.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, everything checks out alright. You can rest assured.¡±

    Jepherson felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his mind when he heard that Raeleigh was fine. He heaved a sigh of relief.

    Jepherson was silent for a moment before finally answering the doctor. ¡°Thank you for everything. You guys can leave now. I¡¯ll call you if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡±

    The doctors left, one after another. Jepherson nced at Scarlette, who looked very worried, and said, ¡°Can you please go and get us some breakfast?¡±

    ¡°Right away,¡± Scarlette said and went out. She was d that Raeleigh was fine. In fact, she was excited. She was so excited that she nearly tripped over after exiting the door.

    Santiago, who was sitting along the corridor, raised his eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so excited just because she¡¯s awake.¡±

    Scarlette did not say anything. She just stared at him.

    Santiago stood up and made his way towards the elevator as he mumbled about how dirty his clothes were and how bad he smelled.

    Scarlette followed Santiago into the elevator. Then, he suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll be backter to eat.¡±

    Scarlette still did not say anything, but she knew what he meant. It meant that she had to buy him breakfast as well.

    As soon as Santiago exited the hospital, he got into his car and left. Scarlette then looked down at her clothes and realized that it was dirty. She did not know whether she should throw it away or attempt to wash it.

    After Scarlette left the room, Raeleigh looked over at Jepherson. When she saw his dark eyes, they felt quiet and gentle.

    At the thought of her and Santiago¡¯s visit to the Richards family, Raeleigh sighed and looked up at the ceiling. After a long time, she said, ¡°Your grandmother doesn¡¯t like me.¡±

    ¡°So what? Her opinion doesn¡¯t matter. Just as long as I like you.¡±

    ¡°That is not enough.¡± Raeleigh wanted to shake her head, but she couldn¡¯t due to the neck brace.

    ¡°There was a wound on your neck, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already asked the stic surgeon to stitch it up nicely. It won¡¯t leave a scar. You¡¯ll just have toy down and not move.¡±

    Raeleigh roughly knew it, and that was why she did not ask anything.

    But Raeleigh opened her mouth and closed it again.

    Both she and Deanna were captured by Flynt. However, Deanna escaped unharmed while she was wounded. She tried to escape, but her hand was injured by a knife. Thankfully, at that time, she was wearing a coat. Or else, her arm would have been cut off.

    It was not that Raeleigh was jealous, she knew everyone¡¯s fate was different. Some people were very privileged. They were loved and cared for, while some others weren¡¯t. Thetter were like weeds, left to fend for themselves.

    Regardless, they were weeds. It¡¯d be a joke if they could survive through winter as they might not even survive through autumn.

    Raeleigh was a little frightened as she thought about it. She did not move and her hands were cold.

    Jepherson sighed softly and said, ¡°Why are your hands always cold?¡±

    Raeleigh turned slowly to look at Jepherson and said, ¡°I heard people say that if a person was not loved, then their hands would always be cold. I¡¯m not sure whether it¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not true.¡± Jepherson lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Raeleigh silently looked at him with her empty eyes.

    ¡°This is all my fault. I should have made things clear with Deanna. If I did, then she wouldn¡¯t have vented her anger on you.¡±

    ¡°No, this is my fault. Not yours, not anyone else.¡± Raeleigh turned and looked towards the window. Then, she continued. ¡°Deanna is innocent, but she would not forgive me now that I¡¯ve hurt her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she will.¡±

    ¡­

    It was quiet in the ward. Raeleigh pretended to fall asleep. Jepherson then stood up while letting go of her hand and made his way into the bathroom. When he entered, Raeleigh opened her eyes slowly and looked at the bathroom. She stared at it for a long time before turning around and looking at the windows.

    Deanna had been badly affected by this matter. By the time she was discharged from the hospital, it was hard to say whether Deanna would still be mad at her.

    If she had known this earlier, then she would have given up the idea of studying in Elkton University. Then, they would have been able to avoid this matter from happening.

    Raeleigh closed her eyes again. When Jepherson emerged from the bathroom, Scarlette so happened to havee back. She knocked on the door and brought the food in.

    Jepherson rolled up his sleeves and walked to the door to ept the food. Then, he waved a dismissive hand at Scarlette, indicating for her to leave.

    Jepherson brought the food over and helped Raeleigh sit up on the bed.

    Raeleigh leaned on one side and asked, ¡°When will I be able to remove the cast?¡±

    Jepherson looked at the cast and said, ¡°In two days.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not too bad.¡±

    ¡°Not too bad?¡± Jepherson raised his eyebrows and fixed his eyes on Raeleigh¡¯s swollen face. When he saw her face, he instantly frowned and a hint of killing intent shed across his eyes.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

    ¡°I doubt I¡¯ll be able tost longer than two days. But then again, I¡¯m surprised that I only have to wear it for two days. I thought I would have to wear it for two weeks.¡± Raeleigh smiled. She was amused.

    Jepherson leaned over to kiss her. Then, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her eyes and looked at Jepherson. She puckered her lips and did not know what to say. She had been in love with himsince the day she met him. There was never a peaceful day. She had intended to live a quiet life, but was always met with misfortunes. The hospital had be a ce where she frequently visited.

    Raeleigh did not say anything, but Jepherson was unsatisfied. He lowered her head and bit her lip. Just as he was about to say something, someone pushed the door open and walked in.

    ¡°Come on, guys. It¡¯s way too early to be doing that. Can you please be more considerate about my feelings?¡± Santiago said as he walked into the room. He pulled a chair and sat opposite of Raeleigh. He took out his cell phone to take a close-up photo for her and saved it as his wallpaper.

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago and asked, ¡°Please don¡¯t take my picture.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote, I¡¯ve already taken it. I even used it as my wallpaper,¡± Santiago said and showed Raeleigh his phone. Before she could see it clearly, he kept his phone away.

    While they were talking, Jepherson was busy sorting out their breakfast. Once he was done, he handed Santiago his breakfast.

    The brothers did not say anything, but Raeleigh could tell that they were not the kind of brothers who appreciated each other.

    Santiago took his breakfast and began to eat. Raeleigh¡¯s hand was in a ster cast. Therefore, she could not eat by herself. Jepherson was responsible for feeding her.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you eat first? I¡¯ll eatter,¡± Raeleigh said as she looked at Jepherson. She was afraid that the food would get cold.

    Jepherson did not say anything. He ced the food by Raeleigh¡¯s mouth and waited for her to open her mouth. She felt a little embarrassed. She nced at Santiago, who was staring at her from the opposite side. She could not even bring herself to open her mouth.

    Why was he watching her eat?

    Raeleigh reluctantly opened her mouth and allowed Jepherson to feed her. After that, Jepherson took a bite of the food before feeding Raeleigh again.

    Raeleigh and Jepherson basically shared their breakfast.

    After eating for a while, Santiago began to talk. By then, he was nearly done with his breakfast.

    ¡°Zorion called me and asked me about her,¡± Santiago said after he took a sip of his coffee.

    Jepherson did not say anything and continued to eat. Raeleigh, too, did not say anything but kept on alternating looks from Jepherson to Santiago.

 Chapter 978 I Donâ€™t Care

    After Santiago finished his breakfast, he drank some water before heading into the bathroom. Once he came out, he looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Is there anything you need me to do? If not, then I¡¯ll leave.¡±

    Santiago spoke as he walked towards the door. Raeleigh quickly said, ¡°Can you please bring me myptop?¡±

    Santiago turned around and said, ¡°Alright, no problem.¡±

    After saying that, Santiago cast a nce at Jepherson and left.

    Scarlette decided to hitch a ride with Santiago back to the university. Throughout the entire journey, she kept her head down and remained silent.

    Santiago saw Zorion standing at the university entrance just as he pulled into a parking lot.

    Zorion purposely came to the university to find Santiago.

    Santiago got out of the car and made his way into the university. He greeted Zorion when he saw him. ¡°Hey, what are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Where is Raeleigh? How is she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s dead. You can extend your condolences,¡± Santiago said as he walked past Zorion. Zorion froze for a moment before turning around and following Santiago. He said, ¡°Please don¡¯t joke with me. I want to see her, where is she?¡±

    Santiago stopped and turned to look at Zorion. ¡°If you have the will, then go and find her yourself. Why are you asking me? Would you believe me if I said that I have no idea where she is?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then why are you asking me?¡± Santiago was amused. He turned around and continued walking towards the university.

    Scarlette did not dare to utter a single word the whole time. She quickly followed Santiago as they made their way towards the dormitory.

    As soon as Scarlette entered the room, she immediately noticed that Deanna¡¯s belongings were gone. With that, she instantly knew that Deanna knew what was going on and that she would no longer be living here.

    Scarlette did not know what else to say as reality slowly sunk in.

    It was too pathetic for two women to turn against each other just because of a man.

    Scarlette found Raeleigh¡¯sptop and handed it to Santiago. After that, Santiago immediately turned to leave. Scarlette briefly tidied up the room before picking up herptop and catching up to Santiago.

    When the two arrived at the door, Zorion was no longer there. However, Scarlette still looked around to see if he was nearby.

    When Scarlette did not see him, she immediately got into the car with Santiago. Once they got into the car, Santiago¡¯s lips curled into a smile. He started the car and decided to take another route to the hospital.

    ¡°Santiago, did you take the wrong turn?¡± Scarlette asked.

    Santiago did not reply, but he drove at breakneck speed. It was as if he was racing.

    Scarlette felt as if she was going to throw up. She hurriedly grabbed hold of the car door handle.

    Soon, she saw a convoy of the Whalen family¡¯s cars through the rearview mirror. She instantly understood what was going on.

    ¡°Santiago, what should we do?¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    ¡°Sit tight.¡± After saying that, Santiago mmed on the elerator. Scarlette could even hear the sound of the tires screeching against the tarmac.

    Scarlette had always felt safe in cars, but not that time.

    Santiago got out of the car as soon as he pulled into the hospital parking lot. The convoy of the Whalen family¡¯s cars were nowhere to be seen.

    Santiago immediately made his way into the hospital while Scarlette was kneeling on the ground, vomiting out all the contents in her stomach. After vomiting for about ten minutes, she slowly stumbled onto her feet. She felt as if the sky was spinning and could not bring herself to walk steadily.

    After a long time, she finally made her way into the hospital. Fortunately, Hadrian was there. She had to rely on him to get to Raeleigh¡¯s room. As soon as she arrived at Raeleigh¡¯s ward, she immediately copsed onto the bed.

    Raeleigh frowned and asked, ¡°Scarlette, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Am I alright?¡± Scarlette did not dare to say anything else. She justy on the bed and shook her head.

    Santiago, who was standing at one side, said, ¡°She¡¯s probably having severe motion sickness.¡±

    Raeleigh asked curiously, ¡°Scarlette, do you feel nauseous?¡±

    Scarlette nodded her head. Raeleigh did not know what to say since she had never seen her get motion sickness before.

    ¡°Here, as requested. What are you nning to do with one hand?¡± Santiago said as he handed Raeleigh herptop. She looked at him before epting herptop and turning it on. She went onto the university¡¯s website before she began looking through their study materials and drawings.

    Santiago then walked towards Jepherson. The brothers were about the same height.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure our father will get involved in this matter. I can¡¯t go on your behalf to visit the Whalen family. Grandma has already called me and asked me where you are.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go over to the Whalen family residenceter,¡± Jepherson said as he took a quick nce at Raeleigh. He continued. ¡°You have to stay here.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    The two brothers were talking as if they were the only ones in the room. After that, Jepherson made his way over to the bed and kissed Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh raised her head slowly. She did not say anything but just looked at Jepherson with her serene eyes. Jepherson smiled, got up, and left.

    Santiagoy down on the other bed in the room and said, ¡°I want to have steak for lunch, medium well. Oh, I also want some cod fish too.¡±

    Santiago spoke as he closed his eyes. He looked as if he was about to fall asleep. Scarlette replied, ¡°I¡¯ll arrange itter.¡±

    To Scarlette, if Deanna was a person that was hard to deal with, then Santiago was two times harder. It was frightening.

    Raeleigh was amused. She looked up at the two people on the bed and could not help but tough.

    When Jepherson emerged from the hospital, he suddenly received a call from Marissa. However, he did not answer the phone. Instead, he let Stuart do so.

    ¡°Madam Marissa,¡± Stuart answered respectfully.

    Marissa was at home, pacing back and forth. She made call after call.

    ¡°Stuart, where is Jepherson? Are you guys back in the country yet?¡± Marissa was very impatient. Although everyone already knew that Deanna had been found, Stuart could still hear the seriousness in Marissa¡¯s voice.

    Stuart said hurriedly, ¡°We¡¯ve just gotten off the ne. We¡¯re rushing over to the Whalen family residence to visit Miss Deanna.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Where¡¯s Jepherson? Ask him toe to the phone.¡± Marissa insisted on hearing Jepherson¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson is taking a break. He¡¯s exhausted. I¡¯ll tell him first thing when he wakes up that you called.¡±

    Marissa felt that since Jepherson was getting some rest, then it would be fine for him to call her backter.

    ¡°Alright, then. Don¡¯t forget to tell him,¡± Marissa said. Stuart immediately replied, ¡°Yes,Madam Marissa. I will let him know.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then. Send my regards to Deanna.¡±

    ¡°Yes,Madam Marissa.¡±

    Marissa hung up the phone and Stuart immediately returned the phone to Jepherson.

    Jepherson did not take the phone away. He just said, ¡°Call our people and tell them that we are suspicious of the Moore family. Ask them to conduct an investigation on them.¡±

    Stuart was stunned for a moment and asked hesitantly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to tell Mr. Hansen about this?¡±

    Jephersonimmediately said, ¡°He¡¯s not in the country. What¡¯s the point of telling him?¡±

    Stuart choked and did not dare to say anything.

    Jepherson said, ¡°Go on, make the call.¡±

    Only then did Stuart make the call. He was a little worried as he ced the phone call. Although Flynt had done something wrong and angered Jepherson, the Moore family was still one of the most powerful families in Capital City. If they really made a move, then it would affect the entire city. At that time, it would cause a hugemotion.

    Both Mr. Hansen and Madam Jenna were not in the country. So was Mr. Trevor.

    What were they going to do ifsomething really happened?

    ¡°Stop the car,¡± Jepherson suddenly said, causing Stuart¡¯s heart to skip a beat. He was so frightened that he gulped.

 Chapter 979 Denounce

    The driver immediately pulled over by the roadside.

    ¡°Get out!¡± Jepherson immediately ordered Stuart as soon as the car stopped.

    Stuart did not say a word. He opened the door and got out of the car.

    As soon as he closed the door, the driver drove the car away.

    Stuart then got into one of the cars behind and immediately made a call.

    Since Jepherson had made up his mind, then Stuart felt that it would be better for him to keep his mouth shut lest it caused trouble.

    When they arrived at the Whalen family vi, Stuart immediately got out of the car and made his way to Jepherson¡¯s car to help him open the door.

    Jepherson swiftly got out of the car.

    As soon as he got out of the car, he straightened his gray coat and walked towards the entrance of the Whalen family vi.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡± The people who were standing at the entrance of the Whalen family vi, greeted him as soon as he approached.

    Jepherson never smiled whenever he came by, but his expression was never cold either. However, it was different that day. His expression was cold.

    The butler was trembling with fear when he saw Jepherson¡¯s expression.

    Jepherson walked past the gates and made his way to the courtyard. Stuart, who was behind him, hurried to follow.

    Jepherson did not look like he was here for a visit. Instead, he seemed to be here to denounce Deanna. Stuart hoped that there would not be any trouble.

    There were few people who had greeted Jepherson asthey made their way into the vi, but he did not acknowledge them.

    After entering the vi, Jepherson took a quick look around. Zorion was standing in the room as he looked outside. Upon seeing him, he turned around, took a few steps towards Jepherson and asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Am I not weed?¡± Jepherson was very hostile that day. He was vastly different from his usual self.

    Zorion was stunned all of a sudden.

    ¡°What are you here to talk about?¡± Zorion asked, his expression was cold.

    ¡°What else?¡±

    ¡°You know Deanna, sometimes¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about Deanna. This matter has nothing to do with her.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and went upstairs. When he reached Deanna¡¯s room, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

    Deanna¡¯s voice came from inside the room. ¡°Who is it?¡±

    Jepherson did not want to talk, so he turned to look at Stuart. Stuart said hurriedly, ¡°Miss Deanna, Mr. Jepherson is here to see you.¡±

    When Deanna heard that Jepherson was here to see her, she immediately got up from the bed and ran to open the door.

    As soon as she saw Jepherson, she threw herself into his arms.

    Jepherson did not reciprocate, but he did not push her away either.

    Stuart stood on one side and lowered his head. He turned around and saw Zorion walking up the stairs.

    ¡°This is all my fault. Raeleigh was hurt because of me, but I like you. What should I do?¡± Deanna cried and she wrapped her arms around Jepherson.

    Jepherson had yet to lift his arm to embrace her.

    Stuart instantly knew that that time, Jepherson was furious.

    Jepherson had always doted on Deanna, but that time, hisck of reaction clearly meant that she was about to lose him.

    ¡°Jepherson, I really like you,¡± Deanna said as she hugged him tightly.

    Jepherson remained silent until Zorion approached them. He lifted his hand and pushed Deanna¡¯s hand away.

    ¡°Deanna, calm down,¡± Zorion said as he held his sister in his arms. Deanna anxiously said, ¡°Zorion, please tell Jepherson. Tell him that I did not mean for anyone to get hurt. It¡¯s just that I really like him. I was angry when I found out, but I did not mean for Raeleigh to get hurt. I honestly didn¡¯t.¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    Jepherson looked at Zorion, and then at Deanna, who was anxiously stamping her feet. He did not say a word.

    Zorion held Deanna in his arms andforted her. ¡°Please don¡¯t cry.¡±

    How could Deanna not cry? Once she started crying, there was no way for her to stop.

    She looked at Jepherson with puppy eyes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk much about this matter. Deanna and I were both wrong. However, you cannot hurt Deanna like this. She¡¯s ming herself for what¡¯s happened. She hasn¡¯t eaten anything.¡± As Deanna¡¯s elder brother, even though Zorion knew that he shouldn¡¯t say these things, he just could not help himself.

    Jepherson looked at Zorion and said, ¡°I¡¯m not ming Deanna. She is young and immature. This is all my fault. I should have made things clear with Deanna. So, now, I am here to tell Deanna that I have always regarded her as my sister, just like how she is to you.¡±

    ¡°In the future, I will treat her as my sister. That¡¯s all. I don¡¯t want to see Raeleigh get hurt because of my negligence.¡±

    ¡°Regarding my rtionship with Raeleigh, I just want to make it clear that I was the one who took the initiative to pursue her.¡±

    ¡°When we got together, Deanna and Raeleigh were not friends yet. Everything was just a misunderstanding. Raeleigh did not betray Deanna.¡±

    ¡°I initially did not want to make my rtionship with Raeleigh public because I did not want her to get hurt. However, the fact that I didn¡¯t was why she was hurt. I am extremely upset because of it.¡±

    ¡°Deanna is fortunate to have a brother like you, but Raeleigh does not have anyone.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson looked at Deanna, who was still crying, and said, ¡°Deanna, do you still remember when you were a child, you and Santiago got into a fight over a toy car? In the end, I took the toy car and gave it to you instead of Santiago?¡±

    It took a long time before Deanna remembered. She nodded and said, ¡°Santiago wasn¡¯t happy at all. He wanted to hit me but you told him it was not the right thing to do.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I said. If Santiago wasn¡¯t willing to give the toy car to you back, then I would have hit him. I would have protected you anyway,¡± Jepherson said. Deanna pursed her lips and said, ¡°You¡¯re so kind to me then. Why have you changed?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I have never changed. It¡¯s just that you thought that I liked you. In fact, I¡¯ve always regarded you as my sister and I will always protect you no matter what.¡±

    ¡°However, this time, I feel hurt. It hurts right here.¡± Jepherson raised his hand and ced it on his chest. ¡°Here, my heart hurts. It¡¯s as if someone stabbed me in the chest.¡±

    ¡°The kind of pain that leaves me breathless. The pain was excruciating.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is an orphan. She only had her grandmother to take care of her. Ever since she was young, she made sure to study hard. Her life was very challenging. She has a heart made of stone. No matter how much others try to get close to her, she just would not let them in.¡±

    ¡°It took me a long time to convince her to let me in finally. This love is very challenging.¡±

    ¡°When I knew that she was hurt because she took the risk to save you, I was extremely upset.¡±

    ¡°This is not her fault. She should not bear it. A mistake is a mistake. You cannot brush it off just because you are Rayan Whalen¡¯s daughter or that you¡¯re Zorion Whalen¡¯s sister.¡±

    ¡°Flynt treated you well when he locked you up. He neither hit nor scolded you. At the very worst, he would probably say something that you did not like. You also ate and slept well.¡±

    ¡°You were not in any sort of danger. Everyone knows this.¡±

    ¡°Even if you ran away, Flynt would find a way to catch you, but at least he wouldn¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    ¡°However, he treated Raeleigh differently. He punched and kicked her. He basically did not treat her like a human. He cut her arm and nearly sliced her throat open.¡±

    ¡°The reason Flynt did not hurt you was because you are Rayan¡¯s daughter.¡±

    ¡°He treated Raeleigh badly because she¡¯s not from a notable family.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh knew all of this yet she still risked her life to try and save you and what did you do? You did not even express your gratitude and followed Santiago out of the hospital.¡±

    ¡°When Santiago told me that the two of you left without attempting to save Raeleigh, at that point, I knew¡­.¡±

    ¡°I knew that this rtionship cannot be fixed.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and went downstairs. Stuart was scared silly. However, when he came back to his senses, he quickly chased after Jepherson.

    Deanna cried her heart out. Zorion held his sister tightly and did not move at all. He stood stiffly upstairs like a rock.

 Chapter 980 Donâ€™t Know What To Do

    Jepherson immediately got into the car aftering out of the Whalen family vi. Stuart had learnt his lesson from the previous car ride. He immediately kept his mouth shut as soon as he got into the car.

    The driver drove the car and asked, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, where are we going next?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s head over to the Moore Family.¡±

    ¡°The Moore family?¡±

    Stuart was surprised. Jepherson raised his eyebrows and looked at him. Stuart immediately cowered in fear. He did not dare to say anything more.

    It did not take long before they arrived at the Moore family vi.

    Jepherson got out of the car and waited at the door. Stuart immediately walked to the door and rang the doorbell.

    There were a few people standing at the entrance, but they did not say anything.

    To put it bluntly, the Moore family vi was not a ce for anyone to visit as they wished. The only people who were allowed into the vi were of high status. As for the others, they could ignore them.

    Stuart rang the doorbell, and the butler of the Moore Family quickly came to the door. When the butler saw Jepherson standing outside, he was stunned for a moment before greeting him.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to see Johan Moore. Can you please inform him?¡± Jepherson smiled. When the butler saw his unfathomable smile, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, please wait a moment. I¡¯ll go and inform Old Master Johan.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you.¡±

    Jepherson was very polite. He was so polite that the butler found it a little strange.

    He turned and went to look for Johan. Not long after, the butler came back out and invited Jepherson in.

    Jepherson entered through the door and went to meet Johan.

    Johan was lying inside his room. When he saw Jepherson, he immediately tried to get up. However, Jepherson quickly rushed over to him and said, ¡°Old Master Johan, please watch yourself. You don¡¯t have to get up.¡±

    In fact, Johan was just putting on a show. Of course, he did not really want to get out of bed.

    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Johan said politely. The butler immediately brought a chair for Jepherson.

    Thest time Jepherson came, he did not sit down. However, that time, Johan watched as he waited for him to sit down.

    Jepherson sat down and asked, ¡°How have you beentely?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good. I¡¯m lucky if I don¡¯t fall sick. That¡¯s the only thing I hope for.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jepherson frowned. It seemed that he had something important to say.

    Johan looked at him for a while and asked, ¡°Jepherson, is there anything you want to tell me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t know whether I should say it,¡± Jepherson said with a smile. His eyes were filled with anticipation.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    Johan looked at him and thought for a while, ¡°I wonder what is it about. Are you sure I¡¯ll be able to help?¡±

    ¡°This matter¡­¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll cut to the chase. A few days ago, I met a person from the Cook family and took a liking to her.¡±

    ¡°Cook family?¡± Johan frowned. He roughly knew where this conversation was heading.

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about¡­¡±

    ¡°The apple of your eye, Cynthia.¡±

    Cynthia was Flynt¡¯s second oldest sister and she had a great rtionship with him. This was also known by the public. Cynthia was two years older than Flynt. That year, she would be turning 21.

    If there was someone in the Moore family who should get married, it was Flynt¡¯s older sisters.

    However, Flynt had a strong opinion since he was a child. In the past, Johan had said that he wanted to find husbands for Flynt¡¯s two older sisters. However, Flynt disagreed with this matter.

    No one knew what Flynt had said to Johan, but this matter was eventually put to rest.

    Now that Jepherson hade to the vi on his own ord and brought up this matter, it caught Johan off guard.

    What was going on?

    ¡°Old Master Johan, I wonder if you¡¯d be interested in forming a marriage alliance with the Richards family?¡± Jepherson asked politely.

    Johan raised his hand, gesturing for everyone to leave the room.

    Right then, he did not know what Jepherson¡¯s motive was.

    ¡°Cynthia is very lucky that you¡¯ve taken a liking to her. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m getting old and I can¡¯t decide on this matter. I think it¡¯s best if you¡¯d ask Cynthia.¡± Johan came up with an excuse.

    Jepherson rose to his feet. ¡°If you don¡¯t agree, then there¡¯s no need for me to stay any longer. I¡¯ll be heading back first.¡±

    Johan was stunned. He came and left quickly. What did he mean by doing this?

    After saying that, Jepherson turned around and left. The butler nced at Johan before chasing after Jepherson.

    Jepherson walked out of the door and immediately got into the car. He pretended as if nothing had happened and instructed the driver to head back to Richards Manor.

    The Moore family¡¯s butler stood at the door and watched Jepherson leave. After watching him leave, he immediately went back into the vi.

    Johan was already sitting up when he entered. He was waiting for the butler to return.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Johan immediately asked when he saw the butler. The butler shook his head and said, ¡°Something seems a little off, don¡¯t you think? Did Mr. Flynt offend Mr. Jepherson? I have a feeling he came here to warn us.¡±

    After hearing the butler¡¯s words, Johan thought for a moment and waved his hand as he said, ¡°Get Elina toe over. I have something to ask her.¡±

    The butler immediately left in search of Elina. After a short while, Elina entered the room and walked over to Johan. She stopped and asked, ¡°You were asking for me?¡±

    ¡°Tell me, has Cynthia been out recently?¡± Johan asked. He sounded very serious, so Elina did not dare to lie.

    ¡°No, she¡¯s been by my side all this while. Why are you suddenly asking about her?¡± Elina thought that she had taught her daughter well. She was not the kind of person who let her daughter wander around.

    Johan said, ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but Jepherson dropped by earlier. He asked if we were interested in forming a marriage alliance with the Richards family. In fact, he specifically mentioned Cynthia.¡±

    ¡°Can you recall whether we¡¯ve offended him in any way?¡±

    ¡°Old Master Johan, it¡¯s impossible. Cynthia has always been by my side, she¡¯s never left the house.¡±

    ¡°Then, what¡¯s going on? Why did hee here? He looked like he came here to denounce us.¡±

    Elina stopped talking. She genuinely had no idea what was going on.

    Suddenly, Elina said, ¡°Did Flynt offend him? Did hee here to warn us?¡±

    Johan thought for a while before he said to the butler, ¡°Can you please call Mr. Flynt and ask him toe back. Tell him that I have something to ask him.¡±

    Under Johan¡¯s orders, the butler hurried over to carry out this order.

    Soon after, Flynt came out of the hospital and hurried back to the Moore family vi.

    At that time, Jepherson also arrived at home. He got out of the car and went straight to the Ink Garden.

    ¡°Old Madam Marissa, Mr. Jepherson is back.¡± Marissa was waiting for Jepherson to return her call. She remembered that Stuart said that they were on their way to visit Deanna when she called him.

    The servant rushed into the room and told Marissa. Marissa looked at the door and found it strange that he was back so soon.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    The servants greeted Jepherson when they saw him.

    Jepherson did not say anything. He looked a little moody.

    Marissa said impatiently, ¡°Why are you putting on a long face?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, my bad.¡± Jepherson entered the door and sat down. He still pulled a long face. Marissa wanted to ask him but she could not bring herself to do so. However, she would feel uneasy if she didn¡¯t.

    She stared at Jepherson¡¯s cold face, not knowing what to do.

 Chapter 981 Her Grandson Is Pretty Good

    Marissa initially wanted to ask, but when she saw Jepherson¡¯s serious expression, she had no choice but to call Stuart over.

    ¡°Stuart,e here,¡± Marissa was doing this to prove to Jepherson that even though he was pulling a long face, she still had her ways.

    If he did not want to say anything, then she could still ask Stuart.

    ¡°Is there anything I can do for you, Old Madam Marissa?¡± Stuart immediately rushed over to Marissa¡¯s side. She looked up at Stuart and said, ¡°How¡¯s Jephersontely?Hisplexion is not good. Is he ill?¡±

    Stuart did not know what to say. It sounded as if there was a hidden meaning behind her words.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson has been well. He¡¯s just a little worn out after what happened to Miss Deanna. We were initially out on a business trip and have been constantly on the move. Once we received the call about Miss Deanna, we immediately rushed back. He¡¯s probably not in the mood because Miss Deanna was rash and made a fuss. He even went to the Moore family to discuss this matter.¡±

    ¡°The Moore family?¡± Marissa ignored the part where he said that Deanna made a fuss, which meant that she had tacitly approved of it.

    In a family like theirs, it was normal for the men to have more than one wife. Even if there was something going on between Raeleigh and Jepherson, as Jepherson¡¯s official girlfriend, Deanna should be more open-minded. How could she just run away because of such a petty thing?

    What was more, she was making groundless usations.

    In conclusion, Deanna was just too naive.

    Marissa certainly could not say much about this matter, but since it was said by others, and no one from the Whalen Family was in the country then, therefore it was reasonable.

    Marissa was a little surprised when she heard that Jepherson had gone over to the Moore family.

    What did this matter have to do with the Moore family?

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Of course, it¡¯s wrong for Miss Deanna to run away like that. However, Old Madam Marissa, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware that the Elkton University campus is huge, and you know Miss Deanna¡¯s character, even if she ran away, nothing will happen to her. She would have been found easily. It¡¯s clear that this was nned.¡±

    ¡°nned?¡± Marissa¡¯s face fell as she looked over at Stuart. Her eyes turned cold.

    Stuart said hurriedly, ¡°Yes, Miss Deanna was kidnapped.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Marissa did not understand what was going on. She nced over at Jepherson, looking a little surprised.

    The Moore family was one of the richest and most powerful families in Capital City. How could they have done this?

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± asked Marissa.

    Stuart said, ¡°Actually, there are still many things that you don¡¯t know. Mr. Santiago took a liking to Miss Anson and began pursuing her. About two days ago, it rained very heavily. In order to win her over, Mr. Santiago purposely brought an umbre for her and walked her back to the dormitory. The entire university knows about this.¡±

    ¡°Little did they know, while they were walking back to the dormitory, a car came rushing out of nowhere and nearly hit Mr. Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, Miss Anson managed to pull Mr. Santiago away just in time. Because of that, Mr. Santiago was not hurt, and they managed to escape the disaster.¡± Stuart deliberately paused for a moment. Actually, it was Santiago who saved Raeleigh, not like what Stuart said.

    Marissa¡¯s face turned pale at that time. Her hand began to tremble a little and she said, ¡°How dare they hurt my grandson!¡±

    Marissa was not particrly fond of Santiago, but he was her grandson after all. She could not neglect him just because she did not like him.

    Marissa was really frightened.

    Stuart continued. ¡°There¡¯s still more.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still more?¡± Marissa¡¯s expression changed even more. Rage pulsed through her veins.

    ¡°As soon as this matter came out, we still had no idea who was the one behind it. Then, Flynt was involved in a car ident in front of the university and was admitted to the hospital. At that time, Mr. Santiago still wasn¡¯t able to find the culprit who nearly hit him and was used of injuring Flynt instead.¡±

    ¡°Before Mr. Santiago could find out who did it, Miss Deanna suddenly ran away. After that, he began searching all over for her. He eventually found out that Flynt was admitted to the Moore family hospital, pretending to be injured. Miss Whalen was also with him. That was why no one was able to find her. Flynt was trying to persuade Miss Deanna¡­.¡±

    Just as Stuart reached the main point, he suddenly stopped. Marissa was eager to know, so she quickly asked, ¡°What? Why did you suddenly stop?¡±

    Stuart lowered his head and said, ¡°Flynt was trying to persuade Deanna to be friends.¡±

    ¡°Be friends?¡± Marissa had many wild thoughts when she heard those words. She immediately mmed her palm on the table. ¡°How dare he! He clearly does not respect the Richards family. After all, Deanna is considered one of us. What¡¯s so great about the Moore family?¡±

    The living room fell silent. No one dared to utter a word. Marissawas quivering with anger.

    She stood and took a few steps before she said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re just going to let them bully you. Your fiancee is about to be taken away.¡±

    Marissa was furious as she questioned Jepherson. There was no need for Jepherson to answer her. Stuart hurriedly said, ¡°Old Madam Marissa, please calm down. In the end, Mr. Santiago managed to rescue Miss Deanna with the help of Miss Anson.¡±

    ¡°However, Miss Anson was seriously injured and was admitted to the hospital. You should have seen how miserable she looked. I could not even bear to see it.¡±

    ¡°In order to give Mr. Jepherson an exnation, Mr. Santiago rescued Miss Deanna and handed her over to Mr. Whalen.¡±

    ¡°But Miss Anson was beaten and seriously injured because of this. I heard from Mr. Santiago that they threatened to kill her.¡±

    ¡°They threatened Mr. Santiago?¡±

    Marissa could not believe her ears.

    Stuart nodded and said, ¡°Yes. That¡¯s about it.¡±

    ¡°They have crossed the line!¡± Marissa was fuming as she paced back and forth in the room.

    Stuart said, ¡°That was why Mr. Jepherson went to the Moore family. He wanted to teach them a lesson, so he specifically proposed marriage. In fact, he just wanted to warn them, we had no intention of going against them.¡±

    ¡°As a result, they drove Mr. Jepherson out and did not allow him to stay.¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    ¡°They drove him out?¡±

    At that point, rage overcame Marissa. She held her chest and pointed to the door as she bellowed, ¡°What¡¯s so good about the Moore family? How dare they trample all over us? Tell me, which aspect of the Moore family is better than us?¡±

    Stuart cast a careful nce at Jepherson. Since Marissa said this, it meant that the problem was solved.

    Jepherson stood up without saying anything. He went straight back to his room, closed the door, and never came out again.

    At that time, Marissa looked at Stuart and asked, ¡°Mr. Jepherson has been wronged. Also, that girl, Raeleigh, that¡¯s very brave of her to save Santiago. How is she now? Has she woken up?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s awake, but she would need to spend a few days in the hospital. The doctors performed surgery on her arm, so she should be fine. Mr. Santiago is currently apanying her in the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Is Mr. Santiago serious about Raeleigh?¡± Marissa refused to believe it was true. After all, his grandson was not the kind of person who would fall in love at first sight.

    Stuart said, ¡°Miss Anson is actually very good and likeable. Not only does she have good results in school, she¡¯s also smart and courageous.¡±

    ¡°She has quite a few admirers, and that includes Mr. Whalen.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean Zorion?¡± Marissa sat down and looked at Stuart. This was interesting.

    She must be quite fine to have Zorion fall for her.

    ¡°It¡¯s like this. Mr. Whalen is very fond of her but because of Mr. Santiago, he has encountered obstacles everywhere,¡± said Stuart.

    Marissa smiled and said, ¡°Really?¡±

    Marissa was thoroughly impressed by her grandson.

 Chapter 982 Fire

    Marissa suddenly changed her mind, and as she also inquired a lot about Raeleigh, Stuart had naturally said some good things about her.

    The more Marissa listened, the more she felt like Raeleigh was remarkable, aside from her family background.

    Thank heavens they had Jepherson in the family acting as a pir of support. As for Santiago, it was another matter altogether.

    She realized that Raeleigh was indeed a likable girl. She might be fairly young, but as Stuart had told her, Raeleigh was talented in designing.She would surely make a name for herself. Plus, Zorion had his eyes on her, but she fell for her grandson instead, and she was proud of it.

    Who was Zorion anyway?

    Marissa was in a good mood, so she ordered, ¡°You should buy an expensive fruit basket and send it to Raeleigh. Send it to her personally. Just say that I was anxious about Deanna the other day. I hope she doesn¡¯t mind if I invite her over next time.¡±

    After saying that, Marissa went back to her room, and Stuart immediately agreed.

    Before he left, he went to inform Jepherson.

    Jepherson was not very happy. He merely cast a nce at Stuart.

    Raeleigh was at a loss when she saw the fruit basket in front of her. She did not expect that Marissa would give her such an expensive gift. She was rendered speechless.

    Scarlette peeled an orange for Raeleigh. She ate it while staring at Santiago across from her.

    Santiago was reading a novel, as if he was fascinated by it.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t take Santiago to be the kind of person who was obsessed with novels.

    Stuart left after he delivered the fruit basket.

    As soon as the door was shut, Santiago nced back, put down the novel in his hand, and took an apple to wash it. While eating, he walked to the window and looked down. As expected, a lot of people were here.

    ¡°Zorion is here.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago, who was standing by the window. Santiago turned around and said, ¡°Since you are with Jepherson, you should know how to protect yourself. Don¡¯t get yourself involved with Zorion anymore.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with him. Stop doubting me.¡± Raeleigh was not polite when she was angry, shooting daggers with her eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s best if there isn¡¯t anything,¡± Santiago said as he took a bite of an apple. Soon, a person came in through the door of the ward. It was Zorion.

    Zorion raised his hand and knocked on the door. No one answered him, so he pushed the door open.

    Scarlette guarded the door. Zorion had been inseparable from Deanna, but he was alone that day. What did this mean? In the end, Deanna chose not to be friends with Raeleigh because of a man.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Santiago asked unceremoniously as he ate the apple. Zorion did not reply. Instead, he walked to Raeleigh¡¯s side, observing her arm and neck.

    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± Zorion sat down.

    Raeleigh smiled. ¡°I¡¯m alright now. Tomorrow, I will be able to take off the cast. It seems to be serious, but in fact, I am fine.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zorion forced a smile. It was a very pale smile.

    Scarlette continued standing at the side, and Santiago took a big bite from his apple, as if making his presence known.

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at Santiago, who was sitting by her side. He asked, ¡°Are you here to see a doctor?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to see Raeleigh. I¡¯m not sick. You should be more respectful when you speak to me.¡± Zorion had always looked down upon Santiago.

    Santiago didn¡¯t seem to care, but he still smiled.

    He ate his apple, leaning back against his seat.

    With Santiago around, Zorion couldn¡¯t say anything. He could only sit there silently.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call you tonight. I have to go back first. Deanna is alone at home.¡± Zorion stood up after a while. Raeleigh just smiled at him and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have toe. I will be discharged from the hospital soon.¡±

    Zorion paused in front of the door of the ward. He nced back at Santiago. For some reason, he was not worried about Jepherson. On the contrary, he was more concerned about Santiago¡¯s presence.

    ¡°Stay for a few more days, I wille to see you soon.¡± After that, Zorion left.

    Raeleigh was in a daze looking at the closed door. She wasn¡¯t sure if Flynt had already achieved his goal. No matter what, Zorion and Jepherson had turned against each other.

    And all these had something to do with her.

    Raeleigh kept looking at the door. After a while, she was tired. Shey down with Scarlette¡¯s help.

    The next day, after smoothly removing the cast, she finally felt free. Otherwise, she would have been really tired.

    In the evening, Jepherson came to the hospital.

    When they met, Jepherson immediately looked at Raeleigh¡¯s wound. Even though it was tightly bandaged, he still took a good look at it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll step out for a while. Scarlette,e with me.¡± After eating dinner, Santiago stood up and headed towards the door.

    Although she was reluctant to go with Santiago, she still went out and followed him out.

    Santiago was temperamental. She should avoid angering him.

    When everyone left, Jepherson put his hand on Raeleigh¡¯s face and gently caressed it with his thumb. She had lost some weight and her face was thinning. He said while stroking her, ¡°It has been hard on you.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer him. Instead, she turned around and took a look at the window. Then, she wore a light smile.

    ¡°I hope everyone is alright. I also hope Deanna won¡¯t be angry.¡± Turning around, Raeleigh looked at Jepherson.

    Jepherson touched Raeleigh¡¯s face. ¡°I don¡¯t like Deanna. Even if you were not beside me, I still won¡¯t like her.¡±

    ¡°But this time, everything happened because of me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no different.¡±

    Jepherson sat back,with his eyes on Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh looked at the bracelet on her wrist with a trace of weakness.

    The rtionship between her and Jepherson was like the bracelet on her wrist. She was trapped in it, like how she would not be able to unlock this piece of jewelry.

    She wanted to run away, but she couldn¡¯t. She wanted to face it calmly, but she couldn¡¯t.

    And right then, she was being dragged away by others.

    After a while, Raeleigh said she was a little tired. Jepherson tidied Raeleigh¡¯s bed and asked her to lie down. Then, he stayed by her side and watched over her for the whole night.

    When Raeleigh opened her eyes in the morning, she found Jepherson resting in the chair. He didn¡¯t notice that Raeleigh had woken up.

    Raeleigh took a jacket and covered him with it. Then, she got down from the bed, put on her shoes and clothes, and walked out of the door. She wanted to go out to get some fresh air.

    When she opened the door, there was no one outside, so she stepped out into the corridor.

    As she walked, she looked around. It was still early, so no one was up. Plus, there were very few people on this floor, so usually, there were not many people.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    Raeleigh walked for a while and stood in front of the elevator. She hesitated for a while, not pressing the button. Then, she turned around and went downstairs using the stairway. When she was downstairs, Raeleigh sat on one of the chairs. She remembered that when she was a child, she was surrounded by a group of children. Her lips curled into a smile.

    She really missed those carefree days.

    Unfortunately, the fire had destroyed them for her. She was the only one left.

 Chapter 983 Dead Silence

    After pondering for a while, Raeleigh stood up and walked back upstairs. It was obvious that she did not have enough strength.

    As she was walking, a pair of feet stopped in front of Raeleigh. As she looked up, she saw Jepherson¡¯s face.

    Jepherson bent down and picked Raeleigh up. Then, he turned around and walked upstairs.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to carry me. If you take the stairs, then it will take a lot of effort for you to carry me.¡± Raeleigh did not struggle, but she quietly pointed out.

    Jephersonughed and hugged her even more tightly.

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe in my strength?¡± Jepherson joked, but Raeleigh was stunned. She was silent since she rarely heard Jepherson make fun of her.

    ¡°Your face is red.¡± Jepherson smiled very proudly and continued up the stairs with Raeleigh in his arms.

    Raeleigh¡¯s room was on the sixth floor. As they climbed higher, Raeleigh got more worried about him.

    After all, there were multiple flights of stairs. It couldn¡¯t bepared with walking.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    By the time they reached the fourth floor, Jepherson was sweating. Raeleigh raised her hand and could not help but wipe the sweat off his forehead.

    Jepherson¡¯s thin lips curled into a smile.

    ¡°Could you also unbutton the cor a little? It¡¯s a bit hot,¡± Jepherson asked. Raeleigh proceeded to help him unbutton his shirt.

    When they reached the fifth floor, he put Raeleigh on the railing. Raeleigh thought he could not walk any further and said, ¡°There is one more floor. I can walk now. I have had enough rest.¡±

    When Raeleigh was talking, Jepherson held Raeleigh in her arms and pushed her against the wall, blocking her soft lips.

    Raeleigh tried to lift her hand to push him away, but she dared not to move her other hand. Her arm was injured anyway, so she gave up.

    Jepherson had only wanted to kiss Raeleigh since she looked adorable.

    But Jepherson was full of vigor. It would be strange if he didn¡¯t react.

    Unable to resist his advances, Raeleigh loosened her grip.

    Jepherson did not know why he could not control himself that day.

    Jepherson pushed Raeleigh against the wall. His hand reached into Raeleigh¡¯s clothes, slowly creeping up to her chest.¡°May I?¡±He lowered his head and asked Raeleigh in a husky voice.

    Raeleigh blushed, not knowing what to say. She could only bite her delicate lips.

    Her breath hitched, with a warm feeling creeping up her chest. It was such a weird sensation.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. Jepherson immediately leaned forward, took Raeleigh¡¯s hand, and bit her palms with his teeth. ¡°Can I?¡±

    ¡°Someone might see us.¡± Raeleigh said after she snapped out of her daze.

    Jepherson crashed his lips against Raeleigh¡¯s mouth. He bent down to pick her up, and walked towards the ward that was near the stairway.

    There was no one inside, so Jepherson closed the door and pushed Raeleigh against the wall. Raeleigh didn¡¯t dare to move her arms. The curtains were not drawn,and she was so embarrassed that her face turned red.

    Jepherson bit the back of Raeleigh¡¯s neck and slid her pants off. He said with a short breath, ¡°I¡¯ll be gentler. No one will find us here.¡±

    Raeleigh bit her lips and nodded.

    Upon seeing Raeleigh nod her head, Jepherson smiled. She finally understood that she should not have believed in him,and he was not going to do as promised.

    Raeleigh was panting wildly as Jepherson indulged in her body.

    ¡­

    When they came back, Raeleigh was ced on her bed. Jepherson was in high spirits. Scarlette could sense a change in atmosphere between the two, but she couldn¡¯t quite put it into words.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here today. You guys can go back first.¡±

    Jepherson said while sitting down. Scarlette saw the corner of his mouth curled up when he spoke. It seemed like he had hit a jackpot.

    With sharp eyes, she looked at Jepherson and found that his cor was wide open. She soon noticed there was actually a hickey.

    Unbelievable.

    When Scarlette came out of the room, she thought about it for a long time.

    After they left, Jepherson ate some snacks,and sat under the sunlight while reading a book.

    After Raeleigh had her lunch, Jepherson spent the rest of his time with her.

    In the blink of an eye, a few days have passed. Raeleigh was discharged from the hospital.

    ¡°Santiago will apany you. If there¡¯s a problem, then just tell Santiago to call me.¡± Jepherson sent Raeleigh to the school gate and reminded her as she got out of the car.

    The door closed and Jepherson left. Raeleigh followed Santiago into the school.

    As soon as she entered, she saw Zorion and Deanna waiting for them.

    Raeleigh lowered her head and stood there in a daze, not knowing what to say.

    Deanna nced at Zorion and turned to leave.

    She had promised Zorion that she would apologize to Raeleigh, but she still couldn¡¯t bring herself to do it.

    She felt like a fool. The car just then belonged to Jepherson. Everyone knew about them, and she was the only one left in the dark.

    Deanna walked away, and Zorion followed.

    After they left, Raeleigh went back to the ssroom.

    Along the way, Scarletteforted her and told her that it was no big deal, but Raeleigh was not happy at all.

    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past now.¡± Scarlette linked their arms together. Raeleigh did not answer as she continued forward.

    After returning to the ssroom, they took a seat next to each other.

    As soon as Deanna sat down, she said, ¡°Zorion, I want to go back to my old ss. I don¡¯t want to be here.¡±

    After saying that, Deanna stood up. Raeleigh raised her head and looked at the scene in front of her. Deanna packed up and left with her belongings.

    Zorion had to leave with her.

    After they left, Scarlette looked back at Raeleigh¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t be like this, just ignore them.¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything but attended the ss as usual.

    A day passed.

    At night, Raeleigh went to the dormitory with Scarlette. When they entered the door, she looked at Deanna¡¯s bed. There was nothing on the bed. Everything was cleaned up and nothing was left.

    Raeleigh went back to her bed,y down, and closed her eyes. Then, she thought of Deanna¡¯s expression on that day.

    She could not fall asleep. Then, she received a call from Zorion when she was getting up.

    Raeleigh¡¯s mobile phone vibrated, and it had awakened Scarlette. She opened her eyes and looked over at Raeleigh.

    Knowing that she was feeling ufortable, she got up and said, ¡°You can leave if you want. I won¡¯t tell Jepherson.¡±

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment. ¡°Maybe Deanna ising.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know much about Deanna. I doubt she wille over. If not, then I¡¯ll bite my tongue off.¡± Scarlette¡¯s impression of Deanna was that she was a self-absorbed person.

    Raeleigh felt a little ufortable and did not move.

    Scarlette said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I will apany you to have a look. Maybe they¡¯re downstairs.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Scarlette. ¡°You may be right.¡±

    ¡°It could be a possibility. Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s not toote either. No one will notice us. We¡¯lle back in time.¡±

    After saying so, Scarlette pulled Raeleigh to follow her down the stairs.

    When they came downstairs to look for Deanna, they could only see Zorion leaning against a tree not far away.

    When they saw him, Scarlette said, ¡°Just as I expected, it¡¯s not Deanna.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to see Zorion. She had nothing to say to him.

    Turning around, Raeleigh intended to go back. Zorion followed after them. Scarlette said, ¡°Since we¡¯re already out, you might as well just stay for a while.¡±

    Scarlette loosened her grip.¡°You have to set things straight sooner orter.¡±

    After saying that, Scarlette left. She knew that Hadrian was nearby. She had toe to terms with Hadrian, in order for him to shut his mouth about this matter.

    Raeleigh stopped and turned around to look at Zorion who hade over. ¡°How¡¯s Deanna?¡±

    ¡°She is still a little sad. I am giving her some counselling. She will be fine in a while. How is your arm? Let me see,¡± Zorion said and pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Raeleigh put her hand behind her and stepped back. ¡°I am fine now. Don¡¯t worry about me. Thank you for your concern.¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid of me? Or are you angry that I didn¡¯t save you?¡± Zorion was ufortable, but he still pulled on Raeleigh¡¯s hand, and she stepped back.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now. I¡¯m not afraid of you, and I¡¯m not angry. The sooner you say what you want, the sooner you can return to Deanna.¡±

    ¡°Deanna is sleeping. I came to see you.¡± Zorion held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Raeleigh stepped back and he followed suit, which made Raeleigh ufortable.

    ¡°Scarlette,¡± she whispered.

    Scarlette did not answer since she was talking to Hadrian. She didn¡¯t expect that there would be such a situation here.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I mean no harm.¡±

    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m fine now.¡±

    ¡°Then, show me.¡±

    Zorion repeated his request. Raeleigh thought that he would stop after she gave in. She didn¡¯t hesitate, rolled up her sleeves, and showed Zorion her arm.

    Zorion looked at her carefully for a while. ¡°You call this fine?¡±

    Raeleigh took her hand back. Zorion sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Deanna.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t care.

    Zorion lowered his head. ¡°It¡¯s not like that for me.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Zorion turned around and held Raeleigh in his arms. Raeleigh froze.

    ¡°Zorion. I epted to be Jepherson¡¯s girlfriend. I hope you would stop doing this to me. You have to let me go.¡±

    Raeleigh said. She wanted Zorion to step back on his own ord.

    ¡°I like you, too.¡± Zorion held Raeleigh in his arms. He didn¡¯t want to let her go.Raeleigh lowered her head as she was regretting her decisions. She tried toe up with an excuse for him to let her go, but she couldn¡¯t think of one.

    ¡°Let go of me.¡± Raeleigh raised her hand and pushed him away. Zorion was reluctant to let her go. His handsome face was lit by the moonlight.¡°I hate to see things develop to this point, but¡­¡±

    ¡°But some people are just too much. They dared to steal another guy¡¯s girlfriend and still dared to make a righteous excuse.¡± Santiago came out of no where. When he spoke, everyone looked at him. Raeleigh, in particr, pushed Zorion away, as if she had seen her savior. Then, she turned around and hurried back to her room.

    After Raeleigh left, Zorion turned to look at Santiago. Gone was his gentleness,and only dead silence ensued.

 Chapter 984 Who Did It?

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t rest all night thinking about her interaction with Zorion. When she woke up the next morning, she still felt ufortable.

    ¡°Just take the rest of the day off. Your grades are good, and you won¡¯t fail in the exam,¡± Scarlette advised her.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Stop pestering me.¡± Raeleigh went to ss after breakfast. However, the two Whalen siblings were absent from ss. When the lecturer saw her in such a disoriented state, she scolded her.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say a word but just stood there. The lecturer only treated her kindly because she benefited the ss. Now that she lost this privilege, she didn¡¯t any spare mercy for her.

    And with that, she stood still. Her lecturer didn¡¯t respect her at all.

    The lecturer¡¯s words were a little harsh. She scolded her for taking her education lightly and for hooking up with others all day in school. She used her of ruining the atmosphere of the school and affecting other students¡¯ sses. At that point, she was merely babbling.

    There were a lot of girls who did not like Raleigh, so they agreed with the lecturer.

    Raeleigh was beautiful. Female students were jealous of her. Male students were bitter because they couldn¡¯t be with her.

    As she stood there, the others were waiting for her to make a fool of herself.

    It almost drove Scarlette mad.

    Raeleigh acted like a block of wood. She did not utter a word when the lecturer spoke to her, which only infuriated her even further.

    Infuriated, she picked up the book and threw it at Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh did not dodge it, and the book hit her.

    ¡°How noble do you think you are?¡± The lecturer¡¯s notebook fell on the ground. Raeleigh kept her head down and said nothing, which made her angry. She gave Raeleigh a push. Raeleigh failed to stand still and knocked against someone behind her. Then, she fell to the ground.

    Scarlette got up as she was getting mad at seeing Raeleigh getting bullied.

    Raeleigh sat on the ground and wanted to stand up. The lecturer asked, ¡°Why are you not dead yet?¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at the lecturer as she did not expect that a role model would speak that way.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going too far?¡± Raeleigh sat there. Then, she supported herself with the chair next to her as she got up. At first, all the students were looking at her as if she were a joke. But then, they could not stand it anymore. Did their lecturer have to go to such lengths for two students?

    ¡°Am I going too far? Don¡¯t you know what kind of person you are? Do you know how much shame you have brought on our ss? How dare you say such words to me? I guess¡­ I will need to ask you to go and stand outside,¡± the lecturer said as she turned to the front. She paused for a moment before saying, ¡°Okay, ss. Let¡¯s open our textbooks and continue with the ss. Let¡¯s not let such a student drag us down.¡±

    She was unwilling to ept Raeleigh as her student.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh really wanted to leave. Since she came here, she endured inhumane torture every day.

    She had to make countless visits to the hospital.

    After standing there for a while, Raeleigh took her books and tidied them up quickly.

    The lecturer, who was standing in front of her, was also shocked. What was she doing?

    ¡°Raeleigh, what are you doing?¡± The lecturer¡¯s face turned pale. She was just a little angry, so she vented her anger on Raeleigh. She didn¡¯t intend to do anything to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh was favored by the Richards family, and Elkton University was owned by them. How could she offend them? However, Deanna and her brother had left without saying a word, so she still couldn¡¯t take it.

    This was why she lost her temper in a fit of anger, wanting to vent her anger on Raeleigh because Raeleigh was usually good-tempered and didn¡¯t say a word to anyone who bullied her. However, she didn¡¯t expect that Raeleigh would leave so easily and was so stubborn.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I do not wish to study here anymore. I will leave, and find another university to attend.¡±

    Raeleigh packed up and looked into the ssroom. She had nothing to miss. Since she came to this ce, she had never had a good time. Everyone did not treat her like a person.

    Scarlette stood up. ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Tell Jepherson that we are different. We can¡¯t exist together.¡± After Raeleigh said that, she gathered her belongings and left the ssroom.

    The lecturer ran out and said, ¡°Raeleigh,e back here.¡±

    Raeleigh took a few steps forward and stopped. Then, she turned around and looked at the lecturer.¡°Thank you for your lessons. Now I understand how this world works and how fickle it can be.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, she turned around and left. Just as she was about to leave, Santiago came in. When he saw Raeleigh, he froze for a moment and then stopped her.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Santiago grabbed Raeleigh and asked. He was just a bitte, but something bad was happening again.

    Raeleigh struggled hard to get out of Santiago¡¯s grip. Suddenly, she blurted out at him.¡°It¡¯s all your fault! It¡¯s all your fault!¡±

    Raeleigh was so mad.

    Santiago pulled her into his arms and held her down.

    ¡°Who messed with you?¡± Raeleigh struggled as hard as she could. At the same time, the lecturer ran out. Upon seeing this scene, she was so scared that her knees went weak.

    When Santiago happened to see the lecturer¡¯s panicked face, he immediately understood.

    Santiago deliberately did something that would make the lecturer misunderstand her. Holding Raeleigh in his arms, he gently rubbed her back and said in a gentle tone, ¡°Who wronged you? You still have me. Elkton University will soon be mine. And you will be by my side to see it happen. Tell me, who bullied you?¡±

    Santiago dragged Raeleigh back. He refused to let her go no matter what she said. Once Raeleigh put her mind to it, she would not step back.

    That time, she was not surprised. She had made up her mind not to resume her studies at Elkton University anymore.

    Santiago suddenly stopped and lowered his head to look at Raeleigh, who was struggling to leave. He asked in an evil manner, ¡°Do you want me to hold you?¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head. Feeling that Santiago was not joking, she shook her head.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go back. If you have something to say, then say it. Don¡¯t run away.¡± After that, Santiago took Raeleigh into the ssroom.

    The lecturer wanted to exin herself, but she did not dare to look at Santiago¡¯s ice-cold face. She could only follow behind Santiago and walk into the ssroom in fear. When they reentered the ssroom, Santiago was mad. He knocked over the bucket at the door and scared the rest of the students. They did not know what had happened. They cowered in fear when he walked into the room.

    When Scarlette saw Raeleigh, she finally felt at ease. She was so anxious for her.

    Santiago held Raeleigh¡¯s little hand. They walked up to the tform. Santiago then took a chalk. As soon as he turned around, he wrote a few words on the ckboard.¡°Who did it? Admit it now.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago and was a little stunned. She almost burst intoughter.

    He was the only one who would use humor in these types of situations.

    Santiago flicked the chalk in his hand. No one stepped up to admit it, so he kicked down the podium in front of him.

    Raeleigh could not help but to shiver in fear too!

 Chapter 985 Stay or Leave

    The lecturer was so scared that she was even shivering. Everyone looked at the lecturer, who stood by the door. The lecturer lowered her head. Her face was pale as she broke into a cold sweat.

    Scarlette slyly cried out, ¡°Our lecturer knows who did it.¡±

    Santiago looked at the lecturer with great interest. ¡°Is that so?¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    The lecturer took a few steps back and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Santiago asked, ¡°Who did it? Admit it now.¡±

    The whole ss was silent, and Scarlette looked at the lecturer in a mischievous way.

    Raeleigh then said, ¡°That¡¯s it, I won¡¯t leave.¡±

    Santiago looked at her. Only then did he raise his eyebrows and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not leaving?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Raeleigh replied. Then, Santiago let go of Raeleigh¡¯s hands and snatched the book from Raeleigh¡¯s hands. Then, he walked to his seat and sat down.

    When Santiago sat down, everyone¡¯s hair stood on end. It was terrifying!

    The lecturer trembled as she went back to the tform. She bent down and picked up the podium. If she had a choice,then she would have quit immediately. However, in Capital City, there was no other school that was as promising as Elkton University. Not only were the lecturers given benefits, it was also a thing of pride to admit to.

    The lecturer took a long time to calm down. She looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh was sitting on one side. It was impossible to go back to how things were before. So, she decided to change sses. Of course, she still needed to rely on Santiago for this matter.

    After the lecturer got a fearful warning, ss went on as usual and ended. Raeleigh told Santiago that she was going to change sses.

    Scarlette was also present when Raeleigh mentioned it to Santiago. Santiago leaned against the wall as he thought about it before asking, ¡°Which ss do you want to switch to?¡±

    Raeleigh froze as she did not expect that Santiago would agree without asking.

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s not the same sses as the Whalen siblings, I¡¯m fine with any ss.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s demands were not too much.

    It was not that she hated Deanna and Zorion. It was them who did not want to be in the same ss as her.

    Raeleigh said that she wanted to switch sses in the morning, and it was arranged in the afternoon.

    Santiago consulted the dean to see which ss was the best, along with Raeleigh and Scarlette.

    Santiago could make the decision without telling anyone.

    It didn¡¯t matter because he was a part of the Richards family.

    Besides, he was known for causing trouble in Capital City. He¡¯dpensate with money if he caused any inconvenience.

    Those with discerning eyes felt that it was a threat, not an apology. But in the end, they had no choice but to ept it. There was no other way. They would just avoid him in the future.

    Santiago opened the door. There sat a male lecturer in his fifties. When he saw Santiago, he frowned. ¡°Santiago?¡±

    ¡°Hello,sir.¡± Santiago greeted him. The male lecturer looked at Santiago and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°You see, Raleigh and Scarlette here want to switch sses, I¡¯m wondering if it is possible?¡± Santiago had spoken quite politely, it showed enough respect.

    The male lecturer had heard of Raeleigh, so he nced at her and said, ¡°Take a seat at the back. Don¡¯t disturb the other students.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,sir.¡± Santiago went to the back politely. Raeleigh, who was standing with Scarlette, followed him and sat down.

    The lecturer was unsurprised by the situation and lowered his head to continue his lecture.

    At the end of the ss, the lecturer took a look at Santiago, turned around, and left. Just like that, they had all changed sses together. Everything was moving rather smoothly.

    After the day¡¯s sses, Raeleigh and Scarlette went back to their dormitory to do their homework and rx while Santiago came to hang out with them, treating it as if it was his own room. Many girls were envious that Scarlette could meet up with Santiago every day for no valid reason.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you still leaving?¡± Raeleigh asked Santiago at nine o¡¯clock. Santiago was ying with his phone and browsing through his social media. He was chatting with a random girl.

    When Raeleigh said that, Santiago looked at her as if he thought of something. Then, Santiago stood up and took a picture of Raeleigh.

    He sent a message to the girl whom he was talking to. ¡°Look, this is the definition of real beauty.¡±

    The girl blocked him immediately.

    Santiago had finally freed himself from the conversation, but he didn¡¯t leave. He looked at the time and said, ¡°I¡¯m going out for a bit, and I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    Raeleigh and Scarlette thought that Santiago was going to do something important, so they didn¡¯t close the door. It wasn¡¯t long before Santiago came back to the room after taking a bath. They didn¡¯t know where he had taken his bath, but they didn¡¯t bother to ask him either.

    But it was obvious to them.

    Santiago wore a loose sleeveless top and sweatpants. As soon as he walked in, he lifted the quilt,y down on the bed, and gotfortable.

    Raeleigh and Scarlette looked at him nkly. Both of them ignored him. It was not long before snores filled the room.

    Raeleigh took a deep breath and looked at Scarlette.

    ¡°Santiago knows what he¡¯s doing,¡± said Scarlette.

    Raeleigh was speechless upon hearing Scarlette¡¯s words.

    Since Santiago didn¡¯t leave, Raeleigh and Scarlette didn¡¯t want to make a big deal out of it. After all, it wasn¡¯t something to boast about. They both went to bed without another word. It seemed that Santiago was sound asleep.

    Just as Raeleigh was about to sleep, her cell phone rang.

    She nced at the caller ID on the screen. It was Zorion.

    Raeleigh waited for the rings to stop. A text message appeared soon. ¡°I am waiting for you downstairs.¡±

    Raeleigh switched off her phone. Santiago turned over and said, ¡°Hand over your phone.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago. Wasn¡¯t he fast asleep?

    Santiago grabbed her hand, and Raeleigh reluctantly handed over the phone. She said, ¡°I will deal with it myself.¡±

    ¡°How will you deal with it?¡± Santiago felt amused. He took Raeleigh¡¯s cell phone away and turned it on. As expected, another phone call came through.

    ¡°Raeleigh,e out.¡± Zorion was impatient. He wanted to see Raeleigh.

    There were some things that needed to be cleared up. He couldn¡¯t wait for another second.

    With a gruff, Santiago got up and walked out, holding her cell phone. Raeleigh stood up and stopped him, grabbing his hand. Santiago ignored her and opened the door. Raeleigh followed behind. Santiago walked ahead and saw Zorion waiting outside.

    Zorion seemed surprised and immediately asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Why am I here? Raeleigh already made it clear to you that she doesn¡¯t like you. She likes my brother. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Santiago¡¯s face darkened. Zorionughed. ¡°This is none of your business. Give the phone back to Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh appeared just in time. She was worried about Santiago.

    They almost fought the other night. It was safe to say that the oue would not be favorable that night either.

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡± Zorion looked at Raeleigh and smiled. Santiago turned around and said, ¡°Go back to your room.¡±

    Raeleigh was in a dilemma. Should she stay or leave?

 Chapter 986 Pay Back

    Raeleigh stood still before walking to Santiago¡¯s side. She snatched her cell phone away from him and walked towards her room, dragging Santiago¡¯s wrist.

    Santiago turned around and looked at Zorion. He didn¡¯t say anything and just followed her.

    Scarlette wasn¡¯t here, so she didn¡¯t want to offend anyone.

    With the help of Santiago, Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t suffer any losses, so she didn¡¯t intend to leave the room at all.

    After returning to her room, she let go of Santiago¡¯s hand and nced at him. Sometimes, she wished that she knew Santiago sooner. That way, no one would bully her or misunderstand her, much less disturb her. Everything would¡¯ve been peaceful.

    One needed to take a look at her right then. The whole world was against her, and she was exhausted by the situation.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    Raeleigh opened the door to her dormitory as Santiago followed Raeleigh into the room. When she entered the room, she went to lie down, and so did Santiago. Scarlette was pretending to be asleep.

    ¡°I just want to survive through college.¡± Raeleigh told Santiago after lying down for a while. That time, Scarlette opened her eyes and turned her face to look at Raeleigh. Others might not know what Raeleigh was thinking, but she was clear about one thing. Raeleigh was very eager to finish college.

    Raeleigh had a grandmother, and it was enough to make a difference.

    She was alone, so she had no one to care for her.

    As for Raeleigh, it seemed like she had more than just her grandmother who had her back.

    Santiago didn¡¯t even open his eyes as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as I¡¯m here, it won¡¯t be a problem for you to finish your college education.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything as she knew that she was safe with them by her side.

    Santiago knew what Raeleigh was thinking about. Hey there for a while and said, ¡°If you can¡¯t finish your studies here, then I can send you to a university overseas. You can go wherever you want.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing. She did not want that to happen.

    She couldn¡¯t afford to owe him such a great favor.

    Raeleigh was unable to fall asleep. When she had gone abroad for the operation, Zorion had paid for her. She had incurred quite a huge amount of debt.

    She didn¡¯t sleep much for the whole night. Raeleigh got up early in the morning. Scarlette and Santiago hadn¡¯t woken up yet, so Raeleigh went to wash up. While she was washing up, she received a text message from Deanna on her cell phone.

    Raeleigh looked down and opened the text message. When she read the text, she froze.

    ¡°Come out, I have something to tell you, it¡¯s me, Deanna.¡± The contents of the text message was not much, but judging by the tone, it sounded like Deanna.

    Raeleigh stepped outside after making her judgment. She walked out of the door and looked around. As expected, she saw Deanna.

    Deanna lost a lot of weight, her cheekbones were jutting out. Raeleigh felt sorry for her when she saw her, as she thought that it was her fault.

    No matter what others said, it was her fault. If it weren¡¯t for her, then how could all of this have happened?

    Raeleigh took the initiative to walk towards her, and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say sorry, it doesn¡¯t make sense. If you feel sorry for me, then you will leave Jepherson of your own ord. But you took him away.¡± Deanna was still saddened by the fact. She stared at Raeleigh and wanted to cry. She regarded Raeleigh as her best friend, but she stole Jepherson away.

    Jepherson neither cared about her nor did he want her anymore.

    Deanna looked at Raeleigh and cried, but she didn¡¯t want to embarrass herself in front of Raeleigh, so she wiped away her tears immediately.

    Raeleigh felt ufortable as she looked at Deanna. She couldn¡¯t say anything. Deanna was still immature after all.

    ¡°Deanna, I didn¡¯t mean it.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to say. Deanna wiped away her tears as she saw the mark on Raeleigh¡¯s neck. Then, she lowered her head and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Raeleigh froze, looking at Deanna with confusion. Deanna continued.¡°Without you, I would not have been saved. Those people in the Moore family are evil. I owe you a favor.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all because of me that you were taken away. I should have saved you. Besides, I did nothing. It was Santiago who saved you.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re injured. You shed a lot of blood. I owe you, Raeleigh. I¡¯ll pay you back in the future. But you still owe me. You took away Jepherson, and I won¡¯t forgive you easily. But I didn¡¯te to you for these things.¡±

    As Deanna said this, she wiped away her tears and looked at Raeleigh, who was in a daze.

    ¡°Raeleigh, do you remember the money you owe our family?¡± Deanna finally brought up the subject. Raeleigh could not help but to feel guilty because she was incapable of paying them back right then.

    ¡°But I don¡¯t have any money right now.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t have the money. You can return it to us with something else,¡± said Deanna. Raeleigh stared at her and creased her brow. She had an idea of what Deanna was talking about.

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about what happened between you and Jepherson. You can take Jepherson away from me. It¡¯s my fault that I wasn¡¯t able to charm Jepherson. But you have to pay back the money you owe me. We used to be friends, so I was fine with you not paying me back. But now, we¡¯re not friends anymore. Shouldn¡¯t you pay it back to me?¡± Deanna came up with a lot of excuses to persuade Raeleigh, and she nodded without hesitation.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t have money, then you can pay it back with something else.¡± Deanna¡¯s tone was deadly. She clenched her teeth and spoke her mind.

    Raeleigh said nothing. Deanna said, ¡°My brother likes you. He has not eaten for two days because of you. The day I was taken away by that b*stard, Flynt, my brother was blocked by more than a dozen cars outside. You should know that my brother can¡¯t take action in public as it would affect our reputation.¡±

    ¡°When you and Santiago saved us, something had happened. My brother could only deal with one of them at the time. It was not that he didn¡¯t care about you. Santiago said that our family was ungrateful. In fact, he destroyed my brother¡¯s n. If he didn¡¯t take you in, then it didn¡¯t matter that my brother came a littleter. My brother already had a n for Flynt to hand me over, but you guys ruined it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Santiago¡¯s fault.¡±

    Deanna was so angry that she couldn¡¯t bear it, and she was also unhappy that she was safe and sound in the face of unexpected disasters.

    Raeleigh was silent. ¡°It was not Santiago who wanted to go in, but me. It has nothing to do with Santiago. He went there because of you.¡±

    Deanna pouted aggrievedly. Thinking back to Raeleigh who had been tied up in order to save her, she felt a little ufortable. However, she could not go back in time to change how things were.

    She stared at Raeleigh with tears in her eyes as she said, ¡°If you start liking my brother, then consider the debt paid. If you want to pay it back, then you have to do it now. But if you borrow the money from Jepherson and Santiago, then Raeleigh, I will think lowly of you.¡±

    Raeleigh felt helpless as she could not bear being forced by Deanna like this.

    ¡°I understand. I will talk to your brother. I¡¯ll contact him. I will also break up with Jepherson. However, you must know that Santiago is here. He will not let me contact your brother so easily. I have already¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Santiago.¡±

    Raeleigh had nothing to say but to nod her head.

 Chapter 987 Circumstances That Are Difficult to Deal With

    ¡°Who were you with this early in the morning?¡± Santiago asked while eating breakfast, not looking up to meet her gaze. Raeleigh said, ¡°I went out for a walk.¡±

    ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t I see you? I also went out for a walk.¡± Santiago continued to ask.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you, either.¡± Raeleigh sat up after being satiated and paid no attention to him.

    Scarlett raised her head to look at Raeleigh and Santiago. She thought that Santiago¡¯s future wife must be well-prepared for all his unnerving questions.

    Scarlette followed after Raeleigh. Raeleigh was on her way to the ssroom when she was stopped by Scarlette. Scarlette asked her, ¡°What were you doing in the morning?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just went for a walk outside.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything. She was afraid that she would be scolded if she told her what had happened.

    Scarlette believed that Raeleigh would be safe with Santiago by her side. Without prying further, they went to the ssroom.

    The university was holding a huge basketball match that afternoon. Many people went to watch the game. Scarlette wanted to drag Raeleigh along with her to the game, but Raeleigh refused.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Scarlette pleaded, for she also knew how to y basketball.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I have no interest in it. You can go on your own.¡±

    ¡°What would happen to you if I was not around?¡± Scarlette really wanted to go.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to the dorm and lock the door. No one will kidnap me.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go back with you. After you lock the door, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Scarlette and Raeleigh walked back to the dormitory. Raeleigh opened her notebook and started reading it. Scarlette deduced that it was safe for her as long as the door was locked. Besides, Zorion would be participating in the match, so his fangirls would be there too.

    There was nothing to worry about. So, Raeleigh was left alone in the bedroom while Scarlette went to watch the game.

    Santiago was forced to take part in the match. After changing his clothes, Santiago stood outside, looking unhappy.

    He didn¡¯t want to y, but he was forced into it by those who did not get the hint.

    Zorion saw that Santiago was approaching, so he took the opportunity to leave by going to the bathroom.

    Santiago wasn¡¯t a fool. When he saw Zorion escaping, he grabbed his shirt and walked out of the room. However, the moment he reached the door, he was blocked by Deanna.

    Deanna looked at Santiago with her head tilted to one side. ¡°Santiago, I¡¯vee to seek revenge on the matter that you¡¯ve wrongly used me of.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to talk about this matter. Find someone else to bother.¡± Santiago didn¡¯t give a damn about Deanna at all. He walked away. Deanna shouted, ¡°Santiago, don¡¯t you dare escape! I¡¯ll go to your family and tell your grandmother that you¡¯re working together to deceive her. Think about it, how will your grandmother treat Raeleigh?¡±

    Santiago stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Deanna. His expression was extremely bitter as he said, ¡°Deanna, we grew up together. I regard you as my sister. How did you end up like this?¡±

    Deanna clenched her teeth, and her little face was sour. ¡°That¡¯s my business. Now,e with me.¡±

    Turning around, Deanna went to another location. Zorion was going to find Raeleigh, so she decided to take Santiago to the library.

    There were a row of trees on the way to the library. Deanna didn¡¯t say anything and just kept her head low. She was already irritated by Santiago. The person who bothered her the most in this world was him. Ever since she was young, she hated his existence since he was born.

    Thinking back to the things that Santiago had done when he was a child, Deanna wanted to strangle Santiago to death.

    She remembered the countless times when Santiago bullied her. Even though she was older than Santiago, she was not as tall as him. Santiago had always had a stronger build than her. At first, she was indeed taller than him, but as they grew older, Santiago quickly caught up.

    Due to Santiago¡¯s tall figure, he always bullied her, whenever there was no one around them. At that time, she was only ten years old, but she remembered everything.

    When they reached a certain ce, Deanna stopped in her tracks. Santiago¡¯s eyes were fixed on her. However, she no longer cared about these things. She no longer cared about Jepherson. She felt that there was no meaning to life anymore.

    Right then, Deanna¡¯s goal was to help her brother. She didn¡¯t want to see her brother unhappy because of Raeleigh.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to stare at me like that. No matter how you look at me, you won¡¯t be able to kill me. My will to live is very strong. Let me tell you, Santiago, I hate you. I have hated you since we were young. If you dare to annoy me or make me unhappy, then I will tell Grandma Marissa everything. By then, you will be locked away in your room.¡±

    Santiago sneered at Deanna¡¯s aggressive threat. He walked under the tree and leaned against the tree without saying a word.

    Deanna gradually calmed down. When she thought of Jepherson, she still felt sad.

    Tears welled up in her eyes. Jepherson was an important person in her life. Her life would be fulfilled with Jepherson by her side. However, this wish had been destroyed. She could not ept it, no matter how hard she tried.

    Wiping away her tears, she said, ¡°I hate you all.¡±

    Santiago slowly turned around to look at Deanna. ¡°This has nothing to do with me. They¡¯re the ones who harmed you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s you! It¡¯s your fault!¡± Deanna shouted at Santiago. Santiago turned his face away and ignored her.

    After shouting for a while, Deanna stood silent.

    The two of them basked in each other¡¯s silence as the sun set.

    Deanna looked at their surroundings. It was already dark and it was time to return.

    ¡°Alright, you can leave as soon as you send me back.¡± Deanna ordered him like a queen as she turned around. On his way to send Deanna back, they met Zorion. Santiago stopped and said, ¡°Don¡¯t go too far. My brother has been too busy to pay attention these days. Don¡¯t me me for being rude.¡±

    After saying that, he proceeded to head back to find Scarlette and Raeleigh. Zorion turned to look at Santiago and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about our personal affairs.¡±

    ¡°You had no right to interfere with their rtionship. It has always been between Raeleigh and my brother. But you were selfish. You proceeded to intervene anyway. I can¡¯t sit back and just watch. ¡±

    After saying that, Santiago left. Zorion was speechless as he stood still. Inside, he was feeling very anxious about Santiago¡¯s words.

    Earlier that day, he had met up with Raeleigh, but she did not say a word to him. She felt distant towards him.

    When Santiago came back, no one answered the door.

    After calling Raeleigh on his cell phone, she came to the door and told him off.¡°It¡¯ste. You should go home now. You can¡¯te here as you please. This is the women¡¯s dormitory.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette.¡± Santiago ignored Raeleigh. Scarlette got up on her feet, intending to open the door. Raeleigh said, ¡°Don¡¯t open the door. Otherwise, I¡¯ll knock you out.¡±

    ¡°Then, hurry up, I don¡¯t want to be tortured.¡± Scarlette was about to go crazy.

    Santiago was not one to be trifled with.

    Scarlette was about to open the door, but Raeleigh pulled her onto her bed, wrapping her in a quilt.

    Santiago had been knocking on the door outside for a long time when he heard someone yelling. Santiago wasn¡¯t sure if Raeleigh was serious about her words, so he just turned around and left.

 Chapter 988 Taken Away at the Movies

    Over the weekend, Raleigh intended to go back to her grandmother¡¯s house. However, as soon as she went out, she saw the Whalen family car parked at the front, and someone got out of the car.

    Raeleigh and Scarlette were waiting for Santiago to drive his car here.

    Yet, they were met with the Whalen family¡¯s car at the entrance of Elkton University.

    Raeleigh knew that it had all been nned by Deanna.

    As Deanna opened the door, she said, ¡°We are going to the movies. Come on.¡±

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment and nced at Scarlette. ¡°I am going with her. You can go back first.¡±

    As Raeleigh promised, she would not go back on her word.

    ¡°Raeleigh, please wait for Santiago.¡± Scarlette felt that it was better not to do anything. After all, Santiago was not a person to be trifled with. She would get into trouble if he was angry.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Tell Santiago that I willingly followed them.¡± Raeleigh asked Deanna, ¡°Can you take me back tonight? I have to go back to see my Grandma.¡±

    ¡°Come in first.¡± Deanna wore a serious expression. She was not willing to threaten Raeleigh in the first ce.

    Raeleigh bent down and entered the car. Raeleigh found that there was no one in the car but Deanna.

    Scarlette wanted to get Raeleigh out of the car, but one of Deanna¡¯s bodyguards stopped her. With that, the car left.

    Raeleigh had been silent since she got into the car. Deanna took out two movie tickets and handed them to Raeleigh. ¡°Take them.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going?¡± Raeleigh asked back. Deanna shook her head.¡°I don¡¯t like watching this kind of film. My brother does.¡±

    Raeleigh pitied the Whalen siblings sometimes.

    When the car arrived at the entrance of the cinema, Raeleigh got out of the car. Deanna left Raeleigh¡¯s backpack behind to prevent Raeleigh from suddenly changing her mind.

    Raeleigh got out of the car, holding two movie tickets in her hand. Then, she walked into the cinema. She searched the hall for a while and soon found Zorion.

    As he walked towards her, he wore a funny look on his face. ¡°Did Deanna ask you toe?¡±

    ¡°She meant well.¡± Raeleigh showed the tickets to Zorion. Zorion took a look at the time and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Raeleigh followed him into the dark cinema. They finally found their seats and sat down.

    Raeleigh and Zorion sat next to each other. And there was another empty seat on the other side of Raeleigh¡¯s.

    All the other seats were upied, but the one next to her was still empty.

    At the start of the movie, Zorion asked Raeleigh, ¡°Do you want to eat something?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, thanks. Let¡¯s just watch the movie.¡±

    Zorion smiled and raised his head to look at the screen. The two of them began to watch the movie.

    Raeleigh did not like the film, but she had no choice but to watch it since she was here already. Halfway through the movie, a man sat down on the empty seat, and held her hand.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment before turning to the person who upied the seat beside hers.

    Jepherson smiled and said, ¡°You aren¡¯t being a good girl, huh? You¡¯re not supposed to be here.¡±

    Raeleigh was as stiff as a rock. She couldn¡¯t say a word when she saw the fake smile on his face.

    Zorion also looked at Jepherson. In the cinema, no one said a word. After the movie was over, Jepherson stood up and said sternly, ¡°Come out.¡±

    Raeleigh froze. Surely enough, he was angry.

    Raeleigh stood up and followed him out. Actually, Raeleigh didn¡¯t think it was a big deal. But just then, Jepherson had been toying with the bracelet on her wrist, which made Raeleigh ufortable. It was as if he wanted to strangle her to death.

    Raeleigh left the movie hall and went outside. As soon as she came out, she saw Jepherson standing a short distance away apanied by Stuart. Seeing Raeleighing out, Stuart hurried to her. When he met her, Stuart said, ¡°Miss Raeleigh, Mr. Jepherson is waiting for you.¡±

    Raeleigh was about to go over when Zorion grabbed her wrist. Raeleigh pulled her hands away instinctively. Zorion fixed his eyes on Raeleigh for a long time. Then, Raeleigh said, ¡°I have to exin to him one way or another.¡±

    Zorion was surprised. He was stunned for a while before he loosened his grip. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded and turned around to look for Jepherson.

    Stuart took a look at Zorion, judging him silently.

    ¡°Why¡¯d you look for me?¡± Raeleigh stood behind Jepherson, breaking the silence.

    Jepherson strode towards the door, on his way out. As he walked, hemanded, ¡°Follow me.¡±

    Raeleigh stood still. She was in a dilemma, whether she should follow him or not.

    She turned her head to look at Zorion. She had already promised Deanna.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    ¡°Do you want me to carry you out?¡± Jepherson stopped and turned to Raeleigh. Raeleigh¡¯s face fell.

    ¡°Let¡¯s break up. It¡¯s not appropriate for us to be together.¡± Raeleigh was in pain and in a conundrum.

    Jepherson clenched his teeth and spat out a few words. ¡°Come here.¡±

    Raeleigh did not move. ¡°Stop it! You acting like this makes me even more reluctant to ept you. You have disrupted my life and my goals.¡±

    Jepherson did not speak again. He stepped towards Raeleigh, but Raeleigh did not move. The one who moved was Zorion. However, as soon as he moved, Stuart stopped him immediately. ¡°Mr. Whalen, this is between Mr. Jepherson and Miss Raeleigh. Please calm down, Mr. Whalen.¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡± Zorion scolded. He wanted to push Stuart away, but Stuart didn¡¯t move at all. He proceeded to stop Zorion from leaving.

    Soon, a lot of people came up to surround Stuart and Jepherson, some of them even tried to stop Zorion.

    Jepherson continued to walk over to Raeleigh, bending down to hold Raeleigh in his arms. However, Jepherson did not leave immediately. Instead, he looked back at Zorion and said, ¡°I have always regarded you as my brother. In my eyes, you are no different from my brother, Santiago.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you whatever you want, but not Raeleigh. She¡¯s mine.¡±

    With that, Jepherson turned around and left. The rest of his men followed suit. Even Stuart lowered his head at Zorion. He turned around and followed Jepherson.

    Zorion took a few steps back. He was so distracted that he almost fell to the ground. Deanna rushed in. Seeing Zorion¡¯s disoriented state, she hurried over.

    ¡°Zorion, what¡¯s wrong with you? What happened?¡± Deanna hugged Zorion and cried. When she saw the expression in his eyes, she was very scared.

    Zorion shook his head and said that it was nothing, but his eyes were hazy.

    ¡°No, it can¡¯t be. No, No!¡±

    Zorion kept saying. Deanna asked him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Zorion? What happened? Don¡¯t scare me!¡±

    Zorion looked down at his sister and raised his hand to hold her. He used a lot of strength, and his grip on Deanna was deadly.

    ¡°Deanna, it hurts so much!¡± Lowering his head, Zorion buried his face in Deanna¡¯s shoulder des. There were many people around them, but everyone gave them some space out of respect.

 Chapter 989 Struck By Lightning

    Raeleigh was carried into the car. Jepherson then sat in the car with a cold look on his face. Raeleigh sat beside him. Her head was lowered, as she looked like she was thinking of something.

    As Stuart got into the car, he cast a nce at Raeleigh from the rearview mirror and asked the driver to start the car.

    When the car left, Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. She was speechless, not knowing what to say.

    Not long after, the car arrived at the entrance of the hotel. Stuart hurriedly got out of the car to open their door. Jepherson went out and walked into the hotel without waiting for Raeleigh.

    Stuart opened the door on Raeleigh¡¯s side, inviting her to step out.

    ¡°Miss Anson, Mr. Jepherson has always had a bad temper. Go quickly.¡± Stuart kindly reminded her. The driver was also worried.

    Raeleigh got out of the car with hesitation. She took a look at the top of the building. Then, she stepped into the hotel.

    The manager of the hotel nodded to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Have a great stay, Miss Anson.¡±

    Raeleigh cast an inexplicable look at the manager. Did it look like she would be having a great stay right then?

    The manager nodded politely and smiled very kindly.

    After ncing around, Raeleigh turned around and walked into the elevator.

    The manager breathed a sigh of relief behind her. Although Mr. Jepherson was very angry, it showed that he truly cared about thisdy named Raeleigh.

    No matter what the reason was, it was a good thing for him.

    If the two ended up married, this hotel would be the ce where the two of them will be betrothed to each other. At that time, the value of this hotel would be doubled, and he could imagine that he would be promoted.

    As Raeleigh was about to step into the elevator, Stuart received a phone call.

    ¡°Yes, I understand, Mr. Jepherson.¡± Stuart hung up the phone and looked at Raeleigh, embarrassed. ¡°Miss Anson, this way please.¡±

    Raeleigh looked in his direction strangely. Stuart was walking towards the stairs. Raeleigh followed him, staring at the stairs in a daze. Was Jepherson asking her to climb up the stairs?

    Stuart lowered his head and said, ¡°Although Mr. Jepherson¡¯s temper has always been stable, he can be unpredictable at times. Miss Anson, don¡¯t provoke him.¡±

    Even Stuart knew about Jepherson¡¯s temper.

    Raeleigh understood.

    ¡°Tell him I refuse to climb up the stairs. This is too much.¡± Raeleigh had a good temper. Even if she usually swallowed insults and humiliation, she would not be able to do this.

    Raeleigh was very clear about the height of this building. It was easier for her to jump into the sea than to walk up the stairs.

    Raeleigh wore no expression on her tensed face. After taking a look at the stunned Stuart, she turned around and walked away arrogantly.

    Stuart hurried to catch up with Raeleigh from behind, trying to negotiate with her.¡°Miss Anson, how about taking the elevator to the floor just before the top floor and only climbing thest flight of stairs?¡±

    Raeleigh kept on walking with no expression on her face. She went straight to the door. The manager lowered his head and didn¡¯t dare to go forward.

    Raeleigh went out to catch a cab. She wanted to leave.

    ¡°Miss Anson, think about it. He usually treats you so well since¡­¡±

    Stuart kept mumbling. Raeleigh stopped a car and left. In the car, Raeleigh called Scarlette. She wanted to ask Scarlette to ask Santiago to take her things back from Deanna.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡± Raeleigh hung up the phone before Scarlette could say something.

    On the top floor of the hotel.

    Jepherson was standing by the window, crossing his arms.

    As soon as there was a knock on the door, Jepherson looked at it, raising his eyebrows. He knew no one would be stupid enough to take the stairs up.

    Jepherson went to the door and opened it personally. As a result, he saw Stuart standing outside.

    ¡°Where is Raeleigh?¡± Jepherson¡¯s face was gloomy, and Stuart immediately said, ¡°Miss Raeleigh said she¡¯s going back first.¡±

    Stuart did not dare to speak up about what Raeleigh had said.

    Jepherson frowned. ¡°What did she say?¡±

    Stuart hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°Miss Anson refused to climb up the stairs.¡±

    ¡°What about you? Are you an idiot?¡± Jepherson gritted his teeth. Stuart begged bitterly.¡°I¡¯ve already told Miss Anson toe up from the elevator and climb up thest floor.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Do you wish to climb the stairs too?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, please believe me. Later on, I told her that she could take the elevator, but Miss Anson insisted on leaving. If you don¡¯t believe me, then you can ask the manager.¡±

    Stuart was miserable.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t care about that. He pushed Stuart harshly, turned around, and went out. He entered the elevator and pushed the down button, ignoring Stuart.

    Stuart went to another elevator, wanting to reach the first floor before Jepherson.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh got out of the taxi and went to the supermarket to buy some ingredients. As a result, when she arrived home, Jepherson was already there.

    Jepherson stood outside, waiting for Raeleigh. He did not enter her home. Jepherson looked at her under the moonlight. She hesitantly walked towards him.

    ¡°Why did you leave?¡± Jepherson gritted his teeth. Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. She knew that he was aware, so she did not want to answer him.

    She walked past him and headed to the door. Jepherson followed behind her. As they walked, he reached for the groceries in her hands. ¡°Give them to me.¡±

    Raeleigh did not need his help.¡°I can handle it on my own.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Did I say it¡¯s troublesome?¡± Jepherson¡¯s expression turned cold as well.

    Raeleigh did not spare him a nce and went straight in. When she entered, she called for her grandmother.

    Novalie was happy to hear that her granddaughter was back, but she didn¡¯t know why Raeleigh was backte.

    There was another person with Raeleigh too.

    ¡°Oh, Mr. Richards, it¡¯s you!¡± Novalie immediately invited him in politely. At that time, Jepherson said, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ve been here several times, and I¡¯ve lived here before. You can just call me Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Novalie didn¡¯t want to address him so casually, as she saw her granddaughter¡¯s gloomy expression.

    Jepherson smiled and said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    Novalie did not pressure the matter further. She just said, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Raeleigh picked up the ingredients that she bought, changed her shoes, and went inside. Jepherson also changed his shoes and went inside. Raeleigh went straight to the kitchen without saying anything to Novalie.

    Jepherson went to talk to Raeleigh in the kitchen, but Raeleigh was still mad at him. She kept a straight face and proceeded to cook with her head down.

    Novalie was sitting outside. She did not care about what happened in the kitchen.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything. Raeleigh stayed silent too. They were all thinking about different things. Finally, Raeleigh said, ¡°You should stay away from me. It¡¯s good for both of us.¡±

    ¡°What if I told you I can¡¯t leave you?¡±

    Can¡¯t leave?

    Raeleigh felt that there was nothing in the world that she could not leave.

    She nced at Jepherson and said, ¡°There is always a way.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave. Why should I leave?¡±

    Raeleigh went on to serve the dishes and didn¡¯t want to talk about it anymore.

    Novalie was waiting for dinner when they walked out of the door. When she saw the two of theming out, she smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Jepherson sat down and leaned towards Novalie. However, his eyes were fixed on Raleigh¡¯s. He knew that there were things that needed to be done quickly.

    ¡°Grandma, I want to establish a rtionship with Raeleigh. What do you think?¡± Jepherson¡¯s words hit Raeleigh hard like a thunderbolt.

    Raeleigh almost lost her bnce. When sheposed herself, she gulped and walked over to put down the tableware in her hands. Then, she fixed her eyes on Jepherson.

    He smiled and calmly waited for her next move. Raeleigh took a look at her grandmother while pursing her lips.

    Novalie then said, ¡°Raeleigh has not graduated yet. She is still a little too young. Besides, this is between you two. Why are you asking me? I am confused.¡±

    Once Novalie finished her words, it was as if Jepherson had been struck by lightning!

 Chapter 990 Dreaming About the Orphanage

    She was confused?

    Jephersonughed, but his eyes were emitting a mysterious aura.

    Novalie was unhappy.Otherwise, she would not have said something like that.

    ¡°Did you forget about the time I spent with you? We even had a great meal together, too.¡± Jepherson¡¯s expression shifted. He stared at Raeleigh with cold eyes, but he was very kind to Novalie.

    Couldn¡¯t Novalie see what was going on?

    She was probably just pretending to be oblivious.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Novalieughed. ¡°I do remember. That was a nutritious meal, and it was good for the body. However, some would think it was nd and therefore dislike it.¡± Jepherson felt like she was slightly mocking him.

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. I liked it.¡±

    ¡°Then, you should have more.¡± Novalie looked at the table and said, ¡°s, our meal today is different. Maybe we¡¯ll have it on another day.¡±

    He did not know what she meant. However, Jepherson continued chatting with her. Meanwhile, Raeleigh was quietly enjoying the meal.

    After dinner, Raeleigh tidied the table and sat down. She was watching a show on the television while waiting for Jepherson to leave.

    Novalie sat down for a while before returning to her room.

    Upon seeing the door closed, Jepherson leaned over, but Raeleigh stood up. She went to the door, turned around, and said to Jepherson, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about the past. Let¡¯s break up.¡±

    She did not care whether Jepherson agreed to it or not. Raeleigh entered her room and shut her door.

    Jepherson knocked on the door, but Raeleigh never opened it for him.

    As a result, Jepherson stayed at Raeleigh¡¯s house for the night, sleeping on the couch.

    When Raeleigh got up in the morning, Jepherson woke up too.

    When Raeleigh went out to buy some groceries, Jepherson followed suit.

    Jepherson neither exined himself, nor did he leave. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t bear to tell him the truth.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t attend Elkton University to find a boyfriend. Stop pestering me. I don¡¯t want to hear about it.¡± Raeleigh opened the door as she told this to Jepherson. Jepherson scoffed. ¡°You are mine. I won¡¯t let you go.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless.

    Jepherson did not say anything after that.

    Turning around, Jepherson went into Raeleigh¡¯s house. When they were inside, Raeleigh washed her hands as she took out the ingredients that her grandmother liked. Jepherson catered to her needs and cooked for Novalie.

    Quietly, Jepherson prepared breakfast.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what Jepherson was nning, but she knew something was off.

    After eating together, Jepherson said that he was leaving because he still had something to deal with.

    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯lle back another day. There are some things I have to deal with. I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡± Jepherson chatted with Novalie for a while and then left.

    Raeleigh came out of her room to have a look, and indeed, she did not see any cars.

    Their ce was small, so cars were easily spotted.

    Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief and went back to talk to Novalie.

    Novalie asked a few questions about Jepherson and her rtionship. Raeleigh only spoke briefly. She understood that her granddaughter did not want to have anything to do with Jepherson. She was also worried that her granddaughter would not be able to make a decision on this matter.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t look like a person to be trifled with.

    Raeleigh stayed at home for the whole day. It felt like time passed by quickly while she was with her grandmother.

    When the weekend was over, Raeleigh went back to school.

    However, just as Raeleigh stepped out of the door, a car had stopped in front of her.

    Stuart was busy getting out of the car. He went to the backseat and opened the door for her. He screwed things up previously, so he couldn¡¯t mess things up again.

    As soon as Stuart came, he said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson has been waiting for you.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I can take a taxi to school.¡±

    ¡°Get in.¡± Sitting in the car, Jepherson raised his hand and patted the seat beside him. Raeleigh nced at it, having no intention of getting into the car.

    ¡°I do not need a ride. I¡¯ll hail a cab myself.¡±

    ¡°Miss Anson, please don¡¯t make things difficult for me. I¡¯m already in a tough spot.¡± Stuart stopped Raeleigh in a hurry. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t leave, so she entered the car.

    As the door closed, Raeleigh leaned against the door. Stuart got into the car and asked the driver to start the engine.

    Jepherson nced at her without saying anything. The car arrived at the airport like a gust of wind.

    It was not until she arrived at the airport that Raeleigh realized that things were not right.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m here.¡± Before Raeleigh got out of the car, she looked at Jepherson and questioned him. He stepped out of the car and took a look outside. ¡°I have something to do. You have toe with me.¡±

    Raeleigh refused. She looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°I have to go to school.¡±

    ¡°What you have learnt in school may not be useful. It¡¯s more useful if you follow me. Come on.¡± Raeleigh was not used to Jepherson¡¯s domineering demeanor. She still had not left the car. Stuart immediately said to her, ¡°Miss Anson, this way¡­¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Stuart. ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me with your words. We¡¯re not even that close. I am not apassionate person.¡±

    After saying that, Raeleigh walked to the airport, and Stuart hurried to follow her.

    Jepherson had already booked her ticket, and her passport was also with him. Raeleigh saw it with her own eyes.

    On the ne, Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and rested his eyes, leaning against one side.

    Raeleigh was not used to it. She pulled her hand away.

    After taking a nap on the ne, they got off the ne and were escorted to a local hotel. She would be staying in the same room as Jepherson.

    It was a little ufortable. The bed was big enough for both of them, but it was highly inappropriate in Raeleigh¡¯s mind.

    Surely enough, after entering the room, Jepherson went to take a bath and came out to see Raeleigh.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take a bath?¡± Jepherson stood still. Raeleigh felt hot and she was blushing.

    ¡°No, I can sleep like this.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t take off her clothes and spread the quilt on the ground. ¡°I can sleep on the ground, you can sleep on the bed.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything. But he also slept on the ground that night.

    At first, Raeleigh was frightened. She was even more surprised when Jepherson touched her.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was so upset that she sat next to the bed in a daze.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t wake up untilte in the morning. It seemed that as long as he was asleep, the whole world had nothing to do with him. Raeleigh didn¡¯t know why they came to this unfamiliar city.

    When Jepherson woke up, Raeleigh was brought to the orphanage by him.

    The car stopped at the gate of the orphanage. Raeleigh froze for a moment. Another orphanage?

    The dean of this orphanage came out and enthusiastically weed Raeleigh and Jepherson. Jepherson proceeded to look at their register list.

    After checking the list, he did not leave immediately but instead stayed at the orphanage.

    That night, Raeleigh had a dream. She began to call someone¡¯s name.

 Chapter 991 Good Genetics

    In the dream, Raeleigh was calling for someone. Someone was holding her hand and she looked at that person. The person pushed Raeleigh to the ground, covering her with a wet quilt. Raeleigh wanted to look for the person, but then she fell into aa.

    By the time she woke up, no one was left. Everyone died in the fire.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes and looked at Jepherson, who was holding her in his arms. She was sweating all over.

    Jepherson¡¯s face was full of surprise.

    The expression on his face became more and more solemn.

    Raeleigh pushed him away. ¡°Why are you hugging me?¡±

    ¡°You had a nightmare. You kept calling for someone. I don¡¯t know what happened.¡± Jepherson wiped off her sweat with his sleeve. Raeleigh sat across from him and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It may have been because I was bullied. I was anxious in the dream, so I kept shouting.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, she turned around andy back on the ground. She curled her body into a ball and tucked herself in the quilt.

    Jepherson went to the bathroom. When he came back, he lifted the quilt and went back to bed. He held Raeleigh from behind and tightened his arms on her waist. Then, he let his chin lean on Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Who is Arsel?¡± His voice was low. Raeleigh froze, clutching the quilt tightly. She remembered Arsel. In fact, he was just a guest, but¡­

    Raeleigh did not answer his question. Instead, she fixed her eyes on the wall and said nothing more.

    Raeleigh got up at six o¡¯clock in the morning. She went outside before Jepherson even got up. Then, she walked to the yard of the orphanage and watched the kids ying around. The children came running towards her after noticing her presence.

    ¡°Let¡¯s y together, Miss.¡± A little girl took Raeleigh¡¯s hand, tugging it. Raeleigh replied, ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll y together.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°What a nice name!¡±

    ¡°What about you? What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°My name is Mimi. He¡¯s Lenore, and there¡¯s also Nana and Arsel¡­¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a moment, scanning the boy¡¯s features. ¡°Your name is Arsel?¡±

    Raeleigh knelt down and looked at the little boy, who was around five to six years old. The little boy smiled. He had a cute face.

    Upon hearing Raeleigh¡¯s words, Arsel said, ¡°My name is Arsel.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Raeleigh stared at Arsel in a daze. She also had a friend named Arsel.

    It was a pity that they had only met for a short period of time, leaving only a brief memory. He was gone because of the fire.

    Raeleigh touched Arsel¡¯s little face, smiled at him and said, ¡°You can go and y. I am going to wash my face.¡±

    ¡°Okay, wash your face ande to us. Let¡¯s y together.¡±

    After that, the group of children left.

    Raeleigh stood up from the ground. Thinking of their meeting, her memory took her back to the past.

    Raeleigh still remembered that there were a lot of people that day when Arsel saw a girl standing at the door and eating cherries.

    At that time, there were only some cherries, and there were a lot of children in the orphanage. Each person could only get six cherries, but they were content with having a chance to enjoy them.

    It was such a waste and a pity to eat these juicy cherries, Raeleigh thought. Raeleigh stood at the door of the orphanage and looked outside, at the iron cast gates of the orphanage. Like many other children, Raeleigh was waiting for someone to pick her up at the door, hoping that her parents woulde.

    She stood among many children. Every one of them ate the cherries. Her mouth was puffed up, and she stood in the orphanagepound like a doll. She was very young. Although she was already ten years old, she was a head shorter than her peers. For some reason, she looked like a dwarf at first nce.

    Everyone squeezed Raeleigh to the side. She had no choice but to stand at the side.

    But at that time, a very dark and beautiful car passed by. They were all excited to see it, hoping that they would get adopted.

    However, the car soon drove past. Just as all the children grew disappointed, the car turned back and came to a halt.

    Two people got out of the car, a man and a woman. The woman smiled very beautifully, patted the little boy¡¯s face, and said, ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    The little boy looked back, rushed to the children in the orphanage, and distributed a lot of delicious food to them.

    Since Raeleigh was on the sidelines, she did not have the chance to talk with the boy. As she stood there, she was holding the remaining four cherries in her hand.

    By the time the little boy saw Raeleigh, he had nothing on him.

    He stood there, and smiled at her. He stared at her red cherries with his big and bright eyes.

    Raeleigh lowered her head and looked at her cherries. After thinking for a long time, she gave two of them to the little boy.

    The little boy said, ¡°I will leave them for my brother.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the little boy, thought for another second, and gave him another one. The little boy put it in his mouth and said that it tasted good.

    Raeleigh smiled at him. The boy took thest cherry in her palms and put it in his mouth. He smiled once more.

    Raeleigh took a look at her empty palms, gazing up at the boy. Both of them wore silly smiles on their faces.

    Then, the little boy left.

    All the children thought that Raeleigh was pitiful as she had her cherry taken away, but Raeleigh stood still at the gates, watching them go back to their car.

    Raeleigh still remembered the smile the woman showed her as they left. It was a beautiful smile.

    Three dayster, the little boy came back again. But that time, the beautiful woman and her partner were not with him, and instead, it was another man.

    The little boy ran out of the car. He gave a bottle of colorful candies to Raeleigh.

    He told Raeleigh in a teasing voice, ¡°This is your reward. I bought you a lot of candy.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the bottle and wore a smile.

    When the door opened, multiple gifts were sent in by order, but the little boy continued ying with her.

    At that time, a lot of people envied Raeleigh, and she didn¡¯t know what to do. The little boy took her to many ces, although they were only confined within the orphanage.

    On that day, the little boy asked her if she was willing to go to his house and be his adopted sibling.

    She looked at the little boy, at a loss for words. The little boy said that his name was Arsel.

    Raeleigh agreed.

    However, the ident happened in the afternoon after they had lunch. They were still ying together when everything had happened.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on her surroundings. She recalled that he had told him that his name was Arsel.

    Her memory was very vague. She couldn¡¯t really remember whether it was right.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    After the fire, Raeleigh was rescued by her grandmother, Novalie. She inquired many times, but no survivors were left in the orphanage. Everyone was gone.

    ¡°Do you like it here?¡± Jepherson appeared behind her as she was daydreaming. Raeleigh looked at him nkly. The clothes he wore were simple and casual. He wore a white sleeveless top, which was wide and loose,plemented with beige trousers and white sneakers. He looked very different from his usual self, and more like a boy next door.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Jepherson. She noticed that he had washed his hair and left it to air dry. He seemed more like a young man, far different from the vice president who always kept a straight face.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson in silence. Unlike Santiago, he was handsome and elegant. He was born with an air of nobility, no matter what he wore. Compared with Santiago, he seemed to be an emperor who read a lot, while Santiago looked like an infamous swordsman.

    The pair of siblings were indeed different from each other.

    But Raeleigh had to admit that they were both excellent. Maybe it was because of their good gics.

 Chapter 992 Met With A Car Accident

    ¡°Am I really that good-looking? Why are you staring at me that way?¡± Jepherson smiled lightly, raising his hand to pull Raeleigh into his embrace. Raeleigh lifted her hand to push him away, but his grip was too tight.

    She slowly moved her gaze up and down Jepherson¡¯s body for a while before turning away to look in another direction. Jepherson held her head and kissed her.She red at him before turning to leave.

    A lot of children in the orphanage witnessed the intimacy between Raeleigh and Jepherson. She saw that theyall blushed and had their heads lowered.

    A little girl ran up to them and asked, ¡°Are you guys kissing?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jepherson was in a good mood. He nced at Raeleigh and squatted on the ground, looking at the little girl in front of him. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Nana.¡± The little girl was adorable and chubby.

    Jepherson said, ¡°She is shy. She¡¯s afraid of being seen by you. Can you pretend that you didn¡¯t see anything?¡±

    Raeleigh bit her lip. What was that?

    ¡°Alright, we didn¡¯t see anything,¡± The little girl immediately went along with him. Jepherson lifted his head to look at Raeleigh and found that her facewas blushing uncontrobly to the point that she was red all over. She left to find a quiet corner.

    Only then did Jepherson get up and told the children, ¡°We¡¯ll buy you all giftster. Be good, alright?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be obedient,¡± the group of children said, one after another. Jepherson then went to find Raeleigh.

    ¡°Are you very touched by the children in the orphanage?¡± Jepherson stood aside,stretching his arms. She looked at him.¡°You¡¯re also quite touched by them.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t answer and continued to stretch his arms.

    Raeleigh seemed to anticipate an answer. However, since Jepherson did not say anything, Raeleigh did not continue to ask.

    Raeleigh and the group of children had breakfast.After Jepherson mentioned visiting the mall,Raeleigh proposed to tag along while he bought his stuff. Along the way, Raeleigh asked him, ¡°When are we going back?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet.¡± Jepherson leaned to the side of the car.

    ¡°I still have sses to attend.¡±

    ¡°The truth is that you can¡¯t learn anything at school. It¡¯s not for nothing that so many others look at you with disdain.¡± He looked outside before slowly turning his head towards Raeleigh. Raeleigh was so pissed off that she didn¡¯t know what to say.¡°If it weren¡¯t for you,then I wouldn¡¯t have been discriminated against by others. Quirina and a lot of the others were against me as a result of your shenanigans. Humans have always been treacherous, and I¡¯ve always wanted to live a life without being bothered by others. Your presence changed all of this. It¡¯s funny how you¡¯re telling me this when you¡¯re the root of this problem.¡±

    ¡°Is it funny?¡± Jephersonughed and turned to nce at the view outside the window. He didn¡¯t say anything and she didn¡¯t know what he was thinking about either. Raeleigh clenched her fists and felt thatJepherson was indeed hard to deal with.

    Surely enough, after a few minutes, Jepherson said, ¡°It¡¯s all a part of life. You¡¯d have to experience life¡¯s bitterness sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°Some are were just unreasonable.¡±

    ¡°Your way of thinking is not to stand aloof from worldly affairs but to be cowardly and ipetent.¡±

    ¡°When you¡¯re bullied, you should fight back. Why are you letting things be? Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s weird?¡±

    Raeleigh was rendered speechless by his words.¡°Whatever you say, how are we considered the same with your background?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference? I¡¯m human, and you¡¯re human as well. Is it only because I¡¯m wealthy?¡± Jepherson stared straight at Raeleigh aggressively, making Raeleigh feel ufortable.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. Your background determines your future achievements. Even if you¡¯re like me, your sense of superiority is better than mine.¡±

    ¡°A sense of superiority is something you build upon yourself. If you think you¡¯re no better than others,then that will be it. If one encounters setbacks by attributing them to one¡¯s parents and innate conditions, then those geniuses would have deserved to die instead of being highly respected.¡± Jepherson spoke out as if he was presenting a lecture.

    Closing her lips, Raeleigh stared at him with her bright eyes. She didn¡¯t have any thoughts that needed to be voiced out, but she wasn¡¯t convinced, as shedidn¡¯t agree with him.

    But she said nothing and turned around to look at the side.

    Raeleigh was depressed for a while before sheturned around and looked at Jepherson, who was ncing at her, suddenly saying, ¡°If we can switch our identities at this moment, then I wonder how you¡¯d feel. You¡¯ll be looked down upon by my grandmother when you¡¯re at my house, and youwon¡¯t even be invited to sit down. Would you still tellme all this?Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that there shouldn¡¯t be any difference in treatment between the royals and the lowly, but there¡¯s a distinction between the rich and poor in society. Your parents are the backbone of your family background that provided you with the requirements needed in order to seed. You can sit in the car and be the heir of the Richards family, but I¡¯m different. I have nothing. If I don¡¯t work hard, then no one will work hard for me.¡±

    ¡°You said that we¡¯re the same. Why did you get the attention of thousands of people, but I was pushed aside and spurned everywhere?¡±

    ¡°If I had such status and parents like Deanna,then would I be toyed around by you?¡±

    ¡°You say that I¡¯m the same as you. Why is it that I was bullied while Deanna was protected from it?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t all of thisexistence ofdifferences in treatment of the rich and the poor?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t deceive yourself. I can¡¯t even openly be your friend. Why should I be like you?¡±

    After finishing her words, Raeleigh turned her head away in anger. She did not want to say anything more.The car fell into silence, and even the driver kept quiet.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t think his identity was important, but his future was determined by the rtionship between others.

    it was just like how others couldn¡¯t order people around as soon as they were born, whereas he could. That logic was simple. How could he not get it?

    Jepherson¡¯s face was gloomy. Even Stuart did not dare to heave a breath. Was Raeleigh always so bad-tempered?

    The car stopped, and Raeleigh pushed the dooropenand got off. Jepherson got out of the car and watched Raeleigh walking towards the mall. He stepped forward, following closely behind, and was ready to call out to Raeleigh. But at that moment, a car came from afar and sped towards Raeleigh. Without thinking, Jepherson rushed over and pushed Raeleigh away. The two fell to the ground together.

    Stuart immediately walked over to check on them.¡°Young Master.¡±

    ¡°The car.¡± Jephersony there. He was fine andwas protecting Raeleigh tightly.

    Stuart hurriedly looked around, but therewas no car.It had long disappeared and was nowhere to be found.

    ¡°Young Master, are you alright?¡± Stuart helped Jepherson up. One of his legs felt heavy. He did not get up and took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Take a look at Raeleigh.¡±

    Jepherson turned over andy on the ground. At that moment, a crowd had gathered around. Raeleigh sat up from the ground andstared at Jepherson. When she saw the blood on his legs, she was shocked and couldn¡¯t react for a long while.

    ¡°What happened to you? What¡¯s wrong with your leg?¡± Raeleigh looked at Jepherson¡¯s leg. Jephersony on the ground and was breathing with difficulty. He lifted his hand to untie his cor as he said,¡°Call an ambnce. My leg was hit by the car!¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him in a daze, while he smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s gonna be fine.¡±

    Although he said that it was going to be alright, he slowly closed his eyes and held her hand tightly.

 Chapter 993 Changed Clothes

    Jepherson was sent to the local hospital. Raeleigh held his hand tightly and followed him closely. She had been scared out of her wits.

    When Jepherson entered the operating theater, Raeleigh was about to follow him in. The doctor said that it was not necessary, andthey only needed to wait outside.

    The door of the operating theater was closed, withRaeleigh pacing back and forth outside absent-mindedly. She couldn¡¯t sit still.

    ¡°The doctor said that it¡¯s not serious, and he won¡¯t be disabled, but he¡¯llneed a lot of rest. Don¡¯t worry, Miss Anson. Young Master will be fine.¡± Stuart couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and took it upon himself tofort Raeleigh. Raeleigh looked at Stuart and said, ¡°Many doctors said so, but people still died in the operating theater.¡±

    Stuart was speechless. How could that be the same?

    Jepherson only suffered from scratches, and his wounds weren¡¯t fatal, but in Raeleigh¡¯smind, he was about to sumb to his injuries.

    He couldn¡¯t understand why Raeleigh always had negative thoughts in her mind. Maybe Raeleigh came up with such a thought due to the environment she grew up in.

    ¡°Miss Anson,Yong Masteris a blessed person. I believe in the doctor¡¯s words.¡± Stuart had no choice but to say that. Raeleigh took a look at him anddidn¡¯t say anything, but she was still on tenterhooks.

    Stuart stood aside and looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh was usually a very calm person,and he didn¡¯t expect that Raeleigh would be so anxious as soon as Jepherson got into trouble.

    If Jepherson woke up,then he wondered what he would think of that matter.

    Finally, the light in the operating theater went off. Raeleigh strode towards the door andasked the doctor after noticing himing out, ¡°Doctor, how is he?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. He¡¯s awake. We¡¯ll wheel him out immediately and go through the admission procedure.¡± After he said that, the doctor moved out of the way. The other doctors pushed Jepherson out of the operating theater.

    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Upon seeing Jepherson, Raeleigh walked to his side and bent down to hold his hands.

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes that were deep as the stars and moon had a slight hint of tiredness.Seeing Raeleigh, his pale lips moved. ¡°Come here.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned.¡°Mmhmm?¡±

    ¡°Lower your head.I want to talk to you.¡± Jepherson¡¯s hand was weak, but he still lifted it to press her head towards him as he whispered in her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    After saying that, he kissed Raeleigh on her face. She froze for a moment. As he was pushed away, he slowly closed his eyes and loosened his grip.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson in a daze. The doctor immediately said, ¡°He¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go to the ward now. I hope that the family members can cooperate with us and handle the hospitalization procedures first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get it done right away. I¡¯m sorry for all the trouble.¡± Stuart turned around to deal with the admission procedure whileRaeleigh apanied Jepherson to the ward. The doctor, who entered the ward,helped Jepherson settle down in no time.

    Jepherson¡¯s calf had a ster on it. When Raeleigh saw the doctor leave, she immediately had a look at it. The wound was on the side of his calf. Raeleigh didn¡¯t know if it would leave a scar. After all,if someone like Jepherson showed his scar on his leg while wearing shorts, then how would others think of him?

    Raeleigh had wild thoughts running through her mind when Stuart hadn¡¯te over yet. The first thing she said after Stuart came back was if the wound would leave a scar.

    After Stuart exined thatit wouldn¡¯t leave a scar,Raeleigh felt relieved.

    Raeleigh, who had quietened down, sat beside Jepherson. It took her a long time to ask, ¡°Don¡¯t you need a urinary catheter?¡±

    When Raeleigh asked that, Jepherson was wide awake. He opened his eyes, stared at Raeleigh¡¯s blushing face, anddidn¡¯t say anything.

    Stuart felt awkward and said with his head down, ¡°Young Masterdoesn¡¯t want that.We sent it back.¡±

    ¡°You sent it back? Can that be sent back?¡±

    ¡°Yes,Young Master only injured one side of his calf. It¡¯s alright not to have it, but¡­¡±

    Stuart felt as if Jepherson¡¯s gaze carried that intention.

    ¡°But what?¡± Raeleigh was somewhat worried.

    ¡°But it¡¯s only convenient if someone takes care of him. With Young Master¡¯s temper, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t help him. It¡¯s difficult for us to deal with this matter.¡±

    Raeleigh understood the situation after Stuart finished his words. After a long time, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him.¡±

    Stuart breathed a sigh of relief.That was right.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you, Miss Anson.¡± Stuart lowered his head and said, ¡°I have to go to the doctor¡¯s. Miss Anson, I¡¯ll leave him to you.¡±

    ¡°I see. You can leave now.¡± Raeleigh stood up just as Stuart said, ¡°Young Masteris a neat freak. He can¡¯t wear dirty clothes. I¡¯ll prepare the clothes and give them to you, Miss Anson.¡±

    ¡°Stuart, you can call me Raeleigh. Don¡¯t address me as Miss Anson. I¡¯m not used to it.¡±

    Stuart hesitated for a moment.¡°Yes,Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Why did it feel so awkward?

    Just calling Raeleigh was fine. Why did he have to add the ¡®yes¡¯?

    Raeleigh looked at Stuart and said, ¡°Stuart, if you call me Miss Anson again or say things like ¡®Yes, Raeleigh¡¯,then I¡¯ll have to address you as Mr. Robertson.¡±

    Stuart looked up at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I get it.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Leave him to me. Bring him some clothes, and I¡¯ll clean him up first. We can take shifts taking care of himter in the evening.¡±

    Stuart stared at Raeleigh. He had never seen someone have a change of heart that quickly.

    ¡°I understand.¡± Stuart agreed and turned away from the ward. After going out, he asked the men to guard the floor.He then called Santiagoand told him about that.

    Santiago didn¡¯t make a move.The first thing he did was to go home first.

    Stuart immediately arranged for people to look for the car that ran into them. The car was headed towards Raeleigh, so he needed to ensure Raeleigh¡¯s safety.

    As for the other things, he would have to wait forJepherson to recover before making any ns.

    On Stuart¡¯s way back, Raeleigh held a basin of hot water, wiping Jepherson¡¯s face and body with a twisted towel as she unbuttoned his shirt.

    Even Stuart didn¡¯t dare to go in. He saw that Jepherson¡¯s eyes were wide open as he fixed his gaze on the door. Stuart was so shocked that he immediately moved away from the door.

    He realized that he still hadn¡¯t sent in the clean clothes, so he decided to knock on the door.

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at the door. When she saw Stuart standing at the door, she said, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Stuart pushed the door open and went in. He put down the clothes in his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the clothes here. The doctor asked me to get a list. I¡¯ll go over to him. Raeleigh, I¡¯ll leave him to you.¡±

    Raeleigh had no doubt. She put the towel down, took the clothes, and put them by the side of the bed.

    ¡°Sure, you can go now.¡±

    Raeleigh continued to wipe Jepherson¡¯s body. Stuart left in a hurry. As a result, he left and came back after two hours.

    When Stuart came back, Raeleigh had wiped Jepherson¡¯s face clean and had changed him into a fresh set of clothes.

 Chapter 994 Her Sleeping

    Raeleigh sat down as she was too tired. At that time, Jepherson was looking at Raeleigh. Stuart knocked on the door and came in.

    After entering the room, he said, ¡°Young Master, dinner is ready. Do you want to eat now?¡±

    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s eat. Raeleigh is a little tired now.¡± Jepherson wanted to get up, but Raeleigh immediately stood up to help him up as he said, ¡°Stuart, help me to the bathroom.¡±

    Stuart immediately understood what was going on. He then said, ¡°Young Master, you can¡¯t get out of bed.¡±

    ¡°Did the doctor say that?¡± Jepherson asked with a displeased look on his face.

    ¡°He mentioned that you have to lie in bed for a few days.¡± After Stuart finished his words, Jepherson pushed him away and sat on the bed, ordering him to get out of the room. Stuart nced at Raeleigh before exiting the room.

    Raeleigh closed the door and took out a spittoon from under the bed. Jepherson didn¡¯t use it and fixed his eyes on Raeleigh instead, saying, ¡°I have to go to the bathroom. Help me over.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned.¡°Why won¡¯t you obey the doctors¡¯ orders? What if you¡¯re disabled?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go by myself.¡± With that, Jepherson lifted the quilt and was ready to step down. Raeleigh had to walk over and help Jepherson out of bed. She used her body to support Jepherson to the bathroom. Her face was flushed red as he used the bathroom.

    After finished, Raeleigh helped him wash his hands.

    He went back to bed.

    After sitting down, he was ready to have dinner.

    Jepherson had no problem eating by himself, but when he ate, he paused. Raeleigh knew that he was in pain.

    Putting down her cutlery, Raeleigh took Jepherson¡¯s bowl and spoon fed him.

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh as he ate. His gaze was so deep thatall of his attention was focused on her.

    Stuart stood outside and was too embarrassed to look at them.

    ¡°Were you worried?¡± Jepherson opened his mouth to take a bite after Raeleigh had one mouthful of food. They didn¡¯t need to worry about being exposed to germs. To put it bluntly, they had gone far beyond that.

    Her tongue was almost torn apart by him. At times, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t bear eating due to the fear of the pain from the wound.

    Every time Jepherson said that he was going to be gentle,it was only the beginning.

    Raeleigh had always felt that Jepherson was not clear on the concept of being gentle.

    As Raeleigh ate, she stared at Jepherson with her big eyes.¡°You took the hit for me, so I should worry about you.¡±

    ¡°If it were someone else, then would you also wipe his body?¡±

    Raeleigh pondered for a moment before replying with another question, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to say,¡± Jepherson said calmly and continued to eat. Raeleigh nced at Jepherson¡¯s leg and said, ¡°If you feel ufortable,then just say it out loud. Maybe it might not hurt that much anymore.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say a word. Only he knew if he was feeling ufortable.

    Raeleigh looked around.Since Jepherson refused to say anything, she didn¡¯t want to press further. After eating, Raeleigh went to take a bath. When she came out, she looked at her clothes and told Stuart, ¡°Help me get a set of patients¡¯ clothes from the hospital. I¡¯ll put it onter.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s request was simple.Only then did Stuart realize that Raeleigh didn¡¯t have a change of clothes.

    Raeleigh came there in a hurry, so of course, she did not bring any clothes with her. Even if he needed to buy clothes for Raeleigh, he needed permission from Jepherson. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem to buy clothes of any type.

    Stuart hurried to get a change of clothes for Raeleigh and handed them over to her.

    Raeleigh took the clothes and went to the bathroom to change into them. After exiting the washroom, she prepared for rest.

    At that moment, Jepherson called out to her.¡°Sleep here.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s ward should be the best in the hospital. Although they were not in the city, it was easy forJephersonto stay in the best ward if he wanted to with the power he had.

    The ward was big, and the bed wasparativelyrger, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to go over. She looked at Jepherson¡¯s bed and said, ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll feel ufortable at night.¡±

    ¡°Whether I¡¯ll be ufortable is something that only needs to be worried about at night. Sleep here.¡± Raeleigh took a look at Stuart. At that time, she¡¯d better not anger him angry.

    ¡°Stuart, call someone over and move the two beds together,¡± Raeleigh said as she walked over. Itwas the best way to solve that problem.

    Jepherson did not speak, indicating that he had agreed to it. Stuart immediately ordered someone to carry it out.

    After tidying up and having the bed put together,Raeleigh got on the bed andy beside Jepherson.With Raeleigh lying on the bed, Jepherson leaned on his side. No matter how Stuart looked at it, their postures at that momentmade them look as if they were a medieval king and a noble queen. The king lowered his eyes to nce at his beloved royal consort while the other had her body curled up as she wanted to have a rest.

    Stuart said, ¡°Young Master, call me if there¡¯s anything.I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jepherson was still staring at Raeleigh. His posture was different from themoners,making him look so majestic, even as a patient.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t say a word to such a man. No matter what she said, Jepherson seemed so distant from her grasp.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take a break and will wake up at eight. If you¡¯re ufortable, then wake me up. Stuart and the others have worked hard for the whole day, and they also need to rest. Call me if you need anything.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s tone sounded as if she hadpletely gotten into character.

    Jepherson raised his hand and ced it on her. He stroked her from her face to her body, tugging at the nket.¡°If there¡¯s anything,then I¡¯ll wake you up. Go to sleep.¡±

    He raised his hand and began to pat her.

    Raeleigh found itughable. After all, she was not a child, so he didn¡¯t need to do that.

    Jepherson persisted on patting her, periodically.

    Raeleigh was indeed exhausted. It didn¡¯t take long for her to fall asleep in a daze.

    At that time, he lowered his head to kiss Raeleigh¡¯s face. She frowned. Jepherson raised his hand to touch her chin and pecked her on her cheek twice. Everything was so quiet.

    Stuart peeped from the outside and noticed that he had never seen such a man who loved a woman so much. Jepherson was really head over heels in love with her.

    He turned around and stood at the side, so that no one would see him!

    ¡°Stuart.¡± Raeleigh fell asleep. Jepherson sat at the side. His warm eyes instantly turned icy the moment he called out to Stuart.

    Stuart hurriedly opened the door and entered the room, acting in a speedy manner, so as not to disturb Raeleigh¡¯s peaceful rest.

    After entering the room, he closed the door of the ward, so that Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t feel chilly.

    Stuart stood in the room. Jepherson put his arms around Raeleigh¡¯s head and gently patted her on her body. His gaze, that was like a streak of lightning, fell on Stuart. His face, which was as warm and soft as jade, had already turned ice-cold.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    If Stuart needed to pick the most terrifying members of the Richards family,then he would say that it must beJepherson.

    Although Santiagowas also powerful, he was trained by Jepherson and Hansen after all.

    He still remembered the time when he was still a child. Not long after he arrived at Richards Manor, he stood guard at the door with Alvin.

    Alvin was his foster father. Wherever he went, he would bring him along, and that day was no exception.

 Chapter 995

    At that time, they were in the Richards Manor courtyard. It could be considered a special training ground where they seldom went.

    Back then, he stood outside while Hansen yed with his two sons in the room. He didn¡¯t know what they were ying, but it must have been interesting.

    He was curious and went to have a look,and Alvin did not stop him from doing so.

    He saw the father and son trio confronting each other. Jepherson stood in front of Santiago, defendinghis brother. Back then, Santiago was young. He poked his head out to nce at Hansen.

    The father and son faced each other for a while. Hansen called the two children over and told them somethingas the two children nced at each other. Before Jepherson could speak, Santiago said, ¡°As long as Jepherson is well, I¡¯m willing to do anything.¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    Later, the two sons of the Richards family changed. The eldest son, Jepherson, became calmer and more reserved, turning intoa man from a noble family in Capital City. He was well-behaved and never got into trouble with others.

    While the other sibling continued to run amok outside, causing chaos in Capital City.

    Stuart did not understand the meaning of it when he was a child, but after Alvin¡¯sexnation, he understood one thing.

    In a ce like Capital City, it wasmon to see the powerful oppressing the weak, However, that was not the scariest thing that could happen. In fact, it was even more terrifying when there were conflicts between parties and feuds between affluent and powerful families.

    Alvin said that if one wanted to have a stable foothold in Capital City,then one had to have certain abilities. It seemed like one had to climb up to the heavens to be able to reach the ground.

    Back in the day, the Richards family was not the most powerful family in Capital City.As they continued to expand their operations in Capital City, they did not win each and every one of their matches and were just lucky. With Hansen¡¯s shrewdness, few could defeat him. Thus, the title of the wealthiest family in Capital City came to the Richards family.

    However, the more powerful and influential one was, the more one was envied by others. The wealthier the family, the more they were afraid of experiencing a downfall.

    If something happened, then no one would have lent a helping hand.

    People were selfish. Only blood rtives would be willing to help out.

    One could only yield what one sowed.Only if could one give in could one maintain peace in the world.

    As the saying went, the higher one stood, the more miserable one would be if one fell.

    Alvin had mentioned that it was too heavy of a burden for one person from the Richards family to bear the weight of Capital City, so they would have two members of their family dominating it.

    With that, Capital City belonged to the Richards Family.

    Stuart didn¡¯t understand those words at the time, but he knew that Hansen was a really terrifying man.

    Stuart gradually knew what Alvin had meant.He implied that one couldn¡¯t bear the responsibility of overseeing the whole of Capital City, meaning that Jepherson couldn¡¯t withstand a stable hold of it alone, with Santiago backing him up, as one stood in the light while the other guard in the dark. Who would dare to challenge the two siblings sitting on the throne?

    To put it nicely,the Richards family raised a second son, who was ignorant and ipetent, and the first one, whowas a shrewd and strong young man. In other words, they raised a devil in the chaotic world who feared no one, anda dark and scheming Jepherson.

    The two brothers guarded each of their territories. Who dared to provoke them if they were to join forces?

    That day, Stuart understood that the Richards family wanted to dominate Capital City in its entirety. They had to keep Capital City within their grasp in the future.

    Besides, Stuart had known since he was young that Jepherson¡¯s temper was worse than Santiago¡¯s. Santiago had suffered a loss since he was a child. It waste autumn whenSantiago climbed over the wall to find someone to y with but was stopped by a group of people from the Moore Family when he had been outside.

    He was beaten up. Truthfully, it was not serious ashe only had a p on the face. Santiago held a grudge after he returned home.

    Stuart didn¡¯t notice anything serious about the wound. Santiago himself got into a fight with others and had them suffer from worse injuries.

    As a result, Jepherson got dressed and left Richards Manor that night. He didn¡¯te back for the whole night.

    The next day, rumors had it that the Moore family¡¯s kid hadboth his legs fracturedfor some reason, and he had not been able to heal well. As for where the kid had gone, Stuart himself didn¡¯t know as well.

    At that time, the Moore family was still incredibly powerful while the Richards family was a big deal as well.

    Since then, some said that Santiago had disabled the kid from the Moore Family. But no one dared to confront that matter withthe Richards family.

    That was when Mr. Santiago¡¯s name was upheld in Capital City.

    It was quite intimidating to think that since he did not take the Moore family seriously, who else would he have paid attention to?

    ¡°How¡¯s the investigation going?¡± Jepherson patted Raeleigh and asked Stuart at the same time. The coldness on his face showed how displeased he was with the incident.

    The car had targeted Raeleigh. In other words, they were intending to kill her.

    Jepherson took a look at Raeleigh beforehis gaze fell on Stuart. Stuart said, ¡°The car has been found. It was stolen.¡±

    ¡°Stolen?¡± Jepherson furrowed his brows.¡°As long as it didn¡¯t magically appear out of nowhere, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to find its owner.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve looked into it. Now, it seems that someone is trying to harm Raeleigh. It might be someone from the Moore Family.¡± Stuart had thoroughly investigated Raeleigh¡¯s background. Although he had not found anything about Raeleigh¡¯s and Novalie¡¯s rtionship or where the pair came from,it seemed that someone had been following them for a long time, seeking an opportunity to frame Raeleigh, rather than carrying out revenge by someone who had a grudge against Raeleigh.

    ¡°I discovered thatwhen we came, the car was not stolen yet. The owner of the car is a young girl, a student. The car was stolen in the underground parking lot of her own house. It means that these people intended to make a move after knowing that we were around.¡±

    As Stuart analyzed the situation, Jepherson thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Did you call Santiago?¡±

    ¡°Yes. He didn¡¯t say anything about it.¡± Even Stuart himself couldn¡¯t figure out Santiago¡¯s thoughts. He couldn¡¯t even figure out Jepherson, much less Santiago.

    Jepherson slightly frowned.¡°It¡¯s possible, but it¡¯s not Flynt who did it. He¡¯s hospitalized now. First of all, he doesn¡¯t have the time, and the other reason is that he doesn¡¯t intend to kill Raeleigh. He wants to make use of her to destroy the rtionship between Zorion and me.¡±

    Jepherson patted Raeleigh as he said that. Stuart thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Is it Yousif?¡±

    ¡°Quirina is the crucial point. She hasn¡¯t shown up yet. Search for her and her mother, Meica.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, then please send someone to the orphanage. Tell them that I have something to do and will personally handle the gifts in a few days. As for the money, you should go ording to what we agreed on, and transfer the money to them. It¡¯s going to be autumn soon, so the children will need to buy some warm clothing.¡±

    ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re kind-hearted, and the children in the orphanage will be very grateful.¡± Stuart knew it well as he used to be an orphan.

    Jepherson waved his hand while Stuart left the room.

    Raeleigh turned over. Jepherson moved andy down. His feet couldn¡¯t be lowered,so hey t, trying to fall into sleep by closing his eyes.

    After the anaesthetic started to wear off, Jepherson¡¯s legs began to ache. The pain made him unable to fall asleep. Soon, his forehead began to break out in a sweat.

 Chapter 996 Painkiller

    Jepherson initially gripped Raeleigh¡¯s hands. As his palms started to sweat, he pulled them away, butRaeleigh hadimmediatelysensed it. Her heart softened. She opened her eyes and got up from the bed. She could no longer fall asleep either.

    ¡°Are you ufortable?¡± Raeleigh sat up and asked Jepherson.

    ¡°A little.¡± Jepherson opened his eyes. His breathing was a little heavy. Other than the fact that he had a troubled expression, everything else was fine.

    Raeleigh got out of the bed, took a towel, and wiped off his sweat.

    The more in pain Jepherson was, the more silent he was. She couldn¡¯t help but to feel impressed when she saw him behaving in such a manner.

    People had the strength of their character, which originated from the very core from within, so as not to let others look down on them. Raeleigh had always thought that only people like her had such strength. However, witnessing Jepherson¡¯s behavior that day, only then did she realize that in fact, everyone had that strength in them.

    Raeleigh remembered that he was acting that way as well when he found a doctor for Zorion.

    No matter how ufortable he was, he still did not say a word.

    Raeleigh wiped the sweat off Jepherson¡¯s face and unbuttoned his shirt. He was sweating underneath it too. Jepherson¡¯s gaze was deep as he looked atRaeleigh wiping all the sweat with a towel.

    ¡°It still hurts.¡± The corner of Jepherson¡¯s mouth curled up. Raeleigh was puzzled.¡°Why are you still smiling when you¡¯re in pain?¡±

    ¡°Give me some painkillers.¡± Jepherson furrowed his eyebrows. The painkillers he asked for were certainly not the usual analgesics.

    Raeleigh turned around and took a look at the door of the ward, seeming to be in a dilemma.

    ¡°Go out. Don¡¯t get too close,¡± Jepherson said in a low voice. Raeleigh was stunned, andshe blushed. Did he really have to announce such a thing out loud?

    Holding the towel in her hand, Raeleigh bit her lips tightly.

    Jepherson raised his hand and pulled Raeleigh into his arms. He pressed the back of Raeleigh¡¯s head and lowered his head to kiss her face. Raeleigh looked at him, pursing her lips, and pressed her hands on either side of him to stop him from moving forward.

    ¡°Kiss me.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless.

    Her gaze met Jepherson¡¯s deep eyes and she hesitated for a moment before looking back at the door of the ward. After confirming that there was no one around, she leaned forward to kiss him.

    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±

    Since it was the first time for her to make the first move, she identally bit his lips. Raeleigh was so stunned by it that her face turned pale. She wanted to leave. Jepherson took a deep breath, held Raeleigh¡¯s head, and plundered her mouth. Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were wide open in shock before she slowly closed them¡­

    After kissing for a while, she pulled away andasked him, ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡±

    ¡°Mmhmm.¡± Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms, and his breathing got better.

    After a while, he felt the pain again, so he turned around to kiss her. Raeleigh¡¯s painkiller was definitely more effective than the hospital¡¯s treatment.

    Soon, morning finally arrived.

    Stuart only dared to enter in the morning. Looking at the scene in the ward, hehurriedly covered his eyes.

    The two of them seemed to have gone through a lot. Raeleigh¡¯s shoulders were exposed. Jepherson¡¯s shirt was torn open, and his sturdy chest was revealed. He looked much stronger than usual.The most embarrassing thing was that he fell asleep kissing Raeleigh¡¯s face. Their lips were pressed together even while they were asleep.

    Stuart waved his hand to shoo the other guards away, so that they wouldn¡¯t disturb their rest.

    They all left. Raeleigh and Jepherson slept till noon. Raeleigh was the first to wake up. As a result, as soon as she moved, Jepherson opened his eyes and tugged Raeleigh close, covering her with the quilt. He nced at the door of the ward with his gaze that was like a sharp knife.

    Stuart stood outside the door, feeling the cold wind on the back of his neck.

    Raeleigh then realized that something was wrong. She hurriedly tidied her clothes under the quilt,blushing as she wanted to leave. Jepherson did not see anyone at the door of the ward, so he pulled her against him, lowering his head and kissing Raeleigh on her face twice. Only then did he let Raeleigh go.

    Raeleigh stood up and tidied up, and then proceeded to look at the door. It was not until she noticed that there was no one around that Raeleigh felt slightly better.

    Jepherson¡¯s shirt was still undone. Raeleigh walked over and buttoned his shirt for him, one by one, while he staredat her and said nothing.

    It was only then did Jepherson order, ¡°Get in.¡±

    Raeleigh froze. Was there someone standing at the door?

    Stuart pushed the door open and went in. He happened to meetJepherson¡¯s frighteninggaze.

    ¡°When did youe here?¡± Jepherson looked at him with murderous intent, whereasRaeleigh was blushing. Stuart hurriedly said, ¡°Just now.¡±

    ¡°Go out and stand there. Come in when I call you.¡±

    Stuart went to the door without saying anything. Jepherson didn¡¯t let him in until two o¡¯clock in the afternoon when Raeleigh pleaded for him.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t understand. They were both human beings. How could he treat Stuart that way?

    In any case, Stuart had been by his side all the time. He had done a lot of hard work without taking any credit.

    Stuart acted as if nothing had happened. Maybe he was ustomed to that, or maybe hedidn¡¯t highly regard his own dignity, as ackey.

    ¡°Ask the doctor when I can be discharged from the hospital.¡± Stuart immediately informed him.¡°In a week¡¯s time. The cast can¡¯t be removed immediately. The rest should be fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll buy gifts for the kids the day after tomorrow when I leave the hospital.¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    ¡°Young Master¡­¡±

    ¡°I get it, I¡¯ll pay attention to the cast.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. He said he would be discharged from the hospital, and so he was.

    Three dayster, Jepherson felt alright.

    He sat in a wheelchair and came out of the hospital. Raeleigh pushed him from behind. The weather had already grown cold. Raeleigh took a nket and covered Jepherson¡¯s legs. Jepherson leaned against the wheelchairwhile Stuart followed by the side.

    After leaving the hospital, Jepherson was helped into the car by Raeleigh. The three of them got in the car and went to the mall.

    Everything went smoothly after they got out of the car. However, when they got into the mall,the wheelchairs were not that easy to push.

    Jepherson turned his head around, and Stuart immediately switched with Raeleigh.

    ¡°Let me do it.¡± Stuart took the wheelchairover. Raeleigh took a rest for a while and apanied Jepherson by his side.

    There were so many children in the orphanage, so they didn¡¯t have to worry about being picky and could buy whatever they liked.

    Raeleigh was not someone who liked dolls, so she didn¡¯t even cast a nce at them, but Jepherson told Stuart to pack a few stacks of dolls.

    Raeleigh felt like Jepherson was a strong wind that brushed by whenever they walked past a store, which made those in the mall feel overjoyed. As he was rich, he bought everything inrge amounts. For example, he would buy about sixty pieces of children¡¯s caps and didn¡¯t even inquire about the price, although they weren¡¯t at a wholesale store. As long as he pointed at the item, Stuart would take care of everything.

    Before heading to the orphanage, they went to the hospital. He got an injection and took some medicine. They spent the night at the orphanage instead of the hospital.

    Raeleigh saw a lot of children waiting for them at the gate of the orphanage before they arrived. When they got out of the car, a group of children called for them excitedly.

    It wasn¡¯t that Raeleigh was moved, but shefelt as if she had returned to her childhood andsaw her friends who were with her at the time.

 Chapter 997 Get a GreatGrandson to Play With

    Raeleigh pushed Jepherson¡¯s wheelchair after she got out of the car. When they arrived at the door, they were immediately surrounded by a group of children. Raeleigh was dazed by that atmosphere, as if she had returned to her childhood.

    The dean came out and thanked Jepherson gratefully, holding his hand beforethey went to have a meal.

    Jepherson could not drink alcohol, so all of them finished their meal in a rather short period of time. After they finished eating, they were ready to rest. The children were so excited that they could not fall asleep. That day, everyone had received an average of three gift items. They knew that the gifts were given by Jepherson and Raeleigh, so they all went to the courtyard where the both of them stayed and sat there, wantingto talk to them.

    Raeleigh was about to take a break. After a whole day of walking, her legs were somewhat sore and heavy, but when she saw so many children staying in the yard, she looked at Jepherson, who was sitting in the wheelchair.

    Jepherson said, ¡°I¡¯ll go get changed. You can apany them.¡± Jepherson then looked at Stuart, whowheeled him towards the bathroom and left Raeleigh outside.

    Raeleigh was amused. She sat on the chair and looked at the several kids in front of her.He had to change into another set of clothes just because he had to meet the children?

    When Jepherson came out, he wore a loose short-sleeved T-shirt, instead of the usual suit and zer. He looked like an elder brother next door, which immediately gave people a sense of familiarity.

    Raeleigh suddenly understood why the children of the orphanage seemed hesitant to go up to Jepherson earlier on. It turned out that he had gone to change clothes because the children were afraid of him.

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson, unable to say a word. When a group of children saw Jephersoning out, they immediately ran after him and soon surrounded him.

    Jepherson looked back at Stuart, who immediatelyleft the courtyard.

    Raeleigh watched as Stuart left. She didn¡¯t have much to say. She sat on the spot and looked at Jepherson, who yed with the group of children like an oversized kid.

    ¡°Are you two in a rtionship?¡± a little girl asked timidly. Raeleigh looked at the little girl¡¯s face. She had braids that were fun to y with.

    Jepherson smiled and said, ¡°Why do you ask that?¡±

    ¡°If you two aren¡¯t dating, then I can be your girlfriend!¡± The little girl lowered her head and was a little embarrassed.

    All the children aroundughed, and so did Jepherson.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we friends now?¡± he asked with a smile. The little girl raised her head and narrowed her eyes as she giggled.

    Jepherson took a look at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I¡¯m trying to pursue her, but she doesn¡¯t like me back. She always thinks that I¡¯m not good enough for her, so she refuses to be my girlfriend, up till now. I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    His statement made all the children turn to look in Raeleigh¡¯s direction, and she didn¡¯t know how she should react to it.

    All of a sudden, all the children ran to Raeleigh¡¯s side.SurroundingRaeleigh with their mouths bbering, theyasked why she didn¡¯t like Jepherson, why she didn¡¯t agree to be his girlfriend,did she feel that he was too poor, and all sorts of questions. Raeleigh was stunned by the suddenmotion.

    Meanwhile, on the other hand, Jepherson looked at Raeleigh with his chin resting on his palm. His calm and unruffled eyes were full of provocation.

    At first, Raeleigh was slightly pissed off. But then, her anger subsided from all the children¡¯s questions,and she actually found them funny and adorable.

    Stuart had gone out for more than an hour and brought a few people back with him. He brought back two boxes and put them down after entering through the door.

    Upon putting down the boxes, the children looked over and surrounded them.

    Stuart immediately opened the boxes. There were red apples in one box and exquisite small boxes in the other. A foreign name for a type of candy was written on it, so the children had never seen it before. They didn¡¯t know that there were sweets inside.

    Stuart distributed an apple to each child, and hethen looked at Jepherson.

    ¡°The box is a gift for all of you. Don¡¯t open it tonight. When I ask you to open it tomorrow,only then can you all open it, or else, I won¡¯t give you any gifts the next time. Do you understand?¡±

    When Jepherson said that, all the children nodded obediently. Stuart gave each child a box. The children were curious and shook it.

    There were few children in the orphanage who were older than twelve. Most of them were young children. Since it was easy to deceive children, they believed in whatever Jepherson had said.

    Just like when Jepherson talked about his girlfriend, the group of children believed him as well.

    The children happily left Raeleigh¡¯s courtyard one after another with apples and boxes in their hands. After they all left, Raeleigh got up and stood in front of Jepherson.

    ¡°Stuart, you don¡¯t have to stay here at night. Go and have a rest.¡±

    ¡°Yes,Young Master.¡± Stuart agreed and turned to leave the courtyard. Raeleigh gave Jepherson a push to his own room.

    She entered the room and wiped his face. Then, she helped him lie down on the bed.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t quite understand why they had to wait until the next day to open the candy box. She asked him, to whichhe answered her question by saying, ¡°Having too much leads to toothache. Better not eat it at night.¡±

    Raeleigh finally understood what he meant.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Jepherson. Although she didn¡¯t say anything, she had an indescribable admiration for him.

    After lying down for a while, he raised his arm and patted Raeleigh on the shoulder. Raeleigh raised her head and looked at him. She knew what he meant, but she didn¡¯t want to do it.

    ¡°The doctor said that your leg is injured. Your blood cirction will be affected, although you didn¡¯t undergo any surgery. If I sleep with my head on your arm, then your leg will be affected too when your blood couldn¡¯t flow well at night. It¡¯ll take a longer time for you to recover.¡± What Raeleigh said was the truth.

    Jepherson still patted Raeleigh¡¯s arm. He wanted to sleep with Raeleigh in his arms.

    Raeleigh felt helpless and moved towards him, embracing his arm. Sheid on her side and held Jepherson¡¯s arm. Was he satisfied with that?

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s lips curled upinto a smile!

    He raised his hand and pulled Raeleigh¡¯s arm to his waist,wanting her to hug his waist.

    Raeleigh did not object and held him a little closer.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson gently patted the back of Raeleigh¡¯s handand slowly closed his eyes.

    In reality, Raeleigh held a special ce for him in her heart. She did not reject him. However, their respective statuses were ipatible. Just as Raeleigh had said, the Old Madam did not even give her a seat. It meant that even if she were to marry him and be part of the Richards family in the future, she would not lead afortable life.

    He could neither give her endless glory, nor could he provide her with afortable life. What kind of love was that?

    Jepherson frowned deeply. He didn¡¯t want to treat her that way. He wanted to give her his all and let her be the happiest woman in the world.

    Jepherson¡¯s hand paused for a moment and he sighed. Why couldn¡¯t the Old Madam treat everyone equally?

    Jepherson pped his hands again. Should he get a great-grandson for the Old Madam to y with?

    Jepherson smiled and calmed down.

 Chapter 998

    They went to visit the children first thing in the morning. Only then did the children know that each of them had a box of beautiful candies.

    Jepherson told the children that he would bring them candy when he came the next time. Everyone was delighted, and some of them didn¡¯t want to leave the orphanage.

    When they left, all the children came out to send them off, but Raeleigh was not unwilling to leave them.

    It was inevitable for them to part ways. After all, it was better for some people to leave forever.

    When the car was far into the journey, Jepherson took out a notebook and wrote some notes in it. His face turned solemn. Where on earth was it?

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him. ¡°Are you looking for someone?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m looking for someone.¡± Jepherson didn¡¯t exin. Raeleigh didn¡¯t pry further. Jepherson had once told her that he was indeed searching for someone.

    Raeleigh left that ce and went to the hotel with Jepherson. There was a doctor there to take care of Jepherson¡¯s condition. She stayed there for a few days andcalled her Grandma, telling her that she had something to attend to and couldn¡¯t return home.

    Novalie was always at ease with Raeleigh, so she hung up the phone without asking further.

    Deanna, on the other hand,turned impatient. She looked at Novalie and said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t Raeleighe back? Where is she?¡±

    Novalie replied, ¡°Raeleigh is outside. I forgot to ask her where she was. Miss Deanna, may I ask why you¡¯re looking for Raeleigh?¡±

    Novalie was smart. Deanna came with an imposing aura, so she could not say anything else.

    Deanna was extremely anxious that the rims of her eyesturned red.

    Her brother had not been eating and drinking at home for many days. Her parents were not at home. She didn¡¯t know what to do and didn¡¯t dare to call anyone.

    Usually, she would tell Marissa those things and ask her for help, but she couldn¡¯t do that right then. If she told Marissa, then Raeleigh¡¯s and Jepherson¡¯s matter would be exposed. What would happen to Raeleigh then?

    Deanna bit her lip. She was on the verge of going insane. Her face had be much thinner. What should she do?

    As she thought about it, tears welled up in her eyes. She was really going to be driven crazy.

    Novalie was stunned. What was wrong with that girl?

    ¡°Miss Deanna, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Novalie was also confused, but she didn¡¯t say anything.

    In a fit of anger, Deanna stood up. She felt that her whole world was falling apart.

    She turned around and ran towards the door, causing her to fall andscratch her knee by ident.

    Deanna had always been afraid of pain since she was a child, but that day, she felt ufortable, and it was not because of her knee.

    Deanna got up and wiped her tears. Then, she quickly dusted her dress and left Raeleigh¡¯s house.

    Novalie was hesitant as she sat in her seat. Should she tell her granddaughter about that?

    After exiting Raeleigh¡¯s house, Deanna entered her car and asked the driver to drive her back. When she arrived at the door, she wiped her face and went to find Zorion.

    She went upstairs andpushed the dooropento look for Zorion, who was lying on the bed like a piece of wood. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling, staring nkly without even blinking.

    Deanna felt ufortable when she saw Zorian in that state. She was not angry with the fact that Raeleigh had stolen Jepherson away, but she was in fact, madat Jepherson who took Raeleigh away.

    Her brother wouldn¡¯t have acted that way if it weren¡¯t for him.

    ¡°Zorion, I went to visit Raeleigh.She didn¡¯t leave. She¡¯s at home with her grandmother as hergrandmother is ill. I told Raeleigh that you¡¯re also sick, but she refused toe and didn¡¯t believe me. Why don¡¯t you send a video to her, and I¡¯ll persuade her toe over again?¡±

    That was not the first time that she had deceived Zorion. Deanna had never lied to him, but she found herself doing it a lot recently.

    Zorion did not respond. He had been staring at the ceiling and paid no attention to Deanna. Deanna held back her tears and continued to say, ¡°Why don¡¯t I ask someone to snatch Raeleigh away? Is that alright? Zorion!¡±

    Zorion blinked and raised his hand and ced it on his chest. Deanna was worried for Zorion. He said nothing and neither ate nor drank.

    There was no one at home, and she couldn¡¯t do anything. She didn¡¯t know what she could do to save her brother. She really wanted to cryand burst into tears multiple times, but she was afraid that something bad would happen to her brother, so she held back the urge to sob.

    Zorion kept silent. Deanna covered him with the quilt and acted as if nothing had happened. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten for a long time. Zorion, I¡¯ve learnt how to cook porridge. I¡¯ll cook porridge for you. Wait for me.¡±

    Deanna immediately headed to the door. As soon as she closed the door, she leaned against it, crying like a child as shecovered her mouth.

    She felt helpless. It seemed like her hands and feet were tied up, and she couldn¡¯t move at all.

    After she leaned against the door and cried for a while,Deanna wiped her tears and went downstairs. As she descended the stairs, Santiago changed into house slippers at the entrance and entered the vi. Deanna¡¯s cheeks were stained with tears. She hurriedly wiped away the tears on her face when she saw him.Looking displeased, she berated him in anger.¡°What are you doing here? Are you here to see if Zorion is dead yet?¡±

    Deanna rushed down as soon as she saw Santiago. She took the servant¡¯s rag and threw it at Santiago¡¯s face as shered at Santiago ferociously, frightening the servant.

    Santiago turned his face away. The cloth was on his face. His face, that could bring cmity to the country and its people, was as ugly as it could be right then.

    But he did not fly into a rage at Deanna.

    Besides, that matter was caused by his distrust.

    A few days back, Deanna went to him and said that something had happened to Zorion. She asked him to help her, but he refused. He said that Raeleigh also needed help at that time andleft them very adamantly.

    Santiago had never shown up since, up till that day.

    He looked at Deanna¡¯sthin face. He had never seen Deanna that way. Her cheekbones have sunken, with her eyes bulging on her face.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your brother?¡± Santiago nced inside therge living room. Deanna pushed him and drove him out.

    The servants around them were so frightened that they had their heads lowered. Everyone knew that Santiago was an unreasonable man. He would punish anyone who bothered him in Capital City.

    The Whalen family was doing well those few years. With Zorion around, he respected them. He had not bullied Deanna because of Zorion¡¯s abilities, whereas Zorion wasn¡¯t someone he could easily offend either. Furthermore, the two madams got along well with each other like biological sisters.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    Santiago was pushed away, but he wasn¡¯t fazed at all. He stood there for a while and continued to look around. When he saw the butler of the Whalen family, his face turned cold. ¡°Where¡¯s Zorion?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s upstairs.¡± The butler didn¡¯t dare to withhold any information from him. What was more, at that time, Santiago did note there to fight, at least that was what they thought, judging from his appearance.

    He wouldn¡¯t have changed into house slippers if he came there to fight, right?

 Chapter 999 Unexpected Guest

    Perhaps, Zorion could be saved. They were not sure if they should inform Old Master Whalen.

    Santiago nced at him and walked up the stairs. Deanna followed behind closely, tugging and pulling, preventing him from entering Zorion¡¯s room. However, it was all in vain as her strength was as weak as that of a chick¡¯s.

    Zorion refused to eat, as he was on a hunger strike. Deanna was worried, and she couldn¡¯t remember thest time she had a proper meal either, or else she wouldn¡¯t have lost so much weight.

    Deanna couldn¡¯t stop Santiago, so she shouted at him, but she shut up when they arrived at Zorion¡¯s door.

    Santiago turned his head to look at Deanna beforepushing the dooropenand walking in.

    When he entered the room, he saw Zorion putting his palms on his chest. He frowned and walked over to Zorion. Looking down at him, he asked, ¡°Are you dead?¡±

    Zorion opened his eyes slowly when he heard Santiago¡¯s voice. Only then did he slowly move his hand aside.

    He didn¡¯t say a word. His was taken away from his thoughts and finally came back to reality.

    ¡°Don¡¯t scare people into thinking that you¡¯re dead. Otherwise, you¡¯re better off dying. Raeleigh doesn¡¯t belong to you in the first ce. You¡¯re just a third wheel. Don¡¯t you know that?¡±

    ¡°If everyone acts like you when they have a crush on someone, then the world would have been in chaos. Raeleigh was not in the wrong, neither was Jepherson. The fault was yours, to begin with. If you like someone, then you should ept the fate of your unrequited love.¡±

    ¡°Not everyone¡¯s feelings have to be reciprocated. Everyone likes clowns. Clowns are there to give you joy, but they can¡¯t possibly fall in love with you all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°To honor love with death is not wrong. What¡¯s wrong is your concept of so-called love. You have to get something that doesn¡¯t belong to you. You don¡¯t understand what love is.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sad and angry because you can¡¯t get it¡­¡±

    ¡°Get out. Don¡¯t bother Zorion.¡± Deanna grabbed Santiago from one side. She didn¡¯t want to hear those words, let alone her brother, Zorion.

    However, Deanna was weak. She hadn¡¯t eaten a proper meal for a while as a result ofRaeleigh¡¯s and Zorion¡¯s matter. Santiago did noty a finger on her before she fainted right in front of everyone¡¯s eyes.

    Santiago¡¯s eyes were sharp, and his hands were swift. He pulled her into his embrace and he then looked at Zorion. Zorion was stunned before he subsequently got up from his bed. However, he hadn¡¯t moved for too long. His body turned rigid, and his blood rushed to his brain as he copsed onto the bed.

    Santiago bent down and picked up Deanna. He put her on the bed, and then called the doctor toe over immediately.

    Zorion was also so angry until he passed out.

    The butler quickly came up the stairs. Santiago had put Zorion and Deanna on the bed, trying to rub Deanna¡¯s pressure points, so that she could be awakened before moving on to Zorion.

    After the two siblings woke up, they saw Santiago talking to the butler.¡°Get them something to eat. Wait for the doctor outside.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    After the butler left, Santiago turned around to look at the pair of siblings lying on the bed. Zorion forced himself to sit up and looked at his sister, saying, ¡°Why are you so stupid?¡±

    Deanna pouted.¡°Zorion, don¡¯t die, alright? I¡¯ll stop liking Jepherson. I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±

    After saying that, shey in Zorion¡¯s arms and sobbed. Santiago stood on one side, watching them. Zorion held her in his arms and leaned against her for a while,forting her. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I won¡¯t be so foolish in the future. I¡¯m sorry I scared you!¡±

    When she heard her brother talking, she burst into tears, causing her to pass out.

    Santiago had a helpless expression on his face. He walked over to the bed in a few steps and rubbed an acupuncture point to keep her awake. It was only then that Deanna gradually regained consciousness. However, she was still crying sadly when she woke up.

    When the doctor came over, he gave both of them a shot. Deanna was so scared that her face turned pale, and she shrank into Zorion¡¯s arms.

    Santiago stood at the side. Zorion was in poor health,but he stillcoaxed Deanna for a long time.Santiago saw Deanna stretching out her hand, closing her eyes tightly, as if she was readyto die.

    It was not until the doctor had dealt with it that Deanna calmed down. She stopped shaking in fearandy still on the bed, soon falling asleep from the exhaustion.

    The pair of siblingsy on the same bed. Deanna fell asleep, but Zorion did not.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Zorion still had some strength tothank Santiago. Santiago stood still at the side. Since there was nothing he could say, he turned around and went to the door, going downstairs to take a nap.

    Seeing that he was asleep, the butler cautiously went up to him.¡°Mr.Santiago, would you want to eat something? It¡¯s cold down here. There¡¯s a guest room upstairs.¡±

    Santiago merely nced at the butler before heading upstairs to check up on Deanna and Zorion.

    The siblings had fallen ill, so Santiago stayed at the Whalen family residence for the entire day.

    Three dayster, Deanna and Zorion finally recovered,and the pair of siblings went outside.

    In the afternoon, Zorion parked his car at the entrance of Elkton University, waiting for Santiago.

    ¡°Get in the car.¡± Noticing Santiago, Zorion opened the door and called him over.

    Scarlette was behind Santiago. The two people were the subject of various gossip, and it seemed that something was indeed going on.

    She didn¡¯t bother. Let the rest of them say whatever they wanted. She knew what she had done.

    Santiago stopped to look inside the car butdid not get in. Instead, he turned and walked to the side.

    Deanna muttered inside the car, ¡°I told you he wouldn¡¯te.¡±

    Zorion looked back at his sister. The door closed and the driver drove away.

    Scarlette felt bored. She asked Santiago while walking, ¡± Santiago, when will Raeleigh return?¡±

    ¡°How would I know?¡± Santiago returned to the car. Scarlette took over the driver¡¯s seat. The two of them left together.

    ¡­

    It had been ten days since Raeleigh came back.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    After getting off the ne, Raeleigh thought about visiting her grandmother.

    ¡°I want to go back to Grandma¡¯s ce. Send me back.¡± Jepherson¡¯s car was parked outside the airport. They sat in the carwhile Jepherson nced at the time.

    ¡°Go to Raeleigh¡¯s ce and call Old Madam. Tell her we¡¯ll be back tonight.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Stuart responded. The car drove to Raeleigh¡¯s residential area. Raeleigh got out of the car, and so did Jepherson.

    ¡°Don¡¯t follow me. You¡¯d better go back first. It¡¯ste. Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯re going to visit your grandmother?¡±

    Raeleigh did not expect Jepherson to follow her out of the car. She wanted Jepherson to return home.

    It was enough for Raeleigh to stay with him for ten days. She would really fall ill if she stayed with him for another ten days.

    Jepherson looked at the surroundings, and then at the time.¡°It¡¯s ten o¡¯clock, I¡¯ll go there after lunch.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to say. He didn¡¯t have breakfast earlier. She might feel bad and pity him if she didn¡¯t get him to eat lunch.

    ¡°Then, you should leave after having lunch, but you¡¯ll have to leave right after.¡± Raeleigh feared that Jepherson would cling to her.

    She had already promised to follow Jepherson, but she was not ready to ept him. The distance between the two of them could amount to a few gxies. It could never go beyond that.

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t figured out what she should do.

    Jepherson wanted to stay,and Raeleigh had no choice but to invite him in. When she entered the door, Raeleigh sensed something amiss. There was a pair of men¡¯s shoes at the door.

    Raeleigh froze and fixed her eyes on the shoes, frowning.

 Chapter 1000

    Raeleigh stepped in, put on her shoes, and looked inside. She saw an unexpected person, stopping in her tracks in confusion.

    ¡°Dr. Osteen?¡± Raeleigh had never expected that Xanthus would appear at her home.

    Xanthus sat on the couch,talking to Novalie, whowas somewhat surprised to see Raeleigh. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer Novalie¡¯s question immediately. Instead, she looked at Xanthus, whoreplied, ¡°I came here for work. I didn¡¯t expect this ce to be your home.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus in disbelief.¡°You came here for work?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a volunteer who¡¯s responsible for the health of the elderly residents here,¡± he answered. Raeleigh reluctantly epted his exnation, but she didn¡¯t think that was the case.She was reminded of Xanthus searching for a person surrounding the orphanage and inquiring about it.

    Raeleigh turned around and took a look at Jepherson, who followed her into the room. ¡°This is Dr. Osteen. He¡¯s the university¡¯s doctor.¡±

    Raeleigh intended to introduce him to Jepherson, but she couldn¡¯t think of a way to do that, so she swallowed her words.

    Xanthus recognized Jepherson. He stood up and took the initiative to extend his hand towards Jepherson.¡°Hello, I¡¯m Xanthus Osteen, a doctor from Elkton University. You¡¯re Jepherson Richards, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh and smiled politely, shakingXanthus¡¯ hands. After the two of them got to know each other,Jepherson withdrew his hand and looked at Novalie.

    ¡°Grandma, are you feeling well?¡± Jepherson walked towards her. He sat down and spoke to Novalie. That gesture showed that he was not someone who was easy to get along with. He did not intend to be acquainted with Xanthus andwas just being polite. He had no choice but to shake his handto avoid leaving a bad impression on Novalie.

    Raeleigh forced a smile and looked at Xanthus.¡°How¡¯s my grandmother¡¯s condition?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s in good health. Her health is indeed considered good for her age.¡± Xanthus told the truth. Raeleigh nodded and said, ¡°Dr. Osteen, please have a seat. I¡¯ll get you a ss of water.¡±

    Raeleigh invited Xanthus to sit down, but Xanthus had not finished his work yet. There was a notebook on the table. He took the notebook andsat at the side whileRaeleigh went to fetch him a ss of water.

    Novalie was not a fool. She nced at Xanthus from the corner of her eyes. There seemed to be nothing wrong with him. He had always been focusing on the task in front of him, looking calm.

    But the calmer a person was, the more suspicious he was.

    Novalie knew about Jepherson¡¯s position as apany vice president in the university. Raeleigh had already told her about it.

    That man was a doctor from Elkton University, but he didn¡¯t care about Jepherson.

    If it weren¡¯t for that person¡¯s psychological aptitude, then he might have a motive, or he might not even be someone from Elkton University at all.

    Novalie smiled and asked Jepherson, ¡°Will you stay for dinner?¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson smiled and said, ¡°I was nning to have dinner with you. I want to eat beancurd.¡±

    ¡°But we still haven¡¯t bought beancurd,¡± Novalie replied. Jephersonimmediatelystood up. ¡°I¡¯ll buy it.¡±

    ¡°Can you go by yourself?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ve been there before.¡±

    Jepherson walked over just as Raeleigh came out. She thought that Jepherson was leaving, so she asked him, ¡°Are you leaving?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to buy some beancurd.¡±

    Was he really going to buy beancurd?

    Raeleigh took a look at the time and understood what he meant. Then, she said, ¡°Are you going alone?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with going alone?¡± Jepherson walked over and kissed Raeleigh¡¯s face. Raeleigh froze, frowning, butJepherson¡¯s face blossomed into a bright smile. She was speechless. There was a guest. He had gone too far.

    Jepherson left. Raeleigh turned around to put down the ss in her hand, as if nothing had happened. She smiled and said, ¡°Dr. Osteen, please have some water.¡±

    After saying that, Raeleigh took a look at Novalie and sat down beside her.

    Novalie understood that Raeleigh was about to get married. It was just that the wealthy and prestigious families seemed slightlyplicated. Nevertheless,she still had her own ideas.

    ¡°Dr. Osteen, after my grandmother¡¯s examination, do you have anything else nned?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I have to verify your grandmother¡¯s identity. I also have to register it, so that I can check for the previous medical condition the next time I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Raeleigh cast a nce at Novalie before reaching for the records on the table.¡°Is this it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, take a look if there¡¯s anything I need to add. If there isn¡¯t,then please sign it.I¡¯lle to check up on you once a week or two. Of course, it depends on my schedule. Here¡¯s my phone number. Please write it down and call me if you need help.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t ask anything further after Xanthus exined everything and signed it.

    ¡°I have to take my leave. I have to check up on other families.¡± Xanthus stood up and prepared to leave with his bag.

    Raeleigh said a few polite words and sent him off.

    Raeleigh went back into the house after Xanthus visited others¡¯ houses.

    Upon entering,she locked the door and made sure that no one was outside before sitting down beside Novalie, saying, ¡°Do you think there¡¯s something weird with him?¡±

    Novalie didn¡¯t lie to her granddaughter. She told her everything.

    ¡°I¡¯ve lived here for such a long time, but I haven¡¯t heard of any volunteering work, not to mention that he¡¯s a doctor. I don¡¯t think he has any malicious intent, but I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s nning. He seems like a good person. But, of course, Raeleigh, you should pay more attention to him in the future.¡±

    Every word Novalie said was for Raeleigh¡¯s sake.

    ¡°I know, Grandma. You have to be careful. ording to him, he¡¯ll appear often in the future. Remember when I said that I saw a person at the orphanage? That was him.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Novalie fell deep into thought.

    Novalie would never forget about the fire for the rest of her life. It was God¡¯s will that Raeleigh came out of the fire. No one knew who she was.

    However, Novalie believed that God would grant such a great responsibility to one after making sure that they toiled their bones and had their hearts and minds suffer.

    ¡°Raeleigh, no matter what, you¡¯re now Raeleigh Anson. No one can do anything to you.¡± Novalie finally said, and Raeleigh nodded. ¡°I know.¡±

    At that time, Raeleigh got up and opened the door. As soon as the door opened, Raeleigh saw Jepherson standing at the door. Raeleigh was startled. She didn¡¯t know when he hade back and what he was doing at the door.

    Did he overhear what she told Novalie?

    Raeleigh hesitated but still asked Jepherson, ¡°When did youe back? Why didn¡¯t you knock on the door?¡±

    ¡°You opened it just as I was about to knock,¡± Jepherson said. Raeleigh had nothing to say. She took the beancurd from Jepherson, turned around, and walked towards the kitchen.

 Chapter 1001 Stood Firmly by Her Words

    Jepherson followed her into the house, changed into house slippers, and greeted Novalie beforewalking into the kitchen, washing his hands, and helping to prepare lunch.

    It was sunny at noon, but the lighting in Raeleigh¡¯s kitchen was not bright enough. They stayed quietly in the kitchen. No one spoke as they focused on their own tasks.

    Novalie closed her eyes, sitting cross-legged on the couch. She narrowed her eyes and pressed her hands against her legs.

    She was not curious about what was going on in the kitchen. She was thinking about Xanthus. She was afraid that he had malicious intentions!

    Soon, lunch was served. Raeleigh and Jepherson took turns serving the food on the table. Raeleigh called Novalie over whileJepherson washed his hands and followed them to the dining table, sitting down one after another. Jepherson set up Novalie¡¯s cutlery, acting as if he was at home. He treated her like how he treated Marissa.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. It was hard to imagine how he would be at home.

    If she had never been to Richards Manor, then she would have let it go. However, Raeleigh had been there before. She realized that the line between them was one she would never be able to cross.

    Raeleigh served the rice for Jepherson and Novalie before sitting down to eat. She slightly lowered her head, eating more than she could chew.

    That day, Jepherson bought a fish. She steamed the fish because Jepherson liked it.

    Jepherson really liked it. He even removed the fish bones for Novalie.

    Upon seeing that Raeleigh hadn¡¯t tried it, Jepherson also picked up a piece for her.¡°Try it. It¡¯s delicious.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him as she ate the fish.

    Raeleigh knew very well whether it was delicious or not asshe cooked it herself, after all.

    Jepherson was indeed a different breed. He ced some food in Novalie¡¯s bowl before devouring more than half of the fish by himself. He did eat some of the beancurd, but the fish was the main dish.

    After eating dinner, Jepherson chatted with Novalie. Raeleigh finished tidying up and couldn¡¯t helpstaring at the leftover fish in the kitchen in a daze. Was it really that delicious?

    After picking up the cutlery, Raeleigh tasted some of the fish. When she ate it, her mind was filled with other thoughts, so she couldn¡¯t savor its vor.

    After consuming some of it, Raeleigh frowned. It was nothing. It tasted quite normal.

    After putting it down, Raeleigh looked at the living room. Who knew why he had eaten so much? Maybe it was because he was hungry.

    When Raeleigh finished tidying up, Jepherson was not in the living room. She stopped and looked at the door,noticing that his shoes were still there. Raeleigh asked Novalie,¡°Where is he?¡±

    Novalie looked at Raeleigh¡¯s room and said, ¡°He said he was sleepy after taking such a long flight and had gone to sleep. Just wake him up at six o¡¯clockter.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the door and went in.

    Jepherson had already fallen asleep. His coat was set aside,and his shirt unbuttoned. He preferred not to be restrained while sleeping.Raeleigh felt that Jepherson didn¡¯t seem to like wearing button-upspared to T-shirts, which were loose-fitting.

    Seeing that he was not covered with the quilt, Raeleigh walked over and tucked him in. She looked at the time. It was onlyone o¡¯clock in the afternoon.Did he have to sleep till six o¡¯clock?

    Raeleigh did not disturb him. She went out and closed the door behind her.

    She wanted to have a chat with Novalie, but when she came out, Novalie had already gone back to rest.

    Raeleigh opened the door of Novalie¡¯s room and intended to have a rest, butNovalie spoke before she could even enter the room.¡°Alright, go there. Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯ll leave tonight? You must be tired after the journey. Have a rest.¡±

    Novalie understood that Jephersonwished Raeleigh could apany him when he said that hewanted a rest.

    Only Raeleigh did not understand what was going on.

    Raeleigh stood there for a while and she then turned around and went back.

    When Raeleigh opened the door, Jepherson had already opened his eyes. He had taken off his shirt and pants, putting them aside. Raeleigh blushed when she saw Jepherson.

    If they were in the suburbs, then Raeleigh would be morefortable. When she came back to Capital City, especially at her home, Raeleigh felt her face burning at the thought of that.

    Jepherson couldn¡¯t care less. During his time in the suburbs, because of his injuries, he waspletely devoid of lust. Now that he was going to leave, he couldn¡¯t leave just like that.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips together and asked, ¡°Why did you take off your clothes?¡±

    ¡°Come on.¡± Jepherson smiled. He didn¡¯t care about Raeleigh¡¯s displeasure at all. He only saw Raeleigh, whose face flushed red.

    Raeleigh did not movewhile Jepherson waved his hand. Raeleigh turned around and looked at the window. She locked the door and drew the curtains before going over.

    Standing by the bed, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Have you recovered now?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Jepherson deliberately put on a disappointed face. On one hand, he wanted it, but on the other hand, he felt helpless.

    Raeleigh nced at him.¡°What do you want?¡±

    Jephersony down. He didn¡¯t say anythingandjust continued lying on the bed.

    Raeleigh bit her lips. After thinking for a long time, she took off her clothes and went to bed. As for what she was going to do, she didn¡¯t need to worry about it. Soon, she was straddling him.

    Only then did the corners of his mouth curl up. He pressed Raeleigh¡¯s head down and kissed her¡­

    When Raeleigh woke up, Jepherson had already left. There was a piece of paper on the bedside table, on which there was a time. Raeleigh was confused about what was written on it.

    It was a Saturday. Raeleigh didn¡¯t know the meaning of the time written on the paper.

    After lying down for a while, Raeleigh got out of bed and put on her clothes. She was about to cook for her grandmother, but Novalie said that she had already eaten.

    Raeleigh stood in front of her and asked, ¡°Did you eat alone?¡±

    ¡°He apanied me for breakfast. He heated up the food and finished the fish before leaving.¡± Novalie had never seen someone who loved eating fish that much.

    Novalie knew that it was not because he loved eating fish, but because he loved Raeleigh.

    Jepherson was not a fool. He could see that the fish was made for him, so he ate all of it.

    Raeleigh went to the kitchen and found that all the dishes had been eaten.

    She came out of the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of porridge and a boiled egg, which was still warm.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    Raeleigh sat by Novalie¡¯s side as she ate. Novalie was still quite satisfied. No matter what, Jepherson was not so bad after all.

    Those days, let alone the son of a rich family, even the children of ordinary families could do nothing. If she expected a man to cook for her, then it would be better to expect a pig to climb a tree than a man to cook for her.

    Novalie understood that he would not be able to do that if he wasn¡¯t sincere. As such, she was still satisfied.

    Raeleigh sat down and started to eat as Novalie started to talk about Xanthus. Then, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll be careful in the future. He must know something at school. There¡¯s a column in my school¡¯s filesthat contains the address in the countryside. The school authorities need me to fill it up with more details. If he has been to the countryside, then maybe he would know something?¡±

    Novalie nced at Raeleigh.¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I¡¯m an old woman. Can¡¯t I have a granddaughter when I have no children?¡±

    Raeleigh understood Novalie¡¯s intentions. If she did not admit to it and stood firm by her words, then no one would be able to do anything to her.

 Chapter 1002 Her Mood Brightened

    Jepherson returned to Richards Manor. Marissa immediately stopped him as soon as he entered. ¡°You still remember the way back home?¡±

    Since what happened to Deanna, Marissa had not seen her grandson, Jepherson. She didn¡¯t know where he went and couldn¡¯t find him.

    Deanna was in an awful state right then. She didn¡¯t answer the phone and hadn¡¯te back since. It seemed that there was a huge misunderstanding since thest incident.

    Marissa couldn¡¯t see Deanna, so she was worried, but Jepherson didn¡¯t take it seriously and only returned by then.

    ¡°Grandma.¡± Jepherson walked up to Marissa, lifting his hands to hold her. Marissa was frustrated, but when she saw Jepherson smiling at her, every bad feeling evaporated.

    She turned around, heading towards Ink Garden.

    While walking, she said, ¡°Your parents are not here, and I¡¯m worried sick of you. What¡¯s more, you pissed Deanna off without an exnation. Where have you been?¡±

    ¡°I was out of the city, and I just came back. Something happened over there,¡± Jepherson said absent-mindedly.

    ¡°What could it possibly be? Did you go searching again?¡± Marisa didn¡¯t understand. It had been so many years. Why couldn¡¯t he believe it?

    ¡°Yes, I did. But this time, I had something to deal with, so I came backte.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What¡¯s more important than Deanna?¡±

    Marissa did not believe that Jepherson would have anything that could possibly dy his return. In hindsight, he didn¡¯t regard Deanna as his future bride.

    Jepherson hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°I had a car ident.¡±

    Marissa was walking and thought that she had heard a joke,but then she stopped in her tracks.

    She turned around to look at Jepherson, whodid not speak. His gaze was determined, and Marissa¡¯s heart jolted.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Her voice changed.Marissa¡¯s voice was slightly trembling.

    The servants who apanied her kept silent. The butler was also surprised. Did something happen to Jepherson?

    Jepherson told her the incident of someone driving with the intention to run over him, but he reced the main character of the story.

    Marissa¡¯s face turned pale when she heard that. She held Jepherson¡¯s hand tightly and said, ¡°Then, you¡­¡±

    She was busy looking at Jepherson¡¯s leg. Jephersonforted her.¡°Nothing much. I managed to dodge it in time butwas slightly injured, so I stayed at the hospital for a few days. I had some medicine, and they gave me an injection. I¡¯m fine now.¡±

    Marissa kept prying with every breath she took. She wasn¡¯t a fool. She held Jepherson¡¯s hand tightly and walked towards the Ink Garden. When she arrived at the Ink Garden, Marissa sat down. Those around didn¡¯t even dare to nce at Marissa. No matter what Marissa thought, something was wrong.

    ¡°Stuart, what¡¯s going on? What were you doing? Did you see what happened?¡± Marissa questioned Stuart. Stuart knew that he could not escape, so he had long been prepared.

    ¡°Madam Marissa.¡± Stuart rushed forward and lowered his head.¡°It was too sudden.Young Masterwanted to buy gifts for the children at the orphanage in person. As soon as we arrived at our destination and got out of the car, a car rushed out. Fortunately, he had great reflexes, and he was quick to notice it. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have been able toe back.¡±

    Marissa¡¯s heart shook, and she was frightened.

    ¡°What have you found out about it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was a stolen car. It was stolen upon our arrival. I believe that someone has set his eyes on Young Master, and it was nned out ordingly to be carried out of the city, so they won¡¯t need to worry that something might happen here in Capital City.¡±

    Stuart exined in great detail. Marissa nodded in agreement and said, ¡°Well, they¡¯re trying to bully me, grasping my soft spot? Stuart, go and break the leg of the Moore family¡¯s grandson. Let¡¯s see how he can still be arrogant.¡±

    Marissa was so angry, and she would do anything for her grandson.

    Although Santiago was also her grandson, Marissa favored Jepherson. Even in the Richards family, everyone knew about it. Sometimes, it was so obvious that she doted on him too much that theycould not bear to see it happen.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    Stuart stayed silent. He took a careful look at Jepherson.

    Jepherson said, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. All of you can leave now.¡±

    Stuart brought all the others out with him as he left. Soon, there were only Marissa and Jepherson left.

    Marissa was furious, but she was not confused.

    She looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°Roll up your pants. Show me your legs.¡±

    Jepherson bent down and rolled up his pants. She saw that there were a few blisters on Jepherson¡¯s legs that looked like dry blisters. There was nothing else. It was a little strange.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Marissa had never experienced that before.

    Jepherson said, ¡°My bones were affected. They were swollen. It¡¯s fine. I just need to change the cast regrly.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re saying it¡¯s fine?Do you think I¡¯m a fool? What¡¯s going on?Do they notice that the Richards family is getting stronger by each generation, and so they¡¯re afraid and worried? How could theye up with such a vicious idea to hurt you? It¡¯s so absurd. I¡¯m so furious. I can¡¯t let it slide.¡±

    Marissa¡¯s temper worsened as she grew older. She walked back and forth, trying to find a way to ruin the Moore family.

    That was human nature. When she had nothing to do, she lived a carefree life at home. When she had something to do, she couldn¡¯t sit still.

    Marissa achieved greatness for her husband¡¯spany in her younger years. At that time, many admired her.Later, she went through unpleasant matters as a result of her daughter-inw, but it did not mean that she was then old and useless.

    Marissa¡¯s anger couldn¡¯t be suppressed at all.

    ¡°Call your father and tell him toe back. We can¡¯t let this go. This is too much.¡± Marissa turned around to look atJepherson. He hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°I did. He said that it isn¡¯t appropriate to intervene in this matter.¡±

    ¡°Did he say that?¡± Marissa was even angrier. Jepherson nodded.

    ¡°He¡¯s useless.¡± Marissa walked on and thought for a moment.¡°Call your grandfather and ask him toe over. Tell him that I¡¯m sick to the point of dying.¡±

    Marissa was really enraged at that time.

    Jepherson sensed that trouble would befall him when he heard that his Grandpa wasing.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. It¡¯s time for Grandpa to live a happy life. I also want you two to reconcile when the affairs in Capital City are settled. I don¡¯t want Grandpa to work too hard anymore.¡±

    Marissa doted on Jepherson. No matter what he said, it sounded pleasant to the ear. Her anger subsided greatly.

    ¡°My child, you can¡¯t even deal with your affairs, yet you¡¯re thinking about me and your grandfather? Your grandfather can¡¯te back anytime he wants. He has something to attend to.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, you don¡¯t have to worry so much. Since I¡¯m back now, I won¡¯t let this matter slide. It¡¯s just that we can¡¯t rush into things for now. It¡¯s as if we¡¯re taking advantage of their troubled situation and Johan being ill.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t my father say that we should convince others with reason? If we want them to lose, then they should be sincerely convinced.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what they usually say, but what if they continue to carry out misdeeds? What will happen by then?¡±

    ¡°They dared to act outside the city, but that might not be the case in Capital City.Santiago and I both encountered this problem. I think this matter should be investigated carefully, soI won¡¯t have much time to keep youpany, and I hope you won¡¯t step out of the house.¡±

    ¡°Desperate times call for desperate measures. Right now, there¡¯s only the trio of us of the Richards family in Capital City. Santiago and I have already been affected. I¡¯m worried for your safety.¡±

    Only then did Marissa understand that Jepherson hade back to remind her to be careful. Marissa was naturally delighted and grew to love her grandson even more. Her mood instantly brightened.

 Chapter 1003 New Car

    Jepherson got some rest afterforting Marissa. Hey down but he couldn¡¯t fall asleep, so he called Raeleigh. Raeleigh was still awake. She took a quick look at her phone to check who called but decided against picking up.She sent a text message to Jepherson, telling him that it was veryte, and she wanted to rest.

    Jepherson replied immediately, telling her that it wasn¡¯t time to go to bed yet.

    Raeleigh got up from the bed, and video-called him for a while. Novalie looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°You should have attended school today.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing. She wanted to spend more time with her grandmother.

    ¡°You¡¯re not in good health. I want to stay and take care of you.I can¡¯t take care of you if I¡¯m in school all day.¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? It¡¯s not like you never took care of me. I¡¯m in such good health right now. I couldn¡¯t bear to see you neglect your studies to take care of me.¡±

    Novalie was considerate. She had not done anything meaningful in her life and was not well-educated either.

    Raeleigh was her only hope. To see Raeleigh doing well would be her greatest aplishment in life.

    It took Raeleigh a while before falling asleep while leaning onNovalie¡¯sshoulder. Raeleigh woke up early the next morning. After washing up, she exchanged a few words with her grandmother and went back to school immediately.

    As soon as she entered the gate, Raeleigh saw Scarlette waiting for her arrival.She rushed forward at the sight of Raeleigh and marched forward after taking her hand. Raeleigh said sullenly, ¡°Did you know that I wasing back?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson called a while ago,of course I knew.Santiago is here too. We don¡¯t know where he¡¯s gone.¡±

    There were so many things to talk about with Raeleigh. Raeleigh looked at Scarlette, as she dragged her along. She had no choice but to listen to Scarlette¡¯s ramblings about the events that happened in the past few days. She soon discovered about the incident between Deanna and Zorion.

    ¡°Are they better now?¡± Raeleigh was still worried about Deanna. She was not in good health and was malnourished.

    Scarlette shook her head. ¡°I amtrulyimpressed by you. What exactly are you thinking about? Why are you still worried about her?¡±

    Scarlette let go of her grip.

    Raeleigh looked at Scarlette. ¡°I¡¯d treat you the same. I¡¯d feel guilty too if I took Hadrian away.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? It¡¯s not your fault that Mr. Jepherson was the one who initiated to pursue you. Besides, rtionships are not meant to be forced.¡±

    ¡°Although it can¡¯t be forced, it was still partially my fault. Deanna had been nothing but kind to me.I can¡¯t imagine the consequences I would face if it were someone else. Deanna and Jepherson grew up together.They could have had a happily ever after if it were not for me.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Scarlette with a poker face. Scarlette kept quiet upon seeing her expression.

    ¡°You are too kind.¡± Scarlette continued to walk forward, as Raeleigh followed her unhurriedly. After tidying up the room, Raeleigh said, ¡°I am not going to the morning lecture. I will take a rest here. Go ahead first if there¡¯s nothing else. I will go to ss directly in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep youpany. I have nothing to do anyway. I¡¯m worried about you staying alone.¡± Scarlette did not leave. The door was closed and Raeleigh sat opposite her.She fell asleep soon after.

    Santiago didn¡¯t even knock on the door when he came. He pushed the door open and walked in.

    Scarlette opened her eyes and jumped upimmediately. Santiago said with an indifferent expression,¡°Calm down, I¡¯m not going to eat you.¡±

    ¡°Please have a seat, Mr. Santiago.¡± She was afraid of Santiago, and felt her hair stand on end.

    Santiago seemed to be ustomed to this, so he didn¡¯t care about her reaction. He walked inandy on the bed. He didn¡¯t care about Raeleigh¡¯s return.

    Raeleigh continued toy down for a while before getting up for lunch at noon. When the three of them arrived at the canteen together, they saw Whalen siblings.

    ¡°What a small world.¡± Scarlette muttered while looking at Raeleigh.¡°Don¡¯t talk too much.¡±

    Raeleigh was not nning to cause trouble as she felt that it was a blessing that everyone was safe and sound.

    Santiago walked in front of them.He did not say a word when he passed by the siblings from the Whalen family. He went to the private room where he usually had his meals. Scarlette pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hands and continued walking forward.

    Raeleigh followed after Scarlette and kept her silence as she passed by the siblings.

    Deanna turned her body towards Raeleigh. She pursed her lips and said, ¡°She imed that Jepherson is where her heart belongs. But look at her now, hanging out with that b*stard Santiago. Karma will pay her back eventually.¡±

    ¡°Deanna, don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± Zorion turned around to look at Raeleigh. Then, he turned back and pulled Deanna away after Raeleigh entered the private room.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡± Deanna came out of the dining hall and pouted unhappily.

    ¡°Let¡¯s dine outside. What do you want to eat?¡± Zorion did not want to meet Raeleigh yet, so he took Deanna outside. The siblings passed through the corridor and went out for lunch.

    When they came back from their meal, Scarlette said, ¡°Where are they?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at her and said, ¡°You have so many requests. You hate them for being here, yet you¡¯re questioning them for their absence. What do you want?¡±

    Raeleigh knew Deanna was avoiding them. Just as she finished her sentence, Santiago strode towards them andmented, ¡°Other people¡¯s businesses have nothing to do with you. Focus on your studies. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to do anything in the future.¡±

    Santiago walked out of the door and looked around. Raeleigh and Scarlette went to attend their sses. Soon, the day had passed.

    In the evening, Scarlette and Raeleigh yed a few rounds ofputer games. Raeleigh felt bored after a whileand started researching cars.

    Jepherson had sent Raeleigh a picture with an outline of a car. Raeleigh flipped through her phone and took a look at it. She was surprised.

    ¡°Come out.¡±

    Jepherson was talking to her in the video, and she blushed a little. She looked at her friends, who were sitting in front of her and stood up, leaving herptop on the table.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head out for a while.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you there and have a look at what it is that got your eyes sparkling so bright.¡± Raeleigh wanted to refuse her offer. Santiago ignored her and stood up to leave before she could respond. Out of curiosity, Scarlette took hold of Raeleigh¡¯s hand and followed suit.

    Raeleigh walked out and looked around. It was already dark, so she couldn¡¯t see her surroundings very clearly. A bright light shed at them from the side. Raeleigh raised her hand to cover her eyes immediately. When she turned around, a car was driving towards them.

    The car stopped in front of her, and Raeleigh put her hands down. The headlights dimmed and the car door was pushed open. Jepherson got out of the car, and rested his forearms on the roof of the car.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. She was stunned as the car he drove here was personally designed by her.

 Chapter 1004 Love and Treat Children Equally

    Jepherson walked towards Raeleigh and took the car keys out of his pocket. ¡°This is your reward, given by thepany.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the keys in front of her but she did not take it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want the car. I¡¯d like to have it exchanged for cash.¡± Raeleigh thought that since it was a reward from thepany, then she would be an idiot to reject it. However, she preferred the reward to be paid in another form. She would not be able to use the car as she didn¡¯t have a driver¡¯s license. Moreover, she¡¯d have to maintain the car and pay for gas fees, which were additional expenses in her opinion.

    It was better to ask for money.

    Jepherson kept the keys and turned to look at the car. He turned back to look at her and said, ¡°This is a first car to be manufactured. It¡¯s a limited edition worldwide. If you choose to ept it, then the value could go even higher. If you insist on a cash reward, then we would only pay eighty percent of the value of the car.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a while.The present was more important to her. There was no need to look too far into the future yet.

    Raeleigh made a prompt decision and told him, ¡°I don¡¯t need eighty percent. Fifty percent would suffice.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡± Scarlette couldn¡¯t bear to watch anymore. She was afraid if she waited any longer, Raeleigh might just forego every penny.

    Scarlette walked towardsRaeleigh andstood in front of her. She pulled her hand.¡°Why don¡¯t you sell half of the ownership of the car to me?¡±

    ¡°You really are not greedy.¡± Santiago stepped forward and took the key from Jepherson. Then, he walked to the car, opened the door, and got in. He began to adjust his seat and raised his hand to beckon them in. ¡°Come on.¡±

    Raeleigh was a little worried about Santiago. She asked Jepherson, ¡°What does he want?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Jepherson walked over, opened the back door, and went in. Raeleigh hesitated. Scarlette pulled Raeleigh in hurriedly. ¡°Let¡¯s go. What if Santiago takes the car away? What are you going to do then?¡±

    Raeleigh was dragged into the car. Scarlette sat in the front passenger seat.

    Santiago ignited the engine after Raeleigh got into the car. Raeleigh observed the interior of the car. It was all designed ording to her n.

    Raeleigh had never expected this.

    The interior of the car was decorated with a series of nude leather, and it was rtively more spacious than other car models. However,the car¡¯s exterior looked closer to a sports car.

    As Raeleigh observed, Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hands.He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, ¡°This car model was fully booked once it wasunched. There will only be ny-nine cars for production.¡±

    Raeleigh turned her head. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s enough.¡± The corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth curled upwards.She didn¡¯t catch the obvious message intended in the number. She was so slow to get the hint, he thought.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson for a while and asked, ¡°How much is the price?¡±

    ¡°One hundred thirty-three million and four thousand.¡±

    Jepherson said casually. Raeleigh looked at him and asked, ¡°Why is this number so strange?¡±

    ¡°The sum is equivalent to the title of ¡®Darling Wife¡¯.¡±

    Raeleigh froze.He turned to look out of the window after her apparentck of reaction.

    Santiago elerated quickly and the car sped along the road.The momentum causedRaeleigh to fall into Jepherson¡¯s arms.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms, made sure she was alright, and he then turned his gaze to look at Santiago and instructed,¡°Slow down.¡±

    Santiago slowed down the car on Jepherson¡¯s instruction.Raeleighraised her head and nced at Jepherson. She wanted to push him away and sit all by herself. However, Jepherson held her tightly, so shehad no choice but to sit still.

    Scarlette said from the front seat, ¡°More than one million. Raeleigh, perhaps consider epting the car first? How nice is it to be gifted with such a good car? I¡¯m so moved.¡±

    Jepherson smiled silently. Raeleigh¡¯s face turned red but she remained quiet.

    Scarlette chatted throughout the journey. Raeleigh¡¯s ears were finally at peace when Scarlette stopped.

    Santiago parked the car at a familiar spot. He pushed the door open and got out of the car. Scarlette got out excitedly, following Santiago to the courtyard. Raeleigh and Jepherson were left sitting in the car.

    ¡°Move your hands away.¡± Raeleigh pushed Jepherson¡¯s hand away. Only then did Jepherson let go of her, opened the door, and got off from the other side.

    Raeleigh watched him as he got out,and she then pushed the door open at her side and got out as well.

    As the door closed, Raeleigh looked forward. Standing in front of her was a Victorian-style vi and a luscious green garden filled the courtyard.

    Santiago entered the door. Immediately, a few servants rushed out and greeted Santiago.

    Jepherson walked to Raeleigh¡¯s side and said, ¡°When I was a child, we trained here and came here every year during the holidays. Santiago loveding here, and neverwanted to leave.During the times after that, we¡¯d find him here whenever he went missing in the mansion. Everyone here feared him because of his bad temper.¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s just bad-tempered. He has never hurt anyone.¡±

    ¡°He had a domineering presence even though he is not angry, so they feared him,¡± Raeleigh analyzed. Jepherson looked at Raeleigh for a moment before takingRaeleigh¡¯s hands. Hestepped forward and said, ¡°Perhaps. Perhaps not.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh knew Jepherson didn¡¯t want to dwell on it any longer and decided not to pry. When they got to the vi, the servants came to greet Jepherson. Raeleigh noticed that the servants were respectful and afraid of Jepherson but they were extremely fearful of Santiago.

    She wondered why the servants behaved the way they did.

    ¡°Nothing much.We are here to celebrate Santiago¡¯s birthday. Make the necessary arrangements. The rest should remain the same.¡±

    Raeleigh froze when she heard what Jepherson said. She stared at Jepherson and asked, ¡°It¡¯s Santiago¡¯s birthday today?¡±

    ¡°Are you surprised?¡± Jepherson smiled and walked towards the vi and pulledRaeleigh along.She was a little confused. The Richards family was a wealthy family. Why was there no sign of them on their son¡¯s birthday?

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your family celebrating his birthday?¡± Raeleigh couldn¡¯tprehend it. He was still the son of Richards family after all.

    ¡°My parents would if they¡¯re here. Either way, it is just a simple meal. No grand celebration. My Grandmadoesn¡¯t particrly favor Santiago. Unlike me, they¡¯d prepare my birthday three days in advance and shower me with gifts.¡±

    He appeared helpless as he told Raeleigh about the situation in the family. She stared at Jepherson and asked, ¡°Do all the rich and powerful families always disregard the second son?¡±

    ¡°Not all of them. But Grandma doesn¡¯t like Santiago. She hasn¡¯t liked him since he was a child.¡±

    ¡°There must be a reason, right?¡±

    ¡°Santiago¡¯s birthday is on the same day as my great-grandmother¡¯s. Although she had never said it out loud, it was obvious that she didn¡¯t like Santiago. What¡¯s more, the family indeed does not pay as much attention to the second son.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh for a moment. Raeleigh asked in puzzlement,¡°You are both the children of your parents.How could they do this to him?¡±

    ¡°You have such a good heart. In the future when we have children of our own, we will love and treat them equally.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face became stiff when Jepherson finished his sentence. Did he make such a big detour just so that he could talk about having children?

    Raeleigh blushed immediately. She could not continue the conversation. So, she pulled her hand away from Jepherson and stepped into the vi.

    He could talk all he wanted if he wished to!Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    She thought, this man who always kept trapping her in every move he did.

 Chapter 1005 Santiagoâ€™s Birthday

    In the vi, Santiago¡¯s birthday preparation was in full swing. In the kitchen, the servants had already prepared the ingredients they needed.

    Jephersonhad called to inform earlier regarding Santino¡¯s birthday celebration. The servants awaited their arrival.

    The vi started bustling with life when Santiago and the others arrived.Stuart walked out andgreeted Raeleigh immediately upon seeing her.Raeleigh smiled in response.

    Stuart asked, ¡°Everything is ready. Shall we begin?¡±

    ¡°Please get ready. We will sit and wait for a while more.¡± Jepherson ordered Stuart to settle the preparations whileSantiago sat at one side watching TV. Before long, the dinner table was ready. Scarlette said excitedly, ¡°Raeleigh, you should eat more when we have dinnerter.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at Scarlette. ¡°You must have known about this. That¡¯s whyyou ate so little earlier.¡±

    Scarlette didn¡¯t feel embarrassed and said confidently, ¡°Every year on Mr. Santiago¡¯s birthday, Mr. Jepherson would give us money. Everyone gets a huge amount,I am particrly happy every year when we celebrate his birthday. I remember his birthday even better than my own birthday.¡±

    She became more excited as she borated. Raeleigh asked while looking at Scarlette, ¡°Is it the money or his birthday that you remember?¡±

    ¡°Both.¡± Scarlette didn¡¯t feel embarrassed and looked at the two brothers. Santiago was calm as Scarlette talked tactlessly, as if nothing had happened.Santiago heard what she said clearlybut he did not appear angry at all.

    The sitting posture of the two brothers was different. One was leaning against the couch with his elbow while the other sat up straight like a king. Raeleigh stared at the two of them. She felt strange as she noticed their vast differences in their personalities. They were from the same family yet they behaved so differently.

    ¡°What are you looking at, Raeleigh?¡± Scarlette snapped her out of her thoughts.Raeleigh shook her head and answered, ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Come and sit here.¡± Jepherson patted at the seat next to him and crossed his legs. Raeleigh walked over and sat beside Jepherson. She turned her gaze to look at the table. The table was filled with food and wine, but there was no cake in sight.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there cake?¡± Raeleigh stared at Jepherson. Jepherson didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he nced at Santiago. Santiago asked casually, ¡°Do you want some?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°I have made one for my grandmother before. Do you have any fresh milk and eggs?¡±

    Santiago turned around and asked Stuart, ¡°Do we?¡±

    From the look in his eyes, Stuart understood immediately that he had to make the ingredients appear even if they didn¡¯t have it in the kitchen.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Yes, we do.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make one for you to wish you happy birthday.¡± Raeleigh stood up to bake Santiago a cake. Santiago remained silent and continued watching TV. Stuart came over immediately and gestured to her.¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡±

    Raeleigh went to the kitchen. Scarlette followed suit.

    Scarlette didn¡¯t know how to bake. She just wanted to eat.

    When she arrived at the kitchen, Raeleigh took the ingredients she needed and looked at the oven. When she baked for her Grandma, she had borrowed the kitchen of a cake shop and brought the ingredients there. While she was there, she learnt a few tips from the bakers too.

    Raeleigh knew the bakers. They were nice to Raeleigh and her Grandma.

    The oven in the Richards family¡¯s kitchen was much more advanced. Raeleigh looked at it for a while and inquired about how to operate it. Then, she began to prepare the cake.

    As she put the cake in the oven, she began to prepare the other ingredients.

    She baked a butter cake. Even the chef thought she was considerate.

    After the cake was cooled, Raeleigh whipped up some cream and started spreading it on the cake.

    ¡°Raeleigh, draw a princess on the cake.¡± Scarlette never had anyone bake a cake for her. She wished for a little princess on her cake.

    Raeleigh lowered her head and focused on making the cake. Then, she said while she decorated the cake, ¡°This is not for you. I can make a special one for you next time.Perhaps, when youe to my house during the weekends.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll bake you a whole cake.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped talking and made the cake ording to her own recipe.

    The cake was mainly white. She used chocte drizzle to write the birthday wish on the side of the cake. On top of the cake, she used abination of white and dark chocte to draw a saucer and a coffee cup.

    Within the coffee cup, she carved a lighter using dark chocte and made a cigarette with white chocte. She even made a cigarette box and ced it by the side of the coffee cup.

    The inspiration came to Raeleigh suddenly. She remembered that Santiago had a habit of smoking cigarettes,so she specifically designed the cake for him. She hoped that he would not use smoking as a way to relieve his sorrows and wished for him to drink more coffee as a substitute for cigarettes.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you could open a cake shop.¡± Scarlette¡¯s eyes were wide open. She was amazed at the detailed and thoughtful design of the cake.

    Raeleigh just smiled. ¡°I am a designer and I am proficient in design. Of course, I am good at this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still very impressive.¡±

    Raeleigh picked up the cake and asked Scarlette to find some candles.

    Raeleigh came out of the kitchen. The two brothers looked at Raeleigh. They were both stunned. Santiago stood up and walked towards Raeleigh. He lowered his head and looked at the cake Raeleigh had made for him. He picked up the white chocte cigarette without a word and ate it.

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at Santiago. She didn¡¯t say a word, so did Santiago.Then, he took the coffee cup and ate it as well.

    When Scarlette walked in, she said in a disappointed voice, ¡°Mr. Santiago, can you leave some of us?¡±

    Santiago put his hand down and answered,¡°Later.¡±

    Raeleigh put the cake down and turned back to look at the Richards brothers. ¡°Is there anyone else you are waiting for? The food is getting cold!¡±

    Jepherson raised his hand to look at the time. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    He walked to the dining table and sat down. Santiago followed, as well as Stuart and Scarlette. They left a seat for Raeleigh but there were two more empty seats opposite Raeleigh.

    ¡°Sit here.¡± Jepherson gestured to the seat next to him with his chin, signaling Raeleigh to sit down. Raeleigh followed his instruction and took the seat by his side.

    No one dared to eat as the Richards brothers had not started eating. Meanwhile, Hadrian walked in from outside.

    Santiago pointed to one of the empty seats that was opposite him and said, ¡°There.¡±

    Hadrian appeared indifferent. He sat down as instructed without a word.

    Right then, there was only one seat left beside Santiago. Raeleigh thought they were still waiting for someone, but that was apparently not the case.

    Jepherson raised his hand and looked at the time again. Just as he was about to eat, Jepherson¡¯s cell phone rang.

    Jepherson took out his cell phone to have a look and answered the phone.

    ¡°Dad.¡±

    Raeleigh turned her gaze slowly towards Jepherson. She was very surprised.

    Subsequently, Jepherson spoke to the person on the phone. It was nothing more than the usual family¡¯s matters. He had asked about Marissa and Jepherson reported her condition without missing a beat. Then, Jepherson handed the phone to Santiago.

    Santiago took the phone, got up, and went outside to continue the conversation.

 Chapter 1006 Cooperate

    They waited for more than an hour before Santiago came back with the phone in his hand. He told Jepherson, ¡°Dad said that it was wise to strike while the iron is hot. We shouldn¡¯t waste time.¡±

    Jepherson put away his phone and nced at Santiago. ¡°Keep your mouth shut.¡±

    ¡°I will, but I can¡¯t say for the others.¡± Santiago nced at Stuart. Stuart was so frightened that he broke out in cold sweat and replied quickly,¡°Mr. Jepherson, I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    Santiago raised his head with an evil look on his face.¡°Why do you look so scared if you had not done anything? It looks like your soul has left your body.¡±

    Raeleigh was impressed by Santiago¡¯s ability to dissect others with words. He didn¡¯t even pause nor hesitate. Stuart, who was sitting on the opposite end, became even more frightened.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, I really am innocent.¡±

    ¡°Did I use you of anything?¡± Jepherson¡¯s expression darkened. He looked at Santiago and said, ¡°I¡¯ll handle the issue of the car myself. Stop provoking.¡±

    ¡°Since when did I provoke you? Dad said that ny-nine cars wouldn¡¯t be significant enough. We should make a huge impact in the market while we have the attention on us. Lanox is just the beginning. It cannot end like this.¡±

    Santiago was out of breathas he defended himself incessantly.Raeleigh nearlyughed out loud seeing Santiago¡¯s reaction. Everyone else was stunned except Raeleigh. They knew they were being fooled by Santiago once again.

    Stuart had no choice but to endure the usation.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat,¡± Jepherson said. The dinner was finally about to begin.

    Santiago ate the cake before they had a chance to put out the candles. He said he didn¡¯t have any wishes, so Jepherson told Raeleigh, ¡°Make a wish in his stead.¡±

    Raeleigh waspletely stunned. She replied after a few moments, ¡°How could I wish in someone else¡¯s stead?¡±

    ¡°Just do it, Raeleigh.¡± Jepherson slid his hand on Raeleigh¡¯s waist and patted her. Raeleigh had no choice but to press her hands together and made a wish with her eyes closed. She wished for the health and safety ofthe Richards family.

    Then, Scarlette asked Raeleigh, ¡°Raeleigh, what was your wish?¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Jepherson gave Raeleigh a piece of cake. Raeleigh held a fork and lowered her head to take a bite. She did not answer Scarlette¡¯s question.

    After the meal, the servants got up and went back to attend to their responsibilities. Santiago said he was getting tired, so he called it a night and headed upstairs.

    Raeleigh remained downstairs and continued devouring the cake. She enjoyed it very much.

    Jepherson sat down with Raeleigh, admiring the way she ate.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a shower at night,¡± Jepherson whispered in Raeleigh¡¯s ear.Raeleigh blushed upon his suggestion.

    Raeleigh ignored him and continued to enjoy her cake. After she finished, Jepherson stood up and led her to his room upstairs. He closed the door.

    Raeleigh stood by the door and observed his room. There was a bed and the roomwas minimalistic.There wasn¡¯t even aputer. As Raeleigh observed, Jepherson bent down and picked her up. He kissed her all the way as he carried her and headed towards the bathroom. He pushed the door open and went in. It was smaller than Raeleigh had expected.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at the bathroom which was simr to her house. ¡°Is this your bathroom?¡±

    Jepherson took Raeleigh to the front of the bathtub. He stripped her off and sat her in the tub. He took off his clothes and asked, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    Raeleigh pushed him away. ¡°You lived here when you were a child?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you not approve of it?¡± Jephersonughed and Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Of course not. I am just surprised.¡±

    ¡°This is where I used to live during my training. Mine is better. Santiago and Scarlette had to stay with Hadrian.¡±

    Raeleigh was pushed against the wall. Jepherson gently caressed Raeleigh¡¯s body,and lifted one of her legs. Raeleigh blushed immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±

    Raeleigh pushed her hands against the wall. She was feelinga little scared.

    Jepherson lowered his head and groaned heavily. ¡°My leg hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet. So, you have no choice.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face turned redder. She bit her lips and kept quiet. What should she do?

    Before she could speak again, Jepherson seized the chance and thrust himself inside her, showing no signs of mercy. Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and immediately moved Raeleigh¡¯s chin to cover her mouth, so that she couldn¡¯t make any sound at all.

    Raeleigh gasped. Jepherson stopped to whisper in her ear.¡°The walls here are very thin. Every little noise could be heard. Just bear with it.¡±

    ¡°Then, why did you¡­¡± Raeleigh could not believe what she heard. ¡°Why did he do that? He knows fully well that the walls are thin, yet he¡­¡±

    It was so embarrassing!

    Raeleigh lowered her head in embarrassment. Jepherson suddenly sealed Raeleigh¡¯s mouth with his lips once again¡­

    When they came out of the bathroom,Raeleighy down on the bed in exhaustion. Jepherson¡¯s bed was not very big. It was just enough for them tosqueeze together on the bed.

    Jepherson was feeling a little sleepy, but he looked at the window and told Raeleigh, ¡°When I was a child, Santiago would alwayse to see me at night. When I heard footsteps at the door, I¡¯d get up to see him. He¡¯de to my bed when I opened my door and we would sleep together.¡±

    Raeleigh was tired and wanted to rest but she forced herself to keep her eyes open when she heard Jepherson speaking. She wrapped her arms around Jepherson¡¯s waist and said, ¡°Your parents do love him, butthey built a cold exterior in front of others to protect him. Your Grandma doesn¡¯t dislike him either. They have just reached a silent agreement to ensure his safety.¡±

    ¡°In the eyes of outsiders,you are theeldest son of the Richards family. The Richards family attached great importance to you. Santiago was stubborn and somewhat mischievous, and caused chaos in Capital City. The Richards family treated him like a spoiled kid and did not hold such enthusiasm towards him. It was not that no one liked him, it was just that their fondness had been well hidden.¡±

    ¡°And you are his talisman.¡±

    Raeleigh had deduced this when Santiago was on the phone. That was why she observed the two brothers very quietly during dinner.

    Raeleigh might not have been able to understand such aplicated rtionship if she was a child born in an ordinary family. However, what she had experienced was unimaginable for an ordinary family¡¯s child. Hence, she understood clearly the family dynamics in the Richards family.

    Raeleigh stroked Jepherson¡¯s body gently. Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s tiny hand and said,¡°Don¡¯t move, or you shall be responsible for what happens next.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped moving her hand immediately, and Jepherson began to calm down gradually. However, after a while, he moved Raeleigh¡¯s hand down the trails of his waist. Raeleigh withdrew her hand immediately.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t give her a choice. He immediately kissed Raeleigh and said, ¡°Don¡¯t move. Put your hand back.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face was as red as blood. The room was lightly lit by moonlight. She looked at Jepherson and was on the verge of breaking down from embarrassment. Jepherson pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hand again when she stopped stroking him. He then kissed Raeleigh forcefully. Raeleigh had no choice but to cooperate with him.

    After a while, Jepherson finally became erect. Raeleigh had to follow hismands and went on top of him as his leg was still injured.

    She did all sorts of the unthinkable,kept Jephersonpany and followed his instructions throughout the night.

 Chapter 1007 Is She Human?

    Raeleigh finally went to sleep in the morning after a productive night with Jepherson. The others had already started their day while they were still asleep.

    Santiagoknocked on the door after breakfast, waking Raeleigh and Jepherson.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jepherson raised his head and looked at the door. He pulled the nket over Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder. He was wary that Santiago would break into the room ande in.

    Surely enough,Santiago opened the door and barged in the next moment.

    Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Get out.¡±

    Raeleigh woke up in fear and immediately hid in Jepherson¡¯s arms. She felt so embarrassed that all their clothes were discarded on the floor.

    Jepherson put on a grave expression but Santiago obviously couldn¡¯t care less. He stepped inside and sat on a wooden chair opposite the bed. He asked, ¡°Is there any difference between sleeping with me and Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡± Jepherson raised one of his hands towards the door while he patted Raeleigh, who was tensed up in his other arm. His face was cold. Santiago sensed his anger,stood up, and headed towards the door. When the door closed, Raeleigh cast a nce at the door. Santiago suddenly opened the door again, giving Raeleigh a scare.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms firmly and said, ¡°P*ss off!¡±

    Santiagoughed heartily and closed the door behind him.

    Raeleigh kept her head low until she heard his footsteps getting further.Her face had turned pale out of fear. She looked up at Jepherson and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±

    ¡°He has been unruly since he was a child. It is true that he has gone too far but he bears no ill will.¡± Jepherson patted Raeleigh, stood up, and got out of bed. Raeleighcouldn¡¯t fall back asleep and put on her clothes hastily.

    ¡°Rest a bit more. He will not pester you without me.¡± Jephersonwent downstairs after he instructed Raeleigh.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    Jepherson locked the door of the room from the outside andRaeleigh could finally sleep in peace after hearing the click of the lock.

    Jepherson found Santiago downstairs and rolled his eyes in annoyance. He questioned him, ¡°What are you causing trouble for?¡±

    ¡°For fun. Why are you so afraid?¡± Santiago didn¡¯t seem to care. Jepherson gave him a stern look and the two brothers started a stare-off with each other. It was almost three o¡¯clock in the afternoon when Raeleigh finally woke up. Jepherson sat across from her while reading a book. He nced up from the book as Raeleigh sat up.

    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±

    Raeleigh sobered up. ¡°What¡¯s there to eat?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s some porridge. There¡¯ll be more food during dinner. Have some porridge first.¡±

    ¡°Are there any guests?¡± Raeleigh stood up. Jepherson shook his head and answered,¡°No one woulde to visit this ce. This is Santiago¡¯s territory. He¡¯s the owner of this ce.¡±

    ¡°Santiago¡¯s?¡± Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. She was getting more curious about his family. Jepherson stood up and gestured her out of the room.¡°Come with me.¡±

    Raeleigh put on her shoes and went outside. Santiago was ying cards with Hadrian and a few others.They turned around to look at the noiseing from the stairs.

    As the two of them arrived downstairs, Santiago shifted in his seat and said, ¡°Let¡¯s y together.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to y. Tell your sister-inw to y with you.¡± Jepherson took off his coat and gave it to Raeleigh. Then, he turned around and went to the kitchen.

    Santiago smiled at Raeleigh. ¡°My dearsister-inw, let¡¯s y.¡±

    Raeleigh froze, not knowing whether she should submit to being referred to as his sister-inw or not.

    She wanted to deny it but that would make her seem pretentious.After all, she had slept with Jepherson.

    Yet, she felt embarrassed for admitting it as she had no official title. How could the Richards family, a wealthy family, ept her?

    Raeleigh was sitting by the side in silencewhile Santiago wore a naughty smile.¡°My dear Raeleigh, do you know how to y?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°How are you going to y if you don¡¯t know the rules?¡± Santiago was ying poker. Jepherson came out of the kitchen with a bowl of porridge with boiled eggs and put it down for Raeleigh.

    ¡°Eat something first. Watch while he ys. It¡¯s easy to learn.¡± Jepherson sat next to Raeleigh. Santiago was shuffling the cards. Soon, the people who gathered began their rounds. They sat across from each other, including Scarlette, who appeared very excited.

    Raeleigh took a look at Scarlette. She seemed to know what was going on.

    Raeleigh did not know much of it and was not interested in it.

    Santiago and the others yed while Raeleigh ate peacefully. It didn¡¯t take long for her to understand the game.

    Stuart did not participate. He stood aside to keep thempany. Scarlette and Hadrian were ying with Santiago. If Raeleigh were to y, then there would be four yers.

    Raeleigh finished her meal and sent the bowl back to the kitchen. Jepherson sat for a while, took out his wallet, and ced it on the table.

    When Raeleigh came back, she saw Jepherson sitting at the side, watching them. The other three were all staring at Jepherson¡¯s wallet. It seemed like they were salivating for the contents of his wallet.

    Raeleigh had never seen the three of theme to an agreement.Even Hadrian had the same look in his eyes.

    Raeleigh felt like she was amb waiting to be ughtered. A very fat, deliciousmb.

    Raeleigh sat down and said,¡°I can¡¯t y well.¡±

    ¡°Just enjoy yourself,¡± Scarlette said with a smile on her face. Raeleigh took a look at her. That was what her friends were for. They were meant to be taken advantage of.

    ¡°We can have a test round first,¡± said Hadrian. Raeleigh looked at him and praised him silently for being a gentleman.

    ¡°Come on. You wouldn¡¯t know if you don¡¯t give it a try. Besides, the money isn¡¯t yours to lose.¡± Santiago was straightforward. Raeleigh took a look at Santiago. They were brothers and hence insults and sarcasm weremon exchanges between them.

    Raeleigh finally understood that relying on oneself was better than relying on others.

    ¡°I¡¯ll y for a while, but I won¡¯t y after dinner,¡± Raeleigh said andthe three of them did not refute. All three of them nced at Jepherson¡¯s wallet simultaneously.His wallet would probably be emptied by dinner, they thought.

    Raeleigh sat down and watchedSantiago shuffle the cards. Raeleigh then yed with them. She lost a few hundred dors in the first round. Without hesitation, Raeleigh took out some cash from Jepherson¡¯s wallet and gave it to them.

    The second round ended in a simr way. When the third round began, Raeleigh started to show her true might. Scarlette ced the three queens on the table timidly but decided to withdraw her cards. Raeleigh held her hands down and said, ¡°As the saying goes, you can¡¯t go back on your word when your cards are put on the table.¡±

    Scarlette watchedbitterlyas Raeleigh put down the three kings and she thenturned her head away with a wry smile.

    Hadrian ced the three aces on the table and announced,¡°Three aces.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago. Santiago nced at the cards in Raeleigh¡¯s hand. There were still many cards in Raeleigh¡¯s hand, and three kings had just appeared.

    He shook his head, passing his turn.

    Raeleighfell silent.

    ¡°ce your cards.¡± Santiago stared at his cards, and didn¡¯t bother to look at Raeleigh while he spoke. He had four two¡¯s in his hands!

    Raeleigh pondered for a moment and counted the cards in her hands. Then, she ced all her cards down.

    Scarlette waspletely dumbfounded.

    Raeleigh took the card from Santiago¡¯s hand. She shuffled all the cards and said, ¡°I won before Santiago made any moves. ording to my calction, he¡¯d have to pay back threefold, which is four hundred and eighty to each of us. Scarlette and Hadrian, you still have ten cards, so you have to pay a hundred bucks each.¡±

    She began to collect the money after she finished her sentence. The others looked at Raeleigh as if she was a freak. She put the money away and continued to y. They repeated for a dozen more times and she won every round.Although Scarlette didn¡¯t have much money left, she wanted to continue the game in an attempt to make back the money she had lost. She had lost around four to five thousand.

    Hadrian was left penniless.

    Santiago didn¡¯t have much money left either. He kept exchanging money with others.

    Raeleigh was the only one who profited. A huge stack of cash sat in front of her.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner. I am not ying anymore.¡±

    Raeleigh kept the money in the wallet and returned it to Jepherson. Jepherson followed after her to the dining room.

    The three of them were left speechless asthey stared at Raeleigh¡¯s back, who seemed like she had no care in the world.

    All of them wondered, ¡°Is she human?¡±

 Chapter 1008

    While eating, Raeleigh found that several people on the opposite side were looking at her in an unfriendly manner. Raeleigh paid no attention to them. She won fair and square. It was their fault for challenging her and wanting to win her money.

    Anran was full and left from the table. Seeing that others had not finished eating, she went out.

    When she got out of the door, she looked up at the starry sky. Tonight¡¯s moon was very beautiful.

    Aftering out of the toilet, Jepherson put a coat on her. Raeleigh looked back at Jepherson. She didn¡¯t smile, but just looked at the starry sky.

    ¡°You have something on your mind?¡± Ruan Jingyun hugged Anran. Anran said, ¡°How are you going to talk about my issue with your families?¡±

    Since it had already begun, there was no use in retreating. It was better to speak frankly.

    ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s a way out.¡±

    Raeleigh summoned up her courage and finally asked. However, Jepherson smiled and said, ¡°If you have a child, then you don¡¯t need to worry about anything else. You¡¯ll naturally be part of the family, the mother of my child.¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned.It was no wonder Jepherson wanted to do it so frequently recently. That turned out to be the reason.

    ¡°What if I don¡¯t have one?¡± Anran was confused. ¡°Is it really useful to kill them first and report to them in this way?¡±

    ¡°How could it be possible that we don¡¯t have one? Unless we have some hidden illnesses. We¡¯re young and full of vigor. How could it be possible?¡± Jepherson¡¯s expectations of having a child were beyond one¡¯sprehension. However, that didn¡¯t mean that his love could conquer everything.

    Raeleigh quietly stared at Jepherson. Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and looked at the moonlight.¡°My family isplicated, but my grandmother has no evil intentions. At least, she has no evil intention towards me. She has the mindset that we need to strengthen the connections of the Richards family. That¡¯s why she wanted to find a suitable match for our family. But I¡¯m trying my best to make her give up on this idea.¡±

    ¡°My efforts are not only for me, but also for Santiago and for our descendants.¡±

    ¡°The Richards family is a n from feudal society and still retains the habit of taking in multiple wives.¡±

    ¡°In reality, that kind of thinking belongs to the Richards family¡¯s women. However, the men do not have that intention. Be it my father, me, or Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Our love is also noble and pure. Although it¡¯s not suitable to mention the word ¡®pure¡¯ in this area, that¡¯s what I want.¡±

    ¡°No one can change it, including you¡­¡±

    Raeleigh was dazed. She didn¡¯t speak and just looked at Jepherson. He turned around and stared into the distance, letting go of Raeleigh¡¯s hand. He walked to the front and stood there, facing the moonlight.Then, he turned to Raeleigh and said, ¡°My grandfather only has one woman in his life, and my father only has my mother as his wife.¡±

    ¡°Even for my uncle, it¡¯s the same¡­¡±

    ¡°In fact, the Richards family is not as feudal as the world sees it to be. It¡¯s just that one has topromise with current circumstances.¡±

    ¡°After all, there are too few children, and they need descendants. Because of this, Grandma doesn¡¯t object to us taking more than one wife.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s understandable. At that time, my father couldn¡¯t be alone. Many things were beyond his control, so he was worried about us. His two sons, like him, were disturbed, and his family couldn¡¯t live in peace.¡±

    ¡°His idea is the same as ours. We reached an agreement, that is, we should deal with the person we love ourselves. What we do will lead us to what happens to our future.¡±

    Ruan Jingyun¡¯s words seemed to be casual, but it was not difficult to hear that the passion in his words came from the bottom of his heart.

    Anran did not know what to say either. She looked at Ruan Chengyun for a while and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡±

    Jepherson was stunned.¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and said, ¡°If you¡¯re trying to assert your power by marrying a woman you chose and by looking for me, then I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary. Even if it¡¯s not me, you can find someone like Deanna who has dominant power. Now, you have the ability to do so. Your grandmother has great expectations of you, but she will let you marry and have children sooner orter. If you tell her that you¡¯re married to me, then I think she¡¯ll be angry.¡±

    Anran thought about it and realized how pitiful she was. Unknowingly, she had fallen into Ruan Jingyun¡¯s trap and was made a trap by Ruan Jingyun.

    Why should she stand by him in the world he wanted to build for himself?

    Anran couldn¡¯t figure out why she fell into Ruan Jingyun¡¯s trap.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything else. It might have been more appropriate to give her some time.

    They stood there for a while and went back veryte.

    The two of them didn¡¯t talk to each other that night. However, when Raeleigh fell asleep, she was held by Jepherson. Jepherson caressed Raeleigh, so that he could fallinto a soundless sleep.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    The next morning, Raeleigh followed Santiago to the school. Raeleigh¡¯s car somehow also effectively became Santiago¡¯s car.

    Anran sat in the back and felt lost and helpless. The car was a reward for her, but it became Ruan Jingshi¡¯s substitute. She really didn¡¯t know what to say.

    She said it herself that she didn¡¯t want the car, so what else could she say?

    After getting out of the car, Ruan Jingshi went to the school with Anran and He Shishi. Ruan Jingyun¡¯s car stopped at the entrance of bili University to call for people to drive. He also had other things to do, so he had to go to thepany.

    After returning to the school with Santiago, Raeleigh and Scarlette went back to tidy up. Then, the two attended their sses. No one knew where Santiago went. He was always up to something.

    When they arrived at the door of the ssroom, Anran and her teacher knocked on the door while standing on the snow. A voice came from inside and asked them toe in.

    Raeleigh came in and took a look at the ssroom. When she saw Flynt sitting inside, she could not help but to feel stunned. She did not expect that Flynt would havee after her.

    Raeleigh did not returned Flynt¡¯s smile when he smiled at her. The teacher looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°There¡¯s another seat beside Mr. Moore. You can sit there.¡±

    Anran thought for a moment and decided to go over there. After all, it was not a good sign for her to skip sses after such a long time. Her teacher had been very polite to her.

    Raeleigh sat beside Flynt and started to take notes during the lesson. Flynt sketched a portrait of Raeleigh and put it beside her after the lesson ended. Raeleigh nced at it and had to admit thathe did a good job drawing her.

    After the teacher said that the ss was over, Mo Kun gave the portrait to Anran and said, ¡°I already have this for you.¡±

    All the students were eager to go out after ss except Anran. She looked at the painting in a daze. She did not ask him to paint, but now it was difficult to draw it or not.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do this again.¡± Anran took the portrait and ignored Mo Xufeng. But Mo Xufeng had been watching Anran until Ruan Jingshi came back from the outside. Ruan Jingshi looked unhappy as if he had seen a bug.

    Walking to Raeleigh¡¯s side, Santiago tapped Raeleigh on her shoulder, hinting at her to get up. It was true that Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to sit next to Flynt, so she held a notebook and stood up.

    Raeleigh then sat in Santiago¡¯s seat. She sat still with Santiago by her side. The teacher came back for the next subsequent lesson, and Santiago still remained in that position.

    Raeleigh took a look at her teacher, who asked them to settle down to attend the ss. Then, she sat silently.

    After ss, Raeleigh was dragged out by Scarlette. As soon as she stepped out of the door, she heard that there was a fight in the ssroom. Raeleigh found that Santiago had yet toe out of the ssroom, so she went back to have a look. Surely enough, it was Santiago who had pped Flynt.

    ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far.¡±Santiagopunched Flynt in the face. To put it bluntly, he did not expect that Santiago would be so bold to have hit him in public.

 Chapter 1009 Transfer Classes

    No matter how arrogant he was, Santiago wasn¡¯t an idiot. He was a member of the Moore Family. There was no difference between beating him and beating the Moore Family. This matter would definitely not be settled like this.

    Santiagoughed. ¡°Am I going too far? Raeleigh is my girlfriend. You¡¯re not paying attention in ss but you¡¯re drawing Raeleigh¡¯s portrait. Am I too much? You might as well say something more.¡±

    ¡°Santiago, I have the right to like others. It¡¯s not up to you to control me. You said that Raeleigh is your girlfriend. What can you prove?¡±

    Flynt¡¯s face was cold. He was already walking towards them from the outside.

    But Santiago didn¡¯t care about that.

    ¡°Prove it? You mean, your father sleeps with a woman outside, and he has to take you to see it and let you know that he slept with a woman?¡± Santiago¡¯s words made her blush a little. She had never seen such a person who spoke without thinking. There was also a limit to his outspokenness. Raeleigh was going to die of anger.

    ¡°Santiago, keep your mouth clean.¡± Flynt from the beginning neither wanted to argue nor fought. Santiago smiled evilly and said, ¡°I¡¯m clean enough. I think you¡¯ve never seen anything unclean before.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anything unclean. I¡¯ve really broadened my horizons today.¡± Flynt¡¯s expression darkened. If one were to talk about who he hated the most in this world, it was without a doubt that this person was Santiago. His hatred for him, Santiago, was something that he would never be able to erase.

    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he was at school, then Flynt wouldn¡¯t have endured it at that time.

    After all, the Moore family was a respectable family in Capital City. He had to take his reputation into consideration. Santiago was like a smelly insect in his eyes. He no longer had an image to defend. His reputation had already been ruined by Santiago.

    Flynt treated Santiago like a dog. He didn¡¯t fight with Santiago then. For the sake of Jepherson¡¯s reputation, he didn¡¯t put Santiago within his sights. For him, Santiago was just a mad dog that bit people everywhere. He didn¡¯t have to stoop as low as the mad dog.

    ¡°Treat this as a lesson for you today. This is the territory of the Richards Family. It¡¯s not for you to act wildly. I¡¯m telling you, Raeleigh is part of my n. As long as I¡¯m here, you should stay here and keep to your studies. I don¡¯t want anything unpleasant to happen between us because of a woman.¡±

    ¡°How your father does things is your father¡¯s business. Don¡¯t bring foul things to school. This is not your family¡¯s harem. You can do whatever you want.¡±

    After Santiago finished his words, he also settled down for ss. The lecturer came in through the door. Santiago looked at the lecturer and said, ¡°He beat me up. All the ssmates have seen it. Now, I can¡¯t continue sharing a ss with him. He has seriously harassed Raeleigh to attend this ss. Raeleigh has developed insomnia in the evening and has begun to be mentally unstable. I don¡¯t want Raeleigh to be hurt by him here. Please teach him a lesson.¡±

    Raeleigh stood at the side, her face turning pale. This was the most shocking thing she had ever heard. Santiago had this kind of skill. He could turn white into ck and ck into white. This was something no one else could have done.

    The lecturer looked at the whole ss and asked, ¡°Is that so?¡±

    The lecturer survived by being in the good graces of the Richards Family. It was clear which was more important.

    The students were also afraid of Santiago. Santiago was a notorious devil incarnate. If anyone provoked him, then they would not be able to live on for the rest of their lives.

    Even though the Moore family had both power and influence, they couldn¡¯t stir up much trouble in their school. After all, this was the Richards family¡¯s school.

    Therefore, the students nodded one after another. The lecturer looked at Flynt and said, ¡°Flynt, why don¡¯t youe out with me now?¡±

    The lecturer had to care about her reputation and keep her job. Naturally, she had to find a suitable solution.

    He turned around and walked out of the ssroom. Flynt then stepped out and looked back at Santiago. He didn¡¯t say anything, but Raeleigh was clear that his gaze indicated that he wanted Santiago to wait and see.

    ¡°Raeleigh, arrange the lessons for your ssmates.¡± The lecturer looked back at Raeleigh, who froze for a moment as she knew that the lecturer was so polite to her that day.

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Raeleigh promised and looked at the students in the ss, ¡°Everyone, please make your way to your sses first and take out the books in your hands for revision.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, everyone obeyed her. Standing with Scarlette on one side, Santiago shook his head and thought, ¡°It is the second young master of the Richards family who is truly powerful.¡±

    They all sat down, but Santiago didn¡¯t. Raeleigh walked over and pulled him. ¡°Sit down.¡±

    Only then did Santiago sit down. The ssroom was quiet as well. Raeleigh was still sitting next to Santiago. The two of them had almost never talked to each other. However, at that moment, everyone¡¯s opinion of Raeleigh had changed. Perhaps, Raeleigh would be the future director of Elkton University.

    All the students were silent, and Raeleigh¡¯s existencepletely subverted everyone¡¯s assumptions of her.

    What kind of person was Santiago? He couldn¡¯t do anything. If he wanted to marry Raeleigh in the future, then who could control him?

    Even the Richards Group couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    The lecturer didn¡¯te back for a while and personally sent Flynt to other lecturers. In fact, she was a smart person. One ssroom can¡¯t have two troublemakers. It was good to separate them early on.

    As for the lecturers in other sses, it was three students¡¯ luck to get a student like Flynt, and they were very grateful to the lecturer of Raeleigh¡¯s ss.

    ¡°Students, take out your exercise books, and let¡¯s continue yesterday¡¯s topic, the structure principle of the car¡­¡±

    The lecturer gave a lecture at the front and Raeleigh began to listen to the lecture.

    Raeleigh had finished her exercises by the end of the day, while the lecturer thought highly of Raeleigh. After taking the exercise book, she called Raeleigh, ¡°Come with me.¡±

    After saying that, the lecturer left. Raeleigh took a look at Santiago and Scarlette. Then, she turned around and followed the lecturer out.

    The lecturer led Raeleigh to the principal¡¯s office. At two or three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, it was still the time when people came and went in the school, and there were more ssmates and lecturers.

    Raeleigh followed the lecturer to the principal¡¯s side. The lecturer knocked on the door and the voice of the principal came from the inside.

    ¡°Pleasee in.¡±

    Hearing the voice, the lecturer pushed the door open and went in. Then, Raeleigh followed her in.

    When she entered the room, Raeleigh was also surprised to see that only the principal was in the room.

    ¡°Come in. What can I do for you?¡± The principal, who was fiddling with the patterns in a basin of the office, was quite surprised to see Raeleigh. Raeleigh followed the lecturer and took out her notebook and handed it to the principal.

    The Principal stopped what he was doing, walked over to look at the notebook that Raeleigh had put down, took it, and opened it.

    ¡°When did this happen?¡± the principal asked. The lecturer said, ¡°This just happened recently. With Raeleigh¡¯s current abilities, she can advance to the senior grade ss. Although I really want her to remain in my ss, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair for her. I can¡¯t teach her anything anymore. I hope she can have a good professor to teach her.¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    As the Principal was sitting down and reading, she put down her notebook and looked at Raeleigh. She looked at the principal up and down and asked, ¡°Raeleigh, what¡¯s your opinion on this matter?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°I want to know. If I skip grades, will my diploma then be the same as other students¡¯?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s idea was simple. It was important to get her diploma.

 Chapter 1010 Calm Her Down

    ¡°It¡¯s a little differentpared to the others. You¡¯re better than the other students. After all, you¡¯re capable. You¡¯re the best among excellent students. Your skills are still superior.¡±

    Raeleigh was overjoyed by Mr. Horacio¡¯s exnation and immediately said, ¡°If I were to skip grades, then who would be my mentor?¡±

    ¡°We need to make other arrangements, but fret not, asyour lecturer is excellent. You can rest assured. Oh,and one more thing, If you are to skip grades, then we will arrange for you to carry out some entry-level designs. These designs will be given to the Richards Group. You have to consider this point clearly. This is also a tradition passed down from previous generations at Elkton University.¡±

    ¡°Think about it. If you choose to skip grades, then all the expenses you paid for the past few years will be waived, and you will have the chance to study abroad.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that the designs you made during this period of time will bepletely owned by the Richards Group. That is to say thatif one day you graduate from Elkton Universityand your choice of employment is not the Richards Group, then all your designs will still be rightfully theirs. Copyright infringements are not allowed. You need to consider it carefully.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to think about it. I agree with the conditions. Please make necessary arrangements for my transfer.¡± Raeleigh curtseyed to the principal politely and expressed her gratitude. Mr. Horacio was very gratified. If one day, she could be one of the masters of Elkton University, then perhaps it was a good thing. As for the Richards family, they also needed such a wise and broad-minded leader.¡±

    Mr. Horacio picked up the phone and made a phone call. ¡°Please check to see if there are any part-time professors avable, I have a special student.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I understand.¡±

    Mr. Horacio put down the phone and looked at Raeleigh, saying, ¡°I¡¯m not sure which mentor will be taking you under their wing, but I hope you can pass the exams. After passing the exam, your mentor will personally guide you. He has to take a step to inspect you in advance, but I¡¯m not sure when he will appear,or if he may appear at all, observing you from afar. I wish you all the best. I hope you will be the pride of Elkton University.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Mr. Horacio and asked hesitantly, ¡°Besides me, are there many students like me in the school?¡±

    ¡°In the past twenty years, there were countless designers like you. I know sixteen of them. Six of them have reached the standard of international designers, but they have not left the Richards Group. Three of them have left the Richards Group. They are now working inpanies of their choice.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t stop you from going to otherpanies, and we won¡¯t cut your sry if you stay. In fact, none of the designers who graduated from Elkton University is treated any worse than me. The president of the Richards Group is a legend, especially Mrs. Richards. If you¡¯re lucky enough to meet her, it will be a historical moment.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson¡¯s mother?¡± Raeleigh asked spontaneously. Horacio nodded. He could already guess the progress of the rtionship between Raeleigh and Jepherson. If they didn¡¯t have a good rtionship, then she wouldn¡¯t have just blurted out the word ¡®Jepherson¡¯.

    ¡°Jepherson is also a designer. He also skipped a grade. Was he guided by anyone?¡± Raeleigh asked. It was very strange. Who would take Jepherson with them?

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t taught by anyone. His grades were the best in the school. He even explored the international market. We gave him an opportunity. He received an international award andimmediately graduated.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Mr. Horacio and said, ¡°If I also get an international award, can I then directlygraduate?¡±

    Horacio nodded and said, ¡°You can say so.¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    After hearing his words, Raeleigh thanked her principal with gratitude. ¡°Thank you very much. I¡¯m grateful for what you¡¯ve done.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Your talent is your own ability. I don¡¯t know why the previous lecturer didn¡¯t mention this matter. I¡¯m also lucky to meet you. This is my honor.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    After Raeleigh thanked him,they headed out of the room. After talking with each other for a while, Raeleigh went back to her dorm.

    Raeleigh was so excited that sheimmediatelycalled her grandmother.

    Novalie was pleased to hear that. Raeleigh calmed down, and they chatted for a while. She hung up the phone and went back to her bedroom.

    She pushed the door open and went inside to tell the good news to Scarlette. With a disappointed face, Scarlette said, ¡°You¡¯re alright now. You¡¯re a designer while I¡¯m nothing.¡±

    She was neither too surprised, nor was she angry. She just pretended toin, lying in bed. Raeleigh sat down and said, ¡°You¡¯re not even a designer. You don¡¯t even know how to sketch drawings. How can you possibly skip grades?¡±

    Scarlette sat up and said, ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want to design. If I want to, then it won¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    ¡°I believe in you.¡± Raeleigh found it funny,and she did not want to expose her.

    On the opposite side, Santiago had fallen asleep and was lying on Raeleigh¡¯s bed.

    Raeleigh was still very excited and continued talking to Scarlette. Scarletteughed. ¡°Of course, if you want to be a designer, then you can tell Jepherson. He will give you everything.¡±

    ¡°How is it the same?¡± Raeleigh asked. She was happy that she got it by herself. But if it was given to her by Jepherson, then it made no sense.

    Scarlette pursed her lips in confusion.¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything different about it. If you marry him in the future, then you¡¯ll be the chief designer of the Richards Group.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I want.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s insistence was out of the ordinary. Scarlette was impressed by her abilities. Shewas certain and had no idea why Raeleigh would not go through a shortcut to achieve what she wanted and insisted on taking a detour.

    Scarlette nced at Raeleigh,y down, and said, ¡°Santiago will take us out for dinnerter. What would you like to eat?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I want to eat. I¡¯m a little excited. I want to go out for a walk.¡± Raeleigh was a little bit overwhelmed in the room.

    ¡°I think you¡¯d better not go out now. It¡¯s chaotic out there. Why don¡¯t you stay here and y a few games with meor two rounds of poker? In that case¡­ Is that alright?¡±

    Scarlette¡¯sindirect words implied that Raeleigh should pay for what she took from her.

    Raeleigh looked at her and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll y games with you.¡±

    ¡°We can y poker too.¡± Scarlette was worried about the money she had lost asit wasn¡¯t easy for her to make money either.

    Raeleigh did not think too much. She thought that it would be really embarrassing if she met Zorion and Deanna when she went out. It was better not to go out.

    That was why she did not go out. As for ying games, that was to calm her dowpletely.

 Chapter 1011 Enraged Santiago

    Raeleigh switched on herptop and sat by Scarlette¡¯s side. Scarlette took a long time before she shifted in her seat, took out herptop, and reluctantly started the game, inwardlyining. She was dissatisfied with the fact that Raeleigh did not spare her a single cent after she had won the money. Raeleigh thought for a while and said, ¡°I gave all the money to Jepherson. I asked him to transfer the money to your wages to reward you.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh told her about it in a text message, so she didn¡¯t know about it.

    Scarlette looked at Raeleigh beforeasking in a stiff manner, ¡°Did you give the money back to Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not my money. I don¡¯t have to take it.¡±

    Scarlette slowly moved away.¡°Then, there¡¯s even less chance of getting it back.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at her.¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Just because he treats you nicely,it doesn¡¯t mean he treats the whole world the same. That¡¯s impossible. The reason he¡¯s good to you is that he likes you. He doesn¡¯t like us. How is he going to return the money to us? What do you think of this logic?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer Scarlette¡¯s question, but she did not think so.

    It was as if Scarlette had suggested that Jepherson was an awful person.

    After ying for a while, Santiago woke up from the other side and sat down for a while. He got up and called for the two of them to eat together. The three of them then went out to have a meal.

    Out of the room, Raeleigh followed Santiago and Scarlette. She was about to get into the car when she saw Deanna and Zorion at the gate. Deanna was looking at Raeleigh¡¯s car that was snatched away by Santiago. She seemed to like it very much.

    ¡°Zorion, it¡¯s so beautiful.¡± Deanna liked Raeleigh¡¯s car.

    ¡°It¡¯s the one designed by Raeleigh.¡± Zorion could tell at a nce. Initially, he also wanted one, but there were only ny-nine of them, so he did not get to buy it.

    Deanna froze for a moment, and she then turned around and left. When she turned around and saw Raeleigh with the others, she stopped and looked at them with a displeased expression.

    Raeleigh was silent throughout the encounter. Since Deanna didn¡¯t like her, it was better not to talk to her.

    Santiago merely paused for a moment before walking over to the car. He opened the door and got in. Raeleigh and Scarlette then sat down in the backseat.

    After they left, Deanna asked, ¡°Is that Santiago¡¯s car?¡±

    ¡°I think so.¡± Zorion turned around and went to his car with Deanna. They got into the car, and Zorion sat aside in a daze.

    Since thest incident, Zorion rarely smiled, as if he didn¡¯t know how to smile.

    The siblings got in the car and drove towards their favorite restaurant. On the way there, they met Raeleigh and the others again. They got out of the car, and so did Raeleigh. They went there one after another, arriving at the restaurant.

    Raeleigh was thest to get out the car. When she did, she happened to see Deannaing out of the car.

    Deanna felt ufortable when she saw Raeleigh, but when she saw Santiago, herface was filled with an unpleasant fury.

    ¡°Zorion, let¡¯s go.¡± Deanna pulled Zorion¡¯s arm and stepped into a private dining room. Scarlette sarcastically told Raeleigh, ¡°Raeleigh, look at them. Some people really have a bad conscience. It¡¯s useless no matter what you do.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing and put herself in her shoes. If Scarlette took Jepherson away,then she would never forgive Scarlette for the rest of her life.

    Since they were good friends, they couldn¡¯t bear it. If it were to be someone else, then the gains and losses would not be so heavy.

    They went in one after another, goingto their own private dining rooms on both sides to have dinner. As soon as they entered the room, they saw Flynting out. Without saying a word, Flynt turned around and left.

    Santiago did not like Flynt at all. He intended to turn around, but Raeleighstopped him.¡°Forget it.¡±

    Santiago then went back in.

    After having dinner, Raeleigh was afraid of running into Deanna and the others, so she wanted to go back early. Santiago said that he needed to visit the washroomwhile Raeleigh and Scarlette waited in the room. Just as they were waiting, a few people broke into the room. They walked towards Raeleigh. Scarlette knew that something bad was bound to happen and that Hadrian was outside, so she called out for him. ¡°Hadrian!¡±

    A few people blocked Hadrian¡¯s way from the outside. Raeleigh took out her cell phone and called Santiago. As a result, she was knocked out by someone as soon as she got through the call.

    Scarlette was also restrained by the others. Raeleigh was covered with a coat by several people and was dragged out.

    The room soon became chaotic. As Santiago walked towards the room, he saw Raeleigh being pulled outside. He did not hesitate to jump down directly from the stairs. At that time, the whole restaurant was in chaos.

    ¡°Let her go.¡± Santiago blocked the door. The men who were carrying Raeleigh exchanged a few looks. They did not let her go.Instead, theycracked their knuckles and warmed up their muscles as theyintended to have a fight with Santiago.

    ¡°Zorion.¡± Deanna came out of the room and saw the chaos outside their room. She turned back to notify Zorion. At that time, Zorion was making a phone call. Upon seeing Deanna¡¯s troubled expression, he came out of the room to observe the chaos going on outside. He immediately pulled Deanna down the stairs.

    When they arrived downstairs, Zorion¡¯s face darkened.¡°Who are you all?¡±

    No one answered. Raeleigh struggled for a while, and Zorion¡¯s people also came in through the door.

    ¡°Young Master.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let go of anyone.¡± Zorion kept Deanna behind him. His eyes became sharper, and his face was as cold as ice.

    The men soon began to fight with the people who were holding Raeleigh captive. Before Santiago could even make a move, Zorion¡¯s men had already pressed the kidnappers to the ground.

    Seeing Raeleigh released by them, Santiago walked over and pulled Raeleigh to his side. He inspected carefullyto make sure she was finebefore ring at those in front of him.

    Deanna couldn¡¯t bear to see Santiago that way. She came out from behind Zorion and walked over to face Santiago. Her eyes fell on Santiago like knives. ¡°Why are you holding her so tightly? Do you also like Raeleigh?¡±

    Hearing what she said, Raeleigh froze for a moment and then pulled her hand away.

    ¡°Madness.¡± Santiago gave Deanna a look and nced at the few people who were subdued in front of him. He walked out and stood in front of them, asking, ¡°Why did youe here to kidnap Raeleigh? Who sent you?¡±

    No one spoke, and all the customers also ran out. The manager of the restaurant immediately came out to apologize. Santiago ignored him and picked up a chair on one side, flinging it towards a person¡¯s head. It did not matter who it was. His demeanor was no different from that of a troubled teenager, arrogant and malicious!

    The man lost his bnce and fell to the ground, with blood flowing all over the floor.

    Deanna was so scared that she hid behind Zorion. Raeleigh stood still.

    Zorion pulled Deanna over and pressed Raeleigh¡¯s head against him. He shielded Deanna with his body while he put Raeleigh¡¯s head against his shoulder, protecting them from the bloody scene that unfolded before them.

    Zorion had arge group of people with him and upied the entire restaurant.

    Santiago was inside. A dozen people were standing in the middle, and so were Scarlette and Hadrian.

    Not to mention Raeleigh and Deanna, even Scarlette was afraid of Santiago, as if he were a devil. She was so scared that she hid behind Hadrian.

 Chapter 1012

    Hadrian held Scarlette¡¯s hand, trying to reassure her.

    The corners of Santiago¡¯s mouth curled up into a smile. It was as if he was a highly infectious disease, which was something that could not be ignored.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again, who sent you here?¡± Santiago asked, standing by the side. He stared at the people around him, but no one said anything. He stopped asking and continuedto fling the chair violently, until all of them were lying on the ground, bleeding all over. Only then did he throw the chair to the ground, and ncing at Scarlette and Hadrian, before turning around to walk towards Raeleigh. He pulled Zorion aside and walked out of the restaurant, holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand.

    At first, Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to look at the ground, but when she went out, she happened to notice a lot of people lying in a pool of blood on the ground. For a moment, Raeleigh¡¯s face turned pale, and she waspletely frightened. Her palms broke out in cold sweat from the nervousness as she recalled the scene when the fire started in the orphanage.

    Raeleigh grabbed Santiago¡¯s hands tightly.¡°No, don¡¯t leave¡­¡±

    Santiago turned around. Raeleigh was shrinking in fear as she held his hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Santiago looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh kept shaking her head.¡°No, don¡¯t go¡­¡±

    Scarlette and Hadrian came to Raeleigh¡¯s side. Raeleigh loosened her grip and covered her eyes, crouching on the ground, not daring to get up.

    Santiago squatted down and looked at her.¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Were you shocked?¡± Scarlette also squatted down and asked. Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything. mes filled her eyes. Scenes of dying people crossed her vision.

    Santiago pulled Raeleigh in his arms and held her tightly.¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s alright.¡±

    Santiago stood to his feet and carried Raeleigh. He turned around and walked to the door. Raeleigh didn¡¯t dare to look at him. She covered her eyes with both hands. She only knew that too many people had died.

    When they got in the car, Santiago immediately drove Raeleigh to the hospital, but when they arrived at the hospital, Raeleigh was already fine. Itwas obvious she had calmed down from the way she spoke.

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Santiago looked at Raeleigh with a displeased expression. She seemed to be a different person just then, as if she had been possessed by an evil spirit.

    Lifting his eyebrows, Santiago did not trust her and scanned her up and down.

    Raeleigh nodded.¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡±

    Santiago took a look at the time. It was already ten o¡¯clock at night.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a check up, since we¡¯re already here.¡± Santiago did not feel that it was a waste of time. He asked the doctor to arrange Raeleigh for a full-body examination.

    After the results were released, Santiago came out and sat outside to have a look. The results turned out fine. Raeleigh was in good health.

    Santiago put away the report in his hand, turned around, and left with Raeleigh.

    As soon as he got out through the door, he saw Zorion¡¯s car parked at the gate. He stopped for a moment and returned to the car, seemingly unperturbed as he drove back to school.

    ¡°Zorion, is there anything wrong with Raeleigh? I think she seems to be triggered by something.¡± Seeing Raeleighing out, Deanna could not help asking. Zorion did not answer but fixed his eyes on Scarlette and Hadrian, who followed after the two.

    Only then did he drive away and went back to the Whalen residence.

    After getting out of the car, Zorion took out his cell phone and called his men.¡°Check where Flynt is. Send a few people to the Moore family residence to stand watch. Find his second sister too. Cut off her little finger and send it to him.¡±

    The phone was then put down by Zorion. Deanna was a little scared. ¡°Zorion, aren¡¯t you being too cruel?¡±

    Zorion turned to look at Deanna.¡°Don¡¯t they think it was cruel when they kidnapped Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is fine, but you want to cut off his sister¡¯s finger. If it were me, what would you do if someone else cut off my pinky?¡±

    Zorion was stunned. He had not thought of that problem. He looked at Deanna, staying silent for a second, before saying, ¡°Some things are not how you think. The world is not ck or white. In fact, it¡¯s gray. Deanna, you¡¯re not young anymore. In the past, I have always taken care of you, protecting you from being tainted in this world. I didn¡¯t let you know how cruel this world is. Do you still remember? You were taken away when you were younger. Those people took you away because they thought that you were beautiful. You were so beautiful as a child that it caused people around you to have evil intentions. Our family is also kind, but the world is too contaminated. Even children won¡¯t be spared.¡±

    Deanna pulled him back. As they walked, she said, ¡°I understand. I know all of you have protected me, andI know that you have good intentions. You punished the bad guys because they did terrible stuff. But Zorion¡­ can you not hurt Flynt¡¯s second sister this time?She¡¯s his sister, and the person whomitted the misdeed is Flynt. It¡¯s not fair to hurt her and make her lose her fingers. In the future, she will have a hard time with her inws and be looked down upon. If you offend someone, then others will alsoe for me. What should I do?¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    Deanna didn¡¯t wish to have an awful brother. She wanted Zorion to be a good man.

    How could Zorion not know what she was thinking?

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll listen to you this time. It won¡¯t be like this the next time.¡± Zorion kept to his word, took out his cell phone and called his men. He told them that they did not have to cut off Flynt¡¯s sister¡¯s finger.

    After making the phone call, Zorion returned to the vi with Deanna. Sitting down, Zorion recalled what had happened during the day and felt that something was amiss.

    Deanna also said, ¡°Zorion, do you think something has happened to Raeleigh? Look at her. She seems to be triggered.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll send someone to check on it.¡± Zorion made another phone call. Deanna sat on one side and waited for Zorion to finish talking on the phone. She then asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that Santiago is being too excessive?¡±

    Zorion did not speak at first. Of course, he knew what his sister was asking, and that was why he said nothing.

    ¡°What do you mean by him going too far?¡± However, when he saw the hopeful gaze on her expression, he still couldn¡¯t help but to speak.

    Deanna thought for a moment and said, ¡°Pulling and tugging Raeleigh. You know Raeleigh¡¯s character. She can do anything. She doesn¡¯t have that many thoughts. She¡¯s just not smart enough.¡±

    Zorion¡¯s eyes twitched.Just who in the world was that stupid?

    Knowing that Deanna had the wrong idea, Raeleigh was not the kind of person who was clueless. She was like a rock with no feelings.

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Even if Raeleigh is not with you now, she¡¯s still Jepherson¡¯s girlfriend. Then, what is Santiago doing? Why does he keep holding onto Raeleigh?¡±

    The more Deanna spoke, the angrier she became.¡°I¡¯m not sure if Jepherson knows about this matter. Zorion, I¡¯m going to tell Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Tell him what?¡± Zorion was amused by his silly sister.

    ¡°Tell Jepherson about Santiago¡¯s actions and that he needs to be wary of him,¡± Deanna said as she rose to her feet. She did as she pleased, but Zorion pulled her back without hesitation.

    Zorion was also very concerned about his silly sister!

    ¡°Deanna, listen to me. This has nothing to do with us. It¡¯s not necessary to tell Jepherson, and¡­¡±

    Zorion felt quite helpless. Deanna was in a dilemma.¡°And what?¡±

 Chapter 1013 Exchange Cars

    Deanna waited for a long time before Zorion answered, ¡°Our rtionship with Jepherson is not the same as before, especially you.You don¡¯t get along well with Raeleigh because of her rtionship with Jepherson. You can tell Jepherson about what happened to Santiago. Jepherson may not believe it. Compared to us, Jepherson trusts Santiago, but not you and me.¡±

    Zorion didn¡¯t want to hurt Deanna, but there were still some words he had to say. Otherwise, her sister would be digging her own grave.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it?¡± Deanna looked at him seriously. It might be more useful for Zorion to say it. Even if he and Jepherson held a grudge because of Raeleigh, Jephersom would still listen to him. At the very least, he would believe him, but the question was, was it necessary?

    It was strange for Santiago, who had just returned from abroad, to show up out of the blue.

    Who knew if it was Jepherson¡¯s idea. He put his younger brother in school to watch over and protect Raeleigh.

    Scarlette and Hadrian were both Jepherson¡¯s subordinates, but Raeleigh was harmed over and over again. That was a fact.

    Jepherson must have been anxious. He had no time to take care of Raeleigh, and it was not appropriate for him to reveal Raeleigh¡¯s identity, so it was possible for him to call Santiago back from abroad.

    Jepherson¡¯s temper was something that he was well aware of. To put it bluntly, he was a paranoid person.

    Aside from Santiago, perhaps he had never trusted anyone else.

    Everything was obvious, but Zorion didn¡¯t want to hurt his sister¡¯s feelings. He said, ¡°It¡¯s inappropriate for me to intervene in this matter. Why don¡¯t we wait till the day we meet up with him? I¡¯ll remind him, and if Jepherson is willing to listen, then that is the best case scenario. If he refuses, then we can only continue to go on with our lives. But no matter what, we shouldn¡¯t be bothered by it. Since we decided to give up, it doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s go ahead and don¡¯t mind them, shall we?¡±

    Zorion tried to coax Deanna. At first, she didn¡¯t answer, but when she thought of Jepherson, she still felt somewhat sorrowful. After all, she had a crush on him since childhood. She had always thought that they liked each other. But one day, she couldn¡¯t like him anymore andwas then reced. It was really ufortable for Deanna to ept it.

    Deanna nodded reluctantly and she then said, ¡°Can I be friends with Raeleigh again?¡±

    It took half a day for Deanna to look up at Zorion. Zorion raised his hand and touched her head.¡°As long as you want to, I think Raeleigh will be d to ept it, but now¡¯s not the time. You have to think it over carefully.¡±

    ¡°And there¡¯s no hurry this time. Since you and I decided to quit, we won¡¯t disturb them. It¡¯s their business no matter how their rtionship progresses, alright?¡±

    Zorion was still consoling Deanna. Everything he did was carried out in every possible way.

    Deanna nodded and said, ¡°Actually, I know this well, but I just can¡¯t control my feelings. Zorion, don¡¯t you think that Santiago is going too far? What right does he have to hold Raeleigh¡¯s hand? Even if Jepherson wants him to do something, he¡¯s Jepherson¡¯s younger brother. He can¡¯t act in such a disrespectful manner. It¡¯s improper for men and women to touch each other. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    The moment she thought of how Santiago held Raeleigh¡¯s hand, Deanna was fuming with anger.

    ¡°Deanna, tell me, did you treat Santiago this way in the past?¡± Zorion thought about it very seriously. Although his sister also didn¡¯t like Santiago very much, she wouldn¡¯t always talk about him. But then, it was different. He had a feeling that she would mention him every day those days.

    ¡°The past?¡± Deanna could no longer remember the past, but she would try to remember the past if she had to.

    After thinking for a while, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember how he was like in the past, and I don¡¯t remember how I treated him. But do you remember that when Santiago was a child, he was a yboy? He liked to y around with women. Have you forgotten?¡±

    ¡°Deanna, Santiago is not that kind of person.Although a lot of people say that,it¡¯s just a rumor. If Santiago is really such a shocking person, then you¡¯re the one who has to be worried. Some passers-by had evil intentions towards your beauty when you were a child, and they wanted to take you away. How could Santiago let go of such a chance?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not a vulgar person. He disdains most women. I¡¯ve never seen him seduce any woman. The rumors were wrong, and it¡¯s those women who clung on to him. And the truth was twisted when the rumor was spread.¡±

    ¡°Zorion, how could you say that? Didn¡¯t you see how Santiago held Raeleigh¡¯s hand?¡± Deanna was still unsatisfied.

    Zorion smiled and said, ¡°I hold your hand every day. There are also people talking about our rtionship outside. Have you ever cared about that?¡±

    Deanna widened her eyes.¡°What? When?¡±

    Zorionughed and raised his hand to pinch her face.¡°Don¡¯t you think I¡¯d be the first to know if there really are such rumors?¡±

    ¡°It is what it is. I just ignored it.¡±

    Deanna pulled a long face.¡°So what? How can we bepared to Santiago?¡±

    ¡°Deanna, I¡¯m only asking you, do you still have the same feelings towards Santiago in the pastpared to the present?¡± Zorion knew that in the Richards family, Jepherson was the master of the family. But it didn¡¯t mean that the second son was easy to deal with.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    Children were molded and nurtured by their parents. What kind of person was Hansen? There was no reason to favor the eldest son only and ignore the second son.

    Zorion remembered clearly that when he was a child, Santiago was the apple of Hansen¡¯seyes. Wherever he went, he would hold him in his arms. When he was about six years old, he still held him in his arms whenever he got out of the car. It implied that Santiago help a special ce in Hansen¡¯s heart.

    As for why he turned out that way then, there must have been some unknown reason.

    Deanna thought about it and said, ¡°In the past, I don¡¯t remember, but now that I see him, I¡¯m annoyed.¡±

    ¡°Then, why do you mention him all the time?¡±

    ¡°What he did is so annoying. Raeleigh is Jepherson¡¯s girlfriend. He¡¯s not qualified to hold Raeleigh¡¯s hand. I¡¯m just pissed off.¡±

    Even Deanna did not know what was going on. She was just angry. Even if she didn¡¯t see it, she was still angry, what more when it happened in front of her eyes.

    Zorion thought for a moment before asking, ¡°Did you start hating him since that time?¡±

    ¡°When?¡± Deanna looked at Zorion. Zorion said, ¡°During that time when I was sick. You fought with him thest time he came. You were so agitated that you fainted. Did you forget?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I remember.At that time, he was so annoying.¡± Deanna leaned to one side, and the corners of her mouth curled up as she spoke.

    Zorion looked at his sister, holding his chin.¡°Why did you hate Santiago when you were young? He was cute when he was young, and he even called you his younger sister, following behind you.¡±

    ¡°Zorion¡­¡± Upon hearing that Santiago referred to her as his younger sister, Deanna immediately became unhappy. She widened her big eyes. Zorionughed and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s so young. Why did he call me his younger sister? He should be addressing me as his elder sister. That¡¯s too outrageous.¡± Deanna was really young at that time, though Santiago was younger than her. The problem was, Santiago was obviously younger than her, but he followed her and called her his younger sister. How irritating was that!

    Zorion remained silent. After a long while, he said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing much to it. It¡¯s just the way he regarded you.¡±

    ¡°Zorion¡­¡±

    Deanna pulled a long sigh again, but Zorion was in a good mood. He got up and walked aside. He asked the servant to bring over some fruits, requesting an apple for Deanna. He said, ¡°Compared to him, we¡¯re just two years older than him, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big deal. And seeing your personality, you¡¯re not that mature either, so I don¡¯t see the wrong in that?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t talk to you anymore.¡± Deanna became angry as she walked up the stairs. The more she spoke, the angrier she became.

    Zorion stood downstairs and took a bite of the apple in his hand. He watchedwith a smile on his face asDeanna returned to her room, and he then turned to the window. While eating the apple, he stood at the window with his hand in his pocket,his eyes deeply locked towards a big tree outside.

    He recalled that when Santiago was a child, he had always looked down on him.

    Before they knew it, they had all grown up.

    After eating the apple, Zorion called Santiago and asked him toe to his home for some help.

    Santiago answered the call and checked the time. It was already dark.Scarlette and Raeleigh were having a rest. Santiago came out of the room and closed the door.

    He went outside and told the guards to be careful,and then, he left.

    He was the one who drove Raeleigh¡¯s car. When he got inside, Santiago directly drove the car to the Whalen residence. The butler of the Whalen family stood by the door. When Santiago came, he immediately opened the door for him.

    Santiago had intended to park the car outside. When the gate opened, he drove the car directly into the yard. After parking the car, he pushed the dooropenand got out. Just as he arrived at the door, Zorion came out, eating an apple.

    Zorion had not been able to have a good meal recently, and he was trying to make up for hisck of nutrition.

    Not only was he eating an apple, he also took oneoutand threw it to Santiago.

    Santiago¡¯s reaction was swift. He lifted his hand just in time to catch the apple and took a bite, askingZorion, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re here just because I called you?¡± Zorion walked towards Santiago as he ate. Frowning, Santiago asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me toe over?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the one who called you here. Why didn¡¯t you ask me why I called you over?¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Santiago ate the apple and looked around.¡°What can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much. I¡¯ve taken a fancy to your car. You can choose any car in my garage. Let¡¯s exchange them.¡±

    Zorion said as he opened the door of the garage. He was still holding a remote control in his hand.

    Santiago looked back and as he ate,he said, ¡°The car belongs to Raeleigh. Jepherson gave it to her as a reward. It¡¯s from thepany.¡±

    It meant that he wouldn¡¯t exchange the car.

    Zorion nced at Santiago.¡°The car is now in your hands. Is it appropriate for you to say that it belongs to Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s not mine. I¡¯m just borrowing it. If there¡¯s nothing else, then I¡¯ll go first.¡±

    Santiago was about to turn around and leave when Zorion called out to him. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have a fight? If you win, then you can leave it in the car. If you lose, then you¡¯ll switch with me.¡±

    ¡°Boring!¡± Santiago strode towards the car, but before he could get to the front of the car, Zorion had already stood in front of him, blocking his way.

 Chapter 1014

    Santiago took a bite of the apple and stopped in his tracks. He looked at Zorion and asked, ¡°Are you deliberately trying to trick me into handing my car over?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that I¡¯m bullying you. I¡¯ve said that I¡¯ll give you a car in the garage.¡± Zorion¡¯s handsome face was amused.

    Ever since he was young, he liked Santiago. Even if Santiago was not respectful, he still liked him. That kind of affectionwas more than what he felt towards Jepherson.

    Santiago, who brought along disaster to the country and the people, seemed very impatient. He didn¡¯t leave after taking a bite off the apple. Instead, he went to sit on the hood of the car and continued munching on the apple.

    Zorion said, ¡°Weren¡¯t you very strong when you were a child? Do you not dare to fight me now that you¡¯ve grown up?¡±

    Santiago continued to eat the apple. His usually extremely arrogant face had a hint of suspicion. After he finished eating the apple, he threw the apple into the trash can and turned to look at Zorion. ¡°Tell me, what do you want me to do?¡±

    Santiago didn¡¯t like to fight with his own kind. If others hadn¡¯t made a mistake, then he wouldn¡¯t have made a move. They came into conflict on the university campus. To put it bluntly, it was all for others to see. Who was it for? For the Moore family. They wouldn¡¯t fight, even if they were given the chance to do so.

    Santiago¡¯s hands were propping up the cover of the car. His demeanor was enough to make anyone who looked at him spellbound.

    Zorion¡¯s smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes.¡°I want the car.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to give it to you.¡±

    Zorion was straightforward, and so was he. Santiago was that kind of person.

    ¡°In that case, I have no choice but to take away your car. After that, I won¡¯t give you the car again. Give me the keys.¡± Zorion was impolite to Santiago. The two apples he had gave him some strength. He stood in front of Santiago, waiting for him to hand over the keys.

    Santiago slowly stood there with his head slightly tilted to one side.¡°What if I refuse?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t give it to me, then I¡¯ll have to steal it.¡± Zorion raised his hand to grab Santiago. Santiago¡¯s figure was strong and vigorous. He turned around and evaded the attack. The two of themnded on the empty ground and assumed a stance.

    Santiago¡¯s brows furrowed.¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything. I just like your car. I won¡¯t hit you if you give me the car. If I have no choice, then I¡¯ll have to hit you.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me? I¡¯m not a kid. If you need a car,then go and look for Jepherson. I don¡¯t have a car, and this car is not mine.¡± Santiago turned around and was about to leave. Zorion moved his chin forward. Instantly, his men gathered around and blocked Santiago.

    Santiago turned around and looked at Zorion impatiently.¡°What exactly are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything. I only want the car. I¡¯ll leave you alone once you give it to me.¡± Zorion took a step forward. Santiago was irritated. Only then did the two of them make their move.

    When it came to fighting, Santiago was ustomed to it from a young age. However, he could not defeat Zorion and Jepherson. asionally, he could beat them.

    That day, Santiago went all out to fight with Zorion, but he still lost in the end.

    Zorion ced his hand on Santiago¡¯s throat.¡°Your skills have improved a lot. If you grow up after two years, then I won¡¯t necessarily be a match for you.¡±

    Zorion raised his hand and searched Santiago¡¯s body. He took away the keys from Santiago and put them in his pocket. Santiago said agitatedly, ¡°Don¡¯t be too arrogant. This car is not mine. It¡¯s none of my business if my brother hunts you down.¡±

    He turned around and went to the entre of Zorion¡¯s garage. When he entered the garage, he found a car that was to his satisfaction, and he then immediately drove away.

    Zorion ordered someone to close the door, took the keys, and turned back to the vi.

    The next day, Raeleigh saw Deanna driving her car from outside the school. Finally, she parked the car in the garage to prevent it from overheating in the sun. She cared for it very well.

    Raeleigh and Scarlette went to their sses. Scarlette asked cautiously, ¡°Mr. Santiago, isn¡¯t that Raeleigh¡¯s car?¡±

    ¡°I gave the car to Deanna,¡± Santiago said as he read his book, crossing his legs. He didn¡¯t even lift his head.

    Scarlette wanted to ask why, but she didn¡¯t dare to do so.

    Scarlette looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh did not pry. Since the car was not hers, there was no need to ask further. There were a lot of stories about rich and powerful families. Anything could happen. It was needless to make a fuss.

    Raeleigh received an application to skip a few grades after ss. The teacher asked Raeleigh to fill in the form. After she handed in the form, Raeleigh needed to prepare for it. She couldn¡¯t just transfer credits without putting in any effort.

    Raeleigh filled up the form and handed it to the teacher. Then, she went back to prepare for her application.

    Scarlette and Jepherson didn¡¯t attend the ss either. They both went back with Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh went back to the dormitory and read some information about transferring credits a few grades above. Then, she began to study.

    The date of her grade transfer was a weekter. Raeleigh felt that she had enough time to prepare. Right then, all she needed to do was to wait.

    The only thingcking was that Raeleigh would have to study in the dorm, and she could not keep her Grandmapany that weekend.

    Raeleigh needed to be prepared. She didn¡¯t want to miss such a good opportunity, so she didn¡¯t intend to waste her time on the way back.

    She calmed herself down and began to prepare for the application exam. However, at that time, Jepherson called her to pack up and make her way outside the school gates.

    ¡°I have an exam soon. I can¡¯t go out with you at this time.¡± Raeleigh was quite helpless. It was as if she had nothing else to do since she came to the school, apanying Jepherson to search for people. She didn¡¯t know who Jepherson was trying to find.

    ¡°Come down. I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡± After saying that, Jepherson hung up the phone. Scarlette immediately got up and sat up.¡°Raeleigh, are you going out?¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at Scarlette. She knew that there was no way to change Jepherson¡¯s mind, so she immediately got out of bed, packed her clothes and some books she needed, put her notebook in herputer bag, and was ready to leave.

    Raeleigh was fully prepared. Scarlette pulled Raeleigh over. ¡°Could you bring me with you?¡±

    Santiago opened his eyes and red at Scarlette.¡°Don¡¯t you understand what¡¯s going on? Raeleigh is going out with Jepherson. Why are you trying to follow them?¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Scarlette was speechless. She just wanted to tag along, and they wouldn¡¯t be sleeping together. What was wrong with that?

    Scarlette silenced her angry thoughts. She had no choice but to watch Raeleigh leave.

    Sending Raeleigh off to the door, Scarlette stood behind Santiago and pursed her lips. What was wrong with Mr. Jepherson? Why did he take Raeleigh away every now and then without considering her feelings?

    Jepherson was sitting in the car.Raeleigh bent over and got in. She put down theputer and her backpack.

    ¡°Why did you take so many things with you?¡± Jepherson looked at her ck backpack and thought that it must have been heavy.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to transfer grades. If I go out with you, then I don¡¯t know whether I can travel back and forth in time. It¡¯s either I stay with you for at most a week, or I won¡¯t go with you at all.¡± Raeleigh was very determined at that time. She couldn¡¯t waste such a good opportunity for the sake of Jepherson.

    Jepherson nodded.¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you do.¡±

 Chapter 1015 NineteenYearOld Sister

    The door closed, and the two of them got in the car. The car slowly drove away while Raeleigh took out a book to read,pletely ignoring Jepherson. Jepherson leaned over and raised his hand to hold Raeleigh¡¯s body. He lowered his head to read Raeleigh¡¯s book.

    Jepherson had never read those books before, but they looked very valuable. He kept Raeleighpany as she read for a while. However, after a while, Jepherson raised his head and leaned back against the chair. Raeleigh turned her head to look at Jepherson. He did not look well. Raeleigh put down the book and raised her hand to caress Jepherson¡¯s head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I feel a little ufortable. I feel dizzy.¡± Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand on him, leaning against the seat.

    Stuart said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson hasn¡¯t had a good rest in a while. He has been searching for information and looking at theputer. He probably got exposed to a lot of radiation. In addition, he¡¯s mentally and physically exhausted. The doctor also said that he has low blood sugar, so we need to pay attention to it.¡±

    ¡°Low blood sugar?¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t expect that a body like Jepherson¡¯s would have low blood sugar.

    She took a look at Stuart and then back at Jepherson. Jepherson was a man with a pale face. At that time, his face looked even paler. He looked as pale as a sheet of paper. It was bloodless and white, deathly white.

    ¡°Do you have any candy?¡± Raeleigh asked Stuart, who shook his head. Raeleigh said, ¡°Stop by a store. I¡¯ll buy some.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Stuart agreed and stopped by a supermarket. Raeleigh got out of the car with her wallet, turned around, and went inside. Jepherson saw that she hurried out after buying the candy. Raeleigh¡¯s face was red as she hurried back to the car.

    After getting in the car, Raeleigh closed the door, took out a piece of candy, and brought it close to Jepherson¡¯s lips.

    Jepherson did not open his mouth. His gaze was deep. He stared at Raeleigh, who was anxious from all the running, panting with her face red.

    Jepherson moved his body and approached Raeleigh. He held Raeleigh¡¯s head with both his hands, pressed his lips against hers, plundering Raeleigh¡¯s mouth with the tip of his tongue. Then, he took away the candy from Raeleigh¡¯s mouth.

    Stuart and the driver were both watching, and both of them were smiling.

    Jepherson pulled away and leaned against one side. Raeleigh ate the candy in her hands and took a piece of tissue to wipe her tender lips. Then, she leaned on the other side and said, ¡°You have low blood sugar. You should pay attention to it, or else, you¡¯ll get sick in the future. You work out constantly, so it¡¯s not easy for you to get this illness. You must have ack of rest and nutrition. You should pay attention to it.¡±

    Raeleigh said a few words, which made people feel as if she was nagging.

    Jepherson hummed from time to time. He squinted his eyes and didn¡¯t feel so ufortable anymore. He said to Raeleigh, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine after some adjustments.¡±

    Raeleigh also thought so, so she did not say anything more.

    They arrived at the airport after more than an hour. Raeleigh got out of the car and held Jepherson¡¯s hand.Her task was to follow Jepherson, and Stuart was responsible for making arrangements for the two of them.

    When they got on the ne, Raeleigh asked Jepherson, ¡°How old is the person you¡¯re looking for?¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson thought for a moment and said, ¡°Neen years old.¡±

    ¡°Neen years old?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him.¡°The same age as me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Are you looking for an orphan?¡± Raeleigh continued to ask. Jepherson nodded and said, ¡°She isn¡¯t an orphan. She has parents. It¡¯s just that we can¡¯t find her.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson without saying anything. She didn¡¯t understand what he meant. ¡°Is it someone from your family?¡±

    Jepherson did not reply immediately. He looked outside for a moment before nodding. ¡°It¡¯s a family member.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment.¡°Your brother?¡±

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I heard that it¡¯s my younger sister.¡±

    ¡°Younger sister?¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent for a while.¡°Were you looking for your younger sister all this while?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for her.¡±

    ¡°But no one in your family is looking for her?¡± Raeleigh asked with a strange look. Jepherson leaned towards the other side for a while.¡°At that time, I was very young. My mother was pregnant. She fell off a cliff due to an ident.¡±

    ¡°My mother lost her memory after that, and the child also died.¡±

    ¡°Everyone in my family thought so. It¡¯s a miracle for an adult to survive from such a high cliff, what more if it were a child?¡±

    ¡°It was normal for her to lose her child.¡±

    ¡°My mother didn¡¯t know what happened after that. When she woke up, her child was not with her.¡±

    ¡°What she meant by is that the child probably fell to her death.¡±

    ¡°But there was a huge question. The person who saved my mother told my great-grandmother that the baby was gone when my mother fell off the cliff and that my mother had fallen into aa. No one knew what happened during that time. At that time, my mother was in her third trimester of pregnancy. My father said that the baby would be alive if it had been born.¡±

    ¡°At that time, they believed the person who saved my mother. After that incident, it took a year for my father and mother to reunite. That person, whose name is Steffan, told my great-grandmother, Madam Lilian, that the child had passed due to the ident. But because of the child, my mother¡¯s uterus was damaged. He said that he had sent my mother abroad for treatment. So, in hindsight, my mother¡¯s uterus was saved.¡±

    ¡°These were what we gathered at that time. The man named Steffan was also a man from the car industry, and he was famous. But then, he suddenly disappearedpletelyfrom the sight of the Richards family.¡±

    ¡°This incident aroused my father¡¯s suspicions. He thought that he might have something to hide from us. Hence, my father began to look for him, but he never found him.¡±

    ¡°My mother underwent a physical examination.Santiago was not born yet. My father wanted a girl very much. ording to my father, when my mother fell off the cliff, the child in her womb was a girl.¡±

    ¡°During the examination, the doctor said that my mother¡¯s uterus was still in good condition. He also said that it was rare for a woman to have such a great uterus after giving birth to two children.¡±

    ¡°My father and mother were very surprised at the time. They asked the doctorand learned that a miscarriage was not the same as giving birth to a child. ording to the state of her uterus,the doctor could clearly see that she had given birth to two children.¡±

    ¡°This means that my mother¡¯s child was not a miscarriage, but in fact, she had been hidden by someone after she was born.¡±

    ¡°No matter what, my father was furious about this matter, but it was toote at that time asthe man named Steffan had disappeared.¡±

    ¡°This incident troubled my father for many years. After many investigations, he has never given up.¡±

    ¡°And I always feel like she¡¯s not dead, she must be in a corner of this world.¡±

 Chapter 1016 Sleeping by the River

    ¡°When I was fifteen, my father found a record of my mother¡¯s hospitalization in the hospital where my mother was admitted to after the fall. It wasclearlyrecorded that my mother had given birth to a girl and had bled badly. At that time, the child was born. All the staff heard the child crying. My mother was in aa and didn¡¯t wake up. After that, no one knew where the child went. I went to visit the head nurse to inquire. She remembered that the child was still alive when she was taken away. As for where the child was sent to, there was an orphanage at that time,so she asked me to check with the orphanage.¡±

    ¡°I went there. They indeed took in a girl that day. The girl¡¯s name could not be retrieved, but there was indeed a girl who was sent to the orphanage that same day.¡±

    ¡°The orphanage could no longer take care of the children because of financial problems. Three yearster, the orphanage sent away more than sixty children to other orphanages across the country, so I want to find her, no matter if she¡¯s dead or alive.¡±

    Raeleigh leaned against one side of the seat and remained silent. She could not remember what had happened to her when she was a child,nor did she remember whether there was a three-year-old child sent to their orphanage.

    After saying that, Jepherson leaned against the side for a while. Seeing that Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything, he leaned in to kiss her.

    Raeleigh smiled. ¡°You will find her.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette is the same age as you. Stuart and Hadrian are about the same age as me. They¡¯re all children my father brought back, and every one of them is an orphan.¡±

    Jepherson talked andughed, looking at the outside of the ne. Raeleigh could see that he was looking forward to finding his sister. She put her hand over Jepherson¡¯s and held his hand.¡°I hope you will find her.¡±

    ¡°I hope so too, but the road ahead is vast. I don¡¯t even know if she has any special markings on her body, so how am I supposed to look for her?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been looking for her for so long, and I believe that you can sense her when the timees.¡± Raeleigh smiled, but Jepherson suddenly said, ¡°Among all the girls, I only have an impulsive desire to protect you. Everyone else is like the passing of clouds and smoke. I don¡¯t care about them. Even if it was Scarlette or Deanna, I never had such a desire as I have for you. Are you the one?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment,and she then burst intoughter.¡°Look at me, am I the one?¡±

    Jepherson shook his head and said, ¡°If you aren¡¯t, then who will be by my side to spend this lifetime?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face was full of amusement. He raised his hand and held Raeleigh in his arms. Raeleighy on top of him. She raised her hand and gently stroked Jepherson¡¯s chest. For some reason, she was a little worried.

    ¡°You¡¯ve searched in so many ces. Have you ever searched the orphanage in Capital City? There are also many orphanages in Capital City.¡± Raeleigh looked up and asked Jepherson. Jepherson nodded and said, ¡°I did. But I found out that there was only one orphanage that adopted one girl from that orphanage.¡±

    ¡°But it was a few years ago, just as we were about to inquire, the orphanage burned down. Everyone died.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s hand moved slightly, and was close to trembling. She looked out of the window worriedly. She wanted to say something, but she couldn¡¯t.

    She believed in Jepherson, but most of the time, she also doubted her own self. What if¡­

    Raeleigh gently breathed and sighed. Jepherson looked at her and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll find her. I¡¯ll find that man named Steffan. I¡¯ll find him and ask him why he did that and why he lied to my parents.¡±

    Raeleigh turned slowly to look at Jepherson.¡°What if we can¡¯t find him?¡±

    ¡°If I can¡¯t find him in this lifetime, then I¡¯ll find him in the next lifetime. There will be a day where I can find him. I refuse to believe that he will vanish from the face of this world unless he has died.¡±

    Raeleigh was surprised by Jepherson¡¯s determination, but she didn¡¯t say anything. She just leaned against Jepherson¡¯s arms.

    After they got off the ne, Jepherson firstnded in the hotel he had booked and rested for a day. In the evening, he took Raeleigh out for a stroll.

    There was some distance from the airport to their destination. The three of them took a taxi to the orphanage. When they arrived at the gate, Jepherson got out of the car and knocked on the door. The orphanage was still open at that hour. Soon, there were guardsing out of the gates. When they saw the both of them, they thought that the couple were there to adopt a child, so they immediately said, ¡°The director is taking a break. If you want to adopt a child, then you cane back tomorrow. It¡¯s not convenient for you to see the children at night.¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a moment and looked over to Jepherson¡¯s side. He didn¡¯t add anything else but just said, ¡°In that case, we¡¯lle tomorrow. My apologies for having troubled you all.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Jepherson did not enter the orphanage and took Raeleigh around other ces. The orphanage was located near the suburbs,and it was far from the city center. After walking for a while, Raeleigh stopped and stared at the small river in front of her. Jepherson sensed that Raeleigh liked it, so he took her there. At around ten o¡¯clock, there was no one by the river. Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and walked for a while before finding a ce to rest. They sat together, basking in the cold weather, with Raeleigh leaning against Jepherson¡¯s arms while Jepherson gently patted Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder. Raeleigh said, ¡°Will you be unhappy that I have so many secrets in my heart? Would you mind that?¡±

    ¡°How would I? Everyone has an undisclosed story in their hearts. Some are unspeakable, and no one can force you to do so. If you¡¯re willing, then you can tell me. If you¡¯re not willing to, then there¡¯s no need to say it out loud. I¡¯m noting for your secret.¡±

    As Jepherson spoke, Raeleigh lifted her head to look at him. Under the moonlight, she could clearly see Jepehrson¡¯s deep and bright eyes. Raeleigh was somewhat dazed. She turned her face away, feeling quite amused and helpless.

    It was funny that she could actually meet a devoted man like Jepherson among all the men in the world. She felt helpless because their identities were tooplicated. She did not know how to ept it and how to be with him for the rest of their lifetimes.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    They were destined to have a hard time in the future, no matter what they had experienced.

    Jephersony down with Raeleigh in his arms. The heat on his body was enough to keep Raeleigh warm until dawn. Stuart stepped back to avoid them. Even if they didn¡¯t do anything, it was not wise to watch Jepherson lying on the ground with a woman in his arms.

    So, he took a few steps back and found a ce to lie down, where he would not disturb Jepherson and Raeleigh.

    ¡°Raeleigh, is there anything about me that you¡¯re not satisfied with?¡± Jephersony quietly, holding Raeleigh in his arms. They listened to the flowing river and enjoyed the outdoor breeze.

    Raeleigh held Jepherson¡¯s waist. She had nothing to be dissatisfied with. Now that they were together, she just considered whether they could be together or not. As for whether it was a good or bad choice, she pushed it to the back of her mind.

    But Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to say anything. She was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

    Jepherson could neither wait for Raeleigh¡¯s answer, nor did he press on. He closed his eyes and hugged their bodies together with his jacket. He turned over and hugged Raeleigh tightly. The two of them fell into another dream with their pillows against the moonlight.

 Chapter 1017 Obtain the Record Book

    Raeleigh had never been so relieved, as if she would not have any worries as long as she was with Jepherson, and she slept uninterrupted until the next morning.

    When she woke up in the morning, Jepherson was not by her side. Raeleigh stood up and realized that there were burnt marks on the ground nearby. Raeleigh looked at it. The little brook was still flowing. It was damp everywhere. The previous night, she had not been woken up by the dampness. It seemed that Jepherson had woken up in the middle of the night to make a fire. That was why she was not woken up by the cold.

    Raeleigh stood up and looked around for Jepherson. Finally, she found him at the river head. Jepherson was standing beside the river, watching it. Hearing Raeleigh¡¯s footsteps, he nced at her and said, ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±

    ¡°Why did youe here?¡± Raeleigh walked over and asked, not answering Jepherson¡¯s question. Jepherson was wearing a white shirtwiththe rest of his clothes still in Raeleigh¡¯s hands. Raeleigh stood on tiptoe and put the clothes in her hands on Jepherson¡¯d shoulder. They looked like an old couple, making Stuart, who had followed her all the way, feel a stab of envy.

    If he had a wife like that, then what else would a husband need?

    Jepherson nced at the clothes on his shoulder, took them off, and put them on Raeleigh.¡°I¡¯m not cold.¡±

    Raeleigh then took out a few candies and fed one to Jepherson.

    Normally, Jepherson did not like sweets. One reason was that most boys did not like candy. Plus, he was then already a grown man, so it was only natural that his liking for sweets had greatly diminished.

    The second reason was that eating too much sugar was not good for one¡¯s health. Jepherson was never a person with strong tastes, except for Raeleigh.

    Except for Raeleigh¡­

    It was true that he had strong tastes.

    Jepherson smiled casually. He held the candy in his mouth and did some stretches. Then, he turned around and walked towards the orphanage, hoping to catch an early meal.

    They walked on foot to the gate of the orphanage and it was just in time for them to have breakfast. It was easier for them to enter at that time. The people at the orphanage first registered the two, and they then contacted the dean. When they met him, the dean immediately went to entertain them, took them to breakfast, and met the children.

    They had been in touch before, so the meeting was rtively simple. They introduced themselves to each other. Jepherson looked at the previous records of the orphanage and confirmed that that time was also a futile attempt. Jepherson once again had a disappointed expression.

    Raeleigh held one of Jepherson¡¯s hands.¡°Let¡¯s go and look elsewhere.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Let¡¯s move on to the next ce.¡±

    Raeleigh leaned against Jepherson and stared at the children. She left to take a look at the record books and asked after looking at them for a while, ¡°Can you give us a copy of your records, so that we can go back and check with them?Is that alright?¡±

    Of course, the dean agreed. Jepherson being present had aided them in obtaining it

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll have someone prepare a copy for you. Why don¡¯t you stay for a couple of days?¡± The dean invited them over. Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. Whether or not they were agreeable to the idea of staying over depended entirely on Jepherson.

    ¡°Then, we will do as you say. I¡¯m sorry to trouble you.¡± Jepherson did not intend to leave so soon either. He would stay for two days at every ce. That was already a habit.

    ¡°Not at all. You can stay here at easeand let the children interact with you. If it weren¡¯t for you, then I really can¡¯t imagine how the children will survive this autumn.¡± The dean was about fifty years old. He spoke kindly, and Raeleigh felt that he was a good person.

    After the dean left, Jepherson and the others went to buy gifts. They stayed for two days and yed with the children. Raeleigh was afraid that it would be toote for the credits transfer exam, so she urged him to head back.

    Raeleigh requested to go back as soon as she got off the ne. Jepherson leaned against the car and looked at the sky outside.¡°We¡¯ll go back tomorrow morning. We¡¯ll stay over here tonight.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    The car did not stop either. It went all the way to the entrance of the hotel. Jepherson got out of the car and waited for Raeleigh. However, Raeleigh did not get off. He turned around and looked down slightly. Raeleigh was packing up inside the car. There was too much stuff.

    Jepherson walked back, bent down, and took Raeleigh¡¯s backpack,pulling her out of the car.

    After Stuart helped her, Raeleigh was pulled into the elevator. Entering the elevator, she was immediately held by Jepherson, who then pushed her against the elevator. Jepherson lowered his head to suck Raeleigh¡¯s skin. Raeleigh tilted her head, as if she was about to be eaten, lingering. Jepherson carried Raeleigh out of the elevator. Stuart came out from the other elevator and retreated back in a hurry. Raeleigh was currently clinging onto Jepherson like a bear, as he carried her back to the room. When they entered the room, he put Raeleigh on the couch, yanked his coropen, and leaned over.

    The night had just begun when Raeleigh was intimate with Jepherson. It was almost dawn when Raeleigh finally went to sleep.

    It wasn¡¯t until the afternoon that Raeleigh woke up. When Raeleigh opened her eyes to check the time, she stared at Jepherson with a depressed face.¡°I¡¯m going to take the credits transfer test. It¡¯s all your fault if I fail it.¡±

    Raeleigh sat up and got dressed as she spoke. Jepherson smiled brightly.¡°If that¡¯s the case,then I¡¯ll just take care of you till you¡¯re old.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t like his words at all. Although men¡¯s words were not credible, those words came from Jepherson¡¯s mouth, so they were credible.

    But she didn¡¯t know if she was blessed with that kind of luck.

    After putting on her clothes, Raeleigh was ready to leave. Jepherson changed his clothes as well. He walked to the door and pulled Raeleigh.¡°Why don¡¯t we go back tomorrow morning? I¡¯ll apany you to the exam.¡±

    Raeleigh narrowed her eyes at Jepherson,¡°You might as well go on to say that we should not go back at all.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and opened the door. The things were still outside. Men were indeed greedy for what they could get their hands onto, and Raeleigh had then experienced it all.

    When they got out of the door, and Raeleigh took what belonged to her, Jepherson followed her out. After entering the elevator, he said that he was a little dizzy. Raeleigh stood on one side andknew that Jepherson was most likelydeliberatelyfaking it to get her sympathy, but she couldn¡¯t bear it and was worried if it was true.

    ¡°Eat a piece of candy first. I¡¯ll apany you to a physical examination after my test.¡± Raeleigh put the candy into Jepherson¡¯s mouth. He opened his mouth and ate it, and he then leaned on the side as it felt nice. But he said, ¡°I want to have an examination.¡±

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment, as if she had been trapped by him. She could not bear to leave him alone for the sake of skipping a few grades.

    ¡°Then, send me back to school after the examination.¡± It was thest request Raeleigh made. Jepherson didn¡¯t answer, but the doctor said that he needed to be hospitalized for observation after the examination, so, in the end, Raeleigh didn¡¯t make it back to the university.

    After a week¡¯s dy, it was impossible for Raeleigh to revise even if she wanted to.

    ¡°If I can¡¯t pass the grade test this time, then it¡¯s your fault.¡± Standing at the school gate, Raeleigh raised her hand and poked Jepherson¡¯s chest twice. However, Jepherson did not move at all. Instead, he held Raeleigh¡¯s small hand and smiled brightly.

 Chapter 1018 Since She Was There, She Had to Make Peace

    ¡°If you don¡¯t do well in the exam, then I¡¯ll give you a special privilege.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want your privilege. It¡¯s the same if I rely on myself.¡±

    Raeleigh pulled her hand back, not liking Jepherson¡¯s behavior. She turned around and walked back to the school. At that time, Jepherson turned around and returned to the car. He sat in the car and ordered Stuart to go back to Richards Manor. He wanted to go back and check on Marissa.

    For the past few days, Marissa had been waiting for Jepherson to return home. She had waited for a few days, but he had yet toe back, so she seemed very impatient.

    Hearing that Jepherson¡¯s car had already arrived, Marissa¡¯s face darkened as shesaid coldly, ¡°He still knows the way back. I wonder where he has been hiding. I asked him to bring Deanna back to visit me, and he instantly ran away, leaving not even a trace of a shadow. This must mean that he¡¯s sick of me nagging him.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s sick of you?¡± Jepherson stepped in. Marissa was making that remark when she saw Jepherson and snorted, not saying anything else.

    Jepherson smiled. He walked over to Marissa and sat down next to her. He took Marissa¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Who made you angry? Tell me, so that I can vent your anger on your behalf?¡±

    Jepherson and his mouth. The minute he opened his mouth to speak, her anger had instantly gone down by half. Then, from looking at his extremely dashing smile, the angerpletely dissipated.

    Marissa asked only one question. Why hadn¡¯t Deannae to visit during that period of time? From what Marissa recalled, if Deanna had not visited in two days, then she would definitely show up early in the third morning.

    However, recently, she had stoppeding altogether. Marissa felt that there must have been something wrong, but the only thing was that she couldn¡¯t tell where things had gone wrong, and it did not warrant her to make a visit personally to the Whalen family to enquire either.

    She had called several times, but every time, it was Zorion who answered the phone. That kid was not easy to deal with. He alwaysughed, knowing when to advance and retreat when he talked. No matter how she tried to ask about it, he would not talk about anything that had to do with Deanna. She even invited them over to have some fun but was repeatedly refused.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on between Deanna and you? Why doesn¡¯t the childe here anymore? I don¡¯t even get a glimpse of her shadow around here anymore. Did something really happen between you two?¡± Marissa couldn¡¯t help but to worry. Rayan was not a nice person to talk to. The rtionship between the two families was out there in the open. If it was destroyed because of Santiago¡¯s matter, then there was nothing the two families could say. Ultimately, she would pity her grandson.

    Jepherson had a sense of propriety. His smile was particrly bright and clear. ¡°Nothing much. It¡¯s just that we haven¡¯t been in touch. I¡¯ll ask them over for dinnerter.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Marissa was puzzled. The sun must¡¯ve risen from the west that day. Why did he agree to it so quickly and easily?

    Jepherson leaned to the side.¡°Grandma, what are you worried about?¡±

    ¡°What do I have to worry about? I just feel that you¡¯re not young anymore. It should be time for you to find someone to start a family. That¡¯s the root of the matter. The Richards family is arge family and has arge business. If you don¡¯t get married early, then how can you start a family?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve actually prepared for this,¡± Jepherson said casually. Marissa was stunned for a moment and she then looked at her grandson. He stood up and said while walking, ¡°Call Santiago home for dinner. Then, call the Whalen family and say that the Old Madam misses them and has prepared a banquet for them.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Stuart nced at Marissa and turned around to carry out his orders. Marissa turned to look at Jepherson. ¡°You want to invite that girl, Raeleigh, over?¡±

    Jepherson turned to look at her and said, ¡°There¡¯s no such thing. Santiago is also the son of the Richards family. Grandma, don¡¯t be prejudiced against Raeleigh just because of Santiago. Raeleigh has just created hundreds of millions of dors in profit for ourpany. This has never happened in years. I want to make Raeleigh an employee of the Richards Group. If I can¡¯t retain her, then the loss will be immeasurable. Moreover, she¡¯s a piece of juicy meat. Many people are coveting this asset,from Zorion to the Moore family. The three major families in Capital City are all trying their best to get their hands on Raeleigh. Grandma¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Marissa somehow felt that things were not so simple.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to mix public and private affairs over this matter. No matter how bad Santiago is, he¡¯s still a member of the Richards family. His wifemust join our Richards Group and contribute to it in the future.¡±

    Marissa was slightly stunned, and her face sank.¡°How can you talk to me like this? Sometimes, your brother can indeed be really annoying. Do you think I¡¯m the one who wants to do that? It¡¯s him who¡¯s not worthy of it.¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s also Santiago,the son of the Richards family.¡± With that, Jepherson turned around and left. Marissa was so angry that she sat on the couch with a cold expression on her face. But after a while, she thought about it carefully.Why were so many people concerned about Raeleigh?

    Zorion was one thing, but what about the Moore family? Did they alsoe to fight for the future daughter-inw of the Richards family?

    When it came to Raeleigh¡¯s affairs, as long as it was not for Jepherson, Marissa would openly wee her for Santiago.

    Even though her family background couldn¡¯tpare to Deanna¡¯s, she was very talented. If she was a daughter from a good family, then who wouldn¡¯t be willing to make her marry Santiago?

    Marissa decided to turn a blind eye to that matter. She got up to get dressed and went to the kitchen to instruct the staff on what needed to be done. Either way, Deanna wasing, and she had to prepare well.

    Before Raeleigh could have her dinner, she was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. Santiago answered the phone and tapped on Raeleigh¡¯sptop using his fist, saying, ¡°The Old Madam wants us to go back for dinner.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at Santiago.¡°Dinner?¡±

    ¡°Yes,dinner. The ugly daughter-inw eventually will need to meet her inws. Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go back and see if this treacherous banquet is lively or not.¡± Santiago turned around and nced at Scarlette. ¡°You may tag along.¡±

    Scarlette stood up and said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Santiago.¡±

    Raeleigh sat across from him and did not get up for a long time. ¡°I still have sses to attend to.¡±

    ¡°No matter how good your grades are, it¡¯s just a surface-level achievement. As long as I¡¯m here, you¡¯ll be thedy of the Richards family.¡± Santiago took away the notebook and pulled Raeleigh out of the door. Before he went out, he turned around and said to Scarlette, ¡°Take Raeleigh¡¯s things with you.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Although she did not know why,she quickly packed up Raeleigh¡¯s belongings. Then, Santiago brought Raeleigh and Scarlette to Richards Manor.

    Raeleigh was a little worried. While walking, she stared at Santiago and asked, ¡°Am I just gonna go like this?¡±

    Raeleigh meant whether she should change her clothes or not.

    Santiago nced at Raeleigh through the rearview mirror.¡°The Old Madam has nothing she needs. You don¡¯t have to buy her anything.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. When did she say that she wanted to buy a gift? She was there to have dinner, and it was not as if she was epted. Besides, she went over on behalf of someone else¡¯s rank within the family.

    Raeleigh just took a look at her clothes that she had not changed at all. She didn¡¯t know what they would make of her, dressed so casually as she was.

    Santiago said, ¡°You¡¯re alright as it is.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at Santiago.¡°I¡¯m just afraid that I¡¯ll bring shame on you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve lost my pride and dignity a long time ago. If it¡¯s for me, then you¡¯re exempted from trying.¡± Santiagoughed. The car was speeding. Raeleigh looked out slowly. Was that so?

    So, it didn¡¯t matter what she wore?Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    No matter what, if she was discovered to be Jepherson¡¯s girlfriend in the future and was then dressed casually, would the Old Madam be displeased and think that she did not take it seriously to have been invited to a meal with the Richards family?

    Raeleigh thought about it all along the way, and finally, they arrived at Richards Manor.

    Santiago got out of the car and opened the door to call out for her. Raeleigh took a look outside and stepped out of the car.

    Since she was there, she would have to make peace with it and let things take their own course!

 Chapter 1019 The Richards Family Banquet

    Raeleigh got out of the car and was pulled over by Santiago by the wrist. Holding her hand, they walked into Richards Manor. Scarlette left Raeleigh¡¯s things safely in the car. After all, who would dare toe to the gate of Richards Manor to steal something from the car? Wasn¡¯t that asking for trouble?

    With that thought in mind, Scarlette chased after them.

    Raeleigh was escorted to Richards Manor. Just as she entered, she saw Zorion and the Old Madam of the Richards family standing there, chatting away in the Ink Garden.

    Marissa wore a long formal dress and a white cloak. The skirt was dark green, which made her look dignified and regal.

    Seeing Raeleigh¡¯s appearance, Marissa froze for a moment. How could that child dress that way?

    She then looked at her grandson, Santiago, and understood. Was he trying to tell others that they were birds of a feather?

    In fact, Raeleigh was also dressed in a simple and elegant way. However, on such an asion to meet the future inws, in the eyes of people with high status like Marissa, it would have been better for her to have changed her clothes and worn something more formal.

    Marissa¡¯s face sank slightly. She was about to say something about it, but then she suddenly thought of Zorion next to her. She inadvertently nced at Zorion. Surely enough, Zorion was staring at Raeleigh in a daze. And his eyes had already betrayed his love for Raeleigh.

    Marissa¡¯s mood instantly improved.

    Who was Zorion? He had to lose to that good-for-nothing grandson of hers. That meant that her grandson was either very sessful or that Zorion was useless.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    Thinking of that, Marissa felt more at ease and cooled down. When she looked at Raeleigh again, she was not angry anymore.

    However, Marissa still didn¡¯t give Santiago a good look. She rolled her eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯re so unruly. Are you so desperate for food that you came running as if your life is in danger when called for dinner? Do you not have food to eat outside of the house?¡±

    Santiago stopped, let go of Raeleigh¡¯s hand, and said, ¡°Of course not. I just found it strange. Why do you suddenly want to have dinner together?¡±

    Marissa did not bother answering his question. Instead, her gaze was focused on Raeleigh. Although she was not actively being mean to her, there was an alienating look in her eyes.

    ¡°Why have youe here for dinner without changing into more appropriate clothes?¡± Marissa said it in a way that wasn¡¯t disparaging her, but was nheless questioning her appearance.

    Raeleigh wanted to exin herself, but before she could say anything, Santiago had already spoken. ¡°There¡¯s no actual reason. We were busy, and yet we¡¯re expected to heed your call immediately, right? If we had gone to change our clothes, then we would have arrivedte, and you would have lectured us about it too.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by this? I was only asking, and I didn¡¯t even criticize you or anything. Look at you. What are you doing? If you¡¯re half as sensible as Zorion, then I need not worry so much and can rest assured.¡± Marissa didn¡¯t like Santiago. She didn¡¯t like him since he was a child. He had always been spoiled by his parents.

    ¡°Grandma, I think you¡¯re pretty rest assured now as it is.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯ll be the death of me. Don¡¯t let me catch sight of you. Stay away from me.¡± Marissa disliked Santiago so much that she sent him away without saying anything else.

    Santiago didn¡¯t care about those things. Without being bothered, he dragged Raeleigh into the room.

    At that time, Jepherson was already waiting in the room,sitting on the couch. Seeing Raeleigh, he put his leg down and stood up.

    Raeleigh pulled her hand away from Santiago. She lowered her head, seemingly very embarrassed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave first.¡± Santiago turned around and headed outside. As he stepped out of the door, he bumped into Deanna, who was about to enter, and stopped her.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Deanna¡¯s tiny face was puffed up from anger. She raised her head to look at Santiago. She had never seen someone so annoying. She felt that she was so unlucky to have to meet him wherever she went.

    ¡°Raeleigh and Jepherson are inside. It¡¯s inappropriate for you to go in.¡±

    Deanna¡¯s small face turned pale.¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me these things. Where I want to go is my own business.¡±

    Deanna took a detour and went inside. As a result, her face froze for a moment when she went in. There was no one inside.

    Deanna turned to look at Santiago, who had just entered. Her expression turned even worse as she walked towards Santiago. She raised her small face and red angrily at him. ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t telling the truth.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Santiago¡¯s eyes lifted as his gaze swept across the room. He pretended not to see anyone and didn¡¯t say anything. He walked past Deanna and sat down on the couch. He picked up an orange and began peeling it for himself.

    Deanna looked inside the room. The servants seemed to be afraid of Santiago and quietly left. Soon, she and Santiago were left alone in the room.

    Deanna did not like Santiago. She turned around, wanting to leave, but then turned back again.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on between you and Raeleigh?¡± Deanna felt that she was meddling in other people¡¯s affairs. Her brother had also said that that was not a matter for them to worry about and that they should not poke their noses in it.

    However, she felt that Santiago was a particrly dishonest person. Hence, it was necessary for her to remind him.

    Santiago raised his eyes and nced at Deanna¡¯s small and beautiful face, feeling amused. How funny. Did all the second children really look so abnormal? He thought to himself.

    Like a thousand-year-old elf?

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Santiago asked while chewing. Deanna pouted her small mouth.¡°What do you think? Raeleigh and Jepherson are now together. So, why are you always hanging around Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to exin to you the reason for this matter since it¡¯s my business. You, on the other hand, stand there, judging and denouncing me for no good reason. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s rather unjustified and senseless of you?¡±

    ¡°Who are you calling senseless?¡±

    Deanna was so furious that her face flushed red.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about you.¡± Santiago stood up and walked towards Deanna. He looked at her carefully for a while before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t say anything I don¡¯t like. Don¡¯t meddle in other people¡¯s businesses. Wherever I go, it¡¯s my business. I¡¯ll never be controlled by others.¡±

    ¡°Who¡­ who¡¯s controlling you. I just want to remind you that you¡¯re Jepherson¡¯s younger brother. Don¡¯t get involved in all things bad asit won¡¯t do you any good. You should have some principles and not overstep it.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re not overstepping? Youe to my home as you wish to and fro, shouting and yelling at me, judging me.¡± Santiago continued tough. Deanna was so angry that she didn¡¯t know what to say and turned around to leave. Santiago found it to be very funny. Heughed for a while. He then turned around and returned to the couch. His legs were crossed as he ate the orange while looking at the door.

    Raeleigh was brought upstairs by Jepherson into another room.To be precise, his room.

    Raeleigh¡¯s first impression of the room was that it wasrge and spacious. It was not as luxurious as the rest of the house, but it was not difficult to see that the atmosphere in the room was unique.

    Raeleigh observed it for a while and was hugged by Jepherson from behind. Raeleigh hurriedly tried to get rid of Jepherson but was instead carried from behind and onto the bed.

    ¡°You can¡¯t do this. What if we¡¯re discovered?¡± Raeleigh pushed against Jepherson, terrified. Jepherson took off his clothes and lowered his head to kiss her.¡°There won¡¯t be anyone who¡¯d find out.¡±

    ¡°What if¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no ¡®what if¡¯!¡±

    ¡­

    When Raeleigh was finally released, she had no strength left. Jepherson got out of bed and carried Raeleigh off for a bath.

    Raeleigh had juste out from the side after putting on her clothes when there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s dinner time.¡± Standing outside, Santiago knocked on the door. Raeleigh immediately blushed and was short of breath. Comparatively, Jepherson, who was only dressed in a sleeping robe, stood opposite her, and answered lightly, ¡°Got it.¡±

 Chapter 1020 Wasnâ€™t He Ashamed

    Aftering out of the room, Raeleigh immediately walked around with her head lowered. Santiago stood outside the door. Inside, Jepherson said, ¡°I¡¯ll take a break. You guys can go off to eat.¡±

    After he had said that and had closed the door, Santiago turned around to look for Raeleigh, only to find that she had already made her way downstairs. He went downstairs and followed after her.

    All the servants on the lower floor knew what was going on. The one named Raeleigh was not there with Mr. Santiago.Rather, she had gone into Mr. Jepherson¡¯s room and had been inside for a long time.

    Throughout that period of time, Mr. Santiago not only did not get angry but he also sat downstairs, eating and drinking, watching TV and ying with his cell phone.

    Everyone was not clear about what was going on, but no one dared to say a word about that matter. It seemed that anyone who talked about it would be sentenced to death immediately.

    Raeleigh went out of the door and was led by Santiago around the garden. Santiago introduced a lot of ces to Raeleigh, and he did not miss any of them.

    When they arrived at the dining room, Santiago first brought Raeleigh to wash her hands. Everyone else had already sat down. Raeleigh also saw them when she entered the room.

    Scarlette trailed Santiago throughout that time. When Santiago sat in the dining room for dinner, Scarlette stood outside the dining room at its entrance and remained at that position even up till then.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what Scarlette was doing, following him about, standing outside even as he ate inside.

    Marissa was seated at a round table. One side was empty, while the other was upied by the Whalen siblings. When Raeleigh entered the room, both Deanna and Zorion unexpectedly turned to look at her at the same time. Santiago, on the other hand, swaggered into the room, dragging Raeleigh along with him.

    After Raeleigh washed her hands, the Whalen siblings looked at Raeleigh. Deanna¡¯s eyes were especially displeased as she did not like the sight of Santiago grabbing onto Raeleigh¡¯s wrist when she wasn¡¯t even his girlfriend. Why should he be holding her hand and dragging her around wherever he went?

    After Raeleigh came out of the bathroom,Santiago pulled out the chair opposite Marissaand directed Raeleigh with his eyes to take a seat there. Raeleigh nced at Marissa at the opposite end of the table but did not take her seat.

    Marissa had been taken by surprise.She had thought of Raeleigh as incorrigible, but looking at her then, she found that she was still better than Santiago.

    ¡°Sit down.¡±

    After hearing Marissa¡¯s words, Raeleigh sat down. Santiago took his hand away and pulled another chair. He sat down and said, ¡°Tell me what you like.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer but she just sat in her seat, which made her look pitiful.

    Deanna looked at Raeleigh, andthen at Marissa. She was upset. She could tell that Raeleigh had no position in the Richards family, especially with regards to Marissa. She seemed to dislike Raeleigh because of her status and background. Then, what about herself?

    From Deanna¡¯s perspective, no matter what she did, she couldn¡¯t bepared to Raeleigh. But why was Marissa treating her so well?

    Was it because of her identity and background?

    The more she thought about it, the more ufortable she felt.

    ¡°Deanna, what do you like to eat? Tell me, I can give you anything.¡±

    Marissa deliberately said that to put Raeleigh in her ce. It was her privilege to be allowed to enter through the gates of Richards Manor. She wanted to suppress Raeleigh even before she ¡®entered¡¯ the family.

    How could Raeleigh not understand her words? She bowed her head and remained silent the whole time.

    Zorion had been staring at Raeleigh with knitted brows. No matter how thoughtful Jepherson was, the treatment Raeleigh received in the Richards family differed from Deanna¡¯s treatment like night and day. In a ce like the Richards family, what they valued was status, not talent. Apart from the Richards family, Raeleigh could go anywhere and be treated as a distinguished guest. However, in the Richards family, Raeleigh was destined to be nothing. She would not be able to obtain anything.

    No one paid attention to Raeleigh, which was not only the beginningbut also till the end.

    Zorion suddenly said, ¡°Raeleigh, are you going to skip a few grades soon?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. When she saw Zorion, she pondered for a while and said, ¡°I¡¯m preparing for a credits transfer test tomorrow, but it has been postponed to the day after tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried?¡± Zorion¡¯s smile was strong. Marissa nced at Zorion and frowned slightly.

    She didn¡¯t have much to say about Zorion, but she had a lot to say about Raeleigh.

    Since she was Santiago¡¯s girlfriend, why was she still smiling at other men? Wasn¡¯t that severely out of ce?

    Raeleigh did not understand all that. She just replied politely.

    ¡°A little.¡±

    ¡°Looking at your grades, there¡¯s nothing to worry about. I have faith in you.¡± The more Zorion spoke, the unhappier Marissa became. She red at Santiago, as if to say, ¡°He¡¯s flirting with your girlfriend. What are you doing?¡±

    Santiago acted as if he didn¡¯t see it and sipped water from the ss in his hand.

    Marissa hated that he could not live up to her expectations. She would never befortable with him.

    When Jepherson came out, they had already waited for a while. Everyone watched Jephersoning out from the side, as he then greeted everyone. ¡°I¡¯mte.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Pulling out a chair, Jepherson took a seat. Putting his hand on his clothes, he sat there elegantly.

    Marissa¡¯s expression changed the moment she saw Jepherson. With Jepherson and the others seated beside her, she immediately patted her hand on him and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit beside Deanna?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. We¡¯ve gotten used to sitting in this position. Isn¡¯t that so, Deanna?¡± Jepherson looked over at her. What could Deanna say except to smile in agreement as she remained silent?

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and smiled at her. Marissa saw it but didn¡¯t take it seriously. As the woman was brought back by Santiago, it was natural for him to greet her. Besides,she intended to keep Raeleigh in the family, so naturally, it was different.

    When they began to eat, Jepherson took care of Marissawhile Santiago took care of Raeleigh. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t eat too much, but he still ced the food onto her te, afraid that she would have gone hungry otherwise.

    Marissa red at Santiago multiple times throughout the meal. She thought to herself, ¡°She has her own hands and feet, do you really need to do that?¡±

    Santiago acted as if he didn¡¯t see it. No matter how unwilling Marissa was, it had nothing to do with him.

    When the meal was over, there was still a pile of food left in front of Raeleigh. Marissa wanted to see what she would do.

    Raeleigh nced at Santiago.¡°I said I can¡¯t eat anymore.¡±

    There was another meaning behind those words. Marissa¡¯s face was slightly unpleasant. What did that mean? Was sheining?

    ¡°If you can¡¯t eat anymore, then don¡¯t.¡± Jepherson nced at Santiago as well. He had deliberately done that. Was he looking for trouble?

    On the contrary, Santiago was calm. He took over the rest of the food that Raeleigh had left and ate it happily, which stunned everyone, especially Deanna, whose little face became as pale as snow. However, she looked at Zorion, who signalled his sister to be calm.

    Needless to say, Raeleigh hadn¡¯t touched the food. When it came to eating, Raeleigh was very orderly. She ate all the food that she could manage, and whatever she couldn¡¯t, she didn¡¯t touch it at all.

    As Santiago ate, he said, ¡°You¡¯re so thin. Why don¡¯t you eat more? How else can you help grow the family?¡±

    That statement really angered Marissa. They had just started seeing each other, and they weren¡¯t even engaged or serious about each other yet. What was he talking about, growing the family?

    Even Jepherson, who was the elder brother, had not said that kind of thing. He, on the other hand, was not at all ashamed. He said it openly at the dining table. Wasn¡¯t he reserved? Wasn¡¯t he ashamed?

 Chapter 1021 Frightening

    Raeleigh also did not expect that Santiago would eat all her leftovers. But at that time, if she tried to stop him, then she would be the one deemed insensible. It would have been inappropriate if she took it back to eat on her own too. In the end, she could only watch.

    Jepherson on the other hand simply remarked, ¡°You¡¯re indeed quite thin.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson took a sip of red wine. The corners of his mouth were lifted up. Raeleigh didn¡¯t dare look at him because if she looked at him too much, then her eyes would hurt.

    Raeleigh could not make sense of such a man.

    Soon, Santiago finished eating Raeleigh¡¯s leftovers. Deanna bit her lip as she grimaced. What was he doing?

    Zorion held his sister¡¯s hand tightly with a big smile.

    Since the game was being yed that way, Zorion thought it was fun.

    Santiago had a gulp of red wine and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He looked at the time and stood up.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving. There¡¯s work to be done at the school, so we can¡¯t apany you any longer, Grandma. Please continue.¡±

    After saying that, Santiago stood up, pulled Raeleigh up with him, and left when she was still saying her goodbyes. Marissa¡¯s face was drained of colour with her anger. Jepherson continued to remain calm and didn¡¯t take it seriously.

    ¡°Look. Just look. What¡¯s this?¡± Marissa said, pointing at the door, whilst Jepherson seemed totally unaffected.

    ¡°Deanna? I must¡¯ve scared you, haven¡¯t I?¡± Marissa said to Deanna when she recovered her senses from her fury. Deanna stared at the door in a daze and didn¡¯te back to her senses for a long time.

    ¡°Deanna, Grandma is talking to you.¡± Zorion kindly reminded her. She then came to her senses and looked at Marissa with her face red.¡°Grandma.¡±

    ¡°Are you frightened of Raeleigh?¡± When Marissa said that, Zorion wanted tough more. They were both femalepanions brought back home by her grandsons. But because of Deanna¡¯s excellent status, Marissa doted on her with much fondness.Raeleigh¡¯s status was low, so she was always making things difficult for her.

    They were both children of the Richards family. Jepherson was treated like a noble prince, while Santiago was treated as though he was good-for-nothing.

    To put it bluntly, wasn¡¯t Marissa up to no good?

    Deanna shook her head hurriedly. ¡°No, it has nothing to do with Raeleigh. She¡¯s quite nice. We¡¯re also friends.¡±

    Marissa was stunned.¡°My child. I think that you¡¯re a hundred of times better than Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡± Deanna wanted to give an exnation. Jepherson stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll head back first.¡±

    After saying that, he stepped forward and left. Marissa looked at him and said, ¡°Jepherson, aren¡¯t you going to see them off¡­¡±

    ¡°Grandma, we¡¯re leaving too.¡± Zorion could not bear to listen any longer. In the past, he did not think that Marissa was a snobbishdy. He just thought that she was a little vain. Right then, it seemed that Marissa was a seriously snobbishdy.

    Deanna was also done hanging around. She hurriedly stood up and told Marissa, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll get going first, Grandma.¡±

    After that, she turned and went to chase after her brother, Zorion.

    People in front of Marissa disappeared all of a sudden, which made her feel odd and at a loss. She sat for a long time before getting up.It was all Raeleigh¡¯s fault. Did she have to attend just because she was invited? Didn¡¯t she know how to use her brain to think?

    The more she thought about it, the less she liked Raeleigh.

    When she went into Jepherson¡¯s room, he had not rested yet, so Marissa sat down and said, ¡°I¡¯m really dissatisfied with this girl, Raeleigh. If it were not for the state of your younger brother, then why should I have to allow this person, whocks elegance and grace, into the family?¡±

    Jepherson lowered his head slightly and sent a text message to Raeleigh, as if he hadn¡¯t heard a word Marissa had just said. Raeleigh, on her end, didn¡¯t mind what had happened that day. After all, she just came to have dinner and didn¡¯t care about anything else.

    Jepherson chatted for a while beforelookingat Marissa, his elbow pressing onto the couch as he maintained a serious face.¡°Grandma,when you first married into the family, did Great-Grandma dislike you as well?¡±

    Marissa was at a loss and was stunned by the question.

    Thinking of what had happened to her back then, she still had a knot in her heart. There was nothing wrong with her, but her mother-inw didn¡¯t like her, no matter what. It was all because of¡­

    Marissa looked at her grandson and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t you stand it? Are you trying to lecture your Grandma?¡±

    Jepherson stood up and said, ¡°In those days, there was a decision my great-grandma couldn¡¯t make. Today, neither can you. One can¡¯t be hampered by anything if one likes someone.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with Raeleigh. It¡¯s just that Grandma, you can¡¯t stand treating her as an equal. The way I see it, Deanna has her merits, and Raeleigh has her own uniqueness. There¡¯s no need to put them together to bepared against each other. If you feel that Raeleigh is not good enough for Santiago, then you can tell Santiago and ask him to end all contact with her. There are plenty of other people who want to pursue Raeleigh. In fact, I think¡­¡±

    ¡°There will be someone who¡¯s willing topete for the upper hand.¡±

    Jepherson stood up and left. Marissa was so stunned that she couldn¡¯t even react. What was he saying?Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh left Richards Manor and nned to go back to campus. Scarlette had stood behind them the whole time and had not eaten dinner. Santiago nced at Scarlette in the rearview mirror. He drove them to a barbecue shop and had some barbecue with them.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t eat anymore because she was already full. Upon such a good opportunity, how could Scarlette have possibly passed on it?

    Santiago sat at the side and drank some beer. Raeleigh could drive them backter.

    Santiago and Scarlette were only responsible for sleeping.

    It was twelve midnight, so there were not many cars on the road. Raeleigh drove faster, but when she made a turn at a curve, Raeleigh felt something was wrong. Right then, Santiago¡¯s phone rang.

    Scarlette was first awakened, followed by Santiago. He picked up the call and sat up. He nced at the person behind them through the rearview mirror.

    ¡°Go and sit in the back.¡± Santiago turned his body sideways. Raeleigh looked ahead and said, ¡°An ident might happen if I don¡¯t stop the car.¡±

    ¡°You can go to the back. It¡¯s alright as long as I hold onto the steering wheel.¡± Santiago insisted on doing so. Raeleigh thought for a while. There was no time to ponder over it. She immediately unfastened her seat belt and climbed from the front seat to the back. When Raeleigh turned around, Santiago immediately moved over. So, by the time she turned around and sat down, Santiago had already gotten into the driver¡¯s seat. Raeleigh stared at Santiago with her beautiful eyes wide open. Santiago only hit the car brakes to a halt for a moment, and there was no swaying or anything else.

    Raeleigh puckered her lips.¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°When Mr. Santiago was a child, he could control the car even when he was sitting in the front passenger¡¯s seat. It¡¯s not a big deal. Raeleigh, let¡¯s lie down and not interrupt Mr. Santiago.¡±

    Scarlette pressed Raeleigh down as theyy down t in the back seat. Santiago still remembered to buckle his seat belt. Raeleigh saw that from her position below and was stunned.

    He could drive from the front passenger¡¯s seat, so why would he care about a seat belt?

    Santiago then nced at the dozen or so cars that had caught up. He increased the speed of his car and turned it around. It would be dangerous at any other time if he had performed that manoeuvre, but it was midnight right then, and there were very few cars on the road. As long as he controlled the car well, nothing would happen.

    The car turned so fast that the cars behind did not anticipate Santiago would have made the U-turn at such a high speed, such that they did not have time to brake properly before the rest of the cars behind smashed into them, leaving all of them scrapped.

    At that moment, Santiago nced at the cars behind them. He turned the car around and drove in another direction. Raeleigh and Scarlette got up from their seats to look behind and witness a series of explosions right at the spot where they had made a sudden U-turn.

    Raeleigh and Scarlette scrambled to see what had happened, only to see the road behind them engulfed in mes.

    Raeleigh calmed down then. Then, she turned to look at Santiago, who was driving the car.¡°Are they here for you?¡±

    Santiago found it amusing.¡°What else could it be?¡±

    Raeleigh puckered her lips. She hoped that those people were not the ones who were looking for her. What had happened more than a decade ago was still fresh in Raeleigh¡¯s mind. Those people had searched for her so intensely that they did not mind killing all the kids just to get to her. She did not need to see such a horrible scene. It was frightening just thinking about it!

 Chapter 1022 A Member of the Richards Family

    They did not manage to make it back to campus. Instead, Raeleigh was taken by Santiago to his vi. After entering the building, Santiago took a look at the time and saw that it was already two in the morning. He decided to call Jepherson anyway, and within an hour, Jepherson had made his way to the vi.

    When he entered the house, Jepherson first went to look for Santiago, who was sitting downstairs. Seeing that he was fine, Jepherson ran upstairs to find Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh heard someone knocking on the door and stood up to open it. It was Jepherson standing outside the door.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, and Jepherson reached out to pull Raeleigh into his embrace, squeezing her hard, as if he wanted to melt and merge his body together with hers.

    Raeleigh remained silent the whole time. Raising her head, she fixed her eyes on the roof and raised her hands to hold Jepherson.

    Jepherson was breathing hard, very hard. Raeleigh knew that he was afraid and worried, so he had rushed over in the middle of the night to see her.

    She gently patted Jepherson. After a long time, she finally said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Jepherson released her, pushed Raeleigh into the room, and closed the door behind him.

    Raeleigh looked at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m really fine. You can have a look if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Raeleigh stepped back and twirled around, showing Jepherson her unharmed body. Since she knew that he was worried, perhaps it would be better right then that she proved that she was well.

    Jepherson stood aside and didn¡¯t say anything the whole time. He looked better now that he saw Raeleigh was alright.

    Raeleigh took a seat and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Jepherson went to the other side and sat down. ¡°A lot of things happened due to carelessness.¡±

    ¡°But we were not careless.¡± Raeleighughed. Seeing that Jepherson was quite nervous, she walked to Jepherson and massaged his shoulders.¡°Are you going back today?¡±

    Jepherson smiled and looked up at her.¡°Do you want me to go back?¡±

    Raeleigh blushed and kept her head down without saying anything.

    Jepherson raised his hand and held her in his arms. He pressed her slightly forcefully against his legs and lifted his hands to undo Raeleigh¡¯s cor. Since he was there, of course, he would not go back.

    The sun had just risen in the morning when Santiago received a call from Jepherson downstairs.

    ¡°You should pay a visit to the Moore family.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    After hanging up the phone,Jepherson went to see Raeleigh, who was sleeping. He had asked for too much the night before. She was exhausted!

    Downstairs, Santiago had some food. Then, he changed his clothes and drove to the entrance of the Moore family residence. He got out of the car and knocked on the door. No one opened the door. He kicked at the door of the Moore family residence. His actions were like that of a petnt three-year-old child. If they didn¡¯t open the door for him, then he would be anxious, lose his temper as a result, and would kick down their door.

    Old Master Moore had just finished his breakfast when the old butler hurried over to inform him.

    His brows furrowed as he listened.¡°Jepherson¡¯s younger brother?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s him. I could see that he¡¯s the little devil of the Richards family.¡± The old butler lowered his head. Old Master Johan¡¯s eyes squinted as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s famous for being mischievous and a troublemaker in Capital City. There were many troubles in the past few years. I heard a few years ago that he was fooling around with some girls when Faddey Lee¡¯s eldest son went up to criticize him and uttered rather unsavory words. The next day, that boy had one of his arms chopped off. Ever since then, Faddey took his sons away and has never showed up in Capital City again.¡±

    ¡°Which Faddey Lee are you referring to?¡± Over the recent years, Johan had been living in istion and rarely went out. He had only heard about many people from outside sources, but he didn¡¯t remember them.

    ¡°He¡¯s the one who worked with Master Yousif. Remember how they used to be very close? Later on, he was nowhere to be found. If it weren¡¯t because our Moore family were in the background in this matter, then the whole Capital City wouldn¡¯t know what to say.¡±

    ¡°You mean, is this that little mountain tiger of a child?¡± Old Master Moore¡¯s brows knitted as he stared at the old butler. The butler thought to himself, ¡°And it¡¯s one hungry tiger that bites any person it sees.¡±

    ¡°Hansen is not a fool. How did he manage to raise a child like this?¡± Johan leaned to the side. Although he was old, he was not senile. Just by looking at his eyes, one could tell that he was a shrewd person.

    The old butler hurriedly said, ¡°This has something to do with the Richards family¡¯s rules. The Richards family has never attached much importance to their second son. Children nowadays are all rebellious. If they were the slightest bit inattentive, thenthey would turn out this way. Then, even if they were to discipline them afterwards, it won¡¯t work anymore.¡±

    ¡°The way you put it, you seem to be chastising the Richards family. Why is it then that I don¡¯t believe that a person as shrewd as Hansen would allow his son¡¯s virtue to be ruined that way?¡±

    Johan knew it well in his heart. Perhaps, he was a fierce tiger raised by Hansen by design. He had trained it to behave in such a way.

    When the time came, the Richards family would send down two ferocious tigers. Who in Capital City would have a ce to hide?

    The old butler was slightly stunned. An idea shed through his mind, and he immediately understood. He lowered his head slightly and said, ¡°In that case, Old Master Johan, what would you like to do about it?¡±

    ¡°Call him in. Let me have a look at him.¡± Old Master Moore wanted to know what the h*ll Hansen was doing. On one day, he would send his eldest son to cause trouble, and the next day, his second son. Was he trying to bully the Moore family because he thought that they had no one of significance left?

    ¡°Yes.¡± The old butler turned around to deal with that matter. It didn¡¯t take long for him to exit the Moore Manor¡¯s courtyard. When he reached the door, he saw Santiago kicking the door.

    The old butler pretended not to see it. As the saying went, even pigs feared the strong. To put it bluntly, people who were afraid of death were all cowards. The people who didn¡¯t care about their lives were all butchering knives. If another knife cut against it,then they wouldn¡¯t be able to cut through it, and there wouldn¡¯t be any blood.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, please calm down.¡± The old butler hurriedly ordered the door to be opened. Santiago stepped in from outside and looked at the old butler.¡°Where¡¯s your old man?¡±

    ¡°Old man?¡± The old butler was speechless. That child was too uncouth. If it weren¡¯t for the Richards family backing him up, then he would¡¯ve been hacked to death outside the door.

    ¡°Are you the family butler?¡± Santiago said as he looked towards the courtyard. That day¡¯s weather was nice, and the sun hung high. There were a few people in the courtyard who were admiring flowers. Santiago looked inside and saw Flynt¡¯s two elder sisters and his mother at a nce.

    Stepping forward, Santiago walked towards the group of people. The moment they met, he looked at Flynt¡¯s second sister, Cynthia, and sized her up.

    Cynthia was Yousif¡¯s and Elina¡¯s second daughter. She had a high status within the Moore family and was the daughter of the legal wife, so she was valued by others.

    Elina¡¯s appearance was not bad, so were her sons and daughters. One of the two daughters was gentle and quiet, while the other was charming and adorable. Between the two daughters, Cynthia was thetter. She was the charming and adorable one.

    Seeing another person suddenly appear in front of them, Elina and her two daughters were stunned, especially Cynthia, who suddenly found herself staring at the handsome man in front of her. For a moment, she could not collect herself. Her heart suddenly turned all mushy inside, and it fluttered in a panic.

    Elina, who was by her side, wore a distasteful expression and said, ¡°Butler, who¡¯s he? Why doesn¡¯t he know the rules?¡±

    The old butler immediately replied, ¡°Madam. It¡¯s the Second Young Master of the Richards family, Santiago. He¡¯s here to pay the Old Master a visit.¡±

    Elina did not expect that either. Her expression changed drastically. When she looked at Santiago¡¯s undisguised gaze, she was immediately in a bad mood.

    ¡°A member of the Richards family?¡±

 Chapter 1023 Flynt Was Going to Be So Pissed

    Santiago nced at the others before he smiled at Cynthia. He then turned to the old butler and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The old butler was busy calming himself down. He wondered what Santiago was up to and why there was something so strange about him.

    Elina was left out in the cold. She turned around to look at Santiago, who had already left. She was slightly angry. The Richards family had harmed her family before.

    What were they doing there?

    Elina turned to look at her two daughters. Her eldest and second daughters were both looking towards the direction in which Santiago had left. Her second daughter¡¯s face was still somewhat red. How could she not know that she was longing for love? Elina¡¯s expression instantly darkened. ¡°Cynthia.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Cynthia turned to look at her mother, Elina.¡°Mother.¡±

    ¡°Do you know who he is?¡± asked Elina with a dark expression. Cynthia was also a smart person. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°I know. He¡¯s from the Richards family.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know it. Everyone in Capital City knows about it. Mr. Santiago of the Richards family is an idler, and an ignorant and ipetent one. Don¡¯t you be tricked by his dashing appearance, got it?¡±

    Elina did not wish for her daughter to be harmed. She had heard of Santiago¡¯s reputation as well.

    Cynthia hurried to say, ¡°I know.¡±

    Elina nodded and nced at the thoughtful eldest daughter, Yanora.¡°Yanora, what do you think?¡±

    Yanora took a look at her younger sister and said, ¡°He came straight to us just now. He came prepared. It¡¯s just an illusion that he had taken a fancy to my younger sister. He was just trying to entice her.¡±

    ¡°You heard that, Cynthia?¡± Elina asked. Cynthia was slightly displeased. She did not agree with her eldest sister¡¯s words. Since Santiago was an idle person, why would he have so many schemes? Was she jealous?

    However, Cynthia was also a smart person. She said, ¡°I think so too.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good that you know that. Even if he didn¡¯t want to entice youand had real feelings for you, it¡¯s never gonna happen.¡±

    ¡°Flynt is already in his twenties this year. Both of you are older than him, one by two years, and one by three. This person called Santiago, no matter what, he¡¯s still younger than your brother by a few years. Looking at it in this manner, he¡¯s only seventeen to eighteen years old. Both of you aren¡¯t young anymore. The age difference between you two is too great.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve had this experience. You should know that it¡¯s not a big deal for a man to be a little older. The most important thing is that the woman is younger. If she is older, then what¡¯s the purpose of her marrying into his family? To mother him?¡±

    Elina had been through those things. After the euphoria from the short time of a new pursuit had passed, nothing would be left.

    Yanora and Cynthia looked at each other and said to Elina, ¡°We get it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know that. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m tired too. Let¡¯s go back and rest.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Old Master, the Second Young Master of the Richards family wishes to pay you a visit.¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡± Johan coughed twice, wheezing, and leaned on the bed. Santiago followed the butler through the door. The room was spacious, and its decoration was of a higher quality. Santiago nced around the room, and it was apparent that Santiago had no respect for rules, customs, and manners. He even said upon entering the room, ¡°Is he here?¡±

    Johan observed Santiago from the side, who was looking at his people. He could not help sighing. Hansen was indeed an outstanding man. No matter how his child had been educated, his reputation was outstanding. In Capital City, if his two sons imed to be second ce, no one dared to im first ce.

    Thinking of that, Johan frowned. Flynt too was one of the most outstanding men out there, but his aura paled inparison to that of Jepherson and Santiago. The apple did not fall far from the tree.It was the father¡¯s fault however the child turned out to be. If Yousif had been obedient since he was a child, then he might have raised such a son. But it was a pity that he did not care about such a thing. His concern was to foroundwith women all the time, whichdisappointedhim.

    Johan stared at Santiago. It took Santiago half a day before he could see Johan. It seemed that he had found his purpose ofing there.

    ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Old Master.¡± When Santiago saw Johan, he looked at him up and down. He then bowed to Old Master Moore with a posture that was inculcated in him from his family background.

    Johan didn¡¯t say anything at first. He looked at him for a few seconds before saying, ¡°How are you rted to Hansen?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m his son.¡± Santiago smiled with a hint of mirth in his eyes.

    Johan pondered for a moment.¡°Is Jepherson your elder brother?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s my big brother.¡±

    ¡°Does your big brother know that you¡¯vee here?¡±

    Johan¡¯s intended meaning was so deep that even the old butler of the manor did not catch it, but Santiago was able to tell. He smiled and said, ¡°Why should I let my brother know about it?¡±

    ¡°You only need to answer my question.¡± Johan didn¡¯t waste anymore words.

    ¡°How am I supposed to know if he knows or not?¡± Santiago said as he nced at the chair on one side. He pulled the chair and sat on it, thinking, ¡°Do you think I can¡¯t sit just because you haven¡¯t allowed me to do so?¡±

    Santiago was seated on a chair with his back facing Johan. The old butler was shocked. He was about to go up to Santiago to stop him, but Johan gave the old butler a look, signalling that he didn¡¯t need to worry about that matter.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    Only then did the old butler step back. His heart was filled with thoughts. What was the Richards family trying to do? He heard that Trevor was not at home. He had already gone overseas for a long time. Hansen too was not at home. The two of them were not at home. The family affairs were delegated to Jepherson. Since then, the siblings hade uninvited again and again. Wasn¡¯t that somewhat unjustifiable?

    ¡°If your brother doesn¡¯t know about this,then I¡¯d better call him. I¡¯ll ask him to bring you home,¡± Johan said. Santiago immediately said, ¡°Why are you looking for him? I didn¡¯te here to look for him. I came here looking for you. Even if hees, I¡¯ll still say what I have to say.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Johan frowned as his heartbeat was like shes of lightning.

    ¡°What do you want from me?¡± Johan coughed twice. The old butler hurried up to help and patted his hand, saying, ¡°The Old Master¡¯s health has always been poor. If you have something to say, Mr. Santiago, then why don¡¯t you say it another day?¡±

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s poor or not, I have to say it either way. I didn¡¯te here just for fun. Don¡¯t any of you try to stop me. Didn¡¯t the Old Master say nothing? Why do you care so much?¡± Santiago¡¯s words didn¡¯t allow for anyone to speak at all. The old butler was speechless after hearing that. He couldn¡¯t speak a single word for a long time.

    Johan wiped his mouth and raised his hand and waved it.¡°Stand aside. I¡¯m not about to die.¡±

    Only then did the old butler move to the side. Johan leaned against the bed and stared at Santiago for a while before saying, ¡°Tell me. What do you want from me?¡±

    ¡°Can you please reign in your grandson?¡± Santiago¡¯s words stunned Johan.¡°My grandson?¡±

    ¡°Flynt!¡± Santiago reminded him. The old butler hurried over and said, ¡°Mr. Santiago, that¡¯s not the Old Master¡¯s grandson. Young Master and you are of the same generation. He¡¯s the Old Master¡¯s great-grandson.¡±

    ¡°Great-grandson?¡± Santiago was slightly taken aback and looked at Johan for a while, saying, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who he is. Are you going to reign him in or not?¡±

    Johan chuckled.¡°The child, Flynt, is the most obedient and sensible of the children in the Moore family. Did youe to my house toin?¡±

    ¡°Comining is a small matter. This is a matter of life and death.Old Master, just because you say that he¡¯s sensible and obedient today, that doesn¡¯t mean that he doesn¡¯t do bad things, that he can¡¯t be a treacherous criminal or a lecherous person. The better the person seems to be, the more they don¡¯t love themselves. As for what they do outside, who knows?¡±

    Johan didn¡¯t say anything and waited for Santiago to continue. Santiago didn¡¯t mince his words either. He added, ¡°When I went homest night, I brought my girlfriend for a midnight drive. On the way home, a group of people chased after us, wanting to kill me. Fortunately, I was quick-witted and escaped. When I look back and think about it, I don¡¯t have any enemies. The only thing I did was beat up Flynt in school, and then at night, that happened.¡±

    ¡°You hit our Young Master?¡± the old butler asked hurriedly. Santiago lifted an eyebrow. ¡°He snatched my girlfriend away. Can¡¯t I hit him? If your wife has been harassed, then would you leave it alone, swallow your anger, and be willingly cuckolded?¡±

    As soon as Santiago said that, the old butler immediately lowered his head and flushed. He was speechless, quarreling with an uncultured person.

    Johan¡¯s brows twitched.¡°How do you know for sure that it was our Flynt who sent those people?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have enemies, and the only friction I have had was with Flynt. Who else if not him?¡±

    Santiago¡¯s question left the old butler speechless. Johanughed.

    ¡°What does your life and death have to do with me? What¡¯s the use of looking for me? My words don¡¯t hold any authority nowadays. What¡¯s the point of looking for me?¡± Old Johanughed.

    Santiago thought for a moment and said, ¡°Then, I won¡¯t hold back on formalities anymore. If your great-grandson provokes me again, then I¡¯ll break his arms and legs. Don¡¯t me me then.¡±

    Santiago stood up to leave. He thought about it and sat back down. He looked at Johan and said, ¡°There¡¯s one more thing I want to tell you.¡±

    Johan was quite vexed and didn¡¯t pay any attention to him.

    Santiago said, ¡°When I just came in, I saw two older sisters in the courtyard. I like one of them. Tomorrow, I will tell my eldest brother to arrange for a marriage for me and ask him to bring me to propose marriage. I¡¯m not sure, what kind of betrothal gift does your family want?¡±

    The old butler¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Was that what had happened just now?¡±

    Johan slowly looked at Santiago and said, ¡°You are too young to talk about marriage. Besides, my two great-granddaughters are Flynt¡¯s older sisters. You and Flynt had a bad fight, and you want to have a rtionship with my two great-granddaughters. You are too ignorant. Not to mention your eldest brother, even if your parentse, I will not agree. Now go, don¡¯te here any more!¡±

    Johan had no good impression left of the Richards family, so he directly drove them out.

    Santiago stood up. ¡°I can let Flynt¡¯s matter go if he doesn¡¯te to provoke me. But his sister¡¯s matter is separated from this. When ites to love, what matters is that it has to be reciprocated. In any case, I fell in love with her at first sight. If you think I¡¯m not suitable, then it¡¯s because you¡¯re already old. I¡¯m young, energetic, and strong-willed. I think that girl is very suitable for me and it is undeniable.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯spletely undeniable?¡±

    Johan was so angry that he held his breath and looked at the butler. The butler was busy tugging at Santiago. He said, ¡°Second Young Master, the old master is in poor health. You¡¯d better leave.¡±

    As he spoke, the old butler pulled Santiago out. Outside the door, Santiago pushed the old butler away. ¡°Don¡¯t get all touchy with me. I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    The old butler was very angry. He had never seen such a shameless person.

    Santiago walked out as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the name of Flynt¡¯s sister?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± The old butler thought to himself, ¡°Do you think you are even qualified?¡±

    Seeing that the old housekeeper didn¡¯t say anything, Santiago said, ¡°I¡¯m thinking, it¡¯s okay if she doesn¡¯t go out at all. But if she were to leave the house and something happens to such a beautiful woman, What say you¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, Second Young Master, don¡¯t talk such unspeakable nonsense.¡±

    ¡°You can eat whatever nonsense you want, but you should not talk nonsense.¡±

    ¡°That may not be true.¡± Santiago¡¯s expression was one of ignorance. He stepped forward and walked into the courtyard. Just as he was about to leave, Cynthia came out from the side, wearing a tight-fitting coat that resembled a dress. Inside, she wore a long skirt and a hat, giving the impression that she was like a floaty fairy.

    Santiago¡¯s heart stopped for a moment when he saw Cynthia. He cried out, ¡°Mydy.¡±

    The old butler heart thumped. He hurriedly walked over and tried to stop Santiago. ¡°Second Young Master, let¡¯s go this way.¡±

    ¡°Move aside, the door is in front of us.¡± Santiago pushed the old butler away. His posture was like that of a bully. He strode over to Cynthia, who witnessed the scene, blushed upon seeing him and lowered her head slightly. She didn¡¯t dare to look at him anymore!

    A glint shed across Santiago¡¯s eyes. ¡°Flynt is going to be so pissed!¡±

 Chapter 1024 Heart Pounded Wildly

    ¡°Miss, are you heading out?¡± Santiago asked with a smile. The old butler hurried over to them, but he didn¡¯t manage to stop him.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going out.¡± Cynthia waited for the car at the entrance. The driver had already gone to fetch the car, and she did not expect to bump into Santiago.

    Santiago addressed her as ¡®Miss¡¯. She didn¡¯t know what she was feeling. Was she too old?

    She was in her twenties, several years older than him.

    Cynthia lowered her head slightly. She didn¡¯t dare to raise her head to look at Santiago, but her face flushed red anyway.

    How could the old butler not know what was going on? He wanted to stop her, but he didn¡¯t know what to say. If he didn¡¯t stop her, then it wouldn¡¯t make sense either.

    What kind of person was Santiago? His reputation had long been ruined.

    Cynthia was like a moth to a me.

    It was useless for the old butler to be anxious. Santiago took two steps towards her and lowered his head, saying, ¡°Miss, I¡¯ll send you over.¡±

    ¡°Is that a good idea?¡± Cynthia looked up at Santiago. Santiago pursed his lips andughed all of a sudden.¡°Of course, it¡¯s great.¡±

    Cynthia¡¯s heart skipped a beat. How could there be such a good-looking person in this world?

    ¡°Miss Cynthia, the car is here.¡± The old butler saw their family car and hurried to remind her. Cynthia looked at it slowly and felt somewhat disappointed, but she did not reveal it and just said, ¡°I ept your good intentions. You may carry on your own way.¡±

    After that, Cynthia went to her car and bent down to sit inside. The old butler breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he opened the gate, and the car drove out. Cynthia lowered her head and said nothing.

    Santiago appeared slightly disappointed. He nced at the old butler and said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    The old butler nodded his head. Santiago returned to his car and drove off.

    The gate closed, and the old butler spat on the ground,¡°What was that? If it weren¡¯t for your father, Hansen, then you would¡¯ve died many times over.¡±

    ¡­

    Santiago looked into the rearview mirror, and a hint of amusement shed across his eyes. He elerated the car and caught up with Cynthia¡¯s car as fast as lightning. He then cut ahead of her car and stopped it horizontally, forcing her car toe to a stop as well.

    The driver was so shocked that he immediately stepped on the brakes, and italmost threw Cynthia out of the car. She hurried to hold onto the seat.

    The driver stopped and broke out in cold sweat from the fright. Cynthia tried to get out of the car in a flurry and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Whalen family¡¯s car.¡± The driver had received special training. The Whalen family¡¯s car also had a mark, so he could recognize it at a nce.

    Cynthia still felt somewhat odd. She looked in front of her with a puzzled expression. ¡°Whalen family?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s from Mr. Rayan Whalen¡¯s family. Their family crest is on the car. It¡¯s the same as the Moore family¡¯s, but this car had just been parked in front of the Moore family residence,¡± the driver exined. Cynthia¡¯s thoughts shifted, and she looked ahead. Indeed, it was not anyone else, but Santiago who pushed the car dooropen.

    Santiago pushed the door open and got out of it. He lit a cigarette and took a puff,throwing the lighter onto the car seat as he turned around to look at Cynthia¡¯s car. Cynthia¡¯s heart felt as if it had been stolen, and she immediately wanted to go up to him.

    The driver said in the car, ¡°Miss Cynthia,Mr. Flynt has disallowed all contact with outsiders.¡±

    Cynthia also knew that, but she just couldn¡¯t control herself and wanted to go out.

    Santiago looked ahead for a while. Hethen took a drag on his cigarette. He threw it onto the ground, walked to the side of the car, and knocked on the door.

    The driver swallowed hard and looked at Cynthia through the rearview mirror.¡°Miss Cynthia, do you want to make a call to Mr. Flynt?¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s busy. He will be worried and rush over in a hurry if I make the call. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s malicious.¡±

    Cynthia¡¯s nervous heart raced, and she clutched the bag tightly in her hand.

    The driver was afraid of getting into trouble, and it was toote to make a call. Santiago was a well-known devil incarnate of a yboy in Capital City. If he caused trouble, then wouldn¡¯t he be beaten to death when he left home?

    ¡°Miss Cynthia, what should we do next?¡± The driver could only ask Cynthia. Cynthia thought for a while and said, ¡°Open the window. Let me ask him what he wants with us.We¡¯re from the Moore family. He¡¯s not going to hurt us in broad daylight.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    The driver wound down the window. Outside, Santiago was smiling brightly.

    Although Cynthia was in her twenties, there were many rules in the Moore family. The daughters of the Moore family were bound by their duties and would not act recklessly. Quirina was raised outside and could never be openly epted as a member of the Moore family. So, naturally, she had no rules or restrictions to abide by and did not care about the family unit.

    Seeing Santiago¡¯s smile, Cynthia was stunned for a moment before her face flushed red, but she calmed herself down and asked Santiago, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I forgot to ask what your name is.I asked the butler, but he didn¡¯t tell me.¡± Santiago¡¯s tone was tough,but he sounded like a spoiled child.

    Cynthia blushed, and her heart pounded wildly. She lowered her head and said, ¡°Cynthia.¡±

    ¡°Cynthia?¡± Santiago nodded.¡°I¡¯ve noted it.¡±

    Stretching out his hand, Santiago ced his hand in the car and pulled Cynthia¡¯s cold little hand. He spread out her palm and wrote a string of numbers in her palm. ¡°Remember it, okay?¡±

    Cynthia¡¯s heart was also very calm. She was a smart girl. If she couldn¡¯t even remember a phone number,then she would really be useless.

    She looked at Santiago and did not reply, but she had already given him an answer.¡°I¡¯m going to pick someone up at the airport. Don¡¯t block my way. There are other people here, and they¡¯re all looking at us.¡±

    Santiago looked around and said with a smile, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll get going. See youter.¡±

    Turning around, he returned to his own car. Cynthia clenched her fists tightly. She calmed herself down and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The driver breathed a sigh of relief andlooked at Santiago, who had already driven away in front of him. Only then did he drive towards the airport at ease.

    Cynthia quietly keyed in the phone number into her phone in the car and sat aside as if nothing had happened, but she still told the driver, ¡°Holsen, don¡¯t tell anyone what happened today.¡±

    The driver nced at Cynthia in the rearview mirror. The young mistress¡¯s words were to be obeyed. However, at first nce, Santiago did not seem like a nice person. If he cheated on Miss Cynthia, then he would be responsible for it as well.

    ¡°Miss Cynthia, Santiago has a bad reputation in Capital City. You can¡¯t trust him,¡± the driver reminded her.

    Cynthia said, ¡°No matter how bad a person is, he has a good heart and character. What¡¯s more, we will benefit from being acquainted with people like him.¡±

    The driver thought for a while and agreed. Then, he said, ¡°Miss Cynthia, you¡¯re much more far-sighted. I¡¯ve worried too much.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good as long as you don¡¯t speak a word of it.¡± Cynthia didn¡¯t want her matters to be interfered with by others.

    In fact, ording to her family¡¯s wishes, it was her destiny to be married off to someone who could assist her younger brother in the future.

    But among those who hadachievements among the political elite,how many of them were not in their forties or fifties?

    She was also a woman. In the face of such an ending, how could she ept it?

    Even if she could marry the child of a high-ranking official, who could guarantee that the child of the high-ranking official wouldn¡¯t be more infamous than Santiago?

    Cynthia¡¯s heart gradually melted. She took the initiative to send Santiago a text message. Even though she didn¡¯t say anything, she sent him a smiley face emoji.

    ¡°I¡¯m at the back,¡± Santiago immediately replied with a text message to Cynthia. Cynthia turned around to have a look. Surely enough, Santiago was right behind them, at a distance that was neither too far nor too close, following them.

    Cynthia was stunned for a moment. She lowered her head and smiled. Then she began to chat with Santiago.

    After Cynthia¡¯s car reached the entrance of the airport,only then did Santiago¡¯s car leave. Cynthia sat in the car and did not get out of it immediately. Instead, she sent a text message to Santiago, asking him to be careful on the road.

    Santiago did not reply to her. He drove back to his vi.

 Chapter 1025 Dream

    Raeleigh had woken up by the time Santiago returned home. As she had overslept, she was a little anxious when she walked downstairs. She had to sit for an exam.

    As she contemted, she realized that she had not been doing anything in the past week.

    ¡°No worries, Jepherson will make the necessary arrangements,¡± said Scarlette, who was standing by her side.

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s okay,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°I¡¯ll sit for the exam.¡± She nced at Scarlette. It annoyed her that Scarlette had been perpetuallycking in independence.

    ¡°Hey, Santiago, you¡¯re back,¡± Scarlette said. She stood up the instance she saw Santiago. Giving no reply, Santiago headed straight for the kitchen to grab some snacks. He acted as if he did not see Scarlette.

    ¡°Jepherson has always left some food for you,¡± Scarlette said.

    Raeleigh recollected that Jepherson had instructed that some food should be allocated for Santiago when she had her meal with Jepherson a moment ago. Scarlette was right.

    While Santiago was eating, Jepherson walked downstairs. He did not say anything when he saw Santiago. The two siblings had been umunicative. It felt as though they interacted with each other through eye contact.

    Jepherson could be seen adjusting his cor before walking towards Raeleigh. He lowered his head and kissed her. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go now,¡± he said. ¡°I have some matters to attend to. Santiago will send you to school. Good luck in your exam.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at him. She did not bother responding. She knew there was no point whining then.

    Jepherson had given his gesture of concern. Therefore, it would be inconsiderate of her if she were to whine.

    Since Raeleigh was unresponsive, Scarlette chipped in, ¡°Young Master, if Raeleigh is able to pass the exam, then what about me then?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Jepherson said indifferently. After a brief pause, he added, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll stick with Raeleigh.¡±

    Not saying anything further, he turned around and walked out of the house. Then, he got in the car and left.

    After eating and drinking to his heart¡¯s content, Santiago put the cutlery on the table.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Santiago said as he made his way out of the house. Raeleigh took her belongings and followed suit. Scarlette tagged along.

    ¡°What¡¯s it like sitting for the progress test?¡± Raeleigh asked while walking.

    ¡°No idea. I haven¡¯t sat for the test.¡± Santiago had not put in much effort when he sat for the exam. He answered the questions haphazardly and then handed over the form and test paper.

    On the other hand, Raeleigh had spent much time preparing. Santiago thought it was unnecessary.

    As they reached the school, Santiago led them to the dormitory. They left the school and went for dinner soon after Raleigh tidied up her dorm and scanned through some information. It waste into the night by the time they finished their meal. They then went home. Since Raeleigh could not fall asleep, she chatted with Jepherson under the quilt.

    Scarlette stared at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡±

    Raeleigh did not bother answering. Neither did Santiago. Every now and then, Cynthia would ask about him.

    Santiago put his cell phone aside. He had been looking at it before nine o¡¯clock. It was past nine o¡¯clock then. He had fallen asleep.

    Feeling bored, Scarlette looked at them. She did not rest well.

    While Scarlette was still sleeping soundly, Raeleigh woke up before six the next day. After freshening up, she went for breakfast. Santiago kept herpany. At about seven o¡¯clock, a teacher could be seen waiting for Raeleigh in the lecture hall. The teacher led her into one of the rooms. When she entered the room, she saw six or seven automotive designers. Someone handed Raeleigh the examination paper, informing her that she had toplete the design on her own. The theme was ¡®Youth¡¯.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    The stipted time was two hours. Raeleigh had been staring at the few people at the opposite end of the room, including Raeleigh. Each of them had prepared a question with a specific design theme. Raleigh drew a card. It was one written with the word ¡®Youth¡¯.

    Raeleigh put on her thinking cap to pinpoint what constituted youth.

    Was it being young? Was it about a dream? Or was it being free-spirited?

    After some thought, Raeleigh sketched a rough outline on the paper. She drew inspiration from Santiago¡¯s aura, which was rebellious, wild, unrestrained, and full of energy¡­

    Soon after that, Raeleigh started to create designs. It took her more than an hour to sketch five pieces of drawings, which included the interior and exterior of the car. The design was a brand new breed of sports cars.

    The car featured only one color. That of the noble violet¡­

    It had scissor-doors with a sleek and aesthetically pleasing silhouette. Its lighting design was revolutionary. She named her design ¡®Dream¡¯, which she thought was befitting of the theme of the design.

    ¡°I¡¯m done with the design,¡± Raeleigh said as she stood up and bowed before her examiner. She knew it can be tiring on the part of the examiner to stand around to keep herpany.

    Excited, she walked towards Raeleigh to take her work. The design took her breath away when sheid her eyes on it. She remainedposed and handed over the work to Jepherson.

    Jepherson was a little bewildered when he saw the design. He scrutinized the design and saw the word ¡®Dream¡¯. Then, he raised his head and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°What are you trying to convey?¡± he asked. ¡°What does a dream have to do with youth?¡±

    Raeleigh stood there and said, ¡°Youth is like a dream. Violet is a dreamy color, and lively to boot. So is a youth. A youth is wild, free-spirited, unrestrained, passionate, and confident¡­¡±

    ¡°Most cars in the market are way toomercialised,¡± she added. ¡°They¡¯re sporty but not necessarily wild. They appeal mostly to the market segment consisting of mature grown-ups. None of them truly embodies the spirit of youthfulness.¡±

    ¡°Sports cars best epitomize youth.¡±

    ¡°I take it that you¡¯re trying to say that youth is tantamount to a fantasy. Am I right?¡± Jepherson said. ¡°Well, yeah sort of,¡± Raeleigh replied.

    Jepherson handed the design blueprint to the other designers. They were pleased with the design.

    ¡°Alright, you nailed it,¡± said the designers. As Jepherson looked at them, he said, ¡°Come over here.¡±

    Raeleigh walked towards Jepherson. He directed his gaze at her left hand. ¡°Raise your hand,¡± he instructed.

    Raeleigh raised her left hand. Jepherson then reached out and touched her wrist before untangling the bracelet from her hand.

    Everyone was taken aback. Jepherson remained as cool as a cucumber. He took the bracelet and stamped it with his seal. Then, he proceeded to stamp her design blueprints. Everyone looked over and saw his name on the seal.

    Jepherson then stamped Raeleigh¡¯s certificate with his seal. After wiping her bracelet with a piece of tissue, he held Raeleigh¡¯s hand as he put on the bracelet on her wrist. Then, he stood up and extended his right hand to congratte her. ¡°Congrattions, you made it,¡± he said.

    He was amused to find her looking bemused.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment before extending her hand to receive the handshake. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°You totally deserve it.¡± He then handed her the certificate. ¡°I¡¯ll be your mentor for a year, personally coaching you as you transition into the working world. Here¡¯s to a sessful mentorship. This is your certificate.¡±

    Raeleigh took the certificate. Her bracelet gleamed. The rest of the designers looked disappointed. They could have been the one to sign her up as a mentee, if Jepherson did not make a sudden appearance.

    What a missed opportunity!

 Chapter 1026 An Incident At the Mall

    Raeleigh epted the certificate. As Jepherson picked up the design blueprint, he said, ¡°This blueprint shall remain confidential. Thepany will invest in its production. I wish to reiterate that under no circumstances that this blueprint be leaked. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have to face the music.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. His sudden change of mood took Raeleigh by surprise.

    Everyone looked stone-faced. They were aware of the rules. If a vehicle¡¯s design would enter production, then its blueprint shall not be leaked whatsoever. Whoever leaked it would have to pay for it.

    The Richards family treated everyone well. Be that as it may, they would never forgive traitors and spies.

    Everyone knew that if it weren¡¯t for their upromising stance on this issue, the Richards family would not have achieved its current status in society.

    In other words, the Richards family would spare no expense to uncover the truth. They would go to great lengths to investigate a problem. No perpetrators would be let off the hook. Some would be booted out of the automotive design industry while others would have to pay a heavier price. Such was the power and influence of the Richards family.

    As soon as he finished talking, Jepherson took Raeleigh¡¯s blueprint and left. The others watched as he made his way out of the room. When he was out of sight, everyone congratted Raeleigh.

    ¡°Congrattions.¡±

    ¡°Congrats.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s head teacher was proud of her. Never had he expected that Raeleigh would be personally mentored by Jepherson. He was pleased and this would mean that Raeleigh would not move elsewhere. Instead, she would remain in his ss.

    After thanking the designers, Raeleigh left alongside her head teacher. They were chatting as they made their way back to the ssroom. He told her that he had wished that she would remain in his ss as she would be a beacon of hope for other students, who would subsequently look up to him as a discerning teacher and was able to recognise good talents.

    Without hesitation, Raeleigh eded to his request immediately.

    Scarlette and Santiago could be seen waiting for her when they returned to the ssroom. The moment Scarlette saw Raeleigh, she dashed towards her and asked, ¡°Raeleigh, how was it? Did you pass?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± Raeleigh said smilingly.

    Santiago shed a smile. The news did not take him by surprise as Raeleigh was a designer par excellence.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you¡¯ve got to tell the principal,¡± said the head teacher. ¡°He looks forward to hearing from you.¡± After a brief pause, Raeleigh said, ¡°Alright, I will.¡±

    ¡°Off you go. I can¡¯te along. I have a ss now.¡± The head teacher went into the ssroom as soon as he finished talking. He announced this piece of news to everyone.

    Apanied by Santiago and Scarlette, Raeleigh made her way to the principal¡¯s office to tell him about her sess. Delighted, he congratted Raeleigh.

    While they were leaving, Scarlette grabbed Raeleigh by the arm and asked, ¡°Let¡¯s celebrate, shall we?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at her and said, ¡°Well, I wanted to tell Grandma about this.¡±

    She would surely be overjoyed.

    Scarlette paused for a while and said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s buy some food and celebrate at home then. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± said Raeleigh.

    Santiago then drove them to a mall. Raeleigh trailed after them as they shopped to their heart¡¯s content. Raeleigh told them that she could not finish all the food. However, neither of them listened to her. They bought loads of food and drinks.

    Since Raeleigh was not buying anything, she killed time browsing some books at the bookstore as she waited for them. Just as she took a seat, someone approached her.

    Raeleigh raised her head. It was Zorion. ¡°Hey, why are you here?¡± she said.

    ¡°I was window-shopping when I saw you from afar,¡± he rified. ¡°You had a test. How was it?¡± Zorion was standing as he talked, while Raeleigh remained seated. Feeling ufortable, she then stood up.

    ¡°Yeah, I passed,¡± Raeleigh said. Deanna walked up to them and said softly, ¡°Congrattions.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Raeleigh replied smilingly.

    Deanna remained quiet thereafter. She could be seen swaying behind Zorion. ¡°You wanted to shop, didn¡¯t you?¡± Zorion said. ¡°Go ahead then.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± She wanted to buy some wet wipes. It did not bother her if she did not purchase them anyway as she just wanted to hang around in the mall.

    She turned around and left. ¡°Deanna¡¯s alone, is that okay with you?¡± Raeleigh asked.

    Zorion sped his hands behind his back as he turned around. ¡°She has grown up,¡± he said. ¡°She needs to learn to be independent.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s trail after her,¡± Raeleigh said. She was worried about her safety. Before getting to know Zorion, it had never crossed her mind that the world was a hazardous ce to live in. Danger could strike anytime and anywhere.

    Even though Raeleigh had gone through numerous bad experiences in life, she had always shrugged them off as mere coincidences or some asional bad luck. She used to presume that not all ces were unsafe. However, she had changed her mind.

    She then believed that trouble could strike anywhere and everywhere.

    Raeleigh went ahead to trail after Deanna. Zorion followed suit. As they walked, Zorion asked, ¡°What¡¯s the theme of the design?¡±

    Raeleigh was taken aback. Jepherson¡¯s stern face came to her mind. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t say anything,¡± she said. ¡°The design will be put into production, so¡­¡±

    ¡°It sounds like it¡¯s going to be a hit in the market,¡± Zorion said with a smile. Raeleigh nced at him and said, ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope it will take off.¡±

    ¡°Oh,e on. You¡¯ve got to be more confident of yourself,¡± Zorion said. Raeleigh thought for a while and said, ¡°I am confident. But I guess you needdy luck to be by your side at times before you can pull it off. asionally, I draw inspiration from people around me. Lanox was conceptualized when I saw Deanna and you sitting together at the beach. I did not expect that it would be a limited-edition production. I¡¯ve hoped that you will have one to your name.¡±

    ¡°No worries, we¡¯re good,¡± Zorion said. ¡°Deanna loves our present car.¡± He did not bother exining much. He had always been his reticent self.

    People tended to be relentlessly obsessive when it came to pursuing worldly sess. Zorion had lost himself in the past too. Ever since he befriended Raeleigh, he had turned over a new leaf and became less attached to material wealth.

    He was at peace with himself by virtue of that shift in perspective.

    Zorion ced his hands in his pocket. Being tall and slender, he nced around as he walked. Like a reservoir that was slowly drying up and nearing its final days of existence, Zorion¡¯s state of mind was one of calmness and eptance as he resigned himself to his fate. As a result, he looked older than his age.

    In the past, he had been smart for someone his age. The same could be said of his emotional intelligence right then.

    After walking for a while, Raeleigh said, ¡°d to hear that.¡±

    Zorion looked at Raeleigh and said with a smile, ¡°Are you alright? I didn¡¯t catch you off guard, did I?¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Raeleigh replied immediately. Although she was not ustomed to his behavioural change, she actually liked it.

    ¡°Excuse me. Excuse me.¡± While they were walking, ady could be seen chasing after a kid sitting in a toy car. Raeleigh watched as the kid sobbed. She seemed petrified. Immediately, she dashed forward to stop the car even though she barely had the strength to do so. Zorion was stunned. He extended his hand to grab hold of the car. Thedy held the child in her arms, trying her best to console the poor kid.

    Zorion loosened his grip before turning around to look at Raeleigh. ¡°Are you nuts?¡± he said. There was a tinge of displeasure in his gaze.

    Raeleigh remained silent. She was tongue-tied when she saw Zorion giving her a reproachful look.

    Was she being a fool for attempting to save a kid?

    Was it foolish to stop the toy car by blocking it?

    The onlooking crowd could be seen encircling Raeleigh and Zorion. They were bbering about how they managed to save the kid. Carrying the kid, thedy walked towards them. ¡°Thank you so much,¡± she said.

    The kid was still sobbing. Raleigh looked at her before directing her gaze towards the floor and said, ¡°The flooring is anti-slip. Why in the world did you push the toy car to such a distance?¡±

    Embarrassed, she replied, ¡°Well, she just wanted to have some fun. I didn¡¯t know that it would speed off the moment I pushed it.¡±

    Thedy blushed. Her remark left Raeleigh speechless. Raeleigh secretly thought that she was one lousy mother.

    ¡°Good to know that she¡¯s alright,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°Don¡¯t ede to her whims and fancies next time.¡± Then, she looked around and wondered where Deanna was.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Deanna?¡± Raeleigh asked. Zorion realized that they were supposed to look for Deanna. He walked out of the crowd and went about searching for Deanna. s, she was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°There¡¯s amotion here,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t it catch her attention?¡± She was puzzled and worried. Zorion thought for a while before turning around and squeezing through the crowd to find thedy and her child. It turned out that they had left.

    Raeleigh trailed after him. Now that they had gone, she knew she had been taken for a ride.

    ¡°Now what?¡± Raeleigh asked as she looked at Zorion. Zorion took his cell phone and called Deanna. However, she did not pick up the call.

    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be alright,¡± Zorion said. As soon as he hung up the phone, he nced around. Then, he grabbed Raeleigh by the arm and led her to the surveince control room.

    As they retrieved the CCTV footage, they found out that Deanna had been abducted.

    ¡°Scarlette, where are you?¡± Raeleigh called Scarlette while she was viewing the CCTV footage. Scarlette had been looking for her. She could be seen standing near the spot where Raeleigh sat a moment ago.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for you,¡± said Scarlette. ¡°Where have you been? Santiago have been distressed.¡± Scarlette knew that she would be alright. True enough, she was safe and sound.

    Santiago took the phone and said, ¡°Where are you?¡±

    Raeleigh was dazed for a while. Then, she said, ¡°I¡¯m in the surveince control room. Deanna was here, but she¡¯s been abducted. Wait outside. Zorion and I will be there in a bit.¡±

    Raeleigh put her cell phone in the bag. Zorion stood up and looked at her. He had been on tenterhooks. Now that Deanna was kidnapped, he was all the more agitated. Somehow, he was able to regain hisposure as he stared at Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh looked at him and said, ¡°Let¡¯s head out. It¡¯s gonna be alright. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s optimism was infectious. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s gonna be alright,¡± he said as he nodded.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°They¡¯re close by.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and made a dash for the entrance of the mall. Scarlette could be seen waiting for her. Santiago had driven off.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.

    Scarlette walked towards Raeleigh and said, ¡°Hadrian¡¯s here all along. He sent me a text message when he saw those abductors taking Deanna away. Look.¡±

    Scarlette understood the gravity of the situation. Even though she did not take a liking to Deanna, she put that aside right then.

    Scarlette showed Zorion the text message. There was an address. A photo was attached too. He realized that the abductors had taken Deanna to a house in some remote suburbs.

    Even though Capital City wasrge, there were not many housing estates in that area. Zorion had been to some of the estates. He could tell the exact location at a nce.

    Zorion got it.

 Chapter 1027 To Die in His Embrace

    ¡°Did Santiago see the message?¡± Zorion asked Scarlette as he took the phone.

    ¡°Yes, he did,¡± she said. ¡°He told us not to worry.¡± Zorion looked at Raeleigh. As he put Scarlette¡¯s phone in his pocket, he took his phone and made a call. He then walked out of the mall. Scarlette grabbed Raeleigh by the arm and trailed after Zorion.

    It was a one-minute phone conversation. In less than three minutes, they walked out of the mall. More than ten cars in ck could be seen parking outside. Because of the special mark on the cars¡¯ windshield, they knew that those cars belonged to the Whalen family. The traffic police would refrain from interfering even if they caused a traffic congestion.

    They were respectable members of the society. The police had always held them in high regard.

    The police should not be the only entity tasked with ensuring that public security was upheld. At times, concerted effort from multiple parties was required.

    Zorion walked towards one of those cars. He then turned around to look at Raeleigh and Scarlette. Raeleigh got into the car right away. Scarlette followed suit.

    As soon as Zorion got into the car, someone closed the door. The driver then drove off and headed towards the housing estate where Deanna was locked up. The rest of the drivers tagged along.

    Raeleigh was a little uneasy as she sat in the car. Not only did she worry about Deanna, she worried about Santiago too. After all, he was alone¡­

    Scarlette was agitated too, since Hadrian was right in front of her.

    In contrast, Zorion was as cool as a cucumber. It had been a smooth ride thus far. Raeleigh looked at Zorion with a frown.

    Had she been going through a spate of bad luck? She seemed to be in distress whenever she met Zorion.

    ¡­¡­

    Zorion remained silent. Then, he nced at Raeleigh and said wih a smile, ¡°It¡¯s gonna be alright.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips as she looked out of the window. ¡°Hopefully¡­¡±

    ¡­

    Santiago arrived at the destination. He got out of the car and directed his gaze upwards as he closed the car¡¯s door.

    Night fell. The immediate vicinity was enveloped in a yellow hue, so much so that it looked like a painting of a bygone era.

    Santiago nced around. At that moment, he saw Hadrian. ¡°Hey, Santiago,¡± Hadrian greeted.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the exact location?¡± Santiago asked. His expression was deadpan while his fierce gaze was piercing.

    ¡°That cottage, over there,¡± Hadrian said. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a kidnapping though. They¡¯re just trying to teach Zorion a lesson. It seemed to me that they want to touch Deanna indecently.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Santiago looked at Hadrian and said, ¡°Wait here.¡±

    Hadrian grabbed Santiago by the arm and said, ¡°About seven or eight people are in there.¡±

    ¡°All the more I need to get in there,¡± Santiago said as he shoved Hadrian. ¡°I¡¯lle along then,¡± Hadrian said as he trailed after him.

    ¡°Just stay here,¡± Santiago instructed. ¡°Keep a lookout for Flynt and see if he¡¯s here. Make sure he doesn¡¯t stir up the ho¡¯s nest. Zorion will be here in a bit.¡±

    Then, Santiago headed straight for the cottage. A ck car could be seen parking outside the cottage. He sneaked a peek at the car to ascertain that nobody was in the car. Then, he made his way to the cottage and opened the door gently. As soon as he heard Deanna screaming, he kicked down the door.

    Seven or eight men could be seen attempting to make advances at Deanna. Even though they had not done anything yet, one man was snapping pictures with his cell phone.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± said one of them the moment he saw Santiago.

    Santiago could tell that he was not a local judging from his ent. As he shed a smirk, he walked towards the man who was snapping pictures. Santiago kicked him. The man¡¯s phone fell to the ground as he dodged. Santiago trampled the phone with his solid leather shoes. Clicking sounds could be heard as the phone shattered.

    All the men were startled.

    ¡°Hey, young man. Don¡¯t stoop to our level,¡± said one man. ¡°We¡¯re hooligans. Somebody paid us for these shenanigans. You like the girl, don¡¯t you? Well then, go ahead. We haven¡¯t done anything.¡±

    At that moment, Deanna was so frightened that she started crying. Her shirt had been torn. She was too ashamed to see anyone.

    ¡°Santiago¡­ Boohoo¡­¡± Deanna cried as soon as she started talking. She huddled up in the corner of the cottage. Santiago frowned and said, ¡°Buzz off, I don¡¯t want to kill you. You¡¯re hooligans? Well, so am I.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re Santiago Richards?¡± Although they were not locals, they knew who Santiago was as they had been in Capital City for quite some time.

    ¡°Sod off,¡± Santiago said as he strode towards Deanna. She was sobbing uncontrobly.

    ¡°Nah, we can¡¯t leave. Go ahead if you want. We got to y by the rules. We¡¯ve got the money. We¡¯ve got to get the job done.¡±

    ¡°Get the job done?¡± Santiago said with a smirk as he was amused. ¡°You son of a b*tch, don¡¯t you know who she is?¡±

    They looked at each other. Since they did not know who Deanna was, they did not say anything.

    Santiago said, ¡°She¡¯s the daughter of Rayan Whalen. Zorion Whalen is her brother. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re in deep sh*t now?¡±

    ¡°Say what? Rayan Whalen?¡±

    Those men trembled. The one who just stood up grabbed a chair and hurled it at Santiago. Santiago dodged it. He then turned around and kicked him before getting into a fistfight with him. Soon after that, the man passed out. The rest of the onlooking men then encircled Santiago. Unperturbed, Santiago motioned one of the men toe forward. Santiago then kicked him abruptly, catching him off guard.

    One of them said in a rough tone, ¡°Come on, you¡¯re not ying by the rules.¡±

    ¡°ying by the rules, huh?¡± Santiago smirked. ¡°You would have been dead if I had yed by the rules.¡±

    As he spoke, Santiago struck a few men. He did not find it difficult even though he was fighting against a few men alone. One by one, he struck each man effortlessly. After that, he walked towards Deanna and grabbed hold of her arm. Shocked and terrified, she could be seen trembling.

    ¡°Such a pain in the neck,¡± Santiago said as he looked at Deanna. As she was sobbing, he took off his jacket and slung it over her shoulder. He then bent over to carry her and walked out of the room. All of a sudden, one man stood up and hit his head with a wooden stick.

    Santiago turned around and kicked the man who then fell to the ground. At that moment, his head was bleeding.

    Santiago felt a damp feeling in his back. He knew it had been a sharp blow as he was feeling giddy.

    He took a deep breath and continued making his way to the entrance of the cottage as he carried Deanna. He then kicked down the door and walked out of the cottage.

    Zorion had arrived. When Hadrian saw Santiago walking out of the cottage, he dashed forward. He noticed that his back was covered in blood. ¡°You¡¯re injured,¡± he said.

    Deanna held Santiago tightly with both arms, as if she wanted to die in his embrace.

 Chapter 1028 Be Spared of a Torturous Death

    Tongue-tied, Santiago thought that he was going to die.

    Deanna was still crying. A few curious onlookers were staring at them. As Zorion got out of the car, Scarlette followed suit.

    Raeleigh was bewildered as she got an up-close look at Santiago. ¡°Hurry up, get to the hospital,¡± she urged.

    As Raeleigh shouted, Zorion carried Deanna immediately. She clung to Santiago, refusing to let go. Eventually, she loosened her grip and Zorion was able to carry her.

    Thereupon, Santiago lost his bnce and fell. Immediately, Raeleigh sped him in her arms and yelled, ¡°Santiago, Santiago.¡±

    Deanna¡¯s face turned pale due to the hysterical crying. At that moment, she looked at Zorion anxiously and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Scarlette nced at her and rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Hadrian, help me out,¡± Raeleigh shouted. Hadrian bent over to carry Santiago before walking towards the car. Raeleigh got into the car quickly. Agitated, she started the car immediately. In a matter of seconds, she sped off.

    Zorion carried his sister into the car. He instructed the driver to trail after Raeleigh.

    Deanna kept crying in the car. She sped Zorion¡¯s hand and asked if Santiago would die.

    ¡°No worries, he¡¯s gonna be alright,¡± Zorion said reassuringly as he held her hand andbed her hair. ¡°He was cracking up a joke a moment ago, wasn¡¯t he?¡± His face darkened when he realized that her shirt had been torn.

    ¡°Have those guys been detained?¡± Zorion asked. ¡°Yes, we managed to catch them,¡± said the driver.

    ¡°Let them drink some salt water,¡± Zorion said nonchntly. If he was not on his way to see Santiago, then he would have made these people pay for it.

    ¡°Got it, Young Master,¡± said the driver.

    Xanthus could be seen walking out of the hospital when Santiago arrived. He was on his way back to his school. He did not expect to bump into Santiago when he came to the hospital to get some medicine. He tagged along to have a look at Santiago. He was both a surgeon and an orthopedic doctor, although he did not quite shine as a surgeon. He stayed in the hospital for a while. It was a bitter pill to swallow to find Santiago injured. Raeleigh wondered if she had brought bad luck to him as he hadnded himself in trouble when they were out together.

    Xanthus took a piece of tissue and gently wiped Raeleigh¡¯s forehead. Stunned, she took the tissue and thanked him.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Xanthus said. ¡°Fate seems to bring us back together. I¡¯ve got a pretty good impression of you actually. Unfortunately, my parents are not around. Otherwise, I would have introduced you to them.¡± Xanthus had been gentlemanly. Raeleigh had butterflies in her stomach as she looked at Xanthus. Now that she heard Xanthus¡¯s words, she was all the more moved by him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rarleigh said. ¡°I¡¯m not in a good state of mind. I hope my mood doesn¡¯t affect you.¡± She remained silent thereafter. All she wished for was that Santiago would be safe.

    Zorion and Deanna walked into the hospital. As soon as he saw Raeleigh, he led Deanna to a corner before walking towards Raeleigh. ¡°Is Santiago alright?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. He¡¯s still in the operating theater.¡±

    Raeleigh had certainly hoped that he would be safe and sound. Nheless, she was worried as her white blouse was drenched with blood stains.

    Raeleigh informed Hadrian to call Jepherson. He would likely arrive at the hospital in a bit.

    Zorion directed his gaze at the operating theater. As he walked a few steps, he saw Xanthus furrowing his brows.

    Zorion did not say anything. Instead, he stood outside the operating theatre and waited patiently.

    Half an hourter, Jepherson arrived at the operating theatre. He walked towards Raeleigh. As he sat down, he held Raeleigh in his arms.

    Raeleighid her hand on Jepherson¡¯s torso. ¡°What are we supposed to do now?¡± she asked.

    Jepherson said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s gonna be alright.¡±

    Then, she kept silent.

    Not long after that, the surgical lights in the operating theater were turned off. Immediately, Zorion walked over and pushed the door. ¡°There¡¯s a surgical wound,¡± the doctor exined. ¡°We¡¯ve taken the necessary steps to prevent scarring. As per your request, we¡¯ve applied silicone adhesives to prevent the formation of scars. Post-surgery scarring can be avoided as long as the patient stays away from water for one week.¡±

    Raeleigh heaved a sigh of relief as she stood up.

    Zorion lowered his head as he directed his gaze at Santiago. His face was exceedingly pale, likely caused by excessive blood loss.

    ¡°Thank goodness Santiago¡¯s around,¡± Zorion said as he looked at Jepherson. ¡°Otherwise, the incident would have taken a turn for the worse.¡± At that moment, Jepherson looked at Deanna, who was still weeping pitifully. Jepherson did not think that she was responsible for Santiago¡¯s predicament.

    He looked at Zorion and said, ¡°The person at fault is the mastermind. I guess you know who¡¯s behind this mess. Anyway, there¡¯s nothing much we can do now. Just be careful.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Right, I got you,¡± Zorion said. He frowned as he nced at Deanna. Even so, he would not let this pass.

    The doctor wheeled Santiago to the ward. Raeleigh and Scarlette trailed after them.

    ¡°I got to make a move,¡± Zorion said. ¡°Deanna¡¯s traumatized. We¡¯ll be backter in the evening.¡± Then, they left the hospital.

    Jepherson made his way to the ward.

    Everyone had been ignoring Xanthus. Nheless, he kept looking at Raeleigh. It was not until Raeleigh was out of sight that he decided to leave.

    In the evening¡­

    At an abandoned warehouse in the suburbs, Zorion could be seen sitting on a chair as he looked at the few men who were forced to drink endless bottles of salt water.

    ¡°Shoot, who¡¯s behind this mess?¡± Zorion said as he snapped his fingers.

    Those injured men felt a weird burning sensation in the body as they downed the salt water. Two men were urinating in their pants.

    Zorion disregarded their suffering.

    Zorion had always been mild-mannered. All the Whalen family members could attest to that, including their staff members.

    Be that as it may, he had a fiery temper. He would be rather ferocious whenever he flew into a rage.

    Those men would need to pay for it for abducting Deanna. Zorion would not let this pass easily.

    ¡°We can¡¯t disclose his name,¡± a teary-eyed man said. ¡°Our family¡¯s life would be in jeopardy if we were to divulge anything.¡±

    Zorion sneered. ¡°You¡¯re a family man, huh? Why didn¡¯t you think of your family members while you were messing around?¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re trying to put food on the table. But can¡¯t you get a decent job?¡±

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you have taken countless lives. This isn¡¯t your first offence, is it?¡±

    Zorion¡¯s words sent shivers down their spines. They had a feeling that their deaths would be preceded by some excruciating tortures.

    ¡°Each one of you has a criminal record. And you¡¯ve robbed women of their chastities. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll continuemitting crimes if I were to set you free. I might as well send you to h*ll.¡±

    Zorion snorted and said, ¡°Onest time. Who¡¯s behind the abduction?¡±

    Everyone kept mum. Suddenly, one of the men said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you. I¡¯ll tell you¡­¡±

    Zorion looked at him and said with a smile, ¡°Well then, shoot.¡±

    At the very least, he could be spared a torturous death.

 Chapter 1029 A Strange Thought

    It had been two days since Santiago woke up. He was still feeling dizzy. His headache had not subsided either.

    As he woke up, he saw Raeleigh and Jepherson by his side. The rest of the visitors had left.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Raeleigh asked.

    Santiagoughed and said, ¡°Feeling groggy, of course. Haven¡¯t you seen my current state?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. ¡°I was just expressing my concern,¡± she said.

    Sitting at the opposite side of the ward, Jepherson¡¯s face darkened.

    It was at that moment that Santiago added, ¡°I feel a little pain.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s mood had visibly improved. Raeleigh looked at Santiago and said, ¡°Be sure to tell me immediately if you ever feel unwell.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I will.¡± Santiago then smiled at Jepherson and said, ¡°I¡¯m feeling alright. You may make a move.¡±

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll stay here and look after you,¡± Jepherson said. Amused, Santiago then replied, ¡°No worries, Raeleigh¡¯s here. Go.¡±

    Jepherson remained seated. Santiago reckoned that he would not want to leave. Hence, he stopped cajoling him to leave.

    Now that Santiago had woken up, Raeleigh went to buy him some porridge and eggs. However, Jepherson stopped Santiago from eating the eggs, as they were not good for his wound-healing regimen. Raeleigh was not aware of it, so she felt a little sheepish. She then gave the eggs to Jepherson.

    Santiago could not get up to eat. Jepherson fed him, although it was not quite appropriate to see one man feeding another man.

    Therefore, Raeleigh took over.

    Raeleigh held the bowl with her left hand and the spoon with her right hand. She then blew on the porridge to cool it off. At that moment, someone knocked the door. Zorion and Deanna came in.

    The two siblings paused for a moment as they stood at the entrance of the ward. Deanna had even dressed up and put on some light make-up.

    It was rather decent make-up. She looked beautiful.

    Raeleigh did not turn around. She was feeding Santiago a spoonful of porridge. Santiago seemed as though he was mesmerized. Puzzled, she then turned around to look at Zorion and Deanna. ¡°Such stunningly good-looking siblings,¡± she thought.

    Deanna walked towards Raeleigh. She paused for a while and said, ¡°Let me help you.¡±

    Raeleigh hesitated. ¡°Are you sure?¡± she said.

    Raeleigh would not have asked if it was Scarlette volunteering to help to feed Santiago. Since it was Deanna, she feltpelled to ask.

    Santiago was recuperating from the operation after all. He had to eat well, so that he could recover.

    Deanna thought for a moment and said, ¡°I used to feed my parents and my brother whenever they¡¯re sick. Although I can¡¯t cook and doundry, I can certainly tend to people whenever they¡¯re sick.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded and stood up. ¡°Right, have a seat,¡± she said.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Deanna said as she reached out to hold the bowl carefully. She was afraid of being clumsy, lest Raeleigh thought she could not do a good job. Raeleigh smiled as she sat down.

    Despite feeling a little awkward, Deanna was quite focused on her task. She scooped a spoonful of porridge and blew on it repeatedly to cool it off. Her efforts were so painstaking that she gave the impression that she wanted to cool that spoonful of porridge by putting it into her mouth before feeding Santiago.

    Santiago had a headache. Besides that, he was ravenous. Therefore, it did not matter who fed him.

    Santiago opened his mouth as Deanna fed him. Soon after that, he almost downed the entire bowl of porridge. There were two eggs initially, but Jepherson ate them. Indeed, a growing 17-year-old teenager had a hearty appetite.

    Raeleigh stood up. ¡°Santiago, are you still hungry?¡± she asked.

    Santiago looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and get some food then,¡± Raeleigh said before walking out of the ward. As she closed the door, Jepherson nced at Deanna before directing his gaze at Santiago.

    He seemed to be deep in thought.

    It was not long before Raeleigh returned to the ward. As she walked into the ward, she removed the lunchbox¡¯s lid. Deanna took the lunchbox and noticed it was chicken porridge. She reckoned that Santiago¡¯s hunger would likely be satiated.

    Deanna blew on the porridge. Santiago could be seen gazing intently at her little rosy lips. Raeleigh saw him staring at Deanna intently, as did Jepherson and Zorion.

    Raeleigh snuck a nce at them. Then, she walked to the other side of the ward and took a seat. She remained silent thereafter.

    Santiago had eaten his fill. He still had a headache.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Deanna asked. ¡°Is this pillow notfortable enough? Shall I get you another pillow?¡± Deanna stood up, wanting to go and buy him a pillow.

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s okay,¡± Santiago said. ¡°I want to get some sleep.¡± Then, he tugged the nket and closed his eyes.

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Deanna obliged. Like a child, she then obediently sat down.

    Zorion looked at his watch and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go and grab a bite. Anyone joining me?¡±

    He then stood up. Jepherson and Raeleigh followed suit.

    ¡°Hey, what about Santiago?¡± Deanna said. She took umbrage at them leaving all at once.

    ¡°No worries, Hadrian and Scarlette are outside,¡± Zorion said. Agitated, she said, ¡°But Santiago¡¯s a patient.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s doing well.¡± Zorion insisted, as if he was trying to make life difficult for Deanna. She scowled at him and said, ¡°But he¡¯s a patient.¡±

    Amused, Zorion then said, ¡°Alright then, what are we supposed to do?¡±

    ¡°One of you has got to stay here,¡± Deanna said.

    ¡°Well then, you can stay here,¡± Zorion said irritably. Raeleigh nced at Jepherson, who had been silent. Jepherson opened the door and walked out of the ward. ¡°Go ahead if you¡¯re hungry, I¡¯ll stay,¡± she said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry yet,¡± Deanna said. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Indeed, she was not hungry. She was merely worried about Santiago.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll go ahead,¡± Raleigh said. ¡°I¡¯ll get you some food. What do you want to eat?¡± Deanna thought for a moment. She didn¡¯t have much of an appetite. Since she saw Santiago eating chicken porridge, she said, ¡°Chicken porridge, thanks.¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it,¡± Raeleigh replied before turning around and leaving for a meal with Jepherson and Zorion.

    As the door closed, Deanna sighed dejectedly. ¡°Look, everybody¡¯s gone. No one¡¯s gonna look after you.¡±

    Santiago seemed to have fallen asleep as he did not respond to Deanna¡¯s remark.

    After confirming that Santiago had fallen asleep, she looked around the ward. To her surprise, she saw no fruit baskets in the ward. Not even one.

    She then called Zorion.

    ¡°Would you like to join us?¡± Zorion asked the moment he answered the call. Deanna said, ¡°Why in the world are there zero fruit baskets in the ward?¡±

    Zorion looked at Raeleigh and Jepherson. ¡°You¡¯d like a fruit basket, huh?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Deanna asked rhetorically. Zorionughed, ¡°Alright, I get you.¡±

    ¡°Zorion¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Get one that¡¯s of higher quality.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Deanna hung up the phone. Then, she went to wash her hands. As she took the lunchbox and threw it into the trash can, she noticed that no one was outside the ward. Panicking, she wondered why no one was around.

    Deanna hurried back to the ward and closed the door. As she took a seat and looked at Santiago, she phoned Scarlette.

    She had wanted to avoid answering the call. Nheless, she picked up eventually after some thoughts.

    ¡°I¡¯m in the next room,¡± Scarlette rified. ¡°I¡¯m eating. I saw youing out of the ward. No worries, all is well.¡±

    Deanna stood up and walked out of the ward. She snuck a nce at the adjoining room. Surely enough, she saw Scarlette waving at her.

    Relieved, she then hung up the phone.

    As she went back to the ward, she looked at Santiago¡¯s face. His face was that of a troublemaker¡¯s. She could not help but leaned in closer to look at him attentively. A strange thought crossed her mind. Then, she reached out to touch his lips. She withdrew her hand as soon as she touched his lips.

 Chapter 1030 Took The Initiative

    Santiago twitched. As his lips itched, he lifted his hand and wiped it. This terrified Deanna. Immediately, she put her hand behind her back as she shook her head, as if subconsciously trying to assert that she was not the one who touched his lips.

    It just so happened that Scarlette walked past the ward. As she saw Deanna¡¯s overwrought expression, she wondered if she had gone hysterical again.

    Deanna took a seat, pretending that nothing happened as she waited for Raeleigh and the rest to return to the ward. Santiago was still asleep.

    Raeleigh brought some chicken porridge while Zorion was carrying a fruit basket. Jepherson came back empty-handed.

    Scarlette had a feeling that Deanna was not mentally sound. She grabbed hold of Raeleigh¡¯s arm and whispered in her ear.

    ¡°Stop making a fuss over this issue,¡± Raleigh said as she shrugged her off. She then walked towards Deanna and handed her the chicken porridge. ¡°Dig in while it¡¯s still hot,¡± she said.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Deanna replied. She took the porridge and started eating. Raeleigh then headed straight to see Santiago. Sheid her palm on his forehead. Then, she tucked him in.

    At that moment, Santiago woke up. Raeleigh was not sure if she had kneaded too hard when she touched his forehead.

    ¡°Ahhhh¡­¡± Santiago yawned. He stroked his face before pulling back the quilt. Bemused, Raeleigh then tucked him in once again lest he caught a cold.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

    Jepherson walked into the ward. While waiting for Raeleigh, he took a seat.

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago and asked, ¡°Has the headache subsided?¡±

    ¡°Try getting a traumatic head injury yourself, how about that?¡± Santiago said as he twitched his eyebrow and nced at Raeleigh. As she was even-tempered, Santiago¡¯s sarcasm was like water off a duck¡¯s back to her. However, others might take umbrage at his mockery.

    No one else could afford to offend Santiago.

    Deanna was visibly displeased. ¡°What¡¯s with Raeleigh showing excessive concern to Santiago?¡± she thought.

    ¡°Let me ask the doctor if he can prescribe some painkillers for you,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s okay,¡± Santiago said. ¡°I was just pulling your leg. Got you.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. ¡°Why was he cracking jokes at this moment?¡± she thought.

    As he nced at the door, he said nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯m doing well. I¡¯ve eaten and drunk to my heart¡¯s content. You¡¯re all busy people. Go and get moving.¡±

    ¡°No worries, we¡¯re free,¡± Zorion said smilingly. At that moment, his car crossed his mind. ¡°My car, give it back to me,¡± he said.

    Zorion paused for a moment. ¡°You lost the bet,¡± Zorion said. ¡°That car¡¯s mine now. We made a bet and you lost. And now you want your car. How ridiculous can it be?¡±

    ¡°Liar, when in the world did I make a bet?¡± Santiago said contemptuously. Deanna could not help but to be amused. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t care less. She was level-headed enough to tell who was right and who was wrong.

    ¡°Deep down, you know very well if you¡¯ve made a bet,¡± Zorion said. ¡°Mind you, I¡¯ve got the CCTV footage when you came over to my house and made a bet. Lose the bet, lose the car. You can¡¯t take the car back. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s unreasonable?¡±

    Zorion was precisely trying to the truth upside down.

    ¡°Well that car¡¯s not mine anyway,¡± Santiago said. ¡°It belongs to Raeleigh. Give it back to me and I won¡¯t call you to ount. If you refuse, then no biggie. Sooner orter, I¡¯m gonna get it back.¡±

    Deanna almost burst intoughter as she looked at Santiago. Raeleigh and Jepherson remained quiet.

    Everyone knew that despite what Zorion said, he did not truly mean it. Be that as it may, no one bothered to rify. At times, silence was golden.

    After standing for quite some time, Raeleigh sat beside Jepherson. Santiago did not say anything as he was exasperated.

    As she finished her food, Deanna turned around and looked at the ward. She then stood up and proceeded to throw the lunchbox in the bin outside the ward. After that, she turned around and walked into the ward.

    When she walked into the ward, she saw the fruit basket that Zorion bought. She unwrapped the fruit basket, took some fruits, and went to the bathroom to rinse them.

    Raeleigh stood up as she wanted to help her. However, Zorion stopped her immediately.

    ¡°Let her do it by herself,¡± Zorion said. ¡°She¡¯s a grown-up. She knows how to go about washing fruit.¡± Since Zorion insisted that Deanna washed the fruit by herself, Raeleigh gave in. Then, she turned around.

    Scarlette was standing outside the ward. She saw what happened. ¡°That¡¯s the way it should be,¡± she thought.

    After washing the apples, Deanna wiped them with a serviette before giving each of them an apple.

    ¡°Raeleigh, here¡¯s yours,¡± Deanna said as she gave an apple to Raeleigh. She then left without looking Raeleigh in the eye.

    She sat down and peeled the rest of the apples using a paring knife.

    ¡°Give me the apple,¡± Santiago said as he took an apple from Deanna. ¡°You don¡¯t have to peel it for me.¡± Deanna gave him a wide-eyed stare. Santiago had almost finished munching the apple as hey on his side.

    ¡°Is he ying the fool?¡± Raeleigh thought as she stifled a giggle.

    ¡°Why did you eat the skin?¡± Deanna said bashfully. ¡°I haven¡¯t peeled it yet.¡±

    Zorion stood up and said, ¡°I guess it¡¯s about time to make a move. Call me up if there¡¯s anything you need.¡±

    ¡°Zorion, shall we stay a little longer?¡± Deanna asked the instant she heard Zorion saying that he wanted to make a move. Zorion looked at Jepherson and Raeleigh as he grabbed hold of Deanna¡¯s arm. ¡°Nah, we¡¯d better be making a move. We¡¯lle back tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Deanna said as she reluctantly left alongside Zorion.

    As they left, Raeleigh spoke to Jepherson in private. She reckoned that it was better not to tell the truth straight from the shoulder when Zorion and Deanna were around.

    ¡°Still feeling unwell?¡± Raeleigh asked Santiago after they left. Santiago shook his head and said, ¡°Nah, I¡¯m feeling much better. I¡¯ll get some rest. You should get some rest too.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    As Santiago fell asleep, Raeleighy down.

    Jepherson stayed over at the ward to look after Santiago. It was not convenient for Raeleigh to stay over. She was ady after all.

    In the next few days, Raeleigh found herself learning a lot.

    She made a mental note of each lesson.

    Jepherson had some matters to attend to the next day. After exining to Raeleigh what she ought to do, he left.

    As she sat by Santiago¡¯s side, Zorion and Deanna came for a visit. They brought some soup for Santiago.

    ¡°Raeleigh, would you like to have some soup?¡± Deanna asked. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of soup. Come on, you¡¯re not overweight.¡± Raeleigh looked at Santiago. Then, she stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m good, thanks. I don¡¯t like soup anyway. I¡¯m buying something. Have a nice chat with Santiago.¡±

    As Raeleigh made her way out of the ward, Zorion said, ¡°I¡¯ll tag along.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Deanna replied, turning around. Relieved, she then looked at Santiago and said, ¡°Drink the soup.¡±

    Santiago was holding his phone as he looked at her. He did not say a single word.

    ¡°Well, drink your soup,¡± she said.

 Chapter 1031 Food Poisoning

    As she walked out of the ward, Raeleigh made her way to the staircase. She did not like taking the elevator. As she stopped at the entrance of the staircase, she was bewildered to find Zorion tagging along.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Zorion asked. ¡°Left something in the ward, huh?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°Nah. Anyway I¡¯m not leaving yet.¡±

    Instantly, she felt bad. She thought that she had intentionally created a window of opportunity for Deanna. She looked at Zorion and said, ¡°I¡¯m meeting Scarlette. You don¡¯t have to keep mepany.¡±

    Scarlette was standing at the entrance of the ward. She walked towards Raeleigh the moment she saw her. ¡°I want to buy something,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°Come along with me.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Scarlette said. ¡°It just so happens that I want to buy something too.¡± She then took Raeleigh by the arm and walked towards the staircase. With hands in his pockets, Zorion stood and watched as Raeleigh left. When she was out of sight, he turned around and walked to the corridor. Then, he took a seat, crossing his legs.

    As he leaned against the wall, Raeleigh¡¯s calm face crossed his mind. He could be seen shing a smile.

    ¡­

    As they went down the stairs, Scarlette asked, ¡°What do you want to buy?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not buying anything,¡± she said. ¡°Let¡¯s take a stroll.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you alright?¡± Scarlette said as she raised her hand to touch Raeleigh. Raeleigh grabbed her arm and said, ¡°I¡¯m alright. I just feel like taking a stroll.¡±

    ¡°You left the moment Deanna arrived,¡± Scarlette asked curiously. ¡°Are you trying to avoid her though?¡±

    Raeleigh remained tight-lipped. She did not wish to talk about it, especially not to Scarlette since she was a bbermouth.

    Raeleigh thought that it was best to keep it to herself.

    Scarlette¡¯s character was¡­

    Raeleigh shook her head. She reckoned that it was best to keep mum about it and not to let the cat out of the bag lest more problems ensued. Bemused, Scarlette looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Raeleigh, am I driving you nuts?¡±

    Raeleigh gave her a clear-eyed gaze and said, ¡°Nah.¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Scarlette said. ¡°Anyway, I couldn¡¯t care less. Honestly, I think something¡¯s bothering you.¡± Scarlette then turned around and took a seat. She was a girl who wasfortable in her own skin.

    ¡°It felt so uncanny to cross paths with you,¡± Scarlette said. ¡°Why in the world would I befriend someone like you?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Raeleigh said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m a good friend.¡± At that moment, Scarlette could be seen stroking her chin. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± she said sceptically.

    ¡°Of course I am,¡± said Raeleigh. ¡°Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have befriended me.¡±

    ¡­

    Scarlette was at a loss for words. She often found herself to be outsmarted by Raeleigh.

    As Raeleigh looked at her watch, she said that she wanted to head back to the ward. Then, they bought something at the shop before making their way to the ward.

    Scarlette went to her room while Raeleigh headed straight to Santiago¡¯s ward. She was holding a watermelon.

    As Zorion walked out of the bathroom, he saw Raeleigh holding a watermelon as she stood at the entrance of the ward. She was about to enter the ward.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve bought a watermelon,¡± Zorion said. As Raeleigh turned around, Zorion reached out to take the watermelon. In doing so, he unintentionally touched her hand. Raeleigh pulled away immediately.

    Zorion had just washed his hands, so his hands were somewhat cold. Raeleigh put her hands behind her back and raised her head. ¡°Yeah,¡± she said. ¡°It looks fresh.¡±

    Raeleigh pushed the door open and walked into the ward. She saw Deanna and Santiago sitting face to face, but she could not hear what they were talking. As she walked in, she said, ¡°I bumped into an olddy selling watermelons. Life hasn¡¯t been easy for her, so I bought two watermelons to support her. Deanna, would you like to have some?¡±

    Deanna stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since Ist ate watermelon. I can¡¯t remember whether it tastes sweet.¡±

    ¡°It looks fresh,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°Scarlette said watermelons of this variety taste great. Let me cut it.¡± Raeleigh then proceeded to cut the watermelon and handed a few pieces to Deanna. While Deanna was nibbling on the watermelon, Santiago said that he wanted to go to the washroom. Raeleigh did not manage to eat the watermelon.

    ¡°Let me help you,¡± Raeleigh said as she put the watermelon on the table. As Deanna saw Raeleigh helping Santiago, she stopped nibbling on her watermelon. She walked towards Santiago and held his arm. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m good,¡± Santiago said as he got down from the bed and put on his shoes.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Before Deanna managed to say anything, Santiago chimed in, ¡°There¡¯s plenty of watermelon. Help yourself since you love watermelons.¡±

    Then, he walked to the bathroom. As soon as Raeleigh helped him walk to the washroom, she said, ¡°Let me know if you¡¯re not feeling well. I¡¯ll wait outside.¡±

    As the door was closed, Santiago said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m not feeling well now, as I pee. Come in.¡±

    Raeleigh blushed. Annoyed, she turned around and said, ¡°Shall I call Jepherson then?¡±

    Santiago chuckled. ¡°Sure, call him!¡± he said.

    Irritated, she stopped talking. People should not be too serious when interacting with someone like Santiago. Otherwise, they would find themselves flying into a rage.

    ¡°When Jepherson¡¯s here, I¡¯ll get him to find someone who can help you then,¡± Raeleigh said, her voice as gentle as ever.

    Santiago did not say anything. As this was a small washroom in a ward, Raeleigh could clearly hear what he was doing. She could tell that he was taking a dump.

    Raeleigh raised her head and directed her gaze towards Deanna and Zorion. Deanna¡¯s face was tense, suggesting that she was unhappy.

    Santiago was her brother-inw. They were not a couple. ¡°What¡¯s with her feeling downcast though?¡± Raeleigh thought.

    ¡°Zorion¡­¡±

    Deanna was visibly upset. She stroked her head and said, ¡°Zorion, I¡¯m feeling giddy.¡±

    Zorion frowned. ¡°Why the sudden dizziness though?¡± he asked.

    While Zorion was walking towards Deanna, she rolled her eyes back and copsed.

    ¡°Deanna,¡± Raeleigh screamed. bbergasted, she yelled as she walked towards Deanna.

    Immediately, Zorion held her in his arms and carried her to the bed. ¡°Call the doc, hurry up,¡± he instructed.

    Raeleigh dashed out of the ward. At that moment, Santiago walked out of the washroom and saw Deanna unconscious on the bed. Her face was pale. He then directed his gaze at the watermelon.

 Chapter 1032 Thatâ€™s Her Grandson

    Raeleigh was able to get hold of a doctor quickly, who then checked on Deanna alongside some medical officers. The preliminary medical examination confirmed that it was due to food poisoning. Subsequent testing was required to determine the exact germs that led to the food poisoning.

    Zorion carried Deanna to the observation unit. Not long after the preliminary screening, the doctor came to the conclusion that the food poisoning was caused by a substance called tetramine.

    ¡°What are we supposed to do now, doc?¡± Zorion said. He was pale and expressionless as he stood outside. Comparatively, Santiago was a lot calmer. Raeleigh stood beside Zorion. She looked agitated.

    Four people were in the ward. Deanna was the only one who was down with food poisoning. She ate a piece of watermelon before she sumbed to food poisoning. Raeleigh was the one who brought the watermelon.

    A thought crossed Raeleigh¡¯s mind. Then, she looked at Scarlette and said, ¡°Scarlett and Hadrian, bring the leftover watermelon here. Let¡¯s have the doctor examine it.¡±

    Puzzled, she then headed straight to the ward alongside Hadrian. At that moment, the doctor could be seen answering Santiago¡¯s questions.

    ¡°We¡¯re trying our level best, working against the clock to help her with some detoxification,¡± the doctor exined. ¡°The oue is dependent upon the patient¡¯s willpower though.¡±

    The doctor proceeded to treat her as soon as he replied. Raeleigh stood aside, sping her hands tightly. She wondered why she had been consistently going through a spate of bad luck. If Deanna¡¯s life was in jeopardy, then she would be devastated.

    Scarlette dashed over and handed the watermelon to the doctor. She followed as the doctor left to examine the watermelon. Hadrian tagged along too.

    When he saw Raeleigh looking distressed, Santiago walked towards Raeleigh andforted her. ¡°No worries, it¡¯s gonna be alright.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago and said, ¡°I was the one who bought the watermelon. I was merely trying to help the poor girl. Never have I thought that somebody has intentionally contaminated it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be okay, it¡¯s gonna be okay,¡± Santiago said reassuringly. Raeleigh was unsettled, so much so that she croaked. Santiago immediately sped her in his arm to soothe her nerves.

    Raeleigh closed her eyes and leaned on his shoulder. Grief-stricken, she could barely breathe properly.

    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be okay,¡± Santiago assured repeatedly. Raeleigh nodded. Deanna was still in the emergency room by the time Scarlette and Hadrian were back. They were at a loss for words as they beheld the scene before their eyes.

    Zorion was gritting his teeth as he looked at them. It was an icy look. Momentarily, Scarlette had a feeling that he was disgusted and that something bad would ensue.

    ¡°Raeleigh,¡± Scarlette greeted as she walked towards Raeleigh. Raeleigh looked at her and said, ¡°I¡¯m alright. Deanna¡¯s gonna be alright too.¡±

    Santiago loosened his hold and let her go. Then, he cupped her cheeks and said, ¡°Listen, Deanna¡¯s a blessed girl. Very much blessed. It¡¯s been said that someone who manages toe through an ordeal unscathed is indeed someone who is blessed. That¡¯s Deanna. She¡¯s going to get through this.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°Deanna¡¯s gonna be alright,¡± she said. ¡°Yes, she will.¡±

    ¡°There you go,¡± Santiago said. ¡°That¡¯s right, be positive.¡±

    Zorion raised his head and looked at Santiago. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer, hoping that Deanna would make it through.

    Everyone was on tenterhooks as they waited. At exactly ten o¡¯clock at night, the lights in the operating theater were finally turned off.

    Raeleigh walked towards the operating theater right away. The doctor walked out of the operating theater. After a brief pause, he said, ¡°The patient needs a blood transfusion. Who¡¯s her next of kin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m her twin brother,¡± Zorion said. The doctor took a breath and said, ¡°The patient is in a stable condition. In the meantime, she has to undergo hemodialysis where we¡¯ll draw blood out of her body to filter it. We need someone to donate some blood to her.¡±

    ¡°Right, I got you,¡± Zorion said. ¡°I¡¯m her brother. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem. We share the same blood type.¡±

    ¡°Great,e along.¡±

    Then, Zorion went to the operating theater alongside the doctor. The lights in the operating theater were turned on once again. Raeleigh stood outside and stared in bewilderment. ¡°I¡¯ve got Deanna in trouble,¡± she thought. ¡°Looking at it now, I¡¯ve actually put Deanna and Zorion in trouble.¡±

    Zorion could be seen lying on the operating table as he waited anxiously. Deanna was lying next to her.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Zorion felt a pang of guilt as he looked at her pale and bloodless face. He held her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Deanna. I¡¯m right beside you.¡±

    Deanna did not respond. At that moment, her blood was being drawn out of her body. The doctors could not help but to be moved as they looked at these siblings.

    ¡°Why in the world did she have to put up with this ordeal?¡± Zorion thought.

    In their years of medical practice, they had never seen someone as good-looking as these siblings.

    Santiago grabbed hold of Raeleigh and led her to take a seat. Scarlette looked at Raeleigh before calling Hadrian toe over.

    Santiago lowered his head as if he wasdeepin thought. As he tapped his temples, he thought that the incident was not as simple as it seemed. He had been staying in the hospital. Deanna and Zorion¡¯s visit to the hospital had been spontaneous. Hence, he surmised that Deanna was the scapegoat bearing the brunt of an evil n devised by someone.

    Santiago gritted his teeth. After pondering for a while, he concluded that someone had devised an evil n to hurt him, not Deanna.

    ¡°Hadrian, check the CCTV footage and see if there are any suspicious-looking peopleing into the hospital,¡± Zorion said. ¡°If there¡¯s none, then get the word out that I have been poisoned to death.¡±

    Hadrian was astounded, so was Scarlette. ¡°Go,¡± Santiago instructed.

    ¡°Shall I inform Mr. Jepherson?¡± Hadrian asked. Santiago scowled at him and said. ¡°I can make my own decision, can¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Of course you can,¡± Hadrian replied. Then, he left immediately. Santiago turned around and looked at Scarlette and said, ¡°Look after Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Sure, Mr. Santiago,¡± Scarlette said earnestly. ¡°No worries, I¡¯ll make sure nobody hurts her.¡± Santiago sneered. ¡°You sure? I think she needs to look after you too.¡±

    Scarlette was speechless. ¡°How blunt can Mr. Santiago get?¡± she thought.

    Santiago turned around and looked at the entrance of the operating theater. The lights were finally off. When the doctor walked out of the operating theater, he looked relieved as he took off his surgical mask. ¡°It¡¯s been a sessful surgery,¡± he said reassuringly. ¡°No worries.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and heaved a sigh of relief.

    While the doctor was dispensing some advice, Zorion and Deanna were being wheeled out of the operating theater. Zorion could be seen sping Deanna¡¯s hand. It was not until when they reached the entrance of the operating theater that he decided to loosen his grip and let go.

    They were wheeled to the intensive care unit, so that the risk of post-operative wound infection could be minimized. Raeleigh went along immediately. Scarlette followed suit. As they arrived at the intensive care unit, Santiago disconnected from all forms ofmunication. In a matter of seconds, the entire Capital City was shocked to learn of his sudden tragic passing.

    At Richards Manor in Capital City.

    Marissa was trembling as she called Santiago. However, she was not able to reach him.

    ¡°Jepherson, where are you?¡± Marissa said as her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Jepherson, where are you?¡± She was so distressed that she could be seen trembling as she talked. Santiago was her grandson after all.

    All the servants were on edge as she yelled. Amidst themotion, the butler called Jepherson, asking him to return as soon as possible.

    At that moment, Jepherson was in the Richards Group¡¯spany car. As cool as a cucumber, he was resting with his eyes closed.

 Chapter 1033 Intervention

    Stuart gazed at Jepherson in the rearview mirror. ¡°Why is Mr. Jepherson quiet?¡± he thought. ¡°This is such shocking news. Yet, he¡¯s calm and collected. That¡¯s surprising indeed.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson hasn¡¯t been particrly close to Mr. Santiago, but¡­¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯re siblings after all.¡±

    ¡°Could it be true then that Mr. Jepherson hates Mr. Santiago?¡±

    As they arrived at Richards Manor, a group of reporters could be seen waiting at the entrance. Be that as it may, Jepherson refused to wait in the car. At that moment, the crowd of reporters had surrounded the car. Stuart got out of the car immediately and went to the rear door panel. Then, he lifted the door handle. Jepherson got out of the car. He had always been his unapproachable self, where he came across as cool and stone-faced. Right then, he looked exceedingly intimidating. There was an aura of regality about his demeanor. No reporters dared toe closer. Instead, they retreated.

    Stuart lowered his head. Thank goodness Santiago¡¯s passing was a made-up story. Otherwise, Jepherson would have regarded these reporters¡¯ invasion of privacy as adding insult to injury and subsequently had them pay for it.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Stuart said. ¡°Mr. Jepherson¡¯s not feeling well.¡±

    Stuart then motioned the crowd of reporters to disperse. Those reporters had wanted to bombard Jepherson with a slew of questions. Ironically, no one dared to approach him at that moment. Jepherson was gazing around, as if trying to pinpoint the murderer who poisoned his younger brother to death. His gaze was one which could send chills down one¡¯s spine.

    After gazing around for a few seconds, Jepherson strode towards the manor. Stuart tagged along. Jepherson headed straight towards Ink Garden. Stuart instructed someone to close the gate as he made his way to Ink Garden.

    Broken-hearted, Marissa could be seen sitting on the couch as she clenched her fist and thumped her chest,menting the passing of her grandson.

    She had been exceedingly agitated, so much so that her eyes were bloodshot.

    The servants had been restless too. They had always felt that Marissa did not take a liking to Santiago. Looking at it then, it was clear that she held Santiago dear.

    While Marissa was grieving, the servant standing by the entrance yelled, ¡°Mr. Jepherson. Mr. Jepherson¡¯s back.¡±

    The servant burst into tears. Marissa raised her head immediately. As soon as Jepherson walked past the entrance of the Ink Garden, he shouted, ¡°Buzz off.¡±

    It was the first time that Jepherson told them off. Nhless, they did not take it personally. They were able to empathize with him since he had just lost a brother.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago has always been a domineering man,¡± they thought. ¡°However, he has never gotten into mischief at home.¡±

    The servants wiped the tears off their cheeks and left. Stuart stood by the entrance, ensuring that no one woulde in.

    ¡°Oh, dear. Where have you been?¡± Marissa said. ¡°Your younger brother has¡­¡± Saddened, she almost burst into tears as she spoke.

    It was not the case of her own son kicking the bucket. Nheless, it was equally saddening to find that her grandson had passed on. Marissa had never endured such grief and loss. Hence, she shall not let this pass.

    Jepherson walked in and hurried towards his grandmother. He sat down and held Marissa in his arms. ¡°No worries, no worries,¡± he said. ¡°Santiago¡¯s safe and sound.¡±

    Tears were rolling down her cheeks. As soon as Jepherson assured her, she stopped crying.

    Stunned, she gently pushed Jepherson away. ¡°Jerry¡­¡± she said, thinking that her grandson had gone berserk.

    ¡°It¡¯s true, Grandma,¡± Jepherson said convincingly. ¡°I swear I¡¯m not lying.¡±

    Dumbfounded, she stared at Jepherson. After a long pause, she wiped the tears off her cheeks. She was then feeling rather dubious about her grandson¡¯s untimely death.

    After thinking for a moment, she said, ¡°Tell me, what the h*ll is going on?¡±

    Her mood changed instantaneously.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Stuart could be seen lowering his head as he stood by the entrance. ¡°One shall not mess with the Richards family, as theirs is a powerful n in Capital City,¡± he thought.

    As his grandmother collected herself, Jepherson exined the situation. He bent the truth as he exined. In short, he rified that Santiago was safe and sound and that Deanna was the one who had been poisoned. Thanks to Zorion, she had managed to cheat death.

    It all started when Scarlette bought two watermelons. Deanna wanted to eat some, so she proceeded to cut the watermelon. Santiago went to the washroom. It was then that Deanna passed out after taking a few bites.

    He pinned the me on Scarlette as he did not wish to implicate Raeleigh in the incident.

    Upon hearing Jepherson¡¯s exnation, Marissa still looked a little concerned. Nevertheless, she was not as concerned as before. After all, Deanna was not a member of the Richards family.

    She was able topose herself as she spoke calmly.

    ¡°Oh, dear. That¡¯s so mischievous of her,¡± she said. ¡°Thank goodness she¡¯s able to make it through.¡±

    As she wiped the tears off her face, she started to look elegant again.

    After a brief pause, Jepherson said, ¡°She wasn¡¯t being mischievous. Nobody knew something was amiss with the watermelon.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette won¡¯t see this olddy taking pity on her. I mean, there are plenty of olddies everywhere that aren¡¯t that kind. What should we do about this, to give her a proper lesson?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve reprimanded her,¡± Jepherson said matter-of-factly.

    ¡°I suppose the Moore family is involved, isn¡¯t it?¡± Marissa said, looking visibly irritated.

    ¡°The Moore family has gone overboard,¡± she said.

    Looking stern, Jepherson did not respond to Marissa¡¯s remarks.

    ¡°They have been such a scourge,¡± Marissa said. ¡°I happen to know that some higher-ups have had some issues with the Moore family. If we were to intervene, then I have reason to believe that they¡¯ll be toppled. We need to bite the bullet and get rid of them.¡±

    ¡°Frankly speaking, their ruthlessness must have stemmed from years of being consistently callous to other people.¡±

    Marissa could not take it any longer.

    ¡°Now that Deanna has fallen victim to their cruelty, someone else could eventually find themselves in a simr predicament,¡± Marissa added. ¡°The Moore family has been rather scheming. Had Scarlette not bought the watermelon, they¡¯ll eventually cook up another devious n. For this reason, one should get rid of them lest more people fall prey to their underhanded evil ns.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°Let¡¯s see who¡¯d gloat at us as we put up with this plight. Grandma, keep in mind that Santiago has indeed ¡®sumbed¡¯.¡±

    As Jepherson patiently exined, Marissa said with a smile, ¡°No worries, I get that.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll get some rest,¡± Marissa said. ¡°Get the little rascal to call meter.¡± Feeling a little doubtful, she hoped that she had not been deceived.

    ¡°Have a good rest, Grandma,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°I¡¯ll get him to call youter.¡± After Marissa left, Jepherson sat for a while before making a phone call.

 Chapter 1034 Mr. Santiagoâ€™s a Bully

    Hansen frowned as he received a call from his son. ¡°Is Deanna alright?¡± he asked, quirking his brow.

    ¡°She¡¯s doing well now, but we shouldn¡¯t remain silen any longer,¡± Jepherson said as he strolled along the walkway. After a brief pause, Hansen said, ¡°Mr. Whalen¡¯s not going to let this go if he knows what happened to Deanna.¡±

    You¡¯ve been negligent though,¡± he added. ¡°I¡¯ll meet up with Raeleigh one of these days.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Well,e back if you would like to,¡± Jepherson said as he smirked.

    ¡°I may not be able to leave once I¡¯m back though,¡± Hanson said. ¡°What¡¯s more, you aspire to build a sessful career. As your father, I need to back off, so that you can prove to others that you¡¯re worth your salt.¡±

    Jepherson smirked. He then turned around and nced at Stuart. Stuart immediately lowered his head as he happened to overhear the conversation.

    ¡°Older people are indeed wiser,¡± Stuart thought. ¡°Other than Mr. Hansen, nobody can outwit Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson shed an awkward smile and said, ¡°Come back, you¡¯re still young at heart.¡±

    Amused, Hansen said, ¡°It hasn¡¯t been easy to sneak out. Over the years, your Mom has been looking after you and your brother. As her husband, I have to do something to cheer her up.¡±

    ¡°You intend to travel around the world for the rest of your life, don¡¯t you?¡± Jepherson said with a smile.

    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t think so,¡± Hansen said. ¡°Well, you¡¯re doing very well in your career. I shouldn¡¯t be back then. Figure out how to solve the issue by yourself.¡±

    His wife was getting out of the pool when he hung up on Jepherson. Jenna slung a towel on her shoulder and walked towards Hansen. As she sat down, she asked, ¡°Who called?¡±

    ¡°Jerry,¡± Hansen said as he gently caressed her before kissing her. ¡°What have you guys been talking about?¡± Jenna asked.

    ¡°He said he¡¯s been missing you,¡± Hansen said. Even though he was lying, he did not blush. He could be seen pulling his wife¡¯s swimsuit and lowering his head as he snuck a nce. Nothing much had changed over the years. If there was one noticeable change worth mentioning, then it was her charm. She had grown more charming over the years.

    Hansen lowered his head and kissed Jenna¡¯s neck. He sped her in his arms and kissed her. Jenna had wanted to ask him about his phone conversation with Jepherson. However, it slipped her mind when he kissed her. As she was not able to push him away, she gave in.

    Jepherson put his phone in the pocket. Then, he turned around and headed straight to Ink Garden to have a rest.

    Come evening, Marissa was awake. She woke Jepherson up. Then, he rang Santiago.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Santiago asked as he nced at the clock. He wondered why Jepherson called him at that hour.

    ¡°Grandma¡¯s been worrying,¡± Jepherson rified. ¡°Have a few words with her.¡± Jepherson then handed the phone to Marissa. Still a little nervous, she did not speak immediately. Now that she was convinced that Santiago was safe and sound, she did not feel the urge to talk.

    ¡°Hello, Grandma. Are you there?¡± Santiago said.

    Marissa snorted and said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me?¡±

    Though she was irritated, she remained gentle.

    ¡°Be sure to look after Raeleigh.¡±

    Santiago hung up on her. Marissa could only hear a beep.

    Marissa was exasperated, so much so that she wanted to throw the phone away. Nheless, she kept her cool as she realized that she had not been courteous either.

    Marissa turned around and headed back to her room. Jepherson followed suit. While she was heading back, she turned around again and asked Jepherson, ¡°That girl by the name of Raeleigh. I wonder why she likes Santiago? Is it because he hails from a rich background?¡±

    Jepherson thought for a moment before turning around to look at Marissa. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± he said. ¡°A charming beauty herself, she could have married Zorion if money is what she¡¯s after. Zorion¡¯s rather well off too.¡±

    As she thought about what Jepherson said, she concurred with him.

    She could see that Zorion was a sincere man who truly loved Raeleigh.

    ¡°Be that as it may, I have a feeling that Raeleigh does not truly love Santiago,¡± Marissa said. ¡°Although he likes to fool around, he¡¯s likely to be a faithful partner as your parents are faithful partners themselves who remain loyal to each other over the years. I¡¯m worried that Raeleigh will take him for a ride. Santiago¡¯s gonna be devastated if she were to leave him for another guyeventually.¡±

    Marissa¡¯s concern was not entirely baseless. After all, the Richards family was a well-to-do family. Thest thing she wanted was a gold-digger marrying into the family.

    In retrospect, Marissa regretted intervening in her son¡¯s marriage many years ago. She realized that she had neglected her daughter-inw.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡¯s not a gold-digger.¡±

    ¡°What makes you think so?¡±

    Jepherson turned around and returned to his room. Marissa shook her head in disappointment. ¡°What¡¯s with the two grandsons¡¯ defensive behavior?¡± she thought.

    ¡­

    ¡°Did I wake you up?¡± Santiago said as heid his phone on the desk and looked at Raeleigh, who was awake.

    ¡°Nah,¡± Raeleigh said.

    ¡°Well, I guess you haven¡¯t been sleeping then,¡± Santiago said as he stood up. He put his phone in his pocket and walked around the ward. Then, he turned around and walked towards Scarlette.

    Scarlette was half-awake. ¡°Scarlette, get some food,¡± Santiago said. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped her the moment she got up from her seat. ¡°Off you go to bed,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°It¡¯ste into the night. The Whalen family will get someone to send some food tomorrow.¡±

    Santiago furrowed his brow and said, ¡°Hurry up, Scarlette. Go.¡±

    Scarlette then hurried to buy some food.

    Shortly after that, she was back with some food. As she handed Santiago the food, Raeleigh walked over and said, ¡°Let me dig in first. I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Amused, Santiago then let Raeleigh help herself. After tasting each dish and being convinced that nothing was amiss about the dishes, she then asked others to eat.

    Santiago crossed his legs and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°So, you¡¯re still alive,¡± Santiago said.

    Bewildered, Raeleigh did not respond to his remark.

    Scarlette almost burst intoughter. Santiago could be seen holding the spoon and knocking on the table before he dug in. Raeleigh frowned and said, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with the knocking?¡±

    ¡°Do you have a problem with that?¡± Santiago said.

    Santiago then dug in. Raeleigh followed suit. Scarlette and Hadrian were sitting on the other side of the ward. They started to dig in too. It was silent as everyone helped themselves with the food. Raeleigh felt a little tired after the meal. In spite of the fatigue, she found herself not being able to fall asleep. She leaned against the wall and stared into the intensive care unit.

    Santiago woke up at the break of dawn. He realized that Raeleigh had not been sleeping. ¡°Hey, get some sleep,¡± Santiago said as he kicked her calf.

    Raeleigh looked at him and said, ¡°Why are you being rude? I¡¯m your sister-inw.¡±

    ¡°Right, so you¡¯ve finally admitted that,¡± Santiago said with a smile as he crossed his arms. His face was pale. As he had just woken up, he looked like a young schoolboy. Raeleigh knitted her eyebrows and wondered why he was blessed with such good-looking features on his face.

    Raeleigh fell into a stupor. Santiago could be seen forming a circle with his thumb and index finger as he yawned. Puzzled, Raeleigh raised her head to look at him. Santiago then poked her forehead.

    Raeleigh lowered her head as she held her forehead and groaned in pain. Santiago then quirked his eyebrows as he stood up to take a bottle before gulping a few mouthfuls of water. After that, he put the bottle on the table, turned around, andid his hands on Raeleigh¡¯s waist. She groaned in pain for a while before raising her head. Scarlette wanted to help her but she refrained from doing so as she was afraid.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago¡¯s an idiot,¡± Scarlette thought. ¡°Since Mr. Jepherson¡¯s not around, he takes the opportunity to bully Raeleigh.¡±

 Chapter 1035 Firsthand Experience

    Raeleigh raised her head after groaning in pain for a while. They were standing opposite each other. Santiago furrowed his brows and gave her an indifferent look as he waited for her to remove her hands off her forehead. Nheless, Raeleigh showed no signs of wanting to let go. Santiago then walked towards her. She was still holding her forehead. Irritated, Santiago then grabbed hold of her arms as he lowered his head to stare at her.

    Santiago was stunned as Raeleigh glowered at him. It was not that her gaze was frightening. Rather, it was because he noticed that there were bruises on her forehead.

    Santiago knitted his brows repeatedly and said, ¡°Hey, it was just a flick.¡±

    Raeleigh stood motionlessly. She was alright, merely feeling a painful sensation on her forehead.

    Santiago nced at Scarlette. She knew something was amiss. However, she didn¡¯t dare to walk towards Raeleigh.

    ¡°Can you stop fooling around?¡± Raeleigh said.

    Santiago sped Raeleigh¡¯s arms. He then nced at Scarlette and said, ¡°Get the doctor.¡±

    Just as Scarlette left, Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯m alright. Why the h*ll did you get Scarlette to call the doctor though?¡±

    Santiago thought for a moment. He then grabbed hold of his smartphone, tapped the camera application, and handed it to Raeleigh to take a selfie. She was astounded as she looked at herself.

    ¡°Is that a bruise?¡± Raeleigh asked, with her face turning pale.

    It had been a forceful flick. That exined the intense pain she felt.

    Raeleigh sat down and returned the phone to Santiago.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be staying over to look after Deanna for the next few days,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°I guess your brother won¡¯t be dropping by.¡± Sitting cross-legged, Santiago asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Santiago and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you ever do that again lest yound yourself in trouble.¡±

    Raeleigh felt that Santiago was lucky to be living in the modern era, for he would be deemed a bane in ancient civilizations.

    Santiago was amused. Leaning against the wall, he put his hands in his pockets and squinted as he raised his head. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my fault then. Your skin is too tender to begin with. Had it been thicker, you wouldn¡¯t have had bruises.¡±

    Raeleigh was absolutely speechless. As she looked at Santiago¡¯s troublesome face, she wanted to give him a beating.

    In the end, she resisted the urge to do so.

    She nced at Santiago before directing her gaze towards Zorion and Deanna. Zorion had woken up. He remained in the intensive care unit as he did not want to leave Deanna alone.

    Soon after that, Scarlette came in alongside a man in his forties. He was holding something. He hurried to check on Raeleigh. ¡°What kind of hard object did you knock into?¡± he asked as he looked at her forehead.

    Raeleigh nced at Santiago contemptuously. ¡°Is he considered a hard object?¡± she asked.

    As the doctor bandaged the bruises, he informed that she should stay out of the water and that she should be alright in a few days¡¯ time. Then, he left.

    After the doctor left, Raeleigh rested for a while. She then stood up and looked into the intensive care unit. Deanna had not woken up. Zorion had been sitting quietly and showed no signs of wanting to leave her.

    Raeleigh apanied him for the better part of the day. She continued keeping himpany after having her dinner. At that moment, Santiago¡¯s cell phone rang. He handed it to Raeleigh.

    ¡°Answer the call,¡± he said.

    Raeleigh took the cell phone and answered the call.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m here, where are you?¡± Jepherson asked calmly as he walked. Raeleigh looked at Santiago. She had not expected that he would be here so soon.

    After a few seconds, she said, ¡°I¡¯m in the fifth ward.¡±

    ¡°Which level?¡±

    ¡°At level six.¡±

    Jepherson then hung up the phone and asked Stuart, ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s here?¡±

    ¡°Yeap.¡±

    As Raeleigh returned the phone to Santiago, she looked at him and said, ¡°You¡¯re gonna be in deep sh*t.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that I did it on purpose,¡± Santiago lied.

    ¡°Well, then. Exin yourself to your brother,¡± Raeleigh said.

    Raeleigh then took a seat. She crossed her arms as she fell into a daze. On the other hand, Santiago could be seen sitting cross-legged. His expression was one of indifference.

    It did not take Jepherson long to reach level six. He walked out of the elevator as it reached level six. Soon after, Raeleigh looked at the elevator, and she saw Jepherson making his way to the fifth ward.

    Jepherson was ncing around as he looked for the fifth ward. After a while, he saw Raeleigh. As he walked towards Raeleigh, she stood up.

    ¡°What happened to your head?¡± Jepherson asked as he gently knitted his sword-like eyebrows. Scarlette remained silent.

    Jepherson then turned around and looked at Scarlette. Immediately, Scarlette lowered her head. ¡°This has got nothing to do with me,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ve got to ask Mr. Santiago.¡±

    While Santiago was thinking, Raeleigh said, ¡°It was an ident. I knocked into the corner of the door. It almost tore my skin. I reckon I¡¯ll be alright, but Santiago insisted that I should see the doctor.¡±

    Jepherson raised his head and nced at Santiago. He smirked as he was amused. Remaining as cool as a cucumber, he did not look at Jepherson.

    Jepherson thought for a moment before reaching out to pull the gauzegently. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s serious. Do you fancy a ce six feet underground?¡±

    Raeleigh was startled. She looked at Jepherson and wondered how he knew Santiago was the one who injured her.

    Jepherson bandaged the gauze attentively. He then looked at Santiago and said, ¡°One more time and you¡¯ll be dead meat.¡±

    Santiago raised his hand and jammed a finger in his ear. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect that she wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge in the nick of time,¡± he said.

    ¡°Going by your logic, a victim of a homicide is dead for the simple reason that he does not attempt to kill the murderer in the first ce.¡± Jepherson¡¯s words sent chills down Scarlette¡¯s spine. ¡°Is Mr. Jepherson going to kill Mr. Santiago?¡± she thought.

    Santiago thought for a moment and said, ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t do that again.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around to look at Santiago. ¡°It¡¯s surprising indeed to find himing clean and owning up to his mistakes,¡± she thought.

    Jepherson was pleased. Even though he seemed rather indifferent and insouciant at times, he was keenly perceptive.

    Scarlette was frightened. Granted that she was not the one who caused the injury. Notwithstanding, she should be called to ount for the fact that she was tasked with looking after Raeleigh in the first ce. It was a dereliction of duty now that Raeleigh was injured. Considering this, she thought that it waspletely justifiable if Jepherson were to punish her.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± Raeleigh said as she grabbed hold of Jepherson¡¯s arm and led him towards the opposite side of the ward. By doing so, she hoped that Jepherson would let Scarlette off the hook.

    As they reached the opposite side of the ward, Jepherson nced at the intensive care unit and asked, ¡°How¡¯s Deanna doing?¡±

    ¡°She hasn¡¯t woken up,¡± Raeleigh rified. ¡°The doctor said she should be alright if she wakes up within three days.¡± Raeleight felt that it was tormenting indeed to wait for three days.

    It was especially tormenting to Zorion for he was under the weather.

    After standing for a while, Jepherson turned around and walked towards Raeleigh. ¡°Hey,e over here,¡± he said.

    Raeleigh trailed after him. Jepherson seemed to know that she did not like taking elevators as he led her to the staircase.

    As Raeleigh went down the stairs, she said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t entirely Santiago¡¯s fault. I¡­umm¡­¡±

    Just as Raeleigh wanted to say something, Jepherson grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to a little corner where they could not be caught on the surveince camera. He sped her tightly in his arms as he lowered his head to kiss her lips. Raeleigh resisted. ¡°It¡¯s too public, what if someone were toe in anytime?¡± she thought.

    ¡°No¡­ Please¡­ Stop it¡­¡±

    Raeleigh pushed him away. However, Jepherson refused to let her go. Eventually, he gave in. While he was gasping for breath, he sped her hands and slid his hand down, touching her thigh.

    Raeleigh snatched her hands out of his grasp as she gave him a surprised and coy look. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± she said.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    As soon as she started talking, Jephersonid his lips on hers, giving her a French kiss. As much as she wanted to resist, she found herself giving in to his tenderness.

    In a matter of seconds, she blushed as Jepherson caressed her hands.

    While he was breathing heavily, he whispered in her ear, ¡°Wear a skirt next time.¡±

    Astonished, she soon realized that Jepherson had wanted a quickie.

    Raeleigh glowered at him. However, he seemed to take pleasure as he basked in her re.

    After kissing for a while, Jepherson retreated. He then grabbed hold of Raeleigh¡¯s arm and went downstairs. As soon as he found an unupied ward, he led her in and locked the door. Then, he bent over to carry Raeleigh. Scared out of her wits, she did not raise her head. She kept resisting, saying that she did not want to be put on the bed. At that moment, Jepherson had a light-bulb moment. He carried her and walked towards the entrance of the ward. Amazingly, they had a quickie by the entrance of the ward.

    Soon after that, Jepherson led Raeleigh to the washroom. Both of them had an obsession with cleanliness. As she left the washroom, Raeleigh raised her arm and took a sniff. She noticed that there was a distinct body odour. It smelled like the scent from Jepherson¡¯s body, although she was notpletely sure.

    Raeleigh trailed along as Jepherson walked out of the ward. She was feeling a little ufortable.

    It was not the case that she detested being around Jepherson. She was merely not used to it. Since she had made up her mind to enter into a rtionship with Jepherson, she did not want to waste time nitpicking and making a fuss. Love is but amitment to stick to each other through thick and thin. Although marriage is a way to cement themitment, she opined that a rtionship should be built on true love. True love is the only foundation upon which every rtionship will flourish. Nothing else mattered. Not even marriage vows.

    Raeleigh nced around as he trailed along Jepherson. Neither patients nor medical officers were spotted on this floor. It seemed that this floor had been reserved for special purposes.

    Jepherson walked for a while and stopped. Then, he turned around to look at Raeleigh, waiting for her to catch up. As Raeleigh came closer, he extended his hand. Raeleigh then held his hand as they walked hand in hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Jepherson asked. Raeleigh thought for a while and said, ¡°How did youe to know that Santiago hurt me?¡±

    Jepherson shed a smile. ¡°Well, eyes are the windows to the soul. I could tell by staring into his eyes.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say that he canmunicate through his gaze.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I tell then?¡±

    ¡°We grew up together. so it¡¯s self-exnatory.¡±

    ¡°It sounds like he has no way of hiding from you, huh?¡± Raeleigh asked in curiosity. Jepherson shook his head and said, ¡°Not necessarily. I can¡¯t see through his false pretense all the time.¡±

    Raeleigh did not carry on probing. After all, it was not appropriate to pry into someone¡¯s private life.

    She then steered the conversation to the watermelon incident. ¡°I think the sinister scheme was plotted against Santiago,¡± she said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll look into it,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°Stay over here for a few days. I¡¯ll pick you up once Deanna¡¯s alright. The Richards Group is going to put Dream into production. We need your participation.¡±

    ¡°Must I participate?¡± Raeleigh said. Visibly taken aback, she had not expected that she would have to take part.

    Jepherson turned around and said, ¡°You¡¯re the automotive designer for thepany. Because of its one-of-a-kind design, we need you to take part in the manufacturing process.¡±

    ¡°Lanox¡¯s not a mass-produced product,¡± Jepherson added. ¡°It would be produced in limited quantities. Since I have extra time to spare, I¡¯ll be able to help you keep an eye on the production progress as well as the technical performance of the cars. But I can only do so much. Lanox is a design under your portfolio. I shouldn¡¯t be the one who has to supervise its productionconstantly, should I?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the boss while you¡¯re an employee,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°No bosses would ever work for their employees, don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    Jepherson was trying to reason with Raeleigh. Naturally, Raeleigh understood what he was trying to convey. As a matter of fact, she would love to be involved in the production too.

    Lanox was designed by her after all. She reckoned that it would be great to gain firsthand experience overseeing the manufacturing of Lanox.

 Chapter 1036 Tell Your Brother

    Upon their return to the intensive care unit, Raeleigh took a seat while Jepherson had a few words with Santiago. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever hurt her again,¡± Jepherson said before he left.

    ¡°No worries, I won¡¯t,¡± Santiago said. Jepherson then turned around and left. He had arranged for the hospital to be put under lockdown before he got in the car and left.

    At the backyard of the Moore family¡¯s home.

    ¡°Hey, Cynthia. What can I do for you?¡± Flynt asked. He headed straight to the backyard the moment he was told that Cynthia was looking for him. He had always been on good terms with his sisters.

    ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Cynthia said while sitting on the bed. ¡°I was merely asking where you have been.¡± Ever since she learnt of Santiago¡¯s passing, she had not got much of an appetite. In fact, she had not been eating for the past two days.

    She was aware that Flynt would be back that day. Therefore, she had instructed a servant to get him to meet her as soon as he returned.

    ¡°You seem to have lost quite some weight,¡± Flynt said. ¡± Are you alright? Let¡¯s go to the doctor if you aren¡¯t feeling well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, Flynt,¡± Cynthia said. ¡°Something¡¯s been bothering me.¡± Although she had been thinking about Santiago, she wanted to make an excuse that was more usible.

    ¡°What¡¯s bothering you, Cynthia?¡±

    They had been sharing their feelings and problems freely with each other ever since they were young. Never had they been distant to one another.

    ¡°I got wind that you¡¯ve plotted against members of the Richards family,¡± Cynthia said after a slight hesitation. ¡°Is it true?¡± Flynt replied, ¡°Cynthia, why did you bring this up though?¡±

    Cynthia tried her level best to remainposed. ¡°Well, somebody told me,¡± she said. ¡°And I saw the news on TV. I wanted to know if you¡¯re the one who masterminded the murder.¡±

    Flynt thought for a moment and said, ¡°I was the mastermind, but I didn¡¯t kill him.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Cynthia said. She responded to his remark with feigned curiosity.

    Flynt stood up and ordered the servants to retreat. Then, he said, ¡°I wanted to hurt him. But Santiago¡¯s a lucky guy. He managed to cheat death. The same can¡¯t be said of poor Deanna. She bore the brunt of my scheme and nearly sumbed. Santiago¡¯s safe and sound. He¡¯s hiding somewhere. News of his untimely death has caused quite a brouhaha across Capital City.¡±

    ¡°Right, so what are you going to do now?¡± Cynthia said. No longer distressed, she secretly heaved a sigh of relief. Since she was worried that her brother would see through her relief, she feigned agitation by knitting her brows. Flynt turned around and looked at Cynthia. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. After all, Santiago¡¯s in one piece. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll harm me. Not that they can anyway. As much as people are expecting turmoil, I don¡¯t think pandemonium would set in so easily in Capital City.¡±

    Flynt was rather certain that chaos would not ensue in Capital City.

    Cynthia secretly rejoiced. Thest thing she wanted was to see Santiago and Flynt in danger.

    Cynthia pondered for a moment. Then, she said, ¡°d to hear that. Anyway, you¡¯ve got to stay vignt. The world is a dangerous ce to live in. The Richards family is powerful and influential. We may find ourselves in hot water if we¡¯re unable to topple them.¡±

    ¡°Over the years, the Richards family has formed many strategic alliances across Capital City. Their family is indeed a force to be reckoned with. I was told that they¡¯re on good terms with the Whalen family too. Therefore, it¡¯s not easy to bring about their downfall if we aren¡¯t powerful enough to begin with.¡±

    Cynthia looked at Flynt while she was talking. Flynt then came closer and asked, ¡°Cynthia, you seem rather upied with matters rted to the Richards family ofte. Why though?¡±

    Diforted, Cynthia lowered her head and said, ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I care about you. You don¡¯t like that, do you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Flynt said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of unusual though to find you asking me matters concerning the Richards family. Most of the time, you¡¯d ask if I¡¯m doing well in life.¡±

    Flynt had always held Cynthia dear. Hence, her words caught him off guard.

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Cynthia said. ¡°Anyway, no matter what you do, safety first.¡±

    Feeling weak, Cynthiay on her bed and tugged on the nket. Then, she looked at Flynt and said, ¡°Anything else you¡¯d like to share? Otherwise, shoo. Lest you think I¡¯m trying to probe into your private life.¡±

    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be angry,¡± Flyntforted her. ¡°It¡¯s not that I would say anything that offends you.¡± Among all family members, Cynthia had always been the one whom Flynt loved dearly. He sat on the bed and patiently waited till her anger subsided. Cynthia then rolled her eyes at him. The two siblings did not hold grudges. They reconciled with each other after every argument.

    While Raeleigh was sitting, Santiago¡¯s phone rang. She snuck a nce at the phone as Santiago was in the washroom. There was a name on the screen.

    Cynthia?

    Raeleigh took Santiago¡¯s cellphone and stared at it. Scarlette had always been suspicious. When she saw Raeleigh looking at the phone, she walked towards her. As she lowered her head, she saw a name. ¡°That name¡¯s strangely familiar,¡± she thought.

    Raeleigh put the phone on the table and looked into the intensive care unit. The phone kept ringing till Santiago was back.

    Worried that Santiago would suspect if she had snuck a nce at his phone, Scarlette immediately took a seat, pretending that nothing had happened.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer the phone?¡± Santiago asked. His phone was not password-protected. One was able to unlock it with a mere swipe. Hence, Santiago was perplexed as Raeleigh did not bother answering the phone.

    Santiago took the phone and walked towards Raeleigh. He then answered the phone.

    ¡°Hello, is this Santiago?¡±

    Cynthia spoke in a soft, shaky voice. Initially, she had been reluctant to call Santiago. However, she could not help but to call him as she had been agitated ever since knowing that he was alive.

    She wanted to ascertain that he was fine.

    Santiago nced at Raeleigh before heading to the other side of the ward. ¡°are you alright?¡± he said. ¡°Something¡¯s not quite right with your voice. Are you sick?¡±

    There was a change of expression on Raeleigh¡¯s face. Scarlette could tell that something was amiss.

    Raeleigh frowned as she gazed at Santiago.

    The corridor was long. Santiago talked as he walked along the corridor. His manner of speaking was not particrly odd. He was still his frivolous self as he fooled around. What was unusual was the fact that he spoke in a manner which suggested that he was being empathetic. This would certainly raise a few eyebrows.

    Raeleigh looked displeased. After a while, she stood up and walked towards Santiago.

    As soon as he realized that Raeleigh was walking towards him, Santiago turned around and looked at her. Then, he ended the call abruptly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll hang up.¡±

    Santiago hung up on Cynthia before she managed to respond. He then put his hands in his pockets and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he said.

    ¡°Does Jepherson know about this matter?¡±

    Raeleigh was visibly annoyed.

    ¡°I can¡¯t be keeping him posted on every single thing I do, can I?¡± Santiago said humorously. Raeleigh was not amused. Instead, she scowled at him. Santiago turned around and saw no one along the corridor. He then turned around and asked Raeleigh, ¡°What are you doing?¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh did not utter a single word. She then turned around and headed straight to the intensive care unit. While she was walking, her face turned pale. Scarlette had been sneaking a nce. She had no idea what happened.

    Santiago scratched his head twice as he trailed along. As Raeleigh reached the intensive care unit, she sat down and glowered at Santiago.

    Scarlette could tell that Raeleigh was about to fly into a rage.

    Santiago sat cross-legged. His hands were in his pockets as he leaned onto one side against the chair. He looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell your brother.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Speechless, he snorted. He remained silent thereafter.

 Chapter 1037 Swear

    Raeleigh reckoned that Santiago had an attitude problem.

    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t own up to your mistakes and make amends, I¡¯ve got to let Jepherson know so that he¡¯ll intervene,¡± Raeleigh said. Santiago seemed to shrug her off. ¡°I¡¯m a grown-up, I know what I¡¯m doing,¡± Santiago said as he shook his leg. That air of nonchnce annoyed Raeleigh.

    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°You aren¡¯t sensible enough. Hence, you¡¯ve got it all wrong.¡± While Raeleigh was reprimanding Santiago, Scarlette wondered what happened. ¡°What has Mr. Santiago done?¡± she thought. ¡°Raeleigh has always been mild-mannered. The fact that she wants to bring this up to Mr. Jepherson is indication enough that Mr. Santiago must have done something that¡¯s rather uneptable.¡±

    ¡°Well, then. Hurry up, Raeleigh¡±, Scarlette thought. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see Mr. Santiago eating some humble pies.¡±

    ¡°Are you done b*tching?¡± Santiago said. He turned hostile all of a sudden, catching Scarlette off guard. She then stood up and said, ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m going to the washroom. Wannae along?¡±

    ¡°Nah, go ahead,¡± Raeleigh replied.

    Scarlette had a feeling that Raeleigh¡¯s gaze was suggestive of her being good-for-nothing. In spite of that, she had to make a move lest Santiago took his anger out on her.

    Hadrian was sitting near the elevator while Scarlette had gone to the washroom. Raeleigh and Santiago were then sitting outside the intensive care unit without thepany of other people. Santiago shook his leg and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell him then.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago. ¡°What are you gonna tell him?¡± she said.

    Santiago looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Well, what do you want me to tell him?¡± he said.

    ¡°Tell him the truth.¡±

    ¡°Telling the truth, that¡¯s how I roll.¡±

    ¡°Is Deanna¡­¡±

    ¡°Deanna¡¯s like a sister to me,¡± Santiago said. Raeleigh paused for a moment before she said, ¡°Is Deanna your¡­¡±

    ¡°Deanna¡¯s like a sister to me,¡± Santiago interjected. Raeleigh then stopped talking and remained quiet.

    After sitting for a while, Santiago stood up. He took a pack of cigarettes and left to take a puff. Scarlette dashed towards Raeleigh the moment Santiago left.

    ¡°Raeleigh, what¡¯s going on?¡± Scarlette asked. ¡°What have you guys been talking about?¡± Raeleigh did not respond. She watched as Santiago puffed smoke rings along the corridor.

    Raeleigh did not speak to Santiago for the rest of the day. They had dinner at eight o¡¯clock in the evening. Soon after that, Jepherson called.

    Raeleigh went to the washroom as she answered the phone. Jepherson was about to have a rest. He called Raeleigh to check in on her.

    ¡°Nothing much to do,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°We¡¯ve been keeping an eye on Deanna. She hasn¡¯t woken up yet. I¡¯m worried since it¡¯s been three days she fell into aa.¡± Raeleigh did not say anything about Santiago. As much as she wanted to bring up what he had done, she held back.

    Raeleigh did not say anything about Santiago. Jepherson did not ask about Santiago either.

    ¡°Do you miss me?¡± Jepherson asked. Raeleigh blushed. As she looked into the mirror, she found herself blushing as red as a tomato.

    ¡°Well, not really,¡± Raeleigh said. It was not the case that she was reluctant to admit that she had been missing him. Quite the contrary, she did not have the time to think about other matters since she was hung up on Deanna. Besides that, she had been busy bombarding the doctor with questions whenever he came to check in on Deanna.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    Jepherson had not crossed her mind for the better part of the day.

    To Raeleigh, cultivating a loving rtionship is equivalent to seasoning a pot of stew. It takes time to season the stew with the right amount of condiments and herbs before one can deliver the perfect recipe.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been missing you though,¡± Jepherson said smilingly.

    ¡°But it¡¯s been only a day since west met.¡±

    ¡°One day¡¯s like an eternity to me.¡±

    ¡°You sweet talker.¡±

    ¡°Women love it, don¡¯t they?¡±

    Raeleigh did not respond further. Bored, she could be seen pursing her lips and cupping her blushing cheeks as she sat on the toilet seat.

    ¡°I¡¯m travelling elsewhere. I¡¯ll be back in a few days¡¯ time. Take care. Call me up if there are any pressing issues.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you too. Stay safe and take care.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Raeleigh wanted to hang up on Jepherson as she did not feel like talking.

    Jepherson let out a long sigh in response. ¡°Are you tired?¡± Raeleigh asked as she knitted her brows.

    ¡°It was an intense quickie in the hospital, so I¡¯m exhausted,¡± Jepherson said as he turned off the light and snuggled under the nket. Raeleigh blushed. She then hung up on him.

    Jepherson shed a smile. He called her back immediately.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment before answering the phone. ¡°Now what?¡± she said.

    ¡°I just wanna hear your voice.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Raeleigh stopped talking as Jepherson chuckled. Although she was at a loss for words, she did not hang up on him. She listened as he chuckled over the phone.

    ¡°Can I propose to you when I¡¯m back?¡± Jepherson said when he stopped chuckling.

    Astounded, Raeleigh said, ¡°I can¡¯t wait.¡±

    She remained quiet thereafter as she touched her head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think your family would ept me,¡± Raeleigh said matter-of-factly.

    ¡°Who cares?¡±

    ¡°Then, why did you get me to pretend to be Santiago¡¯s girlfriend?¡±

    Raeleigh was very much aware that they would cause quite a stir if they were to go public with their rtionship. Consequently, she would be in hot water too.

    To Raeleigh, life had been rather meaningless. Nheless, she had tried her level best to lead a fulfilling life over the years. She had yet to have any notable aplishments in her career. Now that her grandmother was in her twilight years, she thought that it would have been such a pity if she chose to give up then.

    ¡°Well, I changed my mind,¡± Jepherson said. Raeleigh asked, ¡°Why though?¡±

    ¡°For no particr reason.¡±

    Raeleigh did not respond immediately. She paused for a while. Then, she said, ¡°I¡¯m willing to trade lies for a lifetime of peace.¡±

    Jepherson furrowed his brows. ¡°Say what?¡±

    ¡­¡­

    After a brief pause, Raeleigh said, ¡°As long as you aren¡¯t marrying someone else, I¡¯m willing to stay by your side. It doesn¡¯t concern me if we aren¡¯t legally married.¡±

    Jepherson frowned. ¡°If we aren¡¯t legally married, then our child will be born out of wedlock and will thus be deemed an illegitimate child. In the unfortunate event that I pass on, you won¡¯t be able to inherit anything from me.¡±

    Amused, Raeleigh said, ¡°If money is what I¡¯m after, then I would have married someone else. I¡¯m sure you know what I mean.¡±

    At that moment, both of them remained silent. Raeleigh kept holding her cell phone. Foremost in her mind was not the pursuit of wealth, even though she did not hail from a moneyed background. She reckoned that money could not bring her everything she wanted.

    Money was not the be-all and end-all in life. It had nothing to do with one¡¯s future or rtionship.

    She was longing for something else. Not money.

    She was very certain about it.

    ¡°So, I¡¯ve met a silly girl who¡¯s willing to sacrifice her life for me, yet is asking nothing in return.¡±

    ¡°I, Jepherson Richards, hereby swear that I would marry no one, and no one else but Raeleigh Anson in my life. In the event that I do not honor my words, I shall be doomed to a lifetime of loneliness.¡±

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense. It¡¯s not that I had forced you to swear on it. You¡¯re used to swearing. I¡¯m wondering if you actually remember all your vows.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°It¡¯s something important. Why can¡¯t I swear a solemn oath? Can¡¯t you be a little more serious?¡±

    ¡°Am I not being serious enough?¡±

    Raeleigh felt frustrated and had misunderstood him. Amused, Jepherson said, ¡°You sure? Obviously, you don¡¯t trust me.¡±

    Raeleigh kept silent. She then hung up on him. Upon hearing the beep, Jepherson looked at his phone. At that moment, he was so angry that he burst into maniacalughter.

 Chapter 1038 Exploiter

    To her astonishment, Raeleigh did not see Santiago when she walked out of the washroom. All of a sudden, Santiago could be seen whispering in her ear, ¡°Looking for me, huh?¡±

    ¡°Aaaahh!¡±

    Scared out of her wits, she hurled her phone away. As she turned around to look at Santiago, her face turned pale while her heart was beating fast.

    ¡°Whoa, why are you scared sh*tless?¡± Santiago said. ¡°Somebody¡¯s got a guilty conscience, huh?¡± Raeleigh bit her lip in anger. As she turned around, she noticed her phone had been broken.

    Raeleigh hurried to pick up her cell phone, only to find that the screen had already shattered.

    As she held the phone, she gave Santiago a resentful look. It had been functioning well, but right then it had gone kaput.

    ¡°You¡¯d better pay me back,¡± Raeleigh screamed at Santiago. So loud was her voice that it sent chills down Scarlette¡¯s spine.

    Scarlette witnessed what happened. However, she did not dare to walk towards Raeleigh.

    It had been a hysterical scream. Hesitant, she was not sure if she should help Raeleigh out.

    Santiago jammed a finger in his ear and said, ¡°Let me have a look.¡±

    As he looked at Raeleigh¡¯s cell phone, he said, ¡°Take mine, how about that?¡±

    Since he could not leave the hospital, he had no choice but to give Raeleigh his phone. Raeleigh snatched the phone angrily. Then, she walked to the other side of the ward, took a seat and tried switching on the phone.

    She knew that Santiago had to stay at the hospital for the time being.

    To her relief, the phone could be switched on. It was functioning well after she rebooted the setup of the system. Then, she tried calling Scarlette.

    Scarlette walked towards Raeleigh to have a look at her badly smashed phone.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you must have hurled it with great force,¡± Scarlette said. She almost burst intoughter.

    Raeleigh gave Scarlette a side nce and said, ¡°It¡¯ll be great if you could stop talking.¡±

    Immediately, Scarlette cupped her mouth and said, ¡°Note taken.¡±

    Raeleigh then looked at her phone. Although the screen was broken, it was still functioning well.

    Santiago walked towards Raeleigh. Then, he sat cross-legged and said, ¡°I will¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Raeleigh interjected, outrightly rejected his offer topensate her for the broken phone.

    Sitting motionlessly, he remained silent thereafter.

    Now that Santiago was here, Scarlette hurriedly made a move

    Raeleigh kept her phone in her handbag. While she was giving Santiago the cold shoulder, she stared at the intensive care unit. For as long as Deanna was still in aa, she was not in a good state of mind. Her broken phone didn¡¯t quite bother her.

    While she was gazing at the intensive care unit, a doctor could be seen dashing towards the intensive care unit. Raeleigh stood up immediately and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°The patient has woken up,¡± the doctor said as he thrusted the door open and went in. Raeleigh wanted to tag along, but the doctor stopped her. ¡°Stay here to avoid contracting pathogens,¡± he said.

    Raeleigh obliged. At that moment, the doctor and nurses had their hands full.

    Raeleigh did not know what happened in the intensive care unit. A few momentster, everyone quietened down. Someone was talking to Zorion. One after another, the nurses could be seen walking out of the intensive care unit. Immensely relieved, Zorion walked towards Deanna and sat by her side. Then, he sped her hand and put it on his face as he heaved a sigh of relief.

    Raeleigh was relieved. When Deanna saw Raeleigh, she was not particrly excited. However, she smiled as soon as she saw Santiago.

    Santiago ignored Raeleigh when she directed her gaze at him. He turned around and walked to the other side of the ward. Then, he sat cross-legged and carried on shaking his leg.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at him. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t give her the cold shoulder,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°She¡¯s not well.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, what did you say?¡± Scarlette said as she grabbed hold of Raeleigh¡¯s arm. She had sensed that something was amiss. Raeleigh did not bother looking at Scarlette. Instead, she waited for Santiago¡¯s reply.

    ¡°Affection can¡¯t be forced. It has toe from within. For example, you don¡¯t develop affection for Zorion even though he has feelings for you. Likewise, Santiago will still love you even though Deanna has feelings for him.¡±

    ¡°Unrequited love doesn¡¯t work. I¡¯m sure you know better.¡±

    Santiago nced at Raeleigh nonchntly. He took his cell phone to reply to a text message. Cynthia wanted to know if he was recovering and when he would be discharged from the hospital.

    Both of them were happily texting each other.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°Not that I¡¯m trying to meddle in your private affairs. But Deanna¡¯s still a kid. You may want to wait till she¡­¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait,¡± Santiago said. ¡°By the time she bes a legal adult, I¡¯ll be old then.¡± Irritated, Raeleigh said, ¡°What about Cynthia? Are you dating her though?¡±

    Santiago was taken aback. He slowly raised his head and gave Raeleigh a haughty look. He seemed rather annoyed now that Raeleigh knew what he had done. Scarlette did not dare to look at him. She walked away immediately.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t care less. She was merely a little angry. She walked towards Santiago and said, ¡°What the h*ll are you thinking?¡±

    Santiago stood up. He then kept his phone and walked towards Raeleigh. Raleigh retreated. It was not until she stood still that he stopped walking.

    ¡°Mind your own business. And please don¡¯t make up stories. I take offence at that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not making up stories. It¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Santiago said disdainfully. He then made his way to the intensive care unit. ¡°I¡¯ll let that sink in,¡± he said. ¡°Please don¡¯t bring this up again.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Santiago. Since he agreed to think about it, Raeleigh thought perhaps there was a silver lining. She decided to stop pestering him for then.

    At that moment, Deanna could be seen smiling. Santiago gave her a stone-faced look. He walked to the other side of the ward the moment Zorion turned around.

    ¡°Zorion, is my condition stable?¡± Deanna asked.

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re doing well,¡± Zorion said as he turned around and caressed her hair before heaving a sigh of relief.

    As Santiago sat, she took a seat. ¡°I know she¡¯s gonna be alright,¡± Santiago said. ¡°But you¡¯ve been worrying unnecessarily.¡±As Santiago sat, she took a seat. ¡°I know she¡¯s gonna be alright,¡± Santiago said. ¡°But you¡¯ve been worrying unnecessarily.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago and said, ¡°Yeah, right, smarty pants.¡±

    Santiago chuckled. ¡°Come on, you¡¯ve got to be more cerebral.¡±

    Raeleigh did not respond to his remark. ¡°If her condition is critical, then Mr. Whalen and his wife would have paid her a visit,¡± Santiago said. ¡°Have you seen them though in the past few days?¡±

    Raeleigh realized that Mr. Whalen and his wife did not drop by.

    ¡°I¡¯m grabbing some snacks, do join me,¡± Santiago said as he got up and walked out of the intensive care unit. ¡°No, thanks,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here. Deanna may be transferred to a general ward.¡±

    Santiago did not wait. He headed straight to the elevator and brought Hadrian along. Since Zorion¡¯s subordinates were stationed all over the hospital, they were safe and sound knowing that they did not have to worry about the Moore family cooking up some devious ns. Unless, of course, the Moore family arranged to drop an atomic bomb onto the building to blow it up.

    After Santiago left, Raeleigh got herself busy to help with Deanna¡¯s transfer. True enough, the doctor had arranged for Deanna to be transferred to a general ward. Raeleigh trailed along as she was being transferred. She did not take a seat until she had checked all the procedures of the transfer.

    It was a premium two-bedd ward. After all, both of them were still recuperating.

    Raeleigh watched as Deannay on the bed. Then, she checked on Zorion. Both of them were having a rest as Raeleigh got busy with looking after them.

    Scarlette could not bear the sight of seeing Raeleigh helping out tirelessly. ¡°The Whalen family is wealthy and could easily afford a few extra helpers,¡± she thought. ¡°Why didn¡¯t they get a few helpers to look after Zoriona and Deanna? They can¡¯t be counting on Raeleigh alone. She¡¯s not a servant after all. That Whalen family¡¯s such an exploiter.¡±

 Chapter 1039 Do You Love Him?

    Santiago made his way back to the ward after he had lunch. He could be seen holding a cell phone which bore a striking resemnce to Raeleigh¡¯s phone, except that it had more advanced features. It was a limited-edition phone.

    Scarlette walked towards Santiago the moment he arrived at the ward. She then muttered under her breath about Raeleigh tirelessly tending to the siblings. Santiago patted her head and said, ¡°Go. Get Hadrian to buy you a cell phone. It¡¯s on me.¡±

    ¡°Aww, that¡¯s very kind of you, Mr. Santiago.¡±

    Scarlette turned around and left. Santiago kept the phone somewhere outside the ward. Raeleigh was rinsing a towel when Santiago thrusted the door and went into the ward. Although it was a new towel, she insisted on having it rinsed before using it.

    She snuck a nce as Santiago walked into the ward. As soon as she noticed it was Santiago, she went into the washroom again.

    Santiago walked towards Zorion and said, ¡°I¡¯m going back to the school tomorrow morning. Could you get someone to look after both of you?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh can stay over, can¡¯t she?¡± Zorion said as she nced at the washroom. Santiago sniggered and said, ¡°Well my brother has never bossed her around like a servant. What makes you think you can boss her around?¡±

    Deanna was ted when she saw Santiago. However, she looked grim at that moment.

    ¡°That was not the case,¡± Deanna said. ¡°We didn¡¯t boss her around. In fact, she¡¯s the one who offered to help us¡­¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Bullcrap,¡± Santiago said as he turned around, looking visibly annoyed. Nobody had ever been that rude to Deanne. Teary-eyed, she directed her gaze towards Zorion.

    ¡°It has never been our intention to treat her like a servant,¡± Zorion asserted. ¡°Quite the contrary, she has been kind enough to offer us help since we¡¯re not well.¡±

    ¡°Well, then she should stop being kind,¡± Santiago said. ¡°Deanna¡¯s food poisoning has nothing to do with her in the first ce. Even if she did not buy those watermelons, the perpetrators would cook up another vicious n against me sooner orter. If someone shall ever be held ountable, that would be me, not Raeleigh. Granted, I shall be held responsible. However¡­¡±

    ¡°If Deanna hadn¡¯t been abducted, then I wouldn¡¯t have been admitted to the hospital,¡± Santiago added. ¡°On that note, I¡¯m sure that you could tell Raeleigh¡¯s not involved.¡±

    Visibly irritated, Zorion said, ¡°You¡¯ve been bbering. What message do you wish to drive home?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is under no obligation to stay over to look after both of you, much less getting bossed around like a servant,¡± Santiago said.

    ¡°For the record, we didn¡¯t boss her around,¡± Deanna said. She had been agitated, so much so that she almost fell off the bed. However, she remained still at the moment as she was taking an injection. She has always been faint-hearted when it came to getting jabbed. It was not surprising to find her crying her eyes out whenever she got jabbed.

    ¡°Stop making excuses.¡± Santiago brushed her off. ¡°Raeleigh has been busy looking after you. If she were to be bedridden, then would you go so far as to stay over the hospital looking after her tirelessly?¡±

    Dazed, Zorion directed his gaze towards the washroom door. Raeleigh happened to walk out of the washroom at that moment and overheard the conversation.

    ¡°My brother has never bossed her around,¡± Santiago said. ¡°I was the one who injured her forehead. He has warned me not to do that again.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never been able to win her heart,¡± Santiago added. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t shower her with as much love as my brother did anyway. So, I guess it¡¯s been a lucky escape for her.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to let go.¡±

    Santiago turned around and nced at Raeleigh. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re the daughter-inw of the Richards family,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t be reduced to a doormat.¡±

    Then, he thrusted the door and walked out of the ward. ¡°Get out of here,¡± hemanded.

    Raeleigh stood by the entrance to the washroom. Awkwardness was written all over her face. She did not take his words to heart as she knew that he could be ill-mannered at times.

    ¡°Rest well,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°Let me have a word with him.¡± Raeleigh thrusted the door and walked out of the ward. As soon as Santiago saw her, he turned around and walked towards the other end of the corridor. Raeleigh trailed along and grabbed him by the arm.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Raeleigh asked irritably. Santiago replied nonchntly, ¡°Well, what do you think?¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a moment. Then, she said, ¡°I was just helping out. Nobody¡¯s in the ward. I can¡¯t let them use the unwashed towel, can I?¡±

    ¡°Get someone else to do it. Why hasn¡¯t Scarlette been helping out?¡±

    ¡°Stop being unreasonable,¡± Raeleigh said. She was at her wits¡¯ end.

    Santiago turned around, wanting to leave. Raeleigh stopped him. ¡°If you feel like leaving, well, by all means, then go. But I can¡¯t leave them alone. I was the one who brought the watermelon. My conscience would bother me if I were to leave.¡±

    Santiago did not respond to her remarks. He walked towards the entrance of the ward and took a seat. He then handed her the phone. ¡°Hey, take it,¡± he said.

    Raeleigh lowered her head and unboxed it. As soon as she found out that it was a cell phone, she said, ¡°You left the hospital, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Santiago said as he raised his head to look at Raeleigh. She rolled her eyes at him. Then, she turned on the phone, walked towards Santiago, and sat beside him. Raeleigh did not seem to know how to go about using it. Santiago snatched the phone away and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been using an old-fashioned cell phone.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not quite a tech junkie,¡± she said. ¡°Otherwise, it would have been a breeze operating the new phone.¡±

    ¡°Well, then stop being stubborn,¡± Santiago said. Then, he lowered his head to get his hands on the SIM card tray. Raeleigh handed the SIM card to him.

    Upon reaching an agreement, Raeleigh kept the phone.

    Raeleigh knew that her taking the phone signified that Santiago had given in and therefore would not leave the hospital. As she walked into the ward, Santiago waited outside.

    Deanna saw Raeleigh looking rather disappointed when she turned around to find Santiago noting along with her. She remained silent and did not query his whereabouts.

    As she walked into the ward, she took a seat and kept the siblingspany. However, she did not say anything. It was as if she was at a loss for words.

    ¡°Well, I guess Santiago¡¯s right after all,¡± Zorion said in an attempt to break the silence. Raeleigh gave him an indifferent look. ¡°He didn¡¯t mean to be rude,¡± she said with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s just concerned about you,¡± Zorion said as he forced a smile.

    Raeleigh felt a little ufortable. She had a feeling that there was something amiss about his smile. Nheless, she did not make a fuss about it.

    On the other hand, Deanna was forthright. ¡°Raeleigh, you love Santiago, don¡¯t you?¡± she said.

    Stunned, Raeleigh directed her gaze towards Deanna. She was amused as she stared into her eyes. There was something about Deanna¡¯s gaze which tickled her funny bone.

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    Deanna swiftly directed her gaze at the ceiling. She did not dare to look at Raeleigh straight in the eye. ¡°Well, just admit if you love him,¡± she said bashfully.

    Amused, Raeleigh said, ¡°Jepherson¡¯s my boyfriend. And both of them are siblings.¡±

    After a long pause, Deanna looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°So, you don¡¯t like him, do you?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like him,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I don¡¯t like him romantically.¡± Deanna nodded. Then, she turned around and went to the bed to take a rest.

    Raeleigh stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, I¡¯ll make a move. Have a rest. I won¡¯t being over if there¡¯s nothing pressing. You may want to get someone to look after you.¡±

    Then, she walked out of the ward and closed the door. Santiago could be seen sitting cross-legged and crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall.

    Raeleigh walked over and took off her coat. She then covered Santiago with the coat. As she took a seat, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

    Other than their snores, it was all peace and quiet as they dozed off. As soon as Santiago made sure that Raeleigh was asleep, he opened his eyes and covered Raeleigh with her coat. He shed a smile, looking at her.

    Then, he turned sideways and raised his head as he closed his eyes to have a rest.

 Chapter 1040 Did Not Have the Slightest Idea

    Raeleigh stayed over at the hospital in the next couple of days. Although she was constantly in touch with Jepherson, she did not bring up Santiago¡¯s affair with Cynthia. However, it bothered her to keep mum about it.

    Now that Zorion and Deanna were recuperating, Raeleigh wanted to return to her school.

    While Santiago and Raeleigh were heading back to school, Raeleigh subtly brought up the subject of his romance with Cynthia. Although she did not speak straight from the shoulder, she nevertheless warned him to stay out of the affair.

    Santiago did not respond to her remarks as he was driving. Raeleigh felt a gust of cool air even as she was seated in the rear seat.

    Santiago did not immediately get out of the car when they reached the school. Instead, he could be seen yawning in the car.

    Raeleigh got out of the car alongside Scarlette. She then asked Santiago, ¡°Not getting off the car, huh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a personal matter to attend to,¡± Santiago said. ¡°Call me up if there¡¯s anything pressing. Scarlette, please look after Raeleigh.¡±

    He then closed the door and drove off.

    Scarlette heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Phew, he¡¯s gone. We¡¯re as free as birds.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Scarlette. Something seemed to be bothering her.

    Puzzled, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Did Mr. Santiago inform where he¡¯s heading?¡±

    ¡°How in the world would I know?¡± Scarlette said. ¡°He¡¯s always been reticent. I don¡¯t think he would pour his heart out to Mr. Jepherson, let alone us.¡± Scarlette grabbed Raeleigh by the arm and led her to the school. Raeleigh had a feeling that something was amiss. When it rained, it poured. Hence, she had been on tenterhooks.

    Raeleigh walked into the school as soon as Santiago¡¯s car was out of sight. Santiago looked at the rearview mirror. He elerated the moment Raeleigh was out of sight.

    He drove like the wind, running a few red lights.

    Moments after disembarking from the ne, Jepherson received a call from Santiago.

    As he made his way to the airport lounge, Jepherson picked up the call. ¡°I¡¯m heading to the Moore family residence,¡± Santiago said.

    ¡°No, please,¡± Jepherson said as he stopped walking. Stuart stared at Jepherson, who was looking rather distraught.

    ¡­¡­

    The phone was beeping as Santiago hung up on Jepherson. ¡°Off we go to the Moore family home,¡± Jepherson said as he looked at Stuart.

    Stuart immediately dashed outside. As Jepherson walked out of the airport and saw the car, he said, ¡°We¡¯ve got to stop Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Stuart immediately got into the car. Jepherson took off his sweater. There was quite amotion as a metallic-gray sports car pulled up by the entrance of the airport. ¡°That car belongs to the Richards family, isn¡¯t it?¡± the crowd of onlookers said.

    ¡°Jepherson¡­ Jepherson¡­¡±

    Somedies screamed when they saw Jepherson.

    Jepherson got into the car. As he ignited the car engine, the cars in the vicinity could be seen converging from various directions and making their way to the Moore family home.

    Zorion stood by the window of the ward. sping his wrist behind his back, he looked out of the window and saw members of the Moore family walking into the hospital.

    His phone, which wasying on his bed, rang at that moment. Deanna was lying on the bed reading a fairy tale book. The moment she heard the phone ringing, she got off the bed immediately. Then, she grabbed the phone and handed it to Zorion.

    Zorion took the phone and put it to his ear. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he said.

    Zorion frowned. ¡°Get the word out that whoever hurts Santiago, the Whalen family will take his life for ten million dors.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°Zorion, who¡¯s trying to hurt Santiago?¡± Deanna asked. Her face turned pale. Zorion turned around to look at her and said, ¡°No one¡¯s trying to hurt him. On the contrary, he¡¯s out there making trouble.¡±

    ¡°What should we do then?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing much we can do. No worries, he¡¯ll be alright. Jepherson¡¯s back in town.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Upon hearing that Jepherson had returned, Deanna was relieved. She turned around and returned to her bed to continue reading. Zorion shook his head. ¡°So na?ve of her,¡± he thought. ¡°When is she going to be more mature?

    Zorion looked out of the window. At that moment, he was overwhelmed by a wave of emotions.

    What was he going to do? As someone with a fiery temper, it would be uncharacteristic of him if he did not retaliate.

    Be that as it may, he feltpelled to swallow his anger and suck it up despite all that had happened.

    As he sped his wrist behind his back, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. ¡°If Jepherson isn¡¯t around, then Santiago would be practically unstoppable,¡± he thought.

    Jepherson and Santiago were indeed a force to be reckoned with in Capital City. The Moore family would eventually back off.

    If he were to have a brother, then Zorion reckoned that he wouldpotentiallybe able to wield as much power and influence as the Richards siblings in Capital City.

    Personality-wise, Deanna was a clingy and needy girl. Considering this, he had to find someone who could help him out by tending to Deanna whenever he was busy.

    His sibling could not hold a candle to Jepherson¡¯s.

    Jepherson received a call from Stuart, saying that they were about to reach the Moore family home.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t stop him,¡± Stuart said. ¡°Mr. Santiago has arrived. But he didn¡¯t get out of the car.¡± Stuart had gone out of the car and saw Santiago sitting in the car. As he did not dare to stop Santiago, he called Jepherson.

    Stuart knew very well that it would be counterproductive if he were to go ahead to stop Santiago.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson hasn¡¯t been able to stop him, let alone me,¡± he thought.

    ¡°Let him be then,¡± Jepherson said. Since he had arrived, there was no point stopping him.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Stuart did not manage to say anything as Jepherson hung up on him. A few minutester, Jepherson arrived at the Moore family home.

    Jepherson got out of the car and put on his sweater. He then walked towards the entrance of the home. Santiago had parked his car by the entrance of the home.

    As he buttoned up his sweater, he headed straight to Santiago¡¯s car. Santiago was sleeping in the car when Jepherson knocked on the window. He opened his eyes and yawned before getting out of the car.

    At that moment, four cars could be seen parking by the entrance of the home. They were here to protect Santiago.

    Stuart did not dare toe along with Jepherson. Instead, he stood beside his car while waiting for Jepherson.

    He did not have the slightest idea why Santiago did not get out of the car. The Moore family members were a little agitated to see Santiago parking by the entrance of the home. Nevertheless, they did not leave the house.

    The old butler wondered what Santiago was up to.

    The young tend to be hot-headed and foolhardy. The same could then be said of Hansen¡¯s sons. It did not bother them that their lives could be at stake at that moment.

    It was easy to resort to taking someone¡¯s life.

    The old butler frowned when he saw Jepherson. ¡°Oh, dear. It seems that we have got not one, but two troublemakers,¡± he thought.

    The old butler immediately got someone to inform Johan. Even though he was sleeping, he had no choice but to wake up.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with you dressing like a dweeb?¡± Jepherson said, looking visibly annoyed.

    Santiago yawned while he was primping. He did not look like one who had just woken up from a nap in the car, but rather one who had just woken up from a long night¡¯s sleep. He had unbuttoned all the buttons in his shirt, except the one near his waist, revealing his well-built chest. At a nce, he did not look like a typical 17-year-old teen.

    It seemed that Jepherson¡¯s reprimands had fallen on deaf ears as Santiago ignored him. Jepherson then turned around and directed his gaze towards the Moore family¡¯s home.

    The old butler waspletely baffled. He did not have the slightest idea what they were up to.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1041 Perhaps

    Jepherson walked towards the entrance of the Moore family¡¯s home. Then, he stopped by the gate and said, ¡°How¡¯s Old Master Johan doing?¡±

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s good,¡± the old butler replied immediately.

    ¡°We¡¯re here to pay him a visit,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s convenient to meet him?¡± Jepherson¡¯s attitude was one of deference. He sounded like a parent who had brought his misbehaving child over to issue an apology.

    However, the old steward doubted their motive. ¡°How kind of the Richards family, huh?¡± he thought.

    ¡°It¡¯s tantly obvious that he¡¯s courting trouble. Look at the sheer number of people and cars.¡±

    The old butler thought for a moment and said, ¡°Wait a minute. Let me pass the word over.¡±

    The old butler then turned around and hurried to go into the house. Jepherson waited by the gate. Santiago stood behind him, with his hands in his pockets. Jepherson had a simr posture. However, Jepherson was decently dressed, while Santiago wasn¡¯t properly groomed.

    The old butler arrived at Johan¡¯s room. He went in and told Johan what happened.

    Johan took a sip of tea and spat out some phlegm. Then, he leaned against the bed and said, ¡°Let them in.¡±

    ¡°Dad, that¡¯s so gracious of you to let them in,¡± Yousif said. He happened to be at home and overheard the conversation. Irritated, he said, ¡°Why are they here? They can¡¯t juste to the Moore family¡¯s home uninvited.¡±

    Johan put the teacup on the table and glowered at Yousif. ¡°Well, if I don¡¯t let them in, then they may refuse to leave. And that¡¯s going to be even more embarrassing, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Yousif lowered his head and remained silent. He did not dare to say anything as Johan was rather intimidating.

    Elina happened to be here too. She nced at her husband before directing her gaze towards Johan. Then, she walked towards Johan and said, ¡°Shall we get Flynt toe over?¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Johan said. ¡°It¡¯s not that we¡¯re at each other¡¯s throats and picking a fight with them. So, it doesn¡¯t bother us if they were to make a scene out there. Anyway, we¡¯d better not be frank and speak our minds since they are mad now. We know very well that they are here today over what Deanna has gone through.¡±

    ¡°Flynt¡¯s been rather reckless,¡± Johan added. ¡°But regardless, it¡¯s a job well done. At the very least, this can serve as a severe warning to them.¡±

    Elina was ted as Johan publicly praised Flynt. Flynt was her son after all.

    Elina shed a smile and said, ¡°Well he needs plenty guidance from you. After all, he¡¯s young, hot-headed and reckless. He would even act outrageously at times, bringing trouble to you.¡±

    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Johan snorted. ¡°He hadn¡¯t brought trouble to me. It was all the Richards family¡¯s fault. They have been such bullies.¡±

    Johan had never wanted to retaliate. However, he resorted to giving the Richards family a taste of their own medicine since they had consistently taken advantage of the Moore family.

    Elina lowered her head and asked, ¡°Now that they areing into the house, shall I make a move to hide elsewhere?¡±

    Johan was pleased with Elina¡¯s remark. Not only had she given birth to a few intelligent children, she was a rather vigntdy herself. Yousif could not hold a candle to Elina.

    Johan knew that he could not count on Yousif.

    ¡°I thought so too. You¡¯re a woman after all. So, you¡¯d better not show up.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Elina said. She then turned around and left. She did not bother looking at Yousif, not even once. Since they no longer had romantic feelings for each other, she reckoned that she did not need to be affectionate towards him.

    Yousif was resentful of Elina¡¯s reaction. He took umbrage at Elina for gloating at his humiliation when he was reproached by Johan.

    Yousif swore that he would teach her a lesson one of these days.

    Johan squinted and looked at the old butler. ¡°Go, let them in,¡± he said.

    ¡°Okay,¡± the old butler replied. Then, he hurried to inform Jepherson and led them into the house.

    While they were walking into the house, Jepherson told Santiago, ¡°Tuck your shirt into your trousers. Button up, please.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s words apparently fell on deaf ears. As they arrived at Johan¡¯s room, the old butler let them in without saying anything.

    As they went in, Jepherson addressed Johan with deference. ¡°It¡¯s great to see you again, Old Master,¡± he said. ¡°How are you doing?¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Johan waved him off, as if suggesting that he was not well. After a long pause, he said, ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯m kicking the bucket soon. I may be fine now but we can¡¯t be certain. I¡¯m in my twilight years after all. The clock is ticking my life away, day by day.¡±

    Then, Johan coughed twice. ¡°You¡¯re still sprightly,¡± Jepherson said with a smile. ¡°You look much better than before when Ist saw you. I guess you¡¯ve been confined indoors most of the time. Take a stroll outdoors. You¡¯d feel much better.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so thoughtful of you,¡± Johan said. ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear that. Even then, I¡¯m too weak to move around.¡±

    Santiago could tell that Johan was merely trying to exchange pleasantries. Then, he said, ¡°Well, then there¡¯s nothing much you can do. You can¡¯t even get up from bed, much less taking a stroll outdoors. Who knows, you might die in your own bed.¡±

    There wasplete silence at that moment. Johan quirked his brow as he looked at Santiago. Santiago then directed his gaze elsewhere in the room. Jepherson gave Santiago a sideways nce and said with a frown, ¡°Nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯m talking nonsense,¡± Santiago said disdainfully. He then grabbed a chair and took a seat. The old butler smirked. ¡°The Richards family has such good-looking offsprings,¡± he thought. ¡°Unfortunately, their attitude stinks.¡±

    Jepherson nced at Santiago. One could not tell whether he was annoyed or secretly delighted as Santiago provoked Johan. He then looked at Johan and said, ¡°He¡¯s been spoiled by my Dad. I didn¡¯t bother to discipline him when my Dad wasn¡¯t around. Hopefully, you won¡¯t take his words to heart for he¡¯s just a mouthy idiot.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Johan snorted. He was visibly offended. Jepherson had been calm. Out of boredom, Santiago turned impatient. He sat cross-legged and said, ¡°Hey, old man¡­¡±

    ¡°Santiago,¡± Jepherson interjected. Santiago immediately replied, ¡°Alright, I get it.¡±

    He sounded impatient. Fortunately, at the very least, he watched his manners.

    Jepherson was still waiting to be seated. Annoyed, Santiago said, ¡°We¡¯ve been here for a while. Why hasn¡¯t someone offered Jepherson a seat?¡±

    Johan shrugged him off. ¡°Well, you came uninvited in the first ce,¡± he said.

    Jepherson said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re right. We shouldn¡¯t havee here uninvited.¡±

    Johan did not respond to Jepherson¡¯s remark. In spite of that, Jepherson was not offended.

    ¡°I have no choice but to pay you a sudden visit,¡± he added. ¡°It was all Santiago¡¯s fault.¡±

    Johan remained silent. Yousif snorted and said, ¡°Well why cause mischief at our home if you know that it isn¡¯t proper?¡±

    Johan glowered at Yousif. He then stopped talking, lest Johan told him off again.

    Jepherson shed a smile. Then, he said matter-of-factly, ¡°I agree with you. However, he¡¯s a grown-up. So, I can¡¯t meddle in his love affairs. I can¡¯t stop him since he¡¯s adamant that he wants toe over. Now that he refuses to leave, I¡¯ve got to bring him in. He¡¯s my brother after all.¡±

    Something crossed the old butler¡¯s mind the moment Jepherson exined himself. ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± he thought.

    ¡°Perhaps, it has something to do with that incident?¡±

 Chapter 1042 Turning Down a Marriage Proposal

    Johan was perceptive enough to know what Jepherson was trying to convey. Nheless, he did not bother responding to his remarks.

    Otherwise, he would have fallen right into his trap.

    Nheless, he knew that Jepherson would not leave unless the Moore family came clean about what they had done.

    Jepherson then nced at Santiago and said, ¡°Well, since our visit isn¡¯t weed, let me be frank and tell things straight from me then. We¡¯ll leave afterwards.¡±

    The old butler nced at Johan before directing his gaze at the two siblings. He had a feeling that there was more to what Jepherson said. He had only just scratched the surface.

    ¡°Old Master hasn¡¯t been well,¡± the old butler said. ¡°The doctor has told us that his memory is deteriorating. He would need to rack his brains to recall what has happened.¡±

    The old butler nced at Johan as he spoke. However, he remained silent.

    Jepherson smirked. ¡°Well, so the butler is apparently the one calling the shots in the Moore family¡¯s household.¡±

    Immediately, the old butler said, ¡°It was the doctor. He told us about it. I did not make that up.¡±

    Irritated, Santiago said contemptuously, ¡°What the h*ll are you saying?¡±

    Jepherson did not bother telling Santiago off for being rude. The old butler was silent at that moment. ¡°It¡¯s clear that they¡¯re up to no good,¡± he thought.

    ¡°Yesterday, Santiago told me that he has fallen in love with a girl,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°I didn¡¯t take his words seriously then. However, he went so far as to assert that he would marry this girl, and only this girl. Well, I was still a little doubtful and decided to shrug him off. This morning, to my surprise, he told me that he wanted to propose to the girl. It was then that I found out that the girl is Cynthia.¡±

    Johan was not provoked. ¡°What¡¯s with a brat audacious enough to want to marry Cynthia?¡± Johan thought.

    ¡°Did he now?¡± Johan said. Being blunt, he did not bother if he sounded insensitive. He then snorted and gave Jepherson a piercing stare.

    ¡°Granted that he¡¯s a little too young for her,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°But he makes up for it by being honest.¡±

    ¡°Well, all your geese are swans anyway,¡± Yousif said while he was sniggering. ¡°My daughter¡¯s too good for that son of a b*tch,¡± he thought. ¡°He¡¯s bloody underage yet he fell for my daughter.¡±

    ¡°Santiago¡¯s a nice guy,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°It¡¯s just that he has an unconventional approach to life. I¡¯ll bring this up to my Dad. Hopefully, he¡¯ll be able to return home to help out. Anyway, it is my wish that the Moore family would give Santiogo and Cynthia their blessings for this marriage. After all, it is customary for two lovebirds to tie the knot. It is a happy asion for both families.¡±

    As soon as Jepherson was done talking, the old butler said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, Miss Cynthia is 23 years old. May I ask, how old is Mr. Santiago?¡±

    Jepherson forced a smile as he looked at the old butler. ¡°I suppose it is none of your business,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°You aren¡¯t a member of the Moore family, are you?¡±

    The old butler blushed. Then, he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to be meddlesome.¡±

    ¡°Enough said,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°We don¡¯t want to make a fuss about it. That isn¡¯t the reason we¡¯re here in the first ce anyway.¡±

    ¡°Old Master, I don¡¯t think age is a problem,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°In the meantime, Santiago would mend his ways. If the proposal materializes, then I¡¯m sure that it¡¯ll be great news for Capital City.¡±

    Feeling pleased, Santiago could be seen shaking his legs while Jepherson was talking.

    Johan directed his gaze towards Santiago, who was looking smug. Yousif was tempted to give Santiago a hard p.

    Those Richards siblings were such bullies. What was with theming over and shaming the Moore family? Yousif thought angrily.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve shared my thoughts on this,¡± Johan said. ¡°I remember telling you that you aren¡¯t quite apatible match for Cynthia. However, it surprises me that you remain resolute to this day and even want to propose to her. You have put me in an awkward position.¡±

    ¡°Cynthia¡¯s one haughty girl who would not easily fall for any men. Even if she does, it would be in vain if it does not eventually lead to marriage.¡±

    ¡°Flynt has always enjoyed friendly rtions with Cynthia. However, it hase to my knowledge that Flynt isn¡¯t on good terms with you. It will be rather challenging for you to improve your rtionship with Flynt. I think you¡¯d better not propose to Cynthia lest you find yourself in dire straits.¡±

    ¡°I take it that you are agreeable to the proposal as long as Cynthia epts it?¡± Santiago asked. Johan forced augh. It was one cunning chortle.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°The young are generally gung-ho. However, the Moore family aren¡¯t afraid of the young. We appreciate your kindness to have proposed. Anyway, let¡¯s give this a pass and forget about it.¡± Then, hey down, pulled the quilt, and said, ¡°I¡¯m an old man. I¡¯ve got to hit the sack now. See the guests off, please.¡±

    ¡°This way please, Mr. Jepherson and Mr. Santiago,¡± the old butler said. He could not wait to drive them away.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°I¡¯ve told you that he won¡¯t be agreeable to the proposal. ¡±

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s not agreeable to the proposal now,¡± Santiago said. ¡°But he could change his mind in the days toe. Let¡¯s see if he is agreeable when I father a child.¡±

    Santiago then led the way and walked out of the room. Jepherson trailed along. The old butler was exasperated. ¡°Isn¡¯t he disparaging the Moore family?¡± he thought.

    Nevertheless, he did not dare to rebuke them. After all, Johan did not respond to Santiago¡¯s remarks either.

    The old butler then led them out of the house. Worried that they could be lingering around in the vicinity of the house, he waited to make sure that they left. After that, he hurried to go into the house. The moment he walked into Johan¡¯s room, he saw him having an outburst of anger. He had practically smashed all the items in the room.

    ¡°Look at this mess,¡± Johan said. ¡°Take a long hard look at it. You¡¯ve been such a candy-*ss. That¡¯s why the two siblings dare to push me around. Who the h*ll is Hansen? Those two sons of his are nothing but dirt under my feet. How dare they provoke me!¡±

    Johan was so angry that he could barely breathe. Yousif remained motionless. Even though he was injured, he did not dare to say anything, much less walk out of the room.

    The old butler went ahead to pacify Johan. It was then that Johan started to quieten down.

    ¡°Mr. Yousif, I guess you¡¯d better be making a move,¡± said the old butler. Yousif then turned around and left. It was at that moment that the old butler looked at the door and whispered to Johan, ¡°Old Master, I think the two siblings have some hidden agendas.¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, Santiago paid you a visit as soon as he left the hospital. Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s here to denounce us?¡±

    Johan snorted and said, ¡°Well, they have foolishly assumed that I¡¯d ede to their whims and fancies if they were to bait me by using Cynthia. Everyone in Capital City has to bow to me. Just because they have Hansen and Rayan as support, they thought that they could do anything and everything as they pleased. They¡¯re clearly biting off more than they could chew.¡±

    ¡°Old Master, what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Tell Flynt about this matter and get him to deal with it. He has always been on good terms with Cynthia. It¡¯s about time to test his calibre. Otherwise, outsiders may think that the Moore family are a bunch of weaklings.¡±

    Johan was annoyed. If Jaqueline was around, then there would not be so much drama. It was all Steffan¡¯s fault. ¡°Hmph¡­¡±

    Johan could not help but to snort the moment he thought of Steffan, who had taken Jaqueline away. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous,¡± Johan thought.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to take care of your health,¡± the old butler said as soon as Johan snapped. ¡°Otherwise, they will gloat at you.¡± As Johan gradually calmed down, the old butler put his thinking cap on to analyze the matter.

 Chapter 1043 Reluctant

    As Jepherson and Santiago walked out of the Moore family¡¯s home, they each got into their own cars. Jepherson then sped off. Santiago hurried after him. From expressways to local streets, the two siblings went about racing each other. Jepherson led the high-speed car chase as he drove to the top of a hill. Refusing to concede defeat, Santiago tried to y catch-up. He stopped when he was a dozen or so meters away from Jepherson. Then, he got out of the car.

    As they reached the top of the hill, Jepherson looked for somewhere to sit. Santiago followed suit.

    The two siblings did not talk. They sat there for a while. As it was gettingte, Santiago yawned and said he was feeling drowsy. They then made a move.

    When they arrived at the foot of the hill, Jepherson told Santiago, ¡°Head to the school and pick Raeleigh up. Let¡¯s go for a meal.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go?¡± Santiago said as he leaned back in his seat. ¡°Well, can you cook us a meal then?¡± Jepherson asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pick her up then,¡± Santiago replied. Cooking was particrly bothersome to him.

    He recalled an incident in his childhood. He was about three years old then. Hansen told him to get something to eat. Hansen meant to say that he could help himself with some light snacks such as cookies or apples.

    However, Santiago took it out of context. He went ahead to cook up a storm. Roast chicken was his favorite.

    Then, he got off the couch and dashed into the kitchen. His mother was not at home then. His nannies were not around to look after him either. He then went about searching for a chicken in the freezer. Before long, he managed to find a frozen chicken in the lowerpartment of the freezer. It had been a herculean task for him.

    He was ooh-ing and aah-ing the moment heid eyes on the chicken.

    He put the chicken on the gas stove. He then turned on the gas stove and began roasting the chicken.

    Ever since then, Santiago would feel a giddy sensation whenever he entered the kitchen. Therefore, he avoided kitchens like the gue these days. Truth be told, he had been wreaking havoc in the kitchen practically every year during his childhood.

    In view of this, Jennajokinglyused to exhort that under no circumstances should Santiago get a house that was equipped with a kitchen lest his life was in jeopardy. She imed that it was better to eat out or order food via food delivery tforms than to risk his life.

    Santiago stepped on the elerator pedal and whizzed away. Jepherson made a detour to Raeleigh¡¯s school.

    Stuart was at Santiago¡¯s vi. He was busy preparing a meal. Jepherson had instructed him to prepare some nutritious meals as Raeleigh would be dropping by.

    While he was preparing a meal, Jepherson drove into the vi.

    Raeleigh¡¯s lecture had just ended. She then headed straight to the dormitory. The moment shey down, Santiago called. It was as if he had timed the call.

    As the phone conversation ended, Raeleigh told Scarlette to get ready to leave the dormitory. Then, they headed straight to the school gate. Soon after that, they saw Santiago¡¯s car. Raeleigh hurriedly walked towards his car. She bent down and looked into the car to ascertain that it was Santiago sitting in the car. Then, she heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that he had managed to cheat death once again.

    Raeleigh pulled up the door handle and got into the back passenger seat. Scarlette went in after her. She then locked the door. As they set off to the vi, Raeleigh asked Santiago where he had been for the better part of the day.

    ¡°What¡¯s with you concerning yourself with me though?¡± Santiago asked as he nced at the rearview mirror. He was visibly amused. Raeleigh rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Well, why are you feeling ted?¡±

    Santiago guffawed at her remark before speeding off. Soon after that, they arrived at the vi. Santiago headed straight to his room to take a nap as he was feeling sleepy. As Raeleigh walked into the vi alongside Scarlette, she could hear someone calling her in the kitchen.

    Scarlette went into the kitchen as Raeleigh took off her shoes.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson was cooking bean curds. He made the bean curds himself.

    Raeleigh took a closer look at the bean curds. It surprised her that Jepherson knew how to prepare this dish.

    ¡°How was it?¡± Jepherson asked. No one was in the kitchen. Raeleigh shed a gentle smile. ¡°It looks delish,¡± she said.

    Jepherson kissed her and said, ¡°Well, what are you going to do to repay my kindness?¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°It¡¯s just a meal. What¡¯s more, it¡¯s not that I instructed you to prepare the meal. It¡¯s you¡­¡± Raeleigh stopped talking as soon as Jepherson pressed his lips against hers.

    After kissing for a while, both of them were breathing heavily. Worried that somebody may be sneaking a peek, Raeleigh pushed Jepherson away and said, ¡°Hey, stop it. Someone could be looking.¡±

    ¡°Hand me a bowl,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°Enjoy it while it¡¯s warm,¡± Jepherson said while holding adle. Raeleigh immediately handed him a small bowl. He then lowered his head to kiss her once again before he carried on cooking. Raeleigh looked at his back and asked, ¡°Have you found it?¡±

    While Jepherson was cooking the bean curds, he replied, ¡°It takes time. We can¡¯t be hasty.¡±

    ¡°What about the list?¡± Raeleigh added. ¡°Have you gone through the list?¡± Raeleigh went through the notebook the other day as she wanted to check if she had missed out anyone who could potentially shed some light on his sister¡¯s whereabouts.

    Jepherson shook his head and said, ¡°Nah, I haven¡¯t. I¡¯ve been busy. I¡¯ll look into it in the next few days.¡±

    Raeleigh did not probe afterwards as she was fixated on the pot of bean curds. After waiting for a while, Jepherson was done cooking. Raeleigh was very much looking forward to tasting it. Jepherson sprinkled some scallions on the bean curds. It looked like a perfect bowl of dish. The bean curds looked tender and silky-smooth, the kinds that would melt instantly in the mouth as one ate it.

    Although she had not sampled it, she was already impressed with the aroma of the dish.

    Jepherson turned around and handed Raeleigh a bowl. Raeleigh took a spoon and scooped a spoonful of bean curds. She then blew on it to cool it before eating.

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Something must have fallen into this pot of dish,¡± she thought.

    Raeleighid the spoon in the bowl. Then, she removed the object from her mouth. She was blown away the moment she saw the object.

    Jepherson took the diamond ring. Although it did not look particrly outstanding, it was nheless a rather expensive ring.

    ¡°Marry me,¡± Jepherson said softly as he put the diamond ring on Raeleigh¡¯s ring finger. He looked at her intently. Raeleigh was transfixed by his piercing gaze. Dumbfounded, she was at a loss for words. She did not jump for joy. Neither was she moved to tears. She found it too surreal to believe that Jepherson had just proposed to her.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me that you aren¡¯t marrying me,¡± Jepherson said as he pinched Raeleigh¡¯s chin. ¡°I remember you telling me that you aren¡¯t after fame or fortune. And all that you¡¯ve wanted is my love.¡± Raeleigh shook her head. Just as she wanted to push him away, Jepherson lowered his head to kiss her passionately.

    Raeleigh was out of breath. As much as she felt like hauling him away, she did not as she was not strong enough. She was reluctant to haul him away anyway.

 Chapter 1044 Iâ€™m Not GoodForNothing

    Now that Raeleigh had received the ring and the bracelet, a sense of unease crept up on her. Even though she had expressly informed Jepherson that she was not after fame and fortune, his proposal somehow caught her off guard. She felt that he was rather self-serving in that he did as he pleased and did not consider her feelings.

    In other words, as long as it made him happy, he would go public with their rtionship.

    A few people could be seen sitting in the living room on the first floor. Raeleigh was sitting beside Jepherson while he was chatting with Santiago. Raeleigh stood up and went upstairs. Since she would not be returning to her home, she went upstairs to have a rest.

    She wanted to collect herself too.

    A few momentster, Jepherson went upstairs. As soon as he went into the room, he saw Raeleigh looking pensive as she fell into a daze.

    Jepherson closed the door and walked towards Raeleigh. He wrapped his arms around her waist. Then, he lowered his head and whispered in her ear, ¡°Are you mad at me?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I was just thinking that you¡¯d probably regret your decision a few years down the road,¡± she said. ¡°You aren¡¯t exactly sure how things will pan out too.¡±

    ¡°Granted, there¡¯re lots of things in life which are beyond our control,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean we should give in and not fight for our lives. I mean, you wouldn¡¯t have fallen in love with a scaredy-cat, would you?¡±

    Raeleighughed. ¡°You jokester. I realize you are getting funnier by the day.¡±

    ¡°Well, men are naturally wacky,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of who they want to show that side of wackiness to.¡± At that moment, Mr. Hansen crossed his mind. He reckoned that his father best embodied the spirit of wackiness. Hence, he could not help but to quirk his brow as he thought about this.

    He then lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh. Raeleigh did not avoid his kiss. She put her hands around Jepherson¡¯s shoulder. Jepherson held her by the waist with his left hand and pressed her back with his right hand.

    Raeleigh blushed and pushed Jepherson away. Jepherson looked at her with a pair of eyes that were full of affection. He then bent over to carry her.

    ¡°Silent, lest somebody overheard us,¡± Jepherson said. He seemed to have said that on purpose. Raeleigh blushed. She bit her lips and red at Jepherson.

    ¡°He must have said that on purpose,¡± she thought.

    Jepherson clearly knew that Raeleigh had been worrying that somebody would overhear their conversation. Yet, he reminded Raeleigh to stay silent. Hence, Raeleigh was convinced that he had said that deliberately.

    ¡­¡­

    Raeleigh got up early in the morning and went back to the university campus alongside Santiago and Scarlette. As soon as she arrived at the school, she found out that a new female student had just enrolled in the school and that she was rted to the Moore family. However, she had no idea which member of the Moore family had enrolled their daughter in this school.

    That girl was a certain Xandra Moore. She had a lovely name.

    Word got around that she was one beautiful girl who had ster academic results and that she had gone through a few rounds of examinations before enrolling in the school.

    ¡°Not another member of the Moore family,¡± Scarlette said. ¡°Raeleigh, why are the Moores practically everywhere?¡± Amused, Raeleigh said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you are making such a fuss though. Aren¡¯t you tired of whining?¡±

    Scarlette snorted and said, ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    Santiago was strolling with his hands in his pockets. Raeleigh gazed at his back. She seemed to be very fond of green shirts, particrly grass green. She reckoned that she would be able to pinpoint Santiago¡¯s locationeffortlesslyat Elkton University as long as he was d in this shade of green.

    d in a grass-green shirt with hair that could be easily styled, Santiago looked like an average Joe as he strolled in a carefree manner. Hence, Raeleigh could not understand why the onlookingdies were spellbound when theyid their eyes on him.

    ¡°If Santiago says anything now, then the girls would go to great lengths to please him,¡± she thought.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh reckoned that love was not as powerful as charm. Some people had such a charm in them that they could enthrall and enchant everyone.

    ¡°The Moore family is one big family,¡± Santiago said. ¡°The men would marry seven wives. Each wife would give birth to two children. It¡¯s not surprising then that the Moores are everywhere.¡±

    Raeleigh burst into peals ofughter. Then, she cupped her mouth in an attempt to keep a straight face. ¡°That¡¯s so mean of him,¡± she thought.

    Scalette looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°What¡¯s so funny though? Mr. Santiago¡¯s telling the truth.¡±

    Santiago stopped walking. He turned around and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°There¡¯s a basketball match in the afternoon,¡± Santiago said. ¡°Let¡¯s go and watch, shall we?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Nah. I¡¯m checking out my design blueprintter.¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s forget about it then,¡± Santiago said. He then turned around. Raeleigh walked towards him and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep mepany all the time. I¡¯m fine on my own.¡±

    Raeleigh did not wish to see Santiago idling his time away to keep herpany. She thought that it was not fair that he stuck around her all the time.

    As Santiago did not respond to her remarks, he left her speechless. ¡°Let¡¯s watch the match then. I¡¯ll check out my design blueprint in the evening.¡±

    Santiago paused for a moment before turning around to look at Raeleigh. ¡°You don¡¯t appreciate basketball matches, do you?¡±

    Irritated, Raeleigh said, ¡°How self-absorbed can you get? Just because something is great to you doesn¡¯t mean it is great to others. By the same token, you can¡¯t just assume that people don¡¯t measure up to you just because you¡¯re good at a certain thing.¡±

    Santiago smirked. ¡°Well, then I take it that you know how to appreciate basketball matches,¡± he said.

    Raeleigh did not want to give in. She said, ¡°At the very least, I¡¯ve watched a basketball match even if I don¡¯t quite appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Santiago said. He then turned around and headed straight to Raeleigh¡¯s dormitory to take a nap. Raeleigh was then a high-achieving student. It was notpulsory that she attend all lectures in school. Hence, she decided not to attend her lecture that day.

    In the meantime, Raeleigh spent time reading. As the match drew closer, Santiago got up from the bed and freshened up. Then, he took his clothes and headed straight to the basketball club. While he was walking, Scarlette said excitedly, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that you missed the previous match. It was a great match. Today¡¯s D-day, the final. If our team wins, then we will be awarded a schrship.¡±

    The moment Raeleigh overheard Scarlette mentioning the schrship, she looked at her. ¡°How much is it worth?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Tens of thousands of dors,¡± Scarlette said. ¡°I didn¡¯t check the details. I¡¯m not entitled to it anyway.¡± Raeleigh gave Santiago a bizarre look and asked, ¡°Are you short of cash?¡±

    Santiago nced at her and said, ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°Why are you vying for the schrship then?¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°It should be given to other students, shouldn¡¯t it? After all, your family owns Elkton University.¡± Raeleigh made a legitimate point. However, Santiago was amused. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t make a fuss about it,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re just having fun. No one cares about the schrship anyway. I mean, the students who enrol in this schoole from reasonably wealthy families. Thirty grand may be a lot of money for the man on the streets. However, it¡¯s nothing but an insignificant sum for students in this school.¡±

    Santiago then made his way to the basketball club. Raeleigh was surprised to find everyone making way for him the moment he walked into the club.

    Santiago went to the changing room to change his clothes. Raeleigh trailed along and waited outside. She was taken aback the moment she saw Santiago walking out of the changing room.

    Scarlette was not surprised, since she was used to seeing his bad boy look. So did his family members and everyone in Capital City.

    However, Raeleigh seemed to be mesmerized. He was spotted wearing a shirt in ck as he walked out of the changing room. ¡°Those sneakers are tight,¡± he said as he lowered his head while walking.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got another pair for you, Mr. Santiago,¡± Scarlette said. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± As soon as Scarlette left, Santiago raised his head and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen someone as good-looking as I am?¡± he said.

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°What¡¯s the point of being good-looking if you¡¯re good-for-nothing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not good-for-nothing,¡± Santiago retorted. He wanted to flick her but eventually held back. ¡°Well, forget about it,¡± he said.

    He then turned around and walked out of the club. Puzzled, Raeleigh said, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

 Chapter 1045 Playing a Trick

    Soon afterwards, Scarlette was back. She put the pair of ck sneakers on the floor. Santiago waved at Raeleigh.

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    Raeleigh had no idea what he was up to. When she came closer, Santiago held onto her shoulder as he put on his sneakers. He treated Raeleigh as if she were mere railings in order to keep his bnce.

    Raeleigh gave him a grumpy look. She looked unusually annoyed.

    After putting on his shoes, Santiago did some warm up exercises. Then, he made his way to the basketball court. Raeleigh and Scarlette tagged along. There was quite amotion when they reached the court. Everyone was cheering for Santiago. A sea of onlooking crowds could be seen encircling the court at that moment.

    ¡°Take a seat,¡± Santiago said as he motioned Raeleigh and Scarlette to head to the seating area. The girls nced around the court. Then, they made their way to the seating area.

    Quite a number of yers could be seen standing at the court by then. Raeleigh noticed that the members of the two opposing teams were already there to get ready for the match. One team was d in ck, while the other was d in red. As both teams exuded the same level ofmanding presence, she had no idea how the match would y out.

    Raeleigh looked at the design blueprint on her cell phone. She reckoned no further improvement was required. However, Jepherson insisted that she had it reviewed once again, especially the interior section of the car and the color palette. He told her that reviews were necessary, unless she was absolutely certain that her designs were impable.

    Raeleigh heeded his advice. She had been scrutinizing the blueprint.

    Raeleigh had an unusual fault in her character. She possessed a tendency to think that her designs are wless. However, she could be rather critical when it came to reviewing other designers¡¯ works.

    This had been bothering her for quite some time. However, she did not make a fuss about it.

    She believed that nothing was perfect. She realized that her inability to spot ws in her own designs could be indicative of her own ipetence. She believed that great designers shouldinstantaneouslybe able to tell which parts of their work needed improvement.

    In contrast, average designers tended to nitpick other designers¡¯ works instead of identifying the ws in their own designs.

    While Raeleigh was looking at her cell phone, Scarlette rubbed her hands excitedly in anticipation of the match. She was so exuberant that she felt like dashing into the court and being part of the match.

    Raeleigh lowered her head and said, ¡°This is a basketball match, not a wrestling match. Why are you so charged up?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d ever get it,¡± Scarlette said as she waved her off. She did not bother to exin as she reckoned that Raeleigh was not on the same wavelength anyway.

    Raeleigh then continued looking at her phone while Scarlette kept cheering. Soon afterwards, the match started. Raeleigh raised her head and watched intently as one yer grabbed the basketball and attempted to dribble the ball and score. As Santiago snuck a nce at them, Raeleigh raised her hand and made a gesture to him. Bewildered, Santiago shed a smile. Then, he turned around and looked at the court as the opposing team yer attempted to shoot.

    Raeleigh kept her cell phone and directed her gaze towards Santiago. Whenever Santiago looked at her, she made the same gesture to him.

    Puzzled, Scarlette asked, ¡°That gesture, what does it mean?¡±

    ¡°Keep fighting!¡±

    ¡°I thought it meant, ¡®you can do it¡¯,¡±Scarlette said. She made a simr gesture to Raeleigh, who then rolled her eyes at her and said, ¡°Are you sure about that?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that so?¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡­

    While they were talking, Zorion walked into the seating area alongside Deanna. Two seats were unupied in the front row. Raeleigh was not sure if someone had deliberately left them unupied. Zorion walked towards Raeleigh and sat beside her while Deanna took another seat.

    ¡°Hi, Raeleigh. d to see you,¡± Deanna said as soon as she took a seat. Raeleigh replied with a smile, ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t want toe, but Scarlette insisted that I shoulde along.¡±

    Deanna blushed and said, ¡°Likewise, I¡¯m just keeping my brotherpany.¡±

    Raeleigh did not respond to Deanna¡¯s remarks. She looked at Zorion and said, ¡°Well, let¡¯s enjoy the game.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Zorion said with a smile as he gave Raeleigh a light-hearted look. Then, he turned around and looked at Santiago. It was quite a rare sight to behold, to find Santiago d in sports attire, and in ck to boot. The girls were ooh-ing and aah-ing as they caught sight of him.

    On the other hand, Deanna had been staring intently at Santiago.

    There were a lot of spectators. Raeleigh had a feeling that most of them were more interested in the yers than the match itself, especially those who looked infatuated.

    Raeleigh nced at her cell phone before directing her gaze towards Santiago. She was interested in how the match yed out. However, Zorion paid more attention to her than the match itself.

    Raeleigh was aware. Nheless, she feigned nonchnce. Not that she could tell Zorion off anyway.

    The first half of the game ended. Santiago walked out of the court. Raeleigh remained seated. As much as Deanna wanted to greet Santiago, she held herself back. She was worried that Santiago would be displeased.

    As soon as the crowd dispersed, Raeleigh got up and walked towards Santiago to hand him a bottle of water and towel.

    Santiago took the towel and wiped his face before turning around to drink some water. While he was drinking, he looked at the center of the court. ¡°Look, those two yers right in front,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°I think they will y a trick on you in the second half of the game. You¡¯d better watch out.¡±

    While Raeleigh was talking, she walked closer to Santiago and adjusted his attire.

    Santiago snuck a nce at Raeleigh¡¯s delicate face while he was drinking water. ¡°I saw them talking about the movement of your legs, twice,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°Their gaze suggested that they are up to no good. You tend to overlook your opponents. But you¡¯d have to y along. Maintain the same dribbling technique in the second half of the game but don¡¯t shoot. We¡¯re going to be so proud if we win. Come over here, I¡¯ll exin.¡±

    While Raeleigh was talking, Santiago put the water bottle on the ground. Raeleigh whispered in his ear as he lowered his head. Then, he wiped his face and looked at Raeleigh as he made his way to the court. ¡°Well, this girl knows a thing or two about basketball,¡± he said.

    Raeleigh was bewildered. Frowning with displeasure, she said, ¡°What¡¯s with your flippant attitude whenever I¡¯m being serious?¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t take you seriously, can I?¡± Santiago said as he chuckled. Raeleigh grabbed the water bottle and said, ¡°Be sure to heed my advice.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Santiago said. Then, he walked towards the center of the court. Raeleigh turned around and watched as he made his way to the court. As soon as he reached the court, she headed straight to the seating area, carrying the water bottle and towel. She stared at the court intently as she waited for the second half of the match tomence.

    At the court, Santiago could be seen getting ready for the match.

 Chapter 1046 A Chat With Deanna

    Santiago had been ying half-heartedly since the second half of the gamemenced. He had been losing control of the ball whenever he dribbled. The score had been fifty-six to twenty-one. In a short span of time, the opposing team was able to catch up. The current score was then fifty-six to fifty-five.

    Like a cat on a hot tin roof, the PE teacher was agitated at that moment. He directed his pointer at Santiago, as if grumbling about how he had been messing up. However, he did not reprimand him directly. After all, his family owned Elkton University. Having had to suppress his anger, he was therefore not in a good state of mind.

    Raeleigh could not help but to be amused to find the PE teacher rubbing his forehead whenever Santiago lost control while dribbling. Had she not been worrying, she would haveughed out loud.

    Now that the opposing team was only one point behind, the PE teacher did not say anything, but the coach yelled, ¡°Hey, Santiago. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Santiago nced at Raeleigh and made a gesture to her. Then, Raeleigh gave him a cursory nod and clenched her fist to cheer him on. Speechless, Scarlette looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Are you nuts?¡±

    Raeleigh ignored her. She was transfixed by the two men who had been keeping an eye on Santiago. Despite their initial devious n to harm Santiago, they were then shrugging him off as one ipetent yer.

    Everyone was thrilled as there was one more minute before the match ended. Any team that managed to score would emerge victorious.

    All of a sudden, Santiago turned aggressive. Everyone watched in awe as he snatched the ball from the opposing team member before dribbling his way to the basket.

    The rest of the yers werepletely befuddled. As the opposing team members attempted to stop him, he jumped and shot the ball before crossing the three-point arc. And so, he scored a three-point ball.

    It was a score in the nick of time, effectively robbing the opposing team of an opportunity to make anotherst-minute shot.

    Santiago¡¯s team was one point ahead moments ago. Right then, his team was four points ahead.

    As the basketball fell to the ground, Santiago turned to look at Raeleigh. Raeleigh was all smiles as she stood up and apuded.

    The audience members sitting near Raeleigh directed their gazes at her. Unmoved by the cheering crowd, Santiago waved at her as if she was the only person in the bleachers. However, she did not walk towards him. All of a sudden, the spectators cheered with thunderous apuse. Santiago walked towards Raeleigh and hugged her.

    Raeleigh did not resist. She reckoned that she was merely giving a friendly hug to Santiago, rejoicing at his victory.

    After holding Raeleigh tightly for a while, Santiago let her go. He thenid his left hand on her shoulder and held her waist with his right hand. This pose would eventually be the popr pose among the boys in school who wanted toe across as chivalrous.

    Raeleigh pushed him away and said, ¡°It¡¯s about time to get changed.¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to make a move. However, she knew that Santiago would trail along wherever she went. Hence, she asked him to get changed.

    Santiago took a towel and headed to the changing room. Raeleigh tagged along. At that moment, Deanna stood up.

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    She sounded calm. Raeleigh could tell that she wanted to have a word with her.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± she said.

    ¡°I wanted to ask you something about design,¡± Deanna said as she stood behind Zorion. ¡°Can we go somewhere quieter?¡± She could be seen holding a handbag. One could tell that she had dressed up. d in an elegant white skirt, she looked like an elegant princess.

    Raeleigh nced at the nosy Scarlette and said, ¡°Let Santiago know that I¡¯ve got a personal matter to attend to and that I¡¯ll meet him shortly at the dormitory¡¯s entrance.¡±

    ¡°But Raeleigh, Mr. Santiago won¡¯t be pleased,¡± Scarlette said. She felt that Deanna was being ludicrous. ¡°What does she take Raeleigh for?¡± she thought.

    Raeleigh nudged Scarlette and said, ¡°Got it.¡±

    Raeleigh then brushed Scarlette off and followed Deanna to the opposite side of the basketball court. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my fault then if Mr. Santiago mes me,¡± Scarlette said.

    Raeleigh did not respond to her remark. She paused for a while as she walked past Zorion. Then, she left alongside Deanna.

    Zorion was not exactly sure why Deanna wanted to have a word with Raeleigh. Be that as it may, he could tell that it had something to do with Santiago.

    Deanna slowly left Zorion and walked out of the basketball court. As she led Raeleigh to a quiet spot, she said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really about design.¡±

    Deanna lowered her head. Raeleigh said with a smile, ¡°Yeah, I knew it. I know what you want to tell me.¡±

    ¡°What do you think I want to tell you then?¡± Deanna said. She was blushing as she did not expect that Raeleigh could see through her intentions. She was at a loss for words and a little agitated.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°Jepherson and I are a couple. But somehow, I was probably a tad intimate to Santiago. That¡¯s kind of indecent. That¡¯s what you¡¯ve been thinking. Am I right?¡±

    Raeleigh spoke straight from the shoulder as she wanted to spare Deanna the embarrassment. She felt obligated to protect her image. She thought that it was a good idea to be forthright ande clean with her.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Deanna pursed her lips and said, ¡°Well, you weren¡¯t entirely right though. Santiago¡¯s a bit of adies¡¯ man. Don¡¯t be fooled by him.¡±

    Amused, Raeleigh said, ¡°Girls tend to take a liking to him and enjoy hispany too. It takes two to tango. So, I guess it isn¡¯t right to say that he¡¯s a guy who is perpetually flirting around. Well, at least that¡¯s my impression of him. He¡¯s going to be faithful if he meets the right girl.¡±

    ¡°Zorion shares the same opinion,¡± Deanna said. She then paused as she was at a loss for words. ¡°The people who badmouth him are basically green-eyed monsters or people who don¡¯t truly understand him. People who know him well will vouch for his character.¡±

    Deanna was happy to hear that. However, she was still a little concerned. ¡°Well, then. Do you like him?¡± she asked.

    ¡°As I said, the crux of the matter should not revolve around liking him or otherwise. We may seem close to each other, but we aren¡¯t romantically involved. He was merely trying to protect me. After all, he is the younger brother of my boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Deanna said. She then asked Raeleigh, ¡°He hasn¡¯t dated any girls, has he?¡±

    ¡°I guess so,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°Not that I¡¯ve asked him.¡± Raeleigh was a little worried as she thought of Cynthia. She had no idea how to go about persuading Santiago to stay away from her.

    The other day, Santiago went to the Moore family home alone and almost got into trouble. Raeleigh was surprised to learn that Santiago had brought Jepherson along subsequently.

    Raeleigh had no idea what the two brothers were up to.

 Chapter 1047 Did Not Come to the Restaurant

    Deanna was excited to learn that Santiago had never had a girlfriend. Exhrated, she chimed in, ¡°Well, Santiago isn¡¯t exactly a brat. He¡¯s saved my life.¡±

    ¡°Of course he¡¯s not a brat. The Whalens and the Richards have known each other for the longest time. Both of you were childhood friends who grew up together. Naturally, he won¡¯t turn his back on you when you¡¯re in danger.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Deanna said. She looked skeptical. ¡°Yes, absolutely,¡± Raeleigh said.

    ¡°Raeleigh, could you please do me a favor?¡± Deanna said blushingly. ¡°Find out what kind of girls Santiago likes.¡± Raeleigh wondered how Deanna would react if she came to know that Santiago was in a romantic rtionship with Cynthia. ¡°Oh, you poor thing. What have you got yourself into,¡± she thought.

    Raeleigh paused for a while and said, ¡°Sure. But it will take time though. I¡¯ve got to find an opportunity.¡±

    ¡°No biggie. Be sure to find out¡­¡±

    Deanna remained silent afterwards. As she bit her lips, she lowered her head. ¡°Raeleigh, do you think I¡¯m someone who¡¯s not loyal when ites to rtionships?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I think you¡¯re pretty loyal,¡± Raeleigh said. Since she was not sure if Santiago would take a liking to her, she could only say so.

    Deanna sped Raeleigh¡¯s arm and said, ¡°We¡¯re still friends, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at her. ¡°Of course. I mean, if you don¡¯t mind befriending me.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯d love to keep you as a friend,¡± Deanna said. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to be your friend. But I held myself back. I was just too embarrassed to befriend you then, since I¡¯ve been making mischief.¡±

    Deanna lowered her head, looking rather ashamed of her past self.

    ¡°Let bygones be bygones,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°You didn¡¯t mean to cause trouble then. In fact, I was the one who wronged you in the first ce as I went into a rtionship with Jepherson despite knowing that he was supposed to marry you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so nice of you for not ming me,¡± Deanna said. ¡°Have you forgotten the incident where I turned my back on you when Flynt wanted to take you away?¡± Deanna was on the verge of crying as she recollected that incident.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Deanna. ¡°I haven¡¯t had friends since I was ten. Scarlette and you are my only friends. I was the one who wronged you in the first ce. You weren¡¯t at fault for turning your back on me. You didn¡¯t mean to and it had never been your intention. It had to do with your upbringing where you were brought up differentlypared to other children. Others may not empathize with you, but I do.¡±

    While Raeleigh was talking, Deanna curled her lips and cried. She sped Raeleigh in her arms and cried under the tree. It was as if she finally found a kindred spirit who truly understood her.

    Raeleigh raised her hand and patted Deanna on her back. She had initially thought that she would be able to resolve the problem easily. s, it had be more bothersome then.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Zorion watched as Deanna sobbed. Although she was crying her eyes out, Zorion did not bother consoling her. Instead, he turned around and leaned against the trunk.

    Zorion felt that there was something amiss about Santiago¡¯s gaze.

    Feeling low in spirits, he did not feel like talking.

    Raeleigh spent some time consoling Deanna. After that, Deanna said, ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯d like to stay over at the dormitory. Is that okay with you?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. While she was walking, she looked at Deanna. ¡°Santiago¡¯s at my dorm now,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°I¡¯ve got to ask him. I guess you should inform Zorion too. Santiago¡¯s been staying there for quite some time. Lots of people have been talking behind our backs. I¡¯m used to it anyway and I couldn¡¯t care less.¡±

    Deanna held Raeleigh¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see what the fuss is about. You guys were merely staying together. I used to share a bedroom with my brother. When I was fifteen, my parents insisted that I sleep in my own bedroom. But I wasn¡¯t used to it. In fact, I couldn¡¯t sleep well for over a month.¡±

    ¡°As a result, I have been sleeping on the desk in the ssroom during the day.¡±

    ¡°As long as my brother is by my side, I¡¯m able to fall asleep. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be difficult to fall asleep. asionally, I still have this issue. My Mom said that¡¯s a bad habit and that I am like a toddler who couldn¡¯t do without her milk for a day.¡±

    ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t care less. Zorion and I are twins after all.¡±

    Deanna had been bbering on and on. Raeleigh had no idea what messages she wanted to convey. It was gettingte. Raeleigh looked at her watch and said, ¡°You¡¯d better be making a move. I¡¯m heading back to the dorm.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, let¡¯s have dinner together,¡± Deanna said. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since west had a meal together. We¡¯re finally reconciled with each other. So, we should have a meal together, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± Deanna grabbed hold of Raeleigh¡¯s hand, asking her to stay. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got to inform Santiago lest he¡¯s worried,¡± Raeleigh said.

    ¡°I will apany you then,¡± Deanna said, refusing to make a move. Raeleigh turned around to look at Zorion, who had been trailing along but made no effort to stop Deanna from bothering her. He truly loved Deanna to bits, as he eded to all her whims and fancies.

    Raeleigh had no choice but to give in. She then made a phone call to Santiago.

    The call was connected swiftly. Santiago agreed to join them for dinner. He brought Scarlette along after checking where Raeleigh was.

    Soon afterwards, Raeleigh saw Santiago walking alongside Scarlette on the pavement. He had changed into a new set of clothes. As soon as he saw Raeleigh, he walked towards her and asked, ¡°How could you leave without informing me?¡±

    ¡°Well, I did get Scarlette to inform you.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you could leave?¡± Santiago said. It did not go down well with Raeleigh. She did not like his constant nitpicking. She had never seen someone as fussy as him.

    Raeleigh did not respond to Santiago¡¯s remark. He then stopped whining. At that moment, Raeleigh said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Shall we join Deanna for dinner? Or do you have something else in mind?¡±

    ¡°Join us,¡± Deanna said. ¡°It¡¯s on my brother.¡± Deanna blushed the moment she saw Santiago. Scarlette figured that she knew what had been going on.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago wouldn¡¯t fall for someone like her, that smug little girl,¡± Scarlette thought.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go,¡± Zorion said as he walked towards Santiago. Then, he turned around and walked outside. Santiago trailed along as he nced at Raeleigh.

    Everyone was chatting as they walked. Deanna annoyed everyone as she kept bbering on and on.

    Raeleigh had been rather withdrawn. She did not talk much. Most of the time, it was Deanna who talked.

    As they got into the car and left the school, Raeleigh felt a great sense of peace. While she was leaning against the car seat and rubbing her head, Scarlette said, ¡°You asked for it.¡±

    Raeleigh did not respond to her remark. Santiago looked at her via the rearview mirror. ¡°You alright?¡± he asked.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m feeling tired.¡±

    ¡°Well, then let¡¯s head back to the dormitory to have a rest,¡± Santiago said. He then made a U-turn. ¡°Oh,¡± Scarlette said. ¡°We haven¡¯t had dinner yet,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°Let¡¯s head back after the meal.¡±

    Santiago beamed. He ignored her suggestion as he drove in the opposite direction. He bought some street food on the way back.

    Deanna was at the restaurant. While she was waiting for Raeleigh, she received a call from Raeleigh. Raeleigh apologized for not being able to make it. Soon, she realized that Santiago had made a U-turn and returned to the school.

 Chapter 1048 Xandra Moore

    Agitated, Deanna almost burst into tears as she received the call. ¡°They¡¯ve agreed to join us for dinner, so why didn¡¯t theye?¡± Deanna thought.

    ¡°Zorion, does Santiago hate me?¡± Deanna said. ¡°Is that the reason he refuses to join us for dinner?¡± She had a bee in her bo. After all, she could tell that Santiago did not quite take a liking to her.

    Zorion walked towards Deanna and yfully pinched her cheek. ¡°No worries,¡± he said. ¡°It has got nothing to do with you. I guess something came up. Let¡¯s head to the dormitoryter to find out what happened. In the meantime, let¡¯s dig in. We¡¯ll get some food for them in a bit.¡±

    Deanna felt much better after Zorion consoled her. She then turned around and started digging in. After that, she ordered some food for Raeleigh.

    As darkness set in, boys were prohibited from entering the women¡¯s dormitories. There were exceptions to every rule though, as Santiago could be seen lingering in Raeleigh¡¯s dormitory.

    As soon as Deanna arrived at the dormitory, she called up Raeleigh. Raeleigh walked out of the dormitory as she answered the phone. She saw Deanna and Zorion standing outside, holding some food packages.

    Raeleigh walked towards them and said, ¡°We have had dinner.¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°This is delish,¡± Deanna said as she handed Raeleigh the food packages. ¡°I¡¯ve specifically instructed the chef to prepare some for you.¡± Raeleigh nced at Zorion and said, ¡°Oh, dear. You should have stopped her from ordering any. I mean, it¡¯s gettingte. It¡¯s likely that we would have had our dinner.¡±

    As frank as ever, Raeleigh is a straight shooter who spoke her mind. ¡°Well, now that she has bought it, please help yourself to some,¡± Zorion said. ¡°She¡¯s just being nice anyway and wants to share some good food. She felt really distressed when she got to know that Santiago did not want to join us for dinner.¡±

    Even though Zorion¡¯s reply was somewhat short, Raeleigh understood what he wanted to convey.

    ¡°Right,e in,¡± Raeleigh said. She held the food package and led them to her dormitory. It was nine o¡¯clock in the evening. Yet, a lot of people could still be seen entering and exiting the dormitories. It was quite a strange sight to find Raeleigh leading two people into her dormitory, even more so to find her bringing a guy and a girl into her dormitory.

    When they saw Deanna and Zorion, Scarlette and Santiago understood why Raeleigh walked out of the dormitory moments ago.

    As they went into the dormitory, they noticed that Santiago had already changed into his pyjamas. He did not bother getting up from the bed when he saw Deanna and Zorion.

    The moment Zorion walked into the dormitory, he said, ¡°Hey, man. Deanna¡¯s been missing you. She bought some food for you since you didn¡¯t join us for dinner. Try it out.¡±

    Then, he put the food on the dining table before taking a seat on Raeleigh¡¯s bed. Now that Raeleigh was d in her pajamas, she did not feelfortable to find someone sitting on her bed.

    Had it been Deanna, Raeleigh would not be as agitated. Since it was Zorion, she was feeling particrly awkward. Besides, she was worried that the siblings may want to stay over.

    Santiago seemed to know what was in her mind. He then got up and helped himself to the food that Deanna bought.

    Scarlette could not wait to try the dishes. Now that she saw Santiago digging in, she followed suit. Immediately, she got out of the bed and grabbed a stool. Then, she sat beside Santiago and started to dig in.

    Raeleigh closed the door before taking a seat opposite Zorion and Deanna.

    Since Raeleigh didn¡¯t know of anymon interests to strike up a conversation with the Whalen siblings, she directed her gaze towards Santiago, who was gorging on food.

    Santiago wolfing down the food gave the impression that he was famished. He looked as if he had gone without food for several days.

    Scarlette had a voracious appetite too. Soon afterwards, both of them ate up all the food.

    bbergasted, Raeleigh was rendered speechless.

    ¡°I¡¯m full,¡± Santiago said. He got up and downed a ss of water before heading straight to the washroom to brush his teeth.

    Scarlette followed suit. Raeleigh leaned against the wall, looking drowsy. However, the Whalen siblings showed no signs that they would be leaving anytime soon.

    ¡°You guys had better be making a move,¡± Santiago said. ¡°We¡¯re hitting the sack soon.¡± Santiagoy down on the bed and looked at the siblings, expecting them to leave. However, Zorion did not oblige. ¡°It¡¯ste into the night by the time we get home,¡± Zorion said. ¡°We might as well stay over since there are extra beds here.¡±

    Although Raeleigh was surprised, she had mentally prepared herself in the event that the Whalen siblings would not leave.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Santiago said. ¡°There are four beds. Each of us will have a bed. Unfortunately, both of you have to share a bed.¡±

    ¡°Zorion,¡± Deanna cried.

    As soon as Santiago was done talking, Deanna called out Zorion in a distressed tone. Zorion then got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll make a move then. Deanna will stay over. I¡¯ll inform your teachers tomorrow that you have gone somewhere.¡±

    After that, Zorion left the dormitory. Raeleigh nced at Santiago. He had closed his eyes, signalling that he had deliberately ignored Zorion¡¯s suggestion.

    ¡°Deanna, you may sleep here,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep in the upper part of the bunk bed.¡± Raeleigh then went to the upper bed. There were in fact eight beds in the room. All upper beds were stuffed full of things, except one of the upper beds. Raeleigh wanted to sleep on the upper bed as she felt that there would be more privacy.

    As she climbed to the upper bed of the bunk bed, Scarlette handed Raeleigh a quilt. While she was at it, she glowered at Raeleigh before she left. ¡°Serve you right,¡± Scarlette thought. ¡°Why the h*ll did you allow her to stay over?¡±

    Scarlette got off thedder of the bunk bed. Raeleighy down and covered herself with the quilt.

    The lights were switched off. Everyone called it a night.

    Raeleigh had a good night¡¯s sleep as there was absolute silence. She got up at five o¡¯clock the next morning and went downstairs to freshen up. As soon as she was back at the dormitory, Jepherson called. He asked her to meet him as he was waiting by the gate of the school.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Raeleigh asked. Before she could manage to seek rification from Jepherson, he hung up on her.

    At the dormitory, Scarlette handed Raeleigh¡¯sptop to her. ¡°As per Mr. Jepherson¡¯s instruction,¡± Scarlette said.

    ¡°Why though? Did he say anything?¡±

    Raeleigh thought that there must have been some pressing matters. Otherwise, he would not havee over to meet her early in the morning.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure,¡± Scarlette said. ¡°Off you go. I¡¯ll inform Mr. Santiago.¡± Scarlette left as soon as she ryed the message to Raeleigh. Raeleigh took herptop and walked out of the dormitory.

    There was quite a distance between the school gate and Raeleigh¡¯s dormitory. While she was making her way to the school gate, she bumped into one student.

    As they walked past each other, their eyes met. That student gave Raeleigh a bizarre look. Raeleigh had a feeling that she had met her somewhere. She tried racking her brains but she could not remember if she had met her before.

    After walking past her, Raeleigh turned around to look at her.

    A few students could be seen whispering as they walked by.

    ¡°You know what, that new student over there is a member of the Moore family,¡± one student said. ¡°She¡¯s a certain Xandra Moore. I wonder how she is rted to Quirina Moore. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re siblings though. I mean, they look like they¡¯re of the same age.¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t siblings for sure,¡± said another student. ¡°The Moore family condones polygamous marriages. She¡¯s pretty. I think they¡¯re probably half-siblings.¡±

    ¡°I thought so too.¡±

    ¡°Regardless, she¡¯s one lucky girl. Not only is she beautiful, she is born into the Moore family. The world is her oyster.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Raeleigh overheard the conversation. Moore family? Xandra?

    Raeleigh turned around and headed straight to the school gate. True enough, Jepherson was there. He was sitting in the car while Stuart was standing outside.

    Raeleigh looked into the car and saw Jepherson napping. She bent over and got into the car. ¡°Are you travelling elsewhere?¡± she asked as she looked at Jepherson.

    Jepherson replied, ¡°Nah.¡±

    ¡°Well, then. Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°To the office.¡±

    ¡°Office?¡±

    Raeleigh kept silent. At that moment, Stuart had gotten into the car. Jepherson drove off and headed straight to hispany offices.

 Chapter 1049 A First Visit to the Office

    After the car pulled up, Raeleigh raised her head to marvel at the Richards Group¡¯s skyscraper office building. It was her first time here. She was surprised to find many luxury cars parked by the side of the building.

    Raeleigh sped herptop in her arms as she got out of the car. Jepherson nced at Stuart, signalling him to help Raeleigh. Immediately, Stuart walked towards Raeleigh and extended his arms. ¡°Miss Anson, let me carry theptop,¡± he said.

    Raeleigh handed theptop to Stuart. Then, she lowered her head and looked at her clothes. She was relieved to find that she was decently dressed in a formal business suit. Otherwise, she would not be able to leave a good first impression.

    Now that she was here at thepany, she knew that she would be taking part in the production of Phantasy Dream. It would be her first day working officially at the Richards Group. Considering this, it would be unbing of her if she were to leave a bad impression on her colleagues on her first day at work.

    Raeleigh took a deep breath to loosen up. Then, she looked around the office building.

    Jepherson looked at her and said with a smile, ¡°Are you nervous?¡±

    ¡°Well, kind of,¡± Raeleigh said candidly. It was her first time here after all.

    It was her candor which attracted Jepherson in the first ce. He then held her hand and led her to the office. Stuart trailed along hurriedly.

    There were rows of vehicle models on the first floor of the office building. Raeleigh saw many employees. She could easily tell which department they belonged to.

    The men d in sapphire shirts belonged to the automotive assembly department. The man d in a ck suit and a white-cored shirt was unmistakably an employee of thepany. A badge was pinned on his suit. The rest were automotive designers. They were two youngdies, one adult male, as well as two middle-aged men. Raeleigh could instantly recognize one of the middle-aged men. He was an internationally acimed designer. He could be seen scrutinizing Lanox, Raeleigh¡¯s maidenmercial project.

    Lanox would be a limited-edition product. Many people sang praises of the designs produced under the Lanox¡¯s series. However, one man¡¯s meat was another man¡¯s poison. Some people did not like the design. One such man was a certain Lamarre Lee.

    Raeleigh had seen Lamarre featured on an international design website. A recipient of numerous design awards since he was young, Lamarre had issued a press release, announcing to the world that he would never ept another award, and neither would he participate in another contest.

    Subsequently, no one saw this design legend in any international design contests. Raeleigh recalled that she had not seen him for the past two to three years.

    She was bursting with excitement as she met this illustrious designer.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,¡± an employee greeted Jepherson as he saw him. All eyes were on Jepherson then. He then directed his gaze towards the rest of the employees.

    At that moment, everyone took notice of Raeleigh.

    Jepherson stopped and said, ¡°Everybody, meet Raeleigh Anson, thepany¡¯s new automotive designer.¡±

    Then, Jepherson raised his hands to apud her. The rest of the employees followed suit. A little uneasy, she gave everyone a courtesy nod. She did not proceed to introduce herself until everyone stopped pping.

    ¡°Hello everyone, my name is Raeleigh,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°I graduated from Elkton University¡¯s School of Design.¡± After introducing herself, she looked at Jepherson. ¡°Raeleigh¡¯s the one who designed Lanox,¡± Jepherson added. ¡°In recent years, she¡¯s the only designer in thepany whosingle-handedlymanaged to design a product.¡±

    Raeleigh felt a little awkward. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t have said that,¡± she thought.

    Lamarre turned around and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Are you the one who designed Lanox?¡± he asked.

    Raeleigh looked at him and replied immediately, ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m a greenhorn though. There¡¯s still a lot of room for improvement. I¡¯d be more than happy if you could give me some pointers.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s humility caught Lamarre off guard.

    The young are generally ambitious. Sometimes, they tend to think highly of themselves. This was especially evident among those who attained significant achievement in their first professional endeavor.

    Be that as it may, Raeleigh did not fit the stereotype at all. She was grounded and down-to-earth, giving others the impression that she was one unassumingdy.

    That said, Lamarre was one straightforward man. He would not hesitate to give no-holds-barred reviews whenever he came across works which were less than perfect. He did not hold back when he reviewed Jenna¡¯s works, what more Raeleigh, the new kid on the block.

    He was well-known for being unapologetically frank.

    ¡°Come here,¡± Lamarre said. He walked past Jepherson as he made his way to Lanox. Immediately, Raeleigh followed suit. She sped her hands over her lower abdomen and listened as Lamarre spoke.

    ¡°Lanox¡¯s a great concept,¡± Lamarre said. ¡°Modern and voguish, it would be able to cater to the young. The fly in the ointment is the bone line of the car. It¡¯d be great if you can improve on that.¡±

    ¡°Ideally, it should have a really smooth and sleek shoulder line. At first nce, it seems like this model gives a sense that it could withstand the elements at high speeds.¡±

    ¡°Now, I¡¯ve no idea what inspired you toe up with this design. But I thought you did a great job. It¡¯s an eight out of ten from me. Make it a ten in three days¡¯ time. Nail it and we¡¯ll bring you on board. If you can¡¯t, well I¡¯ve got to show you the door then.¡±

    As soon as Lamarre was done talking, he left. He couldn¡¯t care less if he offended anyone.

    Raeleigh smiled and heaved a sigh of relief. She was gratified that her design made a good first impression. ¡°Phew, I was expecting that I would flunk it,¡± she thought.

    However, all onlooking employees did not think she would make it eventually.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, would the meeting proceed ording to n?¡± Jepherson¡¯s personal assistant asked. Santiago looked at her and said, ¡°Yes. Get everyone to meet at the conference room in a few minutes¡¯ time. The sales progress and market research would be on the agenda.¡±

    ¡°Note taken,¡± said the personal assistant. ¡°Mr. Jepherson, please.¡± Raeleigh tagged along as Jepherson made his way to the conference room.

    As soon as Jepherson entered the conference room, he sat down. The rest of the employees followed suit. Raeleigh stood beside Jepherson. Stuart immediately got her a chair and ced it next to Jepherson. He then handed Raeleigh¡¯sptop to Jepherson. Jepherson connected theptop to the projector. Soon, the design blueprint was disyed on the screen.

    ¡°This is Raeleigh¡¯stest design blueprint,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°For the record, the management has decided that if anyone is found giarizing or tampering with the blueprint, then they have to be prepared to receive a life sentence.¡±

    Everyone remained silent. Raeleigh stared at Jepherson, who was looking rather stern. No one there knew that he had a gentle side to his personality.

    ¡°Raeleigh will borate on the blueprint,¡± Jepherson added. ¡°It is my wish that everybody will work well with one another.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh, who then stood up and took a deep breath. She stood beside the screen and started exining Phantasy Dream¡¯s structural design.

    As soon as Raeleigh was done presenting her ideas, she directed her gaze towards Jepherson. Then, she took a seat. Jepherson had not been looking at her throughout the presentation. Instead, he had been staring intently at the graphics on the screen, as well as the automotive designers in the conference room.

    All she sat down, Raeleigh realized that everyone was rather impressed with her presentation. In spite of that, she remained calm. She knew she would have a lot on her te in the days toe.

    However, she was not intimidated. As she had decided to take on this challenge, she would have to bite the bullet and ze a trail.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1050 Travelling Overseas

    Jepherson said a few words before the meeting ended. Then, he got up to take Raeleigh¡¯sptop. He nced at Raeleigh and held her hand before leading her out of the conference room.

    The conference room was as quiet as a graveyard. Stuart could be seen twitching his lips when he saw Jepherson holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand. ¡°Oh wow, what does Mr. Jepherson think he is doing?¡± he thought.

    As they walked out of the conference room, Raeleigh attempted to pull away from Jepherson. However, he refused to let her go. Feeling helpless, she gave in and said, ¡°Somebody¡¯s watching.¡±

    ¡°Are you scared though?¡± Jepherson asked while he was walking. Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°You¡¯re the boss. No one dares to spill the tea.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re aware,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°Stuart, can you make some arrangements? A flight in the afternoon. I¡¯m bringing Raeleigh along. You don¡¯t have toe though.¡±

    Jepherson then led Raeleigh to his office. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Raeleigh asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re travelling overseas,¡± Jepherson exined. ¡°I¡¯ve got a matter to attend to.¡± By the time Jepherson went into his office, Stuart had already booked a ticket. Puzzled, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Where is it though?¡±

    ¡°Somewhere out of the country.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Raeleigh reckoned that she must have been out of her mind. Otherwise, she would not have agreed to join Jepherson despite not knowing where she was travelling.

    At the airport, Raeleigh called Scarlette to inform her that she would be travelling abroad. ¡°Right, I¡¯m aware.¡± Scarlette said.

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°How the h*ll did you know?¡± she said.

    Scarlette could be seen eating a popsicle as she walked into the airport. As soon as she saw Raeleigh, she said, ¡°I¡¯m walking into the airport. Your passport is with me.¡±

    Bewildered, Raeleigh turned around. True enough, she saw Scarlette holding her belongings. Scarlette then hung up on her and walked towards her.

    ¡°There you go, that¡¯s your passport,¡± Scarlette said as she handed Raeleigh her personal belongings. ¡°How did you know that I¡¯m travelling though?¡± Raeleigh said.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson got Stuart to inform me,¡± Scarlette said. ¡°And then I came here right away. I¡¯m helpful, don¡¯t you think so? Call me up as soon as the ne touches down. Don¡¯t worry about your grandmother. Hadrian and I will pay her a visit this weekend.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± Raeleigh said.

    ¡°Well, just get Mr. Santiago to help me pass level 100 when you¡¯re back,¡± Scarlette said. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you lunch then. How about that?¡± Scarlette took the opportunity to get Raeleigh to do her a favor. Raeleigh rolled her eyes at her and said, ¡°Got to go now.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and left alongside Jepherson. Scarlette heaved a sigh of relief. She thought that Mr. Jepherson was wise enough to bring her along. Otherwise, she would have gone berserk having had to face Deanna all day long.

    Scarlette was relieved as she walked out of the airport. She headed straight to Santiago¡¯s car and got into his car.

    As soon as she got into the car, Scarlette said, ¡°Let¡¯s head to the Inte caf¨¦ for some games instead of going back to the dormitory, shall we? We can get Hadrian to treat us. What do you think? Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to put up with Deanna all day long. She¡¯s perpetually clingy. I bet she¡¯s going to ask where Raeleigh is.¡±

    Santiago nced at Scarlette and said, ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you treat us then?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago¡­¡±

    ¡°On you, please.¡±

    Feeling irritated, Scarlette remained silent as she sat in the back passenger seat. Why did she have to pay when she barely had enough money?

    Scarlette reluctantly joined Santiago as they headed to the Inte caf¨¦. As soon as they reached there, she got out of the car and loitered around outside the shops. She was undecided if she should walk into the bigger Inte caf¨¦. The facilities would be better than the smaller ones. However, it would be more costly too.

    After a moment of hesitation, Scarlette made up her mind. Just as she was about to enter, Santiago¡¯s phone rang. Scarlette snuck a nce at his phone and saw a certain Cynthia¡¯s name on the phone screen.

    Cynthia?

    Cynthia Moore?

    The thought of Cynthia Moore made her feel ufortable. ¡°What does Mr. Santiago think he is doing?¡± she thought.

    ¡°You promised to help me, didn¡¯t you?¡± Scarlette said. ¡°So, be sure to help meter when I need to level up.¡± Scarlette reluctantly begged Santiago. Santiago then took a wad of cash from his wallet and handed it to Scarlette. ¡°Get someone to y it with you,¡± he said.

    Scarlette was rendered speechless. ¡°What the h*ll?¡± she thought.

    Santiago then got into the car and sped off.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Scarlette shook her head. ¡°Oh, dear. What am I supposed to do now?¡± she wondered.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Mr. Santiago?¡±

    Scarlette was waiting at the entrance of the Inte caf¨¦ when Hadrian arrived. As soon as she saw Hadrian, she kept the money. Then, she dashed towards him and said, ¡°Mr. Santiago would like you to treat us to some games. He¡¯s left. Got some personal matters to attend to. He¡¯d like you to help us go past level 100.¡±

    ¡°Let me call him up and verify this,¡± said Hadrian.

    ¡°Whatever floats your boat,¡± Scarlette said. ¡°Why did you doubt his words though?¡±

    Hadrian lowered his head and said, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t quite believe what you¡¯ve just said.¡±

    While Hadrian was making the phone call, Scarlette gnashed her teeth in anger. After he ended the call, Hadrian said that he had a personal matter to attend to and that he had to make a move. Scarlette grabbed him by the arm and said, ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡±

    Stunned, Hadrian turned around to look at her. ¡°Who¡¯s the father of the child?¡± he asked.

    Scarlette was on the verge of crying. She kicked Hadrian before she turned around and ran away from him.

    Hadrian was dumbfounded as he stood there.

    ¡­¡­

    Raeleigh took a nap as soon as she boarded the ne. A few hourster, she woke up. She upied herself with reading books afterwards.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a few days¡¯ time to improve Lanox¡¯s design blueprint,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve brought me along, how am I supposed to do it?¡±

    Raeleigh reckoned that Jepherson secretly wanted her to fail the test and subsequently not be able to join thepany.

    ¡°Why the fuss though?¡± Jepherson said. ¡°I mean, you could still improve the design blueprint even if you¡¯re not at school. Just do it now and send it to Lamarre once you¡¯re done.¡±

    Jepherson was reading a magazine as he replied. Although his remarks made sense, Raeleigh insisted that he had brought her along on purpose and that he was not considerate enough.

    ¡°Have you found any clues that could shed light on your sister¡¯s whereabouts?¡± Raeleigh asked. ¡°Haven¡¯t you said that you want to look for her?¡± Raeleigh had been particrly concerned about Jepherson¡¯s sister ever since she knew about this matter. It might have something to do with the fact that she was an orphan herself.

    ¡°I went looking for her elsewhere recently, but to no avail,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°I guess I¡¯d have to bank on good fortune then. Having said that, I believe I¡¯d be able to meet her one day if she¡¯s still alive. In the unfortunate event that we aren¡¯t destined to meet each other, I won¡¯t be able to look for her no matter how hard I try.¡±

    Jepherson put the magazine elsewhere and yfully pinched Raeleigh¡¯s chin. He then leaned over and kissed her lips. Raeleigh blushed as she nced around. To her relief, there were no other passengers in the first-ss cabin.

    Jepherson frowned. ¡°Silly girl, it¡¯s not a coincidence that there are no passengers in the first-ss cabin,¡± he said.

    ¡°Say what?¡± Raeleigh said as she gave Jepherson a wide-eyed stare. Jepherson could not help but to burst intoughter. He was so amused that he wasughing his head off. Raeleigh was annoyed. ¡°It isn¡¯t funny,¡± she thought. ¡°For heaven¡¯s sake, just tell me that you¡¯ve chartered a ne and stop pulling my leg.¡±

 Chapter 1051 First Love

    The ne touched down the next day. Raeleigh was exhausted. It did not ur to her that Jepherson would be travelling to a distantnd so far away from the country.

    Jepherson held her hand as soon as they disembarked from the ne. They got into a taxi and headed straight to the hotel.

    As he got off the taxi, Jepherson asked the hotel receptionist some details about a particr room. He sounded as if he had arranged to meet up with a friend.

    The hotel receptionist politely turned him down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said. ¡°Our guests¡¯ details shall remain confidential.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I understand,¡± Jepherson said. He then turned around and shrugged his shoulders, looking rather disappointed. He made a phone call afterwards.

    Raeleigh gazed at Jepherson. She could hear a man¡¯s breathy moan when Jepherson¡¯s call was connected. It was cringeworthy. Immediately, she turned around and directed her gaze elsewhere.

    Jepherson hung up on the man there and then. ¡°That old man is still as sprightly as ever,¡± Jepherson thought. ¡°But what is up with the afternoon delights though? He should do it at night.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a seat,¡± Jepherson said as he held Raeleigh¡¯s hand while carrying the suitcase. ¡°You¡¯re tired, aren¡¯t you? Let¡¯s grab some snacks.¡± Raeleigh was indeed tired. She could be seen leaning against Jepherson.

    They walked to the opposite side of the lobby to take a seat. Jepherson sped her in his arms. They sat on a couch and ordered some food.

    At that moment, Raeleigh felt nauseous.

    She had no idea why she felt like throwing up.

    ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well,¡± she said. Jepherson lowered his head and pinched her face. ¡°Having motion sickness, huh?¡± Jepherson asked.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Could it be a stomach flu then?¡± Jepherson thought.

    Jepherson then touched Raeleigh¡¯s forehead. ¡°You don¡¯t have a temperature,¡± he said.

    ¡°But I¡¯ve been feeling sick though,¡± Raeleigh said. ¡°I have to go to the washroom.¡± As soon as she got up, she retched.

    Like a cat on a hot tin roof, Jepherson bent over immediately. Then, he carried Raeleigh to the washroom while holding his bag.

    Raeleigh seemed to be suffering from food poisoning. The moment she went into the washroom, she vomited all over the basin.

    While Jepherson was waiting anxiously, Hansen called up.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡¯s sick,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°We¡¯re at the lobby. Come over here, please.¡±

    Jepherson was on tenterhooks as he waited outside.

    ¡°How are you doing?¡± Jepherson asked.

    Jepherson kept knocking on the door. A slew of hotel guests could be seen staring at him, wondering what had happened. Still feeling sick, Raeleigh mustered the strength to make her way out of the washroom.

    As soon as she walked out of the washroom, she leaned on Jepherson¡¯s shoulder. Jepherson bent over and carried her to the lobby.

    While Jepherson was heading to the lobby, he saw Hansen and Jenna.

    Jenna was taken aback when she saw her son carrying a woman. Soon afterwards, she was all smiles. Hansen glowered at her. ¡°Why are you smiling though?¡± Hansen said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing funny. I have no idea why he¡¯s here. Well, I¡¯m not going back home though.¡±

    Hansen hadn¡¯t had enough fun. Naturally, he refused to head home.

    Jenna shrugged him off. She dashed towards Jepherson and asked, ¡°Jerry, what¡¯s wrong with her?¡±

    Jepherson thought that his savior had shown up. ¡°I¡¯ve got no idea,¡± he said hurriedly. ¡°She was feeling nauseous when we got off the ne.¡±

    ¡°What has she eaten?¡± Jenna asked. Her charming face showed signs of ageing. However, it was still as tender as ever.

    If she kept mum about her age, then no one would believe that she was a mother of two grown-up boys.

    Raeleigh gazed at Jenna. She was surprised to find that Jenna is in fact Jepherson¡¯s mother. They looked like siblings to her.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been eating anything, and merely consumed some drinks,¡± Raeleigh said weakly. Hansen frowned and murmured, ¡°Oh, Jerry, you little rascal.¡±

    Jenna turned around and looked at her husband. She thought that he was irritated. However, she found no traces of anger as she looked into his eyes.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head to the hospital and get a specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology to check on her,¡± Hansen said.

    Then, Hansen walked towards his wife and sped her in his arms. Jenna felt a little awkward. Soon afterwards, she realized that her son had left the lobby, leaving his bag on the floor. Had she not seen the bag, she would not have believed that her son was here moments ago.

    By the time Hansen and Jenna arrived at the hospital, the doctor had confirmed that Raeleigh was pregnant.

    ¡°How was it?¡± Jenna asked. Jepherson was all smiles as he got up and held Jenna tightly in his arms.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    Hansen walked towards them and pulled them apart. ¡°Hey, kid. That¡¯s my wife,¡± he said.

    Jepherson did not respond to his remark. He went into the ward to see Raeleigh.

    Jenna rolled her eyes at Hanson. Having had to put up with nausea and vomiting, Raeleigh was then feeling weak and disoriented.

    Jenna turned around to look at Raeleigh. She sat down and said, ¡°Pregnantdies have all sorts of difort in many different ways. So, fret not.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so happy to know you¡¯re pregnant,¡± Jenna added. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­¡± Jepherson looked at Jenna and interjected, ¡°Not so soon¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, how old are you?¡± Hansen asked. He did not father a child at such a young age. Now that Jepherson had fathered a child at such a tender age, Hansen felt like a sore loser. If only there was a time machine to transport him back to his younger days¡­

    ¡°Humph!¡± Hansen snorted.

    Jenna looked at him and said, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you perpetually angry?¡±

    Hansen sat down and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°She looks like you in your younger days.¡±

    Jenna was surprised to hear that. She looked at Raeleigh closely and said, ¡°Oh, really?¡±

    Raeleigh squinted her eyes. ¡°Am I Jepherson¡¯s first love?¡± she wondered.

    ¡°Jerry, be sure to look after her,¡± Jenna said. ¡°I¡¯ll simmer some broth for her. Make sure she¡¯s properly nourished throughout her pregnancy. Goodness me, look at her hand. It¡¯s so slender. I wonder if the baby¡¯s development would be impeded. By the way, have you guys nned to tie the knot? I mean, she¡¯s pregnant. You don¡¯t want the child to be born out of wedlock, do you?¡±

    At that moment, Jenna recalled an incident in her past. She could not help but to feel that in life, one should always n ahead.

    Jepherson thought for a moment. Then, he said, ¡°Well, Grandma doesn¡¯t like Raeleigh. I¡¯ve always told her that Raeleigh is Santiago¡¯s girlfriend. Now that she¡¯s pregnant, I¡¯ve got to tell the truth. I¡¯ve no idea how she¡¯d react though.¡±

    ¡°Oh, dear. How can you do that?¡± Jenna said. ¡°Grandma is concerned about you. You shouldn¡¯t have lied to her. Have a heart-to-heart talk with her. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d give her blessings to your rtionship with Raeleigh.¡± It had note to Jenna¡¯s knowledge that Jepherson had been lying to Marissa about his rtionship with Raeleigh. Had she known this earlier, she would have returned home much sooner to resolve this issue.

    ¡°She¡¯s pregnant and people would naturally think Santiago is the one who fathered the child,¡± Jenna thought. ¡°Oh, no. This is going to be a real mess.¡±

    Jenna knew Marissa¡¯s character well enough. She was certain that Marissa would hate Raeleigh even more if she knew that she was pregnant.

    Jenna felt sorry for Raeleigh.

    ¡°Oh, Raeleigh, you poor thing,¡± Jenna said. ¡°Jerry, I¡¯ll have a word with Grandma.¡± Jenna did not wish to see her future daughter-inw going through all the sufferings that she had to put up with over the years. Now that Raeleigh was pregnant, she would try her level best to tend to her.

    Hansen could not be bothered. His son asked for it, or so he thought.

    However, he was ted, as he would soon be a grandfather.

    ¡°You¡¯re too slim,¡± Hansen said. ¡°Be sure to get yourself properly nourished.¡±

    Hansen stood up and sped Jenna¡¯s arm. ¡°It¡¯s a little stuffy here,¡± Hansen said. ¡°Let¡¯s go out and get some fresh air. I thought you wanted to simmer some broth for her. Well, what are you waiting for? Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He then grabbed hold of Jenna¡¯s arm and led her out of the ward.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes slowly and saw Jepherson.

 Chapter 1052 Pregnant

    ¡°Thedoctor says you¡¯re pregnant,¡± Jepherson repeated thrice as he held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Looking at Jepherson, Raeleigh did not know what she should feel. She had never imagined having a baby, but since it had happened, she did not want to abort her child either.

    To Raeleigh, a child was a gift from heaven. She could not end the child¡¯s life before it had even begun.

    Raeleigh rubbed her belly and her gaze met Jepherson¡¯s eyes. She said,¡°Even if your grandmother is against it, I will give birth to the child. I neither need a title nor any property, I just want the kid to have a happy life.¡±

    As Raeleigh said that, thoughts of her younger self floated into her mind.

    She had been abandoned and had grown up in an orphanage. There, no one had ever visited her. Raeleigh thought to herself, her mother might have been in the same situation as she was in at the time, stuck with a child of a man whose family did not ept her. Hence, after she was born with great difficulties, she was sent to the orphanage. Perhaps, her mother had wanted to take her away and raise her, but misfortune had befallen her and people hade hunting for her, after her life¡­

    Numerous scenes yed out in Raeleigh¡¯s mind. She suddenly felt grateful for her position in life. Since she was blessed with good fortune, she could not give up the child in her belly.

    Raeleigh patted her belly,with her hand still in Jepherson¡¯s grasp. Jepherson kissed her and said, ¡°No, since the child has already been conceived, my grandmother will agree to it for sure.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson Richards.¡± It was the first time Raeleigh addressed him that way. Jephersonfroze for a moment, knowing that she had something to say. Heanswered softly, ¡°Yes,I¡¯m all ears.¡±

    Raeleigh mulled over it for a moment, and she then told him, ¡°Promise me that you won¡¯t tell your grandmother about the child until she epts me.I don¡¯t know what sort of person she is. What if she hates me and antagonizes me? Marrying into money is like stepping foot into h*ll, or so my grandmother said. I had always been living a quiet life, but then you came into my life, for better or worse.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t regret bearing your child. I wanted to, but¡­¡±

    ¡°If your Grandma shuns me, and if you tell her that I¡¯m pregnant with your child, and if she really cannot tolerate me, then she may take the baby away from me after I¡¯ve given birth to him or her. I would go mad if that happens.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t intend to frighten Jepherson, but she had to make things clear. Only then would he be able to make the right decision.

    People all had different philosophies in life. No one could tell good from bad. People could all have good intentions, but with different ways of thinking about it, they would inevitably make different decisions. Raeleigh did not have any high expectations for her life. She just wanted a peaceful one.

    Jepherson gazed at Raeleigh, lowered his head, and kissed her on the lips.¡°My bad. I understand. No matter what, you and your child will have the best I can give. You can rest assured that no one will separate you two.¡±

    Raeleigh heaved a sigh of relief. Holding onto Jepherson¡¯s hand, she said,¡°You must be tired. Let¡¯s rest. We can talk about everything else tomorrow.¡±

    Raeleigh was really fatigued. All she could think about was to have a good night¡¯s sleep.

    Only then did Jepherson get up. He closed the door and went to take a shower. After changing intofortable pyjamas, he went to lie down beside Raeleigh, cuddling her. Both of them were restless. Even though they were lying on the bed, they did not sleep a wink all night.It was not until the early hours of the morning, when Raeleigh waspletely exhausted, that she fell asleep in Jepherson¡¯s arms. The next morning, Jenna came to visit with some chicken soup. Raeleigh and Jepherson were embracing each other tightly, deep in sleep.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna peered at them from the outside. She liked Raeleigh more and more.

    As Raeleigh was not awake yet,Jenna didn¡¯t enter the room. She sat outside and waited the entire morning.Hansen was already impatient by noon.Finally, when they were about to have lunch, he dialled Jepherson¡¯s number to wake him up.

    Jepherson got up from the bed and looked at his phone. He immediately got out of bed to open the door.

    Jenna entered the room first, followed by Hansen, and made an immediate beeline for Raeleigh. Raeleigh had just pried her eyes open. Her body felt much better than it did the day before. Sitting up, she finally noticed Jenna.

    Jenna gave Raeleigh a sweet smile. She set down the container she had brought and opened it.¡°It¡¯s tough birthing a baby. Some people don¡¯t feel anything during their pregnancy while others suffer immensely.I¡¯ve heard that the more difficult the pregnancy is, the more lovable the child is.¡±

    Jenna served Raeleigh a bowl of the chicken soup and told her, ¡°Drink up while it¡¯s warm.¡±

    Raeleigh was staring at Jenna. She could not understand. Wasn¡¯t Jenna worried that her current husband wouldn¡¯t be happy with what she was doing?

    Only God knew.

    Well, since she meant well, Raeleigh epted the bowl of soup and blew on it before taking a sip.

    Jenna sat down, looking Raeleigh up and down minutely. The more she looked, the more delightful Raeleigh seemed to her.

    ¡°Jerry, when are you two getting married?¡± Jenna was excited. She reckoned that they shouldn¡¯t wait for the child to be born to get married. That would be unfair to Raeleigh and the child.

    ¡°We¡¯re still considering that. I will talk to Dad about itter,¡± Jepherson said. Raeleigh choked on a mouthful of soup and began to cough.

    Jenna stood up in a hurry, producing a tissue to wipe Raeleigh¡¯s mouth. Shetook the bowl away from Raeleigh.

    ¡°Take it slow. Was it too hot?¡± Jenna had not deciphered the true meaning of Raeleigh¡¯s actions.

    Raeleigh looked at Jenna, and then looked at the men in front of her. Jepherson looked exactly like his father. Raeleigh was ovee with embarrassment.

    Raeleigh nced at Jenna¡¯s youthful and beautiful face, bit her lip, and turned to look at Jepherson.

    Jepherson frowned.¡°Who did you think they were?¡±

    His tone made it clear that he was displeased.

    Raeleigh processed it for a moment,and she then asked, ¡°How would I know? You never told me, did you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jenna didn¡¯t understand.Was this trouble in paradise?

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell her that we¡¯re your parents?¡± Hansen asked.

    ¡°I forgot,¡± Jepherson replied as he walked to Raeleigh¡¯s side and squeezed her hand.¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    How could Raeleigh be fine? She was speechless in front of Jepherson¡¯s parents. She could only stare nklyand remainsilent.

    The pressure on Raeleigh was mounting. Why had she met his parents that quickly?

    ¡°Well, you two should talk outside. Raeleigh needs some peace and quiet.¡± Jenna¡¯s expression darkened as she drove the father and son out.

    Hansen traipsed out first and called for Jepherson. Jepherson closed the door on his way out.

    ¡°Why the second thoughts about marriage?¡± Hansen was vexed, and it showed.

    ¡°We still need to think about it. Raeleigh and I are both a little worried. Grandma doesn¡¯t like Raeleigh,¡± Jepherson and Raeleigh shared the same concerns. If Raeleigh had not reminded him of that,then he would have announced her pregnancy to the world in his tion. However, it was true that no one could predict what would happen.

    As Raeleigh said, they had to consider every possibility for the sake of their child.

 Chapter 1053 Parents

    In the end, Hansen allowed his son the freedom to choose what he wanted to do. Jepherson was soon to be a father. He had his own thoughts on the matter. Hansen didn¡¯t want to coddle him.

    Insidethe room,Raeleigh was busy sipping the chicken soup that Jenna had served her. She said nothing. Jenna, on the other hand, was besotted from the moment she saw Raeleigh.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I liked you at first sight. I haven¡¯t felt this way for years.¡±

    As Jenna spoke, Raeleigh slowly lifted her chin and looked at her.

    ¡°What other family do you have?¡± Jenna asked Raeleigh. Raeleigh thought it over and replied, ¡°Just my Grandma.She¡¯s in her seventies.¡±

    ¡°Is it just you and your grandmother?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded in response. She had thought that Jenna would bepletely different. However, contrary to her expectations, Jenna was a warm person, who was easy to get along with.

    Jenna then peppered Raeleigh with questions, like anytypical parent. It was as though she was interviewing Raeleigh. Finally, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know when I¡¯m going back with your father-inw. Jerry told me that you don¡¯t n to hold a wedding. I don¡¯t agree with that, but anyway, you are our daughter-inw. You¡¯re bearing a child of the Richards family. You¡¯ll adopt the Richards family name sooner orter. I won¡¯t interfere with your decisions. But I must tell you, pleasee to us for help if there¡¯s any issue.¡±

    ¡°Your safety is what¡¯s most important.¡±

    Afraid that Raeleigh wouldnd in some sort of trouble, Jenna repeatedly drilled that into her head.

    Jenna finally got up afterHansen called out to her from outside the room. She told Raeleigh,¡°We¡¯re heading out for a meal. I¡¯ll get you some takeaway. Rest.¡±

    Jenna stood up, patted Raeleigh¡¯s hand, and left the room. Raeleigh was left sitting calmly on the bed. She watched Jenna leave, with a flurry of mixed emotions in her heart. She really didn¡¯t think that Jepherson¡¯s parents would have been so epting of her family¡¯s situation.

    After they left, Jepherson came in and walked straight towards Raeleigh. He sat down on the bed and the two of them conversed about Jenna and Hansen.

    ¡°Your parents have so many stories,¡± Raeleigh said. She could not believe that they were not natives of Capital City.

    After a while, Raeleigh piped up again,¡°Since your parents aren¡¯t from here, could that child be in A City where you lived? You haven¡¯t found her yet anyway, so why don¡¯t you give it a shot?¡±

    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t brought it up,then I would have forgotten itpletely. I¡¯ll have a look next time. I¡¯ll bring you along too.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡­

    Due to her pregnancy, Raeleigh stayed in the hospital for a few days. As a result, Lamarre was a little anxious and called Jepherson to inquire.

    Jepherson couldn¡¯t say anything else, in order to protect Raeleigh. All he could do was to bring up Hansen.

    Lamarre then said over the phone that Raeleigh still had five days to generate a new idea. Otherwise, she would be fired.

    Jepherson hung up and looked at Raeleigh.¡°Pregnant women shouldn¡¯t be exposed to too much radiation. I¡¯ll print the blueprint for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t need to fuss over every little thing. I¡¯m pregnant, so are plenty of women around the world. They¡¯re all using their phones andputers without any issue. You¡¯re too much of a coward.¡±

    Raeleigh clearly looked displeased. Jepherson turned to look at her and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s a coward?¡±

    Raeleigh kept silent. She didn¡¯t want to say anything.

    Radiation was everywhere in the present day. Even ordinary people were mindful of it, what more a person as careful as Jepherson.

    Thest thing he wanted was for his descendants to contract any diseases.

    Jepherson calmed down from Raeleigh¡¯s silence. He said, ¡°You can use theputer from time to time. If you don¡¯t have the time toe up with designs, then you can take a break.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. These years are all I have. Ineed to work hard. When I get older, I have to take care of my child. I don¡¯t want her to fall behind in education.Once she¡¯s reached kindergarten age, I can¡¯t be falling behind other mothers either.Time is passing fast and it won¡¯t stop for me. I don¡¯t want my child to be stuck on alphabets when she¡¯s already in grade school.¡±

    ¡°Then, you want me to worry myself sick about your problems now?¡± Jepherson suddenly figured that there was a high chance that he would be reced by the little fellow in her womb in the future.

    ¡°If it¡¯s a self-inflicted worry, then I can¡¯t help you. We should just act normal. I can wear radiation-proof clothes, as they¡¯re avable everywhere. There must be a way.¡±

    Raeleigh delivered her point calmly, rendering Jepherson speechless.

    It was quiet inside the ward. Jepherson sat beside Raeleigh with his legs crossed while holding her hand. Suddenly, he understood. All these trivial matters were not important.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh was tired by that point. Holding Jepherson¡¯s hand, she rolled over in the bed.It didn¡¯t take long for her to fall asleep. When she did, Jepherson caressed Raeleigh¡¯s face gently. She really was a stubborn person, wasn¡¯t she?

    Jepherson tucked Raeleigh into bed, covering her with the quilt.He thengot up and went to the door to call his parents. Hansen¡¯s phone was turned off.

    Jepherson frowned and called his mother instead.He also could not get through to Jenna. So, hewas directly transferred to voicemail.

    ¡­

    At the international airport.

    With much unhappiness, Jenna observed Hansen, who was in front of her. Hansen was pulling his luggage along while waiting for Jenna to catch up.

    ¡°Hansen¡­¡± Jenna was very vexed with how Hansen did things. He had left her son and daughter-inw behind without saying a word. It was all far too rude. Plus, she still had a gift for Raeleigh. Then what?

    Hansen turned around. Although he was in his fifties, he looked like he was in his thirties. He had no wrinkles at all.

    He said, ¡°It¡¯s rare for us to go outside for once, but he messed it up for me. I¡¯m still mad. And now it¡¯s your turn?¡±

    Jenna rolled her eyesand retorted,¡°You¡¯re making no sense! This has nothing to do with Raeleigh. Jerry wanted us to meet her. They¡¯re as good as married! How can you not care?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t he say that he would decide? Well, we¡¯ve seen him, what else do we have to do?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m not leaving,¡± Jenna said as she came to a stop. Hansen asked, ¡°Are you really not leaving?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving.¡± Jenna was firm.

    Hansen nced at the bellboy beside him and waved his hand. He handed arge sum of money to the bellboy and spoke two simple sentences in the local tongue. Jenna had just arrived and had yet to learn the localnguage. She did not understand it. On the other hand, Hansen was able to learn thenguage very quickly in a short time.

    However, Jenna figured that it definitely did not bode well for her.

    Surely enough, she saw her luggage being pushed away by the bellboy. Then,Hansen walked up to her with knitted brows and a gentle gaze. He seemed to have a n in mind.

    ¡°Don¡¯te closer,¡± Jenna warned. She wanted to run, but Hansen grabbed her and carried her. Jenna suddenly felt the urge to cry, and hastily hid her face. She hated being humiliated. It was too shameful at her age!

 Chapter 1054 Santiagoâ€™s Love Life

    Raeleigh woke up from her nap. Jepherson was sitting opposite her, deep in thought about something.

    When Raeleigh opened her eyes, Jepherson immediately turned his gaze from the window to her. He got up to help her up. It amused Raeleigh. She told him,¡°I can take care of myself. I¡¯m just pregnant. Do you need to be this fussy?¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything. He merely lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh. Raeleigh looked at him in confusion. What was he doing?

    ¡°My parents left,¡± Jepherson informed Raeleigh as he helped her sit up and poured her a ss of water. Raeleigh took the ss. Looking puzzled, she asked, ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m very disappointed,¡± Jepherson said curtly. Raeleigh could tell that he was in a bad mood.

    ¡°Why are you disappointed?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not fair to you.¡± Jepherson had guessed that his father would leave, but he had not expected his mother to go along as well.

    Raeleigh wore a smile as she asked,¡°What¡¯s the big deal?¡±

    Jepherson could not wrap his mind around her reaction. ¡°Aren¡¯t you sad?¡±

    ¡°What should I be sad about? Your parents have their own lives to live. It¡¯s clear to me that your father doesn¡¯t like your mother doing things for me. It¡¯s not that your mother doesn¡¯t like me. She must have been whisked away by your father.¡±Raeleigh did not want to blurt it out, but it was indeed her true thoughts on the matter.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    The couple was enviable indeed.

    Jepherson¡¯s mood inexplicably brightened. With great interest, he asked, ¡°How did you know he had taken her away and she didn¡¯t leave on her own?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think your mother would do that. She would inform me, at the very least. However, your father would definitely consider it a chore that may stop him from leaving. Therefore, he took your mother away, so that you two can¡¯t meet face-to-face, let alone think of a way around it.¡±

    ¡°My Dad is too arrogant. Since I was young, I¡¯ve always felt that he was jealous of my brother and me. He wants my mother to belong to him alone. No one can snatch her away from him.¡±

    Jepherson kept a sombre face while Raeleighughed.

    ¡°Why are youughing?¡± Jepherson asked.

    ¡°There¡¯ll always be tension between a father and his son. He loves you, but he is absolutely possessive of your mother. I understand that.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to understand?¡± Jepherson stood up and went to get a drink for himself as well. He smiled silently to himself.Raeleigh was one of a kind.

    Raeleigh feltpletely fine by the time afternoon rolled around. After she was discharged, the two went to a hotel. There, Raeleigh mulled over her drawings and finally made some changes. She immediately informed Lamarre as soon as she was done.

    In Raeleigh¡¯s timezone, it waste at night, but it was only nine o¡¯clock in the morning for Lamarre. Lamarre epted the video call and examined the revised drawings which Raeleigh had sent to him. He seemedpletely satisfied.

    ¡°Brilliant work. From today onwards, you will officially be my student. When you¡¯re back, you can sign up here,¡± Lamarre said. Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. Jepherson got up and sat down beside her. Raeleigh had to hand over the phone to him.

    ¡°I will exin the details to youter on. Something has happened to Raeleigh and I won¡¯t allow her to be rushed aboutfrom one ce to another. I hope you¡¯ll understand. The only thing she has now is this. I will hand it over to you. I will bring her back when her physical condition stabilizes.¡±

    ¡°No problem, but Raeleigh still has to report to me. I won¡¯t rush her about. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Lamarre immediately hung up. Raeleigh had not anticipated Lamarre¡¯s quirky temper.

    After a long while, Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. Jepherson informed her, ¡°Your achievements these past few years have been outstanding. There are too few independent creators. My mother and him are both the cream of the crop. He had mentioned that he wanted to transfer over, but my mother got the position first. In order to apany me for a few more years, she personally guided me and brought me to work. Plus, I entered the workforce very early, so he couldn¡¯t get me anymore.¡±

    ¡°Your results are the best of all the recruits after me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal for him to want to recruit you. When I brought you over here, he probably thought that my mother had snatched you away too. He was very worried.¡±

    ¡°You mean, Lamarre wants to have me as his student?¡± Raeleigh felt puzzled. Was it possible?

    Jephersonughed.¡°It¡¯s normal. You just have to meet someone who understands and admires your talent. You¡¯d still shine in this field without him, but he would bea fool not to recruit you. He could not aplish greater things on his own.¡±

    Lamarre won a lot of awards throughout his life. When it came to car designing, he would forget about food and even his family. He is crazy for it.¡±

    ¡°In the early years, Deanna had wanted to be his student, but he rejected her. Deanna cried for a few days after the rejection.¡±

    ¡°He is evidently very strict about the students he would ept.¡±

    ¡°One of the reasons he was so eager to have you is because of your creation, Lanox. Another reason is because I¡¯m interested in you and would personally guide you.¡±

    ¡°Lamarre is not a fool. He willcherish a diamond when he finds one.¡±

    ¡°Since I broke the rules and wanted to teach you myself, he realized that your talent needed a bigger tform. When signing into thepany, there was a rule that if any designer liked a new student, as long as there was no formal mentorship, then they would be transferred to the designer¡¯s care in order of seniority. Although I am the vice president with full rights to represent my father, the rules cannot be broken or else, thepany members won¡¯t stand for it.¡±

    ¡°Lamarre simply took advantage of that and made things difficult for you when you joined. But he needs talent like you, so you have nothing to worry about. Many people have dreamed of following in Lamarre¡¯s footsteps. Take Deanna as an example. She even dreamed of having Lamarre as her mentor, but Lamarre didn¡¯t pander to the Whalens at all,¡± Jepherson concluded.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Deanna has the passion for this.¡± Raeleigh spoke her mind.

    Jepherson said with a smile, ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Raeleigh looked over, waiting for Jepherson to continue. Jepherson took the prompt and went on.¡°Deanna liked fashion design since she was a child, but our family has been selling cars for generations. As we grew up together, she still likes me. She¡¯s actually working very hard, but I¡­¡±

    Jepherson said no more. Raeleigh smiled.¡°It¡¯s because Deanna is just the right age for a younger sister. I guess that¡¯s why you can¡¯t leave her alone and you¡¯ve treated her as your own sister from childhood. But Deanna was doingjust fine with Zorion looking after her.Plus, Deanna wanted you to be her boyfriend. And one thing led to another.¡±

    ¡°It did indeed.¡± Jephersonughed. Raeleigh knew everything.

    A thought came to Raeleigh¡¯s mind. ¡°Deanna¡¯s interested in Santiago now,did you know?¡±

    ¡°I do, but he can decide on his own. I don¡¯t want to meddle in his love life. Santiago wouldn¡¯t want a rtionship like that.¡±

    Jepherson looked perfectly calm, and his gaze revealed a thousand expressions. Knowing that Jepherson understood all that was going on, Raeleigh dropped the subject there.

 Chapter 1055 Too Much Anxiety

    Raeleigh and Jepherson stayed abroad having fun for two more days. They finally flewback a week after they departed.Jepherson followed Raeleigh back to her house.

    Novalie and Xanthus were chatting with each other while watching TV.

    Novalie didn¡¯t like it when Xanthus visited, which he did every week. It was frankly annoying.

    However, out of courtesy, she said nothing. Xanthus had said that it was volunteer work, so she could not very well demand for him to leave.

    However, Novalie knew deep down that Xanthus had an ulterior motive behind his visits.

    They were watching TV when Raeleigh and Jepherson entered thepound. The couple first saw a pair of leather shoes at the door and halted momentarily in their steps. Raeleigh turned around and nced at Jepherson, asking, ¡°A visitor?¡±

    Jepherson naturally knew what Raeleigh was hinting at. He trailed behind her into the house and they changed into indoor slippers. As soon as they went in, they saw Xanthus sitting inside.

    At the sight of Raeleigh, Xanthus stood up and greeted her.¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and then went over to her grandmother.¡°Grandma, I didn¡¯t know you had a visitor.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Isn¡¯t it the weekend? Dr. Osteen came to visit.Hees here every week. You were busy for a few weeks, so I didn¡¯t have the chance to tell you. Scarlette was here yesterday. But she had something to do, so she¡¯s already left.¡±

    Novalie looked at her granddaughter and then at Jepherson.

    Jepherson was carrying a lot of things. Seeing Novalie, he hurried over and set the items down in a corner. After that, he took off his coat and sat down with her, as if it was his own home.

    ¡°You¡¯re so happy today. What¡¯s the good news?¡± Novalie could read people¡¯s emotions. She could tell as soon as she saw Jepherson that something was making him rejoice from the bottom of his heart.

    ¡°There¡¯s something we have to tell youter.¡± As soon as Jepherson spoke, Raeleigh blushed. He was unbelievable. He didn¡¯t have to spread the news that she was pregnant.

    Raeleigh put her belongings down and stowed their luggage away properly.Then, she poured a ss of water for Xanthus.

    ¡°I¡¯m very grateful for your frequent visits to my grandmother.¡± Raeleigh thanked him and sat down courteously. Xanthus sat opposite her and looked her up and down, and he then replied, ¡°It¡¯s what I should do. I often visit people. But most of them have other family members with them. But your grandmother stays alone in this house. I chat with her for a bit every time I visit. I have nowhere else to go anyway.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded, and continued.¡°Last time, you asked me about the fire incident in the orphanage. I inquired about it for you. I heard that everyone died in that ident. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s true or not. But a lot of children did die. It was tragic.¡±

    What Raeleigh said took Xanthus aback.When Novalie nced at Xanthus, she noted that his face seemed pale.

    After a while, Xanthus said, ¡°For so many years, my parents have always wanted to find my sister. If a fire really happened and everyone was burned to death, the least I can do is to find her corpse.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. He was looking for a corpse?

    Xanthus was suddenly ovee with depressive emotions. He could not sit there any longer. Thus, he picked his belongings up and said as he got up, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not feeling too well. I¡¯m leaving now. I¡¯ll visit again when I¡¯m free.¡±

    After that, Xanthus immediately went to the door, put on his shoes, and left right away.

    Raeleigh saw him off. She gazed outside for a long while and did not return until he drove far away into the distance.

    When she returned to the living room, Jepherson was waiting at the door. Jepherson asked, ¡°Is Xanthus also looking for his sister?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson.¡°He said that once.However, he seemed to have misunderstood and mistakenly regarded me as his sister.¡±

    Raeleigh walked in and began preparing dinner. Jepherson felt that something was off. He went to Raeleigh¡¯s side and helped her clean as she prepared the ingredients. She was silent the whole time, but Jepherson did not let it slide. He started by asking, ¡°How did he find you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know. I met Xanthus when Zorion hurt his waist previously. After that, he told me that he was looking for his sister. He said that his sister was sent to an orphanage. He has been looking for her all these years and ended up here.¡±

    Raeleigh exined as she cooked. Jepherson asked her to leave the kitchen as he did not want her, a pregnant woman, to be exposed to the smoke. He cooked dinner all on his own.

    Raeleigh could only go to the living room. Novalie asked when she saw Raeleighing out, ¡°Are you two in a proper rtionship now?¡±

    Raeleigh thought it over and hesitantly said, ¡°Grandma¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ ¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh was also at a loss as to what to say. She could not help but to stutter when she spoke.Novalie, who had waited for her to continue for quite a long while, could not help but to grow anxious.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Novalie asked.

    ¡°I met his parents.¡± Raeleigh wanted to tell Novalie that she was pregnant, but she couldn¡¯t. Novalie was thrown in a loop. Well, that wasn¡¯t so difficult to say. Was there any need to cover it up? There was definitely something more that Raeleigh wasn¡¯t telling her.

    ¡°You did?¡± Novalie smiled, her eyes narrowing into crescents.

    ¡°Yes, I did.¡±

    Raeleigh was blushing at that point, but she still did not blurt the whole truth out.

    Novalie feigned ignorance and asked Raeleigh, ¡°Did they get a good impression of you? Are they satisfied with you as their daughter-inw?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face turned redder.¡°They don¡¯t hate me.¡±

    ¡°Only that?¡± Novalie widened her eyes as Raeleigh continued.¡°His father is a tough man who keeps to his word. Although he is overbearing, it is obvious that he loves his wife very much. His mother, on the other hand, is very kind and smiley. She treats me well. There was a time when I passed out because I was not feeling well and she made me chicken soup. She has been asking about my well-being and when we¡¯ll get married.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Novalie was ecstatic. Although Jepherson¡¯s grandmother did not want grandchildren, Raeleigh¡¯s life would definitely be less stressful as his parents had approved of her.

    Raeleigh¡¯s face was as red as a tomato.When Jepherson brought out the food, he noticed the scarlet hue of her cheeks.He asked in confusion, ¡°Is it too hot?¡±

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes.Leave it to him to let the catalmostout of the bag.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±Raeleigh got up hurriedly and strutted away fast. It startledJepherson. Caught by surprise, his face was drained of color. ¡°Be careful. Where are you going?¡±

    Jepherson set down the food in his hand and walked over to Raeleigh. Raeleigh stopped with an awkward look on her face and quizzed,¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jepherson lowered his head. He held onto Raeleigh¡¯s arm and stared at her belly. The scare had left him looking not too well.

    Raeleigh pushed him away hurriedly.Then, Jepherson reminded her, ¡°Be careful when you walk. Don¡¯t let anything happen to her.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything. She looked at her grandmother.Novalie knew very well what was going on.It was just as she had thought.

 Chapter 1056 Problem

    ¡°Here, eat more.¡± As Raeleigh ate, Jepherson kept serving her more food. Raeleigh felt like he was making too big of a deal out of everything. She was merely pregnant. There were so many pregnant people around the world who got by just fine.

    Novalie said nothing. She simply ate her meal opposite them. After she finished eating, Jepherson went to wash the dishes. He did not want to let Raeleigh work too hard. He alone took care of the house chores. In fact, he had also hired a caretaker in her thirties to take care of Raeleigh when he was not around.

    Jepherson had also bought Raeleigh a house. The house was not far from her university, in a convenient and safe location. It was well-equipped with all the facilities one would need and itsyout wasfortable. Itwas a two-storey house averagingmore than 200 square meters on its first floor.There was a guest room and a study for Raeleigh to do her designing.

    Raeleigh was opposed to it.That night, she voiced her issues to Jepherson. She didn¡¯t want to rely on her child to get by in life. People would point fingers and say that she used her child to get to where she was.

    ¡°The house is not for you alone. It¡¯s for our kid and your Grandma. Novalie is getting old. Plus, I don¡¯t want Xanthus toe over all the time. Since you¡¯re bearing my child, I can¡¯t let you be wronged. I¡¯m thinking about how to tell Novalie that you¡¯re pregnant. I can¡¯t bring you to Ink Garden right now. I wouldn¡¯t be able to rest assured of your safety if you¡¯re there.¡±

    Jepherson knew that some things were out of his control. Anything could happen.

    Raeleigh sat on the bed without saying a word. This was her room. The caretaker hired by Jepherson was named Serra. A loyal and honest woman, shehad been taking care of Santiago¡¯s family and was loyal to the Richards family. Jepherson trusted her.

    At that moment, Serra was chatting to Novalie outside of the room, as Raeleigh was telling Jepherson about her not wanting to move. She had initially wanted to argue with him, but he had brought up Xanthus,so Raeleigh remained silent.

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh over and sat down. He said earnestly,¡°This is our first child. I don¡¯t want anything bad to happen. A bigger house can amodate a few more people. It won¡¯t cause any problems if you don¡¯t stay at the school dorms. You¡¯re only a little more than one month pregnant now. Time passes quickly. Your belly will begin to show, and then what are we to do?¡±

    ¡°Whew!¡± Raeleigh sighed.

    ¡°You¡¯re only neen years old, and you¡¯re having my child. We¡¯re still young, so I me myself sometimes. I didn¡¯t think it over properly at first. I feel bad now.¡±

    Jepherson pinched Raeleigh¡¯s cheek,looking at her meaningfully. Raeleigh realized that sometimes, Jepherson could be extremely sullen.His mncholy could instantly take over him.

    ¡°If I move there now,then what¡¯s the status of the house? Will you give it to me?¡± Raeleigh ruminated for a long time, but Jepherson did not respond. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Raeleigh thought over it and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need it. You have given me enough. If you give me money and property just because we¡¯re a couple, then I can¡¯t ept them. But I could consider it if it¡¯s a reward from thepany.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡±

    Jepherson raised his eyebrows. Was this her way of being financially independent?

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Of course it¡¯s different. If you¡¯re giving it to the child, then I won¡¯t ept it as long as the child isn¡¯t born yet. Love is a give and take process between equals. I don¡¯t want your grandmother to use this as ammunition against me. If it was a reward from thepany, then I can design a car that can be immediatelyunched in return for it.¡±

    Jepherson frowned.¡°In such a short time, you¡¯re going to design a ready-to-sell car?¡±

    ¡°SinceLanox got me a car, if I create another series, it will naturally get me the house, right?¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡±

    Jepherson gritted his teeth.Raeleigh was a force to be reckoned with.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment before she said, ¡°You have seven days to prepare the house. The house must be ced under my name. I¡¯ll create a car from the Lanox series for you.¡±

    Jepherson grabbed Raeleigh gently and pulled her into his arms. He lowered his head and asked, ¡°Is this necessary?¡±

    ¡°I want our child to know that she has both a great father and mother.¡±

    ¡°Well, her mother feels much greater to me right now.¡± Jepherson kissed Raeleigh and slowly deepened the kiss as he carried Raeleigh towards the bed. The two didn¡¯t step out of her room the entire night. Raeleigh woke upte at night. Shey on herside and let out a soft sigh.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jepherson woke up and ced his arms overRaeleigh as he leaned his head on her shoulder. He couldn¡¯t bear sleeping in the same bed but not embracing her.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I feel a little sad leaving this ce. Besides, I have a lot of things here.I don¡¯t know if I can take them all with me.¡±N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    ¡°I can prepare a room for you to put all your stuff in.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a showroom?¡± Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. In the darkness, he stared at her with furrowed eyebrows. ¡°Well, do you want to put it all in your bedroom?¡±

    ¡°No, I just think it¡¯s a waste.¡±

    Jepherson did not say anything in reply. He simply held Raeleigh in his arms, waiting for her to fall asleep.

    The next day, when Raeleigh woke up, she stared nkly at Jepherson, who was sleeping beside her. As she sat up,the quilt fell down on his waist, exposing his bare chest.Jepherson had one hand on his stomach, and the other on the bed. She observed him carefully. His eyshes were thick and his facial features were stunning.He gave off a unique aura even while asleep.

    Raeleigh leaned aside and let the sunshine from the window illuminate Jepherson. The beautiful sight of him sleeping soundly under the sunshine suddenly struck her with inspiration. Raeleigh turned around, took out a pen and piece of paper, sat down, and began drawing.

    Jepherson slowly pried his eyes open and observed Raeleigh, trying not to disturb her. He never realized how attractive an inspired person looked.

    Raeleigh put the final touches on her design after two hours. On the paper, there was a silver car with striking lines, portraying a feeling of wildness.The taillights of the car were prominent. Its lights shone like a rocket sting into space. The paper was divided into two sections. At the bottom was a drawing of the car¡¯syout. The main illustration was the sleek beauty of the car.

    Raeleigh put down the pen, stood up, and looked around. She was shocked to see no one in the room.

    Seeing that Jepherson was gone, Raeleigh went outside. Jepherson was talking to her grandmother in the living room. Raeleigh stopped at the door, looked at him, and asked, ¡°When did youe out?¡±

    Jepherson stood up, not looking too good. ¡°From now on, you can¡¯t sit still there for two hours. It is not good for both you and the child.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson went into Raeleigh¡¯s room. Blushing, she stared nkly at his retreating back for a moment. She didn¡¯t dare to look at her grandmother, so she hurriedly went into the room.

    She didn¡¯t know what the problem was with Jepherson. When she entered the room, she found Jepherson staring at her illustration.

 Chapter 1057 Duke

    Jepherson remained rooted to the spot. When he heard Raeleigh enter the room, he turned around to look at Raeleigh.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Raeleigh knew that he was a little angry, but since it was just a trivial matter of her sitting there for too long, he could have prompted her to get up at any time.

    Jepherson seemed to have read Raeleigh¡¯s mind. Suddenly, he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t dare to disturb you, in case you got startled.¡±

    With a sullen face, Jepherson seemed very much like a child at that moment. Raeleigh froze all of a sudden. Then, she smiled very happily. ¡°The child is still young. She doesn¡¯t know anything. Look how scared you are.¡±

    Raeleigh walked over to Jepherson, who was still looking mad.¡°She¡¯s a little girl. You¡¯re a grown-up.¡±

    Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and leaned in to kiss her. Raeleigh resisted for a while and pushed him away, only to be met with a grim-looking Jepherson. She didn¡¯t quite understand.He wasn¡¯t really angry, so why did he have to act that way?

    ¡°Did you see the design?¡±

    Raeleigh asked, pulling Jepherson over to have a look. He followed her to the desk to look at it.

    Jepherson pointed at the paper and asked, ¡°Do you know how much this design is worth?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. She only designed cars. She had no idea about their market value.

    Raeleigh lifted her chin to look Jepherson in the eye. He then told her.¡°Fifty million.¡±

    Raeleigh was shocked for a second.¡°Fifty million dors?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped talking and stared nkly at the drawing. Jepherson said, ¡°This is a great design by international standards.¡±

    International?

    Raeleigh looked up at Jepherson again. Wouldn¡¯t she then be a billionaire?

    Without waiting for Raeleigh¡¯s reply, Jepherson continued.¡°You haven¡¯t named it.¡±

    Raeleigh gasped and stared at Jepherson. Gently, he tilted her chin upwards and nibbled at her lips. After that, he said, ¡°I suddenly found out I didn¡¯t just strike gold, I got diamonds as well. If someone discovers your talent,then I won¡¯t be able to sleep knowing that they want to snatch you away at any given opportunity.¡±

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes.¡°You¡¯re talented as well. Why must youpliment me?¡±

    ¡°You and I are different. We don¡¯t have the same style in designing cars. You¡¯re better at catering to the public¡¯s taste. Your designs are s*xy. Mine are too rigid.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just say that your designs are for the elite?¡±

    ¡°No. You bring a tenderness which can make up for the rigidity of the designs. My designs only number a few dozen over the world. It isn¡¯t that profitable.¡±

    ¡°So, you want to steal my talent?¡± Raeleigh looked at the drawing. Jepherson hugged her from behind and said,¡°This is a huge fortune that our child can inherit in the future.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him with a smile. Hearing that made her happier.

    Looking at her design, she murmured one word.¡°Duke.¡±

    Duke?

    Jepherson was slightly taken aback. Raeleigh picked up her pencil and wrote the name ¡®Duke¡¯ on the corner of the paper.

    ¡°A duke is a noble. He is an armymander who is skilled in defence and offence, who conquerednds all across the world. The duke is a man of both the pen and the sword. He is elegant and dashing, skilled at martial arts, passionate and charming¡­¡± Raeleigh mused.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and did not speak. Was this what she thought of him?

    Raeleigh put down the drawing and turned to look at Jepherson.¡°Promise me all the cars I designed will be credited to the name ¡®Arsel¡¯. I like my privacy, and it saves you from having to worry about my identity being exposed too.¡±

    Jepherson frowned.¡°So many promises.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I¡¯ll destroy the design right now.¡±

    As Raeleigh said that, she was about to turn away, but Jepherson tugged her back into his embrace and said,¡°Alright, I promise.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Raeleigh became much more agreeable then. Jepherson asked her, ¡°Why do you call yourself ¡®Arsel¡¯? Is there any special reason?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Raeleigh replied with a smile, ¡°When I was a child, I remember a boy named Arsel whohelped me. It¡¯s in memory of his kindness to me.¡±

    When she brought up Arsel, Raeleigh¡¯s thoughts drifted to Jenna, for some reason. Shelooked at Jepherson and queried, ¡°Did you visit that orphanage when you were young?¡±

    Jepherson thought for a moment and shook his head. ¡°I heard that a fire happened, but I haven¡¯t been there.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded at his reply.She didn¡¯t pursue the line of questioning further because she reckoned that it couldn¡¯t have been him.

    They turned around and put the design away. Then, they went searching for Novalie. Novalie was waiting for Raeleigh¡¯s exnation.

    She couldn¡¯t feign ignorance forever.

    Raeleigh went and sat down with Novalie.Serra brought out breakfast and setthe table. Then,Raeleigh confessed to Novalie about her pregnancy while they ate. Jepherson had gone outside to allow Raeleigh to be morefortable.

    He returned as soon as she was done. By that time, Raeleigh¡¯s embarrassment had faded somewhat.

    Novalie addressed Raeleigh.¡°Having a child is normal for a woman. What¡¯s there to be embarrassed about? Silly girl.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing. Only then did Jepherson tell Novalie about Raeleigh¡¯s new house. Novalie remained quiet. She was fine with her current house, except for Xanthus¡¯ constant visits! She really didn¡¯t like him. He visited day in and day out.She couldn¡¯t help but to find him annoying.

    It was great that she could move away. As for her current house, Novalie had a n for it.

    When Jepherson was not around, Novalie asked Raeleigh, ¡°Did he give you that house?¡±

    ¡°No, I earned it. I gave him a car design, so in return, he gave me the house. It is mine. I¡¯ll stay there during my pregnancy.¡±

    Raeleigh was not afraid to say it out loud, because she had made profits for the Richards Group in return.

    Novalie pondered for a moment before she asked, ¡°So, is the house under your name?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. But after you give birth, you still have to ept his goodwill.Since you are a couple now, don¡¯t fret over the tiny things.¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I know, but we didnot reveal our rtionship to the public yet, so I can¡¯t ept free goods from him now. When the child is born and named, I¡¯ll be a little more open.¡±

    ¡°Good girl.¡± Novalie was relieved. After all, Raeleigh was bearing a child of the Richards family. If she wanted a peaceful life,then she had to get along with Jepherson.

    After Raeleigh rified everything to her grandmother, they got up and went outside. Jepherson¡¯s car was stopped there. Raeleigh and Novalie got in the car together, ready to go to the new house that Jepherson had acquired.

    All the way there, Raeleigh had been holding onto Novalie¡¯s hands. Even though she did not wish to move away, this was for Jepherson¡¯s sake. She could not just drag Jepherson down because of her stubbornness.

    It was his child too. He had the right to provide his child a better life.

    When the car arrived at the house, Raeleigh and Novalie got off. Novalie looked at the beautiful house ahead of her. Serra was already waiting at the door. Scarlette and Hadrian were also standing outside. Santiago¡¯s car was parked at the entrance, meaning he was also there.

    When Raeleigh saw them, she thought to herself that her lonely days were over.

 Chapter 1058 Moving to the New House

    Raeleigh helped Novalie settle down, and afterwards, she went back to their previous residence to pack up their belongings. She brought everything she could take with her. Their old house had not always been Raeleigh¡¯s, as it used to be rented from andlord.

    Jepherson instructed Raeleigh to bring her personal belongings while Scarlette apanied her.Raeleigh was not allowed to do anything else. Scarlette found it strange when she looked at Raeleigh. Although Raeleigh¡¯s pregnancy was expected, she had not anticipated that it would havee that fast.

    Scarlette thought that it was all too much.If Raeleigh had a child at such a young age,then what would her future look like?

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you sure you want to give birth to Mr. Jepherson¡¯s child?¡± When everyone else was walking ahead of them, Scarlette held onto Raeleigh¡¯s arm and asked her that. Raeleigh replied, amused, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What else do I mean? You¡¯re so young. If you really have a child now, then you will have to take care of it and work at the same time. Are you going to give up on your job and have Mr. Jepherson financially support you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯ll save up enough before the child is born. I¡¯ll be able to support my child on my own. After I give birth to the child, Jepherson will supply the necessities like form milk. I can crank out one or two designs per year and it¡¯ll be fine. Getting by in my daily life won¡¯t be a problem. As for my future, I¡¯ve made my decision.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t you just settle down and have afortable life? Why are you working so hard? I¡¯ve told Hadrian that I¡¯ll marry him if he can financially support us.¡±

    A disappointed Scarlette grumbled that Hadrian always ignored her when she said that.

    Smiling, Raeleigh said, ¡°Well, that¡¯s that. Why don¡¯t you just go for it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all because of Hadrian. He ignores me,¡± Scarlette muttered helplessly.

    ¡°That¡¯s all the more reason you shouldn¡¯t relypletely on him. I think Hadrian is a good guy who will persist in a rtionship. He definitely has his own view on the matter. The main thing is you.¡± Raeleigh looked at Scarlette, who stared back at her nkly. ¡°What about me?¡±

    ¡°What are your true thoughts? What do you want? Do you want to be with Hadrian or do you just want the status?¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me? Who doesn¡¯t want status? Of course, I truly want to be with Hadrian too.He slept with me, so he has to take responsibility for that.¡±

    Hearing Scarlette¡¯s reply, Raeleighsaid, ¡°It depends on the circumstances. Rtionships areplicated. You say that Hadrian should take responsibility for you since you guys have slept together, but Hadrian may have regarded it as your fault that he does not need to be responsible for.Didn¡¯t you say that it was you who came onto him?¡±

    At Raeleigh¡¯s question, Scarlette looked offended.¡°Even so, I paid the price. He didn¡¯t reject me, but now, he turns me down. Can you me me?¡±

    Raeleigh could not helpughing.¡°The process of love doesn¡¯t matter. What¡¯s most important is that you love each other in the end, no matter what you did, whether it¡¯s you who made the first move, or Hadrian, who has feelings for you.But you¡¯ll only make him ufortable if you act this way.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that it¡¯s my fault.¡± Scarlette stared at Raeleigh with her lips pursed.Raeleigh retorted, ¡°What else could it be? When ites to love, men love the chase. Your n backfired. Now, he¡¯s gottenzy. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± Scarlette turned her face away, not wanting to continue the conversation. What else was there to say? It was all her fault.

    After Scarlette left, Raeleigh turned back to look at the home where she had lived for many years. They lived there for at least six years.With that amount of time, it was natural that she had developed some affection for the ce. A lingering nostalgia made Raeleighreluctant to leave.

    Raeleigh stood there for a while,with hereyes wandering around.

    She had never thought of leaving that house. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she was pregnant or Xanthus¡¯ constant visits,then she wouldn¡¯t have left.

    But as things were, Raeleigh had no choice but to leave this ce.

    After standing there for a while,Raeleigh got in the car. Jepherson was sitting inside, with Santiago in the driver¡¯s seat.The other staff members sat in their respective positions.When she got into the car,Raeleigh nced outside with a reluctant look on her face. If she had the choice, then she would not leave, but the choice was not hers to make.

    The car started and was driven away. Raeleigh leaned against the seat. Jepherson reached out to pull her into his arms, pattingher on the back lightly.¡°If you want, then we cane back here after renovations are done.¡±

    Raeleigh looked up at Jephersonand said bluntly,¡°It¡¯d be a different house by then.¡±

    Jepherson did not reply.What Raeleigh said had a reason for it. After the renovations, it would be different. It wouldn¡¯t be what Raeleigh wanted anymore.

    Neither of them spoke further during the ride. Drowsiness overcame Raeleigh. It was a lethargic sort of sleepiness. She fell asleep soon after in Jepherson¡¯s arms. Jepherson had initially intended to bring her to A City in his search, but after seeing her tiredness, he could not bear to do so.

    When they arrived at the new residence, Jepherson got out of the car first. Raeleigh woke up and followed behind him.However, Jepherson didn¡¯t head into the house. Instead,he said to Santiago, who was walking towards him,¡°Take care of your sister-inw.There are two lives in her body now. Be more cautious.¡±

    ¡°I understand. You can leave.¡± Santiago stopped in his tracks and slid his hands into his pockets. He was the mercurial type, as wild as the wind.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson.¡°Are you heading out?¡±

    ¡°Yes,I was going to take you there, but in your current condition, I think it¡¯s best if you stay here. Rest well. I¡¯ll be back in a few days,¡± Jepherson replied.

    He nced into the house and Raeleigh asked, ¡°Is it about that matter?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go over and have a look. Based on your hypothesis, it¡¯s possible that that person is in A City. I¡¯ll visit Grandpa along the way.¡± Jepherson had some spare time on his hands anyway.

    ¡°You¡¯re visiting Grandpa?¡± Santiago was dying to see him.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I want to go too,¡± Santiago butted in,but Jepherson insisted, ¡°Stay here.I don¡¯t want to see you arguing with him.¡±

    Raeleigh thought that it was quite amusing. It sounded as though Santiago was raring for a fight.

    ¡°Okay, fine, you go.¡± With that, Santiago went inside the vi. Raeleigh gave Jepherson one more look and said, ¡°Take care.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    After kissing Raeleigh, Jepherson got into the car.

    It was not until Jepherson had left that Raeleigh remembered the list that she had taken that time.

    At the vi, Raeleigh arranged things in their ces rudimentarily and took the list out. She examined the names on it carefully. It wasn¡¯t a nk piece of paper, after all.If she looked carefully, then she would definitely find something.

    She might be able to crack the case.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Raeleigh was fatigued that day, so she soon put the list away to take a nap. She woke up in the evening and had dinner. After that, she wanted to head out.

    Santiago asked Raeleigh, ¡°Do you want to buy something?¡±

    It was a new house, so there would certainly be things that Raeleigh wanted to buy. Scarlette had helped Raeleigh to pack her things, yet there were many items that haven¡¯t found their proper ce.

    There had to be a reason as to why she hadn¡¯t finished packing.

 Chapter 1059 Looking For Someone

    Raeleigh imed that she wanted to buy something, but she didn¡¯t specify what exactly. Then, she said that she wanted to go out for a walk and didn¡¯t want a crowd following her.

    Standing aside, Scarlette said with a long face, ¡°You don¡¯t want us to follow you, do you?¡±

    That was what Scarlette felt.Her frown intensified.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to live here instead of our dorm? Since you¡¯re not going to live in the dorm anymore,you should go back and pack your things. Otherwise, how are you going to move in?¡± Raeleigh asked. Scarlette suddenly realized that there was logic in what Raeleigh was saying. Scarlette huffed.¡°You¡¯re actually right. I¡¯ll head back to school. Serra, please take care of Novalie. Hadrian,e with me. There are too many things to bring over. I can¡¯t handle them alone.¡±

    Scarlette walked out as soon as she finished speaking. After they were gone, Raeleigh went out with Santiago.

    In the car, Santiago asked, ¡°How far along are you?¡±

    From the back seat, it took Raeleigh a while to react. Santiago was asking about her pregnancy.

    ¡°Five weeks.¡± Raeleigh was not sure about the specific date, as it was an estimate given by the doctor. If her memory was correct, then it was indeed five weeks ago when she had slept with Jepherson.

    ¡°That quickly? Are you sure?¡± Santiago was curious about the baby. Raeleigh was embarrassed. As the child¡¯s uncle, he didn¡¯t have to ask all that in detail.

    But Raeleigh considered thatSantiago was young.He was just curious.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Raeleigh replied. Since it was dark, she couldn¡¯t see the pedestrians¡¯ faces clearly as the car whizzed by the street. Raeleigh felt her face flush red. She was tempted to get out of the car from the awkwardness of it all.

    ¡°Wanna listen to a song?¡± Santiago asked. Raeleigh thought it over and nodded.¡°Sure.¡±

    Santiago fidgeted around the dashboard and found a ylist. Raeleigh frowned. She couldn¡¯t figure out the era of the song that was currently being yed.

    ¡°What song is this?¡± Raeleigh couldn¡¯t help asking. Santiago answered, ¡°If There¡¯s Still Tomorrow.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent.Why was the song titled that way?

    They listened to that one song on repeat. Raeleigh leaned against the seat, with lethargy overtaking her once more.When the car finally stopped, Raeleigh was about to fall asleep.

    She exited the car and looked around, confirming that itwas the former site of the orphanage. Raeleigh took a look around and went to a burger ce nearby. She announced that she wanted to eat something, and she then headed inside.

    ¡°Supper?¡± As Raeleigh stepped into the restaurant, a young man approached her. Raeleigh smiled and peeked inside. There were a lot of customers in the restaurant eating away. Raeleigh found a seat and settled in.

    ¡°Can we have two burgers, please?¡±

    Raeleigh asked. The host immediately asked with a smile, ¡°Do you want it normal or spicy?¡±

    ¡°Normal would do.¡±

    ¡°No spice.¡± Santiago pulled out a chair and sat down, informing the host. Raeleigh nced at the host and said, ¡°Yes,just like what he said.¡±

    ¡°Okay, please wait a moment.¡± The host retreated to the kitchen. Raeleigh looked at Santiago and asked, ¡°Can¡¯t you eat spicy food?¡±

    ¡°Pregnant women should not consume too much spicy food,¡± Santiago said. Raeleigh thought about it,and she then retorted, ¡°Well, they say that if you crave spicy food, then your child will be a girl.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Santiago suddenly said. Raeleigh checked if there was anyone around before she asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°There are no daughters in the Richards family.¡± Santiago was certain.

    Raeleigh asked in confusion, ¡°You know that your brother has been looking for someone, right?¡±

    Santiago nced at Raeleigh. ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Then, how do you know it¡¯s not a girl?¡±

    ¡°I just know.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was floored.She couldn¡¯t say anything in reply to Santiago.

    After eating for a while, Raeleigh noticed that almost all the patrons had left. She then asked the host, ¡°When was this restaurant built?¡±

    Raeleigh was presently neen years old. She was ten years old when the orphanage had burned down. It would have taken around seven years for the restaurant to be constructed and be a staple of the area. The people there would most likely know something. What did they know?

    The host replied,¡°Six years. I¡¯ll be frank with you, I bought properties here, so everything¡¯s cheap.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Raeleigh smiled.¡°Then, you¡¯re probably not that old. How old are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thirty-six. When I first came here, it was still in ruins. I bought houses here because it was dirt cheap. Who knew that the housing prices would begin skyrocketing in a few years. Rent here is a few hundred dors per day. The properties here are definitely profitable.¡±

    ¡°Do you have many properties?¡± Raeleigh asked, giving off the impression that she was envious of him. Opposite her, Santiago was full from the supper. Hewiped his mouth and looked at the host with his legs crossed. The host exined, ¡°My sister and I bought the property here, actually. She died in a car ident, so it became mine. For many years, I didn¡¯t think about making money. I just wanted a quiet life. I didn¡¯t expect to make this much money. Even if I wasn¡¯t nning on it, I still made a lot of money here.¡±

    While exining, the host took a chair and settled himself down opposite Raeleigh. Raeleigh found him to be a pleasant person and began chatting with him.

    ¡°Your sister is looking after you from heaven, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always thought so, so I don¡¯t intend to sell my property here. A lot of people want to buy the properties here¡­¡±

    The host took out a pack of cigarettes, setting the scene to bring up a sad story.Santiago interrupted, ¡°You can¡¯t smoke here.¡±

    ¡°The ¡®no smoking¡¯ signs are just there for decoration.¡± The host lit a cigarette, and Santiago immediately lunged to p away his hand. Raeleigh pulled Santiago¡¯s arm, silencing him.

    However, Santiago definitely looked stormy. She could already tell that he was getting impatient.

    The host lit the cigarette and took apuff. He asked Santiago, ¡°Do you want one?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Santiago looked away. He did not want to look at the scene.

    Raeleigh knew that Santiago disliked people smoking when she was around because of her pregnancy.

    However, there were exceptions to everything.

    Raeleigh was not going to let this golden opportunity slip past her.

    The host took a few puffs off the cigarette and continued.¡°My sister didn¡¯t agree to buy the ce with me initially. It was cheap, and too good to be true in fact. However, if we didn¡¯t buy it, then we would soon regret it. We were not rich enough to afford such a ce, so we couldn¡¯t miss that chance. But in the end, my sisterworked very hard to get this house here.I was enamored by this ce.I would have argued with my sister if she didn¡¯t agree to buy it.There were only us two siblings. My parents divorced early on. My sister went with my mother. My father was a drunkard who died early and left me some money. To take care of me, my sister gave up the opportunity to go abroad and divorced her ex-husband.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want my sister to suffer. I wanted to find a ce where I could make money, so I bought the properties here.¡±

    ¡°At first, it was tough. My sister never hated me for making this decision. She always said that it was just the beginning, just a matter of time.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡±

    ¡°Slowly, the business got better, but she died in a car ident and left me here alone.¡±

    ¡°When my sister passed away, I couldn¡¯t sleep for months. I was so dispirited and often thought of what she said. She told me that this ce was bad luck because of the fire that happened here which killed many people. Theprices wouldn¡¯t have been so cheap otherwise. But I didn¡¯t listen. I did what I wanted out of my own selfishness. I told her that wealthes from taking risks. It was foolish to assume we couldn¡¯t make money because of a few people¡¯s deaths. I even said that people died everywhere in the world. I ruined my sister¡¯s life.¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    The host spoke with tears in his eyes. He then brought his sleeves to his eyes, wiping away his tears. Raeleigh shot a nce at Santiago. He had a brother, so he must have sympathized with those feelings, his guilt, and longing for his loved ones.

    Raeleigh took a tissue and handed it to the host, who epted it and continued dabbing at his eyes. He cursed himself.¡°I¡¯m inhumane.¡±

    Raeleigh did not respond. The host gave his eyes onest wipe and said, ¡°If I were to get a second chance, then I¡¯ll always be a good little brother to my sister. I¡¯ll never disobey her.¡±

    Raeleigh said, smiling, ¡°If I were your sister,then I would want that too.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. The host then proceeded with a bitter smile.¡°After my sister¡¯s death, this ce developed rapidly. In a few years, it wasparable to Capital City.¡±

    ¡°Many people want the properties here. I have never inquired about the price, but it must be worth a lot of money.¡±

    ¡°However, money is not important to me. I would give up everything for my sister toe back alive.¡±

    Then, the host drew a final puff of his cigarette and told Raeleigh, ¡°I don¡¯t usuallyjusttell this to everyone, but I don¡¯t know why, but you remind me of my sister. That¡¯s what I wanted to tell you.¡±

    ¡°The food is on me tonight.¡±

    Santiago nced at the other party with a hint of impatience in his gaze.

    Smiling politely, Raeleigh said, ¡°No, that¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I can afford it. If you like the food,then you cane here as often as you like. I¡¯ll cook it for you. My sister liked the type of food we serve here too.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll bring along some friends in the near future.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s someone you¡¯ve introduced, then I¡¯ll give them a discount.They can even eat for free.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go now. Didn¡¯t you say you want to buy something?¡± Santiago stood up and strode outside. Seeing Santiago leave, Raeleigh shouted after him. ¡°Wait for me.¡±

    Santiago turned around and sat down at a table near the entrance, waiting.

    Raeleigh turned back to focus on the host and exined, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind my brother. He has a bad temper.¡±

    ¡°Your brother?¡± The host shot a casual look at Santiago.¡°I assumed he was your boyfriend.

    ¡°No, he¡¯s my brother, Santiago,¡± Raeleigh hurriedly rified.She followed it up with, ¡°I want to consult you on something.¡±

    ¡°What is it? Just say it. Since it¡¯s fate that brought us together, I will tell you everything I know,¡± agreed the host readily. Raeleigh peeked at Santiago.

    ¡°I want to ask you a little about that incident that happened here before. You said it was a fire. You were in the area at the time, right?¡±

    The host thought for a moment before he nodded in response to Raeleigh¡¯s question.

 Chapter 1060 Unconscious

    The host had mentioned that due to the deaths at the orphanage, no one wanted to buy property in the area.

    Therefore,he managed to acquire it for an extremely cheap price.

    Raeleigh chose her words carefully and asked, ¡°That means you lived near the orphanage?¡±

    ¡°No, but I know someone who did. I can introduce you to them,¡± he replied. His answer caught Raeleigh off guard. She repeated,¡°You said that you know someone who lived nearby?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know him. From what he¡¯s told me, he lives near here and he was well-acquainted with the orphanage. He asionallyes here for a meal and talks to me. Once, he got drunk and started talking about the incident at the orphanage.¡±

    ¡°I thought it was inappropriate to ask for further details.Personally, the fire seems fishy to me, so I didn¡¯t mention it to anyone. But you seem like a good person, so if you want to see him, then I can introduce you to him. But I must warn you that he is a very strange person. He doesn¡¯t talk to people, and he has no friends.¡±

    ¡°Well, I really want to meet him,¡± Raeleigh chimed in. The host added, ¡°In fact, someone came to inquire about these things a while ago, but I did not tell them anything. I thought it would be better if I just let it go.¡±

    ¡°A man came to me and said that he wanted to know something about the orphanage. He asked me if I knew anything, but I lied and told him that I only came here recently, so I had no idea. He left afterwards.¡±

    Raeleigh ruminated over it.It must have been Xanthus. Contrary to her expectations, he had not given up on pursuing the matter.

    Raeleigh sat for a while, recalling the names and contact information on the list. She confirmed that there had been children sent to the orphanage. Unfortunately, she was too young to remember where these children came from. If she had remembered,then she might have an idea of the children¡¯s backgrounds.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    As the saying went, no news was good news. Jepherson would not be searching in vain.

    Raeleigh agreed on a subsequent meeting with the host. After thanking him, she made a beeline for the door.

    When she reached the entrance,Santiago stood up. He nced at the host inside the burger joint and left with Raeleigh.They went tothe supermarket for a quick shop and then headed to the car to return back home.

    It was eleven o¡¯clock by the time they got home. Time had passed quickly.

    Raeleigh called Jepherson and asked him where he was.Jepherson replied that he had already reached his destination and was on the way back, in his car.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you gone to bed?¡± Jepherson questioned. Raeleigh lied and told him that she was busy tidying up the house.The reply she got from Jepherson was,¡°Rest. Don¡¯t mess up your sleep schedule. It¡¯s not good for the child¡¯s health.¡±

    ¡°I know. You should rest early too when you get home. Call me tomorrow if you find anything.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After they chatted for a while, Raeleigh hung up.

    There were still a lot of things strewn around on the floor. Raeleigh was tired.Since there was nothing urgent for her to do tomorrow, she did not put them away. She looked at Santiago, who was lounging around downstairs, and told him, ¡°Let¡¯s retire for the day.¡±

    Santiago stood up and went upstairs,and so did Raeleigh. Raeleigh had thought that Scarlette was not back yet, but Scarlette was actually clearing up the mess downstairs. When she saw Raeleigh, Scarlette said, ¡°You¡¯re back, Raeleigh?¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and looked at Scarlette. Seeing that Scarlette was in her sleepwear, Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯m going to bed.I¡¯ll handle things tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Go.¡± Scarlette hadn¡¯t finished unpacking. She nned to rest only when she was done.

    Raeleigh went back to her room, took a shower, and went to bed. When she woke up the next morning, she went to see Novalie, whoined that she hadn¡¯t had a good rest since she got to the vi. Hopefully, that would change, the day after.

    Raeleigh had breakfast with Novalie and followed Santiago to college afterwards. After ss, Raeleigh left without waiting for Santiago.

    It was not that she didn¡¯t like Santiago following her. She justdidn¡¯t want Santiago to find out about the past.

    Raeleigh called a cab and went to the burger joint. Raeleigh had made a phone call to Scarlette on the way there, to inform her that she had gone out to shop and would be returningte. Scarlette asked Raeleigh what she wanted to buy and why she was alone.Raeleigh dodged her questions and ended the call before walking into the restaurant. When she entered, she saw the host, who was dressed differently that day.

    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± The host was dressed in casual clothes and lookedlike a tourist. Raeleigh nodded. The two exited the restaurant and hopped into his car to pay the mystery man a visit.

    When they arrived at his residence, Raeleigh was first of all taken by surprise. It was a very remote ce, but the ce gave her a sense of deja vu.

    Raeleigh stood there for a while after getting out of the car. If her memory did not fail her, it was the exactyout of the orphanage. How could that be?

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go in. He has lived here for a long time. I heard that his child built the house for him and he¡¯s lived here ever since,¡± the host informed Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh said nothing and obediently followed the host to the yard. The host spoke again.¡°I¡¯ve been here twice. Everyone says that he is crazy, but I don¡¯t know the reason.I¡¯ve never met his children either.¡±

    At the door, the host gave a couple of knocks. There was no response even after they waited quite a long while. The host exchanged nces with Raeleigh before pushing the door open.

    A musty smell wafted out from the inside. The host walked ahead while waving his hand around to get the dust out of their faces. Raeleigh traipsed behind him and peered inside.

    A strange feeling struck Raeleigh when they entered the ce. Not only was the exterior simr to the orphanage,the interior also looked the same.

    The bed and table inside were built the exact same way as the ones in the orphanage.

    As Raeleigh walked inside, two rats dashed across in front of her. She stood still. This had been a childhood nightmare of hers. Though she was not scared anymore, her heart could not help but to beat faster when she suddenly saw the rats.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The host had seen the mice too and immediately calmed Raeleigh down. Raeleigh nodded as she looked inside a room. She rified,¡°I¡¯m not afraid of rats,it¡¯s just that they spooked me with how suddenly they appeared.¡±

    ¡°Most women would be afraid.¡± The hostughed.

    Raeleigh kept her words to a minimum. Upon peering into the room, she saw that there seemed to be a person lying under the bed. The person moved a little.

    Raeleigh bent down and pointed at the man under the bed.¡°There is a man down there.¡±

    ¡°A man?¡± The host hurried over and bent down to look under the bed. There was indeed a man under the bed.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± the host asked, and the man under the bed shrank further inside. A few mice ran out in a blink of an eye, but the man did note out.

    A thought immediately crossed Raeleigh¡¯s mind. She addressed the man. ¡°You can¡¯te out, can you?¡±

    The host looked at Raeleigh,who then went to move the bed aside. The bed was made of wood. The rats had not nibbled at it, but they were squeaking incessantly. Raeleigh was about to help, but she was stopped by the host, who told her, ¡°Don¡¯te over. I can do it by myself.¡±

    After saying that, the host pushed the bed away with all his strength.

    When Raeleigh looked at the man, she found that half of the man¡¯s face was rotting. Most parts of the man¡¯s body were covered with rat bites.

    Upon closer inspection, the man was trembling. It was clear that he was unconscious.

 Chapter 1061 Mr. Santiago Is Angry

    Raeleigh immediately asked, ¡°Is it him?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him.¡±

    The host said as he squatted down to help the man up. The manscreamed, ¡°No, no, no¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, it¡¯s me!¡± the host shouted. Only then did the man look at him slowly. His body was still trembling after he took in the sight, as if he was afraid of human contact.

    ¡°Let¡¯s bring him to the hospital.¡± Raeleigh looked at the man. They could only do that.

    The host agreed. However, before they left, he took off the man¡¯s clothes. It was a hot day and the cotton clothes he was wearing gave off a foul odor. The hospital would refuse treatment to such a person if they went just like that.

    The host pulled the man out, stripping the smelly clothes off the man. Raeleigh got him a ss of water and managed to find a clean towel. She washed it with water and began cleaning the man.

    Raeleigh kept looking at the intact half of the man¡¯s face, trying to figure out who he was.

    The host was extremely generous towards the man. After the man had been cleaned up, the host gave him his own clothes to wear. The weather wasn¡¯t too bad that day. The host donned arger pair of pants and together, the three left the house.

    Raeleigh looked back at that house. There was a creeping sensation in the back of her mind, telling her that there was something off about it.

    Raeleigh fixed her gaze on the man who had lost his mind and said nothing.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    At the hospital, the doctor diagnosed the man with severe mental regression.

    Raeleigh sat aside,with a helpless look on her face. It had not been easy to find a clue, yet things had turned out that way.

    After sitting there for a while, Raeleigh stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m a student, soI have to head back for ss. Please get someone to take care of him here. I will be back. This is all the money I have on me. Use this to pay the bills for now.¡±

    Raeleigh took out upwards of two thousand dors and gave it to the host. He nced at the money and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can take this. I can¡¯t just sit back and watch.¡±

    The host gave Raeleigh her money back. Raeleigh took it and told him, ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Call me if you need my help. Here is my number.¡±

    Raeleigh gave the host her phone number.He then said, ¡°I¡¯m Wouter. Don¡¯t worry, I will take care of him. You can head back to your sses.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Raeleigh replied. She left the hospital, shootinga nce at the man who was lying on the bed beforehand. However hard she tried,she couldn¡¯t recall who he was, but he was connected to the orphanage for sure.

    After leaving the area where the orphanage once stood,Raeleigh took a cab back to school.

    It was already three o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Raeleigh gasped when she saw the time. As soon as she got off the cab,she found Santiago waiting at the gate. He leaned against the guardhouse with his eyes closed.

    After Raeleigh paid the cab driver, she looked around, but she didn¡¯t see Scarlette.Santiago was there alone.

    Raeleigh walked over. Santiago opened his eyes and asked, ¡°Where have you been?¡±

    ¡°I went to the burger joint,¡± Raeleigh confessed. She knew that Santiago was not easy to deceive.

    ¡°Tell me next time and I¡¯lltake you there. If something happens to you, then how am I going to take responsibility for that?¡± Santiago turned around and walked into the campus,with Raeleigh following behind him. Santiago was obviously pissed off, but he didn¡¯t show it.Raeleigh was at a loss for words at that.

    On campus, Scarlette ran out. As soon as she saw Raeleigh, she asked in a whisper, ¡°Where have you been? Mr Santiago was so angry that he flipped a desk.¡±

    Raeleigh looked up at Santiago¡¯s stony expression.She knew that he was mad, but she didn¡¯t expect him to be that angry.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Raeleigh blurted out all of a sudden. Santiago stopped and turned to face her.¡°You shouldn¡¯t say that to me. You should say it to him.¡±

    After saying that, Santiago walked away. Raeleigh was still standing there in a daze.Scarlette then said, ¡°Mr. Santiago hasn¡¯t had lunch yet. He¡¯s been waiting for you at the gate. We were all afraid that something had happened to you, you know? Mr Santiagodidn¡¯t allow us to make any phone calls, for fear that you got into some ident somewhere.¡±

    Scarlette talked a lot on the way to their destination. Raeleigh could note up with any words to say.She went to look for Santiago, but ended up not seeing him even though she had been searchingthe whole afternoon.

    When Hadrian came to pick Raeleigh up at night, Raeleigh looked around. Santiago was still nowhere to be found. Raeleigh asked, ¡°Where is Santiago?¡±

    ¡°He returned early. He requested that Ie to fetch you and Scarlette.¡±Hadrian opened the door as he said that. He was driving his own car. Raeleigh swept another nce around before getting into the car.

    Raeleigh¡¯s gaze kept darting around as she got in. She had a hunch that Santiago hadn¡¯t gone back. Maybe he was on the way back. However, she did not see him the whole route back to the vi.

    After they reached the vi¡¯spound, Raeleigh got out of the car. She didn¡¯tsee Santiago¡¯s car there.

    Raeleigh went inside to inquire after Santiago. Serra told herthat he had note back to the vi.

    ¡°Hadrian, didn¡¯t you tell me that Santiago hade back early?¡± Raeleigh asked.Hadrian replied, ¡°That is what he told me.¡±

    ¡°Where is he then?¡± Raeleigh asked. Hadrian just shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Raeleigh called Santiago immediately, but he did not answer the phone. Raeleigh asked Scarlette to call him, but he didn¡¯t answer her call either.

    ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Scarletteforted Raeleigh, holding her hand. Raeleigh simply shook her head and said,¡°I know that.¡±

    But she was still very worried deep down in her heart.

    Raeleigh went to Novalie first, and unpacked the items she had not cleared away the day before. Santiago had not returned even after dinner was served. Raeleigh¡¯s calls were still not getting through. She skipped dinner and waited for him.However, he still was not back yet.

    ¡°Raeleigh, it¡¯s normal for Mr Santiago to behave this way. Sometimes, he is a bit self-centered. Don¡¯t be mad at him.¡± Scarlette said.

    Raeleigh did not reply. She wentupstairs and called Jepherson to tell him that she went to the orphanage during the day.

    ¡°So, Santiago went missing because of that?¡± Jepherson stood by the window. Behind him, Trevor was drinking tea. Trevor did not like going out in recent years.Even if he had some business to attend to, he was unwilling to show up. Many of his business transactions had beenpleted at home. That year, he had gone abroad for a period of time and just returned a few days ago. He had always been reluctant to go to Capital City. The Richardsfamily was thriving and was on par with their rivals, the Moore Family. However, they had once been allies of the Moore family. Hence, he was sad at the current rtionship between the two families.

    Trevor didn¡¯t want to interfere with the younger generation¡¯s decisions, but he still insisted on not going to Capital City.

    Marissa had gone there. Trevor was still a little vexed over that.If he could cut off Capital City, thenhe would have willingly done so, but it was not his decision to make anymore.

    He was aging.Time flowed fast. All he could do was to remain as A City¡¯s guardian in his twilight years.

    The day before, when his grandson returned, Trevor had never thought that he hade especially to visit him.

    While they were talking, Jepherson epted a phone call from a woman. Trevor couldn¡¯t help but to be curious. Who was she?

    She didn¡¯t sound like Deanna at all!

 Chapter 1062 So Bossy!

    ¡°I know. It¡¯s nothing. Grandpa and I are having tea. I¡¯ll call youter. Santiago must be back soon.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    With that being said, Raeleigh hung up the phone and went downstairs to wait for Santiago. That was because she was worried, but no one appeared.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t think that Santiago woulde back so soon. As she had expected, half an hourter, Santiago drove back.

    After Raeleigh moved away from the door, she watched as Santiago drove into the mansion and got out of the car. Raeleigh walked over and looked at Santiago. Without saying a word, he stepped back into the mansion. Raeleigh stopped with a helpless look on her face. He was so angry with her just for that kind of thing.

    It was fortunate that he didn¡¯t like Deanna. If he did, then could Deanna handle his bad temper?

    Raeleigh returned to the vi. Santiago was sitting on the couch with a poker face. There was no one else around. Serra was busy taking care of Novalie, so she seldom appeared downstairs. There were two servants in the vi. One was responsible for cleaning, and the other was responsible for cooking. There were two people outside, one was the butler, and the other was a gardener.

    Those were the only people at home. Hadrian usually wouldn¡¯te out of his room, while Scarlette would flee as soon as something happened. That was the norm for Raeleigh.

    After entering the house, Raeleigh questioned Santiago, ¡°Have you had dinner yet?¡±

    Santiago briefly replied, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll cook for you.¡± Ever since Raeleigh got pregnant, Jepherson would always cook for her, but right then she needed to cook for Santiago.

    When Raeleigh went into the kitchen, she instructed the servant. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. You can leave.¡±

    The servant didn¡¯t dare to object. She was one of Santiago¡¯s workers.

    When the servant went out of the kitchen, Raeleigh started preparing the dishes. Raeleigh cooked some porridge and served it to Santiago in person.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t eat either. Let¡¯s eat together.¡± Raeleigh sat on the opposite side. She was not used to treating Santiago that way. However, looking at how arrogant he was, she was actually amused by his angry side.

    After all, he was two years younger than her, so sometimes he could be childish.

    He made it very clear that he was angry.

    His bodynguage was so obvious that she could only smile bitterly.

    Raeleigh sat on the opposite side of the table and ate the bowl of porridge. Santiago did not take a single bite. He sat there for a while before going upstairs soon after, unwilling to forgive her.

    After Raeleigh finished the porridge, she raised her head to see that Santiago had already returned to his room.

    Seeing hisuntouchedbowl of porridge, Raeleigh finished her dinner and put the rice porridge on the kitchen counter. After thinking for a while, she got some flour and made two pieces of cake for Santiago. There were no vani beans at home. Raeleigh looked at the time. It was around eight o¡¯clock, so she called out to Scarlette, ¡°Scarlette,e here.¡±

    Scarlette rushed out of the room and asked, ¡°Have you made up with him?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No. Come with me. I need to buy something.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and went downstairs. Scarlette hurried to Santiago¡¯s room. She knocked on the door and asked, ¡°Mr. Santiago, Raeleigh is going out to buy something. Are you going with her?¡±

    Scarlette didn¡¯t have the guts to leave the house without his permission, to avoid making him angry like how he was furious with Raeleigh right then.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    There was no response, so Scarlette continued.¡°Mr. Santiago, in that case, I¡¯ll ask Hadrian to go with us.¡±

    Scarlette turned around and pointed at Raeleigh as she muttered under her breath, ¡°You¡¯re doomed. Mr. Santiago does not want to talk to you.¡±

    Raeleigh ignored herment after casting a nce at her.¡°Let¡¯s go. The grocery store will be closed soon.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around to head outside while Hadrian drove the car over in no time. As they walked, Scarlette asked Raeleigh, ¡°What do you want? Can¡¯t you ask Hadrian to buy it?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a man. I reckon it¡¯s only appropriate for me to get it myself.¡± Raeleigh wanted to get something else, so she went into the car.

    Raeleigh got in the car and nced upstairs. She had really offended Santiago that time.

    Raeleigh and the others soon found some vani beans at the grocery store and bought some. Raeleigh bought some other stuff. Before going back, she did not forget to buy a pack of cigarettes for Santiago.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago has a bad temper. On the flip side, if Mr. Jepherson was to say something, then he¡¯ll immediately obey,¡± Scarlette said.

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Raeleigh replied in disbelief. After buying almost everything on her shopping list, she went back with Scarlette and Hadrian. Everything ran smoothly all the way.

    When they were back at the vi, Scarlette helped to carry some of the ingredients to the kitchen,followed by Raeleigh. Santiago¡¯s car was parked in the yard, indicating that he had not gone out.

    ¡°What are you going to do, Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°Bake a cake.¡± Raeleigh went into the kitchen, handed her clothes to Scarlette, washed her hands, and started baking the cake.

    Scarlette had wanted Raeleigh to bakeher a cake for a long time. That day, she finally got the chance. Of course, she would not let it go easily as she begged Raeleigh to make a princess cake for her.

    ¡°You can wait outside. I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m done. If you keep wandering around here,then when will the cake be ready?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave then.¡± Scarlette waited anxiously outside. Raeleigh was alone in the kitchen. It took her more than an hour to finish the two different voured cakes. One was a green cake while the other was a princess cake. After she finished the final decorations, Raeleigh brought the cake out to Scarlette.

    Scarlette showed it off in the living room like a child.

    She said while eating, ¡°Raeleigh, if you don¡¯t work as a car designer, then you should open a bakery.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Raeleigh turned around and took the green cake out of the kitchen. She cut it, leaving two pieces for Novalie and herself. She also cut a piece for Hadrian. The rest was sent to Santiago.

    Raeleigh knocked on the door several times. Santiago neither responded,nor did hee out to meet her. Raeleigh tried to turn the doorknob and found that it was not locked. Raeleigh pushed the door open and went in.

    Inside the room, the lights were on. Santiago was lying on his bed in a pair of dark green shorts and a white vest. He was resting.

    Raeleigh did not try to wake him up. She just looked at the green quilt and the green-coloured decorations. Everything in his room was green. It seemed like he really liked the color, as even his shorts were green.

    Raeleigh set the cake on the table and left, closing the door behind her.

    Closing the door, Santiago opened his eyes.After ncing at the door, he sat up from the bed and looked at the cake Raeleigh had sent over. He walked over and opened the box. After looking at it for a while, he ate one piece after another and finished them in no time. After he finished eating, he licked his teeth in satisfaction with the tip of his tongue. He then went to bed for a good sleep after he had brushed his teeth and cleaned up.

    The next day, Raeleigh knocked on the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s breakfast time.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, she went downstairs. It didn¡¯t take long for Santiago toe downstairs. He nced at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Bake a new one tonight.¡±

    Raeleigh cast a nce at him.¡°Alright.¡±

    Scarlette sat on one side and shook her head. She was impressed by him!

    After dinner, Raeleigh thought for a while before saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to the hospital. Come with me.¡±

    After getting changed, Santiago nced at Raeleigh and went outside. Raeleigh followed him out along with Scarlette. When they were outside, Santiago¡¯s car pulled over. Raeleigh opened the back door and was ready to get in when he said, ¡°Sit in the front.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Scarlette. ¡°What about Scarlette?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not going.¡± Santiago drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Scarlette was disappointed, so she let go of her hand on the door. Mr. Santiago was horrible!

    Turning around, Scarlette left.

    Raeleigh looked at her and felt amused. So bossy!

 Chapter 1063 Missing Children

    Raeleigh soon arrived at the hospital. She got out of the car and told Santiago, ¡°Your brother has been looking for your sister¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say things you¡¯re not sure of,¡± Santiago pushed the door open and got out. He looked up at the ward. Raeleigh didn¡¯t argue with him and added, ¡°Even if it¡¯s not your sister, he¡¯s still looking for someone.¡±

    Raeleigh said to Santiago, ¡°I heard that this person knows something about the orphanage, so I went to have a look. I didn¡¯t tell you because I didn¡¯t want you to be worried.¡±

    With that being said, Santiago stepped into the hospital. He didn¡¯t want to know what had happened, so Raeleigh didn¡¯t continue.

    When they entered the hospital, they foundthe ward from the day before. Raeleigh stood at the door and looked inside. Wouter was standing in the ward, looking atsome doctors dealing with the wound on a patient¡¯s body.

    After a few knocks on the door, Raeleigh walked in.

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Seeing Raeleighing in, Wouter started the conversation. Then, Raeleigh said, ¡°My brother is worried about me, so he came with me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not your brother,¡± Santiago blurted out all of a sudden. Raeleigh paused for a moment before asking, ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡±

    Santiago didn¡¯t answer, so Raeleigh didn¡¯t continue.

    ¡°How is he?¡± Raeleigh looked at the man as she asked Wouter. He exined, ¡°There are too many infection sites. We couldn¡¯t contact any of his children because we don¡¯t have their contact information. Plus, the operation has high risks. I¡¯m not sure if I can sign the contract. I need to prove my rtionship with him, but I can¡¯t.¡±

    As Wouter was in a dilemma, Raeleigh had to exin the whole thing to the attending doctor.

    The doctor hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Well, if you pay the medical fee, then we can give him treatment. After that, you can put up a missing person¡¯s notice to look for his family.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s heart trembled slightly at the mention of the missing person¡¯s notice. If the notice was sent out, then it might be found by those in the past, which would be troublesome.

    Raeleigh was silent for a while before she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to his house to find any contact information. Give him treatment. We will pay for it.¡±

    The doctor nodded and said, ¡°That will do, but you have to be mentally prepared. His condition isplicated. We¡¯re not sure how it might turn out.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Raeleigh said and looked at Wouter.¡°I¡¯ll find a way to pay for the hospitalization fees¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I have money. Plus, it¡¯s useless to keep it. Since we found him, I believe it¡¯s fate. I¡¯ll pay the fees. If I really can¡¯t afford it, then I¡¯ll tell you, and then you can give me money.¡±

    It never urred to Raeleigh that Wouter would say that. It took her a while to say, ¡°I actually am short of money now. You can pay for it first. I¡¯ll find a way to give it back to you.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Wouter and Raeleigh soon reached an agreement. They didn¡¯t say anything and shifted their gazes to look at the man whose face was scrunched up in pain on the bed.

    Raeleigh could not recall who that man was although he looked familiar.

    After that, Raeleigh waited in the hospital. However, the man did not wake up even until nighttime.

    Everyone was busy. Raeleigh needed to head back, whileWouter, on the other hand, had to return to his restaurant.

    ¡°I¡¯ll find someone to take care of him,¡± Wouter stated, and Raeleigh felt that it was the appropriate thing to do. After that, they left the hospital together and went back separately.

    On the way back, Raeleigh rubbed her temples, and something urred to her as she leaned against the door of the car. It was something rted to the fire incident.

    Raeleigh remembered that there were too many people at that time, and the fire came too suddenly. It was beyond everyone¡¯s expectations. Since there were too many of them, the orphanage was in a mess. There were screams and cries as people escaped.

    If it weren¡¯t for that child named Arsel, Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t have survived. What a pity that he¡­

    Raeleigh thought for a while and turned to Santiago. ¡°Santiago¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°If you have a hundred geese, and one runs off, but therees another one, would you find out?¡± Raeleigh figured that that was a silly question, but she thought, ¡°If Arsel had been there at that time, then those people had deliberately set fire. However, they still didn¡¯t know that there was another child in the orphanage, so the number of children would be the same, and they didn¡¯t know that one had left.¡±

    Santiago gripped the steering wheel with one hand and ced the other on Raeleigh¡¯s forehead.¡°Are you sick?¡±

    Raeleigh brushed Santiago¡¯s hand away.¡°Respect those who are older than you.¡±

    ¡°Are you an elder?¡± Santiago found it amusing. Raeleigh looked at him and snapped. ¡°I¡¯m older than you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. Other than being born earlier than me, I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re older than me.¡±

    ¡°Fine, you¡¯re older. Can you answer my question?¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Of course, I know my own geese.¡± Santiagoughed. Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°What if they¡¯re all roasted?¡±

    Santiago snorted. ¡°Have you gone mad?¡±

    Raeleigh turned her face away and asked, ¡°How can you tell which is the one you lost if it¡¯s roasted?¡±

    Looking at Raeleigh¡¯s absent-minded eyes, Santiago said, ¡°Simple. If it¡¯s the geese I had, then I¡¯ll definitely leave a mark on them. Everyone puts abel on a goose¡¯s body. There are even records of its past illnesses.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago.¡°What if it¡¯s a person?¡±

    ¡°Humans are simpler. If a person dies, then it¡¯s easy to distinguish them by the teeth or the bones.¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s how it is.¡±

    Back then, even if people knew that there was one more child, they wouldn¡¯t believe it. She was dead. However, there was an extra boy while a girl was missing. There was no way to exin it.

    Raeleigh was in a daze for a long time before the car stopped. They were back home.

    Raeleigh went upstairs and investigated the fire incident in the orphanage. It was reported that it was an ident, all of them were dead, andnone of them survived.

    Raeleigh looked at the reports and even found the newspaper that reported it. It stated that no one was left alive.

    Raeleigh was surprised. She was supposed to find herself in the files. ording to what Santiago had said, everyone had a record. If she died, then there must be one. Why didn¡¯t it state that there was one person missing?

    Raeleigh could not figure it out. She turned around,y down on the bed, tossing and turning without sleeping forthe whole night.

    With doubts in her heart, Raeleigh asked Santiago to apany her to the Public Security Department the next day. She wanted to get the archives of the fire ident in the orphanage.

    With Santiago around, the other party was easy to talk to. He found the files and gave them to Raeleigh, asking her to read them carefully.

    Raeleigh found a quiet ce and carefullypared the names of the children back then. She still remembered many of them. However, Raeleigh found something specialthatneither Arsel¡¯s nor her name was on the list¡­

    As for the number of people, Raeleigh checked it over and over again. She found that not only Arsel¡¯s and her records were missingbut some other children¡¯s records were nowhere to be found as well.

 Chapter 1064 Canâ€™t Be Released on Bail

    Raeleigh closed the file and tried to recall who was missing.

    Raeleigh remembered that in those days, except for the children, the rest of the people in the orphanage were women, including the dean, the director, the rest¡­

    The guard?

    That male guard?

    Raeleigh recalled something all of a sudden and jolted up from her seat.

    ¡°I remember,¡± Raeleigh eximed. Santiago stood up, took the files, and left the Public Security Department with her.

    Right after they went out, Raeleigh grabbed Santiago¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to the hospital?¡± Santiago looked at her with an amused smile. Raeleigh froze there for a while and didn¡¯t respond.¡°I¡¯m not going to the hospital. I remember where I saw the man and know how to contact his family. You cane with me. We¡¯ll definitely find them.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished, she went outside. She couldn¡¯t let Santiago know about the orphanage, so she lured Santiago away.

    After getting into the car, Raeleigh waited for Santiago. Santiago looked at her for a while and he then followed her. He started the car engine and went to the ce where Raeleigh had told him about.

    After getting out of the car, Raeleigh took Santiago into the house to have a look. When they entered, Raeleigh said, ¡°I remember seeing a notebook. Why is it gone?¡±

    The corner of Santiago¡¯s lips twitched. He sneered.¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that there was actually another person here?¡±

    After saying that, Santiago stormed out impatiently. He had always been unwilling toe to such a messy and dirty ce.

    Raeleigh pretended to look for something in the room and did note out of the house.

    After returning to the car, Raeleigh got in and thought for a while, ¡°I really saw it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you wouldn¡¯t lie to me.¡± After that, Santiago stopped the car by the roadside. He took a cigarette and lit it up. Leaning against the car door, he finished the cigarette before getting in the car. After a while, Santiago looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°No matter what¡¯s going on, I promise not to tell him, but you can¡¯t leave my sight.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent for a while, as if a chain had shackled her heart.

    ¡°I mean no harm, but there are some things I don¡¯t want others to know. They are rted to my past.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago. He looked back and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you about your past. I want you to promise me that you¡¯ll stay in my sight in case of an ident.¡±

    ¡°I promise.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Santiago started the car engine and went back with Raeleigh. She sat in the front passenger seat, asionally stealing nces at Santiago. He was so handsome and charming.

    It took Raeleigh an hour to calm down. It must have been the guard of the orphanage. As long as the guard was willing to cooperate, she could then find out who the child was that was transferred to the orphanage from another one.

    Raeleigh held the file in her hands and frowned. Why were so many people missing? Why were they not written out in the file?

    Along the way, Raeleigh was thinking about that issue. They then stopped at the entrance of the hospital. Raeleigh was lost in her thoughts for a moment before she turned to look at Santiago.¡°Weren¡¯t we going home?¡±

    ¡°I presume this is where you want to be right now. What¡¯s the point of going home?¡± Santiago pushed open the door and got out of the car. He stood outside and waited for her to get off. After a while, Raeleigh got out of the car and followed him into the hospital.

    Outside the ward, Raeleigh peeked inside. There was a nurse in the ward. Wouter didn¡¯te over because he had something to deal with.

    Raeleigh stood outside for a while before she knocked on the door and went in. When the nurse saw Raeleigh, she stood up hurriedly and said to Raeleigh, ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°I came to have a look. Thank you for taking care of him.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s part of my job. He¡¯s in good condition. The doctor said that after taking the sedative, he has regained a bit of consciousness, but he¡¯s still suffering a lot. He just fell asleep.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay for a while,¡± Raeleigh said. The nurse agreed. ¡°I have something on my hands. You can help me look after him for a while.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Raeleigh said. After that, the nurse went out and closed the door politely.

    Raeleigh sat opposite the man as she looked at half of the man¡¯s face. After a while, she suddenly froze. Then, Raeleigh took a look at Santiago. Santiago sat down while Raeleigh told him, ¡°I remember that it was him.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s wait until he wakes up, so that we can ask him.¡± Santiago crossed his legs and calmly waited with Raeleigh. However, the mandidn¡¯t wake up even when they waited untilte at night. Raeleigh looked at him in confusion. She raised her hand and tried sensing his pulse, only to find that the man was already dead!

    Raeleigh withdrew her hand. She was stunned, as if she had been struck by lightning.

    Santiago stood up and raised his hand to check his breathing. The man was no longer breathing.

    Santiago walked out of the ward and looked outside. In the middle of the night, there were only a few patients walking in the hallway. None of the others was present.

    Santiago immediately called someone to block the entrance of the hospital. Jepherson also received a call.

    ¡°Take good care of Raeleigh.I¡¯ll be right over.¡± Jepherson put down the phone and got out of bed. After getting changed, he went to Trevor¡¯s room. After a few knocks on the door, he called out, ¡°Grandpa.¡±

    Trevor had already fallen asleep. When he heard someone knocking on the door, he immediately woke up.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Trevor had justid down after watching TV with his grandson.

    ¡°I have to make a trip to Capital City. Grandpa, do you want toe with me to visit Grandma?¡± Jepherson asked in a dull voice. It was inappropriate to make loud noises in the middle of the night.

    ¡°I thought you just came back. Why are you going back again so soon?¡± Trevor was getting older day by day. He really wanted to be together with his wife, Marissa, his children, and grandchildren, but right then, such a simple thing couldn¡¯t be fulfilled.

    ¡°There¡¯s an emergency, and I have to rush back in a hurry. Why don¡¯t youe with me? You can apany Grandma in the meantime,¡± Jepherson said from the outside. Trevor thought for a while before he said, ¡°No. Juste back when you have the time. I won¡¯t go to Capital City.¡±

    Trevor never wanted to go to Capital City. No matter what, that was the Moore family¡¯s territory.Although his children and grandchildren had settled down, there was still a tendency that they would be reced. It was his descendants¡¯ affairs. What was he going to do once he got there? Was he going tough at the Moore family?

    ¡°Then, I¡¯m leaving. Please take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°Go.¡±

    Jepherson paused and turned to look at Stuart sitting downstairs. He strode downstairs, bought a ticket, and went back to Raeleigh¡¯s side.

    It was normal that someone had died in the hospital. However, Raeleigh was present. Nobody knew who reported the man¡¯s death to the police. Right then, Raeleigh was a suspect.

    Santiago was also brought over, yet he was not responsible for that, so no one dared to offend him.

    When Jepherson arrived at the police station, Raeleigh was locked up in the detention room. Santiago sat outside and was looking after her. As soon as Jepherson appeared, the police went to greet him.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, it¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to help, but we received orders from the officials saying that they¡¯ll be here soon. How¡­¡±

    ¡°Is it a member of the Moore family?¡± Jepherson¡¯s face was tense. He had already guessed it beforeing over when he received the news. The Moore family had been mobilized, and news had spread throughout the entire Capital City. Yousif was fired overnight. He didn¡¯t know who the attending official was, but there was no doubt that he was from the Moore family. Jepherson hoped that it wasn¡¯t Flynt. At that point, if it was Flynt, then things would get tough.

    ¡°I know about this. We¡¯ll have to follow the normal procedure. My apologies to everyone.¡± Regardless of what Jepherson did, his way of doing things was simr to that of his father, Hansen. He was not afraid of spending money. He was like the God of Fortune, where money basically rained down from the sky wherever he went.

    Moreover, he was willing to invest in people whom he admired. On the other hand, he would not spare a penny on people who were useless to him. Even if a knife was ced against his neck, he wouldn¡¯t give the unworthy a single penny.

    Politics was harsh and corrupted, but their family still had their ways.

    Everyone understood that no one would reject the money. The Moore family was powerful in politics,but not to the extent of using money to control the entire Capital City. They could not afford that much money. The Richards family was different. They had money,and it was not a big deal. Everything was possible when one had the money.

    When one had no money and had to seek help from the Moore family, one would be ignored. But if one sought help from the Richards family, as long as one was worthy of it, they would lend a helping hand.

    They did not spend that money only for it to be wasted.

    All the effort they put in was for an emergency like that. That was the logic behind it.

    Rumor had it that Mr. Santiago of the Richards family was the Devil of Destruction. No one should ever try to provoke him. They never knew that without the backing of the Richards family, Mr. Santiago would never havee to that state.

    Jepherson¡¯s words were particrly courteous. Everyone knew that Raeleigh was Santiago¡¯s girlfriend. They had to show her some respect. Never mind being innocent, even if she really killed someone, what else could they have done?

    There, as long as one had someone powerful on one¡¯s side, getting away with murder couldn¡¯t get easier.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, you¡¯re too polite. It¡¯s our fault that we can¡¯t prove Miss Anson¡¯s innocence.¡±

    Jepherson said with a smile, ¡°You have your own difficulties. Please help me with the normal procedures. I¡¯ll bail her out.¡±

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll arrange it right away. Please wait for a moment, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Since unauthorized personnel were forbidden from entering the police station, everyone was busy. Jepherson walked up to Santiago and looked at him. ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡±

    The sun was rising. It was already dawn in the blink of an eye.

    Santiago looked at Raeleigh and yawned. ¡°She has been quiet. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s on her mind.¡±

    ¡°Go and rest. I get it.¡± Jepherson sat down. Santiago leaned against one side and rested for a while.

    The police station was busy. In no time, they handed over some documents of formalities to Jepherson after dealing with them. However, just as Jepherson was about to sign them, a few people came in from the door. The person in the lead was none other than Flynt.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Raeleigh can¡¯t be released on bail.¡± Then, Flynt walked up to Jepherson, took away the documents, and handed them over to the person beside him.

 Chapter 1065 Ordered to Let Her Go.

    Jepherson drummed his fingers on the table and did not say a word. He turned to look at the other side with a calm expression on his face. Stuart hastily asked, ¡°May I know, who are you?¡±

    Flynt looked at Stuart and said, ¡°I¡¯m the newmunicipal court administrator ofCapital City.¡±

    Stuart frowned. The municipal court administrator was the highest level of administrativew. That meant that the imperial court of Capital City was under his control.

    Stuart felt strange. How could the Moore family mobilize just as Raeleigh had an ident and control the imperial court?

    If so,then did it mean that Raeleigh had something to do with the Moore family?

    Jepherson looked at Flynt and did not react.

    On the other hand, Santiago suddenly stood up and refuted.¡°What the bloody h*ll is the municipal court administrator?¡±

    Jepherson cast a sideways nce. Without saying a word, his indifferent eyes were withdrawn andnded on Flynt.

    Flynt walked towards Santiago and said, ¡°It means a big deal.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Santiago uttered with amusement,¡°I¡¯ll give it a try and see if it¡¯s really a big deal.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so rude,¡± Flynt turned around and walked away. Santiago said, ¡°I think you have misunderstood. I meant your rank.¡±

    Flyntughed. ¡°You¡¯re worthless. What¡¯s there to be arrogant about? Without your father, you might not even have the chance to speak to me. Some time ago, they said that you¡¯re dead. I thought you were really dead, but I didn¡¯t expect to see you alive. I¡¯m d for your parents.¡±

    ¡°Why should you be d for my parents? Even if I die, my eldest brother will still be here. What are you so pleased about? Could it be that you¡¯re my father¡¯s illegitimate son¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Jepherson snapped before anyone could say a word. Santiago immediately kept his mouth shut. Following that, he heard Jepherson say, ¡°How can you tarnish Dad¡¯s innocent name while he¡¯s away? Not everyone is worthy of it¡­¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s voice fell on Flynt in the middle of his words.¡°Santiago¡¯s too young to be sensible. I apologize to you on his behalf.¡±

    Jepherson sat leisurely, as if he was in paradise. Flynt gritted his teeth. It was obvious that he was insulting him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t wish to meddle in the affairs of the Richards family. However, please remember that this is Capital City, which is, by the way, not your territory. You¡¯ll be imprisoned after you murdered someone.¡±

    ¡°I agree with you. However, I think that every debt has its debtor. A life is paid with another,and debts are paid with money. Raeleigh, a powerlessdy,can¡¯t even kill an ant, but you¡¯re iming that she killed a living person. This story is intriguing.¡±

    Jepherson smiled and said, ¡°Santiago, I¡¯ll stay here today. You can have a rest. I¡¯m leaving for a while tonight.¡±N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Santiago looked at him and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave then.¡±

    Santiago went outside right after. Flynt frowned and did not understand the purpose of them doing that.

    ¡°Give me the files.¡± Flynt went inside. Jepherson drummed his fingers on the table lightly as he watched Stuart. ¡°Prepare something to eat. Raeleigh¡¯s body won¡¯t be able to take it.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Stuart went to do it while Jepherson stayed in the police station.

    The others stood surrounding them. As Jepherson was there, they didn¡¯t even have the nerves to sit down. Usually, they received a lot of benefits from him. Now that they couldn¡¯t do anything, they were naturally in the wrong.

    Stuart quickly prepared some food and sent it over. Jepherson nced at the supervisor. The supervisor immediately walked over and took the food away. However, when he reached the door, he was stopped.

    Since Flynt¡¯s men did not allow Raeleigh to interact with anyone, it was also impossible for him to send food to her.

    ¡°We also have to do things, so you¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯rew enforcers. Please cooperate with us. Your identity shows that you have to enforce thew as well.How dare you go against thew.¡±

    The person on the opposite side spoke eloquently, but Jepherson did not turn around. After a while, the steward sent the food back. Jepherson nced at Stuart, and he nodded. Stuart then called Mr.Santiago.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson is somewhat anxious. Miss Anson hasn¡¯t eaten anything for the whole day.¡± After that, Stuart hung up the phone. Santiago¡¯s car was already parked not far from the Moore family residence.

    Stopping the car, Santiago got out of the car and sent a text message to Cynthia, who had been waiting for his text all day long. When she received his text, she couldn¡¯t wait toe out to see him.

    ¡°Are you heading out, Miss Cynthia?¡±

    When the butler saw that Cynthia was about to go out, he immediately went up and asked. At that moment, she was sitting in the car and holding her phone excitedly. She found an excuse.¡°I¡¯d like to buy some sweets. I don¡¯t like the ones at home, so I¡¯m heading out to buy some.¡±

    ¡°Be careful on the way, Miss Cynthia. Don¡¯t let others set their eyes on you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the reminder. I got it.¡±

    ¡°Miss Cynthia, please.¡±

    The door was opened for her, and they drove out. Not long after, the car stopped. Cynthia got out of the car and told the driver, ¡°Holsen, don¡¯t tell my family about this. Wait for me at the mall.¡±

    ¡°Yes,Miss Cynthia.¡±

    The chauffeur was bribed and threatened by Cynthia. Naturally, he would not dare to disobey her orders.

    After the driver left, Cynthia looked around and walked over to Santiago¡¯s car.

    ¡°Get in the car.¡±

    Santiago lifted his chin and motioned for her to get in the car. Cynthia sat at the back. Santiago pointed to the front and said, ¡°Sit in the front.¡±

    Cynthia felt a little embarrassed, but she still obliged.

    Following that, Santiago brought Cynthia to the ce where they were sightseeing.

    Not long after, Flynt received a call from a servant saying that Cynthia had gone out and was not with the driver. They didn¡¯t know where she was right then.

    Flynt was reading the documents. Hastily, he put down the documents in his hand and tried calling his sister. However, the phone was not connected. It was upied at the moment¡­

    Stuart¡¯s phone rang. He lowered his gaze and saw that it was indeedSantiago. Stuart took the phone and showed it to Jepherson. After that, Jepherson knocked on the table and said, ¡°Send a meal to Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Stuart walked to the detention room. When he reached the door, he was stopped by a guard. He looked back at Jepherson beforending his gaze on the others.

    Stuart didn¡¯t say anything. After waiting for a while, one of Flynt¡¯s men came out, looked at him, and ordered, ¡°Let them in.¡±

    The guard at the door moved aside as Stuart stepped forward. The guard opened the door for him to deliver food to Raeleigh in person.

    As Stuart entered the room, Raeleigh looked up at him. She was surprised, but it was within her expectations. If something happened to her,then Jepherson would definitelye over as soon as possible.

    In fact, he really came.

    ¡°Miss Anson, have something to eat. Mr. Jepherson is worried.¡± After Stuart arranged the dishes one by one, Raeleigh felt a little guilty. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have worried him.¡±

    Raeleigh sat down and was about to dig in. Stuart handed her a pair of cutlery. ¡°Well, it¡¯s normal. If something happens to you, then Mr. Jepherson will certainly help you. Don¡¯t worry, Miss Anson. You only have to protect yourself.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. She sat down and quietly ate the food. After she was finished, Stuart cleaned up and brought the tes out to Jepherson, and showed them to him. Jepherson knew exactly how much Raeleigh usually ate, so he could tell how she was doing.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Seeing that Jepherson had given the order, Stuart knew thatJepherson was satisfied. He heaved a sigh of relief and handed the food to the person in charge. He then waited for Jepherson¡¯s orders.

    ¡°What time is it?¡± Around noon, Jepherson asked once again. Stuart replied, ¡°It¡¯s eleven o¡¯clock.¡±

    ¡°Go and check on Raeleigh.¡± Stuart agreed and left immediately. After checking that she was fine, he came back and waited for a long time until it was dark. Out of the blue, Flynt ordered the police to let her go.

 Chapter 1066 There Wonâ€™t Be a Next Time

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, they agreed to let her go,¡± Stuart hurriedly told Jepherson. Jepherson did not move, but instead, he nced at thewyer who had already arrived, as well as the psychologist.

    Thewyer stepped forward and said, ¡°Excuse me, we need to give her a psychiatric evaluation We hope that the relevant party can cooperate with us.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    The involved party appeared to be in a difficult position. They knew that Jepherson was not someone who could be easily rid of. Moreover, Capital City was no longer ruled by the Moore family. If a member of the Richards family was wronged, then they would not let it slide.

    Jepherson seemed to be tired. He sat on the side and rubbed his temples when Stuart said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson is tired. Hurry up.¡±

    ¡°Please wait a moment,¡± the person in charge immediately reported to Flynt. At that moment, Flynt was standing in the director¡¯s office, holding his phone. There was a photo sent to him just then. The person in the photo was his second sister. She was sleeping on the bed, wearing inappropriate and s*xy pyjamas.

    Flynt couldn¡¯t get in touch with Cynthia. Furthermore, he couldn¡¯t let Johan and the rest of the Moore family know about that.

    Flynt clearly knew the Moore family. There were too many heirs in the family. He was not the only one who could stand out in that generation. Once people found out about that, he would not gain any benefit.

    Flynt tapped lightly on his phone. He knew that the Richards family was behind this, especially Santiago.

    He was waiting, waiting for his men to find his sister.

    In the end, after a long wait, there was a knock on the door.

    The two ¡®nk¡¯ sounds seemed to have been buckled on Flynt¡¯s heart. Flynt turned to look at him. The director opened the door, and a man came in. He said, ¡°Jepherson is not willing to take her away like this. He wants to carry out a psychiatric evaluation.¡±

    ¡°Let him do it.¡± Flynt didn¡¯t turn around. At that time, his sister¡¯s safety was more important. He couldn¡¯t afford to lose her. He didn¡¯t want to see anything happen to her as a result of his negligence.

    That was something he didn¡¯t consider carefully. He didn¡¯t expect the Richards family to shift their focus to Cynthia.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The man didn¡¯t expect Flynt to be so easygoing. Surprised, he nced at the director and went outside.

    Jepherson was growing impatient from all the waiting. Thewyer then brought some people in to conduct the physical and psychological examination for Raeleigh. Raeleigh had been cooperative during the process. Stuart simply stood aside and watched. His behavior was a little bit abnormal, which affected Raeleigh¡¯s mood. That day¡¯s incident was a serious matter.

    After the examination, thewyer came out and told Jepherson that there was nothing wrong,but his suggestion was to be informed of what was going on. That was to say, thewyer was not ready to leave.

    Jepherson thought for a moment before saying, ¡°How much longer do we have to wait? Another 48 hours?¡±

    ¡°Four hours,¡± thewyer answered, ncing at the time. Jepherson said, ¡°Since there are four hours left, let¡¯s wait¡­¡±

    ¡°Mr. Moore¡­¡±

    Someone knocked on the door and went in. Flynt closed his eyes and did not look at him. He said, ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not leaving,and said that they¡¯ll wait for four hours.¡±

    ¡°Cancel theint.¡±

    Flynt knew that Jepherson would not leave until he saw the final result. At the moment, Flynt could onlypromise.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The man turned around and went to inform Jepherson. Only then did Jepherson say, ¡°Let¡¯s go and see Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Stuart walked over hurriedly and waited for Raeleigh to exit the room. Raeleigh stood there and looked around. When she saw Jepherson, she felt as if the burden in her heart had been lifted.

    At that time, Jepherson stood up, dusted off, and looked at Raeleigh. His dark eyes swept from Raeleigh¡¯s head to her feet to make sure that she was fine. Then, he ordered, ¡°Stuart, take Miss Anson to the car first. Call Santiago and tell him that Raeleigh is fine.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Stuart was not in a hurry to call Santiago. He first took Raeleigh outside. A group of reporters were on standby. After walking out of the police station, Stuart said, ¡°The Richards family will continue to investigate this matter. If what is reported is found to be false, then the Richards family will act ording to thew. I hope that everyone will take note of this and not bring pressure to the involved party.¡±

    As Stuart spoke, Raeleigh was already in the car. The reporters all thought about that matter. In the end, they gave up the idea of reporting negative news regarding Raeleigh and changed the headlines to attacking the Moore family.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t leave right after Raeleigh was out. Instead, he waited for Flynt toe out of the office. After Flynt exited the office, he saw Jepherson and walked up to him, saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so cunning.¡±

    There were a lot of people around, and they could tell that Flynt was threatened. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have let Raeleigh go.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Jepherson¡¯s expression was calm.¡°If you don¡¯t want others to know about something, then don¡¯t do it. If you hadn¡¯t gone too far, then I would¡¯ve treated you nicely. Capital City belongs to everyone. Yes, the Moore family has put a lot of effort into making the city what it is today. If you want to be the governor, then be fair to everyone. Take care of the citizens, and that¡¯s the only way you will receive our utmost respect.¡±

    ¡°As the saying goes, the currents can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it.

    ¡°Raeleigh had not done anything wrong. Someone used her as bait and tried to hurt her. I will not turn a blind eye to this.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is the daughter-inw of the Richards family. Although she has no official status yet, it¡¯s only a matter of time.¡±

    ¡°People are not nts, so they have feelings. Since you made a move on Raeleigh, I¡¯ll make you pay for it.¡±

    ¡°Take care of yourself. Think of today as a lesson. The Richards family neither wants to hurt anyone, nor do we want to rece anyone. Capital City is the territory of the royal family. No one in the royal family has ever announced who will take charge of this city, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push it too far.¡±

    After that, Jepherson turned around and walked away, leaving the group of people dumbfounded. They all realized that that was not the Moore family¡¯s territory anymore.

    The Moore family was only putting up a final struggle.

    Jepherson walked out of the police station and paused for a moment. When he saw the swarm of reporters in front of him, he did not say anything but continued to walk forward. His gaze was calm and cold, causing people to stand further away from him.

    The reporters stepped back, giving Jepherson a way out.

    Stuart opened the door for Jepherson, who bent his body to get in the car seat. Inside the car, with the door closed, Jepherson took Raeleigh¡¯s hand and looked at her. He intertwined his fingers with hers and pulled her closer,kissing the back of Raeleigh¡¯s hand and holding it tight.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Seeing that Jepherson finally rxed, Raeleigh was relieved.

    Looking at the night sky out of the window, no one could see the inside of the car. Raeleigh leaned forward and kissed Jepherson¡¯s face. Jepherson turned to look at Raeleigh, and then he pulled her in with his other hand for another kiss.

    Raeleigh¡¯s lips lingered, but Jepherson was already breathing heavily.¡°There won¡¯t be a next time.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded and kissed Jepherson in return. She couldn¡¯t help herself. His lips were pink and tender, like the lips of a baby. His gaze, as he looked at her, was deep,and his eyshes curled up like two small ck waves.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh in her arms and patted her back.¡°Start driving.¡±

    Sitting in front, Stuart and the driver didn¡¯t know what to do the moment they got in the car. Finally, Jepherson noticed their presence.

    Stuart turned his face away andpletely ignored the two at the back.

    ¡­

    Flynt came out of the station just as Jepherson and the others had left. A group of journalists rushed up to him so hastily, as if they would break into the police station if they needed to do so.

    Flynt stood in the center,and his face was unpleasant. Questions bombarded him one after another from the reporters below.

    ¡°Is it possible that the Moore family intends to frame Raeleigh and provoke your rtionship with the Richards family?¡±

    ¡°Is it true that the Moore family wants to use this opportunity to suppress the Richards family?¡±

    ¡°Moore family¡­¡±

    Flynt gripped his phone tightly and forced a smile.¡°If there¡¯s anything you want to know, then you can contact my secretary. It¡¯s toote today. Please head back home.¡±

    Flynt walked down the steps and then got in the car. As the car door was closed, his face darkened, with his hand gripping the cell phone tightly.

    ¡°Jepherson, just you wait. I won¡¯t let this slide!¡±

 Chapter 1067 The Power of the Moore Family

    At the Moore family residence.

    In Johan¡¯s room.

    Followed by a crash, Johan threw the teacup in his hand on the floor. His face was gloomy. Even though he was old and had left his descendants to their own devices, he still had a temper. Jepherson had gone too far that time.

    Johan had just seen the news on the TV that morning. He had never imagined that the Richards family, who were never a threat in the past, would behave like that. If he had known about it earlier, then he wouldn¡¯t have criticized Hansen in public.

    It was dead silent in Johan¡¯s room. Elina¡¯s face was pale. It was her second daughter¡¯s fault. Her son had made it clear to her, but he wanted to hide the truth. Even if Johan got mad, they couldn¡¯t say it. Otherwise, her son would be finished if Yousif found out.

    Elina was a scheming woman. It was impossible for her not to know how important that matter was. She could only let her son bear that responsibility alone. She promised that she would teach her second daughter a lesson when she returned home.

    Elina kept her head down. Flynt, who was standing opposite her, did not do anything. Johan looked at Flynt. Even though the child had failed, his attitude was not that of an ordinary person. When Johan threw the teacup, everyone else in the room shuddered. Only Flynt stood there, not once did he flinch. Was he not afraid, or had he already thought about his punishment?

    Johan narrowed his eyes slightly. Right then,although there were a lot of children in the Moore family, only a few of them were outstanding. Especially the boys, wherenot many of them were capable. Flynt could be considered the most outstanding one among them.

    Johan looked at the people around him and ordered, ¡°Get out, all of you. Flynt, stay.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Everyone, including Yousif, backed out of the room. After they were gone, Johan looked at Flynt. ¡°Come here. They¡¯re all gone. What are you still standing there for?¡±

    Flynt stepped forward to face Johan. Johan nced at the butler and said, ¡°Bring a chair over for him.¡±

    The butler was in a hurry to do what Johan had ordered. He moved a chair for Flynt. Flynt sat down and looked at Johan face to face.

    ¡°Old Master.¡± It was normal for Flynt to address his great-grandfather that way, ording to tradition. However, it was the first time someone in the family had addressed Johan that way.

    At first,Johan wasn¡¯t used to it. He didn¡¯t respond to it immediately, but thenhe chuckled.¡°You¡¯re indeed bold. Looks like your mother taught you quite well.¡±

    Flynt said, ¡°It was my negligence this time. Old Master, please punish me.¡±

    ¡°Punishment is necessary. If there¡¯s no punishment, then you will not learn your lesson. However, we can put it aside for now. When you want to undergo this punishment in the future, I will give it to you.¡±

    Johan said. Flynt looked at him and asked, ¡°Old Master, there¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand. Why has our family been in charge of politics all these years and refuse to step into the business world?¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    Johan chuckled.¡°The Moore family has always been loyal to Capital City for many generations. It has never had an inordinate wish. On one hand, the Moore family had created great achievements pre-independence. No matter where these achievements are ced, they are more than enough for our family¡¯s living expenses. The government officials have also been good to our family. These years, they have been taking good care of our family, and we¡¯ve also tried our best to help the country.¡±

    ¡°The Moore family is loyal to the country and will not do anything that will damage the nation¡¯s interest.¡±

    ¡°Although someone in the family had brought shame upon us, it does not mean that the Moore Family had given up the idea of being loyal.¡±

    ¡°It has always been hateful and worrying for collusion to happen between the government and businessmen. The Moore family should not get involved in this mess.¡±

    ¡°Firstly, we can¡¯t lower our status. On the other hand, our family doesn¡¯t need these things.¡±

    Flynt replied with a question, ¡°That is to say, the Moore family has always been in politics and does not interfere with anyone¡¯s business?¡±

    ¡°You can say that, but there¡¯s another exnation,¡± Johan added, and Flynt¡¯s face twitched.¡°Please continue.¡±

    Johan said, ¡°The Moore family never dabbled in business due to our principles. However, in the eyes of outsiders, the Moore family wants to take control of Capital City¡¯s political power.¡±

    ¡°Capital City is the center of the country. Everything should be handed over to Capital City. You can imagine how powerful the Moore family is in this respect. Because of this, a lot of people are worried. Firstly, too much power is in the hands of our family. They¡¯re worried that we will try to control them. Secondly, some powerful families and tycoons in business have done shady things that can¡¯t be exposed. It¡¯s nothing when the Moore family turns a blind eye to it, but if we investigate it, then I¡¯m afraid that no one in Capital City will be spared.¡±

    ¡°That is to say, some people are worried that the Moore family will do something out of the blue, so they will try their best to weaken our family¡¯s power.¡± Flynt slowly understood.

    Johan said, ¡°Although Jepherson does things the way he likes, the Richards family seems to have no intention of correcting him. We can tell this from the fact that Hansen is not in the city.¡±

    ¡°Old Master, what do you mean?¡±

    Flynt lifted his eyebrows and suspicion could be seen on his handsome face.

    Johan sat down while the butler cleaned the floor,busy serving by his side. Johan then said, ¡°The ancestor of the Richards family and I wererades-in-arms who once fought together on the battlefield.¡±

    ¡°The Richards family will never have the thought of recing us. When ites to the Richards family¡¯s n to advance into politics, they only retaliated because they felt threatened.¡±

    ¡°This was all done by your useless father. If it weren¡¯t for him, then there wouldn¡¯t be so much trouble. Your father wanted to bully the weak and take advantage of his power, which eventually led to today.¡±

    ¡°The Richards family¡¯s car business has spread all over the world. Although we have control over Capital City, we can¡¯t do whatever we want. Our main goal is to do our job well. Your father did not make any progress as he was unaware of these reasons. Before Jepherson took charge of the Richards Group, your father proposed to increase the proportion of the material transformation and multinational tax collection in order to add some ie to Capital City.¡±

    ¡°With this, he had offended the Richards family.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s more, Rayan¡¯spany was a multinationalpany. In this way, your father had offended many people.¡±

    ¡°Hansen is a smart person. He did not make any objections. Taxes are a headache for every enterprise. If the tax percentage is increased by even one percent, then it is very likely to influence thepany¡¯s fortune. Your father was arrogant and made things worse. Hansen waited for other people to object while he watched by the sidelines.¡±

    ¡°As the saying goes, if you win the hearts of the people, then you win the world over. Your father lost the people¡¯s support. That¡¯s why the Moore family¡¯s power has been greatly reduced these few yearsand came to this point as it is today.¡±

 Chapter 1068 Cynthiaâ€™s Decision

    After Johan finished, Flynt nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s no wonder people in Capital City talk about how powerful and domineering the Moore family is, how we¡¯re not as generous as the Richards family. So this is why.¡±

    ¡°I reminded your father again and again. If he wants to achieve something, then he can¡¯t y tricks on themoners. Sooner orter, he¡¯ll end up having a taste of his own medicine. However, he didn¡¯t believe it and made a huge mistake, which incurred the wrath of the public. No one is no longer willing to help the Moore family. The hundred-year career foundation of the Moore family was crushed in an instant.¡±

    Johan looked worried, so Flynt said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Master. Since I know about these things, I understand how to win over people¡¯s hearts.¡±

    ¡°I can be assured with your words. I hope you can do better than your father.¡± Johan patted Flynt¡¯s hand. They had been talking for the whole afternoon. After saying goodbye, Flynt walked out of the room and headed straight to Cynthia¡¯s room. As soon as he entered the room, he heard Elina say, ¡°I¡¯ve raised you well, but you¡¯re actually out there ruining the reputation of the family and bing a traitor.¡±

    Elina was mad. She held a ruler in her hand and was punishing her daughter, Cynthia.

    Elina asked someone to guard the door and prevent anyone froming in. Of course, Flynt was an exception. Flynt was Elina¡¯s son, so she naturally trusted her son.

    When the maid saw Flynt, she quickly said, ¡°Mr. Flynt, please save Miss Cynthia.¡±

    The servant was crying. Flynt nced at her and walked towards Cynthia¡¯s room. He pushed the dooropenas he walked in. Elina was about to strike Cynthia with her ruler.Cynthia¡¯s heart trembled. Gritting her teeth, she remained silent.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Elina lifted the ruler and was about to hit Cynthia as she berated her, when Flynt walked over, and grabbed the ruler in Elina¡¯s hand, calling her out. Elina threw the ruler aside and sat down on the other side.

    Elina stared at her son and daughter. She mmed the table angrily.

    ¡°Close the door. Don¡¯t let anyone hear us,¡± Flynt put down the ruler in his hand and ordered. He walked to Cynthia and helped her up from the ground. Cynthia lowered her head and didn¡¯t want to say anything.

    Flynt sighed softly and said, ¡°Cynthia, do you know that Santiago lied to you? He came to find you so that he could take advantage of you.¡±

    Cynthia slowly raised her head with her delicate face filled with surprise.

    Flynt helped her onto her bed and sat down beside her. He then looked at his mother and said, ¡°Mom, you can¡¯t me her for this. Her chauffeur made a mistake as well. Cynthia is naive. She had stayed indoors since she was a child and doesn¡¯t know much about the outside world. Other women would likely fall for Santiago¡¯s trap, much less Cynthia.¡±

    Elina snorted coldly. ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed because of her.¡±

    Cynthia lowered her head and said nothing.

    Flynt nced at his sister and said worriedly, ¡°Cynthia, you¡¯ve been tricked.¡±

    ¡°He said that he really wanted to get to know me.¡±

    ¡°And you believe him?¡± Elina was so angry that she jumped up from her seat. She was about to step forward when her eldest daughter, Yanora, entered the room. She hurried over to stop Elina when she saw that she was furious.

    ¡°Mom, are you going to kill Cynthia?¡± Yanora pulled Elina away and brought her to her seat. Elina pointed at Cynthia and screamed, ¡°She¡¯ll be the death of me. You all have been abroad for so many years. How much effort have I put in you all? Yet, you¡­ do this to me? How am I going to continue living? Now, your grandfather and the others are ruined. Do you want me to go down with them?¡±

    ¡°The Richards family is your grandfather¡¯s enemy. What exactly were you thinking?¡±

    Elina was so enraged that her whole body started trembling. Yanora nced at Flynt,and then at Cynthia.¡°Cynthia, tell Mom you won¡¯t do that. You were just bewitched by Santiago.¡±

    Cynthia thought for a while and said, ¡°Mom, I was wrong.¡±

    After all, Cynthia was still her daughter. Although Elina was angry, she wouldn¡¯t possibly kill her. She was still mad, so she just stared at her daughter silently.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You can leave,¡± Flynt said at that time and waved his hand.

    The servants left, and the door was closed. There were only four of them left in the room. Flynt looked at Cynthia and said, ¡°Cynthia, why are you so foolish?¡±

    Flynt sat down in anger. Two drops of tears rolled down Cynthia¡¯s cheeks. ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡±

    After saying that, she began to cry. Flynt and Elina looked at each other. They knew each other well. They just wanted her to learn her lesson. They didn¡¯t actually want to hurt her feelings.

    Flynt stood up and walked over to sit beside Cynthia. He pulled her into his warm embrace and patted her shoulder lightly.¡°Cynthia, you have to know that Santiago isn¡¯t who he puts himself out as. People say that he¡¯s a yboy. He¡¯s only seventeen years old.He¡¯s already behaving this way when he¡¯s only seventeen. It¡¯s hard to imagine what he¡¯ll be like in the future.¡±

    Elina was exasperated that her daughter failed to live up to her expectations. She looked at her eldest daughter, Yanora.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m tired. Yanora,e with me. Cynthia, you are grounded. From tomorrow onwards, you cannot leave the house for a month.¡±

    With that being said, Elina left Cynthia¡¯s room with her eldest daughter.

    Flynt looked at his sister in his arms and let go of her.¡°Great, now you can¡¯t go anywhere anymore?¡±

    Cynthia looked at him and said, ¡°Flynt, I¡¯ve been protecting you since you were young. Now that you¡¯re a grown-up, you don¡¯t need my protection anymore. I don¡¯t want to get you into trouble this time.¡±

    ¡°Cynthia, what are you talking about? How can I leave you alone in this?¡± Flynt said, his face full of amusement.

    Cynthia thought for a moment.¡°Have you ever thought about what my future will be like?¡±

    When Flynt heard that, he thought for a moment.¡°Cynthia, I will help you find the perfect guy.¡±

    Cynthia found it amusing. She lowered her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s no use. My marriage will be used to help youy the foundation of power. Mom said that there¡¯s nothing better than an alliance for marriage to gain power for biological siblings. Yanora¡¯s and my marriage will be the cornerstone of your power.¡±

    ¡°Cynthia, I won¡¯t let you do that.¡± Although Flynt couldn¡¯t guarantee that, he honestly didn¡¯t want his sisters to sacrifice their love lives for him.

    Cynthia shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t get to decide. Although you¡¯re improving now, you won¡¯t be as free as Santiago. He didn¡¯t lie to me. I knew everything. Even if I did something wrong, at the very least, he told me the truth and asked for my opinion. What about you guys? You guys never asked me whether I¡¯m willing or not. I can marry someone for your sake, but you won¡¯t let me leave this ce, even if it¡¯s just meeting with a friend.¡±

    ¡°Even if Santiago is a yboy,he will,at least,tell me everything, but you guys will never do that.¡±

    ¡°Flynt, you¡¯re a grown-up now. You don¡¯t need me anymore.¡±

    ¡°Promise me, no matter who I marry, tell me first. This is my only request.¡±

    ¡°Cynthia, I¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t. You can leave. I won¡¯t go out in the future to avoid causing trouble.¡±

 Chapter 1069 Cynthiaâ€™s Feelings

    Flynt had no choice but to leave. However, when he reached the door, Cynthia suddenly said, ¡°You¡¯ve never experienced a smile thates from true love, so you¡¯ll never understand what sincerity is.¡±

    Flynt turned around to look at his sister, who had alreadyy down on the bed. Then, he left her room. He stood at the door, pondering about his sister¡¯s words.

    He slowly walked towards the door.

    It was windy that day. There were some trees in Cynthia¡¯s yard with triangr things hanging on them like lotus bulbs. Many of them formed into arge flower cluster. The flower cluster was not very beautiful, but every autumn, the flowers would scatter and turn into small leaves, falling from the sky.

    Flynt loved those flowers when he was a child, which were sometimes like leaves, and at times flowers.

    Cynthia had once said that flowers were not flowers, and leaves were not leaves. That kind of thing was very intriguing.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    At that time, Flynt was about five years old, while his second sister was almost ten. She always held his hand, and together, they stood under the tree in the courtyard.

    He didn¡¯t know what they were doing standing there. His sister said that whenever their father came, their mother would be overjoyed, and everyone in the courtyard would be happy as well.Moreover, the food that day would be delicious.

    Later when he grew up, he found that the courtyard was getting more deste. He only saw his father once every year during the holidays. Every time he came, he acted cold to their mother. Flynt never forgot how harsh and cold his words were. He could see the disgust in his father¡¯s eyes whilethe warmth he should have for his mother was long gone.

    Her father had had two mistresses in three years. Up to then, there were seven of them. They were all strategic marriages. Excluding the woman named Meica, who had no powerful background, the rest were just for business reasons.

    Over the years, Flynt had indeed never felt any love in the family. His mother would never consider their feelings. At most, she would arrange a grand wedding for them. His mother would find a suitable wife for him especially, someone who would benefit his future career.

    But mistresses¡­

    Although Flynt had never thought about it, it didn¡¯t necessarily mean that he wouldn¡¯t have them.

    After walking out of the yard, the butler saw Flynt and approached him to ask if there was anything wrong, the reason for not driving, and if he should ask the driver to fetch him, and so on.

    Flynt waved his hand and strolled out of the Moore family¡¯s mansion courtyard. He didn¡¯t know where to go, but he knew deep down that he couldn¡¯t stay there.

    Cynthia had hit him right in the guts.

    ¡­

    After returning home, Raeleigh followed Jepherson to have a rest. At first, Jepherson intended to take Raeleigh to the hospital for a check-up, but she rejected that offer, so they didn¡¯t go there in the end. However, when she returned home, she saw doctors waiting at home. She guessed that it was Jepherson who called him there.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Raeleigh was worried that Novalie would find out, so she didn¡¯t want the doctor toe, but she didn¡¯t manage to stop him.

    Although she said that she was fine, she still followed the doctor¡¯s instructions andy on the couch for a simple examination. After the examination, the doctor told Jepherson, who was sitting by her side and holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand, ¡°Everything seems normal. Mr. Jepherson, you can rest assured.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you. Serra, would you please see the two doctors off?¡± Jepherson stood up. Regardless of whether Raeleigh was willing or not, he bent down and carried her upstairs. Raeleigh yelled at him to put her down, but he pretended not to hear her. Scarlette witnessed them on one side and felt jealous. It would be amazing if Hadrian would do the same thing!

    It was a pity that Hadrian was not sensitive when it came to rtionships. He didn¡¯t respond to her for a whole day. What was she supposed to do?

    Raeleigh was ced gently on the bed. After covering her with the quilt, Jepherson sat down on one side of the bed.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Raeleigh saw that Jepherson was still worried, so she emphasized this.

    ¡°Rest now. I have to wait for Santiago to return.¡± Jepherson lowered his head to kiss Raeleigh. Raeleigh held his hand tightly and said, ¡°I have something to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment before saying, ¡°It¡¯s about that man. I found out that he¡¯s the guard of the orphanage. Previously, we brought back a list from another orphanage. Wasn¡¯t there an orphan who went to the orphanage during the fire incident? I want to find out if there are any survivors. After all, there may be one or two of them, but we don¡¯t know.¡±

    If there really are survivors and we didn¡¯t look for them, then we can¡¯t find your sister even if we search everywhere.¡±

    Raeleigh hoped that there weren¡¯t any survivors. Otherwise, he would never find her.

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh. ¡°You went to that person just because of this?¡± Jepherson asked. Raeleigh hesitated for a moment. She had her own motivations in that matter, but she started it because she wanted to help Jepherson find his sister. Therefore, Raeleigh hesitated for a moment and nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll follow up on this. Don¡¯t investigate it anymore. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.Do you understand?¡± Jepherson was still scared. Raeleigh was pregnant then. If something really happened to her, then it would be toote for regrets.

    Raeleigh nodded.¡°I get it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just say it. I know what you¡¯re thinking. I¡¯ve been looking for her for so many years. Although I¡¯m looking forward to finding her, I¡¯m not in a hurry. It¡¯s more like a trip. Let fate bring us together.¡±

    When Jepherson was talking, Raeleigh said with a smile, ¡°I suddenly realize that you have a lot of unique opinions on life. Sometimes, you speak like a philosopher.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? It could be that I suddenly grew up because I now have a child, and I¡¯ve already learnt to be a father. Have a good rest. I wille to your room again when Santiago is back.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Raeleigh closed her eyes and fell asleep after a while.

    Jepherson had been holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand and staring at her face until Santiago came back.

    Outside, someone knocked on Raeleigh¡¯s door twice. Jepherson looked over and said, ¡°Alright.¡±

    After answering, Jepherson stood up and tucked Raeleigh in. Before turning around to leave, he did not forget to give Raeleigh a kiss.

    After the door was closed, Raeleigh opened her eyes. She was awakened by the sound of Santiago knocking on the door after she had just fallen asleep.

    Raeleigh then closed her eyes, and turned over on the bed to sleep.

    As Jepherson came out of Raeleigh¡¯s room, Santiago headed to his room. Jepherson followed him all the way to his room. After entering the room, Santiago took off his clothes and went to take a shower. Jepherson waited outside and picked up all the clothes that were thrown onto the ground, putting them in theundry basket at the door. He took out all the things in his pockets and put them on the bedside table. Once everything was done, Santiago came out from the bathroom.

 Chapter 1070 Teacher

    After wrapping himself in a bath towel, Santiago walked to the bed while drying his hair. Then, he turned around and sat down.

    Jepherson leaned against the cab beside him. After drying his hair, Santiago looked at Jepherson and asked, ¡°How is she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s alright,¡± Jepherson answered. Sweeping his gaze at Santiago, he asked, ¡°Did you send her back?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did.¡±

    ¡°Try to be more careful in the future. Flynt has a close rtionship with his second sister. He won¡¯t let us go so easily.¡±

    ¡°Why do I care?¡± Santiago remained unperturbed.

    ¡°They won¡¯t hurt you, but it¡¯s better to be careful. Dad dotes on you. If you get hurt,then he¡¯ll never forgive me.¡±

    Jepherson stood up and went outside. With a cold snort, Santiago removed his bath towel, ran his fingers through his hair, and went to bed.

    After closing the door, Jepherson told Serra, who was downstairs, ¡°Cook some noodles for Santiago and ask him if he wants them.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Serra hurried into the kitchen to make noodles. Jepherson took off his clothes as he walked into Raeleigh¡¯s room. He entered the room and took a shower before going to bed.

    Raeleigh felt cold and curled up into a ball in bed. However, she still turned around and snuggled in Jepherson¡¯s arms.

    It was said that the rtionship between husband and wife would notst long, and they wouldn¡¯t have a strong bond like that of children and their parents, which couldst for a lifetime.

    The maximum amount of time a couple wouldst was around ten years, while the least would onlyst for one or two months. But ording to experts, under normal circumstances, when a man was healthy, a couple¡¯s rtionship couldst for four years.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know how many percent of their love could be sustained, but in that limited period of time, she must appreciate and enjoy it to the fullest.

    Jepherson lowered his gaze at Raeleigh, who seemed lovely. She looked like she needed his protection.

    After kissing Raeleigh on her head, Jepherson turned off the lights.

    Raeleigh muttered under her breath, ¡°Is he back?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s back.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing more, and only then did they have a rest.

    Jepherson woke up early the next morning. He got off the bed and put on some clothes.

    He stretched his body a little bit as he went down the stairs. After having breakfast, Jepherson asked Raeleigh toe downstairs. He was nning to take her out for a walk afterwards.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass. There will be rumours if people see us together.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want anyone to see them together. She wouldn¡¯t be able to exin to Marissa if people found out.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with people seeing us?¡± Jepherson was displeased, and his face darkened.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree not to interfere in my life? Why are you putting on such an unpleasant face?¡± Raeleigh wasn¡¯t like Deanna. She wouldn¡¯t give in to such tactics.

    Jepherson was stunned for a while before exining, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be stuck here. It¡¯s good for your health to go for a walk.¡±

    ¡°I reckon going to thepany is a better choice. Even if someone sees us, they won¡¯t say anything.¡± Raeleigh wanted to use her identity as a designer to conceal her rtionship with Jepherson. In that way, she would have an opportunity to exin herself even if they were caught.

    ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll do as you say.¡± Jepherson readily agreed. Raeleigh then followed him to thepany.

    When they arrived at thepany, Jepherson brought Raeleigh to meet up with Lamarre as a gesture of respect.

    After meeting up with Lamarre, he called Raeleigh into his office and told Jepherson not to disturb them until it was lunchtime.

    Raeleigh was amused. Jepherson seemed to have been set up by someone. He wore a gloomy look, but there was nothing he could have done.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up at noon.¡± After saying that, Jepherson left. Raeleigh watched him leave before she went to find Lamarre. Lamarre stood at the door of his office, waiting for Raeleigh, as if he was afraid that Raeleigh would run away.

    After entering the room, Raeleigh bowed politely to Lamarre and greeted him. ¡°Hello, Mr. Lee.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite sensible. Let¡¯s get started. Come here, and we¡¯ll talk about your idea of the Duke.¡±

    Lamarre took Raeleigh¡¯s drawings andid them out on the table. Raeleigh walked towards him, looked at the drawings, and said, ¡°Nothing special. I just thought of the outline of this design and gave it a try, and then I got it.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know how to exin her ideas. Raeleigh¡¯s talent for designing cars was not something that she had since she was a child. It was something that had suddenly sprouted out of nowhere. If she said it out loud, then she was afraid that no one would believe her.

    ¡°How is this possible?¡± Lamarre did not believe Raeleigh and rolled his eyes at her.¡°Are you afraid that I¡¯ll steal your ideas?¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯ve misunderstood me. An idea popped up in my mind, so I tried it. That¡¯s it. All the things I designed need to be carefully produced, just like Lanox, which was created with your advice.¡±

    Raeleigh immediately exined. Lamarre thought for a moment and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. I¡¯m not criticizing you. Sit down. Since I¡¯m your teacher, I¡¯ll teach you everything I know. One day, I¡¯ll ask Jepherson to prepare an apprentice ceremony for you.¡±

    ¡°An apprentice ceremony?¡± Raeleigh¡¯s eyes widened. Was there such a thing then?

    ¡°Well, I want to hire some reporters and professionals. I want the whole world to know that I, Lamarre Lee, have epted an apprentice.¡±

    Lamarre said with great confidence. Raeleigh didn¡¯t dare to interrupt him.

    However, after thinking for a while, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Do you have other students?¡±

    Lamarre lifted his eyebrows.¡°No, why?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Raeleigh was nervous. She didn¡¯t know if she had misheard him. She clearly heard Lamarre say that she was his apprentice. The previous apprentice¡­

    Raeleigh blushed slightly once she knew Lamarre had meant that he was not going to ept apprentices anymore.It didn¡¯t mean that he had other apprentices other than her. How could she be so dumb?

    Raeleigh forced a smile. Lamarre nced at Raeleigh and said, ¡°What made you want to learn car designing?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to learn car design after high school. When I was a child, I drew paintings, and my art teacher always said that I have the potential to be a designer. Later, I decided that I wanted to be a car designer when I was in high school,¡± Raeleigh exined. Lamarre asked, ¡°Why?¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°When I was ten years old, I saw a child getting out of a car. It was beautiful, and at that moment, I knew that I wanted to design cars like that.¡±

    ¡°What happened after that? Which family does the kid belong to? Has he ever seen the car you designed?¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned for a moment before she shook her head.¡°I¡¯ve never met him after that. I only remember what he looked like. He was from a wealthy family. I don¡¯t remember anything else. The car was ck. That¡¯s all I can recall. Perhaps, since I was young, I thought the car was beautiful, and I wanted to sit in it.¡±

    Raeleigh told the truth. After hearing that, Lamarre nodded with satisfaction.¡°You¡¯re honest.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment.¡°Mr. Lee, how do you know if I¡¯m not lying?¡±

    ¡°I can see it in your eyes. I¡¯m an expert at knowing one¡¯s character. You don¡¯t look like youe from an ordinary family. Who are your parents?¡± Lamarre had never looked at her resume. Even if he got it, he wouldn¡¯t take a second look. He didn¡¯t believe people based on what they had said they were and would interact with them to get to know them more.

 Chapter 1071 A Strange Teacher

    ¡°I don¡¯t have parents. They¡¯re dead,¡± Raeleigh answered. Lamarre frowned.¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and became nervous. She didn¡¯t expect Lamarre to know when she was lying.

    Raeleigh lowered her head and panicked.¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there anyone else at home?¡± Lamarre pressed on, and Raeleigh replied, ¡°My Grandma.¡±

    Lamarre said, ¡°Are you hiding something?¡±

    Raeleigh would never tell an outsider about herself, but she nodded. She looked up at Lamarre, who then said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you can¡¯t say it.¡±

    Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief. Lamarre was a strange person.

    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t get angry.¡± Raeleigh stood up from the chair. It was the first time someone had exposed her lie, and she did not know what to do.

    Lamarre looked up at the frightened girl in front of him. He was depressed. He was not a big bad wolf andcould justsee through people¡¯s thoughts. She seemed so afraid, as if she would run out of the room.

    Lamarre hoped that he did not scare her away. As the saying went, there were more wolves than meat. Right then, the wholepany was envious of her. If he frightened her off, then the girl would not want him as her teacher. By then, Jepherson would earn himself a living treasure. Furthermore, Jenna and her son were not easy to deal with, that was just the way it was.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. Why are you standing up? Sit down. I¡¯m satisfied with your design, but I¡¯m a little dissatisfied with your attitude.¡±

    Lamarre initially wanted to tell her that they could talk about it, but Raeleigh misunderstood that he was talking about her lie. She became even more nervous and couldn¡¯t calm down at all.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to lie to you. My situation is a little special. Previously, I¡­¡±

    Raeleigh could not say the word ¡®orphan¡¯ no matter how hard she tried. Then, she corrected herself and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I need some air.¡±

    Raeleigh intended to leave. Seeing that Raeleigh was about to leave, Lamarre suddenly shouted, ¡°Stop.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped at once, not daring to turn around.

    Lamarre was pissed. What would he have done if she escaped from his grasp?

    Lamarre made a prompt decision and said, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely take you as my apprentice. Jenna and Jepherson should be out of the way. Now that you¡¯re here, you can¡¯t leave. You¡¯d bettere back.¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a moment, turned around, and said to Lamarre, ¡°What are you¡­¡±

    ¡°Sit down. From today onwards, you¡¯re my apprentice. The press conference will be held soon. You should publish a few designs in the meantime. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you don¡¯t strike when the iron is hot, then it¡¯ll be difficult for you to seed in the future.¡± Lamarre had already thought about it. Since she was his apprentice, he would give the best advice to her.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°But Jepherson¡­ I mean, Mr. Richards told me that if I stay in thepany, then I can¡¯t showcase my aplishments unless I leave thepany after graduation and redesign a new project. Only then would it belong to me.All my previous works are thepany¡¯s properties.¡±

    Raeleigh remembered his exact words.

    Lamarre frowned. ¡°Your rtionship with Jepherson is a bit unusual, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Raeleigh learnt her lesson and did not lie to Lamarre that time. She nodded.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Lamarre snorted and went to his seat. He said, ¡°There¡¯s no honest businessman. I didn¡¯t expect this kid to behave this way. He¡¯s just like his father, a blood-sucking businessman.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Whatever that¡¯s yours is yours. No one can take it away from you. Who the h*ll does Jepherson think he is? If he doesn¡¯t want to give it to you, then are you letting it go just like that? I don¡¯t care about others, but you¡¯re my apprentice.I¡¯ll make the best decision for you. I¡¯ll give you the best things in the world.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°No ¡®but¡¯s. Rules are made by people. You can give them the money, but your work must be yours and can only be officially recognized as your product. You designed the car, so why don¡¯t you tell them? Jepherson is being ridiculous. You don¡¯t have to worry about this matter. Just follow my instructions.¡±

    Raeleigh kept her mouth shut.

    Lamarre made the decision for Raeleigh just like that. Raeleigh didn¡¯t take it seriously. In fact, she didn¡¯t care about whether she owned the designs or not. She thought that those things were useless.

    Lamarre sat for a while and called out, ¡°My dear apprentice.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing as she felt ufortable. With Raeleigh failing to give an answer, Lamarre looked at her and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡±

    Raeleigh cried out loud, ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Lamarre called. Raeleigh asked hurriedly, ¡°What can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°You created three designs. How much bonus did Jepherson give you?¡± Lamarre began to ask questions like a manager.

    Raeleigh told Lamarre everything. As a result, Lamarre¡¯s face slowly turned dark.

    After hearing Raeleigh¡¯s words, Lamarre snorted.¡°He gave you three projects for a car and a house? Are you kidding me?¡±

    When Lamarre was about to stand up, Raeleigh immediately said, ¡°I received a schrship from Elkton University. Phantasy Dream is my first design. Lanox was given to Mr. Richards as a gift while Duke was an exchange for a house.¡±

    Raeleigh was quite clear that there was nothing wrong with that.

    Lamarre said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re generous. These three designs are worth at least two hundred million dors. Call Jepherson now. I need to talk to him.¡±

    ¡°Two, two hundred million dors?¡± Raeleigh gasped. Did they cost that much?

    Lamarre looked at her with an unpleasant face and said, ¡°Lanox, a limited edition car. A hundred of that car is worth ten million dors. Its reputation, charisma, and advertisements are far beyond the market value. You have to get at least ten million dors.¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°The production of Phantasy Dream is still in progress, but it should be on arge scale. As Lanox has made you popr, people are excited for Phantasy Dream. The market value of this car is likely to reach tens of millions. You can make a hundred and fifty million dors in a blink of an eye. As for Duke, you can make about a hundred million dors with ease. Now that it¡¯s still not on the right track yet, two hundred million dors is the discounted price. Jepherson is too outrageous, thinking that he can use a house and a car to solve the problem. Put him on the phone right away.¡±

    Lamarre pointed to the phone. Raeleigh was speechless. Things were getting out of hand.

    ¡°Mr. Lee, I think we should let it go. If I make another design, then we¡¯ll talk about itter. How about this?¡± Raeleigh asked Lamarre. Lamarre looked at her. ¡°Are you the teacher or am I the teacher?¡±

    As Raeleigh refused to make the call, Lamarre called Jepherson himself. When the phone was picked up, Lamarre asked him for Raeleigh¡¯s bonus. Jepherson was silent for a few seconds before he answered, ¡°This is thepany¡¯s rule. I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s file awsuit.¡± Lamarre hung up the phone, and all Jepherson heard was the beepingsound.

 Chapter 1072 Considered Her Life Guide

    Before Jepherson arrived, Raeleigh had been pacing back and forth in the room. She felt that she had some sort of responsibility in that matter. She was the one who did not exin it properly to Lamarre.

    Although it was for her own good, he was a bit out of the line.

    After all, she had promised the school principal that all her designs would be given to thepany. The designs before her graduation did not belong to her. How could she go back on her own word? Moreover, there was a rule in thepany. From the way Jepherson phrased it, it was difficult to convince the public.

    Raeleigh pondered for a while. She had been waiting in Lamarre¡¯s office until Jepherson came over.

    Soon, Jepherson arrived at the door. Although he was thepany¡¯s vice president, Lamarre was considered a senior member of thepany. He himself was still young. Jepherson had been in contact with Lamarre, but Lamarre had always looked down upon him. Lamarre could be said to regard money as dirt and didn¡¯t think that his reputation was the most important thing in the world.

    Stuart stepped back as Jepherson knocked on the door. Raeleigh stood up. As an apprentice, wasn¡¯t she supposed to serve tea to her teacher and greet the guests?

    Lamarre was sitting down as Raeleigh opened the door for Jepherson. When she saw that it was Jepherson, she blushed.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. She wanted to signal him that she didn¡¯t think that way, but she didn¡¯t know how the situation had turned sour.

    Raeleigh knew all the other things and could handle them well, but she didn¡¯t know why she couldn¡¯t exinit clearly when it came to Lamarre.

    Jepherson looked at her and said, ¡°I booked a restaurant. We¡¯re having a meal with Mr. Lee.¡±

    Raeleigh heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Jepherson¡¯s words and instantly calmed down a lot.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. When she closed the door, she heard Lamarre say, ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to dine with him. How dare you?¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned and turned around to have a look. Jepherson acted as if nothing had happened and didn¡¯t wait for Lamarre to ask him to take a seat, pulling a chair over to sit down by himself. He looked at Lamarre and said faintly, ¡°I think the signal was bad during the call we had. I couldn¡¯t hear what you said before it was automatically hung up. Why do you want to see me?¡±

    Raeleigh figured that Jepherson must have a backup n since he could say that, so she remained silent.

    Raeleigh stood behind Jepherson, without taking her seat.

    Lamarre, who was sitting across from Raeleigh, was displeased.¡°You¡¯re not here to be bullied. Why don¡¯t you sit down?¡±

    Raeleigh then pulled a chair over and sat down, thinking otherwise.

    As soon as Raeleigh sat, Lamarre said, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Jepherson repeated, ¡°I¡¯m asking about the reason youcalled me.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? I spoke about Raeleigh¡¯s bonus. ording to the current financial situation, Raeleigh doesn¡¯t need to take all the money for her car designs now. But at least give one percent of the bonus to her, please.¡±

    Lamarre was a wise man. Raeleigh also thought that two hundred million dors was too much to handle.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh nced at Jepherson as he said with a smile, ¡°I already told Raeleigh this matter. We must follow thepany¡¯s rules. I can¡¯t change thepany¡¯s system because of my rtionship with her. It¡¯s not reasonable. How am I going to convince so many people? I can¡¯t do it, not ever.¡±

    Lamarre¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Your rtionship with Raeleigh? What¡¯s that? Did you announce your rtionship to everyone in thepany? No, I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°Our conditions are reasonable. If thepany refuses to give her the same treatment as other designers, then I reckon that it¡¯ll be more difficult to convince the public.¡±

    After saying that, Lamarre opened Raeleigh¡¯s drawing book and showed it to Jepherson. ¡°We¡¯re all designers. You should realize how much wealth Raeleigh¡¯s talent can create. I don¡¯t think how you handle Raeleigh¡¯s matter is appropriate.¡±

    Lamarre became more and more agitated. Raeleigh watched as Jepherson was calm throughout the talk. In the end, he said, ¡°Since you think so, I¡¯ll call the president and tell him about it. Let¡¯s follow his arrangement.¡±

    ¡°After all, two hundred million dors is not a small number. Raeleigh is still a college student. She has signed an agreement with us. If we don¡¯t fulfil the conditions on the contract and award Raeleigh, then the other designers will think that they have no rights. It is unfair that she¡¯s given special treatment just because she¡¯s your student.¡±

    Even if the Richards Group risks being sued for this, we won¡¯t back down.¡±

    Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief. Judging from Jepherson¡¯s aggressive expression, she figured that she could not take the two hundred million dors.

    ¡°It¡¯s useless to use Hansen to pressure me,¡± Lamarre said. Jepherson added, ¡°Mr. Lee, you¡¯re a senior member of thepany. You¡¯re the backbone of the Richards Group. If you want to get Raeleigh two hundred million dors, then I don¡¯t know how the media will report this matter. Maybe the media will make it easy for you, but I don¡¯t think that will be the case for Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh has just entered thepany. How would other people think?¡±

    ¡°Will they say that Raeleigh is greedy for power and wealthor that she¡¯s cunning? That she first got close to the Richards family to get to know Mr. Lee and be his student. And finally, she obtained the fame and fortune she wanted.¡±

    Lamarre said with a frown, ¡°You¡¯ve had so much to say about how Raeleigh has too little experience, has just entered thepany, and isn¡¯t qualified to take a bonus that¡¯s worth two hundred million dors. In this case, I guess I¡¯ll bring her somewhere else where people will actually appreciate her talents.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Lee, I understand that you appreciate Raeleigh¡¯s talents and care for her, but she has just started her career. I thought it would be better for her to take baby steps in achieving her goal, to slowly build her foundation, than to seek fortune with just one stride. If Raeleigh is really capable, then she can create her own value at all times. I believe that we have the same thoughts. In that case, why are you challenging me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. I only know you¡¯re not giving Raeleigh the chance to showcase her talents because you¡¯re worried that she¡¯ll be famous and be snatched by otherpanies. In that case, she may not work for yourpany anymore.¡± Lamarre¡¯s words were beyond Raeleigh¡¯s expectations.

    Jepherson thought for a moment and looked at Raeleigh, saying, ¡°You are partially correct. It is in the interest of thepany. Therefore, no matter how outstanding the designer is, they must work and create profit for thepany once they ept our schrships. The wealth created during this period of time will be returned to thepany¡¯s management. We can award the designers as encouragement, but it doesn¡¯t mean that they will be treated like you, a senior designer that has formally entered thepany, where you¡¯re given rewards of higher value than yourmission for each design as a sign of motivation.¡±

    ¡°No matter how you put it, you¡¯re saying that we have to follow the rules. In fact, you don¡¯t want Raeleigh to get popr because you know there are a lot of people after her talents.¡±

    Lamarre was very unhappy. As a mentor, he had to fight for his apprentice.

    Raeleigh looked at Lamarre. She didn¡¯t expect that her teacher, whom she met by chance, would be willing to fight for her. She didn¡¯t know whether he could be considered her life guru.

 Chapter 1073 You Donâ€™t Know Me.

    ¡°I understand your point, Mr. Lee, but there¡¯s one more thing I have to mention that you may not have considered.¡± Jepherson hesitated for a moment and reached out to hold Raeleigh¡¯s hand.Raeleigh didn¡¯t flinch. Since it was the truth, she believed that Lamarre would not spread the news if he was acting in her best interests.

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh with affection while she, on the other hand, didn¡¯t say anything. Jepherson put Raeleigh¡¯s hand down on hisp. He then looked at Lamarre and said, ¡°Raeleigh is pregnant. This may affect your lessons, but if she is well enough, then I won¡¯t interfere.¡±

    Lamarre sat still with a frown on his face. After a while, he said with a scoff, ¡°You¡¯re quite capable.¡±

    Jepherson smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Lee,the matter I mentioned that you may not have considered isRaeleigh¡¯s wellbeing.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Lee, you and I know that thepetition in the current work field isintense. If one is not careful, then one will get hurt. If Raeleigh bes sessful right now, then there¡¯s no doubt that someone will do something bad that catches us off guard. Therefore, I hope for Raeleigh to remain under the radar for now. All her designs are temporarily handed over to thepany to be managed. Of course, Raeleigh¡¯s ability will be made public sooner orter, but not now.¡±

    ¡°In addition, if Raeleigh bes famous, then the Richards Group will have the definite power to keep Raeleigh attached to thepany for a lifetime. Besides, there will be no money talk, and it will not be an obstacle for us toe to an agreement as well.¡±

    ¡°If otherpanies want to take Raeleigh under their wings, then the Richards Group will do whatever we can to do the same. A part of it is out of my own selfishness. Raeleigh is the future wife of the vice president of the Richards Group. I will certainly reward her and give her the recognition she deserves as her husband. I wonder if that is enough to convince you, Mr. Lee?¡±

    What else could Lamarre say? They were family. It seemed as if he was intruding in their family affairs.

    However, Lamarre said, ¡°Since Raeleigh is my student, if she can¡¯t get what she deserves in the future, then I will make you pay.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Jepherson smiled, and his grip on Raeleigh¡¯s hand slowly loosened.What Raeleigh was worthy of should be given to Raeleigh, and nothing would be less. Everything would be fine as long as he was there.

    Raeleigh blushed as she sat on one side, not knowing what to say.

    No matter what, they made it seem like it was none of her business.

    Afterwards, Lamarre said, ¡°So, ording to what you said, I guess there won¡¯t be a recruiting ceremony?¡±

    ¡°Of course, but Mr. Lee, I don¡¯t think you care about this type of ceremony,¡± Jepherson said with a smile.

    Lamarre¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Who said I don¡¯t?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless¡­

    That old man was getting more interesting by the second.

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh and said, ¡°We can have this apprentice ceremony at ater date. However, I do not wish for Raeleigh to be disturbed, so I hope you can postpone this ceremony for now.¡±

    After a long time, Lamarre didn¡¯t get the upper hand at all. Raeleigh thought that Lamarre wanted to take on a grand apprentice recruitment ceremony, but he was persuaded back by Jepherson¡¯s words.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know either. Was it because Jepherson was very eloquent or that Lamarre¡¯s ability to adapt was not as good as that of Jepherson? All in all, Jepherson won that battle.

    As for Lamarre, Jepherson had already shown enough respect for him by addressing him as Mr. Lee. He also announced in front of Lamarre that they were having a child. Lamarre was open-minded. For the sake of Jepherson¡¯s attitude towards him, Lamarre also won¡¯t make things too difficult for them.

    Lamarre looked at Raeleigh, who was sitting still on one side, and said, ¡°Weren¡¯t we going out for dinner? Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Lamarre stood up and walked around, waiting to get dinner. Jepherson stood up and looked at the time. Although it was still early, it would be just about the right time when they arrived at the ce.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Mr. Lee.I¡¯ve been waiting for quite some time to treat you to dinner,¡± Jepherson said as he stepped out of Lamarre¡¯s ce while pulling Raeleigh outside with him. Then, Raeleigh broke free of Jepherson¡¯s grasp and stood at the door, waiting for Lamarre before they went out together.

    ¡°How did you know this kid? Why do you have such poor taste in men?¡± Lamarre deliberately asked in front of Jepherson. Jepherson was walking in front with Stuart beside him. They were only two steps away from Raeleigh and Lamarre.Raeleigh believed that Jepherson had clearly heard what he had said. However, Jepherson ignored him as if he couldn¡¯t afford to offend Lamarre.

    Raeleigh wore an embarrassed smile.¡°I think he¡¯s a great person.¡±

    ¡°Is it because of his good looks?¡± Lamarre asked. Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°He¡¯s responsible, hardworking, and filial.¡±

    ¡°Are you ttering him?¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh was speechless when she heard Lamarre¡¯s question.

    Raeleigh did not answer. She followed Lamarre to the elevator with Jepherson and Stuart, after which they went downstairs together.

    After they stepped into the elevator, Raeleigh stopped talking. At that time, Lamarre was still asking questions. Raeleigh kept nodding to show that she agreed with whatever he had said.

    Even Stuart could tell that Raeleigh was worried that it would be too troublesome. Lamarre was the kind of person who asked all kinds of questions and spoke too much.

    Raeleigh sat in Jepherson¡¯s car, and even Stuart also invited Lamarre inside. However, Lamarre had his own car, so he drove his own car over.

    As the door was closed and the driver started the car, Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief like a deted balloon.¡°That was tiring.¡±

    Jepherson suddenly chuckled. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen you behave this way. It must have been a torture.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°I think my teacher behaves like a child.¡±

    ¡°Despite that, he is very talented and has creative ideas that make him stand out from the others. He can look at a drawing and give an urate judgement of it. When my mother met him, she was beaming as she listened to him talking, as if she had obtained a treasure. I heard that being his student for a month has more significant improvements than being tutored by another designer for a year, so this is a great opportunity.¡±

    Jepherson told Raeleigh sincerely. Raeleigh nodded and said, ¡°I also think so. It¡¯s just that he has a weird temperament.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Lee rarely stands on the fence for others. I¡¯ve known him for years. This is the first time that I¡¯ve seen him defend someone else. If I were to tell my parents, then they¡¯ll be shocked. Raeleigh, you¡¯re lucky.¡±

    Jepherson raised his hand to brush Raeleigh¡¯s nose. Raeleigh smiled happily.

    With a teacher who looked after her, she would soon be very sessful.

    The car stopped, and Raeleigh got out of it. Jepherson waited for Lamarre to get out of the car with Raeleigh. Then, the three of them went in for a meal. After that, Lamarre drove back. Jepherson sent Raeleigh back to thepany. The two went to his office, made out for a while before Raeleigh went to Lamarre¡¯s ce to attend a lesson.

    He would always spend the whole morning trying to persuade Jepherson and talk about the conditions and requirements. Raeleigh had attended Lamarre¡¯s lesson in the afternoon. She felt that she had benefited a lot from his lesson. Although she did not practise drawing, she gained a whole new perspective regarding a car¡¯s structure.

    ¡°Mr. Lee, where are you going? Are we heading the same way?¡± Raeleigh walked to the door and was used to Lamarre referring to her as his apprentice.

    Lamarre lowered his head as he cleaned up the table.¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. You don¡¯t know me.¡±

 Chapter 1074 Send Him Off

    Raeleigh was speechless as she had never seen such a man who liked to joke that much.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave first.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead then.¡±

    Raeleigh left Lamarre¡¯s side and headed downstairs. She was just below Jepherson¡¯s office. It was impossible for her to go and find him, but then again, she did not want to wait for him toe out. So, she decided to wait outside. After all, she did not want to attract attention. Although Jepherson wanted to make their rtionship public, Raeleigh still preferred to maintain a low profile.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh received a call from Jepherson when she arrived downstairs.¡°I¡¯ve arrived at your ce. Have youe out yet?¡±

    Jepherson came out of the elevator, intending to look for Raeleigh. Raeleigh turned around and walked to the door.¡°I¡¯m already out. I¡¯m waiting for you outside of the building.¡±

    ¡°Why are you waiting for me outside? Didn¡¯t I tell you to wait for me in Mr. Lee¡¯s office?¡± Jepherson had informed her beforehand, and she had also agreed. When Raeleigh recalled their conversation, she immediately apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I forgot.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s expression darkened.¡°What can you remember?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer lest he got even angrier. He continued.¡°Wait for me in the office. It¡¯s not safe to wait outside.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a three-year-old child. How is it dangerous to wait out here? I mean, what¡¯s the worst that could happen?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Jepherson said as he entered the elevator. The phone reception in the elevator was not good, so the two ended the call.

    Raeleigh was already standing outside the building and did not intend to head back inside. So, she waited outsideto prevent Jepherson from getting more furious and getting her into troubleter. Since she had left the office, she had to wait at the exit of the building. But even so, Jepherson didn¡¯t forget to nag her when he came out.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a rebel,¡± Jepherson said when he saw Raeleigh, pulling her into his arms. She immediately broke into a smile.¡°I honestly forgot. I¡¯ll remember it the next time, butI guess I made the right decision toe out. Look at all the beautiful lights.¡±

    Raeleigh pointed at the lights. Jepherson looked at it. It was indeed beautiful, but there was a possibility that she was trying to shift his attention.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s attractive, but you¡¯re more beautiful. I¡¯d be better off looking at you.¡± Jepherson teased. His eyes were full of love. He raised his hand and stroked Raeleigh¡¯s face. Raeleigh felt a little embarrassed. She looked around and said, ¡°What are you doing? Someone might notice us.¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid of? You¡¯re already carrying my baby. Why are you afraid of letting others see us?¡± Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms as they made their way towards the car. After Stuart opened the car door, Jepherson carefully helped Raeleigh into the car before getting in himself.

    They then made their way back home. Raeleigh leaned against Jepherson as she stared outside the window. Jepherson hugged her from behind and enjoyed the scenery outside the window with her. Stuart, who was envious of the pair, did not dare to look at them.

    Raeleigh got out of the car as soon as they arrived home. At that time, Scarlette was watering the flowers and trees in the garden. Her body was slightly drenched. On one side stood Hadrian and Santiago. Santiago was currently building a dog house. He even bought a puppy, and the puppy was currently wagging its tail at his feet.

    When Raeleigh saw them, she stood still for a moment. She felt as if she was out of ce.

    Santiago was wearing a green vest and a pair of beige trousers. He had a hammer in his hand as he built the dog house.

    Hadrian, on the other hand, had his eyes locked on Scarlette as she watered the nts.

    That was the scene Raeleigh ran into as soon as she entered the yard. The sun was setting at that moment, and it filled the sky with beautiful colors, covering every corner of the world with a golden veil.

    In Raeleigh¡¯s eyes, that moment was the most beautiful.

    The moment Scarlette saw Raeleigh, she hurriedly threw down the water hose and ran towards her. Jepherson turned his head away and continued on into the house. Stuart lowered his head as he walked.

    ¡°Hadrian, can you please take off your jacket and hand it to Scarlette?¡± Raeleigh immediately said. Scarlette wasn¡¯t wearing a camisole at the moment.

    Was the weather that hot?

    Hadrian obediently took his jacketoffand handed it to Scarlette. She put it on and walked towards Raeleigh, sizing her up.¡°You¡¯re back from work?¡±

    ¡°Am I not weed?¡± Raeleigh asked in reply. Scarlette asked,¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you d that I¡¯m home?¡± Raeleigh rolled her eyes at Scarlette. Then, she turned around and walked towards the house. She chased after Raeleigh and said, ¡°I put all of my camisoles in a box, but I somehow lost the key. Can you check whether the key is with you? I can¡¯t find it.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and looked at Scarlette.¡°Then, you should at least wear something thicker. Take a look at yourself!¡±

    Raeleigh pointed at her. Scarlette lowered her head like a fool and screamed at her current appearance. Then, she immediately ran off into the house.

    Raeleigh was caught off guard by Scarlette¡¯s scream. Her heart almost could not bear it.

    Jepherson was sitting downstairs. When he saw Raeleigh in a daze, he could not help but tough. Not long after, Santiago entered the house with a puppy in his arms and wanted to hand over the puppy to Raeleigh. However, she refused.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to take care of it.¡± Raeleigh was fine looking at smaller animals, but she did not know how to take care of one.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to know. I only want you to hold the puppy for me,¡± Santiago said as he ced the puppy in Raeleigh¡¯s arms. She hurried over to hold onto the puppy. The puppy was so small that she was afraid that she would drop it.

    Santiago handed the puppy to Raeleigh, and he then swaggered towards Jepherson and sat down. Raeleigh lowered her head and looked at the puppy that was struggling to break free from her arms. She felt that the puppy wanted to be around Santiago. So, she bent down and ced the dog on the floor. Surely enough, the puppy went to Santiago. When it reached his foot, it started wagging its tail, trying to get his attention. Meanwhile, Raeleigh went to wash her hands, and she then headed upstairs to visit Novalie and left the brothers to catch up.

    Santiago turned around and nced at Raeleigh. He said to himself, ¡°This woman does not know how to love.¡±

    Jepherson looked over.¡°Raeleigh is pregnant. Don¡¯t let her touch the dog.¡±

    Santiago picked up the puppy and stroked it while saying, ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Is there any news about the Moore family?¡± Jepherson askedafter sitting for a while. Santiago thought for a moment and said, ¡°Flynt has been very quiet recently. It¡¯s strange. If you have to go abroad, then I think it¡¯s best you bring Raeleigh with you. I don¡¯t want to be responsible for what happens to her.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to go anywhere at the moment. Thepany has already started to develop Phantasy Dream. I need to reorganise the car model, so I need to take a break. You should be careful when you go out. Grandma asked me to go home. It may have something to do with Deanna. I¡¯ll have to go home tonight. I need you to watch over Raeleigh tomorrow.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson got up and went upstairs. Santiago remained on the couch with the puppy in his arms.

    Serra then asked Santiago, ¡°Mr. Santiago, what time should we start dinner?¡±

    ¡°We shall have dinner now.¡±

    He got up and sent the puppy outside. Santiago looked up at the starry sky. There were so many stars that night.

    After having dinner, Jepherson got up from the dining table and did not leave immediately. He went to sit on the couch for a while. After Raeleigh finished eating, he briefly nced at his watch, got up from the couch, put on his coat, and went out. Raeleigh knew what he meant. He wanted her to send him off.

 Chapter 1075 Broke Out in Cold Sweat

    The day after was the weekend. Jepherson nned to stay at the Ink Garden at Richards Manor to spend some time with Marissa. Raeleigh, on the other hand, did not need to go to the office. She could use the two days to rest and spend some time with Novalie.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms as they exited the house. He lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh. By the time they pulled away from each other, she was out of breath.

    When Jepherson let go of Raeleigh, she shot him a re and said, ¡°People are going to see us.¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Jepherson asked as he lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh again. Then, he let go and said, ¡°Please take care of yourself these couple of days. Stay home and rest. Do not go anywhere.¡±

    ¡°Alright.I get it.¡± Raeleigh promised. However, as soon as Jepherson left, she suddenly remembered that she had not gone to visit the owner of the burger joint yet.

    Raeleigh thought for a while and wondered, should she meet up with the owner?

    When she got into the house, Raeleigh watched TV and thought that since Santiago had just arrived home,it was a little inappropriate to call Jephersonto ask him whether she could go out to meet the owner of the burger joint. So, she asked Santiago, who was watching TV, ¡°Santiago, I want to go out. Is it alright?¡±

    Santiago cast Raeleigh a nce and asked, ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°Remember someone died a few days ago? I think the court has a verdict on Wouter. I want to have a look.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. He has been sent to prison. He has admitted that he was ordered to kill the man. But if the court continues to interrogate him, then he¡¯s going to lose his mind. He has now been sent to a psychiatric facility. You¡¯re pregnant. It¡¯s best for you to stay at home,¡± Santiago said indifferently. Raeleigh stood there in a daze and took out her cell phone to call Jepherson. At that time, Jepherson had just arrived at Richards Manor and was getting out of his car. He picked up Raeleigh¡¯s call as he walked towards the Ink Garden. He stopped and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up? Have youalreadymissed me? That¡¯s quick!¡±

    Raeleigh blushed. Ever since she confirmed their rtionship, he had turned into a glib rascal.

    Each time, he would say something that made her blush and her heart race.

    Raeleigh stood up and said, ¡°I have something to ask you.¡±

    ¡°I want to hear you say that you miss me.¡± Jepherson was in a good mood, and he couldn¡¯t help teasing her. He knew that she was probably hiding in her room, blushing furiously. At the thought of that, Jepherson¡¯s heart throbbed.

    Stuart looked around and knew that he had to stand guard while Jepherson was on the phone.

    Raeleigh bit her lip and remained silent. She quickly made her way to her room before she said, ¡°You¡¯re such a smooth talker.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you don¡¯t miss me?¡± Jepherson was amused as he continued teasing her.

    ¡°Why would I miss you? You just left not too long ago.¡± Raeleigh locked the door and made her way to the bed. She was afraid that Scarlette would suddenly barge into the room.

    ¡°When are you going to start missing me? At night? Or in the middle of the night? Maybe next morning?¡±

    The more Jepherson spoke, the more excited he became. Stuart blushed. Why was Mr. Jephersonsuch a sweet talker?Was he not afraid that others would overhear his romantic conversation? Who did Jepherson think he was?

    Raeleigh pursed her lips.¡°You¡¯re such a rogue.¡±

    ¡°I am and I can be worse. Do you want to hear it?¡±N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    ¡°No.¡± Raeleigh pretended to be infuriated. In fact, at that very moment, her face was flushed, and her heart was pounding in her chest. Jepherson was having fun teasing her at the moment and wanted nothing more than to go back and see her angry face.

    ¡°Then, you¡¯re not allowed to ask me any question. I¡¯m going to hang up now.¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t¡­¡±

    Raeleigh hurriedly stopped him. Then, Jepherson said, ¡°Call me your ¡®hubby¡¯.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless and did not say anything. She was blushing intensely, and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. How could she call him ¡®hubby¡¯ when they were not even married yet? Why was he behaving that way?

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to call me ¡®hubby¡¯? Fine, I¡¯m going to hang up now.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and finally called out after a long time,¡°Hubby.¡±

    Jepherson was stunned for a moment. He felt as if something was clutching at his heart.His grin turned even cheekier. Stuart inadvertently turned around and caught a glimpse of his face. He wondered what Raeleigh had said to him to make him smile sosciviously.

    ¡°I can¡¯t hear you. Your voice is so soft, and you sound so stiff. I want to hear it again. Be gentler this time.¡±

    Stuart was about to throw up.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a long time before she finally said, ¡°H-hubby.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Raeleigh took a deep breath. ¡°I want to ask¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you miss me?¡± Jepherson continued to be overbearing. Raeleigh was about to break down. ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t miss me, then it¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to say that I¡¯ve gone too far.¡±

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes, but she was the only one in the room.

    Raeleigh said all of a sudden, ¡°Of course I miss you.¡±

    Jepherson was somewhat satisfied.¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned and felt conflicted.

    How could a man do that?

    She simply could not understand.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    When Raeleigh heard his question, only then she remembered that she just wanted to ask him about Wouter. She totally did not expect him to flirt for so long. Raeleigh raised her free hand and rubbed her temples. She reminded herself not to get angry because it was bad for the baby¡¯s health.

    ¡°I want to know if what I heard about Wouter is true or not. I heard from Santiago that Wouter pleaded guilty to the murder of that man. But then again, Wouter seems like a good man. Why would he do such a thing? Is there a misunderstanding? Or perhaps, they were not able to find the murderer, so they used him as a scapegoat?¡±

    In fact, Raeleigh suspected that the nurse was the one who did it, but it was just that she could not simply use her.

    ¡°He¡¯s not a scapegoat. This matter was set up at the beginning. They found out about you investigating the orphanage. In addition, I have been investigating this matter for so many years. That¡¯s why they came up with such a scene. Only you can believe it.¡±

    Jepherson sounded as if he wasining, so Raeleigh¡¯s mind suddenly went nk.¡°So, the information I found at the Public Security Department is fake?¡±

    ¡°Is that information genuine?¡±

    ¡°Then, you¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll follow up closely. Please do not take any risks, or else, I¡¯m going to punish you,¡± Jepherson spoke righteously. Raeleigh asked, ¡°You¡¯ll punish me?¡±

    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s so dangerous, and you did it discreetly. You¡¯re lucky that nothing happened. What would happen if something bad ured?¡±

    Raeleigh did not speak, but she was moved by his words.

    Jepherson could have found a better partner with his status and identity. Why did he have his eyes on her?

    ¡°Have a good rest and don¡¯t mess around. I¡¯ll deal with these things.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Raeleigh agreed. Then, Jepherson said, ¡°Good night.¡±

    ¡°Good night,¡± Raeleigh said. Then, she put down her phone andy on the bed. She did not think much about Wouter, and she could not help but to wonder, was Jepherson¡¯s sister indeed in that orphanage?

    Raeleighy down and fell asleep in a daze. She dreamed about when she was ten years old.

    In the dream, all the children were sitting in the backyard of the orphanage. Raeleigh and another boy had just gotten out of a car. All of them carried a small backpack and a doll. The boy beside her burst out crying as they walked. He turned around and even wanted to go back. The boy was one year older than her and was also slightly taller, but he was a crybaby. He had been crying all the way, and it made her want to burst into tears as well.

    They followed ady to the yard of the orphanage where the children were gathered.Thedy named Madam Caprice ced her hands on their shoulders and said, ¡°Hey kids, we have two new friends who will be joining us from now on. They¡¯re transferred here from another orphanage as the orphanage couldn¡¯t continue operating. Let¡¯s give them a warm wee, shall we? From today onwards, we have to treat them as family, alright?¡±

    Madam Caprice stood aside as the kids came over to greet her and the boy. The crybaby was still crying¡­

    Raeleigh suddenly opened her eyes and broke out in cold sweat.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible! It¡¯s impossible¡­¡±

 Chapter 1076 If She Was, Then What Should She Do?

    The sun was rising outside the window. Raeleighid in bed with her hands on her head, wondering, ¡°How is it possible?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. It was impossible. She must have been overthinking, so that was why she had such a dream. But, was it really a dream? Why did the boy in her dream look so familiar? She felt as if she had met him before.

    Raeleigh sat up and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Then, she got out of bed, put on her clothes, and went out the door.

    Just as Raeleigh was making her way down the stairs, Santiago frowned slightly when he saw her and asked, ¡°Are you alright? You look pale.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head.¡°Nothing, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Santiago was amused by her answer. Raeleigh was staring at Santiago in a daze. Santiago walked up the stairs and touched her forehead.¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing.¡± Raeleigh trembled as she spoke. Santiago was even more unsure.¡°Are you feeling unwell? Come with me, I¡¯ll drive you to the hospital.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a long time before she said, ¡°Remember the day we went to the police station? I seem to remember that you had taken out some documents. Where did you keep them?¡±

    ¡°I left them in the car,¡± Santiago answered. Raeleigh nodded and said, ¡°Could you go and fetch them? I want to have a look.¡±

    Santiago instructed Hadrian to retrieve them from the car and brought the documents upstairs to Raeleigh¡¯s room. Raeleigh said, ¡°Give me a moment while I take a look.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, she entered her room and immediately made a call to Jepherson. At that moment, Jepherson was currently taking a rest. He slept a littlete the previous night after having to go through a bunch of documents.

    ¡°Wow, I¡¯m surprised that you miss me already.¡± Jepherson was amused. Raeleigh thought for a while and pretended to be calm. ¡°I have something to ask you. I remember you telling me that your sister was sent to an orphanage but was soon transferred to another because that orphanage she was first sent to was experiencing financial difficulties. Do you have the name list?¡±

    Raeleigh asked. Jepherson had always paid special attention to his missing sister. So, when Raeleigh mentioned it, he turned serious and said,¡°Yes, I do.¡±

    ¡°Can you give me the list?¡± Raeleigh asked, still pretending to be calm.

    Jepherson asked unhappily, ¡°Are you nning to do something risky again?¡±

    ¡°No, I want to do some research on the inte. In this day and age, we can find everything on the inte. We can even contact the orphanages online. It¡¯ll at least save you some time, and you don¡¯t have to travel around,¡± Raeleigh exined. Jepherson pondered for a moment. Although it was a solution,he was afraid that they would not be able to find anything.

    ¡°Hello, are you still there?¡± Raeleigh was a little anxious.

    On the other hand, Jepherson answered, ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll take a picture of the name list and send it to youter.¡± Jepherson did not say anything else and hung up the phone. At that point, Raeleigh was hyperventting a little with her hand on her chest. She was really afraid, but¡­

    She could not be selfish.

    Soon after, Raeleigh received the name list from Jepherson. She counted and found out that there were a total of 63 children,prising 31 boys and 32 girls. She narrowed down the list to girls who were three years old. There were a total of thirteen girls.

    Raeleigh wrote down the names of the thirteen girls andpared them with the list that Santiago had given her.

    After going through the list, there were two girls who stood out, Bowie and Brisa.

    Raeleigh knew very well that the names were given to them by the dean of the orphanage on their first day. That was also a way to distinguish the children in the orphanage. If the children¡¯s name started with a ¡®B¡¯, then it meant that they were sent to the orphanage right after they were born. If their names did not start with a ¡®B¡¯, then it meant that they were sent over to the orphanage at ater age.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh frowned. Why didn¡¯t it state when Brisa and Bowie were sent to the orphanage? Why weren¡¯t they in the same orphanage as her?

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t figure it out. She couldn¡¯t remember anything. But then again, she was only three years old at that time. She had always thought that she had grown up in an orphanage. Why did things seem much moreplicated then?

    Raeleigh did not go out all morning. She remained in bed.

    Soon after, she fell asleep. When she woke up, she put away the documents and went downstairs to grab something to eat. After that, she went back to the room and continued reading the documents.

    Raeleigh thought hard. Her original name was Shuna, and it was given to her by the orphanage. Her name indicated that she was sent to the orphanage right after she was born.

    Raeleigh read the information and thought, ¡°Am I going to give up just like this?¡±

    After putting away the information, Raeleigh went back to lie down and thought about it for the whole afternoon. However, she could not remember anything.

    Raeleigh got up and went online to see whether there was a way to make a person remember her childhood.

    Raeleigh was d to find out that there was indeed a way.

    The method was called hypnotherapy.

    However, that method was not safe.

    Raeleigh had no choice but to tell Novalie about her dream. Novalie thought for a while and said, ¡°You¡¯re saying that you dreamed that you were sent to the orphanage at ater age and not right after you were born?¡±

    Novalie knew that it wasmon for people not to remember their childhood. Raeleigh had always thought that she was sent to the orphanage right after she was born. Novalie was not surprised. After all,no one had told Raeleigh about it.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible to find out the truth about this matter,¡± Novalie said. Raeleigh looked at Novalie and asked, ¡°Grandma, do you have a solution?¡±

    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s not that difficult. There¡¯s the total number of children on the name list that you brought back from your trip to the police station. All the orphanages will have a record of when a child was sent to the orphanage. If you want to know whether you were sent there at three, then you can go back to the police station and check. All of the orphanages must have a record, and they will send it to the police station after updating it every half a year. Regardless of whether you were sent to the orphanage right after you were born or when you were three years old, you will still be able to find out, unlessyou were sent to the orphanage at ten years old.¡±

    Raeleigh sat quietly in her seat after hearing her grandmother¡¯s words. She did not know why, but she really wanted to find out whether she was the girl in her dreams. However, upon hearing her grandmother¡¯s words, Raeleigh felt somewhat regretful. She was at a loss and did not dare to continue.

    Novalie raised her hand to stroke Raeleigh¡¯s hair and said, ¡°Raeleigh, in fact, the earlier you find out about it, the better it is for you. We always know that someone¡¯s trying to hunt you down, but what if that¡¯s not their intention? What if they only want to reunite with you?¡±

    ¡°That doctor, Xanthus, is a good person. In fact, I¡¯ve thought about it many times. I¡¯ll be happy if you¡¯re his sister, but what if you¡¯re not?¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing and just stared at Novalie with tears in her eyes.

    If she was, then what should she do?

 Chapter 1077 The Whalen Siblings Are Here

    Novalie sighed softly. ¡°Everything is fated, both the good and the bad. We¡¯ll go through things that have been decided by fate. Time will prove everything.¡±

    Raeleigh listened to whatever her grandmother had to say. After a while, Novalie was feeling tired, so Raeleigh left. Feeling overwhelmed, she felt her knees grow weak, and she had nearly forgotten how to go down the stairs.

    Raeleigh sat on the couch downstairs for a long time and saw no signs of anyone else. A few momentster, Santiago came home with the puppy in his arms. Only then did she stand up and stared at Santiago.

    Raeleigh decided to let it go. She pressed her lips together and said nothing.

    Santiago walked over to her and asked, ¡°Are you still feeling unwell?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that there was no one when I came downstairs.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette and Hadrian went somewhere else to y games. If you need Scarlette, then you can just call her,¡± Santiago said as he ced the puppy on the ground. Raeleigh watched the puppy as it circled Santiago¡¯s legs while wagging its tail. Santiago smiled and got onto the ground to y with the puppy.

    Since Santiago was busy with the puppy, Raeleigh felt like she could ask him about itter.

    She turned around and walked upstairs in a daze.

    Raeleigh held the railings as she walked upstairs. She almost fell when she lost her footing. Fortunately, she was holding the railing.

    Santiago suddenly raised his head to look at Raeleigh. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Santiago hurriedly got to his feet and rushed up the stairs. When he saw Raeleigh¡¯s face, he bent down and carried her in his arms. Then, he continued climbing up the stairs. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You don¡¯t look like yourself.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer him. She wanted to tell Santiago that she was fine, but she couldn¡¯t. She choked back her words.

    As soon as they made it back to Raeleigh¡¯s room, Santiago immediately called the doctor over. Even though it was already dark outside, the doctor still agreed toe over.

    About half an hourter, the doctor arrived at Raeleigh¡¯s ce.

    At that time, Santiago was still standing in Raeleigh¡¯s bedroom as he waited for the doctor toe.

    Santiago could hear the unfamiliar footsteps outside the door and immediately knew that the doctor had arrived. The doctor knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter.

    ¡°Come on in.¡±

    Santiago was also worried. He hurriedly pulled the doctor into the room and asked him to examine Raeleigh. Santiago was the one who found this doctor. The doctor was a little flustered as he put down his medical bag. The only person he was afraid of in the Richards family was Santiago.

    ¡°What happened to her? Is there anything wrong with the baby?¡± As soon as Santiago mentioned the baby in her belly, Raeleigh looked even more washed out than before. There was no color to her cheeks.

    Raeleigh touched her belly and wondered what she should do.

    Why didn¡¯t she have the courage at all? Wasn¡¯t this what she wanted to do?

    The doctor looked at Santiago with a look of disbelief. If he remembered correctly, Santiago was only 17 years old.

    The doctor was in disbelief that Santiago was going to be a father at the age of 17.

    The doctor did not dare to ask more. He felt that it was such a waste of their youth.

    ¡°Let me have a look.¡± The doctor immediately walked to Raeleigh and gave her a thorough examination. When the doctor saw that Raeleigh had ced her hand on her stomach as well as her pale face, he immediately knew what happened. He could not believe that Santiago was so ruthless.

    Mr. Santiago had crossed the line.

    Raeleighy on the bed with no expression on her face. Then, the doctor stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. She¡¯s probably feeling unwell because she caught a cold.¡±

    The doctor did not even dare to tell him the actual diagnosis.

    Unexpectedly, Santiago said, ¡°You¡¯re useless. She was triggered, wasn¡¯t she? Why did you say that she has a cold? How is it possible for her to catch a cold when the weather is so hot?¡±

    The doctor was speechless for a moment. He remained silent.

    Raeleighy down for a while and felt sorry for the doctor. When she finally came back to her senses, she said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let the doctor go. I just need some rest, I¡¯ll be fine then.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll drive you to the hospital to get another examination,¡± Santiago said as he walked over to Raeleigh. Then, he bent over, picked her up, and went out of the room. Raeleigh could not stop him. She could only me herself for being weak.

    Santiago was wearing a vest and a pair of jeans. When he got downstairs, he put on a pair of sandals and went out through the door.

    It was already autumn and the days were getting shorter. At that time, it was already dark outside. Santiago was about to carry Raeleigh into the car when he caught a glimpse of a car parked outside of the house. Looking at the car model, he instantly knew it was a car designed by the Richards family. It was the Lanox. However, when Santiago saw the license number, he instantly knew that the car belonged to the Whalen siblings.

    Hadrian drove the car into the courtyard. Santiago immediately got into the driver¡¯s seat after cing Raeleigh in the passenger seat. At that time, Deanna got out of the car, biting her lips. She held a small bag in her hand and stood at the entrance of the courtyard. Her face was as pale as a sheet of paper.

    Santiago then drove off, pretending not to see Deanna. Raeleigh turned around and looked at Deanna. She looked like she was about to cry.

    If it wasn¡¯t this dark, then Raeleigh was sure that she would be able to see Deanna¡¯s tears.

    ¡°Hey, Santiago. Deanna¡¯s here. Can you please turn the car around? I want her to apany me to the hospital.¡± Raeleigh did not want Deanna to misunderstand her. Deanna was also a little worried about her. What had happened in the past was also a hidden danger. It was probably hard on Deanna. At the end of the day, she was young and naive, so her mindset might have differed from theirs.

    Santiago pretended as if he did not hear anything and continued on with their journey to the hospital. When they arrived, he hurriedly pulled into a parking spot and carried Raeleigh out of the car. Raeleigh protested and insisted that she could walk on her own, but Santiago ignored her and carried her into the hospital.

    Since it was alreadyte at night, there was basically no one in the hospital. Santiago ced Raeleigh down on a seat in the waiting area and went to register. Soon, the doctor who was on call called them into the examination room. Santiago followed Raeleigh into the room. She found it amusing that there wasn¡¯t anything anyone could hide from him.

    When they arrived at the examination room, the doctor immediately gave Raeleigh a brief check-up. In the end, the doctor said there was nothing wrong with her. Santiago was still worried, so he asked the doctor to arrange a full-body check-up for her. After the doctor was done, Santiago checked the report one by one. He wanted to make sure that she waspletely fine.

    The doctor felt that there was nothing wrong with Raeleigh and told Santiago that he could take her home.

    He also said that pregnant women needed a lot of rest and was advised to sleep early.

    Santiago did not say anything. But at that time, Raeleigh was leaning on one side silently, not making any noise. Santiago stood up with the report in his hand and walked over to Raeleigh. He reached out and gently nudged her. She was so tired that she had fallen asleep.

    It was so quiet in the corridor as there wasn¡¯t a single soul. Santiago looked around and bent down to pick up Raeleigh. She opened her eyes and looked at Santiago. ¡°I can walk on my own. Put me down.¡±

    ¡°You can walk on your own?¡± Santiago did not know what she meant, but his eyes seemed to be full of sarcasm. He med Raeleigh for not taking care of herself and nearly putting the life of her baby at risk.

    Raeleigh leaned against his chest and closed her eyes. In the end, she allowed Santiago to carry her into the car.

    When they arrived at the car, Santiago ced Raeleigh in the passenger seat and took out a coat from behind the car to cover her. Raeleigh closed her eyes and fell asleep.

    By the time Raeleigh woke up, they had arrived at her house.

    At that time, Raeleigh realized that the Whalen siblings¡¯ car was still parked at the gate, indicating that they had not left yet.

    Raeleigh sat up as Santiago drove into the courtyard. Raeleigh looked out through the rearview mirror and saw that the engine of the Whalen family¡¯s car had been turned off. It meant that there wasn¡¯t anyone in the car, not even the driver.

    After parking the car, Santiago did not get off. Raeleigh looked at him and asked, ¡°Are you not getting out of the car?¡±

    ¡°Since you and my brother are going to get married, then you should focus on that. Do not let others interfere with your rtionship. They are them and you are you. Regardless of whoever they are, they have no right to interfere with your rtionship with my brother, including yourself.¡±

    Santiago pushed the door open and got out of the car. Raeleigh did not understand what was going on. She turned around and looked at the car parked at the gate. She wanted to know what he meant. Santiago opened the door and used a little force to pull Raeleigh out of the car. He told Raeleigh, ¡°Whatever goes on between you and my brother, be it marriage, life, or the baby, is between you and my brother. You are not allowed to make any decisions on your own.¡±

    ¡°Santiago, are you alright?¡± Raeleigh suddenly asked. Santiago snorted and pushed the door open. Then, he pulled Raeleigh into the house. She realized that she was more infuriated by a quiet Santiago than a talkative one.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I thought you were my boyfriend, not Jepherson.¡±

    Raeleigh said it as a joke. She did not expect Santiago would stop in his tracks and turn to look at her. Raeleigh wore an inexplicable expression on her face. At first, she just med Santiago for meddling in her business. When Santiago stared at her, she felt like she did not know what to do next.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and said nothing. Santiago walked over to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Go on, say it. Why are you silent now?¡±

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes at Santiago. ¡°What do you want me to say?¡±

    ¡°Repeat what you just said.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Repeat what?¡±

    ¡°You said that I was your boyfriend,¡± Santiago said with a straight face. Raeleigh remained silent for a while before she said, ¡°Since you¡¯re helping me with everything, I¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s called a butler.¡±

    Raeleigh knew she could not win an argument with Santiago, so she decided to stop talking. She walked past him and continued on into the house. She pretended for a moment that Santiago had gone cuckoo.

    Only then did Santiago follow Raeleigh in.

    When Raeleigh entered the house, she saw Zorion and Deanna, who were sitting on the couch.

    Zorion was dressed in a ck slim-fit suit with a very beautiful pocket square.

    He was dressed like a groom who was about to get married. As for Deanna, she was wearing a white dress. She looked like an angel as she sat quietly beside Zorion. She looked anxious and uneasy. It was as if she was waiting for something to happen.

    When Deanna saw Raeleigh enter through the door, she immediately stood up, but Zorion held her hand and she sat back again. She pursed her lips and felt unhappy.

    Raeleigh promised to focus on her rtionship with Jepherson. But why was she acting so intimately with Santiago at that moment? It didn¡¯t look like there was nothing between them.

    In fact, Deanna knew that she herself was very headstrong and always acted defensively. However, if she did note here, then she would not be able to eat or sleep if she stayed home. What was she going to do?

    ¡°Hey, what are you guys doing here?¡± Raeleigh did not know what else to say. It was already two o¡¯clock in the middle of the night and they were still sitting in her living room. There had to be a reason why they were still here.

    What was the reason?

    It probably was because of Santiago.

 Chapter 1078 Angry

    Raeleigh made the first move. She walked over to the couch and sat opposite Deanna. Deanna wanted to ask Raeleigh where she was thatte at night. Even if Raeleigh was not feeling well, she was with Jepherson. Why did she allow Santiago to carry her?

    What was more, Raeleigh seemed to be fine. Why did Santiago have to carry her? What was going on?

    Before Deanna could ask her questions, Santiago entered the house with a bag in his hand. It was something he had obtained from the hospital. Apart from the list of examinations done by the doctor, there were also some medicines.

    As Raeleigh was pregnant, she had to watch her diet. She had to take supplements that were good for her and her baby.

    ¡°Serra.¡± Santiago handed the bag in his hand to Serra. He nced at Scarlette, who was yawning, as well as Hadrian. ¡°It¡¯ste, why are you guys still awake?¡±

    Scarlette pouted. She obviously wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, but Deanna was here. She was like a princess. Was it possible for her not to apany her?

    And there was also Zorion. Both him and Deanna were very insensible. What were they doing in the middle of the night in someone else¡¯s house? Scarlette really did not understand. She was slightly agitated. If Zorion wasn¡¯t from the Whalen family, then she would have punched him long ago.

    ¡°I would have gone to bed if I could,¡± Scarlette said. Deanna immediately bit her lip, indicating that she was wronged. Deanna did tell her to go to sleep, but Scarlette refused to listen. Right then, Scarlette made it seem like it was Deanna¡¯s fault that she was not allowed to go to sleep.

    Deanna looked at Santiago with puppy eyes, wanting to exin herself. She neither knew what to say, nor did Zorion help her out of the predicament.

    ¡°Deanna did ask Scarlette and Hadrian to go to sleep, but right now, they are watching Deanna as if she was a thief. I have no idea what is worth stealing in Raeleigh¡¯s house.¡±

    Zorion¡¯s words stung Raeleigh. She froze for a moment and looked at Scarlette. She was afraid that Scarlette would say something she didn¡¯t mean.

    When she thought of it, Zorion sounded like they were here to denounce them.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    ¡°Scarlette, why don¡¯t you and Hadrian go and get some rest? You too, Serra.¡± Raeleigh wanted to dismiss the others back to their rooms. It was already the wee hours and they still had things to do the next day.

    It was fine for the younger ones to stay up, but not for the older people. Staying upte was more tiring than a month¡¯s work. Raeleigh once heard that people who stayed upte were more likely to die early.

    Although Scarlette was reluctant to go to bed, she did not want to spend a single second with Deanna. So, she turned around and went back to her room.

    Hadrian too made his way back to his room. The only person left was Serra. Raeleigh looked at Serra and said, ¡°Go and get some rest.¡±

    Only then did Serra leave. She briefly said something to Santiago before making her way back to her room.

    It was quiet in the living room. Santiago walked to Raeleigh¡¯s side and sat down, leaning against her.

    Deanna¡¯s face suddenly tensed up. The couch was huge. She did not understand why they had to sit so closely together.

    She also wondered why Raeleigh did not ask Santiago to move over.

    Deanna suddenly became anxious. Neither Raeleigh nor Santiago moved from their spots.

    Deanna could not help but to say, ¡°Raeleigh, the couch is so big. Why do you two have to sit together?¡±

    It would be fine if Deanna did not mention it. But upon hearing that, Raeleigh, Santiago, and Zorion turned to look at her. Only then did Raeleigh realize that she was indeed sitting very close to Santiago. So, she moved slightly away from Santiago. Santiago was amused. ¡°Deanna, are you confused? Don¡¯t you know whose house you¡¯re in?¡±

    Santiago looked unhappy. He didn¡¯t care if it was any other time and ce, but they were now at Raeleigh¡¯s home. Deanna basically had no say in this house.

    Raeleigh immediately turned to look at Santiago. ¡°Santiago.¡±

    As his sister-inw, Raeleigh had the right to tell Santiago to mind his own business.

    Deanna had already misunderstood her and Jepherson, and yet another misunderstanding was about to happen. If this continued, then it would cause a dent in their friendship, and they could no longer remain as friends.

    Santiago red at Raeleigh. In Deanna¡¯s eyes, Santiago was not acting like a proper brother-inw to Raeleigh. She was so anxious that she wanted to cry. ¡°Zorion.¡±

    Zorion sat up straight in his seat. He calmlyforted Deanna. Then, he said to Santiago, ¡°Deanna doesn¡¯t mean anything. You don¡¯t have to give her the cold shoulder. Just because there are no elders here, it does not mean that I don¡¯t have the right to discipline you. Don¡¯t forget, I may not bear the Richards name, but I grew up in the Richards Family.¡±

    ¡°Deanna is right to remind you not to get too close to Raeleigh. You should be aware of your ce in the family. You can sit next to Raeleigh, but you can¡¯t stick too close to her. Not only Deanna thinks it¡¯s inappropriate, I think so too.¡±

    Raeleigh did not expect that Deanna and Zorion woulde into her house and say these kinds of words to them. They were p*ssing her off.

    ¡°Zorion, be respectful when you speak. Don¡¯te into my house and throw mud at us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not mad if Deanna was the one who said that, since she¡¯s naive. However, it¡¯s different if it¡¯s you. I know you want to defend Deanna, but make sure you get your facts right. Santiago is my brother-inw. He is two years younger than Deanna. In my eyes, he is still a kid, but I believe that he knows what to do and what not to do.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s face fell as she rambled. Zorion was stunned for a moment as he looked at Raeleigh. ¡°I neither said anything nor did I throw mud at you. I¡¯m just pointing out a fact. Even if he is your brother-inw, he should still maintain a respectful distance.¡±

    ¡°And since when did he not? We¡¯ve been out and about for the entire night. We spent the majority of the night at the hospital because he thinks I am not feeling well. He had to carry me over to the hospital to get examined. He is just exhausted, so that¡¯s why he just plopped down beside me. We were also sitting like this in the hospital. Who are you toe here and tell us what to do? Do you really think it is appropriate for you to do this?¡±

    Raeleigh was growing very unhappy. It didn¡¯t matter to her if Deanna said those words as she was naive, but not Zorion.

    Deanna felt aggrieved at first, but she became speechless when she saw that Raeleigh was getting mad. She even felt a little annoyed. How could she doubt Raeleigh?

    When Raeleigh noticed that Zorion was silent, only then did she turn around and exin to Deanna, ¡°I wasn¡¯t feeling well, and that¡¯s why Santiago brought me to the hospital. Maybe there are some things that made you misunderstand the rtionship between Santiago and me, but rest assured, there is nothing going on between us.¡±

    Deanna was relieved when she heard Raeleigh¡¯s words.

    Raeleigh then turned to look at Santiago before making her way back to her room.

    Santiago rose to his feet and made his way upstairs. He was furious.

 Chapter 1079 Subtle Beauty

    Raeleigh watched as Santiago made his way back to his room. Then, she turned to look at Zorion and Deanna, asking, ¡°What are you guys still doing here at this hour? Is there something I can help you with?¡±

    Zorion let go of his hold on Deanna and sat to one side. He briefly nced at his sister, motioning for her to talk.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that I feel bored without you and Scarlette in school, so I decided toe and visit you. I heard that you moved to a new home,¡± Deanna said casually. Raeleigh felt that she was not telling the truth.

    ¡°It¡¯s already the wee hours of morning. I¡¯m a little sleepy. Why don¡¯t you head home first? If you have anything to say¡­¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, can we live here?¡± Before Raeleigh finished her words, Deanna cut her off. Raeleigh did not know what to say. They had plenty of spare rooms in the house. Since Deanna wanted to live here, it was impossible for her to reject her request.

    ¡°The two of you can stay in the guest room.¡± Raeleigh stood up and nned to show Deanna and Zorion the guest room upstairs. In fact, there were a lot of people living in the house and there was only one room that was not upied.

    ¡°I have only one guest room upstairs. That¡¯s the only room left. Are you sure you want to live here?¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and asked the siblings. Deanna hurriedly said, ¡°Zorion and I can share a room, right, Zorion?¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zorion replied with a smile. He had always agreed to his sister¡¯s requests.

    Raeleigh felt helpless. What else could she do then? They did not look like they wanted to go home, so Raeleigh had no choice but to show Deanna and Zorion the room.

    Raeleigh led Deanna and Zorion into the guest room upstairs. ¡°The sheets and quilt covers are clean. Rest assured. We bought them a few days ago and they had been washed.¡±

    Raeleigh knew that the Whalen family had high standards. They paid particr attention to the necessities of life. She had to point out to them that the sheets were clean.

    ¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t I bunk with you tonight and I¡¯ll let my brother have this room. I have something to ask you,¡± Deanna said as she grabbed Raeleigh¡¯s hand and acted like a spoiled child.

    Raeleigh was in a dilemma. She did not want to bunk with Deanna because she was pregnant. It would be very troublesome.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost dawn. I need to get some rest. If I wake up early tomorrow morning, then I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m going to disturb you if we share the same room.¡± Raeleigh did not know how to refuse her directly, so she had toe up with a good reason. Deanna thought for a moment and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. Then, I¡¯ll bunk with Zorion tonight, so that I won¡¯t disturb you. Go ahead and get some rest.¡±

    After saying that, Deanna took a brief look around the room and made herselffortable.

    When Raeleigh saw that Deanna had noints, she left the room. Zorion followed her out of the room, wanting to talk to her.

    ¡°Deanna has always been rather naive, but she has no ill intentions. I¡¯m sure you know how she feels about Santiago and I have no objection to it.I hope Santiago will stay by Deanna¡¯s side. That¡¯s why I brought Deanna over.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Zorion. ¡°Although Santiago has a bad temper, I know that he is a good person. Since you think they are good for each other and have no objection, then I have no objections too, but¡­¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly thought of Cynthia. She realized that Santiago hadn¡¯t mentioned her recently. This matter seemed peaceful on the surface, but it did not mean that nothing had happened. She had a feeling that something must have happened.

    ¡°But what?¡± Zorion was very serious. Raeleigh thought for a while and said, ¡°It¡¯s just that you cannot control one¡¯s thoughts. Although you are Deanna¡¯s brother, you cannot control her feelings. It¡¯s best if you let her figure it out on her own. No one can force Santiago to do anything, let alone Deanna. Whether he will be with Deanna in the future, it¡¯s up in the air.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s better if you let their rtionship develop naturally.¡±

    There were some things Raeleigh did not know how to exin. She felt as if she was going in circles.

    In the end, she had no idea what she was talking about. She hoped that Zorion would be able to understand that not everything can be achieved by force.

    Especially when it came to dealing with people like Santiago.

    ¡°Raeleigh, is there something you want to tell me?¡± Zorion asked Raeleigh as his gaze became deeper and deeper. Raeleigh immediately shook her head and said, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You can call me or text me if you have anything to tell me. I know that rtionships will not be easy with Deanna¡¯s character. But I am her brother, and I hope that she will be happy.¡±

    ¡°So do I. I hope that Deanna will be happy.¡±

    Raeleigh smiled and said, ¡°Go and get some rest.¡±

    After saying that, Raeleigh turned around and went back to her room, still feeling a little helpless.

    She went andy down on her bed. Maybe she was tired, so she did not think about the orphanage. However, that night, she dreamed about herself and the little boy at the orphanage. She was very depressed andy in bed in a daze after waking up.

    She ced her hand on her belly. They made this baby together. If she were to give birth, then what happened if¡­

    ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible.¡± Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be that much of a coincidence,¡± she thought to herself.

    Raeleigh woke up at eight o¡¯clock in the morning. She got out of bed and made her way into the bathroom to wash up before heading down for breakfast.

    It was a weekend. Raeleigh helped her grandmother out of the room, so that they could have breakfast together.

    However, there were too many people in the house that day and it was very crowded at the dining table. After having breakfast, Raeleigh apanied Novalie out to the yard.

    As soon as they were out in the yard, Novalie asked Raeleigh whether she had investigated the issue with the orphanage. However, Raeleigh did not answer. She just apanied her grandmother as they strolled in the yard.

    The weather at the moment was the best amongst the four seasons of the year, but it could not stop the autumn wind from rolling up fallen leaves.

    Raeleigh looked at the leaves in the courtyard. It was a small mansion. Although it was a little small, it contained everything. There were all sorts of nts in the yard.

    It was not known whether it was a coincidence or not. There was a big tree on the east side of the yard and it was growing well. Right then, it was in-between seasons and the leaves were starting to fall. When the wind blew, leaves would fall from the tree, reminding them that autumn was around the corner.

    Early autumn gave off a strange feeling. Some might find it hard that summer was over, but they would still feel pleasant that autumn was finally arriving after such a long time. Some might find it hard because the leaves and beautiful flowers were falling and wilting away.

    But no one can change the flow of the changing of the seasons.

    It was the same for the rising and setting of the sun.

    Seeing Raeleigh in a daze, Novalie said, ¡°Sooner orter, you¡¯ll have to face the truth. As long as you keep a positive mind, you¡¯ll be able to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your job to be a yes-man.¡±

    After hearing her grandmother¡¯s words, Raeleigh could not help saying, ¡°But I¡¯m afraid to know the truth. If it really happens, then I really don¡¯t know how to continue.¡±

    ¡°We have to take care of it at the very least,¡± Novalie said.

    Raeleigh was silent for a moment. ¡°Let me think about it.¡±

    ¡°Take your time to do so but remember not to dwell on it for too long. Autumn will be here before you know it.¡± Novalie looked up at the falling leaves. She did not know what was beautiful and what was not beautiful. After all, in her eyes, the world was not a beautiful ce.

    She was born into a poor family, so she suffered a lot when she was young. When she grew up, she got together with a man who did not appreciate her. Once again, she had to live in suffering.

    If she were to look back on her life, nothing really stood out.

    However, her greatest achievement in life was raising Raeleigh. Was this considered an achievement?

    Maybe it was a kind of subtle beauty.

 Chapter 1080 Her Words Did Not Have Any Particular Meaning

    After Raeleigh apanied Novalie for a stroll in the yard, she sent her back to the room before taking a seat on the couch downstairs. When one had something on their mind, it was hard to see other things in their surroundings. Even the smartest ones would be in a daze.

    Santiago was still mad at Deanna and Zorion that morning. He still had not gotten over it yet. He pulled a long face at breakfast. If it weren¡¯t for Novalie¡¯s presence, then he would have definitely vented out his frustrations at Raeleigh.

    However, before he realized it, Deanna was chatting away with Raeleigh on the couch. Raeleigh was still in a daze as she sat there. It was still morning, so Santiago was bothered by it.

    After taking an apple from the kitchen, Santiago walked towards Raeleigh and sat down beside her. He took a sniff of the apple and waved the apple in front of Raeleigh. When Raeleigh finally came back to her senses, she asked, ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°What happened to you? You look like your soul left your body.¡± Hearing Santiago¡¯s words, Raeleigh was speechless. She had no idea what was going on in his head. His words sounded simple and honest, but they could trigger anyone and send them blowing their tops off.

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes at Santiago. ¡°You¡¯re the one who looks like your soul has left your body!¡±

    At that moment, Deanna was standing at one side, talking to Scarlette about the game. Initially, she had wanted to talk to Santiago about it but he wasn¡¯t interested. So, she went into the kitchen and was a little absent-minded. When she emerged, she saw no signs of Santiago. The next time she saw him again, she found him flirting with Raeleigh. Her face was tense. She felt very wronged.

    They were all friends with Santiago, but why did Santiago treat Raeleigh particrly well and would always turn to her? Whenever she approached Santiago, he wouldn¡¯t talk to her and always avoided her.

    Scarlette snorted in contempt when she saw Deanna¡¯s frustrations. She felt that it was weird to see Deanna making a move on Santiago. She wondered why women would all fall in love with the men of the Richards family, as if they were the only family with worthy men. What was Deanna thinking? She had a crush on Jepherson for so many years and right then she changed her mind. It happened all too quickly. Even if it was a good thing, she should at least keep her options open.

    If they did end up together in the future, Deanna would have to see her long-time crush as her brother-inw, and her husband was someone whom she¡­

    Scarlette was exhausted just thinking about it.

    ¡°If your soul did not leave your body,then why are you in a daze?¡± Santiago did not understand. Raeleigh could stay in a daze for a whole day.

    Raeleigh turned to look at him and said nothing. Only then did she notice Zorion¡¯s presence and that he was looking at them.

    When Raeleigh saw Zorion, she briefly swept her eyes across the entire living room. It was easy to find a few people in therge living room. When Raeleigh saw Deanna,she was looking at her with a sad expression.

    Only then did Raeleigh stand up. Misfortunes nevere one at a time. Santiago was also partially to be med. Why couldn¡¯t he find someone else to bother?

    Raeleigh went to the kitchen to prepare a te of fruit and brought it out. She ced the fruits in front of Deanna and Scarlette. ¡°I did not sleep wellst night. I¡¯ve been in a daze the whole morning. If you did not call me, thenI would have fallen asleep.¡±

    Scarlette looked at Raeleigh in disdain. She knew that she was lying.

    Scarlette reached over and picked up a fruit. Then, she stood up, intending to leave, but Raeleigh did not allow her to leave. ¡°Sit down.¡±

    Scarlette had to sit back down.

    ¡°I¡¯ve juste over and now you want to leave? Are you sick of me?¡± Raeleigh nced at Scarlette unhappily. In fact, she could not stand being alone with Deanna.

    Scarlette scoffed and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to bother you.¡±

    In fact, Scarlette was talking about Deanna, and Raeleigh was aware. Raeleigh wanted to say something, but before she could say anything, Deanna said angrily, ¡°Scarlette, I was wrong about you. How can you talk to Raeleigh like that? I¡¯m not going to defend you even if we are friends. Can you please treat Raeleigh a little nicer?¡±

    Scarlette was about to lose her mind. She briefly red at Raeleigh and said to Deanna, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to be my friend. You can always leave if you are unhappy.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, look at her!¡± Deanna grabbed Raeleigh¡¯s arm again. Scarlette was infuriated by Deanna¡¯s behaviour.

    Was this person for real?

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes at Scarlette. ¡°Deanna has always been like this. You can do nothing about it.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not young anymore,¡± Raeleigh said,pointing at Deanna.Raeleigh pushed her hand away and said, ¡°She¡¯s only neen years old.¡±

    ¡°So am I¡­¡±

    ¡°You are too impatient.¡±

    ¡°Impatient? You¡¯re calling me impatient?!¡± Scarlette yelled. Anger was running through her veins.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look at yourself in the mirror?¡± Raeleigh handed a piece of fruit to Deanna. Deanna was happy that Raeleigh offered her the fruit first.

    Raeleigh also took a piece and said, ¡°Let¡¯s y some poker.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Scarlette¡¯s eyes widened. Poker? She thought incredulously.

    Raeleigh knew that as long as there was money involved, she would be able to pique Scarlette¡¯s interest.

    Scarlette made up her mind immediately and finished eating the fruits in her hand. Then, she went upstairs to get the poker cards. It was as if she had prepared for this. She brought her wallet with her and sat opposite Raeleigh. She intended to get revenge for her loss and win back all of her money, plus interest.

    Deanna was also very interested in poker, but she wasn¡¯t good at it.

    ¡°Are we going to gamble with money?¡± Deanna asked as she took a bite of her fruit. She appeared to be very interested.

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary,¡± Raeleigh suggested. However, Scarlette immediately said, ¡°If we are not ying for money, then I¡¯m withdrawing.¡±

    Scarlette stood up and was about to leave. Deanna did notck money. She immediately stood up and stopped Scarlette. Then, she said, ¡°I have money. My brother, too.¡±

    Raeleigh almost burst intoughter when she heard Deanna¡¯s words. She was definitely naive as a child.

    ¡°It¡¯s useless if you have it. You should ask Raeleigh whether she has money,¡± Scarlette said.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    Scarlette briefly nced at Raeleigh. Then, Deanna turned to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Raeleigh, if you don¡¯t have any, then I can lend you some.¡±

    At the mention of that, Raeleigh suddenly remembered that she still owed Zorion a huge sum of money. She remembered Deanna once told her that as long as she got together with Zorion, money would not be an issue. However, she failed to do it, so she still owed him money.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. She owed Zorion a huge sum of money but she did not have any money right then. Furthermore, she had just moved into a new house. She basically did not have any money to return to Zorion.

    She wondered whether she should start designing some cars for the Richards Group. That way, she would be able to repay the money to Zorion.

    When Deanna saw Raeleigh in a daze, she raised her hand and waved. ¡°Raeleigh, are you there?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I will find a way to return the money to you.¡±

    At that time, Raeleigh was thinking about the money she owed Zorion. So, that was what she replied. As a result, she blushed after finishing her words.

    ¡°What are you talking about, Raeleigh?¡± Deanna was confused. She reached out her hand to touch Raeleigh¡¯s forehead to see if she was sick.

    Raeleigh pulled Deanna¡¯s hand away and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I mean if you¡¯re willing to lend me, then I will be sure to return it to you.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s words did not have any particr meaning, but Deanna and Scarlette seemed to project their own meanings into her words.

 Chapter 1081 Mindful as a Pregnant Woman

    Santiago and Zorion stood up almost at the same time.

    Zorion did not think Raeleigh had any money with her. However, considering she was a student and somewhat of a blockhead, it wasn¡¯t weird if she really did not have money.

    However, Raeleigh was obviously still worried about the money that she owed him.It was no wonder she had been in a stupor since morning.

    Santiago immediately understood that Raeleigh owed the Whalen family some money.

    The two of them stood up at the same time, wanting to find some money. Zorion took out his wallet, but Santiago had already taken out some money and tossed it to Raeleigh. ¡°Here, use mine.¡±

    Santiago did not even bother to count the money.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. In the end, Zorion did not take out his money. No one cared, especially Deanna. From the start, Deanna had thought that Zorion was going to give her the money, so she took away Zorion¡¯s wallet without hesitation. Then, she dragged Zorion to sit beside her.

    ¡°Zorion, join us.¡± Deanna wasn¡¯t very good at ying poker. She never won, and yet she still enjoyed ying it.

    Raeleigh looked at the bulging wallet in front of her and raised her head to look at Santiago. ¡°I have money myself.¡±

    ¡°Just take it. You can keep the winnings while the losses would be on me.¡± Santiago pulled a chair and sat beside Raeleigh. Raeleigh took a look at the wallet and gave it to Santiago. ¡°Your money is given to you by your brother. It¡¯ll eventually be mine in the future.¡±

    Santiago raised an eyebrow. ¡°How can you say that when you¡¯re not even married?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your sister-inw,¡± Raeleigh said. Santiago snorted in response. Deanna was happy when she heard Raeleigh¡¯s words, thinking that Santiago would understand where he stood.

    Scarlette, who was standing on one side, was quite unhappy. This was an unfair advantage. Everyone had a backer, except for her.

    After a while, Scarlette walked over to Santiago¡¯s side and whispered to him. Santiago raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Fine.¡±

    Scarlette then quickly took a seat and waited. Santiago got up and went to search for Hadrian. When he finally found Hadrian, he waved at Hadrian, signaling for him to enter the house.

    Hadrian took a seat next to Scarlette. He took out his wallet and handed it to her. Only thendida smile appear on Scarlette¡¯s face.

    Raeleigh was speechless at how hypocritical Scarlette was. Scarlette had always said that Deanna was immature for her age, yet she was no different.

    After that, Scarlette set out the rules and began shuffling the cards. Then, she ced the cards on the table and said, ¡°Previously, the four of us yed poker. This time, we¡¯ll y Fight the Landlord. It¡¯s a three-yer game. The girls will y while the guys are allowed to help the girls. If the girl wins, then they get to keep the guys¡¯ money. What do you think?¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to reject the idea because it was wishful thinking. However, before she could say anything, Deanna immediately replied, ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Deanna and Scarlette. They then decided not to say anything.

    Soon, they started ying the first round and Raeleigh lost.

    Scarlette was very cautious after what happened thest time. She was mindful of Raeleigh that time.

    However, Raeleigh was very lucky with her cards. Scarlette couldn¡¯t do anything, especially when the other opponent was Deanna. She could not stop herself from losing.

    Scarlette red at Deanna and said, ¡°Can you please discard the right cards? If you aren¡¯t sure, then you can at least ask your brother.¡±

    ¡°I did ask. He said it was fine.¡± Deanna did not give Zorion a chance to speak at all. Zorion would point to a card and tell her what to y, but she would immediately push his hand away, iming that she knew what cards to y.

    It was as if they had a telepathic connection. She immediately knew what card she was meant to y. Zorion¡¯s face was stered with a helpless smile.

    Scarlette was getting irritated. She wanted to get up and strangle Deanna to death. She cursed inwardly.

    It did not matter that Deanna was losing money, but she made her lose as well!

    Scarlette snorted and red at Raeleigh. She obviously knew how to y this game, yet she still wanted to ask Santiago for his opinion. All Santiago would do was to approve of her choices.

    Scarlette was initially very happy. However, after ying for the entire afternoon, Raeleigh came out victorious. Scarlette was not convinced and wanted to continue ying. ¡°No, I¡¯m not satisfied. Let¡¯s continue ying.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the pile of money in front of her.

    ¡°Do you still have money?¡±

    Raeleigh then briefly cast a nce at Hadrian¡¯s wallet. It was bulging just then, but right then, it was t.

    Scarlette then took out Hadrian¡¯s bank card and ced it on the table. ¡°We may have run out of cash but there¡¯s still money in the bank.¡±

    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s continue tomorrow.¡± Raeleigh did not want to y anymore. She had been sitting around the entire afternoon and had not done anything but to y poker.

    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you return us your winnings?¡± Scarlettte reached out and asked Raeleigh for money.

    Raeleigh hurriedlypiled her winnings and handed them over to Santiago. ¡°If you lose, then you lose. It¡¯s not a bad thing.You¡¯ve just exaggerated your own abilities. If you went into the casino and lost all your money, then are you going to ask them back? We all enjoyed this casual gambling session. Look at you now. You¡¯re like a sore loser. You¡¯re even willing to gamble away your dowry? What happens if you lose them all?¡±

    Scarlette waved a dismissive hand. ¡°I¡¯m not going to marry.¡±

    ¡°What about Hadrian¡¯s wife?¡± Raeleigh looked at Hadrian. He said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if I don¡¯t marry.¡± The main thing then was how he was going to get back his money.

    Anyone who lost money would want to win it back.

    Raeleigh felt that she was partly responsible for making Hadrian lose all his money.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    ¡°Zorion, did I lose your dowry as well?¡± Deanna turned to look at Zorion. Heughed and said, ¡°My wife is extremely wealthy. The amount you lost is just a drop in a bucket.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Deanna said with a smile.

    Zorion looked over at Raeleigh¡¯s side. It was getting dark and they were going to have dinner soon. However, no one said anything about leaving. They were all waiting for Raeleigh to return them their money.

    Raeleigh was quite angry. It was not that she did not want to return the money. It was just that they had already lost the money. How could they ask her back for it? It was a little unfair.

    ¡°How long are you guys nning to y for?¡± Raeleigh asked helplessly.

    Deanna met Scarlette¡¯s eyes before suggesting, ¡°Eight o¡¯clock.¡±

    ¡°I am fine with eight o¡¯clock.¡± Deanna immediately agreed.

    Just as Scarlette was about to shuffle the cards, she immediately held Deanna¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s allow the guys to y. We have to be fair. We can¡¯t just make them sit and watch us y.¡±

    While Scarlette spoke, she gently nudged Deanna¡¯s leg underneath the table. Deanna immediately smiled and said, ¡°Alright.¡±

    After saying that, Deanna stood up and made room for Zorion.

    Raeleigh was also tired and did not want to sit any longer. So, she stood up.

    ¡°You guys can go ahead and y. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    Raeleigh was pregnant. Even if Raeleigh did not want to leave her seat, Santiago would still remind her to get up and take a walk.

    ¡°Alright then. Go and take a walk.¡±

    Santiago moved to Raeleigh¡¯s seat and began shuffling the cards. The three guys began to y cards, but Raeleigh did not sit down. She was pregnant and had to be mindful of her own well-being.

 Chapter 1082 Before the Incident

    After getting up from the couch, Raeleigh went to get some fruits, so that she could enjoy them on her walk.

    Scarlette looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you watch them y?¡±

    ¡°I want to loosen my body a little. I¡¯ll watch them y afterwards.¡± Raeleigh took a bite of a piece of fruit and made her way upstairs to check her phone. When she picked it up, she realized that she had five missed calls from Jepherson.

    However, she also had another missed call from an unknown number.

    Raeleigh hurriedly returned the call to Jepherson. He answered the phone within seconds.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer your phone?¡± Jepherson asked, feeling a little anxious.

    Raeleigh quickly exined that she was ying cards and that she had left her phone in the room. Jepherson was silent for a moment and he then said, ¡°You could have handed your phone to Santiago and asked him to watch over it.¡±

    ¡°How can I leave my phone with Santiago?¡± Raeleigh was not happy. It would be a breach of privacy. Right then, she and Santiago looked like they were joined at the hip. Others would definitely think that there was something going on between them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you trust him?¡± Jepherson frowned and leaned back on the couch. He had just been lectured by Marissa about not bringing Deanna along with him.

    After hearing Raeleigh¡¯sints, he was then in a better mood.

    Raeleigh did not know what to say, but she was feeling a little down at that moment. In fact, she was more worried about Jepherson¡¯s and her rtionship than she was with Santiago.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡± Suddenly, Raeleigh stopped talking. Jepherson looked down at his hand and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you lose money?¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    ¡°Nothing. How¡¯s your grandmother doing?¡± Raeleigh did not want Jepherson to call her bluff, so she hurriedly changed the subject.

    Jepherson did not reply and remained silent the entire time. He held the phone in his hand. There was no one else in the room. Even Stuart, who was standing at the door, felt that something was amiss.

    ¡°Did you hear my question?¡± Raeleigh wasn¡¯t sure whether Jepherson heard her question, so she asked.

    ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Jepherson¡¯s voice was deep. One could tell that there was something wrong by hearing his uneven breathing. Raeleigh was silent for a while. Then, she said, ¡°I¡¯m going to hang up if there¡¯s nothing else.¡±

    Jepherson did not answer, but his expression gradually turned cold.

    Raeleigh thought Jepherson was signalling that he had nothing more to say, so she hung up the phone.

    A beeping sound soon came to Jepherson¡¯s ears. After that, Jepherson tossed the phone casually on the table. However, the phone fell and the screen cracked.

    Stuart was stunned for a moment and hurried into the room. He picked up the phone for Jepherson. Jepherson frowned and looked at the phone in Stuart¡¯s hand. ¡°Can you buy me the exact phone?¡±

    Jepherson spoke the same way he always did. Stuart did not even notice anything, but he could sense that something was amiss.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, why don¡¯t we head over there tonight¡­¡±

    ¡°Head over where?¡± Just as Stuart was talking, Marissa entered the room with two people apanying her. As soon as Stuart saw Marissa, he immediately said, ¡°Yesterday, Mr. Jepherson said he hasn¡¯t been to the hotel in a while, so he wanted to go and have a look.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Deanna is more important right now. I called her several times, but she never picked up my call. What happened between the two of you? Didn¡¯t you tell me¡­¡±

    ¡°Grandma, I told you that I only treat Deanna like my sister. We can¡¯t be together.¡± Jepherson turned around to look at Marissa, who looked angry. Marissa immediately said, ¡°I really don¡¯t understand. What¡¯s so bad about Deanna? Why don¡¯t you like her? She treats you and the entire Richards family so well.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s perfect in every way, but she¡¯s not my cup of tea. In my eyes, Deanna is still a little girl,¡± Jepherson calmly exined to Marissa, but she refused to listen. She mmed her hand on the table.

    ¡°Are you trying to piss me off?¡± Marissa¡¯s face turned pale. Stuart rushed over and said, ¡°Old Madam, please don¡¯t be angry. That¡¯s not what Mr. Jepherson meant. It¡¯s just that¡­¡±

    ¡°Get out. This has nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t jumble everything together. You are the one who spends the most time with him. Why don¡¯t you advise him? This is all your fault. You¡¯re useless! This is why he turned out like this.¡± Marissa was so angry that her head began aching. She raised her hand to touch her head.

    Stuart did not dare to approach any of them. Wasn¡¯t this maniption?

    Jepherson was upset. He unbuttoned his cor and sat on one side as he thought about the list.

    ¡°What do you have to say for yourself?¡± Marissa demanded. Jepherson nced at Marissa and said firmly, ¡°I do not love Deanna.¡±

    Marissa was stunned. ¡°You¡¯re being absurd. I¡¯m going to call your father.¡±

    Jepherson turned away without saying a word.

    Marissa felt resentful towards Jepherson for failing to meet her expectations. She mmed her hand on the table again.

    Jepherson got up and walked to the door. ¡°I¡¯m going out.¡±

    Marissa looked up and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Deanna is over at Raeleigh¡¯s house. I thought I¡¯d go over and check on her.¡± After saying that, Jepherson left. Stuart rushed out after him.

    Marissa thought about it for a while and finally calmed down.

    As long as he was willing to meet Deanna, then it was fine.

    Raeleigh had not eaten yet and was hungry when she came downstairs. After ending the call with Jepherson, she then stared at the unknown number. She could not figure out who it was. She could only assume that this person must have called the wrong number.

    Raeleigh then walked towards the group who were ying poker. She and Santiago were a team, so naturally, she had to stand next to Santiago. While Santiago was ying, he looked up at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Do you need anything?¡±

    ¡°What time do you guys want to have dinner?¡± Serra did not dare to interrupt them, so Raeleigh asked in her stead.

    They were not hungry, but Novalie was old and could not afford to eat toote.

    If they did not want to have dinner yet, then Raeleigh would prepare some food for her grandmother first.

    Surely enough, Santiago said, ¡°We¡¯ll eat after we¡¯re done. Go ahead and get dinner ready for your grandmother.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Raeleigh turned around and went into the kitchen. The food had already been prepared, so Raeleigh brought the food up to her grandmother¡¯s room. She was not hungry, so she just watched her grandmother eat.

    Once Novalie was done with dinner, Raeleigh brought the empty dishes back downstairs and handed it to Serra. After that, she walked over to Santiago¡¯s side and watched them y.

    ¡°Raeleigh, do you mind taking my spot for a moment? I need to use the washroom,¡± Santiago said as he handed over the cards in his hand to Raeleigh. Then, he got up and made his way to the washroom. Raeleigh sat down and yed with the others. It was unknown whether Santiago had been winning or losing because there wasn¡¯t any money on the table. She guessed that he had probably lost everything.

    Raeleigh took every game very seriously. This was her nature.

    When Santiago came back from the washroom, Raeleigh handed the cards back to Santiago and said, ¡°Here you go.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you finish ying this round?¡± Raeleigh had a pretty good hand, so she did not get up. She nned to change this card into Santiago¡¯s, so that Scarlette would not have anything to say.

    After finishing the round, only then did Raeleigh stand up to allow Santiago to take his seat.

    Raeleigh wanted to leave her seat first, but she did not expect that Santiago would remain seated. As they were exchanging their seats, Raeleigh did not expect Santiago to trip and fall onto the ground. Santiago gave Raeleigh a quick hand. In the end, Raeleigh fell into Santiago¡¯sp and leaned against his chest.

    Raeleigh was still in shock. Santiago put his hands around Raeleigh¡¯s waist and raised his head to ask Raeleigh, ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. She nned to stand up, but before she could do that, Scarlette jumped up with fear in her eyes. She was staring at the entrance.

 Chapter 1083 He Also Felt Uncomfortable

    Everyone turned to look at the entrance, including Raeleigh. When she saw Jepherson, she did not expect to get up, but the atmosphere in the room was a little unusual.

    ¡°I thought you said you were ying poker?¡± Jepherson asked, stillstanding at the entrance. Raeleigh suddenly looked at her current position. Then, she got up and tried to exin herself. When she saw the displeasure in Jepherson¡¯s eyes, she did not know what to say.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us that you wereing back?¡± Santiago asked as he rose to his feet. He tucked his hands in his pocket with a calm expression on his face.

    Scarlette gulped, lowering her head. She was scared out of her wits.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    She did not think that there was anything wrong with it, but when did Jephersone home? Why didn¡¯t he say anything?

    ¡°I just came back. Am I interrupting anything?¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes were calm as he stared at Santiago.

    Santiago thought for a moment and said, ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood. Raeleigh just¡­¡±

    ¡°What about Raeleigh?¡± Jepherson asked. Raeleigh asked worriedly, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just feeling tired. Can you follow me upstairs?¡± Jepherson turned around and made his way upstairs. Raeleigh followed suit. There was an unusual feeling.

    Scarlette heaved a sigh of relief when Raeleigh headed upstairs. Jepherson must have misunderstood something.

    Santiago turned around and watched as Raeleigh went upstairs into her room. He quietly followed her upstairs. Deanna was downstairs with the rest while they watched Santiago walk upstairs. She wondered why Santiago needed to follow Raeleigh.

    When Santiago arrived upstairs, he stood outside of Raeleigh¡¯s room, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. After a while, he came back downstairs.

    Deanna was at a loss for words. Why did he have to eavesdrop?

    ¡°Why did youe home?¡± Raeleigh asked after a while. She remained standing at the door after entering the room. Jepherson walked over to the window after entering the room. Raeleigh did not say anything until she was sure that Santiago had left.

    ¡°You guys¡­¡±

    Jepherson swallowed back the words on the tip of his tongue. It was not that he did not believe Raeleigh. There were just some things that he could not stop himself from thinking, especially when it concerned Santiago.

    Raeleigh did not answer. She knew that Jepherson did not want an exnation about what was going on between her and Santiago. He wanted an exnation for their conversation earlier.

    As her boyfriend, Jepherson trusted her. He also trusted Santiago because he was his brother. Jepherson just did not know how to ask her after what he saw.

    Raeleigh stood there for a while without saying a word.

    Jepherson turned around to look at her, unmoving.

    Raeleigh walked over and sat on the bed. She lowered her head and said, ¡°I think we should take a break for a while. I need some time to think through some things.¡±

    Jepherson frowned. ¡°Why?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head and did not want to say it.

    ¡­

    The room fell silent. Both of them did not say anything. Marissa called Jepherson to ask him where he was and whether he had met up with Deanna.

    However, she could not reach Jepherson. So, she had no choice but to call Stuart. Stuart had to ry the message to Jepherson. He immediately walked up to Raeleigh¡¯s room and knocked on the door.

    When Raeleigh heard the knock, she got up from the bed, ending the silence in the room.

    After opening the door, Stuart smiled at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Madam Marissa called. Is Mr. Jepherson in here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s inside.¡± Raeleigh turned around. A few momentster, Jepherson emerged from the room. He took the phone and called Marissa.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jepherson looked at Raeleigh as he talked to his grandmother. Marissa sounded very unhappy. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer my call?¡±

    Jepherson thought for a moment and said, ¡°I have something to discuss with Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°About what? What¡¯s the point of talking to her?¡± Marissa felt unhappy at the mention of Raeleigh. Whatever the case was, Marissa felt that Deanna was the perfect granddaughter-inw. However, there was no progress with Jepherson¡¯s and Deanna¡¯s rtionship at that time. Instead, it looked like things were decided between Jepherson and Raeleigh.

    Marissa had her own thoughts. For someone like Santiago, even if there were plenty of women avable to him, he had to like them. Thus, she never really bothered about Santiago. She could neither push him to be with just anyone, nor have a say in who he wanted to be with.

    First of all, it was not that Raeleigh was nothing special. Jepherson had told her that Raeleigh had many suitors, such as Flynt and Zorion, and they were not ordinary people. Since they liked Raeleigh, it meant that she possessed amicable qualities.

    At the very least, Santiago was still her grandson. Of course, she wanted to leave the best for her grandson.

    However, Marissa was not impressed with Raeleigh¡¯s background. Therefore, she was not interested in Raeleigh at all. If it were not for Raeleigh¡¯s talent, then Marissa would disapprove of their rtionship.

    Marissa sounded angry. Jepherson was a little impatient and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Raeleigh? Why can¡¯t I talk to her?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s attitude puzzled Marissa. What was going on?

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at Jepherson, thinking he shouldn¡¯t have done that. She did not want to be the reason he had a falling out with Marissa.

    Raeleigh reached out and pulled Jepherson¡¯s hand. He turned to look at her and said, ¡°Raeleigh wants to leave the Richards Group and she is being headhunted by several organisations. They are offering her a much higher sry. I have no idea who exposed her talent. The situation is a little tricky right now.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Marissa¡¯s face fell when she heard that someone had leaked the information. ¡°Who¡¯s that rebel? You should investigate this immediately!¡±

    ¡°And Raeleigh, how could she do this because of money?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she Santiago¡¯s girlfriend? Where¡¯s Santiago? Where the h*ll is he?¡±

    Marissa was angry, and so was Jepherson.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to hang up first.¡± Jepherson¡¯s attitude was unyielding. Marissa was furious, but she gradually calmed down. She sat down on the couch and mmed her hand on it. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. She doesn¡¯t have much foresight. She wants to leave the Richards Group because of money. Who does she think she is?¡±

    Jepherson hung up the phone. Raeleigh did not quite understand and asked, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t your words make your grandmother misunderstand me?¡±

    ¡°She has long misunderstood you. It doesn¡¯t make a difference.¡± After that, Jepherson nced at Stuart and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to stay here tonight. You can go.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡± Stuart took back his phone and left the room.

    Raeleigh closed the door and looked at Jepherson. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer me.¡±

    ¡°Grandma has long misunderstood you. She doesn¡¯t like you. If I don¡¯t say that,then she would uncover your ws herself,¡± Jepherson said as he reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hand and pulled her to the bed for a seat. Raeleigh turned to look at Jepherson, saying, ¡°Do you want your grandmother to dislike me even more?¡±

    ¡°Is there any difference?¡± Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. He had a feeling that Raeleigh was hiding something from him and it was not what happened downstairs. He seemed to feel that she was hiding something else from him.

    Raeleigh said nothing and just stared at Jepherson. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to apany your grandmother this weekend?¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to drive me away?¡± Jepherson raised his eyebrows. Raeleigh shook her head.

    Raeleigh felt a little ufortable at the thought of what their rtionship might be.

    ¡°Why do you look unhappy then?¡± Jepherson did not want to pressure Raeleigh. It was just that he also felt ufortable when he saw Raeleigh depressed and wasn¡¯t willing to tell him what was bothering her.

 Chapter 1084 A Gap

    Raeleigh briefly looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re nning to stay the night, do you want to take a bath? I¡¯ll go and start the bath.¡± Raeleigh stood up and made her way into the bathroom. However, Jepherson got up and held her from behind. He kissed her neck and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you join me?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s voice was low and hoarse, full of desire. Raeleigh did not know what was wrong, but she felt a sharp pain in her heart and could not utter a word.

    After a long time, Raeleigh raised her hand to stop Jepherson from touching her. She turned around and said to Jepherson, ¡°I am feeling a little unwell. I spent the entire day ying poker. Let¡¯s not do it today.¡±

    Jepherson wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her into his arms. He lowered his head to kiss her nose and lips. He stared deep into her eyes but she did not dare to look at him. She avoided making eye contact with him, not willing to reciprocate.

    After Jepherson kissed her, he sighed and said, ¡°Alright then, since you¡¯re tired, then you should have a good rest. I¡¯ll go and take a shower.¡±

    Jepherson let go of Raeleigh and walked towards the bathroom. Raeleigh turned around and watched as he entered the bathroom. She followed him in. She had intended to set the bath for him, but as soon as she entered, she realized that he was about to take his pants off. When she saw this, she immediately turned her face away.

    Jepherson turned around to look at her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve never seen it before.¡±

    Raeleigh immediately walked out of the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯ll be outside.¡±

    ¡°Be careful!¡± Jepherson was really worried about the baby.

    Raeleigh walked out of the bathroom and closed the door. She stood at the door, expressionless.

    After a while, Raeleigh walked back to the bed, sat down, and touched her belly. ¡°What if¡­¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. It would not be by chance. How could it be so coincidental?

    Raeleigh took off her clothes and went to lie down. She pulled the quilt over her body and stared at the ceiling. She needed to calm down. Otherwise, she would break down.

    A few momentster, Jepherson emerged from the bathroom, d in a white bathrobe. Raeleigh heard himing out of the bathroom, so she turned her head towards his direction. He was drying his hair as he made his way to the bed. As soon as he got on the bed, he got on top of her, kissing her lips.

    Raeleigh neither dared to move nor did she refuse. Jepherson gently pried open Raeleigh¡¯s mouth with the tip of his tongue, intertwining his tongue with hers. Raeleigh closed her eyes, not daring to open her eyes.

    She did not want to make eye contact with him. She was afraid that he would be able to see through her eyes.

    After kissing for a while, Jepherson finally pulled away from Raeleigh. He nestled against her and gently ced his hand on top of the quilt. She then opened her eyes and held his hands. ¡°We should go to bed early. Don¡¯t we need to head into the office tomorrow?¡±

    Jepherson held her hand and asked, ¡°Are you hiding something from me?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m just exhausted. I had to entertain so many people today, especially Zorion, Deanna, and Scarlette. For some reason, Scarlette keeps picking a fight with Deanna.¡±

    ¡°Alright then. You should get some rest.¡± Jepherson got up from the bed and continued drying his hair. Then, he put on his pyjamas. By the time he turned back around, Raeleigh had fallen asleep with her back towards him.

    Jepherson got back into bed and pulled Raeleigh into his arms. He hugged her from behind. However, when Raeleigh felt his gestures, she froze for a moment.

    Jepherson lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Is this prenatal syndrome?¡±

    Jepherson gently ran his hand along her body. He put his hand under her clothes and on her belly. Raeleigh said softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Jepherson chuckled. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s me who should apologise. I was the one who made you a mother at such a young age.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s mine.¡±

    Raeleigh felt quite ufortable then. The more frightened she was, the more confused she would be, hence the more she did not know what to do.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this. Let¡¯s talk about something else.¡± Jepherson hugged Raeleigh and asked, ¡°I remember you said that you wanted to contact the orphanages online, have you done it yet?¡±

    Raeleigh closed her eyes and tried to calm down. After a while, she shook her head. ¡°No, not yet.¡±

    ¡°You should cut back on your work since it makes you tired. I¡¯ll talk to Mr. Lee about it. You have sses to attend every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Not only that, you have to work every Tuesday and Thursday. The only time you get to spend your day at home is during the weekends. Now that you¡¯re pregnant, I think it¡¯s best that you cut back on your work lest it affects the baby. As for Santiago, I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    ¡°About Santiago, it¡¯s not like what you think. It was really an ident. I was careless¡­¡± Raeleigh quickly exined, but she knew that Jepherson already knew it.

    Jephersonughed. ¡°I was indeed angry, but if it were other people, the consequences would be unimaginable.¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    Raeleigh did not know what to say, so she remained silent.

    Neither of them spoke. Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and soon, she fell asleep. When he realized that she was finally asleep, he breathed a sigh of relief. He kissed Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder, reached over, and turned off the lights. The two of them fell into a deep slumber that night.

    Jepherson woke up early the next morning. When he left the room and headed downstairs, Raeleigh was still fast asleep.

    Santiago was wearing a vest and shorts. He was running around with his puppy. Jepherson emerged from his room and as soon as he saw his brother, he immediately shouted, ¡°Santiago!¡±

    Santiago stopped and turned around to take a look. Jepherson walked over to him, looking at him with an unfathomable gaze. At that point, Santiago was nearly as tall as him.

    ¡°Do you have anything to say?¡±

    ¡°You saw everything. What else is there to say?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know.¡± Jepherson did not care about what happened the day before, but he was indeed very angry at that time. For a moment, he did not regard Santiago as his younger brother after he saw the way Santiago looked at Raeleigh.

    It was just that after he had calmed down, he looked at the matter more rationally.

    The brothers chatted as they took a stroll around the courtyard. Jepherson asked him whether anything had happened to Raeleigh in the past few days. Santiago informed him about their trip to the hospital and how she had been in a bad mood recently.

    After that, they went back into the house.

    At that time, Raeleigh was walking down the stairs with Deanna chatting behind her. Deanna asked whether she would be heading over to the university that day. It was obvious Raeleigh was feeling a little annoyed as Deanna sounded like a bee buzzing around her ears.

    Santiago stopped. ¡°Well, someone does not look like she¡¯s in a good mood.¡±

    Jepherson nced at Santiago. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Deanna, then she would not be like that.¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Santiago then made his way to the bathroom to wash his hands. After that, he walked over to the dining table, ready to have breakfast.

    Serra had already prepared breakfast. When she saw Jepherson and Raeleigh, she immediately brought out the food.

    Raeleigh brought her grandmother¡¯s food upstairs, so that Novalie did not need toe down. Furthermore, Deanna was around and Novalie did not want to see her.

    Novalie was not fond of Deanna. It was not that Deanna was a bad person, it was just that she was from a wealthy family. She acted as if the whole world had to pander to her requests.

    After entering Novalie¡¯s room with the food, Raeleigh did not immediately go back downstairs. Instead, she stayed and apanied her grandmother as she ate.

 Chapter 1085 Novalieâ€™s Warning

    Novalie asked Raeleigh, ¡°He¡¯s here, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    Raeleigh was taking a bite of her food when she heard the question. She raised her head to look at her grandmother. Novalie smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m your grandmother, so I know everything. What did he do this time to make you angry?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, he did not do anything. It¡¯s my own problem.¡±

    ¡°Then, why are you hiding here? I¡¯m used to eating alone. You should be joining them for breakfast, right? What are you doing in my room then? What is he going to think of you? If something is bothering you, then you should discuss it with him. You should not keep it to yourself. He¡¯ll be anxious, not knowing what to do.¡±

    Novalie felt that Raeleigh was good in everything, even in her schoolwork. If there was one w about her, then it was that she liked to keep everything to herself whenever she found herself at a dead end.

    Raeleigh took a bite of her breakfast and said, ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just say it, do it. Actions speak louder than words. Who are you worried about?¡± Novalie said as she picked up a sausage and put it into Raeleigh¡¯s te. ¡°You¡¯re about to be a mother. Don¡¯t make yourself look like an unhappy woman. You were the one who was willing to have this baby. He did not force you. It¡¯s the beginning of parenthood for you, and it¡¯s the same for him too.¡±

    Raeleigh knew her grandmother meant well. She wasn¡¯t mad at her grandmother even if her words were harsher. She just fixed her eyes on her grandmother and nodded.

    Suddenly, there were two knocks on the door. Raeleigh turned around and saw Jepherson entering the room with a te of brioche in his hand. He knew that this was Novalie¡¯s favorite and Novalie never thought she would be able to eat it again. She did not expect that Jepherson, her grandson-inw, would actually cater to her pleasure.

    ¡°Is that for me?¡± Novalie asked as soon as she saw him. Jepherson closed the door behind him and ced the brioche on the table. He sat on one side and said, ¡°I have been wanting to make it but I just kept forgetting. When I saw Raeleigh going upstairs, I suddenly remembered. Thankfully, we have some ingredients and I was able to bake it for you.¡±

    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Novalie asked. Raeleigh did not say anything. It was as if she was angry. Novalie could not bear to see Raeleigh like this. Raeleigh always did not seem like herself when something was bothering her. Novalie had an idea what to do.

    Even if the sky was falling, there was still someone above to take the fall first. What was she afraid of?

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Jepherson said. Novalie looked over at her granddaughter and said, ¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t you go and get a te and tableware for Jepherson?¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    Raeleigh put down her tableware, stood up, and said, ¡°Alright, give me a minute.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. You¡¯re pregnant. It¡¯s inconvenient for you to move around. I¡¯ll go.¡± Jepherson was about to get up, but Novalie immediately said, ¡°Jepherson, sit down. She can do it. Every woman will eventually have their own children. She should move around anyway. This way, it would be less painful for her when she goes intobor.¡±

    Only then did Jepherson sit down. Raeleigh walked to the door, opened it, and went out.

    Novalie stared at the closed door before taking a bite of the brioche and said, ¡°Raeleigh has been a bright child ever since she was young. She is very strong. She¡¯s also very diligent and calm when doing things. If someone needs help, then she¡¯ll definitely be able toe up with a solution.¡±

    ¡°However, if she was the one who needed help, then it¡¯s a whole new different story.¡±

    ¡°When she finds herself at a dead-end, she¡¯ll forever be stuck if no one offers her help.¡±

    ¡°She is pregnant at such a young age, so there must be many things that she can¡¯t let go. She¡¯s a person who doesn¡¯t like to talk. You are a man and you cannot act like her. You have to help her.¡±

    Novalie was very kind. If it were someone else, then she would not give them a second look, but Raeleigh was her granddaughter. She had to tell him no matter how reluctant she was.

    Jepherson thought for a moment and said, ¡°Thank you for your reminder.¡±

    Novalie looked up at Jepherson and said, ¡°The next time youe up to eavesdrop, make sure to tiptoe when you walk.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t eavesdropping. You must have misheard. I wouldn¡¯t dare to disturb you.¡±

    ¡°Forget it. I was just babbling.¡±

    Jepherson used Raeleigh¡¯s fork and ced some food onto Novalie¡¯s te. Then, he asked, ¡°Grandma, do you have any idea why Raeleigh is in such a bad mood?¡±

    Novalie thought for a moment and said, ¡°I do know, but I can¡¯t say it. Initially, this matter has nothing to do with you, but I have no idea why she had to get you involved.¡±

    ¡°However¡­¡±

    ¡°A blessing is not a curse, but a curse can¡¯t be avoided. You are about to be a father. What are you afraid of? Even if Raeleigh is angry, you should let her be. She will be fine when she finallyes around to it. You have me to help you watch over her. There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of.¡±

    Novalie¡¯s words gave Jepherson reassurance. He understood her good intentions.

    ¡°Thank you, Grandma,¡± Jepherson quickly said. Novalie looked at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure you know that she has something to tell you, but it¡¯s not the right time now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she will tell me when she¡¯s ready and when that timees, I will be willing to listen,¡± Jepherson said. Novalie nodded and smiled with satisfaction. ¡°You are a smart man. I¡¯m sure you know that ignorance is bliss.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, I have you to thank.¡±

    As they were talking, Novalie suddenly said, ¡°What¡¯s taking Raeleigh so long?¡±

    Jepherson gave her a slight sideways nce. ¡°I¡¯ll go and check on her.¡±

    Just as Jepherson stood up, Raeleigh pushed the door open and came in. Jepherson and Novalie pretended that they did not say anything.

    ¡°Here¡¯s your breakfast.¡± Raeleigh handed a te and a fork to Jepherson. Jepherson took it with one hand and helped Raeleigh to her seat.

    Raeleigh continued eating her breakfast and reached over for a piece of bread. She looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°You should eat some.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jepherson picked up a piece of sausage and gave it to Raeleigh. ¡°You need to eat more too, so that you¡¯ll have enough nutrition for you and the baby.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been eating.¡±

    ¡°You need to eat more.¡±

    ¡­

    Novalie was relieved when she saw their interaction. Once they were done with their breakfast, they gathered the empty tes and went out of the room.

    The moment they arrived downstairs, they handed the empty tes to Serra and made their way out the door. Jepherson¡¯s car was parked at the door. Jepherson opened the car door for Raeleigh before getting in himself. Then, he waited for Stuart to get into the car before the driver drove them towards the university.

    In the car, Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and said, ¡°In a while, Lamarre may call to ask you the reason you were absent from the office. I will tell him that you are not feeling well. If anything happens, then I will give you a heads up. You just have to tell Lamarre that it¡¯s my decision and that you had no say in it.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. In fact, she had no intentions to go to the office that day because she did not want to face Jepherson all day. She wanted to think about whether she had the ability to face this matter.

    When the car arrived at the entrance of the university, Raeleigh thought that she was the first to arrive. She did not expect that Santiago and Zorion would reach the university earlier than her.

    Raeleigh got out of the car and waited for Jepherson to hand her herptop. Unexpectedly, he handed her his tablet instead.

    ¡°This is more convenient for you. Ites with a pen. I prefer to use this. It¡¯s perfect for women as it¡¯s lightweight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep yourptop for the time being. This tablet emits less radiation.¡±

    Jepherson pointed at the tablet in Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Then, she asked, ¡°What about the information in it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll transfer it to you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really need it yet. If I need it, then I¡¯ll ask you to transfer it to me.¡±

    ¡°Alright then. Be careful. I¡¯ll be back for dinner tonight.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    After that, Jepherson closed the car door and the driver drove away.

 Chapter 1086 Trying to Fool Her

    Raeleigh watched as the car disappeared in the distance. She held the tablet in her hand and walked towards Scarlette. She purposely looked left and right before crossing the road. She was pregnant then, so she had to be extra careful.

    Before Raeleigh could say anything to Scarlette, Deanna piped up and said, ¡°Raeleigh, let¡¯s have lunch together.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh felt as if she was being held hostage as Deanna chattered away. Raeleigh initially thought that Scarlette was a chatterbox, but at that critical moment, she felt like taking her words back. Deanna was way chattier than her.

    Raeleigh did not know what to say. After lunch, she was afraid that Deanna would continue to pester her. So, she took advantage of Deanna¡¯s absent-mindedness and hid in the ssroom.

    It was early autumn and the scenery in Elkton University was very romantic. It was a time where the men and the women would be hoping to find their true love underneath the beautiful bare trees.

    After sessfully hiding from Deanna, she emerged from the room and made her way to the fountain. It so happened that there were some stone steps where she could sit. She made her way over to the steps, turned on the tablet, and began drawing.

    On the tablet were drawings drawn by Jepherson when he was bored. There was also a drawing of a garden overlooking the ocean. It was beautiful. Raeleigh was staring at it in a daze when she heard the sounds of footsteps. She turned around and saw Xandra walking towards her.

    Raeleigh was surprised for a moment when she saw Xandra. She did not say anything and just stared at her. Xandra approached Raeleigh and smiled. ¡°Are you Raeleigh Anson?¡±

    Raeleigh did not get up but she looked up at Xandra. ¡°Yes. Can I help you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m Quirina¡¯s sister. It¡¯s nice to meet you. I heard that you disfigured my sister¡¯s face.¡±

    When Xandra spoke, her eyes were full of hatred and Raeleigh saw it. However, since it was in the past and the other party did not want to pursue the matter, there was no need for her to say anything.

    Xandra smiled. ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve obtained a schrship and that you¡¯re currently working at the Richards Group. I¡¯m going to let you in on a secret. I¡¯ll soon be joining the Richards Group as well. I hope to see you there soon.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Raeleigh had nothing to say. In the face of Xandra¡¯s provocation, she could only ignore it.

    Unexpectedly, Xandra suddenly lost her mind and raised her hand, wanting to p Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh intended to stop her but before she could raise her hand, Flynt appeared out of nowhere and shoved Xandra out of the way.

    Xandra stumbled backwards and raised her head to look at the person who shoved her. ¡°Flynt?¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at Flynt. Then, he said in a cold voice, ¡°There are some things I do not wish to meddle in. Since you¡¯re still alive till this day, I suggest that you cherish it. You have no right to run amok here.¡±

    ¡°This university belongs to the Richards family. Please do not cause any unnecessary trouble.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up, not wanting to be here. She wanted to leave.

    However, just as she was about to leave, Flynt reached out and held Raeleigh¡¯s wrist. Raeleigh didn¡¯t dare to struggle. She stopped and turned to look at Flynt. She was afraid that he would shove her to the ground, and if that really happened, then it would harm the baby.

    ¡°Leave now! Get out of my sight!¡± Although Flynt wasn¡¯t the type to kill, the viciousness in his eyes was not something that anyone could bear. Xandra turned around and left as if she was running for her life.

    After Xandra left, Raeleigh raised her hand and said, ¡°Let me go.¡±

    Flynt looked at Raeleigh¡¯s small and slender wrist. ¡°I¡¯ll let you go, but you¡¯re not allowed to leave.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Flynt. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time. I¡¯ve been watching you since you were staring at the drawings. Nothing happened and I did not want to disturb you. If you leave now, then whatever between us does not mean anything.¡±

    Raeleigh did not understand what he was saying. She pondered for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯m nning to head back to ss. Will you allow me to go?¡±

    There was no one around. Raeleigh purposely found a quiet ce for fear that she would be found by Deanna. She had been away for too long and she knew that Santiago would get worried, so she had to go back.

    Flyntughed. ¡°I don¡¯t bite. Why are you so afraid of me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of you. You just appeared out of nowhere. I was looking at the drawings and you shouldn¡¯t have peeked. Now, you¡¯re holding my wrist and refusing to let me go. It¡¯s inappropriate and unreasonable.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very sharp-tongued.¡± Flyntughed. ¡°I did not say that I will not let you go. I just want you to apany me for a stroll. Why don¡¯t you give me some time? When the timees, you can leave.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a while and checked the time. ¡°It¡¯s two o¡¯clocknow.¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You have to give me at least 30 minutes of your time.¡± Flynt smiled.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll leave at half past two.¡±

    After that, Flynt let go of Raeleigh¡¯s wrist. He was not worried about her running away. He turned his back to Raeleigh, looked around, and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. She was pregnant and she could not run. She had no choice but to keep her end of the bargain.

    However, after taking a few steps, Raeleigh said, ¡°I need to call Santiago.¡±

    Flynt lowered his head, sped his hands behind his back, and said, ¡°If I say no, then are you going to scream?¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡±

    It would be embarrassing to both of them.

    ¡°Fine, you can call him.¡± Flynt turned around to look at Raeleigh, with his hands casually inserted in the pockets of his trousers. It was early autumn and people were beginning to wear thicker clothes. Santiago was the only one who dressed like it was summer all year round.

    Raeleigh took out her cell phone and called Santiago. Soon, the phone was connected.

    Just as Santiago was about to set out in search of Raeleigh, Deanna approached him and began rambling away. Santiago was rude to her but she was not discouraged.

    It could be said that Deanna would not give up on pursuing Santiago.

    ¡°Where are you?¡± Santiago¡¯s face darkened when he answered the phone. He was standing under a big tree.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯m by the fountain. I was looking at some drawings. Please do not ask Deanna toe with you.¡±

    Santiago turned to look at Deanna. ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t leave. Wait for me.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Raeleigh hung up the phone and looked at Flynt, who was staring at her from the other side. Heughed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t believe it if I didn¡¯t see it with my own eyes. I can¡¯t tell whose girlfriend you are.¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything. She did not want to agitate him.

    ¡°Are you still nning to go for a stroll? If you¡¯re not, then I want to go back to ss.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Flynt turned around and continued walking. As he walked, he asked Raeleigh, ¡°What do you think about how Santiago kidnapped Cynthia in exchange for your release?¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a moment and raised her head to look at Flynt. ¡°Santiago was the one who kidnapped your sister?¡±

    Flyntughed. ¡°Who else would it be? The evidence is conclusive, and you¡¯re the murderer. Why do you think that I decided to let you go? Do you think it¡¯s because I have a good impression of you and think that you¡¯re innocent?¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    It sounded as if there was another meaning to his words. Was he trying to fool her?

 Chapter 1087 It Will Not Last

    Flynt stared into Raeleigh¡¯s bright eyes and said, ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is¡­ My sister, Cynthia, likes Santiago. Although I have no idea how Santiago did it,I¡¯m not surprised, judging by his behavior. Cynthia was raised by our family ever since she was young and rarely leaves the house.¡±

    ¡°However, when I went abroad for my studiester, Cynthia came along with me. She and my elder sister, Yanora, took care of me.¡±

    ¡°Over the past few years, Cynthia has remained very cautious in everything she did. She has never been fooled by a man.¡±

    ¡°If Santiago hadn¡¯t deliberately seduced her, then I believe that she would not have been fooled by him.¡±

    Flynt observed Raeleigh after she put forward her concerns. Raeleigh answered, ¡°Santiago is still young and can be a little mischievous at times, but he is definitely not a bad person. It must be because of me that he kidnapped her. Is there anything wrong with Cynthia?¡±

    Although Raeleigh had no idea what kind of a person Cynthia was, based on thete night conversations Santiago had with Cynthia, she roughly knew that Cynthia was not a bad person.

    Flynt shook his head and denied it.

    ¡°Then, you should ask Cynthia why she would rather help an outsider than her own family,¡± Raeleigh said frankly.

    Flynt sneered.¡°Women like sweet-talkers and Cynthia is no exception. Moreover, Cynthia is simple-minded and kind. She didn¡¯t have much exposure to the outside world. I know she¡¯s very eager to explore the outside world. I remember her sitting by the window sill, watching theoutside world when we were young. I asked her what she was looking at,but she only replied that the poor people were very lucky to have their parents¡¯ love.¡±

    ¡°At that time, I was too young tounderstand what Cynthia meant. Later, as I grew older, I gradually understood. It turned out that children born into wealthy families like us have no control over our lives. We lived in a world that had been predetermined for us. We are basically like kites, with our lives determined by the kite flier. That person determines whether or not we were allowed to fly, or how far we can fly. We basically have no control over our lives.¡±

    ¡°Unless wecut off the kite line ourselves. However, that would mean that we wouldn¡¯t have anything left.¡±

    Flynt smiled and said, ¡°Cynthia is an amazing person. If Santiago wasn¡¯t a member of the Richards family and if not for hisck of manners, then I might have agreed to her request.¡±

    ¡°Actually, Santiago isn¡¯t as bad as you think. That being said, I don¡¯t think Santiago and Cynthia would make a good pair. Her personality does not suit Santiago¡¯s. It has nothing to do with their status.¡±

    ¡°You look at love too realistically. It¡¯s better for you to leave some room for reverie.¡±

    In the past, Raeleigh felt that love did not livein cottages as well as in courts. However, she did not feel the same way anymore.

    ¡°What about the rtionship between us?¡± Flynt asked. Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°What are you talking about? What rtionship?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what it is, as long as we get to meet,¡± Flynt said seriously. Raeleigh looked at Flynt, slightly amused. ¡°Are you crazy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy. I¡¯m also human, and I have emotions and desires. Cynthia confided in me, but I didn¡¯t understand what she was saying. I want to understand what Cynthia meant, and that¡¯s why the only person I can confide in is you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your business. Don¡¯t confuse our rtionship with that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not. I saved you just now. Don¡¯t you have a single ounce of good towards your savior?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡­

    When the conversation came to an end, Flynt sighed and said, ¡°Even so, can¡¯t we at least be friends?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Raeleigh did not hesitate. Just then, Santiago entered the room. Raeleigh looked towards the direction of the sound and froze the moment she saw him.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you ask for my permission before asking her to be your friend?¡± Santiago said as he walked over to Raeleigh¡¯s side. He took a look at Raeleigh before saying to Flynt, ¡°Cynthia and I will take care of our own affairs.Raeleigh and you will take care of yours. Do not mix things up. If you truly understand what Cynthia¡¯s trying to tell you, then you wouldn¡¯t be here talking to Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°We, as people,must learn how to think on our own. We have to distinguish what¡¯s right and what¡¯s wrong. Don¡¯t use your sister as an excuse to talk to Raeleigh.¡±

    Flynt¡¯s face was gloomy, as hesaid, ¡°You can do anything you want to me, but why did you have to bring Cynthia into this?¡±

    Santiagoughed and said, ¡°You¡¯re not Cynthia. How sure are you that she does not need me?¡±

    Santiago¡¯s face was full of arrogance. Raeleigh was worried that he would anger Flynt.

    ¡°Santaigo, stop talking nonsense. Let¡¯s go,¡± Raeleigh said as she pulled Santiago away. Santiago¡¯s face looked upset as he said, ¡°I am not talking nonsense. He knows it himself.¡±

    ¡°What do I know?¡± Flynt was slightly annoyed. His face turned red. Raeleigh looked around and she then said to Flynt, ¡°Santiago has always been like this. Wait, did youe to find me hoping that you will bump into Santiago?¡±

    ¡°I came to see you because I wanted to talk to you. It has nothing to do with him. He has crossed the line.¡±

    ¡°Cross what line? I brought Cynthia to watch the stars and the fireflies. She has never been so happy in her life. What about you? What did you do for her? What has your family done for her?¡±

    ¡°Cynthia said that she is willing to marry Jepherson as long as it is advantageous to you.How about you? What can you do for Cynthia?¡±

    ¡°Could it be that Cynthia was born to pave the way for you and enjoy a meteoric rise?¡±

    Santiagoughed. Flynt swung his fist and gave Santiago a punch. However, Santiago managed to dodge it and returned a punch. His punchnded squarely on Flynt¡¯s abdomen. Flynt stumbled backwards before regaining his footing and he heaved a sigh.

    Santiago¡¯s lips curled into a smile as he said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t do. I¡¯ve never forced Cynthia into anything. Why don¡¯t you go home and ask her if she wanted to help me willingly?¡±

    Flynt paused for a moment and warned him.¡°Santiago, you better watch out. I will not let you go.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. But I¡¯m warning you to stay away from Raeleigh, or I will break your legs myself.¡±

    Santiago nced at Raeleigh with an unhappy look and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Flynt. Then, she turned around and left with Santiago.

    As Raeleigh walked away, she turned around to look at Flynt. Flynt looked like he was going mad. Not only did he fail to punch Santiago, he was also beaten by Santiago.

    Raeleigh turned back and looked at Santiago. ¡°Did you have to provoke him?¡±

    Santiago nced at Raeleigh and said, ¡°If he didn¡¯te to annoy me, then I wouldn¡¯t have done it, would I? He asked for it.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. ¡°But why did you have to go after his sister? Besides, how old are you?¡±

    ¡°I look older than my age, don¡¯t I?¡± Santiago said. Raeleigh felt very ashamed of Santiago.

    ¡°Whatever the case is, given if it were anyone, I¡¯m sure they would not be able to ept it either.¡± Raeleigh thought for a moment and reminded him. Santiago was amused by her words.

    ¡°I¡¯m no Jesus, I can¡¯t save the world. I¡¯m no Buddha either. I can¡¯t treat everyone kindly. I¡¯m me, the insufferably arrogant Santiago. If others provoke me, then I will retaliate. I¡¯ll protect those who treat me well, and I have zero tolerance to those who are bad to me.¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°It is easier said than done. No matter how good you talk, what¡¯s the use? What is Cynthia going to do in the future?¡±

    Raeleigh felt that Cynthia¡¯s and Santiago¡¯s rtionship would notst.

 Chapter 1088 A Person Who Did Not Know How To Keep Quiet

    ¡°We are friends,¡± Santiago said. Raeleigh stopped and looked at Santiago. ¡°Do friends stay upte at night to talk to each other?¡±

    ¡°Who told you that friends don¡¯t stay upte at night to talk to each other?¡± Santiago knew what to say. Raeleigh was no match for him, so she kept quiet.

    After walking for a while, they arrived at a quiet ce. Raeleigh suddenly remembered something and asked Santiago, ¡°Where is Deanna?¡±

    ¡°She was taken away by Scarlette.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to be alone with Flynt next time. Sometimes I feel like you¡¯re dumb. You never learn from your mistakes,¡± Santiago said to Raeleigh. Raeleigh said unhappily, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m your sister-inw. I¡¯m two years older than you. How dare you talk to me like this?¡±

    ¡°I really have no idea what to do with a sister-inw like you. If I could choose,then I wouldn¡¯t have chosen you to be my sister-inw.¡±

    Raeleigh frozepletely. She felt that Santiago did not think before he spoke, how irritating it was.

    Raeleigh turned around and continued walking, ignoring Santiago. She did not even bother looking at him.

    To Raeleigh, meeting Santiago was like a schr bumping into a warrior. She was never able to reason with such a person. She would unable to win an argument with him. There wasn¡¯t anyone who could defeat him. She felt especially helpless around him.

    Raeleigh had never lost to anyone ever since she was young. Santiago was an exception.

    When they arrived back at the campus, Raeleigh found a bench and sat down. Then, she started reading the business book in her hand.

    Santiago, on the other hand, was leaning against a tree with his hands shoved in his pockets. He looked up at the sky and enjoyed the warm afternoon sunshine. The warm breeze blew away Raeleigh¡¯s hair band, leaving herlong ck hair flowing in the wind.Her hair gently caressed her face. Santiago closed his eyes while basking in the sun. He looked as if he was asleep. Raeleigh kept on fiddling her hair, trying to tuck it behind her ears as she looked all over for her hair band. After finding it, Raeleigh sat down and continued reading her book.

    Time flew past and soon, night fell.

    Santiago¡¯s cell phone suddenly rang. Only then did he open his eyes and sit down. Raeleigh looked at Santiagocalmlyand asked, ¡°Were you asleep?¡±

    Santiago did not answer. He took out his phone and checked the caller ID. Then, he answered the phone and brought it to Raeleigh¡¯s ear. Jepherson¡¯s deep, elegant, and attractive voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Bring Raeleigh home now. There¡¯ll be heavy traffic on the road once it getste.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned and looked at Santiago. She did not answer Jepherson.Jepherson continued on the phone.¡°Don¡¯t drive too fast. Raeleigh has been in a bad mood recently. She gets nervous very easily.¡±

    While Jepherson was talking on the phone, Raeleigh began to feel pressured again.

    When Santiago saw Raeleigh¡¯s change of facial expression, he took away the phone and stood up. He paced in front of Raeleigh and said, ¡°I know. I¡¯ll send her right back now.¡±

    Santiago put his phone away and looked at Raeleigh.Her face was drained out of color.She sat on the benchin a daze.

    Santiago walked over and took her business book away. Raeleigh raised her head to look at him and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I should be the one asking you. What happened between you two?¡± Santiago asked as his face darkened. Raeleigh stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s nothing, then you should be happy to hear his voice. You would not look this pale.¡±

    Raeleigh snatched the business book back and said, ¡°Stop meddling in other people¡¯s affairs. What do you know about me and Jepherson?¡±

    Raeleigh held the business book and walked towards the school gate. Santiago followed her from behind. They did not wait for Scarlette. They just got into the car and left.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    When they arrived home, Raeleigh immediately got out of the car. Santiago took a look at Raeleigh and followed her out of the car.

    Jepherson hade home early to cook dinner.

    Raeleigh could smell the food cooking as soon as she walked through the door. When Stuart saw her, he immediately walked towards her and said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson is in the kitchen. He has been waiting for you for a long time.¡±

    Raeleigh put down the business book in her hand and made her way into the kitchen to see Jepherson. She did not really know how to interact with him,so she just stood by the kitchen door and watched him.

    Jepherson seemed to know that Raeleigh was watching him. He smiled and said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that you¡¯re home?Were you afraid of disturbing me?¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned by Jepherson¡¯s low and deep voice. She did not know when it started, but she had be used to Jepherson¡¯s deep and maic voice. She had been bewitched and captivated by him.

    Raeleigh entered the kitchen and made her way over to Jepherson¡¯s side to see what he was cooking. He was in the midst of making some fish soup. The soup was milky white and looked even better than her cooking. It smelled so fragrant.

    Jephersondled some soup and blew on it. Then, he put thedle by Raeleigh¡¯s mouth and said, ¡°Here, have a taste.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Jepherson and lowered her head to taste the soup. It was amazing.

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡±

    Jepherson smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s a must for pregnantdies to take more calcium and fish is very rich in calcium. You¡¯re going to need to drink more soupter.¡±

    ¡°You made this fish soup for me?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Who else would I make it for? Everyone else is strong and healthy. Why would I make it for them?¡± Jepherson teased. Raeleigh was so moved by his gesture.

    What right did she have to ask Jepherson, the young master of the Richards family, to cook for her?

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do this, you know?¡± Raeleigh could not finish her words.

    ¡°I did not do this just for you. I don¡¯t want my baby to be underweight when it¡¯s born.¡± Jepherson lowered his head to kiss Raeleigh. She answered with a forced smile, ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Alright? You sound so silly. Go out and wash your hands first. I¡¯ll be out in a second.¡±

    Jepherson sent Raeleigh out. Then, he turned around and continued to cook. Raeleigh exited the kitchen and washed her hands. After that, she took a seat at the dining table. Santiago was leaning against a wall, observing Raeleigh, but she did not notice him.

    Soon, Jepherson emerged from the kitchen and ced a bowl of fish soup on the table. Raeleigh came back to her senses and looked at him. She stood up and wanted to offer some help but Jepherson immediately told her to sit down.

    ¡°Sit down. Serra will help me.¡± Jepherson turned around and went back into the kitchen. With Serra¡¯s help, it did not take long before the table was filled with dishes. There were a total of four dishes and a bowl of soup. All of them smelled amazing.

    Jepherson then went upstairs personally and brought the food to Raeleigh¡¯s grandmother. Raeleigh watched as he made his way upstairs and her mood immediately changed. Perhaps, it was time to break the news. They had to face it nevertheless. It would be better than to think bitterly about it then.

    Raeleigh took a deep breath and was mentally prepared. She stared at Jepherson, who was making his way down the stairs. She decided that she would talk about it the next day.

    Jepherson made his way down the stairs and sat next to Raeleigh. They did not wait for Scarlette and immediately began eating.

    It was very quiet at the dining table since Zorion, Deanna, and Scarlette were not around. Jepherson and Santiago sat across from each other, whereas Raeleigh sat beside Jepherson.

    ¡°You have to eat more fish, but be careful of the fish bones.¡± Jepherson picked up some fish and put it on Raeleigh¡¯s te. She obediently ate the fish. On the opposite side, Santiago lowered his head and asked, ¡°Did you two have a falling out with each other?¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Santiago. Surely enough, Santiago was a person who did not know how to keep quiet.

 Chapter 1089 Prepare to End the Pregnancy

    ¡°You can¡¯t even keep quiet at dinner, can you?¡± Jepherson red at Santiago. Santiago did not even raise his head. He continued, ¡°If you and Raeleigh did not have a disagreement, then why are you in such a bad mood?¡±

    ¡°Mind your own business,¡± Jepherson said. Then, he looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°You should eat more, only then will you get stronger.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. She already had a lot to eat, including a big bowl of soup. She was so full that she could not drink anymore, but since Jepherson asked her to drink, she had to drink it.

    After dinner, Jepherson took Raeleigh for a stroll outside. Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms as they walked. He held her hand and said, ¡°I wonder whether the baby is a boy or a girl? I already have a few names in mind, but I¡¯m not sure which one will suit the baby. I guess we¡¯ll have to wait until we get to see the gender of the baby.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t do that now.¡± Raeleigh did not want to know the gender of the baby.

    Jepherson looked down at her and said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? I¡¯m just curious whether we¡¯re having a boy or a girl. I will still love the baby regardless of the gender.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t have a preference?¡± Raeleigh was curious to know whether Jepherson preferred having a boy or a girl.

    However, Jepherson said without hesitation, ¡°Of course I do.¡±

    ¡°Then, which do you prefer?¡± Raeleigh was eager to know. Jepherson said, ¡°If you kiss me, then I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    Raeleigh blushed and felt shy. However, she looked around and saw that it was getting dark. There was also no one in the courtyard. So, Raeleigh tiptoed and kissed Jepherson on the lips. Jepherson pulled her closer to him by her waist and lowered his head to deepen the kiss. He did not pull away until he was satisfied.

    By the time Jepherson finally pulled away, Raeleigh was gasping for breath. He raised his hand to touch her nose and said, ¡°Of course, I would prefer having a daughter.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Raeleigh suddenly thought of Jepherson¡¯s long-awaited reunion with his sister. That was probably why he preferred having a daughter.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms. ¡°If it¡¯s a girl, then she would definitely be chubby. When she grows up, she¡¯ll definitely look a lot like you. I¡¯m sure she will be very filial and gifted.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head. ¡°Is it because of your sister that you prefer having a daughter?¡±

    ¡°My wife and my sister are two different people. But then again, there is a chance our daughter might look like my sister too.¡± Jepherson seemed like he was in a good mood.He was smiling so brightly. Raeleigh stared at his face and could not speak. She wished nothing woulde between them.

    That way, they would be happy.

    ¡°Then, this means that you really want to have a daughter,¡± Raeleigh said. It was an affirmative sentence, yet it was immediately denied by Jepherson.

    ¡°No, not really. If it¡¯s up to me to decide, then I hope that our firstborn will be a boy.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s words surprised Raeleigh even more. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that you would prefer a daughter? Why are you going back on your word?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one thing to prefer having a daughter, but another thingto give birth to a daughter. We are so young, so I¡¯m sure this baby will not be our only child.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯d be best if our firstborn is a boy.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The first son will be the backbone of the family. As the future head of the Richards family, it¡¯s best if our firstborn is a boy. Then, if our second is a daughter, he will be able to protect her. I mean a younger brother would still be able to protect his older sister, but it¡¯s different. Our third¡­¡±

    Jepherson paused for a moment before he continued, ¡°I hope the birth of this baby will establish your position in the Richards family. Even if our firstborn is a girl, I¡¯ll still think highly of you. However, I really hope that our firstborn will be a boy, so that Grandma will at least treat you a little better.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson and held him in her arms. She did not know what to say. She did not know what she did to deserve him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you too moved by my words?¡± Jepherson asked, with his face full of amusement.

    Raeleigh shook her head and quickly said, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you pounce on me a while ago?¡± Jephersonughed happily. He hugged Raeleigh and stroked her hair as he said, ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to court you for so long and this is the best response I¡¯ve gotten.Raeleigh, you must remember, no matter what happens, I will always love you. This will not change.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. She pulled herself out of Jepherson¡¯s embrace and looked at him with a smiling face.¡°Why are you¡­¡±

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh in for a passionate kiss. She felt as if her entire body had surrendered to his kiss. She had no idea where she was. After a while, she was carried back up to the room by him.

    They spent half the night making passionate love. They had to be careful with the baby in her belly while being entangled tightly in each other¡¯s arms at the same time. After a while, Raeleigh felt both mentally and physically exhausted as shey in Jepherson¡¯s arms. She eventually sumbed to sleep.

    At night, Raeleigh was woken up by the sound of the drizzling rain.

    Raeleigh looked at the rain outside the window in a daze. She could tell that Jepherson was exhausted by their nighttime activity when she realized that he was in deep sleep. He would not even notice that she was awake, not to mention she was just lying quietly in bed.

    Raeleigh moved a little and Jepherson tightened his hold around her. He then raised his hands to stroke her,as if he wasforting her to stop wriggling around.

    Raeleigh lowered her head and looked carefully at Jepherson¡¯s face. He was such a handsome man. His nose was one of his most attractive facial features. It ran in a straight line from his eyes to the tip without a single curve. She had never seen any nose like his before.

    After observing Jepherson, Raeleigh soon fell asleep in his arms.

    That night, she had a dream. She dreamed of a boy named Arsel, who gave her some candy. She smiled back at the boy. However, a huge fire suddenly rose and soon, she was surrounded by fire. She was terribly frightened and was jolted awake.

    By the time Raeleigh was jolted awake, it was already eight o¡¯clock in the morning. However, that morning was unlike any other morning. She was awakened by a nightmare. She sat up in bed, panting.

    Jepherson opened his eyes and pulled Raeleigh into his arms. He gently stroked her hair and calmed her down.¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±

    Raeleigh tried to calm herself down before she said to Jepherson, ¡°It was terrible. The fire was terrible.¡±

    Jepherson slowly let go of Raeleigh. He fixed his gaze on Raeleigh¡¯s pale face and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head, unwilling to say anything.

    Jepherson did not force her when he saw how shook up she was. He just hugged her and stroked her.

    Raeleigh stared nkly into the distance as she did her best to hold onto Jepherson. Regardless of what it was, she could not hurt him.

    Initially, Raeleigh was supposed to follow Jepherson back to thepany after breakfast.However, she felt unwell, so she decided to stay home and rest.

    Raeleigh was watching TV when she sawSantiago ying with a puppy in his arms at around ten o¡¯clock.She then told him that she wanted to head over to the police station to learn more about the fire and the orphanage.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Since Santiago saw that Raeleigh looked fine, he agreed to bring her to the police station.

    Soon, they pulled into the parking lot of the police station. After getting out of the car, Santiago led Raeleigh into the police station. After entering, a policeman brought them to the archives room. He informed them that since the incident happened a long time ago, all of the information on the orphanage fire had been moved to the archives room.

    Raeleigh was determined to find the file regardless. Soon, she managed to find the information on the orphanage fire.

    ¡°Here it is. Take a look.¡± It was a young policeman who brought Raeleigh and Santiago to the archives room. He took out the file and handed it over to Raeleigh. She then took a seat at the table and began reading the contents in the file.

    Raeleigh saw the words on the first page. It was some notes on the orphanage. Inside, there were a few photos of the orphanage. Many of them were people whom she knew.

    Raeleigh flipped through the pages and kept in mind when each child arrived at the orphanage and when the child left.

    In the end, Raeleigh saw two children on one page. One of them was Shuna and she arrived at the orphanage the same day as she did¡­

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and immediately thought of something.

    Raeleigh remembered going up to Madam Caprice with Francia, when Madam Caprice said to them, ¡°You¡¯re now one of us. I¡¯m thinking of changing your names. Why don¡¯t I call you Shuna, and you, Francia?¡±

    The two children did not even say a word, and they just stared at each other¡­.

    Raeleigh blinked her eyes and thought, ¡°So, am I Shuna?¡±

    Raeleigh continued reading and realized that she was in fact, Shuna.

    The date that she arrived and her age were all a match.

    Raeleigh put down the file and without saying a word, she returned the file to the person in charge.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to continue anymore?¡± Santiago asked Raeleigh. She looked at Santiago and shook her head as she said, ¡°Nope, I¡¯m done. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then. Let¡¯s go,¡± Santiago said and led Raeleigh out of the archives room. When they got into the car, she fell into a daze. On the way home, tears suddenly rolled down her cheeks as she ced her hand on her abdomen.

    Santiago pulled up by the side of the road and asked Raeleigh if she had a stomach ache. She did not say anything. Instead, she just curled up and held her face with one hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Santiago asked Raeleigh, but Raeleigh remained silent. He suddenly became anxious and immediately drove towards the hospital. She was quickly taken into the emergency ward for an examination. There were many people in the hospital. As soon as she was done, Santiago asked Raeleigh to sit and wait while he went to pay the bill.

    However, after paying the bill, Santiago came back to where he left Raeleigh and realized that she had disappeared.

    Santiago called Raeleigh, but she did not answer his phone call. At that time, Raeleigh was standing outside the operating theater, waiting for the doctor to call her for a surgical fetus removal.

    There was a woman who entered before her and Raeleigh saw how unhappy the woman¡¯s family was as they waited outside.

    Raeleigh lowered her head to look at her belly and stroked it. She went back to the chair, sat down, and did not get up.

    Not long after, the doctor came out and called another patient. Raeleigh sat in her seat, in a daze.

    Santiago had searched for a long time before he finally found Raeleigh. He was sweating profusely. He was very close to calling the police.

    As soon as Santiago saw Raeleigh, he immediately asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and wanted to cry at the sight of Santiago.

    One man suddenlymented, ¡°These young people, so much for opting to terminate the pregnancy just because you¡¯ve been knocked up. You ought to be careful, you might not be able to give birth in the future.¡±

    The man who spoke was about 70 years old. Raeleigh looked at him and tears started gushing out of her eyes. Santiago was shocked by what he saw and looked up at the door behind him. Only then did he realize that he was standing in front of an operating theater.

    Santiago took a quick nce around and noticed that there were a few couples waiting. His face immediately turned pale. He looked at Raeleigh and was about to say something. Just as he was about to ask something, the door of the operating theater was pushed open and a woman was wheeled out.

    The woman was sleeping on the bed, and her face was pale. Santiago heard the nurse say, ¡°Be sure to feed her some nutritious food. Having a surgery to terminate a pregnancy thiste is very harmful to the body.¡±

    The more Santiago listened, the more he felt that something was wrong. He suddenly shouted, ¡°Shut up.¡±

    Santiago was a little confused and he shot dagger eyes at Raeleigh. He asked, ¡°What are you actually doing here?¡±

    Raeleigh burst into tears after hearing his question. She held Santiago and cried profusely.

 Chapter 1090 She Was Afraid of Being Seen Through

    Santiago did not know what to do as Raeleigh cried in his arms. He stood there, frozen in his steps. Then, he slowly raised his hand and wrapped his arms around Raeleigh as she cried. The crowd around them was just staring at them. The younger people were afraid of Santiago. No one had any idea what was going on when he suddenly shouted a while ago.

    The old man was not afraid of Santiago. He pointed to Santiago and said, ¡°Your girlfriend is afraid to go through with the surgery. She is not willing to do it. You, as her boyfriend, are very irresponsible for forcing her to go for the surgery. How dare you yell here? And your parents, how have they raised you?¡±

    It was rare for Santiago not to say a word. He looked pale. Santiago nced at the people around him before he bent down to pick Raeleigh up and turned to leave.

    Raeleigh kept on crying. She could not express the grievance in her heart. Santiago did not say anything and carried her straight back to the car.

    Santiago ced her at the back of the car. He looked at Raeleigh through the rearview mirror and asked, ¡°What the h*ll is going on?¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her head and gradually stopped crying, but she did not answer his question.

    Raeleigh did not know what to say. What would happen if she told people about her situation?

    Raeleigh was in pain, alone. If she had told Santiago, then he would definitely confront Jepherson. At that time, both of them would be in pain. It was already painful enough for Raeleigh. She did not want Jepherson to me himself for this matter.

    After crying for a while, Raeleigh wiped away the tears on her face and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell your brother what happened today. I don¡¯t want him to know that I¡¯m afraid to give birth.¡±

    Santiago furrowed his brows. He already had a face that resembled a demon. However, his straight face made him look even more like a demon.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? You¡¯re not a man.¡± Santiago gave Raeleigh an angry stare. If Raeleigh hadn¡¯t been keeping a secret, then she would haveughed at his words. However, she could not bring herself to say anything. She could not even muster a smile. She was a little worried about facing Santiago like this.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Santiago always had a boorish behavior and he looked like he couldn¡¯t care less. However, his shrewdness was no less than Jepherson. He was born in a prominent family like the Richards family, yet he could endure the humiliation and shape such a pathetic image for himself in Capital City. It was easy to imagine how scheming he was.

    How many people in this society were fools?

    Raeleigh believed that there would not be any.

    The Richards family was rich and powerful. If Hansen had allowed his sons to take their separate paths, then it meant that their family was no ordinary family.

    Raeleigh lowered her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Santiago paused for a moment before saying, ¡°Even if you¡¯re not sure, it¡¯s not right of you even to consider terminating the pregnancy. If my brother finds out, then you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.¡±

    Santiago had purposely said that to scare Raeleigh. She raised her head to look at him with a pale face. She was aware of this as well. She knew that if Jepherson found out, then she would not be able to bear the consequences.

    It would have been fine if Raeleigh was involved in this matter alone.What worried her the most was that Jepherson would be in more pain than her.

    Jepherson had been looking for his sister for so long yet he still could not find her. What happened if they hadmitted incest? What were they going to do?

    Raeleigh sighed. There was no way out of this.

    Their baby was the most pitied one in this matter. They were made out of love, yet they could note to this world because of love. It was extremely cruel!

    Raeleigh wore a terrible expression on her face when thinking of this. She touched her belly and felt a lump in her throat. She wanted to cry. For a moment, she felt that she had exhausted all of her energy. There was no one who could save her. What was she going to do?

    ¡°If you go back home looking like this, then Jepherson is going to kill me,¡± Santiago said. Raeleigh froze for a moment and she then looked at him. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m kidding?¡± Santiago said as he pushed the door open and got out of the car. As soon as he opened the car door, he took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He then lit a cigarette and started smoking.

    As he smoked, he raised his head and exhaled. Raeleigh looked out of the car and saw Santiago¡¯s figure.Not to mention other girls,Raeleigh, too, was sometimes infatuated with Santiago. It was no surprise that Cynthia liked him and decided to help him without hesitation.

    Raeleigh knew that she had put Santiago in a difficult situation. She opened the door and looked at him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell your brother. I¡¯ll slowly adjust my state of mind.¡±

    Santiago turned around and looked at Raeleigh. He then said, ¡°Are you really moody because you¡¯re afraid to give birth?¡±

    Santiago asked in all seriousness. Raeleigh was not used to his serious attitude. After all, she was too used to his indifferent attitude. When Santiagowore a cold face, Raeleigh suddenly felt pressured.

    ¡°Of course, what else could it be?¡± Raeleigh asked. Her answer amused Santiago and he asked, ¡°Did you do it on purpose?¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything. She could not even smile. She just gulped.

    Raeleigh felt a little nervous when Santiago was serious. She felt that he was able to see through her.

    Surely enough, Santiago said, ¡°No matter what happens, I hope you can tell me. I will do my best to help you with it. Otherwise, if you try to solve it on your own, I¡¯m sure something bad will happen. I can¡¯t stop caring about you for the sake of my unborn niece or nephew.¡±

    Santiago inhaled a puff of smoke and turned to lean against the car. Raeleigh calmly stood on the opposite side as she watched Santiago¡¯s retreating figure. For some reason, she felt more and more deste.

    Raeleigh did not know what was wrong with her.She suddenly felt an indescribable sadness.

    If Jepherson was her older brother,then it would mean that Santiago was her brother as well. They were a family.

    ording to what Jepherson said, the reason she ended up in an orphanage at that time was because of a misunderstanding. It was the man who saved their mother who orchestrated all of this.

    At the thought of Jenna¡¯s smiling face as well as her caring eyes, Raeleigh felt her heart bleeding and her entire body trembled.

    How would Raeleigh ever dare to see Jenna again in this state?

    Raeleigh quietly entered the car and sat on one side until Santiago came back.

    Santiago then started the car and drove her around the city. When they returned, it was already dark.

    Jepherson made a phone call to Santiago to check on their whereabouts before he made his way to the gate, awaiting their arrival. When he saw Santiago¡¯s car pulling up to the gate, he nced into the car and saw Raeleigh sitting in the car with a nk stare. It was as if she was having a long dream.

    Santiago stopped the car by the gate. Jepherson walked around the car to Raeleigh¡¯s side and looked at her. He was afraid that he would frighten her, so he gently called out her name.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment beforeing back to her senses.

    Only then did Jepherson open the car door and bend over to kiss Raeleigh. He reached into the car and carried her out of the car.

    Santiago cast a nce at them and made sure the car door was closed before driving off.

 Chapter 1091 She Has My Motherâ€™s Eyes

    Jepherson looked down at Raeleigh, who was quietly lying in his arms. He lowered his head and kissed her. Raeleigh raised her head and looked at him. Soon, she nestled in his arms and buried her face in his chest.

    Jepherson tightened his hold around her and carried her back to the house. When they entered the house, he did not put her down. Instead, he carried her straight up to their room.

    Zorion and Deanna were still around and had not gone home. When Deanna saw Jepherson carrying Raeleigh, she wanted to go over to have a look. However, Zorion grabbed her arm and said, ¡°Stay here.¡±

    Deanna turned around and was met with her brother¡¯s unhappy face. However, Deanna felt a little upset when she saw the girl Zorion liked, in another man¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Zorion, I want to go home,¡± Deanna suddenly said. Zorion was stunned and looked over at her.¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to stay for dinner? Have youchanged your mind?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I feel like going home now. Come on, let¡¯s go,¡± Deanna said as she took Zorion¡¯s hand. She briefly nced over at Santiago, who ignored her, before making her way to the main door.

    As soon as Deanna and Zorion exited the house, they got into their car and drove off. Jepherson carried Raeleigh upstairs and sat her down on a chair. He then looked at her and asked, ¡°What happened? Why do you look so depressed? Why don¡¯t you tell me? Maybe I can help you.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just in a bad mood. I need a moment to calm myself down. Why don¡¯t you go and have your dinner first? I think I¡¯m going to take a nap.¡±

    ¡°How would I be able to eat if you¡¯re not going to eat?¡± Jepherson asked as he lowered his head to kiss Raeleigh. She did not know what to do. In fact, she was a little scared. However, she did not dare to avoid him. She had no choice but to suppress her sadness and return the kiss.

    After they pulled away from each other, Jepherson inteced his fingers with Raeleigh¡¯s. She turned to look at him and said, ¡°But I don¡¯t feel like eating right now.¡±

    ¡°Me too. I think it¡¯s better if we take a nap.¡±

    Jepherson took off his shoes, lifted the quilt, andy down close to Raeleigh. She looked over at him before she turned to sleep on her side. He spooned her from behind and coaxed, ¡°Close your eyes and go to sleep. Stop thinking about anything else. You¡¯ll be fine once you wake up.¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to rest. But as soon as she closed her eyes, she could see many people she knew before her. She saw those people whom she knew when she was little, as well as those who knew Jepherson. She could even see the information she read in the archives room, things that she did not want to see. She did not know what to do. It was as if she had fallen into a dark abyss and was unable to escape. She felt helpless and started to panic.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    Jepherson did his best tofort Raeleigh by patting her to sleep. She then gradually calmed down and fell asleep.

    When Raeleigh was finally asleep, Jepherson quietly slipped out of bed. He tucked Raeleigh in before putting on his shoes and left the room.

    Jepherson closed the door behind him and looked downstairs. Santiago was sitting at the dining table, waiting to eat. Both Scarlette and Hadrian were still here. However, neither of them made their way to the dining table. They had deliberately kept a distance from Santiago.

    Jepherson descended from the stairs and made his way to the dining table. He pulled out a chair and sat across Santiago.

    Serra came over to ask when she should start dinner, but Jepherson said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you prepare Novalie¡¯s meal first? I¡¯ll bring it over to herter.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Serra nodded before entering the kitchen. Santiago looked up at Jepherson and asked, ¡°What do you want to ask?¡±

    ¡°What do you want to tell me?¡± It was not that Jepherson was curious, it was just that this matter had nothing to do with Santiago. It was Raeleigh herself who had a problem. However, Santiago and Raeleigh had been spending so much time togethertely. Therefore, he was sure that Santiago must have discovered something.

    ¡°Raeleigh might be suffering from prenatal depression.¡± Santiago lowered his head and nced at his phone. After that, he said, ¡°She said it herself.¡±

    ¡°Do you believe her?¡± Jepherson asked. Santiago did not answer his question. Instead, he asked, ¡°What about you? Do you believe it?¡±

    Scarlette had no idea what Jepherson and Santiago were talking about. It sounded as if they were speaking in code. Can¡¯t they speak inyman terms?

    After a moment of silence, Serra brought out Novalie¡¯s dinner. Jepherson stood up, picked up the food, and made his way upstairs to apany Novalie.

    When Novalie saw that it wasn¡¯t her granddaughter who brought in the food, she asked, ¡°Is Raeleigh still in a bad mood?¡±

    ¡°A little,¡± Jepherson said as he put the food down on the small dining table in her room. The two sat down to eat and chatted as they ate.

    Novalie talked about herself absent-mindedly.¡°Raeleigh is actually not my biological granddaughter. I don¡¯t have kids.¡±

    Jepherson slowly raised his head while eating, to look at Novalie. He said, ¡°I know that she¡¯s not your biological granddaughter, even if you did not tell me.¡±

    ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t you reveal this matter?¡± Novalie asked as she smiled. Jepherson said, ¡°I also know that Raeleigh was one of the kids in the orphanage and you were the one who adopted her. Furthermore, she was from the orphanage near our house. The one that had caught fire.¡±

    Jepherson said slowly. Novalie held the fork in her hand tightly and looked at Jepherson before saying, ¡°Who on Earth are you?¡±

    Novalie¡¯s eyes carried a hint of hostility that even Jepherson could not sense. If Jepherson hade here with a purpose to get close to Raeleigh and hurt Raeleigh, then she would not let him get close to her.

    Jepherson ced some food on Novalie¡¯s te and said, ¡°I can¡¯t exin it clearly, but I met Raeleigh in school. I have no idea whether I have met her by chance but her appearance has an unusual meaning to me. It was inevitable for me to investigate Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that you have investigated Raeleigh?¡± Novalie thought for a moment and looked at the food on her te. Jepherson said, ¡°Yes. At first, I could not find anything until I met Xanthus. I felt a little strange. I don¡¯t know why but Raeleigh suddenly mentioned the orphanage fire. The only reason I managed to find information on Raeleigh was because of a dead person.¡±

    ¡°Flynt threatened me and used Raeleigh as a bargaining chip. With that, he inadvertently killed the man. I conducted an investigation on the deceased. He was the former guard of the orphanage and the owner of the burger joint. His name is Wouter Forbes. The Moore family hired someone to pretend to be him. I was worried about Raeleigh, so I did a thorough investigation on her. Only then I found out that she was from the orphanage that had caught fire. I don¡¯t know much about the rest.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that you don¡¯t know much about Raeleigh, but you¡¯re sure that she¡¯s from that orphanage?¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing.¡± Jepherson frowned as he spoke. ¡°Actually, I have been to the orphanage that Raeleigh was from. It¡¯s just that it was too long ago and I can¡¯t really remember much. When I arrived at the orphanage, I fell seriously ill. My memory of that ce is very vague, and my parents did not tell me anything. So, this matter ended up with nothing definite.¡±

    ¡°This time, because of Raeleigh, I feel like I¡¯ve returned to my old ce. I¡¯ve also been looking for something. Coincidentally, two things happened to be rted to one another.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Novalie said before she continued. ¡°Have you told Raeleigh about this?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. There is still a lotthat I haven¡¯t quite figured out and my grandmother has been very anxioustely. I intend to take Raeleigh back and tell her the truth, but she¡¯s a little apprehensive. She¡¯s worried that my grandmother would pretend to ept her because of the baby. She¡¯s also worried that my grandmother would separate her and our baby after she gives birth. I am also a little worried. That is why I¡¯ve decided to help Raeleigh settle down here until the babyes out. Only then will we figure out what to do.¡±

    When Novalie heard Jepherson¡¯s words, she said, ¡°I agree with your idea, but there¡¯s always a disparity between your family and mine, be itidentity or status. Regardless of how gifted Raeleigh is, she wouldn¡¯t be able to be at an equal level with your family. Don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Novalie was also a smart person. She was aware of her status very well, but she did not want to belittle anyone.

    Jepherson¡¯s family had a high social status, but Raeleigh was notpletely worthless.It was best to put that fact out there.

    Jepherson immediately reassured her.¡°I¡¯m aware. In my eyes, Raeleigh is more important than anyone. Nothing can stop me from loving her. Even if Raeleigh has nothing, even if she¡¯s not from a rich and powerful family, I will still love her just as much. There is nothing that cane between us.¡±

    ¡°Love is life¡¯s daily necessity.Those people with power and influence, love probably has a different meaning to them.¡±

    ¡°However, it¡¯s not what my parents taught me. They are sincere. They can give up everything for love.¡±

    ¡°When my parents were young, the things that happened between them are well-known and they¡¯ve caused a lot of trouble. But in the end, they ended up together. They finally realized their dream.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything bad to happen between Raeleigh and me. My mother told me that love does not require a reason or status. As long as I¡¯m able to see her smiling face or her figure in a sea of people, then that¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°Everyone has their own path to follow. If a person had not been in a rtionship, then the person would not know what it feels like to love.¡±

    ¡°Although I¡¯m powerful and have a certain status in society,I can¡¯t guarantee what will happen to me in the future. I may fall ill one day and won¡¯t be able to move freely. Without anyone by my sidewhen I grow old¡­¡±

    ¡°Life is full of suffering.However, when we feel good, then everything will be good.Even your heart would be at ease.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather stay with the person I love. It¡¯s tough to predict whether the people around would leave me after taking away my money and status. Even if they didn¡¯t leave, they¡¯d probably wish for my early death in order to obtain everything I have.¡±

    ¡°A child learns by imitating their parents. If their parents behave poorly, then so will the child.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always felt that my mother was an excellent role model. When my father was around, she was not arrogant and patiently waited for him. When my father was poor, she never left him, insteadshe stayed and took care of him.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s all that I want. I want a person who would stay with mefor better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, and in sickness and in health. ¡±

    Novalie smiled and took a bite of her food. Then, she said, ¡°Then, how do you know that Raeleigh is that person?¡±

    ¡°I believe in my own judgement and feelings. I also see something in her eyes. She has a pair of eyes that are very simr to my mother¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°My mother said that eyes are the windows to the soul. I believe what my mother said and believe that Raeleigh will not leave me.¡±

    Novalie said, ¡°Yes. I also believe that you will protect Raeleigh. That way, I will be relieved even if I die.¡±

    Novalie was satisfied and did not say anything else. She quietly ate her food.

    After apanying Novalie, Jepherson went back to the room to check on Raeleigh.

 Chapter 1092 Something Happened To Cynthia

    When Jepherson entered the room, Raeleigh was still asleep, but it appeared that her sleep was a restless one. She was sweating profusely. It seemed as though she was being tormented by a nightmare.Jepherson immediately went to her and woke her up.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ Raeleigh¡­¡± Jepherson gently called out to Raeleigh. Her eyes opened as she looked right at him.¡°You¡¯re¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Jepherson. Are you having another bad dream?¡± Jepherson asked as he wiped the sweat off her face. Raeleigh was panting and quite some time had passed before she finally calmed down. Jepherson wrapped his arms around her, covering her with the quilt. He queried,¡°What happened?Was it that scary?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head and replied,¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s over.¡±

    ¡°Why is it that you¡¯ve only been having nightmares recently?¡± Jepherson kissed Raeleigh at the top of her head. She lifted her eyelids to meet his gaze and asked, ¡°Have you ever gone through a traumatizing experience?¡±

    ¡°Of course, everyone has. I am no exception. But I¡¯m sure you will not be able to guess what it is,¡± Jepherson quipped. He mustered a smile, trying to ease her tension. Raeleigh tipped her head upwards. She wondered what would scare a person like Jepherson.

    Jepherson embraced Raeleigh tightly. After he thought it over, he told Raeleigh,¡°I remember when I was in high school, I was very popr among girls because I was tall and my looks were decent.Hence,I have received many love letters and drawings.¡±

    ¡°I was pestered for an entire semester, unable to do anything about it. Finally, I could not take it anymore. I told my Dad that I wanted to transfer schools.¡±

    ¡°Right before I was going to leave, a girl suddenly appeared, but she chose a terrifying ce to appear. I was swimming in the school¡¯s pool at the time when all of a sudden, she showed up in front of me d in a s*xy swimsuit. Then, she curtly told me that she liked me.

    ¡°I reacted innocently and just stood there expressionlessly. She then approached me and nted a kiss on me. The fear just about made my face go pale. I nearly passed out.¡±

    ¡°Ever since that incident, I had that same nightmare for half a semester. I would sometimes even get a fever from the nightmares.¡±

    ¡°My parents poked fun of me because of it.¡±

    ¡°Why does that sound so familiar?¡± Raeleigh recalled the time she first met Jepherson. For a split second, she was at a loss for words.It struck Jepherson as well and he added, ¡°I¡¯m not referring to you. This actually happened. Ever since then, I never go shirtless in public and I rarely go for swims now.¡±

    ¡°Are you traumatized?¡± Raeleigh could not imagine how Jepherson felt. She guessed that he was probably ovee with embarrassment at that time.

    ¡°I was young then,around 14 years old. My school had organized a swimmingpetition. My mother thought that I was good at swimming, so she signed me up. She even said that she was going to bring the other family members to watch mepete. I agreed at that time, but I regretted it afterwards. If I had not agreed to join thepetition, then that incident would not have happened.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯venever participated in anypetitions at school since then?¡± Raeleigh could envision it for sure. With Jepherson¡¯s approach to things, he would go to great lengths to prevent incidents like that from happening again.¡±

    ¡°Not in high school.In university, I had to socialize a lot and asionally had to enter events for publicity. Then,I happened to meet you.¡± Jepherson was amused. He kissed Raeleigh on the forehead and cuddled her.¡°Sometimes, I wonderwhy that one incident in high school was a nightmare, but it felt like a beautiful dream when we met. It¡¯spletely different. I can¡¯t really remember that girl in high school anymore. I was panicking at that time, as if I had seen the devil.After that, my mother informed me that the girl was pretty and had a good figure, but she could only ever appear as the devil to me.At one point, I even shunned girls froming close to me.¡±

    ¡°Ever since I met you, things have changedpletely.¡±

    Jepherson continuedughing. However, Raeleigh could not find it in herself tough. She wondered why.

    Maybe the reason he subconsciously had a good impression of her was because they were rted by blood.

    Perhaps, from the beginning, it had always been familial love andnot romantic love.

    Raeleigh narrowed her eyes. Her face was pale asshe turned around and snuggled into Jepherson¡¯s arms like a petnt child.

    Jepherson lowered his head and asked, ¡°Are you still not feeling well?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head.¡°No, I just want to lie in your arms like this.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead then. Let me know when you¡¯re tired,¡± Jepherson said. He patted Raeleigh on the back as though he was soothing a baby to sleep.Raeleigh did not want to say anything.If she was unwilling to leave, then how was she going to tell him about it? What would happen to their child?

    Raeleigh¡¯s whole being was filled with reluctance. Every time she thought about her current predicament, she truly believed that there was nothing worse that could have happened in her life.

    The more she kept to herself, the more depressed she felt.

    Late at night, Jepherson finallyy Raeleigh down on the bed. She was physically and mentally exhausted. Jepherson held her in his arms and soothed her to sleep without turning off the lights.

    When morning came, Raeleigh was met with the sight of Jepherson looking at her as soon as she woke up. Theyy there, looking into each other¡¯s eyes. Raeleigh reached out first to wrap an arm around Jepherson¡¯s slender waist. He was still wearing the same white shirt and ck trousers. He had not slept a wink all night. Even though Raeleigh was still asleep, he had a hunch that she was not sleeping well, as if there were still matters weighing on her mind even in her sleep.Hence, he could not rest andwatched her sleep until she woke up.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Jepherson leaned over to kiss Raeleigh, whoy frozen on the bed.

    Raeleigh flipped over to lie on her back. Every morning, Jepherson would kiss the tip of her nose. After that, he would slowly make his way down and brush his lips against hers. Raeleigh lifted a hand, wanting to push him away, but she could not bear to do so when she looked into his adoring eyes.

    She rested her hands on his shoulders before hugging him.He brought his lips close to her ear and kissed it.Heasked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Please tell me. I¡¯ll help you.There¡¯s always a way out.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer, but she just continued holding him.

    She did not dare to say anything. She could not say anything. She did not regret her current position.Although she had not liked him when he first pursued her,things had changed. She loved him to the very depths of her heart and soul. If he had not tried to get with her from the start, if they had known that they were rted by blood, then everything that happened between them would have been lost. They neither would have loved each other nor would she bear his child. To her, that sort of life was devoid of any meaning.

    It was not their fault for having crossed paths with each other. The love that blossomed between them was not a sin. Raeleighwas very reluctant to part with him, she really was. But she couldn¡¯t allow herself to continue down the wrong path. It was the only thing she felt sorry towards Jepherson for.

    As for their baby¡­

    Raeleigh was even more unwilling to part with their child. The baby was a blessing to them. Even if they had done something unforgivable,the baby was innocent.

    Raeleigh made up her mind after Jepherson kissed her forehead. No matter what happened, she would give birth to the baby. She would not tell Jepherson what exactly transpired between them. She was going to love their child well. She would take the baby far away and never return.

    A single tear rolled down Raeleigh¡¯s cheek. She did not want to leave Jepherson.She did not want him to see her crying either. When he turned around to face her,she quickly wiped her tears away.

    Jepherson sat up and looked at her. ¡°Do you want to get up? Or stay at home and rest?¡±

    Raeleigh asked after thinking for a while, ¡°Are we heading to thepany today?¡±

    ¡°Logically, youshould be going to the university, but you did not show up at the office yesterday¡­ It¡¯s up to you. I¡¯ll apany you wherever you choose.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy?¡± Raeleigh asked in response.She looked extremely frail at that moment, but she did not notice it, because she was pretending to be strong.

    When Jepherson saw Raeleigh in that state, he felt very distressed. However, he did not expose her facade. He merely came close to her, smiling, and enveloped her into an embrace. He then said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m busy, but it¡¯s my duty as a husband to do my best and apany my wife all our lives.¡±

    Raeleigh heard the word ¡®wife¡¯ andshe could not help but to feel a wave of sadness wash over her, although she didn¡¯t dare to show it. She could only force herself to ask, ¡°Well then, howmuch work do you have? If there¡¯s a lot, then I can help you. Once you¡¯re done, you can apany me.¡±

    She had thought it over and decided thatshe did not want to obstruct his work.

    Jephersonughed and kissed Raeleigh. He said, ¡°My dear wife, that¡¯s very generous of you. l will follow your orders then.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s words tickled Raeleigh, and she finally smiled.The smile left Jepherson stunned. He kissed her again before getting out of bed.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s head into the office today. When we¡¯re done with work, we¡¯ll go somewhere else. What do you think?¡± Jepherson quizzed her. Raeleigh nodded and got out of bed too, to wash up and get dressed. She followed Jepherson out of the room. Together, they went downstairs for breakfast.

    The rest had already had their breakfast by the time Raeleigh arrived downstairs.

    Raeleigh and Jepherson were the only ones having breakfastat the table then.Serra made some fresh toast and boiled eggs for them. Jepherson helped Raeleigh peel the eggshell off her egg in a public disy of affection.

    Scarlette especially, was ovee with envy. She wished that she were in Raeleigh¡¯s position instead! What a pity!

    Scarlette heaved a deep sigh. She was unfortunate to have met a fool.

    Santiago was fiddling with his phone,chatting with someone. Scarlette took a peek at his screen and saw the name Cynthia on the screen.

    The first person who came to Scarlette¡¯s mind was Cynthia Moore. Scarlette felt extremely annoyed at Santiago. He was always doing these shady things. Out of all the women out there, why did he have to get involved with a woman from the Moore family? If he had a grudge with Flynt, then he should just deal with him personally. He did not have to drag Cynthia into this.

    Even though Scarlette was angry, she did not dare to voice out her rage. She couldment to herself inwardly, without the guts toin out loud.

    After breakfast, Raeleigh followed Jepherson¡¯s lead as he approached Santiago. Jepherson told Santiago, ¡°Raeleigh will be heading to the office with me today. Then, we¡¯ll go somewhere else in the afternoon. We most likely won¡¯t be back for dinner, so you don¡¯t have to wait for us.¡±

    Santiago looked up at Jepherson.All he said in response as he stood up was, ¡°I¡¯m going to the Moore family¡¯s ce.¡±

    Jepherson met his gaze. ¡°Did something happen to Cynthia?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably a family dispute. Her mother found her a fiance. I¡¯ll go and check it out.¡± Santiago put his phone away and strode outside. He got into the car and drove off right away. Raeleigh watched as Santiago left and turned to ask Jepherson, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to have a look?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary. Santiago has his own thoughts on the matter. I cannot interfere too much in his personal affairs. After all, I¡¯m not him.¡± Over the years, Jepherson had always been that way.He always gave Santiago enough space, just as he did to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh thought for a while,and she then asked, ¡°But what should we do if the Moore family does something to Santiago?¡±N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    ¡°Nothing will happen. I doubt the Moore family would dare to do anything to Santiago. After the previous few spars, I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t dare to take action easily. Let¡¯s head to the office first. If anything does happen, then I¡¯m sure Santiago will inform us.¡± Jepherson assured Raeleigh.

    Jepherson took Raeleigh¡¯s hand and got into their car. On the other end, Santiago was approaching the Moore family residence.

 Chapter 1093 Barge Into the Moore Family Home

    Santiago stopped the car and eyed the Moore family residence.The gates were wide open, meaning that they were expecting guests that day. Otherwise, they would never have left the gate opento allow people toe and go as they wished.

    As soon as Santiago arrived, he parked his car right in front of the gates. He got out and stood there for a while. When the people on the other side of the gates saw him,they hurriedly went out to stop him.

    Santiago pushed them away and bellowed, ¡°Where is she?¡±

    The Moore family members feared Santiago. He was only 17 years old but he was already driving all over the ce, with no one who dared to keep him in line.His parents were not in Capital City and his older brother doted on him. His grandmother did not inquire into his affairs.He was allowed to run rampant on the roads, but if someone offended him or if he got into an ident, what were they to do?

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, are you sure you¡¯vee to the right ce? How is it possible that the person you¡¯re looking for is here?¡± One man tried to block his path as he quizzed Santiago.The rest hurriedly went into the house to look for Cynthia.

    Santiago saw them heading inside, but he turned a blind eye to it. Like a ruffian, he kicked the man who had spoken. Santiago asserted, ¡°I¡¯m looking for Cynthia.¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Miss Cynthia?¡±

    The servant was scared out of his wits as he thought to himself, what was Santiago doing here? Did he find out that Miss Cynthia had an appointment with the son of a high-ranking official in Capital City. Did hee here to cause trouble?

    Didn¡¯t he have anything better to do? What did Miss Cynthia¡¯s matchmaking session have anything to do with him? Who did he think he is?

    The servant did not dare say it out loud. Everyone feared a person like Santiago.

    ¡°Miss Cynthia is currently not at home. She just went out,¡± the servant replied hurriedly. Santiago threw a displeased nce at the man before stepping into the manorpound. He took in the surroundings as he walked. Everyone was heading towards a certain direction, so Santiago followed suit. By the time the Moore family butler emerged from the manor, Santiago was already making his way towards Elina¡¯s residence. The butler hastily stopped him, saying, ¡°Oh, hello Mr. Santiago! What brings you here today? Are you here to visit Old Master Johan? Why don¡¯t youe with me this way?¡±

    The moment the butler saw Santiago, he had a sinking feeling that something was wrong. There were already rumors going around about the Moore family. Otherwise, Elina would not have been so anxious to find a partner for Cynthia in order to shut the gossipers¡¯ mouths up.

    The butler naturally understood the situation. Not many people knew about Miss Cynthia and Santiago. However, the truth would eventuallye out. There was always bound to be someone reckless who would reveal their rtionship to the public.

    It was already old news to the butler. It was just that not many outsiders knew about it.

    The butler was about to bring Santiago to a different area, but Santiago smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m not here to visit him. I¡¯m here to see Miss Cynthia. Where is she?¡±

    Santiago¡¯s aura swept across the area in a domineering manner. The butler¡¯s hands started to tremble. He had no idea why he was so afraid of Santiago.

    ¡°Miss Cynthia is busy right now. Mr. Santiago, why don¡¯t youe with me? I¡¯ll get someone to call Miss Cynthia over,¡± the butler coaxed. He intended to lure Santiago away, but Santiago refused to follow him.

    ¡°The man guarding the gate told me that Miss Cynthia was out, and now you¡¯re telling me that she¡¯s busy. I don¡¯t believe you. The Moore family are a pack of liars. Why don¡¯t you let me go and see for myself? I want to know, between you and that servant, who is telling the truth!¡± Santiago strode towards Elina¡¯s quarters of the manor. A group of people were gathered at the door. The butler could not hold Santiago back, so he ordered them toe and try to force Santiago away.

    ¡°If anyone dares to touch me, then I¡¯ll punch them.¡± Everyone stopped in their tracks assoon as those words came out of Santiago¡¯s mouth.Angered, the butler retorted, ¡°Mr. Santiago, you¡¯ve gone too far. This is the Moore family residence. Old Master Johan did not take any action only because you are from the Richards family. Whatever it is, you¡¯re a son of the Richards family. How can you be this unreasonable and barbaric?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you call me arrogant instead? That sounds much better.¡± After saying that, Santiago continued making his way towards Elina. The people inside Elina¡¯s residence had already heard all the chaos going on. Elina was restless. She was currently chaperoning Cynthia to the matchmaking session.

    Ever since Cynthia met Santiago, she started taking an interest in dressing up. Her style was simple yet elegant. That day, she had dressed well too, ina white dress with her hair down. She did not look like she was from the Moore family. She was notwearing any jewellery, so she looked ordinary. Sitting on a chair at the side and looking very unassuming, shedid not make eye contact with anyone.

    Yousif was there as well. No matter what, Cynthia was his daughter and the matchmaking session concerned her potential partner. As her father, he had to attend as well. Elina had informed him of it in advance, regardless if he showed up for it or not.

    Cynthia¡¯s potential fiance was the son of one of the top officials in Capital City. His father was also present that day. The Moore family was reputable while the man¡¯s family was also well-off. They had their own agendas.

    Cynthia¡¯s date had also heard a lot of good things about Cynthia, so he was eager for the matchmaking session.

    Among the rich, it was a shared desire to marry a woman from a reputable family. Furthermore, Cynthia was beautiful and decent. Even if the man did not like her,she would make a fine trophy wife.

    As Cynthia was from the Moore family, it was natural that people flocked to her seeking to establishworks.

    However, Cynthia was surprised to find out that the man was pushing forty years old.

    If he was around her age, even if he was about thirty,then she could still ept it, but the other party was forty.

    She had heard that he had divorced his first wife.

    She was unable to find out why.

    Cynthia was getting impatient. She was not fond of the man at all.So, she excused herself and went to the washroom. She sent a text message to Santiago just to rant about her bad luck. What she did not expect was that Santiago had already texted asking what had happened.What was more,Santiago had shown up in person.

    Elina looked outside, feeling awkward.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go out and take a look,¡± Elina told Yousif. They nodded at the people sitting opposite them and turned to leave. Just as they pushed the door open, Santiago stormed in. He did not even look at Elina.

    When Santiago entered the room, his gaze swept over the entire ce before it settled on Cynthia. He smiled and said, ¡°Cynthia.¡±

    Cynthia was taken aback for a moment. She stood up and looked at Santiago. She asked in surprise, ¡°Why are you¡­¡±

    Cynthia did not finish what she was about to say. However, the expressions of the others in the room changed. Santiago immediately walked towards Cynthia as if he did not notice that.Raw anger shot through Elina as shepointed at Santiago and bellowed, ¡°Who allowed you to barge in here like that? Throw him out!¡±

    Yousif looked at Santiago without saying a word.

    Cynthia¡¯s date and his father watched silently,as Santiago walked towards Cynthia, stopped in front of her, and asked her what she was doing.

    The Moore family residence was thrown into chaos at that moment!

    Elina, especially, was about to explode with rage.

 Chapter 1094 Flynt is Blocking the Way

    Elina pointed at Santiago and ordered her servants to drag him out. Santiago refused to move. He lowered his head and looked at Cynthia, saying, ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question. What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Cynthia blushed.¡°It¡¯s a matchmaking session.¡±

    Santiago turned around and looked at the father and son opposite him. He strode over and asked, ¡°Who are you two?¡±

    ¡°My name is Yitzhak rk. This is my son, Zsolt rk, and you are?¡±

    ¡°I am Santiago Richards. I have never heard of you, but you don¡¯t seem like an ordinary citizen. There is one thing I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Please, tell mewhat it is.¡± As soon as Yitzhak heard Santiago¡¯s name, everything became crystal clear to him. Santiago was not a person to be trifled with. Hansen and his wife were currently out of the country, on their honeymoon. Their sons did not have a single worry in the world.Santiago¡¯s true purpose was a mystery.

    ¡°Do you know that Cynthia and I are friends?¡± Santiago asked. Yousif shot daggers at a pale-faced Elina.

    Elina was ovee with anxiety. It was toote to say anything to contain the damage.

    Yitzhak immediately replied, ¡°Oh, we had no idea. It seems that there¡¯s been a misunderstanding here.I guess we should make a move now.¡±

    Yitzhak nced at Yousif and said politely, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯re going to leave now.¡±

    Yitzhak turned around and left with Zsolt. Elina immediately went stiff.

    She looked around the room for Cynthia and could not help but to want to p her.

    Cynthia looked at Santiago, who was standing in front of her, andfinally murmured, ¡°I think it¡¯s best for you to head home first, I¡­¡±

    ¡°Servants, take Miss Cynthia back to her room and lock her up! Do not give her any meals without my orders,¡± Yousif roared as he immediately stood up. Hehad been waiting for an opportunity to deal with Elina,and he had gotten it. Elina, on the other hand, took no notice of it. She was blinded by rage. Cynthia knew very well that she would be in hot water if she botched the session that day, but she didnot want to drag Santiago into the mess. Hence, shepushed him away, saying,¡°Please leave.¡±

    However, Santiago did not leave. Instead, he looked at Yousif.¡°I¡¯d like to see who would dare to lock Cynthia up!¡±

    ¡°You¡­ What did you say?¡± Yousif pointed at Santiago as he bellowed in anger.Santiago raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°No one can hurt Cynthia now that I¡¯m here. Otherwise, I will make all of you suffer.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ You little¡­ ¡±

    Elina was quiet. Santiago looked around and said, ¡°Since none of you can make up your minds, then I¡¯ll have to look for someone who will give the final say on this matter.¡±

    After saying that, Santiago escorted Cynthia towards the door. At the doorway, they just so happened to bump into Flynt, who was returning from elsewhere.

    Flynt stopped.Santiago stopped in his tracks too.

    ¡°Where are you taking Cynthia?¡± Flynt¡¯s expression darkened. He was supposed to go on a business trip to inspect the Moore family¡¯s assets abroad. To his surprise, before he even boarded the ne, he had received news that his mother had found a potential fiance for Cynthia and they were currently in a matchmaking session. He had no choice but to rush home.

    At the airport, suspicions raced through Flynt¡¯s mind. He did not hear a single word about it. It was such an important thing, because it concerned Cynthia¡¯s potential future life partner. How could they not tell him?

    Flynt was not a fool. Ever since Santiago had taken Cynthia away, his mother, Elina, had begun favoring his eldest sister, Yanora. Her attitude towards Cynthia hadpletely changed. Especially when Cynthia was there, Elinaconstantlymade it a point to say that Cynthia could not be relied on for anything anymore as her loyalties no longery with the Moore family.

    As Flynt was about to board the ne, it suddenly struck him what was going on.Elinahad alreadye up with a n to deal with Cynthia. Since Cynthia was of no use to the family,Elina had to take control of Cynthia in order not to bring shame to herself. Elina came up with the idea to marry Cynthia off to someone who would be able to support the Moore family. That way, Cynthia would still benefit the family somewhat. In the future, after she got married, Cynthia would have to rely on the Moore family. That way, she would naturally obey Elina.

    Flynt¡¯s expression was stormy all the while as he headed home.No matter what had happened, Cynthia was Elina¡¯s blood and flesh. How could Elina treat her that way?

    Flynt and Cynthia were close, so Flynt hurried all the way home. However, he was already toote. Santiago was one step ahead of him.When he arrived at the manor and saw Santiago¡¯s car, he did not bother to greet his father. He headed straight towards Elina¡¯s quarters. On the way there, he bumped into Yitzhak and Zsolt. Flynt¡¯s heart sank when he saw them.

    Santiago was right.Their family was turning on each other. He roughly guessed why Cynthia chose to help Santiago. She probably knew that he, an outsider, would help her if she encountered any mishap, unlike her own family members.

    People were unpredictable. But the Moore family, although they shared the same blood, were not willing to help each other. They had thrown Cynthia to the wolves.

    What was more, the fiance whom Elina picked for Cynthia was already 40 years old. He was old enough to be her father. Flynt could not help but to feel uneasy. Even if their family chose to set up arranged marriages for their children to benefit themselves, they should at least find someone in the same age range. Elina was obviously trying to back Cynthia into a corner.

    When Flynt saw Santiago, he immediately blocked his path. Santiago sneered.¡°Are you blind? Can¡¯t you see me?¡±

    Flynt paused for a moment. A shadow came over his handsome face.He said, ¡°I¡¯m not blind. I know what I should do. Since you¡¯re fine, I just want to thank you foring over and stopping this farce. You should go. I won¡¯t wee you, and I won¡¯t see you off either.¡±

    Flynt reached out to take Cynthia¡¯s hand, but Santiago put Cynthia¡¯s wrist behind him.¡°You did not ask me toe, and I won¡¯t leave because of you. Whateverproblems you have, it¡¯s your business. I have something I need to do before I go. You may go now.¡±

    ¡°Cynthia, trust me, I can protect you.¡± Flynt knew that Santiago was not a person who would back off easily. However, he would not allow Santiago to y the hero. He could not afford to embarrass himself in front of Santiago.

    Surely enough, in the end, Cynthia gave in to Flynt.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Santiago, why don¡¯t you head back first? I believe that Flynt will be able to handle this. Please do not put Flynt in a difficult position,¡± Cynthia begged as she tugged at Santiago¡¯s arm. Santiago pivoted around to look at her and said, ¡°I can let this slide,but I will only leave after I know that you¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Cynthia was taken aback for a moment. She followed it up by saying, ¡°This whole thing is my fault. If I knew that you woulde here,then I would not have told you about it.¡±

    Santiago was amused. His smile was bright as he said, ¡°Even if you had not told me about it, I would have known. If I wasn¡¯t able to stop you today, then I would still be able to stop you tomorrow. Those two men, one is nearing 60 and the other one is about 40 years old. And how old are you? If you want to marry them, then you might as well marry me. I will officially reach adulthood in a few years. When that timees, you can make use of me. That way, at least, things would not look as bad as they did today.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re one to talk? What are you saying about looking bad?¡± Elina stood behind them and questioned Santiago. Santiago looked at Elina and retorted, ¡°You¡¯re asking your daughter to marry someone who is about your age. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s low?

    ¡°The Moore family is known to be one of the most powerful and noble families in Capital City. Although your status isn¡¯tparable to the city officials,you should not sell your daughter off for nothing.It looks to me as if you¡¯re prostituting your daughter.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far. How are you from the Richards family? I want to have a good talk with your parents.¡±

    Anger was driving Elina mad, but Cynthia and Flynt remained quiet.

 Chapter 1095 Her Support

    Cynthia tugged at Santiago¡¯s hand and pleaded, ¡°You should leave. Things will get worse if you stay here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll only leave once you¡¯re fine. Come, I want to take you to see someone who can help sort this out. We¡¯ll ask him if this is your fate.¡± Santiago walked past Flynt, bringing Cynthia towards Johan¡¯s quarters. The rest of the Moore family were gossiping outside. However, they were using Elinaof selling her own daughter for the sake of her own selfish ends, and no one breathed a word about Santiago.

    Flynt¡¯s face was drained of color. He briefly nced at his parents, Elina and Yousif, who hade out of the room. He thenturned around and left.

    Elina¡¯s body trembled as she took two steps back. Her face had turned pale too.

    Yanora quickly rushed over from behind to prop her mother up. When Yanora first saw Santiago, she was at a loss and stayed in the room, only runningout after Flynt and Santiago had left.

    Elina looked back at Yanora and said, ¡°I¡¯m so angry.¡±

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. It will be fine. Let¡¯s go over and have a look, lest Old Master Johan flies into a rage.¡±

    Yanora wanted to take another look at Santiago, even if it was just a fleeting nce.

    Elina nodded and made her way towards Johan¡¯s residence with Yanora.

    Santiago entered the residence, stopping at the door. Johan had already heard about what went on. He was not surprised to see Santiago here. He gavea couple of coughs before looking up at Santiago, who was holding Cynthia¡¯s hand. He asked, ¡°What brings you here today?If my memory serves me correctly, I dislike you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here for you, I¡¯m here for Cynthia,¡± Santiago said unceremoniously as he stood at the door.

    Old Master Johan scoffed at Santiago and turned his attention toCynthia.¡°Cynthia,why don¡¯t you exin what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Old Master,¡± Flynt said as he made his way inside as well. Old Master Johan looked over with an amiable expression on his face. ¡°Flynt, you¡¯re here too?¡±

    ¡°I came back to settle this matter,¡± replied Flynt while he walked over to Johan¡¯s side. Johan looked at Flynt and addressed him.¡°Then, why don¡¯t you handle it here? I just so happen to be free at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Flynt swiveled around. Elina and the rest were already inside the room too.

    Flynt walked up to Santiago and sized him up before asking, ¡°Cynthia was in the midst of a matchmaking session just now. Then, you camehere to cause trouble. What¡¯s your purpose?¡±

    ¡°Cynthia and I are friends. I cannot stand by and watch your family back her into a corner. You¡¯re forcing her to marry someone who is old enough to be her father! This is a joke! Cynthia is neither physically nor mentally inadequate. I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s running through your minds. Why do you want to marry her off to an old man? Is it to humiliate her? Or to punish her for being my friend?¡±

    The more Santiago talked, the angrier Elina became. However, she did not dare to speak as they were in Johan¡¯s presence. She was afraid that it would affect his impression of Flynt.

    Flynt smiled.¡°Well, then.Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve crossed the line bying in here and holding Cynthia¡¯s hand? If you didn¡¯t already know, matchmaking sessions aremon for arranged marriages. The rks proposed a potential marriage between our families. What do you expect us to do? Reject them because the son is a little too old for my sister?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about time Cynthia gets married. If they can¡¯t wed Cynthia, then will there be anyone in the future who¡¯d dare to propose to her?¡±

    ¡°Arranged marriages aren¡¯t a big deal. However,with what you did today, you¡¯vepletely ruined Cynthia¡¯s reputation! Are you willing to take responsibility for your actions?¡±

    ¡°You said that you and Cynthia are friends. What proof do you have?¡± Flynt concluded.

    ¡°If I say we are friends, then we are friends. I don¡¯t need any evidence to prove it, just as I don¡¯t need to prove what I eat and drink on a daily basis. If you want to know so badly,then you¡¯d have to cut me open to see for yourself.¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t prove it, then it means that you¡¯re lying. Cynthia rarely leaves the house. How is it possible for her to know you? Just because you say she knows you, it doesn¡¯t mean she actually does.¡± Flynt stared coldly at Santiago. Cynthia nced at the silent Santiago and said, ¡°We do know each other.¡±

    ¡°Cynthia, you are too naive. If he wanted the best for you,then he wouldn¡¯t havee today. You could have rejected the rks today. Although I wasn¡¯t present, you could have called me. Why did you have to stir up a fuss? To you, am I worse than an outsider?¡± asked Flynt.

    Cynthia was at a loss for words. Flynt was right.She could have called him, but Yanora had said that if she did not agree, then Yanora would have done so on her behalf. There was no way around it.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Cynthia mulled over it, but said nothing.

    Santiago scoffed.¡°Do you think she still trusts you, her brother, after being betrayed by her own parents? If you really cared about her, she would not have been in this position today.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you could have refused them, butYitzhak rkis a high-ranking official. His family and the Moore family could be said to be on equal footing.While they came here supposedly to see if Cynthia and Zsolt werepatible,they may have already prepared a dowry.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, the marriage will be a beneficial oue for both families. However,it was wrong for you to treat women as inferior beings. How are you willing to marry your sister off to someone who is old enough to be your father?Zsolt rk is notorious for abusing women.Don¡¯t the Moore family know thathe¡¯s divorced? Rumor has it that he grewtired of his previous wife and booted her out with nothing to her name.No one knows if his ex-wife is dead or alive now.¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s an honourable thing to trade a woman for your family¡¯s interests?¡±

    ¡°Would it please you to see that old man having his way with your sister?¡±

    ¡°You are all a heartless lot. You¡¯re that cruel to your own sister. It¡¯s no wonder Cynthia never got a scrap of affection here.Let me tell you this, I don¡¯t care what happens to the Moore family, but I do care about Cynthia. Whoever dares to touch her, I will kill them,¡± Santiago ranted.

    ¡°You¡­ ¡± Flynt began.

    Santiago cut him off. ¡°What? Am I sticking my nose where it doesn¡¯t belong?I guess you don¡¯t know me very well. I, Santiago Richards,cannot be chained down.Don¡¯t mess with me!¡±

    ¡°Cynthia is a legitimate child of the Moore family. You¡¯re the next in line to take over the family. Yet, you cannot even protect your sister. And you have the guts to stand here and talk to me about this? What right do you have to do so?¡±

    ¡°She is my sister. I know her better than you do. I love her more than you do,¡± Flynt said through gritted teeth. Santiagoughed in response.¡°Actions speak louder than words. If Cynthia had been trapped by the rk family today and suffered abuse at their hands, then I bet you wouldn¡¯t dare to say or do anything! Would you dare to go to them? I doubt so!But as long as Cynthia is with me, I¡¯ll kill anyone who dares to touch her!¡±

    Santiago was shooting daggers with his eyes at Flynt. Cynthia slowly looked at Santiago. Her whole body was stiff, and tears flowed from her eyes. Up till that moment, regardless whether he meant what he said or not, she would endure it all. Even if she would be destroyed in the future, she would treat him just the same.

    Cynthia quickly wiped her tears away and took a look at the people around her. These people were her family members, butnone of them pitied her. On the contrary,it was Santiago, who everyone cursed as a bastard and a lecher,whohad her back at that crucial moment.

 Chapter 1096 No Other Choice

    So what if Santiago was a b*stard? In the end, he was the only one who was willing to help her. But these family members of hers?

    Although they were her family,they were the ones sending her off to h*ll.

    Cynthia briefly nced at Yanora, who was staring at Santiago. She was the one who requested her to agree to the marriage,but why wasn¡¯t she saying anything right then?

    ¡°If you can, then kill me,¡± Johan suddenly spoke,his voice carrying a hint of anger. Santiago looked over and snorted.¡°Is there a need for me to do that considering your age? Look at your children and grandchildren! If this continues on,then I¡¯m sure that you will die in a fit of rage sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, I think that¡¯s enough. Old Master Johan is already in poor health. Do you think he¡¯ll recover if you keep talking like that?¡± The butler was good at reading the room. Hequickly walked over to Santiago and intervened.

    Santiagombasted them without any shred of propriety.¡°I don¡¯t care about that.All I¡¯m here for is an exnation from you guys.¡±

    ¡°Exnation?You¡¯re the one who should be exining to us!¡± Johan let out a snort as he sat up, trembling. The butler hurried over to prop him up.

    Johan settled himself into the seat and said, ¡°You¡¯ve ruined Cynthia¡¯s reputation. Speak for yourself. How are you going to settle this?¡±

    Santiago cast a nce at Cynthia and he then asked Johan, ¡°Tell me, what are we to do?¡±

    ¡°You were the one who came to our manor and destroyed Cynthia¡¯s reputation. Are you willing to admit that mistake?¡± Johan asked. Santiago thought it over and replied, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Santiago,¡± Cynthia murmured as she tugged on Santiago¡¯s arm. Santiago nced at Cynthia and reassured her.¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let anyone do you wrong.¡±

    Tears began rolling down Cynthia¡¯s cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away. Santiago told her, ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡±

    Cynthia nodded. She was aggrieved,and it was as though she was a child hidingbehind Santiago, waiting for him to stand up for her.

    ¡°Good on you for admitting it. So, what are you going to do next?¡± Johan asked. After thinking about it, Santiago answered, ¡°I¡¯m still young. I¡¯m only 17 years old.Myelder brother, Jepherson, is not yet married and my family has never liked me. I cannot get married before Jepherson. Once he gets married, I will marry Cynthia, but only if she consents to it.¡±

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll agree on Cynthia¡¯s behalf. I approve of your marriage. Go back and tell your parents toe over with a formal proposal,¡± Johan said from his seat. When he gave the order, everyone in the room was shocked, Yanora most of all.

    Flynt turned around to look at Johan,saying, ¡°Great-Grandpa¡­¡±

    Johan raised his hand to stop Flynt from speaking.Flynt stopped himself short.

    ¡°What other requests do you have, Santiago?¡± Johan asked.

    ¡°I hope that you guys won¡¯t trouble Cynthia in the future, and you are not tointerfere in her affairs. Otherwise, I wille here and cause another ruckus. Since Cynthia is now my fiancee, you guys have no right to treat her badly. If the Moore family cannot afford to wait for me, then I can take Cynthia away right here and now. I have no riches to my name, but I¡¯mconfident that I can support Cynthia.¡±

    The Moore family members were shocked at Santiago¡¯s assertion.They could tell that he was subtly ridiculing them.

    Elina stumbled backwards. She was at a total loss for words.

    She did not approve of the marriage because she held a grudge towards the Richards family. Jepherson was the reason that Eloisa and Marianna were dead. If her daughter were to marry into the Richards family,then what did that mean?

    Stunned, Elina remained in a daze.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the Moore family can afford to raise her. I don¡¯t know what happened today but I will investigate. I will do my best for Cynthia. As for you, don¡¯t forget your words here today, or you will be punished,¡± Johan threatened.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to resort to threats. I did this out of my own free will, so you don¡¯t have to force me to do anything. You won¡¯t have to kill me or anything,¡± Santiago responded, and he then nced at Cynthia. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll take you back to my house.¡±

    Santiago turned around, pulling Cynthia¡¯s hand. Cynthia looked back at her family. She couldn¡¯t very well leave just like that.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you can go. I¡¯m not dead yet. No one will harm you,¡± Johan assured her. Cynthia gave Johan a long look before following Santiago¡¯s lead and leaving the manor.

    As soon as Cynthia left,Johan picked up a teacup and hurled it to the ground.

    Yousif and the rest of the Moore family members were all scared out of their wits. Elina was even kneeling.

    Yousif eyed Elina and Flynt. He thought that his moment had finallye and he could finally seize back control of the Moore family.Thus, hehurried over to Johan and lowered his head, about to tell Johan something. However, Johan raised his hand and pped him squarely in the face.¡°Useless man.¡±

    Yousif was so frightened that he began trembling all over. He kept his head down and did not dare to make any sound.

    Subsequently, the entire Moore family had already convened in Johan¡¯s room. It looked like a family gathering.

    Johan said, ¡°In the future, any proposals to wed children of the Moore family, except the illegitimate ones, have to go through me. Don¡¯t you all go around thinking that you can do as you wish here. Those spineless men who rely on women should be ashamed of themselves!¡±

    ¡°Even if you want to find a suitable match for a child of the Moore family,you should find a decent-looking one. I don¡¯t want the baby toe out ugly! That¡¯s all, you all can get lost.¡±

    No one dared to speak again.Thebutler walked up to Elina and helped her to her feet as he said, ¡°Madam, let¡¯s head back first.¡±

    Elina knew that she had tested Johan¡¯s patience to its limits.

    She did not dare to refute anything. She hurried to thank him,and she then scuttled out of the room withYanora.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Alright, everyone, you may disperse now,¡± the butler instructed. Soon,most of the Moore family members had left the room.

    After they had left, Johan nced at Yousif and told him, ¡°Although Elina caused this,that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re innocent.¡±

    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been so profit-driven and tried to take advantage of your daughter to climb the socialdder,then this would have never happened.¡±

    Yousif was angry and aggrieved, but words failed him.

    Johan waved a hand around, dismissing him.¡°You¡¯re not allowed to leave the manor for the next few days. I want you to reflect on yourself.¡±

    Yousif¡¯s expression was evidently stormy.He turned around and strode out. At that moment, Johan looked at Flynt and called out, ¡°Comehere.¡±

    Flynt walked over to Johan and stopped by his side, his eyes meeting his gaze.¡°Yes, Old Master Johan?¡±

    ¡°Do you object to how I handled things today?¡± Johan asked Flynt. Flynt processed it for a moment,and he then replied, ¡°No, I don¡¯t. It seems like the only option. At first, I intended to force Santiago to submit to us, but I never thought that he would be that cunning.He actually avoided the trap I set for him.¡±

    Johan smiled with satisfaction.¡°I¡¯m d you did not disappoint me. You are courageous and astute. Since you managed to think of that solution, it means you know the priorities in this fiasco.¡±

    ¡°Since Cynthia loves Santiago, even though there¡¯s a huge age difference, he doesn¡¯t seem like he would treat her badly from my assessment of him. Santiago said himself that he would not be able to marry her just yet. In other words, we have to wait for a few years. If you can seize control of Capital City by then, this decision we made today bes insignificant.¡±

    ¡°I know.Thank you for your guidance, Old Master Johan,¡± Flynt said, with no way of venting his turmoil over the matter. He hated that it hade to that, but he had no choice.

 Chapter 1097 First Visit as an Engaged Couple

    Santiago led Cynthia to his car after they emerged from the Moore family residence. He drove back to his house first. By then, it was already noon.

    Santiago was not a fan of how Cynthia was dressed that day. While she looked pretty, it also made her look distant, high above the rest of the world.

    Hence, he brought Cynthia to the mall to buy her a new outfit. Cynthia tried it on, standing in front of the mirror, and looking at herself from every angle. Although she was not used to wearing clothes like that, she did indeed look more youthful.

    ¡°Let me see.¡± Santiago eyed Cynthia, who remained standing there. She asked him,¡°How do I look? Do I look alright? I¡¯m not ustomed to dressing up like this. Do you think these shorts are too short?¡±

    Santiago nced at her shorts and replied, ¡°No, they¡¯re not. You should stop wearing high heels. They¡¯rebad for your spine. Let¡¯s get you some sneakers.¡±

    Santiago turned around and looked at the shoes disyed nearby. He picked a pair of sneakers and handed it to Cynthia. Her feet instantly felt morefortable when she put them on. Santiago paid for the clothes and shoes, and together they left for another store, where Santiago bought her two more outfits. After that, he brought her to a hair salon.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, what would you like me to do to her hair?¡± The hairstylist stood behind Cynthia as she inquired. With his legs crossed, Santiago sat behind them and peered at Cynthia¡¯s hair. Then, he said, ¡°Give her a hair treatment, but leave her hair color alone. Trim the ends. That¡¯s all.¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    Cynthia let out a sigh of relief. Her long hair was one of the assets she was most proud of. She was a little worried that he wanted her to chop it all off.

    The process took an entire afternoon. Cynthia rose from the seat and turned around to get Santiago¡¯s opinion, only to find him asleep on the couch with a fashion magazine on hisp. It seemed that he had lost interest and had fallen asleep quite a while ago.

    Cynthia watched his sleeping face for a moment before she called out, ¡°Santiago.¡±

    Santiago slowly opened his eyes. He put aside the magazine, smiling at Cynthia as he praised her.¡°You look very pretty.¡±

    Santiago got up andnced at the hairstylist.¡°Alright, good work today.¡±

    Santiago led Cynthia out of the salon, upon which they got back into his car and headed to a jewelrystore. Santiago bought a set of emerald jewelry for Cynthia there.

    Cynthia had seen many things in the Moore family, but frankly, she had never seen such luxurious jewelry before.

    ¡°I can¡¯t ept this. I know you¡¯re helping me, but this is far too expensive.¡± Cynthia refused Santiago¡¯s gesture.

    Santiago raised an eyebrow.¡°What are you afraid of?A little jewelry won¡¯t kill you. The way a woman dresses will reflect on her husband as well. Plus, the money that I¡¯m spending is my brother¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Then, that¡¯s all the more reason I can¡¯t ept it.¡± Cynthia insisted as she pushed the items back.Santiago opened the box, took out the emerald ne inside and put it on her. Cynthia looked down and saw the ne glimmering around her neck.Was there a woman in this world who didn¡¯t like jewels?

    Santiago picked up the matching earrings and helped Cynthia fasten them.He thenhelped put the bracelet on her wrist. All of this happened before Cynthia¡¯s eyes unwittingly.

    Cynthia was about to take them off, but Santiago stopped her. He reached out for her left hand and slid the ring onto her finger.

    ¡°I¡¯ve given all of these to you. If you don¡¯t want them, then you can throw them away, but I¡¯m sure there are many who would fall over themselves to snatch them up.¡±

    ¡°From now on, you are my girlfriend, so you must look good in public.¡±

    ¡°Everything here is paid for using my brother¡¯s money. I won¡¯t be well-off in the future, so it¡¯s fine ifI use a fraction of his money today.¡±

    While Santiago was speaking, the manager at the store was sweating profusely. What was Mr. Santiago doing that day? How was he going to exin to Mr. Jepherson that his brother had spent ten million dors? He was being too frivolous.

    Cynthia looked at the jewelry and then back at Santiago. She asked, ¡°Do you really think that it¡¯s alright?Won¡¯t your parents reprimand you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my brother is the one in charge now, not my parents,¡± Santiago asserted as he walked out of the store with Cynthia.He added, ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve been out for nearly the entire day without having eaten anything. Let¡¯s go and grab something to eat first. We can continue shoppingter.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s time for me to go home. It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯ll have to pass on dinner,¡± Cynthia replied, looking at the sky outside. The sun had already set. She would get into trouble if she did not head back to the Moore family residence then.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about, I¡¯lldrive you back there after dinner,¡± Santiago reassured Cynthia. They got into his car, whereupon he drove to a restaurant.

    Santiago pulled into the parking lot and entered the restaurant with Cynthia.He had reserved the entire restaurant for the two of them, and a troupe of service crew waited on them hand and foot.

    It really wasn¡¯t what Cynthia was ustomed to. Although the Moore familydid indulge in their wealth, the difference was¡­

    ¡°You all can leave now. I¡¯ll call for you if I need anything,¡± Santiago instructedthe waiters to leave.Silence filled the atmosphere around them. The couple ate heartily. Santiago had red wine with his meal.

    After dinner, just as Santiago was about to get into the driver¡¯s seat, Cynthia immediately interjected, ¡°You were drinking.¡±

    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you drive?¡± Santiago went around to sit shotgun. Cynthia knew how to drive, but¡­

    ¡°Do you trust me?¡± Cynthia asked as she settled herself into the driver¡¯s seat. Santiago did not answer. Cynthia had no choice but to steel herself to drive. On the road, Cynthia asked Santiago about their destination. To that, Santiago replied that they were going back to his ce. Whenthey arrived at his house, Cynthia informed him that she wanted to head home, but he urged her to stay for a while.The colorimmediately drained from Cynthia¡¯s face upon hearing that.

    ¡°Are you scared that I¡¯ll take advantage of you?¡± Amusement was written all over Santiago¡¯s face. ¡°This is where I live. I was raised here from childhood. There aren¡¯t many rooms, considering how many of us there are. Jepherson was lucky, hehad the nicest room and the whole room to himself.But hehad to leave.¡±

    Cynthia thought it over and said,¡°I should at least inform Flynt about this.¡±

    Cynthia believed that if there was one person who still cared about her in the Moore family, it would be her younger brother, Flynt.

    Santiago immediately took Cynthia¡¯s phone and made a call to Flynt.Flynt picked up almost immediately, as he had been waiting for that call all the time. Ironically, the only thing he could do right then was to look out of the window while waiting for Cynthia toe home.

    ¡°Santiagospeaking. Cynthia is going to spend the night at my house. I will send her back tomorrow. She was worried that she would get in trouble, so I thought I¡¯d call to inform you.¡±

    After saying that, Santiago hung up. Flynt was seething inwardly. He choked back on his frustration and threw his phone against the door.

    As for Cynthia, she did not leave Santiago¡¯s house. She remained there with him.

    Cynthia only realizedter that the house was not the mostfortable ce to stay.

    However, she did not mind it at all. At night, Santiago washed two apples and gave one to Cynthia. They ate as they chatted away.

    The two of themy on separate sides of the bed. Santiago turned off the lights first and asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you change out of your clothes and wear this instead?¡±

    Santiago threw a shirt of his to Cynthia. Cynthia carefully changed into it. Santiago, too, changed into a pair of pyjamas. Turning on the lights, he looked Cynthia up and down. Then, he smiled and told her, ¡°You look good wearing my shirt.¡±

    Cynthia immediately blushed. She was rendered speechless.

    ¡°You usually talk a lot. Why are you so quiet today?¡± Santiago leaned to one side of the bed and pulled the quilt up.He continued, ¡°You must be tired after that hectic day. You should sleep.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Only then did Cynthia put her clothes away andy down on the bed, covering herself with the quilt.

    After Santiagoy down and talked for a while, he soon fell asleep. Cynthia was unable to sleep no matter how hard she tried. However, when she looked over at the sleeping Santiago, whose face was illuminated by the moonlight that seeped through the curtains, the corners of her lips involuntarily curled up. Even if he did not love her, she was willing to be bound to him. It was just that in the future, she might need to grow old on her own.

    Cynthia did not sleep a wink all night. When she woke up in the morning, Santiago brought her out for breakfast and drove her back home.

    After she returned to the Moore family residence,Cynthia went to greet Johan first, apanied by Santiago.Santiago even told her that this was their first visit as an engaged couple.

    Cynthia blushed, saying nothing in reply as she followed behind Santiago to see Johan.

 Chapter 1098 Hurt Others and Herself

    Raeleigh slept through the night. When she woke up, she realized that she hadn¡¯t returned home the previous night. Instead, shewas on the top floor of a hotel with Jepherson. He was sprawled beside her naked, with his arms wrapped around her body.A slight dizziness was muddling Raeleigh¡¯s mind. Sheleaned against the bed and tried to collect her thoughts. The day before, they had gone to the office. Jepherson had been extremely busy with a never ending pile of work. They had nned to head out after they were done with the work, but they hadn¡¯t had the luxury to do that. Raeleigh had banished all thoughts of leaving the office and stayed behind to help Jepherson with his work. With the two of them working together, they finally finished all that had to be done, but Raeleigh was exhausted by that point. So, Jepherson had brought her to where they were currently. The beauty and romance of the ce culminated in them making love again the night before.

    Raeleigh continued leaning on her side and exhaled slowly. They had s*x again?

    Raeleigh had no words for her present state. If she continued on like that, then she would definitely fall apart.

    However, she was reluctant to leave Jepherson. What should she do?

    Raeleigh gripped onto Jepherson¡¯s arm and he hugged her back, waking up at that moment.

    As soon as Jepherson opened his eyes, he lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh. He asked,¡°Didst night tire you out?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. A triumphant smile appeared on Jepherson¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Since you¡¯re not tired, then I will help myself.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson sat up and pulled Raeleigh into his arms. He gave her another kiss. Then, his hand made its way to her thighs. Without meaning to, Raeleigh allowed him to have his way with her again.

    Raeleigh bit her lips and turned away in embarrassment. Although she felt some trepidation in her heart,she could not bear to push him away.

    ¡­

    Theyy in each other¡¯s embrace after another round of love-making. A momentter, Jepherson pulled away and picked Raeleigh up, taking her into the bathroom for a shower.

    When they emerged from the bathroom, Jephersony Raeleigh back down on the bed for a while. He told her with a sigh of relief, ¡°We won¡¯t be going to the office today.¡±

    At that moment,Raeleigh had still been immersed in her world of self-me and remorse. Jepherson¡¯s words had shook her. She looked at him and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that there¡¯s still a lot of work today? Today¡¯s Friday, I¡¯m sure you have many matters to attend to.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it,¡± Jepherson replied without skipping a beat. He took Raeleigh¡¯s hand and put it on his chest. With narrowed eyes, he added, ¡°Let¡¯s have some fun today. We¡¯ll go somewhere without any other people. Let¡¯s go to the sea, what do you think?¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°It¡¯s a little too cold for that, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t officially autumn yet.I want to go out to the ocean and see if there¡¯s any mackerel there.¡± Jepherson widened his eyes suddenly, which spooked Raeleigh.Her heart raced in her chest and she stumbled back a little. She had gotten a real fright from Jepherson¡¯s sudden movement.

    ¡°What are you doing? You scared me.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s face had turned pale. Jepherson realized that he had gone too far at that point. He walked over to her side and reached out for her hand, folding her into a hug.

    ¡°Do you feel better now?I nearly forgot that you were pregnant.¡± Jepherson was full of worry. It caused Raeleigh to feel somewhat embarrassed, and she grew flustered. However, shey there in Jepherson¡¯s arms meekly, showing no sign of leaving his warm embrace.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if you were to go to the office and finish all of your work. We can go to the seaside afterwards,¡± Raeleigh suggested. After a moment, Jepherson asked,¡°Will you be apanying me?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°Yes, I will.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go,¡± Jepherson said as he got out of bed. He and Raeleigh put on their clothes and together, they left the hotel.

    The couple had breakfast together and proceeded to the office. As soon as they arrived at the office, Jepherson headed straight into a meeting. The purpose of the early morning meeting was to discuss the sales n for Phantasy Dreamand Duke. The cars had not been produced yet. So, they would be focusing on marketing and publicity in the initial stages.

    As a matter of adhering to thepany¡¯s strategy, they would have to firste up with a n before testing the waters in the market. The market¡¯s reaction would determine whether or notthey should follow their original promotion n or change their pace.

    Raeleigh had exerted herself the entire day before.She had not slept until after midnight and had woken up at six o¡¯clock that morning. She felt a little sleepy.

    However, the real reason behind her sleepiness was her pregnancy.

    Sitting beside Jepherson, Raeleigh was in low spirits.The discussion at the meeting only made her feel sleepier.Jepherson was talking, so everyone was looking at them. Raeleigh had dozed off at that time.

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh beside him, and reached out to pull her into his arms.Raeleighimmediately woke up and pried her eyes wide open, slightly embarrassed.

    ¡°Come here a little,¡± Jepherson instructed. Raeleigh looked at the people around them.She was the type to get upimmediatelyand apologize to everyone, then muster enough energy to stay awake for the rest of the meeting. But at that moment, she was unable to do so. She was going to leave in a few days, right? She could just treat this as imprinting a memorable moment to Jepherson, by allowing him to do as he pleased.

    Raeleigh stood up, moved her chair closer to him, and sat back down.As soon as she sat,Jepherson patted hisp. She froze for a moment. Was he asking her to lie down on hisp?

    ¡°You can lie on myp and rest for a while. We¡¯ll go back together after this meeting.¡± The rest of the people present at the meeting were in disbelief at Jepherson¡¯s words. Raeleighid her head gently on Jepherson¡¯s thighs. From Jepherson¡¯s other side, Stuart rushed over with a chair for Raeleigh to rest her legs on.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    After that, Stuart went back to his ce and stood there, poker-faced.His hands were sped behind his back and hewas dressed in ck from head to toe.

    Raeleigh closed her eyes and tucked her hands underneath her face as shey on Jepherson¡¯sp. Jepherson ced a hand on her body and patted her soothingly as he said, ¡°Continue with the meeting.¡±

    The discussion resumed as everyone presented different ideas for the sales n. On the other hand, an exhausted Raeleigh soon fell asleep. Jepherson kept on patting her back as she slept. By the time she was deep in sleep, the meeting had ended.

    Everyone in the room exchanged nces. Jepherson bent down and picked Raeleigh up, carrying her in his arms.

    Stuart immediately packed up and left with Jepherson.

    When Stuart emerged from the conference room, Jepherson was already at the lounge. Raeleigh was sleeping on the couch, lookingpletely at peace.

    As Jepherson had work toplete, he went to sit at his desk and attend to said work, but not before he took off his coat to cover Raeleigh with it.

    Raeleigh had no idea how long she slept for. She finally woke up after some time.

    When Jepherson noticed that she was awake, he dropped what he was doing and looked at her, asking,¡°You said that you weren¡¯t tired, so why did you fall asleep?¡±

    Raeleigh got up from the couch and retorted, ¡°I just felt a little sleepy.¡±

    ¡°Is that why you fell asleep?¡± Jepherson teased her, slightly amused by her answer. In reply, Raeleigh said, ¡°I had a good nap. If you need my help for anything, then I¡¯m ready.¡±

    ¡°Just rest. I¡¯m almost done. After I¡¯m done, let¡¯s go get something to eat. It¡¯s gettingte, you must be hungry,¡± Jepherson said as he briefly nced at the clock. Raeleigh sat back and watched him at work. Jepherson was very serious when it came to work. She had never seen anyone as absorbed in their work as him.She wondered whether he was tired after sitting up straight for so long. It had been a good few hours.

    Raeleigh merely sat on the sofa and observed him. This view fascinated her, but suddenly it struck her with a wave of sadness.

    She did not want to leave him, but what could she have done?

    Did she really want to continue on like this? Did she want to continuehurting others and herself?

 Chapter 1099 Accidental

    By the time Jepherson finished his work, the sun had already set. Raeleigh left the office together with him.As they walked, she asked Jepherson, ¡°Your family owns an automobilepany and you¡¯re the boss. Why do you have so much work to do? Does that mean that your family is involved in other businesses as well?¡±

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth lifted in a smile. It was rare for Raeleigh to ask such things, and she had evidently put some thought into it.

    ¡°Yes, although we are an automobilepany,we have other matters to oversee as well. However, those business ventures aren¡¯t our main streams of ie. We¡¯re just dabbling out of interest,basically testing the market. Cars are expensive. For some well-off people, it¡¯s anecessary mode of transportation. But due to the expense, not everyone buys more than one car.Of course, the rich can afford as many cars as they like. If they don¡¯t like a car, then they can just put it aside. What about ordinary citizens? Itmay take them years to save up for a car. Cars have be a luxury for many people. Plus, the market for cars differs greatly from twenty years ago when it was first growing and expanding. Sales have dropped in recent years.¡±

    ¡°Our daily necessities like food and clothes cost about a couple hundred dors while acar can cost up to a hundred times more.The former are necessities but you can survive without thetter. It depends on a person¡¯s budget and their purpose.¡±

    ¡°Food and clothes are essential to everyone,but without a car, one can still walk, right?¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    ¡°A car is not like a diamond. You can¡¯t just take it home and keep it in your jewelry box. A car needs petrol to run and asional maintenance. It could be more expensive than raising a kid. Not everyone can afford the cost.¡±

    ¡°There are many otherpetitors out there, but one has to think twice before purchasing a car produced by the Richards family. After all, those who can afford these cars aren¡¯t the general poption. Some may say they can¡¯t afford our cars, but to be more urate, they consider the type of car that would best signal their status and wealth. The more people buy cars, the more these sorts of considerations arise.¡±

    ¡°This is why we limit the production of our cars.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too expensive, so of course you will have to limit it. Otherwise, thepany will tank,¡± Raeleigh said as the thought urred to her.Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and replied, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    Raeleigh pondered for a moment and continued, ¡°So, the Richards family also does other businesses to ensure that they can make up for this loss.¡±

    ¡°You can say that.¡±

    ¡°However,those businesses inevitably increase the workload of the Richards Group, whose primary ie is from the automobile industry.That¡¯s because you need to monitor all the staff.¡±

    Raeleigh finished. Jepherson smiled.¡°I can¡¯t hide anything from you.¡±

    ¡°This is all basicmon sense,¡± Raeleigh retorted. During the course of their discussion, they made their way outside the office. The couple waited at the gates.Stuart went ahead to instruct the chauffeur to drive the car over. When the driver arrived, he quickly opened the door for them. After they entered the car, Raeleigh and Jepherson continued discussing thepany¡¯s affairs. Raeleigh¡¯s conclusion was that Jepherson was not as free as Santiago. While he had more power than Santiago, he basically had no freedom at all.

    Evidently, his life was not an easy one, what with having to runa multinationalpany with businesses all over the world.

    Raeleigh felt Hansen¡¯s bias towards Santiago keenly.Hadrian, Jepherson¡¯s own father, had deliberately handed everything over to Jepherson.

    Raeleigh and Jepherson went to the hotel to have a meal. After eating, Jepherson began looking up ces to go while Raeleighy quietly in bed, thinking about their rtionship.

    ¡°How about the Mediterranean countries?¡± Jepherson handed the tablet in his hand to Raeleigh, wanting her to choose a destination from the list that was disyed. Raeleigh looked at it for a while and replied,¡°I never thought of going that far away.What about you? Do you like these ces?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure. I never went anywhere that particrly stood out to me.Maybe because I didn¡¯t have the right person with me, it was the same wherever I went. All the ces I traveled to were the same to me,¡± Jepherson responded.

    Jephersony down and put his hands behind his head, quietly recalling a certain incident.Raeleigh took some time to process it. She then said, ¡°I¡¯m the same. I never had anywhere in particr that I wanted to go, ever since I was a child.Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to see the ocean?Let¡¯s do that then. It¡¯s not like I wanted to travel far anyway. We shouldn¡¯t put our work off for too long, so why don¡¯t we just go out to the nearby seaside for two days?Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to eat mackerel?¡±

    ¡°Have you eaten mackerel before?¡± Jepherson asked Raeleigh. Sheshook her head.¡°A mackerel is a fish, isn¡¯t it? Fish are fish, who cares about the type?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really something. Well then,I¡¯ll bring you to the sea to catch some mackerel,¡± Jepherson said.He was a man of his word and wasted no time fulfilling his promises. He brought Raeleigh to the seaside the very next morning.

    Once they arrived at the beach, Raeleigh first noticed the luxurious private yacht docked at the harbor. When they arrived, someone got off the yacht. Raeleigh sized the person up. Only the truly wealthy could afford a yacht like that.

    Jepherson led Raeleigh onto the yacht. Raeleigh had been under the assumption that it would only be them that day, but she sawScarlette and Hardian there too when she stepped foot on the yacht.

    Raeleigh did not know how to react for a moment. She had thought that she would be able to spend thesest few days alone with Jepherson.Scarlette and Hadrian showing up was aplete surprise.

    Although it was somewhat of a pity,the more the merrier, right?

    ¡°Raeleigh, are Hadrian and I in the way?¡± Scarlette shot a nce at Raeleigh as she asked her that. Well, what could Raeleigh say in reply?

    ¡°Yes, you all are a bunch of third wheels. What are you going to do then? Are you going to jump off?¡± Raeleigh pretended to be displeased.

    While they were chatting, two people came out from the inside of the yacht. The person walking ahead asked, ¡°Does that mean that we¡¯re also in trouble?¡±

    Santiago was only d in a pair of floral shorts.With his hands tucked into his pockets, he looked more arrogant than ever. His lean physique and silky smooth hair left Raeleigh stunned for a moment. His smile was devilish.

    What a strange world. Raeleigh wondered how two brothers, from the same parents, could be so different.

    The older brother waspletely different from the younger brother¡­

    Raeleigh froze at that train of thought. She suddenly realized that she was the same as them.

    She had the same parents as them. They were siblings.

    Raeleigh smiled, as she observed Santiago¡¯s bright grin. He was supporting himself with one hand on the wall, leaning back while chewing gum.

    Then,Raeleigh looked behind him to see who the other person was. Raeleigh did a double take at how skimpily the person was dressed.

    That person was¡­

 Chapter 1100 It Was Impossible

    Cynthia Moore?

    Cynthia was wearing a loose, white T-shirtwhich sported a short phrase. She had paired it with a pair of pink shorts. Although her outfit¡¯s color scheme differed from Santiago¡¯s,they looked like a couple when they stood together.

    Cynthia walked out and nced at Santiago. She was obviously embarrassed,from how intensely she was blushing.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Cynthia Moore,Santiago¡¯s friend,¡± Cynthia greeted them shyly.

    Santiago smiled.¡°This is my elder brother, Jepherson, and that¡¯s my future sister-inw, Raeleigh.¡±

    Cynthia did not know what to say in reply. She eyed Santiago again.Raeleigh, on the other hand,unwittingly looked at Jepherson.He was probably taken aback too.

    But in the next moment, Raeleigh heard him say with a smile, ¡°I heard that you wereendowed with both beauty and talent. Well, seeing is believing. It¡¯s so nice to finally meet you. If you don¡¯t mind, you can consider me as your elder brother the way Santiago does, and you can refer to Raeleigh as your sister-inw too.¡±

    Cynthia was leftpletely stunned.

    Raeleigh was equally surprised and stood there, dazed.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Go ahead, since he gave you the green light.¡± Santiago smiled evilly. Raeleigh came to her senses and interjected, ¡°Since you¡¯re Santiago¡¯s friend, that means that you¡¯re our friend. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Likewise,¡± Cynthia responded extremely politely. However,she just could not bring herself to consider Jepherson and Raeleigh as her brother and sister-inw.

    Santiago then turned around and headed for the deck of the yacht. It was only then did Raeleigh realize that he had a tiger tattooed on his back.

    The tiger tattoo took Raeleigh¡¯s breath away. It was a majestic tiger indeed.

    Santiago led Cynthia onto the deck, mentioning something about starting up the yacht. Raeleigh watched them leave. After they were out of earshot, she asked Jepherson, ¡°Did you know about that?¡±

    ¡°About what?¡± Jepherson queried back. Raeleigh hesitated for a moment, observing his expression.¡°Did you know that Santiago and Cynthia became friends?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know much, but he¡¯s already eighteen. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s capable of making his own decisions. When I was eighteen, I already started working at the Richards Group. I had to make a lot of decisions on my own,¡± Jepherson answered as he walked forward, ready to change his attire.

    Raeleigh trailed behind Jepherson and piped up, ¡°Sometimes, I don¡¯t even get the feeling that you¡¯re brothers. The two of you have very different personalities.¡±

    ¡°Ever since Santiago and I were young, we were taught to be independent. If we make any mistake in doing so, then we would have to take responsibility for our actions. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    Jepherson went to his and Raeleigh¡¯s room. He put down the backpack that he brought and took out the clothes inside. He, too, had brought a pair of floral shorts, perfect for the beach. However, he opted not to go shirtless like Santiago and donned a in white T-shirt that he had brought.He handed Raeleigha pair of blue shorts and a simr shirt as his.

    Once they were both changed, Jepherson led Raeleigh out of the room. He helped Raeleigh tie up her hair. Together, they went onto the deck to enjoy the sea breeze.

    As Jepherson and Raeleigh arrived at the deck, he asked her, ¡°Is it cold?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head.¡°Nope.¡±

    With the breeze gently sweeping across her, Raeleigh leaned against the railing of the yacht, watching the rippling of the waves rise and fall. She wondered how Jepherson would react if she left.

    But she did not dare to continue down that line of thought. There were some things that she could not allow to cross her mind. The more she thought about it, the more unwilling she would be to leave.

    She could not think about all that. She should spend all her time with him while she still could.

    Raeleigh smiled and out of nowhere, kissed Jepherson on the cheek.Jepherson had beenlooking at the sea. Her kiss caught him off guard. It was rare for Raeleigh to make the first move.

    Why did she do that?

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh, with his back to the sea, and enveloped her carefully into a hug. With one hand on the railing, he wrapped his other arm around Raeleigh¡¯s waist.

    ¡°What are you so happy about?You¡¯re so bold that you made the first move to kiss me.Were you thinking about doing more than that?¡± Jepherson deliberately teased her, he had a bright smile on his face.Raeleighblushed intensely at his words. She turned to look around them. When she made sure that Scarlette and Hadrian were nowhere to be seen, the redness faded from her face.

    ¡°Am I not allowed to kiss you?¡± Raeleigh demanded. Jephersonughed. ¡°Of course you can. In the future, do this sort of thing more often, okay?¡±

    Raeleigh was amused by Jepherson¡¯s words. What sort of thing was he referring to?

    A momentpsed. Deep in her thoughts, Raeleigh allowed herself to sink into Jepherson¡¯s embrace, and said, ¡°The sea breeze is amazing, it makes me want tohold you andfollow you to the ends of the world.¡±

    The urge to cry overwhelmed Raeleigh, but she held back her tears.

    Jepherson raised his hand and patted Raeleigh gently. She mustered a faint smile. Although he did not know why,he knew that Raeleigh had been depressed andwas doing her best to cover it up. She did not want to tell him about it.

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to take you to the ends of the world, if that¡¯s what you want. Nothing can get in between us.¡± Jepherson hugged Raeleigh and kissed her on the cheek.

    Raeleigh nodded and smiled after she pulled away for him. Nevertheless, she felt a bitterness at that moment.If only she knew how harsh and hurtful it was.

    ¡°How long will it take us to reach the spot where we can catch mackerel?¡± Raeleigh asked Jepherson.A thought suddenly urred to Jepherson. He started, ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. He looked as if he had something important to ask. But Jepherson¡¯s next words were,¡°Do you really know what a mackerel is?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment.¡°Isn¡¯t it a beltfish?¡±

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth twitched. The expression on his handsome face showed that his guess had been right. He broke out into full-onughter, leaving Raeleigh a little confused.

    ¡°What are youughing at? Tell me.¡± Raeleigh was a little anxious. What had she said wrong?

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. Beltfish are a sub-species of cussfish. They are long and slender, and can grow up to three metres long and about 20 centimetres wide. But we usually eat smaller ones, around 60 centimetres long.¡±

    ¡°Some people call them beltfish, some call them hairtail fish. They have various names.This species of fish is long and slender, hence the various names such as ¡®belt¡¯, ¡®hair¡¯ or ¡®tail¡¯.¡±

    ¡°But they are not mackerel.¡±

    Jepherson seemed like he was giving a lesson about fish to Raeleigh. She quietly stared at Jepherson, blushing, andasked, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    Jepherson gently tapped Raeleigh¡¯s nose.¡°My point is,you¡¯re one of the top students in Elkton University, whoexcels in every subject, but you have no idea what a mackerel is. Isn¡¯t that funny?¡±

    Raeleigh thought it over.¡°What does being a top student have to do with knowing what a mackerel is?¡±

    Jepherson hugged Raeleigh again, grinning from ear to ear. They gently swayed on the deck, making Raeleigh fes though they were dancing. She held him tightly and furrowed her eyebrows. She wondered what a mackerel was, then.

    Wasn¡¯t it a beltfish?

    It was just another kind of cussfish.

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°What are they doing? Are they dancing?¡±Standing at the window and watching Jepherson and Raeleigh out on the deck, Cynthia asked Santiago without thinking too much about it.Santiago answered, ¡°They¡¯re saying sweet nothings to each other. Can¡¯t you tell?¡±

    Cynthia was taken aback at the response.She immediately turned around and faced away from them.

    Santiago was gripping the yacht¡¯s steering wheel, propelling the yacht towards their destination. When he saw Cynthia turn away, he chuckled but did not say anything. He changed the topic and asked, ¡°Has anyone in your family given you a hard time?¡±

    Cynthia recounted what had happened and shook her head. ¡°No, they treat me really well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. If someone treats you badly, then you must let me know immediately. You can just call me. I¡¯ll go over to help you.¡± Santiago asserted.

    Cynthia looked at Santiago and told him, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me, really. I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ve been fine all these years.¡±

    ¡°That was the past. Things are different now.¡± Santiago was careful with his words. Since their families were not on good terms, and Cynthia was currently in a rtionship with him, he knew she would be having a rough time. As the person who dragged her into that whole mess, he couldn¡¯t very well sit by and do nothing.

    ¡°There¡¯s no difference,¡± Cynthia insisted. Turmoil wrecked her heart.She frowned as she thought about what Yanora had said to her when she came over to her room the previous night. Yanora had told her that she and Santiago were not suited for each other.

    When she thought of how Yanora slyly peeked at the jewelry she wore before she left, she was ovee with a sense of difort.

    Santiago nced at Cynthia and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Cynthia quickly replied. She hesitated for a moment, before asking,¡°What do you think of Yanora?¡±

    ¡°Your sister?¡± Santiago thought it over. ¡°Did she cause any trouble for you?¡±

    ¡°No, I just want to know what you think of her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never really paid any attention to her. What does she look like?¡±

    Cynthia was speechless. She was silent for a good moment,and she then sighed in relief. Yanora had wanted toe out with her that day. She imed that she wanted to have a good talk with Santiago about their rtionship. However, Cynthia suspected that that wasn¡¯t Yanora¡¯s true intention. She had a feeling that Yanora just wanted a chance to meet Santiago.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing the ne that I gave you?¡± Santiago queried. Cynthia processed his question and responded, ¡°I thought it was too eye-catching, so I left it at home.¡±

    ¡°You have to wear it out next time. You don¡¯t have to take it off when you sleep or whenever, really,unless it makes you feel ufortable. One day, that thing may save your life,¡± Santiago urged. When Cynthia heard that,she had absolutely no idea what he meant. Butter, she suddenly understood that he had everything nned out for her. It was just that she did not know about it at the time, as she had been kept in the dark.

    It was not until many yearster that she finally understood the meaning behind those words.

    Scarlette was sitting quietly on one side of the deck as she watched Jepherson and Raeleigh. She was very disdainful of them. Jepherson clearly did not have a good sense of humor,so how could he make Raeleigh that happy? It was really strange.

    Scarlette thought of the fool with her.He had neither said anything to her, nor had he done anything. Scarlette seethed with hateful jealousy and envy.

    Hadrian appeared from the side of the yacht, wearing a loose ck T-shirt and a pair of white shorts. Scarlette was a little annoyed when she saw him. She wanted nothing more than to kick him into the sea.

    Everyone else was dressed simrly ording to the asion, but he just had to be different from everyone else. He looked like he was attending a funeral instead.

    Hadrian walked to a corner and stood with his hands in his pockets. He stared at the surface of the sea and looked around. He seemed to be inspecting the surroundings. It was as if he was afraid that there would be an ambush at any time.

    While Hadrian was looking around, Scarlette gave him a kick. However, shemiscalcted her kick and nearly fell into the sea. If it weren¡¯t for Hadrian¡¯s help,then she would have fallen into the water for real.

    The shock sent Scarlette into a nervous breakdown. It took her quite a while to finally return to her senses.

    Raeleigh,on the other side of the deck, looked at Scarlette and shook her head.She was at a loss.

    Scarlette knew that it was impossible to kick Hadrian into the sea but she still attempted to do it.What a fool!

 Chapter 1101 A Rational Elder Brother

    When Hadrian realized that Scarlette¡¯s legs had given out, he bent down and gathered her in his arms. He carried her into the cabin and ced her down before leaving.

    Following that, Raeleigh went into the cabin to check on Scarlette. The moment she entered, she heard Scarlette cursing Hadrian. She sounded furious. Raeleigh stood at the doorhelplessly as she watched Scarlette.

    Some people just did not know how lucky they were! How wonderful it was to be able to be with someone they loved. Scarlette just did not know how to appreciate it.

    ¡°Raeleigh, what are you doing here? Weren¡¯t you out on the deck with Jepherson?¡± Scarlette immediately asked when she saw Raeleigh. Her anger slowly dissipated as she walked towards Raeleigh.

    ¡°I came to check on you.If you¡¯re fine, then I¡¯ll go back to him. You don¡¯t look too good, soI think you should get some rest,¡± Raeleigh said and turned to leave. Scarlette trailed along behind her,asking Raeleigh as she walked, ¡°Raeleigh,you¡¯ve been acting very strangetely. Much stranger than Mr. Santiago, you know?¡±

    Raeleigh evaded the purpose of the question and asked instead,¡°What¡¯s up with Santiago?¡±

    ¡°He said he¡¯s nning to get engaged to Cynthia. He ims that they will be wedded in the future. I can¡¯t ept this, at all. Do you get me?¡± Scarlette was fuming.

    Raeleigh stopped in her tracks when she heard what Scarlette had to say. She turned around to meet Scarlette¡¯s gaze and continued,¡°Wait, are you saying that Santiago wants to get together with Cynthia?¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t just want to!They¡¯re already a couple. He wants to get engaged to her. Do you understand?¡± Scarletteremained puzzled even after she had given the matter a lot of thought.Why did it turn out that way? Whydid Santiago want to marry Cynthia? Was it out of love?

    Although Cynthia turned out to be a real beauty after Santiago gave her a total makeover, and had a pleasant personality,that could not be the sole reason.

    Scarlette thought of Santiago as truly wicked. He just had to go after someone whom he absolutely shouldn¡¯t have.

    ¡°I had no idea about that,but Santiago is old enough to decide what he wants. Why are you so worried?¡± Raeleigh eyed Scarlette.It struck her suddenly that she would not be able to see Scarlette anymore in the future. Raeleigh thought to herself that she would never be able to find a best friend like her again.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Raeleigh said as she went outside. Scarlette kept on grumbling to Raeleigh as they walked.

    Raeleigh listened on till her eardrums were about to burst.

    When they arrived on the deck, Raeleigh saw Jepherson leaning against the railing and walked over to him. Knowing that she did not have much time left with him, she wanted to spend every possible minute with him.She hoped that it would allow him to understand her better. Moreover, she wanted them to spend as much time as possible together as a family. Just him, her, and their child.

    ¡°How could you do this to me? I¡¯m not done yet,¡± Scarletteined. She wasdissatisfied as Raeleigh had walked over to Jepherson and pretended not to hear her.

    Jepherson hugged Raeleigh and gave her a kiss.¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    ¡°Yes, have you been waiting for me all this while?¡± Raeleigh responded.

    ¡°Of course, who else would I be waiting for?¡± Jepherson teased. Raeleigh had nothing to say to that. She could only lean into his arms.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    After ensuring that Scarlette was out of earshot, Raeleigh told Jepherson what they had talked about. She asked him whether he knew that Santiago was nning to get engaged to Cynthia.

    Jepherson¡¯s first reaction was silence. Raeleigh observed his calm, neutral, and handsome features framed by the sea breeze. Raeleigh did not know what to say, butshe knew that Jepherson did not care about fame and fortune. Although he was still young, he had already regarded money as a mere worldly possession. As for why he needed to do what he did to climb to power,maybe it was just so he could make a spot for himself in the world to rest.

    Jepeherson broke the silence by saying, ¡°You don¡¯t understand Santiago. He is a very emotional person. Although he looks as cold as my father,he has my mother¡¯s soft heart. He cannot bear to see anyone who treats him wellget hurt, regardless of who the person is.¡±

    ¡°As long as they are just a little good to him,he would walk through fire and cross oceans for them. That¡¯s the kind of person he is.¡±

    ¡°He might seemfrivolous, but he has a heart of gold. You and I can¡¯tpare to him.¡±

    ¡°Initially, I intended to take advantage of Cynthia. I was the one who asked him to approach her. The n was not to hurt her from the beginning. However, I did not anticipate what a kind person Cynthia was.¡±

    ¡°Both of them are kind at heart,so it¡¯s natural for them to be attracted to each other. Their rtionship was something I did not foresee at first.¡±

    ¡°But they should take things slow. As for what Santiago wants to do, I¡¯m still going to say the same thing again. It¡¯s up to him to decide,¡± Jepherson said.

    ¡°I realize that you¡¯re very rational as an elder brother.¡± Raeleigh poked fun at Jepherson. Jepherson turned around, still holding her. The sea breeze was gently caressing their faces. He smiled.¡°There are some feelings that you¡¯ll never doubt, some paths which you never question.When you start on such a path, you just know whether you should continue down that road or not. You don¡¯t need anyone to understand why, as long as you have a clear conscience about it.¡±

    Jepherson wrapped an arm around Raeleigh¡¯s waist, and Raeleigh reciprocated his gesture. They walked on the deck for a while.When Raeleigh began to feel like she needed a rest,Jepherson immediately went with her to the cabin for a good rest.

    As soon as Raeleighy down, she began asking about Scarlette and Hadrian out of simple curiosity. She started out by casuallymentioning it. To her surprise,Jepherson had known about it all along. It really shocked her.

    ¡°How is it that you even know about this?¡± Raeleigh asked, lying t on the bed. Jepherson had one arm over her head. He looked down at Raeleigh and quipped, ¡°How could I not know about this?¡±

    ¡°You sly man. I¡¯ve always thought that you were a self-righteous person who wouldn¡¯t stoop to the level of doing what most ordinary people do. Plus, I think Hadrian¡¯s older than you. They say we should learn from our elders, but you, on the other hand, don¡¯t care about that when ites to Hadrian.¡±

    Raeleigh feigned seriousness. A discerning smile appeared on Jepherson¡¯s lips. ¡°I see what I see, I know what I know. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t respect Hadrian and was spying on him. It¡¯s normal for a guy to love a girl. I just so happened to see them together. What do you what me to do about it? Do you want me to shut my eyes and ears when something happens so I won¡¯t know about it?¡±

    Jephersonughed as he yed with Raeleigh¡¯s hair. He noticed that her hair was gradually getting healthier.Maybe it was because she was pregnant.

    ¡°Then, what do you know?¡±

    ¡°Why, look at you! Aren¡¯t you curious?¡±

    ¡°People are curious creatures by nature.I¡¯m no different.¡±

    ¡°In that case, let me tell you.¡± Jepherson leaned on his side and thought it over, before saying, ¡°They are childhood friends, butHadrian is the old-fashioned sort. He doesn¡¯t like women who make the first move. He does have feelings for Scarlette, but he¡¯s at a lossbecause she was the one that made the first move on him. And so, things have just hit a roadblock until now. Hadrian is just one year older than me. He¡¯s not veryold. On the other hand, Scarlette is neen, so she¡¯s still a child to him. That¡¯s why¡­¡±

    While listening to Jepherson ramble on, Raeleigh¡¯s eyes closed. She held Jepherson¡¯s hand in hers, wrapping her other arm around his waist. Soon, she turned around and fell asleep.

    When Jepherson saw that Raeleigh was asleep, he raised his hand and stroked her hair. It must have been hard on her recently. He had no idea when the burden resting on her shoulders would be lifted off.

    Jepherson let out a soft sigh. He lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh¡¯s pale face. Herplexion wascklustre as she had been downcast those days.

 Chapter 1102 Fishing

    By the time Raeleigh woke up, they had arrived at their designated fishing spot. When she opened her eyes, she was met with the sight of Jepherson sleeping. However, as she stirred in his arms, he, too, woke up. Raeleigh told him, ¡°Sleep a little longer.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already dark outside. We haven¡¯t had anything to eat for the entire day. Let¡¯s go out and grab some food,¡± Jepherson replied, getting up and stretching as he did so. He then led Raeleigh out onto the deck. The sea breeze was a little cold at night. So, he took out a thick coat and helped Raeleigh put it on before leaving the room.

    Hadrian had already prepared their meals. They were to have dinner on the deck.

    When Raeleigh went onto the deck, she noticed that a grill had been lit and all sorts of food wereid out for them.Scarlette beckoned to Raeleighto take the empty seat beside her when she spotted her.Jepherson sat down too. They began grilling their food. Opposite him, Santiago was already seated, dressed in a white T-shirt. Raeleigh had been wondering if he was still intent on going shirtless in the cold night. Well, he wasn¡¯t.

    Cynthia kept her head lowered,feeling a little shy.However, she was a quick learner, and soon, cooked some skewers for them under Santiago¡¯s guidance.

    Although she was from a rich family,Cynthia was amiable and approachable.To Raeleigh, that was a valuable trait.

    Santiago was in charge of the grill. An enticing smell soon wafted through the air. Jepherson took a slice of brisket for Raeleigh. However, Raeleigh had no appetite. Noticing that everyone found that the cod was particrly delicious, Jepherson gave Raeleigh a piece of cod instead, which Raeleigh then began to eat. While eating, a thought suddenly urred to her and she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Stuart?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡¯s Grandma has some matters to attend to, so she needs someone to help her with that. Stuart is back home helping her out. You won¡¯t be seeing him for the next few days,¡± Santiago replied. He ate heartily while drinking beer, seemingly content. Cynthia sat beside him, not saying a word, as if she was non-existent.

    Raeleigh looked around at the people on the yacht.If it wasn¡¯t fate that they were able to gather here together, then what was it?Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    Raeleigh ate for a while more. When she had her fill, she got up. At that juncture, Scarlette suggestedthat they should y some poker. She even assured them that she hade prepared. The group exchanged nces with each other. It was a long night and they had nothing to do, so they agreed.

    Raeleigh already knew how to y. Naturally, Scarlette did as well.The only person they potentially had to worry about was Cynthia.

    ¡°Do you know how to y?¡± Santiago asked Cynthia. Cynthia thought about it and replied, ¡°I yed Caribbean stud poker while I was abroad.¡±

    ¡°Wow!¡± Santiago erupted inughter all of a sudden. ¡°Look at her! She knows stud poker.I don¡¯t even know how to y that.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s words caused Cynthia¡¯s face to flush immediately.

    Raeleigh said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve just learnt how to y that.¡±

    ¡°Then, stud poker it is. The three of us will y while the girls back us up,¡± Santiago decided.Raeleigh nced at Jepherson, who said, ¡°Sure.¡±

    They then cleaned up before making their way back to the table. The six of them sat down and began to y. They stayed up and yed all night. Hadrian lost overall. Santiago won, whereasJepherson remained neutral.

    At the break of dawn, Scarlette chided Hadrian for losing.

    Raeleigh had fallen asleep in the middle of the night, leaning against the couch. By the time they finished ying, the sun was beginning to rise. Jepherson picked Raeleigh up and carried her back to their cabin.

    They all slept the entire morning. By the time they woke up, it was already afternoon. They prepared the fishing equipment, ready to go fishing.

    Raeleigh stood at the bow with Cynthia. Cynthia was worried for Santiago¡¯s safety, but she didn¡¯t dare to voice her concerns, for fear that she would cause Santiago to be paranoid.Taking a good look atCynthia, Raeleigh had the feeling that she had misunderstood her all the while before.

    Raeleigh gazed at the ocean. Scarlette initially wanted to fish as well, but chose to stay on the boat after Santiago told her something.

    Thedies watched as the men got onto a motorboat each and began casting a.

    The motorboats were speedy. Raeleigh, Scarlette, and Cynthia basically could not see anything at all through the sshing caused by the motorboats cutting through the water. It was the first time Raeleigh had seen anyone fish. On the other hand, Scarlette was raring to join the men, but she could not. She began pacing back and forth on the yacht. Cynthia was indifferent to everything else. All her attention was focused on Santiago.

    The three motorboats circled rapidly over the sea, and finally halted in separate areas. After they had waited for a while, their seemed to have caught something. The men made their way back to the and towed it along through the water for a distance of roughly twenty metres. Jepherson tugged at the rope attached to the, tightening it. When the was fully tightened, Jepherson swiftly pulled it towards the yacht. Once he arrived at the yacht¡¯s side, a lifter elevated him and his motorboat back onto the yacht. Santiago and Hadrian returned and did the same. After the three of them were safely back on deck, they then lifted the upwards. The finally left the water. Inside, lots of greenish-ck fish were pping about. They were not reallyrge, and measured at most thirty centimetres in length. Here and there, there were a couple ofrger ones. Besides that, some prawns and smaller fish had been trapped in the too.

    Santiago brought the over to a t tform and opened it up. Immediately, the fishes, crabs, and prawns came pouring out. There was about a hundred kilos worth of seafood on deck. Raeleigh stood to the side, watching in shock as Jepherson grabbed hold of arge octopus that they had caught and tossed it back into the water. He also threw some of the fish back into the water. Santiago hurried to Jepherson and after surveying their catch, he asked, ¡°How much did we catch today?¡±

    ¡°About a hundred kilos,¡± Jepherson said as hesized up the fruits of theirbor. The brothers chatted very animatedly. Hadrian came up from behind to clean up the mess. The three men werepletely drenched, a far cry from the three women on the yacht.

    When Cynthia saw how happy Santiago was, she, too, was delighted. Meanwhile, Raeleigh was feeling a different emotion altogether. She stood in the distance and stared at Jepherson, without saying a word. No one knew the pain she was feeling in her heart. She was even going to leave Scarlette. She kept reminding herself that soon, she would have nothing to do with them anymore!

    After they cleaned up, Jepherson brought a mackerel to Raeleigh, informing her,¡°This is a mackerel.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at the fish and looked at the rest of the group. She was a tad irritated. ¡°Are you rubbing it in my face?¡±

    Jepherson was amused. ¡°No,but there¡¯s a reason why I showed it to you.¡±

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes. Jepherson¡¯s amusement only grew. He threw the fish overboard, into the ocean. As they would not be eating that much, the rest of the fish were released as well from an underground hatch.

    Raeleigh saw the fishes eagerly swimming back into the sea.

    The sun had already set. The day seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye. They were having seafood for dinner that night. Jepherson was in charge of preparing it because the rest did not know how to cook seafood. Raeleigh offered to help him but he toldher to sit and rest. However, she refused and stubbornly stayed to help him cook.When the seafood chowder was ready, she was going to bring it over to the table. She was stopped immediately by Jepherson, who requested that she leave it to him. He brought the hot chowder out to prevent Raeleigh from being scalded.He was always watching out for her.

    Raeleigh watched Jepherson in a daze, as he brought the chowder out to the table. The more he treated her that way, the more reluctant she was to part with him. She was at aplete loss as to what she should do.

    Turning around, Raeleigh gazed at the fire on the stove instead. She nearly burnt the fish.

    Fortunately, Jepherson hurried back in time to switch the stove off.

 Chapter 1103 Docked at the Harbor

    After dinner, drowsiness overcame Raeleigh again. Before they had even cleared up, she had dozed off in a corner.As Jepherson and Raeleigh had prepared dinner, Scarlette and Hadrian were in charge of washing the dishes. Raeleigh intended to wait until Scarlette and Hadrian were done, but she fell asleep much quicker than she thought she would. Jepherson got up and carried Raeleigh back to their cabin.

    Scarlette and Hadrian were nowhere to be seen when they left. Cynthia told Santiago, ¡°Your brother and Raeleigh are such a loving couple.¡±

    ¡°And we¡¯re not?¡± Santiago retorted in a joking manner. Cynthia blushed as she asked, ¡°How are we the same?¡±

    ¡°Emotions are universal. The right person will bring peace to you. My brother¡¯s temper is worse than mine. When he loses his temper, he¡¯s like a madman. You haven¡¯t seen it before, so you wouldn¡¯t understand. But whenever he¡¯s with her, he¡¯s as gentle as amb.¡±

    Santiagoughed. He got up to chug his beer as he leaned forward. Cynthia looked at Santiago and cautioned him. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t drink too much. It¡¯s not good for your health.¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t take full advantage of this body in my youth,then I won¡¯t have any chance to in the future.¡± Santiago took another chug of beer and turned to face the direction of the wind. ¡°Why?¡± Cynthia asked, a little confused.

    ¡°No particr reason. That¡¯s just how I feel about it. I¡¯m young, so I should do whatever I want. It¡¯ll be tough when I get older. Who knows, maybe I¡¯ll have to take on a position in thepany like Jepherson. If that¡¯s true, then I don¡¯t have much time left.¡± Santiago had finished his beer when he said that. He drew his arm back and sent the bottle sailing far away into the ocean.

    Cynthia stood beside him, looking at him for a brief moment. She did not say anything in reply. She simply apanied him as he gazed at the blue waters.

    By the time Raeleigh woke up, it was already the next morning. The yacht was already returning to the harbor.

    In Raeleigh¡¯s waking moments, she saw no sign of Jepherson in the cabin.She sat on the bed for a while before going out onto the deck. Jepherson was just about to return to the cabin after collecting theundry that he had washed the day before.

    When Jepherson saw Raeleigh, he smiled.¡°Finallyawake?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Raeleigh replied tersely, stopping in her tracks. Jepherson led her back into their room.

    ¡°We¡¯re going back to the harbor, right?¡± Raeleigh had momentarily looked at their surroundings. Jepherson sat down and teased her.¡°Is your sense of direction that good?¡±

    Raeleigh cast a nce at Jepherson and sat on the bed too. She replied, ¡°I¡¯ve had a good sense of direction since I was young.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s strange.Santiago and I are the same.We¡¯ve had a good sense of direction even as children, especially out at sea. No matter where we go, we will still be able to determine our exact location.¡±

    Jephersonughed as he told her that. Of course they¡¯re the same. They¡¯re siblings after all. It¡¯s probably gic.Raeleigh thought to herself.

    Jepherson put down theundry and went out to bring in the seafood chowder that he had prepared for Raeleigh. ¡°I cooked it this morning. Have a taste. This fish is really fresh.¡±

    Raeleigh held the bowl, taking a few sips of the chowder. It was indeed very delicious, but she did not have much of it. She did not even eat the fish. She only took a couple of sips of the broth before making her way into the bathroom. When she emerged from the bathroom, she looked at Jepherson, who was standing to one side, dressed up and ready to go out on the deck. Raeleigh said, ¡°Let¡¯s not go out. There are too many people outside. Let¡¯s lie down here together for a while.¡±

    Jepherson was bemused.¡°Are you feeling seasick? You¡¯ve been sleeping a lot since we got onto the yacht.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not seasick. I just want to lie in bed,¡± Raeleigh told him and made her way back to the bed. Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and asked,¡°Are you feeling extra sleepy because of the baby?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer him. However, she did notice that her extreme drowsiness recently was because of her pregnancy.

    Raeleigh looked very cozy lying in bed.Jepherson turned around, got into the bed as well, and pulled her into his arms. Out of nowhere, he said,¡°Is there anything you want to tell me? If there is, then just say it.¡±

    Jepherson could not bear to see Raeleigh suffer alone. He wanted her to tell him her problems so that they could work through them together. He was distressed seeing her fret over it all alone, unable toe up with a solution.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson and asked,¡°Tell me, what do you want to name our baby?¡±

    Jepherson was momentarily taken aback. ¡°Why are you asking this all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no reason in particr. I just felt like it.¡± Raeleigh turned over and hugged Jepherson. He thought it over for a while and asked her in return, ¡°Then, what names do you have in mind?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really have any. That¡¯s why I asked you.¡±

    ¡°Let me think.¡± Jephersony on his side, pondering Raeleigh¡¯s question carefully. He frowned from time to time, looking perplexed, as though he was trying to solve an extremelyplicated puzzle.

    In the end, Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°What do you think the gender is?¡±

    Raeleigh gave it some thought and replied, ¡°I think it¡¯s a boy.¡± Jepherson paused to think and he then replied, ¡°If it¡¯s a boy¡­ then we should call him Kylin.¡±

    ¡°Kylin Richards?¡±

    Raeleigh asked after a long pause. Jepherson nodded. Raeleigh asked, ¡°Why Kylin?¡±

    ¡°My family has a list of names prepared for the next generation. Santiago¡¯s name is from that list as well.¡±

    ¡°So, your father¡¯s and uncle¡¯s name came from that list as well?¡± Raeleigh asked. Jepherson shook his head.¡°Nah, only Santiago¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Kylin¡­ sounds like a good name. Is it spelt K-y-l-i-n?¡± Raeleigh continued questioning Jepherson.

    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an unorthodox name, but it has a nice ring to it.¡±

    Raeleigh smiled. She was very happy with the name.

    However, after some further thought, something didn¡¯t feel right to her. She asked Jepherson then,¡°If we have more kids, then what are they going to be called?¡±

    ¡°Xayvion,Walerian,Zasper,Tobias¡­¡± Jepherson rattled off.

    Raeleigh blushed.¡°You want that many kids?¡±

    ¡°Of course. The more kids we have, the more happiness they¡¯ll bring us.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. She was feeling more and more ill. However, she still maintained a smile and asked, ¡°Then, why did you only list out boys¡¯ names?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Walerian a girl¡¯s name?¡± Jepherson asked. Raeleigh shook her head.¡°How does that sound like a girl¡¯s name? It clearly sounds like a boy¡¯s. You even told me before that you¡¯d prefer a girl. You clearly lied. Deep down, you actually want sons.¡±

    ¡°Those names were just made up in the spur of the moment.That¡¯s really all there is to it.¡±

    Jepherson leaned against Raeleigh.¡°If it¡¯s a girl, we don¡¯t really have to think. If we have a daughter, we¡¯ll call her Loretta. I love that name. So, I¡¯ll naturallyname our daughter Loretta.¡±

    Raeleigh closed her eyes and held onto her one and only Jepherson. She could not muster any words. So, she merely continued hugging him.

    She wanted nothing more than to have a daughter for him so that he could name her Loretta.

    Unfortunately, even if the child in her belly was a girl,she would not dare to let her meet him.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ If something¡¯s up, then you have to tell me. We are husband and wife. Although we don¡¯t officially have our marriage certificates, you¡¯re my wife and that¡¯s not going to change. Do you understand?¡± Jepherson told Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh held Jepherson in her arms. ¡°There¡¯s nothing. You sound very suspicious of me. How can I marry you if you don¡¯t trust me?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯re such a silly woman. How is it that you don¡¯t take advantage of your position at all?¡±

    ¡°What position?¡±

    ¡°Your position as my lover, of course.¡±

    ¡°What kind of advantage do I have? It¡¯s you who fell blindly in love with me. I have no idea what you see in me.¡± Raeleigh held Jepherson tightly. She was extremely reluctant to part with him, but did she have any other choice?

    Raeleigh could not bear to leave Jepherson just like that. She held him tightly all the way until they docked at the harbor.

 Chapter 1104 Youâ€™re Too Silly

    After everyone got off the yacht, Santiago told the group that he would be sending Cynthia back to the Moore family residence. He bade farewell to everyone and headed to his car to drive Cynthia home. Scarlette and Hadrian left in another car, while Raeleigh and Jepherson waited for Stuart toe and pick them up.

    While Stuart drove, Raeleigh asked Jepherson as she looked at him,¡°Are you going to the office today?¡±

    Jepherson leaned aside with his legs crossed. He reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No,I just think it¡¯s too taxing for you to rush straight to the office right after we¡¯re back. You should take a rest.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re this worried about me?Have you been captivated by my charm?¡± Jepherson smiled devilishly, holding onto Raeleigh¡¯s hand without any intention of letting go. However, he had too much work toplete that day. He had to go to the office to deal with it all. He wanted to hurry up and finish the work, so that he could free his schedule for the next couple of days and enjoy some time by Raeleigh¡¯s side.

    Jepherson could not rest easy, as Raeleigh had been dispiritedtely.

    ¡°You have be more and more fond of sweet-talking recently. Are all men like this? Do they love saying sweet nothings?¡± Raeleigh looked indifferent. Frankly, she wanted to rx too, but she could not no matter how much she tried.

    ¡°Of course not. There are men who do not like to say such things.¡± Jepherson raised his eyebrows. Raeleigh pondered over it and asked, ¡°For example?¡±

    ¡°For example, mute men are men who don¡¯t have a way with words.¡± Jepherson broke out into suddenughter after he said that. Raeleigh stared at him in a daze, unsure of how to react. She stayed silent. Jepherson¡¯sughter continued. By the time Raeleigh came back to her senses, his face was already red fromughing.

    ¡°Am I just an idiot to you?¡± Raeleigh could not help but to ask after she calmed down. She pulled a long face.

    Jepherson did not answer. He gazed outside the car while gently patting Raeleigh¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be very busy today.Plus, I don¡¯t think that I can apany you tonight. You haven¡¯t been sleeping well during nighttime as ofte. If you want to stay at your university for a day, then you have to get Scarlette and Santiago to apany you.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, and she then said, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and gave Raeleigh a long look.¡°Don¡¯t make empty promises. Remember, you must keep your promise.¡±

    Raeleigh met Jepherson¡¯s gaze and changed the topic.¡°You¡¯re getting more and more talkative.What will you be like when we¡¯re older? If you continue nagging at me like an old hag,then I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to tolerate it.¡±

    Jepherson was bemused andughed.¡°I¡¯ve never heard of any married old couple who can¡¯t get along just because one of them likes to nag.¡±

    Raeleigh froze slightly.An old married couple?

    How would they ever get to that stage? When that time came, they wouldn¡¯t be able to go back to each other anymore. She wondered if he would forgive her for the choice she would make that day.

    ¡°If youstill nag this much when we¡¯re old, then you won¡¯t be getting any food,¡± Raeleigh quipped.

    ¡°Fine then, I¡¯ll be the one supplying food for you.¡±

    No matter what Raeleigh said, Jepherson already had an answer prepared. Raeleigh was unable to beat him. When they arrived at her house,Raeleigh quickly got out of the car. Jepherson followed suit.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go back to your ce?¡± Confusion was written all over Raeleigh¡¯s face when she realized that Jepherson had also alighted and was making his way towards her house.He shot her a look and replied, ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not in a hurry. I want to pay your grandmother a visit first. I also want to gift her some frozen mackerel.¡±

    ¡°Are you nning to cook for her?¡± Raeleigh asked, taken by surprise. Jepherson looked back at her. ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer him. Of course he could,as he could do whatever he wanted.

    Stuart opened the car door and alighted, carrying a cooler into the kitchen. Jepherson cooked the mackerel for Novalie. After he was done, his eyes strayed towards the clock. He then kissed Raeleigh and said to her, ¡°Tell your grandmother that I have to leave for something urgent. I won¡¯t be able to stick around here to see her. The mackerel is delicious and nutritious. Get her to eat some.¡±

    With those words, Jephersonpatted Raeleigh¡¯s arm and quickly left. Raeleigh stood outside and watched as the car disappeared into the distance. Only when it was gone out of sight did she turn around to go back into the house.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment when she saw Santiago standing at the door. ¡°You¡¯re home?¡±

    ¡°Where else can I go?¡± Santiago clearly found Raeleigh¡¯s reaction amusing. Raeleigh had nothing to say to that. She went straight inside as Santiagofollowed along behind her. While they walked, Santiago asked, ¡°Did my brother do something wrong?¡±

    Raeleigh looked back at him.¡°What nonsense are you spouting?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense? Your expressions, your actions, everything seems to be hinting to him that you¡¯re leaving and nevering back.Where are you going?¡±

    Santiago had a keen eye, and he had been reading into Raeleigh¡¯s every move.

    ¡°You should chat with Cynthia instead, why would you use your free time to nag me?¡± Raeleigh kept her pace steady as she retorted.She felt anxiety creeping in at being called out by Santiago, but she managed to calm herself down. By the time she calmed down, the moment had passed and it was as though nothing had happened.

    Raeleigh took the mackerel that Jepherson had cooked to Novalie¡¯s room. She knocked on the door, informing Novalie that she was home before entering.

    Novalie had been resting when she heard that Raeleigh had returned. Joy flooded her heart. She opened her eyes and looked at the door, smiling as she saw Raeleigh.¡°Raeleigh, you¡¯re back.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    ¡°Did you have fun?¡± Novalie asked. Raeleigh mused over it and replied,¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. What¡¯s that you¡¯re holding?¡± Novalie had already smelled the fish since Raeleigh entered. Raeleigh smiled and replied, ¡°We brought back a mackerel for you and Jepherson cooked it. He said that he has some pressing matters to handle at the office, so he left. He asked me to bring it to you.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t me him. He¡¯s so busy with thepany and yet he¡¯s still fussing over me. I¡¯m just an old woman. It doesn¡¯t matter what I eat.But his kindness is a rare thing.Bring it over and let me have a taste.¡±

    Novalie got out of bed as she spoke. Raeleigh walked towards her and put down the fish. Novalie picked up a fork and tasted it. She then smiled.¡°He knows that I like my food to be mild. It¡¯s very delicious. Here, have some as well. You¡¯re bearing a baby now. You need to nourish your body.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten, so I¡¯mnot hungry. You can eat it all. I¡¯ll help pick out the bones.¡± Raeleigh turned aroundto wash her hands. When she returned, she picked the bones off the fish one by one for Novalie. As she did so, shestruck up a conversation with Novalie.

    ¡°Grandma,what if I told you that I want to leave this ce and move somewhere new, would you be alright with that?¡± Raeleigh asked cautiously. Novalie looked at Raeleigh while eating the mackerel and asked, ¡°Did you guys have an argument?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, I just don¡¯t want to live here anymore. I don¡¯t like the environment here.¡±

    Although Raeleigh maintained a wless poker face when she lied, Novalie could tell at a nce what was going on.

    Novalie knew that one would only grow haggard when under much pressure. She knew that Raeleigh had been extremely stressed out by something recently and was not willing to let anyone know about it, but Novalie was a reasonable woman.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind living anywhere. As long as you¡¯ve thought it over and you¡¯re sure that¡¯s what you want to do, I¡¯ll support you, but¡­¡±

    Novalie felt her heart twist into a knot as she looked at her granddaughter, who always strove to bear her burdens alone. ¡°But what?¡± Raeleigh asked Novalie. Novalie thought for a moment and continued, ¡°But you should tell me what is bothering you. Otherwise, you will copse under the pressure sooner orter. My days are numbered. You can tell me anything. I¡¯ve lived a long life and have much more experience than you. I¡¯ll rejoice with you if it¡¯s good news. I¡¯ll keep your secret for you if it¡¯s bad news. But if you don¡¯t tell me anything, then I can¡¯t help you.¡±

    Raeleigh could not suppress the urge to cry. She embraced Novalie and immediately burst into tears.

    Novalie sighed, put down her fork, and wrapped her arms around Raeleigh. She said, ¡°Child, you¡¯re too silly!¡±

 Chapter 1105 Enlightened by Novalie

    Raeleigh cried for a while and came clean with her grandmother. She told her the entire story. Novalie could not help but to frown. ¡°That¡¯s not right.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Novalie nkly.¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re Jepherson¡¯s missing sister. How can you jump to that conclusion based on what you saw in those documents? Even abandoned children have to do a DNA test to confirm things.It¡¯s something even an olddy like me would know, so how could you not think of that? It¡¯s rare for you to be like this.¡±Novalie looked helpless. However, Raeleigh did not lighten up at all.

    ¡°Actually, I did think of doing a DNA test. However, the results between siblings are inconclusive. Jepherson¡¯sparents are currently abroad. Even if theye back here, it will be very difficult for me to try and get a sample from them.¡±

    Raeleigh had thought about it all before. It was just that she could not think of a way to get a sample from Jepherson¡¯s parents. Hence, she gave up on the idea.

    Novalie gave it a serious thought. Then, she started speaking again.¡°That won¡¯t do. Even if ites to this, you can¡¯t just make such a hastydecision. Also, how can you be so sure that Francia isn¡¯t Jepherson¡¯s sister? She was there at that time, wasn¡¯t she? Why do you have to assume that you¡¯re his sister instead?

    Where¡¯s Francia now?¡±

    Novalie¡¯s words causedRaeleigh to mull over it for a while.¡°She remained at the orphanage. No one adopted her, but¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such a fool. How can you be this careless? If Francia was actually his sister, then wouldn¡¯t you have made a big mistake?¡±

    Novalie looked displeased. It wasn¡¯t because she was selfish by nature, but how could she choose the selfless route in this kind of predicament?Novalie knew that Jepherson was a good man. Raeleigh and Jepherson were perfect for each other. How could she not be angry when Raeleigh just assumed that she was his sister without solid evidence?

    When Raeleigh noticed Novalie¡¯s anger, she immediately pacified her by saying, ¡°Okay, I¡¯lllook more into it.¡±

    ¡°How are you going to do that? She¡¯s already dead.¡± Novalie looked at Raeleigh unhappily.Falling silent, Raeleigh didn¡¯t dare to look at her. After a while, a thought struck her and she replied, ¡°Francia¡¯s older than me.¡±

    Novalie was still staring at her.¡°By how much?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really remember. Although we are the same age on paper,I remember that Francia has a different horoscope. Everyone thought she was younger than me because she was a crybaby.¡±

    Raeleigh racked her brain, recalling many incidents from the past. Novalie¡¯s gaze was unflinching.¡°She could be born a mere day before you. That would still count as being older than you.¡±

    ¡°But I really think¡­¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, stop splitting hairs over this. Look at how you¡¯ve tortured yourself over these past few days. You¡¯ve lost so much weight. It¡¯s your problem but you¡¯ve dragged Jepherson into this. You are not allowed to be this wilful ever again. Don¡¯t go anywhere today. Tell me what happened. I¡¯ll try to think of something.¡±

    Novalie had toe up with a solution for Raeleigh¡¯s sake, and for Jepherson¡¯s too. After all, he had cooked her some delicious mackerel.

    As Novalie instructed, Raeleigh stayed home the entire day, retelling the story from the beginning to Novalie. In reality, Novalie knew very clearly that this sort of thing wasn¡¯t umon, but wasn¡¯t everything dictated by the heavens or one¡¯s destiny?

    Novalie had lived for so many years. What was there left in this world that she had not experienced before? What was there that she had not seen before?

    Novalie was determined to get to the bottom of the misunderstanding. She did not want her efforts that she put into raising her granddaughter to go to waste. She did not want to see Raeleigh ruined just like that. She would hate herself for it.

    Raeleigh sat aside in silence. Novalie then said, ¡°Judging from the situation now, it seems that there are only two possibilities. The first is that Francia is actually from the Richards family but had died in that fire. The other one is that the whole thing was a hoax. Neither one of you are from the Richards family. Maybe the child was somewhere else or died not long after she was born.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Raeleigh looked at her grandmother, perplexed. Novalie sighed softly and continued,¡°Children are their mother¡¯s flesh and blood. Although I¡¯ve never had a baby,I understand that a mother has to carry her baby in her belly for ten long months before they are born. When the baby is born, the mother is the happiest person in the world, not anyone else.¡±

    ¡°In the same way, if a child disappeared and died after birth, their mother would probablyat her most miserable.¡±

    ¡°Although Jepherson said that his sister was taken away,there¡¯s something fishy about it. Think about it, if that child really existed, then would a family like the Richards family be sitting idly by?¡±

    Raeleigh processed what Novalie had said and replied, ¡°Of course not, but they have been looking all over for her.¡±

    ¡°No, they have not been looking for her. Jepherson has,¡± Novalie reminded Raeleigh.Raeleigh thought for a moment.¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Maybe his parents lied to him. You said thatJepherson had been looking forward to having a sister. What¡¯s more, hismother fell off the cliff because she wanted to save him. Hence, shemiscarried. If that was the case,then he would naturally me himself for the incident and feel awful about it. Buthis parents did not want him to feel guilty, sothey came up with a story to deceive him and that led him to search for his missing sister.¡±

    Novalie exined. Raeleigh shook her head.¡°It¡¯s impossible. I don¡¯t think so. If that¡¯s really the case,then his family woulde up with something. He told me before that his father was also looking for her. It¡¯s just that given their family¡¯s standing in society, they did not publicize it to avoid any chaos.¡±

    ¡°You silly child. Even so, the search has gone out for so many years.Jepherson¡¯s parents know that that child does not exist and he will never find her. They don¡¯t feel the need to tell him because itwould be a big blow to him. Instead of letting him suffer such a blow,they let him be. That way, he will still remain hopeful. He won¡¯t be heartbroken.¡±

    ¡°After that long search, Jepherson has definitely regarded his sister as a real person. How do you think he would feel if his parents suddenly told him that that sister was actually non-existent? Hissupposed sister for neen long years would suddenly vanish from his world, and that he was the cause of her death.His parents would not mercilessly tell him that if they thought it through.¡±

    Raeleigh did not agree with what Novalie said, but she was in a better mood nheless.

    Raeleigh thought of Francia. Maybe there was a way out.What she had to do was to find out more about Francia¡¯s past. Although Francia was dead,she could still find out where Francia was from. If she could prove that Francia was¡­

    Raeleigh thought that she was a really cruel person. Because of her desire to be with Jepherson, to prove that she was not his sister, she had to dig up Francia¡¯s past. Was that right of her? Raeleigh did not know.

    Raeleigh sat in Novalie¡¯s room for the whole afternoon, chatting with her. She did not leave until after dinner. She opted not to go back to her room. Instead, she decided to go downstairs and watch TV. She sat in front of the TV, daydreaming.

    Santiago entered the living room from the side and waved his hand in front of her. Raeleigh jolted back to her senses and stared at Santiago. ¡°What are you doing?¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I should be asking you that.¡± Santiago sat next to Raeleigh with an evil smile. He leaned over and asked Raeleigh, ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at Santiago.¡°How are you so sure that I was in a bad mood? I¡¯m feeling excellent.¡±

    Santiago turned off the TV and said, ¡°You should know your own mood more than anyone. You don¡¯t have to put on a brave face.¡± He then took out his phone and began texting Cynthia. Raeleigh watched him. Santiago had a huge smile on his face. What was he smiling at?

    Raeleigh wanted to peek, but when she did, Santiago immediately hid his phone screen from her.

 Chapter 1106 Hold Onto It, Donâ€™t Let Go

    Before Raeleigh could see Santiago¡¯s phone screen, he raised his hand to push Raeleigh¡¯s face away. Raeleigh immediately pushed his hand away and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking me that? Do you know what you did? You¡¯re invading my privacy. I pushed you away, yet you still dare to ask me what I¡¯m doing? There must be something wrong with you.¡±

    Raeleigh was no match for Santiago when it came to arguments. She gave him a nk stare before facing the TV that was already switched off.

    Santiago sat up and handed his phone to Raeleigh. She looked up at him and asked, ¡°Do you know that your brother is looking for your missing sibling?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me this before? Why are you asking me the same thing again?¡± Santiago evidently found it amusing. Raeleigh thought it over and said, ¡°I¡¯m just curious. Jepherson¡¯s been adamantly searching for years but you don¡¯t look like you care.¡±

    ¡°Of course not! Why does he want to look for a missing sibling? To split our inheritance?¡± Santiago was unconcerned about the matter. Raeleigh shook her head.¡°I know you¡¯re not that kind of person. There must be a reason why you aren¡¯t invested in it.¡±

    ¡°What reason?¡± Santiago retorted back in amusement. Raeleigh looked at him for a while. She then said,¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I know there must be one.¡±

    ¡°You keep persistently asking me about this today. That reminds me¡­We went to the archive room the other day to investigate the orphanage fire. Is this rted in some way?¡±

    To Santiago, it was nothing more than entertainment, but Raeleigh replied seriously, ¡°How can you not care about what your brother does at all?¡±

    ¡°Even if I do care, I can¡¯t do anything either. Plus, he¡¯sbeen looking for so long, yet he still can¡¯t find our sibling. What makes you think that I will be able to find that person if he can¡¯t?¡±

    Santiago looked at Raeleigh in disdain. He spread his arms out on the couch and said, ¡°Actually, I hope that my brother and I are the only children in the family. Isn¡¯t that much better? Wouldn¡¯t it be awkward if we add a stranger into the mix? We¡¯d have nothing to talk about.¡±

    ¡°If that sibling is a guy, who knows what he¡¯s learnt from the streets. If he returns to the family and I don¡¯t like him, then I¡¯ll beat him to death. What¡¯s the point of bringing him home?¡±

    ¡°Since they¡¯re gone, that means that we¡¯re not meant to be a family. Why does he have to force it?¡± Santiago finished.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that your brother is forcing this?¡± Raeleigh looked at Santiago. She still could not understand. He and Jepherson had the same parents, so why were they so different?

    A sudden smile broke out on Santiago¡¯s face.¡°I am different from Jepherson. I¡¯ve also heard that my mother fell off the cliff trying to save him and because of that, my mother miscarried. Jepherson feels extremely guilty about that. That¡¯swhy he has been looking for our sibling over these years. He has a feeling that our sibling is a girl, but I think that it¡¯s a boy.¡±

    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡±

    ¡°There won¡¯t be a girl in our family.¡± Santiago sounded very confident. Raeleigh was rendered speechless by his conviction.

    After staying silent for a while, Raeleigh asked again, ¡°What if your sibling is a girl?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Raeleigh was taken aback by Santiago¡¯s unwavering confidence. Santiago smiled and stood up. He strode to the opposite side and stood there for a while, beforeturning to Raeleigh and saying, ¡°In fact, none of this is important. I¡¯m sure that everything has been decided by fate.It¡¯s not to spoil us, it¡¯s so we treasure the position we are in today because we remember the tragedies of the past. Whoever Jepherson is looking for has nothing to do with me. I only care about defending my current home. However, after so many years, he still cannot forget it. He is traumatized by what happened to my mother. I heard from my mother that he had frequent nightmares when he was younger. They said that he was having dreams of my mother falling off.¡±

    Santiago pondered for a moment. ¡°When we were younger, Jepherson often told me that I had a sister. He said that he would find her when he¡¯s older.¡±

    ¡°I thought it was ridiculous, but he has persevered for so many years in his search. I can¡¯t say anything. But if it were me, I would have repented and epted the reality.

    ¡°That¡¯s just how life is. Because of that nightmare, he refused to let anyone in and persisted in searching for that sibling.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand if you didn¡¯t know what happened back then. He is possessed by the ghosts of his past.¡±

    ¡°If Jepherson heard what you said,then he would bash youup,¡± Raeleigh reminded Santiago.Santiago disyed a fleeting smile. ¡°No, he won¡¯t.¡±

    Raeleigh was caught off guard for a moment. Santiago turned around and said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe that I have another elder sibling.I¡¯m fine with one elder brother. I wouldn¡¯t like to have another one.¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s different. He wants a younger sister.¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly realized that Santiago was jealous. He wanted Jepherson to care about him and not cast him aside for someone else.

    Raeleigh stood up and walked toSantiago¡¯s side.She resumed.¡°You did not answer my question. Is there really such a person?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea. My parents never talked about it. We aren¡¯t kids anymore. My mother has been in a lot of pain because of this. No one wants to mention it. However, my father did investigate it several years ago,¡± Santiago replied.

    Santiago¡¯s words had proved one thing. TheRichards family did have another child.

    Raeleigh looked at the scenery outside. ¡°Autumn ising. The fallen leaveswill go back to their roots eventually. Maybe you will have a chance to find your sibling. If you get the chance, would you join the search?¡±

    When Santiago heard Raeleigh¡¯s words, he said with a chuckle, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°I want you to help me look for him or her. Would you be okay with that?¡± Raeleigh queried. Santiago put his hands in his pockets. His eyes were as bright as the stars in the night sky. ¡°Is this the reason you¡¯ve been so upsettely?¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything. Santiago nced at her. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    Raeleigh replied with a forced smile,¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you think you¡¯re our missing sibling.¡± Santiago turned around to look Raeleigh in the eye. Raeleigh inadvertently stumbled backwards. Her face was pale.Words failed her.

    ¡°What nonsense are you saying?¡± Raeleigh forced herself to calm down. Santiago¡¯s smile was like that of a demon, burning like the sun itself.

    Raeleigh¡¯s expression became even more distraught, but she did not retreat further. She persisted and tried to calm herself down so that Santiago wouldn¡¯t call her bluff.

    ¡°I just want to find that person. If you don¡¯t want to help me, then forget it. You don¡¯t have to doubt me like this.¡±

    ¡°You sound guilty.¡± Santiagoughed. He turned and looked outside with a smile, taking a deep breath before saying, ¡°If you thought you were my sister,then that exins why you wanted to terminate your pregnancy.¡±

    Feeling nervous, Raeleigh sped her hands together.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    However, what Santiago said was, ¡°He¡¯s possessed, and it seems like you are too.¡±

    Raeleigh was taken aback. ¡°How could you say that about your elder brother?¡±

    ¡°What should I say then?¡± Santiago smiled. ¡°Should I say that God is ying tricks on our family?¡±

    Raeleigh could not say a word. She remained silent.

    Santiago paused for a moment and said, ¡°If you really want me to help find that person,then I will lend my assistance.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at Santiago. ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    Santiago looked at Raeleigh with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me?¡±

    Raeleigh was quiet and did not answer. She faced the window and looked outside. What Santiago said was right. She had lost her mind. She had lost her mind because of Jepherson.

    Even if it was herst hope, she was still willing to hold onto it tightly, never letting go.

 Chapter 1107 He Came to Propose

    Now that Santiago had agreed to help, Raeleigh quickly gave him a brief ount of the situation. She informed him that there were two children in the orphanage, both from a different city. Of these two children, one of them had to be the person Jepherson was looking for. Raeleigh had hoped that they would be able to find them.

    However, the two children had perished in the orphanage fire. Raeleigh did not want Jepherson to find out. She was disheartened because of that.

    Santiago sat in Raeleigh¡¯s room and carefully went over the information. His head was lowered as he listened to Raeleigh without interrupting her. At that time, it was alreadyte at night.

    ¡°That¡¯s all,¡± Raeleigh concluded.Initially, she hadn¡¯t felt the need to exin since Santiago did not ask. However, she did not know what it was, perhaps it was guilt that spurred her to spill everything to Santiago the moment he looked at the information sheid out.

    Santiago raised his head to look at her. ¡°You know those people who talk too much while trying to cover something up and then identally expose themselves?¡±

    Raeleigh was taken aback. She sat there and said,¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth, and you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m trying to cover up something for my benefit.¡±

    ¡°You usually don¡¯t talk much. You keep everything to yourself. So, when you go on and on, it gives me the feeling that you¡¯re lying.¡± Santiago stood up, picked up an apple that Raeleigh had washed, and took a bite.

    As he nibbled on the apple, Santiago sat back down and followed it up by saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re not my sister.¡±

    Raeleigh froze and asked, ¡°W-what nonsense is this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not nonsense. You know what I¡¯m getting at.Why don¡¯t you get some rest? Jepherson and I will be quite busy these few days. He¡¯s going to apany me to the Moore family residence to make a formal proposal,¡± replied Santiago. He stood up with the documents in hand and the apple in his mouth.

    Raeleigh got up immediately.¡°Wait, what?¡±

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t wrap her head around it.Did Santiago just saythat he was going to the Moore family residence for a formal proposal?

    Santiago stopped in his tracks and shifted the documents to one hand which he put behind his back. He took the apple out of his mouth with the other hand and looked at Raeleigh curiously. ¡°What? Now that I¡¯m taken, do you regret not pursuing me?¡±

    Raeleigh looked downcast.¡°Why do you always twist things?What I¡¯m asking isif it¡¯s true that you¡¯re going to propose formally?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d joke about something like this? Of course it¡¯s true!¡± Santiago retorted.

    ¡°But you¡­¡± Raeleigh was at a loss. To her, the whole affair seemed abrupt. What was more, Santiago did not look like the kind to do that¡­

    ¡°But I, what?¡± Santiago walked to stand in front of Raeleigh.Then, he leaned towards her.Raeleighhurriedly raised her hands and gave him a push. ¡°Don¡¯t try to pull this stunt. I know you better than to fall for it, even if others don¡¯t.¡±

    Only then did Santiago turn around and take another bite of the apple. He said, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take my leave now. Rest well.¡±

    ¡°Are you really going to propose?¡± Raeleigh asked, still a little uncertain. Santiago turned around and eyed Raeleigh.¡°It¡¯s inevitable. I dragged Cynthia into this. I have to take responsibility for it. I can¡¯t allow her to be scorned.¡±

    Santiago looked dead serious. Raeleigh pondered and asked, ¡°Tell me, do you really love Cynthia?¡±

    ¡°I have to propose regardless of whether I love her or not. Why are you asking so many questions?¡± Santiagoughed.

    ¡°You¡¯re too young. You are only seventeen. There are a lot of things that you still do not understand,¡± Raeleigh solemnly said, sounding as if she had a lifetime of experience. A bright smile appeared on Santiago¡¯s face as he shot back.¡°And how old are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not much older, but I know more than you. Cynthia is a good person. If you don¡¯t really want to be with her,then don¡¯t hurt her.¡±

    ¡°Although your family has a feud with the Moore family,it has nothing to do with her,¡± Raeleigh replied.

    ¡°Are you ying at being a goody two-shoes? Or do you have feelings for me?¡± Santiago did not answer Raeleigh¡¯s question. Raeleigh¡¯s face turned red, and then she turned pale. ¡°If Jepherson knew¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t use Jepherson to pressure me. That¡¯s all you go on about. You¡¯ve gone too far!¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. As she was deep in her thoughts about what Santiago said, Santiago went out of the room and re-entered, counting, ¡°One, two, three¡­¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Then, she heard Santiago leave with a chuckle. When she jolted back to her senses, he was gone.

    Raeleigh closed the door and decided to hit the sack. Shey down but she was unable to fall asleep. It was already three o¡¯clock when sleep finally overcame her.She woke up at eight o¡¯clock the next morning.

    Raeleigh got up and looked downstairs. Santiago had already left.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally awake!¡± Scarlette was there. She greeted Raeleigh when she noticed her there, and took a picture of her to be sent to Jepherson.

    Jepherson was currently on his way to the Moore family residence. The two brothers were heading there in separate cars. Santiago¡¯s car was leading Jepherson¡¯s. Santiago was driving at breakneck speed, whereas Jepherson took his time. He was in a fairly good mood after receiving the picture of Raeleigh. He raised one hand to point at Stuart in front of him, using the other hand to dial Raeleigh¡¯s number.

    Stuart swiftly took his phone out and called Santiago.

    As soon as Santiago answered, Stuart immediately cautioned him.¡°Mr. Santiago, Mr. Jepherson thinks that you¡¯re driving too fast. He wants you to slow down.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s reply came over the line.¡°If you speed up, thenI¡¯ll slow down.¡±

    Stuart was miffed. ¡°Mr. Santiago,with the speed you¡¯re driving at,we can¡¯t catch up.¡±

    The only thing that Stuart heard was the dial tone.

    Santiago had hung up. Stuart turned around and shot a nce at Jepherson, who was chatting with Raeleigh. Raeleigh had just picked up the phone.

    ¡°Hey, are you awake?¡± Jepherson asked. Although Raeleigh was still feeling dispirited, there was a vast improvement in her condition for the past couple of days.She answered quickly, ¡°You had someone to monitor me?¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to see how disheveled you look first thing in the morning.¡± Jephersonughed in a low tone. Raeleigh descended the stairs with her phone in hand and sat down at the dining table. ¡°It¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t seen it before. You act like it¡¯s the first time. Is there any point to it?¡±

    ¡°Yes,there is.¡± Jepherson chuckled again. A thought suddenly flitted across Raeleigh¡¯s mind. She asked, ¡°Are you on the way to the Moore family residence?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll exin everything to you when you get back.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to exin? Santiago is willingly doing it. You don¡¯t have to exin anything to me.¡± Raeleigh felt that there was no need for any exnation.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the whole story. This incident with Santiago has caused an uproar. My grandmother still doesn¡¯t know about it. MaybeSantiago and I will get an earful tonight.And if Santiago insists on continuing with the marriage, then there¡¯s a possibility thatmy grandmother mighte looking for you.¡±

    Raeleigh was dumbfounded. ¡°She¡¯ll look for me?¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re supposedly Santiago¡¯s girlfriend. You¡¯ve been to Richards Manor a few times. My Grandma will definitely want to see you and ask you why you guys broke up.¡±

    ¡°Phew¡­¡± Raeleigh heaved a sigh of relief. Jepherson¡¯s mirth escted into a full-blown guffaw. It¡¯s alright. You have me.¡±

    ¡°Then, what should I tell her if she asks?¡± Raeleigh questioned Jepherson. She did not think that it would be right to say that Santiago had cheated on her or had fallen for another woman. But if that was out of the question, then what else could she say? Should she say that they had never been a couple?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t know what to say,then don¡¯t say anything. It¡¯ll be worse if you talk too much.¡±

    Raeleigh did not respond. She found it a little funny that Jepherson was soid back about it. He was tricking his own grandmother.

    After talking for a while more, Jepherson arrived at the gate of the Moore family residence. He gave Raeleigh a few simple words of advice before hanging up. Stuart quickly got out of the car to open the door for Jepherson.

 Chapter 1108 Avoiding Everyoneâ€™s Eyes

    Raeleigh sat there in her house, thinking about Jepherson apanying Santiago to make a proposal. After she mused over it for a while, she tucked into her breakfast.

    Raeleigh was nning to take a stroll in the backyard after she was done with breakfast. However, as soon as she exited the house, she was met with Deanna and Zorion getting out of their car. Deanna hurriedly ran over to Raeleigh when she spotted her. Tugging her hand, Deanna asked, ¡°Raeleigh, I heard that you guys went to the sea?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around to look at Scarlette. Scarlette was very disdainful. How could Raeleigh think that she was the one who told Deanna?

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Zorion. Then, she nced back at Deanna.¡°I wanted to eat mackerel, so we decided to head out to sea to catch some.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s answer was tactful. Deanna, after thinking it over, asked, ¡°I heard that there were other people besides you, Jepherson, Scarlette, and Hadrian?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded her head and did not give any further reply.

    Deanna¡¯s tears were about to pour out as she said, ¡°Does this mean that Santiago has a girlfriend?¡±

    Raeleigh froze. Deanna could not hold back her tears any longer. Raeleigh was at her wits¡¯ end when she thought of what Deanna said. She was stuck in a difficult position.

    Zorion held his younger sister in his arms andforted her.¡°It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t cry.¡±

    Zorion hugged his sister and coaxed her while looking Raeleigh up and down. He looked at her as though he was scanning her for any unusual signs. Raeleigh felt unsettled.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take Deanna into the house?¡± Raeleigh relented when she saw Deanna crying. They couldn¡¯t stand outside all day. Hence, she kindly invited the two in.

    However, she immediately regretted it. What was she going to say when they asked her where Santiago had gone?

    As expected, as soon as Raeleigh sat down, she heard Deanna ask through choked sobs, ¡°Where¡¯s Santiago?¡±

    Her tone was a little demanding. It gave one the impression that it was an interrogation, making them feel ill at ease. To Scarlette, it sounded as though she was going to pick on Raeleigh.

    If Deanna went after Scarlette, then she would tolerate it. However, when it came to Raeleigh, Scarlette would not let it slide.

    Scarlette, who had been standing quietly at the side, plonked down on the couch opposite Deanna upon hearing the tone of her voice. Looking displeased, she asked Deanna, ¡°What¡¯s with your tone? What? Is Raeleigh your nanny? Is she supposed to watch him for you?¡±

    Zorion¡¯s expression darkened, but he did not fly into a rage.However, his eyes gleamed with an unpleasant shine.

    Regardless of whether the person was right or wrong, no one could scold his sister.

    Raeleigh tugged Scarlette¡¯s hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Why did you have to stick your nose into this? This is between me and Deanna.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s doing the talking? You or her? You are too naive. She¡­ only knows how to bully you because you¡¯re an easy target. Furthermore, she has Zorion, who thinks he¡¯s so great. So, what if he has a sister? His sister is human, and you aren¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°They alwayse knocking on your door when they have a problem. Do you think that they are here to catch up with you? No! They¡¯re here to interrogate you. They me you if something¡¯s up with Santiago. Why the h*ll are you going to take the me?¡±

    Scarlette roared at Raeleighfuriously. Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Scarlette, ¡°Did you have a nightmarest night?¡±

    The question left Scarlette speechless. She stopped and returned to sit in her corner, not wanting to say anything further.

    Raeleigh looked at Deanna and said, ¡°Scarlette has been a little worked up these past few days. Don¡¯t pay any mind to her.¡±

    Scarlette stood up and left without saying a word.

    Raeleigh watched as she walked away and looked at poor Deanna. Deanna pouted. She finally said, ¡°Raeleigh, I didn¡¯t mean to speak to you that way.¡±

    ¡°I know you did not do it on purpose. Scarlette is the same. The two of you have simr personalities, unlike me. Whenever something happens, I remain aloof.It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t have any emotions, it¡¯s just that it¡¯s difficult to shake me. I remain calm and won¡¯t react. I can¡¯t cry like you or be as impulsive as Scarlette¡­¡±

    As Raeleigh said that, Scarlette stopped in her tracks and turned around to observe Raeleigh. She was beginning to feel ufortable. She had overreacted.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh continued, ¡°That¡¯s the kind of person I am. For example, when you see a bird, you¡¯ll rush towards it, but I won¡¯t. I will just stop and look up at it flying freely in the sky.¡±

    Zorion frowned.Raeleigh was not done yet. She added, ¡°If you came to ask me about Santiago, then just ask me directly. You don¡¯t have to beat around the bush or put up an act. I have emotions too, but you won¡¯t notice them because I don¡¯t let them show on my face.¡±

    Raeleigh smiled in amusement. Deanna froze for a moment and asked, ¡°Raeleigh, are you ming me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just unustomed to you interrogating me the way you just did. It¡¯s kind of like the way Scarlette was just now.Perhaps, that¡¯s the way you talk to other people, so you don¡¯t see anything wrong with it, but we¡¯re different. When people question me, I have feelings about it, I have my own thoughts about it. I just don¡¯t say it out loud.¡±

    ¡°If I reacted the way Scarlette did and gave you the cold shoulder, then how would you feel? Have you ever thought about that?¡±

    ¡°You always apologize to me after being called out. You think that it smooths everything out, but that¡¯s just what you think.¡±

    Raeleigh picked up an apple, cut it with a knife, and put it on the table. ¡°Take this apple here for an example. Once it has been cut,it will stay cut. Well, not unless you eat it, but then it ceases to exist. Whatever it is,the cut on the apple will not disappear.¡±

    Deanna was leaning against Zorion in his arms. Her face was pale as she looked up at her brother. ¡°Zorion..¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Zorion gently patted her and faced Raeleigh. He said, ¡°The way Deanna talked might have hurt you, but she did not mean it. She has been this way ever since she was a child. I will make sure she changes. I hope you can forgive her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry. It just made me a little ufortable. I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re here in my house, but I hope you will show me some respect. Since society treats people equally, as friends, shouldn¡¯t we treat each other on the same level as well? Just because she has a higher status and is the daughter of a rich family, unlike me, it doesn¡¯t mean she cane to my house and make a big fuss.¡±

    Scarlette remained sitting on the couch,and her face was pale.Deanna too, looked ill at ease asshe stared at Raeleigh, unable to utter a single word.

    After a long while of Zorion thinking it over, he said,¡°Deanna did not have any bad intentions.¡±

    ¡°I know, I did not say that she did.¡± It was just that Deanna did not treat Raeleigh well at times.

    Raeleigh looked at the apple and picked up the knife again.Shehanded the apple to Scarlette while keeping the knife.Her gaze shifted to Zorion and Deanna. She said, ¡°Do you see this? I have a knife which can hurt people. Scarlette, on the other hand, has an apple.¡±

    ¡°However, you both aren¡¯t afraid of the knife in my hand. What if Scarlette was the one holding it?¡±

    Raeleigh then handed the knife to Scarlette. Deanna¡¯s face drained of color at once. She leaned further back into Zorion¡¯s arms, shielding herself.Even Zorion had his guard up against Scarlette.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh took the knife out of Scarlette¡¯s hand and set it down. ¡°Don¡¯t think that you didn¡¯t hurt anyone just because you didn¡¯t do anything. You say you did not mean it, but I feel that you did.¡±

    ¡°Just because I look weak to you,you raise your voice when you¡¯re talking to me. You are afraid of Scarlette, so you talk more politely to her. To me, it seems thatyou think that you can walk all over me.¡±

    Deanna shook her head.¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Zorion patted Deanna on the shoulder and told her, ¡°You need to rest.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Zorion and Deanna. She said, ¡°I remember my debt to you. I appreciate your help. If it weren¡¯t for you at that time, thenmy hand might have been a goner. I¡¯m very grateful for your help.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll find a way to return the money to you as soon as possible. I also hope that you will respect me and treat me as an equal in the future.¡±

    ¡°We did not trouble you for that reason. The money has nothing to do with it. I¡¯m sure you know that, right?¡± Zorion asked Raeleigh.A nervous Deanna kept her head hung low,avoiding everyone¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 1109 Deanna Ran Away

    Scarlette¡¯s current expression was not to be trifled with. Out of the blue, she questioned Deanna, ¡°What are you afraid of? What are you hiding?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Deanna replied suddenly. Zorion looked down at Deanna. He knew his sister better than anyone else.

    ¡°Deanna, did you use that debt to threaten Raeleigh?¡± Zorion asked, keeping his head low. Deanna hurriedly shook her head and implored, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to hurt Raeleigh. I just wanted her to spend more time with you.¡± Deanna¡¯s face was ovee with gloominess. Zorion was dumbfounded for a second, but he did not put the me on Deanna. Instead, he held her in his arms and told her, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not mad. You¡¯re still young, you don¡¯t know enough.¡±

    ¡°Young? She¡¯s the same age as us. It¡¯s because of a brother like you that¡­¡± Scarlette started.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Zorion instantly shot Scarlette a re. Scarlette immediately cut herself off.

    Zorion then said, ¡°I apologize on Deanna¡¯s behalf.¡±

    Raeleigh was smiling as she replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t need to apologize. I will think of a way to return the money to you.¡±

    ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t want that money¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that you don¡¯t want it. If that¡¯s really the case, thenit makes me feel like I¡¯ve sold myself for that money. I owe you, so I have to return it to you.¡±

    ¡°In fact, I did think about returning the money to you. But it¡¯s just thatI never had the means to do so. This house was bought by Jepherson. Although the house is in my name and it¡¯s a reward for my design, I always thought in the back of my mind that my life wouldn¡¯t have soared to these heights without Jepherson. It wouldn¡¯t have gone this smoothly.¡±

    I don¡¯t have a stable ie of my own yet. Plus, I¡¯ve done the math. Even if I sell this house, it won¡¯t be enough to pay off my debt to you guys. So, I¡¯lle up with a way to pay it off, but it may have to wait a little longer.¡±

    Raeleigh had nned to get a job so that she would be able to pay off her debtslowly. However, that was beginning to look impossible.

    ¡°You can take your time. I¡¯m not looking down on you.¡± Zorion was stuck between a rock and a hard ce. He was caught between the beloved sister in his arms and the woman he loved.

    Raeleigh shook her head.¡°Give me one year. I will pay it all off within one year.¡±

    Scarlette¡¯s eyes grew wide. She eximed, ¡°Raeleigh, are you being serious?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Scarlette thought that it was best if she called Jepherson and told him about the situation.She excusedherself and went to the bathroom. Upon entering, she immediately dialed Jepherson¡¯s number. At that moment, Jepherson was talking to Johan. Hansen and Jenna were abroad. Hence, Jepherson was the one apanying Santiago to make a formal proposal to Cynthia at the Moore family residence.

    After he received the call, Jepherson left the manor. Santiago asked him what the matter was. Jepherson then took out a credit card and handed it to Santiago.He instructed his brother, ¡°Use this to pay off Raeleigh¡¯s debt to Zorion.She won¡¯t ept it if I¡¯m the one giving it to her.Think of a way to get her to ept it.¡±

    Santiago tookthe card and stowed it away. ¡°How about you head home first? It¡¯ll just be a minute, I haven¡¯t said all I wanted to say yet.¡±

    Santiago strode back into the manor after saying that, in search of Cynthia. Jepherson made his way back into his car.

    Raeleigh was sitting in the living room, talking to Zorion and Deanna. It did not take long before Jepherson arrived at the house.

    Jepherson alighted and went to the front door. Raeleigh was taken aback for a moment when he made his entrance. She looked at Scarlette, who immediately turned around and hid in the corner.

    When Jepherson came in through the door and saw Zorion and Deanna, he did not show much of a reaction.

    Jepherson walked towards the living room and asked calmly, ¡°Are there no sses today?¡±

    Serra hurriedly departed for the kitchen. Raeleigh looked over at Serra. She hardly ever saw Serra walk away in terror like that.

    ¡°No, there aren¡¯t. We haven¡¯t seen you two in a few days. Deanna said she wanted to see you two, so here we are,¡± Zorion replied with a smile.

    Following that, Jepherson sat down on the couch and took Raeleigh¡¯s hand. His gazended on Raeleigh and then shifted to Zorion and Deanna. ¡°You came here to pay us a visit?¡±

    Terrified, Deannahid herself in Zorion¡¯s arms.

    There was something off about Jepherson that day. Deanna was afraid of him.

    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s not the only reason. I heard some news about Santiago andI wanted to know whether the rumors are true.¡±

    Since they were already face-to-face with each other,Zorion did not want to obscure the truth.

    ¡°Yes, it is true,¡± Jepherson replied. Zorion¡¯s expression darkened. Off to the side, Raeleigh frowned. Zorion¡¯s mood changed like the wind, it seemed.

    From Zorion¡¯s perspective,no outsider could have any real say in Santiago¡¯s affairs. Only Jepherson would have the final say.

    However, now that Jepherson had rified it to him, it meant that Jepherson had allowed the proposal to take ce.

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Zorion wiped Deanna¡¯s tears off her face, but Deanna sat there crying uncontrobly.

    Jepherson paid no mind to it. He remained calm and indifferent. There was not a single trace of warmth in his eyes when he looked at Zorion.

    ¡°I rarely joke with you.It¡¯s always been that way. You should know that,¡± Jepherson said in reply. Zorion looked away. He gritted his teeth as he was looking off to the side,and he then turned back to meet Jepherson¡¯s gaze. He eximed,¡°You know that Deanna has feelings for Santiago, yet you still made that decision. What in the world are you thinking?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking about anything in particr. I just did what I was supposed to.¡±

    ¡°You should understand how Santiago is. No one can stop him from doing what he wants to. You want me to interfere in his rtionship?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s expression was cold,and his gaze was piercing.

    ¡°Then, you¡¯re just going to allow him to be with a woman who¡¯s older than him? You¡¯re going to let him act that wilfully?¡± Zorion raised his voice suddenly, unable to keep his emotions in checkanymore.

    Jepherson exhaled and rose to his feet. His gaze turned even icier. ¡°What, do you think that the Richards family is responsible for Deanna?¡±

    Zorion was dumbfounded for a moment.Then, he said, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. Deanna has me. There¡¯s no need for anyone else to take responsibility for her. But to me, you guys have gone too far. Everyone knew that Deanna and you were childhood sweethearts and the envy of many. But you t out rejected her and pretended as if nothing had happened. Deanna fell for Santiago, but just as their rtionship started to bloom, he went off to propose to someone else. You caused Deanna to¡­¡±

    Zorion gnashed his teeth in a fierce fury, shooting Jepherson a death re.

    Raeleigh stood up. ¡°I know what¡¯s going on with Santiago, butI would like to remind you that no one can control who they fall in love with. I know that you mean well, as Deanna¡¯s brother. You worry about her and hope to give her hand to a good man whom you¡¯re satisfied with.That being said,has it ever urred to you that you¡¯re not the one in her shoes? You won¡¯t live her life for her.This concerns only Deanna.¡±

    Zorion was on the verge of flying into a rage. He slowly turned to look at Raeleigh. ¡°Yes, I know, but I can¡¯t leave her be. I don¡¯t believe that there¡¯s anyone other than us who can protect Deanna. No one other than us can tolerate her.¡±

    Raeleigh froze. Deanna suddenly got up and hurried away.

    Zorion was about to check on her,but shebroke off into a run.

    Raeleigh had learnt her lesson from the past. She immediately chased after Deanna. Bythe time she emerged from the house, Deanna had already got into the car. Anxious, Raeleigh followed her into the car. Jepherson and Zorion also ran out of the house.

 Chapter 1110 Marissa Was Being Favorable

    ¡°Deanna¡­¡± Zorion yelled as he chased her from behind. As he got into the car, about to drive away,Jepherson flung the car door open and pulled Raeleigh out of the car. ¡°Scarlette,look after Raeleigh.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    As Raeleigh was pregnant, Jepherson did not want her to wander around. He was nearly scared to death when she ran out like that.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t dare to act recklessly. She watched as Jepherson and Zorion chased after Deanna.

    After they left, Raeleigh looked over at Scarlette and said, ¡°Call Santiago right now. I¡¯m sure he has a solution.¡±

    Just as Scarlette was about to call Santiago, Santiago¡¯s car pulled up at the front door. Raeleigh hurried over. When he had stopped the car, she walked over.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Santiago asked.

    ¡°Deanna has run away. Can you please go and find her? Jepherson got into a fight with Zorion. Deanna has feelings for you. When she found out about you and Cynthia, she immediately bolted.¡±

    Anxiety was written all over Raeleigh¡¯s face. Santiago immediately got back into his car and called Jepherson.

    Jepherson answered the phone and informed Santiago that he was in the city. He told him that he should be able to find Deanna there and asked Santiago to hurry over, butadded that there was nothing to be worried about.

    However, none of them were able to find Deanna.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, I found the car in the downtown area, but there was no one in it.¡±

    As soon as Jepherson received the call, he instantly rushed over to the spot.Therewas indeed no one in the car. Zorion ordered his subordinates to block the surroundings and send out a search party right away. However, after searching the entire night, Deanna was still nowhere to be found.

    No one could get through to her phone, either. She just disappeared.

    Raeleigh waited patiently in her house, but evenafter a long time, no one came home.

    Raeleigh called Jepherson, but he did not pick up.

    After another day of waiting, someone finally returned. It was Jepherson, and Jepherson alone. Raeleigh saw no sign of Santiago and Zorion. Raeleigh knew straight away that there was something up.

    ¡°How is it going?¡± Raeleigh took two quick steps. When Jepherson saw her hastening, and he stopped her there and then. He said, ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and nced at her belly. She inhaled and asked Jepherson again, ¡°How is it going?¡±

    Jepherson pulled her into his arms.¡°We¡¯re still looking for her, but we don¡¯t know what¡¯s happened to her. She suddenly just disappearedpletely.¡±

    Raeleigh pulled away from Jepherson¡¯s embrace and looked at him.¡°Could it be the Moore family?¡±

    ¡°No. I doubt Flynt would do anything right now. Unless¡­it¡¯s someone else from the Moore family.Well, if we just consider Flynt¡­For Cynthia¡¯s sake, I doubt Flynt would capture Deanna, unless he wants to die.¡±

    ¡°Although Flynt and Santiago haven¡¯t interacted much, he should know what kind of person Santiago is. I doubt he would offend him,¡± Jepherson concluded.

    ¡°If it¡¯s not the Moore family, then where else could Deanna have gone?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible that she¡¯s just hiding. She¡¯d better not be held hostage by someone else. If that¡¯s the case,then it¡¯ll be tricky.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked up at Jepherson. ¡°Are you saying that someone wanted to kidnap Deanna?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, but I will not rule it out. I think that it¡¯s possible that Deanna is just hiding on her own, but she is abeautiful girl, so it¡¯s very dangerous for her to be out alone for so long.¡±

    When Raeleigh heard what Jepherson said,her anxiety rose.

    Raeleigh furrowed her eyebrows and she then asked worriedly, ¡°Where did you find the car?¡±

    ¡°Downtown.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s try to look for her again. We can check the hotels and alleys nearby. Maybe we¡¯ll be able to find her.¡± Raeleigh wanted to go out and join the search. Jepherson held her back and asked,¡°With your condition, won¡¯t I be preupied with looking after you instead of finding Deanna if we were to go together?¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and cast a look at her belly. ¡°Then, what should we do?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine.¡± That was all Jepherson could say at the moment. Raeleigh¡¯s worries did not subside. She told him, ¡°I¡¯ll stay at home. Take Scarlette and Hadrian to search for her.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.We have plenty of manpower already. You don¡¯t have to go out. Now that you¡¯re safe here, I can rest assured. Plus, Madam Marissa wants to see you tonight.¡±

    ¡°She wants me to see her?¡± Raeleigh remembered what Jepherson had said previously.¡°With my condition, you still want me to go over¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to go alone. Santiago and I will be going over too.¡± Jepherson had his hands tied too. There were too many things happening at the moment, but he had no choice. If he did not apany Raeleigh, then Madam Marissa would probably find out about Deanna.That would cause even more of a ruckus.

    ¡°What about Deanna?¡± Raeleigh couldn¡¯t stop herself from worrying. Jepherson said, ¡°We¡¯ll go back for dinner. Santiago will try to look for her now.I will get someone to send you over while wedo another quick search in the meantime.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the only thing we can do.¡± Jepherson looked at the time and added, ¡°Dinnertime is pretty soon. Why don¡¯t you go and get dressed? I¡¯ll head back first and ask Stuart toe and pick you up.¡±

    ¡°Okay, noted. You can go ahead.¡± Raeleigh gave Jepherson the approval to leave. Then, she went upstairs and changed her clothes. Just as she finished changing, she heard Scarlette yelling that Stuart had already arrived. Raeleigh immediately saw Stuart there as soon as she went downstairs.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards,¡± Stuart greeted.Raeleigh was a little bit surprised with the way Stuart addressed her. Raeleigh felt depressed at the thought that she might be Jepherson¡¯s sister. However, now that so much had happened, she could only take it one step at a time.

    What else could she have done?

    ¡°I¡¯m all set. Let¡¯s go. We shouldn¡¯t keep Madam Marissa waiting.¡± Raeleigh then followed him out. Scarlette and Hadrian, too, got into the car and they made their way towards Richards Manor.

    When they arrived at the manor, Stuart instantly got out of the car and opened the door for Raeleigh. She paused for a moment aftering out of the car, exhaling.

    ¡°Miss Anson, this way.¡± Raeleigh felt much more at ease being called that.

    Raeleigh nced at Stuart and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Stuart apanied Raeleigh to the Ink Garden. When they arrived, Stuart announced, ¡°Madam Marissa, Miss Anson has arrived.¡±

    Marissa was fuming. She had already given Jepherson a dressing down.She had beenwaiting for Santiago and Raeleigh, but only Raeleigh had shown up. Marissa mused over it before she stood up. For the first time, she made her way to the door to greet Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh saw Marissaing out. She quickened her pace and closed the distance between them, greeting her, ¡°Madam Marissa.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re here?¡± Marissa said, her countenance neutral, without any trace of anger. Raeleigh took a careful look at Jepherson, who was standing behind her. She could roughly guess what had transpired. Jepherson must have said something to her, and that was why she was being so amiable.

    ¡°I can¡¯t turn down an invitation from you. I wanted toe earlier, but I don¡¯t have a car. I still have to rely on your family formuting purposes.I¡¯m really sorry.¡±

    That was the first time that Marissa realized that Raeleigh knew exactly what to say on any given asion. Raeleigh had her own merits. Few people of Raeleigh¡¯s age would be able to remain calm in the face of such a serious situation.

    Marissa thought that if Santiago could change his mind,then it would be a good thing.s, she feared that he would be too impulsive.

    The Moore family had nothing to do with them. Moreover, wasn¡¯t CynthiaFlynt¡¯s sister? How old was she? Wasn¡¯t she older than Santiago? Marissa was reluctant to consent to the rtionship.

    No matter what ws she had, Raeleigh was still better than anyone from the Moore family.

    Marissa understood that well. She would not allow Santiago to marry Cynthia.

 Chapter 1111 Deanna Was Nowhere to be Found

    ¡°Raeleigh, I admit that I have been prejudiced towards you in the past. I¡¯m sure you could tell. However, in reality, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like you. It was because I was worried about Deanna, that naive child. I acted that way because I didn¡¯t want her to feel inferior to you.Don¡¯t take it to heart,¡± said Marissa.Raeleigh replied with a smile, ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    Marissa was taken aback.She guessed that Raeleigh did not want to speak of such things to save her the embarrassment.She was pleased with Raeleigh¡¯s response and changed the topic.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that that¡¯s how you feel about it. I will keep that in mind. Now, I want you to sit down. There is something I want to ask you.¡±

    Marissa pulled Raeleigh to a seat. Raeleigh followed Marissa and sat by her side. After thinking for a while, Marissa asked, ¡°How are things between you and Santiago?¡±

    Raeleigh gave it some thought before replying,¡°We have not contacted each other in a long time.¡±

    Marissa was stunned. ¡°Did you guys have an argument?¡±

    ¡°No, Santiago has a new girlfriend.¡± Raeleigh did not say anything else. Marissa¡¯s expression darkened when she heard what Raeleigh said. She asked,¡°Did you guys break up?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Before Raeleigh could answer Marissa, Santiago made his entrance. Raeleigh was relieved. She was d that he was back. That way, she wouldn¡¯t have to exert herself answering Marissa.

    Marissa looked up to see who it was.Who else could it have been other than Santiago?

    After entering the room, Santiago briefly eyed Jepherson. Then, he focused on Raeleigh and asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. It appeared to Marissa as though she could not keep Santiago in check.

    Marissa was displeased. With a stony look, she retorted, ¡°What do you mean? Raeleigh is your girlfriend. Why can¡¯t shee here? You¡¯re going to marry her in the future. This is basically her house. How can you still ask her that?¡±

    Santiago¡¯s face disyed amusement. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like Raeleigh? I¡¯m doing you a favour by asking her to leave. But now, I can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t you think that I can¡¯t keep you in line just because your parents are not around. I¡¯m telling you this, since you brought Raeleigh home, it means that she¡¯s part of the family.I don¡¯t care about what others have to say.I have the final say. Go and clean up the mess that you¡¯ve made. Otherwise, you will be in serious trouble.¡±

    After Marissa said that, she rolled her eyes. Santiago stood and said after a while, ¡°If you like her, then you can keep her. I¡¯m leaving.¡±N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Santiago turned around and left. Marissa gave an order to stop him. Stuart immediately went to pull Santiago back. Santiago pushed the man aside and took his leave right away.

    Raeleigh¡¯s heart sank. He left just like that?

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. She began thinking again of what she was going to say to Marissa.

    Seeing Santiago leave, Marissa¡¯s face turned pale with anger. However, she quickly regained herposure and addressed Raeleigh once more, ¡°Raeleigh, you can rest assured that I will help you. Santiago is a fool, and he is easily tricked. Just give it a few days. I will deal with himter.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and he then came clean.¡°Madam Marissa, between me and Santiago, it¡¯s not what you think it is. We¡¯re just friends.¡±

    As she said that, Raeleigh nced at Jepherson.It was probably the best moment to exin their rtionship right then.

    ¡°What do you mean, you¡¯re just friends? The entire Richards family knows that you¡¯re Santiago¡¯s girlfriend. Are you just saying that because he cheated on you? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help you.¡±

    ¡°Madam Marissa, I¡¯m not worried. It¡¯s just¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. Remember this, you are now a member of the Richards family. Whatever you do, you have to consider how it affects the family. First of all, with that character of his, Idoubt that Santiago will be able to work in ourpany. However, you can. I heard that you¡¯re very talented. Jepherson even said that if you continue to work hard, you can be the chief designer of thepany. Lamarre has epted you as his apprentice and sticks up for you.I¡¯ve long heard of Lamarre. He¡¯s one of a kind and a renowned designer. You have to learn as much as you can from him. I¡¯ve alsoheard a lot about your designs.You are indeed one of us. You won¡¯t bring shame to our family.¡± Marissa heapedpliment afterpliment on Raeleigh. Raeleigh was a little dejected. Why was Marissa only seeing her good side then, when she initially hated her?

    Raeleigh did not know what the best reply was to give. With a smile, she said, ¡°You¡¯re right. I will keep this in mind and make profits for thepany, but¡­¡±

    ¡°No buts. Jepherson,can you get the food out?I want Raeleigh to stay for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Madam Marissa, it¡¯s alright. It¡¯s gettingte, I have to go back soon. Besides, I still have somepany work to do. I have a deadline to meet.¡± Raeleigh had no choice but to make up an excuse. In turn, Marissa replied, ¡°Well,I see. I¡¯ll get Jepherson to send you home. If there¡¯s anything that you don¡¯t understand, then you can ask him. Don¡¯t be shy. You are one of us now.¡±

    Jepherson smiled and looked at Stuart. ¡°Get the car ready.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be getting out of your way, then.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not getting in anyone¡¯s way. You have to stop by more often. I¡¯m getting old and those two boys don¡¯te back as much. I¡¯m lonely,¡± Marissa said as she patted Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Raeleigh nodded. Marissa walked her to the door and even ordered the servants to prepare some gifts for Raeleigh. Raeleigh was at a loss as to how to respond. In the end, she just epted the gifts.

    After Raeleigh got into the car, Marissa told her, ¡°You have toe and visit me more.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you should head back in.¡±

    After Raeleigh bade her farewell, Jepherson eased himself into the seat beside Raeleigh. Stuart quickly closed the door. Marissa waved at them as the car drove off.

    After they left, Marissa sighed deeply.It was clear that she was furious. ¡°Call Santiago. Get him toe back now.¡±

    A servant hurriedly made a phone call to Santiago. Marissa¡¯s expression darkened as she made her way back to her room.

    Marissa had not reached her room yet whenthe servant informed her that Santiago wasn¡¯t answering his phone. Marissa was enraged. She could only wait for Jepherson to return.

    Raeleigh sat in the car, taking a deep breath.

    ¡°I¡¯ve finally passed her test.¡±

    When Jepherson heard Raeleigh heave a sigh, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. The truth wille out eventually.¡±

    ¡°We will cross that bridge when we get to it. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Jepherson replied calmly with confidence. Raeleigh was also convinced. At that time, Jepherson did not seem worried about Deanna at all.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try to look for Deanna. Then, you can send me home.¡± Raeleigh was still fretting over Deanna. If they were not able to find her,then she would not be able to rest well at home.

    Jepherson patted Raeleigh and shot a quick nce at the time. There were not many cars around at that time, so he agreed to her suggestion.¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Stuart immediately got the driver to head downtown.

    As soon as they arrived there,Raeleigh asked Jepherson, ¡°Was this the ce?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we found the car here. However, most of the surveince cameras here are not working, so we have not been able to find any clues. We¡¯re still looking.¡±

    Jepherson was standing in a corner and talking to Raeleighwhen Santiago walked over from the side. Seeing Raeleigh and Jepherson there, he asked, ¡°Why are you two here?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh wants to try and look for Deanna,¡± Jepherson answered. Santiago looked at Raeleigh with disdain in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re pregnant, why are you running around outside?¡±

    Gloom descended on Raeleigh¡¯s face. ¡°Can you not treat me this way?¡±

    ¡°Well then, how should I treat you,sis?¡± Raeleigh¡¯s heart sank when she heard the word ¡®sis¡¯. She didn¡¯t dare to say anything.

    Santiago immediately burst intoughter. ¡°What? Are you scared?¡±

    Raeleigh knew that Santiago was joking, but she did feel a little guilty. At that point, she turned around and surveyed their surroundings. ¡°There are not many roads here. If she got off here, the only ce she could have hidden is in those buildings. If we can¡¯t find her on the streets, then we¡¯d better try searching in those buildings. Maybe she¡¯s inside.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is right. Santiago, gather some people and enter those buildings. Look for her there,¡± Jepherson instructed.

    Santiago replied, ¡°We¡¯ll do that tomorrow. It¡¯s alreadyte. If we go in there to find her and disturb the residents, then we¡¯ll be in more trouble.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s words made sense. Raeleigh took a look at Jepherson. The three of them kept searching the streets. They walked through the surrounding streets and alleys, searchingeverywhere they could find, but there was still no trace of Deanna.

    They searched until the next morning. By then, Raeleigh was sleepy and fatigued. Jepherson carried her back into the car.Deanna was still nowhere to be found.

 Chapter 1112 Who Does He Like?

    Raeleigh slept in the car for the whole morning while the rest continued searching for Deanna. By the time Raeleigh woke up, it was already noon. She knew she could not sit around and wait for Deanna to emerge from her hiding spot.

    With that, Raeleigh got out of the car and searched several streets. Stuart was afraid that something would happen to Raeleigh, so he followed her. As evening arrived, she still could not find Deanna. Making her way back to the car, she found Zorion and the others waiting by the car. They were all quiet when they saw her. Raeleigh had no choice but to walk to the other side. Stuart opened the car door for her to get in. She sat in the car, staring into space. What else could she have done? None of them were able to find Deanna.

    Not long after, Jepherson entered the car. As soon as he got in, he pulled Raeleigh into his arms and kissed her forehead. Then, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to find her.¡±

    Raeleigh wrapped her arms around Jepherson and remained silent. She felt as if there was a huge weight pressing on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.

    Raeleigh let go of Jepherson and took a look outside. Jepherson then opened the door and looked at Zorion, who was standing outside with a gloomy face. He said, ¡°There is a possibility that Deanna was kidnapped. There¡¯s no point in continuing with the search. I think it¡¯s best if you put out a missing person¡¯s notice.¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Zorion¡¯s face darkened. Why did Jepherson want him to put out a missing person¡¯s notice? Once this matter was made public, he knew something bad would happen. What should he do at that time? Who knew what would happen to Deanna at that time? There were several possibilities.

    Zorion did not even dare to imagine what could happen to his sister.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to announce her name. You can just say that it¡¯s a missing girl.¡± Jepherson¡¯s expression was solemn. He could not think of any other solution at the moment, and this was the only one. As long as they could find Deanna, he did not care what means were avable.

    Zorion was not a fool. He thought for a moment before replying, ¡°That won¡¯t do. I¡¯ve offended too many people. I know something will happen to Deanna if this matter was made public.¡±

    Santiago was standing to one side. They had been looking for Deanna for a couple of days then, but they still hadn¡¯t found her yet. He hadn¡¯t had a single bite of food for the past couple of days.

    ¡°Why are you being so sentimental? Aren¡¯t you going to offer a high reward? I don¡¯t believe that there are people who do not covet money.¡± Santiago just did not believe in such nonsense.

    Raeleigh was sitting in the car quietly as she watched the three men talk. They looked like they were going out of their minds.

    This situation was very serious.

    Raeleigh frowned and thought to herself, ¡°Santiago is now attached to the Moore family. He cannote out and say that he was looking for his girlfriend. If he does, then it will cause unnecessary trouble.¡±

    In fact, Santiago was genuinely worried about Deanna. Otherwise, he would not be searching for her like a madman. Raeleigh had a feeling that Santiago¡¯s legs were worn out from searching all over the ce for Deanna.

    Jepherson definitely could not do it either. If he did,then people would know that they were looking for Deanna.

    Zorion could not do it too because she was his sister. In the end, the most he could say was that he was looking for his missing girlfriend. Although this method was the best, brave fellows were bound toe forward when there was a high reward, and everyone knew about this method.

    Zorion turned around and walked to one side. He gripped a nearby telephone pole, not saying anything.

    Stuart came over and said, ¡°Young masters, why don¡¯t you say that she¡¯s my sister?¡±

    Jepherson raised his head. Santiago followed suit. Even though Zorion was thest to turn around, everyone had a look of surprise on their faces.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I know what to do,¡± Zorion suddenly said. Raeleigh looked over at Zorion and saw that his eyes were like sharp swords. They were so sharp that they could pierce people¡¯s hearts. Then, he turned around, got back into the car, and drove off.

    Santiago immediately got back into his car and sped off in the same direction as Zorion¡¯s car. Raeleigh wondered whether anything would happen to him since he sped off so quickly on this kind of street.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°If I didn¡¯t know, then I would still think that he still has a crush on Deanna.¡±

    ¡°Who do you think Santiago likes?¡± Jepherson closed the door. He knew that Raeleigh was not feeling well, so he pulled her over and rested her head on hisp. Raeleighy down and stared at Jepherson with a strange look on her face. ¡°I thought he likes Cynthia?¡±

    When Jepherson heard Raeleigh¡¯s answer, he let out augh. ¡°You¡¯re too naive. There¡¯s no way the Richards family and the Moore family can form an alliance through marriage. One of the reasons is that we have blood rtives. Even though we haven¡¯t interacted much over the years, we can¡¯t change the rtionship between the two families. The second reason is, in Capital City, the Moore family and the Richards family are two of the most dominant families. The other one is the Whalen family. Under these circumstances, it¡¯s impossible for the Richards family and Moore family to join forces. Anything carried to its extremes will lead to its decline. The Richards family does not want to be the weakest family among the three nor do we want to be the most dominant.¡±

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that Santiago and Cynthia are just friends and not lovers?¡± That was what she understood from his words, so she asked just to confirm this. As expected, Jepherson nodded his head. So, Raeleigh kept quiet and remained lying on hisp as they made their way back home.

    After getting out of the car, Raeleigh looked at Jepherson and asked, ¡°So, does that mean that Santiago likes Deanna?¡±

    This was what she understood from their conversation. Normally, that would be what people would assume since there were not many people in their circle of friends.

    Unless Santiago had a crush on somebody else whom Raeleigh did not know.

    But then again, Santiago shared the same dormitory as them. The only person that he talked to at night was Cynthia. Would there have been anyone else?

    Besides Cynthia, the only other person he had contact with was Deanna.

    This was the reason Raeleigh asked this question.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson got out of the car and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°You think that he likes Deanna?¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Jepherson. He was keeping her in suspense. ¡°Wait, is it Scarlette?¡±

    Jepherson wanted tough. He walked to Raeleigh and held her in his arms. Raeleigh wrapped one hand around his neck and the other on his waist. Then, she asked, ¡°It¡¯s really Scarlette, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Jepherson lowered his eyes and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Santiago has been very arrogant since young. He will not even bother to take a second look at things that were not up to his expectations.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that Scarlette is not up to his expectations?¡± Raeleigh was confused. She felt that Scarlette was pretty nice. If there was one w about her, it was that she already had Hadrian. Besides, Hadrian was not bad as well, he was just slightly less striking than Santiago. Byparison, Santiago was like a dragon, as he was fearless, while Hadrian was a tiger, who was afraid to step out of his own territory.

    To put it bluntly, there was no way topare the two.

    However, love was something that had no reason. A person could fall in love with anyone they liked.

    If a person really liked another, then they would not care about their identity.

    It was just that it took two people to love, and those two people had to have the same feelings for each other.

 Chapter 1113 One After Another

    Jepherson did not answer Raeleigh¡¯s question. As soon as they got home, Jepherson led Raeleigh upstairs for a shower first. They had been busy these past couple of days and had to worry about Deanna. Raeleigh put aside all of her worries and went to take a shower. Then, shey down on the bed and thought about her and Jepherson. She felt a little fickle and impatient as shey on the bed.

    After Jepherson dried off his hair, he walked towards the bed. He sat on it and looked at Raeleigh. He asked her whether she was tired. Raeleigh replied, ¡°A little. Are you going to take a rest?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to head out and check on Santiago and Zorion. I need to know what their ns are. If my grandmother finds out about this, then it will be very troublesome.¡±

    Jepherson lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh. Although he was reluctant to leave, he had no choice. Thus, he left after giving her a kiss.

    Raeleigh¡¯s mood was much better after Jepherson left. However, she found herself staying up, thinking about Deanna. In the end, she did not sleep the entire night.

    Raeleigh took a short nap in the morning and woke up just before noon. She went downstairs and saw Scarlette, looking a little restless. She was sitting on the couch while Hadrian was standing at the door. Both of them looked guilty and looked like they did not know how to exin their actions.

    Although Zorion did not me Scarlette for what happened, Scarlette med herself. If she hadn¡¯t said anything, then Deanna would not have run away. As for Hadrian, it was because of her that he did not say anything.

    Raeleigh paused for a moment on the stairs, and she then walked over to Scarlette. She called out, ¡°Scarlette.¡±

    Scarlette stood up and stared at her nkly. She had been waiting for Raeleigh to wake up all morning. Then again, Raeleigh was pregnant and she had to allow Raeleigh to sleep more. Therefore, she had been waiting till then.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Raeleigh actually knew that Scarlette was ming herself for what happened to Deanna.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault that Deanna¡¯s missing. If I kept quiet,then she would not have run away,¡± Scarlette said as tears welled up in her eyes. She did not mean to do it. It was just that sometimes, she just could not tolerate Deanna¡¯s behavior. However, Deanna going missing had nothing to do with her, yet she med herself.

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s upset that she¡¯s missing, but it¡¯s not your own fault. Don¡¯t worry, we will be able to find her.¡± Raeleigh could only say so.

    ¡°But I feel like something¡¯s going to happen to her,¡± Scarlette said as tears rolled down her cheeks. Raeleigh raised her hand to wipe Scarlette¡¯s tears away and said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. If you cry, then I¡¯ll cry too. There¡¯s always a solution to every problem, but crying is not one of them.¡±

    ¡°Then, what are we going to do? How can she just disappear? Jepherson said that this had nothing to do with the Moore family. If it¡¯s not, then where did she go? I¡¯m sure that her disappearance had something to do with the Moore family. I wanted to go out and find her, but Hadrian stopped me. Now, he¡¯s guarding the door. There¡¯s no way out for me,¡± Scarlette whined. Raeleigh briefly nced at Hadrian, thinking that Hadrian was doing the right thing. However, she also understood how Scarlette was feeling right then.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and she then said, ¡°Are you going to attend ssester?¡±

    Hadrian looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Yes, we are.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯lle with you. I want to see whether Flynt¡¯s around, and ask him whether he¡¯s the mastermind.¡± Raeleigh picked up her coat and dragged Scarlette to the door. However, Hadrian stopped them and told them that they were not allowed to leave.

    ¡°Jepherson asked me to watch over Scarlette. He said that she¡¯s not allowed to leave. He¡¯ll inform us if there¡¯s any news. I cannot disobey his instructions.¡± Hadrian frowned. He was distressed seeing Scarlette like this. Although he was usually cold towards her, it did not mean that he was heartless.

    Scarlette wanted to shove Hadrian out of the way when she heard his words. She was in a bad mood these past two days. In the past, Hadrian had never cared about her and that was because she made the first move and pursued him. Then, ever since they slept together, she was deemed worthless. In Hadrian¡¯s eyes, she was worthless.

    Scarlette used all her might to shove Hadrian out of the way, but he did not budge. Raeleigh did not dare to do anything because she was worried she would harm the baby in her stomach.

    ¡°Scarlette, what are you doing? Why can¡¯t you be more civilised and use words to express yourself? Why do you have to push him?¡±

    Raeleigh tried to pull Scarlette away. Scarlette stared at Hadrian and gritted her teeth. ¡°You are shameless. You¡¯ve never cared about me and now, you¡¯re blocking my way. Do you want to force me to my death?¡±

    ¡°If something were to happen to Deanna, then how am I going to live with myself?¡±

    Scarlette shouted as she dropped to her knees. Raeleigh even felt her ears buzzing. She was caught by surprise by the magnitude of Scarlette¡¯s voice. She held her stomach and said, ¡°Scarlette, please calm down. My baby cannot take your screaming.¡±

    Raeleigh wanted her to calm down. She had no idea that Scarlette would have been so agitated. Scarlette immediately stopped shouting, turned around, and picked up a chair to hit Hadrian. However, Hadrian managed to dodge it in time and gave her a tight p on the face.

    Scarlette was petrified. Hadrian gritted his teeth, and his face was extremely cold. ¡°That¡¯s enough! This only happened because you were too impulsive! Haven¡¯t you had enough? What can you do when you go out? Jepherson is afraid that something bad will happen to you. That¡¯s why he wants you to stay home, but you still insist on going out! For how long are you nning to throw a tantrum?!¡±

    Hadrian kept a straight face. He kept his hand that he used to p Scarlette behind his back and clenched his fists tightly. Not only did the p hurt Scarlette¡¯s face, but it also hurt his heart.

    After all those years, it was not that he did not like her. He had a weird personality and he was as rigid as a block of wood.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    He slept with Scarlette when she was sixteen. He was two years older than her. At that time, he was eighteen years old. At that time, they were young and naive,so it was natural for a handsome boy to be attracted to a pretty girl. What did they know? They knew nothing, but¡­

    They knew what was bound to happen in rtionships between a man and a woman.

    He did not want to ruin his image of Scarlette, so he rejected her again and again. But in the end, he still could not change it.

    They were grown up then. It was normal for him and Scarlette to be together. He could refuse her once or twice, but he could not refuse her anymore.

    It was as addictive as taking drugs. Once a person took it, they would keeping back for more.

    A lot of things did not just happen overnight. Instead, they gradually build up habits over time.

    Hadrian gritted his teeth. It wasn¡¯t that he did not like her, it was just that he did not know how to express his feelings for her. However, what Scarlette needed was someone who knew how tomunicate and coax her. He just wasn¡¯t that person. What could he have done?

    Hadrian clenched his fist and stared at Scarlette. Raeleigh held her breath as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. Did Hadrian just p Scarlette?

    ¡°Hadrian, what are you doing? Why are you doing this? Get out!¡± Raeleigh hurried over to check on Scarlette¡¯s face. Her face was red and swollen. She could imagine how hard Hadrian had pped Scarlette.

    Raeleigh red at Hadrian and dragged Scarlette back onto the couch. She asked Serra to bring the first aid kit and some ice.

    Scarlette sat stunned on the couch. She neither responded to Raeleigh, nor did she scream or push her away.

    Raeleigh took a look at Hadrian, who stood rooted by the door. His heart ached, but he could not control himself. He could not find any other way to resolve this issue.

    Raeleigh felt a little guilty. If she had not wanted to go to school with Scarlette, then this would not have happened.

    A series of events were unfolding one after another.

 Chapter 1114 Sheâ€™s Not Junk

    Serra quickly found the first aid kit and brought over some ice.

    Raeleigh helped Scarlette clean her wound. Scarlette looked much calmer right thenpared to moments ago. She sat on the couch and remained silent. She was so quiet that it was a little scary.

    Raeleigh touched Scarlette¡¯s hands and realized that they were a little cold. Then, she asked, ¡°Why are your hands so cold? Are you having a fever?¡±

    Raeleigh ced her hand on Scarlette¡¯s forehead to check her temperature, but it was cool.

    ¡°Serra, can you bring me the thermometer?¡± Raeleigh instructed Serra. Serra immediately went looking for the thermometer but failed to find it. Raeleigh let go of Scarlette¡¯s hand and tried to find it on her own. In the end, she realized that the thermometer had fallen in between the gaps. It was no wonder Serra could not find it. Once Raeleigh found it, she slid the thermometer under Scarlette¡¯s arm, taking Scarlette¡¯s temperature.

    Scarlette sat on the couch and did not move. She just kept insisting that she was fine.

    Hadrian stood by the door and felt a stabbing pain in his chest as he looked at Scarlette.

    Raeleigh felt ufortable and yelled at him. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there like a fool. Come over and help. I don¡¯t want you to regret it in case anything happens.¡±

    Raeleigh rarely scolded anyone. She sounded a little angry when she spoke. She knew that this would not have happened if she did not drag Scarlette to the door and insisted on heading over to the university.

    The same was true with Deanna. If she had not said anything, then perhaps¡­

    It was toote then. Raeleigh was in a mess and her mind was buzzing.

    Hadrian entered the house but did not even bother looking at Scarlette. He pretended as if nothing had happened.

    Scarlette remained quiet. She did not care what other people said. She just sat there quietly.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    Serra was a little older than everyone in the house. Although she was not that old, she watched Santiago and Scarlette grow up. When Serra saw Scarlette¡¯s appearance, she became a little worried.

    ¡°Scarlette, let me have a look.¡± Raeleigh took out the thermometer and had a look. It seemed that she was not having a fever. She kept the thermometer away and heaved a sigh of relief. Then, she took a look at Hadrian and said to Scarlette, ¡°Hadrian was in¡­¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, I am tired. I want to have a rest. Can you stay with me while I catch some rest?¡± Scarlette suddenly stood up and said to Raeleigh. Raeleigh had no choice but to follow Scarlette into the room.

    Scarlette entered the room and closed the door. She walked to the bed, lifted the quilt, and sat on the bed. Then, she buried her head in her knees and did not say anything. Raeleigh went over and sat down next to her. ¡°Scarlette, please don¡¯t be sad. This is my fault. I didn¡¯t think it through.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Scarlette said, not looking at Raeleigh. ¡°You won¡¯t understand. I was the one who forced him back then. I know he was not willing to do it.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the two of you haven¡¯t done it?¡±

    Raeleigh asked, trying to make small talk. In normal circumstances, Scarlette would have exined it to her, but that day, she was not in the mood. She was genuinely upset.

    It had been so many years. Even a person without emotions would gradually feel something in their heart.

    Sometimes, Scarlette did not understand why Jepherson was so keen on pursuing Raeleigh. Raeleigh was like a stone with no feelings at all. Now that she thought of it, wasn¡¯t she doing the same thing?

    Was she also pursuing a heartless stone?

    Scarlette felt extremely ufortable right then. She was so ufortable to the point where she felt like crying her heart out. Everything that she and Hadrian had built over the years just vanished into thin air.

    She felt as if she had been trampled on by Hadrian.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ Can you please go out? I want to be alone.¡±

    Scarlette spoke to Raeleigh in a hoarse voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay with you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I just want to be alone for a while. I¡¯m fine, really.¡± She buried her head in her knees, unable to say anything else.

    Raeleigh felt helpless when she saw Scarlette. She had no choice but to stand up.

    ¡°Call me if you need anything. I¡¯ll be outside.¡± Raeleigh stood and waited for Scarlette¡¯s reply, but she did not say anything. Then, Raeleigh turned around and made her way to the door. She stood at the door and watched Scarlette for a while. Seeing that Scarlette was still, Raeleigh left the room.

    When Raeleigh emerged from the room, she was met with Hadrian. She walked over to him and said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have pped her.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and went to the couch. She had a headache, so she sat down and began to massage her temples.

    She had never had such a headache before. She felt as if her head was going to explode.

    Serra went over to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Young Madam¡­¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Serra. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Would you like some soup? You haven¡¯t had anything to eat yet,¡± Serra reminded Raeleigh. She could not remember thest time she ate.

    ¡°Can you please make me some oatmeal? I¡¯ll share some with Scarlette,¡± Raeleigh said. Serra immediately went into the kitchen to make the oatmeal. It did not take long before she emerged from the kitchen. Raeleigh brought a bowl of oatmeal up to Scarlette, but Scarlette said she did not feel like eating.

    Raeleigh then brought the bowl of oatmeal back down and decided to eat it instead. She was pregnant, so she had to eat. She had already skipped a few meals.

    Raeleigh ate her oatmeal and watched Hadrian. Every once in a while, he would look over at Scarlette¡¯s room. Raeleigh was not a busybody. She decided to give him some space and allowed him to do whatever he wanted. So, she made her way back upstairs.

    When Raeleigh realized that the sky was getthing dark, she told Serra, ¡°I won¡¯t be having dinner. I¡¯m going back to my room to get some rest. Let me know when Mr. Jepherson gets home.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Young Madam.¡±

    Then, Raeleigh went back to her room. As soon as Raeleigh entered her room, Hadrian made his way towards Scarlette¡¯s room. Serra also knew what was going on, so she turned around and went back into the kitchen. She did not want to see anything.

    Hadrian stood outside Scarlette¡¯s room and knocked on the door twice.

    For a long time, there were no movements in the room. After a while, she said, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry, Raeleigh. I¡¯ll eat if I¡¯m hungry. Why don¡¯t you get some rest? It¡¯s getting dark.¡±

    Scarlette said as she leaned against the headboard of her bed, in the midst of the darkness. That afternoon, she had thought through a lot of things. There were some things she could not force. If it belonged to her, then it would eventually be hers.

    Hadrian did not belong to her. She should not have pursued him shamelessly back then. In the end, she still could not have him as Hadrian did not have any feelings for her.

    Scarlette felt a lump in her throat. She felt exhausted, so exhausted that she wanted to die.

    But then again, what was the point if she died? Deanna was yet to be found.

    Scarlette sat on the bed, with her face pale.

    Hadrian continued knocking on the door.

    Scarlette said, ¡°Raeleigh, can you please leave me alone?¡±

    Outside the door, Hadrian¡¯s brows were deeply furrowed. He felt ufortable all over. Why did her voice sound so raspy?

    ¡°It¡¯s me. Open the door,¡± Hadrian finally said. Suddenly, Scarlette stopped talking. There was a moment of silence before Hadrian continued.¡°Can you please open the door?¡±

    It was like an order, but Scarlette did not do anything. She bit her lips. She was not a piece of junk, she wasn¡¯t¡­

    Tears began rolling down Scarlette¡¯s cheeks. Her parents abandoned her when she was young. She did not know what love was. Then, she ended up in his bed. He did not want to do it, but she was assertive. In the end, he took her virginity.

    Was she tainted? Did no one want her?

    Scarlette shook her head and wiped her tears away. She wasn¡¯t tainted, she wasn¡¯t¡­

 Chapter 1115 Start of Treatment

    Hadrian knocked on the door for a long time, but Scarlette was still unwilling to open the door. Raeleigh heard it, but she did not want to interfere with their matters. It was better for them to solve it on their own. She did not want to cause any unnecessary problems again.

    ¡°Please open the door,¡± Hadrian said, getting impatient. The coldness was emanating from his body. Scarlette remained seated on the bed, not wanting to move at all. She did not want to see Hadrian. She would rather die than to see him.

    She already had made up her mind. If they were not able to find Deanna, then she woulde up with a way to find her. If they found her, then she would go abroad to study.

    Jepherson once said that she could do whatever she wanted and that included going abroad to study.

    Then, that was what she was going to do. She was going to go abroad to study and do things that she had always wanted to do. She did not want to return ever again.

    While Scarlette was deep in thought, Hadrian managed to force open the door.

    As soon as the door was opened, Scarlette looked at the door, anticipating the neer in the room. Hadrian was like a ghost as he stood by the door. Scarlette stared at him without saying a word. Hadrian then entered the room and closed the door. He raised his hand to turn on the lights and walked towards Scarlette.

    Scarlette looked at him and said, ¡°Please don¡¯te over. I don¡¯t want to see you.¡±

    Hadrian did not stop. He continued walking towards Scarlette and she reflexively cowered in the corner of the bed. She tried her best to ignore him while remaining calm. She did not want to see him.

    Hadrian raised his hand and held Scarlette. ¡°What are you doing? Why are you hiding from me now? You¡¯ve already slept with me. What¡¯s the point of doing this now?¡±

    Scarlette was stunned when she heard his words. She was already in a bad mood and after hearing what Hadrian said. She was heartbroken. She knew back then that she was the one who had pressured him.

    Scarlette slowly raised her head and looked at Hadrian with a sarcastic smile. ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you kill me now? Why are you tolerating me?¡±

    Hadrian gritted his teeth. ¡°D*mn it! Why do you want to die?!¡±

    Scarletteughed. ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t know me well. The more people want me to die, the less likely I am to die.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you die.¡± Hadrian gritted his teeth and stared at her swollen face, but he could not say anything else.

    Scarlette gave Hadrian a shove, but he bit her in return.

    Scarlette paused for a moment before kicking Hadrian hard. She stood on the bed and looked at Hadrian coldly. ¡°Get the f**k out of here! I don¡¯t need you anymore. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to find someone who actually loves me. Clearly, you¡¯re not that person. Get out, now! I don¡¯t want you anymore.¡±

    ¡°Remember, you were not the one who dumped me. I was the one who dumped you!¡±

    Scarlette held back her tears as she spoke. Hadrian, who was standing beneath the bed, gritted his teeth, and said, ¡°Get down from the bed.¡±

    Scarlette refused to heed his words. She red at Hadrian and said, ¡°Get out! I don¡¯t want to see you anymore! Isn¡¯t that what you want?! This is good for both of us, isn¡¯t it? We are done! We don¡¯t have to see each other anymore. Let¡¯s break up!¡±

    ¡°I may not be weed here, but I will be weed elsewhere. Once Deanna has been found, I¡¯m going to tell Jepherson that I¡¯m going abroad to study and do the things that I¡¯ve always wanted to do.¡±

    ¡°You want to go abroad to study?¡± Hadrian¡¯s eyes were deep. His face was gloomy. ¡°You can¡¯t even speak any othernguages. Why the h*ll do you want to go abroad?¡±

    ¡°I may not know any othernguages, but I can learn. You don¡¯t have to care about what I do.¡± She looked around and picked up a wooden hanger. She said to Hadrian, ¡°Get out now! This is where we end things. We no longer have anything to do with each other. We will never contact each other again. You are free to love whoever you want, and I am free to fall in love with whoever I want. I believe that with my beauty and physique, I will definitely be able to find a boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? Get down from the bed!¡± Hadrian was furious. She belonged to him. When did he allow her to find another boyfriend? To go abroad? Why did she want to go abroad? What did she mean?

    He knew that if Scarlette left, she would nevere back.

    ¡°Stop yelling at me! I¡¯m not your ve! Get out!¡± Scarlette bellowed. She used the wooden hanger and pointed at Hadrian. He gritted his teeth and began to bite his lips. ¡°Get off the bed, now!¡±

    Scarlette thought for a moment. If Hadrian were to get up on the bed, then she would put up a desperate fight.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯m noting down. I¡¯m telling you, if you keep shouting and yelling at me, or denigrate me, then I¡¯ll fight you to the death. You b*stard!¡±

    Her throat was aching. It hurt whenever she yelled. Her face alternated between looking pale and appearing flushed due to the pain. Moreover, her face was swollen. Her current appearance was ugly. However, Hadrian¡¯s heart ached when he saw her appearance.

    ¡°Why are you shouting? Shut up!¡± Hadrian was very frank. He would always use force if things were not going his way and put on a stern look.

    Scarlette became sullen when she saw Hadrian¡¯s expression. What was the point of being with him? He was always cold towards her. Right then, his attitude had changed, and he even hit and scolded her.

    The more she thought about it, the more ufortable she felt. She shouted at Hadrian, ¡°Get out of here! Now!¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Hadrian reached out and tried to grab Scarlette. However, Scarlette turned around and wanted to hit him back, but she lost her footing and fell from the bed. Hadrian hurried over to catch her, but she dodged him,nding on the ground.

    With a bang, Scarlette fell from the bed, and onto the ground. It was so painful that she held her legs and rolled on the ground.

    Hadrian took a few steps forward, knelt down, and carried her to the bedside. ¡°Let me have a look.¡±

    Scarlette was in a lot of pain. She looked up and hugged her legs. She did not know where she was hurt. Hadrian asked, ¡°Where do you feel pain? Is it the knee or the shin?¡±

    Scarlette was in so much pain that for a moment, she forgot that she was mad at Hadrian. He was so anxious that his forehead was covered with sweat. ¡°Come on, answer me. Where do you feel pain?¡±

    ¡°Get out! Get out, now!¡±

    ¡°Where on Earth do you feel the pain?¡±

    Hadrian was usually very calm when in crisis. However, when he was faced with Scarlette, he became frantic. He did not know what to do. As soon as he touched Scarlette, she sweated in pain. He genuinely did not know what to do.

    Raeleigh stood outside and listened. Then, she opened the door and saw that Scarlette was in a lot of pain. Scarlette kept pushing him away. However, Hadrian held her hands tightly and did not want to let go. His face was full of anxiety and sweat.

    Raeleigh stood at the door nkly for a moment. When she saw Scarlette on the ground, she immediately rushed over to her. She shoved Hadrian¡¯s hand away and asked, ¡°Where are you hurt? Your knee or your shin?¡±

    ¡°My knees,¡± Scarlette muttered. Then, Raeleigh immediately ordered Hadrian. ¡°Carry her to the bed.¡±

    Hadrian did as he was told. He picked Scarlette up and carried her to the bed. Scarlette was still struggling to push him away. In the end, Hadrian stepped away.

    ¡°Call Xanthus. He¡¯s an excellent doctor.¡± Thest time Raeleigh was hurt, Xanthus treated her injuries.

    Hadrian thought for a moment and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have his number.¡±

    ¡°Watch Scarlette. I¡¯ll call him.¡± Raeleigh went out in a hurry. She went over to Novalie¡¯s side and retrieved her notebook. She flipped through the book and found Xanthus¡¯ number. Then, she called him.

    It did not take long before Xanthus arrived.

    When Raeleigh saw him, she immediately greeted him and brought him to Scarlette¡¯s room.

    Xanthus hadn¡¯t seen Raeleigh in a long time, so he took a second look at her. Then, he followed her into Scarlette¡¯s room.

    When Xanthus entered the room, Hadrian was wiping the sweat off of Scarlette¡¯s forehead. Scarlette was pushing his hand away, refusing to let him get close to her. She even told him to stop shedding crocodile tears.

    That time, Hadrian fell silent. He did not say a word and allowed her to scold him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel ashamed? Can you be quiet for a while? You don¡¯t look like a patient at all.¡± Raeleigh entered the room and scolded Scarlette. Scarlette immediately kept quiet and looked at Xanthus.

    Only then did Xanthus start to treat Scarlette¡¯s injury.

 Chapter 1116 Unfortunately

    Scarlette¡¯s injury was bad, but she was feeling much better then. She was then lying on the bed, allowing Hadrian to take care of her.

    Hadrian covered Scarlette with a quilt, got up, and said, ¡°Thank you, Dr. Osteen.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Remember to watch what she eats. She¡¯s not allowed to eat any raw or spicy food. She has a bone bruise. If it¡¯s not cured, then it¡¯ll cause her trouble in the future,¡± Xanthus said as he reached for his medicine box and took out a syringe. ¡°I¡¯ll have to give her an injection. She¡¯ll need to have an injection everyday for the next week until her injury heals.¡±

    Xanthus spoke as he gave Scarlette the injection. Hadrian walked over to Scarlette and said, ¡°If it hurts, then just yell.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± She put her hand by her side and frowned when it hurt.

    Hadrian looked extremely worried. After Xanthus gave her the injection, he turned around and started packing up his things to leave.

    Raeleigh walked Xanthus out while Hadrian remained in the room. He closed the door as soon as Xantus left.

    Scarlette frowned and red at Hadrian. ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave?¡±

    ¡°Who is going to watch you if I leave? I¡¯ll stay and take care of you,¡± Hadrian said as he walked over to Scarlette¡¯s bedside and took a seat. He stared at Scarlette.

    Scarlette¡¯s face was still swollen. When Hadrian saw her face, his gaze turned cold. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a nap? You¡¯ll be fine after you wake up.¡±

    She snorted and said, ¡°You can go now. Raeleigh will being back soon.¡±

    ¡°Xanthus agreed toe only because of Raeleigh. I¡¯m sure they are going to chat for a while. I¡¯ll stay with you. Furthermore, she¡¯s pregnant. It¡¯s not convenient for her to take care of you,¡± Hadrian said with his head down. His heart ached whenever he saw her swollen face.

    Scarlette thought about it for a moment and rolled her eyes. She tugged at the nket and covered her face, not wanting to look at Hadrian.

    Hadrian pulled the quilt down. Scarlette was caught by surprise and yelled, ¡°You motherf*cker¡­¡±

    Scarlette did not finish her sentence. It was not that she did not know how to swear. It was just that she had never been allowed to swear ever since she was young.

    She pursed her lips and impatiently covered her head with the quilt. Hadrian pulled it down again and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to kiss you if you keep disobeying me.¡±

    Hadrian gulped. Scarlette felt as if she had heard a joke. She briefly cast a nce at his lips in disdain. She did not say anything, but she remembered the stupid things she had done over the years. She always made the first move, be it kissing or hand-holding. It was never Hadrian who made the first move.

    Scarlette remained silent. Her expression was deathly still.

    ¡°You can leave. I want to¡­¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Suddenly, Hadrian walked over and kissed her. She stared at him with her eyes wide open and raised eyebrows as he kissed her. After a long time, he finally pulled away and asked, ¡°Now, do you know how powerful I am?¡±

    Scarlette was frantic as she said, ¡°Have you gone mad?¡±

    Hadrian lowered his head and kissed her fiercely. It was as if he was punishing her. He lingered on her lips as Scarlette stared at him like a fool. Everything was a blur. She felt as if she was dreaming.

    Hadrian continued to kiss her until her face turned red. She was breathless by the time he pulled away. He gently pinched her chin and said, ¡°Breathe.¡±

    Scarlette took a deep breath. As soon as she exhaled, Hadrian went in for another kiss. He held both her hands after he pulled away and briefly nced at her injected arm. He then said, ¡°Once Deanna has been found, let¡¯s register our marriage and have kids.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Scarlette did not know how to react for a moment.

    Hadrian repeated himself. ¡°I said, once Deanna has been found, I¡¯ll tell Jepherson that we¡¯re going to get married and have kids.¡±

    Scarlette felt that Hadrian had lost his mind. Shey motionless on the bed, processing what he had just said. Scarlette felt that something must have happened.

    Scarlette wiped her mouth and tugged at the nket. She did not say a word.

    ¡°Am I dirty?¡± Hadrian stared at Scarlette¡¯s pink lips. He had left his saliva all over her, but right then it was gone.

    Scarlette pulled the quilt and said, ¡°I don¡¯t feel well. Can you please go out?¡±

    Scarlette did not want to talk about anything else. She wanted to think things through. She wondered what had gone wrong.

    What was up with Hadrian all of a sudden?

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep youpany. You can sleep.¡± Hadrian did not want to leave. He remained seated on the bed. Since he refused to leave, Scarlette had no choice but to pretend to close her eyes and hoped that he would eventually leave. As a result, as soon as she closed her eyes, Hadrian lowered his head and kissed her on the lips as well as the edges of her face. Scarlette did not move the entire time. Hadrian finally left after he was satisfied. Scarlette felt as if she was going to approach the execution ground. She felt very ufortable and had goosebumps all over.

    Hadrian pulled apart after he finished kissing her. He then tucked Scarlette in and realized that there was still some space beside her. So, he quickly took off all his clothes and got in bed next to her. Then, he pulled her into his arms and ran his hand underneath her shirt. His touch was driving her mad.

    Scarlette finally calmed down when Hadrian stopped.

    Scarlette was unsure how to feel. She thought to herself, ¡°What the f*ck is going on?¡±

    She was so restless that she could not fall asleep.

    Raeleigh did not return to check on her.

    Raeleigh was apanying Novalie while Xanthus was examining her. After the examination, he had no intention of leaving. He just sat at the side and talked to Raeleigh. After a moment, he took out a photo from his pocket.

    ¡°Take a look at this.¡± Xanthus showed Raeleigh the photo. Raeleigh epted it and took a look. It was a picture of a young and beautiful woman. She looked familiar, but she could not put a finger on who the woman was. She was dressed as though she was from the eighties. Although it looked like a military uniform, she still looked very fashionable.

    ¡°Look at her eyes and smile,¡± Xanthus said. Raeleigh studied the photo for a long time, but she still had no idea who the person was. ¡°I have no idea who this woman is.¡±

    Raeleigh intended to return the photo to Xanthus, but he immediately said, ¡°Let Novalie have a look. Let¡¯s put it next to your face.¡±

    Xanthus said as he ced the photo beside Raeleigh¡¯s face forparison. He stood aside and allowed Novalie to see it. Novalie was stunned at first nce.

    However, Novalie was quick on her feet. She quickly came back to her senses and said, ¡°That¡¯s strange. Why do they look alike?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, this woman has the same eyes and lips as you.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a while when she heard her grandmother¡¯s words. Then, she lowered her head and looked at the photo in her hand carefully. She realized that she looked a little like the woman in the photo.

    ¡°Who is the woman?¡± Raeleigh asked politely. Xanthus exined, ¡°This is my mother. Look at her stomach. It¡¯s bulging. At that time, she was pregnant with my sister. She came here to study archaeology, but she was threatened by a man. She did not want to do conscienceless things. As a result, my sister was kidnapped as soon as she was born. At that time, everything was a mess. My parents could not fend for themselves. That¡¯s how they took my sister away. Later, we searched all over for her and finally found some information on her. We eventually found out that she had been living in an orphanage, but we were toote. She disappeared in a fire at the orphanage.¡±

    Disappeared?

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the picture in her hand and was lost in thought for a long time. She stared at Xanthus for a long time before asking, ¡°How old was your sister when she was brought to this orphanage?¡±

    ¡°Not long after she was born. She was basically a newborn.¡±

    A newborn?

    Raeleigh looked at the photo and Xanthus. She could only say that it was a pity.

    She knew that she was not a newborn when she arrived at the orphanage. When she was brought to the orphanage, she was about 3 to 4 years old.

    How could a toddler be regarded as a newborn?

    She really hoped that she was his missing sister, but unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t!

 Chapter 1117 Punish Her With His Body

    After seeing Xanthus off, Raeleigh made her way into her grandmother¡¯s room. Novalie was actually waiting for her. When she saw Raeleigh, she asked Raeleigh to sit beside her. Raeleigh did as she was told and waited for Novalie¡¯s question.

    Novalie then asked, ¡°Do you feel that you¡¯re not rted to Xanthus?¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at her grandmother. ¡°I always thought that I was¡­¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re out of your mind. Stop thinking that you¡¯re rted to Jepherson. You¡¯re not. You must not be so irresponsible. You¡¯re carrying his baby now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been through so much, and I¡¯m much more experienced than you. Xanthus is not a bad person. If he was,then he would not have troubled himself to find you over and over again. If he wanted to harm someone, then he could have just asked someone to do it for him.¡±

    Novalie understood the situation. She stared at Raeleigh. She did not want her granddaughter to take the wrong path. After all, the baby was innocent and so was Jepherson.

    ¡°I know. You should get some rest. I will contact Xanthus and ask him about it. I¡¯m going to check on Scarlette. She just had an injection.¡± Raeleigh stood up and made her way to the door. She closed the door and carefully thought about the woman in the photo that Xanthus had shown her. Then, she went back to her room and found an old photo of herself. There were indeed a lot of simrities. Raeleigh found a piece of paper and sketched a picture of the woman. Then, she ced it beside her photo forparison. Whether it was the outline, edges, or eyes, Raeleigh felt that she looked quite simr to the woman. On the contrary, she did not look anything like Jenna.

    Raeleigh stayed in the room for a while. Then, she left the room and went downstairs to check on Scarlette. She walked to the door and heard nothing from the room. At that time, she figured that Scarlette was already asleep since it was quitete at night. So, she went back up to her room.

    After Raeleigh went back to her room, she ced the two pictures side by side and studied the pictures again. She felt as if she had been separated from the woman in the photo for a lifetime.

    Seeing that it waste at night and Jepherson hadn¡¯te back yet, Raeleigh sent Jepherson a goodnight message. After cleaning up a little, she went back to her bed andy down. She could not stay upte as she was pregnant, but she hoped that Jepherson would be able to get some rest.

    Jepherson came home not long after Raeleigh fell asleep. As the car rolled up into the house, Jepherson looked up towards their room, realizing that the lights were off.

    After getting out of the car, Jepherson asked Stuart to get some rest while he himself made his way back to his room. He opened the door and found the sleeping Raeleigh, illuminated by the moonlight. Then, he quietly made his way to the bathroom to take a shower. When he emerged from the bathroom, Raeleigh was still asleep.

    Raeleigh was unsure how to feel right then. Xanthus was herst hope. If this hope of hers were to shatter, then she would have nothing left.

    She stared at the dark wall opposite her and felt Jepherson wrap his arms around her from behind. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t help but to ask, ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    ¡°Did I wake you?¡± Jepherson asked with a smile and kissed Raeleigh on the shoulder as he held her in his arms.

    ¡°You came back before I fell asleep. Did I disturb you?¡± Raeleigh asked without turning around to see Jepherson. Jepherson shook his head and turned over to lie on the bed. ¡°Come here.¡±

    Jepherson requested. Raeleigh turned over and leaned into his arms. At first, neither of them spoke. Both of them had something on their minds. Then, Raeleigh asked, ¡°How¡¯s the thing with Deanna?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve tried our best to find her. We¡¯ve even put up a missing person¡¯s notice. No one will know that Deanna has gone missing. Now, we¡¯re just waiting for her to show up. We¡¯ve arranged for our men to continue searching for Deanna. If something really happened to her, then everyone would have already known that she¡¯s missing by now.¡±

    ¡°I have a suspicion that it¡¯s Deanna herself who doesn¡¯t want toe home. I doubt she was kidnapped.¡±

    Jepherson ced a hand on Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder and gently stroked her. He subconsciously slid his hand down and turned to kiss Raeleigh, but she did not move. He pressed her down onto the bed and lowered his head to kiss her again. He ran his hand along Raeleigh¡¯s body and said, ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Raeleigh knew what Jepherson meant, but she¡­

    Raeleigh bit her lip and did not know what to do. Jepherson was not in a hurry. He lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh. In the end, Raeleigh gave in and surrendered herself to him.

    She did not know how to enjoy it, but what could she have done then?

    As theyy in each other¡¯s embrace, Raeleigh suddenly shed a tear.

    ¡°Are you in pain?¡± Jepherson did not dare to go too hard because she was pregnant. When he saw her shed a tear, he immediately thought that he had hurt her. So, he lowered his head and kissed the tears on her face.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I get worried whenever I think of Deanna.¡±

    Jepherson kissed her before pulling himself away from Raeleigh. After hugging her for a while, hey back down on the bed. ¡°Deanna¡¯s character is not suitable for surviving among the wealthy. She does not know how to be aconnivingperson. She has been protected since she was young and does not know how to get along with others. That is why she became who she is today.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fragile. Given if it were others, they would not have pulled the same stunt. Even if they were angry, they would not have run away for no reason. But, Deanna ran away again. She did not think about the consequences. If it was Santiago who ran away, once I found him, then the consequence would be unimaginable.¡±

    Raeleigh froze slightly and raised her head to look at Jepherson. She was a bit worried that she couldn¡¯t see his eyes clearly. Raeleigh deliberatelyy on her side and asked him, ¡°What kind of consequences will it bring?¡±

    Jepherson was a man who spoiled Santiago. What would he do to him?

    ¡°I spoiled him because he¡¯s independent now. He knows what he should do and what he shouldn¡¯t do. I dote on him because he is my only brother. If I don¡¯t, then no one will dote on him.¡±

    ¡°But before this, I have already passed on whatever knowledge I know to him.¡±

    ¡°As an elder brother, I have already given him all I can give him. As my younger brother, he has nothing to give to me. At most, it¡¯s gratitude.¡±

    ¡°In the end, he would be much more knowledgeable than me. Whatever I know, I watched and learnt on my own, but he¡¯s different. His knowledge is from whatever I taught him and whatever he picked up on his own.¡±

    ¡°It might be difficult for him at the beginning, but it will be rewarding.¡±

    ¡°There were not many people who could endure hardships, but those who suffered at the beginning would be able to ovee anything in the end.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to worry about him anymore. I¡¯ve done my part.¡±

    ¡°But if I had a younger brother with a personality like Deanna, I would rather break his legs and keep him at home than to allow him to run away. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯ll make him hate me.¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    Raeleigh stared nkly at Jepherson. ¡°That¡¯s what a psycho would do.¡±

    Raeleigh was being honest. She thought to herself, ¡°I doubt any brother would do this to their younger sibling. Even if the younger ones did not behave, they wouldn¡¯t go as far as to cripple their legs. If this wasn¡¯t psychotic, then, what was it?¡±

    However, upon hearing Raeleigh¡¯s words, Jepherson wore a weird look on his face. Raeleigh quickly apologized and smiled awkwardly. ¡°I was too outspoken. You¡­¡±

    However, before Raeleigh could finish her sentence, Jepherson had already climbed on top of her. He was going to punish her with his own body¡­

 Chapter 1118 Ravage Scarlette

    Raeleigh woke up before Jepherson the next morning. She wanted to get out of bed before he did. However, just as she was about to get out of bed, she felt Jepherson¡¯s hand reach over and pulled her back into bed.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired fromst night?¡± Jepherson had just woken up. He sounded a little groggy. Raeleighy back on the bed, saying, ¡°I just wanted to check on Scarlette.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re ditching your handsome husband to go and check on Scarlette?¡± Jepherson chuckled softly. Raeleigh did not know what else to say, so she told him about what happened the night before. Only then did Jepherson understand.

    ¡°Lie down for a while. I think you shouldn¡¯t interfere with their problem. Scarlette will figure it out. They¡¯ve been together for quite a while. Hadrian really needs a change. He¡¯s too cold towards her,¡± Jepherson said, taking Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Then, they went back to sleep and only woke up at noon.

    After Raeleigh got up, there was only one thing that made her feel depressed. Recently, she had been out of routine. She didn¡¯t even know when she should rest or when she should get up.

    While going down the stairs, Raeleigh took a look at the lower floor. Although Scarlette was injured and had to stay in bed, Hadrian wasn¡¯t downstairs either. The only person she saw was Stuart. Hadrian was nowhere to be seen.

    As soon as Raeleigh saw Serra, she asked Serra whether Scarlette had eaten anything. Serra forced a smile and said, ¡°They haven¡¯te out of the room, and I did not want to disturb them.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and nced towards Scarlette¡¯s room. ¡°She should at least have something to eat. Where¡¯s Hadrian?¡±

    ¡°Hadrian hasn¡¯te out yet.¡± That was the first time Serra had seen Hadrian p Scarlette, and that was also the first time he had spent the night in her room. However, the two of them did note out for breakfast that morning. If Hadrian did note out, then who knew what he was doing there? Furthermore, Serra had heard a loud banging from Scarlette¡¯s room. Everyone was feeling very awkward.

    ¡°Is he still inside her room?¡± Raeleigh was also surprised. She had long heardints from Scarlette, saying that Hadrian was never to initiate things between them. It was always her who went looking for him first, and all they would talk about were private matters.

    It was because of this that Scarlette would alwaysin to her. Even Raeleigh knew what was going on.

    Raeleigh looked at Scarlette¡¯s room. It seemed that it was a little inappropriate for her to check on them. However, if they did note out, then what about breakfast?

    ¡°Stuart, why don¡¯t you check on them?¡± Raeleigh said, looking at Stuart. He started to blush. How could he have done such a thing?

    However, at that moment, Jepherson came down the stairs. Although Stuart was embarrassed, he could only bite the bullet and knock on Scarlette¡¯s room door.

    ¡°Scarlette, it¡¯s time to eat.¡±

    Stuart knocked twice on the door. Scarlette immediately got up from the bed. However, Hadrian quickly pressed her down on the bed and rolled on top of her. Scarlette¡¯s face darkened as she said, ¡°Are you done yet?¡±

    Hadrian lowered his head and covered her mouth. He quickly kissed her before pulling away. He looked at the door and said, ¡°We¡¯ll be out in a second.¡±

    Stuart turned and said to Jepherson, ¡°Hadrian says that they will be out in a second.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and went to the other side of the table. He sat down and waited for Hadrian toe out. However, Hadrian only emerged from Scarlette¡¯s room after Jepherson began eating. He closed the door and walked over to Raeleigh and Jepherson. ¡°Mr. Jepherson,¡± Hadrian called out.

    Jepherson did not raise his head. He was enjoying his breakfast. Raeleigh was sitting opposite him calmly. When he lifted her head, her eyes met with Hadrian¡¯s, and she saw some marks on his neck.

    She immediately knew what had happened the night before. She couldn¡¯t help looking at Scarlette¡¯s room. It surely did not look like Scarlette had forced him the night before.

    ¡­

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jepherson asked as he ate. Hadrian thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Has Miss Whalen been found yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, but it¡¯s not a big deal. She ran away by herself. So, tell Scarlette not to worry.¡±

    Jepherson gave Raeleigh a piece of ham. Now that she was pregnant, she needed to eat a lot of nutritious food. Therefore, there were many dishes on the table. This was Jepherson¡¯s request.

    Hadrian was silent for a moment. Then, he said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, there¡¯s something I want to tell you.¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Jepherson said as he ate his oatmeal. He took a napkin and wiped his mouth. Then, he raised his head to look at Hadrian with an indifferent gaze.

    Hadrian said without hesitation, ¡°I want to marry Scarlette.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. It seemed that Scarlette was going to break up with Hadrian a day ago and yet that morning Hadrian said that he wanted to marry Scarlette. Things were taking a turn to what she had expected.

    ¡°If you want to get married, then why are you telling me this on your own? Where¡¯s Scarlette?¡± Jepherson sat upright in his chair with his legs crossed.

    Hadrian thought for a moment and said, ¡°We¡¯ve been together for two years. We were just too young to get married. That¡¯s why we did not mention this to you. She¡¯s been asking me to marry her, but I never said anything. Now, I want to marry her, and I hope that you can grant my wish.¡±

    Raeleigh felt that this matter was a little strange.

    Raeleigh took a look at Jepherson, and surely enough, he did not agree.

    Jepherson lowered his head and said, ¡°Rtionships shouldn¡¯t be one-sided. Scarlette had indeede to me, saying that she wants to marry you, but I did not agree. I will not agree now either, since you¡¯re the only one who came to me. Why don¡¯t the two of you discuss this properly before youe to me again?¡±

    Hadrian thought for a moment and said, ¡°Scarlette belongs to me. Mr. Jepherson¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the same. You two are different from Raeleigh and me.¡± Jepherson asserted dominance. Hadrian had no choice but to say, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Scarlette.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s eat first.¡± In the end, Jepherson did not agree to Hadrian¡¯s request. Hadrian then brought his breakfast into Scarlette¡¯s room to eat.

    After Hadrian entered the room, Raeleigh asked with a smile, ¡°What does he want to do? Is he cing Scarlette under house arrest in my house?¡±

    ¡°No, he isn¡¯t.¡± Raeleigh scorned at Jepherson¡¯s unreasonable attitude. ¡°I don¡¯t like you when you¡¯re like this.¡±

    ¡°Then, what do you like about me?¡± Jephersonughed and leaned to the other side. Raeleigh looked at Scarlette¡¯s room and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but it¡¯ll do more harm than good to keep Scarlette confined in her room.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s their business. If they don¡¯t experience these things, then they will not grow up. Did you see Hadrian¡¯s possessiveness? He¡¯s worried about Scarlette leaving.¡±

    ¡°I think he is very selfish.¡± Raeleigh pouted. She looked really adorable when she was worried about Scarlette. Jepherson was stunned. He stared at Raeleigh without saying a word.

    Raeleigh stood up and walked over to the couch. Jepherson followed her and the two of them sat down together and waited for Scarlette toe out of her room. They were also waiting for Xanthus toe over.

    In the end, Scarlette did note out.

    Perhaps, it was Hadrian who did not allow Scarlette to leave the room.

    ¡°You can leave now,¡± Scarlette said as shey down on the bed. She thought back to that morning where Hadrian suddenly undressed her while she was still asleep. He nearly drove her crazy.

    And right then, Hadrian neither allowed her to get out of bed nor put on any clothes.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go out together when you¡¯re done. I¡¯m browsing some rings now. I want to buy a ring.¡± Hadrian sat on one side and scrolled through his phone. He was checking out some websites that sold jewelry and wedding gowns.

    Scarlette felt that Hadrian was out of his mind.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to me yourself for the p. I don¡¯t really care about it.¡±

    Hadrian looked down and said, ¡°But I do.¡±

    Scarlette gritted her teeth and said, ¡°It must be a joke.¡±

    Hadrian looked at Scarlette with his head tilted. He was different from his usual self. At that moment, Hadrian looked like a domineering CEO who was going to ravage Scarlette any moment.

 Chapter 1119 He Was Unwilling

    Scarlette clenched her fist and said, ¡°When I get out, I will be sure to kill you!¡±

    ¡°I hope we¡¯ll have a baby sooner,¡± said Hadrian. Scarlette snorted coldly and said, ¡°Shame on you! I will not have any children with you. Just give up!¡±

    Scarlette was sick. The doctor once told her that she was infertile. It was difficult for her to get pregnant.

    However, right then, Scarlette no longer cared about this matter. The person she cared about was destined to be bullied. She was the one who bullied others.

    ¡°Are you being stubborn?¡± Hadrian stared fixedly at Scarlette¡¯s mouth. She was not trying to be stubborn. It was just that she could not control her emotions. She suddenly said to Hadrian, ¡°Yes, I mean what I say.¡±

    Hadrian put down his phone and threw himself at Scarlette. She had never thought that Hadrian meant what he said. He lifted the quilt and pulled her towards him. She struggled to get up. Hadrian pressed her hands on the bed and lowered his head, kissing her. He was determined to go on until Scarletteplied with him.

    ¡°Son of a b*tch! Hadrian, you are a b*stard! You¡­ Ah!¡±

    Raeleigh sat on the couch and turned around to look at Scarlette¡¯s room. Jepherson raised his hand to turn Raeleigh¡¯s head back around. ¡°Hear no evil, see no evil¡­¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. She raised her head and looked at Jepherson. ¡°Is it true that every man is like this? Whenever something happens, they will just use force?¡±

    ¡°Am I like that?¡± Jepherson nced at Raeleigh, calm andposed. Raeleigh thought for a while but she did not answer.

    After a while, Hadrian let go of Scarlette and removed the quilt. Scarlette took a deep breath and said, ¡°I am going to kill you.¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Hadrian was cold. Scarlette struggled to grapple out of his hold. In the end, she had to submit to him.

    At dusk, Xanthus finally came over to give Scarlette an injection. Scarlette wasalreadydressed and was sitting on the bed. Scarlette looked at Raeleigh and pulled a long face. ¡°Can you stay with me?¡±

    Raeleigh walked Xanthus to the door. There were still some things that she wanted to inquire about, but she decided to stay and apany Scarlette.

    But Hadrian said, ¡°I can take care of Scarlette. If you have something to do, then you can leave first.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. She wondered whether Hadrian was subtly asking her to leave.

    Raeleigh stood in the doorway and stared nkly for a while. When she saw Scarlette¡¯s eyes, she opted against leaving.

    ¡°You must be tired. You can go out.¡± Raeleigh sat down and covered Scarlette with a quilt. She did not believe that Hadrian would dare to disobey her.

    Hadrian stood to one side. ¡°I have nothing else to do. I¡¯ll stay.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Hadrian. ¡°Are you afraid that I¡¯m going to sell Scarlette?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just worried about her. Her mood is unstable now. She¡¯s thinking about things that she shouldn¡¯t be thinking of.¡±

    After hearing Hadrian¡¯s words, Raeleigh concluded, ¡°You sound guilty. You can¡¯t control what Scarlette can or can¡¯t say. You should reflect on yourself and think about whether you¡¯re telling the truth. Scarlette and I have a good rtionship. Do you think I will trust you? You made it sound like Scarlette is going nuts and needs to be supervised.¡±

    Hadrian was indifferent. ¡°Not funny.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do? Are you saying that you won¡¯t leave?¡± Raeleigh wore a poker face. Hadrian was not the only one who could wear a poker face.

    She was not afraid of going up against Hadrian.

    Hadrian then looked at Scarlette and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go out.¡±

    Scarlette pressed her lips together, not saying a word.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a minute. I¡¯ll pack some clothes.¡± After that, Hadrian left. Scarlette stared coldly towards the door and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need you.¡±

    Without saying anything, Hadrian opened the door and went out. Raeleigh felt that she was in a difficult position.

    ¡°You have a sore throat. Please don¡¯t shout.¡± There was no point in shouting as Scarlette was still obeying Hadrian¡¯s instructions to stay in her room.

    Raeleigh wore a helpless look on her face as she stared at Scarlette. Thetter looked like a deted ball, not giving any response.

    Raeleigh then said, ¡°Hadrian cares about you so much that he doesn¡¯t dare to leave you. He is afraid that you will leave.¡±

    ¡°Are you defending him?¡± Scarlette was so angry that she was about to cry. The color was draining from her face.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t be like this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re defending him.¡± Scarlette felt wronged. She felt like an imprisoned maid. Her stomach was full of bitterness.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± Raeleigh stood up, wanting to wipe away Scarlette¡¯s tears. However, Scarlette avoided her. ¡°I don¡¯t want him to pity me or feel guilty. He pped me and I will never forgive him for doing that.¡±

    ¡°He did it in the spur of the moment. If it weren¡¯t for me, then he wouldn¡¯t have hit you.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Scarlette pursed her lips. ¡°I will not forgive him. You don¡¯t have to put in a good word for him. If you do, then I¡¯ll think poorly of you.¡±

    Raeleigh immediately kept quiet when she saw that Scarlette was in a bad mood.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about something else. We can talk about Deanna.¡± Raeleigh brought up a topic that Scarlette might be interested in. As expected, her eyes lit up when she heard her. When she heard that Deanna was most probably fine, she was no longer sad anymore. However, she was still a little worried.

    ¡°I want to get better as soon as possible so that I can help find Deanna,¡± Scarlette said as she looked out of the window. Anxiety was written all over her face.

    ¡°I want to go too, but not now. Once you¡¯ve fully recovered, then we¡¯ll go together.¡± Raeleigh reached over and held Scarlette¡¯s hands. Suddenly, Hadrian entered the room. He pushed open the door without knocking first. It made things awkward for Raeleigh.

    They were having some girl talk and he just barged in. Wasn¡¯t it a little awkward?

    However, Hadrian did not feel anything. He had packed his clothes into a box. He entered the room and was about to take out all his clothes and hang them in the closet. Scarlette¡¯s face was tense and she asked, ¡°What the h*ll are you doing?¡±

    Hadrian stopped and looked at her. ¡°Are you going to scold me again?¡±

    Scarlette said through gritted teeth, ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever I want. It¡¯s none of your business. Get out of here. This is my room. You have to move out tomorrow. Raeleigh no longer wees you in this house.¡±

    It made things awkward for Raeleigh. After all, she was the owner of this house. At that time, Raeleigh felt that she was the tenant in this house, not them.

    Hadrian remained silent and continued unpacking his clothes. Since Raeleigh was in the room, he did not want to take things too far.

    Scarlette picked up her pillow and threw it at Hadrian, but he managed to dodge it. He then looked at her with cautionary eyes. Turning around, he continued unpacking his clothes.

    Scarlette then threw another pillow at him. After that, she had nothing left to throw, but she wanted Hadrian to leave.

    Raeleigh stood aside and watched the scene unfold. Soon, Jepherson came knocking on the door, looking for her. Scarlette quickly reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t go. Stay with me.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, who had just entered the room. She felt extremely awkward.

    ¡°You¡¯re asking her to stay with you. Then, who is going to apany me?¡± Jepherson calmly said, ¡°Have you gotten mixed up?¡±

    Scarlette was afraid of Jepherson, but she was not as afraid of himpared to Santiago. She lowered her head slightly. She was adamant as she held Raeleigh¡¯s hand tightly. She allowed Jepherson to say whatever he wanted.

    Jepherson wasing on strong too. ¡°Let go.¡±N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Scarlette did not want to let go. She had to keep Raeleigh by her side.

    Raeleigh wore a smile and said, ¡°I will stay here tonight. Scarlette hasn¡¯t fully recovered.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Jepherson immediately refused as Raeleigh was his.

    Raeleigh was in such an awkward position.

    Jepherson could neither convince Raeleighnor could he force Scarlette. Feeling mad, he turned around and ordered Hadrian.¡°You¡¯re sleeping outside tonight.¡±

    Hadrian¡¯s face fell. He was not willing to do so!

 Chapter 1120 Still Want to Go

    Hadrian was left with no choice and had to sleep outside. Raeleigh then dragged Jepherson out of Raeleigh¡¯s room. Her face was flushed.

    ¡°You¡¯re embarrassing me!¡± Raeleigh said. After all, he was the eldest son of the Richards family. How could he do such an embarrassing thing? How could he fight with Scarlette over who gets to sleep with Raeleigh?

    Jepherson did not take it seriously. He led Raeleigh back upstairs and turned to look at Serra. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t let Hadrian in tonight.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡± Serra agreed. Then, Jepherson brought Raeleigh back to the room. When they entered the room, she stood at the door and looked at Jepherson. ¡°You¡¯re the young master of the Richards family. How can you treat Hadrian like this?¡±

    Hadrian was always on standby, willing to do whatever Jepherson asked him to do. It was already autumn, so it was cold at night. There was no doubt that sleeping outside was like asking to catch a cold.

    As soon as Jepherson entered the room, he began to take off his clothes. Then, he made his way into the bathroom to draw a bath. It was as if he did not hear what Raeleigh said. His actions left Raeleigh speechless, not knowing what to do at a moment like this.

    Raeleigh sat on the bed. She had decided not to take a shower that day. If she did,then she would have to face Jepherson, and it would be awkward. Furthermore, she had not figured out the real rtionship between them. Raeleigh could only pin her hopes on Xanthus.

    However, since she had no chance to talk to Xanthus, she could only wait for time to tell.

    After Jepherson emerged from the bathroom, he took off his clothes and waited for Raeleigh to do the same.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Jepherson nkly. ¡°I don¡¯t n on taking a shower tonight. You can go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± Jepherson was amused. Raeleigh rolled her eyes at him. She then changed into her pyjamas and crawled into bed.

    Raeleigh had finally caught up with sleep after having spent a few sleepless nights looking for Deanna. She wanted nothing more than to sleep right then.

    Seeing that Raeleigh was silent, Jepherson turned around and went into the bathroom.

    After Jepherson emerged from the bathroom, he put on his nightgown. He went to the balcony and briefly scrolled through his phone. After that, he went back into the room to sleep.

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh into his arms. She seemed to be in a deep sleep, so Jepherson did not want to wake her.

    After all, she was pregnant and she needed more sleep.

    Jepherson and Raeleigh soon fell asleep. On the other side, Scarlette could not seem to fall asleep. She got up a few times. Hadrian was standing outside, watching her. Scarlette felt bad for him. However, when she thought of the p that Hadrian had given her and what he did afterwards, she felt much better.

    After all, Hadrian asked for it.

    He should be making amends then.

    When she thought about it, she found it amusing. She did not feel sorry for Hadrian. He was the one who asked for it. She was not going to listen to him and marry him. Once they found Deanna, she was going to go abroad. From then on, they would never meet again.

    Scarlette cried the entire night because of this. Her tears kept streaming down her face.

    Just as Scarlette woke up in the morning, she heard the door opening. Her eyes were red from crying, and she did not dare to get up from the bed. She covered her head and pretended to be asleep.

    After entering the room, Hadrian shed off his clothes and walked over to the bed. He lifted the quilt and got straight into bed.

    Scarlette immediately jolted awake.

    Although the room was dimly lit, Hadrian could see her red puffy eyes at a nce. His face was gloomy as he asked, ¡°Were you crying?¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    She red at Hadrian coldly. ¡°Get out!¡±

    ¡°Why were you crying?¡± Hadrian asked as he approached Scarlette. She quickly raised her hand and punched him. He did not dodge and her fistnded on his body.

    Scarlette regretted not punching him in the face.

    Just as Scarlette was about to punch him again, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her into his arms. He held her tightly and asked with a serious face, ¡°Why were you crying?¡±

    Scarlette turned her head away, ignoring him.

    Hadrian looked at Scarlette. Suddenly, he realized something. Although he was a man of few words, he was not a fool.

    He immediately knew what caused her to cry.

    Scarlette remained quiet. Hadrian gently stroked her hand and said, ¡°You¡¯d better give up. You¡¯re not allowed to go anywhere. Over my dead body.¡±

    Hadrian¡¯s domineering aura angered Scarlette. She had never been a good-tempered person. She turned around and looked at him. Her eyes widened in anger as she gritted her teeth. Hadrian red at Scarlette. Then, he rolled on top of her, pressing her beneath him. He proceeded to rip off her clothes, but she put up a fight. However, the difference in strength between a man and woman was huge. There was no way she could win against him right then.

    Raeleigh woke up and went to check on Scarlette, just as she promised.

    As soon as she pushed open Scarlette¡¯s door and entered her room, she heard Scarlette screaming, as if she was going to die. Raeleigh held her breath and froze at the door as she witnessed the scene in front of her.

    Hadrian was on the top of Scarlette. She could not really see Scarlette, but Hadrian was buck naked.

    As she stood at the door, Jepherson quickly covered her eyes with his hand and dragged her out of the room. He only loosened his hand after they were safely out of the room. Then, Jepherson turned around and red at Hadrian before closing the door.

    Scarlette looked as if she was going to kill someone. Hadrian was pressing her down on the bed, not letting her move.

    Outside the door, Raeleigh felt as if she had been caught red-handed. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her face was flushed.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and ced a reassuring hand on her hand. He pressed her head to his chest.

    After a long time, Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Jepherson.

    Jepherson lowered his head and kissed her. ¡°Just pretend it was a movie.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless.

    Raeleigh briefly swept her eyes across the room. When she found no one, she breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°He went a little overboard, hadn¡¯t he?¡±

    Jepherson raised his eyebrows. How many men weren¡¯t like that?

    If they did not try hard, then their girlfriends would have fallen into other men¡¯s arms.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and said, ¡°I will deal with himter.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Raeleigh agreed.

    After that, Jepherson led Raeleigh to the dining table. After their meal, Hadrian had yet toe out. Raeleigh nced towards Scarlette¡¯s room from time to time. She almost could not control herself from re-entering Scarlette¡¯s room.

    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± After eating, Jepherson purposely coughed twice. Otherwise, he would have been the one in an awkward situation. People would think that he was impotent.

    Raeleigh looked nkly at Jepherson. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m heading into the office today. Why don¡¯t you apany me?¡±

    ¡°I want to stay with Scarlette. You can take Hadrian with you and let Stuart stay with us. I want to go to the university today to find Flynt. I want to find out whether he knows anything about Deanna.¡±

    Raeleigh always felt that she had unfinished business if she did not give it a try.

    ¡°I¡¯ve checked. It has nothing to do with Flynt. The rtionship between the Moore family and the Richards family is still in the works. Flynt is not a fool. If Deanna was in his hands, then he would have brought her here by now. If he takes the credit, then he can also gain a bit of poprity.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary, he will lose more than he could gain.¡±

    Jepherson stood up and Raeleigh followed suit. However, Raeleigh still wanted to head over to the university.

 Chapter 1121 About That Fight

    ¡°I want to head over to the university,¡± Raeleigh said firmly.

    Jepherson turned to look at her. ¡°You can go, but on one condition.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Raeleigh stared at Jepherson as she had not seen thising.

    Jepherson raised his hand to touch Raeleigh¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to look for Flynt.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°How am I supposed to test him then?¡±

    Jepherson raised his eyebrows. ¡°As a man, I do not like it if my girlfriend is looking for other men, regardless of the purpose.¡±

    Raeleigh thought, ¡°It¡¯s understandable.¡±

    ¡°Okay then.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ that¡¯s settled then?¡± Jepherson nced at Raeleigh¡¯s lips. Raeleigh bit her lips and said, ¡°Tonight.¡±

    Serra immediately went to the kitchen. Jepherson went to take a look and turned back. ¡°What about now?¡±

    Raeleigh waspletely defeated, so she stood on her toes and kissed Jepherson. As soon as Serra left, Jepherson grabbed Raeleigh by the waist and kissed her.

    Raeleigh moaned as the kiss was intense.

    After pulling away from each other, the corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth curled into a smile. ¡°This won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Jepherson turned around and said, ¡°Stuart, you¡¯re apanying Raeleigh today. I¡¯m bringing Hadrian with me to the office.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡± Stuart said, lowering his head.

    Jepherson turned around and left. Raeleigh then looked at Scarlette¡¯s room. Not long after, Hadrian emerged from the room and went to look for Stuart. They said something to each other. Hadrian frowned and said, ¡°Scarlette¡¯s still injured.¡±

    ¡°You should go. You¡¯ll anger Mr. Jepherson if you stay here,¡± Stuart reminded. The three of them had grown up together, and Stuart knew Scarlette was not actually going to leave.

    Only then did Hadrian follow Jepherson out of the door. As soon as he left, Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she stood up and made her way to Scarlette¡¯s room.

    By then, Scarlette had already taken a shower. When she saw Raeleigh, she poured out all of her bitterness and began to ramble. Raeleigh¡¯s face turned red as she said, ¡°What happened in the morning¡­¡±

    Raeleigh could not continue. Scarlette waved a dismissive hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s not a big deal. When you and Jepherson have s*x the next time, you can give me a heads-up. I¡¯ll walk in on you guys. Then, we¡¯ll be even.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Scarlette. ¡°If you¡¯re not afraid that Jepherson will kill you, then you are most wee.¡±

    ¡°Forget it then,¡± Scarlette said after a moment of silence.

    Scarlette wore an awkward smile, but Raeleigh could not squeeze out the tiniest smile. It was too shameful.

    Scarlette suddenly stopped smiling. She looked at Raeleigh nkly and said, ¡°Raeleigh, I believe that our fate hase to an end. We would be in each other¡¯s future.¡±

    ¡°Hadrian didn¡¯t mean to do that. He cares about you. I can see that,¡± Raeleigh reminded, but Scarlette shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. But it doesn¡¯t matter. I will wait until we find Deanna. I want to apologize to her. After that, I¡¯m going to leave.¡±

    ¡°Are you leaving for real?¡±

    ¡°What else can I do?¡± Scarlette said as she put on her clothes. Her leg was slightly better then, and she was able to walk. She walked over to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Raeleigh, I am going to try and look for Deanna. I know Jepherson is keeping an eye on me. It¡¯s up to you whether you want to help me or not. Regardless of your decision, I¡¯m still going to try and look for her, or else my conscience will not be at ease for the rest of my life.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I will apany you to find her, but you have to promise that you¡¯ll listen to me. Let¡¯s head over to the university first. We¡¯ve searched everywhere but the university. Let¡¯s go over and have a look.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Then, Scarlette and Raeleigh went out of the room. Raeleigh was pregnant, so she had to be very careful. Therefore, she told Stuart about their ns. Stuart was fine with their decision, but they could not act recklessly.

    The two promised him that they would be mindful of their actions. Stuart arranged a car and they made their way to the university.

    The moment Raeleigh arrived at the gate of the school, she saw Flynt¡¯s car passing by. When Flynt saw Raeleigh and Scarlette, he pulled into a parking lot and came out of the car.

    Raeleigh thought of what Jepherson had said. He did not want her to have any contact with other men. So, Raeleigh and Scarlette quickly made their way to the campus grounds with Stuart following behind. Flynt intended to greet them. However, they left as soon as they spotted him.

    Raeleigh and Scarlette made their way into the lecture hall. The lecturer did not care much about their attendance. Of course, it was a good thing that they were able to attend the ss that day. Their presence brightened up the ss.

    Because of Raeleigh, the school also gave some rewards to her ss teacher. Although these rewards were not very important, for teachers, it was better than nothing. There were a lot of people who envied them.

    After ss, Scarlette and Raeleigh decided to look around the campus for Deanna. Raeleigh felt that they must have missed somece, but she could not think of any particr corner to search for.

    ¡°Scarlette, I¡¯ll take you to visit Dr. Osteen since we¡¯re here. Then, he won¡¯t have toe over to our house at night.¡± Raeleigh wanted to see Xanthus and ask him about the photo. This was the only excuse she coulde up with as Scarlette and Stuart were with her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The two made their way to the school clinic. At that time, there were two boys in the clinic. One of them was injured and bleeding. It seemed like they were fighting over a girl. Xanthus was simply treating them. When he saw Raeleigh, he was surprised. He was nning to apany them to the hospital, but he changed his mind on the spot.

    For Xanthus, nothing was more important than Raeleigh. Furthermore, she was the reason he came here. There was no need to waste time on those who did not deserve his time. It did not matter whether those irrelevant people were dead or alive.

    ¡°The two of you need to go to the hospital and get a CT scan. There shouldn¡¯t be any problems, but it¡¯s better to be on the safe side. You guys can go ahead on your own. I will write you a letter of absence. You should have thought about your future before making a big fuss.¡±

    Xanthus said a few words quickly and wrote a letter of absence for them. The female student was very unhappy and asked, ¡°Dr. Osteen, what do you mean? You promised to apany us to the hospital before those two came in. Why are you backing out now? What¡¯s your rtionship with them? Are you having an affair with them?¡±

    The girl was tall and thin, but she was well-proportioned. She also had a beautiful face. Her long ck hair fitted her well. However, her tone and voice did not match her beauty. She sounded very entric. Scarlette was a little agitated when she heard her. She had been in a bad mood for the past two days, and when she met someone like this, her mood became worse.

    Scarlette took a step towards her. She was slightly taller than the girl, so she used her body to shove her. ¡°There¡¯s no need to show off. We have nothing to do with each other, so mind your own business. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s in a love triangle. How dare you speak about us like that? If I were you, then I would go into hiding. In fact, I would rather kill myself.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re superior to us? Come on.¡±

    Scarlette stared straight into the girl¡¯s eyes, and she immediately cowered in fright. She stumbled backwards, feeling wronged. Then, she looked at thetwo boys for help.

    However, she had no idea what was going on. The boys seemed upset after they fought. Maybe it was because of something else that neither of them stepped forward. Instead, they took two steps back, leaving the girl isted and helpless.

    Scarlette raised her hand to push her away, asking her to leave immediately. Otherwise, Scarlette would embarrass her. As a result, the girl hurriedly ran away.

    On the contrary, the two boys in front of her, who were fighting just then, were then staring at Scarlette.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

 Chapter 1122 Could Not Afford Cosmetic Surgery

    Raeleigh tugged at Scarlette. ¡°It¡¯s fine, if there¡¯s nothing,then we can ask Dr. Osteen for help.¡±

    Only then did Scarlette turn around. At that time, the other two dragged each other to the hospital, arguing, ¡°Harica will be yours in the future, but this is mine. I won¡¯t say anything about you beating me up today. I¡¯ll pay for the medical expenses myself.¡±

    ¡°Are you joking? Didn¡¯t you just say that Harica belongs to you? I¡¯m stepping back. It¡¯s my fault in the past, and I¡¯ll apologize and pay for the medical expenses. I wish you two happiness.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? You and Harica are a couple. Do you think I don¡¯t know what you guys are up to going in and out?¡±

    Stuartwatched the two walk away. He stood at the door of the medical room and shook his head,sighing. He might have never been in love beforeand did not know what it felt like, but nheless, he felt that what Jepherson had was only love. These two were just as obnoxious and should be taught a lesson.

    However, it was Hadrian¡¯s business whether they should be taught a lesson or not. If he found out,then it was uncertain whether he might even cripple them.

    While Stuart was waiting outside, Raeleigh andScarlettehad already spoken to Xanthus. Scarlette was lying on the bed, while Xanthus bent down to check on her, andRaeleigh watched him from the side.

    With Scarlette there, Xanthus could not ask too many questions, but after examining her, he informed, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal, but I think there is still some fluid in your knee. If it doesn¡¯t subside, then it will be inmed severely in the future, and we¡¯ll have to suck it out with steel needles. Itwill be very painful.¡±

    ¡°What should we do then?¡± Raeleigh asked hurriedly. Xanthus took out a needle.¡°I¡¯ll give her an injection first. Take the medicine I prescribeter, andI think there should be no problem after that. But be careful. Scarlett can¡¯t be walking for a long time at the moment. Although she appears fine, it doesn¡¯t mean that we should rx.¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t eaten yet. Let¡¯s get the jab after having something.¡± Lying on the bed,Scarlettewas depressed at the thought of getting an injection. She was a martial artist, but her blood vessels were so narrow that it would take rather long to get the needles into her veins.

    She did not want an injection. Shewanted to look for Deanna.

    Xanthus took out a bottle of medicine from the side. ¡°If you want to be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life, then I don¡¯t mind forgoing your treatment entirely the next few days, since there is no need for it at all.¡±

    ¡°Doctor Osteen, you don¡¯t have to mind her. I have the final say. Please proceed with the jab.¡± Raeleigh also felt it was troublesome to have Xanthus go to their ce every day. It was better to get it done here and go back in the afternoon.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I think you¡¯re crossing the line. I don¡¯t want to get the injection here. Why are you forcing me?¡± Scarlettey down, pouting, as Xanthus gave the jab, while Raeleigh sat on one side. ¡°Do you want to be in a wheelchair the rest of your life?¡±

    The grimness of the question shut Scarlette up, but Raeleigh continued, ¡°Get some sleep. It¡¯s not cold here. I¡¯ll apany you.¡±

    Initially, Scarlette was not sleepy at all. However, as soon as she got the jab, she dozed off as if she had not slept for days.Raeleigh stared at Xanthus and asked, ¡°Did you put sleeping drugs in it?¡±

    Xanthus looked at her in return without saying anything. Then, he turned around to Stuart, who was guarding the door. Raeleigh thought for a while and walked towards the door. Although she wasn¡¯t sure whether Xanthus was trustworthy, she would not be convinced if she did not try.

    ¡°Stuart,¡± Raeleigh called out. Stuart turned to her immediately, greeting, ¡°Young Madam.¡±N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to call me that in school, it makes me feel a little out of ce.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll only address you that way when we leave the campus. Do you need anything?¡±

    ¡°Scarlettefell asleep. I¡¯ll stay and watch her.Do get us some food for lunch after this. Her jab will take a long while, and I think it¡¯ll be done in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°What food do you feel like having?¡±Stuartimmediately asked. He could ask someone to send food over since it was not necessary for him to go in person. If he left them, then he would not rest assured.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment, ¡°Dr. Osteen too. Maybe he wants to eat with us. You can do as you like.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished, she turned around and went back inside, whileXanthus sat down and fetched her a chair.

    This room was not soundproof, and people outside could hear them clearly if they did not speak in a low voice. The two did not want to be overheard by others, so Xanthus took two notebooks and gave one to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh understood what was going on at once, but she did not take it. At present, ying dumbwas more suitable for the situation.

    On the other hand, Xanthus acted differently. He took a pen and wrote, ¡°Did youe for the photo?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer, but her gaze told him that that was it.

    Xanthus continued to write, ¡°I really hope that you¡¯re my sister, but I know that you must have suffered a lot when you were little. We¡­ My parents and I¡­ are devastated. We haven¡¯t done our duty to protect you, and you suffered so much.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes darted between the notebook and Xanthus, still not saying a word.

    ¡°Your suspicions are not groundless, and you¡¯re right to suspect me. I am d that I have a very smart sister. But you¡¯re also very stubborn, which is worrying. This is a very simr trait to Mom¡¯s.¡±

    Raeleigh finally picked up a pen, and wrote, ¡°Is your mother in good health now?¡±

    Xanthus chuckled when he read what she wrote. ¡°She can¡¯t walk now due to heartache. She needs to sit in a wheelchair, but I have already examined her. She can walk, but she just doesn¡¯t want to.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus and asked, ¡°How can you be sure that I am the sister you¡¯re looking for?¡±

    ¡°Your birthday, and your features. I had a special feeling the first time I met you, andI believe in intuition. I believe it¡¯s our siblings¡¯ connection that prompted it. I also have my parents and my own DNA. Now, I just need yours. As long as you give me time, I can prove it to you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even know which day my real birthday is. How can you know?¡± Raeleigh let out a helplessugh.

    Xanthus immediately wrote, ¡°Medicine now is highly developed and advanced. You don¡¯t know a lot of things. Plus, I am rather sure that you are my sister. It¡¯s just a matter of time. You don¡¯t know how simr you and Mom are. It¡¯s like you two are the same person.¡±

    Raeleigh was silent, and she then wrote, ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered me. How can you be sure that I am your sister? You said you know the date of my birth, but I did some research myself. I am not from the local orphanage. Someone else abandoned me, and then I was sent here. At that time, I was already three or four, or even a little older, so you might be mistaken.¡±

    Although Raeleigh did not want to admit it, her investigations were indeed true. She was not sent from a local orphanage but from an orphanage abroad.

 Chapter 1123 Slander

    Xanthus frowned.¡°That¡¯s impossible. You look like a carbon copy of mom unlessyou have had cosmetic surgery.¡±

    Raeleigh wrote helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t afford cosmetic surgery.¡±

    For Raeleigh, she did not even have the money to fill up her stomach her entire life, let alone stic surgery.

    Xanthus nodded and wrote, ¡°Then, it must be you. It must be.¡±

    In the face of Xanthus¡¯s determination, Raeleigh could not refute him. She hoped that Xanthus was right too, whether or not he had a hidden purpose or if it meant that he was a bad guy.

    Not for herself, but for her child, and also for Jepherson, she hoped so too.

    However, there was no evidence at hand, so it was useless to say anything.

    ¡°I can only believe it if you have proof.¡± Raeleigh jotted thest few words. Xanthus read it and wrote, ¡°Give me some time. I will find them.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded and forced a smile.

    She stood up from the chair. Shethenwalked to Scarlette¡¯s side and sat down. Looking at her, Raeleigh could not help but to feel a little mncholic.

    She did not know what sort of sin she had done in her past life. She grew up rough, and just when things turned around a little and she was able to give Novalie a good life,such a thing happened.It was really unreasonable and messy.

    Xanthus tore off the exchange he and Raeleigh had just written, folded the paper, and ced it in his pocket.

    Raeleigh looked at him, being the first to initiate a conversation for once.¡°Since your parents are archaeologists and collectors, how did you end up as a doctor?¡±

    Xanthus tidied up the papers. Then, hearing her question, he turned around and sat down. He also wanted Raeleigh to talk to him at a closer distance, so he was very soft and gentle.

    He exined, ¡°My mother¡¯s health worsened because of what happened to my sister. I watched her cry in the garden ever since I was a child. Sometimes she also drank, even though she had a low alcohol tolerance. A ss of red wine can get her drunk the entire day. Have you seen the sort who looks utterly miserable after drinking? You don¡¯t know how painful that is. My mother is the kind who can¡¯t control herself after drinking wine. She was suffering so much that she couldn¡¯t control herself and locked herself in the room, crying until her heart was broken. That summer, Mom suddenly copsed, surrounded byshattered and smashedantique decorations. Something fell on top of her, and she couldn¡¯t get up.¡±

    ¡°What was terrible was that Mom is a woman who would not shout. Shey crushed on the floor while staring foolishly at the ceiling, with her body bleeding. When my father and I found her, she had lost consciousness due to excessive blood loss. My father was so frightened that he carried her to the car and rushed to the hospital, and I followed. After we arrived, she was sent to the emergency room. At first, her breathing stopped, and Dad almost went crazy. He told the doctor in the corridor that he must save her. As long as she could live, my father was willing to do anything.¡±

    ¡°At that time, I remember standing at the end of the corridor, staring at my father crying and begging the doctors on his knees.¡±

    ¡°I only had one thought. I wanted to be a doctor. Then, when my family gets sick in the future, I can know what¡¯s going on. I can save them.¡±

    Xanthusughed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that silly?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not.But I can¡¯t understand why¡­if your Mom can¡¯t drink and will be in more pain if she drinks, didn¡¯t you stop her?If it went on, then her body wouldn¡¯t have been able to stand iteven if nothing happened.¡±

    ¡°Drinking and smoking are ways of coping with depression,¡± Xanthus answered. Raeleigh was stunned by his words. ¡°Depression?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°My Mom suffered severe depression after losing her daughter. The illness was terrible and torturous. Even the best psychiatrists in the world can¡¯t cure her.¡±

    ¡°My father flew everywhere to meet with multiple psychiatrists. One of them, an old and dying doctor, told him that maybe he could let my mother try smoking and drinking to alleviate some of her pain.¡±

    ¡°Dad was at his wits¡¯ end, so he decided to heed the doctor¡¯s advice.¡±

    ¡°However, smoking is harmful for her health, and it¡¯ll harm her faster than alcohol. Dad finally chose wine.¡±

    ¡°I see. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard of this.¡±

    ¡°In truth,Mom is a very sensitive and cheerful woman. If it weren¡¯t for my sister, then she is usually talkative.¡±

    ¡°But sometimes she misses her, which triggers her to lose all control. Drinking wine was supposed to relieve her depression, but it also brought her another sort of harm.¡±

    Xanthus pouredRaeleigha ss of water. ¡°Have some.¡±

    Raeleigh held the ss and asked, ¡°Then, how did you be an orthopedic doctor?¡±

    ¡°When I was in college, I studied medicine. My professor suggested that I could start with orthopedics. I knew how to massage, but I am also a surgeon and a neurologist. I had slightly better achievements in orthopedics, and I liked it too, so that exins it.¡±

    Raeleigh had nothing else she wanted to know, so she stopped talking. She came to observe that a brother would be very persistent in looking for his sister. Jepherson was like this, and right then Xanthus was the same as well.

    Scarlette hadn¡¯t woken up yet, which worried her.Then, she asked Xanthus, ¡°When will Scarlette wake up?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s done with her jab and should be awake soon. She looks very anxious. If she can have a good rest, then it will be good for her recovery too. You cane to me daily for the injection,I am avable during the day. Also, call me if you need anything. My phone will be switched on at all times. I will send you an addresster. If you are interested, then you cane to my ce for a look. You¡¯re always weed.¡±

    The sincere look in Xanthus¡¯s eyes touched Raeleigh. She knew that Jepherson searched high and low in order to find his sister. If he were telling the truth, then Raeleigh would have reason to believe that Xanthus was not a bad guy.

    Before she answered, she heard some people seemed to be talking outside,and one of them appeared to be Flynt.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Flynt¡¯s voice was very refreshing. Even Raeleigh, who had not heard his voice many times, could remember it. What was more, every time they met, something would happen between them.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the door. Xanthus turned around and found that Stuart was talking to Flynt.He thought for a moment,stood up,walked to the door, and took a look. The next minute, Flyntfollowed in, and so did Stuart.

    Raeleigh was sitting there the whole time. Indeed, she had no intention of moving. Besides, if Flynt was here for his own matters, then she would continue to sit there.

    It should have nothing to do with each other.

    However, Flynt entered the room and nced at Xanthus, looking quite displeased, especially when he saw Scarlette sleeping soundly.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Does Dr.Osteenlike to give injections to female students alone in the treatment room? Are there such rules in the school system?¡± Flynt¡¯s imposing manner was hidden under his cold eyes, even making Raeleigh¡¯s eyelids twitch subconsciously. She felt that he had gone too far.

    Obviously, this was directed to provoke Xanthus, but at the same time, it was to nder her. It was no wonder Jepherson that did not allow her to meet Flynt. Indeed, nothing productive woulde out of meeting such a person.

 Chapter 1124 Scared the Sh*t Out of Her

    ¡°Elkton University has its own rules. Mr. Moore, you don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯ll tell Mr. Jepherson about thister. There¡¯s something wrong with Scarlette¡¯s knee, so we¡¯re here to seek treatment from Dr. Osteen. I believe that the school would still amodate Mr. Jepherson in such a matter.¡± Although Stuart did not speak often, he was not mute. He was observant, and there were some things that he would still say.

    Flynt¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there no one left in the Richards family that they needa servant to talk to me?¡±

    Stuart knew that no matter what, he had to consider Santiago and Cynthia. Hence, he could not speak as he wished in front of Flynt. Their difference in status was too big for that.

    He immediately answered, ¡°Apologies for my ignorance. Please don¡¯t mind me,Mr. Moore.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s brows twisted together as she saw this. Even she could not stand it anymore as she had never seen someone so unreasonable. Stuart did not owe Flynt anything.

    ¡°Stuart, you may leave now. I¡¯ll inform Mr. Santiago of this matter lest someone pick on you,¡± she interrupted.Stuart still listened to her, and he left without a word.

    However, when he went out, he called Santiago. Although he was under their employment, he was no ordinary servant. To put it bluntly, not just anyone can talk to him or have him at their beck and call.

    Stuart put down the phone, stood outside, and kept listening in.

    ¡°You¡¯re Flynt Moore?¡± Xanthus asked as he watched Stuart leave.He knew Flynt did not like him from his first impression. Moreover, Scarlette was asleep, and only he and Raeleigh were together alone in a room. What in the world could happen?

    ¡°With pleasure. Do you know me, Dr. Osteen?¡±Flynttook a look at Raeleigh, pulled out a chair, and was ready to sit down. Xanthus told him, ¡°I know of you, but I don¡¯t know you. I just heard someone mention that you are Mr. Moore, so I took a guess. What are you here for?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I juste to visit my friends? Must there be a reason?¡±

    ¡°No. However, I need to attend to patients who need my help. If you¡¯re not here for treatment, then you can leave and meet your friends outside. I don¡¯t have time to ask you about this.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not my business whether you have time or not.¡±Flyntturned around and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Come out. I have something to tell you about Deanna.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Something about Deanna?

    ¡°Do you really know where Deanna is?¡± She stood up at once. EvenStuart, who was listening outside, was secretly concerned. How could he find out Deanna¡¯s whereabouts soeasily?

    If so, then why didn¡¯t he go to Zorion and take credit for it? If Flyntcould help Zorion in this matter, then hewould have a good life in the Moore family in the future.

    ¡°If you believe me, then follow me. If you don¡¯t, then forget it. I can do you a favor and pretend that I don¡¯t know anything. It¡¯s best for the Moore family not to intervene in this matter,¡± Flynt exined bluntly. Raeleigh took a look at Xanthus, who was standing by the side, deep in thought. Then, after a while, she walked out. ¡°Dr. Osteen, Scarlette is still unconscious. I¡¯ll go out for a moment. If she¡¯s awake, then tell her that I went to the bathroom and will be back soon.¡±

    ¡°Rae¡­¡± Xanthus had already regarded her as his younger sisterand almost called out her name. IfFlynthad not been present,then he would not have hesitated.

    He stopped in time.¡°It¡¯s better to have Stuart to follow you.¡±

    Flyntsneered. ¡°As a doctor, what more a university doctor, aren¡¯t you going beyond your job scope?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll be fine. Mr. Moore is bringing me along in front of so many people. I believe that if something happens to me, then Mr. Moore will not be able to forgive himself either.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s words had hidden meaningbehind them. No matter what,Flyntwould not be so foolish as to harm Raeleigh.If not, then Jepherson and Santiago would deal with him as well.

    Flyntcared about Cynthia, so it was possible to get out of the way, which was something Raeleigh could see clearly. Since it was so, it meant that he would not do anything stupid to hurt her.

    Xanthus nodded and agreed.¡°Then, take care.¡±

    Although he was worried, Xanthus still allowed Raeleigh to followFlyntout in the end. When they left, Xanthus immediately reduced some of Scarlette¡¯s medicine.

    He was a doctor, and he had only givenScarlettesome nutrients to aid with her sleep. Scarlette¡¯s body was weak, and she did not sleep well. Once the medicine entered her blood, she would fall asleep, but as soon as she finished consuming the IV drip, she would wake up.

    There was not much left.Soon enough,Scarlette stirred.

    She was still a little confused when she opened her eyes. However, when she looked around, she did not see Raeleigh. ¡°Where is Raeleigh?¡±

    She felt a little dizzy, as if she was dreaming. Xanthus was calm andposed. He first pressed onScarlette¡¯s woundand then told her that Flynt had been here, which prompted her to let out a gasp, asking, ¡°When was that?¡±

    ¡°A few minutes ago.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, just wait!¡±Scarlette was suddenly full of energy.When she rushed out of the door and saw Stuart, her face darkened. ¡°Where is Raeleigh? Why didn¡¯t you follow her?¡±

    Stuart¡¯s expression was miserable as well while he retorted, ¡°Were you asleep?¡±

    Even though Scarlette was a troublemaker, Stuart knew that Flynt would not have seeded ifScarlette had been awake.

    Sheasked coldly, ¡°Where did she go?¡±

    Stuart pointed towards a direction, andScarlette hurried off. After a few steps, she turned around and looked at Stuart. ¡°Why aren¡¯t youing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for Mr. Santiago, and nothing will happen. Besides, Raeleigh won¡¯t let me go with her.¡± Stuart would definitely be punished when he got back. Right then, he was not only worried about Raeleigh but he was also in a dilemma.

    Scarlette scoffed, and she then walked away while saying, ¡°Mr. Jephersonwon¡¯t care about your reasons. Instead, he¡¯ll ask why you are so foolish.¡±N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    That upset Stuart more and more. He knew that Jephersonwould make such ament, but he could not do anything about it. If Raeleigh did not allow him to follow her, then he could not afford to offend Raeleigh either.

    Since he could not please any party,he could just remain on tenterhooks.

    Scarlettesearched all the way but still could not find Raeleigh anywhere. She took out her cell phone anxiously and called Raeleigh, only to find that she was not picking up the phone.

    Scarlettetook a nce around. This ce was neither big nor small, and there were not many ces for people to talk quietly.

    After Scarlettehung up,she looked up the directory for the school library. If Raeleigh wanted to have a talk, then she would have definitely gone there.

    However, Raeleigh¡¯s figure was still nowhere to be found. Even in the library,Scarlettestill did not see her.

    Coming out of the library, she stood in the lobby for a while and dialed for Stuart. Unexpectedly, Santiago had arrived.

    When the phone was connected, the first thing Scarletteheard was Santiago¡¯s low growl.¡°When we get home, you¡¯re dead meat!¡±

    When she heard this, she didn¡¯t dare to say a word and hung up the phone in a panic!

    Holy smokes! That scared the sh*t out of her!

 Chapter 1125 Raeleigh and Jephersonâ€™s Child

    Scarlette hung up the phone and decided to look for Raeleigh herself.

    She did not want to bring Santiago any trouble.

    InScarlette¡¯s memory, there were only two things that terrified her. One was falling in love with Hadrian, and the other was meeting Santiago.

    Everything that Scarlette remembered about Santiago was deeply embedded in her memory.

    Scarlettestill remembered how Hadrian had offended him over a trivial matter, and Santiago then punished him for the whole day.How her heart ached for Hadrian¡­

    Scarlette thought that it was not something to feel sorry for, as it was indeed already in the past. What had passed was the past. This bullsh*t should just stay in the past!

    Scarlette gathered her emotions, shook her head, and continued to find Raeleigh.

    At that time, Santiago was also looking for Raeleigh on campus. Stuart reported that Scarlette was walking towards the direction Raeleigh went. Hence, Santiago turned the opposite way.

    Stuart hurried to follow him. Meanwhile, Xanthus also came out. He locked the door of the infirmary and personally helped to find Raeleigh.

    Flynt did not make Xanthus feel at ease. Even though he also could tell thatFlyntwould not hurt her, he was still worried. So, he went to search for them.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes onFlynt. This was the ce where they hadst met, and she did not expect that he would bring her here.

    ¡°You can tell me now.¡± Raeleigh stopped in her tracks,with eyes as clear as day. She andFlynthad nothing to say, but even ifFlynt did notshow up, she still wanted to ask him about Deanna. Now that he was here, she did not need to trouble herself.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Flynt stood still for a while and asked, ¡°Do you hate me that much? Do you want to leave immediately at the sight of me?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t do anything annoying,then nobody will have the chance to hate you,¡± Raeleigh answered. Her tone was straightforward and merciless.

    Flynt gave a wry chuckle. He just found it funny. Why was he so spineless to fall for such a ruthless woman. Moreover,a woman who belonged to someone else!

    He suddenly exhaled loudly. Raeleigh looked athim with a frown.Flyntseemed very deted and discouraged.

    Raeleigh could not understand why he was acting like a lunatic.

    ¡°People like me won¡¯t marry someone who they want to. Meeting you was the end of me. That¡¯s good. At the very least, I still have expectations for love. No matter what you think, I do like you.¡± With this, Flynt walked to one side and sat down, staring at Raeleigh, who looked rather displeased.

    Her face wore a tensedandupset expression. She did not know how others would react when facing their admirers, but she was very irritated.

    Furthermore, Raeleigh felt that it had nothing to do with Jepherson¡¯s existence. It was all simply because she did not likeFlynt.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t know about it, then forget it. I should go back. Scarlette should be looking for me, and she must be out of her mind.¡± Raeleigh wanted to leave after hearing him bber. Then, Flynt chimed in, ¡°I did meet Deanna, but I don¡¯t want to get involved in this matter. I can tell you that it has something to do with the Moore family, but¡­¡±

    Raeleigh froze. She turned around slowly, looking at the person in front of her. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Flynt was silent for a while. Initially, he did not want to meddle, but heunexpectedlybumped into Raeleigh, and he still wanted to please her.

    After standing up, he walked towards her and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything I can. You can think about who did it. But I can tell you that you¡¯ve met them before.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned, whileFlynt stepped away from her with a poker face and intended to leave. Grabbing his arm, she turned to stare at him. ¡°You met him here, right?¡±

    Flynt did not turn around. He took a deep breath and replied,¡°Women who are too smart are easily envied and loved. Think about it yourself. I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    Flynt took ast look at Raeleigh. ¡°But you owe me a favor.¡±

    After saying that, he raised the corner of his mouth, chuckled,and walked away.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and took out her cell phone to call Santiago. Santiago, who was on his way to look for Raeleigh, just happened to see Flynt.

    When they met, Santiago was in the middle of talking on the phone, andFlyntsaw Santiago walking over. ¡°She¡¯s inside, but¡­¡±

    Santiago noticed Flynt. ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°I hope you treat Cynthia better, or else I will not let you go.¡± After saying that, Flynt stepped forward. Santiago did not look at him. Instead, he picked up the phone and ran inRaeleigh¡¯sdirection.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh also walked out. Before she could say anything, Santiago hung up and tucked his phone in his pocket, walked over, and raised two fingers to flick Raeleigh¡¯s forehead.

    Raeleigh felt a sharp, stinging pain.Hissing in both pain and shock,her hand flew to press against her forehead.

    ¡°Are you crazy? Why did you hit me? I am your sister-inw.¡± She was annoyed, but Santiago stared at her coldly without saying a word.

    After pressing on for a while,Raeleigh let go of her hand and raised her head to look at Santiago.

    Raeleigh¡¯s forehead was already red. However, looking at his ice-cold expression, she did notin at all.

    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡±

    ¡°You must remember the consequences, okay?¡± With a furious re, Santiago growled at her.At the same time, Scarlette and Stuart also caught up with Santiago from behind. Seeing that Santiago was still there, Scarlette was reluctant to walk over.

    Stuart, on the other hand, did approach Santiago, but he did not dare to get close to him. He just hastily reminded him. ¡°Mr. Santiago, the Young Madam is pregnant.¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡± Santiago snarled, andStuart hurriedly retreated to the side. He didn¡¯t even dare to take a deep breath as he scanned his surroundings. Only when he was certain that there was no one there, could he rx a little.

    Raeleigh said nothing, whileSantiago put his hands on his waist and made two turns. He turned around and pointed a finger at Raeleigh¡¯s head. ¡°If there is a next time,then just see how I¡¯ll deal with you.¡±

    Feeling helpless, she could just nkly stare at him, since she was at fault. She wriggled her lips as she cursed her luck for having such a troublesome brother-inw.

    Unfortunately,his brother was notany better.

    Raeleigh knew that it was indeed wrong for her to go out with Flynt. Santiago just chided her out of anger and worry, so she didn¡¯t refute him. When Santiago cooled down, all should be fine.

    After Santiago was done scolding her, he turned around to leave. Raeleigh stood still and watched him. Noticing that Santiago was walking away, Scarlette quickly hid to one side and lowered her head, not daring to say a word.

    Even Raeleigh did not dare to move. After a few steps, Santiago stopped and turned to her, who was standingstill. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Are you finished with scolding me?¡± It took her a long time to answer. If it were not Deanna¡¯s matter, then she had a good mind not to speak to Santiago for the rest of her life.

    Santiago gritted his teeth. ¡°Do I have to apologize to you?¡±

    Raeleigh stepped forward and walked next to his side. She followed him with a grim face and said nothing.

    After everyone was gone,Xanthus emerged from the shadows and watched the backs of Raeleigh and Santiago leaving. He frowned. Did Raeleigh and Santiago already have a child?

    Then, what about Jepherson?

 Chapter 1126 At a Holiday Villa

    Raeleigh did not speak along the way. Although she did not want to talk to him right then, she had to find Deanna. Moreover, Santiago was the best person to help.

    Santiago nced at her as she continued walking. ¡°Do you have anything to tell me?¡±

    It took them quite some time to reach the open field on campus. Then, Raeleigh said, ¡°Xandra caught Deanna. Even if she didn¡¯t, she must have something to do with it. Flynt just told me that the Moore family is up to this, but he didn¡¯t want to get involved. He just wanted to do me a favor.¡±

    ¡°What a d*mned favor.¡± Santiago cursed without hesitation, which madeRaeleigh frown.¡°If you are going to act this way,then we have nothing to say between us.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about you either. What are you worried about?¡± Santiago¡¯s expression was full of his usual arrogance. He turned to look at Stuart and ordered, ¡°Investigate Xandra¡¯s whereabouts immediately. Since when did the Moore family have such a person?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s Quirina,¡± Raeleigh answered. Not to mention Santiago,even Scarlette was shocked by what Raeleigh just said. Scarlette came back to her senses and ran towards them,asking, ¡°Raeleigh, what did you say?¡±

    ¡°I said, she¡¯s Quirina,¡± Raeleigh repeated while staring at Santiago. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to talk about this. Nheless, we were somewhat connected to the disfigurement of Quirina¡¯s face. I just want to give birth to my child peacefully and have nothing to do withQuirina anymore.¡±

    ¡°AfterQuirinawas disfigured, she got stic surgery and altered her features. Somehow, as soon as she appeared, I sensed that I knew her, but I didn¡¯t recognize her immediately. Later, when I met her, I caught on, but I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re stupid then.¡± Santiago chirped with conviction. Raeleigh rolled her eyes, finally realizing how rude he could be. He would chide her at any given opportunity.Ifhe hadn¡¯t done that, then he would cease to be his usual self.

    However, in order to find Deanna, Raeleigh decided not to argue with him.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m stupid.¡± When she said that, Scarlette and the rest froze. Was she making fun of herself?

    Raeleigh appeared dead serious, as if she really believed that she was stupid.

    Scarlette turned her head away.Raeleighwas also terrifying when she got angry, although not as scary as Santiago.

    ¡°Okay, you¡¯re also an idiot.¡± Santiago continued to scold Raeleigh, as if he did not see her serious expression.

    Raeleigh stared at him. ¡°What I am is not important. I want to search for Deanna. If you want to help me, then find her. If you don¡¯t, then just beat it.¡±

    She had no other way then.

    Santiago rolled his eyes at her. ¡°Since it¡¯s Quirina, it¡¯s easy to deal with her. Go to Meica. She must have contacted Quirina, she¡¯s her mother after all.¡±

    ¡°I think so too, but I¡¯m not sure. Weshould split up and find this person.Get in touch once we find her. I¡¯ll be with Scarlette while you can go with Stuart.¡± Raeleigh did not want to pair up with Santiago, so she spoke first.

    ¡°Come with me,and Scarlette, go with Stuart.¡± After saying that, Santiago informed them while strutting off, ¡°Raeleigh and I are going to Meica¡¯s ce. Stuart and Scarlette will look around campus. We want to know if anyone has seen Quirina recently. She must have her own reason for kidnapping Deanna.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Santiago.¡±

    Stuart agreed from behind, whileScarlette nced at him. Sinceit concerned Deanna¡¯s safety, Scarlette immediately went to find those who might have known Xandra.

    Thefour of them split into two teams. Even though Raeleigh was unwilling to pair up with Santiago, she still followed him to Meica¡¯s home. At the same time, she called Jepherson, who was in a meeting. After he picked up the phone, he stopped the meeting and walked out of the conference room, noticing Hadrian, who was standing by the door. As Jepherson was used to having Stuart around, he felt ufortable at the sudden sight of Hadrien. Hence, he walked away and answered the phone. After the call, Jepherson contacted Zorion, who immediately went to Meica¡¯s.

    When Raeleigh and Santiago arrived, Zorion wasn¡¯t there yet. Raeleigh was waiting in the car, while Santiago got out and went to Meica¡¯s residence. When he reached the door, he rang the doorbell. Soon after, someone came out. Raeleigh observed and soon saw Meica¡¯s servant, who was confused, as she had never met Santiago before.

    ¡°May I ask who you are?¡± The housekeeper was polite. After all, it was Meica¡¯s home. Moreover, she did not wish for Santiago to think she was rude.

    Santiago immediately replied, ¡°I¡¯m your mistress¡¯s friend. I made an appointment toe here yesterday. Is she out?¡±

    The housekeeper thought for a moment. ¡°My mistress didn¡¯t mention anything about it.¡±

    ¡°What should we do? I¡¯ll call her and ask her toe back.¡± Santiago was going to take out his cell phone and ce a phone call. Instead, the servant chimed in hurriedly, ¡°Why don¡¯t youe in and wait for her?¡±

    The maid knew that Meica was a social butterfly. If she was med for not treating the guests well,orif she were to bepared with the first wife,then Meicacertainlywould never let her off the hook.

    ¡°Is that alright?¡± Santiago even feigned refusal. The servant looked at Santiago, who had a nobleandwealthy aura. He did not look like a bad person either. Only then did she invite him in. ¡°Pleasee in, sir. Our mistress will be back soon.¡±

    The housekeeper¡¯s reasoning was simple. Since he was here to look for Meica, he could just wait inside. No one would be so mad as toe here and pretend to be someone they were not. That would have been crazy.

    Watching Santiago enter the residence just like that,Raeleigh sat in the car and did not know what to say.

    Everyone in Capital City said Santiago was the devil incarnate, which made sense.

    No one else could have pulled off the act he just did.

    After entering the house, Santiago sentRaeleigha text, telling her not to get out of the car, lock the doors, and wait for him.

    Raeleigh followed his instructions and locked the door. She gripped the car keys in case anything happened.

    She waited outside for more than an hour until Santiago came out, with theservant sending him to the door. When Santiago left the house and got into the car, Raeleigh asked immediately, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not here.¡± Santiago immediately started the car and called Zorion. ¡°She¡¯s not at Meica¡¯s. Meica isn¡¯t home either.Get searching, andI¡¯ll look near the school.¡±

    After hanging up, Santiago drove off.Raeleigh leaned in her seat and recalled carefully.Quina certainly would not go back to campus. However, she could not go anywhere else. They had searched and turned the entire Capital City upside down to no avail. For a person as arrogant and domineeringas Quirina, she would not go anywhere that did not benefit her.

    After staying silent for a while, Raeleigh could not figure it out.

    The car stopped, and Santiago got down. Scarlette and Stuart also walked out. When Scarlette sawSantiago, she ran to him and reported, ¡°Mr.Santiago, people are saying that Xandra is at a holiday vi. They don¡¯t know what she is doing there.¡±

    ¡°Do you have an address?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±

    ¡°Get in.¡± Turning around, he got in and started the engine. However,he went directly to the resortthat timeinstead of calling others. When he arrived, he looked back at Stuart and ordered, ¡°Wait here outside with Raeleigh. I¡¯ll go in withScarlette.Don¡¯t letRaeleighleave.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Stuart nodded anxiously and then sat in the car,on guard. Raeleigh was aware of her own physical condition too. She could not run around, and no matter what, she was pregnant. Therefore, she would not run out of the car without a care.

 Chapter 1127 Not Just Anyone

    Raeleigh was a little worried as she watched Santiago leave. Finally, she turned to Stuart and uttered, ¡°You should go in too. I won¡¯t leave the car.¡±

    ¡°No, Young Madam Raeleigh, I have to listen to Mr. Santiago.¡± Stuart will not abandon Raeleigh, since he knew Santiago did so to make sure he was by her side.

    Seeing that she couldn¡¯t convince him, Raeleigh said nothing more.

    After that, she waited. However, after waiting for more than half an hour and Santiago was nowhere to be seen, it made her a little anxious.

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to find people in such a big ce. Why don¡¯t we go down and help them? You can follow me. Nothing will happen during the day. I¡¯ll call Jepherson too and ask him to send someone over.¡±

    Stuart hesitated, but Raeleigh¡¯s words persuaded him. Santiago¡¯s absence made him anxious too. As a result, the two got out of the car.

    Raeleigh got down and looked inside the resort. Raising her head, she noticed the name of this resort sounded unusual. It was calledThe North And South Resort.

    After finding a higher vantage point to have a look yet discovering nothing, she then approached Stuart. ¡°Stuart, give me your cell phone. I want to check out something.¡±

    Obliging, he took out his cell phone and gave it to her. Raeleigh took the phone, opened the navigation app, and mapped out the whole resort via GPS. She found that the resort was divided into north and south wings.

    Raeleigh was silent for a moment, before saying, ¡°Stuart, call Mr. Santiago and ask him where he is. We¡¯ll tackle the other side and not waste time.¡±

    Stuart heeded Raeleigh¡¯s instructions, dialing Santiago¡¯s number, and asked about his situation. Santiago immediately replied, ¡°Hand the phone to that pig.¡±

    Stuart was stunned for a moment. If Jepherson knew of this, then there would definitely be bad blood.

    ¡°Young Madam Raeleigh, Mr. Santiago requested for you.¡±

    Raeleigh picked up, and Santiago informed her, ¡°I¡¯m at the north section. Be careful.¡±

    Then, Santiago hung up, leaving Raeleighstaringat the phone in a daze. Smart people were really confusing.

    Fixing her eyes on the people around her, she put away the cell phone and walked southwards with Stuart. However, before she got there, she overheard someone talking. ¡°Rumor has it that the bonfire party tonight will be a hit. I heard there¡¯ll be some gorgeous neer chicks. They¡¯re all good-looking and attractive.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped to listen and nced at Stuart, gesturing at him with her eyes. The next minute, Stuart strutted over, acting all curious and veryscivious.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He grinned sleazily, blending in. Raeleigh pretended not to see them and turned to look elsewhere. The two men immediately answered, ¡°You already have one. How could you be so bold?¡±

    ¡°I paid for herpanionship. I¡¯ll send her back after ying with her for two days. I heard what you said just now.¡± With that, the men turned to Raeleigh shamelessly with their perverted gaze, as if they wanted to devour her on the spot.

    Stuart was fuming madly inwards, but he had to suppress it. If Santiago had seen this, then he would cripple these two.

    ¡°Alright then,sharing is caring. I asked what¡¯s going on at the bonfire party. Tell me about it.¡± Stuart took out some bank notes and handed some to them.

    The men did not appear to be rich. They stared at each other and did not think that the money was a bad thing. Theythen snatched up the money and took Stuart aside, whispering, ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone that there¡¯s a bonfire party tonight. Thedies are virgins, and both gorgeous and youthful. There are strip shows and bikini shows. They¡¯re both good, and the one with the highest bid will win it.¡±

    Stuart¡¯s expression changed a little. He did not look very well, but he asked, ¡°Is it only for today?¡±

    ¡°No, it started more than a week ago. People here really got lucky.¡±

    ¡°Are there any hot ones?¡±

    ¡°Are you silly? All of them are smoking hot. However, the most gorgeous chick is the one who came here two days ago. She is d*mn s*xy. However, I heard she tried to end her own life. I only saw two photos when she was tied up at that time. Unfortunately, we¡¯re not loaded, and the old man brought her away. I think she¡¯s done for¡­¡±

    The more Raeleigh listened, the more frightened she was. She called Santiago immediately and asked Stuart to take care of them there, and the two men were kneeling on the floor after some quick moves.

    When Santiago arrived at their location, he ced a boot on their heads and ordered, ¡°Show them the photo.¡±

    Scarlette immediately showed them a photo. ¡°Do you know her?¡±

    One of them froze at first nce, but then he shook his head. Raeleigh stepped forward and kicked him immediately. ¡°Are you going to tell us or not?¡±

    Santiago turned to look at Raeleigh. Her expression was nasty, and Stuart pulled her away immediately.¡°Young Madam Raeleigh, be careful.¡±

    She took a deep breath, sneering at the pair in front of her. ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, then I will shoot you. Stuart, give me your gun.¡±

    Stuart let out a cry, his eyes widening. He was dumbfounded. What gun?

    Raeleigh nced at Stuart and said, ¡°You don¡¯t want to give it to me, do you? I¡¯ll get one myself.¡±

    She walked towards the car. Watching this unfold, one of the men on the ground whimpered, and was so scared that he wetted his pants. Scarlette watched the scene in a daze.

    Before Raeleigh could even walk far, one of them cried out immediately, ¡°Yes, I know her. She was the unwilling girl, taken away by a 70-year-old b*stard. He made a bid of five hundred thousand dors.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and turned around, staringnklyat Santiago while her face turned pale.

    With an easy kick, Santiago knocked him unconscious, and he turned around to knock out the other person too.

    ¡°Tie them up.¡±

    As he spoke, Santiago took out his phone and called Zorion. After the call, Zorion sent his men over and surrounded the entire resort.

    Raeleigh stood by the side, with her hands and feet as cold as ice. Scarlette did the same. It was hard to say who wasforting who. Hugging each other, it felt like both of them were about to break down.

    As soon as Zorion arrived, he blocked all the entrances and exits. The car drove past them and went directly to the management¡¯s office. No one knew how many people there were in the whole resort. Zorion got out of the car with a pair of ck sunsses, with two people following him. Raeleigh spotted them from a distance, feeling a little strange as they seemed to have arrived with guns. The people around them were all dressed smartly in suits.

    Their eyes were cold, and their expressions were serious. Everyone was like an ice sculpture. Raeleigh watched as Zorion and his troop of men entered through the door.

    No one knew what was going on inside, and no one dared to breathe.

    After entering the resort, Zorion took a look at the people who were caught. All of them were trembling. They did not know what had happened.

    Someone gave Zorion a chair. However, Zorion did not sit down after he entered. Instead, he walked up to the front and uttered in disdain, ¡°Who¡¯s the manager?¡±

    The manager came out shivering. ¡°I, I am.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Do you know that your resort is running a prostitution ring?¡± Zorion looked at him. Although his tone was menacing, his eyes were lifeless,and his face was as cold as a thousand-year-old frozen zombie.

    ¡°I know.¡± The manager lowered his head and did not dare to take another nce. He had heard that the car outside was from the Whalen family, so he knew that the people who came might be from the Whalen family. He really did not know who they were, but they were associated with the Moore family. Although they were unorthodox, they were definitely not just anyone.

 Chapter 1128 Get Out of My Way

    The head of the Moore family was Yousif. Their boss was one of Yousif¡¯s wives, Meica. Just based on this information, the Whalen family had to respect them.

    It did not take long for Santiago to head in. When he entered the room, he nced at the people around him and he then stood behind Zorion. Zorion raised his hand, seemingly holding a knife. However, everything happened too quickly. It was a blur, andthe man suddenly lost his breath. Under the watchful eyes of the public, a man fell to the ground with his eyes widened,facing the ceiling with hisneck tilted to the side. He breathed hisst breath just like that.

    Screams of panic could be heard,people were cowering and scampering near his corpse.

    Santiago looked around but did not say anything.

    Zorion stepped on the person on the ground and walked forward.

    ¡°I want to find someone, and I demand that everyone will work together. To anyone who has a clue regarding the person in this photo, speak up and we¡¯llget along well.¡±

    Zorion took out the photo and showed it to the staff present. In fact, many people had seen her, but no one stood up.

    Santiago drew a military knife from his side. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll start from the first person. Come over here.¡±

    Santiago spoke with a drawl, sounding casual yet bone-chilling, as if he was a devil from h*ll. The moment he opened his mouth, a deadly atmosphere spread throughout the room.

    Everyone screamed out of fear. Some cowards even fainted in a sh.

    Raeleigh too did not know how she came in with Scarlette. When she entered, the dead body on the ground was the first thing she saw. She was stunned, and Scarlette was also flustered.

    It was not that they had never seen a dead person before, it was just that the series of events were too strange. Even Scarlette was panicking.

    Meanwhile, Raeleighgradually calmed down from the sidelines. She seemed to know that something terrible had happened that time.

    In this world, there was a kind of madness that could turn a person into a demon.

    Almost everyone in the world knew of Zorion¡¯s love for Deanna. He would never let anything bad happen to her, absolutely not. Nheless, God was not on her side that time. If looks could kill, then everyone in the room would be dead ages ago, including herself.

    The news of Deanna¡¯s kidnapping had driven Zorion up the wall. Knowing that she had been sold off as a s*x ve had pushed him to a state of madness, with his eyes gleaming with deranged anger.

    Raeleigh could imagine that many people could not understand how a murderer had the urge to kill another. However, Raeleigh thought that they had been trained in such an environment since they were young. They had both a ruthless side and a gentle side. They did not want to expose their ferocious side, but some people always provoked them by doing things that made everyone lose control.

    Looking at Zorion, Raeleigh frowned deeply. It was unimaginable that Deanna had really been taken away by an old man, just like the two people had said, and something had happened. What would be the fate of these people in front of her?

    Then, something dropped onto the floor, and she looked at the ground where the sound came from. At that time, Santiago had dropped the edge of the military knife on the ground. The knife dragged behind him while he walked, and a crisp sound could be heard

    Everyone gasped and they immediately stood up, trembling. Santiago walked towards the person on the left, and that person was the first one to expire.

    Raeleigh walked over immediately and tugged at his hand. She blocked him from acting out. ¡°Don¡¯t act like this.¡±

    ¡°Get out of the way.¡± His face was pale. Raeleigh was frustrated and upset too, but this was not the solution.

    ¡°Killing can¡¯t solve anything. You must believe that I have a way.¡± She turned around and looked at them.¡°My name is Raeleigh. It¡¯s my sister, Helma Anson, in the picture. Have you ever seen her? This is my sister¡¯s ssmate, and he¡¯s helping me look for her. If you tell me the truth, then I promise you won¡¯t get hurt. Otherwise, you have seen the consequences. They are all crazy. They will do something irreversible.¡±

    As Raeleigh spoke,Scarlette ran forward too, saying, ¡°Hurry up and tell them. Don¡¯t waste time. The only chance for you to survive is to spill what you know.¡±

    Still, no one dared to say anything. Raeleigh added exasperatedly, ¡°Now that something has happened to her, the most important thing is to save her. If you don¡¯t tell us, then death will be the only way out.¡±

    In the end, someone could not hold back and spoke up, stammering. ¡°I know, I know who took her away. I also thought about letting her go, but our boss¡¯s daughter has a feud with her. That¡¯s why we didn¡¯t dare to do it.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    ¡­

    A lot of people stood up, and Raeleigh ran over at once. ¡°Then, who took her away?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an old man. His name is Salman rk. We all know that he¡¯s perverted. He took her away. He lives in the Sheya Vi. I also know the house number. I¡¯ve been there. Believe me, and I¡¯ll take you there. I just hope that you can spare our lives as we¡¯re only working here.¡±

    Raeleigh yanked him over immediately. ¡°If a few of you lead the way, then nothing will happen here.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    She dragged the man to Zorion, who then turned around and strode off. His expression was so sinister that he seemed like a different person entirely, and no one was able to recognize him.

    Raeleigh followed him closely. A few of them got into his car, and they swiftly arrived at the Sheya Vi.

    After getting down, Raeleigh followed them to Salman¡¯s house. It was already dark, and there was hardly anyone in the vicinity. Zorion¡¯s men kicked the door open, and he strode in. Salman¡¯s family hurried out from inside the house. His little grandchild, who was about six years old, stared at them with wide eyes, and burst into tears when he saw the men.

    Salman¡¯s family members were also frightened. One of the girls was standing to one side. She was about sixteen years old. Zorion saw her first and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    She did not reply to him, and his face did not look very good.

    Salman was an old man. He walked over and replied, ¡°She¡¯s the daughter of my second wife.¡±

    ¡°Second wife?¡± Zorion looked at Salman. ¡°Are you Salman rk?¡±

    Salman nodded. ¡°Yes, I am. Who are you people? What are you doing at my house?¡±

    ¡°Some time ago, at The North And South Resort, you bought a girl about the same age as her and took her away. You paid 500, 000 dors. Is that true?¡±

    Hearing this, Salman¡¯s lined face turned pale,and he immediately croaked, ¡°No, no¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still denying it? At that time, you werescivious enough to have offered a bid of 500, 000 dors. We suggest that you should not tire yourself and let the other youngsters have a chance. We just want you to let go of the girl. She is like a child. We don¡¯t know what happened, but you took her away, and you still insist that it wasn¡¯t you.¡±

    Immediately afterwards, the man they were looking for, Salman, started pointing and cursing. Zorion raised his hand for a knife, andSantiago handed it to him.As soon as Raeleigh saw that, she swiftly dashed in front of him.

    However, before she could speak, Zorion sneered.¡°Get out of my way.¡±

 Chapter 1129 Found No One

    The ferocity in his tone made her freeze for a moment, but she stared at Zorion as if nothing happened. Sometimes, people acted like Zorion, who would disregard everything when their families were threatened.

    Raeleigh understood how Zorion felt, the burning, angry urge to see Deanna right away.

    ¡°Listen to me. It¡¯s useless even if you kill him. Now, it¡¯s time to find De¡­¡±

    ¡°Find Helma¡¯s whereabouts, ask clearly, and find a way to punish him. Look at his family. His sons and the daughters-inw are here. He is already so old, and it¡¯s so embarrassing. There are so many of us against him, and he¡¯s no match for us.¡±

    Zorion held the knife in his hand and red at Salman.¡°Where¡¯s Helma?¡±

    Salman remained quiet. Santiago went over and grabbed the small child. Gasps rang out, and Salman¡¯s family became hysterical, with two women dropping to their knees, blubbering.

    ¡°Please, I beg you. If you want to kill someone, then kill him. The child is innocent.¡± The two women started to sob, and their wails sounded particrly piercing in the silent night.Raeleighcould not bear it and helped them up. ¡°Stand up. Get up first.¡±

    The child next to her burst into tears, which made her even more anxious.

    The women on the ground cried stubbornly, refusing to stand up. Raeleigh could only stare at Zorion. ¡°Say something.¡±

    He said after a while, ¡°Ask him to tell us where Helma is now.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to Salman. ¡°If you don¡¯t tell us, then your family will die.¡±

    Salman¡¯s chin wobbled, and he then fell to his knees with a loud thud. ¡°I¡¯ve lost her.¡±

    Zorion turned to him slowly,with his eyes shing. ¡°Are you still in denial amidst all this?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s not like that¡­¡±

    Salman shook his head fiercely, exining, ¡°No, I¡¯m really telling the truth. That day, I really paid 500, 000 dors for that girl. I wanted to do it in the carter, so I made a move on her in the car. Who knew that she was uncooperative, so I parked the car in a quiet ce and tried to force her. Unfortunately, her voice was too loud and even attracted surrounding gangsters.¡±

    Those people were going to turn my car over, and I got down without doing anything to her. After I got out of the car, they took away all my cash and some valuables. I thought that was it, but when they saw a woman in my car, they went in and took her away.¡±

    ¡°If there is a lie in what I said, then I¡­I swear, I will die a tragic death.¡±

    Raeleigh stood aside and stared nkly, speechless. How could a man in his seventies still do such a thing? She did not know what to feel.

    At that time, Salman suddenly stood up and stepped back to move closer to his youngest daughter. He pulled her over and shoved her to Zorion. ¡°Look, this daughter of mine is beautiful. Isn¡¯t she pretty? I can give her to you.¡±

    The old man pushed his own daughter over. Zorion did not dodge, and she crashed into him, but then she immediately walked away. She took two steps back, stared at Zorion with his dark eyes, and thenmented, ¡°I¡¯m not his daughter.¡±

    ¡°You little b*tch¡­¡±

    Salman pped her right in the cheek, which was something Raeleigh did not expect. She leaned forward to support her and glowered at him. ¡°Are you even human? How can you treat your own daughter like this? Even as an elderly, you¡¯re doing shameless things outside, yet you still dare to hurt your daughter. Aren¡¯t you ashamed?¡±

    She felt as furious as a bull. Salman was nothing but trash.

    Zorion snarled, ¡°Where did you lose her?¡±

    ¡°Not far from the road behind the resort is that area,¡± Salman answered immediately.

    He paused,and then added, ¡°I know I was wrong. I just want to¡­ Ah!¡±

    With a quick movement, Zorion stabbed his knife directly into Salman¡¯s crotch. He lifted the knife and drew it back, with crimson blood dripping from the de.

    Salman¡¯s family was so frightened that they cried out in rm. Santiago flung the child onto the couch, while Zorion looked at Salman as he crouched on the floor. His eyes were wide open from the excruciating pain. ¡°That way, you¡¯ll be able to rest in peace.¡±

    After saying that, Zorion nced coldly at the girl in front of him. ¡°Take her away.¡±

    Turning around, Zorion left, followed by Raeleigh and the others. After that, he sent his men to search nearby.

    However, they found no one. Zorion was leaning against his car seat. It was a limo, and a few people sat next to him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Since she had been taken away, we can start with the gangsters nearby. You¡¯ll definitely find her,¡± Raeleigh said. Meanwhile, Zorion raised his head, but he did not reply to her.

    The car stopped by the beach, and Zorion got down. He stood alone in the dark while the wind was blowing on the beach.Raeleigh and the others simply watched.

    Jepherson got out of the car in the back. In fact, Jepherson arrived earlier. He had been sitting in the back of the car, following them, but he never got out of his car.

    Getting off the vehicle, Jepherson fastened the buttons on his coat and walked forward.

    At that time, only Zorion and Jepherson were standing on the beach. Zorion faced the sea and remained silent. His face was lifeless.

    Jepherson stopped. He stood for a while with his arms crossed. ¡°Your father should be informed about this.¡±

    Zorion did not answer. Both hands were clutched at his waist, his breathing a little heavy.

    ¡°Although Santiago and Cynthia are engaged, you should know that this is just a pawn in a game of chess. Once the victor emerges, their rtionship will end.¡± Jepherson analyzed, and he then kept his arms behind his back.

    Zorion remained silent. He just kept his head down, and paced back and forth in the same ce.

    It was not until Jepherson said, ¡°If something really happens, then I¡¯ll tell Santiago.¡±

    Zorion snorted and looked at him. ¡°What do you want to do? Do you want me to die?¡±

    Jepherson looked at him in return.¡°Then, what do you think we should do? If something really happened, then it¡¯ll be Deanna¡¯s life on the line.¡±

    Zorion turned his face and replied, ¡°I can¡¯t do this. If we do that, then we¡¯ll only let Santiago down, and Santiago doesn¡¯t owe us anything.¡±

    ¡­

    The wind was still blowing. Raeleigh observed Jepherson and Zorion, who had been standing by the seaside for more than half an hour. She was a little anxious. Then, she urged Santiago, who was in front of her. ¡°Santiago, let¡¯s go and find them. You have a solution. You must be able to find gangsters in the surrounding areas.¡±

    Santiago turned to look at her. ¡°The people directly involved are not in a hurry, so why are you, a bystander, feeling nervous?¡±

    Raeleigh pulled a long face. ¡°Are youing or not?¡±

    Santiago got out of the car and went to another one. He opened the door and got in, while Raeleigh and Scarlette followed. There was no more space for Stuart, but he still had to look after Salman¡¯s daughter. Hence, he could not leave the car.

    Although it was in the dead of the night, the sea breeze was blowing strongly. Neither Zorion nor Jepherson saw Raeleigh and the others leave until they were far away.

    When they arrived at Waverly Vige, Raeleigh and the others came down and started a search party in the middle of the night.

    Raeleigh asked Scarlette, ¡°This is a vige. Have we left Capital City?¡±

    Scarlette looked around and answered, ¡°It should be. After we left the resort, we actually left the city. The ce that we are looking for is a little remote.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°The most popted ce is around this area. If we aren¡¯t in Waverly Vige, then I would have thought that we¡¯re in a big city, wouldn¡¯t you? It¡¯s almost as bustling as Capital City.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡± Suddenly, Scarlette deliberately dragged her voice. Raeleigh looked at her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s 3 o¡¯clock in the morning. We haven¡¯t had anything for the whole day. You¡¯re pregnant, remember?¡± Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t have felt hungry if Scarlette hadn¡¯t said anything about it. Now that she reminded her, Raeleigh indeed felt a little hungry. However,a nce around indicated that there was nowhere they could¡¯ve gone, let alone finding somece to eat.

 Chapter 1130 Same Blood Type

    Santiago, who was in the front, looked around. He specificallybed through the seedy areas.

    Soon, it was dawn.

    Scarlette could not walk any longer, but Raeleigh kept searching, and she did notin that she was tired.

    The sun was up. Santiago turned around and stood in front of Raeleigh. He bent over and lifted her. Raeleigh¡¯s body was lifted in the air for a while. Her gaze met Santiago¡¯s unkind eyes. ¡°I¡¯m impressed.I said that you¡¯re quite chubby, and you really are.¡±

    With that, Santiago carried Raeleigh back to the car. The door opened, and Santiago carried Raeleigh in. After that, he went in andy down, waiting for Zorion and the others toe and have the whole vige ced under lockdown.

    Raeleigh turned over and felt veryfortable. She stretched and woke up in a stupor. Opening her eyes, she felt that something was wrong, so she hurriedly got up.

    As a result, Raeleigh noticed that she was sleeping in Jepherson¡¯s embrace. Was something wrong with that?

    Jepherson raised his hand to pinch Raeleigh¡¯s chin, staring at her little dazed face. Then, he lowered his head and gave her a peck on her lips,letting her go right after that.

    ¡°Sleep a little longer. It¡¯s still early.¡±Jephersongently stroked Raeleigh¡¯s hair, as if he was petting a cat.

    Raeleigh felt quite at ease and was indeed a bit exhausted.

    Although she felt a little ufortable at the thought of Jepherson¡¯s missing sister, she would rather believe that she was Xanthus¡¯ sister, not his.

    It was cosy inside the car.Raeleighy in the seat as if she was in the clouds. With Jephersonaround, she was at ease.

    Raeleigh turned over andy t on her back. Then, gripping Jepherson¡¯s smooth and jade-like fingers, she mumbled,¡°I really hope Deanna¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°She will be fine.¡± Jepherson did not expect Raeleigh to look for Deanna like that. It was surprising.

    Raeleigh stared atJephersonfor a while.¡°I¡¯m really sleepy.¡±

    ¡°Then, go to sleep.¡±Jephersonsmiled at her. Raeleigh blinked and fell asleep.

    Zorion brought his men to search for his sister for one more day. Raeleigh was so tired that she did not wake up. Santiago rested in another car along with them and bought some food after he was well-rested. He intended to send some food to Raeleigh and Jepherson. When he opened the door and was ready to get in,Jepherson opened his eyes and made a silent gesture, to indicateSantiagonot toe over and to lower his voice.

    Santiago was utterly speechless. He turned around and left with the pastries in his hand,and was not even bothered to close the door.

    Stuart immediately closed the door quietly and then hid himself to one side.

    Mr. Jephersonhad not eaten for two days. Stuart did not expect him to show that much affection for Raeleigh.

    Staring at the sky, which was getting dark,Stuart did not know what to say. They had been searching for her for a very long time, and they were not even sure if they were in the right ce.

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, in a house in Waverly Vige.

    Several people were talking to one another.¡°They had been searching for so long, and they¡¯re not leaving yet. Will they seed?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?What¡¯s our boss thinking?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.Judging from his appearance, he seems head over heels in love with her.¡±

    ¡°s¡­ What a disaster!¡±

    ¡­

    Zorion had been searching for Deanna for a few days, yet he failed to find her. He had to leave Waverly Vige to return to the resort and deal with the matter.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to look for Meica?¡± On the way back, Jepherson and Zorion sat in the same car.

    Zorion nced at Jepherson.¡°What else can we do?¡±

    Jepherson did not say a word. Halfway through the journey, Zorion got out of the car,entered the Whalen family car and left. That afternoon, Meica¡¯s house was next. Almost all events in Capital City that had something to do with Meica, even the one that was organized by the Moore family, were ordered to stop at once.

    That night, everyone talked about how Meica had offended the Whalen family and had experienced such a huge robbery. That was going to be the end of Meica.

    Along with that, the news media reported that Xandra was actually Quirina. As a result,Meica and Quirina¡¯s scandals were exposed.

    The next day,Quirina was revealed to have beens*xually assaulted on the street,with the incident having been videotaped and made into a film. Everyone in Capital City started spreading the video and made it go viral.

    For a moment, Meica could not take such a blow. She instantly fell ill and was sent to the hospital, suffering from a stroke even though she was still young. Yousif aged overnight as well.

    Raeleigh was a little surprised when she saw Yousif on TV, trembling as he announced his retirement.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect Zorion to have such immense influence.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t seem to understand the true nature of the world anymore.

    A bad person was not evil, and a good person was not kind either. She was even unsure whether the man beside her had malicious or genuine intentions.

    Raeleigh sat still, in a daze.Jephersonstroke Raeleigh¡¯s hair, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. I¡¯ll leave for a moment.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at Jepherson and thought that he might be meeting Zorion. She leaned against the side and remembered a short message sent by Xanthus in the morning,which mentioned that he wanted to perform a DNA test and hoped she woulde over.

    Raeleigh felt that it was a golden opportunity. Although she thought that the probability that she was his sister was less than fifty percent, it was still much better than nothing.

    Raeleigh gave it a thought and wondered, how was she able to make a move?

    At that moment?

    Scarlette was still sulking at Hadrian while Stuart was not even home.

    Raeleigh stood up and went outside. She stood in the yard for a while, but no one noticed her. Then, she went out of thepound and stood there for a while, but no one paid attention to her. Well, it was time for her to leave the house.

    Raeleigh stepped out of the gate and left. Not long after, she saw Xanthus¡¯ car. Xanthus pulled over, andRaeleigh gotinto the car.

    Raeleigh sat quietly in the back. Xanthus smiled gently. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. It¡¯s just a test.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. How couldn¡¯t she be nervous?

    Soon, the car arrived at a hospital, and both of them drew their blood.

    Raeleigh took a seat outside and asked after a long time, ¡°I forgot to ask you, what¡¯s your blood type?¡±

    Raeleigh suggested to take a DNA test at that particr hospital as no one knew her there. She just wanted to do a blood test to see if they had the same blood type. Besides, Raeleigh had not told Xanthus about her own blood type before she came.

    ¡°My blood type is Rh-negative. It¡¯s inherited, so I believe that you¡¯re my younger sister.¡± Xanthus leaned against one side with his arm crossedwhile Raeleigh jolted upon hearing that.

    ¡°Your blood type is Rh-negative?¡± Raeleigh was surprised.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I know you have it too, so I believe that you¡¯re my sister.¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her head slightly. Then, after a long time, she added, ¡°Jepherson also has the same blood type.¡±

    Xanthus was stunned for a moment.¡°Isn¡¯t it a coincidence?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. It was not until recently that she learnt about it when she asked Scarlette. She also knew that Santiago had the same blood type. That was to say, all of the Richards family members probably had the same blood type too.

    Raeleigh was in a daze, applying direct pressure on the spot where her blood had been drawn.

    After a while, the doctor exited the room. When he noticed the two of them, he took out the test sheets and informed them, ¡°Take a look at this. Both of you are of the same blood type.¡±

    Raeleigh walked over and fixed her eyes on the list, lost in thought.

    Xanthus smiled.¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s the same.¡±

    Raeleigh was not surprised. She asked the doctor, ¡°When will the DNA result be released?¡±

    ¡°In the evening.¡± The doctor turned around and went inside. Raeleigh thought for a moment before suggesting, ¡°Then, let¡¯s wait a little longer.¡±

    Xanthus thought so too. Then, he gestured to Raeleigh to take a seat. The duo chattedfor the whole day.

    Raeleigh did not remember much about their conversation, but it was all about Xanthus¡¯ family.

    It was time to get off work when the staff took out the DNA sheet and informed them, ¡°You¡¯re lucky. The test results will usually be released every Monday. We need topare it multiple times. However, since you¡¯re here topare your blood type, and I really enjoy helping others, the results are out. You can have a look.¡±

    After the doctor finished speaking, he intended to leave. Raeleighimmediatelyasked, ¡°What is the percentage of the degree of contrast between siblings?¡±

    The doctor stopped in his tracks and replied, ¡°If they¡¯re from the same parents, then it¡¯ll be more than ny per cent. It won¡¯t be lower than that. I¡¯m not sure about the maximum percentage.¡±

    After saying that, the doctor left. Raeleigh observed the results and froze¡­

    97. 2 percent?

 Chapter 1131 Send Her Home

    In fact, Raeleigh did not fully believe the results of the blood test. There were too many doubts about it, but her attitude towards Xanthus changed that instant.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh sat in the car. Xanthus said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you back,buy some fruits, andvisit your grandmother along the way. You¡¯re pregnant, and you should pay more attention to it. You shouldn¡¯t work too hard. You¡¯ve been exhausted these past few days.¡±

    Raeleigh slightly raised her head and looked at Xanthus, who was in the driver¡¯s seat in front of her, and remained silent. Recalling memories of her being abandoned in an orphanage since she was a child, Raeleigh felt an indescribable sorrow in her heart. If no one had died, if the fire had never happened andeverything had been normal, then it was alright forpeople to find a little girl they had lost years ago. However, she could not calm down. Although she was eager to prove that she was neither Jepherson¡¯s sister nor the child of the Richards family, andthe result proved that she and Xanthus were siblings, shecould not see things the way they used to be.

    Raeleigh slowly turned around and looked out of the window. She began to feel impetuous. Thinking that Xanthus had travelled a long distance to find her and at the thought of his mother, Raeleigh developedplex emotions and felt ufortable.

    However, she wasn¡¯tpletely sure of that matter and how she should face all those sudden changes.

    ording to the information, she had been sent to an orphanage. How could she have been from around here? It did not make sense at all.

    Raeleigh kept quiet because she was uncertain about what was going on.

    Xanthus smiled.¡°I¡¯ll exin the situation to Jepherson. We met outside by ident, so I¡¯m just sending you back and visiting your grandmother.¡±

    Xanthus¡¯ considerateness made it difficult for Raeleigh to reject his offer. Moreover, she then had an indescribable feeling for Xanthus.

    ¡°No one knows that I¡¯m out, but I left a message for Serra, hoping that they won¡¯t be worried,¡± Raeleigh answered from the back seat as her emotions were muddled up.

    Xanthus chuckled.¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    Raeleigh took some time before answering, ¡°How do you know that I¡¯m really busy these days?¡±

    Was he keeping an eye on her?

    ¡°When one cares about a person, one will know whatever happens to her.¡± Xanthus was amused andughed cheerfully, with Raeleigh staring at him in a daze.

    Xanthus gradually withdrew his smile.¡°Although I look like Dad, your facial features are simr to Mom¡¯s, along with other aspects as well. You can observe mecarefully tosee if there¡¯s anything simr between the two of us to confirm our rtionship.¡±

    ¡°I know that you¡¯re introverted. This is a result of our family¡¯s inherited genes.¡±

    Hmm¡­

    ¡°My studies are pretty good. Since I started school, I¡¯ve always obtained full marks in all subjects. I¡¯ve been on academic schrships since I was a child.¡±

    I¡¯m simr to Dad in this aspect. Mom¡¯s studies are so-so, and they¡¯re not as good as Dad¡¯s. Dad excels in everything.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. She did not know what to say, so she did not say anything. Xanthus was really conniving, avoiding her question like that, albeit he had given her the answers she wanted¡­

    Raeleigh thought for a moment.¡°How did you manage to find me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy. After I discovered that you were sent to this orphanage, I immediately came here from abroad and searched for every information about the orphanage.¡±

    ¡°After all, it happened a few years ago. You¡¯re now neen, and that incident happened when you were ten. It was not too long ago, so it was not difficult for me to obtain the information. What¡¯s more, there were many previous files in the orphanage. I checked the household registration and paid a visit to the person responsible for it.¡±

    ¡°Although those from the orphanage are all gone, some are still alive. Some prominent individuals were the same children who grew up in the orphanage. The information I found is authentic and urate.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re definitely my biological sister.I don¡¯t want to be mistaken.¡±

    Raeleigh thought that if that was the case, then her IQ was quite worrying. Compared to the man in front of her, her habits were totally different from his.

    Xanthus¡¯ way of doing things was smart, but she¡­

    A soft sigh sounded.

    His words were reasonable. The orphanage was gone, and people had died in the fire, but the children from the orphanage were still alive, and some famous icons, who were from the orphanage, were still doing good.

    Her fate was a joke.

    Raeleigh felt ridiculous, but she also slightly relieved.

    She sat in the back seat and began to observe Xanthus. Xanthus asionally spoke a little.

    When they arrived at the entrance of the shopping mall, Xanthus got out of the car and asked Raeleigh, before approaching the fruit stalls in front of it, ¡°Would you like to get out and buy some fruits?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head after pondering for a while.¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute. I¡¯ll be quick.¡± Xanthus seemed to be in a good mood that day. As he turned around and buttoned up his shirt, he walked towards the grocery store. Inside, Xanthus selected and bought some fruits.Raeleighsat in the car and kept her eyes peeled.Apart from Xanthus¡¯ personality, all of Raeleigh¡¯s senses took after his temperament.

    Not long after, Xanthus emerged from the grocery store. He bought a bag full of fruits and ced it on the passenger seat. Then, he got in the car and drove Raeleigh back to her residence.

    On the way there, Xanthus told Raeleigh, ¡°The blood type is only part of it. After a while, when Mom and Dade over, they willpare their blood type with yours. Of course, we¡¯ll need your approval.¡±

    ¡°Also¡­ I¡¯ll continue to follow up and find all the information for you. Don¡¯t worry.This matter has been dyed for almost ten years. Although I¡¯m anxious for you to approve me as your brother, I can¡¯t be too hasty. I don¡¯t want to make a big mistake and frighten you, as if I¡¯m a creep.¡±

    Raeleigh was a little shy and could not tell what was going on. After a while, Raeleigh said, ¡°I need some time to get used to it.¡±

    ¡°I know, I¡¯m not in a hurry, but¡­ Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Xanthus was observing Raeleigh¡¯s reaction. He knew it was abrupt, but he wanted to close the distance between them.

    ¡°Can I call you that?¡± Xanthus asked Raeleigh. Raeleigh thought for a while and answered, ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay attention to the situation.¡± Xanthus smiled and heaved a sigh of relief, as if he was relieved from being rid of a heavy burden. At that time, their car had arrived.

    Xanthus turned off the car engine, got out of it, picked up therge bag of fruits, and opened the door.

    There were few people in the house right then, as everyone was busy searching for Deanna. Jepherson hadn¡¯t returned, nor did Santiago.

    Raeleigh got out of the car and saw Stuart walking towards her anxiously. When he saw Xanthus, he was a little surprised and paused for a moment. Then, he greeted, ¡°Young Madam Raeleigh, you¡¯re finally back. You almost scared us to death.¡±

    Without waiting for Raeleigh¡¯s exnation, Xanthus nced at Raeleigh and exined, ¡°I met Raeleigh on the way back. Since it¡¯s the weekend, and I n to visit tomorrow anyway, I tagged along and brought some fruits, and to check on Scarlette as well.¡±

    Raeleigh was really impressed with Xanthus¡¯ exnation. She did not say anything, so Stuart led both of them into the house.

 Chapter 1132 Lose Oneâ€™s Virginity

    Novalie looked at therge bag of fruits in front of her,and then at the person sitting quietly across from her. She seemed to have thought of something.

    ¡°Dr. Osteen, is there anything that brings you joy recently?¡±

    Novalie was smart. That was a reminder.

    ¡°There¡¯s indeed a joyful affair.¡± Xanthus was quick-witted to know what she was talking about. He answered her while giving her a quick checkup.

    Novalie hummed a reply. Then, she looked at Xanthus and asked, ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but do you mind sharing it with me?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You see, my younger sister went missing a few years back. This younger sister is my parents¡¯ favorite child. When my mother was pregnant, she was taken great care of, so you can see how much importance they ce on my sister. I was also moved and couldn¡¯t wait to see herwhen I was young.¡±

    ¡°But an ident took my sister away. I¡¯ve been trying to find her ever since. After so many years, I finally found her. Isn¡¯t it something to be d about?¡±

    Novalie was smart enough to understand the underlying meaning behind his words. Xanthus was hinting at Raeleigh, she thought.

    Novaliecast a nce at Raeleigh, wholoweredher head. Since Xanthus had not left yet, it was hard for her to exin.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s indeed a joyous affair. We should celebrate.¡±Novaliesmiled. Xanthus nced at Raeleigh and replied, ¡°But my younger sister has been sensible and well-behaved since she was young. She¡¯s also cautious. She still doesn¡¯t trust me although I have a blood sampleparison with her DNA, and it proves that we¡¯re highly matched, which meets the standard that indicates that we¡¯re biological siblings of the same parents.¡±

    Novalieanswered with a knowing expression, ¡°Then, your sister is indeed a fool.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her gaze and nced at Novalie.¡°Let me wash some fruits.¡±

    Raeleigh walked over and took out some apples and grapes. Then, sheimmediately left the room.

    ¡°Slow down and be careful. You¡¯re a mother-to-be, yet you¡¯re still walking in a flurry.No one is chasing after you.¡±

    Raeleigh closed the door and left in a hurry.

    Xanthus¡¯ expression grew more worried and he frowned as he stared at the door.

    Novalie noticed all of that and was quite satisfied.

    Xanthus looked atNovaliefor a while. Then, he continued to check on her and talked to her.

    Novaliesaid, ¡°Raeleigh is fantastic in every aspect, but she experienced too many things when she was a child, so she can¡¯t let it go.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°In fact, there¡¯s nothing wrong with Raeleigh. Although I was pleasantly surprised when I first saw Raeleigh, I don¡¯t like her overly calm aura and that she matured too soon. She should live a life that suits her age.¡±

    Xanthus retrieved the stethoscope and looked atNovalie.

    Novalienced at the door. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not aint but it¡¯s the guilt talking. I¡¯ve met Deanna from the Whalen family. With all due respect, our family isparable to Rayan¡¯s, and we¡¯re better off than them. Although I¡¯m a doctor, my family is prestigious and admirable.¡±

    ¡°IfRaeleigh had not been kidnapped, then she would still be a child and would not have matured so soon. I could also take care of her and watch her grow like how Zorion witnessed Deanna¡¯s growth. Of course¡­ I won¡¯t let Raeleigh turn out to be like Deanna, who¡¯s not independent and doesn¡¯t even know how to tell right from wrong.¡±

    ¡°However, I will not let Raeleigh carry such a burden.¡±

    ¡°I always feel that the world in her heart is burdensome, and that kind of heaviness suffocates her.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re telling me all this,areyou ming me for not taking good care ofRaeleigh? I¡¯m just an olddy who¡¯s a beggar¡­¡±

    ¡°No, no¡­ Please don¡¯t misunderstand me. To me, you¡¯re like Mother Theresa, who saved us from hardship. You¡¯re our great benefactor. I¡¯ll never be able to repay you even if I spend the rest of my life doing so. I absolutely didn¡¯t mean to belittle you.¡±

    ¡°Although I grew up abroad and received foreign education, I¡¯m still a citizen of this country, andI studied the culture of Tambend. My father¡¯s expectations of me are also too great. I know that we should repay other people¡¯s kindness. You did a great favor for our Osteen family. How can I not be grateful?¡±

    Novalielooked at Xanthus and responded, ¡°You have a way with words.¡±

    ¡°You misunderstood me. I¡¯m just telling the truth, but Raeleigh¡¯s character is too calm and restrained, and she¡¯s not even impetuous. Sometimes I feel distressed when I look at her. I should havee earlier.¡±

    Novaliesighed and said, ¡°Everything is predestined. I used to¡­¡±

    Novaliepondered for a moment before she continued, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s talk about it when you¡¯re morefortable with each other in the future.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± While Xanthus was talking toNovalie, Raeleigh came in from the outside with a fruit tray in her hands. She set the fruit tray on the table and invitedNovalie and Xanthus to taste them.

    Novalieand Xanthus talked for a whilebeforeXanthus got up to leave. Raeleigh sent him to the door. Xanthus looked at Raeleigh and remindedher.¡°You always seem to be rushing around. Others will worry about you. Don¡¯t always be so panicky in the future.¡±

    Raeleigh stood at the door and looked at Xanthus, andthen at Stuartstanding by her side. Stuart hurriedly lowered his head and pretended as if he had not heard it.

    If Mr. Jepherson were tolearn about that, thennew problems would arise.

    After Xanthus left, Raeleigh looked at Stuart and asked, ¡°When will Jepherson return?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He ordered for me to return here. He has something to deal with,¡± Stuart answered. Raeleigh did not know where he had gone. Perhaps, he was looking for Deanna.

    Raeleigh turned around and entered the house. As she walked, she asked Stuart, ¡°Is there any news about Deanna?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. Mr. Santiago has been looking for her, but he hasn¡¯t found her yet.¡± Stuart lowered his head. He did not know what was going on, but they almost dug up the whole city, yet they still could not find her, and they did not know why.

    Raeleigh resumed sitting on the couch. All of that happened so suddenly that everyone could not ept it.

    Meanwhile, at the Whalen family residence.

    Zorion got out of bed,feeling slightly dizzy. He wasn¡¯t wearing any clothes, and he raised his hand as he rubbed his temples. What was happening?

    Why was his head hurting so much?

    Aftering back to his senses, Zorion looked at the person next to him and was stunned to see a girl sleeping on the bed.

    Reaching forward, Zorion pulled the quilt to take a look at the person under the nket.

    The person¡¯s face was covered, but the outline¡­

    Zorion frowned and was reminded of what had happened the previous night. He lifted the hair off the sleeping person¡¯s face. When he saw her face, he was dumbstruck for a moment before he withdrew his hand.

    He turned around, lifted the quilt, and got off the bed, grabbing his robes, and putting it on. He tied a knot and walked to the door.

    The door opened. Zorion looked at the torn clothes on the ground and turned to look at the person slowly waking up on the bed. She sat up and grasped the quilt with both hands to cover her body.

    Their eyes met. Zorion seemed to have witnessed the miserable scene of Deanna being assaulted once again as he walkedto the door and closed it once more.

 Chapter 1133 She Thinks Itâ€™s Possible

    Zorion walked forward, step by step, and stopped to look at the people in front of him. ¡°I did something I shouldn¡¯t have donest night. It¡¯s my fault. I lost control of my emotions and hurt you.¡±

    The girl looked at the person in front of her and stepped back. When she found that she was not feeling well, she stopped and replied, ¡°Salman did something to you. That was his fault. I am not his biological daughter. My mother was kidnapped by him. My mother was pregnant for two months at that time. She was afraid that Salman would take revenge on her, so she could only bear the humiliation and the burden. In the end, she gave birth to me. Salman always knew that I was not his biological daughter. He wanted to strangle me many times, but he was lusting after my mother¡¯s beauty, so he kept me until today. He wanted to get his hands on me, but he did not seed. Not long ago, my mother died. I have nothing to do with him anymore.¡±

    ¡°You hurt me and owe me a favor. I want you to return it to me.¡±

    Zorion was wearing a white robe, standing to one side as he fixed his gaze on the girl. She continued, ¡°I want to get away from Salman¡¯s reach, go abroad, and leave this ce. You see¡­¡±

    The girl lifted the nket. Underneath the nket, there were droplets of blood. Zorion had never encountered such a thing before, but heunderstood her point.

    The girl was sixteen, and she was very young. He was well aware of that. Furthermore, he did not drink alcohol, so he knew what was going on. He still remembered their intense night together.

    A glint of understanding shed across Zorion¡¯s eyes. ¡°Did you do it on purpose?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood to make a deal with you with my body. However, things have already happened, and I can¡¯t do anything about it. I could neither kill you, nor could I die.¡±

    She could not make sense of what happened the night before after being tortured for an entire night. The man in front of her looked like a gentleman, and he was not old either, but once he took off his clothes, he seemed like another person. His explosive power scared her. Let alone killing him, she could not even dare to think about getting revenge.

    Besides, she was too weak. What could she do?

    She had seen the man in front of her killing others without blinking an eye and had witnessedhis murderous side.

    The girl covered herself with the nket and wrapped herself in it tightly.¡°I want to leave this country, and I want to leave this ce. I can keep what you didst night a secret.¡±

    ¡°Also¡­¡±

    She pursed her lips and said, ¡°I can help you find your younger sister.¡±

    ¡°Help me?¡± Zorion¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. The girl nodded and added, ¡°I think I know who took your sister away. I can find him and lure him out.¡±

    ¡°Do you know him?¡±

    At the mention of his sister, Zorion walked over and sat down beside the bed. He lifted his hand and grabbed the girl¡¯s chin. ¡°Are you ying tricks on me?¡±

    Zorion gritted his teeth and lifted her chin.

    The girl shook her head and looked straight at Zorion. ¡°If I manage to find your sister, then send me away and give me two million dors. If I fail to do so, then you can kill me.¡±

    Zorion seemed to be deep in thought.¡°Do you know the consequences of lying to me?¡±

    ¡°I understand, but I¡¯m not trying to deceive you. Give me one month, and I¡¯ll find your sister. If I can¡¯t find her, then it¡¯s not toote for you to make a move.¡±

    The girl gulped. Zorion let go of her, turned around, and stood up. He ced both of his hands in the pocket of his robe, pondering as he paced back and forth. In the end, he responded, ¡°Half a month. We can¡¯t wait any longer.¡±

    ¡°Four million. It can¡¯t be any less.¡±

    Zorion turned to look at the girl.¡°Do you know who the Whalen family is in Capital City?¡±

    ¡°Do you know what it means to lose one¡¯s only family, one¡¯s dignity, and be left with nothing at all?¡±

    They red at each other, and Zorion gritted his teeth.¡°Ten days.¡±

    ¡°Half a month.¡±

    ¡­

    The two of them were in a stalemate. Zorion¡¯s phone rang at the side. He walked over and answered the call. It was a message from his parents.

    Zorion¡¯s body naturally stiffened. It was a phone call from Hannah.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll pick you up together with Deanna.Deanna has been throwing a tantrum forthe past two days. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t answer the phone. I¡¯m attempting to console her.¡±

    Zorion said with a faint smile in his voice. The girl looked at Zorion, lost in her thoughts. Zorion talked further on the phone, ended the call, and turned to look at her, who was staring at him. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Rossie Lautner.¡±

    ¡°How old are you?¡±

    ¡°Sixteen.¡±

    ¡°Have you had your birthday this year?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Zorion took a deep breath and fixed his dark gaze on Rossie¡¯s slender body. He was surprised.

    ¡°Four million in half a month. I¡¯ll send you away when you¡¯ve found her.¡± Zorion turned to the door. Rossie saw that the door was closed andy on the bed, grippingthe quilt and beginning to shed tears silently.

    In the afternoon.

    Zorion changed his clothes, injected himself with some nourishment, and ate some porridge. Then, he sat down in the living room. Rossie emerged from the room upstairs. She wore a frock that Zorion had asked someone to find for her. It belonged to a maid¡¯s daughter.

    Deanna¡¯s clothes were special. For Zorion, Deanna¡¯s stuff was precious, and he would not give them to a stranger.

    When she made her way down the stairs, Zorion turned around and had a look. He was stunned when he saw a dignified and beautiful figure appear in front of him.

    Even ordinary clothes could not concealRossie¡¯sdelicate appearance.

    Standing to one side, Rossie saw Zorion and suggested to him, ¡°Let¡¯s go and find your sister.¡±

    ¡°Can you do it?¡± Zorion had already eaten and taken a nutritional jab. However, he remembered that Rossie had not eaten anything. They also had an intense time together the night before.

    He did not doubt her ability, but she seemed to be too well.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been working outside since I was a child, and my body can take it. Don¡¯t worry about that. If you have had something to eat, then let me have some too. I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Rossie spoke mechanically and her face was devoid of emotions.

    ¡°Bring some food here,¡± Zorion instructed a servant. Soon, someone ced a tter of brioche, a bowl of broth, and two side dishes of sd and scrambled eggs on the table.

    In the end, Rossie ate all of them.

    Zorion looked at Rossie. If he remembered correctly, the maid served her four pieces of brioche.

    She was a girl, how could she have finished the four pieces of brioche,the bowl of soup, the rest of the sd, and the scrambled eggs?

    Zorion¡¯s gaze without thinking fell upon Rossie¡¯s stomach. Even if it were a bucket, it would still bulge after stuffing so many things in it.

    Turning around, Zorion faced the door. Rossie got up after eating her fill and went to the bathroom to wash her hands,ing out in no time.

    ¡°I can leave now,¡± Rossie said, standing at the door. Only then did Zorion stand up and stride towards the door. Someone was about to bring Zorion¡¯s coatoverfor him whenRossie chimed in, ¡°You have to listen to me when ites to searching for a missing person.¡±

    Zorion stopped in his tracks.¡°Do you think that¡¯ll happen?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s possible, unless you don¡¯t want to look for your younger sister,¡± Rossie replied as she walked up to Zorion. She stopped in front of him and fixed her gaze on him.

 Chapter 1134 Scout Around

    Zorion finallypromised, deciding to listen to Rossie¡¯s advice, and changed into something more low profile. He put on a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a casual jacket.

    After he got dressed, Rossie looked at Zorion with a small grin, and her expression was a little mncholic.

    ¡°What? Is this not alright?¡± Although Zorion was experienced and knowledgeable, he really had no idea how to dress like the average Joe.

    Rossie shook her head and replied, ¡°That¡¯s unfair. People like you will look posh in whatever you wear.¡±

    Zorion frowned slightly. ¡°Are youplimenting me?¡±

    ¡°I guess so.¡± Rossie had been busy all morning and was a little anxious. ¡°You ought to bring some cash along with you. We might stay overnight and have to bring some food as well. Is it possible to get us a second-hand car, something ranging around 100, 000 dors? Once we have everything, then we¡¯ll leave.¡±

    ¡°A second-hand car?¡± That was basically a foreign concept to him, so Zorion stared at her insurprise.

    ¡°You¡¯re going after a kidnapper, yet you want to pull up in something shy? Do you think the kidnappers are dumb?¡± Rossie sighed matter-of-factly, with her tone straightforward and frank. After that, Zorion immediately ordered his men. Soon, everything was ready. At three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, they departed from the Whalen family mansion.

    As soon as Rossie got in the car, she said, ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask your men to leave. Don¡¯t make them follow us either.¡±

    Zorion drove while Rossie stared intently at the map. It was as if she was looking for something.

    As per her instructions, Zorioncalled up his subordinates and dismissed them all.

    Of course, this also included Santiago.

    At that time, Santiago had just returned to the car and was taking a sip of water. Suddenly, he received a call from Zorion.

    ¡°You have to leave. I¡¯ll have to do this on my own. I¡¯lle up with a solution.¡± Zorion nced at Rossie,who was sitting next to him. As he talked, he continued on towards the destination in his beat-up car.

    After Santiago ended the call, he proceeded to take a nap in his car.It was already dark by the time he woke up, and hedecided to head home only then.

    At that time, Zorion had already arrived at Waverly Vige.

    Rossie and Zorion had spent the entire day searching but to no avail. They quickly pulled into a hotel, got down the car, and went to look for dinner.

    Zorion barely spoke along the way, doing whatRossie suggested. He had no idea why he trusted her so much. However, he had been searching for a week and yet there was no news. It would be better for him to take matters into his own hands and search on his own rather than to wait for the police.

    They went straight into the hotel and checked into their rooms. However, the receptionist informed them that they were no longer serving dinner at that time, soRossie then led Zorion out of the hotel. She was carrying a backpack that contained a shlight, a map,and a phone charger among other things.

    Then, they began walking around in search of a diner, or any ce that served food.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± Zorion asked as he followed her. He was wearing a baseball cap because Rossie said his face attracted too much unnecessary attention.

    At the mention of this, Zorion pursed his lips, remembering Rossie¡¯s annoyed tone when she told him this.

    After walking for a while, Rossie said, ¡°I am hungry, but I¡¯m sure there are some people who are hungry as well. Generally, gangsters like to frequent barbecue stalls at night. Some of them will stay to eat, and some will get takeaway. Let¡¯s try our luck. You have been looking for them for so long, so they wouldn¡¯t dare toe out. I doubt they can go a day without a couple of beers and some barbecued meat. It¡¯s their favorite pastime and I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll see them.¡±

    The two of them continued to walk until they saw a brightly lit stall and immediately headed there. After finding a table, Rossie then made her way towards the counter and ced an order.

    Rossie creased her eyes into a smile, warming up to the owner of the stall. She picked up the local dialect previously when doing odd jobs, so she spoke like a vige local.

    She asked the owner, ¡°Sir, how much do you make in a single day?¡±

    The owner raised his eyebrows and looked at her. ¡°Not much. Just enough to break even.¡±

    ¡°My boyfriend and I got expelled. We are looking for something to do and this looks easy. Can you teach us? I don¡¯t mind working, asI¡¯m a hard worker.¡±

    Zorion listened in on the conversation between Rossie and the owner. At first, the man was a little hesitant because he was afraid that they would end up coveting the business. However, the moment he heard that Rossie¡¯s boyfriend was an outsider and when he saw Zorion¡¯s clueless face, he smiled and became a little chattier. He agreed to let them be employed with his business, but they had to chip in some dough.

    Delighted, Rossie proceeded to make small talk with the rest while waiting for her food. Once the food was ready, she fetched it to the table and began eating.

    Rossie then handed Zorion a piece of jerky. He had no appetite, but then again, he still had to eat something. So, he began to dig in.

    At that time, two people came by and ordered takeout. They made some small talk while waiting, and they then immediately left once their food was ready. Seeing so, Rossie hurriedly took out some cash and paid for the food, briefly talking to the owner. After that, she tugged Zorion away and followed behind them.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    Rossie did not dare to stick too close. While walking, she said to Zorion softly, ¡°Those people are gangsters. The owner just asked them why they hadn¡¯te for so many days, and they answered thatthey had been busy. If they weren¡¯t up to something,then why didn¡¯t theye? Look at the way they are dressed, they stick out like a sore thumb, don¡¯t they?¡±

    The people in Waverly Vige were all speaking in the local dialect. Zorion grew up in Capital City, so he could not understand what they were saying, but Rossie could.

    Zorion swept his eye across his surroundings and tried to look for those two, but he lost them.

    Around ten o¡¯clock, the two finally returned. Rossie sat in the car, exhausted, leaning against the door,and was about to fall asleep.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go and look for her.¡± Zorion refused to give up. His sister was in the kidnapper¡¯s hands. The longer it took for him to find her, the more uneasy he felt.

    Rossie nced at him.¡°I doubt those people woulde out again, at least for tonight.¡±

    ¡°The vigers are a tight-knit group. They rarely speak to outsiders. Even if they knew that Deanna had been kidnapped, they would not call the police. They would not alert the authorities no matter how much money you offer them.¡±

    ¡°If you want to find your sister, then you have to learn to be patient.¡±

    After saying that, Rossie turned around and went to sleep. Zorion could not sleep, so he wandered on the streets a little bit more. However, he failed to find any clues that night, so he went back to sleep just as the sun began to rise.

    While Zorion slept, Rossie would observe the streets from the car. It was either that, or she would drive around on the road. Whatever she did, she would hang around the same area.

    A whileter, Rossie even got out of the car to inquire about rent.She intended to look as if she was here to look for a job and wanted to stay in Waverly Vige.

    When they saw herdecrepit car and how young she looked, they would automatically assume that she had run away from home.They did not doubt her at all.

    After a while, she became familiar with a few of them.

    Rossie even went to the pub to y some cards, with Zorion tagging along.

    The both of them didn¡¯t win a single match, acting all grumpy and frustrated after losing round after round. The locals watching will p and hoot with them, and someone even advised them to calm down.

    After a few more rounds of card games, the locals warmed up to them a little, treating Rossie and Zorion as one of their own. They even began gossiping.

    A woman mentioned someone named Jacky.

    Although Zorion could not understand a single word, he could still make out a little about this person, Jacky.

    It was especially so whenever Rossie stared at one spot while listening. That meant there was a lot of information being gleaned.

    After a while, Rossie excused herself to the washroom, asking someone to rece her. In actuality, she had left the pub, following the woman earlier.

 Chapter 1135 Enemies Cross Paths

    Soon, Rossie came back from the bathroom, andZorion stared as he took over her seat.

    Exining that they had lost quite a lot of money, Rossie immediately made the decision to leave, adding that she was not feeling well.

    Then,she and Zorion stood up and left.

    In the car, Rossie told Zorion, ¡°I saw the same person at the barbecue stallst night, up ahead.¡±

    ¡°But now, they are extremely vicious. I¡¯m not sure whether they will hurt Deanna. Besides, I haven¡¯t seen your sister. I want to go and check the ce out to make sure that your sister is in there beforeing up with a n to save her.¡±

    Zorion sat there for a while,and he then said, ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡±

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t. I¡¯m sure they will recognize you. You and your sister have the same eyes. In fact, the two of you look alike. Plus, you don¡¯t exactly fit in, and people around here will be suspicious. I¡¯ll have to stay behind and work to build connections. You should drive back home and wait for news from me. Don¡¯t worry, I will make sure that I find your sister and send you a text every night. As long as I don¡¯t call you, it means I¡¯m safe, but you¡¯re not allowed to call me.¡±

    Zorion sat in the car for a while and briefly nced at the time. It was getting dark.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here for one more night. If they happen to bring Deanna out tonight, then it¡¯ll save us a lot of trouble.¡±

    Rossie thought for a moment and said, ¡°Fine, if it makes you happy.¡±

    The two of them waited in the car. At night, there were indeed a few people who emerged from the ce that they had been keeping their eyes on. However, they did not follow them that time.

    Rossie whispered,with her eyes widening, ¡°I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s them.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll wait for your updates here tomorrow. I¡¯ll only leave after you manage to find a way in.¡± Zorion nodded at her. In fact, he just wanted to make sure that she was safe.

    ¡°Alright then. It¡¯s gettingte, so we should get some rest.¡±

    After that, Rossie then curled up as she did the previous night and fell asleep.

    Zorion leaned to one side and was about to close his eyes when he caught a glimpse of Rossie¡¯s skin, resulting from her shirt riding up while in the fetal position. He could not help feeling a little hot, and he then hurriedly shut his eyes, feeling bothered by it.

    At that time, she had already fallen asleep.

    The next morning, Rossie began the process of job hunting in the vige, withZorion driving closely behind her. Rossie eventually found herself in front of a hotel. She then entered the hotel and not long after, Zorion received a text message.

    ¡°They agreed to hire me. You can go home now. We will keep in touch.¡±

    He put away his cell phone and nced at the entrance of the hotel, with thename stered in front of it.

    After quickly taking a picture, Zorion drove away.

    As soon as Zorion arrived back at the Whalen family mansion, he immediately changed out of his clothes and sent the picture he took to his subordinates, orderinga thorough investigation.

    The Jack Town Hotel was built many years ago, whereby theowner of this hotel decided to name it after his son.

    The owner¡¯s son was Jacky Scott, and everyone called him Jacky.

    Since he was a kid, Jacky was very mischievous andwould wreak havoc for everyone.

    When he grew older, it was no surprise to everyone that he had taken the wrong pathm became a gangster, and was frequently involved in fights and robberies. Everyone in Waverly Vige knew that he was a bad egg.

    However, Jacky treated the locals well enough. His parents were kind and simple, andJacky did not possess any skills. He wasconsiderably average overall.

    Zorion read up on the information as he smoked a cigarette. He stood on the balcony for a while,not having slept a wink that night.

    The next morning, Zorion got up and made his way towards Waverly Vige once again. He did not enter but he just drove past it.

    Rossie knew that he had arrived, so she quickly excused herself from her work by telling the manager that she urgently needed to buy some sanitary pads. When she saw Zorion, she immediately got into the car.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Rossie looked very puzzled. They had previously agreed not to meet up anymore, yet he still came, so shecould not help but to feel surprised.

    ¡°I came here hoping to find some clues. Have you managed to find anything?¡± Zorion asked her,and his eyes lingered on her intently.

    Rossie told him about the information she managed to gather.¡°I still haven¡¯t seen Jacky. I heard from his men that he has his own house, but they did not mention where it was. They seemed worried about youing to find Deanna, so they kept mum on a lot of information. Furthermore, I¡¯m rtively new around here. It¡¯s inappropriate for me to ask too much in case they get suspicious.¡±

    ¡°One of the gangster¡¯s called Logan. He has a good impression of me and even offered to show me around. I have a feeling he knows where Jacky is. The employees in Jack Town Hotel seem to have high regard for Jacky. I have a feeling that Logan might be one of Jacky¡¯s pals.¡±

    ¡°Give me a little more time. I will definitely get to the bottom of the matter.¡±

    Since sheneeded to get back to work,Rossie was pressed for time and hurriedly bade goodbye. Just as she was about to get out of the car, Zorion grabbed her wrist. ¡°Please, don¡¯t sell your body in exchange for information.¡±

    Hearing this, she turned around and looked at him, feeling a little stunned. She thought for a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will not. It was just an ident with you. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    Then, Rossie hurriedly got out of the car and made her way to the supermarket. Not long after she left,a handsome man in leather clothing emerged from theJack Town Hotel lobby, observing the streets.

    A few momentster, Rossie exited the supermarket and made her way back to the hotel. As she drew nearer to the hotel, she did not know why but she seemed a little unhappy for some reason. However, the man standing there was smiling very brightly. Later, he took out his wallet and gave her fifty dors. She turned around and went straight to the supermarket. After a short while, Rossie came back and the man looked at her with a grin on his face. As soon as she approached him, he pulled her hand and went straight in.

    Zorion saw everything, and his face darkened as he gritted his teeth. He started the car and was about to leave, but the irrational rage that pulsed through his veins made him turn off the engine.

    He opened the car door, got out, and walked towards Jack Town Hotel. Then, he went inside.

    As soon as he entered, he found Rossie dressed in a French maid outfit. She was wearing a ck mini dress, white stockings, and red high heels, along with a white apron. She paused when she saw him. ¡°Wee¡­ to Jack Town Hotel. How many of you are there?¡±

    Zorion entered the door and briefly nced at Rossie who came out to wee him. ¡°Just one.¡±

    After staring for a while, he walked over to his table, leaning against the wall while looking at his surroundings. Rossie walked over with a tablet in her hand. She politely stood to the side and asked, ¡°Sir, what would you like to have today?¡±

    ¡°What do you rmend?¡±

    Zorion withdrew his gaze and stared at Rossie¡¯s chest. The uniform that she was wearing was a little tight, as the manager had obviously given her a uniform of a smaller size. It looked as if her bust was on the verge of bursting out of her outfit.

    Zorion¡¯s face darkened. He picked up the menu from the table and flipped through it, gnashing his teeth in silence.

    Although Rossie looked calm, her heart was pounding in her chest.

    ¡°Have you decided, sir?¡± Rossie had no idea what Zorion was up to, or why he seemed so moody. He had entered the hotel without anydisguise.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t had my breakfast. I¡¯m fine with anything. Why don¡¯t you decide for me?¡±

    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Rossie immediately keyed in an order. She continued to ask, ¡°Do you need anything else?¡±

    ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯m good.¡±

    Zorion lowered his head and noticed Rossie¡¯s skirt. It was so short that it was barely covering her butt.

    Of course, there were many people around and they were all staring at her, which irritated Zorion to no end. It was making his blood boil.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Logan had just emerged from the bathroom when he caught Zorion staring at Rossie. Hethenimmediately walked over to Zorion¡¯s table.

    Logan stopped at his table as Zorion slowly raised his head to look at him. And then¡­

 Chapter 1136 Fell Asleep

    ¡°Rossie.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± Rossie looked at Logan. He had his hand wrapped around her shoulders as he led her away.

    When Rossie raised her head, Logan asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Can you see that I¡¯m entertaining the customers?¡± Rossie smiled brightly. The customers were drooling at the sight of her.

    Otherwise, she would not have attracted Logan¡¯s attention.

    Logan looked at Rossie in a daze and he then said, ¡°Why do you need to entertain them? Let someone else do it. Didn¡¯t I tell you that I have the final say here. You don¡¯t have to do anything. Go and quickly change out of this uniform.¡±

    Then, Logan led her away in his arms. Rossie turned around to look at Zorion. Logan turned her face towards him and said, ¡°Look this way.¡±

    Rossie lifted her head and did as she was told.The two then headed into the hotel.

    Zorion took a deep breath and clenched his fists. He sat at the table as those in the room began talking about what they had just witnessed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Logan treat a woman in such a manner before.¡±

    ¡°I heard that when he first saw her, he threw away all the sses and allowed her to use his.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s more, we¡¯re not short on staff. We barely have any work to do. I heard that their rooms are next to each other. Do you think they¡¯re¡­?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious¡­¡±

    ¡­

    Zorion gritted his teeth as he felt a flicker of irritation, fixing his deadly re on the food in front of him. He took out some money and ced it on the table before heading out through the door.

    He then texted Rossie, asking her toe out and meet him.

    However, Rossie did not read his text, and hence, she did not show up.

    Zorion stood outside, not leaving. It wasn¡¯t until night time that he saw Rossie and Logan emerging from the hotel. They seemed to be heading towards the barbecue stall. It was just the two of them, with Logan holding onto Rossie the whole time.

    Rossie was quiet, but she did not reject him.

    Then, Zorion gave her a call. Rossie had no choice but to answer the phone.

    ¡°Why are you calling me? I thought we had a deal? You agreed to head back home while I stay behind in Waverly Vige to work.¡±

    Logan ate the kebab as he kept his eyes on her.

    Zorion¡¯s voice was cold as he said, ¡°If I see you guys together again,then I¡¯ll kill him.¡±

    Then, Zorion hung up the phone. He did not know how to describe how he was feeling, but all he knew was that he was inexplicably furious because of Rossie.

    Zorion started the car and drove away. Rossie lowered her head to look at the screen of her phone, bewildered.

    She really wanted to take a look around, but she did not dare to do so.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Logan came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Rossie had no choice but to say, ¡°I used to be close with this guy in school before I was expelled. I had some savings, but he gambled it all away. I ran away in the heat of the moment, and he called to ask me to go home.¡±

    Rossie did not have a good childhood and always resorted to lying. She became so used to lying that lies came out naturally without her even blushing.

    ¡°Alright. It¡¯s no big deal. Come on, let¡¯s go. I doubt that he would dare toe here. If he does, then I¡¯ll beat him to a pulp.¡± Rossie was dragged back.

    As soon as Zorion entered the house, he kicked down a vase, shattering it into pieces.

    The servants did not dare to move. At that moment, Santiago was sitting in the living room when he heard themotion. He then came out to see what was going on only to notice the broken vase, scattered all over the floor.

    ¡°You must have lost your mind.¡± Zorion¡¯s appearance was dishevelled. He even threw the jacket he was wearing onto the ground once he entered the house. He was ovee by anger that he could even burn the house down once he was out of control.

    Zorion stood there for a while before he looked over at Santiago. ¡°What the h*ll are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Jepherson asked me toe and check on you. I have no idea why, but he¡¯s been busy recently. I barely even see him.¡±

    Santiago received a call from Jepherson before he came there. The callsted barely ten seconds.

    Zorion did not wee his arrival, so he said, ¡°I¡¯ve found Deanna. You can return home now. Do note and find me if there¡¯s nothing important.¡±

    After saying that, Zorion made his way up the stairs and into his room. The servants had never seen him lose his temper that way. Santiago briefly nced upstairs and thought to himself, ¡°Who should I listen to?¡±

    No one liked him, but in the end, Santiago did not leave. He went upstairs and knocked on the door.

    On the other side of the door, Zorion was staring at the white sheets on the bed. When he heard the knock on the door, he hurriedly used the quilt to cover the bloodied sheets.

    Zorion then turned around and opened the door. He was a little irritated as he asked, ¡°What the h*ll are you still doing here?¡±

    ¡°Have you really found Deanna?¡± In fact, the real reason Santiago had not left yet was because he was worried about Deanna.

    During that period of time, everyone was busy. Santiago had been so busy that he had lost a decent amount of weight.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    But he had grown taller.

    ¡°I will handle Deanna¡¯s matter. Tell Jepherson that I have everything under control. You can return home and have a rest. Raeleigh needs someone to take care of her now. I remember you mentioned that Jepherson was starting to look for your sister again.¡±

    If Zorion had not reminded him, then he would have forgotten all about it.

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll leave now.¡± Santiago turned around and made his way over to Raeleigh¡¯s ce. He knew he should put the Whalen family¡¯s affairs aside and go home to take care of Raeleigh.

    Zorion closed the door behind him after Santiago had left. Hey down and stared up at the ceiling before finally closing his eyes. However, when he closed his eyes, images of Rossie¡¯s torn off clothes shed through his mind.

    Zorion then opened his eyes and tried to get rid of the image. Later, he closed his eyes, and the memories of that day shed through his mind again.

    That night, he did not have a good night¡¯s rest.

    The next morning, when Zorion woke up, he checked his phone and saw that Rossie had texted him. She texted him to warn him not to head over to Waverly Vige anymore,or else their n would be ruined.

    ¡°Let me check up on you. What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in the bathroom. What else can I do? You¡¯re very nosy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ming over right now. I¡¯m not nosy enough.¡± Zorion got out of bed and got dressed. He quickly put on his pants and was about to put on his shirt when his phone rang. Zorion checked his phone only to realize that it was Rossie who was video-calling him. He briefly looked at his current appearance before answering the call.

    Rossie¡¯s mouth was agape as she asked with a stutter, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Zorion¡¯s gaze was deep as he stared at Rossie. She was currently dressed in her normal clothes. ¡°Nothing. I just woke up.¡±

    ¡°You just woke up?¡± Rossie¡¯s face flushed red as she spoke. If Zorion hadn¡¯t mentioned it, then she would not have noticed that he was shirtless.

    ¡°You got up and did not even manage to put on a shirt¡­¡± Rossie was whispering, and the others couldn¡¯t hear her, but she heard someone outside the bathroom calling out, ¡°Are you done?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost done.¡±

    Rossie immediately ended the video call and texted Zorion instead.¡°I need to get out of the bathroom.¡±

    Zorion threw his phone aside and walked to the mirror to look at himself before making his way into the bathroom to take a shower.

    Zorion was in no rush to head out that day, so as soon as he emerged from the bathroom, he gave Rossie a call, but she did not pick up the phone.

    Zorion got up and went outside. He instructed the servants to change his bed sheets and clean his room.

    Zorion sat alone in the living room for a while. He wasn¡¯t feeling tired, and he was feeling much more rxed than the previous night. Soon, he fell asleep on the couch.

 Chapter 1137 Call From the Kidnapper

    By the time Zorion woke up, it was already eight o¡¯clock in the evening. He was probably too tired and had fallen asleep as soon as hey down on the couch.

    When he opened his eyes, Zorion turned on his cell phone and saw that Rossie had indeed sent him a text message. However, it was a picture of her and Logan. There was a huge field behind her.It couldn¡¯t be identified, but he could roughly tell that it was in Waverly Vige.

    Zorion sat up and called Rossie. However, she did not answer andtexted himinstead.

    ¡°I did not see anyone, but I heard a woman¡¯s voice. She¡¯s in a house.¡± With that, she did not say anything else. Zorion immediately stood up and brought his men over to search for field pasture in the picture.

    As soon as Zorion arrived at Waverly Vige, he realized that there were a lot of wooden houses and that they all seemed identical. It would take time for him to find the correct house. In the end, he had no choice but to call Rossie for help.

    He made another call, but no one answered.

    He even texted herbut was met with no reply. Zorion stood at the intersection. His men exchanged nces. No one dared to say anything.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try to find it ourselves, but be careful not to rm those around,¡± Zorion ordered. At eleven at night, he received Rossie¡¯s reply.

    ¡°I fell asleep.I did hear a girl talking. I went to the ce to try to find the girl earlier, but I heard that she had been taken away by someone named Jacky. I can¡¯t describe his features for you.I¡¯ll try to find a picture of him.¡±

    ¡°Can we switch to a video call?¡± Zorion made his way back to the car and turned on the car headlights. However, Rossie refused to turn on her camera.

    ¡°I was sleeping. I¡¯m still in bed.¡±

    ¡°Turn on your camera.¡±

    Zorion had already switched to a video call, but Rossie refused to turn on her camera.

    ¡°I really am in bed.¡±

    ¡°With whom?¡±

    Rossie was rendered speechless.¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking nonsense.Turn on the camera, and the truth will be revealed.¡± Zorion gripped his phone and was somewhat impatient. He unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt.

    The driver could barely look at Zorion.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    The young master was seething, the chauffeur thought. Was he going to kill someone?

    Rossie found it ratherughable.¡°You¡¯ve gone too far. I¡¯m in bed! How can I let you see me in bed?¡±

    ¡°Why not? Are you afraid? My men searched through the area, and they couldn¡¯t find the house you mentioned. What do you have to say for yourself?¡±

    ¡°Are you doubting me?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡­

    In the midst of the silence, Rossie finally turned on the camera. However, Zorion could not see anything as it was too dark from her side. He could only observe that the screen was wobbling.

    Zorion was still dissatisfied and he ordered, ¡°Turn on the lights. I want to have a look.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    After a moment of silence, Rossie got out of bed, turned the lightson, and found a ce to sit. When Zorion finally saw her face, he immediately calmed down. Then, he instructed, ¡°Let¡¯s head home.¡±

    The driver immediately started the car. Rossie, who was on the other end, stared at Zorion, who was enveloped in darkness. She did not ask for anything. She was so sleepy. ¡°I¡¯m going back to bed.¡±

    ¡°No, you can sleep right where you are.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    That was the first time Rossie had to deal with such a person. It was very frustrating having to deal with him to the point of having exhausted her brain cells. In the end, she could only follow Zorion¡¯s instructions. Shey down, left the lights on, ced her cell phone under the quilt, and closed her eyes.

    When Zorion saw that she was about to fall asleep, he, too, suddenly felt a little tired. However, in the end¡­

    A few minutester, Rossie¡¯s phone ran out of battery. The video call abruptly ended.

    Zorion held his phone and leaned back in his seat. Soon, he arrived back at the Whalen family mansion. He got out of the car and saw a box ced at the entrance. It was rather inconspicuous, so no one took notice of it. It was only when Zorion lowered his headthat he saw the box.

    A servant went over and picked up the box. He opened, unwrapped it, and found a dress as well as a letter.

    When Zorion saw the dress, he immediately recognized that it was Deanna¡¯s.

    He then ripped the letteropenand read the contents. It was a letter from Deanna.

    ¡°Zorion, these people are only willing to let me go for a huge sum of money. They said that if it weren¡¯t for them, then I would have been vited by that old man. These people were merciful to me by not viting me.¡±

    ¡°However, these people are afraid of you. They¡¯re afraid that you¡¯ll kill them after giving them the money. That¡¯s why they refuse to tell you where I¡¯ve been held hostage.¡±

    ¡°You should give them the money. Also, they used me of poisoning their dog and killing their chickens. They wantpensation. They even refused to feed me. However, I¡¯ve worked hard, and today, they gave me a meal and two pieces of fruit.¡±

    ¡°Zorion, could you please give them the money? I want to go home.¡±

    It seemed like Deanna had been suffering, but when he read that she had not lost her virginity, he heaved a huge sigh of relief.

    That night, Zorion spent the rest of the night watching the surveince footage. However, he found it odd when he did not find the person he was looking for.

    The next day, Zorion received a call from an unknown number. The person had used a voice modifier.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen?¡± It sounded like a demon¡¯s voice over the phone. It was not very clear. Zorion sat on the bed and questioned, ¡°How much do you want? Name your price. I will not me you for anything as long as Deanna is safe. After all, you saved her. It doesn¡¯t matter if she suffers a little, and money is not a problem.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, you¡¯re quite easygoing. In fact, you¡¯retoonice. We dare not ept your kindness.¡±

    The person on the other end of the line had a bad attitude. Zorion vaguely knew who the person was.

    ¡°Are you Jacky Scott?¡± Zorion frowned. After a moment of silence, the other party responded, ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve done your research?¡±

    ¡°I heard a little about you. Your reputation precedes you, so I roughly know that it¡¯s you. If you have something to say, then say it. And, give me your ount number. I¡¯ll immediately transfer the money to you. I, Zorion Whalen, am a man of my word. I mean what I say. I¡¯m easy to talk to as long as my sister is safe.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with her. I must say, she does have a bit of a temper at the beginning, but she¡¯s much better now. However, she killed my chickens and poisoned my dog.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if she killed the chickens, but I¡¯ve had the dog for seven years!¡±

    ¡°I made her work for me for two days. I think it¡¯s a fair trade.¡±

    ¡°I think so too. My sister has been pampered ever since she was a child. She does have a temper, but she¡¯s not a horrible person. If you send her back to me, then I¡¯ll keep to my word and transfer you the money.¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­ I don¡¯t trust you. The more you behave in such a manner, the wore I don¡¯t trust you. Let me think about it.¡±

    Then, Jacky hung up the phone. Zorion hurriedly called back.

    It did not take long before he answered the phone. However, to his surprise, it was Deanna who answered the phone.

    At that time, Zorion had absolutely no idea of Deanna¡¯s current state. She was wearing an ugly shirt while sitting on the floor, waiting for her meal.

    As long as she was well-behaved,they would feed her.

    Deanna initially wanted to fight back against her kidnappers, but when she saw Jacky¡¯s threatening gaze, she became worried. It was dark outside, and she was worried that if she did notpromise, then he would kick her out into the dark. She was afraid of the darkness, and it was cold outside. So, she had no choice but to answer the phone, as her life was at their mercy.

    Just like the letter she had written the previous night, she had to say those things against her will as she had neither seen the dog nor the chickens. So, she was ndered and had to admit her mistake.

    ¡°Zorion¡­¡±

    Deanna answered the call and cried into the phone. Tears welled up in her eyes. It was as if she was suffering.

    Zorion clenched his fists and sat up straight.

 Chapter 1138 And Bury Her to Destroy All the Evidence

    ¡°Deanna, did they bully you?¡± Zorion¡¯s body turned stiff before he put on any clothes.

    Deanna shook her head furiously.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Did you forget what you¡¯ve said when you were little? You said that you would only cry in front of me.¡±

    Zorion had actually forgotten about that matter a long time ago.

    He thought of it all of a sudden that day. He hoped that Deanna would be able to stay strong without him around.

    Deanna sniffed and felt extremely aggrieved. She sat on the floor and cried like a child, wiping the tears off her face with the sleeves of her torn clothes as she said, ¡°Zorion, I¡¯ve learnt my lesson.I¡¯m all grown up. It must have been hard for you to take care of me. I should not have run out of the house. It¡¯s all my fault that I wasn¡¯t sensible.¡±

    ¡°I promise that I will not run away again.¡±

    When Deanna thought of the consequences of her running away from home, she felt ufortable all over. Tears streamed down her face. Jacky, who was standing beside her, suddenly kicked her. It wasn¡¯t hard, but it caused Deanna to stumble a little. She turned around and looked at Jacky through her teary eyes. Even Jacky was mesmerized by her.

    Deanna¡¯s nose was red at that moment. She took a deep breath and remembered that she hadn¡¯t eaten yet.

    ¡°Zorion, could you please give them the money? I still have topensate them for killing their chickens and poisoning their dog. They saved me, and I¡¯m well-fed here.¡±

    ¡°I know. Tell them that I¡¯m willing to give him however much he wants.Hand the phone to Jacky.¡± Zorion¡¯s eyes were a little red, but his voice remained calm.

    For Zorion, it was his family fault¡¯s that Deanna was not independent. They could not me anyone else for the way she turned out. They were willing to have her turn out that way.

    Others neither have the right toment about it, nor should they care about it. There wasn¡¯t a need to change anything as long as Deanna was fine.

    Deanna sniffed as she handed the phone over to Jacky. Jacky took the phone over and said, ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°Please do not hurt my sister. I can give you whatever you want. Money is a small matter. You also have a family. I know that by calling me, it means that you have no intentions to hurt Deanna. A couple of days ago, I went to Waverly Vige to look for my sister. I had no intention of hunting you down. I want to find my sister, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Zorion raised his hand to wipe his tears away. He had never had a calmer tone.

    ¡°Transfer five million dors in instalments to my bank ount to cover for your sister¡¯s food and clothing. I¡¯ll assure you that your sister will be safe. We¡¯ll talk about the restter.¡±

    ¡°Fine, give me your ount number and I¡¯ll immediately transfer it to you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a straightforward person. I won¡¯t fight with you. Waverly Vige is my territory, and I¡¯m aware of your presence. I also know about your spy, Rossie. Logan is my best friend. You ought to take her away. Otherwise, I¡¯m not sure what the consequences would be.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll ask her to leave. I¡¯ll transfer the money to you right now.¡±

    ¡°Do you have anything you want to tell your brother?¡± Jacky looked at Deanna. Deanna immediately grabbed her phone and said, ¡°Zorion, I don¡¯t like this set of clothes. Could you please get me some decent clothes?¡±

    ¡°Alright, I get it.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    There was a brief moment of silence.

    After Jacky took the phonebackand ended the call,Deanna turned around to look at him. Jacky put the phone away and stared at her for a moment. He gestured for her toe over. Deanna took a step forward and knelt down.

    ¡°I want a massage.¡± Jackyy t on his back. There were a lot of wooden huts in Waverly Vige, and they consisted of two floor levels. The upper floor of the hut was for storage while the first floor was where others slept. Jackyy on the bed and ced his hands under his head, allowing Deanna to massage him.

    Deanna did not dare to obey his words in the beginning.He had wanted to vite her,so she had forced herself to do it.

    At night, Deanna would sleep beside him and allowed herself to be his bolster.

    Deanna was afraid of Jacky. Even though Jacky was dashing and had a heroic and intimidating face,she was still unwilling to approach him.

    Deanna could not get any dirtier. She was getting sick and tired of all of that.

    However, if she did not listen to his orders, then he would definitely throw her out. She was afraid of the dark and did not want to get kicked out.

    ¡°Put in more pressure,¡± Jacky said as Deanna massaged him. She immediately exerted slightly more strength, and soon, Jacky fell asleep. When Deanna realized that he had fallen asleep, she immediately sat down at the side and got some rest,giving herself a massage.

    She would asionally give her family members a slight massage, but she had not expected it to be so tiring massaging someone else. Furthermore, each sessionsted two hours. It was more than she could handle. Plus, he did not give her any food.

    She could pretend that she was on a diet, but she did not feel the need to lose any weight. However, Jacky was always saying that she was plump. It really angered her to death.

    Deanna stared at Jacky. She personally found that Santiago was good-looking, but she did not expect to find someone even better looking than him. He was really driving her mad. She hated him. She wondered how it was possible that he was so good-looking?

    Deanna stared at Jacky in a daze. Why were his eyshes so long?

    Were they fake?

    Deanna stared at Jacky for quite a while before she reached over to touch his eyshes. They did not fall off. They were real.

    Sitting in the room, Deanna realized that there were two steamed buns and some vegetables on the table in front of her after she looked around.

    She remembered that they were given to them by an olddy. He said that he did not want it, but he did not allow her to eat them either.

    Was he asleep right then?

    Deanna pondered about it for a long time before she quietly snuck over and grabbed a steamed bun. She sat on one side and hurriedly nibbled on the bun.As she was afraid that Jacky would notice her,she turned around with her back facing him, hoping that he would not find out that she had eaten the buns.

    Jacky opened his eyes and looked at Deanna. She was such a fool!

    It was the perfect opportunity for her to make her great escape, but she chose to eat the bunsinstead.

    The moment Jacky flipped over in bed, Deanna was so frightened that she choked on the steamed bun, rubbing herself on the chest. Jacky opened his eyes all of a sudden and sat up when he saw Deanna¡¯s face turn red, with tears streaming down her face. Jacky got up and walked towards her. He opened her mouth and said with a grave expression, ¡°Why do you look so anxious?¡±

    Deanna was so miserable that she felt like she was on the verge of death. She cried even harder when she heard his question.

    Jacky had never seen such a foolish person. She almost choked to death while she ate the steamed buns, still not knowing what she should actually be doing.

    Jacky picked up the steamed bun and handed it to Deanna.¡°Here, have a bite.¡±

    Deanna didn¡¯t dare to eat it. Jacky angrily took a bite of a steamed bun and shoved the rest into her mouth. Deanna¡¯s eyes widened, not knowing how she should react. Jacky took a sip of water, grabbed her chin, and poured some water into her mouth. Deanna was stunned as he made her drink the water. Slowly, she managed to swallow the food in her mouth.

    When Deanna noticed that everything was alright, she heaved a sigh of relief and took another deep breath asJacky remained staring at her lips. When he realized that she had stopped crying, he lowered his head and gently bit down on her soft lips as he pulled her into his arms. After pushing him twice, she did not dare to refuse him, but she was somewhat scared. Her breathing was a little heavy.

    If she refused, then would Jacky kill her?

    Andbury her to destroy all the evidence?Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

 Chapter 1139 Meeting Logan

    When she thought of her tragic fate, Deanna pursed her lips and suppressed the urge to cry,forcing herself to hold back her tears.

    What was she supposed to do?

    Jacky thought of stopping, but he could not bring himself to do so.

    If he wanted to stop, then he would have stopped long ago. He would not have waited until then.

    After kissing for a little while longer, Jacky finally pulled away. He seemed to be in a good mood that day. After taking a look at the food, he walked over and sat down. He took a bite of his food and looked at the dumbfounded Deanna, saying, ¡°Come over and eat.¡±

    Deanna thought for a moment. She had to eat in order to replenish her strength.

    Deanna turned around and picked up the steamed bun that had fallen to the ground. She did not mind that it was dirty. If she was at home,then she woulddefinitelynot have picked it up. However, at that point, she was willing to eat anything.

    She briefly brushed the dirt away and was about to put it in her mouth when Jacky said, ¡°It¡¯s dirty.¡±

    Deanna raised her head to look at Jacky. Her lips were red and swollen after Jacky¡¯s kiss, and her cheeks were puffed up. When he saw her appearance, he gulped. He looked away and exhaled deeply.

    He picked up a steamed bun and handed it to Deanna.¡°Here, eat this one. Give me yours.¡±

    Deanna knew that her reaction was usually slow, but at that time, that was not the case. She truly did not understand what Jacky meant.

    Right then, Deanna could not tell whether he was telling the truth or whether he was lying.

    ¡°Are you dumb?¡± Jacky reached out for the steamed bun in her hands and put it aside. He then gave her a fresh bun and said, ¡°Have this one.¡±

    Deanna slowly wiped her hands and epted the steamed bun. She looked at Jacky with a face full of suspicionbut she did not say anything. She took a bite of her steamed bun hesitantly, not daring to taste the other dishes on the table.

    Deanna was scared out of her wits. Right then, she felt that as long as she obeyed his words, she could do anything.

    If she threw a fit,then he would kick her out of the wooden hut. There were a lot of mosquitoes outside, and the mosquitoes there were much bigger than the flies. If she was bitten, then it would take a long time before the itch went away.

    She did not want to get bitten by any mosquitoes again.

    Deanna swallowed the steamed bun and said, ¡°My brother is rich, and he keeps his promises. Don¡¯t worry.I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll give you a lot of money.¡±

    Jacky took a bite of the food and served it to her, mouth-to-mouth. He waited for her to open her mouth.

    After a while, Deanna opened her mouth and swallowed the food Jacky had given her. She neither thought about rejecting it, nor did she know how to handle the situation. However, when she saw the te of meat on the table, she drooled at the sight of it.

    When Jacky saw that Deanna was finally eating, he took a bite of his steamed bun.

    Jacky rested his elbow on the table and crossed his legs underneath the table. He was wearing a ck shirt with the top two buttonsunfastened. It exposed arge portion of his chest.

    However, Deanna was not interested in it at all because Zorion, too, was very hunky.

    ¡°Do you know how to drink?¡± Jacky stood up. He picked up a bottle of white wine and ced a ss on the table.

    Deanna had never tried any alcohol before, so she shook her head and said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re from a rich family. How could you not know how to drink?¡± Jacky¡¯s dark gaze swept across Deanna. It was as if he did not believe her words. Deanna exined, ¡°My brother does not allow me to drink. The same goes for my parents. So, I usually resort to drinking fruit juice.¡±

    ¡°Fruit juice?¡± Jacky found it amusing. Deanna lowered her head and took a bite of her steamed bun. Her heart was pounding in her chest.

    ¡°Do you want me to prepare some juice for you then?¡± Jacky asked. Deanna hurriedly shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯m good.¡±

    ¡°In that case, drink with me. Just one sip. I¡¯ll give you three meals today.¡±

    ¡°I really do not know how to drink.¡± Deanna hurriedly shook her head. She managed to eat one steamed bun and a few pieces of meat. She knew that she would not starve to death that day, so she did not want to drink.

    Jacky¡¯s face was full of amusement. He picked up his ss and chugged the wine. He drank it as if he was drinking a ss of water.

    Deanna became even more nervous. Her heart was thumping in her chest. Even though she did not want to drink, Jacky had already started. What would happen if he got drunk?

    ¡°My brother said that alcohol is harmful to one¡¯s health,¡± Deanna said as she took a bite of her steamed bun. Jackyughed.¡°Are you afraid that I¡¯m going to vite you when I¡¯m drunk?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, Jacky patted the spot in front of him and beckoned for her to sit down. Deanna did not move at all as she stared at her surroundings. It was only after a long time that she ate a mouthful of the steamed bun and went over to sit down.

    Jacky untied the scarf that was wrapped around Deanna¡¯s head. Her long ck hairdripped over her shoulders like a waterfall.

    Jacky fixed his gaze on Deanna, who had her head lowered to avoid his gaze. He asked, ¡°Do you have a boyfriend?¡±

    Deanna shook her head, not daring to speak. Her hair covered her face.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    After drinking another ss of wine, Jacky continued to ask, ¡°If you don¡¯t have a boyfriend, then have you ever slept with a man?¡±

    Deanna was like a tortoise shrinking into its shell, not saying a word.

    Jacky put down the ss and tucked her hair behind. His gaze was depthless as he asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you rich kids like to sleep around in your teenage years?¡±

    Deanna hurriedly shook her head.¡°No, no¡­¡±

    Jacky lifted his eyebrows. He let go of Deanna¡¯s hair and continued drinking. After he emptied the contents of the wine bottle, he got up and went to sleep.

    When Deanna realized that he was heading to bed, she immediately finished the bun in her hands as well as the dishes on the table. When she saw the dirty bun, she hesitated before reaching out to grab it. She did not mind that it was dirty. She quickly took a bite and eventually finished it.

    Since he was drunk, he would certainly have no idea what he had done. When he woke up, he would have forgotten that he had eaten.

    After Deanna was done eating, she wanted to go to the washroom. There was no bathroom upstairs, and it was Jacky who would usually bring her to the bathroom. Even though it was a little troublesome and it was in the middle of the night, she had to go. Whatever the case was, it was still better than relieving herself right on the spot.

    Deanna knew that the door was locked and that she could not get down.

    She went over to the bed and gently nudged Jacky. ¡°Jack¡­¡±

    Deanna hesitated and wondered if he would get angry with her calling out his name?

    Deanna had no idea whether he had heard her or not.

    After nudging him for a few minutes, Jacky opened his eyes and looked at her in a daze. ¡°Have you finished eating?¡±

    Jacky was slightly tired and wanted to sleep.

    ¡°Yes, I need to go to the bathroom.¡± Deanna did not seemfortable. Jacky remained lying on the bed for a while before raising his hand to hug Deanna.¡°Then, give me a kiss.¡±

    Deanna pursed her lips.¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you going to kiss me or not? If not,then you can relieve yourself right here.¡±

    Deanna¡¯s face instantly flushed red. She felt rather aggrieved as she looked around. Where was that ce? Why¡­

    She pursed her lips. He was drunk and no one would know anyway.

    After thinking for a moment, Deanna lowered her head and pecked Jacky on his lips. She could taste the alcohol in his breath as she choked. She hurriedly pulled away, but Jacky pulled her into his embrace and held her head as he kissed her. Tears started streaming down her face as she whined and shook her head.

    He smelled bad.

    Only after a long time had passed did Jacky finally let go of Deanna. He wanted to go to the bathroom as well. Only then did he get up from the bed and bring Deanna downstairs,opening the door, heading down the stairs. Deanna stumbled down the stairs as if she was drunk. When she arrived at the simple and crude toilet, she hurriedly entered the stall and relieved herself. When she was first brought there, she refused to enter, but sheeventuallygot used to it and did not mind it anymore.

    It was true to say that people can adapt to their surroundings.

    It was something that could not be changed.

    When Deanna finally emerged from the toilet, she saw no signs of Jacky. She found it strange.

    She looked around and eventually found Jacky with his back facing her as he relieved himself. By that time, Jacky had already pulled up his pants and was about to turn around to approach Deanna.

    Deanna hurriedly turned around to avoid looking at him.

    Jacky came up from the back and started walking back to the wooden hut with Deanna following behind. As soon as they arrived back at the hut, Jackyy down while she stood by the window and looked downstairs.

    Jacky then asked her toe over to apany him. She did as she was told.

    However, if Deanna were to lie down,then she was afraid that she would be taken advantage of and would not dare to move. She could not object to Jacky and would usually allow him to hug her to sleep, butsomething wasn¡¯t quite right that day. Jacky frequently ran his hands along her body. She kept swatting his hand away, but it was pointless. It wasn¡¯t long before his hands started roaming all over her body again.

    He suddenly ripped her clothesapartand ced his hand on Deanna¡¯s body. She was so scared that she was on the verge of tears.

    Only then did Jacky close his eyes and sleep. He slept until the sky turned dark before he brought her out for dinner.

    Zorion called Rossie, but she never answered the phone. So, he personally drove over to Waverly Vige to find her. When he got out of the car, he entered Jack Town Hotel alone.

    After entering the lobby, someone came out to greet him. Zorion went to a table and sat down. After cing an order, he waited for Rossie toe out.

    After waiting for an hour, Zorion saw no signs of Rossie. He then sent her a text message, informing her that he was waiting outside of Jack Town Hotel.

    Soon after he sent the text, Rossie emerged from the hotel and walked towards Zorion when she spotted him.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I came here for you. Come on, let¡¯s go,¡± Zorion said as he stood up. He wanted to leave with Rossie, but she did not get up.

    Zorion took two steps forward and turned to look at Rossie.¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. I want to stay. You can go.¡± Rossie stood up and turned to look at those who came out from the back.

    Logan was the one leading the group of peoplewith several people behind him. He had never seen any of them before.

    Zorion thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Are you worried that I won¡¯t be able to leave this ce?¡±

    ¡°No, I want to stay. You can leave. Logan doesn¡¯t care about my purpose. We reached an agreement.¡±

    Zorion smiled. He turned around and walked over to Rossie¡¯s side. He nced at Rossie and looked at the few people walking over.¡°Rossie is mine. I¡¯ve already notified Jacky that I¡¯ll be taking her home. If you have anything to say about it, then you can take it up with Jacky.¡±

    ¡°Jacky is not here. I have the final say. If you want to leave, then I won¡¯t stop you, but Rossie has to stay. She has already promised to be my girlfriend.¡±

    Logan nced at Rossie. Rossie did not speak. Zorion did not ask her either. Instead, he raised his head and shot a calm nce at the others.¡°I was the one who sent her here. Why must you make things difficult for her? If you want her to stay, then it¡¯s fine, but you¡¯ll have to fight me. Come on. All of you can charge at me at once.If I win, then she¡¯lle with me. If I lose, then you can have her.¡±

 Chapter 1140 Suffer From the Pain of Death

    Rossie was a little confused. She had no idea how she ended up in Zorion¡¯s house. At that time, he was clearly outnumbered, yet he managed to defeat all of them unscathed until they were all lying on the floor.He taught them all a lesson, but he did not end their lives. He even brought her out alive.

    Rossie sat on the bed where she had lost her virginity. The bed was soft, and the bedsheets had been washed. However, she was somewhat confused. What was Zorion trying to do? Was he going to hold her hostage?

    Rossie sat in the bed and pondered over it. Zorion pushed the door open and came in all of a sudden. He was dressed in ck from head to toe. He resembled a movie star.

    Zorion was a handsome man. He was tall, and his body was well-proportioned. His facial features were especially striking, and he had a set of deep ck eyes that were impossible to read.

    Rossie pursed her lips. She was not used to that feeling. When she was observing Zorion, he looked at her as if he was expecting something.

    Pursing her lips,Rossieturned her face away. At that moment, Zorion¡¯s eyes shed with a trace of disappointment. He walked up to Rossie and asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t aplish your mission. What do you n to do?¡±

    Rossie was thinking about something else, but she was stunned when she heard his words. Then, she said, ¡°You brought me out of there. We had agreed on our original n, but you kept showing up. And now you¡¯re ming me for not seeding in this mission?¡±

    Zorion took a seat in a chair behind him, crossed his legs, and said, ¡°What are you saying? Are you saying that I should take the me?¡±

    Rossie knew that Zorion was not one to be trifled with. She said, ¡°I¡¯m not ming you, but you¡¯re responsible for this matter. If you hadn¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°If I hadn¡¯te to take you home,then would you have followed Logan?¡± Zorion¡¯s expression was cold, and his entire body exuded a murderous aura. Rossie did not know what to say to him. At that point, if he wanted to cause trouble for her, then she could not do anything to stop him. She decided it was best if she kept quiet. She sat on the bed and looked at Zorion. On the other hand, Zorion was a little impatient. He walked over to Rossie and sat down beside her. He looked as if he wanted to say something but stopped after giving it a second thought.

    Rossie could not figure out what was going through Zorion¡¯s mind. Initially, she felt that things were simple. She would find Deanna, receive her reward, and leave that ce. However, it looked like it was impossible right then.

    Unfortunately, things did not go ording to n. She did not understand why Zorion kept showing up in Waverly Vige and even wanted to video call her. If it wasn¡¯t because of him,then she might have seeded.

    And right then, he had even beaten up those people in the vige.

    How was it possible for them to continue their investigation?

    Rossie looked like a child when she was angry, especially as she was so beautiful. She looked attractive regardless from which angle one looked at her from.

    Zorion waited for Rossie to speak, but she did not say anything. So, Zorion said, ¡°From today onwards, you¡¯ll be my girlfriend. No matter where you go, you¡¯re not allowed to be even half a step away from me.¡±

    Rossie looked up at Zorion and asked, ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡± Zorion suddenly stood up and pressed her down on the bed. She was so frightened that she raised both her hands, wanting to push him away. However, did she have any right to stop him from doing what he wanted?

    ¡°Don¡¯t. You promised me,¡± Rossie almost cried out. She was only sixteen years old.

    Zorion¡¯s mouth twitched.¡°Are you afraid of me?¡±

    Rossie shook her head, but she said, ¡°I¡¯m still young.¡±

    ¡°Are you?¡± Zorion ran his hands along Rossie¡¯s body. She was so frightened that she bit her lip. When he saw that she was about to cry, he let out a muffled grunt as he flipped over andy down on the bed.

    Rossie wanted to leave as soon as he got off her. However, he grabbed her wrist and said, ¡°Come and apany me.¡±

    Rossie was pulled back by Zorion. She copsed into his embrace and did not dare to move any longer.

    Zorion pulled Rossie¡¯s hand and hugged her. He turned over and buried his head in her hair to indulge in her scent. She was so scared that her entire body became stiff,not daring to move.

    Zorion again ran his hands along her body. When he noticed that her body was stiff, he stopped his movements.

    ¡°Did I scare you?¡± Rossie could feel his hot breath on her neck when he asked the question.Her neck was themost sensitive spot. She didn¡¯t dare to move, and she shuddered.

    Zorion did not wait for Rossie¡¯s reply. He tightened his hold around her. However, Rossie was even more frightened and could not help but to let out a moan.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t.¡± When Rossie noticed that it was inappropriate to do so, she hurriedly shut her mouth.

    However, it was toote. Zorion got up and slightly propped himself up to take a good look at her. Rossie did not dare to meet his gaze. Her face was flushed, and her breathing was heavy.

    Zorion lowered his gaze to look at her.¡°Did it hurt that night?¡±

    It was fine if Zorion had not asked. However, when she heard his question, her face became even redder as tears threatened to spill over.

    It was her first time. It felt as if her entire being had been ripped apart. She was still young. How much courage did she have to face that r*pist? He had already promised her that he would pay her and let her go once the matter was done. Right then, he had gone back on his word. He even referred to her as his girlfriend.

    Would a wealthy family like his want a person like her?

    What was more, she was only sixteen years old. She did not have any experience in love.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Rossie wanted to die. Of course, she wasn¡¯t willing to do so. As a result, Zorion lowered his head andforcefullykissed her. He restrained Rossie¡¯s head from swinging back and forth,prying her tightly clenched teethopenas he plundered her mouth.

    Rossie, who was entangled with him, was almost out of breath. Zorion felt that he had not crossed the line. On the contrary, he wanted more. His hand kept groping Rossie¡¯s body.

    They were all past the age of puberty. They were still deeply confused about love, especially about their bodies¡¯ reaction. Even if Zorion¡¯s will was firm and Rossie strongly resisted him, they still sumbed to their desires.

    Under Zorion¡¯s sometimes rough and at times gentle attacks, Rossie was soon defeated. She eventually stopped struggling.

    Zorion caressed Rossie¡¯s soft body and got up to straddle her. He took off his shirt and lowered his head to unbutton Rossie¡¯s shirt. When he thought of the uniform Rossie had worn in the hotel, a burst of lust immediately shot up to his head. Without giving himself any time to hesitate or contemte, he immediately entered this state of mind.

    Rossie waspletely powerless. She could only wave her hand to stop Zorion froming on to her. However, she did not have the strength to do so. In the end, Zorion took a piece of clothing and tied her handup.

    She tried to untie her hands and lifted her head to twist her body, which, on the contrary, aroused his desire. He made her suffer from the pain of death!

 Chapter 1141 Such a Fool

    After spending the entire night in between the sheets, Rossie could finally fall asleep as thefirst signs of daylight surfaced.However, Zorion seemed to have excellent stamina. He started kissing Rossie as soon as she fell asleep.

    ¡°Enough¡­¡± Rossie was spent. She could only open her eyes slightly and look at Zorion. She held his hand and silently prayed that he would stop attacking her. She was exhausted. She barely had any strength left in every part of her body.

    Right then, he had already used all the methods he had at his disposal, and she really had no strength left.

    ¡°Are you tired?¡± Zorion was still in high spirits. He seemed to have unlimited energy bursting from within and seemed like he could continue. He did not seem tired at all after powering through the entire stormy night.

    On the contrary, Rossie seemed to be exhausted and had no strength left at all.

    Rossie¡¯s eyes were blurred, and her face was reddish. She felt powerless throughout the ordeal and had been taken advantage of by him again.

    If the first time was regarded as an assault, then what would this be considered as?

    Right then, she was exhausted to the core. She just wanted a good sleep.Was it possible?

    ¡°I¡¯m really tired.¡± Rossie¡¯s voice was slightly hoarse.

    She was not sure whether she had encountered a pervert, but then again, she could not use that to describe him because he was like a child who loved grinding others. He had tried many positions the night before, and she wanted to cry at the thought of it.

    However, when he spoke, he did not look like one¡­

    Rossie was conflicted. What should she do?

    ¡°If you give me a kiss,then I¡¯ll let you rest,¡± Zorion said as he rested himself on Rossie¡¯s body,their bodies attached and pressed against each other. Rossie¡¯s face immediately flushed red. He must have done it on purpose. He knew that she was naked, yet he still wanted to do it.

    But she was really tired.

    After thinking about it for a while, Rossie decided to give in and kissed him. However, just as she was about to kiss him, he immediately turned his face away. Rossie was stunned and was at a loss for words.

    Zorion turned around and lowered his head to entice Rossie to kiss him. Rossie had no choice but to kiss him. In the end, they engaged in a brief makeout session which ignited Zorion¡¯s desire.

    By the time they were done having s*x, two hours had passed. It was only then was Rossie finally able to get the rest she had been craving for.

    Once Zorion was satisfied, he finally felt the effects of the previous night¡¯s activities. Hey on the bed as he held Rossie¡¯s hand and eventually sumbed to sleep.

    ¡­

    ¡°Right here,¡± Jacky said as he stood in the potato field. Deanna held a basket in her hand and ran over. When she saw a potato buried in the soil, she knelt down and dug it out with her bare hands.

    She did not mind that her hands were dirty. She wanted to collect more potatoes so that she could bring them back to the hut to be cooked.

    Everyone in that vige knew how to cook potatoes. Initially, she had no idea that those were potatoes asshe thought that they were turnips.

    However, it did not matter what it was called. What mattered the most was how good it tasted.

    The previous day, Deanna tried to make a dish using the two potatoes she had harvested. The olddy downstairs was kind enough to give her some mustard. With a dip of the sauce, the fried potatoes tasted amazing.

    After putting the potatoes in the basket, Deanna stood up and looked at Jacky. Jacky frowned. She was such a fool!

    Earlier that day, Jacky went out and had left her alone in the house. There was even a car parked outside. The hut was located next to a wide road.She did not escape but sat in the hut for the whole morning that day.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    When Jacky returned home, he found her sitting by the window, staring up at the sky.

    Jacky was sure that Deanna would definitely starve to death if he left her alone for three days.

    ¡°How many do you have in there?¡± Jacky asked. Deanna looked at the potatoes in the basket and counted. ¡°Six.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    As Jacky started making his way back to the house, Deanna briefly looked into the basket before following him. She took two quick steps forward and identally bumped into Jacky.

    She raised her head to look at Jacky, who had suddenly turned around,and apologized.¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve received the money from your brother.¡±

    ¡°I knew my brother would give you the money. He¡¯s rich.¡± Deanna¡¯s eyes lit up at the mention of her brother. However, in the next moment, she instantly corrected herself.¡°But I think you¡¯re much richer.¡±

    Jacky¡¯s face was full of amusement as he said, ¡°Just because of your words, I¡¯m going to ask him for another ten million dors.¡±

    ¡°W-why?¡±

    As Jacky walked ahead, Deanna chased after him. Jacky strode forward with ease, and Deanna had to break into a jog to catch up to him. As soon as they arrived back at the house, Jacky immediately went to grab a fresh set of clothes as well as a towel before making his way to the bathroom located at the back.

    Deanna followed him all the way to the bathroom. Just then, a cool breeze blew across the field. It was already autumn.

    ¡°Are you nning to take a shower outside? Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± Deanna had meant to ask him about the extra ten million dors, but she had totally forgotten about it.

    ¡°If you¡¯re worried,then you¡¯re more than wee to join me. That way, I will not freeze.¡±

    ¡°No, thank you.¡± After saying that, Deanna immediately ran back to the house. She found a pot and fetched a basin of water. She was shivering due to the autumn breeze while washing the potatoes.

    After ensuring that they were clean, Deanna carried the basin and waited for Jacky toe out of the shower.

    Soon, Jacky emerged from the shower d in only a pair of trousers. He was shirtless and was still dripping with water when he came out.

    When Deanna realized that he was shirtless, she hurriedly turned around,silently muttering to herself that she had not seen anything.

    When Jacky noticed Deanna shivering, he looked down at his body. Did he look that bad?

    He then dried his hair as he walked over to Deanna and asked, ¡°Do I look good?¡±

    Deanna did not even look at him. She hurriedly nodded and replied, ¡°Yes! You look great!¡±

    ¡°Is this how you should react if you think I¡¯m good-looking?¡± Jacky reached out to pinch Deanna¡¯s chin, forcing her to turn to look at him. He wanted her to look at his lean and strong body.

    In fact, Deanna wasn¡¯t thinking about anything. She just felt that it was not right of her to look at him when he was shirtless.

    However, Deanna pouted because he was pinching her. Jacky inadvertently rolled his eyes at her.

    After allowing Deanna to stare at him for a while, Jacky asked, ¡°So, do I have a good physique?¡±

    Deanna hurriedly nodded.

    Jacky let go of Deanna¡¯s chin and asked, ¡°Have you ever seen anyone with a better physique than me?¡±

    Deanna thought for a moment. She had seen her brother¡¯s and Santiago¡¯s. They had much better physiques than Jacky.

    However, she shook her head at once.

    Deanna was certain that Jacky was self-obsessed.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Jacky turned around and entered the house. There was no one around that day. Everyone had attended a gathering at a neighbouring vige. They would not be back untilte at night. In fact, Jacky was invited to the gathering as well, but when he thought of Deanna at home alone, he decided toe and check on her. Surely enough, she was such a fool. When he came home, Deanna had not escaped. She was still there, staring at her surroundings.

    After entering the kitchen, Jacky looked at Deanna and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve been learning to cook recently. How are your cooking skillsing along?¡±

    Deanna hurriedly replied, ¡°It¡¯s going well. I¡¯ve learnt how to cook.¡±

    Deanna was afraid that Jacky would starve her. When she heard Jacky¡¯s question, she immediately told him about her progress. She was pleased with her newfound skills.

    She was genuinely happy.

    Deanna was neither afraid of working hard, nor was she afraid of suffering. All of those things she had learnt during that period of time were new to her.

    Especially when it came to cooking and cleaning.

 Chapter 1142 Great Escape

    ¡°Then, you can start preparing the food. I¡¯m going to lie down for a while. Call me when it¡¯s ready.¡± Jacky then made his way upstairs. Deanna looked around to see if there was any firewood to start a fire. After washing the pot and cing the potatoes in it, she went outside to gather some firewood. The weather that day was somewhat chilly and gloomy. Deanna could not handle the cold, and her face was beginning to turn red.

    It did not take long before she came back with a pile of firewood in her arms. She ced the firewood underneath the stove before lighting it up. Once the fire was big enough, she started to cook the potatoes. She would then sit by the fire to warm herself up while waiting.

    Once the pot began to boil, Deanna briefly nced at the time and felt that the food should be ready. She then put out the fire.

    After waiting for the pot to cool down, Deanna took out the potatoes and served them on a te. She brought the te to the table and yelled for Jacky toe down. When Jacky descended the stairs, he was stunned when he saw Deanna¡¯s present appearance.

    At that moment, Deanna was wearing a pair of shoes that barely covered her feet and a torn shirt. Her hair was wrapped in a piece of cloth, and her entire body was covered in dirt. Somehow, even ashes from the pot managed to get onto her face.

    Jacky paused for a moment on the stairs. She was indeed a fool.

    He could not help but to wonder,why was Zorion so smart, but she wasn¡¯t?Were they even from the same family?

    Jacky continued walking down the stairs over to the dining table. At that moment, Jacky was wearing a long-sleeved shirt. He seemed warm andfy in it, and Deanna was envious of him. She did not even own any proper clothes. How could she not be envious?

    Jacky grabbed the chair and sat down. Deanna was practically akin to being his ve. She walked over to Jacky and stared at him from the side. If Jacky did not give her permission to sit down, then she would not dare to sit.

    ¡°Come and eat. After that, you can go ahead and boil some water,¡± Jacky said as he took a potato and began eating.

    Deanna had cooked six potatoes in total. When Jacky finally gave her permission, she immediately reached over for thergest potato. Once she finished it, she took a medium-sized one before devouring a third.

    Jacky frowned and muttered in his heart, ¡°She¡¯s such a fool. She only knows how to eat.¡±

    ¡°Are you full?¡± Jacky asked Deanna. She hurriedly nodded her head. She was afraid that Jacky would get angry if she took too long to reply to him.

    ¡°Go and boil some water fora warm shower.¡± Jacky got up and went outside. He stretched and briefly looked up at the sky. It seemed like it was going to rain soon. It was most likely that thedy and the others would not being home that day.

    Deanna went out to gather more firewood so that she could boil some water for Jacky¡¯s shower.

    Deanna knew that the water must have been too cold for him earlier, so that was why he wanted a hot shower.

    She was envious of him!

    After the water was boiled, Jacky brought a basinoutand instructed, ¡°Pour some water into the basin.¡±

    Deanna obediently filled the basin with water, scoop by scoop. Then, she looked at Jacky and lifted her eyebrows.

    When she was done, she quietly informed him. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead and take a shower,¡± Jacky said as he walked to the side. He sat down and waited for Deanna to take a shower. When Deanna heard his words, she was so frightened that she immediately broke out in cold sweat,cowering in fear.

    ¡°There¡¯s¡­there¡¯s no need for that. I¡­ I don¡¯t need a shower. I¡¯m good.¡± When Deanna first arrived, she was not even willing to wash her face. If it weren¡¯t because Jacky had ordered her to do so, then she would not even want to wash her face.

    Crouching in a corner, Deanna was depressed. What if¡­ What if something happened? What should she do?

    ¡°You¡¯re fine with it, but I¡¯m not. Hurry up and take a shower. Otherwise, I¡¯ll help you.¡± Jacky shot a displeased look towards Deanna. She hesitated for a long time and did not move.

    Then, Jacky pretended to stand up. Deanna was scared out of her wits and quickly turned around to take a shower. She entered the bathroom and shut it tightly before using a rope to bind the door. Only then did she rx and finally take a shower.

    Deanna quickly got into the water barrel after taking off her clothes. She wanted to shower at once in case Jacky came in and took advantage of her.

    Deanna showered with her back facing the door. That way, if Jacky came in, then he would not see anything. In the end, Jacky dide in. Furthermore, the rope that Deanna used to bind the door snapped as soon as he pushed the door.

    Jacky pushed the dooropenand paused to nce at the rope attached to the door. He did not know what to say when he realized that she had used a weathered rope to bind the door. Deanna indeedcked intelligence.

    Jacky lifted his head to look at Deanna who was in the water barrel, who then turned around. She looked at him, dumbfounded, while exposing half of her chest.

    Jacky¡¯s eyes subconsciously fell onto her chest.

    Deanna slowly lowered her head and instantly let out a scream.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jacky quickly threw the clothes in his hand to one side before saying, ¡°Put this on before youe out.¡±

    With that, he turned around and went outside. He closed the door behind him and smiled.

    At that moment, it had already begun to rain. Jacky walked over with his hands on his waist as he stood at the entrance, enjoying the cold and gloomy wind and rain.

    It did not take long before Deanna emerged from the bathroom. She stood at the door, dressed in Jacky¡¯s loose clothes. His shirt was way too big for her. It was so oversized that she basically looked like she was wearing a dress.

    Upon hearing the sound, Jacky turned around to look at Deanna. He saw her standing by the door as she bit her lip, blushing intensely. After sizing her up for a while, he walked over.

    When Deanna saw Jackying over, she hurriedly took two steps back. Jacky stopped and said, ¡°You¡¯re quite bold. How dare you move away from me?¡±

    Deanna¡¯s lips squirmed.¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then, what were you doing?¡± Jacky lifted his eyebrows. His voice grew a little louder, causing Deanna to tremble in fear. She hurriedly retorted, ¡°I was just moving to the side.¡±

    Jacky was speechless. He wanted tough at her words.

    When Deanna did not say anything, Jacky walked past her and headed upstairs.¡°It¡¯s going to rain tonight. It¡¯ll probably be cold. Come back upstairs instantly once you¡¯ve poured the water away.¡±

    Upon hearing Jacky¡¯s words, Deanna felt as though she had been given a reprieve. She hurriedly poured the bathwateraway, closed the doors and windows downstairs, and opened them again. She then stood at the door and looked outside.

    Jacky waited for a long time and saw no signs of Deanna. His patience was wearing thin. When he could no longer wait, he walked to thending of the stairs and found her looking outside. His voice boomed all of a sudden. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Deanna was so frightened that she suddenly ran out into the rain. She was immediately drenched, and the hot shower she had just taken ended up being a waste.

    Jacky walked down the stairs and stood at the entrance of the stairs,ring at Deanna. At that moment, she seemed like Cindere from the fairytale as she stood in the rain, not daring to return home.

    Jacky¡¯s face darkened,¡°Aren¡¯t you nning toe back in? Are you going to stand there in the rain?¡±

    Jacky had initially wanted to coax Deanna toe back in, but he was furious at how stupid she was. For a moment, his tone was somewhat stiff.Deanna could notprehend it, so when she heard his tone, she realized that he must have thought that she had wanted to escape.

    As soon as the thought crossed Deanna¡¯s mind, she turned around and fled in fear.

    She could not escapepreviously. Furthermore, the olddy wasn¡¯t around that day, and it was raining heavily outside. Jacky might not be able to catch up to her.

    Deanna felt that it was a perfect opportunity to escape, so she turned around and ran as fast as she could. Her shoes were hindering her from speeding up, so she quickly stopped and got rid of them before continuing on with her great escape.

 Chapter 1143 Cool Her Down

    Jacky stood at the entrance of the stairs in a daze. He watched the heavy rain outside the door,pletely lost in thought. When he finally came back to his senses, Deanna was already miles ahead.

    Jacky hurriedly chased after Deanna. She initially thought that Jacky would not be able to catch up as she was sprinting, but before she knew it, he had already caught up to her in half an hour and dragged her back towards the house as if he was carrying a chick.

    As soon as they entered the house, Deanna immediately retreated to one corner. She cowered in fear, not saying a single word.

    Jacky was drenched. His hair was dripping with rainwater when he looked down.

    ¡°Why did you run away?¡± Jacky asked after a moment of silence. Deanna shook her head in a flurry and shrunk like a tortoise. She did not dare look at him.

    Jacky walked towards Deanna and stopped to observe her. She looked like a mudskipper and was also drenched from head to toe. How many times had she tripped and fallen?

    Deanna suddenly said, ¡°I did not run away. I wanted to find the olddy. She¡¯s not back yet, and it¡¯s raining so heavily.¡±

    After saying that, she lowered her head, panting cautiously.

    Jacky frowned.¡°If you had not run away, then why are you so afraid?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Deanna stammered as she spoke.

    Jacky swept his eyes across the entire room before turning around to check the pot. The pot was still warm. He then ced some firewood underneath the pot and lit it up before pouring in some water.In no time, the water was boiled.

    Jacky turned around and ced both his hands on his hips as he stood there and said, ¡°You have two choices. You can either choose to apany me in the shower, or you can call your brother and ask him to give me thirty million dors aspensation for you running away.¡±

    ¡°I did not run away.¡± Deanna was adamant, but she did not dare to meet his gaze.

    Jacky then said, ¡°So, are you going to apany me to sleep?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing that every night, haven¡¯t I?¡± Deanna muttered in a low voice. The corners of Jacky¡¯s mouth curled upwards. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re nning to have my kids, huh?¡±

    Deanna hurriedly raised her head and shook her head. However, she pressed her lips together and did not say a word.

    Jacky sneered and asked, ¡°Were you running away just now?¡±

    Deanna hesitated for a while and finally gave in.¡°I¡­I did run away.¡±

    In the end, Deanna had no choice but to admit to it.

    Jacky walked towards Deanna and lowered his head to look at her drenched self before asking, ¡°So, are you going to choose between the former or thetter?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll choose the second option.¡± Deanna did not hesitate. Jacky turned around and went to boil the water. After the water was boiled, he opened the lid and poured the water into two separate buckets. He then turned around and carried the two buckets of water into the bathroom. A few momentster, he emerged from the house with a bucket of cold water.

    ¡°Go and take a shower.¡±

    ¡°Are you¡­Are you asking me to take a shower?¡± Deanna looked at Jacky in shock. Jacky¡¯s face was full of amusement as he said, ¡°I thought you did not want to shower with me?¡±

    ¡°Right.I¡¯ll go and take a shower.¡± Deanna hurried into the bathroom. Jacky turned his head around to take a look before boiling another pot of water. After the water was boiled, he fetched Deanna a set of dry and clean clotheshe had worn when he was fourteen. That time was no exception. Jacky pushed the dooropenand entered.

    Deanna was so frightened that she curled up in the barrel and did not dare toe out. She entered the bathroom in such a hurry that she had forgotten to bring in a new set of clothes.

    When Jacky entered the bathroom, Deanna hurriedly hid in the barrel. She already had a n in mind because she had anticipated him toe in.

    Jacky stood at the entrance for a while. After putting the clothes aside,he turned around and left.

    Deanna briefly nced at the shirt. It was a white shirt with blue stripes.

    After Jacky left, Deanna immediately came out, wiped herself dry, and put on her clothes. She lowered her head to look at the shirt and realized that it was still oversized.

    Jacky turned around to look at Deanna when he heard hering out of the bathroom. He was slightly taken aback by her appearance. However, he did not say anything as he carried the bucket into the bathroom. He poured the used water out of the barrel and refilled it with clean water. He then took his drenched clothesoffbefore climbing into the barrel. Deanna hurriedly covered her eyes with her hands as her heart began pounding in her chest.

    ¡°Come here,¡± Jacky called out to her. Only then did Deanna put her hands down and asked Jacky, ¡°What do you need?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know when youe over.¡±

    ¡°My brother will give you the money.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about the money.Rub my back.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Deanna was naive, so it was easy to fool her. She would do whatever others told her to.

    Deanna walked towards Jacky with a towel in hand. She then soaked the towel before helping Jacky rub his back.

    Jacky let out a sigh of relief and asked, ¡°Why did you want to run away?¡±

    Deanna thought for a moment before saying, ¡°You were really fierce. I was afraid, so I decided to run away. In fact, I knew I could not escape from here because I had no idea where I was.I couldn¡¯t differentiate the directions. Don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Noticing Deanna acting very cautious, Jacky narrowed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve never talked to anyone this nicely before. So, I¡¯m warning you, if you ever run away again, then I¡¯m going to catch you and vite you.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. I won¡¯t!¡± Deanna hurriedly said. Her heart was about to leap out of her chest.She felt as if she might have a heart attack.

    Jacky was leisurely enjoying himself while Deanna helped him clean his back. In fact, he had just taken a shower not too long ago before the rain. He was considered quite clean. He just wanted to fool Deanna.

    ¡°Have you ever helped anyone wash their backs?¡± Jacky asked. Deanna thought for a moment before replying, ¡°I once helped my brother. He would asionally help me too.¡±

    Jacky¡¯s face sank. With a sshing sound, he turned around and faced Deanna. ¡°You¡¯ve taken a shower with your brother before?¡±

    ¡°Yes, when we were younger.¡± It seemed like Deanna was panting heavily. Jacky stared nkly for a moment. ¡°How old were you?¡±

    ¡°Three years old.¡±

    With a sshing sound, Jacky turned around. She was indeed a fool!

    ¡°I¡¯m nearly done here. Go upstairs and get me a pair of trousers.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Deanna wanted nothing more than to leave the bathroom. Upon hearing Jacky¡¯s words, she hurriedly put the towel in her hand down and turned around to leave, behaving like a child as she skipped up the stairs.

    Jacky stood up and stepped out of the bath barrel. He grabbed a bath towel and wrapped it around his waist before walking out.

    It wasn¡¯t long before Deanna emerged from the house with a pair of trousers in hand. She then handed it over to Jacky. She gathered her drenched clothes and ced them in a basin, preparing to wash her clothes.

    Jacky put his pants on and looked at her.

    ¡°Stop washing. You can wash it tomorrow. Head back upstairs,¡± Jacky instructed her. Deanna¡¯s face was unusually flushed. It was raining heavily, and it was autumn. It was easy to catch a cold in that weather.

    Deanna shook her head.¡°I¡¯lle back after washing up.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Go on.¡± After saying that, Jacky turned around and made his way upstairs. He had managed to catch her that time, so he doubted that she would try to run away again right then. Jacky was confident about it.

    However, at that time, Deanna did not follow him obediently. Instead, she stubbornly washed her clothes downstairs. Jacky waited impatiently upstairs. By the time he decided toe down and check on her, Deanna had already finished washing her clothes.

    When Jacky came down from the stairs, he realized that Deanna was hiding something behind her back.

    ¡°What are you hiding?¡± Jacky stood at thending of the stairs. Deanna shook her head and said, ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Do you want me toe over to you?¡±

    Deanna then showed him thece panties she had been hiding. It was dripping with water.

    When Jacky saw what it was, Deanna immediately hid it behind her back and lowered her head.¡°I don¡¯t have any clean panties left.¡±

    Jacky¡¯s sword-like brows twitched as his gaze fell on Deanna¡¯s body. He turned around and walked up the stairs. ¡°Come up now.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Daeanna hurriedly ran up the stairs, with her feet stomping on the stairs. Jacky turned around to take a look. Deanna was making her way up the stairs but she was immediately chased back downstairs.

    ¡°Wash your feet before youe upstairs. Your feet are full of dirt, and you¡¯re going to soil the entire floor. There are shoes in the box. Find one that suits you.¡± After saying that, Jacky went back upstairs. Deanna hurriedly washed her feet and went to find the right pair of shoes before making her way into the house, wearing a pair of striped home slippers. Jacky looked at her shoes and frowned. ¡°Take them off.¡±

    Deanna looked at him before taking off her shoes at the door. She entered the house and secretly found a suitable ce to hang her panties.

    When she returned, she felt much better. Then, she walked over and sat down.

    The weather was a little cold, and Deanna¡¯s hair was still wet. She found a dry towel and tried to dry off her hair as best as she could.

    At that moment, the rain outside was getting heavier and heavier. There were even sounds of thunder. Deanna had always been afraid of thunder ever since she was a child. Whenever there was thunder, she had the urge to burst into tears and would always bury herself in Zorion¡¯s arms.

    However, Zorion was not there that day, so she hugged herself tightly and sat in the corner. Jacky took a look outside before walking over to Deanna. He sat down and pulled her into his arms. Deanna was so scared that her entire body was trembling. She raised her hands over her head and started shuddering.

    He hugged her tightly and said, ¡°Lightning is a natural phenomenon, so it won¡¯t enter the house.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Deanna shook her head. She then wrapped her hands around Jacky. It was as though she would not leave the corner even if she had been beaten to death.

    Jacky lowered his head to look at her before pulling her back into his embrace and soothed her. Soon, she fell asleep. She thought that she was in Zorion¡¯s arms.

    She whispered, ¡°Zorion, I want to have some cake.¡±

    Jacky lowered his head to look at her only to realize that she had fallen asleep. What a fool!

    The sound of the rain soon died down, and thunder could no longer be heard. Jacky wanted toy her down, but she had been tugging at his clothes the entire time,not letting go. Jacky had no choice but to lie down beside her, tugging both of them in.

    Deanna suddenly developed a fever in the middle of the night. Her entire body was trembling.

    Jacky had already fallen asleep. He opened his eyes and lowered his head to look at the person trembling in his arms.

    Jacky got up and turned on the lights. He lifted up Deanna¡¯s chin and lowered his head to look at her.

    At that moment, Deanna¡¯s face was flushed, and her entire body was burning hot. She would open her eyes from time to time in a daze.

    ¡°Little fool.¡± Jacky had started addressing her in that manner from the beginning. Deanna was unwilling to have him do so, but in the end, she could do nothing about it.

    That time, when Jacky shouted, Jacky¡¯s name immediately appeared in her mind. She muttered in a low voice, ¡°Jack¡­ Jack¡­¡±

    Jacky sat up and pushed Deanna away. He turned around and went downstairs to fetch two bottles of wine as well as some paracetamol.

    He went upstairs and took off Deanna¡¯s clothes. As a result, he was stunned.

    ¡°Cold. It¡¯s so cold.¡± Deanna was iling in front of him. Jacky swiftly opened the bottle and drank two mouthfuls of white wine. He then poured the rest of it on his hands and rubbed it on Deanna in an attempt to cool her down, but as he rubbed on her body, he couldn¡¯t control himself!

 Chapter 1144 The Older, the Wiser

    Deanna woke up the next morning and felt a little groggy. When she moved slightly, she felt pain all over her body. When she opened her eyes, she could see warm yellow rays pouring in through the windows.

    Deanna pondered for a moment in bed before getting up. Just as she was about to sit up, she felt as if something seemed to be gripping her waist. She then looked at her waist and saw an arm firmly wrapped around her body. She turned sideways only to find that the arm belonged to Jacky.

    What the h*ll happened the previous night? Deanna did her best to try and recall her memory, but she couldn¡¯t seem to remember anything!

    She raised her hand to rub her head. Deanna then looked at her arms and wondered, what happened to her sleeves?

    She looked at her arms and over to her body¡­

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Deanna shrieked and woke Jacky up in the process.

    Jacky immediately sat up and looked over at Deanna. He hurriedly pulled her into his arms. Deanna waspletely scared out of her wits when she realized that both of them were naked.

    ¡°Scoundrel! You scoundrel!¡± Deanna started to cry. How could it have happened?

    Jacky wasn¡¯t mad. Instead, he looked as if he was about to burst intoughter.

    Jacky pushed her away. He stared at her for a moment. She was crying pitifully and looked as pale as a sheet of paper.

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to cry.¡±

    Deanna sniffed and immediately stopped crying. Jacky reached out and wiped her tears away. Then, he lowered his head and kissed her. At first,she wasn¡¯t willing to have him touch her, butter on,Jacky raised his voice and locked his gaze on her, so shepromised in fright. She wrapped his arms around his shoulders until she did not have the strength to resist him.

    After wiping her tears away, Jackyy down beside Deanna and pulled her into his embrace. She ced her hands on his chest as shey in his arms.

    Jacky asked her, ¡°Does it feel good?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    When Deanna answered, she blushed a little. In the end, she remained still in his arms and did not say anything. She was honest and was as obedient as a kitten.

    Jacky ran his hand along Deanna¡¯s arm and said, ¡°You should get some rest. I¡¯ll bring you out tonight.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Deanna¡¯s hand remained on his chest. It was as if she was trying to push him away. After she closed her eyes, Jacky ced one of her arms over his body. Then, he pulled up the nket to cover her body. He rarely used the nket as it was usually hot at night. Soon, the two of them fell into a deep slumber.

    ¡°He¡¯s not back yet?¡± Santiago asked as he walked down the stairs. The weather was great that day. He nced at Raeleigh, who was waiting for Jepherson to return home. Raeleigh turned around and said, ¡°Not yet. Could you please call him to check whether he¡¯s home?¡±

    Santiago took his phone out and called up Richards Manor to check whether Jepherson was around. That was not the first phone call. It was as if he had vanished from the face of the Earth. No one had heard from him, nor could anyone get in touch with him.

    Santiago hung up the phone and nced at Raeleigh. He walked to the side and took a seat. He put the phone in front of him and shoved his hands into his pocket.

    There was no one downstairs besides the two of them.As Scarlette was throwing a tantrum, Hadrian was keeping an eye on her and did not allow her to leave the room. Stuart, on the other hand, was with Jepherson. However, at that time, no one could reach Stuart either.

    Santiago¡¯s face darkened as he asked, ¡°Did the two of you have a fight?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and she then looked at Santiago.¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then, why haven¡¯t we heard anything from him?¡± Santiago did not look at Raeleigh, but he could tell something was off. Raeleigh shook her head and looked out of the window. ¡°I have no idea. I have this uneasy gut feeling¡­ He has never disappeared like this before. I¡¯m not sure if something has happened to him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go out to find him.¡± Santiago stood up and was about to head out through the door. Raeleigh stood up to stop him.¡°Don¡¯t. If he wanted toe back, then he would have.¡±

    Santiago stopped and turned to look at Raeleigh. There was a kind of indescribable emotion in his eyes.

    ¡°What happens if he does note back since I did not go out to look for him?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment.¡°He¡¯lle back when it¡¯s time. Maybe he¡¯s looking for someone.¡±

    After thinking for a while, Santiago walked over to Raeleigh. He looked at Raeleigh with a deep gaze and asked, ¡°Do you know something?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. How could she know? She could not even contact him. She initially thought that he was busy trying to look for Deanna, but right then, it seemed like that was not the case.

    Raeleigh stared at Santiago. She did not know what to say. Whatever the case was, she had to ask him. However, he had not returned home yet. How was she supposed to ask him?

    Santiago took out his phone and called his grandfather, Trevor.

    When Trevor saw the caller ID on his phone, he was surprised.However, ncing at the door of the personwho had not left his room for two days, he silently understood.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you so kind to call me?¡± Trevor¡¯s opinion of Santiago was different from his wife, Marissa. He had two different ways of looking at people as well as his grandsons. He liked them both regardless of whether they were good or bad. After all, they were his grandsons.

    Hansen was his only son. That son had two sons, one was Jepherson, and the other was Santiago. Putting aside the others, they were all descendants of the Richards family. They were his only grandsons, and he was pleased with the two of them. One was a born leader, whereas the other one was an innate warrior.

    If the former was the image of a king, then thetter had the aura of tyrant. He could not pick a favorite. As a grandfather, he felt that his grandsons were perfect in their own ways. However, some outsiders had their own thoughts about his grandsons and couldn¡¯t recognize their respective potentials.

    However, he himself knew very well that with those two children,the Richards family¡¯s fortune would surely skyrocket. They wouldn¡¯t hold themselves back.

    At the end of the day, he felt that Jepherson was too calm. Sometimes, when he spoke to him, it was as if he was dealing with a sly fox. He had to speak carefully lest he fell into any of his traps. Santiago, on the other hand, was more likeable. He was very straightforward. Even though he was somewhat cynical and frivolous, he was still young, so this temperament matched his age.

    Trevor leaned towards Santiago.

    His feelings towards Santiago were different from Marissa¡¯s.

    Marissa had nagged him several times as a result of their opposing views, saying that hewas old and confused. However, Trevor did not say much about that matter. Whether he was confused or not, he knew it in his heart. There was no need for him to exin himself.

    He felt rxed when he talked to Santiago because he was fond of him. Santiago, who was on the other end of the line, asked casually, ¡°Is he there?¡±

    Trevor casually asked, ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Are you already senile?¡± Santiago did not care if his words would offend his grandfather. Since his grandfather pretended not to know who he was talking about, he deserved to be offended.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Trevor turned around and nced at the locked door upstairs. No matter how much he liked Santiago, he could not offend Jepherson. After all, both of his grandsons were equally important to him.

    After thinking for a while, Trevor thought of apromise and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him. Why don¡¯t you try and call him?¡±

    Santiago was not a fool. He sneered and said, ¡°The older, the wiser. I get it.¡±

    With that, Santiago hung up the phone. As for Trevor, he wanted to say a few words to his grandson, but before he could even say anything, Santiago had already hung up the phone.

    Trevor put his phone aside and nced at Stuart, who was standing downstairs. He then said, ¡°Santiago¡¯s temper has always been bad. Please cut him some ck.¡±

    After saying that, Trevor got up and went upstairs. Just as he was halfway up the stairs, he turned back around to retrieve his phone. Stuart stood downstairs and lowered his head as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. Was he saying that Santiago or he himself should not be med for his bad temper? That old man was humorous. He was exaggerating, but there was a never ending stream of ways to scare people. Stuart had been freaked out a lot since he was young.

 Chapter 1145 Owed Him Something in Her Past Life

    On the other side, Santiago put his phoneawayand looked at Raeleigh.¡°He should be fine. He¡¯s at Richards Manor.¡±

    ¡°So, he¡¯s fine because he¡¯s there?¡± Raeleigh looked at Santiago. She was slightly relieved when she heard his words.

    ¡°What can happen to him? My grandfather treats him like a treasure. He should be fine. If you¡¯re worried, then I can bring you there to check on him.¡± Santiago spoke as if he was telling the truth. Raeleigh immediately shook her head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and sat down. She guessed that he probably needed some space. Therefore, she decided not to look for him. If he needed her, then he woulde back on his own. Besides, she did not dare go to Richards Manor as there were too many people around. Regardless of what identity she used, it was still better to stay at home.

    Raeleigh sat down and fell silent. Santiago, too, took a seat. He remained silent as he waited for Raeleigh to say something. However, she did not say anything. Although she was a little sad,she did not me Jepherson.

    He probably had an unsolvable problem, and a person like Jepherson would definitely want to deal with it on his own. Earlier, he went to find his sister. He was probably frustrated that he still could not find her.

    He had put in so much effort, yet he still could not find her. If it were her, then she would have been frustrated as well. She knew that once he got over it, he woulde home.

    Raeleigh felt as if she and Jepherson were slowly drifting apart. It was as if he was beyond her reach.

    Both of them were the kind of people who loved to keep their problems to themselves. That was their greatest w.

    Raeleigh said nothing aftersitting there for the entire day. The next day, Raeleigh was woken up by a call from Xanthus, asking her to go out. Raeleigh hesitated for a moment. Scarlette did not need any more injections and recovered at a speedy pace. Not only that, she and Hadrian would spend the entire day locked up in the room, arguing. asionally,sounds of objects breaking could be heard. It seemed that Scarlette had recovered faster than expected.

    Every day, Hadrian would cook a lot of nutritious food for Scarlette. That was the first time that Raeleigh realized that Hadrian cared so much about Scarlette.

    ¡°I have a ss to attendter. I will not be heading into the office for a few days.¡±Since Jepherson had not been going to the office,Raeleigh felt that it was unsuitable for her to head over as well. A couple of days ago, she had been absent-minded because, at that time, she wasn¡¯t sure whether she was Jepherson¡¯s sister. Thankfully, Jepherson had already informed Lamarre, so she was slightly relieved.

    She still had notpleted the first trimester of her pregnancy . She did not have a baby bump yet, so she could still attend ss.

    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s meet up at the university.¡± Once they agreed to it, Raeleigh hung up the phone.

    With that, Raeleigh made her way down to Scarlette¡¯s room and knocked on the door. After a long time, Hadrian finally emerged from the room wearing a ck shirt that exposed his chest. He said to Raeleigh, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Scarlette. I¡¯m nning to head over to the university, and I want to check whether she¡¯d like toe with me. That way, Dr. Osteen might be able to examine her wound.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look inside and realized that Scarlette was dressed and ready to go. However, she still seemed somewhat unpleasant and was unwilling to forgive Hadrian. It seemed like Hadrian was ying hardball and was very controlling of her. Scarlette did not even have the right to speak up for herself.

    If Jepherson was around,then he might have been able to help Scarlette. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t, and Scarlette was left to defend herself. At that moment, she was at Hadrian¡¯s mercy and was controlled by him.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now.I¡¯ming with you.¡± Scarlette immediately exited the room when she saw Raeleigh. Hadrian looked at her and said, ¡°You¡¯re not fully recovered yet.¡±

    ¡°So what? It has nothing to do with you. I¡¯m warning you. You¡¯d better take away your belongings, or else¡­¡±

    ¡°Or else what?¡± Before Scarlette could finish her sentence, Hadrian turned around and red at her. She immediately kept quiet, pursed her lips, and snorted. Then, she walked out of the door, dragging Raeleigh along with her.

    Raeleigh turned to look at Hadrian, who did not follow them. She initially thought that he would leave them alone, but after breakfast, he emerged from the room with a jacket in hand.

    Raeleigh sat down and looked at Scarlette.¡°You¡¯re no longer a kid. Stop throwing tantrums.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. I really need some space.¡± Since Scarlette had said that,Raeleigh decided not to meddle with her business.

    After breakfast, Scarlette and Raeleigh made their way to the university. Santiago naturally followed them. Meanwhile, Hadrian wastailing them from behind, ina ck sports car.

    On the way to the university, Scarlette¡¯s expression gradually turned more and more displeased. She had no idea what was wrong with Hadrian. Out of nowhere, he decided that he wanted to enrol inthe university and made a special request to have the same sses as Scarlette.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    That day was his first day at the university, and he decided to drive a limited edition car from the Richards Group. Although that car came out two years ago,it was enough to attract people¡¯s attention. Back when it was first released, Scarlette was so envious and wanted to take a ride in it. However, Hadrian refused no matter how hard she begged. Right then, he decided to drive it out. She had no idea what his intentions were.

    Scarlette gnashed her teeth in anger. Raeleigh, who was sitting right next to her, had a strange look on her face. Was there a need for such a reaction for a car?

    When they arrived at the university, the two cars sessively pulled into the parking lot. When Scarlette came out of the car, she did not even bother to look at Hadrian¡¯s car. Raeleigh had a helpless look on her face when she noticed that. She could not help but to wonder, who Scarlette was mad at?

    Santiago seemed unperturbed. He got out of the car and whistled. He put his hands in his pockets and swaggered forward, calling Raeleigh to follow him.

    Raeleigh, of course, immediately followed him. Santiago was basically her bodyguard. Who else would she have followed if not Santiago?

    Raeleigh asked while walking, ¡°Is there any news about Deanna?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.I haven¡¯t heard anything from Zorion. However, I know that he¡¯s been transferring money to the kidnapper, and the amount is getting bigger and bigger. I have a feeling that he has contacted the kidnapper, but he doesn¡¯t want us to intervene in this matter,¡± Santiago said with a smileas if something interesting was happening. Raeleigh looked up at him. ¡°In fact, you¡¯re partly responsible for Deanna running away.¡±

    Although she was partly to me,Raeleigh still felt that it was mainly Santiago¡¯s fault.

    He clearly knew that Deanna liked him, but he still chose Cynthia over her. Although no one could control his feelings, Raeleigh still felt that Santiago had crossed the line.

    Santiago paused for a moment. He turned around to look at Raeleigh with his eyebrows lifted.¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re partly responsible for Deanna running away. You knew that she likes you, but you chose Cynthia over her. Even if no one says anything about this, even if you don¡¯t act so decisively, Deanna will find out sooner orter, so she will naturally suffer a lot. However, you¡¯re not soft-hearted at all. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate for you to act in this way.¡±

    ¡°I did not ask for your opinion.Plus, it¡¯s none of your business,¡± Santiago said while shooting Raeleigh a disdainful nce. Raeleigh wasn¡¯t mad, but she looked unhappy. She turned around and left.

    Raeleigh really did not know how to handle a person like Santiago. She must have owed him something in her past life. That was why in that life, he had to make things difficult for her. Especially his sharp and vicious mouth. He was neither easy-going nor polite.

    She was a woman. She could definitely not win an argument with him. However, if she did not refute him, then she would feel annoyed!

 Chapter 1146 Mystery of Life

    Raeleigh entered the lecture hall and realized that there was a neer that day.Hadrian had entered the hall, and he was sitting in thest row, right behind Scarlette.

    Raeleigh had no idea what had happened between Scarlette and Hadrian as they were there before her. However, Raeleigh knew that they must have had a fight, since she could feel the tension between them.

    As soon as Raeleigh took her seat, she immediately switched her focus in preparation for ss. However, midway through the lecture, she felt a little ufortable, so she decided to leave the ss earlier.Thus, leaving Santiago¡¯s sight.

    Raeleigh went to the restroom in order to avoid arousing Santiago¡¯s suspicion. As a result, when she emerged from the restroom, she found Santiago standing outside, leaning against the wall. He only left when he was sure that Raeleigh was alright.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to follow me. Nothing will happen to me in the restroom.¡± Raeleigh wanted to meet Xanthus, so of course, she had to avoid Santiago, but he kept following her. She found it very annoying.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want me to follow you? Why? Do you have a secret meeting to attend to?¡± Santiago proceeded to walk ahead with his hands in his pocket as he asked Raeleigh. Raeleigh raised her head to look at him. ¡°What secret meeting? Who else can I possibly meet in private besides your brother?¡±

    ¡°Like me, for example.¡± Santiago turned around to face Raeleigh and walked towards her. He forced Raeleigh to stop, and only then did she stop.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you want to do, but you¡¯d better give me a heads-up. Otherwise, I will not take any responsibility if you make a fool of yourself.¡± Santiago observed Raeleigh for a while before turning around to leave.

    Raeleigh hurriedly followed in his steps and informed him, ¡°I do have something to tell you, but it¡¯s rted to my identity, so I can¡¯t tell you.¡±

    ¡°I know more about you than you know about yourself. How can I not know your background?¡± Santiago snorted. He did not even turn around to look at her.

    Raeleigh did not know what to say. She felt like such a fool when she was around a smart alec like Santiago.

    ¡°What do you know?¡± Raeleigh asked cautiously. Santiago stopped and turned to Raeleigh. ¡°Everything.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent and pondered for a while. Then, Santiago turned around and called out to Raeleigh. ¡°Come here.¡±

    Raeleigh lifted her head and looked at Santiago, who was quite far ahead of her, so she had to approach him.

    They left the building and made their way to Xanthus¡¯ infirmary. Santiago stopped and turned around to look at Raeleigh.¡°I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh froze for a while before walking towards Santiago. She raised her head and looked at him. ¡°How is it possible that you know so much?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want people to know, then you shouldn¡¯t do it. There¡¯s nothing in this world that I don¡¯t know. The whole world knows that if an adult falls from such a high ce, then it¡¯s a miracle that the adult is alive, not to mention the child in the womb.¡±

    ¡°Later,my father recalled that when my mother fell down the cliff, her belly must have hit something. I feel that even if the baby managed to survive, it would probably be paralyzed. It¡¯s impossible that nothing happened to the baby.¡±

    ¡°Although you¡¯re somewhat stupid,you¡¯re not paralyzed.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s words shocked Raeleigh. What he said was true. Even if the baby was indeed alive, it was impossible for the baby to be entirely fine. That was to say, the baby had most probably died, but¡­

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago.¡°But he has been searching for so many years, hasn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°You also know that he has been searching for so many years. Everyone knows that this is a sore subject for him. At that time, my mother went there for his sake. We did not expect her to fall off the cliff. Her temporary disappearance nearly ruined our entire family. My father nearly lost his sight in the process of searching for her. With such an incident, how much of a blow did his heart suffer?¡±

    ¡°Although there was a reason, and he was also innocent,everyone knows his character. He¡¯s clinging on to that slight hope that he will be able to find our sister.¡±

    ¡°When he was five years old, he was young and ignorant. When he grew up, he gradually understood that it was him who caused our mother to fall off the cliff and the baby¡¯s disappearance. He¡¯s been ming himself ever since.¡±

    ¡°My father tried looking for our sister. In fact, it proves that the baby had most probably died. Although we¡¯re unwilling to ept this reality,only a fool would cling to the little hope.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a smart fool, while you¡¯re genuinely a fool.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment.¡°Why do you have to drag me into everything? It seems that if you don¡¯t call me a fool, then you will feel ufortable.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Santiago turned around and looked elsewhere. ¡°It¡¯s possible that Steffan lied, but I doubt that he would lie to my mother about this matter. He most probably told a white lie. I think that the child has most likely passed away. My mother was in really poor health at that time, so that¡¯s why he did not lie, and I think he fell in love with my mother at that time.¡±

    Raeleigh was silent. She wasn¡¯t sure whether she should believe Santiago or not. But then again, she knew that Santiago would not lie about that matter. After all, the baby was his sibling.

    Raeleigh was silent for a while and said, ¡°Then, why don¡¯t youe in with me? I¡¯ve thought about this matter long and hard. I don¡¯t know what else to think.¡±

    Raeleigh said as she entered the medical room, followed by Santiago.

    Xanthus was not surprised to see Raeleigh, but he was surprised to see Santiago.

    ¡°I thought Scarlette¡¯s supposed to be with you? Since when has she been reced with another person?¡± Xanthus intended to mediate the dispute, but Raeleigh cut to the chase and said, ¡°He knows. I asked him to apany me. You can tell me.¡±

    Raeleigh watched as Santiago entered the room and took his seat at the side. Xanthus then put his coat on. ¡°Let¡¯s go out and have a conservation.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him for a while before she stood up. She looked at Santiago and waited for him to get up. Then, the three of them went out together.

    The three of them got into the car and found a quiet ce. In fact, they were at Xanthus¡¯ new house.

    After getting out of the car, Raeleigh looked up at Xanthus¡¯ house. It was quite luxurious and had peaceful surroundings. She then asked, ¡°Did you just buy it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did. Not bad, right? I¡¯m nning on settling down here. Our parents wille over some timeter. This ce is suitable for your development. If possible, we will live here for six months out of the year to apany you.¡±

    As Xanthus spoke, he nced at Santiago.¡°Let¡¯s go in and take a look.¡±

    Xanthus talked as he entered the vi. The door opened. The living room was grand.Raeleigh realized that it was notvishly decoratedand hada musty smell from the books.

    There were no servants in the house. After entering the house, Xanthus removed his shoes, and asked Raeleigh and Santiago to take a seat in the living room. He poured three sses of water and set them on the table. Then, he brought out some documents and information sheets for Raeleigh. With that, he said, ¡°Have a look. This may be the reason you said that you were three years old when you arrived at the orphanage.¡±

    Raeleigh epted the brown envelope, took out the documents inside, and began reading through the information. Most of the notes were handwritten, with signatures and photos on them.

    One of them was a baby girl wrapped in swaddling clothes.

    The most interesting thing was that there was a USB drive.

    Raeleigh read the information. Xanthus inserted the USB drive in theputer. Soon, a woman who was about ten years older than Raeleigh appeared on the screen. She was beautiful and looked like she was in her thirties.

    It was that woman, who uncovered the mystery that had been haunting Raeleigh¡¯s life.

 Chapter 1147 KneeJerk Reaction

    ¡°When I was ten years old, I was probably the most antisocial one in the orphanage. Usually, the older children would not get adopted. I remember a lot of them would get adopted at two or three years old.

    ¡°I looked good when I was younger. I had big eyes, a straight nose, and was very clean. However, I had a bad temper and I did not like socializing with the other children. That is why most of the kids were adopted while I remained in the orphanage.¡±

    ¡°I remember that it was cloudy that day. I heard that a new kid was sent to our orphanage. I was curious, so I went to check it out. I saw Madam Caprice carrying the baby, and she told me that it was a baby girl. She even pitied her because she was a newborn and was abandoned.¡±

    ¡°Later, as the kid grew up, she would frequently fall sick. Madam Caprice would asionally bring the baby home to take care of her.¡±

    ¡°She did the same with me. I have no idea why, but as I grew up, I developed a strange temper. I have a feeling it was because I did not want to be separated from Madam Caprice. No one wanted to adopt me because of my temper. With that, I could remain by Madam Caprice¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°Later, as the baby grew older, she would still frequently fall sick. There was a time,I remember it was around the time when she learnt how to walk. She fell seriously ill and developed a high fever. Madam Caprice had no choice but to send her to the hospital, and ever since then, she never came back.¡±

    ¡°Later, when she was probably three or four years old, she came back with another child. The new kid had a cute name then. She was called Bowie.¡±

    ¡°At that time, I was already thirteen years old. When I first saw Shuna, I thought she had been transferred from another orphanage. Later, I somehow felt that I had seen her before. The first time she left, she was only one year old. When she came back¡­ I roughly guessed that she was about three years old. She still looked the samebut was quite small for her age. She was different from the other kids. She had curly hair and big round eyes. Like those cute children you see on TV.¡±Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh instantly grew nervous when she heard her words,grabbing the armrest of the couch. She remembered that she had curly hair when she was younger. It was only when she grew older that her hair became less curly.

    ¡°Later, I also heard Madam Caprice telling ady that she did not expect Shuna toe back. They agreed that she was unlucky because she would always fall sick. She was three years old like most of the kids in the orphanage, but she was very thin. Some people who thought of adopting at first decided not to go ahead with the adoption because her past sickness was in her medical records. Later, Madam Caprice said that it did not matter. If no one wanted to adopt her, then she would bring her home.¡±

    ¡°I stayed in the orphanage for another year, and when I was fourteen years old, I had good grades, so I received a schrship for my studies. I woulde back every year to visit the kids in the orphanage. One day, when I came back, I found out that the orphanage was burned to the ground. I thought that she had perished in the fire.¡±

    ¡°So, she¡¯s still alive¡­¡±

    The person in the video fell silent for a while before she waved her hand towardsRaeleigh, who was at the other side of the screen.¡°Shuna, congrattions, you¡¯ve found your brother! Do you remember Skye? She used to bring you delicious food.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her hand to cover her mouth and burst into tears. She seldom cried, but whenevershe thought of Skye and the fire in the orphanage, a lot of images would sh through her mind¡­

    Raeleigh would usually avoid thinking about the orphanage because she was afraid. When she was ten years old, she started living with Novalie. She never liked to talk about her time in the orphanage. Every time she dreamed, she would be awakened by the fire. She had never thought that she could still meet someone from the same orphanage.

    Xanthus was right. Only those who left the orphanage could prove that people had perished in the fire.

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Santiago turned around and called out to Raeleigh. Raeleigh was crying very hard. Santiago wanted to remind her about the baby in her womb.

    Xanthus stood up, walked to Raeleigh, and sat down beside her. He held Raeleigh in his arms and said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s not good for the baby.¡±

    Xanthus was busy coaxing Raeleigh, who could not control herself.

    At that time, a few people took turns appearing on theputer screen. The first person was a man. He was about the same age as Raeleigh.

    ¡°Shuna, is that you? Do you remember me? I¡¯m Harper. I gave you a piece of chocte before I left. It turns out that you¡¯re still alive. I went back to the orphanage once, but you weren¡¯t there anymore. The fire took away a lot of lives. It was a nightmare for me. I left two days before it happened. It¡¯s terrible.¡±

    Harper began to cry. Raeleigh stared at the man who was speaking. She thought about it carefully. It was truethatthe fire happened two days after Harper had left.

    ¡°Shuna, I¡¯m Archer. I¡¯m Gail¡­¡±

    A dozen people then talked to Raeleigh. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t do anything except cry. Xanthus sat by her side and helped wipe her tears away. He lowered his head and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°I thought I would not be able to find you until my next life. I¡¯m really lucky to have found you.¡±

    Xanthus pulled her into his arms and let out a long sigh of relief. He said a silent prayer and thanked God for being fair. It turned out that all the trouble he had gone through to find her was worth it.

    Raeleigh held Xanthus and kept crying. It took her the whole morning to finally calm down.

    By the time she calmed down, she was exhausted. Xanthusid her down on the couch and gave her a quick examination. After confirming that she was fine, Xanthus stowed away the information.

    Then, he looked at Santiago.¡°It seems that you don¡¯t have any opinion on this matter.¡±

    ¡°The two of you are rted by blood. What else can I say?¡± Santiago said bluntly. Xanthus paused for a moment before asking, ¡°Were you investigating me?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I have?¡±

    ¡°No, it seems that you¡¯re much more concerned about Raeleigh than your brother,¡± Xanthus said as he stood up to get a quilt. It was already autumn, and the weather was slightly cold. Xanthus was worried that Raeleigh would catch a cold.

    Raeleigh had fallen asleep on the couch. She must have been exhausted from all the crying.

    Xanthus made a phone call to order takeout and sat down to talk to Santiago.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pry into my brother¡¯s affairs.¡± Santiago bent over and covered Raeleigh with the quilt.

    ¡°I won¡¯t inquire about your business. There are some things that only us men should understand. Women don¡¯t have to, especially Raeleigh.¡± Xanthus briefly nced at Raeleigh before looking at Santiago.

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Santiago¡¯s face was full of displeasure and iciness.

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m grateful that you treat Raeleigh well.¡± Xanthus sat there, looking calm. Santiago could not help chuckling.¡°I don¡¯t need your gratitude. I do whatever I want. No one can control me.¡±

    ¡°You misunderstood me. I feel that Raeleigh is lucky to have someone like you by her side, that¡¯s all.¡±

    After Xanthus said that, he looked at Raeleigh, who had fallen asleep. Santiago gritted his teeth and nced at Raeleigh. He raised his hand and patted Raeleigh twice, and he then withdrew his hand.

    Raeleigh moved a little. It was a knee-jerk reaction. Xanthus, who sat opposite her, had been keeping an eye on her.

 Chapter 1148 Let Santiago Down

    It was slowly turning dark outside by the time Raeleigh woke up. She was awakened by the sounds of her phone ringing. It was Scarlette who was calling her. She hurriedly answered the phone. Santiago, who had been lying on the couch, sleeping, woke up as well.

    After Raeleigh was done, she put the phone aside and asked Santiago, ¡°I fell asleep?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you slept like a pig,¡± Santiago replied. Raeleigh was rendered speechless. He had always regarded her as a pig.

    ¡°If I¡¯m a pig, then what are you?¡± Raeleigh was a little annoyed with his answer. Santiago¡¯s attitude could infuriate just about anyone at any time.

    Especially her!

    ¡°He¡¯s also a pig,¡± Before Santiago could speak, Xanthus emerged from the side and spoke.

    Santiago raised his head and looked at Xanthus.¡°Mind your own business.¡±

    Raeleigh blushed slightly. She hurriedly exined, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. That¡¯s just how he is, but he doesn¡¯t have any malicious intentions.¡±

    At that time, Xanthus had returned from the grocery store. That ce was quite convenient as it took him less than an hour to get to and from the store. He nned to cook dinner for Raeleigh that night.

    He did not eat lunch. The takeout he had orderedhad yet to arrive beforeRaeleigh fell asleep. While Raeleigh was sleeping,both Santiago and Xanthus were left in the room. Santiago gradually fell asleep. Xanthus sat opposite of them, deep in thought.

    Xanthus ended up not having lunch. Instead, while waiting for Raeleigh and Santiago to wake up, he decided to go to the grocery store to get some ingredients to make some nutritious food for Raeleigh.

    Xanthus spent his time in the kitchen,making dinner, as he waited for Raeleigh and Santiago to wake up.

    It was only when he heard Santiago¡¯s voice that he went out to the living room. As soon as he emerged from the kitchen, he was met with Santiago¡¯s hostility. He had no choice but to defend Raeleigh, but it seemed to be a little unnecessary. Instead of helping her, he frightened her.

    Xanthus¡¯ hand was still dripping wet at that point. He took a napkin and wiped his hand as he looked at Raeleigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. I was kidding.¡±

    Raeleigh was relieved and did not doubt Xanthus¡¯ words. She looked around and realized that it was already dark outside. It was no wonder Scarlette sounded so worried when she called.

    Raeleigh got up from the couch and took a look outside.¡°I think we should head home, or else everyone will start to get worried.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡± Xanthus hurriedly stood up when he saw that she was about to leave. Raeleigh turned around to look at him and said aftering to a realization, ¡°I¡¯ll leave after dinner.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great. Dinner is almost ready. If you leave,then the food will go to waste. You have not had any lunch, and I made quite a lot of food. I doubt I¡¯ll be able to finish all the food,¡± Xanthus said as he pointed at the table. Raeleigh was stunned and said, ¡°I get it. Let me help you.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Xanthus made his way back to the kitchen, picked up an apron, and put it around Raeleigh¡¯s head.

    Raeleigh stood by the kitchen door. Before she could say anything, Xanthus had already helped her tie the apron.

    Raeleigh felt somewhat ufortable, but she still followed Xanthus to the kitchen. There was a beginning to everything, and she believed that Xanthus would not lie to her.

    As for Xanthus, he was genuinely surprised that he was able to find Raeleigh.

    He had been searching for her for many years and acknowledged how fortunate he was to havefinallyfound her.

    Xanthus entered the kitchen and began making himself busy with dinner as hetalked to Raeleigh while he cooked. He also asked her about her food preferences and told her about his. He even told her what kind of food their parents liked.

    Raeleigh stood at the side and watched him cook, trying to remember every single information.

    In the past, Raeleigh had no ns to look for her biological family. She had not expected that she would be overwhelmed with emotions once she had a family. She was very excited that she could not contain her emotions.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I like steamed and light food. Nothing too strong,¡± Raeleigh said as she ced the fish in the pan. She was not surprised when Xanthus mentioned that he and his parents liked to eat steamed food. It was because she liked it too.

    ¡°You like to eat steamed food as well?¡± Xanthus stood on one side. They talked as if they were friends who had not seen each other for years,pletely ignoring Santiago, who was waiting for them in the living room.

    However, Santiago had his own entertainment. He was texting Cynthia while watching TV.

    Cynthia knew about Deanna¡¯s incident, and it was Santiago who had told her. However, he just mentioned that Deanna had gone missing and nothing else. Cynthia was a little worried about Deanna, so she kept asking for an update on the matter.

    ¡°She still hasn¡¯t been found?¡± At that moment, Cynthia was tending to her nts. She was, right then, the most well-known person in the Moore family. Although her mother and sister did not visit her and treat her well the way they used to,she felt stressed whenever she was with her sister.

    ¡°Not yet. Zorion had heard from the kidnapper, but I¡¯ve heard nothing from him ever since. If I don¡¯t hear anything soon,then I¡¯ll go and search for her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be rash. You¡¯ve got to take things one step at a time. I wonder whether Flynt has anything to do with this?¡±

    ¡°I doubt so.¡±

    ¡­

    After Cynthia hung up the phone, she was instantly gued with the thought that Flynt might have something to do with Deanna¡¯s disappearance. She stood aside and looked at the flowers, feeling slightly mncholic.

    Cynthia liked chrysanthemums, so she decided to nt a few pots. There were all white chrysanthemums.

    It was of amon species. It was not difficult to buy them on the market. Santiago had personally gifted her two pots, and she was particrly fond of them.

    She took great care of the chrysanthemums, and they gradually started to bloom. Everyone admired the flowers. Even Flynt, who hade by twice, liked them. He even asked her to give him a pot, but she was unwilling to part with the flowers, so she told him that she would wait for them to grow bigger before dividing them into smaller pots. Only then would she give it to him.

    When Flynt realized that Cynthia was unwilling to part with the flowers,he decided to let it go.

    Little did Cynthia know that those flowers would turn out so beautiful. She had no idea how she was going to divide it and was reluctant to do so.

    As Cynthia stared at her flowers in a daze,someone entered the front door. She walked over to the door and saw that it was Flynt. He was carrying a pot of daisies in hand as he made his way towards the garden. When he saw Cynthia, he handed the pot of daisies to her and said, ¡°Here. This is for you.¡±

    Cynthia stared at the pot of daisies that was shoved into her hands and was dumbfounded.¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°This is a pot of daisies. It belongs to the same species as the chrysanthemums. It¡¯s not as expensive as the ones you have, but they are very beautiful as well,¡± Flynt said as he entered the garden. Cynthia looked at the flower in her hands before arranging it on the rack. After that, she went to pour Flynt a ss of water and asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Am I not weed?¡± Flynt smiled. Cynthia said, ¡°I did not say that. I¡¯m just surprised that you¡¯re not busy today. Didn¡¯t you attend ss today?¡±

    ¡°I did, and I¡¯m done for the day.¡± Flynt took a seat on the chair and leaned back as he stared at Cynthia. ¡°Fortune favors the fool. Am I right?¡±

    Cynthia was bewildered with her brother¡¯s words.¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I have something I want to confide in you. That¡¯s why I came.¡± Flynt had always been close to Cynthia ever since he was young. Even though Yanora treated him well, she was not as close to him as Cynthia was. He would usually look for Cynthia whenever he had a problem.

    Cynthia sat down and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to beat around the bush. Just tell me.¡±

    Flynt rested his chin on his palm after hearing his sister¡¯s words, leaning to one side.¡°Cynthia, I feel that Santiago is great for you.¡±

    Cynthia blushed.¡°Why are you mentioning this?¡±

    Flynt smiled and said, ¡°How should I put it? I think your character is suitable for Santiago. He¡¯s a little cunning while you¡¯re the quiet type. The two of you are the opposite of each other. You guysplement each other. He might look like a bad person, but he at least cares about you. Most importantly, you do like him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t feel like talking to you about him,¡± Cynthia said, pulling a long face. She did not want to say anything more about her rtionship with Santiago.

    Flynt tapped his fingers and said, ¡°That¡¯s fine then, but there¡¯s another thing I need to talk to you about.¡±

    Cynthia did not say anything and continued fixing her gaze on her brother as she waited to hear what he had to say.

    ¡°Cynthia, if you love someone,then are you willing to do anything to please the person? When you see that the person is anxious, youtoo will feel anxious. When you see that the person is happy, you will be delighted as well, right?¡±

    Flynt was acting very strangely that day. If it were someone else, then they would not be able to understand him, but Cynthia could.

    She had taken care of Flynt ever since he was young. She could see through his intentions by observing his gaze. She was even familiar with his movements. No one knew him better than her.

    After a moment of silence, Cynthia asked, ¡°Are you talking about Raeleigh?¡±

    Flynt lifted his head to look at his sister and clicked his tongue.¡°You know me so well.¡±

    Cynthia fell into silence.¡°Raeleigh is a rational person. I doubt she¡¯d be in two minds when ites to her feelings.¡±

    ¡°But I like her.¡± Flynt interjected all of a sudden. Cynthia fell silent. ¡°She doesn¡¯t like you. She likes Jepherson. If you do like her, then you should quietly admire her.¡±

    ¡°I tried, but I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Even so, you shouldn¡¯t do anything harmful to win over her.¡±

    Cynthia said as she stared at Flynt. Her anger spiked.She knew her younger brother too well. There was no such thing as ¡®no reason¡¯. There had to be a reason for everything.

    She initially wanted to ask, but right then, she felt that it was unnecessary. She already had her answer by testing him.

    Flynt¡¯s silence meant tacit admission.

    ¡°Do you know what happened to Deanna?¡± Cynthia asked Flynt. Her face was already dark and gloomy. Flynt raised his eyes to look at his sister.¡°Cynthia, I have nothing to do with her disappearance. I saw what happened and know a little about it. I did nothing to save her.¡±

    ¡°That is to say, you clearly knew that Deanna was in danger, but in order to win Raeleigh¡¯s heart and for her to show you gratitude, all you did was merely stand by and watch.¡± Cynthia was certain of that matter.

    She could not suppress the anger that arose in her chest. It was because of him thatDeanna was faced with danger. Cynthia med herself for what had happened. She felt that she had let Santiago down.

 Chapter 1149 Tit For Tat

    Flynt sat and said nothing as Cynthia lectured him. In the end, he could only stand up and leave.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Flynt made his way to the door and was about to leave. However, when he reached the door, he turned around and looked at Cynthia,and he then said, ¡°I mean no harm. I want to please her, that¡¯s all. I don¡¯t want her to avoid me when she sees me. Cynthia, Jepherson and I are both men. Am I notparable to him?¡±

    ¡°Flynt, there¡¯s noparison in rtionships. You¡¯re going to regret it sooner orter.¡± Cynthia did not know how to feel. On one hand, Flynt was her brother. On the other hand, it concerned the person she cared about the most. She did not know how to rectify the situation, but she knew that what her brother did was wrong.

    Flynt looked at his sister and said, ¡°Cynthia, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t control myself sometimes.¡±

    With that, Flynt walked out of the room. Cynthia stood at the door and watched as Flynt left. When it came to love, no one had the right to judge. Perhaps she was wrong, and Flynt could not help himself as well.

    Cynthia turned around and sat back down. She held her phone in her hand and was about to text Santiago. Before she could text him, Cynthia heard someone knocking on the door. She lifted her head and stood up as she chucked her phone to the side.

    Yanora entered the house with some food in her hand. She said as she walked, ¡°I heard that Flynt was here, so I decided toe over. Is he gone?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he just left.¡± Cynthia nced outside. Flynt had just left moments ago. How was it possible that they did not bump into each other?

    ¡°Well, this is for you. I made it myself. When I heard Flynt was here, I quickly rushed over. But somehow, it seemed like he did not want to see me. I¡¯m his sister too.¡±

    Yanora walked to the side as she spoke. She ced the food on the table and turned around to check on the two pots of chrysanthemums once more.

    ¡°The flowers are gorgeous. It looks much better than the ones I¡¯m growing. Is this a daisy?¡± Yanora asked. Before Cynthia could take a look at the food Yanora had given her, she walked over to her and exined, ¡°Yes,it is.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a daisy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± Yanora raised her hand and touched the flowers carefully. Cynthia frowned when Yanora did so. People who grew flowers were not fond of others touching their flowers.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Cynthia stood by the side. She did not know what to think of Yanora¡¯s sudden visit, but she inexplicably had her guard up.

    ¡°Cynthia, I have a ce I need to go tomorrow. Would you like to apany me? It¡¯s been a long time since west hung out.¡± Yanora turned around and asked her sister. Cynthia looked at her and asked, ¡°Yanora, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°No.I just want to hang out. It¡¯s my fault for not standing up for you thest time. I¡¯d like to offer my apology, and I hope that you can forgive me,¡± Yanora said with tears welling up in her eyes.

    Cynthia¡¯s heart softened, but she wasn¡¯t a fool. When she saw Yanora, she felt that something was amiss.Right then, as she was crying, Cynthia was certain that there must have been a reason for it. She was puzzled.

    In fact, ever since the previous incident, she had always known that Yanora was prejudiced against her. She had also inquired about Santiago several times, but Cynthia herself did not want to expose it.

    Yanora showed up that day. It was obvious that she did note to pay her a visitbut was there for Flynt instead.

    Cynthia stood there for a while and said, ¡°But I¡¯ve already made ns with Santiago.¡±

    Yanora smiled.¡°That¡¯s not a big deal.Why don¡¯t you send me over?By the time we¡¯re there, I¡¯ll leave the space to the two of you. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    Cynthia sneered inwardly. Everyone knew how Yanora felt about Santiago. Could it be that there were no other men in the world? Why must she go for Santiago? Whatever the case, Santiago was herfianc¨¦. They were birth sisters. How could she do that?

    Cynthia pursed her lips.¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I say. Santiago has the final say.¡±

    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you call and ask him now?¡± Yanora asked in a hurry. Right then, she wanted nothing more than to see Santiago for no particr reason.

    Cynthia looked at Yanora with mncholy in her heart. She had no choice but to call Santiago. Santiago was amused when he received her call. Weren¡¯t they just texting?

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    When Santiago¡¯s phone rang, he got up and went outside to enjoy the cold wind.

    Raeleigh came out of the kitchen and set the steamed fish on the table. She looked at the door to check on Santiago. When she saw that he was on the phone, she turned around and headed back into the kitchen.

    ¡°Nothing much. Remember our ns for tomorrow? My sister has a ce she needs to go to tomorrow and invited me toe along, but I told her that I¡¯ve made ns with you. She wonders if it¡¯s alright for her to tag along?¡± Cynthia was a smart person. After getting along with Santiago for a long time, she already knew how to talk to him. She knew what to say to get a certain reaction out of Santiago.

    ¡°What time should Ie to pick you and Yanora up tomorrow?¡± Santiago smiled wickedly. The surrounding lights were hazy, casting the whole of him in ayer of light.

    ¡°Let me ask her.¡± Cynthia turned around and looked at Yanora. Yanora immediately said, ¡°Nine o¡¯clock.¡±

    ¡°Nine o¡¯clock.¡±Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll pick you up at nine.¡±

    With that, Cynthia hung up the phone. When Yanora learnt that she would be able to see Santiago the next day, she quickly said a few words before excusing herself. Cynthia walked her sister out the door and texted Santiago about the matter.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t had dinner yet.¡±

    ¡°Then, go and have your dinner.¡± After that, Cynthia did not reply. Santiago put his cell phoneawayand went back into the house. He washed his hands before making his way to the dining table. When he was eating, he told Raeleigh, ¡°I¡¯m going out with Cynthia tomorrow, but I¡¯m worried about you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll head over to the university¡­¡±

    ¡°I can take care of her. If she wants to go to the university, then I can still keep an eye on her,¡± Xanthus said without waiting for Raeleigh to finish her words.

    Santiago stuffed a spoonful of his dinner into his mouth and red at Xanthus.¡°There are some things I haven¡¯t figured out yet. Even if I had figured them out, you have no reason to meddle with Raeleigh and my affairs. I don¡¯t care whether you¡¯ll be heading over to the university or not. I was talking to her, not you.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s aggression leftRaeleigh helpless. She had no choice but to say, ¡°He¡¯s like that. You don¡¯t have to take him seriously.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? What do you mean by not taking me seriously? Are you saying that I¡¯m bullying you? He interrupted your words, and I¡¯m just trying to defend you. You really do not know how to appreciate my good intentions.¡±

    Santiago had his way with words. On the contrary, Raeleigh was speechless.

    ¡°Raeleigh, can you get me a bowl of soup?¡± Xanthus pushed his bowl over to her and kept a straight face. Raeleigh nced at him and said, ¡°He might sound harsh, but he means no harm.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, please?¡± Raeleigh knew it was a signal for her to leave. She knew that Santiago would not be in a disadvantageous position, but the problem was that she was worried Xanthus would suffer a blow.

    ¡°Go.¡± Santiago nced at Raeleigh. Then, she turned around and made her way into the kitchen. After entering the kitchen, she turned around and looked at the dining table. The two men were engaged in a staring contest, not moving the slightest inch. Then, she turned around and filled the bowl with soup.

 Chapter 1150 Pick Cynthia Up

    ¡°I know that you have your own views, but Raeleigh is a person. You can¡¯t be rude to her,¡± Xanthus said after Raeleigh went into the kitchen to fetch some soup. Santiago, who sat opposite him, took a bite of his food and refuted, ¡°That¡¯s my problem. Mind your own business.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t care about you, but there¡¯s no way for me not to care about her.¡± Xanthus¡¯ face was filled with displeasure. Santiago shot him a nce and said, ¡°You can care about her all you want.¡±

    Santiago did not give in to Xanthus at all, and Xanthus was so pissed that he stopped eating, but when Raeleigh returned to the table, he hurriedly picked up his cutlery and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

    Raeleigh ced the bowl of soup in front of Xanthus and Santiago. Xanthus drank a mouthful of soup before putting it down. The two men pretended that nothing had happened, but Raeleigh sensed the tension in the room.

    Raeleigh sat down and began to eat. During that period of time, she did not speak. Xanthus and Santiago remained silent as well. After dinner, Raeleigh told Xanthus that it was time for her and Santiago to take their leave. Xanthus quickly offered to drive them back home.

    Scarlette had been waiting for Raeleigh outside the house. She was relieved when she saw Raeleigh in Xanthus¡¯ car.

    Scarlette immediately ran over to Raeleigh as soon as she stepped out of the car. She wanted to know why Raeleigh came back sote.

    ¡°Dr. Osteen needed some help over at his house. I happened to be of use, so I followed him home. After that, he invited us to stay for dinner.¡±

    Raeleigh briefly exined and nced at Xanthus. Santiago, on the other hand, had already entered the house. Scarlette tilted her head and pondered. Was Santiago one who would randomly enter anyone¡¯s house?

    It was so strange.

    ¡°Thank you for sending us back.¡± Raeleigh thanked Xanthus. He smiled and said, ¡°I have to go now. Scarlette, itlooks like your legs have recovered well. Why don¡¯t you swing over to my ce tomorrow when you have the time? I¡¯ll give you a quick examination.¡±

    After saying that, Xanthus entered his car and drove off. Raeleigh watched Xanthus leave and breathed a sigh of relief. She was d to know that she was not Jepherson¡¯s sister. If she was, then she really did not know what to do.

    ¡°What time did you reach home?¡± Raeleigh asked Scarlette as they made their way back into the house. Scarlette informed her that she had arrived home at noon. As soon as they entered the house, Raeleigh ran to her grandmother, hurriedly telling Novalie that Xanthus was her brother. Novalie knew that Raeleigh was d to have found her family member when she saw the wide smile on her granddaughter¡¯s face.

    ¡°Raeleigh, that¡¯s great! Promise me from now on that you¡¯ll smile more. You¡¯ve been acting like a grumpy olddy.¡± Novalie advised Raeleigh,¡°Or else, you¡¯re going to scare Jepherson away.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t grumpy. What are you talking about, Grandma?¡± Raeleigh said coyly. Novalie chuckled and patted her bed.¡°You can bunk with me tonight. Is Jepherson not home yet?¡±

    ¡°Grandma¡­¡±

    ¡°I get it.You can still bunk with me when hees home, right?¡± Novalie was amused. If Jepherson was home,then Raeleigh probably would not be there with her. They were practically inseparable. How was it possible that she would even want to bunk with her own grandmother?

    Raeleigh went to take a shower before returning to her grandmother¡¯s room. When she entered, Novalie was already lying on the bed. So, she went andy beside her grandmother. Just then, Novalie said, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Jepherson recently. Did something happen? Have you managed to find Deanna?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Raeleigh turned over and hugged her grandmother.¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to him either. He didn¡¯t tell me.¡±

    ¡°If he didn¡¯t tell you, then it doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t ask him, right? You can¡¯t expect him to tell you everything. It doesn¡¯t work like that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call and ask tomorrow.¡± Raeleigh was about to fall asleep when Novalie said, ¡°You¡¯ll never make your call since you¡¯re saying this. He might have returned by tomorrow. Why can¡¯t you call him now?¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll call him now.¡± Raeleigh got out of bed and went to make a call to Jepherson as she was told.

    In fact, Raeleigh was nning to call him even if Novalie did not mention it. However, she had intended to call him after her grandmother fell asleep. She did not expect that her grandmother would urge her to call him at once.

    ¡°You, youngsters.¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going through your head. I¡¯m a little tired.I won¡¯t continue talking to you anymore. You should go and call him. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡±

    Novalie immediately closed her eyes as soon as she finished her words. Raeleigh was afraid of disturbing her, so she got up and left her grandmother¡¯s room. She dialled Jepherson¡¯s number as she made her way back to her own room.

    On the other side,Jepherson had spent the entire day lying in bed with his eyes fixed on the ceiling. He had not eaten for a few days, and Trevor was worried that he would starve to death, so hecalled the family doctor over to give Jepherson a nutrient injection to ensure that he would remain healthy.

    When Jepherson heard his phone rang, he picked it up and looked at the caller ID before putting it down once more.

    Raeleigh called several times but no one answered. In the end, she gave up.

    After lying in her bed for a while, she snuck back into her grandmother¡¯s room.

    After Raeleigh entered the room andy down, Novalie opened her eyes and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t he answer his phone?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment.¡°No, he did not. Maybe he¡¯s not in the country and is probably busy with work at this time.¡±

    ¡°Did he go abroad?¡± Novalie continued to ask. Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°Iactuallyhave no idea.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask someone who knows? Since you can¡¯t reach him, others might be able to get through to his phone.¡± Novalie was really worried about her granddaughter¡¯s emotional well-being. Her baby¡¯s father had disappeared, but she was not anxious at all. If that did not concern her, then she had no idea what might.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment.¡°Santiago has no idea where Jepherson is either.¡±

    ¡°He can choose not toe home, but you must know where he is. You must also find out what¡¯s troubling him.It¡¯s not a good look since he disappeared without a trace, without notifying anyone. Santiago is not God. You can¡¯t rely on him to know everything about his brother, and you should take the mainresponsibility. You need to know how to handle this matter. Since Jepherson did not answer his phone, you can try calling Stuart. If he does not answer, then you can try asking Scarlette to call him. There are a lot of ways to work this out.¡±

    Raeleigh paid lip service to Novalie¡¯s words. The next day, Raeleigh did not make the call.

    One reason was, Raeleigh knew that he was in Richards Manor, but not the one in Capital City.

    Secondly, Raeleigh had no idea what was going on. If he chose not to answer his phone,then she could only wait for him to return her call.

    After breakfast, Santiago brought Raeleigh out with him, and Scarlette wanted to tag along as well. However, when she saw the look in Santiago¡¯s eyes, she immediately changed her mind.

    In the end, Scarlette chose to stay at home.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    After Raeleigh got into the car, she turned to look at Scarlette and said, ¡°Stay at home, alright? I¡¯ll be going over to ask about Deanna. Santiago said there¡¯s some news about her, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Scarlette agreed. Then, Raeleigh followed Santiago over to the Moore family residence. As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the manor, Santiago quickly got out of the car in search of Cynthia. Soon after, he managed to find her, along with Yanora.

    Santiago opened the door to the front passenger seat, motioning for Cynthia to get in. Raeleigh was sitting in the back. Of course, Yanora, too, had to sit in the back.

    It was only when Cynthia entered the car that she realized that Raeleigh was also in the car. When she saw Raeleigh, she froze, feeling a little awkward.

 Chapter 1151 Since She Was There, She Might As Well Take a Seat

    ¡°You¡¯re here as well?¡± Cynthia immediately greeted Raeleigh when she entered the car. Although Cynthia was slightly older than Raeleigh,she was sensible.

    Yanora, who sat in the back with Raeleigh, took the initiative to greet her as well. She didn¡¯t want to lose to Cynthia.

    Raeleigh politely exchanged greetings with both Cynthia and Yanora. The three of them were calm all the way. Santiago then started the car engine and drove towards the shopping mall. Yanora had her gaze fixed on Santiago as he drove. The displeasure in her eyes surged when she saw Santiago smiling at Cynthia. Raeleigh, who was sitting beside Yanora, quietly observed her. When they arrived at the shopping mall, Yanora did not immediately get out of the car. Santiago turned around and announced, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    Yanora had never been treated in such a way. Her driver would usually help open the door for her,but unfortunately, there was no such service that day. She was in a terrible mood.

    Especially after witnessing Santiago and Cynthia exchanging looks with each other throughout the whole journey, Yanora clenched her teeth in hatred.

    Right then, she had no choice but to open the car door on her ownbecause Cynthia did not seem as if she was nning on helping her.

    Yanora tried her best to maintain a smile as she asked Cynthia, ¡°Cynthia, aren¡¯t youing with me?¡±

    ¡°She wants to apany me. We¡¯re nning to catch a movieter,¡± Santiago chimed in. Cynthia naturally obliged. As for Raeleigh, she certainly knew that Santiago was lying. He was a smart boy and could definitely see through Yanora¡¯s intentions.

    Yanora¡¯s expression showed subtle changes. She nced at Cynthia, who was sitting in the front seatand said, ¡°Alright then. You guys have a good time.¡±

    Then, Yanora got out of the car and closed the door. She took a few steps back and waved them goodbye. She wanted to leave a good impression on Santiago, but she did not expect him not to even look at her as he drove away.

    When the car was out of sight, Yanora¡¯s face darkened. Her face looked so gloomy that those around her instinctively retreated and backed away.

    Yanora stood still on the spot for a long time before she hailed a taxi.

    ¡°If you treat her this way,then she will be furious.¡± Cynthia briefly cast a nce at Raeleigh before speaking.

    In fact, even if Cynthia did not mention it, everyone was well aware of it. However, she was a smart person, so she was the first to say it out loud.

    Raeleigh said nothing and sat in the back in silence until Santiago chuckled.¡°I¡¯m not going to let her take advantage of you.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my sister after all.¡±

    Cynthia lowered her head before raising her head to look outside the window. Raeleigh understood that certain matters would make others feel helpless.

    Cynthia was engaged to Santiago right then. She felt pressured.

    ¡°So what if she¡¯s your sister?¡± When Santiago said that, Raeleigh lifted her head to look at him. For a moment, Raeleigh felt that Santiago did care about Cynthia, or else he would not be worried about her.

    Cynthia noticed it, so she turned around and told Raeleigh, ¡°In fact, things are not how you think.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to care about her,¡± Santiago said as he drove towards the cinema. Cynthia was at a loss for words. She looked at the indifferent Raeleigh through the rearview mirror,not knowing what to say. Raeleigh smiled at her and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m used to his way of talking.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh turned to look outside the window. Right then, she felt like a third wheel and wanted nothing more than to get out of the car.

    She pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°You can drop me off at the front, or you can drop me off at the university. I¡¯ll call him and ask him to pick me up. I doubt he¡¯s at the university at this hour of the day.¡±

    The person Raeleigh was referring to was Xanthus. She felt as if she needed to talk to Xanthus.

    Santiago nced at Raeleigh in the rearview mirror.¡°No, we¡¯re going to watch a movie.¡±

    Raeleigh was lost in thought.¡°We?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we.¡±

    ¡°The three of us?¡±

    In fact, Raeleigh wasn¡¯t the only one who found it weird, even Cynthia felt awkward. She was surprised when she heard Santiago¡¯s words.The three of them were going to watch a movie together?

    It turned out that was the case. Raeleigh got out of the car and was dumbfounded. Standing on the spot, she shifted her gaze to look at Santiago and Cynthia. Then, the three of them made their way towards the cinema. Cynthia walked alongside Santiago, and she did whatever she was told, even if she was unwilling to do so.

    At that moment, Raeleigh did not expect Cynthia to voice out her discontentment. So, Raeleigh had no choice but to speak out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like watching a movie. You guys can go ahead. I¡¯m going to head home. I can take a taxi,¡± Raeleigh said and intended to leave.

    Santiago reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hand as well as Cynthia¡¯s and made his way to the ticket counter. The trio immediately attracted the attention of the moviegoers as everyone in the cinema stared at them.

    One of the reasons was that all three of them were very good-looking, especially Santiago. The other reason was that Santiago alone held a girl in each hand to themovies in broad daylight. Although it was quite amon thing to do,it was rare to witness such a scene where one did it openly in public.

    Santiago led Raeleigh and Cynthia to the ticket counter under the watchful eyes of the public.

    Ever since Raeleigh had fallen pregnant, she herself felt that she was too delicate and pampered. She was careful about everything and was afraid that idents might happen to the baby. While Santiago was pulling her as they walked, she hurriedly ced a hand on her belly and followed him obediently. Cynthia, on the other hand,never dared to go against Santiago¡¯s orders. So, she followed him without a word.

    Those around were very surprised. Some sharp-eyed ones recognized Santiago at a nce. They pointed at Santiago and asked in astonishment, ¡°Isn¡¯t that Santiago Richards from the Richards family?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s no wonder he has two girls. That¡¯s Cynthia Moore from the Moore family, right?¡±

    ¡°I guess so. I¡¯ve only seen her on TV once. What about the other girl?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. However, I¡¯ve always heard that members of the Richards family are allowed to marry more than one wife. Since Miss Moore is here with them, it means that they¡¯ve agreed to the fact that having multiple wives is permissible.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago is different, isn¡¯t he? I remember that he¡¯s quite young.¡±

    Soon, those around them began gossiping. At first, there weren¡¯t many people at the cinema. After all, no one would want to watch movies in the morning. To their surprise, the cinema hall was packed and booked after Santiago had bought the tickets.The others were actually not interested in the movie. Instead, they were interested in what the three of them would be doing in the cinema hall.

    After Santiago bought the tickets, he handed them to Cynthia. He then turned around and walked towards the snack counter. He stood there as he went through the menu. In the end, he ordered three buckets of popcorn and some snacks.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Santiago held all three buckets of popcorn in hand as well as the snacks while they waited. As soon as they were allowed into the cinema hall, he led both Raeleigh and Cynthia into the hall.

    They managed to find their seats as soon as they entered the hall. Santiago was the first to take his seat. Cynthia, on the other hand,nced at Raeleigh before taking a seat next to Santiago. Since Raeleigh was already there, she might as well take the other seat next to Santiago and wait for the rest of the people who were watching the show to fill up the hall.

 Chapter 1152 Hunted Down

    It was a famous romantic movie, and it happened to be airing at the right moment. Raeleigh and Cynthia were so immersed in the movie that they had even forgotten to eat the popcorn, especially Cynthia, who had burst into tears.

    Santiago took a piece of tissue out and helped Cynthia wipe her tears away. Cynthia was absorbed in all the crying and couldn¡¯t be bothered to react to it.Then, he reached out and brushed her nose gently.¡°Don¡¯t cry. It affects others and makes my heart ache for you.¡±

    Santiago hugged Cynthia andforted her before letting go. It was only then she felt embarrassed and stopped crying to continue watching the movie.

    Raeleigh, who was sitting on the other side of Santiago, was also invested in the movie, but not to Cynthia¡¯s level. Perhaps it was because of the environment she had grown up in. She did not share the same views in love as the others. Raeleigh did not like the female lead in the movie. She felt that the female lead was a coward and was willing to suffer and bear everything her family had brought upon her.

    However, Cynthia was different. She was born into a wealthy family and lived a different lifepared to others.

    The person in the movie was a nobledy abandoned by her family, and that was the reason for her sad ending. It was normal for Cynthia to share the same feelings with her, but Raeleigh did not like it.

    The more she was trapped in such a situation, the more she couldn¡¯t give up.

    Santiago handed Cynthia the popcorn once she finallyposed herself as hecoaxed her. Cynthia was probably embarrassed by the hug just then, so sheremained silent,not shedding a single tear ever since then. The ending of the movie was slightly confusing, and no one knew what happened to the characters.

    Raeleigh felt a little tired after the movie. She was physically and mentally tired after sitting for two hours. She got up and exited the cinema hall, followed by Santiago and Cynthia.

    Raeleigh checked the time and realized that it wasn¡¯t even twelve in the afternoon yet, but she wanted to return home.

    Raeleigh stood at the door and told Santiago, ¡°I want to go home. Could you please send me home? After that, you can resume your date.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about time I head home too.You can send me home before both of you return home together,¡± Cynthia offered. In fact, there weren¡¯t many ces they could visit asthey would attract attention regardless of wherever they went. In fact, Cynthia was satisfied that they were able to watch that movie.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. I¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop talking. It¡¯s now autumn. Let¡¯s go to a ce where we can watch the leaves fall off the trees.¡± Santiago turned around and walked towards the car. He swiftly got in and waited for the two of them. Raeleigh watched him as he sat in the car. If she did not leave, then it would seem like a p in Santiago¡¯s face. So, she told Cynthia, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Cynthia remained silent and followed her to the car.

    Later, Santiago started the car and made his way to a resort. There was indeed a forest of fallen leaves in the back mountain of the resort. Once they arrived, both Cynthia and Raeleigh were a little surprised. They did not expect that it would be such a beautiful ce. The leaves were falling from the tree, and the gentle wind blew. There was even a bridge made out of bamboo.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Santiago was not surprised. That was not the first time he had been there. He began walking towards the mountain with his hands in his pockets while Cynthia and Raeleightrotting behind him in awe.

    It was a short walk to the mountain, but Raeleigh was pregnant, soshe walked slowly even though the road was rtively t.

    Cynthia took the initiative to talk to Raeleigh. Raeleigh felt that Cynthia could be considered a kind person. Although she talked to her only because of Santiago,Raeleigh knew that it was probably not easy for a person with her status to do it.

    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful,¡± Cynthiamented sincerely. Raeleigh nced at her and agreed.¡°Yes. It¡¯s breathtaking.¡±

    Santiago, who had been walking up ahead, decided to take a seat. The two women were walking too slowly, so he could only stop and wait.

    As Santiago waited, his face darkened. He stood up and looked downwards. Raeleigh could also sense that something was wrong. She, too, turned around and lowered her gaze tosee a group of people running towards them. They seemed to be holding something in their hands.

    Raeleigh was quick to react. She hurriedly reached out for Cynthia and quickened their pace towards Santiago¡¯s direction.

    Cynthia still had no idea that Raeleigh was pregnant. She turned around to look at those who were chasing after them as she ran. Raeleigh was wearing trousers, but Cynthia was wearing a long white dress. It was a perfect outfit to wear on a date,but right then, it seemed to be a burden.

    Santiago took two steps forward, shielding Raeleigh and Cynthia. He swept his eyes across his surroundings to see how many people there were.

    As though something had shed through his mind, Santiago informed Cynthia all of a sudden, ¡°Raeleigh is pregnant. You must protect her.¡±

    Cynthia was stunned for a moment before she immediately agreed to Santiago¡¯s request.¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely protect her.¡±

    Raeleigh was a little speechless. She wondered how a frail person like Cynthia could protect her?

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me. Who are they?¡± Raeleigh was unusually calm. She firmly believed that they were neither there for her, nor were they her enemies.

    She had known Xanthus for a long time, and she had never heard him talk about his enemy.

    Santiago snorted.¡°Who else could it be?¡±

    Cynthia slowly looked over and said, ¡°Are you saying that Yanora sent them?¡±

    Santiago did not answer. He knew that there was no point in answering. They were sisters, and she was very clear about it. It was not the time to upset her.

    What did Yanora¡¯s mistake have to do with Cynthia?

    Cynthia staggered. Raeleigh immediately held onto her hand.Cynthia initially had a glimmer of hope in Yanorasince they were family.

    When Raeleigh felt Cynthia¡¯s icy hands, she knew that such a blow could put Cynthia, who had grown up in a prominent family, in desperation.

    ¡°We¡¯re not sure whether it¡¯s indeed her. Right now, we¡¯re just going by our assumption. We¡¯ll ask about it when we get back.¡± Raeleigh did not know what else to say. She felt that she should not have asked the question earlier.

    Cynthia shook her head and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that¡­¡±

    ¡°Cynthia, take care of Raeleigh.¡±

    Santiago spoke all of a sudden. Cynthia felt as if she had just awakened from a dream. She instantly came back to her senses and looked at Raeleigh as she held her hands, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will not let anything happen to you.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. Santiago was excellent at reading people¡¯s minds.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, so will you. He can handle it.¡± Raeleigh briefly looked at Santiago. Cynthia nodded, but her face was still somewhat pale,and her heart was in destion.

    Then, those people with the sabresin hand were already charging towards Santiago.

    Cynthia was so scared that her hands began to tremble. However, she still did not let go of Raeleigh¡¯s hand as they turned around and fled.¡°Let¡¯s go. We must not let them catch up to us.¡±

    Cynthia pulled her along. Raeleigh had no choice but to follow her. After a few steps, she stopped and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be nervous. He¡¯ll be fine, so will we.¡±

    Cynthia was so frightened that she had the urge to burst into tears. Raeleighforted her.¡°It¡¯s useless to cry. It only proves that we¡¯re weak. Even if we have to fight, we will not die.¡±

    Cynthia stared at Raeleigh in a daze. Raeleigh fished her phone out of her pocket and called Scarlette to inform her of their location. Scarlette was immediately energized when she heard about their situation. She told Raeleigh, ¡°Take care of yourself. We¡¯ll be there soon.¡±

    Raeleigh hung up the phone and held Cynthia¡¯s hands.¡°Although we¡¯re not good at fighting,we excel in other stuff. We must not let others underestimate us. We have to learn to protect ourselves.¡±

    Cynthia stared at Raeleigh nkly. After a while, she came to her senses and nodded firmly. Raeleigh was amused by her reaction.

 Chapter 1153 Injured

    Raeleigh and Cynthia held each other¡¯s hands tightly. Raeleigh would be lying if she said she wasn¡¯t worried. She said it because she did not want Cynthia to worry. As for how worried she was, she was actually more worried than Cynthia.

    She was afraid that Santiago would not be able to dodge when she saw them thrusting their daggers forward. However, she did not to dare exert pressure on Cynthia¡¯s hands, as once she did so, Cynthia would know that she was actually worried.

    Although Santiago could take those men down alone,there would be a moment where one of them might run loose.Then, several of them tried to go after Raeleigh and Cynthia. Santiago failed to stop them and yelled, ¡°Run!¡±

    Raeleigh instantly turned around and pulled Cynthia to follow her. Although she managed to get out of there in time,she did not dare to run fast.

    ¡°Cynthia, they might being for you. You should hide. We¡¯ll be fine as long as you don¡¯te out.¡± Raeleigh wanted Cynthia to go into hiding, but she refused.¡°No, I can¡¯t let you be in harm¡¯s way because of me. You should hide, Raeleigh. You¡¯re pregnant.¡±

    When Raeleigh realized she had failed to convince Cynthia, she continued running, pulling Cynthia along with her until they searched around and found a couple of sticks. She picked them up and handed them to Cynthia. ¡°Here, take this. Use this to defend yourself. Make sure that they do not approach you.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Cynthia said as she held the stick in her hand.¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. She did not know what else to say when she heard Cynthia saying that she would protect her.

    Cynthia¡¯s entire body was trembling. How was she going to protect her?

    Raeleigh did not give in. She found a stick and looked at the road ahead.¡°Let¡¯s find a crowded ce. I¡¯m sure Scarlette will be here soon.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Then, Cynthia followed Raeleigh. It was a tourist spot, and there must have been people visiting during the day. It was currently lunch hour, and most of them were in the restaurants. Those thugs still dared to chase after them. Even if there were people along the way, they had all hidden.

    Raeleigh led Cynthia to the restaurants. She thought before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s not go inside. We¡¯ll hide at the back. Come on.¡±

    Raeleigh knew that those thugs would search along that ce, but they would not show up in a group, maybe one or two will turn up. They had to make it seem as though they had entered the restaurant. People were generally selfish, and she doubted that anyone would help cover and hide their tracks.

    Raeleigh and Cynthia hid behind the restaurant. Raeleighforted Cynthia.¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. We need to protect ourselves. I¡¯m sure Santiago will be fine. He will even die to protect us.¡±

    Cynthia nodded vigorously, and her face turned pale out of fear. Raeleigh lowered her head and looked at Cynthia¡¯s torn dress. She bent down and tore off pieces of Cynthia¡¯s dress,and she then ordered her, ¡°Don¡¯t move. Wait for me right here.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Cynthia was scared out of her wits. She could only agree to it.

    Raeleigh walked to the front with a couple of pieces of Cynthia¡¯s torn dress in hand and scattered them at the door to make it seem as if they had entered the restaurant. Then, Raeleigh quickly led Cynthia into the woods to hide.

    ¡°Do we really have to stay here? If they find us,then we¡¯re doomed.¡± Cynthia came to her senses andimmediately pointed out. Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°No, I doubt they will be able to find us. Don¡¯t worry. Help is on the way.¡±

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Cynthia was in disbelief. Raeleigh then said, ¡°Scarlette is on the way, and I¡¯m sure Santiago will be able to defeat those thugs. Let¡¯s walk a little deeper into the woods. I¡¯m sure they will not be able to find us.¡±

    In fact, Raeleigh was exhausted, but she had no choice. She had to lead Cynthia out of danger.

    Finally, they arrived at a safe ce. There was a deep ditch in the depths of the forest. It was covered by the fallen leaves. Raeleigh identally stepped on it and fell into the ditch. As Raeleigh was holding Cynthia¡¯s hand, she, too, fell into the ditch. Then,Raeleigh said, ¡°Let¡¯s hide here and wait for Scarlette to rescue us.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Cynthia waspletely at a loss and was panicking. So, she listened to whatever Raeleigh said.

    The two of them waited in the ditch, holding each others¡¯ hand for about an hour before they finally heard Scarlette¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Raeleigh, Raeleigh¡­¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Cynthia, Cynthia¡­¡±

    Scarlette was walking in front with Santiago behind her. When Raeleigh heard Scarlette¡¯s voice, she immediately emerged from the ditch. Beforeing out, she told Cynthia, ¡°Stay here. Let me check it out. I¡¯ll let you know if it¡¯s indeed them.¡±

    Cynthia wanted to follow, but Raeleigh had already left. So, she could only wait.

    It took great effort for Raeleigh to climb out of the ditch, but when she saw that it was Santiago and Scarlette, she turned around and notified Cynthia.¡°It¡¯s them. You cane up now.¡±

    Only then did Cynthia climb out of the ditch. Raeleigh had no strength to pull Cynthia out of the ditch,ying on the ground, panting.Santiago stopped in his tracks when he saw what Raeleigh was doing. After a brief pause, he continued walking towards Raeleigh. When he arrived at her side, he bent down and carried Raeleigh in his arms before turning around to leave. Cynthia was stunned. Santiago stopped, turned around to look at Cynthia, and instructed, ¡°Scarlette, take care of Cynthia. She¡¯s probably still frightened. I¡¯m going to bring Raeleigh to the hospital.¡±

    Scarlette hurried over.¡°Alright, Master Santiago.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed his gaze on Santiago¡¯s face that was full of displeasure.¡°I¡¯m fine. Put me down.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re bleeding,¡± Santiago said. Raeleigh¡¯s face turned deathly pale. She immediately thought that she was having a miscarriage, so she looked over at her pants. As a result, Santiago rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Is that the only ce you can think of?¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned.¡°Then¡­¡±

    Raeleigh looked at her hands, which were dripping with blood, and got a fright.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You can put me down. I can walk.¡± Raeleigh reminded him. However, Santiago refused to listen. He carried Raeleigh out of the forest. When they descended the mountain, he held Raeleigh in his arms and quickened his pace. There were a lot of police officers around them, and they had arrested the thugs. Someone stopped him along the way, but he ignored the person and continued his journey down the mountain. Then, he got into the car and left with Raeleigh at once.

    It was then that Raeleigh noticed that Santiago¡¯s arm was injured.

    ¡°You¡¯re hurt?¡± Raeleigh was astonished. Santiago remained silent. Although Santiago sped all the way, his driving was steady. It was not long before they arrived at the entrance of the hospital. He then got out of the car and carried Raeleigh down the car before making their way into the hospital. He made sure to let the doctors give her a quick examination before making a call to Xanthus.

    When Xanthus heard that Raeleigh was injured, he immediately dropped everything and rushed over to the hospital. When he arrived, he did not even greet Santiago. Instead, he hurried over to Raeleigh¡¯s side.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. The doctor did an ultrasound, and the baby is in great condition.It¡¯s just that I have minor scratches on my hand,¡± Raeleigh exined. She knew that Xanthus would be worried.

    Xanthus was indeed quite worried. He nced at Santiago and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Someone sent some thugs to hunt us down. That¡¯s all.¡± The wound on Santiago¡¯s body needed to be dealt with. He had been shed by a knife whilst fighting. However, he did not want to leave Raeleigh alone without Xanthus by her side.Right then, as Xanthus was there, he went off to get his wound cleaned and bandaged.

    But Raeleigh was still worried about him, so she decided to follow.

 Chapter 1154 Siblings

    Raeleigh sat in the waiting room and waited for Santiago to emerge from the examination room.

    The doctor said that Santiago had to be hospitalized to monitor his condition, but he refused. Raeleigh had no choice but to persuade him.

    ¡°You¡¯re seriously injured. What happens if your wound res up?¡± Raeleigh kept on lecturing him. Xanthus couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, so he suggested, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to spend the night in the hospital,then you can stay at my ce. I can take care of you. I have all the necessary equipment at home, and I¡¯m quite experienced in this.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stay in the hospital,¡± Santiago said all of a sudden. Xanthus nced at Raeleigh. In fact, he did not have all the necessary equipment at home. He made it all up.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and took a look at Xanthus when she realized that he had used reverse psychology on Santiago.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh intended to help Santiago with the hospital admission procedure. However, Xanthus stopped her and said, ¡°You¡¯re pregnant. You¡¯d better be careful.Leave it to me. You can stay and apany him.¡±

    With that, Xanthus went to the registration counter toplete the admission procedure while Raeleigh apanied Santiago to his ward. By the time Xanthus was done, Raeleigh had already fallen asleep.

    Xanthus was a little worried about Raeleigh, so he gave her an injection. Raeleigh opened her eyes and was about to movewhenXanthus said, ¡°Don¡¯t move. I¡¯m going to give you an injection for the baby. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    Raeleigh did not move and waited for Xanthus to give her the injection. Taking his seat, Xanthus said, ¡°You can continue sleeping. I called Novalie and told her that you¡¯d be spending the night at my ce. You can give her a call when you wake up.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Raeleigh then went back to sleep with ease. After Raeleigh fell asleep, Xanthus turned around and looked at Santiago, who was awake, before leavingthe room to get some food. When he came back,he sat at the side, and the two of them did not say a single word to each other. Santiago was not in the mood to exin what had happened, so he gave Cynthia a call.

    Cynthia had been waiting for his call ever since he had left. When she heard that he was injured, she could not help bursting into tears.

    ¡°Could you pleasee over to take care of me and Raeleigh? You shouldn¡¯t go home. I¡¯ll inform Flynt.¡± After hanging up the phone, Santiago called Flynt.

    Flynt was surprised when he received Santiago¡¯s call. He then asked Santiago, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to exin what happened earlier, but I don¡¯t want you to worry about Cynthia. I¡¯m calling you to give you a warning. I¡¯m going to let this one slide for the sake of Cynthia. If it ever happens again, then there will be trouble.¡±

    Then, Santiago hung up the phone. Flynt immediately tried to call him back, but Santiago refused to answer the phone.

    At that time, Flynt was already lying in bed. He immediately got up and got off the bed toput his clothes on, walking out of the room. Along the way, he had an unpleasant look on his face because he had no idea what had actually happened and why Santiago had said such a thing. It was obvious he was implying that the Moore family was involved in that matter.

    Flynt did not forget what had happened a few days back. As a result of Quirina¡¯s matter, Santiago went straight to Meica¡¯s residence. Soon after that, Quirina was r*ped. That matter caused a storm, and people eventually found out that Quirina had undergone stic surgery. The news was spread throughout the entire world. Even though Old Master Johan had decided not to meddle in the affair, it had a great impact. At least right then, his father did not dare to leave the house and could do nothing at home.

    Flynt did not have a good impression of his father, but the Richards family was ruthless. As for Meica, he had no idea how she was doing right then. Thest he heard was that she had been hospitalized because she had a stroke. As for Quirina, he hadn¡¯t seen her recently. However, if Santiago wanted to cause trouble for Meica and the rest, then he would not have called to give him a heads-up.

    Flynt went out of the door and headed straight to Raeleigh¡¯s house. However, when he arrived at the ce, he realized that no one was home. It was only then he called Cynthia. She informed him that she was currently at the hospital.

    ¡°We¡¯re in the hospital. I¡¯m fine, but Raeleigh and Santiago are injured. It¡¯ste. You don¡¯t have toe over. If anything happens,then you can wait until I return home tomorrow.¡±

    Cynthia had never thought about the consequences of the matter. At present, the only ones she cared about were Raeleigh and Santiago. So, she hung up the phone and went to the ward. When she saw Santiago lying in bed, injured, she could not stop her tears from rolling down her cheeks.

    Santiago¡¯s expression darkened when he saw Cynthia crying.¡°What are you crying for? I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Cynthia sniffled before walking over to his bedside. However, she could not stop her tears from streaming down her face. Scarlette entered the room, nced at Santiago, and called out to him. Then, she walked over to Raeleigh¡¯s side. Deanna was gone, and right then came Cynthia. Although Scarlette did not hate Cynthia,it seemed like she had an extra person to take care of in the future. Scarlette¡¯s head throbbed with pain at the thought of it.

    She could barely take care of Raeleigh, and right then, she had to take care of Cynthia?

    Raeleigh had fallen asleepbut was awakened by the sounds of Cynthia¡¯s sobs.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes and looked at Cynthia. Then, she sat up straight in bed. Xanthus certainly would not say anything to stop her from doing so, but he was still a little worried. He could not help telling Raeleigh, ¡°You should be careful. You¡¯re also injured.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Raeleigh looked at Xanthus and felt grateful for his care. However, Xanthus felt that it was his responsibility to take care of his sister, so he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s my responsibility to take care of you.¡±

    Scarlette raised her eyebrows. What was going on?

    ¡°Scarlette, I¡¯ve regarded Dr. Osteen as my brother. Don¡¯t get me wrong,¡± Raeleigh hurriedly exined. Scarlette¡¯s eyes were wide open, and her face was full of surprise. ¡°Wait, did I hear it correctly?¡±

    Raeleighughed.¡°Why would I lie to you?¡±

    ¡°I guess so,¡± Scarlette said.

    However, it was still hard for Scarlette to ept it. Siblings? It was hard for her not to misunderstand especially when Xanthus looked at Raeleigh with those loving eyes. Why was he looking at her as if he treated her like a treasure?

    ¡°Well, although I¡¯m very grateful to you,Raeleigh¡¯s taken,¡± Scarlette reminded him. Xanthus was stunned for a moment and he then said, ¡°I know.I regard her as my sister. There¡¯s nothing more. You can be assured of it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m indeed worried when I see you looking at her.¡± Scarlette was merciless. Although she was afraid of Santiago,she was never afraid of Xanthus.

    Scarlette took a few steps towards Xanthus and warned, ¡°You¡¯d better keep your promise, or else you¡¯ll be sorry.¡±

    Scarlette gave Xanthus a stern look. Xanthus chuckled.¡°I get it.¡±

    Raeleigh tugged at Scarlette¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Scarlette, it¡¯s not what you think. I promise.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you think, but others might not have the same thought. Raeleigh, you¡¯re a fool. He might be a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing,¡± Scarlette said, not caring about Xanthus¡¯ feelings. Raeleigh blushed upon hearing that.

    Santiago stared at Scarlette.¡°If you continue talking,then I¡¯m going to slice your tongue off.¡±

    Scarlette hurriedly covered her mouth and stood aside. Only then did the ward be quiet for a while.

    Xanthus said, ¡°You should get some rest. You must be tired.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded and took a look at Cynthia, who seemed a little upset, before lying down.

    Cynthia had stopped crying, and there was finally peace in the ward.

 Chapter 1155 What Was Wrong With Him?

    The next morning,when Raeleigh opened her eyes and saw Jepherson, she was a little stunned. She did not expect Jepherson to show up at that moment.

    Raeleigh wanted to sit up in bed, but Jepherson quickly ced a finger on his lips, gesturing for her to continue sleeping.

    Raeleigh took a quick look around the ward and realized that everyone was still asleep. She was the only one awake.

    However, Raeleigh refused to go back to sleep and immediately sat up in bed. She had a lot to say to him. She needed to get all of those thoughts and feelings out of her head, or else she might feel ufortable.

    She disregarded Jepherson¡¯s instruction and immediately got off the bed to put on her shoes. Then, she pulled Jepherson out of the wardinto the corridor. She wanted to blurt out those thoughts in her mind, but just as she was about to do so, she heard Jepherson say, ¡°Raeleigh, I have something to tell you.¡±

    Raeleigh stood in the corridor and turned to look at Jepherson,slightly confused.¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Raeleigh wondered what Jepherson needed to tell her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how I should tell you.¡± Jepherson raised his hand to stroke Raeleigh¡¯s face. Raeleigh felt that he was acting a little weird as she held his hand.¡°You can tell me anything.¡±

    ¡°I let you down,¡± Jepherson said. Raeleigh stared at him and asked, ¡°What did you do?¡±

    Jepherson did not answer her question.¡°Forget it.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. She had a lot she needed to tell Jepherson, but at that moment, she could not bring herself to say anything.

    She pursed her lips and she then asked, ¡°What can¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Your hand is injured.I think it¡¯s best we wait until it¡¯s healed before we have a talk,¡± Jepherson said as he reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hand and started walking. She asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t we heading back to the ward?¡±

    Jepherson said nothing and decided to bring Raeleigh elsewhere.

    It was only when they arrived did Raeleigh realize that he had brought her to a cafe. She lowered her gaze to look at her clothes and was d that she was dressed in her own clothes, if not she would be embarrassed.

    Jepherson had ordered an assortment of food. Raeleigh felt full just by looking at the food.There was way too much food for the two of them.

    ¡°This is too much. It¡¯s impossible for us to finishall of them,¡± Raeleigh said as she looked at Jepherson. He smiled and gave her a shrimp dumpling, saying, ¡°You¡¯re going to have to eat more. If we can¡¯t finish it,then we can have the staff pack it up to give it to Scarlette and the rest.¡±

    ¡°What? You¡¯re going to give them our leftovers? You should have ordered less instead and ce another order for Scarlette.¡± Raeleigh did not like wasting food. They could not finish it, so they could pack the leftovers to prevent wasting food, but she felt bad giving Scarlette and the rest their leftovers.

    ¡°Then, you have to eat more,¡± Jepherson replied with a single sentence, but there were no happy emotions in his eyes. Raeleigh could tell just by looking at him.

    ¡°Jepherson, is there something wrong?¡± Raeleigh tried to ask. He shook his head and said, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why do you look upset then?¡± They were a couple. They could tell whenever the other was in low spirits.

    Jepherson took a bite of his food and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    No matter how hard Raeleigh tried, Jepherson would not confide in her.In the end, Raeleigh gave up trying. Breakfast was depressing. After their meal, Raeleigh packed up the leftovers and went back to the ward with Jepherson. Raeleigh then asked Jepherson where he had been those few days and why he had not been answering her calls.

    ¡°I had awful cell phone reception. I was looking for someone and had also been busy with Deanna¡¯s affairs,¡± Despite Jepherson saying so,Raeleigh did not believe it, but she could do nothing.Since Jepherson did not want to tell her,she was not going to ask anymore.

    When they arrived back at the ward, Jepherson entered the door and ced the food on the table. Raeleigh felt bad, so she said, ¡°We brought you all some leftovers. Don¡¯t worry. We did not touch them.¡±

    Raeleigh was very careful when she ate. She made sure not to touch the food that she did not want to eat.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    By then, Santiago was already awake. He had washed his face and brushed his teeth,and was currently sitting up in bed.

    He pointed at the breakfast when he saw it. Cynthia went over and grabbed it for him. He opened it and waited for Cynthia to feed him.

    Scarlette, who was standing at one side, was impressed by Santiago. He sure knew how to capture a woman¡¯s heart, and Cynthia was a perfect example.

    After everyone had their breakfast, Raeleigh handed Xanthus a box of shrimp dumplings and said, ¡°We did not touch this one either.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter even if you did. I don¡¯t mind.¡± Xanthus epted the box, sat down on the bed, and began eating them. Raeleigh turned around and told Jepherson, ¡°Come here, there¡¯s something I need to tell you. It mighte as a shock.¡±

    Raeleigh pulled Jepherson over to Xanthus and said, ¡°Dr. Osteen and I are destined to meet in life. I¡¯ve regarded him asmy brother.¡±

    Jepherson gave Xanthus a once-over. He did not seem to be d, but he did not argue with her. He knew Raeleigh¡¯s temper, but he did not smile. All he did was to say, ¡°I know.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and she then turned to look at Jepherson. ¡°Jepherson¡­¡±

    ¡°I have never had a good impression of him, but I don¡¯t object to you being his sister.¡± The meaning behind Jepherson¡¯s words was evident. He had a right to intervene with Raeleigh¡¯s personal affairs, but he was not going to get along with Xanthus just because of her.

    Raeleigh felt ufortable. She felt that she should not have told him yet. However, she was worried that Jepherson would misunderstand her, and right then, it seemed that he had indeed misunderstood her.

    ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood. Raeleigh and I¡­¡±

    ¡°Whether I¡¯ve misunderstood anything is my own business. Sorry, I don¡¯t feel well. I¡¯m going to head out and get some fresh air.¡± Then, Jepherson turned around and left. Raeleigh watched as he left, not knowing what to say.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and check on him.¡± Raeleigh left the wardin search of Jepherson. He was sitting on a bench along the corridor.

    Raeleigh went up to him and took a seat beside him.¡°Are you alright? Did you misunderstand me and Dr. Osteen? We treat each other like siblings, not like what you think.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just in a terrible mood. Raeleigh¡­¡± Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and stroked her face.¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart. You know I have a bad temper, and I¡¯m not good at hiding my feelings, especially for those whom I dislike.¡±

    ¡°But if you want me to go in and apologize, I will.¡±

    Apologize?

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. Logically, Jepherson should go in and apologize to Xanthusbecause he was her brother. If he were to apologize, then she might feel satisfied. After all, it was his fault, but¡­

    Since when would Jepherson apologize to anyone?

    She should just forget about it.

    Raeleigh held Jepherson¡¯s hand and said, ¡°You know what? Just forget it. It¡¯s not entirely your fault. I did not inform you in advance. I¡¯m also in the wrong. Why don¡¯t you take a rest? I¡¯ll sit here and apany you.¡±

    Raeleigh nned to talk to Xanthus about itbut did not head back right away. She felt that since Jepherson was not in a good mood,she should apany him.

    Jepherson held her hand as he leaned back in the chair.¡°Why don¡¯t you head back inside?¡±

    Although he asked her to head back into the ward,he did not let go of her hand. Raeleigh did not point it out. Shesat outside and apanied him instead. She felt that something was wrong with Jepherson, but she could not quite put her finger on it.

    They sat in the corridor for a while before Jepherson¡¯s phone rang. It was Marissa. She asked him what was going on and wanted him to head home immediately.

    Raeleigh could hear her words. Marissa was furious and was yelling into the phone.

    Jepherson remained silent as Marissa spoke, before promising to return home. Then, he hung up the phone and stood up.

    ¡°I need to go home.¡± Jepherson pushed the door open and took a look inside.¡°Santiago, can youe out for a while?¡±

    Santiago got out of bed, and Cynthia immediately followed him. Santiago¡¯s face was full of amusement.¡°Stay here.¡±

    Cynthia stopped in her tracks. When Santiago emerged from the ward, Jepherson turned around and started walking. Right then, the iciness emanating from Jepherson¡¯s body was overwhelming, filling the entire corridor in an instant. For a moment, he felt like a stranger to Raeleigh.

    Santiago nced at Raeleigh.¡°You don¡¯t have to follow us.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped. Actually, she wanted to see Jepherson off, but Santiago prevented her from doing so.

    They hadn¡¯t seen each other for such a long time. Didn¡¯t he want to get close to her?

    Raeleigh watched with disappointment as the brothers continued walking down the corridor. She could not help but to wonder, what was going on with him?

    The two brothers soon made their way into the elevator. Once the door of the elevator closed, Jepherson cut to the chase and said, ¡°We have to find out who did this. We must not let this matter slide.¡±

    Santiago looked at Jepherson.¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who provoked you?¡±

    Jepherson did not answer. ¡°You brought Raeleigh and Cynthia to the movies yesterday. Someone took a picture of you guys. Grandma is furious, and I need to go back to exin it to her. I don¡¯t know who leaked the news that Deanna¡¯s kidnapped. It must be that rk guy. He must have suffered losses and wanted revenge. He moved his whole family, thinking that we could not find them. We have to get to the bottom of this. We mustn¡¯t let it slide just like that.¡±

    ¡°Zorion will not let him go either,¡± Santiago said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back and exin it to Grandma. Take good care of yourself and Raeleigh. I may note over these few days.¡±

    The door of the elevator opened, and Jepherson exited. Santiago then asked, ¡°Did someone offend you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Jepherson then left. Santiago remained in the elevator and headed back up to his ward.

    Raeleigh was waiting outside. When she noticed Santiago, she hurried over to him. He paused for a moment when he saw her and he then asked, ¡°What? Did you miss me while I was gone?¡±

    Raeleigh wore a poker face.¡°You should mind yournguage.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being polite,¡± Santiago said as he made his way back to the ward. Raeleigh stood rooted to the spot. Santiago walked to the door and he turned to look at Raeleigh. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°You know your brother very well,¡± Raeleigh said. She knew that Santiago was wise.It was not that he did not see through it,but he did not want to mention it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. Grandma is looking for him. He needs to go home and talk to her. He¡¯ll be back once he¡¯s done.¡± With that, Santiago turned around and entered the ward. Raeleigh looked at the closed door of the ward. She did not enter andsat outside in the corridor instead.

    When Scarlette did not see Raeleigh, she headed out of the room only to findRaeleigh sitting in the corridor once she opened the door. So, she asked in confusion, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Raeleigh lifted her head and looked at Scarlette.¡°I just wanted to sit out here for a moment.¡±

    ¡°What for? Come in.¡± Scarlette urged her to return to the ward. Raeleigh stood up and followed her, but an uneasy feeling gradually rose inside her.

 Chapter 1156 Cynthia Moving In

    It had been a few days since Santiago had been hospitalized. Raeleigh¡¯s hand had fully healed, and they were about to be discharged. However, Jepherson did not show up in the past few days, nor did he contact Raeleigh either. It was Raeleigh who took the initiative to call him twice. Although he did answer the phone,he was no longer as gentle as before.There was still warmth in his tone albeit different.

    Raeleigh hung up the phone and looked over at Scarlette.¡°Let¡¯s go. Jepherson is noting. He has something to attend to.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s noting even when you¡¯re being discharged today?¡± Scarletteined in a low voice.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raeleigh exited the ward,followed by Scarlette and the rest as they all headed home together. Xanthus was a great help. He even sent them home. When they arrived home, he got out of the car and went up to Novalie¡¯s room to exin to her the situation.

    Raeleigh stood aside. Novalie lifted her head and took a look at her granddaughter. She instantly knew that Raeleigh and Jepherson must have had a fallout and was not on talking terms.

    ¡°Raeleigh, Xanthus has helped you a lot recently. Why don¡¯t you ask him to stay for lunch?¡± Novalie asked. Raeleigh immediately agreed. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll go and inform Serra.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and went down to the kitchen to inform Serra that they would be having an extra guest for lunch. After that, Raeleigh sat in the living room. She kept thinking about what she did to have Jepherson distance himself from her. Could it be that he had misunderstood her?

    Santiago was also sitting in the living room with Cynthia. The two were watching TV when Cynthia¡¯s phone rang. Santiago briefly looked at the caller ID and realized it was Flynt who was calling.

    ¡°Flynt¡­¡±

    Cynthia¡¯s face immediately turned pale when she heard her brother¡¯s words. Then, she looked over at Santiago. She could not believe it when her brother told her that two of Yanora¡¯s fingers had been chopped off. Not only that, but she had also been molested.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Flynt sounded furious when he informed Cynthia of what had happened. He even told her that he was currently standing outside their house.

    Cynthia put her cell phone aside and turned to look at Santiago.¡°Did you do it?¡±

    Santiago nodded solemnly.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to let it go?¡± Cynthia sounded weak when she said that. She knew that she shouldn¡¯t have said anything about that matter, but Yanora was her sister. How could she stand by and do nothing?

    Santiago seemed unperturbed.¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do. Jepherson is mad about what happened. If he had taken action, then I¡¯m sure your sister would have lost more than just two fingers.¡±

    Cynthia pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°I get it.¡±

    Raeleigh sat aside. Cynthia felt unpleasant. Yanora was nearly vited. Although she deserved punishment, she could not ept that Santiago had asked his men to chop her sister¡¯s fingers off. Couldn¡¯t he give her a good beating instead?

    Santiago stood up. Even though he had been discharged from the hospital,his arm was still bandaged, in a sling.

    Santiago stood at the door and looked outside. When he saw Flynt standing at the door, he stepped out.

    Before he reached the door, he could already hear Flynt yelling at him.

    ¡°Santiago, you¡¯re inhumane! That¡¯s my sister! Why did you have to do that to her?¡± That was the first time that Flynt had lost his temper. He initially thought that with Cynthia around, Santiago would not do anything out of line. But right then,it seemed that he was literally a psycho.

    Cynthia did not dare to leave the house. She sat in the living room,clenching her hands in a tight fist. She did not even dare to return home right then. She was going to be homeless soon, and her family would call her a ck sheep.

    Raeleigh understood how she was feeling. That was why she did not say anything. Instead, she went out to check on Santiago.

    Santiago stood at the door and stared at the irascible Flynt with indifference in his eyes.

    Flynt stopped yelling, licked his lips, and he then said, ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡±

    Even though Santiago was young,he was still as intimidating as Jepherson. When he spoke, Flynt instantly fell silent.

    ¡°Yanora is clearly jealous of Cynthia. The other day, she wanted to tag along with us on our date. I did not reject her for Cynthia¡¯s sake and even dropped her off at the shopping mall, leaving right after that.¡±

    ¡°Afterwards, she sent someone to hunt us down. I¡¯m sure you know that I was not the target. It was Cynthia.¡±

    ¡°She was heartless, so I treated her the same way. I will not let anything happen to Cynthia. I couldn¡¯t care less about the others. If she hurts Cynthia, then it means that I¡¯ll be hurting her in return. It¡¯s not my fault. You should ask her for an exnation instead of me.¡±

    After saying that, Santiago went back into the house.

    Santiago was somewhat stunned when he saw Raeleigh. He then asked her to follow him. Raeleigh turned to look at Flynt before entering the house. Flynt seemed devastated. He eventually stumbled back into his car and sat there in a daze.

    A few momentster, Cynthia received a phone call and left. Raeleigh was worried, so she decided to follow her. Cynthia was soft-hearted. She followed Flynt to visit Yanora at the hospital after leaving their house.

    Raeleigh returned home to tell Santiago.¡°Cynthia went to the hospital.¡±

    Santiago sat on the couch with a helpless expression, but he got up and went outside,ining as he walked. ¡°Women are really troublesome.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette, keep an eye on Raeleigh,¡± Santiago instructed as he walked out the door. Scarlette hurriedly replied, ¡°Alright.¡±

    Santiago went out to find Cynthia. Raeleigh headed into the kitchen to check on lunch. She then went upstairs to ask Xanthus whether he wanted to eat at the dining table or with Novalie. In the end, he chose to enjoy his meal with Novalie. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t be at ease in front of them, so she had her meal downstairs with the rest.

    After lunch, Santiago returned home with Cynthia. Cynthia was towing her luggage while Santiago was carrying two pots of flowers in his hands.

    Raeleigh was sitting on the couch as she fixed her gaze on the two of them. Santiago said the moment he entered the house, ¡°I have something to announce. From now on, Cynthia will move in to live with us. She will no longer be staying with the Moore family.¡±

    No one asked anything. Scarlette knew that that day was inevitable. She knew that it would happen sooner orter after such a thing had happened.

    However, she admired him in her heart. Santiago was really not a person to be trifled with.

    A minor trick of his could easily tear a family apart.

    However, she had no idea what Santiago was thinking. If he really got married to Cynthia,then wouldn¡¯t he piss Marissa off?

    However, Scarlette was intrigued.Marissa usually acted high and mighty. She wondered how furious she would be when she learnt about that?

    Scarlette knew that Marissa was not fond of Raeleigh. She wondered, did she like Cynthia?

    Scarlette took pleasure in other people¡¯s misfortune. Raeleigh hurried over to help Santiago with the flower pots. She said while walking up the stairs, ¡°There are two empty rooms beside Santiago¡¯s. You can have the bigger room of the two.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± It was a tough decision for Cynthia, but she knew that it was better for her to move out of the Moore family residence. It was better than to be singled out.

    Just then, when she was in the hospital, her mother pped her, and everyone cried as soon as they saw her. All the things came to her one after another. There was nothing she could do right then.

    There was no point in staying. The only thing she could do was to leave for the time being.

 Chapter 1157 Thereâ€™s Something Wrong With the Baby

    Now that Cynthia had stayed, Raeleigh began to ruminate on Jepherson¡¯s matter. She called him for the third time, at which point she got through, and took the initiative to say, ¡°I somewhat miss you. When will youe back?¡±

    There was a long silence on the other side of the line before Jepherson answered, ¡°I¡¯m not sure when I can go there. I have to deal with some things.¡±

    ¡°Butit¡¯s time for me to have a prenatal check-up. Don¡¯t you want to apany me?¡± Raeleigh said, hoping that she could persuade Jepherson. After all, Jepherson had promised her.

    Finally, there was an answer from the other side of the line. His voice was as deep as the sound of a cello, as if he was tugging at her heartstrings.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll pick you up tomorrow. We¡¯ll do the check-up.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡­

    The conversation continued on for a while. Jepherson might not have said much, but Raeleigh was still thrilled. She was flooded with joy even after the phone had been put down.

    However, little did she know what would await her the next day.

    She spent the whole night getting excited about it. The next morning, she changed her clothes and waited for Jepherson. She deliberately wore her favorite dress and waited downstairs.

    Santiago stared at Raeleigh. ¡°You are not going on a blind date. Why did you put on lipstick?¡±

    ¡°Why do you care so much?¡± Raeleigh ignored him and stood at the door, waiting.

    Seeing that Jepherson wasing, Raeleigh instantly went out and approached him. After they met, Jepherson froze momentarily before cracking a smile at her. ¡°Why, hello, gorgeous.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raeleigh blushed and walked over. She rarely wore makeup. It had been said that pregnant women shouldn¡¯t apply makeup to avoididentallyconsuming lipstick, which would in turn affect the baby¡¯s health. She would wipe it off whenever she was having the meal to prevent that from happening.

    Furthermore, she wanted to put on makeup, so that she could look more energetic.

    Of course, she was delighted at Jepherson¡¯spliment.

    After saying that, Jepherson turned around and walked towards the door. Raeleigh was bemused for a moment, as she had expected a hug from him, but he straightaway left.

    When she got out through the door, Stuart had already opened the car door and motioned for her to get into the car.

    Jepherson sat inside the car while Raeleigh bent down and got into it. There was some distance between the two of them. Normally, Jepherson would have sidled up to her, but that day¡­

    While sitting inside the car, she looked at Jepherson¡¯s handsome face. The car was slowly driven away. She hesitated, as hergrandmother was right about how she could also make the first move in her romantic rtionship. In love, there was no inferiority to speak of. The only difference was whether she loved him or not.

    Raeleigh extended her hand and held his ovepped hands. Jepherson was slightly startled before he pulled out one hand and rested it atop Raeleigh¡¯s. However, he did not look at her. He just said, ¡°I have looked for the best doctor for you. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything troubling you? Tell me, I will help you figure out a solution,¡± Raeleigh said, shifting closer to him. Jepherson nced at her and turned his head away with a smile. ¡°Nothing, really. It¡¯s just that Serra hasn¡¯t been found. We¡¯re still searching for her.¡±

    ¡°After the checkup, I will help you find her. I heard from Santiago that Zorion has found a clue. Plus,he didn¡¯t seem to be bothered, so I thought it was nothing. If you are that concerned, then let¡¯s look for her together. In this way, you don¡¯t have to fret so much.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not convenient for you to move around. Let¡¯s do the checkup first.¡±

    Jepherson seemed to be less chatty that day, after which Raeleigh stopped asking. When they arrived at the hospital, they got out of the car to have a checkup in the hospital. When they entered the consultation room, Raeleigh was a little astonished to see that the doctor was a stranger. He wasn¡¯t the one whom she had met the previous time.

    ¡°Where is the doctor from ourst consultation?¡± Raeleigh asked. Jepherson ced his arm around Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This is the most aplished doctor. He will be the obstetrician for you in the future.¡±

    Raeleigh was obviously not very willing to ept it, but she did not say anything. Since Jepherson had arranged it, it must be the best choice for her.

    What followed was the checkup procedure. After that, the doctor told her, ¡°There is something wrong with the baby. I hope you can consider it carefully. It¡¯s advisable for you to have the baby removed.¡±

    Raeleigh wasdumbstruck. She stood motionlessly by the door.

    Jepherson turned to look at Raeleigh. With a darkened expression, he frowned and said, ¡°We are still young. We can have another baby.¡±

    Raeleigh stood there without answering him. She swept her eyes over the doctor and Jepherson. ¡°I need to be quiet for a while.¡±

    Then, she sat on the chair, apanied by Jepherson, who gave her some time to calm herself down. Afterwards, she took out her phone and called Xanthus. ¡°Come here. I am in the hospital. Something is wrong with the baby.¡±

    For some reason, the first person who came to her mind was Xanthus.

    ¡°Who did you call?¡± Jepherson asked her. There wasn¡¯t a tone of unhappiness in his voice, but his face fell. Raeleigh kept her phone and stared at him. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me anything when I asked you, but you wanted me to remove the child. Why?¡±

    Jepherson furrowed his brows deeply. His face looked pale and he seemed to be in pain.

    ¡°There¡¯s a problem with the baby. If it¡¯s born, then it¡¯ll be of no benefit to anyone, even to the baby itself,¡± he exined.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe there is something wrong with the baby.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t be stubborn. There are some things in this world that you have to believe no matter what.¡± Jepherson tried tofort her, but she still shook her head. ¡°No, no.¡±

    They had a long conversation outside. Raeleigh didn¡¯t agree with the assertion that there was something wrong with the baby, until Xanthus and Santiago came.

    Xanthus ran in. Seeing Raeleigh, he walked to her side. She stood up and said, ¡°He said there¡¯s something wrong with the baby. I don¡¯t buy it.¡±

    Gazing at Xanthus, her eyes zed over.

    Her sadness didn¡¯t stem from Jepherson¡¯s decision to get rid of her yet-to-be-born child, but it was because he couldn¡¯t give her a good reason as to why he insisted on it.

    Raeleigh felt that her chest had been clogged by something. She really could not bear this kind of suffocating torment.

    That was why she couldn¡¯t hold back her emotions when Xanthus showed up. To her, those two hours of suffering felt longer than a few years.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m a doctor. I¡¯ll run a checkup. I won¡¯t let anything happen to you. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Upon hearing his words, Raeleigh suddenly hugged Xanthus, as if she was clutching at straws and refusing to let go of him.

    Jepherson was taken aback for a second. He pulled Raeleigh away and handed her to Santiago. Subsequently, he raised his hand and gave Xanthus a punch. Following that, the two of them started fighting.

    Standing aside, Raeleigh shouted and urged them to stop fighting. Jepherson took no notice of her words and threw several continuous punches at Xanthus.

    Xanthus dodged them all, but Jepherson¡¯s first punch was so fierce that he bled. He took a few steps back before he could stand firm.

    Santiago was unable to put up with it any longer. Hence, he stepped forward to block the attack. Jepherson was throwing a powerful punch at Xanthus¡¯s direction when Santiago advanced towards him. Jepherson then withdrew his fist at that critical moment.

    Santiago nced at Xanthus behind him. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Xanthus was worried that Raeleigh would be frightened, so he said nothing. He went to Raeleigh¡¯s side, held her shoulder, turned around, and walked towards the corridor with Raeleigh.¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Raeleigh turned back to look at Jepherson. ¡°I¡¯ll go back first. You guys cane backter.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and followed Xanthus to the elevator.As soon as she entered, her tears came streaming down. Xanthus went near her, faced her, and looked at her. He couldn¡¯t help feeling sorry for her. At the same time, he also felt guilty for this sister of his, whom he had just found. If he had found her earlier, then she wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1158 A Confrontation Between Brothers

    Seeing that Raeleigh had left with Xanthus, Jepherson intended to catch up with her, but was stopped by Santiago. ¡°Raeleigh will be fine. Now, let¡¯s talk about the two of you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be talked about?¡± Jepherson¡¯s expression darkened. He was anxious to catch up with Raeleigh, but he did not leave.

    They were brothers, and he was all too familiar with Santiago¡¯s character, so he was not in a hurry to leave.

    Santiago swept his eyes all over Jepherson. ¡°You should know better about what¡¯s going on. Why did you decide to get rid of the baby?¡±

    ¡°The doctor said that there¡¯s something wrong with it,¡± Jepherson replied calmly. Santiago said through his gritted teeth, ¡°That¡¯s your son. If you don¡¯t want him, then you shouldn¡¯t have impregnated her in the beginning. Now that you want to get rid of the baby, how¡¯s she going to live with it?¡±

    ¡°We can have another child in the future, but I can¡¯t risk her life,¡± Jepherson said decisively. Santiago nced at the two doctors behind Jepherson. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll take her for an examination. Once it¡¯s certain that there¡¯s something wrong, I¡¯ll make sure she rid herself of the baby. If there¡¯s nothing wrong,then for this, I¡¯ll beat him to death.¡±

    Santiago gestured his chin at the doctor behind Jepherson. The doctor was scared silly that his face turned pale and he didn¡¯t dare to say a word.

    After saying that, Santiago spun around and walked towards the elevator. Halfway through, he kicked over the trash can in the corridor. Standing still, Jepherson clenched his fists, and his face was drained of color.

    Raeleigh had been in a daze ever since they came out of the hospital. Xanthus flet unsettled about her condition, therefore he took her to another hospital.

    After they reached there, Raeleigh first had a checkup. After that, Xanthus arranged a ward for her. Throughout the whole process, Raeleigh had been feeling down in the dumps and was not up for much talk.

    Santiago made a call to ask Xanthus where they were. After a short while, he also came over. The result of the diagnosis result was out.

    ¡°Take a look at this.¡± Standing outside the ward, he handed the report of thediagnosisto Santiago while Raeleigh was sleeping. He then waited for Santiago¡¯s response.

    Santiago read through it and chucked it into the trash can.

    Pushing the door open, Santiago went into the ward and took a look at Raeleigh. Raeleigh had fallen asleep with her brows knitted. Santiago walked over, pressed his finger on the knot in between Raeleigh¡¯s brow, and loosened it. He shot a look at Xanthus, who was standing at the door. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Xanthus was staggered to hear it. ¡°This is what I should do. She is my sister.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not draw any conclusion on this matter first. Give me some time, and I will investigate it thoroughly. Now that Deanna still hasn¡¯t been found, everyone is under a lot of pressure. Grandma is pushing him too hard.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    As Santiago spoke, he poured himself a ss of water. After drinking the water, he sat down opposite Raeleigh and crossed his legs. He ced one of his hands between his legs and leaned his head against the chair. All of a sudden, he looked a decade older, or more, and traces of aging emerged from his cold face. Xanthus closed the door, sat down and looked at Raeleigh. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she had met Jepherson first, and that she was pregnant, things might have taken a different turn between her and Xanthus¡­

    After Raeleigh woke up, she received a call from Jepherson.

    ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± Picking up the call, Raeleigh got up and stood aside. Jepherson fell silent briefly before he answered,¡°Regarding the child, I would like to have a talk with you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to do anything, as long as it¡¯s not to remove him.¡± Raeleigh was not clear about what had happened. Nevertheless, she wouldn¡¯t yield when it came to the child¡¯s issue. If she gave in, then she would probably regret it. She did not want the child to get entangled in the adults¡¯ affairs. Besides, the child had once been questioned by her, and right then, his life was in danger because of his father. Hence, she would not allow the same mistake to happen again.

    Jepherson could give up on her, but she couldn¡¯t give up on her child.

    Still in silence, Jepherson hung up.

    Raeleigh thought that Jepherson had given up. She did not expect that soon after hanging up, the door of the ward was pushed open. Standing outside the door was Jepherson in the flesh.

    Raeleigh frowned when she saw him. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡±

    Jepherson nced across the ward before he approached Raeleigh. He sat down beside her and held her hand in his. ¡°Are you still ufortable?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head, as if it was not Jepherson himself who had brought her the difort, but someone else instead. Raeleigh was amused by him. That said, in the face of such an abrupt change, she really couldn¡¯t bring herself tough.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him. ¡°Hasn¡¯t Deanna been found yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯ll send Santiago to search for herter.¡± Raeleigh was stunned momentarily when she heard this. She wondered if Jepherson was nning to send Santiago away, so that he could find a chance to make a move on her.

    ¡°Okay.¡± The only thing Raeleigh could do was to agree. She sat there quietly. Santiago stood up and poured some water for himself and Raeleigh. Then, he said, ¡°If I¡¯m to find Deanna, then what about Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°I will take care of Raeleigh,¡± Jepherson answered. Santiago was silent for a while. ¡°Grandma has our backs all the time. Still, someone has to be by her side. Just focus on dealing with her, and I¡¯ll take care of Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t take care of so many people at once. I will take Raeleigh back and tell Grandma about the matter between Raeleigh and me,¡± Jepherson said. Raeleigh felt that things were not like that. She stole a nce at Santiago subconsciously. Afterwards, Santiago sat down. ¡°Scarlette and Hadrian will follow me.Can you rx now?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is pregnant. She can¡¯t follow you.¡±

    ¡°I will ensure her safety.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of assurance. You might encounter danger while you¡¯re looking for Deanne. How can you promise that Raeleigh will be safe?¡±

    There was a heavy silence in the ward. Xanthus sat down at the side and simply observed the argument between the Richards brothers. They red at each other with their piercing eyes. Even so, they did not fight.

    Jepherson said, ¡°Raeleigh is my beloved girlfriend. If I want to hurt her, then you can¡¯t stop me, although I¡¯ve no intention to do so.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve gone mad, huh. Why would I know what you¡¯re going to do?¡± Santiago retorted. Jepherson¡¯s face fell. ¡°Hey, watch your mouth when you speak to me.¡±

    Surely enough, Santiago became calmer. He suppressed his anger, but he still refused to concede.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment before she told Santiago,¡°Get Scarlette and Hadrian to go with you to find Deanne. I¡¯ll stay with him. After you¡¯ve found her, we can sit down and address the issue head-on. I also want to be with him, since we haven¡¯t been together for a long time. I would like to know why he did a 180-degree turn in his attitude all of a sudden. We are all adults, and we should be able to resolve the problems in our rtionships. We haven¡¯t reached the end of our rope, have we?¡±

    Still holding her hand, Jepherson didn¡¯t answer. Santiago chuckled. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have done such a ridiculous and brainless thing if he was not at the end of his rope.¡±

    ¡°Enough! Can we drop this? I¡¯ll give you ten days. If you fail to find Deanne in ten days, then you don¡¯t have toe back. Get lost,¡± said Jepherson, asking Santiago to leave, but he didn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Still not leaving?¡± A hint of anger shed through Jepherson¡¯s eyes. Only then did Santiago get up. If there was someone in the Richards family who could make Santiago behave, then it was definitely Jepherson.

 Chapter 1159 Couldnâ€™t Fall Asleep

    If Santiago were to be disobedient, then even Hansen himself wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to him. However, he obeyed Jepherson¡¯s words.

    Standing up, Santiago took a look at Raeleigh, and he then turned back to scowl at Jepherson.¡°If anything happens to her, then I won¡¯t let you off.¡±

    Raeleigh was baffled for a second. She looked at Santiago in surprise. Those who were close to them knew that they were always together and had feelings for each other. Those who didn¡¯t would have thought that they were a couple, and that the father of her child was not Jepherson but him.

    Jepherson said coldly, ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    Santiago shrugged. ¡°Sort of.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll settle the score with you after youe back.¡± Jepherson¡¯s expression darkened. Xanthus also had no idea what was going on between the brothers.

    Raeleigh gazed at Xanthus. ¡°Dr. Osteen, you should go with him. I can take care of myself.¡±

    Walking to the door, Santiago turned to look back at Xanthus. ¡°Don¡¯t follow me.¡±

    Xanthus did not intend to follow him. He sat in his original seat, unmoving.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Santiago turned around and left. He closed the door and took out his phone to make a call.

    ¡°Keep an eye on Mr. Jepherson. By any means, you must protect Raeleigh, especially her child. Whoever dares toy a finger on her, I¡¯ll take his life.¡±

    Putting away his phone, he looked back at the door of the ward. After considering for a moment, he called Cynthia.

    After Santiago left, Raeleigh shot a nce at Xanthus. ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two to yourselves. I have something to do. Call me if you need anything.¡± Xanthus got up and went out of the ward. Raeleigh watched Xanthus leave before she asked Jepherson, ¡°Why would you do this?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s heart sank but his expression remained unchanged. ¡°I don¡¯t want this child.¡±

    Raeleigh furrowed her brow. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°No reason. I just think it¡¯s too reckless. Initially, I nned to have the child after our marriage, but I changed my mind because Grandma had been badgering me. I thought it would be better to have the child first. It¡¯s just that I feel like it isn¡¯t right to do it now.¡±

    Jepherson spoke gently while caressing Raeleigh¡¯s hands. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t wrap her head around his reasoning. Now that he had decided to be with her, why would he want to get rid of the child? Or, did he fall in love with someone else? She pondered over this.

    Raeleigh stared at him. ¡°Have you fallen in love with someone else?¡±

    ¡°No, and don¡¯t think too much,¡± Jepherson denied straightaway. Raeleigh looked him in the eye to find that he didn¡¯t seem to be lying. It didn¡¯t make sense. If he wasn¡¯t lying, then why? There must have been a reason.

    Pursing her lips, shey down. It was dark outside. She gazed out of the window in a daze.

    Jepherson stood up and covered her body with a nket before he sat down again. Raeleigh looked at him and held his hand. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I want to sleep for a while. Ask someone to prepare the food. Let¡¯s have dinnerter. Stay here at night.¡±

    ¡°What would you like to eat?¡± Jepherson took out his phone. Raeleigh thought briefly. ¡°Anything is fine.¡±

    Jepherson made the decision on his own, ordering people to prepare the food. Looking at him, a feeling of inexplicable mncholy descended upon her. Her grandmother was right in that they were two of a kind. They were too reticent to share their feelings.

    Raeleigh dozed off for a while. Hearing the knock on the door, Raeleigh opened her eyes and took a look at the door. She saw that Jepherson had already taken off his zer and was going to open the door. His shirt was white, and his pants were ck. Suddenly, Raeleigh found one thing, that he was much thinner. In the past, although he was not fat, he was not as thin as he was then. Why did he be so thin then?

    From the doorway, Jepherson pushed the dining trolley into the room. Raeleigh sat up from the bed, lifted the quilt, and got out of the bed. She went to the door and scanned the corridor. Xanthus was not outside, and she wondered where he had gone. Turning around, she was still thinking about it when her phone rang.

    She took out her phone and looked at it. There was a text message sent by Xanthus.

    ¡°I¡¯m next door to you. I¡¯ve already eaten. Don¡¯t worry about me. By the way, I¡¯ll make a report. I might take a few days off for that.¡±

    Raeleigh replied to him that she had received the message and deleted it from her phone. After that, she turned to look at Jepherson, who was arranging the food.

    It was no wonder he had not lost his temper. It turned out that Xanthus was not around.

    However, he had lost too much weight. It might not be obvious on his face, but his body¡­

    Raeleigh lowered her head and asked, ¡°What do we have?¡±

    ¡°Nothing special. Here, look.¡± Jepherson opened the metal lids on the trolley and showed the dishes one by one. Raeleigh went to wash her hands and sat down, waiting to dig in.

    Jepherson ced the dishes nicely, rolled up his sleeves, and turned around to wash his hands. She gazed at him with a heavy heart. She wondered what exactly had happened. He was reluctant to divulge it, and he wouldn¡¯t say it even if she asked.

    Jepherson came back and sat down. Raeleigh handed the cutlery and bowls to him. He picked up the bowls and they began to have dinner.

    ¡°Eat more.¡± Jepherson ced some food in her bowl, and she did the same. ¡°You too.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Neither of them spoke during dinner. After they finished it, Jepherson pushed the dining cart out of the room. Soon, someone came to clean up. Raeleigh stood by the window and looked outside. That autumn seemed to be very cold outside. It was justte autumn, and winter had note yet, but the weather had started to get cold.

    Jepherson approached her from behind. He held Raeleigh in his arms and rested his chin on her shoulder. ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°Autumn. It¡¯s the season I hate the most, but for some reason, it¡¯s also the season I look forward to.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the time when the fruits ripen. People in medieval times looked forward to this season the most. It would be the harvesting season for them.¡±

    ¡°Also, the poets, ywrights, and writers had taken a liking to this season since ancient times. It¡¯s always apanied by a sense of glumness.¡±

    As Jepherson spoke, he kissed Raeleigh on the cheek. Raeleigh stared at him and couldn¡¯t utter a word. He used to kiss her on the lips, but right then, he didn¡¯t. He deliberately avoided her lips, and kissed her on the cheek.

    Raeleigh fixed her tender eyes on him without saying a word. With his arms still wrapped around her, and his chin on her shoulder, he covered Raeleigh¡¯s belly with his hands. The warmth of his hands made her feel that she was being cherished by him.

    With that being said, why did he choose to get rid of the child?

    Could it be that he was like this season itself, which brought both joy and endless regrets simultaneously?

    After standing for quite a while, Raeleigh felt tired. She turned around and went back to the bed. Jepherson cast a nce at the bed and asked, ¡°Are you sure that this bed can amodate both of us?¡±

    Raeleigh leaned to the side. ¡°Well, there will be enough space if we squeeze in together.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep on the other side. Call me if you need anything.¡± Jepherson went to Raeleigh¡¯s side and bent down to tidy the bed for Raeleigh, but he didn¡¯t get onto the bed, which made Raeleigh feel more or less ufortable.

    Raeleigh took off her clothes andy down. Jepherson made a phone call before he went back to lie on another bed.

    People tended to suffer from insomnia when they were troubled by something. For instance, Raeleigh was experiencing it then. She couldn¡¯t fall asleep, even though she didn¡¯t toss and turn.

    After lying down for a short time, Jepherson turned over, facing Raeleigh. He closed his eyes and covered himself with a nket. Raeleigh also closed her eyes, but she couldn¡¯t fall asleep.

 Chapter 1160 Take Her Along With Him to the Underworld

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t get much rest throughout the night. She only fell asleep in the morning. Jepherson got up early to fetch some water outside, wash the towel, and ask someone to send Raeleigh¡¯sclothes there. It seemed that nothing had happened, but Raeleigh knew that it would never be the same again.

    Jepherson had been bottling up something, and he refused to spill it out,e what may.

    When Raeleigh woke up after eight o¡¯clock, she went to wash up. By the time she returned, Jepherson had arranged the dishes for breakfast. It wasn¡¯t until she sat down that she remembered Stuart, whom she hadn¡¯t seen in the past two days.

    ¡°Where is Stuart?¡±

    Sitting opposite him, she asked. Jepherson, who was wearing a white shirt and clutching some cutlery and bowls, handed them to Raeleigh. ¡°I¡¯m concerned about Santiago,so I asked Stuart to go with him.¡±

    Raeleigh shot a look at him in perplexity. He had sent all the people around them away. What in the world was he going to do?

    After breakfast, Jepherson went to the doctor and inquired about Raeleigh¡¯s state. Her condition was very stable and she was allowed to be discharged from the hospital.

    ¡°The doctor said that you can be discharged from the hospital. Shall we leave now?¡± asked Jepherson. Raeleigh thought momentarily. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go. Do you have a lot of stuff to work on? If you are busy, then you can send me back¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to thepany. If you want to go,then you cane along.¡±

    ¡°Then, I want to go to thepany.¡±

    They talked and left the hospital together. Xanthus couldn¡¯t rest easy, so he followed them. Aftering out of the hospital, they got into the car while Xanthus stalked them from behind. Sitting in the car, Raeleigh didn¡¯t feel anything wrong. However, the chauffeur didn¡¯t take the usual route. Later, Raeleigh also found that someone was tailing them.

    Somewhere along the way, Raeleigh realized that Xanthus had been left behind.

    Raeleigh stole a nce at Jepherson, who was holding her hand, and exined, ¡°Xanthus and I are friends. I think he is a decent man. He told me that I look like his sister, which is why he took me as one.¡±

    Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. ¡°Xanthus did have a younger sister. But, ording to my investigation, she is dead.¡±

    Raeleigh was dumbfounded for a second before she raised her head to gaze at Jepherson. ¡°You¡¯ve investigated it?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t turn a blind eye to this kind of thing. Raeleigh¡­ don¡¯t trust others easily, especially male strangers.¡± Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand even tighter. Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to say, so she kept silent.

    When the car arrived at the destination, Raeleigh took out her phone and sent a text message to Xanthus. Jepherson walked in front of her and confiscated her phone. He did not look at Raeleigh¡¯s text message, but he disyed his domineering demeanor, which was enough to intimidate Raeleigh.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t want him to worry about me.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there for him to worry about when you¡¯re with me? You¡¯re my girlfriend, what¡¯s there for him to worry about?¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent for her own sake.

    With that, her phone was ced in Jepherson¡¯s pocket. With his overbearing attitude, she had no choice but to obey him.

    After entering through the door, she followed him and signed her registration at the reception. Jepherson stayed on the ground floor for a few minutes before he walked towards the elevator with her. Once they entered the elevator, he pulled her hand over to him. She stared confusedly at him and couldn¡¯t figure out what he was doing.

    Back in the day, in the presence of outsiders, he always wanted to hold and hug Raeleigh in his arms, as if he wanted to announce to the whole world and let everyone know that Raeleigh was his, to keep every other man away from her.

    However, at that moment, when they entered thepany offices, he walked in front of her, intentionally keeping a distance from her. His hands did note into contact with hers either. When they got into the elevator, however, he could not wait to hold her hands.

    Stepping out of the elevator, they headed for his office. He took off his zer and gestured for her to sit. After that, he turned back to his chair while Raeleigh sat down on the couch for a while. She watched Jepherson operate theputer and start to get busy.

    ¡°Is there anything I can do for you?¡± Raeleigh stood up and tried to lend him a hand. He moved the mouse. ¡°No, I¡¯m good. You didn¡¯t sleep well. Take a rest. I will apany you when I¡¯m done with my work.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go and see Mr. Lamarre.¡± Raeleigh stood up, walked to the door, opened it, and went out.

    Jepherson took a look at the door and reopened the browser tabs. He began to stare nkly at the news regarding the many painless methods of terminating a pregnancy.

    Consequently, his expression gradually grew more gloomier.

    After browsing for some time, he slumped into his chair. He raised his head and closed his eyes. Then, he loosened the cor of his shirt and breathed hard.

    Raeleigh visited Lamarre. Although she was reprimanded by him, she was still very cheerful.

    Raeleigh stayed by Lamarre¡¯s side for the entire morning. Jepherson called her and asked when she would like to have lunch. Raeleigh told him that she would not go back in the afternoon because she wanted to keep Lamarrepany during lunch.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll book a ce and pick you upter.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Raeleigh agreed and stayed at Lamarre¡¯s ce the whole time. At noon, Jepherson still hadn¡¯te over. Thus, she got up and went to find him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and check, and I¡¯ll pick you upter.¡± Lamarre was also busy when Raeleigh left. He waved his hand, signalling her to go first while he didn¡¯t follow her.

    Raeleigh went all the way back to Jepherson¡¯s office. When she arrived at the door of his office, she knocked on the door, but no one responded. She pushed the door open and went in to find that there was indeed nobody in the office.

    She looked around the office. Her phone was still on his table, so Jepherson should not be too far away from the office.

    Raeleigh walked around. She intended to take a look at the phone on the table. Unexpectedly, she touched the mouse, after which the monitor lit up.

    It was also the first time she had found that the screensaver set on Jepherson¡¯sputer was her photo. To be precise, it was a photo of her sleeping.

    Sitting down, she took a careful look at this photo. She double-clicked the mouse and tried to recall the passwordwhich Jepherson would normally use. She tapped a few times on the keyboard, and it was unlocked as expected.

    However, she was reeling in shock with what had been shown before her eyes.

    There were more than twenty tabs on the browser, all of which were world-ss hospitals renowned for their painless pregnancy termination procedures, as well as the experts in this field.

    For a moment, Raeleigh felt as though she had been plunged into a deep valley.

    After briefly sitting down, Raeleigh stood up slowly. She identally bumped her hand on the table, which caused the phone to drop from the table. She hurriedly caught it and put it down. Afterwards, she nced at her bruised arm, walked to the couch in a daze, and sat on it.

    Jepherson came back after a while. When he entered, he was surprised to see Raeleigh. He walked to her side. ¡°When did youe back?¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at him. ¡°Let¡¯s break up. I¡¯ll get rid of the baby myself.¡±

    Jepherson sat down. ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    ¡°I said let¡¯s break up. Xanthus and I¡­¡± Raeleigh pursed her lips for a long time before she continued to say, ¡°I found that I¡¯ve taken a fancy to Xanthus. He also promised me that he would take me to leave this dangerous ce and settle down abroad. I don¡¯t likerge families like yours, and I hate being disturbed by the Moore family. I long for a tranquil and peaceful life.¡±

    ¡°The child is mine. You don¡¯t have the right to¡­¡±

    ¡°The baby is in my belly, I will consider keeping him. But now, I am sorry. Xanthus has proposed to me. I¡¯m contemting epting his proposal. He doesn¡¯t mind even if I have a child.¡±

    As Raeleigh spoke, she stood up. She could not bear staying here any longer.

    Jepherson got up and pulled her back. He held Raeleigh in both of his arms, tightly. ¡°The child is mine. I have the right to decide whether to keep it or not. Why would you want to leave?¡±

    Raising her head to gaze at him, she tried to push him away with her hands. ¡°You said the child is yours, but no one can prove it. If it belongs to Xanthus, then what are you going to do?¡±

    Jepherson frowned deeply. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°I am the child¡¯s mother, and he¡¯s in my belly. Nobody can prove it before he is born.¡±

    ¡°Cut the cr*p.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking cr*p. I¡¯m just feeling unwell. Anyway, I have an appointment with Mr. Lamarre today for lunch. If you don¡¯t let me go, then he wille to look for me. By then, things are going to get ugly.¡± Only then did she push him away. Her pace was slow when she turned around and left, but still, she went out.

    Jepherson followed her. Outside the door, he pulled her over and held her face tightly, which was wearing a cold expression.

    Giving a wry smile, Raeleigh wanted to leave.

    Those that were unattainable were always the best. Things would not be as marvellous as they used to be when people had obtained them.

    If the child was gotten rid of, then there would be nothing left between the two of them.

    Walking to the elevator, she stopped and requested for her phone. ¡°Give my phone back.¡±

    Jepherson was mystified. ¡°You didn¡¯t have a phone just now. How did Xanthus call and talk to you?¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh did not exin. ¡°Of course there¡¯s a way. I won¡¯t tell you everything about me. Now, I have nothing to say to you. Give my phone back to me, or else Mr. Lamarre will make fun of me.¡±

    ¡°How is he going to make fun of you?¡± Jepherson came closer to her, but she stepped back. He approached her again, and she retreated again. Her back was against the wall. Jepherson simply pressed himself onto her. The fetus was in the early development stage and her belly was still in a normal shape. It would be fine even if he did so.

    Raeleigh¡¯s breathing grew heavier. She had long been ustomed to his body. As soon as he approached her, she would be turned on. Moreover, this would happen from time to time.

    Sometimes, she would also ponder if she had fallen in love with his body first, or him as a person first.

    To this date, she hadn¡¯t figured it out yet.

    ¡°How is he going to make fun of you?¡± Unknowingly, Jepherson lowered his head and wanted to kiss Raeleigh on her lips. However, when he got close to her lips, he avoided them, and kissed the other part of her body instead. She was turned off in an instant. She looked up slowly. ¡°Nothing. Let me go. I¡¯m going to have lunch. I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    ¡°What if I don¡¯t let you go? What are you going to do?¡± Jepherson said, pulling her hand and cing it around his waist. He lowered his head and looked into her clear and deep eyes, and it made his breathing unsteady.

    Without waiting for Raeleigh¡¯s reply, he kissed her on the cheek and everywhere on her face, except for the lips. Finally, his eyes fell on her lips. Raeleigh¡¯s breathing became heavier while she was gazing at his lips. Initially, his lips had alreadynded on hers, but he shifted them slightly at thest minute. As a consequence, theynded on her nose. After that, he held her in his arms, as if there was a sharp pain in his heart. He said, ¡°Even if I am wrong, there¡¯s no turning back for me. If I am going to die and will go to h*ll, then I will take you along with me.¡±

 Chapter 1161 Purposely Avoiding Her

    After cuddling for a while, Raeleigh tried to push Jepherson away, for which he tightened his embrace even harder. He lifted his hand to wipe the teardrop off the corner of his eyes and took a deep breath. Due to his heart disease, hisplexion turned wan. He supported himself by cing one of his hands on the wall, and hugged Raeleigh with the other hand. Presented with an opportunity, she raised her head and looked at Jepherson. ¡°What happened to you? How can I help you if you don¡¯t tell me?¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You can¡¯t help me.¡± Jepherson pressed her head into his chest. ¡°Give birth to him if you really want to. This tragedy didn¡¯t result from your fault. I should be responsible for it. I¡¯ve dragged you into it.¡±

    He patted her gently. His hand movement was clumsy and heavy, as though there was a weight of a thousand pounds pressing down on it.

    Raeleigh embraced him. ¡°You¡¯ve found your sister, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Raeleigh looked up at him, who was shaking his head. ¡°I can¡¯t find her. I¡¯ll never find her.¡±

    Tears welled up in the corner of his eyes. Raeleigh was startled for a second, her heart sinking. ¡°She¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask. Lamarre wille to us soon. Let¡¯s go.¡± Jepherson let go of Raeleigh, wiped the tears off his eyes, held her wrist, and walked towards the elevator. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t see his pale face, but she knew that he was in a mournful mood.

    After they entered the elevator, she gazed at him. ¡°Have you searched thoroughly? Is there a mistake?¡±

    Jepherson stared at her. ¡°She won¡¯te back.¡±

    Raeleigh peered at him. ¡°Maybe you have been looking for the wrong person?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m very sure it¡¯s her.¡± Jepherson turned his head away and stared nkly into space. Although he was a little overbearing, he had never done anything that would harm innocent people. Indeed, he was ruthless to certain people. With that being said, those people hadmitted evil deeds and they got their just paybacks. He wondered why heavenwould have administered such a punishment to him.

    Incest?

    It was extremely absurd!

    He didn¡¯t speak for a long time, as if he had be a piece of wood furniture. His eyes were fixed at the wall of the elevator, watching the images of the two people reflected on itin a daze.

    He med himself for being so dim-witted. Raeleigh was neen years old, and his sister was also neen years old, but he had never made the connection.

    He still remembered the emotions when he met her for the first time. Back then, she had appeared in the crowd andbarged into his line of sight. He had turned around and noticed that she was gawking at him with herrge gleaming eyes. They were full of mischief, curiosity, and a hint of naivety thrown into the mix¡­

    He seemed to have found her among the tens of thousands of people, and was utterly captivated by her. She had not only bedazzled him with herportment and grace, but also the way she frowned and grinned.

    He thought that it was a marriage promised to him by heaven, and that the two of them could be like his parents, who managed to stay by each other¡¯s side forever. Unexpectedly, God had yed a big joke on them by letting their first meeting leave an indelible impression on them, and then plotting such an unforgettable culmination to their romantic rtionship¡­

    Suddenly, Jepherson let out a bitter smile. Raeleigh was right in that autumn was apanied with a sense of sombreness, especially that autumn. Wherever he was, a feeling of destion would engulf him.

    He had nowhere to hide, escape, or express his sadness.

    When the door of the elevator opened, Raeleigh looked inquiringly at him. ¡°Shall we go out?¡±

    Jepherson came to his senses, asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t you feeling well?¡±

    She froze momentarily before she replied, ¡°You are too keyed up. Take a rest in the afternoon. Grandma hasn¡¯t seen you for a long time. How about paying her a visit?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jepherson soon regained hisposure. He let go of Raeleigh¡¯s hand, stepped out of the elevator, and turned back to look at her. She came out with her head lowered, throwing a nce at her hand, which had been released by him.

    She wondered what exactly had happened to him. Could it be that his disposition hadpletely changed because the news of his sister¡¯s death was too devastating a blow to him?

    It was just that death was irreversible. Those who were still alive had to continue on living. He shouldn¡¯t wallow in this frustrated state forever just because his sister was dead.

    Raeleigh followed him out while stealing a nce at him. After that, she stretched out her hand to hold his. Initially, he wanted to withdraw his hand, but it was held tightly by her. She teased him. ¡°What are you doing? No one can see it. What are you afraid of?¡±

    Jepherson swept his eyes around their surroundings before he reciprocated by holding her hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. Let¡¯s go.¡± He took her to visit Lamarre, who just came out of his office unhappily. As soon as he saw Raeleigh, he glowered at her. ¡°You know what, I shouldn¡¯t have pinned my hopes on you.¡±

    Raeleigh shot a look at Jepherson and walked over. ¡°Sorry, we arete.¡±

    ¡°You know you¡¯rete?¡± Lamarre snorted cheerlessly while Raeleigh gave a sheepish smile. Jepherson had been so absent-minded that day that he had forgotten to book a restaurant and order the dishes beforehand. It wasn¡¯t until then that he took out his phone to do so.

    Then, the three of them went to the restaurant. Afterwards, Raeleigh and Jepherson sent Lamarre back to thepany before they returned to Raeleigh¡¯s residence.

    After entering it, Jepherson went upstairs to visit Marissa. Marissa¡¯s eyelids had been twitching all day. She sat in her room, watching television. In fact, she did not enjoy watching it. Most of the time, she was just listening to the news. However, she was inexplicably on edge that day. Therefore, she turned on the television and watched it for a while. Meanwhile, Jepherson had arrived.

    Upon hearing someone knocking on the door, she asked, ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    ¡°Grandma, it¡¯s me, Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Only then did she switch off the television and raise her head to find that Jepherson was entering and closing the door.

    She pondered briefly before she asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t Raeleighe back?¡±

    ¡°She is preparing some fruits downstairs. Have you had your lunch?¡± Jepherson asked as he sat down. Marissa cast a look at him and answered, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve eaten. How about you?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh and I have had lunch outside.¡±

    ¡°Great.¡±

    As she spoke, she nced at the water pitcher, and Jepherson got up immediately and poured her some water.

    She said, ¡°You haven¡¯te back for so long,I thought you had forgotten me. I didn¡¯t expect you to still be so diligent.¡±

    ¡°How would that be possible?I had something to do over the past few days. I went home and chatted with Grandpa.¡± Jepherson cracked a smile. Marissa was shrewd enough to guess that Jepherson and Raeleigh had a disagreement, but now that they had a baby, they had no choice but to be a little more amiable.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay for young guys like you to pick a quarrel, but you shouldn¡¯t do it for no good reason. You¡¯re a sensible child, and I like you very much. However, problems can only be solved when you bring them up. If you don¡¯t,then they¡¯ll escte into bigger trouble eventually, do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll consider it,¡± replied Jepherson. Marissa nodded while Raeleigh came inwith some sliced fruits. She pushed open the door and ced the fruits on the table.

    ¡°Have some fruits. I¡¯ll clean up the room for you. You need to rest for a while as you¡¯ve been tiredtely.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and went outside. Marissa shot a sideways nce at her while lowering her head to drink the water. Subsequently, Jepherson chatted with Marissa for a short time whereas Raeleigh tidied up his room. Actually, there was nothing much to be tidied. She just sorted out his pajamas for him, hoping that he could take a shower before resting, so that he could have afortable rest. He was a neat freak to begin with.

    Following that, she called Jepherson, who then got up and went out of Marissa room. He nced at Raeleigh before going back to their room, at her heels.

    Entering their room, Raeleigh suggested to help him with his shower, but he turned her down. Even though he rejected her ever so subtly, Raeleigh knew that he was purposely avoiding her.

 Chapter 1162 Perhaps Scarlette Was Right

    Jepherson entered the bathroom and began to strip off. Raeleigh had said that she wouldn¡¯t get in, but she still opened the door and walked in, which astounded him. He stopped halfway and he didn¡¯t turn around. He put on his shirt again while she stood by the door and said, ¡°I have run the water in the bathtub, but I haven¡¯t added the essential oil into it. Remember to add the essential oil yourself. It can soothe your nerves. It¡¯s over there, that blue bottle.¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh turn and walk out. She closed the door and stood outside the bathroom for a moment. After that, she sat still at the side.

    When Jepherson came out of the bathroom, she stood up and walked over with a bathrobe. Standing at the doorway, he wrapped the bathrobe around his waist before gazing at her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to keep mepany. I will wake up after a short nap.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be at ease, leaving you to your own devices. Sit here, I¡¯ll wipe your hair and give you a massage.¡± Raeleigh pulled him to the front of the bed. After he sat down, she lifted her hand and draped a towel over his head. As she wiped his hair dry, she massaged the nerve points on his head, so that he could loosen up.

    Sitting down, he rested his hands on his legs. Raeleigh was moving in front of him. All of a sudden, he extended his hands, wrapped them around her waist, and cuddled her in his arms.

    Gluing himself to her, he took a deep breath.

    He knew that he should let her go, but he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so.

    Leaning against her, he allowed her to wipe his hair dry. Then, she used the hair dryer to dry it even more. She put down the hair dryer after his hair had almost dried up.

    Jepherson went to lie down. Raeleigh stretched out her hands and tried to strip off his bathrobe, but she was stopped by him.

    ¡°Take off the bathrobe and put on the pajamas. I have prepared them for you.¡± She gestured towards the pajamas on the side, and he also took a look at it, saying, ¡°I will do it myself.¡±

    She watched as he got up from the bed and took his pajamas into the bathroom. He changed into his pajamas and came out again.

    Standing in the room, she went into the bathroom too after she saw hime out. She cleaned up the bathroom before she returned.

    ¡°Take a rest first. I¡¯ll go downstairs to have a look,¡± Raeleigh said, going outside and closing the door. What followed was her letting out a sigh outside.

    As the door was closed, Jepherson adjusted his lying position. Closing his eyes, he had only grown more disconcerted. His mind was in turmoil at the thought of those investigation reports.

    Not long after that, Raeleigh knocked on the door and went inside. Jepherson did not open his eyes at first,so she called out, ¡°Jepherson.¡±

    Only then did he open his eyes and look at her. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Drink this. This is the soup I just made. It can help you sleep better.¡±

    Raeleigh helped him sit up. He emptied the soup, and she dabbed at his mouth with a tissue paper. Afterwards, she helped him lie down. ¡°I am going out. Rest well.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡±

    Once Raeleigh stood up,Jepherson called out to her. Raeleigh turned around and her eyes fell on him while he held her hand. ¡°Tell me something about your childhood. I can¡¯t fall asleep.¡±

    Raeleigh went back to sit down on the bed and stroked his hair. ¡°My memories about my childhood are vague. I¡¯ll tell you about the recollections from when I was three years old. That¡¯s the only period I can still recall.¡±

    Sitting there, Raeleigh spoke casually, but her words had stunned Jepherson. He thought, ¡°Three years old?¡±

    Indeed, she had been sent away when she was three years old.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s start from the age of three.¡± Jepherson shifted to make some space whereas Raeleigh got onto the bed and leaned against the headboard. He then snuggled towards her legs, closed his eyes, and hugged her legs. Fondling his hair, she tried to remember the events that had transpired when she was three years old.

    ¡°I remember that when Brisa and I came out of the orphanage, she had been sobbing all the way. She cried very sadly, as if she had left her biological parents. Maybe it was because there were not many people taking care of us along the way, or maybe because the dean of the orphanage had wept so badly when we left that Brisa was very woeful and was sobbing non-stop.¡±

    ¡°She was a little older than me, but she was truly a crybaby. Along the way, I was¡­¡±

    ¡°Then, what was your name in the past?¡± Jepherson asked her with a croaky voice. Raeleigh lowered her head and looked at him. ¡°Bowie.I was called Bowie, back then.¡±

    Bowie?

    Surely enough, it was her!

    Raeleigh continued saying, ¡°When I first arrived at the orphanage, the dean of the orphanage told us that our names had to be changed. Thus, I became ¡®Shuna¡¯, and Brisa became ¡®Francia¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°¡®Bowie¡¯ was a nice name, but¡®Shuna¡¯ wasn¡¯t,¡± Jephersonmented. Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were still on him as she said, ¡°In any case, it was better than ¡®Francia¡¯. I really didn¡¯t like ¡®Francia¡¯. I recall that Brisa refused to be called ¡®Francia¡¯ back in the day.¡±

    ¡°But we had to be obedient, so I didn¡¯t defy the Dean.¡±

    ¡°When I was asked about the new name, I nodded and said I was alright with it.¡±

    ¡°Later, I separated with Brisa, but I don¡¯t remember why we were separated. After that, I spent most of my time with a couple of children who were about the same age as me. I wasn¡¯t used to living there at all. Soon, the children around me left one by one and went their own ways. Many families liked them and didn¡¯t like me¡­¡±

    When Raeleigh lowered her head, Jepherson nodded off while leaning against her. Raeleigh frowned slightly. It seemed that the medicine had taken effect.

    Seeing that he was too exhausted, she had cooked a bowl of soup which could help him sleep. She had added a small dosage of sleep-inducing medicine into the soup.

    She was surprised by the extent of his weariness. Usually, this dosage would not have worked even if it was given to the children. She hesitated for a long time before she made up her mind. She had specifically checked whether it would cause harm to the heart. After all, he had a heart disease.

    She didn¡¯t expect him to fall asleep so fast.

    She slowly got down from the bed, helped him lie down, and covered him with the quilt.

    She drew the curtains and went out, closing the door.

    Noticing Raeleigh, who had exited the room, Scarlette walked to the stairs to meet her. While walking downstairs, Raeleigh said, ¡°He is asleep.¡±

    Hearing this, Serra and the others heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°What happened to Mr. Jepherson? If my memory serves me correctly, I had never seen him send Stuart away.¡± Scarlette was full of puzzlement.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°How would I know something that even he himself doesn¡¯t?¡±

    Reaching downstairs, Raeleigh went into the kitchen, and Serra followed her. Raeleigh said, ¡°Santiago probably won¡¯te back these few days.There¡¯s no need to wait for him for dinner. Prepare some ingredients and make broth for Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Also, don¡¯t prepare too much meat. Make light meals instead, or else it will be too much effort for him to eat it.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Madam Raeleigh.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    After giving instructions to Serra, Raeleigh came back. Scarlette asked her, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Mr. Jepherson has found his sister, and that she has died?¡±

    Raeleigh looked upstairs without answering. Perhaps Scarlette was right!

 Chapter 1163 Going to Jackyâ€™s House to Look for Him

    Getting out of the car, Santiago surveyed his surroundings. He lit a cigarette and took a puff of it while Hadrian stood aside and beheld the surrounding area of this ce, Waverly Vige. Initially, he had wanted to bring Scarlette along, but Santiago did not agree to bring a woman with them. Therefore, they had left her behind.

    Hadrian was wearing a set of leather clothes. Santiago stood in front, smoking. Stuart was standing behind them in casual attire. The three of them got out of the car and were looking around.

    ¡°What did the news say?¡± Santiago asked as he leaned against the car and took a drag of his cigarette. Stuart answered, ¡°It¡¯s been said that Zorion took Rossie away from the Jack Town Hotel and never showed up here again.¡±

    ¡°Even Zorion himself doesn¡¯t care, so why should we bother?¡± Santiago took another puff before he put out the cigarette by dropping it onto the ground and squashing it. Although he said that they shouldn¡¯t let this issue concern them, he still walked towards the Jack Town Hotel.

    After entering, he nced around before he found a seat and sat down. Following that, he blended in with the customers by ordering some food and starting to tuck into his meal.

    While he was eating, someone came and sat across from him. Santiago lifted his head to look at the person, who was quite good-looking. Only then did Santiago stop eating and raked his eyes over his surroundings. Finding nothing amiss, he directed his gaze to the person across from him. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°Outsiders are not weed here. You should leave after this meal. The bill is on me.¡±

    Listening to his words, Santiago took a piece of tissue paper and wiped his mouth. He leaned against the chair and asked, ¡°Have I offended you in any way?¡±

    ¡°No, but you shouldn¡¯t havee here. I have heard about you. Your name is Santiago, and you are very famous in Capital City. However, this ce is no Capital City. It¡¯s Waverly Vige, a ce ruled by Mr. Jacky. You shouldn¡¯t have set foot in here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here for a meal, what¡¯s so wrong about this? You¡¯re doing business, aren¡¯t you?¡± Santiago asked, to which Logan smiled. ¡°Oh, we are doing business, alright. Except for yours. This meal is on me. The end of your meal will see you walking out from here.¡±

    Getting up, Logan left, andSantiago continued to have his meal. Then, he stood up. ¡°Investigate what¡¯s the grudge between Zorion and him.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°This person is called Logan. Before we came here, Mr. Jepherson had already asked someone to look into his background. The woman Zorion took away is called Rossie Lautner. I heard that it was Logan who looked after her when she was here. She was taken away forcefully, and a fight had broken out due to that.¡±

    Stuart reported to Santiago while they left Jack Town Hotel. Santiago turned to stare at Stuart. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me before we came here?¡±

    ¡°Before we came,I didn¡¯t expect to cross paths with him so soon,¡± Stuart replied. Santiago gave him a push. ¡°I¡¯ll settle the score with you after we go back.¡±

    After a few steps, something came to Santiago¡¯s mind, and heturned to stare at Stuart. ¡°Did Zorion win the fight?¡±

    ¡°He did,¡± Stuart answered quickly. If he hadn¡¯t won,then how could he have taken Rossie away? Stuart had heard that there were more than a dozen people in the other camp.

    Santiago turned around and chewed over this affair as he walked. He observed the people around him and returned to the car to take a nap at the back. Stuart got into the front passenger seat whereas Hadrian was behind the wheel.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, what are we going to do next?¡±

    ¡°Contact the informer and ask him toe and meet me. Leave here first, and let¡¯s not waste Logan¡¯s courtesy of having treated me to a meal,¡± Santiago said as he began to take a nap.

    Hadrian drove them out of Waverly Vige. Stuart made a call to the informer in the vige while Santiago was waiting in the car. It didn¡¯t take long for someone toe out of the vige. It was an old man in in,regr clothes. At most, only ¡®clean¡¯ would suffice to describe his style.

    He walked to the side of the car, and Stuart got out of the car and opened the door for him. Afterwards, the man got into it.

    Stuart checked around and made sure that no one was spying on them before he got into the car. They left.

    ¡°Hi, Mr. Santiago,¡± the man greeted Santiago. Santiago sized him up. ¡°You¡¯re one of our own. Drop the formalities.¡±

    While talking, Santiago took out a cigarette and offered it to the old man. The old man rejected initially, but Santiago insisted, and he obeyed Santiago atst. ¡°Just take this, it will save you the trouble.¡±

    The old man took the cigarette from Santiago¡¯s hand, and Santiago hurriedly took out his lighter to light it for him.

    The old man was ttered that Santiago intended to light the cigarette for him.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Mr. Santiago. I have the lighter, I have it,¡± said the old man while he was about to rummage for his lighter. Santiago stopped him. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure. You came here when you were young. You¡¯ve spent your life and endured all kinds of hardships here. We, the Richards family, have not expressed our gratitude to you. This is a small gesture I can handle.¡±

    The old man was taken aback momentarily. He put down his hand, lowered his head, and took a puff of the cigarette. Hadrian rolled down the window while driving slowly. Inside the car, the old man said, ¡°No, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that Mr. Hansen had given me money and told me toe here, then I wouldn¡¯t have been able to live till this day.¡±

    ¡°Let bygones be bygones. Don¡¯t worry about it. You must have heard about the reason I wanted to meet you.¡± Santiago went straight to the point. The old man thought briefly before saying, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it, but I don¡¯t know the details. I know there is indeed such a case.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, tell me, what do you want to know?¡±

    The old man was also a straightforward person. Santiago considered it for a short time. ¡°I would like to know where Jacky is. Do you have any clues?¡±

    ¡°Not a problem. He may be a very powerful person, but he doesn¡¯t usually show his face outside. We have no idea what he does for a living. Although running Jack Town Hotel is profitable, it doesn¡¯t make a lot of money.¡±

    ¡°Every day, his subordinates will stop by Jack Town Hotel to eat and drink, and their expenses are easily sky high. He is rather low-profile and not arrogant.¡±

    ¡°I had seen him several times when he was a child.He looked even more beautiful than a girl.¡±

    ¡°Butter on, as he retired from the public eye, he stayed in a house in Waverly Vige, where there¡¯s a plot ofnd outside. He likes farming. Sometimes, he will give the nted vegetables to us. It¡¯s just that he lives by that type of an-eye-for-an-eye philosophy. For those who provoke him, there would be h*ll to pay.¡±

    ¡°His house should be in that direction.¡±

    ¡°Bring me there,¡± Santiago said, which caused the old man to shudder in fear. Santiago thenforted him by saying, ¡°Since I¡¯m asking you to go, I will guarantee your safety. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    The old man was reassured. He was a lone man, so there was nothing to be afraid of. Now that Santiago had ordered him, it implied that Santiago thought highly of him. With such honor, he was willing to do it, even at the cost of his life.

    Subsequently, the old man showed them the way and they went into Waverly Vige. Santiago got down from the car, looked around, and walked forward. Stuart and Hadrian wanted to follow him, but he turned them down. What followed was his attempts in searching for Jacky from house to house.

    After searching through a few houses, he did not find Jacky. There were only five or six houses there in total. Furthermore, they were all empty. There was no one in any of the houses.

    Going back to the car, Santiago said, ¡°Not a soul in sight.¡±

    ¡°What happened? There are people here at usual times.¡± The old man also went out to search around. After making sure that there was indeed nobody there, he came back in bewilderment.

    Santiago stood outside for a while. ¡°Stuart,you and Hadrian should bring the old man back to his home. Remember to protect him.¡±

    ¡°What about you, Mr. Santiago?¡± Stuart asked quickly. Santiago looked around. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for Deanna toe back.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. If something happens to you, then we can¡¯t afford it. Mr. Santiago, let¡¯s go back together first ande hereter.¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t wait any longer. Let¡¯s end this as soon as possible.¡± Santiago refused to leave. He took out his phone and sent a text message to Cynthia, telling her not to call him. She received the message and no longer texted him.

    ¡°Get into the car and leave.¡± Santiago stood outside the car. Stuart and Hadrian did not dare to refute his words, but they did not leave.

    Seeing that, Santiago¡¯s face ckened. Only then did Stuart say no more and got into the car with Hadrian. They took the old man away, leaving Santiago alone in the vige.

 Chapter 1164 We Shall See if You Manage to Leave

    Deanna got up from the bed and stretched, seemingly a little confused. Had she taken her dinner the previous night?

    She wondered what time itwas at the moment.

    She stirred from her bed and put on the clothes Jacky had just bought for her. She felt that it looked quite attractive,and even better than the ones she had worn before.

    Coming down from the stairs, she intended to go out and pick some potatoes. Just when she stepped out of the house, she saw a few men talking to Jacky, who was habitually standingin front of them, his arms akimbo. As soon as she came into their sight, one of those men stopped talking and fixed his eyes on her.

    Without so much as a word, Jacky whacked him on the head. ¡°Another look and it¡¯ll be the end of you.¡±

    Leaving the crate in fear, Deanna turned around and fled from there swiftly.

    Being scared silly, she entered the door and patted herself on the chest. That day, the man was going to force her to sleep with him. It was too frightening.

    After catching a breath, she turned to look outside. She just wanted to sneak a peek, but it turned out that Jacky had already strode towards her and was waving his hand at her, signaling her toe out.

    Only then did she walk out and stop in front of him.

    ¡°Do you know Santiago?¡± Jacky stared at Deanna¡¯s small face with his piercing eyes.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Deanna eximed as she looked around. She thought Santiago was there.

    When she realized that it was just false hope, she was disappointed. She shrank back. ¡°I know him.¡±

    Jacky approached her and ced his hands on his waist.¡°What is your rtionship with him?¡±

    ¡°N-nothing,¡± Deanna replied quickly, but she began to stammer due to her anxiety. The more agitated she was, the more obvious her faltering tones.

    Jacky nced at the men standing behind him. ¡°Haven¡¯t you guys gawked enough? You wanna die?¡±

    They said, ¡°Boss, we¡¯re leaving now.¡± And off they went. Deanna lowered her head and ducked. ¡°I grew up in the Richards family household. My mother and Santiago¡¯s mother are good friends. They are like sisters.¡±

    ¡°I used to live there when I was a child, and my brother, too.¡±

    Deanna exined, still not daring to raise her head.

    Jacky extended his hand and grabbed her chin, forcing her to raise it. ¡°You don¡¯t want to have dinner, do you?¡±

    ¡°Yes I do,¡± she answered without hesitation. Jacky gritted his teeth. ¡°Did he ever touch you?¡±

    In Deanna¡¯s mind, she was the one who had touched Santiago,not the other way round.

    Shaking her head, she tried to look Jacky in the eye, as a sign of being honest-to-goodness. ¡°No.¡±

    Only then did Jacky let go of her, after which she hurriedly rubbed her chin. She wondered if he was going to crush her chin with that much strength from him just then.

    Santiago should being. She nned to teach Jacky a lesson after she met Santiago.

    She felt homesick. It was also because of it that she had shed tears the previous day. It wasn¡¯t until Jacky had agreed to let her call home that she was a little happier. Otherwise, she would have wept non-stop during thest dinner.

    ¡°It¡¯s best if he didn¡¯t, or else I¡¯ll kill him.¡± Jacky turned and walked towards the farm. He went inside and dug a few potatoes before handing them to Deanna. ¡°Bring them back and wash them. I¡¯m going out for a while. Don¡¯t run around, it¡¯s not safe here.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Holding the potatoes, she went into the house to put them down beforeing to the door to watch as Jacky left. Soon, he was gone, out of her sight.

    After that, she went back to wash the potatoes while thinking about how Santiago hade to look for her. She felt a tide of sadness rising in her. If she left, then she would never see Jacky again. As hateful as Jacky might be, he hadn¡¯t been physically aggressive towards her. Instead, he had even bought some clothes for her.

    However, this wasn¡¯t her home, andJacky was a kidnapper. Not only had he abducted her, he also kept ckmailing her brother. He demanded a substantial amount of ransom every time.

    She lifted her hands and counted it using all ten of her fingers. Her brother had squandered 150 million dors on this, hadn¡¯t he?

    She added up all the ransom.

    It was 150 million dors.

    Deanna thought of this number, wondering how many zeros were in it.

    It was an astronomical figure to her.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    As she was counting, she heard someone¡¯s footsteps near the door. From what she could tell, it wasn¡¯t Jacky¡¯s, for he would always trot briskly.

    This person sounded a bit hesitant, wandering behind the house.Deanna¡¯s eyes widened in bemusement. Could it be, she thought, a thief?

    Deanna was about to run upstairs when she saw a wooden stick at the foot of the stairs. She then held it in her hand and turned back to wait for the intruder.

    The sky had darkened, and the surroundings had been enveloped in darkness. Under the dim light, she stared at the person who hade in through the doorway. Perceiving that it was Santiago, she dropped the wooden stick from her hand, made a dash towards him and leapt into his arms. Luckily, Santiago was strong enough to stand firmly without being bowled over by her.

    ¡°Santiago,¡± Deanna called his name, sobbing. He raised his hands to embrace her and pat her on the back. ¡°It¡¯s okay now. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Santiago had always been a decisive, no-nonsense person. He gently pushed her away, held her waist, and directly walked outside.

    It was pitch-ck outside but it didn¡¯t stop Deanna from staying close to him and following him out.

    They made their long way in darkness. In the end, Deanna was too weary to move anymore. Nevertheless, she kept following Santiago without saying a word.

    Noticing that she was falling behind, Santiago turned around and carried her on his back.

    Leaning against his back, Deanna could feel his warmth. Therefore, she justy prone on his back.

    After trudging for a few miles, Santiago found it hard to continue. However, when he saw the main road ahead, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to a stop.

    It was just that a few cars surrounded him just when he reached the main road. Following that, he had to stop.

    Deanna was so terrified that she snuggled close to Santiago.

    Santiago did not put her down. He turned and looked around the cars, which left a few rays of light trails, prating the darkness. A few people got out of the cars, one after another. One of them was Logan, whom he had seen during the day. Logan stopped before him and said, ¡°I¡¯ve warned you not toe to Waverly Vige since it¡¯s our territory. You didn¡¯t believe me. What¡¯s worse, you came and took Mr. Jacky¡¯s woman away. Do you know the consequences of doing that?¡±

    Santiago cracked a smile. ¡°Where¡¯s Jacky? Ask him to speak to me.¡±

    Logan was about to say something when a person came out from a car. With her head resting on Santiago¡¯s shoulder, Deanna didn¡¯t dare to look up.

    Santiago turned his head to look at Deanna, who was scared to be caught yet again. ¡°Take a look, is it Jacky?¡±

    Only then did she lift her head to steal nces at the man who had emerged from the car from the opposite side. When she saw him, she hurriedly said, ¡°It¡¯s him.¡±

    Jacky scanned the people around him before he came forward and told Santiago, ¡°Put her down and you may leave.¡±

    Santiago sized him up. ¡°Are you kidding me? I¡¯vee all the way and brought her here, and you want me to put her down? You think that¡¯s possible?¡±

    ¡°Nothing is impossible. In my eyes, you¡¯re just a mouse, and I,a cat. I can kill you any time, and I can twist you around my little finger as I please. It¡¯s a piece of cake to me. I just want to know if she¡¯s lying to me.¡±

    After hearing Jacky¡¯s words, Deanna immediately tugged at Santiago¡¯s clothes. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me behind. I¡¯m afraid of them.¡±

    Jacky gnashed his teeth. ¡°Put her down and you can leave.¡±

    Santiago was amused to hear that. ¡°Nobody can force me to do anything. You¡¯re no exception. Since I¡¯ve brought only me, myself, and I to this fight, I¡¯m not worried about being outnumbered.¡±

    ¡°Jacky Scott, I¡¯ve heard of you before, and I don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s a*s about what you do. I¡¯ll bring Deanna away. She¡¯s lived the life of a spoiled richdy ever since she was young, which is why she can¡¯t stay here. Besides, you can¡¯t afford to provide for her either.¡±

    Santiago was about to leave when Jacky sneered. ¡°Then, we shall see if you manage to leave.¡±

 Chapter 1165 Courtesy Shown to a Kidnapper

    Before Jacky could do anything, more than ten people had already blocked Santiago¡¯s way. Santiago stopped and turned to look at Jacky. ¡°You think these people can stop me?¡±

    ¡°They can¡¯t, but I can.¡±

    Jacky approached Santiago, his eyes gleaming with a ferocious look. He raked his eyes all over Deanna, who was cowering in terror.

    ¡°You?¡± Santiago smiled. ¡°What if you can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°If I can¡¯t, then you¡¯re free to take her away, just like her older brother,¡± Jacky answered. Hearing this, Santiago crouched a bit to allow Deanna to get down from his back.

    ¡°Deanna,e down.¡±

    Deanna shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Listen to me. I said I¡¯ll take you away from here andI¡¯ll deliver my promise. If I can¡¯t, then I¡¯ll stay with you too,¡± said Santiago. Only then did shee down from Santiago¡¯s back and stand aside.

    ¡°Bring it on. Let¡¯s fight.¡±

    Santiago walked over to the side, waiting for Jacky toe over. Under the streemp, the two men beheld each other. Jacky was ruffled by Santiago¡¯s appearance.

    Before this, Jacky had only seen two most visually stunning human beings, one of which was Deanna, and the other one himself.

    Now that Santiago was here, Jacky felt a great deal of pressure.

    Although their good looks weren¡¯t quite the same, Jacky felt it would be no exaggeration to say that Santiago¡¯s appearance was awe-inducing.

    Moreover, Santiago seemed to be very young.

    ¡°How old are you?¡± Jacky asked. Santiago did not hesitate to answer either. ¡°Seventeen.¡±

    ¡°Seventeen?¡±

    Frowning, Jacky cast an inquiring look at Deanna. ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± She lowered her head slightly. Right then, she could ept anything other than staying here. The living conditions here were too harsh for her. She could only have potatoes and steamed buns for her meals. There was nothing else.

    She wanted to go home, but Jacky wouldn¡¯t hear of it.

    She was scared stiff at the thought of having to stay here and couldn¡¯t go home.

    Jacky gazed at her. ¡°You told me that he didn¡¯t touch you? Do you still remember it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I remember,¡± Deanna replied, looking into his eyes. Jacky thenughed. ¡°Then, were you lying to me?¡±

    ¡°No, he really didn¡¯t touch me. I do like him, but he doesn¡¯t like me.¡± When she thought about this, she was still a little unhappy. If it weren¡¯t for Santiago,then she wouldn¡¯t have run away and got herself abducted. In her mind, it was all Santiago¡¯s fault.

    While she wasining to herself, Jacky asked, ¡± Do you like him?¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Deanna craned her neck and looked at the shocked expressions in the surrounding people¡¯s eyes. Her head was lowered and she wasn¡¯t very certain if she still liked him that much then.

    Jacky gritted his teeth. ¡°Come here.¡±

    She stepped back, shaking her head vigorously.

    Santiago nced at her. ¡°Go to him.¡±

    Deanna looked at him in surprise. ¡°Aren¡¯t you taking me away?¡±

    Impatience was written all over Santiago¡¯s face. ¡°He won¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    Jacky shot a nce at Santiago before he walked towards Deanna. At the thought of wearing tattered clothes, eating potatoes, and being bullied, Deanne turned around and made a dash for the main road. Seeing her reaction, Jacky stopped. ¡°Don¡¯t run, I won¡¯t chase after you.¡±

    Deanna kept sprinting towards the road, as if she hadn¡¯t heard him. Meanwhile, a car roared over from a distance,and it was insanely fast. Additionally, there were more than a dozen cars behind it.

    Santiago¡¯s face fell as he looked over. ¡°D*mn it!¡±

    Stepping forward, Santiago yelled at her. ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t go up there!¡±

    Deanna shook her head. ¡°No, you are all bad guys. I want to go home, I want Mom and Dad, I want my brother¡­¡±

    Deanna couldn¡¯t care less. It was as if she could get home once she had made her way to the road. She ran desperately towards the road. As a result, when she made it to the road, the car was too close to her. In a sh of light, Deanna looked at the car, shrieked, and fell to the ground.

    Afterwards, the car screeched to a halt, and the following cars also came to a stop, sessively.

    Jacky stood rooted to the spot, his face turning pale. ¡°Little fool.¡±

    There was not even the slightest movement from Deanna. Behind him, Santiago was also left dazed. A whileter, he shouted, ¡°Deanna¡­¡±

    Jacky threw a dirty look at Santiago before he strode towards the road. Just when he was about to get close to Deanna, a man had already carried her in his arms. After ncing at Jacky, he bent down and got into the car.

    Instantaneously, Jacky walked to the side of the car and pulled open the door, intending to get inside. However, a group of men approached and surrounded him.

    Jacky¡¯s men backed him up one after another. If they had been at an advantage in terms of numbers earlier on, then they were outnumbered at the moment. Any possibility of defeating the other party was out of the question.

    ¡°Leave her here, or else, you won¡¯t be able to get out of Waverly Vige.¡±

    Jacky¡¯s men stood in front of the car and sat on the trunk, forming a human barricade. The ss windows of the car were tinted ck, encumbering one from seeing the situation inside. In fact, Jacky was not bluffing. Without his orders, no one would be able to leave the vige, even if they had managed to enter.

    Santiago arrived at the road too. He lowered his head and surveyed the ce where Deanna had fallen down. There was not a drop of blood on the ground. He then observed the license number on the car. It appeared to be Zorion¡¯s car.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the driver inside the car to get down. He looked at Jacky and said, ¡°Miss Deanna has bled too much. If we don¡¯t send her to the hospital at once, then it¡¯ll be toote.¡±

    Jacky¡¯s countenance turned deathly pale. ¡°Let them go.¡±

    ¡°Jacky, they¡­¡±

    ¡°Make way.¡± Jacky took the lead to give way. He stared at the car, trying to catch a glimpse of Deanna, but before he could see it, the car had already left.

    ¡°Get that car, follow them,¡± Jacky instructed. Logan brought along some men, ran down, and drove their own car through another intersection, closely following behind Zorion¡¯s car.

    Jacky also wanted to get into his car. Santiago gazed at him for a moment. ¡°Come with me. I¡¯ll take you there. You can¡¯t get in without me.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jacky was mystified to hear that. ¡°And why would you do this?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my business.¡± After Santiago spoke, he shot a nce at the cars below. ¡°You¡¯d better stop your men from following them. The Whalen family¡¯s power reaches every corner in Capital City. They¡¯re unconquerable there. It¡¯s not wise to challenge them there.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Jacky didn¡¯t care about Zorion at all. Had he been afraid of Zorion, he wouldn¡¯t have ckmailed him.

    Santiago gave him a meaningful look. ¡°She¡¯s in his hands. Do you want to fight him or do you want to have her?¡±

    Jacky took a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    After that, Jacky got into his car and ordered his men to go out.

    ¡°Jacky, we¡¯ll go with you.¡± One of Jacky¡¯s subordinates spoke to him when Jacky got into the car. ¡°There¡¯s no need for it. Go back and release those two people, as well as that old man.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t die. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    The act of going to Capital City alonescreamed of a suicide mission.

    Jacky started the car and whizzed speedily onto the road. Sitting in the front passenger seat, Santiago looked outside calmly as though nothing had happened. He made a call.

    Concurrently, Jepherson had fallen asleep, and so,no one answered Santiago¡¯s call.

    Santiago couldn¡¯t get through, therefore he called Cynthia instead.

    After Cynthia picked up the call, she got out of her room to look for Raeleigh, who then answered the phone.

    ¡°I need to talk to my brother,¡± said Santiago. Raeleigh replied awkwardly, ¡°He hasn¡¯t had a good rest, so I gave him half a sleeping pill. He hasn¡¯t woken up.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just half a sleeping pill, not the whole bottle of them. What are you so worried about? Wake him up, I¡¯ve something urgent to tell him.¡± Santiago didn¡¯t care. Consequently, Raeleigh had to go to the room upstairs and wake Jepherson up. She called out to him twice before he roused himself.

    Jepherson sat up in a daze. He picked up Santiago¡¯s call and raised his wrist to check the time. ¡°I got it.¡±

    Putting down the phone, he took his clothes and got up. Raeleigh asked him, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve found Deanna, but she might have been frightened. Currently, she¡¯s being taken away by Zorion. I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡± Just when he wanted to change clothes, Scarlette happened to stand by the door. Jepherson¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°How about youe in and get a good, hard look?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Scarlette left right away while Raeleigh helped him change his clothes.

    Just getting up from a deep slumber, Jepherson did not recall his current rtionship with Raeleigh at all. He quickly put on his clothes and coat, and walked out. Raeleigh watched him go out and followed him.

    ¡°I want to go, with Scarlette, too.¡± Sensing that Scarlette was not at ease, Raeleigh made a suggestion. Jepherson took a brief look at them. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    After exiting the door, Jepherson called Zorion. ¡°Where are you? Have you found Deanna?¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Hanging up the phone, Jepherson sent a text message to Santiago. Both of them were heading for the hospital.

    Zorion had entered Capital City¡¯s zone, so Jacky¡¯s men had to stop the car. Jacky told them to go back first while he went to the hospital with Santiago.

    But when they arrived at the hospital entrance, there were peopleing down and blocking them from entering it.

    Santiago called Zorion, who brushed him off by asking his subordinate to answer the call. Santiago snorted in response to that. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    The subordinate didn¡¯t dare to tell his name. He kept apologizing, and he then subtly hung up the phone.

    Standing aside, Jacky was concerned about Deanna, and his mind was in chaos. He had already taken out his phone to make a call when Santiago grabbed his hand, stopping him. ¡°Keep your cool. Don¡¯t try to raise h*ll.¡±

    ¡°I want to see her.¡± Jacky had never been like this before. He felt so on edge and unsettled, and had lost his ability to consider things carefully.

    Santiago released his grip. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll let you see her.¡±

    ¡°Why did you help me?¡± Jacky furrowed his brow.

    ¡°There¡¯s no reason, nor does it need to have a reason.¡±

    Jacky fell silent for a moment.¡°What¡¯s going on between you and her?¡±

    ¡°We grew up together,¡± Santiago exined simply. Jacky was perplexed briefly before he calmed down a little. ¡°Does she like you?¡±

    ¡°She liked my brother at first, and then me.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jacky¡¯s brow knitted deeply. Santiago gazed at him. ¡°She is still a child.¡±

    Jacky sneered.¡°A child who doesn¡¯t know what she wants?¡±

    Santiago did not reply but he checked his watch instead. At that time, a luxurious limousine stopped behind him.

    Scarlette got out of the car hurriedly and opened the door at the back. Subsequently, Jepherson came out of it, followed by Raeleigh.

    The two of them got out of the car, exchanged a look, and walked to the hospital together.

    Santiago swept his eyes over them and waited for them toe over. When they had reached the entrance, he introduced Jacky to them. ¡°Meet Jacky Scott, the man who kidnapped Deanna.¡±

    Jepherson threw an indifferent look and stretched out his hand. ¡°My pleasure.¡±

    Raeleigh stood aside speechlessly. She wondered if any rule book dictated that courtesy had to be shown to a kidnapper.

 Chapter 1166 Propose a Marriage

    Raeleigh sat outside the ward. Deanna had undergone the examination, and she appeared to be alright. It was just that she had been weeping while holding Zorion¡¯s hand since she woke up, as if she had suffered a great grievance and death was beckoning to her.

    It wasn¡¯t until then that Raeleigh found out Zorion was apanied by a girl named Rossie.

    She looked pretty and elegant in her dress. She just sat there quietly without saying a word or looking at anyone. Her bright, big eyes were like the stars and the moon, twinklingwith a unique charm.

    While Zorion was keeping Deannapany in the ward, Rossie had been sitting outside. She neither moved, nor did she look around.

    Raeleigh observed her for a while, discovering that her attire was pretty modest. She had wrapped her neck with a red silk scarf.

    In the past, Raeleigh hadn¡¯t understood why some people would cover their neckspletely. But at that time, Raeleigh recalled something.

    Raeleigh frowned, realizing the reason Zorion had been keeping a low profile recently. There was such a person beside him.

    Jephrson sat beside Raeleigh. He didn¡¯t seem to care much about anyone, including the woman in front of him, Rossie.

    He fixed his nonchnt eyes on one side. He, too,was waiting to know about Deanna¡¯s condition.

    Santiago stood aside with his hands in his pockets. He had also been waiting for the news.

    Jacky, on the other hand, was also standing at the doorway. He came in with Jepherson, which astonished Raeleigh. Zorion¡¯s men were not afraid of Santiago. Instead, they were afraid of Jepherson.

    At that moment, the most anxious person was none other than Jacky. Although there was only a door between Deanna and him, itmade him feel as though they were a world apart.

    Raeleigh gazed at him. Although he didn¡¯t show anything, Raeleigh could see from Jacky¡¯s eyes, which were fixed at the door of the ward, that his whole heart was with Deanna.

    ¡­

    The door of the ward was pushed open, and the nurse walked in. It was time to give her a new dose of medicine.

    Jacky stood up and walked towards the door. He went inside sessfully without being stopped by anybody. Raeleigh was rather surprised to see that.

    The nurse was bewildered when she turned her head to find that a man was entering the ward with her. After that, she blushed as she gazed at Jacky. She thought, ¡°What a handsome man! What happened today? Why are hotties making an appearance here in the hospital?¡±

    Jacky acted as if he didn¡¯t see the nurse before him. After going into the ward, he headed straight for Deanna, who was sobbing. He stopped, extending his hand to touch Deanna¡¯s tear-stained face.

    The nurse was disappointed to find that he was into another girl.

    As soon as Deanna saw Jacky, herrge eyes further widened. She was so frightened that she didn¡¯t dare to move. She tugged at Zorion¡¯s hand, refusing to let go.

    The expression on Jacky¡¯s handsome face didn¡¯t change much, but he didn¡¯t look at Zorion. As he stared at Deanna, she instantly shifted her position to avoid being touched by Jacky.

    Jacky spoke with a low voice. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    As a result, she sniffled twice and stopped moving.

    Zorion raised his head to look at Jacky. ¡°Are you Jacky Scott?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Jacky admitted frankly. He swept his dark eyes over Zorion. ¡°Tomorrow, I will pay you a visit for a marriage proposal.¡±

    Deanna was flummoxed by his words.

    Zorion ruminated momentarily. ¡°My father is not here,andI can¡¯t make the decision when ites to my sister¡¯s marriage. Anyway, it¡¯s too early for you to propose a marriage. You¡¯re just a kidnapper, so you don¡¯t have the right to do so. It¡¯s a cakewalk for me to kill you. I just don¡¯t want to make a big deal out of it. It might be a blessing in disguise for Deanna that you took her away from her previous danger, but you didn¡¯t send her back in time, and you let her suffer a lot. I¡¯m not going to forgive you for this.¡±

    Jacky stood in front of Zorion. In the face of Zorion¡¯s criticism, he only gave a flippant smile. ¡°You mean that I can¡¯t match your family¡¯s status?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Zorion¡¯s eyes were as deep as the ocean, and his inscrutable countenance gave little away.

    Jacky cast a nce at Deanna before raising his hand to pull off something from his neck and threw it towards her, causing her to flinch.

    She looked down, seeing a jade pendant.

    ¡°This is my betrothal gift. She can put it on, but she can¡¯t discard it. Even though it may not seem to be valuable in mary terms, it is worth half of your Whalen family¡¯s properties. It¡¯s true that I can¡¯t match your family¡¯s status today, but we have a long road ahead of us in the future. When I gain a foothold in Capital City, I wille and marry her.¡±

    ¡°By then, I hope you remember that she is already mine.¡±

    Zorion furrowed his brow slightly. Something came to his mind, and he turned to look at Deanna, who was terror-stricken. She quickly handed it back to Jacky. ¡°J-Jacky¡­ take it back.¡±

    ¡°To go back on one¡¯s words, it is something that cannot be recovered. No way will I take it back. Keep it properly. Don¡¯t lose it.¡±

    After saying that, Jacky nced at Zorion before turning around and walking out of the ward.

    He strode straight out without looking back.

    Raeleigh knitted her brows. She had seen Santiago¡¯s unabated confidence before. It was different from Jacky¡¯s.

    Jacky¡¯s confidence was rather low-key in her eyes.

    After Jacky left, Raeleigh looked inside the ward opposite her. She wondered what had happened inside. Noticing that nobody had moved, she stood up and walked to the ward, intending to check on them.

    Deanna was holding the jade pendant and observing it. She had never seen it before, so she was quite curious.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    She kept looking at it as she wiped her tears. She had returned to her usual self.

    ¡°Zorion.¡± She handed it to Zorion, who then took it and gave it a once-over. Engraved on one side was the name ¡®Scott¡¯, while the other side was a dragon.

    ¡°Keep it. Don¡¯t lose it.¡± Zorion had seen this kind of thing before. It should be more than just a pendant, but he could not recall where he hadid eyes on it before.

    How could Jacky have owned such a thing?

    Waverly Vige was nothing if not a provincial vige. What mystery could be hidden in there?

    ¡°Oh,¡± Deanna replied. She hung it on her neck and tucked it underneath her clothes. She had shed enough tears, so she told Zorion that she was tired andy down on the bed to rest.

    Zorion consoled her briefly before he came out of the ward.

    Seeing Raeleigh, Zorion was startled for a second. Then, he stared at her for a while. He had some inexplicable feelings for her, which was strange even to himself.

    It was beyond a shadow of doubt that he had a crush on her. But right then, he had Rossie, and although his bond with Rossie was established based on a different manner, he felt very conflicted to have fallen in love with two women at the same time.

    ¡°Get out of my way.¡± Zorion assumed a stern attitude. Raeleigh was stunned for a moment before she retreated to somewhere else. Seeing that, Jepherson frowned intensely. Santiago turned around to gaze at Zorion, who walked past him and talked to Rossie. ¡°Stay with Deanna. Someone needs to be with her when she wakes up.¡±

    At that time, Rossie was under the control of others. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been sopliant. She got up and went into the ward once Zorion had told her so. Closing the door, she sat beside Deanna.

    Afterwards, Zorion sat down and leaned against the chair, looking at Jepherson. ¡°Why did you bring her here?¡±

 Chapter 1167 Sleep Separately

    Jepherson was none too pleased to hear that. ¡°You know, Raeleigh hasn¡¯t offended you in any way.¡±

    Zorion nced at Raeleigh andughed. ¡°She hasn¡¯t offended me alright, but I didn¡¯t do anything to her. I just told her not to block my way.¡±

    ¡°I know very well how you treat Raeleigh. I just want to warn you that there won¡¯te a day when you¡¯ll be able to do anything to her.¡±

    ¡°So what if I do something to her? What can you do to me?¡± Zorion retorted. Raeleigh went near Jepherson and pulled him. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s go. Since Deanna is fine, Scarlette can be at ease too. Let¡¯s go back first. We have no business here anymore.¡±

    Raeleigh had a very bad feeling at that time. She felt that Zorion was going to make a clean break with them since Deanna had been found.

    It was Santiago who had found Deanna, but Zorion hadn¡¯t expressed his gratitude at all. Raeleigh thought it was too ungrateful of him to have said those harsh words.

    Nheless, Raeleigh didn¡¯t want them to stir up trouble and quarrel over her. That was why she pulled Jepherson from the seat.

    Jepherson passed through the corridor with Raeleigh in his arms. He stopped after a few steps and turned back to look at Zorion, who remained seated. ¡°Nobody wants to find fault with you. Something is already wrong from the very beginning. I also regret it.¡±

    Jepherson left with Raeleigh after he finished his words. Only then did Zorion turn to stare at his back.

    Santiago walked up to Zorion. ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Zorion looked up at Santiago, who had already left. ¡°Mind your own business.¡±

    Santiago did not look back. He turned around and walked to the other side. After that, he followed Jepherson and Raeleigh into the elevator. As the door of the elevator was closed, Raeleigh said, ¡°You didn¡¯t have to pick a bone with him.¡±

    Jepherson shot a nce at her. ¡°He was in the wrong.¡±

    ¡°For certain shameless people, you don¡¯t need to treat them with civility and respect,¡± Santiago said, thrusting his hands into his pockets. Raeleigh was lost for words. The two brothers were definitely born from the same parents, but how were their manners and behavior totally different?

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything else. The two would solve their own affairs.

    In addition, they were on the same page regarding this matter, which was against Zorion. Given that Zorion had a rtionship with the Richards family, they wouldn¡¯t cross the line. Therefore, Raeleigh was not worried about it.

    When they stepped out of the elevator, Santiago yawned as he walked, feeling a little tired.

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°Are you tired?¡±

    ¡°Kind of. I will go back and rest.¡± Santiago took a nap in the car after leaving the hospital. Raeleigh happened to sit beside him. Hence, he nestled his head against her shoulder. Jepherson shot daggers at him before he picked up Raeleigh and ced her on the other side. Santiago woke up and stared at Jepherson. Neither of them spoke, whichnded Raeleigh in awkwardness.

    Raeleigh sat aside, exining, ¡°Santiago is exhausted. He didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡±

    Jepherson held her hand, shushing her. Raeleigh pursed her lip in vexation.

    Santiago didn¡¯t pay any attention to him. Sitting in his seat, he continued to yawn. He was so sleepy that he just lounged in his seat,with his eyes watery. In the end, he could only lean his head against the headboard, trying to catch some shut-eye.

    Raeleigh studied Santiago and said to Jepherson, ¡°He didn¡¯t, like, mean anything?¡±

    ¡°Stop talking. If you go on and on, then I¡¯ll throw him out,¡± Jepherson said, wrapping her in his arm. Raeleigh was speechless. Shouldn¡¯t he throw her out instead of Santiago?

    When the car arrived at Raeleigh¡¯s residence, she was about to get out of the car when Jepherson woke Santiago up, told him to get out of the car, and then instructed the chauffeur to drive the car away.

    Raeleigh looked out of the window in confusionandasked him, ¡°Why did you let Santiago out and not me?¡±

    It was sote then. She wondered, whydidn¡¯the want to let her rest?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hotel,¡± Jepherson spoke as he squinted. Noticing that he was also weary, Raeleigh said no more. Afterwards, she followed Jepherson to the hotel, and they went upstairs. After entering the room, Raeleigh intended to take a shower, and Jepherson didn¡¯t tag along.

    In the past, she had always wanted to take a shower herself to avoid the awkwardness of being in the same shower room with him. But that time, he actually stayed outside.

    As Raeleigh stepped into the shower room, she left a gap on purpose. However, she heard the sound of the door closing when she was in the middle of her shower. The door was really closed, she noticed.

    After Raeleigh came out of the shower, Jepherson had already returned from another ce after showering. He changed into his pyjamas, dried his hair, andy there.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him. She dried her hair before approaching him.

    She got onto the bed and nuzzled up to him. After looking at her for a while, he took her into his arms.

    Resting in his arms, she took a look at what he was doing with his tablet. ¡°It seems that you have been checking up on things irrelevant to your work.¡±

    ¡°I have been working all this while. It¡¯s rare that I have some free time to indulge myself in stuff that is not work-rted.¡± Jepherson put down the tablet. He had been looking at some overseas properties with the intention of finding a ce for a vacation. He wanted to take Raeleigh there for a period of time, just the two of them.

    Subsequently, both of them started to lie down.Regardless of their proximity, they were both engaged in their own thoughts.

    Raeleigh put her hand on Jepherson¡¯s body and cautiously moved downwards, caressing him. Generally, it was Jepherson who made the first move whenever they made love. Even though Raeleigh was used to what he usually did, she still could not bring herself to perform like him. It was not in her character to initiate anything when it came to s*x. That said, when Raeleigh did so, he pressed his hand against hers. ¡°Not today. I have a backache.¡±

    Raeleigh furrowed her brow. ¡°Your back hurts?¡±Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    She got up andy on his body, chastising herself for her carelessness. It was possible for him to reject her if something really happened to his body.

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes fell on Raeleigh¡¯s disturbed expression. ¡°It¡¯s not very painful,just a minor sore.¡±

    Raeleigh stared into his eyes momentarily. For the first time, she was not sure if he was lying, so she did not dare to say anything. She just nted a kiss on his lips.

    After kissing him, she did not leave immediately butgazed at him. Jepherson smacked his lips and his breathing grew increasingly rapid. He then cuddled her. Apparently, he felt reluctant to let her leave. With that being said, his rationalitypelled him to push her away. Such a catch-22 situation had caused him to be iparably tormented deep down.

    Raeleigh lowered her head andvished another kiss on him. She wanted to help him unwind himself. She could even feel the stiffness in his body, as if his blood had coagted in its entirety.

    She looked at him. ¡°If you are unwilling, then we can sleep separately. Otherwise, we will only be ufortable.¡±

    Just when she got up, he pulled her back. Before she could look back,healreadyhad her pressed underneath him.

 Chapter 1168 Trapped in a Elevator

    Raeleighy still as Jepherson flipped over and positioned himself on top of her. She looked him in the eyes, motionlessly. In the past, she would have been worried, afraid, or shy, but that time, she wasn¡¯t.

    She looked at Jepherson. Although she hadn¡¯t made an attempt to seduce him, she was waiting for him, wholeheartedly.

    Jepherson rode on her,tensing up with carnal desire. However, the thought that Raeleigh was his sister, whom he had been looking for over the years, had hurt him to the core, as though it had stabbed him right in the heart, and blood was dripping from it, soaking the entire ce with red liquid.

    His breathing steadily calmed down. His guilty conscience had prevailed over his then banished s*xual desire, and what was left in him was an incurable wound. His feelings for her were the salt to his wound, calling forth the fact that he had defiled his own sister.

    Regarding their first intercourse, it was he who had forced her into it. Had it not been for that, they would have been able to maintain a rtionship other than husband and wife.

    Jepherson got up and went to the shower room for a cold shower.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh was lying on the bed. Only after a dozen seconds had passed didshe finallye to her senses and follow him.

    The door of the shower room was locked. Raeleigh felt as if there was a big stone weighing on her chest. She was so depressed that she could not catch her breath.

    Lying down on the bed, Raeleigh thought her first attempt to seduce Jepherson had ended in failure.

    She picked up her phone and browsed it for a short time as she had also been keyed up over the past few days. It didn¡¯t take long for her drowsiness to get the better of her, but Jepherson hadn¡¯te out. Therefore, she had to sleep first.

    By the time Jepherson came out of the shower room, Raeleigh had already fallen asleep. Looking at her bare arm,unease coursed through his entire body.

    After drying his hair, he walked to Raeleigh¡¯s side, covered her with the quilt, took her phone, set it on silent mode, and put it aside. Then, he turned around and went out of the room.After closing the door, he sat outside untilte at night. Only then did he get up and go back to lie down beside Raeleigh.

    As soon as hey down, she instinctively wrapped an arm around his waist, trying to seek warmth. He wanted to push her away at first, but he couldn¡¯t bear to do it in the end.

    Raeleigh knitted her brow slightly,listening to his breathing,which gradually became steady. It took her a long time to fall into a deep slumber quietly.

    Raeleigh woke up early in the morning, but she didn¡¯t wake up as early as Jepherson did. He had woken up much earlier than Raeleigh. Besides, there were no other people in the room when she stirred.

    She got up, put on her clothes and washed up. Afterwards, she went to the doorway to look for Jepherson and called him to ask where he was. No one picked up the call. She went downstairs through the elevator. She wondered where he had gone, so she kept calling him after stepping out of the elevator. All of a sudden, she heard his phone ringing when she walked to the reception desk in front of her. Thus, she followed the direction of the sound. As a result, she came to a room, and what she saw shocked her.

    Perhaps, it was because it was too early that there were very few people around. At that moment, there was a man sitting on the edge of the bed, andsitting on his thighswas a woman, who was decked out in thetest fashion and had a pleasant voice.

    The woman was swaying her waist provocatively. Raeleigh had never done that before. Her porcin thighs underneath the miniskirt had been exposed whereas the man¡¯s pants had been unzipped, which painted the picture of¡­

    It was not that Raeleigh couldn¡¯t ept it. After all, it was not a wonder that a man and a woman would have s*x together. What she could not ept was that the man in there was Jepherson.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t begin to imagine what they were doing.

    After a round of writhing, the woman moaned with pain, which then graduated to pleasure. Concurrently, Raeleigh closed her eyes, turned around, and walked to the back of the wall, step by step, with no one the wiser. She didn¡¯te near the room again.

    Raeleigh heard the satisfying groan of the man, followed by moans of ecstasy from the woman before everything fell silent.

    Subsequently, Jepherson said, ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone see us. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± came the murmur.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    The woman tidied herself up slowly. Raeleigh could not stand listening to them anymore. She turned around, propped her hand on the wall, and staggered towards the elevator. Along the way, with the little strength she had left in her legs, as she entered the elevator, she copsed.

    Jepherson saw Raeleigh walking unsteadily into the elevator.No sooner had he stood up that his former mask of lust slipped off his face. He nced at the female staff who had just acted provocatively with him. ¡°Leave.¡±

    The female staff did not dare to say anything else. She quickly tidied herself up and turned to leave.

    She was very beautiful, but Jepherson had not been aroused at all. She suspected that he might be an impotent man.

    After she left, he strode towards the elevator as he was still concerned about Raeleigh.

    To his dismay, the elevator wouldn¡¯te down after he reached there and pressed the ¡®down¡¯ button. From the looks of it, it might be stuck somewhere up there.

    Jepherson dialed a number.¡°Check the elevator.¡±It was a problem for him when Stuart was not around. Nobody else could perform the job up to his expectation.

    Soon, there came a reply. ¡°M-Mr. Richards¡­¡±

    The staff on the other end of the line couldn¡¯t conceal the tremor in his cadence.

    ¡°Spit it out.¡± Jepherson¡¯s face was frigid. The staff¡¯s faltering tones had only made him more apprehensive. ¡°God d*mn it!¡± He started regretting his decision to put on a sham s*x act in front of her.

    After a moment, the staff mumbled, ¡°Miss R-Rae¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you want to die?¡± Jepherson tore the cor of his shirt twice in a fit of rage. Consequently,the button snapped from the cor and fell to the groundandshattered.

    His clothes were specially designed, and the buttons were all high-end products. It was not the first time for the buttons to have dropped, but it was the first for them to have shattered.

    Listening to the phone, he bent down to pick up the button, but it was this tiny button which cut his finger.

    His fingertip hurt. He then stood up, gazed at the blood on his finger and looked at the elevator door. He suddenly became agitated and mmed the elevator door, hard. ¡°Raeleigh, Raeleigh¡­¡±

    He banged the door outside with all his might. Simultaneously, he heard the voice of the staff through his phone. ¡°Mr. Richards, Miss Rae¡­ The elevator is full of blood. Miss Raeleigh has fainted. The elevator is malfunctioning, and she has been trapped inside, but we have called the ambnce and the technician. You can rest assured that they will be here soon.¡±

    The staff broke out in cold sweat. Never would they have expected that something bad would happen to the elevator just when they had overlooked it for a few seconds. They wondered if they were going to be fired.

    Jepherson¡¯s phone trembled slightly before it slipped from his palm and crashed to the ground in an instant. With a bang, the whole screen of the phone cracked.

    Jepherson¡¯s heart ached. He leaned against the elevator door,with his face drained of blood. He raised his hand and knocked on the door of the elevator. ¡°Raeleigh¡­ Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Amidst his shouting, his vision went ck and he toppled over!

 Chapter 1169 Both Were Admitted to the Hospital

    By the time Santiago arrived at the hospital, Raeleigh had already had a miscarriage. The doctor came out and informed him of the news, causing him to kick the doctor to the ground.

    ¡°Now that the baby is gone, nothing wille to a good end.¡± Santiago looked as if he was out for blood. The doctor got up from the ground, trembling. He lowered his head in horror, as though he were a lowly creature before a tyrant.

    It was a fact known to all that no one who messed with Santiago Richards was still left unscathed, if not devoured.

    At any rate, when Raeleigh was sent here, the baby was already gone. Not even by forcing them to die would the babye alive!

    Santiago¡¯s gaze had been filled with ferocity. Itnded on the door of the operating theater while he gradually regained hisposure. ¡°Since the baby couldn¡¯t be rescued, save the mother. I will remember each of your names. If,in the future,she can¡¯t give birth to another child, then you folks will not live to see another day. Ditto your families.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think of emigrating or escaping anywhere. Unless you¡¯re six feet under, I will find you even if you¡¯ve fled to the ends of the Earth.¡±

    ¡°M-Mr. Richards.¡± The doctor hurried forward, shivering. Santiago stood there for a while. ¡°Shoot.¡±

    ¡°You see, the mother seems to be fine now. As for giving birth in the future, there won¡¯t be a problem. We can guarantee that as long as the father is also alright, she can give birth again.¡±

    Santiago red at the doctor with his cold eyes, as if he demanded blood. ¡°Is there a problem with the father?¡±

    The doctor was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°No¡­ no.¡±

    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you get your a*s moving?¡± Santiago turned around. The doctor hastily ran back to arrange for Raeleigh¡¯s surgery. Only the best was included in the procedure, for it was Raelegh¡¯s life on the line.

    Santiago stood outside for two or three seconds, ncing at Stuart, Scarlette, and Hadrian.

    Scarlette had been crying her eyes out. Little did she know what was wrong with her. She had never behaved in this way before. But at that time, she was the one who couldn¡¯t keep her cool.

    Seeing her weeping, Hadrian stood beside her, not knowing what to do.

    Stuart just came here to look for Santiago.

    ¡°Is he dead?¡± This was the first thing that came out of Santiago¡¯s mouth when he saw Stuart, who wasthenfrightened and lowered his head. ¡°Mr. Jepherson isn¡¯t in a good condition right now. Mr. Santiago, please go and sign the papers.¡±

    ¡°What papers? To book a spot for him in the morgue?¡± Santiago¡¯s attitude and voice silenced Stuart in a way beyond what was possible.

    Even so, he had to say something, and he was ever so close to dropping to his knees. ¡°Mr. Santiago, the two of you are blood brothers.¡±

    Over the years, there were only a few people whom Stuart could not see through, one of which was Santiago.N?velDrama.Org content.

    Sometimes, he had the impression that Santiago¡¯s frivolousness was a pretence, and underneath, he might be a scheming sort of person.

    If Jepherson died at that time, the entire Richards family would fall under Santiago¡¯s responsibility. Even if everyone in the family was distressed, they would not do anything to Santiago, for he would be thest heir of the Richards family standing.

    Stuart knew that he was not in a position to think in this way, but with the current situation, it was natural for him to think so.

    ¡°No sh*t, Sherlock. Were he not my brother, I¡¯d kill him!¡± With that, Santiago strode towards the emergency room where Jepherson was in.

    The doctors were on tenterhooks before he came. None of them dared to perform any emergency first aid on Jepherson. They just tried to sustain his life.

    Santiago dide, but his intimidating aura caused the doctors to shake like a leaf. He didn¡¯t seem to havee to sign the papers.

    It was more like he was here as their Grim Reaper.

    Before this, they had imed that they wouldn¡¯t perform an operation if a family member hadn¡¯t signed the consent form. At the moment, they didn¡¯t dare to say a word more.

    Santiago stretched out his hand once he reached the emergency room. ¡°Give it to me.¡±

    A doctor handed the form to Santiago. After reading it, he tore it to shreds and threw them into the air.

    Like snowkes raining down, they scattered all over the ce. Santiago¡¯s lips curled into a smirk. ¡°He lives, you live.¡±

    His words scared the living daylights out of the doctors. Santiago continued saying, ¡°In Capital City, there¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t aplish. For those who displease me, I will get even with them.¡±

    ¡°Without Jepherson to keep a leash on me, I will raze Capital City to the ground!¡±

    One after another, the doctors gulped, sweating in fright.

    Raze Capital City to the ground?

    Then, would they be allowed to live? The doctors wondered so.

    ¡°Do you copy?¡± Santiago asked. One of the doctors hurriedly answered, ¡°C-copy.¡±

    ¡°If you copy, then get your a*s movin¡¯. If you can¡¯t save him,then each and every one of you must die with him. May God have mercy on your souls, for I have none.¡±

    The doctors exchanged looks, and Stuart instantaneously walked over. ¡°Let¡¯s begin the operation, to the best of your ability. Your efforts would be appreciated by Mr. Santiago if you seed. On the contrary, if something goes wrong, then you¡¯ll regret the day you were born.¡±

    Upon hearing Stuart¡¯s words, the doctors turned around and went back, getting into the groove.

    In fact, Stuart knew what these doctors had been thinking about. They thought Jepherson was going to kick the bucket. If he died, then the Richards family would be Santiago¡¯s to rule. In their minds were what Santiago¡¯s attitude would be in this issue.

    Did he want Jepherson to live or not?

    Stuart was relieved to behold what had happened. As long as Santiago was genuinely nice to his brother, Jepherson would be fine.

    Santiago sat down and leaned against the chair. The doctors were busy rescuing Jepherson. Two hourster, they finally sent Jepherson out of the emergency room. When they saw Santiago, they told him, ¡°Mr. Santiago, you can rest assured that Mr. Jepherson is out of the woods now.¡±

    ¡°Is he out of the woods today, or in the future too?¡± From what he said, the implications were that if something happened to Jepherson the next day, then they would still need to die, and that he was asking them to exin Jepherson¡¯s illness.

    The doctor quickly exined, ¡°There¡¯s probably something that has been putting a lot of strain on him mentally and physically, to say nothing of hisheart disease, which has existed since forever.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t easy to be cured. A long-term recovery n is required. He can¡¯t be too tired, and he can¡¯t be too worried about anything.¡±

    ¡°That is to say, he will spend the rest of his life as an invalid.¡± Hearing this, Santiago shot daggers at the doctor, who then rectified, ¡°Well, not exactly. You know what they say. Happy heart, happy body.¡±

    ¡°I see. Stuart, take good care of him. I¡¯ll go and check on Raeleigh.¡± With that, Santiago nced at Jepherson before turning around and walking away.

    He arrived at Raeleigh¡¯s ward. Her surgery had long since ended, and she was sent to a ward. Scarlette was still wiping her tears outside of her ward. She didn¡¯t dare to go in and have a look.

    Hadrian stood by the door, keeping an eye on Scarlette to ensure that her emotions were stable.

    When Santiago came, she stood up and greeted him while shedding tears. ¡°Mr. Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Hey.Take a break. If you continue to cry, then you will look ugly. You can¡¯t take care of Raeleigh in this way. Hadrian, go back and bring Cynthia over. I will call her. By the way, tell Serra that my brother is sick, and that Raeleigh is taking care of him here. We can¡¯t let the cat out of the bag. Also, get some clothes for Scarlette. She isn¡¯t in a proper mental state right now. We need to arrange for her to be admitted to the hospital too, so that she won¡¯t go back and leak anything. It¡¯ll only make things worse.¡±

    Pursing her lips, Scarlette thought, ¡°Have I ever made things worse? Now that Raeleigh has ended up like this, shouldn¡¯t I be sad?¡±

    Scarlette just couldn¡¯t wrap her head around this matter. She wondered how in the world Raeleigh wound up in this condition.

 Chapter 1170 Get to Know Each Other Again

    After making the arrangements, Santiago pushed the door open and entered. Scarlette watched the door close before she slumped in dejection once again.

    Once Santiago had entered the ward, he walked to Raeleigh¡¯s side, sat down, and looked at her. Her face was white as snow. This is how a woman was like when she lost her child through miscarriage. Other than that, she was covered in sweat.

    Santiago slipped his hand under the quilt and held her hand. It was so cold, just like the hand of a dead person.

    After a while, he put her hand back.

    Gradually, the sky darkened. Santiago got up and went to stand by the window for a moment before he came back to sit beside her. After that, he stood up again. After enduring one such restless spell throughout the night, he finally sat still.

    Soon, it was dawn. Raeleigh also rose at the break of dawn. She opened her eyes slowly and stared into space. Everything felt like a dream, as if they had travelled light-years previously, and were very far away from her!

    Raeleigh fixed her hollow eyes on the white ceiling, devoid of any expression.

    Santiago extended his hand and ced it on her forehead. He felt her forehead andpared it to his own, making sure that she didn¡¯t have a fever.

    Getting up, Santiago went to pour Raeleigh a ss of water while she looked at him from the side. He added some sugar into the ss and blew on it, and the finishing touch was putting a straw into it. ¡°Drink some water.¡±

    Raeleigh was lying still. He delivered it close to her mouth and pinched down her chin before sticking the straw into her mouth with a poker face. ¡°The baby may be gone, but you can always have another in the future. If you¡¯re gone, then there will be nothing left.¡±

    ¡°I have already figured out what happened. He deliberately found someone to irritate you. He must have encountered a certain issue. I will ask himter. There¡¯s a problem with his heart and he is currently still in aa.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°In aa?¡±

    She turned her face away and did not drink the water. She contemted something, but she couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    Santiago put down the ss and staredmomentarilyat her. ¡°You should know that he wouldn¡¯t havemitted such an idiotic mistake for no reason.¡±

    Looking back at him, she ced her hand on her belly to stroke it quietly.

    Santiago nced at her hand. ¡°This child isn¡¯t fated toe and meet you, but it¡¯s okay. You¡¯ll have twins in the future to make up for it.¡±

    Raeleigh fell into a stupor. It took her a long time to turn her head away. Shepsed into silence the whole time.

    Santiago had been sitting by her side for a while when Cynthia knocked on the door from the outside. Actually, she had already arrived earlier, but she didn¡¯te in because she saw them talking inside. She had been standing outside all the while.

    The knock at the door drew Santiago¡¯s attention. He stood up and opened the door, taking in her luggage.

    Cynthia had a pair of bloodshot eyes. Hearing the news that Raeleigh had had a miscarriage, she had cried along the way here. She had gotten over it initially after she reached here, but when she saw Scarlette¡¯s teary face, she began to be overwhelmed by the sorrow again.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    She had just sobbed before she wiped off her tears and entered the ward.

    Santiago smiled. ¡°What are you crying for?¡±

    She lowered her head and didn¡¯t answer as Santiago set the luggage aside. She quickly took off her jacket and approached Raeleigh. ¡°How are you doing?¡±

    Before this, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t bring herself to smile no matter who came to visit her. That said, she managed to force a smile when she saw Cynthia.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why are you here?¡± Raeleigh nced at the huge luggage. Cynthia replied, ¡°Scarlette doesn¡¯t know how to take care of people. I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯m fine.¡± Raeleigh did not even have the strength to speak. Obviously, she was just putting on a brave face.

    Cynthia did not say anything else as she was aware that Raeleigh would refuse even if she said anything.

    She got herself busy by pouring Raeleigh a fresh ss of water and adding some brown sugar in it.

    Only then did Santiago lie down on the couch.

    ¡°Are you tired?¡± Cynthia¡¯s eyes fell on him. He shot a nce at her. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy. I¡¯ll take a nap. Pay a visit to my brotherter, see if he¡¯s well.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go as soon as I finish my job here. Have a good rest.¡± Cynthia bent down and covered Santiago with a nket. After Santiago closed his eyes, she turned to look at Raeleigh. Afterwards, she cleaned up the ce and asked Raeleigh, ¡°When did you wake up?¡±

    Raeleigh checked the time. ¡°It has been a while.¡±

    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Cynthia continued to ask, to which Raeleigh shook her head.

    ¡°You can¡¯t leave your stomach empty. I¡¯ll grab something for you and visit Jepherson while I¡¯m at it. Get some rest first.¡± Cynthia told her before she went out to pay Jepherson a visit.

    Raeleigh watched as Cynthia left. Thetter then stole a nce at Santiago. Her words were reasonable that it was intriguing for someone like Cynthia to be one of the Moore family.

    Raeleigh remained silent in the quiet ward. Thoughts had been brewing in her head. In the end, she grabbed her phone, which had been put aside, and made a call to Xanthus to prevent him from worrying about her.

    As a result, Xanthus rushed to the hospital. When they met, his face was even paler than hers. Raeleigh gazed at him helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s not his fault. I identally fainted in the elevator.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything else, but Xanthus was very aggrieved about it. He wouldn¡¯t let it go so easily.

    ¡°You need to rest now. One of these days, I¡¯ll arrange a full body checkup for you.¡±

    ¡°Mom and Dad told me that they wanted toe, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea now. I¡¯d better take you back to see them after you recover.¡±

    Although Xanthus felt that bringing her back was uncalled for, since it would be a joke for their parents to meet her inher current state.

    Raeleigh nodded calmly.

    However, Xanthus knew that she was used to bottling up her feelings as she had experienced her fair share of adversities ever since she was a child.

    The absence of tears didn¡¯t necessarily mean an absence of pain. The emotional baggage that she was carrying was enough to bear witness to her suffering.

    With Xanthus as herpany, she gradually fell asleep. Cynthia was taken aback when she came back.

    Surprised, Cynthia stood by the door momentarily before she walked over and put down the bowl of porridge in her hand. She greeted Xanthus politely. ¡°Hello, Dr. Osteen.¡±

    Xanthus was still holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand,and thetter reciprocated the gesture. Cynthia found that his action was rather grant even if they were siblings.

    It was just that she was in no position to poke her nose into where it was unwanted. Nevertheless, she still dropped him a friendly reminder. ¡°Miscarriage can take a heavy toll on one¡¯s health.It¡¯s better if you put her hand in the quilt.¡±

    After being reminded, Xanthus did as she said. Following that, he stood up to thank Cynthia.

    ¡°Thank you for taking care of Raeleigh. I truly appreciate it,¡± Xanthus said. Cynthia turned to give him a strange look. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it for your appreciation. Why would you thank me? I¡¯m doing all these because of Santiago. Furthermore, Raeleigh and I are friends. Save your gratitude.¡±

    Xanthus found it funny and immediately asked, ¡°We haven¡¯t gotten to know each other officially, have we?¡±

    She seemed to be baffled. ¡°We¡¯ve already known each other.¡±

    ¡°The name¡¯s Xanthus Osteen. Let¡¯s get our first meeting right.¡± Xanthus stretched out his hand towards her. His finger joints were well-defined, and there was a faint pink in the palm of his hand and the inner side of his fingers. For a moment, a thought flitted across Cynthia¡¯s mind. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s how doctors¡¯ hands look like.¡±

 Chapter 1171 Free From Any Shackles

    Cynthia found it unnecessary. They had already known each other, therefore there was no need for them to get to know each other again.

    She didn¡¯t extend her hand to shake Xanthus¡¯, whereas thetter didn¡¯t withdraw his hand but just stared at her. Several times, Cynthia helplessly swept her eyes over Santiago,who showed no sign of waking up. Later, she called out his name. Only then did Santiago open his eyes.

    Santiago sat up and stared at the two people, who were confronting each other. Cynthia walked over. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± Santiago gave her a sideways nce while she lowered her head slightly.

    Xanthus turned to look at them without saying anything. Santiago shot a nce at him. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh called me,¡± Xanthus said while he sat next to Raeleigh, much to the displeasure of Cynthia. Her general impression of him was getting worse. Raeleigh was Jepherson¡¯s girlfriend, and they had been living together. She wondered what Xanthuswasdoing.

    Santiago nced at Cynthia and yawned. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy. Time for a nap. Leave Raeleigh to Cynthia. You¡¯d better leave, since it¡¯s not convenient for you to stay here. Cynthia is pretty timid, so don¡¯t scare her.¡±

    Santago tossed andy down, after which Cynthia covered him with the nket at once. She served him attentively.

    Only then did Xanthus say, ¡°I¡¯ll just sit at the side to keep Raeleighpany. I won¡¯t disturb you.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Santiago yawned again, turned over, facing Raeleigh before he fell asleep.

    Cynthia was speechless. No matter how much she had said, no one would pay her anyattention.

    Silence settled in the ward. Sitting beside Raeleigh, Xanthus started sizing up Cynthia.

    She was wearing in but elegant clothes, all of which were given to her by Santiago. Her former style was disliked by him because she looked staid in those clothes. More precisely, Santiago hated all the things that had a trace of convention in them.

    Cynthia was also an easygoing person, especially towards Santiago. As long as he liked it, she would put in a lot of effort to do it, even aligning her style and eating habits ording to his preference.

    Xanthus didn¡¯t actually have a thing for women, and he didn¡¯t know what was going on with him. There were many women pursuing him in recent years, but he didn¡¯t take a fancy to any of them. Some of them were marked with mboyance in their characters, some of them stood out with their gentleness, and some had good taste in fashion, but all of them failed to grab his attention.

    He didn¡¯t feel anything special, as he was busy looking for his sister. In his view, almost all the women had been tagged with a ¡®Not My Sister¡¯bel.

    Ergo, he was still a single, solo man.

    Cynthia, a Moore family member, had appeared within his line of sight back in the day, but he did have an unusual feeling about her. He didn¡¯t dislike her, nor had hebelled her.

    Just then, it was just on a whim that he had wanted to get to know her and let her know him in a formal manner. He did not expect her to overreact and be frightened. She had even woken up Santiago to seek protection from him. She was as delicate as a doll that had been cornered, not daring to make a sound.

    Meanwhile, Cynthia was muttering in her mind, and her heart was fluttering about. In her eyes, Xanthus was really an unprincipled person. Not only had he tried to meddle in Raeleigh¡¯s and Jepherson¡¯s matter, he also kept ogling at her. It was so impertinent of him.

    Even though Cynthia was disgruntled, she didn¡¯t dare to voice it out loud. She had already woken Santiago up once. It wasn¡¯t appropriate to do it again.

    In the silent ward, Xanthus had been sitting for quite a while, but there was no sign of him leaving anytime soon. It gave Cynthia a feeling that he was after something from her.

    Finally, Raeleigh got up, andXanthus immediately turned to check on her. ¡°Hey, areyou up?¡±

    Raeleigh replied, ¡°Hmm.¡± She had not slept too well, and that was why she rose so soon.

    Rising to her feet was Cynthia, to attend to Raeleigh. She took a clean towel and was going to wipe Raeleigh¡¯s face, which was covered in sweat. Xanthus stretched out his hand. ¡°Let me do it.¡±

    As a result, their hands touched each other, andCynthia¡¯s hand recoiled in a heartbeat. Xanthus looked at her. ¡°Give it to me.¡±

    She was about to blow her top, but Xanthus had already extended his hand, and he had this innocent face, which caused Cynthia to be flustered. She did not know how to react to it.

    ¡°Let me do it, and you can rest.¡± Cynthia thought it was her duty to take care of Raeleigh. Xanthus was not obliged to do this kind of job, even if his rtionship with Raeleigh was unusual.

    Xanthus didn¡¯t heed her arrangement. He took away the towel from her hand and personally wiped off Raeleigh¡¯s sweat. He did it tenderly, as though he was doing it for his beloved. There was a moment where Cynthia felt the urge to push this man away from Raeleigh to protect her.

    She stared at Raeleigh¡¯s tranquil countenance, wondering why Raeleigh was so obedient in front of Xanthus, and let him do whatever he wanted to her.

    To Cynthia, Xanthus was clearly not a good person.

    After wiping the sweat off Raeleigh¡¯s face, Xanthus sat down. He looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°You are very weak now. Don¡¯t expose yourself to the wind. Let¡¯s take a trip abroad after you are discharged from the hospital.¡±N?velDrama.Org content.

    Raeleigh nodded. Cynthia cast a look at Santiago, who was sleeping on one side, and wondered when he would get up.

    At the moment, she was the only person who was concerned about Raeleigh¡¯s safety. Santiago and even Raeleigh herself didn¡¯t fret about Xanthus¡¯s presence at all.

    Raeleigh seemed to be fine. Xanthus stood up, washed the towel, and dried it on one side. After that, he went back and checked how warm the bowl of porridge waswith his hand. It hadn¡¯t gone cold yet. Hence, he helped Raeleigh to sit up. The main thing was that Raeleigh needed to consume some food.

    ¡°It¡¯s beneficial for you to move a bit. Let¡¯s sit up for a while.I¡¯ll feed you the porridge, and then you can lie down again.¡± Xanthus was a doctor, so Raeleigh trusted whatever he said, and she also believed that he would be kind to her.

    Cynthia, who was standing at the side, was so anxious to help Raeleigh. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Let me.¡± Xanthus gave Cynthia no chance to intervene. She could only stand aside idly, feeling despondent.

    It wasn¡¯t until Raeleigh had finished eating the porridge that shey down again.

    While Raeleigh was resting, Xanthus felt tired, but he didn¡¯t show any intention of leaving. Instead, he shrugged off his coat, unbuttoned his shirt, rolled up his sleeves, and went to the washroom to brush his teeth before he came out.

    Cynthia¡¯s eyes fell on the beds inside the ward. It was a spacious VIP ward, and there were four beds in total. Even so, Xanthus should not stay here, at least in Cynthia¡¯s opinion, because he was a man and an outsider.

    Pursing her lips, she wore a helpless expression on her face. Both Santiago and Raeleigh had fallen asleep, so she couldn¡¯t find anyone to express her disapproval of Xanthus.

    Wearily, she trudged towards one of the beds and sat down on it. Three of the four beds were upied, so the empty one would be hers.

    Raeleigh was in deep sleep. Cynthia slipped her shoes off, changed into slippers, and went to the washroom to wash up. She emerged once again, changed into a set of pyjamas.

    She went back to lie down on the bed and stole nces at Xanthus,with an air of unease hanging around her. What in the world, she thought, was he going to do?

    That night, everyone was absorbed in their own solitary thoughts, including Santiago.

    The next morning, Raeleigh opened her eyes to the morning sunshine. She gazed out of the window,upliftingher spirits.

    Anyway, she had lost the baby. Since Jepherson intended to break up, then she wouldoblige, if not for any other reason than to spare him from estranging himself from her and to rid the baby by any means necessary.

    Now that the baby was gone, he could rx as well. Raeleigh wondered if he would henceforth be freed from any shackles that was the baby.

 Chapter 1172 Taking No Notice

    Jepherson, who was lying on the sickbed, opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. There was not a single person beside him. Stuart was standing at the door. He ran over when he saw Jepherson waking up.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Raeleigh?¡± Jepherson asked right away as soon as he saw Stuart. Stuart bowed his head. ¡°Miss Raeleigh is fine. She¡¯s recuperating in her own ward, but she might not be in the mood to see you.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    It was the first time in his life to have lied to Jepherson, who then picked up the things around him and smashed them all. Stuart did not dare to dodge them, and his head was injured in the wake of everything.

    Jepherson put down his hand andy on the bed. He told Stuart to bandage the wound, and thetterplied, retreating from the ward. Stuart found someone to guard Jepherson for the time being.

    Jephersony on the bed alone, waiting until Stuart bandaged himself up and came back. He felt that he had no strength.His body was feeble, and he seemed to have been drained, breaking out in cold sweat. When Stuart came back into his sight, he moved his lips and asked, ¡°How is Raeleigh?¡±

    He remembered that he had heard someone saying she had been trapped in the elevator, and the ground in it was covered with blood.

    Jepherson closed his eyes, heavily. He could not imagine what had happened. It even struck panic in his heart.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, Miss Raeleigh has had a miscarriage.¡± Stuart was also unclear about how to tell Jepherson the news. Now that Jepherson had found out about it, he merely closed his eyes and did not betray the slightest bit of emotion.

    Stuart stood still while Jepherson gave an order.¡°Get the doctor here.¡±

    ¡°You have a heart disease, and the doctors said you need to rest,¡± Stuart quickly replied. Jepherson gazed at Stuart for a while. ¡°I know my own body well. Call the doctor over. I won¡¯t die from this!¡±

    Stuart could no longer dissuade him. He turned around and walked outside to summon the doctor. When the doctor came, Jepherson asked, ¡°Tell me about my condition. Be honest.¡±

    The doctor didn¡¯t dare to lie to him, therefore he told him the truth about the physical condition of his body. After hearing it, Jepherson remained silent for a moment. He was the one who had made a mistake. He should be punished by God. Hemented, whyhadthe retribution struck Raeleigh, depriving her of her child?

    Jepherson pondered briefly before telling the doctor, ¡°I got it. Arrange an operation for me. I need to go abroad immediately. Don¡¯t inform others about this. Stuart, you¡¯re fully in charge of it.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, I¡¯m worried that¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough, this is the final say. Regarding the consent papers, you can sign it. No doubts are permitted.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t want to say anything else. Then, he shut his eyes, demonstrating no interest in listening to Stuart¡¯s iing protests. Stuart had to follow the doctor outside.

    The doctors were all disconcerted. Santiago alone was enough to fill them with horror. Right then, Jepherson had also slotted himself into their personal list of doom, bringing horror to the next level.

    Anyway,nothing was constant but their mortality, so they might as well just follow Jepherson¡¯s order.

    They went back and began to prepare for the operation. That night, at 12 o¡¯clock, Jepherson went to visit Raeleigh. He stood outside the door of the ward and peered inside. When Scarlette saw him, she stood up in excitement. But before she could speak, she was stopped by Jepherson. He ced a finger before his lips to hush her.

    She said no more. All she did was raise her head to stare at Jepherson, whose eyes were brimming with tears. He stood outside the ward, engulfed in dejection. He didn¡¯t even have the courage to push the door open and enter.

    At the end of the day, he reaped what he had sown.

    He had ignored Raeleigh¡¯s wishes and taken her to the hospital, intending to terminate her pregnancy. However, Raeleigh had not been willing to oblige. His sole concern was how conflicted he was, but he had failed to notice Raeleigh¡¯s feelings. Not only didn¡¯t he regret what he had done, he had also put Raeleigh in harm¡¯s way. With such an abominable mistake, how could he bring himself to meet her?

    After a while, when everyone was resting, he turned around and nced at Scarlette. Without saying anything, he walked towards the elevator. Scarlette felt the urge to ask him if he wanted to enter, but she dared not. Her question remained unasked up till thest moment.

    Not long after he went into the elevator, Raeleigh rose. She opened her eyes and stared at the door. She knew that Jepherson hade here and just left.

    ¡­

    The next morning, Scarlette went into the ward to visit Raeleigh. The loss of Raeleigh¡¯s baby was equally a great blow to Scarlette. She hadn¡¯t expected that Raeleigh would have lost her child.

    She had been looking forward to meeting Raeleigh¡¯s baby, but this expectation had dissipated without so much as a warning. Nobody would be able to ept such a harsh reality.

    Not to mention Scarlette, who had been envisioning countless moments in the future ying with the child.

    Right then, that baby was gone, how could Scarlette not be sad?

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson was here. He stood outside and looked at you, and his face was sorrowful, but he didn¡¯t let me speak. Then, he left.¡± Scarlette still told Raeleigh what had happened the previous night. Raeleigh just stared at her without a word.

    She had been together with Jepherson for so long. Of courseshe could tell that he had been here. It was just that this ident had urred so abruptly, and she had no idea how to respond when meeting him.

    Scarlette was waiting for Raeleigh¡¯s response. Raeleigh, on the other hand, felt as though a weight had been taken off her chest. Now that it was useless to dwell on it, she¡¯d better shut down her thoughts.

    ¡°Scarlette, when will my body recover? Could you please check with the doctor?¡± Raeleigh was unsettled that her grandmother would discover something if she stayed in the hospital for too long, so she wanted to be discharged from the hospital as soon as possible.

    Scarlette found it hard to answer. What they were saying was not the same thing.

    She looked at Cynthia. ¡°Do you have any idea?¡±

    Cynthia replied, ¡°For your case, you can¡¯t be discharged from the hospital so soon. It¡¯s bad for your body.¡±

    Cynthia had asked around. The doctor had said that Raeleigh would be fine in seven days, but plenty of women had attested to miscarriage being a lot worse than giving birth to a child. It might cause some irreparable damage to her body if she was not cautious.

    Scarlette agreed with Cynthia.Raeleighy on her bed momentarily. ¡°I need to be discharged from the hospital within a week. If it takes too long, then I¡¯m worried that Grandma will lose sleep over me. You can rest assured that I will take good care of myself after I¡¯ve been discharged, and I will exin to Grandma myself.¡±

    Scarlette and Cynthia exchanged looks. Presently, Raeleigh didn¡¯t hold out much hope. She appeared to be so collected that no one could say anything about it. When it came to a romantic rtionship, those who were inexperienced might be clueless, but those who were experienced would be aware that they were in no position toment much on others¡¯ rtionships. Only the parties involved would know whether their rtionships could stand the test of time.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll ask the doctor. If we get the permission, then let¡¯s get you discharged.¡± Cynthia stood up and was going to ask the doctor. Meanwhile, Xanthus came in. He had gone out to fetch some water in the morning. When he arrived at the door, he overheard their conversation.

    He was well aware of Raeleigh¡¯s feelings. So, he had already made up his mind on how to deal with this matter.

    Pushing the door open, he cracked a smile. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not disturbing you.¡±

    After the pleasantries, Xanthus then added, ¡°You can be discharged in a week. Don¡¯t worry about this.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile. ¡°Alright.¡±

    Scarlette and Cynthia gaped at each other, their brows knitted.

    What did he have to do with this? They wondered simultaneously.

    Xanthus came in and set the sk in his hand down. He then walked to Raeleigh¡¯s side and performed a simple checkup for her. He acted as if they were close, as if they were a couple.

    Cynthia approached Santiago and pulled him. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Wakey-wakey, rise and shine.¡±

    Only then did Santiago slowly stir, but he did not respond at all,pletely taking no notice of how Xanthus and Raeleigh got along with each other.

 Chapter 1173 To Dote on Her

    For the past few days of Raeleigh hospitalization, Jepherson hadn¡¯t shown up. At first, Santiago didn¡¯t pay attention to it. Later, he went to look for Jepherson, only to find that he was out of the country.

    Santiago called him, but the one who answered the call was always Stuart, and Santiago gave him a good scolding. In the end, Stuart no longer dared to pick up his call again.

    When the day came for Raeleigh to be discharged, Jepherson seemed to have disappeared off the face of the Earth.

    Scarlette sat sullenly in the front passenger seat while Hadrian drove the car. Raeleigh and Cynthia sat in the back.

    Knowing that it was time for Raeleigh to be discharged from the hospital, Deanna also came,although Zorion did not.

    Deanna turned up with the protection of bodyguards.

    Scarlette finally understood what it meant to have survived a traumatic experience.

    Arriving at her home, Raeleigh got out of the car. Cynthia took away all the things from her hands, refusing to let her carry anything. Raeleigh looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°A little caution goes a long way.¡± In Cynthia¡¯s view, women deserved to be spoiled every once in a while, especially when Raeleigh was not in good health.

    Once Santiago got out of the car, he received a phone call from Marissa. On the phone, she vented her anger, told him to go back, and asked where Jepherson had disappeared to. ¡°Madness, this is madness,¡± was one of her many gripes.

    Santiago didn¡¯t say anything. He hung up the phone and turned to look at the two women. ¡°I need to go back, something came up. I¡¯ll leave Raeleigh to you.¡±

    ¡°Go. I know what to do.¡± Cynthia always listened to Santiago. She wouldn¡¯t raise any objections in whatever he did.

    ¡°Take good care of yourself.¡± Santiago nced at Raeleigh before he turned around, returned to the car, closed the door, and took out a pack of cigarettes. He had not smoked for a week. Right then, he started smoking again.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Santiago, who was smoking inside the car. She thought,¡°It¡¯s been this season, he shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±

    On second thought, she realized it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him even in that season as he was always healthy.

    Everyone had gotten out of the car. Deanna walked to Raeleigh¡¯s side and sized up Cynthia. After that, she asked Raeleigh, ¡°Raeleigh, where is Santiago going?¡±

    ¡°Home,¡± Raeleigh answered. Deanna gazed at Raeleigh. ¡°I see. Raeleigh, you have had a miscarriage. You should pay more attention to your health. Geez, I didn¡¯t even know that you were pregnant.¡±

    Cynthia goggled at Deanna in stupefaction. Scarlette used to tell her about how Deanna was not too bright. Right then, it seemed that Deanna¡¯s problems were more than just notbeingtoo bright. She couldn¡¯t read the room at all.

    Scarlette came from behind. She was one of the reasons that Deanna had gone missing. Initially, she wanted to throw shade at Deanna, but she did not do so, and she even adopted a friendlier attitude towards her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.Remembernot to bring this matter up, no matter what. I¡¯m sure Grandma will be sad if she knows it.¡± Raeleigh had gone through such a mishap. There was no way Novalie would be pleased to hear about it.

    Deanna turned around and looked at Scarlette. ¡°Scarlette, in your opinion, why did Jepherson leave?¡±

    Scarlette felt awkward. She stole a nce at Raeleigh. She had grown ustomed to how mindless Deanna was.

    ¡°How would I know anything about Mr. Jepherson? My advice is, you¡¯d better not be a busybody and just mind your own business. Chop-chop, in you go.¡± Scarlette urged her to go in, so that she would stop running her mouth. Deanna, however, did not share Scarlette¡¯s sentiment. She pushed Scarlette¡¯s hand away and sidled up to Raeleigh. ¡°Raeleigh¡­ I didn¡¯t know Jepherson was such a person. He didn¡¯t tell me anything about leaving. I will call him.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment while Scarlette was greatly annoyed by Deanna. ¡°What has that got to do with you? If you have all the time in the world, then just take care of yourself, thank you very much.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Deanna was about to speak again, but Scarlette directly pushed her into the house. ¡°I see that you want to have your cake and eat it. In you go.¡±

    Being pushed by Scarlette, Deanna was unhappy, and her face was taut. Nheless, she was helpful towards Raeleigh. She said to Raeleigh, ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t sit by and do nothing.¡±

    Scarlette shot a nce at Raeleigh silently, thinking in her mind, ¡°Why didn¡¯t she react at all when she heard what Deanna said.¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh speak. ¡°Jepherson and I have made it clear. Don¡¯t concern yourself with our affairs anymore, or else he will think that I have deceived you.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯sst sentence was just a joke, but Deanna took it seriously.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be deceived. I¡¯ve grown up. Even my brother said that I¡¯ve already grown up,¡± Deanna said confidently. Raeleigh found itical, saying, ¡°Great.¡±

    Standing aside, Scarlette was lost for words. Would a person who was grown up keep trumpeting that she had grown up?

    Cynthia had already arranged everything nicely. This was what she excelled at.

    She, Elina¡¯s daughter, was naturally different from ordinary people. Anyway, her upbringing had contributed to her excellence.

    Xanthus stood aside and gazed at Cynthia with a hint of admiration in his eyes. A faint smile crept over his lips subconsciously.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. The luggage are all here.¡± Cynthia held Raeleigh¡¯s arm after counting all the luggage. It seemed that she was holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand and walking into the vi, but in fact, she was helping Raeleigh getting in.

    Scarlette and Deanna were still talking whereas Hadrian apanied them through the door.

    Upstairs, Novalie looked down. When she saw Raeleighing in with Cynthia¡¯s help, she managed to grasp what was going on. Then, she swept her eyes over the things carried in by Hadrian. Deanna had asked someone to buy some expensive supplements for Raeleigh.

    Novalie walked back to her chair and sat down, furrowing her brow. There was an inexplicable grief in her heart.

    To her, no distress could second seeing Raeleigh suffer.

    After entering the vi, Raeleigh sat downstairs for a while. She was weak and had begun to sweat after taking a few steps.

    Novalie was waiting upstairs, but Raeleigh hadn¡¯t gone and greeted her yet. She was aware that Raeleigh was not in good health. Therefore, she waited patiently.

    Raeleigh rested briefly, wiped the sweat off her body before she paid Novalie a visit.

    Arriving at the door, Raeleigh knocked on the door. Inside, Novalie said, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Raeleigh pushed the door open and went in. Novalie could tell that she was much thinner. She felt an inexplicable regret for Raeleigh.

    After studying Raeleigh for a short time, Novalie said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so silly in the future. You should have told me everything earlier.¡±

    Upon hearing her words, Raeleigh¡¯s sorrow poured out in a flood of uncontroble tears. She entered the room, hugged Novalie, and cried her heart out. Novalie was filled with remorse. If it weren¡¯t for her, then her granddaughter wouldn¡¯t have fallen in love with Jepherson, and she wouldn¡¯t have wound up in this way.

    Novalie had thought Jepherson was a determined man. Unexpectedly, he didn¡¯t live up to her expectations.

    He still hurt her granddaughter.

    Raeleigh was a little tired from sobbing. Novalie told her, ¡°As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Every hardship you¡¯ve gone through will be a lesson for you. You¡¯re still young, and there¡¯s a long journey ahead of you. Don¡¯t give up at this time. Do you hear me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m too old to do anything for you. Instead, I¡¯m counting on you to take care of me. If something happens to you, then what should I do?¡±

    Her words set Raeleigh at ease. Eventually, she fell asleep in Novalie¡¯s arms.

    As for Novalie, she sat contemting her life. In her mind, life was just a show of mixed joys and sadness, where people took turns to y their respective roles. No one was the real winner in the end. Agony, woe, and heartbreak were known to none but oneself.

    She sighed softly and took a look at Raeleigh, thinking, ¡°This child has a hard life. Why can¡¯t those people just let her have a peaceful life?¡±

    Closing her eyes, Novalie patted Raeleigh gently on the back. If others wouldn¡¯t dote on Raeleigh, then she would. There would always be someone to understand Raeleigh¡¯s pains.

 Chapter 1174 Not a Suitable Time

    Downstairs,Deanna kept inundating Jepherson with calls.

    She wanted to ask why he neither visited Raeleigh nor picked her up when she was discharged from the hospital. She was so indignant that she channeled her fury through the calls.

    Scarlette had tried to stop her at first, but she gave up eventually. There existed in this world a sort of people who couldn¡¯t be reasoned with. The more the advice given to them, the more obstinate they would be. They insisted on going their own ways.

    Deanna was a typical example of this species.

    Scarlette, for one, wanted to see if her attempts would be fruitful atst. Butter, it turned out that Jepherson neither picked up her calls, nor did he reply to them, even until her phone was out of battery.

    Deanna found a charger to charge her phone, sitting aside, containing the anger within her.

    Looking at how she behaved, Cynthia gradually understood why Santiago had searched for Deanna instantly the moment he heard that Deanna had gone missing, and why he had done it without any rest.

    Perhaps, there was love, but it was definitely not the love that was known between a man and woman. It was the love for a little girl who hadn¡¯t grown up yet.

    Deanna¡¯s world was rather pure. She would not scheme against others. Although she had shown some cunning, she had yet to mature.

    Cynthia ced the washed fruits on the table before Deanna. ¡°Eat some fruits first. He won¡¯t pick up the call even if you continue calling.¡±

    Deanna raised her head and widened her eyes. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, he is also very disheartened now, which is why he can¡¯te back to see Raeleigh for the time being, and maybe he¡¯s ming himself.¡± This was Cynthia¡¯s view. In fact, it was not difficult to figure this out. All it took was only to put herself in others¡¯ shoes if she wanted to understand their feelings.

    Deanna chomped on a piece of fruit. ¡°You mean that Jepherson is also very sad, but he didn¡¯te because he¡¯s ming himself?¡±

    ¡°Bingo.¡± Actually, Cynthia wasn¡¯t very sure either. After all, it was not her own business.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Deanna replied, leaning against her chair.

    After sitting for a while, Deanna checked the time and turned to look at Raeleigh¡¯s room upstairs before she stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going back, or else my brother will be worried about me.¡±

    With that, she left. Scarlette went to see her off at the door. It wasn¡¯t until she saw Deanna getting into the car that she turned back.

    As soon as she turned around, Hadrian appeared and stared strangely at her, as though he was staring at a prisoner.

    He blocked her way when she walked over. She raised her head in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡±

    ¡°Why did you buy a flight ticket?¡± Hadrian wore a gloomy expression. She frowned. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    Scarlette had bought it online. She hadn¡¯t told anyone, but Hadrian knew it somehow. It gave her an eerie feeling.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matterhow I knew. Answer my question first.¡±

    ¡°The ticket speaks for itself. The reason I¡¯ve bought one, of course, is to go abroad. Or, did you think I bought it to resell it to others at a higher price?¡±

    ¡°Cancel the ticket. You¡¯re going nowhere.¡± Hadrian turned around and left. She followed him, trying to argue with him. But before the argument broke out, he had entered the living room, where there were many people. She didn¡¯t want to quarrel with him in front of them.Quarrelling would turn them into a joke.

    Hadrian was still pulling a long face when he entered the living room. He nced at Xanthus and Cynthia, noticing nothing odd. He stood by the door while Scarlette came in, looked around, and walked to the couch. She started to feel drowsy after sitting down on it.

    Hadrian had been gazing at her with a deeply furrowed brow.

    Concurrently, Xanthus stood up and walked upstairs. When he arrived at the door of Novalie¡¯s room, he knocked on it, after whichshe told him to enter. As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw that Raeleigh had fallen asleep in Novalie¡¯s arms. He pulled her over, carried her, and ced her next to Novalie. Then, he covered her with the nket, tucking her so she could rest.

    He turned around and drew the curtains. The sun began filtering in, which was good for Raeleigh¡¯s recovery.

    Only then did he turn back and sit opposite to Novalie.Exhaustion was stark on his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have troubled you.¡±

    Novalie¡¯s eyes fell on him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let bygones be bygones. Some things are just meant to be. You don¡¯t have to get yourself in a mess over them.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is rather reserved. We may be siblings, but she won¡¯t genuinely open up to me. I hope you canfort and guide her.¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean. Don¡¯t worry, she won¡¯t get knocked down by others this easily.¡±

    Novalie closed her eyes after saying so. Xanthus then got up and went outside.

    Closing the door, he went downstairs and sat down, having no intention to leave.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    Bemusement was written all over Cynthia¡¯s face.She wondered, was he going to stay in the vi?

    Scarlette had fallen asleep, and Cynthia couldn¡¯t discuss it with Hadrian. Thus, she went back to her own room and called Santiago.

    Meanwhile, Santiago was sitting opposite Marissa and listening to her rants.

    ¡°Do you think that I will believe your im that you¡¯ve no idea where your brother has gone?¡± She was red with anger. In the past, she had wanted Deanna to be her granddaughter-inw, but the name Deanna had long been history. Deanna had been abducted, and her reputation besmirched.

    Marissa wouldn¡¯t allow her grandsons to marry such a woman.

    Currently, she wanted to discuss this issue with Jepherson. However, Jepherson had vanished to who-knows-where.

    Santiago looked at her,with his legs crossed, and said, ¡°You¡¯re no longer young. There¡¯s a butler at home to handle all sorts of things. Why don¡¯t you just go to the salon or spa, and treat yourself to a cuppa when you¡¯re free? Why bother yourself with these petty matters? You only live once, it¡¯ll be a real bummer if you waste it away, living in annoyance.¡±

    ¡°What¡­ What did you say? Do you still respect me as your grandmother? Are you trying to incur my wrath?¡± Marissa questioned while pointing her finger at him. Hearing this, he scratched his ears, stood up, turned around, and walked towards the door, intending to leave.

    Marissa yelled from behind, ¡°Come back,e back, you! I haven¡¯t finished speaking yet. Where are you going?¡±

    Santiago stared at her. ¡°Where I go is my own business. Don¡¯t let it concern you.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I wish to be concerned about you?¡± she snapped.

    ¡°Or else? You called me back just to vent your spleen, no? You said that I don¡¯t respect you. Anyway, you¡¯re my only grandmother. Needless to say, you have two grandsons, yet you never treat your grandsons equally.¡±

    After saying that, Santiago turned and left. His words left her dismayed. She sat down absent-mindedly on the couch.

    Her eyes trailed Santiago, who had walked far away. She wondered what he meant by that.

    The servants lowered their heads. Actually, to them, Santiago was prone to mischief, and he was not a wicked person. But then¡­

    They exchanged looks, thinking that Marissa had shown some bias against Santiago.

    Santiago came out through the door and received a phone call from Cynthia. His phone rang when he was getting into the car.

    Afterwards, he drove away from Richards Manor. On the phone, Cynthia told him about Xanthus¡¯s intention to stay.Santiago replied, ¡°Since Raeleigh has considered him as her brother, we don¡¯t need to care about their business. Just focus on our own issues. I¡¯m going back now. Let¡¯s go watch a movie.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, what?¡±

    Cynthia was reeling in bewilderment from what she heard. Watch a movie?

    ¡°You mean a movie as in, like,a movie?¡±Her astonishment was beyond words. Was it an appropriate time to do this? She thought.

 Chapter 1175 I Canâ€™t

    ¡°Yeah,now.¡± Hanging up, Santiago raced his car to Raeleigh¡¯s house. Upon arrival, he got out of the car and went in to find Cynthia, who had yet to change her clothes.

    ¡°Get changed and let¡¯s go,¡± Santiago said decisively. Cynthia chewed on it for a moment before she turned to take her coat and went out with Santiago. While she was in the car, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the right time for us to hang out.¡±

    ¡°There is nothing right or wrong about it. Look, you¡¯ve been busy for a week, and you owe this timeout to yourself.¡± Santiago cracked a smile. At first, Cynthia wanted to tell him that she hadn¡¯t done much, but the words remained unspoken.

    He sped to a jewelry shop, got out of the car, and went in to purchase a diamond bracelet for Cynthia. She said that she did not want it as it was toovish a gift. Notwithstanding her objection, he still made the payment and let her put it on before he turned around and left the shop.

    Cynthia chased after him from behind like a chick.

    She intended to continue expressing her refusal after getting into the car, but Santiago stuffed a candy into her mouth, shutting her up.

    Later, he brought her to the cinema. Getting out of the car, they browsed the list of movies that were scheduled forter. They chose a romantic movie, bought some snacks, and he then pulled her into the auditorium.

    She looked down at her hand that was sped by Santiago. Not daring to break free, she followed him inside.

    After entering, the two of them sat down and waited for the movie to begin.

    Cynthia was still spilling tears after the movie had ended. She lowered her head and wiped the tears. Romantic movies werebeautiful as ever.

    Santiago stripped off his jacket, pulled her over, hugged her close to him, and wrapped it around her as they walked out.

    Outside, the reporters had beenstaking out for a crumb of news for a long time. The pair appearing was their cue to take pictures immediately. It was just that Santiago had never been afraid of this.

    Getting into the car, Cynthia noticed the reporters andinstantly shielded her face.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re having an affair with a married man. What are you so afraid of?¡± Santiago started the car, and lifted his hand to reveal her covered face. Only then did he drive back.

    The sky had darkened by the time they reached home. After going in, Cynthia went to look for Raeleigh, only to find her still sleeping. Xanthus had also moved in and stayed in a room above Raeleigh¡¯s, so that he could give treatment to Raeleigh round the clock. In short, he had be her personal doctor.

    Cynthia had wanted to raise her opinions, but after Santiago¡¯s tacit agreement, she no longer bothered with it.

    Although she was not used to Xanthus¡¯s presence in this vi, she recollected the fact that she was also a guest here, and that made her reticent.

    At dinner time, Santiago went upstairs to get Raeleigh, who had just reluctantly gotten up, but she did note out. Novalie had told her that she would be room-bound for at least a month before she started moving around, and she actually followed Novalie¡¯s instruction to the letter.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    A monthterte autumn had arrived whenRaeleigh began to walk downstairs. She heard that the term break was around the corner.

    However, for a university like theirs, the break was not very long. It was considered lucky to have a dozen days of break, and the break was usually during Christmas.

    It sounded like the break would start soon, but Raeleigh felt that there was a long time between it. She wondered why so many people had already been discussing the break.

    ¡°I want to resign.¡± On the first day Raeleigh went downstairs, she talked to Santiago about this. Santiago was watching television when she came up to him. He turned around and shot a strange look at her, as if he had heard something he should not have. He then leaned against the couch and fixed his piercing eyes on her.

    Santiago hadn¡¯t seen Raeleigh for over a month since she hadn¡¯te down, and he hadn¡¯t made any efforts to visit her either. Cynthia and Xanthus were the ones to go to Raeleigh¡¯s room most frequently. Scarlette also went, but most of the time, she was thinking about how to leave Capital City and hide abroad.

    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who calls the shots when ites to thepany¡¯s affairs. You should know it.¡± Santiago turned back and continued watching TV. Raeleigh sat down beside him. ¡°You can call the shots if you¡¯re inclined to help me.¡±

    Cynthia also showed up bearing a fruit tter. She put it down and stood aside. Santiago nced at her. ¡°Don¡¯t stand there like a servant. Sit down.¡±

    Cynthia did as she was told obediently.

    Raeleigh looked at hertoo, before she focused her eyes back on Santiago. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could help me?¡±

    Santiago watched TV without saying a word. Raeleigh said, ¡°If you don¡¯t help me, then I will look for someone else. There¡¯s always someone willing to pay for me to rescind the contract.¡±

    ¡°Why do you insist on rescinding the contract? Do you think you can sever your ties with him by doing so?¡± Santiago looked displeased. He turned to gaze towards Raeleigh, whobrieflyfell silent. She said, ¡°Come what may, I want nothing to do with the Richards family.¡±

    ¡°What about me? Are you nning to disappear and never see me again after rescinding the contract?¡± Santiago suddenly asked. Raeleigh was dumbfounded for a while, followed by Cynthia.

    The others might not be able to tell what was going on, but Cynthia could.

    Raeleigh was the party involved, and as such, she couldn¡¯t put the situation into perspective.

    On the other hand, Cynthia had an outsider¡¯s point of view, so she could understand the whole picture moreprehensively.

    Raeleigh pondered over her decision momentarily. She would try not to say anything whenever there was an outburst from Santiago.

    Staring at Raeleigh for a short time, he turned around and looked at the direction of the TV, gradually calming down, before saying, ¡°I¡¯m not at liberty to interfere with thepany¡¯s affairs, andI don¡¯t have the right to do so. If you insist on leaving, then take your pick between these two. Either you lose your reputation, or your life!¡±

    Raeleigh slowly raised her head and fixed her eyes on Santiago. ¡°I haven¡¯t indentured myselfas a veto yourpany, have I?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, you haven¡¯t, but it was more or less the same. Should you die, the contract will be revoked, and the Richards Group won¡¯t call your descendants to ount for your wrongdoings. The same applies when you¡¯ve lost all your reputation. Do you think you can up and leave just like that after you¡¯ve sucked everyst bit of the benefits, including the schrship and the promotion contract you¡¯ve signed? That¡¯s impossible with a capital ¡®I¡¯. I don¡¯t know about the other cities, but as long as you¡¯re in Capital City, none of thepanies will dare to hire you.¡±

    Even though Raeleigh was aware of what he said, she still wanted to try her luck.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t help me, then I¡¯ll go and look for Lamarre.¡± Raeleigh thought of her mentor. Santiagoughed when he heard her words. ¡°If he could, ever, help you, then I¡¯ll chop off my head, and you¡¯re wee to bounce it like a ball.¡±

    Scarlette also felt that Raeleigh¡¯s n was unlikely to work out. She said, ¡°Raeleigh,even if you break up with Mr. Jepherson,it¡¯s unnecessary for you to leave thepany. How about finishing your studies first, and then after you graduate, you can consider leaving. At that time, only your service, instead of yourself,will belong to thepany.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have any connections with him anymore. I just want to focus on my studies and leave this ceter on.¡±

    ¡°If he¡¯s willing to let you go, then you¡¯re free even if you¡¯ve chosen to stay in thepany. If he isn¡¯t, then you¡¯ll need to return, even from the ends of the Earth.¡±

    Santiago rose to his feet and strode over to the courtyard.

    Raeleigh watched him leave. She got up right away and followed him. He sat on a bench below a giant tree, feasting his eyes on the scenery. When Raeleigh came over, he crossed his legs and stared at her. She stood for a moment before approaching him. ¡°Help me.¡±

    Santiago lifted his eyelids. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±

 Chapter 1176 The Fallen Leaves in Late Autumn

    Silence descended upon Raeleigh. Sheturned around and went back to the vi. Never again did she give her actions and emotions away, nor did she bring up again the subject of leaving Richards Group. On that same note, however, she didn¡¯t produce any pieces of work, and Richards Group didn¡¯t bother her either.

    Raeleigh rested for two days and was ready to attend the lectures in the university.

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you really going to attend the lectures?¡± Deanna had bought a lot of delicious food for Raeleigh early in the morning. Recently, Deanna had been spending her time in leisure and hadn¡¯t been attending any lectures. Rossie came to her house, and her brother no longer stayed by her side every day. Sometimes, she felt that she had fallen out of her brother¡¯s favor.

    Nevertheless, she was still quite happy that her brother had taken a liking to someone. It was just that she couldn¡¯t put up with his behavior of overstaying his wee in Rossie¡¯s room. After all, Rossie was a girl. How could he do such a thing to a girl by force?

    She had seen Rossie trying to flee more than once, but her endeavors were all to no avail.

    Deanna felt that her brother was guilty of asionally going too far with his actions.

    ¡°I¡¯m all fine now, so I can go to the university. If I don¡¯t,then my body is gonna age way faster than its expiry date.¡± Raeleigh tidied herself up, dressing up in her former style. Deanna sat aside with her white blouse and yellow coat. She was as beautiful as a flower fairy in autumn, but she envied Raeleigh, and the decisiveness and determination she possessed. Unlike herself, who was always indecisive and couldn¡¯t decide on what to do.

    ¡°Then, I also want to go to campus. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Deanna called home. Her brother was busy showering, and it was Rossie who picked up her call.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Rossie¡¯s voice could be heard through the phone. Deanna had gotten used to Rossie instead of her brother answering her call. ¡°Rossie, I¡¯m at Raeleigh¡¯s house. I¡¯ll be attending the lectures. Pass this message to my brother, thanks.¡±

    ¡°I got you.Be careful.¡± Rossie put down the phone and took a look at Zorion, who was wrapped in a towel and had juste out of the shower room. She told him, ¡°The call was from your sister. She said that she is going to attend lectures. She is at Raeleigh¡¯s ce currently.¡±

    Drying his hair, Zorion gazed at Rossie while he approached her.

    ¡°Why did you put on your clothes?Are you going out?¡± Zorion walked up to her, threw the towel aside, and cuddled her.

    Rossie didn¡¯t push him away, but neither did she wee it either.

    ¡°I figure I could use a day off.¡±

    ¡°Remind me again, to get a day off or to run away?¡± There had been more than a few times that he had ambushed her and brought her back, yet she still intended to run away.

    ¡°I have no intention of running away.¡± Rossie didn¡¯t know what to say. It was not that she hated Zorion. She just didn¡¯t want to follow in her mother¡¯s footsteps and ended up being a ything of men.

    She wanted to decide her own fate, and to obtain her desired freedom through her own efforts.

    Zorion held Rossie tightly. ¡°No, you¡¯re trying to run away.¡±

    ¡°You know what? Whatever floats your boat.¡± Rossie lowered her head, showing not much of a reaction. Zorion pinched her chin, forcing her to look at him.N?velDrama.Org content.

    Their eyes met. ¡°Under no circumstances should you try to escape again. If I catch you doing it,then you¡¯re in for a good beating.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m human, and I¡¯m not running away. I just want to feel the weather outside. Can¡¯t I even do that?¡±

    ¡°Of course you can do that, but you can¡¯t leave my sight. I was taking a shower just now while you were putting on your clothes outside. You said that you want to have a day off, but have you asked me?¡± Zorionshed out. Rossie raised her hand and pushed him, but she failed to push him away as he started kissing her. Initially, she wanted to reject him, but she was still pressed down on the bed by him. He had just taken a shower, and he should haveid down and rested, but he did not. Nothing could beat lovemaking with her.

    The servants downstairs were looking upwards. It was very quiet over the past two days. However, right after Deanna had left, Zorion went to Rossie¡¯s room at once and had note out since.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh and the others arrived at the university gate and got out of the car, one after another. Santiago also tagged along that day. Raeleigh was going to attend the lectures, so naturally, Santiago didn¡¯t want to be left behind.

    After entering the campus, Raeleigh followed Santiago to the lecture hall. She headed there in a daze as she looked around the surroundings.

    The ohers were walking in the front while she was falling behind. She stared nkly at thest leaf on a tree branch. The autumn wind brushed over the fallen leaves and rustled them, but didn¡¯t manage to blow thest leaf off the tree. Her eyes were fixed on it. She didn¡¯t know what was going on in her mind, but an inexplicable feeling of despondency enveloped her when she gazed at thest leaf and its iing demise.

    Santiago had walked halfway when he turned around to find that she had stayed rooted under a big tree, appearing to be lost in her thoughts. He called out to her.¡°Back to Earth yet, space cadet?¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly came to her senses and looked at Santiago. Only then did she catch up with them. Scarlette and Deanna walked to her side. They were so engrossed in their conversation about the game that Raeleigh had slipped their minds.

    Raeleigh made her way to Santiago. Then, she continued to walk forward quietly.

    Santiago shoved his hands into his pockets, leading the way expressionlessly, followed by three pretty girls behind him. They were a sight for sore eyes when they walked across the campus together.

    When Santiago came to an abrupt halt,Raeleigh didn¡¯t notice it andbumped into him. Following that, she looked up at him while patting the head of a blockhead. He frowned, turned around, and said unhappily, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to attend the lecture, then don¡¯te. Don¡¯t act like you¡¯ve lost your soul.¡±

    Raeleigh sidestepped him and continued going forward without speaking a word, for she had nothing to say.

    Santiago caught up with her, taking her aside, but she refused to go with him. Subsequently, they began pulling and pushing each other. Scarlette was so on edge that she had no idea how to console Raeleigh. Deanna, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t care less about manners. She stepped forward and pushed Santiago, protecting Raeleigh, who was behind her. ¡°What are you doing? You wanna fight, huh?¡±

    Santiago stopped, biting his lip. ¡°Should I teach you a lesson?¡±

    ¡°Excuse you? I think you¡¯re the one who should be taught a lesson. Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m older than you. You should regard me as your elder sister,¡± Deanna said, standing with her arms akimbo. Santiago gnashed his teeth. ¡°Get out of the way.¡±

    ¡°Over my dead body. What can you do to me? Don¡¯t think that you¡¯re very capable just because you looked taller and more muscr than us women. Let me tell you something. You¡¯re all brawn and no brains. Raeleigh can do whatever she wants. She doesn¡¯t take orders from you.¡±

    Raeleigh stood behind her, ruminating for a while. Then, she lifted her hand and pulled Deanna. ¡°Deanna.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t be afraid. As long as I am here, he won¡¯t dare to do anything to you. I will tell my brother.¡± Deanna turned around and looked at Raeleigh, who shook her head, saying,¡°I¡¯m okay. He just wanted to take me aside so I could collect myself. He thinks it¡¯s meaningless for me to attend the lecture with me being in this state. Actually, I¡¯m with him on this. It was just that he was a bit rude, so it kinda triggered the fight-or-flight response in me. But we¡¯re good.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, you¡¯re too kind for your own good.¡± Scarlette held Raeleigh¡¯s hand, unable to swallow her anger.

    ¡°Scarlette, go to the lecture hall first with Deanna and Hadrian. I want to go for a stroll. Santiago will apany me. Trust me, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    After saying so, Raeleigh turned around and walked to another side, stepping along the path littered with fallen leaves.

 Chapter 1177 Restore Strength

    ¡°Is Raeleigh dying?¡± Looking at Raeleigh¡¯s back from a distance, Deanna pouted and felt weepy. At first, Scarlette wanted to admonish Deanna, but her words were stuck in her throat when she saw Deanna¡¯s doleful expression.

    Seeing how Raeleigh lived like a zombie, Scarlette couldn¡¯t be cheerful either. It was just that Jepherson had disappeared without leaving a message. She could neither understand it, nor could she ept it.

    Raeleigh sauntered for a short timebefore shefound a secluded spot and sat under a tree. In fact, it was pretty quiet that season.

    Yet, Raeleigh felt that only a ce out of everyone¡¯s sight could offer the real quiet and tranquility she yearned for.

    The moment she sat down on the ground,Santiago took off his jacket and threw it to her. ¡°Sit on this.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at the clothes on herp but didn¡¯t heed his words. She didn¡¯t think it was a good idea to sit on a man¡¯s clothes.

    She gave only the slightest nce before she held the jacket in her arms and leaned against the tree.

    She thought she was fine, but the death of her unborn baby had plunged her into despair. She had tried to uplift her spirits, but her efforts were futile. It was as if all the bones in her body were shattered to smithereens, and albeit her attempts to piece them together bit by bit, it came to nothing.

    She had no strength then. She didn¡¯t have the strength to speak, to experience life in this world, nor to do anything else.

    She sat for a while, lowered her head, and buried her face in Santiago¡¯s jacket,her fair hands lying limp above her knees. Her arms were as skinny as that of a child¡¯s. Her fingers were already slender to begin with. Right then, they looked as thin as bamboo branches, and she was all skin and bones.

    Standing and leaning against a tree with his hands in his pockets, Santiago looked up at the clouds in the sky. He squinted as he breathed, feeling the air of mncholy brought by autumn.

    Raeleigh sat there for a long time and only got up after two o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Sweeping her eyes over Santiago, who was on the verge of nodding off, she walked towards him. ¡°Don¡¯t doze off, it¡¯s getting dark. You might just be carried away by the boogeyman when nightes.¡±

    Santiago opened his eyes and stared at her. ¡°Even if the boogeymanes, it won¡¯t take me away. It would be you, if you ask me.¡±

    ¡°And how sure are you of that?¡± Raeleigh was amused. She felt a bit chilly after sitting there for hours. Hence, she put on the jacket while bantering with Santiago.

    Santiago raised his hand and flicked her forehead. ¡°Make a guess.¡±

    Raeleigh rubbed her head. She had grown ustomed to being touched by him every now and then. This was in line with his character, and the way he greeted her was touchy-feely. Old habits die hard, and she had no solution to deal with it either.

    Realizing that Santiago was trying so hard to protect her, Raeleigh felt that it was eptable to be flicked by him.

    ¡°I think the boogeyman must hate to eat you because you¡¯re thick-skinned and your meat is tough, unlike me, who is thin, and my meat is tender.¡± Raeleighughed and turned to walk elsewhere. Santiago followed her from behind. They began to talk on the way.

    ¡°So, do you feel better now?¡± Santiago teetered yfully while looking at Raeleigh. He couldn¡¯t tell if her spirits had been lifted, but she seemed to have thought things through.

    Santiago walked forward as Raeleigh said, ¡°I need some time before I can restore my strength again, but I think I¡¯m fine now. For the next few years, I¡¯ll have to focus on theuniversitycourses.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t waste my time on this. Only when I finish my degree can I pursue my goal.¡±

    ¡°If your goal is to leave the Richards Group, I advise you to give up on it,¡± Santiago said, to which sheignored and checked the time. Now that she had been moving around, her hunger caught up with her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to lunch.¡± Raeleigh took out her purse and made her way towards the gate. Santiago sneered. ¡°Who was the one saying that she wants to focus on studying just now? Why are you leaving the uni for food?¡±

    Raeleigh grinned. ¡°I was talking about the future, not today. Just see it as a treat before the hard work. I want to hang out and have a good meal today. Then, I¡¯lle back to study tomorrow.¡±

    That was exactly what she had mind, so she strode out of the university without hesitation.

    Afterwards, they got into the car, and Santiago drove her to a restaurant.

    Raeleigh emptied her wallet and gave the dor to Santiago. ¡°This is all I got. You have to pay for the rest. I initially nned to take you for a barbecue. A few hundred bucks would have sufficed, but lo and behold, you brought me to this ce. The food here is quite expensive, you know.¡±

    Raeleigh sat aside and was ready to dig in as the waiter was busy serving the food.

    Santiago nced at the money she ced at the side. It was not even enough to pay for a bread roll.

    He looked askance at her. ¡°This much is enough only for a bread roll. That¡¯s it?¡±

    She replied, ¡°Hey, this much is good enough. For your information, this one dish is even costlier than a whole table of dishes that I would always go for. People are born equally, but some only want the best in life.¡±

    Santiago could still remainposed when she said the first sentence. However, he was affronted by her second sentence.

    ¡°Are you referring to me?¡± Holding his cutlery, Santiago raised his eyebrow. Raeleigh replied, ¡°Nah, I was just talking about ¡®some people¡¯.¡±

    He was rendered speechless.

    She was clearly referring to him.

    Santiago snorted and lowered his head to slice the food for Raeleigh.

    It was her first time to have patronized such a ce. Although it looked simple, she didn¡¯t know where to start. So, she had to learn about the dining etiquette and table manners.

    With her appetite satiated, Raeleigh lounged at the side and watched the television avable in the restaurant. The volume of Santiago¡¯s stomach it not one of a regr human¡¯s. He polished off the whole table of dishes in an instant.

    Raeleigh received a call from Scarlette, asking where she was. Raeleigh told her that she was having lunch, which imbued Scarlette with envy.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°Raeleigh, where are you?How about I go over and have some food?¡± Standing by the gate, Scarlette¡¯s eyes lit up at the thought of stuffing herself with a scrumptious meal.

    Deanna rolled her eyes at Scarlette scornfully.What a starry-eyed girl Scarlette was, Deanna thought. She could always pay for herself if she wanted to eat. What was so big a deal with having a meal?

    As for Santiago,as rich as he was, he still lived off his parents.

    As if Deanna would envy him. She returned to her car and told Scarlette, ¡°I¡¯ll look for you guys tomorrow.¡±

    Scarlette waved her hand flippantly. Her desire for the meal had ovee her urge to listen to what Deanna said.

    ¡°I¡¯m done eating. There¡¯s nothing left on the table, and Santiago has paid the bill. If you want to have lunch here, thene over with Hadrian, but I¡¯m not sure if Santiago is inclined to pay for your lunch.¡±

    Scarlette furrowed her brow and thought, did she need to pay for her lunch on her own?

    After a long time, she gave up. ¡°Consider it cancelled. You guys go ahead. I¡¯ll have lunch at home¡±

    Scarlette was extremely discontented with Raeleigh. She hung up and cursed Raeleigh silently in her heart for not asking her to join them.

    Getting back into the car, she was still fantasizing about the delicacies. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t have any because she barely made ends meet.

    Not long after that, the car arrived at a high-ss restaurant. Hadrian stole a nce at her through the rear-view mirror. He unfastened the seat belt and got out of the car, saying, ¡°Get down.¡±

    Scarlette looked out of the window, and she had the urge to strut into the restaurant when she saw many customers entering and exiting from it. However¡­

    When she looked at Hadrian,not even the ghost of her appetite was left.

    Hadrian had been waiting for her, but she had never intended to get out of the car. She didn¡¯t have money, but she didn¡¯t want to be treated by Hadrian. In the past, he hadn¡¯t allowed her to eat freely. Now that the statute of limitations was lifted, she no longer wanted to indulge him with it.

 Chapter 1178 D*mned Sister

    Scarlette still had not emerged out of the car after Hadrian had waited for a long time. He went to her side, raised his hand, and rapped on the door, but she remained seated in the car.

    He opened the door and went in, staring at her. ¡°Are youing out or not?¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Scarlette pulled a long face as she stared at him. ¡°We agreed to go home. Why would youe here?¡±

    Annoyance was written all over her face.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll carry you down.¡± Hadrian bent over, intending to lift Scarlette into his arms. She dodged to the side, refusing to let him carry her.

    However, Hadrian seemed to have anticipated her reaction. He held her hand and pulled her over. When she was in his arms, he got out of the car and put her down. Subsequently, he held her wrist with one hand and closed the car door with the other. After that, he turned around and pulled her towards the restaurant.

    She didn¡¯t want to go in.She stood outside and struggled, but she was weaker than him in terms of strength. The push-and-pull ended with her being pulled inside.

    After booking a private room, she was pushed into it by Hadrian.

    The waiters and waitresses were scared out of their wits, not knowing what was going on. Once they had entered the private room, Scarlette lifted her hand to smack Hadrian¡¯s face, taking out her anger on him without holding back. He didn¡¯t dodge it.

    Smack!

    All of a sudden,there was a moment of silence. Hadrian ran his tongue across his teeth, and his deep eyesnded on her. ¡°Can we have our meal now?¡±

    She glowered at him, and her face instantly turned white as a sheet. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever think that the score has been settled with that one p. I¡¯m telling you, they will never be settled in this lifetime.¡±

    Turning around, she sat down and smacked the table with her palm. ¡°Serve the dishes.¡±

    The waiter trembled in fear and quickly went to pick up the dishes.

    Only then did Hadrian sit down and look at her, face-to-face. ¡°You were too young back then. It was not that I disliked you, but it was more like I couldn¡¯t bring myself toy my hands on a young girl. Besides, you took an inordinately proactive approach by getting into my bed even before I could do anything. What else was left for me to do to woo you?¡±

    Hadrian exined, to which Scarlette found it ludicrous andughed hysterically.

    Then, he just watched as sheughed.

    ¡°Do you still think I¡¯m an idiot? No, I¡¯m not. Let me get this straight with you.Quit using your excuses to fool me. I¡¯m well aware that you¡¯ve never saved a spot for me in your heart, never. I have zero trust in you. I will find my Mr. Right, and he will be better than you.¡±

    Scarlette snarled at him, and his face fell. ¡°Better than me? How, pray tell, can he be better than me?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll outshine you in every aspect,¡± growled Scarlette. Hadrian replied coldly, ¡°I will kill any men aside from me who dares toy a finger on you. We shall see who has the guts to do so!¡±

    Hearing his words, Scarlette gritted her teeth. ¡°Says the guy who¡¯s shameless.¡±

    ¡°Since you know that I¡¯m shameless, then don¡¯t even think about what you shouldn¡¯t do. Whatever you want to eat and drink, I¡¯ll provide them all for you. I¡¯ll give you whatever you want, but you can¡¯t rece me with another man. You¡¯d better banish such thoughts from your head right away, or I¡¯ll have all sorts of ways to show you who¡¯s the boss.¡±

    Hadrian shot a sinister nce at her. The waiters and waitresses had been eavesdropping outside, and his words sent chills down their spines. To them, such a man was too much like a gangster. Whoever ended up with him would only end in misery.

    For some reason, their hearts went out to Scarlette.

    However, little did they know that Scarlette¡¯s earlier p was about to catalyze a war between men and women.

    A waiter entered the private room, cing the tes and cutlery orderly. He appeared to be a 20-year-old youth. He was not handsome, but he was definitely suave and well-trained. Even though it was a restaurant, its owner had hired a bunch of good-looking youngds and girls, so that it could offer a feast for the eyes, as well as cater to the pte of the customers. Unexpectedly, such a strategy had spelled disaster for this restaurant.

    Noticing how attractive the waiter was, Scarlette felt that the food had be tastier. She kept staring at him while having her meal. As a well-trained waiter, he politely gave her a smile in return.

    ¡°How old are you?¡± asked Scarlette. He told her that he was twenty years old. Next, Scarlette asked him if he was still studying, and he answered that the financial conditions of his family weren¡¯t very encouraging, and that his academic performances in school were bad too, so he had to start working.

    Scarlette took the initiative to tell him.¡°I¡¯m neen.¡± Finding that she was beautiful, he snuck a nce at her, and she just cracked a smile at him. And¡­ all h*ll broke loose.

    Raeleigh was about to rest when she received the call. Following that, she ran down from upstairs. Santiago also came downstairs at the same time. He took a look at her and showed an unhappy face. ¡°What¡¯s with that nervousness? It¡¯s not you who¡¯s being imprisoned.¡±

    Raeleigh put on her coat. ¡°Scarlette said that a man had been beaten to death.¡±

    ¡°Death?¡± For Santiago, that was not what he heard.

    ¡°He died just like that?¡± Santiago turned around and walked towards the door, wondering if he was never to have a day of peace.

    Cynthia asked from behind, ¡°When will you guyse back?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Go to bed early. Remember to close the doors and windows.¡± With that, Santiago left. In fact, there were not many doors and windows to be closed. He just wanted to let her know that she should be cautious at home.

    Getting into the car, Raeleigh followed Santiago to the police station. As soon as they entered through the door,the rest of the Moore family came into sight.

    Flynt was sitting aside. When he saw Raeleigh, he froze for a moment. Afterwards,his eyes were on Hadrian and Scarlette.

    Given that the two of them were involved in the fight,undoubtedly,he had tocall them to ount for it.

    Raeleigh nced at Santiago. She had not expected to see Flynt here. If she had known in advance that he was here, then she would have brought Cynthia over.

    After all, they were siblings.

    Santiago shot daggers at Raeleigh before he walked over. When he reached her, his eyes strayed to Scarlette. ¡°Are you injured?¡±

    Scarlette shook her head. ¡°No, Mr. Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Well, did you fight?¡± Santiago asked. She shook her head again. ¡°I tried to stop him.¡±

    ¡°And failed?¡± asked Santiago. That time, Scarlette nodded, and he then added, ¡°Why am I not surprised at your ir for stirring up trouble.¡±

    She lowered her head, astonished atthe odds of Flynt showing up right after the guy had been thrashed.

    ¡°Raeleigh, go through the formalities and bail Scarlette out.¡± Santiago had no one by his side, so he had no option but to order Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh did as he said by turning around and looking for the police officerwho was in charge of the bailing.

    Santiago cast a look at Hadrian, making sure he was alright. With his hand raised, he looked at Hadrian. ¡°Did you kill him?¡±

    ¡°I only threw a punch at him, and then he was out cold. Plus, their men refused to take him to the hospital.¡± Hadrian was aware that he had been set up, so he had to make it clear. Otherwise, Santiago and the Richards family would be implicated.

    Santiago nodded before he gazed at Flynt. ¡°And what brings you here?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here? Is there a rule stating that only you, Mr. Santiago, cane here while I can¡¯t?¡±

    Santiago snorted and said, ¡°Despite being my brother-inw, you¡¯ve been holding a grudge against me, and you evennded us all here in the police station. You have the nerve, I must say.¡± After finishing his words, Santiago disregarded Flynt and turned to sweep his eyes over others. Meanwhile, Flynt was infuriated by Santiago¡¯s sarcastic remark.

    ¡°Bullsh*t! Cynthia¡­¡±

    Santiago turned around. ¡°Bullsh*t, huh? Do we have to call Cynthia toe here for rification?¡±

    Upon hearing Santiago¡¯s words, Flynt suddenly fell silent, thinking, ¡°Cynthia again? God d*mn it! Is Santiago intending to use my d*mned sister to hold me down forever?¡±

 Chapter 1179 Unpleasant Memories

    ¡°The rtionship between my sister and you is another story. I don¡¯t want to interfere with her choice. But you¡­ you may be a member of the Richards family, but you can¡¯t alter the oue of this matter.¡±

    ¡°By killing a person, you have transgressed thew. And by doing that, your man must pay for it. You should understand it.¡± Flynt sneered. ¡°However, you¡¯re from the Richards family, and I can give you some time to talk to your people. Mr. Santiago, I believe that you won¡¯t aid and abet in a murder, or will you?¡±

    ¡°Because that sounds like something the likes of you will usually do. We haven¡¯tmitted any murder.Hence, we don¡¯t need to deceive anybody. If your obscurity troubles you so much that you can¡¯t help being an attention seeker,then I can lend you a hand. Might I suggest making your glorious ¡®achievements¡¯ the talk of the town?¡±

    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Flynt smirked.

    ¡°Uh-oh, I¡¯m only offering help to settle things. You¡¯d better not forget who you are.¡± Santiago turned around to look at Scarlette. ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Scarlette answered, ¡°I was, you know, having a disagreement with Hadrian. Then, I talked to the waiter. Hadrian just kind of blew up and punched the waiter, and he passed out.¡±

    ¡°I was about to stop Hadrianand tellhim not to fight when he and his men stormed in and took the waiter away. Not long after that, we heard the news of his death.¡±

    While saying so, she pointed at Flynt, who seemed to be amused, an insufferable smugness disyed on his face.

    Santiago, as well, was not a person who wouldn¡¯t fight back in the face of adversity. After grasping the gist of the incident, he stepped towards Flynt. ¡°Did you, by any means, set Hadrian up as a scapegoat?¡±

    ¡°Jesting, are we, Mr. Santiago? Say, if I wanted to set someone up, then why didn¡¯t I target you? To frame a subordinate of yours wouldn¡¯t be worth the effort at all. Also, I have never done such a thing.¡±

    ¡°As for whether you¡¯ve done it or not, you know it very well, and God knows it too.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°But no matter,the truth wille to light eventually.¡±

    After saying this, Santiago took out his phone and made a call. Soon, somebody else came to the police station. In fact, when Santiago came out of the house, Jepherson had been notified of the news. It was just that Jepherson himself was not here. He had sent his subordinates toe in instead.

    Entering the police station, one of them hurriedly approached Santiago and spoke to him, nodding.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson is outside. He instructed us to handle this issue. He wanted you and your people to stay out of it, and leave.¡± With that, the man turned around and left.

    As Santiago took his leave, Flynt called out to him. ¡°Santiago,previously, you lured my sister away and pretended to kidnap her as a leverage for me to release your man. This time, let¡¯s see if you have any other tricks up your sleeve.¡±

    Santiago stopped, turned around, and stared at him. ¡°This time, I don¡¯t need any d*mned tricks to have thestugh still.¡±

    After that, he left with Raeleigh and Scarlette. The rest of Jepherson¡¯s men immediately strode towards Hadrian and gave him a full-body examination to prevent him from being tortured here.

    Raeleigh followed Santiago. As soon as they exited the police station, Stuart, who was waiting outside, came into their view. Seeing him, Santiago knew that Jepherson had returned.

    ¡°He¡¯s still alive?¡± Santiago asked. Stuart quickly lowered his head and replied, ¡°Mr. Jepherson¡¯s heart disease needs to be treated overseas. He has been receiving treatment all this while. You¡¯ve misunderstood him.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to tell me whether I¡¯ve misunderstood him. I¡¯m clear-headed enough to judge it myself.¡± Santiago walked to a car parked opposite the police station. He then knocked on the door, opened it, and got into it. Raeleigh didn¡¯t do the same since Jepherson was also in it. She just stood outside the car.

    ¡°Get in, will ya,¡± Santiago told her. However, she refused and went towards Santiago¡¯s car, waiting for his return. If Santiago did note back, then she could take another car to leave.

    Scarlette followed her closely and went to Santiago¡¯s car. She asked, ¡°Raeleigh, why didn¡¯t you get into the car?¡±

    ¡°Why should I?¡± Raeleigh wore a puzzled expression, which rendered Scarlette speechless. She only said after a long while, ¡°Mr. Jepherson has been receiving treatment abroad.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette, I initially wanted to talk you into making peace with Hadrian, butter on, I found that all rtionships are the same. If there¡¯s room for reconciliation, then we wouldn¡¯t have broken up at first. Every rtionship falls apart for a reason.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t see any point in exining. She just wanted to let Scarlette know that there was no chance for her and Jepherson to rekindle the old me.

    Pursing her lips, Scarlette felt dejected. However, it was really Jepherson¡¯s fault. Hence, Scarlette was in no position to speak up for him.

    After waiting for a while, Santiago still had not emerged from Jepherson¡¯s car. She didn¡¯t know what the brothers were talking about. Thus, Raeleigh told Scarlette to get the key from Santiago, so that the two of them could drive back home by themselves.

    Even though Scarlette felt that it would displease the brothers, she still did as Raeleigh said.

    To Scarlette,both Jepherson and Santiago were terrifying. Be that as it may, her rtionship with Raeleigh prevailed over her fear towards them.

    She ran over and got the car keys before she came back, driving Raeleigh back home.

    Inside his car, Jepherson¡¯s eyes were fixed on Raeleigh when she got into another car. His eyes didn¡¯t stray elsewhere even as she left.

    ¡°She¡¯s already gone. What are you looking at?¡± Santiago leaned to one side with his legs crossed. Hearing his words, Jepherson shot an indifferent nce at him before he ordered the chauffeur, ¡°Follow them.¡±

    The chauffeur looked around and started driving. At that time, Stuart was in the car, too. They followed Raeleigh and Scarlette from behind. Jepherson couldn¡¯t be relieved if he didn¡¯t see Raeleigh arrive home safely.

    When they reached home, Raeleigh got out of the car to find that Jepherson¡¯s car was nearby, but she didn¡¯t give much of a response. She turned around and walked while thinking about something.

    Scarlette told her, ¡°Mr. Jepherson must be worried about you because he¡¯s been following us all the way back.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily because of us that he does that. Santiago¡¯s also in his car. He might be following Santiago toe back, do you understand?¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, she went back to her room. Scarlette stopped and took a look at the gateway. While she was wondering if Raeleigh had hit the nail on the head, Stuart got out of the car and opened the door for Santiago. Subsequently,Santiago really emerged from the car. At that moment, Scarlette had the impression that Jepherson was insouciant to the point of being ruthless.

    ¡°My men will follow up with Hadrian¡¯s case. Mind your own business,¡± Jepherson said as Stuart closed the car door. Santiagoughed. ¡°You¡¯ll never win a girl¡¯s heart if you keep it up with your ego.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t hear anything, but Stuart did. He nced at Santiago before he turned and sat back in the car.

    As the car was driven away, Jepherson¡¯s eyes slowlynded on the upstairs windows of Raeleigh¡¯s house. They were dark, so she didn¡¯t go back at all. It turned out that she couldn¡¯t be bothered to look at him, not even for once.

    Stuart was seized by a deep concern for Jepherson. He didn¡¯t know what was going on between Raeleigh and him.

    He thought the two of them were just fine before that.He mused, ¡°How could they break up all of a sudden? And the baby, was it really because of Mr. Jepherson that it was lost?¡±

    Leaning against the seat and raising his head, Jepherson closed his eyes. ¡°Head for the hotel.¡±

    ¡°Not the Ink Garden?¡± asked Stuart. Jepherson didn¡¯t answer him. Frowning, Stuart remembered that the miscarriage stemmed from the elevator incident at the hotel, where Raeleigh had been trapped inside. Wouldn¡¯t it, he thought, evoke Jepherson¡¯s unpleasant memories by going back to the hotel?

 Chapter 1180 To Move Out

    Arriving at the vi, Raeleigh sat downstairs. It was not veryte. They went to the police station and came back very soon. Actually, it didn¡¯t take much time.

    She was waiting for Santiago toe back to inquire about Hadrian¡¯s matter. Scarlette was also feeling on edge about it.

    Xanthus and Cynthia didn¡¯t rest either. When they saw Raeleigh and Scarlettee back, they both sat down in the living room.

    Santiago came in from the door. It wasn¡¯t until he sat down that Raeleigh started asking, ¡°Is Hadrian in hot water? Did someone really die?¡±

    ¡°The waiter is dead for sure.¡± Santiago sat down, picked up an orange, and began peeling it.

    Raeleigh gasped. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, why was Flynt so arrogant?¡± When speaking of Flynt, derision was written all over Santiago¡¯s face. Cynthia nched when she heard what he said. Santiago then added, ¡°Cynthia, you shouldn¡¯t consider yourself one of them. You didn¡¯t do anything other than bearing the same family name as them.¡±

    Cynthia didn¡¯t answer. Santiago patted the spot next to him. ¡°Come and sit here.¡±

    Cynthia swept her eyes across everyone before she got up and sat down beside him.

    Only then did Santiago continue saying, ¡°Do you mind it?¡±

    How could she not mind it? Nheless, she didn¡¯t leave. She gazed at Santiago. ¡°I know that you guys are not wrong, but I don¡¯t me Flynt either. You¡¯ve no idea how pathetic it is to grow up within the Moore family.¡±

    ¡°When I was very young, my mother used to beat him with a stick. Back in the day, he was just a three-year-old child who knew nothing. He was punished because he spoke up for the servant. On top of that, he had to admit that he was wrong before my mother.¡±

    ¡°We kids were standing aside and watching as he was punished, but none of us dared to intercede for him.¡±

    ¡°I can tell the truth, and I know right from wrong. However, I would like to make myself clear. I¡¯m not going to let Flynt do harm to others. I will help you.¡±

    ¡°Little fool.¡± Santiago raised his hand and pinched her nose. She instantaneously blushed and lowered her head. She was much older than Santiago, so she really couldn¡¯t avoid blushing at such an intimate gesture.

    Xanthus furrowed his brow when he saw that. ¡°No one mes you. If you aren¡¯t feeling well, then go upstairs first. You have no part in this mess. Flynt will be fine too.¡±

    Cynthia¡¯s eyesnded on Xanthus. After getting along with him, she felt that he regarded Raeleigh as his younger sister. Right then, he started to talk, and she could ept what he said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go upstairs first.¡± Cynthia looked at Santiago, who then nodded. She rose and went upstairs.

    After Cynthia left, Santiago handed the peeled orange to Raeleigh, which she epted. Shewas about to share it with Scarlette, but Santiago extended his hand to stop her. ¡°Have it yourself. She can peel it herself if she wants to eat it.¡±N?velDrama.Org content.

    Scarlette pulled a long face, picking up an orange, and began to peel it. To her, Santiago was really partial towards Raeleigh.

    Just when she was peeling the orange, Santiago threatened her without hesitation. ¡°I don¡¯t care about what happened between Hadrian and you, but you can¡¯t absolve your involvement in this problem. I¡¯ve heard that he fought because you flirted with the waiter under his nose. Is that true?¡±

    Scarlette broke out in cold sweat when she received such a strong usation against her from Santiago.

    ¡°In my defence,Mr. Santiago, I merely talked to that guy. I was not flirting.¡± Indeed, she hadn¡¯t flirted. She had just been chatting with the waiter.

    ¡°Hadrian was by your side. Which is why, to talk and smile at another man would be reckoned as flirting. Do you really need me to give you a lesson on this?¡± said Santiago, his face emanating sternness. Scarlette felt that it was too unjust, but she didn¡¯t dare to retort. She could only reply, ¡°I didn¡¯t know this.¡±

    ¡°So you say. Do you know it now?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. Now that you¡¯ve learnt it the hard way, make no mistake about this. Even if you run all the way to the ends of the Earth, I¡¯ll still capture you and bring you back. Is this clear to you?¡±

    ¡°Crystal clear,¡± answered Scarlette, nodding her head.

    ¡°Good. Henceforth, you are not allowed to leave Capital City before Hadrian is released. My credibility is at stake here. For your information, I promised to Hadrian just now to keep you here.¡±

    Santiago spoke at an unhurried pace. Raeleigh sat aside, realizing that he remainedposed and took everything into consideration all the time.

    Scarlette lost her appetite. So,she put the orange aside.

    ¡°I got it,¡± Scarlette answered reluctantly. After that, Santiago got down to business.

    ¡°Hadrian¡¯s matter originated from Scarlette, but there was a great conspiracy behind it. Flynt took advantage of it to scheme against us. My brother has said that it should be settled through official procedures. We don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± After finishing his words, Santiago checked the time before he got up and went upstairs, heading for Cynthia¡¯s room.

    With a mncholic expression, Scarlette stared after Santiago. Everyone could be at ease then except for her. It was too cruel for her.

    Raeleigh shot a look at her. ¡°Hadrian will be alright. Let¡¯s go to sleep.¡±

    Raeleigh got up and went upstairs. She had been staying in the same room with Novalie these days. The previous day was an exception. She had be used to it.

    She felt empty when she was alone. Novalie could give her a sense of security.

    They chatted every day, and she would fall asleep under the lull of their conversation.

    Raeleigh felt as if she had returned to her childhood, falling asleep while she listened to her Grandma nagging.

    Inside Novalie¡¯s room, she was about to doze off. Seeing Raeleigh, she asked, ¡°Why are you here again? Act your age, honey. Didn¡¯t you say you would sleep alone in the next few days?¡±

    Raeleigh hummed in response and went to wash up. Coming back, she snuggled into Novalie¡¯s quilt.

    Novalie said, ¡°Let me tell you this, child. People don¡¯t like to sleep with old folks. It¡¯s very good of you to keeping to an olddy like me.¡±

    ¡°But you are so nice,¡± Raeleigh replied, wrapping her arm around Novalie. Novalie asked through herugh, ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°Awsuit has been filed against Hadrian. We might be a little busy for a while. Also, I would like to move out. I don¡¯t want to stay here anymore,¡± Raeleigh said. Novalie looked her in the eye. ¡°You can move out, yes, but where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about it. Let¡¯s move back to where we used to live. I miss the pudding sold near our house. It¡¯s a pity if we don¡¯t go back.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Novalie, who then said, ¡°You can stay anywhere as long as you are happy, but to leave here is not as easy as when you moved in. Moreover, it¡¯s inconvenient for you to go to the university if you stay at our old ce.¡±

    Novalie had more considerations. There was an advantage of staying close to the university. Raeleigh could go home every day. Yet, with a distance between them, they could meet only once a week. Novalie was old, and her time mighte any time.

    Raeleigh answered, ¡°I¡¯m not working now,so I will go back and forth between the university and home every day. One ride won¡¯t take much of my time. I just need to get up early in the morning ande back homete in the evening. I¡¯m okay with that.¡±

    ¡°And the university has granted me an earlier graduation. The lecturers won¡¯t care even if I¡¯m absent. I can go to the library to read books and learn a lot of other things.¡±

    Novalie replied,¡°Hmm. Since you have decided, then that¡¯s it. I¡¯ve no objections if you don¡¯t mind the hard work.¡±

 Chapter 1181 Not Your Sister

    Raeleigh shut her eyes, ruminating for a while. To tell the truth, she shouldn¡¯t havee here. If she had note, then those numerous distressing events might not have transpired in the first ce. She felt that with fame came trouble, and it was also courtesy of these troubles that she had wound up in her current state.

    It would be great, she thought, if she could leave here and return to her original life.

    Rousing from his dream, Jepherson gasped. He got up and went to take the medicine for his heart disease. After taking it, any hint of grogginess was cleared away. He put on some clothes and stood by the ss window, gazing out at the outside world.

    It was still the original ce, and the city was still colorful, but it was ironically unpleasant to him.

    He looked up at the ceiling, which was decked like a starry sky. Back then, when he worked together with Raeleigh to design it, he had liked it so much that he couldn¡¯t phrase his satisfaction. But right then, without her presence, everything was beautiful no more.

    After standing there momentarily, he turned around and sat down on his bed. He leaned against the headboard and browsed the photos taken on his phone. There was one where Raeleigh had kicked off the quilt while she was asleep. He found it uproarious, but the smilesuddenly frozeon his face. He leaned against the headboard, and any semnce of a smile was spirited away.

    He had a fitful sleep the night before.For those who had heart diseases,ck of sleep could lead to fatality.

    Consequently, he was bed-bound the next day.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    When Santiago came out of the university, he received a phone call from Stuart, saying that Jepherson was in peril and asking Santiago to visit him.

    Santiago kept his phone and went to the hotel. When he reached the upper floor of the hotel, what came into his sight was people bustling about, and Stuart was like a cat on a hot tin roof.

    Santiago entered the room to check on Jepherson. ¡°What happened to him?¡±

    ¡°He had a seizure,¡± Stuart answered right away. He had been waiting for a long time for Santiago toe.

    Santiago went in and found a spot to sit down, watching those people make themselves busy. It wasn¡¯t until they had left that he asked Jepherson, ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, you have recovered, no?¡±

    ¡°He has, but he can¡¯t stay upte. He didn¡¯t sleepst night.So, things got worse,¡± Stuart replied on behalf of Jepherson. Santiago slouched against the seat. ¡°Apparently, you have one foot in the grave, I guess.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes were closed, and his torso was entirely naked. There were a number of medical instruments around him, with many tubes stuck all over his body.

    A quilt was covering his lower body. From the looks of it, Santiago guessed that he was wearing a pair of pants.

    Jepherson said, ¡°Stuart, go and get yourrest outside. Santiago will take care of me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Stuart turned around and went outside, closing the door.

    After Stuart left, Santiago said, ¡°Are you trying to forfeit your life in the name of love?¡±

    Jepherson grunted. Santiago was a natural at annoying Jepherson back to life, and his words were akin to verbal defibritors.

    Santiago said no more whereas Jephersony on the bed.

    For some unknown reason, Jepherson couldn¡¯t fall asleep before this, no matter how hard he had tried, but he seeded after Santiago came and sat aside.

    Santiago yawned as he watched Jepherson drift into unconsciousness. Even he wanted to doze off.

    Getting up, he went outside to look for Stuart, telling him, ¡°Wake him upter and give him the nutrition injections. Provide him with whatever his body iscking. He doesn¡¯t know what the injections are about. Tell the doctor to show me the prescription. I want to see results. If not, then you know the consequences.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle again to keep himpany tonight. If by then he isn¡¯t already asleep, then ask them to wait on the roof of this building tomorrow. I¡¯m going to push them down, one by one. Pass this message around, word for word. If my brother is ill,then there will be no peace for them.¡±

    With that, Santiago strutted away. Stuart was dumbstruck for a moment before he followed him out. When they arrived at the elevator lobby, he asked, ¡°Are you going back now, Mr. Santiago?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going downstairs for a meal. What time is it?¡± Santiago said before entering the elevator. After that, he began to make a phone call to consult the foreign cardiology experts. He wanted to know how to cure Jepherson¡¯s disease.

    Only a few minutes had trickled by since Jepherson fell asleep. Stuart risked his life to enter his room and wake him up.

    Jepherson opened his eyes and shot daggers at him, displeased at being interrupted from his sleep. ¡°Should I send you to h*ll?¡±

    Stuart felt a chill run down his spine. He wasn¡¯t sure who was going to die first. At any rate, it wouldn¡¯t be him.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago instructed me to wake you up. You won¡¯t be able to sleep at night if you sleep now. He¡¯s having a meal downstairs. Would you like to join him?¡±

    Stuart hoped that Jepherson could acquire some nutrition from his diet. Relying on medicine was not a long-term solution after all.

    However, Santiago bore no ill will. He was just trying to take an expedient measure.

    It was thest resort.

    After lying down for a while, Jepherson sat up. He got out of bed and removed all the contraptions on his body before he put on a shirt and changed his pants. Then, he went downstairs.

    When he got downstairs, Santiago,as expected,was sitting in the restaurant, waiting for the food to be served.

    Jepherson directly walked over and sat down, staring at him. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving today?¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to leave?¡± Santiago raised his head to gaze at him. Jepherson nced at the entrance of the hotel. ¡°What would be of Raeleigh if you don¡¯t go back?¡±

    ¡°She managed to grow up properly without me by her side for the better part of her neen years, and her limbs are all intact.¡± Santiago¡¯s face was thick with disdain.

    ¡°That¡¯s in the past. Things are different now.¡±

    ¡°There are no differences. The way I see it, your mind is the key. You keep overthinking. That sister of ours had already died since, like, forever. Why do you have to force yourself into believing that Raeleigh is our sister? Don¡¯t make her suffer because of your own mistake.¡± Santiago looked up at him. Jepherson knitted his brows, his expression gloomy. ¡°How do you know it?¡±

    ¡°How I know it is my own business. Let me tell you, Raeleigh isn¡¯t our sister.¡± Santiago had never been so serious. Jepherson stared at him with a deep gaze. Both of them didn¡¯t speak. Stuart stood aside, wondering if they had mistaken Raeleigh for Jepherson¡¯s sister.

    Stuart¡¯s heart was filled with sorrow for Jepherson. Everyone knew that his sister was no longer around, but he was so persistent over the many years. It had be an affliction to him.

    Even the doctor said that whenever his expectations turned into disappointment, it would be detrimental to his heart.

    Notwithstanding Stuart¡¯s reminders, he couldn¡¯t get over it. That time was the worst scenario, and his heart disease couldn¡¯t be cured fully even though he went abroad.

    ¡°You¡¯re trying to trick me.¡± Jepherson snorted coldly as he looked down at his hand. Santiago stole a nce at the ring on Jepherson¡¯s hand and ignored it.

    ¡°You think I¡¯m lying to you. Fine, don¡¯t believe me then. We shall see who¡¯s the one going to regret it.¡± While they were speaking, the waitress brought over the dishes Santiago had ordered. Santiago pointed at Jepherson. ¡°Serve him with what I¡¯m having, thanks.¡±

    ¡°Coming right up, Mr. Santiago.¡±

    The waitress turned around to prepare for it. Sitting opposite Santiago, Jepherson started to zone out. After eating briefly, Santiago took out his phone and called Raeleigh. He got through to her, who had just arrived home.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just want to hear you talk.¡± Santiago set his phone on the table and put her on loud speaker mode.

    Raeleigh fell silent for a few seconds. ¡°Why did you leave all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°My brother is sick,¡± Santiago said as he looked at Jepherson, whose expression was going down the slope of nastiness.

 Chapter 1182 She Will Forget You One Day

    ¡°How is he?¡± Raeleigh felt conflicted. Their rtionship had ended, but she couldn¡¯t help caring about Jepherson¡¯s health condition.

    Jepherson slowly raised his head to look at Santiago while he continued to say, ¡°He didn¡¯t sleepst night, so he is still asleep now.¡±

    After a brief silence, Raeleigh replied, ¡°Has he seen a doctor?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it did not help much. I won¡¯t be going back today, perhaps tomorrow too.Scarlette can apany you. Don¡¯t get out of the house today.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need anybody to keep mepany.¡±

    ¡°I am going to hang up now.¡±Jepherson stopped him just as hewas about to end the call. He ced his hand on the phone.

    However, Raeleigh had already ended the call.

    A beeping tone came from his phone, indicating that the call had ended. Only then did Jepherson slowly withdraw his hand.

    ¡°So what if she is our sister? If you can¡¯t ovee this mental barrier, is that still considered love? You should instead use it to prove your love to her. If you can only love her because she has no blood rtion to you, and get rid of her without hesitation because you are biologically rted, then I do not think you love her at all.¡±

    Santiago took a mouthful of food before he strayed his eyes to observe the diners in the restaurant.

    ¡°How could you be sure that there isn¡¯t any kinship between the couples here?Who knows? It might exist in their past lives, or maybe in the next ones.¡±

    ¡°Oh, give it a rest, won¡¯t you?¡± Jepherson¡¯s face fell.

    Santiago continued to eat. He said with his head lowered,¡°You¡¯re giving up after going through so many challenges. Really? Are you still the brother I know? How can you be so sure that what you¡¯ve found is absolutely true?¡±

    Jepherson frowned as Santiago took another bite. ¡°I will pursue her if you decide to give up. I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Stuart was bbergasted to hear his words. Jepherson frowned and asked, ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    Santiago remained collected and wiped his mouth clean after he finished his meal.Then, he leaned against his chair and stared at Jepherson. He repeated, ¡°I said I¡¯m going after her if you give up.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Knock it off!¡±

    ¡°Anyway,she will still get marriedwithout you. In that case, she might as well marry me. I think we are going to make a great couple.¡± Santiago tilted his head slightly and gazedat Jepherson.

    Jepherson gritted his teeth. ¡°You¡¯re my brother. How dare you touch my woman?¡±

    ¡°Your woman? Is your memory serving you correctly? You two broke up.¡± Santiago extended his hand to grab his ss and took a sip of water gracefully.

    Stuart took two steps back in silence.If they were to break into a fight, then he would not attempt to stop them. Both of them deserved it.

    ¡°She is still mine whether we¡¯ve broken up or not.You better keep that in mind.¡±

    ¡°We shall see about that. I have feelings for her, and I can¡¯t allow other men to have her, unless it¡¯s you.¡±

    Santiago put down his ss, stood up,and walked towards the hotel, but he didn¡¯t leave. Instead, he stopped in front of Stuart and looked at him with his hands in his pockets. He cast a nce at Jepherson before asking Stuart, ¡°Stuart, let me ask you, do you think the baby died?¡±

    Stuart¡¯s forehead was covered in sweat. He didn¡¯t dare to say a word.

    Santiago had put him in a difficult position.

    Stuart kept quiet and his face turned pallid.

    Jepherson¡¯s dark eyes sparkled. He looked around but his gaze neither oncended on Stuart nor Santiago.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Santiago continued, ¡°Everyone in the family humored him and allowed him to search for her because they knew that he was feeling guilty for being the one who caused my mother to lose the child. Everyone imed that it was a baby girl and he believes it. Let me ask you, is he the president of the country? Do we have to cater to his every need?¡±

    Stuart did not speak. Instead, he stole a careful nce at Jepherson.

    The displeasure on Jepherson¡¯s face had be increasingly obvious.

    ¡°Stuart, I can make life really difficult for you if you decide to keep quiet. Do you believe me?¡± Santiago took a step closer to Stuart. He was as tall as Stuart then. He had been growing taller rapidly over the past six months.

    Stuart took a deep breath anxiously and answered,¡°Mr. Santiago, I really don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Tell me what you think. It doesn¡¯t matter if you know or not.I won¡¯t me you,¡± Santiago said. Meanwhile, Jepherson¡¯s food was being served. Stuart rushed over and helped to set up the tes on the table.

    That was how he managed to avoid Santiago¡¯s question.

    Santiago nced at them before he turned around and walked towards the elevator. While walking, he said, ¡°You think she will remember you for the rest of her life after she left you. The only reason she hasn¡¯t gotten over you now and still cares about you is because she once loved you. She still couldn¡¯t bring herself to get rid of youpletely.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s waiting for someone who can save her. This person might be Samien, or Draco. Whoever it is, once he appears, her memories with you will merely be history and you would just be a man who had hurt her in the past.¡±

    ¡°Henceforth, you will be nothing but a stranger to her.¡±

    Santiago went into the elevator and fixed his eyes on Jepherson. ¡°You will know what regret tastes like when her children regard you as an uncle in the future.¡±

    As Santiago finished his words, and the door of the elevator closed. Stuart approached Jepherson and said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, Mr. Santiago has always behaved this way. Please don¡¯t get angry at his words.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry.¡± Jepherson red at Stuart. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you. Get out of my sight at once. Don¡¯t show yourself before me for the next two days. Santiago is here, he will look after me.¡±

    Stuart remained silent. Jepherson had always treated him as a friend, but he had not been truthful to him.

    Stuart turned around and hid in a corner where Jepherson could not see him.

    Jepherson picked up the cutlery and began to have his meal with his eyes closed. He didn¡¯t care what he was putting into his mouth. After he finished his meal, he got up from the chair, and he identally knocked on the ss. The ss fell and broke.

    Stuart wanted to help but he decided against it in the end. He watched as Jepherson left absent-mindedly.

    Jepherson entered the elevator and stared at the people in the elevator in a daze. His expression remained unchanged until the door of the elevator opened again.

    He returned to his room. When he entered the room, he saw Santiago lying on the bed that he hadin withRaeleighbefore. He walked over and changed into his pyjamas,and he theny down beside Santiagowithout uttering a word.

    Santiago seemed to be asleep, but he got up and went outside right after Jepherson hadin down.

    A few doctors came in after a while. Jepherson looked at them while they worked together to install the instrument and treat Jepherson. They also checked his heartbeat and pulse, and changed his medicines. Subsequently, they stood to one side of the room. Santiago waited outside and somebody came out to inform him of his condition. ¡°He¡¯s fallen asleep.¡±

    ¡°Okay,e out and report to me.¡± Santiago leaned back in the chair casually. The doctors looked intimidated. They started to exin Jepherson¡¯s condition after they walked out of the room. They had prepared a treatment n before they arrived, and Santiago was satisfied with what they had done.

 Chapter 1183 Not Dead Yet

    Raeleigh sat on her bed while staringinto space. She was aware that Jepherson had gone abroad to receive treatment and to avoid her, but he had not recovered after a month.She wondered if his condition was that severe.

    The next morning, she tidied up her room. She kept the things she could take with her into a box. Raeleigh always stuck to the belief that people only got what they deserved.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for Jepherson¡¯s sickness, then Santiago wouldn¡¯t have left, and she wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to pack up her belongings and leave without getting stopped.

    After packing up, Raeleigh ced her things by the door and went to Novalie¡¯s room to chat with her. Cynthia and Scarlette stood by the door helplessly. They couldn¡¯t dissuade her from leaving, nor did they know what to do to prevent her from leaving.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I won¡¯t be able to exin it to Mr. Santiago if you leave abruptly this way. When hees backter, he won¡¯t let it off easily.¡± Scarlette was afraid that Santiago would call her to ount for Raeleigh¡¯s departure. In addition,she wanted to let her know that she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from the Richards siblings easily.

    Raeleigh ignored her question. She kept her head down and continued to pack her belongings, implying that there was no room for negotiation.

    After she was done packing, she turned around to look at Scarlette and Cynthia. ¡°There is no reason for me to stay here anymore. If I don¡¯t leave now,then Santiago will not let me go when hees back. I know that you guys have good intentions, and that we can take care of each other here butI do not want to live here anymore. I wish to start my own life and go backto normal.¡±

    She nced at Xanthus, who had alreadye upstairs to bring her luggage down.

    Scarlette and Cynthia followed her gaze and looked at him.

    ¡°But if you leave, Mr. Santiago won¡¯t let us off when hees back,¡± said Scarlette. Raeleigh looked at her and said,¡°That¡¯s not what you actually think.¡±

    Scarlette frowned as she heard Raeleigh words. ¡°You¡¯re right. But anyway, you shouldn¡¯t leave like this. Even if Mr. Jepherson doesn¡¯t love you anymore, you should rify it with him. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a cowardly act to leave without solving the problem?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. We aren¡¯t meant to be. It¡¯s a mistake from the beginning.Now, we can finally put a stop to this mistake.¡± Raeleigh ced another suitcase outsidefor Xanthus to bring it down. Then, she went into Novalie¡¯s room and helped her up.

    ¡°Grandma, let¡¯s leave.¡± Raeleigh held Novalie¡¯s hand and walked towards the door. Scarlette and Cynthia had no choice but to give way to them.Neither of them called Santiago to inform him that she was leaving.

    They sent Raeleigh off at the door. Raeleigh went out from the yard while helping Novalie with her footing. She was adamant and persistent. Not once did she look back to have a final look before leaving.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Scarlette called her name as she was about to get in the car.

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were fixed on Scarlette for a moment. ¡°Hadrian treats you well. Cherish him while there¡¯s still a chance, or it¡¯ll be toote.¡±

    Scarlette didn¡¯t answer. She watched as Raeleigh left.

    Cynthia said, ¡°She is disappointed.¡±

    Scarlette looked back at Cynthia. ¡°What should we do? Should we tell Mr. Santiago?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll be worried if we tell him now. Since Raeleigh has made up her mind, we¡¯d better let her have her own space for a few days. It¡¯s just her safetythatconcerns me.¡± Cynthia was terror-stricken at the thought of her brother¡¯s unscrupulous act.

    ¡°I am going to look for Raeleigh. I will protect her.¡± Scarlette turned around and got into the car, and followed after Raeleigh. Cynthia walked a few steps forward and watched her leave.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    Serra stood inside the vi and wiped her tears, wondering why Raeleigh left all of a sudden.

    Cynthia paused for a few moments. She could feel the sense of destion in the wind. Then, she turned around and went back into the vi. When she noticedSerra tearing up at the door, Cynthia approached her. ¡°Stop crying. Those who¡¯re destined to go wouldn¡¯t stay no matter what you do, and those who¡¯re fated to return would always return. I cannot exin my feelings butthis doesn¡¯t seem like a permanent departure to me.¡±

    With that, Cynthia entered the vi. Shelooked at the deserted vi and couldn¡¯t help but to feel lonely.

    She headed for the couch and sat down.She then took out the letter that her elder sister had sent over and read it.

    In the letter, her elder sister had requested for her return and meet her if she still considered her as her elder sister. Or else, she told her not tomunicate with her ever again.

    She stared at the letter in her hand. She knew it was written by her sister as she recognized her handwriting.

    After everything that had happened between them, she did not expect her elder sister to establish contact with her and send her a letter.

    Recalling her childhood memories, she decided not to hold a grudge.She ponderedwhether she was still the elder sister who doted on her.

    She put away the letter and swept her eyes over Serra. ¡°Serra, prepare a set of clothes for me.¡±

    Serra went upstairs promptly after she received the instructions.

    After she had gone upstairs, Cynthia stood up, went to the door, got her coat, and put it on.

    She looked back while hanging her bag on her shoulder. She lowered her gaze to look at the gun that was inside her bag,and touched it. Then, shezipped the bag and left the vi.

    Serra came down only to find that there was no one downstairs, and the coat and bag on the shelf near the door were gone.

    ¡°Miss Cynthia¡­ Cynthia¡­¡±

    Cynthia hailed a taxi right after she left the vi. When she arrived at the destination that was mentioned by Yanora, she got out of the taxi and stared at the hotel from outside.

    She hesitated momentarily before she walked into the hotel. After entering, she followed Yanora¡¯s direction and headed towards the destination.She then called Santiago.

    It was still early in the morning, and Santiago had just woken up when he answered the call.

    ¡°It¡¯s so early. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Santiago asked her. She said, ¡°My elder sister sent me a letter and asked me to meet her in Room 307 of Renaissance Hotel.¡±

    ¡°We never came to ces like this, but that was in the past. I think my sister has changed. Santiago¡­¡±

    ¡°If anything were to happen to me,then please bury me anywhere except the Moore family¡¯s graveyard.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been a burden to others throughout my life. Thank you for taking care of me for such a long time. I¡¯m very happy to have known you, and I¡¯m very proud to leave the Moore family to stay with you.¡±

    Santiago stood up with a sombre face. ¡°Get out of that ce. I¡¯ll pick you up.¡±

    ¡°Santiago¡­ I have thought it through. As long as I¡¯m still alive, they will never let me go. Today, it¡¯s my elder sister. Perhaps, tomorrow will be my mother¡¯s turn. What about the day after tomorrow? What about the future?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a member of the Moore family, soI cannot escape from the Moore family. Don¡¯t fret about me.¡±

    ¡°I told you to get out, what are you doing? You have to live as long as I am still alive!¡± As Santiago spoke, he reached for the door and kicked the door forcefully.Stuart was startled and took a step back quickly.

    He raced towards the elevator whileStuart followed.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll make it in time. How about asking Mr. Whalen to send some of his people over first?¡± Stuart said. Upon hearing this, Santiago immediately took Stuart¡¯s phone and dialed his number while he was still on the phone with Cynthia.

    Unfortunately, Cynthia had hung up!

 Chapter 1184 Seek Justice

    Cynthia blocked Santiago¡¯s caller ID on her phone to prevent him from getting through when he tried to call her back.

    She arrived at the elevator lobby, turned on the recording function of her phone and put it in her bag before she entered the elevator to go to Room 307.

    After she came out of the elevator, she found Room 307 and knocked on the door.

    The door opened quickly. Cynthia gazed at the person standing in front of her. It was not Yanora, but a mediocre-looking middle-aged man.

    Cynthia said when she saw the man, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I got the wrong room.¡±

    ¡°No, you came to the right room. Your sister told me to wait for you here. You are Cynthia Moore. I know you,¡± said the man. Cynthia staggeredbrieflywhen she heard what he had said.She remained still and said, ¡°You¡¯ve mistaken me for someone else. I¡¯m looking for my sister, not you.¡±

    With that, she turned around to leave. To her consternation, the man pulled her in and closed the door right away.

    ¡°You did not make a mistake.Your sister asked me toe here. Now that you¡¯re here, don¡¯t even think about leaving.¡± The man spoke as he dragged her inside. Cynthia tried to struggle but he tore her clothes off instead.

    She took a few steps back and observed the room before saying, ¡°Wait a minute. Say it again. Who made youe here?¡±

    She put her hand into her bag while she asked and stared at him. She wastrying to buy some time.

    The manughed despicably. He had been thinking about sleeping with Cynthia for a while then.

    ¡°Who asked me toe here? Of course, it¡¯s none other than your sister, Yanora. Who else could it be?¡± said the man as he approached her. Cynthia shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. My sister will never do this to me.¡±

    ¡°Nothing is impossible. Your sister has offered you to me. She told me that since Santiago Richards had asked people to humiliate her,she wants you to be humiliated as revenge. Then, I¡¯m going to cut off two of your fingers. That was our deal.¡±

    ¡°Leave me alone. I do not believe you. She¡¯s my sister, and we grew up together. She will never treat me like this. You must be lying to me. Do you think I¡¯ll believe you?¡±

    She thought for a moment before continuing, ¡°Don¡¯te any closer, or else I am going to make sure we die together.¡±

    ¡°Die together?¡± A sinister smile spread across his face. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll let that happen?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Cynthia took out the pistol and aimed at the man. Hewas taken aback when he saw the pistol and took a couple of steps back. ¡°You want to kill me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if you get any closer. You¡¯re the one who made me do it. You knew I¡¯m a member of the Moore family, yet you are still doing this to me. You¡¯ll be punished.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been no longer recognized as a member of the Moore Family since a long time ago. Yanora has already notified me of it.¡±

    ¡°Then, try me. I¡¯ll kill you if youe over. Mark my words.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! I don¡¯t think there are bullets in your gun. Your sister told me that you¡¯ve been timid since young, and that you always keep to yourself when you¡¯re in trouble. Let¡¯s see if you indeed have bullets in your gun,¡± said the man while he leaped towards her. Cynthia pulled the trigger.

    Bang!

    Cynthia tensed up and she started to shiver.

    ¡°You¡­¡± The man didn¡¯t expect that her pistol was loaded. He stared at the gun wound and tried toraise his hand to point at her, but before he could do so, he fell to the ground with a thud.

    Cynthia froze. She slowly lowered her head to look at the man, who was struggling on the floor andmoved himself to one side of the room. Then, she aimed the gun at herself. With another loud bang, she copsed to the ground as well.

    Santiago shuddered as he heard the gunshot when he came out of the elevator. He sprinted towards Soom 307. It wasn¡¯t until he left the hotel that he discovered that Cynthia was only ten minutes away from him.

    He made a dash for the door and kicked it open.

    ¡°Cynthia.¡±

    Santiago entered and saw Cynthia, who had fainted onto the ground. He approached her quickly andnced at the pistol in her hand. He thenbent down to pick up the pistol and carried her out of the room.

    He sprinted towards the elevator. When the doors opened, Zorion¡¯s men came into his sight. They were surprised for a second before they gave way to him. Santiago held her tightly as he rushed to the car and they headed straight for the nearest hospital.

    ¡°Doctor¡­ Doctor¡­¡±

    After entering the hospital, Santiago shouted for help.The medical officers brought her to the emergency room right awaywhen they noticed the gunshot wound.

    Santiago followed them into the emergency room. The doctor tried to stop him, but he refused to leave. The doctor had no option but to let him be.

    The medical officers had no way to deal with a stubborn person like him.

    ¡°The heart is intact. Fortunately, the bullet did not pass through her heart,¡± said the doctor as he performed the operation.Santiago finally felt more reassured as he heard what the surgeon had said. He waited in the operating theater until the surgery ended.

    Following that, she was sent to the intensive care unit. Outside the ward, Santiago stood with his arms on his waist and lowered his head to calm himself down.

    Zorion¡¯s men were waiting for him by the side. After a long time, Santiago finally said, ¡°Go to the scene and check if the man has died. If he hasn¡¯t, then give him two more shots.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    They turned around and left while Santiago remained rooted to the spot. After a while, he sat down.

    The doctor updated him on Cynthia¡¯s condition. ¡°Miss Moore has managed to survive the critical period, but it will take a long time for her to recover. I suggest that she recuperate abroad. There are still some shorings in terms of the local medical technology.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll consider your suggestion. Please take good care of her.¡±

    ¡°We will.¡±

    The doctors left, leavingSantiago alone in the empty corridor. He stayed in the hospital for the entire day untilJepherson came to visit at night.

    Santiago turned his head to look when he heard footsteps approaching. When he saw Jepherson, he turned his face away.

    ¡°How is she?¡±

    Jepherson walked over to take a look through the window of the intensive care unit and found that she was still unconscious. He then sat down beside Santiago.

    Santiago raised his head and took a couple of deep breaths. ¡°I won¡¯t let her off the hook easily.¡±

    ¡°If you want to get revenge on her sister, then you¡¯d better make hay while the sun shines. She will stop you from doing it once she wakes up.¡± Jepherson didn¡¯t try to talk Santiago out of it. He thought it was fair since they hurt Cynthia first.

    Santiago looked at him. ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°To bring down the Moore family has never been our intention. Although we were regarded as their opponent all this while, all we ever wanted was to establish a foothold in Capital City. We only wanted topete fairly.¡±

    ¡°Throughout the twenty years of hard work, we have neither let anyone down, nor did we harm anybody. Johan is not a fool. There¡¯s no such thing as the eternal ruler, and it doesn¡¯t matter who rules the city. It¡¯s just that we managed to catch up on them.¡±

    Jepherson had no intentions to bully anyone. However, some people had crossed the line, and so he wanted to seek justice from them.N?velDrama.Org content.

    He took a nce at Cynthia and added, ¡°Even though she is from the Moore family, you are her family ever since she left the Moore family for you. Now that somebody is trying to hurt her, we have the right to seek justice for her.¡±

 Chapter 1185 Parents

    Raeleigh looked around the new residence. It was actually a decent ce, but she was surprised to find that Xanthus would move in to live with her.

    Novalie had been sitting inside and watching television since they came. Xanthus had already got someone to clean up the ce prior to their arrival, so there was no need for them to do the cleaning when they arrived. Raeleigh had bought some ingredients to prepare dinner.

    Xanthus examined Novalie and sorted out his own room. so that he¡¯d have space to put some of his favorite books in the room.

    Raeleigh cooked while Novalie indulged in television shows. Xanthus put on some simple decorations in the room before he went to the kitchen to help Raeleigh.

    ¡°Is there anything I can help with?¡± asked Xanthus, who was standing in the kitchen. She shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I am almost done. Wait for me outside. Dinner will be ready soon.¡±

    ¡°Let me help you, I can do it too.¡± Xanthus took a look at the dishes in the kitchen before taking the steamed fish out of the steamer and cing it on the dining table. Then, he came back to cut some melon and arranged it before bringing it out to the dining table again.

    Then, he came back to take the rice, soup, and side dishes.

    Raeleigh continued to prepare food in the kitchen while Xanthus went back and forth between the kitchen and the dining table to serve them on the table. Finally, Raeleigh was done. They sat around the dining table, ready for their dinner.

    During dinner, Novalie looked at Xanthus over and over again. In her eyes, Raeleigh was blessed to have a brother like Xanthus.

    ¡°Enjoy yourselves. I¡¯m full, I¡¯ll go back to my room first. We just came back, so I¡¯m not used to the environment yet. I¡¯ll lie down for a while.¡±

    Novalie stood up after she had finished eating. She did not want to disrupt the quality time shared between the siblings.

    After Novalie returned to her room, Xanthus said to Raeleigh, ¡°You need more nutrients. Eat more.¡±

    With that, he put the fish into her bowl. She nodded without saying a word.

    Raeleigh had started getting ustomed to having Xanthus taking care of her as her brother. asionally, she would feel bashful when epting his kindness.

    Since she did not say a word, he did not attempt to make any conversation until they finished their dinner.

    Raeleigh cleaned up the dishes while Xanthus stared at hisptop. After she had finished tidying up, she went over to Xanthus to have a look at what he was doing. He was having a video call and he pointed at the two people on the screen when she walked over. She was stunned to see the people he was pointing at.

    ¡°She¡¯s Raeleigh, isn¡¯t she?¡± In the video, there was a woman sitting on a wheelchair. Raeleigh could tell that she was holding a notebook while talking to her. The image on theptop was very clear and close to her. Therefore, the woman stuck out like a sore thumb. Raeleigh had seen this woman, and she recognized her.

    ¡°Raeleigh, she¡¯s our mother,¡± Xanthus said.Raeleigh finally sat down after a long while.Then, she greeted the woman in front of her.

    ¡°Hi, n-nice to meet you¡­¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to say, as it was her first time meeting her parents.

    The woman on the other end of the line burst into tears out of overwhelming excitement and grabbed the hand of the man behind her. At that moment, the man behind her turned around and looked at Raeleigh with a smile.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and shot a nce at Xanthus. ¡°The two of you look alike, even more alike than in the photos.¡±

    ¡°The same goes to you. You look alike too,¡± Xanthus said with gentleness in his eyes. Raeleigh lowered her head and slowly observed the man on the screen. He was handsome, tall, and resembled Xanthus, albeit slightly older.

    He said when he saw Raeleigh, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, my child.¡±

    All of a sudden, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t resist the tears from her eyes and she started weeping.

    The woman began to cry too. She cried her heart out.

    Xanthusforted Raeleigh, while the man consoled the woman on the other side of the screen. The whole family shed tears on their first meeting together.

    Raeleigh finally stopped sobbing. The woman stared at her andnaively stretched out her hand, wishing she could touch Raeleigh.

    ¡°Raeleigh, is your name Raeleigh?¡± asked the woman. Raeleigh nodded. She couldn¡¯t utter a single word.

    ¡°I¡¯m your mother. Can you call me Mom?¡± the woman implored Raeleigh pleadingly. Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were red from crying and she pursed her lips. She wanted to address her as Mom, but the word was stuck in her throat and she couldn¡¯t seem to find her voice.

    The woman stared at her expectantly, but Raeleigh remained quiet. She startedto lose her patience.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°Mom, give Raeleigh some time. It¡¯s not that she refuses to do so, she just can¡¯t. You have to be considerate,¡± Xanthus said. The woman seemed to have understood something and replied, ¡°I am not in a hurry, not in a hurry.¡±

    However, she couldn¡¯t help whimpering.

    The man behind hugged her and coaxed her to take it slow. Raeleigh could not bear to witness the scene in front of her, so she said with a hoarse voice, ¡°Mom.¡±

    The crying on the other side stopped abruptly. Even the man looked surprisingly at Raeleigh. What followed was a grin on his face.

    Xanthus wrapped an arm around Raeleigh and patted her back. ¡°You are so courageous!¡±

    Raeleigh was confused. She pushed him away and gazed at him. ¡°Does it have anything to do with courage?¡±

    However, he burst intoughter the next second.

    The woman suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯m going to her ce. I am going to see our child.¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh look back at the woman, whose eyes were fixed on her in determination. The man answered, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll go right away.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡±

    Xanthus stopped her quickly. ¡°Don¡¯te over now.¡±

    ¡°Xanthus¡­¡± She looked astonished,as if it was a torment for her if she was not allowed to visit Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh found that her mother was simr to Deanna in certain aspects.

    ¡°Mom, you¡¯re not in good health. Raeleigh will need to take care of you if you were to visit. She is not entirely in good health too, and she needs me to look after her. If that is the case,then there will be two people here who will need to be taken care of. Besides, her grandmother needs somebody to look after her as well. Mom, you¡¯d better note. Just wait for us to go back and see you.¡±

    The woman disagreed and protested. ¡°Xanthus, I can take care of myself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that, but it¡¯s not convenient at the moment. Our living space is too small,and it can only amodate two to three people. Not only is your health an issuebut the living environment here is also not ideal. It¡¯s better for us to visit you than the other way around.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at Xanthus. She knew he was trying to protect her so that their parents wouldn¡¯t know about her recent miscarriage.

    The woman was extremely disappointed. She asked after a long moment of silence, ¡°Then, when are we going to meet?¡±

    ¡°After some time, during the break. We¡¯ll go back during Christmas.¡± Xanthus made the decision hurriedly.After a moment of silence, the woman finally nodded.

    Following that, Raeleigh listened to her mother¡¯s non-stop chatter.She was not annoyed but rather, she enjoyed it very much. When her mother mentioned something sad, she would stare at Raeleigh helplessly and sorrowfully.

    When she felt sad, the man next to her would hold her and kiss her to ease her emotions.

    After ending the video call, Raeleigh heaved a sigh of relief and looked at Xanthus, who sat beside her. She began to wonder about her family.

    She wondered if she was no longer considered an orphan.

 Chapter 1186 Went Missing

    Raeleighy beside Novalie but had difficulty falling asleep the whole night. She managed to fall asleep in the end as dawn broke. She was feeling overwhelmed as she tried to let the fact that her parents were still alive sink in.

    In the morning, she found out that Yanora was used of murder and would be imprisoned when she was watching the news on television.

    She walked over to sit down when she heard the sound of the news channel. As soon as she sat down, the news about Yanora popped up. Raeleigh listened for a while and couldn¡¯t help feelingthat something was amiss.

    Even if it was to rescue Hadrian, Santiago wouldn¡¯t have done this.

    She wanted to call Santiagobut before she could call him, she received a call from Scarlette. She was surprised to see her caller ID before she picked up the call.

    ¡°Scarlette.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m outside your house.¡± Scarlette had been outside her house the previous night. She came but she did not show herself because she was contemtingover the idea of buying a ticket to run away before anyone had noticed.

    After much cogitation, she finally decided against it.

    Then, she received a call from Santiago in the morning. Hetold her that something had happened to Cynthia, and that he needed their help. So, she came to knock on Raeleigh¡¯s door.However, Santiago did not mention what exactly had happened to Cynthia.

    Raeleigh opened the door and saw Scarlette standing anxiously by the door. ¡°Cynthia was still fine when we left. How did she end up in the hospital? Mr. Santiago just called me to ask why he couldn¡¯t get through to your phone. He wanted me to tell you that we must get ready and go to the hospital at once. Cynthia was badly injured, and she won¡¯t be discharged in a while.¡±

    Raeleigh went back into the house and felt paralyzed by the news about Cynthia all of a sudden.

    Xanthus came out of his room when he heard about Cynthia.

    ¡°What should we do?¡± Scalette asked. Raeleighpondered momentarily.¡°I¡¯m going. Here¡­¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Xanthus, who was very understanding. ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll handle everything here. Be careful on your way.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Raeleigh went out and got into Scarlette¡¯s car. On the way, she found out that Scarlette had followed her when she left the vibut she did not show herself.

    When they arrived at the hospital, Raeleigh got out of the car and followed Scarlette to the intensive care unit.She sawSantiago sitting outside of theintensive care unit. Hestared straight across, into the room Cynthia was in. Zorion and Deanna were there too, as well as the girl named Rossie.

    Raeleigh walked over to find that Cynthia¡¯s body was covered with tubes. She furrowed her brow,and she then turned around and asked Santiago, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°What have you guys been doing? How could you fail to realize that Cynthia left and went to the hotel?¡± Santiago asked Raeleighsternly, who remained silent. Scarlette tried to exinbut Raeleigh tugged at her to stop her from talking. Hence, Scarlette remained quiet.

    Deanna couldn¡¯t stand the way Santiago behaved. She stood up and questioned him, ¡°Santiago, why are you treating Raeleigh like this? It¡¯s not her fault either.¡±

    ¡°Then, it¡¯s your fault.¡± Santiago¡¯s face darkened. Deanna stamped her feet in anger. She ran to Raeleigh¡¯s side and held her hand. ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t mind him. He has always been unreasonable.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just worried about Cynthia. Deanna, I need some time to myself.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    Raeleigh walked to one side and sat downwhilestaring nkly at Cynthia. She should not have left. If she stayed, then perhaps, Cynthia¡¯s life would not have been in peril.

    Raeleigh frowned as she pondered. Seeing that Raeleigh had sat down, Deanna followed her and sat down beside her.

    Then, Zorion got up and took a few steps towards her. ¡°Deanna, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°I want to stay.¡± Deanna protested. Her brother spent most of his time with Rossie those days. She wasn¡¯t jealous, but¡­

    It was really boring for her to stay at homealone. Moreover, Cynthia was her friend. Shouldn¡¯t she show some concern for her? She thought.

    Zorion stood for a while and said,¡°Be careful when you¡¯re alone.¡±

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry. Santiago is here,¡± Deanne replied righteously. Zorion cast a nce towards Santiago. ¡°It¡¯s precisely because he¡¯s here that I¡¯m worried about you.You¡¯re nothing in his eyes, yet you think you¡¯re a big shot!¡±

    Deanna knitted her brow deeply. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare speak to me like this.¡±

    Zorion was amused by her reaction. There was a faint tenderness on his handsome face. He raised his hand and stroked his sister¡¯s head. ¡°Alright, I will stop. Be careful. Also, you must go back tonight.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I got it.¡±

    Deanna answeredpliantly. She had promised her brother that she would listen to him in the future and would never run away from home again. Otherwise, he would tell their parents about her previous abduction. Their parents were abroad.They didn¡¯t tell their parents about the kidnapping. Of course, Deanna also said nothing about Rossie.

    Upon hearing Deanna¡¯s answer, Zorion turned around and left. Rossie followed closely behind him.

    Raeleigh stared at Rossie and couldn¡¯t help but to feel that she was disinclined to stay by Zorion¡¯s side.

    However, she had her own affairs to take care of.

    Once they had left, Raeleigh went to observe Cynthia. After a while, she looked at Santiago and asked, ¡°What the h*ll had happened?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± With his eyes closed and his hands in his pockets, Santiago couldn¡¯t be bothered to say another word.

    Deanna, on the other hand, had something to say. She told Raeleigh not to me herself and fret over Cynthia. Even Scarlette was starting to feel annoyed because her words made it sound like Raeleigh was the culprit who caused Cynthia to wind up in the hospital.

    Finally, Deanna told everyone that she was hungry and went outside to get some food. Scarlette was worried about her, so she got up and followed her as a precautionary measure to prevent her from being kidnapped again. Deanna couldn¡¯t be counted on to take care of herself.

    Deanna was happy to be apanied by Scarlette. She asked if Scarlette wanted to eat anything, and told her that it was her treat.She even showed her money to Scarlette.

    ¡°My mother gave it to me. Look, here it¡¯s.¡± Deanna took out her purse and disyed a thick stack of cash notes.

    Scarlette¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Your mother is really rich.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all from my father. She doesn¡¯t need it, so she gave it to me.¡± Deanna was rather proud. She was given a lot of money for her trip abroad.She could spend as much as she wanted.

    Initially, she hid the money under her pillow, but the possibility that it might be stolen troubled her, so she ced it in her bag to buy herself some of her favorite food.

    Back in the day when she was still in Waverly Vige, she was constantly distressed by the scarcity of resources there, especially in terms of food. When she was there, she went to the farmers¡¯ market once. She wanted so many thingsbut she was penniless. Such an experience left a lot of regrets in her.

    She finally understoodwhat the saying, ¡®money talks¡¯, meant.

    She brought all the money with her, so that she could buy whatever she needed whenever she needed them.

    She followed Scarlette to buy food. Seeing that she could afford it, Scarlette set her mind on the delicacies.

    On their way there, Deanna said that she needed to go to the washroom, but she didn¡¯te out of the washroom for a long time.

    Scarlette went inside to look for her, but she had vanished!

 Chapter 1187 Home and Potatoes

    Inside the car, Deanna was in a daze. She wondered how she got out of the washroom.

    As Jacky drove, he extended his hand to take an apple and ced it on Deanna¡¯sp. She lowered her head and gazed at it, pondering whether to eat it or not.

    Jacky held the steering wheel with one hand while he grabbed the apple with another hand to take a bite on it before giving it back to her. Only then did she say, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry!¡±

    With a gurgle from her stomach, her face turned pale with embarrassment. She hurriedly said, ¡°I am only hungry now.¡±

    As she spoke, she took the apple and chomped on it with satisfaction.

    Jacky nced at her while he drove speedily. In the blink of an eye, they had left Capital City and were heading straight for the highway leading to Waverly Vige.

    Shesaidhurriedly, ¡°I have to go back. I promised my brother that I¡¯ll go home tonight.¡±

    Jacky ignored her. His car sped all the way down the highway before he dumped it and brought Deanna to the house, where she had stayed in formerly.

    Along the way, her mood was a mixture of inexpressible apprehension. She was afraid of returning to this ce.

    She was ready to flee when they reached the door. She held her phone tightly as she was nning to call for help.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jacky turned around and stared at her hand.She threw her phone onto the ground out of fear.

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to make a call.¡± The screen of her phone cracked and stopped responding when it hit the ground.

    Jacky lowered his eyes to look at the phone on the ground. He walked over and bent down to pick it up. Then, he handed it back to her. ¡°It¡¯s broken.¡±

    Deanna thought for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t like it anyway. Let it be.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, rich people are indeed different. Discarding a phone just because you don¡¯t like it,¡± Jacky said as he ced the phone in her hand. He took that opportunity to get closer to her.

    Deannarepliedhastily, ¡°No, I¡¯m not rich. It¡¯s worthless. The phone isworthless!¡±

    Jacky lifted his eyebrow and looked at her. ¡°How much was it?¡±

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know.¡± She lied. She bought the phone knowing that the security and tracking system was thetest and most advanced. It was roughly about twenty to thirty thousand dors.

    However, she didn¡¯t dare to tell him.

    Jacky didn¡¯t ask further. He pulled her hand over.

    She withdrew her hand, refusing to let him pull her over.

    ¡°No¡­ ¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid of me?¡± He knitted his brow while she shook her head vigorously. He lowered his head and nted a kiss on her soft lips. She was surprised and blushed.

    She didn¡¯t dare to lift her head. He bent down and carried her in his arms.She let out a fearful scream before she wrapped her hands around his neck. She didn¡¯t dare to make another move.

    He carried her all the way into the house and went upstairs. He pushed the wooden partitionopenwith his head and entered the attic. Then, he locked the partition.

    Deanna was terror-stricken. Now that she was caught again, she thought she was doomed.

    She remained still. Jacky sat down cross-legged and fixed his gaze on her palm-sized face. He observed her carefully.

    ¡°Have you be more beautiful?¡± He pinched her on the chin. She shook her head without saying a word.

    He pulled her hand towards his face. She shrank away from him and kept her head lowered.

    He ced her finger on his lips and dragged it across his lips. Then, he started to suck on her finger fondly. She wanted to withdraw her hand but she failed.

    ¡°I want to go home. Let me go.¡± Suddenly, she lifted her head and looked at him with a pitiful expression.

    Jacky released her hand. He signaled her to go to the bed with a nce. ¡°Go there.¡±

    She got up and did as he said. Her shoes had long since been taken off. She was wearing a pair of white socks as she stood on the bed.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    Jacky sat for a moment before rising to his feet. He turned around and gazed at her as he walked over.

    Standing before her, he grabbed her hand and ced it beneath his clothes. Her hand shivered as she touched his smooth skin.The touch had sent her heart palpitating.

    Jacky loosened his grip, and she rapidly hid her hands behind her back. With her head lowered, she continued to say, ¡°I promised my brother to go back tonight.Scarlette came out with me too. She must be searching for me now.¡±

    Jacky acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard a word she had said. He lifted his hands to strip off his hoodie and threw it to the side. Deanna took two steps back and raised her head to look at Jacky¡¯s sturdy physique. Her heart started to beat even faster.

    He then pressed her against the wall. Before she could respond, her bag was taken away and thrown to the side. Next, her clothes were stripped off. She was lifted off the ground and pressed against the wall.

    She didn¡¯t know what to do. In the end, after a round of fondling and kissing, she finally gave up struggling.

    He then turned around and put her onto the bed. She had been stripped naked. She held onto the quilt but before she could cover her body, he pressed her hands together to prevent her from moving, and then¡­

    Deanna fell asleep and woke upter to find that the sky had turned dark. Just as she was about to get up and leave, Jacky pulled her hand and hugged her from behind. ¡°Don¡¯t move, or else, you¡¯ll know the consequences.¡±

    She immediately stopped in her tracks and promised him.¡°I won¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°Trying to leave?¡± Jacky caressed her gently from behind as she was very tense. She shook her head fiercely to deny it.

    Jacky gave an affectionate bite on her neck and took out his phone to call Zorion. When the call got through, Zorion picked it up. ¡°Where¡¯s Deanna?¡±

    He then ced the phone next to her ear. Hearing her brother¡¯s voice, she quickly said, ¡°Zorion, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Zorion had been looking for her all that while. He stopped and replied in a softer voice, ¡°It¡¯s good to hear that you¡¯re fine. I¡¯ll pick you up. Where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in Waverly Vige, at the ce where I stayed thest time. Zorion¡­¡± She wanted to tell him toe immediately because she didn¡¯t like this ce.It was cold and there was no food here. But before she could say another word, the phone was taken away. Hey beside her and said,¡°She won¡¯t be going home tonight. I¡¯ll send her back tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Jacky,don¡¯t you dare think that I will be afraid of your influence in Waverly Vige. If you cross the line,then I will not let you go.¡±

    Zorion¡¯s expression darkened. Jacky was provoking him with such action.

    Jacky chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s fine.She¡¯s not going back today.¡±

    With that, he hung up and ced his phone on the nightstand. Subsequently, he turned around and continued to sleep with Deanna in his arms. She was in a panic that she didn¡¯t dare to make a sound.

    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep.¡± Jacky then leaned against her and fell into slumber. In the middle of the night, he woke up and had s*x with her again. She was exhausted after that.

    It wasn¡¯t until he was tired that he stopped.

    The next morning, he brought her downstairs to have breakfast. He instructed her to prepare her own breakfast.

    Her face fell the instant she heard what he had said.

    She wanted to go home and not have to eat potatoes here.

 Chapter 1188 Deanna Was Sent Back

    After Deanna had finished preparing breakfast, she sat aside. Jacky sat down and gazed at her. He asked, ¡°Is the food not tasty?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± She thought potatoes were alrightbut she didn¡¯t want to eat potatoes then.All she wanted was to go home.

    He stared at her and he then took a potato to eat. After that, he stood up and told her to have her breakfast quickly as they would be leaving right after this.

    Deanna didn¡¯t dare to defy him. She quickly finished her potatoand went out to look for Jacky.

    Jacky waitedfor her outside. The moment she came out of the house, she saw him standing in front. She hurried over to tell him, ¡°I¡¯ve finished it.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, let¡¯s go.¡± Jacky led the way and she followed him like a lost puppy. She had no idea where Jacky was heading, and she didn¡¯t dare to go against him either. All she could do was to follow him.

    They walked for a few miles, and she teetered arduously after him.She didn¡¯t realize it was such a long route when she came here the day before.

    Finally, she called out to him when she was no longer able to walk any further, ¡°Jacky¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jacky turned around and looked at her. He then nced at her feet. She was wearinga pair of high-heeled shoes.

    ¡°I can¡¯t walk anymore.¡± She truly couldn¡¯t walk any further.

    Jacky walked overandbent down to carry her before he strode all the way to the spot where he parked his car.

    Deanna was pleased that her feet could finally rest.¡°If it weren¡¯t for this,then my legs would definitely have been broken,¡± she thought to herself.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    When he put her down next to the car, Jacky didn¡¯t even feel tired, neither from the distance nor the extra burden he was carrying. He opened the car door and gestured towards her with his chin to get into the car. She thought for a moment before she did as she was told.

    Jacky got into the driver¡¯s side of the car, started the engine, and drove away.

    Deanna¡¯s eyes strayed around along the way. They got off at a mall, and Jacky bought her a new phone after he browsed for a moment.

    Although its price was not as high as her previous phone, she preferred this phone. She couldn¡¯t take her eyes off it even after she got back inside the car.

    ¡°Why did you give me this?¡± Something flitted across her mind. Up until that point of her life, no one else other than her elder brother and parents had ever given her any gifts.

    Jacky nced at her. To him, she was indeed adorably foolish!

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    What sort of conversation was this? Jacky wondered in silence.

    On their way back, she did not say another word.

    Jacky sounded the horn of the car when they arrived at the Whalen family¡¯s home.The loud noise jolted Deanna, whowas so engrossed with the phone. She didn¡¯t realize she had arrived home.

    Jacky went over tofort her by caressing her head. Then, he held her face up. The corners of his lips curled up as he looked into her eyes. ¡°A kiss.¡±

    Deanna blinked her eyes to grant him permission. ¡°Mmm.¡±

    She thought he wanted to kiss her, so she remained still to let him kiss.

    Jacky froze for a moment before he added, ¡°I¡¯m asking you to kiss me.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± She finally understood his intention. She nted a kiss on his lips, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

    Without waiting for her lips to leave his, Jacky immediately pressed forward on her lips.

    She felt like she was going out of breath. He eventually let her go after a long moment.

    He pinched her face adoringly. ¡°I¡¯ll visit you on campus in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Deanna widened her eyes, wondering what he meant by that.

    Jacky turned around and emerged from the car. He walked to Deanna¡¯s side, opened the door, and gazed at her. ¡°Come down.¡±

    She got out of the car in puzzlement. The moment she got out, Jacky pressed her against the car and nted a kiss before she could react.

    Zorion walked out of the house, only to find that the two of them were making out by the car. From what he could see, Deanna was leaning against the car, and her body, which was higher than the car, had been held in Jacky¡¯s arms.

    Zorion paused momentarily with his hands clenched in the pockets of his pants. There was a baleful look on his face. Rossie cast a nce at him, wondering if this was retribution. He had coerced her into staying by his side, and right then, his sister was being treated in the same way by another man.

    When Jacky let go of her, a pucker appeared between Deanna¡¯s eyebrows as her lips were bleeding from his lustful bites.

    ¡°My lips are bleeding,¡± Deanna said in a low voice. Jacky lowered his head and sucked in a mouthful of her lips. Only after the blood on the surface of her lips was gone did he let go of her. He held her hand, turned around, and walked towards the Whalen family residence.

    When she saw Zorion, Deanna acted as if she had done something wrong. She hurriedly tried to push Jacky¡¯s hand away and hid behind him.

    Despite her attempts, she was being pulled to the gate.

    Zorion then stepped towards the door. He stopped and looked at Jacky before ncing at his younger sister.

    His sister had been in Jacky¡¯s hand the whole night, and no one knew what had happened to her. Even though he was aware that Jacky wasn¡¯t scum, he couldn¡¯t let his guard down.

    In his mind, Deanna¡¯s reputation was more important than that of the Whalen family¡¯s.

    ¡°Deanna, are you okay?¡± Zorion asked her. She shook her head, and she attempted to withdraw her hand that was beingheld by Jacky.

    Jacky turned his head to stare at her. ¡°Don¡¯t move. Your hand will be hurt too if you keep moving.¡±

    She stopped moving after what he said. She kept her head lowered and remained quiet.

    Jacky stared at her for a while before turning his head to look at Zorion. ¡°I¡¯ve brought her back.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Zorion said with a cold expression. He wasn¡¯t very happy with how he had taken her away forcefully without informing anyone. Jacky had taken his sister away several times. It would no doubt affect her reputation.

    ¡°I was just paying Deanna a visit. That¡¯s it. Now that she¡¯s returned, I¡¯ve got errands to run. So, I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±

    Jacky stroked Deanna¡¯s hand onest time before he let her go.

    Then, he turned around, went back to his car, and left.

    Deanna began toin that Jacky was the one who took her away, and that she was being taken away forcefully. However, she kept her phone hidden andrefused to take it out.

    Zorion turned around and went back to the vi. Deanna heaved a sigh of relief and quickly followed him.

    Scarlette had been like a cat on hot bricks at home. Perceiving her restlessness, Raeleighforted her.¡°She will be fine.¡±

    Scarlette sat on the chair. ¡°I will never apany her again.She¡¯s too unlucky.¡±

    Scarlette was very anxious whereas Raeleigh was ratherposed. She toldScarlette not to brood over Deanna¡¯s safety. Notwithstanding herforting words, Scarlette couldn¡¯t calm down as Deanna had gone missing under her watch.

    To her, Deanna disappeared because of her carelessness. She couldn¡¯t help but to feel worried about her safety.

    Raeleigh was truly unruffled. It was neither the first nor the second time that an ident had happened to Deanna. If the same thing had happened repeatedly,then it was not Deanna to be med but rather Zorion¡¯s fault for not fulfilling his duty as a brother.

    On top of that, Raeleigh felt that Jacky was sincere to Deanna. Although she did not have much clue about the details of their rtionship, she felt that Jacky seemed to have real feelings towards Deanna.

    Besides, the fact that Santiago had yet to show any reactions indicated that Deanna would be just fine.

 Chapter 1189 Had Nothing to Say

    ¡°Scarlette, calm down. I¡¯ll call and ask if there¡¯sany updates. You can save your worries forter if something has happened to her.¡±

    Raeleigh called Zorion to inquire aboutDeanna.Zorion ignored her and hung up immediately.

    When she heard the beeping sound on the phone, Raeleigh understood that he was implying that she was being too nosy. In other words, it indicated that Deanna was safe and sound.N?velDrama.Org content.

    ¡°Deanna is fine.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s eyesnded on Scarlette, who was on tenterhooks. She was surprised to hear what she had said.

    ¡°What did he say on the phone?¡± Scarlette asked. Raeleigh shook her head and said,¡°Nothing. The fact that he did not say a word meant that she was alright.¡±

    To Scarlette, her words somehow made sense but she wanted more reassurance. She got up and went to Deanna¡¯s house to look for her.

    After waiting for a long time, she finally saw Deanne walking out of the vi with a new phone in her hand.

    ¡°Deanna, why didn¡¯t you tell me that you are back? You¡¯ve scared me out of my wits!¡± Scarlette stood at the door unhappily. That was her first time going to someone¡¯s house to ensure their safety. She felt very silly for doing this.

    Deanna looked around. ¡°Scarlette, hurry and get Raeleigh to find a way to get me out of here. I¡¯ve been grounded by my brother.¡±

    Scarlette was rather dubious about her idea. If she was allowed to roam around freely,then nobody could guarantee her safety.

    Scarlette thought to herself, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±

    ¡°I will let Raeleigh know about it right nowso that she cane up with a solution to save you.¡± However,she didn¡¯t mention it to Raeleigh in reality. It wasn¡¯t until Deanna called Raeleigh that she knew about it.

    She put her phone away and did notask Scarlette regarding the matter as she too thought that they should not meddle in this matter.

    Zorion had his own way of taking care of problems.He disliked intervention by others.

    Scarlette remained silent while she waited for Raeleigh to ask her about it. However, Raeleigh never once spoke about the matter.

    As a result, Scarlette started to feel restless and decided to approach Raeleigh herself.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to ask me something?¡± Scarlette initiated the question. Raeleigh looked at her. ¡°Zorion will handle Deanna¡¯s affair,we should stay out of their business.¡±

    Scarlette was at a loss for words. ¡°Raeleigh, is there something you know?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything.¡± Raeleigh turned her face and gazed at Cynthia, who had note around yet. The doctor said that she should regain her consciousness the day before, but she was still asleep until that day.

    Raeleigh was not in the mood to inquire about other matters. She felt guilty about Cynthia¡¯s ident. If she had not moved out of the house the previous day,then Cynthia might not have ended up like this.

    Cynthia must have known something before the ident happened. That was why she didn¡¯t inform Santiago about her departure, and she even told Scarlette to follow Raeleigh.

    Cynthia was an intelligent woman. She understood Scarlette¡¯s temperament very well, and she was aware that Scarlette would furtively stalk Raeleigh without showing herself.That way, Scarlette would buy her some time without knowing the truth. Cynthia didn¡¯t need too much time. An hour would probably suffice.

    Raeleigh furrowed her brow. Cynthia did all this with the determination to die. If that was the case, then she would not regain consciousness even if her body had recovered.

    If a person had given up on the will to live, then it would be impossible for the person to be brought back to life no matter how advanced the treatment was.

    Raeleigh looked at her from the outside before standing up. ¡°I want to go in and see her.¡±

    She said to Santiago. Only then did Santiago open his eyes and take a look at her. He didn¡¯t say anything, which she took as tacit permission.

    Then, Raeleigh followed the doctor and went to the disinfecting room to disinfect herself of germs and put on a protective suit before she entered the intensive care unit.

    After entering it, she sat down beside Cynthia and heldher hand.

    ¡°I know you can hear what I¡¯m saying.I only want to tell you that when a person is not even afraid of death, what¡¯s there to be scared of when he or she is alive? If you die, then you will forget the person you want to remember. There will be nothing left.¡±

    Then, Raeleigh withdrew her hands, ced Cynthia¡¯s hand back beside her, and stood up.

    She gazed at Cynthia momentarily before she came out of the ICU. Just as she left, Cynthia slowly opened her eyes. Santiago, who had been sitting outside with his eyes fixed at Cynthia saw her open her eyes, and look in his direction. In response to that, he stood up and headed for the door of the ICU. Raeleigh, who just got out, bumped into him and watched him walk inside.

    Raeleigh turned around to look. Santiago walked in and stopped in front of Cynthia beforecing his hand on her face.

    It appeared like they were having a conversation, and Cynthia couldn¡¯t help but to sob. From Raeleigh¡¯s point of view, she must have been filled with regret.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you are amazing.¡± Scarlette got up and approached Raeleigh. She threw a nce at her without uttering a word and continued staring into the ICU. Their rtionship was perhaps iprehensible by many people who had never experienced hardship in their rtionship. To them, even if they are deprived of all the materialistic items, they couldn¡¯t be deprived of each other because of the intimacy they shared with each other.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a rest. He mighte out in a while.¡± As Raeleigh spoke, she moved towards one side andsat down while gazing into the ICU.

    She stared nkly and Scarlette gave her a strange look.

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you into Mr. Santiago?¡± Cynthia was ill, and her boyfriend was talking to her inside. She wondered why Raeleigh was ogling at him with rapt attention?

    Raeleigh shot daggers at her. ¡°When you¡¯re quiet, you¡¯re very lovable. When you speak, you¡¯re so¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Scarlette raised her eyebrow, but Raeleigh did not answer. Instead, she stared nkly at the lovebirds who were in the ICU. Many couples may not love each other initially butthey ended up happier than most people.

    While Scarlette bbered next to her, Raeleigh focused her attention on the ICU. Scarlette finallystopped talking when she noticed that Raeleigh was not paying attention to her. Seeing as Santiago was still inside the room, she quickly told her, ¡°Raeleigh, I am leaving. Take care of yourself.¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh turn around and gape at Scarlette. Shethen lowered her head slightly and continued, ¡°I can¡¯t stay here.I cannot stay with Hadrian.¡±

    Raeleigh knitted her brow. ¡°Hadrian likes you.¡±

    ¡°So what? He likes himself more. I¡¯m just a toy in the room. You will never understand,¡± she said with a helpless look on her face, andRaeleigh remained silent. She only had a simple thought. Since Scarlette had made up her mind, the only thing she could do was to support her. Yet, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t bring herself to wish her good luck for the next Chapter in her life.

    The choice was in Scarlette¡¯s hands. She had to decide her own fate.

    Therefore, Raeleigh neither begged for her to stay, nor could she wish her all the best.

    At the thought of Hadrian¡¯s aggressiveness, Raeleigh wondered what he would do when he found out that Scarlette had left.

 Chapter 1190 A Warning at the Hospital

    Scarlette neither told anybody that she was leaving, nor did she pack her clothes. She simply bought a flight ticket and was ready to disappear off the face of the Earth.

    Raeleigh saw her off at the airport, and she wept for a while. When it was time to board the ne, she turned around and left without any hesitation.

    Raeleigh stood still as she watched her leave. When she turned around, Jepherson and Stuart came into her sight and they walked up to her. Jepherson raised his head and looked around. His face fell when he realized she was there alone. He asked coldly, ¡°Why are you out by yourself? What are you doing here?¡±

    Sweat formed on Stuart¡¯s forehead. It seemed to him that Jepherson was about to blow a fuse.

    Looking at his exasperated expression, Raeleigh didn¡¯t bother to exin herself. To her,they were strangers and hadnothing to do with each other anymore since they had broken up.

    Hence, there was no need for her to exin herself. She didn¡¯t want to exin either.

    She stared at Jepherson for a few seconds before saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Richards. I have other things to do.¡±

    After that, she sidestepped him and headed for the exit of the airport. Her indifferent attitude caused Jepherson to reel from shock. He turned around and gazed after her, who had already walked to the exit.

    Stuart held his breath. Raeleigh¡¯s behavior was beyond Jepherson¡¯s expectation. It seemed like hewas going to have a hard time coaxing her.

    There was amon saying that people should get over a breakup and move on instead of dwelling on it or going back to it. Raeleigh¡¯s attitude suggested that she held such a view.

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh with a grim face. He then instructed Stuart, ¡°Investigate what is going on.¡±

    Stuart was baffled for a moment before he asked, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, aren¡¯t we going abroad?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡±

    Jepherson gnashed his teeth as hefixed his gaze on the airport exit.

    He wondered where she was going, and what she was doing at the airport.

    Stuart initially nned to remind him that they shouldn¡¯t defer the decision to go abroad, but he chickened out when he saw Jepherson¡¯s deepening frown.

    When she walked out of the airport, Raeleigh hailed a cab to go back. The driver asked her, ¡°Is the car behind us following you?¡±

    She looked back to find that there was indeed a luxury car that was following them.N?velDrama.Org content.

    ¡°I don¡¯t recognize it.¡± Raeleigh turned around, and her eyes strayed to the driver.Deep lines were seen between his eyebrows as he frowned and wondered. ¡°That¡¯s weird. It seems like the Richards family¡¯s car. Why are they following us?¡±

    The driver was distressed. He started to wonder if they were taking revenge on him because he might have unintentionally snatched their parking slot when he was waiting for customers at the airport.

    On second thought, he found it illogical since he had never heard of the Richards family bullying mere drivers like him.

    Through the rearview mirror, the driver stole a nce at Raeleigh, who was unfazed. She seemed somewhat familiar to him.

    The driver immediately guessed that the car that was following them must have been rted to her butshe was unwilling to admit it. All he needed to do was just to drive her to her destination. He believed that the Richards family car would not cause further trouble to him.

    The driver collected the payment at the destination. Not only did he not ask for any tips, but he also refused to take the full amount and instead rounded off the charge down to the nearest tenth.

    Raeleigh stood outside the car and expressed her thanks. After that, she paid the driver and went into the hospital.

    Jepherson¡¯s car was parked at the opposite side of the hospital, and he looked in the direction where Raeleigh was heading.

    ¡°Why was Raeleigh alone?¡± There was a note of displeasure in Jepherson¡¯s voice, although he sounded nonchnt. Stuart had worked for him for many years, and he had never seen him behaving as calm as he was then when he was in a fit of temper.

    ¡°I¡¯ll check it out right away.¡± Stuart opened the car door and got out in a hurry, as though he was afraid that he couldn¡¯t execute his order in time.

    After he got out of the car, Stuart began to call Scarlette. He wantedto ask for her whereabouts. However, he couldn¡¯t get through, and he wondered where she went.

    Stuart kept his phone and entered the hospital. Shortly after he went upstairs, he saw Raeleigh, who was sitting outside of the intensive care unit, and Santiago, who was apanying Cynthia in the unit.

    Raeleigh stared at him without saying a word. Stuart hurriedly asked, ¡°I¡¯m looking for Scarlette. Madam Raeleigh, do you know where she is?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were fixed on him, but she was not in the mood of talking to him at all. Heclearlyknew his intention ofing here. Looking for Scarlette was definitely not his primary purpose.

    Raeleigh gazed at him momentarily. She did not correct his way of addressing her. Instead, she said, ¡°Scarlette said that she was not feeling well. So, she went back to rest first.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Then, I shall take my leave,¡± Stuart replied with a smile. He nced into the unit before he turned around and left hastily.

    Once he came out, he called Serra immediately to ask her if she had seen Scarlette. Serra shook her head and said that Scarlette had not returned since she left the house.

    Stuart put away his phone and went outside. He got into the car and told Jepherson, ¡°Scarlette is missing. Perhaps, she had left.¡±

    Jepherson looked up at Stuart, and his rage seemed to be pacified slightly. He then said, ¡°Does it have anything to do with Hadrian?¡±

    ¡°I think so. They had a falling out with each other recently. I heard that Hadrian wanted marriage, but Scarlette wanted to break up. Scarlette was responsible for what had happened to him. Even though she didn¡¯t do it on purpose, she took advantage of the incident to flee from him.¡±

    Jepherson fell silent briefly after Stuart had exined the situation. ¡°Send someone to ensure her safety. Tell Hadrian to handle this himself when he gets out. Scarlette is peevish, and she will cause trouble sooner orter without anyone to look after her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    While Stuart was passing on the instructions to the subordinates, Jepherson gazed at the hospital. He was nning to leave, but he changed his mind, opened the door, and got out.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Stuart followed him and got out of the car as well. Helifted his hand to signal Stuart not to follow him before stepping into the hospital.

    Stuart stood behind him in defeat. Jepherson was reluctant to leave Raeleigh, but he was so stubborn. The lost child must have be a bugbear of his, to say nothing of Raeleigh¡¯s identity.

    Jepherson walked into the hospital, entered the elevator, and went up. Stepping out of the elevator, he went around to the corridor and stopped when Raeleigh came into his sight.

    Raeleigh could sense that someone was staring at her from the side. It was a familiar feeling that could only be felt by intimate lovers. She turned around to look. Surely enough, she saw Jepherson standing around.

    Jepherson approached her. Raeleigh looked at him momentarily before she turned her face to look inside the intensive care unit. Cynthia had woken up, but her condition was still unstable. In addition, her immune system was weak, so she had to stay in the hospital for a couple more days, and she needed special care.

    She couldn¡¯t be transferred out of the intensive care unit yet. Santiago was keeping herpany.

    Jepherson walked towards Raeleigh and stopped in front of her. He asked, ¡°Did you go to the airport to see Scarlette off?¡±

    Raeleigh neither answered, nor did she turn to look at him.

    In her opinion, there was nothing left to be spoken between them.

    Jepherson furrowed his brow and said with a cold expression,¡°You¡¯re not allowed to go out alone next time.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. Finally, Jepherson¡¯s gazed moved to Cynthia, and it then left after a nce at her.

    Never once did Raeleigh¡¯s eye strayed towards him. She couldn¡¯t care less about his departure, and she wished that he would disappear from her lifepletely.

 Chapter 1191 A Visit to Cynthia

    After Cynthia got better, she was transferred to an ordinary ward. Scarlette was gone.Raeleigh immediately got a specialist to be in charge of taking care of Cynthia.

    On one hand, it was Cynthia who had been looking after Raeleigh after she had her miscarriage. On the other hand, it was indeed inconvenient for a man such as Santiago to take care of Cynthia himself.N?velDrama.Org content.

    ¡°Raeleigh, thank you.I¡¯m sorry for causing trouble.¡± Cynthia repeated this multiple times throughout her stay in the hospital. Raeleigh disregarded them all. Unlike Cynthia, she seldom spoke during her recovery from miscarriage. It was even more unlikely for her to say the things Cynthia had said during that period.

    However, Cynthia was different. She would repeatedly tell the same thing to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh was ustomed to it. She thought Cynthia wouldn¡¯t give up expressing her gratitude even if she told her not to.

    Cynthia had to stay in the ward and seldom get to go out. She also had nothing else to do to kill time, so she took it as a way for her to kill her boredom.

    Santiago came back with some food. Seeing that Santiago hade back, Raeleigh walked over and took the food from Santiago.

    Raeleigh was by her side all day long, which was pretty much the same for Cynthia.The only difference was that she could move around freely, whereas Cynthia could only lie or sit on the bed.

    ¡°Xanthus is here. He¡¯s parking the car outside,¡± Santiago told Raeleigh after he came out of the washroom. Raeleigh turned around and shot a nce at him. ¡°Oh?¡±

    She ced the food on the table and arranged it neatly. Then, she went to the door to wait for Xanthus.

    Cynthia could already sit up. Half a month had passed by in a sh. She heard that the weather was getting cold, and she looked out from time to time. She felt a sense of sadness whenever she watched the trees swaying in the wind. She didn¡¯t expect that thete autumn would pass so soon.

    Xanthus brought a huge fruit basket with him. Raeleigh stretched out her hand to take it over, but Xanthus refused.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this. Let me handle it.¡± Xanthus put the fruit basket aside as soon as he entered the ward. After that, he stopped in front of Cyntha,and looked at her. ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡±

    Cynthia nodded. ¡°I¡¯m much better. Thank you foring.¡±

    ¡°I should havee earlier, but there was a conflict in the school involving a few students. I was with them for the past few days, and Raeleigh¡¯s grandmother needs someone to look after her. That¡¯s why I am only here after so long.¡±

    ¡°Actually, my injury isn¡¯t that severe. Raeleigh has exaggerated it.¡± Cynthia shot a look at Raeleigh. asionally, she felt that Xanthus would make a better spouse than Jepherson butlove was blind. Sometimes, only the person whom they chose at first sight could be their life partner. By h*ll or high water, it needed to be that person and no one else. No matter how excellent the others were, it would do nothing to alter their loves.

    Cynthia then nced at Santiago, who was sitting aside and waiting for breakfast. She couldn¡¯t help but to feel that she was the prime example.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what you like, soI bought some fruits. I guess you guys haven¡¯t had breakfast yet. Let¡¯shave breakfast first.¡±

    Xanthus sat aside as he spoke. Cynthia had misunderstood him, but he did not attempt to exin herself.

    Raeleigh sorted out breakfast before she asked Xanthus, ¡°Have you had your breakfast?¡±

    Xanthus answered, ¡°Yes, I have. Your grandmother¡¯s appetite has been great recently. We will go out for an excursion in the morning, and then go home to have breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Did she talk about me?¡± Raeleigh had not gone home for two weeks and she missed her.

    Xanthus smiled. ¡°No, she didn¡¯t.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. It wasn¡¯t that she was disappointed, but she did not expect for her grandmother toget along so wellwith Xanthus.

    Just when Raeleigh had prepared Cynthia¡¯s food and was about to bring it to her, Xanthus stood up and went to the washroom, without closing the door, to wash his hands. By the time he came out, Raeleigh had sat down. He went over and took the bowl from Raeleigh. ¡°Let me do it. You can have your breakfast.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up. At first, she intended to refuse, but for some reason, she seemed to have understood something through Xanthus¡¯s eyes, and she epted his suggestion.

    Xanthus walked up to Raeleigh¡¯s original ce, prepared to feed Cynthia.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I can eat by myself.¡± Cynthia wished that she could eat by herself, but Xanthus did not let go of his hand. Instead, he took a mouthful of food with the spoon and sent it to her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s even more awkward if you keep rejecting.It¡¯s just a meal. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Hearing his words, Cynthia stole a nce at Santiago, who was having his breakfast with his head down. He did not look at her, which showed that he did not care about this, but¡­

    Cynthia hesitated for a moment before epting Xanthus¡¯s offer, thinking that she shouldn¡¯t cause trouble for others.

    However, it was an awkward breakfast for her.She was a vegetarian, who rarely consumed meat in her daily life, but Xanthus kept feeding her with meat. He fed her one mouthful after another incessantly. She didn¡¯t want to appear like she was a picky eater, so she didn¡¯t turn him down. She wasn¡¯t a big eater, especially since she was hospitalized, her appetite had reduced further. However, she forced herself to finish the entire bowl. Xanthus filled up another half of the bowl after she had finished. Even though the portion was not big, it was difficult for her to finish it. Santiago wouldment every day that she ate like a bird.

    But right then¡­

    Her upbringing didn¡¯t allow her to refuse Xanthus strongly, so her refusal was too subtle for him to take it seriously. As a result, she had to force herself to finish the extra portion.

    As she sat on the bed, she felt that she was so full that she couldn¡¯t even swallow a mouthful of water.

    Xanthus got up and stood aside. ¡°You can get out of bed now. Try toe down and do some exercises.¡±

    Cynthia was thinking of doing that too. The doctor told her that it would be great if she could get out of bed and move around. It would help in her recovery.

    She got out of bed and felt that she was enervated. Xanthus approached her and supported her with his hand.Raeleigh frowned slightly as she watched¡­

    ¡°Inhale, and then exhale. Take your time. You shouldn¡¯t stay in bed all the time. If you don¡¯t move around more, then your legs will be stiff in the future, and it¡¯s bad for your blood cirction.¡± Xanthus was a doctor, and he was sagacious when it came to treating patients. Everyone understood this except for Cynthia herself.

    Raeleigh cast a nce at Santiago, who got up to wash his hands after finishing his breakfast.Then, he came back and lookedat Xanthus as he wiped his hands dry.

    Afterwards, Santiago walked over and took Cynthia¡¯s hand from Xanthus. He held her hand with both of his hands to assist her. The two of them paced back and forth in the ward without caring for the presence of the others, as if they were dancing in their own world.

    Only then did Raeleigh bring Xanthus out of the room.

    They sat down outside of the ward. Raeleigh said, ¡°The doctor said that it will take more than three months for her to recuperate, and she needs to be hospitalized for at least a month. It¡¯s very troublesome.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about your grandmother. I will look after her.¡± Xanthus knew Raeleigh¡¯s concern, and he offered his help. Raeleigh nodded at his reply.

 Chapter 1192 Donâ€™t Care About Anyone

    At that time, Xanthus said, ¡°I heard that Hadrian is fine now. Is it true?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen him around campus, all alone. I think he¡¯s probably looking for Scarlette.¡±

    ¡°Then, Scarlette is going to have troubleing her way.¡± Raeleigh always felt that Hadrian was not the kind of person who would give up easily. It could even be said that he would not give up. However, Scarlette did not understand this point. Why did he have toe out?

    It¡¯d be fine if he did not show up. Who knew what would happen now that he did?

    In fact, Scarlette did not care much about Hadrian. On the contrary, she was concerned about the Moore family¡¯s matter.

    Raeleigh asked Xanthus, ¡°Has Flynt been attending sses recently?¡±

    ¡°Yanora is a murderer now. He has to deal with her affairs. Where would he have the time to attend ss?¡± Xanthus did not know whether he should be d that Raeleigh was in the hospital. If she wasn¡¯t, then he had no idea what those people would do to Raeleigh.

    However ¡­

    Xanthus looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Capital City is a dangerous ce. I still hope that you can consider going abroad with me. The three most dominant families are building momentum, and I¡¯m sure someone¡¯s going to get hurt if they start fighting. Although you are just a bystander, I always worry that you will get hurt if you are not careful.¡±

    ¡°The thing with Cynthia is a perfect example.¡±

    ¡°I know, and I¡¯m also considering it. However, I can¡¯t leave right now. Cynthia once helped me. I can¡¯t just up and leave when she¡¯s still in the hospital. Besides, I have to discuss this with Grandma. Grandma is already used to living here. I feel bad asking her to move with me.¡±Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°She is already so old, after all. Asking her to hopscotch from ce to ce with me, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good for her.¡±

    Raeleigh sighed. She only knew what happened before her eyes.It was not so muchreluctantas it was troublesome.

    When Xanthus noticed that Raeleigh was a little downcast, he raised his hand and patted Raeleigh. ¡°Let¡¯s not go back first. We¡¯ll wait for the holidays.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Raeleigh agreed. Xanthus briefly looked at his watch and stood up. Then, he took a look at the two walking in the ward. He turned around and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°I have to go back now, as I have other things to attend to today. I won¡¯t go in.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Also, could you please ry the news to Grandma?¡± Raeleigh told Xanthus. Xanthus raised his hand and patted Raeleigh on the shoulder. ¡°I got you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Raeleigh saw him off at the door of the elevator. After he left, she made her way back to the ward.

    Deanna showed up in the evening. She had not left the house in two weeks, so she felt as though everything was new. She was even intrigued when she saw someone getting an injection.

    Deanna sat opposite of Raeleigh and stared at her with her big eyes. Raeleigh felt strange and wondered what was so interesting about her to be stared at.

    ¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t we attend sster? I¡¯m bored out of my mind staying at home.¡± Deanna was about to lose her mind, being cooped up at home. Her parents were not at home, and right then, she was like a prisoner and couldn¡¯t go anywhere.

    Usually,with her brother, she could still y the part of the spoiled sister, but right then she realized that it did not work on him anymore. Her brother had a new confidante and no longer loved her.

    Deanna looked at Raeleigh¡¯s pitiful look.Amused, Raeleigh said, ¡°I can¡¯t leave now. As you can see, I need to take care of Cynthia.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I can be alone for a while, or perhaps you can find someone else to take care of me while you¡¯re gone.¡± Cynthia felt bad that Raeleigh had to take care of her, and that was why she suggested it. She did not want to trouble Raeleigh.

    But Raeleigh was the first to disagree and immediately cut her off.

    ¡°No way, I don¡¯t feel at ease letting someone else take care of you. It¡¯s not safe now.¡± Raeleigh felt that the Moore family had given up on Cynthia. They only cared more about how miserable she would be, as she was no longer useful to the Moore family. If the need arose, then she was sure they would haveendedCynthia for good.

    Even if Flynt did not have the heart to do so, she knew the Moore family would not let Cynthia get away.

    Raeleigh did not trust anyone to take care of Cynthia.

    Deanna thought for a moment and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we bring Cynthia to the university with us? It¡¯s a much better environment. Being holed up in the hospital won¡¯t do herrecovery any good.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Deanna and said, ¡°Deanna, are you afraid of going home?¡±

    Deanna curled her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back. There¡¯s no one to keep mepany at home. My brother only spends his time with Rossie now. I had to beg him to let me out today.¡±

    Deanna lowered her head and hugged her bag. When she was broke and hungry, all she could think about was all the delicious food she wanted to eat. However, even though she had money then, she realized that money was nothing more than a piece of paper.

    Raeleigh nced at Santiago. ¡°Can you please call Zorion and tell him that Deanna will be staying with us for a couple of days? I am very tired. I need someone to help me.¡±

    Santiago nced at Raeleigh and took out his cell phone to call Zorion. He did as he was told.

    ¡°Deanna will not be going home today, she¡¯s going to stay over at our ce. I¡¯m just calling to let you know. Oh, and one more thing¡­¡± Santiago didn¡¯t initially want to meddle in this matter, but he looked at Deanna, who looked like she was about to cry, and said, ¡°Just because you have a girlfriend now, it does not mean you can neglect your sister. She¡¯s a person, not a kitten or a puppy. You can keep her at home for a couple of days, but not longer than that. She¡¯ll go crazy.¡±

    At that time, Zorion was currently watching TV. After Santiago hung up on him, he immediately stood up.

    Rossie was also watching TV. When she saw Zorion stand up, she followed suit. She wanted to follow him out, but she was stopped.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to follow me. I¡¯ll be back very soon.¡± Zorion pinched Rossie¡¯s chin. Rossie had been very obedient recently and he had slowly started to let his guard down around her.

    Rossie did not say anything. She just watched as Zorion put on his jacket and walked out through the door. After he left, Rossie returned to the couch and continued watching TV.

    It was not that Rossie did not want to leave, but she couldn¡¯t. Zorion had kept her identity card and passport. She could not leave without those things.

    To Raeleigh¡¯s surprise, Zorion arrived not long after Santiago hung up the phone. He knocked on the door but did not enter. He pushed the door open and called out to his sister.¡°Deanna.¡±

    Deanna suddenly looked up and said, ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Time to go home.¡± Zorion spoke to her in a gentle tone with a sweet smile.

    Deanna froze for a moment. She then stood up and said to Raeleigh and the others, ¡°I¡¯ll go back first. I¡¯lle to see you some other day.¡±

    After saying that, she made her way towards the door. When she arrived, she extended one hand to Zorion and allowed him to take her home.

    Raeleigh did not move as she stared at the closed door of the ward and took a deep breath.

    Cynthia said, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me, then Deanna wouldn¡¯t be like this either.¡±

    ¡°It has nothing to do with you. It¡¯s between Zorion and Deanna,¡± Raeleigh said as she stood up. No one should meddle in others¡¯ affairs.

 Chapter 1193 Disagreement

    Cynthia was quite confused when she heard Raeleigh¡¯s words. So, she asked Raeleigh, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and nced at Cynthia. ¡°Deanna is no longer a child. She keeps a lot of things to herself. Zorion must have realized that she no longer relies on him. He, as her brother, is not used to it.¡±

    Raeleigh had just realized it. It was normal for Zorion to take care of his sister, but he did not need to watch her every step, and he did not need to hold her hand. Only a boyfriend would do such things. However, Zorion ticked everything on the list, as her brother.

    Wasn¡¯t that a problem?

    However, Zorion was definitely not a person who wanted anything out of his sister. It was just that he was very important to Deanna. It could be said that even Jepherson could not rece her brother in her heart even though she had loved Jepherson for more than ten years. At that time, a person named Jacky, had changed Deanna. Zorion, as an elder brother, was already ustomed to being depended on. Suddenly, he was told that his sister did not need him, and that exined his change in behavior.

    Deanna probably realized it and was afraid that she would hurt Zorion, so she always pretended to be obedient. Even if she knew he was wrong, she would still abide by his arrangement.

    SuddenlyCynthia seemed to have had an epiphany. She felt that she and Deanna were the same. Both were tied down by affection. It was just that Deanna was lucky to have a brother like Zorion.

    In the following days, Raeleigh began focusing on taking care of Cynthia. She listened to the doctor¡¯s advice and soon, Cynthia was fully recovered and was finally able to be discharged from the hospital.

    That morning, Raeleigh decided to head out to get some breakfast. When she arrived downstairs, she happened to see Jepherson¡¯s car. She paused for a moment when she saw it, but she turned around and headed back up to the ward.

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t seen Jepherson for two weeks. If she had gone a little longer without seeing him, then she believed that she would havepletely forgotten about his existence.

    By the time she arrived back at Cynthia¡¯s ward, Cynthia had already changed out of her hospital gown and was ready to leave the hospital.

    When Cynthia saw Raeleigh, she immediately walked up and asked, ¡°What are we eating today?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve bought some buns and two bowls of porridge. Let¡¯s have something simple. I¡¯ll fix something up for you when we get home.¡±

    Raeleigh ced the things in her hands on the table and was about to begin eating, but Santiago stopped them and made them wash their hands before eating. Once breakfast was done and over with, Santiago went through the discharge procedure. Soon, the trio left the hospital together.

    It was not until Santiago entered through the door that he learnt that Raeleigh and Novalie had moved. At that time, Santiago did not say anything. After he brought Cynthia up to the room, he came back down and asked for Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh walked over to Santiago and stood face-to-face with him.

    ¡°I have thought about it. I will find a way to put this house up for sale. After all, this house is under my name. I have the right to do so.¡± Raeleigh was telling the truth. Since there was no purpose anymore, she might as well sell the house and use the money to buy a smaller house for her and her grandmother, and to settle downfinally.

    Santiago¡¯s face was colored with amusement. ¡°Are you trying to get me to strangle you?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°Well, if you¡¯re up for it, then who am I to object.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s brows twitched in anger. ¡°You don¡¯t give a d*mn, do you?¡±

    ¡°How about seeing it as having a clean conscience,¡± Raeleigh refuted. Santiago was on the verge of breaking intoughter. He raised his hand and pointed at Raeleigh. ¡°You have guts.¡±

    This was the first time Serra had seen Santiago this mad.

    After a while, Santiago turned around and said, ¡°Bring Novalie back. I¡¯ll buy this house.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to move back in. If I myself don¡¯t want to live in this house, which I own, then what makes you think that I will want to live in this house even if you buy it from me?¡± Since they had moved out, she never thought of moving back in.

    At that time, Cynthia was fully recovered and did not need her help anymore. It was time for her to leave.

    Just as Raeleigh was about to make her way towards the door, Santiago hurriedly stepped forward to block Raeleigh¡¯s way. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you leave. You can try walking out, but no.¡±Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Try me.¡± Raeleigh had never been afraid of anyone in her life, not even Jepherson. So, Santiago was out of the question.

    So, Raeleigh took a step forward, wanting to go out. However, Santiago grabbed Raeleigh and threw her onto the couch. Although the couch was soft,she was caught off guard by Santiago¡¯s unexpected movement, and she hit the couch hard. She nearly passed out due to the impact.

    Raeleighy on the couch for a long time and did not move. A gloomy look appeared on Santiago¡¯s face. He said, ¡°If you had listened to me, then this would not have happened.¡±

    The color drained from Raeleigh¡¯s face, but she did not utter a single word. She just red at Santiago and his handsome face.

    Santiago walked over and gave his hand to Raeleigh. He wanted to pull Raeleigh up, but she did not move. She could not even stand up.

    Santiago frowned. ¡°What, are you stock-still from the impact?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face turned even paler. Santiago immediately bent down, wanting to help her up, but the action made her scream in pain.

    Santiago immediately let go of Raeleigh. He stared at her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Raeleigh gulped. ¡°My chest hurts.¡±

    Only then did Santiago sit down on the other side and gently pressed Raeleigh¡¯s ribs to identify where the pain wasing from. ¡°Does it hurt here?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. Santiago ced his hand on her ribs and gently massaged her.

    After a while, she finally felt much better.Then, she slowly sat up and leaned to one side of the couch.

    Due to the immense pain, beads of sweat started to appear on Raeleigh¡¯s forehead.

    Growing impatient,Santiago said, ¡°I can¡¯t take care of you if you move out. Look at what happened to Cynthia. It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t see it.¡±

    ¡°I can take care of myself. I feel much morefortable when I¡¯m not around you guys. You showing up here is only giving me a headache.¡±

    Raeleigh managed to stand up and wanted to leave.

    Santiago also stood up and stopped Raeleigh. ¡°Stop kicking up a fuss, will you. I¡¯m still not going to let you step out of this house.¡±

    ¡°Whatever fuss I¡¯m kicking up is up to me. I should leave. And please, don¡¯t you try to block me.¡± Raeleigh stepped aside. She wanted nothing more but to leave.

    Santiago was still holding Raeleigh¡¯s wrist, but that time, he did not stop her. Instead, he followed her to the door.

    Raeleigh gasped when she arrived at the door. She did not expect her injury to be this bad. It was just a chest pain, but she felt as though she were within an inch of her life.

    Raeleigh did her best to stay on her feet, but the sweat on her forehead started to drip down.

    Santiago pinched Raeleigh¡¯s chin and stared at her. Raeleigh turned her head and was about to leave, but she lost her bnce and fell to the ground. Just as Santiago was about to help her up, Jepherson entered the house.

    It was only then that Santiago stopped. Raeleigh was in so much pain that she was on the verge of death. In the end, Jepherson bent down and gathered her in his arms.

 Chapter 1194 Since When Youâ€™re Not?

    The brothers¡¯ eyes met as they engaged in a staring contest.

    Santiago shrugged. ¡°She won¡¯t listen to me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle back and beat the crap out of you,¡± Jepherson said as he turned around with Raeleigh in his arms, and walked out of the door. He carried Raeleigh into the car. When Stuart saw him, he immediately opened the car door for Jepherson.

    For several times, Raeleigh wanted to get up, but her pain got the better of her, paralyzing her.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms. He held her down to prevent her from getting up. Only then did she stop moving.

    Raeleigh leaned back in the seat and watched the scenery outside the window. She had suffered chest pains before when she was younger, but it had never been this excruciating.

    Jepherson rested his head on Raeleigh¡¯s. He initially wanted to test Raeleigh¡¯s temperature, but as soon as he got close to her, he could not bring himself to pull away.

    Jepherson rested his head against hers and took a deep breath. Raeleigh tried to get up immediately and turned her face away. Suddenly, he held her hand and pressed his head against hers again as he said, ¡°Stay put. It¡¯ll stop hurting soon.¡±

    There was a fixed window between the twofrontseats and the back passenger seat.It made the interior of the car somewhat dark. Jepherson took advantage of that moment and kissed Raeleigh on her face. Then, he suddenly pulled her into his arms and closed his eyes.

    Stuart was not a fool. He could tell what was going on just by the sound of their breathing. Turn around he dared not.

    However, Raeleigh was an unwilling participant. She struggled for a while, but her chest was hurting, and Jepherson said that he was not going to let her go as he held her tightly in his arms.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Jepherson whispered into Raeleigh¡¯s ear while he held her hand. She clenched her teeth and stared at him coldly. However, she did not say anything but turned her face away.

    Along the way, the more Jepherson hugged Raeleigh, the more he wanted to get close to her. However, Raeleigh¡¯s entire body was so cold to the point that Jepherson felt as if he was hugging a ball of thorns, and it filled him with hatred and agony.

    When they arrived at the entrance of the hospital, Stuart immediately got out of the car and opened the door. Then, Jepherson got out of the car with Raeleigh in his arms and entered the hospital.

    As Jepherson walked, he lowered his head to look at Raeleigh. She was in so much pain that her face was pale. It made Jepherson feel impetuous, but he still wanted tofort Raeleigh. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t cry.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned deeply. She stared at Jepherson and thought, ¡°When have I ever cried? What in the world is he talking about?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Jepherson repeated,to whichRaeleigh ignored.

    Jepherson walked into an examination room while Stuart handled the formalities. When the doctor entered the room, Jepherson was still reluctant to put Raeleigh down. It was as if once he put her down, it would not be so easy to hold her in his arms again, so he continued to carry her.

    The doctor was in a pickle. He wondered, how was he supposed to examine the patient if Mr. Jepherson did not put her down on the bed?

    ¡°Go on, examine her.¡± Jepherson sat down with Raeleigh in her arms. The doctors looked at each other and said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, there¡¯s no way we can examine her like that. Why don¡¯t you put her down on the bed? You can carry her to the wardter if you¡¯d like.¡±

    The doctor said carefully. Jepherson had no choice but to ce Raeleigh on the bed. After that, he stood up and walked to one side. He stood there as he watched the doctors examine her. As the doctors worked, they felt as if Jepherson¡¯s eyes were burning holes in the back of their heads. It was asthough if they made one wrong move, then they would be killed.

    One of the doctors then asked Raeleigh, ¡°Where does it hurt?¡±

    ¡°My chest¡­¡± Raeleigh was barely able to speak, so the doctor massaged her ribs immediately and said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just a normal chest pain. You must have hurt yourself when exercising. All we need to do is to massage it¡­¡±

    ¡°Back off!¡± Jepherson¡¯s face fell. The doctor immediately stumbled backwards.

    Jepherson walked over to Raeleigh and sat down with an unpleasant expression. However, when he spoke to Raeleigh, the formerharshness was gone. Instead, his voice was filled with gentleness. ¡°Hang in there.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you folks show me how to do it? I¡¯ll massage her on my own,¡± Jepherson said and was about to ce his hands on Raeleigh, but she raised her hand to stop him.

    ¡°Call Xanthus, anyone? He can take over!¡±

    Raeleigh barely spoke, but the doctors did not dare to say anything. Then, they heard Jepherson say, ¡°Do you want me to teach the likes of you what to do?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s voice was gloomy. Even Stuart could tell that this was jealousy on steroids.

    The doctor quickly said, ¡°ce your hand on her lower abdomen first and massage her, clockwise.¡±

    Jepherson ced his hands on Raeleigh¡¯s abdomen and raised his eyes to look at her. She wanted to raise her hand to push him away, but she had no strength. However, Jepherson was already holding her hand, rendering her unable to move.

    ¡°Like this?¡± Raeleigh could not move. Jepherson looked at the doctors as he gently massaged Raeleigh¡¯s body. The doctor nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s it, but I think you can exert more strength a little bit more. We will usually start off with a light massage before gradually increasing our strength.¡±

    Jepherson followed the doctor¡¯s instructions and gradually increased his strength until Raeleigh stopped sweating. When he looked over at her, she was lying on the bed, motionless.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, that should be enough,¡± the doctor reminded Jepherson. Only then did he stop. After that, he reached out to hold Raeleigh¡¯s hand and looked at the doctors. ¡°Does she need to stay overnight for observations?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. It¡¯s not that serious. Even if you hadn¡¯t brought her to the hospital, the pain would have gradually subsided. She was probably very nervous,and that is why the pain did not ease up.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh, who had be much quieter. He stood up, bent down, and gathered her in his arms again. Then, he turned around and walked out of the room.

    Stuart hurried to follow them. As soon as they arrived back at the car, he quickly opened the door for Jepherson.

    Raeleigh was feeling much better now and had regained her strength. She began to struggle to get out of Jepherson¡¯s arms. She really wanted to get out of the car, but Jepherson insisted on holding her down, not giving her a chance.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, are we still heading over to the office or is there some other ce that you want to go?¡±

    In fact, Jepherson did not intend to head over to the office at all. He had nned to go back to the Ink Garden, but it sounded much more appropriate to head over to the office then.

    Jepherson then said yes, after which Stuart immediately started the car and drove towards the office.

    When they arrived at the office, Stuart quickly got out of the car and opened the door for Jepherson. He was about to get off with Raeleigh in his arms,but she immediately said, ¡°Jepherson, you¡¯re crossing the line. We broke up. This is inappropriate.¡±

    Jepherson stopped himself short. He then asked Raeleigh, ¡°What do you mean by crossing the line? I didn¡¯t¡­¡±

    As he spoke, Jepherson nced at Stuart and the driver. Stuart immediately turned away and pretended not to hear anything.

    The driver, too, followed Stuart¡¯s lead and turned away.

    Raeleigh clenched her teeth and said coldly, ¡°I am fine now. I am very grateful to you,Vice President Richards, for sending me to the hospital. However, I am still on leave now. If there is nothing else, then I¡¯m going to leave now.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and was about to leave. Jepherson reached out to stop her and took a step forward. He stood in between her and the car. He studied Raeleigh¡¯s face and asked, ¡°Since when did I be the vice president to you?¡±

    Raeleigh raised her eyes. ¡°Since when you¡¯re not?¡±

 Chapter 1195 Afraid That He Will Follow

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes were cold and threatening as he approached Raeleigh. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, ¡°Raeleigh, do you believe that I will carry you in right now?¡±

    Raeleigh red at Jepherson. He continued, ¡°I¡¯ll count to three. If you still refuse, thenI¡¯m going to carry you in.¡±

    Raeleigh gave him a nudge when she heard what he said. He immediately took her hand and started counting while staring at her.¡°One¡­ Two¡­ Three¡­¡±

    Before Raeleigh could react, Jepherson had finished counting. He bent down to pick Raeleigh up.

    Raeleigh struggled for a bit to get away. However, Jepherson did not let her go. He held her in his arms and entered the office building.

    Raeleigh felt helplessand said,¡°I can walk on my own.¡±

    Jepherson paused for a moment.He ced Raeleigh down after a few moments and quickly reached out to hold her hand.

    Raeleigh was stunned for a moment. She appeared displeased. She stared at her hand which had been gripped by Jepherson and tried to shrug his hand away, but Jepherson ignored her and led her towards the office building. Raeleigh tried to shove his firm grip with her other hand, but the more she tried, the tighter he held her. The skin on his hand was scratched as she tried to remove his grip.

    Jepherson turned around and stared at Raeleigh sternly as he gritted his teeth. He then reached out to hold both of her hands before he continued walking towards his office with Raeleigh in tow.

    ¡°Jepherson, please let me go. We¡¯re not a couple anymore. Please let me go.¡± Raeleigh continued to struggle behind him. In the end, he managed to drag her all the way into the office.

    When they entered the office building, Raeleigh immediately stopped talking. Jepherson led the way as she followed him from behind.

    Jepherson loosened his hold on her slightly, but Raeleigh still did not manage to wriggle out of his hand.The moment she was about to be freed from his hold, Jepherson tightened his hand on her again.

    Soon, they arrived at Jepherson¡¯s office.Jepherson immediately locked the door after they entered his office. Raeleigh wanted to stand up, but he quickly turned around and ced his hands on her shoulders and pushed her to sit on the couch.

    ¡°I have something I need to attend to. Why don¡¯t you sit here for a while?¡± Jepherson walked over to his desk after he finished his sentence. Raeleigh sat on the couch.

    Jepherson then sat down at his desk and began to go through the documents on his table. He would look up asionally to check on her. After a while, he seemed to have suddenly lost interest and put down the documents in his hand. He asked Raeleigh with a thoughtful expression, ¡°How¡¯s your grandmother doing?¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Jepherson for a moment before answering, ¡°She is fine.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Then, he picked up another document and continued reading.

    Raeleigh stood up. Jepherson raised his head to look at her and asked, ¡°Where do you think you are going?¡±

    Raeleigh sat down again.He lowered his head andsaid, ¡°I would like to eat soon.What do you want to eat? You can put it in your order.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. I don¡¯t want to trouble you.¡±

    In her mind, exes could not remainfriends after they broke up. It was only possible if the two people had never loved each other before.

    She couldn¡¯t remain friends with him because she had once loved him.

    ¡°Did I say it was troublesome?¡± Jepherson¡¯s expression darkened. He kept his head lowered and ced the document aside. Then, he took out his phone to order some food.

    After that, he continued to work. He was decisive and efficient when he worked.

    She stared at him in a daze. It had been a long time since shest saw this side of him.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± asked Jepherson. Raeleigh froze for a moment and then snapped back to reality quickly but she did not answer him. Jepherson lowered his head slightly before looking up at her again. Only then didshe turn her gaze away.

    Jepherson continued to stare at Raeleigh for a while. With the document still in his hand, he stood up and walked over to her. He stood in front of her. They were in such close proximity that if she were to look up at Jepherson, her head would brush his pants. She turned her face away as she felt slightly ufortable with the distance between them and attempted to leave. However, Jepherson did not give her any chance to escape. He started flicking his shirt with the hand behind him.N?velDrama.Org content.

    ¡°Smack!¡± One after another, all at once.

    Raeleigh could not take it anymore. She wanted to stand up, but Jepherson immediately sat down beside her and crossed his legs.He then lowered his head and looked at the file in his hand.She quickly moved away from him.

    Raeleigh did not look at Jepherson. She wanted to escape. However,the calmer Jepherson was, the more afraid she was to make a move. She was worried about his next move.

    ¡°Can you please take a look at this? I have been working on this design for some time, but I couldn¡¯t find what is wrong with it,¡± Jepherson said as he shifted closer to Raeleigh.She looked at him and said, ¡°I do not know how to evaluate this. I can¡¯t help you.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t even looked at it yet. Don¡¯t you know how to? Or do you not want to?¡± Jepherson questioned. She nced at the document briefly in his hand and saw a new ck sports car printed on the paper. It looked like he wanted to develop a new car.

    Raeleigh knew that the Phantasy Dream and the Duke were already in the market and the sales were good.

    Jepherson was preparing for next season¡¯s production. Raeleigh was not surprised at all to find this.

    Raeleigh neither wanted to interfere, nor did she have any opinion on the design of the car he was holding in his hands.

    Raeleigh then replied, ¡°I have no idea what I¡¯m looking at. I think it¡¯s best if you evaluate it yourself.¡±

    Jepherson turned his dark eyes to look up at Raeleigh. He kept his eyes on her and said, ¡°It¡¯s somewhat dismissive to say that you do not have any opinion.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any problem with it,¡± Raeleigh said. Jepherson sneered and insisted.¡°I think there¡¯s a problem.¡±

    Raeleigh looked away and ignored him.

    Jepherson ced the document on Raeleigh¡¯sp and tapped it twice. Raeleigh turned her face to look at the spot Jepherson was pointing. There were several words on it. Raeleigh scanned through it quickly and realized it was the name of the car.

    Raeleigh could not be bothered andturned her face away after she read the lines of words.

    ¡°Looks good, eh?¡± Jepherson said. Raeleigh turned to look at the design of the car again but remained quiet. She had nothing to say.

    Jepherson leaned to one side and waited for her to speak.He gazed at her intensely as she ignored him.

    Raeleigh could feel his sharp gaze on her. It was as if his eyes could prate her soul.

    After a few moments of silence, Raeleigh finally said, ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well. I don¡¯t want to talk.¡±

    ¡°Not well? Here?¡± Jepherson stared at Raeleigh¡¯s chest as if to hint her of something.

    Raeleigh turned her face away. ¡°I am going to use the restroom.¡±

    She got up and walked hurriedly to the restroom. She thought she would be able to keep her cool but she became so irritated when she faced Jepherson.

    She pushed the door of the restroom open and immediately locked the door after entering. She was afraid that Jepherson would follow her into the restroom.

 Chapter 1196 Arrived Safely At Home

    Just as she had guessed, Jepherson stood up from his desk and made his way towards the restroom. He reached out to open the door but frowned when he realized that the door was locked. He knocked on the door and called out, ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh quickly washed her hands as she kept an eye on the door. After drying her hands, she then walked towards the door and opened it, only to find Jepherson standing outside. He briefly looked inside the restroom before asking, ¡°Are you done?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Raeleigh turned around to leave. Jepherson suddenly asked, ¡°Did you lock the door?¡±

    Raeleigh ignored him and continued to walk out. Jepherson turned around to look at her and instructed her.¡°Stay here. You are not allowed to leave.¡±

    Then, Jepherson turned around and entered the restroom. After he entered, Raeleigh turned around and looked at the closed door for a while. She contemted making an escape when she arrived at the door that led out of the office. Jepherson¡¯s voice boomed, ¡°Didn¡¯t you promised me not to leave?¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and turned around to look at Jepherson who had emerged from the restroom. He was standing at the door and was looking displeased. He sounded like a child who wasthrowing a tantrum.

    Jepherson did not seem angry. Instead, he looked like he was slightly amused with the situation.

    Raeleigh frowned and thought about making her great escape. She wondered whether she would make it out through the door before he could reach her. In the end, she dismissed the idea because she knew it would not work. After all, she still had to go past Stuart.

    Raeleigh finally made her way back and went over to the couch to sit down. She knew it was unwise of her to escape as she knew that Stuart would not let her pass.

    Once Raeleigh sat down,Jepherson went back into the restroom. As soon as he came back, he walked over to the couch and sat beside Raeleigh. He picked up the file and read it for a while. He then asked Raeleigh with his head still lowered, ¡°This car is designed for men. Itcks sophistication. I want your opinion.¡±

    ¡°I have no opinions at all,¡± Raeleigh said. Jepherson raised his head and took a look at Raeleigh before saying, ¡°Since you think it¡¯s fine,why don¡¯t you design a new car for me?¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson handed the documents to Raeleigh before he stood up to get a ss of water. Raeleigh immediately refused his offer.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to coborate with another designer¡¯s work. I hope you can understand.¡±

    Jepherson drank the water, turned around,and looked at Raeleigh. He said, ¡°Wait, do you mean from now on, you¡¯re not going to design any cars for thepany?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. However, when I signed the contract with thepany, it was not stated in the contract how often I am required to produce a design for thepany. I majored in designing and I only know how to design a certain part of the car. I can¡¯t pinpoint what¡¯s wrong with the overall design of the car. I think the exterior looks perfect.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that there is nothing I can do to make you produce any design even though we have signed an agreement?¡± Jepherson looked at her as he waited for a reasonable answer. She sat quietly on the couch, and refused to answer. It was indeed the message she wanted to deliver, but she couldn¡¯t say that out loud.

    In the end, Jepherson could no longer stand it, so he said to Raeleigh, ¡°Fine, if that¡¯s what you want, but thepany will not hire you to do nothing.¡±

    ¡°I previously designed some cars for thepany and even helped thepany generate profit. I have no inspiration now. If you think that I cane up with a design now, then I have nothing to say.¡±

    Jepherson did not answer. He stood for a while, before returning to his chair. He sat down and nced at the bodyguards. Then, he looked at Raeleigh. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think. I want thepany to perform well.¡±

    He probably wanted her more than the performance of thepany.

    Jepherson frowned as he stared at Raeleigh. He was stillwaiting for her to speak. However, she appeared calm and remained silent for a long time. Judging by her looks, it seemed like she was implying, ¡°You can do whatever you want. You may fire me if you do not like me. I¡¯m fine with it. I don¡¯t want toe back to this ce anyway.¡±

    Jepherson leaned against the chair and called her. ¡°Come here. Bring along the documents.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at the document on the couch thatbelonged to Jepherson. He was the vice president of thepany. It wasn¡¯t surprising for him to give her orders.

    Raeleigh got up to pick up the document. She walked over to Jepherson¡¯s desk and ced the documents in front of him.

    Jepherson said to Raeleigh, ¡°Come and put it next to me.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at him for a moment and did as she was told.

    Jepherson reached out to pull Raeleigh¡¯s hand, but she immediately hid her hand behind her and said, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, thenI¡¯ll sit on the couch.¡±

    Raeleigh was not asking for Jepherson¡¯s opinion. Instead, she was informing him.Raeleigh turned around and went back to the couch when she finished her sentence. She kept her eyes on the dooras if she was nning to make her escape anytime.

    Jepherson remained seated and continued to work. He did not cause any trouble to her anymore for the rest of the day. When night fell, Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°Are you hungry?¡±

    ¡°A little. Are you done with work?¡± Raeleigh wanted to head home, but she did not want to make it seem like she was eager to leave. She did not want Jepherson to cause her further trouble.

    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you for dinner.¡± Jepherson stood up and put on his coat before briefly tidying his desk. Raeleigh stood up and said while walking, ¡°Just send me home. Idon¡¯t want to go out and eat.My grandmother will be worried if I go backte.¡±

    ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll apany you home to visit your grandmother,¡± Jepherson said as he opened the door. All Raeleigh wanted was to go home. She did not say anything and allowed Jepherson to do whatever he wanted to do.

    She sat on one side after she got into the car. Jepherson was unhappy with the distance between them.

    On the way back to Raeleigh¡¯s house, Jepherson informed the driver to make a detour to the grocery store so that he could buy some fruits. Once he was done, they continued the journey back to Raeleigh¡¯s house. Raeleigh pretended to ignore him and did not speak for the rest of the journey.

    When they finally arrived at Raeleigh¡¯s ce, Raeleigh looked outside the window and realized that Jepherson had no idea that she had moved out. They were at her previous residence.

    Raeleigh got out of the car and nced at Jepherson. She waited for him to take the fruits out of the car before walking away from the house. When Jepherson turned around, he saw Raeleigh trying to hail a taxi. It was not toote yet, so she managed to get a taxi. The taxi drove away quickly after she got into it.

    Jepherson looked at Stuart in surprise. It suddenly dawned on him that Raeleigh no longer lived here.

    ¡°When did it happen?¡± Jepherson was furious. Stuart answered immediately, ¡°Right around the time Cynthia got injured.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°We had just found out about it. Mr. Santiago did not know about it either and Serra did not say anything.¡±

    Stuart was worried about Serra. He wondered why Serra had kept quiet about it. He was sure that Serra knew about her move.

    Raeleigh finally arrived home safely. When she got out of the car, she breathed a sigh of relief.

    Even if this ce was not as good as her previous residence, it was a ce of her own. It was definitely better than staying in someone else¡¯s house.

 Chapter 1197 Uninvited

    Raeleigh got out of the taxi and saw Xanthus walking out of the house just as shewas about to enter the house. He wasstaring at the watch anxiously. She knew he was extremely worried.

    Xanthus was very busy that day.If he was free, then he would have gone to the hospital to pick her up.

    ¡°What took you so long toe home?¡± Xanthus asked Raeleigh as he took a quick look at his watch.Raeleigh decided against telling him that she had been held up by Jepherson all day. She told him that she bumped into him, and that was why she came backte.

    Xanthus looked at Raeleigh for a moment and made sure she was fine before they entered the house together.It was time for dinner.

    When Raeleigh saw the dishes on the table, she said,feeling slightly embarrassed, ¡°Ever since we met you, you¡¯ve been helping me take care of Grandma. You are turning into my housekeeper.¡±

    ¡°I will try my best. This is the only way I can repay my gratitude towards Grandma. If it weren¡¯t for her, then I probably would have never found you. Besides, isn¡¯t it my responsibility as a brother to look after my sister?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment.He had no obligation to do anything for her, even if he was her brother.

    ¡°I will take care of you in the future,¡± Raeleigh said after a long time. Xanthus could not help but to smile. He reached out and touched Raeleigh¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯ll hold onto your words. If I grow old alone, then you will have to take care of me. Perhaps, you can tell your children to take good care of me, alright?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. What else could she say?

    Since she had nothing else to say,she stopped talking and entered the house to greether grandmother.

    Meanwhile, Novalie was wondering the whereabouts of Raeleigh.She finally came back.

    Novalie took a look at Raeleigh and said, ¡°You¡¯re back! Let¡¯s have dinner then. I¡¯m old and starving.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Ididn¡¯t mean toe back thiste.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize. You make it sound like I¡¯m an outsider. If you are going toe backte in the future, then you should let us know ahead of time. I don¡¯t mind waiting, but it¡¯s not good to let others worry about you.¡±

    Raeleigh instantly understood who her grandmother was referring to. She turned around and nced at Xanthus as she felta little guilty. Xanthus immediately went into the kitchen and said. ¡°Do not ever do this again, alright? Just call us so that I don¡¯t have to worry about you.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Raeleigh promised. After dinner, she helped Novalie back to her room to rest. It had been a long time since she came home after spending so much time in the hospital. She felt guilty.

    As soon as Novalie sat down, she started praising Xanthus. Raeleigh sat aside in silence.

    ¡°Raeleigh, when I die, you should go abroad with him and nevere back,¡± Novalie said in the end. She had made up her mind. She wanted the best for her granddaughter. Since this environment was no longer suitable for Raeleigh, she should move abroad to start a new life. A change could be good for her and it was probably better for her career development.

    Raeleigh hugged Novalie abruptly and said, ¡°No, don¡¯t leave me. I will never leave you either. Even if I have to leave, I will take you with me. We will never be apart.¡±

    Novalie smiled. She was happy to hear what she had said. She held Raeleigh¡¯s hands and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. People will die eventually. My days are numbered. Do you think I¡¯m immortal?¡±

    Raeleigh hugged her grandmother without answering. They sat there for a long time until Novalie asked to call it a night. Raeleigh was feeling much better by the time she went to bed.

    The next morning, Raeleigh saw Santiago at the door as soon as she went downstairs.

    She froze at the sight of Santiago. He got out of the car while Cynthia sat in the passenger seat. Cynthia greeted Raeleigh when she saw her. Raeleigh stopped and smiled. Then, she walked over to Santiago.

    ¡°Come home with me,¡± Santiago said as he stopped in front of Raeleigh.

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Raeleigh was calm. What had happened should be left in the past, she thought. She held no grudges against him.

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m kidding?¡± Santiago was amused. He looked up and saw Xanthus walking out. He walked over to Xanthus and said, ¡°I want to take Raeleigh back home. You and Novalie maye with us. Somebody needs to look after Cynthia. Besides, I promised my brother that I will bring Raeleigh home.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no point in telling me. I¡¯m just here to look after Raeleigh. I can¡¯t make any decisions for her.¡±

    Xanthus said and fixed his gaze on Raeleigh. Raeleigh turned around as well.

    Santiago continued, ¡°Raeleigh has toe back with me. I know that she will refuse if both of you decide to stay. I hope you can alle with me. There¡¯s no other way.¡±

    ¡°Santiago, you can¡¯t do this to me,¡± Raeleigh said as she stared at Santiago. She looked slightly annoyed. Although she was sure that Santiago woulde looking for her,she thought that he shouldn¡¯t havee.

    ¡°What do you mean? Do you mean like yesterday?¡± Santiago¡¯s face darkened. He turned around and faced Raeleigh, who fell silent all of a sudden. She said, ¡°Don¡¯t talk about what happened yesterday. I don¡¯t want to hear anything about it. Please don¡¯t say anything more.¡±

    ¡°No negotiations. You have toe with me. You don¡¯t have a choice,¡± Santiago said stubbornly. Raeleigh said after a moment, ¡°I¡¯m not going. Why don¡¯t you kill me then?¡±

    Raeleigh stormed back into the house when she finished her sentence. Santiago tried to follow her, but was stopped by Xanthus.

    ¡°Get out of my way.¡± Santiago¡¯s face was full of displeasure.Xanthus remained steadfast as he was not afraid of him.

    ¡°Raeleigh is a human being. She¡¯s neither an animal nor a toy. It isn¡¯t right to control her actions. I know you meant no harm and you are trying to protect her. But please consider your actions. Do birds prefer to fly freely in the sky or get locked up in a cage?

    ¡°I know you and your brother may mean no harm, but the way you¡¯re handling this is wrong.¡±Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    Xanthus turned around and went back into the house. Santiago thought for a few moments and decided to walk towards the house. Cynthia got out of the car quickly and followed him.

    Raeleigh intended to have breakfast but she heard the sound of door knock just when she was about to prepare her breakfast.

    Xanthus went to take a look at the door and realized that it was none other than Santiago and Cynthia.

    Xanthus exchanged a look with Raeleigh before opening the door.

    Santiago took off his shoes and led Cynthia into the house.Raeleigh watched as the two of them took a seat on the couch. Then, she turned back into the kitchen to continue preparing breakfast.

    She knew that it would be a futile attempt to change Santiago¡¯s mind. It was better to let him do whatever he wished to.

    Once breakfast was ready, Raeleigh brought the food out and ced it on the dining table. Xanthus went to invite Novalie out for breakfast. Santiago treated her house as if it was his own. He brought Cynthia to the bathroom to wash their hands before making their way to the dining table, and waited to have breakfast together.

 Chapter 1198 Forced to Give In

    After breakfast, Novalie went back to her room. She didn¡¯t want to interfere with Raeleigh¡¯s affairs and left them to solve their own problems. She thought that she shoulde to her own decision that time.

    Raeleigh turned to Santiago and asked, ¡°What in the world do you want?¡±

    ¡°You know very well what I want. Do you really have to ask?¡± Santiago said. His face was proud and arrogant. Cynthia couldn¡¯t bear to watch any longer.

    ¡°Raeleigh, let¡¯s talk,¡± Cynthia said as she stood up. Raeleigh knew she was not fully recovered yet and did not want to make things difficult for her. So, she followed Cynthia to Xanthus¡¯s room.

    When they entered the room, Raeleigh pulled a chair over for Cynthia to sit before pouring a ss of water for her.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting better. We haven¡¯t seen each other for a day,as you know how my condition is. I¡¯m just feeling a little weak. Otherwise, I am alright.¡± Cynthia¡¯s face was pale as she spoke.

    Raeleigh said after a moment, ¡°I can¡¯t go back with you. Serra can take care of you. I want to stay here and apany my grandmother. You know me, I don¡¯t want to go back.¡±

    After spending more than two months together, Raeleigh and Cynthia had be best friends. Raeleigh did not want to borate too much and she knew that Cynthia was understanding.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I got you into this mess,¡± Cynthia said, feeling a little guilty. She had been a burden to Raeleigh for a month. Right then, she had evene with Santiago to disturb her peace. She knew Raeleigh¡¯s character well. She had broken up with Jepherson and there was no turning back for her. It was wishful thinking for them to reconcile. It was a fact that everyone knew.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You took care of me too when I had a miscarriage. Look at you, the only thing you have done in the past month was to apologize to me. Sometimes, I¡¯m even mistaken that we have only be friends just so you can apologize. You are my friend. There is no need for this.¡±

    Raeleigh reached out for Cynthia¡¯s hand. She thought Cynthia looked haggard recently and she wondered why. Although Cynthia was recovering,she felt that Cynthia sounded a little depressed.

    ¡°No, I should definitely tell you. I am indeed a burden to you. If it weren¡¯t for me this time,then Santiago would not have had the excuse toe and find you. Sometimes, I would rather have him drag you away than to let him use me as an excuse. In fact, everyone knew that what he said was just an excuse, yet¡­¡±

    Cynthia trailed off as she wasn¡¯t sure what else to say.

    Raeleigh looked at Cynthia and said, ¡°I know you wanted to help him try to persuade me to go home, but I don¡¯t want that house anymore. Furthermore, I need the money.¡±

    ¡°Are you short of money?¡± Cynthia asked. Raeleigh thought for a while and said, ¡°Yes, I am. Once the house is sold,I¡¯ll have the money.¡±

    Raeleigh had already thought everything through. She remembered that she still owed Zorion money. She wanted to repay him as soon as possible.

    Zorion and Deanna had provided help whenher hand was injured by Quirina. Now that she has fully recovered, it was time for her to return the money she owed.

    ¡°I have some money saved up.If you need money urgently, then I can lend it to you first. The house is roughly worth about a couple million dors. I should have enough.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I know you wanted the best for me. But you know about my situation too. I want to sell the house for the money. Besides, I will finally be able to let go of the things in the past and move on.¡±

    Raeleigh knew Cynthia meant well, but she could only acknowledge it without epting her kindness.

    She should not depend on others for her life.

    Cynthia was silent for a moment before she replied, ¡°If this is truly what you want, then I will help you.¡±

    ¡°How are you going to help me?¡± Raeleigh asked.

    She answered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Leave it to me.¡±

    Cynthia stood up, turned around, and left the room to go toSantiago.

    Raeleigh followed her. She did not hear their exchange but Santiago appeared surprised. Santiago stood up when he saw Raeleigh and said, ¡°I will buy the house. Name your price.¡±

    ¡°Six million dors.¡± Raeleigh looked at Santiago. She had no idea how much the house was worth but she knew that a house like hers that was in a prime location would be expensive. She thought about the amount needed to pay off Zorion andknew that she roughly owed him at least a few million dors. She wanted to pay him back as soon as possible. If they needed another favor in the future, then Raeleigh would be d to return it.

    Deanna was right. Whatever was owed needed to be returned.

    ¡°I¡¯ll offer you seven million dors, if youe over and stay with us for a couple of days.Once Cynthia is feeling better,you may leave. I¡¯ll pay you immediately after that.¡±

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment. ¡°Are you serious? You¡¯ll let mee home once Cynthia is fully recovered?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡± Xanthus stood up. He was not nning on interfering as he thought Raeleigh had made a wise decisionbut he was having second thoughts right then.

    She cut him off. ¡°I know, but this has to be solved. I really want to sell the house. Thepany gave me the house as a reward for my car design. It belongs to me and I have the right to sell it. I need the money. Even though you have it, I don¡¯t need it yet but I will let you know when I do.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s idea was straightforward. All she wanted was to settle all the matters here before reuniting with her biological parents.

    Xanthus wanted to speak up, but decided against it after hearing what Raeleigh had said.

    ¡°Since you have made your decision,I will support you.¡± Xanthus patted Raeleigh and walked away. Raeleigh took a look at him before turning to look at Santiago. ¡°Answer me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep my promise. When Cynthia has recovered,you may return home.¡± Santiago took his cell phone out and called Jepherson. ¡°Give me seven million dors in cash, now.¡±

    Jepherson, who was on the other end of the line, frowned when he heard his words.

    ¡°Stuart, I need you to prepare seven million dors in cash for Santiago.¡± Jepherson hesitated for a moment before giving the order. Stuart asked in puzzlement,¡°Cash?¡±

    ¡°Yes, cash.¡±

    Jepherson put away his phone and stood up. He went to the window and looked outside. He balled his fingers into a fist and knocked his forehead. Stuart observed him before he walked out of the office to deliver the money to Santiago.

    Raeleigh went back to her room to pack her belongings. Then, she went into Novalie¡¯s room to inform her that she will be heading back to their old house to take care of Cynthia. Novalie was sitting on the bed when she came in. She knew exactly what was going on. Santiago must have forced her granddaughter to give in. However, she felt more at ease as she knew that Xanthus was looking after her. She did not say a word.N?velDrama.Org content.

 Chapter 1199 Their Relationship

    A few momentster, Raeleigh emerged from the room with an overnight bag. She also briefly talked to Xanthus before following Santiago into the car. Xanthus watched as they left before he made his way back into the house to check on Novalie.

    When he entered the room,Novalie sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you again.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s my duty to take care of you.¡± Xanthus sat down beside Novalie. Novalie said, ¡°After I pass away, please take Raeleigh with you and leave this ce. This ce is not right for her at all. There are too many things going on here.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, why don¡¯t you move abroad with us since you¡¯re in good health? That way, Raeleigh would not need to worry about you and she¡¯ll be able to focus on her studies. I¡¯m trying toe up with a solution with my parents to see if there¡¯s any way Raeleigh can move abroad soon.¡± In fact, this was the reason Xanthus had been so busytely. Novalie took a look at Xanthus and said, ¡°I respect your decision. Do what is best for her. However, as you know, she can be very stubborn. I think it¡¯s best if you talk to her.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Xanthus was worried that she wouldn¡¯t agree as well. If it weren¡¯t because of that, then he would have gone through with his decision much earlier.

    Raeleigh left her house and followed Santiago back to her previous residence. As soon as she arrived, she went straight to her room to retrieve the property ownership certificate. She said as she handed it to Santiago, ¡°This belongs to you now. Once I receive the money, I¡¯ll arrange to have the property title transferred to you.¡±

    Santiago lowered his head and nced at the property ownership certificate. He epted it and handed the certificate to Cynthia. ¡°You can have it if you want. I don¡¯t need it. Once weplete the procedure to transfer the property, this house belongs to you.¡±

    Santiago turned around and went to the restroom. Cynthia took the property ownership certificate and walked over to Raeleigh. ¡°I told Santiago that I wanted the house. He once told me that he will agree to whatever request that I have.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Raeleigh wasn¡¯t sure what to say. Cynthia was true to her word.

    ¡°No problem at all. If you ever want the house back,then let me know. You can pay me back in instalments. I will pay Santiago back in instalments as well.¡±

    Raeleigh did not say a word. She knew Cynthia had good intentions, but she had made up her mind that she would never want the house back, just like her rtionship with Jepherson. They would never get back together. Things had changed. Nothing would ever be the same again.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh and Cynthia sat in the living room. When Santiago emerged from the bathroom, Stuart arrived with two men in tow. Each of them carried a briefcase in their hand. When Stuart saw Santiago, he hurriedly instructed the two men to put the briefcases down.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, this is the seven million dors in cash that you have requested. It¡¯s all in here.¡± Stuartnced at Raeleighbriefly whenfinished his words. Then, heturned around to leave.

    Santiago nced at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go and deposit the money.¡±

    Santiago then picked up the two briefcases and made his way towards his car. As soon as he got into his car, he gave Jepherson a call. ¡°Did I say I want the money to be sent over to the house? They ced the briefcases here and left without saying anything else.¡±

    Jepherson did not reply and hung up the phone.

    After Raeleigh and Cynthia got in the car, Santiago started the car and drove towards the bank to deposit the money into Raeleigh¡¯s bank ount.Then, he drove them home.

    Whilst on their way home, Raeleigh informed Santiago that she wanted to drop by at Zorion¡¯s ce.Santiago made a detour and they arrived shortly after.

    When they arrived at the Whalen family¡¯s entrance, Santiago walked up to the gate and nced at the password lock. Then, he raised his hand and pressed a string of numbers to unlock the door. He pushed the door open and led Raeleigh into the house.

    Raeleigh and Cynthia followed behind and soon arrived at Zorion¡¯s living room.

    As soon as they entered the door, they saw the servant running upstairs hurriedly to inform Zorion. Deanna was very surprised to see them in her house.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡± When Deanna saw Raeleigh, she immediately rushed over to her excitedly.

    On the other hand, Santiago and Cynthia appeared indifferent. Santiago walked over to the couch withCynthiaand sat down. The two of them sat aside like outsiders.

    ¡°Raeleigh, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier that you areing? I¡¯m bored out of my mind. Come, sit down.¡± Deanna pulled Raeleigh towards the couch and gestured to her to sit down. Meanwhile, the servant came back down from upstairs.

    It was Santiago whom the servants were afraid of.

    After a while, Deanna asked, ¡°Raeleigh, do you want to stay for dinner?¡±

    ¡°I came to visit your brother. I don¡¯t think I will be staying for dinner,¡± Raeleigh said. Soon after, Zorion came down the stairs. He was not surprised to see Raeleigh and Santiago as the servant had informed him about the guests¡¯ identities.

    ¡°What brings you here today?¡± Zorion said as he sat down and nced at Raeleigh. Then, Raeleigh took out her bank card and handed it to Zorion.

    Zorion was stunned for a moment before saying, ¡°I have told you that I don¡¯t want the money.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s too much. I would have considered it if it weren¡¯t this much, but the amount is huge. It¡¯s best if I repay the money as soon as possible. I am not sure how much I owe you but at the very least, I have paid you back. There is seven million dors in my ount. Take it. I¡¯m not sure whether it¡¯s enough, but it¡¯s all I have right now. Take it as a favor to me and ept my bank card.¡±

    Zorion was quiet for a moment before he asked, ¡°Are you implying thatwe¡¯ll write everything off between us once I ept the money?¡±

    She thought for a while and answered, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to write it all off. But at least in terms of money, we are all clear. I will always remember the favors that you¡¯ve done for me.¡±

    ¡°Then, take it back. We don¡¯t owe each other money. Not now and not ever. There is only affection between us. I hope it will always be like this.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Before she could say another word, Santiago sat up and looked at Zorion. He said, ¡°She is my brother¡¯s girlfriend. No other man can have feelings for her. You ought to know that.¡±

    ¡°Or else, I willy my hands on you.¡±

    Deanna froze for a moment and raised her head to look at her brother. She wondered, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Zorion already have Rossie? Does this mean that he still likes Raeleigh?¡±

    What about Rossie?

    Zorion turned to look at Santiago. ¡°Mind your own business. This is between Raeleigh and me. It has nothing to do with anyone else.¡±

    As he was talking, they heard light footstepsing from upstairs. Everyone turned to look up at the person who was walking down the stairs. It was none other than Rossie.

    Zorion was slightly surprised to see Rossie at the stairs but he quickly shifted his gaze away from her. Rossie, on the other hand, paused on the stairs. When she noticed everyone¡¯s gaze on her, she said calmly, ¡°I wanted to head outside.I¡¯m sorry if I have disturbed your conversation.¡±

    Everyone remained quiet.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Rosie. I¡¯ll apany you,¡± Deanna said as she stood up. Although Deanna was naive, she did not agree with Zorion¡¯s way of doing things. She knew that he must have done it on purpose. He took advantage of her just because she had no feelings for him.

 Chapter 1200 Woman and Sister

    Deanna walked towards Rossie. Raeleigh stood up and said to Rossie, ¡°I¡¯m indebted to Zorion and Deanna. I came here today to return the money. I hope I didn¡¯t cause any misunderstandings.¡±

    Rossie was smart. She knew that Raeleigh was honest from the look in her eyes. Ever since their first meeting, she knew that Raeleigh had no feelings for Zorion. However, Zorion was different. Although he had never admitted it, he¡¯d be lying if he said he did not have feelings for her.

    Rossie did not want to get involved in his affairs. He had the freedom to do what he wished to. It was none of her business and she knew she would leave him eventually.

    Rossie continued walking down the stairs and said, ¡°I¡¯m heading outside to the courtyard. Please continue.¡±

    It was rare for Rossie to have free time. Usually, she would not be able to go out.

    Rossie stepped out into the courtyard and started walking around its perimeter. The Whalen family¡¯s courtyard was huge. Although she did not like the family home, she found the courtyard very beautiful.

    Deanna held Rossie¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Rossie, you don¡¯t know my brother. He didn¡¯t mean it. All of usrespect Jepherson. He regards Jepherson as his brother and he will never do anything to hurt him. Zorion likes Raeleigh, but it is not love. I¡¯m sure you know that he likes you more.¡±

    Rossie turned to look at Deanna. That was the first time she had heard this.

    ¡°It¡¯s my body that he lusts over, not me.¡± Rossie truly thought so. She wondered if Zorion would still be interested in her if she suddenly became an old woman.

    Deanna was stunned for a moment. She then hurriedly shook her head. ¡°No, my brother is not a superficial person.¡±

    ¡°Greed is a terrifying thing. Deanna¡­ you have never experienced it, so you wouldn¡¯t understand. A greedy man is truly terrifying.¡±

    Rossie would sometimes pass out from Zorion¡¯s torment. If only she wasn¡¯t so terrified of him,then she wouldn¡¯t have kept quiet about the treatment she was receiving and would have left him a long time ago.

    Deanna was in a dilemma. Her brother wasn¡¯t that terrifying, was he? No matter how terrifying he was, she doubted he was as terrifying as Jacky.

    After thinking for a while, Deanna said, ¡°My Mom once said that everyone makes mistakes. However, you must not immediately write them off. Instead, they should be given a chance to correct their mistakes. So, you have to be considerate of my brother. He might be a little arrogant, but I honestly think that he treats you very well.¡±

    ¡°I am his sister. Before you showed up in his life, did you know how much he doted on me? Every day, he would agree to all my requests without hesitation, regardless of what I wanted to do. However, he never once brought me out alone after he met you. He would always bring you along.¡±

    ¡°Rossie, I really do think that my brother treats you well. He is very sincere.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you feel it? He would ask for your permission every time before he goes out. He had never done this before. He would beam whenever peoplepliment that the two of you are a perfect match. You are all he sees. He just doesn¡¯t realize it yet.¡±

    ¡°He may not know it, but I think you ought to know.¡±

    Deanna was naive. Rossie looked at Deanna and said, ¡°Your brother has neglected you because of me. Don¡¯t you have a single ounce of hatred towards me?¡±

    Rossie came from a ce where a man was surrounded by many women. It was a cewhere people tended to plot against each other. She knew that women were best atpeting for affection and jealousy, and that was why she asked.

    However, Deanna immediately shook her head and said, ¡°Those feelings had never urred to me.¡±

    ¡°Then, you are really kind to your brother.¡± In other words, she was very naive, she thought.

    Rossie walked to a ce and knelt down to observe the ants on the ground. Winter wasing, but the ants were still busy working. They were busy storing food for the winter.

    Rossie knelt down and pointed at the ants on the ground. ¡°Do the ants look small?¡±

    Deanna walked over and crouched down. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°If a small ant can survive, then why can¡¯t I?¡± Rossie asked Deanna. She paused for a moment. She then looked up at Rossie and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I am human and I wish to have my own life too. I am not your brother¡¯s ything. He is allowed to do whatever he wants to me.I will leave eventually. Deanna, look at these ants. They are so small. Are you willing to kill them?¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Deanna shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only fifteen years old, yet I am forced to sleep with your brother every night,¡± Rossie said. It was only then that Deanna stopped replying. After a long silence, she finally asked, ¡°Do you really dislike my brother?¡±

    From Deanna¡¯s perspective, it wasn¡¯t entirely her brother¡¯s problem that they were sleeping together. It was just like Jacky and her.If she hated him so much,then she would have killed herself rather than sleep with him.

    If Jacky was an 80-year-old old man,then she would rather die. Since she was willing to sleep with her brother every day rather than killing herself, she probably did not hate him that much.

    Rossie turned her face away. ¡°I do like him asionally, but it doesn¡¯t mean that he could force me to have s*x with him. I am a person, not a kitten nor a puppy. Even an animal couldrun away when it is unhappy,am I right?¡±

    ¡°You are right, but my brother is sincere. He just doesn¡¯t know¡­ how¡­¡±

    Deanna tried to find the right words and finally said,¡°¡­ how to love you! That¡¯s right! He does not know how to love you!¡±

    ¡°He is your brother. Regardless of what he does, he is still a good person in your eyes. But I disagree.¡±

    Raeleigh watched Deanna and Rossie leave before sitting back on the couch. She said, ¡°You will hurt Miss Lautner with your actions. You should go out and exin it to her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my business. Don¡¯t tell me what to do. Take back the money. I don¡¯t want to talk about this anymore. You may leave now.¡± Zorion stood up and turned to head back upstairs. Raeleigh took a look at the bank card on the table and looked at Santiago. She knew he must have a solution to this. That was why she brought him here.

    As expected, Santiago reached out and took the bank card. Then, he went out into the courtyard.

    Raeleigh and Cynthia followed him out. Santiago had already made his way to Deanna. He then handed her the bank card.

    ¡°Inside the card is seven million dors that Raeleigh is returning to Zorion. One of you is Zorion¡¯s woman and the other, his sister. Whoever that needs the money can have the card and consider the debt repaid. The PIN is 177156.¡±

    Deanna¡¯s eyes opened wide with surprise. She said, ¡°We can¡¯t ept it. My brother will be mad.¡±

    Santiago did not speak.Rossie reached out and took the bank card.

 Chapter 1201 Surprised

    As soon as Santiago left, Deanna began to discuss the money with Rossie. ording to Santiago, as long as either Deanna or Rossie epted Raeleigh¡¯s bank card, it would mean that Raeleigh no longer owed the Whalen family any money.

    ¡°Rossie, you have to give them back the card. If money is all you need, then I can give it to you. Let me go get it from my purse,¡± Deanna said as she pulled Rossie¡¯s hand worriedly. However, Rossie replied, ¡°I need this money. Your brother initially promised to give me a sum of money once we found you. He also promised that he would send me abroad, but he broke his promise. Not only was I not allowed to leave, he even forced me to sleep with him.¡±

    ¡°Deanna, if it were you, then would you be willing to stay?¡±

    Deanna was caught off guard by her question. She stared at Rossie for a long time before saying, ¡°Even if it is so, you can¡¯t ept the money. I will ask my brother to give you back the money, alright?¡±

    Rossie shook her head. ¡°No, please don¡¯t. You know very well that your brother wouldn¡¯t allow it.¡±

    ¡°But ¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no but. Deanna, please help me. I¡¯ll make sure to return the money to him in the future,¡± Rossie said as she held Deanna¡¯s hand. Deanna wavered slightly. She was a soft-hearted person. She turned around to make sure that they were alone before she said, ¡°Youhave to think this through. If my brother finds out, then I¡¯m not sure if he will¡­¡±

    Deanna raised her head and looked up at the sky. Zorion liked Rossie and would never harm her. Deanna suddenly had the courage and she nodded firmly. She said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will not tell my brother. If you marry Zorion in the future,then whatever belongs to the Whalen family shall belong to you as well.¡±

    She smiled as she finished her sentence. On the other hand, Rossie was worried about her naivety.

    ¡°Deanna, there¡¯s nothing wrong with being the way you are but always keep in mind that you shouldnot trust anyone so easily. This is how you were kidnapped thest time. You may be lucky once or twice, but not more.¡±

    Deanna nodded. ¡°I know. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯ve learnt my lesson. I will not run away anymore. I will listen to my brother¡¯s advice.I will not go out without his permission.¡±

    Rossie looked at Deanna for amoment before saying,¡°Your brother can be so bossy sometimes. He wants everybody to follow what he says. Doesn¡¯t he understand that we¡¯re humans too? He cannot lock us up at home as if we are his pets.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. He doesn¡¯t even allow me to go to university. People my age are supposed to be in school, but instead, he wants me to stay at home. I amsure my parents will be angry if I were to tell them.¡±

    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t we tell your brother that we want to start attending university? He can follow us if he wants.¡± Rossie had already thought of a way to make her escape. Deanna thought about it and immediately agreed. She hurriedly dragged Rossie into the house. Deanna was much braver with Rossie around. She dared to say things that she previously did not.

    Meanwhile, Zorion was upstairs reading a book. Rossie had read it before, so he wanted to have a look as well. He was not concerned whether Santiago and the rest had left or not.

    To like a person was one thing, but it did not mean he could possess her.

    Now that Zorion had Rossie, his emotions became inexplicably calm. He was slowly getting over his feelings for Raeleigh. He had never thought that it would happen.

    Zorion turned to look at the door when he heard the door open. Deanna entered the room with Rossie, whose face was ruddy, behind her. As soon as Deanna entered the room, she shouted, ¡°Zorion, I want to go to school. I shouldn¡¯t waste my time rotting at home.¡±

    Zorion looked at Deanna and Rossie who were standing in front of him. He nced at Rossie before looking at Deanna. He tapped her head with the book in his hand. ¡°Is that it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and Rossie wants to go to school too,¡± Deanna immediately said. Zorion was stunned for a moment before asking Rossie, ¡°Have you graduated from high school?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Rossie was really interested in attending college, but she did not even graduate high school. Therefore, she had never ced any hopes in it.

    Zorion looked at her for a while. ¡°Is that really what you want?¡±

    Deanna turned around and pulled Rossie. ¡°Rossie, just tell him that you want to go to school.¡±

    ¡°I want to experience it,¡± Rossie said. Zorion stared into her bottomless eyes before tossing away the book in his hand and stood up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you for the registration. From now on, you¡¯ll be in the same ss as me.¡± Zorion was bored of staying at home. He stretched his body before making his way downstairs and out the door. He brought the two of them to the school to register for sses. They will be starting officially the next day.

    Raeleigh followed Santiago back home and started preparing for her sses the next day. After all, she had nothing important to do at home. Although she was technically supposed to be taking care of Cynthia, she did not need anyone to look after her, so Raeleigh decided to go back to school.

    The next day, Santiago apanied Raeleigh back to school while Cynthia stayed at home to recuperate.

    As soon as she entered the school entrance,Raeleigh heard the news that Flynt was going to transfer to another school. She wasn¡¯t sure where he was going. All she knew was that he was in the midst of transferring schools and that his sister was going to jail.

    Raeleigh walked along the windy corridor as she stared at the ground,deep in thought. It seemed that whoever offended the Richards family would not have a good ending.

    Quirina was the first person who offended them and the rest were also from the Moore family. Raeleigh felt that Flynt would not give up easily. It was obvious from his decision to transfer schools.

    ¡°My brother asked you to add him on WeChat,¡± Santiago said out of the blue as he walked. Raeleigh raised her head and looked at him. She neither replied, nor did she do as he said.

    After a moment of silence, Santiago said, ¡°There¡¯s a misunderstanding between you and him.¡±

    ¡°I am not interested to hear about it. You don¡¯t have to exin it to me. Or else, I will never talk to you again.¡± Raeleigh quickened her pace. Santiago stopped and looked at her in amusement before catching up to her.

    When they walked to the end of the corridor, they bumped into Zorion and the others. Deanna ran towards Raeleigh and immediately held her arm.¡°Raeleigh, you came for ss! So did I!¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Deanna as she talked.

    Zorion led Rossie into the lecture hallwhilst Deanna and Raeleigh walked together. Santiago followed behind them.

    The ss had already begun when they arrived. The lecturer heard a knock on the doorand gave permission for them to enter.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh swept her eyes across the entire lecture hall. She was somewhat surprised to see¡­

    Jepherson¡­

    Raeleigh did not expect that Jepherson would be here. Not only that, he was standing on the podium with a chalk in one hand. He was their lecturer.

    When Jepherson saw them, he put the bookin his handdown and pressed his hands on the desk. The two topmost buttons on his shirt were undone and he had his shirt tucked in. The shirt was slightly loose and his sleeves were rolled up.

 Chapter 1202 Taken Away By Flynt

    Raeleigh froze.Jepherson¡¯s eyes darkened as he briefly looked at the time on his watch. He then asked them, ¡°Can you exin to me why you guys arete for ss?¡±

    ¡°There was some heavy traffic,¡± Santiago said as he entered the lecture hall. He was stunned to see Jepherson too.Deanna was the most surprised of them all.

    Jacky was also in the ss. Santiago made his way to his seat after he replied to him. Meanwhile, Deanna was still holding Raeleigh¡¯s arm in a daze. She was whispering into Raeleigh¡¯s ear.

    Raeleigh was not surprised. Elkton University was run by the Richards family, so it was not out of the ordinary for him to be here.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Raeleigh said as she led Deanna into the lecture hall.She did not expect to seeJacky inside. Zorion obviously saw him as well, so he hesitated when walking back to his seat.

    When Zorion arrived at his seat, he motioned for Rossie to sit inside. He had also saved a seat for Deanna.

    Deanna¡¯s jaw was about to drop to the floor. She was frightened out of her wits. She held her breath when she looked at Jacky.

    Instead, Jacky smiled at Deanna.

    ¡°Deanna, why don¡¯t you sit in front of Rossie?¡± Zorion hinted. Deanna let go of Raeleigh and ran awayimmediately.

    Raeleigh swept her eyes across the lecture hall again and noticed there was only one seat left which was in front of Santiago. She hurried over to im the seat.

    Jepherson raised his head to look at Raeleigh before saying, ¡°Let me introduce myself again for those who came inte. The university recently had a reshuffling of lecturers.¡±

    Jepherson picked up a chalk and began writing his name. ¡°My name is Mr. Jepherson Richards. I¡¯ll be your recement lecturer for the next two months. This is a new rule that has been set for graduates who are entering thepany. I hope we can get along well.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson with an emotionless expression. He nced at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Now that that¡¯s out of the way, let¡¯s begin today¡¯s lecture. Let¡¯s talk about the structure and purpose of a car.¡±

    Jepherson continued to write a few words on the board before turning around to look at Raeleigh.

    Most of the students had already opened their books, but Raeleigh was sitting there, staring, and unwilling to cooperate.

    Jepherson knocked on the table from the podium. ¡°Raeleigh Anson, go and stand by the door.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Deanna immediately asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s still daydreaming. This behavior is uneptable. She may join us again when she is ready.¡±

    Deanna pouted and was obviously dissatisfied with his decision. Raeleigh then stood up. She didn¡¯t want to attend his ss anyway. If he wanted her out, then she would obey him.

    Raeleigh went over and stood by the door. Jepherson started his lecture. Then, he decided to give the ss some tutorials to do while he went to check on Raeleigh. She was standing outside with her eyes closed. It was only when she heard him approaching that she opened her eyes.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°Have you reflected on your behavior?¡± Jepherson asked as he stopped in front of Raeleigh.She remained silent.

    ¡°Why are you ignoring me?¡± Jepherson continued. Raeleigh looked up at him and said, ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡±

    Jepherson froze and looked at Raeleigh. He looked at the time and said, ¡°Follow me to the office after ss.¡±

    Then,Jepherson made his way back into the lecture hall.Raeleigh immediately turned around and left after he entered the hall. WhenJepherson dismissed the ss, he realized that Raeleigh had disappeared.

    Raeleigh neither answered her phone nor were there any signs of her.

    Raeleigh was nowhere to be found. By the time Jepherson had dismissed the ss,she had already made her way to the school entrance.

    Jepherson called her.She wanted to reject his call initially when she saw his number. However, she changed her mind and let her phone ringto save herself trouble.

    When Jepherson realized that she wasn¡¯t answering her phone,he stopped calling.

    Raeleigh arrived at the school gateand waited for a taxi. She wanted to go home to visit her grandmother.However, not a single taxi passed by. Instead,Flynt came by.

    When the blue car stopped, Raeleigh instinctively felt that she might have met someone she shouldn¡¯t have encountered, but she did not give it much thought. She stood there without moving.

    She thought she wouldn¡¯t have time to escape anyway if the other party was a bad person and was plotting against her.

    As expected, Flynt got out of the car and he started walking towards Raeleigh.

    ¡°Are you alone?¡± Flynt hadn¡¯t been to the university in a long time. He was busy taking care of Yanora¡¯s affairs. That day, he came to apply for a transfer of schools.He saw Raeleighwhen he got out of the car anddecided to greet her.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I rarely see you alone. Where¡¯s Santiago?¡± Flynt raised his head and looked at his surroundings. He was dressed in an all-ck outfit. Perhaps, it was because he was no longer a student here that he did not look like a student. He seemed like someone who had been working for a long time.

    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for someone,¡± Raeleigh said. Flynt was not satisfied with her answer, so he said, ¡°Come on, why don¡¯t you apany me to the court for trial? I happen to be alone.¡±

    Then, Flynt turned around and made his way to the car. He opened the door and waited for Raeleigh to get in. Raeleigh stood still. Flynt waited patiently for ten minutes before Raeleigh decided to get into the car.

    Raeleigh asked Flynt about his business at the court when she got in the car. Raeleigh had a wild guess that it was for Yanora.

    Flynt did not answer but instead changed the topic. When they arrived at the entrance of the court, they were immediately surrounded by a group of people. Flynt went to the passenger side to open the car door for Raeleigh. Raeleigh immediately knew that Flynt had something nned. She looked at Flynt and asked, ¡°Is this your n all along?¡±

    She wondered, did he want to use her to enrage Jepherson and Santiago?

    Flynt closed the car door and approached her as they walked through the crowd. ¡°You underestimated me. I don¡¯t need you to settle the score with the Richards siblings. I like you and I will do anything to have you but I will not get you into a difficult situation.¡±

    ¡°I know that my father is a womanizer and has countless mistresses, but I am not like him. Even if we share the same blood, I am my own person and I have nothing to do with him.¡±

    ¡°As for you¡­ I like you and it has nothing to do with the others.¡±

    Flynt held Raeleigh¡¯s hand as they entered the building. Raeleigh could not shrug off his hold and was led into the building.

 Chapter 1203 Nothing to Say

    After entering the courthouse, Raeleigh grew quiet. Flynt held her wrist and dragged her into the courtroom. Although he was rough, he did not exert too much strength.

    Flynt had no sooner appeared than hewas quickly surrounded by several people andone after another, they were moring to say a few things to him.

    Flynt said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me these things. I¡¯m here for the trial.Everything else remains the same, end of story. She has to take responsibility for her own actions.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Moore.¡± After replying, those people stepped back. Raeleigh turned around and looked at those pitiful people. Then, she raised her head to look at Flynt.¡°Do you want your sister to go to jail?¡±

    Flynt found itical. Without even looking at Raeleigh, he said, ¡°Yanora deliberately hurt Cynthia. I have seen this happen before, at home, when we were younger. In my family, ruthlessness is the norm, and it¡¯s every man for himself. Between two people, only one will survive. Yanora clearly despised Cynthia. Not only did she hire someone to tarnish Cynthia¡¯s reputation, she also wanted her to be killed.¡±

    ¡°Cynthia is not stupid. She just wanted to help Yanora. In this case, why don¡¯t Yanora pay the price, while Cynthia lives the life she wanted, if only for a few days.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve known from a young age that Cynthia hated her life in the Moore family. She wanted nothing more than to leave but she couldn¡¯t. Santiago was her lifeline.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. For the first time, she felt that Flynt was rather smart.

    However, she felt that he was quite pitiful. Why was he always living in someone else¡¯s shadow?

    If Flynt hadn¡¯t met Jepherson and Santiago, then he probably would have been very sessful.

    If he could stomach being ruthless and could see beyond current circumstances, then what else couldn¡¯t he do?

    It was a pity that Jepherson then was standing in his way, watching his every move. Raeleigh knew that his life would not be easy.

    This was the reason Raeleigh believed that man proposes, but God disposes. Destiny was set in stone.

    Raeleigh was led to the front row seat by Flynt. As soon as she took her seat, she looked around and noticed that some reporters were shocked by her appearance. Some of the Moore family members were also in attendance, but there were no signs of Elina.

    As the judge was making a statement, it was clear that Yanora was mentally unstable and was shouting in the courtroom. When she saw Raeleigh, she pointed at Raeleigh and referred to Raeleigh as Cynthia, beforecalling her a b*tch.

    Raeleigh felt that Yanora had lost her mind. She could not even recognize people.

    She could only sigh as she stared at Yanora. Flynt had two sisters. One was mentally ill while the other one had run away from home. He was probably in a bad mood right then.

    Raeleigh pulled her hand out from Flynt¡¯s hold and fixed her eyes on Yanora.¡°Has your sister finally lost her mind?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t got any doctors to examine her yet, but from the looks of it, it¡¯s possible that she has.¡± Flynt said as he looked at Raeleigh, ¡°Don¡¯t you find it strange that I¡¯ve brought you to her trial today? Don¡¯t you suspect anything?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Raeleigh looked at him. He smiled and said, ¡°If the court decides that Yanora¡¯s mental health problems are legitimate, then she may be exempted from going into prison.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your business, isn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t care about this.¡± Raeleigh really did not care what the oue of the trial was.

    Flynt turned his face away and just said, ¡°But I care.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. She did not want to hear his exnation.

    Raeleigh stood up at the end of the trial. Yanora shouted like a madwoman. Flynt stared at his sister for a while before leaving the courtroom with Raeleigh. When they walked out of the door, he asked Raeleigh if she was hungry. Raeleigh did not say anything. As they walked out of the building, Raeleigh said, ¡°Could you please send me home? I want to visit my Grandma.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Flynt got into the car, followed by Raeleigh. He then drove her home.

    After getting out of the car, Raeleigh thanked him before entering the apartment. Flynt waited and made sure she was safe in the apartment before driving away.

    Raeleigh immediately made her way back to her house. As soon as she arrived at her unit, she could hear Jepherson¡¯s voice. Raeleigh stood at the door and saw that he was sitting with Novalie. She really didn¡¯t expect him to be here. After all, she had not seen his car downstairs.

    Raeleigh did not see Xanthus when she entered the room. Xanthus must have gone to the university that day.

    As soon as Raeleigh entered the door, Jepherson walked over to her and reached out to hold her hands. He said, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I came to pay Grandma a visit.¡±

    Raeleigh changed out of her shoes and walked into the kitchen to get some water. Novalie kept her eyes on Raeleigh. When Novalie saw her granddaughter emerge from the kitchen, she beckoned to her as she had something to tell her.

    Jepherson also wanted to speak, but Novalie said, ¡°I¡¯m going to cut to the chase. I¡¯m getting old.¡±

    Jepherson was silent, after whichNovalie continued, ¡°I have heard some stories about men from rich and powerful families. You men treat women like clothing. You toss them away once you¡¯ve had enough of them.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were different. I did not expect you to be like them. I¡¯m¡­¡±

    ¡°Grandma¡­¡± Jepherson wanted to speak, but Novalie raised her hand to stop him. Jepherson nced at Raeleigh. Although he did not say anything, gloominess crept up his face.

    They had been getting along so well just then, but he did not expect Novalie to be so shrewd. In a sh, she had be a different person.

    Novalie continued, ¡°I know your family has money and power, and that¡¯s your family¡¯s business. It is also not within my control that your behavior would stray so far away from what is virtuous. However, it¡¯s not right of you to take advantage of an innocent person. Raeleigh is innocent, but you ruined her. You even caused her to have a miscarriage.¡±

    ¡°She is lucky that she didn¡¯t die, but now you¡¯re back again. Do you begrudge her for still being alive?¡±

    She snorted.

    Novalie mockedhim.¡°You better not go too far with your arrogance. Capital City might be a huge city, but it cannot withstand turmoil. Your family might be one of the top families in the city, but I¡¯m sure one night is all it takes for it to crumble to the ground, no?¡±

    Jepherson slightly frowned. Novalie¡¯s words showed how incensed she was with him.

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh, but he did not say anything. Novalie said, ¡°It¡¯s important for people to live a life governed with morals. The baby had been in Raeleigh¡¯s womb, but somehow she lost it, and so the loss is hers to bear. Yet, you are the one who is rotten to the core. Sooner orter, you will be punished. You are still young and you do not have any kids, but you will know how it feels like not to have any in the future.¡±

    Jepherson was stunned for a moment before he smiled. ¡°I will only have kids if Raeleigh is the one giving birth to them. It¡¯s my fault that Raeleigh lost the baby. It has nothing to do with others. Every one of your words, Grandma, is right.¡±N?velDrama.Org content.

    He had done wrong. Jepherson had nothing else to say.

 Chapter 1204 No One Is Allowed To Leave

    Raeleigh remained silent the whole time Novalie talked. Novalie felt tired by the time she was done. She said to Jepherson, ¡°This is my house. You¡¯re not wee here. Please leave.¡±

    Novalie dragged Raeleigh into the room as she spoke. Once they entered the room, she heaved a sigh and said, ¡°You should get away from here. Anywhere is better than this ce. It¡¯s pointless for you to stay. It would only make things worse.¡±

    Raeleigh closed the door and helped her grandmother to the bed. She sat opposite Novalie and did not speak. Novalie looked at her helplessly. ¡°Raeleigh, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. I don¡¯t mind if you put me in a nursing home.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No way.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting old. I will be a burden to you.¡± Novalie sighed and thought that if not for herself,then Raeleigh would not have been tied down, and her future would not have been restricted.

    After lying down for a while, Novalie soon nodded off. Raeleigh opened the door and went out. Surely enough, Jepherson had not left. So, she immediately returned to the room.

    She stayed in the room until Xanthus came home. Xanthus and Jepherson were engaged in whatlooked like an unpleasant conversation. Soon, Jepherson was asked to leave.

    After dinner, Raeleigh did not go back to her former residence. Instead, she stayed and apanied her grandmother.

    No one else came to bother Raeleigh that night and she was finally able to get a good night¡¯s sleep.

    The next morning, Raeleigh received a phone call from Jepherson. He called to inform her that he was waiting for her outside.

    Raeleigh was a little hesitant at first, butter on, she decided to go down and see him. She spotted Jepherson¡¯s car as soon as she arrived downstairs.When Stuart saw her, he immediately got out of the car, opened the door, and invited her to enter the car. Raeleigh stood outside, unwilling to oblige. She asked Jepherson, ¡°Anything?¡±

    ¡°Come on in.¡± Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. His expression was cold as he waited for Raeleigh to enter the car. Raeleigh said after a long time, ¡°If you want to say anything,then here is as good a ce as any. I¡¯m not getting in, and I don¡¯t have all day for this.¡±

    ¡°So, you want me to leave, is that it?¡± Jepherson suddenly turned around to look at Raeleigh. Raeleigh stopped talking and immediately entered the car. He was giving her a death stare.

    Raeleigh had no idea what she had done to have offended him. However, judging by Jepherson¡¯s current attitude, it was apparent that he was here for an interrogation.

    Stuart quickly closed the door and entered the car. Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°Care to exin this to me?¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her head and skimmed the newspaper and magazine thrown on herp. She saw two people on the front page, holding hands in the middle of a crowd. Flynt was trying to protect her from the public. However one looked at it, it could not be exined with a ¡°nothing¡±.

    Raeleigh stared at the picture and wondered why there wasn¡¯t a picture of her trying to shrug her hand free from Flynt¡¯s. At that time, Flynt had grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the courthouse. She had tried to wriggle free from his hold, but she failed. At first nce, it looked like they were willingly holding hands, with Raeleigh locking her gaze on Flynt.

    Raeleigh simply asked, ¡°What¡¯s with it?¡±

    Jepherson looked over and met Raeleigh¡¯s fierce eyes. It looked as if she was not afraid of him at all.

    ¡°Are you really asking me?¡± Raw anger shot through him.Raeleigh looked away and said, ¡°I¡¯m allowed to act ording to my own free will, and this is a fact that has not bothered you in the least bit. If you can¡¯t bring yourself to see this, then don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I dare you to say it again,¡± Jepherson said through his clenchedteeth. Raeleigh turned to look at him, calmly. ¡°My stance remains the same, whatever I do¡­¡±

    Just as Raeleigh opened her mouth, Jepherson immediately pulled her into his arms and lowered his head to kiss her, cutting her off.

    Raeleigh struggled to jerk her head away, but Jepherson was dead set on not letting her go. The more she struggled, the harder he kissed. Raeleigh wanted to reach out to push him away but he grabbed her hands. When Raeleigh stopped struggling, he opened his mouth and continued kissing her, intertwining his tongue with hers.

    Both Stuart and the driver were caught off guard by this scene and did not dare to look behind.

    By the time the car pulled over, Raeleigh appearance¡¯s wasdishevelled. Jepherson took off his coat and covered Raeleigh, in case someone saw something. Raeleigh was so furious that she raised her hand and pped him. ¡°You have crossed the line.¡±

    Raeleigh left her hand print on Jepherson¡¯s face. After that, she opened the door and got off. Only then did she realize that she had arrived at the entrance of Richards Manor.

    Jepherson then got out of the car and someone came out to greet him. Then, he turned around and looked at Raeleigh. He was a little breathless from his brief kissing session with Raeleigh on the way. He had wanted to appease Raeleigh, but he couldn¡¯t. Instead, he had hurt her.

    Raeleigh wrapped Jepherson¡¯s coat tightly around her as she thought about what had happened in the car. If she went in, then she knew that Marissa would know what had happened.

    Therefore, Raeleigh neither wanted to go in, nor did she have anyobligation to.

    Raeleigh turned around and was about to leave when Jepherson stepped to the other side and stopped her. He bent down and gathered her in his arms, and was about to carry her into Richards Manor.

    ¡°Jepherson,you can¡¯t do this to me. We¡¯re not a couple anymore. I am not bound to you anymore.¡± Raeleigh struggled. Jepherson gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Not bound to me, you say? No f*cking way. You belong to me.¡±

    ¡°No, I do not.¡±N?velDrama.Org content.

    ¡± Well, I don¡¯t know about that, though. Your objection is meaningless.¡±

    He steadied Raeleigh in his arms and started walking towards Richards Manor. Raeleigh struggled in his arms and wanted to get away, but he hugged her tightly and did not let go. When the people in the manor saw this scene, they all lowered their heads and did not dare to look.

    Marissa had just finished blowing off her top, iming that Flynt had taken Santiago¡¯s girl away. However, it seemed like that was not the only case then. It seemed that Jepherson had also invoked her wrath.

    Jepherson carried Raeleigh all the way into the manor. Santiago had just arrived with Cynthia.

    While the two were fighting, Santiago dragged Cynthia into the manor with vigorous strides.

    Marissa was seething at that time, and her anger became all the more uncontainableas soon as she saw the front page of the newspaper.

    She was mad that her grandson could not control his girlfriend.

    She was simmering with anger when she heard Raeleigh yelling for Jepherson to put her down. However, Jepherson refused and carried her all the way to Marissa.

    Once Jepherson put Raeleigh down, only then did she keep quiet. She wrapped the coat tightly around her body.

    Marissa¡¯s expression turned grim at that moment. ¡°What in God¡¯s name is going on with the two of you? Why are you wearing Jerry¡¯s¡­ Jepherson¡¯s coat?¡±

    Marissa looked furious. She was starting to get suspicious.

    Raeleigh tried to exin herself, but Jepherson walked over and stood beside her. ¡°Raeleigh and I like each other. We have been together for a long time, but you¡¯ve always wanted me and Deanna to be together, so I asked Santiago to cover for me. Now, I can¡¯t hide it anymore.¡±

    Marissa kept her eyes fixed on Raeleigh as Jepherson spoke. Then, she frowned. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then care to exin what¡¯s written in the newspaper? Now, there¡¯s a picture of you and Flynt together.How can you be so unfaithful? This is a disgrace to the Richards family, and now you¡¯re nning be a Richards? Don¡¯t get any delusional ideas now.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°With all due respect, don¡¯t get me wrong. Jepherson and I have broken up. I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to intrude. If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±

    Raeleigh took off the coat and handed it to Jepherson. After straightening her clothes, she turned around and was about to leave when Jepherson pulled Raeleigh and said, ¡°Not so fast.¡±

    Raeleigh was about to leave but Jepherson stopped her. ¡°No one is allowed to leave, not before we set things straight.¡±

 Chapter 1205 Fainted

    Raeleigh was pulled back by Jepherson. At that time, Santiago and Cynthia entered the room. When Marissa saw Cynthia, she snorted. ¡°You are not wee here. Get out now!¡±

    Marissa had not liked Cynthia even before she knew Cynthia was from the Moore family. Now that she knew, her aversion towards Cynthia had snowballed.

    Cynthia did not say anything as she nced at Santiago. He asked, ¡°I¡¯m right here. What are you so afraid of?¡±

    Cynthia did not answer. Marissa sneered. ¡°There¡¯s so many fish in the sea, yet why do you have to pick him of all people? Don¡¯t you know how old you are? What, are you trying to trick a kid?¡±

    Cynthia was not thick-skinned. She blushed after hearing Marissa¡¯s words.

    Cynthia lowered her head and did not say anything, allowing Marissa to say whatever she wanted.

    However, Santiago refused to stand by and do nothing. When he heard Marissa¡¯s words, he immediately said, ¡°Grandma, if you don¡¯t like me, then it¡¯s fine, but you cannot say those words to Cynthia. Yes, she might be from the Moore family, but she has severed ties with them. Besides, there¡¯s nothing bad about her. If you don¡¯t like her, then it¡¯s fine, there¡¯s nothing I can do to change it, but from now on, Cynthia will be with me. How can you scold her for nothing? It¡¯s not like she¡¯s beholden to you, right?¡±Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Are you trying to piss me off? You do realize that she¡¯s much older than you, don¡¯t you? Are you out of your mind?¡± She trembled with rage.

    Santiago sneered.¡°Grandma, for this point, I beg to differ. When ites to love, age is nothing but a number. I¡¯m still going to marry her even if she were a 70-year-old. I mean, my heart wants what it wants.¡±

    Santiago was infuriating, and Raeleigh finally had her firsthand experience. Cynthia pulled Santiago¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Santiago turned around and led Cynthia away. Marissa pointed at Santiago as he walked away and ordered, ¡°Lock him up right now.¡±

    However, no one dared to stop him. He walked out of the door and looked back. Then, he got into the car and brought Cynthia to have a good meal.

    Cynthia was recovering well. The doctor did not give her any dietary restrictions. Moreover, Santiago had already bought two ne tickets and was nning to take Cynthia for a vacation.

    After Santiago left, Raeleigh, too, wanted to leave. However, she was held back by Jepherson. Even if she wanted to leave, she couldn¡¯t.

    Raeleigh had no choice but to stay. After Santiago left,a fresh swell of rage rose in Marissa when she saw Raeleigh. She picked up the newspapers and magazines on the table and flung them at Raeleigh. Jepherson managed to pull her out of the way. In the end, the newspaper hit him instead.

    Jepherson looked down at Raeleigh to make sure that she was fine. He turned to Marissa and said, ¡°Grandma, Raeleigh is innocent.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not innocent.One moment she¡¯s with Santiago, and the next she¡¯s with you. Now, she¡¯s created this joke of a mess. Pray tell, in what way is she innocent?¡±

    ¡°She is as innocent as can be.¡± Jepherson looked gloomy as he raised his voice. Marissa then piped down.

    However, Marissa felt ufortable and sneered after looking at Raeleigh. ¡°I knew you were trouble from the moment you and Deanna became close. Not only did you seduce Jepherson, but you also had a fling with Zorion and now, Flynt. It seems like you¡¯ve had everything all nned out. Do you think that as long as you have these three families to back you up, you¡¯ll finally live a glorious life?¡±

    Marissa¡¯s words were full of condemnation that Raeleigh could not bear it anymore.

    ¡°Madam Marissa, I think you¡¯re misunderstanding this. I am no gold digger, and I have no intention of marrying into a rich and powerful family.¡±

    ¡°Poor as I am,I¡¯m still a human. I have dignity. Even if I don¡¯t marry into a rich family, I¡¯ll still be able to live a normal life.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t speak for the other girls, but I won¡¯t covet your family wealth. My body is my best asset, and I can earn my own money.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true, I am poor, but I have my own principles. Please don¡¯t be so mean to me. Let me make this clear to you. I will never marry Jepherson Richards, and I will not bear the name of the Richards family. I hope this puts your mind at ease.¡±

    Raeleigh said and turned to the door. However, Jepherson hugged her from behind and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t go.¡±

    Raeleigh replied without turning around, ¡°Jepherson, I was not nning to say anything, but now it seems like I have to defend myself.¡±

    ¡°I am a burden to you. I don¡¯t have a reputable family background. I know your family will never agree to us being together, so I¡¯ve never had much hope for us getting married.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never cared about fame and fortune when it came to loving someone. However, whatever you¡¯re doing now, it¡¯s starting to make me fall apart. I am genuinely afraid to be with you. I beg you, please let me go. There is no future between us. All I want is to graduate from university. However, ever since I met you, my life haspletely changed. I have lost my focus because I have to be entangled with you all this time.¡±

    ¡°Whatever I have with Flynt, it¡¯s mine to deal with. Please stop asking.¡±

    Raeleigh shoved Jepherson¡¯s hand away and was about to leave. However, Jepherson ignored her and pulled her into his arms and kissed her until she was breathless.

    Raeleigh pushed him away and said, ¡°You hadn¡¯t kissed me for a while. What were you thinking and doing at that time?¡±

    ¡°You asked someone else to lie to me in order to make me rid myself of the baby.Although I knew you were lying,I could not help feeling sad. I did not know what love was, and I did not know what it felt like to love someone. But I am a human. I have a heart. I have emotions. I knew what pain was.¡±

    ¡°When the doctor pulled the baby out of me, I felt as if my heart was being ripped apart.¡±

    ¡°You know, I can read the emotions in your eyes.When I saw your eyes then, theycked firmness.¡±

    ¡°When we first got together, you used to hide everything. I was fine with it because I knew you were doing your best. I knew that I was not alone. But this is as far as it goes. Now that both of us have stopped trying, our story hase to an end.¡±

    ¡°No, Raeleigh, let me exin. I did not want the baby because¡­¡±

    ¡°Because the baby had birth defects? I doubt so. I asked Xanthus to examine the baby. You colluded with the doctor to lie to me. You told him to advise me not to keep the baby. Have you ever realized how cruel youcouldbe?¡±

    Raeleigh jabbed at her chest.¡°It felt like there was a knife inserted into my heart, ever soslowly. It¡¯s so painful that I teared up. I didn¡¯t dare to pull it out because I knew that I would die if I did!¡±

    ¡°So, I¡¯m¡­ begging you, please let me go. I want to live a normal life. From now on, you don¡¯t have to care whether I¡¯m dead or alive. Please?¡±

    Jepherson slowly released his hand and froze. He looked at Raeleigh with a pained expression. ¡°Raeleigh, I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you. I only ever wanted to be with you, but we¡­¡±

    Jepherson suddenly turned his face away and choked on his words. He raised his hand and pressed his chest. He told Raeleigh, ¡°You can leave. Stuart, please send Raeleigh home!¡±

    Without thinking, Raeleigh walked towards the door. As soon as she stepped out of the house, Jepherson couldn¡¯t catch his breath. He cked out and fell to the ground.

    When Raeleigh heard a thud, she turned around and felt that her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She was stuck to the ground.

 Chapter 1206 Whatâ€™s the Difference Whether I Like Her or Not?

    Marissa was stunned when she saw Jepherson fall onto the ground. She pointed towards the ground before passing out on the couch herself.

    Raeleigh hurried over to check on Jepherson. She called out his name but he did not respond. Stuart quickly called the driver to bring the car over and sent both Jepherson and Marissa to the hospital.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    As soon as they arrived at the hospital, Jepherson was immediately rushed into the emergency room. Raeleigh waited outside. Marissa was the first to regain consciousness and immediately requested to see Jepherson.Then, the nurse helped her to the emergency room. However, when she saw Raeleigh, she immediately reached out and pped her.

    It was so sudden that it caught Raeleigh off guard. She held her face in her hands and looked at Marissa, who was sneering. ¡°This is for you.Now get the h*ll out!¡±

    Raeleigh frowned and nced at the door of the emergency room. ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave until I know that he is alright.¡±

    ¡°Quit dreaming, for God¡¯s sake. I¡¯ll tell you what, the two of you can never be together for as long as I am alive. Jepherson is not a reckless person. He insisted on terminating your pregnancy because he knew that the baby was not his. Do you really think that you¡¯re good enough for him?¡± Marissa said coldly. The color gradually drained from Raeleigh¡¯s face.

    Stuart stood on one side, looking fraught. He wondered when Santiago was going to show up.

    Raeleigh stared at Marissa. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at the emergency room onest time before making her way towards the elevator. As soon as she entered the elevator, she rested her body against the wall and felt that she had no strength left in her.

    Not long after, Santiago emerged from the other elevator. When Stuart saw Santiago, he immediately rushed over but was soon stopped by Marissa. ¡°Stay put.¡±

    Stuart hurried back to his ce. Santiago brought Cynthia along. He surveyed his surroundings and saw no signs of Raeleigh. So, he asked, ¡°Where is Raeleigh?¡±

    With his head bowed, Stuart did not dare to say anything. Marissa sat down and said, ¡°She said she had a stomach ache. So, she went out to buy some medicine.¡±

    ¡°Stomach ache?¡± Santiago did not believe Marissa¡¯s words. He turned around and looked at Cynthia. ¡°Stuart,find Raeleigh, andbring Cynthia along with you. If you can¡¯t find her, then you know what the consequences will be.¡±

    Stuart hurriedly answered, ¡°Yes, Mr. Santiago. But what about Mr. Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not going to die. I¡¯ll die before he can,¡± Santiago said as he walked to the door and sat down. Then, he said to the nurse, ¡°Fetch the doctor.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The nurse hurried away in search of the doctor. Stuart was much relieved now that Santiago hadfinally emerged.He turned around and walked towards the elevator with Cynthia.

    After Cynthia and Stuart left, Marissa glowered at Santiago and asked, ¡°Do I even exist to you? Do you even care about this family?¡±

    ¡°Of course you do,Grandma. Or else I would have hurled you off this building and to your death!¡± Santiago snorted coldly. Marissa¡¯s servants immediately lowered their heads, holding their breaths. If he could not throw her off this building right then, was he going to shove them instead?

    ¡°This is it. You are not walking all over me! I¡¯m going to call your father and let him deal with you.¡± Marissa pointed at Santiago, but he did not care at all. Not long after, the doctor hurried over to Santiago and asked, ¡°Mr. Santiago, what can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°I just want to know how my brother is doing.¡± Santiago leaned to one side, radiating menace. Spooked, the doctor said, ¡°He¡¯s all fine and dandy. He had a slight anxiety attack, but everything¡¯s under control now. He¡¯s recovering well.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t expect him to die. Just like before, if something happens to him, then I won¡¯t let it go. Understood?¡±

    ¡°I understand. Mr. Santiago, don¡¯t worry. We will definitely give our all and ensure that your brother recovers well.¡±

    ¡°I hear you. Now, leave.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Santiago.¡±

    The doctor turned and left. At that time, Marissa scrutinized Santiago. She had noticed that there was a change in Santiago before, but right then, it seemed that his change was even more obvious.

    Marissa watched Santiago grow up. He was not a child who was easy to deal with when he was younger, and Marissa did not like him either. However, she did not expect that his way of doing things was not any worse than his brother, Jepherson.

    Marissa stared nkly at Santiago. At that time, Santiago took out his phone and called Cynthia.

    ¡°How is it going?¡±

    ¡°We have not found her yet. Stuart told me that your grandmother pped Raeleigh and that she had left only a momentbefore we arrived. However, there¡¯s still no signs of her. We¡¯ve searched all over the ce. I am thinking of calling Xantus. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Santiago hung up the phone and looked at Marissa. ¡°Did you p Raeleigh?¡±

    Marissa¡¯s expression was gloomy. She wrapped the shawl around her body and said, ¡°What¡¯s with your attitude? Does it pain you that I pped her?¡±

    Santiago snorted and turned his face away from his grandmother. He leaned against one side as he waited for Jepherson toe out. It wasn¡¯t long before Jepherson emerged. When Santiago saw his brother, he immediately stood up. Jepherson was still unconscious, and Santiago followed him into the ward. Marissa was about to follow them when Santiago told the servants, ¡°Mr. Jepherson is fine. Why don¡¯t you guys take Madam Marissa home? If there¡¯s nothing important,then make sure that she remains in her room. You know how old people can get confused and not know what they¡¯ve done.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Santiago.¡± The maid did not dare to go against his order because they knew Santiago¡¯s temper. Marissa was so furious that she began to tremble. She pointed at him before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Marissa stormed away. When she returned home, she confined herself to her bedroom.

    She made a call to Hansen. When he saw that it was his mother, he immediately hung up.

    They were having a good time. Since Hansen didn¡¯t care to go back home, his family affairs should not be within his jurisdiction anymore.

    He may be at the prime of his life, but to in reality, he had taken over the family business when he was very young. At that time, he had really thought it was the right decision. But when he looked back then, he felt that he was nothing if not an imbecile. He might have brought his career to new heights, but he had made his marriage a mess. There was nothing ster about it.

    Now that he had his beautiful wife in his arms, why would he want to bother with thepany¡¯s affairs?

    Marissa was about to lose her mind when she could not get through to Hansen. She neither ate nor drank that night. She even called Jepherson, but he did not answer his phone.

    Santiago sat on one side,with his legs crossed, as he stared at his brother. Jepherson was fine. He was then lying in bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze.

    ¡°Have you note around?¡± Santiago¡¯s attitude had never changes. He wasevenslumped in his chair.

    Jepherson was silent for a moment. ¡°You will not understand.¡±

    ¡°Heck, don¡¯t get me started. Really, you just had to drag me into your mess. There¡¯s a scar on Cynthia¡¯s chest and I¡¯m nning to have it removed. I will not be able to take care of Raeleigh for you. You better suck it up with your own issues. Hasta vista.¡±

    Santiago made his way to the door. Jepherson looked at him and said, ¡°Santiago.¡±

    Santiago did not turn around but waited for Jepherson to speak. Jepherson then asked him, ¡°Do you really like Cynthia?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Santiago smiled. ¡°What¡¯s your point in asking this?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Santiago replied, ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡±

    After that, Santiago walked out the door. He then looked back at the closed door before turning to leave.

 Chapter 1207 Nervous When She Sees Him

    Raeleigh was fetched by Flynt as soon as she came out of the hospital. She didn¡¯t intend to get into the car, but Flynt refused to leave and kept on waiting. She had no idea what made her enter the car, but she did feel a wave of guilt wash over her after she got into the car. However, what could she have done then?

    ¡°Did you have an argument with Jepherson because of me?¡± Flynt asked Raeleigh while driving. Raeleigh leaned back in her seat and stared into space. Part of her attire had been torn, so she kept her hands on it to make sure it stayed intact. Flynt noticed the bruise on her face, but did not question her.

    Soon, they arrived at the entrance to Flynt¡¯s vi. Raeleigh looked outside and said, ¡°Send me home, please.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that your grandmother and Xanthus would get worried when they see the bruise on your face?¡± Flynt got out of the car and opened the door for Raeleigh. She took a quick look around and noticed that the sky was already dark. She doubted that anyone could see her then. If it was broad daylight and someone saw her entering Flynt¡¯s vi, then she knew that she would be the talk of the town again.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment before getting out of the car and into Flynt¡¯s vi. Flynt immediately went to get a change of clothes for Raeleigh.

    Flynt handed the clothes to Raeleigh and said, ¡°This is Cynthia¡¯s. She once came over to stay for a few days. I don¡¯t suppose you would mind wearing her clothes.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at the dress before reaching out to take a look. She realized that it was a bodycon dress. It was what Cynthia used to wear in the past.

    Raeleigh did not know what to say. After looking at it for a while, she felt that it was better than nothing.

    ¡°Thank you.Let me just go and get changed.¡± Raeleigh took Cynthia¡¯s dress and went to the bathroom to change. Flynt waited for her outside. After a while, Raeleigh emerged from the bathroom. The dress fit her like a glove.

    Raeleigh came out from inside and took a look at the dress. In fact, she did not like Cynthia¡¯s old style. However, the dress she was wearing was bright blue with golden embroidery. The pattern on it did look rather outdated, but overall, it was very elegant.

    Raeleigh had always felt that Cynthia was fond of the color white. She had no idea why Cynthia would choose a dress of this color.

    Flynt did a double take on Raeleigh when she emerged from the bathroom. He grew somewhat stiff.

    Raeleigh took a few steps as she held her clothes in her hands. She looked at Flynt and said, ¡°Do you have a coat that you can spare me? I don¡¯t think I can walk out like this.¡±

    This was not a fashion show and she did not feelfortable sporting a bodycon dress.

    Flynt immediately stood up and went upstairs to retrieve a coat for Raeleigh. She thanked him before putting the coat on. She said, ¡°Do you have a bag you can lend me?It¡¯s to keep my clothes in it.¡±

    Flynt turned around and went upstairs to find a bag so that Raeleigh could put her clothes in it.

    ¡°Can you please send me home?¡± Raeleigh wanted to head home as soon as possible. Flynt nodded and proceeded to send her home.

    ¡°May I buy you dinner?¡± Flynt asked Raeleigh as he pulled up to her house. Raeleigh opened the door and thought for a while before saying, ¡°How about I treat you to one, when I have the time.¡±

    Flynt was stunned for a moment. He then broke into a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to hold you to this then.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m the one who gets to choose the restaurant,¡± Raeleigh said as she got out of the car. After that, Flynt drove away.

    Cynthia and Stuart were hiding in one corner as they watched Flynt¡¯s car disappear in the distance. Cynthia immediately said, ¡°Let me ask Raeleigh what¡¯s actually going on. I don¡¯t think what¡¯s written in the newspaper is true.¡±

    Stuart obviously knew that it wasn¡¯t like that, but what had they been doing together?

    Cynthia followed Raeleigh into the building. Raeleigh was halfway to her unit and realized someone was following her. So, she turned around and realized that it was Cynthia, who was stunned when she saw the dress on Raeleigh. She did not expect that it would fit Raeleigh so perfectly.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re here,¡± Raeleigh said as Cynthia caught up to her.

    Cynthia held Raeleigh¡¯s arm and studied her dress. She smiled and said, ¡°Flynthired a French designer andhad this dress made specially for me. I didn¡¯t dare to wear it at that time because it¡¯s a bit over the top. Flynt said that I was too conservative, so I put it away. He was afraid that Yanora would see it, so he deliberately hid it in his vi.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at her and said, ¡°There was a tear in my clothes. He took me to his house and handed me this dress.¡±

    ¡°Consider this my present to you. I mean, you look good in it,¡± Cynthia said. Raeleigh immediately shook her head and said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t like wearing bodycon dresses. I doubt I would even wear it after this.¡±

    ¡°But still, you should keep it. Take it as a gift from me.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a while and said, ¡°I will return it to you tomorrow.¡±

    Raeleigh did not want to say anything more. If Cynthia had personally handed this dress to her, then she would have epted it. However, that was not the case then.

    Furthermore, Flynt had it customly made for Cynthia. So, she had to return it.

    Raeleigh entered her house and invited Cynthia in. Stuart was busy making a call to Xanthus who had just left the house in search of Raeleigh.

    After entering the house, Raeleigh put down the bag in her hand andwent to change her clothes. She did not entrust Cynthia with returning the clothes. She doubted that Cynthia would send it back to Flynt¡¯s vi.

    ¡°Raeleigh, your face¡­¡± Cynthia said when she saw Raeleigh¡¯s swollen face. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about it. You should go back with Stuart in a minute. I could really use some rest. Xanthus should be on his way back.¡±

    While Raeleigh was talking, Xanthus entered through the door as if on cue. Cynthia immediately rose to her feet.

    Cynthia was confused.Whenever she saw Xanthus, she felt inexplicably nervous and at times mild fear was even gnawing at her.

    She wasn¡¯t sure why either, but she felt nervous from the moment they first met.

    When Cynthia saw that Xanthus was home, she immediately stood up to leave.

    ¡°Cynthia, you¡¯re here,¡± Xanthus greeted calmly. Cynthia then replied, ¡°Hey there. It¡¯s about time I let myself out.¡±

    Xanthus briefly nced at Raeleigh to make sure that she was fine before seeing Cynthia off.¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m good. I¡¯ll go first,¡± Cynthia said as she walked out, forgetting to put on her shoes.

    Raeleigh reminded, ¡°Your shoes,Cynthia.¡±

    With her eyes on the ground, Cynthia said, ¡°Oops, I forgot. How silly of me.¡±

    Cynthia quickly slipped into her shoes and walked out through the door. She kept asking Xanthus not toe out.

    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll walk you out. This ce is very old and some paths are not very even. It¡¯s better if I walk you out.¡±

    ¡°I have Stuart with me.¡±

    ¡°And Stuart is downstairs.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s waiting at the entrance.¡±

    ¡°True.¡±

    ¡­

    The walk to the entrance was apanied with an awkward silence. In the end, Xanthus still managed to see Cynthia off.

 Chapter 1208 Could Not Be Wasted

    Cynthia wanted to leave as soon as she arrived downstairs, but she received a phone call from Stuart informing her that he had something urgent he needed to do. He suggested that she spend the night at Raeleigh¡¯s. He also informed her that Santiago was busy and that he could note over to pick her up.

    Cynthia was a little confused. She felt that it was inappropriate to ask Xanthus to send her home. After all, Stuart suggested that she stay here for one night. But then again, if she did not ask him to send her home, it meant that she would have to stay here for the night, which was even more inappropriate.

    After a while, Xanthus said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head back upstairs.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ ¡±

    Cynthia did not know what to say. She hesitated, not wanting to head back upstairs. However, Xanthus was still worried about Raeleigh.

    ¡°What happened to Raeleigh¡¯s face?¡± Xanthus suddenly asked. Cynthia then told him what had happened. Talking to him helped to dispel the nervousness.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie, but the Richards family is quite the strict family to haveone rule after another. Are they thinking of trophy wives more than life partners?¡± Xanthus sounded angry. He really had note across a person like Madam Marissa.

    Xanthus briefly nced upstairs and said, ¡°I need to treat Raeleigh¡¯s face. Come on, let¡¯s head back upstairs first. If you don¡¯t want to spend the night here, I¡¯ll send you home once I¡¯m done.¡±

    After that, Cynthia followed Xanthus back into the house. When Xanthus entered the door, he found that Raeleigh was still sitting downstairs. However, she was surprised to see the two of them when it should have been only Xanthus alone.

    She found it amusing that he brought Cynthia back when he was supposed to send her home.

    ¡°I¡¯m back, Raeleigh,¡± Cynthia took out her shoes and stood at the door. Raeleigh stood up and asked, ¡°Where is Stuart?¡±

    ¡°He has something to attend to, so he left. He asked me to spend the night here,¡± Cynthia said. Raeleigh then motioned for her toe over to the sofa. Meanwhile, Xanthus brought two eggs into the kitchen. Raeleigh initially thought that he went into the kitchen to make dinner.

    Raeleigh was a little hungry since she had not had dinner yet.

    However, a few momentster, Xanthus emerged from the kitchen with two hard-boiled eggs. He wanted to roll it on Raeleigh¡¯s face to help reduce the swelling.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    Raeleigh was a little embarrassed, ¡°The bruise is not that bad.¡±

    ¡°Okay, so you want your grandma to see it,¡± At Xanthus¡¯ments, Raeleigh put her hand down. With that, Xanthus sat beside her and started rollingthe eggs onher face.

    Cynthia calmly watched the two people in front of her. She sometimes felt that they were a perfect match.

    Once Xanthus was done, he went into the kitchen and threw away the eggs. He came back and asked the two of them, ¡°Have you guys eaten dinner yet?¡±

    Cynthia and Raeleigh remained silent. Xanthus briefly nced at his watch before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go out and grab dinner.We don¡¯t want to disturb Novalie, do we?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel safe leaving Grandma alone at home. Why don¡¯t the two of you go and eat while I stay at home to look after her? Just get me whatever you¡¯re having.¡±

    Although Raeleigh was a little hungry,she did not mind waiting. Furthermore, she did not feel like going out.

    Xanthus nced at Cynthia. Before she could refuse, Xanthus said to Cynthia, ¡°You heard thedy,¡± Then he turned to Raeleigh,¡°Don¡¯t worry Raeleigh, I¡¯ll get you some food.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Raeleigh stood up and made her way into Novalie¡¯s room. Cynthia watched as Raeleigh closed the door behind her before reluctantly following Xanthus out the house.

    Then, Xanthus got into the car and drove to the nearest restaurant with Cynthia.

    ¡°What do you feel like eating?¡± Xanthus entered the restaurant and pulled out the chair for Cynthia as soon as they found a table. Cynthia sat down and looked around. It was not toote and there were many people eating. Thankfully, this was a restaurant that was frequented by the locals. She doubted she would meet anyone from the Moore family here.

    Xanthus handed the menu to Cynthia and said, ¡°Here, have a look and see what you feel like eating.¡±

    Cynthia briefly flipped through the menu and ordered two light dishes. After she finished ordering, she handed the menu to Xanthus. He looked at it before saying, ¡°Leave the fruit sd and change the other one to a steak. I would like a steak for myself as well, and a ss of orange juice.¡±

    The waiter quickly took down their orders before disappearing into the kitchen. Cynthia felt a little uneasy.

    ¡°Why did you order a steak for me?¡±

    ¡°Nutritious food is always good for thedies, or else you¡¯ll age faster. As a woman, you must know how to maintain your beauty, and no, I¡¯m not talking about makeup. It starts with eating the right food.¡±

    Cynthia said, ¡°I know, but there¡¯s no need for you to order steaks for me.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then, next time I¡¯ll bring you somewhere else with better food.¡±

    That was not what Cynthia meant. It was obvious that Xanthus had misunderstood.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Cynthia was toozy to exin.

    Xanthusughed and asked, ¡°Do I look like I¡¯ve misunderstood anything? I just meant that I¡¯ll take you out for some better food next time.¡±

    Cynthia frowned,¡°But why?¡±

    ¡°No reason,¡± Xanthus looked around,¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. We¡¯re just having a normal dinner. No one will see us and nothing will happen. We are friends.¡±

    ¡°Who says I¡¯m nervous? I¡¯m not,¡± Cynthia quickly denied, but deep down, she was restless. She had no idea why, but whenever she looked into Xanthus¡¯s eyes,her nerves just coiled together tightly.

    Xanthus smiled although he knew she was lying.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the waiter returned to their table with their orders. Cynthia immediately stopped talking and began eating her food while Xanthus requested for a ss of water. He knew that Cynthia did not like to talk while eating, so he quietly watched her while she ate.

    ¡°I¡¯m done. Take your time,¡± Cynthia pushed the te aside before reaching for a napkin to wipe her mouth. She always cleaned her te regardless of whether she liked the food or not.

    Xanthus had observed Cynthia for more than once.She did everything very seriously and had her own way of thinking, but she was very well-behaved.

    She always pushed her te aside whenever she was done eating.

    Xanthus had not finished eating yet. He only started eating his steak after Cynthia was done with hers. After eating for a while, he reached out for his ss and took a sip of water.

    After dinner, Xanthus stood up and ordered desserts for two before leaving with Cynthia.

    When they got into the car, Cynthia asked, ¡°What are you going to get for Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a chicken porridge shop up ahead. Let¡¯s check it out.¡±

    Xanthus pulled up in front of the shop and got out of the car. Soon, he came back with two orders of chicken porridges. He handed it to Cynthia before starting the car and driving home.

    The shop was not far from home, so when they arrived home, the porridge was still hot.

    Cynthia got out of the car and hurried back to the house with the porridge in case it got cold.

    When she entered the door, she realised that Raeleigh had fallen asleep. Cynthia stood at the door for a while, but Raeleigh did note out.

    After parking the car, Xanthus came home only to find Cynthia waiting in the living room. She did not dare to wake Raeleigh up.

    The minute Cynthia saw Xanthus, she hurried over to him as though he was her lifeline.

    It was only then Xanthus realised that Raeleigh had fallen asleep.

    As for the porridge, it could not be wasted and thrown away.

 Chapter 1209 Hurry After

    Raeleigh awoke the next morning to find Cynthia and Xanthusleaning against each otheras they slept on the couch in the living room. The television was still turned on but it was muted. She noticed that there were a couple of empty takeaway containers on the table and suddenly remembered that she had fallen asleep while waiting for them toe home with dinner. Then, she stood up and began clearing the table.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    Cynthia woke up while Raeleigh was cleaning the table, dismayed as sherealised that she had spent the entire night on the couch with Xanthus.

    Raeleigh then asked, ¡°Well, I thought you guys went out to have dinner?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Cynthia did not know how to exin it to Raeleigh. She anxiously held her hands and waited for Xanthus to rify things, which even after an interminable stretch of time, he never did.

    Cynthia was forced to take matters into her own hands.

    She said, ¡°We did go out to have dinner and even brought back some porridge for you.By the time we came back, you were already asleep. We didn¡¯t want the porridge to go to waste, so we decided to eat it before going to sleep. I didn¡¯t expect to just doze off on the couchwith the TV on.¡±

    In fact, Raeleigh did not need to hear an exnation at all. However, when she saw how highly-strung Cynthia was, she immediately nodded her head before heading into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

    Xanthus did not mind that he had spent the entire night on the couch with Cynthia. He stood up and made his way into the kitchen to help Raeleigh.

    Cynthia remained on the couch, feeling a little at loss.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on between the two of you?¡± Raeleigh immediately asked Xanthus when he entered the kitchen. She was gathering the ingredients to make breakfast. Xanthus shot back, ¡°Well, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°Is it what I think it is?¡± Raeleigh asked. In fact, she was surprised to find out that Xanthus actually had a crush on Cynthia. It had never crossed her mind until then.

    ¡°If it is, mind sharing your thoughts?¡± Xanthus wanted to know what Raeleigh had in mind.

    Raeleigh looked at him and grinned, ¡°What thoughts can I have? I¡¯m just asking.¡±

    ¡°She and Santiago are friends. I¡¯m sure you must have your own way of thinking,¡± Xanthus looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh shrugged in reply, ¡°Such issues are really hard to tell. What¡¯s more, it¡¯s not like you want anything from this budding rtionship. I¡¯m sure you will respect her decision. Also¡­¡±

    ¡°Also what?¡± Xanthus raised his eyebrows. Raeleigh smiled and said, ¡°Granted, she may not like you ¨C yet ¨C but she can¡¯t stop you from having feelings for her.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate that notion of yours,¡± Xanthus smiled and continued making breakfast. Raeleigh walked over to his side and asked, ¡°What do you like about her?¡±

    In Raeleigh¡¯s opinion, Cynthia was not the kind of woman to attract people¡¯s attention from the get-go. However, she felt that Xanthus must have liked her from the moment they first met.

    Xanthus cracked an egg into the pan, saying, ¡°I like that she¡¯s sensible and sophisticated. But most importantly, I love her eyes.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus and teased, ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡±

    Xanthus turned around to ask Raeleigh, to which sheshook her head and said, ¡°Of course not!¡±

    ¡°Who do you think suits herbetter? Me or Santiago?¡± Since they were already on this topic, Xanthus wanted to talk more about it.

    Raeleigh did not expect him to ask her about it bluntly. She thought for a moment before answering, ¡°You.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that only because I¡¯m your brother?¡±

    ¡°Nope,I swear, that¡¯s my honest opinion,¡±Raeleigh turned around and began rinsing the rice to make porridge. She continued, ¡°She¡¯s not in good health. I heard from the doctor that she is going to be hospitalised in the future. I think you are suitable for her because you¡¯re a doctor. You can look after her. As for Santiago, although he is very thoughtful, he¡¯s still a very impulsive person. It worries me.¡±

    Xanthus smiled and asked, ¡°You chose me only because I¡¯m a doctor?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. You also have a good personality to boot.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen my bad side just yet. I doubt you¡¯ll think the same once you see it,¡± Xanthusmented as he exited the kitchen to set the table. Since Xanthus and Raeleigh were already in the kitchen, Cynthia decided not to go in and help. Hence, she sat on the couch as she waited for breakfast to be served. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder what was going through Raeleigh¡¯s mind.What did Jepherson and Raeleigh¡¯s rocky rtionship had to do with Xanthus?

    No one could feel Cynthia¡¯s apprehension. She sat on the couch until Xanthus emerged from the kitchen. She then hurried over to Novalie¡¯s room to help her to the dining table. It was the least she could do since she was of no help in the kitchen.

    Xanthus watched in amusement as Cynthia disappeared into Novalie¡¯s room. He wondered what was so scary about him.

    At this time, Novalie was already awake. She smiled when she saw Cynthia.¡°Oh, hello. To what do we owe the pleasure of having you here?¡±

    ¡°I spent the night here. Santiago will being to pick me up after breakfast,¡± Cynthia hurriedly exined. She was afraid that Novalie would think she was here to make trouble. After all, she was with Santiago.

    Deep down, Novalie knew that Santiago was the one who forced Raeleigh to follow him back to their previous residence to take care of Cynthia.

    When Novalie heard whatever Cynthia had to say, she was a little unhappy, but she said, ¡°Rx, you sound as if I am not happy that you spent the night here. There¡¯s barely anyone in the house all day. Although I have Xanthus to apany me,he¡¯s a doctor. He always makes me angry. He is constantly nagging me about what I should and shouldn¡¯t do. I have had it up to my eyeballs. I think I¡¯m better off talking to you.¡±

    Cynthia did not know what to say. Was Novalie implying that she did not want to talk about things that made her angry?

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat, shall we? Breakfast is ready,¡± She quickly changed the topic as she reached out to help Novalie out of bed.

    By then, breakfast was ready.

    Once everyone was seated, they began to dig in.

    ¡°Eat more,¡± Xanthus kept urging Cynthia to fill her te. Novalie felt a little cringey watching them.

    After breakfast, Cynthia called Santiago and told him that she needed to be picked up. However, Santiago said that he was busy and would only be free to pick her up at night. That effectively left her no way to return home.

    Cynthia put down her phone and looked at Raeleigh for a while before suggesting, ¡°Why don¡¯t I follow you to the university?¡±

    She did not mind going anywhere as long as she did not have to be alone with Xanthus. Worse came to worst, she would have to find her own way home.

    Xanthus stood aside and said nothing, but Raeleigh answered, ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but where are you going to go while I¡¯m in ss?You¡¯re not a student there.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Cynthia was confused. Xanthus took the chance to add, ¡°You can talk to the school and let her attend the sses on behalf of Santiago. I don¡¯t think it should be a problem.¡±

    This was the first time Raeleigh had heard of such a thing. However, since Xanthus said so, it meant that he had a solution.

    Thus, Xanthus then drove Cynthia and Raeleigh to the university. However, his suggestion did not work. The school did not allow sses to be attended by proxy, even if it was a request by Xanthus.

    Raeleigh stood outside the ssroom. She knew that sometimes,there were two sides to a story.

    Sure enough, Xanthus came up with another idea, ¡°Why don¡¯t you follow me to the infirmary? I¡¯ll call the school dean and ask himter.¡±

    Although Cynthia was extremely reluctant to do so, since she was already there, she could only hurry after Xanthus.

 Chapter 1210 She Accepted It

    It had been a long time since Raeleigh went to ss alone. It was rare for her not to see Jepherson or have Santiago by her side. Not only that, she also did not see Deanna, Zorion nor Jacky.

    She felt very rxed after her first ss. Hence, she remained in ss and waited for her next ss to start.

    During lunch, Raeleigh received a call from Xanthus asking her where she was. She immediately told him her exact location.

    At noon, Xanthus brought Cynthia to meet up with Raeleigh. The three of them had lunch together. After lunch, they went their separate ways. Cynthia went to learn some massage techniques from Xanthus, while Raeleigh went back to ss.

    Raeleigh watched as Xanthus and Cynthia walked away, and couldn¡¯t help thinking about how life was very hard to predict.

    After Cynthia and Xanthus left, instead of heading back to ss like she had originally nned, Raeleigh decided to wander around the campus. At this time of the year, it was cold wherever she went. The surrounding scenery was bleak. There was a sense of uncontroble loneliness in the air.

    Raeleigh strolled for a while and found herself leaning against a tree. Santiago did not turn up for ss today, and she had no idea how Jepherson was doing.

    ¡°Are you thinking about me?¡± Suddenly, someone spoke. Raeleigh looked in the direction of the voice and subconsciously thought that it was Jepherson. However, she came back to her senses when she saw who the person was.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you transfer to another school?¡± Raeleigh was surprised when she saw Flynt. He was technically not allowed in the school grounds because he was no longer a student here.

    ¡°There are some things of mine that have not been settled,¡± Then, Flynt briefly surveyed the surroundings and realised that Raeleigh was alone. He walked up to her, and she stepped away from the tree.

    ¡°I remember you mentioned that you wanted to buy me dinner. Can I take you up on that offer today? I have not eaten lunch, but since dinner is in about three hours, I think I can wait,¡± Flynt nced at his watch and hoped that Raeleigh would agree.

    Raeleigh gave it some thought,¡°Gimme a minute.¡±

    After that, she made a call to Xanthus. When Xanthus heard her, he reminded her, ¡°Be careful. I¡¯ll call youter. Remember to keep your phone on.¡±

    ¡°OK, I know,¡± Raeleigh then hung up the phone and continued walking around the campus with Flynt.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

    Flynt had a smile stered across his face the entire time.

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t sure what Flynt was smiling at. He just looked as if he was very happy.

    She followed him into his car as soon as they arrived outside the school. She then told him the name of the restaurant.

    Although the restaurant was not big,Raeleigh thought that the price was reasonable. After getting out of the car, she followed Flynt into the restaurant. As soon as they found a table, she handed the menu to him and said, ¡°Choose whatever you want. It¡¯s my treat.¡±

    Flynt epted the menu andordered a couple dishes that he liked before handing the menu back to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh, too, ordered a couple of dishes.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be worried about what potentially might happen,¡± Flyntmented casually.

    ¡°What is there to worry about? If you wanted to harm me, you would have done it long ago. The dispute between you and Jepherson has nothing to do with me. I was the innocent party that was dragged into this mess.¡±

    Raeleigh never thought that she was a person of importance. She doubted that Jepherson would do anything he should not because of her. The reason why there were disputes between them was because the power dynamic in Capital City had encountered a change. She was just an ordinary woman who did not possess any special abilities, so there was no reason she would be a target.

    Flynt said, ¡°I like you, but I¡¯m also aware that Jepherson will definitely not let you go. Whatever happened between-¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not bring Jepherson to the table. I don¡¯t see a need to exin what¡¯s going on between me and him. Bon appetit.¡±

    Raeleigh did not want to say anything more. This meal was meant to express her thanks for the night before.

    Flynt then shut up. The waiter soon served them their food and they began eating. However, he still tried tokeep the conversation going while they ate. Although the topic was not about the Richards family, it still involved Raeleigh.

    Although Raeleigh did not say much,she did answer his questions.

    After dinner, she nned to pay the bill, but Flynt beat her to it.

    ¡°This dinner is on me. You can buy me dinner some other time. This is our first time having dinner and I can¡¯t have you pay for it. I wouldn¡¯t know where to hide my face if you did. However, you can rest assured that the money that I have right now is from the time I worked abroad. Cynthia knows that I have several thousands in savings. If you don¡¯t believe that, you can go back and ask her. I¡¯m sure she will tell you,¡± Flynt exined as he paid the bill. Raeleigh frowned as she stood up. It felt as though he was afraid she would think the Moores¡¯ money came from illegal sources.

    However,what did that have to do with her?

    ¡°Keep your money. I already told you that I¡¯m paying,¡± Raeleigh did not want to owe him a favour. She did not intend to have any contact with Flynt after this meal. However, he refused to ept her money and gave it back to her.

    ¡°Please just take it. People are watching. I¡¯m a man and I care about my pride,¡± Flynt insisted. He refused to ept Raeleigh¡¯s money, so she had no choice but to take back her money.

    A few momentster, they exited the restaurant and Flynt drove Raeleigh home. When he pulled up at her building, she thanked him before getting out of the car. Just as she made her way into her building, Flynt called out to her.

    Raeleigh bent down and looked inside the car. Flynt got out of the car and walked to the trunk. Then, he took two bags out and handed them to Raeleigh. ¡°Would you mind passing this to Cynthia? I¡¯m afraid that she will not ept them if she knows they¡¯re from me. Tell her you are the one who bought it. One is for you and the other¡¯s for her. This is my way of thanking you for helping me.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I¡¯ll pass these to your sister.¡±

    ¡°No can do. You shouldn¡¯t think that I am looking down on you. I am merely thanking you for your help. Please ept it,¡± After saying that, Flynt turned around and entered the car. He left before Raeleigh could say anything.

    After he left, Raeleigh looked down at the bag in her hands, not knowing what to say.

    A few momentster, Xanthus¡¯ car pulled up into the building. Raeleigh looked up and saw Xanthus and Cynthiaing out of the car.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you¡¯re back!¡± Cynthia had been busy all day. She had a productive day at the university. There were two people who had fought in the afternoon and both were injured. Cynthia had been very scared at first, but she got over itter and helped Xanthus out. However, she was in poor health and did not have the strength to carry on, so she could only sit aside and wait for the day to end.

    She was now feeling much better after Xanthus gave her an injection.

    ¡°Flynt asked me to pass these to you,¡± Raeleigh handed the bags in her hand to Cynthia. She did not want to ept his gift, so she gave it to Cynthia.

    Cynthia looked down at the bags and paused for a moment. She was puzzled,¡°But this one has your name written on it.¡±

    She looked up at Raeleigh. Raeleigh could only sigh reluctantly, ¡°He was afraid that you wouldn¡¯t want it if you knew that it was from him. He bought two: one for me and one for you. He asked me to pass it to you and tell you that I was the one who bought it.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Cynthia looked at Raeleigh strangely. Raeleigh nodded helplessly,¡°Yes, it¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, I¡¯ll just have to take it since I do not have enough clothes anyways,¡± Cynthia knew that Raeleigh did not want anything to do with Flynt, so she just epted the bags.

 Chapter 1211 This is Not A Threat, Itâ€™s A Test of Loyalty

    Raeleigh decided to skip dinner and entered her room.Meanwhile, Cynthia and Xanthus were still chatting at the dining table, the topic revolving around Cynthia¡¯s aspiration to be a doctor.

    ¡°I also want to be a doctor. I¡¯m wondering how long it¡¯ll take,¡± Cynthia was highly interested in Xanthus¡¯ job and was nning to follow him to the university again the next day.

    Raeleigh returned to her room after sitting on the balcony for a while.

    Life was indeed full of surprises, just like Cynthia¡¯s.

    She wondered how Cynthia¡¯s lifewouldbehad she not met Santiago. Would she still be interested in being a doctor if she had not met Xanthus?

    Raeleigh was lying on the bed as she thought about her own life. Perhaps, life was predestined. If it weren¡¯t for those people¡¯s revenge on her parents, she wouldn¡¯t have met her grandmother, and that orphanage would not have been burnt down by the fire. Therefore, she felt that fate had already nned her life out for her.

    She knew that she and Jepherson were destined to meet. She did not want to think too much about it. If everything was already written in the stars, there would be no meaning to life.

    Raeleigh soon fell asleep. She had no idea that her grandmother had retreated into the roomuntil the sound of her phone ringing jolted her awake. It was a call from Scarlette.

    Raeleigh sat up in bed. Novalie asked her, ¡°Who¡¯s calling at this hour?It almost scared the life out of me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Scarlette. I¡¯ll go out and answer the phone.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±

    Novalie was no longer mad when she heard that it was Scarlette. She closed her eyes and continued sleeping.

    Raeleigh stepped out of the room and answered the phone. Scarlette was crying on the other end of the line. It took Raeleigh quite a while to figure out that Hadrian had found her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Calm down, and try to tell me everything,¡± Raeleigh sat down on the sofa. Cynthia only decided toe out of the room when she heard Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh briefly nced over at Cynthia and mouthed, ¡°It¡¯s Scarlette.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Cynthia frowned. Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m in the middle of asking her.¡±

    Scarlette cried for a long time before finally saying in between tears, ¡°Hadrian locked me up in the room. He refuses to let me out.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you crying?¡± Raeleigh knew that Scarlette was a person who did not give up easily. Although she was locked up,she knew that she would find a way to escape.

    ¡°He¡¯s going to kill myndlord. What should I do?¡± Scarlette was worried about herndlord.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment before muttering, ¡°Do you have a new boyfriend?¡±

    She knew that Scarlette was a person who liked to mess around. There was nothing wrong with that, but Hadrian would believe whatever she said.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°What should I do?¡± Scarlette was sobbing.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call Santiago and see what he can do. Don¡¯t cry. I doubt Hadrian will dare to actually kill yourndlord. Where are you now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on Sicily Ind.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s far! Don¡¯t worry, I know what to do. Just stop crying.¡±

    Raeleigh hung up the phone and immediately called Santiago. It was only when Santiago received her call that he suddenly remembered her and Cynthia.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Santiago nced at Jepherson who couldn¡¯t help sitting upright in bed.Thankfully, Jepherson was already feeling much better.

    ¡°Hadrian found Scarlette and locked her up. He¡¯s just gone to find herndlord, and she¡¯s crying. She¡¯s worried that something will happen. Can you please call Hadrian and tell him not to be so impulsive?¡± Raeleigh pleaded. Santiago nced at Jepherson and put his phone on speaker so that he could hear what Raeleigh said.

    ¡°I can¡¯t find Hadrian, but Jepherson can. Why don¡¯t youe over and ask him?¡± Santiago suggested. Raeleigh was silent for a moment before she replied, ¡°If so, please pass him the phone.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not up yet. He¡¯s still asleep,¡± Santiago lied.

    Raeleigh was immediately rendered speechless.

    She replied, ¡°Fine, I¡¯lle over. But what happens if Hadrian has already beaten up the person?¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t, don¡¯t worry. You bettere over right now.Mind you, my brother¡¯s life is hanging by a thread.¡±

    After Santiago said that, he immediately hung up the phone.

    ¡°What did he say?¡± Cynthia asked. Raeleigh shook her head and sighed, ¡°He¡¯s not willing to help me. He asked me to go over and visit Jepherson. He even said that Jepherson was on the verge of death!¡±

    To be honest, although Raeleigh did not believe in Santiago¡¯s words,she was still a little worried.

    Cynthia assured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That won¡¯t happen.¡±

    ¡°I think I should go over and have a look,¡± Raeleigh stood up. Although she did not want to go,she still could not help but change her clothes and head straight to the hospital. Xanthus was worried, so he offered to send her there.

    Raeleigh walked into the hospital and made her way to Jepherson¡¯s ward. It was currently in the middle of the night, so she was not surprised to find all of the rooms pitch-dark. She had no idea whether she was at the right ward. It was only when she called Santiago to ask that he turned on the lights in the ward.

    Jepherson, who was lying in bed, quickly sat up when he saw Raeleigh standing by the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Jepherson immediately invited Raeleigh into the room before Santiago could say anything.

    Raeleigh dawdled for a while, then pushed the door open and went in.

    When Santiago saw Raeleigh, he stood up and pointed inside, saying, ¡°Here, do sit down. If there¡¯s anything you need to say, you can tell him. He hasn¡¯t been in good condition these days. I¡¯ll go out and grab a pack of cigarettes.¡±

    With this, Santiago walked out and closed the door. Raeleigh watched as he left the ward so nonchntly.

    Raeleigh then walked over to check on Jepherson before sitting down.

    Jepherson patted his bed and said, ¡°Come and sit here.¡±

    ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯ll just sit here. I¡¯ll leave as soon as I finish,¡± Raeleigh answered curtly as she took a seat on the chair that Santiago had just vacated.

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh and said nothing.

    After awhile, Raeleigh started talking, ¡°I came here to talk about Scarlette and Hadrian.¡±

    Jepherson leaned against the head of the bed, ¡°What about them?¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Hadrian found Scarlette and locked herupin her room. I think there is misunderstanding between them.¡±

    ¡°Not only that, Hadrian has gone to find herndlord to settle scores. She is worried that something bad is going to happen.¡±

    ¡°So you want me to call Hadrian?¡± Jepherson asked. Raeleigh nodded in response.

    Jepherson turned around and looked at his hand. After looking at it for a while, he said, ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡±

    Raeleigh did not expect Jepherson to ask such a question. She immediately fell quiet.

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and requested, ¡°If you stay here and apany me for a day, then I will make the call.¡±

    Raeleigh clenched her teeth and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little too much?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I have been nothing but kind to you. I¡¯ve only ever been cruel to myself,¡± Jepherson said. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t see through his intentions. Why did he look so wronged now?Could she detect grief in those listless eyes that were looking at her?

    ¡°Fine, we have a deal. I¡¯ll apany you for a day. In the face of a threat, what can I do?¡± Raeleigh sneered. She finally saw through his true colours. He was a person who would do anything to achieve his goal.

    Jepherson picked up the phone, refuting, ¡°This is not a threat, it¡¯s a test of loyalty!¡±

    Raeleigh thought that he was being ridiculous, but she did not want to say anything in response to what he said. Instead, she just remained silent.

 Chapter 1212 Without Looking Back

    To Raeleigh, the day passed as if it was a baby crawling to reach its goal. The feeling of time stretching itself was especially vivid when she had to spend time alone with Jepherson.

    Fortunately, Jepherson kept his promise and made the call. In the end, Hadrian did listen to his words.

    He felt a little thirsty after hanging up the phoneand requested,¡°Can you please get me some water?¡±

    Jepherson asked softly, his every word clear as day. They ryed no emotions,but when he looked into people¡¯s eyes, there was a touch of tenderness.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh got up and poured a ss of water for Jepherson. Then, she turned around and handed it to him. However, he did not reach out to ept it. Raeleigh then asked, ¡°I thought you said you were thirsty?¡±

    ¡°Feed me,¡± Raeleigh was mind-blown by his words and almost dropped the ss in her hand. She may have a good temper and could deal with people teasing her, but¡­

    Raeleigh had made a promise with him. Whatever the case was, she had to spend the entire day with him. It was going to be a long day.

    Thus, she sat down and brought the ss to Jepherson¡¯s mouth. Jepherson opened his mouth and took a sip of water. Then, he shook his head to indicate that it was enough. With that, Raeleigh took the ss away and handed him some paper towels, but he did not take it. He wanted her to wipe his mouth for him.

    Raeleigh held the paper towel and gave it some thought before reaching out to help him wipe his mouth.

    ¡°What would you do if you found out that we¡¯re brother and sister?¡± Jepherson looked up at Raeleigh. Finding it hrious, she asked, ¡°Why would we be brother and sister?¡±

    Jepherson did not answer. Raeleigh sat back down on her chair and put the ss aside, asking, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m your sister?¡±

    Raeleigh thought back to the time where she initially mistook Jepherson for her brother. A wave of sadness pummeled her.

    Jepherson did not answer her question, nor did Raeleigh tell him how she would feel if they were siblings. In fact, the solution to this problem was simple. However, Raeleigh did not want to talk about this matter anymore because it reminded her of their dead baby.

    If she had lost Jepherson, would she feel as painful as she did now?

    She did not have the courage to experience loss again. Hence, she would rather continue making mistakes instead of letting him know that he was wrong.

    ¡°Answer me,¡± Jepherson could not wait and pressed her for an answer.

    ¡°If we were siblings, then I would acknowledge you as my brother,¡± She hoped that he would be satisfied with her answer.

    Raeleigh¡¯s heart seemed to have cracked open from theck of love and care.

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to,¡± Jepherson had felt nothing but regret after losing their baby. However, it was toote, and this was the reason why he was so upset.

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Raeleigh simply dragged the topic.

    ¡°I did an investigation on the orphanage and found out that you¡¯re my sister,¡± Jepherson said slowly. He observed Raeleigh¡¯s expression as he talked. Raeleigh¡¯s face nched. It was as if someone had stabbed a knife into her chest.

    They all had made such a low-level mistake and immediately jumped to conclusions.

    Raeleigh thought back to the first time where she wanted to terminate the pregnancy because she thought that Jepherson was her brother. She hated him when he asked her to terminate the pregnancyter on. Right now, she saw herself in Jepherson. What reason did she have to resent him now?

    However¡­

    How pathetic! She was the one who had brought this pain upon herself.

    ¡°So what?¡± Raeleigh sneered. Jepherson felt distressed and reached out to grab her, but she moved her hand out of the way.

    ¡°I need some time alone,¡± Raeleigh took this opportunity to stand up and sit on the other side of the room. When she sat down, she realised that she still couldn¡¯t face Jepherson. So, she stood up again and left the room.

    She closed the door and sat along the corridor. She did not speak for the whole day.Instead, she leaned against the wall and quietly reflected on their unborn baby who hadn¡¯t had the chance to enter this world.

    How cruel were they to have done such a thing! At first, his mother had wanted to kill him, and then his father had insisted on sacrificing him. He had done his best to hang on, but ended up dying unexpectedly because of his mother¡¯s ident.

    Raeleigh wondered if the baby had chosen a merciless death because he resented his useless mother and deemed her ipetent, forever giving up his rights to have lived out his life in happiness.

    Raeleigh then stood up and started pacing back and forth along the corridor. Jepherson had no way to get up, but Santiago was sitting outside.

    ¡°Are you not going to tell him?¡± Santiago asked. Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re afraid that he¡¯ll be sad?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer, but it was true.

    A few momentster, Raeleigh decided to take a seat along the corridor and rest. She was woken up by Cynthia around eight o¡¯clock the next morning.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I brought you some food. You can go back to sleep after eating.¡±

    Cynthia was very worried. The weather outside was bad, and it was inappropriate for her to just fall asleep like this. That was why she woke Raeleigh up.

    ¡°Did I fall asleep here?¡± Raeleigh opened her eyes and looked around when she saw Cynthia. Santiago was no longer by her side.

    ¡°Santiago¡¯s in the room talking to Jepherson. They¡¯ve booked a flight toSicily Ind.¡±

    Before Cynthia could finish her sentence, Raeleigh stood up, uttering,¡°Is that so?¡±

    Cynthia also stood up, but she could not tell that Raeleigh wanted to leave.

    ¡°I¡¯ve fulfilled my end of the bargain. I¡¯ll head back home first,¡± Raeleigh was worried about Scarlette, but she had no ns to go and find her. Furthermore,Sicily Ind was so far away.

    After saying that, she turned around and walked towards the elevator before Cynthia could stop her. However, Cynthia could not just leave with her;she had to at least inform Santiago.

    Cynthia was about to look for Santiago when he emerged from the room. By then, Raeleigh had already gotten into a taxi and left.

    Raeleigh gave the taxi driver the address to her grandmother¡¯s house. When she arrived home, Novalie did not say anything to her. Hence, she went straight back to her room and resumed sleeping.

    A whileter, Xanthus went to check on Raeleigh, but she was in such a deep sleep that she did not even open her eyes. Novalie sighed.¡°It¡¯s all my fault. If it weren¡¯t because of me, you guys could have left.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. If it weren¡¯t because of you, I would not have been able to find Raeleigh.¡±

    Novalie looked at Raeleigh and felt distressed. She knew that Raleigh must have hit a dead end. Otherwise, she would not be acting like this.

    When Raleigh woke up, she pretended as if nothing had happened. Novalie watched as her granddaughter got out of bed and went to take a shower. After that, she put on a fresh set of clothes and was once again ready to head out again.

    However, Raeleigh was stumped when she emerged from the room and saw Jepherson sitting in the living room.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Raeleigh paused for a while before walking over. She did not sit down because she was nning to head out for ss.

    Xanthus had made breakfast. When he saw Raeleigh, he immediately went into the kitchen. Raeleigh followed behind him, after which Jepherson stood up and joined them as well.

    However, Raeleigh stopped him before he could enter the kitchen.

    ¡°Don¡¯te in. It¡¯s very smoky here. It¡¯s not good for you.¡±

    Raeleigh did not allow Jepherson to enter the kitchen. However, he refused to listen to her words. She could only sigh while eating, ¡°Don¡¯te in. You¡¯re going to make me lose my appetite.¡±

    Jepherson then stopped in his tracks but still did not leave. Instead, he stood at the door waiting for her.

    After Raeleigh finished her breakfast, she washed her dishes and then said to Xanthus, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head over to the university.¡±

    Xanthus subconsciously paused for a moment before agreeing,¡°Okay.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh exited the kitchen, followed by Xanthus. At the door, Jepherson reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hand, calling out gently, ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t waste time,¡± Raeleigh pulled her handbackwithout looking back.

 Chapter 1213 Determinedly

    ¡°You do realize that he could¡¯ve misconstrued your actions, right?¡±Xanthus continued asRaeleigh remained umunicative.

    Xanthus also knew that Raeleigh had been through a rough time recently and that she refused to let any advice sink in.

    There was no point in trying to talk her out of it.

    Raeleigh stepped out of the car as soon as Xanthus pulled into a parking lot. Xanthus knew that everything was feasible as long as Jephersonwas not mentioned in the process.

    Their arrival at the campus saw them branching off intotheir separate ways. Xanthus reminded her to be careful.

    Lowering her head,Raeleighbore her gaze through the notebook in her hand.Then, she made her way to the lecture hall and knocked before entering. As soon as the lecturer gave her permission, she strolled in as naturally as possible.

    Her body almost seized up the moment she set foot in the hall.Was that Jepherson Richards?

    At that moment, Jepherson was sporting a pair of ck pants and a white shirt. He had his hands pressed against the table as he stood on the tform. Raeleigh could not believe her eyes: How in God¡¯s name had he materialized where he should not have?

    However, it was toote now. They exchanged nces, engrossed in their own thoughts.

    Jepherson spoke first, ¡°Oh, you¡¯rete. Make sure youe earlier next time.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips.If her memory served her correctly, she and Xanthus had left the house before him. There hadn¡¯t been a traffic jam along the way, nor had they made any detour. But vo! Here he was, winning the race.

    Raeleigh remained reticent. Jepherson swept his eyes across the room and said, ¡°Thereisan empty seat in front of Santiago Richards. Do im it for yourself.¡±

    Raeleigh seemed to be immersed in an entirely different world from him as she remained despondent.

    Jepherson watched as she trudged to the seat in a daze, asking, ¡°Why, Miss Anson, are you okay?¡±

    Thest time she had daydreamed in ss, he had punished her by making her stand outside of the ss. She wondered if history would repeat itself this time.

    In her defense, Jepherson could not punish her anymore.

    Raeleigh suddenly came to her senses and was startled to see Jepherson. She stepped back and almost hit the table. Jepherson reacted quickly and grabbed her tightly, holding her in his arms.

    Raeleigh raised her hands to push him away. She started to blush, her breathing ragged.

    Jepherson immediately let go of Raeleigh when she pushed him away.

    He stared deeply into her eyes, but his tone was soft as he spoke.

    ¡°Be careful now. You may return to your seat,¡± After saying that, Jepherson went back to the podium. Raeleigh turned around and headed for her seat, her mind rattling as she tried to calm her senses down. Just when she finally felt a little calmer, Jepherson was halfway through his lecture.

    Jepherson picked up a chalk and began writing on the ckboard. Raeleigh stared as he rolled up his sleeves and scribbled non-stop,nothing from the lesson registering in her mind.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    Soon, the ss was over. Raeleigh packed up her things and was about to leave the ss. However, Jepherson stopped her. He said, ¡°Raeleigh, follow me to my office. I doubt you listened to a single word I said during the entire lecture. I figure I should exin it to you.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson turned around and left. Raeleigh was reluctant to follow him, but in the end she braced up and did as she was told.

    She soon found herself standing outside of Jepherson¡¯s office, not wanting to enter. She mustered up an excuse, ¡°I have something else waiting for me¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid of me?¡± Jepherson walked towards Raeleigh. She was subsequently pushed against the wall.

    ¡°No, not at all. Honestly,I have something to do.¡±

    ¡°Do you really? Or are you just trying to avoid me?¡± Jepherson asked,pleased with himself. Raeleigh found his actions hrious. She hadn¡¯t gotten on his bad side, but he acted as if she had.

    ¡°Come in, will you,¡± Jepherson grabbed Raeleigh¡¯s hand. She struggled for a moment before breaking free.

    Just as Raeleigh was about to leave, Jepherson turned around and pulled her back into his office. Then, he mmed the door shut behind them. Raeleigh was pressed against the door. Taking a deep breath, she mped her hands on his shoulders and grunted,¡°Consider yourself warned. Don¡¯t you forget what our actual rtionship is.¡±

    There was a hint of sadness in Jepherson¡¯s eyes, but he did not let her go.

    His face was a mask of anger and hatredas he snarled,¡°You¡¯ve never believed my words, but why did you believe me when I told you that you are my sister?¡±

    Ever so calm, Raeleigh stared at his cold handsome faceand replied,¡°Because I know that it¡¯s the truth.¡±

    Jepherson snorted.

    His face was taut with mockery. He lowered his head, but not to kiss her. Instead, he let out a sigh.

    Raeleigh felt uneasy. She turned around and looked elsewhere. She did not dare to push him away. They were deadlocked. A few minutester, Jepherson lowered his head and kissed her neck. Raeleigh was so scared that she shrunk back. She tried to push him away, but when executed, she felt as if her heart was breaking into two. She raised her head and just stared straight at him, gasping.

    Jepherson could no longer keep his impulses on a leash. He opened his mouth to suck on Raeleigh¡¯s neck until she yelped.

    Only then did he let go. He pulled Raeleigh over to his desk and drew the blinds closed. Then, he sat opposite Raeleigh, exchanging nces with her.Raeleigh felt ufortable as if she was sitting on pins and needles.

    ¡°Would you like to share with me what you have learned from my lesson just now?¡± Jepherson asked after a while. Raeleigh looked at him and knew that he came here to look for trouble. He was the vice president of the Richards Group, and instead of heading to the office, he came here to impart a lesson to her. He had never done this in the past, so why the gusto now?

    ¡°I listened to every word of your lecture,¡± Raeleigh wanted to leave early, so she lied.

    Jephersonughed,¡°Oh, really? What did you learn?¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent,ying bare the truth: she had not paid attention at all.

    ¡°Since you listened to every word, then why don¡¯t you tell me what you learned?You may leave after that,¡± Jepherson was no longer irritable. He knocked on the table, took out a book and nced at it before tossing it aside.

    Raeleigh caught a glimpse of the book on the ground. Frankly, she had not paid attention in ss, and wasthereforeunable to share anything.

    However, she wanted to leave as soon as possible, so she said, ¡°I don¡¯t really understand, sir. Would you mind exining it again?¡±

    Jepherson observed her carefully before leaning back in his chair,¡°Look, I can only start my lesson after you sit down. I¡¯m not going to make you stand while I teach. Agreed?¡±

    Raeleigh then sat down and waited for Jepherson to exin the entire lecture to her. However, hedilly-dallied in all his glory and took his lovely time to exin the lecture to her.

    ¡°Will you being tomorrow?¡± Jepherson asked useless questions as he flipped through the book nonchntly.

    Raeleigh said nothing and just looked at him with a poker face.

    ¡°Do you believe me when I say that I will strip naked in here?¡± Jepherson asked her. Raeleigh was amused. She challenged him to it, ¡°Be my guest.¡±

    Jepherson stood up and started unzipping his pants first. Then, he started unbuttoning his shirt, and then his cuffs. Just as he was about to take his shirt off, Raeleigh¡¯s expression finally changed and she called out to him, ¡°This is as far as you go.¡±

    Jepherson propped his hands on the table and looked at her,¡°It agonizes me to know that you¡¯re my sister. I am also sad that we had to terminate the pregnancy, but I can¡¯t do anything about itbecause the damage has already been done. Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and made her way towards the door. Jepherson shouted at her, ¡°Where can you go? Even if you reach the ends of the earth, the same blood will still flow in your body ¨C the same blood as mine.¡±

    ¡°Bang!¡± Raeleigh mmed the door behind her and left determinedly.

 Chapter 1214 Leave with Her

    Raeleigh was rankled, but she was not angry. The way Jepherson had been acting was the same as she did previously. She really did not know howshecould have been so stupid then.

    And she felt a little distressed because of this.

    However, there was nothing she could do about it. The baby was gone, and the snow globe that used to hold their mutual dreams had shattered. There was no way she could make peace with this.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    After leaving Jepherson¡¯soffice, Raeleigh did not know where to go, so she simply went to find Xanthus.

    When Xanthus saw Raeleigh, he froze for a moment. He roughly knew what had happened. Raeleigh went inside and found a ce to sit, saying, ¡°I want to stay here for a while.¡±

    Xanthus poured a ss of water for Raeleigh. He sat beside her and asked, ¡°He¡¯s here, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been insisting that I am his sister. He¡¯s been digging up old memories, trying to reopen my old wounds.I can understand his feelings, butit is precisely because of this that whenever I see him, I feel like I am seeing myself in him. How am I to live with this truth?¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t ept it, then don¡¯t ept it. It¡¯s okay,¡± Xanthus held Raeleigh¡¯s hand, feeling guilty. He should have told her earlier. That way, they might have been able to keep the baby.

    For Raeleigh, losing her child was more painful than dying.

    She could have slowly forgotten about it, but Jepherson regretted itnow. Desire and interweaved love was more important than the so-called noble bloodline that he once looked so highly upon. Hence, he began to involve Raeleigh instead.

    If things continued on like this, Raeleigh would only get swallowed deeper into this whirlpool of hell.

    Xanthuspletely understood this state of limbo. On the one hand, she felt pained because of her child and was afraid to bring up anything rted to that pain of hers. On the other hand, another sight of Jepherson meant another moment of misery.

    If Jepherson had told her about their rtionship earlier, or if he had said something sooner, she would have at least asked him to prove it to her. However, it was toote. The baby was gone and Jepherson was already ming himself. If Jepherson was told that he and Raeleigh were not biological siblingsand that he had ultimately made an irreversible mistake, he would only end up all the more devastated. Deep down, Raeleigh was worried that Jepherson would find out about it.

    Xanthus held Raeleigh in his arms. He needed toe up with a solution as soon as possible. If this matter continued on, Raeleigh might not be able to take it anymore. It might be the catalyst to her downfall.

    ¡°Pull yourself together. Please. I¡¯m sure we will find a way,¡± Xanthus continued, ¡°That reminds me, it¡¯s the holiday season now. Why don¡¯t we bring Grandma with us and spend some time overseas?¡±

    Xanthus could not think of a better solution. He let go of Raeleigh and added, ¡°Why don¡¯t we defer one semester and go abroad for a short getaway?¡±

    Raeleigh was hesitant. Xanthus insisted, ¡°Only for one semester. Who knows, maybe Grandma will like it abroad and ask to stay.¡±

    ¡°You are her only hope. If you are not happy, do you think she would be happy?¡±

    Xanthus kept on talking, but Raeleigh did not answer him.

    Not long after, Raeleigh was found by Jepherson.

    ¡°Can Ie in?¡± Jepherson¡¯s gaze was cold and fierce. He looked much like a predator hunting down his prey. Xanthus pretended to be polite, especially since he had his white coat on.

    Xanthus had a polite smile on as he spoke in a gentle tone. When he saw Jepherson, Xanthus was not angry. After all, he was the one who did not make things clear before asking Raeleigh to terminate the pregnancy. As Raeleigh¡¯s brother, he did not like men like Jepherson. A man should not make such a mistake.

    However, they were in Capital City,Jepherson¡¯s territory. He could not fight Jepherson head-on, therefore¡­

    He had to be polite.

    Cynthia looked at him from behind. Xanthus smiled at her as assurance. Then, Santiago raised his hand and touched Cynthia¡¯s face, coaxing,¡°Let¡¯s go outside. It¡¯s hot in here.¡±

    ¡°All right,¡± Cynthia was not young, but she was in the same ss as her brother Flynt.

    Fortunately, Flynt had transferred schools. Otherwise, it would have been humiliating.

    Santiago turned around and brought Cynthia out of the room. Outside, he found a very quiet ce under a tree and told Cynthia, ¡°I am nning to bring you abroad to have your scar removed. We may be gone for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Must we go?¡± Cynthia was a little reluctant to leave this ce. She did not want to leave her friends.

    ¡°You¡¯re a woman. You will not look good with a scar on your body. If you don¡¯t have it removed, it might be hard for you to find a husband in the future,¡± Santiago jumped and snapped a branch off from the tree.

    Cynthia stared at Santiago. She knew that the rtionship between her and Santiago was like that of a brother and sister, and not love between a man and a woman.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯d be lucky enough to meet someone who won¡¯t judge me by my outer appearance,¡± Cynthia sped her hands together and stared at Santiago, who had his back to her. Santiago¡¯s face had a hint of a smile. He turned around to look at her and chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. There isn¡¯t such a man in this world. Men usually fall in love at first sight, and that¡¯s usually what works for them.¡±

    Cynthia sighed in response, ¡°Look at these flowers. No one likes an ugly flower. People always want the beautiful ones.¡±

    ¡°But I want the person to like me because we share the same interest, not because of my looks.¡±

    Santiago responded, ¡°But I still think that looks are very important. I mean, it¡¯s a good thing that you capture a man with your beauty. Then, you can use your intelligence and elegance to conquer this man. Have him wrapped around your little finger.¡±

    It was then Cynthia understood that it was time for them to separate. Although they were reluctant to part,all good things muste to an end.

    ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll go abroad and have my scar removed. After that, I wille back and do what I¡¯ve always wanted to do.¡±

    Cynthia had always known what she wanted, it was just that no one had believed in her.

    That same afternoon, Santiago bought a flight ticket abroad. Cynthia followed Santiago to bid their farewell to Raeleigh. It was only then that she learned about their ns. Yet, she had her hands full just dealing with Jepherson.

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Raeleigh got up from the inside and pulled Cynthia into the room. Cynthia sat down and began to exin everything to her.

    ¡°I want to stay with Raeleigh tonight,¡± Cynthia told Santiago. Santiago immediately answered, ¡°I¡¯ll keep youpany then.¡±

    With that, both the Richards brothers spent the night at Raeleigh¡¯s.

    Xanthus did not protest. However, it was then that he came to a decision: he would leave with Raeleigh.

 Chapter 1215 How Much Longer?

    Raeleigh and Cynthia spent the whole night in a tete-a-tete. They talked until Cynthia ended up crying.

    ¡°Raeleigh,if I leave and nevere backagain, will you miss me?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a long time before answering her question, ¡°I will definitely miss you. You are one of my besties, aside from Scarlette.¡±

    ¡°What about Deanna? Isn¡¯t she your best friend too?¡± Cynthia asked as she brushed her tears away. Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°You don¡¯t understand Deanna. She¡¯s very naive and doesn¡¯t know what love is. Sometimes, I feel like she¡¯s still a kid. She is willful and self-centered, but she¡¯s also very kind-hearted.¡±

    ¡°Deanna would never befriend someone like me. Of course, I do treat her as my friend, but she¡¯s still very immature. You have to treat her like a kid.¡±

    ¡°Deanna is indeed a little immature, but I feel that she¡¯s changed after meeting Jacky. Though she still seems a little out of it and knows nothing,¡± Cynthiaughed. She had already studied Deanna¡¯s recent behaviour.

    Raeleigh also chimed, ¡°I think Jacky is a very frank person. He¡¯s very patient as well. If I were Deanna, I would be very happy.¡±

    Raeleigh was not good at observing people, but for some reason, she was very confident with her evaluation of Jacky. She felt that Deanna was the luckiest among them.

    ¡°I really hope that I still have a chance toe back, but I won¡¯t have any if I leave. If Ie back, the Moore family will not let me go. I¡¯m sure they will not let Santiago go either. I don¡¯t want to cause trouble. I want to live a peaceful life. One day when we¡¯re old, I hope you still keep me in your thoughts by then.¡±

    ¡°Cynthia, I will always remember you. I will visit you when youe back.¡±

    ¡°Positive?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Then, Cynthia kept quiet andy beside Raeleigh. She reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hand and the two fell asleep together.N?velDrama.Org content.

    Cynthia¡¯s flight was the next morning. Santiago simply packed their suitcases and was ready to leave.

    Raeleigh and Xanthus saw them off, and so did Jepherson and Stuart. In the end, Deanna and Zorion came as well.

    Deanna cried so hard and refused to let go of Cynthia¡¯s hand.

    ¡°You muste back,¡± Deanna did not know what had happened. However, she had a feeling that Cynthia¡¯s departure heralded an end to their friendship: she would leave and nevere back.

    Deanna hugged Cynthia and wept for a while. Cynthia even took out her favourite keychain and gave it to Deanna.

    ¡°This is one of my favourite belongings that I bought using my own savings. I¡¯m giving this to you now. It¡¯s very beautiful,¡± Cynthia handed the keychain to Deanna, who studied the keychaincarefully. It was made of yellow crystal and was indeed very pretty.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful! Thank you, Cynthia.¡±

    Cynthia embraced Deanna and looked at Raeleigh. Then, she handed a pen to Raeleigh, saying, ¡°This is the pen I used to write my notes in ss. I will not be using it anymore. I was nning to keep it until I was old, but I did not expect to go abroad so soon. I have no idea when I will return. Raeleigh, do you mind keeping this for me?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the pen and took out her own,ughing,¡°I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s a coincidence or not, but we have the same pen. Why don¡¯t you take mine instead?¡±

    With that, she handed her pen to Cynthia. Raeleigh had a hunch that Cynthia would not be gone for long. She knew that Cynthia would return soon, and their paths would cross once again.

    Cynthia epted the pen and said, ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll cherish this.¡±

    ¡°Bon voyage.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Deanna pondered for a long time, wondering what to give to Cynthia. She did not bring anything. Hence, she took off her ne and presented it to Cynthia,¡°This is for you.¡±

    Zorion was a little upset. He was the one who had gifted her the ne.

    Cynthia epted it and thanked her. Santiago, who was standing beside the girls, walked over to Raeleigh. After looking at Raeleigh for a while, he reached out and hugged her, murmuring, ¡°Take care of yourself. No matter what happens, you must be patient. Do not act impulsively. Don¡¯t forget to call meand wait for me toe back.¡±

    Raeleigh looked up slowly. Santiago had brought his lips to her ear and whispered to her. They locked gazes for a while, no one saying anything. A whileter, Santiago let go of her.

    Raeleigh gave it some thought and replied, ¡°Have a safe trip.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to call me,¡± Santiago nced at Jepherson instead,¡°Take care of her.¡±

    ¡°Safe travels,¡± Jepherson bid.

    The two brothers looked at each other tacitly.After that, Santiago turned around and walked towards the boarding gate with one hand holding the suitcaseand the otherholding Cynthia¡¯s hand.

    Cynthia kept on ncing around the airport while walking, but she saw no signs of Flynt.

    Even when they arrived at the boarding gate,Flynt was nowhere to be seen. Therefore, she turned around and followed Santiago onto the ne.

    After Cynthia left, Raeleigh turned around and walked over to Xanthus. She held his arm and dragged him away.

    Jepherson walked over to stop them. Raeleigh looked up with a firm gaze and repeated herself,¡°I have already made it clear to you:we are done, finished.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my employee. Ourpany rules state that you are not allowed to have a boyfriend before you graduate.¡±

    This was the final trick he had up his sleeve.

    Stuart really admired how ruthless Jepherson was.

    He wondered since when did thepany have such a rule.

    In fact, he knew that Jepherson had clearly made that up.

    Raeleigh scoffed, ¡°Funny. I don¡¯t remember reading that in the contract.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m adding it into the contract right now,¡± Jepherson looked gloomy. Almost everyone around was looking at them. Just then, Deanna stomped towards them and stood in front of Raeleigh protectively. She looked up and frowned, ¡°Jepherson, I think you¡¯re getting carried away with this. Although things did not work out between the two of you, you can still be friends. Why must you do this?¡±

    ¡°Whatever I do is my business,¡± Jepherson said,refusing to back down. Deanna couldn¡¯t bear it, so she pulled Raeleigh by the hand and wanted to leave. Zorion immediately said, ¡°Deanna, we have something else to do. Let¡¯s go first.¡±

    ¡°Zorion, can you please help Raeleigh?¡± Deanna rushed over to Zorion and tugged on his hand. Zorion sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t stick our nose where it doesn¡¯t belong. We should leave.¡±

    Zorion turned around and led Deanna away. Deanna kept looking over her shoulder, but nothing she did now could change what was about to happen.

    Jepherson waited for Zorion and Deanna to leave. Then, he briefly nced at his watch before asking Xanthus, ¡°Dr. Osteen, do you not have anything to do today?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to hand in my resignation letter,¡± Xanthus replied curtly.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to, but you haven¡¯t.Why, it means you mustn¡¯t neglect your duty. Dr. Osteen, I hope you know your responsibilities.¡±

    Jepherson spoke in a demeaning tone. Consequently, Raeleigh was boiling with anger.

    ¡°Xanthus, you should go. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Raeleigh loosened her grip on Xanthus¡¯ hand. Xanthus was worried about her and wanted to wait for her, but was stopped by Jepherson.

    ¡°I have a meeting scheduled. Follow me,¡± Jepherson turned around and made his way out of the airport. Raeleigh¡¯s heart throbbed with pain as she watched him walk away.

    ¡°How much longer am I going to continue hurting like this?¡± She thought to herself.

 Chapter 1216 Buy Everyone Dinner

    In the end, Raeleigh followed Jepherson out of the airport. Just then, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Stuart lowered his head and tried to convince Raeleigh, ¡°Miss Raeleigh, Mr. Jepherson does not have any bad intentions. He¡¯s just jealous. If you can keep your distance from Xanthus, he will stop acting this way.¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything because she did not know whether it was true. Since she was his subordinate, he had every reason to make things difficult for her.

    Meanwhile, Jepherson waited in his car, his patience running thin. Then, he turned around to look at Raeleigh. Stuart gasped and immediately said, ¡°Miss Raeleigh, after you.¡±

    Raeleigh then entered the car and followed Jepherson to thepany.

    She remained silent during the entire journey.Formore than onceJepherson stole nces at her from the rearview mirror, but she did not even look at him once.

    Jepherson felt a flicker of irritation. The more Raeleigh did not respond to him, the more furious he was. There was a storm brewing in his eyes.

    Jepherson clenched his jaw at the thought of Xanthus and his tenderness towards her.

    All the while, Stuart was sitting in front, his palm beading with sweat. If this continued on, it would be a recipe for an ensuing doom.

    Soon, they arrived at the Richard¡¯s Group headquarters. Stuart hurriedly got out of the car and opened the door for Jepherson. After Jepherson got out of the car, Raeleigh opened the other door and got out as well.

    Raeleigh walked around the car and waited for Jepherson. He wanted to reach out for her hand, but she kept her hands behind her back, refusing to let him touch her.

    Jepherson approached her and stared at her, his gaze deep and unwavering.

    Raeleigh wanted nothing more than to leave. Jepherson then asked, ¡°Okay, so you want me to carry you in.¡±

    Raeleigh red at Jephersonand shot back,¡°Oh, yeah? You can shove it. I am merely one of your employees.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t mind treating you like a queen,¡± After that, Jepherson bent over and wanted to gather her in his arms, but she took a couple steps backwards. He then shot her a warning look, as if telling her not to act rashly. After doing so, he still approached her, but not to carry her. Instead, he gave his hand to her and said, ¡°You have two options. Pick one.¡±

    Raeleigh looked down at Jepherson¡¯s once gentle hand. It was not until this moment that she realised that love was actually a double-edged sword. In the end, both parties would get hurt.

    With that, she gave her hand to Jepherson. The moment their hands touched, Raeleigh¡¯s heart trembled slightly. No one forced them into it; it was their fault for what happened. They not only hurt themselves, but also the people around them. However, it was toote to do anything nowfor their baby was gone.

    As soon as Raeleigh extended her hand towards him, Jepherson immediately held it and strained a smile,¡°For once, you actually did not rebel.¡±

    Raeleigh froze. It was not until this moment that she realised how hideous Jepherson¡¯s bitter smile was.

    She knew that he was forcing it. Jepherson immediately held her hand and did not wait for her answer. He turned around and led her into the office.

    Stuart shook his head yet again. He knew that Jepherson was wrong beyond words to be doing this.

    He was afraid that Jepherson would not be able to find a way out of this.

    One of Jepherson¡¯s subordinates came out to talk to him as soon as he entered the door. He had an important meeting he needed to attendter, but he had yet to have breakfast.

    As soon as Jepherson arrived at his office, he immediately called for a takeout while Raeleigh sat quietly on the couch. Jepherson took off his coat before taking a seat at his desk. He then turned on theputer and briefly scrolled through the news before going through a few documents.

    Jepherson skimmed through the agenda of the meeting and it was not long before his breakfast was delivered. He got up and went to the door, opening it to allow Stuart to push the cart full of food in. Then, he asked Stuart to go downstairs and wait for him. After closing the door, he pushed the cart to the front of Raeleigh, only to realise that she had fallen asleep. Raeleigh was exhausted after not sleeping a wink the night before and sending off Cynthia at the airport this morning.

    Jepherson sat down and waited for her to wake up. He sat there and took in her sleeping face. However, it did not seem like she was waking up anytime soon, so he went to grab his coat and cover her with it. Then, he stood up and made his way to the conference room for his meeting.

    By the time Raeleigh woke up, it was already afternoon. When she opened her eyes, she realised that there was no one in the room. The coat that was covering her had slipped to the floor. She bent down and picked it up. She studied her surroundings before it registered with her that she was in Jepherson¡¯s office.

    When she saw no one in the room, she stood up and ambled to the door.

    Jepherson¡¯s office door was left ajar, so Raeleigh did not think that there would be anyone guarding the door. Sure enough, she was right.

    Since there was no one guarding the door,her escape would be unencumbered.

    It wasn¡¯t long before she arrived downstairs. She initially thought that she had sessfully made her great escape but little did she know, there was a function ongoing at the lobby. Downstairs, all the experienced designers of thepany were chatting with each other. Raeleigh came out of the elevator only to meet Jepherson¡¯s re. It was only then she understood why there wasn¡¯t anyone upstairs.

    Raeleigh did not say anything when she saw Jepherson. Instead, Stuart was the one who took a few steps forward and whispered something in her ear. Raeleigh briefly looked at him before walking towards Jepherson. Then, she said politely, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯mte.¡±

    No one spoke. Jepherson nced at Raeleigh with his tender eyes and said, ¡°You may continue.¡±

    The designer continued to discuss the design of the car. Raeleigh then spotted her mentor, Lamarre, in the crowd. Hence, she walked over and greeted him.

    Lamarre was a person who adored his disciples. When he saw Raeleigh, he immediately started discussing the design of the car and its ws.

    Raeleigh initially felt dispirited, but as soon as Lamarre started talking about the car, she felt a surge of energycoursing through her body.

    Jepherson, who was standing not far away from her, would asionally nce over at her from time to time. However, Raeleigh¡¯s attention was always on the car.

    Before the function ended, Jepherson raised his hand and pped twice,manding everyone¡¯s attention. He then announced that he was going to treat them to a meal today.

    Everyone was taken aback. Although Jepherson was known to be generous,this was the first time he had invited them to dinner.

    For more than a year since Jepherson had been in thepany,everyone had already found out that he was not a fan of social events.

    Although Hansen was the president of thepany,everyone knew that Jepherson had long since proved his worth. That was why Hansen was willing to let him run thepany.Besides, it was said that Hansen was a sucker for his wife, so he wantedto drop all his responsibilities and bring her for a honeymoon. He had always wanted his son to take over thepany, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. He was not about to let this slide.

    After Jepherson had taken over thepany, things were much more flexible. He was quite nice to his employees,his only demerit being his short fuse.

    Therefore, the employees wondered why he was suddenly eager to buy them dinner.

    However, it was a gospel known to all that Jepherson was not in the right frame of mind today. From the moment he arrived downstairs, he kept staring at the elevator. Anyone with discerning eyes would know that he had been expecting Raeleigh.

    Once she showed up, he hadn¡¯t been able to take his eyes off her. This was a story of his life in to the onlookers but not to himself.

    This meal must have been for her.N?velDrama.Org content.

 Chapter 1217 Destined to Let Him Down

    Raeleigh had not intended to go, but Lamarre seeded in persuading her. When they arrived at the restaurant, she sat right next to Lamarre; she was his apprentice, after all. Besides, he adored her because of her talent.

    Lamarre knew that something must have happened between Jepherson and Raeleigh. Despite being an old nut, he knew a thing or two about young love.

    As soon as Raeleigh sat down, the two began to engage in conversation. The only person she was close to in thepany was Lamarre. Their topics always revolved around car designs.

    No one would nor could chime in.

    When all the dishes were served, Jepherson handed Raeleigh some utensils before pouring some juice into her ss. He then poured a ss of wine and handed it to Lamarre. Jepherson wasn¡¯t nning to drink that day, but he poured a ss of wine for himself anyway.

    Once the food was served, Jepherson picked up his ss and took a sip of wine. He sat on the other side of Raeleigh. The only person who dared to talk to Jepherson was Lamarre. The others were afraid of him. They did not even dare to breathe.

    Raeleigh ate quietly. Halfway through the meal, she excused herself from the table to make a phone call to Xanthus to inform him that she would not being home for dinner.

    Xanthus was waiting for Raeleigh at home, and when he realised that she was not home yet, he immediately knew that she was most probably not going toe home for dinner. However, he still waited for her to call home to inform him.

    It was normal for a brother to worry about his sister. Although he knew what she was going to say,he still wanted to hear her say it.

    When Xanthus finally received her call, he reminded her to be careful and not to imbibe any alcohol. Before he hung up the phone, he asked her for her location, in case she got lost.

    After hanging up, Raeleigh emerged from the toilet cubicle only to find Jepherson standing by the entrance. Stunned,she asked, ¡°How in the world did you get in?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean how did I get in?¡± Jepherson was amused by her question as he looked towards the door where Stuart was standing. The effects of the alcohol started to kick in. He then pulled her into the cubicle and lowered his head to kiss her, which she refused.

    Raeleigh tried to push him awaybut to no avail. Jepherson held her and said in a slurred voice, ¡°I¡¯m all worn out. I want to go home and rest.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. She raised her eyes slowly. What could be more ironic than the two of them in life? Their love for each other were reciprocated, yet they wanted each other dead.

    Jepherson hugged her for a while before finally letting her go. Raeleigh immediately stumbled towards the door and left without looking back.

    Jepherson slowly turned around and watched as she vanished from the restroom. He knew that there was a knot in her heart, and for that alone, she would never forgive him.

    After relieving himself, Jepherson stood in front of the mirror for a while. He washed his hands and exited the restroom in search of Raeleigh. Meanwhile, Raeleigh was gaping at a young man before her. He was holding a ss of red wine, harassing her into drinking some.

    Jepherson¡¯s expression suddenly darkened. Raeleigh obviously knew the man was drunk. She was aware that alcohol could make a person feel stronger and more fearless.

    Raeleigh repeatedly refused the offer to drink, but the man was having none of it. He held out the ss for her and waited for her to chug it.

    Raeleigh was a little agitated, but she did not want to make a scene.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Lamarre had gone out to answer a phone call.

    She had no idea whether he had already left or if he was still talking on the phone. She had wanted to check on him, but was stopped by this interloper.

    Raeleigh looked at him and squeezed out a wry smile. Jepherson had left his seat for a few minutes, and almost everyone was drunk.

    For some people, their rationality waspromisedonce drunk.

    And one of those people was this man in front of Raeleigh.

    Jepherson strode over to Raeleigh. When the man saw Jepherson, he immediately trembled with fear and retreated.

    The people around them all lowered their heads. Jepherson dragged Raeleigh up to her feet and nced at the half sober man. He dered through gritted teeth,¡°From tomorrow onwards, youdon¡¯t have toe to work anymore!¡±

    After saying that, he grabbed Raeleigh by the waist and walked toward the door.

    Raeleigh did not know what to do. In the end, she chose topromise.

    As soon as they stepped out from the restaurant, Raeleigh immediately shook herself out of Jepherson¡¯s embrace and stood aside. Emptied of a Raeleigh-shaped figure, he looked over at her. Although he was somewhat unhappy,he did not yell.

    However, his face remained somewhat serious as he said, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to leave my embrace in the future.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. She could hear the pain in Jepherson¡¯s voice.

    Jepherson immediately bent down and got into the car. After he got in, he patted the seat next to him and said, ¡°C¡¯mon, hop in.¡±

    Raeleigh looked around and realised that there weren¡¯t any cars around because it was already quitete at night. She had no choice but to enter his car.

    She bent down and got into the car,still keeping her distance from him.

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze fell on Raeleigh. Then, he closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. The street lights mottled his face as the car navigated through the streets. Raeleigh observed him, but only from the window¡¯s reflection.

    He was exhausted. She could tell by his heavy breathing.

    When the car finally stopped, Raeleigh realised that they were at the Richards Group Manor.

    Stuart opened the door and invited Raeleigh to get out of the car, but she did not. She looked at Jepherson and insisted, ¡°Send me home, please.¡±

    ¡°Would you pleasee out of the car? This will be your home, sooner orter,¡± Jepherson stared at her from outside the car. Raeleigh did not share his viewsfor the Richard Groups Manor was Jepherson¡¯s home, not hers.

    Raeleigh refused to get out of the car, so Jepherson had no choice but to drag her out of it. With a tense face, she snarled, ¡°I don¡¯t like that you keep forcing me.¡±

    ¡°Then stop making me force you.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson dragged her out of the car and into the Richards Group Manor. He led her towards the Green Jade Garden.

    Raeleigh had been to the Richards Group Manor a handful of times. She knew where the Ink Garden was, but this was her first time visiting the Green Jade Garden. Her breath was taken by the scenes inside.

    Raeleigh was indifferent to everything, and nothing could surprise her.

    However, this time, she thought that everything in front of her was indescribably beautiful.

    Jepherson walked inside the Green Jade Garden and ordered the servants to leave them alone. He led Raeleigh to one of the bedrooms,pushed the door open,and entered.

    Raeleigh stood outside the door. She was sure that this was the master bedroom.

    Jepherson set foot inside. When he realised that Raeleigh wasn¡¯t following him, he turned around to look at her. Raeleigh stood there for a while before realising how cavernous and luxurious the room was.

    ¡°This is your room,¡± Jepherson said as he turned on all the lights in the room. Suddenly, everything in front of them lit up. Raeleigh carefully surveyed the room. She sighed when she realised how beautifully decorated the room was. The person must have put in a lot of effort into decorating this room.

    Unfortunately, she was not the person for him. She was destined to let him down!

 Chapter 1218 Cheap

    Raeleigh surveyed the room before asking, ¡°Do I have to stay the night?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with you.¡± Jepherson took off his coat and put it away before making his way into the bathroom. Raeleigh stood there, dumbfounded. Jepherson began stripping out of his clothes even before closing the door. After Jepherson emerged from the bathroom, he quickly changed into his pajamas. He then lifted the quilt and got into bed. Raeleigh, who was sitting on the couch, asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Catching some rest.¡± Jepherson wanted nothing more than to sleep.

    After a while, Raeleigh said, ¡°I want to go home.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ I don¡¯t want you to leave.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re-¡±

    ¡°Just two people together.¡±

    Jepherson did not want to hear anything else from Raeleigh. All he longed for was just to be with her. He could not watch her be with other men; it made him feel terribly insecure.

    A few momentster, Raeleigh sprung to her feet, saying, ¡°No, I can¡¯t be with you.¡±

    Shespun around, ready to leave. However, as soon as she opened the door, she came face-to-face with Stuart who greeted her politely. It was then she knew she would not be able to leave that night. So, she turned around and went back into the room.

    She found Jepherson already lying in the bed, observing her as he waitedfor her.

    Raeleigh stood motionless for a moment before walking towards the couch.

    Stuart closed the door and locked it from the outside.

    Raeleigh then took out her phone and called Xanthus to inform him that she would not being home.

    After hanging up, she decided to catch up on some news. This was the only thing she could do since leaving was not an option.

    However, Jepherson soon got up from the bed and stopped in front of Raeleigh. He bent down and pulled her into his arms before leading her towards the bed.

    Raeleigh writhed as she was enveloped in his arms. However, he was much stronger than she was. She was a woman, after all.

    When they got to the bed, Jepherson tucked her in and said with a serious face, ¡°Stop struggling or I won¡¯t be able to control myself.¡±

    Raeleigh immediately stopped moving.

    Jepherson looked at her face and frowned. ¡°Attagirl.¡±

    Raeleigh had never seen his expression do a turnaround that quickly before. The coldness in his face was immediately reced with tenderness.

    After kissing Raeleigh on her forehead, Jepherson flipped onto his side andid down beside her. He held her hand and closed his eyes.

    Raeleigh felt all the old memories resurfacing, sending shivers of difort down her spine.

    ¡°I watched my mother fall from the cliff, and at that moment, I felt the earth beneath my feet shift. At the time, I hoped that I could have been with her when she fell, but I wasn¡¯t. I was taken away.¡±

    ¡°I had been very excited that I was going to have a baby sister. However, when we finally reunited with my mother, I realized that her stomach was t.¡±

    ¡°My sister was gone.¡±

    Jepherson kept holding on to Raeleigh¡¯s hand as he fell into slumber, his muttering trailing off. Raeleigh did not sleep until the wee hours of the morning. She stayed up and watched him sleep.

    However, when Raeleigh was finally imed by sleep, Jepherson woke up again and pulled her into his arms before resuming his slumber.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    Before Raeleigh could open her eyes, she heard a noise outside. She could make out someone talking outside. With her eyes open, she listened to the voices as attentively as she could. When she was sure that it was Madam Marissa, she immediately jolted awake.

    Jepherson, who had been sleeping beside her, was naked from the waist up. Raeleigh looked at Jepherson¡¯s back and immediately started to blush. She had no idea when Jepherson had taken off his clothes.

    ¡°When did Jepherson return?¡± Marissa sounded angry. Her voice was so sharp that it could pierce through a person¡¯s bones. Though Raeleigh had just been blushing furiously, her heart pounding in her chest, all giddiness ebbed away in an instant.

    She turned to look at the door. Although a door separated them, Raeleigh could imagine the look on Madam Marissa¡¯s face.

    ¡°Last night, Madam Marissa,¡± the servant reported, her voice trembling out of fear. Although Jepherson treated everyone well, he wasn¡¯t home as often. Thus, no one could stand up for the servants in his absence.

    Marissa¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°What a bunch of good-for-nothings. Mr. Jepherson has been led astray, yet you¡¯re still trying to keep this under wraps. Let¡¯s wait and see how I will deal with all of youter.¡±

    ¡°Madam Marissa, please calm down.¡±

    ¡°Oh, whatever! Go get Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Marissa sat on the couch along the corridor. She decided to save herself the trouble by not barging into the room ¨C though if it was any other day, she would not have given that a second thought.

    Furthermore, she was getting old. If she had been younger, things would have been different.

    The servant did not dare disobey her. She hurriedly knocked on the couple¡¯s door before entering. Inside, came Jepherson¡¯s frosty voice. ¡°Let¡¯s see who dares enter this room.¡±

    The servant trembled in fear once more. She could not afford to offend either party.

    Marissa sounded, ¡°Then get yourself out here.¡±

    There was no movement in the room. Raeleigh had already gotten dressed and was out of the bed. She initially did not want to interfere with the Richards family affairs. However, she was forced to spend the night here. In the past, she would have stayed out of it, but the times were a-changing.

    Since she was no longer in a rtionship with Jepherson, she had little care to give.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, coldness spilling from her eyes.

    Jepherson only made a move to get up when she was about to leave.

    When he saw Raeleigh walking towards the door, he immediately got out of bed, revealing his bare chest.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t use to be like this. He would always make sure to get dressed before doing anything, but things had changed.

    As soon as he got out of bed, the room was immediately filled with morning breath.He looked disheveled and crude, even.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t be bothered. She immediately pushed the door open and went out, ready to go home.

    However,soon as she emerged from the room, everyone¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. It was only then that Raeleigh noticed something was wrong. By the time she realized what it was, it was toote. She turned around and saw Jepherson in all his disheveled glory.

    Shock pinned Raeleigh in ce. She knew Jepherson all too well. No matter how ufortable he felt, he wouldn¡¯t have dressed like this. What in the world was happening?

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Jepherson. She would have been petrified if not for Marissa¡¯s cold voice.

    ¡°A woman who stoops this low to seduce a man is trashy at best.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. The voice behind her shot through her body like a knife. Raeleigh immediately turned around to look her in the eye.

    ¡°Did she just call me¡­ cheap?¡± Raeleigh thought to herself.

    Raeleigh stared into Marissa¡¯s icy eyes and sarcastic face, and shepsed into silence. She was curious to know what else a noble woman like her had to say to degrade her status.

    Sure enough, Marissa continued, ¡°Did you not hear me the first time? You¡¯re a cheap, trashy woman, through and through!¡±

 Chapter 1219 Piss You Off

    Raeleigh stared at Marissa as the color drained from her face. Ever since she was a little girl, she had heard countless unpleasantries, but Marissa¡¯s words were the most horrible ones she had ever heard to date.

    As Raeleigh was a sensible person who had basic manners, she knew to respect the elders.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    Thus, even though Raeleigh did not like Marissa and knew that she was using her status to belittle her, Raeleigh would still behave politely.

    However, on that day¡­

    Raeleigh had no idea why Jepherson did not defend her, but she decided that she was no longer going to endure Marissa¡¯s verbal abuse anymore.

    There was a limit to one¡¯s patience. Furthermore, respect was earned andnot given. This was what Novalie taught Raeleigh ever since she was little.

    Novalie knew that Raeleigh was a smart girl. She would think twice before she acted and always stayed away from trouble.

    That was why she kept reminding Raeleigh when she could, and she was worried that Raeleigh would have gotten taken advantage of.

    Nevertheless, Raeleigh never recalled her grandmother¡¯s words.As respect worked both ways, she was not going to respect someone who did not show her the same decency. Her patience had reached its limit and Marissa had crossed the line for thest time.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Marissa. ¡°I did not ask you for your opinion! Just because you look good on the outside does not mean you¡¯re not rotten on the inside. There are people who can¡¯t afford clothes, but have a heart of gold.¡±

    Kindness came from within.

    There are some who know that regardless of their age, if they see an elderly person crossing the road, they should run up to help them.

    While there are others who are aged, but like to unt their seniority and find joy in belittling people perceived to be inferior to them.

    Although these people may appear royally noble on the outside, they are actually rotten-hearted.

    Who in the world would want to be poor when they can be rich?

    However, I don¡¯t care how rich you are because I don¡¯t want anything from you. No matter how well you dress, it will not stop you from aging or getting ill and in the end, dying. It will not stop you from being lonely.

    With no husband, children nor grandchildren by your side.

    This house might be big, but you¡¯re the only one living in it. Just because you have people serving you does not make this ce feel like home.

    However¡­

    You are old and you wantto hear people saying nice things to you. But doyou realize that no one is ever sincere to you? That¡¯s because they are afraid of you. They specifically say nice things to make you happy. It¡¯s like coaxing a dog.

    They will get you anything you want, but have you ever thought about whether they¡¯ve ever spat in your food?

    In fact, you live a very sad life. You lie alone in bed every night, trying toe up with ways on how to make people feel inferior.

    You like to control other people¡¯s life. You even control your son¡¯s and your grandson¡¯s lives.

    Unfortunately, no one cares about you. You¡¯re just making a fool of yourself.¡±

    Everyone in the room was stunned by Raleigh¡¯s long, honestyced speech.On the other hand, Marissa was quivering with anger.As she raised her hand and pointed at Raeleigh,she was wordless with rage. Then, she looked over at Jepherson who wasjust standing there, not saying a word.

    Marissa¡¯s husband was a sore topic for her. In fact, it was not that they fell out of love. Her husband just did not agree with hering here. Hearing Raeleigh mention it ignited fiery anger within her.

    Raeleigh remained unmoving. She swept her eyes across the entire room and looked at everyone, including Jepherson, who was standing beside her with a look of anger on his face. Even if she was angry, she should not have said such words. Was she trying to piss Marissa off?

    Jepherson knew that Raeleigh felt wronged and was unhappy. However, her behaviour was uneptable.

    At this moment, it was best for Jepherson to remain silent.He knew trouble awaited if he were to say something.

    Marissa flew off the handle and pointed at Raeleigh with rage. Soon after, she passed out.

    ¡°Madam Marissa, Madam Marissa¡­¡±

    A group of servants hurriedly rushed over to her butRaeleigh was still looking at them indifferently.In a haste, Jepherson ran over to his grandmother and gathered her in his arms. Then, he shot a nce at Raeleigh without saying a word before immediately rushing out the door and straight to the hospital.

    After everyone left, Stuart stared at Raeleigh and wondered what she had been thinking.

    Not bothered by the incident, Raeleigh took onest look around and left.

    Things were better off this way as she knew that Marissa would despise her even more after this. She did not mind it at all, as this was a great opportunity for herand Jepherson to have a smooth, clean break.

    Raeleigh went out the door and tried to hail a taxi. Stuart offered to give her a ride but she refused. Thankfully, she managed to get a taxi and left.

    Just as the taxi pulled up to her building, she saw Xanthus standing at the door, waiting for her. Hurriedly, she paid the taxi driver before getting off and walking towards Xanthus.

    ¡°Sorry for worrying you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my responsibility to worry about you. Have you had breakfast?¡± Xanthus ced an arm around Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder as they walked. Raeleigh shook her head. Thus, Xanthus led her back to the house and made breakfast.As Novalie knew that her granddaughter wanted a clean break from Jepherson, she brought up the topic of wanting to go abroad during breakfast.

    At first, Raeleigh was reluctant to hear her out as Novalie was getting old. If something happened to her, Raeleigh would not forgive herself.

    With that, Raeleigh did not agree with the idea of going abroad and just stared at her grandmother. However, Novalie asked that she reconsider.

    After breakfast, Xanthus drove Raeleigh to the university. On the way, he asked Raeleigh whether she was worried that Jepherson would show up again. When she heard the question, she immediately told him what happened earlier at the Richards Group Manor.

    Xanthus nearly hit the side of the curb when he heard about the incident. The driver behind them had even cursed at Xanthus.

    Raeleigh looked over at Xanthus and said, ¡°I feel like sometimes, people think I¡¯m an easy target. I don¡¯t really talk much when I¡¯m around Scarlette and Deanna. That¡¯s probably why people like taking advantage of me, but Deanna and Scarlette would always stand up for me. However, when I¡¯m not around them, I¡¯m different.¡±

    ¡°Especially when people insult me.¡±

    With her hand supporting her cheek,Raeleigh sat in the front passenger seat, looking helpless.

    Xanthus stared at Raeleigh for a while before saying, ¡°You and your mother are quite alike. Both of you sigh the same way.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her gaze. ¡°Are we really?¡±

    ¡°Yes, very much so¡­¡±

    At the mention of his mother, a look of tenderness unconsciously shed across his eyes. ¡°Both of you are foolish and stubborn.¡±

    That rendered Raeleigh speechless.

 Chapter 1220 Long Distance Call

    When Raeleigh and Xanthus arrived at the university campus, they chatted for a while before going their separate ways. Raeleigh made her way towards the lecture halls for her first ss of the day.

    Raeleigh thought that Jepherson would still be in the hospital, taking care of his grandmother and would not be able to teach today.

    However¡­

    Before Raeleigh arrived at the lecture hall, Flynt appeared in front of her with his backpack strapped to his back.

    He was dressed in smart casual attire, his hands in his pockets. As soon as he appeared, Raeleigh realized that he was quite a popr guy in school.

    Flynt was currently surrounded by a lot of people who wanted to talk to him.

    In the past, Raeleigh had only focused all her attention on Santiago andhad no idea that Flynt was popr.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment. The group of people were blocking the entrance to the building. So, she had to walk around them in order to enter.

    It was only then that Flynt noticed Raeleigh. When he saw her, he immediately said to the people around him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, everyone. I need to consult my lecturer urgently about something. Please excuse me.¡±

    Raeleigh paid this no mind, but the crowd around Flynt dispersed in a huff.

    Soon after, Flynt managed to catch up with Raeleigh.

    ¡°Were you annoyed?¡± Flynt came over and asked Raeleigh. She casted a nce at him and replied, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such a liar,¡± Flynt said as a smile appeared on his face.However, Raeleigh did not say anything in reply.

    All of a sudden, Flynt mentioned, ¡°I¡¯m here for ss.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment before blurting,¡°Is it because of your family?¡±

    ¡°No, I came because of you.¡±

    Raeleigh was not at all surprised by Flynt¡¯s words. It sounded cliche, as if something out of a romance novel or a TV show.

    Thus, Raeleigh did not reply as she continued walking.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look surprised,¡± Flynt said as he followed behind Raeleigh. Raeleigh posed a question, ¡°Why would I be?¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be surprised to hear that I came to school for you. It seems that I¡¯ve set my hopes too high, and you were able to see through my intentions.¡±

    ¡°Everyone has an agenda, one way or another. What you do has nothing to do with me.¡±

    Raeleigh walked through the door of the lecture hall. She was early for ss, so there were only a few students in the hall.She walked to her designated seat, sat down, took out a book and started reading quietly. Flynt stood at the door for a while before making his way to another lecture hall.

    There were many whom Raeleigh did not want to see here while there were also a lot of people who Flynt did not get along with. So, it was a good thing for him to leave.

    Raeleigh remained in her seat as the rest of the students slowly entered the hall. At first, they were surprised to see Raeleigh, but their initial shock dissipated soon after.

    Deanna followed Zorion and Rossie to the university and was delighted when she saw Raeleigh. Taking the seat directly behind her, she tried starting a conversation with Raeleigh. However, not long after, she went quiet.

    It was because Jacky had entered the hall. The moment he appeared, Deanna seemed to have transformed into a different person. She was so scared that she immediately fell silent.

    Jacky sat in the back of the ss and kept his eyes on Deanna.

    Soon, the ss began and the only person absent was Santiago. Normally, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t be bothered about him. However, she found herself wondering what Santiago was doing at that very moment.

    As she was deep in her thoughts, her cell phone suddenly rang.

    The lecturer turned around and scanned the ss for the culprit. Raeleigh hurriedly excused herself and went outside to take the call.

    It was Santiago; he made a long-distance call to her.

    Raeleigh was on cloud nine to hear from him.With that, she quicklyposed herself before answering.

    ¡°Hi!¡±

    ¡°Do you miss me?¡± Santiago said frivolously as soon as he heard Raeleigh¡¯s voice, sending Raeleigh into a long bout of silence.

    Then, he asked, ¡°Did anyone bully you?¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh muttered something in reply.With that, Santiago immediately asked, ¡°Who bullied you?¡±

    ¡°No one. But I did anger your grandmother and caused her to be sent to the hospital.¡±

    Santiago asked, slightly amused, ¡°So it was you?¡±

    ¡°And?¡± Raeleigh was unhappy to hear that. It sounded as if Santiago was undermining her.

    Santiago sneered and Raeleigh immediately knew that he was indeed looking down on her.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you being flirty?¡± Santiagoughed, his voice sounding very deep. Sometimes, Raeleigh had her doubts about him being seventeen years old.

    ¡°Stop being rude,¡± Raeleigh said. Santiago was silent for a while, then he said, ¡°Who¡¯s being rude?¡±

    ¡°You.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    Then, Santiago immediately hung up the phone. Raeleigh only realized that he had done so when she heard sounds of beeping.

    Putting her phoneaway, she stood outside for a while and didnot return to the hall. She wandered aimlessly along the corridor and found a ce to sit. The weather was cold but she had not thought to bring an extrayer of clothing. Sitting on the bench, she reminisced about the time Jepherson took out his coat and draped it around her shoulders.

    Although Santiago and Jepherson were brothers,Santiago was a person who liked making things clear. Jepherson, on the other hand, was very different as he never liked rifying anything.

    Raeleigh felt that she and Jepherson were the same kind of people.

    This was why they were not a good fit as their personalities were too simr.

    Raeleigh looked up at the sky and smiled. She was very lucky to have met Jepherson and would never forget him. What they shared was something that could not be changed. However, the past would still eventually be forgotten. Why would she want to trouble herself so?

    She was going to let bygones be bygones and move on with life.

    Things hade full circle, and it was time to look forward.

    Raeleigh turned around and was about to leave when she saw Flynt, standing in front of her with his hands in pockets. Raeleigh froze for a moment then asked, ¡°Have you been following me?¡±

    This was very possible since she had to walk past his lecture hall.

    Flynt only came out when he saw Raeleigh outside.

    ¡°You looked like you were in a trance. I was worried, so I thought I¡¯de and check on you.¡± Flynt walked towards Raeleigh, frowning. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t in a trance. I just came out to get some fresh air. I¡¯m fine nowandI¡¯m going to find Xanthus. You should go back to ss.¡±

    Raeleigh then turned around and walked towards Xanthus¡¯s office. Flynt paused for a moment before deciding to follow her.

    Turning around, she looked at Flynt, ¡°Was I not clear enough?¡±

    Flyntughed, ¡°What? Do you own this ce? You can¡¯t tell me what to do.¡±

    Raeleigh thought about his words and fell silent.A momentter,she turned around and continued walking. Flynt followed behind religiously until she arrived at Xanthus¡¯s office. After she entered the office,he turned around and headed back to ss. It was then he realized that Zorion and Deanna had been following him.

 Chapter 1221 A Chance to Escape

    ¡°Flynt¡­ you¡¯re still refusing to give up on your evil intentions, aren¡¯t you?¡± Deanna asked with a displeased face before Zorion could say anything. However, Flynt let out augh.¡°What are you talking about? Cynthia is gone. What evil intentions are you talking about?¡±

    Flynt had nned to head back to ss but was stopped by Deanna, who was clearly unhappy that Flynt was trying to court Raeleigh.

    He had only taken a few steps forward before getting halted by Deanna. She had her hands on her waist as she said, ¡°Let me tell you, Cynthia walked out of the Moore family on her own. She had enough of you lot.¡±

    ¡°Regardless of what happened, I¡¯m sure she would not have thought about leaving the Moore family; unless, someone gave her the idea to.¡±

    ¡°You keep saying that you had nothing to do with it, but if it weren¡¯t for you guys, Cynthia wouldn¡¯t have left!¡±

    Flynt had no ns to continue talking to them but there were times when his emotions got the better of him.

    Not only had Santiago taken Cynthia away, he also ruined Yanora¡¯s life.Furthermore, the Cook family was also destroyed because of Jepherson. They were a good, whole family, but unfortunately, their world had been turned upside down because of the Richards family.

    Flynt could not help but despise them!

    Deanna couldn¡¯t be bothered about all this coteral damage; she only cared about what was presently ahead of her. No matter how she looked at Flynt, she just couldn¡¯t find a single thing she liked about him. Pointing at him, she said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about your life. I¡¯m warning you, you had better stay away from Raeleigh. She is Jepherson¡¯s girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson?¡± Flynt snorted. ¡°Listen, I want Raeleigh, and nothing will change that!¡±

    Flynt was simmering with anger as he spoke, and in the spur of the moment, he shoved Deanna out of rage. Even though he had not used a lot of strength, Deanna lost her bnce and fell to the ground as she had been in heels.

    Zorion was taken aback by this; he did not expect Flynt toy his hands on Deanna.

    When Deanna fell, her expression changed. However, she put on a brave face as she did not want to admit defeat or cry in front of Flynt.

    Rossie immediately rushed over to Deanna and helped her onto her feet. Zorion red at Flynt. ¡°You actually pushed her?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Flynt apologized immediately. He was much calmer than before.

    There were three powerful families in Capital City and the Whalen family was one of them. To Flynt, regardless of which family a person came from, it was best if they did not offend either of the families. However, the rtionship between the Whalen family and the Richards family was unbreakable. If he did not keep things peaceful with them, he knew his family would be in big trouble.

    As he was the one who started the fight,he had to apologize.Admitting his mistake was the right thing to do as it would keep Zorion from doing anything to him.

    However, Zorion¡¯s face was grim. Flynt was ying with fire.

    In a haste, Rossie asked, ¡°Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± Deanna pushed Rossie away and walked up to Flynt. She proceeded to give him a hard shove, but he stood there, unfazed.

    Rossie walked over to Deanna, who was boiling with anger, and said, ¡°Come on, Deanna. I¡¯ll take you to the hospital to go get checked. Don¡¯t waste your energy on him.¡±

    Rossie tried to drag Deanna away, but Deanna was reluctant to leave. She wanted revenge.

    ¡°Deanna, why don¡¯t you go with Rossie?¡± Zorion said.Hearing that, Deanna was left with no option but to leave. She looked as if she had lost her chance for revenge, but she had to do as told by her brother.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    As Deanna walked, she muttered to herself that she needed to get revenge. Her words were then overheard by Jacky, who was walking towards them.

    Deanna was the type of person who would not be aware of her surroundings when she walked. It was only when she bumped into a strong chest, that she raised her head to see that the person in front of her was none other than Jacky.

    The moment Deanna saw him, she was petrified and wanted to run away as fast as she could. However, Jacky quickly grabbed her by the arm and stopped her from leaving.

    Jacky looked at Rossie, ¡°I need a moment with her.¡±

    After a while,Rossie said, ¡°Alright then. Make it short. I¡¯ll wait for you over there.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    He turned to look at Deanna while Rossie walked to the side, looking away from the two.

    After Rossie left, Deanna said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t looking when I walked. I didn¡¯t mean to bump into you. I¡¯m just mad at Flynt, please believe me.¡±

    Deanna was extremely skilled at feigning obedience andpassion.This was also something Jacky was used to. However, at this moment, Jacky looked angered as he grabbed Deanna¡¯s hand and turned it over. When Deanna saw her hand, she realized that it was bleeding.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Deanna screamed. Soon, there were tears flowing down her cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s bleeding!¡±

    In reality, it did not hurt at all andwasn¡¯t that big of a deal either. However, Deanna was a bit of a drama queen.

    Jacky¡¯s face darkened. He nced at Deanna before he bent over and pulled her into his arms. Then, he turned around and walked outside.

    Rossie watched as Jacky carried Deanna outside. This was her perfect chance to leave. ¡°Deanna, don¡¯t worry, Jacky will not hurt you.¡±

    With that, Rossie ran out of the school and hailed a taxi to the airport.

    Zorion had just finished dealing with Flynt. He took out his phone to call Rossie.Ashe could not get through to her,he called Deanna instead.

    Both Deanna¡¯s hands were wrapped up in bandages. She had been leisurely eating a piece of cake and some strawberries when her phone rang.

    However, since she did not have a free hand, she had to rely on Jacky to help her pick up the phone.

    Jacky reached for Deanna¡¯s phone and helped her answer the call. Deanna nearly choked on her food as she stared wide-eyed at Jacky¡¯s exposed chest. How very defined!

    At this moment, Jacky was wearing a ck shirt and the top two buttons were undone.

    Deanna was busy admiring his chest as she answered the phone. It was Zorion who was calling her.

    ¡°Deanna?¡± Zorion hoped to hear Rossie¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you in the hospital?¡± Zorion asked. Deanna looked around and said, ¡°No, I am currently having cake. My hands are injured and there¡¯s a hole in my shirt. But I¡¯m fine now. I¡¯m enjoying cake. Also¡­¡±

    Deanna took a wary look at Jacky, who was sitting across from her and staring at her in a carefree manner.

    Since Jacky did not look angry, Deanna decided to tell Zorion the truth. ¡°I¡¯m with him.¡±

    ¡°Him?¡±

    Zorion frowned. He immediately knew she was referring to Jacky.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Rossie?¡± Zorion did not think too much about it as he knew his sister well. If she did not like Jacky, she would have been crying her heart out already. She wouldn¡¯t have agreed to hang out with him.

    However, Deanna was still young and still wasn¡¯t sure what she liked.

    ¡°Rossie is still in school,¡± Deanna said as she took a bite of the cake. It was soft and it immediately melted in her mouth.

    In the past, Jacky did not eat desserts, but he figured that it was alright to give it a try.

    Deanna turned anxious as she watched Jacky eat.

    ¡°Zorion, I¡¯m a little busy. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± After saying that, Deanna moved her head away, wanting to feed herself. However, Jacky pulled her hand away and fed her instead!

 Chapter 1222 Surrender

    After the phone call ended, Zorion immediately sent a search party to look for Rossie. He even asked someone to search in the airport.

    He kept calling Rossie, but he could not get through to her. While he was busy looking for her, Rossie suddenly called him.

    ¡°Where are you?¡± Zorion¡¯s voice changed. It sounded a little hoarse.

    At that moment, Rossie was already preparing to enter the boarding gate.

    ¡°I¡¯m at the airport,¡± Rossie replied faintly.

    ¡°Come back! I¡¯lle and pick you up!¡± Zorion immediately dashed out of school.

    Rossie thought for a moment. ¡°You promised me that you will let me go once we find your sister, but you lied. Zorion, I didn¡¯t mean to escape. I wille back, but right now, you¡¯re like a huge obstacle in my way, preventing me from leaving. I¡¯m scared.¡±

    ¡°What are you scared of? I don¡¯t bite.¡± Zorion gritted his teeth asirritation pricked at him. He got in the car and asked the driver to head to the airport. The driver immediately knew what was going on and hurriedly stepped on the elerator.However, the odds weren¡¯t in their favor that day asthey kept running into red traffic lights.

    ¡°You don¡¯t bite, but I hate that you treat me like a prostitute. I hate that kind of life.¡±

    ¡°You know that I¡¯m only fifteen. I¡¯m too young to have sex with you. I¡¯m not a prostitute.¡±

    Although Rossie had a crush on Zorion,she could not ept such a request. She could no longer tolerate Zorion¡¯s endless pestering.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ I did not treat you like a prostitute. I¡­¡±

    It was hard for Zorion to confess his feelings for her. He had once confessed his feelings to Raeleigh, but was rejected. He could not bring himself to say it to another person because he was afraid of being faced with another rejection. Although he could not say it, it did not mean that he did not like her.

    ¡°Drive faster.¡± Zorion could only order the driver to step on the gas.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Rossie knew that she would definitely be able to leave this time, so she wasn¡¯t worried.

    After thinking for a long time, Rossie said, ¡°Deanna is with Jacky. I¡¯m about to board the ne. Remember the time Raeleigh handed you a bank card with all the money she returned to you but you refused to ept it? I just want to let you know that Santiago gave me the bank card, and I think I deserve to have it. There¡¯s a total of seven million dors. I¡¯ve withdrawn everything and the money is with me now.¡±

    ¡°I will use the money in the future. As for what happened between us, I¡¯m sure you are aware that you were the one who forced me into this all along. I¡¯m just going to take the seven million dors aspensation. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just a drop in the bucket for you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. Take care of yourself.¡±

    After that, Rossie turned off her phone and entered the boarding gate. Zorion gritted his teeth and hurriedly called his men who were at the airport.

    ¡°Get the police and have them seal the airport. I¡¯ve received news from a reliable source that there¡¯s a bomb on one of the nes. It must be investigated before anyone gets hurt!¡±

    The driver frowned, immediately realizing just how powerful Zorion was!

    Soon, they arrived at the airport and everywhere they turned, people were fleeing out of the building. Zorion¡¯s men were waiting for him at the entrance of the airport and walked up to him as soon as he got out of the car.

    With that, Zorion hurried into the airport with airport staff behind him. As they walked, they asked, ¡°Mr. Zorion, is there really a bomb on one of the nes?¡±

    Zorion nced at the staff and did not reply.

    The airport went on aplete lockdown because of the supposed bomb. An announcement was made and the authorities had grounded all nes. No one was allowed to leave at this moment.

    The airport was flooded with people.As soon as Zorion appeared, the atmosphere in the airport changed.

    Everyone turned at Zorion¡¯s sudden appearance. Zorion¡¯s eyes were determined as he searched through the crowd, who was staring at him strangely. He only stopped when he realized there were still no signs of Rossie.

    ¡°I want you to search all the boarding gates and give me a list of females, aged between 13 to 20, who are leaving the country today.¡±

    Zorion was impatient, a look of strong displeasure painted across his face.

    With his orders, the airport staffimmediatelywent to get the list ready.Zorion tried for Rossie again, but failed.

    After standing around for a while, Zorion walked towards the restroom. He entered it and began searching every single cubicle.

    Until he found Rossie.

    Rossie was hiding in the innermost cubicle, wondering what she should do if Zorion or one of his men found her. She knew that she should not have made the call. If she had not called, perhaps Zorion would not have sent out a search party for her.

    When Zorion finally found her, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Come out.¡± Rossie was worried most about getting med by Zorion. She was just about to leave, but there was news of a bomb in the airport and she was told that the matter had to be investigated before anyone could board the nes.

    She had intended to leave the airport while the investigation was underway but she did not expect that the security out of the airport would be so tight. No matter how hard she tried, she could not leave.

    Rossie knew that if she was found,there would be tougher days ahead.

    Zorion reached out and pulled Rossie out of the cubicle. Then, he bent down, gathered her in his arms and strode outside.

    Rossie turned her face towards Zorion¡¯s chest, thinking about what to do.

    Zorion carried her out of the airport and into the car. As soon as he got into the car, he held Rossie tightly in his arms. Though he was not doing anything else, Rossie didn¡¯t feel a single shred of warmth. On the contrary, she was more afraid than ever.

    As soon as they entered the car, he instructed the driver to start the car. When they arrived at the Whalen family¡¯s vi, Zorion got off first before carrying Rossie out of the car. He strode towards his vi and carried her to the second floor. He entered the room and ced her on the bed.

    Rossie was afraid that something terrible would happen so she hurriedly got up. However, Zorion quickly straddled her, preventing her from leaving. He lowered his head and looked at Rossie, ¡°Are you nning to run away again?¡±

    Rossie had told him everything earlier and had no excuse up her sleeves that could help her get out of this.

    In the end, Rossie looked up at Zorion andgave up resisting. She justid in bed as she looked up at Zorion.

    ¡°I just want freedom. I don¡¯t want to be locked up in a room all day long.¡± Rossie was much calmer. She wanted to say herst words.

    Zorion was amused, ¡°Am I really that bad of apany?¡±

    Rossie¡¯s expression remained indifferent. The fact that she did not say anything spoke for itself.

    Zorion raised his hand and began taking off his clothes, unbuttoning them one by one. ¡°I¡¯ll let you keep the money and I will return your passport and ID to you. However, you must promise me that you¡¯re not going to run away again. If you do and I catch you, I will not let you go again. Do you understand?¡±

    Rossie was taken aback by his words. Turning around to look at Zorion, she realized that he had almost stripped naked, his skinny frame revealed under all thoseyers of clothing.Rossie was not exactly immune to all feelings. When she saw him, her breath hitched in her throat and she felt warmth rushing to her cheeks.

    Zorion then used a hand to unbutton his pants as he unbuttoned Rossie¡¯s shirt with the other, gently stroking her body as he did.

    Soon, Zorion had undressed her. Rossie had no power to resist and surrendered in a matter of minutes.

 Chapter 1223 Sitting Down

    After an entire afternoon rolling in the sheets, Zorion finally fell asleep from the exhaustion. Rossie had wanted to leave, but Zorion held her tightly in his arms after she fell asleep so it was impossible for her to move.

    ¡­

    Deanna stared at Jacky¡¯s hand that was grabbing her wrist. ¡°It¡¯s getting dark. I think you should send me home now, or else my brother will get worried.¡±

    The one person that Deanna was most afraid of was Jacky.

    However, Jacky pretended not to have heard her.He held her hand as they strolled around the streets. She had no idea what Jacky was up to, but she wanted to go home because it was where she felt safest.

    ¡°I called your brother. He knows where we are,¡± Jacky said. He was walking in front as he held her hand. She followed behind, feeling slightly depressed. So what if he called? Why was he dragging her around?

    She wanted nothing more than to go home. Furthermore, she was injured.

    After walking for a while, Jacky suddenly felt that Deanna¡¯s mood was a little off.He turned around to look at her.In a sh, Deanna said, ¡°I want to go home. It¡¯ste, Zorion is probably worried about me.¡±

    ¡°If your brother calls, I¡¯ll send you home right away. Otherwise, you¡¯re following me to Waverly Vige for a while. I have something I need to do.¡±

    At the mention of Waverly Vige, Deanna immediately feltterror coursing through her veins. All the memories of when she only had potatoes to satiate her hunger shed through her mind in an instant. She dragged on her feet, refusing to walk any further. Jacky had no choice but to turn around and carried her on his back.

    Deanna had no idea how she got on Jacky¡¯s back. She let out a shout having caught off guard. Upon hearing her shriek, thepeople walking along the streetsturned to look at them.

    Her cheeks were hot from the stares from others. If they caught sight of her face, she knew that she would be in trouble.

    In a haste, she buried her face in Jacky¡¯s shoulders and kept quiet. ¡°Will you really send me home if Zorion called?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if he calls, I promise to send you home. If he doesn¡¯t, then I¡¯m taking you to Waverly Vige with me. I have something to do tonight.¡± Jacky was worried that Deanna missed what he was trying to tell her, so he repeated himself.With that, Deanna rested her head on his shoulders, deep in her thoughts. She was hoping that Zorion would call, however, she fell asleepinadvertently.

    Unfortunately, Zorion¡¯s call never came and Deanna had to follow Jacky to Waverly Vige.

    Jacky carried Deanna into the car. Though she jolted awake while in the car, she soon fell back asleep. He held her in his arms as he stared mesmerizingly at Deanna. Then, he asked the driver to start the car.

    When the car came to a stop after arriving at Waverly Vige, he turned to look at Deanna, who was still sleeping soundly. Jacky figured she was having a good nap after a good meal.

    As the lights outside the car flickered,Jacky¡¯s gaze was locked on Deanna, who was nestled safely in his arms. He raised his hand and touched her lips gently before lowering his head to kiss her. He had intended it to be a quick peck, but s, he could not control himself.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    The driver immediately got out of the car and stayed away. He wanted to avoid the awkwardness and from intruding upon Jacky¡¯s privacy.

    Initially, Deanna did not seem to mind, but things got too ticklish for her to continue staying asleep.

    Slowly, she stirred awake. The moment she woke up, she realized that Jacky¡¯s lips were on hers. She wanted to ask him something, but before she could part her lips, Jacky lowered his head and kissed her gingerly before gradually deepening the kiss.

    Deanna was at a loss for what to do. She had no idea what was going on. The only thing she could feel was the emotions rising within her.

    Finally, Jacky stopped. She looked at him, slightly confused.

    ¡°Zorion did not call.¡± Jacky took out his phone and showed it to Deanna. Knowing how forgetful Deanna was, she would have probably already forgotten that he promised to send her home if Zorion called if he did not mention it.

    Deanna frowned. ¡°My brother must be very busy. I¡¯m sure he will call soon.¡±

    With her face all scrunched up, she looked like an unhappy child who was about to throw a tantrum.

    The disappointment got the better of her when she woke up to such news.

    Moreover,Jacky had bit her lips so hard that they had turned red and swollen.

    Jacky then opened the door and got out of the car, stunning Deanna. They hadn¡¯t finished talking! How could he get out of the car?

    Deanna hurriedly followed after him out.

    As soon as she caught up to him, she took a quick look around and realized that they were already in Waverly Vige. Although she was not a local here,she recognized the ce as she had been here before.

    She was positive that they were in Waverly Vige.

    It was already dark out, and there were a number of people barbecuing by the streets. At the sight of food, Deanna turned a little dazed. She had to fight the urge to go over and join the feast.

    Shewas a girl and it would be rude of her to intrude. She could only follow Jacky and peek at the mouth-watering food.

    Although she was supposed to only look at the food,she could hardly put up a fight against her urge to eat and starteddrooling.

    As she did, Jacky met up with a group of people who handed over a couple of notebooks to him.

    After receiving the notebooks, Jacky said, ¡°Are these all the information from the Moore family?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Cynthia is currently not in the country. Flynt has another older sister called Yanora. The Cook family has disappeared and it seems like the Moore family¡¯s power is in steady decline. Everyone knows that it¡¯s every man for themselves in that family.¡±

    ¡°Johan is still alive. If he died, the Moore family would fall apart.¡±

    ¡°The only reason why Johan is fighting to stay alive is because he wants to win the Moore family over. He thinks highly of Yousif because he saved his life once.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not sure why. Yousif is ignorant and incapable, and he¡¯s been like this for years.¡±

    ¡°Although the Moore family is now under Flynt¡¯s control, I think things at the Moore family are rather sticky now. The Moore family¡¯s future may be bright, but it seems like there¡¯s a power struggle and they¡¯re fighting over who gets to be the head of the family ¨C that is why the Moore family is in a mess right now.¡±

    By the time the man finished speaking, Deanna was hungry again although she had some cake to eat earlier. She just loved food and would get hungry as soon as the food came into sight. Thus, she couldn¡¯t even be bothered by what Jacky and the rest were talking about.

    Jacky nced at Deanna and walked to a nearby barbecue stall. He pulled out a chair and sat down. When Deanna saw him, she quickly went towards him and did the same.

 Chapter 1224 The Skewers

    ¡°Hey there, Jacky¡­¡± The owner of the barbecue stall immediately walked over to greet them. Jacky nced at Deanna and handed her the menu, ¡°Order up.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Deanna feigned bashfulness as she epted the menu, skimming through it.However, she did not order anything as she was unsure whether she was allowed to order what she wanted.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we have a little of everything? My treat!¡± Jacky stated after a while. When the owner heard Jacky, he was extremely happy. In a sh, he agreed and immediately started preparing the dishes.

    The barbecue stall was operated by a couple. Deanna was envious of them as she watched them work while Jacky continued to flipping through the information he had just gotten his hands on. Then, the person opposite him asked, ¡°Jacky, what do you think?¡±

    Only then did Jacky raise his head to look at them. ¡°Who is in charge of the Cook family¡¯s finances?¡±

    ¡°Their housekeeper, Olrando.¡±

    Jacky then raised his head to look up at the sky as he leaned back in his chair. ¡°This is going to be tough. Looks like Johan isn¡¯t an easy person to deal with. He actually entrusted his housekeeper with the family¡¯s finances.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Elina used to be in charge of it in the past. However, ever since Cynthia got into an ident, Johan decided to hand over the family¡¯s affairs to Olrando instead of his own family members.¡±

    Jacky swept his eyes over the people around him. ¡°He¡¯s checking to see who has the ability topete for head of the house. He might not choose Flynt even if he finished his training, and I doubt he¡¯d be able to do anything in Capital City with the Richards family and Whalen family around.¡±

    ¡°Jacky, are you saying the winner takes all?¡±

    Jacky looked up at the other party, his eyes pitch-ck. Although he wasn¡¯t a ruthless person, he was still quite intimidating.

    The person immediately said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±

    While he was talking, he nced at Deanna, who was intently watching the owners preparing their food. He thought to himself, ¡°Jacky has met all kinds of women, but what did he see in her?¡±

    ¡°Be careful when you speak in the future. I don¡¯t want to cause a misunderstanding.¡± Jacky looked at Deanna and pinched her gently. She turned her head to look at Jacky, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. You can go over and have a closer look. I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    Jacky¡¯s nice intentions sent Deanna on cloud nine. She quickly stood up and walked towards the barbecue grill, holding a small money pouch.

    Deanna had changed quite a bit since she met Jacky. In the past, she spent as she wished and did not have to worry about money, but she had grown much more frugal. People used to clean up after her but she had learned to tidy her own room. When she first arrived at this vige, the vigers would say that it was pointless to marry her even though she was pretty because she did not know how to do anything and even if she got married, she was likely to be treated as a sore-eye.

    When that happened, Deanna started imagining her life after marriage. She realized she was going to suffer because she did not know how to do anything. Later on, she recalled that her mother was capable of many things and that she took care of her father very well; even Jenna was capable of taking good care of Hansel and they were very much in love. Meanwhile, Deanna realized that she knew nothing.

    It was then that Deanna decided to change. She did not want to suffer after getting married.

    She put it all together and soon realized why Jepherson and Santiago did not like her. It was because she did not know how to do anything.

    Then, she realized why her brother and Jepherson liked Raeleigh ¨C it was because she could cook well.

    Although Cynthia grew up with servants around her, she was quite capable and that was probably why Santiago liked her. Furthermore, she did everything diligently.

    Even Scarlette had an admirer; Deanna was the only one who did not have one.

    When Deanna left this ce, she started to wash her own clothes and slowly learned to be independent. Zorion had been busy, so she told the servants not to tell him. Over time, she gradually changed into who she currently was.

    The current Deanna could actually do a lot of things. She felt that she had improved quite a lot, at least that was what she thought.

    For instance, a few days ago, she had brought all the allowance her parents had given to her to the bank and got them deposited. She initially wanted to deposit everything, but she hesitated. She did not want to put all her eggs in one basket.

    In the end, she decided to keep some cash with her.

    She walked to the barbecue stall and made small talk with the owner,eager to learn how to cook like they did.

    At this moment, Jacky looked at the people at his table. ¡°There¡¯s no need to waste any more time debating this matter. I want you to kidnap Flynt.¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡±

    The people around were all stunned. No one spoke for a long time.

    One of them suddenly asked, ¡°But Flynt¡¯s currently the head of the Moore family. You want us to kidnap him?¡±

    Jacky took a glimpse at Deanna, then turned around and swept his eyes across the table.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to see what¡¯s going on in Johan¡¯s mind. If he really wants to help Flynt, he¡¯ll pay the ransom. If he doesn¡¯t, then I guess it¡¯s Flynt¡¯s misfortune.¡±

    ¡°Jacky, isn¡¯t it a little too risky for us to do this?¡± He asked, causing Jacky to fall into a fit ofughter, ¡°He hit Deanna. What do you make of that?¡±

    The people were stunned as they exchanged looks.

    A bold man asked, ¡°He hit Deanna?¡±

    Jacky did not bother exining. He stood up, took off his jacket and tossed it to the side. Then, he unbuttoned his cuff and rolled it up a few times.

    He then walked towards Deanna and said, ¡°I can¡¯t even bear to touch my woman, hmph¡­¡±

    Jacky¡¯s smile looked a little creepy. The few people behind him looked at each other and rubbed their necks awkwardly.

    They had not seen Jacky get angry in a long time. Although they could not see it clearly,his imposing manner indicated that he was going to paint the Moore family red.

    It seemed that the Moore Family had already done what they could by taking out the money. If it was something else¡­

    Things would definitely take a turn for the worse.

    Jacky stood in front of the barbecue stall with his hands on his waist. ¡°Is the food still not ready?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost done. Jacky, are you hungry?¡±

    Jacky looked deeply into Deanna¡¯s eyes. The owner immediately understood what was going on and quickly turned the heat on the grill higher. He then flipped over 200 skewers over the grill in one swift move. Deanna was bbergasted by the scene. How marvelous!

    Jacky patted the owner on the shoulder.With a single nce at Jacky, he knew exactly what to do. In a trice, he handed over the grill to Jacky.

    Jacky¡¯s hands were smooth and fair, making him look extremely attractive.However, Deanna¡¯s gaze was not fixated at his hands; she was staring at the skewers instead.

 Chapter 1225 Delighted

    ¡°Food¡¯s ready¡­¡±

    As Jacky spoke, he grabbed a bunch of seasonings and sprinkled them over the skewers. He then dusted his hands off and looked at Deanna, who was dumbstruck.

    Their order was done in a sh. Jacky turned around and ced the skewers on a te. Deanna walked over to have a look at the food,but did not dare to touch it. Jacky picked one skewer up, wrapped a napkin around the bottom, and handed it to Deanna. ¡°Best to eat it while it¡¯s hot.¡±

    Hearing that, Deanna epted the skewer and immediately took a bite. Her big, round eyes immediately lit up.

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious!¡±

    Deanna was so enthused that she had long forgotten to go home.

    After that, Jacky walked over to the owner and said, ¡°Could we have some lettuce?¡±

    ¡°You got it!¡±

    Jacky began mending the grill again. Deanna picked up ten skewers and followed behind Jacky.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Jacky opened his mouth and Deanna quickly fed him. Jacky was standing in front of the grill, preparing to cook another batch of skewered meat. Even as Deanna was eating, she would still make sure to feed Jacky. Seeing this, everyone behind her was dumbfounded.

    When Jacky was full, he shot a nce at the time and said, ¡°It¡¯s time to call it a night.¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­¡±

    ¡°Jacky¡­¡±

    Just as Jacky was about to leave, someone stopped him. He turned around and stared at the person, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°About the..¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    The man nced at Deanna and asked, ¡°Will you still be going to ss tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Jacky looked extremely frightening when he was expressionless because it was impossible to know what went on in his mind.

    Terror thundered down on everyone, especially when they could not read Jacky¡¯s bodynguage.

    ¡°We¡­ we want to go too,¡± one of them stuttered. Then, he looked at Deanna, who was standing behind Jacky. Jacky then turned his head to look at Deanna before saying, ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Does it mean you agree?¡±

    ¡°When everything¡¯s settled, you can all go.¡±

    Then, Jacky turned around and walked towards the car with Deanna tagging along behind.Inside the car, Jacky raised his hand to take a sniff. Deanna did the same thing too.

    After that, he heard Deanna say, ¡°We smell bad.¡±

    Jacky nced at Deanna and burst out inughter. It wasn¡¯t long before they reached the hotel where they used to stay. After getting out of the car, Jacky looked at Deanna before he bent down and carried her in his arms. Deanna did not want to be carried, but both her hands were wrapped up in bandages. She struggled a little before finally giving in.

    There were always people working around the clock at Jack Town Hotel as guests coulde in at any time. When Logan saw Deanna and Jacky enter the lobby, he immediately stood up.

    ¡°Jacky.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be spending the night here. Can you please go to the pharmacy and get me some iodine?¡± Jacky said while carrying Deanna in his arms. Then, he made his way to his room.Logan turned around and headed out the door in a haste. Jacky carried Deanna to his room and went straight into the bathroom.

    He closed the door and immediately took off his shirt. At the sight of this, her face turned red from embarrassment and she took two steps back.

    Jacky was much older than she was and he was at the prime of his life. With just a mere thought, a fire would be ignited within him that would send him into an uncontroble frenzy.

    He strode over to Deanna within a few steps and lifted her body up. He kissed her while walkingandDeanna immediately surrendered to him. The two stayed in the bathroom for more than two hours.

    By the time they came out, it was already midnight.

    Deannaid on the bed obediently as Jacky hugged her from behind. His hands roamed all over her torso but Deanna had long since sumbed to sleep. No matter what Jacky did, she showed no signs of reaction and would onlyy coquettishly in his arms.

    Soon after, Jacky felt the exhaustion slowly creeping in and eventually fell asleep as well.

    The next morning, Zorion came downstairs and saw no signs of Deanna. So, he asked the servants, ¡°Where¡¯s Deanna? Is she not home yet?¡±

    The servant quickly replied, ¡°No, she¡¯s not.¡±

    The servant did not dare ask him about her whereabouts.

    Zorion was the one who brought Deanna out, so he should know where she went. Moreover, he looked calm and rxed at the moment, as if nothing had happened.

    Zorion was deep in thought for a while before picking up his phone to call Jacky.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Deanna was waiting to eat breakfast when she heard her phone ring. When she saw who was calling, she immediately answered the phone.

    ¡°Zorion!¡±

    ¡°Where are you?¡± Zorion nced at the time. It was eight and Deanna hadn¡¯t been home all night. What were Jacky¡¯s intentions?

    ¡°I¡¯m at Waverly Vige andI¡¯m waiting to eat breakfast.¡± Deanna did not know what to say. If she went back now, she wouldn¡¯t be able to eat the delicious food here. She might as well not return.

    With that, Zorion understood what Deanna meant. He frowned as he thought about Jacky. ¡°Come back right after breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Deanna looked at Jacky and wondered when she would be able to leave.

    Jacky had been busy making breakfast and when he saw Deanna, he stated, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to leave for two days.¡±

    Deanna¡¯s expression immediately changed. ¡°He said I¡¯m not allowed to leave for two days.¡±

    ¡°Hand him the phone.¡± Zorion¡¯s face darkened, but Deanna couldn¡¯t see what was happening on the other side of the phone, so she did not take it to heart. Immediately, she handed the phone to Jacky who seemed rxed as he answered, ¡°Deanna¡¯s hand is injured. I¡¯m not nning to let this one slide.¡±

    After saying that, Jacky hung up the phone. Zorion looked around before sitting himself down on the sofa. He closed his eyes and recalled how Flynt had shoved Deanna. She did use her hand to break her fall. Deanna had been spoiled since she was a child, yet he had not even thought about the possibility that she would get injured.

    Zorion¡¯s heavy breathing gradually calmed. He felt ipetent as her brother.

    However,he did feel that Deanna would be fine. She sounded as if she was having fun. What was Jacky going to do next?

    Zorion looked up and squinted as he thought about this matter. Was he going to avenge Deanna?

    ¡­

    After ending the call, Jacky handed the phone back to Deanna and got ready to servebreakfast. When Deanna saw what Zorion had prepared, she immediately picked up her fork and began eating. Jacky was also feeling rather famished, having had a restless night and morning being entangled with Deanna in the bedsheets. Though Deanna was unhappy, she did not dare express her dissatisfaction.Nevertheless, she was delighted that she got to eat breakfast.

 Chapter 1226 Used to Being Afraid of Him

    After breakfast, Jacky brought Deanna around Waverly Vige while Zorion brought Rossie to the university.

    As soon as he entered through the door, Zorion heard that Flynt got into a car ident at the entrance of Elkton University. Rumour had it that he was kidnapped.

    The school had already contacted the police under the suspicion that he was kidnapped.

    As the investigation was already underway, everyone in Capital City was jittery.

    Zorion stood at the entrance of Elkton University for a while. Many people around him were talking about this matter as Jepherson¡¯s car pulled up.

    When Jepherson¡¯s car came to a stop, Stuart got out of the car and opened the door. Jepherson alighted the car, dressed in a grey suit.

    As soon as Jepherson appeared, a reporter immediately came to interview him.However, Jepherson remained silent as he locked eyes with Zorion who was standing across from him. He walked out of the crowd and Stuart immediately stopped the reporter who wanted to follow him.

    After that, Jepherson walked through the door of Elkton University whileStuart stood guard outside, watchful of intruders.

    Rossie followed Zorion and Jepherson as the two strolled around, chatting with one another.

    Jepherson was calm andposed as they walked while Zorion smiled leisurely.

    ¡°Why did Jacky do this?¡± Jepherson asked after walking for a while. Zorion hesitated before saying, ¡°Deanna injured her hand.¡±

    Jepherson suddenly stopped and turned to look at Zorion. ¡°Deanna¡¯s hand is injured?¡±

    Zorion casted a nce at Jepherson.Although he was displeased, he did not hide his emotions.After telling him about what happened the day before,Jepherson fell silent for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re saying Jacky wants to avenge Deanna?¡±

    Zorion did not reply, but his silence sufficed as an answer.

    Jepherson pondered for a moment. ¡°Since he did it for Deanna, I won¡¯t interfere.¡±

    Zorion was silent. Jepherson thought of Raeleigh as he walked towards the ssroom. At this time, Raeleigh was in Xanthus¡¯s office, helping him with a few tasks.

    ¡°Are you nning to skip ss?¡± Xanthus had brought Raeleigh over to the university this morning. They had heard about what happened to Flynt as soon as they arrived.

    Raeleigh found it strange when she first heard about the incident. Xanthus was not suspicious of anything at first, but he could not help but feel that something was amiss when he noticed Raeleigh¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Raeleigh organized the things in her hands, put them in order, and looked up at Xanthus which made himugh. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Though Raeleigh was quiet, she did see a group of people take Flynt away.

    At the time, Flynt had been knocked out cold.After seeing this from Xanthus¡¯s car, Raeleigh had wanted to call the police, but immediately dismissed the idea when she saw the abductors looking at her.

    Since Flynt was Cynthia¡¯s brother and she and Cynthia were friends, she could not just watch those people take Flynt away.

    Raeleigh sat at the desk, deep in her thoughts.However, she did not expect to think about Jepherson.

    Just as Raeleigh was about to talk, Jepherson coincidentally walked in from the outside.

    As soon as Raeleigh saw him, she immediately came back to her senses, her body tensing up.

    She was used to being afraid of him.

    ¡°Am I interrupting?¡± Jepherson immediately asked as he stepped through the door.

    Raeleigh stood still asXanthus took a look at them and walked aside. ¡°What can I do for you, Mr. Richards?¡±

    ¡°I asked whether I was interrupting and you¡¯re asking me what can you do for me? Do you not understand words or is your brain not working?¡± Jepherson asked indifferently. He looked away from Raeleigh and walked towards Xanthus.

    Xanthus subconsciously looked at Raeleigh, who walked towards him. She knew better than anyone else how Jepherson¡¯s temper was like.

    They were currently in Xanthus¡¯s office andRaeleigh did not want Jepherson to cause trouble here.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you look rather moody today.¡± Xanthus was worried that Raeleigh would be frightened, so he spoke in a more polite tone.

    Jepherson stopped. ¡°You are fired, effectively immediately. The school will pay for all losses.¡±

    ¡°As a qualified school doctor, you spend your working hours messing with women in your office. It¡¯s a neglect of duty as a school doctor!¡±

    ¡°Jepherson, you¡¯re being unreasonable! What are you talking about? We¡¯re¡­¡±

    Xanthus pulled Raeleigh behind her. ¡°Raeleigh, I got this. Please keep quiet.¡±

    Raeleigh looked up at Xanthus and suddenly fell into silence.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Jepherson¡¯s expression turned cold. Raeleigh stood behind Xanthus without saying a word.As Jepherson was running on sheer anger, it was useless to say anything.

    Xanthus took out the stethoscope from his neck, rolled it up, and put it in his pocket. He took off his white coat and tossed it aside. Turningaround, he looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t you go out and wait for me? I¡¯ll be out in a few.¡±

    ¡°You two¡­¡±

    ¡°Nothing will happen. I just have to rify a few things with him.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡± Raeleigh nced at Jepherson before looking back at Xanthus. Xanthus then motioned for Raeleigh to go outside.

    ¡°Stay,¡± Jepherson called out at Raeleigh, but his words fell on deaf ears as she continued walking out the room.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk. I want to make things clear once and for all.¡± After Raeleigh left, Xanthus turned around and stared at Jepherson. Jepherson chuckled mockingly. ¡°We¡¯re married. What¡¯s there to talk about? You should leave, now!¡±

    ¡°You want me to leave? Fine!¡± Xanthus nced at his belongings.Lowering his head, hewalked around his office as he gathered them calmly. Jepherson stood there, staring at the door.

    In truth, he did note here to fire Xanthus.

    He hade only to look for Raeleigh, but¡­

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve packed my things. Since Elkton University no longer needs me, I¡¯ll officially tender my resignation. ording to our rules of practicing medicine, I cannot resign without notice. It¡¯d be known as patient abandonment.I hope that you can make it clear to the university that you were the one who dismissed me, effective immediately.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way!¡±

    Xanthus picked up his things and was ready to leave when Jepherson turned to look at him. ¡°What goes on between Raeleigh and I has nothing to do with you. You ought to leave her alone.¡±

    Xanthus stopped at the door, but he did not look back. ¡°Honestly, I couldn¡¯t care less about what is going on between you two. I just really want to know whether she¡¯s my sister. I believe that you have the right to like her, but you have no right to hurt her.¡±

 Chapter 1227 Experienced People

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t owe you anything. If your love can¡¯t make her happy, then I think it¡¯s best to let go as soon as you can. If losing your temper can save everything, then war can solve all the problems in the world, and doctors won¡¯t need to save the dead or heal the wounded.¡±

    ¡°The problem lies with you. I¡¯ve already given you plenty of opportunities, but you didn¡¯t appreciate them. That¡¯s your own fault.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never interfered with you. My rtionship with Raeleigh was always like brother and sister. It was your love that blinded you, and caused you to forget your original intentions.¡±

    Xanthus walked out as he spoke. Jepherson was quiet for a moment and he then followed him. After walking through the door, Raeleigh had caught up to him. They walked side by side on the school¡¯s paved pathway as they talked to Xanthus. Xanthus¡¯s hand stroked Raeleigh¡¯s hair. They both looked happier than they¡¯ve ever been.

    ¡­

    ¡°Are you going back to your country?¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t know about Xanthus¡¯s n until she had left the school. Xanthus got into the car and closed the door. He then fastened his seat belt and prepared to drive away. When he heard Raeleigh ask him this, he stopped and gripped the steering wheel. ¡°Since you¡¯ve already decided to, now is the best time to head back. You can spend your vacation abroad and also visit your parents. That¡¯s what Grandma wants. Let¡¯s head back.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer and only sat in silence.

    Grandma wanted to go abroad, but what if something happened to her, especially at her age?

    Raeleigh was quiet the whole way home, even after getting out of the car. Novalie was sitting at home waiting for them. Xanthus had already called her. Since he was leaving, he ought to depart earlier so as not to get into trouble.

    Jepherson needed to calm down. It would be good for him toe backter.

    Raeleigh walked in from the front door. Novalie had already packed her things. She looked at her luggage on the ground and on the couch. Her grandmother didn¡¯t have much luggage to begin with. She barely had two full boxes and they were mostly filled with Raeleigh¡¯s books.

    ¡°Grandma, are you really going abroad?¡±

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. She had lived with her grandmother for more than ten years. That was the first time she had ever seen her grandmother so determined.

    Novalie looked up at her granddaughter. ¡°Since we¡¯ve agreed, of course, we have to. We should leave while the weather is good. Xanthus tells me that if we head there now, then it will be daytime by the time we get there. That¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it? Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be able to turn around.¡±

    Raeleigh was moved by her grandmother¡¯s words.

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall if I¡¯ve renewed your passport. Have I done that? Raeleigh had just thought of this. Novalie looked at Xanthus, who was tidying up and said with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t even know when I got my passport. He must have got it done some time ago. Now that he¡¯s here, it¡¯s about time for me to use it.¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± Raeleigh snorted when she heard what Novalie said. ¡°How are you going to try that out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got what I want. I¡¯ve packed up everything between you and Xanthus. He¡¯s a man and always takes good care of you. You¡¯re his sister now, so you should learn to take care of him. Take what you can and leave what you can¡¯t. Don¡¯t forget, we already have our own belongings where we¡¯re going.¡±

    It¡¯s just for a vacation. When your vacation is over, we¡¯lle back again. These things aren¡¯t valuable, and thieves won¡¯t bother with them.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve already thought about it, what else can I say?¡± Raeleigh stood up and was about to help Xanthus. Before he opened the door and walked out, she looked up and told Raeleigh, ¡°You are the chief automobile designer for the Richards Group. Since you want to resign, you only need to give them a letter. But Jepherson is your immediate superior. He won¡¯t approve of it. You need to find someone reliable and get them to take the me¡­¡±

    Xanthus paused to look at Raeleigh¡¯s face.

    Raeleigh had joined thepany not too long ago. It would be very difficult for her to request for some time off unless Jepherson favored her.

    It seemed difficult to find someone to take the me.

    Xanthus took out his phone and began going through his contacts. Raeleigh thought of Lamarre.

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked my mentor. He is very qualified. He is the only one who can make Jepherson do something in thepany.¡±

    Raeleigh had already thought about this and nned ahead.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a try? If you can¡¯t manage, then I¡¯ll find someone to take care of it. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    Xanthus said this with ease, Raeleigh was quite surprised. The Richards Group¡¯s business sector was very well-known throughout Capital City. But if Xanthus only needed to say something to find someone to run it, then his ability was quite impressive.

    ¡°I know.¡± Raeleigh turned around and called Lamarre. He picked up Raeleigh¡¯s call shortly. She spent half the day talking to Lamarre about the matter. Novalie was a little anxious, so was Lamarre, who naturally was, when he was personally asked to do this task.

    Lamarre was a man of good conduct. He had never been sloppy in his life. He had also taken in a female apprentice but spoke rather awkwardly with her.

    ¡°You¡¯ve dragged me along on this matter long enough now. I have something to attend to. I¡¯ve already seen your work. If I had known you were so inefficient, then I wouldn¡¯t have epted you.¡±

    Lamarre was very unhappy and Raeleigh stayed silent. Lamarre knew how she behaved and he then cursed at her. ¡°Stupid girl!¡±

    Raeleigh kept silent, but Lamarre was convinced.

    ¡°Little brat!¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± Raeleigh couldn¡¯t helpughing. Novalie sighed. This child was clearly smart, but at the same time, was so very stupid. It was such a rarity.

    This was so stupid!

    Hearing Raeleigh¡¯sugh, Lamarre said, ¡°Girl, tell me. I know what¡¯s going on between you and that b*stard.¡±

    Raeleigh was quiet for a moment. ¡°You will get involved.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s bound to be trouble. However, it all depends on their priorities. That b*stard appears to be very afraid of me. In fact, he¡¯s never been afraid of anyone. If he truly was afraid of me, then he wouldn¡¯t have given that to me. Actually, I¡¯m not that powerful either. I am just a paper tiger. If the Richards Group didn¡¯t respect me for my abilities, then they definitely wouldn¡¯t have given me so much leeway.¡±

    ¡°I also feel that we will get you into trouble this time.¡± Raeleigh still thought that this was quite inappropriate.

    ¡°To tell you the truth, I¡¯m already very old. Even if I don¡¯t get him into trouble, I can¡¯t do anything myself. I still have some capabilities of my own. At least I won¡¯t die of hunger.

    But I have to prepare. No matter howrge of a mess it is, I have to prepare something for himter.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°We¡¯ve broken up, but I want to go abroad and calm down. I am going to ask for some leave. Otherwise, I¡¯d feel ufortable when he sees me every day and he¡¯d feel ufortable too. I can¡¯t face him. I want to be calm.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡± Lamarre was an experienced man himself. Although he was single, he had experienced it before.

 Chapter 1228 Lamarreâ€™s Letter

    ¡°I know. You can leave, but remember toe back. Otherwise, if you throw your talents away, then I¡¯ll find you and kill you.¡±

    Lamarre sounded very angry. Raeleigh took the phone away and looked at it. She smiled.

    She felt that her luck wasn¡¯t all that bad. Although she had been taken away as a child, she was still quite lucky then. She had met so many people whom she needed to meet. Although there were some hardships and difficulties, she had never regretted any of them. Even though she had lost the most precious thing in her life, she still felt that her life should be like this. The more ordinary it was, the more precious it was.

    How many people had missed out on experiencing such things in their lives?

    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯lle back soon.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know that. Otherwise, even when I die, I won¡¯t let you off.¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent. She couldn¡¯t believe that Lamarre said that.

    Lamarre didn¡¯t expect that Raeleigh would just leave as she wished.

    Raeleigh wrote a letter after she hung up the phone. She wrote in to request for leave and sent it directly to Lamarre¡¯s mailbox. Lamarre opened it, read it, signed it, and he then sent a picture of it to Raeleigh. Once she received it, she left for the airport with Xanthus.

    At the same time, Jepherson was rushing to Raeleigh¡¯s ce from school. Meanwhile, Marissa couldn¡¯t find him. She called Jepherson to ask him toe home.

    ¡°Sir, Madam Marissa is calling.¡±

    Stuart handed the phone to Jepherson. Jepherson said out loud, ¡°Answer it.¡±

    Stuart took the phone back and answered Marissa¡¯s phone call. ¡°Madam, Master Richards is asleep. Is there something you need him to¡­¡±

    ¡°Tell him, I¡¯m going to die. If he doesn¡¯t return, then I won¡¯t take my medicine, and I won¡¯t eat. I¡¯ll go on a hunger strike¡­¡±

    Marissa¡¯s voice boomed over the phone, calling out for Jepherson. Jepherson didn¡¯t even flinch. ¡°Tell her that I¡¯ll die in front of her.¡±

    Stuart didn¡¯t dare to repeat that, but Jepherson was in a bad mood that day. Usually, he would have called her Grandma or Madam. But that day, he didn¡¯t say anything and simply referred to her directly, which meant that he was in a really bad mood.

    Marissa heard everything he said. The phone receiver was quite sensitive, and Jepherson¡¯s voice was so loud that she could hear him. She was so angry that she fell back onto the bed, and her face turned pale.

    A group of people surrounded her. Realizing that Marissa was busy calling for a doctor, Jepherson turned his face away and looked outside the car. Stuart looked embarrassed. It was very noisy on the other end, and Marissa was furious.

    ¡°Master Jepherson, why don¡¯t I go over to Miss Raeleigh¡¯s and inform her that you¡¯ve gone back to see your grandmother and to take care of her. You¡¯ve stayed by her side for two days and two nights without rest. If something bad really were to happen from this, then it would be a real tragedy¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop the car,¡± Jepherson suddenly ordered. His face was as cold as ice.

    The driver obeyed the order and immediately pulled over. Stuart then got out of the car. Jepherson¡¯s dark eyes nced at him. The car started up again and headed for Richards Manor.

    After stepping out of the car, Stuart rushed over to another car and rushed over to Raeleigh¡¯s ce.

    After getting out of the car, Stuart went to knock on the door, but no one answered. Stuart found this a little strange. There should be someone inside.

    At the very least, Novalie should have been there if no one else was around.

    He took out his phone and called Novalie. The phone was connected, but it didn¡¯t ring.

    Stuart found this even more strange and continued to call.

    Novalie had fallen asleep. She heard her phone ring and took it out.

    Novalie knew Stuart¡¯s phone number. She especially enjoyed talking to him about his life. That was why she picked up his call.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Novalie asked intentionally. Stuart looked at the door and wasn¡¯t sure if she was inside. He ced his ear on the door and pressed the doorbell to make sure that someone was inside.

    ¡°Madam, It¡¯s Stuart. I saved my phone number for youst time. Do you remember?¡±

    While Stuart was talking, she smiled and said, ¡°I remember.¡±

    ¡°Are you home?¡± he asked. She thought about it and said, ¡°Yes, I am home. I don¡¯t know who it is. Someone¡¯s at my door. They¡¯ve knocked on it and still are. Then, the doorbell rang. I wanted to get some sleep. I had just fallen asleep and it¡¯s been disturbing me. I wonder if it¡¯s about the water bill.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    She was quite smart and knew what was going on. If Stuart hadn¡¯t knocked on her door, then he wouldn¡¯t have asked if she was home.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re home. I was the one who knocked on the door. Come out and open the door for me. I have something to tell you.¡± Stuart was quite skeptical about her. If she really was at home, then why hadn¡¯t shee out by then?

    Novalie said, ¡°I¡¯ve alreadyid down. Please don¡¯t bother me. Stuart, what do you want to tell me? If you¡¯re looking for Raeleigh, then you should go to the school to look for her. She¡¯s already gone there.¡±

    ¡°Madam, I have something to discuss with you. You¡­¡±

    ¡°Forget it. I have nothing to help you with. You¡¯d better hang up.¡±

    Novalie hung up the phone. Raeleigh walked over while holding a passport. She looked at Novalie and said, ¡°It¡¯s time. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Novalie said and stood up. She went to the security checkpoint with Raeleigh, while Xanthus apanied her with her luggage.

    Raeleigh took one more look outside before boarding the ne, afraid she might forget something when she returned. Maybe¡­

    ¡­

    ¡°Master Jepherson, I am at the front door of Miss Anson¡¯s ce. I don¡¯t know why, but Novalie wouldn¡¯t open the door for me. She simply hung up the phone. I¡¯ve knocked on the door several times, but there was no response. I then made a phone call. The phone in the house wasn¡¯t ringing, yet she answered it¡­¡±

    ¡°Get someone to the airport.¡± Jepherson had already stepped into the Ink Garden. When he received the call, he turned around and walked outside. He hung up the phone and called Raeleigh again, but his call didn¡¯t connect.

    Before Raeleigh boarded the ne, she sent a text message to Lamarre, who received it and sent it to Jepherson¡¯s email address.

    Jepherson¡¯s email address was directly connected to his phone. Whenever he received an email, especially urgent ones, Jepherson would receive a notification.

    Inside the car, he nced at his phone. It was an email from Lamarre.

    Jepherson¡¯s handsome face looked surprised. Lamarre never sent him emails. What was different that time?

    Jepherson frowned. He opened the email and looked at the letter inside. If he hadn¡¯t read it, then his face wouldn¡¯t have changed. It grew even uglier.

    ¡°Hurry up.¡±

    ¡­

    Even though the car was being driven at top speed, Jepherson was still toote. When he arrived at the airport and checked the list of people who were leaving the city, sure enough, Raeleigh was one of them.

    ¡°Book a ticket,¡± Jepherson said as he stood in the airport. Stuart noticed that he looked pretty bad and asked, ¡°The Old Madam¡­¡±

    When he mentioned his grandmother, Jepherson gritted his teeth. He didn¡¯t speak for a long time and returned to the Ink Garden.

 Chapter 1229 Playing Cards

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to school today?¡± Deanna asked Jacky after eating her fill. Jacky nced at her and asked, ¡°You really want to go back there?¡±

    Her beautiful, ck, grape-like eyes moved about and she shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    Jacky turned around and grabbed her wrist as he walked towards the arcade that overlooked the vige. Deanna had never gone into an arcade before. When they reached it, her face was filled with curiosity. She had long forgotten what she was going to do.

    Jacky then asked her, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back?¡±

    ¡°I want to wait for my brother.¡± In fact, she wanted to see him y cards until her eyeballs fall out.

    Anyone who wasn¡¯t interested in ying had amon problem, that they weren¡¯t greedy for anything. People who were interested also had amon problem, that they were greedy for everything.

    Deanna was the kind of person who was greedy for everything. When she saw delicious food and attractive toys, she couldn¡¯t move. She would be lost in a trance when Zorion didn¡¯t pay attention to her for 10 seconds.

    When Jacky appeared, many people called out his name, some called him ¡®Brother Jack¡¯. The manager of the arcade ran out to fawn over him. The moment he appeared, he spoke nicely to him and had specially prepared a ying table just for him.

    Jacky was followed by a few people, who pulled out a chair for him to sit on. Deanna immediately sat beside him and looked at the other tables. She was shuffling the cards.

    Jacky looked behind him. ¡°Who¡¯s ying?¡±

    Looking at each other, the crowd realized that Jacky was just too skillful, so no one dared to y against him.

    Jacky stood up. ¡°You two can y with Deanna, and I¡¯ll y against her.¡±

    The two of them looked at each other but they still didn¡¯t dare to sit down. Jacky looked at them and asked, ¡°Well?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± one of them said quickly as he looked at Deanna, who was ready to y. Her hands were fast as she finished dealing out the cards.

    ¡°Sis¡­¡±

    Deanna raised her head and saw Jacky looking at her. Jacky didn¡¯t nod and changed his tone. ¡°Miss Deanna, do you know how to y?¡±

    Deanna earnestly shook her head.

    The man¡¯s face froze as he looked up at her. It would be even more troublesome if they were to let him win.

    ¡°If you lose, then it¡¯s mine. If you win, then it¡¯ll be your share.¡± His exnation meant that it was the same as sharing money with them. When he heard those words, he immediately pulled the chair and sat down happily.

    One of them was so happy that he sat down and shouted at Deanna. ¡°Sis, please show us some mercy and go easy on us. We also want to buy some delicious food for our parents.¡±

    Deanna¡¯srge eyes fluttered as she thought about it. ¡®Sis¡¯?

    ¡°Sis?¡± She looked at the person who said that. He was stunned and didn¡¯t dare to speak, but she was quite different from the others. She thought this was a trick to make her lose money, so she immediately replied, ¡°I also should ask you to take care of me. If I lose, then don¡¯t take so much from me.¡±

    ¡­

    The group was speechless.

    Jacky pulled out a chair and sat down beside her. She looked at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m rich.¡±

    After saying that, she grabbed her bag and took out a few stacks of money. She ced them on the table and said, ¡°I have money.¡±

    It seemed like Deanna was afraid that no one else knew. When the other three saw the stacks of money on the table, they instantly went quiet and didn¡¯t know how to respond.

    What kind of weirdo was their boss hanging out with?

    The money meant that she was determined!

    ¡°Sis, please show some mercy,¡± they said in unison. Deanna smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±

    ¡°Begin.¡± Several people looked at each other. Was this money for real?

    Seeing that Deanna didn¡¯t understand the rules, the two brothers couldn¡¯t do anything.

    When it came to ying cards, Deanna could only follow how others would y the game. The greatest advantage she had was that she was a quick learner.

    No matter what Jacky said, she would remember it. She wasn¡¯t that stupid, and she could still remember what Jacky had told her.

    ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡±

    Deanna saw that she almost had a full house. The other party very likely had the same. Wasn¡¯t that what Jacky had just said?

    In that case, he might just win!

    Everyone looked at Deanna. Was she satisfied with her hand? Or was she going to fold?

    Jacky nced at Deanna¡¯s cards. Her cards were on par with his cards, likely even higher in value. She still had the choice to discard and to draw. That would be a serious blunder at that point. No matter how one looked at it, she was going to lose.

    Unless¡­

    ¡°He knows how to fight and beat cowards. Even a lousy win is worth more than a loss¡±

    ¡°You heard me, chicken!¡± Deanna heard the voice in the back of her head. Jacky raised his hand and rubbed his bright forehead. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Should she fold or call his bluff?

    If she folded, then it would be a big problem. But she didn¡¯t do that. She didn¡¯t know what had happened before.

    Now that she knew, she didn¡¯t hesitate. She was going for it. She had three kings, a seven and an eight, so she could make it.

    Jacky frowned. If this was all an act, then it was a very strange one indeed!

    When he drew his cards, he found he almost had a full house.

    Deanna looked around and saw the other two looking very quiet. She didn¡¯t care. She said, ¡°I¡¯m going for a full house.¡±

    The three people on the opposite side were stunned for a moment. They looked at the cards on the table, and then at the cards in their hands. There was already a seven in the discard pile.

    They were all looking at Jacky. His gaze was calm and devoid of emotion. He looked at her with great interest, pondering as to what to do.

    Normally, a person with the demeanor of a leader could afford to lose. However, when he looked at Deanna, he realized if she lost, then she might burst into tears.

    Her eyes sparkled as she waited for her lucky number seven.

    The others were relieved. As long as Brother Jack didn¡¯t go easy on Deanna, they could y as normal. It was good to lose sometimes.

    As the rounds progressed, Deanna drew card after card, but they weren¡¯t the one she was looking for.

    ¡°Not like this¡­¡±

    After four rounds, the three other yers quietly listened.

    Deanna said helplessly, ¡°You¡¯ve heard everything. It¡¯s my turn now.¡±

    As she said this, Deanna ced her palms together. ¡°God, I¡¯m begging you.¡±

    After saying that, she drew her card, and it turned out to be true.

    ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡±

    The expression on her face changed. It was time.

    This¡­ is my hand!¡±

    With a p, she ced her cards on the table. The others on the table were dumbfounded.

    When the other yers¡¯ cards were revealed, each one was pretty good, but she trumped them all.

    Deanna patted her small hand. ¡°Money. Give it.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The three of them reluctantly took out their wallets. They had lost quite a lot. This was ridiculous!

    They looked at each other. No matter who took out the money, they felt ufortable and wanted to win it back.

    After they had finished, Deanna¡¯s small hands moved very quickly. She set up the cards and waited for them to give her the money. After she put it away, she began to y again.

    After four rounds, Deanna ced her money into the bag and kept it zipped. She ced the rest of the money in the drawers on the table, which were almost full. She could barely take them out.

 Chapter 1230 Afraid of Having Her Money Stolen

    Jacky stretched his legs and hands back. He raised his head and let out a sigh of relief. This girl was simply ying a strange game. All of them were making a fool of themselves.

    Right then, these three suckers on the opposite side didn¡¯t dare to y cards anymore. They wouldn¡¯t be able to y even if they could see through the cards.

    She took twenty thousand dors herself, yed another two rounds, and made a fool of herself!

    Jacky rubbed the space between his eyebrows and continued to watch. Deanna was very excited and had no intention of taking it off.

    Jacky leaned over and whispered in her ear, ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of it.¡±

    She brushed her hand across her face and looked at him. Her soft lipsnded on his as she said, ¡°Do they even have any money left?¡±

    Jacky didn¡¯t react. His dark eyes moved as he turned his head to kiss her lips. Although he only grazed her lips, their surroundings were quite sullen. Everyone was about to sweat to death, but he wasn¡¯t going to give up.

    Deanna paused. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, let¡¯s continue.¡± Jacky leaned to the side as he pressed his elbow against the armrest. The manager of the arcade brought in a te of fruits and ced them down. He told Jacky, ¡°Jacky, we¡¯ve got some fresh fruits. Have a taste.¡±

    Jacky raised his hand to look at his watch. It was already two o¡¯clock in the afternoon. If he didn¡¯t eat anything right, then he would definitely have cried out in hunger.

    He looked at it and said, ¡°Just put it there.¡±

    ¡°Take your time, Jacky.¡±

    After that person left, Jacky stretched out his hand and grabbed an orange. He peeled it open and gave it to Deanna. She didn¡¯t have a free hand to receive it. So, she opened her mouth and let him feed her the orange. She didn¡¯t mind this and ate it right off his hand.

    He asked while eating, ¡°How much money do you have?¡±

    The group on the opposite side of the room could tell that they were going to clean them out. If there was more, then they wouldn¡¯t give up.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t much left. We still have to save some money for dinner. Sis, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    The other person spoke in such a pitiful tone, but Deanna dismissed them. She even asked, ¡°Then, tell me, what would you like to eat?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Men have to drink beer and eat meat. That¡¯s a waste of money. It¡¯s definitely not enough for a meal without spending at least forty or sixty dors. For the three of us, do you think¡­ a hundred or a hundred twenty?¡±

    All of them felt that Deanna was just too easy to fool. Even if Jacky had sat right next to her, she would have been fooled just as easily.

    Deanna thought about it as she ate. After she finished, she said, ¡°How about this? We¡¯ll continue ying. When all of you lose, I¡¯ll treat you to a meal. That way, you won¡¯t have to worry about your food expenses.¡±

    She thought that this was a really good idea.

    On one hand, it solved the food problem. On the other hand, it allowed her to continue ying more games.N?velDrama.Org content.

    The group couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, but when they saw Jacky¡¯s scrappy face behind them, they immediately stoppedining.

    Even though Deanna had been ying for a while, she still managed to win the money from the other three fairly quickly. The three of them practically gave all their money to her. Deanna took the money and got up to leave. Then, she remembered that she had to treat them to a meal. She stopped and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you all to dinner.¡±

    After saying that, she walked over to the other side of the room. Before she left, she took two oranges. She walked while remarking that they were delicious.

    She ced all the money into her bag and brought a few people out to eat. She walked to the entrance of a restaurant and asked the owner how much a bowl of fried chicken was. The owner said it was fifteen dors. She counted. There were five people in total, so it was only seventy-five dors.

    ¡°Five bowls please.¡± She brought her group in. She sat down and spoke to the people who were eating with her. ¡°You guys have to be more careful when you go out. Don¡¯t be fooled. There¡¯s still meat here. How much is it worth? Even if you can eat a lot, you won¡¯t be able to eat twenty bowls. You must have been tricked into spending so much money.¡±

    She spoke to everyone as if they were children. Everyone stopped talking. Jacky, who was standing by the side, lowered his eyes and couldn¡¯t imagine what she had in mind. Everyone was convinced. They had never seen someone like this before. As for the matter of her attempting to trick him and his men, it was far from it. In fact, it felt like it had always been this way.

    If Jacky didn¡¯t say anything, then no one else would dare say anything. In the end, everyone could only watch and ept their misfortune.

    Everyone had lost, so they ate their bowl of fried chicken.

    Once they were full, she held a bowl of soup and drank it. It was very good food.

    ¡°I¡¯m full, are you all full? Is one bowl enough? I ate more than I usually do. I had two bowls.¡±

    She raised her small hand and waved it. The people opposite her were all depressed. It wasn¡¯t that they hadn¡¯t seen people take advantage of others before and yet pretended to be obliging. But it was a very strange thing to see someone like Deanna for the first time.

    ¡°Sis, don¡¯t worry about us. We¡¯re all full.¡±

    One of them had already acknowledged her as his superior. She neither cared too much about it nor did she argue about it. Instead, she said, ¡°Since you¡¯re full, then I¡¯ll go. I¡¯ll put away the money. If you want to win it back, then I¡¯ll be waiting for you, at any time. How about this? I¡¯ll give each of you a hundred dors. You can eat for the next two days. If you want to drink beer, then you can drink some.

    ¡°My father said that it was joyful bets and excessive gambling that hurt the body. But that¡¯s what he said. No one could stop themselves. Today, I¡¯ve won all your money. I finally understand what my father meant. It¡¯s truly a piece of advice that¡¯s worth a thousand dors. It¡¯s really useful.¡±

    The few people beside her looked around in confusion. Everyone was a little confused. What was she trying to do?

    ¡°Was she going to keep this up?¡±

    Jacky looked at them with his hands in his pockets. He stood behind her and no one dared to argue with her.

    After listening to her lecture, they all chimed in, ¡°You are right.¡±

    She smiled, and she then took out three hundred dor bills and handed them to the three of them before turning around to leave. Jacky gestured at them before following her out of the vige.

    After walking for a while, she stopped and touched her bulging bag of money. She was a little worried. ¡°You¡¯re the boss here. Will your pals rob me at the very sight of money?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, but I haven¡¯t met them yet.¡±

    Jacky casually looked around. Who had the guts toe out and steal his woman¡¯s money?

    This girl was exceptionally stupid!

    But she didn¡¯t think so. She held her small bag and said, ¡°Is there a bank around?¡±

    He nced at her. ¡°There are two.¡±

    The surrounding viges weren¡¯t the same as the other ces. There were still some banks operating around here, and all of them were managed by reliable businessmen.

    Deanna felt that it would be better to deposit the money into the bank, but after thinking for some time in the bank, she realized that the bank might not be safe enough. She walked out of the bank again and at the door, she asked Jacky if he knew of any nearby stores. She wanted to buy arger bag.

    Jacky looked amused, yet he bought one. She ced the money into therger bag and held it close to her chest. That time, she finally felt safe.

    The only person that she was worried about was Jacky. She felt that if he hadn¡¯te out to steal her money, then she would be safe.

    So¡­

 Chapter 1231 The Young Masterâ€™s Reason

    Deanna had been in a friendly rtionship with Jacky and had even promised him that she would buy some things for him.

    In reality, her promises had their own reasons. For example, she had nned to give Jacky a useless watch she had at home.

    When money was in her hands, it was impossible for her to spit it back out. However, since that item wasn¡¯t hers, it was another matter altogether.

    Once they had made their ns, the first thing that she would do was to go home and bring him the watch.

    ¡°Jacky¡­¡±

    When night fell, Deanna rolled about in her sheets while calling out to Jacky. When he stirred, he thought that she was in pain. He raised his head and looked at her red face. He was quiet for quite some time.

    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t help but to kiss her again. She looked fine, but Jacky continued anyway.

    She was also quite obliging. Even though she didn¡¯t know what he was trying to do, she didn¡¯t mind it if she lost her innocence to him. Either way, it was already that way.

    She still thought that this was good and liked it very much.

    A pair of small hands hooked around his body, allowing him to do whatever he wanted to do with her. She began to babble as their bodies came together.

    Since she didn¡¯t know anything, she was genuine with this affair. She always cried out when it hurt and beat him hard with both hands.

    Jacky didn¡¯t have any other lovers, and Deanna was the first.

    ¡°I want to go home,¡± she said suddenly. Jacky asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I remember that there¡¯s something I wanted to give you. I want to bring it back.¡± She blinked her eyes and rubbed her legs against his body.

    Jacky immediately asked for it like a fierce beast.

    His coarse breath and the woman¡¯s moaning interweaved and filled the room. It wasn¡¯t until the early hours of the morning did she finally fall asleep. Her small hand wrapped around him and he hugged her as though he was afraid of losing her.

    It wasn¡¯t until the afternoon of the second day did she finally wake up from her sleep from the sound of a ringing phone. It was Jacky¡¯s. After receiving the call, he pulled her into his arms and patted her on the head. She leaned into his embrace and blinked her eyes. She waspletely naked.

    ¡°I see. We¡¯ll head over there in the afternoon. We can talk about it then.¡±

    He hung up the phone, turned over, and pulled the quilt aside. He lifted her legs and spread them open. His youth gave him plenty of energy to spare.

    Deanna had already gotten used to this by then and ced her arms around his waist.

    After they finished, Jacky got out of bed and pulled her out to take a bath. They came out to change their clothes and left the house. She sat in the car and held her bulging bag. It was full of money.

    Halfway to her home, Deanna called the house. A servant answered the call, saying that her brother, Zorion, wasn¡¯t home, and had left with Rossie. She had asked Jacky to take her home. She couldn¡¯t let her older brother find out about all the bad things she had done.

    When the car reached the entrance, she immediately descended the hill and followed Jacky towards the house.

    When the maid saw them, Jacky was still a stranger to her. She called Zorion, but Deanna didn¡¯t care about that. He was about to leave anyway, and it was toote to turn back. If he didn¡¯t see them, then she didn¡¯t need to care.

    When the maid called, Deanna told Jacky, ¡°Jacky, make yourself at home. I¡¯m going upstairs to get changed. I¡¯ll be down in a while.¡±

    Deanna ran upstairs and hid her bag when she entered the house. She thought about it and decided to keep it.

    After putting the money into another bag, Deanna cleaned up and put on her clothes.

    Jacky had never been to her room. He took advantage of this opportunity to head upstairs and open the door to take a peek.

    It looked like a girl¡¯s room, a little princess¡¯s room.

    Inside, it wasn¡¯t very different from a usual girl¡¯s room. It was big and clean.

    Deanna spotted him. ¡°Why did youe up?¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡± Jacky entered the room and closed the door. He bent down to pick her up, as she was about to leave. It wouldn¡¯t be good to get caught if she was upset.

    That was much too troublesome. Jacky kissed her a few times before getting up.

    Deanna fiddled around for a little while beforeing out of her room and running into her father¡¯s study. Jacky followed her in as well.

    She entered and went to the counter on the side, where Rayan¡¯s favorite gifts were ced. They were given to him by his family.

    Among them, there were some from Deanna, some from Hannah, and some from Zorion. They were all kept there.

    When she got there, she entered the code for the lock and took out a watch for Jacky. ¡°This is for Dad. He didn¡¯t bring it over. I bought it from abroad. Let me give it to you.¡±

    She was simply trying to win his favor. Jacky nced at the watch that she handed to him. He took it and looked at it, but he didn¡¯t wear it.

    Jacky raised his dark eyes and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want it.¡±

    Deanna looked surprised and dejected. What did that mean?

    Jacky continued, ¡°I want the one that¡¯s further inside.¡±

    Deanna turned around and saw that there was a ck limited edition model, which her big brother had bought for her father. Deanna thought about it for a long time and recalled that she had asked her big brother about the price, but he said it was worthless.

    Worthless?

    She blinked, opened the ss window, took out the watch from inside, and opened it to look at the price tag on it. It seemed to be 20, 000 dors.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll help you put it on and see. I might want to get a matching watch band.¡± She hurriedly put the watch back in her hand and helped Jacky put it on.

    His wrist was almost exactly the same as Rayan¡¯s. He lifted his hand and looked at it. It was very nice.

    The corners of his mouth curled into a smile. He kissed Dianna¡¯s small mouth. She was also very happy, and the corners of her mouth curled into a very charming smile.

    Jacky was a little confused.

    Holding her in his arms, he put his forehead on top of hers and smiled. ¡°Silly girl!¡±

    Deanna frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not silly!¡±

    ¡°OK, you are not!¡±

    As they were leaving, Jacky turned around to take a look and he then left with Deanna. She was afraid of being seen, so she quickly pushed the door open and followed him downstairs.

    The servants tried everything they could to stop Deanna. They tried their best to prevent her from leaving. However, she didn¡¯t seem to be able to hear them, so they followed after her.

    Since her eldest brother wasn¡¯t by her side, everything was different.

    No one could stop her.

    After leaving the entrance, she sat in his car and followed him.

    When Zorion came home, the maid was standing at the door, saying that she had just left, but she didn¡¯t dare to say that she had followed a man. This matter would ruin the young mistress¡¯s reputation.

    However, the maid still had her own ideas. Since Madam Hannah and Master Rayan weren¡¯t around, if something were to happen to the young mistress, that would be the young master¡¯s fault.

    No one knew what had happened to the young master recently. He seemed to have lost his mind.Because of Miss Rossie, even the young mistress waspletely ignored.

 Chapter 1232 A Billion is Nothing

    What would happen if thedy of the house and her husband found out?

    ¡°I know.¡± Zorion looked back at Rossie, who was sleepy. He didn¡¯t ask for much in the past two days, especially previous night. He didn¡¯t do anything for the entire night with her in his arms. But looking at her then, he was very sleepy.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head to the hospitalter. Don¡¯t worry about the family. I¡¯ll talk to Deanna.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Zorion turned around and returned to the car. He sat down beside Rossie and held her in his arms. She leaned against him in a daze and was taken to the hospital. When they arrived at the hospital, she was taken in for an examination. The doctor didn¡¯t say anything. Later, he exined that she had simply overworked herself.

    Zorion booked a ward and stayed with Rossie.

    Overworked¡­?

    Zorion leaned back in his chair and squinted. ¡°Did I ask for too much?¡±

    ¡­

    Deanna had left home to head to the bank. When she reached the bank, she took out the money and deposited it before leaving.

    In the car, when she and Jacky were heading home, Jacky asked, ¡°I¡¯ll take you somewhere interesting. Are you up for it?¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Deanna couldn¡¯t resist his tempting offer. After hearing him say that, she surrendered immediately.

    Jacky curled his lips and brought Deanna to school.

    ¡°It¡¯s the weekend.¡± Deanna was puzzled. Why was she at school over the weekend?

    Jacky stopped the car and got out. He entered the school and the guards nodded when they saw him.

    The guards looked at Deanna and asked, ¡°Do you know each other?¡±

    Jacky said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    She followed and said to herself, ¡°You¡¯re so powerful.¡±

    Jacky turned his head to look at her. His dark eyes were depthless, but she wasn¡¯t afraid of him. On the contrary, she was rather fond of him and even smiled at him when he looked at her.

    ¡°Remember, except for me, no one else is allowed tough and don¡¯t try to please other people. You are my woman, and I will protect you. If one day I can¡¯t make it, then other men will try to get you and bully you. Even if they touch you, I will not let them. You must remember that you can only be with me,else I will find your parents and brother to settle the score¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to harm my family. Don¡¯t make me resent you!¡± The words that left her mouth were all true.

    Heughed. ¡°In that case, you¡¯d better listen to me. You¡¯re my woman and I¡¯m not going to let any other men in this world have the slightest chance to get close to you.¡±

    Deanna was unhappy. ¡°Fine. Just don¡¯t hurt my family, else I won¡¯t let you off.¡±

    Jacky¡¯s handsome face looked amused. ¡°That¡¯s my girl.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s your girl?¡± She snorted coldly. Jacky walked in front. ¡°Does your hand still hurt?¡±

    Deanna looked at her hand and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡±

    She hadpletely forgotten about their previous arguments.

    However, at the very next moment, Deanna asked, ¡°Why are we at school? Didn¡¯t you say that we don¡¯t have any sses?¡±

    ¡°Yes, no ss¡­¡±

    After saying that, Jacky walked over to his apartment. Elkton University had set up several private apartments forthe benefit of the young masters and mistresses from wealthy families.

    One of these buildings was Flynt¡¯s apartment.

    Flynt had attended this school some time ago, but the apartment hadn¡¯t been avable yet, so he didn¡¯t bother to. The apartment was still under his name.

    When they arrived at Flynt¡¯s apartment, Deanna stood behind him and asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s go in and take a look.¡±

    As Jacky said this, he pushed the door open and entered. She was bbergasted. ¡°This is wrong. Entering like this would be¡­¡±

    Like a thiefmitting a robbery?

    It didn¡¯t seem so as he was entering it illegally.

    She grabbed his hand. He ignored it and grabbed her wrist, walked in, and closed the door behind him.

    They were at the entrance and the spacious living room was just ahead. There were a few people sitting on the couch when they entered.

    When they saw Jacky and Deanna, they immediately stood up.

    They looked about the same age as her. Those who were eighteen or neen years old were students at the university. When they saw her and Jacky, they immediately greeted them.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Jacky. Nice to meet you, sis.¡±

    Deanna looked surprised as she carefully looked at Jacky. He nodded and asked, ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s already awake, but she hasn¡¯t said anything. She¡¯s lying down inside,¡± one of the men said. Jacky walked to the door to take a look. He pushed the door open and walked in. She hesitated for a moment before entering.

    She was stunned when she entered the room. Wasn¡¯t that Flynt?

    ¡°Flynt?¡± She stood behind Jacky, looking quite surprised.

    Jacky nced at her and rubbed his head. He walked inside and sat down. He crossed his legs and threw a nce at her.

    Deanna walked over to stand behind him, still looking somewhat proud.

    Flyntughed coldly, and the light in his eyes looked extremely sharp. ¡°Jacky, you¡¯re just a punk and you¡¯ve even taken control of the vige. You¡¯re quite brave, yet you dare toe to the university tomit adultery. Do you think that you can do anything you want just because you¡¯ve kidnapped me?¡±

    ¡°I did say that anyone who bullied my woman would meet a bad end. I don¡¯t care what you did as a r*pist in the school. But if you hurt my people, then you will die.¡±

    ¡°I, Jacky, havemitted all manner of crimes ever since I was young. If others respected me, then I would respect them. On the contrary, if anyone attacked me, then I¡¯d attack right back.¡±

    ¡°I only pushed her a little. You want to kill me?¡± Flynt didn¡¯t move, but his eyes were extremely sharp.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even mention pushing her, because you won¡¯t survive even if you lightly touch her.¡±

    Jacky smiled and pulled over Deanna¡¯s small hand, and showed it to Flynt. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are. You¡¯ve hurt my woman, so things won¡¯t end well for you.¡±

    Flynt¡¯s gaze fell on her small hands which were covered in white gauze.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you did in the past, but it has nothing to do with me. I won¡¯t bother with whatever you n to do now, on the sole condition that you don¡¯t test my limits.¡±

    ¡°Having said all that, it was all just an excuse for your crimes. You kidnapped her and r*ped her. Now, the Whalen family can¡¯t do anything to you. You took Deanna with you and used her to threaten the Whalen family. Zorion didn¡¯t confront you because he was afraid that you would ruin her. But it doesn¡¯t mean that Zorion doesn¡¯t hate you.¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Jacky smiled and let go of her small hand. She wasn¡¯t get upset with this. She didn¡¯t believe Flynt, and believed that he was only trying to sow discord between them. As for everything else, she was considering her situation.

    Jacky leaned against the chair. ¡°People like you are always thinking about these things. Zorion is a smart man. He knows what I¡¯m after. He doesn¡¯t hate me, but for you it¡¯s different.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about you. So, I¡¯ll just chop off one of your legs, one of your arms, and give them to your mother.¡±

    ¡°The Moore family has arge fortune. One billion dors is nothing to you. If you don¡¯t give me one billion dors within a week, then I will destroy you.¡±

    ¡°Jacky¡­ why don¡¯t you just kill me? How could the Moore family have so much money? The Moore family is honest and upright and has never taken an extra penny. You actually want that much? You¡¯re crazy!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not me who is crazy, it¡¯s you.¡±

 Chapter 1233 A Shattered World

    Jacky stood up and walked towards the door. As he walked out, he said, ¡°Cut off his pinky finger on his left hand and send it over to the Moore family. They¡¯d understand.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Deanna followed him as he left. Halfway out, she told Flynt, ¡°Don¡¯t do things the hard way if you can do it the easy way. You should always put yourself first. The Moore family definitely has money, and there¡¯s no shame in borrowing some from them. Your missing finger won¡¯t be ever grow back. However, if you borrowed money, then you can always return it to them sooner orter. Flynt, for Cynthia¡¯s sake, I¡¯ll tell Jacky not to cut off your finger. Write a letter to them and tell them that they should just hand over the money.¡±

    ¡°My brother paid up, so I¡¯m fine. Look at me, not bad right?¡±

    Deanna said this earnestly but Flynt sneered. ¡°You can sleep with him but I can¡¯t.¡±

    She frowned. ¡°That¡¯s a different matter altogether. We still have to pay him. Even if you did sleep with him, he¡¯d still ask for money. You have to understand that your brothers will definitely collect their dues.¡±

    Flynt¡¯s life had been turned upside down by her. She behaved so differently from a regr person.

    Flynt stopped talking and was too tired to say anything else.

    Deanna turned around and walked out to stop them from cutting off Flynt¡¯s fingers.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    Flynt was lying down inside, appearing quite amused. Deanna had actually helped him.

    ¡°Jacky¡­¡± She pleaded in front of Jacky. He had sent someone out and pped his thigh. Jacky sat down and hugged her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is just something we men need to settle.¡±

    ¡°How can a man be without a woman? If you have a daughter in the future, then would you say the same things to her?¡±

    Jackyughed. ¡°Why a daughter? Isn¡¯t a boy better?¡±

    Deanna shook her head. ¡°I¡¯d like to have a daughter.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s have a daughter and two sons. What do you think?¡±

    Deanna thought about this. ¡°I want to ask my brother, if he isn¡¯t happy, then I¡­¡±

    ¡°Having a son would make him an uncle,¡± Jacky said. Deanna then changed her mind. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll have a son.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Jacky hugged her and kissed her for a while. She had forgotten all about the chopping off fingers business, but Jacky didn¡¯t forget. He still respected her and chose not to cut off Flynt¡¯s fingers.

    After taking a look at Flynt, Deanna followed Jacky and walked out. As she did, she asked, ¡°Will he starve to death?¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯ll be fed regrly.¡±

    ¡°With just a potato?¡±

    ¡­

    Jacky smiled but didn¡¯t say anything after.

    Deanna tugged on Jacky¡¯s sleeve and asked, ¡°What if someone finds out?¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go to jail,¡± Jacky said, stopping in his tracks. ¡°Are you afraid?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? If you¡¯re in jail, then you still get to eat and sleep.¡±

    ¡°I heard that prison is terrible. The people inside will bully you.¡±

    ¡°No one dares to bully me.¡± Jacky¡¯s lips curled up as he pulled her away from the school.

    After leaving the building, she asked in confusion, ¡°Were those people your men?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Then, are you the boss of the school?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡­

    The more she asked, the more confused she became. In the end, she decided not to ask any more questions. She couldn¡¯t figure it out, so what else was there for her to ask?

    Deanna called Raeleigh and wanted to tell her about it. Unfortunately, the phone line was busy the whole time. It was strange. Did something wrong happen?

    As she looked at Jacky, who was driving, she said, ¡°I want to find Raeleigh. Can you take me to her?¡±

    ¡°Right now?¡± It was dark outside. Deanna looked at the time and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home after seeing Raeleigh.¡±

    Jacky drove to Raeleigh¡¯s ce. On the way there, Deanna continued calling Raeleigh¡¯s phone, but it was either getting engaged or left unanswered. She was so worried that she wanted to run around like a mad dog.

    When she arrived at the entrance of Raeleigh¡¯s house, Deanna got out of the car and went towards the building. The residential area was quite shabby, so it was inconvenient for her to go upstairs. She eventually made her way upstairs after greeting the neighbors. When she arrived at her door, she knocked on it and rang the doorbell. She had done everything she could, but she knew something must have happened since no one came out.

    She continued to call her phone and finally got through. Deanna asked, ¡°Raeleigh, is that you?¡±

    Raeleigh had just gotten off the ne. When she answered the phone, Deanna slumped down and sat down on the floor. Novalie also sat down and decided to rest for a bit. Xanthus stood to the side, waiting for Raeleigh to answer her phone.

    ¡°Deanna, are you at my house?¡± Raeleigh knew that she must have been worried. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have called like this.

    ¡°Yes, I am at your house. Why didn¡¯t youe out when I knocked on the door? Aren¡¯t you at home? I¡¯ve been calling you, and you didn¡¯te out. What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Deanna kept asking so many questions, so Raeleigh told her that she had gone abroad. Only then did Deanna realize.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Deanna, I just got off the ne. I¡¯ll call youter. Don¡¯t tell anyone that I¡¯m away. I want to calm down. Do you understand? I¡¯ll call you.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, you don¡¯t want to be with Jepherson anymore, do you?¡± Deanna thought that this was veryplicated. On one hand, she liked Jepherson, and on the other hand, she loved her friend, Raeleigh. She didn¡¯t know who to help.

    ¡°Deanna, we¡¯ve broken up. We can¡¯t be friends.¡±

    ¡°But Raeleigh, Jepherson adores you. He¡¯s always been so nice to you. He will get a hold of his bad temper eventually. His mood has just been bad recently. Don¡¯t you want to ask him why?¡±

    ¡°I have to solve this problem. If I don¡¯t, then I won¡¯t be able to live a good life.¡±

    Deanna was particrly earnest right then. Raeleigh looked around the airport. She didn¡¯t know what to say. Then, she said, ¡°Deanna, just give me some time. I wille back after the holidays. No matter what happens, I will face it calmly. But I can¡¯t right now. I¡¯ve lost too much. I want to calm down.¡±

    ¡°Then, you should take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°I know, and you too.¡±

    ¡­

    After chatting for a while, Raeleigh hung up the phone. She looked at Xanthus, stood up, put the phone away, and helped Novalie stand up. Novalie was in high spirits.There were indeed not many foreigners abroad, but she couldn¡¯t make out what they were saying from the rustling soundsing from their mouths. She didn¡¯t know but she always felt that it was noisy.

    Novalie felt that this world was really quite amazing. No two people were the same. Their words sounded so confusing.

    However, there was nothing wrong with looking at a city like this. Immediately afterwards, Novalie said, ¡°You guys don¡¯t have to look after me. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, let¡¯s go.¡± Xanthus pushed the luggage along and safely supported Novalie. The three of them left the airport.

    There was a ck car already waiting for them. Since it was to pick up Novalie and Raeleigh, Xanthus had arranged for a limousine from his house.

 Chapter 1234 The Child is Dead

    Before Novalie left, someone came and said to Xanthus politely, ¡°Sir, we¡¯re here to pick you up. Please have a seat in the car.¡±

    Xanthus looked up and saw the car. He looked back at Novalie and said, ¡°Grandma, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Novalie saw the car and Xanthus exined, ¡°My family doesn¡¯t want anyone to know about what¡¯s going on. The current state of the world isn¡¯t too good. Someone harmed us that year. My father was worried that those people woulde back again. Since my parents were unwilling to be around other people, they took revenge on them. My parents now hope to take Raeleigh in as my fianc¨¦e and asked me to bring her home first. Then, they can hide the fact from the whole world. In the future, they¡¯ll naturally ept their adoptive daughter.¡±

    ¡°This way, Raeleigh will be safe. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Novalie smiled. ¡°What¡¯s there to be worried about? This is goof for her.¡±

    ¡°My father is in the car. He can¡¯te out to meet you. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Xanthus exined this politely. Novalie smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯re family. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Novalie walked towards the car after saying that. She opened the door and sat down inside the car. She didn¡¯t get to reply when a middle-aged man beside her asked, ¡°So you¡¯ve arrived?¡±

    Novalie sat down and looked at the man in the car. This person looked very simr to Xanthus, which meant that this had to be Lamar Osteen.

    ¡°You must be Mr. Lamar?¡± Novalie asked, thinking about this. Lamar said, ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m Lamar, Xanthus¡¯s father.¡±

    ¡°Well, I can see that you and your father look very much alike.¡± Novalie nced at Raeleigh, who was sitting next to her nervously. ¡°Raeleigh, this is your father. You¡¯ve met him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have.¡± Raeleigh raised her head and looked over. Lamar had been observing Raeleigh for a long time. He didn¡¯t expect that Raeleigh would meet him so soon. In fact, he couldn¡¯t hold back his excitement, but he didn¡¯t want to frighten his daughter.

    ¡°Raeleigh, if you aren¡¯t used to it, then you can call me Uncle Lamar for now. Now, I don¡¯t want you to call me father right away, in case other people find out and use you to hurt us.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

    ¡°Well, okay.¡± Raeleigh was confused. It would have been such an overwhelming moment for her to meet her biological father for the first time.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head home first. We¡¯ll talk about it once we get home.¡± Xanthus got in the car, and they all sat together. The driver drove off as the car quietened down.

    Raeleigh lowered her head. She didn¡¯t know what to do right then.

    Along the way, Lamar began to talk to Novalie and asked about her health. He also asked about Raeleigh¡¯s and Novalie¡¯s matters. Novalie didn¡¯t say much in the car. There were some things that she didn¡¯t want to repeat.

    The car soon arrived at the Osteen family residence. Raeleigh was a little surprised when he got out of the car. Osteen Manor was much more magnificent than Richards Manor. Although it wasn¡¯t as morous or beautiful, it was full of ssic elegance.

    The manor wasrge and so vast that it covered thousands of square meters ofnd. It was a ce that couldn¡¯t be seen in its entirety in just one day.

    There was a servant at the door. The car drove directly into thepound. After entering the manor, they drove for some distance. When they stopped, Lamar said, ¡°Madam, I¡¯ll be going ahead from here. I can¡¯t drive in. We have to walk. Let¡¯s head down.¡±

    Lamar said this politely. He opened the door and got out of the car. He then turned around and bent down to help Novalie out of the car.

    Novalie sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that there would be such a day like this in my life.¡±

    ¡°There are still many more days like this for you. We¡¯ll take good care of you.¡± Lamar¡¯s innate gratitude was indescribable. When he saw Raeleigh in the photo, he was sure that she was his and his wife¡¯s daughter.

    Raeleigh looked just like his wife. Especially her eyes, they were almost the same as his wife¡¯s when she was younger. He couldn¡¯t mistake her for someone else.

    How could there be such a person in the world? It was impossible, especially if it wasn¡¯t her sister or her daughter.

    Lamar believed that she was his daughter. Even if she hadn¡¯t done a DNA test or a gicparison, he still believed it, not to mention theparison in height between them.

    ¡°This is your fate. I¡¯m just a passer-by. Besides, Raeleigh has brought me so much happiness.¡±

    Novalie was still very happy. If she hadn¡¯t been kept safe all that while, then she might not have lived such a fulfilling life.

    Being by herself was a really lonely life. Of course, she didn¡¯t like that kind of life.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Novalie and Lamar. As they talked, Raeleigh stepped out of the car and supported her.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to mind me. You two, as father and daughter, ought to get to know each other.¡±

    Novalie looked at Xanthus, who was standing in front of her, and said, ¡°You can apany me and introduce your family to me. I¡¯m old and can¡¯t remember much anymore.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll keep youpany.¡± Xanthus walked over and held Novalie¡¯s hand. Raeleigh had nothing to do and seemed to be at a loss.

    She didn¡¯t know what it was like for a normal family to acknowledge each other. She felt really embarrassed.

    After Novalie and Xanthus left, Raeleigh slowly raised her head and looked at Lamar. He then said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll show you around, so you can familiarize yourself with the ce.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, but Lamar had already turned around and left, as though he meant to leave Raeleigh outside. It seemed as though he didn¡¯t care about Raeleigh at all.

    Raeleigh followed from behind. Perhaps, this was just her father¡¯s disposition.

    The entire area was covered in greenwn grass. People were working about the manor. It appeared that mechanical tools weren¡¯t allowed. Several gardeners were trimming the grass on the ground. Lamar said, ¡°Your mother¡¯s health has always been poor. She is quite depressed. Sometimes, she acts like a child and makes noise. She needs some peace and quiet. When she works out in the courtyard, she can¡¯t use mechanical things, it will upset her.

    ¡°Once she wakes up, we have to put those things away in case she gets triggered and ends up having terrifying thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Back then, when your mother was still young, someone paid us a lot of money and asked us to run a scam, but your mother and I refused. We made those people lose a lot of money and they took you away. Your mother was consumed by guilt and thought it was our fault that you were taken away.¡±

    ¡°At that time, the doctor lied to us and said that the child was dead.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t believe it, but there was nothing we could have done. At the time, your mother and I kept looking for you. However, if we didn¡¯t leave, then we would have lost our lives.¡±

    ¡°Your mother¡¯s entire body broke down because of you. She began to me herself after she returned home. Sometimes, she would wake up at night and try to jump out of the window. I then sold our family assets, bought this ce, and built our home.¡±

    ¡°It was beautiful, but in fact, it was a cage for your mother. She wasn¡¯t capable of walking out.¡±

    ¡°I knew that I had made a very wrong decision, imprisoning her here, but¡­¡±

 Chapter 1235 Great Care

    Lamar turned to Raeleigh and said, ¡°I had no choice. I can¡¯t protect her once she leaves this ce.¡±

    ¡°In all these years, I¡¯ve rushed to so many ces and searched all around, but I couldn¡¯t find you. Your mother¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t optimistic. Sometimes, she cried like a child. Over the past year, the situation was pretty good, but she was still in a wheelchair and couldn¡¯t get out. I know that so many of theseplicated problems are now being dumped onto you. It is difficult for you to ept it, but I must ask for your forgiveness because I can¡¯t change any of it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t hate you.¡± Raeleigh looked at the man who was her father. She really didn¡¯t hate him.

    Lamar turned around and looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re a very good child. We got you into trouble. If it weren¡¯t for my original decision, then you would have been fine and safe.¡±

    ¡°No, I am also doing very well now.¡±

    Raeleigh blushed and lowered her head. She was like a child in front of her father.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Lamar asked, ¡°Can I hug you?¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her head and nodded.

    He walked over and held Raeleigh in her arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and she then shook her head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡±

    ¡­

    Afterpulling away from each other, Lamar said, ¡°No matter who did it, I hope you¡¯ll stay. This is your home now. We want you to live together with us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Raeleigh had thought about this a lot. At first, she wanted to continue her studies, but now it seemed she didn¡¯t. Her family was important to her, and she didn¡¯t want to go back.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Lamar didn¡¯t want to be too hasty. He was very happy that his daughter was back. He shouldn¡¯t expect too much.

    If she wanted to leave, then Lamar would ept it.

    At first, Raeleigh didn¡¯t talk much about it, but she soon opened up about it.

    When Lamar asked why Raeleigh chose to study car design, she thought about it for a moment and said, ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t really enjoy this major either. But when I was in the orphanage, there was a child named Arsel. He and his parents came to my orphanage and gave us so many things. We only knew each other for a day. I wanted to be with him. But I was very young then. Then, there was a fire in the orphanage that same day, so I was separated from him. I thought he died in that fire. I was disheartened and thought I had¡­¡±

    She couldn¡¯t bring herself to say the word ¡®abandoned¡¯, so she looked up at Lamar. Her eyes expressed the word she couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Baby girl¡­¡±

    Lamar couldn¡¯t help but to blurt this out. Although she was already grown up and secure, in their eyes, Raeleigh was, after all, the same small crying girl who had just been born. She never changed.

    Raeleigh looked at her father in surprise. Lamar said, ¡°I can¡¯t change any of this. Although we haven¡¯t seen each other for so long, I¡¯ve always had you in my heart. If you aren¡¯t used to it, then I will make it right.¡±

    Raeleigh was shocked. A man of his age had called her ¡®baby girl¡¯.

    But thinking of the pain of having a child stolen from him, Raeleigh understood.

    ¡°Nothing. If you are used to it, then that¡¯s fine.¡± Raeleigh felt that there was nothing wrong with her being called ¡®baby girl¡¯. It was just a name.

    However, she was still used to being called Bowie.

    But she didn¡¯t say it out loud.

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Lamar hummed and walked on. He stopped for a moment and asked Raeleigh, ¡°So, you said it was for Arsel¡¯s sake, just because of your friendship with him?¡±

    ¡°Not just that. I thought that Arsel and the other children in the orphanage were also swallowed up in the fire. But Iter found out that he wasn¡¯t dead. Before that, I had been very eager to find Arsel¡¯s parents. Although I didn¡¯t think of doing so then, I remembered that it was a ck car with a good-looking couple who came out of the car that brought Arsel to my ce.

    ¡°At that time, the side of the car was facing me. I didn¡¯t see the brand, so it was difficult to find them. Later, I became interested in cars. Especially when I walked about, I liked to look out for it.¡±

    ¡°Although I didn¡¯t see the front of the car, I remembered how the sides looked. I haven¡¯t found that car model yet. If I did, then I¡¯m sure I would remember it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been designing cars all these years, but I want to go further to understand them to guess what the car looked like in front.¡±

    Lamar looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°You are more talented than me and your mother. Although we are from very different fields, we¡¯re experts in archaeology, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Your mother and I fell in love with each other at first sight at a design exhibition. At the time, we had already known each other and were ssmates. However, we didn¡¯t think about each other that much. And I was shocked when I heard about her design skills.¡±

    ¡°When she was young, and bored to death, she would design clothes or something like that for clothingpanies to produce, and she would also make some herself.¡±

    ¡°I liked designing too. Many ancient historical relics and paintings werepleted by your mother and myself.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect for you to inherit our talents as well.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything, and simply smiled.

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t keep your mother waiting. She dressed up today just to see you.¡±

    Lamar held Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder and took her around the house like a father. She raised her head and said, ¡°There are so many rooms here, but your mother likes them very much. She said she wanted to live with you. You have to be mentally prepared.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Raeleigh then walked in with Lamar. There was a woman talking to the olddy and Xanthus when they entered. Hearing the sound of the door opening, the woman nearly lost her patience. Then, she turned around and looked at Raeleigh. When she saw her, she got up from the wheelchair, which shocked everyone.

    Lamar was d that her eyes looked gentle.

    His daughter¡¯s disappearance caused his wife to break down, but her return was as good as a dose of medicine. His wife¡¯s legs were miraculously healed, and she was able to walk. This must have been God¡¯s gift.

    Raeleigh froze at the door, looking at the beautiful woman who was quickly approaching from the other side of the room, holding her shoulders in front of her. She cried out with sadness, ¡°Baby girl, is it really you? I¡¯m your Mom, can¡¯t you see?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes turned red upon her mother calling out to her and tears welled up in her eyes. Xanthus also stood up in shock and couldn¡¯t help looking at his father.

    Lamar was over fifty years old, but he was in such high spirits just looking at his son with a faint smile on his face. He had exined everything with a smile.

    Xanthus also understood what was going on.

    He smiled with satisfaction.

    Raeleigh cried and held the woman in front of her tightly. The two women cried so hard that their eyes were red. The olddy wiped her tears. It was good that she hade back. It wasn¡¯t a waste of her years of great care.

 Chapter 1236 Helpless Sigh

    Ten days had passed, but Raeleigh couldn¡¯t remember why she hade here.

    She apanied her mother in the garden every day and followed her to see her work in the painting studio. She had to admit that she had a very talented and romantic mother.

    It was raining that day. Raeleigh had returned from her mother¡¯s room. When the weather was bad, her mother would lie in bed. Raeleigh would feel distressed when she saw how ufortable her body looked. But there was no other way around it. It was pain that remained from her younger times.

    She apanied her mother for a while before heading back. She remembered Santiago¡¯s call from the day before. He said that he woulde to her ce. Raeleigh asked him about Cynthia, and he said that everything had since settled down.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Santiago didn¡¯t borate though, which Raeleigh felt wasn¡¯t a good thing. ¡°Okay, but what does that mean?¡±

    She initially wanted to ask about the scar, but Santiago quickly hung up the phone, so she didn¡¯t ask any more questions.

    As she looked around the room, Raeleigh was lying on a beautiful andfortable bed. The longer she stayed, the more she didn¡¯t want to leave. She had missed out on her parents¡¯ love ever since she was a child. She would think of her parents all the time. Now that she had returned to them, she was very reluctant to leave because she missed them so much.

    However¡­

    There was an agreement with the Richards Group. She had agreed to work for them because of the schrship.

    If she didn¡¯t design anything for the Richards Group, then they wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything about it. But if she chose not to continue her studies, then it was uncertain what might happen to her.

    Jepherson wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. He wouldn¡¯t easily let go of things. It wasn¡¯t in line with his style.

    She fiddled with her long hair, turned over, andy in bed. She unsped her hands and stared nkly at the ceiling. ¡°What should I do?¡±

    If she went back, then she wouldn¡¯t be able to protect herself. Jepherson wouldn¡¯t let her go so easily.

    Getting entangled with him, as a brother and sister, they¡¯d be discovered sooner orter.

    Right then, everyone knew that they weren¡¯t siblings. Jepherson had mistakenly assumed this. If he knew that they weren¡¯t siblings and that the children hadn¡¯t gone missing, then what would he be like?

    Raeleigh covered her face with her hands. What should she do?

    It was raining outside. She turned to look out of the window. It was still raining heavily at a time like that.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t rest that day either. She didn¡¯t get up until it was evening. She walked to the mirror listlessly and looked at herself. She didn¡¯t know if she was hallucinating. Raeleigh felt like she looked a little plump.

    She lifted her hand to hold her chest, checked her waist, and touched her behind. It seemed that she really was a bit plump.

    Her skin was pale and delicate. Raeleigh pinched her cheek. She didn¡¯t know what was going on. Was it because of her face cream or was it something she ate? Her whole body felt different. She looked like an egg with its shell peeled off. She was so beautiful that she had nothing to say.

    She touched hersmoothck hair. Recently, Xanthus had been taking her to get her hair done. She had to do it every day. She didn¡¯t ask someone to do it. There was still more than half an hour before then. She wasn¡¯t used to it, but she was then.

    Her hair was really lustrous.

    Raeleigh walked towards the window and looked outside. No one knew how wealthy the Osteen family was, but she certainly felt rich.

    Taking a deep breath, she casually tied up her hair, turned around, put on her coat, and went out of the room. Raeleigh was too embarrassed to ask the servants to call her when it was time for dinner. She had her own hands and feet, so it was unnecessary.

    As she stepped out of the door and went downstairs, Raeleigh heard someone talking downstairs.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re Jepherson Richards?¡± Lamar¡¯s voice came from downstairs. She stopped on the edge of the stairs. She looked down. Jepherson stood up and turned to look upstairs. He couldn¡¯t wait to find her with his own eyes. After spotting her, he went around and walked towards her. But he stopped after taking a few steps and stared at her in a daze.

    Raeleigh took a deep breath and went downstairs, dressed in a nice white dress. She walked towards him and frowned. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Santiago told me that this was all a misunderstanding.¡± He suddenly said this. Raeleigh was stunned for a moment and pursed her pinkish red lips. ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve known for as long as you were here. I can¡¯t live without you, but I didn¡¯t have the courage to see you.¡±

    Raeleigh slowly raised her head and stared at him, but she didn¡¯t know what to say.

    As Santiago walked around, Raeleigh felt a little confused. Then, she walked into the living room and looked at Mr. and Mrs. Osteen who called for her.

    ¡°Baby girl, didn¡¯t you tell me that he is the child¡¯s father?¡± Jazelle couldn¡¯t ept this. The man who killed her grandson had the audacity to appear here. She was so overwhelmed that she was trembling. This behavior made her husband and son worry about her. Right then, she had another daughter to worry about.

    Seeing that her mother was about to cry, Raeleigh quickly walked over and sat down to hold her hand tofort her.

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t do this. It¡¯s all over.¡±

    ¡°Then, let him go. I don¡¯t like him.¡±

    Jepherson was stunned and turned to look at Jazelle. She looked so simr to Raeleigh. If he hadn¡¯t seen her with his own eyes, then he wouldn¡¯t have believed it.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    She raised her head out of fear of irritating her mother. Then, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk outsideter. Wait for me.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jepherson went to the other side of the room and looked at the antique decorations.

    Raeleigh exined everything to Jazelle. Later on, Lamar came to assure Raeleigh not to worry. Then, she stood up and took Jepherson outside.

    After leaving the room, Raeleigh turned around and looked at him. He then took off his coat and put them on Raeleigh. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t dress like this in the future. I don¡¯t like my own womn being looked at by other people, not even by her own biological parents or brother.¡±

    Raeleigh looked down at her long dress. When she bought it, it fitted quite loosely. However, she had gotten quite plump those days, which made it fit tighter.

    But at that time, it wasn¡¯t the right time to exin it, so she ignored it.

    She pursed her lips and found that she wasn¡¯t used to her past self, who was strong, stubborn, and unyielding.

    She was like a little bird without any natural predators here. She had dropped her guard and had begun to focus on her life. She was no longer the hedgehog with thorns all over its body, yet fragile within.

    Raeleigh forced a smile. ¡°We¡­¡±

    ¡°Reconcile!¡± Raeleigh hadn¡¯t even finished speaking, yet Jepherson answered immediately. He stopped talking. She was dressed rather scantily. He came dressed in a white shirt and a coat that Raeleigh had returned.

    Cold autumn rain was drizzling outside. It wasn¡¯t the right season to dress simply in a shirt, especially when it rained.

    Raeleigh could tell he was cold, but he didn¡¯t feel cold at all. Instead, he stretched out his hand to grasp her hand and ced it on his chest, so that she could feel his heartbeat.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him and drew back her hands. ¡°No!¡±

    After screaming that out, Raeleigh turned around and sighed helplessly.

 Chapter 1237 Thrown Out

    Raeleigh turned around, but Jepherson held her from behind. She withdrew her hands and tried to pull away from him, but he refused to let go.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She tried to pull away from Jepherson¡¯s hand, but he held on. As expected of Jepherson, he held her even tighter.

    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything. Let¡¯s make up. Come back with me.¡± Jepherson held her in his arms from behind, not letting her move. She couldn¡¯t move away. She looked back at him. Seeing her so close, he lowered her head to kiss her. She wanted to turn around, but he let go of her face and kissed her hard.

    Raeleigh¡¯s breath quickened as their lips and teeth became entangled. However, she couldn¡¯t push him away. She felt anxious and wanted to cry.

    ¡°Jeph¡­ Jeph¡­¡±

    It took a long time for Jepherson to let go, and she felt like she nearly died.

    He hugged her. It was hard for her to breathe. She gasped in his arms. Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and didn¡¯t want to let her go. He pressed down on her head as he lowered his chin.

    Raeleigh gasped for a while and looked up at Jepherson. It was dark outside.

    ¡°We have something to discuss, don¡¯t you agree?¡± She tried her best to calm down. Otherwise, she would truly be swept away by Jepherson.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°As long as we don¡¯t break up, I promise to do anything.¡± Jepherson was very serious, but Raeleigh hesitated. After hesitating for a while, she figured out a way to deal with him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to promise, but¡­ I don¡¯t want you to force me into anything, including physical contact. During this time, I also hope to be at peace and consider things between us.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to stall me and make me leave?¡± He wasn¡¯t a fool. He knew perfectly well what she was nning.

    It was because he could see through her. That was why he was so very angry.

    His face darkened.

    Raeleigh was barely able to withstand the pressure and she said to him, ¡°It¡¯s already been like this between us. What else do you want?¡±

    ¡°You know very well that we aren¡¯t siblings. You and the rest of the world knew, but I didn¡¯t. Did you think I was a fool and would never find out?¡±

    The more Jepherson spoke, the angrier he got. His child was gone.

    Raeleigh was shocked. ¡°No matter what you say, it really is all my fault. If you feel bad, then I have nothing to say.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Jepherson was so angry that he wanted to hit her.

    Raeleigh turned around and was about to go back inside. Jepherson went to pull her back, but instead of pulling her, he pulled on her clothes. Before he could stop her, she had already gone back inside the vi.

    Jepherson followed her from behind. Raeleigh was afraid he might catch up, so she ran a few steps ahead. He saw her running and followed her. Raeleigh¡¯s legs weren¡¯t as long as his. No matter how fast she ran, she couldn¡¯t get away from him.

    As soon as they arrived at the door, Jepherson stopped her. ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh stepped back with her sharp eyes.

    Jepherson looked back at the Osteen couple who were standing inside. That wasn¡¯t the time to use force.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in together.¡±

    After saying that, he turned around and pushed the door open, waiting for her to walk in together.

    She hesitated for a moment, but Jepherson stopped her at the door. If she didn¡¯t want to go in, then she could stay outside, but what if she went in?

    Raeleighfinallystepped inside.

    He then followed her into the room. Speaking without knowing the situation clearly, Raeleigh turned around and nced at him. ¡°Isn¡¯t your flightter today?¡±

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t booked a ticket back.¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes were as deep as the ocean. Raeleigh turned to her parents. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little unwell. I¡¯m heading upstairs. I won¡¯t have any dinner.¡±

    ¡°How can you not eat something? I¡¯ll cook for you. Baby girl, shall I apany you?¡± Jazelle got up and followed her upstairs. Halfway up the stairs, Jazelle looked back at Jepherson and gave him a very disagreeable look.

    Lamar looked back at his wife for a moment, and at his daughter who had returned to her room. Lamar then turned to look at Jepherson.

    Jepherson held his coat in his hand and looked at Lamar.

    ¡°I¡¯ve long heard of the Richards family from Capital City. I¡¯ve never met your father, but I¡¯ve heard that he is a remarkable businessman.¡±

    ¡°Seeing you, I can picture the kind of person your father is.¡±

    ¡°The Richards family can be considered one of the most prominent families in Capital City, and also in the military. Am I right?¡±

    Lamar asked Jepherson this but didn¡¯t invite him to sit down. Jepherson thought about this for a moment and said, ¡°You could say so.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re in the military, your education must be pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Different families had their own rules about education, but Jepherson didn¡¯t think that his own education was all that bad.

    But right then, Lamar meant much more than that.

    ¡°My daughter was taken away from me when she was only a child. I¡¯ve been looking for her for a very long time, and now I¡¯ve finally found her. You should be able to see that my wife resembles her very much. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t think that I¡¯m lying to you on purpose, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that Raeleigh is your daughter. I had already confirmed it several times before I came here.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lamar was also involved in the ident. He had dealt with all kinds of people for so many years and had met most of them. When dealing with people like Jepherson, it wasn¡¯t easy for him to deal with them, but he was also familiar with their type.

    Standing by the side, Jepherson blinked his eyes for a few seconds and looked at Lamar. ¡°I love Raeleigh. I really love her. I also have a sister, but I haven¡¯t been able to find her. Some time ago, I found Raeleigh and the orphanage. I was confused and thought she was my sister.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been with Raeleigh for some time. She was pregnant. I was quite sad. I thought that it was all a ruse to trick people. So, I got rid of the baby and kept her with me. Then, we could spend the rest of our days together.¡±

    ¡°It was none of my business. It was as if it had already been messed up from the start.¡±

    ¡°I was so confused when Raeleigh lost her baby. I knew she was very sad, so I wasn¡¯t able toe home to face her.¡±

    ¡°But when I think of Raeleigh as someone else¡¯s wife, I can¡¯t bear it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an experienced person yourself. You must have experienced the pain of losing someone before. You must have.¡±

    ¡°There is no such thing as a perfect person. Realizing your mistakes can make for some great changes. I already know that I was wrong. I will cherish my own safety. Others may hurt Raeleigh like I have because they have nothing to lose. So you might not understand. I believe you to be a sensible man.¡±

    ¡°If I choose not to ept it, then I¡¯m just confused. Did you want to tell me this?¡± Lamar¡¯s face suddenly changed, as he stood up.

    ¡°See him out.¡±

    Lamar went upstairs, as the servant emerged from the side and said politely, ¡°Sir, this way please.¡±

    Jepherson stood downstairs. That was the first time in his entire life that he had been treated like this, and there was no way around it.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have troubled you.¡±

    Even if he was being thrown out, he wouldn¡¯t forget his manners. Jepherson brought out all the gentlemanly manners he had. Even the servants were impressed by his attitude.

    After sending Jepherson off, Lamar immediately spoke about this matter.

 Chapter 1238 The Way Things Were Before

    ¡°I know. Dinner¡¯s ready. Call Madam Jazelle and Miss Raeleigh down for dinnerter.¡±

    Lamar stood by the window of the room and looked downstairs. He couldn¡¯t see anything outside, but Jepherson was still quite a youngster.

    However, he was looking for a son-inw who had nothing to do with the riff-raff.

    He was quite unlucky.

    Turning around, Lamar went downstairs. A man then came downstairs and stood at the door waiting for him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a warlord. Why are you so afraid of me? We¡¯re friends. There¡¯s not much to discuss. You help me and I¡¯ll give you a reward. It¡¯s simple. What do you think?¡±

    Lamar came down step by step, walked towards the couch, and raised his hand to invite the neer to sit down.

    The man was in a hurry to remove his shoes. He walked towards Lamar, greeted him politely, and then sat down.

    ¡°Have you found a clue?¡± Lamar looked up at the other person. The person thought for a moment and took out the things he found and neatly ced them on the table.

    ¡°We¡¯ve discovered some information, but the question was whether you¡¯ll continue investigating,¡± the man said as he took out several more documents and ced them on the table.

    Lamar picked up one of them. ¡°The Delia family from Capital City?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the Delia family. The Delia family is also rted to the Richards family. However, they haven¡¯t been around all these years. Instead, they chose to remain here in A city. Sabrina, the daughter of the Delia family, is married to a son of the Richards family, Norton.¡±

    ¡°Norton and Hansen from the Richards family are quite different. Hansen wasn¡¯t interested in politics and the military. He was only interested in the business world. His own son didn¡¯t intend to join the military or politics.¡±

    ¡°However, Norton was handsome and a true master of politics. He was known throughout the world.¡±

    ¡°He was considered a legend.¡±

    His wife, Sabrina, was a well-known general in the military world, and General Delia only had Sabrina as his only daughter. Wherever his daughter was, he would go to her without hesitation.¡±

    ¡°With the Delia family¡¯s military assistance, this man, Norton Richards, was like a duck to water.¡±

    ¡°This is the crux of this matter. I havepleted my investigation. The Delia family also showed up during my search. I mean, it happened in Capital City. It was a coincidence.¡±

    Lamar said, ¡°I believe that General Delia has a daughter too.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the man said. Lamar ced down the materials in his hand and looked at the other documents. The person opposite from him began to exin.

    ¡°The Moore family¡¯s status wasn¡¯t very well-known at that time, and we couldn¡¯t find out their connection to the investigation.¡±

    ¡°This is the Matthews family. The family is well-known in Capital City. Christopher and Hansen have a very goodrtionship. But strangely, at the time you told me about them, the Matthews family had disappeared.¡±

    ¡°Disappeared?¡±

    Lamar frowned, and the other person nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Lamar ced down the document in his hand and looked at the other three folders. One of them was the Richards family, another was the Whalen family, and thest one was the Scott family.

    ¡°The Whalen family appeared at the time, but Rayan was found to be upright and honorable. Although his background wasn¡¯t very clean, he wasn¡¯t the type of person who would use such means,¡± the man exined. Lamarughed. ¡°Of course not, he and I are friends.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± The man smiled awkwardly. He didn¡¯t find that out.

    ¡°Additionally, this Scott family suddenly appeared at that time and took over the vige. Although he wasn¡¯t very strong, her is very popr within the vige. This person called Jacky Scott is considered the overlord of the vige. He has great influence within the vige.¡±

    ¡°But the Scott family wasn¡¯t very suspicious. His parents were ordinary people. He had been a punk since he was a kid. He¡¯s been quite famous until now.¡±

    ¡°As for what happened 20 years ago, he was just a child. It probably had nothing to do with him.¡±

    ¡°It just so happens that the Scott Family had recently entered Capital City, so I brought back his information.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have asked for such a favor for nothing. I¡¯ll give you an extra twenty percent of the profitter.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± the man said and looked at the Richards family folder. ¡°The only family I suspect is the Richards family.¡±

    Lamar read the information about the Richards family. He reached out to open it. It had information about everyone in the Richards family.

    ¡°Mr. Osteen, we can clear our suspicions of Norton. I¡¯ve checked on him. He wasn¡¯t in Capital City at the time, and we¡¯ve had no contact during that time.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson, Santiago, and Norton¡¯s two daughters aren¡¯t suspects. The suspect could only be Trevor or Hansen. Some of them have had contact with these people that you¡¯ve mentioned.¡±

    Lamar looked up at the other person. ¡°Do you mean to say that it was the Richards family who took my daughter away?¡±

    ¡°You could say that.¡± The man was very sure. Lamar held the file and pondered for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll give you another fifty percent. Continue to check on this matter for me. I will give you money whether this is sessful or not. But I hope you¡¯ll keep your promise and not let this get out.¡±

    ¡°I can do this, so I¡¯ll head back first.¡± The man began to pack his things up. Lamar asked him to leave them behind. He packed them up and ced them back down. He turned towards Lamar who then called the housekeeper over. ¡°Give him the sum of money. He needs this for a favor I¡¯ve asked of him. Remember this and be sure to pay me back.¡±

    The man smiled and nodded at Lamar, following the housekeeper to collect the money.

    Lamar put the documents away and sat downstairs for a while.

    Jazelle brought Raeleigh back downstairs. Jazelle watched Raeleigh eat every day and took care of her like a child who couldn¡¯t speak and doted on her.

    Raeleigh thought it was quite fortunate for her to have been taken away. Otherwise, she might have been spoiled.

    When they went downstairs, they saw Lamar sitting down in a daze, holding something in his hand.

    ¡°Lamar.¡± When Raeleigh came down, she heard her mother calling her father tenderly. She sounded like she was very unhappy that her father was in a daze and didn¡¯t pay attention to them.

    Lamar looked back at his wife and daughter. They were like a pair of sisters.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°What are you doing? Didn¡¯t you even realize we had juste down?¡± Jazelle was unhappy. Every frown and smile looked coy. Raeleigh stood aside and quietly watched. This was her mother. If she didn¡¯t know it, then she would have thought that she had been possessed by Deanna.

    However, this was proof that her parents were quite loving to each other. Deanna was the daughter of her parents, and her mother was the apple of her father¡¯s eye.

    Raeleigh stood aside. Lamar stood up and said, ¡°How many times have I told you to watch your toungue? You also have a mother-inw. And you forget my words again?¡±

    Hearing Lamar say that, Jazelle suddenly remembered something and spoke as advised, ¡°I forgot, it won¡¯t happen next time.¡±

    ¡°You say that every time, but you forgot everything anyway.¡±N?velDrama.Org content.

    Jazelle didn¡¯t answer. She lowered her head slightly and thought of other things. Raeleighughed in her heart. Although she said this seriously, her eyes were full of love.

    With such a husband, her mother was still so youthful, and almost the same age as her.

 Chapter 1239 EQ and IQ at Concerning Levels

    ¡°Dinner.¡± Lamar was preparing to take Raeleigh and Jazelle to dinner. The person who just left stepped out with a silver box. When he saw Lamar, he bowed at him and greeted him, ¡°Sir.¡±

    ¡°Well, you can leave. If something happens, then I¡¯ll contact you. I wish your mother a speedy recovery.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The man turned around and left. Before he left, he nced at Raeleigh. The man looked familiar, as though she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn¡¯t remember.

    After he left, Raeleigh went to have dinner. She then asked Lamar, ¡°How do you know him?¡±

    Lamar removed the bones in the fish for Raeleigh, ced it back on the te, and he then did the same for her Grandma. Then, he answered her question. ¡°I¡¯m investigating how you were taken away from us all those years ago.¡±

    Raeleigh ced her cutlery down and looked at Lamar.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Lamar continued to remove the fish bones for Raeleigh. He knew that she liked eating fish. That night, they were eating all kinds of fish and she really liked the smaller ones. So, he had asked his staff to prepare them for dinner. They were all fresh and very tasty.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t respond. Lamar continued, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve always wondered who took my daughter away.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that it was those people who took me away?¡± Raeleigh was talking about the people who had forced Lamar to lie about the incident.

    Jazelle said, ¡°Baby girl, you don¡¯t know this yet, but your father and I were invited out to the country at the time. When we arrived, we didn¡¯t see any of the people who had invited us. Instead, we met a different group who told us to pretend to be strong.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean that those people who invited you out there were the ones who tricked you?¡±

    Lamar looked at Novalie and said, ¡°What do you think about this?¡±

    Novalie thought about it. After being here for the past few weeks, she knew what kind of person Lamar was. He took care of her as though she were his own mother. Novalie was also quite blunt.

    ¡°This matter isn¡¯t a simple one. If we don¡¯t find out the truth, then it will prove to be quite troublesome in the future. If you ignore it, then the other party might not let things be. They¡¯ll want to tie up any loose ends they have.¡±

    ¡°If your missing daughter never returns, then it¡¯s considered done with. But if you find your daughter, then things will take a turn for the worst.¡±

    ¡°No matter how big and secretive your manor is, there will be a day when it gets out. If so, it will be very hard to deal with it. If the other party knows that you¡¯ve found your daughter, then no matter what the reason, they will not let you go.¡±

    ¡°Reiming your family now would be the worst thing you can do. You can avoid hurting people, but you can¡¯t show mercy to anyone.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Lamar looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°We have already informed the public that you¡¯re my daughter-inw, but we¡¯re all still a little worried. We can only protect you in our own way.¡±

    ¡°I know, I just feel a little strange. Who even wants to take me away? Does someone have a feud with you?¡±

    Raeleigh tried to think, who might have tricked her parents into traveling into Capital City to take their daughter away from them?

    Lamar looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Your mother and I have never done wrong by anyone. Some people just don¡¯t like us, so they may have acted out.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ we can¡¯t exclude the possibility that some people didn¡¯t mean to take you away, but only wanted to ruin our reputation.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t understand. Lamar pondered this for a moment and said, ¡°If your mother and I had epted their threats and yed pretend, then they would have control over your mother and me for our entire lifetime. They might have exposed this matter to the public and ruin our reputation.¡±

    ¡°But we didn¡¯t do it. Maybe they didn¡¯t expect that. Then, they carried you away in a fit of anger.¡±

    ¡°So, they didn¡¯t hurt me. They just wanted to take revenge on you to vent their anger.¡± She had already summarized what had happened.

    Lamar served some more food to her. ¡°Maybe. They didn¡¯t want to hurt you. They just lost you by mistake.¡±

    Raeleigh kept silent for a while and said, ¡°But I don¡¯t think the fire in the orphanage was an ident.¡±

    Lamar considered this and said, ¡°I got your brother to investigate this matter. He told me that someone had deliberately started the fire, but nobody found out who it was. They started an electrical fire. That is the most difficult type of arson to identify.¡±

    ¡°But they made a big mistake.¡±

    ¡°What mistake?¡± Raeleigh asked with a puzzled look.

    Jazelle, who was worried about Raeleigh¡¯s IQ, said, ¡°Baby girl, I¡¯m really worried about your IQ. I thought you were worried about your EQ, but I didn¡¯t expect to be so anxious about your IQ. This was man-made arson. The people responsible wouldn¡¯t have done it personally. One person wouldn¡¯t be able to do it. They would have colluded with others tomit their crimes. Although this wasmitted many years ago, it¡¯s easy to figure it out after all these years. Did you know that?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at her mother nkly. The people around understood what she said. But she didn¡¯t carefully analyze what she said. It was the arsonists who burned the people in the orphanage to death, but they couldn¡¯t have burned themselves to death.

    Finding those people would be the breakthrough they needed.

    Raeleigh was speechless after hearing that her intelligence and emotional intelligence were both at concerning levels.

    What kind of parents talked about their children like this? Both their EQ and IQ levels were at concerning levels too.

    ¡°I see,¡± Raeleigh replied with a red face. Jazelle raised her hand and touched her hair. ¡°Baby girl, you should be more careful from now on. Don¡¯t get fooled.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Raeleigh nodded. She never expected her mother to be like this.

    Novalie was eating happily. She said while she ate, ¡°Actually, Raeleigh is very smart. She¡¯s just a little lost when ites to rtionships. This is all my fault. I didn¡¯t get to teach her about it. You can take good care of her in the future.¡±

    ¡°Granny, it¡¯s not your fault, It¡¯s my fault. It¡¯s all my fault that I didn¡¯t take care of my child.¡± Jazelle was very kind. She always ced the me on herself. Novalie looked up at Raeleigh and said, ¡°You¡¯re just one person. At the very least, you gave birth to the baby safely. Sometimes, Raeleigh acts just like you. It¡¯s obviously someone else¡¯s fault. But you don¡¯t need to bear the responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Granny¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s eat. Forget I said any of this.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Lamar gave Novalie a meatball and she happily ate it. The family continued eating their dinner.

    Raeleigh nced at her grandmother, who was seated on the opposite side of the table. After she had dinner, she went to rest with Novalie. Jazelle was afraid that her daughter might get lost, so she sent Novalie to have a rest. She was waiting downstairs and would look at the door upstairs from time to time, like a child.

    Raeleigh talked for a while in Novalie¡¯s room while Jazelle waited for her toe out. Her husband reminded Raeleigh to have some soupter that night. She was quite busy preparing the soup. She took care of her daughter much more earnestly than she would with a baby.

 Chapter 1240 Bold, AvantGarde Ideas

    When Raeleigh went downstairs, Lamar was waiting for her downstairs. As Raeleigh made her way to the kitchen to help, Lamar called her, ¡°Baby girl,e here.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and looked at Lamar. She wasn¡¯t used to being called ¡®baby girl¡¯. When she heard her mother call her, she felt awkward and couldn¡¯t say anything.

    She turned around, walked back to Lamar, and sat down beside him. Lamar had no awkward feelings with his daughter. He got straight to the point and said, ¡°I hope you¡¯ll be safe, and I hope nothing bad happens to you. You and your brother have found someone you adore and I wish you a long life.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything, sat down opposite him, and looked at Lamar.

    ¡°If you love someone, then go ahead. I won¡¯t interfere. If you want to do something, then please go ahead. I won¡¯t interfere in that either. If¡­ If you want to go back, then I¡¯ll agree as well. Mom will be sad. But she has me, so you can rest assured that she¡¯ll be okay with it.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    ¡°Your Mom may look fragile, but you can¡¯t imagine how strong she really is. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°The only thing I won¡¯t discuss with you is this business with your grandmother. Granny is old and no one will take care of her when she returns home. On one hand, you should pay attention to her. On the other hand, I don¡¯t want her running around with you at her age. She¡¯d be happy to have the best care we can provide her here.¡±

    ¡°If she misses you, we wille and pick you up.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to say. Hearing the noiseing from the kitchen, she went to check on Jazelle. Jazelle was standing in the doorway with soup in her hand, and her eyes were red. But when she saw Raeleigh looking at her, she immediately spoke with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll support you no matter what you decide. If you want to keep going, even if we¡¯re at the end of the world, then I will support you no matter what.¡±

    ¡°Your father and I will take care of ourselves. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Jazelle walked over to Raeleigh, ced down the soup in her hand, and sat beside her. Raeleigh hugged Jazelle and said, ¡°I won¡¯t leave, I won¡¯t leave you and Dad behind.¡±

    ¡°Silly girl. Your father and I are still young. You don¡¯t need to take care of us. We should be taking care of you. If you want to fly, then fly. Don¡¯t worry about us. When we are old, you can return. Don¡¯t fly off then.¡± When Jazelle said this, Raeleigh¡¯s eyes turned red.

    ¡°Mom¡­ ¡±

    Lamar couldn¡¯t sit still when he saw his wife and daughter crying together. He got up, walked to the two of them, and hugged them. It took a while for them to calm down. The three of them drank some soup before they went to rest.

    Raeleigh received a call from Jepherson as soon as she went upstairs. She wondered how he found her new number and wanted to leave as soon as she went upstairs.

    ¡°I¡¯m at the door. Come out and pick me up.¡± Jepherson was standing outside, waiting for her. But she fell silent when she heard it was him.

    When she was about to hang up, he quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t hang up, or else I¡¯ll be angry.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your problem whether you¡¯re angry or not. If you think it¡¯ll do you any good to threaten me, then go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    She paused for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s just talk.¡±

    ¡°How can we talk if you don¡¯te out?¡± He pulled violently on his tie. Raeleigh opened the door and went into her room. She closed the door and went towards the window. The lights in the room were switched off. She didn¡¯t like to turn on the lights when she rested. No one else would turn off the lights. He knew that Raeleigh didn¡¯t turn on the lights while he was outside.

    She walked towards the window and looked outside, but she couldn¡¯t see anything. The manor was just too big.

    Raeleigh turned around, switched on the lights, andy down on the bed. She was still talking to Jepherson on the phone.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk over the phone and clear things up. Otherwise, don¡¯t say anything.¡± Her voice sounded cold and indifferent. It took a while for Jepherson to suppress his desire to rush in. He then spoke over the phone.

    Raeleigh stayed silent for a while. Then, she said, ¡°What happened between us is over. We can be friends from now on.¡±

    It was a little difficult for him to say the word ¡®friend¡¯, but he might not agree to the breakup if he didn¡¯t say so.

    It was simply ridiculous that even though they had already broken up, he still refused to let go. She had no choice but to take a step back from this.

    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Jepherson opened the car door and got off. After walking two whole rounds around his car, he couldn¡¯t diminish her irascible temper. He turned to face the manor and said, ¡°I want to see you. Right now.¡±

    Raeleighy down on the bed with her eyes closed, imagining Jepherson jumping about in a rage.

    ¡°We broke up a long time ago. Have you forgotten?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to mention the baby, but if he continued pushing her around, then she would. She wasn¡¯t sure if he would though.

    Back in the car, Jepherson had calmed down. ¡°Raeleigh,e out. Let¡¯s meet¡­¡±

    Leaning against the car, Jepherson felt like dying.

    Raeleigh knew that he was in pain, but she had no other choice. She really had no idea what to do next.

    ¡°It¡¯s just too painful. I want to be quiet. Even if I go back, I don¡¯t want to be with you. I¡¯m not the same person as I was.¡±

    ¡°He bit his lower lip. He clenched his white teeth until his lower lip bled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    Raeleigh hung up the phone, put it down, andy on the bed. What should she do?

    After falling into a deep sleep, Raeleigh woke up the next morning and felt very tired. She went downstairs to ask the servants if there was a car outside the manor. The servants confirmed that there was indeed a car there. She then stopped asking about it.

    At noon, Raeleigh heard from the servants that the car had left.

    Raeleigh was relieved upon hearing that Jepherson had left.

    That afternoon, Raeleigh walked around the manor for a while, as she was nning to draw with her mother. However, when she brought the drawing board out into the yard, the only thing she could think of was a retro car design.

    Raeleigh raised her head and gasped. Her mind was out of sorts.

    ¡°Baby girl, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jazelle held a brush and some paint in her hands. Raeleigh was in a daze. She then looked at her mother and said, ¡°I¡¯m thinking about a car design.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great. Inspiration cane from life. If you have an idea, then you should express it. Bernardo, go and take the things I¡¯ve prepared for the youngdy.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam.¡±

    The old butler immediately led his men inside. Not long after, they moved some tables and chairs outside and prepared all kinds of paper, pens, and rulers.

    Raeleigh was lost in thought for a while. Then, she sat down and started on her design.

    About an hourter, Jazelle had drawn Raeleigh¡¯s portrait. Whoever approached her would be gestured at and was asked to step away. If she was distracted from her inspiration, then she would lose it.

    Raeleigh stood up just as she finished her design. As the wind blew, her forehead was covered in sweat.

    Jazelle took her painting and showed it to her. Raeleigh got up and returned it to Jazelle. The image of a mother¡¯s and daughter¡¯s love was enviable.

    Then, Jazelle went to see the car that Raeleigh had designed. She was a little lost at what she saw. Although she didn¡¯t understand it, her daughter¡¯s talent was shockingly impressive.

    It only took her just slightly more than an hour to create such bold and avant-garde ideas. She could do something that no one else could do.

 Chapter 1241 Women Suffer When Faced with Men

    ¡°Is this Raeleigh¡¯s new design?¡± Sitting cross-legged on the chair, Jepherson stared at her new design with fire in his eyes. He wanted to use this work to convince her not to terminate the agreement she had with the Richards Group.

    But was this given to him by Raeleigh herself?He personally came into this country and visited the Osteen family residence, yet he was treated like a guest.

    Lamarre was then being hidden away by Jepherson.He had ceased all dealings with thepany and was penalized the amount of three years worth of sry.

    Lamarre didn¡¯t care. He had a bit of money left. For the sake of his favorite student, he was willing to do anything. He hid during the winter and allowed himself to go on a vacation. When Jepherson wasn¡¯t at thepany, Lamarre made his ns to go abroad. Then, he received a phone call from Raeleigh. She was going to give hertest design to Lamarre, but someone else was nearby. So, Raeleigh invited Lamarre to her home. He looked thrilled and he also got along well with Lamar. The two of them had endless amounts of topics to talk about. Because of this, Lamar invited him to stay with him and had prepared a gorgeous guest house. Lamarre had not epted his apprentice for nothing.

    Lamarre sat down and put on airs for the people in the room. ¡°This isn¡¯t truly Raeleigh¡¯s. It will still be considered one of mine. I don¡¯t mind if you think of it as such. In terms of my professional opinion, it¡¯s very good.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Dream on.¡±

    He put aside the copy of the design that he had taken from Raeleigh. Lamarre smiled cheekily and got up to leave. Jepherson said to him, ¡°I haven¡¯t talked to you about taking leave to go abroad.¡±

    Lamarre turned around and looked at Jepherson¡¯s dark face. ¡°You don¡¯t have to deal with your own troubles. In return, I¡¯m your scapegoat. D*mn you. Then, you can do whatever you want. I¡¯m leaving now.¡±

    ¡°Humph!¡± He snorted.

    Jepherson grumbled unhappily. Lamarre ignored him and left.

    Once he was alone, he looked at the design document in his hands. If this kind of car couldn¡¯t be promoted in the early stages of marketing, then it would be very difficult to sell¡­Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherso picked up the phone to call Raeleigh. His level of persistence when it came to work was always much more intense than anything else.

    Raeleigh received the call as she stepped out of the bathroom. She dried her hair as she sat on the bed. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about your design. Pleasee over and exin it to me in person. I¡¯ll wait for you at the nearby hotel.¡± With that, he hung up the phone. She called back, but he wouldn¡¯t answer the phone.

    Raeleigh had no choice but to change her clothes and left.

    At the entrance of the hotel, Raeleigh thought to herself that if he wasn¡¯t here, then she would head back.

    After getting out of the car, she was about to call him, but he was already standing at the entrance of the hotel. Raeleigh didn¡¯t need to think about going back, as she was set on staying here.

    Stuart walked towards Raeleigh as soon as he saw her and greeted her immediately. ¡°Young Madam Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that. I¡¯m not your young madam.¡± Raeleigh walked over to Jepherson. She stopped and looked at him. ¡°What are you looking at? I¡¯m here. Go ahead.¡±

    Jepherson gritted his teeth. ¡°Come inside.¡±

    He turned around and walked into the hotel. As he walked towards the lift, he undid his watch and ced it in his pocket. After entering the lift, he unbuttoned his shirt.

    Raeleigh stepped into the elevator and looked at him. He had taken off his tie and stuffed it into his pocket. Then, he began to unbutton his shirt.

    A normal person would have removed their cuffs after taking off their jacket. Raeleigh watched Jepherson very carefully. Her deep eyes focused on the walls of the elevator. She could only think of one thing. It was very likely that Jepherson was going to deal with her.

    Raeleigh clutched the bag in her hand when the driver sent her over. There were several bodyguards from the house who were there to protect her. She didn¡¯t tell them to leave her alone until she arrived here.

    The elevator went up over forty floors before soon arriving at the top floor. Jepherson walked out of the elevator and into his room. He pushed the door open and entered. He waited for Raeleigh toe in. She felt a pinch of regret when she walked past the door. She intended to turn around and leave, but then standing behind her was Stuart.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know when Stuart even came up. But one thing was certain. As long as he was here, she couldn¡¯t leave.

    ¡°Stuart, I still have something to do. Let me through.¡± Raeleigh hoped to persuade Stuart. Stuart looked embarrassed. ¡°Young Madam Raeleigh, you know how temperamental the young master is. He¡¯d never forgive me if I let you go.¡±

    Unable to walk away, Raeleigh turned around. She opened the door, went in, and looked for Jepherson inside.

    However, he wasn¡¯t in the room. She looked around again and again but she didn¡¯t see him. When she was about to leave, she turned towards the door. Then, she saw him standing at the door and looking at her. She took a step back.

    ¡°Come here.¡± He had already taken off his coat and threw it aside. She hadn¡¯t noticed it when she came in. It was on the shelf.

    His coat was gone, and his shirt was undone. Raeleigh said with displeasure in her eyes, ¡°You¡¯re a rogue.¡±

    Jepherson walked over. ¡°Since when have I ever stopped being a pervert?¡±

    Raeleigh was at a loss for words. ¡°Nonsense.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who¡¯s being unreasonable, it¡¯s you!¡± He pushed her into the room, where there was a round coffee table. Raeleigh was forced onto the table. When he pushed her over, Raeleighnded tly on the table. He came over and forced Raeleigh to lean on it.

    Jepherson looked down at her. ¡°Don¡¯t move. This will hurt quite a bit.¡±

    Raeleigh blushed and tried to get up. But he held her hands down as she struggled. After a few attempts, he firmly held her down.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh had slept for two whole hours and she felt dizzy. Her voice sounded hoarse when she answered the phone.

    ¡°Baby girl, where are you?¡± Jazelle guessed that her daughter must have gone out because of Jepherson. But, she wasn¡¯t going to interfere with her affairs. However, it was quitete and she was very worried that she wouldn¡¯t being home. That was why she called.

    When Raeleigh answered the call, she wanted to leave right away. Jepherson had ced his arms around her waist. She remembered that he kissed her.

    She stopped and turned around to look at him, who had already stood up. He was still calling her even though she was on the phone. She quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m out now talking about the design. I¡¯ll be backter.¡±

    ¡°Did Jepherson bully you? If he doesn¡¯t agree to it, then forget it. I¡¯ll find awyer for you.¡± Jazelle was still very worried. No matter how powerful a woman was, she could only do so much in front of a man. She was at a disadvantage!

    ¡°No one would bully me, Mom. I wille hometer. I¡¯ll try my best to get him to agree to an contract, so that we can save ourselves a lot of trouble.¡±

    As Raeleigh said this, Jepherson groped her, curled up his legs, and got up from the bed. Raeleigh blushed and red at him with fierce-looking eyes. He stopped and waited for her to finish her call. Raeleigh said something and she then hung up the phone.

    As soon as the call ended, Jepherson picked her up and turned her over.

 Chapter 1242 Broke Up

    Jepherson didn¡¯t let go of Raeleigh until it was evening. He leaned against her and said nothing. She looked at him in a daze.

    ¡°Get up, let¡¯s go for dinner.¡± Jepherson got out of bed. Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything and continued to lie down.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to say something?¡± Jepherson sat back as Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°We still broke up, you know?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Why must we break up with each other? Isn¡¯t this enough?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes turned red, and she almost cried. It was enough. But there was no need to continue.

    ¡°I want to break up and live my own life. I only stayed with you because I didn¡¯t have the money to study.¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to leave, so she made up an excuse.

    Jepherson snorted, rolled his eyes at her, and he theny down on the bed.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get up, then don¡¯t. I don¡¯t want to get up either.¡± Heid still on one side of the bed. Raeleigh asked, confused, ¡°Why do you have to do this?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ I want a baby.¡± Lying on the bed, he suddenly said that. Raeleigh stopped talking.

    Raeleigh got out of bed at around two o¡¯clock. She quietly put on her clothes and was ready to leave. As soon as she walked towards the door, Jepherson opened his eyes and told her, ¡°If you step out that door, then you¡¯ll never leave me again.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at him. ¡°What the h*ll are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Come inside, and let¡¯s make it clear before you leave.¡± He got up from the bed, put on his pants, and sat down on the couch.

    Seeing that he was serious, Raeleigh walked back and sat down.

    ¡°I missed you from the moment you left the bed,¡± Jepherson said this while leaning against the bed. Raeleigh stood up, moving to leave. But he held her hand and pulled her back. ¡°Sit here.¡±

    Raeleigh sat down further away and stared at him. His face looked a little pale. He always had a lousy appetite and slept poorly. It had been almost a month then. He had lost a lot of weight. He also said that if he had to do it again, then he would not be able to. He felt like he was in his seventies.

    He had no energy left, so she leaned against him.

    Raeleigh was staring at him, but he didn¡¯t notice.

    ¡°Well¡­ do you really want to leave me?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. Jepherson¡¯s eyes looked profound and shone sharply.

    ¡°You can leave, but you have to let me get used to it. Also¡­ the Richards Group won¡¯t let their contracted intern go halfway through her program. You signed it and epted a schrship from them. That includes travelmitments. Otherwise, thepany will hold you ountable. You won¡¯t be able to go down that road then.¡±

    ¡°The Richards Group is a powerful force in the business world. They can easily cut you off.¡±

    Raeleigh listened for a while. ¡°If that is your decision, then I will quit car design from now on.¡±

    Jepherson gritted his teeth. He had never met such a cold-blooded woman before. He would never agree to that.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I¡¯d kill you. I only said that I could. If I wanted to kill you, then I would have done so right now.¡± Was there a need to wait?

    Raeleigh¡¯s clothes had been getting tighter and tighter. She had been eating a lot more when she had free time. She looked plump and curvaceous, which made him feel dizzy whenever he looked at her.

    He picked up her coat and covered her with it. ¡°Put it on. It¡¯s cold here.¡±

    Raeleigh put her coat aside and said, ¡°If you have something to say, then say it. I need to head back.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal. When the contract expires, stay with me. I can give you the space and freedom you want, but you can¡¯t be with any other men. You can continue to travel. I can give you the fame you seek, and you can keep it when you¡¯re done. I won¡¯t force you to stay.¡±

    His offer was enticing enough. Raeleigh didn¡¯t think it would get any better. Jepherson wanted her body, and she understood that.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. She just looked at him as she thought about something.

    ¡°Rae¡­¡± Jepherson reached out to hold her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get awyer. I¡¯ll be going now.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Jepherson held her from behind. He wanted to resolve this issue. He didn¡¯t want to be in this stalemate with her.

    But Raeleigh wanted to leave and didn¡¯t think about anything else.

    ¡°I know I¡¯ve hurt you. Raeleigh¡­ give me another chance, we can start over.¡±

    ¡°We need to be calm about this. Grandma was right. We are not suited for each other. When something happens, we tend to go to the extremes. We don¡¯t know each other very well. We like to solve problems on our own.¡±

    ¡°In fact, I had found out much earlier that I wasn¡¯t your sister. I didn¡¯t tell you, but I kept quiet about it, and I thought I would get rid of the baby.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hate you when I had a miscarriage. I hated myself, very, very much.¡±

    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t want to, if I took it to heart, then I would have misunderstood our rtionship. I finally knew the truth, but I didn¡¯t tell you. How pathetic¡­ Even if I did tell you, you wouldn¡¯t have believed me.¡±

    ¡°You knew that when you misunderstood me. I was trying to tell you the truth, you know?¡±

    ¡°But you hid it in your heart and didn¡¯t see how overwhelmed I was.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson¡­ I¡¯m so afraid. I couldn¡¯t give you a sense of security, nor could you for me. I just want to go back to the past, to the beginning. I missed who we were back then. Now, we are no longer like that.¡±

    Raeleigh pushed his hand away and walked out of the hotel. The wind that day was very cold, but it wasn¡¯t cold for her as she came down, as she only felt cold in her heart.

    When it came to love, it was not easy to say who was right or wrong. They were like children learning something new. When one went to ss on the first day, one didn¡¯t know what to say. Even if one thought one was right, the teacher would still say it was wrong and one would be corrected.

    Everyone was helpless, and so was she.

    She just took it as a lesson for herself and ended it.

    As Raeleigh stepped out of the hotel, Stuart chased after her. However, he didn¡¯t realize that Raeleigh was in a hurry, nor did he dare to force her to stay.

    Outside the hotel, Raeleigh remembered something and turned to look at Stuart.

    ¡°Stuart, tell your boss this. Just say that I said that the car I designed is a limited edition design. If it is issued all over the world, then you can definitely make a lot of money if you don¡¯t have much to spend on it. It won¡¯t be a problem to gain some exposure. I¡¯m going to get Lamarre to be my mechanical designer. We will design this car together. I think this is a car that is representative of a new age. It is worth being a part of any collection. I hope you can help me convey this message.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want the car, I don¡¯t want the design, and I¡¯ve decided to work with him. If he agrees, then I will produce the car.¡±

    Raeleigh then turned around and walked away. The Osteen family car was parked outside. She was relieved to see her bodyguards.

    She walked to the front of the car and got in. The driver started the car and drove off. Along the way, she kept thinking about Jepherson¡¯s listless face.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    As she arrived at the manor, Raeleigh had just got off the car when she saw Xanthus walking out and was waiting for her at the door. Not knowing how to exin herself, Raeleigh walked over and pursed her lips.

    Xanthus lowered his head and told Raeleigh, ¡°You must have fallen asleep during your meeting. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at Xanthus. He smiled, took Raeleigh by the shoulder, and led her in.

 Chapter 1243 Indifference

    ¡°How long has it been?¡± After Jacky finished his lessons, he asked the person beside him. The person then responded to Jacky, ¡°Twenty days.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been twenty days and no one from the Moore Family paid up?¡± Jacky walked a few paces and he then sat down. There was no one around him, as it was very quiet.

    Deanna was walking behind her older brother, Zorion. She was walking towards him when she heard Jacky speaking to his subordinates. ¡°Release Flynt and send him to the entrance of the Moore family residence.¡±

    ¡°What about us?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Jacky didn¡¯t expect the Moore family to be so patient. No one asked for Flynt for the past twenty days.

    This was no longer fun. What was the point of it?

    After the group left, she noticed that they had all quickly ran away. She leaned her head to one side and smiled when she saw Jacky.

    He raised his head to bask in the sun under the tree. It was very cold that day. It was actually the holiday season, but there were some special sses going on in their school.

    There were quite a few people shuttling in and out of the university.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Deanna was bored at home. Recently, she had taken a liking to being with Jacky and always looked for ways to sneak out. If her brother wasn¡¯t watching her closely, then she would have headed out to y.

    Seeing his men run away, Deanna immediately thought of Flynt. He hadn¡¯t eaten or had anything to drink for twenty days. She didn¡¯t know if he had already starved to death. She heard that Flynt hadn¡¯t eaten anything because he had gone on a hunger strike.

    Deanna felt that Flynt was a fool. He was going to go on a hunger strike even after meeting up with his family member. Wasn¡¯t this just suicide?

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about you anymore. Why did you choose tomit suicide and go on a hunger strike?¡±

    It was simply a stupid move!

    Seeing that everyone had run away, Deanna also wanted to go and take a look. She said, ¡°Zorion, my stomach hurts. I need to go to the bathroom.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Rossie was beside Zorion. Every time she had gone to do bad things, he would bring Rossie along. Rossie was like a shield for Deanna. The ces that she wanted to go to were all very dangerous. Whenever she got Rossie into trouble, she would say that it was her idea.

    Her brother knew about this, but it wasn¡¯t easy to expose her, so he pretended not to know. This way, Rossie would take the me. But Rossie was fine with it every time, so she became even more mischievous. Following that, she would say that her stomach had been hurting for a long time, so she would apany her. It was very convenient for both of them to do bad things.

    Only Deanna could think of such a n. Rossie wasn¡¯t a very fussy person. She would do whatever Deanna asked her to do.

    It was around that time when Deanna said she had a stomachache that Rossie said she would follow her.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Zorion wasn¡¯t just worried that something bad would happen to her, but he was also worried that Rossie would leave.

    Neither of them feltfortable with this.

    His parents were returning the next day, but Rossie still didn¡¯t know about this. He still had yet to talk about it, and right then was the right time to talk about it.

    Deanna looked extremely unhappy. ¡°Are you trying to keep an eye on me?¡±

    She was about to point at Zorion. He red at her angrily. ¡°You still dare to say that?¡±

    Deannacked the confidence to do so. So, she bowed her head, turned around, and wandered towards the bathroom. Rossie heard her muttering something on the way there, which made her stare at Deanna.

    Zorion¡¯s face darkened.

    Deanna went to the bathroom and came out soon after. Zorion asked Rossie to go in and keep watch. She leaned against the door and yed games on her phone.

    ¡°Shh!¡± Before Rossie could say anything, she dragged Rossie in to y with her.

    Zorion went in shortly and pulled Rossie out. He locked her in the bathroom and was going to teach her a lesson. He waited for ten minutes but she didn¡¯t try toe out. He wanted to go in and take a look¡­

    ¡°She ran away!¡±

    When he called her, she wouldn¡¯t pick up her phone.

    Jacky was standing outside. He saw Deanna open the windows and jumped down. She was bold enough and fortunately for her, she was on the first floor.

    ¡°Had Flynt starved to death?¡± The moment he saw her staring at him, Jacky hugged her. ¡°How could it end so easily?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Deanna sounded disappointed. A person who hadn¡¯t eaten or drunk anything to starve to death for the past twenty days would have had the urge to eat.

    The door swung open as Deanna went to take a look at Flynt. Flynt was so hungry that he was on the verge of death, but when he heard her voice, he woke up.

    ¡°Give it to me.¡± Deanna took the bottle of water and opened it for Flynt to drink. Flynt looked at her andughed. ¡°Why did you save me?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no particr reason. You¡¯re Cynthia¡¯s brother, and I can¡¯t watch you die. Also, just so you know, if your home was a much better ce, then she wouldn¡¯t have run out. My brother wasn¡¯t good to me. But I left. Do you know why?¡±

    Jacky stood behind her as she spoke. He raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. It was cold. This was an ungrateful little kid that he just couldn¡¯t nurture.

    But soon enough, just the slightest bit of love would lead her to her parents¡¯ home!

    Jacky rubbed his neck and let out a sigh of relief.

    Flynt looked at Jacky with a smile on his face.

    Someone came up and kicked him. Deanne quickly stopped them. ¡°Don¡¯t hit him. He¡¯s going to be beaten to death.¡±

    For fear of hurting their touching moment, those people withdrew.

    Jacky stood to the side and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Watching them leave, she sighed. ¡°My brother isn¡¯t good to me, and neither were my parents. If my parents weren¡¯t good to me, then there were still the servants. If the servants weren¡¯t good to me, then there was still my sister-inw.¡±

    ¡°There would always be at least one or two kind people who would treat me well, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°But there were no such people in my family.¡±

    ¡°I wondered, what was I doing then?¡±

    ¡°Who would know if you died right here?¡±

    She shook her head and stood up. If a person was stupid, then no one could do anything about it. He just wanted to be stupid.

    She followed Jacky and left. The two of them wanted to watch some people y basketball.

    Flynt watched them leave and felt lonely in his heart. In the end, the Moore family had let him down. He had waited for twenty days, but he was treated so indifferently.

    Old Master Johan loved him dearly, but where was he then?

    Where was his mother?

    It turned out that he was the only one who lived with such indifference after being alive for more than twenty years.

    Someone then took him out and tossed him into a car and drove away from the school. They then gave him some medicine and food on the way to their destination.

    When they arrived at the Moore family residence, someone pushed him out of the car.

    The Moore family soon noticed him and caused a stir. Elina ran out from the door, holding back her tears. She hadn¡¯t dared toe out until she reached the door because she was afraid of being seen. She didn¡¯t dare to go up to see her son until she carried him in. However, her son was so hungry that he was like a sack of bones and looked terrible.

    When Elina saw her son like this, she was mentally and physically drained. This was her only hope. She fainted.

    Flynt warned her. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Old Master Johan that I¡¯m back. I will go to see him when I¡¯m better. Send me back and call the doctor here.¡±

    After he had finished giving his orders, he closed his eyes.

 Chapter 1244 Going Home

    Jephersony in bed for some time. He went to the Osteen family residence the other night and waited outside. However, no one from the Osteen family opened the door for him or weed him. He dialed Raeleigh¡¯s number, but it wasn¡¯t in service.

    After waiting for a few hours when it was ten o¡¯clock in the evening, he called Lamarre.

    Lamarre was living in the manor and went out to see him at the door in the middle of the night. He was quite surprised to see him.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t Ie in?¡± He looked around, waiting for Raeleigh to appear, but she had already gone to sleep.

    Lamarre said to him, ¡°I just finished talking to her. I¡¯m pretty tired. I have to go back in. Let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow. It will take half an hour to go back from here. The ce is quite big.¡±

    After saying that, Lamarre turned back towards the house. Jepherson had no choice but to go back to his car.

    The next day, he continued calling her, but she refused to answer the phone.

    Ten dayster, Raeleigh finally stepped out of the manor and their eyes met.

    Autumn had passed and winter was close approaching.

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally appeared.¡± As soon as they met, he called out to her, but she didn¡¯te out and stood inside indifferently.

    ¡°I have already discussed the details about the car with my mentor. The drawing will be delivered to you. What do you want?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯vee out.¡± Jepherson was quite impatient now. He was acting quite rashly.

    Raeleigh stood inside thepound and didn¡¯t want to talk to him. She just wanted to be clear about the drawing. She didn¡¯t move closer for fear that he might rush in.

    ¡°Come out. I don¡¯t want to make things difficult for you. Otherwise, I won¡¯t stop shouting.¡± Jepherson¡¯s wasn¡¯t joking. Raeleigh could tell from his eyes.

    But if she went out¡­

    ¡°I cane out, but you must respect my personal space.¡±

    Jepherson turned back towards the car and waited for her inside. Raeleigh followed him out and sat in the passenger seat. He opened the door and let her in. She looked at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m done. You can say whatever you want. As for the drawings, we¡¯ll do as you say. We¡¯ll be friends.¡±

    Jepherson wanted to understand her. Everything wasn¡¯t possible with just one person and everything was possible when the team came together.

    There was a long way to go, so he couldn¡¯t rush it.

    Raeleigh was surprised. His attitude had changed so quickly.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve agreed, I¡¯ll n out the following for you. I¡¯ll finish them together with Mr. Lamarre.¡±

    Raeleigh opened the door and got out. This time, he didn¡¯t follow her.

    Stuart stood at a distance and sighed. ¡°If I had known that this would happen today, then I wouldn¡¯t have done so.¡±

    Raeleigh returned to the manor and told Xanthus about it. Xanthusughed while he was walking. ¡°Jepherson is simply stalling. Are you sure you want to go back?¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and said with a smile, ¡°In fact, I¡¯ll have to go back sooner orter, but I won¡¯t go right now. If I am forced to, then it¡¯ll be quite troublesome.¡±

    ¡°I have about three years. If I don¡¯t go, then he won¡¯t give up.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ Are you reluctant to give this up?¡± As her brother, Xanthus asked a practical question.

    Raeleigh was silent for a moment. ¡°If I let go of him right now, then I will not be able to do so. I am not the kind of person who will let go even though I said so. Time will heal. I believe that I can get over this.¡±

    ¡°But I need time. One year, two years, or even three years to five years.¡±

    ¡°What if I can¡¯t forget about it in the end?¡±

    ¡°Then, cherish those memories.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s stupid. I¡¯d rather ept it.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Some memories are just too painful. I can¡¯t forget this so easily. I remember the pain when the baby was gone, just as that upsetting moment when I wanted to abandon the baby.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve both made mistakes, but what I can¡¯t ept is that this has happened twice now, and for twice we¡¯ve failed to save his life.¡±

    ¡°Rae¡­¡± Xanthus patted her arms. ¡°I don¡¯t trust you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. If you want to, then go and find her. I heard that she¡¯s in France. Go to Provence and see her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s mine after all. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t ask for it.¡±

    ¡°But why would shee here if you didn¡¯t go looking for her?¡±

    ¡°In fact, so many things were destined to be. If you had met the right person at the wrong time, then the ending would be rather bleak, but if you meet the right person at the right time, then things will turn out perfect.¡±

    ¡°What I want is our perfect life, not just my own.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll admit, I really do have an enigmatic brother. No matter what you decide, I think he¡¯s right because I don¡¯t understand what you are talking about.¡±

    Raeleigh was amused. Xanthus simply pinched her face. Then, they went back to the house together.

    The next day, Raeleigh returned to the country ahead of schedule. Xanthus and Lamarre went with her. Jepherson also went back that afternoon.

    There were two flights that day, and Raeleigh took the earlier flight back. Besides, Raeleigh lived in Xanthus¡¯s vi, which wasn¡¯t too far away.

    That time, Raeleigh nned to return in the next two to three months. She would spend the spring break overseas.

    First, she went to thepany to request for holiday leave. Then, she went to the school to take a look. She was going to register for her sports team, but her school team was already on holiday.

    Raeleigh went back with Xanthus.

    After resting for two whole days, Raeleigh received a phone call saying that thepany was ready to put the newly designed car on the agendaofficiallyand she would need to be at thepany to participate in this activity.

    Raeleigh picked up the phone and told Xanthus about it. He said with a funny look on his face, ¡°The wolf is finallying out.¡±

    Raeleighughed. ¡°No, he is very serious about his work.¡±

    ¡°I hope he puts you before his work.¡±

    ¡°How can you say that?¡± Raeleigh said quite displeased, which made himugh.

    The brother and sisterughed for a while. Xanthus personally drove her to Jepherson¡¯spany. When they arrived, he watched her go in and he then left.

    Raeleigh walked into thepany to greet the others while Stuart waited for her downstairs. When she saw her approaching, he walked upstairs and told her that Jepherson was waiting further upstairs.

    Raeleigh was an employee, so she obeyed his orders and followed him upstairs.

    In his office, Jepherson was getting dressed. Raeleigh walked in as he turned around. He was holding his tie for her to see. ¡°Is this suitable?¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh stood at the door for a while and looked to the left side. ¡°Get the white one.¡±

    He turned around and put on his tie. He bent down to pick up the light-colored coat and put it on. He turned to her and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±

    He turned around to look at her, who looked at Stuart at the door.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jepherson nced at Stuart and he left right away. Raeleigh, who had closed the door, looked at Jepherson. She wasn¡¯t sure whether he did this on purpose or not, but it was very ufortable to dress like that in winter.

 Chapter 1245 Laughter

    ¡°Help me.¡± Jepherson walked towards Raeleigh. She handed him a ck suit and a blue striped tie. ¡°That¡¯s better.¡±

    Jepherson looked at the clothes in her hands. He neatly took off his coat and threw it aside. He then took off his tie and threw it away. He took the tie in her hand and put it on. Raeleigh then picked out another coat for him.

    Having put on the suit, he raised his eyes and looked at her. ¡°Is this ok?¡±

    ¡°Looking very sharp, Mr. Richards!¡± Raeleighdeliberatelyttered him. The corners of her mouth curved upwards. She picked up the documents and walked towards the door.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what was on his mind, but he must have worn the wrong outfit on purpose.

    Raeleigh then followed him into the meeting room. When she stepped in, she saw Jepherson sitting next to Lamarre as the chairman. She knocked on the door and went in. When Jepherson saw her, he said, ¡°Miss Anson, you¡¯rete. Remember to be punctual next time.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Raeleigh nodded at the door and she then followed him to her seat. The meeting began after she sat down.

    First, she exined her design concept, followed by Lamarre¡¯s construction n. This was to be their first coboration between mentor and apprentice. Thepany paid no mind to outsiders who envied many of their subordinates.

    After the meeting, Jepherson got up and left, but he stopped at the door. He then asked Raeleigh and Lamarre to apany him for lunch.

    But Raeleigh had a lunch date with Xanthus.

    ¡°Mr. Lamarre¡­ Can I please skip this? I already have an appointment with someone.¡± Raeleigh chased after Lamarre and said this to him.

    Lamarre said to her as he walked, ¡°You want me to take the me for you, so, no.¡±

    Raeleigh followed Lamarre closely. ¡°Master¡­¡±

    ¡°Even my rank won¡¯t do much good here.¡±

    Lamarre didn¡¯t agree to her request, so she gave up on the idea and called Xanthus. It was time for lunch.

    It was already noon. Jepherson came out of his office and called Raeleigh.

    ¡°Come downstairs.¡± He quickly hung up the phone, acting as though he was a man of few words.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Raeleigh looked at Lamarre after receiving the call and followed him down.

    There were many people in Jepherson¡¯s limo. The two of them sat down and went to the restaurant that Jepherson had booked for lunch.

    The three of them ate, as Jepherson ordered a table¡¯s worth of food. Raeleigh¡¯s appetite had grown recently. During her time at the Osteen family residence, Jazelle personally cooked three meals a day for her. She was so spoiled that she couldn¡¯t enjoy eating ordinary food anymore.

    Jepherson had ordered some first-ss dishes, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t seem to like them very much.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like them?¡± Jepherson gave her some food and smiled politely. Lamarre raised his eyebrows and looked at them. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± Raeleigh picked out the food she liked, took a few bites, and she then stopped.

    ¡°Can you really be full after eating so little?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on a diet.¡±

    In order to stop him from running his mouth, she said that quickly. She didn¡¯t know that he had taken it seriously.

    ¡°Losing weight? Have you put on some?¡± Jepheron raised his eyes and looked at Raeleigh. She forced out a smile. ¡°A little.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re that skinny really.¡± Jepherson wiped his mouth as he spoke. He had already finished eating.

    Raeleigh had nothing else in mind. After eating with him, she went back to work in the afternoon.

    There was no need for her to go back to school. She had to work in thepany then, and she had to do so every day officially.

    That afternoon, Raeleigh went to Lamarre¡¯s ce to inspect the car. She went over just before two o¡¯clock.

    She knocked on the door and entered. Lamarre and Raeleigh were talking about the structure and design concept of the car seats. Jepherson then entered the work area and gestured politely. He didn¡¯t disturb them but he quietly sat down to listen.

    Raeleigh and Lamarre continued discussing until they agreed and they then sat down.

    ¡°Why are you here again?¡± Having doubts about his connection with Raeleigh, Lamarre asked him this. Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and curved his lips. ¡°Nothing. I was just curious.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a designer as well. Are you a thief?¡± Lamarre teased. Jepherson sat across from her and crossed his legs. Raeleigh went to make a cup of coffee and handed it to him. He uncrossed his legs and thanked her. He picked up the coffee, stirred it, and took a sip while looking at her.

    Lamarre had plenty to talk about with Jepherson. Raeleigh felt that she couldn¡¯t rte to their topics, so she went downstairs.

    As she left, Jepherson sent a text message to Stuart. ¡°Keep an eye on Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    Stuart then went off to monitor her. Raeleigh stepped into her office and sat down. Many people gossiped about her when they passed by her office. She stopped and listened to some of them.

    ¡°I heard that she got in because of Lamarre.¡±

    ¡°I heard it was because of the vice president.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s really beautiful, and she¡¯s getting even more beautiful every day.¡±

    Raeleigh listened for a while, how they gossiped about her getting the job through some back door connections, but all that soon passed.

    Raeleigh went back to her office after a while and leaned against the door. She yed with the toys on her desk.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t go out that whole afternoon. However, before night fell, a group of employees were terminated from thepany because of gossiping.

    When Raeleigh got off work, she stood at the entrance of thepany. Several people came out with briefcases andmented how unlucky they were. She didn¡¯t know who they were.

    She turned around when she saw them walking towards her. She thought to herself, ¡°I don¡¯t want to see these people. It is better to avoid unnecessary trouble. It is better to avoid looking at them.¡±

    When they walked over, Raeleigh turned around and watched them leave. She continued waiting for Xanthus to pick her up.

    However, before Xanthus¡¯s car arrived, Jepherson¡¯s car stopped in front of her.

    ¡°Come on in.¡±

    Stuart got out of the car and opened the door. He looked out at her and asked her to get in.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment. ¡°My brother is on his way to pick me up.¡±

    Jepherson waited for her from inside the car. ¡°I¡¯ll wait with you then.¡±

    Raeleigh checked the time. ¡°No need. He will be here soon.¡±

    ¡°You are all alone out here. The weather is really cold, and you are not wearing much.¡± He nced at her legs and her silk stockings with her high-heeled shoes. ¡°Thepany doesn¡¯t have a rule saying that you have to dress professionally, especially for you. You only show up, at most twice at the assembly line, every day anyway. It¡¯s not very convenient to dress like that. I will get someone to arrange for a set of overalls for you tomorrow. You¡¯ll receive it tomorrow morning.¡±

    She stared at him. Overalls?

    She was a designer, not a mechanic. Why would she need overalls?

    But after thinking about it, Raeleigh finally agreed. Jepherson hadn¡¯t left yet. She waited until Xanthus arrived and said goodbye to Jepherson. Then, she went into Xanthus¡¯s car.

    The next day, Raeleigh received her new set of overalls that was sent to her by the management. After she put it on, Raeleigh chuckled. She was indeed different from the others.

    Even her mentor gave her a thumbs-up, praising her, saying that she looked good in it, and even better than an actual mechanic!

 Chapter 1246 Skipping Class

    Raeleigh stood out among the group of workers and heard them say how good she looked. Lamarre also said, ¡°The most beautiful one here is my apprentice. She is as beautiful as a flower in spring.¡±

    At first, hearing that, Raeleigh blushed, realizing her mentor was quite flirty despite his old age. But thinking about it again, it didn¡¯t sound as frivolous as she thought.

    Raeleigh knew that Lamarre liked to joke around, but she couldn¡¯t help but to feel a little bit teased. She stood aside andughed with her red face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just smile. You look like a fool. Don¡¯t be silly. Come over here¡­¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Lamarre was curious about this apprentice of his. Everyone knew that he would take care of her wherever he went, as though she were his own child. If anyone bullied her, then he would certainly make them realize their mistake.

    They walked towards a disy that showed the car¡¯syout. When he got to the front, Lamarre pointed at it and said, ¡°Take a look at this and remember it well.¡±

    He raised his hand and pointed to the people beside him. ¡°Come over here and teach her what it is we do here.¡±

    A mechanic walked over happily, and the people around himughed. Her mentor introduced her as his apprentice but he then proceeded to get someone else to teach her things. What was he trying to do?

    ¡°If you want to learn from others, you should look out for them. Not devalue their worth.¡±

    ¡°We usually use imported raw materials and remodel them¡­¡±

    The mechanic exined it very clearly. Raeleigh stood beside him and listened intently. There weren¡¯t any women in the group. These were members of the mechanical and car assembly departments. There was also a supervisor from the design department, who oversaw the car¡¯s body and electrical features.

    Lamarre was a senior member of the Richards Group. He could mobilize people, establish groups, set up his own projects, and prepare reports. Other members did not have this privilege.

    That time, he took Raeleigh to set up a team. The people selected were the best of the best. Lamarre had his own n to groom Raeleigh into bing a director. Otherwise, as a designer, no matter how famous she was, she would not have any real power. The people below may not have realized this yet, did they?

    ¡°Do you understand, Miss Anson?¡± The man from the machinery department asked her this. Seeing that Raeleigh wasn¡¯t quite focused on the topic, she shook her head and said, ¡°Not quite.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll exin it again.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll be too much of a hassle.¡±

    As they were talking, Jepherson walked in from the outside. In the crowd, there were still people observing her. Some had said that Raeleigh had a different temperament with every dress she wore. Raeleigh thought she didn¡¯t mind this at all. But Mr. Richards had heard of this from Jenna and Carme, and was quite displeased about it.

    ¡°Is work more important, or are clothes more important?¡± Jepherson arrived unannounced. The whole group instantly went silent. Raeleigh turned around. She saw Jepherson standing like a crane amongst a flock of chickens. He was tall and had stood upright. Dressed in a ck tight-fitting suit, his face was as cold as ice. Behind him was Stuart, who was also dressed in the same ck attire.

    Stuart took a look at Raeleigh and frowned. She looked very beautiful that day and was surrounded by such a group of people. It was no wonder he was angry.

    Men always liked to look at beautiful women. This was an instinctive habit.

    But Raeleigh was his lover. This bunch of people did not know what had happened the day before, so they wouldn¡¯t have a bright future here.

    ¡°Vice president Richards.¡±

    ¡°Vice president Richards.¡±

    Everyone greeted Jepherson, and Raeleigh was no exception.

    Jepherson walked over to Raeleigh and carefully observed her with his deep eyes. ¡°Continue.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at the mechanical structure. The person who exined it to her was an engineer. He continued, ¡°For cars like this, the designer should consider whether the decorative infrastructure of the car might sh with the exterior design. When we design the mechanical structure, what we look into are the performance and safety features of the car¡­¡±

    ¡°So, will there be inconsistencies from time to time?¡± Raeleigh looked at the person who spoke. When she was learning, she would often forget where she was and devote herselfpletely to the subject. She wasn¡¯t like others who could divert their attention away.

    The other party said bluntly, ¡°Actually, the main issue with your work is that itpletely goes against our ideas. Here is some information I preparedst night. It contains the design of the car. We admit that you really are a genius, to be able to design such an excellent car, be its overall design, or innovative concept, they are all unique.¡±

    ¡°But there are some that you aren¡¯t very familiar with, such as is the internal structure of the car.¡±

    For example, with this car. It took us a very long time, we worked entire days and nights toe up with a n to works for you, This made us physically and mentally exhausted.

    ¡°On one hand, your design is very good, and we didn¡¯t want to waste it. On the other hand, your design was very stressful for us to handle. The car¡¯syout had to be modified. And its interior¡­¡±

    ¡°Theyout of the interior is rtively spacious, and your measurements are reasonable. Every bit of space is fully utilized, but at the same time, the structural integrity of the car isn¡¯t sound. For example, you can see here in terms of shock reduction and the seat adjusters¡­¡±

    Raeleigh kept calm while she looked at the mechanical engineer. She felt guilty.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault that I didn¡¯t think about this. I was ignorant and caused so much trouble to you.¡± Raeleigh apologized.

    Lamarre stood at the side and sneered coldly. ¡°I say, assistant engineer, are your here to belittle my apprentice?¡±

    ¡°No, Mr. Lee, you¡¯ve misunderstood me. I¡¯ll be more constructive.¡±

    ¡°Then, be constructive. Don¡¯t justin about it.¡±

    Previously, Raeleigh would have been reluctant when Lamarre disagreed. Raeleigh smiled awkwardly. The engineer had the same awkward smile as well. ¡°I¡¯m not speaking against you. I¡¯ll be more concise. Otherwise, you¡¯d leave us¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no problem with her design at all. On the contrary, you¡¯ve been guiding her along differently. I¡¯m just very conflicted with what you¡¯re doing.¡±

    Jepherson suddenly said this coldly, and the atmosphere became chilly.

    The engineer paused for a moment and stared at him. Jepherson then took off his coat and handed it to Stuart. He unbuttoned his cuffs, then his cor, and handed his tie to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh held his tie, confused. ¡°Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?¡±

    After tidying himself up, Jepherson walked over to the car. He popped the hood and pointed at a specific part of the engine.

    ¡°The motor¡¯s position shouldn¡¯t be changed. The designer would have considered this when they did the design. Reserve some space here, so that if you want to increase or decrease the overall shape, then the rest will adjust respectively. Whether this turns out well or not, totally depends on the people making it. The very best masters in the business have said that the appearance of the car must be considered as the overall structure of the car, no matter what vehicle you design.¡±

    ¡°Miss Anson¡­¡±

    Jepherson motioned at her, and Raeleigh replied, ¡°Yes.¡±

    He nced at her inadvertently and he then asked, ¡°Did you skip that ss?¡±

    She was stunned¡­

    Skipping ss?

 Chapter 1247 Stella Doyle

    Raeleigh waster taken to Jepherson¡¯s office to be penalized. She stood there the whole morning and had been mulling about in her own thoughts.

    Jepherson was busy with his own business affairs.

    In fact, Raeleigh had always known that what the engineer had said was true. She realized that the construction team was very experienced. Although she didn¡¯t major in interior designing for cars, she was no less capable than the engineer, in theory.

    But why hadn¡¯t she refuted him? She wanted to appear modest to her superior in thepany.

    But all that got messed up by Jepherson.

    No one would dare to teach her anything then.

    After standing there for the entire morning, Raeleigh had almost gone numb. Jepherson was finally finished with his work and looked up at her. ¡°That lesson was quite a matter of fact. Do you understand what it means?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°So, even though you knew, you still listened to him?¡±

    ¡°I just feel that he had no ill intent. I will have to work with him in the future, and it wouldn¡¯t be good to offend him.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! So, you were thinking long-term.¡± Yet, it was fine to offend him?

    His face looked gloomy. He stood up and walked to the side of the room. He poured a ss of water for Raeleigh and said, ¡°You are the chief designer of the Richards Group. There is no need for you to learn anything from them. If you want to learn something, then I can teach you.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°But he¡¯s an engineer?¡±

    ¡°Do you need to see my engineering certificate?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head with a sad look.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back.¡±

    He turned around and looked at his watch. Raeleigh had just walked to the door when he stopped her. ¡°Have lunch with me.¡±

    This was an order. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t refuse.

    After saying yes, Raeleigh walked out of the office and went back to her own office.

    The day before, because of her, some people were let go. That morning, there was a lot of gossip in thepany. Right then, since Jepherson had offended the engineer, would she be able to do anything else in the future?

    Back at the door of her office, Raeleigh didn¡¯t notice when a woman passed by.

    Raeleigh stopped and looked at her. The woman looked at her with contempt and turned away.

    ording to their employee tag, she was a designer as well, but she hadn¡¯t noticed her before.

    There was no one else around her, so she didn¡¯t ask about it.

    After heading back to her office for some brief reflection, she apanied Jepherson to lunch that afternoon. Sheter learnt that her name was Ste. She was a designer who was forced to join the Richards Group.

    Raeleigh felt a sharp sting whenever she thought about Ste.

    How could she say it?

    When she introduced herself, she looked at everyone with a warm smile. It was her especially dignified, elegant posture and appearance which made countless people feel refreshed.

    She had graduated from overseas. Her family was rted to the Richards Family. It was known that her grandmother and Marissa were good friends.

    She came to the Richards Group for an internship, but she worked hard and was very sincere. As soon as she joined thepany, she was admired and loved by many people.

    Everyone talked about how good she was.

    But Raeleigh remembered that when she was at the entrance of thepany, she had hit her with force and had then quickly left.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t hear it at first, butter on, she learnt that she was a part of Ste¡¯s department and they shared a floor.

    ¡°There are several designers in ourpany. When Miss Doyle signed up, she filled in two names as her instructors. One was the vice president, and the other was Lamarre. Was Lamarre thinking about recruiting another student? The vice president must have something to do with this.¡±

    Someone suggested that. Raeleigh looked at Lamarre, who was drinking tea. He was the only person in the conference room who received such treatment.

    ¡°If Lamarre doesn¡¯t have time, then I can wait.¡± Ste smiled brilliantly and replied politely.

    Raeleigh felt like Ste had an appeal that attracted a lot of people. A smile could move people.

    The people in the conference room began to whisper to each other. Someone asked, ¡°All our supervisors have been leading other people. We have two. Is Lamarre¡­¡±

    ¡°I have something to do, so I¡¯ll be leaving.¡± Lamarre went to the door and left.

    Raeleigh looked embarrassed, while everyone looked at her.

    She couldn¡¯t stay any longer. She stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll go and look for Mr. Lee.¡±

    She left as well. Everyone in the conference room looked at Jepherson. Marissa called right after.

    ¡°Even if you keep up this act, I¡¯m already going to die as it is. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s gone on long enough? Your parents will be back the day after tomorrow, and I don¡¯t expect them toe home. Isn¡¯t two months enough?¡±

    Marissa was clearly referring to Ste. Jepherson knew exactly what she had in mind for Ste.

    They had met and yed together when they were children.Ste¡¯s temperament was still good.

    ¡°I know.¡± Jepherson hung up the phone, considered this for a moment, stood up, and said, ¡°I personally taught Miss Doyle about design, but¡­ not as a mentor, but only as a guide. If you need anything, thene to me. As long as I have time, I will help you. Wee to ourpany. I hope we can do good work together.¡±

    After Jepherson said that, he left. Ste smiled. She didn¡¯t get up, and the group of people around her were eager to talk to her.

    It wasn¡¯t until night time when Raeleigh learnt that Jepherson had taken Ste with him. The wholepany was talking about it. They also said that Ste had been sent by her grandmother, so she was treated much better than most.

    Instructors were masters, but guidance was a different thing altogether. Ste might marry into the Richards Family.

    Raeleigh stood outside thepany, while people nearby kept talking about it. She didn¡¯t think too much about it. She was looking forward to the new term.

    ¡°You see, there is a tiger eyeing you.¡± Lamarre stood aside and said nothing else.

    ¡°Come, let¡¯s go home.¡± Lamarre¡¯s car was in front of her. Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°No, my brother is picking me up.¡±

    ¡°Then, make a phone call and I¡¯ll take you home.¡±

    Before Raeleigh could make the call, Ste and Jepherson walked out of thepany. As soon as she came out, she looked around for someone. When she saw Raeleigh, she walked towards her immediately.

    ¡°This is Ste, the granddaughter of my grandmother¡¯s friend. We spent a lot of time together when we were little. You two have met before, Raeleigh.¡± Jepherson introduced her casually, but she didn¡¯t respond. Ste smiled and stretched out her hand towards Raeleigh. ¡°I heard Jepherson talk about you. I remembered that we met at the door of your office this morning. We identally bumped into each other. Nice to meet you. I am Ste.Please show me the ways of thispany.¡±

    Raeleigh thought about it for a while and gave her hand to Ste. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    Ste withdrew her hand and looked back at Jepherson. ¡°Jepherson, I¡¯ll wait for you in the car.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± he replied. Ste had already turned away and went to his car. Raeleigh watched her go as she left. She got the feeling that Ste wasn¡¯t such a simple person.

    Ste had taken the initiative to exin that they met that morning and had bumped into each other.

    Raeleigh clearly remembered that Ste had deliberately hit her and looked back at her with contempt. But she said that they had hit each other by ident. It meant that she wasn¡¯t deliberately distorting the facts.

    But just by looking at her, Jepherson believed her.

 Chapter 1248 People Who Werenâ€™t Easy to Send Away

    When they left, Lamarre also felt that he was in trouble. He was worried about Raeleigh and had put her down. He looked up and saw Xanthus getting out of the car. He excused himself, walked away, and then left.

    ¡°Ste was just like Deanna. Even though they had very different personalities, she was much more generous and wouldn¡¯t behave like Deanna¡­¡±

    It was rare for Jepherson to exin anything. Raeleigh didn¡¯t take it seriously and didn¡¯t want to say anything. Seeing Xanthus, she turned around and walked towards him. She touched her face and smiled. She didn¡¯t look back and followed Xanthus to the car. Xanthus didn¡¯t leave right away. Instead, he took a moment to look at Jepherson.

    When he got out of the car, he saw a woman walking to Jepherson¡¯s car. Stuart was very respectful towards this woman. There must be something going on that he didn¡¯t know about.

    Jepherson turned around and looked at them. Xanthus turned away and left.

    ¡°Ste is pretty good-looking, isn¡¯t she?¡± As he drove, Xanthus asked Raeleigh. Seeing that she wasn¡¯t taking him seriously, he asked again. Raeleigh sat beside him and replied absent-mindedly.

    Seeing that she did not want to talk, Xanthus stopped asking. He brought her to the market and prepared to cook a delicious meal that night as a treat for her.

    However, when they arrived, they couldn¡¯t find a ce to park. They kept looking for a parking spot. When they stopped to drive into a parking spot, another car did the same.

    When Raeleigh looked up, the car had already entered, but the car then came back out as soon as it entered.

    Raeleigh was confused. As soon as she saw the car, the window was wound down. Flynt greeted Raeleigh from inside the car.

    ¡°Go on. I¡¯ll find another spot.¡± After saying that, he drove away. Raeleigh looked at Xanthus.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Xanthus looked around. If he didn¡¯t go in, then he wouldn¡¯t know how long he would have to wait to find another spot.

    After parking their car, Raeleigh stepped out of the car. She closed the door and looked at Xanthus, who locked the car. They went towards the market together.

    She had nned to buy some of her favorite ingredients, but Raeleigh¡¯s wallet had been stolen again. It did not matter how much money she had in it, she still needed her certificate.

    Xanthus put down the dish and searched for the man who had just hit him. When he reached the door, he spotted the man. In his haste, Xanthus began to look for any security guards who were around, but the security guards failed to find him. Instead, they saw Flynt.

    ¡°Get him.¡± Xanthus pointed at the thief. Flynt also looked for the thief when he entered through the door. He reacted quickly and ran to stop the thief. Xanthus then surrounded the thief from behind. The thief was caught within a few minutes.

    Flynt grabbed the thief¡¯s cor and dragged him out. When he was about to call the police, the thief immediately knelt on the ground and begged him. ¡°I beg you, I have a family. If you want to turn me in, then I¡¯ll be done for. I¡¯m still in college.¡±

    Raeleigh ran out of the market and saw Flynt walking towards her. Xanthus was standing beside him and watched the whole scene unfold.

    ¡°You have a family at home, and you are still studying. You¡¯re probably not very good at your studies. If you studied well, then you won¡¯t be out here stealing things.¡±

    ¡°Your parents are still willing to help you study. If you don¡¯t study hard, then maybe it would be better for you to work at abor camp.¡±

    Flynt intended to call the police, but Raeleigh noticed this and stopped him.

    ¡°Forget it. Although he shouldn¡¯t be stealing things, stealing shouldn¡¯t result in capital punishment. It¡¯s better not to call the police. Just give me my wallet back. We won¡¯t call the police.¡±

    The thief took out the wallet and gave it to Raeleigh. After checking it, he finally let him go.

    Raeleigh went to see Flynt after the thief left. ¡°Thanks for the help.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus. ¡°Xanthus, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Xanthus turned towards the market. ¡°I¡¯ll go and get the vegetables back.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    After Xanthus left, Raeleigh looked at Flynt and said, ¡°Thank you. Without your help, we wouldn¡¯t have gotten his wallet back.¡±

    ¡°It was a piece of cake. No big deal.¡±

    Flynt looked around and said, ¡°I live nearby and wanted to buy some vegetables to cook for dinner. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here. If you have time, then we should have dinner. I haven¡¯t eaten anything for the past two days.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t eat for the past two days?¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was a little bit surprised that Flynt had moved here instead of running away.

    Raeleigh was cooking in the kitchen while Xanthus sat with Flynt in their house. The two had nothing to say and didn¡¯t look at each other.

    Raeleigh finished cooking in the kitchen and called them to have dinner. Flynt washed his hands and followed her to the dining table.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing special. Just a regr daily meal.¡±

    Raeleigh served the food and ced it on the table. Flynt held his cutlery. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. If I don¡¯t eat, then I will die pretty soon.¡±

    After saying that, Flynt ate ravenously, which stunned Raeleigh.

    After he almost finished his food, he nced at her and said, ¡°Haven¡¯t I seen you somewhere before?¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her head to eat her food. She had seen someone who looked even shabbier than Flynt, but why couldn¡¯t she remember?

    Xanthus went to clean up after dinner. He didn¡¯t like how crowded it was. The manor was very big and there weren¡¯t many servants around. Xanthus had been left alone at home since he was a child, so he preferred a quiet life.

    It was enough for Raeleigh and him.

    ¡°Are you together?¡± Flynt looked at Raeleigh, who was in the kitchen and finally asked. Xanthus shifted his eyes from the kitchen and back to Flynt.

    ¡°Even without me, you still won¡¯t be together. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any conflict between us.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Flynt stood up and said, ¡°Chasing after her is my own choice. To each their own.¡±

    After saying that, Flynt turned and walked towards the door. Xanthus stood up and looked at him. ¡°But she won¡¯t choose you.¡±

    Flynt stopped. ¡°That¡¯s my business and not yours. You just got here first.¡±

    ¡°But, I¡¯m not as lucky as you to take her away simply or have the right timing to capture her heart.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    After saying that, Flynt left. By the time Raeleigh came out of the kitchen, he was already gone.

    The brother and sister looked at one another as Raeleigh wiped her hands clean. Xanthus said, ¡°I think he¡¯s serious.¡±

    ¡°But it has nothing to do with me.¡± Raeleigh lowered her head and looked at her hands. When she was about to turn around, her cellphone rang.

    Raeleigh looked at her phone. It was Santiago.

    After taking her phone, Raeleigh went upstairs.

    Xanthus turned around and looked at the door. He walked towards it and watched Flynt leave. Although he was right, Flynt wasn¡¯t going to be easy to deal with.

 Chapter 1249 Not For Her

    ¡°It¡¯s so easy for you to call me. Are you just getting up at this hour?¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    ¡°I just got up at three o¡¯clock in the middle of the night. I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I called you. Don¡¯t you like it?¡± Santiago replied. Raeleigh began to undress. She drew back the curtains and turned around. She went to the bathroom and was ready to take a bath.

    ¡°Well, do you like it or not? Don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡± Whenever Raeleigh talked to Santiago, she was always rude. She regarded him as an outsider.

    Santiago began to prattle and speak a bunch of nonsense. She took off her clothes and got into the bathtub, all the while chatting with Santiago.

    ¡°Won¡¯t your phone bill be pretty expensive?¡± After a while, Santiago asked her this. Raeleigh told him, ¡°If you think so, then don¡¯t waste your time. I¡¯m going to sleep. Take care of yourself. I¡¯m hanging up!¡±

    Having said that, Raeleigh hung up the phone, put on her bathrobe, and tidied herself up. Then, she picked up her phone and went back into her room. When she saw the photo that Santiago had just sent, she burst outughing.

    She went back to bed and had a good night¡¯s rest.

    The next morning, Raeleigh went to work. As soon as she got out of the car, she saw Jepherson and Steing out of his car together.

    Raeleigh nodded at Jepherson as a form of greeting. Then, she turned around and walked towards thepany.

    ¡°Jepherson, did Raeleigh misunderstand you?¡±

    Once Raeleigh had left, Ste asked Jepherson this. He stared at Raeleigh. After Ste asked him this, he turned back to look at her.

    ¡°Raeleigh isn¡¯t like that.¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t want to exin it to her. That doesn¡¯t seem right. After all, we are going in and out together. Don¡¯t you want to exin it to her? I see that Madam Marissa has a deep grudge against her. She said a lot of things about Raeleigh in front of me. I think the biggest obstacle for you now is your grandmother.¡±

    ¡°I will exin this to Grandma. Let¡¯s go in.¡± He raised his hand and patted Ste on the shoulder, and he then took her into thepany.

    As the two of them walked in, rumors soon spread throughout thepany. Even though they ignored them, they were still in the know about a lot of things.

    In the afternoon, Jepherson called Raeleigh into his office. She stood up and went straight in. Even though she didn¡¯t want to go in, Jepherson was the boss. There was no reason for her not to.

    Raeleigh got up, put on her coat, and went towards the door. As soon as she stepped out, she saw Ste. Their eyes happened to meet.

    Seeing Raeleigh, Ste raised her hand towards her. ¡°Raeleigh, it¡¯s a pleasure to see you.¡±

    After saying that, Ste walked away with a smile. Raeleigh watched Ste enter the elevator. She deliberately slowed down because she didn¡¯t want to be with her there. She felt ufortable being in the elevator with her.

    When the elevator went up, Raeleigh saw the elevator arriving at the top floor. Then, she pressed the elevator button. When the elevator door opened, she went in and took the elevator to the top floor.

    She walked towards Jepherson¡¯s office and knocked on the door. He asked her toe in.

    She pushed the door open and went in. Ste was sitting beside him and looked at Raeleigh with a smile. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here?¡±

    Raeleigh moved her lips and had a smile on her face.

    She was good with people. After all, she was trained not to have a temper since she was a child. But Raeleigh couldn¡¯t simply smile in front of Ste for no reason.

    Jepherson stopped working when she didn¡¯t respond. He ced his hands together and looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m about the same age as Ste.In that case, she¡¯s like your sister-inw. You can regard her as your big sister.¡±

    Jepherson exined this with some concern. He was very worried that Raeleigh would misunderstand him.

    It was beneficial to exin this clearly.

    Raeleigh looked at him and asked, ¡°Is Mr. Richards talking about something else?¡±

    He froze for a moment and didn¡¯t respond at all. She was notorious for her stubbornness, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be this bad.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner together.¡±

    Jepherson looked at the time and Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t ept your invitation. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around, walked towards the door, opened it, and stepped out.

    Jepherson¡¯s face turned green. What a temper!

    Jepherson stood up and walked towards the door, intending to get Raeleigh back. When he reached the door, Ste cried out to him. Jepherson looked at her as she fainted on the couch.

    Raeleigh walked towards the elevator. Just as she entered, she heard Jepherson calling her to hold the elevator.

    She thought that Jepherson wanted to chase after her, so she quickly left.

    He held Ste in his arms until the elevator came. He then carried Ste into the elevator and ran off to take her to the hospital.

    Raeleigh heard that Ste had fallen ill when she had gone home and that Jepherson had carried her out.

    People in thepany talked about it non-stop, but Raeleigh ignored it. She neither wanted to care about it nor did she want to think about it.

    Initially, ever since she met Jepherson, her personality changed. Sometimes, she felt that her character had somehow be distorted.

    Now that they had broken up,and there was another person involved then, there was nothing wrong with that. At the very least, she could go back to her original self.

    Raeleigh walked out of thepany and was going to wait for Xanthus. At that time, Flynt walked towards her with his hands behind his back. Then, he walked towards her and took out a handful of roses.

    ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Never mind the surprise flowers, Flynt shoved them towards her and asked her if they were beautiful. She carefully looked at him. She had seen these flowers before, but that was the first time anyone had given them to her.

    ¡°They¡¯re really beautiful!¡±

    ¡°Hold them for me. I¡¯ll be back in a minute.¡± Raeleigh knew what his next move was. Although she didn¡¯t intend to y along, everyone was watching them. Flynt took out his phone and was about to make a call. Then, he turned around.

    Raeleigh lowered her head, trying to say that she didn¡¯t want them, but Flynt had loosened his grip and almost dropped the flowers. Raeleigh caught them by reflex.

    Then, Flynt went to his car and ced a phone call as he walked. Then, he talked to the person on the phone. Raeleigh was standing with the bouquet of roses in her hand like a fool. In the end, she walked over towards Flynt.

    When they got to the car, Flynt opened the door, turned around, and went around the front of the car. When he reached her side, he opened the door to the driver¡¯s seat, bent down, and got in.

    Raeleigh stood outside and bent down to look at Flynt. ¡°I¡¯ll put these flowers inside for you. I¡­¡±

    ¡°I need a favor from you. Someone is dying. I have to go.¡±

    After that, Flynt continued with his phone call, and Raeleigh froze. She thought no one would y such a joke on her in her whole life, so she got into the car without a moment¡¯s hesitation.

    Raeleigh got in the car and Flytn put his cell phone down. Then, he started the car and drove off. Raeleigh called Xanthus right away.

    ¡°Xan¡­¡±

    ¡°I saw the texts. Are you sure?¡± Raeleigh picked up the phone and Xanthus confirmed things with her before she could exin. Raeleigh looked at Flynt and said, ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll head back to prepare dinner. Remember toe back early. Be safe.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Raeleigh began to suspect that she was out of her mind as she had followed Flynt while she was in a daze. If something did happen, then it would be toote to regret it at that time. However¡­

    Raeleigh looked at Flynt. He wouldn¡¯t hurt her.

 Chapter 1250 She Doesnâ€™t Like it Either

    Soon, the car arrived at the gates of the nursing home. Flynt pushed the door open and got out, and Raeleigh got out as well.

    ¡°Flowers.¡± Flynt stepped out of the car and shouted at her. Raeleigh took the flowers and went in with Flynt. They soon arrived at the nursing home.

    When Raeleigh saw the woman in the sickbed, she knew that the flowers weren¡¯t for her.

    Raeleigh looked at the middle-aged woman. Her face looked pale and gaunt. It was obvious that she didn¡¯t have long in this world.

    Flynt took the flowers in Raeleigh¡¯s hand and said to her, ¡°Hattie, I¡¯ve bought these flowers for you. Have I done well?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Hattie couldn¡¯t speak anymore. She was so moved that tears flowed down her cheeks. She used her trembling hands to hold the flowers in her arms. Finally, she closed her eyes. She clutched the flowers in her hands, but people naturally could not bring themselves to face death. After she passed, the flowers fell to the ground.

    The doctor came over and told Flynt, ¡°She¡¯s gone.¡±

    Flynt avoided everyone¡¯s gaze. A single tear rolled down his face, and he then wiped his face. After that, he steeled himself and appeared unfazed.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t recognize her butter learnt that the person who died was his maid.

    Raeleigh wanted to go home, but he had been so busy while they were at the nursing home, and she had no way to go back. So, she waited until he had arranged things for the deceased.

    Flynt found a ce to drink alone. It was cold outside, so she was a little worried for him. She thought she must be sick. Otherwise, why would she take pity over people like Flynt?

    But when she saw Flynt drinking in the cold winter, she was still a little worried. She found a cotton-padded jacket and gave it to him.

    Flynt took onest sip of wine and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°I¡¯m not cold. At least, my body isn¡¯t, but my heart is freezing.¡±

    She looked at him without saying a word. Perhaps, it was meaningless to say anything right then.

    People like Flynt constantly wallowed in misery.

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t understand things, he just pretended to be confused.

    When the stars appeared at night, Flynt looked up at the starry sky and said to himself, ¡°Hattie was the one who took care of me when I was a child. Other people often think of me as cruel. I am very smart and I was born healthy.¡±

    ¡°But who knows of my past?¡±

    ¡°Hattie took care of me. When my mother would scold me, she would cry. At the time, she was still young. It seemed that every time I was beaten, her body would hurt as well.She wouldn¡¯t sleep just to keep mepany at night.¡±

    Save for my second sister, only Hattie really loved me.¡±

    ¡­

    Flynt turned around and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Hattie said that she envied others she knew who got proposed. Since she was ugly, no one liked her. When she was young, she fancied a driver who worked for our family. But the driver said that he felt sick whenever he saw her. Later, Hattie hid in the room and cried.¡±

    ¡°Hattie came here because she was ill, and the Moore family treated her well. They gave her arge sum of money and asked them to continue treating her. But her illness couldn¡¯t be cured. She called me and said that she wanted flowers, so I knew what had happened. Otherwise, they might have told me that she ran away from home because I was kidnapped.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°You were kidnapped?¡±

    Flynt looked at her. ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Forget it.¡±

    ¡°Who kidnapped you?¡± The only one Raeleigh could think of was Santiago. Otherwise, who else would be so bold?

    Flyntughed. ¡°Santiago only appears chaotic on the surface. The real Santiago isn¡¯t chaotic at all.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Who was it?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who it was. Let¡¯s go.¡± Flynt took his coat and put them away. Then, he walked towards his car. He waited for Raeleigh in the car and personally sent her back.

    Raeleigh got out of the car and turned towards Flynt. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for your loss about Hattie.¡±

    ¡°I know. Let¡¯s go inside, or else he¡¯ll get worried.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer and turned back towards the vi.

    Flynt watched Raeleigh go inside and then drove away until he left Xanthus¡¯s mansion.

    ¡°Since you and Jepherson have broken up, you have the right to choose your next partner. But I don¡¯t like Flynt.¡±

    Raeleighughed. ¡°I don¡¯t either.¡±

    The brother and sister walked about silently and ignored everything else.

    The next day, Xanthus sent Raeleigh to work as usual. However, as soon as she got out of the car, she saw Ste get out of Jepherson¡¯s car. Jepherson got out too.

    Stuart frowned. There was no way things could continue like this. His master was in trouble as that time.

    ¡°Young Madam Raeleigh.¡± As soon as he saw Raeleigh, Stuart greeted her. She corrected him immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that anymore. Stop joking around.¡±

    Stuart then left after nodding his head. Other people¡¯s business had nothing to do with him.

    When Raeleigh arrived at thepany, she went to look for Lamarre. After a while, Jepherson found him, and happened to meet him in thepany cafeteria.

    Raeleigh sat inside, while Lamarre and Raeleigh ate. When he saw her, she looked up and saw Jepherson walking towards her.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you for a very long time,¡± he said as he sat down. Ste followed behind him and also sat down.

    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Lee.¡± Ste greeted him as she sat down. Lamarre said with a smile, ¡°There¡¯s nothing good about this morning.¡±

    Ste was stunned for a moment but didn¡¯t say anything else. In a word, she was sensible.

    Jepherson looked dissatisfied. ¡°Mr. Lee, Ste meant no harm. She¡¯s just here for her internship.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯m already full.¡± Lamarre stood up and left. Raeleigh stood up and was about to follow him, but Jepherson stopped her. ¡°What the h*ll are you doing?¡±

    Raeleigh paused and turned to look at him. She nced at Ste and left without saying a word.

    She didn¡¯t want anything to do with this. She just wanted to finish her work and head back to school when it reopened. She was very eager to graduate from university and wanted to finally cancel the contract.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything, but Jepherson was particrly annoyed. He stood up and followed after her. Raeleigh followed Lamarre throughout the day. They had been very busy in the morning and wanted to continue their work in the afternoon. However, before Jepherson caught up to them, Raeleigh stopped him and dragged him all the way towards the stairs.

    Raeleigh wanted to call for help. Then, she realized that Jepherson was the boss of thepany and it was useless to call for security, so she shut up.

    Having followed Raeleigh, Jepherson lowered his head and whispered into her ear, ¡°What on Earth are you doing?¡±

    Jepherson sounded like a child who had made a mistake. He was aiming to please her. He held her hand and gently rubbed her fingers, trying not to hurt her.

    But Raeleigh just couldn¡¯t. She raised her hand to push her away. Jepherson¡¯s breathing became heavy.

 Chapter 1251 Iâ€™m Responsible For You

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Jepherson moved slowly, and his eyes stared into Raeleigh¡¯s bright and watery eyes. He positioned his lower body close to her. ¡°Don¡¯t you want me?¡±

    She blushed. ¡°Don¡¯t be like this. This is yourpany. This will look bad. You¡¯ll¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. If you want to, then I¡¯ll do anything for you.¡± He tilted his head and kissed her lips. He tightly pressed his lips together and pushed her shoulders back. He couldn¡¯t leave her alone. He lowered his head and kissed her again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, he had already taken advantage of the situation and parted her lips. She raised her hands to push him away. He then ced his hands on her waist and pressed against her body. There was no one else along the corridor and they were hidden from the security cameras. She couldn¡¯t struggle or shout. He used both his hands and feet to hold her down. It wasn¡¯t long before she gave up.

    ¡°Hurry up¡­ umm¡­¡±

    They kissed several times in a row, and Raeleigh tried to keep calm but she could barely breathe. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t do anything, let alone say anything.

    Jepherson licked his lower lip. She bit down on it.

    ¡°You bit me?¡±

    Heughed. She pursed her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t go too far. I¡¯vee back to do some work, not to get bullied by you. If you do, then I¡¯ll get awyer to file awsuit against you.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? I can¡¯t stay humble. Do I really have to kneel and beg you for it?¡± Jepherson said this andughed. Raeleigh was at a loss for words. ¡°When have I ever said that? I never said any of that.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you did, but if you did, then I would have already done so.¡± He kissed her again. It happened so suddenly that she barely caught her breath.

    He then took her to his office on the top floor. When they arrived, he immediately closed the door, picked Raeleigh up, and pressed her against the door.

    Raeleigh was wearing her work-suit. Jepherson wanted to take off her clothes. When he was about to make it, Raeleigh stopped him and said, ¡°Are you crazy?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Yes, he was crazy.

    No matter what she said to him, he only had one thing on his mind. He wanted to take her, right then.

    And so¡­

    Raeleigh was carried over from the door, towards the table, and then to the couch. Their passionate love-making reeked throughout the room. Raeleigh was so exhausted that she could barely think.

    Once he was done, Jepherson got up and put on his coat. He found another coat and covered her up with it. Raeleigh went to sleep while he dealt with his affairs.

    She didn¡¯t wake up for a couple of hours. When she did, it was already dark outside. Raeleigh opened her eyes and looked around the room. She remembered what had happened here.

    ¡°Are you awake?¡±

    Jepherson had been watching her since she woke up. But he was afraid that he might spook her, so he didn¡¯t say anything.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him. She didn¡¯t say anything. She just stared at him for a while.

    ¡°Did it hurt?¡± The corners of Jepherson¡¯s lips curled upwards as he asked this. She looked quite satisfied on the couch just then, which made him feel great.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. Her face was still red.

    She didn¡¯t get up because she was too tired, especially her body, which was a little sore and seemed to have bled a little.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you downstairster, and we¡¯ll go back to my ce tonight.¡± No one knew where this so-called ¡®ce¡¯ of Jepherson¡¯s was, but Raeleigh would never agree to go with him.

    ¡°I can move the date of the agreement forward between you and me so that you can return to Elkton University earlier.¡± She lowered his head. That was a very attractive offer, but she wasn¡¯t a prostitute.

    Raeleigh still hadn¡¯t stood up. After resting for a while, she finally did and tidied herself up. She intended to leave. Jepherson also stood up, and he then walked over to Raeleigh, bent down, and held her. ¡°I said you should stay with me tonight.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t we made it clear enough? I hope you understand that our rtionship is over. You can¡¯t just do whatever you want.¡±

    Raeleigh was a little confused at this. He stood at the door and looked down at Raeleigh. ¡°Let¡¯s go to your ce then.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s smooth voice made her unable to respond. There wasn¡¯t any way for her to decline his suggestion.

    ¡°Is there something wrong with your brain? I was referring to our rtionship, not which family you want to marry into.¡±

    She red at him.

    ¡°I need to be responsible for the woman who slept with me. We just slept together. Do you want me to find evidence for you?¡±

    ¡°You madman!¡±

    When Raeleigh moved to leave, he lowered his head to kiss her. The two of them pushed against the door in the office, but Raeleigh slipped and knocked her head against it. It hurt a lot and she had a bruise on her head.

    ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Raeleigh held her head. Jepherson took her hand and looked at her wound. The two of them finally calmed down.

    ¡­

    They looked at each other in silence.

    Raeleigh was very anxious. She did not know whether Xanthus knew about her situation. It was dark outside.

    Turning around, Raeleigh took out her cell phone and called him. Jepherson held her from behind. ¡°I know that the child we lost still pains you. Give me some time. I want to make it up to you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to do that. I think it was a good thing. We¡¯re not on the same page. There¡¯s no love between us.¡±

    Raeleigh dialed the number, but there was no answer. She gasped at Jepherson. Jephersonughed behind her, raised his hand, and pulled her cor open. He then leaned over and bit her shoulder. The more determined she was, the heavier his words felt. Raeleigh moaned.

    As he reached for her hand to push the cell phone away, suddenly Xanthus answered the call. Raeleigh blushed. Then, she said, ¡°I¡¯m about to head downstairs. Are you already there?¡±

    ¡°Jepherson called and said you two were together.¡±

    She understood what he meant and kept quiet.

    Pursing her lips, Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯m heading down right now.¡±

    Raeleigh then hung up the phone, turned around, and looked at Jepherson. ¡°How could you do this?¡±

    ¡°You were asleep. Xanthus called and I answered the phone to let him know. Isn¡¯t that the right thing to do?¡±

    He knew he was right as Raeleigh had nothing to say to that.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving, get out of my way.¡± Her eyes looked determined. Jepherson didn¡¯t want her to leave, but he didn¡¯t argue with her. He opened the door to see her out.

    After she entered the elevator, Raeleigh kept avoiding his gaze. At that point, it wasn¡¯t her fault. Earlier, she had no choice but to make the decision she did.

    They didn¡¯t want to deal with the fact that it was incest.

    But Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t forgive him. What he did previously had caused her to have a miscarriage.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    What was even more unforgivable was she hadn¡¯t exined it clearly to protect the child.

    As Raeleigh stood inside the elevator, she calmed down. She looked at him and finally opened her mouth.

    ¡°This was all a misunderstanding. Let¡¯s end it.¡±

    When the door of the elevators opened, Jepherson was stunned. Then, he followed her out and walked down to the hall. He followed behind her quickly. Jepherson pulled Raeleigh back towards the door but he wasn¡¯t able to stop her.

 Chapter 1252 Uncomfortable

    There was no need for Raeleigh to look for Xanthus when she walked out of the building. She nced over at him, who was waiting outside, and she then followed after him. Jepherson wasn¡¯t anxious but he followed her all the way to the car anyway. Raeleigh looked at Xanthus as she opened the car door. Jepherson stopped and looked at Raeleigh, who didn¡¯t look back at him. Then, he exined to Xanthus, ¡°Raeleigh fell asleep, and that¡¯s why she was still here sote.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best not to let such a thing happen again. I wouldn¡¯t want anything bad to happen to my family.¡±

    Xanthus didn¡¯t need to say much. He turned away, opened the door, and got in the car.

    Jepherson opened the door and sat in the car.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t think that he would get into the car. She had a surprised look on her face.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    ¡°My car broke down. I¡¯ll need to spend the night at your ce.¡± Jepherson insisted.

    ¡°Jepherson, you¡­¡±

    ¡°I am your boss, by the way.¡±

    Before Raeleigh could finish speaking, Jepherson was in her way again. She looked at Xanthus, who looked at Jepherson in the rearview mirror. He then started the car and drove away.

    Jepherson had left his coat in the office. He managed to take out his cell phone earlier and had asked Stuart to retrieve the coat. He put down his phone and looked at Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh stared at the scenery outside without saying a word. Exhausted, Jepherson leaned back against the car seat. He raised his head and narrowed his eyes as though he was sitting in his own car.

    Xanthus nced at Jepherson several times on their journey, and noticed that he had fallen asleep on the way.

    When they arrived at their destination, the car shook slightly. Jepherson opened his eyes and woke up.

    As he saw Raeleigh get out of the car, he also got off from the other side.

    Xanthus drove the car into the garage. When he came back, he had a bag of vegetables in his hand. Raeleigh knew that he would have gone shopping. So, she waited for him and helped carry some of the vegetables inside.

    When they entered the kitchen, Jepherson and Xanthus both called out, ¡°Are you here, Grandma?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here and I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Xanthus had nothing against Jepherson, but he was ufortable with his sudden change in attitude.

    As he entered through the door, Jepherson looked around the vi. He put on some slippers and went straight to the kitchen to help out. Raeleigh was too unconcerned to say anything. What was Jepherson nning to do?

    Well, Xanthus was in the kitchen, so he wouldn¡¯t do anything shameless.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh was cooking when Xanthus called for her.

    He turned around and looked at her. Xanthus said, ¡°Go and change out of your work attire and take a shower. I¡¯ll wake you up for dinnerter.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at herself and realized that she was still in her work attire.

    After she turned around and went back to her room, Jepherson turned around and followed her. Xanthus quickly stopped him.

    ¡°Please wait here, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Jepherson turned to look at Xanthus, who was cutting up the vegetables.

    ¡°Love isn¡¯t some kind of restraint you have over someone. If you love her, then you will take care of her like you would a younger sister, not by getting revenge.¡±

    Xanthus ced down the knife in his hand and looked at Jepherson. He spoke to him like an elder brother would.

    ¡°Do you believe that you two still belong to each other?¡±

    Jepherson frowned. ¡°I do love her.¡±

    ¡°But she is a living, breathing, human being.¡±

    Jepherson frowned deeply. He was extremely unhappy with Xanthus.

    ¡°When you should have treasured something, you didn¡¯t. After you¡¯ve lost it, all of a sudden you want it again. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t ept that. Not because you love her, but because you care too much.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Jepherson¡¯s handsome face turned grim. Xanthusughed. ¡°In fact, Raeleigh had made the same mistake as you before. But she was lucky that Santiago and I had stopped her, so that she didn¡¯t make such a huge mistake.¡±

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t. It still happened anyway.¡±

    ¡°The problem is that you reacted to this the same way Raeleigh did. You¡¯ve kept everything in your heart. You would rather face it alone than talk to us about it to solve it.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh was terrified. She was afraid that if something like this really happened, then she would go through the same pain again. Since it was you two, that¡¯s why she thought it would happen again.¡±

    ¡°Instead of being bound together in pain and suffering, we should just let this go and move on. We¡¯ll be better off this way.¡±

    ¡°Bullsh*t!¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson turned around and walked out. Xanthus walked out of the kitchen and was about to say something but Jepherson had already gone upstairs. He went to Raeleigh¡¯s room and knocked on the door.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯te out, so he waited. When she still hadn¡¯te out, he tried to open the door, but it was locked. So, he went back downstairs and into the kitchen.

    Xanthus was still cooking in the kitchen, and Jepherson looked around for something to do.

    ¡°Don¡¯t use that, she doesn¡¯t want to eat that tonight.¡±

    Jepherson had just found the beancurd. Before he could take it out, Xanthus stopped him. When he turned around, Xanthus said, ¡°Some things aren¡¯t set in stone.¡±

    Jepherson held the beancurd in his hand and proceeded to prepare it anyway, regardless of whether it tasted good or not.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯te down to have dinner. Only Xanthus and Jepherson were seated at the table.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t eat anything. He checked her door several times during the meal.

    After they had eaten, Jepherson didn¡¯t leave. He simply sat on the couch and waited for her toe down.

    ¡°When will you be leaving, Mr. Richards?¡±

    Jepherson looked up at Xanthus. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to.¡±

    ¡°This is my home.¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡±

    ¡­

    Xanthus felt that Jepherson was in need of a good spanking.

    Xanthus didn¡¯t want to start any trouble, so he went upstairs. Jepherson stayed downstairs and stayed up until midnight. He didn¡¯t leave until he received a call from Ste.

    Raeleigh heard that Marissa was admitted into the hospital because of a heart disease when she got up the next morning.

    Raeleigh was having her breakfast as she looked up at Xanthus. ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    ¡°Stuart came and told me earlier this morning. He left the house just after midnight.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t ask anything else. She was very happy to go to work that day and had a rare smile on her face.

    ¡°Anyway, Marissa is sick. My sister may be kind-hearted, but she still takes pleasure in the misfortune of others. It¡¯s because I know her so well, like a bitter rival, that I know she would have prepared for this. It makes me feel at ease.¡±

    Xanthus wore a smile on his face. He hadn¡¯t seen Raeleigh smile in the past few days, so naturally he had to take the chance to tease her.

    Raeleigh leaned against the side, reading a book. ¡°Everyone has their own path to travel on. Whatever happened between me and Jepherson was a huge misunderstanding. That¡¯s all over now. Suits us both better this way.¡±

    ¡°Then, why did youe back?¡±

    Raeleigh thought about it for a moment. ¡°To face it.¡±

    Xanthus slowly brought the car to a stop. ¡°If so, then I sincerely wish you the best.¡±

    Raeleigh got out of the car and walked into thepany building after Xanthus left.

    She thought that since Jepherson wasn¡¯t around that day, she could finally work in peace. She didn¡¯t expect to run into Ste just as she turned around.

 Chapter 1253 Theyâ€™re Not the Same

    Ste was standing at the entrance of thepany building. When she saw Raeleigh smiling, her eyes shed slyly. She turned around and walked into the building.

    Raeleigh stood outside for a while, pondering about some things. She then turned around and walked towards the road. As she was about to leave, Flynt stopped his car in front of her.

    ¡°Why, you¡¯ve just arrived at work and now you want to leave?¡± Flynt asked her this as he got out of his car.

    Raeleigh looked around. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Just passing by. I¡¯m on a job hunt.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re looking for a job?¡± Raeleigh was surprised to hear this.

    ¡°Yeah, what of it? Will you take care of me if I don¡¯t?¡± Laughing, Flynt then opened the door to the backseat of the car. ¡°Get in the car.¡±

    ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯ll take a cab.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a hassle to get a taxi. Just get in the car. I have somewhere to go. Help me out here.¡± After listening to him for a while, she decided to sit in the car.

    Flynt started the car and drove down a couple of roads.

    Raeleigh looked around from inside the car and asked,¡±Are you heading to the suburbs?¡±

    ¡°Nope, not the suburbs. I spotted a few car workshops just ahead. I wanted to check them out. Care toe with me? You could give me your input, maybe?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting into the business of car workshops?¡±

    ¡°Right, I¡¯ve met with several of these family owned workshops, and they¡¯ve all rejected me. Once I showed them my ID card, they all refused me on the spot,¡± Flynt said this while smiling. Raeleigh kept quiet.

    Flynt was always being looked down upon. It must have been very difficult for him to even try getting work. Never mind what others think of him, even his own family made it difficult for him.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go overseas? You¡¯ll have a better chance than here. Even if you¡¯d rather not work, you¡¯d still be able to develop new skills elsewhere.¡±

    Raeleigh said this in passing as she got out of the car.

    Flynt stepped out of the car and replied,¡±I don¡¯t want to leave this ce. There are people I care about here. Things won¡¯t be the same if I leave. People can¡¯t help being where they are sometimes. I want to pick myself up in the very ce I fell down. It¡¯s for my dignity¡¯s sake as a man.¡±

    Flynt strode past several car workshops. Raeleigh had trouble reconciling his earlier words with his character. She stood back and watched him.

    It was hard to tell whether he was telling the truth. Nevertheless, seeing him standing there, looking so depressed, she felt pity for him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Flynt turned around and looked at her. Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to leave. She then looked around and asked him,¡±Are you positive you want to do this?¡±

    ¡°I know how to fix cars.¡± After saying that, Flynt walked forward. She then asked,

    ¡°But I don¡¯t. I know nothing about business.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to run the business. I want you to see if the design of the ce is good.¡±

    Raeleigh was rooted to the spot for a moment before she then walked forward.

    When she opened the door, Flynt was asking thendlord about rent. He then talked about the size and the total square footage of the unit as well as it¡¯s other facilities. He asked a lot of questions. Raeleigh wasn¡¯t clear about the rental. She stood aside and kept quiet. Only when Flynt asked her about the design of the exterior did she dispense her opinion.

    Raeleigh felt a little tired after standing for the entire morning. When she got back into the car, her phone rang.

    It was Jepherson who was calling.

    She guessed that maybe he had already returned to thepany and hadn¡¯t seen her, and that was why he decided to call.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Where are you?¡± As expected, he got right to the point. She frowned. ¡°I¡¯m busy with some stuff outside.¡±

    ¡°Ste told me you left soon after you saw her, is that so?¡±

    ¡­¡­

    She breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°I forgot to ask for a day off today. That¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    After saying that, she hung up the phone. Flynt had juste back with some food when her phone started ringing again.

    He had just sat down in the car when he noticed that she was ignoring her phone. He asked,¡±Is it Jepherson?¡±

    She looked up at him and saw the hot, steaming bun in his hand. She took it and said,¡±I¡¯d really appreciate it if you butt out of this.¡±

    Smiling, he handed a cup of hot coffee to her. He then turned around and frowned.

    As Raeleigh was eating her bun, Jepherson sent her a text message exining things about Ste. He repeatedly mentioned that there wasn¡¯t anything going on between them. They were just friends, like brother and sister.

    But Raeleigh ignored them. She turned off her cell phone and spoke to Flynt for a while. They then went to two other workshops that afternoon and finally found a satisfactory car dealer.

    They agreed to settle the business for 200, 000 dors, but they needed to sign the agreement that afternoon. It seemed a little rash. 200, 000 dors was a cosmic amount for her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to chew on it?¡± she asked Flynt just as he was about to sign the contract. He shook his head and said,¡±This money was originally meant for my sister. I had a few good friends when I was abroad. I opened a workshop with them. I was responsible for post-sale maintenance and I also earned a little money.

    I also bought a house and nned to give it to my sister, but there¡¯s no chance of that now. I don¡¯t even know where she is. It¡¯s better to use the money now and return it to herter.¡±

    She felt that Flynt was ying the family card and using it to justify his decision, but it seemed like he had his mind set, so she didn¡¯t say anything.

    Flynt signed the contract and transferred the money. Everything happened so fast after that. Raeleigh had never seen someone manage things so quickly¡­

    She had seen how systematic and hardworking Jepherson was, but this was on a whole other level.

    Everyone wanted to be first. This also gave people the impression that Jepherson was capable.

    Flynt was different. Raeleigh could not see any of that in him, and all she saw was the unhappy expression on his face.

    At eight o¡¯clock that evening, Raeleigh called Xanthus to tell him that she would be home soon, to which he said he would wait for her.

    As she entered through the door, Xanthus stood up. He didn¡¯t expect that there would be another person with her. When he noticed that it was Flynt, his expression changed.

    Jepherson had called earlier, asking about Raeleigh, but he hadn¡¯t answered and had simply hung up the phone. He didn¡¯t think that anything bad had happened.

    ¡°What took you so long?¡±

    Xanthus went to prepare some food. Raeleigh changed into her slippers and followed him. The two of them talked about their day in the kitchen.

    Xanthus fiddled with the dishes and said to her,¡±I¡¯ll only allow this once. Don¡¯te back thiste again. I¡¯m setting the curfew at six o¡¯clock.¡±

    Raeleigh felt amused as she noticed that her brother was about to lose his temper.

    ¡°I know,¡± Raeleigh said as she walked behind him. Xanthus turned towards her and said,¡±The Moore family is very different from the Richards family. They¡¯re not the same people.¡±

    ¡°I know that you are worried, and I am too, but¡­ sometimes I like to believe that people can change. Not to mention¡­¡±

    Raeleigh smiled cunningly. Xanthus said,¡±A horse is a horse, they can¡¯t be a human being.¡±

    ¡°If you like that horse enough, you will turn a blind eye to its mistakes. I think¡­¡±

    Raeleigh smiled. ¡°I rest my case. I¡¯ll get going now.¡±

    After she said that, she left and ced the te on the rack. Xanthus watched her leave and thought of Cynthia: ¡°I wonder how she¡¯s doing right now?¡±

 Chapter 1254 Confirmed

    Flynt left after having dinner at Raeleigh¡¯s ce. It was already ten o¡¯clock when he left. Raeleigh sent him off. As he left her ce, he was getting ready to leave. When she turned around, she felt that there was something wrong with the direction of the headlights behind her. She turned around. Jepherson¡¯s car was at the door.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Jepherson, who was getting out of the car.He was dressed in ck. The weather was cold, yet it looked like he was burning with rage, with a ferocious gaze.

    Raeleigh turned towards Flynt.

    He arrived the moment Flynt took off.He wondered if he was waiting outside for her that early in the morning.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Jepherson walked towards Raeleigh and reached out to pull her closer. She put her hands behind her back to escape his grasp. She turned around and was about to leave, but he dragged her back to his car.

    Raeleigh struggled, but she was forced into the car. The door mmed shut and the car drove off quickly.

    Xanthus came out and spotted his sister being taken away. He drove back and called Jepherson.

    ¡°I¡¯m taking Raeleigh back to my ce. She¡¯ll be fine.¡± Jepherson hung up the phone and looked at Raeleigh with a sour expression on his face.

    Raeleigh was seated next to Jepherson and couldn¡¯t get out of the car even if she wanted to.

    ¡°You can¡¯t do this. I¡¯m not your ve.¡±

    ¡°Well, I am.¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes burned with anger. How long had he been away?

    Raeleigh noticed that he was in a rage, so she didn¡¯t say anything.

    The car soon fell quiet, and Raeleigh simply stared at the scenery outside. Then, their eyes met. She remembered when they first met, Jepherson looked into her eyes and gradually calmed down.

    This was simr to ¡®Dancer In The Dark¡¯. They had met inadvertently, but they then crossed paths with each other so often, and were then separated due to their differences.

    He hoped that the both of them would turn out fine.

    Raeleigh looked at his handsome face. She thought to herself that Jepherson was really good-looking and she really liked him very much. She had been fascinated by him so many times before.

    But that would be thest time she would look at him this way and wanted to see him clearly.

    People often said that the clearer one remembered something, the easier it would be to forget them. Raeleigh suddenly thought of an idea. She remembered it clearly.

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson¡¯s cold and insidious face that had anger rising in his eyes.

    He clenched his teeth and balled his fists.

    Raeleigh stared at her. A few minutester, he asked her, ¡°Can I have you?¡±

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡±

    She then turned to look outside and said nothing until the car stopped at their destination. Jepherson then took her out of the car.

    There were a few people standing outside of the manor. They were waiting for Jepherson that early in the morning.

    Earlier that morning, Jepherson was at the hospital. He followed Marissa back to Richards Manor. When he arrived at the gates, he left. Marissa was so angry that she ordered her staff to wait for him at the gate, so that he would go to the Ink Garden when he returned.

    As he got out of the car and nced at the people at the door, they bowed their heads, one after another. ¡°Is the young master going to attend to thedy?¡±

    ¡°Stuart, take her inside.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Stuart went upstairs and brought Raeleigh inside. Raeleigh was not allowed to walk through the Green Jade Garden, so she had to follow him.

    Arriving at the Green Jade Garden, she was brought into the same room she lived in previously. When she walked in, Stuart said, ¡°Miss Anson, the young master¡¯s temper isn¡¯t targeted at you, but rather, towards himself. Previously, when you miscarried and the young master was in great pain, he had locked himself away and disappeared. He was in such great pain.¡±

    Raeleigh looked around the room. She had heard everything Stuart said, but she pretended not to have heard anything and kept silent.

    Noticing that she didn¡¯t react to the news, he promptly left.

    After the door was closed, Raeleigh went to lie down on the bed. Regardless of what would happen next, she had to get some rest. It was just past midnight, so it was meaningless to continue struggling. She couldn¡¯t escape by crawling out of the window, so she decided to stay and wait.

    Raeleigh crawled into the quilt and fell asleep not long after.

    ¡­

    Marissa was waiting for Jepherson to return. When she heard himing inside, she opened her eyes. Ste also woke up in a daze.

    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Marissa raised her eyebrows and looked at the door. Jepherson had returned as expected, and he stepped into the room.

    ¡°Grandma.¡± Jepherson greeted her as soon as he got home. She frowned and said, ¡°So, you still see me as your Grandma. Where were you? It¡¯s sote and you disappeared just as soon as you returned. Do you believe that as long as I¡¯m alive, you can behave like this?¡±

    Marissa didn¡¯t look happy as soon as he came up. She knew exactly what he was going to do.

    She didn¡¯t want to bother about anything Jepherson did outside, at first. In two days¡¯ time, her son and daughter-inw would be home. By then, he would have to exin things properly. This couldn¡¯t wait until then.

    With Raeleigh here, Jepherson felt a nagging feeling in his heart. He couldn¡¯t rest at home at all.

    He had juste back and had then run away without even entering through the door.

    Was this still his home?

    His face fell after he was asked this question. He quickly said, ¡°I still have something to do. I¡¯ll be going now.¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Turning around, Jepherson wanted to see Raeleigh. Marissa tapped the table heavily. Jepherson stopped in his tracks.

    ¡°You¡¯re rebelling. Even your parents wouldn¡¯t dare to do this to me. This woman called Raeleigh, is pissing me off. Didn¡¯t you hear what she said? Are you going to piss me off?¡±

    Marissa trembled in anger. Jepherson replied without even turning around to look at her, ¡°I love her. No one can stop me from loving her.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ you ungrateful child¡­¡± She mmed the table with all her might. Jepherson was nning to leave but a crowd of people suddenly rushed over to her and called out to her. When he turned around, she had already fainted.

    Ste was the first to rush over. She held her hand and checked her pulse. She was still alive.

    Marissa eventually woke up. She red at Jepherson and said, ¡°Do you want me to die? Why did youe back? You can leave. I loved you for nothing. You are such an ungrateful son. You¡¯ve forgotten how much I¡¯ve done for you when you were young. You¡¯ve forgotten how much I¡¯ve cared for you when you were sick.¡±

    She sobbed as she spoke. Seeing her cry like this, Jepherson stayed.

    Ste held her hand and said, ¡°Grandma, our children, and grandchildren have found their own happiness. Why do you have to do this? Jepherson has grown up and has his own life. Why would he be controlled by other people? Grandma, I believe you¡¯re open to this.¡±

    Ste had good intentions, but Marissa snorted. ¡°Grandma? I am very open-minded. Otherwise, you would have been a daughter-inw of the Richards family by now.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, what are you talking about? Jepherson and I aren¡¯t the same kind of people. We are like brother and sister.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Marissa snorted coldly and ignored her, and she had no more doubts. She could see right through Ste.

    Jepherson sat aside and kept quiet. He remained unmoved regardless of whatever Marissa said.

    There was only one woman who could be his wife. Her name was Raeleigh Anson and no one could rece her.

 Chapter 1255 To Love or

    Raeleigh slept all night. She woke up at dawn, but it was actually already seven o¡¯clock since it was winter.

    Raeleigh usually got up at six o¡¯clock, but she didn¡¯t get up until seven o¡¯clock that day because she sleptte the day before.

    She had everything she needed in the room. Raeleigh stood up and took a bath. Then, she opened the door and walked out.

    When Stuart saw her, he walked over and told her, ¡°Last night, Madam Marissa fainted because of a fit of anxiety. The young master didn¡¯te over because of this. He told me to inform you about this, Young Madam Raeleigh, since it was quitetest night to inform you about it.¡±

    ¡°Stuart, I¡¯m not some young madam. Don¡¯t call me that anymore.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ I understand.¡±

    He¡¯ll try his best.

    ¡°I¡¯m going home now. I¡¯ve already called for a car. It should be here soon¡­¡±

    ¡°The young master wille to see youter. It¡¯s the weekend, so he intends for you to stay here in the Green Jade Garden.¡±

    ¡°What if I insist on leaving?¡±

    Raeleigh had a nk face and was relieved. This had nothing to do with Stuart. It was useless getting angry.

    ¡°The young master isn¡¯t malicious.¡±

    Regardless, things were going well for Jepherson. Raeleigh stopped talking and simply turned around to sit down.

    Someone soon brought some breakfast for Raeleigh. She watched TV for a while after eating her breakfast and she then called Xanthus. After that, Jepherson finally showed up.

    When she saw him, she put down the remote control in her hand and turned off the TV.

    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Jepherson asked as soon as he entered. He then began to change his shoes and clothes. He was exhausted.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Raeleigh replied curtly. He walked over and sat down beside her. Heid his head down on herp and sighed in relief.

    He stared into Raeleigh¡¯s bottomless eyes as she lowered her head. All of this happened so suddenly, and she didn¡¯t have time to respond. He had a smile on his face as he said, ¡°There¡¯s really nothing between me and Ste.¡±

    Raeleigh froze. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t want to know anything about you.¡±

    ¡°But your eyes say otherwise. You look sad and distressed.¡±

    He raised his hand to pull his cor up and moved up a little. He rolled up his sleeves and said, ¡°Put your clothes on. It¡¯s a little cold here.¡±

    Raeleigh nced to the side. There was a coat on the other side of the room. She took the coat with her hand and covered herself up. She wanted to continue watching TV.

    ¡°I have a headache,¡± Jepherson said faintly.

    Raeleigh pondered this for a moment and raised her hand to massage his neck. Jepherson eventually fell asleep. He was breathing heavily.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    When he fell asleep, Raeleigh thought of leaving. However, his head moved a couple of times whenever she tried to move.

    Then, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±

    After that, he continued to rest on herp.

    Raeleigh leaned back against the couch. She had nothing to do and couldn¡¯t leave, so she could only stare nkly at the TV.

    Jepherson slept throughout the entire day and woke up in the evening. She called his name constantly to wake him up.

    ¡°Young Master Richards, Madam Marissa has asked you to have dinner with her. Miss Doyle is also waiting outside.¡± Stuart wasn¡¯t expecting Ste to find her way here.

    ¡°Tell her that I¡¯m tired and that I¡¯m sleeping. Don¡¯t disturb me if it isn¡¯t urgent.¡± Jepherson dismissed Ste¡¯s request. He got up only after Ste had left.

    Stuart went towards the door. Jepherson asked his staff to buy some ingredients and went to the kitchen to cook for Raeleigh.

    She couldn¡¯t escape from this ce. He wanted her to apany him in the kitchen.

    ¡°Chop the basil for me. Be careful with that.¡± Jepherson was hungry, and Raeleigh could tell. But she didn¡¯t expect him to have cooked an entire bowl of pasta.

    Raeleigh was also very hungry and could onlycooperatereluctantly.

    After chopping up the basil, Raeleigh handed it to Jepherson. He prepared the pasta and mixed both of them in a bowl.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the pasta but she didn¡¯t move. He then handed the bowl to her.

    ¡°Try it.¡±

    Raeleigh served herself a bowl of pasta. She then turned around and sat down. She was entirely focused on her meal.

    It really was tastier than the ones she could buy outside. This was as good as something a five-star hotel chef would make.

    Raeleigh considered breaking up with Jepherson while she ate. Should shee up with a n or should she just ignore him?

    Things would eventually fade away after enough time went by.

    ¡°After I¡¯m done with these noodles, we¡¯ll put the past behind us. Just wait, you¡¯ll be my wife soon. I¡¯ll announce our wedding soon.¡±

    Jepherson said this after finishing up his pasta. Raeleigh was shocked.

    ¡°I never said I¡¯d marry you. We broke up.¡±

    ¡°This has nothing to do with me wanting to marry you, and I¡¯m not asking.¡±

    ¡°You barbarian.¡±

    Raeleigh had never seen a barbarian like him. Her eyes burned like torches.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone, but I can¡¯t lose you either,¡± Jepherson spoke faintly, but it didn¡¯t sound mild, instead it had a determined tone. When people looked at his face, they would feel a sense of prestige instead of rage.

    Raeleigh was already unhappy, but right then, she was even more so. However, she didn¡¯t say anything and simply stared at him. She lowered her head and ate some more pasta. Then, she stood up and washed the dishes.

    The both of them had nothing more to say, but wherever she went, Jepherson followed.

    After dinner, it was dark and Raeleigh was ready to head home.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for me to go home. I had ns this weekend. It¡¯s your fault that you imprisoned me here against my will. I think it¡¯s time for you to take me home.¡± Raeleigh wasn¡¯t angry anymore. They were talking again.

    Jepherson however, was still adamant.

    Looking at her, he realized that it was getting dark outside.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to go back.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not up to you. I have to go back.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    His eyes burned as he approached her. Raeleigh felt a sense of danger and took two steps back. He continued his advance and wanted to get even closer. She felt oppressed by his heavy breath and had to put her hands up to stop him. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer.¡±

    ¡°Who do you think you are?¡±

    As soon as Jepherson said that, his huge figure had already pressed Raeleigh¡¯s small body against the wall.

    Raeleigh raised her hand to push him away, but he didn¡¯t move at all. Instead, the corners of his mouth curved up into a seductive smile.

    Raeleigh gulped. She could sense that his body was brimming with danger, which made her own body tense up.

    ¡°Jepherson¡­ You¡¯re just too much. Love is given freely, but you¡¯ve forced me to do it with you. Do you think that¡¯s the right way to do this?¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t help it. You¡¯ve always avoided me. How can I ept that?¡± Jepherson ced his hands on her waist. He looked at her with doleful eyes. An evil smile spread across his face. Seeing this, Raeleigh¡¯s heart beat faster and she grew worried.

    Raeleigh thought about this for a while and said, ¡°So, if I did it willingly, then you won¡¯t force me into it?¡±

    ¡°If things have truly run its course, then naturally I would let go, but we love each other, and you love me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t love you.¡±

    Raeleigh denied it immediately. He sneered. ¡°Do you intend to test my patience?¡±

    She took a deep breath. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You answered so quickly. You said you didn¡¯t love me.¡±

    He gritted his teeth and red at her. He lowered his head and kissed her very gently.

 Chapter 1256 Stella Is Hospitalized

    Raeleigh resisted, but¡­

    Faced with a man like Jepherson, resistance was futile.

    So, in the end, he still got his wish and they remained as a couple. He even deepened his kiss and urgently pestered her.

    Raeleigh doubted whether it was true that everyone in the world behaved like this. As long as a man had savage desires, the woman would give in eventually.

    She didn¡¯t know if others were safe from this, but in her case, she wasn¡¯t.

    Although she deeply hated her weak character, she calmed down after Jepherson kissed her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk. We didn¡¯t have a good look aroundst time. Let¡¯s do that tonight.¡± After saying that, he took her outside. She stared at the bright moonlight for a few minutes when she stepped out. Then, she called Xanthus and exined the situation.

    ¡°I¡¯lle and pick you up.¡±

    Xanthus hung up right after and Raeleigh sent him a grateful message.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    But in the very next moment, the phone in her hand had been snatched away. Jepherson had taken the phone as his own.

    He answered the phone and said, ¡°Raeleigh can leave, but I have something to tell her right now. I¡¯ll call you in ten minutes.¡±

    After that, he hung up the phone.

    ¡°What did you want to say?¡±

    Raeleigh was about to get angry. Faced with his constant harassment, anyone else would have copsed by then. Raeleigh thought she just might soon.

    ¡°You siblings don¡¯t want other people to know.¡± His tone was calm and carefree, which made herugh. Suddenly, she understood. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t stop threatening you. I just can¡¯t help it.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°I think you are just way too much.¡±

    ¡°If you want to leave, then I won¡¯t stop you. Don¡¯t worry about anything I said.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and looked away. ¡°If you promise to stay with me and give me another chance, then I¡¯ll promise to keep it a secret. Otherwise¡­¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to pounce on him and kick him around. She knew that he might not actually do that. After all, she didn¡¯t think of him as a despicable person, having known him for so long. But in the face of love, especially those who were overwhelmed by love, who knew what he might do?

    Raeleigh was silent for a moment. ¡°I promised to stay with you, but I will only do so for three months. If I still can¡¯t forgive you after these three months, then we¡¯ll break up for real.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± The corners of Jepherson¡¯s lips curled up into a smile. He wiped the end of his sleeve. He was in a much better mood.

    He raised his hands for a stretch, and he then turned around to look at Raeleigh. ¡°Call your brother and tell him to stay here tonight.¡±

    ¡°I want to go home tonight.¡±

    ¡°You are my girlfriend.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh fell silent and followed them out. Jepherson pulled her back into his arms. ¡°What are you doing? Are you going to break your promise already?¡±

    ¡°I never regret what I¡¯ve promised.¡± Raeleigh stared at him with profound eyes.

    Jepherson¡¯s lips curled up into a smile. ¡°Then, are you bringing me back with you?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Raeleigh rolled her eyes and pushed him away.

    Jepherson hugged her. ¡°My Grandma is in poor health. I want to stay and keep an eye on her. I can¡¯t go back with you.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go back by myself.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes looked deep. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you out.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer.He thought that it was alright to send her away, as she had promised to be with him for the next three months.

    Raeleigh remained indifferent to him. He released her from his hug. He then held her hand, and walked towards the courtyard of the Green Jade Garden. When they stepped out of the door, her car was ready, so he took Raeleigh towards the car and held her the entire way there.

    Raeleigh tried to move away, but he held her close, as though they were joined in the hip.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t understand what his n was. In her view, this was just a meaningless attempt, as they¡¯d break up sooner orter.

    Like a pair of mismatched shoes, when forced into a rtionship she didn¡¯t want to be in, it would never work out. Even if she did care about it, it still wouldn¡¯t work as she couldn¡¯t stand him.

    But Jepherson didn¡¯t seem to understand this, so much so thatfrom the beginning to the end, he would be a constant annoyance.

    When the car arrived at the entrance of the residence, Stuart got out of the car and opened the door. Raeleigh made her way to the car. Only then did Jepherson finally let go of her.

    Looking at her, Jepherson asked, ¡°Are you leaving just like that?¡±

    ¡°What then? Did you expect me toe down and have some coffee?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t think that she should say anything else. What else could she say to someone like him?

    ¡°Coffee?¡±

    Jepherson wanted tough. It was such a blessing to meet a woman like her who had cultivated such a personality.

    ¡°Stuart, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Stuart closed the door, turned around, and bowed towards Raeleigh before she left.

    After Raeleigh finally got far away from the building, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned back.

    There was no one at the front door. Raeleigh was about to make a phone call when a car drove over to her. Raeleigh looked at it carefully. It was Xanthus¡¯s car.

    The door opened and Xanthus drove the car close to her. Both of them went back to the vi together.

    Raeleigh neither brought up Jepherson¡¯s threat, nor did she want Xanthus to worry about her. She just said that she would give him another chance.

    ¡°I don¡¯t object to that, but you have to take good care of yourself. I can¡¯t watch out for you all the time.¡±

    Xanthus missed the days when Santiago was still around. At the time, her safety was guaranteed and she wouldn¡¯t be threatened like she was then.

    After a day of rest, Raeleigh went to thepany. Xanthus dropped her off at thepany as usual. When he arrived, he watched her go in and then left.

    Raeleigh stepped into the building. As she walked into the elevator, Ste walked in from the entrance and greeted her with a smile.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t respond. She turned around and looked at the elevator. They worked on the same floor. It was inevitable for them to arrive and leave at the same time.

    As the elevator went up, Ste took the initiative to say, ¡°Grandma is ill. Jepherson is taking care of her at home.¡±

    It was just the two of them in the elevator. Raeleigh knew that Ste was talking to her, but she didn¡¯t respond. When the elevator doors opened, she stepped out first. Ste reached out as though she wanted to pull her back, but what happened waspletely not what she had expected. She fell down in the elevator.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Ste eximed. Having found the monitor of the elevator, she picked up the walkie-talkie and asked the security guard toe up.

    Raeleigh turned around and watched Ste slowly pick herself up. She mbered up and leaned to one side of the elevator. She was crying. She looked so pitiful, like a rose that was about to wither away.

    Raeleigh looked at her. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Ste shook her head, as if to say that she was fine. Raeleigh thought that since she was fine and didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with Ste, she should just leave.

    Raeleigh turned around and walked away, leaving Ste alone.

    Because of this, Ste was admitted into the hospital. Everyone in thepany talked about her and started spreading rumors about her and Raeleigh.

    ¡°What¡¯s worse is that she doesn¡¯t have anything to herself and wants to be rich. She¡¯s worried that Jepherson will find a new lover and make things difficult for her¡­¡±

    Raeleigh heard all this while she was in the restroom. She was already done with work for the day. When she stepped out, everyone rolled their eyes at her and left.

    Raeleigh washed her hands and left the bathroom. She was hit by someone when she stepped out.

    Raeleigh looked around and realized that it was a female colleague from the design department. She was about thirty years old. She didn¡¯t know who she was, but she didn¡¯t understand why she would bump into her!

 Chapter 1257 Now That Iâ€™m Here, No One Can Touch Her

    Knowing that Ste was in the hospital, Marissa rushed over. Deanna was already dead in the water as it is, as the Richards family wouldn¡¯t ept someone like her.

    Raeleigh was even more unreliable. She did absolutely nothing. Her reputation was already in tatters, and yet she strutted around like nothing had happened. Didn¡¯t she say that she¡¯d never agree to marry?

    When she arrived at the hospital, she rushed towards Ste¡¯s ward. At first, she was in tears as she opened the door. After she asked around, she found out that this had involved Raeleigh somehow.

    ¡°That little b*tch, she actually¡­¡±

    While Marissa was talking to herself, Jepherson stepped out of the bathroom and stared at her with an even gloomier look on his face. ¡°Grandma, you¡¯d better be careful with what you say.¡±

    ¡°How dare you talk to me like this?¡± She sat on the bed with a sullen face. She often disregarded any mention of Raeleigh, but she couldn¡¯t help getting angry at the very mention of her name. She had never met such a shameless person like Raeleigh in her life. She had stalked her and constantly sought ways to get into her home.

    A mongrel was way worse than a dog that didn¡¯t do as they were told.

    ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you to watch your manners when you speak.¡±

    ¡°Humph, you¡¯ve no need to.¡±

    Marissa was breathing heavily. It became harder to breathe as she got older. She would often struggle to do so whenever she got upset.

    This saddened Jepherson. He got up, walked over, and poured a ss of water for her.

    She was furious. She raised her head and looked at him. Without saying anything, she tossed the water that Jepherson had poured for her to the ground.

    Jepherson¡¯s hand was scalded by the hot water. Ste called out, ¡°Your hand, Jepherson your hand.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better if I died. I don¡¯t want such a grandson in my life.¡±

    Stuart went to call the doctor over. He approached the doctor right away. The doctor quickly went over to Jepherson and checked his hand. This had to be dealt with immediately.

    Jepherson was a man, but he had been spoiled ever since he was a child. His skin was delicate, even more than a woman¡¯s.

    A ss of hot water had spilled on his hand when Marissa pushed it away.

    Jepherson sat on the bed motionlessly with a nk look on his face. Marissa still wasn¡¯t over it however and didn¡¯t feel any remorse at all.

    Ste felt sad and she then burst into tears.

    He felt much better after being treated by the doctor. At the very least, it didn¡¯t hurt anymore.

    But everything else was still there.

    Stuart left, and the ward fell quiet. Marissa looked coldly at Jepherson. ¡°You¡¯d better have a change of heart soon. I¡¯m warning you until I¡¯m good and dead, you¡¯ll never walk through those doors.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a poisonous scorpion, and she¡¯ll never stop with Ste.¡±

    Marissa trembled with anger, but Jepherson didn¡¯t say a word.

    Looking down at his bandaged hand, he then looked at Ste and said, ¡°Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t do that.¡±

    Ste was stunned for a moment. ¡°It wasn¡¯t Raeleigh. I identally fell as I chased after her, and then I stumbled and fell down.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there a video recording? Show me the video. What really happened?¡± Marissa wouldn¡¯t let the matter go until she had proof to nail Raeleigh down for good.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Jepherson refused without any hesitation. Marissaughed. ¡°What are you afraid of? Scared to look at her ugly face?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s ck eyes grew deeper. A chill ran down his spine. Even Marissa had never seen such anger from him before.

    However, Marissa was a grandmother, and her son¡¯s wife listened to her. Jenna had never gone against her in all these years. She treated her like her own mother. She didn¡¯t believe that it was impossible to subdue Raeleigh.

    ¡°In my eyes, Raeleigh has always been beautiful. Both as a person and in her heart. But everyone has an ugly side. Even then, I will still ept her.¡±

    What¡¯s more, I¡¯ve already seen much uglier faces in my life. What is there for me to be afraid of?¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s watch the video then. See how ugly she is for yourself.¡±

    For Marissa, this matter won¡¯t end until the fatdy sang.

    Jepherson looked at her. ¡°Whether it was Raeleigh¡¯s fault or not, I¡¯ll deal with it. Now that I¡¯m here, no one can touch her. Even if she is in the wrong, she must have done it for me because she cares about me.¡±

    He stood up. Marissa¡¯s entire body trembled. ¡°You¡­ what did you say?¡±

    She red at him angrily. He turned around to face her. ¡°I said, without my express permission, no one is allowed to touch her. Whoever does so, I will end them. No exceptions.¡±

    After saying that, he pushed the door open. With a thud, he turned around and walked away.

    Marissa was so angry that she almost fainted. Ste, who was lying on the bed, frowned and looked at her. ¡°Grandma, you don¡¯t have to do that. There is nothing wrong with Jepherson and Raeleigh. I think¡­¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You¡¯re being silly. If they really are good for each other, then why would you still be so disagreeable? Besides, who could ever be better than you?¡± Marissa held Ste¡¯s hand. ¡°Why are you being so silly? What do you think of me, I wonder?¡±

    Ste sighed. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand why you want us to be together. You had the same treatment too. Now, you¡¯re like this too?¡±

    ¡°Does your grandmother also think the same?¡± Marissa was happy to hear that.

    Ste¡¯s face turned red. After thinking about it, she said, ¡°Grandma said that it would be good if the two families coulde together by marriage, but unfortunately¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s unfortunate?¡±

    Marissa was puzzled. Ste smiled and said, ¡°Two birds forced to live in a cage wouldn¡¯t be as happy as those that are free.¡±

    ¡°How is this forced?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t love Jepherson, and he doesn¡¯t love me either. Isn¡¯t that forced?¡± Steughed.

    Marissa exined, ¡°You feel this way because you¡¯re not being sensible. Look around, who else canpare to you when you¡¯re with Jepherson?¡±

    Ste thought about this for a moment and said, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°But Raeleigh and Jepherson are a couple, and I don¡¯t love Jepherson. I¡¯ve always thought of him as my brother.¡±

    Ste had made her position clear.

    Marissa nced at her with some reluctance. ¡°Raeleigh is safe, for now, but you are still you. I don¡¯t approve of them. Even without you around, I won¡¯t allow them to be together. Tell me what happened. Did Raeleigh frame you?¡±

    Ste considered it but was still afraid. She shook her head.

    Marissa slowly stood up. ¡°If you won¡¯t say it, then I¡¯ll have to find out for myself. I will head to thepany to investigate this matter.¡±

    ¡°No, Marissa, please don¡¯t¡­¡±

    Ste pulled on Marissa¡¯s hand. Marissa looked at her, waiting for her to tell the truth.

    Then, Ste said, ¡°If I tell you what happened, then you have to promise to put this matter to rest. Only then will I tell you.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead then.¡±

    Ste then exined that she had identally fallen down, and then Raeleigh was cold and detached towards her.

    Marissa sneered. ¡°She¡¯s jealous of you. Jealousy is born from hatred. She wants to disarm you. If you continue topete against her, then she won¡¯t be able to get what she wants.¡±

    Ste sighed. ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t lie to me. If you lie to me, then I will go back. Let¡¯s stop all this. I don¡¯t want Jepherson to think that I¡¯ve said something unpleasant.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have a way to get my hands on the surveince footage. I¡¯ll destroy her reputation when the timees. Then, we¡¯ll see if she still has the gall to stick around in the Richards Group.¡±

    Marissa smiled as she had just witnessed the dawn of a new day.

 Chapter 1258 Bullied

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t find out until the next morning that Jepherson had returned to thepany for work. He called her as soon as he walked into his office.

    Raeleigh received the call. When she reached the elevator, someone knocked her down.

    Raeleigh was wearing a set of overalls. Everyone knew that only Raeleigh dressed this way. Everyone else dressed differently.

    Thepany didn¡¯t have any specific rules when it came to the dress code, especially for designers.

    So, as soon as Raeleigh showed up, someone recognized her right away. Someone had deliberately bumped into her when she was in the elevator. When she fell down, the people around her avoided her, and no one went to help her.

    Raeleigh knelt on the ground and held her knees for a while.

    Lamarre came over and found her on the floor. He bent down to help her up, but she couldn¡¯t stand up and her head kept shaking.

    Lamarre knew that she didn¡¯t look good, so he bent down and took Raeleigh somewhere she couldpose herself.

    Raeleigh called for Jepherson right away.

    He quickly came down from his office with a gloomy look on his face.

    When he saw Raeleigh, he called Xanthus immediately. Since her knee was injured, he could imagine what had happened.

    For such things, Jepherson needed someone to handle matters, and that person was Xanthus.

    Xanthus happened to be nearby and rushed over as soon as he received the call.

    Raeleigh was in so much pain that she couldn¡¯t open her eyes. She held her knees and was curled up on the couch. Jepherson was so angry that he wanted to kill someone.

    Who would dare to do this Raeleigh? If she wasn¡¯t here anymore, then what was he to do?

    Leaning down, Jepherson held her in his arms and gave out an order. ¡°Stuart, wait for Xanthus. When he gets here, take him upstairs immediately. On top of that, dismiss everyone who walked by immediately.¡±

    After saying that, he walked towards the private elevator with Raeleigh in his arms. After entering the elevator, he lowered his head and looked at her with distress in his eyes. ¡°Just hold on. Everything will be alright, just bear it for a little while more.¡±

    Raeleigh was in so much pain that she was sweating bullets. She leaned into his embrace while she held onto her knees. His chest heaved up and down. He wouldn¡¯t let go.

    Back in his office, Jepherson picked up the phone and continued to hold onto Raeleigh while he called Stuart. Raeleigh tightened her grip on her knees.

    ¡°Forget about the people, call the police. Tell them to get over here and find the person responsible.¡±

    Stuart hesitated. ¡°Young Master Richards, are you sure you want to call the police about this?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°This happened because of what happened between her and Miss Doyle in the elevator from before. No matter how you spin it, she is a suspect, and we saw what happened then. She treated Miss Doyle very coldly.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d feel the same if I bumped into a stranger. Should I be sentenced as well?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s voice sank in. Stuart exined, ¡°Young Master Richards, you¡¯ve misunderstood. That¡¯s not what I meant. I meant to say that if this matter esctes, then it won¡¯t be good for her. Right now, it will be very troublesome to deal with it. She will be forced out into a terrible storm.¡±

    Jepherson knew this, but¡­

    These people had gone too far. If he didn¡¯t punish them as a warning to others, then how was she to stay in thepany in the future and how was he to protect her?

    ¡°Call the police.¡±

    Soon after the call ended, Stuart remained silent.

    Then, Xanthus arrived. When he saw Stuart approaching him, Xanthus asked, ¡°Where is Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°Doctor Osteen,e with me.¡±

    Stuart turned around and walked towards the private elevator. He entered the elevator and escorted Xanthus directly to Jepherson¡¯s office on the top floor.

    Stuart knocked on the door, and Jepherson called them in. He pushed the door open and Xanthus walked in quickly. Seeing Raeleigh in tears, he walked over to Raeleigh and he then bent down to inspect her knees.

    Xanthus didn¡¯t ask any questions but he asked Jepherson to let her go.

    Jepherson ced her on the couch. Xanthus nced at her and said, ¡°Hold her hands down and make sure she doesn¡¯t move.¡±

    Xanthus knelt down and took out the Swiss army knife he brought with him. He cut off a part of Raeleigh¡¯s trousers to get to her knees. He tore off the cloth and touched her knee, which made her cry out pain.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. She couldn¡¯t stand the pain.

    ¡°Are you familiar with that old y from high school, Romeo & Juliet?¡±

    Raeleigh reacted slowly and shook her head. ¡°Then, what did you study in school?¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Raeleigh shook her head, as she had forgotten everything.

    Xanthus touched her body and made a cracking sound. Raeleigh passed out before she could scream. Then, he stood up and pinched her. She gradually woke up.

    She opened her eyes andy down safely. After a while, she got up and hugged Xanthus.

    ¡°I want to go home.¡±

    Xanthus patted Raeleigh on her arm and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home together.¡±

    He looked up at Jepherson and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to know what happened to her. I¡¯ll be going now.¡±

    ¡°Take good care of her.¡± Jepherson apanied Raeleigh all the way to the entrance. He personally sent her to their car. He looked back at Stuart and said, ¡°Go and see if you can be of any help.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Stuart hurried back to the car. Raeleigh sat inside without saying a word. Xanthus got in the car, started it, and drove away.

    When they arrived home, Stuart got out of the car with them. Xanthus was worried about leaving Raeleigh alone at home, but there was nothing for him to do at home.

    Putting her down, Xanthus looked at Stuart and said, ¡°I¡¯m worried about leaving Raeleigh home alone. You can go and buy some ingredients. I will prepare some food for you.¡±

    Xanthus gave Stuart a shopping list, who read it and then left to do some shopping. Raeleighy on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

    Xanthus was in a daze when he walked over. He knocked on her door. Raeleigh came to her senses and sat up.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so reserved in front of me. I did say you don¡¯t need to mind me.¡± Xanthus walked into the room and he sat down. He leaned against a nearby wall. ¡°I want to change my clothes. Can you disappear for a bit?¡±

    She blinked her eyes and said this calmly, which rendered Xanthus speechless.

    ¡°If you ask me that question, then this won¡¯t be fun.¡± Xanthusughed.

    Raeleigh also had a smile on her face, and she found that she can talk about anything with her brother. She sometimes imagined that her brother then, who had caught up to her, may even be more dependable than when he first appeared.

    Raeleigh would never appreciate such a person. Her world was free from such people and was beautiful.

    That world wasn¡¯t real. It was a fairy tale world built by her parents and brothers.

    Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t have been like this if she couldn¡¯t tell the truth from the fake reality others made her see.

    Afterughing for a while, Xanthus touched her hair. Raeleigh looked at Xanthus and said, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Raeleigh was silent for a while and she then told Xanthus the whole story. Xanthus knew that Ste was exactly as he imagined her to be.

    He got up and poured a ss of water for her. Raeleigh drank the water and Xanthus asked her to get out of bed.

    Raeleigh got out of bed and walked around. Xanthus went into the bathroom and prepared the shower for her. He wiped his hands and told Raeleigh, ¡°You¡¯ll see the thermometer once you go in. You should keep it within the range I¡¯ve set for now. It may be a little hot in the beginning. It will be ready in a little while more. Go on.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the bathroom, took a fresh set of clothes and went straight into the bathroom.

    Raeleigh went in and Xanthus left.

 Chapter 1259 Burned

    At Richards Manor.

    Jepherson was seated in the hall downstairs, surrounded by people. The policemen were also seated across from him. Jepherson stared at the door.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t want to hear any of it. He only wanted to say one thing. ¡°Raeleigh is injured. I want to know who did it to Raeleigh, who is badly injured right now. I will hold the person responsible ountable.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, look at this. Your staff has already admitted to their crime. Do you want to¡­¡±

    The police were very embarrassed by this case. Some lower-level employees mentioned that there was likely another reason why this happened. Generally speaking, it was because Raeleigh went too far with the way she treated another female staff member, so they were against her. And the fall didn¡¯t cause them any trouble.

    Jepherson looked away and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been very clear about the whole story. I don¡¯t want any of you interfering. They only said that because they¡¯re expected to, and they may be thinking otherwise.¡±

    ¡°I know the cause and its effect very clearly. Raeleigh is my fianc¨¦e. I ced her in thepany to protect her from harm. Now, she has met with an ident, and I, as her fianc¨¦, must seek justice for her. Will you be responsible for our wedding if it falls apart?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯re nning to get married?¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The police were shocked. Why didn¡¯t they hear about this sooner?

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes were cold and arrogant. ¡°What? If I want to get married, then do I have to inform you about it?¡±

    ¡°No, no¡­ It¡¯s just¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t continue and swallowed his words.

    Leaning on the couch, Jepherson crossed his legs and nced indifferently at the people around him who were frightened.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whoever did it, whether it was on purpose or not. I have no intention to check the security footage and ask you to act in good conscience.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh has a clear conscience, as do I. Do you have a clear conscience? ¡±

    Everyone fell silent. In the end, someone from the group walked out.

    Seeing that person walk away, Jepherson stood up.

    ¡°Proceed ordingly. Everyone else will be dismissed and will never be employed here again.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson walked out. Everyone in the room began to cry. It turned out that the woman was the future wife of their boss. All of them thought that Ste couldn¡¯t be safe anymore.

    ¡°It was all your fault that I lost my job!¡± A woman shouted at several other people.

    Those people responded with, ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to.¡±

    The police were speechless.

    ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to jail, but I¡¯m still worried over nothing.¡±

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head to the police station. I hope you don¡¯t regret it.¡± The police arrested the group and left.

    There was a crowd of people chatting amongst themselves downstairs. Raeleigh had suddenly be known as their boss¡¯s morous wife.

    He said, ¡°It¡¯s no wonder Raeleigh didn¡¯t help Ste. Why do you think Ste came to ourpany in the first ce? From your first day to yourst, you should follow our boss. Everyone knew this. It was a merciful act that Raeleigh didn¡¯t help her. I didn¡¯t hit her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, she¡¯s his mistress. I thought she was his wife.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve forgotten. Some time ago, Mr. Richards brought Raeleigh in and out. He¡¯s been spoiling her every step of the way.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you didn¡¯t see him when Raeleigh was injured. Mr. Richards looked so distressed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so jealous!¡±

    ¡­

    Lamarre stood by the side and shook his head. What should he do from then on?

    Having talked so much, things definitely weren¡¯t quiet at all.

    Then, there was also Jepherson. Now that he thought about it, he regretted it. What was he doing before?

    ¡­

    Raeleigh came out of the bathroom after taking a shower and changed into a new set of pyjamas. Her pyjamas were the ordinary kind and she wore them in winter. They were meant to keep her warm. However, the thickness was simr to something she¡¯d wear in autumn. The house was warm inside and it was made with materials that kept the heat in. They were all bought from abroad. When Raeleigh came back from overseas, her parents had prepared these for her. Jazelle had one set as well. Raeleigh loved this set. It was in and elegant, and the sporadic yellow flowers made her look very smart.

    After she made her way downstairs, Raeleigh was basically all better. She wore a pair of white slippers and went down. As soon as she reached downstairs, she spotted a servant.

    Stuart answered the phone and felt a little embarrassed.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t gone home?¡± Raeleigh was quite surprised. ¡°It¡¯s already noon. Why don¡¯t you go home?¡±

    ¡°Miss¡­ Miss Anson, no.¡±

    ¡°You can talk to me and call me by my name. Don¡¯t call me Miss or Madam. I¡¯m not that old. Only you would call me Miss or Madam anyway.¡±

    In fact, Raeleigh was also referred to as a madam in the manor, but she saw Stuart more as a friend, so there was no need for him to call her that.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Raeleigh walked towards Stuart. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going home?¡±

    ¡°The young master didn¡¯t allow me to.¡±

    ¡°Then, stay for lunch. It¡¯s almost time to eat.¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an order.¡±

    Raeleigh turned towards Xanthus, who had just finished cooking lunch. He took a fish out and ced it down on the dining table. He looked at Stuart and said, ¡°Please go and wash your hands.¡±

    Stuart was reluctant to wash his hands, but when he came back, his cell phone rang.

    Seeing how anxious he was, Raeleigh asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Scarlette and Hadrian have returned. They want to see you.¡±

    ¡°Let theme.¡± Raeleigh suddenly remembered that they were also from Jepherson¡¯s family. She turned to Stuart and asked, ¡°Do you need to check in with your boss about this?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the thing.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh lowered her head to eat. She didn¡¯t care about other people¡¯s business. So, she had better keep her thoughts to herself.

    While she ate, Raeleigh still thought about Scarlette when the doorbell rang.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Stuart was born to serve. He couldn¡¯t sit still when others had something to do. Raeleigh decided to stand up. This was her house after all.

    But Xanthus got up first.

    ¡°Eat. Your legs are still recovering. You have to rest for the next couple of days. There¡¯s no better time than the present. If it happens again, your legs will suffer, then you¡¯ll be in trouble.¡±

    Xanthus said this as he walked to the door. He peered at the gate and walked out.

    Jepherson¡¯s car stopped at the door. Scarlette and Hadrian were at the door.

    Xanthus opened the door. Jepherson got out of the car and walked into the house.

    ¡°Where is Raeleigh?¡± Jepherson asked this as soon as he reached the door, as if he had returned to his own home. Xanthus turned around and red at him. Scarlette and Hadrian followed suit.

    Xanthus closed the door and walked in without saying a word.

    Jepherson¡¯s easy going attitude was akin to a bandit¡¯s. No one weed him.

    After they entered the room, Raeleigh thought it was someone else. Stuart, who sat opposite her, ced his cutlery down, and stood up.

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Stuart. She could tell who it was based on his anxious expression.

    She turned to look at Jepherson. It wasn¡¯t strange for her to see him. However, when she saw Scarlette and Hadrian, she was pleasantly surprised and smiled.

    After putting down her cutlery, Raeleigh stood up. Scarlette was so excited that she couldn¡¯t control herself. She wanted to run towards Raeleigh.

    She walked over. Raeleigh looked surprised and delighted.

    ¡°Scarlette¡­ are you pregnant?¡±

    Raeleigh remembered that her belly was t when she left. ¡°How fast time flies!¡±

    Scarlette walked towards Raeleigh and held her in her arms. There was a chair behind Raeleigh, who stumbled and took a few steps back.

    Jepherson and Hadrian shouted at the same time. ¡°Scarlette!¡±

    Following that, she saw two men run over towards her.

 Chapter 1260 Waiting For Him to Leave

    Raeleigh was pulled to the side by Jepherson. He checked to see if she was okay rather grumpily. He then let her hands go, looked at Scarlette, and said, ¡°Be careful.¡±

    She stood next to Hadrian. He had just reached Scarlette anxiously, while Jepherson looked at him disdainfully. Hadrian just had to bear his gaze.

    Even if his girlfriend did do something wrong, Hadrian didn¡¯t want other men to scold her, especially to her face. He also had to ask for leave for their trip back that time.

    ¡°Scarlette, you should go over there, for now. Be careful when you walk.¡±

    Hadrian took her to one side of the room. Although Scarlette didn¡¯t want to, she had no choice. What was more, Hadrian might not leave that time. There will be plenty of time in the future. Did she have to worry about that?

    Scarlette moved to one side of the room, and Hadrian spoke directly to Jepherson. ¡°Young Master Richards, I¡¯m here to ask a favor from you.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    In front of people who were beneath his status, Jepherson always behaved coldly and didn¡¯t smile.

    Hadrian said, ¡°I want to withdraw Scarlette from the protection group.¡±

    ¡°When did I say I was quitting?¡± Scarlette yelled. Jepherson raised his eyes and looked at her. She immediately lowered her head and didn¡¯t dare to speak another word.

    Hadrian continued, ¡°Scarlette and I have already registered our marriage. You¡¯ve promised us this earlier this morning. I¡¯m quite sure of it.¡±

    ¡°In addition, when we are to be married. I hope that she doesn¡¯t get involved in the protection group anymore. I am a man, and I don¡¯t want her to be scolded by other men in front of me. I am the only one who can scold her.¡±

    Hearing Hadrian speak up for Scarlette, Raeleigh smiled. She then looked at Scarlette and said, ¡°Congrattions.¡±

    Scarlette blushed. ¡°We¡¯re having a shotgun wedding soon. You best believe I am going to marry him. I¡¯m worried that my daughter will be an orphan.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re having a daughter?¡± Raeleigh was quite surprised. She moved closer to her. Scarlette replied, ¡°I think so.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped talking because she thought it was useless.

    Jepherson nced at the table and looked at Xanthus. ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡±

    This implied that he was staying for dinner. Xanthus thought for a moment. ¡°Then. stay.¡±

    He turned around, and Xanthus went to add more cutlery and tes. Jepherson went to wash his hands. Scarlette added, ¡°I didn¡¯t eat either.¡±

    ¡°Hadrian, go and wash your hands. Let¡¯s have dinner together.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. I¡¯ll stand here for a little while. When Jephersones back, we still have some things to discuss.¡±

    Hadrian couldn¡¯t sit still, and Scarlette ignored him. When he saw the four dishes and soup on the table, he was so hungry that he could eat a lion.

    Scarlette turned around and went to the washroom to wash her hands. Jepherson washed his hands and quickly returned.

    They all sat down, while Hadrian was still standing around. As the guest, Jepherson sat in Raeleigh¡¯s spot, which indicated that he was the host.

    On the other hand, Raeleigh sat beside him. She wanted to sit a little further away from him, but Jepherson had pulled her close to him. Since there were so many people present, Raeleigh didn¡¯t resist. Since they had agreed to be a couple for the next three months, she couldn¡¯t go back on her word.

    After sitting down, Hadrian said, ¡°I want Scarlette to quit. If I have a son, then let my son take her ce.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Scarlette asked.

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh¡¯s bowl of soup. She knew that he was going to drink it, so she served him a bowl.

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh, picked up the bowl, and took a sip. He felt that it wasn¡¯t rude to ask Raeleigh, ¡°You made this?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Jepherson drank another mouthful and looked at the dishes. Raeleigh served some food to him. Jepherson picked up his cutleries, lowered his head, and asked, ¡°What if it¡¯s a daughter?¡±

    ¡°I can have another one.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯d give birth to it?¡± asked Scarlette unhappily.

    Jepherson told her, ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt.¡±

    Scarlette closed her mouth. Hadrian added, ¡°I¡¯m still young. As long as I¡¯m alive, I¡¯ll definitely give birth to a son.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re that determined, then I¡¯ll agree, but on one condition. If you fail to give birth to a son, then you¡¯ll offer your baby daughter as a substitute for Scarlette. Do you agree with this?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°From today onwards, you will no longer be under our protection. From now on, the Richards family will be her family. You will be an outsider.¡±

    Scarlette looked surprised. Herrge eyes turned towards Raeleigh and smiled. ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to say anything more. She thought that since Hadrian couldn¡¯t appreciate someone like Scarlette, he was absolutely unnecessary to their lives.

    But this matter took ce because of feelings, and feelings were the easiest way to cause problems. What was their rtionship even like? One party was willing to fight but the other was only willing to suffer, was that it?

    Scarlette was willing to fight, and Hadrian was willing to suffer. This was something no one could control.

    With Hadrian¡¯s affair sorted, Jepherson told Hadrian to wash his hands and to sit down to eat with them. Hadrian turned around to wash his hands and sat down to eat.

    At that time, Raeleigh raised her head and looked around. This was her house, but Xanthus and her seemed like outsiders right then.

    After dinner, Raeleigh was ready to help with the cleaning. Xanthus asked her not to move and got up to clean up instead.

    Scarlette hugged Raeleigh tightly. Jepherson looked like he was going to kill someone.

    But women would always talk more when they were together. This was out of his control.

    Jepherson was sitting on one side of the room, waiting for Raeleigh and her to finish their conversation. But Scarlette was a real chatterbox. It was never-ending.

    Xanthus came back and called for Raeleigh. ¡°Raeleigh, pleasee down into my room.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and went upstairs to Xanthus¡¯s room after responding to him. When she entered his room, Xanthus told Raeleigh, ¡°You¡¯ll stay here tonight. Your room isn¡¯t big enough.¡±

    ¡°True.¡±

    The truth was, everyone knew that they had enough rooms to amodate a few more people.

    Whatever Xanthus was nning, he was the only one who knew.

    Raeleigh went upstairs and didn¡¯te back out. Xanthus came downstairs while the door remained closed. Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. He stood up and stared at Xanthus.

    ¡°Are you going to stay here?¡± Xanthus said calmly while he stood on the stairs.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay in Raeleigh¡¯s room. We used to live together.¡± Jepherson didn¡¯t wait for permission and arranged things for himself. Raeleigh¡¯s knee was still hurt and he hadn¡¯t checked.

    Xanthus frowned slightly. ¡°Raeleigh will stay with me tonight. There aren¡¯t enough rooms. You can stay in Raeleigh¡¯s room. You three can stay wherever you like.¡±

    Xanthus went to the kitchen to prepare some fruits. He also brought out arge ss of milk and went back upstairs.

    Neither Hadrian nor Scarlette knew what was going on. They watched as Jepherson¡¯s lover slept in someone else¡¯s room.

    Of course, Scarlette knew that there was a reason for it, but she didn¡¯t know what had happened.

    She looked at Jepherson uneasily. She wasn¡¯t sure if something terrible had happened.

    ¡°Stuart, you¡¯ll sleep downstairs. Hadrian and Scarlette will stay downstairs too. You can stay wherever you like.¡± Jepherson then went upstairs and knocked on Xanthus¡¯s door. But, no one in the room responded.

    Raeleigh was on the bed, reading a book. Xanthus put down the te of fruits. No one could sleep as it was still the afternoon. However, it wasn¡¯t easy for Raeleigh and the others to leave right then. They could only wait for Jepherson to leave.

 Chapter 1261 Eaten Dry

    Raeleigh and Xanthus had been reading books for the whole afternoon inside the room. Then, Raeleigh fell asleep. Xanthus then ced some medicinal herbs on her knee, and Xanthus then fell asleep while keeping an eye on Raeleigh.

    It waste when he woke up. Xanthus got up to prepare dinner. The door was locked, so Raeleigh stayed in the room and didn¡¯t go out. Even if Jepherson wanted toe in, he couldn¡¯t.

    Things were busy downstairs. After Scarlette knocked several times on the door, Raeleigh still remained silent. She stood at the door and called out to her, ¡°Raeleigh, please open the door.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she read a book about Shakespeare.

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you in there?¡±

    Raeleigh knew Scarlette was standing outside the whole time, but didn¡¯t she didn¡¯t go out. Scarlette soon gave up and went downstairs.

    Xanthus ordered takeout for dinner. He didn¡¯t want to eat with so many people around.

    The food was brought over to the table. Xanthus sent some upstairs for Raeleigh, and the brother and sister ate upstairs.

    Jepherson was seated downstairs. Marissa had called and sent him several messages, asking why thepany had suddenly expelled so many employees.

    Jepherson listened to her twice before choosing to ignore her.

    Marissa then called Stuart. He had no choice but to inform Jepherson.

    Late at night, Jepherson got up and left, leaving Hadrian and Scarlette behind.

    When he returned to the Ink Garden, Jepherson went to check on Marissa. She had already brought Ste home, and Ste lived in the Ink Garden with her.

    If her son hadn¡¯t called to say that he would be back in a few days, Marissa would have arranged for Ste to stay in the Green Jade Garden.

    When he saw Marissa, she said, ¡°So, you do know your way. Can¡¯t you see what time it is?¡±

    Jepherson paused at the door. He saw Ste sleeping soundly. He turned around and walked out through the door.

    She saw him leave and followed him out.

    Marissa sat down and asked Jepherson, ¡°Why did you remove so many staff from thepany? Why did you involve the police? I think you were tricked by Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Jepherson red at her. Marissa rephrased her questions. ¡°She must have poisoned your mind. Look at you. You¡¯ve caused such a mess.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is my girlfriend. What¡¯s wrong with me protecting her? If my girlfriend can get bullied, then I don¡¯t see the point of being vice president.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense. When your parents return, I will tell them and have them put this in their wills. If you don¡¯t marry Ste ording to my wishes, then you can¡¯t get anything.¡±

    Marissa looked at him coldly. Jepherson lowered his eyes, his pitch-ck pupils slowly narrowed. After a while, he responded, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether I want to or not. Actually, I don¡¯t care either.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    After saying that, he stood up. He was going to walk away. ¡°You¡¯d say that now. When your parents get back, I will tell them about this.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Jepherson stepped outside. He was already extremely disappointed with his grandmother. She actually wanted to arrange his marriage just like his great-grandmother.

    How could his parents do the same to him?

    Jepherson returned to the Green Jade Garden andy down. His mother, Jenna, called.

    Jepherson answered the phone. Jenna asked, ¡°Where is my grandson?¡±

    Jepherson was stunned and stopped talking.

    Jenna continued after a short pause, ¡°Jerry, you owe me a grandson. You¡¯d better get to it.¡±

    The edges of Jepherson¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. I¡¯m your mother and you¡¯re my son, but¡­¡± When Jenna heard the news, her heart sank.

    But then, she had no other choice. The reason she came back was to help Raeleigh.

    She called ahead to also calm her son¡¯s nerves.

    Marissa called several more times. It seemed like she was really serious that time.

    Didn¡¯t parents do this for their children¡¯s sake? They never showed up when he needed them. Why weren¡¯t they around when he needed them?

    ¡°Mom¡­ ¡±

    ¡°I know, your grandmother is old and sometimes she can be overly eager for quick sess and instant benefits, but she has no ill intent.¡±

    ¡°A person¡¯s impression of someone is based on their first impression of them, and for some based on their status. Your grandmother is old. She looks at people with long-term development in mind, which is different from us. Don¡¯t argue with her.¡±

    ¡°Mom, you always say nice things about Grandma, but she never corrects herself.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already grown up, why do you have to talk about your grandmother like that? Everyone has to grow old, and I¡¯ll be like this when I¡¯m older too. Will your son argue with me too?¡±

    After Jenna said that, Jepherson didn¡¯t respond. No matter what, her mother would help her grandmother absolve herself.

    ¡°So, when will you being back?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that tomorrow. I¡¯ll tell your father about this and get him to help you. Don¡¯t do anything stupid. I¡¯ve heard from your grandmother that you¡¯ve fired several people for Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Jerry, you should know that there are a lot of things that aren¡¯t as simple as they look. Even if you fire all those people who thought ill of Raeleigh, it doesn¡¯t stop them from talking about it.¡±

    ¡°What you need to do is change Raeleigh¡¯s mind as soon as possible. Don¡¯t make any mistakes. Santiago told me about Raeleigh¡¯s family background, which is really bizarre, and her parents as well. They seem like decent people. If you don¡¯t take this chance, then you¡¯ll miss out on a beautiful wedding.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Jepherson replied.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m hanging up now. Your father needs to rest.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡­

    Jenna hung up and turned to look at the person who was sitting on the bed waiting for her. ¡°When you get back, you must take a firm stance. I¡¯ve endured humiliation for so many years just for my two sons.¡±

    Hansen lifted his eyes and looked at his beloved wife. He looked at her from top and bottom with his deep ck eyes. ¡°What about me?¡±

    Jenna thought for a moment and seemed to think there was something wrong.

    ¡°I¡¯m yours?¡± Jenna rushed over to coax him. Only then did Hansen say, ¡°The old madam doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for her.¡±

    Jenna was speechless and walked over to her husband. He pulled her into his arms, hugged her, and he then pulled her dress open, revealing her chest. He then kissed her¡­

    Jenna had taken very good care of herself over the years. She didn¡¯t look very different from when she was young. They lived a good life.

    The happiness of a man depended on whether his woman was happy or not, and a woman¡¯s happiness depended on how her man pampered her.

    Jenna was made for him.

    Jenna was lying on the bed. Hansen pressed on his wife¡¯s slender waist andy down sideways on the bed. He stared at his wife. ¡°I don¡¯t even care about those two. Why does she care so much about them?¡±

    Jenna was in a dilemma. Should she help her mother-inw? It seemed that they were at a stalemate.

    After a while, Jenna said, ¡°Our marriage was arranged as well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡±

    Turning to face Hansen, she saw that he still felt sad when he thought of VIvian. Even though so many years had passed and his two children had all grown up, he still felt distressed.

    ¡°It¡¯s no different. It was all for our own good.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! I¡¯m not afraid.¡±

    Hansen rolled onto his feet like a tiger pouncing on it¡¯s prey. He scared Jenna so much that she wanted to stand up, but she was too slow. She ended up being taken.

 Chapter 1262 I Give You My Word

    Marissa woke up early the next morning. She felt ill and ufortable the night before, but the medicine she took was effective. She started to dress up and wanted to look her best as her son wasing back with his wife to visit her.

    Ste was also fine that day.Marissa arranged for Ste to be dolled up, so she was given aplete makeover. Following Jenna¡¯s arrangements, she was apletely different person and looked like a nobledy.

    Marissa called Jenna after finishing the preparations. Jenna told her that she was about to arrive home. She was already in Capital City, but was stuck in heavy traffic near the airport.

    ¡°Of course traffic¡¯s going to be slow, as it¡¯s the peak hour of the day. But it¡¯s fine, take your time, everything here is fine.¡± Marissaforted Jenna. ¡°I know, you don¡¯t have to worry about me too,¡± Jenna replied.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Marissa hung up the phone and looked at Ste, who was sitting next to her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will help you.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, I don¡¯t like Jepherson at all¡­ and I don¡¯t need your help. I promise if I have someone I like, then I will tell you.¡±

    Ste went on and on about how she didn¡¯t even have feelings for Jepherson. Marissa stopped her with a serious face. ¡°Stop with the nonsense and don¡¯t let me hear it again.¡±

    Ste stuck out her tongue, but she was actually happy that she had said it out loud.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Jenna sat in the car and looked outside. ¡°It had really been a long time since I was home. When did the traffic be so busy here? Is it the same everywhere?¡±

    ¡°Honey, there is traffic everywhere. It¡¯s just that we have been on the cruise the whole time. Of course, there is not much traffic there. Have you ever seen the sea crowded with boats?¡±

    Jenna really hadn¡¯t seen it before, so she shook her head.

    Hansen held Jenna¡¯s hand and kissed her. He went near her ear and whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s go on another vacation once we¡¯ve settled everything. That way, we won¡¯t be stuck in heavy traffic.¡±

    Jenna was stunned for a moment and she then smiled. ¡°Okay then, I¡¯d love that.¡±

    Hansen leaned to one side, still holding and rubbing his beloved wife¡¯s hand as he began to think about their next trip.

    Jenna could have reached home at nine o¡¯clock, but due to the traffic, she only arrived at home at eleven o¡¯clock. Her dy actually created an opportunity for Scarlette.

    Scarlette got up early that morning and had received a call. She was ordered to apany Raeleigh to the destination, but Raeleigh only agreed to go in the afternoon.

    Raeleigh let out a sigh when thinking of Jenna¡¯s friendly face. When she first saw Jenna, she was pregnant. She didn¡¯t expect that everything had changed in only a few months.

    Raeleigh followed Scarlette to Richards Manor, but she didn¡¯t leave the car.

    Scarlette asked her to get out of the car but she did not move at all. Even after Scarlette got out of the car, Raeleigh still wouldn¡¯t budge. So, she had no choice but to go back.

    After sitting in the car for a while, Raeleigh told her that she had something she needed to buy. Scarlette instantly knew that Raeleigh didn¡¯t even want to meet him.

    She thought for a moment and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    When they reached there, Raeleigh was immediately lost in the crowd.

    Jepherson was stopped in the Green Jade Garden in the morning. This is because Marissa was worried that he would go and look for Raeleigh.

    As soon as Jepherson came out, he was stopped by Marissa.

    ¡°You want to leave as soon as you see me. Am I not your grandmother?¡± Marissa stood behind him, with her face showing obvious signs of dissatisfaction. She always deemed herself unlucky to have such a rude grandson.

    Jepherson stopped and turned to look at Marissa. ¡°If you think I¡¯m not worthy of being your grandson, then you can tell me, and if you can¡¯t tolerate my presence, then I can also leave.¡±

    ¡°Is it because I can¡¯t tolerate your presence, or is it because you wanted me to die earlier?¡± Marissa was so angry that she felt dizzy.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t want to argue. He turned around and was about to leave. Marissa ordered his men to stop Jepherson. Jepherson stopped and didn¡¯t leave. They were locked in a stalemate until Hansen returned with his wife.

    As soon as he entered the house, he saw this lively scene. However, Hansen was happy to do nothing, and all he wanted was to stand by and watch the fun.

    Jenna knew Hansen like the back of her hand. After so many years of marriage, who knew Hansen better than her?

    Jenna took hold of Hansen¡¯s arm and pulled him.

    Only then did Hansen withdraw the glow on his handsome face, covering his look of pride.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why am I greeted with this? Is it because you guys are busy discussing our arrival?¡±

    Marissa was furious the moment he opened his mouth. She pointed at Jepherson and said, ¡°Take a good look at your son! I¡¯ve never seen such a rude brat in my life.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did Jerry do anything to anger you?¡± Jenna hurriedly walked to Marissa¡¯s side, with her hands holding on to Marissa¡¯s body. Her face was filled with terror.

    Ste then came over to greet them. ¡°Aunt Jenna.¡±

    ¡°Is it Ste, I hear?¡± Jenna turned around and looked at her, smiling like a flower.

    Ste responded with a smile. ¡°I already have a job, in the Richards Group, working as a designer.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ve graduated,¡± Jenna said, smiling so brightly and broadly that her eyes became two slits. Ste was abashed and her face turned red.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve just graduated.¡±

    ¡°Then, do your best. If there is anything you don¡¯t understand, then you cane to me. I¡¯ll guide you through.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Aunt Jenna.¡±

    Ste then went over to Hansen and greeted him. ¡°Hi Uncle Hansen,it¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve met.¡±

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    As usual, Hansen gave a short, formal response.

    Following that, Hansen looked at his son. ¡°What have you done to upset Grandma?¡±

    Jepherson lowered his head. ¡°I already have a girlfriend, but Grandma didn¡¯t like her.¡±

    ¡°Girlfriend? How old are you? Why are you in such a hurry?¡± Hansen emphasized it. Jenna¡¯s heart was filled with admiration.

    ¡°I told Mom about this. She gave me her blessing.¡±

    ¡°When did it happen? Howe I didn¡¯t know about it?¡± Hansen¡¯s bossy aura came alive. Jenna almost could not contain herself.

    Jepherson said, ¡°A few months ago.¡±

    Jenna immediately asked, ¡°Is she the girl we saw abroad?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mom.¡±

    Jepherson admitted to it, but Jenna immediately said, ¡°I think she¡¯s not bad, that¡¯s why I agreed. Why didn¡¯t Grandma like her?¡±

    ¡°Sigh, what do you guys know? He had been cheated on and yet he refused to ept the fact.¡± Marissa became serious and held Jenna¡¯s hand. Jenna had to pretend to be confused. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll tell you guys about it.¡±

    Holding Jenna¡¯s hand, Marissa turned around and went to the Ink Garden. Jenna had no choice but to go with her.

    When they entered through the door, Marissa didn¡¯t even say anything nice, and it was allints about Raeleigh.

    After a while, Jepherson couldn¡¯t bear to listen anymore and got up to leave.

    Hansen stood up too. ¡°I¡¯m also a little tired. Take note of what Grandma has to say and then tell me about it afterwards.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Jenna nced at her husband and agreed tofort Marissa. ¡°It¡¯s not something that can be exined clearly. But I understand it roughly. Her name is Raeleigh. She has no status, no parents, and is an ill-bred child. Besides, she is also involved in a bad lifestyle. You have your concerns, and you are not specifically targeting her.¡±

    ¡°Jerry, on the other hand, is a stubborn child. He is determined to have whatever he wants.¡±

    ¡°I think we should give this matter further thought and discuss it, so try not to push him too hard.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware of what you just said, but we have to settle this as soon as possible. That¡¯s why I feel that you and I should be of one mind. Only by working together can we protect Jerry.¡±

    Jenna thought for a moment. ¡°I give you my word.¡± She agreed. This is when Marissa became happy.

 Chapter 1263 No Hope

    After returning to Green Jade Garden, Jenna breathed a sigh of relief. It was too tiring to apany her mother-inw.

    It would be very tiring to n so many things while a person is alive.

    At that moment, Hansen was sitting in the living room of Green Jade Garden, apanied by a few servants. The father and son were sitting across from each other, ying chess.

    They were ying chess and talking at the same time.

    Jenna entered the room while the father and son were talking.

    ¡°Remember everything that has happened. Don¡¯t think that you can do anything without a care when I¡¯m not here. You¡¯ll start to suffer when both of you are married.¡±

    Hansen was rarely mean to his son. He would always think from his wife¡¯s perspective, and his wife was his backbone. He would do whatever his wife wanted him to do.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson held a chess piece. ¡°Is there a time when your heart hurts so badly that you can¡¯t breathe?¡±

    He lowered his head slightly. The paleness on his son¡¯s face was enough to make one¡¯s heart ache for him. Hansen looked up at his son leisurely. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you if there is. So, stop asking.¡±

    Jenna came in and walked to her son. She raised her hand and patted his shoulder. ¡°The fate of men is destined. If it¡¯s yours, then it¡¯s yours. If not, then it¡¯ll never be yours.¡±

    ¡°So, don¡¯t worry, you are all still young, and there will be plenty of chances.¡±

    Jepherson forced a smile and looked at his mother. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Jenna was truly worried for her son. She looked at her husband and said, ¡°Hansen¡­¡±

    Jenna did not need to say more. Hansen had already understood what she meant. To Hansen, there was always a way to satisfy all requests.

    Hansen lowered his head and pinched the chess piece with his fingers. ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡±

    ¡°Can you not make me anxious?¡± Jenna was not happy.

    Hansen looked up at his wife with eyes filled with doting love. ¡°Of course.¡±

    Jenna immediately smiled.

    Seeing his beloved wife¡¯s smile, Hansen smiled gently and looked down at the chessboard. ¡°Just follow your heart, and make your own decisions. The sky won¡¯t fall no matter what.¡±

    Jepherson looked up at his father. ¡°I know, Dad.¡±

    Jepherson ced a chess piece. ¡°Checkmate.¡±

    Hansen lowered his head and looked at the chessboard. ¡°Why did I make such an obvious mistake?¡±

    Jepherson got up and said, ¡°This is what you get for losing focus.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to imply?¡±

    Jepherson was silent. Jenna sat to one side and patted her son on the shoulder. ¡°Jerry is really good at ying chess. It seems that he has already surpassed your skills.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    Hansen snorted. Even if his wife praised his son, he would be jealous.

    Hansen¡¯s greatest regret in his life was having two sons. He wanted daughters.

    If Hansen had a daughter, then he would treat her as nice as he treated his wife, holding her in the palm of his hand like a treasure, but it would be impossible then.

    Hansen red at his son. ¡°Your mother and I are back. Are you still going to be an nuisance at home?¡±

    Jepherson suddenly stood up and said to Jenna, ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    ¡°Jerry, don¡¯t you want to stay with your Mom for a little longer?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to see Raeleigh,¡± Jepherson said and went straight to the door. Jenna moved a little and sat down where her son had sat. ¡°Let¡¯s y.¡±

    Hansen looked displeased. ¡°Don¡¯t mock me.¡±

    Who would like to y on the stupid chessboard anyway?

    ¡°C¡¯mon, y with me for a while.¡± Jenna was not very good at ying chess, but she enjoyed the game. Winning or losing did not matter, as she only wanted to kill time.

    Hansen didn¡¯t like to y chess with someone who had a disadvantage. It would be boring if the game was a sure win for Hansen. Therefore, he would rather lose to his son than win to his wife.

    ¡°Okay, fine. Let¡¯s y.¡±

    But every time he could not resist the temptation, his wife looked like she was begging him, waiting for him to take a bite like a rabbit.

    The couple began to y as soon as they came back, and they didn¡¯t feel tired at all.

    The servants around were all envious. The rtionship between Hansen and his wife was as sweet as day.

    How could they know what kind of rtionship it was back then? It was precisely because there was a rough past that they became so close to each other.

    ¡­

    After leaving his home, Jepherson got in the car and went straight to Raeleigh.

    When he arrived at Raeleigh¡¯s ce, he called her. Raeleigh was not at home, and she was looking after Lamarre.

    Raeleigh received a call from Lamarre on her way home, saying that he was ill and feeling ufortable.

    Raeleigh gave Xanthus a call and she then went there in person.

    That time¡­

    ¡°Hey, little girl, it¡¯s a good thing that your brother¡­¡±

    Scarlette was there. Raeleigh gave him a re and Lamarre stopped talking on the spot.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Lamarre coughed and closed his eyes to have a rest. Raeleigh started helping out in his house. Looking at Scarlette¡¯s big belly, Raeleigh asked her to go back first, so that Hadrian would stop worrying about her.

    ¡°We¡¯ll stay here and apany you.¡± Scarlett did not intend to leave. She had notpleted her duties yet. If she left, then her boss would certainly be unhappy. Considering the current situation, she really didn¡¯t know what to say or do. Raeleigh had the right to pursue her own happiness no matter what. Moreover, what he did was wrong and was absolutely not worthy of being forgiven, from Raeleigh¡¯s standpoint.

    But¡­

    He was her boss after all.

    Scarlette insisted on staying. Suddenly, she received a call from Jepherson.

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s at Lamarre¡¯s house.¡± Scarlett answered the call truthfully. Jepherson then came to Lamarre, but when he entered the house, he did not see Raeleigh.

    When he entered the room, he looked around but he didn¡¯t see Raeleigh. The only sight greeting him was Lamarre, who was fast asleep.

    Xanthus was sitting on the couch, looking at something. When Jepherson entered through the door, Xanthus acted as if he didn¡¯t see him. Scarlette, on the other hand, didn¡¯t dare to speak. Her whole body was stiff with fright. If Raeleigh really did leave, then Jepherson would definitely find someone to settle the score.

    ¡°Miss Raeleigh heard that you wereing and had left early,¡± said Hadrian. Jepherson ignored him and looked at Xanthus. ¡°How is he?¡±

    Xanthus looked up at Jepherson¡¯s exquisite face and said, ¡°He¡¯s alright now. Come with me.¡±

    Xanthus got up and went outside. He took a few things with him, while Scarlette and Hadrian stayed in Lamarre¡¯s room to take care of him.

    After leaving the room, Xanthus handed the two medicine bottles in his hand to Jepherson. ¡°Take a look.¡±

    Jepherson lowered his head and looked at it. The words written on it were ¡®VITAMINS¡¯.

    Jepherson removed the lid and sniffed it. He raised his head to look at Xanthus. ¡°It¡¯s not vitamins.¡±

    ¡°This is a new type of drug for cancer, and it has its side effects.¡±

    ¡°Cancer?¡±

    Jepherson frowned deeply. ¡°Does Raeleigh know?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to tell her, but she left early.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell her.¡±

    Jepherson handed the bottle to Xanthus and turned back to the room. Xanthus frowned as he watched Jepherson leave.

    Raeleigh went home to rest for a while. She made something to eat and sent a message to Xanthus to inquire about Lamarre.

    Xanthus told Raeleigh that Lamarre was alright. Everything should be fine after a few days of rest.

    ¡­

    Scarlett and Hadrian went outside. Xanthus sat to one side, Jepherson sat on Lamarre¡¯s other side. When Lamarre woke up, his whole body was in pain.

    That kind of painful contraction in his whole body made him feel like a balloon that had been pumped to the verge of explosion. His skin and flesh were going to split.

    Lamarre opened his eyes and looked around. He didn¡¯t see Raeleigh. He smiled and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the little girl?¡±

    Xanthus said, ¡°She has gone back. Are you looking for her?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, but why did she go back?¡± Lamarre knew Raeleigh too well. If he saw that Lamarre was sick, then how could she leave him alone?

    ¡°She knew I wasing, so she left.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s handsome face was dark, so Lamarre understood the situation.

    ¡°Oh, well.¡± Lamarre looked at Xanthus. ¡°Do you know?¡±

    ¡°All I have to say is that this kind of disease should be treated earlier.¡± Xanthus was a doctor. Hepletely analyzed the matter from a doctor¡¯s perspective. Lamarre, however, was putting on a happy face as he had no hope for a recovery.

 Chapter 1264 Under Pressure

    ¡°I know very well that my disease is already beyond treatment. What¡¯s more, cancer is not a disease that you can cure with money. In that case, I don¡¯t really see a reason to treat it. Whether I¡¯m going to be dead or alive, it¡¯ll be up to fate.¡± Lamarre got up from the bed, took two painkillers, and put them in his mouth.

    He did not swallow it with water. He lifted the quilt and got out of bed.

    Right then, he looked like a normal person again.

    ¡°I have been diagnosed with lung cancer. When my disease attacks, I will have a high fever and have symptoms of a cold. Raeleigh saw that I had a high fever and thought that I was only having a cold.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Lamarre and said, ¡°You are an employee of thepany. I won¡¯t let you get sick. You have to be treated immediately. There is no room for negotiation.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for you to control me.¡± Lamarre stood by the side for a while. He opened the curtain and looked at the sunset outside the window. He thought of Raeleigh¡¯s sweet face. ¡°Everybody thinks that the sunset is beautiful because of its colors. But it is actually considered beautiful because it waits for no one. If you miss it, then you¡¯ll lose it forever.¡±

    Lamarre turned back to look at Jepherson. ¡°Raeleigh is my apprentice. You¡¯d better be smart and love her. If you don¡¯t, then please let her go as soon as possible.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say a word. Lamarre continued and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine now. You can go back, so that Raeleigh won¡¯t worry about me. Keep this a secret. I don¡¯t want her to know about my condition.¡±

    Only then did Jepherson get up and turn to the door. Xanthus also followed him out.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was preparing some food at home. Lamarre called Raeleigh, ¡°Come back. They are all gone.¡±

    Raeleigh sent a message to Xanthus. She left home and went to Lamarre¡¯s. On the way there, she saw Jepherson¡¯s car passing by and turned her face away from the window.

    When she arrived at Lamarre¡¯s ce, Raeleigh got out of the car and brought in the delicious food she made. Lamarre opened the door and invited her toe in.

    After the master and student had dinner, Lamarre asked Raeleigh to follow him to his room. Then, he showed a room full of books to Raeleigh, and let her read peacefully inside. Lamarre then closed the door as if nothing had happened.

    ¡­

    ¡°Where is she?¡±

    When he did not see Raeleigh, Jepherson¡¯s face turned dark. Xanthus also helped to find her, but he could not find Raeleigh. He also tried calling her but he could not get through to her phone.

    ¡°No one answered.¡±

    Jepherson came out from the inside of his house and turned back to the car. He sat for a while and asked the driver to send him to Lamarre¡¯s ce.

    Getting out of his car, Jepherson walked to the door and pushed it. The door was locked, so he knocked on it. Lamarre came out to open the door and Jepherson immediately stepped in and nced around.

    ¡°Where is she?¡±

    He looked unhappy, as if he wanted to eat someone.

    But in the end, Jepherson did not rummage through Lamarre¡¯s room. He sat down on the couch downstairs. After sitting down, he said that he was hungry and wanted to eat.

    ¡°Order some takeaway for yourself.¡± He did not care about him.

    Jepherson went into the kitchen to cook noodles for himself. He came out to finish his noodles and waited until Raeleigh came downstairs, and was ready to go home.

    ¡­

    ¡°Lamarre¡­¡±

    Raeleigh walked downstairs and saw Jepherson. He stood up and stared at Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh looked at Lamarre. It must not have been Lamarre who asked him toe. He must havee on his own.

    ¡°Are you going back now?¡± Seeing that Jepherson asked her as if nothing had happened, Raeleigh stood there and thought for a while. They were a couple right then.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll walk you out.¡±

    Jepherson walked towards the door. Raeleigh looked at Lamarre and left with him.

    When they were on their way back home, Jepherson was resting with his eyes closed while Raeleigh was looking out of the window. Although he did not say anything, he was holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand.

    Even though Raeleigh hated his touch, she did not resist it.

    After getting out of the car, Raeleigh did not invite Jepherson toe in. He looked at Raeleigh¡¯s back and said, ¡°My parents are back. I have no ce to stay at home. So, I¡¯ll be staying here tonight.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson stepped in and Raeleigh turned to look at him. ¡°What did he say?¡± She thought.

    ¡°The Richards family¡¯s Mansion has no ce to stay?¡±

    How could he say such a thing?

    When Raeleigh came back to her senses, Jepherson was no longer in the living room. Only Xanthus was sitting downstairs. When he saw Raeleigh, he told Raeleigh, ¡°He¡¯s upstairs.¡±

    Raeleigh then went upstairs to see Jepherson. When she went up, he had already taken a bath and came out.

    Raeleigh stood at the door. Wearing a bathrobe, the both of them exchanged silent stares thatsted for a few seconds. Raeleigh then came out of the room and went downstairs to sit with Xanthus. At ten o¡¯clock, Xanthus got up and so did Raeleigh. She went to Xanthus¡¯s room to rest, while Xanthus offered to sleep in the guest room.

    Jepherson waited for the whole night, eager for her presence.

    ¡­

    In the morning, Raeleigh left with Xanthus without having breakfast. She left Jepherson alone at home. Stuart stood outside the door with a disconste look. As time went by, it was time to part.

    In the morning, Jepherson received a phone call from Jenna, saying that she wanted him to go back to have breakfast. Even without asking, he knew that it was Marissa¡¯s nning.

    So, he went back to have this breakfast without any objections.

    Marissa¡¯s face darkened the moment they met. She asked, ¡°You didn¡¯te back homest night. Where did you go?¡±

    ¡°Outside.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too outrageous. Such a thing is not allowed to happen in the future. Sit down, I have something to announce.¡±

    Marissa looked solemn. Jepherson nced at his father and sat down to eat.

    Marissa watched him sit down and said, ¡°You are the eldest son of the Richards family. Your father is already married at your age. It¡¯s time for you to get married.¡±

    ¡°Previously, I thought that Deanna was the most suitable candidate, but in any case, she is still too young.¡±

    ¡°But Ste is different. Ste¡­¡±

    ¡°Grandma, why are you proposing to me again? I¡¯ve always treated Jepherson as my older brother. How can you¡­¡±

    Ste looked unhappy, and Marissa immediately said, ¡°There is no room for objection. I have already told your grandmother. Today, I will announce that the two families will be inws.¡±

    ¡°Grandma¡­¡±

    ¡°I disagree.¡± Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. Marissa snorted. ¡°You have no choice but to agree. Marriage is a matter that depends on a well-matched family. With Ste¡¯s appearance, the two of you would be the perfect match.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you like her so much, then why don¡¯t you marry her then!¡± Jepherson rose to leave. Marissa mmed her palm on the table. ¡°Hansen, are you going to step in?¡±

    Jenna shrank back and looked at her husband. She didn¡¯t need to voice up, and her husband would solve it.

    Hansen raised his hand and pressed his chest, with his face turning pale.

    Jepherson went to his side, and Jenna also went to support him. ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t scare me.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Marissa was a little scared when he saw his son¡¯s expression.

    Jenna immediately exined, ¡°The doctor said that Hansen¡¯s heart is weak. He cannot stand the pressure!¡±

    Jenna came up with this story on the spot. Hansen¡¯s eyes gleamed with pride. ¡°The little fox has be a spirit!¡±

    ¡°Pressure?¡± Marissa¡¯s face was full of shock. She had never heard of his condition.

    However, Hansen looked very ufortable at that time. Despite that, he supported his mother. He looked at Jepherson angrily and said, ¡°Sit down.¡±

    Jepherson turned his face away and looked elsewhere. Hansen asked loudly, ¡°Did you hear me?¡±

    Jepherson turned around and walked towards the door. Suddenly¡­

 Chapter 1265 Absence of a Cold Heart

    Hansen was so angry that he fainted. Marissa was so frightened that she followed him all the way to the hospital. She was in distress. She stared at her son, who was slowly waking up but did not have the strength to speak. Looking at her daughter-inw¡¯s pale face, she did not speak.

    When the ambnce arrived at the hospital, Hansen was sent to the emergency room. After two hours of emergency treatment, he was safe. The moment he came out, he was covered with tubes. Marissa felt dizzy and could not stand still. She held Ste¡¯s hand and followed her to sit down. She was scared.

    Ste frowned. Everybody around her was busy, and she was the only calm one in the scene, watching everything around her.

    Marissa¡¯s heart was still fluttering with fear, and she was too old to stand up. Still, she managed to stand and followed Ste to the ward.

    Jenna was also scared out of her wits. Sitting by the bed, she held Hansen¡¯s hand tightly and addressed him over and over again.

    ¡°Hansen¡­ Hansen¡­¡±

    The doctor had just taken out the casebook and said that there was indeed a problem with the heart. Jenna was so worried that tears filled up her eyes.

    Jepherson had been standing with his hands sped behind his back. After a brief nap, Hansen finally woke up. He opened his eyes and looked at Jenna beside him, who was holding his hand and crying. He sighed and nced at his son standing at the window unhappily. ¡°Call Raeleigh toe and visit me. I¡¯m about to die and she didn¡¯t evene to visit me. What unfilial children.¡±

    Jenna was sad. When she heard her husband¡¯s words, she suddenly stopped crying. She blinked her big eyes and couldn¡¯t react at all.

    Jepherson saw that his father was fine. He turned around and went to the door, leaving the ward.

    When his son left, he raised his hand to touch his wife¡¯s face. ¡°Isn¡¯t everything fine? What¡¯s the point of crying?¡±

    ¡°You scared me to death. The doctor said¡­¡± Jenna pursed her lips and could not say anything.

    He wanted to get up without saying anything. Jenna saw that Hansen was about to get up, so she immediately pressed down on him. ¡°Don¡¯t get up, you need to rest!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the fuss? Come over and I¡¯ll exin.¡± Hansen gestured for his wife toe to him. Jenna obeyed and went over. She heard Hansen say a few words in her ear. Jenna was still a little skeptical and looked at her husband strangely. ¡°You didn¡¯t lie to me?¡±

    ¡°Why would I lie to you? Don¡¯t you know how my body is?¡±

    Hansen asked her with a look of malice. His ck eyes fell on some parts of Jenna¡¯s body. Jenna was still confused. She lowered her head to take a look and looked down inadvertently¡­ She looked like a cooked shrimp with a red face.

    Hansen was in a good mood when he saw his wife twisting in shyness. He put his hand on his wife¡¯s hand and grasped it.

    Jenna was about to die of anger. Her face was dark, but she was not really angry. She was just a little embarrassed. She rolled her eyes and raised her hand to pat Hansen¡¯s hand. Hansen did not let go, and she did not pull her hand away either.

    ¡°Are you really scaring me?¡± Jenna said coyly after remaining silent for a while. Hansen was very satisfied, but he did not move at all while lying on the bed.

    He didn¡¯t move andy still. Jenna nced at the door. Hansen immediately said, ¡°Alvin is standing outside. No one wille in.¡±

    Speaking of Alvin, Jenna felt a little strange. ¡°We have been back for a while now, but I haven¡¯t seen Alvin. Where is he?¡±

    Hansen narrowed his long and narrow eyes. ¡°If you can spot him, then he won¡¯t be Alvin.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Jenna looked at the door, stood up, and went to the door to open it. She looked around on both sides, but there was no one on both sides. The corridor was empty.

    Seeing that Jenna had turned back and had shut the door behind her, Hansen looked at her calmly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see him?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see anybody.¡± Jenna returned to Hansen¡¯s side and sat down. ¡°You guys are really formidable!¡±

    Hansenughed. ¡°There is no us, I¡¯m the powerful guy here!¡±

    ¡°Okay fine, you¡¯re amazing!¡±

    ¡­

    It waste at night when Raeleigh received the call.

    Xanthus checked the time and sat beside Raeleigh. ¡°Did something really happen that he came to pick you up at this time?¡±

    Xanthus couldn¡¯t say that he didn¡¯t trust Jepherson, but he couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that Jepherson was a man who would do anything to ensure his safety.

    Men especially loved to fight to win respect. This has been like this since ancient times.

    Xanthus knew very well that Jepherson loved Raeleigh. It was normal for him to do anything in order to be with Raeleigh.

    The day before, Jepherson had been waiting for Raeleigh to return, but in the end, he didn¡¯t get what he wanted. It wasn¡¯t surprising that he would do anything that day.

    But Raeleigh was very anxious. ¡°No, he would not joke like this with his family.¡±

    When Raeleigh was talking, Jepherson¡¯s car had arrived. Stuart got out of the car immediately. He rushed over after receiving the call.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t see Jepherson, so she was sure that things were serious.

    ¡°Madam Raeleigh!¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t call me that.¡± Raeleigh corrected Stuart immediately. Stuart froze when looking at Raeleigh, and he then said, ¡°Yes, Miss Anson, let¡¯s go, or the young master will be worried.¡±

    Raeleigh looked back at Xanthus and said, ¡°I will go over and have a look. I wille back if there is nothing. I will call you if anything happens.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. I can help if anything happens.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll call you if anything happens. I¡¯ll take my phone with me.¡±

    Raeleigh turned back to the car. Actually, Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with Jepherson again, but Raeleigh was not as cold-hearted as she thought.

    Before she received the call from Jepherson, Raeleigh had thought of ten thousand ways to refuse Jepherson. She had thought that only a few would fail, but in the end, she still couldn¡¯t seed.

    After receiving the call from Jepherson, Jepherson did not ask her anything. He told her directly that her father was ill and was lying in the hospital. He asked her toe over immediately.

    Then, the phone was hung up, and Raeleigh kept silent. Facing such a person like Jepherson, Raeleigh could not be cold-hearted, let alone have the power topete with him.

    Thinking that Jepherson was alone and his father was lying in the hospital and Jenna was there, Raeleigh could only rx.

    Raeleigh got in the car and took a look at Xanthus. After the car left, she turned around and looked at the front.

    It took the car more than an hour to get to the hospital every time, but it took less than an hour that day.

    Raeleigh got out of the car and walked into the VIP corridor of the hospital. She asked Stuart, ¡°Is your boss not out of danger yet?¡±

    ¡°The danger should have subsided, but we haven¡¯t seen him yet. So, please don¡¯t ask me, Miss Anson.¡±

    In fact, Stuart knew exactly what was going on, but he didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t say anything if Stuart didn¡¯t answer. In the end, she still had to meet Jepherson.

 Chapter 1266 Moral Abduction

    Raeleigh came out of the elevator and saw Jepherson standing outside the intensive care unit with his hands behind his back. He was dressed in a gray coat. Because of the weather, he was still wearing his coat.

    Hearing footsteps, Jepherson turned to look at the elevator door. Raeleigh stopped and remained still with Stuart standing behind her. Stuart felt that he was redundant, so he simply left through the elevator.

    ¡°Come here,¡± Jepherson called her. Raeleigh hesitated for a few seconds and she then walked towards Jepherson.

    Facing Jepherson¡¯s solemn and cold face, she felt a sense of sadness. She did not know what this was for, but she could not help but to approach it.

    Raeleigh did not know what love was. It was hard for her to tell what it was. But she had never been like this. When she heard that he was in trouble, she abandoned everything and came to see him.

    And also¡­ When he asked her toe closer, she just hesitated for a moment, and she then walked towards him without a second thought.

    Raeleigh stopped in front of Jepherson and raised her head to look at his cold and serious face. For a moment, Raeleigh felt that he was cold and unfamiliar to her. He was so cold that he could freeze her. She didn¡¯t recognize him. But the next moment¡­ he took her hand and pulled her into his arms.

    A heavy breath passed through her hair and rang in her ear. It was an unspeakable fear that had finally been vented.

    After a few hugs, he finally let go of her. If he continued, then she would have been crushed into mud.

    Raeleigh was short of breath. She was also a human being. If the hug went on like this, then she would either die or get hurt. Did he want her to know that he was also in pain?

    Raeleigh frowned and gulped. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Jepherson looked at her and gritted her teeth. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Turning around and staring at the inside of the ward, Raeleigh took two steps and looked inside. She was slightly stunned when she saw the two people inside.

    Hansen was asleep on the bed. His peaceful face made it hard to tell that he was ill, but his face looks pale, indicating that he was truly ill.

    Jenna ced her hand close to Hansen. Jenna was sitting on a chair, bent over the bed.

    It seemed that everything in front of her was warm, but this kind of warmth did not make people feel deep happiness.

    Instead, it was filled with pressure!

    ¡°Call for help!¡±

    ¡°He will be fine.¡± Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, who ground his teeth and showed his extremely sharp lines on the sides of his face. Raeleigh knew that he was not in a good mood.

    If he had been so rxed right then, then at the very least, he would have said something. However, he had not said anything, indicating that this matter was very difficult to deal with. It might have been unfathomable and unimaginable.

    After a long silence, he said, ¡°He is suffering from a heart disease. When he was rescued, he felt a stinging pain. But he told the doctor not to tell us.¡±

    Raeleigh slowly turned her eyes to him. ¡°The doctor told you?¡±

    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then, how can you be sure?¡±

    Raeleigh knew that if there was no evidence, then Jepherson would not be so sure. But the question was how tofort Jepherson.

    Jepherson took a look at Raeleigh with his ck eyes wide. Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything for a long time. She just showed a stoic disposition to him. Raeleigh felt an invisible pressure on her.

    Seeing that Raeleigh did not speak, he turned to the ward. After looking inside for a while, he turned around and sat down. He folded his legs and called over to Raeleigh, ¡°Come here.¡±

    Raeleigh was silent. Everyone had many sides to their personality, but that was the first time that Raeleigh had met such a person as Jepherson. Even his bossy speech was as precious as gold.

    Walking towards Jepherson, Raeleigh sat on one side. Jepherson put down his leg and leaned against Raeleigh¡¯s leg. Hey down and pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hand to his head. ¡°I have a headache.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. She closed her eyes and stopped talking. At first, Raeleigh didn¡¯t move, but she then pressed her palm on her head when she saw that the corridor was empty.

    Raeleigh massaged his head for a while. Her hands were tired. Seeing that Jepherson¡¯s breathing was even, Raeleigh put her hands down. But as soon as she stopped, Jepherson said, ¡°Go on!¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a while and continued to massage Jepherson¡¯s head. After massaging for a while, Raeleigh stopped. He moved a bit and said, ¡°It still hurts.¡±

    ¡°What should I do?¡± Raeleigh pursed her lips and her hands were about to break.

    The poor person must have something to hate.

    Jepherson was more straightforward. She turned around andy t on herp, resting her head on it. She raised her head and said, ¡°Give me a kiss.¡±

    Raeleighughed. ¡°Feel free to remain hurt then.¡±

    Jepherson slowly opened his eyes and stared at her. ¡°Do you know how scary it is when a person is impulsive?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Do you know what it is like to fight to the death?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes darkened and became colder. He snorted and closed his eyes.

    Raeleigh held back herughter and almost burst outughing.

    After a while, Jepherson fell asleep. When he fell asleep, Raeleigh called Xanthus and told him about the situation. It was exactly what Jepherson said.

    ¡°Be careful. You¡¯re in poor health too.¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°I know, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    After saying a few words, Raeleigh put down the phone and leaned back to rest. She fell asleep unintentionally.

    When Raeleigh woke up, she opened her eyes and saw Jenna in the ward. Jenna did not look well, with a pale face and red eyes. Raeleigh stood up, feeling lost.

    Jepherson sat beside her, crossed his legs, and slowly opened his eagle-like eyes. He said like a cello, ¡°What¡¯s the hurry?¡±

    Raeleigh looked nkly at him, who was then standing beside her. Thetter looked calm, as if nothing had happened. However, Jenna, who was standing aside, showed her heartache in her eyes.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh bowed her head slightly. She did not know how to talk to Jenna. Jenna felt ufortable about the child. But it was not her fault and she could not exin it clearly.

    ¡°I know I¡¯m no good. I¡¯m sorry and I hope you can forgive me¡­¡±

    ¡°Aunt Jenna¡­¡±

    Jenna was not sad at all. She stared at her son, Jepherson. ¡°Jerry¡­ What did Raeleigh call me?¡±

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to call her Mom? Can¡¯t you change it?¡±

    Jepherson was obviously questioning her. She couldn¡¯t control herself while sitting on the bed. Just looking at his eyes, she couldn¡¯t even fight for herself.

    What was going on?

    ording to logic, Jepherson knew that they had broken up. However, if he wanted to keep it a secret, then there was nothing she could do.

    With her son¡¯s affirmation, Jenna turned to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t worry. Jerry¡¯s father and I will handle everything. It¡¯s OK. We are still young, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    Raeleigh was also frustrated. What are Jepherson¡¯s family trying to do? Moral abduction?

 Chapter 1267 Morally Abducted Again

    Jenna said a lot of things, but Raeleigh was being pressured by the guilt Jenna was trying to cast on her. So, she had no chance to refute her.

    Raeleigh observed for a while, while Hansen was lying on the bed beside them. He was resting, but even so, Raeleigh felt that he was ufortable listening to their conversation.

    This was Hansen¡¯s ward. No matter what her identity was, there was something wrong with her being here.

    ¡°Aunt Jenna¡­¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, what¡¯s wrong with you? Are you still unwilling to forgive Jerry? I¡¯ve heard Jerry talk about it and I know why it¡¯s like this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell Jerry about this. It¡¯s all his fault. Look, Dad¡¯s now sick. It¡¯s all because Jerry had treated you badly, and because of that¡­ incident! Raeleigh¡­ can you please forgive him?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. Jepherson still looked calm, but her eyes were full of mystery. Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to say to Jepherson.

    Jenna and Jepherson used both hard and soft tactics, and with Hansen lying on the hospital bed, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t say anything to refuse them.

    ¡°Aunt Jenna¡­¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    As Raeleigh opened her mouth, Jenna stopped her immediately. Raeleigh was silent and she looked at Jepherson. They looked at each other. His eyes were like a strong light, pushing Raeleigh not to talk nonsense.

    Raeleigh gasped. ¡°Mom.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Jenna¡¯s mood changed faster than the speed of light. The lonely look in her eyes instantly became gentle, and her smile spread, showing her agreement.

    Hansen felt goosebumps all over his body. He opened his eyes and looked at his wife. It was heartless of her to have a daughter-inw and forget about her husband.

    As Raeleigh was dragged by Jenna, she kept silent lest she should say something or promise something.

    Raeleigh said nothing. Raeleigh didn¡¯t believe that they could still abduct her morally.

    At that time, Jepherson got up and looked at the time on his wrist. It was already seven o¡¯clock in the morning. It was time to go out.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go and grab something to eat first. We¡¯lle and see youter.¡± He walked towards Raeleigh¡¯s side and bent down to take her shoes. Raeleigh finally waited until it was time to leave. She sat down on the edge of the bed with her legs hanging down. She was talking to Jenna while taking her shoes from Jepherson¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Let me do it.¡± Jepherson didn¡¯t give them to her at all. He raised his hand and moved his shoes to a ce that Raeleigh couldn¡¯t reach.

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson¡¯s face, which was sculpted perfectly. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±

    ¡°You are weak. Let me do it.¡± Jepherson bent down. He put one shoe aside, held the other in his hand, and held Raeleigh¡¯s foot with one hand. Then, he forced Raeleigh to put on the shoes.

    Raeleigh¡¯s face was red and she didn¡¯t dare to look up. Jenna stood aside and said with a smile, ¡°Your feet are so beautiful. Jerry, you are really lucky.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say a word. He put on one shoe and went to put on the other one. He stood up when he was done putting on her shoes. He gave a hand to Raeleigh, indicating that Raeleigh should ce a hand down for him.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment, offered her hand to him, and got out of bed.

    ¡°Raeleigh, your father is in a bad condition. Would you like to make him some soup?¡± Raeleigh waspletely speechless. She had never seen such a mother-inw who addressed her father-inw as her father. She had truly been morally abducted.

    Raeleigh forced a smile. ¡°I will make soup when I get back.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Jerry, take good care of Raeleigh. Don¡¯t make Raeleigh angry. Your grandmother is old. Sometimes, she thinks things differently from us. But don¡¯t worry. With Mom and Dad here, everything will be fine.¡±

    Jenna said, holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Raeleigh could say nothing more, but she agreed in the end.

    Aftering out of the ward, Raeleigh pulled her hand out of the hands of Jepherson. Jepherson did not exert himself. Raeleigh took back her hand and looked at Jepherson. ¡°Send me back.¡±

    ¡°Even after eating, you still need to cook soup.¡± Jepherson¡¯s expression was cold and unmoving. She calmly stared at Jepherson, as if she owed Jepherson a favor.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back and cook soup. I haven¡¯t had anything to eat yet, so I¡¯ll go back and have dinner.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s your brother. You¡¯d better call him brother. Don¡¯t call him by his name. It¡¯s rude.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face became sullen. Raeleigh nced at him. It was none of his business, and it was her choice what to call her own brother. However, he seemed to have said something outrageous.

    After walking for a while, Raeleigh became quiet again. When she arrived at the elevator, Raeleigh leaned against a corner. It was impossible for her to leave like this. However, if she did not leave, then she could not stick to it.

    When the elevator opened, Jepherson stepped out and followed her. She was going to tell him not to contact her anymore, but as soon as she went out, she saw Ste standing outside and was preparing to enter the elevator. The three faced each other coincidentally.

    ¡°Jepherson, Raeleigh¡­¡± As soon as they met, Ste took the initiative to say hello to Raeleigh. It was not good for Raeleigh to say that. She would be friendly even if she could not pretend to be so when she met Ste.

    Raeleigh bit her lips without saying anything. Jepherson stood on the left side of Raeleigh and turned to look at Raeleigh. He pretended to be displeased, but in fact, he said in a doting tone, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear her?¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Hello.¡±

    Ste immediately smiled like a blooming flower. ¡°Raeleigh, you came to see Uncle Richards?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Raeleigh answered in a serious way. Ste smiled and said, ¡°I came to see him too. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh and I have something to do. You can go now.¡±

    Jepherson raised his hand and pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hand. He walked around Ste and walked forward. Ste turned around and saw Jepherson take Raeleigh away. She turned around and pressed the button of the elevator. When she entered through the door, Ste put away the sweet smile on her face. Her ss-like eyes moved and she grew serious.

    Raeleigh was pulled out of the hospital by Jepherson. She got in the car and he ordered the driver to go back to Green Jade Garden.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to send me back?¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to go there as soon as she heard that she was going to Richards Manor. However, he said immediately, ¡°I didn¡¯t promise you.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s discuss it now. Send me back first. I need to change my clothes,¡± Raeleigh said determinedly. Jepherson turned to Raeleigh and looked at Raeleigh with his dark eyes. He said, ¡°I thought about the questionst night.¡±

    ¡°What question?¡± Raeleigh forgot what question they had asked. Jepherson said, ¡°It¡¯s the question about fighting to the death.¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent for a moment. Jepherson pursed his lips and smiled slightly. He must have been in a good mood.

    Raeleigh angrily sat with her face turning pink with anger.

    Raeleigh understood that Jepherson was threatening her. She was in his car then. He could do whatever he wanted. The meaning of his words was to tell her that she will be vulnerable when she is fighting to the death.

    So, how could Raeleigh fight with her life?

    The car arrived at the gate of the manor. The gate was open. Stuart pulled the door open and Raeleigh got off. Jepherson also got off from the other side.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t leave, so she could only follow Jepherson into his house.

 Chapter 1268 Broken Boundaries

    Although Marissa was not there, Raeleigh found that the Richards Manor was still in order, which made her feelfortable. The servants greeted her when they saw her. They all called her Madam Raeleigh, which she was still not ustomed to.

    Breakfast will be cooked by Jepherson, but he ordered people to prepare the ingredients. Raeleigh was brought to the kitchen by Jepherson and it was her first time in the mansion¡¯s kitchen. There were too many people and things inside, and it was very big.

    At first, Raeleigh went into the kitchen and stood there for a while. Then, people went out one after another and the kitchen looked more spacious.

    Jepherson put on an apron and walked to the side of the stove. He ced the prepared white rice into the pot, closed the lid, and turned on the fire. He shredded some meat while waiting for the porridge to boil. Raeleigh did not know what to do. She could not help him in any way, so she could only stand to the side and watch Jepherson cook.

    After the lean slice meat was prepared, Jepherson ced it in the pot. He then turned around and began peeling some hard-boiled eggs. The rest of the ingredients were also being prepared. After putting in every ingredient, breakfast was ready.

    ¡°Come here for a moment.¡± Jepherson handed a bowl of porridge to Raeleigh and the two went outside.

    The servants of the Richards family hid in the shadows and watched the two eat porridge. They were so happy that the two of them were together again.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh lowered her head and quietly ate the porridge. She thought that she could go back after eating. After Japherson finished eating, he gave the apron to Raeleigh, wanting Raeleigh to put on the apron and go to the kitchen to make soup for Hansen. At first, Raeleigh was unwilling to do so, so she didn¡¯t get up. Jepherson then leaned against his side and supported his head with his hand. He watched Raeleigh with a calm, emotionless face. It was fine for Raeleigh not to make soup, but it was impossible for her to go home.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Raeleigh noticed this, so she turned around and went to the kitchen. Raeleigh knew that even if she wanted to act tough, she would still lose to Jepherson.

    Raeleigh went to the kitchen with an apron. She found the ingredients she wanted and put them in the pot. She turned on the fire and boiled them. After it was boiled, the gas was turned down and the soup was cooked with a small me for forty minutes. After two hours of preparation, the soup was finally done.

    Raeleigh thought she had fulfilled her mission, so she wanted to leave. She turned around and asked Jepherson, ¡°Can I leave now?¡±

    ¡°You need to send the soup to the hospital.¡± Jepherson leaned against the wall of the kitchen. As he spoke to Raeleigh, he stood up and went out to put on his clothes. But when he was halfway through dressing up, he turned around and saw Raeleigh. He frowned and said, ¡°Go and wash up. The smell of smoke from your body makes me dizzy.¡±

    Raeleigh stood at the door of the kitchen. She was so furious that she wanted to say something bad back to him. Instead, she kept quiet and went upstairs. She pushed open the door of Jepherson¡¯s room, went to take a shower, and changed her clothes. When Raeleigh went upstairs, he stood downstairs but he then decided to check up on her. He went to the door of his room and tried to push the door without knocking. Raeleigh did not respond. Jepherson took the key from the maid and opened the door but Raeleigh had already changed her clothes.

    Seeing Raeleigh, Jepherson said, ¡°I¡¯ll have a bath too.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. Her clothes were all prepared by Jepherson. He had prepared some of her clothes in this room, so it was not difficult to get her attire.

    Right then, Jepherson said he also wanted to take a bath, but Raeleigh knew it was an excuse. Since it was an excuse, there was no need to expose it.

    Jepherson stopped for a while. Raeleigh did not speak either. He closed the door, locked it with the key, and walked towards Raeleigh. He looked at Raeleigh.

    ¡°Wait for me.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Raeleigh replied without hesitation. Jepherson raised his eyebrows. ¡°If you leave again without saying goodbye, then I will tell your brother about it. In Capital City, it¡¯s easy for me to make your brother miserable.¡±

    Raeleigh said in amusement, ¡°You remind me of Lex Luthor.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face was full of disgust. ¡°I prefer to bepared to Kingpin.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Raeleigh snorted.

    Raeleigh turned around and sat down. Jepherson took off his clothes and walked to the bathroom. When he entered through the door, he hung his shirt at the door. He went in and said, ¡°Get me some clothes. I¡¯ll change into themter.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to do it, but she still stood up to find his clothes. Otherwise, she would be more embarrassed if he came out naked.

    Raeleigh thought that most men were without ss. Although she had never been close with other men before, knowing Jepherson was enough for her. She had never seen such a shameless person. His change was more frightening than a chameleon.

    He would achieve his goal by hook or by crook.

    After putting down his clothes, Raeleigh stood up and observed for a while. She stood in front of several paintings and looked at them for a while. Then, she watched Jephersoning out of the bathroom. He was naked while drying his hair.

    Jepherson never had the habit ofing out with his upper body naked. But that day, he wanted to see Raeleigh¡¯s expression.

    As expected, Raeleigh turned around and blushed with fear. She took a step back with her lips pursed.

    Seeing her retreat, Jepherson felt amused. ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t seen each other naked before.¡±

    Raeleigh calmed herself down. ¡°Why don¡¯t you wear a bathrobe?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal for me to be naked in my own home. Why should I wear a bathrobe?¡±

    Raeleigh held back her blushing face and red at Jepherson.

    Jepherson turned around and began to wipe the water off his body. After he sat down, he took his clothes and changed them while staring at Raeleigh. Raeleigh didn¡¯t dare to look at him. However, Jepherson changed his clothes and stood in front of her.

    When Raeleigh slowly raised her head to look at him, her lips were about to break.

    ¡°If you continue to bite it, then it will bleed.¡± After saying that, he lowered his head to kiss Raeleigh. Raeleigh raised her hand to push him away. She used a lot of her strength, but she still couldn¡¯t do it. With a slight force, he immediately held Raeleigh¡¯s shoulders with his hands. With a slight pull, Raeleigh got close to him. However, she didn¡¯t move her feet at all. She was brought into Jepeherson¡¯s arms and gave up struggling after a while.

    Jepherson kissed for a while, entangling her breath with his, and pushing her to the wall. Raeleigh whined and was immediately swallowed by Jepherson.

    She was unwilling, but she was unable to push him away. Her eyes were wide and afraid. Jepherson¡¯s lips lingered for a while before he bit them. She was in so much pain that she kept hitting him. It took Jepherson a long time to let go of Raeleigh. However, both of their breaths were heavy, especially Raeleigh. It was as if she was about to die. She was unable to breathe smoothly.

    Jepherson pressed Raeleigh¡¯s waist and was about to undress Raeleigh with the other hand. Raeleigh raised her hand to break free, asking him to let her go.

    ¡°Let go. Let go. You can¡¯t do this.¡± Raeleigh was unwilling to do so.

    ¡°I want it. I want it now,¡± Jepherson said in a hoarse voice, lowering his head, as if ying the world¡¯s most beautiful song with a cello.

    Raeleigh admitted that Jepherson¡¯s voice had a kind of prating magic. As long as she heard it, her heart would thump.

    But¡­

    ¡°No.¡± Raeleigh was unwilling to do it. Jepherson lowered his gaze with his face darkening. ¡°I want it.¡±

    At that time, he was like a child, stubborn and spoiled.

    Raeleigh blushed and red at Jepherson angrily. ¡°You are too¡­¡±

 Chapter 1269 Family Feud

    Raeleigh woke up after dark. She opened her eyes and saw Jepherson sleeping beside her. When she moved, he immediately got up and held her. She looked at him, who had opened his eyes. They stayed silently in each other¡¯s arms for a long time.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Are we good now?¡± Jepherson stood up, kissed Raeleigh¡¯s neck, and gently stroked Raeleigh¡¯s leg with his palm. Raeleigh had intended to push Jepherson away, but he didn¡¯t give Raeleigh any chance.

    Raeleigh wanted to say something but Jepherson covered Raeleigh¡¯s mouth. When Raeleigh tried to struggle, he held onto Raeleigh¡¯s leg.

    Raeleigh had never been so passive. From Raeleigh¡¯s expectation, love¡­ was not like this.

    Quietly, Raeleigh seemed to have gone through torture. She was manipted by Jepherson and was trapped in the palm of his hand. When Jepherson stopped sweating and kissed her again, she turned to face the other side, holding the quilt in a daze.

    She liked Jepherson. Although the child was gone, she did not deny that she still loved him as much as before. But what she wanted was not this feeling. She didn¡¯t want to be taken by force and she hated the fact that he didn¡¯t even acknowledge her feelings.

    Jepherson hugged her from the back and kissed her shoulder. Raeleigh did not move. All her strength and thoughts had been consumed by Jepherson.

    After holding her for a while, Jepherson got up. Raeleigh got up too and went to take a bath. After changing into clean clothes, she put what she had worn into a bag and was ready to go back and wash them.

    ¡°Put it down. I¡¯ll ask someone to wash itter.¡± Jepherson stood at the door and stared at Raeleigh.

    He knew he had taken too much, which made her so tired that her voice was raspy.

    But as soon as he came into contact with her, he would go crazy. He also wanted to control himself so badly. He wasn¡¯t a ruthless guy, but sometimes, he just couldn¡¯t control his feelings for her, even the slightest touch from her could make his hormones hit through the roof .

    Raeleigh held the bag in her hand. ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble them. Besides, I don¡¯t like people washing my clothes. I can do it by myself.¡±

    Knowing Raeleigh¡¯s temper, Jepherson said nothing more. Raeleigh then followed him out.

    Coming down from their room, Jepherson had been walking slowly, waiting for Raeleigh toe downstairs. Raeleigh walked slowly, which showed that she was still a little ufortable.

    Jepherson would always be upset when he did something like this, but he didn¡¯t regret it.

    If a man failed to aplish even such a minor task, then there was really nothing to brag about.

    But after he had done it, he still felt that he should be gentler next time, so as not to make women suffer.

    Raeleigh came downstairs. Jepherson had already asked someone to put some food on the table. He handed Raeleigh¡¯s bag to Stuart and took Raeleigh to the dining table. Raeleigh sat down and looked at all the food on the table, and they even prepared red wine.

    ¡°I don¡¯t drink.¡±

    ¡°I know, but am I not allowed to drink?¡± Jepherson sat opposite Raeleigh. Raeleigh regretted saying that, as she shouldn¡¯t have meddled in other people¡¯s business just then.

    Jepherson gave Raeleigh some dishes and said, ¡°Eat more, or else, you will lose your strength.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte and we haven¡¯t even gone to the hospital yet.¡± Raeleigh took a small bowl and reminded Jepherson. Jepherson said with a funny face, ¡°I think he has finished his food.¡±

    ¡°Has it been delivered?¡±

    Raeleigh held the bowl but she could not eat. She should have thought of it.

    Raeleigh kept quiet throughout the meal. After she finished her meal, she was ready to leave. Jepherson walked to the door and stretched his arms. Raeleigh was about to talk to him when a car from the Richards family stopped at the door.

    Raeleigh stared at the car, which was almost the same as Jepherson¡¯s. It seemed like her n to go back was close to impossible.

    The car stopped and even Stuart gasped. Wasn¡¯t this Grandma¡¯s car?

    ¡°Young Master Jepherson.¡± Stuart turned to look at Jepherson. Why was there no one in the hospital to inform him that the Old Madam had returned?

    ¡°I got it.¡± Jepherson blinked his emotionless eyes and immediately stopped Stuart¡¯s words. He went to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at Jepherson. ¡°Will you protect me?¡±

    ¡°Am I not able to do so?¡± Jepherson lowered his eyes, and was calm andposed.

    Raeleigh did not answer, but she turned around to see Ste getting out of the car. She knew¡­

    Ste froze for a moment when she saw Raeleigh, as if she did not expect Raeleigh to be in Richards Manor. But she nodded her head and turned to help Marissa get out of the car.

    ¡°Grandma, be careful.¡± Ste helped Marissa get out of the car. Marissa nodded and looked at Raeleigh with impatience. When she saw Raeleigh, her face suddenly fell. She said, ¡°Why are you here? Who invited you toe here?¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent, staring at Marissa without answering.

    ¡°Are you dumb? You didn¡¯t even respond when I asked you. What kind of upbringing is this? Your parents¡­¡±

    ¡°Grandma, if you¡¯re tired, then stop speaking, don¡¯t hurt your body.¡± Jepherson immediately interrupted Marissa. Jepherson may seem calm, but he was fuming inside.

    Marissa was fine before listening to Jepherson¡¯s words. When she heard them, his expression immediately turned ugly. She looked coldly at Jepherson. ¡°Don¡¯t think that I can¡¯t go andin to your father when he¡¯s sick¡­ and your mother too. I¡¯m not dead yet.¡±

    Marissa was so angry that her whole body was shaking. Ste, who was beside her, quickly patted her chest and persuaded her. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Grandma. Let¡¯s go in first.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ste. Grandma will help you fight for what should be yours.¡± Marissa snorted as she spoke. She grabbed Ste¡¯s hand and walked into the Richards family¡¯s public hall.

    Ste nced at Raeleigh and Jepherson before she went in, showing signs of guilt.

    Raeleigh wore no expression on her face, with her eyes fixed on her feet. She was treated like a dirty, despicable mouse by Marissa. What else could she say?

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything either. He held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and was ready to leave. Marissa had just walked a few steps, and she turned around to look at Jepherson and Raeleigh. She stopped them and said, ¡°Wait.¡±

    Raeleigh and Jepherson stopped and turned to look at Marissa. Ste also stared at her with a strange look.

    Marissa thought for a moment and stared at Raeleigh with her cold eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not impossible for you to enter past Richards Manor¡¯s gates. But it depends on whether or not you have the ability.¡±

    Jepherson gritted his teeth. ¡°Whether she has the ability or not is something I have the final say on. It has nothing to do with you.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t think that I¡¯m not aware that your parents are partial towards you. Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯m not dead yet. If you want to marry her, then you have to promise me that you will let her and Ste enter the family together. She will be the second wife while Ste will be your first wife, or else¡­¡±

    ¡°Never.¡± Without waiting for Raeleigh¡¯s response, Jepherson immediately refused. Moreover, he was cold. Even if it was Marissa, he would not give in to her.

    Marissa was not surprised. She knew what kind of temper her grandson had.

    Suddenly, she showed a proud smile. ¡°It¡¯s not for you to decide whether or not it is impossible. I¡¯m so old and I¡¯ve been through a lot. In Capital City, I have the ability to destroy a man¡¯s life, let alone his career. It¡¯s just the matter of whether I want to or not.¡±

    Jepherson gritted his teeth. A gleam of light shed in his eyes. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    Marissa smiled even more arrogantly. ¡°Do you think I won¡¯t?¡±

 Chapter 1270 FatherandSon Moment

    After the confrontation, Raeleigh turned around and intended to go outside. Marissa sneered and said, ¡°If you walk out of the gates of Richards Manor now, then I promise that the people around you will be in trouble. And that¡¯s a promise.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped, turned around, and fixed her eyes on Marissa. It never urred to Raeleigh that she could get Marissa¡¯s recognition. After all, she used to treat Marissa that way. However, Raeleigh did not expect that she would be such a ruthless person.

    From the looks of it, Jepherson inherited her character.

    ¡°Well, what do you intend to do? First of all, I don¡¯t even want to stay by your grandson¡¯s side. So, whoever your grandson marries has nothing to do with me. If we are separated, then you¡¯d better stop him froming to me. And the way you threaten me like this, it won¡¯t be good for your reputation if word gets out.¡±

    Raeleigh did not wait for Jepherson to say anything, and said to Marissa in a neither servile nor overbearing way.

    Marissa sneered. ¡°Ever since the day you appeared, I no longer have any concern for my reputation. A poor little beggar who wanted to be a phoenix, have a look at yourself! It¡¯s impossible for you to enter through the gates of my family home.¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her eyes. Even if she did not care about her reputation, she was ufortable to be hurt like this.

    However, she calmed herself down and stared at Marissa. ¡°Since it¡¯s impossible, why do you still make things difficult for me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to make things difficult for you. I just want you to get out of the city. I can¡¯t tolerate your presence.¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Just as Marissa finished speaking, Jepherson roared angrily. In his anger, he threw out a murderous gaze.

    Marissa looked at him slowly. ¡°What¡¯s with the look? You want to kill me? Come on, let her in. I want my feet washed. Isn¡¯t she willing toe in? Come in and wash my feet!¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. She really didn¡¯t expect that he would have such a rude grandmother.

    ¡°Grandma, let¡¯s go in. I¡¯ll wash your feet for you, okay?¡± Ste said fawningly, and she then signaled Raeleigh and Jepherson to leave first.

    But Marissa did not think so. She sneered. ¡°See, Ste can do anything, but what about her? She can¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°She did it just for money. Don¡¯t you know? You are intoxicated by her charm. What don¡¯t you understand?¡±

    Jepherson sneered. ¡°Whether I understand or not, even if she deceives me or wants to kill me, I¡¯m okay with it. I am very clear with what I want. I don¡¯t need you to make a decision for me. Stop trying to make things difficult for Raeleigh. I said it and I will say it again, unless I am dead, it is impossible.¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want the family assets?¡± Marissag was so angry that her hands and feet were trembling. Jepherson was still unmoved. Instead, he said, ¡°Take it then, bring it with you to your grave.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jepherson turned around and pulled Raeleigh to his car. Marissa watched them coldly, gritting her teeth so hard she might have broken a teeth or two.

    Raeleigh got in the car and looked at Jepherson. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t touched that I tried to protect you? Now, I really am all alone.¡± Jepherson casually raised his eyebrows and looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh felt that it was funny. Although she was the cause of this matter, it was definitely not her fault.

    Seeing that she did not speak, Jepherson turned his face away and looked elsewhere. It was not until the car arrived at the hospital that he nced at Raeleigh. He got out of the car and continued to wait for Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to get out of the car, but she looked at Jepherson, who wouldn¡¯t give up until Raeleigh got out of the car, so she got out of the car.

    Raeleigh felt more ufortable after making such a scene.

    Thinking of what Marissa had said, she would have a terrible life in the future.

    When Raeleigh got out of the car, Jepherson nced at her. He then turned around and walked forward. Raeleigh simply wanted to run away. But when she looked back at Stuart, who was sitting in the car, she gave up on the idea of running away.

    Raeleigh walked inside with her head lowered. She thought a lot of things along the way, most of which were about Marissa¡¯s words.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t expect that Marissa would say such vicious words.

    When they arrived at the gate of the VIP entrance of the hospital, Jepherson realized that Raeleigh was absent-mindedly walking behind him. He stopped and turned to Raeleigh. She walked all the way without raising her head and bumped into Jepherson.

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at him without saying anything for a long time.

    On the contrary, Jepherson was not happy and questioned, ¡°Are you so impatient to throw yourself on me in front of so many people in the hospital?¡±

    Raeleigh was not amused at all. She was not angry. She wasn¡¯t in the mood to be angry then.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t paying attention,¡± Raeleigh exined, as if a basin of cold water was poured over the top of Jepherson¡¯s head to the soles of his feet. She didn¡¯t even give Jepherson the time to take a breath. His handsome face was drenched by the water and instantly darkened.

    ¡°Not funny at all.¡± Jepherson snorted and turned to go to the VIP hallway. After entering, he stared at Raeleigh. Raeleigh went into the hallway and stood aside. Then, they went upstairs.

    Walking through the door, Raeleigh kept silent. When they arrived at the door of Hansen¡¯s ward, Jepherson knocked on the door. After Hansen had asked them to go in, the door was pushed open and Raeleigh was brought into the ward.

    ¡°You are here?¡± As soon as they met, Jenna immediately looked at Raeleigh with a smile. It seemed that she did not acknowledge her son at all. Instead, she preferred Raeleigh, who was standing by the side.

    Raeleigh also felt that Jenna¡¯s eyes were so warm that she made people feel suffocated.

    Raeleigh had never seen other people¡¯s parents, but Jepherson¡¯s parents were very special.

    Not only Jepherson¡¯s parents, the whole family was also very special.

    ¡°Raeleigh,e here. I¡¯ve bought you some clothes.¡± Jenna took Raeleigh inside and did not give Raeleigh a chance to refute her. Raeleigh was pulled away by Jenna like a child.

    The ward had a special arrangement, which was much more advanced than that of ordinary people, and it wasfortable to live in.

    Jenna felt that this ce was much better than a hotel for vacation, so she was not in a hurry to leave the hospital at all.

    Raeleigh walked to the other side of the wall and sat down. The empty space was very spacious, and the middle was separated by a screen. Raeleigh could change clothes inside, leaving the father and son there. They can also say anything they want without people eavesdropping.

    Jepherson took the chair and sat down, crossing his legs casually. His posture was exactly the same as that of Hansen. Like father, like son. If it weren¡¯t for his age, then no one could tell that they were not the same person. Whether it was his aura or face, it was all the same.

    However¡­

    Hansen stared at his son in front of him. If it weren¡¯t for that moment, then he really couldn¡¯t believe that the man in front of him was his son.

 Chapter 1271 Hearty Laugh

    Time passed like flowing water. He had dreamt about a time when he was old. He was like the sun in the middle of the sky, and Jepherson was his shadow. This feeling¡­

    Hansen wanted tough but he couldn¡¯t.

    Once upon a time, he was also young and passionate.

    However¡­

    His days passed like falling flowers, lingering in his mind for many years, and the autumn wind was deste. Suddenly, he understood one thing and he was unhappy about the discovery.

    He had wasted a lot of time when he was young. In the end, he felt that life was too short. He didn¡¯t want to waste his time again.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I heard that you quarreled with your grandmother.¡± Hansen was silent for a moment before he asked his son, Jepherson, who lowered her head and remained silent.

    Hansen rose to his feet. Jepherson stood up to support him. The father and son both understood the reason for the silence.

    Since he was silent, it meant that he admitted to it.

    How could Hansen not understand his son¡¯s logic? However, sometimes, one couldn¡¯t go too far because it was useless.

    ¡°Back then, I suffered a lot because of your grandmother. Your grandmother has always held a grudge against your mother. I don¡¯t want to say too much, but there are some things that you should know in your heart. No matter how bad your grandmother is, she is still your grandmother. After all, she is my mother. Think about what happened to you when you were a child. Has your grandmother ever been against you?¡±

    ¡°However, marriage is sometimes too radical.¡±

    ¡°She had always thought that the men of the Richards family, on one hand, should carry forward the family line and win glory for the Richards family and on the other hand, we should establish our roots and pass them on to the descendants of the Richards family.¡±

    Hansen sat down and Jepherson returned to his seat.

    At that moment, there was a kind of aura on Hansen¡¯s handsome face.

    His handsome face turned to the other side of the screen and nced at his wife, who was talking endlessly inside. The corners of his mouth moved. Although the smile was very shallow, it was not hard to see. His love for his wife grew more and more. But the way he showed his love was slowly changing.

    Looking at his wife, Hansen looked at his son. His deep eyes were still lit up, but the manner in which he spoke was a lot simpler.

    ¡°In the past, I didn¡¯t quite understand why as a mother, she was so demanding of her son. She refused what her son wanted and gave what her son didn¡¯t want.¡±

    ¡°But when I looked back, it was not her fault. It was mine.¡±

    ¡°If I did it in another way, then maybe it would not be like this.¡±

    ¡°In the past, I had a grandmother like you. I was very close to her, sometimes even closer than I was to your mother.¡±

    ¡°She hoped that I would marry your mother and we got married, but I didn¡¯t understand her good intentions and I treated your mother badly.¡±

    ¡°Later, I encountered a lot of things with your mother until we were finally together.¡±

    ¡°People don¡¯tmunicate with others in the same way. Have you seen the way children in kindergarten fight with each other?¡±

    Hansen asked his son. Jepherson nodded. As a father, he was deeply gratified.

    ¡°When children fight, they all think they¡¯re right by expressing their views. You have your reasons, while others have their reasons. This kind of opposition, no matter what it is, right or wrong, they only have one rtionship, to fight.¡±

    Children and adults will also quarrel. When they quarrel, children will think that adults are unkind, but in fact, they are with good intentions. They just think that the child is disobedient and feels disappointed, so she does some unreasonable things, just like your grandmother.¡±

    ¡°I know she wants me to have a meteoric rise. The Doyle family is a noble family. If I can get the Doyle family¡¯s help, then it will be of great benefit to me in the future.¡±

    ¡°But I am not a blockhead. I have my own ideas. I want to marry Raeleigh and make her the happiest woman. This will never change, even if I be a beggar on the street. ¡±

    Hansenughed. ¡°You¡¯re indeed my son. You¡¯re the same as I was in the past.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t reply. Hansen pondered and asked, ¡°But you can¡¯t anger your grandmother to death, right?¡±

    Jepherson never responded. Hansen said, ¡°Do the marital registrations first, leave the rest alone. If you want to have a child, then you can have a baby outside. The Richards family will be yours sooner orter. Santiago has no objection to you living in Capital City or returning to A City. What else do you want?¡±

    ¡°Grandma threatened Raeleigh to ruin her reputation. I don¡¯t want anything to happen to her.¡±

    Jepherson also knew that if Marissa could say something like that, then it meant that she could really do it. It was not just all talk.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t even protect your own woman, then you won¡¯t be able to aplish great things in the future.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t hear what the father and son had said. However, Jenna kept talking. She was a little nervous. If she wanted to change clothes inside, then she couldn¡¯t know what was going on outside.

    ¡°Are you ill?¡± Hansen finished his sentence. Jepherson asked Hansen instead. He looked up at him. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell whether I¡¯m ill or not?¡±

    ¡°The doctor said that there was something wrong with your heart.¡± Jepherson was not asking, but was certainly questioning Hansen.

    Hansen was silent for a long time. ¡°Of course there will be problems at old age. No matter how good the car is, there will be problems over time. Do I need to tell you this?¡±

    ¡°Then, you insist on going out for vacation although there¡¯s something wrong with your heart?¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes were sharp. Hansen rolled his eyes at him. ¡°You seriously think I¡¯ll buy that?¡±

    Jepherson opened his eyes. ¡°Take a vacation. I¡¯ll take care of thepany.¡±

    Jepherson rose to his feet and walked over to the screen. Hansen raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes gleaming.

    Taking a detour, Jepherson looked at Raeleigh, who had changed her clothes and said, ¡°She looks very beautiful.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment subconsciously and she then looked up at Jepherson. She was still speechless about her being morally abducted, so she didn¡¯t say anything.

    Jenna walked out from inside and saw that her husband hady down and was wiping his head.

    Raeleigh and Jepherson came out and didn¡¯t stay for long. Jepherson said he had something to do and went out with Raeleigh.

    When they left, the corners of Hansen¡¯s mouth curled up, giving him a carefree smile.

    He raised his hand and held Jenna¡¯s hand. Jenna asked him with a strange face, ¡°What are youughing at?¡±

    ¡°I killed two birds with one stone.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jenna didn¡¯t understand what he meant.

    Hansenughed even more. ¡°We can go wherever we want in the future. Thepany will no longer be ours to worry about.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Jenna was even more confused. How could her son agree to take over thepany so quickly? It was impossible.

    ¡°I¡¯m his father. I¡¯m so sick now, why?¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re not ill?¡± Jenna was puzzled. Hansen was amused. ¡°Why would I stay here if I¡¯m not ill?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a front?¡± Jenna asked Hansen. He gave a hum of assent before lying on his bed andughing out loud.

 Chapter 1272 A Threat

    After Raeleigh left the hospital, she nned to go back. Jepherson did not say that he would not allow her to go back. Later, the car arrived at the door of Xanthus¡¯s residence. Raeleigh got out of the car and went straight to him. However¡­

    ¡°Why are you also getting out of the car?¡± Hearing the footsteps following her, Raeleigh turned around and looked at Jepherson with a displeased face.

    ¡°I am homeless now. Don¡¯t you intend to take me in?¡± After saying that, Jepherson stepped towards Xanthus¡¯s vi. Raeleigh stopped outside for a while, and she then followed him inside.

    After entering through the door, Raeleigh changed her shoes and looked into the vi. Xanthus had already prepared the food and was waiting for Raeleigh toe back to eat together. But the atmosphere was still a little strange. After all, Xanthus did not expect that it was Jepherson who came in first, and he had already gone inside.

    Raeleigh exined to Xanthus, ¡°I will find a way to let him leave.¡±

    ¡°Are you able to do this?¡± Xanthus turned around and took a look at the room where Raeleigh was in. As soon as he cleared it, Xanthus came back.

    Xanthus was amused when he turned back.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°There will be a way.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that there¡¯s a way. The most worrisome way is if your ideas fail on him, then it will make him bolder.¡± After saying that, Xanthus turned around to prepare the food. Raeleigh stood at the door for a while. She did understand Xanthus¡¯s meaning, but Jepherson was indeed very difficult to deal with.

    Raeleigh returned after washing her hands. Xanthus had already ced the food. When they sat down and were about to eat, Jepherson came down from upstairs as if he had watched the time.

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at Jepherson, who had already changed his clothes. As soon as he saw her, he went straight to Raeleigh and sat down beside her. He held up her bowl and chopsticks, ready to eat, as if he was at home. Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the bowl in front of her, which was empty. It was her dinner.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Drink some soup first.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s rice was taken away. Xanthus immediately filled up another bowl of soup. Raeleigh took it over and lowered her head to drink the soup.

    ¡°I have fallen out with my family and will live here from today onwards.¡± Jepherson, who was having his meal, told Xanthus about his current situation.

    Raeleigh raised her head slowly to look at Jepherson. ¡°You own a hotel outside, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°The hotel is owned by the Richards family. I have nothing but you.¡± After eating a mouthful of the rice, he turned around to see Raeleigh, who wore a nk look on her face. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the case?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s between you and your grandmother. I don¡¯t want to talk to you. I¡¯m also very confused now. Please stay away from me.¡±

    ¡°Now, you don¡¯t need me. You want me to go. But you didn¡¯t say that at the beginning. You still have my gift on your wrist. If you take it off unscathed, then I will promise to leave you. Otherwise, it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°You are unreasonable.¡±

    ¡°Yeap, but what can you do to me?¡± he asked Raeleigh, while putting the rice into his mouth, chewing. He had an extraordinarily handsome face, but she was also very angry. Raeleigh said, ¡°You are too much.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was speechless and nced at Xanthus on the opposite side. Xanthus froze for a moment. Although he did not like Jepherson very much, he was almost amused by his shamelessness.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Xanthus dipped some meat into Raeleigh¡¯s bowl. ¡°Eat more and you¡¯ll feel better and stronger.¡±

    Raeleigh blushed.Why did she need to be so strong? Did he want to fight? She thought.

    What was the point of being strong if she was unable to defeat a person like Jepherson?

    Raeleigh lowered her head and kept eating. She did not know who she was angry with. After eating, Raeleigh stood up and left. Then, she sat on the couch in the living room to watch the news.

    If Raeleigh didn¡¯t watch the news, then she wouldn¡¯t even know that such a big thing had happened to the Richards Group¡­ Jepherson was reported missing!

    ¡°Are you missing?¡± Raeleigh pointed at the TV and asked. He was walking towards Raeleigh with a cup of tea with honey and sat beside her.

    Jepherson sat down and blew on the water in the cup, replying to Raeleigh with his nose.

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Raeleigh immediately became unhappy and looked pale. ¡°You are missing. It is rted to a kidnapping case. Am I a kidnapper?¡±

    Raeleigh almost shouted out, while Jepherson sat on the couch casually with his legs crossed. He said in an astonishing tone, ¡°If I won¡¯t say that you¡¯re a kidnapper, then who would dare to say that you¡¯re one?¡±

    ¡°The implication is that if I don¡¯t take good care of you, then will I be a kidnapper?¡±

    Raeleigh was unhappy. Wasn¡¯t that what he meant?

    Jephersonughed. ¡°That¡¯s what I meant.¡±

    Raeleigh got up and went upstairs quietly withouting down for the rest of the day.

    When Xanthus knocked on Raeleigh¡¯s door in the evening, the reporters had already surrounded Xanthus downstairs.

    Raeleigh looked out of the window and found that there was a circle of people around the vi, who were all looking over, waiting for Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh went to open the door but she did not go down. Instead, she let Xanthus in first and sat down. Xanthus was standing on the opposite side of the cab.

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°What can I do? Now, everyone thinks that I kidnapped Jepherson, what can I do? Maybe the police wille to meter, arrest me, and take me to the police station.¡±

    Raeleigh looked a little bad. She was in a mess and didn¡¯t know what to do. Xanthus asked her what to do. How could she know?

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t know what to do¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t start on cranky thoughts. Youneed to rest. You don¡¯t even know how pale your face is.¡±

    ¡°I want to rest, too, but I can¡¯t fall asleep. I¡¯m always thinking about it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother about it. Just rest,¡± Xanthus said and turned to the door. The door opened and he said, ¡°I will talk to Jepherson about this and let him deal with it.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the door. ¡°Will he listen to you?¡±

    Xanthus turned around and stared at Raeleigh. ¡°It depends on who you are. Maybe it¡¯s not enough if you¡¯re just Dr. Osteen. But if you¡¯re Raeleigh¡¯s brother, then it¡¯s another story.¡±

    After Xanthus left, Raeleigh was stunned. After a while, shey on the bed and covered her face with her hands. It was a mess!

    Aftering out of Raeleigh¡¯s room, Xanthus went to find Jepherson, who was watching TV downstairs. He heard footsteps and did not look back, but soon, Xanthus came to him and sat down.

    The casual posture showed Xanthus¡¯s calmness at that time, which allowed Jepherson to understand that Xanthus was by no means an ordinary doctor.

    Crossing his legs, Xanthus watched the news on TV and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want Raeleigh to get hurt, and I don¡¯t want her to be involved in anything. If you don¡¯t even have the ability to keep her safe, then I can take her away from you. This is the best way to protect her. With my ability, it¡¯s easy to take someone away.¡±

    Jepherson looked over at him. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Xanthus stood up. ¡°If you think I¡¯m a threat, then you can try and see if you can persuade me like you persuaded Raeleigh.¡±

    After that, Xanthus went back to his room and left Jepherson alone.

 Chapter 1273 Flyntâ€™s Accident

    Raeleigh got up the next morning. The first thing she did was to look out of the window, but there was no one outside.

    While she thought about this, Xanthus knocked on the door and asked Raeleigh to eat.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh walked downstairs and saw that Jepherson was sitting on the table waiting for her to start eating breakfast.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Jepherson asked when he saw Raeleigh, but she didn¡¯t answer. She just walked to the other end of the table and sat down. Jepherson tugged at Raeleigh¡¯s face as he looked at it carefully. After a while, she lowered her head and said, ¡°The matter has been settled. I¡¯m going to the hospitalter. Come with me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to the hospital. You go ahead.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t go, Mom will be worried.¡±

    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re guilt tripping me.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t know how to respond to that. He picked up his bowl to eat. Raeleigh was depressed and didn¡¯t want to eat. After breakfast, Raeleigh got changed immediately. Thinking about how she needed to go out but wouldn¡¯t know if anything would happen while she was out, Raeleigh changed her mind.

    After taking off her clothes, Raeleigh took off her shoes to stay at home. Jepherson, who was sitting inside, looked at Raeleigh and asked. ¡°Are you scared?¡±

    Raeleigh puckered her lips. It was unnecessary for him to ask whether she was afraid.

    Xanthus asked them, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Not waiting for Raeleigh to speak, Jepherson answered first. Raeleigh walked over to Xanthus and helped him clean up the table. After Xanthus asked her about what happened in the kitchen, she finally told him what Marissa had said.

    ¡°Since she said so, she¡¯d definitely do it. We need to be careful.¡± Xanthus felt that it was time to leave.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it in a few days. I want him to leave so that¡­¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Before Raeleigh finished her words, Xanthus interrupted her. Raeleigh then raised her head and hummed in response.

    ¡°Marissa hates you and thinks that you¡¯ve taken her favorite grandson away. Even if you give up now, there are no promises that she will let you go.¡±

    Raeleigh was silent.

    Of course, she knew about this. But¡­

    Raeleigh lowered her head slightly. ¡°I can¡¯t hurt Marissa just because of this, or can I kill her with a fit of anger?¡±

    ¡°Rest first. I won¡¯t go out for the next two days and will just stay at home to keep youpany.¡±

    Xanthus would not stop worrying if Raeleigh was alone. Staying here was best for both of them.

    Patting Raeleigh on the shoulder, Xanthus pushed Raeleigh out of the room and stayed in the kitchen alone. He really missed Santiago.

    Raeleigh found somewhere to sit and watched TV in a daze. Jepherson leaned against her, asking her, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking about how unlucky I am to have met you!¡±

    Since Raeleigh¡¯s mind was in a chaotic state, it showed in her actions and attitude.

    Jepherson raised his eyebrows. ¡°You¡¯re unlucky because you¡¯re just a very unfortunate person.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so shameless.¡±

    ¡°As are you.¡±

    Silence ensued between the two.

    Raeleigh felt like she was going mad, so she went upstairs while Jepherson sat downstairs and smiled with amusement.

    However, when afternoon came, Jepherson could no longer smile; his face a big contrast from his earlier expression.

    Flynt called Raeleigh beforeing over and asked if she had the time to help him watch the store for a day.

    Though Raeleigh did not actually want to do it, Flynt kept droning on and on about how he had important guests to entertain that day, and that he wouldn¡¯t be able to leave.

    Thus, Raeleigh promised toe help. When Flynt arrived, he knocked on the door and Xanthus opened it.

    Jepherson stood up when he saw Flynt. Just then, Raeleigh changed out of her home clothes and was ready to go downstairs.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Jepherson¡¯s face was grim. Raeleigh looked at him as she went downstairs, but she did not answer.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question.¡± Normally, Jepherson could let many things slide, but when it came to his enemies, he would not let his rtionship be jeopardized.

    Raeleigh did not answer until she came downstairs, ¡°I have to go out. Can¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that you can¡¯t, but rather, it¡¯s impossible for you to go.¡±

    Jepherson walked to Raeleigh and looked down at her. He pinched her soft chin and said, ¡°Don¡¯t go out. Stay home with me.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson, you¡­¡±

    ¡°You can get lost now.¡± Jepherson turned around, his face and gaze piercingly cold as he stared straight at Flynt.

    Flynt stood at the door. He was only here to pick Raeleigh up, so he had not gotten out of his footwear. He remained at the door and said with a smile, ¡°Things are over between you two. Even if there¡¯s still some lingering elements of a rtionship, you have no right to interfere with Raeleigh¡¯s interaction with others.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very clear whether I have the right to or not. Get out of here right now.¡±

    Jepherson stepped towards Flynt. Feeling as if things were about to take a turn for the worse, Raeleigh quickly followed and tugged on Jepherson¡¯s arm. His face was aghast as he stared at Flynt. ¡°Are you leaving or not?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already left the Moore family. Isn¡¯t that enough? I just want to be friends with Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care who you¡¯re friends with. But Raeleigh is mine. You¡¯d better understand this well, or you will be responsible for whatever happens.¡±

    ¡°Capital City is not the Richards family¡¯s territory. You don¡¯t have to threaten me. Raeleigh and I are¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough, stop talking. Please go.¡± Raeleigh felt that Jepherson was about to lose his temper and immediately interrupted Flynt. Flynt looked at Raeleigh in shock, ¡°Raeleigh, do you really care about him this much?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I care. I¡¯m just worried that something might happen to you. You can go. I can¡¯t help you with your shop. Please go.¡±

    Raeleigh pulled Jepherson along while hinting Flynt to leave immediately. Even though he was unwilling to go, he still turned on his heel after hearing Raeleigh asking him to.

    Flynt¡¯s car was parked nearby. After getting it, Flynt leaned against the car door, looked up and took a deep breath.

    Raeleigh had been keeping an eye on what went on outside. She watched as Flynt drove away, just as she watched Jepherson make a call.

    She couldn¡¯t hear their conversation, but knew that he was on the phone and was in a bad mood.

    After ending his call, Jepherson took a look at Raeleigh, sat down on the sofa and said nothing more. Raeleigh had decided against going out as well.

    The day passed quickly, but before it got dark, Raeleigh caught yet another piece of news from the TV.

    Flynt had met with a car ident and was seriously injured in the hospital.

    Raeleigh paused and slowly observed Jepherson, who was watching TV next to her. With a frown, Jepherson turned to look at Raeleigh as well.

    He remained silent, not wanting to be the first to speak. Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°Did you do this?¡±

    Raeleigh remembered Jepherson¡¯s phone call, but thetter made no notion to speak to Raeleigh as he continued staring at her without saying a word.

    Raeleigh asked him again, ¡°Did you do this?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jepherson¡¯s sudden reply made Raeleigh freeze for a moment as she sat there like a ball out of air, facepletely pale.

    ¡°Do you care about him?¡± Jepherson frowned as Raeleigh stared wide-eyed at him. ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far,¡± she said.

    ¡°Do you care about him?¡±

    Jepherson only wanted to know the answer.

    Raeleigh did not answer Santiago¡¯s question but just pursed her lips. Then, she stood up, ¡°I¡¯m going to see him. Try getting someone to set me up and get me killed too if you like.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished speaking, she walked towards the door. Knowing that things between the two were going to turn sour in an instant, Xanthus quickly held Raeleigh back from leaving. Thus, she remained at home instead of going out.

    Although Raeleigh didn¡¯t leave, Jepheson left without a word that night.

 Chapter 1274 The Second Young Master Has Arrived

    Raeleigh only found out that Jepherson had left when she got up the next morning. Xanthus said from down the stairs, ¡°He had a misunderstanding. He thought that there was something between you and Flynt. He was just upset for a second.¡±

    Raeleigh began descending the stairs. She knew this, of course, but she didn¡¯t think it was anything bad.

    ¡°I know he must have misunderstood.¡± After she finished breakfast, she followed Xanthus to visit Flynt. However, when they arrived at the hospital, they were blocked off by the Moore family, so they didn¡¯t go in.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home then.¡± Raeleigh wasn¡¯t exactly dying to see Flynt anyway. She thought to herself that if Jepherson had hurt Flynt out of a moment¡¯s rage, it meant that he had been wrongly used. If this was the case, who was the real culprit then?

    It was probably Flynt himself. Perhaps he was fine after all.

    Thus, it didn¡¯t matter whether she looked into this or not.

    Raeleigh followed Xanthus back to the car and went to school together. On their way there, Xanthus received a call from the hospital, saying that they needed his help. Xanthus quickly turned the car around, but something was blocking the road ahead. The car came to a stop.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go check it out. Don¡¯t leave the car.¡± Xanthus unfastened his seat belt and then got out of the car while Raeleigh poked her head out to take a look. Several people got out of their cars with something in their hands. Raeleigh noticed this and got out of the car right away. She flung the door open as she ran towards Xanthus. With her hand on his arm, she immediately pulled him with her as she ran away.

    ¡°Run, someone is after us!¡± Raeleigh shouted at him as they ran towards a crowded area. Xanthus looked back and saw five men chasing after them.

    Then, Xanthus held her hand and sped up his pace.

    The people behind them were still chasing after them. Raeleigh was unfit so she couldn¡¯t keep running for long.

    ¡°Call Jepherson.¡± Xanthus tried to hide Raeleigh away, but the men had caught up with him. Raeleigh picked up her phone and dialed for Jepherson.

    When Jepherson answered the phone, Xanthus was already fighting with the men.

    The men were armed with knives, so Xanthus did what he could to protect Raeleigh. Weaponless, he was ced at a great disadvantage.

    ¡°Where are you?¡± Jepherson stood up, picked up his jacket, and walked towards the door. After learning where she was Raeleigh, quickly told him her location.

    She hung up the phone and looked for a way out, but the roads were blocked.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jepherson asked as he leaned out of the car. Stuart replied, ¡°There¡¯s a traffic jam ahead.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not rush hour right now. Someone must have arranged this.¡±

    ¡°Sir, could it be¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s frown etched deeper on his forehead, his mood incredibly sour. Stuart quickly shut his mouth.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    A few secondster, Jepherson gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Get out of the car and find Raeleigh. Don¡¯t get into trouble. I¡¯m here, so no one will stop you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    After Stuart got out of the car, he dashed right in front of the crowd. Jepherson sat in the car, clutching his phone tightly in his hands when Marissa suddenly called.

    Jepherson hesitated for a few seconds before answering. He heard Marissa¡¯s calm voice from the other end of the line.

    ¡°Whether she lives or dies, it depends on what you say.¡±

    Jepherson gritted her teeth. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be scared?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you are afraid or not. If you don¡¯t promise to marry Ste, I will have someone leave a nice, little gift on Raeleigh¡¯s face.¡±

    Jepherson gripped his phone hard, his breathing heavy andbored.

    The driver looked over at Jepherson and thought that Jepherson must be in trouble as hisplexion looked terrible.

    ¡­

    Xanthus never stopped protecting Raeleigh, even as the men forced them into a corner.

    ¡°Did you think you could run away?¡± One of them who was holding a knife asked as he stared at them. At first, there had only been five of them, but that number had turned to eight in a blink of an eye.

    Xanthus was very skilled at fighting; only these strange men were injured after fighting for so long. Since they didn¡¯t dare take any chances with Xanthus, they had called for backup which led to them cornering Xanthus and Raeleigh into a dead end.

    ¡°Did you call him?¡± Xanthus asked Raeleigh, his forehead beaded in sweat. She held on tightly onto his arm. ¡°I did, but I still don¡¯t see him.¡±

    ¡°Something must have happened. Don¡¯t panic.¡± Xanthus turned around andforted her. Then, he took a look at the approaching men.

    ¡°You¡¯re only doing this for money, but we don¡¯t hold that against you. I¡¯ll give you more money if you just let us go.¡±

    Xanthus took out his wallet, grabbed some credit cards, and tossed them on the ground. ¡°There are millions of dors on those. If that¡¯s not enough, I will ask my people to send more over. I¡¯ll tell you the password. If you¡¯re worried, get someone to collect the money first. We¡¯ll wait.¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t short of money. We¡¯re afraid of losing our lives. Today, someone wants us to rough you up. If you really want to get revenge, you should look for the person who hired us to hunt you down. Now, we want your lives.¡±

    ¡°Are you really going to do this in broad daylight? How reckless are you people? So careless¡­¡± Xanthus tried pushing Raeleigh away with his body, but she refused and kept holding on to his arm. ¡°I won¡¯t leave you. We¡¯re leaving together.¡±

    ¡°No one leaves. We won¡¯t let you.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be asked if they could be let go? Do you think you have the final say?¡± Two men appeared from the other end of the alley. The man who spoke had a long, ck jacket on. A wide fur cor was wrapped around his hat that covered half of his face. Hearing his voice, they could tell it was Santiago.

    ¡°Santiago?¡±

    Raeleigh cried out to him. Santiago slowly raised his gaze and took off his hat. He looked at Raeleigh, and saw how pale her face was. He looked at her and then at Jacky, who was dressed the same way except for the hat.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to you.¡±

    ¡°Me again?¡± A sarcastic smile appeared on Jacky¡¯s handsome face, his eyes lit up at what Santiago said. Although he was slightly unwilling to do this, he didn¡¯t exactly mind either.

    Santiago red at him. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all good¡­¡±

    After saying that, Jacky got into a preparatory stance and waved his hand at the men. ¡°Come on, the lot of you.¡±

    The men looked at Jacky, ¡°Who are you? Mind your own business.¡±

    ¡°In Capital City, there¡¯s nothing I don¡¯t have control over. Come then, I¡¯ll take care of all of you today.¡± The corners of Jacky¡¯s mouth curled up into a smile.

    Some men who stood in front of him exchanged nces before walking towards him while the others surrounded Santiago.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, please don¡¯t make things difficult for us. We¡¯re just following orders.¡± The moment they saw Santiago, they knew how things would end.

    However, Santiago was the Second Young Master of the Richards family. They had to greet him properly.

    Santiagoughed. ¡°I¡¯m not home at the moment. Are you all just trying to suck up to my father?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just following orders, Mr. Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Whose orders?¡±

    ¡°¡­ We can¡¯t say.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯ll die. If I kill you, what can any of you do to me?¡± Santiago smiled as he walked forward. He put his hands in his pockets before calmly walking towards Raeleigh.

 Chapter 1275 For Women

    Santiago walked towards Raeleigh. The men who were in his way didn¡¯t dare approach him. They all knew his temper. He didn¡¯t care about the consequences when he beat others up.

    When he was in front of Raeleigh, Santiago suddenly raised his hand and pinched her face, making Raeleigh at a loss for words. He brought his hands together after pinching her. ¡°Not bad, we don¡¯t see each other for a day and you¡¯ve gotten yourself in quite the mess.¡±

    She stared nkly at Santiago, unable to utter a single word.

    Behind him, Jacky walked up to him after taking care of the group of men. Santiago turned around to look at Jacky, ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ¡°Heh!¡± Jacky hummed in amusement.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Santiago turned on his heel and walked out of the alley while looking at the men on the ground. He walked over to one of them, squatted down and looked at his face. ¡°Do you know what the consequences are for offending me?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, we were just following orders. Please forgive us.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I can spare you, but have you thought of letting her go? Have you forgotten how determined you were earlier?¡±

    The man said nothing. Santiago stood up, feeling sorry for him. Though she didn¡¯t know what he was going to do, judging from his expression, she knew it wasn¡¯t going to be anything good.

    ¡°Forget it. They were just obeying orders. It¡¯s useless for you to kill them. They did it for a living.¡±

    Santiago turned around and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°You can¡¯t even protect yourself yet you¡¯re still worrying about others. Why not use some of that time to take better care of yourself?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless after Santiago said that. He was right. She ought to take better care of herself.

    She couldn¡¯t even protect herself, but still wanted to help others.

    As Raeleigh kept silent, Santiago fell quiet too. He raised his hand to pinch Raeleigh¡¯s chin, which was so soft that Raeleigh turned pale when he did it again.

    ¡°That hurts.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you do feel pain? I thought you didn¡¯t.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her hand to push Santiago¡¯s away. ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot. How would I not know that it hurts?¡±

    ¡°Since you know it hurts, you should fight back. All living creatures are able to defend themselves, so you should too, no?¡±

    When he finished speaking, Santiago tugged on Raeleigh¡¯s arm before pulling her towards him. The two were leaning closer and closer to each other when Santiago bent over and held Raeleigh in his arms.

    Raeleigh felt dizzy. Suddenly, she raised her head and looked at Santiago nkly. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, let¡¯s just go home.¡±

    Santiago then turned and walked towards the entrance of the alley with Raeleigh in his arms. Raeleigh struggled for a while, but she couldn¡¯t break free since Santiago had her locked tightly in his arms.

    After leaving the alley, Santiago walked towards a ck car and Jacky opened the door for him.

    He bent down and ced Raeleigh inside the car. Once he closed the car door, he looked up at Jacky with a frown and said, ¡°I¡¯ll help you solve some of your problems with Deanna. But you¡¯d better think clearly about this. Zorion is just one step forward. If you want to marry her, you¡¯ve still a long way to go. I can help you as much as I can, but it all depends on how you deal with the Whalen family.

    Based on what I know about Mr. Whalen and his son, you¡¯ll only be stepped on.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me this, but I can¡¯t see Deanna right now. I want to see her.¡± Jacky¡¯s words were extremely firm and arrogant. It sounded as though he absolutely had to do it.

    Raeleigh sat in the car and watched him. Jacky¡¯s handsome face beamed just as brightly as Santiago¡¯s. However, inparison, there was a hint of arrogance on his face, and Jacky¡¯s aura was inferior to Santiago¡¯s. Perhaps this might have something to do with his age.

    After all, Jacky was getting along in age.

    Santiago ced his hand on the hood of the car and knocked on it twice. He stared at Jacky and said, ¡°Seeing Deanna won¡¯t be a problem. The problem is that you¡¯d have to think about the consequences thoroughly. If you¡¯re nning on eloping with Deanna, I advise you to forget about that.¡±

    Deanna wouldn¡¯t abandon her family and follow you. She¡¯s yful, so this might feel new and exciting to her in the first couple of days, but once she¡¯s tired of ying, she¡¯d do anything she can to go home.

    You¡¯d better be mentally prepared for that. Whatever happens between you and Deanna, you¡¯d still have to live with the Whalen family.¡±

    Jacky gritted his teeth, ¡°No way.¡±

    Raeleigh saw Santiagough, saying, ¡°Nothing is impossible. Even brothers would turn against each other over a woman. Is anything even impossible?¡±

    Unless you love her?¡±

    ¡°I love Deanna.¡± Jacky didn¡¯t hesitate in replying, stunning Raeleigh. At first, her mind was fixed on the fact that her brothers had turned against each other because of a woman, but she was shocked by Jacky¡¯s deration.

    Raeleigh fell silent as she looked at Jacky¡¯s determined eyes.

    She often heard that all men were superficial, but not all of them were the same; at least not the ones she met.

    There were men with feelings everywhere.

    Santiagoughed. ¡°It¡¯s your business whether you love her or not, but that doesn¡¯t necessarily make it true love. Some people just lie to themselves.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that kind of person.¡±

    ¡°Who are you then? We¡¯ll find out eventually. You cane over tomorrow to see Raeleigh, and I¡¯ll call Deanna over.¡±

    When Santiago came into the car, Xanthus soon followed. Raeleigh looked at Santiago, face full of shock. ¡°You want to help Jacky?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like an ungrateful person?¡± Santiago looked at Raeleigh. Though she did consider this, she left the question unanswered since it wasn¡¯t the case at all.

    As the car slowly pulled away, Jacky stood on the road and watched it leave. Soon, another person walked over and stood beside him.

    ¡°Jacky, are you really going to work with Santiago?¡±

    ¡°Santiago is a reliable man.¡± This was the only praise Jacky ever gave Santiago.

    ¡°But Santiago is known as the Demon Lord of this area. We¡¯re from Waverly vige. If we enter his turf, we¡¯ll definitely have to take over some of his family¡¯s territories. Will he give it to us willingly?¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°This territory wasn¡¯t taken over, it was given to me by him. He made it very clear that he wants to work with me. He must have a smidgen of sincerity in him. As long as we don¡¯t cross him, he¡¯d let us have the Richard¡¯s family¡¯s territory. He has his own ns.¡±

    ¡°Why? It¡¯s not like hecks anything.¡±

    ¡°He needs this woman. He wants to protect her.¡± The corners of Jacky¡¯s mouth curled up into a smile. It seemed like he really dide here to protect Raeleigh.

    ¡°Then we¡­¡±

    ¡°Get the order out to always protect Raeleigh within our territories. I¡¯ll kill whoever starts any trouble.¡±

    ¡°Protect Raeleigh?¡±

    The man was shocked. Wasn¡¯t he protecting Deanna?

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± Jacky looked amused. Everyone knew that the most sinister aspect about Jacky is that the more he smiled andughed, the more vicious he would get.

 Chapter 1276 Nothing to Say

    Raeleigh arrived at the door to her house. When she got out of the car, Jepherson¡¯s car slowly stopped next to her before the man himself emerged from his car.

    ¡°When did you get back?¡± When he spotted Santiago, Jepherson¡¯s face fell. His gaze followed Santiago, who was getting out of the car.

    ¡°I just got back. I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going in to take a bath.¡±

    Santiago walked to the back of his car and popped open the trunk. He took out a suitcase and ced it on the ground. He then closed the trunk and went into the house.

    Raeleigh felt that something was amiss based on how angry they looked. She looked at Santiago, who was walking into the house. Xanthus got out of the car and looked at them as well, but didn¡¯t say anything, nor did he follow them inside. Instead, he stayed behind to keep Raeleighpany.

    Jepherson also stared at Santiago. After a while, he looked away and diverted his attention towards Raeleigh. ¡°The Old Madam had sent those men over. I was on my way but didn¡¯t make it in time.¡±

    ¡°I know. This has nothing to do with you. I don¡¯t me you. But you should still tell your grandmother that I have nothing to do with you anymore. I hope she¡¯ll stop bothering me anymore.¡±

    Jepherson frowned, ¡°I might be engaged to Ste, I¡¯ve already called her and she said she¡¯d help me.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. She stood there, staring at him and unable to say a word.

    Wasn¡¯t this what she wanted? Why did her heart feel like it was being pricked by needles?

    Her face turned pale in an instant, and Xanthus reached out to hold her hand. She turned to look at Xanthus, who said, ¡°Go on inside and hand me the key. I have something to say to him.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    She thought about this for a moment then turned away.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Seeing her leave, Jepherson called out to her. She hesitated for a moment before ultimately continuing on her way.

    Jepherson grew anxious as he watched her walk away. He had never felt this way before.

    ¡°I believed that you did love Raeleigh, but it¡¯s clear that you love yourself a lot more. I don¡¯t want Raeleigh getting sad because of you. You¡¯ve done something that she can¡¯t forgive you for. You should leave.¡±

    Xanthus had never felt so enraged before.

    Jepherson stared at him. ¡°You don¡¯t understand love. I will resolve things with Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°You are in no position to say that, and Raeleigh will not ept your solutions.¡±

    ¡°Your grandmother wants to hurt her, but I can assure you that I am not going to let that happen.¡±

    ¡°Oh, my powerless brother, I can protect Raeleigh. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have agreed toe back with her.

    You lot have underestimated my capabilities. I don¡¯t want what happened today to happen again.

    ¡°I will fight violence with violence. If your grandmother wants to hurt Raeleigh, I will go to her and settle things with her ¨C of that, I¡¯m certain.¡±

    Silence fell between the two.

    Jepherson clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Rae¡­¡±

    Without looking back, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day. I can¡¯t forget what happened in the past. I came back only because of the contract I have with yourpany. I don¡¯t want you pestering me. I hope you can just let me go.¡±

    Another long silence ensued.

    Raeleigh took out the key and handed it to Santiago. Thetter then opened the door and brought her inside. As soon as she entered, she stumbled on her feet and Jepherson¡¯s face immediately turned sour. He instantly shouted at Santiago.

    But Santiago didn¡¯t turn around. He just mmed the door shut to block out Jepherson¡¯s voice.

    Jepherson gritted her teeth and walked towards the door, but Xanthus blocked his way. ¡°You are not wee here. Leave now.¡±

    Jepherson stared at Xanthus. ¡°I¡¯m her husband.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily. Moreover, Raeleigh has never epted you.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough. I only see the truth.¡±

    Xanthus turned back towards the vi, leaving Jepherson standing outside for a long while. While he stood there, he looked inside, through the windows. Santiago was bathing in the bathroom. The sound of running water could be heard from outside.

    Raeleigh then watched Jepherson walk back to his car, but the car didn¡¯t leave. She stepped out of the room and went downstairs. When she did, Xanthus had juste back inside.

    ¡°Is he gone?¡±

    ¡°Knowing him, he won¡¯t leave yet.¡± Xanthus walked towards Raeleigh, pulled her into his arms, and patted her on the back gently.

    Raeleighughed. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re fine. I¡¯m patting you because you¡¯re fine. If something did happen, it would¡¯ve already been toote.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s funny.¡± Raeleigh pushed Xanthus away and looked into the room. ¡°Santiago might need to stay. I¡¯ll cook. You¡¯re tired, you should go wash up.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s order some takeoutter. We don¡¯t have much to cook anyway. Go and wash up.¡±

    ¡­

    After chatting for a while, they went their separate ways to clean up. Santiago stepped out of the room upstairs and came down to enjoy a cigarette. He then received a call from Jepherson.

    ¡°Come out.¡± Jepherson sat in the car, his face twisted in bitterness. Stuart gathered that the two brothers must have gotten into a row.

    ¡°What do you want? I told you to take care of her, but you didn¡¯t.¡± Santiago¡¯s attitude changed drastically.

    ¡°How dare you talk to me like that? Come out.¡±

    Since this sounded like nothing but an order, Santiago quickly hung up the phone.

    Santiago looked at his phone and had no intention of calling the other party back. He didn¡¯t leave the vi either. He just stood up, went to the kitchen and started cooking.

    He wasn¡¯t familiar with the kitchen, so he took a bag of rice and poured it into the pot. As he was pouring water into the pot, Raeleigh had made her way downstairs. She didn¡¯t see Santiago, so she went to the kitchen to take a look. After all, it was better to order takeout than have him cook.

    But as Raeleigh reached the door, she saw Santiago stirring a pot of rice along with a pot of water.

    Raeleigh walked over and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m cooking rice.¡±

    His answer sounded firm.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Did you wash the rice?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have to, it¡¯s written on the packaging.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless as she stared at Santiago.

    With a frown, she asked, ¡°Are you ying with me?¡±

    ¡°Am I?¡±

    Raeleigh was quiet as she thought of a response.

    She then pushed Santiago aside. ¡°You may leave the kitchen.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m helping.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±

    With a wave of her hands, Raeleigh started rinsing the rice. Once she was done, she put them into the rice cooker and with a press of a button, the rice started cooking. She then turned around to check what was in the refrigerator before she began preparing her ingredients.

    Santiago took out a can of beer and went into the living room. He heard Raeleigh say, ¡°It¡¯s not healthy to drink cold beer during winter.¡±

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t.¡±

    Although he said that, he did feel slightly suffocated by her. He sat cross-legged on the sofa and watched TV.

    Xanthus came out of his room soon after. Knowing that Raeleigh might have gone to cook, he went straight to the kitchen to help her with her chores.

    Compared to Jepherson, Xanthus was much friendlier with Santiago. When it came to the former, Xanthus and Santiago had nothing to say about him.

 Chapter 1277 A Good Start

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Xanthus. I¡¯m already done,¡± Raeleigh said. She had cooked up fish, some stewed meat, two vegetable dishes, and a beef and tomato soup ¨C all of which were her specialties.

    Xanthus looked into the kitchen with a hint of displeasure in his eyes. ¡°Even I, as your brother, have never seen you prepare so much delicious food for me before.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t need me to.¡± Raeleigh brought the soup out and handed a pair of oven mitts to Xanthus.

    Xanthus raised his eyebrows. ¡°Why don¡¯t I remember that?¡±

    ¡°Take your time to recall.¡±

    ¡°Rae Rae¡­¡±

    Raeleigh hummed in response, raising her head just as Xanthus said, ¡°Have you noticed that you¡¯re being especially nice to Santiago?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still young, so of course I have to be nice to him.¡±

    Raeleigh did not notice anything wrong with what she said.

    ¡°He¡¯s just about done with puberty. Don¡¯t you think that he might have had somepses in judgement?¡± Xanthus stared at the beef and tomato soup and thought for a while. Raeleigh replied, ¡°Though he is still a child, he¡¯s smart.¡±

    ¡°Cynthia is a good girl. He would have taken good care of her. Why didn¡¯t he like her though? He even sent her away, right?¡±

    Raeleigh paused and looked at Xanthus. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Xanthus felt that he had said too much, so he turned around and left. If he continued talking about this, he wasn¡¯t sure if it would cause a ruckus.

    Raeleigh looked at the fish, frowning. ¡°What on earth did he want to say?¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Santiago, upon seeing the pot of soup, stood up. He had changed into a ck casual suit and went into the kitchen to help Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh had thought that it was Xanthus and said, ¡°Santiago¡¯s still young. You¡¯re overthinking it.¡±

    Santiago walked behind her with a te in his hand. He lowered his head and asked, ¡°How am I still young?¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a moment before turning around to look at him. ¡°You scared me. Don¡¯t do that again.¡±

    Raeleigh then took out the fish as Santiago turned around and left the room. He looked at Xanthus and asked, ¡°How am I still young?¡±

    Raeleigh heard him from the kitchen. She raised her hand and rubbed her forehead, thinking about what she said.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat. Don¡¯t mind that.¡± Raeleigh came out and gently gave Santiago a push to sit him down at the dining table. After he finished eating, he stood up and started cleaning up. When he heard someone knocking on the door, he got up and went to open the door. However, as soon as he saw that it was Jepherson through the window, he turned back without letting him in.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you open the door?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel like it.¡±

    Raeleigh went to see who it was, then realized it was Jepherson.

    ¡°Young Master, the Old Madam is calling.¡± With a phone in hand, Stuart got out of the car and approached Jepherson, who was waiting by the door.

    Jepherson ignored it and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You can go back first.¡±

    Jepherson took out his cell phone to send Raeleigh a text. She was upstairs and heard everything he said. However, she didn¡¯t go back down, and simply stood by the window.

    Before long, Jepherson turned around and headed back to the car.

    As the car door closed, Stuart told the driver to go. The Old Madam had finally stopped calling. If she did, the phone would have exploded.

    When they reached the Richards family¡¯s mansion, Jepherson got off the car and went straight to the Ink Garden, where Marissa was at.

    Ste had been waiting by the door for a very long time. Having spotted Jepherson, she walked over to him and called out to him.

    He hummed in acknowledgement. As agreed, he went straight to Marissa¡¯s room. When he entered, she was lying on his bed, throwing a tantrum.

    When she saw Jepherson, she tossed her cup at him. Instead of hitting him in the face, she deliberately aimed for his body.

    The teacup and water hit him in the torso before falling onto the ground, shattering into pieces.

    Jepherson only stood motionless and reactionless at the door while Marissa gritted her teeth at him. ¡°You¡¯re finally back. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d still remember that this is your home.¡±

    He stared at her haggard face. ¡°Well it is, so why wouldn¡¯t Ie back?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you want this ce? Why do you even bothering back?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s cut to the chase. You want me and Ste to get engaged? Fine, we¡¯ll get engaged. From now on, stop bothering Raeleigh. I won¡¯t forgive you the next time you do this again.¡±

    After saying that, he turned on his heel and left. A yell from the room followed, ¡°Stop.¡±

    Jepherson turned around to look at her. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°From today onwards, you will live together with Ste. Once you have a child, we will hold a wedding. I¡¯ve already discussed this with Ste. If you don¡¯t agree to this, I will get someone to go after Raeleigh.¡±

    Marissa was evidently ready to risk everything as she huffed at Jepherson, red-faced and expression twisted unpleasantly.

    Jepherson casted a nce at Ste who quickly exined, ¡°She threatened me, she wouldn¡¯t eat unless I agreed, so I had to.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. This is on me.¡±

    Jepherson nced back at Marissa. ¡°I hope you live to a very old age, so that everything you¡¯ve done today would be worthwhile.¡±

    ¡°Of course I will, and I will watch you and Ste grow old together.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    With that, Jepherson turned around and left. Ste looked at Marissa with a puzzled expression. ¡°Grandma, what do you¡­¡±

    ¡°Why are you still standing here? Hurry up and get over there. I¡¯ve already sorted that out. What more do you want?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ste replied reluctantly. She quickly turned around and chased after Jepherson. When she saw him storming off, she stopped.

    ¡°Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson nced at Ste. ¡°I know that you had no choice, but I can¡¯t do anything about this. If we live together, people will think that you are no longer a virgin even though I won¡¯t do anything. However, my only priority is Raeleigh¡¯s safety.

    ¡°Jepherson, I know that Raeleigh is all you care about, but it doesn¡¯t matter. I can do this. Remember, you helped me when I was a kid. Now I¡¯m helping you in the only way I can. Don¡¯t you think this is fair?¡±

    Jepherson paused for a moment, and his handsome face finally softened. ¡°Ste, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. We¡¯re like siblings, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Is this our new room?¡± Ste brought her luggage towards Jepherson.

    She stood in the room and twirled around.

    ¡°Sort of. I¡¯ve never stayed in this room before.¡± Jepherson ced his luggage down and started tidying up the space.

    Ste went to the bed and sat down. ¡°There is only one bed. How will we sleep?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll sleep on the bed, and I¡¯ll take the floor,¡± Jepherson said this very matter-of-factly. It was impossible for him to sleep on the same bed with any other woman that wasn¡¯t Raeleigh.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep on the bed too? We¡¯ll each take one side and not bump into each other.¡± Ste looked as though she had good intentions. Jepherson smiled in reply, ¡°No, we can¡¯t. You sleep on the bed and I¡¯ll sleep on the floor.¡±

    ¡°It will be cold on the floor, especially since it¡¯s Winter¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, that won¡¯t be a problem. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Jepherson then opened his luggage, took out a pair of pajamas and walked into the bathroom, followed by the sound of running water. Ste sat down, a funny feeling rising in her chest. This was what one called a good start.

 Chapter 1278 FourWay FaceOff

    Before going to sleep, Jepherson sent a text to Jenna and told his mother about the incident.

    After reading the message, Jenna couldn¡¯t sleep in peace and she started toin to her husband.

    ¡°Is the same thing going to happen again? I thought she changed. I can¡¯t believe she is still the same.¡±

    Jenna said bitterly, helplessness painted across her face. She had done her best to appease her mother-inw but she didn¡¯t expect this oue at all.

    Their children were adults. They should have the liberty to make their own choice. Why did their mother-inw have to interfere?

    Jenna couldn¡¯t understand her mother-inw¡¯s ways. She wondered if she had ever changed anything about how she went about things in all those years.

    Be that as it may, Marissa was Hansen¡¯s mother, and Hansen felt ufortable when he heard Jenna¡¯sint about her. No matter what kind of mother she was, she still cared for her children.

    Hansen held his wife¡¯s hand. ¡°She¡¯s only doing this out of kindness. She just thinks thatRaeleigh isn¡¯t suited for Jepherson. She thinks that Ste is a better fit. That is all.¡±

    ¡°She used to think that Deanna was the right match for him too. But she changed her mind right after she heard about the news that she got kidnapped. She was afraid that she was raped and worried that her reputation would be affected. That was why she stopped trying to get them together. In fact, all she wanted at the time was to draw a clear line to separate herself from the Whalen family. Although Hannah didn¡¯t say it directly, I could tell from the way she spoke over the phone. I think Grandma is quite tricky to deal with.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± Hansen doted on his wife very much. She was his most beloved person but he needed to protect his pride.

    Alvin was nearby and he didn¡¯t want him to overhear their conversation either.

    It was shameful for a man if he couldn¡¯t manage his family affairs well.

    Hansen¡¯s face stiffened and Jenna rolled her eyes at him. His intimidating appearance was only superficial. He never dared to scold her.

    Jenna stopped talking. Hansen then said, ¡°At the very least, she is still your mother-inw. It is unlike you to gossip about others behind their backs.¡±

    ¡°How am I usually like?¡±

    ¡°Not like this,¡± Hansen said with a faint smile. Jenna rolled her eyes at him again.

    The couple chatted for a while more. Then Hansen said, ¡°I am curious as well to know what mom thinks about this. If she¡¯s set on her decision, we would have no choice but to intervene. You know how Jepherson is too. He wouldn¡¯t give up without a fight. As for Raeleigh, I don¡¯t think she wants to stay with him.If she was willing to, she would have stayed even with my mom¡¯s intervention.

    It wasn¡¯t entirely my mom¡¯s fault. Jepherson was partly to me as well. Besides, his stubbornness was what cost him his rtionship with Raeleigh. He would have to show his sincerity if he really wanted to save their rtionship. He cannot treat Raeleigh unfairly.¡±

    ¡°The audacity you have to say such things. If it were not for you telling Jerry that the child was still alive and that Fabian was hiding overseas, would any of this have happened?

    ¡°I told you a long time ago that we have to tell Jerry the truth, that his little sister is dead but you refused. This is all your fault.¡±

    The more Jenna thought about this, the angrier she got andshe just couldn¡¯t help but me her husband.

    Hansen, on the other hand, was calm. He looked at his wife for a moment. ¡°Let bygones be bygones. Why do you have to bring that up again? I was also trying my best at that time.¡±

    ¡°It was your fault!¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Jenna red at Hansen while he remained silent.

    He held on tightly to Jenna¡¯s hand as he recalled the incident. ¡°I was really desperate at the time, I thought that¡­¡±

    She immediately calmed down when she saw how dejected her husband looked. She looked at him and said, ¡°Alright, it was all in the past. Let¡¯s not bring it up again. It wasn¡¯t your fault either.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Mmm¡­¡±

    ¡­

    After a good night¡¯s rest, Raeleigh was ready to head to work. It was not like she had a choice either; shestill had to work even if she did not want to see Jepherson. Since she was an employee of thepany, she might cause unnecessary trouble if she were to throw in the towel like this.

    Raeleigh sat in the car as she mulled over the question of whether she should terminate her contract.

    She wondered how muchpensation she would have to pay to cancel it?

    ¡°I would like to terminate my contract. How much do I have to pay inpensation for breach of contract?¡± Raeleigh said this out loud without realizing it as she thought about it. Santiago took a nce at Raeleigh while he drove and said, ¡°If you were to terminate your contract, based on your qualifications, it would cost at least a few hundred millions.¡±

    ¡°Hundreds of millions?¡±

    Raeleigh widened her eyes instantly,bbergasted when she heard the figure.

    Santiago continued to drive. ¡°Moreover, considering the influence and power of the Richards family, they wouldn¡¯t allow you to call it quits as easily as that. If you insist, they could cklist you and you will never be able to work in the industry again.¡±

    Raeleigh ced her hand on her forehead. ¡°That is terrifying.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about time you realize that.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s lips curled up into a smile.He was amused by her response.

    The phone started to ring. He answered it and heard Jacky¡¯s hushed voice on the other end, ¡°When can I see Deanna?¡±

    ¡°In the afternoon. I have to work this morning.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡­

    After ending the call, Santiago immediately called Deanna. Jacky couldn¡¯t get through to her phone but he could.

    ¡°Santiago.¡±

    Deanna was sleeping and had just woken up. She was grounded in her room and wasn¡¯t allowed to leave her house.

    ¡°I¡¯m back. I¡¯ll pick you up in the afternoon.Be sure to get ready by then.¡±

    ¡°Santiago, my brother has locked me in the house and he won¡¯t let me out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle and pick you up.¡±

    Santiago was not bothered by her exnation. He hung up the phone immediately after he finished speaking. Raeleigh blinked suspiciously and asked,¡°Don¡¯t you find this strange?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°That Deanna got locked up at home.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s strange about that? It¡¯s logical to lock her up. If my sister hung out with a strange man, I would probably break her legs.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless to hear that.

    After a while, Raeleigh turned to look at Xanthus, who was reading a book. before turning back around to tellSantiago, ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±

    Santiagoughed and said, ¡°You want to know how I would react if my own daughter were to hang out with other men, right?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago. ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d kill him.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just saying that.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s face darkened. He wasn¡¯t joking.

    Raeleigh turned away. ¡°In that case, why did you help Jacky?¡±

    ¡°I helped him because I¡¯m not Deanna¡¯s brother nor her father. It¡¯s simple. I stand for and think for myself.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being selfish.¡±

    ¡°And what about it?¡±

    Santiago smiled as if to challenge her.

    Raeleigh did not say another word. She got out of the car when they arrived at their office, andXanthus took over the wheel since hehad to leave for a prior engagement.

    Santiago was different from Xanthus. He was a free man with plenty of free time so he could spend all his time keeping herpany.

    After Xanthus left, Raeleigh and Santiago walked into the office building. A car in the near distance stopped behind them.

    Santiago had excellent hearing and he immediately turned around to look at the car behind them. Two people got out of the car; the first person was Jepherson, who was wearing a grey suit and coat, while the person next to him was dressed in a fashionable red coat, looking rather charming. He smiled at Jepherson as he got out of the car.

    Raeleigh followed suit and turned around to look. The four of them paused as their eyes met.

 Chapter 1279 A Strong Return

    Raeleigh spoke first when she saw Jepherson. ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Come here for a moment. I have something to tell you.¡± Jepherson casually looked at Santiago, then walked towards the entrance while Raeleigh remained where she was. Santiago walked up to him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s there to talk about? I¡¯m Raeleigh¡¯s boyfriend now. By the way, I¡¯m the general manager of the Richards Group from today onwards. I¡¯ve already told our father about it; talk to him if you have any questions. Raeleigh will be under my supervision from now on. In thispany, save for me, no one is allowed to do anything to her. I hope you understand, y fair and know your boundaries between personal affairs and business.¡±

    ¡°Is that how you speak to your brother?¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes darkened, his expression as grim as his eyes. Santiago¡¯s mouth curved up slightly. He then looked at Ste and walked towards her. He raised his hand as he wanted to pinch her. Ste was so scared that she hid behind Jepherson and stayed behind him to avoid Santiago.

    ¡°Santiago, don¡¯t do that. You know I¡¯m afraid of you,¡± Ste whimpered as she hid behind Jepherson, causing Santiago tough out loud. ¡°You¡¯re afraid because of your impure intentions. Otherwise, why are others fine with me?

    ¡°Santiago, you¡¯ve always been like this since young, and you always bully me.¡± Ste was terrified of Santiago but only she knew the real reason behind her fear of him.

    Jepherson couldn¡¯t bear to watch this any longer. His expression darkened as he red at Santiago. ¡°Santiago, stop speaking nonsense.¡±

    Santiagoughed. ¡°I¡¯m sure some would know whether I¡¯m speaking nonsense or not.¡±

    ¡°Santiago!¡±

    Jepherson gritted his teeth. Santiago turned around and walked over to Raeleigh. He tugged at her before walking into the building together; Raeleigh never looking back as she did. She didn¡¯t want to know what was going on. With Santiago around, she felt assured. If it were not for him being around during this difficult period, she would probably feel hopeless about life.

    After they entered the building, Raeleigh followed Santiago over to Lamarre, who was stunned when he saw them entering his office. He mmed his fist on the table and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Is she not weed here?¡±

    ¡°Who do you think you are? What are you doing here?¡± Lamarre had tried to mentor him before but he was chased away only after three days because he couldn¡¯t abide by any instructions and refused to listen to him. Since then, Lamarre had never seen him again. Even though they never met up again, they kept in touch. Santiago was an old friend.

    He would give him presents every New Year ¨C regardless of the size or value of the gift.

    Among all that he gave, the most unique one was an intable doll that he gifted him during the Spring Festival. Lamarre had even called Santiago up and scolded him for it.

    That was why he always scolded him whenever he saw him.

    When they were out in public, the two pretended to be strangers but their actual rtionship was one of a kind.

    ¡°Raeleigh has been having a rough time. The Old Madam is trying to cause trouble. I came here because I heard that you were feeling ill, so I wanted to personally visit you.¡±

    ¡°Since when have I fallen sick?¡± Lamarre refused to talk about this but Santiago went straight to the point without any attempt to polish his words nor conceal his intention. However, Lamarre was obviously not ready to discuss it.

    ¡°Raeleigh told me. I came to have dinner with you. Do you have time?¡±

    Santiago found a ce to sit while Raeleigh stood at the door as though she was an outsider. Lamarre nced at her and scolded, ¡°Big mouth.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me,¡± Raeleigh defended herself.

    Lamarre paused. He nced at Raeleigh and then looked at Santiago. ¡°Come back with some coffee.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh turned around and left. Lamarre closed the door, walked to one side of the room, and sat down. ¡°So??¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t stay. You have to get treatment immediately.¡± Santiago¡¯s face darkened, and his current expression lookedworse than Jepherson¡¯s earlier.

    Lamarre didn¡¯t respond. He was silent for a moment.Just as he was about to speak, Raeleigh opened the door and walked in.

    Lamarre said immediately, ¡°You didn¡¯t knock when you came in.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t respond and proceeded to ce the coffee on the table before standing aside.

    Santiago stood up immediately. ¡°It¡¯s a deal then. I shall make the decisions. From today onwards, Raeleigh shall take over all your projects. I don¡¯t want to cause you any trouble, and I hope that you won¡¯t start any trouble in return. You should know that I¡¯m more than capable of turning this ce upside down.¡±

    ¡°You brat, are you threatening me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Hand over your work to Raeleigh at once. I hope you understand that humans are selfish and would prioritize family over outsiders. So, be sure to give Raeleigh a hand to set herself up well while you still have the ability to, so that she won¡¯t get in trouble or get trampled on by other people.¡±

    ¡°You know Ste and her agenda very well. If she¡¯s here for a game, then let¡¯s y. We¡¯ll see who gets eliminated first.¡±

    Once Santiago was finished with his speech, he promptly left. Raeleigh looked at Lamarre and asked, ¡°What exactly did he say to you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I told him that I was going abroad. He asked for my position and requested that I hand it over to you.¡±

    Raeleigh spoke to Lamarre while he cleared up his desk, ¡°Are you afraid of him?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the devil incarnate; of course I am.¡±

    Lamarreughed and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°How did you get together?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I am his ssmate in school.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t know how to exin it.

    Lamarre didn¡¯t ask any more questions. He handed over his documents to her and typed out his resignation letter. Then, he headed straight to the door to pass his resignation to Jepherson. When he arrived at the door, Santiago snatched his resignation letter from his hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that. If you have any questions, you may talk to me.¡± Santiago stuffed the resignation letter into his pocket and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Close the door. We¡¯ll take a break today and visit Deanna in the afternoon. We¡¯ll have lunch together.¡±

    Lamarreughed, ¡°Your parents are such responsible people, yet did they give birth to a son like you? I suspect they must have made a mistake at the hospital.¡±

    Santiagoughed. ¡°I suspect that as well. But¡­ how would you know that my parents were responsible people? As the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover.¡±

    ¡°You have such a glib tongue. If your parents know about your behaviour, I am sure they will be furious.¡±

    Lamarre turned around and walked to the elevator. Raeleigh came out of the office and asked, ¡°Why do you always do this? You always argue with him.He¡¯s a good man.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s your mentor. Of course, he¡¯d be nice to you. But I just don¡¯t think that¡¯s true.¡±

    While they talked, Raeleigh followed Santiago out of Lamarre¡¯s office. They left with Santiago in the driver¡¯s seat while Raeleigh sat in the back with Lamarre.

    Raeleigh was still a little stunned. Had she really just be the chief designer and taken over all of Lamarre¡¯s work?

    ¡°Are you really going on a vacation? Is¡­¡±

    ¡°This is different. I¡¯m going to help set you up properly so that you wouldn¡¯t be taken advantage of. I have made my decision. You can¡¯t convince me otherwise.¡±

    Lamarre¡¯s words cut into Raeleigh¡¯s mid-question, and the way he replied made it evident that he was done talking, so Raeleigh decided to let things be.

    While they were heading towards the Whalen family vi, Jepherson hade down from his office looking for Raeleigh¡­

    However¡­

    When he pushed Raeleigh¡¯s office door open, he was only greeted by an empty room, rendering him speechless!

 Chapter 1280 Kicking Down the Door

    Santiago went to the Whalen family, but he was stopped when he arrived. Several servants were standing at the door, waiting for him.

    Santiago looked at the servants, a glint of amusement in his gaze. He lifted his leg and kicked at the door. ¡°What is this supposed to mean?¡±

    Santiago looked displeased.

    These servants were afraid of offending him and one of them quickly exined that they were there to greet Rayan and Hannah as they would be returning the same day.

    Santiago¡¯s lips curled up into a smile. He stood at the entrance with his hands on his waist.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen ising back?¡± Santiago seemed to have believed it. The servants nodded to reassure him.

    They knew they would get in trouble if they were to cause trouble for Santiago. But their Young Master had instructed them to stand guard here. They had no choice but to do as instructed.

    Santiago kicked the door again. ¡°Mr. Whalen is on his way, so I understand you are all standing here to wee him, but it¡¯s strange that you keep your main entrance shut.¡±

    All the servants fell silent. Santiago gave the main door another hard kick. ¡°I¡¯m going to have lunch soon. I don¡¯t have time to waste with you lot. I will be back. Just you wait.¡±

    Santiago raised his hand and pointed at everyone present. The servants bowed their heads quietly.

    Santiago then turned around and walked back towards the car. Raeleigh casted an innocent look at Lamarre. ¡°Sometimes I think his temper is like a balloon that will explode at any time.¡±

    Lamarreughed. ¡°He¡¯s not a balloon. He¡¯s an atomic bomb.¡±

    Santiago got into the car and started to drive away. He continued to talk to Lamarre as if nothing had happened. Raeleigh sat quietly in the back while Santiago poked fun at her from time to time.

    Raeleigh found it strange that both Santiago and Jepherson were born in the same family but turned out so differently. Why was Santiago like this, while Jepherson had apletely different personality?

    Once they got out of the car, they entered the restaurant from the back. A waiter invited them into the room they had reserved that morning. Soon, the three began to eat.

    While eating, Raeleigh received a call from Jepherson who questioned her whereabouts.

    Santiago was in the midst of eating when he raised his hand and took the phone away from her. He ced it against his ear and asked, ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    Jepherson paused for a moment, then said with a grim face, ¡°Bring Raeleigh back.¡±

    Santiago did not reply. He hung up the phone and swiftly deleted Jepherson¡¯s number. He then casually ced the phone next to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh ate quietly, as though she waspletely immersed in her own world. No matter what Lamarre and Santiago were discussing, she stayed quiet until they finished their meal. After that, Santiago said that he was heading back to the office to drop Lamarre back before going toZorion¡¯s house. Raeleigh sat in the back, and pressed her hand on her forehead as her head started to throb, thinking about how she had been in a streak of bad fortune ever since she met the Richard siblings.

    That afternoon, Raeleigh watched as Santiago kicked the door of the Whalen family manor again. Only his final kick left an impression on her., and she had long gotten ustomed to Santiago¡¯s antics.

    She did not pay much attention to his actions as she was already used to them. However, hisst kick was particrly hard and she knew that he wouldn¡¯t give up easily. No one could stop him. Santiago was always the one with the final say.

    Santiago looked into the rearview mirror andughed. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you scared?¡±

    Raeleigh was slightly bemused and replied, ¡°Am I not supposed to be?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of now that you¡¯re with me?¡± The corners of Santiago¡¯s lips curled upwards, his thin lips were red and glossy. His smile was particrly bright, but Raeleigh couldn¡¯t be bothered to look at him again.

    Raeleigh liked being with Santiago. Although she used to hate him, she cherished him a great deal after they found each other again.

    She feltfortable and safe with Santiago.

    As if there was nothing to worry about at all.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to see Jepherson, nor was she willing to be with him. Although she liked him and loved him, love alone was not enough to save their rtionship. Jepherson¡¯s presence equated to the pressure in her mind. When she was with him, she always felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe and was burdened by him.

    She was to me for everything that happened when she was with him.

    Raeleigh wanted a peaceful life, not a chaotic one and that was exactly what Jepherson could not provide for her.

    When the car arrived at the gates of the Whalen family vi, Raeleigh wished she was asleep. However, the car pulled up so forcefully that Raeleigh was jolted awake even in her dazed state.

    After stepping out of the car, her gaze followed Santiago towards the door. He mmed the car door with a loud bang. The loud noise gave her a sudden headache, so she started rubbing her head with her hand.

    Raeleigh felt depressed. She turned around and watched Santiago walk to the door of the manor. He sure was a headache to deal with at times.

    Raeleigh remained in the car. This issue had nothing to do with her. It was Santiago¡¯s affair as he was the one who had promised Jacky to bring Deanna. She decided she would not get involved in this.

    She should learn to be more tactful.

    Raeleigh felt rather amused when she thought of this. She wondered when she had be so wise.

    Perhaps she had always been wise.

    Santiago made his way to the front door. The Whalen family didn¡¯t expect him to return that day. They were terrified at the sight of him and didn¡¯t know that he was looking for Deanna. They all believed that Santiago was there to get even with them.

    The moment they saw Santiago, they retreated slowly.

    Santiago swaggered over to the Whalen family¡¯s entrance and kicked the door once more. ¡°Open the door.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, please forgive our ignorance.¡± Santiago was the Devil of Capital City. Nobody dared to offend him!

    ¡°Enough nonsense. Open the door!¡± Santiagonded another kick on the door. He had a brown cotton-padded jacket draped over his shoulders. His hands were on his waist, his head lowered.The rich fur cor ruffled along his shoulder when he kicked the door.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago.

    She felt sleepy as she watched him try to enter the house. He left the engine running so it was warm in the car and Raeleigh quickly fell asleep leaning against the car seat.

    Santiago turned to look at her. Then, he turned back around and questioned the servants, ¡°What? Are you asking me to open the door myself?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, please forgive us. We¡¯re only following orders.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t make things difficult for you. Please send a message that I want to see Deanna, and get her to see me. I heard that she had eloped with somebody. It wouldn¡¯t look good if the rumor spread.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, that¡¯s nonsense. She is upstairs. How could she have eloped with anyone?¡±

    ¡°If you refuse to let me see Deanna, wouldn¡¯t that mean she had eloped? Is that why you are trying to hide her from me?¡± Santiago beamed, his usation causing theservants¡¯ head to hurt. How could he nder someone like that? Her reputation would be severely affected if she were to get married in the future and it hadalready been ruined when Jacky kidnapped her. It would be further tarnished with his usation!

 Chapter 1281 Deanna Leaves the House

    The servants had no choice but to retreat and report to Zorion.

    But when they reached the door that led to his room, the servant¡¯s face turned red in embarrassment. His door was closed and there were noises from within. What was he doing there?

    The servant raised his hand but quickly withdrew. Recalling how he was scolded previously, he thought that it best to look for Deanna.

    The servant walked towards Deanna¡¯s room and knocked on her door. ¡°Miss Deanna¡­¡±

    Deanna pushed the door open and looked at the servant who was standing in front of her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    The servant didn¡¯t know how to exin the situation. All he knew was that there had been noisesing from the Zorion¡¯s room.

    Deanna looked puzzled. She hadn¡¯t eaten much in the past two days ever since her brother had put her under house arrest.

    Deanna tried to go on a hunger strike, but that didn¡¯t work. She refused to eat for the entire day in hopes that her brother would change his mind but he did not budge. Deanna was going crazy, but there was nothing else she could do.

    She had lost a lot of weight, she¡¯s¡­

    As Deanna fell deep into thought, the servant told her about Santiago¡¯s usation while ncing in the direction of Zorion¡¯s room. Deanna was shocked to hear what was being said and ran downstairs immediately.

    Deanna looked at the help and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go out and take a look. My brother won¡¯t find out. Let¡¯s settle our business with Santiago.¡±

    Deanna left after saying that The servant had indeed thought that that was what she was nning to do. After all, Deanna was the only person who wouldn¡¯t be afraid of Santiago.

    The servant hurriedly followed her outside towards the main entrance. When they saw Santiago, Deanna had the sudden urge to break into tears as she felt that her savior had arrived.

    Santiago stared at Deanna as she stopped in front of him. He thought about how she had lost a lot of weight.

    ¡°Open the door,¡± Santiago said with an annoyed voice. The servants thought his behaviour changed due to her presence because he was fine prior to her arrival.

    The servants opened the door quickly. But as soon as the door swung open, Santiago pulled Deanna out towards him, and turned to walk towards the car. The servants stepped forward to stop him but Santiago red daggers at them. The servants took a step back and called after Deanna. They knew that something was amiss.

    However, their realization came toote. The corners of Santiago¡¯s lips curled up into a smile. ¡°She will be back tomorrow. I am bringing her to visit my grandmother.¡±

    Santiago opened the car door and pushed her right in, causing Raeleigh to wake from her slumber before moving over to make way for Deanna. Her face flushed red when she woke up. She had dreamed about Jepherson.

    She was baffled at herself.

    ¡°Raeleigh, why are you sleeping in the car? You could catch a cold.Look, your whole face is red.¡±

    Deanna couldn¡¯t be bothered at her haggard appearance. She took off her outer coat quickly and handed it to Raeleigh. Raeleigh was still in a dazed state after being jolted awake. She felt like she had only taken a short nap, so she was surprised to see Deanna.

    Santiago then got into the car, started the engine anddrove right back to Xanthus¡¯s ce.

    Raeleigh finally woke up from her dazed state and looked at Deanna. Then, she removed the coat on her and draped it over Deanna instead. ¡°Put this on, or you¡¯ll catch a cold when we get out of the car. Why are you so thin? It looks like you haven¡¯t eaten in days. You don¡¯t even have makeup on.¡±

    Deanna had always dressed up whenever she went out, but that day was an exception.

    Deanna was blessed with good looks and looked especially delicate even without makeup. However, she looked gaunt that day, as if she had aged a few years. She didn¡¯t look like the usual Deanna.

    Deanna sat upright and sped her hands together. She looked a little nervous, but it was hard to tell why.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    As Raeleigh sat beside her, she didn¡¯t enquire furtherwhen she saw Deanna¡¯s disinterest to borate.

    ¡­

    The servant ran back upstairs and stood outside Zorion¡¯s door. He wanted to knock on the door, but shrank back in fear. ¡°What should I do? What is he doing inside? Zorion must be in excellent physical health. How long have they been going at it for?¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Are you still feeling unwell?¡± Zorion was almost driven mad. It looked like Rossie might have food poisoning as she was still feeling sick. Sheid in bed with her eyes closed, tears rolling down her cheeks. She ced her hands over her stomach and refused to answer Zorion, her face as white as a sheet.

    Zorion knew that menstrual pain could be torturous but had no idea how to manage it. All he knew was that Deanna would have simr episodes asionally and she would always take painkillers to get herself through the pain. She would be fine after taking the pills with some ginger tea.

    Rossie had tried everything, including the ginger tea and the painkillers but to no avail.

    Sheid in bed quietly.

    Zorion held her arm and asked, ¡°Rossie, where do you feel unwell? Let¡¯s get you to the hospital.¡±

    When Rossie heard that she was going to the hospital, she burst into tears and kept shaking her head. She didn¡¯t want to go to the hospital; people would learn of her real age and her embarrassing history if she were to go there.

    ¡°How about we make a house call?¡± Zorion had been very unhappy for the past two days because of Deanna and he had no way to exin this to his parents. Due to the whole Deanna issue, he had not been paying much attention to Rossie. He didn¡¯t expect anything would actually happen to her.

    Rossie shook her head in disagreement. Zorion couldn¡¯t bear to watch anymore. His heart ached from watching her suffer.

    He got up to make a phone call and asked that a private doctore for a house call.

    The servant was still hesitant about the earlier matter when the doctor arrived and knocked on the door.

    Zorion immediately opened the door to let the doctor in before closing it.

    The servant had wanted to see what was going on inside but the door was mmed shut.

    They were being so mysterious which further amplified his hesitation to impose on them.

    The doctor informed Zorion that Rossie may need strong medicine. After writing her a prescription, he left. Zorion stood at the door and finally noticed the anxious servant. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Miss Deanna¡­¡±

    ¡­

    When they arrived home, Raeleigh got out of the car and went to open the door for Deanna. ButSantiago beat her to it and helped her open the car door instead. Deanna looked at Raeleigh and said apologetically, ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯vee to disturb you again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Please let Dr. Osteen know that I will try to leave as soon as I can. I will find a way to leave.¡± She had a strange expression when she spoke. Raeleighughed and asked, ¡°Where do you n on going?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that.¡± Deanna looked around. In fact, this would be thest ce she would choose to stay, but it seemed like she had no other choice.

    This was Xanthus residence. Xanthus must be Raeleigh¡¯s new boyfriend, which meant that Jepherson had already lost thepetition. It was quite a sad matter to think about.

    Deanna didn¡¯t want to live under Xanthus¡¯ roof.

    But she was left with no other choice.

    She had nowhere else to go.

    Since Deanna didn¡¯t want to say more on the matter, Raeleigh decided to stop probing. On the other hand, Santiago thought about her strange reaction as he followed behind the two women.

 Chapter 1282 In The Way

    Deanna sat down and fell deep into thought. Raeleigh had prepared some food, but she refused to eat anything, saying she wasn¡¯t hungry. Although she wanted to have a taste of the delicious food served, she just couldn¡¯t stomach anything.

    Deanna just sat there without eating anything. Raeleigh turned her gaze to look at Santiago. He sat with his legs crossed and handed her an apple. ¡°Are you going on a hunger strike against me as well?¡±

    Deanna pushed the apple away. In the past, she would not have spared Santiago a burning remark. She would have argued back but she was oddly quiet that day.

    Deanna leaned on the sofa, her gaze void and empty. It was as though she was thinking about something sad and couldn¡¯t summon any energy to do anything else.

    ¡°Take her upstairs to get some rest. She must be tired,¡± Santiago said as he looked at Raeleigh, who then brought her upstairs.

    When they left, Xanthus inched closer and said, ¡°She looks sick.¡±

    Santiago took a sip of his soup and nodded without looking at him.

    Raeleigh led Deanna into her room. Deanna told her that she felt sleepy and wanted to get some rest. She was not in the mood to talk about anything, so Raeleigh left right after she went to sleep.

    As soon as she went back downstairs, she saw that Jacky had already taken off his shoes and jacket.

    Jacky was wearing a ck wool shirt and a pair of ck jeans. He had a charming presence and a handsome face to match. At first nce, he was stunningly good-looking. However, Raeleigh wasn¡¯t the type of person to be impressed easily. She made no show of reaction as she came downstairs.

    Jacky, on the other hand, had a huge reaction the moment he came in. He immediately questioned Santiago about Deanna¡¯s whereabouts when he saw no signs of her.

    ¡°She¡¯s upstairs, in the room on the left.¡±

    Santiago continued to sip on his soup as Jacky went up the stairs. When he walked past Raeleigh, he pretended to ignore her.

    Raeleigh turned around and saw that the door that led to Deanna was opened and Jacky had walked into the room.

    ¡­

    Jacky was stunned for a moment when he entered the room. Deanna was on the bed, and without even opening her eyes, she said, ¡°Raeleigh, I feel really crappy right now. The only thing I want to do now is sleep. I haven¡¯t had a peaceful sleep in a long while. Is that too much to ask for?¡±

    Deanna had a pleasant voiceas soft as a child¡¯s. Jacky took a deep breath, closed the door, and walked towards the bed. He ced his hands on his waist and lowered his gaze to look at Deanna, who was lying on the bed. Her face was so pale that she barely looked alive.

    He felt as if there was a knife in his heart, and it even hurt to breathe.

    He slowly sat down beside her and the bed sunk from his weight. Deanna pouted angrily. ¡°Santiago, let me have some peace and quiet. I¡¯m exhausted.¡±

    Deanna pleaded but the person beside her refused to budge. She turned around with the intention to tell Santiago off, but she was greeted by someone else instead.

    ¡°Ja¡­¡±

    Tears welled up in her eyes the moment she saw that it was Jackson. Soon after, she burst into tears. She sat up and wrapped her arms around his waist. She didn¡¯t hold back at all as she hugged him firmly.

    Jacky was caught off guard by her sudden embrace, having the air in his lungs almost squeezed right out of him. He felt as though the entire world had returned to his arms. Everything was suddenly alright again.

    He raised his hands and ced it on the back of her head gently as he hugged her, ¡°There, there. Don¡¯t cry.¡±

    But Deanne just couldn¡¯t stop the tears from falling.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was seated on the sofa. It was a bright and beautiful afternoon but she just couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of an impending doom from her chest.

    Raeleigh picked up the remote control and tried to watch some TV. When she turned the TV on,a news report about the Moore family came on. The news reported that the Richards siblings was the party responsible for Flynt¡¯s incident.

    ¡°Are you worried?¡± Santiago tossed an apple at Raeleigh. She nearly dropped it but managed to catch it right before it did.

    ¡°Worried about Flynt?¡± Raeleigh asked. Santiagoleaned back against the sofa anughed at her question. Shemented, ¡°You are so childish!¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Santiago stoppedughing. He stood up, moved next to Raeleigh, and sat with his legs crossed. He then leaned against her and asked, ¡°I¡¯m talking about my brother.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°What is there to worry about? He¡¯s always been unstoppable. There isn¡¯t anything that he can¡¯t solve. In fact, there aren¡¯t any obstacles ahead of him either.¡±

    Santiago stared at her face. ¡°Not really.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Santiago, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Santiago turned around and picked up an apple. He tossed the apple in his hand and pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°I am my brother¡¯s worst enemy. If I ever decide to rebel against him, he¡¯ll definitely suffer.¡±

    Raeleigh said, bemused, ¡°But you won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Who knows. If I can¡¯t get what I want, I might just turn the tables.¡±

    Raeleigh did not reply. She felt there was no need to continue such a boring topic.

    While she was still resting on the sofa, she got a call from Scarlette. She wondered about this sudden call¡­

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, Jepherson is outside. He¡¯sing in.¡±

    As Scarlette spoke, Jepherson had already stepped out of the car. He straightened his clothes and walked towards the courtyard. When he reached the door, he nced at the security pad, closed his eyes, and raised his hand to enter aplicated string of numbers. Following this, the door opened.

    Scarlette was shocked. Such was the ability of the famous Young Master of the Richards family.

    Jepherson stepped into the house as she put away her phone, standing up from the sofa. She was nning to head upstairs. Santiago looked up at Raeleigh and said, ¡°What are you afraid of? I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°Try not to escte things. I¡¯m going to rest. You should get some rest too. He¡¯ll leave once he¡¯s done causing trouble.¡±

    Raeleigh was unsure about the confusing situation she was in, so she didn¡¯t dare to argue. Even if she had no courage to fight, she still had to make her point clear.

    Jepherson walked into the living room just as Raeleigh went upstairs. He saw her heading up the stairs and immediately tried to follow behind.

    Santiago stood up slowly and put on a pair of house slippers. He began walking towards the stairs with his hands sped behind his back, his face grim.

    He stopped right in front of Jepherson, effectively blocking his path.

    Santiago shook his head. Heappeared slightly taller as hestood on the stairs.

    He lowered his head to look at Jepherson. ¡°I already told you, Raeleigh is mine now.I won¡¯t stand by idly if you¡¯vee to bother her again.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. Get lost!¡± Jepherson¡¯s voice was stern. His face was as cold as ice as he stared at Santiago while thetter put on an innocent expression. He raised both his hands and eximed, ¡°On!¡±

    ¡°Santiago, she¡¯s your sister-inw. Stop causing me trouble.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what she said. Moreover, you¡¯ve already promised grandma that you¡¯ll marry Ste. Since you have someone else, what right do you have over her?¡±

    ¡°Even if she¡¯s not mine, you are not allowed to have her. Move, right now.¡± Jepherson¡¯s voice sounded colder than before. It was clear to see that he was about to explode from anger!

    ¡°I¡¯m not moving. I am a man and have the right to choose whoever I like.¡±

    Santiago refused to back down. Jepherson said through gritted teeth, ¡°I¡¯ll say it again ¨C she¡¯s your sister-inw.¡±

    ¡°I only believe what she tells me. Maybe she likes me instead.¡±

    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t!¡±

    Jepherson gritted his teeth even harder. His gaze was as fierce as a preying wild wolf.He looked as if he was ready to pounce on whoever that provoked him..

    However, Santiago couldn¡¯t care less. He even let out a mockingughter just to get Jepherson all riled up!

 Chapter 1283 Hadnâ€™t Started Fighting Yet

    A few secondster, Jepherson turned around and went towards the sofa. Sitting down, he closed his eyes. Then, he said, ¡°It¡¯s not the first time the olddy sent someone after Raeleigh¡¯s head. This time, I was stopped halfway. If I don¡¯t agree with her demands, they will kill Raeleigh. What should I do?¡±

    Santiago strolled down the stairs and sat down as he spoke.

    ¡°That has nothing to do with me. I¡¯m only interested in one thing, which is whatever I want to do. I¡¯ve already told you, if you can¡¯t do it, then I will. You disappoint me.¡±

    Jepherson stared daggers at Santiago and scoffed, ¡°Is there something wrong with your brain?¡±

    Santiago shrugged, ¡°If you really want topete against me, that¡¯s not a problem. Go home and have fun with all the girls around you.¡±

    ¡°Women are the most terrifying creatures to ever exist. Never underestimate them. Ste Doyle isn¡¯t as simple as she seems. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s really interested in you, but she must be nning something. If you feel guilty, then go back home and don¡¯te back.¡±

    ¡°Now that you and Raeleigh have broken up, this has nothing to do with her.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood me,¡± Jepherson looked away. He wanted to stand up and look for Raeleigh that instant.

    Santiagoughed, ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon enough, but I don¡¯t have time for that right now. You should leave.¡±

    With that, he got up and went upstairs. Leaning on the couch, Jepherson squinted and sat there for the entire night.

    Simrly, Raeleigh didn¡¯t get any rest that night. She was constantly worried that Jepherson would break her door down, but that didn¡¯t happen. She was so tired that she eventually fell asleep.

    Once dawn broke, she tiptoed downstairsbut didn¡¯t see Jepherson. After asking around, she learned that Jepherson had already left.

    Scarlette sat on the sofa, her arms folded in front of her chest as she said coldly, ¡°He¡¯s never been like this before. He sat here, all alone, for the entire night without any sleep. Raeleigh, have you poisoned him? Have you made him sick?¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to snicker, ¡°Sick? Wasn¡¯t he already sick to begin with?¡±

    Just then, a door opened from upstairs. Raeleigh turned around and found that it was Jacky. Whilst his footsteps were steady and imposing¡­

    He didn¡¯t really look well.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Jacky. He looked as if he was in a foul mood as the urge to kill was written all over his face.

    She recalled what had happened yesterday and figured out why.

    Jacky looked carefree and unbothered about life. Raeleigh thought that he was the type of person who wasn¡¯t pressured by society and lived freely. However, once he met the woman he loved, he would shed his pride and wild nature as long as it meant he could be with her for the rest of his life.

    The day before, Deanna didn¡¯t look very good. If that was the case, was Jacky angry because of her?

    When he reached the bottom of the staircase, Jacky nced at Raeleigh before looking away. Santiago wasn¡¯t here. Then, he strutted into the kitchen, grabbed a bowl of soup then went upstairs.

    He returned to his room upstairs and didn¡¯te out again.

    Meanwhile, a car belonging to the Whalen family arrived at their front door.

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t the type to have a lot of guests over. Because of that, Xanthus invited two more helpers over so she could have a good rest. These two were housekeepers, not servants. Their priority was to clean the kitchen and the rooms.

    Raeleigh opened the door in person. Zorion got out of the car, looked at her and walked towards the door, ¡°Is Deanna here?¡±

    With her eyes locked on Zorion¡¯s car, she realized there was another person in the car who was looking at them from inside.

    Raeleigh thought for a momentand answered,¡°They¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°I want to see Deanna. Please tell her toe out,¡± Zorion wouldn¡¯t step inside. He wanted to take Rossie to the hospital. She looked very sick.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Looking behind her, Raeleigh then said, ¡°Wait a minute. I will ask about it.¡±

    With that, she turned around and went back to ask. Santiago was seated on the sofa downstairs and stopped her, asking, ¡°Is Zorion at the door?¡±

    Raeleigh turned and looked at Santiago, replying, ¡°He¡¯s looking for Deanna.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll go,¡± Santiago got up and picked up an apple. He walked towards the door and ate the apple as he walked. Raeleigh followed him downstairs and advised, ¡°Stop eating. We¡¯ll be having a meal soon. It¡¯s not good to eat an apple so early in the morning.¡±

    However, Santiago continued eating, ignoring Raeleigh¡¯s remarks. With no choice, shestopped trying to say anything and instead, followed him mncholically. If she had known that it was useless to say anything to him, she wouldn¡¯t have done so in the first ce.

    When the two of them reached the door, Santiago stopped and looked up at Zorion. The corner of his mouth curled up and he spoke with an evil look on his face, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Where is Deanna?¡±

    Zorion wasn¡¯t being polite at all as his face darkened. Santiago was still his brother. No matter how unpleasant their rtionship was, it was still better than most people¡¯s.

    No matter how much trouble their family caused, the same blood flowed in their veins. During dire times, they would still stand united as a family.

    This time however, Zorion was very disappointed. His men noticed that Jacky¡¯s men had already upied several locations in the capital. This was also due to his negligence. He didn¡¯t realize his mistake until he had lost control of half of his turf.

    ¡°Deanna isn¡¯t feeling well and is resting upstairs. If you¡¯re here just for her, you should head back. I will take care of her,¡± Santiago finished eating his apple. He wasn¡¯t cold even though it was the middle of winter. He threw the apple core into the trash can and ced his hands on his waist. Without any warm clothes, he only had a single velvet sweater on and half of his corbone was exposed. He stood at the door with his hands on his waist. His posture angered Zorion, and it made him want to beat him up¡­

    ¡°Open the door right now and bring her down. Don¡¯t make me call your brother, he¡¯ll teach you a lesson.¡±

    Zorion didn¡¯t want to confront Santiago head-on, not because he was afraid of him, but because they had fought once before. He had already exposed his weakness to him. Although their friendship had been ruined when they fought, along with a couple of their bones, he still found himself trusting Santiago.

    Jepherson and Santiago were brothers, through and through. If something happened to Jepherson, Zorion would be the only one to help him then.

    Santiago looked amused. He took two steps forward and ced his hand on Zorion¡¯s shoulder. He leaned against him with a smile and licked his lips, smirking, ¡°Are you going to call my brother?¡±

    Santiago said through gritted teeth, ¡°Why not call my parents? I¡¯m actually afraid of them more.¡±

    ¡°Santiago¡­¡±

    Zorion was pissed, ¡°I have some business to attend to. Hand her over to me, or I¡¯ll have to get rough with you.¡±

    ¡°Well, you are most wee to. If you can¡¯t beat me, please leave right away.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m weaker than you?¡± Zorionughed. He had always been superior to Santiago since they were kids. Did Santiago really think he stood a chance?

    Santiago didn¡¯t waste any more time talking. Instead, he opened the door and started stretching.

    Raeleigh turned around and grabbed Santiago¡¯s coat. When she stepped out, the two of them were staring at each other and hadn¡¯t started fighting yet. She thought that things wouldn¡¯t escte into a brawl, so she didn¡¯t n to advise them.

    However¡­

 Chapter 1284 Donâ€™t Let It Flow So Easily

    Santiago rolled his eyes, ¡°Deanna can live her own life. She¡¯s 19 years old. After this winter, she¡¯ll be 20.¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°My mother used to tell me that a man would grow his backbone after turning 20 so that he can support himself. A girl would have developed a strong heart at 20 just so she can live with her partner.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re her brother, but you don¡¯t even know her. How would you know what she wants?¡±

    ¡°Everyone is different. You can¡¯t trap her in your own bubble.¡±

    ¡°If Deanna is willing to abandon everything and follow someone to the ends of the earth for them, I think whatever you¡¯re doing is just a waste of time.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not your sister, so of course you¡¯d say that,¡± Zorion turned around and looked at Rossie in the car. He was still worried about her and was getting anxious.

    After turning back, he heaved a sigh¡°Come on, let¡¯s fight. If I win, I¡¯ll bring Deanna home with me. If I lose, I¡¯ll walk away willingly.¡±

    The reason why Zorion was so confident was because he had never once lost to Santiago. On the other hand, Santiago always lost to other people when it came to a proper fist fight.

    Santiagoughed, ¡°Since you agreed to it, let¡¯s begin.¡±

    He then took two steps back and waited for Zorion to begin.

    Zorion wasn¡¯t wearing much today as he only had a ck suit on. Raising his hand, he unbuttoned his suit and approached Santiago. After exchanging brief nces, Santiago threw a punch at Zorion. Zorion dodged nimbly and fought back.

    Raeleigh was promptly shocked and squealed, ¡°Santiago, look out!¡±

    ¡°I got it.¡±

    Santiago smiled as Zorion looked at Raeleigh. His eyes fell on Santiago¡¯s face, sheer anger and frustration welling up in his gaze.

    ¡°Does your brother know?¡± Zorion asked while fighting. Santiagoughed, ¡°You don¡¯t know me at all. My brother doesn¡¯t have any hold on me.¡±

    ¡°Even so, you can¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Never mind me. Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re the same.¡±

    ¡­

    Santiago and Zorion talked as they fought. They were moving so aggressively that Raeleigh couldn¡¯t tell what they were talking about, but she was so worried that she clutched Santiago¡¯s jacket tightly with both of her hands.

    A momentter, Scarlette and Hadrian stepped out of the vi. Scarlette stood next to Raeleigh and shrugged, ¡°Mr. Jepherson is the best at fighting since he can always gain the upper hand. Mr. Whalen had trained with him ever since he was a child, and became the only one who could spar with himter on. Speaking of which, Mr. Whalen is also very powerful. Sometimes he is able to beat up Mr. Jepherson with a single move. He¡¯d often tell Mr. Jepherson not to lower his guard, or it¡¯ll be an easy loss.¡±

    ¡°Although Mr. Santiago is strong as well, he is no match for Mr. Jepherson in a fight. As for Mr. Whalen¡­¡±

    Scarlette shook her head. There was no hope.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Scarlette, asking, ¡°How are you able to boost someone else¡¯s morale yet belittle the person you¡¯re working for?¡±

    ¡°I am not trying to boost anyone¡¯s morale or diminish hope for anyone. I¡¯m just trying to prove that you, Raeleigh, have grown increasingly partial to Mr. Santiago recently. You used toin about Mr. Santiago and clearly didn¡¯t like him, but now you¡¯re always worried about him.¡±

    Upon hearing this, her heart ached. Although there was something going on with Jepherson, she really did feel ufortable when she saw him sitting on the sofast night.

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried about him,¡± Raeleigh said as she took a step forward. Zorion had just threw a kick at Santiago and she wanted to help him.

    ¡°Don¡¯te near me,¡± Santiago nearly lost his bnce as he stumbled back. Raeleigh¡¯s tears were welling up in her eyes and she was very worried.

    Noticing that she was about to step forward, Santiago stopped herimmediately.

    ¡°He is worried about you. Don¡¯t go.¡±

    Scarlette pulled Raeleigh aside and away from the fight.

    It was only then that Santiago heaved a sigh of relief. He smiled, ¡°Again.¡±

    ¡°You are no match for me, but you are much younger than me. Your bones haven¡¯t fully developed yet, so it¡¯s best for you to bring Deanna out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you think. Let¡¯s go again.¡±

    Santiago then leaped into the air and shot his leg out into a deadly kick. Zorion blocked his attack and suddenly stepped back in the spur of the moment. He stopped attacking Santiago and just observed his moves carefully.

    ¡°Where did you learn that?¡±

    Santiago didn¡¯t give Zorion time to think and kept attacking. Zorion started struggling with the onset of relentless attacks. On top of that, he hadn¡¯t gotten any proper rest recently and was weaker than usual. With that, Santiago found an opportunity tond a series of kicks on him. Zorion stepped back and nearly fell down. Fortunately, someone supported him.

    Santiago stopped in his tracks, ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me. I don¡¯t enjoy fighting you. Both of us will just end up getting hurt.¡±

    Zorion turned pale and his dark eyes moved about as he looked at Santiago, asking,¡°Have you been secretly training all these years?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything. I just grew up. When I was a child, I couldn¡¯t beat you, but I¡¯ve been abroad for the past few years. I never stopped training even then.¡±

    Zorion was amused.

    ¡°Even if I lose, I will take Deanna away. I can¡¯t let her stay here. You should know that even though she¡¯s young, she is very different from you. She hasn¡¯t grown up yet.¡±

    ¡°She has grown up. You¡¯ve just been holding her back. Stop being so selfish.¡±

    Zorion felt bitter in his chest. Slowly, he lifted his hand and tried to slow his breathing down. Santiago had kicked him right in the chest, so he was finding it difficult to breathe smoothly.

    All this, in three years. He was impressed.

    Santiago sighed and tried to convince Zorion, ¡°I remember back then when Deanna went missing and was abducted. You were so worried that she would never return. You protected her, thinking that you could simply keep her at home and lock her up.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s wrong. Deanna isn¡¯t a kitten or a puppy. If you do this, you¡¯ll only push her further away from you, and sooner orter, she will leave you.¡±

    ¡°Enough, stop talking,¡± Zorion recalled the time when he felt as though his heart had been pierced by thousands of needles. He was in so much pain that he wanted to die. He always thought that it was his fault for not taking good care of his sister. If he had done a good job, Deanna wouldn¡¯t have gone missing and be in danger.

    He couldn¡¯t live through that again. No matter what, he wouldn¡¯t let anything happen to Deanna.

    ¡°You¡¯ve lost, so leave. She is safe here, and you have a job to do. I will keep her safe.¡±

    Santiago stood there, his will unwavering. Even if Zorion had won, he wouldn¡¯t give Deanna up.

    Raeleigh hurried over and ced the coat on Santiago.

    Looking back at Raeleigh, Santiago said, ¡°Don¡¯te near me when I¡¯m in a fight. Protecting you is the biggest form of encouragement for me. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt while I¡¯m fighting.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have eyes on my feet and fists. What if I hurt you by ident?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Although she didn¡¯t say anything, she felt quite jealous of Deanna.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, even if I die. I don¡¯t want to see you shed a single tear.¡±

    ¡°Your tears are the most precious thing to me in the world. Don¡¯t let it flow so easily!¡±

    Raeleigh bit her lip and moved her hands away from Santiago. She breathed heavily and could only utter a single sentence, ¡°Be careful.¡±

    With that, she stepped back and felt uneasy for some reason.

 Chapter 1285 Raeleigh Knows The Password

    Zorion looked at Raeleigh and then at Santiago. He scoffed, ¡°You¡¯re still young. How old are you? You are making a big mistake. She¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. You don¡¯t have to tell me. Do you remember when my father would take us out to y?¡±

    ¡°Once, he told us that there were gems buried on a hill, and all of us ran up to grab some for ourselves. All of you brought back a gem, but I was the only one who came back with an ordinary stone.¡±

    ¡°You looked at me strangely and thought that I was too young to understand.¡±

    ¡°Now, let me tell you why.¡±

    ¡°Even though all of you have gems, I wasn¡¯t enviousof any of youbecause I had something that was more beautiful and precious than a gem. Even though she is not the best, I am still willing to be there for her.¡±

    Scarlette walked on the snow and gazed at Raeleigh whose expression had softened. She stared at Raeleigh¡¯s exceedingly beautiful face and couldn¡¯t say anything.

    Zorionughed and slowly got to his feet with a scoff,¡°Then I¡¯ll watch you and your brother tear each other apart.¡±

    Then, he turned around and returned to the car.As the car door was still open,Zorion looked at Santiago and warned,¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being young and frivolous, but you¡¯re backing the wrong person.¡±

    Zorion looked at Raeleigh.At that moment, she averted her eyes and looked at Santiago. Santiago onlyughed in response, ¡°I don¡¯t mind even if I¡¯ve gotten the wrong person. Please leave. Deanna is safe at my ce. At the very least, she won¡¯t go on a hunger strike.¡±

    Zorion¡¯s expression turned increasingly grim, ¡°I¡¯m going to the hospital.¡±

    Santiago gestured towards the exit, indicating that they should leave that instant. Zorion then ordered someone to close the door.

    His forehead was covered with sweat as the car drove away, and his breathing was ragged and heavy. He nced at Rossie, who looked very unhappy. Slowly, he moved to hold her hand, muttering ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±

    After saying that,he lost consciousness and leaned on her shoulder.

    Rossie was very ufortable right now.In fact, she was probably much more ufortable than anyone else, but she didn¡¯t move her hand away.

    When the car arrived at the hospital,some of Zorion¡¯s men helped him out, while afew more men apanied Rossie inside. They were worried that she would run away before Zorion woke up.

    ¡­This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    After they left, Santiago turned around and returned to the vi. After he walked in, he prepared to have breakfast. Raeleigh sat across from him and kept staring at him unconsciously.However, he lowered his head and looked at the food in front of him. While he ate, he said, ¡°Deanna isn¡¯t feeling well and needs a doctor.¡±

    Xanthus sat down and ate as well, answering, ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at her after dinner.¡±

    After dinner, Raeleigh changed her clothes and was ready to go to thepany. On the other hand, Santiago had already changed his clothes. Meanwhile, Xanthus had finished checking up on Deanna. As he came down from upstairs, his expression was strange.

    ¡°Is it serious?¡± Santiago was waiting for Xanthus downstairs. Xanthus hesitated for a moment and didn¡¯t give him an answer. After a while, he sighed, ¡°We¡¯d better discuss this together Jacky should hear this too.¡±

    Xanthus packed his things and went downstairs to wait for them. Raeleigh felt that something was wrong and walked over to Xanthus, whispering, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I think I know why Zorion wanted to take Deanna away.¡±

    Before Raeleigh could respond, Xanthus patted Raeleigh on the shoulder and said gently, ¡°Please ask Jacky toe down.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go.¡±

    With that, Santiago went upstairs and knocked on the door, quickly asking, ¡°Come down.¡±

    After saying that, Santiago went down with Jacky behind him. A whileter, Jacky asked Xanthus in confusion ¡°Why are you asking about her period?¡±

    Raeleigh was surprised. Just then, she thought of something and looked at Santiago. Santiago sat down and crossed his legs, silent.

    Xanthus exined, ¡°You¡¯d better take her to the hospital. Based on my experience, she might be pregnant, but it¡¯s hard to say. After all, I¡¯m an orthopedic surgeon, not a gynecologist.¡±

    Jacky¡¯s face froze. After hesitating for a moment, he quickly ran up the stairs. Behind him, Santiago turned his head back nonchntly, as though this wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    Raeleigh looked at him and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not bothered about this?¡±

    ¡°The baby isn¡¯t mine. What¡¯s there to be bothered about? The person who should be happy is the baby¡¯s father,¡± The corner of Santiago¡¯s lips was curled upwards. He didn¡¯t know how happy Jacky was right now, but he guessed that Jacky was probably ecstatic.

    Raeleigh kept quiet and shot a nce towards the stairs. After the door upstairs closed with a thud, she decided to tell Xanthus, ¡°I¡¯m going to work now.¡±

    ¡°Be careful.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago, who stood up and headed out with her. Scarlette was pregnant and couldn¡¯t be out in the snow, so she had to stay at home.

    However, Hadrian was different. He had to protect Raeleigh.

    Santiago knocked on the steering wheel and pointed at Hadrian, threatening, ¡°Don¡¯t follow us, or you¡¯ll suffer the consequences.¡±

    Hadrian stood at the doorand insisted,¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare disobeying Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°I can prevent you from seeing Scarlette for the rest of your life, dare to prove me wrong?¡±

    Raeleigh sat in the passenger seat andwas speechless at Santiago¡¯s threat. Santiago and Hadrian had lived together before. Thus, it was out of her expectations for Santiago to be so threatening to someone he knew so personally.

    Hadrian¡¯s face turned pale as he stood there for a while, but didn¡¯t follow them afterwards.

    Santiago started the car and then drove to thepany.

    When they arrived, Raeleigh got out of the car. Santiago parked the car and followed her inside. Raeleigh took a deep breath before walking in, her stress levels rising with each step she took.

    In the past, Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t have been bothered about anyone nor anything. Yet, she would feel extremely pressured now even at the very thought of going to work.

    Santiago stood beside her and looked at Raeleigh, asking, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Raeleigh opened the door and went in. Santiago watched her from behind and followed her in.

    After they entered the elevator, Raeleigh intended to go back to her old office.However, when she was about to press the button heading to her floor in the elevator, Santiago intercepted her and quickly pressed the button heading to Lamarre¡¯s office.

    Raeleigh nced at him, ¡°We haven¡¯t exined the situation to thepany yet, we shouldn¡¯t cross¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the general manager. Is it necessary for me to exin this to them? My identity alone should be enough. Lamarre¡¯s position is now yours. From now on, you are the chief car designer for thepany, and you have full control over the design team.¡±

    Santiago said this calmly while Raeleigh was stunned. After a moment, the elevator doors swung open. Santiago stepped out with his hands in his pockets.Helooked like a proud gray wolf as he strutted onto the corridors with his head held high confidently.

    Raeleigh followed him out. The moment she stepped out, she saw Santiago fiddling with Lamarre¡¯s office door. He twisted it twice but failed to open it. Raeleigh walked to him and checked the lock on the door before sighing, ¡°It needs a password.¡±

    Since this was the chief designer¡¯s office, one would need the password to get in. After all, not just anyone was allowed to enter freely.However, Raeleigh knew the password.

 Chapter 1286 What Should We Do Now?

    Raeleigh raised her hand and keyed in a string of numbers. Santiagoughed. ¡°It seems that Lamarre trusts you very much.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m his apprentice. Of course, he trusts me.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t really have anything else to say. With that,she pushed the door open and went in. As there was no one inside,Raeleigh knew that Lamarre wouldn¡¯te back here anymore. He had made it very clear that he wouldn¡¯t being back ever again. After all, he had handed in his resignation letter.

    Raeleigh walked inside and stared at Lamarre¡¯s chair. There was a hint of mncholy in her heart. She was just an intern, so how could she sit there?

    Driven by intense pressure, she couldn¡¯t bear all this responsibility.

    After staring at it for a while, Raeleigh walked around the room. Shetouched the chair her master had sat on for numerous times and plopped down as well.

    A momentter, she switched on theputer and picked up the phone to call Lamarre.

    In the meantime, Lamarre was on his way to the airport with several other people. He never expected Santiago to be so tough. After forcing him to resign the day before, he had sent some people over to help him pack and drive him to the airport that morning. In a sh, they had packed up his luggage and sent him off.

    Lamarre had met all kinds of people in his life andfinally understood something. Jepherson was no match for someone like Santiago.

    Originally, he wanted to alert Jepherson, but he didn¡¯t expect Santiago to move so quickly. It was impossible to do anything nor drop a warning for Jepherson.

    Lamarre was also very surprised to receive a call from Raeleigh, but¡­

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you calling me so early? Don¡¯t you know I need my rest?¡±

    Lamarre¡¯s voice sounded indifferent. Raeleigh could tell that there was something wrong with him.

    ¡°Master, we agreed that I could look for you if there is something I don¡¯t understand. Have you forgotten?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t, but I¡¯ve just bought a ticket for a vacation trip. What do you have to ask me about? Just do it yourself. Wait, just ask Santiago about it. He understands things better than I do.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago who was sitting idly in front of her and sighed, ¡°He¡¯s still a kid.¡±

    With his back towards Raeleigh, Santiago was dressed in a jade-green down overcoat, blue jeans, and white sneakers. Raeleigh thought that if it weren¡¯t for the fact that he looked like a pixie, he wouldn¡¯t have the air of one. However, in the end, Santiago did look better than everyone else. It was unlikely that anyone in thepany would look more ethereal than himi.

    Santiago paused for a moment before looking up and staring at the ceiling.His eyes moved about before finally fixing themselves on the ground. He walked about leisurely. From time to time, he would stop and reach out to fiddle with something.

    Raeleigh thought that Santiago hadn¡¯t heard anything. Even if he did, there was nothing to worry about.

    ¡°A child? He¡¯s smarter than me and his IQ is double that of a genius. You say he¡¯s a child but is he in a lower position than you are? Is there anything he doesn¡¯t understand that you do?¡±

    Lamarre said this with a bemused face, ¡°If you¡¯re asking for help, just ask him. I will be the first to hold him ountable if anything goes wrong. Although I would have arranged this sooner orter, I didn¡¯t mean to have you take over so soon. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve decided to hand you over to Santiago from now on. If anything happens, he will be the main person responsible.¡±

    After saying this, Raeleigh moved her cellphone away from Santiago.Lamarre was sounding as though he was about to go to war.

    She took a deep breath and continued, ¡°But there¡¯s always something that needs to be dealt with. For example, you should tell him what you are doing right now. Even though he is an expert in his field, it is impossible for him to always know everything.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a document and ced it in my mailbox. You can open it. The password to my mailbox is my ID number. You know it, right?¡±

    Lamarre remembered that Raeleigh had taken note of his ID number before. She gave it some thought and said, ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Once you¡¯ve opened it, search for a document that was prepared at six o¡¯clock this morning. You can download it and store it on theputer. Everything you need to know is inside, and there are some private things that I¡¯ve left for you as well. You should take a look if you have the time. It will be very helpful for you.¡±

    ¡°I am no longer your mentorandI have nothing left to teach you.Just listen to Santiago. Don¡¯t get hurt by others and just do your best.¡±

    ¡°Wait! So will you not be using this mailbox anymore?¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    ¡°Are you kidding? What am I left with if you decided to take over my mailbox?¡±

    Lamarreburst out inughter. This silly apprentice of his was really worried about him leaving.

    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll logout the minute after I download those documents you told me about.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it¡­ By the way, save the information I¡¯m leaving for you in your own USB drive. There are some things in there that will help you. Don¡¯t share it with anyone else.¡±

    ¡°After you log out of my mailbox, reformat my entireputer and wipe out all of the data left on it. I¡¯ve made a copy of the important documents I have and will send it to youter.¡±

    ¡°Thepany¡¯sputer is usually connected to thepany¡¯s main server, but mine is an exception.¡±

    ¡°And remember to bring your ownptop to work and bring it home daily after work.¡±

    Lamarre gave Raeleigh very thorough advice and was very thoughtful for Raeleigh¡¯s sake. It felt as though she would never see him again.

    ¡°Master, you¡­¡±

    ¡°Pass the phone over to him. I have something to say,¡± Lamarre wasn¡¯t willing to show his affection for her. Since he was already a dead man, he decided not to leave things unresolved.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and did as he asked. Santiago turned around and looked at Raeleigh¡¯s teary eyes as he chuckled, ¡°Ohe on, you don¡¯t need to cry over this.¡±

    Raeleigh sniffled and gave the phone to Santiago, who walked to the other end of her new desk and sat down. Then, he took the phone and lowered his head, muttering, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Lamarre seemed to have said something, prompting Santiago to reply after some thought, ¡°I understand.¡±

    After a while, he asked Lamarre, ¡°Is there something else you need to say?¡±

    It seemed that Raeleigh was expecting something.

    Instead, the call ended. Lamarre had hung up.

    With that, Raeleigh was greatly disappointed.

    Santiago gave the phone to Raeleigh and tapped theputer while rubbing his chin. He shrugged, ¡°Normally, you¡¯d have a meeting at nine o¡¯clock. It¡¯s eight o¡¯clock right now. Go get your things.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t hesitateat all as she wanted to see all the things Lamarre left her.

    She then began to scroll through all the information after sessfully logging into Lamarre¡¯s mailbox.However, Santiago urged her to retrieve the information he had left behind.Thus, Raeleigh first sent the information to Santiago¡¯s mobile phone before reformatting theputer.

    Santiago ced his phone and his hands in his pockets. Heasked, ¡°Do you really trust me that much?¡±

    Raeleigh said while she worked on theputer, ¡°Who else would I trust if not you?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? I might just sell you out.¡±

    Raeleigh was amused but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Just then, someone knocked on the door, ¡°Mr. Lee, we should have our meeting.¡±

    In a sh, Raeleigh looked up. Santiago raised his chin, hinting for her to answer.

    ¡°I¡¯ming.¡±

    When the people outside the door heard Raeleigh, they remembered that she was Lammare¡¯s prized apprentice. Thus, they left without saying anything.

    After they left, Raeleigh looked at Santiago and asked, ¡°What should I do now?¡±

 Chapter 1287 Couldnâ€™t Forget

    ¡°Take the documents. Don¡¯t you know what the n is right now? I¡¯ll head overter.¡±

    Raeleigh believed Santiago wholeheartedly. As for what he wanted to do, she had no idea.

    Despite her concerns, Raeleigh hurriedly grabbed some documents and stood up. She was aware that her presence would only be a challenge and provocation towards Jepherson.Therefore, it was unlikely that any fruitful discussion would ur. The only thing she would do would be to anger Jerpherson.

    With that, Raeleigh had nothing else to hesitate about andwould do whatever Santiago asked her to do.

    She turned around and went towards the door. Stepping out, she asked Santiago, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯lle?¡±

    Santiago was looking at theputer when he heard her. He froze for a moment and said, ¡°If I don¡¯t go and leave you alone to handle the situation, will you be afraid?¡±

    Raeleigh kept quiet. She wasn¡¯t afraid, but she would feel a lot safer if Santiago was here.

    After turning around and closing the door, Raeleigh held the file in her hands and walked towards the elevator. She opened the elevator and was promptly caught off guard.

    Unexpectedly, Jepherson was standing inside. Raeleigh¡¯s breathing grew heavy as she didn¡¯t expect this.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,¡± Raeleigh greeted him distantly and politely.

    Jepherson¡¯s handsome face showed a hint of displeasure as he scowled, ¡°Why are you still so polite to me?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips, ¡°I wonder why you¡¯re here. You have a private elevator.¡±

    As Raeleigh refused to step in, the doors were about to close. Jepherson gritted his teeth, waiting for her to press the buttonto reopen the doors but Raeleigh didn¡¯t.Upon seeing that the elevator doors were about to close, he quickly pressed the button, and the doors opened again.

    His gaze focused on Raeleigh slowly grew impatient.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Raeleigh considered this for a moment before denying politely, ¡°I still have something to do. Please go ahead, Mr. Richards. I will be right there in a while.¡±

    In a haste, Raeleigh walked away. Jepherson was so angry that his expression darkened. He gritted his teeth and wanted to chase after her, but his phone rang at that very moment.

    He took out his phone and hesitated to step out, but eventually walked out of the elevator.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh thought that Jepherson had already left. She breathed out a sigh of relief and finally escaped from the situation.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t follow her.With that, Raeleigh calmly pushed the fire escape door open and decided to take the stairs.

    Compared to facing Jepherson, it was better for her to leave via the stairs.

    At that moment, Jepherson was going to knock on Lamarre¡¯s office door, but when he stepped out of the elevator, he saw Raeleigh taking the stairs. The fire escape door closed with a thud.

    Looking at the closed doors, Jepherson quickly finished his call and turned towards the stairs. He pushed the door open and looked inside. He could no longer see her, but footsteps could be heard.

    Walking down the stairs, Jepherson¡¯s face looked grim. In order to avoid taking the elevator with him, she had chosen to take the stairs to the conference room. Fortunately, the conference room was situated on the middle floors of the building, if it was downstairs¡­

    Jepherson narrowed his eyes. If that was the case, she¡¯d definitely be exhausted.

    Raeleigh was reading the documents intently as she walked down the stairs. She was so focused on them that she didn¡¯t notice that someone had followed her down. The minute she heard footsteps behind her, she turned around in curiosity, only to find Jepherson already approaching her.

    Raeleigh felt ufortable. She didn¡¯t expect him to approach her so silently.

    At first, she was shocked and her face turned pale.

    However, she didn¡¯t try to hide but instead tried her best to calm herself down.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Jepherson snorted. He didn¡¯t know what to say. Looking at Raeleigh¡¯s overalls, he pulled at the tie around his neckline and unbuttoned his cor in a fit of annoyance.

    He spoke in a low voice, ¡°I never knew you had a habit of taking the stairs.¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned for a moment, then she pursed her lips. When she was alone with him, she was somewhat afraid of him. They were so different in terms of strength that he could do whatever he wanted with her.

    ¡°You came here in order to hide from me. However, there are no ces for you to hide in my building. If there was, I¡¯d reckon you¡¯d hide in it and never show yourself in front of me.¡±

    Jepherson sounded ominous.Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to do with him as he was the boss. What could a subordinate do to him?

    Therefore, she chose to keep silent. He looked at her and demanded, ¡°Are you trying to piss me off?¡±

    Lifting her head, she muttered, ¡°Mr. Richards, it¡¯s time. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Jepherson looked at her with his bottomless ck eyes. A short momentter, he asked, ¡°There are over a dozen floors left to go. Are you really going to lead someone like me down this path?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Someone like him?

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be surprised about? I¡¯m the president of the Richards family, but I¡¯m also a young man. I¡¯m not that old, am I? Am I not worthy of that title?¡±

    Jepherson barraged Raeleigh with a series of questions, leaving her speechless. She didn¡¯t say anything for a long time. After a while, she uttered, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°No. So, do you want to leave or not?¡± Jepherson stared at Raeleigh with his hands sped behind his back, as though he could see right through her.

    After a while, Raeleigh sighed, ¡°Please follow me.¡±

    Jepherson took a step forward. As he did, he observed his surroundings and suddenly asked, ¡°Why are you all alone?¡±

    Raeleigh was thinking of an answer, but she couldn¡¯t think of one. The best answer she had was the truth.

    ¡°Lamarre has resigned.¡±

    The minute Raeleigh said that, Jepherson stopped in his tracks. He looked at Raeleigh with a perplexed look on his extremely handsome face and frowned, ¡°He¡¯s resigned?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t wait for an answer and continued walking. She thought it was more appropriate to act this way.

    When Raeleigh walked away, Jepherson asked, ¡°Who made him resign?¡±

    ¡°The general manager.¡± That was what Santiago said, so Raeleigh just told Jepherson truthfully.

    ¡°The general manager?¡± Jepherson frowned, ¡°The role of the General Manager is vacant¡­¡±

    As he spoke, Jepherson could only chuckle,¡°Oh, I see.¡±

    Gritting his teeth, Jepherson fell silent. Raeleigh turned around and carefully looked at Jepherson,waiting for him to lose his temper. Instead, he just walked away without saying a word, his hands still sped behind his back.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Raeleigh felt weird because this was out of her expectations.

    After they walked to the seventh floor,Raeleigh began to sweat. Besides, Jepherson also noticed that she was clearly tired and could not really walk anymore.

    ¡°Can you still walk?¡±

    He stopped and stared at her. Shaking her head, she said, ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have the strength to continue climbing the stairs. Why do you insist on show off?¡± As Jepherson said this, he bent down and picked Raeleigh up. She let out a cry of surprise. There were so many things in her arms. If she let them go, she would drop everything. If not, she would have to ept her fate of being carried.

    While in a dilemma, Raeleigh looked at him and said, ¡°Put me down.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t walk. I¡¯ll take you downstairs.¡±

    Jepherson walked downstairs, his mind in turmoil.Simrly, Raeleigh was flustered. Should she struggle and drop all her documents? Or should she justy quietly in his arms?

    Jepherson spoke while he held Raeleigh, ¡°Grandma threatened me with your safety. On the night Santiago came back, someone blocked me on the road. I called Stuart to get out of the car, but we were thoroughly hindered. I couldn¡¯t get to you.¡±

    ¡°She wants me to marry Ste. You know that I love you, but I want to fight for time and think of a way out of this.¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her gaze. She already knew all of this, but she really couldn¡¯t do anything. Their unborn baby was a thorn in her heart. She couldn¡¯t forget the incident, even until now.

 Chapter 1288 Raeleigh is My Girlfriend

    Raeleigh knew that his feelings for her were real and that he was being honest.However, she had lost confidence in their rtionship. There were so many external factors that bothered them, and sooner orter, they would turn against each other. She couldn¡¯t deal with them and she didn¡¯t want to think about them either.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Raeleigh kept a straight face and tried her best to calm down, but she still felt sad for how unlucky she was.

    The baby was gone and Mrs. Richards was terribly disgusted at her.

    Getting married was every girl¡¯s dream, and marrying a partner who would stay by your side to the end of time was the ultimate goal a woman could ever strive for. Meanwhile, evesting vows and abundant wealth were all things that everyone wished for. Unfortunately, none of those were possible for someone like her. After all,the odds were not in her favor. Who did she have to me?

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes shed with distress, but he was still smiling, ¡°This will be over soon, it¡¯s better this way. Believe me, I will make proper arrangements for you back at home.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer but quietly stayed in his arms as he carried her down the stairs. Since she couldn¡¯t break away from his embrace, she decided to wait and see.

    Jepherson noticed that she wasn¡¯t talking and continued, ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me. I can¡¯t read minds yet.¡±

    Raeleigh wanted tough at his remarkbut kept quiet when she saw how annoyed he looked.

    They finally reached the floor they needed to be at. Raeleigh asked him to let her go, and he did. However, right after he did, he held her hand and pushed her against the wall.

    There were no security cameras around them. Raeleigh¡¯s heart suddenly skipped a beat. ¡°Jepher¡­¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you call me Mr. Richards?¡± Jepherson narrowed his eyes and smirked. He lowered his head and kissed her before she could protest. His eyes were closed as he was deeply indulged in the kiss.

    Raeleigh widened her eyes and moved away after the kiss. Jepherson looked at her momentarily before whispering, ¡°Ladies first.¡±

    With a hint of panic in her eyes,Raeleigh attempted to catch her breath. Then, she turned around and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    She held the file in her arms and left. She went to the conference room right after she closed the fire escape door.

    The meeting room was filled with people, including Ste.Upon spotting Raeleigh, Ste nodded politely. All the people around her whispered amongst themselves as they looked at Raeleigh. They all had the same thing in mind, which was to win the favour of the higher-ups.

    However, the president seemed to prefer Raeleigh over the rest of them. Compared to how indifferent she was to him a few days ago, they now seemed to be on friendlier terms.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh didn¡¯t respond to Ste as she couldn¡¯t be so hypocritical.

    However, the people around them didn¡¯t think so.In fact, they all thought that Raeleigh was being unfriendly. After all, she was officially a part of thepany now, so she should at least be respectful.

    Though, Raeleigh wasn¡¯t the type to stoop to such levels.She pulled out a chair and sat down.

    It waspletely silent in the conference room. Everyone realized that the atmosphere was awkward. They all stared at Raeleigh, but she kept her head down and focused on the documents in her hands, as though she hadn¡¯t noticed anything.

    Just then, Jepherson pushed the door open and walked in.In a trice, everyone stood up. Raeleigh did the same and closed the file in her hand.

    Jepherson circled around and walked to his seat. Pulling out his chair, he sat down. He threw a nce at Raeleigh and tapped the table,¡°Sit down.¡±

    Raeleigh sat back down. This created a contrasting situation where everyone else remained standing, but Raeleigh had already sat down. This wasn¡¯t a problem to her, but the rest of her colleagues had interpreted it differently.

    Jepherson smiled as he looked at Raeleigh, then looked at the others who just sat down before announcing, ¡°From today onwards, Lamarre is permanently on vacation. I have appointed Raeleigh as his sessor. She will take over all of his projects immediately. I have promoted her to the role of chief designer, where she will now be in charge of the design team.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head slightly and stared at Jepherson. He continued, ¡°If anyone has any objections about this, please bring it up now.¡±

    Everyone stared at Raeleigh, who stayed silent.

    Lamarre¡¯s seat was right next to Jepherson¡¯s. He pulled it out and gestured, ¡°Raeleigh, please sit here.¡±

    After hesitating for a moment, Raeleigh stood up, grabbed her files, walked over to Jepherson, and sat down beside him. Everyone could see it clear as day now. No matter what they did, be it internally fighting for his favour or creating opportunities to get closer to him, there was no doubt now that Jepherson never cared for them. What he was more concerned about were his own selfish feelings.

    Raeleigh sat down and looked at him for a while, then lowered her head. She said nothing and allowed Jepherson to continue with whatever he wanted to say.

    Jepherson looked at the rest of the people in the room, continuing,¡°If you don¡¯t have any doubts, I hope you¡¯ll raise your hands to vote for Raeleigh to ensure a smooth transition into Lamarre¡¯s position.¡±

    ¡°Although this is the result of thepany¡¯s decisioni and Lamarre¡¯s personal rmendation, we have our own rules and systems to follow. I¡¯m sure everyone here knows that Lamarre has his own reasons and that he cares for his apprentice a lot. There could be some reasons underlying his actions, but we are not sure why.¡±

    ¡°Thus, thepany has decided to handle this in a peaceful manner. It is undeniable that Raeleigh Anson has several notable achievements working in thepany, and that her work etiquette is superb. I believe that in the future, she will be able to perform even better, which is why we allowed Lamarre some power in the decision-making processes of thepany.¡±

    ¡°However, thepany will treat everyone equally. Some people present here undoubtedly think that Raeleigh isn¡¯t qualified for the role. I respect your decision to not raise your hands, and as the opposition, I will gather those who oppose for a smallpetition. There, you can choose to prove your worth, and only the skilled will win.¡±

    Jepherson was serious. He had no intent to shield and favour Raeleigh, but he would lower his head from time to time with a smirk. It was clear that he was supporting her, so there couldn¡¯t be anyone who dared to disagree.

    Jepherson was the first to raise his hand and vote, ¡°Since I¡¯ve nominated Raeleigh, I¡¯ll be the first to raise my hand in agreement.¡±

    Jepherson raised his hand, and the rest exchanged looks. One after another, they did the same to vote for Raeleigh. Ste voted for Raeleigh as well and the vote was finally passed unanimously.

    After that, Jepherson put down his hand and announced, ¡°Since everyone has agreed to this notion, I hope you¡¯ll get along with her and bring thepany to even greater heights.¡±

    Everyone pped in agreement. Jepherson finally turned to address Raeleigh, ¡°Since you¡¯ve taken over Lamarre¡¯s duties, you are now responsible for preparing this quarter¡¯s summary.¡±

    Raeleigh knew that this wasn¡¯t a simple task.

    With a swift nod, she stood up. After shooting a brief nce at the documents she was given, she started summarizing thepany¡¯s quarterly performance.

    It took Raeleigh about an hour to end her presentation. She chose not to address any specific points of improvement. Instead, she ended her presentation casually with a hopeful message for a better run next quarter.

    Jepherson tapped his finger on the table and looked up at her, asking, ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°Any ns for the next quarter?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and replied, ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°I want to see your projections by next week. Since you are still new in your position, I will mentor you from today onwards. Your internship hasn¡¯t ended yet. As Lamarre won¡¯t being back from his holiday, I will take charge of you from now on.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s deration was a surprising one. Raeleigh¡¯s heart sank and she looked at him, frowning, ¡°There¡¯s no¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Raeleigh is my girlfriend. I will mentor her myself.¡±

 Chapter 1289 Badly Damaged

    The door opened and Santiago walked in with a sheaf of documents in his hand. As soon as he started speaking, the conference room immediately fell silent. Coupled with his clothes and the way he carried himself, he looked incredibly elegantdespite being a man. His posture was more morous than a supermodel¡¯s and even better than some movie stars. He was the worldwide recognized standard of style and charisma.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were glued on Santiago. When he entered the room, he tossed the documents in his hand in front of Jepherson and scoffed, ¡°This is my proof of assignment and all my details and recognitions. I¡¯ve received 14 international awards as proof of my capabilities. I am now the general manager of thepany. I,personally,will oversee Raeleigh. I am notfortable with anyone else doing so. I¡¯m sure you understand.¡±

    After saying that, Santiago looked at Raeleigh with a smile on his face, which shocked her. But now, she realized she was very fortunate because Santiago had finally arrived. She really didn¡¯t want Jepherson to be her mentor.

    Jepherson looked gloomy. He stared at the documents in front of him, still as a statue as he refuted,¡°I don¡¯t care about your position, but you¡¯ve outdone yourself with this joke. Just a few offensive remarks from your sister-inw here, and you¡¯re pulling such a silly stunt. Father and mother would know how to handle you. I¡¯m sure you know better than me.¡±

    Santiago chuckled, ¡°Should I prove to you whether she¡¯s my girlfriend or not?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face darkened and he roared, ¡°Get lost!¡±

    Santiago picked up his documents and chucked them into Raeleigh¡¯s hands. Crossing his arms over his chest, he said, ¡°I¡¯m heading to the general manager¡¯s office to get some work done. I¡¯ll need to redecorate the entire room too. When it¡¯s ready, Raeleigh will be apanying me there. In addition to that, I will be at Raeleigh¡¯s studio during this period of time. If any of you have any business with me, please find me there.¡±

    ¡°Lamarre didn¡¯t request for a long leave. Instead, he¡¯s submitted his resignation. This is his resignation letter. I have agreed to it and already signed it.¡±

    Santiago loosened his grip, throwing the letter in front of Jepherson. He then turned around to grab Raeleigh¡¯s wrist and went outside.

    As the door closed, everyone was spooked at what had happened. Ste quickly stood up and ran towards Jepherson, saying sweetly, ¡°Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.Santiago has never been sensible as a child. He¡¯s still immature. Forget it, let¡¯s get to work.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s expression gradually lightened up. Rising to his feet, he picked up Lamarre¡¯s resignation letter. He went around and said, ¡°Do as Mr. Santiago says.¡±

    After saying that, he headed outside. Everyone in the room was still stunned. Secretly, the corners of Ste¡¯s mouth turned upwards. Finally,she thought, something interesting was about to y out.

    The others also left dejectedly and quietly, afraid to cause trouble.

    Jepherson walked out of the conference roomtowards the private elevator. When he entered the elevator, he stood inside and rubbed his forehead wearily. Just then, Stuart called him. The ringing of the fire rm soon red right above him as well.

    ¡°Sir, Lamarre¡¯s office is on fire, there was an explosion.¡±

    Stuart really didn¡¯t expect Santiago to be such a daredevil to wreak so much chaos, even setting fire to Lamarre¡¯spany.

    ¡°Get someone to take care of it. I¡¯ll head overter. Get the people from Security to inform Raeleigh.¡±

    Jepherson put his cell phone down and lowered his head, staring at the soles of his feet.

    When he reached the floor that housed Lamarre¡¯s office, the elevators door slid open and Jepherson stepped out. There were several people on the floor. When they saw Jepherson approaching, they immediately headed towards him, but the first one to reach him was Stuart.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson put the staff¡¯s safety before anything else, asking, ¡°Is anyone injured?¡± To which Stuard answered no. Jepherson looked at a staff member who was quickly rescuing some property and added, ¡°It¡¯s good that everyone is alright. Just put out the fire first. It could be that some mmable items caused the explosion. Inform the Ministry of State Security about this and perform a security audit on all the departments, right away. This can¡¯t happen again.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Several staff members nodded in agreement. It was very clear to them that their vice president wanted to prevent matters from getting out of hand.

    After the situation was dealt with, Raeleigh came over as well.By the time she arrived, Jepherson was standing at the door with his hands behind his back, peering inside with a nk face. Everything seemed insignificant to him. However, Raeleigh was different. She raced out of the elevator and went straight into Lamarre¡¯s office. When she arrived at the door, she nced at him and followed him in.

    Santiago followed behind them leisurely.

    Jepherson turned around and shot a contemptuous nce at him. Then, he followed him into Lamarre¡¯s office. When he entered the room, he saw Raeleigh. She was looking everywhere for anything she could salvage. It wasn¡¯t long before her hands were dirty andher eyes filled with tears.

    Jepherson walked towards her and pulled her into her arms into aforting embrace, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. You¡¯ll find them.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head, muttering.¡°I don¡¯t like this, I don¡¯t like this¡­¡±

    She couldn¡¯t help but think of the fire from the orphanage.Maybe others couldn¡¯t understand how she felt, but Jepherson could, so he held her tightly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Everything will be alright. I will restore it back to its original state.¡±

    The people at the security department looked at Raeleigh, Jepherson, and then at Santiago.Suddenly, a realization dawned upon them.

    So this was what was going on.

    They continued to pack their things. Raeleigh struggled to push Jepherson away and turned around to look for anything she could salvage.

    Meanwhile, Santiago leaned against the door and didn¡¯t once think he was causing any trouble. On the contrary, he leaned against the door, perfectlyid-back.

    Raeleigh packed up her things. Since there were a lot of things to carry, Jepherson asked someone to carry them to Raeleigh¡¯s old office. Lamarre¡¯sptop was the most damaged item in the room. Jepherson inspected it. Theputer had been moved, and the hard drive inside was gone.

    Raeleigh stepped out with a box in her arms. She nced at Santiago before going back to her office.

    When she left the room, she looked around and tidied up her things. She felt terribly sorry for Lamarre. Such a terrible ident had happened when her master had just left.

    For the entire afternoonRaeleigh sat down in a daze and didn¡¯t eat anything for lunch. Ste went to see Raeleigh, but thetter stayed umunicative, so Ste left her to herself.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    On the other hand, Jepherson remained in her office while Santiago took a nap.

    At five o¡¯clock in the evening, Ste came to Raeleigh¡¯s office again and knocked on her door. Santiago opened his eyes as Ste pushed the door open and walked in.

    ¡°Jepherson, when are we heading back? Or should I tell Grandma that we¡¯ll be having dinner out tonight?¡±

    Ste didn¡¯t want Raeleigh to intuit her actual intention, but what she meant was definitely not something as simple as just eating dinner.

    Raeleigh finally came to her senses after steeping in such a long daze, saying, ¡°Santiago, let¡¯s go home.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    With that, Santiago stood up, stretched, and shook his head. Then he left with Raeleigh. When they reached the door, they waited for Jepherson to leave the room.Jepherson dawdled for a while before standing up as well.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have Stuart take you to dinner.I¡¯ll pick you upter at 10 o¡¯clock.¡±

    Jepherson needed Ste¡¯s help to keep his rtionship with Raeleigh a secret from Marissa, hence his politeness to her.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll have dinner with Stuart then,¡± Ste smiled sweetly and turned around to look at Stuart before chiming, ¡°Stuart,e on.¡±

    After that, she fetched her bag and went into the elevator.

 Chapter 1290 Santiagoâ€™s Confession

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together. We can talk about things while we¡¯re at it.¡±

    Jepherson stepped forward, and Raeleigh instantly felt pressured. Although she wasn¡¯t too pleased with Santiago¡¯s sabotage, she still felt intimidated to face Jepherson. She took a deep breath.

    Closing the door, she turned around and followed Santiago into the elevator. With him around, she felt safe and secure.

    The three of them rode the elevator down.Raeleigh stood closer to Santiago, averting her eyes from Jepherson¡¯s face.

    Soon, the elevator doors pinged open. Santiago waited for Raeleigh to step out first before leaving the elevator, whileJepherson trailed behind them.

    The three of them were very capable and thepany staff looked up to them. However, the rtionship between them was aplicated one, which made everyone feel awkward around them.

    They didn¡¯t know what was going on.

    After they exited the building, Raeleigh sat in the car.Jepherson followed suit. Raeleigh raised her head, a telltale sign that she was about to shuffle further. He looked at her and said, ¡°Do not move.¡±

    Santiago taunted, ¡°Oh, speak your mind, would you? We need to go home for dinner. We don¡¯t have the time to babysit you.¡±

    ¡°Shut up or I¡¯ll throw you out.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s sudden warning amused Santiago and he smirked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you try?¡±

    Jepherson frowned, ¡°Let¡¯s get out of the car.¡±

    Santiago remained still. Inthe back seat,Raeleigh was fidgeting.She might as well have gotten out of the car first.

    If they liked to fight so much, she thought, why didn¡¯t she give the floor to them?

    With that, Raeleigh got out of the car and surveyed around. Spotting a taxi, she nned to hail it. Just as she was about to take a step forward, Jepherson got out of the car.

    ¡°You, get in.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Jepherson. Then, she returned and sat in the car without saying anything.

    As the car drove off, Raeleigh looked at Santiago, who was driving. She sighed deeply and asked,¡°Why must you two fight?¡±

    ¡°The best way for men to resolve their issues is to have a good old fight,¡± Santiago drove the car slowly. Raeleigh leaned against the backseat of the car, taking in the scenery outside. She sat in the back and couldn¡¯t see the front very clearly, but she was sure that Jepherson had taken a taxi and was following them from behind.

    Raeleigh covered her eyes and raised her head.

    When the car arrived at their home, Santiago drove into thepound. Raeleigh got out of the car and looked back. He was relieved to see that they weren¡¯t followed.

    Back in her room, Scarlette saw that Raeleigh had reached home and hurried out. When she saw her, she wanted to rush over to her to spill the tea about Deanna¡¯s pregnancy.

    Raeleigh looked at Scarlette. She wasn¡¯t surprised at allbecause anything Xanthus mentioned was very likely to be true.

    ¡°Raeleigh, aren¡¯t you surprised?¡± Scarlette found it incredulous. Raeleigh asked as they walked, ¡°A man and woman are together, and then a baby is made. Well, isn¡¯t that normal? What is so surprising about it?¡±

    Raeleigh went upstairs to change her clothes.

    Scarlette was speechless. Why was Raeleigh acting like this? Deanna was pregnant. Regardless of whether this was logical or not, the Whalen family would prove to be a huge problem and obstacle to their rtionship. Zorion wouldn¡¯t leave Jacky be, nor would Rayan. How was Jacky¡¯s life going to pan out?

    Furthermore, Santiago was the one who brought them together.Scarlette felt like things were just getting stranger by the day.

    Raeleigh went upstairs and pushed the door open. After she closed the door behind her, she leaned against it for a while. Her mood was awful. It reminded her of the baby she had before, and she felt a throbbing pain in her heart.

    She¡¯d lost her child because she wasn¡¯t a determined mother.

    Feeling mncholic, Raeleigh went to the bathroom, undressed, took a shower, thenid down on her bed.

    She still felt ufortable;not just because she had taken a bath and still felt cold, but because of other things as well. Now that Lamarre had left, she didn¡¯t like working in thepany, and that inadvertently led to her current state of being unable to design anything anymore. Ever since she¡¯d lost her baby, she had been aimless and hopeless. She didn¡¯t just lose a child, but all of her talents and inspiration as well.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Raeleigh felt like she had lost everything.

    She continued lying on the bed, tossing and turning until someone knocked on the door. She was still awake though.

    ¡°Dinner time,¡± Santiago called for her from outside the door. Raeleigh realized that she had fallen asleep before she even had her dinner. She got up and went downstairs, only to find that everyone was already at the table.

    She didn¡¯t spot Jacky or Deanna. She sat down and asked Scarlette, ¡°Where¡¯s Deanna?¡±

    ¡°I just took her upstairs. She seems to be in more need of good care than you right now.¡±

    Scarlette said this as she took a bite of her food. Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything but slowly ate her dinner.

    Meanwhile, Jepherson sat outside, staring at the door to Raeleigh¡¯s room. His taxi stopped outside their vi, but he didn¡¯t get out.

    Raeleigh went back up after dinner. She couldn¡¯t sleep, so she got up from the bed and went to the window to look outside. There really was a taxi parked outside.

    Raeleigh stared at it for a bit and closed her curtains. She mused to herself, ¡°It¡¯s already dark outside, but Jepherson doesn¡¯t want to go home yet. Will he really leave at ten o¡¯clock?¡±

    Despite her thoughts, she turned around and went back to her bed. Shey down but couldn¡¯t get any rest. When she noticed that it was ten o¡¯clock, she got up and peeked outside. Jepherson¡¯s taxi had just left, for she could still catch a glimpse of the shadow of the taxi slowly disappearing.

    Even with the curtains closed, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t get a wink of sleep. She was clearly worn out, but she couldn¡¯t sleep for some reason.

    Because of that, Raeleigh stepped out of the room for some fresh air. She wanted to drink some water, but a man was standing downstairs with his hands in his pockets as he looked outside the window. Only one person had such an uppity posture¨CSantiago.

    Raeleigh hesitated, but after a while, she went down the stairs. Santiago turned around to look at her. His hands were still in his pocket.

    Reaching downstairs,Raeleighlooked at him. She turned around to look at Santiago, who was by the window. No words were exchanged. It wasn¡¯t pitch-ck inside the house. Most of the lights were on, but they weren¡¯t bright enough.

    However, this didn¡¯t bother them.

    Raeleigh stopped by the window and asked, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking at whatever you¡¯re looking at,¡± The corner of Santiago¡¯s lips curved up. He gazed at Raeleigh, his eyes deep.Then, he turned around and asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡±

    What could she saywhen he¡¯d already voiced everything? Thoughts such as ¡°Just stand there. Don¡¯t move. Don¡¯t say anything. It¡¯s not good to be so talkative,¡± were rattling in her mind.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Santiago asked with a smile. He seemed to be in a good mood.

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Raeleigh really wasn¡¯t thinking of anything at the moment. She was very confused and didn¡¯t really have the time to think.

    However, Santiago¡¯s smile only deepened thoughtfully.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of not having to give in to him someday. I can finally fight for the person I love.¡±

    Soon as the words rolled off Santiago¡¯s lips, Raeleigh¡¯s mind started spinning. The person he loved?

    Her first thought was Cynthia, but her own figure popped up into her mind. She paused and looked at Santiago¡¯s handsome face, asking, ¡°What exactly are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°You know what I mean. You¡¯re just pretending to be confused. Smart as you are, surely you can understand what I¡¯m saying,¡± Santiago turned around and met Raeleigh¡¯s gaze. She waspletely stunned, her response unforting. Santiago stepped forward. He said, ¡°I like you.¡±

    She felt her mind abuzz, her eyes nearly popping out as she stammered,¡°Santiago¡­¡±

 Chapter 1291 Swear on My Life

    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding. I swear on my life, I really like you.I like you more than anything else.¡±

    ¡°Impossible¡­ This can¡¯t be. You¡¯re much too young, you don¡¯t understand this at all¡­¡±

    Raeleigh was shaking her head when Santiago kissed her face. She flinched, turning utterly unresponsive.

    Santiago lowered his eyes slightly and smiled. He then spun around and walked away. The entire time, he had his hands in his pockets. With an exaggerated swagger he shuffled away, as though he were a god sashaying among the grass.

    Raeleigh slowly turned around and looked at Santiago, gasping,¡°Are you out of your mind?¡±

    Stopping short,Santiagoswung around, observing her. She had taken a step back as though she had been hurt. However, she found it strange as she wasn¡¯t afraid of Santiago. What could ount for her sudden backing off?

    With pouted lips, Raeleigh looked at Santiago, her face impassive. She felt like she was cocooned in bleakness. Yet, the corners of Santiago¡¯s mouth twitched upwards, his smile as brilliant as the sun.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Raeleigh, my dearest.¡±

    The corners of Santiago¡¯s lips tugged into a smile. He sounded exceptionally sweet when he called her by her name. Raeleigh, on the other hand, kept a straight face. He backtracked and stopped in front of her.

    ¡°Are you scared?¡± Santiago asked, to which she shook her head. Santiago responded by lowering his head and kissing her on the cheek.

    Raeleigh was about to step back once more when he grabbed her arm and whispered into her ear, ¡°The more you resist, the more you appear attractive to me.Do you know that?¡±

    Raeleigh stayed eerily silent and still while Santiago slowly distanced himself. He fixed his eyes on her, whose expression could not look any uglier.

    Santiagoughed and released his hand. He turned around and went into the kitchen. After doing so, he began to cook.

    When Raeleigh walked into the kitchen, Santiago had already started boiling a pot of water.

    He stood by the stove and watched the noodles cook. Raeleigh didn¡¯t think that Santiago was any good at cooking, so she had a hunch that he was probably going to ruin the kitchen.

    Shortly after, she walked in and took out the noodles. She was going to prepare them for Santiago. He leaned to one side and watched her.

    They didn¡¯t say anything. A whileter, Santiago said, ¡°If you leave my brother, don¡¯t just rush off somewhere. Come to me, I¡¯ll love you for the rest of my life.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s hand froze. She raised her head and turned to look at Santiago, asking, ¡°Do you even know what you¡¯re doing?¡±

    ¡°I do¡± Santiago¡¯s smile wasashandsome as ever and pleasing to the eyes. Raeleigh¡¯s heart and body were pushed over the edge of sanity.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Do notugh.¡±

    Santiago raised both hands to cup her face. Raeleigh¡¯s hands were full with the noodles and she wanted to put them down, but Santiago pinched her cheeks, ¡°I promise, I won¡¯t do anything to you until you¡¯vepletely forgotten my brother. But¡­ you shouldn¡¯t piss me off either. I have a vtile temper and poor self-control. If you get on my nerves, I wouldn¡¯t know what I¡¯d do to you. So¡­ you should give me ¨C give us ¨C some time.¡±

    Raeleigh widened her eyesin disbelief,¡°Are you crazy? I¡¯m your brother¡¯s ¨C ¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly mmed up, after whichSantiagoughed,¡°Perhaps, you used to be. But now the both of you are over.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. She couldn¡¯t refute him, but he was wrong.

    Raeleigh shut her eyes and tried to keep her wits sane. When she did, she said, ¡°Get your hands off me.¡±

    As soon as he heard her say that, he let go of her.Furious, she turned around and ced the noodles into a pot. Then, she took a pair of tongs and mixed them in the water. Santiago watched for a while before stepping forward and held her from behind. Raeleigh shivered and used her hand to push him away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move, or there will be hell to pay.¡±

    Raeleigh was silent and warned, ¡°Your brother will kill you.¡±

    ¡°Or maybe I¡¯ll kill him first.¡±

    She was mind-blown.

    Raeleigh was rooted in ce and didn¡¯t respond. She felt that her whole world was nketed in darkness. How had things ended up like this?

    Santiago¡¯s hands slowly wrapped around her waist. He held her in his arms and breathed gently.Beaming, he said, ¡°I believe that time will change many things, including your feelings for me. If we¡¯ve been together for some time andyou still miss my brother, I¡¯ll pull out from this rtionship.¡±

    Raeleigh bit her lip, ¡°Even if I could forget your brother, you¡¯d still never stand a chance.¡±

    She was borderline shouting at him sinceher anger was uncontainable.

    Santiago burst outughing and then lowered his head to kiss her face. Raeleigh really wanted to pick up the tongs and smack him on his head to knocksome decency into him.

    However, she couldn¡¯t move. What was she to do?

    ¡°The noodles will be ready soon,¡± Santiago held her tightly, which greatly irritated her. Raeleigh threw the tongs at him, pushed him away, and lost her bnce.

    Santiago was quick with his eyes and hands and caught her before she fell to the ground.

    Raeleigh struggled. She didn¡¯t realize how much strength she used before finally managing to push him away. Then, she turned around and stormed off upstairs.

    Seeing as Raeleigh headed back upstairs, Santiago smiled and resumed cooking.

    Raeleigh went back into her room nad mmed the door shut. She leaned against it wearily and gasped, which greatly frightened the others who were sleeping in their rooms.

    Hadrian was the first to react and quickly shielded Scarlette¡¯s belly. He got up and looked at the door. He was very tense as he moved closer to the door. After a while, Scarlette asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did Jephersone and blow up the house?¡±

    The corner of Hadrian¡¯s mouth twitched. He nced at the woman in his arms. It had only urred to him that she possessed quite the wild imagination.

    ¡°Lie down, I¡¯ll check things out. It sounded more like a door being mmed shut.¡±

    Hadrian put on his clothes and went towards the door. He pushed the door open and saw Jacky standing outside, staring at Raeleigh¡¯s door. Soon after, he heard Santiago ask from downstairs, ¡°Do you have any idea how to cook noodles?¡±

    Jacky looked downstairs before turning around and returning to his room.

    Inside the room, Deanna was sitting on the bed waiting for Jacky to return. She thought that her older brother must havee back and kicked the door open, which had nearly scared the life out of her.

    When Jacky returned, she asked, ¡°Was it my brother?¡±

    ¡°No,it was Raeleigh and her racket of a door.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Deanna looked a lot better today, and she was eating again. The doctor had said that if she didn¡¯t eat properly, the baby would be unhealthy. She hoped that her child would be born healthy, so of course she would force herself to eat something.

    Even if she didn¡¯t like to, she did her best to provide her body with sustenance. She forced herself to a bowl of soup and even fed on a list of Jacky-approved meals.

    Jacky found her hrious. No matter how aloof he was towards outsiders, this veneer of his would be stripped off in her presence.

    Back on the bed, Jacky pinched Deanna¡¯s chin and kissed her. She was still somewhat reluctant, her small hands pushing his face away. With a distance between them, she began to grumble, saying that she had just woken up and had bad breath.

    Jacky didn¡¯t say anything else. He pulled her close and lifted her up onto hisp. He pinched her chin, pried her lips open, and brought their tongues together, allowing her to wrap herself around him.

 Chapter 1292 What is The Eldest Master Doing?

    Deanna was disinclined to do soat first. She felt that she shouldn¡¯t have kissed him since she had just woken up. Although she didn¡¯t really have bad breath and she had brushed her teeth before going to bed¡­

    Moving about too much wasn¡¯t good for the baby, and Deanna wasn¡¯t willing to give in just like that.

    The problem was thatwomen were weak whenpared to men. Deanna was starting to reject his forey. However, after a little while, she began to respond positively. Jacky gently patted her gently since she was weak. He controlled his pent-up drive and allowed her to straddle him in hisp. Slowly he started to give her what she wanted and made her happy.

    On the other hand, Raeleigh felt a breakdown iing. For more than an hour she squatted in the room before she eventually rose and climbed onto her bed, the physical exertion instantly sapping all of her strength. She fell ill the next day.

    She wondered: did she catch a cold? Her night had been punctuated with her coughs as sheid on the bed. The next morning, Santiago called for her toe out, wherein no response was elicited. He then opened the door with a key and upon entering her room, was met with Raeleigh all curled up beneath a nket. He wanted to fool around and give her a pinch. However, when he peeled the nket off her, she was as red as an apple in autumn. Santiago didn¡¯t say anything and quickly went to rouse Xanthus.

    Xanthus went upstairs to check on her and gave Raeleigh an injection. Santiago watched them intently as Xanthus prepared the saline to be injected. When it was time for the injection to be administered, Xanthus asked Santiago to turn around, which he did obediently. After injecting Raeleigh, Santiago asked Xanthus, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a cold.She seemed to have slept outside the coversst night.Did the two of you have a fight yesterday?¡±

    Xanthus took out some medicine for Raeleigh and prepared the injection while asking Santiago. Although he hadn¡¯t seen it for himself, the mming of the door was enough to speak for itself. Something must have happened.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Santiago sat down and looked at her. As she was getting the injection, Raeleigh felt muddled and kept tossing on the bed. Since Xanthus couldn¡¯t keep her calm, Santiago held Raeleigh down by holding her hand, assuring her, ¡°Rx. You¡¯re fine.¡±

    Raeleigh, still in a daze, cried like a child after being pricked by the needle. Xanthus sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t cause her any more grief. She¡¯s been through a lot. She may look tough, but she¡¯s barely holding on as it is. I really don¡¯t get what¡¯s going on between you two brothers.You regret andment over her loss when she leaves you, but abuse and mistreat her badly when she¡¯s yours.¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t control your obsessions, best to let it go and leave Raeleigh to start anew.¡±

    ¡°If you look at things from the standpoint of her family and as her brother, I¡¯m sure that you will see things differently.¡±

    ¡°I never thought about taking anything from herbecause I love her more than I do myself. I do so onlybecause I¡¯m her brother, but the two of you¡­¡±

    Xanthus packed up his things and gave the order to leave, ¡°You can leave now. I¡¯ll take care of her.¡±

    ¡°No, I can take care of her,¡± Santiago was equally worried about her. Xanthus put his things aside and said, bemused, ¡°Are you qualified to do so? Just go.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Xanthus¡¯s face darkened as he ordered Santiago to leave.

    Santiago looked at Raeleigh,who in the end showed no signs of stirring.

    Lying down on the bed, he held Raeleigh¡¯s wrist and said, ¡°I won¡¯t go. I¡¯ll wait for her to wake up.¡±

    Xanthus stood up and looked at Santiago, warning him,¡°You know what, I¡¯m really itching to give you a jab and teach you what death feels like.Maybe then you¡¯ll zip your mouth for a change.¡±

    Santiago gave a lopsided smile,¡°Feel free to.¡±

    Once Xanthus turned towards the bathroom, only then did Santiago check up on Raeleigh. He ran his hand through her hair, unwilling to leave a single strand behind.

    Raeleigh¡¯s fever was letting up. Santiago took a deep breath and leaned on the bed. When Xanthus came out, he was still leaning on the bed.

    ¡°Alright now, Raeleigh¡¯s fallen asleep. You can let yourself out.¡±

    Xanthus found the Richards brothers an eyesore. If he could, he would hurl them out the window and watch as they fell to their death stories below.

    Santiago could read the room, but move he did not.

    ¡°You must be tired. Go and rest, I¡¯ll stay with Raeleigh. By the way, call thepany and let them know she¡¯ll have to take a sick day.¡±

    Santiago did not budge an inch. Xanthus, deeming him a lost cause, turned around and stormed off.

    Staring at the closed door,Santiago called out behind Xanthus, ¡°Raeleigh needs rest. Don¡¯t let anyone in.¡±

    Xanthus paused. He pushed the door open again and looked at Santiago, leaving onest threat,¡°You should also leave in a while.¡±

    Santiago did not reply. Holding his phone, he lowered his head and made a call.

    He called Jepherson.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    As soon as Jepherson got into the car with Ste, who had just sat down, his phone rang.

    ¡°Raeleigh and I are taking a sick day today. Also, her office is off limits to anyone else.¡±

    Santiago then hung up the phone. Jepherson held his phone and looked at Stuart. He ordered, ¡°Start driving.¡±

    ¡°Yes,Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Soon, the car started and drove away slowly.

    Jepherson looked outside. Ste leaned over and locked arms with him intimately,¡°Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Ste let go and sat back down, feeling secretly euphoric.

    However¡­

    When the car arrived at the entrance of thepany, Jepherson didn¡¯t get out. Instead, he looked at Ste, who had gotten out of the car and said, ¡°Ste, I¡¯m going to check up on Raeleigh. Stuart will be your escort for lunch.¡±

    Stuart got out of the car and quickly went to stand next to Ste. Without even having a chance to reply, the car zoomed away. Jepherson was gone.

    Ste was bristling with anger, but she kept smiling. She looked up and muttered in her best attempt at acting casually, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with him?He¡¯s acting so weird this early in the morning!¡±

    Unfortunately, Stuart wasn¡¯t a very talkative person. He always kept his mouth shut.

    ¡°Miss Ste, let us go.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    Ste looked at Jepherson¡¯s car, then turned around and walked away.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Jepherson¡¯s car to arrive at Raeleigh¡¯s home.Aftering to a stop, Jepherson got out. He walked towards the door and looked at the security pad on the door. After thinking for some time, he raised his hand and entered a string of numbers. The door clicked open, allowing him to walk into the vi.

    The driver sat in the car and shook his head. He couldn¡¯t help but marvel at Jepherson¡¯s intelligence. He was really amazing. No wonder he was the head of the family.

    As Scarlette was relishing some fruits, she saw Jephersone in from the front door. She got off her chair and attempted to stand up to greet him.

    Her belly was so swollen that she had to hold it as she spoke.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    She was a little nervous. Although she was already divorced and Hadrian had promised to retire from his job as a bodyguard, she was still very worried. Therefore, she didn¡¯t really know how to face Jepherson.

    This was true especially now since she hadn¡¯t informed him about Deanna¡¯s pregnancy or about Raeleigh being sick.

    From her point of view, there were some things that didn¡¯t need to be said.

    But from his point of view, even the smallest scrap of news should be reported.Scarlette was clear that this was what he expected, but now¡­

    It was like she had been caught red-handed stealing something. She was at a loss.

    Jepherson¡¯s deep eyes nced at her as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous or you¡¯ll affect the baby. Just pay me no heed.¡±

    As he tried to assure Scarlette, he looked upwards and started walking upstairs.Her response falling behind,Scarlette turned around and watched Jepherson head upstairs. This was really strange, she thought. What was he up to?

 Chapter 1293 H*ll Is As Far As I Can Go

    ¡°MasterJepherson!¡±

    Seeing Jepherson head up the stairs, Scarlette called out to him.

    Jepherson stopped and turned around to look at her. Her lips trembled as she wondered if it would be best to say what was on her mind.

    ¡°Although I¡¯m quite the gruff person, I can feel that Raeleigh is really bothered about Ste. No matter what the reason may be, you have already epted Madam Marissa¡¯s orders to marry Ste. I don¡¯t know what this means for Raeleigh, but if Hadrian ever told me that he loved me yet promised to marry another woman forwhatever reason it may be, and even if it was for me, then I will never forgive him.¡±

    After saying that, she spun around and left. She went back to her room, afraid that she would get yelled at by Jepherson.

    After she closed the door, Scarlette panted in her room.Hadrian was reading a book about maternity care. He was surprised to see Scarlette so rattled. Seeing how scared she was, he put the book down, stood up, and quickly walked over to her to hold her.

    ¡°MasterJepherson is here! He is here!¡± She was so frightened that her entire body trembled. Hadrian held on to her and breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± He believed that Jepherson wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would hurt them.

    Raeleigh slept soundly. Santiago and Xanthus were in the room, watching over her. Jepherson pushed the door open, with his eyes settled on the bed.

    Raeleigh had been given an injection and was fast asleep. However, Santiago and Xanthus were on either side of the bed. Jepherson nced at them. His face had an obnoxious expression.

    Santiago stood up, his hands in his pockets. As he walked, he raised his head. He was then as tall as Jepherson.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Jepherson took a deep breath and turned around to leave. Santiago looked behind him and followed him outside. The brothers stood on the steps of the stairs. Jepherson still had a mild temper. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡±

    Santiago leaned against the railing. ¡°She has a fever.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh¡¯s room and went downstairs to sit on the couch.

    Santiago thought his actions wereical. ¡°What are you doing? Trying to terrorize me?¡±

    Jepherson leaned back on the couch, witha deathly hush descending upon him.

    Santiago walked around and sat down opposite him. Neither of them initiated to break the silence.

    Hadrian stepped out of the room, saw them, then turned around and went back inside. Scarlette, in the speedof light,joined him at the door. Since nothing had happened, she thought that Jepherson had already left. But when she stole a glimpse from the door, she recoiled, as if she had seen two live lions perched on the couch in the living room. It was terrifying.

    Scarlette returned to the room and scurried over to the bed. She covered herself with the quilt, balking at the idea of leaving the room. It was too dangerous.

    Hadrian turned around and looked at her. He gave her another vitamin for pregnant women.

    She opened her mouth, popped the tablet, and went back to sleep.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes. She was wide awake then. When Jepherson arrived, she had woken up. But she neither moved nor made a sound. Then what?

    Raeleigh had her line of sight focused at the door. Xanthus raised his hand and ced it on her forehead. It wasn¡¯t hot anymore.

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus. ¡°Was I wrong to havee home?¡±

    Dumbfounded, Xanthus looked at Raeleigh. He knew her well and it wouldn¡¯t be easy for her to keep herself froming home.

    ¡°I should have listened to you from the beginning. I should have solved this with awsuit and stood in opposition to them. At the very least, I could have kept my dignity. It would have been much better than now. But I was too na?ve. I thought I loved him,and if we couldn¡¯t be a couple, then we could be friends. I thought I could let time blunt whatever love we had between us, and bring us back to square one.¡±

    ¡°What I hadn¡¯t expected is for this hopeless love to have ended up with so manyplications.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home, shall we. I¡¯m missing Grandma.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Raeleigh said as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Xanthus thumbed her tears away and smiled. ¡°It is toote to leave now. They are not the type of people to give up easily. Don¡¯t be so hard on yourself. Take it easy. Things will get better.¡±

    Raeleigh smiled.¡°I could neither face myself nor them. I wish I had never appeared in their lives.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡±

    Xanthus patted Raeleigh¡¯s head, his heart aching for her.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± she prompted.

    ¡°In fact, you can refuse both of them,and don¡¯t ept either of them. There¡¯s always another way.¡±

    Raeleigh said her thoughts out loud, ¡°Why do you always push me when I want to stay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple, because I can¡¯t let you back down when you¡¯re in trouble. What should I do next time when you¡¯re in trouble?¡±

    Raeleigh smiled. ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. For now, just take my advice. We¡¯ll follow your heart next time.¡±

    Xanthus got up and poured a ss of water for Raeleigh. She sat up and drank it. Xanthus pulled out theneedle from theintravenous drip and also drank some water. After resting for a while, she felt better. She looked at the door and said, ¡°If we don¡¯t leave, then what will they do?¡±

    ¡°You should know that even if they get into another fight, you¡¯re just an outsider. You have no part in this drama.¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯re brothers,¡± she replied.

    ¡°That is no excuse for them to treat you like this. In fact, as long as we abide by our duties and don¡¯t interfere with their business, we¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and blurted out,¡°Maybe.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh stayed in bed for the whole day. Xanthus stood up and went out of the room. Raeleigh went to lie down again. ording to Xanthus, she didn¡¯t need to worry about anything. This was nothing that sleep could not solve. As for the two of them downstairs, he would deal with them.

    Raeleigh believed Xanthus and trusted him to handle it.

    He went downstairs and walked towards the two brothers. He sat on the armchair beside them and casually crossed his legs.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know whatever it is you two n on doing, but from now on, without my permission, you both better not do anything you shouldn¡¯t be doing in front of Raeleigh. Otherwise, I can¡¯t guarantee that you will see her tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°In return, you can stay for dinner tonight, but I hope you won¡¯t put her out. Because if you do,then you won¡¯t get away with it either.¡±

    ¡°As for your friend, Jacky¡­¡±

    ¡°I can ept all of you here, but I won¡¯t allow any of you to act like gangsters. It¡¯s best not to have so many out at once. We have people from all walks of life here, and I¡¯m not a very good-tempered person. You¡¯d better understand this.¡±

    Santiagoughed. ¡°Are you threatening us?¡±

    ¡°I am, and I¡¯ve already threatened your brother. He¡¯s downright afraid of me. If you don¡¯t believe me, then you can ask him.¡±

    Xanthus stood up and went into the kitchen to make some snacks for Raeleigh.

    Santiago looked at Jepherson. ¡°Is he threatening you?¡±

    Jepherson got up and walked into the kitchen. He entered the kitchen and asked Xanthus, ¡°Is it just a regr fever?¡±

    Xanthus was busy doing something. ¡°Are you worried, huh?¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t reply. Behind him, Santiago had leisurely walked to the door. He raised his hand and tapped on Jepherson¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Are you worried?¡±

    Jepherson moved Santiago¡¯s hand away without even looking at him. ¡°Stay as far away from me.¡±

    ¡°H*ll is as far as I can go,¡± jeered Santiago.

 Chapter 1294 Wouldnâ€™t Admit It

    Jepherson turned towards him. ¡°Do me a favor and shut your mouth.¡±

    ¡°Whatever!¡±

    Smirking,Santiago turned on his heel and buried his hands in his pockets. He swaggered his way upstairs. When he reached the middle of the staircase, Xanthus hade out of the room. He stood at the kitchen door and said to Santiago, ¡°I¡¯ll give you three seconds. Make a sensible choice.¡±

    After saying that, Xanthus turned around. Santiago sighed and said, ¡°Seriously, I find you quite nosy. You¡¯d better mind your own business.¡±

    Turning around, Santiago went back down. He walked to the couch, sat down, and watched TV.

    Jepherson went into the kitchen and cooked some soup for Raeleigh.

    With the soup prepared, Xanthus carried the bowl up as Jepherson went to sit down.

    Santiagoughed. ¡°Just like my brother, he can keep calm. Pops often said that I could never maintain myposure, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    Santiago tilted his head to look at Jepherson. Jepherson raised his hand and pressed Santiago¡¯s head, and he then forcefully pushed it away.

    Santiago yed along andid down on the couch, kicking the slippers off his feet. In all his glory, he rested his legs in Jepherson¡¯sp, crossed them, and closed his eyes for some rest.

    When Jacky came back down, he witnessed the glorious spectacle.There were two men, with one sitting on the left side of the couch while the other was on the right side. The two of them looked very rxed. Jepherson raised his head and leaned back against the couch while Santiago was lying down on the other side, sleeping quitefortably.

    Jacky looked at the two brothers on the couch. When he thought of Raeleigh, he turned around and nced at her door.

    One woman, two brothers.

    Jacky went downstairs to buy some food for Deanna, so he didn¡¯t greet Jepherson.

    After walking past the two brothers, Jacky rushed over to the door. The two brothers who were sleeping both opened their eyes at the same time. They spotted Jacky, who was at the door.

    Santiago was the first to ask,¡°Anything at all?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to buy some fruits and potatoes for Deanna.¡±

    Denna had said that she wanted to eat potatoes, the kind she had had at Waverly Vige. Jacky nned to buy some for her to eat.

    Hearing that he was going to buy fruits, Santiago leapt to his feet and asked Jacky to wait for him, as he wanted to buy some for Raeleigh as well.

    He stood up and patted down his pockets. He realized he didn¡¯t have his wallet with him.

    ¡°Do you have any money?¡±

    Santiago asked Jepherson. Jepherson took out his wallet without saying a word. He had nned to give him some, but Santiago quickly snatched it and left without hesitating.

    After walking out the door, Jackyughed as they walked.¡°What are you two doing here?¡±

    ¡°For a woman, I guess.¡± Santiago slowly got in the car. He spoke candidly and then started the car.

    Jacky opened the car door and sat inside. He looked at Santiago and said, ¡°Dealing with rtionship issues is sort of like ying with fire. It screws with your mind, if you ask me.¡±

    Santiago retorted, ¡°How do you know if it¡¯s not real fire? Things can be pretty literal sometimes, if you ask me.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Jacky was rendered speechless.The two of them went to a nearby supermarket and got out of the car to buy some fruits.

    ¡°Go on up.¡± Xanthus had been waiting outside Raeleigh¡¯s room. When he saw Santiago leaving the house, Xanthus sat on the couch. Jepherson looked at Xanthus and stood up, saying, ¡°Much obliged.¡±

    Xanthus thought his ears had yed tricks on him.He turned to look at Jepherson, paused for a moment, and continued watching TV.

    Jepherson walked over to Raeleigh¡¯s room. He pushed the door open and went in after closing the door behind him.

    Actually, Raeleigh hadn¡¯t really fallen asleep, but when she heard the door swing open, she thought that it was Xanthus.She hadn¡¯t expected it to be Jepherson.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes. As she was about to speak, Jepherson closed the door and stopped for a moment. Raeleigh sat up as Jepherson closed the distance between them.

    Raeleigh was confused and ashamed. She wanted to say something, but before she could, Jepherson had already held her in his arms.

    Raeleigh was surprised. She raised her hand and was about to shove him away. However, she heard him say, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    She didn¡¯t move, but she didn¡¯t intend for this to continue. ¡°Then, keep your hands to yourself.¡±

    Jepherson lowered his head, slowly let her go, and looked at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many worries you have in your heart. I don¡¯t care for Ste, yet this has brought you so much trouble. I will resolve things with Ste as soon as possible and send her away.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about¡­¡±

    ¡°If you really didn¡¯t care, then you wouldn¡¯t have said anything.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t respond. She knew exactly what Jepherson was talking about. It was true that she was very cold towards Ste every time she met her or greeted her.

    But how would he know what had happened between Ste and her?

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to say anything and felt jealous, like a resentful wife. Even if she was, she wouldn¡¯t admit it.

    ¡°If there isn¡¯t anything else, you can take your leave.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to talk. She wanted Jepherson to leave right then, in case Santiago came inter and caught them together. However, she wasn¡¯t even sure what she was guilty of.

    ¡°So, if there is something else, can I stay?¡± Jepherson sat down on the bed. Raeleigh moved her feet away and wrapped herself in her quilt as she stared at Jepherson.

    Jepherson gazed at Raeleigh for a while. ¡°You look like a madwoman, with your hair sticking out here and there. I haven¡¯t got the faintest idea why your hair grows this slowly.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer,as silence was her best choice.

    ¡°I will stay for dinner. If you cane down and eat, then I¡¯ll leave after our meal. If you can¡¯t get out of bed and are still very weak, then I will stay and not go anywhere.¡±

    Raeleigh said,¡°Don¡¯t be a jester. I¡¯m fine. Even if something happens, this isn¡¯t your problem.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you think.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer right away. She couldn¡¯t say anything in front of Jepherson right then. He wouldn¡¯t listen anyway.

    After a while, Jepherson called Stuart and said, ¡°I have something to do. I can¡¯t go home for dinner. Take Ste out for dinner. I will call you at eight o¡¯clock to let you know if I¡¯ll being home tonight.¡±

    Raeleigh finally understood that Jepherson would not give up, as long as he still had the slightest bit of hope to cling to.

    ¡°Have it your way, wait downstairs if that¡¯s what you want. I need to rest.¡±

    Raeleighy down, reluctant to get up. Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything. Seeing that Raeleigh hadin back down, he draped the quilt over her. Raeleigh hugged herself, with her eyes closed.

    In the room, one could have heard a pin drop. Jepherson raised his hand and patted her back. Raeleigh extended her hand and wanted to push him away, but she was pulled closer to him instead.

    Raeleigh intended to withdraw her hand, but Jepherson said, ¡°Sleep for a while. Don¡¯t cause a fuss.¡±

    Raeleigh gradually calmed down. She didn¡¯t know what to say anymore. She couldn¡¯t win against him.She could neither scold him, nor could she quarrel with him. Her nerves were fraying at the edges from all the pressure.

    ¡°Stay if you want, but you have to let go of my hand.¡±

    She pulled her hand back, but he was unyielding and didn¡¯t let go.

    Jepherson sat back down andughed.A woman¡¯s heart is a deep ocean of secrets. She was so deeply in love with him, yet she wouldn¡¯t admit it.

 Chapter 1295 Letâ€™s Go Back to Waverly Village

    He knew that their baby had wrought a bottomless rift between them.It was one that was,for all intents and purposes,impossible to bridge. In truth, that gaping crack was best left untouched, so that he would always be reminded of the pain, so much so that it would always lurk in his memory, that he had murdered his little princess.

    But what did this woman want? After such a long time together, she still refused to admit that they were meant for each other. She was deeply loved and appreciated.

    Neither of them said a word to each other as Raeleigh had drifted off to sleep. Jepherson wasn¡¯t sure if he ought to get into another argument with her, but for ages he hadn¡¯t felt as real as then.

    Even if it was just to watch her sleep peacefully for a moment.

    Raeleigh slept soundly for a very long time.

    When she woke up, he was no longer in the room. When Raeleigh went to see him again, Xanthus, who was taking her temperature, was sitting in the room.

    ¡°You¡¯re much better.¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Xanthus took the thermometer out of her mouth and looked at it. Raeleigh looked around the room, her reverie still lingered.

    She had a fever. She wasn¡¯t sure if Jepherson was in her room earlier, or if she had been delirious.She wanted to ask about him but she swallowed her words instead.

    ¡°Jepherson came by earlier, but he¡¯s already left.¡± Xanthus handed Raeleigh her phone. ¡°He left you a message.¡±

    Raeleigh took the phone and looked at the screen. It really was a message from him.

    She remembered that his number had been deleted and added to a cklist. She realized just how capable Jepherson really was. His contact number had been restored and removed from her blocked numbers list.

    ¡°I¡¯m going back. I¡¯ll tie up the loose ends with the issue regarding Ste as soon as I can. We¡¯ll talk about it once I¡¯ve got it sorted out. You can return to work for now.¡±

    It was a brief text message. She deleted it right after she was done reading it. She wanted to delete his number and block him again. But she thought about it for a while and gave up on the idea.

    She decided to keep it.

    Raeleighy down for a little while longer until she felt much better. Then, she got out of bed and went downstairs to have some dinner.

    ¡°I can¡¯t just go on a hunger strike in bed,¡± she thought.

    Xanthus and Raeleigh went down together and heard Santiago in the kitchen. ¡°Are you sure Deanna likes this?¡±

    ¡°She said she wanted to eat them.¡± Jacky washed the potatoes and ced them into a pot. After the potatoes were cooked, Santiago looked at them with a strange look on his face. How was she supposed to eat this?

    ¡°Are you going to turn them into mashed potatoes?¡± Santiago asked.

    Jacky nced at him.¡°You¡¯ll find out in a bit.¡±

    Jacky scooped out the cooked potatoes onto a te and ced a fork beside them. He also brought a bottle of barbeque sauce.

    He then stepped out of the kitchen and ced the te of potatoes on the dining table. Deanna¡¯s face looked pale, but she was clean and refreshed. Jacky had also blow-dried her hair.

    For the first time in her life, Deanna had learnt that there really were men in the world who were better than her brother and could also act as her personal hairstylist.

    Deanna thought this to herself, ¡°Jacky doesn¡¯t have a younger sister, so how is he able to do all of this?¡±

    When she saw the potatoes, she drooled and quickly sat down, dressed in her white sportswear. She looked like a snowman. She poked a potato with a fork, and then happily stuffed it into her mouth.

    The potatoes were a little hot at first. Deanna blew hastily on them. She then took a small bite and dipped it in some sauce. ¡°Mmm, this is divinity in the shape of a potato.¡±

    Jacky turned around and went upstairs. Not long after, he took a hairband and came back down. He stood behind her and tied up her beautiful hair, making her feel even morefortable.

    Deanna didn¡¯t mind this at all. She happily ate her delicious potatoes.

    ¡°Raeleigh, have some too. It¡¯s delicious.¡± Deanna looked at her.Raeleigh sat down and carefully looked at the potatoes. Then, she picked up a potato with a fork. She took a bite but found that it didn¡¯t taste good. She had eaten this dish before, but it wasn¡¯t tasty enough to make an impression on her.

    But Deanna wasclearlyhaving a different experience. They tasted exceptionally delicious to her. She nearly cleaned up the entire te.

    Jacky sat next to Deanna. He grabbed a potato and dipped it in the sauce. He ate it with the skin on.

    Santiago pulled out a chair and sat next to Raeleigh. He had imed the chair next to Raeleigh¡¯s as his.

    Santiago took a bite out of a potato and looked at Raeleigh, and then at Deanna, who was relishing hers. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t eat it. It¡¯s not to your liking.¡±

    Santiago took Raeleigh¡¯s potato away as well. There were eight other dishes and some soup on the table. Each of them tasted better than Deanna¡¯s potatoes.

    It seemed that pregnant women had a very different pte.

    Raeleigh held her cutlery and ate some of her dinner. Scarlette grew curious and wanted to try some of Deanna¡¯s potatoes. So, she took a bite and thought that it wasn¡¯t bad. It was still pretty delicious.

    Raeleigh also thought that pregnant women often craved entric foods.

    No one spoke while they ate, not even Scarlette, who was usually chatty. Deanna loved to eat and had a very good appetite that day. She waspletely focused on eating, and wouldn¡¯t be distracted by anything.

    Everyone concentrated on eating, but in the middle of their meal, someone arrived.

    Xanthus stood up to see who it was. After confirming it, he told the rest that it was Zorion. He then looked at Santiago. It was normal for one to clean up one¡¯s mess.

    Santiago stood up, wiped his mouth, and walked towards the door. Even if Xanthus didn¡¯t say who it was, he had figured it out.

    When he got to the door and changed into his shoes, Santiago stepped outside. Jacky turned around and looked at the door. Deanna wouldn¡¯t be afraid of anyone if she didn¡¯t see them. So, he had to make sure that whoever it was, they wouldn¡¯t take her away from him ever again.

    Raeleigh felt that there was something wrong with the atmosphere, but she couldn¡¯t tell what. Then, it seemed like it was¡­

    Santiago went outside and looked at Zorion, who was standing in the snow. It was wrong to beat someone up. When Zorion had firste, he said they only had one day left. Now that a few days had passed, he had to fulfil his promise.

    Santiago didn¡¯t say anything when he opened the door. Zorion looked even worse than before. He had been very busytely and Rossie was in poor health. The doctor said that it had something to do with how much love he had asked from her.She needed at least three months¡¯ worth of rest. This was undoubtedly very bad news for Zorion.

    He waspletely overwhelmed by Rossie,and she was like an enticing drug to him. He had taken so much of the drug that he had turned blind to its effects.

    So, wherever he went, he had to take Rossie with him. The doctor had advised him about the state of his mental condition, which Zorion found very funny. Did he then have some kind of distorted mania?

    Zorion stepped out of the car and strode towards Santiago. As he walked, he said, ¡°Just you wait.¡±

    Santiagolooked amused. ¡°At your service, round-the-clock.¡±

    Zorion snorted and quickly entered the vi.

    Deanna was still happily eating her potatoes. When the door opened, she turned her head and looked at the door.

    She then saw her brother, Zorion. She then quickly stood up with a fork in her hand. She didn¡¯t move at all.

    Jacky stood up and grabbed her shoulder.¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll tell him.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t go back, I won¡¯t go back.¡± Deanna shook her head as she hid behind Jacky.

    Jacky patted her back and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    She raised her head and looked at him.¡°Let¡¯s go back to Waverly Vige.¡±

    Everyone there was shocked.

 Chapter 1296 Raeleigh Was Hurt

    Raeleigh and the others knew how Deanna and Zorion felt about each other as siblings. There must have been a reason for her to have said such things all of a sudden, but what was it?

    ¡°Deanna, let¡¯s leave and talk elsewhere.¡±

    When Zorion approached her, she quickly hid from him. ¡°I¡¯m not going back. I¡¯m going to Waverly Vige. That¡¯s where I want to go. You can leave. I¡¯ll tell Dad and Mom about it.¡±

    ¡°Deanna, let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Zorion was only ever mild-tempered when he was with his younger sister. Deanna. However, he didn¡¯t appreciate it. Instead, she hid behind Jacky and refused to see him.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Deanna, you are way too unpredictable. You can spend time outside, but you should alwayse back home. Do you understand?¡± Zorion attempted a conciliatory tone, but she couldn¡¯t and refused to understand him. She was very anxious and shouted at Zorion, ¡°No, never! I will never go back home.¡±

    ¡°Deanna.¡± Worried that something bad might happen to her, Jacky immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He didn¡¯t want her to get too agitated. Otherwise, she might hurt the baby or herself.

    She felt terribly wronged and shrieked at Jacky, ¡°Are you going back on your word? Do you intend to hand me over to this horrible person? He wants to kill my baby! He¡¯s a bad person!¡±

    Deanna started screaming at the top of her lungs. Raeleigh and Scarlette were shocked at how violent she had be. Hadrian suddenly stood up and pulled Scarlette close to him and said, ¡°Go back to the room.¡±

    With the baby still in its mother¡¯s belly, it wasn¡¯t good for her to see this. It wasn¡¯t good for the baby. Hadrian was very worried about this.

    Scarlette didn¡¯t want to leave, but Hadrian bent down and picked her up and went straight into their room.

    After watching them leave, Raeleigh looked at Deanna. Jacky slowly turned around and looked at Zorion.

    He knew that something must have happened. Deanna didn¡¯t want to say it, but he didn¡¯t expect her to.

    While glowering at Zorion, Jacky said, ¡°She¡¯s your younger sister.¡± Zorion sneered. ¡°I know she is, but she¡¯s only neen years old. Are you going to let her get pregnant even before she¡¯s even married?¡±

    ¡°What do you want her to do then?¡±

    Zorion shouted this at Jacky angrily. Jacky gritted his teeth.¡°The child in her belly is your nephew. How can you be this way?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I? She¡¯s my sister. I can¡¯t let my sister get pregnant before getting married. I can¡¯t let her marry a gangster who has nothing.¡±

    Zorion was furious. Jackyughed.¡°What¡¯s wrong with being a gangster? Aren¡¯t I human too?¡±

    ¡°A ruffian like you doesn¡¯t deserve her.¡±

    ¡°What a joke!¡±

    Jacky¡¯s face stiffened as he took a deep breath.¡°You will never touch her, and you can forget about ever seeing my child. From today onwards, we¡¯re sworn enemies.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? Do you seriously believe that you can take over the entirety of Capital City with Santiago¡¯s help? It¡¯s not that easy.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t know if we don¡¯t try. Zorion, I didn¡¯t expect you to be this kind of person. Deanna is your sister, yet you treat her like this¡­¡±

    He let his sentence hang.

    Silently, Jacky turned around and looked at Deanna. He then cupped her face with both of his hands.¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll protect you. No one will hurt our baby. Remember, no one is allowed to.¡±

    Jacky bent down and picked her up. He turned around and was about to head upstairs when Zorion stepped towards them. Raeleigh saw that Jacky was acting aggressively and quickly tried to stop him. However, she didn¡¯t expect that Zorion would get so angry. Zorion jostled Raeleigh aside. She fell and hit her head on the corner of the table. She fell onto the floor andy motionless. She had fallen unconscious.

    By the time Santiago ran over, Raeleigh had already fainted. Jacky turned around to look at her. He froze for a moment before turning towards Zorion. Zorion¡¯s face had turned pale as well. This whole thing had turned into a terrible mess. Hadrian came out of his room. He took a deep breath and immediately called Jepherson.

    Raeleigh was sent to the hospital.Jepherson rushed over as soon as he heard the news.

    He nced coldly at Zorion, but didn¡¯t say anything to him. Instead, he walked over Santiago and asked, ¡°How is it going?¡±

    ¡°The doctor¡¯s tending to her. She should have woken up by now.¡± Santiago stood outside with a grim look on his face. If it weren¡¯t for Raeleigh¡¯s sake, then he would have acted out by then.

    Jepherson walked past everyone else and entered Raeleigh¡¯s room. He pushed the door open and stepped in.

    Santiago was stunned. He looked around him and then sat down.

    A nurse stopped Jepherson, who had just entered the room. ¡°This is¡­¡±

    When Jepherson saw Raeleigh, he calmed down and asked, ¡°How is she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s suffered a concussion and is in aa.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to see her.¡±

    ¡°Alright, follow me.¡± The nurse turned around and brought Jepherson in. He was the first young master of the Richards family. This hospital belonged to them. Wasn¡¯t it obvious then that Jepherson was a member of the family that they owed their jobs to? How many brave little nurses would dare to deny him entry?

    When they reached the operating theater, Jepherson saw a few medical personnel tending to Raeleigh. They had to part her hair to operate on her injury. Xanthus was also present and personally oversaw her operation.

    Hearing his steady footsteps, Xanthus looked up at Santiago. He then lowered his head and continued operating on Raeleigh¡¯s wound.

    Jepherson drew closer to Raeleigh¡¯s head and looked at her. After confirming that there was a deep gash, his face suddenly darkened.

    ¡°Will it leave a scar?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Fortunately, it¡¯s where her hair is.Otherwise, it would look quite ugly.¡± Xanthus neatly cut off some surgical sutures, ced down the scissors in his hand, and quickly sewed up Raeleigh¡¯s injury.

    ¡°That¡¯ll do. Bring the patient to the ward.¡± Xanthus breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he was from the orthopedics department, he still had some suturing skills. He just felt really tired at the moment.

    Xanthus followedRaeleigh as she was wheeled out of the operating theater. Jepherson followed closely.

    Raeleigh was sent to the ward. Santiago and Jepherson entered while the others waited outside.

    Xanthus changed his clothes, still looking sullen. He walked into the room, sat down beside Raeleigh, and remained silent. He knew he couldn¡¯t go on like this.

    Jepherson had already arranged everything for Raeleigh. He sat down and looked at Xanthus. ¡°This was an ident. I think you should understand that.¡±

    Xanthus leaned on the chair while he watched Raeleigh. He was toozy to say anything.

    Fortunately,he had found Raeleigh. If he hadn¡¯t, then they would have crushed her.

    Xanthus didn¡¯t reply. Jepherson found this immensely troubling.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility for this. What do you want?¡±

    Jepherson already had his hands full with Ste. He had no control over Raeleigh, so he knewpromise was in order.

    However, what Xanthus sought wasn¡¯t Jepherson¡¯spromise. He wanted Raeleigh to be safe.

    Xanthus kept silent, and the whole ward fell ufortably quiet because of this.

    Standing by the window, Santiago put his hands into his pockets and closed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s my fault for not protecting her. It¡¯s none of your business. I¡¯ll tell Zorion¡­¡±

    ¡°That should put things to an end. I¡¯ll look for Zorion. Scarlette is pregnant and Rossie is in poor health. He¡¯s been in a foul mood recently. Mr. Whalen may return as well.¡±

    Jepherson said all of this at once. Santiago sneered, ¡°So, you¡¯ll just let Raeleigh get hurt?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t intentional. If you hadn¡¯t taken Deanna away and brought her to Jacky, then this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±

    ¡°So, you mean to say that this was all my fault?¡±

 Chapter 1297 A Meeting In the Hospital

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. You¡¯re right, but Deanna is his younger sister. How do you expect him to treat this matter? She is pregnant but unmarried. Thest time Jacky took her away, everything was in chaos. Because of this, Grandma is no longer fond of Deanna. In Grandma¡¯s perspective, she is no longer the naive and pure Deanna.¡±

    ¡°If even Grandma thinks so,then what do you make of the entire Capital City?¡±

    ¡°Zorion was our childhood ymate. Don¡¯t you know what kind of person he is?¡±

    ¡°He knows Jacky very well, that is why he gave Jacky a chance. If it weren¡¯t for him, then how could Jacky be allowed to date Deanna? And yet-¡±

    Jepherson was equally incensed. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t have made Deanna pregnant!¡±

    Santiago turned around. ¡°Why?¡±

    Jepherson gritted his teeth and said, ¡°If Deanna were to get pregnant after getting married, or even engaged, then she wouldn¡¯t have to endure any pressure or discrimination from society. Now thatshe¡¯s having a baby out of wedlock, word would spread around that Deanna was impregnated when she was taken hostage, or they would even spread rumors saying that she was vited, abused, or something even more absurd.¡±

    ¡°In the face of such a cruel reality, we can only control the thoughts of the crowd if you marry her. Owing to our family¡¯s wealth and status, people will stop gossiping.¡±

    ¡°But if she is to marry Jacky, then the consequences would be unimaginable.¡±

    ¡°Others would im that the young mistress of the Whalen family was kidnapped, abused, and finally had a child with the kidnapper. She would have no choice but to marry a thug.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because Deanna has been defiled, and no one wants a broken toy. People might say neither of us wanted her too. Who could they give her to? Who was willing to take her in?¡±

    ¡°The Whalen family had no choice but to scrape the dirt, so¡­¡±

    Veins bulged from Jepherson¡¯s face in rage. Stunned, Santiago gritted his teeth and turned his face to look out of the window. Suddenly, he smirked. ¡°How funny!¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    The first person Xanthus focused on was undoubtedly Jepherson.

    Jepherson gradually calmed down. ¡°Don¡¯t go to Zorion. I¡¯ll talk to him about this. There¡¯s a way, but we need to consider every aspect. Give me some time to think about it.¡±

    Santiago stood silently by the window, his hands moving about in the pocket of his pants.

    Raeleigh woke up early, but she did not open her eyes. She was suddenly afraid of the pain that mighte if she continued to have her eyes closed, so she opened them.

    At that time, Jepherson¡¯s figure was like a mountain. Yet, he was majestic and as handsome as ever.

    Facing Raeleigh, Xanthus smiled when he saw her wake up. ¡°Are you feeling better? Did we disturb you?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m still in pain. Do you have any painkillers for me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a dose, but it won¡¯t be good for your wound,¡± Xanthus said, standing up and inserting a dose of painkiller into Raeleigh¡¯s saline drip.

    Raeleigh felt the pain fading after a while. The Richards brothers were looking at her. Santiago walked towards Raeleigh, put his hands on the bed, and asked Raeleigh, ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore,¡± Raeleigh said, her gaze on Jepherson.¡°I¡¯m fine now. Can you guys give us some space? I need to talk to my brother in private.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Xanthus and rose to his feet. Not wanting to make Raeleigh ufortable, he was the first to excuse himself.

    When Jepherson stood up and left,Santiago followed suit. However, his hands were restless and he pinched Raeleigh¡¯s arm. Raeleigh didn¡¯t make any fuss and watched them leave.

    The door closed, Raeleigh looked at Xanthus. ¡°Is it true, what he said?¡±

    Xanthus nced at the door of the ward and nodded silently.

    Raeleigh¡¯s expression changed subtly.She finally understood why Zorion had been so livid and pushed her so hard.

    Since they were all older brothers, Xanthus would understand his emotions better.

    As for younger siblings, they would never need to think that much.

    Jacky maintained his personal point of view. The things in his mind were different. He hoped to marry Deanna, and taking into the consideration of having children, it was difficult for him not to be impulsive. This was how things developed.

    Raeleigh raised her hand and touched her head, wearing a smile on her face.¡°Is this really necessary? I just bumped onto the table, that¡¯s all. Why did you need to wrap me up like a mummy?¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯reughing. I¡¯ve decided to buy tickets. I won¡¯t let you stay here. We should go back.¡±

    ¡°But ¡­¡±

    ¡°Look, I know you care about Deanna, but even so, you can¡¯t do anything. Jepherson has his ability and resources. He will help her, so juste with me, ok?¡±

    ¡°I have some unfinished business in thepany, but I can¡¯t go to thepany like this. I can¡¯t leave until I¡¯ve submitted my work.¡±

    ¡°You have a month. Then, we¡¯ll leave. We¡¯ll be going back to spend the holidays with the family.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Have a good rest. I¡¯ll get someone to bring you some soup.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that serious. I don¡¯t need to drink soup.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll drink it.¡±

    Then, Xanthus stood up. Raeleigh looked helpless and watched Xanthus make a call.

    When he came back from the call, Raeleigh suddenly remembered one thing. She asked Xanthus, ¡°Were you contacting Cynthia?¡±

    Xanthus sat down and asked, ¡°Why did you mention her?¡±

    ¡°I sense that you like her very much. Aren¡¯t you curious, what is she doing now?¡±

    ¡°Well, so much for your curiosity.We can¡¯t fly there anyway.¡±

    ¡°Xanthus.¡±

    Raeleigh called out to him in a cute, childlike way. Xanthus knew what she was trying to say, so he spoke before Raeleigh could spill it.

    ¡°I will never leave you alone. If I¡¯m going anywhere, then I will take you with me, unless you want to go with me to see her, that is.¡±

    Raeleigh froze subconsciously. After a while, she looked at the door. After a long time, she said, ¡°Okay, I will go with you. When everything here is settled, we will go and visit her.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Xanthus smiled and looked at the window of the ward. It waste at night, and there was no starlight outside the window. They weren¡¯t at a higher level, so only the lights from the floors could be seen. It was nothing pleasant. After all, surrounding them were the hospital¡¯s buildings.

    But looking outside, Xanthus was a little disappointed. In fact,Cynthia knew that he had feelings for her. However, she only had Santiago in her heart and did not want to give him any response. If he acted impulsively, then he would not know whether she would ept it or not.

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus. ¡°Are you worried?¡±

    Xanthus looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Yes, but not as worried as you think.¡±

    ¡°But the worry is there.¡±

    ¡­

    Xanthus just smiled and looked at the lights in the distance, recalling Cynthia¡¯s face.

    ¡­

    While the ruckus was unfolding, Deanna had been enveloped in Jacky¡¯s embrace. They had alsoe to the hospital. Zorion brought Rossie together while she sat across from them. Although her body was a little weak, she wasn¡¯t as serious as the doctor had described her to be. It was just that her menstrual cramps had been terrible for her. The doctor had prescribed her some medicine and she had also been given an injection. Moreover, she had been eating well during that period of time and was getting sufficient nutrition every day. She felt she was gradually regaining her strength.

 Chapter 1298 Have You Gone Soft In the Head

    But Zorion had a different opinion, as he tended to exaggerate whatever that had to do with Rossie. In fact, the most serious thing Zorion encountered was the kick from Santiago.

    The doctor had asked him to stay in the hospital, to which Zorion refused, saying that he was fine. After taking some supplements and injections, he walked out, looking nonchnt.

    Rossie could see why Zorion was in a hurry to leave, as he was worried about Deanna. When she was at home, she heard them quarrel. Zorion had urged her to terminate the pregnancy, but Deanna, reluctant as she was, had cried.

    Rossie stared at Deanna, who was curled up in Jacky¡¯s embrace like a little bunny. She then looked at Zorion, who was sitting at the side, his expression gloomy. His anger was going to be the death of him. The sister who, he had worked so hard to take care of was currently fighting against him while being held in another man¡¯s embrace. He would do anything for Deanna, but she didn¡¯t appreciate it at all.

    Rossie didn¡¯t know whether it was his karma. After all, he was not good to her, and in turn, his sister was not good to him.

    Rossie looked at them for a while and leaned against the side. She tugged at her jacket and narrowed her eyes, a wave of drowsiness ebbing and flowing.

    Zorion looked at the woman in a coat beside him. Who could understand the deste feeling in his heart?

    ¡°Are you sleepy?¡± Zorion whispered in Rossie¡¯s ear. The doctor had said that Rossie was very fragile then. He reminded her to take care of herself and refrain from exerting herself. She was like a sheet of ss that would break upon the slightest touch.

    With her eyes still screwed shut, Rossie softly hummed in reply. Zorion pulled her over and adjusted the coat on Rossie¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Catch some shut-eye. We¡¯ll go back shortly.¡±

    Santiago and Jepherson stared at the pair. Deanna was still burrowing into Jacky¡¯s embrace and did not intend toe out.

    Jacky was also currently clinging on to Deanna. Even though he had already calmed down a little, his heart was gued with hatred towards Zorion. The fact that he wanted to hurt his lover and child waspletely uneptable.

    No one could hurt her and their child. Not even Zorion.

    ¡°Deanna.¡± Jepherson took a few steps forward. Deanna lifted her head to look at him. Her way of thinking meant that Jepherson remained a trustworthy figure.

    Jepherson squatted down and said, ¡°Deanna, I have something to tell you. I can guarantee that you will be safe after you go home, and the child will be healthy, but you have to go home.¡±

    ¡°No,I¡¯m not going back. My brother will harm the baby.¡± Deanna hastily covered her belly with her hands. Jacky also hugged her tightly. ¡°Jepherson, I know you¡¯re trying to do this for me, but¡­¡±

    Jepherson raised his eyes and stared at Jacky. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you thister, but Deanna has to go back.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going back.¡± Before Jacky could say anything, Deanna shouted first, but then her yells came to a halt. She raised her head to look at Jacky. Jacky hugged Deanna and looked at Jepherson. ¡°Why are you so opposed to me and Deanna being together? What did I do wrong? Just because my status isn¡¯t as reputable as yours?¡±

    ¡°No, it has nothing to do with this. Although the Whalen family is rich and powerful, Mr. Whalen is not the ¡°money talks¡± kind of person. The problem is¡­¡±

    ¡°Santiago.¡±

    Jepherson turned around to look at Santiago. Even though he was a little reluctant, he still walked over to Deanna.

    Jacky¡¯s face darkened.¡°What are you guys up to?¡±

    Jepherson remained in a squatting position. ¡°Do you believe me?¡±

    Jacky¡¯s brows furrowed.¡°I only trust Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Great. Santiago, promise him that Deanna will be safe and sound.¡±

    Santiago stood to one side and gave Zorion an impatient look. He then looked at Jacky. ¡°Deanna will be fine. She¡¯s in good hands. Go with him, he has something to say to you.¡±

    Santiago darted his eyes towards Jepherson. Only then did Jacky think about it. He looked at Deanna and said, ¡°Deanna, I believe in Santiago. What about you?¡±

    Deanna looked at Santiago. Shethenblinked and nodded.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with him. Wait for me,¡± said Jacky.

    Deanna nodded and the two got up slowly and separated from each other. Immediately, Deanna hid behind Santiago.

    ¡°Babe, pleasee back soon.¡±

    Deanna was very dependent on Jacky right then. She couldn¡¯t leave him at all. Zorion clenched his fists and stared at Jacky, and a fierce gleam shed in his eyes for a fraction of the moment.

    ¡°I know. Just calm down. You¡¯re in a bad mood and it¡¯s not good for our child.¡± Jacky kissed Deanna. She hurriedly nodded and ced her hand on her belly. Only then did Jacky look at Jepherson, who was squatting on the ground. Jepherson stood up and looked at both Santiago and Zorion. ¡°Before I return, no one is allowed to mess around. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.¡±

    No one spoke. Jepherson turned around and nced at Jacky. ¡°C¡¯mon.¡±

    Jepherson walked over and entered the elevator,with Jacky at his heels.With the door of the elevator closing, Jacky asked, ¡°What is it you want to say?¡±

    Jepherson nced at him. ¡°Some time ago, Deanna was kidnapped and her reputation was ruined. Now, you made her pregnant. If word gets out, do you know what the public will think of her?¡±

    Jacky lowered his eyes and did not reply. He stared at Jepherson.

    Jepherson continued, ¡°Apart from me and Santiago, Zorion has never allowed any man toe into contact with her. You are an exception. Do you know what it means?¡±

    Jacky frowned.¡°That he approves of me?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Whalen isn¡¯t a fool, and neither is Zorion.The apple doesn¡¯t fall far from the tree.It wasn¡¯t a coincidence that the Whalen family could be where they are today, nor was it luck. Mr. Whalen and Zorion don¡¯t intend for Deanna to marry me, because they know thata hard life is in store forthe matriarch of the Richards family.¡±

    ¡°As a wise man said, there is a price to be paid for greatness.¡±

    ¡°Being my wife is tantamount to subjecting herself to hardship. Fine, the happiness maye after the bitterness, but in its wake, she will have to bear a lot of distressing memories.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen felt that Deanna was not suitable for me. I only treated her like my younger sister.¡±

    ¡°As for Zorion, he hated it more when Deanna was to marry me. He knew that being a matriarch in my family would be a very hard task, and I really didn¡¯t love Deanna romantically.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°Zorion has his eyes set on Santiago. He wants her to marry him.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Jacky asked.

    ¡°Santiago is just like you. Although there was nothing special, the both of you were born with kind hearts. Zorion is very good at judging people, and he thinks that Santiago matches her well.¡±

    ¡°But Santiago is too young, and just like me, he regarded her as his family. He didn¡¯t have those kinds of feelings.¡±

    ¡°And you, you¡¯re an ident. So, when you first showed up, Zorion did not intend to do anything to you and still let Deanna meet you.¡±

    ¡°But now that you got Deanna pregnant, she will be discriminated against by society. With your current status, everyone will think that she is married to you because she had been defiled, with an illegitimate child in tow.¡±

    Jacky frowned and tried to exit the elevator but the elevator button had already been pressed several times by Jepherson.

    ¡°What I gathered from you is that I could have rightfully been the Whalen family¡¯s son-inw, but because I got Deanna pregnant, and that I ruined her reputation, the Whalen family wouldn¡¯t let me marry her?¡±

    Jackyughed,and threw his arms in the air.

    Jepherson nced at him. ¡°Have you gone soft in the head?¡±

 Chapter 1299 Did Not Treat Him Like An Outsider

    Jacky paused for a moment before turning around to look at Jepherson, whoappeared irritable. He hated going up and down in the lift.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just head outside.¡± He pressed the ¡®open¡¯ button and marched out of that ustrophobic space.

    Jacky followed him out the elevator. Outside, Jepherson walked on while saying, ¡°Deanna is already yours. With your child gestating inside her, it¡¯s out of the question for her to marry someone else.¡±

    Jacky didn¡¯t understand at all.¡°Then, why are you trying to tear us apart?¡±

    ¡°Is there any other way to hide the fact that Deanna is pregnant? You wanna wait for her belly to eventually be bigger, and then thrust her into the overly critical public eye?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°This is not my idea. It¡¯s what the Whalen family wants.¡±

    Jepherson walked to a ce absent of people and turned around to look at Jacky in the darkness. ¡°Deanna will be fine when she returns home. Zorion is her brother. Even if he was a little angry at first, you were still chosen by him. He won¡¯t do anything to Deanna. Moreover, Mr. and Mrs. Whalen areing back for two days. Judging by Deanna¡¯s character, she will cry andin. Mr. Whalen wille to you by then. As for how he¡¯ll find you, not even I can predict it. So, watch your back, I¡¯d say. If you want to marry Deanna, then you would need more than capability. You would need luck.¡±

    ¡°You want me to hand Deanna over to Zorion?¡± Jacky said.

    ¡°Do you still think you have a choice?¡± Jepherson turned away. Jackyughed. ¡°Although Capital City isn¡¯t my territory, with my current ability, it¡¯s not a problem for me to keep Deanna from the likes of you.¡±

    ¡°Then, you are so wrong, you might as well die here.¡± Jepherson was almost unhesitating. Jacky¡¯s eyes instantly turned cold. ¡°Die here?¡±

    Jepherson looked around and said, ¡°You¡¯ve only seen the tip of the iceberg of Capital City. Don¡¯t underestimate the Richards and Whalen family is what I¡¯m saying.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that we can¡¯t do anything to you after you set foot in Capital City. I can tell you that both our families are tight-knit. Whatever conflict we have between us, with outsiders it is always ¡®in unity there is strength¡¯.¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°No matter what your rtionship with Santiago is, if Zorion got caught up in any trouble, Santiago may choose not to help, but he won¡¯t help you either.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, we don¡¯t have to do anything to you. Zorion alone is enough.¡±

    ¡°Enough?¡±

    Jacky¡¯s eyes were filled with doubt.

    Jepherson smiled and said, ¡°Everyone in Capital City knows that the Whalen family dominates the underworld. As a neer from Waverly Vige, it¡¯s impossible for someone like you not to know this. The problem is, when Santiago was not here, you managed to upy most of the city. Don¡¯t you feel strange? Are you really that d*mn lucky?¡±

    Jacky thought for a moment.¡°Zorion intentionally let me in on purpose?¡±

    ¡°No sh*t. What else do you think? Zorion is anything but a fool. If he alone can find someone in your vige,then do you think he will be afraid of you? To put it bluntly, he wanted you toe in. It leads people into thinking that you fought your way into Capital City to get his sister. In the end, you became famous because of your determination, and the Whalen family is showered with praises.¡±

    Realization dawned on Jacky.

    He looked around him.¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s because of Deanna. You¡¯ve slept with his sister. You think he would let this go?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that he had no choice. After all, Deanna was a willing party.¡±

    Jepherson turned to look at Jacky. ¡°No matter what, Zorion is her brother. They are a family. He won¡¯t hurt her. Maybe he was somehow harsh with his words when he was angry and disgusted with Deanna. But Zorion cares about her, and not any less than you do.¡±

    ¡°Say what you want, but it all boils down to getting me to return Deanna to Zorion.¡±

    ¡°Bull¡¯s eye.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t leave her, and I¡¯m worried about Zorion. After all, she is still young, and she can be pregnant again.¡±

    ¡°Man, you aren¡¯t too bright, are you?¡± Jephersonughed, in contrast to Jacky¡¯s straight face.

    Jepherson took two steps forward and said, ¡°Zorion won¡¯t force his sister to get an ab*rtion and risk her going mad. Moreover, ab*rtion is not good for her body, and he knows that.

    If Deanna loses the child, she will go crazy. Zorion knows this very well.¡±

    ¡°You are right, but Deanna said-¡±

    ¡°Stop using her as an excuse. The decision is on you. Let me remind you, when Mr. Whalen returns, he must see her at home, and she must be happy at home. If not¡­

    ¡°As a father,when he knows that his daughter is not married, has a bad reputation, and has gotten pregnant by a stranger, what would be the consequences?Think about it, will you?¡±

    ¡°With my understanding of Mr. Whalen, dying with your corpse still intact is the best you can get.¡±

    ¡°Now, since you could be invited as a guest, it¡¯s better than being kidnapped as a guest. With Deanna there, Mr. Whalen will have no choice but to ept you as his son-inw. Now is the time to protect Deanna and let her give birth to the child safely.¡±

    ¡°Only when you have a child can you gain your footing.¡±

    ¡°Why do you help me?¡±

    Jacky was not a fool.

    ¡°Your influence in the vige besieges Capital City. Should you continue to expand in a few years, I will crush you without hesitation.¡±

    ¡°You? Could you even do it?¡±

    Jackyughed. He didn¡¯t believe it at all.

    Jepherson just smiled and said, ¡°Since I dare say this, I will do it. Don¡¯t you want to stop and think about why I haven¡¯t raised my fists against you?¡±

    Jacky thought for a moment.¡°You¡¯re not worried about how strong I am.¡±

    ¡°In other words, even if you grow stronger, I will still weed you out. Not by luck, but by certainty.¡±

    ¡°Is it because I¡¯m in Capital City that you dare say so?¡±

    Jackyughed.

    ¡°I attribute that to my ability.¡±

    Jacky lowered his eyes as the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. ¡°I really want to test your strength.¡±

    ¡°Then, you¡¯d better build a good rtionship with Zorion, or else, you¡¯ll have no chance at all.¡±

    ¡°Because you have a younger brother?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°But if I be the son-inw of the Whalen family, then I will unite with Zorion. The city will be ours sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°You are sensible and smart, but our two families will not have disputes and will coexist. This is a guarantee, and you will also be on the same side with us.¡±

    Jepherson looked over at him and Jacky¡¯s thoughts clicked.¡°So, you¡¯ve already made preparations, I see. Deanna is just the bait to reel me in. I¡¯m that bigger fish to be fried.¡±

    ¡°d that you understand. Those who can be friends with Santiago are definitely not ordinary people. You are very clear that he has no other friends.¡±

    ¡°You two have a towering aspiration, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°This is not an aspiration, but a matter of course. With you, it is also to make Zorion rest assured and to bnce the rtionship between our two families.¡±

    ¡°Since it is destined that there must be someone to bnce the two families, I hope this person acts as a bridge, not to sow discord.¡±

    Jepherson walked towards the hospital after speaking. Jacky followed behind him. As he walked, Jacky said, ¡°I don¡¯t feel good being with someone like you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you¡¯re feeling good or not. You are neither a woman, nor are you Raeleigh. As long as she likes me, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s words were careless, but Jacky instinctively paused. Since Jepherson could say something like this to him, it was obvious that he did not treat him like an outsider.

    ¡°I want to be with Deanna tonight. Tomorrow, I will send her back.¡± Jacky entered the elevator. He wanted to find a way tofort her. She was in a bad mood and he was worried that something would happen.

 Chapter 1300 What on Earth Happened?

    Jepherson entered the elevator and adjusted his clothes. ¡°I will talk to Zorion about this. You have tofort Deanna. It¡¯s best to tell her our n. She needs to know this.¡±

    Jacky didn¡¯t reply,and only stared at the elevator. The door opened and he walked out first. When he turned around, he saw that Deanna was still there. He walked briskly and she immediately took a few steps towards him. The two of them hugged each other.

    Rossie opened her eyes and looked at the pair, sensing Zorion¡¯s anger.

    Zorion also stood up at that time, staring at the both of them.

    Jepherson walked over and stopped in front of Zorion. ¡°I have already promised to let him stay with Deanna for a night. He promised me to send her back tomorrow, so you can go back to rest now.¡±

    Zorion nced at Deanna. Without saying a word, he helped Rossie up and turned to the elevator with Rossie in his arms. Deanna looked at Zorion¡¯s back facing her and finally breathed a sigh of relief. She thought that all was well andpletely ignored the matter of the day.

    Jacky looked at Deanna for a while before kissing her and leaving with her.

    Jepherson was the only one left. He looked at Santiago and said, ¡°I¡¯m going back. If you need anything,then I¡¯m one call away.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson approached the door of the ward.From the window, he looked at Raeleigh, who was chatting andughing with Xanthus. He turned around and walked towards the stairs, heading downstairs.

    When he reached downstairs, Jepherson took out his phone and switched it on. Marissa¡¯s call came in immediately. She was very unhappy as soon as she spoke. She asked Jepherson where he was and said that he didn¡¯t even know what had happened to Ste. She had asked what he wanted to do.

    Only then did Jepherson know that something had happened to Ste. Ste got into the hospital because of a car ident, and she was in the hospital where Raeleigh stayed.

    After learning that Ste had been hospitalized, Jepherson called Stuart. However, no one answered the phone. Jepherson was slightly stunned and put the phone away. Something happened to Ste, but Stuart did not call him. Something must have happened.

    Following that, Jepherson called his men and asked before realizing that something had happened to Stuart.

    Jepherson asked about Stuart¡¯s condition and they said that he was in aa. Ste was also in aa,while the rest was without any news.

    Jepherson then hurried over to see Ste. She had just woken up and was crying in the ward. Ste was paralyzed for the waist down. When she woke up, she started crying on her bed, shrieking that her legs were numb. She cried miserably. Jepherson stood outside for a while, opened the door, and went in.

    When Ste saw Jepherson, she cried louder and couldn¡¯t move in bed. She was looking at Jepherson while crying.

    ¡°Jepherson, Jepherson, what should I do? What should I do?¡± Ste tightly held the quilt on her body and stared at Jepherson. Her eyes were red and swollen from the crying.

    Jepherson held Ste¡¯s hand and sat beside her. ¡°Ste, you have to know that you must be optimistic and have a good mentality to recover.¡±

    ¡°I promise you that I will ask the best expert to give you a consultation. You will be well.¡±

    ¡°No, my legs are numb. My legs, I¡¯m disabled. I¡¯m not married yet. I¡¯m not married yet. What should I do? What should I do?¡±

    Ste cried badly. Jepherson held her hand and said, ¡°You are beautiful and very talented. You will be fine. This is not a problem. Ste, you need to be strong.¡±

    Ste kept crying and looked at Jepherson with a pair of pitiful eyes. ¡°Jepherson, someone harmed us, someone brought harm to us.¡±

    Ste sniffled, sobbing so hard that she could not breathe. Jepherson frowned. ¡°Ste¡­¡±

    ¡°Our car was always in good condition. Several cars suddenly surrounded us. Stuart said that something was wrong and asked the driver to speed up. We wanted to go back quickly, but the cars had been chasing us and driving us somewhere. Stuart asked me not to get up and asked me to duck in my seat, but the car was blocked at a turn.¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°He asked me not to get out of the car no matter what happened, but he still opened the door and got out of the car.¡±

    ¡°Those people saw Stuart getting out of the car and rushed to him without any exnation. I screamed in fear. I saw Stuart¡¯s body being knocked far away and fell to the ground. Those cars, they were worried about Stuart still being alive, and suddenly rushed over and ran him over. I was afraid, so I held my head in the car and cried. The driver asked me to stay in the car, because Stuart forbade us from leaving.¡±

    ¡°But those cars still won¡¯t let us go. Several cars rammed into us together. They¡­ they wanted to kill me. They wanted to kill me¡­¡±

    Ste shouted, and Jepherson suddenly stood up. He let go of Ste¡¯s hand and turned to walk towards the door of the ward. His face was already extremely dark when he walked out of the door. His voice was even colder. ¡°Where¡¯s Stuart?¡±

    A few people stood at the door of the ward. Seeing Jepherson¡¯s angry look, they were so frightened that they stammered, ¡°B-boss.¡±

    ¡°Where is he?¡±

    They couldn¡¯t say a word and could only raise their finger to point at the end of the corridor. This floor was for the ICUs, for emergency use.

    Jepherson walked to the end of the corridor. A couple of people stood up, just in time to block his way.

    ¡°Move it!¡±

    Everyone moved aside. Jepherson looked at the window and walked over. He stopped and stared at Stuart lying in the hospital bed.

    At that time,tubes were sticking intoStuart¡¯s body,and he was badly injured. It was even difficult for him to breathe.

    Jepherson closed his eyes and immediately,his eyes flew open. His fierce eyes scared the people around him and made them take two steps back.

    He didn¡¯t know if he was too angry or that he was going crazy. He seemed to be twitching, but he pursed his lips and said in a cold voice, ¡°Cordon off the location of the ident immediately, inform them of the current situation, and ce traffic supervision at each crossing intersection. Without my approval, no one is allowed to ess the records of the current situation, the monitoring system, and traffic supervision.¡±

    ¡°The family will take over the Department of Traffic.¡±

    ¡°Ask them to see me.¡±

    ¡°Inform Santiago.¡±

    The people around him immediately agreed and executed the order.

    At that moment, Hadrian also arrived. He was stunned to see Stuart. After thinking for a few seconds, Hadrian looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson¡­¡±

    Jepherson raised his hand and gestured for Hadrian to stop talking.

    ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll leave Stuart to you.¡±

    Hadrian nced inside. ¡°Then, do we need to inform Mr. Robertson?¡±

    The Mr. Robertson that he referred to was Alvin. They were all raised by Alvin.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t answer. He just breathed heavily.

    When he received the call, Santiago¡¯s face darkened. He stared at Raeleigh, who was lying on the bed, with aplicated expression. Raeleigh subconsciously felt that there was something wrong with Santiago¡¯s aura.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Something has happened to Stuart.¡±

    Putting away his phone, Santiago put on his coat beside the door.He looked at Raeleigh and his sharp eyes fell on Xanthus. ¡°I might need your help.¡±

    Xanthus put down the book in his hand, looked at Raeleigh, and then at Santiago. ¡°If there¡¯s anything I can do, then I will do my best.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Santiago turned around and walked towards the door of the ward. Raeleigh watched him walk out. Her heart sank. ¡°What on Earth happened?¡±

 Chapter 1301 Only Son

    Later, Santiago came to Stuart¡¯s side and saw that Jepherson had been standing there for a while. He thought about something and turned to look at the people around him, all of whom were an eyesore. He ced his hands into his pockets and did not speak. Jepherson was sitting at the side.

    Hadrian said, ¡°I have already informed Mr. Robertson.¡±

    Santiago paced back and forth before seating himself next to Jepherson. He nced at the people around him and said, ¡°Stay the f*ck away. Y¡¯all are triggering my bloodlust.¡±

    Hearing Santiago¡¯s words, the few people in front of him scampered away, afraid that he would get upset and ended up killing them.

    Most of them retreated,as did Hadrian. But he was not far away. After all, Jepherson had said that Hadrian was responsible for Stuart¡¯s safety.

    Everyone had left. Santiago asked, ¡°Have you investigated?¡±

    Jepherson narrowed his eyes. ¡°It has something to do with the Moore family.¡±

    Santiagoughed. ¡°Sounds like they are asking for death.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t act rashly and alert the enemy. There is more to this incident than meets the eye. They want to take advantage of Jacky¡¯s grudge against the Whalen family to stir up trouble. Remember, no matter what happens, we can¡¯t leave Raeleigh alone. Notify Jacky and arrange people to surround and protect the Whalen family. Protect Deanna, and tell Zorion to take good care of his own woman.¡±

    Santiago nced at Jepherson. ¡°What are you nning to do?¡±

    Jepherson did not answer. Just then, someone entered the elevator on the other side of the corridor. The sound of footsteps was steady and sharp. Hadrian looked over first. Santiago got up and stood there, looking at the neer,with his hands in his pockets.

    The neer was dressed in ck, his suit, coat, and shirt, they were all ck. They hadn¡¯t seen each other for a few years, and there was almost no change. He worked hard when he was still in-training. Besides, he was a Special Forces soldier, and he also brought an eagle with him. So, even Alvin¡¯s real age was a mystery to those who didn¡¯t know him.

    If they hadn¡¯t seen Alvin¡¯s files, almost no one knew his real age.

    Alvin¡¯s bronze skin looked striking under the light. Even if he was middle-aged, his aura could not be matched by ordinary people.

    Aftering out of the elevator, Alvin nced at the sides and saw Santiago, Hadrian, and the others. He stepped towards them.

    Jepherson did not get up, still sitting on the chair. His gaze did not change, and he was always staring at Stuart inside the ss window.

    Stuart was Alvin¡¯s foster son, but no one knew if that was the truth. There were so many people under his wing but only Stuart was chosen to be his foster son. There was also a time when Jepherson saw Alvin personally donate his blood to Stuart. They were of the same blood type and looked somewhat simr.

    No one said anything, but it did not mean no one knew.

    When Jepherson heard that Alvin¡¯s footsteps were approaching, he lowered his head until Alvin walked in front of them and said politely, ¡°Young MasterJepherson,Young MasterSantiago.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Robertson.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Robertson.¡±

    Santiago was the first to speak, followed by Hadrian, but Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything.

    Alvin turned around and looked at Stuart, who was behind the ss window. He breathed deeply and his heart ached.

    ¡°What did the doctor say?¡±

    ¡°The doctor said that surgery can¡¯t be done yet, but the operation that should be dealt with has been dealt with. Mr. Richards has already contacted the best experts from overseas. Stuart is in a bad state now. We have to wait until he is stable before we send him abroad.¡±

    Alvin nodded and followed to see Jepherson. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Richards already know about this and they¡¯ve already called me.¡±

    Jepherson raised his head and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Robertson.¡±

    Alvin paused and said, ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. I also believe that Stuart will get better.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything. He looked inside the ss window and felt a dull pain in his heart. He remembered how he owed Stuart one for this.

    Alvin stood there for a while. Hansen came over with Jenna. As soon as he arrived, he apologized to Alvin. However, Alvin said, ¡°Mr.Richards, you are too polite. If not for¡­¡±

    ¡°Alvin, we¡¯ve promised each other that we wouldn¡¯t mention it again. This time, we¡¯re also very sad. We¡¯ll leave it to Jerry. Now, the most important thing is Stuart¡¯s well-being.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Richards.¡± Alvin was always very grateful to Hansen. After so many years of shared experiences, they had be friends in life and death.

    ¡°Alvin, it¡¯s our fault that Stuart is in this condition. I¡¯m also very sad. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll definitely be fine.¡± Jenna held Alvin¡¯s hand and he nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Jenna looked around, but she did not see Raeleigh and felt strange. ¡°Isn¡¯t Raeleigh here?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is ill too. She is recuperating in another ward,¡± Santiago said. Jenna felt less impetuous when she saw her youngest son. She couldn¡¯t sleep and eat well when she heard that something had happened to Stuart.

    She took a look at her youngest son and went over to see Stuart. When she saw Stuart, she began to cry. She was afraid that people would see her and she was busy wiping her face, but she couldn¡¯t stop her tears no matter how hard she tried.

    Hansen stood to the side. He saw this and was about to go over tofort his wife, but he was still a step toote. He wasn¡¯t as fast as his youngest son, Santiago.

    Santiago stood behind her and pulled two locks of hair from the back of her head. He walked over to Jenna, and muttered, ¡°Women are truly troublesome.¡±

    After that, he untied his clothes and held her in his arms. He wrapped them around her frail body and gentlyforted her. ¡°There, there, don¡¯t cry. Everything will be fine. Don¡¯t cry. I¡¯m not crying, so why are you? You are my Mommy.¡±

    Hadrian felt goosebumps all over his skin. Hansen was not in a good mood. He had juste back and he already had to see this.This score had to be settled.

    Alvin and Hansen went to the side to speak. Jenna and her two sons were left behind while Hadrian stood guard.

    Jenna¡¯s eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she did not intend to leave.

    Santiago held Jenna¡¯s small face and kissed her forehead. ¡°Mom! Don¡¯t cry. You¡¯re breaking your son¡¯s, okay?¡±

    Jenna nodded as if she were a child. It was the first time that Hadrian had seen such a scene.

    But it was true that Santiago was good at coaxing women.

    Even Jenna was persuaded into submission. This was extremely simr to Hansen. Compared to Santiago, Jepherson¡¯s personality was much more introverted. He was more like his mother.

    His performance in love was reserved, so he suffered a lot.

    Jenna sniffed and looked at Jepherson.¡°Jerry, don¡¯t be sad. Everything will pass.¡±

    Santiago leaned to one side. He really hated beingpared to others.

    They all grew up the same way. Why was there such a big difference?

    Jepherson looked at his mother. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a little ufortable. Your health is not very good and you still need to take care of Dad. I¡¯ll take care of everything here. Mr. Alvin, go home and have a rest. I¡¯ll take care of Stuart. If the doctors allow him to go abroad, then I¡¯ll send him abroad for treatment as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Santiago, you have to listen to your brother, don¡¯t be disobedient.¡±

    Jenna repeated this over and over again. Only when Santiago agreed did she feel relieved and left with Hansen first.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Jenna, who entered the elevator, wiped the corners of her eyes. ¡°Those people are too cruel. This is Alvin¡¯s only son.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°People whomit evil deeds will pay the price sooner orter.¡±

    Jenna nodded and leaned into Hansen¡¯s embrace.

    Hansen patted his wife¡¯s shoulder and left together.

 Chapter 1302 Fishing for Information

    At that time, Marissa had just got out of the car. She had been in a bad mood after hearing about what had befallen Ste. She cleaned up at home and rushed to the hospital.

    When Marissa entered the hospital, Hansen and Jenna had just left. Moreover, they did not leave but instead went to visit Raeleigh.

    Stepping out of the car, Marissa was about to enter the hospital. She was stunned to see her son¡¯s car. ¡°Why is it here?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he in the hospital?¡± she thought.

    Could it be that they had heard of Ste¡¯s incident and hade to visit her?

    Marissa was secretly happy. It was quite the act of kindness, in her opinion.

    She walked through the entrance,still joyful. But when she arrived at Ste¡¯s ward, she waspletely furious. She really did not expect that there was not a single visitor in Ste¡¯s ward. It was okay for her not to see Hansen and his wife, but even Jepherson was not here.

    Ste was sobbing in the ward.

    Marissa stood outside. She did not see Jepherson and Santiago sitting opposite her. She could only feel the heartache in her heart.

    She was not a stone. She was old and needed someone to apany her and take care of her. No matter how good her son and his wife were, they could not always stay by her side. Her husband also had no intention of apanying her. Right then, Ste would coax her to be happy every day and asionally apany her at night. She felt that there was finally a speck of hope in her life. Unexpectedly, in the end¡­

    Marissa¡¯s eyes were wet. She asked the people around her. She thought that the Richards family should give Ste an exnation for her current situation.

    After all, it happened in the Richards family car. If it were not for the Richards family, Ste would not have been in trouble.

    Marissa pushed the door open and walked over to face Ste. She held Ste¡¯s hand. ¡°My dear, I will stand by you. Don¡¯t worry. If you¡¯re not going to be my granddaughter-inw, then everyone else can forget it. I want them to pay the price.¡±

    Marissa slowly sat down. Ste cried even more, and she sobbed. Marissa held Ste¡¯s hand. ¡°No matter what, I will protect you. Don¡¯t give up.¡±

    ¡­

    Ste cried relentlesslyand only went to rest after a long time. Marissa apanied Ste for a while. Shethen stood up and said, ¡°Find that little b*tch and get someone to break her leg.¡±

    There were a few people standing in the ward, but they didn¡¯t dare to speak.

    Right then, everyone knew that Raeleigh was Santiago¡¯s girlfriend. Who would be up to this task?

    Marissa¡¯s face sank. ¡°Terrific. You don¡¯t dare to do it, do you? Fine, I¡¯ll hire someone to do it. I don¡¯t believe that any of you can stop me.¡±

    She turned around and went outside. Everyone in the ward was silent. No one had expected Marissa to demand Raeleigh¡¯s leg to be broken.

    Coming out of Ste¡¯s room, Marissa was ready to call Jepherson. When she raised her head and happened to see her two grandsons in front of her, she asked her bodyguard to stop the call and walked towards Jepherson and Santiago.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, herees Madam Marissa,¡± Hadrian reminded him.

    Jepherson leaned against the other side, with his eyes shut. He did not open them when he heard Hadrian¡¯s words. Simrly, Santiago was leaning against the other side with his legs crossed.

    Marissa walked over while looking around. When she came to the ce, she found that this was Stuart¡¯s ward.

    ¡°Madam.¡± Seeing Marissa, Hadrian greeted her immediately.

    Marissa didn¡¯t even look at him. She would never acknowledge people like Hadrian. So, she didn¡¯t care when he greeted her.

    But if he didn¡¯t say hello to her,then she would feel bitter.

    In fact, she had not been like this when she was young. But since she was old and a lot of things had happened, she had changed.

    Marissa walked outside Stuart¡¯s ward and inadvertently looked inside. When she saw that Stuart was dying, she immediately turned her face away and was put off by the sight.

    Turning around and sizing up her two grandsons, she said unhappily, ¡°Whatever it is, Ste has taken the damage for you. How can you ignore her and stay here?¡±

    Jepherson continued to close his eyes and refused to open them.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking, don¡¯t you hear me?¡± Marissa was enraged. How could she have such a grandson who was not even willing to look at her.

    The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Wasn¡¯t it because of Raeleigh?

    If not for her, then how close would their rtionship be then?

    Jepherson still did not open his eyes, and his breathing was steady, as if he was asleep. Marissa¡¯s blood was boiling. ¡°Well, you can go on with your cold shoulder, for all I care. I do want to see how long you can hold out. If something really happens, then don¡¯t me me.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    ¡°Ste is in such a state. I can¡¯t just sit back and wait. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to exin to her grandmother. Now, propose to her, right this instant. Otherwise, just wait for a good show.¡±

    Marissa snorted, turned around, and walked away. After a few steps, she looked back and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you ever think that just because you¡¯re an adult now, you can be unafraid of anything.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that even your parents called me Mom. You should be respectful.¡±

    Marissa flounced off. Santiago immediately stood up and said, ¡°Take care of Stuart. Gimme a call if you need my help. I will go back first.¡±

    When he saw Marissa, Santiago was immediately worried about Raeleigh.He felt that something was going to happen.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Santiago left first. Only then did Jepherson say, ¡°Please protect Raeleigh and never leave her alone.¡±

    Santiago strode away as if he hadn¡¯t heard anything. Marissa took the elevator while he walked up the stairs.

    Downstairs, Marissa walked outside, butSantiago was faster. He saw Marissa taking several people to the gate of the hospital at the stairs. Marissa said while walking, ¡°That wench can¡¯t stay. Send someone to kill her immediately. I don¡¯t believe I can¡¯t kill her.¡±

    Santiago paused and watched Marissa walk out of the door. Then, he went straight back to Raeleigh¡¯s side.

    At that time, it was really crowded in Raeleigh¡¯s ward. As soon as Jenna entered through the door, she saw Xanthus. After Raeleigh exined to Jenna, she learnt that Xanthus was an orthopaedic physician, and he and Raeleigh were close pals. He was apanying Raeleigh in the hospital.

    At first, Jenna really felt that Xanthus was a nuisance. This was her daughter-inw¡¯s room. But when she thought of Raeleigh¡¯s character, she believed that Raeleigh would never do wrong by Jepherson.

    As such, Jenna began to observe every interaction with the minutest detail.

    As the saying went, the older, the wiser. Jenna was not a fool, especially when she had been under Hansen¡¯s tutge all these years. She was no longer an ordinary person.

    It seemed that Jenna had spotted some clues. This person¡¯s attitude towards Raeleigh seemed to be that of an elder brother¡¯s, not a lover¡¯s.

    Jenna looked down and thought for a while. Then, she sat aside and said to Xanthus, ¡°Dr. Osteen, you look quite unlike the youngster to me. If I may ask, how old are you this year?¡±

    Xanthus smiled and said, ¡°Ma¡¯am, you¡¯re wee to drop the formalities. Just call me Xanthus. I am 28 years old this year.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already 28 years old.By any chance, do you have a girlfriend?¡± Jenna began to fish for information.

 Chapter 1303 Something Was Amiss

    ¡°Nope, still single,¡± Xanthus answered calmly, sitting aside.

    Jenna observed for a while. ¡°Do you have any girls you like? If not, then I can introduce one for you.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    Slightly embarrassed,Xanthus nced at Raeleigh. Hansen¡¯s face darkened, sitting on one side impatiently. He thought Xanthus was fighting with his son for Raeleigh¡¯s affection!

    However, Jenna was different.Raeleigh¡¯s expression of holding back herughter had not escaped Jenna, and she guessed that there might be nothing between them.

    ¡°He has someone in his heart.¡± The door was pushed open and Santiago strolled in. Jenna looked at her youngest son and was stunned for a moment. ¡°Santiago! Why are you here? Where¡¯s your brother?¡±

    ¡°He needs to take care of Stuart, so he didn¡¯te over.¡± Santiago entered the room and closed the door of the ward. He took off his coat and hung them to one side. Then, he poured some water and drank.

    Jenna looked at him. ¡°You said Xanthus has someone he likes. Who is it?¡±

    Sipping his water, Santiago said, ¡°Cynthia Moore.¡±

    Jenna was stunned.¡°Cynthia?¡±

    Jenna had a deep rtionship with the Moore family, so she knew all about them. She also knew about Yousif¡¯s multiple wives. Among the children of the Moore family, the most outstanding one was Yousif¡¯s son, Flynt. His two older sisters were Yanora and Cynthia.

    Some time ago, because of Yanora, Cynthia had wreaked havoc in the city. Yousif had even called Hansen to say that they had already be inws.

    Later, they had learnt that she was the woman their youngest son, Santiago, liked.

    Jenna was a little confused as she stared at him. ¡°Isn¡¯t Cynthia your girlfriend?¡±

    Although her son was young, he was mature, and Jenna was very open-minded. She even thought that it was nothing.

    Moreover, he had grown up and naturally had someone he liked. Jenna felt very fortunate thathe had an interest in pursuing romantic rtionships.

    However, if someone else liked his girlfriend, then how could he take it all in?

    Jenna eyed him from head to toe with her beautiful eyes. He was not one who was easy to deal with.

    Santiago nced at Xanthus, whose face was slightly red. He sat down beside his father and nced at him as he raised his leg, with his ankle on his knee. ¡°Cynthia led a very unhappy life with the Moore family. We were close friends. In order to help me, she caused a very unpleasant fuss with her family. I said that we were engaged only because I wanted to help her. After that, I sent her abroad in order to allow her to live out her life, free of abuse. Nothing happened between us.¡±

    ¡°But he, on the other hand, really likes Cynthia.¡±

    Santiago raised his chin, and Jenna widened her eyes. ¡°What in the world?¡±

    ¡°And Raeleigh is his younger sister.¡± Santiago raised his chin and told Jenna the story briefly.

    In the beginning, Jenna was reeling in disbelief. Even Hansen was surprised by Raeleigh¡¯s family background.

    The story ended,and Jenna turned to look at Raeleigh. ¡°Is it true?¡±

    Raeleigh wore an awkward expression on her face. She did not want anyone to know about this matter. It could be said that the fewer people knew about it, the better. She did not expect that someone else would be privy to it.

    Raeleigh nced at Santiago. She didn¡¯t know what he was going to do and why he said it out loud.

    When Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer, Xanthus said, ¡°That¡¯s true. Mr. Jepherson, while looking for his sister, made some errors in the process. As a matter of fact, I am Raeleigh¡¯s real brother and we did a DNA test just to prove it. She is definitely my sister.¡±

    ¡°You are¡­¡±

    Jenna wanted to ask further, but Xanthus said, ¡°My parents are archaeologists. We used to live abroad. Just now, Santiago has made it clear what happened in the beginning. My mother was kidnapped and was forced to give Raeleigh away.¡±

    ¡°Your family is abroad.Then, are you going to take Raeleigh away?¡± Jenna felt that things were not that simple. Xanthus was going to take Raeleigh away.

    Xanthus was also aware of the Richards family¡¯s capabilities, so he said, ¡°We can¡¯t leave for the time being. Stuart may need my help, and Rae¡¯s condition is not good either. I want to nurse her back to health for the moment.¡±

    Jenna looked up at the tight bandage on Raeleigh¡¯s head and felt a little worried. It seemed that Xanthus was not a person who could be easily won over in a negotiation.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Raeleigh had encountered so many things, and she had lost her child. What was more, it was because of Jerry.

    ¡°Xanthus, look, I¡¯m very fond of Raeleigh. I have also decided that she is my daughter-inw. Please don¡¯t break the couple up.¡±

    Jenna patted Xanthus¡¯s hand, after whichXanthus said, ¡°Mrs. Richards, you¡¯re too serious. As for the marriage, the partners themselves will have to take matters into their own hands, I will not interfere.¡±

    ¡°I can see that you are a very open person. I can rest assured if you say so. How aboutyou join us for a meal?I¡¯m staying for the day.¡±

    Jenna felt that at that time, she could not leave Raeleigh and Xanthus alone. She would need to stay and lead Raeleigh back to the path she had mapped out for her.

    Hansen¡¯s expression sank. He liked to be alone with his wife.

    ¡°Santiago, get ready. We¡¯ll have dinnerter. I¡¯m worried about Raeleigh. We¡¯d better stay and take care of her.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    The moment Raeleigh opened her mouth, Jenna cast a pitiful look at her. Then, Raeleigh said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, though. You are also very tired and in poor health. Besides, you need to take care of¡­¡±

    Raeleigh did not know how to deal with it. Jenna seized the chance and said, ¡°It¡¯s OK. Mr. Richards and I have tons of time to kill.We¡¯ll still have something to do when we¡¯re taking care of you.¡±

    Jenna made an excuse to stay. Xanthus took a look at Raeleigh and said nothing.

    Santiago arranged the meals, and they began to eat.

    After eating, Jenna apanied Raeleigh to inquire about the issue with her and devised the solutions.

    Her daughter-inw had been wronged, so she couldn¡¯t sit back and do nothing.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say much. She just thought that no matter how much she said, Jenna couldn¡¯t help with the matter between her and Jepherson.

    Soon, a day passed. Hansen was tired and expressed the intention to go back.

    ¡°Hansen, let¡¯s stay here. Her parents are not around, and shecks the love of her parents since she was a child. If we leave, then only Xanthus will be left here. If anything happens, then we won¡¯t be able to reach her in time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, there are doctors and nurses. Santiago is also here.¡±

    Xanthus made a suggestion, to which Raeleigh added, ¡°I¡¯m fine actually, I just had a minor bump on my head.¡±

    ¡°It could lead to a concussion. There will be side effects in the future. Don¡¯t be careless, I think it¡¯s better if I stay.¡± Jenna insisted on staying, but Hansen was really sleepy and wanted to go home. He was like a child, nuzzling against his wife, holding her tightly. How could Jenna not feel it?

    In the end, it was Santiago who ordered them to leave. ¡°Just go home, please. If you need anything, then you cane back for a visit. Also, remember to drop by at Grandma¡¯s and ask her what show she¡¯s gonna put up this time.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s wordsreminded Jenna about something, so she went back obediently.

    As soon as Hansen stepped out of the house, he felt that something was amiss.

 Chapter 1304 An Attack In the Hospital

    Jenna was about to go to the elevator when Hansen paused for a moment. He looked at the elevator, his ears perking up. There were four or five people, and their footsteps were brisk.

    After taking two steps back, Hansen pulled her and made a ¡°shh¡± sign. He walked to Raeleigh¡¯s ward and opened the door, pushing Jenna in. ¡°Don¡¯te out,¡± he said urgently.

    Santiago was sitting inside of the ward. Seeing his mother¡¯s nervous expression, he immediately knew that something had happened. He stood up and looked back at Xanthus. ¡°Take care of my Mom and Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Santiago, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Jenna clutched his arm and looked up at him. Santiago¡¯s face was filled with glee. ¡°Maybe you should ask your good ol¡¯ mother-inw.¡±

    Jenna yelped and released her younger son¡¯s hand. She didn¡¯t respond for a long time and couldn¡¯t react at all.

    Only then did Santiago walk to the door. ¡°Bloody h*ll, why is she so freaking troublesome! What on Earth is Grandpa doing now? If he¡¯s not gonna control his wife, then she¡¯ll be an old witch, I swear to God.¡±

    Santiago stepped out. Jenna looked embarrassed, but she was still worried about them and wanted to go out and have a look. Before she could react, Xanthus put down his book and stood up. Although he was displeased, it was not their fault. In short, it was Marissa¡¯s.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, it¡¯s dangerous over there. You¡¯d better stay and take care of Raeleigh. I¡¯ll go outside and check things out. This is a hospital and the interior is designed in a closed way. There should be only one group of people. I¡¯ll go outside and keep a lookout. You ought to stay.¡±

    ¡°Then, be careful. Violence doesn¡¯t choose their victims,¡± Jenna exined. Xanthus smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Mrs. Richards, you should go to Raeleigh¡¯s bedside and wait for a while. I will go out, and see what I can do to help.¡±

    Xanthus said and went outside. He said he was going to help. In fact, if he stood in the doorway, then it would be most helpful for Raeleigh. He should protect her and prevent people from entering her ward.

    As the door of the ward closed, Jenna looked at Raeleigh with guilt.¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t think badly of your Grandma Marissa. It is all because of me. When she was young, she had hoped for Hansen to marry the woman she liked. But in the end, she turned into a viin because his son insisted on marrying me.¡±

    ¡°Although the mother and son have let go of their past issues, their rtionship has never been as good as before. Mom always thinks that she is old and has a different way of thinking from us, so we need to tolerate her.¡±

    Raeleigh bit her lips and after being in deep thought for a long time, she asked Jenna, ¡°Mrs. Richards, do you really think so?¡±

    Jenna was stunned for a moment and she thenughed. ¡°You¡¯re quite the honest girl, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her sentence, Jenna poured a ss of water for Raeleigh. ¡°Don¡¯t me me.It¡¯s true, I don¡¯t really think so. But when you¡¯re at my age, what you want is to have a harmonious family. I really don¡¯t wanna destroy the peace here.¡±

    ¡°Grandma Marissa has regretted her actions and has changed her attitude towards me. Of course, it also includes my efforts to be good to her and to be considerate to her.

    ¡°But after all, she is a person who needs to be taken care of. This time, Mr. Richards took me out on a vacation and dumped all the family issues on her. This was a very irresponsible act. Once we left, she would naturally have all the power. She wanted everyone to listen to her. In fact, we also listened to her when we were at home.¡±

    ¡°When a person reaches middle age, especially when their parents are getting older, they will grow agitated. Marissa is now acting like a child.¡±

    ¡°Except thatthis child is out to kill people and inflict pain,¡± Raeleigh interjected.

    Raeleigh was never a person who lived in a bubble of denial. She knew Jenna¡¯s thoughts, that she did not want her to resent Marissa. But the problem was that even if she let bygones be bygones, Marissa would not let her go.

    Jenna hesitated for a moment. ¡°She is old, and her days are numbered. We can¡¯t be angry with her. In fact, sometimes I will also be angry andin to Hansen about her. But after all, she is my husband¡¯s mother, and we are her children. We should forgive her.¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°If you have a baby¡­ No offence, Raeleigh, I¡¯m just giving an example. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°What I was saying is that when you have a child, they will be very obedient and sensible, as they are still young. Their minds are impressionable. But one day when the child grows up, say, just like Santiago, he meets new friends outside and goes around doing bad things. Will you ignore him just because of that?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head.

    Jenna touched Raeleigh¡¯s hand and patted her. ¡°As a matter of fact, the same theory applies. We can¡¯t change anything, but we have to tolerate it. Our children are our flesh and blood,and so are our parents. There is no absolute guarantee that when they get old, they won¡¯t be as unreasonable as your Grandma Marissa. What do you think?¡±

    Raeleigh wasughing because of Jenna¡¯s words. She took a look at the door and realized that the fighting had stopped.

    ¡°I won¡¯t hate her. She¡¯s the one thinking I¡¯m not good enough. I can understand if she prefers other people over me. To each their own, anyway. But I know thateven if I give up,she won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Not to worry. After this incident, Hansen will make things clear to her.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    What else could Raeleigh say? Jenna was doing this for the sake of her family. Since she needed to recover then, she could not escape. Moreover, she had never thought about staying here. So, she might have to roll with their punches.

    One day, when she could leave this dangerous ce, Marissa would not find trouble with her again.

    The door of the ward was pushed open and Xanthus came in first. Raeleigh observed Xanthus immediately. She breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that he was unscathed. Otherwise, she would have been scared.

    Following them was Hansen.Jenna saw him, stood up, and walked over to him. She held her husband¡¯s arm and scanned him from top to bottom.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t see Santiago, making her heart leap to her throat.

    ¡°Where is Santiago?¡± Jenna did not see her son. Hansen turned around to take a look. ¡°Come here.¡±

    Hansen called his son as if he had just called a pet dog. Santiago then walked to the door and asked, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Look, your Mom is worried about you.¡±

    Santiago was unusually obedient. He stood at the door and raised his hands. One of his hands was empty and the other was holding a phone. He turned around to show Jenna that he was fine. Jenna then breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Raeleigh and smiled. Raeleigh stared at Santiago with a worried face. She was finally at ease.

    Santiago immediately turned around and left. Jenna asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°The people outside have to be dealt with.¡± Hansen cated his wife, sent her to the side, and looked at Xanthus. ¡°I will watch over this ce. Go and help him.¡±

    ¡°Hansen¡­¡±

    Jenna widened her eyes. Xanthus wasRaeleigh¡¯sfamily, so how could he order others around?

    Hansen did not reply. He held his wife¡¯s shoulders and stared intently at Xanthus. Only then did he observe Raeleigh¡¯s condition and stepped out to help.

 Chapter 1305 Germophobic Man

    After the door was closed, Raeleigh looked at the two people sitting down in front of her. Jenna immediately whined, ¡°Xanthus is Raeleigh¡¯s brother. How can you be so bossy? You are truly hopeless!¡±

    ¡°I was already polite enough, you see. Raeleigh is my daughter-inw, which makes her brother our family. I¡¯m only asking him to lend a hand with family matters.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s words held another meaning. Raeleigh knew very well that he was making a statement, thate what may, they had already acknowledged her as their daughter-inw. It wasan immutable fact.

    But Raeleigh always felt like this was all a joke. The entire Richards family was in a train wreck because of a woman, and she was the culprit.

    But that was not a good timefor her to speak up. She didn¡¯t want them to think that she was turning down their favor, so Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything.

    The room became quiet. Raeleigh was nodding off. She closed her eyes and fell asleep. Relieved,Jenna looked at her husband. ¡°Are you sleepy? If you are, then you can take a rest first.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face darkened. She wanted him to rest in his daughter-inw¡¯s room?

    Jenna, on the contrary, did not understand what was going on. She looked at her husband and asked, ¡°What¡¯s with you? Why did you lose your temper? Did you hurt yourself when you were fighting?¡±

    Jenna went over and sat down close to her husband. Over the years, Hansen had always loved her more than anyone else and she, too, had always doted on him. If not,then it would have been impossible that she had never quarreled with him for all these years.

    Jenna looked at Hansen lovingly and checked him for injuries. In fact, Hansen hadn¡¯t moved a finger when he was outside, so he wasn¡¯t hurt. In fact, It was Santiago who had held his own in the fight.

    Hansen was actually quite offended. When Santiago had fought just then, Xanthus had no intention to help at all. He had been standing at the door of the ward, relishing the fight.

    After all, that was his son, but Xanthus did not intend to help him at all. Of course he was angry.

    But this was not the point. What triggered him was Jenna telling him to rest in his daughter-inw¡¯s room. What was this if not a joke?

    What was more annoying was that his daughter-inw didn¡¯t understand what he was trying to imply.

    Hansen stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going over to the other side.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s face was full of surprise, and her big eyes were more attractive. Hansen felt his desire aroused. But this was Raeleigh¡¯s ward, so he had to control his urges.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll go over there and get some rest. Leave this to Santiago. I will talk to my mother tomorrow.¡± Hansen was very displeased with what had happened that day. He did not expect his mother to be so extreme. It was too surprising.

    Jenna saw that Hansen was really angry, so she concurred. She did not leave immediately with him but left his arms and turned around to take a look at Raeleigh. She could not bear to disturb her, so she wrote a note for Raeleigh saying that they did not leave and were next door.

    Jenna always had pen and paper on her,a habit from when she had to draft down every design of a car whenever inspiration struck her.

    However, that time, she had lost her pen and paper several times during the trip. If it was not misced, then it was because they had been forcefully taken away by Hansen as she was not allowed to think about work.

    Jenna turned around and followed Hansen out. As she walked, she asked with concern, ¡°Are you really unharmed?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go.¡± After leaving the ward, Hansen hugged his beloved wife even tighter. He was afraid that someone would take her away. His love for her had been the same all these years.

    Hansen walked out of the door and looked at the two men who were handling their matters. He instructed, ¡°Go and get some rest. If there¡¯s anything else, then we¡¯ll settle it tomorrow.¡±

    Santiago raised an eyebrow and continued to talk on the phone. He had one of his feet on the face of the attacker on the ground. He looked unfamiliar and did not look like a local. It seemed that Marissa was very shrewd that time to have marshalled foreign manpower.

    The person on the ground struggled. Santiago kicked him and said, ¡°You were brave toe in and cause problems for us, but now you are afraid of death?¡±

    ¡°You want me to diee at me and gimme a quick death. Don¡¯t be a sissy.¡± The person on the ground was still tough. Santiago¡¯s lips curled up, taking that as his sign to show no mercy.

    ¡°Very well then, I¡¯ll light you upter and see you dance around like a dying shrimp.¡± Santiago trampled hard on the man¡¯s face. Jenna wanted to say something, but she was whisked away by Hansen.

    After entering another room, Jenna was about to say something when Hansen beat her to it.¡°Get someone to change the sheets, quilts, pillows, and¡­ Change everything.¡±

    Jenna was speechless. Was this not, she thought, a little too overboard?

    ¡°Just suck it up and sleep, will you? There is a limit to how you can lord over people. This is a hospital, not a hotel!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care, I want them changed,¡± Hansen immediately said. It waspletely an order. If everything around him reeked of medicine and disinfectants, then sleep would undoubtedly elude him.

    Jenna looked back at the outside and said, ¡°Look at the time. Besides, even Alvin is not here. Who are you going to ask to change everything for you?¡±

    After so many years, Jenna finally understood that people¡¯s temper was spoiled, and the more spoiled they were, the worse they will be.

    Take Hansen as an example. Things had started to change since he had their youngest son. He had be a little unreasonable. When he saw flowers he disliked, he immediately asked people to change them. When he saw that the design of the house was a bit wed, he hired people to redesign it. When he got tired of the color of the house, a change was in order. Anything that he could exert his authority over, he would have done it.

    His tyranny extended to thepany and his family affairs, so there was nothing that could escape the palm of his hand.

    There was also his order to revamp everything in this particr hospital room.

    This was fine for people who had money to burn. But beggars can¡¯t be choosers.

    The couple were locked in a deadlock for a moment. Hansen turned to look at his beloved wife. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep.¡±

    Suddenly, his tone softened, like a child acting coyly. Jenna had just made up her mind and wanted to reject his order, but she had a change of heart again.

    ¡°Oh, well.My husband is trouble. Next time when you go out, remember to bring a rucksack and carry your stuff in it.¡±

    After finishing her words, Jenna made a phone call. It was not that there was no one she could find useful. They still had a lot of people around them. It was just that when the two of them were on vacation, Hansen would have a very chronic case of germaphobia, so they could only ask Alvin for help.

    Soon, someone came and brought them the change of quilts they needed. Four or five people came out of the corridor. Xanthus thought that Marissa had sent people again and had braced himself for it.

    ¡°Easy there, they¡¯re with me,¡± said Hansen.

    When they arrived, some of them held quilts, some pillows, some pyjamas, and some water. In short, the four of them came with bags full of things.

    Xanthus leaned to one side and watched the four people pass in front of him. Each of them carried two things and went straight over. They did not care when they saw people lying on the ground. They stepped on them as if they were not there.

    After arriving at Hansen¡¯s room he was resting in, they knocked on the door politely. Jenna pushed the door open and came out. Seeing these people, she invited them in.

 Chapter 1306 Deanna Did Not Understand

    The four of them followed Hansen¡¯s usual habits. Jenna helped by the side and soon changed all the things in the ward. When they came out, they greeted Santiago politely, ¡°Mr. Santiago.¡±

    ¡°S¡¯up.¡±

    Santiago gave a casual reply and the four of them left with the things in their hands.

    Xanthus nced at Hansen¡¯s room. The door was closed and Jenna¡¯s nagging voice could be heard inside. ¡°Are you happy now?¡±

    Xanthus did not hear Hansen giving a reply, indicating that he should be asleep.

    Santiago was busy dealing with things on his end. In the corridor, he was calling for reinforcements. Xanthus helped him watch over Hansen for a while. When his bodyguards arrived, he went back to visit Raeleigh.

    After entering through the door, Xanthus sat down and stared at Raeleigh. She opened her eyes and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much. I was a little worried when I saw Hansen.¡±

    Xanthus felt that Hansen was not an ordinary person. He was someone who could raise two ferocious, tiger-like sons on his own. He mustn¡¯t have been amoner.

    When this matter eventually came to its end, it would not be easy for them to leave.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    She was somewhat puzzled. Xanthus said with a smile, ¡°Well, I have never seen such a man. He seems to have experienced a lot and can see through everything.¡±

    ¡°Yet, he is still human.¡±

    Raeleigh thought everyone had their weaknesses.

    Xanthus nodded. ¡°Take a rest. I will call you if anything happens.¡±

    Raeleigh leaned against Xanthus and closed her eyes.

    At that time, Marissa was waiting for the news at home. She waited for the whole night but she did not receive any news. She knew that her n had failed.

    In the morning, Deanna woke up from the bed. She opened her eyes and rubbed them, saying that she wanted to go to the hospital to see Raeleigh. However, Jacky had already changed his clothes and was ready to send her home.

    Deanna saw that Jacky had changed his clothes and had a strange expression on her face. ¡°Why did you change your clothes? Did you know that I¡¯m going to the hospital?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to the hospital.¡± Jacky had already received news that someone had attacked Santiago and the others. He also knew that something had happened to Stuart.

    At that time, it was most appropriate for him to send Deanna back.

    Deanna frowned. ¡°You¡¯re not going to the hospital? Are you meeting someone?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    Jacky¡¯s reply was blunt. He stood in the room and did not move. Moreover, he was wearing ck leather shoes and a matching outfit. His cotton-padded clothes were also ck, like a gangster¡¯s¡­

    ¡°What are you doing then?¡± Deanna had question marks all over her face.

    Only then did Jacky walk to her and sat on the bed. He hugged Deanna, who was still wearing her s*xy nightdress. He knew that she was afraid of the cold, so he hugged her through the nket.

    Deanna had a puzzled look on her face as she turned to look at Jacky. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you? Did my brothere?¡±

    Jacky shook his head and affectionately kissed her soft and fragrant lips. Only after a long time had passed did he slowly leave. If he had a choice, then he truly did not want to part with her.

    Another separation would bring about another kind of torture for him.

    Deanna stretched out her fair and milky arms, and used her delicate little hands to hold Jacky¡¯s face. ¡°Jacky¡­ Hmm¡­¡±

    Without waiting for her to say anything, Jacky had already begun to deepen the kiss. Deanna had always been willing to be kissed by Jacky, so she had always responded to his kiss affectionately.

    After kissing for a while, Jacky softly pushed her away and pressed his forehead against hers. He breathed heavily and lowered his voice. ¡°Babe¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to hear a story?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the story about?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about love.¡±

    Deanna blinked twice and nodded her head. Jacky gave an affectionate smile and kissed her forehead, wrapping her in his arms.

    After that, he began to tell the story.

    ¡°In the beginning, there was a little girl who was very ignorant and ran away from home¡­¡±

    This story was very long, but Deanna did not speak even once. She was all ears, listening to his story.

    Jacky looked at Deanna¡¯s clean and fair face. She gazed in front of her as she ced her small hands on her stomach. ¡°We have to protect our children and take advantage of family affection. My brother is right, we have to let my Dad ept us, right?¡±

    Deanna turned her head to look at Jacky. Jacky had never been moved by anything. But at that moment, there were tears welling up in the corners of his eyes, although he did not cry. He kissed her.

    Deanna sat up and looked at him. ¡°Jacky, promise me that you¡¯lle back and pick me up. I¡¯m going to Waverly vige, okay?¡±

    Jacky nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely return and fetch both you and our baby to Waverly Vige.¡±

    Deanna nodded her head and grabbed hold of Jacky. Tears instantly flowed from her eyes, but she sniffled and patted him, saying, ¡°Jacky, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let anything happen to the baby. Believe me.¡±

    Deanna was obedient, to Jacky¡¯s surprise. He hugged her tightly and said, ¡°I believe you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    After the two of them hugged for a while, Jacky pushed Deanna softly, carefully looking at her crying face and her red, round nose. ¡°Something has happened to Stuart, and he¡¯s in the hospital. A mishap happened when we came backst night. There was an ident at the entrance of the hospital. I¡¯m going to help them now and I can¡¯t take care of you. I will only feel at ease if you¡¯re home. I also believe that your brother won¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    Deanna sniffled and said, ¡°He certainly won¡¯t hurt me. He only said that we can¡¯t keep the baby but he didn¡¯t mention anything about terminating the pregnancy.¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Did he really say that?¡± Jacky hugged Deanna as she nodded. ¡°He did.¡±

    ¡°Then, you¡­¡±

    ¡°If I can¡¯t keep it, then doesn¡¯t it mean that he wants me to get rid of it? If I don¡¯t pretend to be emotional, then he won¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    Jacky paused for a moment beforeughing. The air of sombreness that had just been haunting him a moment ago had also dissipated quite a bit.

    ¡°You are ying with fire. What¡¯s the benefit of getting under his skin?¡±

    ¡°Even if my brother is angry, he won¡¯t really do anything to me. Recently, he was in a bad mood because Rossie always wanted to leave and was ready to run away. Moreover, she was not in good health. Every night, my brother stayed in her room and wouldn¡¯te out. Gosh, how that made her miserable. Because of this, his temper became worse.¡±

    ¡°My brother has always been loved by others, but since he met Raeleigh and Rossie, I haven¡¯t the faintest idea why they just couldn¡¯t like him back. He treated Raeleigh well, but he didn¡¯t seem to have deep affection for her. He let her go when he realized he couldn¡¯t win her heart. As for Rossie, I found that my brother liked her in a very perverted way. In my house, my brother was always staring at Rossie as if he was a hungry wolf ready to pounce.¡±

    My brother used to care about me, but now he can¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    ¡°Your brother truly loves Rossie, but his ways are wrong. You should enlighten him. Emotions of both parties are not wishful thinking. Rossie might also have some feelings for your brother. It¡¯s just that your brother¡¯s extreme ways and his alpha male behavior have disappointed her. That is why she resisted him.¡±

    Deanna raised her eyebrows. ¡°My brother treated you like dirt and tried to hurt our baby. Why are you still speaking up for him?¡±

    Deanna couldn¡¯t wrap her head around this!

 Chapter 1307 On Par With the Scale of Handsomeness

    Jackyughed.¡°He¡¯s your elder brother, and ultimately your family. Didn¡¯t you say that he wouldn¡¯t hurt you? Since he won¡¯t hurt you, that must be him browbeating. Also, why can¡¯t I speak up for him? Do you want me and your older brother to be at loggerheads in the future?¡±

    Deanna blinked and shook her head. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t want to. But he doesn¡¯t like our baby. You are the baby¡¯s father. Shouldn¡¯t you be angry?¡±

    ¡°He thinks about this matter from the perspective of your family. To be honest, I understand him. If my sister had a child with a strange man without telling her family,then I would have gone ballistic. This is a very normal thing,it¡¯s nothing out of the ordinary. On the contrary, it proves one thing, that your brother really loves you.¡±

    Deanna blinked. ¡°He is my brother. I just pretended to be angry with him, but I¡¯m still worried that he will hurt our baby.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that he didn¡¯t mention anything about terminating the pregnancy? This time, I will make it clear to him and make him promise that he won¡¯t hurt the baby. You should believe that he loves you.¡±

    Jacky had already believed that Zorion¡¯s original intention was not to harm Deanna. Perhaps, this was a trap lying in wait. Zorion might want the gravity of the situation to be known to everyone.

    As the daughter of the Whalen family, she could not leave a stain.

    Deanna nodded. ¡°My brother loves me.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We have other things to do. Can¡¯t stay here for too long.¡±

    Jacky stood up and put Deanna down. He began to prepare the clothes that she needed to wear. He had also prepared a couple more loose clothes so that her belly wouldn¡¯t be too obvious.

    Actually, nobody could tell that she was pregnant, but Jacky still prepared some suitable clothes for her.

    ¡°Take good care of yourself, eat well, dress well, and sleep well. Can you promise me that?¡± Jacky held Deanna¡¯s hand while asking her. She nodded. ¡°I promise.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    Jacky turned around and went down the stairs. Holding Deanna¡¯s hand, he led her downstairs.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    There was no other soul in Raeleigh¡¯s house. At that time, except for the two servants, only Jacky and Deanna were present. Scarlette was also there sitting downstairs, spending the whole night on tenterhooks.

    Seeing Jackying down, Scarlette rose to her feet. She knew that even though the date of herbor was still further in the future, her belly was already ballooning and she should not skip breakfast.

    This was why when she saw Jacky, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s dig in.¡±

    Jacky thought for a moment. ¡°Scarlette, I haven¡¯t known you for a long time, but you should have noticed the current situation. It¡¯s somewhat abnormal. Someone is nning to fight against the Richards family and the Whalen family, but I think they are targeting the Richards family first,and then the Whalen family. If I want to protect the Whalen family, then I must also support the Richards family. So, I¡¯m going to send Deanna back now, but I¡¯m worried about it. Zorion is her brother, and he will protect her. But if something really happens, then ZorionalsohasRossieto take care of, which means that he might have no time to care about Deanna. If someone wants to kidnap Deanna again, then the situation might get ugly.¡±

    Scarlette thought for a moment. ¡°I understand. You want to keep tabs on Deanna, but she might be grounded, and her phone confiscated. Are you asking me to follow her and report back to you?¡±

    ¡°Are you willing to do me this favor?¡±

    ¡°Even if I don¡¯t promise you, you¡¯ll still tell Santiago. When the timees, I¡¯ll still have to do Santiago¡¯s bidding and act asDeanna¡¯schaperone.It¡¯s better for me to im that Hadrian has no time, and no one will take care of me, so Deanna and I will act as each other¡¯spany.¡±

    She was not a fool. She knew everything.

    Deanna giggled.Her gloominess from a few days ago had already dissipated, and she said, ¡°Scarlette, I have lots of gorgeous clothes and exquisite jewelry. I can give you plenty of them. Really, you just need to stay with me. If something happens, then please tell Jacky for me.Pretty please!What do you say?¡±

    Deanna sped her hands together and pleaded, as if she was praying to God. Scarletteughed and said, ¡°Well, I say yes. But first, let me pack up.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Don¡¯t pack anything. You¡¯ll look like you¡¯re staying for long if you pack something. Just say that you¡¯ll be staying there for the next two days. If youck anything, then I will be at your service.¡±

    After deciding for a while, she agreed.

    The three of them sat down and ate.When they finished their meals, they drove to the Whalen family residence.

    Zorion had already waited for a long time, waiting and coughing. Rossie was sitting on the couch, wearing his coat, as if they were ready to leave and take her away at any time.

    Rossie looked at Zorion, who was standing by the window. Zorion¡¯s health had deteriorated in recent days. To her, the prognosis might even be him being deprived of s*x-cum-workout. Hisunfulfilled desires had done a number on his body.

    And because his needs were not satisfied, his body became so weak that he began coughing.

    Rossie sped her hands tightly. She, on the other hand, had gotten much better recently and had regained a lot of her strength.

    However, when Zorion had heard the doctor say that she could no longer have s*x with him, he really had not touched her at all. He would just hug her and sleep till the morning.

    Rossie did not expect this.

    Zorion kept coughing.

    Zorion clenched his fists and coughed with his head down. He either let out phlegm or dry coughs. The maids felt distressed looking at him.

    ¡°Young Master Whalen, why don¡¯t you put on some clothes? How can you get better like this?¡± The old butler, Tetsuo, took the clothes and draped them over Zorion. Zorion put his hand down and took a deep breath. In the past,it had been serious whenhe had fallen sick. It was not because of his poor genes but instead the effect of being a twin.

    But that time, Zorion had a full-body feeling of difort.

    Raising his hand to pull the coat on his shoulder, Zorion nced at Tetsuo and asked, ¡°What time is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nine o¡¯clock.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about time. Go wait outside. Deanna will soon be here.¡±

    Zorion¡¯s heart was still filled with frustration. When he had seen Deanna hiding behind Jacky and refusing toe out, he felt ufortable. He hated Jacky, but he also hated himself for having blurted out such words.

    Tetsuo went to the door and waited outside.

    Deanna and Jacky arrived at the Whalen family residence. Jacky stopped the car and went around to the back to open the car door. Scarlette and Deanna got out of the car. The three of them looked at each other before walking to the entrance of the Whalen family residence.

    When Tetsuo saw Jacky, he immediately walked to the door. Although he wasn¡¯t given any orders, the daughter of the family had returned. There was no reason not to open the door for her.

    When the door swung open, Jacky looked at Deanna. He raised his hand and held Deanna¡¯s, with a leather suitcase on his other hand, and led her through the door.

    Thest time he was here, the old butler had returned to his hometown, so he hadn¡¯t seen Jacky. Tetsuo was also surprised to see Jacky. He had thought that Santiago was already handsome enough. He didn¡¯t expect that there was someone who was on par with Santiago.

 Chapter 1308 You Think He Would Have Acknowledged It?

    Seeing him, Zorion turned around and flopped down on the couch, holding his ground.

    After sitting down, Zorion coughed twice and wiped his mouth with a tissue. He looked up at the person who came in through the door.

    Tetsuo walked up to Zorion first. He stopped and said, ¡°Mr. Zorion, Miss Deanna brought a friend with her.¡±

    ¡°I heard you.¡±

    Zorion¡¯s expression was less than genial, but he held back his cough.

    ¡°I¡¯ve fulfilled what I promised.¡± Jacky stood there,with his hand still tightly gripping Deanna¡¯s.

    Zorion caught a glimpse of Deanna¡¯s hand and felt funny. They were twins indeed. They both fell hard when it came to love.

    ¡°Deanna, go upstairs with Scarlette and get some rest. Allow me to have a word with Jacky.¡±

    Concerned, Deannaturned to look at Jacky.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go ahead?¡± Jacky patted her shoulder and released her hand. His other hand pulled the luggage over and with his eyes on Tetsuo, said, ¡°Please, sir. These are the clothes I prepared for Deanna.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll deliver it right away.¡± Tetsuo pulled his luggage and turned to go upstairs.

    Deanna nced at Jacky before turning around to walk up the stairs.

    As oon as she entered her room, Zorion turned to look at Jacky. ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Jacky scanned the surroundings and sat down. Zorion exhaled heavily. ¡°I¡¯ll protect Deanna with all my might. Now, it looks like someone is targeting the Richards family and scheming against Jepherson. Stuart is Jepherson¡¯s right hand man. His ident shows that these people have already begun to plot aprehensive n. They don¡¯t care if they¡¯ve been discovered by Jepherson at all. I¡¯m not in the best of health, and I may be hard-pressed to offer any help. Seeing how much you want to walk through h*ll, you do it.¡±

    Jacky nodded.¡°I hope you don¡¯t go back on your word. Protect Deanna.¡±

    ¡°You have my word.¡±

    Jacky stood up and shot a nce upstairs. He turned around and left the Whalen family residence. Tetsuo descended from the top floor and personally sent Jacky out.

    After Jacky left, Zorionpsed into a coughing fit yet again. He continued to sit there, unmoved.

    Rossie sat at the side, looking at him. He asked Rossie, ¡°Have you ever felt a little bit of heartache towards me? Even a little?¡±

    Rossie said, ¡°Who would ever pity an abuser?¡±

    Zorion¡¯s pale lips curled up. ¡°I see,I¡¯ve always been an abuser to you!¡±

    Zorion stood up and walked upstairs, his every step apanied by coughs. He didn¡¯t even bother to pick up the clothes that had slipped off his body. Yet, he checked to see if Rossie came with him and helped pick his shirt up. However, she didn¡¯t budge an inch and just continued watching TV.

    Tetsuo came back and saw the clothes on the ground, and he then saw Zorion upstairs. He hurriedly walked over, picked up the clothes on the ground, caught up with Zorion, and put them on.

    Turning around, Zorion looked at the old butler. All of his expectations had crumbled.

    Zorion forced a smile and nodded. ¡°You should take a rest.¡±

    Tetsuo nodded and agreed. Zorion nced at the indifferent Rossie downstairs, turned around, and walked upstairs, gripping the railings of the staircase. When he arrived at Deanna¡¯sroom, he opened the door and went in.

    Deanna was still sitting there. When she saw Zorion, she sprung to her feet. Zorion looked atScarlette.

    He said, ¡°Scarlette, go out first and help me look after Rossie downstairs. I need to talk to Deanna.¡±

    Scarlette walked to the door,went outside, and closed the door.

    Seeing the door close, Deanna said, ¡°I only ever wanted to protect my baby.¡±

    Zorion forced a smile and stopped in front of Deanna. He didn¡¯t say anything but he opened his arms to hug her. He said, ¡°Love is so painful, huh. I really regret embracing it!¡±

    Mystified,Deanna clutched Zorion¡¯s shoulder and shouted, ¡°Zorion, you¡­¡±

    ¡°Hush. Hug me.¡±

    Deanna pursed her lips and wept. It was all she could do to muffle her cries.

    Zorion looked up and sighed. ¡°Hey, all is well. We¡¯re alright. Don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s bad for the baby.¡±

    Deanna nodded firmly. The twins did note out of the room for the whole day. Finally, Zorion slept in her room, and on the same bed.

    However¡­

    Deanna was not sleepy at all. She was looking at her brother sleeping. Even when he was asleep, he would always cough. Deanna began to worry. What was wrong with him?

    Deanna hugged Zorion and patted him. Feeling depressed, she took out her phone and sent a text message to Jacky.

    ¡°Jack, my brother and I have reconciled, but he is very fragile and has been coughing. What should I do? I think I ought to take him to the hospital.¡±

    Jacky replied: [His body is also injured because of Rossie. Call a private doctor over. Your family should have the medical equipment.]

    Deanna then replied, ¡°Oh, we do have them, from when I was sickst time. How do you know that?¡±

    ¡°I saw it when I visited your family home the previous time.¡±

    ¡°I see. Go back to your work. I have to take care of my brother.¡±

    Deanna stopped texting. Jacky had already arrived at the hospital and was then entering the elevator to see Santiago.

    Jacky smiled. Jepherson was right. They were truly siblings.

    Aftering out of the elevator, Jacky approached Santiago¡¯s side. Jenna was talking to Raeleigh. When she saw someone outside, she was shocked.

    ¡°What a good-lookingd!¡± Jenna praised sincerely. Initially, Hansen was sitting by the side watching the news. When he heard his beloved wife exim, he could not help but to feel a trace of jealousy slithering up. What did it mean? Were his sons any less?

    When he looked up, he thought that the guy in front of him was just so-so, at best.

    The young man¡¯s genes couldn¡¯t bepared to his two sons.

    Hansen said nothing and continued reading the news,pletely ignoring him.

    Santiago immediately stood up. ¡°Have you sent her back?¡±

    ¡°Yup. The siblings are getting along very well. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Jacky neither had any brothers nor sisters, so he couldn¡¯t understand the feeling of being surrounded by siblings, but then, family affection was important to him after what he had seen with Deanna.

    Santiago smiled and said, ¡°Let me introduce them to you. Meet my father and mother.¡±

    ¡°What a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Richards.¡± Jacky followed suit and greeted Hansen and Jenna. Jenna immediately smiled and said with a loving expression, ¡°You¡¯re such a heartthrob. I heard that you¡¯re Deanna¡¯s boyfriend. Her mother and I are good friends.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Jacky didn¡¯t say anything and only looked at Hansen.

    With the awkwardness settling in, Jenna turned to tug her husband. ¡°The youngster is talking to you, he¡¯s Deanna¡¯s boyfriend.¡±

    Only then did Hansen raise his head and casually swept his gaze over Jacky. In the end, he said, ¡°Uhuh, I¡¯m afraid the deal is yet to be sealed. Aren¡¯t you familiar with what kind of person Rayan is? You think he would have acknowledged this?¡±

    Jenna was at loss for words.

 Chapter 1309 Having Faith in Stuart

    Jenna was so angry that she didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°How can you say that? This young man is fine. I know a suave man when I see one. What¡¯s there not to be acknowledged about? I think he is worthy of Deanna. Don¡¯t talk nonsense. What do you know about him? Besides, weren¡¯t you young once, too?¡±

    Jenna looked at Jacky. ¡°Your name is Jacky, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to his nonsense. There¡¯s no such thing. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m on your side.¡±

    Jenna immediately turned around.Looking grumpy, Hansen said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m starving. I want something to eat. Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s about time. Jacky, stay and join us for the meal.¡±

    Jacky stared strangely at Jenna,pletely clueless as to what was going on.

    Santiago walked to the side and handed an apple to Jacky.

    When he threw it over, his movements and thoughts were unintentional. However, Jacky¡¯s response was swift. He raised his hand and grabbed the apple, taking Jenna by surprise.

    Hansen frowned slightly and nced at his youngest son. Only then did he size Jacky up again.

    ¡°Great skills.¡±

    With the apple in his hand,Jackyreplied very modestly, ¡°It¡¯s kinda average, I guess.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Hansen watched Santiago grow up. The youngest son possessed guile, as if he was using unconventional means. He could invent ideas that no ordinary people could think of. He was quite the tough nut to crack, in Hansen¡¯s opinion.

    He didn¡¯t know what tricks Santiago had up his sleeves that time.

    ¡°I suggest that Mom ept Jacky as her godson.¡±

    Jacky was also disconcerted by Santiago¡¯s words.

    Jenna, on the contrary, said, ¡°Really? Is Jacky willing? It would be an honor!¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face was riddled with displeasure. This mother-and-son had obviously nned this beforehand andyet they wereputting on an act in front of him. They had really thought of themselves as actors, hadn¡¯t they?

    Hansen red at Santiago and looked at Jacky. ¡°Do you share their opinions?¡±

    Jacky slightly lowered his eyes. He had never thought about this matter. He knew that Santiago had thought about it for his sake, but he had never thought of aligning with the powerful.

    He would marry no one but Deanna, but he did not want to be at the mercy of the public¡¯s criticism.

    With his present status, he would not lose to anyone. The Whalen family may be a rich family, but he was also a king in his own right. There was no need to build either connections or alliances.

    Jacky shook his head.¡°I may have to refuse.¡±

    Jenna was slightly stunned. Had she hurt this child in any way? It seemed that they were all quite the snowke generation those days.

    Santiago lowered his head and wore a lopsided smile. His judgement of Jacky¡¯s character was right on the mark.

    Hansen was still sitting across from him. His gaze deepened a little before he asked Jacky, ¡°Oh, yeah? You sure? Because if my wife were to adopt you as her godson, with the rtionship between Rayan and her, it would pave the way for you and Deanna to be together. Add to that bargain, you get to climb the socialdder.¡±

    ¡°The person that I, Hansen Richards, will take as an adopted son is definitely not mediocre. You will certainly have a meteoric rise in the future.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate your kindness, Mr. Richards. I believe that if I can move Deanna with sincerity, then I can also win her family over with sincerity.¡±

    ¡°Status-wise, I believe that Deanna wants to be married to someone who loves her, not someone who covets her trust fund.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, are you fond of Jacky?¡± Jenna, for one, liked him very much. She looked at Hansen, and a smile was etched on her face.

    Hansen found it funny.Jacky didn¡¯t have a drop of their blood in him, and here he was, charming Jenna¡¯s pants off with his sweet talk.

    Hansen looked at Jacky for a while. ¡°Two days,take your time chewing on it. I can ept you at any time.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    ¡°No, thank you. I won¡¯t be considering it.¡±

    Jacky looked at Santiago. ¡°Come with me.Let¡¯s discuss what happened in the past few days.¡±

    Santiago grabbed an apple and followed him outside. He walked out through the door and wrapped one arm around Jacky¡¯s shoulder, brimming with excitement. ¡°Come on, isn¡¯t it great being my big bro?¡±

    Jackyughed.¡°Quit it, I don¡¯t need such high and mighty support like you.¡±

    ¡°Well, the offer¡¯s closed then. You see, I haven¡¯t tripped up on my character judgement. My old man is very powerfulhere.¡±

    Lifting his hand,Santiago pointed a finger to his temple. ¡°You performed pretty well in front of him this time. What he hates most is those who try to climb the socialdder by using rtionships.¡±

    Jackyughed.¡°How do you know if your father didn¡¯t suspect that we were putting up a show?¡±

    ¡°Your performance has already exined everything. Where¡¯s the need for a show?¡±

    Santiago let go of him and sat down on one side. He took a bite out of his apple. Jacky leaned against the side and sat down. The apple in his hand wasn¡¯t his favorite, but he very much preferred to take a bite out of Deanna, the forbidden fruit.

    Leaning against the wall, he began to think of her.

    At that time, Santiago said, ¡°I will deal with the hospital myself. Help me with the investigation now. Who is the mastermind in the Moore family? In addition, you¡¯d better go abroad and help me look into what¡¯s going on with the Doyle family. I suspect that Ste was the one who nned this ident.¡±

    ¡°You mean, Ste and the Moore family are colluding?¡±

    Jacky hadn¡¯t for the life of him expected this either.

    Santiago found it amusing. ¡°With Flynt being disowned, it had already raised a lot of doubts. It wasn¡¯t easy for Johan to find a young man. How would he give up so easily? Maybe this is a smokescreen. If we let down our guard, then trouble awaits.¡±

    ¡°Flynt is always hanging around Raeleigh. His entire being oozes suspicion.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re harder to deal with than your brother. Jepherson is righteous, but you¡¯re worlds apart.¡± The more Jacky thought of Santiago, the more unfathomable he felt about him.

    On the contrary, Santiago chuckled. ¡°Then, you don¡¯t know my brother that well, I must say.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? I¡¯m all ears.¡±

    ¡°When I was a child, I lost a fight outside. I went home and told my brother. He might look very honest, but he took me out and found someone to kidnap the one who bullied me. He had him beaten to a pulp. He told me that if we were bullied, then we had to repay evil with evil. The things that the adults couldn¡¯t handle had to be solved by ourselves.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t even begin to imagine how cruel my brother is, and you have never seen his modus operandi in ending lives.¡±

    ¡°However, he has always been good at maintaining a calmposure and would never reveal his intentions through his emotions.¡±

    ¡°As my father once said, you can offend anyone but my brother. I am a real viin, but my brother is two-faced. What people fear most is the two-faced.¡±

    Jackyughed, feeling inexplicable. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll be walking on eggshells around you guys after telling me these things?¡±

    ¡°That is never my intention. I¡¯m asking you to be careful when dealing with my brother. Like they say, don¡¯t try to poke a ho¡¯s nest.¡±

    Santiago was amused. He picked up a pack of cigarettes and handed one to Jacky, and one to himself. He then lit a cigarette.

    Jacky grinned as he smoked, but the two of them stopped talking at that moment.

    Jacky took a puff and left. Santiago went to rinse his mouth and turned back to Raeleigh¡¯s ward. After checking that nothing had happened, he called Xanthus to see Stuart.

    The two of them went to Stuart¡¯s side and Santiago introduced Xanthus to Alvin. That time, Jepherson stood up. Alvin was quite surprised as Jepherson had been sitting for two days and two nights without a drink of water. When he saw Xanthus, he actually stood up.

    ¡°My apologies for the trouble,¡± Jepherson said, to which Xanthus looked at him. It seemed that Stuart was really important to him. After two days of not seeing him, Jepherson had lost a lot of weight.

    ¡°I will do my job to the best of my ability.¡± Xanthus followed and changed his clothes. He pushed the door open and went in to see Stuart. After entering through the door, he walked towards Stuart and stopped in front of him. He looked down at Stuart and said, ¡°Stuart, I am Xanthus.¡±

    Stuart had no response and was still in aa. But as a doctor, Xanthus believed that Stuart could hear him.

 Chapter 1310 Never Again

    Xanthus proceeded to check Stuart¡¯s fractured bones. After more than an hour of examination and then another hour of reporting on the case inspection, hefurrowedhis brows. It was a miracle that Stuart was alive then, when any doctor would give up on any chance of him surviving.

    If it was any ordinary person, Xanthus would absolutely not rmend continuing treating him.

    In Stuart¡¯scase, even if he was treated, he would not have a chance to recoverpletely. He would live his remaining years in agony, as he would be crippled.

    Holding the medical record book, Xanthus stood in Stuart¡¯s ward. He gently patted the book on his back and walked while trying to find a way.

    Jepherson stood outside and watched. He knew very well that Xanthus had encountered a tough case.

    In other words, Stuart was in trouble.

    Xanthus wandered around the ward for a while and emerged from it. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t rmend it for Stuart to go abroad for treatment, and more importantly, conservative treatment is also not rmended.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡± Jepherson stood aside and turned to look at Xanthus.

    Xanthus patted the medical record book behind him. ¡°I need to take over this operation and bring him fully under my care. The only thing I can guarantee now is preserving Stuart¡¯s life. Anything else, there will be no guarantee.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Alvin¡¯s swarthy skin was firm,and his eyes were calm. Xanthus looked at him and found that although his and Stuart¡¯s skin color was different, they were definitely father and son, for their eyes were simr.

    ¡°The way I see it, the crushing of Stuart¡¯s body¡¯s bones is not fatal. The fatal thing is his internal injuries. If we don¡¯t find a suitable way to counter this problem immediately orif he is infected, then his safety will not beguaranteed.¡±

    ¡°So, what is it you are trying to tell me?¡±

    Alvin felt a prickly pain in his eyes. It was he who had asked Stuart toe. Although he had factored in all possibilities of danger, Stuart was too young to die.

    Xanthus thought for a moment and said, ¡°I will try my best to maintain his life, but I can¡¯t guarantee that he¡¯ll be able to stand up in the future. He will have to face two things. One is that he¡¯ll be bedridden, and the other is to be wheelchair-bound. However, miracles do happen. He may stand up, but it will take a long time.¡±

    ¡°Bedridden?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face was stiff and pale. Xanthus looked at him and said, ¡°If it were other patients, then I will tell them the truth and ask them to give up the treatment because Stuart not only needs a lot of staffing and resources, but also needs long-term care from his family.¡±

    ¡°This is not a problem. I just hope that he¡¯ll recover.¡± Jepherson would never give up.

    ¡°I feel the same way as you, but we have to face the truth.¡±

    ¡­

    Xanthus¡¯s words made everyone fall silent. Jepherson stepped back and sat down. His heart began to ache faintly.

    Alvin stood for a while and said, ¡°It¡¯s better than nothing.Tell me what you need. Now, Stuart is in your hands. Since you can say this, it means that you arepletely sure, and I can be at ease even if I hand him over to you.¡±

    ¡°Then, I will go back to make preparations. I¡¯ll have to contact my fellow assistants. I can¡¯tplete this kind of operation alone. I need a lot of preparation and examination work. Excuse me.¡±

    Xanthus took away the medical records and took out his cell phone to call his superior and subordinate, who were overseas.

    Santiago nced at Jepherson. ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s just a doctor?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Jepherson sat back down. Santiago looked at him and said, ¡°Go and get some rest. I¡¯ll watch over him today.¡±

    Jepherson looked up at Santiago. ¡°Where are Dad and Mom?¡±

    Santiago shifted on his feet.

    With a little hesitation, he said, ¡°They¡¯re with Raeleigh.¡±

    Jepherson stood up and walked towards the elevator. He entered the elevator and leaned in it for a while. When he arrived downstairs, he went directly to Raeleigh¡¯s. On the way, he ran into Xanthus and they went to see her together.

    When they arrived, Xanthus pushed the door open and went in. Jepherson sat outside and leaned against the wall. Xanthus looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°You¡¯re noting in?¡±

    Jepherson shook his head and narrowed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m taking a breather. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    After entering through the door, Xanthus went to see Raeleigh and sat down after telling Jepherson¡¯s parents that he was then sitting outside.

    Jenna got up and went outside. When she saw her son sitting outside, she immediately felt distressed. She touched Jepherson¡¯s face and asked him to go inside to rest. Jepherson got up after a long time and went in. When he entered through the door, Hansen immediately asked him to take a bath.

    Jepherson stood at the door looking at Raeleigh, who was just watching him without any emotion. Jepherson went to take a bath, brushed his teeth, shaved his stubble, and came out of the bathroom, fully changed into clean and neat pyjamas.

    Jepherson came out and walked to Raeleigh. He stopped and stared at Raeleigh nkly. What was he going to do? Raeleigh thought.

    Following that, Jepherson lifted a corner of the quilt and sat down. He ced his legs on the bed and hid under the quilt.

    There were three other people in the ward, Xanthus, Hansen and Jenna. Raeleigh¡¯s face was suddenly drained of all color. She widened her eyes in shock. Before she could say something, Jepherson had alreadyy down and turned over to hold Raeleigh. ¡°Mom, would you mind getting the doctor to give me an injection?¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡± Jenna was stupefied. To think that her son would say this.

    Hansen remained seated, as if he didn¡¯t see what his son was doing. However, he knew what Jepherson was doing and why he didn¡¯t leave.

    Xanthus was Raeleigh¡¯s brother. If Xanthus left,then Raeleigh would not allow Jepherson to stay. At this juncture, Xanthus could not act rashly if Jepherson did not leave.

    As a result, the room was quiet. Hansen was still watching the news, and it was all about the Richards Group.

    Trouble piled up one upon another. Santiago had offended someone outside and implicated the family. There were also reports alleging that the perpetrator had tried to kill Ste in an act of personal revenge. What was even more outrageous was the statement about Ste.

    Ste was pregnant and right then, she had miscarried. Jepherson was furious. He needed to find the person who had hurt them.

    That was to say,thertionship betweenSte and the Richards family had been solidified.

    Jenna saw that her son had closed his eyes and fallen asleep. She did not go over but instead asked a doctor to give him a nutrition injection.

    Raeleigh stayed still, as if she were a pillow.She did not dare to move freely in front of this family.

    Xanthus frowned. If it weren¡¯t for Jepherson¡¯s parents,then he would have locked him up outside.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Jepherson stirred from time to time, with Raeleigh still in his arms.

    But Raeleigh, her drowsiness well under way,gradually slipped into slumber.

    When Jenna saw that she was asleep, she looked at Xanthus and said, ¡°Xanthus,as you can see, Raeleigh and Jepherson are already together. Should we visit your parents? Do they have time?¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s expression was extremely awful, but he could not churn out a word. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°My mother is in poor health. My father has not been in contact with others for many years. This matter calls for careful consideration. The period when Raeleigh had lost her baby was a great blow to her. I hope you can give her some time, Mrs. Richards.¡±

    Xanthus refused. No matter how well this family treated them, they could not change Xanthus¡¯s determination. He was utterly disappointed then. He would not let them hurt Raeleigh again, ever.

 Chapter 1311 Getting Down To Business

    Jenna let out a cry and looked at her husband. It seemed that Xanthus was not an easy opponent. Jerry was in trouble.

    When Raeleigh woke up, Jepherson had already risen from the bed. He was getting changed and was about to leave. When he saw Raeleigh, he reminded her to get enough rest and he then turned around to go outside. Jenna came after him from the door and called him, ¡°Jerry.¡±

    Jepherson turned to look at Jenna. ¡°Mom.¡±

    ¡°I heard about everything from your father. Your grandmother may be a little too much, but please just ignore her.¡±

    Jenna smiled.

    Jepherson said, ¡°I¡¯m going backter. I have to talk to Grandma about this.¡±

    ¡°But now the rumors are rife outside. Words are spreading around that Ste was pregnant with your child and now the child is gone. How is she going to continue living her life? If you go back now, aren¡¯t you just adding fuel to the fire?¡±

    ¡°But she employed someone to hurt Raeleigh. Is that right? Ste is not pregnant. I will ask her toe forward and rify this matter. I¡¯m not scared to face the truth. Mom, trust me. I will only love Raeleigh. Except for that child with Raeleigh, I have nothing to be sorry about.¡±

    ¡°Your grandmother is wrong, but¡­¡±

    ¡°No¡®buts¡¯. I am not you, Mom. I can¡¯t let anyone hurt Raeleigh.¡±

    Turning around, Jepherson strode towards the elevator door, heading towards Marissa¡¯s residence.

    Jenna looked helpless and hurried back to find her husband. But Hansen was reading the news with his head down and didn¡¯t care about it at all. Jenna couldn¡¯t say anything in front of Xanthus and Raeleigh. She had to ask Hansen to go outside with her. But Hansen didn¡¯t move and just said that it was not something they should meddle with.

    Jenna sat back to the side. Jerry was her son, so how could she ignore him?

    ¡­

    Jepherson got out of the car and walked all the way to the Ink Garden. When the servants saw Jepherson returning, they immediately reported to Marissa, who was resting in bed.

    ¡°Madam, Mr. Jepherson is back.¡±

    Marissa cracked her eyes slightly and nced at the servant. ¡°You¡¯re stating the obvious. Don¡¯t get so worked up, will you. He¡¯ll have toe back sooner orter.¡±

    She slowly rose from the bed. Leaning against the bed, she tidied up her clothes. She understood that Jepherson would not let this go. It was only a matter of time before he found her. But what could he do about it?

    Marissa sat on the bed,feeling fearless, waiting for Jepherson toe in. Not long after, Jepherson walked in through the door.

    At first sight, Marissa smirked and asked, ¡°Why, are you willing toe back now?¡±

    Jepherson walked over to face Marissa and pulled a chair and sat down. He crossed his legs casually. This was the posture he had never shown in front of his grandmother, Marissa.

    Marissa was slightly stunned, and her eyes showed displeasure.

    ¡°Great, the prodigal son hae back to make me angry.¡± Marissa turned her face away from Jepherson and looked elsewhere.

    Jepherson coldly said, ¡°I have long been independent,and only you haven¡¯t seen it. There is a saying, don¡¯t bully a boy who is young and ignorant. You have always been bullying me, but there will always be a time for that young man to grow up.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Marissa¡¯s expression darkened. She looked at Jepherson next to her. Jephersonughed and said, ¡°You¡¯ve always been bullying us, is what I¡¯m saying. You tried to control our lives. Mom has always respected and listened to you all the time. You take advantage of your elderly status and act like a tyrant at home. The family has been giving in to you all these years, and that¡¯s why you have been so full of yourself.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ you said that I¡¯m taking advantage of my seniority, you¡­¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze was cold. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of rtionship there is between you and Grandpa. I don¡¯t know ifyou want to impose the same rule on your grandchildrenbecause Grandpa and you were married in this way. What I do know is, you¡¯re dead set on arranging my marriage for me.¡±

    ¡°No matter what your purpose is, I want to tell you that what you have done disgusts me, so¡­¡±

    Jepherson stood up. Marissa looked up at him. ¡°So what?¡±

    ¡°So, from today onwards, you are grounded and you¡¯ll be cut off from the outside world. You can onlye out after Imarry Raeleigh and shegives birth to a baby.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    ¡°You want to put me under house arrest?¡± Marissa¡¯s eyes popped open. Jepherson smiled and said, ¡°Allow me to tell you this. When you sent people to assassinate Raeleigh, my parents were also there and they were almost killed. If it weren¡¯t for Santiago,then Dad would be here instead of me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask Santiago to cover up this incident. I will not be pressing charges. Of course, it¡¯s not because of you but for the reputation of the Richards family.¡±

    ¡°Best of luck with that.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and walked away. Marissa shouted, ¡°Stop right there! I am your grandmother. If you want to put me under house arrest, then you¡¯ll have to ask your grandfather first¡­ or call your parents to see me, I want to¡­¡±

    Jepherson turned around and looked at Marissa. ¡°Look, with how things are presently, why do you still want to bicker with us? Dad is very, very disappointed. If he weren¡¯t affected, then do you think he would have let mee? Don¡¯t you understand your own son?¡±

    Marissa sat back down, defeated. Thinking of her son¡¯s face, her face instantly turned pale. She shook her head and said, ¡°No, no¡­¡±

    ¡°The only person who can save you right now is Grandpa. I hate to break this to you, but from where can you still muster up a scrap of dignity to see him?¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson turned around and walked away. It was all thanks to Marissa that they had toe thus far. He had always been respectful to Marissa. It had never urred to him that she would be so hostile to others.

    Outside the door, Jepherson immediately ordered, ¡°Cut off all connections with the outside world. Without my orders, no one is allowed to help the old madam have contact with anybody. Anyone who disobeys will be handed over to Santiago to be dealt with.¡±

    ¡°The old madam is in poor health and is now unconscious. She needs space to be calm and recover. Anyone who wants to see her will have to go through me.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the servants acknowledged.

    ¡­

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze was cold. An invisible pressure came from his body and attacked his surroundings. Everyone lowered their heads and remained silent. Jepherson, the first son of the Richards family, was really scary. Even Madam Marissa was grounded. What else couldn¡¯t he do?

    After leaving Richards Manor, Jepherson returned to the car. He got in the car and nced at the person in the driver¡¯s seat. He was not used to having a different driver who was not Stuart.

    After a moment of silence, he asked, ¡°How¡¯s the investigation going?¡±

    ¡°We have found all the surveince videos of the roads. The people in those cars can¡¯t be seen clearly, and they are all wearing hats. Besides, the cars are all ordinary cars. We can¡¯t find them after getting on the main road. We suspect that they are using fake license numbers.¡±

    ¡°Go to the Department of Traffic.¡±

    ¡°Right now?¡±

    ¡°Right now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    When Jepherson reached the destination, two people immediately came out. One was a tall and gentle-looking man with sses, dressed in a uniform.

    Another one was a short, slightly overweight man with a round belly. He was armed with a bright smile.

    Seeing Jepherson, the short man immediately went over and greeted him. ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    Jepherson looked at the two people one by one. He had already seen them in the hospital.

    ¡°This way, Mr. Richards.¡±

    The short guy invited Jepherson toe in. He had already received a call. They were all ready.

 Chapter 1312 On The Same Bed

    Jepherson followed, leaving a few of his men behind to wait for him outside. When they entered the monitoring room,Jepherson sat down and leaned over.

    Someone poured a cup of hot tea for Jepherson, to which he paid no heed andfocused on the screen. Someone switched the channel of the screen to show the surveince cameras which were used to monitor various directions. All of a sudden, 24 sets of camera footage were being shown to Jepherson in session.

    Everyone held their breaths. The corner of the monitoring room was unusually quiet. Jepherson was staring at the monitor, with his hand on his cheek.

    In addition to the two department ministers who apanied him, there was also a man with a stern expression following them.

    This person was very young. He had just arrived. He did not seem to be older than twenty years old, but his aura was very cold and demanding.

    Jepherson looked at the monitor over and over again. He had been staring at the first and second pictures. He had seen other footage, but he found nothing.

    ¡°The cars got on the main road at this ce. They went in together, but we didn¡¯t see these cars appearing at the same time in the following video. After checking, there were no individual vehicles on the road. This was very strange. We also sent people to check the nearby exits, but they didn¡¯t find any other exits. The car couldn¡¯t just have vanished into thin air.¡±

    The Head of the Transportation Department, Rowan, hesitated for a long time before he finally spoke. Jepherson ignored him. Rowan heaved a sigh of relief and felt the pressure on his body bing lighter.

    But he was a 50-year-old man, a minister. He was always arrogant. When was it someone else¡¯s turn to be arrogant in front of him?

    However, this man, Jepherson, controlled his life. His son would always be apanied by bodyguards to and from work. Wherever his family went, there would be full-time drivers. His grandson, in particr, would be watched over by assigned guards in the kindergarten. After school, there would be people to escort him home too.

    Jepherson seemed to be very kind to him, but¡­

    Everyone understood what was going on.

    Putting aside these matters, the Richards family¡¯s position in Capital City had reached a point where they could not be offended. He didn¡¯t dare to disobey.

    For the sake of his status, Rowan straightened his back, looking dignified.

    Jepherson looked at it for a while and said, ¡°Check if there are any waterways nearby.¡±

    ¡°Waterways?¡±

    Jepherson nodded his head while Rowan looked surprised.

    A few secondster, someone took out the maps around them and disyed the panoramic view to Jepherson on the screen.

    ¡°There¡¯s a bigke nearby.¡±

    ¡°Send over the search and rescue teams.¡±

    Jepherson stood up and nced at the people around him. ¡°Thank you, everyone. I will give each of you a reward at the end of this month.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson turned around and left.

    There were more than twenty people in the surveince room, and they were shocked by Jepherson¡¯s generosity.

    It was well-known that the Richards family was awash with wealth. But it was the first time that they had met Jepherson, and he was so generous.

    The two ministers followed Jepherson out and refused repeatedly. Jepherson stopped and looked back at the two. ¡°Your children will be sent abroad to prestigious universities in the future. Upon returning, as long as they behave themselves, they will be promised to be given their dream jobs.¡±

    The two of them were both stunned. Was he always such a phnthropist?

    Jepherson did not have much expression on his cold face. He continued, ¡°They can also choose to stay abroad.¡±

    After turning around, Jepherson entered his own car. After taking a good look at those people, he turned to the driver and said, ¡°To Jermel Lake, please.¡±

    The car was started and was driven directly to Jermel Lake. After the car stopped, Jepherson waited in the car while his newly appointed guard got out of the car to observe the surroundings. Soon, someone arrived here. The search and rescue teams were here and the surrounding area was closed off.

    After a day, six ck cars were finally recovered. Jepherson saw the cars and said, ¡°Send them to a safe ce. Destroy them.¡±

    The driver looked at Jepherson from the rearview mirror. He didn¡¯t quite understand why, as it had taken so much time for the search, but Jepherson ordered them to be destroyed. Why?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Jepherson then returned to the hospital. He went to see Raeleigh first and he then went back to Stuart¡¯s side.

    Xanthus had not arrived yet, but he had given Stuart aprehensive examination. He had also ordered a batch of instruments from abroad to ensure the sess of the operation and smoothen the progress of the inspection.

    Jepherson came to the area outside of Stuart¡¯s ward and asked, ¡°How is it going?¡±

    ¡°There is no development, no progress. His vitality is very tenacious. He must have wanted to tell you something, so that he can hold on until now. I hope that you wouldn¡¯t go in to see him, to prevent him from sensing your presence. This is the only way he won¡¯t give up. Maybe you are hisst hope.¡±

    Xanthus pushed up the sses on his nose bridge and put the casebooks behind, frowning slightly.

    He was a little regretful that he had agreed to take over the case without much consideration.

    Stuart¡¯s surgery was the mostplex he had ever seen and also the mostplicated surgery he had ever experienced. It seemed that he would have to go through a long journey.

    At first, he wanted to go home with Raeleigh to spend the New Year, but right then, it was a bit difficult.

    ¡°I will fully cooperate with the operation,¡± Jepherson said as he walked to the side and sat down. His slightly haggard face revealed his fatigue.

    Xanthus turned around and said, ¡°You can¡¯t go on like this. You¡¯d better have a good rest.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, have you eaten yet?¡±

    As Hadrian asked, Alvin also went to see him. Jepherson said, ¡°I only need rest. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson¡­¡±

    Just as they were talking, someone ran over. Jepherson raised his head to look at the flustered person. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Ste is on a hunger strike. She wants to see her family.¡±

    Jepherson replied with a hum, and he then said, ¡°Call her family.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson, the Doyles family not an ordinary one. Are you sure you want to contact them?¡± Alvin and the Doyle family had dealt with each other before. In recent years, the Doyle family had grown stronger and stronger. The rumor that they specialized in flipping ancient relics had yet to be confirmed.

    However, there were indeed a few members of the Doyle family who were aficionados of antiques. There were also rumors that they specialized in counterfeiting relics, and this was something that no one knew about.

    However, the Doyle family and Marissa were on good terms. The two families had been in contact since they were young.

    The problem was that Ste was paralyzed from the waist down. Ifthey agreed to let her see her family, then it would meanthat they were letting the Doyle family know that the Richards family will be taking responsibility for Ste¡¯s ident.

    Jepherson said, ¡°They will know sooner orter. So,it¡¯s better that it is sooner rather thanter. Mr. Alvin, I know you¡¯re doing this for my sake, but I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    ¡°Very well. We¡¯ll do what you say,¡± Alvin promised. His men then immediately informed the Doyle family.

    Raeleigh woke up from her nap and felt that someone was breathing next to her. She slowly opened her eyes. Santiago was sleeping on the same bed under the same quilt. Raeleigh was so freaked out that she immediately sat up. Santiago opened his eyes slightly and nced at the person who suddenly sat up. He turned over and continued sleeping without saying anything.

    Raeleigh was ovee with shock.

    Were they on the same bed?Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1313 A Hug

    Rubbing her forehead,Raeleigh took a closer look at the person beside her, confirming that it was, beyond a shadow of doubt, Santiago.

    She pinched herself again. The pain was unbearable. It was not until then that she believed it was Santiago sleeping on her bed.

    Raeleigh let her gaze sweep across the room.Only she and Santiago were there.

    Raeleigh peeled off the quilt, narrowing her eyes. Santiago was wearing a set of green pyjamas, which amazed Raeleigh. But why was he sleeping on her bed?

    Raeleigh was so angry that her face nched. She really wanted to kick Santiago down the bed, but she thought better of it. It was she who would suffer the consequences if he was kicked.

    She had to get out of bed and put on her clothes. In fact, she was fine. She just hit her head and had a few stitches. But that did not stopeveryone from making a fuss and bandaging her like a mummy. Raeleigh felt that it was unnecessary.It looked ridiculous.

    She put on her clothes and sat on another bed,observing Santiago.

    Perhaps, she hadmitted abominable crimes in her previous life, so karma intervened and she crossed paths with the Richards brothers in that life.

    Raeleigh had been waiting for Santiago to wake up, so that she could talk things through with him. She also wanted to tell him that they should keep a distance from each other.

    However, Santiago did not wake up. He rolled over and continued to sleep.

    It waste at night. Although it was not cold in the ward, Raeleigh needed to rest. In the dead of the night,fatigue would set in. Even if they were awake, sleep would beckon to them again.

    Raeleigh called Xanthus but no one answered.

    She didn¡¯t understand what was going on. Even if he had gone to check on Stuart, he should havee back at that time.

    But since no one answered the phone, Raeleigh had no choice.

    After sitting for a while, Raeleigh was really sleepy, leaning against the couch to rest.

    When she snored, Santiago opened his eyes and sat up. He yawned, lifted the quilt, and got out of bed. He walked to Raeleigh and bent down to hold her up.

    When Raeleigh felt her body leaving the couch, she opened her eyes abruptly and woke up. She froze for a moment and she then said, ¡°Put me down.¡±

    Santiago looked disgusted. ¡°Stop staying upte, you look like a zombie.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk!¡± Raeleigh was put down and sat up again.

    Santiago stood to one side. ¡°Sleep here while I sleep on the other bed. Take off that long cardigan of yours. Stop dressing up like it¡¯s Halloween.¡±

    He turned around and went to the bed where Raeleigh had been lying on. Lying on the bed, he covered himself with the quilt and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Girl,are you waiting for me to bed you?¡±

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t contain her annoyance.¡°I never knew that you are such a pervert.¡±

    Santiago chuckled. ¡°Women are smitten with bad guys. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong, but I¡¯m¡­¡±

    Raeleigh could only swallow the ¡°your sister-inw¡± that had arisen to the back of her throat. She took off her long cardigan, leaving only her clothes on, feeling her chest stuffy.

    Santiago moaned in relief. Frowning,Raeleigh said, ¡°The h*ll are you doing?¡±

    The voice was very loud. Santiago raised his hand and stroked his ears. An endearing devil, he looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Thedy doth protest too much, methinks.I¡¯m only, like, stretching myself. Not every man indulges in fantasies before they sleep, I¡¯ll have you know.¡±Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Who said anything about¡­¡±

    Raeleigh pressed her lips tightly. She was so angry that she clutched the quilt tightly.

    Santiago¡¯s face was full of amusement. ¡°Oh, Raeleigh, my sister¡­¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent all of a sudden. For some reason, every time she heard Santiago refer to her as his sister, her icy heart would thaw, as if they had somehow be brother and sister.

    ¡°Am I wrong for liking someone?¡±

    Santiago asked Raeleigh after a moment of silence. Raeleigh said after a long time, ¡°You¡¯re not in the wrong. But you fell in love with the wrong person. What¡¯s more¡­ you¡¯re still too young.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you young too? How about Deanna, or even Rossie?¡±

    Raeleigh pleaded the Fifth after hearing Santiago¡¯s words. It seemed that he was very stubborn.

    Raeleigh wanted to regain her ground in this. But seeing Santiago, she knew that Santiago was a deep pit. Protest as she might, she would fall into his trap just the same.

    ¡­

    The light in the ward was switched on, but the stillness was deafening. Raeleigh could not fall asleep, and neither could Santiago.

    After a long time, Santiago asked Raeleigh, ¡°Do you not like me?¡±

    Raeleigh turned her face slowly and stared at Santiago. ¡°Santiago, this is not an issue of whether I like you or not, but whether I should or shouldn¡¯t. After all, your brother and I had been together before. Even now, I cannot get rid of your brother. I have always regarded you as my younger brother. If you want me to like you, I can. But this kind of love is built on familial love, not the kind that you think.¡±

    ¡°When I said that you are young, it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re insensible. Yet, you are inexperienced in rtionships, Santiago. Heck, even I am also ignorant of feelings, let alone you.¡±

    ¡°It seems that we are still children on this road. Don¡¯t do anything we will regret in the future. I¡¯m saying this to the both of us.¡±

    ¡°Do you like me, Raeleigh?¡±

    The words seemed to have fallen on Santiago¡¯s deaf ears. He stared at Raeleigh¡¯s side. Raeleigh opened her mouth but couldn¡¯t articte her answer which Santiago was waiting for.

    Raeleigh averted her face away and took a breath. ¡°I regard you as my little brother all the time. You¡­¡±

    ¡°Sister¡­¡±

    Raeleigh turned slowly to look at Santiago. Santiago asked her, ¡°How do I look?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer, but Santiago said, ¡°If you don¡¯t answer me, then I¡¯ll assume you like me.¡±

    Raeleigh still didn¡¯t answer. Santiago continued to ask, ¡°I¡¯ve been nothing but kind to you.¡±

    Raeleigh still didn¡¯t answer. She couldn¡¯t maintain herposure. But Santiago said, ¡°Since I¡¯m good-looking and I treat you well, why don¡¯t you like me?¡±

    ¡°These are two different matters. How can you mash them together?¡±

    ¡°I thought I could, but you didn¡¯t want to face the truth.¡±

    ¡°What on Earth are you trying to do?¡± Raeleigh couldn¡¯t keep calm and said in a louder voice. Santiago sprang upright from the bed. Raeleigh tensed her whole body immediately out of fear of something happening. However, Santiago didn¡¯te over immediately. Instead, he sat on the bed and stared at Raeleigh. ¡°Will you give me a hug? If you don¡¯t feel anything, then I will let go.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and she then asked, ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    Santiago nodded solemnly.

    Raeleigh breathed in deeply and nced at the door. She was still worried that others would see her. Although she had already given up on her rtionship with Jepherson, she was still in a depressed mood. What she did seemed to be traitorous.

    However, she thought that the hug would help Santiago in killing his love for her.

    ¡°Are you sure you won¡¯t lie to me?¡± Raeleigh asked. Santiago stood up and walked towards Raeleigh. He did not want to say anything else but he wanted to give her a hug.

    Raeleigh asked him, ¡°Am I hugging you in bed?¡±

    ¡°In the future, when you meet other men, don¡¯t say that. It has the element of seduction.¡±

    Santiago walked to the bed and stopped teasing Raeleigh. Raeleigh said,feeling embarrassed,¡°You¡¯re pretty cheeky, aren¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t a cultured man in the first ce. Everyone knows how Santiago the Seducer is out to steal the hearts of the young and old.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what outsiders said. They don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on.¡±

    Raeleigh sat there. Santiago pointed at her and asked her to get out of bed. Raeleigh stood there, putting on her shoes after getting out of bed.

    Santiago wanted to hug her, but Raeleigh instinctively drew her hands up to stop him. However, Santiago had great strength. He nced at her and hugged her tightly.

 Chapter 1314 Santiagoâ€™s Despair

    Blood rushed to Raeleigh¡¯s face the moment she touched him. With her arms wedging between them, Santiago still embraced her whole body with his. That said, she was a human being. How could she not feel anything?

    Even though Santiago was only 17 years old, they were at the cusp of adulthood. Who could exin clearly what was going on? Would they be at the behest of their hormonal reactions?

    Raeleigh remained motionless like a doll.Santiago tightened his embrace, a little bit at a time.

    ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    Finally, Santiago opened his mouth to ask her. But Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt!¡±

    Santiagofixedhis dark pupils on her as he pursed his rosy lips into a smile. ¡°Then, what do you feel?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Try letting go of your hand. If you don¡¯t hug me back, then how can it be considered a hug?¡± Santiago slowly released his arm and lowered his head to look at Raeleigh, his eyes a bottomless pit. Raeleigh steadied her breathing. ¡°This is easily the worst experiment ever.¡±

    ¡°Are you regretting this?¡± Santiago was still amused, but the sincerity in his eyes was nothing like he had shown before.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°I¡¯m a dirty woman, I think.¡±

    ¡°Because you did my brother wrong?¡±

    ¡°Your brother and I, we¡¯re over. He has been constantly pestering me, but¡­ me and you, nothing should have happened between us, yet we¡¯re still doing this ridiculous thing at night.¡±

    ¡°Since you have already broken up, why can¡¯t you choose me? What are you afraid of?¡±

    ¡°This is incest.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were full of anger. Santiago did not provoke her. ¡°Let go of your hand and let me hold you. There will be a response then. If you really don¡¯t feel a thing, then I will let go of you, and I¡¯ll find someone else.¡±

    Raeleigh refused and wanted to leave. Santiago pressed Raeleigh¡¯s hand on his body and held her in his arms, hard. He rested his chin on her shoulder. His chest heaved with his breath.

    Raeleigh stood there gritting her teeth. She breathed heavily and opened her mouth slightly. Otherwise, she would die.

    She didn¡¯t know what she was doing. Had she lost her mind?

    But Santiago kept saying, ¡°Give me a hug, hmm?¡±

    As if possessed by a demon, Raeleigh put her hand on Santiago¡¯s body and slowly wrapped it around his waist, holding him until he was tight.

    This hugsted for a few minutes, but it felt like a few centuries.

    Raeleigh finally let go of Santiago and shoved him away. She raised her head and looked at him. ¡°Are you convinced now?¡±

    Santiago looked down at Raeleigh. ¡°Didn¡¯t you feel anything?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°Not a thing.¡±

    ¡°Dang! Talk about a heartless woman. We¡¯re this close to taking off our clothes.¡±

    Raeleigh blushed, wishing she could just die.

    But in the next moment, Santiago let go of Raeleigh. He turned around, walked back to the bed, andy down under the quilt.

    ¡°Rest well, yeah?Forget it if you don¡¯t feel anything.¡±

    Raeleigh froze there.¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Or do you want to try something else?¡± Santiago arched one of his eyebrows. Raeleigh was stunned, as if she were struck by lightning. She immediately shook her head. Santiago tugged the corner of his mouth and smiled. ¡°If so, take a rest, shall we? It¡¯s four hours before dawn. Your bandage is to be removed tomorrow.¡±

    Santiago closed his eyes and his breathing gradually grew even. Raeleigh stood still for a while and breathed a sigh of relief. Her palms were sweaty. She was scared to death.

    She wiped the sweat off her palms and turned around to rest. She got on the bed and nced at Santiago, thinking he was still a child after all.

    Raeleigh could not fall asleep at first, but slowly slid into a dream.

    However, in her dream, Santiago was kissing her, and she was jolted awake. When she woke up, her body was drenched with sweat. Santiago was drinking water beside her. When she saw Santiago looking at her, she asked in confusion, ¡°Why are you here? Weren¡¯t you sleeping?¡±

    ¡°I was sleeping, but you were tossing and turning. Who knows if you¡¯re having a nightmare? So, I came over and took a look at you.Drink some water.¡±

    Santiago sat down and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Did you dream about the fire again?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head and looked askance at Santiago. ¡°You¡¯re not up just to drink water, you¡¯re staring at me, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Santiago picked up his cup and gulped down the water,with a smile on his face. ¡°Can¡¯t I drink water while looking at you?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless.

    Wiping the sweat off her palms and face, Raeleigh went to the bathroom. When she came out, Santiago had already gone for a rest. Raeleigh stood at the door of the bathroom and watched for a while.

    There was great pressure when she had been with Jepherson.She didn¡¯t expect to feel the same pressure being with Santiago then.

    It was, she grumbled internally, so freaking tiring!

    Raeleigh returned to the bed and found a bottle under the quilt. Raeleigh took it out and found that it was a bottle of water.

    Lying on the bed, Santiago said, ¡°It¡¯ll be cold at night. Your body¡¯s weak, so it¡¯ll be easy for you to catch a cold. Hug the bottle for warmth.¡±

    Then, Santiago raised his hand and turned off the lights. With darkness bleeding into the ward, Raeleigh gradually rxed. It seemed that she still liked to live out of people¡¯s sight, as if her life could be guaranteed in that way.

    Raeleigh held on to the water bottle and fell asleep soon. Santiago turned around and looked at her back in the darkness.

    It was eight o¡¯clock in the morning when Raeleigh got up. She and Santiago were both sleeping soundly. When Xanthus came in, Raeleigh opened her eyes and slowly woke up.

    Seeing Xanthus, she stood up and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you sleep all night?¡±

    Xanthus sat on the empty bed on one side. ¡°I didn¡¯t dare to leave because I was examining Stuart. Fortunately, his condition was very stable. I will take a rest, don¡¯t wake me up for breakfast.¡±

    Xanthus had tried his best. Hey down without taking off his doctor¡¯s coat. Raeleigh stood up and covered Xanthus with the quilt. Seeing him like this, it was not difficult for Raeleigh to imagine that Stuart¡¯s condition was not too optimistic.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Santiago slowly stood up and went to wash up. He went out to get something to eat. That day, it was Santiago and Raeleigh who ate together. Hansen and Jenna went to Stuart¡¯s side.

    After eating, Santiago stretched his body and said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna visit Stuart. Are youing?¡±

    Of course Raeleigh wanted to go, but she was still wrapped in gauze.

    ¡°How can I go like this?¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Santiago thought about it. ¡°Then, what do you want?¡±

    ¡°You should go. I will stay with my brother. When he wakes up, he will take off the bandage for me.¡±

    Raeleigh did not want to leave right then, as she didn¡¯t want to leave Xanthus alone.

    Santiago decided to cancel his n. ¡°Let¡¯s wait then.¡±

    ¡°If you want to visit him, then you can go first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡±

    Santiago went back to lie down, remaining there. Raeleigh didn¡¯t continue to persuade him to leave. The two of them waited in the room.

    In the afternoon, Xanthus woke up and took off the gauze from Raeleigh¡¯s head. He reced the bandages and prepared a hat for Raeleigh. She put on the hat and changed into a cotton shirt. Apanied by Xanthus, Raeleigh followed them to see Stuart.

 Chapter 1315 Que SerÃ¡, SerÃ¡

    When Raeleigh caught sight of Stuart¡¯s recumbent pose inside, she almost could not recognize him. It took her a few minutes toe back to her senses.

    Jenna and Hansen also sat outside, but neither of them said anything. Jenna patted the seat next to her and gestured for Raeleigh to take it. Xanthus had changed his clothes and washed up. He stood by the side and looked at the time, saying, ¡°It¡¯s almost time. My team should be here. I¡¯ll go and lead them here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Santiago stood up. He brushed the invisible lint off his clothes and followed Xanthus out to receive the guests.

    A nce at Raeleigh andJephersonrealized that she was already de-bandaged. He looked at Stuart.

    ¡°Go in and take a look at Stuart for me,¡± Jepherson said. Raeleigh froze subconsciously and thought, ¡°For ¡®me¡¯?¡±

    Jenna fumbled for an exnation.¡°Your brother said that Stuart might have something to say to Jerry, which is why he fought to stay alive. If he saw Jerry now,then he might stop holding on to his life, because he had no more reason to.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°I see.¡±

    In fact, Raeleigh also wanted to go in and see for herself. She got up and changed into a medical gown. She went to the door of the ward, which Hadrian then opened. She walked in.

    Stuart was seriously injured, at least in Raeleigh¡¯s eyes.

    After sitting down and chatting with Stuart for a while, she came out.

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh for a while. ¡°Go get changed.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Raeleigh was injured as well. Her wound would be infected if she went in at that time. Jepherson was also worried about her safety.

    When Raeleigh went to change clothes, Xanthus had alreadye back, then along with his team. Hansen had seen some of them before. It could be said that this team had assembled a handful of the elites of the medical field.

    Hansen stood up in tandem with the arrival of these people. He felt even more that Xanthus was not as simple as he looked. He was not just a doctor.

    A doctor, even an expert with a wide range of friends, could not do this.

    ¡°Let me introduce you. This is the president of the Richards Group, Mr. Hansen, and this is hiswife, Ms. Jenna.¡±

    ¡°This is the father of the patient, Mr. Alvin, and this is my friend, the VP of the Richards Group, Jepherson.¡±

    Xanthus introduced them in session, but the doctors in front just smiled and greeted them. Until they saw Raeleigh there, only then did theyugh and joke. It seemed that these people had a good rtionship with Xanthus.

    Raeleigh spoke to them politely. One of the doctorshad a very good impression of Raeleigh. He spoke to her in English with a Hispanic ent. ¡°I am sorry but my English is not good. I just want to say that you are very beautiful. If you don¡¯t mind, can we be friends?¡±

    A smile rose toRaeleigh¡¯s lips.¡°Sorry, but I already have a friend.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at Xanthus, who told her not to mind the doctor.With pleasantries exchanged, they went to perform a preliminary assessment on Stuart.

    They quickly changed their clothes and began to discuss after they went in, while the others stayed outside.

    Everyone was on tenterhooks,waiting for Xanthus toe out with his team.

    ¡°How is it going?¡±

    Raeleigh and Jenna stepped forward to ask Xanthus, while the other four men were waiting for them calmly. Raeleigh learnt firsthand that a man¡¯s pride meant the world to them.

    ¡°ording to what I said, we have to draft an operation n to ensure that there is no problem with the operation. We¡¯ll start as soon as possible.¡±

    Xanthus looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°We will make full use of our strength and resources.¡±

    Jepherson nodded. While they were talking about this matter, someone came to the corridor.

    Everyone turned to see the person who was responsible for taking care of Ste.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Mrs. Richards, Mr. Jepherson, Mr. Santiago,Mr. Alvin.¡±

    After greeting them, she turned to look at Jepherson and said, ¡°Miss Doyle wants to see you, sir. She cried badly and refused to eat.¡±

    Jepherson said, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go now.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    They turned back. Jepherson nced at Raeleigh and walked away. Raeleigh didn¡¯t think too much when she saw Jepherson leaving. The most urgent thing was Stuart and his surgery. She had no time to amodate other things.

    However, Jenna walked to Raeleigh¡¯s side, patted her shoulder, and said, ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s a critical period. We can¡¯t ignore Ste. You must understand that Jerry only cares about you.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile but she said nothing.

    Still worried,Jenna could not help ncing at her husband.

    This matter seemed to be getting more and more chaotic. Her mother-inw had been grounded by her son. If her husband did not care about it,then it would not be good if the news spread out.

    The Doyle family was no ordinary family either. What should she do?

    ¡°Raeleigh, stay with Santiago. I can¡¯t be distracted for the next few moments, so don¡¯t leave.¡± Xanthus was worried about Raeleigh, so he repeatedly warned her.

    But no one had expected Raeleigh almost to have an ident when she went back after she agreed.

    On the other side of the hospital, Xanthus could not go back. Jepherson went to visit Ste. Raeleigh followed Santiago back to the ward. As soon as they left, they were stopped by several people.

    It was gettingte. It was seven o¡¯clock when Raeleigh and the others returned. They just had dinner.

    The sky at seven o¡¯clock in the winter was so dark that one couldn¡¯t see anything. Even hospitals were not spared from looking dim.

    Under this dim light, there were five or six people in front of Santiago and Raeleigh.

    They were all dressed in ck, standing opposite them, waiting for them. Santiago subconsciously stopped short as he observed them.

    ¡°Call my brother.¡±

    Instinctively Santiago knew that these people were not ordinary people, so he asked Raeleigh to call Jepherson right away. However, they had closed in on them when she was on the phone. Santiago protected Raeleigh and started fighting.

    In a panic,Raeleigh¡¯s cell phone dropped to the ground. Santiago stood in front of those several people and said, ¡°Stay behind me.¡±

    Raeleigh kept nodding her head, but the two of them were cornered. The other side was really powerful, forcing the two of them to retreat to a dark corner.

    Behind them was a wall. Santiago and Raeleigh were blocked by the wall.

    Theyughed. ¡°Well, well, well, if it isn¡¯t Santiago f*cking Richards.¡±

    Santiago frowned but didn¡¯t say anything. He just held Raeleigh¡¯s hand tightly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance. Today, only one of you can walk away. I can let go of one of you.¡± The man was very arrogant, gripping an iron rod in his hand. He hit Santiago as soon as he saw him. There was a small, retractable knife attached to the iron rod. They were five people who had received special training. Santiago still needed to protect Raeleigh. Otherwise, he would not have been at a disadvantage.

    ¡°Come at me with whatever means you have. We¡¯ll die together. Tell whoever is behind this, he won¡¯t live even if I die. He¡¯ll pay with his life sooner orter.¡±

    Raeleigh took hold of Santiago¡¯s hands. ¡°Santiago, you should go first.¡±

    Santiagoughed. ¡°Like h*ll I¡¯ll abandon you. You die, I die!¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a moment as she eyed those people slowly. Entwining her hand with Santiago¡¯s, she thought, que ser¨¢, ser¨¢! Whatever will be, will be!

 Chapter 1316 Santiago Is Hurt

    Unfortunately¡­

    Something flickered.

    With the sound of a lighter flicking, a speck of starlight guttered. A cigarette was lit, and a figureeventuallyemerged from the dark.

    Taking a drag on his cigarette,Jacky had a dozen or so people at his heels.

    At the same time when those people came over, each of them was holding a bat and were facing the people surrounding Santiago and Raeleigh.

    ¡°You have balls, I¡¯ll give you that. I have arranged so many watchmen in the hospital, but you¡¯re a real badass toe in. It seems that you have a strong¡­death wish.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s breath trembled as she looked at Santiago, who smiled and said, ¡°At least we won¡¯t die, will we?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips, mming up.

    Santiago hid Raeleigh behind him to shield her from any idental attacks. Raeleigh wanted toe out. Santiago told her, ¡°I¡¯m tall and strong. You can¡¯t stop anything even if you stand in front of me. You should hide behind me. Even if I die, I will die a lone man. What¡¯s more, I won¡¯t kick the bucket just like that. So, stay put like a good girl, and be quiet. When it¡¯s time, I¡¯ll take you back.¡±

    ¡°There will be bloodshed, and it won¡¯t be a pretty scene for anyone.¡±

    Raeleigh closed her mouth and tightly grabbed Santiago¡¯s clothes, hiding behind him for protection.

    The person opposite him turned around to face Jacky. One of them asked, ¡°Who the h*ll are you? Do you have any idea who we are?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a sh*t about your background. And don¡¯t ask me who I am. We are all people where fighting is our second nature. Save your b*tching. If I fall into your hands, then you can kill me. If you fall into my hands, then you will meet the same fate as me.¡±

    ¡°How dare you! We are¡­¡±

    Without waiting for the scoundrel to say anything, Jacky snatched the bat from the person beside him and aimed it at him. He swung the bat at the scoundrel¡¯s head. With a jarring thump, he fell to the ground, twitching.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me the first time?I don¡¯t give a sh*t about your background.Save your b*tching.¡±

    Jacky¡¯s cold aura was like a whistling wind, gushing at a big in field. In an instant, it froze for as far as a thousand miles.

    The five or six people who had arrived could not find their voices. Jacky jutted his chin and someone immediately came up. They first knocked the attackers unconscious before dragging them away.

    After the scene was cleaned up, Jacky handed a cigarette to Santiago. He watched Santiago take a breath before asking, ¡°Everything okay?¡±

    Santiago smiled. ¡°The show must go on.¡±

    Raeleigh said instead, ¡°But he is wounded all over.¡±

    As she spoke, Raeleigh¡¯s tears could not stop flowing from her eyes.

    Jacky nced at Raeleigh but didn¡¯t say anything. On the contrary, it was Santiago who said, ¡°What¡¯s there to cry about? Boy, you¡¯re giving me secondhand embarrassment. Stop crying!¡±

    Even though his voice was harsh, Raeleigh¡¯s crying had only be worse. Jackyughed, for he could hear that Santiago¡¯s words were underlined with his adoration for her.

    It was just that Jacky did not have any interest in other people¡¯s love lives.

    ¡°Go and bandage your wound first.¡± Jacky stretched out a hand and helped Santiago to walk. When he was at Santiago¡¯s age, he had not reached this level yet. To put it bluntly, a person¡¯s experience needed time and hardships before it was perfected. However, Santiago did not even need that much time yet he already possessed the experience his peers would never amount to.

    Jacky was not envious, only that a measure of sentimentality tugged at his heart.

    Santiago seemed to be fine after being supported as he stood, but his body was bleeding, which scared the living daylights out of Raeleigh.

    Holding Santiago¡¯s hands tightly, Raeleigh kept asking him, ¡°Santiago, how are you holding up?¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Santiago looked at Raeleigh with a funny look. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you I wouldn¡¯t die? Why do you look like you¡¯re already grieving for me?¡±

    Raeleigh wiped her tears and stared at Santiago. ¡°It¡¯s good that you are alright.¡±

    Santiago was amused. The smile on his pale face froze. He turned around and held Jacky¡¯s shoulder tightly. ¡°No matter what happens, don¡¯t leave her.¡±

    Jacky looked at Raeleigh.¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Santiago nodded. His pitch-ck pupils moved in his eye sockets. He lost his bnce and fainted.

    ¡°Santiago, Santiago¡­¡±

    Raeleigh almost screamed. She tried to hold his hand, but his hand slipped out of her palm.

    Jacky held him back. He took a step forward and carried Santiago on his back. He spat out the cigarette in his mouth. ¡°Stop crying. He¡¯s injured with a knife, and I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s poisonous. Call Jepherson.¡±

    Raeleigh was busy wiping her tears. Then, she remembered what had happened to her phone. Her phone was lost. She searched for a phone on Santiago¡¯s body while Jacky was running to the emergency room with Santiago on his back. Raeleigh found his phone and called Jepherson.

    The phone was connected quickly, and Raeleigh almost cried out before the other side could ask anything. ¡°Something terrible has happened. Come to the emergency department quickly.¡±

    Jepherson frowned,and then nced at Ste still in the middle of her pity party. His voice was calm. ¡°I got you. I¡¯ll go now.¡±

    Jepherson stood up and disconnected the call, saying, ¡°I have something to attend to. I¡¯lle back once I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°Will you reallye back?¡± Ste¡¯s face was misted over with sadness. She refused to eat any food, which led to her body weakening.

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Jepherson came out of Ste¡¯s ward and stared at her parents, who were talking to Alvin. He ordered his men, ¡°The president and his wife must be protected round the clock, with no mistakes to spare.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Jepherson picked up his phone and called Alvin.

    While Alvin was talking, his cell phone rang. When he saw that it was Jepherson, he immediately stood up and said, ¡°Mr. Richards, excuse me while I take the call.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Hansen did not discover anything. He held Jenna¡¯s hand and looked at Stuart. Alvin was not far away, but his eyes were looking in the opposite direction. Jepherson took a look at Alvin and went downstairs.

    ¡°Something happened to Santiago, Mr. Alvin. Please summon Elliot here to protect my parents.¡±

    Alvin could be heard talking on the phone. ¡°Alright. Oh, and I¡¯ll give you your money by the end of the month. It slipped my mind. Don¡¯t you worry. The money¡¯s yours.¡±

    Alvin smiled with amusement. Jenna looked at Alvin, who hung up the phone and could not help but to ask, ¡°Alvin, are you short of money?¡±

    Alvin turned around and shook his head. ¡°No, not at all. I just forgot. I boughtnd in the countryside and have to pay an annual rent. They are short of money this year and have already urged me to give them an advance. I forgot to pay and they mistook me for not paying them, so here it is, their friendly reminder in a call.¡±

    ¡°You should have paid them early. They must have encountered a problem.¡±

    Jenna said, and Alvin nodded repeatedly.

    Hansen continued to look at Stuart, who was without any response.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m going to withdraw some money.¡±

    Alvin said and turned to the elevator. Hansen did not answer, his eyes glued to Stuart. But Jenna felt something was wrong. Why was his hand, she thought, so devoid of warmth?

    ¡°Hansen, what¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling cold?¡±

    Jenna bombarded him with questions. Hansen responded and immediately stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to the washroom. Wait for me. Hadrian, take good care of Madam Jenna.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Hadrian also felt that there was something amiss with Mr. Richards¡¯s mood.

    Getting up, Hansen walked down the stairs. Step by step, he went down the stairs and stopped by the corner. Surely enough, Alvin was making a call.

    Alvin paused for a moment before turning around to seeHansen¡¯sice-coldexpression.

 Chapter 1317 Dark and Windy

    With one foot in front of the other,Hansen paced out of the stairs and pushed open a door, his gaze cold. ¡°What happened to Santiago?¡±

    Slowly,Alvin put down his cell phone. ¡°He was attacked when he went back. Now, he¡¯s in the emergency room. Mr. Jepherson is already there.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What are you doing then?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson wants Elliot toe over and protect you, Mr. Richards, as well asMadam Jenna.¡±

    Alvin had not expected Hansen to pick up on any signs. Alvin did not dare to ask, but Hansen knew him well enough.

    And he knew immediately this involved Santiago.

    ¡°Go back and protect Jenna. I¡¯ll go and see Santiago.¡± As Hansen was about to leave, Alvin said immediately, ¡°Allow me to go with you, Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°No. I would love to see if there¡¯s anyone who has the guts toy a finger on me.¡± Hansen stepped out, his expression the definition of spine-chilling.

    It had been ages since Alvin had seen Hansen act like this, so he thought better than to tag along.

    If a baby tiger was injured, the elder tiger would bite whoever was responsible for it.

    Alvin immediately went back to guard Jenna, following Hansen¡¯s instructions. As for Hansen, he went to visit his son.

    Jepherson set down his cell phone and immediately rushed to the emergency room. When he arrived at the door of the emergency room, he saw Santiago on a bed being pushed into the operating theater.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Entering through the door, Jepherson asked. Raeleigh was dumbfounded. She had been crying as though the floodgates to her tear ducts had opened. No matter how calm she usually was, she panicked uncharacteristically during that sudden change, her words failing her.

    Jepherson looked at Santiago. Apart from his face, his body was soaked in blood.

    Raeleigh heard Santiago¡¯s teeth chattering.

    ¡°Where is the doctor?¡±

    At that moment, Jepherson was like a male lion waiting to pounce. He calmed down and looked around.

    ¡°I am his doctor,¡± the doctor answered with some trepidation. Jepherson had already walked towards Santiago. He bowed his head and held Santiago¡¯s hand. ¡°If anything happens to my brother, then no one can live.¡±

    The doctors traded nces. ¡°We¡¯ll do our best.¡±

    Under the doctors¡¯ supervision, Jepherson apanied Santiago to the operating theater. Initially, Raeleigh also wanted to go along. However, when she arrived at the door of the operating theater, Jepherson suddenly said, ¡°It¡¯s not gonna be pretty. Don¡¯t go in. Jacky, help me look after Raeleigh.¡±

    Jacky walked up to the front. It was indeed a squeamish scene. Normal men wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand it. If a woman went in, then she might suddenly scream and lose all control of her emotions.

    Jacky took Raeleigh to one side and held the back of her head, allowing Raeleigh to quiet down. The door of the operating theater was closed. Raeleigh freed herself and grabbed Jacky¡¯s clothes. ¡°He will be fine, won¡¯t he?¡±

    Jacky nodded.¡°He will.¡±

    Raeleigh left Jacky¡¯s side. She sat down on the other side and became exceptionally quiet.

    No one knew what Raeleigh was thinking, but her face was pale and her eyes were nk. She hated those who hurt Santiago.

    ¡­

    When Hansen arrived, Jacky was leaning against one side. When he saw Hansen, he got up and stood up straight. ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    Hansen calmly raised his hand and gestured for Jacky to pay him no attention.He looked at Raeleigh sitting on the chair and nced at the operating theater.

    He sat beside Raeleigh and waited.

    Time trickled by slowly. Little by little, Jenna was puzzled as to why he had gone to the washroom for such a long time, so she picked up her phone and called Hansen.

    ¡°Hansen, where are you? Why haven¡¯t youe back yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking to Jacky. He¡¯s downstairs.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jenna still didn¡¯t buy it. Hansen looked at Jacky.¡°My wife doesn¡¯t believe that I¡¯m talking to you.¡±

    Jacky walked towards Hansen and took the phone. He said, ¡°Mrs. Richards, I¡¯m here to talk to Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is my husband making things difficult for you?¡± Jenna found it strange. With Hansen¡¯s personality, how could he have anything to say to Jacky?

    ¡°Nah, not at all. I just met a few people who blocked my way and Mr. Richards was just teaching me some tactics.¡±

    Jenna thought for a moment and found that most men were a little arrogant.

    ¡°Then tell your him toe back early.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Mrs. Richards.¡±

    Jenna hung up first, in case she would beughed at by the younger generation, as if she couldn¡¯t live without her husband.

    After hanging up the phone, Jacky handed the phone over to Hansen while he continued to sit there. Time continued to pass slowly. After an hour, the operation room light flickered off. Jacky stood up and walked to the door. Raeleigh and Hansen looked over to the door, which then opened and the doctor came out.

    Hansen stood up and Raeleigh also walked over.

    Raeleigh panicked when Jepherson did note out. ¡°Where is Jeperson?¡±

    A doctor came out and said, ¡°The knives the attackers used are very thin. Although the patient is covered in blood, there aren¡¯t a lot of wounds. The main problem is that he has lost too much blood, so someone needs to give him a blood transfusion. Mr. Jepherson is the brother of Mr. Santiago. He is donating blood to him and wille out soon. The operation was very sessful. You may rest assured.¡±

    Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the unconscious Santiago and asked the doctor, ¡°Will he have scars on his body?¡±

    ¡°Not to worry. We have dealt with it, there won¡¯t be any scars.¡± The doctor guaranteed and Raeleigh nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Not at all. We¡¯re just doing our job, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Hansen nodded. ¡°Send him to a ward first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Jacky followed Santiago while Hansen and Raeleigh stayed behind and waited for Jepherson toe out.

    After a while, Jepherson was pushed out of the operating room, in a wheelchair.

    Jepherson still had his eyes opened. He was very clear-headed, even though he had lost arge amount of blood.

    ¡°Dad.¡± He was not too surprised to see Raeleigh and Hansen. When he went downstairs, Hansen had already seen him. The reason he called was to hide it from Jenna.

    For his family,his younger brother was the golden child. Although the four of them didn¡¯t show it, they all knew who the favorite was.

    Especially for his mother, she had alwaysvished her maternal love on his little brother. If she knew that something terrible happened to his little brother, then she would have broken down and gone crazy.

    ¡°Good job, son.¡± Hansen patted Jepherson on his shoulder. Jepherson nced at Raeleigh and then looked at Hansen. ¡°Leave it to us. To stand on our own two feet, we have to get up from where we fell. If we really can¡¯t get up, then we¡¯ll ask for your help.¡±

    Hansen thought for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯m going back and staying with your mother. I¡¯ll tell her that you are all dealing with something. You and Santiago are in the same room. Raeleigh will take care of both of you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Dad.¡±

    Jepherson raised his hand and held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Hansen then left, watching the two young adults leave.

    Turning around, Hansen came out of the operating theater, walked out through the door, and looked around in the dark and windy area.

 Chapter 1318 Who Was the Liar?

    After a pause, he reached for his phone and made a phone call. ¡°Something happened to Santiago.¡±

    Once done, Hansen put away his phone and wandered alone in the dark and cold night.

    Passing by the ce where Raeleigh and the others were ambushed, he identally stepped on something. Engulfed in the metallic tang of blood, Hansen paused and looked around. He then bent down and picked up the phone on the ground.

    Curious,Hansen took a look and remembered that it was Raeleigh¡¯s. He had seen it in her ward.

    The phone was unlocked. Perhaps, due to the sudden attack, she was scared and inadvertently turned on her camera. Hansen yed the video and saw that the footage was dark. asionally a messy shadow could be seen, but the clear screams and the heavy gasps from Santiago could be heard clearly.

    Hansen grasped Raeleigh¡¯s phone tightly and gritted his teeth. He turned off the phone and put it away.

    Raeleigh followed Jepherson back to the ward. Santiago was still in aa.

    Raeleigh helped Jepherson lie on the bed. After tidying up, she turned to look at Santiago. She stood in front of him with her head down.Santiago was all in bandages, looking like a mummy.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    ¡°When will he wake up?¡±

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t help but to ask Jacky, whoshrugged his shoulders.¡°I¡¯m not sure about that, but he should be waking up soon.¡±

    Raeleigh said awkwardly, ¡°I need to ask the doctor.¡±

    Raeleigh asked the doctor again, and the doctor told her that Santiago was on anesthesia. The doctor assured them that when the effects wear off, he would be waking up soon.

    Jepherson was lying on the other side, watching Raeleighe in through the door. As soon as she entered, she turned over and looked at Santiago. She didn¡¯t walk up to him, but her heart was always with Santiago.

    Jepherson was also very weak then, but she did not express her concerns to him.

    Jacky stood in the ward for a while before turning to look at Jepherson. ¡°You okay? Do you need my help?¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s mouth twitched. Jacky smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the ward but I¡¯ll still stay here for the next two days, in case of any emergency.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh will be here to take care of you guys.¡±

    After saying that, Jacky turned around and went outside. Raeleigh went to the bathroom after closing the door of the ward. She walked out of the toilet with a basin of water and a towel in it.

    The basin was ced by Jepherson¡¯s side. Raeleigh rinsed the towel and twisted it before wiping it on his face.

    ¡°Are you feeling weak?¡± Raeleigh was afraid that Jepherson felt ufortable. The doctor said that Santiago had lost too much blood, therefore a lot of blood was needed from Jepherson. After all, he was not willing to let Santiago be transfused with blood from the blood bank.

    Raeleigh was just aware of it but yet, she didn¡¯t quite understand why Jepherson was so stubborn. Was he worried that other people¡¯s blood would be tainted and impure?

    The blood in the blood bank was clearly safe.

    Jepherson was already drained of all energy. He had no strength to speak and could only shake his head.

    Raeleigh did not know what he was talking about, but she knew that he was very tired. She wiped his face while saying, ¡°You should rest if you are tired. I will let you know when Santiago wakes up.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t want to sleep, but he was feeling lethargic. He hadn¡¯t had a good rest recently and hadn¡¯t eaten much. Right then, he was feeling even enervated because of the blood transfusion.

    It was not long before Jepherson closed his eyes. Raeleigh watched him close his eyes and continue to clean up other parts of his body. Raeleigh went to the door and said, ¡°Can you drop by my house and get some clothes? Just bring Santiago¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go.¡±

    Jacky had sent someone over to stand guard and he personally went out and settle something else along the way.

    Raeleigh finished cleaning Jepherson and called Xanthus.

    She did not want to disturb Xanthus, but right then, she had to trouble him.

    Xanthus checked the time. ¡°I see.¡±

    Xanthus asked someone to buy some ribs and prepare the utensils needed to cook some soup with the ribs.

    He also told them to buy a lot ofnutritiousingredients.

    In the middle of the night, Raeleigh did not rest but whiled away her time in the corridor, cooking pork rib soup for the brothers.

    At eight o¡¯clock in the morning, Santiago and Jepherson came together. The pork rib soup cooked by Raeleigh was ready.

    Worrying that the soup might not be suitable for patients, Raeleigh asked Xanthus beforehand to make sure it was fit for patient consumption.

    Jacky sat by the side and watched Raeleigh. Deanna popped into his mind and he called her.

    While he was on the phone, Raeleigh had already gone to the ward, bringing in the soup.

    ¡°I made some soup. Each of you should drink a bowl of it. There are also some nutritious ingredients in it. You can have some.¡±

    Raeleigh put the soup on the table beside Jepherson and looked at Santiago. ¡°Are you hungry?¡±

    Santiagoughed. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    Thinking for a while, Raeleigh then said to Jepherson, ¡°I¡¯ll feed him. Gimme a moment.¡±

    Jepherson sat for a while before holding his spoon and beginning to eat. Santiagoy still as Raeleigh fed him bit by bit.

    While they were eating, the ward went totally quiet. Raeleigh was holding the bowl and feeding Santiago when suddenly her tears came dripping down.

    Santiago stared at Raeleigh. ¡°What are you crying for? I¡¯m not dead yet.¡±

    Raeleigh was busy wiping her tears with her arm. She sniffled and continued feeding Santiago the soup.

    Jepherson turned his back on them, emotionless. After eating, he went back to lie down.

    After Santiago finished eating, Raeleigh drank the leftover soup and ate the leftover pork ribs.

    Raeleigh went out and retrieved Jacky¡¯s bowl. She had left a bowl of soup outside before going into the room. When Jacky came back after finishing his call, there was a bowl of pork rib soup on the chair. Jacky looked at it for a while, and he then picked up his spoon and stirred its contents. There were ribs, meat, and some nutritious ingredients inside.

    It was a big bowl.

    Raeleigh finished her meal and began to clean up. When everything was done, she went to the doctor again. The doctor first checked on Santiago, made sure that there were no problems, and then examined Jepherson.

    The two brothers were each given an injection. It still wasn¡¯t time for Raeleigh to rest. She also needed to fix lunch for them.

    It was already noon when she had finished. Santiago was exceptionally stubborn that day. He actually wanted to sit up and have lunch. Raeleigh refused and insisted that hey down. He wouldn¡¯t have listened until she started putting on a stern look.

    However, the brothers were hyperactive and wouldn¡¯t sit still although they were hurt. When Raeleigh came back after washing the dishes, she found no one, as both of the brothers had left the ward.

    Raeleigh¡¯s face turned pale instantly, nervousness getting the better of her.

    ¡°Santiago, Jepherson¡­¡±

    She called out twice. Seeing no one around, Raeleigh turned around and walked outside. Jacky was sitting at the door, his arms crossed around his chest.

    ¡°They¡¯re gone. They¡¯re missing,¡± Raeleigh said to Jacky the moment they met. Jacky stood up with a nk expression on his face. ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡±

    Raeleigh bit her lip, turned around, and went back inside. When she went in, she saw that the two brothers were standing at the bathroom door, holding onto the supporting bar.

    Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over. She looked at Jepherson and then at Santiago. Confused, she asked, ¡°Why are you up and about?¡±

    Santiago nced at Jepherson. ¡°He made me get up.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned at Jepherson, showing her displeasure.

    ¡°He told me he had to answer nature¡¯s call.¡± Jepherson pulled a long face as if he had been framed, which made him none too thrilled.

    Raeleigh nked out for a moment. She didn¡¯t know what they meant. They both seemed to be serious.

    Who was the liar?

 Chapter 1319 Itâ€™s Good to Have a Sister

    Raeleigh stood for a while and went over to them. ¡°I¡¯ll support him.Go and rest.¡±

    They were all injured people. Seeing that they were all weak, Raeleigh decided to let it slide.

    Raeleigh held on to Santiago¡¯s arm. Santiago could still walk and he didn¡¯t seem to feel very ufortable. He went back to lie down and acted like any ordinary patient. Raeleigh frowned and asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Santiago¡¯s face was full of amusement. He raised his eyes and looked at Jepherson. ¡°It¡¯s him who was not okay. We were taking a leak just now, but boy, was he low in energy.¡±

    Jephersony down without so much as a nce at Santiago. ¡°Mind your own business.¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her head and covered Santiago with a quilt. She went over to Jepherson again and asked, ¡°Which part of your body do you feel the difort?¡±

    Jepherson was silent for a while. He took Raeleigh¡¯s hand and perched it atop his chest. ¡°Here.¡±

    Raeleigh tried to withdraw her hand but Jepherson held on to it and did not let her go. He pressed Raeleigh¡¯s palm with his. ¡°I need some rest. Can youe and rest with me? I can see that you are tired too.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°Go to sleep. I¡¯ll sleep on the other bed.¡±

    Jepherson released her hands and said, ¡°Okay then, have a good rest.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the time and went over to lie down on another bed.

    Raeleigh was so exhausted that no sooner had sheid down than she fell asleep, snoring in a very soft and cute way.

    ¡­

    The ward fell into a long silence.

    Jepherson suddenly said, ¡°She is your sister-inw and that would never change.¡±

    Santiago looked at Raeleigh. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought about changing anything.¡±

    He looked up at the ceiling of the room.

    Jepherson did the same.

    The two brothers closed their eyes, and the ward became quiet.

    Raeleigh had only wanted to take a short nap but it was dark when she opened her eyes.

    Raeleigh got up and took a look at the two brothers on their beds. Jepherson was reading a book while Santiago was staring at the ceiling. No one knew what he was thinking about.

    Raeleigh paused for a moment and went to take a look at Santiago. She asked him, ¡°Is your wound still full of pain?¡±

    Santiago looked at Raeleigh. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. This was not the answer she was looking for.

    ¡°I¡¯ll cook for us. Give me some time.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Jepherson, who was sitting at the other side and turned around to prepare their meals.

    Santiago looked at Jepherson and teased him.¡°If we were twins, then she might like me instead of you.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    Jepherson asked back instead of giving a reply. Santiago smirked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give her to me then?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I throw you out?¡±

    Jepherson shot back.

    Jacky couldn¡¯t hold back his smile as he looked at Raeleigh, who seemed as if she hadn¡¯t heard anything. Raeleighpletely ignored the teasing of the two brothers inside and continued to cook.

    When the food was ready, she served the food to the two of them. As usual, Jepherson ate alone while Santiago waited for Raeleigh to feed him.

    After a few days¡­

    Jepherson was fully recovered.Before he left the ward, he nced at Raeleigh andsaid, ¡°Come with me for a moment.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago and followed him outside.

    Jepherson walked out through the door towards the staircase. Raeleigh followed him to the stairs and as soon as she got there, she was pulled forward, with her back pressed against the wall. Jepherson kissed her lips fiercely without waiting for her reaction.

    There was no one at the stairs. Jepherson avoided the cameras and kept fondling Raeleigh.

    In the past few days, Raeleigh had been making them nutritious food to replenish their strength. Jepherson and Santiago had recovered quickly, especially Jepherson, who had recovered at a godlike speed.

    With Raeleigh¡¯s strength, she was not a match for Jepherson at all. It didn¡¯t take long for her to be defeated in the struggle. Jepherson, going on the offence, tried to take off her clothes and she,right then in defence,put it back on immediately. However, Jepherson took it off again and Raeleigh struggled to put it back on again. They took turns pushing and pulling as if they were ying games. Raeleigh kept gasping, her voice hoarse as she eximed, ¡°Jepherson, you are crazy!¡±

    Jepherson leaned forward and immediately covered Raeleigh¡¯s mouth with his. He snuck his hand under her clothes. He pulled her pants down with his groping hands, making her helpless. Jepherson kept quiet and continued struggling with Raeleigh. Finally, Jepherson found an opening when Raeleigh was physically weak. He then flipped Raeleigh over and had the time of his life.

    When it was over, Jepherson started to clean things up. He put on Raeleigh¡¯s clothes, took out some tissues and helped her clean up. He fixed his eyes on Raeleigh and was still panting like a dog in heat.

    Raeleigh was so angry that she red at Jepherson. So incandescent was she that it had reached the point of no return.

    He coerced her into intercourse again and that was not his first offence.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson shifted his gaze. Those whomitted evil deeds would feel guilty, especially when they were faced with the people they loved. He was no exception.

    But when he leaned forward to kiss Raeleigh, she pped him.

    Jepherson was pped so hard that he was stunned, but he was not angry. He froze for a while and turned back to look at Raeleigh. Seeing the fury on her face, he cupped her face with his hands and kissed her.

    Without waiting for her to struggle, Jepherson cut short the kiss and pulled away. ¡°I¡¯m going back for a while. Be careful.¡±

    Turning around, Jepherson pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hand while walking out of the stairwell. Raeleigh was so angry that her whole body was shaking. She immediately calmed downwhen she saw Jacky¡¯s emotionless face, afraid that he might see through what had happened.

    Raeleigh yanked back her hand and flounced to the door of the ward, not willing to say a word.

    Jepherson straightened his coat and entered the elevator to leave.

    Hearing the elevator door being closed, Raeleigh turned around and stole a look at it. She stood there in a daze and then looked at the door of the ward.

    Jacky¡¯s legs were crossed as he leaned to the side and said, ¡°Close your eyes and empty your mind. The first person you see is the person you really love.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to Jacky and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°I know who I love. It¡¯s just that there is more to this issue than meets the eye.¡±

    Raeleigh returned to the ward and saw that Santiago had already sat up.

    ¡°Why are you up?¡± Raeleigh walked over and helped Santiago lie down and cover him with a quilt. Santiagoy on the bed and stared at Raeleigh. ¡°You¡¯ve got his scent on you.¡±

    Raeleigh turned rigid for a moment, slowly looking into Santiago¡¯s eyes, who seemed to be hurt.

    ¡°You¡¯re having a fever. Take your meds.¡± Raeleigh turned around, took some medicine and fed it to Santiago. She did not check whether he took it or not and poured him a ss of water.

    While Santiago was drinking and joking, Raeleigh was sulking. Although she was angry, she still had to fulfill her duties, which was to look after Santiago. Santiago¡¯s injury was neither serious nor light. By then, Raeleigh had already forgotten about her own injuries. She didn¡¯t even know how it had healed. It wasn¡¯t until Santiago recovered that Raeleigh took off the bandage and found that the wound on her head had recovered.

    After removing the gauze from Raeleigh¡¯s head, Santiago looked at it for a while and then threw away the gauze. Santiago held her in his arms. One of his strong arms went past Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder while the other was pressed on her back.

    ¡°It¡¯s so nice to have a sister!¡± Santiago held Raeleigh tightly and then let her go. His handsome face had regained its former Casanova style. It seemed that he had returned to the time when Raeleigh first met him, the Santiago who broke a thousand hearts.

 Chapter 1320 Madam Geraldine

    Raeleigh was slowly released from his embrace. Santiago used his finger to tap her round nose. ¡°He¡¯s right. You are my sister-inw. It is a fact that will never change forever. Without him, I would not have known you.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I have said that if you don¡¯t feel anything, I will let you go.¡±

    Santiago let go of her and turned to the bathroom. Raeleigh stood in front of the bathroom staring at the door. Relieved though she was, her mood did not take a turn for the better.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Santiago toe out. He washed his hands and nced inside the room. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    After walking past Raeleigh, Santiago took her by the wrist and led her outside.

    Raeleigh was about to pull back her hand when Santiago turned around. ¡°You want me to hold your hand?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. ¡°What are you talking about? We still have a lot of things to clean up. Your clothes are all hanging on the rack.¡±

    Raeleigh had already washed them, but she had not picked it up yet.

    Only then did Santiago let go of her hand and watched Raeleigh flit here and there as she cleaned up the ward. When Raeleigh had finished cleaning up, it was almost time for lunch.

    Santiago went out and took Raeleigh¡¯s handbag from her hand. He pulled Raeleigh¡¯s wrist with his other hand and called out to Jacky, ¡°C¡¯mon, we going for a meal.¡±

    Jacky left the hospital with Santiago and got in the car, heading to the restaurant.

    Santiago was the one driving both Jacky and Raeleigh. They took half an hour to decide what to eat before settling down at a restaurant nearby. After getting out of the car, Santiago brought the two of them to have a meal.

    The restaurant was owned by the Richards family. When Santiago appeared, four of the waiters by the door immediately recognized him. They immediately came up and greeted him, ushering him to a private room upstairs.

    They were just here for a simple meal, but be that as it may,Raeleigh actually had to concede to Santiago¡¯s high profile act.

    Raeleigh had been focusing on her meal while Santiago was speaking to Jacky. Raeleigh wasn¡¯t sure of the details as she wasn¡¯t paying attention to their conversation. She only knew what the two were talking about with some confidential information. However, they were all on Jacky¡¯s phone. The files were encrypted, so even if it was sent to Santiago¡¯s phone, he would still need a password for the files.

    In fact, Raeleigh was not interested in what Santiago had nned, but when she heard something about an old couple, it sparked Raeleigh¡¯s curiosity.

    ¡°Put this matter aside first. I will investigate it.¡± Santiago buried his phone in his pocket, picked up the utensils, and began to enjoy his meal. Still, she couldn¡¯t help but to ask, ¡°What about the old couple you guys were talking about?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re no one you would know.¡± Santiago forked a piece of meat and gave it to Raeleigh. She knew that Santiago had something to hide, so she stopped prying into it. If he was disinclined to divulge, she thought, then why the need to force it from him?

    After eating, Jacky excused himself from the table and called Deanna. He stood by the window andughed the whole time. Raeleigh nced at Santiago. He was a slow eater, betraying his big appetite. He had already eaten so much but he could still continue eating without flinching. Raeleigh looked at the clock. They had started eating at twelve o¡¯clock and it was almost three o¡¯clock then. Santiago was still taking his own sweet time.

    Raeleigh was about to drop off sitting there.

    Xanthus called Raeleigh and asked her where she had gone. Raeleigh said that she was eating in a restaurant outside.

    ¡°How was Stuart¡¯s surgery?¡± Although Raeleigh did not show up, she knew that Xanthus had operated on Stuart that morning. Now that Xanthus was free to give her a call, it meant that Stuart¡¯s surgery was done and dusted.

    ¡°Very sessful, as long as he can make it through the night, he¡¯ll be stable next morning.¡± Xanthus had just taken off his operation suit and went to see Raeleigh. When he could not find her in the hospital, he called her.

    After chatting for a while, Raeleigh wanted to go back to the hospital to visit Stuart. Santiago got up and left with the two.

    Unfortunately, the three of them encountered another ambush on the way back to the hospital. That time, the attackers came in broad daylight and didn¡¯t even hesitate to ram their van into Santiago¡¯s car.

    Luckily, Jacky came prepared and they got out of the ambush without a scratch.

    When they arrived at the hospital, Santiago brought Raeleigh to Stuart¡¯s ward to ask about his condition. When they saw him, their encounter with the attackers had long been forgotten as Stuart¡¯s condition was more important to them.

    At that moment¡­

    In Ste¡¯s ward, most of the senior members of the Doyle family were there.

    Jepherson was also in the room with them.

    ¡°Jepherson, I have known you since you were young. Tell me honestly, are the rumors true?¡±

    Jepherson was sitting beside Ste while the others were sitting in front of them. Hearing Madam Geraldine¡¯s words, Jepherson looked up at her and said, ¡°If she¡¯s innocent, then why should you care about what people say?¡±

    ¡°How can I not care? My granddaughter¡¯s reputation is already ruined. Your Grandma and I were close friends. She wanted me to send Ste over to your family to learn. Your Grandma promised me that she would be safe. At first, I wasn¡¯t willing, but she told me that the second youngdy of the Whalen family had already broken off her engagement with you. She even promised me that she would let Ste and you be engaged. That¡¯s why I agreed to let Stee over. I don¡¯t have a lot of children and I only have Ste as my granddaughter. You should know that she means the world to me. If it weren¡¯t for your Grandma¡¯s guarantee, how could I have let here? My Ste is now handicapped. How can I ept it, for heaven¡¯s sake!¡±

    When Geraldine was young, she was also an excellent young woman. Her husband was a high-ranking official with a strong background. She was quite the It Girl during her time. No one knew exactly what she did, but the Doyle family was very famous locally and abroad. Some people said that the Doyle family traded antiques, but no one could pinpoint the exact truth. True to that, the Doyle family was actively involved in the antique business.

    At the moment, the family was also engaged in many industries. All of her sons had done well these years, and their grandchildren were also very promising. However, Ste was the only granddaughter.

    Madam Geraldine, after constantly hearing people say that Ste¡¯s appearance and character was the splitting image of her, had considered Ste her favorite. In the Doyle family, no one was more important than Ste.

    That time, Ste was involved in an ident and ended up handicapped for life. Everybody knew how Madam Geraldine would react.

    Jepherson pondered for a moment.¡°I am also very sorry about Ste. I will hire the best doctors to treat her, but I can¡¯t agree to the engagement with Ste.¡±

    Madam Geraldine snorted and turned her face away. Her hackles raised, she didn¡¯t even want to look at Jepherson.

    Ste¡¯s uncle said, ¡°Jepherson, you should know that we only agreed to let Stee over to your family because we knew that you are an outstanding youth.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Doyle, I¡¯m very clear about thisbut I already have a woman I like, and that woman was once pregnant with my child. If you¡¯re still insisting that I get engaged to Ste, then how am I going to give you and her an exnation?¡±

    ¡°You have a girlfriend? Do you think we will believe such irresponsible excuses?¡± Madam Geraldine scoffed, her face baleful.

    Jepherson lowered his head and looked at Ste. ¡°Ste, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Ste shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s my fault.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ve already thought it through. I¡¯m a lot of things, but I¡¯m not unattractive. When I¡¯m recovered, I¡¯ll definitely find a good boyfriend.¡±

    Hearing her granddaughter¡¯s words, Madam Geraldine¡¯s tears started to flow.

    ¡°Grandma, I want to stay and undergo my treatment here. When I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll go back, okay?¡±

    Geraldine shook her head and said, ¡°No, I will take you with me. I don¡¯t trust them looking after you. Since they don¡¯t care about you, there is no point in staying around any longer. Let me tell you, they will be the ones regretting letting you leave.¡±

    Madam Geraldine rose to her feet. Even though she was old, her gaze was still sharp and full of life.

 Chapter 1321 EarPiercing Screams

    When Ste left, Raeleigh happened toe back with Santiago. After visiting Stuart in the ward below, she came up to Ste¡¯s ward and came face-to-face with her.

    Ste was in the arms of a man, crying her eyes out. An old woman in her seventies was leading them.

    She was dressed elegantly,the epitome of nobility, followed by two men in suits and leather shoes. Their faces were ruddy and they looked like men bathed in money and status.

    Raeleigh stood next to Santiago and Jacky. The door of the elevator opened and they stood opposite to it, ready to enter the elevator.

    Santiago nced at Ste and pulled Raeleigh out of their way.

    Jacky followed them out.

    The olddy turned around and looked at them. Santiago did not pay any attention to them and walked to the side with Raeleigh.

    Japherson stood outside the elevator and said politely to the leaving party, ¡°Safe trip, Madam Geraldine.¡±Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Jepherson, don¡¯t be too conceited. We will meet again. Just wait and see,¡± Geraldine said as the elevator door closed. Ste held on to her brother and cried bitterly.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything. When the elevator door closed, he turned around and went in Stuart¡¯s direction.

    He felt sorry for Ste, but he had no choice, for she would only receive better care after returning home.

    Raeleigh and the others stood outside of Stuart¡¯s ward and looked inside. Xanthus was relieved when he saw his sister and spoke to her.

    Jepherson walked outside and looked at Santiago. ¡°Are you all dandy now?¡±

    ¡°Never been better.¡± Santiago put up his hands to show Jepherson that he was fine then.

    Jepherson turned his eyes to Raeleigh, but she did not look at him at all, treating him as if he was invisible.

    ¡°Our parents are on the other side.¡± With this, Jepherson turned around and walked towards the opposite side. Santiago followed suit. Raeleigh held Xanthus¡¯s arm and was intending to leave with him. Before they could leave, they heard Jenna asking Santiago, ¡°Where is your sister-inw?¡±

    Raeleigh was about to leave when she heard Jenna say, ¡°I will go over and ask her toe.¡±

    Then, she heard Jenna calling her name from behind. Raeleigh wanted to leave but she could not move her feet, as if lead was poured into them.

    Jenna walked out and stood in front of Raeleigh. She greeted Xanthus politely and said, ¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t youe here. See what I have prepared for you.¡±

    After finishing her words, Jenna pried Raeleigh¡¯s hand away from Xanthus.

    Raeleigh looked back at Xanthus, who then swiveled his head, checking his surroundings. ¡°Welp, there goes my sister,¡± he thought.

    He was outnumbered in every way, so how could he possibly snatch her back?

    After Raeleigh was brought in, Xanthus gave his orders and followed her into the room. After all, his sister was there.

    Raeleigh was dragged into the door and given a beautiful wooden box by Jenna. The carving on the box was exquisite. Xanthus recognized it at a nce. It was made of yellow rosewood and was very mellow. It was rare to see this kind of thing then. The lock was not a regr lock. It should have been specially made by someone.

    Jenna opened the box and showed Raeleigh the contents.

    Raeleigh cast a nce at Xanthus and she then looked inside the box. Thus, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°I asked someone to make a custom piece of jewelry. Ah, this is not for you, though. I heard that your mother is an expert in antique appraisal, as I know she is an archeologist. I figured she must like some wless imitations. I have asked a professional to make it as close to the original as possible, and he had employed the use of more than a hundred workers. Do you like it? If you do, then I think your mother will like it too, including this silver bracelet.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s for your grandmother. She has worked hard all her life and raised you for over ten years. It must¡¯ve been hard on her.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at the contents of the jewelry box. There was a set of antique jewelry. The cheapest gems on it were sapphire, while the rest were red, green, and yellow. The box was glittering with nes, earrings, and rings.

    In addition, the silver bracelet was iridescent. At first nce, although it matched older people well, those kaleidoscopic colors were emitted by gemstones.

    How could Raeleigh dare to ept such a priceless ornament?

    ¡°No, thank you. It¡¯s too expensive.¡± Raeleigh pushed her hand back. Jenna asked immediately, ¡°Raeleigh, do you think it is cheesy? It was actually designed by yours truly.¡±

    Raeleigh withdrew her hands slightly, but she still said, ¡°Perhaps, you should keep these first. When you are free, you can give them to my Grandma personally. I can¡¯t ept the gift on their behalf.¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see when we have time. Can you help me make an appointment with your parents, so that I can go?¡±

    Seeing the situation, Raeleigh had nothing to say.

    Santiago didn¡¯t help, and neither did Jepherson. Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to say or how to deal with it as Jenna had left her no choice.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards, let me ask about this and see when my parents will be free.¡± Xanthus saw that Raeleigh was in trouble, so he immediately helped her.

    ¡°Well, of course.¡± Jenna put down the box and pulled Raeleigh. ¡°Raeleigh, I have also bought some clothes. Come here and let me doll you up.¡±

    Jenna stood up and pulled Raeleigh over. Raeleigh was dragged to the other side by Jenna. She took the clothes and apanied her to the bathroom to get changed. Raeleigh was dragged all around by Jenna like a child.

    When Raeleigh went into the bathroom to try on some clothes,Hansen looked at his youngest son and said,¡°C¡¯mere, buddy. Let me check on you.¡±

    Santiago walked up toHansen. After all, he was a 17-year-old, the baby of the family. Compared to his eldest son, Hansen was more worried about him.

    There was a difference between the Richards family members ording to seniority. The family business had to be passed on to the eldest son. The second son would not receive too much. Hansen doted on Santiago from the beginning because Santiago was destined to be a great man. However, Hansen thought that both sons were not bad.

    But in the end, he was still selfish for the sake of the Richards family. He had no choice but to push aside the nurturing of his youngest son and assisted his eldest son instead.

    For this matter, Hansen had also repeatedly considered this decision and still came to the same result.

    Therefore, he treated Santiago better than Jepherson.

    Santiago walked up to Hansen. Thetter looked at him. Santiago unbuttoned his clothes and showed him, after which he asked, ¡°This ain¡¯t going to leave any scars, right?¡±

    ¡°No, they¡¯re all sharp, steel knives. They¡¯re as thin as a cicada¡¯s wings. Only a nick was made on my skin. After applying some medicine, they¡¯re all fine now.¡±

    Santiago pulled down his clothes. Jacky and Xanthus stood to the side, thinking that this family was truly special. Their mother, father, and son were somehow quirky.

    Hansen produced Raeleigh¡¯s cell phone and gave it to Santiago. ¡°Give it back to your sister-inw. There are some videos of your assault.¡±

    Santiago opened it to take a look and deleted it. Still, Jepherson and the others heard the sounds from the video, especially Raeleigh¡¯s ear-piercing screams.

 Chapter 1322 Speechless Rayan

    Santiago tapped on the phone and the contents of the phone were deleted. He turned to look at Jepherson.

    ¡°What¡¯s the n?¡±

    Jepherson thought for a moment and said, ¡°We¡¯ll go there tonight.¡±

    Santiago felt a bubble ofughter rising from his lungs.

    When he heard that they were going during the night, he smiled smugly. ¡°You coward!¡±

    ¡°Goodness, who are you insulting again?¡± Jenna came out of the bathroom,looking peeved. She seemed to have heard a scream just then.

    Raeleigh was so nervous, thinking, why was she wearing a skirt in the winter?

    Raeleigh was brought out and she stood at the door of the bathroom. Jepherson and Santiago both looked at Raeleigh at the same time. She lowered her head and her face turned red.

    The two brothers, however, were entranced by it.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t she look gorgeous! I¡¯ve hired a designer from France to design it especially for Raeleigh.¡± Jenna seemed to im credit for her look. Hansen took a sip of the tea and did not have much thoughts. He could only say that his son¡¯s taste was indeed good, but was still second to his.

    Of course, his wife was the best he could ask for.

    Jenna pulled Raeleigh to one side.¡°Raeleigh has a beautiful figure, but she is shy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too cold. I¡¯ll change my clothes first.¡± Raeleigh turned around and went back. Jepherson and Santiago kept staring at Raeleigh until she went to the bathroom and closed the door.

    Hansen¡¯s eyes were full of emotions. He took a sip of water and said, ¡°We can¡¯t leave Stuart alone. Your mother and I don¡¯t care about the incident with the Doylefamily. What you should know is that Stuart grew up without a mother. It had always been Alvin who raised him. Alvin had always treated the both of you like his son and I¡¯ve always treated Stuart like my son too. Meeting this harsh reality, Alvin can actually choose to leave all of this behind but still, he chose to stay.¡±

    ¡°That time, even Alvin didn¡¯t say anything but I knew that he wasn¡¯t in a good mood.¡±

    ¡°So¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you understand?¡±

    When Hansen asked his two sons, Jenna stood by the side, silent. When she thought of Stuart, her mood became dreary.

    Stuart was an adopted child. It was said that he was saved from a fire incident. Alvin saved Stuart from that burning house. Jenna did not know the details, but it seemed that Alvin and Stuart were blood-rted father and son.

    ¡°We know.¡±

    Jenna looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°Be careful.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    After saying that, Santiago stepped out first, followed by the others. In the end, only Xanthus was waiting for Raeleigh in the room.

    While Raeleigh did note out, Jenna said to Xanthus, ¡°I hope that Raeleigh can stay here. At the very least, she¡¯ll be safe. What do you think, Xanthus?¡±

    Xanthus had the same thought, so he nodded.

    Jenna smiled happily and said, ¡°Great minds think alike. You can stay next door with Raeleigh. There are two beds over there. If something¡¯s up, then we can take care of each other.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Xanthus was just talking to Jenna when Raeleigh came out of the bathroom, carrying her clothes. She was very surprised to see that everyone had left.

    Xanthus told her, ¡°Raeleigh, Mrs. Richards said that we should stay next door. That way, it should be easier to take care of each other.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. Xanthus had already agreed, she had no reason to refuse.

    The two siblings then left to pack and move their things to their new room. When the door was closed, Jenna breathed a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Just now. I was going to say that I want Raeleigh to stay alone, but I saw Xanthus¡¯s eyes, as if he knew what I was going to say. So, I tweaked my idea. Thank God! Otherwise, he would not have agreed to let her stay.¡±

    Hansen continued to drink his water. He could not pay attention to the story his wife was telling him. In fact, he was hearingin his mind¡¯s ear,the sound of Raeleigh screaming and his youngest son gasping for breath.

    Santiago was the one who had been hurt, but he also felt the pain as a father. The matter would not be forgiven easily.

    Rayan got off the ne and patted Hannah¡¯s hand. ¡°You have to be mentally prepared. I have something to tell you.¡±

    Hannah still didn¡¯t know about the issues regarding their two children in her family. She just knew that her husband wanted to go back suddenly. She didn¡¯t know what happened.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Perhaps, he missed his daughter.

    Hannah looked at him strangely and asked, ¡°Rayan, are you hiding something from me?¡±

    Rayanforted his beloved wife and said,¡°Guilty as charged. But I don¡¯t know how to tell you.¡±

    Rayan¡¯s mouth curved slightly as he spoke. Hannah really didn¡¯t understand this man. But what he was doing seemed to be a good thing.

    ¡°Rayan, what exactly is it?¡± Hannah asked anxiously.

    Rayan lowered his head and patted her hand. They walked out of the airport together and got into the car.

    Hannah looked at the car but she couldn¡¯t find her children in it. What was going on?

    ¡°Rayan, where are Zorion and Deanna?¡±

    ¡°They are all at home.¡±

    As the car slowly drove away, Rayan¡¯s eyes looked a littleplicated. Halfway through the journey, Rayan said to his beloved wife, Hannah, ¡°Zorion has a girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°Come again?¡±

    Hannah was shocked. ¡°A girlfriend?¡±

    Subconsciously, Hannah thought of Raeleigh. She had heard about this girl from Deanna. She seemed to have seen her before. She could only recall that Raeleigh was really good-looking but she could no longer remember her appearance, only her name.

    ¡°It is that Raeleigh girl?¡± Hannah blurted out. Rayan thought for a moment and shook his head. The attrition due to aging couldn¡¯t be seen on his face at all, and he was still as timeless a man as ever.

    ¡°Then, who might it be?¡±

    Rayan did not answer. He took out his cell phone and unlocked it. He showed a photo of Rossie to Hannah. Hannah was also stunned. She was really beautiful.

    ¡°So, this girlfriend isn¡¯t the same one as before?¡±

    Hannah was a little confused. The girl was beautiful, but she was still young, however one looked at it.

    ¡°How old is she?¡±

    Hannah couldn¡¯t help but to ask. She was and would always be fine with her son having a girlfriend, but she seemed a little too young for him.

    Rayan shifted his gaze and said, ¡°She wasn¡¯t willing to be his girlfriend, but Zorion couldn¡¯t control himself. He forced himself on her, and now they¡¯re walking on thin ice.¡±

    Hannah turned to look at Rayan for a long time. ¡°What the¡­?¡±

    Rayan narrowed his eyes as he walked down memoryne. His son¡¯s character was the same as him, a dyed-in-the-wool one-woman man. Once he fell down the ravine of love, he would never want to leave again.

    Hannah looked at Rossie¡¯s photo in Rayan¡¯s cell phone. Was this girl truly such a keeper worthy of the sacrifice?

    She turned around and looked at her husband¡¯s handsome face. Could this be an inherited trait? Can being affectionate also passed down with one¡¯s genes?

    Their car moved steadily along the road. When they arrived at the destination, Rayan opened his eyes. Hannah stared at the phone and got out of the car. Rayan walked to her. She immediately took Rayan¡¯s arm and asked, ¡°Why haven¡¯t I heard anything from Deanna? Doesn¡¯t she care about her brother a tad bit?¡±

    Hannah was full of doubt. Rayan did not answer. He lowered his head and looked at his toes.

    Hannah slowly stopped. ¡°Could it be¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Rayan neither wanted to say much, nor could he say anything.

 Chapter 1323 Family Reunion

    Hannah returned to her room and sat on the couch in a daze. Judging by Rayan¡¯s expression, she could guess that Deanna already had a sweetheart too. With a boyfriend in tow, Deanna wasthen the female equivalent of hoes before bros. Hannah was reeling in terror.

    She sat down and thought hard, her hands and feet cold. Her daughter was so young, she thought, and this was terrible. Was Deanna being preyed upon by casanova?

    Rayan walked in and took off his coat.He handed it to the servant who had hurried over to greet him.

    Rayan waved his hand, indicating that the servants did not have to worry about them. Tetsuo, the butler, walked over and ryed to Rayan everything that had happened at home.

    ¡°Sir, Madam.¡±

    Hannah looked at Tetsuo and asked, ¡°Tetsuo, where is Deanna and Zorion?¡±

    He darted his gaze upstairs. Hannah turned around and asked, ¡°Upstairs?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Tetsuo didn¡¯t know what to say, so he could only affirm it.

    Rayan held Hannah¡¯s hand, rubbed it, and lowered his head slightly. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Our kids are all grown up now.¡±

    Hannah¡¯s mood took a turn for the worse.Her gut feeling told her that this was trouble waiting to happen.

    Rayan held her in his arms. She had always been strong, but she didn¡¯t know that she had been spoiled by him for so many years that she wasn¡¯t as strong as she used to be. Really¡­

    Rayan kissed her head and pulled her into his arms.

    ¡°Tetsuo, why don¡¯t you tell Madam Hannah about Zorion and Deanna.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Rayan continued to kiss Hannah¡¯s forehead, listening to the stories of their children together. Tetsuo started the story with Zorion¡¯s business and linked everything together.

    After he finished speaking, Hannah was somewhat puzzled. ¡°Our Zorion is the best boy any parents could ask for. Why would he do that kind of thing? How¡­ vulgar.¡±

    When Hannah turned her face toRayan, he said innocently, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me.I mean, you and I knew each other in our thirties. But during puberty, there will always be some moments when they can¡¯t control their impulses. We can¡¯t foist our idea of love on them, now, can we?¡±

    Although this was an excuse, Hannah still epted it,only because it was her son. But in the case of her daughter, it might be a bitter pill to swallow.

    ¡°What did you say? Deanna, Deanna, she¡­¡±

    Hannah almost passed out. If Rayan hadn¡¯t held on to her, then she would have really copsed. Her daughter was only a child, yet¡­

    Hannah was so agitated that she cried in Rayan¡¯s arms.

    Rayan raised his hand and made a ¡°shh¡± gesture, indicating that she was not to speak. Hannah pressed her lips together. She really wanted to cry, feeling as though the sky was about to copse.

    Rayan held her and patted her gently. He looked at Tetsuo and asked, ¡°Have you seen this¡­ Jackywhat¡¯s-his-name?¡±

    Tetsuo replied, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a handsome young man. He¡¯s as good-looking as Mr. Zorion, and even¡­¡±

    Tetsuo let his sentence hang. Hannah frowned. ¡°Even what?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about his family, but in my opinion, everything else about him is remarkable, if not better.¡±

    Hannah yelped. Rayan said, ¡°How can you tell that?¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Thest time Miss Deanna went out was before she was grounded by the young master. However, the person who came and talked to him was Santiago, the second young master of the Richards family.¡±

    Tetsuo answered truthfully. Rayan frowned. Hannah was a little sad, but when she heard that Jacky was even better than her son, her mood grew better. After all, Deanna was in a rtionship with someone who was the best of the male gender.

    ¡°Santiago is a familiar face to everyone out there.¡± The thought of Hansen struck a raw nerve in Rayan. Hansen had even ripped Rayan off a few years back.

    Was he trying to bamboozle Rayan for his money for the second time?

    ¡°It¡¯s not only Mr. Santiago, but also Mr. Jepherson. He is also very concerned about this matter.Mr. Jephersonwent to bring Miss Deanna home, but she refused to return.Young MasterZorion identally hurtMr. Jepherson¡¯s girlfriend. After that, Young Master Zorion haschanged a lot. Later, Miss Deanna returned home and even brought Miss Scarlette with her. I heard that it wasMr. Zorionwho wanted Jacky to send her back.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s more, after Jacky¡¯s arrival, Young Master Zorion treated him well. He even promised her that Miss Deanna will be fine.¡±

    Tetsuo answered truthfully.

    Hannah couldn¡¯t make head or tail of this matter. ording to her son¡¯s personality, how could he have helped Jacky Scott?

    Hannah wanted to see Zorion and rified it with him.

    She stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to see Zorion.¡±

    Hannah wiped her tears and went upstairs. Tetsuo followed her immediately, so did Rayan.

    Tetsuo said, ¡°Madam,Young MasterZorion is now staying in Miss Deanna¡¯s room. He¡¯s been living there for more than a week.¡±

    Hannah stopped and asked, ¡°Then, what about Deanna?¡±

    ¡°She is also in the room. Young MasterZorion has been in poor health recently. He is always coughing and in bad spirits. He refuses to go back to his room. Miss Lautner has been alone in his room and seldomes out. She onlyes out during meals.¡±

    Hannah nced at Rayan. What in the world were these children doing?

    It was okay to have a quarrel, but it was abnormal to ignore one another. Don¡¯t they have any feelings?

    Hannah turned around and went to Deanna¡¯s room. She knocked on the door. Deanna thought it was the butler and called for him toe in.

    Hannah pushed the door open and stood by the door,looking inside. Deanna was sitting in a chair and looking at Zorion. Zorion was lying in bed, as if he was asleep, but his eyes were opened.

    Seeing Hannah and Rayan, Zorion was slightly stunned and his face changed. Seeing her brother¡¯s expression, Deanna thought that Rossie hade.

    When she thought of Rossie, Deanna was very unhappy. She would knock on her door almost every day. She told Rossie that Zorion was very upset and hoped that she coulde over and take a look. However, she simply ignored her.

    At first, Deanna and Rossie had got on well. But right then, how times had changed!

    ¡°Well, hello there, Miss Cold-Shoulder-Fancy-Pants. If you are still trying to be stubborn, then my brother would flush you outta his mind and¡­¡±

    Before finishing her sentence, Deanna stood up hurriedly and stepped back in fear. She was like a child who had done something bad and was afraid of getting caught by her parents.

    Hannah looked at her daughter¡¯s belly. She couldn¡¯t tell that she was pregnant.

    ¡°Mom, Dad¡­¡± Deanna was so scared that she didn¡¯t know where to hide herself. She didn¡¯t know that her parents woulde back. She was scared.

    ¡°Tetsuo, you may leave first.¡± Rayan asked the butler to retreat first, afraid of scaring Deanna.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Tetsuo closed the door and turned around to leave.

    Rayan wrapped his arms around Hannah¡¯s waist and led her to Deanna¡¯s bed, away from Deanna.

    Deanna was filled with fear as she looked at Zorion lying on the bed.

    ¡°Zorion?¡±

    Zorion slowly got up and leaned against the headboard feebly. He shouted in a low and hoarse voice, ¡°Dad, Mom!¡±

    The voice jolted Hannah, who had been staring at her daughter,back to reality.It sounded like a mixture of bitterness and agony, making Hannah¡¯s heart tremble.

    Hannah looked at Zorion with tears rolling down her face. She asked, ¡°Zorion, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

 Chapter 1324 The More You Know, The More Dangerous It Will Be

    Zorion let out a long breath and smiled at his mother. Hisplexion was pallid.as if he were on a deathbed. Seeing her son like this, Hannah went to him, sat down, and pulled him into her arms.

    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I only had my mind set on going on vacation. I went everywhere and neglected the both of you. It¡¯s all my fault.¡±

    All of a sudden, Hannah took all the responsibilities upon herself, withtears streaming down her face. The infectious sorrow affected Deanna, precipitating her tears.

    Rayan could not bear to see his daughter cry. He raised his hand and waved it. He only had two treasures in his life. No matter how bad they were, he was their father all the same. Besides, they were in love. What was wrong with that?

    Deanna slowly walked over and stood in front of Rayan like a child who had misbehaved, lowering her head, owning up to her mistake.

    Rayan patted the seat beside him. Deanna sniffled and sat beside him. Rayan slowly turned around and raised his hand to wipe the tears off her face. ¡°Sweetie, are you groggy? Any symptoms of morning sickness?¡±

    Deanna shook her head and sniffled. ¡°Only that I grew to have a big appetite. I ate all the food Zorion can¡¯t finish.¡±

    Deanna didn¡¯t give a clear exnation.Perhaps, it was because Zorion had given her the greenlight to keep her baby that she felt as if all the obstacles had been cleared, leading up to her behaving much more freely.

    Rayanughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Dad is very happy. My baby Deanna already has someone she likes. But when ites to the matter of me bing a Grandpa, it was still very sudden and unexpected.¡±

    ¡°I had always thought that Zorion would be the first to have a child.¡±

    Rayan hugged her and raised his hand to pat Deanna on her shoulder.

    With her nose still tingling, she hugged her father and sobbed.

    Where the two men sighed at the same time, the two women began to cry and had no intention of stopping.

    ¡­

    After a long time, the family was no longer sad, and they sat on the bed, having a heart-to-heart talk.

    The father and the son sat on one side, while the mother and daughter sat together. Hannah held Deanna¡¯s hand tightly, for fear that she might misunderstand and do something stupid.

    Her daughter was herflesh and blood. She would be the one to love her daughter the most.

    At that moment, Deanna suddenly felt blessed. It was all because they all loved her, and no one wanted to harm her baby.

    Hannah also cried until her eyes were swollen, but seeing that Rayan had something to say, she fell quiet.

    ¡°Tell me, what are you going to do?¡± Although they were family, the matter still had to be solved.

    Zorion did not answer. He just sat on the bed, coughing. Seeing him coughing, Deanna went to their bedside and fetched a pill. ¡°Zorion.¡±

    Zorion looked at the pill in front of him and popped it into his mouth. He felt much better, but he still did not speak.

    Pitying him, Hannah suddenly said, ¡°It takes two to tango in a rtionship. If she isn¡¯t gonna take part, you should give it up.¡±

    Deanna looked at Hannah and didn¡¯t dare to say much. Rayan was waiting for Zorion to speak. Should they split up or continue?

    Zorion thought for a long time. ¡°I love her!¡±

    Hannah was stunned for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re so young. Isn¡¯t it too early to say that you¡¯re in love? Why don¡¯t you think about it again?¡±

    Zorion shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it very clearly. I¡¯ve been thinking about it these days. In the past, I always thought that the person I liked was Raeleigh. Later on, I discovered that it¡¯s not true.¡±

    ¡°I had yet to meet the one for me. I didn¡¯t know what love isuntil I met her!¡±

    Hannah sighed and looked at her husband helplessly. ¡°Rayan?¡±

    Rayan nced at her. ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Since you like her, you should hurry up and tell her. Ask her if she is willing to ept you, and if not, why?

    ¡°Love is such a sublime creation. It can go bone-deep and it can sear itself in the deepest recesses of your heart. But even if you¡¯re willing to spend your life with someone, it doesn¡¯t mean you love her.¡±

    ¡°But you have the right to know if there is an opportunity to continue.¡±

    ¡°Ask her.¡±

    Rayan wanted him to cheer up. Zorion hesitated for a moment. ¡°I know.¡±

    Now that his son had agreed, Rayan turned his attention to the daughter. ¡°And what about you?¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Deanna pondered for a moment, her heart pounding. Should she say it or not?

    After turning it over in her head for a while,Deanna said, ¡°I like J.¡±

    Hannah asked, ¡°As in Jacky Scott?¡±

    Deanna nodded. Hannah didn¡¯t respond but Rayan said, ¡°Do you want to give birth to this child?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Deanna nodded. Still wet behind the ears, she seemed to know nothing about the world.

    ¡°Do you wish to marry him?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Deanna responded once again, hercleareyesying bare her resolve.

    Rayan asked, ¡°What about him? What did he say? Will he marry you?¡±

    ¡°He¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Deanna thought for a long time. ¡°But he refused to let Zorion make me terminate the pregnancy and said that he would take me to Waverly Vige.¡±

    ¡°Take you away?¡± This wasn¡¯t Hannah¡¯s favorite word. ¡°In other words, eloping, you mean?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m willing to go with him.¡±

    Zorion almostughed, butRayan beat him to it. ¡°If you¡¯re not willing to go, then would he force you?¡±

    ¡°But I wanted to go to the vige. Zorion is always threatening me, so I gave him a taste of his own medicine. Jacky promised me that if Zorion forces me to get rid of the child again, then he would gather his men from Waverly Vige,¡± Deanna said, her chest puffing out. Hannah¡¯s face was drained of color. How could this child drive a wedge between her boyfriend and brother?

    This was outrageous!

    Deanna could not care that much. If she wanted to protect her baby,in Jacky she would trust.

    ¡­

    At Waverly Vige.

    In the basement of Jack Town Hotel.

    Jacky walked in front. The few of them led the way, with Jepherson and Santiago following closely behind.

    When he reached the door of arge metal door, Jacky waved his hand, indicating for everyone on both sides to leave. He personally walked to the door and turned the rotating lever to open the door. With creaking sounds, Jacky forcefully pushed open the metal door.

    The inside of the space was lit with dim yellow lights. Jacky did not enter but he waited by the side. Santiago nced at him before stepping inside. Following behind was Jepherson.

    When the two brothers had both entered, Jacky closed the heavy metal door and turned the revolving lever. His back was facing the door as he waited. He took out a cigarette and lit it outside.

    There were still a few people standing not far away. When they saw Jacky smoking, they all came over to ask about Jepherson and Santiago.

    Jacky only smiled.¡°The more you know, the more dangerous it is. Don¡¯t ask about anything. Stay far away.¡±

    ¡°Then, why are they going in? Aren¡¯t there a few fugitives inside?¡±

    ¡°Quit bbering.¡± Jacky gave that person a kick and rolled his eyes. The few of them hurriedly scampered away as Jacky scolded them, ¡°F*ck off!¡±

    Just as they were about to leave, a blood-curdling scream rang out from the iron door behind Jacky.

    Everyone looked at the metal door. Jacky acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard anything. He took a drag of his cigarette and lowered his head, scrolling his phone.

    Even staying for another moment would be too much. The others immediately left the basement.

 Chapter 1325 Not Likeable

    Jepherson and Santiago came out of the basement, no words exchanged between them. It was almost impossible to tell what transpired between them inside.

    After they left, Jacky went inside to see that theattackers were still alive. However¡­

    It was not a sight anyone could stomach in any way. Heaven knew what kind of ghastly punishment Jepherson and Santiago had meted out to them to have their limbs snapped like twigs. It would be better to have bestowed on them a quick death than leaving them in such a half-dead state. However, Jepherson and Santiago didn¡¯t kill them. To be frank, it must have been Santiago¡¯s work of art. Jacky could almost imagine how he would deal with them.

    He only came out of the basement after getting someone to clean up the scene.

    When he was about to call Deanna, he couldn¡¯t reach her.

    Jacky knew that Rayan had returned.

    After hanging up the phone, Jacky nced at the phone he was holding and returned to his room to wait, for that was the only thing he could do.

    ¡­

    Aftering out of the vige, Santiago started smoking. Jepherson got into the car and sat down. He crossed his legs and took out a clean wet towel to wipe his hands. He nced at the person sitting in front of him.

    On a seat where Stuart should have been was then another person. This kind of ambiguous feeling was like a sharp knife piercing through Jepherson¡¯s heart.

    Jepherson averted his gaze and stared out of the window. It wasn¡¯t a coincidence. Someone had started to plot against them.

    Remembering his father¡¯s words, this world would reject them like foreign substances sooner orter.

    A tree which had grown to take up space in the world would start to capture people¡¯s attention.

    It was inevitable that a storm would be brewing and a battle would be waged against their family.

    The car was driven from Waverly Vige to Capital City. The two brothers got out of the car and went straight to the Whalen family residence, their first destination, instead of their own home.

    ncing at each other, Santiago sauntered to the door and rang the doorbell.

    Tetsuo came out and saw them. His first thought was to keep them out, so he had to conjure up many excuses.

    ¡°Mr.Jepherson, Mr. Santiago,¡± Tetsuo greeted politely at the door before nodding.

    Jepherson did not reply. He stood by the side like a tree. A powerful force shot forth. Tetsuo, who had a lot of experience due to his old age, felt swayed in his presence.

    It was said that Santiago was not someone to be trifled with. In fact,Jepherson was more terrifying, and he did not need to utter a word. Quiet as he was, he could also raise terror in people.

    On the other hand, Santiago was his pr opposite. He raised his foot and kicked at the door. Without using too much force, he gently kicked it twice. It was just like a child kicking at a door. He did it despite being in front of an adult, but still, nobody would dare to lecture him.

    Tetsuo couldn¡¯t tell Rayan that it was Santiago knocking at the door, but he couldn¡¯t lie to his master either.

    He sighed.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, Mr. Santiago, what brings you here today?¡± Tetsuo asked.

    Jepherson remained silent, after which Santiago said, ¡°How do we feel about some tea?¡±

    The old butler was speechless. This was no excuse for one to pay a visit. The Richards family was among the richest in Capital City. How could they not afford a drink?

    Tetsuo really didn¡¯t expect this reason. It wouldn¡¯t be good if he didn¡¯t let them in. He had mentally armed himself with excuses, but even so, that was not his time to shine.

    Santiago lowered his head and tucked his hands into his pockets. No one knew what he was thinking. He kept looking at the ground, as if there was something good on the ground.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

    Tetsuo tried to look at Jepherson, but he was subdued. He said, ¡°The master and the madam are back. They often mention the two young masters from the Richards family, but the madam is not in good health and needs to rest. I¡¯m afraid this is not a good time for them to receive guests. I have to report to them at first notice. Please wait for a moment.¡±

    After Tetsuo finished speaking, he observed the emotions of the two brothers. They werepletely devoid of any. He didn¡¯t say anything and could only turn around and leave.

    At that time, Rayan was standing in the room, his hands sped behind his back. Seeing the old housekeepere in, he asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t they going to leave?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Tetsuo took a few steps forward and went to talk to Rayan about this matter.

    Rayan was deep in thought. ¡°Tell them that I won¡¯t be seeing them. Tell them not toe.¡±

    Tetsuo hesitated. ¡°Is this advisable?¡±

    Rayan smiled and said, ¡°Although they are not afraid of anything, they still know the rules and won¡¯t dare toe in.¡±

    The old butler still hesitated. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, won¡¯t it displease them?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even care about Hansen,what do I care about them? Who would be displeased, them or us? We can¡¯t be sure at this stage. If they hadn¡¯t stuck their noses to where they don¡¯t belong,then Zorion and Deanna wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. Although I don¡¯t me them and the rtionship has long been predestined, I can¡¯t just let them get away with this.¡±

    ¡°Send them away.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    The old butler turned around and left. Rayan looked outside with his hands sped behind his back. Soon,Tetsuo was outside.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, Mr. Santiago¡­ Mr. Whalen won¡¯t be seeing you today.¡±

    Since things hade to this extent, he didn¡¯t even have to acknowledge them. He was quite straightforward.

    Jepherson turned around and returned to the car. He neither did anything nor showed any emotion. He walked without a care.

    Santiago toed the door lightly for onest time.

    Tetsuo was a little worried. Santiago was not the kind of person who would y by the rules.

    However, after standing for a while, a man got out of the car and walked towards Santiago. ¡°Mr. Santiago, Mr. Jepherson has requested for you to return to the car.¡±

    Only then did Santiago turn around and return to his car. Tetsuo finally heaved a sigh of relief.

    The Richards family car had gone far. Tetsuo wiped away his sweat and hurried back to answer to Rayan.

    ¡°The two young masters of the Richards family have left.¡± Back inside the house, he immediately told Rayan. Rayan stood there without a word. Tetsuo asked, ¡°Master Whalen, will theye again?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but¡­¡±

    Rayan turned around to look at the people around them. The servants went away one after another, leaving Tetsuo alone.

    Rayan turned around and said, ¡°Compared to Hansen, I only have one son. Deanna can¡¯t take up any responsibility and Zorion is in bad shape.¡±

    ¡°I had thought that with Santiago¡¯s temper, he would be Jepherson¡¯s opponent. But I have known them since they were small. Santiago has too many tricks up his sleeve and I¡¯m afraid that with him under Jepherson¡¯s wing, Jepherson will be even more powerful. If we don¡¯t help them, then what will be the result? It¡¯s a pity.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, what about Jacky?¡± Tetsuo asked. The baby in Deanna¡¯s womb is Jacky¡¯s. Mr. Whalen was already prepared to let Deanna have the baby. This meant that the child was going to be born. By then, Jacky would not be an outsider in the Whalen family. Not to mention, Jacky is indeed very outstanding.¡±

    Rayan only thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Jacky is alreadyanother one of Jepherson¡¯s loyal allies.¡±

    ¡°Then, what about Mr. Zorion¡­¡±

    Tetsuo trailed off.

    Rayan remained silent for a long time. ¡°Sess or failure, it all depends on Zorion himself.¡±

    Rayan furrowed his brows. Hansen liked to scheme and plot. Nobody expected that his two sons would grow up to lengthen that legacy of his. Why weren¡¯t they more likeable?

    After standing for a while, Rayan raised his hand and waved. ¡°You may leave.¡±

    Tetsuo then left Rayan alone.

 Chapter 1326 Underestimated

    After arriving at the hospital, Jepherson and Santiago alighted from the car to visit Stuart.

    Xanthus was tending to Stuart. There were also a few doctors on standby outside Stuart¡¯s ward. The two brothers went to Hansen after visiting Stuart.

    Raeleigh was preparing some food for Stuart.Stuart could finally have some simple food. One pipe was inserted through his nostrils and into his stomach. Raeleigh could not help shedding tears after seeing this painful image.

    Xanthus saw that she was in distress, so he found her something to do.

    She was assigned to taking care of Stuart¡¯s diet.

    Pushing open the door, Jepherson turned his face away from the scene. He groaned, ¡°It¡¯s not even nighttime yet.¡±

    Hansen snorted coldly and let go of Jenna, who was sitting on hisp. He had only wanted to kiss her, but someone had walked in on them.¡°Woe is me,¡± he thought.

    Since the two children reached adulthood, Hansen hadn¡¯t been able to indulge himself at home. He had to consider their presence before getting into Jenna¡¯s pants.

    Jenna rolled her eyes at Hansen and turned to go to the bathroom, feeling a hint of embarrassment.

    Closing the door of the washroom, Hansen got up and moved to another chair. His two sons entered the ward, one after the other.

    ¡°Have you figured out what happened?¡± Once the door was shut, Hansen asked Jepherson and Santiago. The former sat opposite him whereas thetter went to im the bed. He began to feel drowsy from time to time.

    ¡°These people were not sent by Grandma. We have confirmed that although they insisted that they are working for her, we are sure that they are not.¡±

    ¡°Grandma might have been set up by someone. She did send someone out but they were swapped at some juncture,¡±Jepherson said.

    Hansen snorted coldly. ¡°Of course they are not your grandmother¡¯s people. Even if she wants to hurt Raeleigh, she won¡¯t harm you. After all, you are her grandson.¡±

    Santiago yawned and pulled the socks off his feet. He took off his clothes and ced them beside the quilt. He pulled the quilt to reveal his fair and strong arms, ready to sleep.

    Santiago closed his eyes. Before Jepherson and Hansen could finish speaking, he was already fast asleep.

    ¡°But it¡¯s very strange that Grandma was used by others.¡±

    While Jepherson was talking, Jenna came out of the bathroom. After washing her face, it was no longer red. She closed the door and walked towards Santiago. She tidied up his clothes and pants. She ced the quilt on one side and sat down by Santiago¡¯s side.

    Santiago flipped over and looped his arm around Jenna¡¯s waist. He rested his head on Jenna¡¯sp. There was no hiding between this pair of mother and son. Even though Santiago was already an adult, he still retained his childlike behavior. Whenever he fell asleep, he would put his arm around Jenna¡¯s waist with his head on herp.

    Hansen nced at Santiago in disapproval and said to Jepherson,¡°What you mean is, someone has nted spies on your grandmother¡¯s side?¡±

    Jepherson nodded.

    ¡°We can rule out the servants at home from the list of suspects. They have been with us for over ten years. Some were born at our home and have been here since. It couldn¡¯t have been them.¡±

    Jenna was the first to deny that the traitor was someone from the family. Santiago hugged her. ¡°Shush, Mom.¡±

    Jenna immediately said, ¡°Okay, go to sleep. I¡¯ll keep my lips shut.¡±

    Jenna doted on her youngest son very much, which was not known to everyone at home. From Marissa¡¯s point of view, Santiago was a pile of mud that could not be made into a wall. Moreover, the Richards family¡¯s rules was that their importance were ranked ording to age. If one was not the eldest son in the Richards family, the one would be destined to be overshadowed by one¡¯s older siblings.

    In Jenna¡¯s opinion, both children were an extension of herself and there was no difference between status. But some people would think highly of her eldest son and look down on the younger.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Although Jenna raised no objection,she could treat Santiago better than Jepherson.

    It was to make up for the shorings caused by others.

    Jenna raised her hand and pulled the quilt over Santiago, and patted his back. Only then did Santiago quieten down.

    Hansen shot him a death stare. Although he did not like Santiago¡¯s Oedipusplex and his shushing her when he was sleeping, Hansen was more than ready to overlook his actions.

    At the end of the day, Santiago was destined to be Jepherson¡¯s second inmand.

    Looking away, Hansen directed his attention towards Jepherson, and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Jepherson said bluntly, ¡°I still haven¡¯t investigated for any spies in the family. After all, there is no one to suspect and there will be more ways than one to dig out info on Grandma.¡±

    ¡°As for other questions¡­¡±

    ¡°The Moore family was involved in this matter too. Yousif and Meica are now powerless. Quirina could not appear now and she is not this capable.¡±

    Jepherson analyzed.

    ¡°It¡¯s Flynt Moore.¡± Hansen¡¯s gaze deepened.

    ¡°I suspect it¡¯s him as well. However, Santiago has already checked. The Moore family hasn¡¯t made any moves, which means that he is afraid of dragging down the family and is using external help. Since these people were capable ofing into Capital City with no one the wiser, they¡¯ve done a great job.¡±

    Hansen raised his head and narrowed his eyes. He rapt his fingers on the chair. After a while, he opened his eyes and looked at his eldest son. ¡°There has been no movement on Zorion¡¯s side. It seems that these people have taken advantage of Zorion¡¯s absence to set up the entrance and control the time toe in. They were aiming for your grandmother.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve spoke my thoughts,¡± Jepherson said.

    Hansen looked at the worried Jenna. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Jenna pursed her lips. How could she not worry about such a serious thing?

    However, Jenna did not say anything and waited for her husband to say, ¡°Rayan is back, but he hasn¡¯t taken any action. Your mother just called his wife but she didn¡¯t answer the phone. This says a lot about their rage. They are going to fight with us to the end. You can try to protect Jacky. But ording to my understanding of Rayan, this matter is not so easy to solve. It¡¯s likely that the loss outweighs the gain.¡±

    ¡°Deanna¡¯s temper will be beyond your expectation.¡±

    ¡°She isn¡¯t much different from a three-year-old child. If she was persuaded by Rayanand his wife, then Jacky might just be demoted to a passer-by in their lives. Both of you, buckle up and prepare for the worst, now.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, Deanna is pregnant. Couldn¡¯t that child¡­¡±

    Jenna pursed her lips, feeling a little sorry for Hannah and her daughter.

    Hansen raised his eyes to look at his wife. There had been changes in the past twenty years. He had put on the zing eyes of his youth and made it more and more intense, turning his clear arrogance and uninhibited self into restraint. Because of this, his eyes were deep, steady, and wise.

    Jenna looked at her husband, slowly regained herposure, and stopped talking.

    Hansen looked at Jenna and turned his head away. ¡°Rayan isn¡¯t an ordinary person. If a mere child can make him helpless, then he¡¯s lost his touch. How can he still hold a ce in Capital City?¡±

 Chapter 1327 Forced

    After a moment of silence in the ward, Santiago¡¯s phone rang. He pried open his bleary eyes and epted a call from Jacky telling him that he could not get to Deanna.

    ¡°I got you.¡±

    Santiago and Jacky had already established a tacit understanding.

    After receiving the call, Santiago hung up the phone. When he returned, he continued where his nap was left off. Jenna patted him and continued to sit with him. At that time, Jepherson stood up and said, ¡°This matter has not gone unnoticed. I will visit Mr. Whalenter and see what he means by this. When Santiago¡¯s awake, ask him to look into Flynt¡¯s affairs.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the most prudent way to go about it,¡± Jenna suddenly said. Hansen and his son looked at her. Jenna nced at her youngest son, who was still holding her. ¡°Look, Santiago and Cynthia are good friends. I heard that Cynthia has a very good rtionship with Flynt as brother and sister. Should we get someone else to do it?¡±

    ¡°Stuart has been injured. Who else should we send?¡± Hansen asked back. Jenna looked at Santiago. What a pity!

    When a person reached a certain age, their minds would have been different from their previous age, especially women.

    They would start to be all sentimental and sad.

    Jenna would asionally act like this in front of her husband, particrly disying sorrow.

    Hansen waved his hand. ¡°Go.¡±

    Jepherson nced at his mother and then turned to leave.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    After exiting the door, Jepherson looked around and went around to the door of another ward. He pushed open the door and walked in.

    There was no one in the ward,not even Raeleigh. At that time, Raeleigh was making something at the door opposite her. She heard that the door opposite her was opened, which sounded like the door to her room. Then, she turned off the fire and took a look outside. It was quiet in the corridor. Raeleigh looked at the door of her room. After thinking for a while, she walked back and opened the door to have a look.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment when she opened the door.Well,who else would it be if not Jepherson? She thought.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Raeleigh looked at other ces in the room, and making sure that Santiago or anyone else were no where to be seen,fixed her eyes on Jepherson.

    ¡°Come here.¡± Jepherson raised his hand and patted the ce beside him, signaling Raeleigh to enter. Raeleigh stood at the door, rooted to the ground, and watched.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Raeleigh refused to enter, after which Jepherson appeared impatient. The tenderness on his handsome face waned. Raeleigh remained at the same spot, pursing her lips. ¡°I¡¯m in the middle of cooking. If you want to take a breather, then by all means.¡±

    Raeleigh said that because she picked up on the signs of exhaustion on Jepherson¡¯s face.

    Then, she closed the door and went back to the opposite side, intending to continue cooking her soup.

    Raeleigh turned on the stove and boiled the soup in the pot. The door behind her opened quietly. Raeleigh¡¯s survival instinct activated, she turned around and nced at the door behind her. The door was closed as it was just then. Raeleigh turned around and went on cooking the soup.

    At that time, the strong aroma had filled the whole ward. The ward was not very big, but it was definitely arrangedspeciallyfor Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh drank in the fragrance and thought it was about time. When she was about to turn off the fire, she sensed someone standing behind her. She felt that this person¡­

    Raeleigh wanted to have a look subconsciously. Jepherson held her from the back.¡°Don¡¯t move. I just want to have a hug.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, and she then put down the spoon in her hand and continued to turn off the fire.

    ¡°How did you get in?¡± Raeleigh pulled a long face, not feeling happy at all.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s body tightly in his arms. Regardless of Raeleigh¡¯s struggle, he lowered his head, held Raeleigh¡¯s ear in his mouth, and bit it gently. Raeleigh raised her hand to push it away. Jepherson held her hand tighter, forcing Raeleigh to raise her face and let her breathe against him.

    Raeleigh¡¯s height was much shorter than that of Jepherson, who just looked down at Raeleigh.

    They beheld each other. Raeleigh knew what Jepherson was going to do and immediately whipped her face away.

    Raeleigh struggled hard. Jepherson turned around and took her to the door. Then, he locked the door, so that no one outside could get in.

    ¡°Jepher¡­¡±

    Before Raeleigh could say anything, he immediately sealed her lips with his. His tongue parted open Raeleigh¡¯s teeth, gaining deeper entrance into her mouth.

    Her hands rushed up to push him away, but she was in a flurry because he did not even give her a chance to struggle. Jepherson held the kiss for a while before letting her go.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.My parents and the others are on the opposite side. Santiago¡¯s here as well. It would be a joke if we caused amotion.¡±

    Raeleigh blushed. ¡°Jepherson Richards, you¡¯ve gone too far. We¡¯re already done for but you still treat me like this. You still have the nerve to¡­ Umm¡­¡±

    Before Raeleigh could finish her words, Jepherson lowered his head to kiss her, much gentler that time. His hand was not rough anymore. She held his hand, trying to make him let go, but he didn¡¯t. Instead, he put Raeleigh¡¯s hand on his body.

    Raeleigh felt that her hands were burning hot. She pressed them against Jepherson¡¯s body but soon withdrew them.

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth curved up and his rough voice echoed in Raeleigh¡¯s ears. ¡°Your body is more honest than your words, huh?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face turned redder as her hands iled. She tried to push him away but she failed.With the binding arms on his body let go, Jepherson¡¯s breathing became heavier.

    He lowered his eyes and fixed them on Raeleigh, who had shrunk into a ball. He traced his fingers along her face and said, ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh blushed and said shyly, ¡°Jepherson, you¡­ Mmm¡­¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t allow Raeleigh to speak. He stopped her from speaking. He didn¡¯t want to listen to her unpleasant words then. His desire could be seen from his deep eyes.

    ¡°Hold me¡­¡±

    Raeleigh was in a daze from being kissed. Her eyes were blurred. Somehow, she put her hands around Jepherson¡¯s shoulders. After lingering for a while, Jepherson whispered in Raeleigh¡¯s ear. Raeleigh looked at him slowly. She finally had a focus in her eyes and subconsciously moved away. Jepherson pulled Raeleigh back into his arms immediately, picked her up, and walked to the bed¡­

    ¡­

    Raeleigh felt that she had an erotic dream and had spent half of the night with the devil. At that time, the devil was holding her while she rested.

    Raeleigh tried to get up, but she was pulled back.

    Behind him, Jepherson held Raeleigh tightly in her arms, breathing heavily. ¡°I don¡¯t like the brightness of the dawn. I haven¡¯t enjoyed myself enough, but who¡¯s counting?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at the person who said that. If looks could kill, then he would be dead by now. ¡°For all I care, you could stay in the darkness forever.¡±

    ¡°If my girl, Raeleigh, is with me, then why not?¡±

    Then, he wrapped his arms around Raeleigh¡¯s waist, kissed her shoulders and chest a few times, and reluctantly let go of her.

    His gratified voice rang beside Raeleigh¡¯s ears. ¡°What a time to be alive!¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and did not budge for a long time. Then she said, ¡°I am going to make soup. Can¡¯t have my brother see this.¡±

    Only then did Jepherson let go of her hand. Raeleigh got up to get dressed, and so did Jepherson. Hewalked to a small window on the side and opened it to let air into the ward. He nipped in and out of the bathroom. Looking at Raeleigh, who was still making soup, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±

    After that, Jepherson left Raeleigh¡¯s and Xanthus¡¯s ward.

    Raeleigh closed the door, showing a trace of mncholy in her eyes and continued to make soup.

 Chapter 1328 Two Men

    Raeleigh picked up the soup, turned off the fire, and put it aside. Then, she scooped some into a bowl and brought it to Stuart.

    Standing at the door,Alvin epted the soup from Raeleigh.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look well. Go to bed early. Don¡¯t pull an all-nighter just to cook soup for Stuart. It¡¯s not good for your health.¡±

    Alvin turned around and went into the ward. Raeleigh looked up at Xanthus and said, ¡°Is it your break now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s take five.¡± Xanthus followed Raeleigh back without saying anything on the way. When he walked in, he saw Jepherson lying on the bed.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°He forced his way in. What am I to do?¡±

    It sounded like Raeleigh was wronged, as if she had met a rogue. Xanthus looked at his strong-willed sister. Jepherson was her undoing.

    ¡°Have you eaten yet? Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    ¡°No. I cooked some soup and brought it for you.¡±

    Raeleigh went to get the soup and Xanthus followed her out. The brother and sister had breakfast and soup in the adjacent room.

    After the meal, Xanthus said, ¡°My clothes are all dirty now. It¡¯s time to go back to change clothes. Let¡¯s head home.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t rest all night. Shall we go back by taxi?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll drive.¡± Xanthus took off his coat and draped it on a chair. He didn¡¯t have to worry about losing anything, as nothing could be lost here. They had the whole floor to themselves, so there was no need to worry.

    Aftering out with Raeleigh, Xanthus drove his car and went home with Raeleigh.

    On the way home, several cars were following them. Raeleigh was about to fall asleep, drifting in and out of consciousness.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

    Xanthus was taking his time. In fact, there were a lot of people at night who had taken turns to rest.

    Compared with Raeleigh, Xanthus¡¯s gaze was soft, but he was not in a good mood.

    Raeleigh was too passive. If she continued on like this, then she would copse.

    When they arrived home, Xanthus skirted the car, opened the door for Raeleigh, and touched her head. Then, she opened her eyes.

    Seeing Xanthus, she smiled and got out of the car.

    They talked and went back to the house. They went back to their own rooms to take a bath and changed into clean clothes.

    Xanthus knocked on Raeleigh¡¯s door. Raeleigh opened it and Xanthus came in and said, ¡°Rest well.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to sleep in my room?¡± Raeleigh and Xanthus were brother and sister, so they had nothing to be ashamed of. In the beginning, everything might have felt weird, but right then, Raeleigh was used to it and feltfortable.

    Xanthus closed the door and came in, wearing clean pyjamas. He walked around the bed andy on it. Raeleigh snuggled under the quilt on the other side.

    It was daytime, and the curtains were not closed, so they could be seen through the binocrs from outside.

    Receiving the information, Jepherson emerged from under the quilt, put on his clothes, and went out of the room.

    Jenna woke up after a night¡¯s sleep. She was just about to eat and visit her son. As soon as she went out, she saw her son, who was going out.

    ¡°Jerry,¡± Jenna called. Jepherson stopped and turned to look at Jenna. ¡°Mom.¡±

    ¡°Jerry,are you going out? I saw you leaving Raeleigh¡¯s ce. Did you stay with Raeleigh at night?¡±

    Jenna was cock-a-hoop. It seemed that it was right to have arrangedthe next room forRaeleigh.

    ¡°I did stay the night there, but Raeleigh didn¡¯te back. I¡¯m going to check things out. I think she¡¯s perhaps left with Xanthus. They¡¯ve been here for some time and are now home to change their clothes.¡±

    Jenna was confused. How had his sentence progressed from conjecture to conclusion? To what did he owe this certainty?

    ¡°Then, be careful on your way,¡± she said after hesitating for a moment and Jepherson agreed. He turned around and walked towards the elevator. Entering the elevator, he pressed a button to go down. He narrowed his eyes and leaned against the elevator wall to rest.

    The door of the elevator opened. Jepherson opened his eyes and stepped out. Briskly, he walked all the way out of the hospital.

    Outside the door, a car was waiting with the doors opened. Jepherson bent down and sat in the car. He leaned against the side and said, ¡°To Yellow Road, please.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Raeleigh felt someone open the door and was roused. She sat up from the bed. The visitor was none other than Jepherson.

    Raeleigh touched her forehead subconsciously. ¡°Am I dreaming?¡± she thought.

    Holding on to her thoughts, Raeleigh took a look at Xanthus, who followed suit.

    Both of them sat on the bed, without saying a word.

    Jepherson stood at the door and said, ¡°Come.¡±

    Xanthus nced at Raeleigh and he then got out of bed. ¡°You should continue your rest.¡±

    Xanthus didn¡¯te back after he left the room, which made Raeleigh worried. She got off the bed and heard someone talking outside.

    ¡°You are not allowed to sleep in Raeleigh¡¯s room in the future.¡±

    The voice came from Jepherson, whose dissatisfaction and anger were heard.

    Raeleigh slowly turned around and looked at the bed that she had just slept on. She raised her head and rubbed it. Then, she went back and continued to lie down to rest.

    Xanthus, who was outside the door,ughed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you sort of forgetting that this is my abode?¡±

    ¡°I know this is your house, but Raeleigh is my woman. Don¡¯t forget, although you are Raeleigh¡¯s brother, you should know what¡¯s good for you.¡±

    Xanthus nced at the door. ¡°So I heard. If there is nothing else, you can leave.¡±

    Xanthus turned around and returned to Raeleigh¡¯s room. He was going to ignore him, but Jepherson tailed him into the room.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes and saw the both of theming in.

    Helpless,Xanthus looked back at Jepherson. ¡°Look here, we need to rest. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want something to happen to Stuart either.¡±

    ¡°Of course, rest it is. That makes three of us. Since I¡¯ve got Raeleigh weighing on my mind, I think it¡¯s more appropriate for me to stay.¡±

    Jepherson refused to leave. He walked into the room, sat down on the couch opposite Raeleigh, and watched her.

    Raeleigh was speechless. Which act,she thought,was he putting up again? As if things weren¡¯tplicated enough.

    Feeling depressed, Raeleigh looked at Xanthus.

    ¡°Well, take a rest. I¡¯ll sit for a while.¡± Xanthus then walked to Jepherson¡¯s side and narrowed his eyes.

    Raeleigh stole a nce before lying down to have a rest.

    Both men had no sooner fallen asleep than Raeleigh followed suit.

    The three of them slept until three o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    When Raeleigh woke up, there was no one in the room. She changed her clothes and went downstairs to look for them.

    Standing downstairs was a young manRaeleigh had met before.He had appeared not long after Stuart was hospitalized. Moreover, he had always been by Jepherson¡¯s side.

    Seeing this man, Raeleigh knew that Jepherson mustn¡¯t have left.

    Aftering downstairs, Raeleigh looked towards the kitchen where the sound came from and walked towards it.

    There were cooking sounds in the kitchen, but there was no sound of anyone talking.

    Raeleigh went to the door of the kitchen and saw two people inside.

 Chapter 1329 Sick Jepherson

    Raeleigh lookedstrangelyat the two men who were cooking. One was making a tofu dish, while the other was deboning fish. As though they had agreed to a truce, they were then minding their own tasks in peace.

    It seemed that they heard the sound of Raeleigh¡¯s footsteps. Jepherson took a look at the door of the kitchen. Seeing Raeleigh, he blinked his eyes and said, ¡°Wash your hands.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Then, Xanthus,with his gaze on her, said, ¡°Wash your hands. Dinner¡¯sing right up.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Raeleigh promised Xanthus. As for Jepherson, Raeleigh dismissed his greetings away.

    After washing her hands, she went to the kitchen to help.

    With four dishes and one soup,it was quite the assorted menu.

    The three of them sat down. Jepherson looked at the person standing by the side and said, ¡°Come and eat.¡±

    He, who was called, went to Raeleigh¡¯s side and began eating.

    Raeleigh sat beside Xanthus, while Jepherson¡¯s aide sat opposite him.

    Jepherson prepared the tofu himself, so he put it in front of Raeleigh, to which she ignored. Then, he raised his hand and spooned some into Raeleigh¡¯s bowl. After that, Raeleigh took a bite of it.

    After eating, Jepherson nced at the time. ¡°Let¡¯s not clean up. Stuart needs someone to take care of him. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Getting up, Jepherson gestured at his aide to wait outside the door.

    Closing the door, Raeleigh asked Xanthus, ¡°Do we need to take his car and leave together?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Let¡¯s drive there in case it¡¯s inconvenient for us toe back.¡± Xanthus drove his car, bringing Raeleigh with him.

    They drove to the hospital, and Jepherson came afterwards with his men.

    When the car arrived at the destination, Raeleigh went to the hospital with Xanthus. When they arrived at the hospital, she went to make food for Stuart while Xanthus changed into his doctor¡¯s attire and went to see Stuart.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

    Xanthus stopped and turned to Raeleigh. ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around to look at Xanthus, who said, ¡°If Jepherson continues on like this, then I will take you away, whether Stuart is sick or not. He doesn¡¯t need me anymore.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Xanthus and agreed.

    Xanthus turned around and walked away. At the door of the elevator stood Jepherson. He looked at Xanthus and paused. Jepherson stepped forward and walked towards Xanthus.

    Jepherson looked at him up and down and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to hurt her. I just wanted to get closer to her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you think, but I¡¯m not of the same opinion.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t understand how to respect her personal space, then you¡¯re at fault.¡± After saying that, Xanthus walked away. Raeleigh took a nce at him and turned to the kitchen. When she entered, Raeleigh was afraid that Jepherson woulde in uninvited when her guard was down. Then, she locked the door.

    Raeleigh checked the refrigerator, finding that fresh ribs had been put inside. There had been nothing the day before, which indicated that it had just been restocked.

    Raeleigh took out the bone and rinsed it. Then, she began to make bone soup.

    Jepherson tried to open the door twice, but to no avail. He could only knock. Raeleigh took a look at the ss on the door, which was translucent.

    Raeleigh knew it was Jepherson, but she did not intend to go out.

    Jepherson knocked twice again, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t open the door and continued with what she was doing.

    Raeleigh ignored him when she heard Jepherson¡¯s call. Raeleigh cklisted his phone number, so that he could not get through.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Outside, Jepherson was calling Raeleigh, who was upset. What on Earth was this man doing?

    ¡°You can leave now. I¡¯m going to make soup.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in a little bit of difort. Look at me, am I having a fever?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. It seemed that his voice sounded really awful.

    After thinking for a while, Raeleigh opened the door and looked at him.¡°If you have a fever,then you should go to a doctor instead of me.¡±

    ¡°Try and check. If I¡¯m sick, then I¡¯ll leave.¡± Jepherson was telling the truth. Raeleigh raised her hand to feel his head. After touching him, Raeleigh also raised her hand to touch her head. It was indeed warm.

    ¡°Why would you have a fever out of nowhere?¡± Raeleigh asked with a strange look on her face, putting her hand down.

    Jepherson simply looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Give me some antibiotics. I¡¯ll wait for you in your room.¡±

    Jepherson turned back to Raeleigh¡¯s and Xanthus¡¯s ward. The man who followed him lowered his eyes slightly. The fever happened as he had gone to take a cold shower in the morning. When he came out, he heard Jepherson sneeze but thetter deliberately did not show it in front of Xanthus.

    Jepherson entered through the door and took off his clothes. After going to the bathroom, he then went to lie down. Raeleigh returned with antibiotics.

    It was too troublesome to buy antibiotics in the hospital. The doctor did not care about the patient¡¯s life and death. Without the hospital¡¯s admission, it was impossible to give one medicine.

    Raeleigh knew this very well. Even if she told the hospital¡¯s staff who she was, the hospital would not entertain her.

    So, Raeleigh did not waste any time and ran straight to Xanthus. She said that Jepherson had caught a cold and asked for medicine.

    Although Xanthus had some doubts, it was not their fault if a patient faked his illness. So, he wrote a prescription for her to collect some medicine.

    Raeleigh came back quickly as the pharmacy was only downstairs. Raeleigh took the medicine and came back to see Jepherson. She gave Jepherson some water to wash down the pills.

    ¡°Lie down for a while. I¡¯m gonna check on the soup.¡±

    Raeleigh had a lot of things to do, so she turned around and went back to the kitchen. Jepherson did not move. Raeleigh began to pace back and forth, attending to two tasks.

    It was noon. Raeleigh took a thermometer to check Jepherson¡¯s temperature. However, it hadn¡¯t gone down, which made Raeleigh anxious.

    ¡°Weird. Why do you have a fever?¡± Raeleigh asked him in confusion. He stared at Raeleigh but he could not answer.

    Feeling apprehensive, Raeleigh called Xanthus.

    ¡°Xanthus¡­ his fever has be serious.¡± Raeleigh was a little depressed. When she called, she looked back at Jepherson. She must have owed him in her past life.

    Otherwise, how would her life end up like this?

    Raeleigh put down her cell phone and turned to look at him. He frowned. ¡°It¡¯s just a fever.¡±

    ¡°If your temperature is too high, then your brain would go haywire.¡± Raeleigh rolled her eyes at Jepherson, who did not answer until Xanthus came over. Raeleigh was helping him cool his face with cold water.

    Xanthus came in from the outside and took a look. He closed the door and went to the hospital bed. He undid Jepherson¡¯s clothes and asked Raeleigh to make a phone call.

    ¡°Send him to the examination room immediately. Perhaps, it¡¯s a virus infection,¡± Xanthus said as he looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh made a call immediately. Jepherson was also sent to the examination room for a blood test.

    Raeleigh apanied Jepherson until he had finished the examination beforeing back with him. Jepherson was diagnosed with having a viral cold.

    Raeleigh walked in a daze. Jepherson had been sleeping,with an IV drip hanging on a stand beside him. He didn¡¯t react much, as if he was tired.

    Raeleigh felt chronically fatigued. Ever since she had met Jepherson, she had never known vitality anymore. But if she was asked to say that she had no feelings at all¡­

    Raeleigh would be worried when she saw Jepherson lying on the hospital bed, asleep. When she thought of their happy memories together, she was worried that something would happen to him.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ I¡¯m off to examine Stuart. He¡¯s in a bad state today. I can¡¯t stay here to apany you. Can you do it alone?¡± Xanthus wanted to leave, but he couldn¡¯t ignore Stuart for Jepherson¡¯s sake.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Raeleigh stood up. Taking care of one patient wouldn¡¯t pose that much difficulty for her.

 Chapter 1330 Whatâ€™s Going On?

    After Xanthus left, she began to take care of Jepherson. Although there was not much to do, she didn¡¯t get a wink of sleep at night. After all, she was looking after a patient with a high fever.

    In the morning, Raeleigh fell asleep leaning against the bed. Jepherson got up and opened his eyes, looking at Raeleigh. She was exhausted all over. He raised his hand and touched her. Then, he continued to lie down.

    Raeleigh woke up toJepherson staring at the roof. Sitting for a while, she raised her hand and touched Jepherson¡¯s forehead. She finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    Jepherson raised his hand and held Raeleigh¡¯s. ¡°I don¡¯t think death is all that terrible. On the contrary, I feel so warm that it wards off the cold. Do you know why?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, trying to pull her hand back, but she was held down by Jepherson.

    Staring at Raeleigh, Jepherson said, ¡°It¡¯s you. You¡¯re the source of the warmth!¡±

    Raeleigh said sarcastically, ¡°Yeah, right.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s enough that I believe it. I won¡¯t impose it on you.¡± Jepherson smiled and loosened Raeleigh¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m famished.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll grab you something to eat.¡± Raeleigh left and got Jepherson a bowl of soup.

    Jepherson sat up and stared at his own hand in a daze. Raeleigh came in and gave him a bowl of soup.Jepherson had a cann stuck in his hand, so he drank the soup with his movements restricted. Raeleigh watched him for a while and sat down on the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll feed you.¡±

    Jepherson handed the bowl to Raeleigh, waiting to be fed. Raeleigh fed him, spoonful after spoonful. He began to cool down as he ate.

    He was eating when he said, ¡°I have found another child. I will go and see himter.Would you mind apanying me?¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a while upon hearing what Jepherson had said. Her gaze settled on his face. ¡°You don¡¯t know when to quit, do you?¡±

    Jepherson just looked at Raeleigh without saying anything. Raeleigh hesitated for a long time. ¡°Santiago told me¡­¡±

    Not waiting for Raeleigh to finish her words, Jepherson immediately interrupted her.¡°I know. To have fallen from such a high ce, anything could happen to normal people, let alone a pregnant woman.¡±

    Raeleigh shut her mouth and said nothing.

    Jepherson continued, ¡°So, I always think it will be a miracle if I could find the child.¡±

    ¡°You know that the child has¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to it for so many years. If it weren¡¯t for me,then my mother wouldn¡¯t have fallen from the cliff and the child would be like you, having a good brother, right?¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent for a long time, unable to answer Jepherson¡¯s question. She said, ¡°Even so, you have been looking for her for so long, but you haven¡¯t found her. When are you going to stop?¡±

    ¡°When there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way.¡±

    ¡°You are crazy,that¡¯s what I think.Santiago was right. You know the child is dead. You are just guilt-tripping yourself and withholding that forgiveness.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s ridiculous?¡±

    ¡°No matter what happened in the past, you were kidnapped. As your mother, it was normal for her to risk everything to save you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, there was a lovely life growing in her belly, but in the eyes of your mother, you were the only one. The flesh in her belly was one with her. She could bear her fetus getting harmed, but she could not bear any harm thates to you.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°No matter what your parents think, they haven¡¯t told you the truth. You should not be tied up by this matter anymore. You have to know, your parents love you, and they love the other child, too.¡±

    ¡°You have a good family, so why do you have to struggle like a caged beast? Why do you have to struggle with such torment?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s neither good for you, nor is it good for your family.¡±

    ¡°No? Xanthus has never given up on you. Even when he heard that you were dead, he still found you by sensing your presence.¡±

    Jepherson had a concrete will. His eyes were full of determination. Raeleigh knew that she couldn¡¯t dissuade him. She even found it funny. She did this knowing that it was a lost cause, and she didn¡¯t know which screw was loose within her.

    ¡°I know. If you insist on the search, then go ahead, but I won¡¯t go with you.¡±

    Raeleigh got up and left the ward. She closed the door and looked back. She could understand what Jepherson was doing. They were two of a kind. If it were her,then she would have done the same thing.

    But she would never apany him to find that person.

    Just because of a person who did not exist, her child was gone. In the story that was so-called founded on love, that character inside was tethered to one too many burdening shackles. Raeleigh could no longer apany Jepherson on his odyssey of self-deception.

    Raeleigh was cooking. Jepherson didn¡¯t know what had happened. He came out from the room, nced at Raeleigh, and went back to his parents.

    If Raeleigh had time to rest, then she wouldn¡¯t pay attention to other things. Even if Jepherson wanted to do something, Raeleigh would turn a blind eye to it.

    In the afternoon, Xanthus came back to have a rest. Raeleigh took care of him for a while and she then went to rest herself. They were all human beings, so they had to give themselves some time to bounce back. After all, wasn¡¯t physical strength what helped in mankind¡¯s survival?

    Raeleighy down and said, ¡°I really hope that Stuart can get better as soon as possible.¡±

    Xanthus had closed his eyes. Hearing what Raeleigh said, he opened his eyes and looked at her for a while. ¡°Did he make things difficult for you again?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head.¡°He didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then, why are you in such a hurry to leave?¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to see him.¡±

    Raeleigh was really tired. She felt tired, down to the veryst cell of her body.

    ¡°I see. I will cure Stuart as soon as possible and try to leave here before the New Year.¡± Xanthus closed his eyes and began to rest.

    Raeleigh also began to rest, but no matter how she rested, she could not sleep well. It took her a long time to fall asleep. When she fell asleep, Raeleigh started to dream. In her dream, she saw a little girl of her age chatting with her¡­

    Raeleigh woke up from her dream when she saw that child fall into the water. The child kept shouting for help, which woke her up.

    It was dark when Raeleigh opened her eyes. And she was panting with sweat on her forehead. Xanthus had stood up in front of Raeleigh. He sat down and asked Raeleigh what was wrong with him while stroking her head.

    Jepherson also pushed the door open and came in. He was going to leave, but when he heard Raeleigh¡¯s cry from outside, he came in to have a look.

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Jepherson. Then, he walked through the door and stood in front of Raeleigh. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just had a dream.¡± Raeleigh lowered her head, her palms mmy.

    Jepherson asked her, ¡°Did you dream of the fire?¡±

    Raeleigh had survived the fire, so she always had dreams about it. It was traumatic for her, andfor a long time, she had been forced to relive it.

    After sitting down, Raeleigh shook her head. Jepherson raised his hand and held Raeleigh¡¯s chin. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

 Chapter 1331 Second Visit

    What should Raeleigh have said?

    Silence was sometimes the best answer.

    Jepherson sat there for a while. He had nned to go out, but then he called Santiago and informed him that he might have to hold off the n.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. You can leave now.¡± Raeleigh wiped the sweat off her face. All of a sudden, Jepherson held Raeleigh from the side. The look in his eyes wasn¡¯t what one would call amiable.

    Sitting on one side was Xanthus. He did not expect that Jepherson would feel ufortable.

    ¡°Jepherson, let go¡­¡±

    ¡°It will be better this way.¡± Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and gently caressed her back. Raeleigh waspletely at a loss. She hadn¡¯t seen thising. It seemed as though he was in more pain than she was.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    After holding Raeleigh for a while, he let her go. Jepherson studied Raeleigh¡¯s head. It was alright then.

    ¡°C¡¯mon.I¡¯ll take you out for a walk.¡±

    Jepherson stood up, took Raeleigh¡¯s shoes, and was ready to put them on her. Raeleigh pushed him with a nk face. Jepherson did not leave but he knelt on the ground to put shoes on her. ¡°We¡¯re going out for a while. Sit back and rx, I won¡¯t touch Raeleigh.¡±

    Xanthus stood up from the side. ¡°You¡¯d better do what you say.¡±

    Raeleigh was stumped for a moment and looked up at Xanthus.

    ¡°The air cirction here is not good and it won¡¯t do any good to your sleep. Go and get some fresh air outside.¡± Xanthus was also worried as Raeleigh was always cooped up in the hospital.

    After putting on her shoes, Jepherson stepped back and looked at Raeleigh.¡°I¡¯ll wait for you by the elevator.¡±

    Jepherson said and went out. Raeleigh came down the bed after a long time. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good to walk around. Being holed up here will affect your mood and emotions. Since he promised, he will definitely hold on to his word, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Raeleigh had to go out. When she came out of the door, she saw him standing at the door of the elevator.

    ¡°Put on something thicker.¡± Seeing that Raeleigh was not wearing much, Jepherson went directly to her and reminded her. Raeleigh watched him pass by her and went into Xanthus¡¯s ward. After a while, he took out Xanthus¡¯ coat.

    He came to Raeleigh and put the coat over her. ¡°It¡¯ll be cold outside.¡±

    After that, he pressed the elevator button and entered it.

    Raeleigh followed behind him and went outside together.

    Out of the door, Raeleigh got in the car with Jepherson. Inside the car, she took off the coat and held it in her arms. She looked around and asked, ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°To see Deanna.¡± Jepherson had promised Santiago that he would go to the Whalen family to visit her. With Raeleigh¡¯s bad dream, Jepherson was worried and decided to bring her along.

    Raeleigh turned to look at him. ¡°You¡¯re taking me to the Whalen family residence?¡±

    ¡°Scarlette is there. It¡¯s very appropriate for you to go.¡±

    Jepherson looked at her. It was dark and the lights were flickering. The car drove along the streets cast with shadows. In a sessive motion, the shadows scuttled across Jepherson¡¯s face. Raeleigh stared at his face and a blueprint of a car appeared in her mind. Raeleigh closed her eyes, turned her face away, and furrowed her brows, thinking about the picture.

    In front of the car, the driver saw the intersection in front of him and blurted out, ¡°This is strange¡­¡±

    Without waiting for the driver to finish his sentence, Jepherson raised his hand to stop him. He motioned for the driver to make a detour. He did not want to disturb Raeleigh.

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth turned up slightly. He was d that Raeleigh¡¯s inspiration came from him. If not, then he would be very disappointed.

    Raeleigh had been resting with her eyes closed. When the car shook lightly, Raeleigh frowned in her sleep.

    The car was the most expensive andfortable kind, so it was cozy for Raeleigh to sit on the side. Jepherson suddenly wanted to know what the picture Raeleigh was thinking about was like, even the color of the car would be enough to ease his curiosity.

    Jepherson knew that Raeleigh¡¯s car would never have a second color. The color was very singr and unique.

    Just like the first few vehicles she had designed, the demand had been higher than the supply. They had already received a booking from the world¡¯s top dealers, hoping to get the dealership of Duke and Dream.

    The car pulled up at the gate of the Whalen family residence. The driver, still taciturn, turned around. The driver asked Jepherson if he wanted to get out of the car. However, Jepherson did not move. He waited until Raeleigh opened her eyes and looked at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave. You guys can go ahead.¡±

    Raeleigh neither wanted toe down nor go inside. To put it bluntly, she thought her presence was redundant.

    Even if she wanted to see Deanna, she could see her by herself. She did not need to rely on Jepherson, as if that was her free pass as his woman.

    Besides, they might not be weed in the house.

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh, turned around, and got out of the car. He straightened his clothes and turned to look at Raeleigh in the car. ¡°Come down, yeah?¡±

    Raeleigh pulled a long face. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go in.¡±

    ¡°Oh,you don¡¯t want a lot of things, but not every one of them can be abided by. Doe down.¡±

    Jepherson waited for Raeleigh for a few minutes. It was so cold outside but Jepherson wouldn¡¯t leave. So, Raeleigh had to step out of the car.

    When they reached the door, Raeleigh looked at them. Santiago was also at the door, standing there. His green sweater was particrly eye-catching.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment. She then put on the ck coat and walked towards Santiago.

    ¡°Why did youe out wearing such paper thin clothes?¡± she asked.

    If Raeleigh hadn¡¯t worn too little on the inside,then she would really have wanted to give her coat to Santiago.

    ¡°Aha! You¡¯re swaddled in clothes. Give it to me then.¡± Santiago turned around with a smile on his face. Raeleigh was stunned. ¡°Nice try.¡±

    The corners of Santiago¡¯s lips curled into a sinister smile. Raising his head to look at Jepherson¡¯s calm face, the smile slipped off his face and he looked at the entrance of the Whalen familyresidence.

    ¡°I was told that they were going to have a rest and was asked toe back tomorrow, but I felt a little strange. It waspletely quiet and you could hear a pin drop inside. Except for the old housekeeper, it was totally different from usual.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± In fact, Jepherson also felt strange. Even if Santiago did not say it, he still noticed it.

    Raeleigh peered inside but found nothing strange.

    ¡°Press the doorbell,¡± Jepherson said, to which Santiago obliged. It didn¡¯t take long for Tetsuo, the old butler, toe out. When he saw the people at the door, he felt conflicted. Why, he thought, were these people here yet again?

    Tetsuo didn¡¯t dare to dawdle and hurried over.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, Mr. Santiago, this¡­ Miss Raeleigh.¡±

    He greeted them politely. Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him and smiled politely. ¡°Sorry to bother you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so hungry I could eat a horse! Let me in and make me something to eat,¡± Santiago said. Tetsuo thought, ¡°Here we go again.¡±Why couldn¡¯t Santiago have spiced up his excuses a bit?

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, it¡¯s not that I won¡¯t let you in. It¡¯s just that we¡¯re all resting now, and there¡¯s no one to serve you inside.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to be entertained. Chop, chop.Open sesame.¡±

    Undeterred, Santiago was there to stay. When Tetsuo was running out of ideas, his cell phone rang. He looked at the phone andapologeticallyreturned his gaze at them. ¡°Mr. Jepherson, pleasee in with Mr. Santiago and Miss Raeleigh.¡±

    Tetsuo opened the door and Raeleigh followed the two brothers inside.

 Chapter 1332 He Was The Same

    A trace of suspicion rose in Raeleigh¡¯s heart when she came in. Logically, the Whalen family would not act like this if Zorion¡¯s parents were at home.

    There would at least be someone who woulde out to wee them. After all, Deanna and Zorion had a different upbringing from the other families.

    But right then, there was no one around other than the Whalen family¡¯s butler, Tetsuo. It seemed like Zorion¡¯s parents were not at home. Could it be that¡­

    Raeleigh¡¯s head shook, and she looked at Jepherson. His facial expression was dark, yet he still followed Tetsuo inside without a word.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

    Meanwhile, Santiago followed behind them and entered the house nonchntly.

    Tetsuo invited Raeleigh and the others to sit down. Jepherson sank into the couch as he waited for Zorion to attend to them. It didn¡¯t take long for Zorion toe downstairs. He was wearing matching purple pyjamas, and his physique no longer seemed as fit as before, with his thin face terrifyingly pale. It was as if he had been through h*ll.

    Raeleigh was lost in thought for a moment. It was the first time that she had seen Zorion in such a state.

    Zorion walked down the stairs and stared at Raeleigh for a while before he smiled and said, ¡°I always thought that I love you to the bone and that nothing, nor anyone, can ever change my so-called love for you. But one day, whenI fell head over heels for the other person who appeared in my life, I realized that I was only lying to myself all along.¡±

    ¡°All my love was nothing but a lie. Just like that, I turned my back and left while falling in love with somebody else.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it was because I could not let go of my unrequited love or something else. I only knew that I felt like a poor child, lost in the mountains, who tripped and fell into the river and lost his direction.¡±

    Raeleigh was taken aback by his words. Beside her, Santiago snorted. ¡°Are you reciting a poem?¡±

    Zorion¡¯s face darkened, and he nced at Santiago as he hissed. ¡°I am indeed suffering from some issues with my health. But it is all because you had hit mest time.¡±

    Santiago leaned against the wall and sneered. ¡°You¡¯re still ckmailing me?¡±

    ¡°What can a person like you offer me if I ckmailed you?¡± Zorion walked in front of them and sat down. Then, he looked at Tetsuo and ordered, ¡°Serve some fruits for Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Tetsuo went to the kitchen and gave out instructions for this matter.

    After Tetsuo left, Zorion lifted his eyes and looked at Raeleigh. He shed her a grin and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have caused you so much trouble in the past. Today, I want to apologize to you formally by serving you some fruits.¡±

    Raeleigh did not expect Zorion to say such words. She was stunned for a long time before she finally came back to her senses.

    ¡°I am leaving darkness behind, and I hope that you and I may be good friends in the future.¡±

    Tetsuo set a te of fruits on the table as Zorion spoke. Zorion picked the freshest fruit and handed it over to Raeleigh.

    ¡°Take it. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other anymore. We¡¯ll let go of the past. Although I have done many things in the past, I hope you don¡¯t take them to heart. After all, I¡¯ve left your world. I¡¯m just like a child who ran away from home, but unfortunately, I have found another stepmother who despises me.¡±

    Raeleigh felt sorry for Zorion. Without thinking, she reached out to ept the apple as she stared at Zorion with a hint of imperceptible pity in her eyes.

    She felt ufortable knowing that Zorion had killed someone for her sake.

    ¡°Don¡¯t feel hopeless. Actually, it is not easy to talk about matters of love. You might think that she doesn¡¯t like you, but that¡¯s just your opinion. Think about it, just like the apple in my hand. You might think this apple looks beautiful, and it is destined to be human¡¯s food. But what if you were to switch ces with it? What will you think if you were the one lying naked on the te when the big red apple sits on the couch?¡±

    Everyone in the room, including Santiago, turned to look at Raeleigh in confusion. They all thought that she had gone mad because her words did not make sense at all. No one would evere up with such a metaphor.

    However, Raeleigh¡¯s gaze was calm, as if telling everyone that she was not joking at all, especially to Zorion, who was staring at her with a nk face.

    Raeleigh nced at the apple and continued, ¡°You take a bite of it without asking its permission, and you think that it tastes very sweet. But how do you know that it is willing to be eaten by you?¡±

    ¡°After all, she¡¯s not an apple. You can¡¯t do whatever you want, right?¡±¡±

    Zorion did not answer, but Raeleigh smiled. ¡°Everyone knows that love doesn¡¯t work like this. You have no right to force her to do anything she dislikes. The more you force her, the more she refuses.¡±

    ¡°You felt nothing when you were not so into her. She was indeed happy when she was together with you, and you believe that others could never give her this kind of happiness. But how do you know that this is what she wants?¡±

    ¡°Scientists have proven that more than 90% of male physiological happiness came from bodily pleasures and desires, whereas female physiological happiness came from the consciousness of their brains. In other words, women crave emotional closure, while men want physical entanglement.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you understood this from the very beginning. How can you be so sure that she is happy?¡±

    ¡°Do you think that if you were vited, you would tell the judge that you felt good and you even had an¡­¡±

    Raeleigh stopped herself and remained silent for a while. After all, she was a woman, and some words still made her blush. But looking at Zorion¡¯s expression, she thought that he must have taken the hint already.

    ¡°Are you trying to say that I am a bad person, and she does not like me at all?¡±

    Zorion gritted his teeth. Although Raeleigh did not want to hurt him, it was toote for her to stop talking then.

    She hesitated for a moment before answering. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not that she doesn¡¯t like you. It might be that she does not dare to admit her feelings for you, and she forces herself to dislike you.¡±

    Raeleigh had noticed Rossie¡¯s gaze before. Her gaze seemed unusually calm and indifferent, but Raeleigh saw no hint of hatred in her eyes.

    Sometimes, some people were like this. The more they loved someone, the more they tried to hide it. It would exin why Rossie acted so indifferent as if she was a hedgehog with thorns all over her body. Perhaps she was afraid of getting hurt, so that was why she was so protective of her feelings.

    Raeleigh said again, ¡°Think about it. In your memories, have you ever identally noticed her with a genuine smile? If so, then I believe that she doesn¡¯t dislike you. Instead, she is only refusing to ept it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that she refuses to ept you. Perhaps, she doesn¡¯t know that she is already falling for you subconsciously, and she didn¡¯t want to ept the fact that she likes you.¡±

    Zorion clenched both his hands tightly and loosened them after a while. ¡°Women are strange. Is it so hard to speak out how they feel? They cause so much trouble.¡±

    Zorion¡¯s facial expression seemed tense, but Raeleigh continued. ¡°So, you expect the vited person to tell the judge that she likes it?¡±

    ¡°To admit that she is a pervert and that she likes being vited?¡±

    ¡°Maybe she always wanted to give you a chance, but every time, you behaved like a wild beast, and whenever you two met, you only wanted to¡­¡±

    ¡°How could she ept this?¡±

    Raeleigh bit her lip and stared at Zorion, feeling anxious for him. She always thought that the way Deanna¡¯s mind worked was interesting. It seemed that Zorion was the same.

 Chapter 1333 Decision To Let Go

    Zorion pondered for a moment, and he then asked, ¡°So, what can I do to make her like me?¡±

    Raeleigh and the others froze. Raeleigh thought for a while and said, ¡°Treat her like how you treat Deanna. If you can¡¯t be honest with her, then you should let her go. It will be good for both of you. In fact¡­¡±

    She hesitated for a moment. Zorion asked, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Actually, she¡¯s not your prisoner. You chained her up, and she can¡¯t go anywhere. Although keeping her by your side might have prevented her from escaping, you¡¯ll never win her heart. If I were her, then I would also find ways to escape. It¡¯s better to let her go and let her realize who treats her the best.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Zorion quietly. For the first time, Zorion thought that this was a painful and bad decision.

    Leaning against the couch, Zorion remained silent for a long time before replying, ¡°I understand now. Thank you.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s grip on the apple tightened. ¡°Thank you too.¡±

    Zorion smiled weakly, and his eyes drifted towards the stairs. There were only the two of them left in the house. If she left, then he would probably die alone.

    He thought for a moment before speaking again, ¡°Are you here to see Deanna?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Santiago replied immediately. Raeleigh could not tell from his nonchnt attitude if he was serious.

    Zorion looked at Santiago and said, ¡°She left for Europe the night you came here for the first time.¡±

    Jepherson did not flinch. It was as if he had already expected this.

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Santiago raised his eyebrows in suspicion. Raeleigh was equally doubtful. However, she realized that she had not seen Scarlette since they came in. Maybe Scarlette had nned this too. Perhaps she never wanted to stay with Hadrian, so she immediately changed her mind after being convinced by her family. Raeleigh could imagine how excited she felt when she finally left Hadrian.

    Zorion ignored Santiago¡¯s question and fixed his gaze on Jepherson. Jepherson already knew very well what was going on.

    ¡°Did Mr. Whalen say anything before he left?¡± Jepherson asked. Zorion smiled and said, ¡°If anyone were to mess with your family, then they are ying with fire. The Whalen family will always support the Richards family. From now on, I will do my best to assist you until you find out the truth, but¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you dawdling about?¡± Santiago cut him off impatiently. Raeleigh red at him.

    Actually, he didn¡¯t care about all this at all.

    ¡°But I will suppress Jacky and subdue all of his territories in Waverly Vige. Then, I¡¯ll chase him out of Capital City. I don¡¯t care where he escapes to.¡±

    ¡°Suppress Jacky?¡± Santiago eximed, his face full of amusement. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    Zorion shook his head. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m kidding?¡±

    Santiago paused and looked at Jepherson. Jepherson exined, ¡°My father wishes to take Jacky as his godson, but Jacky never agreed to it.¡±

    However, you should know that my father never changes his mind.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t interfere in this matter. Once I chase Jacky out of Capital City and subdue all of his territories in Waverly Vige, then¡­¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t care where he goes. I will also ignore the fact that he is Uncle Hansen¡¯s godson. I¡¯m only following my father¡¯s orders.¡±

    Raeleigh waspletely stunned by the situation. It seemed that Rayan was going to go all out on Jacky.

    Something bad was bound to happen if this went on.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about Mr. Whalen¡¯s orders. I will protect Jacky no matter what. Whoever dares to touch him is my enemy.¡±

    Santiago stood up and walked towards the door. As he passed by the entrance, he smashed the vase at the door.

    Zorion turned around and said, ¡°That¡¯s the Emperor¡¯s vase. It¡¯s made of blue and white porcin.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson curiously and wondered what Zorion meant.

    Jepherson pulled his coat open and took out a fountain pen and a chequebook.

    He wrote a five-million-dor cheque, and he then signed his name on it. He tore it off the book and handed it to Zorion. ¡°Is this enough?¡±

    Zorion nced at it and said, ¡°There is no problem with the amount, but there is no official seal on it.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s eyebrows knotted as he took Raeleigh¡¯s hand and removed the bracelet on her wrist. Then, he pressed the bracelet on the cheque.

    Raeleigh hid her hands behind her. She did not want to wear the bracelet. But Jepherson still reached out and pulled out her hands, and he then fastened the bracelet on her.

    Zorion turned to look at Tetsuo and instructed, ¡°Take it. Go to the Richards Group tomorrow to get the money.¡±

    ¡°Sure, Young Master Whalen.¡± Testuo felt relieved. He didn¡¯t expect Zorion to recover so quickly.

    Zorion stood up as well. ¡°You may go back. I¡¯m going to rest.¡±

    Jepherson stood up and looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh quickly got up from her seat and followed him outside.

    ¡­

    When they were finally outside, Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°In your eyes, am I a criminal?¡±

    ¡°No, you are not.¡±

    Although Raeleigh wished that she could tell him that he was, she knew very clearly that he was not.

    ¡°But I wish I was one.¡±

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh into an embrace, and he then walked away. He turned around and looked at Tetsuo before entering his car.

    Tetsuo sighed and returned to the house. He wanted to check on Zorion.

    ¡­

    Zorion went upstairs and stopped at Rossie¡¯s room.

    After standing there for a while, he knocked on the door. That was the first time he knocked on her door.

    They hadn¡¯t spoken to each other for a long time, and they seldom saw each other. Even when they met with each other, they had nothing to say.

    Shortly, the door swung open. Rossie stood inside and saw Zorion at her door. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Please let me in,¡± Zorion asked and barged into the room without giving Rossie any chance to speak. Rossie frowned in puzzlement. She wondered if he was finally unable to bear it any longer.

    After all, men only desire after one thing.

    Rossie shut the door and turned around to take a look. By that time, Zorion was already sitting on the bed.

    She stood there motionlessly, unwilling to approach him. Subconsciously, she was afraid of him.

    ¡°Come and sit with me for a while. I have something to tell you.¡±

    Zorion looked at her and patted the spot beside him gently. Rossie tugged at her pyjamas nervously. Usually, she would go to bed at that hour.

    She thought she had to face him sooner orter anyway. Therefore, after a moment of hesitation, she walked over and found another suitable ce to sit, trying to stay as far away from him as much as possible.

    She kept staring at the ground, sitting at the edge of the bed and refusing to raise her head.

    After a moment of silence, Zorion finally spoke.

    ¡°Tomorrow, I will arrange for you to leave, but I can¡¯t send you off because of my identity as a Whalen family member. If someone in Capital City finds out that you are my lover, then they will capture you. I don¡¯t know their motives, butit won¡¯t end well if they get their hands on you. I can¡¯t guarantee that you will be unscathed even if I do everything to save you by then.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I missed the days when you took me to see Deanna in Waverly Vige. Although it was only for a short time, I felt happy.¡±

    ¡°I had never been so happy before.¡±

    ¡°Rossie¡­¡±

 Chapter 1334 No One Said I Couldnâ€™t

    Zorion hesitated for a long while before he spoke, ¡°I¡¯ll prepare some money and bank in the amount to your ount tomorrow. I¡¯ll change your name, nationality, passport, and everything else, and I¡¯ll enrol you into a new school overseas, so you may continue your studies. Please don¡¯t contact me anymore and pretend that I don¡¯t exist. Starting from tomorrow, don¡¯te back. Since this ce is like a prison for you, you don¡¯t have to return.¡±

    Rossie slowly turned her head towards him and asked, ¡°Are you really allowing me to leave?¡±

    Zorionughed. ¡°Have I ever lied to you?¡±

    Rossie pondered over his words carefully. Actually, he had lied to her more than once. But what was the point of saying all these then? It would be best if she kept quiet.

    She stared at Zorion intently and smiled. It was her first time seeing him from such a close distance. ¡°If what you said is true, then I¡¯m extremely grateful to you.¡±

    Zorion was stunned for a moment. ¡°Can I stay here for one night?¡±

    Rossie hesitated for a moment. ¡°You can sleep on the left side.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Zorion blurted. He did not intend to ask that question, and he did not know why he did that. But deep down, he wanted to know the answer.

    Rossie thought about it and replied, ¡°Because it¡¯s closer to my heart.¡±

    Zorion did not respond. He waited until Rossie turned around to lie down before doing the same. However, they did not speak throughout the entire night, and the two of themy awake on the bed until dawn.

    Rossie got up early in the morning and went to wash up while Zorion got up from the bed, his gaze lingering towards the direction of the bathroom before he left the room. In the end, he thought it would be better if he said nothing. It was good for them to break up peacefully like this. He would give up everything for her if this was what she wanted.

    Zorion gently shut the door and went downstairs. He ordered his subordinate to deposit a sum of money into Rossie¡¯s ount. He also specifically reminded him which one of his bank ounts to withdraw the money from.

    He had already sent a message the night before to delegate the task of changing Rossie¡¯s identity to his subordinate. Right then, he only needed to check through the documents they sent him.

    Usually, it would take at least half a month to receive approval for such a matter. But for Zorion, it was not a problem at all.

    When Rossie finished changing her clothes and came down from upstairs, Zorion handed everything over to her.

    ¡°Please check through them.¡±

    Rossie epted the bag and flipped open the documents inside. It contained her new identity.

    ¡°You may leave after breakfast. I¡¯ve already contacted the school. Please be careful once you arrive there.¡±

    ¡­

    After that, Zorion walked towards the kitchen as if nothing had happened. He nced at the kitchen and he then sat down to eat. After breakfast, he stood up and cast a nce at Tetsuo.

    ¡°Please see Miss Lautner out. I have something to do, so I won¡¯t go with her. As I said, you must escort her abroad yourself.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Young Master Whalen.¡±

    Tetsuo led Rossie out of the Whalen family residence and apanied her to fly abroad in person. Before leaving, Rossie turned around and looked back. Would Zorion really let her go?

    Zorion stood on the stairs and gazed outside, the sound of his coughs echoing throughout the empty house. He was the only one left in the Whalen family. He watched as Rossie¡¯s car left the house, never to return.

    Later, Rossie arrived at the airport. She looked around her, expecting Zorion to appear, but he did note. Only then did she believe that he had finally let her go. Perhaps he was tired of her already.

    To her surprise, she actually felt a little sad.

    ¡°Tetsuo, please call Zorion. I want to talk to him.¡±

    Rossie suggested. Tetsuo took out his phone and called Zorion obligingly.

    Zorion epted the call, but he was silent. Of course, he had already fainted, and at that moment, the paramedics were carrying him onto the bed for treatment. He could not speak at all.

    Rossie paused and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    There was still no reply from the other end of the line. Rossie thought she had nothing else to say.

    So, she hung up the phone.

    Rossie let out a sigh. She then turned around and walked towards the boarding gate with Tetsuo.

    ¡­

    ¡°Mom, can I really leave like this? I already promised Jacky that I won¡¯t give up, but now, I am out here with you, and I haven¡¯t even spoken to him.¡±

    ¡°Your father is angry that he took your brother¡¯s territory. Don¡¯t mention this matter now, in case your father gets angry. You need to travel abroad to deliver the baby now. Otherwise, your reputation will be ruined. We must not let anyone know about this matter, and you know that.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hannah was beyond frustrated. She could not understand why they insisted on sending Deanna abroad.

    Deanna was their daughter, and she was pregnant. It would not be good for her baby to travel a long distance abroad.

    But Rayan seemed to have made up his mind¡­

    Hannah recalled the conversation in bed and thought that it made sense. So, she had to agree.

    Beside her, Scarlette chimed in, ¡°I think this is the right thing to do, Deanna.¡±

    Deanna turned to look at Scarlette and thought that she was even more unreliable. She was about to give birth, yet they still wanted her to follow them everywhere. She sighed again. What if something happened to the baby? What should she do? It would be toote by then! They must have been out of their minds.

    However, she was not stupid. She followed them out because her parents kept talking about the baby. If something really happened, then she would be in deep trouble.

    Deanna thought that she would definitely have a chance to call Jacky once they reached overseas.

    The problem was, she did not trust Scarlette either, but she could not say that out loud. She had to lie to Scarlette first. Otherwise, she would suffer a loss.

    Deanna leaned to one side and gently touched her belly. No matter what, the baby was fine, and its father was safe. She felt extremely grateful for that.

    Deanna had left without a word. When Santiago told Jacky about this matter, Jacky only smiled and said, ¡°I already knew that Rayan wouldn¡¯t hand over his daughter so easily. Deanna is innocent. She might believe everything Rayan says.¡±

    Santiago chuckled. ¡°You know them very well.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know her very well.¡±

    Jacky leaned against the wall, with his eyes shut. He stifled augh when he thought of Deanna¡¯s dirt-caked face. ¡°As long as she and the baby are fine. I¡¯ll find her sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°You may look for her now. I will help you,¡± Santiago suggested. Jacky smiled and said, ¡°There is no need for that. You are in trouble now, so I can¡¯t leave. Once you are done here, I will go and look for her. Delivering a baby is not a matter of a day or two. Rayan won¡¯t hurt his precious daughter.¡±

    Santiagoughed. ¡°You know everything so well, yet you still made a mistake.¡±

    ¡°When a man gets impulsive, he won¡¯t care about anything else, especially in the face of his lover. One look from her, and I would die willingly. I won¡¯t even hesitate to sacrifice myself.¡±

    Santiago threw his head back and guffawed like a madman. Jacky also joined him andughed uncontrobly. The people around them turned to stare at them. They probably thought that these two men had gone mad.

    In the end, Jacky stoppedughing and looked at Santiago. ¡°What exactly are you thinking?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Santiago¡¯s face was indifferent.

    Jacky chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s your sister-inw.¡±

    ¡°No one said I couldn¡¯t like my sister-inw.¡± Santiago stood up and stretched his legs. He admitted that he liked her, but there was no need to make it a big deal!

 Chapter 1335 Above Everything Else

    Initially, Raeleigh thought they were going back to the hospital, but instead, they went to Jepherson¡¯spany.

    She stared at thepany building from inside the car, wondering why Jepherson would return to hispany at night.

    She did not know what to say. So, she only sat there in silence.

    ¡°Come out.¡± Jepherson got out of the car and waited for Raeleigh. However, she didn¡¯t seem to acknowledge him. Instead, she stayed in the car, refusing toe out.

    She came out to rx, not to follow Jepherson to thepany. She felt that she was not ready yet, and it was not the right time to go to work, not to mention it was thente at night.

    ¡°I¡¯m noting out. You may go in if you have something to do. I will wait for you outside,¡± she said. Then, she turned her face away from him.

    Jepherson gazed at thepany¡¯s entrance. Just like any otherpany, they were also closed at night. But sometimes, there were exceptions.

    His eyes wandered to Raeleigh¡¯s face. He stood outside the car and said, ¡°I¡¯m going inside to search for something. It¡¯s cold outside at night. Pleasee in with me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel cold. It¡¯s warm inside the car. If you are going to stay for a long time, then I¡¯ll tell the driver to take me home.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s determined words scared the driver out of his wits. He would not dare to go back without Jepherson¡¯s orders.

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh inadvertently. ¡°Come down. It will be more troublesome if I go up alone. You know that I am not kidding.¡±

    Raeleigh was so furious that her face had turned red. He promised to take her out for a walk, but instead of taking a walk, he took her to Deanna¡¯s ce. And right then, they were here.

    She turned her head swiftly and red at Jepherson, but he kept persuading her. ¡°Come down. We¡¯ll leave after a while. I promise you that I won¡¯t touch you or force you to do anything. We¡¯ll leave whenever you want.¡±

    Raeleigh pondered for a while, and she then came out of the car. She looked around her before following him into the building.

    Apparently, Jepherson had already made arrangements. The building¡¯s entrance opened instantly when he arrived at the door.

    Raeleigh followed him into the hall and immediately squinted. The lights inside were as bright as daytime. They stepped into the elevator and went directly to Jepherson¡¯s office on the top floor.

    After pushing the door open, Jepherson paused and looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh walked into the office, sensing a great amount of pressure on her.

    She was familiar with the office, but she did not want to stay here for long.

    Jepherson closed the office door shut and said, ¡°Sometimes, I design drawings too. In the beginning, I only did it in the office. But I never let anyone find out about this.¡±

    ¡°Our job requires us to stay vignt at all times. Anyone might steal our belongings, and you and I are no exception!¡±

    He walked into the office and shrugged off his coat, and he then hung it on the clothes rack. After that, he turned around and walked towards the bookshelf behind him. He pushed the bookshelf to the side and a hidden door was revealed. Behind the door was a brightly lit room.

    Raeleigh froze on the spot at such a sight, her entire body unresponsive.

    ¡°This is my other world. I bet you didn¡¯t expect me to have such a secret ce, did you?¡±

    Jepherson turned around and entered the secret passage behind the bookshelf, leaving Raeleigh in shock. After a moment, Raeleigh returned to her senses and began moving forward.

    After the two of them went into the secret room, Jepherson closed the door and turned to stare at Raeleigh¡¯s surprised face.

    At that moment, Raeleigh was admiring theyout of the secret room. It was simr to a small studio, the rectangryout extending into the interior. She thought that it was only a background wall behind the bookshelf and that Jepherson was utilizing the space to store all kinds of books that he liked to read.

    To her surprise, there was a studio hidden behind the bookshelf once they pushed it aside.

    ¡°This ce is well-ventted because there is a huge window on the opposite side of the room, and you can see things far away through the window. There are all kinds of working models and tables filled with drawings on both sides of the room, as well as a few chairs.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at him suspiciously. ¡°You are alone. Why would you prepare so many chairs?¡±

    Jepherson chuckled and replied, ¡°I¡¯m not alone. asionally, I will take a rest here with Santiago. Sometimes, he does not want his parents to know he¡¯s back. So, he will live here for a few days while I work outside. There is a toilet and a bathroom here. It¡¯s very convenient. You see, there is another room further down the studio. That¡¯s the ce for cooking, but there is nothing to eat inside. It¡¯s just a kitchen.¡±

    Raeleigh walked towards the direction Jepherson had described and found that there was indeed a ss door at the end of the studio. She pushed it open and saw a small but fully-fitted kitchen.

    She stood outside the kitchen nkly, and she then turned to look at Jepherson. ¡°Are you two still staying here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really stay here much. After all, I can¡¯te in without leaving. The staff will suspect that something is going on.¡±

    ¡°Some people in thepany know that I have a design room here, but very few of them know that I would asionallye over. Especiallyte at night.¡±

    ¡°I like to watch the outside world from here.¡±

    He strode to the window to take a look as he spoke. Raeleigh followed him to the window. She then stood beside him and looked outside. After a long while, she asked, ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just thought that you have something for me,¡± he replied as he walked to the side and sank into the couch. She watched as he sat down, and when she thought of the moment when they were in the car, she chuckled. ¡°Good observation.¡±

    ¡°Same to you.¡± Jepherson lifted his eyes to look at her. She had to admit that he had a pair of enchanting eyes. His eyes were full of charm. She had never seen a man with such deep eyes and thick eyshes like Jepherson¡¯s.

    Raeleigh read from somewhere before that a man with thick eyshes was usually sensitive, but she didn¡¯t find him sensitive. Instead, she thought that he was not easy to get along with, and he was a cunning person.

    His personality reminded her of an animal, a fox.

    He was as cunning as a fox. It was not an overstatement to call him a fox.

    She walked towards Jepherson from where she stood, and she then looked down at him and asked, ¡°Can I redeem myself with my secondary work?¡±

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth curled into a sly grin, his beautiful chiselled face looking even more charming under the light. ¡°You are now part of ourpany, and all of your works are owned by thepany. How can you use your secondary work to redeem yourself?¡±

    Raeleigh replied after a pause, ¡°Although this is the case, what if I don¡¯t hand my work to you and sell it to other people in need instead? In this way, thepany will suffer losses. After all, there are no rules saying that I must hand in all my work to thepany, right?¡±

    Raeleigh argued. Jepherson was still smiling nonchntly. He leaned against the wall and said, ¡°You may say so. But there are other rules. Since thepany dares to hire people like you and allow you all to work freely, they must have a way to find out whether you created these works. Once thepany finds out that you have done something that hinders thepany¡¯s development, thepany will hand the case over to the legal institutions.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I believe that you are a smart person. You know very well the importance of reputation and that it is above everything else.¡±

 Chapter 1336 His Heart Was Finally At Ease

    Raeleigh became silent. Jepherson was right. However, she still felt upset. Although she was the one who made those choices from the beginning, she could not rule out the fact that Jepherson might have lured her into making such a decision step by step.

    As she stood there in silence, Jepherson¡¯s lips curled into a crooked grin, and he said, ¡°Actually, there is a way.¡±

    She red at him disdainfully. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I said there¡¯s a way for you to redeem yourself.¡± He shed her a meaningful smile. Her senses told her that this was a bigger trap.

    But she couldn¡¯t help but to ask, ¡°What are the terms and conditions?¡±

    ¡°Three months, Raeleigh. If you¡¯re willing to apany me for three months without a word ofint and without leaving my side, then I¡¯ll publish one of my works to buy your freedom.¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned for a moment. Then, she asked, ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    Jepherson chuckled and replied, ¡°Am I a dishonest person to you?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips, and her expression changed instantly. She stared at Jepherson, as if she was in a dream. Everything around her seemed so unreal, especially Jepherson.

    The problem was¡­

    She didn¡¯t mind three months. It was a much better dealpared to three years. But¡­

    ¡°What do you want me to do during these three months?¡± She stared at him suspiciously.

    If he were to ask her to sleep with him, then she would reject his offer without hesitation. She knew exactly what he was thinking about. She knew very well what kind of man he was, and she didn¡¯t want to take the risk.

    The three-year contract would be over soon if she could bear a little longer. Besides, her brother already reassured her that they could file awsuit. Although she didn¡¯t have the money, her family could probably afford it. She thought she would pay back the money once she earned them in the future.

    She pondered over it for a long time, and she then decided to ask more details about the offer.

    Jepherson nodded and answered in a soothing voice, ¡°You know that I¡¯ve always wanted to marry you, Raeleigh. I could set you free if you were to marry me, but I know you will never agree to it.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Raeleigh knew that he had something else to say. Jepherson thought for a while and continued, ¡°So, I propose, if you agree to be my fianc¨¦e for three months, then I will be happy to set you free.¡±

    ¡°How would I know if you¡¯re telling the truth?¡±

    ¡°I swear on my life.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and nced around her. After a while, she said, ¡°So, does being your fianc¨¦e mean I¡¯m only engaged to you, or is there anything else you want from me? I don¡¯t want to have any physical contact with you.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, you are too naive. Since you are my fianc¨¦e, we will have to appear in public together. So, physical contact is inevitable. But I can guarantee that I won¡¯t do anything to you without your consent. However, we will still hug, hold each other¡¯s hands, sit together, or whisper in each other¡¯s ears in public. The outsiders will follow us and take photos of us, so you should cooperate with me. In addition¡­¡±

    Raleigh cut him off in annoyance. ¡°Why do you have so many conditions?¡±

    ¡°In addition, during these three months, you must work in cooperation with me as my special assistant and learn how to run apany from me.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no reason. You are important to thepany. Thepany only wants your work, but I want you. If I can¡¯t make you stay with me forever, then I¡¯d rather spend the remaining minutes with you. At the very least, I have three months.¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly found his words funny, and she was at a loss for words. So, she did not say anything more and only stared at him intently.

    Jepherson picked up the pen in front of him and spread a piece of nk paper on the table. Then, he lowered his head and began drawing as he said, ¡°With your current worth, it would cost you at least hundreds of millions dors to file awsuit.¡±

    ¡°Although the Osteen family is well-off, I believe you can imagine the amount of money they have to spend on a meaninglesswsuit.¡±

    ¡°Besides, hundreds of millions of dors is not a tiny amount to the Osteen family.¡±

    ¡°You should also know that you must find someone with certain aplishments to help you redeem yourself.¡±

    But now, there are only less than a handful of people who could help. Mom and Lamarre were among the candidates. But as far as I know, Lamarre¡¯s resignation was not valid. Although Lamarre has already handed over the resignation letter to Santiago, Santiago was only a manager. He has no right to approve the resignation.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, the resignation letter was pointless. You can only file awsuit on thepany¡¯s works.¡±

    ¡°Other than the two of them, there are also a few other internationally renowned designers. But undoubtedly, none of them dares to challenge the Richards Group.¡±

    ¡°But I can help you¡­¡±

    He lifted his eyes and looked at Raeleigh but noticed that she was staring intently at his halfpleted drawing.

    She tilted her head to one side as she observed the drawing. As a designer herself, she believed that the drawing was a car designed specifically for women.

    Jepherson nced at the seat next to him and instructed, ¡°Sit down and watch.¡±

    Raeleigh walked over and sat down quietly, waiting for him to finish the drawing.

    Jepherson turned around and continued with the drawing.

    That time, he remained silent. When he finallypleted the car design, Raeleigh frowned slightly and whispered, ¡°Is it white?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡±

    He turned to look at her. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about the color yet.¡±

    ¡°I thought it¡¯s white.¡±

    ¡°A white one would really suit you. But you probably will not like this type of design¡­¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and defended it. ¡°I don¡¯t like the design, but it doesn¡¯t mean that it doesn¡¯t look good in white. Besides, the car seems more suitable for a mature and stable woman. White is a suitable color. It¡¯s elegant, noble, and emphasizes a woman¡¯s gentleness.¡±

    ¡°Burgundy would be suitable for those nobledies who like to show off.¡±

    ¡°White is a neutral color, and it¡¯s suitable for both men and women. However, red is bolder and more feminine.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    ¡°Who says that a woman must be bold and unrestrained? Stop it with your male¡­¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly stopped herself mid-sentence. She thought there was no point arguing with Jepherson.

    Jepherson fidgeted with the pen. His face seemed thoughtful as he said, ¡°I will publish this designter when the timees. Now, I¡¯m giving you a chance. If the car you designed outsells this one, then I will terminate your contract. But if your car can¡¯t outsell mine, then you will ept my proposal to be my fianc¨¦e for three months and fully cooperate with me.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at him as she thought of her work, still confident with herself. After looking at Jepherson¡¯s design, she thought that such design, coupled with some other aspects, would appeal to white-cor workers. However, based on the current economic situation, not many white-cor workers could afford such a car.

    She hesitated for a long while before answering, ¡°Alright, I ept the offer. But you can¡¯t do anything inappropriate to me.¡±

    She blushed and turned her face away to look at the drawing.

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s lips curled into a grin. His heart was finally at ease!

 Chapter 1337 Simply Threw It Away

    After that, it was Raeleigh¡¯s turn to draw. She sat down and prepared herself before she began sketching. When she was about to make her first line, Jepherson patted her on the shoulder. She turned to look at him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    She instinctively thought that he must be trying to disturb her so that he could win.

    But instead, he said, ¡°Take off your clothes. It¡¯s too hot here.¡±

    Only then did she remember that she was still wearing her coat. She shrugged off her coat and handed it to Jepherson, and he took it away and put it aside. Then, he went to boil water for her.

    Raeleigh stared at him until he finally left. Then, she began to focus on her work.

    ¡­

    Over two hourster, Raeleigh finally set down the drawing. Meanwhile, Jepherson seemed to be in a daze as he sat beside her. She put down the pen and stretched her neck. Every time she did this, she felt drained, as if she had fought a life-and-death battle with all her might.

    Jepherson slowly shifted in his seat and ced his hand on her shoulder. She froze for a moment. Then, Jepherson whispered in a hushed and attractive voice, ¡°Don¡¯t move. Sitting at the desk for too long is not good for your health. It weakens your immune system. You might even get cervical spondylosis, lumbar spondylosis, or other conditions.¡±

    ¡°Mom said that money can solve a lot of problems, but it can¡¯t cure sickness or death. I believe that¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so talkative?¡±

    ¡°Talkative?¡±

    Jepherson shed her an inadvertent grin, and he then lowered his head and kneaded her shoulders. The tension in her body melted away immediately, and she turned around and let him massage her shoulders.

    ¡°What color do you intend to use?¡±Jepherson asked while he massaged Raeleigh¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°That depends on the price.¡± Raeleigh believed that the reason Jepherson was reluctant to choose a color for his design was that he had set a trap for her. If she set the price too early, then she would definitely suffer losses. Different colors would produce different effects, thus affecting the price and sales.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you already have a suitable color in mind.¡± He was talking about the color of the car. Raeleigh thought for a while and replied, ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it yet.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°Mine will be silver-white.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, and she then turned to look at him. ¡°So, you¡­¡±

    He raised his hand and gestured for her to be quiet. Then, he stood up and ced a ss of water in front of her. ¡°Although I believe that men and women are equal, you are still inferior to me in terms of identity, status, ability, and physical strength. So, I will use my choice of color to make up for it.¡±

    ¡°By the way, if you choose ck, you would be stuck at the top sales program. In other words, it will be a luxury car.¡±

    ¡°But the sales for luxury cars would be less than a hundred units all over the world. Such an exquisite item would not be widely avable.¡±

    ¡°However, it might have better sales if it were silver. I believe you already know that once youunch this car, no matter its appearance or color, it will be a status symbol. It will appeal to the rich, young people, and those at the management level as it shows off their identity and brings pride to them.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at her design, amazed that Jepherson was able to see through her thoughts.

    After remaining silent for a while, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll choose silver-gray.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and fetched a ss of water for himself, with his back straight as a pir. Raeleigh stared at him in puzzlement. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±

    ¡­

    The corners of her mouth twitched. He already made it clear that he would tie her up and not let her go, but he still did such a thing. He was obviously giving her a chance. If so, then why would he waste so much effort?

    Was he really doing all this to set her free?

    ¡°I may not lose, so you have to be mentally prepared. Not every one of your designs is good. If this car were ck, then I would keep it. But I would not want it if it were silver-gray.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± She frowned.

    He turned around and said, ¡°This car is designed for me, but gray is a symbol of princes and generals. It¡¯s the same concept as a king wearing a crown while the knights wear armor.¡±

    ¡°ck has always been a timeless ssic. No one would drive a golden car on the road either. It would look crass.¡±

    ¡°ck represents the highest superiority in the car industry. These cars had good quality and were coated with top-grade paint, making them different from the other cars.¡±

    ¡°Just now, when you said that you want to use silver-gray, I instantly gave up on the idea of keeping one of them. Because the car no longer suits my original image.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Raeleigh was a little regretful. She wanted to argue with him but she stopped herself. She changed her strategy for the sake of profit and victory. But right then, it seemed that she was going to lose a lot.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    She kept quiet as Jepherson took a sip of water and said, ¡°No matter the sales or other aspects, we will be looking at the amount of profit earned this time. If you overtake me by even one dor, then you will win.¡±

    She stared at him in disappointment, thinking that she would lose for sure.

    She turned around and admired her design. ¡®What a pity!¡¯ she thought to herself.

    Suddenly, Jepherson said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should go back first. I¡¯m sure Xanthus must be worried that I¡¯ll hurt you. He keeps threatening me that he will take you away at any time. He¡¯s getting more and more annoying!¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh followed him reluctantly and said nothing. When they arrived at the door, she turned around and stared at the studio. After a long time, she spoke, ¡°I want to stay. I won¡¯t go back tonight.¡±

    Jepherson stopped and turned to look at her, and he then lifted his watch to check the time. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Jepherson took out his phone and called Xanthus. When the call went through, he did not speak. Instead, he handed the phone to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh epted the phone and said, ¡°I won¡¯t go back tonight. I¡¯m staying outside. I have something to do.¡±

    Xanthus sat on the bed and frowned. ¡°Did he make things difficult for you?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m designing. We¡¯ll talk about it when I get back.¡±

    Xanthus frowned. Although he felt doubtful, he was relieved to hear that Raeleigh was safe. He said a few more words to her before hanging up the call.

    Raeleigh returned the phone to Jepherson, and she then turned around and stared at her drawing in a daze. After a while, she said, ¡°I want to stay here and rest. Do you have a nket?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go get it. Wait here.¡± Jepherson turned around to make preparations. Raeleigh sat down and examined the drawing that she had just designed. Narrowing her eyes, she recalled that the car¡¯s original design was not like this. She had added a lot ofmercial elements into it only because she wanted to defeat Jepherson. She was wrong.

    She had always believed in her intuition. Therefore, she sat back at the table.

    When Jepherson came back, Raeleigh had already been sitting there for a while. His gaze travelled under the table, and he noticed that she had chucked her original design drawing into the trash can.

    He could not help but to rub his forehead in frustration upon such a sight. To others, it was a precious piece of paper, but to her, it was only a piece of useless paper, and she simply threw it away!

 Chapter 1338 Forcefully Dragged Her In

    It was already dawn by the time Raeleigh finished her work. She stretched her arms and rxed for a while. When she was about to get up from her seat, she remembered Jepherson, and she then quickly turned around to have a look. As expected, he was sleeping on a tiny bed in the room.

    Her body froze instinctively. She didn¡¯t expect him to vacate the ce and leave the nket for her. Meanwhile, he used her coat as a nket while he slept.

    She got up quietly and cleaned up the ce. Then, she walked away from her seat and headed towards the window to stretch her body.

    A smile blossomed on her face as the sunlight struck her cheeks.

    She was facing towards the east, where the sun rose. It seemed that this room was the ce to see the sun at its earliest in the morning.

    She basked in the first rays of sunshine, enjoying the amazing feeling. At that moment, everything felt wonderful to her.

    After standing there for a while, she went back to check on Jepherson and stared at him until he woke up.

    He smiled when he saw her. ¡°Is it done?¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    She nodded, and she then turned around to fetch her finished blueprint. She held up the blueprint and examined it to confirm that she had not made any mistake that time. Finally, she handed the blueprint to Jepherson. He got up and walked towards her, and he then paused only inches away from her before taking away the blueprint from her hands. He took a look at it, and he then became stunned for a moment. Later, he turned towards her and asked, ¡°So, you are that defensive even when you¡¯re with me?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze pierced through Raeleigh¡¯s eyes. If he had guessed correctly, then she had been thinking about this car design from the very beginning instead of the one she designed earlier. Either she was trying to probe him, or she had reconsidered her previous design.

    He believed that she must have thought that the most important thing was not to forget her original intentions. That was why she redesigned the car.

    Raeleigh did not answer his question. Instead, she fetched her coat and put it on slowly, and she then turned to look at him. ¡°I know you have the power to open and dominate the market for whichever car you want.¡±

    ¡°I have already learnt my lesson from the previous cars, but I still hope that this will be a fair match.¡±

    ¡°I also want to know how confident I am in defeating you.¡±

    Raeleigh stood there, her petite face defiant. Jepherson was in a daze. This was the most courageous thing that he had heard in his whole life, and he would never have believed that she would utter such words.

    After pondering for a moment, he said, ¡°I will let Santiago take charge of the promotion. He will be promoting both cars at the same time. He is not biased, and I believe you will no longer have doubts about this. Meanwhile, I have something to do during this period of time. You will follow me to attend the press conference, and you and I will be together at any other time as well.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°We have known each other for less than a year, yet we have already promoted too many cars. These will be thest two cars until the first half of next year. Whether you win or lose, I hope you will rest and take a break from designing cars.¡±

    ¡°As creators, creating too many designs will make us fall into obsession. I don¡¯t want you to be obsessed.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I still won¡¯t let you. This will be yourst time, and you may only continue designing in the second half of the next year. You should focus on this project for the next three months. I will give you a chance to enter thepany, and you may take part in the whole process, but you may not design anymore. It will benefit you, me, and thepany.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and went outside, his face cold and indifferent.

    Raeleigh followed behind him with a puzzled look. She could not understand why he would fall out with her for no reason. She did not do anything wrong. Designing cars was something that they had agreed upon at the start. How could he go back on his words?

    Jepherson waited outside until Raeleigh came out from behind the bookshelf. After closing the door, he sat on the chair and called the security department to inform them that they would be going down soon.

    Then, he called the nning department and several other departments. Finally, he called Santiago.

    But Santiago was asleep when Jepherson called him. It took him a long while before he finally woke up and picked up the phone.

    ¡°Come to thepany. I¡¯m waiting for you here. We will be having an urgent meeting.¡±

    Jepherson put down the phone and nced at Raeleigh. She had a feeling that he was not going to let her go so easily. But she could not think of other reasons for him to do such a thing if he was not nning to let her go. She thought he was trying to make her stay, but then it seemed like it was not the case.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast. He should be here after breakfast.¡±

    Jepherson stood up and walked towards the door. Raeleigh could no longer do as she wished. She had nned to go back, but then, they woulde back to the office again for the meeting anyway. So, she fell silent again.

    Jepherson headed outside directly after walking out of the office. He was about to get in the car when Raeleigh stopped him.

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±

    He stopped and looked back at her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°The meeting is about to start. We can just find something to eat in the office.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped Jepherson because she thought it would be too troublesome to go out to eat. However, his attitude surprised her.

    ¡°What for?¡±

    She froze for a moment, and she then looked around as if she were a thief. Why was he speaking as if he were an undisciplined child?

    She hesitated and said, ¡°Nothing. I just want to have my breakfast in the office.¡±

    ¡°Are you the boss or am I?¡±

    His reply rendered her speechless.

    ¡°Get in the car.¡±

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s lips curled into a grin as he turned away from her. He looked up at the clear and cloudless sky and wondered if this disaster had finally passed.

    Then, Jepherson bent down and entered the car. Raeleigh thought that he had gone mad. Why did he look up to the sky?

    She raised her head and followed his gaze but noticed that there was nothing in the sky. Then, she ducked and got into the car.

    Jepherson kept driving, and Raeleigh wondered when he would stop. Every time they passed by a restaurant, her disappointment grew. Finally, the car stopped at the gate of Jepherson¡¯s home, Richards Manor.

    She turned to look at Jepherson as he was about to get out of the car. ¡°What on Earth do you want?¡±

    ¡°I want to eat. I have had a bad stomach these few days, so I want toe home and eat something nice.¡±

    Then, he stepped out of the car, and she followed him with a dissatisfied expression.

    Thest ce she wanted to go was Richards Manor, and thest person she wanted to see was Marissa. However, it seemed like she had no choice but to enter the house then.

    Staring at the people in front of her, she stepped into the house in silence. She thought about thepetition between her and Jepherson. She was unsure about everything when the result was still unknown.

    She entered Richards Manor without a word. As soon as they came into the house, Jepherson led her to Ink Garden.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go.¡± She stood outside as if she were a stubborn wife. She did not want to act like this, but she had no choice. After all, Marissa was still hostile towards her even though she no longer owned this ce.

    She was not the kind of person who could stand being bullied. Although she could not do anything to Marissa because she was too weak, she would not swallow her anger if Marissa were to say anything unpleasant to her.

    So, she refused to go in.

    However, Jepherson forcefully dragged her in.

 Chapter 1339 Silence All the Way

    Raeleigh was unwilling to enter the house at first. However, she stopped protesting after going in. She thought she was already inside the house anyway, and she did not need to show her weakness.

    She bowed her head, thinking that if Marissa were to go against her, then she would either fight back adamantly or turn away and leave.

    However, it was easier said than done.

    Jepherson dragged Raeleigh into Ink Garden, but when they entered the ce, Marissa was nowhere to be seen. Raeleigh calmed down and wondered if Marissa had gone on a trip.

    ¡°Your Grandma¡­¡±

    ¡°Our Grandma.¡± Jepherson¡¯s face fell. However, Raeleigh chuckled as if she had encountered a joke. ¡°So, Mrs. Richards isn¡¯t home?¡±

    She refused to call Marissa ¡®Grandma¡¯. She would not address her as such, no matter what.

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes lit up in amusement. ¡°I used to get angry with Grandma when I was a child, but then Mom always told me that no matter how angry I was, she was always my Grandma.¡±

    Raeleigh ignored him and looked around the house instead.

    Still, no one was around. Jepherson walked towards Marissa¡¯s room and knocked on the door. Shortly after, a servant came out. When she saw Jepherson, she immediately greeted him politely.

    ¡°Where is Grandma?¡±

    ¡°She still hasn¡¯t eaten. She¡¯s lying in the room.¡± The servant was at a loss for words. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have called Jepherson toe here.

    Jepherson waved his hand dismissively and instructed, ¡°Alright. You may leave.¡±

    After that, he went inside the room. Raeleigh stood outside the door without any intention of following him inside. Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t ask her to go in either.

    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± Jepherson entered the room and walked over to Marissa. She seemed dispirited. She was sick, and she had refused to eat or drink. Instead, she only relied on holistic medicine and nutrient injections to sustain her life.

    Actually, she was not suffering from any serious illnesses. It was just that her physical strength had grown weak because she refused to eat, so it created the impression that she was beyond recovery.

    However, she never explicitly told the members of the Richards family that she was beyond recovery. Instead, she had her own ns. She let the Richards family¡¯s servant send out the message about her hunger strike. That way, she would save her dignity, and her family members woulde back home.

    Indeed, Marissa was throwing a huge tantrum.

    She used to throw tantrums when she was younger, and they always worked like a charm. She thought that they would still work, but then, even her son refused toe back.

    Not to mention Santiago. Also, she might never see Trevor again.

    Ever since she came to Capital City, she had never received a phone call from Trevor, let alone meeting him.

    She really needed someone tofort her then, and she wished nothing more than to see Trevor. After all, they had been married for decades. But until then, he kept disappointing her. She could not even understand why he did this to her.

    Perhaps, it was because they had grown old, and time had washed away whatever feeling they once had for each other.

    Marissa knew that she should not wish for impossible things. However, she would not let go of other matters. She believed that she ended up like this because of Raeleigh, and she swore to seek revenge and never let her go.

    However, she didn¡¯t expect that her usually obedient daughter-inw would note either.

    Shey on the bed, unmoving. She heard Jephersoning in and knew he was talking to her. However, she ignored him.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re not going to talk to me?¡± Jepherson was about to run out of patience. He was already tolerant enough to bring Raeleigh back home with him. He thought if Marissa continued to act arrogantly and be unreasonable, then he would leave.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    However, when he was about to leave, Marissa slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. Then, she said, ¡°Tell her to get lost.¡±

    Raeleigh stood at the door as she overheard Marissa¡¯s orders.

    She immediately turned around and walked out of the house. Meanwhile, Marissa sneered and said, ¡°If you go after her, then I will die in front of you. If you want to be a disloyal grandson, then you may go.¡±

    Marissa seemed determined. The servants around her bowed their heads in silence. They knew that she had gone too far, but no one could do anything about it. Knowing Jepherson¡¯s temper, he would definitely stay back to take care of Marissa.

    In the past, Jepherson had been the closest with Marissa, unlike Santiago. Santiago had never won Marissa¡¯s favor. Besides, she was always unhappy to see him. As such, he would not visit Ink Garden even when he was at home.

    The servants had followed the Richards family here from A City. They knew very well that no matter what, Santiago would always be an insignificant person to Marissa. Thus, Santiago never came to visit her.

    However, it was a different case for Jepherson. Marissa had always doted on him, and he would always do his best to please her.

    So, right then¡­

    Just when everyone expected him topromise, Jepherson smiled and said, ¡°If you are tired of life and feel that everything displeases you, then you may visit Great-Grandma in heaven. I only hope that when she asks you questions, you will answer truthfully. Please tell her that you volunteered to visit her, and it has nothing to do with us.¡±

    ¡°I always hear Dad talking about Great-Grandma¡¯s selfless deeds, and I have always wanted to go and visit her. Unfortunately¡­ I really couldn¡¯t leave my beloved ones, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Could you please send her my regards in case she doesn¡¯t know about the truth and misunderstands us?¡±

    After that, he turned around and was about to leave. At that moment, Marissa was so furious that she almost suffered a heart attack. The servants around her rushed forward to calm her down, and she slowly regained her breath.

    Jepherson stood to one side of the room. He did not leave immediately. Instead, he waited until Marissa¡¯s condition became stable before stalking out of the house.

    When Marissa noticed Jepherson leaving, she grew even more furious.

    She grabbed the nket on both sides and kept repeating that Jepherson was bullying her.

    Her son and daughter-inw refused toe back, and Jepherson had made her angry. She believed that they all wanted her to die, and none of them had good intentions.

    Jepherson came out of Ink Garden quickly and ran outside when he did not see Raeleigh in the house. She only had two legs, after all, so she would not run far. He spotted her before she could reach the door.

    He caught up with her from behind and tugged at her arm, pulling her towards him.

    She looked at him with a sneer. ¡°Could you please stop bringing me here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already here. She is old, and sometimes, she would dwell on the most insignificant things. For example, if a child pushes you, then you can¡¯t call him a problematic child and say that he would grow up into a bad person.¡±

    ¡°I have already helped you seek revenge. I almost pissed her off to death.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at him in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What on Earth are you trying to do?¡±

    She shook off his hand, and she then turned around and walked towards Richards Manor¡¯s front gate. She stepped out of the door and got into the car, and then stared into the vacant space with a nk look. She cursed herself for being a fool. Why didn¡¯t she leave?

    Shortly, Jepherson got into the car. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. I am torn between my Grandma and my lover, and I hope that they can get along well with each other. This is human nature. I hope you can understand me.¡±

    He instructed the driver to move, and he then stopped talking.

    Raeleigh thought that he still had something to say, but instead, he remained silent all the way.

 Chapter 1340 Working Together

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t understand why Jepherson brought her back to Richards Manor, but she chose not to ask him about it.

    Jepherson had booked a table in a restaurant for lunch. After lunch, Raeleigh requested to go back, so he signed his name and took her out of the restaurant.

    Initially, they nned to return together.Suddenly, Jepherson received a phone call and went aside to answer it as Raeleigh waited beside him. He signalled her to get in the car, so she did not wait for him and walked towards the car.

    However, she left the car door half-opened. She overheard the call and recognized Ste¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Ste.¡± Jepherson looked back at Raeleigh as he spoke. When their eyes met, she immediately turned her face away.

    She was about to close the door when he raised his hand to stop her. Then, he swung the door open and entered the car.

    The door mmed shut,but Jepherson¡¯s eyes were still glued to Raeleigh¡¯s face as he talked on the phone.

    Apparently, Ste wanted to see him as soon as possible because she could not stand being trapped at home.

    ¡°I have been so busy with my work that I didn¡¯t have the time to visit you. I¡¯lle overter.¡± He chatted with her for a while as she cried over the phone for a long time. Their call was interrupted when someone snatched her phone and ended the call.

    ¡°Ste¡¯s legs are gone. This is a very cruel thing to her.¡±

    Jepherson put down his cell phone as he spoke. However, Raeleigh replied with amusement, ¡°If I told you that Ste has bad intentions, then would you believe me?¡±

    He stared at her. ¡°Are you jealous?¡±

    She turned her face away and defended herself. ¡°There is nothing to be jealous of. I think it is wrong for you to judge a book by its cover.¡±

    He crossed his legs. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard youmenting on a person like that. I¡¯ve never thought that you are a jealous person. Why are you so jealous this time?¡±

    He had a teasing tone as he spoke. Raeleigh could no longer sit still. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the hospital. I want to go back there.¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t attended the meeting in the office yet. How could we go back to the hospital?¡±

    Raeleigh had forgotten about the meeting. She kept quiet and followed him back to the office.

    It was almost noon by the time they arrived at thepany. Perhaps, they could skip lunch already.

    Raeleigh froze instantly when she entered the conference room. She didn¡¯t expect Santiago to arrive already. Santiago waved his hand at her, motioning for her to sit beside him.

    She recalled that he had told everyone that they were a couple. No matter the truth, they were then a couplein the eyes of Richards Group¡¯s employees.

    She walked towards the table and sat down by his side. There were other members in the conference room. Jepherson was thest to enter.

    His gaze fell on Santiago as he came in, and he red at him as he walked over and sat beside Raeleigh.

    The air in the conference room seemed to freeze in an instant. Everyone stared at the three of them warily, as if aware of their unique rtionship.

    Raeleigh remained silent. Jepherson looked at the attendants and asked, ¡°Is everyone here already?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± someone answered. Raeleigh stared at Santiago as he fiddled with his pen, and she then nced at the folder in front of him. He was still as unruly as ever. It seemed that he would do nothing except y around.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson kicked her shin when he noticed her staring at Santiago.

    She immediately came back to her senses and looked at the other people instead.

    Jepherson officially started the meeting and mentioned his and Raeleigh¡¯s n that time.

    ¡°Miss Anson has been promoted as Chief Designer, and she has prepared a gift for us. We will be pushing forward a new car in February or March next year. However, due to the orientation issues of the car, I will not be revealing the details about the car for the time being. In the meantime, I will work with Miss Anson to design a car to be promoted in the global market. I hope that you will approve of it.¡±

    ¡°In the interest of fairness and to prove that Miss Anson has the true capability to take up this position, I will give her a chance topete fairly. I am appointing Mr. Richards to take charge of the publicity and to promote the event.¡±

    ¡°Now is your time to speak up. Please tell us if you have any opinions. If you don¡¯t voice out now, then you no longer have the chance to speak once the meeting adjourns.¡±

    After that, he looked towards Santiago. Santiago flipped open the folder and revealed the documents inside. However, he only took one look at it, and he then turned to stare at Raeleigh. He crossed his legs, rapped his knuckles on the table, and he then announced, ¡°During this period, you may only see Mr. Richards to discuss usual work matters. If I find out that anyone tries to curry favor with Mr. Richards to interfere with Miss Anson¡¯s sales, then¡­ I will speak to them.¡±

    After he finished talking, everyone became silent. It was obvious that he was biased towards Raeleigh.

    They all thought that the Richards family was a strange family.

    ¡°If no one disagrees, then I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Santiago stood up with a notebook in his hand, and he then said to Raeleigh, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Raeleigh giggled upon seeing his serious attitude posing as her boyfriend. Usually, she would think that such acting was too fake.

    But when it came to Santiago, she sincerely believed that he was having fun.

    She didn¡¯t know whether tough or to cry.

    Raeleigh stood up and followed Santiago out of the room. The people around turned to look at Jepherson. Everyone knew that Jepherson and Raeleigh had aplicated rtionship. However, they did not know what was going on between her and Santiago.

    When Raeleigh walked out of the conference room, she asked Santiago, ¡°When did you arrive?¡±

    Santiago strolled in front of her carelessly. He wore a white down jacket and a green coat, and he looked just like a scallion stalk.

    Raeleigh stared at him, her eyes dazzled by the colors of his outfit.

    Santiago remained silent as he held the folder behind him, hitting it against his back. He did not answer her question. Instead, he took her to the newly renovated office.

    Her jaw almost dropped when she saw the inside of the office. She could not believe that they had finished the renovation in such a short time.

    She touched the potted nts beside her and eximed, ¡°I can¡¯t smell anything in here at all. That¡¯s strange.¡±

    ¡°We used the best materials. They are pollution-free, and they are basically odorless. I have tested them with different types of equipment already. I also asked people to cook here.¡±

    She was rendered speechless by his words. ¡°Cook?¡±

    He plopped into the office chair and spun it around twice, and he then raised his head and said, ¡°A newly renovated ce needs to be heated so that the toxins in the room can vaporize.¡±

    ¡°Where did you hear that from?¡± She stared at him in amusement. She had never heard of this before.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to hear that from anywhere. This ismon sense. My office will be your office. When I leave, this ce is yours.¡±

    He stood up and opened the door. Raeleigh stood outside, stunned. ¡°A studio?¡±

 Chapter 1341 I Donâ€™t Care Who He Is

    Santiago leaned against the wall, unmoving. Raeleigh turned around to look at him, and she then asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®why¡¯?¡±

    He chuckled in amusement. Raeleigh thought for a moment, and she asked again, ¡°Why did you set up such a ce in your office?¡±

    ¡°Because I like it.¡±

    Santiago replied as he strode into the studio. Then, he picked up a pen and doodled on a piece of nk drawing paper. Raeleigh followed him inside and watched him for a moment, confused with what was going on. After a short while, he set the pen and paper aside. She stared at the scribbles on the paper and noticed a few intertwined characters. The characters joined together and formed an abstract painting.

    Bemused, she held up the drawing and examined it. Santiago pointed at it and said, ¡°There are two sides to every story, and each side of this drawing is a different pattern. Take a good look. What¡¯s on this side, and what¡¯s on that side?¡±

    She looked at the drawing carefully ording to his instructions and found that one side of it was an abstract drawing of flowers and nts. Then, she flipped it over and realized that it was a drawing of ducks swimming on the pond.

    She was amazed by the strange drawing.

    Raising her head, she stared at Santiago and asked, ¡°What does this mean?¡±

    ¡°Good or evil is a matter of perspective. Some things are born good. But if othersbel it as bad, then it will eventually be evil.¡±

    She frowned. ¡°Get to the point.¡±

    ¡°To Grandma, you have always been an ugly duckling since the beginning, so she will never ept you. However, he sees you differently. He always sees you as a white swan, ever since the first day he met you. So¡­¡±

    ¡°He thinks you are the best.¡±

    ¡°Why are you saying this?¡± She put down the drawing and wondered if he was ying tricks on her.

    ¡°I hope you will feel better after hearing this. Please don¡¯t think that he went against Grandma because of you. He is not that stupid.¡±

    Santiago exined, and he then followed her as she took a few steps forward. She sneered at his reply, and she then turned around and asked, ¡°Are you going to help him or not?¡±

    ¡°Whether I help him or not has nothing to do with him. I only think that overthinking is not good for your body and mind.¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly became silent. After a while, she shed him a grin and said, ¡°You are good at minding other people¡¯s business.¡±

    She pulled out a chair and sat down, and then began sketching casually on a piece of paper. Santiago sat beside her, pulling out his phone and handing it to her.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already copied all the information Lamarre left behind. Take a look. I¡¯ll let you keep my phone for now. The password is your birthday. You may change it if you don¡¯t want others to see it.¡±

    He looked at her when he was finished. Stifling augh, she epted the phone and checked it. As soon as she turned on the phone, she was greeted by Santiago¡¯s photo. She slowly raised her head and looked at him. ¡°May I change the screensaver as well?¡±

    He lowered his head and whispered into her ear, ¡°That will not be easy. I have already consulted an expert to set it up for me. You will have to restore it to the factory setting if you forget the password. By then, you will have to download the data again. Well, it¡¯s very troublesome.¡± She pursed her lips in annoyance, and she then asked, ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m kidding?¡± He stood up with his hands in his pockets and instructed, ¡°Put your phone away. I have something else to tell you. Let¡¯s talk outside.¡±

    Santiago walked out of the studio, and Raeleigh followed him outside. He headed towards the couch, and she followed him too.

    After the two of them sat down on the huge couch in the office, Santiago grabbed an apple and handed it to Raeleigh. Then, he asked about what had happened, so she told him everything.

    Santiago chuckled in amusement after hearing her words.

    ¡°So, the tiger is out of the cage?¡± He stared at her. She was unsure about what he meant. So, she asked, ¡°What should we do next?¡±

    ¡°We?¡±

    Santiago raised his eyebrows. ¡°Do you know who my boss is?¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh pointed at herself. ¡°Isn¡¯t it me?¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡±

    Santiago lifted his hand and patted her on her head. Her face fell at once. ¡°You are behaving inappropriately again.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like it, Raeleigh?¡±

    He lowered his head and was about to say something to her, but the door opened with a click.

    Raeleigh¡¯s body froze instinctively, and Santiago turned around slowly. Jepherson¡¯s subordinate, Seibert, walked inside and said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson wants to see Miss Anson.¡±

    Santiago stood up and walked towards Seibert. He then stopped in front of him, looking him up and down with his hands sped behind his back.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯re Seibert, the guy who gave Stuart a beating years ago.¡± Although others might not remember Seibert, Santiago remembered him very much. He disliked Seibert the most. Seibert acted like a block of wood. He never spoke, as if he was mute.

    Raeleigh stood up and walked over. ¡°Excuse me, Santiago.¡±

    ¡°I invited someone to have dinner with me. Follow me to dinner.¡± Santiago grabbed her hand and dragged her outside. However, Seibert would not allow him to take her. He took a step back and stopped Santiago. ¡°Mr. Santiago, please don¡¯t make things difficult for me.¡±

    ¡°Am I making things difficult for you? Can¡¯t my girlfriend and I go out for dinner?¡± Raeleigh thought Santiago was acting unreasonably. She tugged at his sleeve and said, ¡°Santiago, stop fooling around.¡±

    She intended to persuade him, but she did not expect that he would raise his fist to punch Seibert. Seibert moved quickly and dodged the attack.

    ¡°Ha! You dared to dodge my attack. You¡¯re good at it, huh?¡±

    Santiago never liked losing. When he saw that Seibert sessfully avoided his attack, he became even more furious. He let go of Raeleigh¡¯s hand and began to fight with Seibert.

    Seibert kept retreating, but Santiago did not give in. He inched towards him closer and closer.

    Finally, Seibert had reached a dead end. He staggered and bumped into the wall, and he then identally kicked Santiago. Santiago no longer cared about anything. He reached out to grab whatever he could find, so he lifted a huge ornamental vase and threw it at Seibert. In the end, Seibert couldn¡¯t dodge his attack in time. The vasended on his head and pierced his skin.

    He stood at the door like a blockhead, with blood trickling down his forehead and painting her white cheeks red.

    Upon seeing that Seibert was hurt, Raeleigh rushed towards him. However, Santiago grabbed her hand midway and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t die. He had beaten Stuart almost to death before. Now, let me tell you, Seibert. Stuart is my subordinate. You beat him up, and I will never let you go as long as I see you.¡±

    Raeleigh eximed in disbelief, ¡°Santiago! He is your brother¡¯s subordinate.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care who he is. He deserves it. Unless he can beat me.¡±

    Then, he shouted coldly, ¡°Get out of here!¡±

 Chapter 1342 Make You Stay

    After Seibert left the office, Raeleigh quickly closed the door and pulled Santiago away. ¡°Are you crazy?¡±

    Santiago walked to the other side of the room and sat down. Then, he called the cleaner. ¡°Come and clean up.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned in confusion. She turned around and stared at him. ¡°Why on Earth did you do that?¡±

    He put down the phone and answered, ¡°He hit Stuart. So, why can¡¯t I hit him?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re unreasonable.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s face turned darker as she red at him. He narrowed his eyes as he recalled the incident when he was a child. Stuart had almost died that time. He was in aa for a few days.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t meddle in men¡¯s business in the future, Raeleigh,¡± Santiago said coolly. He opened his eyes and stared at the furious Raeleigh. ¡°My grudge against him has nothing to do with Jepherson, but he is Jepherson¡¯s subordinate. Jepherson will call me to ask what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong for hitting him.¡± Raeleigh was so furious, and she did not know what to say. Even though Santiago held a grudge against Seibert, he should not do such a thing without reason¡­¡±

    The sound of someone knocking on the door cut off her thought, and she went to open the door with a sullen expression. ¡®It must be the cleaners,¡¯ she thought.

    Surprisingly, it was Jepherson. He stalked in, and he then nced at her and said, ¡°Go to my ce first. I have a few words to say to Santiago.¡±

    She turned to look at Santiago, hesitating if she should leave or not.

    ¡°Go.¡±

    Santiago turned over his chair and waved his hand dismissively. Raeleigh came out of the office and left the two brothers alone.

    She headed towards the elevator leading to Jepherson¡¯s office. When she arrived at the door, she saw a man walking out of another elevator on the opposite side, with his head wrapped in bandages. She thought he must be Seibert.

    Guilt rose in her heart. If he had not gone there to look for her, then he wouldn¡¯t have gotten hurt.

    She nodded at him, and she then waited in front of Jepherson¡¯s office. Coincidentally, he was waiting for Jepherson too. She pushed the door, but it did not budge. The door was locked, so she could not enter. She could only wait for Jepherson toe back.

    She stood there for a moment, staring at Seibert¡¯s shirt cor in a daze. He wore a unique brooch shaped like a pair of silver wings on his cor, and they looked good on him. She thought it was improper to stare at him like that, so she tore her gaze away from his cor and looked elsewhere instead.

    However, at that moment, Seibert seemed to have noticed that Raeleigh was staring at his brooch and quickly pulled his cor tightly.

    When Jepherson returned to the office, he brought Santiago with him. Raeleigh took a step back when she saw the two of them approaching.

    Jepherson came over and nced at Seibert. He said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to follow me today. Go back and rest for a day. I will tell Mr. Alvin about Santiago, and he will decide how to deal with him. I promise I will bring you justice.¡±

    Then, he pushed the door open and entered the office. The corners of Santiago¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°I would like to see how you will survive under my watch.¡±

    Seibert lowered his gaze and nced at Jepherson as he entered the office. ¡°If you are saying this because you need a spanking, then you may leave,¡± Jepherson warned.

    Raeleigh tugged at Santiago¡¯s arm and hissed, ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±

    As Santiago followed her into the room, she whispered to Seibert, ¡°You should go back and rest.¡±

    Raeleigh closed the door after Santiago came in. Then, the three of them found their own ces to sit.

    ¡°Our¡­¡±

    Raeleigh intended to talk about the publicity work for her car design, but Jepherson and Santiago had already stood up and were headed towards the bookshelf. Since she did not have the chance to talk, she could only follow them. She was about to enter the secret room after the two of them went in.

    ¡°Don¡¯te in. Stand at the door and watch,¡± Jepherson said as he stood at the door. She thought for a moment, and she then finally decided to not go in. She thought maybe they had something important to discuss. However, she could not help but to grow curious upon seeing their mysterious and strange expressions.

    Inside the secret room, Santiago stood aside as he stared at Raeleigh¡¯s drawing. He smirked and said, ¡°I want one.¡±

    Jepherson lifted his head and answeredimmediately, ¡°No.¡±Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Why?¡± Santiago seemed displeased. Jepherson raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°I already saved one for myself.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you save the next one instead?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh stood there for a while, rendered speechless by their conversation. She thought it was inappropriate to eavesdrop on such a conversation, so she turned around and left.

    She returned to the office and sat down on the couch. When Jepherson and Santiago finally came out of the secret room, she jumped up. She had almost fallen asleep waiting for them.

    ¡°Are you done?¡± She didn¡¯t know what the two of them were up to. It didn¡¯t make sense for them to argue over a car for so long. But she could not think of any other reason other than the car, as there was nothing else inside the room.

    ¡°We¡¯re done. It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go and eat.¡±

    Santiago was about to grab Raeleigh¡¯s hand when Jepherson shouted behind him, ¡°Santiago.¡±

    Santiago turned around. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Can you help me? My pen is missing.¡±

    ¡°Find it yourself.¡±

    ¡°Pleasee here.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you are doing.¡±

    Santiago turned around to face Jepherson. Jepherson knocked on the office table, and he then sat on it. He tilted his head and stared at Santiago. ¡°Are you looking for a fight?¡±

    Santiago¡¯s face fell. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll help you find it.¡±

    ¡­

    Jepherson and Santiago hadpletely neglected Raeleigh. She sat on the couch, at a loss for words. Santiago had been looking for the pen for hours, but it was still nowhere to be found. Finally, she could no longer sit still. She asked impatiently, ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to talk about promoting the cars?¡±

    Jepherson looked up at her and said, ¡°We have already agreed on it. Leave it all to Santiago. We are only in charge of the car design and will only participate in the designing process.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else to discuss.¡± Jepherson turned around and left. Just then, Santiago found the pen and threw it to him. ¡°You should buy a remote-controlled one next time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    Santiago went around the table and came to Raeleigh¡¯s side, and he then reached out to grab her arm. Jepherson swiftly pulled Raeleigh into his arms and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Then, he took her outside. After walking out of the office, he headed for the elevator. Santiago chased after them, trying to grab Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Jepherson turned around and looked at him. ¡°Santiago, are you itching for a beating?¡±

    Santiago snorted and refused to look at him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat anymore. I¡¯m in a bad mood. I have no appetite.¡±

    Then, he turned around and walked away as Jepherson led Raeleigh into the elevator. Raeleigh stared at the elevator¡¯s entrance, expecting Santiago to show up, but he didn¡¯t.

    The elevator door closed, and she squirmed out of Jepherson¡¯s grip. She looked up at his handsome face and asked, ¡°How did you manage to subdue him?¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t beat me.¡± His face was calm, but there was a hint of carelessness in his tone.

    ¡°Did you two fight?¡±

    She could not recall the two of them fighting in front of her. Could it be that¡­

    They had fought in Santiago¡¯s office?

    ¡°Is it bad?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent and said nothing else.

    After leaving the office, she followed Jepherson to dinner, and she then returned to the hospital after dinner.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t leave Jepherson¡¯s side until she finally returned to her ce with Xanthus. She sat down on her bed and stared into the vacant space with a puzzled look on her face.

    ¡°What is it? Why are you so absorbed in your thoughts?¡± Xanthus sat down and looked at her. She thought for a while and told Xanthus about what happened. Xanthus was silent for a while before saying, ¡°Jepherson is trying to make you stay, so he is fully utilizing these three months.¡±

 Chapter 1343 Have a Good Talk

    Raeleigh lifted her gaze and stared at Xanthus. Of course, she knew about this. However, she already made her decision.

    She thought of something else.

    She looked at Xanthus and asked, ¡°Will you get angry if I want to rob you?¡±

    Xanthus had a funny expression. ¡°Why would you suddenly think of this question?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just want to know the answer.¡±

    ¡°I will give you anything you like. After all, I only have one sister. If I don¡¯t, then I will feel bad.¡±

    Xanthus chuckled, but Raeleigh asked, ¡°What about the items you treasure the most? The items that you only want to keep for yourself?¡±

    Xanthus thought for a moment, and he then answered, ¡°I will.¡±

    Raeleigh smiled. She went to wash her hands, and she then came back to lie down on the bed.

    ¡°How is Stuart?¡±

    ¡°Stuart is fine. You should rest. He can already talk, although his speech is still unclear. His condition is stable now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great. Are you going to visit him tonight?¡± Raeleigh said as shey on the bed.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Yes, I have to. Everyone else is there. It will be inappropriate if I don¡¯t go.¡±

    Xanthus put on a white coat and stared at her for a while. ¡°I¡¯ll close the door now. Have a good rest.¡±

    Those were Xathus¡¯s words before he left. When Raeleigh heard the sound of the door closing, she was relieved. So, she went to bed. However, as she was sound asleep, a loud noise outside her room woke her up.

    Her eyes opened wide, and she stared at the door. Was someone outside trying to open her door?

    She thought Xanthus had returned, but she immediately fell silent as soon as the door swung open.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± she asked as she propped herself up on the bed. Jepherson came in and exined, ¡°I want to spend my night here. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll tell you the n.¡±

    At that moment, Raeleigh thought that there was no one else more cunning than Jepherson.

    ¡°You can¡¯t spend the night here. We haven¡¯t even started working together yet. Now is only the beginning¡­¡±

    Jepherson stood by the door, his arms crossed in front of his chest. The lights in the ward were on, and Raeleigh could clearly see the expression on his face. The look of excitement in his eyes drove her crazy. Indeed, her excuse was far-fetched.

    She pped her forehead and thought, ¡®Alright. Just one night. It should be fine.¡¯

    ¡°Let¡¯s make it clear first. Don¡¯t mess around, or else, I¡¯ll go to the other room and tell your parents about this,¡± she warned.

    Jepherson smiled at her serious attitude.

    ¡°Santiago is sleeping there. There are only three beds in that room, so I would have to sleep on the floor. Mom is worried about me, so she asked me toe over.¡±

    He had made it clear that he came here only because he was following the orders.

    Raeleigh felt annoyed.

    She pursed her lips and said, ¡°You will sleep in Xanthus¡¯s bed.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Jepherson shed her a satisfied smile, and he then turned towards the bed beside hers. He sat down on the bed and began taking off his clothes. Slowly and gently, he peeled off his clothes one by one. Raeleigh quicklyy down and pulled the nket over her head. She then turned around to avoid looking at him.

    When Jepherson finally went to bed, she turned around to look at him. However, he had already fallen asleep.

    She intended to ask him about the car, but right then, it was toote.

    She closed her eyes and fell asleep shortly.

    ¡­

    The sound of footsteps from outside the ward woke Hansen, Jepherson, and Santiago up. The three of them immediately got up and turned to look at the door in unison.

    Santiago frowned as he noticed someone walking past the door.

    Hansen nced at Santiago. Santiago did not move, his ears twitching as he listened to the noise.

    Jenna turned in her bed and mumbled something in her dream.

    The sound of footsteps paused. Hansen closed his eyes and pretended to sleep as he hugged Jenna and patted her gently.

    Jenna leaned into Hansen¡¯s arms and continued sleeping soundly.

    The man outside the ward stopped for a while, and he then walked towards Raeleigh¡¯s room after finding nothing unusual.

    Another man stood in front of Raeleigh¡¯s room. The two of them nodded to each other when their eyes met. Then, one of them pulled out a knife and slid it into the door crack. After fiddling with the knife, the door lock opened with a click, and the door swung open.

    The other man pushed open the door, and he then nodded and entered the room, tiptoeing towards Raeleigh¡¯s bed. Then, he raised the knife, preparing to stab her with it.

    However, the knife fell to the ground with a ng. The man in ck took a step back and stared at the person who had hit him with a belt.

    ¡°The Richards¡­¡±

    Just when Jepherson was about to speak, the man immediately kept quiet and turned around to escape. However, Santiago stood outside the door.

    ¡°Trying to escape?¡±

    At that moment, Santiago was already subduing the other man by putting him in a chokehold.

    The other man saw that there was no chance to escape, so he tried to attack Raeleigh in desperation. He tried to bypass Jepherson, but Jepherson walked over and kicked him. Then, the two of them began to fight.

    Jepherson forced the man into a corner, but the man was not willing to give up. After all, he had a knife in his hand. So, he gritted his teeth and threw himself at Raeleigh. The knife pierced through the nket, but there was nothing inside. He was stunned.

    Jepherson sent another kick to his side, and he fell to the ground with a thump. Meanwhile, Santiago pushed the other man to the side and went over to tie him up.

    At that moment, Raeleigh came out of the bathroom, still in shock.

    She stared at Jepherson nkly. Earlier, he had covered her mouth and took her to the bathroom. When she wanted to speak, he made a gesture, warning her to remain quiet. She had been hiding in the bathroom since then.

    Apparently, someone wanted to kill her.

    She touched her palms together and realized that they were covered with sweat. She had only seen this kind of situation on TV. She never knew that this kind of incident would happen in real life.

    She took two deep breaths and gathered her courage to look at Jepherson and Santiago. Thankfully, both of them were safe and unscathed. She breathed a sigh of relief.

    Santiago pulled away the masks from the men¡¯s heads.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Santiago kicked one of them in the shin. However, they only kept quiet. Raeleigh moved to the side and asked, ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Richards, are you okay?¡±

    Santiago turned around. Jenna stood at the door of the ward, also in shock. However, with Hansen by her side, she was less afraid. Besides, she had experienced a lot of things when she was young. This was not as terrible.

    ¡°Raeleigh, thank you for thinking about us. They really scared me.¡±

    Jenna entered the room and took Raeleigh¡¯s hand, and then wiped the sweat off her forehead.

    After entering the room and closing the door, Hansen looked at the two men on the ground and asked, ¡°Did the old madam hire you?¡±

    Jenna was stunned. She turned to Hansen and asked, ¡°Hansen, what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I have seen them before.¡± Hansen had indeed seen them before. That was why he knew it.

    Both of them fell silent. Hansen bent down to untie the rope and said, ¡°Go. Don¡¯te here again.¡±

    The two of them were scared out of their wits. They quickly thanked Hansen and then ran away.

    Jenna pulled Raeleigh back to her bed. Raeleigh took a long time to recover from the shock.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ I¡¯m so sorry that you have been frightened.¡± Jenna was sad. She thought that it was their fault that such a thing happened.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°Mom¡­¡±

    Raeleigh was at a loss for words, but Jenna kept talking. She did not leave until Raeleigh pretended to feel sleepy and closed her eyes.

    At that time, Hansen, Jepherson, and Santiago gathered outside the ward, and they had decided to have a good talk with Marissa!

 Chapter 1344 Send Her Into A Coffin

    When Jenna came out of the ward, Hansen, Jepherson, and Santiago were discussing outside. She paused and watched them at the door.

    She looked at Hansen, and she then walked over and sat beside him on the bench.

    Jenna never wanted things toe to this. After all, Marissa was their family, and she was an elderly. Even if she did something wrong, they should not go for her.

    However, they could not indulge her just because she was an elderly. Raeleigh was innocent. There was no reason for Marissa to do such a thing.

    ¡°What do you want to say to Grandma? Are you going to talk about Raeleigh?¡± Jenna needed to know the answers then.

    Hansen yawned. ¡°Since you¡¯re all sleepy, then let¡¯s go back to sleep. Don¡¯t lose your sleep because of this. Mother and I are going to rest too.¡±

    He stood up and pulled her with him. She was not a fool. She knew they did not want her to know what happened. That was why he was acting like this.

    Jepherson and Santiago took the hint when Hansen asked them to go back to sleep. The two of them went to Raeleigh¡¯s room and closed the door without another word.

    Jenna turned around and looked at Jepherson and Santiago as they entered the room, feeling unhappy. Whenever they talked about serious matters, they would put on this attitude. They never listened to her.

    Then, she asked Hansen in confusion, ¡°I have been taking care of them since they were born, but I don¡¯t understand why they always favor you. Even though they know it is a mistake, they will eventually favor you. This is really strange!¡±

    Hansen yawned and went into their room. He pushed open the door, and he then took off his clothes andy down on the bed.

    He patted the empty space beside him and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you once youe up here.¡±

    She rolled her eyes at him. Although she was a little angry, she walked over and joined him.

    She sat down on the bed and began taking off her clothes. Hansen had his own way of persuading her. However, she did not sleep well for the rest of the night. She always felt that she had done something wrong.

    However, Raeleigh slept well that night.

    Santiago and Jepherson left Raeleigh¡¯s side as soon as Jenna went back into her room. At first, Raeleigh had a hard time falling asleep, but after a while, fatigue overcame her, and she immediately went to sleep.

    By the time Raeleigh woke up, Xanthus was already back. Xanthus noticed that she was feeling better, so he talked to her. Then, Raeleigh told him what had happened the night before.

    ¡°Did Old Madam Marissa really do this?¡± Although Xanthus knew that it was probably true, he did not expect it to be so tricky. The Richards family thought highly of Raeleigh. However, Marissa wanted to go against them. That was the first time that he encountered such a thing.

    He had seen many things in the past, but that time, he finally managed to witness even more.

    ¡°Maybe. I am not sure. But Santiago¡¯s father let them go as soon as he saw the two men. The two men were also scared quite badly, so they immediately ran away.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson and Santiago stayed untilte at night before they left. I don¡¯t know if they had gone back to find Old Madam Marissa. They had a discussion outside when I pretended to sleep, but they suddenly stopped talking when Madam Jenna joined them. They didn¡¯t wait for her to speak and quickly hid in my room. When she went back to sleep, they left without saying goodbye.¡±

    Raeleigh only knew that much. After thinking about it, she thought that Jepherson and Santiago probably went to see Marissa.

    At Richards Manor.

    Marissa did not expect the men she hired to be so useless. Not only did they fail to kill a girl, but they returned in a mess.

    She was about to scold them when someone arrived at the door. She was not prepared to see Jepherson and Santiago at all.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago.¡±

    The two men looked at each other, shivering in fear.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

    Marissa did not panic at all. Instead, she seemed righteous.

    Santiago came in and sat on the chair in the room. He leaned against the chair and stared at Marissa with his dark eyes but he did not say anything unpleasant. Of course, his attitude had always been problematic.

    Marissa had always looked down on him as he always caused trouble for their family. Right then, he was going to cause trouble to her. How could she not punish him?

    She even had the urge to strangle him on the spot. She slowly propped herself up and looked at the two of them with a joking expression, suppressing the anger inside her. ¡°Are you going to punish me ording to the family rules?¡±

    Jepherson stood quietly in a corner. After all, Marissa was his grandmother. He needed to show her some respect.

    She was their grandmother, after all. They didn¡¯t intend to do anything to her, but they still wanted to teach her a lesson.

    Jepherson ignored Marissa¡¯s question, and he then looked at the two men beside him and ordered, ¡°Come out, you two.¡±

    Then, he turned around and walked out without saying a word to Marissa.

    Jepherson felt helpless. Marissa had made a huge mistake. However, even if she trulymitted murder, arson, or r*pe, he could not do anything to her.

    After all, she was his family.

    Although he couldn¡¯t do anything to Marissa, he could give her subordinates a warning.

    When he came outside, everyone was already gathered there.

    Santiago sat in the room as he leaned against the wall. The two men were forced to follow Jepherson out.

    One of the men kept looking back at Marissa with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. However, Marissa could not do anything. Otherwise, she would not have kept quiet at that time.

    Marissa¡¯s face nched as she watched the two men leaving.

    She picked up the ss beside her and threw it at Santiago. Santiago dodged, and the ss hit the ground and shattered into millions of pieces.

    Santiago didn¡¯t even flinch. He stood up and walked over to her side, and he then pressed his hands on both sides of her body to prop himself up. ¡°Grandma, can you stop torturing yourself?¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be doing this at your age, and you shouldn¡¯t mess with Jepherson. Don¡¯t you know that the eldest son has the most power ording to our family¡¯s rules? Aren¡¯t you afraid of offending him?¡±

    ¡°He is also human. But you treated him like an object. You are really¡­¡±

    Santiago sighed and stood up.

    Marissa seethed and gritted her teeth furiously. She had never been bullied like this before. He was cursing her so that she would die! He wanted to send her into a coffin.

    She could not contain her anger!

 Chapter 1345 A Dead Giveaway

    Marissa grew furious as shey helpless in her room. Meanwhile, cries for mercy came from outside the room, and they sounded worse than a pig being butchered.

    Everyone in Marissa¡¯s room was frightened.

    They were all present when Marissa gave instructions to the men. Now that they were all grounded, those who hired the men and gave her the idea would be punished togetherter. The thought of being punished scared them.

    Marissa sat unmoving the whole time, but her facial expression seemed miserable.

    She could not believe that after caring for Jepherson for so many years, he would point the gun at her in the end. Jepherson¡­

    Well, isn¡¯t he such a good grandson?

    Was he going to kill her?

    She clenched her hands into fists, and her face nched. Outside¡­

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, Mr. Jepherson! Please spare my life.¡± The two men kneeled on the ground, their bodies badly bruised. It was freezing cold outside. Kneeling outside under such weather was already torture, let alone being hit.

    However, Jepherson ordered his men to beat them until their skin was badly bruised.

    This was not a simple beating. He was trying to kill them.

    Santiago came out of the room and sat down. One of the servants handed a pair of gloves to him and warmed up his seat. Someone even ced a coat over Santiago¡¯s body to keep him warm.

    Santiago sat to one side, his expressions rxed. However, the more he acted like this, the more frightened the people around him became. Everyone knew that if he grew angry, he would torture them to death.

    At that moment, Jepherson stood aside with an indifferent expression, as if he did not care about anything at all. Upon seeing this, the people grew even more scared.

    They wondered if he was going to kill someone.

    After all, Jepherson and Santiago had never punished anyone together for all these years.

    ¡°You don¡¯t realize what you have done, and you still have the nerve to ask for mercy. Raeleigh is the Richards family¡¯s future daughter-inw. How dare you try to kill her! I think you are asking for death.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Could it be that you¡¯ve lived toofortably, and you want to do something shocking while you¡¯re young?¡±

    Santiago¡¯s demeanor was strange. The crowd grew silent, and no one dared to speak. They held their breaths as if they would lose their lives if he heard them breathing.

    The two men didn¡¯t move as they stared at Jepherson. They turned around and begged Santiago for mercy. Santiago looked just like a gangster from the olden days as he crossed his legs and looked down at the two of them. He didn¡¯t show any mercy at all. He said, ¡°No matter what, Raeleigh is a member of the Richards family, and you should respect us. You should have thought about this before you tried to kill her. What¡¯s the use of begging us for mercy after you get caught? You chose to do this. No one forced you to do anything.¡±

    ¡°You two had been so unlucky to have bumped into my parents the first time you tried to kill someone. This is interesting!¡±

    Santiago¡¯s voice was not too loud, and others should not be able to hear him through the door. However, the door to Marissa¡¯s room was wide open, and she heard him clearly.

    Marissa¡¯s heart sank when she heard that the men had encountered Hansen and Jenna.

    They must have known what was happening here. Otherwise, how would Jepherson and Santiago dare to bully her in front of so many people?

    She gritted her teeth. ¡®So, you¡¯re all bullying me, aren¡¯t you? Just wait, just wait!¡¯ she thought to herself.

    Meanwhile, Santiago continued to talk outside the room. He said a lot more things, but they were irrelevant things. The two men kneeled on the ground, and suddenly, they yelled, ¡°Mr. Santiago, Mr. Santiago! Please spare our lives. Old Madam Marissa ordered us to go there. We have nothing to do with this.¡±

    Santiago kicked the two of them hard when he heard their confessions. Then, he shouted, ¡°Do you think I am as innocent as a three-year-old? Grandma ordered you to do this? She is already so old, and she is confused. How would she order you to kill Raeleigh? You should have thought of a better excuse.¡±

    Then, he kicked them so hard that they could no longer speak. The two of them screamed and rolled on the ground with their hands covering their heads.

    Of course, Marissa knew what was going on. Santiago was pping her in the face.

    She began to doubt her position in the family.

    Who would be willing to do anything for her in the future?

    In fact, she was not wrong at all. That was exactly what Santiago meant to convey. He was warning them to stop doing bad things.

    No matter who gave the order, they would not end up well if they carried it out.

    Jepherson and Santiago did not leave immediately after beating the two men up. They stayed back for the whole morning and had lunch with Marissa that noon.

    They had done what should be done and eaten what should be eaten. However, Marissa had lost her appetite, and she began to grow sick that morning.

    She did not take a single bite. Meanwhile, Jepherson ate a bowl of rice and some other dishes.

    Santiago had a good appetite, and he ate the most.

    After lunch, Santiago stood up and announced, ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    He still had something to do. He was going out with Jacky that afternoon.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson did not leave. He cleared the dining table and stayed back to apany Marissa in her room. Marissay on the bed in silence while Jepherson stared outside the window. It seemed that they had nothing to say to each other.

    Marissa knew that Jepherson no longer held her in high regard. He stayed back to apany her because she was his grandmother.

    A dull ache raced from her heart, and her hatred towards Raeleigh grew even more.

    ¡­

    Santiago left the house and headed straight for the ce that Jacky told him about, which was Flynt¡¯s car repair shop.

    He parked outside, and he then got out of the car. He approached the ck car beside him and leaned against it. There was still a distance from Flynt¡¯s shop. No one would easily discover him.

    ¡°Is there any movement?¡± Santiago asked as he leaned over.

    Jacky handed him a cigarette. ¡°Not yet, but it¡¯s strange that there isn¡¯t any movement. They¡¯re too quiet. We¡¯ve already monitored everything, but there¡¯s still no progress.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re definitely not wrong. The calmer it is, the more suspicious it would be. How could the Moore family not care about him?¡± Santiago said as he smoked. Jacky nced at him. ¡°I heard you had an affair with his sister. How could you destroy your family? Are you willing to disregard your lover?¡±

    Cynthia had already left when Jacky arrived. Jacky heard from Deanna about this, but she didn¡¯t exin it clearly, so he didn¡¯t remember much about it.

    Santiagoughed. ¡°He and his sister are two different people. You can¡¯tpare them both.¡±

    Jacky alsoughed. After a moment of silence, Santiago asked, ¡°The fact that he didn¡¯t look for Raeleigh is a dead giveaway. That gave it away.¡±

    ¡°He was injured and sent to the hospital, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t visit him. Logically speaking, he should have gone to find her after he was discharged. There must be something wrong with this.¡±

    ¡°Then, what do you n to do?¡±

    ¡°Where has he been recently? It¡¯s my turn to go there. I will go and check him out. Keep an eye on this ce.¡±

    After that, Santiago waved his hand and went back into his car to receive the message.

 Chapter 1346 Something Still Happened

    Santiago drove away. As he drove, he received a message. He gave it a cursory nce before heading towards his destination.

    When he emerged from the car, he looked around. There was nothing special there. Santiago proceeded to approach the entrance of a cafe and lingered there for a while. After surveying it from outside, he walked in.

    It was not veryrge. It was just a medium-sized cafe.After entering, Santiago found a seat wherehe could observe the other tables. Then, he sat down and ordered a cup of coffee.

    A waitress came over to serve it. Santiago tipped her and inquired, ¡°When did you start working here?¡±

    The waitress was a beautiful girl. She waswearing a ck uniform, and her makeup was exquisite.The moment Santiago walked in, she noticed him.

    She was thrilled that Santiago asked her something. She replied, ¡°I¡¯ve worked here for more than half a year. Sir, is there something I can help you with?¡±

    ¡°Nothing in particr. A pretty girl like you, do you have a boyfriend here?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±

    The waitress soon warmed up to Santiago, who ordered more cups of coffee.

    ¡°I want one of each type of coffee. Just leave them here. Tell your manager that it¡¯s my treat for you. Sit down andkeep mepany for as long as possible.¡±

    The waitress seemed bashful, but she was internally on cloud nine.She thought that Santiago had even more beautiful features than most girls out there. At a single nce, oneknew without a shadow of a doubt that he came from a rich family. If she became his girlfriend, then she wouldn¡¯t have to work in the future.

    So, the waitress turned around and informed her manager about it. The manager was not a dolt. There was no way he would give up the chance to earn money. He agreed instantly.

    Sitting down, Santiago stirred a cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. His head was slightly lowered as he asked,¡°Is this an old cafe?¡±

    ¡°You could say that.¡±

    The waitress was tickled pink to be able to chat with Santiago. Santiago asked her about some trivial things. Following that, he paid and left.

    The waitress ran out to ask Santiago if they could meet again.

    ¡°Give me your hand,¡± Santiago said. Without hesitation, the waitress did as he said. He wrote some words on her palm with a finger.¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone. Call me if anything happens.¡±

    The waitress immediately lowered her head and nodded sheepishly. Santiago let go of her hand and turned around to head back into his car.

    Most of the cars in the Richards family were luxury cars. Even the lousiest cars they had still turned hands.Santiagowas driving Raeleigh¡¯s Lanox that day.

    The waitress took a fancy to him right away. She called Santiago once she got back.

    As he drove, Santiago picked up the call. He smiled and chatted with the waitress while driving to his next destination.

    Throughout that day, Santiago met around five women and dropped by at quite a few familiar ces. However, it turned out exactly as Jacky had described. Santiago¡¯s efforts were in vain.

    When he returned to the hospital, Santiago sat outside Stuart¡¯s ward for a moment. Alvin, standing beside him, asked, ¡°Are you really tired?¡±

    Santiago¡¯s earphones were still plugged in. He was holding his phone anughed every so often. It seemed that he was talking to someone.

    When Alvin queried him, Santiagonguidly replied, ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Raeleigh came to visit Stuart, followed by Xanthus. Seeing that Santiago was lying on a chair outside the ward and chatting to someone else, Raeleigh approached him. Santiago pried his eyes open and looked at her.

    Raeleigh had a special fragrance to her. Santiago could tell that it was her even if his eyes were closed.

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Get me something to eat.¡±

    He instructed her unceremoniously, as if he was ordering his Mom around.

    Raeleigh did not take offence to that attitude. She was holding a container of soup in her hand, from whichshe poured Santiago a bowl, before she went inside to see Stuart.

    ¡°Have this first.I¡¯ll prepare some porridge for youter.¡± Afterwards, Raeleigh entered Stuart¡¯s ward. Stuart had regained the ability to speak. The only reason he refused to speak was because he hadn¡¯t seen Jepherson yet.

    Alvin fixed his gaze on Santiago and frowned. There was no one else outside the ward except them. Alvin said, ¡°Raeleigh¡¯s your sister-inw.¡±

    Finishing the soup, Santiago set down the bowl. ¡°So?¡±

    Alvin said no more.

    Raeleigh said a few brief things to Stuart before she went out and addressed Santiago again.¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you out for a meal.¡±

    Santiago stood up from the chair wearily, as though he was on hisst bit of energy. While hauling himself to his feet, he said, ¡°Sleep with me for a while.¡±

    Raeleigh gazed at him. ¡°Are you seriously ill again?¡±

    Santiago walked to her side and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Raeleigh shrugged it off her shoulder, shooting daggers at him with her eyes. ¡°If you do this again, then I¡¯m going to¡­¡±

    Raeleigh looked back at the bystanderswho were darting nces at them, turned around, and left quickly.

    Santiago was all smiles while following behind her.

    Raeleigh was infuriated to the point of madness by him.

    However, Santiago became unusually quietter. The silence madeRaeleigh forget about his annoying behavior previously.

    When they arrived at Raeleigh¡¯s house, Santiago pushed the door open and went in. Hey right down on Raeleigh¡¯s bed.

    Raeleigh went to the opposite end of the house to prepare food for Santiago. After lying there for a while, Santiago got up in search of Raeleigh. When he entered the room, he was talking to a girl on the phone.

    There was a clean bed inside. Evidently, Raeleigh had changed the sheets.

    Santiagoid on it in the meantime and crossed his legs as he made a call. While chatting, he chuckled from time to time.

    Raeleigh stood aside, cooking. Santiago stoppedughing after some time. After a while more, he stopped talkingpletely. Raeleigh turned around to find that he had fallen asleep.

    Switching off the stove, Raeleigh took out a quilt from the opposite side of the room. Just as she was about to turn around, Santiago woke up and stood by the door. Raeleigh stepped aside and told him, ¡°Sleep on the bed.¡±

    Santiago walked over, turned off his phone, andy on the bed as he narrowed his eyes. ¡°Stay in the room and apany me.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    With that, he turned onto his side and slept.

    Raeleigh stood there momentarily before going out to pack the food she had prepared in a thermos bowl. Subsequently, she sat down to read a book whereas Santiago was deep in slumber.

    ¡­

    It was already evening by the timeSantiago woke up. He sat up and devoured the food Raeleigh had prepared for him. After finishing the meal, he wiped his mouth and stood up to leave.

    Raeleigh asked him, ¡°What are you investigating?¡±

    He had been chatting with so many girls simultaneously. Raeleigh wanted to know whether it was something dangerous.

    Santiago had already reached the door when he turned to look at Raeleigh. ¡°Don¡¯t ask too many questions.¡±

    ¡°If I don¡¯t,then nobody will know what has happened if you get into trouble. If you don¡¯t tell me, then you might as well not eat my cooking in the future. I won¡¯t keep youpany while you rest either.¡±Raeleigh put on a strong disy of resolve. Santiago pondered over it, and he then said,¡°Give me a paper and a pen.¡±

    Raeleigh went to get those items and handed them to him. Santiago cooperated and wrote down addresses on the piece of paper.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to these ces. Don¡¯t call me. I will be back by the next morning, okay?¡±

    As Santiago spoke, Raeleigh had already carefully scrutinized the note he had given her. She put it away and looked up at him. ¡°One is trying to show off, don¡¯t you get it?¡±

    Santiago suddenly cracked a smile. ¡°I¡¯m aware.I won¡¯t let my guard down.¡±

    With that, he turned around and left. Raeleigh followed him to the elevator. ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t push yourself beyond what you¡¯re capable of.¡±

    Santiago stepped into the elevatorand said,¡°Go back.¡±

    ¡°Remember my words.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s worries did not subside. She warned him again and again.Santiago just smiled. He did not give an answer.

    When the elevator doors closed, Raeleigh called Jepherson at once, telling him that Santiago had gone to investigate something.

    From the other side of the line,Jepherson¡¯s voice was calm.¡°I got it.¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh feel a little relieved. She thought that with Jepherson¡¯s protection, Santiago would be fine, but¡­

    Something still happened.

 Chapter 1347 She Searched for Santiago

    When Raeleigh got to know that something had gone awry, it was already a dayter. Raeleigh had a strange feeling when Santiago did note back. She called Jepherson, who told her that they were looking for Santiago. That was when Raeleigh knew that something was seriously amiss.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you get some people to protect Santiago yesterday?¡±

    In response to Raeleigh¡¯s question, Jepherson fell silent.

    Raeleigh thought it over.¡°Why didn¡¯t you search for him earlier? I told you that something might happen to him. Aren¡¯t the two of you brothers?¡±

    Raeleigh never wanted to lose her temper, but sometimes, she could not control it.

    In the end, Raeleigh said nothing. She hung up right away.

    Jepherson was sitting inside a car. After Raeleigh hung up, he took a look at his phone before his eyesnded on Seibert, who wassitting in front of him. ¡°Still no news regarding Santiago?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    Jepherson looked outside. His gaze swirled with chilliness and it grew darker.

    ¡°Find him now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡­

    Leaving the ward, Raeleigh made a beeline for Xanthus and told him about Santiago¡¯s disappearance. It happened that Hansen and Jenna were both there too. However, as Raeleigh pulled Xanthus aside to inform him about it,Hansen and Jenna did not really know the actual state of affairs. They just took it as a secret between the siblings. Jenna was even struck by how close they were.

    ¡°Are you going to look for him?¡± That was what concerned Xanthus the most.

    Raeleigh shook her head.¡°I won¡¯t. I want to meet Jacky.¡±

    Xanthus was on the fence. He looked back at the door of Stuart¡¯s ward. Although he was alright, somebody had to stay and guard him just in case.

    It was a critical moment. Anything that transpired might be fatal.

    ¡°I need to call Jacky to confirm this and ensure your safety.¡±

    Two days ago, Xanthus had asked for Jacky¡¯s number from Santiago. At that moment, he did not have any particr n in doing so. However, it hade in handy, it seemed.

    The call was connected. Xanthus walked into another ward while holding Raeleigh¡¯s wrist, as though he was afraid that Raeleigh would leave.

    There was a hint of drowsiness in Hansen¡¯s eyes, but his attitude was absolutely serious.

    ¡°They¡¯re really close to each other.¡±

    Jenna sincerelyplimented them. On the other hand, Hansen just snorted.

    Jenna turned to look at her husband.¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Hansen did not reply to her. He looked at Alvin instead and asked,¡°What happened? Why didn¡¯t Santiagoe back yesterday?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve failed to locate him.Something must¡¯ve happened to him..¡±

    Alvin was also involved in the search for Santiago, but to no avail.

    Upon hearing that, Jenna¡¯s heart skipped a beat.¡°Santiago¡¯s missing?¡±She thought in astonishment. She wanted to get up, but Hansen held her down and told her,¡°Lie low. It¡¯s nothing. Trust me, okay?¡±

    Hansen looked at his beloved wife and liftedhis other hand to hold the back of Jenna¡¯s head. Then, he nted a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Trust me, okay?¡±

    Jenna gazed at him. Truth be told,she was more concerned than scared.

    However, she felt a pang of guilt when she saw Hansen¡¯s reaction.

    Maybe the fact that she had always been afraid of her own shadow had frightened him.

    Jenna hesitated for a moment. ¡°Got it. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Only then did Hansen let go of his beloved wife. He was fretting over the safety of his youngest son,the apple of his eye. Compared to Jepherson¡¯s self-assuredness, Santiago posed more of a cause for concern.

    Even though Santiago was not an impulsive and petnt person, he was full of valor. Hewouldn¡¯t restrain himself from stirring up trouble. For so many years, Hansen had been cosseting that son of his. He had never praised Santiago in front of anyone else. Nevertheless, privately, he babied that son of his even more than he would have done for a delicate daughter.

    Now that Santiago had gone missing, regardless if he really had met with trouble, Hansen was on tenterhooks.

    Alvin asked, ¡°How about I search for him personally?¡±

    Hansen shook his head. The people who were present shouldn¡¯t make a move.

    Otherwise, the public would start to spread rumors.

    ¡°Call Jepherson.¡± Hansen¡¯s sole concern was to locate Santiago and ensure his safety.

    ¡°Right away.¡±

    Alvin then dialed Jepherson¡¯s number. Jepherson had long since anticipated that call.

    ¡°I got it.¡± After a few words, Alvin hung up. Hansen held his beloved wife¡¯s hand and instructed,¡°Just wait first.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    At present, Jenna had no other choice but to wait.

    ¡­

    Xanthus made the call, and soon the line was connected. Jacky answered the phone.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Xanthus Osteen.¡±

    ¡­

    After a moment of hesitation, Jacky asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Xanthus went straight to the point.¡°Santiago¡¯s disappeared. Do you know where he has gone?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also looking into it, but I still don¡¯t know where he went missing¡±.

    Xanthus nced at Raeleigh, who said, ¡°Give me your phone. I¡¯ll talk to him.¡±

    Apart from his parents, Raeleigh was the person Xanthus cared the most. He handed his phone to her.

    ¡°Jacky, I¡¯m Raeleigh. Can I meet you to go search for Santiago?¡±

    ¡­

    Jacky debated it for a while before answering, ¡°You should be aware of the risk if you meet up with me to look for Santiago. I can¡¯t guarantee your safety.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need any such guarantee. I¡¯m just going to follow alongside you. If you don¡¯t agree to this, then I¡¯ll go by myself.¡±

    To some extent,that was a threat, from Raeleigh to him.Jacky didn¡¯t think it was a joke. Thus, he was reluctant to speak with her any longer. He instantly said,¡°Hand the phone to Xanthus.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Raeleigh hesitantly gave the phone to Xanthus, who then said, ¡°Take Raeleigh with you for a day.¡±

    Xanthus was well aware of Raeleigh¡¯s thought process. If anything happened to Santiago, then she would not be able to sit still and watch from the sidelines.

    Xanthus would rather let Jacky take care of her than to worry about when she was going to sneak out alone to search on her own.

    Jacky dithered briefly. ¡°If Santiago finds out, then he won¡¯t go easy on us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll exin it to him.¡±

    Jacky felt disinclined to do so, but he still agreed atst. Furthermore, he promised to head to the hospital to pick up Raeleigh in person.

    After hanging up, Raeleigh looked apologetically at Xanthus. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you worry.¡±

    Xanthus raised his hand to ruffle Raeleigh¡¯s hair. ¡°Although it hasn¡¯t been long since we met, we¡¯re the same kind of people. I know how you feel.¡±

    ¡°Previously, I had been looking for you, so that you could get to know what familial love and happiness is.I don¡¯t want to tie you to my side and forbid you from doing what you long for. If I did that, then your long-lost family will just shackle you, and you won¡¯t be happy.It¡¯ll be meaningless.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. Xanthus patted her shoulder and changed the topic. ¡°You¡¯d better get changed. Who knows where they will take you to. I¡¯ll be able to rest assured if you put on your sportswear and hiking shoes.¡±

    ¡°Do I really have to?¡±

    ¡°It will put me at ease if you go prepared. Besides, you must heed what Jacky says if you guys run into any trouble. He¡¯s special. He¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. Only then did Xanthus head out with her. Afterwards, Raeleigh went to make preparations immediately.

 Chapter 1348 Extracting Information From Flynt

    After she was done with her preparations, Raeleigh went to the lobby of the hospital. Xanthus apanied her to wait for Jacky. Jacky stopped his car at the entrance and got out. He was slightly staggered when he saw Raeleigh. He hadn¡¯t expected her to dress that way.

    After sizing her up, Jacky opened the car door of the backseat and gestured for Raeleigh to go in.

    Xanthus walked over. His gazended on Jacky and he said,¡°Sorry for the trouble.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it for you. That number you dialed is my private number which only a few people have.The fact that you called me meant that Santiago had told you toe to me in the event of any mishap. I¡¯m doing it to help Santiago.¡±

    Jacky stood aside, dressed in all-ck and looking entirelyposed. He radiated an aura of coldness, simr to Santiago.

    Raeleigh also stood there and gazed at them for a short while before she bent down to get into the car.Then, she peeredat the two people outside the car, waiting for Jacky to close the door.

    Xanthus did not say anything else. He looked at Raeleigh and waved at her. ¡°Take care. Call me when you¡¯re free.¡±

    ¡°I got it.¡±

    After Raeleigh replied to Xanthus, Jacky promptly got into the car as well. He closed the door and nced at Xanthus before driving away from the hospital.

    Sitting in the car, Raeleigh didn¡¯t seem bothered about her own safety at all, as if she waspletely worry-free when it came to that.

    Usually, Raeleigh was not such a person. However, when it came to Santiago, she somehow always put herselfst.

    Not long after the car left, Raeleigh observed their surroundings. There weren¡¯t any suspicious cars stalking them. Only then did Raeleigh ask Jacky, ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°Flynt Moore¡¯s car repair shop.¡±

    ¡°Does Flynt have anything to do with this matter?¡±

    Jacky nced at Raeleigh through the rearview mirror and answered, ¡°Santiago suspected that Flynt was pulling some strings behind the scenes and colluding with someone to harm the Richards family.¡±

    Raeleigh ruminated. ¡°Things have been tranquil on Flynt¡¯s side. So, you¡¯ve been in charge of keeping an eye on him while Santiago went to look for some clues at the ces Flynt had gone to?¡±

    It was just a guess. Unexpectedly, it elicited a look of amazement in Jacky¡¯s eyes.

    Jacky said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to me that Santiago has told you.¡±

    Raeleigh kept silent, not answering him. Of course, she hadn¡¯t been told by Santiago. Instead, she deduced it using her rational mind.

    But, things were even more troublesome, it seemed.

    Raeleigh was really worried that Santiago was in deep trouble.

    Pursing her lips, Raeleigh said, ¡°Drop me off at a ce where I can get a cab nearby Flynt¡¯s store. I¡¯ll hail a cab there. You can follow meter, or wait for me over there beforehand. We¡¯d better not alert the enemy. I¡¯ll visit Flynt first and see if I can extract some information from him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too dangerous.¡±

    Jacky disagreed with Raeleigh¡¯s idea.

    Raeleigh mulled over the n. ¡°Since Flynt didn¡¯t confront the Richards family directly, it betrays his misgivings about the Richards brothers. If he¡¯s really scheming against the Richards family in such a despicable way,then he won¡¯t do anything openly now.If I go inside the shop, then I¡¯ll call Xanthus¡­ to let him know where I am. If I get into a fix, then I don¡¯t think Flynt will hurt me. It isn¡¯t the time for his showdown yet.¡±

    ¡°This way, he¡¯ll be fearful of being suspected.¡±

    ¡°Stay outside. If I¡¯m in danger, then you will know it.¡±

    Jacky didn¡¯t have any way to refute that. He had no choice but to concur with her.

    After driving for a while, Jacky dropped Raeleigh off. When she emerged from the car, she did not even spare Jacky a nce. She walked to the roadside and waited for the other cars to pass by. There was a car repair shop nearby,meaning, there would not be a shortage of cars in the area. Soon, she got into a cab,with Jacky following close behind.

    When the taxi came to a halt, Raeleigh took out some money and paid the driver. As the driver left, she turned around to observe the building in front of her. A momentter, she walked towards Flynt¡¯s store. Just as she reached the door,it so happened that Flynt came out. Raeleigh stood there, looking in his direction. Flynt hobbled out with a bandaged arm.

    The sun outside was still shining brightly. When Flynt pushed the door open as he exited,the dazzling sun made him raise his left hand to shield his eyes from the rays. Following that, he continued heading outside, but he stopped in his tracks after a few steps.

    Lifting his head,Flynt saw Raeleigh, who was standing under the sun in her grey sportswear and a pair of grey shoes. It was like a mirage.

    Flynt had a scraggly mustache on his face, and he looked haggard.

    The moment he came into her line of sight, Raeleigh began feeling conflicted.She did not expect that he would end up that way.

    Flynt slowly took a step after standing still momentarily. He walked with a limp.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with your leg?¡± Raeleigh approached him. There was a look of destion on his handsome face.Flynt replied, ¡°It¡¯s broken, but the doctor said it¡¯ll heal.¡±

    ¡°What about your arm?¡±

    Raeleigh then fixed her gaze on his arm. Flynt thought for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯ll heal too.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Raeleigh looked around. ¡°I snuck out. I might have to go back soon.¡±

    Flynt was baffled. ¡°Snuck out?¡±

    ¡°Yes,you see, Stuart was met with some trouble. I¡¯m with Xanthus now, but he has been detained in the hospital by the Richards brothers.I¡¯m the same. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s been going on with the Richards family these two days. They didn¡¯t check on me. So, I ran out when I was supposed to be exercising in the morning.¡±

    While speaking, Raeleigh acted as though something hade to her mind. Then, she made a phone call.

    ¡°Xanthus, I¡¯m at Flynt¡¯s ce to visit him.¡±

    Xanthus was slightly astounded when he received the call, but he replied in the next moment, ¡°I see. Be cautious ande back early.¡±

    ¡°I got it.¡± Raeleigh hung up and turnedaround to look at Flynt while putting her phone away.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had ended up this way. I thought you would be fine,¡± Raeleigh exined. Cogitating, Flynt looked down at his foot before he said, ¡°Come in.¡±

    He turned around and limped into the store. Raeleigh followed him inside. Jacky watched them from afar with his binocrs briefly, before putting them down.

    When they entered the store, Flynt invited her to the living quarters where he had been staying. Raeleigh surveyed the ce. It was familiar to her. She had been here before.

    ¡°Have some water.¡± Flynt poured her a ss of water. Raeleigh looked at it and said,¡°I¡¯ve been having hypoglycemiately.Because of that, I startedconsuming soft drinks. Do you have any? Earl Grey tea is fine by me too.¡±

    Only then did Flynt get up to go to the refrigerator. Raeleigh felt much more relieved when she saw him take a sk of Earl Grey tea for her.

    The water could have been drugged. However, it wasn¡¯t as easy to do so for packaged or canned drinks, especially not right in front of her.After all, Flynt had totally no idea that she wasing.

    Flynt gave her the sk of Earl Grey tea, and Raeleigh opened it to take a sip. She looked around the room before she focused her gaze on his arm. ¡°Is it really not that severe?¡±

    Flynt nodded.He could not take his eyes off Raeleigh¡¯s calm countenance.

    Raeleigh noticed that, of course. As they said, one¡¯s eyes were the window to their soul.

    Raeleigh wondered why she could read everyone¡¯s feelings just from looking at their eyes, except for the Richards brothers. How strange!

 Chapter 1349 Abstract Drawing

    Raeleigh lowered her head, remembering her main purpose ofing here.

    ¡°I actually camehere with a purpose today.¡± Raeleigh lifted her head to gaze at Flynt, who thenquestioned, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to bid farewell to you.¡± Raeleigh thought that she shoulde up with a reasonable excuse for visiting him. In addition, the excuse had to be one which would move him, so that he¡¯d let his guard down.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    After all, she hade very abruptly.

    Surely enough, Flynt froze for a moment when he heard Raeleigh¡¯s reply. What followed was another question. ¡°What for? Are you going abroad?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to Evend or Europe. Xanthus wants to take me there. We won¡¯t being back.¡±

    Flynt was bbergasted for a while. Then, he gave a few coughs. His eyes were filled with disbelief.

    Concurrently, Raeleigh stood up and sauntered around the room while saying, ¡°I can¡¯t ept Jepherson¡¯s idea of loving me. He wants to imprison me. Heeven asked Santiago to keep an eye on me to prohibit me from leaving the Richards family.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also subjected to prejudice by his grandmother. She had sent people to kill me many times.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m as human as any of them. I can¡¯t ept this at all. To top it all off, I¡¯ve already broken up with him.¡±

    Standing by Flynt¡¯s desk, Raeleigh¡¯s eyesnded on a spiral-bound notebook. There were some traces of handwriting on it, but it was not an ounting book. Judging by the handwriting, it seemed to be a collection of letters.

    In that era, not many people wrote letters.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t dare to keep staring. She turned around to peer at the decorations on the wall. All of a sudden, she began staring into space, as if she wasn¡¯t taking anything in at all.

    Flynt got up and walked to her side. ¡°Do you like Xanthus?¡±

    Raeleigh came to her senses and gazed at him. Then, she lowered her gaze and did not answer. Flynt pondered it momentarily, and he then continued,¡°You don¡¯t.So, why did you choose to leave with him?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s able to take me away. I have a contract with Jepherson. I¡¯ve negotiated with him multiple times, but he refuses to let me go. The money required for thewsuit is exorbitant.¡±

    Raeleigh spoke in agony. Flynt took a step back and mulled over something briefly, before asking,¡°If I could give you that money, then are you willing to stay?¡±

    Flynt turned around to look at her. To that, Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t offer you anything in return. Besides, I won¡¯t stay here because I don¡¯t belong here. I have to leave. Capital City is not the ce for me to settle down.Everyone here has held a grudge against me. All of them want to pressure me into doing things.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t stand it. I want to leave this ce.¡±

    Flynt asked, ¡°Then, how about Xanthus? Won¡¯t he pressure you too? If you take his money, in the future, then you might have to sell your¡­¡±

    Flynt left it there, but his expression was clearly stormy.

    Raeleigh retorted, ¡°Xanthus is not that sort of person. At the very least, he never coerced me into doing anything before. He has been looking after me like a brother for so long. I like our dynamic.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re deceiving yourself. What you desire from him is familial love, not romantic love.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve failed in my romantic rtionship. I¡¯m not holding out much hope now.¡± Raeleigh was rather collected, as though she had gotten over everything.

    Flynt remained silent, with his eyebrows furrowed. He turned around. His hands were tightly clenched by his side as his thoughts raced non-stop.

    ¡°Raeleigh, when are you leaving?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Flynt¡¯s back. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Stuart has not recuperated from his injury, and Xanthus is being put under surveince. Hence, we can¡¯t leave yet. I came here just to see you onest time. I¡¯m leaving soon, so I was afraid that we wouldn¡¯t have a chance to meet again.¡±

    Flynt swiveled to gaze at her. ¡°If, I mean, if I can help you,then will you stay in this country rather than go abroad? Maybe in another city, but not Capital City.¡±

    Raeleigh contemted his suggestion. ¡°I can¡¯t get you into trouble. It will entail a lot of money. On top of that, the Moore family¡¯s reputation concerns me too. I don¡¯t want to jump out of the frying pan into the fire.¡±

    Flynn furrowed his brows.¡°I¡¯ll treat you very well. I won¡¯t ask too much of you. I just want to lead a simple life with you.¡±

    ¡°Even if you can do that, the Richards family isn¡¯t going to let you off. Weren¡¯t your injuries inflicted by Jepherson¡¯s men?¡±

    Flynt shook his head and replied, ¡°Maybe not.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Whatever it is, I know that you would¡¯ve ended up like this for no reason.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± Flynt swept his gaze over their surroundings and added,¡°I caught a fish yesterday. Would you like to cook it for me?¡±

    ¡°No problem, but I have to go back soon.I don¡¯t know if I have the time to stay and eat it together with you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. They won¡¯t find out that quickly. I¡¯ll prepare it.¡± As Flynt spoke, he went to his kitchen outside to work on the fish.Raeleigh followed him.Flynt took out a grouper fish and began cooking it, withRaeleigh helping him.

    While they were busy, a man went into the store.

    Seeing Raeleigh, the man said nothing. Flynt told him to wait. Then, he went into the store and took a piece of paper, which he handed to the man.

    Raeleigh caught a glimpse of it. She was sure that there were some words written on it.

    As the man left, Flynt came back. Raeleigh asked, ¡°Is your business doing okay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s doing alright.¡±

    ¡°Honestly,you should go to another city and start over.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve lived here since I was a child. I don¡¯t want to leave.¡±

    ¡­

    The two fell silent for a short time. Following that, the fish was nearly ready. Raeleigh went to the refrigerator to get some parsley, but there was none left.

    ¡°Is there any grocery store or supermarket nearby? I¡¯ll go and buy some parsley,¡± said Raeleigh as she went back into the kitchen.Flynt replied immediately, ¡°I¡¯ll go. Stay put.¡±

    ¡°How can you go there with that leg of yours? I¡¯ll go.¡±

    Raeleigh insisted on going. Flynt refused to let her.¡°I¡¯m fine. I walk every day.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you should go then. While you¡¯re at it, get some garlic and vinegar too.¡±

    ¡°Looks like I¡¯mcking quite a few ingredients.¡± Flynt took his coat and left. Raeleigh stood by the door, watching as he left. After a while, she pivoted around and went inside again.

    Raeleigh had observed his house before she stepped foot in it. There were many surveince cameras, almost in every corner.

    Raeleigh wiped her hands and went back to the room. She took a sip of Earl Grey tea and walked to Flynt¡¯s desk. Then, she picked up the photo of Flynt and Cynthia. In front of itida spiral-bound notebook. Raeleigh¡¯s eyes strayed to other spots every so often before she put down the photo and flipped through the notebook casually. She even took a pencil and drew a picture of someabstract figures.

    By the time she finished drawing, Flynt returned.He called out to her as he entered the house. Only then did Raeleigh get up.Flynt walked over and took a look, noticing the drawing on the notebook.

    Flynt was amused. ¡°Did your upation get you into the habit of drawing?¡±

    Raeleigh forced a smile. ¡°If I quit my job as a car designer one day, then I can be an illustrator.¡±

    Flynt picked up the notebook and scrutinized the drawing carefully. ¡°I¡¯ll store this properly. When you be an illustrator one day, I¡¯ll sell it at a good price.¡±

    Raeleigh grinned. ¡°Then, let¡¯s see if it¡¯s my fate.¡±

    Taking the parsley, she went to the kitchen. Flynt put down the notebook and followed Raeleigh to serve the fish. It was time for them to have their meal.

 Chapter 1350 Take the Bull by the Horns

    Raeleigh had only taken a few bites before her phone rang. She took out her phone and looked at the screen.¡°I¡¯m going back now.¡±

    The call was from Jacky, who hadn¡¯t spoken at all.Raeleigh ended the call.

    ¡°Perhaps, Jepherson has gone back. Xanthus is calling me. I must go back now.¡±

    Raeleigh put away her phone and looked at Flynt, who then stood up. ¡°This is our only enjoyable date. It¡¯s a pity that it has to end too soon.¡±

    Flynt stood opposite Raeleigh. She remained silent for a moment, and she then said,¡°If you go abroad in the future, then call me. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal.¡±

    Flynt¡¯s gaze was fixed on her. ¡°I¡¯d prefer if you stayed here rather than go abroad.¡±

    Raeleigh kept quiet until Flynt said, ¡°You can leave now. I¡¯ll see you off.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, I came by taxi. I¡¯ll get a cab to leave as well.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and trotted outside. Flynt walked her to the intersection.There, Raeleigh swiveled back to Flynt to take a look at him. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off, then.¡±

    A taxi stopped.Raeleigh opened the door and got in, wavingat Flynt before leaving.

    It wasn¡¯t until Raeleigh had left that Flynt looked around and turned around to go back.

    As he hobbled back, he made a call.

    ¡°Follow the taxi and see where it goes.¡±

    ¡­

    Flynt stashed his phone away and went back to continue his breakfast. Raeleigh sent a text message to Jacky in the cab, telling him that he shouldn¡¯t pick her up, and that she would contact him.

    Jacky received the message and as instructed,he did not pick Raeleigh up. Raeleigh went all the way to the entrance of the hospital by cab. After getting out, she walked into the hospital in search of Xanthus.

    Xanthus heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that she was back.

    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    While Raeleigh was off with Jacky, Xanthus had his heart in his throat.

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°Xanthus, I need to go back home. I¡¯ll meet you againter.¡±

    ¡°Go.¡±

    Xanthus patted Raeleigh on the shoulder. After that, Raeleigh went to her ward, took out her sketchbook and pencil, and began writing.

    The purpose of drawing that abstract picture on Flynt¡¯s notebook was to figure out what words had been written on it. Only when she touched it could she tell what they were.

    She was a designer, who had high standards for the paper she used. She could tell a lot of things from a piece of paper,including traces of handwriting on it.

    Raeleigh did it slowly to piece together all the words written on the notebook.

    ¡°There¡¯s been no shortage of goods recently. Don¡¯t deliver them.¡±

    That message left Raeleigh stumped. There must be something amiss. If it was just a simple message about the goods being adequate,then Flynt could have informed the man through the phone. Why would he need to write a note?

    Raeleigh wondered what it meant.

    She held her head and closed her eyes, recalling the ces where Santiago had said he would go. The bar would not deliver goods to the car repair store. The other ces were either cafes or ces for entertainment. It was impossible for a tennis club to deliver goods to Flynt¡¯s store either.

    Then, what wasit?

    Raeleigh clutched at her head, failing to figure it out. She got up,exiting the ward as she crumpled the paper and put it into her pocket.

    She went outside and paced in the corridor, deep in thought. Consequently, she identally collided with someone.

    Raising her head to look at the person before her, she was taken aback and blushed all over.

    ¡°Mr. Richards¡­¡±

    Jenna and Hansen stood in front of her arm-in-arm. Raeleigh was embarrassed beyond words. Why had it been Hansen whom she bumped into?

    Jenna let out augh. ¡°You should call him ¡®Dad¡¯.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at Jenna before saying, ¡°Dad.¡±

    Hansen pulled a long face. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you watch your steps? What were you thinking? Did you go out today?¡±

    Initially, Raeleigh intended to make up an excuse to answer Hansen¡¯s first question. However,he followed it up with more and more questions,which left her in a quandary.

    ¡°Alright, watch where you walk. We¡¯re just about to have a meal. In a while, someone will deliver it to us. Raeleigh,e and join us.¡±

    Jenna extended the invitation to Raeleigh in a good-natured way. Raeleighthen stared at Jenna. ¡°What? What is he delivering?¡±

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t snap back to her senses in time. There was a look of disdain in Hansen¡¯s eyes when he sized up Raeleigh. He had faith in his son¡¯s tastes, but he doubted it that time.

    Jenna was very pleased to talk to Raeleigh. ¡°Hansen likes to eat hotel food. Thus, he specially ordered some food from the hotel. Today, you¡¯ll be having a feast. Everyone will get a share. Raeleigh, do you want to eat with us, or with your brother, Xanthus? Or, should all of us eat together?¡±

    Raeleigh exhaled. ¡°I see. Drugs are not the only thing in a hospital.¡±

    Spooked, Jenna extended her hand to touch Raeleigh¡¯s forehead. ¡°Raeleigh, are you feeling unwell?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°I have something else to do. I need to go now.¡±

    With that, she left. Jenna turned to look at her in perplexity.

    Beside her, Hansen said, ¡°Mom¡¯s thoughts make sense, sometimes.¡±

    Jenna slowly turned around and gazed at her husband. ¡°Hansen, don¡¯t tell me that you want to break them up?¡±

    Hansen snorted.¡°What does other people¡¯s business have to do with me?¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Afterwards, he brought his beloved wife to the ward. He wouldn¡¯t interfere as long as his son was willing to be with Raeleigh.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh quickly walked to the elevator and called Jacky as she prepared to leave right away. Seeing her, Xanthus called out to her. Only then did she stop in her tracks.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Xanthus. Raeleigh stood on tiptoe and whispered to him.

    A change came over Xanthus when he heard what Raeleigh said.Then, he replied, ¡°It¡¯s too risky. I won¡¯t allow you to go.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going with Jacky. Nothing will happen.¡± Raeleigh promised soberly.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do either.¡±

    Xanthus was serious at that time.

    ¡°I¡¯m very worried about him.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine.¡± That was how Xanthus truly felt. Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°We should have already received news if he¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know Flynt. He pursues whatever he wants by hook or by crook.¡±

    Xanthus was silent. Then, he darted a nce at their surroundings and said,¡°Call Jepherson. He¡¯ll find a solution.¡±

    Raeleigh replied, ¡°He¡¯ll draw attention. His appearance will cause an uproar there.Thus, Iwant Jacky to apany me.¡±

    ¡°What you¡¯re trying to do is too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Xanthus¡­¡±

    Xanthus was quiet for a while. ¡°You can go, but you can¡¯t get out of the car. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be allowed to go out in the future.¡±

    Raeleigh immediately smiled. ¡°Understood.¡±

    Subsequently, Raeleigh entered the elevator. By the time she reached the ground floor, Jacky had also arrived.

    Raeleigh got into his car and told him where she wanted to go.

    ¡°Are you sure about that? I¡¯ve already sent people to search for two days,but they still haven¡¯t found him.¡± Jacky suspected the same thing, but his attempts to find Santiago were to no avail.

    Raeleigh deliberated briefly. ¡°Take me to your ce and disguise me.I¡¯ll go and look.¡±

    Jacky shot a nce at Raeleigh through the rearview mirror. ¡°If Santiago finds out, then he¡¯ll kill me.¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t find out. We don¡¯t even know where he is now.¡± Raeleigh was determined. Her concern for Santiago was unimaginable.

    If it weren¡¯t for Santiago,then she would not have talked so much to Flynt and even had a meal with him.

    Although their rtionship had eased a little, Raeleigh had mused over ittely.Flynt was not as simple as she thought previously.

 Chapter 1351 Deception

    Raeleigh and Jacky hit the bar. She had dressed up beforehand. To disguise herself, she wore a tight suit, revealing her thighs, and got herself an afro hairstyle into the mix. It was winter, which made her feel extremely cold in such an outfit.

    She only took off her cardigan and put it in the car right before emerging from the car. Jacky stared at her through the rearview mirror.

    Notwithstanding his admiration for Raeleigh¡¯s wisdom and beauty, he was rendered speechless by her disguise.

    She dressed up like a little imp foraging for food. If Santiago saw her current appearance, then Santiago would probably kill him first.

    That day, Jacky drove a taxi.Pushing open the car door,Raeleigh got off. Jacky instantly called his men.

    ¡°Protect the person who got out of the car. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have me to answer to.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jacky.¡±

    They took the order and began to keep an eye on Raeleigh.

    It was the first time for Raeleigh to wear such killer high heels and skimpy outfit. She was feeling self-conscious in that get-up. Luckily, she had put on heavy makeup, therefore even Jepherson could not recognize her.

    As it happened, Jepherson was actually near her.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that girl?¡±

    The sight of Raeleigh¡¯s voluptuous shoulders and bubble butt brought to his mind a sense of familiarity.Nevertheless, as only her back had graced his eyes, he couldn¡¯t recall it.

    Seibert, who was sitting in front of him, answered, ¡°Never seen her before, but she¡¯s quite the vixen.¡±

    Jepherson knitted his brow without replying. There was a faraway look in his expression. ¡°Still no news?¡±

    ¡°No, the surveince footage indicates that thest ce where Mr. Santiago appeared was near this street. He had been investigating this ce, so I believe it¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you find him? What have you people been doing?¡± Jepherson was disgruntled.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that he would be thrust into the spotlight the moment he showed his face, then he would have gone to search for Santiago himself.

    Seibert did not answer.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh came to the door of the bar and intended to go in, but she was stopped by two bouncers.

    ¡°Well, well, well, if it isn¡¯t a new face.¡± Both of the young men, seeing Raeleigh¡¯s dewy skin and flirtatious look, were turned on. They would not simply hit on a in girl.

    Jacky frowned deeply. If Raeleigh was molested, then he would get out of the car at once.

    To his surprise, Raeleigh excelled at handling this kind of situation.

    She cracked a smile.¡°I¡¯m here through a rmendation. Is Terek here?¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    ¡°Terek?¡±

    When the two of them heard Terek¡¯s name, they hung back. Terek was too freaking libidinous. If she was Terek¡¯s woman, then she would note to a good end if she went in.

    Furthermore, Terek had a habit. He wouldn¡¯t permit anyone to touch his women before he did. His underlings needed to wait until he had finished taking pleasure in those women.

    The two bouncers stepped aside. One of them said, ¡°Terek hasn¡¯te back yet. His room¡¯s upstairs. Ya know where it is?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Uhuh, I don¡¯t. Sir,take me there, pretty please?¡±

    Initially, the bouncer didn¡¯t want to meddle in this affair, but when he saw Raeleigh¡¯s femme fatale eyes, his animal instinct was triggered. He thought that it would be nice if she coulde to his bed after she had finished servicing Terek.

    Only then did he shoot a nce at the man opposite to him and say, ¡°Stay here and watch over here. Imma bring her there.¡±

    ¡°Move fast.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    With that, the bouncer led Raeleigh into the bar.Raeleigh walked in, greeted by a sea of bedazzled faces in the bar. They couldn¡¯t take their eyes off her.

    The bouncer told her, ¡°If you do this,then you will be in deep trouble. Terek doesn¡¯t like other men to look at his women. Howe you didn¡¯t know about it?¡±

    Raeleigh replied awkwardly, ¡°I¡¯m still studying in university. I don¡¯t want to do this either, but my mother is deep in debt. She gave me to Terek in return for money, so that we won¡¯t need to worry about getting by anymore.¡±

    Raeleigh feigned sadness. Looking at her, the bouncer couldn¡¯t help but to sympathize with her. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Terek will let you go after he has had enough fun. Don¡¯t resist or fight him. Then, maybe he will go easy on you.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at him. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    After going upstairs, Raeleigh inquired, ¡°When will Tereke back?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. Something has happened recently. He must be busy.¡± Realizing that he had been loose-lipped, the bouncer suddenly stopped speaking. Raeleigh looked at him strangely. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nah, we¡¯re good.¡±

    ¡°Why are you faltering? Is Terek a pervert?¡± Raeleigh was a little scared. Perceiving Raeleigh¡¯s urge to flee in panic, the bouncer was filled with horror. If she ran away, then Terek would call him to ount for her escape.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. The thing between a man and a woman in the bedroom is rather simple. It will be over in a trice. If you make Terek happy, then you can get everything you desire here in the future. Terek keeps switching girlfriends, so he won¡¯t hold you for too long. The longest rtionship he has ever had onlysted for three months.¡±

    ¡°Then, he is still a pervert.¡±

    Raeleigh was on the verge of tears when she turned around to leave, but the man stopped her. It wasn¡¯t until Raeleigh said his grasp had hurt her that he loosened his hand and said, ¡°Chill out, it¡¯s not what you think.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my first time, but a pervert will be taking it. I¡­¡± Raeleigh still wanted to weep. Men always loved beauty. They could not bear to see a woman shedding tears, especially over the apprehension of having their cherries popped.

    As she started sobbing, the bouncer looked around and scratched his head in hesitation before replying, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell you what¡¯s going on. Don¡¯t tell anyone, or I¡¯ll be dead.¡±

    Hearing his words, Raeleigh held his hands and waited pitifully.

    The man was captivated by her piteous look. ¡°Actually, a person came here and looked for someone two days ago. Terek took the person to the basement. If Terek is not here, then he will probably be there. But don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not a woman, it¡¯s a man. Terek is settling a score with him.¡±

    ¡°Then, is he a pervert?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Raeleigh let go of his hands and nodded. He looked around. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you upstairs.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded again. Arriving at the door of Terek¡¯s room upstairs, he opened the door for her to enter. She turned around and gazed at him. ¡°Please take good care of me in the future. I don¡¯t know anyone here. My mother told me that as long as Ie here, Terek would give us money to support my studies. Is that true?¡±

    His eyes were fixed on Raeleigh. ¡°How much do you need to pay for a year¡¯s tuition fees?¡±

    Raeleigh answered, ¡°Twenty thousand dors.¡±

    ¡°Piece of cake. If Terek doesn¡¯t give it to you, then I¡¯ll give it to you, but you have to keep it a secret.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at him gratefully. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll keep this between us.¡±

    He beamed at her. ¡°I¡¯ll go down first. Remember what I said. Don¡¯t resist.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. The man turned around and left with disappointment, feeling ufortable, as if he had offered his woman to another man.

    Raeleigh closed the door and surveyed the room. Thinking of the basement, she came out of the room stealthily and headed for the basement.

    In case of being noticed, Raeleigh held her belly while walking, as though she was suffering from a stomach ache.

    Some people sidled up to her, but the lights dimmed and blurred their visions, including the good-looking ones and the ugly ones. Anyway, she managed to approach the basement safely.

    There were several people standing at the door of the basement. Raeleigh took a breath and leaned to one side, trying to figure out a way.

 Chapter 1352 Snapped

    Just when Raeleigh was scrambling for a solution, several people walked towards her. Raeleigh leaned against the wall, worrying if they wereing after her.

    They were gradually closing in on her. Meanwhile, she discovered that these people were preventing others from getting close to her.

    Feeling uneasy, she took out her phone. If something was about to happen, then she had to inform Jacky in an instant. Otherwise, it would be toote if it did.

    She was ready to dial the number when she received a call.

    The phone vibrated. Raeleigh lifted her hand to take a look. It was Jacky. She answered immediately.

    ¡°Stay under the radar. Leave it to us and retreat right now. We¡¯ll handle what¡¯s going to happen next.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t leave until I see Santiago.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t bring herself to leave like this. What if they couldn¡¯t save Santiago?

    When a person fret so much over another person, their intelligence would diminish over and over again. Raeleigh was a typical example.

    Staring at the people in front of her, she put down her phone. Soon, they walked past her and whizzed to the door of the basement.

    In no time at all, they had incapacitated the guards at the door, who were at the corner. Although there were guards, there were only a few souls around. Additionally, most of the people were letting it all hang out on the dance floor, making it a sequestered spot.

    Nheless, Raeleigh felt that there was something amiss. Since Terek had been hiding Santiago inside, it must be guarded strictly. How could he let others know so easily?

    Raeleigh drunkenly walked along the wall, tottering. After that, she found a seat and asked the bartender for a drink.

    The bartender sized her up and gave her a ss of scotch. She swirled the ss while gazing at the image reflected in it. At the present moment, althoughher back was to the door of the basement,Raeleigh could seeclearlywhat was going on.

    The people at the door did go in, but when they went in, there was another group of people waiting inside, leading up to a fight breaking out.

    Raeleigh turned her head to look at the bartender, resting her chin on her hands.¡°Aw, shucks. I was trying to go to the washroom. How did I end up here?¡±

    The bartender was amused. He licked the tip of his tongue. ¡°The washroom is over there.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The bartender¡¯s eyes were fixed on Raeleigh¡¯s cleavage. Raeleigh almost fell down when she tried to rise to her feet, and she wanted to make her way to the washroom. The bartender came out instantly and bent over to support her. ¡°I¡¯ll take you there. With you like this, I doubt you can make it.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head and followed the bartender to the washroom. While walking, they were stopped by someone.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here.¡± Raeleigh was stunned for a moment. It was the bouncer.

    ¡°You can shove it.¡± The bartender was less than thrilled.

    ¡°This chick is one of Terek¡¯s.¡± As he spoke, the bouncer pulled Raeleigh over. Hearing Terek¡¯s name, the bartender reluctantly let go of her.

    At that moment, Raeleigh was leaning against the bouncer in a daze. The bouncer took the chance to hug her in his arms while saying to the bartender, ¡°I will send her back. You, get back to work.¡±

    With Raeleigh in his arms, he brought her upstairs. Raeleigh had touched the ss of scotch. Even though she did not drink it, she was then emitting the smell of liquor.

    Along the way, he said, ¡°You can¡¯t hold your booze, yet you were still drinking. The lower ground was full of bad guys. Why did youe down?¡±

    ¡°Washroom, I was looking for the washroom. He said he would tell me where it is if I chug the ss of whiskey.¡±

    Raeleigh pretended to answer while in a daze, as though she was drunk.

    He was at a loss for words. ¡°There is a washroom in Terek¡¯s room.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t find it.¡±

    Again, he was lost for words. He took Raeleigh back downstairs, opened a door, pushed Raeleigh in, and pointed at the washroom. ¡°Just there.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at it. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Turning around, Raeleigh fell to the ground. The bouncer was heartbroken at the sight of this. He got in right away to help Raeleigh get up.

    Raeleigh sat down and looked at him,tears glistening at the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay here. I want to go home.¡±

    He wanted to help her, but he had no solution.

    ¡°If you go back, then what about your family? Listen to me, you¡¯d better stay here. Nothing bad will happen. You¡¯ll have to getid sooner orter, so you might do it now as well. You will know what it¡¯s all about after you¡¯ve tried it. Maybe you¡¯ll find it right up your alley.¡±

    He said a lot of words and buddied up to Raeleigh. She sat momentarily before she went to the washroom to send a text message. When she came out, the bouncer had not left yet. He stood in the room waiting for her.

    Raeleigh assumed a calm face when she came out. Then, she said, ¡°There are surveince cameras all over the ce.Aren¡¯t you afraid that Terek will find out we are together?¡±

    He smiled. ¡°I will deal with it. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Raeleigh looked around. ¡°How do you deal with it? You know how to operate those cameras?¡±

    He checked the time. ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡±

    Turning around, he went outside. From the looks of it, Raeleigh believed that this man would be very useful to her.

    He walked past a room upstairs and went to the door of another room. There stood two guards. He waved his hand at them, opened the door, and went in. Raeleigh followed him.

    There were two men inside the room. When they saw the bouncer, they even greeted him. ¡°You won¡¯t be needed here. Take five, my man.¡±

    The two men darted a nce at Raeleigh before they turned around and went out of the room. As the door was closed, the bouncer pulled out a chair for Raeleigh. She sat down and focused on the monitor, watching how he deleted and froze some frames of the footage. After watching for a while, she asked, ¡°Where is Terek?¡±

    He nced at her. ¡°You wanna know?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. Afterwards, he leaned over in front of her. ¡°Gimme a kiss, and I will show it to you.¡±

    In a pickle, Raeleigh considered briefly. ¡°Close your eyes then.¡±

    He closed his eyes. Raeleigh went near him and faked heavy breathing on purpose. He took a deep breath, ready to be kissed. She raised her hand and poked his face. Following that, she moved her head away from him, but she had ced her hand behind her back first.

    He opened his eyes slowly and stared at her, intending to kiss her. Raeleigh avoided him instantly.

    He did not get angry. Instead, he just looked at her. ¡°Do you have a boyfriend?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded and replied, ¡°I want to focus on my studies.¡±

    His eyes were fixed on her briefly before he turned around and disyed some footage on the monitor. Raeleigh stood rooted to the spot when she saw Santiago.

    At present, there was a scene with Santiago on the monitor. His hands were cuffed, and he had been beaten till his body was badly injured. There was a man sitting aside while gazing at Santiago. Santiago¡¯s head was drooped and his eyes were closed, as if he was dead.

    In astonishment, Raeleigh looked at the bouncer, who then said, ¡°The loser being tied up is the man caught by Terek. Don¡¯t worry. He can¡¯t get out. His bones have been snapped.¡±

    Raeleigh was still looking at him. ¡°What about that man?¡±

    ¡°That is Terek.¡±

    As he spoke, his eyesnded on Raeleigh, who was upset and nched at how Santiago had been treated.

    ¡°Well, he may be a lil¡¯ old for you,but he is no pervert,¡± said the bouncer. Raeleigh gazed at him. ¡°I want to go home.¡±

    The bouncer felt sorry for her. ¡°Remember, don¡¯t resist. Grab life by the balls and it¡¯ll be over faster than you can say Daddy Terry.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head while he pulled her up. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll send you back to his room.¡±

    Even though Raeleigh faked unwillingness, she still went upstairs. Subsequently, she sat in the room, pretending to be staring into space.

 Chapter 1353 His Expression Darkened

    Before the bouncer left, he nced at Raeleigh for a while, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, with me here, nothing will happen to you.¡±

    ¡°I have money. I¡¯ll let you study as you wish.¡±

    With that, he closed the door and left. Raeleigh gazed at the doorway before she took out her phone to send a text message to Jacky, telling him that he should send in another group of men because his first batch had gotten into trouble, and that she couldn¡¯t rescue Santiago as his bones had been fractured.

    ¡°Later, I¡¯ll go down to find the switchboard and turn it off. Pandemonium will erupt in the bar while the guards at the basement will face difficulties too since there¡¯s no electricity, and the elevator will be out of order. I will find a way to go down. Wait for me outside.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be reckless. Wait for my people to go in. As long as we confirm that Santiago is in the basement, there will be no problem.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up without answering.

    She could not wait any longer.

    She came out of the room with the original intention of finding the switchboard. But on second thought, she decided to blow down the power lines here.

    She found a torchlight and carried it with her. Next, she got herself a paring knife, walked to the wires in the room, squatted down, and cut open the cable jacket. There were several exposed wires inside. She tried to cut them, but there were sparks, which scared Raeleigh so much that she chucked the knife onto the ground.

    After a moment of hesitation, the only things in Raeleigh¡¯s mind were the scenes where Santiago was tied up and his terribly wounded body, and where the bouncer told her about Santiago¡¯s fractured bones. She couldn¡¯t afford to waste any more time.

    She gripped the knife once again, gnashed her teeth, made up her mind, took off her high-heeled shoes, and put them aside. She let out a breath, wishing that she was on unpaved ground, so that it would be safer. However, she could only rely on luck at the moment. If she turned off the switchboard, then it would be turned back on by Terek¡¯s men soon. If the problem urred somewhere else, then it could cause them to take longer to locate the source.

    Raeleigh only hoped that the current would be transmitted through her to the ground instead of electrocuting her.

    After taking a breath, she struck the knife to the wires while gritting her teeth. As the sparks flew out, she withdrew the knife. Atst, the sparks had vanished, and the wires broke into two. Raeleigh then sat on the ground. ¡°Thank goodness, I¡¯m still alive!¡±

    Raeleigh was not injured, but she was scared half to death. She rose and headed for the door. Meanwhile, she surveyed the pitch-ck room. Outside, all h*ll broke loose.

    Raeleigh opened the door and went out, but shesoonretraced her steps to reverse the condition of the wires and prevent Terek¡¯s men from noticing the abnormality, should theye in.

    After she was done, she turned around, went out, and locked the door. Then, she went off in a direction ording to her memory.

    Raeleigh weaved her way through the chaotic crowd and walked all the way to the door of the basement. Someone swept a shlight around the bar. Raeleigh evaded it at once. Finally, she reached the door of the basement. Raeleigh fumbled about in the dark for a moment, found the stairway, and descended it.

    Raeleigh was not wearing shoes, so she could walk lighter and faster.

    Arriving at the underground, she spied around. There was a door to the basement.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Concurrently, some people came out of it, including Terek. Although Raeleigh didn¡¯t know them, she could tell it based on the way he spoke and his demeanor.

    Raeleigh squatted in the corner. Terek ascended the stairs directly with his subordinates. They left in a hurry. Terek said, ¡°Check if someone has snuck in. Make sure you keep an eye on him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Terek left. One of his subordinates went back into the basement.

    It wasn¡¯t until they had gone far away that Raeleigh dared to get up and approached the door.

    Holding her breath, she carefully pushed the door open and prevented it from creaking.

    There was a dim light in the basement. It seemed that the electricity had begun toe back here.

    After Raeleigh went in, she found that two men had gone to the inner room to have a rest. She pondered briefly toe to the conclusion that maybe it was because of the ckout that only two men were left. Otherwise, there would not be so few people staying here.

    Raeleigh padded over after waiting momentarily. Santiago¡¯s ears perked up, and he slowly opened his eyes to find that a hot woman had walked past him. At first, he did not recognize her. But when he did, he gnashed his teeth. Raeleigh did not see it. Instead, she found an iron rod and grabbed it tightly in her hand. At the same time, she bit down on the torchlight in her mouth and approached the security room.

    Santiago let out a soft groan. Raeleigh turned to look at him with a teardrop falling from the corner of her eye. He then motioned her to leave right away with his chin, but she turned away from him and made a sound at the door.

    Hearing the noise, a man came out from the room and observed what had happened by the door. Raeleigh tried to hit him with the rod. He managed to dodge the first attack, but not the second one. He took a blow on the forehead.

    His vision was swimming, and Raeleigh struck him again right on the head without hesitation. Consequently, blood spouted from his nose as he lost his bnce and copsed to the ground at the doorway with a ng.

    There was another man drinking inside. Feeling something was wrong, he stood up and walked towards the door. Raeleigh picked up the knife from the man who had copsed and hid herself instantly.

    After the other man came out, he happened to see Raeleigh¡¯s shadow. Therefore, he stepped towards her.

    By the time he found her, she was standing with her face towards Santiago. Santiago took a breath, closed his eyes, and tried to break the chains that restrained him strenuously. However, he felt too enervated to break it.

    Raeleigh had been holding the iron rod the whole time. The man red at her. ¡°Identify yourself!¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything and just stared at him.

    He went near her, stretched out his hand to choke her while lifting her from the ground. Raeleigh¡¯s face turned from white to red, and then to purple. In the end, Raeleigh¡¯s eyes started to roll back, but he still did not let her go.

    Santiago shook the iron chain vigorously, glowering at the man.

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes rolled as she was on the brink of losing her breath. Only then did the man loosen his grip. In the next second, he shivered and looked down at his abdomen. Raeleigh opened her eyes, and her hand was gripping a knife. She twisted the knife to sh him twice, horizontally and vertically. The man could not believe his eyes. He loosened his grasp on Raeleigh and clutched his abdomen before he took two steps back and fainted onto the ground. Raeleigh stumbled and swept her eyes over Santiago bit by bit. Santiago was astounded and did not respond.

    Taking a deep breath, Raeleigh¡¯s eyes fell onto the man on the ground. She searched his body and found the key.

    After procuring the key, she immediately went to Santiago to unlock the chains for him. While doing that, she kept weeping. Santiago stared at her with his bottomless eyes and gritted his teeth.

    Raeleigh loosened the chains. Santiago could not stand still and fell forward like a falling stone. Raeleigh hugged him at once. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to take a deep bite on Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Raeleigh sped her hands tightly. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Santiago had felt disinclined to hurt her, the bite would have been real hard.

    Santiago let go of her with blood stainson his mouth. Raeleigh nced at him. ¡°Jacky¡¯s men will help us outside. Let¡¯s go out.¡±

    Santiago took a look at her attire, and his expression suddenly darkened.

 Chapter 1354 By the Short and Curlies

    ¡°Put on some clothes.¡±

    Santiago spoke, to whichRaeleigh raised her eyebrow. ¡°At this point, which is more important? Clothes or lives? Stop your nagging. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around to hug him, going outside. Meanwhile, Santiago¡¯s eyes were settled on her while walking.

    Arriving at the door, she let him sit down before she went back to the dead man to pull the knife out and recover the iron rod for herself.

    ¡°Hold this.¡±

    She gave the knife to Santiago, who still had some strength in his hand.

    Raeleigh tucked the rod under her armpit, held Santiago¡¯s hand, and walked up the stairs while listening to any sounds. Sensing that someone wasing down, she propped Santiago against the wall and waited aside with the iron rod in her hand. As she did so, Jacky happened to descend the stairs from above.

    Raeleigh heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Jacky.

    She threw away the rod and ran back to Santiago¡¯s side. Jacky came barreling down. Meeting Santiago¡¯s ferocious gaze, Jacky went to support him.

    ¡°Get off me!¡± Santiago yelled suddenly. Jacky paused for a moment. He knew exactly what was going on and what warranted such hostility.

    Raking his gaze over Raeleigh, Jacky stripped off his coat and handed it to her.

    Raeleigh put it on in a jiffy. It covered her thigh wholly due to itsrge size.

    ¡°Anything else can wait until we¡¯re in the clear outside.¡± Jacky went forward to help Santiago get up. Santiago snarled, ¡°Buzz off, I can get out by myself.¡±

    Raeleigh wore an embarrassed look as she realized that it seemed to be her fault.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    ¡°It¡¯s not his fault. It¡¯s mine,¡± Raeleigh exined while holding Santiago¡¯s waist. Santiago stepped forward to get up without saying a word.

    Raeleigh looked at Jacky sheepishly.¡°Let¡¯s get out first. Then, we¡¯ll talk about what happened.¡±

    Jacky had long since expected such an oue. Without saying anything, he followed Santiago out.

    At the present moment, the dust had settled and the lights outside were on.

    The bouncer, who took Raeleigh in, had also been subdued. While helping Santiago walk to the exit, she also saw him. However, she pretended not to know him, or else he would be screwed.

    Going through the front door of the bar, Raeleigh helped Santiago into Jacky¡¯s car. Seeing Raeleigh, Jepherson¡¯s face fell. He opened the door of his car and got out.

    Seibert followed him down and walked to the front of the car.

    Raeleigh was taken aback to see Jepherson, but she did not get out of the car. Jepherson gnashed his teeth and turned to leave.

    Leaning against the seat, Santiago gradually closed his eyes and sped Raeleigh¡¯s hand tightly. Jacky got into the car and drove Santiago away.

    Since Santiago suffered some bone fractures, the first person that came to Raeleigh¡¯s mind was Xanthus. Jacky sent Santiago to the hospital ording to Raeleigh¡¯s instruction.

    Xanthus had been waiting at the entrance of the VIP passage when they entered. Seeing Santiago lying on the sickbed, sping Raeleigh¡¯s hand, Xanthus said nothing. He examined Santiago right away.

    Xanthus lowered his head. ¡°Someone snapped his bones like twigs, but they aren¡¯t broken. Instead, the ligaments have been torn.¡±

    ¡°Then, what should we do?¡± Raeleigh looked at Xanthus anxiously. Santiago was in aa, but he had been holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand like a drowning man clutching at straws.

    Jacky followed them, and behind him was Jepherson.

    As soon as Jepherson came in, he saw Raeleigh¡¯s hand being held by Santiago, but he chose to ignore it. His eyes fell on Xanthus. ¡°Is there any solution?¡±

    ¡°I have to perform a full-body examination on him. If the bones are intact, then he will need to go through the recovery and repairing of the ligaments.¡±

    ¡°The people who hurt him must be experts in this field. Under normal circumstances, it will seem to normal people that bone fractures are harder to be cured. In reality, the truth is the other way around. Bone fractures are actually more easily cured than ligament injuries. From the looks of it, these people intended to cripple him.¡±

    ¡°As we¡¯re all aware, ligaments are like tendons. They are essential for body movements.¡±

    Currently, Xanthus could only say that Santiago was very lucky. Looking at his swollen legs, it had been two days since he was injured, but he was still fine. It was surprising. All the agonizing injuries came from his legs, but judging from his appearance, the wounds on his body were more in need of urgent attention.

    Raeleigh lowered her head. ¡°There must be a way.¡±

    Everyone fell silent. After a while, Jepherson said, ¡°Let¡¯s perform the examination first.¡±

    Xanthus took him for the examination, and Raeleigh followed him the entire time.

    Jepherson stopped at the door of the examination room and sat down. Seibert stood beside him. ¡°Mr. Jepherson, next¡­¡±

    ¡°Take a rest first. I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    Jepherson rubbed his brow. Seibert did as he said by pivoting on his heels and going to another ce.

    Jacky leaned against the chair opposite to Jepherson, who raised his prating eyes and stared at Jacky. ¡°Did you put Raeleigh up to this?¡±

    Jacky sat with arms akimbo. ¡°I didn¡¯t. But I couldn¡¯t stop her.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you inform me?¡±

    Jacky did not reply.

    For a while, there was a fraught atmosphere. Afterwards, Santiago had been sent out. Jepherson stood up and asked Xanthus, ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, your brother has been recovering better than I thought.¡± Xanthus showed Jepherson the diagnosis results, which he had just obtained. ¡°These areas are all damaged. It¡¯s easy to see that the ligaments in his legs have been torn by force. However, he had not used his legs to walk for the past two days, hence he¡¯s recuperating well.¡±

    Raeleigh said strangely, ¡°The reason those people tortured him was that they wanted to know whether his legs are disabled or not. He stayed still with his eyes closed when I went there. I thought he was crippled, but he walked out of the bar with meter.¡±

    ¡°He should have known their purpose. That was why he let them torture him. He was aware that the injuries in his legs would worsen if they simply moved them. Thus, he endured the humiliation stoically.¡±

    Xanthus exined this whereas Jepherson did not say anything. It was just that he didn¡¯t disguise his wrath.

    Raeleigh could feel how exasperated he was.

    ¡°We should send him for treatment first,¡± Raeleigh said. Xanthus nodded and brought Santiago to the operating theater.

    Raeleigh also went in whereas Jepherson turned around and left.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t break free from Santiago¡¯s grip, so she took out her phone in the operation theater and called Jepherson, who didn¡¯t pick up the call. Subsequently, she called Jacky, and he answered it.

    ¡°Help me keep an eye on Jepherson. I¡¯m worried that something might happen to him.¡±

    Jacky was outside the operating theater. Upon hearing her words, he paused and replied, ¡°Controlling Jepherson Richards is beyond my capability.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°I know you can¡¯t. Just follow him.¡±

    Jacky stood up and left. As he walked, he said, ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you a favor. If you agree to do it for me, then I¡¯ll help you with this matter.¡±

    Raeleigh asked, mystified, ¡°Name your price.¡±

    Jacky said, ¡°I want to see Deanna.¡±

    ¡°But, I don¡¯t know where she is.¡± Raeleigh really had no idea about this.

    Jacky entered the elevator. ¡°If you can¡¯t do it, then forget it.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh shot a look at Santiago, and then at Xanthus, who was preparing for the operation. In the end, she agreed to do Jacky the favor.

    Jacky said, ¡°I won¡¯t let anything happen to Jepherson.¡±

    Hanging up, Raeleigh felt helpless, as everybody else would often have her by the short and curlies!

 Chapter 1355 Momma

    At the entranceof the hospital,Jepherson stopped short in his tracks for a moment. Seibert came to him from one side. ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t answer butgave him a brief nce and said, ¡°Arrange for us to go to the Moore family residence.¡±

    Seibert shot a look at Jepherson before turning around to make the necessary arrangements. Jepherson returned to the car. ¡°Go back to Richards Manor.¡±

    The chauffeur executed Jepherson¡¯s order and headed for Richards Manor. Arriving at its entrance, Jepherson told him to stop the car outside. He emerged from the car and went straight to Ink Garden.

    Jepherson had his own room. He went back to his room and changed his clothes. He also retrieved a gun from the wardrobe and thrust it down the pocket in his back.

    Aftering out, he returned to the car. The chauffeur felt that there was a subtle change to his aura.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, you¡¯re going to¡­¡±

    Jepherson leaned against the seat and crossed his legs. ¡°To the Moore family¡¯s residence.¡±

    ¡°Then, we¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Jepherson narrowed his eyes. It didn¡¯t take long for the car to reach the destination. There were other cars following too, including Jacky¡¯s. They came to a stop in session. Seeing that Jepherson had exited the car, Jacky did the same too. He had no other choice, for he had promised Raeleigh.

    Jepherson stopped and nced at Seibert. ¡°Ring the doorbell.¡±

    When Seibert walked to the door of the Moore family residence, the old butler came to receive them. As Jepherson came into his sight, he inquired instantly, ¡°Mr. Richards, I wonder what could have brought you here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to talk to Mr. Johan about something.¡±

    ¡°Well, he has already rested. Why don¡¯t youe back tomorrow? It¡¯s prettyte now as it is.¡±

    Jepherson was adamant. He just pulled a long face.

    The old butler gasped. ¡°I¡¯ll wake him up and inform him of your intention.¡±

    Turning around, he went back inside. After a short time, he came out to invite Jepherson in. Jepherson wanted to take his men inside, but the old butler immediately stopped him. Jepherson¡¯s eyes strayed to him. ¡°I¡¯m here to ask for an exnation. If you don¡¯t let me in, then I can very well fight my way in.¡±

    The old butler froze for a while anddidn¡¯t dare to stop him anymore.Jepherson strode inindifferently. It wasn¡¯t long before he arrived at Johan¡¯s quarters.

    Lying on and confined to the bed was Johan.

    Jepherson brought Seibert and Jacky into the vi. Entering it, Jacky found a spot to lean against. It bespoke his presence here in boosting their morale, and that he was not Jepherson¡¯s follower.

    With his status, he would not be a follower.

    Looking at the scene in front of him, Johan sensed that something was amiss.

    After entering, Jepherson gazed at him and asked, ¡°Mr. Johan, how are you faringtely?¡±

    Johan chuckled. ¡°Not too bad,I guess. But it¡¯s veryte now. Looks like your house guests etiquette must have gotten rusty.¡±

    Jepherson let his gaze runps across the room before it fell on Johan. ¡°Mr. Johan, my apologies for imposing on you at such ate hour. There¡¯s something urgent and important thatpels me to seek your rification.¡±

    ¡°Do speak your mind.¡±

    ¡°Something happened to Santiago recently. Mr. Johan, I don¡¯t suppose you would know whether it has anything to do with the Moorefamily, do you?¡±

    Johan ruminated momentarily. ¡°I¡¯ve stopped paying attention to the affairs in the family since forever. You should know this much.¡±

    Jepherson thought for a moment. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I understand. Mr. Johan, please have a rest. We won¡¯t disturb you any further.¡±

    Turning around, Jepherson walked towards the door. After they left, Johan sat up, and the old butler approached him right away to deliver him a towel. Johan took his time to wipe his hand while sweeping his eyes around. The old butler brought a bowl of health tonic to him, who then took a sip of it nonchntly, as if he had all the time in the world.

    Only then did the old butler speak.¡°Mr. Johan, the way you see it, why did Jephersone here to make such a fuss?¡±

    Johan nced at the butler and narrowed his eyes. ¡°He came to reason with me. He wanted to harm the people in our family, which is why he asked if we had a role to y in his brother¡¯s injuries.¡±

    ¡°Then, Mr. Johan,should we notify the young master of this?¡± The old butler was still very perturbed.

    Johan answered, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. If he wanted to plot against the Richards family, then he should have done it cleanly. Now that he has left traces behind, it¡¯s hard for me to tie up the loose ends. Ours is a principled family. I don¡¯t agree to adopt such underhand tactics in bncing the power of various parties in Capital City.¡±

    ¡°I thought he would be more capable than his father, but s, he is a disappointment and more.¡±

    Johan narrowed his eyes. ¡°Let him be.¡±

    The old butler stood aside with a hint of regret and pity in his expression. Johan waved his hand, after which the old butler left.

    ¡­

    Jepherson came out of the Moore family residence and sat in the car, saying, ¡°To Flynt Moore¡¯s car repair store.¡±

    Seibert got into the car and darted a nce at Jepherson. The chauffeur sent them to Flynt¡¯s car repair store.

    Jepherson¡¯s car stopped in front of Flynt¡¯s store. After that, he got out of the car and walked towards the store to find that the lights inside had already been turned off.

    Seibert went to knock on the door, but no one came out. Jepherson signaled him to bust open the door. It didn¡¯t take long for him to seed. Jepherson went in, only to find that there was not a single person inside.

    Seibert asked, ¡°Did anyone from the Moore family inform Flynt?¡±

    Jepherson stared at him. ¡°And how do you know it?¡±

    Seibert¡¯s face changed slightly. ¡°Let¡¯s call it an educated guess.¡±

    Jepherson entered to check around, but he did not see anyonee out.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Coming out, Jepherson went back into the car and rested in it. The chauffeur drove them back to the hospital. Jepherson alighted the car and returned to the hospital. Santiago had already been sent out of the operating theater with Raeleigh by his side.

    Raeleigh had a pallidplexion. She was not ustomed to being in an operating theater.

    Luckily, Santiago was fine and was resting on the sickbed.

    Nevertheless, Raeleigh sat aside, her mood sombre.

    Standing outside the ward, Jepherson took in Raeleigh¡¯s pale face. Then, his eyesnded on her body, realizing that she had changed into a set of clean and tidy clothes.

    Raeleigh appeared to be quite worn out, resting her head on Santiago¡¯s body.

    Jepherson did not enter the ward. He turned around and walked to the side before he sat down, tippinghis head skyward. They were on a different floor to where Stuart¡¯s ward was to prevent his parents from knowing about this matter.

    Jacky stood opposite him.¡°You brothers¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think it is.¡± Jepherson lifted his eyes to stare at Jacky. Despite his casual expression, there was an aura of fury about him.

    Jacky wasn¡¯t a busybody, so he didn¡¯t say anything else. He turned around and headed for the elevator. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Call me if you need anything.¡±

    After Jacky left, Jepherson leaned against the chair, catching up on some shut-eye. It wasn¡¯t until Santiago woke up that Raeleigh was relieved.

    Santiago raised his hand to pinch Raeleigh¡¯s nose. While he was doing it, Jepherson pushed the door open and came in. Raeleigh almost seized up. She pulled Santiago¡¯s hand away at once and gave him a sideways re.

    Jepherson said, ¡°You¡¯re not half as critical as I think you are.¡±

    Santiago cast a look at Jepherson. ¡°Have you found it?¡±

    Jepherson sat down with a sullen expression. He looked back at Raeleigh. ¡°Make him some food. He needs to restore his lost vitality.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s mind went nk for a second. She had an odd feeling that she was like a momma who was in charge of taking care of the momma¡¯s boy. However, she could not argue with this, therefore she went outside.

    As Raeleigh left, the frivolousness on Santiago¡¯s face dissipated in a trice, and his expression darkened. ¡°It¡¯s a man in his forties.¡±

 Chapter 1356 Assault

    By the time Raeleigh came back, the two brothers were talking, and they mmed up as she went in. She was holding some containers with food and soup respectively.

    ¡°This is the chicken soupI initially prepared for Stuart. You can have it first, and I¡¯ll tell Mom that I¡¯ve identally spilled it.¡±

    Raeleigh thought that it would be better not to apprise Jenna of what had happened to Santiago. If she knew it,then God forbid that she may justpletely lose it.

    Jepherson rose to his feet. Only then did Raeleigh realize that his clothing was unusual. It was ck. He must have been gearing up for some asion.

    After shrugging off his zer, he reached for the pistol from his back, set it on the table, unbuttoned his shirt, and went to the washroom.

    Raeleigh stared nkly at the pistol. Santiago said, ¡°For someone who has killed two people, it seems pretty mind-boggling that you¡¯d be afraid of a gun.¡±

    Raeleigh was startled, appearing numb. She had never cogitated about the two men she had killed until Santiago brought it up at the moment. In fact, she didn¡¯t regret it.

    They were the dregs of humanity. Although homicide would bring her before the court, she had to do it, or else, Santiago would have been hurt. In her eyes, nothing was more important than Santiago¡¯s life.

    She filled up a bowl of chicken soup. ¡°Is the meat fine with you?¡±

    ¡°Say no more.¡± Santiago had been hungry the whole time.

    Raeleigh sat beside Santiago and fed him spoonful by spoonful. After Jepherson came out, he sat down and filled himself a bowl of soup. He took two sips of it before starting to enjoy his meal.

    The atmosphere seemed decent to Raeleigh. She did not find anything out of the ordinary.

    It wasn¡¯t until Santiago was full that Raeleigh went to have her own meal. Jepherson got up, went to lie on one side of the bed, and soon fell asleep.

    Raeleigh cleaned up the things after she had finished her meal. Just as she walked to the door, Jepherson spoke to her, ¡°Stay here tonight. You can sleep on the bed next to Santiago¡¯s. I have something to do at night. He needs someone to take care of him.¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a moment and looked back. Then, she went outside and packed up her things. She shot a nce at Seibert, who was standing by the door.

    Even though Seibert basically carried out the same job as Stuart, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t bring herself to like him at all.

    ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± Despite that,Raeleigh engaged him in small talk. Heanswered, ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡±

    Raeleigh bowed her head and looked at the food containers, which had been emptied. She thought for a bit. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Jepherson. Wait for me. When Ie backter, you can have your meal.¡±

    Seibert said nothing. After Raeleigh returned and told him to have his meal, he did not move.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell him.Give me a sec.¡± After that, Raeleigh went into the ward. Raeleigh found herself in a predicament as both Santiago and Jepherson had fallen asleep.

    Remembering that there was someone waiting outside, Raeleigh woke Jepherson up. ¡°Are you asleep?¡±

    Jepherson answered with an extremely light voice.

    Raeleigh looked back at Santiago, who was sleeping soundly behind her.

    ¡°Seibert has not taken his meal. Why don¡¯t you let him have a break? I¡¯ll be here to watch you guys, and it won¡¯t be long before hees back.¡±

    Jepherson slowly opened his eyes and gazed at Raeleigh. ¡°Tell him then.¡±

    Raeleigh went out to pass on the message to Seibert, who left afterwards. When Raeleigh went back to the ward, she did not go to sleep but she took out her phone and texted Xanthus.

    Xanthus needed to take care of Stuart. If he left for too long, then he might raise others¡¯ suspicions. Therefore, he left after sending Santiago here and waited for Raeleigh to take a shower and change her clothes. He hadn¡¯te over again since then.

    Raeleigh told Xanthus that she was not going back that night.

    After Xanthus received the message, he replied to Raeleigh, who then kept her phone away. However, she did not rest because she wanted to wait for Seibert to return. After all, Santiago was injured, and she felt apprehensive about resting without someone to look after him.

    She leaned against the door, where there was a couch. If there was any movement outside, then she would definitely hear it.

    While she was leaning, she heard someoneing in. Putting on her detective gear, she picked up on the anomaly, for that person didn¡¯te from the direction of the elevator, instead they came from the staircase.

    Just as she was about to stand up, Santiago opened his eyes. Jepherson had alsoe to her side, asking her not to speak.

    A weird sound like the rubbing of iron could be heard. She lifted her head to look at Jepherson, who shook his head and gestured to her to hide aside. She got up slowly, walked to Santiago¡¯s side, and sat down. She did not dare to move. She was determined to wait here. In case of any ident, she would pounce on Santiago instantly and shield him.

    Jepherson went to the door,with his back against the wall. The man outside opened the door and came in with a knife. Raeleigh was pretending to sleep.

    Entering the ward, he walked straight to Santiago. Jepherson closed the door and took out his pistol, aiming the muzzle point-nk at the man. ¡°Turn around.¡±

    The man was astounded. He raised his knife to strike Santiago. Raeleigh immediately got up and hugged Santiago as she was afraid that he might be harmed.

    Unexpectedly, somebody came in from outside and fired a shot.

    The man who raised his knife lost his consciousness and fell to the ground.

    Raeleigh closed her eyes in fright, not daring to open them. The person who came in was none other than Seibert.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, are you alright?¡±

    Seibert first checked on Jepherson, who shook his head and putasidethe pistol in his hand. Raeleigh was busy scrutinizing the man on the ground. ¡°Is he dead?¡±

    Seibert said, ¡°I got all worked up just now.¡±

    ¡°Take him out and investigate what¡¯s going on. Also¡­ call the cops. Now that he has died in our hospital, the cops will have to take our statement.¡±

    As he spoke, Jepherson walked to one side and guzzled down a ss of water. It was unknown when Santiago had fallen asleep.

    Seibert asked, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t follow.¡±

    ¡°Turn yourself in first. I¡¯ll get awyer to bail you out. We have to give an exnation for this. You¡¯re a bodyguard. With such an identity, you¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Seibert dragged the man out. Soon, some people came to clean the scene. Jepherson got back to the bed and continued to rest. Raeleigh went to the door to have a look, finding that there were several people guarding outside the ward. Only then did she go to lie down.

    It was dark in the ward and Raeleigh was so exhausted that she fell asleep not long after that.

    After she fell asleep, Jepherson got up from the bed and covered her with a nket. Following that, he turned around and gazed at Santiago, whose eyes were fixed on him. ¡°Haven¡¯t you slept yet?¡±

    ¡°I could say the same about you.¡± Santiago had had enough sleep. He had been slumbering all that while. He was in pain all over his body, so he could not fall asleep either. Raeleigh had been so anxious to protect him that she hadin on top of him just then, which was painful all over.

    Jepherson darted a nce at Santiago before going back to bed to lie down, covering himself with a nket. ¡°Flynt should have gone back to the Moore family.¡±

    Santiago grunted. ¡°I don¡¯t give the slightest bit of d*mn about finding Flynt now. I¡¯ll find the douchebag who hurt me and he¡¯ll learn the hard way not to mess with me.¡±

    Santiago narrowed his eyes in fury. That person had captured him using unscrupulous tactics, and he swore to take vengeance on that person.

    Jepherson squinted. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep. It¡¯ll be dawn soon.¡±

    Only then did Santiago close his eyes. However, after a while, he said, ¡°Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°It hurts so much that I can¡¯t sleep.¡±

    Jepherson got up, put on his coat, and went in search of Xanthus.

    He began to make a call as he went out of the ward. Xanthus actually came. Jepherson retrieved the medicine from him near the elevator and returned to the ward to feed Santiago two pills of the medicine. It wasn¡¯t until Santiago had fallen asleep that he went to sleep.

 Chapter 1357 There Wonâ€™t Be a Next Time

    When Raeleigh stirred the next morning, she saw that Jepherson was sitting opposite to her. The doctors were also in the ward. Perhaps it was because she¡¯d been in a deep slumber that she didn¡¯t realize they had entered the ward. Looking at them, she got up from the bed.

    Santiago was being examined by them. Xanthus was standing with his back towards Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh stared at Xanthus. It was not until he had finished examining Santiago and turned around that she talked to him.

    ¡°I woke upte.¡±

    Xanthus thought for a moment. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ve been too tired. Come back with me now. Santiago is fine. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Jepherson sat aside. ¡°Raeleigh is going to rest here. I have something to¡­¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve misunderstood. I¡¯m talking to Raeleigh, not you.¡± Xanthus¡¯s face fell in an instant, aplete one-eighty.

    Raeleigh stood up and slipped into her shoes.

    Xanthus¡¯s expression was not what one would call pleasant, but he was rather gentle to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh fell silent briefly before she said, ¡°I will go back first.¡±

    ¡°Xanthus, don¡¯t you go too far with this. I haven¡¯t said anything yet. Raeleigh has done nothing wrong to you.¡±

    Santiago almost couldn¡¯t catch his breath. Xanthus cast a nce at him. ¡°You better behave yourself, boy. We don¡¯t want any medical malpractice, now, do we?¡±

    After that, Xanthus led the doctors outside. Raeleigh followed too.

    After getting out through the door, Raeleigh started to exin the incident from the previous day to Xanthus. Xanthus remained conservative with his words as he was in a vile mood. With that being said, he wasn¡¯t taking out his anger on Raeleigh.

    ¡°Everyone, go back first. I have something to say to Raeleigh.¡±

    Xanthus returned to the floor where Stuart¡¯s ward was located. There, he spoke to the doctors, who then left quickly. After they left, Raeleigh still wanted to exin herself, but Xanthus directly embraced her.

    Raeleigh stood rooted to the spot without any reactions. Xanthus said, ¡°This must be the only time. It can¡¯t happen again.¡±

    Raeleigh gazed at Xanthus,with confusion zing over her eyes. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she had just risen, then she wouldn¡¯t have believed what was happening before her eyes. After all, she had gone to find Santiago the previous day, and many hours had passed since then. Despite being her elder brother, the aftermath of the escapade had only begun to sink in. Indeed, he had taken a long time to ¡®warm up¡¯ his nervous system.

    Nevertheless, Raeleigh was d, for Xanthus was the best brother she could ask for.

    ¡°No,there won¡¯t be a next time.¡±

    Raeleigh promised that she would not do it again. Only then did Xanthus heave a sigh of relief. He had been pretending when he gave her the stick. In fact, he was not slow-witted at all. He was just instilling the fear in her so that she would not make the same mistakes in the future.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back and rest.¡±

    Xanthus maintained his poker face until he had sent Raeleigh back. Subsequently, he said that he wanted to visit Stuart and left.

    Staring at the closed door, Raeleigh went back to lie down. She had created such a great deal of trouble that time around.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh did not leave home for two days. Jepherson came to look for her once, but Xanthus stopped him.

    Actually, to her, it was a good thing not to see Jepherson. If they met, then she really didn¡¯t know what to do with his extremely awful temperament.

    However, she received another call from Jepherson that day.

    Xanthus was not around, so she didn¡¯t answer it.

    While preparing the meal in the kitchen, Raeleigh heard a click behind her. She turned around to find that someone hade in, and the one who came was none other than Jepherson.

    ¡°What are you doing here? Why are you looking for me?¡± Raeleigh was a little frightened of him, especially when they met alone. It was because of this that Raeleigh refused to meet him.

    ¡°I had toe since you didn¡¯t pick up the call.¡± Jepherson closed the door and stood by it momentarily. After that, he walked towards Raeleigh, who got keyed up right away.

    ¡°Bloody h*ll, I won¡¯t eat you up, alright. Why are you so rmed at the sight of me? Since you¡¯re so scared of me, why did you dress up like that and go to that godforsaken ce?¡±

    Raeleigh swallowed hard. As he said, she was afraid of him.

    Jepherson perceived all her micro expressions. He approached her and gazed out of the window. ¡°Do you know how a man will treat his disobedient girlfriend?¡±

    Raeleigh stepped back a bit. At first, she didn¡¯t want to show her fear in front of him, but she couldn¡¯t help it.

    Raeleigh found that she had grown more and more afraid of him.

    She thought to herself, ¡°I¡¯m too spineless. What¡¯s there to be afraid of?¡±

    ¡°Do I give you the creeps?¡± Jepherson stared at her with his unfathomable eyes, and it sent her heart mming against her chest. She managed to regain herposure and replied, ¡°You are tall and ripped, and you will molest me like a beast every so often. Why shouldn¡¯t I be afraid of you?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s palms broke out in cold sweat. Jepherson was a wayward person. He might smile at someone one second, but in the next second, he would bowl that person over. So, when Raeleigh spoke, she had been observing Jepherson¡¯s expression.

    Surely enough, when Raeleigh finished her words, she perceived the sadness on his face, a face that would ring anyone¡¯s Hot Guy Alert.Then, he pressed her against the kitchen counter.

    Raeleigh nched in terror as she stared at Jepherson. While still holding a spat with one hand, she tried to stop him by pushing his shoulder with the other hand.

    Raeleigh was almost out of breath.

    Jepherson lowered his head and leaned over,enveloping her ear with his mouth. ¡°It turns out that in your eyes, I¡¯m the kind of person whose s*xual desires need to be satisfied anywhere and anytime?¡±

    Raeleigh said worriedly, ¡°What else could it be? See, now you¡¯re doing things that I dislike.¡±

    Jepherson sucked her ear affectionately. ¡°You make me tick, Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right.¡±

    Raeleigh was annoyed. In what way had she made him tick? He was the one, she thought, who was addicted to s*x.

    Jepherson was amused. ¡°Don¡¯t do it again. Otherwise, I¡¯ll show you who¡¯s the boss.¡±

    Letting go of her, he looked at her scared face and kissed her on the lips. Recalling her seductive appearance at the bar the previous night, his s*xual desire was triggered, and warm blood wascoursingthrough his entire body.

    Raeleigh blushed as she felt something grinding against her crotch.

    ¡°Jepher¡­ hmm¡­¡±

    Before she could finish her words, he blocked her mouth with his lips at once, pushing her against the wall. Raeleigh tried to struggle, but it further stimted him. The kiss got more intense until Raeleigh was out of breath.

    Only then did he let go of her lips. He cuddled her and drew circles on her back with his hands. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t control it, but she felt worn out.

    Jepherson hugged Raeleigh for a while before he slowly let go of her. He held her hand. ¡°Thank you for saving Santiago, but I can¡¯t have you risking your own life again. Don¡¯t make me warn you again, or else the consequences will be more than just biting your lips.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes widened as she touched her own lips, only to find them bleeding.

    Raeleigh had been so riled up totally that she shot daggers at him and gave him a nasty push. It was just that he still stood firmly like a statue. Seeing that, she turned around furiously.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson lingered for a short time. ¡°I¡¯m going to thepany this afternoon to discuss the publicity campaign. Now that Santiago has been injured, it may need to be reconsidered.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at him in incredulity.

 Chapter 1358 Donâ€™t Let Anyone Disturb Us

    Raeleigh had almost forgotten about this matter. Since something had happened to Santiago, the promotion campaign would be shelved.

    Thus, Raeleigh asked Jepherson, ¡°What should we do next?¡±

    Jepherson ruminated for a moment. ¡°There won¡¯t be a ¡®next¡¯.¡±

    Pursing her lips, Raeleigh felt a sharp pain and released it instantly. The corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth curled up as he raised his hand to pinch her chin. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face puckered as she scowled at him. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault.¡±

    ¡°If it hurts, then behave yourself. Women should stay out of what men need to do.¡±

    Jepherson let go of his grasp. Glowering at him, Raeleigh tightly held the shovel in her hand. She wished she could strike him hard right on the head and smash him into pieces.

    However, shecked the courage to do so.

    After that, Raeleigh focused on the issue. ¡°What should we do? What about our agreement?¡±

    There was a hint of throatiness in her voice as she didn¡¯t want things to end up like this. If the n was put on hold, then she probably couldn¡¯t leave in time.

    However, the problem was¡­

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at his cold, elf-like face. Why was a man bestowed with such a face beyond her?She found it very bizarre,

    Jepherson seemed to be able to see through her mind.In an instant, the corners of his lips curled into a smile. ¡°What else do you want to say?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Jepherson smirked and walked to the side to help her with the cooking. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the office to settle it. If it¡¯s possible, then we can hand it over to the team. Or, we can do our own parts separately and see who will be the winner.¡±

    ¡°Will you do that?¡± Raeleigh asked with uncertainty.

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°You are the senior executive of thepany. You have an obligation to make decisions for the sake of thepany. You should¡­¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Jepherson chewed on a piece of cucumber. ¡°In the past, I thought I wouldn¡¯t do it, but now, I will.¡±

    After the meal, Jepherson threw a nce at Raeleigh. Putting the te aside, he sat down and asked, ¡°Is there anyone else?¡±

    ¡°My brother.¡±

    ¡°Call him toe over.¡±

    Raeleigh took out her phone and called Xanthus, who was then surprised to see Jepherson when he came in from the outside. Raeleigh¡¯s eyes fell on Xanthus. ¡°I¡¯m going to thepany in the afternoon to deal with the matter regarding the car blueprint.¡±

    For some inexplicable reason, Raeleigh was very weary, both physically and mentally.

    Raeleigh handed the bowl and cutlery to Xanthus, who sat down to have his meal with his head down.Looking at him, Raeleigh had an uncanny feeling that she had fallen into a bottomless and inescapable pit.

    Initially, she relied on this opportunity to get out of the Richards Group. Unexpectedly, not only did she fail to leave, but such mishap also transpired.

    Besides, Santiago had an ident not too long ago, so her n had to be postponed as well.

    Obviously, Xanthus sensed Raeleigh¡¯s helplessness. Sitting down next to her, he rested one of his hands on Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder. With the other hand, he touched her forehead and realized that she was having a fever.

    ¡°Do you have a fever?¡± He put down the cutlery and stood up to help her get up. Raeleigh answered, ¡°No, I don¡¯t. It was the heat from the room just now.¡±

    Xanthus shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s a fever.¡±

    At that moment, Jepherson also stood up. He was aware of her weak immune system.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go for a checkup.¡± Jepherson dashed to her side in a sh and told her so.However, Raeleigh looked at him weakly. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to act tough. I have the final say regarding thepany¡¯s affairs. You don¡¯t have to go there today.¡± Jepherson bent down to scoop Raeleigh into his arms. Then, he turned around and walked towards the door.

    Raeleigh tried to shove him away. ¡°Put me down quickly. I¡¯m fine. Do you hear me?¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Carrying Raeleigh in his arms, Jepherson went out through the door and headed for the elevator. He was heading to the examination room.

    Behind them was Xanthus, who was making a call to arrange for an examination. As a result, Raeleigh was brought to the examination room downstairs and underwent a full body checkup.With that, the day had passed.

    When the sky had darkened, Raeleighy on the bed in a daze. She knew very well that she was ill at the moment.

    After a day, Raeleigh woke up andfelt that her eyelids were heavy and her body alternated between feeling cold and hot.

    When she turned around, Santiago was sitting next to her. She stared nkly at him. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Santiago was wearing a green shirt. He had fair skin, and he looked good in all kinds of clothes, but green was an exception.

    As it was winter,Raeleigh wondered why he had to wear a shirt of this color. Did he like green so much?

    Underneath the shirt, his body had been swathed in white gauze. Raeleigh inquired, ¡°Did you run out before your wounds have healed?¡±

    Santiago gazed at her. ¡°What else?¡±

    Raeleigh looked around the ward. Jepherson sat on one side, holding his phone as he was browsing through the inte. Xanthus stood on the other side, reading the diagnosis report.

    There was no one else.

    ¡°What happened to me?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Santiago pinched her face. Just as he withdrew his hand, Jepherson¡¯s toneless voice could be heard in the entire ward. ¡°If your hand itches, then chop it off.¡±

    Santiago lifted his head to cast a nce at Jepherson. ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it?¡±

    Jepherson continued to look at his phone without saying anything else.After that, Raeleigh shot daggers at Santiago. She barely retained her sanity in the midst of the brothers¡¯ jealousy.

    Santiago got up and went to the bed aside before hey down and began to sleep.

    Raeleigh gazed at the sky outside. It was already dark, so it was impossible for her to go to thepany. She could only go there the next day.

    That night, Releigh was restless. She was unsure whether it was because she had too much sleep or it was due to other reasons.

    There were four people in the ward, which were Raeleigh, Xanthus, Jepherson and Santiago.

    With that, it was impossible for Raeleigh to fall asleep.

    At two o¡¯clock in the morning, she finally rested for a bit after tossing and turning around countless times. Soon, it was the next morning.

    Xanthus went to check on Raeleigh as soon as he woke up in the morning. He asked her why she had been tossing and turning all night.However, Raeleigh sat aside and said nothing. It was just that she had felt a little dizzy after breakfast. She was afraid that they would not let her go to thepany, so she didn¡¯t tell them about it. After taking the medicine, she went straight to thepany with Jepherson.

    Getting into the car, the dizziness worsened.Thus, she rested her head on Jepherson¡¯s shoulder.

    Jepherson let the chauffeur park the car at the entrance of thepany.Then, he carried Raeleigh out of the car.

    Raeleigh was in a deep slumber when Jepherson brought her out of the car. The chauffeur also got out to cover her with a coat as it was too cold. Jepherson didn¡¯t want to wake her up as it was rare for her to sleep sofortably. He couldn¡¯t bear to interrupt her sleep.

    After entering through the door, he walked all the way to the elevator. Whenever the employees greeted him, he would pull a long face.

    Behind him, Seibert signaled the employees to shut their mouths. Only then did Jepherson gain tranquility.

    In the office, Jepherson put Raeleigh down, drew the curtains, and closed the door of the office.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone disturb us.¡±

    Jepherson spoke on the inte and the people outside immediately epted the order. Seibert went out of the office too.

    Raeleigh was on the couch, sleeping soundly.With that, Jepherson stripped off his zer and covered her with it. He touched her forehead to find that it was cool. The medicine must have started to take effect.

 Chapter 1359 Had a Queer Feeling

    By the time Raeleigh woke up, Jepherson was already upied with his work. She sat up, and the clothes that were covering her slid down. Picking it up, she swept her eyes over to Jepherson, who then said, ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±

    Raeleigh scratched her head. ¡°Was I asleep for a long time?¡±

    ¡°Not very long, just a few hours.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. To her, a few hours was indeed a long time.

    ¡°We will have a meetingter,is that okay? Otherwise, I¡¯ll ask them toe over.¡± Jepherson picked up the phone and began dialing, as he looked at herquestioningly. Raeleigh immediately replied that there was no need for them to attend the meeting here since she was fine.

    Making the call, Jepherson instructed his subordinates, ¡°Arrange for the meeting. As I¡¯ve told you, prepare the proposal right away.¡±

    After putting down the phone, he got up and began to change his clothes in front of Raeleigh. Raeleigh felt that her scent could be found on his body, but she was not very certain.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to the washroom.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and went to the bathroom. She opened the door and washed her hands, intending to tidy up her attire. However, when she looked down, she noticed that there was something wrong with her belt, which had been moved.

    Raeleigh unfastened it and took a look, lost in thought.

    At that instant, there was a knock on the washroom door. Raeleigh turned around and gazed at the door. She tidied up herself and said, ¡°Coming.¡±

    She stifled her anger as she dared not to raise h*ll.

    As the door was opened, Raeleigh was seen standing inside. ¡°I¡¯ll go out.¡±

    She exited as Jepherson went in to wash his hands. She put on her coat, and they went to the meeting room together.

    When Raeleigh and Jepherson arrived at the meeting room, the other people were already there. Unlike the previous times, once they entered the room, they were instantaneously greeted with many pairs of envious and ingratiating eyes.

    Jepherson paused momentarily when he entered, and so did Raeleigh.

    After they went in, Jepherson pulled out a chair, but he did not sit down. His eyesnded on Raeleigh, who was somewhat embarrassed because that seat was not hers.

    ¡°Mr. Richards¡­¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to let him sit down first, but Jepherson ced his hands on her shoulders and directly pressed her down onto the chair.

    After that, Jepherson pulled out another chair and sat down. He leaned against the back of the chair and crossed his legs casually. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±

    Raeleigh threw a nce at him. In her mind, if there was anyone in the world who could be so collected, it must have been Jepherson.

    Her eyes slowly strayed to other people in the room.

    One of them stood up. He was from the nning Department.

    ¡°Good afternoon, Mr. Richards. Good afternoon, Miss Anson.¡±

    Without raising his head, Jepherson extended his hand to grab Raeleigh¡¯s, but she refused and withdrew it.

    There was an abrupt change in the atmosphere of the room. Everyone thought that Jepherson would blow his top off. However, he remained unfazed while taking his hand back. Afterwards, he knocked on the table and looked at the person who had stood up opposite him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    The employee began presenting his proposal.

    It seemed okay to Raeleigh, but she did not give anyment.

    ¡°That¡¯s all with my proposal.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Jepherson asked the presenter with his head slightly lowered. After he asked that question, Jepherson looked up at him, who shook his head. Then, Jepherson said, ¡°Alright, next.¡±

    What followed was the presentations of the other proposals. Raeleigh was not very satisfied with any of the presentations until thest one.

    ¡°Did any of the proposals take your fancy?¡± Jepherson asked Raeleigh, who then nodded. ¡°Please leave thest one for me.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thest one will be for you, following the original grouping.¡± Jepherson lifted his hand, beckoning the presenter over. The presenter then handed the document to him. Subsequently, Jepherson stretched out his hand and pulled Raeleigh¡¯s to unsp the bracelet on her wrist before he took it off in front of everyone. The bracelet was used as a stamp for the document. Then, he took out a pen and signed with Santiago¡¯s initials.

    Everybody around held their breath, wondering what was going on.

    Fastening the bracelet back onto Raeleigh¡¯s wrist, he gave the document back to the presenter. ¡°Mr. Santiago¡¯s signature is required for this project. I¡¯ve signed it on his behalf. The bracelet on Miss Anson¡¯s wrist is my official stamp.¡±

    The presenter who held the document opened it and took a look without dy to find that Jepherson¡¯s stamp could be seen clearly. Then, he closed the document.

    Jepherson stood up and walked towards the door. At the door, he stopped and cast a look at Raeleigh. ¡°Why are you still sitting there?¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh get up and gazed at the presenter. ¡°Email your proposal to me. I¡¯ll modify it. I hope that we will make a great team.¡±

    With that, she turned around to look for Jepherson and the two of them went outside together. Leaving the room, he led the way to the elevator whereas she followed him from behind. As they walked, she felt that there were numerous eyes fixed on herand that they were people whispering something about her behind her back.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re too mboyant. We¡­¡±

    ¡°There are still three months before the contractes to an end. Can¡¯t you satisfy my vanity?¡± Jepherson entered the elevator and turned to stare at Raeleigh, who stood outside the door without responding. He looked at Seibert. ¡°Don¡¯te in with us.¡±

    While speaking, Jepherson raised his hand to pull Raeleigh in.

    Losing her bnce, she bumped into his arms. As the door of the elevator was closed, Seibert turned around and left.

    On the other hand, the people outside were gossiping about the rtionship between Jepherson and Raeleigh.

    Immediately, Raeleigh pushed him away in the elevator and stood there silently.

    After the door opened, Jepherson stepped out first, followed by Raeleigh. He stood outside and waited for her. It wasn¡¯t until she hade out that he continued to lead the way.

    With a knitted brow, Raeleigh followed him.

    After going back to the office, she stood aside while he patted the couch. ¡°Sit down.¡±

    ¡°What are we going to do next?¡±

    Raeleigh felt disinclined to be alone with Jepherson. Thus, she felt the urge to go back. If there was nothing else,then she would like to leave his office.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Jepherson, on the other hand, felt differently. He liked to be alone with Raeleigh, disregarding other things.

    ¡°You had been sleeping during the lunch break. We¡¯ll go out for lunchter before heading back.¡±

    He took a look at his phone while she stood still. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go for lunch now. After that, we¡¯ll go back to the hospital. I¡¯m a little tired.¡±

    Upon hearing her words, Jepherson gazed at her. Hesitating briefly, he stood up. ¡°Are you really tired?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He tidied up his clothes, walked towards the door, and opened it to find that Seibert was standing outside. They left thepany. Seibert opened the car door for them while Jepherson stopped and asked him, ¡°How long is your granted bail?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be summoned for trial at any time.¡±

    Jepherson considered it for a while. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, then take a rest, just in case.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Jepherson sat in the car, but Seibert did not follow. Instead, he went into another car. Staring at him, Raeleigh had a queer feeling.

 Chapter 1360 Itâ€™s All His Fault

    After Seibert left, Raeleigh followed Jepherson to a restaurant that he had booked for dinner.

    After Jepherson signed the documents, he took Raeleigh for dinner.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t like wasting food. Jepherson ordered just the right amount of food for the two of them. He ordered a couple of appetizers, which included some soup and sds, and a couple of main courses.

    Even if they were just eating, she felt uneasy, as long as she was with Jepherson.

    Raeleigh lowered her head to eat. Jepherson took some fish and put it on her te. ¡°You should eat more.¡±

    Raeleigh continued looking down and remained silent. ¡°I¡¯ll eat whatever you give me as long as I don¡¯t have tomunicate with you. Everything will be fine once I get back,¡± she thought to herself.

    These three months felt like an entire year to her.

    Raeleigh thought about it.Did the three-month contract start on that day?

    She should try remembering when she got back.

    After stuffing a chunk of food into his mouth, Jepherson chewed on his meal as he turned to face Raeleigh. ¡°Are you really that unhappy when you¡¯re with me? Do I not evenpare to Santiago?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and almost choked on her soup.

    Raeleigh hurriedly put her spoon down and wiped her mouth with a napkin. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Jepherson pursed his lips. ¡°Aren¡¯t you happier with me?¡±

    Raeleigh blushed and red at Jepherson. She turned away and continued eating. Suddenly, there was tension in the air.

    She had been anticipating going home all day and was d that the meal was finally over. Jepherson slowly wiped his mouth, stood up, and walked over to the windows. He stood there with his hands sped behind his back. It looked as if he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to leave.

    ¡°When are we going to leave?¡± Raeleigh asked impatiently.

    ¡°When I¡¯m done admiring the view.¡± Jepherson stood by the window. It was already dark outside. The city below them was aze with lights. It looked very beautiful.

    Raeleigh stood there for a while as she looked at Jepherson. In the end, she decided to join him.

    Raeleigh was taken aback by what she saw.

    Although the building that they were in wasn¡¯t that tall,they could still see the entire city below. The view was amazing.

    It was not easy to enjoy a moment like that in such a busy city. However, Raeleigh had to admit, this was one of the best ces to admire the city.

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at Jepherson.He smiled and said, ¡°I like you very much. Although there was a little confusion at the beginning,I really do like you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never been so crazy about anyone before. You¡¯re the first.¡±

    Raeleigh tensed up.¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my woman, regardless of whether you want to listen to me or not. It will never change until the day I die. You¡¯re stuck with me.¡±

    ¡°If I live,then you live. Even if I die,you can¡¯t be alone.¡±

    Raeleigh pulled a long face. ¡°Shame on you.¡±

    Instead of getting angry, Jepherson smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ve done a lot of shameless things in my life. It¡¯s not toote for you to say these things now.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Raeleigh turned around and looked at the scenery. Jepherson walked over to Raeleigh and wrapped his arms around her from behind.He was wearing a ring on his ring finger.

    Raeleigh felt as if something was scraping against her and she couldn¡¯t help looking down. Jepherson rested his chin on Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder. ¡°ording to Greek folklore, people who are destined to fall in love will wear the same ring to prove that they can be together.¡±

    ¡°We can try.¡±

    Raeleigh was amused.¡°Don¡¯t use such a naive and childish excuse.¡±

    ¡°Do I look like a naive person?¡± Jepherson held Raeleigh tightly. Raeleigh felt a little unhappy. She pulled Jepherson¡¯s hand away. ¡°Let go.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try.¡±

    ¡°Our hands aren¡¯t the same.¡±

    ¡°What if the ring fits?¡± Jepherson smirked. Raeleigh was sure that it was a trap and was determined not to fall for it.

    Raeleigh watched as Jepherson slid the ring off his finger. She felt that there was no way the ring would be able to fit any of her fingers.

    Raeleigh¡¯s fingers were very slim. She knew that the ring would not fit herno matter which finger she wore it on.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°What if it doesn¡¯t fit?¡±

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t fit, then I¡¯ll return you your freedom.¡± Jepherson thought for a moment. Raeleigh turned her head and looked at him as he admired the city lights below. ¡°If you want to go, then I¡¯ll let you go. We¡¯ll leave the rest to fate.¡±

    Raeleigh felt that Jepherson was sincere.At the very least, she could see it in his eyes.

    ¡°What if the ring fits?¡±

    Raeleigh considered the worst scenario.¡°If it doesn¡¯t fit, then I¡¯ll terminate the contract tomorrow. Once Stuart and Santiago have fully recovered, you are free to leave,¡± Jepherson answered.

    ¡°However, if the ring does fit, then the first three months on our contract will remain in ce. On top of that, you will have to apany me for one night. I¡¯m sure you understand what I mean.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a long face. ¡°How typical¡­¡±

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, then forget it.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and was nning to leave. Raeleigh hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯ll try it on, but you must keep your promise.¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Fine, may God punish me if I break my promise.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Herhands were cold and mmy. She hadn¡¯t expected Jepherson to swear to God.

    Her face turned red. ¡°I¡¯ll try it on.¡±

    Raeleigh took the ring and briefly studied it. Then, she slid it on her pinky. It was obviously toorge for her, so she took it off and slid it on her ring finger. It was still too loose. She then tried it on her middle and index finger.

    Unfortunately, the ring was too big for all of the four fingers she tried on. Shereturned the ring to Jepherson. ¡°It doesn¡¯t fit.¡±

    Jepherson took the ring and reached for Raeleigh¡¯s left hand. Then, he slid the ring on her thumb. Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s impossible!¡±

    ¡°Who said that you can¡¯t wear a ring on your thumb?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. She wanted to slide the ring off butit wouldn¡¯te off no matter how hard she tried.

    Raeleigh was starting to feel a little anxious and tried her best to remove the ring. Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. ¡°Stop it, you¡¯re going to hurt yourself. Come here.¡±

    Jepherson took Raeleigh to the restroom. Hethered her thumb with some soap, but it still wouldn¡¯te off.

    Raeleigh looked very annoyed. She watched Jepherson, who was trying hard to remove the ring through the mirror, before pulling back her hand.

    ¡°Did you do it on purpose?¡± Raeleigh had reasons to believe that he did it deliberately.

    Jepherson looked up at her.¡°If I had done it on purpose,then I wouldn¡¯t have put it on your thumb.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes were like a me of fire as he stared at the silent Raeleigh. She looked like a sore loser at that moment.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and said nothing. Jepherson took a hand towel and wiped her hand.He let go of her hand as hesaid, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a way to remove it.¡±

    Then, Jepherson turned around and walked out of the restroom. Raeleigh looked at him leave. Was he hurt? Why was he walking so unnaturally?

    Raeleigh looked down at her hands for a while. Actually, the ring looked good on her. What was the problem then?

    Raeleigh¡¯s head was about to explode. In short, it was all Jepherson¡¯s fault. It was his fault.

 Chapter 1361 Desperate

    Jepherson looked angry. She turned to look at Jepherson in the car. It made no sense for him to be angry since it wasn¡¯t his fault.

    Raeleigh could feel the tension in the car as sheleaned back in her seat.She looked outside the car window before shifting her gaze to her finger. It was going to take them slightly longer than usual to reach the hospital as the roads were a little slippery due to the snow. Raeleigh was toying with the ring on her finger when it inadvertently came off.

    Raeleigh lowered her head and looked at her fingers strangely.Then, she looked over at Jepherson and said, ¡°The ring came off. I¡¯ve saved you the hassle of going to the hospital.¡±

    Jepherson was stunned for a moment. Then, he looked over at Raeleigh coldly. That was the first time she had seen him like this. She didn¡¯t know why he was so angry. She felt that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. It seemed like Jepherson was very angry and he couldn¡¯t hold back his anger.

    Jepherson reached out for the ring and he then slid it onto his pinky. He twisted it around a few times to make sure it sat properly on the base of his finger.He turned to look outside and said coldly, ¡°Go back to the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    The driver held his breath as he quickly drove towards the hospital. When they arrived at the hospital, Jepherson immediately got out of the car and entered the hospital. He didn¡¯t even wait for Raeleigh.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Sensing the atmosphere, the driver quickly got out of the car and walked Raeleigh into the hospital.

    Raeleigh felt that Jepherson was being very unreasonable. This wasn¡¯t her fault.

    As soon as she arrived at her ward, she immediately informed Xanthus that she was back before taking a shower and going to bed.

    Raeleighy down on the bed, hoping that she would be able to fall asleep. However, she kept tossing and turning.

    She couldn¡¯t fall asleep.

    Raeleigh¡¯s thoughts were all over the ce.If she went to Jepherson at that time, then it meant that she admitted she had lost. However, the thought of spending the night with Jepherson made her go crazy!

    The problem was that she had already made a promise to him. She was not the kind of person who would break her promises.

    She debated with herself for a long time before deciding to call him.

    However, Jepherson ended Raeleigh¡¯s call.He didn¡¯t pick up her call. He stood up and was about to head outside.

    When Santiago saw this, he asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Jepherson stopped and looked at Santiago. ¡°Nowhere. I just want to use the restroom.¡±

    Jepherson had initially intended to go out, but he decided to go to the restroom instead. Then, he received another call from Raeleigh. He was getting annoyed, so he decided to turn off his phone.

    By the time Jepherson got back to the ward, it was alreadyte at night.Heimmediately went to bed.

    Raeleigh spent the entire night tossing and turning in bed. She didn¡¯t manage to sleep it at all. She looked especially pale in the morning. Xanthus couldn¡¯t help but to ask when he saw her, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night.¡±

    Xanthus touched Raeleigh¡¯s forehead to make sure she was not lying.

    Raeleigh went to look for Jepherson after breakfast, but when she found him, he acted as if nothing had happened. She walked over to him and asked, ¡°Are we heading into the office today?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to.¡±

    That was all Jepherson said.

    Raeleigh stood aside, a little speechless.

    ¡°Did you two have a fight?¡± Santiago was lying in bed. Although he was allowed to get out of bed, he couldn¡¯t walk around.

    Jepherson lowered his head slightly. ¡°Are you full?¡±

    Santiago was slightly amused. ¡°No, I¡¯m still hungry.¡±

    ¡°You should eat more then. It¡¯d be better if you stuffed yourself to death.¡±

    Jepherson stood up and left the room. He looked very upset with everyone as he made his way towards the elevator.

    Raeleigh quickly followed him out to the elevator.

    ¡°Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Richards,¡± Jepherson said as he did his best tokeep his frustration in check.Raeleigh was not surprised by his attitude. He briefly nced at Raeleigh before turning away.

    Raeleigh pulled Jepherson.¡°What do you actually want? I didn¡¯t break my promise.¡±

    Raeleigh was a little angry.That was why she spoke a little loudly.

    Jepherson suddenly looked at Raeleigh. ¡°What¡¯s the point of telling me this now?¡±

    ¡°I called youst night. You chose not to answer my call. You even turned off your phone. Why don¡¯t you turn on your phone and check?¡±

    Raeleigh was simmering with anger as she spoke. Her face had even turned red.

    At that time, there were also some people in the corridor, including Xanthus. He couldn¡¯t tell what was going on. He just stared at them nkly.

    Jepherson turned away and gritted his teeth. He pressed the elevator button and went in.

    Raeleigh stood outside.¡°I can keep my promise, but you don¡¯t want me to.¡±

    A wave of fury crashed through her.

    Jepherson stood in the elevator as he clenched his fist. He was silent with rage.

    The door of the elevator closed and Raeleigh was about to leave. However, Jepherson quicklypressed the button to open the elevator door and pulled her in.

    Xanthus, who was watching the scene unfold, was stunned for a moment.

    Raeleigh was pressed against the elevator. Jepherson stared at Raeleigh with his fiery eyes. ¡°What are you nning to do now?¡±

    Raeleigh was blushing furiously. Her heart was about to leap out of her chest.

    She pursed her lips and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m nning to make up for it today.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Twelve hours?¡±

    Raeleigh replied nkly, ¡°I thought you said one night?¡±

    ¡°Is there any difference?¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh reluctantly nodded. Jepherson raised his wrist and checked the time. ¡°It¡¯s nine o¡¯clock right now.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Are we starting now?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    Raeleigh was at a loss for words.

    Why was he in such a hurry?

    ¡°I thought we were supposed to head into the office?¡±

    ¡°Not today.¡± His voice was hoarse. Jepherson put his hands around Raeleigh¡¯s waist and pulled her into his arms. He lowered his head and kissed her.Raeleigh frowned as she looked at Jepherson. She raised her hand to push him away but he lowered his head and looked at her hand before looking at her with questioning eyes.

    Raeleigh hurriedly withdrew her hands. It was as if Jepherson could read Raeleigh¡¯s thoughts. He said in a low voice, ¡°Hold me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t cross the line.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Jepherson retorted immediately.Raeleigh did not say anything.He was so brazen.

    Raeleigh did not argue. Jepherson lowered his head to kiss her, but she turned her face away. He was dissatisfied. Jepherson raised Raeleigh¡¯s chin and lowered his head to kiss her. ¡°Will you bite me?¡±

    Raeleigh was breathless by the time he pulled away. She hadn¡¯t done this in a while.

    She pursed her lips. ¡°I will fulfil my promise since I already gave you my word. But you can¡¯t go too far. You know I will not respond.¡±

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh¡¯s face and smiled lightly before kissing her fiercely. Raeleigh wasn¡¯t able to react in time and was out of breath. Every time she wanted to resist, she would dismiss the idea because of what Jepherson said.

    Raeleigh followed Jepherson into the car after stepping out of the elevator.As soon as they entered, Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand tightly and ordered the driver to go to a nearby hotel.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, who looked very desperate.

 Chapter 1362 Without Saying a Word

    Raeleigh followed Jepherson into the hotel and straight into the presidential suite. Upon entering, he pressed Raeleigh against the door. Raeleigh did not resist, but she felt a little embarrassed as it was broad daylight.

    By that time, Jepherson had already taken off his clothes. It was as if every minute counted.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He immediately gathered her in his arms.

    Raeleigh felt as if years had gone by as shey in bed. When she thought that she finally had a chance to rest, she was awakened by Jepherson.

    They even skipped dinner.

    It was already dark outside. Raeleighy on the bed. Every bone in her body was aching.

    Jephersony on his side, exhausted. The entire room reeked of s*x.

    Raeleigh shifted slightly in bed andJepherson immediately reached out to grab her wrist, pulling her closer to him.

    Jepherson rested his head on Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder and ced his hand on her leg, gently caressing it. Raeleigh immediately pressed on his hands in fear. ¡°No, I will die here.¡±

    Jepherson was amused and gently bit down on Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Fine, there¡¯s still three hours left. I¡¯ll wait until tomorrow morning.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, who was struggling to keep his eyes open. Raeleigh wrapped the quilt tightly around her as ifher life depended on it.

    Even though Raeleigh refused Jepherson¡¯s request,he continued to caress her. Raeleigh immediately said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Takeyour hands off me.¡±

    Jepherson immediately took his hands away and turned over to lie on his side. He pulled her into his arms before falling asleep.

    Raeleigh was so tired that she forgot to call Xanthus.

    When Xanthus called her, she didn¡¯t even hear her phone ring. Instead, it was Jepherson who picked up.

    Afraid of disturbing Raeleigh, Jepherson got up and went to the bathroom to answer the phone.

    Raeleigh slept through the morning and eventually woke up at noon.

    She briefly looked around in the room and realized that she had a slight headache. Shey in bed for a long time before getting up.

    She could hear the sound of running watering from the bathroom. Just then, Jepherson¡¯s phone rang. She looked at it as it vibrated on the table with no intention of answering it. A few momentster, Jepherson came out from the bathroom, rubbing his hair while looking at Raeleigh. He had only a bath towel around his waist. When Raeleigh saw this, she immediately blushed.

    Ever since he got together with Raeleigh, he enjoyed walking aroundwrapped only in a bath towel.Raeleigh used to blush all the time whenever she saw him, and right then¡­

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer the phone?¡± Jepherson asked as he sat on the bed with his back facing her.Raeleigh took a towel and helped him wipe the water droplets that were rolling down his back.

    Jepherson turned around and looked at her while he continued to dry off his hair. ¡°Go on. Answer the phone.¡±

    Raeleigh picked up his phone from the table and nced at it before answering. ¡°Hello?¡±

    She was met with silence.

    Raeleigh looked at the phone and saw that it was an unknown number.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Raeleigh handed the phone to Jepherson. He didn¡¯t even look up.¡°Hang up.¡±

    Raeleigh immediately hung up the phone. Then, Jepherson continued to dry off his hair and asked Raeleigh to take a shower.

    Since Jepherson gave her permission, she immediately made her way into the bathroom to take a shower. However, when she came out, she realized that Jepherson had already called housekeeping to have the sheets changed.

    Raeleigh stood at the door of the bathroom with a bath towel wrapped around her. By that time, room service had also delivered their food and Jepherson called her over to join him.

    Raeleigh walked over to the table as she dried off her hair.

    Jepherson handed Raeleigh a ss of wine. ¡°You will feel better after you drink this.¡±

    Raeleigh had no intention of drinking it, but he urged her.¡°Just a sip. If you don¡¯t like it, then you don¡¯t have to finish it.¡±

    Raeleigh gently swirled the wine in the ss before taking a sip. The wine tasted fine, so she decided to drink it.

    Raeleigh lowered her head and felt ufortable.

    They were both naked under the towel as they sat opposite each other, eating.

    Jepherson ate and fed Raeleigh at the same time. She looked at the beef slices that he fed her and had no choice but to open her mouth to eat it.

    ¡°You have to eat more meat. It¡¯s good for your health.¡±

    ¡°I know, but not all food is clean.¡±

    ¡°Like our hearts?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. She knew not everyone had a pure heart.

    ¡°Rx. It¡¯s clean,¡± Jepherson said as he took a bite of his beef. After he was done eating, he stood up and went to put on some clothes. Raeleigh then realized that he had even brought his pyjamas over. She was surprised at the amount of things Jepherson had managed to do while she was in the bathroom.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    After Raeleigh was done eating, she called Xanthus to inform him that she might being backte that day.

    Xanthus was looking at Stuart. He answered the phone but he didn¡¯t say much. He only reminded her to take care of herself before hanging up.

    Raeleigh sat on the bed when she made the call. After she hung up, she rolled onto her stomach. Jepherson stood aside and watched her for a while before walking towards her. He then sat on the bed and studied her body. She felt uneasy under his steady gaze while looking at her phone. She hadn¡¯t expected him toe over.

    However, the next moment, Jepherson bent down and kissed her back¡­

    Raeleigh was initially nervous, but the tension gradually disappeared as he kissed her.

    It was already ten o¡¯clock at night but Raeleigh still hadn¡¯t had a chance to rest. ¡°Should we go back?¡±

    Jepherson hugged Raeleigh. ¡°Are you in a hurry?¡±

    Raeleigh did not know what to say for a moment. How was she supposed to get out of this?

    Jepherson rolled over and got out of bed. Raeleigh was a little afraid of him, so she followed him.

    Jepherson immediately put his hands on either side of Raeleigh¡¯s waist, not letting her move.He lowered his head to kiss Raeleigh. ¡°Why don¡¯t we make another bet?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s breath hitched in her throat. She stared at Jepherson, unable to say a word.

    Jepherson was waiting for her reply, but she did not speak. He kissed Raeleigh on the mouth¡­

    Another day passed, yet Jepherson did not let her go. When Xanthus called again, Raeleigh was still sleeping. So, Jepherson answered the phone again.

    After Xanthus hung up the phone, he stood at one side with his arms crossed.

    When Raeleigh woke up, Jepherson was still sleeping. She tried to get out of bed but her entire body was aching so much that she nearly fell off the bed.

    Jepherson woke up all of a sudden.He sat up and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Were you nning to leave?¡±

    Raeleigh could barely stay on her feet and turned to look at Jepherson. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t. I was nning on taking a shower.¡±

    Jepherson immediately got out of bed and gathered her in his arms. He carried her into the bathroom so that they could take a shower together, which inevitably led to a heated make out session in the showers.

    Raeleigh wondered if she was crazy. How did she end up with Jepherson again?

    Raeleigh was ready to head home after taking her shower.

    Jepherson had also changed into a fresh set of clothes.

    ¡°What does this make us?¡± Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and didn¡¯t let her go. Raeleigh looked at him for a while. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I think we can¡¯t be separated.¡± Jepherson hesitated for a moment. Raeleigh looked at him before turning around in his arms without saying a word.

 Chapter 1363 One Step Ahead

    Jepherson received a string of unknown phone calls enroute to the hospital.After it rang a few times, he had no choice but to answer the call.

    He held Raeleigh¡¯s hand as he answered the call.

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything. Then, he heard a familiar voice on the other end of the line.

    ¡°Jepherson¡­ it¡¯s me¡­¡±

    It was Ste¡¯s voice. Jepherson¡¯s fingers twitched a little as he kept his eyes on Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh could also hear Ste¡¯s voice. She wanted to pull her hand away, but Jepherson tightened his grip on her hand before she could. In the end, she was forced to stay by his side.

    ¡°Ste, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Jepherson¡¯s voice was calm and indifferent.He forcibly held Raeleigh in his arms.

    ¡°I want to leave this ce. I¡¯m suffering in this ce. Jepherson, can you pleasee and fetch me?¡± Ste finally said after a long pause. Jepherson thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Ste, I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t help you. I¡¯m very busy, I don¡¯t have the time.¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Jepherson¡­ my leg¡­¡±

    ¡°I know. I will find a way to help you, but I can¡¯te personally and fetch you.¡±

    There was silence on the other end.

    She hung up soon after.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. ¡°I¡¯m not fond of Ste.You should stay away from her.¡±

    Jepherson looked down at Raeleigh. ¡°I¡¯ll promise to stay away from her if you kiss me.¡±

    Raeleigh kissed him and quickly turned her head away to look outside the window. Jepherson held her in his arms and said, ¡°I promise.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything in return. She believed that actions speak louder than words. Some people liked to make empty promises. For instance, the Moore family. They had promised not to do any bad things, yet they did it.

    Raeleigh immediately got out of the car as soon as they arrived at the hospital. She was trying to figure out how to exin what had happened between her and Jepherson. In the end, she decided not to say anything because she had absolutely no idea what they were.

    Xanthus didn¡¯t ask Raeleigh too many questions when he saw her. There were some things that didn¡¯t need exining.

    Although Raeleigh hadn¡¯te back for two days,herplexion had improved.

    Santiago was surprised when he saw Raeleigh. He immediately got out of bed and walked over to her.He reached out and pinched her cheeks, making her flinch in pain.

    Raeleigh allowed him to continue pinching her. However, Santiago suddenly let go and turned to her. ¡°This is thest time. If he still treats you like that, I will show no mercy and rece him.¡±

    Raeleigh stood with her back against Santiago¡¯s. She sounded a little upset as she said, ¡°You¡¯re young and reckless. Do you think I would take you seriously?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about you, but I would take myself seriously.¡±

    After saying that, Santiago stepped out of the room. Raeleigh stood in the ward.Fear trickled down her spine, making her numb all over.

    Although Raeleigh and Jepherson didn¡¯t tell anyone that they had reconciled,it was very obvious.

    After eating, Raeleigh went to visit Santiago. He was shirtless in bed. He was leaning against the head of the bed with a nket around his waist, revealing his upper torso. Raeleigh stood there in a daze, while Jepherson stood there without saying a word.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment and went over to examine Santiago¡¯s injury. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve recovered quite a bit in two days.¡±

    Santiago stared at the door and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to worry, so I sped up my recovery.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago. ¡°You did it on purpose?¡±

    ¡°Sort of.¡± Santiago put on his shirt and did up the buttons. He lifted the quilt, got up, and drank a mouthful of water. ¡°I¡¯m going to look for that man.Don¡¯t follow me. Especially you, Raeleigh. If something happens to me again and you followed me, I¡¯m not going be nice when I get back.¡±

    Raeleigh did not flinch when she heard Santiago¡¯s words nor did she care about Jepherson.

    ¡°You¡¯re too reckless. You¡¯re going to get yourself into trouble.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being reckless. It¡¯s just that you¡¯re too fond of meddling in other people¡¯s business. Stop following me. Don¡¯t test my patience.¡±

    Santiago stepped closer to Raeleigh, ring coldly at her. Raeleigh unconsciously looked away,but she quickly turned back to look at Santiago and said, ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t value your life.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been like this ever since I was young. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t value my life. This is how I live my life, or else, what¡¯s the thrill of it?¡±

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes. What he said did not make sense at all.

    Raeleigh impatiently said, ¡°You¡¯re not making sense!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever I love. It¡¯s none of your business. Jepherson, you¡¯d better watch over her, or I won¡¯t show mercy.¡±

    After saying that, Santiago opened the door and went out. Raeleigh watched as he left, feeling somewhat helpless. She then turned to look at Jepherson and said, ¡°He is your brother. Are you not going to stop him?¡±

    ¡°Santiago does what he wants.If I had the power to stop him, I would have, but I doubt he would listen to my advice.¡± Although this was what Jepherson said, he is still worried about his brother.

    ¡°What if you send someone to protect him?¡± Raeleigh was a little anxious.

    Jepherson¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°Santiago will beat them up. I can¡¯t interfere too much either.¡±

    For the first time, Raeleigh felt that there was something wrong with their way of getting along with each other.

    In the end, Raeleigh stopped talking.

    There was nothing more to say.

    Jepherson went with Raeleigh to visit Stuart. Stuart¡¯s condition had stabilised. Although he was still weak, at least he could talk now.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m going to make sure you recover.¡± Jepherson said as hesat majestically on the only chair in the room.

    Stuart was very touched and didn¡¯t know what to say for a while.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, those people who attacked me are from the Moore family. I managed to catch a glimpse of them. I even saw Flynt.¡±

    Stuart¡¯s voice was very weak. Jepherson looked at his hands and ced a reassuring hand on his. ¡°Santiago is currently investigating this matter. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t let it slide.If the Moore family was the one who did this, be rest assured, I will avenge you.¡±

    Stuart frowned. He understood the meaning behind Jepherson¡¯s words.

    Jepherson patted Stuart¡¯s hand. ¡°If it¡¯s really the Moore family, it¡¯ll be easy to deal with. I¡¯m afraid someone is ying tricks and trying to stir up trouble.¡±

    ¡°Although there is the Whalen family, those who can drive a wedge between our family and the Moore family must not be ordinary people. I am not worried about internal strife, but I have to be on guard against these people.¡±

    Raeleigh stood beside Jepherson. When they came in, Jepherson had already turned off the security systemso that no one could eavesdrop on their conversation.

    Raeleigh had to admire him. Jepherson was always one step ahead.

 Chapter 1364 Erectile Dysfunction

    Jepherson came out from the ward and realised that Raeleigh was following him. He turned around and pinched her chin. She looked at him, lost in her own thoughts.

    ¡°You¡¯re looking very thoughtful. What are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about what kind of person you are and whether everything that has happened, including Santiago¡¯s injury is as what you expected. I¡¯ve always felt that you are an unpredictable person. Everything seems to be under your control and your goal is to be on top on the world, with many people who are willing to die for you, thus establishing your dominance.¡±

    Raeleigh said thoughtfully. Jepherson smiled slightly, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it means that you¡¯re the only person who is capable of reading my thoughts. You deserve to be my woman. Shouldn¡¯t you be happy?¡±

    Raeleigh pulled a long face. ¡°I¡¯m just speaking the truth.¡±

    Jepherson smiled. ¡°So am I.¡±

    Raeleigh felt a little unsatisfied when Jepherson retorted. She decided to let it slide andmade her way towards the exit.

    Jepherson followed Raeleigh and they went back together. Jepherson seemed to be very tired andy on Raeleigh¡¯s bed as soon as he entered the room. He closed his eyes, not wanting to move.

    Raeleigh, who was sitting on the other side of the bed, asked, ¡°Did you know about Santiago¡¯s injury?¡±

    Humans were quite foolish sometimes. Raeleigh believed that Jepherson¡¯s feelings for Santiago were irreceable.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Raeleigh knew it was a silly question to ask, but she decided to ask anyway.

    However, Jepherson decided to satisfy her curiosity.He opened his eyes and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°He is my brother. I will not do anything to hurt him.¡±

    Raeleigh was relieved when she heard Jepherson¡¯s answer.

    Raeleigh felt a little embarrassed. What did Jepherson¡¯s rtionship with Santiago have to do with her anyway?

    After getting the answer she wanted,Raeleigh stood up and left the room. She made her way into the kitchen to start making dinner.

    After Raeleigh left, Jepherson pulled the nket over his body and closed his eyes again.

    Santiago had note back so she decided to call Jacky that night. She didn¡¯t want to call Santiago directly as she was afraid of disturbing him.

    It happened that Santiago was sitting beside Jacky, sipping on a ss of wine. Jacky handed the phone to Santiago.

    ¡°Are you looking for him or for me?¡± Santiago immediately asked. Raeleigh suddenly fell silent before asking, ¡°Where are you? Why aren¡¯t you home yet?¡±

    Santiago took a sip of wine. ¡°I¡¯m drinking. I won¡¯t being home anytime soon. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless for a moment. She was about to speak when he hung up.

    Raeleigh stared nkly at her cellphone.Then, she heard a knock on the door. She turned around to find Jepherson standing by the door.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Am I not allowed to be here?¡± Jepherson smirked slightly.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Of course you are.¡±

    After entering and sitting down, Jepherson told Raeleigh, ¡°Santiago came by the office the other day to discuss about your proposal. Here, have a look. He made some amendments.¡±

    Jepherson handed the proposal to Raeleigh. She briefly looked through it and was quite surprised. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to sacrifice a lot by doing this.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯snot a big deal. We might also need tosend the helve after the hatchet. Santiago never takes anything seriously. However, if he means business, I doubt we have a chance at all.¡±

    The corner of Jepherson¡¯s mouth curved upwards. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking.

    ¡°Then why are you smiling?¡±

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh towards him and wrapped his arms around her waist. He looked up at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Why can¡¯t I? No matter who wins, the victory still belongs to thepany. I am not going to suffer any losses. It¡¯s just that you get to taste victory while I don¡¯t. Besides, Santiago is the one who is behind this. It¡¯s not some stranger.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still unfair to you. Obviously, Santiago is partial to me and he will do everything to ensure that I win.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. There¡¯s no need to be so calctive andpetitive.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ ¡±

    Raeleigh felt that Jepherson was right. It didn¡¯t matter who won because it would still benefit the Richards Group.

    Raeleigh and Jepherson had made an agreement. The two had made up. Their three months contract had been cancelled. But if they had another fallout, Raeleigh would leave without hesitation and Jepherson would not try to stop her.

    Even though it was a little childish,Raeleigh felt that there was nothing more childish than making peace with Jepherson.

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson.¡°Although I may be suspected of cheating, but I have my own strengths. If my work does not turn out as good as yours, well, it¡¯ll be a great marketing move. I think that you will do well too.¡±

    ¡°I have Santiago to help me and you have your own team as well.¡±

    ¡°You are sharp-tongued. You¡¯re getting better at talking.¡±

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes at Jepherson.¡°Am I getting better at talking, or are you bing more melodramatic?¡±

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh a little closer towards him and buried his face in her chest.

    ¡°We¡¯ll hold a wedding ceremony after this matter is settled. If you want a quiet ceremony, we can do it at your parents¡¯. I like it there very much. If I didn¡¯t have so many responsibilities, I would have moved there.¡±

    Raeleigh reached out and briefly ran her fingers through his hair and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not think about it just yet. Let¡¯s focus on what¡¯s in front of us first.¡±

    Raeleigh was still unsure of her future. In her eyes, everything was urgent and every step was going to be bumpy.

    All she knew was that the road ahead was going to be tough.

    Even though she had no idea whaty ahead.

    At first, she wanted get out of it,but she realised that there was no room for retreat.

    Jepherson seemed to be very sleepy these days. After a while, he fell asleep. Raeleigh was a little worried and wanted to ask him why he was always tiredbut Jepherson didn¡¯t answer her. Instead, he turned andid on his side, not wanting to tell Raeleigh the reason.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not feeling well,I can ask my brother toe and see you.¡± Raeleigh was intending to ask Xanthus toe over and check on him. What would happen if something was really wrong with him?

    However, Jepherson refused. Raeleigh felt that something was little off.

    Raeleigh insisted on having Xanthuse over to examine him. In the end, Jepherson gave in.

    Xanthus thoroughly examined Jepherson but found nothing. He then asked Jepherson several questions. Raeleigh, who was standing at the side, turned red at his questions.

    Erectile dysfunction?

    Xanthus prescribed several medicines for Jepherson. After that, Raeleigh followed Xanthus out of the room. Her face was slightly flushed.

    Xanthus simply couldn¡¯t understand why Jepherson had to spend three days in bed with her just to prevent her from leaving?

    Xanthus took out the medicine and said, ¡°He¡¯s alright. He¡¯s just experiencing some fatigue.Ifa person does a specific thing so frequently in a short period of time without doing anything else, certain parts of their body is bound to get hurt.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s just exhausted. Once he gets enough rest, he¡¯ll be alright.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    Raeleigh did not know what to say. Xanthus turned to look at Stuart.

    When Raeleigh went back to check on Jepherson,he had his back to her.¡°Why are you so quiet these days?¡± She asked.

 Chapter 1365 See the Doctor

    Jepherson spent the next few days resting in bed.He only got out of bed after he looked better. Raeleigh took care of him and gave him some supplements. She did it discreetly as she didn¡¯t want anyone to find out.

    Raeleigh felt it would be very embarrassing if anyone found out about Jepherson¡¯s condition. She did not want people to think he was impotent at such a young age.

    Raeleigh sat beside Jepherson as he finished his bowl of soup. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±

    Jepherson looked up at Raeleigh.¡°Not really.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment.¡°Didn¡¯t Xanthus say that you would feel better after a couple days rest? Didn¡¯t he say that you were just fatigued?¡±

    ¡°Your brother specialises inorthopaedics. Maybe he can¡¯t treat my condition?¡± Jepherson answered in a serious tone.Raeleigh¡¯s heart skipped a beat.She pursed her lips and stopped talking.

    Raeleigh observed Jepherson. Hisplexion had improved a lot. It was much better than the other day. How could he have not recovered?

    Raeleigh walked over to Jepherson and stood in front of him.¡°Are you really still feeling unwell?¡±

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh without answering.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Where do you feel difort?¡±

    Jepherson hesitated for a moment. ¡°My entire body.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless.

    Raeleigh sat down and looked at Jepherson. ¡°I can¡¯t tell whether you¡¯re being serious or not.¡±

    ¡°I actually still feel a little unwell.¡± Jepherson said as he straightened his shirt. Raeleigh sat beside him and asked, ¡°Where do you feel unwell?¡±

    Jepherson looked over at Raeleigh and said. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Raeleigh felt a little helpless. ¡°What? How can you not know?¡±

    ¡°All I know is that l still feel a little unwell.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless.

    Raeleigh was a little annoyed by his reply. She stood up angrily and stopped asking.

    However, after a while, she asked Jepherson again.

    Jepherson never gave her a clear answer and Raeleigh was genuinely worried about him.

    She wanted to ask Xanthus,but she was too shy.

    Jepherson had a good appetite this morning when he ate breakfast, but Raeleigh still felt that something was wrong.

    Xanthus asked Jepherson about his condition and he said that he was feeling fine, but Raeleigh was still worried.

    Hence, Raeleigh decided to look up Jepherson¡¯s symptoms on the inte. However, after looking, she was even more worried. She couldn¡¯t even eat in peace.

    In the evening, Raeleigh deliberately said she wanted to spend the night at a hotel, so Jepherson brought her there. However, nothing happened all night. In the morning, Raeleigh woke up and realised that she still had her clothes on. Jepherson did nothing but hugged her all night.

    Raeleigh woke up feeling a little tired in the morning. However, she still asked Jepherson how he was feeling and whether he needed to see the doctor.

    Jepherson thought for a moment.¡°I don¡¯t want to see a doctor.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Raeleigh was in a dilemma. She was afraid that treatment would be dyed if he didn¡¯t see a doctor.Xanthus may be a doctor, but he was anorthopaedics doctor. She doubt he knew what was wrong with Jepherson.

    In the end, Raeleigh still felt that he should go to the doctors and get a thorough examination. She had to persuade him, ¡°If there really is something wrong,at least we can catch it early and treat it immediately.¡±

    Jepherson stared out of the window. When he heard what Raeleigh said, he turned around. ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯re still willing to be with me even if we find out that there¡¯s something wrong with me?¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to say that if this was God¡¯s n, then she could forgive him, but this was his own doing,he had to bear the consequences.

    However, Raeleigh felt a little ufortable at the thought of it.

    ¡°If there really is something wrong with you, then I will be with you every step of the way. I will not leave you unless you leave me.¡±

    Jepherson stood by the window, lost in his own thoughts. He held his hands behind his back and stared at Raeleigh. ¡°You refused to be with me when there was nothing wrong with me. Now, there is a possibility that I have some sort of illness and you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re not going to leave me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s got nothing to do with each other. We¡¯re a couple now. I¡¯m not going to leave you just because you¡¯re sick.¡±

    Raeleigh felt a little ufortable. She hadn¡¯t expected things to get this bad. If word got out, Jepherson would definitely be the talk of the town. He would be theughing stock of Capital City.

    His reputation would be tarnished.

    Jepherson was silent for a moment. In the end, he agreed to see a doctor.

    However, Raeleigh was facing another dilemma. She didn¡¯t know which doctor to go to. She didn¡¯t want people to know.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we go abroad.¡±

    After hesitating for an entire afternoon, Jepherson finally decided to seek medical consultation abroad. Raeleigh, too, felt it was safer that way.

    Before leaving, Raeleigh went home to inform Xanthus that she was going to apany Jepherson out of town to look for his sister. Xanthus was leaning against the sofa, his arms crossed. Raeleigh was very nervous. She felt as if she was about tomit a crime. She didn¡¯t dare to look up.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Xanthus said after a long time. Raeleigh looked up. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    Raeleigh did not know what to say. For a moment, she felt that she should tell Xanthus the truth.

    But she decided against it when she thought of the consequences.

    ¡°I know, I¡­¡±

    ¡°Be careful.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will.¡±

    Xanthus handed Raeleigh some money. ¡°I know you have your own card, but this is mine. If you need to use it, you can.¡±

    ¡°I have money. Dad gave me some.¡±

    ¡°Keep it.¡±

    Xanthus didn¡¯t really know what to say to Raeleigh. She was a quite a smart girl, but she had lost her ability to think rationally after meeting Jepherson.

    Their flight was scheduled to depart at 8pm. She fell asleepas soon as they boarded the ne. She had been feeling sleepy in the past few days. In fact, Jepherson was not the only was who felt weak. She felt weak too.

    However, Jepherson¡¯s condition seemed much more serious than hers. He always preferred to stay in bed while she took care of him even though he looked fine.

    Raeleigh leaned against his shoulders and fell asleep.

    Jepherson looked over at Raeleigh and gently ran his fingers across her eyebrows. Raeleigh felt something tickling her and stirred a little. Jepherson stopped. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gently patted her to sleep.

    It was not until the nended that Raeleigh woke up. Raeleigh yawned as they disembarked the ne. Jepherson held her in his arms and asked, ¡°Are you tired?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Have you decided which hospital to go or are we going to look at some hospitals?¡±

    Jepherson considered it for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not very familiar with this ce. If the people here aren¡¯t that good,it¡¯ll be troublesome instead.So I want to go to a big hospital.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s do some quick research.¡±

    Raeleigh got in the car and did some research on her phone. She found a couple hospitals, picked one, and told the driver to bring them there.

    The doctor was a man in his thirties. He was wearing a pair of silver sses. He nced at Raeleigh and Jepeherson.She felt that he was looking at them strangely, as though they had brought it upon themselves.

    ¡°Your symptoms aren¡¯t good. You need long term treatment. I will prescribe some medications for you first. If it works, you may continue with the treatment. If not, you can go somewhere else.

    You have what we call an artificial disease. It is rted to your mental state. If we can treat it mentally, I believe there will be good results. Otherwise, there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s palms were cold and mmy.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. When Jepherson heard what the doctor said,he turned around and looked at her. She remained silent and said nothing. Jepherson stood up and led her out of the room.

 Chapter 1366 The Person They Canâ€™t Find

    Raeleigh and Jepherson sat in the restaurant. Neither of them said anything. Raeleigh was troubled. She knew it would be very difficult to cure this disease if Jepherson did not follow the doctor¡¯s treatment n. But she wasn¡¯t at ease here. However, if they were to seek treatment at a different ce, she was afraid that word would get out.

    Jepherson picked up his ss of water and took a sip. ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave you.¡± Raeleigh immediately cut him off. Jepherson looked up at Raeleigh. ¡°I will be a burden to you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of it. It¡¯s not the first time anyway.If you say these things, you are hurting me.¡±

    Tears welled up in Raeleigh¡¯s eyes. This was the most ridiculous thing that she had ever encountered in her life.

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh. ¡°It¡¯s not toote for you to leave.¡±

    Raeleigh pulled a long face. ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Both of them were silent. Jepherson looked out of the ss window, then at Raeleigh. ¡°This is your chance.¡±

    ¡°Again, I¡¯m not leaving you.¡±

    Raeleigh picked up the menu and opened it. She decided to order some nutritious dishes for Jepherson to eat.

    ¡°Are you sure you can finish all of it?¡± Jepherson asked as he took another sip of his water. Raeleigh raised her head and looked at him. ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯m counting on you to help me finish it.¡±

    Jepherson did not answer.Raeleigh spoke up, ¡°How can you get better if you don¡¯t eat? We¡¯ll go and get a second opinion on your conditionter in the afternoon. If they all say the same thing, then let¡¯s try another one. If it still doesn¡¯t work, then we will fly to another country. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s bound to be a cure.¡±

    Jepherson lowered his head and began eating, not saying a word.

    Raeleigh asionally tried to make small talk with Jepherson. He looked up at her without saying anything.

    After eating, Raeleigh brought Jepherson to another hospital. However, the doctor¡¯s diagnosis was still same.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t fall asleep that night. Even though Jepherson assured her that he was fine, she could not fall asleep.

    She was restless for the entire night.

    Jepherson woke up the next morning and looked at Raeleigh who was sleeping next to him. He quietly reached out and stroked her hair.

    He got out of bed andwalked over to the window. He drew the curtains and looked outside.

    The coastal cities were warmer than Capital City, but it was still not warm enough to leave the windows open.

    Jepherson stood by the window with his hands sped behind his back. He frowned slightly and slowly closed his eyes as he focused on his breathing.

    Raeleigh was actually already awake.It was just that she didn¡¯t know how to face Jepherson when she saw howdisconste he was. It made her ufortable, so she would rather not turn around and face him.

    She moved slightly. When Jepherson heard the bed sheets rustling, he immediately knew that Raeleigh was awake. He turned around to look at her.

    After staring at Raeleigh for a while, Jepherson decided to go and take a shower. By the time he came out of the bathroom, Raeleigh had already gotten out of bed.

    Raeleigh went into the bathroom to take a shower. After breakfast, they went to visit another doctor. The doctor said that this disease was difficult to cure. Raeleigh did not know how to respond. She sat in the chair, frozen.

    Jepherson stood up and went outside. His face was tense. It took Raeleigh ten minutes before she came back to her senses.

    Raeleigh left the doctor¡¯s office in search of Jepherson. In the end, she found him sitting in a cab, waiting for her. She walked over and he asked her to get in. They didn¡¯t say a single word throughout the entire journey.

    As soon as they arrived, Jepherson went straight into the hotel. They spent the next two days in the hotel.

    When Raeleigh suggested to Jepherson that he should seek medical treatment abroad, he did not say a single word. Raeleigh did not want to hurt him, so she didn¡¯t dare to say anything else.

    Two dayster, Raeleigh and Jepherson finally left the hotel. They decided to visit a local orphanage.

    On the way to the orphanage, Raeleigh held Jepherson¡¯s hand, however, he didn¡¯t respond.Just as they were pulling up at the orphanage, he said, ¡°It seems like I am the only one who believes that she¡¯s still alive. I feel like I¡¯m deceiving myself.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t reply. She felt that he still had something to add.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I don¡¯t think you want to..¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t undergone any treatment yet. No oneknows what the results will be. If it doesn¡¯t work, well¡­ we¡¯ll cross that bridge when wee to it.¡±

    Raeleigh held Jepherson¡¯s hands tightly, waiting for his reply, but he didn¡¯t respond.

    Raeleigh refused to let go of Jepherson¡¯s hand as they got out of the car. When he wanted to shrug her hand away, she quickly hooked her arm around his.

    Jepherson looked down at Raeleigh. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this.¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to climb on your back then?¡± Raeleigh smiled, but it was forced. He briefly nced at Raeleigh before turning to look at the orphanage.

    After staring at the building for awhile, Jepherson told Raeleigh, ¡°This is thest time. If I still can¡¯t find her, then I¡¯ll give up.¡±

    Raeleigh stood arm in arm with Jepherson. ¡°These are two different things.You¡¯ve spent 20 years looking for her and I won¡¯t me you for giving up. However, I just got started. If I am unable to find her this time, then I will keep on looking. I will spend the next 20 years looking for her if I have to. If I still can¡¯t find her, at least I will not have any regrets.¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh before turning around and looking at the orphanage, not saying a word.

    Soon, someone came out to greet them. When they saw Jepherson, he immediately walked up to Jepherson and shook his hands and gave him a warm wee.

    Raeleigh followed Jepherson into the orphanage. They spent the entire day hanging out with the kids and decided to spend the night there.

    It was cold at night as Jepherson stood outside and admired the night sky,dressed only in think clothes.Raeleigh stood at the door and quietly observed Jepherson.

    ¡°We can adopt a child instead.¡± Raeleigh wanted tofort Jepherson.

    Jepherson turned around and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°You¡¯re willing to adopt someone else¡¯s child?¡±

    ¡°My grandmother adopted me,¡± Raeleigh said. Jepherson shook his head, ¡°There will not be another Raeleigh and there will not be another Novalie.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent until Jepherson said, ¡°Maybe I can ask Santiago for help.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. ¡°You¡¯re¡­.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not going to stay.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and headed back into the orphanage. Raeleigh had no idea what to do.

    The next morning, Raeleigh left the orphanage with Jepherson. The director of the orphanage and the others came to see them off.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you were not able to find the person you were looking for.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t answer. He only stared at him.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°We¡¯re very grateful.¡±

    ¡°You both are wee anytime. The kids here really need you.¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s a small gesture.¡±

    Raeleigh handed over the money that she had already prepared for the orphanage and he expressed his gratitude.After that, Raeleigh got into the car and left with Jepherson.

 Chapter 1367 Try Me

    After returning to Capital City, Raeleigh followed Jepherson to the Richards family¡¯s home.

    After going in, Jepherson immediately went to see Marissa. Raeleigh decided to follow him as well but she did not agitate or irritate Marissa this time.

    Marissa said many nasty things. She was in a good mood before she saw Raeleigh.Themoment she saw Raeleigh,her expression changed and she wanted to use her.

    Jepherson had a stiff attitude. Marissa was angry as she started to use Raeleigh,

    ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m going to head over to the Green Jade Garden.¡±

    Raeleigh briefly nced at Marissa who was sitting on the bed. She had just gotten better. Raeleigh figured it was best if she stayed out of the way.

    Raeleigh turned around and left. Jepherson¡¯s expression turned cold as he watched her leave. ¡°Raeleigh is not the type of woman you think she is. She¡¯s not with me for fame or money. I hope that you can treat her the same way you treat Ste. If you can¡¯t, then you ought to move in with Ste since you like her so much.¡±

    Jepherson left the room. Marissa was so angry that she clenched her fist and stomped her feet on the bed.

    Raeleigh took a quick stroll around the courtyard before making her way to the Green Jade Garden.

    A few momentster, Jepherson came out of the Ink Garden to look for Raeleigh. Just as he was making his way to the Green Jade Garden, he suddenly stopped when he spotted a ck car parked at the entrance of the Richards Group Manor.

    The driver got out of the car and opened the door for the passenger. A man got out from the other side of the car. Heopened the trunk and took out a wheelchair. He then put it down and pushed it towards the car.

    The man bent down and carried Ste out of the car. There was a distance betweenJepherson and the car so he could not really make out who it was.but he had a hunch. Jepherson decided not to stay and watch. He continued walking towards the Green Jade Garden.

    Ste sat on the wheelchair and briefly straightened her clothes. The servant immediately ced a warm quilt over herp as it was a cold day.

    Ste turned around to look at Jepherson who was standing across the courtyard earlier. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t there anymore.

    Ste looked a little pale, as if she wasn¡¯t healthy.

    The man came over and whispered a few words into her ear. Ste nodded and looked at him. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s go and see Madam Marissa.¡±

    Ste quietly looked ahead in the wheelchair. It was funny. What a coincidence that Jepherson was here too. It seemed like she picked the right time toe and visit. If she hade a littleter, she probably would have missed him.

    Marissa had dressed up on this day because she knew that Ste would being to visit.

    Ste had cried over the phone when she was talking to Marissa. Marissa felt bad for her. After all, Ste was the one who had taken care of her when no one did.

    Marissa had arranged for someone to pick Ste up. She had even talked to Ste¡¯s grandmother, Geraldine. She was aware that Geraldine was not an ordinary person. Neither was the Doyle family.

    Madam Marissa had specifically arranged for someone to pick Ste up from the airport.

    Ste started to cry when she saw Marissa crying.

    They hadn¡¯t seen in each other in such a long time. They were like grandmother and granddaughter.

    ¡­

    ¡°Ste, please don¡¯t leave. Trust me, I¡¯m sure I will be able to find a way to make you part of the Richards family.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Marissa held onto Ste¡¯s hand tightly.Ste¡¯s face was red from crying.

    ¡°Madam Marissa, I¡¯m not worthy of Jepherson. I¡¯ve thought it through. I know that you cannot force a marriage.¡±

    The more Ste cried, the guiltier Marissa felt.

    ¡°The Richards family is responsible for you ending up in a wheelchair. You can¡¯t give up just like that. Ste,I¡¯m sure there is a cure. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll speak for you.¡±

    ¡­

    When Jepherson finally found Raeleigh, she was in the Green Jade Garden, admiring a painting.

    Jepherson motioned for the servant not to say anything.He entered the room from behind and tried his best not to disturb Raeleigh.

    ¡°That was quick.¡±

    ¡°I was so quiet.How did you know that it was me?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Jepherson. ¡°It¡¯s not your footsteps.It¡¯s your scent. I can smell it.¡±

    ¡°Are you a dog or a cat? How can you smell it?¡±

    ¡°Close your eyes,¡± Raeleigh said. Jepherson closed his eyes. Raeleigh walked in front of Jepherson and stood on tiptoe. She put her hands on the nape of Jepherson¡¯s neck and pressed his neck down as she took a deep breath.

    Jepherson slowly opened his eyes. Raeleigh said,¡°Everyone has their own scent.¡±

    ¡°Your scent is simr to your father¡¯s but there¡¯s more of an aromatic scent to yours. However, it¡¯s not as strong as Santiago¡¯s. Maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s still young.¡±

    ¡°When I first met Santiago, he followed me in a car and used a voice changer to deceive me. Later, when I saw him, I was surprised to find that you and him had a simr scent.¡±

    ¡°Both of you have very strong scent, but the aromatic scent on him is much stronger.¡±

    ¡°I had no idea what it was until I met your parents.I started to realise that the aromatic scent that you and Santiago havees from your mother.¡±

    ¡°But as you grow older, that aromatic scent slowly disappeared and what is left is your father¡¯s musky scent.¡±

    Jepherson slightly raised his eyebrows. ¡°Is there such a thing?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if I wasn¡¯t a designer, I think I would have studiedfragrances,¡± Raeleigh said jokingly. Jepherson asked her, ¡°Does Zorion and Deanna have their own scent?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but Zorion¡¯s is sometimes a little chaotic and unstable. Deanna is very motherly. She doesn¡¯t have the smell that you men have. On the contrary, the aromatic scent on her is very strong.¡±

    As Raeleigh talked, Jepherson walked over to her, lowered his head and took a deep breath. She did have her own scent.

    Jepherson reached out and pulled Raeleigh into his arms. ¡°I have something to tell you. You need to be prepared.¡±

    Raeleigh looked up at Jepherson and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°When I came here, I saw a ck car parked outside. I saw a man carry a woman out of the car and ce her in a wheelchair.¡±

    Jepherson observed Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh thought of Ste.

    ¡°Is it Ste?¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t answer. It meant that she was right.

    Raeleigh looked at the door and stayed silent for a while. Then she said to Jepherson, ¡°I don¡¯t want her toe here.I don¡¯t like her.¡±

    ¡°Then what if Grandma asks us to go over?¡±

    ¡°Thenwe don¡¯t have a choice. Butyou have to promise me that you will stay with me the whole time, otherwise I¡¯ll¡­¡±

    ¡°Leave?¡±

    Jepherson answered for Raeleigh. Raeleigh knew that this was a very critical time. She couldn¡¯t give up easily, so she said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave. I¡¯ve said it before. If she doesn¡¯t provoke me, then I will not do anything, but if she does, then I¡¯ll fight back.¡±

    Jepherson raised his eyebrows. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Try me.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson. Determination filled her entire body.

 Chapter 1368 Heâ€™s Much Better Than You

    Sure enough, Marissa invited Raeleigh and Jepherson over to the Ink Garden for dinner. Jepherson didn¡¯t agree immediately. Instead, he left it up to Raeleigh to decide.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to go,¡± Raeleigh said as she looked at Jepherson. He didn¡¯t answer and Raeleigh knew that he would not help her decide. In the end, she decided to ept the invitation for dinner.

    Raeleigh and Jepherson made their way to the Ink Garden. This time, Raeleigh attended the dinner as Jepherson¡¯s girlfriend.

    Raeleigh thought it was ironic. She once was adamant that she and Jepherson couldn¡¯t be a couple but now,she was attending the dinner as his girlfriend.

    If this wasn¡¯t ironic, she did not know what was.

    Raeleigh entered the door only to find Marissa engaged in conversation with Ste, who was crying. Marissa clearly noticed Raeleigh when she entered the room, but she didn¡¯t invite her to sit down. Instead, she let Raeleigh continue standing by the door.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything. He left all the decisions up to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh stood by the door and waited for Marissa to invite her in and take a seat. Raeleigh briefly nced at the servant who was standing in one corner. The servant took a deep breath, knowing that she could not afford to offend either party.

    The servant saw Raeleigh¡¯s expression. They didn¡¯t mind, but could Mr. Jepherson close an eye?

    The servant walked over to Marissa and whispered, ¡°Madam, Mr. Jepherson and Miss Raeleigh have arrived.¡±

    Marissa slowly looked up and looked at Raeleigh with a trace of displeasure in her eyes. ¡°I invited Mr. Jepherson for dinner. Since when did I extend the invite to her?¡±

    The servant didn¡¯t know what to do. She briefly nced at Raeleigh and Jephersonwho were still standing by the door.

    When she received the invite, Raeleigh was initially very reluctant toe over for dinner. She only decided toe here for the sake of Jepherson.

    ¡°I just remembered that I have something else I need to do. I¡¯m going to head back first.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to leave. Jepherson immediately followed her without hesitating.

    Marissa suddenly shouted coldly, ¡°Jerry.¡±

    Jepherson stopped and turned to look at Marissa who was seething inwardly. He said, ¡°Since you already havepany, then I guess there¡¯s no need for Raeleigh and I to apany you for dinner. Raeleigh also has something to do, sowe¡¯ll be leaving.¡±

    ¡°I dare you to step out of this ce. If you do, I will disown you.¡± Marissa pointed at Jepherson. Jepherson closed his eyes and turned to leave without saying anything.

    ¡°Jepherson, Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Jepherson had taken a few steps before he heard Ste calling for them. Raeleigh turned around and looked at Ste strangely. She did not say anything. She looked at Jepherson. ¡°If you want to stay, you can stay. I really have something to do.¡±

    Jepherson nced at Ste beforeturning around and walking out. He didn¡¯t even look back.

    Marissa was breathless with anger as she watched Jepherson walk away.

    Ste turned pale. She watched Raeleigh and Jepherson hold hands and leave.

    When they arrived at the entrance of the manor, Raeleigh said to Jepherson, ¡°You can stay if you want.¡±

    Jepherson cast a quick nce at Raeleigh before getting into the car. Raeleigh stood outside and smiled at him before getting into the car.

    They left Richards Group Manor and made their way to the hospital. Santiago was in the hospital too. Jacky was also with him.

    Raeleigh and the others bumped into Jacky as they entered the hospital.

    Jepherson and Raeleigh were together. Jacky was on his way out but he came back to them and called Raeleigh.

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at Jacky.¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Do you still remember what you promised me?¡± If Jacky hadn¡¯t reminded Raeleigh, she would have totally forgotten about it.

    ¡±I remember, but now¡­¡±

    ¡°I really want to get in touch with Deanna.¡±

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t expected Jacky to be so direct. However, she did make a promise, so she had to fulfil it.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to get in touch with her. I¡¯ll let you know when I do.¡±

    ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡±

    Jacky turned around and left. Raeleigh wondered whether this was the right thing to do as she made her way into the hospital.

    She decided to pay Stuart a visit first. When she arrived at his ward, she was surprised to see Santiago sitting outside of Stuart¡¯s ward. She hadn¡¯t expected him to recover so quickly.

    Raeleigh paused for a moment and then walked over to Santiago. Santiago opened his eyes and gave Raeleigh a smile. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re back!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re fine now?¡± Raeleigh asked as she took a seat next to him. There was no one else except for Alvin.

    Santiagoughed. ¡°I¡¯ve always been fine.¡±

    Santiago reached out and pinched Raeleigh¡¯s face. Hadrian stood nearby with his head slightly bowed. He was a little confused about what was going on between Jepherson and Santiago.

    Jepherson and Raeleigh were a couple, but Santiago seemed to be fond of Raeleigh as well.

    The problem was that Jepherson always went along with what Santiago wanted. Hadrian had never thought that Jepherson would be willing to share Raeleigh with Santiago.

    What about Raeleigh?

    Hadrian was a little confused.

    Even Alvin was frowning. What were the brothers up to?¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t pay attention to Santiago even though he was touching Raeleigh. He went in to check on Stuart.

    Jepherson closed the door behind him and sat down.Stuart was staring nkly at Raeleigh and Santiago, who were outside.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson¡­¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Jepherson crossed his legs and didn¡¯t pay much attention to it.

    ¡°There are some things I¡¯m not sure if I should bring up.¡±Stuart was in a dilemma.

    Jepherson smiled. ¡°Although Santiago is still young, he knows what he¡¯s doing.¡±

    Stuart didn¡¯t understand. Jepherson tapped his legs with his fingers. ¡°If Raeleigh is Santiago¡¯s sister, that means we¡¯re a family. Whatever Santiago is doing is normal. It¡¯s not what you think it is. I trust Santiago and I trust Raeleigh too.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson¡­¡±

    Jepherson raised his hand and motioned for Stuart to stop talking.Stuart kept quiet.

    Jepherson hesitated. ¡°If you like Raeleigh too, will you leave me?¡±

    Stuart thought about it and shook his head.

    ¡°I won¡¯t drive you away either,¡± Jepherson said. ¡°We grew up together and we went to school together. You¡¯re my best friend. When I was very young, I remember my father telling me to treat you like a brother because you¡¯re Mr. Alvin¡¯s son. Your father risked his life for the sake of the Richards family. He¡¯s like an uncle to me.¡±

    ¡°I know you better than anyone else. Not to mention that you¡¯re not that kind of person. Even if you are, I believe it can¡¯te between us.¡±

    ¡°Every man loves a beautiful woman. Raeleigh is very beautiful and she has a lot of admirers. On the contrary, if I can¡¯t stand out among the crowd and get Raeleigh to notice me, what right do I have to stay?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is still young and has the right to choose. If I am unable to win her over and she finds someone better than me, then I will give her my blessing.¡±

    ¡°In other words, I will rece you.¡±

    Stuart¡¯s values had beenpletely overturned. He felt that Jepherson was not thinking straight, but he dared not say anything.

    ¡°The only person that can be better than you is Mr. Santiago.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Stuart knew that very well.

    Jepherson stood up.¡°I haven¡¯t been home in awhile. I guess I should go and visit my parents. Take care of yourself. Santiago has managed to track down who did this to you.¡±

    After finishing what he was saying,Jepherson turned around and left. Stuart stared nkly at Jepherson as he walked out of the room.

 Chapter 1369 He Had Also Been Thinking About This Question

    Jepherson came out of Stuart¡¯s ward and looked at Raeleigh.¡°I¡¯m going to visit my parents.¡±

    Raeleigh was talking to Santiago. She looked at Jepherson.¡°Alright.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and made his way towards the elevator. Santiago put one leg onto the other and leaned to one side. When Jepherson left, Santiago stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Raeleigh froze. ¡°Go where?¡±

    ¡°Why do you ask so many questions?¡±

    Santiago walked towards the elevator. Raeleigh took a look at Jepherson, who had already gone into his parents¡¯ room before standing up and following Santiago. She took out her mobile phone and called Xanthus.

    ¡°Do you really have to report to your brother whenever you go out?¡± Santiago looked at Raeleigh who was on the phone. Raeleigh ignored him. As soon as Xanthus answered the phone, she asked, ¡°Xanthus, where are you?¡±

    Santiago reached out and pressed the call button on the elevator before shoving his hands back into his pocket. He stood by the elevator as Raeleigh made a call.

    Raeleigh reached out and pulled Santiago to the corridor.

    Xanthus changed and came out of the ward. Day and night werepletely upside down. Plus, he hadn¡¯t left the hospital. He didn¡¯t even remember whether it was day or night.

    Xanthus came out when he received Raeleigh¡¯s call. He saw her and put his phone back into his pocket.

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±

    When Xanthus saw Raeleigh, he closed the door and stood there. Raeleigh walked over to Xanthus and said, ¡°Santiago is going to take me somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Do you need a change of clothes?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I already bought a new set of clothes.¡± That was all she could say since she had not brought over the rest of her clothes.

    Xanthus nced at Raeleigh. ¡°You look much better now. Did you manage to do whatever you needed to do?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did. I need to go now.I¡¯ll bring you a gift.¡±

    ¡°A gift?¡± Santiago turned his head sideways and narrowed his eyes at Raeleigh. It was as if he was telling her that he wanted one too.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you one as well.¡± Raeleigh chimed in.Santiago put his hands in pockets and said, ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±

    Raeleigh ignored Santiago and looked at Xanthus. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    After that, Raeleigh followed Santiago into the elevator.

    Inside the elevator, Santiago leaned against the other side. Raeleigh stood on the other side and looked at Santiago. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ve fully recovered?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have.¡± Santiago was much stronger than a lot of people. If a normal person suffered two major injuries in such a short time, she doubt they would be able to recover as quickly as Santiago did.

    Raeleigh wanted to slice open his abdomen and see what he was actually made of.

    But Raeleigh did not have the courage.

    Santiago didn¡¯t say anything else when he saw that Raeleigh didn¡¯t respond. As soon as he got in the car, he unbuttoned his jacket and took off his shirt. Raeleigh sat in the passenger seat, covering her eyes with her hands.

    Santiago was basically shirtless at this point. He reached out and removed Raeleigh¡¯s hands away from her eyes.She was almost pale with anger.

    However, when Raeleigh saw the wounds on Santiago¡¯s body,she suddenly became quiet. Her eyes reddened and she turned around to cry.

    Santiago quickly put on his clothes and reached out for a tissue. He pulled Raeleigh over and wiped the tears on her face while cursing Raeleigh for being so useless.

    The more Santiago talked, the more she cried. In the end, Santiago held her in his arms without saying anything.

    After awhile, Raeleigh stopped crying. She pulled herself out of his arms and scolded him.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t remember what she had said but she was sure she had scolded him.Santiago didn¡¯t say anything. He started the car and drove away.

    Jepherson stood by the window on the sixth floor and looked down at the carpark. He had clearly seen Santiago and Raeleigh entering the car together.

    What was going on inside the car? The car did not start for a long time.

    He sped his hands behind his back with his head slightly bowed. Hansen, who was standing beside him, also with his hands sped behind his back, asked his son, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    Jepherson seemed to have fallen into a trance. It was only when he heard his father¡¯s voice that he came back to his senses. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°I feel like I have an advantage.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s brows knitted slightly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you exin?¡±

    Hansen turned around and sat down on the sofa. Jepherson walked over to him, but not before pouringa cup of tea for his father and himself. After that, he said, ¡°I was born with an advantage. If it wasn¡¯t because I¡¯m older, I don¡¯t think my sister would have met with an ident.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Hansen frowned slightly. ¡°There are some things that are iparable. Never in my life I imagined I would be a father. Your birthis like a gift from God to your mother and I.¡±

    ¡°I believe in fate. Fate brought your mother and I together. It was already destined to be.¡±

    ¡°I know. All these years, you have been brooding over that incident, but no one is perfect. That¡¯s bound to be some mishaps in one¡¯s life. Everyone has to face it. No one can change it. Not you, not me.¡±

    ¡°We are considered lucky for the things we have, as for the rest, we have to leave it to fate.¡±

    Jepherson shook his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Just like Santiago¡¯s ident.If Raeleigh hadn¡¯t found Santiago slightly earlier but had waited a few days, even if they were able to save his legs, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to save his life.

    Although Raeleigh is very stubborn,I still think she¡¯s worth it.¡±

    ¡°Whether she¡¯s worth it or not and whether you should let it happen or not are two very different things. If you amodate Santiago all the time, I¡¯m sure it will eventually cause a rift between the three of you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want my sons to fight over a woman.¡± Hansen said after a pause.

    ¡°I trust Santiago and I trust Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°These things are hard to predict. Just like your mother and I. If I didn¡¯te into your mother¡¯s life, she would probably have met someone much better than me and there wouldn¡¯t have been you and Santiago.¡±

    ¡°But mom loves you.¡±

    The corners of Hansen¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°That¡¯s because your mother fell in love with me first. If we were to judge a rtionship based on who fell in love with whom first, then I would only believe in the woman that had been moved first.¡±

    Jepherson picked up his cup of tea and took a sip. Hansen cracked his knuckles and said, ¡°I¡¯ve always trusted my sons¡¯ insight. Since the two of you like the same woman, it means that this girl is really something. However, there could only be one winner. Now, the problem is, what should my other son do?¡±

    Jepherson looked at his father.In fact, he had also been thinking about this question for a long time!

    ¡°It looks like the food is ready. Let¡¯s go and eat. Don¡¯t tell your mom about this or she won¡¯t be able to sleep. If that happens, I will look for you both for revenge.¡±

    Hansen warned him and Jepherson had a look of disdain on his face.

 Chapter 1370 Play To Win

    Santiago brought Raeleigh to Waverly Vige. Raeleigh got out of the car and quickly surveyed her surroundings. She realized that she was in front of Jack Town Hotel.

    A few momentster, Santiago walked into the hotelfirst andRaeleigh followed him in.

    As soon as Raeleigh entered the door, she heard people talking. She quickly nced around the room and realised that there was a dinner function going on. All kinds of people were present. The younger ones were engaged in some game at the front. They were cheering and shouting as they yed. It looked like the game was very intense.

    Santiago took Raeleigh¡¯s wrist and dragged her through the crowd, towardsthe front and pointed towards the game. ¡°Let¡¯s join in.¡±

    It was only here thatRaeleigh realised the game involved a man and a woman. It was like a three-legged race. The only difference was that they had to pick up the balls from the ground and toss it into their respective baskets. The women were responsible for picking up balls, while the men were responsible for fighting over the balls.Although there were a lot of balls on the floor, the opponents were allowed to stop them from picking up the balls, making the game a little more challenging.

    Some of them couldn¡¯t continue with the game. They had bruises on their faces and were standing at one side rubbing their injuries.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Forget it.You just recovered and I don¡¯t want to get beaten up.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,they won¡¯t hit women.¡± Jacky walked up to Raeleigh and handed her a lollipop. Raeleigh reached out and epted the lollipop, ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything about Deanna yet but I¡¯m still trying toe up with a solution. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep my word.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about Deannater. Let¡¯s talk about the game first.¡± Jacky raised his chin and pointed towards the game.

    While Raeleigh was watching the game, Jacky exined, ¡°This game is held once every year, usually around new year. All these people present here today are some of the most reputable people in Waverly Vige. Do you see that box in the front? That box contains the grand prize, which is the same every year. The winner will be awarded a house here in Waverly Vige. It means that these kids are actually fighting for a house. That¡¯s why thepetition is so fierce.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should join in then. We don¡¯t need a house,¡± Raeleigh said. Santiago immediately retorted,¡°Who said so? Let¡¯s not waste this opportunity.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. She cast Santiago a look of disgust. ¡°You are from the Richards family. I¡¯m sure you can afford a house. I think it¡¯s better for you to let these people fight for the house instead.¡±

    Raeleigh had good intentions. Some of these people had probably trained for one year just to have a shot in winning a house. It wasn¡¯t fair for Santiago toe and y for the house just because he felt like it.

    Santiago did not agree with Raeleigh. ¡°Yes, I am from the Richards family, but I don¡¯t have any money nor do I own a house. I want to win myself a house. If my father ever kicks me out of the house, at least I¡¯ll still have my own ce. Am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°Why would your father kick you out of the house? Your parents love you. So does Jepherson. I doubt they would ever kick you out.¡±

    ¡°These things can change anytime.I¡¯ve made up my mind. I¡¯m going to try and win the house. Come with me!¡±

    Santiago pulled Raeleigh towards the centre, wanting to participate in the game.

    Raeleigh was reluctant to y. Jacky said to Raeleigh, ¡°You may not win. These people are very experienced and they have been training for over a year. What are your chances of winning?¡±

    Raeleigh felt that Jacky was right. What were their chances of winning? Regardless of how good Santiago thought he was, they would not be able to win if she didn¡¯t pick up a ball.

    Raeleigh asked Jacky how many teams were left in the game. He said, ¡°There¡¯s a total of six team, including yours.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s y.¡± Raeleigh finally gave in.Jacky took them to one side and they started preparing for the game. They tied their legs together and joined the rest of the teams.

    Soon, the game began. Raeleigh and Santiago quickly started picking up the balls. Although it took awhile for Raeleigh to get used to it, she was slowly able to move around without tripping over with Santiago¡¯s help.

    In less than a minute, one of the teams fell.

    Raeleigh heard the girl scolding the boy.¡°You¡¯re useless! We¡¯re done!¡±

    The boy kept giving excuses but the girl was having none of it.

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago and said, ¡°I think we should move slowly and steadily. Let¡¯s not fight with them.¡±

    Santiago ignored her and pointed towards a ball. ¡°Pick it up.¡±

    Raeleigh roughly estimated the distance from where they stood to their bucket. If Santiago was able to make the shot, he could be a basketball star.

    Raeleigh calmly picked up a ball and handed it to Santiago.

    Because of the distance, they were all hurriedly trying to move forward. They were not paying any attention to Santiago.

    Santiago himself was not in a hurry. He raised his hands and prepared to shoot the ball. He narrowed his eyes and shot.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The ball entered the basket and everyone around them stopped. The red team was awarded a point.

    After that, the other teams continued picking up the balls. They felt that there was nothing to worry about. Hewas just lucky. What were the odds that he could repeat the feat?

    Even Raeleigh felt that Santiago was lucky to have scored. To prove her point, Raeleigh picked up a red ball and walked to the back. She doubted Santiago would be able to score from here.

    ¡°Here, one more.¡± Raeleigh almost wanted to challenge him.

    Santiago reached out and took the ball from her hand. He didn¡¯t aim this time. After all, he roughly knew the distance.

    Raeleigh was shocked as she watched the ball make its way into their basket. Pin drop silence filled the room.

    Raeleigh had no idea whether he was just lucky or what?

    Everyone was looking at them. Raeleigh felt a little embarrassed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s continue,¡± Raeleigh said as she continued walking forward. She wasintending to fall down on purpose butSantiago managed to grab hold of her before she tripped.

    Raeleigh was not convinced and kepting up with ways to get them eliminated from the game. She picked up the ball and wanted to throw it elsewhere. Santiago¡¯s arm was so long that he managed to stop her in time. He threw it into the basket without missing a shot.

    The time limit was one hour. Not long after the game began, Raeleigh was already getting tired.

    The other teams didn¡¯t even have a single point. Either they were eliminated or they missed their shot. After a team was eliminated, it wasusually the girl who would start to make a fuss, wanting to switch partners.

    Raeleigh walked forward as the game reached the hour mark, signalling the end of the game. Santiago had no choice but to follow her.

    Just as they were about to reach the finish line, Raeleigh was nearly knocked over by a man. Thankfully, Santiago managed to catch her before she fell to the ground. Santiago turned around and nced at the man angrily. His gaze darkened¡­

    It was suddenly quiet. Raeleigh walked away, panting. She was sure they didn¡¯t win.

    Raeleigh pulled Santiago.¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. Time is nearly up.¡±

    Santiago also wanted to cross the finish line, so he continued walking with Raeleigh. There were some teams who were not happy with the results. One of them picked up a ball and threw it at Santiago. Santiago caught the ball. He turned around and threw the ball into the basket.

    The audience burst with excitement as Santiago and Raeleigh made their way across the finish line. Jacky began counting the balls in the baskets.

 Chapter 1371 Allergic Reaction

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t expected that they would actually win thepetition. However, Santiago stood there, unfazed by it all. Raeleigh had never seen such a self-righteous person. Until meeting Santiago, Raeleigh had always felt that Jepherson was the most self-righteous person in the world.

    Raeleigh looked over at Santiago, who was sitting in a high chair, with his arms spread out as he leaned against the bar counter.He was surrounded by several women. They were all waiting for a chance to drink with him. He had a flirtatious smile on his face as he talked to the women.

    One woman even suggested that Santiago drink with each and everyone of them. Santiago took a sip of his beer and smirked.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t understand why Santiago liked to smile so much.

    Raeleigh stared at Santiago for a little while longer before turning around to look at Jacky. At this time, Jacky, too, was surrounded by several women. Raeleigh thought to herself, ¡°It¡¯s not like they are the only two men left on this! Anyway, shouldn¡¯t it be the guy who approaches the girl and not the other way round?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh was looking in Jacky¡¯s direction when Santiago called out to her. He walked over to Raeleigh and handed her a ss of beer. ¡°Let¡¯s celebrate.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t drink.¡±

    Raeleigh really didn¡¯t drink any alcohol.

    Santiago clinked his ss of beer with Raeleigh and finished his ss. Raeleigh looked up at Santiago and said, ¡°I don¡¯t drink.¡±

    ¡°Will it kill you?¡±Santiago bent down and whispered in Raeleigh¡¯s ear.She turned her head to look at Santiago¡¯s handsome face. ¡°It won¡¯t, but it doesn¡¯t mean I have to drink it!¡±

    Santiago smiled at her and said, ¡°Everyone is looking at us.¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh realise that a lot of people were looking at them. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t havee with you.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s toote, isn¡¯t it?Are you going to drink it?¡± Santiago motioned towards her ss of beer. Raeleigh knew that she had no way out of this.

    Raeleigh quickly nced around the room before picking up her ss of beer. She intended to take one small sip as a gesture.

    However, just as she picked up her ss, Santiago reached out and held her hand.

    Everyone in the room were looking at Raeleigh and Santiago. He smiled, and his smile lit up the room.

    Raeleigh was slightly confused.¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Raeleigh was afraid. She had no idea what Santiago was going to do. Was he going to rece her ss of beer for a bottle of wine?

    s¡­

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±Santiago reached for her ss and raised it to the crowd.¡°I¡¯ll drink it on her behalf. She¡¯s feeling a little under the weather today.¡±

    Raeleigh watched as Santiago downed the beer.The crowd didn¡¯t say anything and let it go.

    Santiago ced the ss on the table and leaned against Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder. She raised her hand and gave Santiago a push. ¡°What are you doing? Can you sit properly?¡±

    Santiago closed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well. I think I need to lie down.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago and realised that something was wrong.

    Raeleigh quickly stood up and helped Santiago down from the chair. She patted his face, slightly concerned. ¡°Santiago! Santiago, are you alright?¡±

    Santiago slowly opened his eyes, looking a little dazed.¡°I need to lie down. I don¡¯t feel very well.¡±

    The colour had drained from Santiago¡¯s face. It didn¡¯t look like he was faking it. Raeleigh was extremely worried when she saw Santiago was. She did her best to hold Santiago up as she walked towards Jacky.

    ¡°Jacky!¡±

    Raeleigh called out to Jacky. Jacky turned around to look at Raeleigh.He pushed through the crowds and went towards her.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea. He said he¡¯s not feeling well. He drank a couple of beers. I totally forgot that he had just recovered from his injury. I thought he was fine.¡±

    Raeleigh was so panicky that she started to sweat.

    Jacky hurriedly took Santiago from Raeleigh and said to the crowd, ¡°I have to go. You guys can continue on without me.¡±

    Jacky helped Santiago out of the hotel. Raeleigh hurriedly followed him and held onto Santiago¡¯s hand. People who drank regrly knew that this was not amon side effect of alcohol.

    After leaving Jack Town Hotel, Jacky brought Santiago to another part of Waverly Vige to rest. Afterying Santiago down on the bed, Jacky immediately called the doctor. It did not take long for the doctor to arrive. The doctor quickly examined Santiago and saidthat Santiago was having an allergic reaction from the alcohol and his medication. He assured them that this was a normal and minor reaction and that he would be fine after receiving an injection.

    Normally, the medications would remain in one¡¯s system for about a week.

    After getting the injection and seeing the doctor off, Raeleigh was still a little worried. She never thought that it would be so serious.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll be fine. You guys can stay here tonight. I¡¯ll be outside. Call me if you need anything.¡±

    Jacky instructed and turned to go outside. Raeleigh sat beside Santiago and covered him with a quilt. She called Xanthus before calling Jepherson.

    ¡°He had an allergic reaction?¡± Jepherson was shocked when he learned what had happened to Santiago. After all, this was the first time it had happened.

    ¡°That¡¯s what the doctor said,but I didn¡¯t see any red rashes on him. He¡¯s just sweating.¡±

    Raeleigh gave Jepherson a quick update on Santiago¡¯s condition. However, Jepherson did not say anything else.

    Raeleigh was waiting for Jepherson to continue talking, but there was silence on the other end for a couple of minutes.¡°Hello? Are you still there?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

    Santiago was currently fast asleep on the bed. Raeleigh subconsciously froze. She rubbed her eyebrows and looked over at Santiago. ¡°What should we do now? Do you want toe over?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ying chess with my father.¡± Jepherson said as ced his chess piece down on the table. Hansen raised his eyebrows and got up to leave.

    Jepherson watched as his father left the room.¡°I won¡¯te over.¡±

    ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll call you if there¡¯s anything else.¡±

    Raeleigh hung up the phone. Shegot up and stretched.She touched Santiago¡¯s cold head and went to lie on the other side of the bed.

    Truthfully, Raeleigh felt that it wasn¡¯t that Jacky didn¡¯t have any money nor was it that he couldn¡¯t afford a better house. Waverly Vige was a small vige just outside of Capital City. In order to get to Capital City, one would have to pass by Waverly Vige. At the very least, this would help the economy of the vige. However, even so, she found it strange that a person like Jacky, who did notck anything, chose to live in a simple house rather than a luxurious house.

 Chapter 1372 Trying To Start A Fight

    Speaking of simplicity, Raeleigh did not know what size the bed actually was. It was too big to be a single bed, yet too small to be a double bed. She doubted two adults could sleepfortably on it. It seemed perfect to amodate just an adult and a kid.

    Squeezed to one side of the bed, Raeleigh was extremely ufortable. There was a chair in the room which Raeleigh could sit on for the time being, but it would also get ufortable after a while.

    Sheid there for some time, after which she got up to check on the drip inserted into Santiago¡¯s arm. Raeleigh pulled the needle out beforeying back down on the chair.

    Santiago suddenly turned over and reached out to pull Raeleigh over. She was caught by surprise and jumped when she felt his touch. However, Santiago¡¯s strong arms pulled her back insistently.

    ¡°I¡¯m really weak now. If you don¡¯t take care of me, I might die.¡±

    Santiago deliberately said that to frighten Raeleigh.Raeleigh believed it initially, but when she turned around to look at him, she noticed that he was tryinghard to hold back hisugh. Raeleigh bolted up and hit Santiago, fuming with anger.

    Even more irritatingly, Santiago suddenly burst out guffawing.

    Raeleigh raised a hand, about to hit him again, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to when she saw how pale his face was.After all, he was not well. Thus, Raeleigh retracted her hand.

    ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Santiago asked. Raeleigh got off the bed and questioned instead, ¡°Are you still feeling unwell?¡±

    Santiago shook his head.Raeleigh could tell that he was lying.

    Usually, a sick person would be sluggish and barely able to keep their eyes open.

    That was Santiago at the moment.

    ¡°Give me a few minutes. I¡¯ll go and make you something to eat.¡±

    Raeleigh did not wait for a reply; she left the room. She wasn¡¯t going to stick around to entertain his nonsense.Sometimes, talking to Santiago wasto like talking to a brick wall. He just would not listen, just like Jepherson. There was no point wasting time to exin things to thembecause nothing she said could change their minds. It was best not to say anything.

    Just as Raeleigh exited the room, Jacky emerged from the bathroom.He had a towel wrapped around his waist and was currently drying off his hair with another towel. Raeleigh let out a shriek when she saw him.

    Jacky paused for a moment and gave Raeleigh a strange look.

    At that moment, Santiago also came out of the room. When he saw Jackyas well asthe shocked look on Raeleigh¡¯s face, he quickly pulled Raeleigh into his arms and physically shielded her from Jacky. He put his hands over her head and asked, ¡°Jacky, do you have a death wish?¡±

    Jacky looked down at his own body while drying off his hair. Then, he turned around silently and put on some clothes. He continued drying his hair as he walked towards the sofa to take a seat.

    Santiago turned around to check on Raeleigh before letting her go. Reachingout, he gently tipped her head back by her chin. However, Raeleigh pushed his hand away. After sheposed herself,she said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was a just little shocked to see Jackying out of the bathroom.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that Raeleigh had never seen a half-naked person before.It was just that she totally forgot that Jacky was also in the house. That was why she screamed. Raeleigh did not expect that it would lead to trouble.

    Santiago turned to re at Jacky. ¡°Why did you take a shower?¡±

    ¡°Am I not allowed to take a shower in my house?¡±

    After Jacky finished drying off his hair, he swiftly tossed the towel aside.He didn¡¯t meet Santiago¡¯s gaze, to avoid a fight from breaking out.

    From a male¡¯s perspective, Jacky had indeed crossed the line that day. If it was Deanna who had seen Santiago half-naked, Jacky would have been unhappy as well. He would have probably bashed Santiago up.

    Raeleigh stood aside, sensing the tension in the room. The one thing she knew with certainty was that Santiago was pissed at Jacky.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to cook. I could use a hand, Santiago.¡± Worried that Santiago would pick a fight with Jacky, Raeleigh invited him along to the kitchen. They went to the kitchen, upon which Raeleigh stood there in shock. There was no food at all there.

    Raeleigh searched through the cupboards, but she could not find anything.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go out and get some food. Why don¡¯t you head back to bed?¡±

    Raeleigh felt that it was best that Santiago went back into the room. He was sick so Raeleigh did not want him to get injured again. But then again, if he stayed there, he might start a fightwith Jacky. Thus, it was safest if Santiago just rested in bed.

    ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡±

    Santiago nced outside the window. It was already reallyte. Where were they going to get food from?

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you don¡¯t have to.¡±

    Raeleigh had learned to be independent at a young age. She did not need anyone to apany her.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Santiago still insisted. However, just as Raeleigh was about to walk out the door, Jacky stood up instead and suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay put, Santiago? I¡¯ll go with Raeleigh. I want to take the opportunity to talk about Deanna.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jacky and then at Santiago. ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. I can go by myself. Jacky, how about you stay as well and look after him? I¡¯m worried that Santiago might suddenly feel unwell again.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s all go.¡± Jacky blow-dried his hair, put on a shirt, and looked at Santiago. ¡°I doubt you¡¯ll die anytime soon.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. I¡¯m sure I will outlive you.¡±

    Santiago quickly put on his jacket. He evidently looked weak. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t keep herself from worrying about him. She stopped him at the door.

    Holding onto Santiago¡¯s arm, Raeleigh addressed Jacky, ¡°Jacky, you go get ingredients. I¡¯ll write you a shopping list.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around in search of a pen, but could not find one.Her only choice was totake Jacky¡¯s mobile phone and type the list there. Jacky briefly skimmed through the list and cast Santiago a look.¡°This is so troublesome.¡±

    Santiago looked stony.. ¡°Women are indeed troublesome, but¡­¡±

    Santiago did not finish his sentence. Raeleigh doubted that he would say anything harsh.

    Jacky turned around and left to buy the ingredients.Raeleigh then apanied Santiago back to the room.

    Raeleigh poured Santiago a cup of hot water as hey in bed. He slowly sipped on the water, waiting for Jacky to return.

    As soon as Raeleigh sat down, he immediately asked, ¡°Besides Jepherson¡¯s and mine, whose body have you seen?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment.Insteadof answering his question, she retorted in anger, ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡±

    Santiago closed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not just me and Jepherson.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her hand to hit Santiago, whodid not flinch at all. Raeleigh felt bad after hitting him, but she pursed her lips and stayed silent.

    Raeleigh was still angry by the time Jacky came back.

    When Raeleigh heard the knock on the door, she quickly stood up and opened the door. Jacky handed the bag of groceries in his hand to Raeleigh. ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether there¡¯s everything that you¡¯ve listed. I handed them the list and they packed everything for me.There¡¯s some fish and cooked meat in there.It¡¯ll aid his recovery.¡±

    Raeleigh quickly checked through the items. Everything was there.Raeleigh turned around and took a look at Santiago, who was staring at the door. She ignored Santiago and made her way into the kitchen.

    Jacky briefly nced at Santiago before closing the door and following Raeleigh into the kitchen.

    When Raeleigh heard footsteps behind her, she turned around and asked Jacky, ¡°Can you please take care of him while I make dinner? He¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone to take care of me. Jacky, why do you keep following Raeleigh?¡±

    Santiago came in from behind and dragged Jacky out of the kitchen.

    Amusement was written all over Jacky¡¯s face.¡°Since when have I done that?I just need her help with something.¡±

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes at Santiago. He was clearly trying to start a fight. ¡°Santiago, please sit outside.¡±

    Santiago refused to listen. He went into the kitchen, took out apersimmon and began slicing it.

 Chapter 1373 Replace Them

    Raeleigh knew that she was unable to keep Santiago in line, so she allowed him to do whatever he wished. Instead,she looked over at Jacky and asked, ¡°You were looking for me because you wanted to talk about Deanna?¡±

    Jacky did not reply. Raeleigh turned around and ced the fish on the counter, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been trying to get in touch with Deanna. I can only think of one other person who might be able to help us.¡±

    Jacky frowned slightly and asked,¡°Who?¡±

    Raeleigh nced over at Santiago, who was fiddling with a cucumber. She snatched it out of his hand and put it aside.

    ¡°New years is just around the corner. Besides Zorion, the only other person I can think of who can bring you to Deanna is Auntie Jeanna.¡±

    Raeleigh had pored over the matter for quite a while. In the end, the only person she could think of was Jepherson¡¯s mother.

    Raeleigh had no idea how the cucumber ended up back in Santiago¡¯s hand. He took a bite of it and said, ¡°Yes, my mom can bring you to see her. It seems like the Whalen family have decided to keep the baby, which means that you still have a chance. The question is, how will you grasp it?

    Everyone knows how powerful the Whalen family is in Capital City. You need to be on par with them in order to stand a chance. Yetyou¡¯re not willing to make use of your connections with my family.That meansyou have toe up with another solution.¡±

    Santiago turned around and said, ¡°The three most dominant families in Capital City are the Richards family, Whalen family, and the Moore family¡­¡±

    ¡°The only way I can ask Rayan for Deanna¡¯s hand in marriage is if I rece one of the families.¡± Jacky was not a fool. He understood the importance of the matter.

    However¡­ too many things had happened, and he was chained down.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Santiago took another bite of the cucumber and began poking at the fish. ¡°Which family are you targeting?¡±

    Jacky stood at the door of the kitchen and thought it over. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for me to defeat Jepherson. I know that if I provoke one of you, it means I pick a fight with the entire family. It¡¯s impossible for me to fight alone. Even the Whalen family would not sit back and watch. Right now, I don¡¯t have enough money to contend with your family.¡±

    Santiago raised his head and smiled. ¡°As long as you know that.Our family is indeed wealthy. I have not heard of any others, whether in or out of Capital City, who canpare to us.

    ¡°That¡¯s why my target isn¡¯t the Richards family.¡±

    Jacky knew that very well.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Even if we were, I doubt you would turn against me, for the sake of our friendship.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen right through me. What else can I say?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t have anything to say,then don¡¯t say anything.¡±

    Santiago smiled nonchntly. ¡°So your next target is¡­¡±

    There, Santiago paused. ¡°The Whalen family is the leader of the underworld. I think¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll challenge the Whalen family.¡±

    Jacky cut in frostily, to whichSantiagoughed. ¡°I mean, you¡¯re also in the underworld. If you¡¯re not nning on targeting the Richards family and the Whalen family, does it mean you¡¯ll go after the Moore family?¡±

    Jacky¡¯s brows furrowed deeply. ¡°The Whalen family has already given me half of their territory. If I continue to vie with them, it¡¯ll be equivalent to forcing them out. I¡¯d never do such a thing. So what if I have power? I rather have Deanna than power.¡±

    ¡°Well said. Then again, if you don¡¯t have anything to your name, do you think Rayan will trust you with Deanna?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t force it ifhe doesn¡¯t trust me.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s eyes were full of contempt as he nced at Jacky¡¯s lower body. ¡°You mean you can¡¯t force it on Deanna?¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly felt that they had derailed from the original topic. She pretended to be busy.

    Jacky smirked.¡°I can go into more detail. Would you like to hear more about it?¡±

    Raeleigh felt goosebumps all over her body.

    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll find out myself.¡±

    Raeleigh blushed furiously. Was this what men usually talked about?

    It was no wonder kids were turning out so bad these days. They must have learned it from TV or something.

    Raeleigh continued to fumble in the kitchen while Jacky and Santiago talked.

    ¡°How do you n on establishing yourself in Capital City if you¡¯re not nning onpeting with the Richards family and the Whalen family? The Moore family has been in Capital City for a long time. Strong families have strong roots.¡±

    ¡°So what? If I put my mind to it, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to defeat them.¡±

    Jacky loomed over them imposingly. Raeleigh looked up at Jacky and said, ¡°The Moore family have countless descendants here in Capital City. Although it might sound like I¡¯m exaggerating,you should know that it¡¯s the truth.

    The Moores have people in every corner of the city. They are by far thergest family here in Capital City.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Santiago as she spoke. Santiago then rested his elbow on Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder, pushing her down.

    ¡°Raeleigh, how do you know all of this?¡±

    Santiago asked. Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯m not a fool. How would I not know?

    ¡°Oh? I thought it was because Jepherson told you.¡± Santiago removed his elbow from her shoulder and nced at Jacky, before turning his gaze back toRaeleigh. He added,¡°Raeleigh¡¯s right. The Moore family is indeed the biggest family here in Capital City. It¡¯ll be difficult for you to overthrow them.¡±

    ¡°No matter how strong they are, there¡¯ll be a day they will fall. I doubt they will be able to withstand the pressure.¡±

    Jacky turned around and left. Santiago immediately followed him outside. The two of them sat on the sofa and entered into a heated discussion on the matter.

    Raeleigh was d that she finally had peace in the kitchen. She began preparing dinner.

    Soon, Raeleigh emerged from the kitchen with a couple of dishes. She could hear that Santiago on the phone.

    ¡°Mr. Jormen, I knew I could count on you! I¡¯m sure you can arrange this for me, right?¡±

    There seemed to be some hesitation from the other end of the phone. At that moment,Jacky was sitting on the couch as Santiago spoke.

    Santiago went on persuading Mr. Jormen, but it seemed like they could not reach an agreement. Santiago then changed the topic.¡°Oh, Mr. Jormen! Dinner¡¯s ready. I need to go now. I¡¯ll call youter.¡±

    After he said that, Santiago¡¯s face fell. ¡°That old fogey won¡¯t spare a thought for me.¡±

    By the time Santiago ended the call, Raeleigh had already brought out all of the dishes she had cooked. Santiago and Jacky took their seats and began eating. Raeleigh did not want to probe into anything, so she sat down and ate quietly.

    Halfway through dinner, Santiago called Jepherson.

    ¡°Get me a job in the government.¡±

    Jepherson raised his head to look at his father, who was just about to head off to rest. He stood up and turned to walk outside. After stepping out of the door, he asked,¡°Why would a person like you¡­¡±

    ¡°I called Mr. Jormen, but he refused to help me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him about it, but Santiago¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I know this is for Jacky, but this is our ce to interfere. When Mr. Jormen calls youter, tell him that you don¡¯t need the job anymore. I¡¯ll tell you what to doter.¡±

    Santiago looked at Jacky, lowered his head and said, ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Good. Are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°A little. I¡¯m guessing she told you.¡± Santiago raised his eyebrows inadvertently and nced at Raeleigh. Raeleigh knew that he was talking about her. She rolled her eyes at Santiago.

    The two brothers chatted for a while before hanging up.

    Santiago then took a bite of the fish. ¡°Mm,delicious!¡±

    Jacky also took a bite, but said nothing.

    Since Jacky and Santiago did not want to talk about their work,Raeleigh struck up conversation about the food.

    Santiago suddenly stopped eating and looked at Raeleigh calmly.As a result, Raeleigh had no choice but to stop talking.

 Chapter 1374 His Mother

    ¡°You can¡¯t even shut up when you¡¯re eating.¡±

    Santiago gave the best part of the fish, the boneless part, to Raeleigh.With that, she lowered her head and ate, minding her own business.

    After dinner, she cleared the table. Just as she was bringing the dishes over to the kitchen, someone knocked on the door.

    Raeleigh heard the knock but didn¡¯t bother as whoever it was, they wouldn¡¯t be looking for her. She was a maid at best there.

    The person who entered was silent as he made his way to the kitchen.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡± Raeleigh froze when she heard the voice behind her. She turned around to see Jepherson standing by the door.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Well, I came by to see what¡¯s up.¡±

    Jepherson took off his coat and left it in the neighboring room. Then, he turned around, unbuttoned his shirt and rolled up his sleeves before hugging Raeleigh, giving her a kiss.

    Raeleigh quickly took a nce at the kitchen doorway and felt relieved to see they were alone.

    ¡°What are you doing? Let go of me, or¡­¡±

    Right as Raeleigh was about to speak, Jepherson wasted no time sealing her mouth with his lips. By the time she registered what he had done, he had already let her go, helping her reheat the dishes as if nothing had happened.

    Raeleigh was about to fly into a rage, but seeing Jepherson reheating some food for himself, she took over.

    ¡°Go wash your hands.¡±

    Jepherson was surprisingly cooperative, doing as he was told.

    He ate in the kitchen.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe over earlier if you hadn¡¯t eaten?¡±

    Raeleigh sat beside him, keeping himpany. Jepherson stuffed food into his mouth without responding.

    Raeleigh was floored, thinking, so be it if he didn¡¯t want to answer.

    Raeleigh got up and sat down at her spot, waiting for Jepherson to finish his meal before she stood back up.

    As Raeleigh cleared the dishes, Jepherson went outside.

    Santiago and Jacky were watching TV when Jepherson switched it off. He sat down beside them and asked, ¡°Has he called back?¡±

    Santiago looked at him. ¡°Mr. Jormen said he would treat me to a meal tomorrow and apologize.¡±

    ¡°And how did you put it?¡±

    ¡°I said I was just joking, and I won¡¯t actually go.¡±

    Of course, that wasn¡¯t actually what he said, and Jepherson knew clearly, but he habitually turned a blind eye to Santiago¡¯s antics.

    ¡°Go and socialize during the meal tomorrow. Also, help me deliver these tea leaves to Mr. Jormen while you¡¯re at it.Tell him they¡¯re from you.¡±

    Jepherson ced the box of tea leaves on the coffee table.

    Santiago was peeved. ¡°I won¡¯t go.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go.¡±

    Santiago huffed.

    Although not happy about it, Santiago acquiesced in the end.

    Jepherson looked at Jacky. ¡°You want to meddle in the Moore family¡¯s affairs?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the n.¡±

    ¡°Going in wouldn¡¯t be a problem. With my guarantee,you¡¯ll be able to rise directly to the top.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s words got Santiago and Jacky exchanging nces.

    But neither of them spoke.

    Jepherson continued, ¡°But my guarantee is a back-door, no different from being a matrilocal husband. Even if you make a name for yourself, people still won¡¯t take you seriously. Tactful as you are, you need to know where and how to use it, or else you¡¯ll end up hurting yourself.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±Jacky questioned.

    Jepherson thought it over and said,¡°With your capabilities, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem even if you start from the ground up. But I believe it¡¯s better for you if you be an entrepreneur and get a position through running an election.¡±

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is, I should first start my own business?¡±

    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is, you can make an appearance at some events or appear next to me to create entries into the business world, but you need to have the capability yourself. Wait for the right moment to run your campaign; use your status as an entrepreneur to take up the position. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you.¡±

    As Jepherson spoke, Raeleigh had already exited the kitchen.

    Raeleigh wondered if she would be leaving with Jepherson, soshe took a seat beside him.

    Jacky pondered for a while, ¡°How long would that take?¡±

    ¡°About half a year. You should bring some assets over and start your business here first.

    Even if you¡¯re dealing with the underworld, you still need your own business. If you rely on the underworld alone, you¡¯ll end up targeted sooner orter, no matter how rich you are. Plus, you don¡¯t rely on that for a living, do you?¡±

    Jepherson finished speaking and stood up. He nced at the room and said, ¡°I¡¯ll sleep with Raeleigh; you two sleep together.¡±

    With that, he went into Raeleigh¡¯s room, and Raeleigh followed suit. As soon as she stepped foot into the room, Jepherson pulled her over. He shut the door and held her in his arms, feeling her up.

    She pushed him away a little and cupped his face, asking in a whisper, ¡°You¡¯re okay now? You¡¯ve already recovered?¡±

    He smiled in amusement. ¡°Let¡¯s test that out.¡±

    That meant that there was uncertainty. Jepherson¡¯s hesitance made Raeleigh hesitate in turn. What if he still hadn¡¯t recovered? He was getting eager again.

    Pushing him, they went to bed; she took hold of his wandering hands and said,¡°Not now. Wecan do it after you¡¯ve seen a doctor.¡±

    Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°How would we know whether I¡¯ve recovered if we don¡¯t try?¡±

    ¡°Not a chance.¡±

    Raeleighid down and scrunched her face.

    Jepherson turned over toy an arm on Raeleigh¡¯s waist, huffing, andshe raised her hand to block his breaths.With that, she bit her lip and turned to face the wall. ¡°Even if you¡¯ve recovered, we can¡¯t do it here. The walls are very thin. No way.¡±

    It was just an excuse. She just didn¡¯t want anything to happen to Jepherson.However, he hugged her from behind and said,¡°Then we won¡¯t do it.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t reply. Jepherson¡¯s heart was in disarray as he embraced her from behind. Well, he asked for it.

    Raeleigh held Jepherson¡¯s hand. ¡°You go to sleep first. I¡¯ll go check up on Santiago.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson let go of her and turned toy on his back. She thought he was upset, so she turned to look at him and added, ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to, I won¡¯t then.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re his sister-inw.It¡¯s only natural you¡¯d check on him.You¡¯ll be able to keep him in line if you¡¯re by his side, and he¡¯ll be able to protect you. You¡¯re overthinking it.¡± Jepherson massaged Raeleigh¡¯s hand. His words got her feeling somewhat guilty. She stared at him, then said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    Raeleigh got out of bed to check on Santiago. She wasn¡¯t gone for long. She soon came back with a ss of water.

    ¡°He still hasn¡¯t rested, hasn¡¯t he?¡±

    Jepherson was asking about Santiago.Raeleigh responded instantly, ¡°I asked him to.He said he would in a while.¡±

    She returned to Jepherson¡¯s side and handed him the water. Jepherson took a sip,id down, and adjusted the nkets, gesturing for Raeleigh to join him. Raeleighid down with him after setting down the ss. The two chatted for a while before they brought up Deanna.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Actually, I was the one who brought it up first. Jacky wanted to contact Deanna, but I couldn¡¯t think of any other solution. I can¡¯t stop thinking that you¡­¡±

    Jepherson lowered his head to look at Raeleigh. She pursed her lips and rephrased. ¡°I think your mom is the only one who can help. Hence, all this.¡±

 Chapter 1375 Rendezvous

    Raeleigh and Jepherson talked deep into the night, but she still got up early in the morning. As soon as she woke up, she went to check on Santiago.

    Hearing the knock on his door, Santiago got up to open it. Raeleigh stood outside the door. She was visibly relieved when she saw that Santiago was fine.

    ¡°Do you want to go out for breakfast?¡± Raeleigh couldn¡¯t tell Santiago that she had gone out of her way just to fuss over him.

    He nced at her with disdain in his eyes. ¡°I thought you came to see me.¡±

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t tter yourself.¡±

    She then walked away. Subconsciously ncing at her surroundings,the door behind her closed, and she went to made breakfast.

    She had been outside for some time before the three guys woke up.

    It was the first time she had seen the locals in the morning; they were busyshouting out their wares to attract customers.

    Some would inadvertently raise their hands at Raeleigh to greet her, and she would return the greeting insecond nature.

    Raeleigh even bought a few apples. When Jepherson came out, she happened to return, carrying the apples with her. He casually took the apples from her and walked back in with his hand around her, asking how many she bought and how much she paid.

    ¡°A dor per apple. I bought five, and they gave me one for free, so six.¡±

    Raeleigh felt a little self-conscious at the enthusiastic wee she received.

    Jepherson took Raeleigh inside and headed to the kitchen. He put the apples on a tter, then went out to get Santiago and Jacky.

    Jepherson knocked twice on Santiago¡¯s door, and it didn¡¯t take long for Santiago to get up.

    Santiago first went to wash up. By the time he came out and joined them, Jepherson and Raeleigh were already eating.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget your lunch with Mr. Jormen. Bring Raeleigh and Jacky with you and the tea leaves as well. Tell him they¡¯re from you.¡±

    After he was done eating, Jepherson wiped his mouth and stood up.

    Raeleigh got up as well and saw Jepherson to the door. ¡°Do you have something to attend to?¡±

    ¡°My grandmother wants me to go back. I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡±

    Jepherson got into the car and toldRaeleigh, who was standing outside,¡°Remember what you promised me. If you break it, I will¡­¡±

    ¡°I know. I won¡¯t break it.¡±

    The chauffeur instantly closed the door as soon as he heard Jepherson knock on the armrest. He greeted Raeleigh politely before turning around and got into the car.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t go back in until the car drove out of sight. Meanwhile, the other two had already finished eating, and Santiago went to get changed. He threw the box of tea leaves to Raeleigh and said,¡°Don¡¯t forget to take this with you.¡±

    Raeleigh hurriedly caught the box thenfollowed Santiago and Jacky back to Capital City to meet Mr. Jormen.

    Mr. Jormen worked in the government sector, but he was mainly responsible for human resources.

    Mr. Jormen had booked a table and called Santiago then after in hopes that he would meet up. Santiago declined the day before, leading Mr. Jormen to make another call early that morning.However,Santiago first got himself a fancy outfit to change into when they arrived at Capital City and even went to his family beauty salon to get his hair styled before they rendezvoused with Mr. Jormen. Bythe time he was ready, it was already noon.

    Mr. Jormen made another call to Santiago, and heresponded by saying he was nearby, then asked where they would be dining.

    Raeleigh sat in the car and peered at Santiago. He liked green; the greener, the better, emeralds especially.

    When they arrived, Santiago and Jacky got off the car in session;Raeleigh was thest one to get off. Santiago took hold of Raeleigh¡¯s hand andstrode into the restaurant.

    Jacky followed closely behind the two of them as they headed for the restaurant.

    Before she entered the door, Raeleigh saw several beautiful young waitresses standing by the entrance,ing up to greet Santiago as they approached. ¡°Wee, Mr. Santiago.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s lips curled into a smile that emanated a sinister aura. His amorous eyes were as seductive as a fox.

    The girls blushed, and their hearts beat fast as they thought Santiago was into them.

    Walking further in, a slightly older man greeted them.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago.¡±

    He looked to be in his forties.His eyes shone brightly, and he looked suave, wearing an aqua blue dress shirt paired with a ck suit. Raeleigh looked at the man, but that man kept his gaze focused on Santiago, never sparing a nce to anyone else.

    Miffed, she turned to look at Santiago and had a good idea what was going on. A public figure wouldnever acknowledge a hedonistic b*stard. After all, to people like them, Santiago was a nobody, not even a noble heir.

    To them, he was nothing more than a hedonistic son born to rich parents, ignorant and ipetent. It seemed that having an excellent family background meant nothing. He was regarded as an ipetent cker, defective junk, to those high up in society.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The courtesy to invite Santiago for a meal was primarily out of regard for Jepherson.

    Those who didn¡¯t know nor had ever interacted with Santiago would believe him to be a useless piece of trash.

    Raeleigh suddenly felt a wave of sympathy for Santiago. They were both Hansen¡¯s sons, but Santiago was looked down upon.

    Santiago stopped and stared at him. ¡°Are you Mr. Jormen¡¯s son?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m his younger brother.¡±

    The man answered politely and sternly. Amusement shed across Santiago as he nced at the elevator and asked, ¡°Will we be dining upstairs?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    ¡°After you, Mr. Santiago.¡±

    Although the man was polite,Raeleigh didn¡¯t sense an ounce of respect in his words.

    When the elevator opened, the man waited for Santiago and Raeleigh to enter before walking in. Seeing the door was about to close, Santiago blocked it. The man saw him stopping the door but did nothing other than looking at the person who hadn¡¯t gotten on yet.Raeleigh couldn¡¯t overlook the contempt in his eyes.

    She was perplexed. If such a person wasn¡¯t on the same boat as the Richards family, why did he want to entertain them?

    After Jacky entered, Santiago pressed the button on the elevator. He then raised his hand to pat Raeleigh¡¯s face gently. ¡°Let¡¯s go and look at some jewelry after the meal.¡±

    Santiagoughed without restraint.Raeleigh obviously knew he was just putting on an act, so she took hold of Santiago¡¯s arm and yed along.

    Jacky stood beside them; hands hung to his sides as he stared at the elevator¡¯s floor disy. When the elevator stopped, Mr. Jormen¡¯s brother was in no hurry to press the button to open the doors. Jacky did it instead and stepped out; the arrogance on his face did not palepared to the man.

    Mr. Jormen¡¯s brother gave Jacky a quick look-over as he walked out the elevator. Then, he proceeded to walk to their destination without asking, as if he knew everything.

    Raeleigh looked at the man¡¯s face. He disregarded her entirely because she was a woman but had some opinions of Jacky instead; not a single moment gone noticed to her.

 Chapter 1376 Have Her to Keep You Company

    After exiting the elevator, Raeleigh took Santiago¡¯s arm and walked in Jacky¡¯s direction whileMr. Jormen¡¯s brother followed beside them.

    Raeleigh leaned against Santiago, the two of them looking as affectionate as a real couple. The man thought that it was quiteughable, curving his lipsin contempt.

    Raeleigh stared at him. In her eyes,he was mocking them, thinkingthe only thing a young man like Santiago seeded at was getting with a girl.

    She believed there was no way Santiago couldn¡¯t tell when it was so obvious even to her.However,she found Santiago to be unmoved the two times she nced at his face.

    When they got to Jacky, he was standing by a double door. Two men, dressed in ck, were stationed in front of it, blocking Jacky from entering.They said nothing but refused to let him pass.

    Raeleigh could tell Santiago wasn¡¯t anyone special there.

    Once they reached the doors, the man spoke, ¡°This is Mr. Santiago.¡±

    The guards looked at Santiago before putting their hands down. Jacky then pushed the door open butstood aside and turned to Santiago instead of entering.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, after you.¡±

    Mr. Jorman¡¯s brother gestured, andSantiago entered with Raeleigh by his side, then Jacky and he followed behind.

    The floor they were on were all private rooms. The room they entered was spacious, and the table could fit about thirty people, butRaeleigh saw only a handful present.

    There was a beautiful youngdy, an older man in sses with a white dress shirt, a bespectacled young man, and another middle-aged man dressed ordinarily.

    Raeleigh assumed that the older man in the center, without sses, was none other than Mr. Jormen.

    ¡°Mr. Jormen.¡±

    Santiago took Raeleigh to that man and greeted him.

    In response, Mr. Jormen let out a heartyugh;he was quite approachable, unlike his brother,who evidently looked down on them.

    ¡°Timesure is magical; it seems like it was only yesterday when you were still a child.I remember when I first met your father, you still had to be carried in his arms.When you came with him, you caused a lot of trouble, turning my office upside down.¡±

    Mr. Jormen pointed to a seat nearby and said, ¡°Please, make yourselvesfortable.¡±

    Coincidentally, there was an empty spot next to Mr. Jormen. Santiago let go of Raeleigh and sat down. He nced at the girl beside him passively and smiled. ¡°I forgot how naughty I was when I was little.¡±

    Santiago said sinctly, thenpointed to the side and said, ¡°You guys can sit there.¡±

    Raeleigh sat as instructed, and Jacky followed along.

    Santiago pointed at Jacky, ¡°He¡¯s Jepherson¡¯s friend,Jacky. He came to apany me especially. My brother has his hands fulltely; Jacky came here especially from Waverly Hills.¡±

    Mr. Jormen pondered for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t quite catch your name?¡±

    ¡°Jacky Scott,¡±Jacky responded with courtesy.

    Mr. Jormen mused over it and said, ¡°Yamilet, sit beside thisdy over here. Get that young man to sit beside me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, father.¡±

    The youngdy named Yamilet stood up and walked toward Raeleigh. She smiled at her as she took a seat beside her.

    Raeleigh returned a polite smile while Jacky sat beside Santiago as Mr. Jormen struck up a conversation with him.

    ¡°Do you know Jack Town Hotel?¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Jacky replied, ¡°I own Jack Town Hotel.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re that Jacky Scott from Waverly Vige?¡±Mr. Jormen continued inquiring.

    Jacky chose his words carefully. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡±

    ¡°Serve the food.¡±

    As Mr. Jormen spoke, he leaned to the side and sized Jacky up, ¡°Oh youngd, your reputation precedes you. I¡¯ve heard of your name for quite some time.I never thought that I¡¯d meet you here.Let¡¯s shake hands.¡±

    Mr. Jormen stood up as he spoke, and everyone else followed suit apart from Raeleigh, Santiago, and Jacky.

    Santiago lowered his head slightly, his almond-shaped eyes downturned.Raeleigh decided that she would stay put, seeing as Santiago did not rise.

    Jacky, on the other hand, nced at Santiago before he stood up.Looking at Mr. Jormen¡¯s hands, he epted the handshake.

    Mr. Jormen smiled. ¡°I¡¯m Jormen Lee. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can be friends.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my honor.¡±

    With that, Jacky sat back down.

    However, the two men on Jormen¡¯s side were displeased with Jacky, thinking why a punk like him deserved such grand respect.

    They even mocked Santiago, saying birds of a feather really did flock together.

    Raeleigh sat in her seat, silent. Jormen sat back down and said, ¡°I¡¯ve given careful consideration to what we spoke about yesterday.I¡¯m old, so I wasn¡¯t thinking straight.Look, Santiago, I¡¯ve arranged the job for you. It¡¯s a good one. Ifyou can do well, I can promise you you¡¯ll sail right up to the top. This is a great opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jormen,that was just all talk.I was carried away by a whim. Don¡¯t take me seriously. I know it¡¯s way too troublesome.¡±

    Raeleigh wanted tough at Santiago¡¯s pleasantries, constantly thinking it wasn¡¯t him at all.

    Santiago even winked at Raeleigh.She was truly concerned for Santiago, considering the serious situation they were in.

    With how he acted, there was no wonder there were all sorts of rumors about him.

    Jormen took some time to think of his next words. ¡°Are you angry at me, Santiago?¡±

    ¡°What is there to be angry about? Oh, I almost forgot, this is for you, Mr. Jormen.¡± Santiago took the tea leaves from Raeleigh and handed the box to Jormen. Jormen looked at the box, then opened it to have a smell. ¡°This is my favorite red tea. Thank you very much, Santiago.¡±

    But Santiago,the job is¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not taking it.Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Santiago rejected him frankly. Jormen handed the tea leaves over to the person beside him and exchanged a few polite words before he fell silent.

    While they were eating, Jormen struck up a conversation with Jacky, asking about his purpose in town.Jacky replied he hadn¡¯t thought it through, and that was the end of the conversation.

    A few momentster, Jormen introduced his daughter, Yamilet, to Santiago and Jacky, and thebespectacled young man was his son, Fabian.

    Raeleigh paid attention to Fabian. She had just been observing him, but to her surprise,he stared right at her.

    Although he looked suave, Raeleigh felt uneasy under his gaze.

    It was rude to stare at another person¡¯s girlfriend, after all.

    However, he didn¡¯t seem to be conscious of it, keepinghis gaze on Raeleigh for a long, long time.

    Santiago noticed the displeased look on Raeleigh¡¯s face. He looked at Fabian and said, ¡°She¡¯s my new girlfriend.If you¡¯ve taken a fancy, Fabian,you can have her keep youpany!¡±

    Raeleigh blushed beet-red at Santiago¡¯s words, then her face went pale, and she shot a re at Santiago.

 Chapter 1377 Knowing

    Fabian was taken aback by Raeleigh¡¯s re at Santiago, but he chuckled under his breath with a face donned in delight.

    Raeleigh, on the other hand, felt dispirited and continued to eat with her head down.

    ¡°Fabian, what are you doing?¡±

    Jormen was a little irked and scolded his son. Fabian then responded, ¡°Nothing, I just thought thisdy looks a lot like an acquaintance of mine.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head slowly and looked at Fabian. She recalled the way his eyes bore into hers attentively, and she came to understand that her uncanny appearance was the reason for the stares.

    ¡°My brother studied abroad, and he got to know someone there. He likes that person very much, but sadly, his feelings are unrequited, only seeing him as¡­¡±

    ¡°Yamilet, that¡¯s enough.¡±

    Fabian quickly stopped Yamilet from speaking.

    Santiago looked over at him. ¡°If you like her, Fabian, you can have her.We are just in a casual rtionship; there¡¯s nothing real between us.¡±

    ¡°Santiago, this is not something to joke about. Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡±

    Jormen reprimanded immediately. However, Santiago didn¡¯t think much of it.

    Fabian looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°If you truly don¡¯t see her as your future lover, I think you should break up with her.¡±

    ¡°No need for all that fuss. It¡¯s just a fling. If you like her, you can have a go with her, Fabian.¡±

    Raeleigh had lost her appetite. If it weren¡¯t for the serious meeting, she would have probably gotten up and given Santiago a good beating.

    Fabian quietly observed Raeleigh and said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Santiago then said, ¡°Go sit next to Fabian.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t get up, deciding not to follow Santiago¡¯s orders.

    ¡°Are you disobeying me?¡± Santiago sounded displeased. Raeleigh shot him a nce that entailed his doom after they went back.

    Then she stood up and went to where Fabian was. Helooked at her in surprise, eyes twinkling behind his sses.

    Raeleigh took a seat, and the waiters were hot on their feet to prepare her new tes and cutleries.Fabian raised his hand instantly. ¡°It¡¯s alright; I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Fabian¡¯s temper was like his appearance,easy-going and polished.

    After the waiter backed away, Raeleigh settled her tes and cutleries herself. However, Fabian immediately stopped her, ¡°I was the one who troubled you. Please, let me do it.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh pulled her hands back lest they made skin contact.

    Fabian quickly put Raeleigh¡¯s napkins in ce.Santiago, on the other hand, turned a blind eye andonly lowered his head to eat.

    ¡°My brother meant no harm.¡±

    Yamilet spoke, constantly observing Santiago. Santiago raised his eyes and nced at Yamilet, but he had no intention of saying anything.

    Couldn¡¯t care less about him, Yamilet then turned to Jacky and asked, ¡°Mr. Scott, do you have an official job in this area?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    Jacky didn¡¯t say much.

    After that, Yamilet nodded and continued eating.

    Meanwhile, Fabian had taken a liking to Raeleighand took great care of her.

    After she was done with her meal, Raeleigh sat aside silently lest things got out of hand.

    However, Fabian struck up a conversation with her. ¡°Are you still studying?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment before responding, ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    ¡°Which university are you attending?¡±

    ¡°Elkton University.¡±

    ¡°What year are you in?¡±

    ¡°First year.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was continuously questioned, and she couldn¡¯t just ignore him in front of so many people.

    On seeing that Raeleigh was getting annoyed and didn¡¯t feel like talking,Fabian stopped asking.

    Santiago nced at the time, stood up, and said, ¡°We still have matters to attend to; we¡¯ll be taking our leave first. I¡¯ll see you around, Mr. Jormen.¡±

    ¡°Doe by often.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Santiago looked over to Raeleigh. She had already stood up, wanting to catch up with him at the door. However, just as she took a step, he stopped her. ¡°You stay here.¡±

    Taken aback, Raeleigh felt immensely disdained.

    Santiago turned around and left with Jacky.

    Raeleigh stood rooted on the spot, wanting to see what Santiago¡¯s n was. She knew there was no way Jepherson wouldn¡¯t get even with Santiago if she didn¡¯t go back.

    In the end, Santiago left without even making a phone call.

    After the door closed, none of the people inside regarded Raeleigh. After ncing at his son, Jormenwalked away without even acknowledging her, and the others followed suit.Everyone probably saw her as Santiago¡¯s escort.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Someone who would eat, drink, andsleep with him.

    After everyone left, Fabian looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Where do you live? I¡¯ll take you home.¡±

    Raeleigh sized Fabian up and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright; I¡¯ll take a taxi home.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not safe out there; it¡¯ll be better if Igive you a ride. Nothing good wille to someone as beautiful as you.¡±

    Fabian said as he walked toward the door.Although Raeleigh was at a disadvantage,she knew she couldn¡¯t depend on him.

    She thoughtshe should teach Santiago a lesson and let him know what a sister-inw was capable of.

    ¡°Let me call my fianc¨¦.¡±

    Raeleigh was about to make a phone call when Fabian put his hand on her phone, saying, ¡°He obviously doesn¡¯t regard you as his fiance¨¦. He¡¯s just a yer; why are you devoting yourself to him?¡±

    Raeleigh found it amusing. ¡°I think you¡¯ve misunderstood. Santiago¡¯s not my fianc¨¦ but my younger brother.¡±

    With that, she made the call. Fabian stood there, feeling a little upset, thinking it was out of the question for Santiago to treat her so, but there was no way other people wouldn¡¯t cherish someone like her.

    Raeleigh got through to Jepherson and asked him, ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at home.¡± Jepherson stood up. He had just finished, and he happened to be talking to Ste, who sat across from him. In actuality, Ste was talking to Marissa; he barely spoke the entire time.

    ¡°Something came up. I have to go.¡±

    With that, he got up, wanting to leave. However, Marissa was visibly upset as she had just finished a good meal, but Jepherson immediately wanted to go.

    ¡°Is it Raeleigh?¡±

    Jepherson turned around to face Marissa when he heard her voice but said nothing in response before leaving.

    Raeleigh knew Jepherson was at home. After waiting for a while, Fabian walked in front of Raeleigh. He was much taller than her,around Jepherson¡¯s height. She slowly looked up and nced at Fabian as she made her way to the door, saying, ¡°We came out for lunch, and Santiago left me with someone else. I¡¯m in the restaurant right now, and a guy called Fabian offered to send me home. Can you pick me up?¡±

    Jepherson frowned. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be right there. Wait for me. Where are you?¡±

    He had already stepped out and arrived at the entrance of the manor. The car stopped beside him and the door opened for him to enter.

    After she told him her location, she hung up.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±

    Raeleigh said cordially and opened the door to leave the room. Fabian followed Raeleigh to ask, ¡°Are you a daughter of the Richards family?¡±

    Raeleigh cast a nce at Fabian and responded,¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you mean when you say Santiago is your younger brother? Did the Richards family really find the other child?¡±

    With that, Raeleigh stopped in her tracks and stared at him. ¡°How do you know about this?¡±

    Fabian did not answer but gave a knowing smile instead.

 Chapter 1378 Shot Themselves in the Foot

    Fabian told Raeleigh that he knew Jepherson and often yed with him when they were little. He heard from Jepherson that he had a sister,and he added that everyone knew the child had already passed.

    When Raeleigh went out, Fabian added, ¡°I also thought the daughter of the Richards Family was still alive until I inadvertently brought it up when I was fourteen. My father told me strictly that it was difficult for an adult to survive in such a high ce, let alone a child.

    ¡°I even wrote to Jepherson about it when I just started studying abroad, but he didn¡¯t reply to the letter. I don¡¯t know if he received it, and we¡¯ve never met these past years.¡±

    Raeleigh thought it was indeed a small world; she couldn¡¯t believe she would meet an old friend of his.

    And with that, she was surprised to know he even had a friend.

    After leaving the restaurant, she stood outside to wait for Jepherson. She didn¡¯t have anything to say to Fabian, but he had a question, ¡°Is your boyfriend local?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°He is my fianc¨¦.¡±

    ¡°Then your fianc¨¦¡­¡±

    Before Fabian could finish his words, Jepherson¡¯s car had already stopped in front of them. Raeleigh said, ¡°He¡¯s here; you can get to know each other.¡±

    Raeleigh said as she walked toward the car.On the other hand, Fabian fixed his gaze at the car. Although he had just returned, he was positive it belonged to the Richard Family.

    After a moment of hesitation, he then caught up with Raeleigh while Jepherson alighted the car.

    Upon seeing Raeleigh, Jepherson bent over to give her a peck while lookingat Fabian. Fabian¡¯s eyes were almost dull with an indescribable expression.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Fabian. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you, but I¡¯m actually Jepherson¡¯s fianc¨¦e, not the daughter of the Richards family.¡±

    Only then did Fabiane to his senses. He stared at Raeleigh and then turned to look at Jepherson. ¡°I thought we would meet a littleter.¡±

    Jepherson turned to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Wait for me in the car.¡±

    She did as she was told. Fabian walked toJephersonandsaid, ¡°I was d when I thought she was from the Richards family. Guess I¡¯m toote!¡±

    Jepherson looked back at the girl sitting in the car scrolling through her phone, then smiled and said, ¡°You still have a chance.¡±

    Raeleigh pretended she did not hear it.

    Fabian looked over Jepherson¡¯s shoulder at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I would if it was someone else, but if it¡¯s you¡­ I give up.¡±

    ¡°Are you giving up because you¡¯re afraid of losing to me or because of something else?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of you, and I have won you before. It¡¯s because her heart isn¡¯t with anyone else but you.¡±

    Fabian turned his gaze back at Jepherson as he spoke.However, Jepherson found it amusing.¡°Of course, her heart is with me when she¡¯s with me; maybe it won¡¯t be when I¡¯m not around.¡±

    ¡°You never change, do you? You¡¯re so modest even when you¡¯re confident. I can¡¯t stand your fake modesty.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Jepherson then looked at the car. ¡°You drove?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you guys go ahead. We¡¯ll meet some other day; I¡¯m in a bad mood now.¡±

    With that, Fabian walked away. Jepherson watched as his friend disappeared into the car before he got into his.

    As the door closed, Jepherson put his hand on Raeleigh¡¯sp and leaned against her. He asked, ¡°Upset?¡±

    The driver peeked at Jepherson through the rearview mirrorand drove the car away slowly.

    Putting down the phone, she looked at Jepherson. ¡°I really can¡¯t think of a word for someone like you.¡±

    Jepherson hummed in response after a slight stump.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Santiago too! He¡¯s unbelievable.¡±

    Throwing a nce at her, Jepherson said, ¡°Yeah, he is.¡±

    ¡°You think so too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I think so too.¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent at that.

    Then she mumbled,¡°He¡¯s as good as dead to me.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he thinks so too, thinking you¡¯re a burden to him, and he wants to get rid of you.¡±

    Jepherson said ashe narrowed his eyes, holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand.She turned tohim and asked, ¡°He did it on purpose?¡±

    Jepherson did not answer, andRaeleigh let the case rest.After returning to the hospital, Raeleigh took a bath, changed into a new set of clothes, and then visited Stuart.She was surprised to find he was already able to sit.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with his sciaterve. Next will be his legs; I don¡¯t think there should be a problem.¡±

    Jepherson took Raeleigh to the bed.Seeing them, Stuartgreeted them with a bright smile, and Raeleigh returned the greeting.

    Xanthus had his back turned to Raeleigh.Upon seeing Stuart¡¯s smile, he turned around to see who it was and gestured for her to wait for a moment.She waved in return, andXanthus turned back to Stuart and said, ¡°Since Raeleigh¡¯s back, we¡¯ll stop at this.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    Xanthus took some notes and walked out of the room. As he the door, he said to Raeleigh, ¡°Come with me.¡±

    Puzzled, she still followed him to the ward, and Xanthus took out a parcel from the closet.

    ¡°This is your New Year¡¯s present.¡±

    She walked over and opened it; inside was a pink box. She had never seen such a beautiful box embedded with rhinestones.

    She opened the box to find a white coat inside.

    ¡°Did Mom design this?¡±

    Raeleigh could imagine her mother designed it especially for her. Xanthus nodded. ¡°Mom said she made it herself.¡±

    She was so moved that she was at a loss for words. She didn¡¯t expect to receive a gift, let alone one from her mother.

    Raeleigh put it on immediately and did a turn, asking Xanthus, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Gorgeous!¡± Before Xanthus could answer, Jepherson opened the door and came in. Raeleigh turned around to see him sizing her up. ¡°The most beautiful I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±

    Self-conscious, she fell silent.

    Sometimes, Xanthus¡¯s heart ached for his sister.

    Knowing her temper, if Jepherson hadn¡¯t used desperate measures, he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep Raeleigh from leaving. She was not one to turn back easily.

    Butit was toote to say anything anymore.

    ¡°It¡¯s New Year tomorrow. My parents will leave the hospital today and go back to Green Jade Garden tonight. I¡¯d like to invite Raeleigh over, but I need your permission.¡±

    Jepherson said as he looked at Xanthus. The news stumped Raeleigh. ¡°You never told me about this.¡±

    ¡°I just found out about it. Santiago will be going back as well; I¡¯ll be able to help you get even then.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless; it sounded like he was the one who wanted to get even.

    Xanthus hesitated for a moment. ¡°I will spend this year¡¯s New Year¡¯s with Raeleigh, so perhaps you¡­¡±

    ¡°So I n on inviting you too. Mr. Alvin will monitor Stuart¡¯s situation; I believe your one-day off wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    Jepherson said before Xanthus could finish his words.Raeleigh then turned to look at Xanthus. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to go.¡±

    ¡°No worries. I haven¡¯t attended a family gathering like this for a long time; I should pay Mrs. Richards a visit as well.¡±

    With that, she silently turned to look at Jepherson¡¯s handsome face,wondering if someone had shot themselves in the foot.

 Chapter 1379 Smiling for No Reason

    After leaving the hospital, Raeleigh sat beside Jenna in the car.Holdingher hands tightly, Jenna bbered, andRaeleigh only kept nodding her head in reply to her words. It was not until they arrived at the Richards Group Manor that Raeleigh felt peace and quiet had returned to her.

    Hansen took his beloved wife¡¯s hand as they descended the car and led her away like a lovely young couple. Raeleigh was a little lost in thought as she looked at their retreating figure, not expecting Hansen to be so affectionate to his wife.

    He was not stingy about dering his love even if Jepherson was there.

    Raeleigh waited for Jepherson for amoment before he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Green Jade Garden first.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. ¡°Are we not visiting your grandmother?¡±

    ¡°Are you for real?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Raeleigh said as she heldXanthus¡¯s arm. He patted her hand in return andsaid, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The siblings then went to the Green Jade Garden. As the head of the Richards Group Manor, Jepherson briefly introduced theyout and design of the Green Jade Garden.

    ¡°Theyout here is exactly the same as our manor in A City.¡±

    ¡°It is indeed very beautiful,¡± Xanthus said frankly.

    ¡°But I prefer the manors overseas. I think when I have kids a few yearster, I will send them there. The environment there is great for them to grow and learn.¡±

    Jepherson said while walking. Raeleigh looked at him but said nothing.

    Xanthus said nothing either. Whenthe three of them arrived at Green Jade Garden, Jepherson immediately arranged a room for Xanthus.With that, Raeleigh apanied her brother to tidy up the room and stayed in there for a while.

    In actuality, everything had been sorted out. Raeleigh merely spread the quilt and had a chat.

    Xanthus sat on the bed and scanned the antique disy in the room. He looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Take a rest.¡±

    Pouring a ss of water for Xanthus, she said,¡°I wasn¡¯t used to it either when I first came.¡±

    Raeleigh handed the water to Xanthus, who took the cup and asked, ¡°What about now? Are you used to it?¡±

    ¡°Now¡­ ¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips at that and continued, ¡°Not really,but it is morefortable here than in Ink Garden.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ have you ever thought about it? Coming here means that you¡¯ll have to live here and spend time with everyone in the Richards family. Do you know what this means?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and answered, ¡°I know, but I¡¯ve never thought of staying.¡±

    Xanthus continued to wait for her answer, and she said, ¡°I¡¯ve never thought of living here. I can¡¯t leave now, but I won¡¯t live here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you don¡¯t. I won¡¯t be at ease if you do.¡±

    To Xanthus, handing Raeleigh back to Jepherson was the greatestpromise. If she were to live in this manor, facing a woman like Marissa¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re worried about me living at home.¡± Raeleigh ridiculed.

    There camea knock on the door. When Xanthus looked up, Jepherson opened the door and came in.

    He was in a casual outfit, pants and sweater, looking like a boy-next-door.

    Entering the door, Jepherson paused for a moment. ¡°I got these for you. Change into it and see if it fits.¡±

    He said as he handed Raeleigh a ck bag.

    With that, she took a look at the contents. The clothes inside were the same color tones as his, ck pants and a red sweater.

    Santiago¡¯s green top suddenly popped up in her mind, and she wanted tough.

    The younger brother was green and the older brother was red?

    Raeleigh took the clothes away. ¡°I¡¯ll go get changed. You guys have a chat in the meantime.¡±

    Raeleigh went out of Xanthus¡¯s room into her and Jepherson¡¯s room to change.

    Only Jepherson and Xanthus were left in the room. Jepherson took a quick look behind and closed the door.

    Then, he turned to look at Xanthus. ¡°I was outside.¡±

    Xanthus couldn¡¯t care less about it. ¡°It won¡¯t change even if you¡¯re not; Raeleigh is my sister. I don¡¯t like your family¡¯s wealthy background or the rules inside and out.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh was born into an unfortunate situation, and to me, my family owes her a great deal. There is no way I¡¯d let Raeleigh have any displeasure in marriage.¡±

    ¡°What if I give Raeleigh a happy life here?¡± Jepherson asked Xanthus, who then replied, ¡°If you¡¯re the only one giving, then it¡¯s not necessary. Both you and I are aware this ce doesn¡¯t belong to you, but you belong here. The same goes to Raeleigh if she enters the family.¡±

    Xanthus was well aware of what a woman who married into a wealthy family like Jepherson¡¯s would have to face. To other women, perhaps finding someone from a well-matched family was important as nobility would guarantee their riches in the future.

    To Xanthus, such honor was not important and unremarkable.

    Women under the spotlight were actually more pathetic. To a certain degree, it was nothing more than a sh in the pan. When their cover story ends, they¡¯ll go back to being discriminated against and miserable. So, this ce wasn¡¯t any different than the other ces, just that it was furnished with expensive furniture.

    People loved a fully bloomed flower, butwhere would it go after it started to wilt?

    ¡°What if we leave here and settle down outside?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s words were unintentional; after all, he had never thought about it. His purpose was to marry Raeleigh, but his goal was to win her back.

    There was no point for him to stay in the manor when she wouldn¡¯t be around.

    However, the moment Jepherson spoke, Xanthus almostughed, but his expression appeared displeased.

    ¡°Raeleigh isn¡¯t a woman you can just instate. She has to be the head of the house, at least. Even if she marries someone ordinary, she will be the mistress of the house. The people you can instate can only be someone else.¡±

    Xanthus stood his ground; he would neverpromise on Raeleigh¡¯s affairs.

    Raeleigh came back in; she had already changed into the clothes Jepherson gave her. The two guys looked over at her spontaneously and froze, seeing the girl approach them as if she were an elf.

    Raeleigh was the epitome of intelligence and elegance, which cannot be found in ordinary people.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Jepherson naturally held Raeleigh in his arms, andshe did not evade but raised her head and asked instead, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Of course, Jepherson would say that she looked beautiful, and the tenderness in his eyes was evident.

    Raeleigh then turned to her brother. ¡°Xanthus?¡±

    ¡°Beautiful, you look beautiful in everything.¡±

    No brother would think otherwise,not to mention that she was truly gorgeous.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you around.¡±

    Raeleigh left Jepherson¡¯s embrace and took Xanthus¡¯s arm, leading him out. Standing in the room, Jepherson watched the siblings leave hand-in-hand and went to catch up with them.

    In all honesty, Raeleigh wasn¡¯t familiar withtheyouts of Green Jade Garden. Walking as she looked around, Xanthus found it amusing and asked, ¡°If you can¡¯t find it, forget about it. There¡¯s no need for us to make rounds.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped. ¡°There is a first for everything. If we don¡¯t look for it, we can never leave.¡±

    Xanthus savored Raeleigh¡¯s words knowingly and smiled for no reason.

 Chapter 1380 Slam on the Table in Rage

    After strolling for a while more, Raeleigh still lost her way in the end. Only then did Xanthus speak up, ¡°As happens to every first, failure.¡±

    Raeleigh threw a side nce at Xanthus. ¡°You don¡¯t like Jepherson at all?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s more important is thatyou like him.¡± Although Xanthus minded, love was aplex subject; he¡¯d rather trust Raeleigh knew what she wanted.

    Raeleigh looked around and thought getting lost may not have been a bad thing. Perhaps they could find another way out.

    She found a ce to sit down, but Xanthus pulled her up and said, ¡°It¡¯s too cold. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    She then looked at him in bafflement and asked,¡°Even I¡¯m lost. How would you know the way back?¡±

    Amused, he replied, ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯dlet my sister get lost, would I? I¡¯d have to take you out somehow.¡±

    With that, she followed Xanthus in silence, thinking the whole journey ifher decision had hurt him. However, she kept silent the entire time, not knowing what to say.

    However, he just kept his gaze atthe beautiful scenery to the point where she couldn¡¯t sense his difort.

    After leaving Xanthus¡¯s room, Jepherson waited for the siblings¡¯ return at the door of his room.On seeing them, he went to Raeleigh and said,¡°Grandmother asked us to go over; we¡¯re having a meal there.¡±

    ncing at the dark surroundings, shemented, ¡°Your family sure is different; eating in the middle of the night.¡±

    Herment stumped him for a second, but he retorted, ¡°Well, weren¡¯t you sightseeing in the middle of the night?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. ¡°We¡¯re not hungry; no thanks.¡±

    Helpless, Jepherson looked at Xanthus. ¡°You don¡¯t want to eat either?¡±

    ¡°Of course I want to eat. I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Xanthus then looked outside. Two people were standing at the door, waiting for them to go to Marissa¡¯s.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Jepherson took a coat and put it on Raeleigh. ¡°You have to wear moreyers when you go out.¡±

    With that, he took her hand, massaging it as they walked. His hand was warmer than hers, so Raeleigh no longer felt cold.

    When they reached Marissa¡¯s, Jenna was already on the verge of falling asleep. She was sure their midnight meal meant Marissa had something to announce, or perhaps, she had something against Raeleigh.

    When it came to that, Jenna was absolutely unwilling as shefelt that the children¡¯s affairs were their own business, and they had their own decisions. They just needed to be happy for them; no reason to make everyone upset.

    However, Marissa did not think so, and Jenna was helpless at her mindset.She was old,so she would not listen, and if the discussion got deep, she might even be infuriated.

    But with her husband by her side, it didn¡¯t matter.

    With all that in mind, Jenna leaned against Hansen.Although they were closing their fifties, they were still as sweet as ever. She was only leaning against him at first, but it didn¡¯t take long for her to fall asleep, and with that, Hansen pulled her into his arms. Hence, Marissa kept shooting nces at the couple.

    Sometimes, as people aged and things got on their nerves, everything everyone did was wrong. The only thing Marissa had in mind right then was that everyone was against her, unwilling to let her have her way.

    So be it that her son wouldn¡¯te back now that she was sick and grounded, but even her daughter-inw treated her so too. Why did shee back this time? What was she trying to do, bringing that little b*tch back along?

    Jenna got on her nerves no matter how she saw it.

    She hadn¡¯t even rested herself, yet Jenna was so bold to have fallen asleep in front of her. Did she do it intentionally?

    Jenna got on her nerves no matter how, and Hansen, being her son, of course, could sense Marissa¡¯s displease. However, he¡¯d rather turn a blind eye as he wasn¡¯t part of the matter. As long as it didn¡¯t get out of hand, he¡¯d close his eyes, but if things did, it¡¯d be hard to say.

    Marissa was about to blow a fuse when Raeleigh and Jepherson came in, and she immediately vented all her angeron Raeleigh.

    ¡°I thought even I can¡¯t get you toe. Don¡¯t you feel ashamed that everyone has to wait for you?¡±

    Raeleigh was taken aback by Marissa¡¯s words. So this was what she meant by ordering the family to have a meal at such ate hour.

    However, Raeleigh kept silent as she didn¡¯t think it was necessary to exin herself. Since she was asked to have a meal, then she¡¯d go back after it was done.

    On seeing that Raeleigh did not answer immediately, Marissa snorted and turned to Ste. ¡°Ste, you¡¯ve been waiting for so long. Are you hungry?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the girl sitting in a wheelchair. Being put in a difficult position, Ste turned to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Sorry for the trouble.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Ste, you¡¯re an easy target,¡± Marissa grumbled.However, Ste didn¡¯t speak but slowly looked over at Jepherson.

    He was wearing a matching outfit as Raeleigh though she had on a heavy coat, it was not difficult to tell.

    Ste¡¯s face was dimas if she had suffered a great grievance, but she did not let it show too obviously and bottled it up instead.

    Seeing that, Marissa felt distressed and held Ste¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ste. I¡¯m here for you.¡±

    However, she did not speak but only looked at Raeleigh on the opposite side. With that, Jepherson said, ¡°Come, let¡¯s sit.¡±

    Letting go of Raeleigh¡¯s hand, he pulled the chair out for her, but she continued to stand, facing the entrance, looking at her brother, who was thest to arrive.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Marissa¡¯s face darkened upon seeing Xanthus. ¡°Why is there one more?¡±

    Entering, Xanthus hesitated when he saw Marissa.

    ¡°If Mrs. Richards doesn¡¯t wee us, we can leave now.¡±

    Xanthus saw that Hansen was already awake.

    ¡°You¡¯re right; I don¡¯t. Such low-¡±

    ¡°What a pleasure to have you here, Dr. Osteen. I heard your father is a world-renowned antique appraiser; I do hope I get the chance to meet him.¡±

    As Hansen spoke, he helped Jenna to her feet. Jenna also left his embrace with a smile and said to Marissa, ¡°Doctor Osteen is a leading orthopedic expert and has won many medical awards; I like him a lot.¡±

    There was nothing wrong with Jenna¡¯s admiration of a young man given her age, but to Marissa, it was as if it was sphemy.

    And with that, her face sank, looking at Jenna unhappily. ¡°Watch your words.¡±

    Jenna was stunned for a moment. She was mad in front of her son!

    Instantly, Hansen refuted, ¡°You too, mother!¡±

    Stumped, Marissa stared at Hansen. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    However, Hansen did not answer butlooked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Come, have a seat. This is your home from now on; don¡¯t treat yourself as an outsider.¡±

    She then nced at Jepherson, who in turn pressed her down to her seat, then turned to Xanthus and said,¡°Come, have a seat.¡±

    Only then did Xanthus sit next to Raeleigh. It was not the first time he had met Marissa, so he never shot a second nce at her after he sat down.

    His actions caused Marissa to fly into a rage, and she mmed her hand on the table.

 Chapter 1381 They Were the Husband and Wife Here

    Marissa¡¯s action got everyone directing their gaze at her. However, she onlylooked at Raeleigh and Xanthus and said, ¡°The Richards family is noble; we won¡¯t ept a wh*re into our family. Now bring your friend and get lost.¡±

    ¡°Mom, what are you doing?¡± Before Jepherson could say anything, Hansen refuted as she had crossed the line.

    Hadn¡¯t his mother figured it all out yet?

    It was not Raeleigh that insisted on marrying into their family, but Jepherson insisted on marrying her.

    She threw a look at her son with a tense face and said, ¡°Our family is highly reputable; not just about any woman can marry into our family.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Jerry¡¯s clear what kind of person Raeleigh is; she doesn¡¯t need you telling who she is and isn¡¯t. After all, you¡¯re not the one kissing Raeleigh; how would you know whether she¡¯s good or bad?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s words got Raeleigh stumped. What future father-inw would put things that way?

    She then snuck a peek at Jenna, who didn¡¯t seem to care at all,but who knew what she was thinking.

    Jepherson wrapped Raeleigh¡¯s hand in his and said,¡°I do know.¡±

    ¡°Since you do, leave with her then, lest things escte in such ate night.Since grandmother doesn¡¯t like Raeleigh, no need to bring her here so often; stay in Green Jade Garden.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    With that, Jepherson stood up and escorted Raeleigh to the door, making small talk and putting the coat on her as they left.

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes were filled with happiness. Now that his father had saved his pride, he would leave the rest to him.

    ¡°All of you are trying to bully me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Marissa roared at his son. However, Hansen nced at Ste. ¡°Ste, Jenna and I watched you grow up. You¡¯re a great child, but I¡¯m afraid our family doesn¡¯t have the good fortune to have you as one of us.¡±

    Then he turned to Marissa and said, ¡°Jerry told me that you¡¯ve been in poor health recently and would be moody sometimes. I thought I could have a chat with you when Ie back, but now it seems unnecessary.¡±

    With that, he nced at Jenna. ¡°What did I tell you? This isn¡¯t a matter that will subside with patience andpromise, but you wouldn¡¯t listen. Look how things have turned out. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He grabbed Jenna by her hand and took her away.

    Meanwhile, Xanthus and Raeleigh were also walking toward Green Jade Garden.Jenna, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t upset when she came out as she knew her husband¡¯s thoughts after being by his side for so many years.

    Nevertheless, she was still a little worried. She had offended her mother-inw this time anyhow; the road ahead was still long. What should she do?

    Jenna shook her head as she walked.On seeing her downhearted expressions, Hansen held her hand tightly and gave her a pinch.With a dull pain in her head, she turned to look at her husband. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Hansen led her into Green Jade Garden. The servants were already at the opened door, waiting.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Prepare supper for us.¡±

    All that fuss got Hansen hungry.

    ¡°You¡¯re eating at thiste hour?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Jenna asked; Hansen replied.

    Jenna thought for a moment and told the servant, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it; leave him to me.¡±

    After that, Jenna went to the kitchen and prepared food for her husband.

    The doctor said the number one thing to avoid for older people was to eat supper. However, Hansen had developed a habit of having somethingte at night in recent years.

    All the undigested food stored in his body caused a burden and led to illnesses with time.

    However, no matter how she dissuaded, he would not listen. After all, he was hungry.

    Thus, Jenna could only think of making him healthy suppers that would not cause a burden to his body.

    As soon as Jenna entered the kitchen, she saw that Raeleigh was making fish soup.

    As Raeleigh was somewhat lost in thought, she didn¡¯t hear someoneing in. By the time she heard noises and turned around, Jenna was already by her side. Stumped, she quickly said,¡°You¡¯re here too?¡±

    ¡°Your father insists on having something to eat. Eating at night puts a lot of pressure on his viscera at his age. It¡¯s not good for him, soI thought I¡¯d make him some polenta.¡±

    Raeleigh had heard of polenta, but she had never had it, though she had eaten cornmeal porridge before.

    However, her grandmother had told her before that polenta was just the same as cornmeal porridge.She used to have it all the time back when she was in the countryside. However, it did not take long for Raeleigh to forget about it.

    Jenna thought for a moment and looked at the fish soup Raeleigh was cooking, ¡°Is it good?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very fresh. It¡¯s not a good idea to have a proper meal for supper, but Jepherson said he was tired after all that fuss and wanted to eat something. I originally wanted to make something light, but he said that he wanted fish. Hence, this.¡±

    ¡°But it still won¡¯t do the body well to have fish sote. Although it¡¯s nutritious, there¡¯s still fat inside.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll put some vegetables in so it won¡¯t be a burden to the body, and the fat can be easily discharged.¡±

    As Raeleigh exined, Jenna¡¯s eyes shone. ¡°Really? Can we have some too?¡±

    ¡°Sure, there¡¯s still a lot. I¡¯ll bring it to youter.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we eat together?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes narrowed, all smiles, looking swooned.

    Sometimes it was hard for Raeleigh to take in Jenna¡¯s cloying smile.

    Forcing a smile, Raeleigh concentrated on making the soup, and seeing thatJenna left her be, she turned back around and breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back first ande backter. And¡­ do ask Dr. Osteen to join us too; I can help find him a girlfriend in the meantime.¡±

    Jenna said as she left the kitchen. Raeleigh turned to look at her and found it strange that her future mother-inw liked to poke her nose into other people¡¯s business.

    No¡­ she was trying to help!

    Raeleigh broke into a smile at the thought. Be it that she thought so.

    A thought came to her mind when the soup was ready. She filled a bowl and went to Jenna.

    After putting down the soup, she went to call Xanthus and Jepherson out. As Xanthus was already ready to sleep, he didn¡¯te out.

    On the other hand, Jepherson went over with Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh sat down and had a little bit of the soup with them.

    As they were eating, Jepherson kept saying Raeleigh loved vegetables and fish. And making it so wasvery nutritious and a sensible diet.

    Anyhow, all that he said were praises for her.

    Listening to her son¡¯s words, Jenna nudged her husband with her leg, but he pretended not to see anything and drank the soup. ¡°Rest early; it¡¯s gettingte.¡±

    Raeleigh grew a little anxious when she saw Hansen stand up. She had yet to bring the subject up.

    With that, Raeleigh opened her mouth but did not bring it up in the end. Itseemed pretty abrupt to bring the matter up at such ate hour. But what if future opportunities ended up soif she did not speak up now?

    Just as she was hesitating, Jenna suddenly said,¡°Hansen, I want to sleep with Raeleigh tonight.¡±

    Hansen was initially looking a little tired and wanted to say something. However, after hearing Jenna¡¯s words, he was wide awake. He turned around and looked at Jenna, displeased.

    They were the husband and wife here!

 Chapter 1382 He Was Angry

    ¡°I have always wanted to have a good chat with Raeleighbut never had the chance to. Now that she¡¯s here in Green Jade Garden and she still has many things to learn, I should tell her as her mother-inw. What¡¯s more, what happened earlier was unpleasant; I¡¯m worried she¡¯ll feel uneasy, so I want tofort her.¡±

    Jenna found a big excuse for herself.On the other hand, Hansen frowned deeply. ¡°If you¡¯re going tofort Raeleigh. Who¡¯s going tofort me?¡±

    Raeleigh was rendered speechless then. She was astonished that there was such a person alive; his possessiveness sure was intense.

    ¡°Jerry will. Right, Jerry?¡±

    Jenna stood up and took Raeleigh away regardless of Hansen¡¯s displeasure. Hansen took a step forward with a gloomy expression on his face.

    Jepherson was visibly upset too, looking at his father as he said, ¡°It¡¯s your fault that your wife doesn¡¯t listen to you.¡±

    Hansen red daggers at him in turn. ¡°Are you asking for a beating?¡±

    With that, Jepherson walked away; his father obviously didn¡¯t need hisfort.

    Raeleigh followed Jenna to their room and went in to make sleeping arrangements.

    ¡°Ah¡­ Mom, you can sleep inside; I¡¯ll sleep outside,¡± Raeleigh said after making the bed. Jenna looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Raeleigh, you don¡¯t have to do any of this. We see you as our daughter and not an inw. You can live the way you used to. I know Grandma still doesn¡¯t ept you, but it won¡¯t always be like this. When I first entered the family, I also encountered a lot of hardships. The most important thing is the love between you and Jerry, no?¡±

    ¡°I did what I should. You are my elder. I can¡¯t ask you to make the bed, can I?¡± Raeleigh exined. Jenna was d to know she was sensible at the very least.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get some rest.¡± With that, Jenna had already taken off her clothes and got under the quilt. Seeing so, Raeleigh followed suit.

    It was the first time for Raeleigh to sleep in the same bed with Jenna. Thus, she felt a little uneasy, and her body tensed up.

    ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t be nervous. The bed is big enough for the both of us to sleep in.¡±

    Jenna found it amusing, thinking she must¡¯ve been like her as wellwhen she was young.

    Raeleigh tried to calm down at that and finally said when she was no longer nervous, ¡°I have something to ask, but I don¡¯t know if I should.¡±

    To be honest, she didn¡¯t want to have her finger in the pie, but she had already promised Jacky. There was no other way.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t ask. Go ahead.¡± Jenna was actually on the verge of falling asleep and was really sleepy.

    After thinking for a while, Raeleigh asked about Deanna. Jenna squinted her eyes and turned around to look at Raeleigh after hearing her words.

    ¡°Why are you suddenly asking about her?¡± Jenna was not a fool. Of course, she knew very well why Raeleigh asked.

    And Raeleigh didn¡¯t hide anything either, telling everything about Jacky. Jenna thought for a while and said, ¡°I really like Jacky; he¡¯s a decent one. Your Auntie Hannah is also an understanding person, but she always listens to Rayan. Their family had always seen Deanna as the apple of their eyes, and they found it hard to ept Deanna was pregnant before marriage.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, I watched the girl grow up. Try to put yourself in Hannah¡¯s shoes; what would you do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be angry.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why the Whalen family won¡¯t let it go just like this.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    It was clear that Jenna didn¡¯t want to get involved in this matter. After all, this had to do with Deanna¡¯s reputation.

    However, Jacky was indeed decent, and Jenna could tell. Even if she didn¡¯t believe her eyes,she trusted her sons.

    Since her two sons could be friends with Jacky, it meant that he was a promising young man. Nevertheless, she thought it¡¯d be a good marriage.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment before she said, ¡°But I¡¯ve already promised Jacky. Plus, I believe Deanna also wants to see him. If I can help them, why not.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, my dear, are you a hundred percent sure about this? Help them?¡±

    If Jenna did not ask, Raeleigh was certain. However,now that she did, Raeleigh started questioning herself.

    With a frown, she said,¡°I don¡¯t know anymore.¡±

    Jenna turned over. ¡°Get some sleep, for now, Raeleigh. We¡¯ll talk tomorrow.¡±

    Jenna refused to discuss further, so Raeleigh had to give up. She closed her eyes and thought for a while before drifting to sleep.

    She got up very early the next day as she had a restless sleep, not only because she was in an unfamiliar space but that Jenna was also next to her.

    Raeleigh got up to wash up. When she opened the door, she was surprised to find Jepherson standing outside, and at the same time, he turned back when he heard the doorknob turn.

    ¡°It¡¯s so cold. Why did you get up so early?¡±

    Raeleigh walked to Jepherson. He nced at the closed door and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep well.¡±

    ¡°Because ofst night?¡±

    ¡°Did something happenst night?¡±

    Seeing that Jepherson chose to y dumb, she put the matter to rest.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Raeleigh took a look at the Green Jade Garden in the morning. If there was a ceparable to their manor, the first thing that came to mind was the Richards Group manor.

    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say the Richards family were the richest and owned the most luxurious ce in the entire city.

    Every corner was a sight to behold.

    ¡°Is Mom up yet?¡± Jepherson asked. She looked back and said, ¡°Probably not. She slept a littletest night.¡±

    ¡°And you didn¡¯t?¡± he asked again, but she didn¡¯t answer. He knew clearly, yet he still chose to ask. How weird.

    Seeing that she fell silent, he took her hand and said, ¡°Come, let¡¯s go make breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Make breakfast?¡± Raeleigh looked up at him andmented. ¡°It¡¯s not like you guys can¡¯t afford servants given your wealth. Yet you¡¯re asking your guest to make breakfast?¡±

    She was merely thinking out loud, and Jepherson did not take it seriously. Afterhe went to the kitchen with Raeleigh, he saidthe soup fromst night was delicious. If it wasn¡¯tte and they needed to rest, he would have wanted more.

    However, she thought words were just excuses. However, since they were already in the kitchen, Raeleigh washed her hands andquickly got down to making breakfast, not thinking it was a fuss either.

    Jepherson ordered the servants to leave them be as they started making fish soup again.

    Raeleigh was no longer by her side when Jenna got up. As soon as she came out of the room, she saw her husband standing outside, waiting for her.

    Jenna closed the door and turned to look at her husband. ¡°Are you not afraid that Raeleigh might ridicule you? You¡¯re not young anymore; what are you doing here?¡±

    Hansen turned to look at his beloved wife. ¡°Hmph!¡±

    He was angry!

 Chapter 1383 Trip to Everland

    Jenna couldn¡¯t wrap her head around why Hansen was so angry at her when they were merely separated for half a night. How petty of him.

    However upset he was, she ignored himand went to look for Raeleigh herself instead, knowing that he would not be so kind as to tell her where she was. Only when she asked the servants did she learn Raeleigh and Jepherson were making fish soup in the kitchen. With that, she turned and walked toward her husband, saying, ¡°Look how well our son respects you. He knows that you like fish soup, so he made more for you today.¡±

    However, he didn¡¯t say anything. The fact that she left him alone by sleeping with Raeleigh the night before still rankled him, and he couldn¡¯t forgive her for the time being.

    On the other hand, Jenna did not take it to heart butwalked away instead, saying, ¡°I need to talk to you about something. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Her room was not far from her son¡¯s; it was only about a three-minute walk as all the rooms in Green Jade Garden were connected. She nned on washing up and doing a quick change.

    Hansen did not move until he heard the sound of the door opening and closing.

    Right after he entered the bedroom, he ogled at his wife changing.

    Just as Jenna put on a shirt, Hansen came behind her and took them off. She turned around and looked at her husband angrily as she was left with only a bra!

    He bent down and picked up his beloved wife, and they were off to their bed for some morning exercise.

    By the time they came out, Raeleigh¡¯s fish soup was ready, and so was other breakfast.

    It was only then Raeleigh asked Jepherson, ¡°DoesGreen Jade Garden eat separately from Ink Garden?¡±

    ¡°Normally, the kitchen here was not in use before this, and we would go over to the Ink Garden to have meals. But it seems unnecessary now.¡±

    ¡°Is it because of me?¡±

    She tried not to think about it, but she couldn¡¯t help herself. After all, things were different before she came.

    ¡°Not entirely. There are some things unknown to the world about the Richards Group Manor. Grandma has always been domineering, and Mom has always respected her. However, because my mom made up with Grandma in the past, in addition to how well my mom treated her all these years, she let her behavior get the best of her.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s still not nice for your family to treat an elder like this.¡±

    Raeleigh was speaking from her heart. No matter how bad Marissa treated her, she knew Marissa had her family¡¯s best interest at heart.

    Ste had a good family background, just like Deanna.

    If her family background were like theirs when they first met, perhaps Marissa would ept her too.

    Raeleigh could imagine how much Marissa cared about the family.

    Jepherson turned to Raeleigh. ¡°Are you for real?¡±

    ¡°You can dig out my heart and have a look yourself.¡±

    She was grave about it.Although she was upset he doubted her, she knew he wasn¡¯t serious.

    However, she deliberately put on a straight face as she wanted to know how he would react, but who would¡¯ve thought¡­

    He leaned in and kissed her lips as if he wasn¡¯t bothered by it.

    She was puzzled when she saw him looking at the door after ending the kiss. Curious, she looked over only to see Xanthus walking over andblushed to her neck in an instant.

    ¡°It¡¯s your fault!¡±

    As Raeleighined, she rolled her eyes at Jepherson. He then grabbed her hand and pulled her aside.

    He looked at Xanthus, who was already nearing them, and asked, ¡°Did you sleep wellst night?¡±

    ¡°Not too bad. It¡¯s different from my usual, but I managed to fall asleep.¡±

    Xanthus then looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Happy New Year!¡±

    His wish got her stumped for a moment. If he hadn¡¯t brought it up, she would have forgotten it was New Year¡¯s.

    As Raeleigh smiled, Hansen and Jenna came over too.

    ¡°What are you guys chatting about?¡± Jenna¡¯s face was glowing as she walked over to them behind Hansen. Hansen was also looking radiant. Both of them looked like babies who had just woken up; that was Raeleigh¡¯s first thought when she turned to look at them, having a sudden feelingthat Jenna was living a blissful life.

    ¡°Nothing much. I was just asking if Xanthus is used to living here,¡± Jepherson exined. Jenna immediately turned to Xanthus and said,¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you feel like a fish out of water, but with time, you¡¯ll get used to it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Xanthus could say nothing more. The whole world knew how shrewd Hansen was, but if he didn¡¯t have such an excellent wife, he would not have been so glorious.

    With two excellent sons and such an amazing husband,there was no way she¡¯d be a frail woman.

    Xanthus could only agree to Jenna¡¯s words as she spoke before him.

    Raeleigh stood aside, wearing an obsequious smile.

    Then Jenna turned to Raeleigh and said,¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯ve thought about what you told mest night. It is not convenient for your father and me to intervene in this matter, but there is someone who can help.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    While speaking, Jenna told everyone to sit down and asked Raeleigh to sit beside her. While eating, Jenna said to Jepherson, ¡°When I heard Rayan and Hannah had returned,I nned on visiting them, but I was toote. I made a call to her just now, and she saidshe¡¯s on vacation at Evend.A lot of things have happened since we came back, andyour father is not in good health. I figured a breath of fresh air would do the trick, so I n on visiting Rayan.¡±

    Raeleigh thought it was odd Jenna wanted to pay Rayan a visit.

    Why did she feel that the former andtter were somewhat unrted?

    Jenna continued, ¡°Today is New Year¡¯s. Your father and I will fly to Evend tomorrow. You guys can go ahead with the celebrations without us; we will be back in about two weeks.¡±

    Jenna kicked Raeleigh under the table, causing her to turn to Jenna slowly. Jenna patted her hand and said, ¡°You and Jepherson are the ones I¡¯m most worried about leaving here; you two have to take good care of each other.¡±

    However, Raeleigh did not answer, andJenna started to eat. After eating and talking for a while, she left with Hansen.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson from time to time, thinking he was eating too slowly and had always been.

    It wasn¡¯t until he finished his breakfast that Raeleigh left with Xanthus following behind her. They took a stroll in Green Jade Garden as they chatted. She turned her head a few times to see if Jepherson followed them, but he never did, and she felt relieved.

    They talked about Cynthia andthe trip to Evend.

 Chapter 1384 So be It if She Refused to Listen

    ¡°Xanthus, I must have worried you with my affairstely.¡± Raeleigh found a ce to stop and chat with Xanthus.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯re my sister; it¡¯s only natural for me to do anything for you. No need for all this.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and said, ¡°But even so, I¡¯ve only been adding to your troubles, never once putting you at ease.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference? Some things are inevitable; it¡¯s better than not being able to find you.Am I supposed toin about a little hardship after going through fire and water to search for my little sister?¡±

    ¡°Having a younger sister is just like having a childwho dislikes school, worryingabout whether they had their meals or going to school on time, thenter,worrying about their future partners and children.¡±

    ¡°Even though we are worried, it is a process in life we have to go through. I would prefer to be worried about you than not finding you. Compared to Jepherson, I am much luckier.¡±

    Raeleigh was so moved that she could not help shedding tears. Xanthus could not bear to see his sister cry,so he pulled her into his arms. But it was that hug that led to something unpleasant.

    It was only a short hug. Raeleigh then brought up what Jenna said. He was a clever man, so he naturally knew what was going on. Anyone with sharp eyes could tell that Jenna was hinting to Raeleigh to find Jacky a chance when they went to Evend. As for how to seize the chance, it depended on Raeleigh.

    ¡°Raeleigh, have you thought this through? Rayan is no ordinary man; it¡¯s not an exaggeration to say he¡¯s the king of Capital City. You will have a hard time if you offend him.¡±

    Xanthus was worried about Raeleigh, and she knew about it, but she was put in a tough spot.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already promised Jacky; he wants to contact Deanna. If possible, I want to go, even if I can only see her.¡±

    He really had to hand it to her. She seemed to have always found a way to defeat him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you to Evend then.¡±

    That was all he could do.

    She said in amusement, ¡°Of course, you have to. We can go home in the meantime and visit Cynthia as well.¡±

    Stumped, her beautiful face popped up in his mind as hesmiled and shook his head. ¡°She probably has a boyfriend now.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯ll just be there for a visit.Besides, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s someone who will get herself a boyfriend this soon.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s even more reason for me not to go. She has someone else in her heart; it doesn¡¯t make sense if I go.¡±

    ¡°Why are you finding a reason to like someone?Is my brother this spineless?¡± Raeleigh poked Xanthus twice, and he resigned.

    ¡°Having a sister like you is indeed very troublesome.¡±

    She shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Too bad; you¡¯re stuck with me.¡±

    Xanthus shook his head and went back with Raeleigh. As soon as they were back, Marissa sent someone to them.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    The person was waiting in the living room with Jephersonsitting on the sofa, looking calm and unmoved.

    As soon as Raeleigh entered, the man said, ¡°Madam Marissa would like to speak to you, Miss Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh took a deep breath. She did not want toe here at all; it was too suffocating.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    As Xanthus said so, Jepherson also stood up and walked over to her. The servant turned around and left. It didn¡¯t take long for them to arrive at Ink Garden, andthey saw Jenna and her husband standing at the entrance.

    Looking at Raeleigh, Jenna felt sorry for her and sighed.

    Hansen had his hands behind his back and said nothing.

    After greeting them, Raeleigh followed Jepherson and Xanthus to Marissa¡¯s room. As soon as she entered, Marissa threw something at her.

    There were photos. Raeleigh looked downbut didn¡¯t pick them up. She could see they were photos of her and Xanthus hugging.

    Marissa disliked Raeleigh, so anything she did would be a sin in her eyes.So what if Raeleigh could exin it?Marissa might say there were in an incest rtionship or that they were pretending to be siblings.

    Raeleigh watched as Jepherson picked up one of the photos. After looking at it for a while, he turned to Raeleigh. ¡°Why are you so careless?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. What did he mean by that?

    Marissa¡¯s face sank. ¡°What did you say? Are you crazy?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who is mad?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. Things were heading south.

    Sweeping his sharp gaze across the room, the servants all lowered their heads. They knew he would not let this go so simply. However,Raeleigh had indeed crossed the line. She was already so bold as to do something like that in the manor; wouldn¡¯t things only be worse if they were out of thepound?

    ¡°Everyone, get out. You¡¯re not allowed back inside without my orders.¡±

    The servants went out one after another. It was freezing outside, but they had no choice as they were there to serve her.

    After they left, Jepherson bent down and picked up the photos one by one and presented them to Raeleigh. ¡°These photos are not bad; you should keep them.¡±

    Raeleigh put them away one by one, agreeing to him.

    Xanthus was not interested in Jepherson¡¯s family affairs. He took Raeleigh¡¯s hand and headed out. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Stumped, Marissa clenched her fists, livid. ¡°How dare you! Do you still want to¡­¡±

    ¡°Since you like Ste so much,have her stay with you, lest you make foolish decisions when you¡¯remad. She¡¯s in your hands, Ste.¡±

    With that, Jepherson went out. Marissa choked in anger and almost fainted.

    Ste, who had been in a wheelchair the entire time, hurried to Marissa¡¯s side. ¡°Grandma.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    Marissa looked at Ste and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This is just the beginning. I will make them regret it.¡±

    Stey in Marissa¡¯s arms. She did not answerbut looked at the door with her shrewd eyes.

    ¡°This is also our beginning Raeleigh Anson,¡± she thought.

    Raeleigh let out a loud sneeze when she exited Marissa¡¯s room. Xanthus immediately stopped to look at her as she rubbedher nose.

    ¡°Are you feeling feverish?¡± he asked, and she shook her head, saying, ¡°No, I¡¯m just feeling a little chilly.¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s visit Stuart and get you some medicine in the meantime.¡±

    Xanthus absolutely could not stand Marissa. She had been taking advantage of her seniority time and time. If he did not take Raeleigh away, she would definitely be hurt.

    Raeleigh looked back at Jepherson, who was already out of the room. He nodded in agreement,not wanting her to be hurt either, so he didn¡¯t stop them but instead sent a car to take Raeleigh and Xanthus to the hospital.

    Jenna and Hansen never left, staying at Ink Garden, watchingRaeleigh leave before returning to Marissa. Passing the entrance, she saw the servants were nearly frozen to death, and it wasn¡¯t until shetold them to head inside that they did.

    Then the couple went to Marissa¡¯s room. Jenna first went to see Marissa. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t be angry¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up. Look at how you raised your son.¡±

    Marissa did not give Jenna a chance to speak at all. Her mouth agape, she decided to keep her mouth shut. So be it if she refused to listen.

 Chapter 1385 Trevor Was Hospitalized

    Jenna said nothing;Hansen kept quiet too. Since Marissa refused to listen, he simply led Jenna out of her room. Marissa was so furious that her whole body was trembling as she scolded Jenna.

    Hansen did not like Marissa insulting his wife,so he stopped in his tracks, butJenna immediately tugged him, telling him to let it go. However, Marissa¡¯s anger only grew. If it weren¡¯t for Jenna, none of it all would¡¯ve happened.

    ¡°No need to shed crocodile tears. I¡¯m not dead yet;drop the act.¡±

    Marissa roared at Jenna like a madman, and it pained Hansen to see his mother behave so.

    ¡°It breaks my heart to call you my mother.¡±

    With that, Hansen left with Jenna with a grim face. Jenna tried hard to pull him back, but she couldn¡¯t stop him at all.

    After leaving Ink Garden, Jenna tried to talk some sense into Hansen. However, Hansen¡¯s temper only grew with age. Ignoring her, he booked their flight to Evend and went straight.

    Jenna sighed, ¡°Do you have to do this?¡±

    Jenna was still nagging at Hansen even when they arrived at the airport. Hansen and Marissa were mother and son, after all.

    Hansen leaned against the side and called his father as they waited for their flight.

    The call went through, but he hung up immediately, not saying anything.

    Trevor was silent for a while before he put his phonedown. After some thought, he called a servant, ¡°Call my wife and tell her I¡¯m ill.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s words got the servant silent.

    The servant looked at the man who was as tough as old boots and baffled at the fact that he was ill.

    Trevor got up and went upstairs,took a few changes of clothes, and went straight to get himself admitted into the hospital.

    Marissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she received the call, then fainted. It wasn¡¯t untilfive in the afternoon when she regained consciousness. As she was still feeling dizzy, Ste stayed by her and took care of her.

    ¡°Grandma Marissa.¡±

    Seeing that Marissa had woken up, Ste hurried to inquire about her well-being. However,Marissa was upied with the thought of Trevor being admitted to the hospital. After feeling distressed for some time, she finally got up and made a call home.

    As soon as a servant answered the phone,Marissa immediately asked, ¡°Where¡¯s my husband?¡±

    She tremored as she spoke. Immediately, the servant said, ¡°He went to the hospital.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°Why did he go to the hospital? Wasn¡¯t he doing just fine? What happened?¡± Not only did she sound shaky, but even her arm was trembling a little.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know either; just that Old Master Richards calmly packed some clothes and told us he was going to the hospital. He has already admitted himself there.¡±

    The servant¡¯s words got Marrisa on tenterhooks. What illness was it that he could be so calm?

    Marissa closed her eyes. Ste called her several times, but she seemed to have not heard it and kept silent.

    ¡°Ste, I have to go back to A City. The servants here can take care of you.¡±

    Marissa got out of bed, wiped her tears, and packed some clothes, silent the entire time. After she got to the airport, sheflew straight back to A city that day.

    As Marissa was leaving, Ste asked to follow her, but Marissa shook her head. ¡°No, I can¡¯t take care of you.¡±

    Marissa left after that, leaving Ste on her own.

    Marissa cried the entire flight.With no one beside her, she felt exceptionally lonely and miserable.

    After getting off the ne, she took a taxi and went straight to the hospital.

    When Marissa arrived, Trevor was doing check-ups. After fussing all day, he was worn out. It wasmon knowledge that being admitted to the hospital was no walk in the park, even for a healthy person.

    When she got to him,Trevor¡¯s face was ghastly, looking like he was on the verge of death as hey in bed. The Richards Family¡¯s doctor was advising him then, ¡°I told you to watch your health and what you eat, didn¡¯t I? Look what happens when you don¡¯t believe me. This illness¡­¡±

    Marissa pushed the door open and saw that Trevor¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. They were an old married couple, after all. How could she not feel distressed? Especially after she heard what the doctor said.

    ¡°He¡¯s already like this; would reprimanding him do him any good? Illness and death are part of life. Are you making him upset on purpose?¡± Marissa looked at the doctor unhappily. The doctor was surprised to see Marissa, ¡°You¡¯re back, Mrs. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. If I don¡¯t, you would¡¯ve bullied him even more.¡± After ordering the people to put down her luggage and paying them, she went to Trevor¡¯s side. ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    Trevor said, ¡°I¡¯m fine; just some ailments. Why are you here?¡±

    Marissa held Trevor¡¯s hand. ¡°How could you be fine when you look like this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Really.¡± Seeing how tired he was, she couldn¡¯t rest assured.

    ¡°Tell me what happened to him.¡± She couldn¡¯t help feeling sad at the thought that there was no one by their side when the two of them were ill; she couldn¡¯t care less about their children anymore.

    The doctor answered truthfully, ¡°He¡¯s just ¡­ a little malnourished.¡±

    Trevor had been eating well, but there were different reasons for malnutrition. One of them was that the body couldn¡¯t absorb the nutrition as one grew much older.

    It was the case for Trevor.

    However, Marissa did not think so. There was no way she would believe Trevor was malnourished.A member of the Richards family malnourished? What a joke.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can lie to me. Him, malnourished?¡± Marissa raised her voice. Trevor genuinely found her loud; there was a reason why he hadn¡¯t gone to see her for so long.

    He felt at peace ever since he left her. How great it was when no one was there to nag at him for whatever he did.

    But their son had also given up on her, so he could only have here back.

    Trevor reminisced what Marissa was like when she was young, fiery, and as capable as men.

    It was a pity that she changed as she aged. It wasn¡¯t that she had turned awful but unreasonable.

    Trevor was well aware that Marissa had be so because everyone in the family put her first. Any slight dissatisfaction would make her unhappy.

    She wasn¡¯t any different from a child. Spoiled!

    ¡°Marissa dear.¡± Trevor was used to calling her so. Although they were old, he felt that nothing had changed even after a few decades together.

    It was his business to address her how he pleased; it had nothing to do with anyone.

    Not his son nor his grandson could tell him otherwise.

    When Trevor called out, Marissa immediately became quiet. Even though she was angry, she wouldn¡¯tsh out at Trevor.

    She turned to look at him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not feeling well? I¡¯ll contact world-renowned leading experts right away. I¡¯ll get them to check on you; you¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s noisy here. Tell them to leave; I want to be alone with you.¡±

    Blushing, it was music to her ears.

    She then ordered everyone out.Resigned as they left, it was apparent Marissa was the one making a fuss.

    However, she had indeed quieted down after everyone left. She sat by Trevor¡¯s side as she held his hand and askedmany questions.

    Trevor was truly exhausted, and he didn¡¯twant to talk too much with Marissa. If he spoke, she wouldn¡¯t stop, so knowingly, he kept quiet.

    He would only shake his head at her questions, not answering. Thinking he was chronically ill, sheid on his body and sobbed.

 Chapter 1386 Quite the Excuse

    Trevor moved to the side a little and ordered Marissa to lie down next to him. She took off her coat and didso, crying untilshe fell asleep while and the room quieted down.

    He patted her, and just like that, the old couplestayed in the hospital.

    Jepherson found out Marissa had left to keep Trevorpany in the hospital when he received a call from home.

    Jenna and Hansen had already left, and Raeleigh was currently at the airport, so he packed his luggage and went with her to Evend.

    It was agreed that Xanthus was supposed to go with her, but he still had an operation.So, in the end, he asked her to leave before him, promising he would be there after he was done. She thought nothing of it and proceeded to book a ticket for him.

    Only Jepherson and Raeleigh were at the airport then.She overheard the call and found it odd. ¡°Madam Marissa has gone back?¡±

    Jepherson put his phone away and cupped her cheek one hand as he looked at her. ¡°Even if grandma is not good to you, she is still grandma to you too.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯m not married into the family yet.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see the difference,¡± he said confidently, but she disagreed. However, she knew it would be a losing battle, so she kept quiet.

    She slept nearly the entire flight and woke up bleary, but by the time she was wide awake, they had arrived at Evend.

    After the ne parked, Jepherson took his hand away from her shoulder, thenleaned against his other side, holding his cheek as he looked at her and teased the girl who had just awoken from her daze. ¡°Those who know will know you haven¡¯t had a good resttely; those who don¡¯t will think we never rested.¡±

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes at Jepherson. ¡°Why am I engaged to a kid?¡±

    Jephersonughed happily. He stood up, took his luggage, and got off the ne with Raeleigh while she followed behind him with a red face.

    After they got off the ne, she followed him into a car and whet straight to the hotel he had booked.

    She was still somewhat sleepy, a simr feeling to air-sickness when they arrived at the hotel.

    Jepherson, on the other hand, was glum. Bored out of his mind, he could only watch some TV while she slept the whole time.

    An entire day had passed by the time she awoke, and shehad juste out of the shower when Xanthus called. Seeing that Jepherson had taken her phone, she asked who it was, and he repliedXanthus had arrived.

    ¡°Alone?¡±

    Knowing that Xanthus had arrived, Raeleigh began changing. Looking at her sexy figure, Jepherson let out a long breath, feeling sorry for himself.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Jepherson reluctantly suppressed the desire in his chest and quickly changed beforeapanying Raeleigh downstairs to pick up Xanthus.

    When Xanthus got out of the taxi, Jacky followed behind him as she had hoped.

    Jacky was in ck, looking lively.

    ¡°Hey.¡± Raeleigh greeted them; she thought Xanthus had not seen her note.

    Xanthus stood aside, and Raeleigh went to him then held his arm. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He ruffled her hair and followed them into the hotel.

    After entering the hotel, Raeleigh went to a corner to make room for the three men. She knew that there must be something between men that they needed to discuss.

    After Raeleigh sat down, Jepherson told Jacky, ¡°This is the address my mom sent me. You can go there if you want to see Deanna, but I can¡¯t guarantee you¡¯ll get to see her.¡±

    ¡°Although this is not Tambend, I trust in the Whalen family¡¯s ability to protect a person.¡±

    Jacky took the address over and nced at it. ¡°I want to see her.¡±

    Jepherson did not answer him but looked at Raeleigh instead. Thinking that it had nothing to do with him, Xanthus got up and went to bed; he didn¡¯t have a good rest on the ne.

    Seeing that he was nning to take a rest,Raeleigh got up immediately and made the bed for him. ¡°I don¡¯t know why but I keep feeling sleepy on the ne. I couldn¡¯t stop sleeping. You too?¡±

    Xanthus took off his clothes and went under the covers, wanting to sleep. When he heard Raeleigh¡¯s words, he opened his eyes again. ¡°Do a check-up tomorrow. You¡¯re hypersomnic, not sleepy.¡±

    With that, he went to sleep. An average person shouldn¡¯t feel sleepy to that degree.

    Raeleigh agreed to his suggestion and took his clothes away. Then she took all the things in the pockets out before she washed them in the bathroom.

    Jepherson had been speaking to Jacky when he suddenly stood up and walked to the bathroom. Stopping Raeleigh, hesaid, ¡°There¡¯sundry service here, no need for you towash them.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t even this proactive about washing his.

    Raeleigh filled the water and soakedXanthus¡¯s clothes in it. Then, she took out a small bottle ofundry soap she had bought. Even if there was noundry soap, she could still use shampoo, which was better thanundry soap.

    Without turning her head, Raeleigh told Jepherson she didn¡¯t trust those people, so she wanted to do it herself.

    ¡°There are washing machines here,¡± Jepherson couldn¡¯t help reminding her. Raeleigh waved her hand. ¡°No need. It won¡¯t be as good.¡±

    Standing at the door, Jepherson scanned the bathroom before retreating, resigned.

    Jacky stared at Jepherson. ¡°They¡¯re siblings.¡±

    Jepherson nced at Jacky. He needed no reminder.

    Sitting down, Jepherson said, ¡°I can¡¯t help you with this. I can only tell you where they are.¡±

    With the address in his hand, Jacky stood up and went out.

    By the time Raeleigh came out after she was done washing the clothes, Jacky was already gone. She asked Jepherson, ¡°Where is he?¡±

    He nced at the door, and she immediately asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree that we would go first?¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t wait any longer.¡±

    Jepherson nced at the sleeping Xanthus and said, ¡°I¡¯ll call someone overter. Get ready to leave.¡±

    Raeleigh changed her clothes and followed Jepherson to Rayan¡¯s house.

    When they arrived, Jepherson went to the door and pressed the doorbell. Raeleigh stood aside as she looked around, finding a taxi parked not far away.

    It didn¡¯t take long for someone toe out of the vi. He looked at Jepherson in confusion and asked, ¡°May I know who you¡¯re looking for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Jepherson Richards, and I¡¯m here for my parents. They¡¯re in there. Please let them know.¡±

    The other party hesitated for a moment. ¡°Wait a minute.¡±

    Not long after he left, someone opened the door and invited them in.

    Raeleigh observed as she admired the vi. It was indeed beautiful.

    She saw Jenna and Hansen as soon as she entered, but Scarlett or Deanna was nowhere to be seen.

    Worried, she thought they might not be there.

    ¡°Raeleigh, why are you guys here?¡±

    Jenna stood up as soon as she saw Raeleigh. In a dilemma, she didn¡¯t know what to say.

    However, to her surprise, Jepherson had quite the excuse.

 Chapter 1387 Meeting Deanna

    As Jepherson said, he was there for his parents. Jenna was a little puzzled. ¡°We¡¯re doing fine; why would you look for us?¡±

    Jepherson said, ¡°Dad had a fight with Grandmaand took you away whileGrandma went to Grandpa about this, and he was maddened to sickness.¡±

    Raeleigh had to hand it to him; he didn¡¯t even blink when he was lying.

    Jenna turned to look at Hansen. ¡°What should we do?¡±

    Rayan came downstairs. ¡°Are you for real?¡±

    Hansen sneered, ¡°What does it have to do with you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± As Rayan came down, he sized Raeleigh up inadvertently.

    ¡°Raeleigh, this is Mr. Whalen, Zorion and Deanna¡¯s father.¡± Jenna pulled Raeleigh over to introduce her, ¡°Rayan, this is Raeleigh, Jerry¡¯s girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    No matter how good other people¡¯s girlfriends were, he would not show a hint of satisfaction.

    Rayan went to the other side of the sofa and sat down. Looking at Hansen, he asked, ¡°So you came to me to avoid cmity?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you imaginative to think so?¡± Hansen smiled wryly and took a sip of his tea.

    ¡°Raeleigh, take a seat.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t like the way Rayan treated Raeleigh, but it was justifiable. It wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if he already knew what was going on.

    Raeleigh sat down while Jepherson stood beside her. She had a feeling Rayan was not one to be messed with.

    If things went on like that, she wouldn¡¯t know how to tell Rayan she wanted to meet Deanna.

    Meanwhile, Jenna sat by her side, holding her hand the entire time.

    As another person came down,Raeleigh looked up and saw that it was Hannah.

    She was dressed elegantly in light-colored clothes. She was surprised when she walked down, especially when she saw Raeleigh¡¯s gaze.

    Butpared to Rayan¡¯s aloofness, Hannah was much better.

    Hannahwent straight to Raeleigh after descending the stairs. With that, Jenna let go of her hand for Raeleigh to stand up and greeted her, ¡°Hi, Auntie Hannah.¡±

    Only then did Jenna stand up and introduce, ¡°Hannah, this is Jerry¡¯s girlfriend, Raeleigh.¡±

    Hannah sized Raeleigh up andmented, ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful! Jerry sure is lucky.¡±

    Raeleigh bowed her head and looked back up at Hannah.

    Hannah smiled and said, ¡°Go on, have a seat. Make yourself at home.¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh nce at Jepherson. Hannah looked back at him too. ¡°Come, Jerry, sit with us. Don¡¯t let your girlfriend stand with you.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh and Jepherson went to sit together. Then, Hannah and Jenna went to sit down on the other side and talked to each other.

    The topic of conversation was, of course, about their families.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Hannah was saying that Jenna was blessed to have a daughter-inw so early.

    Jenna returned the praise by saying the same.

    But after talking for a long time, they never mentioned Deanna.

    Later, it was Jepherson who brought up Zorion. ¡°Where¡¯s Zorion?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯te over.¡±

    Rayan had been talking to Hansen. When the two were together, they were always against each other. They looked down on each other and couldn¡¯t tolerate each other¡¯s presence. They would even insult each other verbally.

    As they were talking, Rayan suddenly answered Jepherson¡¯s questions and attracted everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Zorion is feeling somewhat under the weather. We only brought Deanna with us.But she¡¯s not limatized and hasn¡¯t been feeling well either, so she¡¯s been in her room.¡±

    Rayan brushed over how his children were doing. He seemed polite and easy-going, but Raeleigh could tell Rayan was one to keep his card closed and difficult to get along with.

    Just like Jormen.

    ¡°Is Deanna still sick?¡± Of course, Jenna knew what was going on, but she had to y dumb.

    ¡°Still a little.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if Scarlette is also here?¡± Raeleigh asked. Although it was a bit abrupt, it would be toote if she didn¡¯t do it right then.

    Hannah was stumped for a moment before she asked Raeleigh, ¡°You know Scarlette?¡±

    ¡°Scarlette used to work for Jepherson. We met in college, and she was supposed to be my bodyguard.I got her message saying she went to find Deanna.She was still in Capital City then, butter, when I went to Zorion about her whereabouts, he said she had left with Deanna. I thought they had gone overseas for vacation, but I didn¡¯t expect they would be here.¡±

    Raeleigh was worried she would be seen through.

    Hannah nced at Rayan and Hansen, who were sitting by the side drinking tea. After some thought, she spoke hesitantly, ¡°Scarlette had long been separated from us; she left not long after we arrived. As for where she went, we don¡¯t know; she didn¡¯t tell us anything.¡±

    Hannah didn¡¯t look like she was lying, so Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to do next.

    Scarlette was one of the Richards family¡¯s people, and she would never hurt Deanna, nor would the Whalen family harm Scarlette anyhow. Moreover, there was Deanna.

    Say Scarlette left; what was her reason?

    Raeleigh needed to see Deanna.

    ¡°Scarlette is pregnant and is going to give birth soon. Why would she leave?¡± Raeleigh found it odd and was worried. ¡°She¡¯s all alone. What will happen to her if she goes intobor?¡±

    Jenna also said, ¡°And the girl grew up like a boy too. How worrying.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s probably fine.¡± Hannah had never thought about the matter before, but Scarlette requested to leave herself; they hadn¡¯t forced her. Deanna also asked her to stay then, but she still left. Hannah didn¡¯t ask the specifics as Scarlette had always been secretive about the baby¡¯s father, and they didn¡¯t want to make things hard for her either. Hence, this. Now Hannah regretted not asking her.

    Hannah stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Deanna what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°Auntie Hannah, I want to go with you. Deanna and I are friends.¡± Raeleigh stood up immediately, and Hannah looked at her. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ve heard of you; Deanna has told me a lot about you. Follow me.¡±

    Seeing that Rayan was unmoved by Hannah taking her up to see Deanna, she feltrelieved.

    Raeleigh followed Hannah upstairs to a room, andHannah knocked on the door before pushing it open.

    Entering the room, she said, ¡°Deanna, look who¡¯s here.¡±

    Raeleigh stood behind Hannah, observing the room as she entered. Itwas pink, and the floor wasyered with a thick carpet. Even if she rolled on the ground, she wouldn¡¯t feel cold. It was great for winter times, but maybe not as great during summer.

    Hannah took a few steps after entering the room, wanting to talk to Deanna, and Raeleigh followed her in and saw Deanna painting on the wall.

    ¡°Deanna.¡±

    Focused on her painting, not believing anyone would be visiting her, it wasn¡¯t until Raeleigh called out that Deanna froze for a second and turned. Seeing it was Raeleigh, she squealed.

    However,Deanna also got Raeleigh surprised. She had put on weight!

 Chapter 1388 Unable to Move

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡± Deanna was so excited that she almost ran to her. Frightened, Raeleigh said hurriedly, ¡°Don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll go to you.¡±

    Deanna was surprisingly obedient, standing in ce.

    The two of them hugged as Raeleigh walked to her. Although they weren¡¯t as close as best friends, words could not express the joy of reuniting after a long separation.

    Hannah did not go to them but stood by the door instead. She hopped for her daughter to experience a friendship like Jenna and hers. However, she did not know if Deanna would be as fortunate.

    Hannah quietly left the room and went downstairs.

    After greeting Deanna, Raeleigh sat down on Deanna¡¯s bed, andDeanna immediately told her about her recent life, only eating and sleeping, being treated like a baby.

    Humored, Raeleigh teased, ¡°I do have to say, you look good chubby.¡±

    ¡°Well, excuse you. Easier said than done. Now that I¡¯m fat, I¡¯m worried Jacky won¡¯t like me anymore. Look at me.¡±

    It was true that Deanna had gained weight, but she did not look bad. However,to Deanna, it was a horrifying truth.

    ¡°No way, I don¡¯t think Jacky¡¯s that kind of person. If he stopped loving you just because you gained weight, what¡¯s the point for you to continue loving him?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face was all tenderness as she faced Deanna, feeling rxed and envious of her sometimes.

    How could she not envy a clean, clear-cut rtionship like Deanna¡¯s?

    It was nice to have a straightforward rtionship and not have to put on pretense. She suddenly thought she should also be like Deanna and admit she liked Jepherson.

    Perhaps, it was a good thing.

    ¡°Deanna, it¡¯s my first time here. Can you take me out?¡± Raeleigh asked. Although it was a little risky, she had to bite the bullet and do it as she had already made a promise.

    Deanna appeared to be in a dilemma; she shook her head and said, ¡°I mean, what if the people out there try to hurt me because they¡¯re jealous of my beauty? Besides, I¡¯m not familiar with the ce either.¡±

    ording to Deanna, she only went out of the house three times since arriving here. The first time was for a meal, the second was a breath of fresh air at their doorstep, and thest time was to see Scarlette out.

    Thinking of Scarlette, Deanna said, ¡°Raeleigh, there¡¯s something I want to tell you.¡±

    Deanna thought there should be no secrets between them since they were good friends.

    ¡°What is it?¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    ¡°It¡¯s about Scarlette.¡± Deanna felt sad just thinking about it, but she would feel even worse if she did not tell Raeleigh now.

    ¡°Do you know where she is?¡± Raeleigh asked,having a feeling Deanna knew of Scarlette¡¯s whereabouts.

    Deanna nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve always known where she is; only Mother doesn¡¯t. I begged Dad to hide her away.¡±

    What Deanna said was more and more confusing. Raeleigh asked, ¡°What on earth is going on?¡±

    ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t tell it to others. I never told anyone but you. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Did something happen to her?¡±

    Deanna nodded, her heart aching.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I take you to her.¡±

    Deanna stood up. She didn¡¯t look like a pregnant woman at first nce, but the longer you look, you¡¯ll notice her pregnancy.

    She took out an overcoat from her wardrobe, put it on, and walked toward the door.

    Raeleigh followed behind Deanna. She was surprised to find that Deanna could walk around at will, thinking she was on house arrest.

    Deanna descended the stairs like a princess. When she saw that there were many people, she immediately greeted them. ¡°Auntie Jenna, Uncle Hansen.¡±

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re looking great today.¡±

    Their greetings had always been so, never changing, and she was used to it.

    ¡°Jepherson.¡± Deanna then greeted Jepherson, and he replied bluntly, ¡°You¡¯ve gained weight.¡±

    Deanna chuckled. ¡°Like a pig.¡±

    ¡°How could you, Deanna?¡± Her daughter was and would always be beautiful to Hannah. She was just a little chubby, not fat.

    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t. Dad, can I go out?¡± Rayan looked at his daughter; he would even get her stars if she asked for them, let alone head out. Moreover, no one knew who they were in that foreignnd.

    ¡°Stay safe,¡± Rayan said. Hannah couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Rayan, how could you¡­¡±

    ¡°Deanna¡¯s friend is here, and they want to go out. It¡¯s safe here.¡±

    Rayan said directly. Hannah looked at her daughter and then at her husband. She knew it; her husband loved to spoil their daughter. She had no choice but to let Deanna leave.

    ¡°Stay safe, and don¡¯t get into trouble.¡±

    Hannah got up and went to the door at that, nagging them to be safe, still somewhat worried.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with them.¡± Jepherson stood up. Hannah was relieved. ¡°Please do. With Jerry around¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want Jepherson to follow us. I want to be alone with Raeleigh.¡± Deanna was afraid of letting him in on anything, so she said hurriedly.

    But Hannah was not happy about it, saying, ¡°Deanna, you have to listen. If you go out with Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just going somewhere nearby; nothing will happen. I¡¯ll ask some men to follow them,¡± Rayan said, but Hannah retorted, ¡°You know nothing but spoil her; you¡¯ll regret it someday.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Why would I? My daughter is fine. Go ahead. Stay safe, don¡¯t be so reckless.¡±

    Rayan smiled, face all gentle.

    ted, Deanna looked at her mother and giggled before she left.

    Raeleigh followed behind and let Deanna get into the car before she did. Once they were in, Deanna said, ¡°This car is bulletproof, and it can withstand a hit from a truck. It¡¯s amazing.¡±

    ¡°It sure is.¡±

    Raeleigh was too worried to talk to her now.

    She didn¡¯t know what had happened to Scarlette.

    The car had been going around in circles since it left the Whalen¡¯s vi. When they finally arrived, Raeleigh could seeit was a sanatorium from within the car.

    Deanna asked the driver to drive into the sanatorium.After the car pulled over, Raeleigh followed Deanna in but felt off the further they went.

    ¡°Deanna, what in the world is going on?¡±

    Deanna was doing fine until Raeleigh asked, unable to stop herself from tearing up. Wiping her tears, she said,¡°Scarlette lost her child.¡±

    She had lost her child?

    Raeleigh stopped in her tracks and looked at Deanna. ¡°How?¡±

    Deanna pursed her lips. ¡°The doctor checked and found the fetus was dead, but they don¡¯t know why. If she did not take the baby out, she would die too. I tried to persuade her, but she refused to listen. She insisted on giving birth to her child. The doctors agreed to an operation to get the baby out. She dragged it out as long as she could, and she ended up sick after the operation.¡±

    Deanna sobbed as she exined, and Raeleigh froze in ce, unable to move.

 Chapter 1389 She Regretted

    Raeleigh¡¯s legs turned to jelly when she saw Scarlette. She was all alone in an empty room, sitting in a wheelchair with her arms on the armrest. The white-blue id hospital gown looked exceptionally ring; Scarlette¡¯s appearance shocked her.

    ¡°Scarlette,¡± Raeleigh called out as she walked toward her. Scarlette jumped a little but quickly went unresponsive.

    Raeleigh squatted in front of her, grabbing the wheelchair, teary.

    Scarlette looked at Raeleigh with her pale, thin face, trembling slightly.

    Deanna stood beside them, tears flowing like a never-ending waterfall. Finally unable to hold herself back, Raeleigh sobbed.

    Scarlette¡¯s lips trembled. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Raeleigh could do nothing but cry. Looking at Scarlette, never had she imagined this would happen to her.

    ¡°If I knew this would happen, I would not have let you go no matter what.¡±

    Raeleigh choked with sobs. Scarlette held Raeleigh¡¯s hands as tears started pooling in her eyes and quickly streamed down. ¡°The doctor said my baby was long dead. I just didn¡¯t realize it.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°How is that possible?¡±

    ¡°I have been active all my life,so I¡¯ve been careless about my pregnancy, thinking I was in good health.¡± Scarlette pursed her lips and held Raeleigh¡¯s hand tightly.

    ¡°Oh, you foolish girl.Your child may be gone; you can still have another one. I also had a miscarriage, but I still managed to ovee it.¡±

    She was once there herself, and she knew how painful the experience was. However, she lost her child in the early stages of her pregnancy; she couldn¡¯t even feel her baby, unparalleled to Scarlette¡¯s pain.

    Scarlette shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s my fau< this is my karma. I never learned to cherish. Sometimes, I''d threaten Hadrian with the baby when I got angry, telling him I''d kill his child if he forced me again. I really said such horrible things... Really..."     Scarlette started sobbing, and Raeleigh immediately got up to hug her, consoling. Deanna was sobbing too.     In actuality, Deanna had never dared toe. When she first learned of Scarlette''s misfortune, she nearly miscarried. But she was only fine because of her father''s protection.     Seeing that Deanna was bing short of breath as she cried, Raeleigh immediately left Scarlette''s side and went over to hug Deanna and guide her over to sit down.     "Don''t cry.Please don''t cry," Raeleighforted Deanna, and she finally stopped crying.     As Deanna sniffled, Scarlette''s tears gradually stopped. Wiping her tears, Scarlette said, "What''s there to cry about? You guys, on the other hand, started crying the moment you came. I''m not even crying anymore.     Raeleigh knew Scarlette was heartbroken, but this was something she had to face sooner orter.     Deanna felt ufortable andid down on the bed on her side. Worried something might happen to her, Raeleigh sat next to her and checked her pulse.     Being around Xanthus, she learned a little medical knowledge.     After her ufortableness was gone, Deanna stared at Raeleigh and asked, "Raeleigh, are you training to be a doctor?"     Raeleigh heaved a sigh of relief; all things aside, Deanna was optimistic.     "I know a thing or two. Deanna, you need to stop letting your emotions get the best of you. Otherwise, your child will be born ugly."     Of course, Raeleigh was deliberately scaring Deanna. However, she took it to heart and immediately held her belly. "No way it will."     "Don''t cry then." With that, she let go of her hand and looked toward Scarlette. Scarlette pursed her lips and hid her sadness away. Forcing a smile, she asked, "Why are you here? Is Jacky here too?"     Hearing Jacky''s name, Deanna sprung up from the bed and stared at Raeleigh, "Jacky''s here?"     Raeleigh did not answer but looked at Scarlette, "What are you going to do?"     "I''m doing well here. I''m staying."     Scarlette looked determined; Raeleigh frowned and said, "The child is gone, but you can still have another one. You can''t..."     "The doctors said they aren''t sure whether my legs will recover. I don''t want to be a burden to anyone, nor do I want to see Hadrian."     She was ashamed to face him again.     "Scarlette, you..."     "Don''t. I don''t want to be sad anymore," Scarlette said resolutely. Raeleigh didn''t know what else to say, but she didn''t want to go back right then either.     She turned to Deanna. "Deanna, I want to stay here and apany Scarlette. Please tell Uncle Rayan for me."     Deanna took out her phone and called her father without hesitation. After the call got through to Rayan, she exchanged a few words with him before she hung up. Raeleigh sat down and looked at Scarlette. "How do you get by here?"     "They have nurses here who are all very good to me."     Scarlette was slowly getting used to the present; she had calmed down and was talking like normal. Raeleigh took a look outside. It was freezing; Scarlette wouldn''t be able to leave either.     Raeleigh looked around and said, "Scarlette, you can''t stay here alone in the long run. I want to take you to my house. Are you willing to go with me?"     Scarlette looked at Raeleigh and asked, "Your home?"     "My parent''s ce. You should know, it''s the one my grandma lives in."     Scarlette was still a little unfamiliar, but she still had a vague memory of it.     "I won''t go," she said. "I won''t go to anyone''s ce;I think it''s nice here. I have enough savings to cover."     "Scarlette..."     "Raeleigh, I want to retain some of my dignity. You know I don''t want to live under someone else''s roof. I''ve always been serving the Richards family, so I''m unwilling to have someone serve me instead. I''m already used to my life."     "There is still a possibility of treatment for how you are now. But if you refuse to walk around, your muscles will atrophy, and it''ll be toote then."     With that, Deanna exined, "The doctors said it''s not a medical ident; she''spletely alright. Her mentality is preventing her from standing up."     Stumped, Raeleigh turned to Scarlette, "Why are you so stubborn?"     "Stop talking or leave."     Scarlette refused to leave with Raeleigh no matter how, and seeing that she couldn''t talk some sense into her right then, Raeleigh said nothing more.     After sitting down, Raeleigh observed the room; it was rtively clean. Sometimeter, Jacky popped up in her mind, and she turned to Deanna, "Deanna, are there many men in your house here?"     "Yeah, they are all protecting me."     "What about when you sleep at night?" Raeleigh asked. Deanna looked smug. "I sleep alone, but I haven''t stayed here before, so I want to sleep here with you guys tonight."     "Deanna, there''s only one bed here," Raeleigh reminded. However, Deanna only shuffled closer and said, "I want to stay here regardless. If anything, I can ask someone to send me a bed."     In the end, Deanna really sent someone to bring over a bed.     Looking at the bed, Raeleigh felt a headache.     Raeleigh persuaded Deanna again and again without any sess of changing her mind. However, when night fell,Deanna regretted it.     The three of them sleptte that night. After the lights switched off, Deanna slept on her small bed with a curtain separating her and the other two. Bothered, Deanna said, "Are you guys sharing secrets? Tell me."     Raeleigh didn''t say anything but onlyy in bed and waited. The lights were switched off; it was almost time, and just as she thought so, the door opened.

 Chapter 1390 Hiding

    Scarlette trained her whole life, so she had an acute hearing. The moment the door moved, she looked in that direction. However, Raeleigh grabbed her hand, and she looked at her in turn. Raeleigh didn¡¯t speak up immediately, but she could sense her calm breathing in the dark. Looking at the curtain, she finally understood what was going on.

    After closing the door, Jacky nced at the entrance. Deanna¡¯s breathing was different from the others. Furthermore, when he entered, he had heard her talking.

    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, why aren¡¯t you two talking? Are you guys already asleep? Or are you exchanging secrets?¡± Unable to fall asleep, Deannasat up. When she was about to get out of bed, the curtains separating them moved, and a figure entered. Thinking it was Raeleigh, she muttered, ¡°Oh, now youe.¡±

    The figure didn¡¯t say anything. Deanna frowned and looked in the figure¡¯s direction.It took her a long time to figure out it was Jacky, but before she could react, he sealed her lips with a kiss, not allowing her to speak.

    ¡°Mm¡­¡±

    It wasn¡¯t until Deanna opened her mouth thatJacky retreated. Deanna immediately called out, ¡°Jac-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk. Let me look at you.¡±

    Just like that, he looked at the tear-streaked face in the dark. Deanna felt absolutely aggrieved, as if she had been abandoned.

    After taking off his jacket, he sat on the bed and pulled her into his arms, hands over her belly while she sobbed like a child.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Be a good girl, or someone will discover us.¡±

    She immediately stopped crying at that, but she was still sad, sniffling.

    ¡°Jacky, I miss you so much. Why didn¡¯t youe and see me?¡±

    He hugged her tightly and said, ¡°How can I when I can¡¯t find you?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    Upset, Scarlette didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry.She was probably experiencing the saddest moment of her life.The two of them were sharing an intimate moment while she and Raeleigh were on the other side, third-wheeling. Deanna wouldn¡¯t sleep alone no matter what and look at the situation they were stuck in. How infuriating.

    Raeleigh, on the other hand, was quite at ease; she turned over and leaned against the side. It was gettingte,time to rest.

    Scarlette had to hand it to her; she couldn¡¯t believe Raeleigh was able to sleep in a moment like that.

    Not long after Raeleigh fell asleep, Scarlette also heartlessly fell asleep while the other two hugged the entire night.

    When Raeleigh got up in the morning, Jacky slept on the opposite bed with Deanna in his arms; she coughed, waking them up.

    Opening his eyes, Jacky looked at Raeleigh. ¡°I should go.¡±

    Hearing that, Deanna immediately sat up and grabbed Jacky¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°No, I won¡¯t let you leave. What am I to do if you leave?¡±

    ¡°Deanna, be a good girl.¡±

    Jacky¡¯s words gave Scarlette the goosebumps. Could he not?

    Scarlette put on her clothes and sat on the bed. When she was about to say something, someone knocked on the door.Leading Deanna to look at the door,then the person at the door said, ¡°Do you need my help, Scarlette?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the nurse,¡± she said to them before turning to the nurse, ¡°I¡¯m good. My friend is here; she can help me.Please bring me some breakfast. My friend has a big appetite, so please bring more.¡±

    Scarlette looked at the door. Jacky sat up and waited until the nurse left to hold Deanna¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°I¡¯lle again tonight.¡±

    ¡°No way.¡±

    Deanna was scared; she did not want to be separated from Jacky. So no matter what Jacky said, she would not agree.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°If you genuinely don¡¯t want to be separated from him, be quiet for a while. Jacky, you can stay if you don¡¯t have to absolutely leave. Scarlette and I will be here this whole time; no one wille in, but your time is limited. You should know that it¡¯s not necessarily that you have not been discovered but that Mr. Whalen probably deliberately let you in.¡±

    There were so many people around; there was no way he wasn¡¯t noticed.

    Jacky nced outside and thought for a moment, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll stay for today then.¡±

    Hearing that Jacky was going to stay, Deanna happily pulled Jacky over from the bed. ¡°Jacky, let¡¯s sleep for a while.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure, sleep,¡± Scarlette said contemptuously.

    Deanna opened her eyes and nced at her. ¡°It¡¯s freezing outside. What else are we supposed to do if not sleep?¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be eating in a short while. If you don¡¯t get up now, what are you going to do when the nursees over with food?¡± Scarlette said, hard-hitting. Only then did Deanna get out of bed and pull up Jacky as well, walking straight to the bathroom.

    After watching them go in, Raeleigh went to take care of Scarlette. To Scarlette, so be it that she was paralyzed, but Raeleigh still thought it was her fault.

    After helping Scarlette to the wheelchair, she felt her feet andmented, ¡°Your feet sure are cold!¡±

    With that, she rubbed Scarlette¡¯s feet immediately. When she brought her legs over the night before, Scarlette said she felt weirded out, so she could only withdraw. In the end, she was bothered by it the entire night, unable to sleep.

    Raeleigh knew very well that two sets of heaters in the room were not enough for such a cold day. Scarlette was alone, and her room didn¡¯t even have any warmth. If it went on like that, even if her legs could recover, her peripheral nerves would atrophy and necrosis. That wouldn¡¯t do.

    Raeleigh wore a terrible look and kept rubbing Scarlette¡¯s feet with her hands.

    ¡°No need to be like this. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Scarlette pushed Raeleigh, but she pushed Scarlette¡¯s hand away in turn, saying firmly, ¡°If you won¡¯t go with me, I will tell Hadrian what happened to you. If you don¡¯t think it¡¯s convenient for me to take care of you, you¡¯re just telling me Hadrian is.¡±

    Raeleigh was never one to threaten, but if she were truly driven into a corner, she would.

    Scarlette¡¯s hands froze. She took it back, asking, clenching it in a fist, ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    Raeleigh did not look up but continued rubbing Scarlette¡¯s foot. ¡°Consider yourself unlucky that you met me. If threatening works, I will.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, must you force me? I¡¯m doing well here. Why are you doing this?¡±

    Scarlette didn¡¯t want to go back, no matter how. It didn¡¯t matter that she was there; it wasn¡¯t too bad.

    ¡°If you really are, you wouldn¡¯t be like this. It is freezing out there, and your hands and feet are cold. Do you want to die?¡±

    Raeleigh was so angry that she was on the verge of crying. Scarlette pressed her lips together, not saying a word.

    Someone knocked on the door. Raeleigh stood up and went to open it, bringing breakfast in. She eyeballed it and felt reassured, seeing it was enough for all of them.

    After the nurse left, Raeleigh put the food down and went to the bathroom. She knocked on the door to call the two of them out. Then she fetched a basin of hot water, helped Scarlette wash up, and asked the two lovebirds to have breakfast before she went into the bathroom.

    She only washed up when the others ate.

 Chapter 1391 Forever

    Jacky kept staring at Deanna as she sat down to eat. Even Scarlette felt embarrassed, thinking about how shameless they were.

    ¡°Save some for Raeleigh, or she¡¯ll have nothing when shees out.¡±

    Scarlette ced the chicken to one side, refusing to let Deanna eat anymore.

    ¡°You are so stingy.¡±

    Although Deanna was not happy, she was not picky with her food. She could eat other dishes than chicken.

    Fine then.

    Jacky didn¡¯t eat anything and waited for Raeleigh toe out. He couldn¡¯t help but pinch Deanna¡¯s chubby face.

    Scarlette pretended not to see, waiting for Raeleigh too.

    ¡°Did you fall into the toilet?¡± Scarlette immediately red daggers at Raeleigh when she came out.

    Raeleigh wiped her hands. ¡°I asked you to eat first, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Scarlette rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re my guest. How can I eat without you?¡±

    Raeleigh said in amusement, ¡°You the host now, huh? Is this room your home?¡±

    ¡°I intend to get some money. When I buy this ce down, it¡¯llbe mine.¡± Scarlette sounded convincing, picking up her cutleries to eat. Raeleigh sat down, ignoring her. Even if Scarlette had the money, she knew Scarlette wouldn¡¯t actually do it.

    After eating, Raeleigh pushed Scarlette out for a walk. Deanna wanted to tag along; frowning, she said, ¡°I want to go too.¡±

    ¡°That is if you can leave.¡± Scarlette was rude, and her tone was cold. Deanna twitched her lips and said, ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, aren¡¯t we friends? How can you say that?¡±

    ¡°What am I supposed to say then?You¡¯re as round as a ball, and you still want to go out? Aren¡¯t you afraid of beingughed at? You¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. We¡¯re leaving. You two stay.¡± Raeleigh did not wait for Scarlette to finish her words and pushed her out the door. Deanna puffed out her cheeks and said, ¡°I hate you, Scarlette!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one. Get in line.¡±

    Raeleigh surrendered. Couldn¡¯t Scarlette back down from an argument?

    After leaving the room, Raeleigh wandered outside for a bit as she pushed Scarlette, but it was freezing, so she brought Scarlette to a nursing unit. That way, they could chat, and they¡¯d be warmer. The reason she pushed Scarlette out was to give the two lovers some space.

    Raeleigh sat down and gave Scarlette a heat pack, but she refused, so Raeleigh simplybent over and put it under her feet, then covered her with a quilt.

    After that, she leaned against the wall, silent. If Scarlette didn¡¯t want to talk, she wouldn¡¯t either.

    They sat in silence just like that. Scarlette couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Do you honestly want to bring me back?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I have to take you back.There¡¯s actually another option.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t look at her; it was useless to talk about it nor look at her at that point. If Scarlette agreed to go back with her, anything and everything was negotiable, but if Scarlette refused, everything would be off the table.

    Everything wasid in front of them, and neither of them were fools.Why should she waste her breath?

    Seeing that Raeleight fell silent, Scarlette began wavering.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to go back with you. If I go back with you in my current state, wouldn¡¯t that be¡­¡±

    ¡°Any excuses are useless. The conditions here are not good. Although it¡¯s not bad, there are still in a foreignnd. We don¡¯t speak theirnguage, so what are you going to do if something happens to you?¡±

    ¡°The reason people here treat you well is because of Mr. Whalen; they¡¯ve been paid. If one day, the nurses here left, and so did Mr. Whalen and Deanna, what are you to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never thought about it before.I only want to get on with my life here.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already lost your legs, and you still want to get on with your life? Scarlette, stop lying to yourself. If you don¡¯t want to stand up, at least consider Hadrian. If Hadrian can¡¯t find you, he will keep looking for you. Are you going to let Hadrian look for you forever?¡±

    ¡°What else am I supposed to do then? The child is gone, and it¡¯s my fault. Am I supposed to tell him the child is gone? I know how much he had been looking forward to meeting this child, but how can I face him now?¡±

    ¡°I was the one who gave up Hadrian. I was always kicking up a fuss, leaving in the end, and even lost our baby in the process.¡±

    Scarlette roared, and when Raeleigh looked over, she was already crying.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    With that, she wiped Scarlette¡¯s tears away and said,¡°There is no use crying; it won¡¯t solve any problems.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that there¡¯s a problem with your legs, butyou refuse to stand. You heard Deanna, your legs are fine, but if you don¡¯t get up, nobody can help you.¡±

    Facing Scarlette, Raeleigh¡¯s only felt heartbreak. She didn¡¯t even know how to tell Jepherson.

    When Scarlette first went to Deanna, she was aware of it.

    Now that Scarlette had be like this, how should she exin it?

    Scarlette was one of the Richards family¡¯s people, after all. Though she was adopted, she must be different from others to be able to join the family.

    Jepherson never said it, but she was a sister to him.

    Raeleigh racked her brains, not because of what she wanted to do with Scarlette but to bring her back and help her stand up again.

    However, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything if Scarlette wouldn¡¯t cooperate.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk more about this;I only feel distressed seeing you like this. I have no objection if you want to live here by yourself, but I don¡¯t want you to stay paralyzed forever.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve had a child before, and I lost it too. I know the pain of it, but I¡¯m still alive and well. I have my grandmother to take care of and a family to look after. I can¡¯t live only for myself.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette, you¡¯re too selfish,¡± Raeleigh thundered, upset.

    Scarlette was quiet for some time before she said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. So what if I am selfish? I don¡¯t want anybody to care about me; it is up to me whether I live or die.¡±

    No matter what Raeleigh said, Scarlette wouldn¡¯t listen. Resigned, Raeleigh shut up.

    ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s your choice whether you want to listen. But you have to leave with me; end of discussion.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was resolute, and Scarlette looked to her, saying, ¡°You¡¯re crossing the line.¡±

    ¡°This is me. I am who I am, even from when you first met me. It¡¯s just that you don¡¯t know me,¡± Raeleigh said bluntly. She turned to stare into Scarlette¡¯s eyes, but Scarlette didn¡¯t dare look into hers, her head hung low, silent.

    They sat for a few hours, and it was almost time for lunch. Worried that Deanna and Jacky would be exposed, Raeleigh pushed Scarlette back.

    As they went back, Scarlette asked, ¡°Why do you care about me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten you were once there for me too.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to exin more, but she knew some friends were forever.

    Sometimes, friends were more important than lovers.

 Chapter 1392 Let It Slide

    When Raeleigh and Scarlette reached her room and were about to enter, they heard Deanna moaning, and Raeleigh¡¯s face flushed in an instant, then pushed Scarlette in the opposite direction. ¡°What a nuisance,¡± Scarlette huffed.

    Raeleigh lowered her head to look at Scarlette and suggested, ¡°Where¡¯s the cafeteria?¡±

    Scarlette looked up in turn. ¡°Can you not be so corny?¡±

    ¡°Am I really that corny?¡±

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes at Scarlette and went to fix her nket, worried that she was feeling cold.

    ¡°Yes. So corny that¡­ that¡­¡±

    Raeleigh burst intoughter at Scarlette¡¯s upset.

    ¡°Now tell me where the cafeteria is;I feel cold.¡±

    ¡°Up ahead, but it isn¡¯t a cafeteria; it¡¯s a restaurant,¡± Scarlette said while rolling her eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡±

    ¡°How are they the same?¡± Scarlette refuted, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to argue further. She pushed her to the restaurant and had their lunch there, then brought some food back for the two lovebirds. Raeleigh suddenly felt pressured; what if they weren¡¯t done yet?

    Biting the bullet, Raeleigh walked toward the room and saw Jepherson standing right outside the door. She was stumped for a moment before she pushed Scarlette over. On the other hand, Scarlette panicked, afraid for Jepherson to see her, but she had nowhere to hide as it was already toote.

    Standing face to face, Jepherson didn¡¯t react much when he saw Raeleigh, but the same couldn¡¯t be said when he saw Scarlette.

    ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    His voice was cold, andScarlette immediately lowered her head, not daring to speak.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question.¡± His voice wasn¡¯t loud, but it was sub-zero, enough to pierce Scarlette¡¯s heart. Terrified, her hands began sweating, still not daring to look at him.

    Meanwhile, his face only grew colder by the second. After a long time, he looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°You say it.¡±

    Raeleigh took a nce at Scarlette before telling him everything. After hearing the whole story, he sped his hands behind his back, closed his eyes, and drew deep breaths.

    Then, he turned around, went to Scarlette¡¯s room, and pushed the door open. Raeleigh¡¯s heart pounded, horrified, and subconsciously looked into the room. Inside, Jacky was sitting in front of Deanna until he saw Jepherson and stood up.

    As there were many people outside, Deanna rushed to close the door.On seeing Raeleigh and Scarlette, she called them in.

    Raeleigh pushed Scarlette into the room. After closing the door, Deanna patted her chest hastily, repeating, ¡°That was a close call!¡±

    Raeleigh stood at the door, unable to wrap her head around the fact that the Whalens were a shrewd and capable bunch, but Deanna was the exact opposite.

    ¡°Come here now.¡±

    Raeleigh felt a little strange when she saw Jepherson making a call, but he only spoke once before he hung up immediately.

    Something would happen to him at some point; there was no way he¡¯d be unscathed. Moreover, being the president of apany, he would be bound tohave a n. But whoever Jepherson called, Raeleigh didn¡¯t ask.

    After pushing Scarlette into the room, Raeleigh took the food from her and set it down. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you wereing; why didn¡¯t you call me before you came?¡±

    Aggravated, Jepherson said,¡°You didn¡¯t call to tell me you wouldn¡¯t be going back.¡±

    In other words, he was upset.

    Disconste, she thought he was unreasonable, sulking over such a small matter.

    She only let it slide, seeing that he was still a patient who hadn¡¯t recoveredpletely.

    ¡°Eat some then. The food should be enough for the three of you; if not, I¡¯ll get more.¡±

    Raeleigh took out the food and set the utensils.Deanna was long starving,so she hurriedly sat down and took a bite; it was delicious. She looked at Jacky and asked, ¡°Jacky, aren¡¯t you eating?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll eat itter.¡±

    Jacky sat by her side but didn¡¯t touch his set of cutleries.

    Only when Raeleigh handed Jepherson a set of cutleries that he took it and sat down to eat.

    Throughout the meal, Deanna was the only one talking; the others, silent.

    After the meal, Jepherson looked at the time and said to Deanna, ¡°I¡¯m staying here today. Raeleigh and I will share a room.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll share a room with Jacky.¡± Deanna blurted out, afraid of being separated.

    Scarlette pursed her lips; she was left alone.

    ¡°You sleep alone; I¡¯m staying with Scarlette. She needs someone to take care of her; I can¡¯t leave her alone at a time like this.¡±

    Raeleigh said immediately, but Scarlette disagreed, ¡°I can take care of myself. I¡¯ve been doing so before you came. Ask Deanna if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Blinking twice, Deanna rebutted,¡°But your situation is getting worse.¡±

    Infuriated, Scarlette rolled her eyes at her and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Deanna thought for a moment and said, ¡°How about this, Raeleigh and I apany you. Let Jacky and Jepherson stay next door. That way, no one will know who Jacky is.¡±

    Scarlette was rendered speechless. What logic was that?

    ¡°No need, I¡¯ll stay and take care of Scarlette. Your time is limited, so don¡¯t stay here. The room next door is empty, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s warm inside.¡±

    Raeleigh was still a little worried. In all honesty, she thought where they were was not as warm as Tambend. Not only was it cold outside, but also in the room.

    ¡°The room next door is warm. There used to be two upants; they left after they healed. It had been vacant since. I can get the person in charge to sort it out.¡± Deanna was very familiar withall that was going around in the sanatorium; there was nothing she didn¡¯t know.

    With that, Raeleigh turned to Scarlette and said,¡°In that case, I¡¯ll stay and take care of you. Deanna and Jacky can go to the other room.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Deanna wondered if she should agree to the arrangement while Raeleigh had already decided and turned to Jepherson. ¡°You stay here too. You can sleepon the opposite bed;I¡¯ll change the sheets for you.If anything happens to you at night, I can take care of you too.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson doesn¡¯t need to be taken care of,¡± Deanna said, but Jacky tugged on her and said, ¡°It¡¯s their business.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Deanna leaned against Jacky like a child, her face filled with happiness.

    It was a world of differencepared to the sweat-covered Scarlette on a wheelchair.

    Raeleigh walked to Scarlette¡¯s side, facing her as she sat down. ¡°Scarlette, have a rest first.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Scarlette was afraid of Jepherson, especially his pair of eyes. So whatever Raeleigh said, she would oblige as long as she didn¡¯t have to face him.

    Going back to bed, Scarlette pulled on her nket and soon fell asleep.

    Raeleigh tucked her in before turning to Jepherson and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep all night?¡±

    Jepherson did not reply, sulking.

    She had no idea whether he was upset because she didn¡¯t call him or that he saw what happened to Scarlette.

    But she decided to let it slide, seeing that he was still sick.

 Chapter 1393 Cursing Madam Marissa

    Raeleigh changed a new set of sheets for Jepherson, ignoring that he was acting like a king. When she was done, she called him over, and he went to lie down without taking off his shoes.

    The others were still in the room, andRaeleigh didn¡¯t know whether he did it on purpose. Regardless, she didn¡¯t know how to react to what he did.

    However, she still took off his shoes and ced them on the ground before tucking his feet in like she was serving a master. When Raeleigh was done, she turned to look at him only to find his eyes already shut.

    Deanna pulled Raeleigh away warily, ¡°Raeleigh, you treat Jepherson like this. He has gone too far, and he¡¯s not a child either. Why should you take off his shoes?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s tired.¡±

    Raeleigh had always thought nobody would understand her feelings. If she decided to love someone, she could give everything.

    It didn¡¯t mean that she¡¯d be lowly. In fact, she was d; at least she was able to ept and to love. Better than what Scarlette was doing.

    She thought Deanna was holding on to too many fixations while Scarlette¡¯s insistence was absolutely meaningless.

    Apart from life and love, perhaps a simple life was what they needed.

    It would be better if they did notpete or hold back.

    ¡°But you still can¡¯t do that even so. Zorion will take off his shoes no matter how tired he is.¡± Deanna felt bad for her. Raeleigh looked over at Jacky to find his head lowered, carrying a hint of ridicule.

    He tugged on Deanna and said, ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯ll take you to another room.¡±

    ¡°There are people outside.Maybe we should go at night.¡± Deanna was genuinely fearful. Who knew if her father did it on purpose? What if her father didn¡¯t? What if they were caught?

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I had a look just now. The people outside are far away; they can¡¯t see us.¡±

    He had indeed done a quick check, but he wasn¡¯t sure if Rayan knew he was therebutpurposely sent his people away or that Rayan didn¡¯t want to disturb his daughter and had them only stationed outside. Jacky faced a little troubleing in, but he didn¡¯t see any of Rayan¡¯s men aftering in.

    Deanna blinked. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±

    After that, Jacky took Deanna away. Raeleigh closed the door and looked at Jepherson, who was fast asleep. It looked like he did not rest wellst night.

    She then turned to check on Scarlette; she was also fast asleep.

    There were only two beds in the room. Raeleigh moved the curtain in the middle away so that it¡¯d be easier for her to take care of the both of them.

    The table still hadn¡¯t been cleared, so she got down to it, bringing the tes and cutleries to the bathroom to clean with hot water before putting them aside. Seeing they were still fast asleep when she came back out, she sat down at Scarlette¡¯s bed to warm her feet.

    But just as she sat, Jepherson called to her, ¡°Come and sleep.¡±

    With that, she got up and filled a hot-water bottle, and put it under her feet to warm them up. After tucking her in, she went to lie down next to him.

    The bed was a little small for two; sheid down on her side, facing Scarlette, while heturned over and held her in his arms, the two of them snug underneath the covers.

    Resting her head on Jepherson¡¯s arm, she said, ¡°I want to bring Scarlette back to my parent¡¯s ce. Don¡¯t tell Hadrian about this for now.¡±

    Jepherson had his eyes closed as he said nothing.

    She then added, ¡°Everything takes time to adapt.¡±

    However, he still said nothing. Raeleigh turned over to look, only to be rendered speechless. He was truly fast asleep, and she resigned, unsure of whether tough or cry.

    She turned back around and fell asleep around two or three, but the coldness quickly woke her up.It was freezing.

    She then gingerly got out of bed, tucked Jepherson in before putting on her clothes, and brought the tes and cutleries to the restaurant.

    She then went to ask for a heater.It wasn¡¯t until she plugged it in that she thought the room was much warmer.

    While the other two were still sleeping, Raeleigh stared at the door, spacing out. Scarlette had long awoken, but she was too afraid to move. She was horrified by Mr. Jepherson¡¯s silence.

    If it were Mr. Santiago, they¡¯d be packing up by now, but Mr. Jepherson was silent the entire time, and she found this side of him intimidating as she didn¡¯t know what he was nning.

    She then sat up, no longer able to stay lying. Seeing so, Raeleigh got up to pour her a ss of water. ¡°Drink some.¡±

    Scarlette shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty.¡±

    ¡°Are you not thirsty or afraid of going to the bathroom?¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on her and she took the cup, ¡°Busybody.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t drink up, your body won¡¯t stand it. It¡¯s freezing here; you should drink more hot water.¡±

    Raeleigh sat down and looked at Scarlette while she lowered her head in turn, asking, ¡°How is it that Mr. Jepherson is still asleep?¡±

    Raeleigh looked back at Jepherson and assumed, ¡°He¡¯s probably worn out.¡±

    Scarlette looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Why are you so lowly in front of him? I thought you don¡¯t like him anymore.¡±

    She thought she must¡¯ve gone crazy to have said such things to Raeleigh. If Mr. Jepherson heard it, it would be the end of her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m lowly. He treats me well, just that he has a bad temper at times and can be rather unreasonable. But other than that, he¡¯s nice.¡±

    ¡°You call that nice?¡±

    She did not understand. ¡°I came in here not too long ago. How have you guys already made up?¡±

    ¡°He went far and beyond to have me back. I¡¯d be heartless if I don¡¯t treat him nicer.¡±

    Scarlette looked over at Jepherson and felt d that he hadn¡¯t awoken.

    ¡°Will you marry him?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think so. Madam Marissa doesn¡¯t like me and even wants to sabotage our rtionship. If she doesn¡¯t die, I won¡¯t be marrying him.¡±

    Scarlette was taking a sip of water when Raeleigh said so. bbergasted, she choked on the water and violently coughed before she asked, ¡°Raeleigh, are you cursing Madam Marissa?¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I guess you can put it that way.¡± When Raeleigh spoke, Jepherson opened his eyes and sat up all of a sudden. Frightened, she nearly threw the cup away; it was too scary!

    Raeleigh did not look back but said directly, ¡°There are only so many people in the world who can make me feel truly aggrieved. Other thanmy parents, my brother, and my grandmother, it¡¯s him.¡±

    ¡°After all, his grandmother doesn¡¯t like me. Rather than having to face her, why not wait for her to pass before I ept him. It¡¯s better that way.¡±

    Fear grew within Scarlette, constantly feeling Raeleigh was carrying a ticking time bomb, exploding at any moment. What was unfortunate was that she had nothing to do with it, yet she¡¯d also be blown up to pieces.

 Chapter 1394 Itâ€™s Real

    She thought Raeleigh was vicious; she actually cursed Madam Marissa.

    But why didn¡¯t Mr. Jepherson do anything?

    Oddly, Jephersonid back down after sitting for a while. Immediately, she turned her gaze back at Raeleigh, wide-eyed, refusing to believe Raeleigh was unaware he had awoken.

    ¡°Raeleigh,Mr. Jepherson¡¯s nket.¡± She thought she should remind her. The room was freezing even with an additional heater.

    With that, Raeleigh stood up,went to Jepherson, and tucked him in again while he looked to be genuinely asleep, lying motionless in bed. After that, she went back to Scarlette and continued talking to her.

    Scarlette said in disbelief, ¡°Raeleigh, he¡­¡±

    ¡°Peoplee and go, just like nts that could only live for a season. Although life could notst forever, everybody has a shining moment in their lives and a ce where they lived for themselves. nts would also live for the sake of reproduction, ensuring that their species would never go extinct¡­¡±

    ¡°Although things mighte to an end,life was never meaningless.¡±

    ¡°Nobody did anything without considering themselves, just like how flowers would fight just to be the prettiest among the bunch. It¡¯s nothing even if we don¡¯t marryor even be epted as a couple.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what others think or if they approve of our rtionship. What matters is I¡¯m willing.¡±

    ¡°His grandmother opposes our rtionship and wants toe between us. I didn¡¯t cross the line but only talked behind her back. If he is even splitting hairs over this, we will never see the end.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette¡­ Deanna and Jacky love each other, but because of his social status, he¡¯s constantly hindered. He and I are quite alike, I think. That¡¯s why I agreed to help him even though I knew I might not be able to do anything.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why but my mind told me I should.¡±

    ¡°Thinking about it now, it¡¯s because we¡¯re going through a simr experience.¡±

    ¡°How sad it is if two lovers can¡¯t be together.External factors ended up determining many peoples¡¯ fate. Perhaps wealth, pride, status, and freedom are important right now.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t wish to regret it when I be an old woman with my children and grandchildren around me, suddenly recalling the man who once loved me.¡±

    Scarlette stared at Raeleighasher heart went to Hadrian¡­

    She nervously took a sip of water. As she ced the cup down, a drop of tear fell into the cup. Scarlette said,¡°I¡¯m tired; I want to rest.¡±

    She handed the cup to Raeleigh. When she came back after cing the cup down, Scarlette had alreadyid down.

    Raeleigh tucked her in, then bent over and said, ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t think much of it now; you won¡¯t be afraid even if you¡¯re alone. But you¡¯lle around many yearster when you look back, lying on your deathbed, finding a person had done nothing but searched for you his whole life until he dies in front of you.¡±

    With that, she returned to Jepherson¡¯s side. She sat down and ced her hands under Jepherson¡¯s body; she felt morefortable like that.

    Jepherson unbuttoned his shirt under the covers and put Raeleigh¡¯s hands in his arms.

    The moment he ced them on him, Raeleigh unconsciously moved her hands away a little. It was freezing; anyone¡¯s hands and feet would be icy.

    Leaning to one side, she fixed her gaze at the silent but teary-eyed Scarlette.

    Raeleigh understood the pain of losing a child well, but all of it was no longer important. If it was destiny, then so be it; things would only turn for the better.

    Scarlette fell asleep in tears soon after. She also fell asleep after eight, but just as she did so, Deanna knocked on the door and asked them to get up for dinner.

    Jepherson got up, got dressed, and opened the door.Although half-asleep, Raeleigh still got up for dinner. If she didn¡¯t, there wouldn¡¯t be anything to eat if she got hungryter.

    With that in mind, Raeleigh got up and woke Scarlette. After eating, none of them had the intention of resting immediately, so they all sat together.

    Deanna spoke the most, followed by Raeleigh. The guys barely spoke, let alone Scarlette. She couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that Jepherson was ring daggers at her even as she sat in bed.

    It wasn¡¯t until nearly eleven when Raeleigh said she was feeling sleepy that Deanna and Jacky left to rest.

    Raeleigh got up several times at night to check on Scarlette. Scarlette was awake the entire night, her pillow wet from all the tears.

    Deanna received a call from her father the next morning asking when she would return. As a result, she bawled her eyes out, hugging Jacky after she ended the call.

    The other three were heartbroken even just looking at them.

    With Deanna in his arms, he lowered his head and kissed her face, ¡°I¡¯m already happy to be able to meet you. Baby, you must take care of yourself and our child. I¡¯m very worried.¡±

    Jacky hugged Deanna, not willing to let go.

    Deanna shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s elope.¡±

    Raeleigh was rendered speechless.

    And so was Scarlette.

    If Rayan heard her words, they could not imagine how he would react.

    His daughter, whom he loved with all his heart, was going to run away with a boy?

    At the very least, Jacky was sensible, ¡°No, how can we elope? It won¡¯t do our baby good. Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯ll go back and find a way to be more powerful. I¡¯lle and get you once I¡¯m capable enough.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want that of you; you¡¯re already very powerful.¡±

    As she spoke, Deanna cried piteously.

    Jacky wiped her tearsawayand said, ¡°I need to be powerful for your sake and to be able to protect our child.¡±

    Deanna then lowered her head, silent for some time before nodding.

    Atst, she stopped crying. Jacky wiped her tears away before he turned to Raeleigh. ¡°I¡¯ll leave her to you.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Jepherson and then at Jacky.¡°I can¡¯t help you this time; I won¡¯t be going back. I¡¯m staying to take care of Scarlette. You¡¯d better get rid of him.¡±

    Jacky looked at the person Raeleigh was referring to. Jepherson?

    ¡°Are you bringing her back?¡±

    However, Jepherson¡¯s face darkened in an instant. ¡°Send her back for me.¡±

    Hearing that, Raeleigh turned to him. ¡°You¡¯re joking!¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°Do I look like I am?¡± Jepherson looked dead serious. Raeleigh didn¡¯t think he was.

    ¡°But if he goes, what are we going to do if something happens?¡±

    ¡°If something were to happen, it would already have.¡± Jepherson was sure about it, and it got her believing everything would be fine when he put it that way.

    ¡°Since everything will be fine, go back with Deanna then. I¡¯ll stay and take care of Scarlette,¡± Raeleigh said again. Jacky looked at Jepherson with confusion.

    ¡°Xanthus is waiting for you at the door. He has a car.¡± Jepherson said.

    Jacky threw a look at him before leaving with Deanna.

    After they left, Raeleigh turned to him, ¡°You¡¯re really not leaving?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for someone, so not for the time being,¡± Jepherson said and headed out. Though he said so, Raeleigh didn¡¯t take it seriously. However, in the evening, someone really came.

    Not just Raeleigh, butScarlette was surprised as well. What Jepherson said was real!

 Chapter 1395 Dislike Owing Favors

    Seeing Hadrian, Scarlette¡¯s face turned extremely grim. Never in her wildest imaginations had she thought he would appear in front of her and travel-worn at that.

    Where he came from was obviously just as cold as the sanatorium as he was wearing a ck below-the-knee puffer jacket, with a white sweater and ck pants. It was the first time she saw him in winter boots; he looked utterly lifeless.

    He was also slinging a ck backpack, Scarlette¡¯s favorite, on his right shoulder while carrying a handbag in his left hand, Hadrian¡¯s favorite.

    It seemed that he was not surprised to see her. After putting the two bags down,he walked to herand looked at her with his head low.

    ¡°Great, now that your legs are broken, let¡¯s see where else you can go.¡± Hadrian gritted his teeth. It seemed that he wanted to rain millions of hatred on her, but he couldn¡¯t utter a word, feeling a dull pain in his chest.

    Tears fell from her ghastly face thereupon.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson and wondered if his call the day before was to Hadrian.

    Scarlette¡¯s cried silently, and Hadrian¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, but he didn¡¯t let his weak side show and looked to Jepherson and Raeleigh instead. ¡°Thank you, guys. I¡¯d like to talk to Scarlette in private, please.¡±

    Not even looking at Scarlette, Jephersonwalked out of the roomwith Raeleigh behind him.

    Raeleigh turned to look at the door after exiting. Hadrian had locked it; he didn¡¯t intend to let them back in.

    Then, she turned to Jepherson and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t leave because you were waiting for Hadrian?¡±

    Without a word, he walked toward the exit of the sanatorium. Raeleigh stood rooted to the spot for a while, thinking what was up with him.

    Resigned, she followed him. Jepherson didn¡¯t walk fast, but just like anyone with long legs, they strode, never waiting.

    She thought Jepherson would not wait for her, but it was evident he paced for her to catch up.

    However,Raeleigh deliberately strolled, thinking and looking around as she walked.

    In the end, Jepherson had to turn around, staring at her from a distance.

    Even so, Raeleigh yed dumb, taking her time to get to him.

    ¡°I¡¯m freezing!¡± She actually wasn¡¯tbut still said so. With that, he immediately took off his coat and draped it on her. Looking at her shoulder, she thought his coat was so long that she could wear it as a dress.

    After that, he continued to walk ahead. Seeing that he was only wearing a sweater, she asked, ¡°Are you not cold now that you¡¯ve given me your coat?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡±

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh and walked to the exit with his hands behind his back. The car was parked outside the gates, so they¡¯d still have to walk a distance.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    With that, she returned the jacket to him and said,¡°Put it on. I¡¯d have to take care of you if you¡¯re sick.¡±

    His eyes were bottomless as he nced at Raeleigh. ¡°You¡¯d still have to take care of me even if I¡¯m not sick.¡±

    ¡°Beats having to carry you on my back.¡±

    Raeleigh said as she walked ahead. He put on his jacket and followed her to the gates. Midway, she turned back to see that he was slowly catching up.

    Seeing that he didn¡¯t button up his coat,she pointed at it. ¡°Button it up.¡±

    Jepherson looked at his coat and did as he was told, rather obedient.

    After they were out the gates, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Will Scarlette be staying in Evend from now on?¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t. She¡¯s one of us; I won¡¯t let her stay here.¡±

    Jepherson was resolute.Thinking for a moment, she asked, ¡°You treat everyone around you well, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t answer. When they reached the car, heopened the door and gestured to Raeleigh to get in with his chin.However, she didn¡¯t get in immediately butstood in front of the door instead. ¡°You¡¯ve long thought of her as your sister, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Hearing that, Jepherson let go of the door and pressed her head, shoving her into the car. She didn¡¯t like he was doing that; it felt as if he was a shepherd dog while she was amb. She could get in the car on her own. Why did he have to do that?

    However, he still seeded.

    Sitting inside, she watched as he got in. She didn¡¯t know where the car came from, but he was familiar with driving it.

    After leaving, Raeleigh leaned against the car to keep warm.On the other hand, Jepherson drove with one hand and unbuttoned her cor with the other.

    She threw a nce at Jepherson and thought he was bizarre. If he weren¡¯t the president of apany, he might be more approachable.

    ¡°Are we not going to wait for Hadrian and Scarlette before going back?¡± Raeleigh said with her eyes half-closed. He didn¡¯t answer,focused on driving as he draped the coat he had taken off before getting into the car on her. After putting her hands into it, she felt much warmer.

    After the car pulled over at Rayan¡¯s vi, he got out of the car and walked to her side, then openedthe door and waited for her toe out.However, she was sleeping snuggly, unwilling to leave, but she still got out, seeing that he was waiting outside.

    She believed there were probably only a handful of people that could get the high and mighty young master of the Richards family to open the door for them.

    After getting out of the car, shewaited for him before entering Rayan¡¯s vi together.

    In a low voice, she asked him about Jacky¡¯s whereabouts, but he did not answer.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t see Deanna when they entered, so she asked only to learn she was resting upstairs.

    Like a couple of days before, the Richards couple and Whalen couple were seated downstairs. Seeing Raeleigh, Hannah invited her to join them, but she kindly declined, saying she wanted to see Deanna.

    ¡°Go ahead.She may still be awake.¡± Hannah said.

    Raeleigh thanked her and headed upstairs. After reaching Deanna¡¯s room, she knocked on the door and spoke up.

    ¡°Deanna, I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯m here to see you and tell you about Scarlette.¡±

    Now that Scarlette¡¯s incident was out in the open, Raeleigh didn¡¯t need to be secretive.

    The people downstairs weren¡¯t bothered either. Scarlette was a good kid, and Rayan was merely doing his daughter a favor. Moreover, Hannah was shrewd, so she didn¡¯t need the specifics to know what was happening.

    Hearing it was Raeleigh,Deanna immediately woke up from her dream and rushed to the door. But as soon as she got to it, she remembered she was pregnant and opened the door slowly, then pulled Raeleigh in.

    ¡°Why are you leaving so soon?¡±

    She asked eagerly after Raeleigh entered. Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already done what was promised, so it¡¯s only natural for me to leave. What can I do if I stay anyway?¡±

    Deanna pondered. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    She sat back down and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Jacky told me you¡¯re also in a bad situation.Do you want me to get Zorion to help you out?¡±

    Deanna had given it some thought. When Jacky left, he said it was all thanks to Raeleigh that they could meet, and he thought they should repay her.

    As Deanna didn¡¯t like to owe favors, she took the initiative to return them.

 Chapter 1396 The Purpose of This Trip

    However, Raeleigh shook her head and refused.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine; I can deal with it myself. I¡¯ll look for him if I really need to.¡±

    In actuality, she had no intentions of approaching Zorion, even if she was driven to a corner.

    Deanna blinked twice. ¡°Raeleigh, I hate owing favors the most.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you do, and you don¡¯t. Jacky came to me himself; his determination moved me. I merely tagged along on this trip, trying my luck, that¡¯s all. I didn¡¯t expect to be this lucky.¡±

    She really didn¡¯t like to interact with Zorion. To her, regardless of the reason, since some things did happen in the past, then there was no way she would forget everything.

    Thus, she didn¡¯t want to have much to do with people like him. He was different from Deanna. Deanna was the carefree, harmless type, but he was like a businessman; he had his own views on everything. It wasn¡¯t that people like him were bad, but Raeleigh preferred the quiet life, best that she didn¡¯t have to socialize at all.

    After Raeleigh said all she wanted to, she turned to leave, not waiting for Deanna to say more. Worried that Raeleigh would leave just like that, Deanna got up and grabbed her hand, stopping her with a hug.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I really don¡¯t want you to leave.¡±

    In all honesty, Deanna was really reluctant for anyone to leave her right then, but she had no choice; her belly was getting bigger by the day. Rayan had told her to keep the baby, but no one could know about it. Otherwise, she would be an embarrassment to the Whalen family, andshe would not be able to have a foothold in society in the future.

    It meant that she could not go back until she gave birth to the baby.

    Deanna didn¡¯t know if her father was right, but she told Jacky about it. Even though he didn¡¯t agree, he didn¡¯t refute either. It wasn¡¯t until she pestered him repeatedly that he saidit wasn¡¯t wrong as a father to do so.

    With that, Deanna agreed reluctantly; she had no better ideas, but she genuinely wanted to go back with Raeleigh, not just for Jacky.

    However, Raeleigh didn¡¯t have a clue about any of it; she just knew Deanna was really pitiful.

    Hugging Deanna, Raeleigh patted her shoulder and consoled, ¡°It¡¯s just a short separation. It¡¯s not a bad thing for you to stay here; you need a quiet ce to raise your baby and a good environment to rest. At least I think so.¡±

    In turn, Deanna pushed her away and twitched her lips, looking like a child. ¡°Will youe and see me again?¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Of course I will, but I need time. Though I¡¯m not sure if I do.¡±

    ¡°Then you have to free up some time. You can also call when you¡¯re free. Please, Raeleigh.¡±

    Deanna put her hands together and begged, and Raeleigh immediately understood what she was trying to do.

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to give me your number at least. Also, you have to make sure my calls can go through. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be useless if it¡¯s an idle number.¡±

    ¡°Come with me.¡±

    Pulling on Raeleigh, Deanna left her room eagerly but calmed down after she was out, taking steady steps, looking like someone who was about to act boorishly but suddenly remembered she was a princess. She took Raeleigh downstairs to her parents.

    ¡°Dad, please give Raeleigh your phone number. I want to call her. I don¡¯t know why but none of my calls could get through ever since I came here, not even when I called Zorion.¡±

    As she spoke, Deanna blinked her big round eyes. Anyone with discerning eyes knew what was going on, let alone Jenna and Hansen.

    The couple had a tacit understanding. It was a sign that thechild had grown up and had be independent.

    No matter what your thoughts were, even if they came out of your belly, the two of you don¡¯t share a brain. You would never understand their mindset; when they thought yes, you would think otherwise and vice versa, simple. Perhaps like father, like son, neither would meet halfway.

    Hansen took a sip of tea as Rayan took out his phone. ¡°Raeleigh, is that so?¡±

    Raeleigh replied courteously, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your number?¡±

    With that, Raeleigh told Rayan her number. Deanna took her father¡¯s phone and called Raeleigh directly; it rang indeed. However, worried still, she made another call to Raeleigh with her mother¡¯s phone.

    ¡°This child.¡± Hannah could only let her daughter have her way.

    ¡°I¡¯m just making sure, lest you won¡¯t let me chat with anyone. Raeleigh, when you call, if my dad¡¯s number can¡¯t get through, or that he said I¡¯m busy, don¡¯t believe him, I¡¯m free 24/7. You can call my mom too.¡±

    Deanna was doing this just in case.

    With that, Raeleigh wore an awkward smile. What would a parent think of a daughter like her?

    ¡°You¡¯re outrageous. Don¡¯t you have a phone? Why can¡¯t yours get through when ours can? It¡¯s all the same.¡±

    Hannah couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.She was her daughter; there was no way she¡¯d be hard on her, would she?

    She knew her daughter like the back of her hand. She grew up innocent and worry-free; she wouldn¡¯t even know what money was for even if you asked of her. But now, she was even scheming against them for her boyfriend. There was no reason for them to really drive her to a corner and have them turn against each other.

    So what if she got pregnant before marriage? Wasn¡¯t she like that too back then?

    Hannah had made peace. Deanna had only wanted to make phone calls.

    She was all alone here, but she had a yful spirit; she¡¯d be bored to death if there were no one to talk to.

    There was no way she¡¯d be pregnant again when she was miles away now, could she?

    With Hannah¡¯s reminder, Deanna quickly went back up to get her phone and called Raeleigh in front of everyone. She even told Raeleigh, ¡°Raeleigh, call me first. If you can¡¯t get through,call my dad. If he is busy or has engagements, call my mom. Oh, right, we have twondlines here. I¡¯ll text you the numbers. Save them. If you can¡¯t get through to any of us, call thendlines.¡±

    ¡°If you still can¡¯t get through¡­¡±

    When it seemed that there was no other option, an idea suddenly struck Deanna, and she said, ¡°If you still can¡¯t get through, you can call my servants. I¡¯ll save all their numbers and send them to youter.¡±

    Feeling even more awkward, Raeleigh nearlyburst intoughter.

    Fortunately, she could hold it back and managed to do so in the end.

    Meanwhile, Hansen stood up with Jenna and said, ¡°I forgot to tell you guys, we¡¯re just dropping by. The purpose of our trip is to visit Raeleigh¡¯s grandmother and parents.¡±

    This trip? The purpose¡­

 Chapter 1397 Not Saying A Word

    Raeleigh had been somewhat distracted since she left Deanna¡¯s house. She had made a few efforts to call Xanthus but never once pressed the call button. In the end, in for a penny, in for a pound, Jepherson simply confiscated her phone.

    They sat in an MPV as they journeyed to the Osteen¡¯s home. In actuality, everyone was well aware, but Jeanna chose to lie in Hansen¡¯s arms and pretended to rest while he kept his eyes closed. Hence, the two of them yed dumb to whatever happened during the journey.

    Raeleigh, on the other hand, was exasperated. She knew she couldn¡¯t make a big fuss, but if she didn¡¯t, she didn¡¯t know how to exin it to her parents.

    Moreover,they were not too far from her parents¡¯ home. It was hard to tell how long she could stall when they traveled by car.

    ¡°Behave yourself.¡±

    Jepherson took the phone away and whispered in her ear. Livid, she bit her lip, leading him to look at them.¡°Are you seducing me?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face flushed immediately, biting her lip, silent. Jepherson smiled lightly in turn. ¡°You asked for it.¡±

    With that, he sucked on her lips; they were like soft marshmallows, perhaps even better. With a soft moan, he pulled her into his arms and ravaged her lips like a hungry wolf.

    Raeleigh, on the other hand, tried shoving him away, but she didn¡¯t dare make any noise. She refused to believe the driver couldn¡¯t see what they were doing. If she made a sound, the one to be embarrassed would be her.

    After Jepherson let her go, she red daggers at him, furious. He must be mad to actso frivolously in front of his parents.

    ¡°Take a nap if you¡¯re tired; we¡¯ll be there soon.¡±

    He had her entirely in the palm of his hands, leaving her at a loss.

    In actuality, it would take at least three to four hours to get to her parents¡¯ home. At first, she thought she could inform her brother, but she had lost all her chances, judging by the current situation.

    The car showed no signs of stopping at all.

    Raeleigh prayed for Xanthus to call her, but it seemed as if he had forgotten about herentirely, never calling once.

    ¡­

    ¡°When did youe here?¡±

    In a caf¨¦, Xanthus had his gaze fixed at Cynthia, who was wearing a hat, a pair of sses and dressed somewhat childishly.

    Cynthia felt somewhat awkward as she hadn¡¯t expected to meet Xanthus in a foreignnd.

    Just a moment ago, she wasing out of medical school with her ssmates when someone called out to her. She turned around reflexively and immediately caught sight of Xanthus.

    And with that, they came to a caf¨¦ right outside of the school.

    ¡°I came right after I left.¡±

    Although she traveled around, she loved this ce the most and hoped to further her studies here.

    ¡°It¡¯s a littlete for you to study medicine considering your age; I¡¯m sure it¡¯s no pic.¡±

    Xanthus viewed the matter objectively, not beating around the bush but only seeing things on their merits.

    ¡°It¡¯s true. Many of my ssmates are younger than me, but my professor also said my abecedarian is outstanding. He had taught me things that were even beyond my professor¡¯s imagination.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Xanthus continued to fix his gaze at her. She had gotten thinner after she left,but her style had changed a lot, evident that an environment could change a person.

    ¡°So, thank you.¡±

    She smiled, but it was not the kind that he expected.

    Then he stood up and looked at the time. ¡°I¡¯ll drop by again; I have something urgent to attend to.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll walk you out then.¡±

    With that, Cynthia stood up and sent him off.

    However, Xanthus paused and stared at the couples dating in the caf¨¦, then turned to Cynthia and asked, ¡°I want to ask you something.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Cynthia looked up at him,puzzled.

    Xanthus subconsciously looked around beforending his gaze back at her face as he asked, ¡°Do you have a boyfriend?¡±

    His question stumped her for a split second before she replied, ¡°No, I don¡¯t n on finding one so soon.¡±

    ¡°Then how long do you want to stay single?¡±

    It was a hasty remark, but it was also what he wanted to know.

    She wanted to reject him outright. ¡°Three, five years.¡±

    To Cynthia, three, five years wasn¡¯t short, but it wasn¡¯t long either. However, it was enough to waste away a person¡¯s youth.

    To someone like Xanthus, it didn¡¯t mean that three to five years meant nothing.

    ¡°Alright then, promise me you won¡¯t find a boyfriend within these three, five years. Otherwise, I will let him have it, and I won¡¯t hold back.¡±

    At that instant, Cynthia¡¯s eyes were utterly dull while Xanthus took a step forward, cupped her face, and nted a deep kiss.

    Everything happened all so suddenly that she forgot to respond. However, he left her lips unwillingly the next moment.

    Looking at her, Xanthus did not say anything but turned around and left.

    Cynthia looked at her surroundings; people got on with their lives while she stood rooted dazedly, watching Xanthus¡¯s retreating figure.

    She touched her lips before pursing them, wondering what had gotten into him.

    What was going on?

    ¡­

    Raeleigh¡¯s phone rang; she was about to grab it when Jepherson took it away, and theringing stopped before she could answer the call.

    She was bewildered at the fact that Xanthus had disconnected the call.

    Jepherson put her phone aside leisurely as if nothing had happened.

    However, Raeleigh knew something must¡¯ve happened.

    ¡­

    Xanthus stared at the car on the opposite side of the road. Only when Jacky got out of the car did he turn off his phone.

    ¡°You need something from me?¡± Xanthus looked back at the caf¨¦. Any wise guy would know some things didn¡¯t need to be said.

    Jacky lowered his head, ¡°I¡¯m here to pick you up.¡±

    ¡°Where to?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you get there. Raeleigh will be there too.¡±

    Jacky knocked on the car. There would only ever be people running errands for him, but now, he was the one running errands for others, all for returning a favor.

    However, he had a feeling he wouldn¡¯t be able to repay it fully.

    Xanthus put his phone away and sat in the car.After closing the door, Jacky got onto the driver¡¯s seat and drove away, following the tracker.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh had fallen asleep midway through the journey, and she woke up when the car stopped.

    She opened her eyes and looked around, realizing they had reached their destination.

    Hansen and Jenna had already gotten out of the car, and it was her turn.

    After she got out, she huffed as she looked at the front of the manor.

    ¡°Jepherson, doing this¡­¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, it¡¯s me.¡±

    Jenna didn¡¯t want to put her son in a difficult situation. Before Raeleigh could say something, she had already walked away.

    With that, Raeleigh pursed her mouth and kept quiet.

    When Bernardo came out, he was stumped for a moment when he saw Raeleigh. Then, he opened the gates and sent someone to inform Mr. and Mrs. Osteen, as well as Novalie.

    Raeleigh kept her head bowed, not saying a word.

 Chapter 1398 Only A Few

    He saw Jepherson and his parents right after that, but he didn¡¯t think so at first as Hansen and Jenna looked more like Jepherson¡¯s older siblings.

    ¡°Miss, Madam was talking about how much she wished you were here yesterday.¡±

    After Bernardo led the group in, Raeleigh introduced the Richards out of courtesy, ¡°This is Mr. Richards; you two have met before.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Good day, Mr. Richards.¡± Bernardo greeted.

    ¡°This is Mr. Richards¡¯s parents; this is our butler, Bernardo.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s introduction surprised Bernardo. ¡°Mr. Richards¡¯s parents are so young.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind.¡±

    Jenna was all smiles as she replied. Stumped, Jenna left a good impression on Bernardo.At the very least, she was unpretentious and courteous.

    ¡°Mr., Mrs. Richards, let¡¯s go inside.¡±

    At this point, it was toote for Raeleigh to say anything; she could only improvise. However, there was no way she¡¯d address Jepherson¡¯s parents as Mom and Dad in front of her own family.

    Jenna also understood that although she would usually yfully have Raeleigh address them as her actual parents, it was the usual. They were at her family¡¯s home right then; it wouldn¡¯t be wise to do so still.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go, Jerry. Go and bring the gifts for Raeleigh¡¯s parents over,¡± Jenna said before she went in. Hearing that, Raeleigh turned around. ¡°You¡¯ve prepared gifts?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve forgotten the set of jewelry I showed you before, didn¡¯t you? I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Jenna said as she walked in, admiring the manor while Jepherson went back into the car and drove in.

    On the other hand, Bernardo couldn¡¯t stop him from doing so. After all, not only did Miss Raeleigh bring a guest over, but his parents also followed; they could be considered guests of honor.

    Jenna didn¡¯t know the way; it was her first time here, but what about her husband?

    She looked up and saw that he also looked surprised and lost. Even though he had sent people to investigate early on and was sure her family was prominent, they¡¯d leave fruitlessly every time. In short, they found nothing, and everything would end at the gates.

    Looking at it right then, the scenery was unlike any other, and the building was magnificent; it had a unique charm, not a ce for ordinary businessmen.

    Hansen had never admired or envied anyone in his life, but he had to admit he was rather envious then.

    Like any man who loved his wife, he wanted nothing but the best for his family. For a moment, he wanted to buy the manor and give it to Jenna. This idea shed through his mind like lightning; he raised his eyebrows and gave up the idea in the end.

    A gentleman does not take away what others love. Although he was no gentleman, and he would take what he liked as his ownmercilessly, just like him to his wife¡­

    Hansen nced at Jenna as he held her hand while she held his arm and looked ahead.

    As much as he wanted to give what belonged to Raeleigh¡¯s family to his wife, he knew he shouldn¡¯t.

    Unknowingly, Hansen patted Jenna¡¯s hand, leading her to look at him curiously. ¡°What are you up to?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Hansen said justifiably.

    Jenna rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking; no way I¡¯d believe you don¡¯t want to do anything.¡±

    Hansen did not speak but continued to enjoy the scenery.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh waited for Jepherson, watching as he parked the car and got down with two bags. She walked over to him and asked, ¡°What are they?¡±

    ¡°A set of jewelry and three scarfs.¡±

    ¡°Your mom made all of them herself?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Jepherson carried the bags and walked forward with Raeleigh. She appeared to be worried as she said, ¡°Why did you want toe here?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s for your sake?¡± Jepherson asked, and Raeleigh sneered, ¡°Why don¡¯t you say it¡¯s for your¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Is there a difference?¡± He stepped forward as Raeleigh followed behind. There were not many people in the manor, but not less either.

    Bernardo entertained Hansen and Jenna while Raeleigh apanied Jepherson.

    On their journey here, Raeleigh was a little worried. Although she had someints,Hansen and Jenna bore no ill will, so she didn¡¯t have the heart to me them.

    But she was still worried.

    So she said, ¡°My mom will be easy to deal with; I¡¯m worried that my dad will be upset. We didn¡¯t tell them beforehand.¡±

    ¡°Would you be willing for us toe if we told them?¡±

    Jepherson did not reply but asked her instead. Raeleigh was speechless. ¡°And you think it¡¯s okay to just show up at their doorstep?¡±

    ¡°Take things as theye. My inws are reasonable people; they won¡¯t make things difficult for us.¡±

    ¡°Speak for yourself. Who are you calling your inws?¡±

    Raeleigh was pedantic, but Jepherson lowered his head to kiss her, stopping her from saying more for the time being.

    Shy, she shoved him away immediately and walked ahead, blushing and furious at the same time. She was certain someone was watching them.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    However, he managed to catch up with her with just a few strides.

    ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so confident if I were you.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. I, Jepherson Richards, swear that I¡­¡±

    He deliberately hesitated for a moment for Raeleigh to turn and look at him. When she did, he continued, ¡°Won¡¯t marry anyone but Raeleigh Anson this lifetime.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and fell silent.

    She then turned her head back and walked ahead. After walking for a while, she stopped and looked at the man by her side. ¡°You can find someone better, more outstanding, prettier, and with a better background than me.¡±

    ¡°But none of them are you; they will never understand me.¡±

    ¡°Cajolery.¡±

    ¡°A pledge of my undying love.¡±

    Jepherson smiled and took a nce at Bernardo.

    Bernardo didn¡¯t dare go near them, but he had definitely heard Jepherson¡¯s words.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if he was touched, but he was gratified that Miss Raeleigh had someone who loved her.

    Raeleigh followed Jepherson¡¯s gaze and found that Bernardo was reddened.

    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault.¡±

    With that, she stormed ahead. Bernardo then went to Jepherson and wanted to take the gifts from him. ¡°Mr. Richards,allow me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re an elder, not as physically strong as me; I¡¯ll carry them.¡±

    Jepherson replied politely, ¡°Please don¡¯t call me Mr. Richards anymore; just call me Jepherson or think of me as Raeleigh¡¯s husband.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ ¡±

    Of course, he didn¡¯t dare call Jepherson by his name, but Raeleigh¡¯s husband?

    Bernardo turned to look at Raeleigh, who was blushing and exasperated. She turned back around and walked away, not looking back since.

    ¡°Please, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Bernardo still addressed him so, and Jepherson did not reply but walked ahead, chasing after Raeleigh.

    After walking for a while, Raeleigh still felt bad and waited for Jepherson. When he got to her, she continued to walk ahead, telling him, ¡°Can¡¯t you watch what you say?¡±

    ¡°I already am.¡±

    He genuinely didn¡¯t think he was indiscreet.

    However, Raeleigh fell silent, upset.

    Bernardo could tell Miss Raeleigh truly loved Mr. Richards. However, he wasn¡¯t sure what Mr. Richards saw in her.

    After all, the world was never short of yboys; there were only a few people who lived celibately like Mr. Xanthus.

 Chapter 1399 Encounter Such a Thing

    When Raeleigh entered the house, Hansen and Jenna were waiting in the living room. As they waited, they admired the paintings and interior design.

    Bernardo had already invited them to have a seat, butHansen and Jenna were not one to lose their manners; they wouldn¡¯t sit before the head of the house came out.

    People like them were well aware of the etiquette when visiting someone sincerely.

    It was justifiable that Raleigh¡¯s family didn¡¯t want to see them. After all,Jepherson had done the unspeakable. They were grateful to even be able toe in.

    Parents always put their children first. If they had a daughter and the same thing happened to her, Jenna couldn¡¯t even guarantee she¡¯d be able to forgive immediately, but her husband, on the other hand?

    Jenna unconsciously nced at her husband, who was looking at the paintings by her side. She knew he wouldn¡¯t let it go, at the very least. He might even wreak havoc with their two sons, burn the guy to ashes, and then feed him to the dogs.

    Jenna shook her head. Everyone was two-faced; if it happened to someone else, it was easy to let go, but it would be different if it were happening to them.

    Raeleigh changed her shoes, took off her coat, and hung it on the coat rack. She walked to Hansen and Jenna. ¡°Uncle Hansen, Auntie Jenna, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re tired.Please, have a seat while Igo and check on my parents. They¡¯re not always in their room, especially my mom. She likes to stay in the studio, and my dad would often apany her. Maybe they¡¯re not back yet. It¡¯s a twenty minutes walking distance; I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±

    Raeleigh was in a dilemma. They had been there for twenty minutes already; her parents should already be here. Plus, someone would¡¯ve informed them if they weren¡¯t at home.

    Standing aside, Bernardo nced upstairs. They were home!

    ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t worry about us. Hansen and I really like the paintings your family owns; we can take a good look at them in the meantime.¡±

    Jenna patted Raeleigh¡¯s hand as she spoke. Feeling somewhat awkward, Raeleigh said, ¡°My parents are not usually like this;I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason.¡±

    With that, she turned to Bernardo and asked, ¡°Bernardo,are my parents not home?¡±

    What should he say?

    ¡°I did see them going out this morning; I just came back myself. Maybe they¡¯re still out.¡± Bernardo could only put it that way. After all, it was unusual.

    Raeleigh looked at Bernardo and believed his words as she trusted that he would never lie to her.

    ¡°What about Grandma? Is she home?¡±

    She was sure her grandmother would be home.

    Bernardo nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go up and see Grandma,¡± Raeleigh said and looked at Jenna, ¡°Auntie Jenna, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re tired, please, have a seat. I¡¯ll go and take a look at Grandma¡­ Bernardo, please prepare some tea and cake.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss Raeleigh.¡±

    The butler ordered someone else to preparewhile he stayed with the guests there.

    After Jepherson put the things on the table, he took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack. Then he went back to the table and took a scarf as he looked upstairs. After some thought, he walked upstairs. Seeing that, Bernardo walked over to him and said, ¡°Mr. Richards¡­¡±

    ¡°Please, call me Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson turned his head around and said to the butler, then went straight upstairs. He was as quick as the wind; although it didn¡¯t look so, it took him barely any time to reach upstairs. Bernardo didn¡¯t catch up to him, and he couldn¡¯t shout, so he waited downstairs resignedly.

    Jenna was a little worried. She held her husband¡¯s arm and tugged on him. ¡°Hansen¡­¡±

    Hansen patted her hand and gave her a reassuring look. Seeing so, she nodded.

    Raeleigh knocked on the door when she reached Novalie¡¯s room, and Novalie told her to go in.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment when she saw her grandmother watching TV. When Novalie saw Raeleigh,she asked her to lock the door.

    They hadn¡¯t seen each other for too long; they embraced each other immediately. Novalie patted Raeleigh and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±

    Raeleigh cried for a while before she wiped her tears and asked why weren¡¯t her parents home. Novaliethought for a moment and said,¡°I have no idea. You know I don¡¯t like to go out; Bernardo has been keeping mepany during my mealstely. Could it be that they had goneon a vacation?¡±

    Novalie¡¯s words stumped her. They had gone on a vacation?N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    At this time?

    Raeleigh did not speak her thoughts but asked Novalie if she would like to meet Hansen and Jenna. After some thought, Novalie said, ¡°An olddy like me doesn¡¯t enjoy showing up in front of people anymore. I¡¯ll pass.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s hand paused for a split second, but it was subtle.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to rest then;I¡¯ll go and entertain them.¡±

    Raeleigh knew she couldn¡¯t be absent for too long. Her parents weren¡¯t home, and her grandmother wasn¡¯t willing to see the Richards couple; she couldn¡¯t possibly leave them be for too long.

    ¡°Go on then. I won¡¯t be joining you guys for a meal.¡±

    After that, Novalie closed her eyes while Raeleigh stood rooted to the spot. For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating. Was this her home?

    What was going on with her parents and her grandmother?

    Then she walked out. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Jepherson standing behind the door, and her face paled slightly. ¡°Why are you also here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed Grandma Novalie. Go ahead downstairs; I want to catch up with her¡­ Grandma Novalie, are you well?¡±

    Jepherson did not wait for Raeleigh¡¯s reply and stepped inside. She moved aside in turn, looking at her grandmother, who had her eyes closed. Troubled, she walked out, closed the door, and headed down.

    Downstairs, Hansen and Jenna were still standing; they¡¯ve put her in a difficult position.

    After returning to the living room, she invited Hansen and Jenna to sit down once more, but Jenna insisted on standing still. Her excuse was that they hadn¡¯t done admiring.

    Raeleigh had no choice but to apany them. She introduced the background of the paintings and the elements of the house.

    After Jepherson entered the room, he sat by Novalie¡¯s side the entire time. However, Novalie never spoke, keeping her eyes closed.

    Jepherson smiled. ¡°Are you angry because I haven¡¯t been visiting?¡±

    Novalie didn¡¯t answer. The TV was on, but she seemed to be asleep.

    Jepherson was still smiling obsequiously. ¡°There¡¯s no one in the house; I wonder where they have gone.¡±

    Novalie still didn¡¯t answer. Only then did Jepherson stop smiling. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like to advise me on? If I did something wrong, please do point me in the right direction.¡±

    Only then did Novalie open her eyes slightly and look at Jepherson. She may be old, but it was evident her bright eyes were filled with experience.

    After some thought, Novalie said, ¡°This has nothing to do with you, but with your family, though not the one at present.That¡¯s all I can say. I pity my granddaughter, nothing to do with you. Look after yourself.¡±

    With that, Novalie closed her eyes and did not speak again.

    Jepherson frowned deeply for a moment before he eased and said, ¡°Thank you, Grandma Novalie. I¡¯ll make my way out now.¡±

    Then he ced the scarf in her hands. ¡°My mother knitted this herself; it¡¯ll keepyou warm.¡±

    With that, Jepherson left. After the door closed,Novalie opened her eyes and looked at the door, then sighed helplessly.

    Her granddaughter was really unlucky. Why would she encounter such a thing?

    Disconste, Novalie closedher eyes in the end!

 Chapter 1400 What Was Wrong Was Indeed Wrong

    Raeleigh was waiting in the living room when Jepherson came downstairs and said, ¡°Bernardo, please get our meal ready.¡±

    Stunned, Bernardo hadn¡¯t expected him actually to have seen himself as part of the family.

    Seeing that Bernardo wasn¡¯t responsive, Jepherson turned to Raeleigh, who was looking right back at him. Only then she said, ¡°Please, Bernardo.¡±

    ¡°Right away, Miss Raeleigh.¡±

    Jepherson then turned to his parents. ¡°I know you¡¯re both tired;take a rest. If you¡¯re notfortable down here, there are rooms upstairs; I can show you the way.¡±

    Jenna thought it wasn¡¯t right for themto rest in someone else¡¯s home, especially when the hosts were absent.

    Hansen turned to his son. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell Raeleigh we¡¯ll being over today?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s heart raced; this guy sure was getting better at passing the buck.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±

    In for a penny, in for a pound, Jepherson thought it was all his fault at that point.

    To ease the mood, Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯ll go and see if my parents are at the studio.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t sure either, but it was all she could do right then.

    ¡°Since your parents are not here, it¡¯s not appropriate for us to stay over either. Hansen and I will go back first. There should be a hotel nearby; we¡¯ll stay there for now. If you have anything, you cane to us. Jepherson, you should stay.¡±

    Jenna was well aware they were uninvited guests. Even if there was something, they could not find anything to support their actions. Jenna med herself foralways being impulsive.

    Now she¡¯d done it. They had to leave.

    Raeleigh felt bad. ¡°Auntie Jenna, you should stay. I¡¯ll call my parents and ask where they are.¡±

    With that, she took out her phone and called her parents, but their phones were switched off.

    What should she do? She was put in a difficult position then.

    They must have a reason for their action.

    Just as she was thinking of how to resolve the situation,Xanthus and Jacky came in. Upon entering the house, Xanthus said directly, ¡°My parents had left for a trip. Since you¡¯re here, Uncle Hansen, Auntie Jenna, why don¡¯t you stay for a meal?Consider it an opportunity for us to fulfill our duties as the host.¡±

    Jenna was truly distraught.Were they really unweed?

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Since your parents are not around, we should leave. Jepherson,e with us too.¡±

    Hansen was relentless; although he wasn¡¯t that indifferent, he didn¡¯t show any hesitation as he walked out of the door with his beloved wife.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll go see them off. Jacky, stay here.¡±

    Jepherson then grabbed his coat and went out with his parents. Raeleigh followed him to the door and put on a coat.

    On their walk back to the car, Jenna held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and talked a lot. However, Raeleigh was absent-minded the entire time; she hadn¡¯t a clue what was going on.

    When they got into the car, Raeleigh said, ¡°Auntie Jenna, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t intended to apologize, but it just came out after noticing how unhappy Jenna looked in the car.

    Jenna was still touched. She rolled down the window and said, ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s our fault that we came unannounced.When you see your parents, please send them our apologies. We¡¯ll ask for their permission before visiting next time;I promise I won¡¯t do this again.¡±

    Jenna looked at her son. ¡°Jerry, take good care of Raeleigh.¡±

    As the car window rolled up, Jenna looked at her husband. Hansen motioned for the driver to drive, and the car left.

    After Hansen and Jenna left, Raeleigh turned to Jepherson. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either.¡±

    ¡°No one¡¯s ming you. But we do have to figure it out. From what I know, your parents aren¡¯t unreasonable people; there must be a reason behind their actions.¡±

    With that, he turned to wrap her in his arms and gave her a kiss.

    Raeleigh blushed.¡°Can you not?¡±

    Bernardo was with them right then. He shied away, lowering his head; he should avoid seeing affectionate moments like that at his age.

    As they walked back into the house, Xanthus stood at the door with Jacky by his side.

    Seeing him, Raeleigh asked immediately, ¡°Xanthus?¡±

    ¡°Mom and Dad have called me; I¡¯ll talk to you about itter. Right now, you should head back in. I have something to say to him.¡±

    Xanthus patted Raeleigh and motioned for her to go back inside. Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°Just say it here.¡±

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t leave at a time like that.

    ¡°Raeleigh, go ahead.¡±

    Jepherson also motioned for her to go back inside. However, she stayed for a while before going back into the manor despite her worries.

    After entering, she stood at the doorway and looked out. All she knew was that Xanthus told Jepherson something before they walked far away.

    Raeleigh had waited inside for a long time, but no one came back. Growing impatient, she went out to look for them. She didn¡¯t find Jepherson, but Xanthus was returning from afar. When he saw Raeleigh, he told her Jepherson had left.

    With that, she looked behind him and found that Jepherson had indeed left.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°What did you say to him?¡± Raeleigh frowned. Xanthus put his arm around Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I told him our parents didn¡¯t agree to your rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Raeleigh looked up. Although the thought hade to her, there had to be a reason.

    ¡°I can¡¯t exin it clearly either. Let¡¯s go inside.¡±

    With that, he led her inside. She knew something was off the moment she came back. Whatever their reason was, they had to tell her at least. However, when she went to Novalie, she wouldn¡¯t speak about it, and her parents weren¡¯t there even if she wanted to ask them.

    ¡°Where have Mom and Dad gone?¡± Raeleigh stood downstairs. She wasn¡¯t entirely anxious but not knowing what was going on wasn¡¯t great either.

    ¡°They just boarded the ne; they may onlye back after a while. Here is a letter from Mom.¡±

    Xanthus handed the letter to Raeleigh. She stared at the envelope and knew it was her mother¡¯s handwriting.

    After opening the letter, Raeleigh went aside to read it.

    ¡°Baby, there¡¯s something your dad and I need to verify ourselves, so we can¡¯t stay, but I want you to know, your dad and I could¡¯ve done better. I hope you can reconsider your rtionship with Jepherson. It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t like him, and it has nothing to do with his family background, but some things need the test of time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a blessing to meet the right person at the right time but a misfortune to meet the right person at the wrong time. However, it¡¯s a mistake if you meet the wrong person at the right time.¡±

    ¡°I do hope that you are blessed, but before things reveal themselves, please give dad some time, and let me find a solution to prove all of this is not a misfortune or a mistake.¡±

    ¡°I love you, my baby. You¡¯re my only girl. Please understand how I feel about having you back in my life.¡±

    ¡°I can ept all that I¡¯ve lost over the years, but I can¡¯t ept losing you again.¡±

    ¡°Baby, please believe that we love you.¡±

    The letter didn¡¯t mention anything else, only these vague messages. Holding the letter in her hand, Raeleigh turned to Xanthus. ¡°Did Mom and Dad tell you anything?¡±

    ¡°No, I was threatened toe back.¡± Xanthus meant Jacky abducted him home.

    Raeleigh felt awkward. What was there to say?

    What was wrong was indeed wrong.

 Chapter 1401 Didnâ€™t Realize

    Raeleigh barely had any appetite in the following two days. On the third, she finally managed to get through to her parents.

    It was Jazelle who answered the phone. Although she had been refraining for a long time, she failed to listen to her husband and answered Raeleigh¡¯s call.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Raeleigh knew the call had connected. As soon as she heard her daughter, Jazelle immediately felt aggrieved and turned to lookat her husband, who was standing by the window.

    ¡°Baby, it¡¯s Mom. I miss you. Do you miss me?¡± Jazelle choked with sobs when she spoke.Oh, her baby girl.

    Raeleigh replied with a hum, unable to utter another word.

    Jazelle had been silent and nearly cried until she saw her husband looking at her, that she held back her tears.

    ¡°Baby, have you read the letter I left you?¡± Jazelle wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. Lamar sat opposite her and wiped her tears away.

    She wasn¡¯t this fragile in the past; she used to be so strong and tough. Although she was a woman, she wasn¡¯t weak.

    They had known each other for a long time. After knowing each other, they shared joys and hardships, traveled around the world, and had won countless medals and awards. They both became famous in their youth; there was nothing they couldn¡¯t do.

    But then¡­

    Everything changed after they had Raeleigh.

    After losing her,her initially strong shield turned into fragile ss, shattered into millions of pieces with the slightest blow, unable to get back up. With time, she became who she was today, easily defeated whenever she encountered any hardship, just like this incident.

    Sitting across from her, Lamar rubbed her face and only left to stand back at the window, looking out, when she was slightly better.

    Raeleigh did not know what to say but still replied, ¡°Yes, I have.¡±

    ¡°Baby, we don¡¯t mean to hide it from you, but we can¡¯t tell you just yet. You¡¯ll have to put your rtionship with Jepherson on hold.¡±

    With her daughter¡¯s best interest at heart, she still said it.

    Raeleigh pondered for a while. ¡°Is it because of his family?¡±

    ¡°Baby, this has something to do with your kidnapping twenty years ago.¡±

    Jazelle tremored when she spoke. With that, Raeleigh also tightened her grip on her phone. ¡°Twenty years ago?¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly remembered the fire that burned down her house ten years ago and asked in shock, ¡°This has something to do with the Richards family?¡±

    ¡°Your father has sent someone to investigate this matter for a long time. Baby, you should know if your father isn¡¯t entirely sure, he wouldn¡¯t say it out.¡±

    Jazelle believed in her husband, so did Raeleigh.

    ¡°So, Mom,does this have to do with the entire Richards family or a specific someone?¡±

    It happened twenty years ago. She had reasons to believe it had nothing to do with Jepherson. After all, he was too little then.

    ¡°It¡¯s someone from the Richards family. I¡¯m telling you this because I want you to be mentally prepared.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Raeleigh can¡¯t even remember hanging up the phone. Lying in bed, she spaced out for half a day.

    Jazelle was still concerned, so she gave Xanthus a call and told him they suspect the Richards family sent someone or that it was one of them who kidnapped Raeleigh.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Jazelle looked at her husband, who was still standing by the window and walked to him, holding his hand. ¡°I¡¯m really worried. Is this the right thing to do?¡±

    ¡°We have to, for Raeleigh¡¯s sake. She needs to know to protect herself even when we¡¯re shielding her.Although seeing her like this worries me,we can¡¯t always stay by her side. She needs to know.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡¯s a lot like you whenyou were young. I believe she knows what to do.¡±

    Lamar held his wife in his arms; that was all he could say.

    Raeleigh contemted an entire day before she decided to go back.

    When Raeleigh came out of her room, she saw Xanthusing upstairs. She said, ¡°I want to go back.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back with you.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Xanthus also thought the incident needed an exnation. Even if the Richards family were behind it, they had to find out.

    After Raeleigh had dinner with Novalie, she flew back to Capital City with Xanthus.

    It was the first few days of December when they returned. Afternding, they went straight home; they decided to rest for a day and start investigating the next day.

    Raeleigh called Jazelle again, but Lamar answered the phone this time.

    ¡°Raeleigh?¡± Lamar asked. Raeleigh was stumped for a moment before she answered, ¡°Dad.¡±

    ¡°Are you back in Tambend?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re back. Are you guys here also?¡±

    ¡°Your mom and I went to visit some old ces. We need to investigate some things. We won¡¯t be contacting you two for now; don¡¯tcall us so often either.¡±

    ¡°Is it Jepherson¡¯s parents?¡± Raeleigh asked.

    ¡°Not them; they wouldn¡¯t do such a thing. Although Hansen is a businessman, he isn¡¯t venal but a man with principles. Of course, it couldn¡¯t possibly be Jenna either.¡±

    ¡°Then was it Jepherson¡¯s grandparents?¡± Raeleigh subconsciously thought of Marissa, but she didn¡¯t believe Marissa was that foolish.

    ¡°We¡¯re still investigating; we can¡¯t say for sure. Now please, take good care of yourself for the sake of your mom and me, okay?¡±

    If there were anything Lamar worried about, it would only be Raeleigh.

    After talking with her father, Raeleigh put her phone downand looked at Xanthus. He had already made dinner. After washing her hands, she went to help. Just as they began to eat, the doorbell rang. Raeleigh went to open the door; it was Jepherson.

    Raeleigh stepped aside to let him in.

    He brought some food and necessities with him.

    After putting the things down, he walked toward the bathroom, washed his hands, and sat down to eat.

    Sitting across from him, Raeleigh stared at the man who did not see himself as a guest at her home. He left just like that a few days ago, not a call, nor an exnation. But he was eating with them right then, looking as if he didn¡¯t have a care for other people¡¯s affairs. His confidence was unbelievably on another level.

    Where on earth did his confidencee from?

    After some time, shebegan to eat.

    Nothing would change even if some things were said. She refused to believe Xanthus hadn¡¯t made things clear to him. Since he had, and Jepherson still came, it wouldn¡¯t be a walk in the park if she wanted to chase him out.

    After dinner, she went to the door and looked at the falling snow outside. She fell silent as she spaced out, not even realizing when Jepherson stood behind her.

 Chapter 1402 Doctorâ€™s Responsibility

    Hugging Raeleigh from behind,Jepherson asked her, ¡°The snow is stunningly beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Jepherson. Then, she turned back around and continued to watch the snow fall outside. After a while, she asked Jepherson, ¡°What did Xanthus say to you?¡±

    ¡°He told me the reason you were kidnapped was because of a batch of antiques, and the family who was responsible for that is the Richards family.¡±

    Jepherson whispered in Raeleigh¡¯s ear, but she onlybriefly looked at him. ¡°Did you ask your parents whether it was them?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did, but they say it wasn¡¯t them.¡±

    When Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms, shesaid, ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t done by someone in your family.¡±

    ¡°What if it was really us?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡­¡­.

    It was getting dark outside. After a moment of silence, Jepherson said he wanted to spend the night here, so he led Raeleigh upstairs to her room. Xanthus did not intervene in this matter. He could not possibly knock on the door and ask Jepherson to sleep outside.

    Since Raeleigh had consented, then he, as a brother, should not intervene.

    The next morning, Raeleigh got up, put on one ofJepherson¡¯s shirtand went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. At this time, Xanthus have also woken up and wanted to get a ss of water when he saw her in the kitchen.

    After entering the kitchen, Xanthus asked Raeleigh, ¡°Have youe to a decision?¡±

    Standing in the kitchen,Raeleigh replied, ¡°I can¡¯t just give up when this incident has nothing to do with him.¡±

    Xanthus also thought so. If she could give up artionshipover such petty issues, chances were it would notst.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. You¡¯re very brave, but you do know that there¡¯s a price to pay for being brave, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°When I see Deanna and Jacky, I feel that life is too short to hurt the people we love.¡± Raeleigh did not want to exin too much. Regardless what it was, she had made up her mind.

    It was not up to anyone to determine whether her decision was right or wrong.

    Jepherson was walking down the stairs just as Xanthus emerged from the kitchen. Their eyes met. Xanthus stopped at the kitchen doorwith his arms crossed, as if he had been waiting for him.

    Jepherson calmly walked down the stairs, dressed in a white pyjamas with floral print. He greeted Xanthus as he walked, ¡°Morning.¡±

    Xanthus uncrossed his arms and waited for Jepherson to walk down the stairs. The two stood face to face. Xanthus asked Jepherson, ¡°Even if you¡¯ve solved your family¡¯s problem, how are you nning to solve the problem around you now? Don¡¯t forget, you still have a brother.¡±

    ¡°Santiago is just a kid,¡± Jepherson said straightforwardly. Xanthus found himself amusing as he thought that he now had the penchant for being a busybody.

    ¡°Whatever, as long as Raeleigh does not get hurt.¡± Xanthus turned around and headed straight for the door. He was wearing his workout attire.

    Jepherson shouted, ¡°Hold up!¡±

    Xanthus turned around and briefly looked at Jepherson before heading out the door. Jepherson nced towards the kitchen before heading back upstairs to change into his workout clothes. Then, he came downstairs again.

    Jepherson stood by the kitchen door and informed Raeleigh, ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around. ¡°It¡¯s so cold outside!Why would you want to go out?¡±

    ¡°To get some fresh air.¡±

    By the time Raeleigh emerged from the kitchen, Jepherson had already disappeared. Raeleigh was speechless. She walked to the door to have a look before realising that he was going on a run with Xanthus.

    Raeleigh turned around and went back into the kitchen to continue making breakfast.

    By the time she was done cooking, Jepherson and Xanthus had returned from their morning run.

    Xanthus mentioned over breakfast that he was nning to head over to the hospital and wanted Raeleigh to apany him.

    Raeleigh agreed.After all, he was her brother.

    Jepherson briefly nced at the clock and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to be busy for the next few weeks. The year end is usually the busiest period of the year for the Richards Group. Raeleigh, I will not be able to spend as much time with you. Please take care of yourself and don¡¯t go out unless it¡¯s necessary. I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Xanthus, who smiled and said, ¡°Raeleigh is my sister. It¡¯s my duty as her brother to take care of her.¡±

    Xanthus then got into the car and waited for Raeleigh, who was having a moment with Jepherson. She adjusted his cor and said, ¡°I have to go now. I¡¯ll call you if anything happens.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Jepherson reached for Raeleigh¡¯s hand and lowered his head to kiss it. Raeleigh pulled her hand back before turning around and getting into Xanthus¡¯ car.

    Jepherson watched as Xanthus drove away before turning to look at his car. At this time, Seibert was waiting for him.

    Jepherson took out his mobile phone and called Santiago. ¡°Please watch over Raeleigh for me.¡±

    Then,without a word more he hung up the phone.

    Jepherson entered the car, picked up a newspaper and opened it. He read it attentively and suddenly said to Seibert, ¡°Did anything out of the ordinary happen recently?¡±

    ¡°No, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson looked up at the rearview mirror and asked, ¡°How old are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m twenty this year.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°Do you have a girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡­¡­..

    For a moment, awkward silence hung heavy in the car. Folding the newspaper,Jepherson then put it aside. He leaned against the seat and closed his eyes to rest.

    The driver was confused. He wondered why Mr. Jepherson was particrly concerned about Seibert that day.

    Just as Raeleigh came out of the car, she heard another car pull up behind Xanthus¡¯s. She turned around and saw Santiagoing out of the car.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Raeleigh subconsciously asked when she saw Santiago. Santiago was wearing a red fleece jacket and singlet, paired with a ck pants and snow boots.

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡±

    Santiago smirked at her. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of questions. Which one do you want me to answer first?¡±

    ¡°Which one would you like to answer?¡± Raeleigh rolled her eyes at Santiago. She was already being nice to him.

    ¡°I think I¡¯d prefer to know why you decided to ditch me the other time.¡±

    Raeleigh still could not get over it.

    Santiago stood upright and shoved both hands into his pocket. ¡°Oh,that?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Alright, give me a moment while I think about it.¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to have a good talk with him about this matter. However, at this time, Santiago¡¯s smile was warmer than the sun. For a moment, captivated by his smile, she had forgotten to give himan earful.

    Santiago walked inside, followed by Raeleigh. Xanthus wanted to check on Stuart, so he immediately entered the hospital as soon as he arrived. When Xanthus saw that Raeleigh was in Santiago¡¯spany, he was much more relievedpared to when she was with Jepherson.

    Xanthus immediately went to change into his work clothes before visiting Stuart. Stuart had been in good condition these days. Xanthus happened to have entered his ward just as he was about to get out of bed.

    Xanthus gave him a quick examination before reading through his chart.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good sign that you¡¯re able to get out of bed, but that does not mean that you can walk around. You might have to use the wheelchair for the time being. I have yet toe up with a way that can make you regain the ability to walk again.¡±

    As a doctor, Xanthus could not withhold information from his patients. It was his responsibility as a doctor to tell the truth.

 Chapter 1403 Bent Over and Carry Her

    Raeleigh sat outside of Stuart¡¯s ward while she waited for Xanthus to finish examining him. At this time, though Hadrian was nowhere to be seen, there were two new bodyguards standing outside of the ward. They looked rtively young, about twenty years old. They stood guard outside the ward, with an unapproachable air. Staring at them, Raeleigh felt her mind nking out.

    Santiago, who sat beside Raeleigh, suddenly kicked her foot. Raeleigh red at him and rolled her eyes, ¡°The h*ll? Is your streak of insanity acting up again?¡±

    ¡°Well, please call me a psycho,then.¡±

    Santiago said in that couldn¡¯t-care-less tone of his. Raeleigh snapped, ¡°I haven¡¯t settled the score with you yet.¡±

    ¡°And how would you do it? How about you take me as your husband?¡± Santiago pressed his hand on the wall, trapping Raeleigh. Frustrated, she said, ¡°Please be respectful of me, or else from tomorrow onwards, we¡¯re not friends anymore.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the story for tomorrow. What now?¡±

    Santiago slowly approached Raeleigh. She simply raised her hand and pped him.

    Santiago turned his face away and smiled. He leaned against the side and narrowed his eyes. He muttered, ¡°You should not to stare people straight in the eyes, you might be captivated by their charm.¡±

    Raeleigh did not look at Santiago butcrossed her arms. ¡°Heck, at least it¡¯s better than looking at you.¡±

    ¡°Yours truly is such a dreamy heart-throb. What¡¯s so bad about me?¡±

    ¡°You. The sight of you pricks my eyes.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    At this time, Xanthus and Stuart were staring at Santiago and Raeleigh as they quarrelled outside. Raeleigh asked Santiogo curiously, ¡°Your family is not doing any illegal businesses. Why do you have bodyguards flocking around?¡±

    ¡°Rich people are afraid of death. It¡¯s normal for us to have bodyguards. When you get rich in the future, I will hire a bodyguard to protect you.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago. ¡°Aren¡¯t you my personal bodyguard?¡±

    Santiagoughed. ¡°Raeleigh,consider yourself very lucky. The only person yours truly is willing to be a bodyguard for is you.¡±

    Raeleigh was tongue-tied as she nced at Santiago beside her. ¡°You consider this protecting?¡±

    ¡°Of course. What,you think I¡¯m trying to pursue you?¡± Santiago winked at Raleigh. She was speechless. She raised her hand and rubbed her forehead, hoping that her headache would go away.

    Santiago gave the devil¡¯s own smirk at Raeleigh as she leaned back in her chair. Santiago raised his hand and pointed at the bodyguards. ¡°You two, stay out of our sights! It¡¯s giving Ms. Raeleigh a headache.¡±

    The bodyguards turned around and walked several metres away. Raeleigh looked at Santiago and said, ¡°Have you no shame?¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha, very funny. Why is shame needed in this?¡±

    Raeleigh resigned to her fate.

    She knew that she could not out speak Santiago, so she decided to keep quiet instead.

    After awhile, Xanthus finally emerged from Stuart¡¯s ward. Raeleigh got up and walked over to him with Santiago behind her. ¡°How¡¯s he doing?¡± Raeleigh asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s recovering nicely, but it¡¯s going to take some time before he¡¯s back on his feet again. He¡¯s pretty strong. Normal people would not have recovered as quickly as he did at this stage.¡±

    Xanthus held the patient¡¯s chart behind his back, his gaze softening a little. ¡°I suggest that you take Stuart abroad for treatment.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago. After all, Stuart was one of them.

    ¡°I will let my brother know, but I can¡¯t call the shots.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure your brother would want the best for Stuart,¡± Xanthus said before turning around and walking away. Just then, a group of doctors emerged from the doctor¡¯s lounge and briefly exchanged a few words with Xanthus. After they left, Xanthus told Santiago and Raeleigh, ¡°They are nning to head home for Christmas. They insisted that they¡¯ve done everything they could and there¡¯s nothing more they can do.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what? Are they nning to give up on Stuart?¡± Santiago¡¯s face fell slightly. Xanthus held the documents behind his back and patted him habitually. ¡°We are not giving up on Stuart, but doctors aren¡¯t gods. We¡¯ve done everything we could. There¡¯s no reason for us to put aside everything else and focus on treating him only.¡±

    ¡°Stuart isn¡¯t the only patient. There¡¯s still plenty of other patients that requires our attention.¡±

    After that, Xanthus turned around and walked away. Santiago silently looked towards Stuart¡¯s ward before resuming his seat outside the ward.

    Raeleigh sat beside Santiago. ¡°Why don¡¯t you want Stuart to go abroad and seek treatment? Maybe it¡¯ll help him recover faster.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever seen a withered tree bloom?¡± Santiago asked. Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°No, I haven¡¯t, but I believe it can. Just like how if we don¡¯t bring Stuart abroad to seek treatment, we¡¯ll never know whether it¡¯ll work.¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s no one to take care of him. He might get into trouble again.¡±

    Santiago briefly nced at Raeleigh before standing up and walking towards the elevator. Raeleigh followed him. After entering the elevator, Santiago leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He was frowning, as if he was thinking of something.

    Raeleigh followed Santiago as he disembarked the elevator and headed directly for the exit. They got into the car and drove straight to the Richards Family Manor.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°What are we doing here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going home, of course.¡±

    After getting out of the car, they walked straight to Green Jade Garden. Raeleigh subtly wondered what she was doing here.When she entered, she saw Jenna and Hansen studying a snowman.

    It seemed that they were very interested in ¡°researching¡± a snowman.

    When Hansen and Jenna heard footsteps, they turned around and saw that it was Raeleigh. Jenna was delighted to see her.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°Aunt Jenna¡­¡±

    ¡°Why are you still addressing me as Aunt Jenna? Shouldn¡¯t you call me Mom?¡± Jenna said to Raeleigh.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    As a mother, Jenna certainly wanted the best for Jepherson.

    Raeleigh was pulled over to the side by Jenna while Santiago and Hansen were talking to each other.

    Hansen turned to look to the side. ¡°Go and tell him.¡±

    Santiago went in search for Alvin, while Raeleigh waited. Soon, however, Santiago came back to the living room after changing into a winter coat.

    Aha, Raeleigh thought, even he was afraid of the cold.

    ¡°Santiago, you are no longer a child. You can¡¯t keep bringing Raeleigh out and about with you. Do you understand?¡±

    Jenna lectured Santiago, but there was a coaxing undertone in her voice. Raeleigh suddenly understood why Santiago turned out so high and mighty.

    Santiago pretended as if he had not heard Jenna. He walked up to her and lowered his head to give her a peck on her cheek. After that, he said, ¡°Mom, you¡¯re getting more and more beautiful by the day.¡±

    Jenna let out a cry and said, ¡°Santiago, where are your manners?¡±

    ¡°Buh-bye, Mom.¡±

    Santiago nced at his father before turning around to leave. Awkwardly,Raeleigh stood beside Jenna and was a little dumbfounded when she heard Santiago said that he was leaving. What was she supposed to do?

    ¡°Whatcha waiting for?¡± Santiagobeckoned to Raeleigh.It took Raeleigh quite a while to react. Then, she quickly bid her goodbyes to Jenna and Hansen before turning to leave.

    As they walked out of the door, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Did youe herejustto change your clothes?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯d known, I wouldn¡¯t have followed.¡±

    Raeleigh stomped to the car and got in, preceding Santiago, who then started the car and drove to the hospital. Raeleigh had not had a good night¡¯s sleep for the past two days and immediately fell asleep as soon as she entered the car.

    By the time Raeleigh woke up, they were already at the hospital. She opened her eyes only to find that Santiago was bent over and was about to carry her in his arms.

 Chapter 1404 Accompany

    In a state between being awake and being sleepy,Raeleigh raised her hand and touched her head. ¡°Santiago, what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±

    ¡°Umm,carrying you?¡± Santiago paused for a moment. It was toote for Raeleigh to react. He had already unbuckled her seatbelt and was carrying her. Raeleigh stared at Santiago for what seemed like an interminable stretch of time before reaching out and strangling him.

    ¡°Ouch! You¨C!¡±

    Santiago quickly put Raeleigh on her feet and massaged his neck. Raeleigh regained her bnceall while ring at him. ¡°I barely used any strength. You¡¯d better think twice next time.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and made her way into the hospital. Santiagofrowned as he followed her. As soon he was within arm¡¯s length of her, he reached out, grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.

    ¡°Hey it hurts!¡±

    After that, Santiago pushed Raeleigh away and strode inside. Raeleigh stood rooted to the spot, staring at him nkly as he walked.

    However, after taking a few steps, Santiago suddenly stopped and turned around to look at Raeleigh. ¡°Hello? Do you want me toe over and carry you?¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh start walking over to Santiago, who was waiting for her. Raeleigh stopped to examine his neck, which now had a bright red patch on it.

    Raeleigh did not do it on purpose. She had always been smallerpared to other children her age since young; plus, she was an orphan. Her grandmother was poor and it took a lot of begging before the principal agreed to ept her. This is why she was always bullied in school.

    At first, she did not know how to deal with it. Later, she found a hiding spot in school and hid there whenever she was bullied. When her grandmother realised that the young Raeleigh was a victim of bullying in school, she brought her home and told her that the next time she was picked on, she should grab the person by the neck to throttle them, and if it was a boy, she could kick him in the crotch.

    Raeleigh had never kicked anyone in the crotch because at that time, she was old enough to know the potential injury it could cause.

    Raeleigh¡¯s childhood memories were engraved in her mind. She would, like a knee-jerk reaction, employ these methods that her grandmother had taught her to subdue whoever who dared to ay hand on her.

    However, Raeleigh would usually try not to resort to these means unless she had to.

    Santiago¡¯s actions had somehow hit a raw nerve in her. Raeleigh failed to control herself and before she knew it, her hands were around his neck.

    However, Raeleigh did not expect that Santiago would react like this.

    Raeleigh hurriedly chased after him and eventually found herself outside of Stuart¡¯s ward. At this time, Santiago had already taken a seat outside Stuart¡¯s ward, his eyes narrowed to a slit, ready to sleep.

    Raeleigh briefly checked the time before setting off,in search of Xanthus. When she finally found him, she asked him whether he had lunch yet and he said no. So, Raeleigh went to the cafeteria to buy lunch for him and Santiago.

    Once Santiago was done eating, he got up and made call. At three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, a car pulled up outside the hospital. Stuart was wheeled into the car. By the time the car left, it was already six in the evening.

    Raeleigh saw Stuart off at the airport. Just as Stuart was about to board the ne, he looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the task of watching over Mr. Santiago to you, Madam Raeleigh.¡±

    Stuart was sitting in a wheelchair and his face was ghostly pale from being cooped up in the hospital all these time. Raeleigh felt a pang in her chest when she saw Stuart¡¯s appearance.

    She did not understand what love was, at least not right now.

    However, Stuart was willing to risk his life for Santiago, whom he had spent most of his life with. Perhaps, this could be considered as a type of love.

    ¡°Stuart, I hope the next time I see you, you will be standing right in front of me.¡±

    Raeleigh bent down and hugged Stuart. ¡°I wish you a speedy recovery. I¡¯ll be awaiting your return.¡±

    Stuart nodded. He seemed much calmer after experiencing such a horrific ident. He now took death very lightly.

    Raeleigh looked around and said, ¡°Jepherson might not make it. He¡¯s probably too busy with work.¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I know.I have to go now.¡±

    Stuart needed someone to help him with his wheelchair;after all, he had just been discharged from the hospital. There were two people following Stuart as well as a young girl, who looked like she was about seventeen years old. Raeleigh wondered what a girl at her age could do.

    Was Stuart in safe hands?

    ¡°Have a safe trip.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡­¡­.

    Stuart left without looking back. Santiago briefly nced at his watch before leaving with Raeleigh.

    After exiting the airport, Raeleigh asked Santiago, ¡°Is your brothering?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s busy.¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t spare some time to see Stuart?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself with it.¡±

    After getting in the car, Raeleigh made a quick call to Jepherson, but she could not get through to him.

    ¡­¡­

    As soon as Stuart boarded the ne, he found out that the entire first ss cabin had been reserved for him. However, everything that had happened in the past few hours was slowly taking a toll on Stuart¡¯s body. Soon, the medical team, which included Xanthus, boarded the ne.

    Stuart was then transferred from the wheelchair onto the bed.

    Xanthus and the rest of the doctors quickly examined Stuart.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re gonna be fine.¡±

    Stuart closed his eyes, casting all of his worries aside.

    At this time, Jepherson sitting in front of him, reading a newspaper. Stuart had his eyes closed, but he slowly opened them and looked ahead.

    From Stuart¡¯s point of view, Jepherson was just a man dressed in a grey coat, sitting with his legs crossed, facing away from him.

    Stuart could only see his hands and hair, as well as the newspapers in his hands.

    Stuart¡¯s face slowly turned pale. When the doctors saw this, one of them quickly put an oxygen mask over his face.

    While Stuart was receiving treatment, he kept his eyes on the person in front of him. However, Jepherson remained in the same position and did not move one bit.

    Stuart fought for his life for more than an hour. Xanthus instructed one of the doctors to give him a shot to put him to sleep. Stuart gradually felt his eyelids getting heavy and eventually fell asleep.

    After Stuart was put to sleep, Xanthus brought his team of doctors to wash their hands. After Xanthus came back, he walked over to Jepherson and took a seat right next to him.

    Stuart slept for 12 hours before he came around. When he opened his eyes, he realized he was surrounded by a team of doctors.

    Stuart instinctively looked in the direction where Jepherson was sitting. He was seated in the same position when Stuart hadst seen him before he was put to sleep.

    Xanthus took a look at the time and started to treat Stuart¡¯s wounds just as the ne prepared tond. Stuart suddenly felt the immense pressure on his body as the ne went through itsnding procedures. At this time, Jepherson remained everyst bit a statue.

    As soon as the nended, Stuart was immediately transported into an awaiting ambnce.

    Jepherson got up and followed him into the ambnce. Stuart was very excited when he saw Jepherson, though thetter remained indifferent. He continued burrowing his nose into the newspaper as soon as he got onto the ambnce.

    The doctors immediately started plugging him into all sorts of machines. When Stuart was finally stable, he looked over at Jepherson.¡°Mr. Jepherson, you shouldn¡¯t havee.¡±

    Jepherson picked up another newspaper.¡°Says who?¡±

    After that, someone in the car which was escorting the ambnce suddenly reported, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, there¡¯s a car blocking our way.¡±

    Stuart looked at Jepherson, slighly worried. Jepherson remained unfazed as he said, ¡°Get someone to knock it out of the way.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    The doctors in the ambnce were being kept on their toes. Fortunately, Stuart¡¯s condition had stabilised. Otherwise, they really had no idea what they were going to do.

    Xanthus was rtively calm as he looked at the rest of the doctors. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re safe. The ambnce is bulletproof. We won¡¯t get hurt.¡±

    Even so, the doctors were still afraid of what might happen to them!

 Chapter 1405 A Conversation

    At this time, there were a dozen of cars trying to intercept the ambnce that Jepherson and the rest were travelling in. However, Jepherson, too, was travelling in a convoy, but his convoy was constantly intercepted by the other cars. Every now and then, a loud bang could be heard outside, but Jepherson was unfazed. He sat in the ambnce reading the newspaper without even looking up once. He would asionally smile at something he read. The rest of the upants in the ambnce could not help but wonder how a young man like him could be so calm amid this road stunt.

    As his calm was contagious, the fear that had once beset the rest in the ambnce gradually disappeared.

    Outside of the ambnce, it was chaos. A couple of cars, part of Jepherson¡¯s convoy, were hit by the cars that was chasing the ambnce. The ones that remained at their wheels did their best to protect the ambnce.

    As the ambnce turned onto another road, suddenly a bus appeared out of nowhere and sped towards them. However, it suddenly screeched to a stop in front of the ambnce.

    The driver mmed on the breaks and immediately said, ¡°We¡¯re blocked.¡±

    ¡°Find a way to get through.¡±

    Jepherson said as he continued reading his newspaper. This was the first time Xanthus had seen anyone so calm andposed in the face of danger.

    The driver tried to go around the bus but failed.

    Suddenly, a group of people started climbing onto the ambnce. Traces of worry crept down the doctors¡¯ spines, but Xanthus¡¯s first instinct was to protect Stuart. He immediately took out a syringe and gave Stuart an injection.

    Stuart stared at Jepherson without saying anything. He gradually fell asleep.

    Jepherson continued to read the newspaperwhen suddenly, the ambnce door burst opened. Just then, two men dressed in ck jumped into the ambnce, took out their guns and aimed it at Stuart.

    Jepherson threw the newspaper at the two men, temporarily obstructing their view. At the same time, Jepherson got to his feet and kicked one of them and his shot missed. The other person managed to get rid of the newspaper from his face but his gun was soon snatched away by Jepherson. After that, Jepherson pressed him down on the ground, immobilizing him.

    Jepherson was ruthless, but he had no intentions to kill. After that, he kicked those men out of the ambnce, before firinginto the airthe gunthat was in his hands, emptying the bullets.

    The doctors that were in the ambnce started to tremble with fear when they heard the gunshots. Their eyes widened as they stared at Jepherson. Once Jepherson was done, he wiped down the gun with a towel before tossing it out onto the ground.

    The attackers werefrightened down to the soles of their shoes when Jepherson red at them. No one dared to approach him.

    Suddenly, Jepherson¡¯s men appeared from all directions. Not long after, the two groups began to fight. The driver quickly closed the door while Jepherson resumed his seat. Then, the driver started car and they continued on with their journey.

    After Jepherson took his seat, Xanthus looked at him and said, ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what kind of life Raeleigh would be living if she followed you.¡±

    ¡°I am not a viin, but because of my position, I have be on guard at all times.

    It just like how a baby girl was kidnapped because her parents had offended someone.

    I don¡¯t wish harm on anyone, but I have to be on guard of the harm that others might do to me.

    Assuming that my child was in this ambnce, and those thugsearlierwho somehow detest me and want to hurt my child. Hah, when hell freezes over, I¡¯d say.

    I¡¯m not a sinner by any means butthere¡¯s still a long road ahead of me. I do not condone evil, but evil has sucked me into this. If the vengeance is mine, then it shall be mine to repay. I have no choice.

    Since I have to deal with them,I will do it my way. This is ¡®survival of the fittest¡¯, though I will not resort to killing them.

    There¡¯s a lot of people under my wing. If I can¡¯t handle those thugs, then I am not qualified to protect anyone.

    I will take the matters of their survival into my own hands.¡±

    ¡°Is this the only way?¡± Xanthus asked as he leaned back in his seat. He thought about his family¡¯s situation. Maybe it was really like what Jepherson said. If he had the ability, perhaps Raeleigh would not have been kidnapped.

    ¡°Should you kill others, it would be an eye for an eye. You might be able to protect this generation, but not the next.¡±

    ¡°There is only so much I can care. If this generation was eliminated, there would not be a next generation.

    My father did not like dealing with officials because they were ruthless and unforgiving. They only care about their personal gain and are usually overpowered by greed. They are willing y dirty in order to get to the top. In the end, they be corrupted.

    Everything they did was wrong.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    My father felt thatit is only doomsday waiting to happenif a businessman relied on any officials. Even their families would be affected.

    Which is whyhe did not like interacting with officials.

    But then again, if you did not have any political backing, you can¡¯t go far either.

    Officials are ruthless. They want money and are willing to kill. They are bloodsuckers if I¡¯ve ever seen one.

    Dare I say, those foreign women are no stranger to adultery. When they fall in love with another alpha man, they would then get together with him, all the while they were fully willing to.

    In our country, people with power and influence have twisted hearts. Some are even perverts, especially those officials. A handful of them are already in their fifties and sixties. Some even even have grandchildren, yet they go aroundflirting with the wives and daughters of rich businessmen. They would spend a night with them and then offer them a government project in return. The officials would then use it to ckmail the businessmen. This means of power y is certainly beyond our imagination. Those wives and daughters of rich businessmen are their secret weapon.

    Human were born kind-hearted. Say, a newborn baby would naturally greet another person with a smile. Adults y amajor rolein how theirchildren turn out. It is from them that the children learn to worship the rich and discriminate against the poor.

    That is why the officialdom is dangerous and my father despises it.¡±

    Xanthus replied with a question, ¡°You¡¯re saying that you guys are wealthy merchants. The reason why your family is doing this now is that you¡¯re all worried about being killed, so your family set up your own protection barrier. Your purpose is to protect yourself and not hurt anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Good people in business world are few and far in between. I¡¯ve only seen a handful of people that are like my father. So, I admit-money is the root of all evil.

    Men or women, they would still be unable to control themselves. After all, everyone had desires.

    I can¡¯t even guarantee what my future would look like.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a high-sounding saying of using evil to fight evil.¡±

    Xanthus was unmoved. Jepherson did not care either, but he still said, ¡°My mother suffered a miscarriage when I was young. I was kidnapped and was nearly thrown down the cliff but my mother caught me. However, she was unable to save herself and eventually fell off the cliff. That¡¯s how she miscarried. My sister was the most innocent person in an incident that should not have happened.

    This was a blow to my family.

    Santiago and I were then sent forbat training. We would always go home covered in bruises and cuts. My father would then ask us if we were willing to acquiesce, and we would say no. He would also ask us whether we wanted to give up, and we would shake our heads.

    We might have been young, but we both knew that in this world,the weak are always the prey to the strong. If we aren¡¯t able to protect ourselves and our family, then we are doomed.¡±

 Chapter 1406 The Woman Outside

    ¡°I remember the yearwhen my mom suggested to my dad that we should conceal our identities.

    Both Santiago and I were there at the time. My father did not know whether tough or cry. He said that since we are already in this pugilistic world, then there¡¯s no turning back. Death was the only way out.

    At that time, my mother felt disgusted and did not take his words seriously.

    My dad gave us an example afterwards. It was as if we have a nk piece of paper in our hands. If we rubbed the piece of paper on a surface, it would most likely be stained and it would be hard to remove the stains from the paper.

    In this world, either you choose to be weak or you choose to die, but you had no right to make a decision unless the fate of everyone is in your hands.

    I have to make this decision in order to protect my family.

    You can see for yourself. Do you think Stuart got injured because he was careless? Have you ever wondered why Raeleigh and Santiago frequently find themselves in harm¡¯s way? Everything is connected. There is no coincidence.

    We must have the ability to protect ourselves. If we were to wait for the police to protect us, we would probably have ended up dead. Maybe only then, the police would show up-to collect my corpse.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your reason for hiring so many people? To hurt others?¡± asked Xanthus.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know my reasons, but you¡¯ve never stared death in the face before, so you would never understand.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t.¡±

    Xanthus briefly looked out the window and said, ¡°You must feel rather constrained to have so many bodyguards protecting you all the time. It¡¯s no different than being locked up in cage. But then again, you wouldn¡¯t have to be in that position if you weren¡¯t a targeted individual.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m a targeted individual, it¡¯s just that people are very unpredictable. Not everyone can replicate what the Richards family have achieved over the years.There¡¯s bound to be haters.

    I mean,e on! Celebritiestoo, have bodyguards, let alone us.¡±

    Xanthus kept quiet. He realised that this was most likely the longest conversation he had ever had with Jepherson. He knew that if it wasn¡¯t because Raeleigh was his sister, Jepherson probably would not have talked to him.

    Xanthus recalled the first time he bumped into Jepherson at the university. His first impression was that Jepherson had a strong and standoff-ish personality. He seemed quiet and preferred to be left alone. He waspletely different from how he was now.

    When the ambnce finally pulled up at the hospital, Jepherson hurriedly got out of the ambnce before taking out a book and signing it. Stuart was then wheeled into the hospital.

    Jepherson apanied Stuart into the ward. It was not until Stuart regained consciousness that Jepherson finally had the chance to speak to him. After that, Jepherson gave his men a few orders before standing up and leaving.

    In order to ensure their safety, all of the doctors, except for Xanthus, were all taken away in the car with their eyes blindfolded.

    After they left, Jepherson took Xanthus to the airport and they hopped on the next ne home.

    Raeleigh tried to call Jepherson several times but could not get through. In the end, she gave up. Then, she decided to call Xanthus to check where he was.

    However, she could not get through to him either. It was only when she returned to her room that she realised he had left a note, informing her that he had boarded the ne with Stuart and would be back in a few days.

    Raeleigh did not expect that a few days would end up being a week.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t youe with me to the officeter? I¡¯m nning to check out the concept car.¡±

    Santiago woke Raeleigh up early the next morning. When Raeleigh heard that he was going to the office, she immediately agreed.

    As soon as they stepped into the office, they saw a group of people murmuring in the corner while staring at a woman in a wheelchair. Apparently, this woman had been waiting for Jepherson for the past three days.

    Raeleigh instantly knew that it was Ste, but what was she doing here?

    Raeleigh was sure that some of the employees had seen Ste before, but why did they address her as ¡°the woman in the wheelchair¡±?

    After Raeleigh finished her work for the day, she decided to head outside, intending to see whether Ste was still around. She did not believe that Ste was willing to wait for Jepherson all day, in this cold weather.

    Raeleigh quickly put on her coat before heading outside to look for Ste. However, when she saw no signs of Ste after searching for a few minutes, she decided to head back inside. Just then, she saw a green rental car parked opposite the road. She did a double take when she saw the car. She could see a woman wearing a scarf, sitting in the car, looking in her direction. Raeleigh felt that the woman was probably Ste, but she wasn¡¯t sure, so she decided to go and check it out.

    Little did Raeleigh know, curiosity killed the cat.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    However, at this time, Raeleigh heard someone calling her from behind. ¡°Boy oh boy, you never learn, do you? I imagine you must be asking for a spank, yeah?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and froze for a moment.¡°What are you doing out here?¡±

    ¡°Puh-lease, why can¡¯t I? I walked past your office on my way to the washroom and realised that you weren¡¯t in your office. What are you doing out in this cold weather? On a date with your lover boy?¡±

    Santiago arched his eyebrows and acted frivolously. He walked up to Raeleigh and opened his coat before pulling her into his arms and wrapping his coat around her, making her feel warm and cozy. His coat was thick and slightly oversized. It was as if he had purposely wore this for Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh pushed while walking. ¡°Keep your hands to yourself.¡±

    ¡°There are people lurking around. Be quiet.¡±

    Santiago said in a serious tone. Raeleigh was momentarily stunned. She raised her head and saw his cold face. He looked displeased with the fact that she¡¯de out without asking for his permission.

    Raeleigh immediately quieted down. She then wrapped her arms around Santiago¡¯s waist and followed him back into the building.

    ¡°Mea culpa. I shouldn¡¯t have gone outside without telling you.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s sense of guilty was nudged. It would be her fault if something had happened.

    ¡°Apology epted. But no next time.¡±

    Santiago immediately let go of Raeleigh as soon as they entered the building. Raeleigh then turned around and looked outside.Standing beside Santiago, she asked, ¡°Are there really people lurking around?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I would joke about these things?¡± Santiago cut a nce at Raeleigh, after which sheimmediately shut her mouth.

    What were those people lurking around for?

    Raeleigh stood for a while. ¡°Is the woman in the car really Ste?¡±

    Santiagoughed. ¡°Are you stupid or what?¡±

    Santiago turned around and looked at Raeleigh, his eyes saying ¡°Dang, what a hopeless mortal!¡± Raeleigh asked, ¡°Wait, what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It means you¡¯re stupid, in every sense of the word!¡±

    Santiago turned around, intending to head up to Jepherson¡¯s office. When he arrived at the elevator, he called Raeleigh, ¡°Come here.¡±

    Raeleigh was reluctant, but walked over anyway.

    Santiago seemed to be deep in thought asthey rode the elevator up to Jepherson¡¯s office. Raeleigh tried not to disturb him.

    After work, Santiago met up with Raeleigh at the lobby before heading out.

    By that time, most of the people had already left. Santiago let out yawn as he led Raeleigh to his car. Just as he was about to open his car door, he realised that something was amiss. He retracted his hand and stopped Raeleigh froming over.

    ¡°Stop. Stay right there.¡±

    Raeleigh did as she was told. Santiago took out his cellphone and called the police.

    ¡°Yes, someone broke into my car. I¡¯m not sure what they took, but could you pleasee over?¡±

    Santiago put down his phone and looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh asked him what was going on, to which he did not provide an answer. As a result, when the police arrived and opened his car door, the car suddenly blew up!

 Chapter 1407 The Crux of The Problem

    Raeleigh was standing about 10 metres away from the car. Santiago seemed to have a hunch that the car would explode and quickly reached out to shield Raeleigh from the st. Thankfully, aside from Raeleigh being shaken up, both of them escaped unscathed.

    By the time Raeleigh came back to her senses, Santiago had released her. He was staring at the bodies of the policemen who had been killed by the st. Raeleigh immediately looked over at Santiago and said, ¡°They were innocent!¡±

    However, Santiago did not reply.

    Raeleigh immediately called the police and the ambnce. When another team of police officers finally arrived, Santiago gave them a detailed breakdown of what had happened. Although the police officers knew that he was from the Richards family,that did not mean that he was not suspicious. In the end, they decided to bring both Santiago and Raeleigh to the police station for further investigation.

    When they arrived at the station, Santiago andRaeleigh hurriedly gave them their deposition. However, midway through taking Santiago¡¯s statement, the police suddenly received a phone call. His original calm andposed attitude immediately changed.

    ¡°We did not find any trace of anyone breaking into your car. We are now suspecting that you have deliberate intent to hurt the police and that you¡¯re flouting thew. We are going to detain you.¡±

    Raeleigh, who was sitting beside him, suddenly stood up. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°You heard us.¡±

    The policeman was very straightforward and stern to Raeleigh, especially the policewoman. When she saw Raeleigh was about to stand up, she hurriedly pushed her back down. Everything happened so quickly that Raeleigh did not have time to react.In addition, her heart was pounding wildly in her chest.

    Raeleigh looked over at Santiago and saw that he was ring at the policewoman as he walked towards her. If looks could kill, the policewoman would have already been dead by now.

    ¡°Apologize at once.¡±

    Santiago warned the policewoman. However, instead of apologizing, the policewoman said, ¡°She¡¯s now one of the suspects for this case. She¡¯s not allowed to go anywhere without our permission and now you want me to apologize? She¡¯s the one who¡¯s supposed to be apologizing.¡±

    The policewoman asserted her dominance.

    Santiago sneered before reaching out and grabbing her by the cor, lifting her up from the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll repeat once. Apologise, now!¡±

    The policemen, who were surrounding them, quickly took out their guns and pointed it at Santiago. However, Santiago remained unfazed.

    ¡°Do prefer to apologise or do you prefer to die?¡±

    In an instant, Santiago shot a sharp re at her.

    The policemen had already pulled the trigger.If Santiago made another move, he would be shot.

    However, deep down, none of the policemen actually dared to shoot him.

    On the other hand, the policewoman burned with anger. In the end, she had no choice but to apologise to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh reached out and pulled Santiago¡¯s arm. ¡°Santiago, you know what? Just forget it.¡±

    Only then did Santiago let go of the policewoman and threw her to the ground. Raeleigh suddenly heard a snap and momentster, the policewoman screamed in pain.

    This caused a stir in the police station. Santiago cast a quick nce around the room and realized that some of the policemen were frightened down to the soles of their shoes.

    Raeleigh pulled Santiago¡¯s arm again and said, ¡°Come on, Santiago. That¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Santiago pulled out a chair and motioned for Raeleigh to sit down. She suddenly realised that Santiago had done this on purpose to show his dominance.

    After that, Santiago sat down beside her and asked, ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    Raeleigh blushed. How could it not hurt? The policewoman exerted force.

    ¡°Stop stirring up trouble.¡±

    ¡°Come here, let me have a look.¡± Santiago said as he lifted Raeleigh¡¯s coat, wanting to massage the sore spot on her buttocks. Raeleigh immediately pped his hands away, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡±

    When Santiago saw how angry she looked, he immediately pulled his hands back.

    Santiago sat down while the rest of the policemen quickly went back to work. A few momentster, the superintendent appeared with an unpleasant look on his face.

    When he saw Santiago, he immediately said, ¡°We¡¯re going to detain the both of you.¡±

    ¡°I want to call mywyer.¡±

    The superintendent agreed and Santiago quickly made the call.

    ¡°Seibert¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Santiago?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at the police station. Can you bring mywyer over? Something¡¯s happened.¡±

    Then, Santiago hung up the phone. Raeleigh asked, ¡°Do you want me to inform your family?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, no need to make them worry.¡± In fact, Santiago was not worried at all.

    However, Raeleigh was.In a haste, she asked Santiago, ¡°But your brother is not in the country. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to inform your family?¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no needto.If they find out about it, they are going to nag me. Seibert has now taken over Stuart¡¯s job.¡±

    Raeleigh felt that this incident was not as simple as it sounds, but she could not figure out what was going on.

    A moment after, Raeleigh and Santiago were locked up in separate cells. However, before Santiago entered his cell, he threatened the superintendent that if anything happened to Raeleigh, he would seek revenge on his family.

    For a moment, there wasplete silence in the police station. Furyvibrated through Raeleigh¡¯s being as she cursed inwardly.

    ¡°The police station was equipped with surveince cameras. What was there to worry about? Furthermore, he had inadvertently killed a couple of policemen and injured a policewoman. Now, he was threatening them? What the hell was he thinking?¡± Raeleigh thought.

    Raeleigh turned around and entered her cell. She was optimistic that nothing bad would happen to Santiago.

    However, not long after she entered, Seibert arrived.

    An hourter, Seibert appeared in front of Raeleigh¡¯s cell to check on her.

    When Raeleigh hearda creaking sound,sheraised her head and looked at Seibert.

    ¡°How¡¯s Santiago?¡± Raeleigh asked worriedly.

    ¡°This case is a littleplicated. Not to mention the trouble he¡¯s caused just now. Jepherson¡¯s not around at the momentandthe odds are not in his favour.¡±

    ¡°Call Mr. Jepherson.¡± The only person Raeleigh could think of at this moment was Jepherson.

    ¡°I¡¯ve tried, but I couldn¡¯t get through.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°It¡¯s impossible, he¡¯s¡­.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Have you told Mr. and Mrs. Richards?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m responsible for this case. I can¡¯t let Mr. and Mrs. Richards know about this. Furthermore, they are currently not in the country.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°Wait, what? Hansen and Jenna have gone abroad too?¡± Raeleigh thought to herself.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Seibert. ¡°What did Mr. Santiago say?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago said that he¡¯s not going to plead guilty. He seems very unwilling to cooperate with the police officers.¡±

    ¡°He said that?¡± Raeleigh found it strange that Santiago would say such thing.

    ¡°Has thewyer arrived? I want to talk to him.¡± Raeleigh did have the right to meet thewyer.

    ¡°He¡¯s only allowed to meet one client per visit. We discussed just now, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here to see you.¡±

    Seibert exined.

    After hearing Seibert¡¯s exnation, Raeleigh instantly knew that something was amiss.

    She looked up at Seibert and asked, ¡°Who on earth are you?¡±

    Siebert was stunned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°My name is Seibert.¡±

    Seibert repeated, which amused Raeleigh. ¡°I know your name is Seibert. What I mean is, who sent you here? Who are you working for?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know what I mean when I get out of this ce. Did youe here to ask me to plead guilty? You want me to persuade Santiago to do the same as well, right? After that, you¡¯re going to kill me, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Raeleigh was not a fool and she knew that something was wrong. They had been trying to find the crux of the problem, but maybe the problem had been in front of them the entire time.

 Chapter 1408 Getting Rid of Seibert

    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Seibert said, looking a little flustered. He then turned around and walked to the door. However, before he could open the door, someone entered the room. When he saw that it was Santiago, he took a couple of steps backward and greeted, ¡°Mr. Santiago.¡±

    Santiago was smirking as he walked towards Raeleigh¡¯s cell with his hands in his pockets. He said as he walked, ¡°At least you know that I¡¯m Mr. Santiago. I was afraid that you had forgotten who I am. You definitely have the guts. How dare you make decisions on my behalf?¡±

    Seibert nced at thewyer who was walking behind Santiago.Calmly, thewyer said, ¡°Seibert, you¡¯re such a narcissist! Just because Mr. Jepherson isn¡¯t around, so you think there¡¯s no one to hold down the fort? You are wrong! The legal advisors of the Richards family arenot to be trifled with. We take orders from Stuart, who take orders from Mr. Jepherson. If something happens and you don¡¯t want to tell us, that¡¯s fine, but we will find out one way or the either. We already heard what happened even before you called us. We were just waiting for you to call us toe and save Mr. Santiago. Unfortunately, you did not. We waited for an hour before deciding to take matters into our own hands, which I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not aware of.¡±

    ¡°How is this possible?¡± Seibert was shocked. He had been investigating the Richards family all these years. It was not possible!

    He was positive that he did his research properly.

    On the other hand, Santiago was amused. ¡°How is it not impossible?¡±

    With a grim face, Seibert gritted his teeth and said, ¡°So what? Even so, you can¡¯t escape thew. I have evidence to prove that you are a murderer! You knew that there was something wrong with your car, but you did not warn them about any potential bomb. You deliberately waited for them toe and check your car. As a result,those policemen were killed in the explosion. After that, you came into the police station and injured a policewoman. I¡¯m sure you will be punished for your crimes!¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Santiago entered the door and walked up to Seibert. Pointing at Seibert, he said, ¡°I knew you were trouble from the moment I first saw you. Little did I know that you like ying the game of a cat and a mouse. I told my brother that I¡¯m willing to y along just as long as no one gets hurt.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that I know you¡¯re the reason I¡¯m continuously getting hurt?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want people to know, then you should not do it! Not only have you underestimated the Richards family,but you¡¯ve also underestimated me!¡±

    ¡°Hmph! You want to y games, huh? Fine, I¡¯ll y!¡±

    ¡°You want me to plead guilty? Sure! We¡¯ll wait and see who¡¯s actually the guilty one.¡±

    Santiago turned around and saw a few men emerged from behind him, dressed in a policeman outfit. The moment Seibert saw those men, his face immediately fell. ¡°How is that possible? I thought they were dead!¡±

    ¡°Dead?¡± Santiago was amused by his words. ¡°Are you kidding? They work for the Richards family. How is it possible that they would die?¡±

    ¡°They work for the Richards family?¡±

    Seibert could not believe what was happening and remained silent.At that moment, he had a strong feeling that the policewoman was faking her injury as well.

    Then, the superintendent entered the room and looked at Seibert. ¡°Are you Mr. Seibert?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and you are?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who I am, but you¡¯re done, just give up.¡±

    After that, the superintendent turned around and left with his men. At this time, only Raeiegh, Santiago, and Seibert were in the room. Thewyer had also left.

    Santiago stepped towards Seibert, but Seibert took a step back, wanting to cower behind Raeleigh. However, Raeleigh was not a fool. She immediately knew what his intentions were. She roughly estimated the distance between her and the restroom before sprinting towards it. In a sh,Seibert hurriedly chased after her. Santiago was stunned as he thought that Seibert only wanted to cower behind Raeleigh.

    In a haste, she went into the restroom, picked up a bucket and started filling it with water.

    Upon hearing the footsteps approaching,she poured some dishwashing liquid into the water and mixed it.

    Carefully, Raeleigh then climbed onto the sink and waited for Seibert. She warned, ¡°Seibert, you¡¯d better note in.¡±

    Seibert stood at the door and sneered, ¡°You wish! You¡¯re my only way out.¡±

    The moment Seibert entered the restroom, Raeleigh immediately sshed the water in the bucket onto him. The floor became so slippery that he struggled to stay on his feet.

    Santiago stood at the door and watched the scene unfold. ncing at Raeleigh, he stifled augh. He looked over at Seibert and wanted to walk over to him but Raeleigh said, ¡°Don¡¯te over. It¡¯s too slippery.¡±

    There was soap all over the entire floor. It was impossible for anyone to walk without slipping.

    However, Santiago smiled smugly. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try then.¡±

    Siebert turned around and red at Santiago, ¡°Santiago, do you remember hitting me?¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about when you were little or after you grew up?¡± Santiago started walking towards him. Every step he took towards himdid not look like he would slip over. Raeleigh was shocked. However, she did not dare to lower her guard. She quickly filled another bucket of water just in case.

    ¡°When I was little. You bullied me just because you were from the Richards family. You even asked Hadrian and Scarlette to hit me. Do you still remember?¡±

    Seibert¡¯s face gradually showed ferocity, but Santiago remained indifferent. He said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You¡­..¡±

    In a split second, raw anger shot through Seibert. However, Santiago said, ¡°I just could not stand the sight of you because you were so ugly. I did not think much about it. I¡¯m from the Richards family and you¡¯re just ackey. So, why can¡¯t I hit you?¡±

    ¡°Santiago, God is watching. You¡¯ve crossed the line.¡±

    Seibert gnashed his teeth. Raeleighughed sacarstically, ¡°What are you talking about? It is you who schemed against Santiago. You¡¯re the one who crossed the line! You did not know your ce! How could you say something like this?¡±

    Raeleigh could not stand it anymore.

    Santiago¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°Did you hear that? I am not the one who crossed the line! You¡¯re the one who does not know your ce!¡±

    As Seibert felt as if he was being attacked, his fury immediately sprang to life. He did not dare to go up against Santiago, so he rushed towards Raeleigh.At that moment, Raeleigh quickly lifted the bucket and poured the water at Seibert before moving out of the way. Santiago kicked Seibert from behind which caused him to lose his bnce, hitting his head on the sink as he fell onto the ground.

    Raeleigh did not move. Santiago trampled over Seibert as he made his way towards Raeleigh. She vaguely heard Seibert let out a scream. She looked over and saw that the color had drained from Seibert¡¯s face as hey on the ground. He seemed like he was in a lot of pain when she notice the sweat glistening on his forehead.

    Seibert wanted to get up, but could not muster the strength.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Do you have spikes underneath your shoes?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s winter. I¡¯m wearing snow boots. I¡¯m lucky that I wore this, aren¡¯t I? Who would have thought that you¡¯re so smart?¡±

    Santiago reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hand and carried her out of the restroom. Raeleigh was initially wondering how the hell she was going to walk out of this ce without slipping over.

    As Santiago carried her out of the restroom, Raeleigh looked back at Seibert and could not help but feel sorry for him.

    However, there was nothing Raeleigh could do.

    After emerging from the police station, Santiago took off his coat and draped it around Raeleigh. Then, he ordered his men, ¡°Get rid of Seibert. Also, I want you to investigate who he¡¯s actually working for.¡±

    After that, Raeleigh got into the car and followed Santiago over to the Richards Family Manor.

 Chapter 1409 Deceived

    After getting out of the car, Raeleigh made a call to Xanthus to confirm the time that he wasing home. This time, she managed to get through.

    ¡°Xanthus¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m back. Where are you?¡±

    Xanthus arrived at home not long ago. When he realized that Raeleigh wasn¡¯t home, his first thought was that she was most likely with Santiago. So, he got into his car and was about to over to the Richards Group Manor when he received Raeleigh¡¯s call.

    ¡°I just arrived at the Richards Group Manor,¡± Raeleigh said as she entered the house. At this time, Jepherson had just pulled up at the house, but he did not get out of the car.

    Raeleigh was startled by the headlights and immediately turned around.However, Jepherson instructed the driver, ¡°Why did you stop? Continue driving!¡±

    The driver was puzzed. ¡°But Miss Anson¡­¡±

    ¡°I said drive!¡±

    At an instant, terror coursed through the driver¡¯s veins. He thought to himself, ¡°Mr. Santiago is also here. It seemed like Mr. Santiago cares more about Miss Anson than Mr. Jepherson. If I startled Miss Anson, I¡¯m sure Mr. Santiago would kill me!¡±

    ¡°However, if I did not continue driving, Mr. Jepherson will kill me too!¡±

    The driver forced himself to drive towards Raeleigh.Immediately, Raeleigh hung up the phone. In a daze, she stood in her spot and watched as the driver drive towards her. It was not until the car brushed her coat that Jepherson yelled for the driver to stop.

    Raeleigh tilted her head and stared at Jepherson, who was sitting calmly in the car. He rested his chin on his hand and he watched Raeleigh, who remained unfazed.

    On the other hand, Santiago remained indifferent. He got out of the car and let out a yawn. Then, he made his way towards the Green Jade Garden to change his clothes.

    Raeleigh stood still in front of the car and did not move asJepherson remained in the car.

    The driver broke out in a cold sweat. He did not know what to do.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    The driver called out. Only then Jepherson decided to get out of the car. The driver immediately alighted the car to open the door for Jepherson. After getting out of the car, Jepherson made his way over to Raeleigh and asked, ¡°What if the car had hit you?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it. He doesn¡¯t have the guts to do it.¡± Raeleigh smiled as she looked at the driver, who looked a little embarrassed.

    The driver lowered his head, not daring to make eye contact with Raeleigh. He was merely acting on orders and there was nothing he could do.

    ¡°What if he did not pull the brakes in time? What if I wanted him to hit you anyways?¡± Jepherson pulled Raeleigh into his arms and gently caressed her arms. He lowered his head and frowned. ¡°Why is your shirt so dirty?¡±

    ¡°I doubt you would do it.¡± Raeleigh turned around and walked inside. Jepherson said, ¡°Keep this in mind, no matter what happens.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh wore a smile, ¡°I will.¡±

    Behind them, the driverwas nearly scared out of his wits.

    Jepherson and Raeleigh then made their way into the Green Jade Garden.In addition, Jenna had already prepared dinner and was waiting for Raeleigh. As soon as Raeleigh entered the door, she immediately made her way to the room to change her clothes. As Jenna had to lend her one of her old clothes, Raeleigh looked a lot like her after putting on those clothes.

    At dinner, Jenna informed Raeleigh that the family would be spending new years overseas. Raeleigh was silent for a while. She wanted to tell Jenna that her parents were not around during the new year, but she did not expect that Jenna would bring up this matter.

    ¡°Our family prefers to spend new years overseas. We¡¯ll usually be away for about two weeks.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Jenna but did not give a response.

    ¡°Raeleigh, would you like to spend the new years with us this year?¡± Jenna asked as she ced a spoonful of veggies on Raeleigh¡¯s te. However, Raeleigh did not immediately gave her a reply.

    With that, Jenna said, ¡°I know that you¡¯re suppose to be spending the new years with your parents. How about this? Why don¡¯t you spend a couple of days with us before heading over to your parents¡¯? I¡¯ll ask Jerry to apany you. What do you think?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer but continued to stare at Jenna. Jenna wondered whether Raeleigh had heard a single word she said?

    On the other hand, Raeleigh thought for a long time before answering. However, just as she was about to speak, a servant came in from the door and informed them that Dr. Osteen had arrived.

    Thus, Jenna asked the servant to invite him in while she went into the kitchen to get him a te and cuteries.

    As soon as Xanthus came in, Raeleigh stood up andJepherson went over to greet him.

    ¡°Have you had your dinner?¡± Jepherson asked.As Xanthus hade to pick Raeleigh up, he was nning to head over to the grocery store on the way home to get some ingredients to make dinner.

    He did not expect that Raeleigh would be having dinner here. So, he decided to join them.

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Come and join us.¡±

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh before pulling up a chair for Xanthus next to her. In the Richards family, such a gesture reflected how much Jepherson respected Xanthus.

    Xanthus took off his coat and handed it to Raeleigh.She hung it in the coatroom before showing him where the restroom was so that he could wash his hands. After that, they went back to the table and began their dinner.

    Jenna was very sociable and loved talking to Xanthus. She was particrly interested when Xanthus mentioned that he was single.

    During dinner, Jenna mentioned a couple of girls that she thinks were suitable for Xanthus. Raeleigh did mention Cynthia to remind Jenna, but Jenna ignored her.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    Xanthus then said, ¡°I do have someone I like, but due to my identity, I can¡¯t confess my feelings to her.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    In a trice, Jenna stopped talking. After dinner, Jenna arranged a room for Xanthus to stay. It was next to Santiago¡¯s room.

    Xanthus initially did not want to spend the night here, but he changed his mind at thest minute.

    After all, his sister was spending the night here as well.

    When night fell, the entire Richards Group Manor fell into silence. Almost everyone was asleep, except for a few.

    At this time, Raeleigh was in bed, panting hard, but someone was panting even harder than she was.

    Jepherson finally calmed down, but he still did not want to leave. Instead, he bent down to kiss Raeleigh¡¯s body. He pinched Raeleigh gently and said, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    Raeleigh dared not to move.

    Not long after, Raeleigh turned over to check on Jepherson.

    Raeleigh closed her eyes and thought to herself. ¡°I thought there was problem with his manhood? He seemed fine.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh felt that she had been deceived.

    She even thought of bringing him to visit a herbs specialist to see if he can whip up something for Jepherson.

    It seemed like she did not need to bring him now.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you regretting it now?¡± Jepherson asked in a low voice. He finally managed to catch his breath, but his voice was still slightly hoarse.

    Raeleigh could feel hishot breathonher neck. He deliberately did it even though knew that this was her most sensitive spot.

    Both of them were naked. It did not take him much effort to pull her into his arms.

    However, whenever they were wrapped in each other¡¯s arms, their hearts would immediately beat twice as fast.

    Raeleigh always felt a little out of breath whenever she was held tightly in his arms, but what could she do since he liked it?

    If she really could not take it anymore, she would resort to biting him¡­

    Raeleigh bit her lips and covered her head¡­

    She admitted that she was a little worried the moment she knew that her parents were not willing to ept him. Besides, she was also partly to me for what happened to Jepherson.

 Chapter 1410 Came Over To Threaten Her

    It was really true when people said time flies when you¡¯re having fun.

    The next morning, Raeleigh did not want to get out of bed as she was exhausted fromst night¡¯s activities.

    However, she was currently in the Richards Group Manor. People would notice if she stayed in bed.

    So, she made the difficult decision to get out of bed, but Jepherson pulled her back and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any ns today. Let¡¯s stay in bed a little longer.¡±

    ¡°Just because you don¡¯t have ns doesn¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t.¡±

    Raeleigh got out of bed and put on her clothes. Although she was still tired,she chose not to sleep in.

    Even if they got married in the future, she would still do the same thing.

    As Raeleigh got dressed, Jepherson sat up in bed and asked helplessly, ¡°Are you worried that my grandparents would be unhappy?¡±

    With just a look, Jepherson knew exactly what Raeleigh was thinking.

    After putting on her clothes, Raeleigh made her way into the bathroom, disregarding Jepherson¡¯s question.

    Thus, he got up and put on his clothes. He walked into the bathroom and held Raeleigh in his arms. ¡°Come back to bed with me.¡±

    ¡°No, you can go back to bed if you want.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him through the mirror as she brushed her teeth.

    Only then did Jepherson kiss Raeleigh before stepping into the shower.

    Jenna was already awake by the time Raeleigh came out of the room. At this time, the servants were serving the food that the chef had prepared for breakfast. Raeleigh wanted to help, but Jenna pulled her aside and tried to persuade her to spend the New Year holiday with them.

    However, Raeleigh did not know how to turn down her invitation.

    After breakfast, she said, ¡°I have some errands to run today, so I¡¯ll be following Xanthus home. Have a great day.¡±

    Jenna did not expect that Raeleigh would be leaving so soon.

    However, deep down, she knew that Raeleigh was trying to avoid them.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Jenna was hoping that Jepherson would be able to persuade Raeleigh, but he did not say anything. Hence, Hansen mentioned that he was nning to head over to A city today.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head home to visit my father today.¡±

    Every year, Hansen would go back around this time to visit his parents.

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you sure you don¡¯t want toe with us? Actually, Marissa is an affable person. I¡¯ll talk to her about you and Jerry today.¡±

    Jenna did not want to pressure Raeleigh and she knew Jenna meant well. However, Marissa was not the only reason she was hesitant on spending the holiday with them.

    ¡°We¡¯ve already promised my parents that we will spend the new years with them this year. This will be Raeleigh¡¯s first new years with us and we were hoping that we could spend it as a family. I hope that you can understand.¡±

    Xanthus quickly exined to Jenna before Raeleigh could say anything. Jenna stared at Xanthus after hearing his exnation. What else could she say?

    Furthermore, Xanthus was very polite when exining to her. How could she be so shameless?

    Although Jenna was a little disappointed,she knew that there will be a chance in the future.

    This was only the beginning of Jepherson and Raeleigh¡¯s rtionship and Jenna knew that there were better days ahead.With that, she could not rush things.

    Jenna then followed Hansen out the door. Before she left, she reminded Raeleigh thatshe was more than wee to visit them.

    Awkwardly, Raeleigh did not know what else to say besides telling her that she would try her best.

    After Jenna left, Raeleigh finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    Raeleigh had heard of the term monster-inw before. Even though some parents were not as mean as Marissa, but she knew that most of them did not get along with their child¡¯s significant other. However, Jenna was different. She treated her like her own daughter. Sometimes when Jenna went a long time without seeing her, she would cook up a feast or spend the entire day catching up with her.

    Raeleigh felt that if she were to marry Jepherson in the future, at least she would have a great rtionsship with Jenna who treated her very well.

    Unfortunately¡­

    Love and marriage were interlinked and withfamily. This was something unavoidable.

    Raeleigh was nning to leave the Richards Group Manor first, but she did not expect that Jenna would leave before she did.

    Soon after Jenna left, Raeleigh followed Xanthus out the door. Xanthus got into the driver¡¯s seat while Raeleigh got into the passenger seat.

    On the other hand, Jepherson and Santiago stood outside and watched them enter the car.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Raeleigh informed the brothers.Then, Xanthus started the car and drove back home.

    As soon as Raeleigh arrived home, she made her way into her room, intending to take a nap. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

    Xanthus was still tired from yesterday¡¯s trip, especially after what happened in the ambnce. He wanted nothing more than a good rest.

    After ensuring the house was secured, Xanthus went into his room to take a nap. However, a few hourster, they were awakened by the doorbell.In the end, Raeleigh decided to head downstairs to check who it was.

    When Raeleigh saw the person at the door, she was slightly confused. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Are you going to invite me in?¡± Ste was sitting in a wheelchair with a thick ck coat. She even had someone to push her around. They said that eyes were like windows and everyone could see through them. Raeleigh could tell that Ste was up to no good by the look in her eyes.

    Raeleigh was not a fool and she knew that Ste was not a good person.

    With that, Raeleigh turned around to look at Xanthus, who was walking down the stairs, ¡°Xanthus, I need to head out for a while. Please wait for me here.¡±

    Xanthus was wearing pajamas. When he heard Raeleigh¡¯s words, he unconsciously stopped in his tracks.

    Then, he looked towards Ste who was at the door.

    Ste naturally smiled at Xanthus and greeted him.

    However, Xanthus did notreciprocate.

    Ste looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s talk outside.¡±

    She turned around, took a coat and put it on.Before heading outside, she threw a nceat Xanthus.

    Raeleigh followed Ste before stopping to ask, ¡°Is there something you want to tell me? Go ahead. It¡¯s just you and me right now, no one can hear us.¡±

    Ste looked at her servant and said, ¡°Go back to the car and wait for me.¡±

    After the servant left, Raeleigh looked at Ste with a calm and steady gaze. Ste was dressed in ck from head to toe. Despite sitting in a wheelchair, she did not look like a sick person at all. In fact, she looked perfectly fine.

    ¡°If you promise to leave Jepherson, then I¡¯ll promise not to harm your friends and family. Otherwise, whatever happened to Scarlette, will happen to the people you love.¡±

    Although Ste looked indifferent as she talked,Raeleigh could hear the threat in her words.

    Raeleigh also found it amusing. ¡°What rights do you have to tell me what to do? So, you¡¯re the cause of what happened to Scarlette?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now, does it? I just came to tell you to leave Jepherson. If you don¡¯t, then I¡¯ll start by plotting against the men in in the house. Then, you will know what it feels like to lose someone.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky that you¡¯re still alive. A vicious woman like you doesn¡¯t deserve to live at all!¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and made her way back to the house. Ste said, ¡°Why can¡¯t you let me get what I want? There¡¯s so many people who loves you like Santiago and Xanthus. I¡¯m sure they are willing to give you what you want. Why do you have to go against my wishes?¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and turned around to look at Ste. ¡°In your dreams.¡±

    After saying that, Raeleigh went into the house hastily. As soon as she entered the door, Xanthus pulled her into his arms.

 Chapter 1411 Letâ€™s Meet Up

    ¡°She knows about Scarlette. Do you think she¡¯s the one who did it?¡± Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Xanthus. He thought for a moment before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to investigate.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll get someone to investigate?¡± Raeleigh looked at him, slightly confused.

    ¡°Hey, do not underestimate my capabilities.¡±

    Xanthus let go of Raeleigh before heading outside to make a call to a private investigator.

    After Xanthus was done, only then did Raeleigh call Santiago andtold him about Ste¡¯s visit. At this time, Santiago was sitting on the couch. When he heard Raeleigh¡¯s words, he briefly nced at Jepherson.

    Then, he put his phone on loud speaker.

    ¡°Ste came to me just now. She asked me to leave Jepherson and if I don¡¯t, those people around me are going to end up like Scarlette.¡±

    ¡°Santiago, I know that Jepherson doesn¡¯t believe that Ste is a bad person. That¡¯s why I called you.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, you¡¯re such a smart girl,¡± Santiago saidnonchntly.Raeleigh was silent for a while. ¡°You don¡¯t sound sincere at all.¡±

    Santiagosnickered.

    Then, Santiago looked over at Jepherson, who was seated beside him.

    As Raeleigh did not know that she was on speaker, she continued, ¡°Ste said that the first person she¡¯s going toy her hands on is my brother.¡±

    ¡°Wow! She has guts!¡± Santiago said and smiled,as his gaze was no longer at Jepherson.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I want to know if there is any way to protect my brother.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can leave it to me. Wait for me at home.¡±

    Santiago briefly nced over at Jepherson before hanging up the phone.

    After that, Santiago stood up and said to Jepherson,¡°It seems like you¡¯re adamant that Ste¡¯s a good person.¡±

    Jepherson returned a look at Santiago but did not speak. Santiago quickly put on his coat before heading out the door.

    Jepherson got up and walked to the door, watching asSantiago drove away.

    ¡°Follow Mr. Santiago. I want you to protect him.¡±

    Jepherson said with his hands sped behind his back. Then, one of his men asked, ¡°What about Xanthus and Miss Raeleigh?¡±

    Jepherson hesitated for a moment, ¡°Jacky is not a pushover. I have faith in him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Then, he disappeared instantly. Jepherson thought for a moment before reaching out for his phone to di number. It was not long before the call was connected. ¡°Ste?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Where are you? I¡¯lle and pick you up.¡±

    ¡­

    Ste was very pleased with herself. In fact, she had been living in a hotel ever since Marissa moved out of the Richards Group Manor.

    When the car pulled up at the hotel, Jepherson took a quick nce out of the window while he waited for his driver to open the door for him. Jepherson got out of the car and paused for a moment before walking towards the entrance of the hotel.

    As soon as he walked into the hotel, he was greeted by one of Ste¡¯s servants.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, pleasee with me. Miss Ste is waiting for you upstairs.¡±

    Jepherson followed him to the top floor, where the presidential suite was located.

    He was invited into the room as soon as he arrived at the highest floor.

    After the closing the door, Jepherson turned around and took a quick look around the room.

    Jepherson immediately stopped when he saw a figure sitting by the floor to ceiling windows.

    Ste sat in a wheelchair and was wearing a white cloak. From his point of view, it looked that the cloak was slightly heavier than Ste, judging by her skinny frame.

    Ste sat there in a daze while hugging herself. When she heard footsteps behind her, she quickly turned around and realised that Jepherson had arrived.

    ¡°Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing moreyers?¡±

    Jepherson grabbed a coat and draped it around Ste¡¯s shoulders. Ste nced at the coat before looking up at Jepherson. ¡°Raeleigh must have told you what happened, that¡¯s why you¡¯re here.¡±

    Ste looked a little displeased and her face was also slightly pale.

    Jepherson took a seat on the chair right next to her, so that he was at eye level with her. ¡°Ste, we¡¯ve been close ever since we were young. I have never mentioned it to anyone but I remember that you once got injured protecting me.

    Although I¡¯ve never told anyone,it doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ve forgotten about it.¡±

    Ste forced a smile. ¡°I knew you woulde and find me after I threatened Raeleigh, but then again, if I didn¡¯t, you wouldn¡¯t be here, would you?¡±

    Ste looked away. ¡°Actually, I once had fantasies about you. I would fantasize that one day, you will be able to be mine and that you¡¯ll love me unconditionally.

    However, one day, I came to the realization that it was not possible.¡±

    Ste¡¯s tears flowed out of her eyesas she said, ¡°Not only was it impossible, my legs are also broken.¡±

    ¡°Everything was just a dream and I¡¯m not destined to be with you. How can I face this reality? Tell me!¡±

    Ste burst into tearsasher entire body started trembling. Jepherson hugged Ste and said, ¡°Ste, I¡¯m sorry. Love is something I can¡¯t control. When I saw you again, I was very happy. It¡¯s like reuniting with my long lost sister.

    You know, I¡¯ve been really upset about not being able to find my sister.

    Up until now.

    I care a lot about you, Scarlette and Deanna. I love all of you like my sister.

    I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t give you much. I can only wish the best for you.

    Deanna already has someone she likes. What about you?

    Remember I told you that you should have a life that is yours?

    I also said not to expect anything because expectations will lead to disappointments.¡±

    Ste pulled out of Jepherson¡¯s arms and pursed her lips. ¡°Scarlette¡¯s incident has nothing to do with me. I just used it to threaten Raeleigh. I told Raeleigh that if she does not leave you, then I will make sure that her brother ends up like Scarlette.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Jepherson did not speak. Ste held his hand and said, ¡°I am very scared. How am I suppose to spend my life alone?¡±

    Ste bawled her eyes out again. With that, Jepherson had no choice but to hold her. He stroked her back and said. ¡°I¡¯m sure things will get better. You cannot give up now.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to leave you. If I go back, I¡¯ll die. Can youbear to watchmedie?¡±

    Jepherson hesitated for a moment. ¡°No, you will not die.¡±

    ¡°But I really don¡¯t feel well right now.¡±

    ¡°Even so, you¡¯re not going to die.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson, do you despise me? I don¡¯t mind being your concubine as long as you and Raeleigh both agree. I am willing to do anything just to be with you.¡±

    Ste came out of Jepherson¡¯s embrace to look at his cold face. She then pulled herself closer to him, ready to kiss him.

    Jepherson looked down at Ste and managed to avoid her kiss in the nick of time.

    ¡°Ste, you can¡¯t do this. I¡¯m with Raeleigh and we will not tolerate anyone whoes between us.¡±

    In a trice, Jepherson let go and sat to one side.

    Ste¡¯s face turned even paler as sheasked Jepherson, ¡°Both of you can¡¯t tolerate me, or is it just Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°Both of us.¡±

    ¡°Then what about Santiago and Xanthus? Why do you allow them to hang around her? She lives with Xanthus and I¡¯m sure you know Santiago likes her. Why can¡¯t I stick around then? Why?¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Ste bellowed. Jepherson stared at her and said nothing.

    When Jepherson did not speak, Ste held the wheelchair tightly and tried to push herself up. However, she fell back down and started to pant and sweat.

    Jepherson watched as Ste tried to stand up. He looked like he was losing his patience.

    All of a sudden, Ste burst into tears. She covered her face in her hands and sat on the wheelchair, wailing.

 Chapter 1412 Handed it to Raeleigh

    At the door, Raeleigh waited for Santiago for about half an hour.

    Upon arriving at her house, Santiago entered and told her that he was going to move into her house.

    Raeleigh threw a nce at him as she sat down on the couch. She said, ¡°This is your solution?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Santiago was amused.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°Aren¡¯t you suppose to be spending the new years in A City?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was, but I don¡¯t mind spending it here with you since my grandmother doesn¡¯t really want to see me.¡±

    Santiago said with a serious tone.Although Raeleigh was a little suspicious, shedecided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

    The problem was that even if she believed him, she could do nothing about it. Raeleigh watched as Santiago and Xanthus sat on the couch and discussed the issue at hand.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if you head home. Xanthus and I don¡¯t mind heading over to our parents¡¯ ce a little earlier than nned since there¡¯s only 20 days till the new years.¡±

    Frankly, Raeleigh missed her parents very much. If it weren¡¯t for this incident, she would have already gone home.

    ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned when she heard Santiago¡¯s words.

    ¡°Wait, what for?¡± Raeleigh asked curiously when she finally came back to her senses. Santiago leaned back on the couch and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go home. There¡¯s no one at home besides the servants. Where else can I go if I don¡¯t follow you?¡±

    What Santiago said made sense, but she found it strange that he¡¯d rather spend the holiday with her family and not his own family.

    ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Raeleigh did not agree, nor did she refute. After all, Santiago was very shameless.

    After that, Raeleigh went upstairs into her room and gave Jepherson a call. The phone rang a few times but no one answered. Raeleigh was about to hang up when he answered.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    A woman¡¯s voice came from the phone. Raeleigh was slightly stunned. She was sure that this voice belonged to Ste.

    Raeleigh puckered her lips, feeling as if she had been stabbed in the chest.As fear wed up her throat, she immediately hung up the phone.

    Raeleighy down on the bed and pulled the quilt over her body. She was trembling all over.

    Closing her eyes, she tried her best to get rid of the bad thoughts that clouded her mind.

    Raeleigh knew that things were not what she thought, but that night, she did not sleep a wink. She had chills all over her body and a growing headache.

    In the morning, Raeleigh heard someone knocking at the door. She wanted to answer, but she did not have the strength.Furthermore, her throat was dry so she couldn¡¯t speak.

    ¡°Breakfast is ready!¡±

    Santiago knocked on Raeleigh¡¯s door but she did not answer. He immediately knew that something was wrong and opened the door.

    He hurried over to Raeleigh when he saw that she looked a little sick.In a trice, he called Raeleigh¡¯s brother.Xanthus quickly examined Raeleigh before deciding to give her a jab.

    As Xanthus prepared the needle, Santiago said, ¡°It¡¯s good to have a brother who is a doctor. At least, we don¡¯t have to go to the hospital.¡±

    Xanthus was worried about Raeleigh and ignored Santiago.

    It was not until Raeleigh was feeling slightly better that Xanthus felt relieved. He turned around and went downstairs to make her a light meal.After that, Santiago stayed in the room to take care of Raeleigh.

    Santiago then decided to make a call to Jepherson to give him an update on Raeleigh¡¯s condition.

    However, Raeleigh¡¯s phone suddenly rangjust he took out his phone from his pocket.

    Santiago walked over to pick up Raeleigh¡¯s phone and saw that Jepherson had sent her a bunch of pictures.

    As Santiago was curious,he clicked on it to have a look. He was taken aback when he saw the pictures.To his surprise, the were pictures of him and Ste in bed.

    Jepherson was clearly sleeping in the pictures.

    Santiago quickly turned off Raeleigh¡¯s phone and shoved it into his pocket.

    ¡°Have you called Jepherson?¡± Xanthus entered the room with a bowl of porridge in his hands. Santiago turned around to look at Xanthus and said, ¡°Not yet. I have to head out for a while.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Santiago got up and walked out the door. He headed straight for the Richards Group.

    When he saw no signs of the person he was looking for in the Richards Group, he immediately walked out and gave Jacky a call. ¡°Do you know where Jepherson is?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s in the hotel nearby your house. He hasn¡¯t been out since yesterday. I¡¯m not sure if something¡¯s happen to him.¡±

    ¡°I can assure you that he¡¯s perfectly fine.¡± Santiago hung up the phone and drove straight to the hotel.

    Santiago stood at the entrance of the hotel for awhile before entering and walking towards the elevator.

    He rode the elevator to the top floor where the presidential suite was located. As he approached the door, several men came up to him and said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir. You¡¯re not allowed to enter. We¡¯ve rented out the entire ce.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to let me in now?¡± Santiago took out a gun from his back pocket and pointed it at the man¡¯s forehead. ¡°If you think that this is fake, let me shoot you in the head and we¡¯ll see whether this is fake, okay?¡±

    ¡°Just who exactly are you?¡± The man did not seem scared, only rather curious.

    Santiago surveyed the surveince cameras surrounding the area and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who I am. Since I have the guts toe here, it proves that I¡¯m not afraid of anything. Open the door right now, or else, I¡¯m going to pull the trigger!¡±

    They exchanged a look before stepping out of the way.

    Santiago walked over to the door and shot the locked door open. Turning around, he saw that the people were scared to their wits. With a smile, hepushed open the door, and walked into the room.

    At this time, Ste was sitting on the wheelchair, crying her hearts out.

    On the other hand, Jepherson was sitting on the bed,pletely dressed.

    When Jepherson saw Santiago, he quickly got on his feet.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re still alive?¡± Santiago asked. Jepherson red at him. ¡°Do you really want me dead so badly?¡±

    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s the two of us in the Richards family. If you die, then I will be to sole heir to our family¡¯s property.¡±

    ¡°Nice try.¡±

    Jepherson pulled a long face and strode out of the room. He briefly looked at those men standing outside before continuing on towards the elevator.

    Santiago quietly followed him. He threw Raeleigh¡¯s mobile phone to Jepherson as soon as they entered the elevator.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look at what Ste sent? It¡¯s good stuff. Raeleigh is having a high fever right now. She¡¯s barely hanging on.¡±

    As he spoke, Santiago leaned against the wall and took out a cigarette. He lit it up and took a puff.

    Jepherson turned on Raeleigh¡¯s phone and saw the pictures that Ste had sent. ¡°Did Raeleigh see it?¡±

    ¡°No, she didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then why is she sick?¡±

    ¡°I checked her phone. I found out that Raeleigh called youst night. Ste must have answered your phone and said something to her.¡±

    Santiago took another drag on his cigarette. Soon,the elevator announced its arrival in the lobby. Santiago immediately exited and went out of the hotel.

    Behind him, Jepherson turned off Raeleigh¡¯s phone and quickly caught up to Santiago. He handed the phone to him and said, ¡°Take care of it.¡±

    Santiago got into his car and sped away. He was out of sight within seconds.

    Jepherson returned to the car and his face darkened. ¡°Get someone to close down this hotel.¡±

    ¡°The hotel belongs to the Doyle family.¡±

    The driver said. Jepherson then shot a death re at him through the rearview mirror. In a trice, the driver said, ¡°Alright, I know what to do.¡±

    Raeleigh woke up to find Jepherson sitting by her bedside. The moment she saw him, her head started to throb. Then, she said to him, ¡°I have a headache. Why don¡¯t you go home first?¡±

    However, Jepherson took out his phone and handed it to Raeleigh.

 Chapter 1413 Why Is My Screen Black?

    Raeleigh handedbackhis phone and turned away from him, not wanting to see him.

    Jepherson then said, ¡°This is your one chance to see the pictures that Ste had sent to your phone. Your phone is currently with Santiago. I¡¯ve already instructed him create a malware. By this evening, all the data in everyone else¡¯s phone will be erased, except for this phone.¡±

    Although Raeleigh was currently having headache which was apanied by dizziness, but in the end, she caved in, turned around and took the phone from his hands.

    Raeleigh unlocked the phone and went through the pictures. When she first saw the pictures, her head started to pound, but eventually the pain eased up. After all, Jepherson was fully dressed in the pictures and was fast asleep.

    It was Ste who had her arms around him.

    Raeleigh doubt that the photos would leak out. Furthermore, it was unlikely that Ste had asked someone to take the pictures for her.

    Putting down the phone,Raeleigh felt disgust at the pit of her stomach.

    She couldn¡¯t look at Jepherson. Even though it was not his fault, he should not have gone to look for Ste in the first ce.

    What were they doing together? Raeleigh doubt that Ste would have sent someone to kidnap him if he had refused to meet up with her.

    ¡°Is there anything you need to tell me?¡±

    Raeleigh asked, but Jepherson only said, ¡°No.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment then bit her lips. The way he was acting proved that nothing really transpired between him and Ste. However, did he really have nothing else to say?

    Raeleigh felt a flicker of irritation, but did not turn away from him;instead, she chose to give him her brand of silent treatment. The result was, she spent the entire day in bed, not eating anything.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if you leave. I will call you if there¡¯s anything.¡±

    Xanthus could not bear to watch his sister go an entire day without eating. However, judging by Raeleigh¡¯s actions, it seemed like she was not nning to get out of bed as long as Jepherson was still around.

    ¡°All right, then. Make sure you call me in case of anything.¡±

    However, Raeleigh made no move to get out of bed when she heard that Jepherson was leaving.

    ¡°He should have left long ago! I¡¯m about to starve to death!¡± Raeleigh scolded inwardly.

    It was only after Jepherson had left that Raeleigh finally sprung up from her bed. After seeing Jepherson off, Xanthus went up to Raeleigh¡¯s room and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±

    ¡°I am, but what can I do? He was here.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s mind was in a mess. She did not know how to feel about the situation.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already made some food for you. Why don¡¯t you head back to bed? I¡¯ll bring it up for you.¡±

    Xanthus turned around and went downstairs. Not long after, he came back with some food for Raeleigh. After emerging from the bathroom, Raeleigh sat across from Xanthus and began eating.

    At first, Raeleigh did not speak, then she took the initiative to ask Xanthus, ¡°What do you want to know?¡±

    Xanthus chewed on his food. ¡°What would you like to tell me?¡±

    Their eyes searched each other¡¯s faces for a while. Raeleigh thought for a moment before lowering her head.

    ¡°He went to meet with Ste yesterday. She somehow got hold of his phone and started taking pictures of them in bed together while he was sleeping.¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a while, her appetite dampened.

    ¡°How can you say for sure that he did not cheat on you?¡±

    Xanthus immediately rained on her parade. Raeleigh looked up at her brother and said, ¡°I trust him. I know he will never cheat on me.¡±

    ¡°If you trust him, howe you have no appetite?¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What has that got to do with it? I mean, he¡¯s mine, but I found out that he¡¯s with another woman. There is no smoke without fire. If he hadn¡¯t sent mixed signals, Ste wouldn¡¯t have had a chance.¡±

    In fact, she felt like such a joke as she knew exactly what had happened. Before, it had never urred to her how she understood him like the back of her hand.

    Raeleigh stared silently at the food on the table. By then, Xanthus had already finished eating. He looked at his sister and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure you know what Ste¡¯s ulterior motives are. It¡¯s clear that she wanted to cause a rift between you and Jepherson, yet you let this bother you. Don¡¯t you feel that the problem stems from you? You are contradicting yourself.¡±

    ¡°I do feel it.¡±

    Raeleigh gave him a bitter look. She was really unhappy this time.

    Ste was such a scheming woman.

    Why did she want her to leave Jepherson?

    There was no way in hell she was going to let Ste take her ce.

    Raeleigh was not a fool.

    However, Raeleigh was sure that if anyone was in the same position as her, they would definitely be as upset as her. At the thought of Ste and Jepherson in bed together¡­

    She started simmering with anger.

    How could there be such a shameless woman in this world!

    The more Raeleigh thought, the more the rage got to her head.She pushed aside her food and went back to bed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to go to sleep with anger. Don¡¯t say that I did not remind you.¡±

    Xanthus stood up, warning Raeleigh while collecting the dishes. Raeleigh did not say anything asfury twisted inside of her.

    In fact, Jepherson could have chosen not to show her the pictures, but he deliberately took them out for her to see anyways. What did he mean?

    Her anger was culminating at the thought. When Xanthus came back to the room, he found her clenching her quilt. As a result, Xanthus decided to give Raeleigh a shot.

    Xanthus did not answer when Raeleigh¡¯s questioned what was the injection for. Instead, he told her to take a good rest and curb her mind from overthinking.

    A few minutester, Raeleigh finally fell asleep.

    Only then Xanthus breathed a sigh of relief.

    Coming out from Raeleigh¡¯s room, he went downstairs to find Jepherson still sitting in the living room. He said, ¡°Since you knew it was a trap, why did you still walk into it? Not only that, you chose to let Raeleigh know. She may be an understanding person, yes, but that doesn¡¯t mean that she would not be bothered by it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to have any misunderstanding between us. Even if she found out from someone else and misunderstands me, I would rather be the one to tell her.¡±

    At this time, Jepherson hadn¡¯t eaten anything yet.

    Seeing Xanthuse down, Jepherson rose, walked towards the kitchen and started making himself something to eat.

    Xanthus followed him into the kitchen. The two men were busy in the kitchen.

    Xanthus was washing the dishes while Jepherson made some noodles for himself.

    Xanthus then went back into the living room to watch TV. A couple minutester, Jepherson emerged from the kitchen with his bowl of noodles and joined him. Just as Jepherson was about to eat, Santiago entered the house. He had no idea where his brother got the key from. Santiago seemed to be acting like as if this was his house,ing and going as he pleased.

    Xanthus looked up at Santiago and felt a little helpless. He did not know what he had done in his past life that warranted such treatment from these brothers.

    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Santiago asked Jepherson when he entered the door. Jepherson took a bite of his noodles and said, ¡°I left a bowl for you.¡±

    Santiago took off his coat and hung it up before heading into the kitchen. A few secondster, he came out with a bowl of noodles.

    Santiago took a seat right next to his brother and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your phone?¡±

    Jepherson passed his phone to Santiago, after which hebriefly fiddled with it and a few secondster, the screen turned ck.

    Jepherson looked at Santiago, slightly shocked. ¡°Why is my screen ck?¡±

    ¡°Yours is the only one left. I have no choice.¡±

    Santiago fed the phone to the trash can without hesitation.

    Xanthus was lost in thought and eventually broke into a smile. Sometimes, he found these two brothers quite interesting.

 Chapter 1414 Will Not Tolerate

    ¡°How¡¯s the investigation on Seibert going? Did you find out who he¡¯s working for?¡± Jepherson slurped up thest of his noodles before bringing the bowl into the kitchen. Santiago followed him. The two brothers talked about this matter as they walked.

    ¡°I asked, but boy, he wouldn¡¯t breath a word!I did find a suspicious number in his phone, and when I called, Flynt was the one who answered.¡±

    ¡°Since when did they start contacting each other?¡±

    ¡°Well, your guess is as good as mine. We¡¯re still investigating.¡±

    ¡°Just put it aside for now. Raeleigh¡¯s in a bad mood and I¡¯m nning to stay and take care of her. Zorion will be spending New Year¡¯s alone. Why don¡¯t you and Jacky crash at his ce, give him a little pick-me-up?¡±

    ¡°What about us?¡±

    ¡°I will inform Mom and Dad. I¡¯m nning to apany Raeleigh to her parents¡¯. I have something I need to ask them.¡±

    Santiago gave Jacky a call and was surprised to hear that he was actually standing outside of Raeleigh¡¯s house. So, Santiago went to open the door for him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not here for you, I¡¯m here for Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡±

    Santiago then turned around and head upstairs. Jacky quickly hung up his coat before following Santiago.

    Santiago asked, ¡°Why are you looking for my boo?¡±

    Goosebumps crawledall overJacky¡¯sbody when he heard how Santiago referred to Raeleigh, but he did not say anything.

    Santiago knocked twice on Raeleigh¡¯s door, but she did not answer. At this time, she was lying in bed with the quilt wrapped tightly around her body. When she heard someone opening the door, she turned to look at it. She froze for a while before she got out of bed.

    Raeleigh had already changed into her pyjamas. It wasn¡¯t until she saw Jacky standing behind Santiago thatshe got out bed.

    Otherwise, she would have stayed in bed.

    ¡°Are you here for Deanna?¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly remembered the promise she¡¯d made with Jacky.

    Jacky entered the room and said, ¡°I did not mean to disturb you. I wouldn¡¯t havee if I¡¯d known you were sick.¡±

    ¡°No worries. Give me a minute.¡±

    Raeleigh tried to rummage for her phone on the bedside table, but realised that it wasn¡¯t there anymore.

    As she searched, she muttered to herself, ¡°Where the hell is my phone?¡±

    She suddenly recalled Jepherson¡¯s words. Only then she turned around and look at Santiago.

    ¡°Your phone? Oh, it¡¯s been infected with virus. I¡¯ve already dumped it,¡± Santiago said as he sat down on the bed andy down.

    Jacky asked, ¡°Then what should we do?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Do you have your phone with you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±

    Jacky took out his phone and passed it to Raeleigh. She opened it and typed in the number. She wasonceworried that she wouldeitherlose her phone or it would stop working. Who would have thought that her prophecy was right on the mark?

    Fortunately, Raeleigh had memorised the number, or else she did not know what she would have done.

    Raeleigh prayed that her memory did not fail her. She typed in the number and pressed dial.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    Deanna was very carefully when answering call these days.

    Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Deanna¡¯s voice. ¡°Deanna! It¡¯s me, Raeleigh. I have a bad news for you, I lost my phone and I am unable to retrieve my old number. I¡¯m currently down with the flu, so I can¡¯t go out and get a new number either.¡±

    ¡°This is Xanthus¡¯s number. From now on, I will contact you with this number. Do you understand?¡±

    Deanna¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±

    Raeleigh exhaled a long breath. She then looked at Jacky before asking Deanna, ¡°Are you free to talk? I want to catch up. I¡¯ll most probably call you everyday since I¡¯m stuck in bed. Scarlette¡¯s not here to apany me. I¡¯m bored out of my mind.¡±

    Deanna had put her phone on loudspeaker for her parents to listen into their conversation before answering the phone. Hannah knew that her daughter did it on purpose. She knew her intentions. As her mother, how could she not know?

    ¡°Keep the noise down. Up you go.¡± Hannah could not stand it anymore and drove her daughter away.

    Deanna hurriedly scuttled upstairs to her room.

    Hannah leaned on Rayan¡¯s shoulders and sighed. As much as she loved her daughter,she knew that they were on borrowed time. Eventually Deanna would have to leave, and they would be left to cope with their empty nest syndrome.

    As her parents, they wanted to give her the world,but unfortunatelythey could not provide her with the love from her spouse, who would be responsible for the rest of her life.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m back in my room.¡±

    Deanna was excited to have received this call. She had known that this phone number belonged to Jacky, but she kept her excitement in check.

    Raeleigh handed back Jacky his phone, to which he said, ¡°I owe you one.¡±

    Jacky walked out the room as he talked to Deanna. Raeleigh watched him leave before turning around to kick Santiago with her feet. ¡°Rise and shine, you sod.¡±

    Santiago did not move. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Just for a few minutes.¡±

    ¡°Get. Up.¡±

    Raeleigh nudged him again, but he made no move to stand up.

    In the end, Raeleigh resorted to pulling him up from the bed. However, she was yanked into his arms instead.

    Raeleigh turned pale with fright. Before she could get up, she heard someone enter the room.

    Raeleigh and Santiago looked towards the door and saw Jepherson standing there with a cup of water in his hand. He was staring at the two of them, his gaze frosting over.

    Raeleigh was on top of Santiago, who had his hands around her waist.

    Raeleigh blushed furiously, a wave of uneasiness washed through her entire body.

    Raeleigh swallowed a mouthful of saliva, not knowing what to do.

    She felt as if she and Santiago had been caught red handed.

    Raeleigh wanted to stand up but Santiago did not let her go.

    Jepherson closed the door behind him and continued staring at them.

    Raeleigh was startled by his voice when he suddenly spoke:¡°Are you going to let go of her?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s voice was as cold as if there were a blizzard in the room. Raeleigh felt fear trickling down her spine.

    However, Santiago, calm as ever, eventually removed his hands from her waist.

    Raeleigh immediately scooted to one side and away from Santiago. She was still blushing furiously at this point.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Santiago sat up and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Girl, you look like a human sauna.¡±

    After saying that, Santiagoughed out loud. Raeleigh was so angry that she gritted her teeth and dared not look at Jepherson.

    ¡°Mind you, a clear conscience fears no usation. Why the guilt?¡± Santiago teased Raeleigh. When she red back at him, only then he kept quiet and remained lying on the bed with the devil¡¯s own smirk on his face.

    ¡°You should get out.¡± Raeleigh felt a sh of irritation.

    Santiago neither moved nor spoke.

    Her patience snapped, Raeleigh picked up the pillow and hit him. Santiago raised his arm to protect himself, but he did not strike back.

    Raeleigh finally stopped when she was tired. She threw away the pillow and continued giving Santiago the if-looks-could-kill re.

    Raeleigh curled up on the bed with her arms around her legs. She felt angry and resentful, as though she was forced to partake in a cat and mouse game, with the brothers as the gargantuan apex predator of a feline.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and wore an unhappy look on her face.

    Jepherson walked to the side and gave him his famous one-word orders. ¡°Leave.¡±

    Only then did Santiago sit up from the bed and left. Jepherson put down the cup in his hand and closed the door. He sat beside Raeleigh. ¡°Are you angry?¡±

    At first, Jepherson intended to touch Raeleigh¡¯s face, but did not expect her to p his hand away.

    Jepherson paused and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°You can take out your anger on me.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson.Furious, she raised her hand and thumped Jepherson.

    However, her hands hurt. Jepherson hugged her in his arms and patted her back. ¡°You know that Santiago is still a kid, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure if it were someone else, you would not have allowed it, right?¡± Raeleigh murmured into his chest.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh tightly. ¡°Yes, I will not tolerate it if it were someone else.¡±

 Chapter 1415 Kill Him

    Raeleigh peeled herself from Jepherson¡¯s embrace. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°What I meant was, I¡¯m not catering to his whims, but tolerating him.¡±

    Raeleigh had a huge question mark on her face. Jepherson took off his shirt and slipped under the covers before pulling Raeleigh into his arms. He whispered in her ear, ¡°We¡¯re brothers. We¡¯ve had simr taste ever since we were young.

    That¡¯s why I¡¯m not surprised that he likes you as well.

    He and I both love our parents, but that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t share them.

    He¡¯s my brother, an existence more important to me than my own life.

    I don¡¯t mind if my parents love me less if that means they¡¯re going to shower Santiago more love.

    At least they had still shown me enough love.

    I¡¯ve always been the most loved child ever since I was young because I was the oldest. Santiago was always neglected.

    The least I can do now is to treat him well.

    The way Santiago treats you is the same way he treats our parents. He isn¡¯t doing anything inappropriate. Earlier was just an ident, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Jepherson asked Raeleigh. Raeleigh nodded, but looked at up him and said, ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m still worried that it would cause any misunderstandings.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about? Let¡¯s say if he was your brother, would you still worry?¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything because his analogy did not hold water.

    Jepherson then rested his head on Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her before running his hands all over her body. The moment Raeleigh swatted his hands away, he wrapped his arms around her again. Then, he leaned down and kissed her.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a pervert!¡± Raeleigh said when she failed to push Jepherson away. She thought of making him upset and asking him to go downstairs. As a result, he took off his velvet sweater and used it to tie her hands together. Then, he got out of bed and locked the door. Raeleigh sputtered, ¡°What¡­ are you¡­ doing?¡±, but by way of answer,he took off his pants and slipped back under the covers before flipping her over and kissing her.

    ¡°Bringing heaven to you,¡± he murmured.

    Raeleigh was held down by Jepherson and struggled to break free. She had long forgotten that she was still mad at him.

    By the time Raeleigh remembered that she was supposed to be mad at Jepherson, she looked over and realised that he had fallen asleep with his arms wrapped around her. The moment she moved, his arms would tighten instinctivelyaroundher.

    Xanthus knocked on the door and asked Raeleigh toe have dinner. Raeleigh could only tell him that she was not hungry and that she wanted to sleep.

    Xanthus nced at the door and wondered why women were always the weaker kind in front of their partners.

    Xanthus turned around and went downstairs to eat with the rest. Jepherson could not make it to the table, but there was Jacky to fill in.

    Jacky and Santiago left after eating. It was only then, Xanthus was finally able to have peace.

    Outside the door, Santiago and Jacky got into their respective cars. When they arrived at their destination, Jacky leaned against his car and watched as Santiago got out of the car while lighting a cigarette. They were staring at a group of people who were bashing Flynt up.

    Flynt cradled his head as hey on the ground while the group of people took turns to hit him.

    ¡°Are you sure someone¡¯s going toe to his rescue?¡± Jacky asked. Santiago¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°If no one shows up, then I guess he¡¯s as good as dead.¡±

    Jacky shook his head. He could not care less actually.

    After a while, someone drove past and called the police. It did not take long for the police to show up and arrest the group of people.

    Santiago returned to the car and nced at Flynt before driving away.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± The police got out the car and asked Flynt. The police knew that he was from the Moore family. It was just that they did not expect him to be beaten up this badly.

    Flynt stumbled onto his feet and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m not nning to press charges.¡±

    Flynt struggled to stay on his feet. There was blooding out of his nose at this time. He gritted his teeth and hissed, ¡°Santiago Richards, I¡¯m going to make sure you pay for this!¡±

    Jacky returned to his car and followed Santiago to another ce.

    Jacky got off the car and asked Santiago, ¡°Are you sure that Flynt is shady?¡±

    ¡°I know him better than his own mother. In the unlikely event that there is nothing wrong with him, I¡¯ll bang my head against the wall.¡±

    Jacky was speechless.

    ¡­¡­.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to kill Santiago?¡±

    In the dark room, the dark figure asked Flynt.

    Flynt was injured, but he was still bandaged himself.¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. Be sure not to leave any mess behind. Make sure he die a slow f*cking death. I can no longer wait.¡±

    The man thought for a moment. ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡­¡­.

    Santiago and Jacky entered the ce. Santiago started cracking his neck as they walked along the corridor.

    Jacky turned around to take a look but did not spot anything unusual. He turned around and asked Santiago, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Well, well, we have a visitor. The tiger is here.¡±

    ¡°The what?¡±

    Jacky stopped and turned around to see if there was anything following them. However, he still did not see anyone. Santiago walked in front until he reached the room that held Seibert. He called for someone to open the door.

    Before entering, Santiago dismissed the two menwho were guarding the cell.

    Jacky followed Santiago into the room. The door was closed and the two of them walked inside. Not long after, they heard the sound of the door opening.

    Both of them stopped at the same time.

    Jacky turned around and saw a person dressed in ck from head to toe enter the room.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Jacky asked. Santiago turned around to look at the man who was wearing the same outfit when he attacked him.

    If there was one person Santiago would not forget, it was this guy.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mind who I am. You¡¯ll both be dead soon.¡±

    From his coat pocket the man took out a spiral knife which Santiago was familiar with. The man had used the same knife to attack himst time. The man had not used his bare hands to physically injured him thest time, he had used the spiral knife.

    Santiago fetched two batons from his back and handed one to Jacky. ¡°I¡¯ll go first. Cover me.¡±

    ¡°You sure you up for it?¡±

    Jacky raised his eyes and asked. Santiago smiled back at him before walking up to the man. The man smirked, ¡°You are my opponent?¡±

    Santiago said nothing as he walked up to the man. The man took a step back before throwing the spiral knife in his hand. Santiago managed to dodge it and continued walking towards him. There was only a handful of people in this world who could use the spiral knife. This strangest feature of this knife was its boomerang-like fashion of being able to return to the thrower after being thrown.

    After taking a few steps, the knife came flying at him again. Jacky wanted to move but Santiago immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    Jacky immediately stopped. Then, another knife came flying at Santiago again. He quickly bent over and sessfully dodged the knife.

    After several failed attempts to hit Santiago, the man immediately took out five knifes and shot them all at Santiago. Unluckily, one of the knives wereing towards Santiago¡¯s face.

 Chapter 1416 Another Trap

    Jacky broke out in cold sweat watching Santiago, but thetter merely caught with his teeth the spiral de that was about to sh his face.

    The other des were deflected with the retractable stick he held in his hand.

    The other person took a step back in shock and said, ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±

    Santiago plucked the spiral de from his mouth and tossed it to the ground. The man¡¯s eyes darted between the ground and Santiago.

    ¡°Nothing is impossible. Your biggest mistake was sparing my life. You should have ended me with a single stab the first time you met me.¡±

    ¡°You were the one who bred cmity for the future, and now you¡¯re going to reap what you¡¯ve sown.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re old and your mind isn¡¯t like what it used to be.¡±

    ¡°In this world, there are a lot of strange and unique weapons, but they¡¯re bound to have their own weaknesses.¡±

    ¡°Today, I¡¯ll show you what real skill is.¡±

    As Santiago spoke, he ced his hand behind his back, then suddenly whipped something out. With two loud bangs, the man opposite him staggered back and fell against the wall. He stiffened before slowly looking down at his chest, where he¡¯d been shot.

    He raised his hand to his bloody wound and looked back at Santiago, rasping out, ¡°This is your so-called real skill?¡±

    Santiagoughed in an exceptionally arrogant manner. ¡°You¡¯re indeed a fool now that you¡¯re old. Hasn¡¯t anyone ever told you that all¡¯s fair in war?¡±

    ¡°Why would I be stupid enough to fight you knowing that I didn¡¯t stand a chance?¡±

    ¡°You can rest assured, though. Once you¡¯re dead, I¡¯ll find a way to track your family down and get rid of every single one of them.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ how can you be so vicious at such a young age?¡±

    Santiagoughed like a madman. He walked over to the man and said, ¡°Every man for himself, you know. This is your retribution. If you hadn¡¯t killed anyone, why would someone kill you?¡±

    ¡°Do you think¡­ you¡¯ll end up with a¡­ happy ending?¡±

    ¡°Stop wasting your breath b*tching around and just drop dead already.¡±

    Santiago turned to leave, then turned back again and looked at the man. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about how I¡¯m going to end up. At least I managed to kill you.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    The man had a mouthful of blood. Santiago swiftly took a step back, not wanting to be sullied. He put his hands behind his back.

    ¡°After you die, I promise I won¡¯t allow even a single bone on your body to be discovered.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t have a good end.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never dreamed of going to heaven. Hell¡¯s the ce for me, so you don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡±

    ¡°A devil like me can¡¯t possibly go searching for God, can I?¡±

    Santiago turned and strode towards Jacky. This was the first time Jacky had ever felt like Santiago¡¯s aura was more oppressive than Jepherson¡¯s.

    Santiago had juste to stop in front of Jacky when the man behind him copsed to the ground.

    He turned to nce at the man and smiled briefly before leaving.

    On the other side, Seibert was scared stiff. He had never expected Santiago to be such a terrifying person.

    He recalled how Santiago had gone around causing trouble as a child and knew that he was not far from death.

    Jacky looked at the dead man and walked over to give him a kick. After confirming that he was dead, he called someone in to take care of the aftermath.

    After leaving the basement,Jacky saw Santiagosmoking outside.

    He asked, ¡°You¡¯re pretty ruthless for someone so young, huh?¡±

    ¡°I would¡¯ve died a long time ago if not for my ruthlessness. He initially wanted to kill me, then changed his mind and decided to torture me when he saw the ferocity in my eyes. He wanted to see how long it¡¯d take for me to beg him for mercy, yet he¡¯s the one that¡¯s dead now.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°If I were to spare him this time, I¡¯d be the dead one next time.¡±

    Santiago stubbed out his cigarette and got into the car. ¡°I¡¯m going to go shower and repent. It¡¯s my first time, after all.¡±

    After that, he left. Jacky was left standing there, looking a little taken aback. He couldn¡¯t helpughing as he watched the car speed off.

    Each generation has a hero and talent of its own.

    Jepherson would not be willing to wield to others either.

    Raeleigh woke up toJepherson answering his phone by the window.

    He only ended the call when Raeleigh sat up in bed.

    He joined her. ¡°You awake?¡±

    ¡°Who were you talking to on the phone?¡±

    It was only four o¡¯clock in the morning.

    ¡°Santiago.¡±

    ¡°At this hour? What for?¡±

    ¡°He said he killed someone.¡±

    Raeleigh was taken aback. After a while, she asked, ¡°Are you joking?¡±

    Jepherson was amused. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Jephersony down. ¡°I¡¯m going to get some rest. Call me if there¡¯s anything, but don¡¯t wake me up for any phone calls. You can answer it.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re skipping breakfast?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    He soon fell asleep. Seeing that it was still early, Raeleighy down again but found that she could not fall asleep.

    She continued to lie in bed till it was six o¡¯clock, eventually getting up when she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She couldn¡¯t help thinking about Santiago.

    She headed downstairs and called Santiago. He answered the phone groggily.

    ¡°Your brother told me that you killed someone. Is that true?¡±

    She was using the downstairsndline. Santiago cracked open an eye and gave it some thought. ¡°In my dream, yeah. What¡¯s up?¡±

    Raeleigh paused, then hung up abruptly, feeling exasperated.

    Santiago put down the phone.

    He turned andy on his back.

    Raeleigh headed back upstairs to the bedroom, wanting to throw a pillow at Jepherson. She stopped herself since he was still asleep.

    As a result, she forgot all about this by the time Jepherson woke up.

    After breakfast, Raeleigh and Jepherson headed to thepany. Santiago went there as well.

    They had to fune their n before the new year, and they didn¡¯t have much time left. However, they had to put everything aside for a meeting.

    After the meeting, Raeleighy down on the sofa, feeling a little sleepy.

    Santiago perused some documents while Jepherson rested his eyes while leaning back in a chair.

    The office was exceptionally quiet. Only the sound of Raeleigh¡¯s breathing could be heard.

    After a while, Santiago said, ¡°Grandpa called yesterday. He wants us to go back for New Year¡¯s.¡±

    Jepherson slowly opened his eyes. ¡°He called you out of the blue?¡±

    ¡°I guess he¡¯s holding a grudge. Grandma won¡¯t let it go so easily.¡±

    ¡°What did you say when you answered the phone?¡±

    ¡°That I¡¯m not going back.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    With her back towards them, Raeleigh opened her eyes. Was it another trap?

 Chapter 1417 The Fault in Our Stars

    By the time Raeleigh woke up,Santiago had already made them a reservation for dinner.

    Jepherson had already gotten dressed and was calling Xanthus, inviting him to dinner with them.

    ¡°Do we need a private room?¡± Santiago asked. Jepherson nodded and Santiago immediately booked one.

    It was only five o¡¯clock when they left thepany. Raeleigh asked Jepherson whether it was mandatory to attend the annual ball.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    ¡°All employees need to attend. We¡¯ll be inviting some guests and even be giving out prizes.¡±

    Raeleigh sat down. ¡°Will Lamarre being?¡±

    Speaking of Lamarre, Santiago said, ¡°Who knows? Even if he has the time, we might not even be able to send him the invitation.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Raeleigh asked anxiously.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know the first thing about his location. How are we gonna send him an invitation?¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent. If Lammare was not attending, she did not feel like going either.

    ¡°If he isn¡¯ting, then I won¡¯t go either.¡±

    She hadn¡¯t contributed much, anyway, so what was the point of attending? Wasn¡¯t it possible for employees of otherpanies to not attend?

    ¡°Going AWOL is out of the question, unless you have a special reason.¡± Jepherson had not expected Raeleigh to act this way. It looked like he¡¯d been looking forward to the annual ball for nothing.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been feeling well recently, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have the energy to attend. I¡¯m just an intern, anyway, and a student to boot. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate for me to attend.¡±

    Raeleigh looked out the window. It was wintertime, and the sky had already turned dark. She felt a little lost as she watched the lights.

    Her mentor had left without saying a word, and he hadn¡¯t even given her a call after such a long time. She wouldn¡¯t even know if anything were to happen to him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you guys have any way to contact him?¡± Raeleigh ced her hopes on Jepherson.

    Jepherson looked at Santiago. ¡°Do you?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s answer was short and sweet. Raeleigh hadn¡¯t expected much, but she was still reluctant to attend the annual ball.

    It was only three days away. Jepherson had nned on going home after the annual ball, but Raeleigh¡¯s refusal to attend threw a wrench in his ns.

    Raeleigh stuck to her words. She didn¡¯t even ept the gown that Jepherson had prepared for her.

    On the day of the annual ball, Raeleigh visited an old folks¡¯ home with Xanthus.

    Jepherson called Raeleigh¡¯s phone, but no one answered.

    He only managed to get in touch with her when he called Xanthus.

    ¡°He¡¯s looking for you.¡±

    Xanthus his phone away and reminded Raeleigh. She was filing an elder¡¯s nails, and she said, ¡°I haven¡¯t told him that I¡¯m leaving tonight.¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t leave without saying a word if you can¡¯t let him go.¡±

    Despite Xanthus¡¯s words, Raeleigh still stood up and told the elder that she had to catch a flight. They left the old folks¡¯ home.

    She told Xanthus, ¡°I don¡¯t want Mom and Dad to worry. Anyway, we promised them we were going back for New Year¡¯s.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s things were all packed up. There was nothing much to pack, anyway. She could leave at a moment¡¯s notice.

    At the airport, Raeleigh received a phone call from Jepherson.

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    Jepherson had just gotten into the car after leaving the annual ball.

    Raeleigh¡¯s gaze swept over the crowded airport. ¡°I¡¯m at the airport.¡±

    Jepherson sat up straight. ¡°Why are you there?¡±

    ¡°I have something to do.¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer immediately.

    ¡°You should go home.¡±

    She hung up and boarded with Xanthus.

    Jepherson looked at his driver. ¡°Book me a flight!¡±

    When Raeleigh got home, she saw Lamar and Jazelle waiting for her at the door.

    ¡°Gosh, what are you two doing out here? It¡¯sso cold.¡±

    ¡°Baby, I¡¯m sorry to have wronged you. I¡¯ve been feeling ufortable since we missed meeting the Richardses.¡±

    Jazelle held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. She only had one daughter, and she wanted to give her the best of everything. However, what could she do when the Richardses had crossed the line?

    She could only watch as her daughter resigned to her own fate.

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s not your fault. Things only turned out this way because I didn¡¯t discuss it with you guys beforehand.¡±

    In truth, Raeleigh felt very guilty as well. Jazelle pulled her into the house, chatting along the way. Xanthus only asked Lamar about everything that had happened when they were inside.

    ¡°All the evidence I have proves that the Richards family really had something to do with that batch of antiques, and they were personally handled by Trevor and his wife. We still haven¡¯t found out where the antiques went after that, but there¡¯s definite evidence linking them to Raeleigh¡¯s kidnapping.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why this whole thing is making your mother and I extremely cautious.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the truth, there¡¯s no way your sister can marry Jepherson, let alone date him.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t allow my son-inw to be someone who has harmed my daughter.¡±

    As Lamar spoke, Raeleigh gazed at him, her hand still in Jazelle¡¯s.

    ¡°Dad¡­¡±

    Raeleigh did not know what to say.

    Was she going to try to let Jepherson off the hook?

    Even if he was still a child at the time, he was still a part of the Richards family.

    Although it wouldn¡¯t be fair to push the me on him, he still had to take responsibility on behalf of his family.

    Raeleigh opened her mouth but kept silent.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I won¡¯t hurt you in this matter.¡±

    Lamar looked at Raeleigh. She could only say, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you, Dad.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re a good girl. Let¡¯s talk about all of this after New Year¡¯s. This is the first time we¡¯re celebrating as aplete family, so we have to enjoy it to the fullest. After the holidays, you¡¯re going to be twenty, Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t eat or sleep well for the first two days. On the second day, Jepherson came to visit. However, he wasn¡¯t invited in, so he could only wait outside.

    It was freezing cold, and there was no way he could stay in the car the whole time. All he could do wase twice a day and wait for a couple of hours each time.

    He tried to call Raeleigh several times, but she didn¡¯t answer any of them.

    He had also sent her a few texts, but never received a reply.

    Raeleigh managed to see Jepherson¡¯s car once from the manor¡¯s lighthouse. The manor was so huge that it was impossible for her to see him without any help.

    She finally thought of a ce to go ¨C the manor¡¯s lighthouse.

    She stood there with a pair of binocrs, barely managing to make him out in the car.

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Hearing the footsteps, she turned and saw Xanthus walk in. She put down the binocrs and turned to look at him. ¡°I miss him. I miss him so much that it feels like I¡¯m going to lose my mind.¡±

    ¡°It just goes to show that you do love him.¡±

    Xanthus walked up to her. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that I didn¡¯t manage to find you before this, that I didn¡¯t manage to keep you from harm.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re not the one at fault. Neither am I, and neither is Jepherson. It¡¯s the fault in our stars!¡±

 Chapter 1418 Exhausted

    Raeleigh fell ill three days before New Year¡¯s. Shey in bed, looking like she was just sleeping. Novalie was a little anxious as she sat and watched her.

    She said, ¡°I¡¯ve spent thest ten years with Raeleigh, and the only time that she¡¯s been like this was when I saved her from the fire. It¡¯s never happened again.¡±

    ¡°I know that you¡¯re her biological parents and you¡¯re doing this for her good, but Raeleigh¡¯s only human. I¡¯m sorry for this, but if something were to happen to her, I won¡¯t have any reason to live either.¡±

    ¡°The Richards family may be a lion¡¯s den, but what does that have to do with Raeleigh and Jepherson?¡±

    She looked at Lamar and Jazelle. Jazelle said tearfully, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s not that we¡¯re against them being together. We¡¯re just worried. They cane after us, but we don¡¯t want anything to happen to Raeleigh.¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to do this either. As she sobbed, Novalie sighed. ¡°Even if he¡¯s here to harm us or Raeleigh, let¡¯s just allow him to see her since she¡¯s sick now. We can talk about other thingster.¡±

    At Novalie¡¯s words, Jazelle turned to look at Lamar. She only had one daughter, and she didn¡¯t want to lose her over this.

    Lamar nodded. He had no choice but to let Jepherson in.

    As he entered, Jepherson was still asking Xanthus, ¡°Where¡¯s Raeleigh? I haven¡¯t seen her leave the house at all these few days.¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s head was slightly bowed as he answered, ¡°She¡¯s sick.¡±

    Jepherson stopped and stared at Xanthus. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Xanthus nced at him. ¡°She¡¯s sick. What do you mean what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°What kind of illness?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon.¡±

    It was toote to say anything at this point, so Xanthus led Jepherson straight to Raeleigh¡¯s room.

    When Jepherson stepped into the room, his eyes went straight to Raeleigh. He paused, then strode over to the bed and held her cold hand.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    He called her name a few times, his voice gentle and low. Raeleigh merely frowned, thinking that she was dreaming. She didn¡¯t open her eyes.

    Seeing that it was working, Jepherson leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Jazelle and Novalie averted their gazes when they saw this.

    As her father, Lamar had disapproval written all over his face.

    However, Lamar did not stop Jepherson. He was apassionate man, so he could understand this.

    Only a person who was deeply in love would be able to understand.

    Lamar turned to face the window, pain and hatred in his eyes.

    If not for his daughter¡¯s kidnapping, his wife wouldn¡¯t have lost her mind for so many years. He hadn¡¯t had time to care for his son, and his daughter had had to suffer on her own for so long.

    The fire that had taken so many lives and caused his daughter to suffer so many hardships was not a coincidence.

    How could he allow the people behind it to roam free?

    Raeleigh slowly opened her eyes. As she gazed at Jepherson, she dazedly raised a hand to touch his face. ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m real, not a dream.¡±

    Jepherson deepened the kiss to the point that Raeleigh felt like she was going to suffocate. She widened her eyes, suddenly realising that there were people around them. She quickly tried to push him away.

    However, he held her hand, stopping her. She couldn¡¯t break free of him and red at him, her face flushed as she tried to catch her breath.

    Jepherson nted a kiss on her forehead before moving away and looking at the people around them. ¡°Let¡¯s give her an IV drip.¡±

    Xanthus had already gotten everything ready and quickly handled it. Raeleighy in bed, watching Jepherson. She felt absolutely embarrassed.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand as he unbuttoned his coat, but he didn¡¯t take it off. It was the only way that he could continue to hold her hand.

    He¡¯d had enough of their brief separation, and he couldn¡¯t take anymore.

    It did not matter if it was a second or a minute.

    ¡°Grandma.¡±

    It was only at this point that Jepherson saw and greeted Novalie. She got up. ¡°I¡¯m exhausted. I¡¯m going to go get some rest.¡±

    Novalie returned to her room. Jazelle stood up and walked towards Lamar, whose back was still facing them. She tugged on his hand. ¡°Lamar, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Lamar turned and nced at Jepherson. ¡°Get your hands off her.¡±

    This was the angry voice of a father.

    Raeleigh immediately wanted to pull her hand away. Jepherson let her, but his gaze remained firm. It was as if he was saying that he would never give up.

    Lamar turned to look at Raeleigh, his gaze warming. ¡°You get some rest, alright? Your mother and I are tired too.¡±

    He headed towards the door with Jazelle¡¯s hand in his, and Xanthus followed them.

    Once the door was closed, Jepherson said, ¡°Your parents have a great rtionship.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Raeleigh felt like the sky was about to crash on them, but she couldn¡¯t help bursting intoughter at Jepherson¡¯sment. How could he still be in the mood topliment her parents¡¯ rtionship?

    ¡°My father likes to hold my mother¡¯s hand as well, as does Mr. Whalen. However, most of the other men I¡¯ve seen barely even look at their middle-aged wives, let alone touch them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not immoral for a man to smile at someone else¡¯s wife or like to look at young women, but it¡¯s a form of disrespect and humiliation to his own wife. He may not realise it, but it¡¯s a sign that he¡¯s slowly forgetting about her.¡±

    ¡°Every woman craves for her husband¡¯s love, even if it¡¯s just a hug.¡±

    ¡°However, there are plenty of people out there who lose that as they grow older.¡±

    Jepherson spoke solemnly. Raeleigh watched him with a slight frown. ¡°Have you always observed other couples like this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen too much.¡±

    It had been a long time since Jepherson had had a good night¡¯s sleep. He took his coat off and slipped under the covers, wrapping his arms around Raeleigh. ¡°Do you want to hear more?¡±

    She nced at him. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I remember when I was ten, we used to have an old driver who would drive me to and fro. His wife was beautiful, and he was a considerate man. I used to hear the maids talk about how envious their rtionship was, almost like a fairy tale.¡±

    ¡°Everyone thought that they would be together forever.¡±

    ¡°One day, his wife left him for another man.¡±

    ¡°Many people didn¡¯t understand why, but theyter found out that it was because the driver gradually stopped caring about his wife.¡±

    ¡°No one knew what he was thinking, but someone heard what his wife had said before she left.¡±All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    ¡°She said they had been estranged from each other for more than two years. They hadn¡¯t been intimate with each other, nor had they talked. They hadn¡¯t even slept in the same bed.¡±

    ¡°She could not bear it anymore, so she chose to leave.¡±

    ¡°Even if love no longer exists, one would still crave physical intimacy.¡±

    Jepherson gradually fell asleep. Raeleigh turned to look at him. Were all these things that he¡¯d said true? What was he trying to express?

    Regardless, she felt that he was truly exhausted. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have fallen asleep mid-conversation!

 Chapter 1419 I Wonâ€™t Marry Anyone Else

    Raeleigh struggled to turn around. She gazed at Jepherson¡¯s handsome face. He was only in his twenties, yet he was already an outstanding man. Wouldn¡¯t he be absolutely remarkable by the time he was middle-aged?

    She fixed her eyes on him and sighed. Perhaps they had been enemies in a past life, which was why they were in this situation in this life. Nothing had been in their favour from the day they¡¯d met.

    Shey back down after watching him for some time. She couldn¡¯t stand their current situation, but there was nothing she could do about it.

    When Jepherson woke up, he saw that Raeleigh had fallen asleep, curled up in his arms like a kitten.

    He subconsciously nced at her hand and found that the IV had been removed, then trailed upwards and met Xanthus¡¯s eyes. He was sitting across from them. Jepherson sat up.

    As he tidied Raeleigh¡¯s clothes, he asked, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had the habit of watching others sleep.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t when ites to other people, but I do have a habit of watching my sister.¡±

    Xanthus stood up and turned to leave, taking the IV drip with him.

    After a while, Jepherson got out of bed and took a shower. He put on a bathrobe and called Xanthus on the phone, saying, ¡°Bring me some clothes that you¡¯ve never worn.¡±

    After that, he hung up, leaving Xanthus feeling both amused and annoyed.

    Xanthus grabbed some clothes and brought them to Raeleigh¡¯s room. He knocked on the door.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°It¡¯s not locked.¡±

    Jepherson changed into the clothes Xanthus had brought. They had simr builds, and he looked good even in loungewear.

    After that, he headed straight to the kitchen. He didn¡¯t react much at Lamar and Jazelle¡¯s presence, merely greeting them politely, saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to make something for Raeleigh.¡±

    Jazelle nced at Lamar, a little bemused. However, Jepherson walked into the kitchen before she could say anything, as casually as if he were in his own home. He cooked something for Raeleigh, bringing it up to her room and waking her up.

    Raeleigh did not know whether tough or cry. ¡°There¡¯s no need for this.¡±

    She didn¡¯t want him to serve her like a servant.

    ¡°You don¡¯t expect me to just sit around and watch you while you¡¯re sick, do you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really unnecessary, though. There are plenty of people to cook for me.¡±

    ¡°Mine is the best, though. Isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. She¡¯d never met such an arrogant person.

    She sat in bed and looked outside the window for a while. It was snowing.

    She said, ¡°I heard from Dad that your grandparents are behind this. If it¡¯s really them, what¡¯s going to happen to us?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get to the bottom of this. Grandma¡¯s a little on the extreme side, but as far as I know, she¡¯s not the type who¡¯dmit arson.¡±

    ¡°There must be some reason for this.¡±

    In face, Jepherson had already started investigating the matter. He had yet to find anything, though.

    She looked at him. ¡°I really hope it¡¯s just a dream.¡±

    ¡°If you were to disappear when the dream¡¯s over, then I¡¯d rather this be real.¡±

    Jepherson took a sip of the lukewarm soup before cleaning up the cutlery. Jazelle, who¡¯d been standing by the door, turned and headed downstairs.

    Jepherson went downstairs and washed up before looking for Lamar.

    ¡°I have something to say.¡±

    Lamar sat on the leather sofa, frowning at Jepherson. He¡¯d seen Jepherson¡¯s father in a photo before, but he had to admit that Jepherson had surpassed him.

    It was obvious.

    It if weren¡¯t for the fact that he was from the Richards family, Lamar would¡¯ve been overjoyed by his actions.

    It was a pity that things didn¡¯t always go ording to n.

    There were countless possibilities, but neither one could change the fact that the Richards family had done something wrong.

    As a father, he could not tolerate losing his daughter, and he would not allow it to happen twice.

    Everyone knew that if the cat was out of the bag, Raeleigh would be a moving target. The Richards family would never let her go.

    Otherwise, that fire wouldn¡¯t have happened. Lamar couldn¡¯t think of any other reason for it, aside from wanting to ensure that Raeleigh would die with the truth.

    Couldn¡¯t Jepherson see it?

    Their separation was the only way to protect Raeleigh.

    ¡°Sit down, and let¡¯s talk.¡±

    Lamar decided not to be too unceremonious.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Jepherson sat down. Jazelle gestured to the maids for tea to be served.

    Jepherson said, ¡°Raeleigh and I have had our fair share of unhappiness and mistakes, and it¡¯s miraculous that we managed to get this far.¡±

    ¡°Please give me some time to take care of my family¡¯s matters. I¡¯ll ensure that Raeleigh has a stable, safe life.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really worried about her current situation. She rarely tells me things that we have a tacit understanding about.¡±

    ¡°No matter what the reason is, I will not give up.¡±

    Jazelle held Lamar¡¯s hand and looked at him.

    Lamar said, ¡°You can stay with Raeleigh for the time being. We¡¯ll talk about this once we know the truth.¡±

    ¡°I can tell you for sure that your grandparents were involved in this matter. I can¡¯t be sure that they¡¯re the masterminds, but it¡¯s what I believe to be true.¡±

    ¡°I can give up on getting revenge since Raeleigh¡¯s back. It¡¯s not going to change anything, anyway.¡±

    ¡°However¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a smart man. You should know that that fire was not a coincidence. Someone was trying to keep things under wraps.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps they thought that things would end with Raeleigh¡¯s death.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately for them, God kept her alive and even allowed me to find her.¡±

    ¡°The problem is that Raeleigh might get hurt again if we really were to find something out.¡±

    ¡°You should know that as a father, all I want for my daughter is for her to be safe, happy, and healthy.¡±

    The room fell into silence.

    Jepherson frowned. ¡°Do you mean to say that even if the Richards family isn¡¯t involved in this, you won¡¯t allow me to be with Raeleigh?¡±

    Lamar merely smiled. ¡°As I said, you¡¯re a smart man. No daughter of the Osteen family will marry someone from the Richards family, so you should only me yourself for having been born into the wrong family.¡±

    Jepherson gazed at Lamar for a long time, not saying a word.

    Eventually, he said, ¡°Whatever your decision is, I won¡¯t marry anyone else aside from Raeleigh.¡±

 Chapter 1420 Left Quickly

    Jepherson got up to head upstairs, but stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned back to look at Lamar and Jazelle. ¡°I¡¯ll be staying here until New Year¡¯s Day. After that, I¡¯ll leave and go find out the truth before returning to pick Raeleigh up.¡±

    Then, he headed upstairs, his face cold.

    If he could fall out with his own family, he could fall out with Raeleigh¡¯s. Nobody would be able to stop him.

    Raeleigh was resting when she heard someone open the door. She knew it was Jepherson and opened her eyes to look at him.

    She was a little bemused at his grave expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± He walked over to her and took her hand, rubbing it with his hands.

    She knew that something must have happened, but it was impossible to make him tell her.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    After thinking for some time, she figured it out.

    ¡°Did my father say that he won¡¯t allow us to get married even if the Richards family isn¡¯t behind my kidnapping?¡±

    Jepherson did not answer, but Raeleigh could tell from his expression that she¡¯d guessed correctly.

    She was silent for a while. ¡°If so, we¡­¡±

    ¡°Never!¡±

    He immediately cut her off, ring at her. She swallowed the rest of her sentence.

    Amused, she said, ¡°I still haven¡¯t figured out what love really is, but you already have me wrapped around your finger.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just me, but the harder things get, the less I want to give up. It¡¯s like how I refused to let you go when I knew you were sick, but I regretted it when you recovered. I felt like I¡¯d been tricked.¡±

    She fell silent, which put Jepherson in a great mood. He pinched her face. ¡°I love you like this. You¡¯re destined to be with me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, please. How narcissistic can you be?¡±

    Raeleigh harrumphed conceitedly.

    Hey down next to her, holding her hand in his and closing his eyes. ¡°Everything¡¯s happened so suddenly. I¡¯ve been trying to find a way out of this, but nothing¡¯s working.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, give me some time to find out the truth.¡±

    ¡°Your parents are right. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s in the most danger now, so this can¡¯t go on for long.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t respond. Jepherson soon fell asleep, which made her worry. He was so exhausted that he could fall asleep even without eating. It was simr to when he¡¯d gotten sick.

    She wanted to wake him up, but she couldn¡¯t bear to. At the same time, allowing him to continue sleeping was just making her worry.

    She couldn¡¯t help feeling amused at how weird humans were. They desperately wanted to get their hands on things that they couldn¡¯t have, yet when those things were easily within reach, they would throw them aside.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t go home to celebrate New Year¡¯s with his family. On New Year¡¯s Eve, Raeleigh watched as he called his rtives, feeling a little ufortable.

    This was probably his first time spending New Year¡¯s away from his family.

    She¡¯d just turned to leave when Jepherson called out to her. She turned back, and he took a photo of her for Jenna.

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    He was calling her over like she was hisckey, but her body reacted before her mind could.

    He held her in his arms before turning on the camera.

    Raeleigh blushed a little. She¡¯d thought that it was just Jenna, but Hansen was there as well.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯ve prepared some gifts for you. When are youing?¡±

    Jenna looked radiant in her outfit, just like a young woman.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Maybe in two weeks?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting, then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hanging up.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Jenna was outside, looking a little cold. They were going to catch some fireworks, so they didn¡¯t have much time to chat either.

    After hanging up, Jenna called Santiago.

    Santiago was spending the holidays at Zorion¡¯s house with both Zorion and Jacky.

    They were doing some baking, but Jacky¡¯s was turning out the best. Zorion and Santiago immediately went on strike.

    ¡­

    Santiago left to answer the call, leaving Zorion and Jacky alone. They didn¡¯t speak at first, but Santiago was away for so long that they couldn¡¯t help breaking the silence.

    ¡°Was it worth it, leaving your cushy life in Waverly Vige for this?¡±

    Zorion was young, but he¡¯d been through a lot. He sounded mature and wise when he spoke.

    Jacky was the same.

    ¡°What matters is whether you have the guts to, not whether it¡¯s worth it. I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold the fort down if I were truly useless. I want Deanna, and if the Whalen family doesn¡¯t give her to me, I won¡¯t leave.¡±

    ¡°Threats are of no use to the Whalen family. You should know that.¡±

    Zorion was decorating his pastries, which were turning out to look really ugly. Jacky couldn¡¯t stand the sight of them and threw them away.

    Zorion¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed, but he didn¡¯t say anything.

    Jacky put his pastries down and looked up at Zorion. ¡°My love for Deanna is bone-deep, and I won¡¯t leave without the Whalen family¡¯s blessing.¡±

    ¡°You used to love someone too. You should know how serious I am.¡±

    ¡°Once I marry her, I¡¯ll leave all my riches behind and return to Waverly Vige. She¡¯s all that I need.¡±

    ¡°If I can¡¯t marry her, I¡¯ll spend the rest of my life trying.¡±

    Zorion chuckled.

    However, it didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°Getting rid of one person is nothing to the Whalen family. Your feelings and riches mean nothing to us.¡±

    ¡°And my business is my business. Don¡¯t ever bring it up in front of me again.¡±

    Jacky lowered his head and continued fussing with his pastries. The maids stood around awkwardly, not understanding what they were talking about. It looked like Jacky had confessed to the wrong person.

    Santiago had told them to treat him as part of the family, but Zorion was so adamantly against it that they didn¡¯t dare to be too obvious about it.

    Jacky received a call as they baked. He wiped his hands before answering the phone.

    After answering the phone, he nced at Zorion. It was obvious that something was amiss.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zorion¡¯s voice was frosty, but he was being as polite as he could to someone who¡¯d gotten his younger sister pregnant.

    It didn¡¯t bother Jacky, but he still hesitated before hanging up.

    ¡°My people abducted a high-ranking official¡¯s daughter. They failed.¡±

    ¡°What does this have to do with me? Why are you looking at me?¡± Zorion¡¯s temper inexplicably rose. Jacky turned around and nced outside the vi.

    ¡°You owe me a favor.¡±

    Jacky unlocked his phone and showed Zorion a photo.

    When he saw the person in the photo, his face turned pale. ¡°B*stards.¡±

    Jacky took his phone back and made a call. ¡°Take her to Waverly Vige. Nobody is allowed to go near her without my order.¡±

    After hanging up, he looked at Zorion. ¡°One hundred million.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll give it to you?¡±

    ¡°A buddy of mine likes her too.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°How interesting.¡± Santiago walked in and washed his hands before watching the two men negotiate.

    He added, ¡°I heard that it¡¯s really cold in Waverly Vige now. Without firewood and coal, a normal person won¡¯t make it through the night. I wonder whether one hundred million is enough?¡±

    He¡¯d barely managed to finish his sentence before Zorion had hurried off.

 Chapter 1421 Get Out of the Way

    Rossie had never imagined that she¡¯d be abducted by Jacky¡¯s men and even see Logan.

    ¡°Here, have something to eat.¡± Logan came in from outside with some food for her and sat down. The room was warm, and Rossie looked at Logan, not knowing what to say.

    He ced the food in front of her and gave her some cutlery.

    ¡°This must be a misunderstanding. I¡¯ve already called Jacky, so¡­¡± Logan looked at Rossie. ¡°Have you and Zorion broken up?¡±

    Rossie pursed her lips and did not speak for a long time.

    Zorion?

    ¡°I failed to protect youst time, but I won¡¯t let it happen again. As long as you¡¯re not willing to, I¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    Logan had been wanting to see Rossie since thest time they¡¯d met, but he hadn¡¯t had the chance to. Later, when he heard that she¡¯d left, his heart had stopped beating as well.

    It was an ident that they¡¯d abducted Rossie instead of the daughter of a high-ranking official. Although it was a mistake, it was a blessing in disguise to him.

    Meeting her was the best gift he had received this year.

    ¡°Come on, eat.¡± Logan passed the cutlery to Rossie, but she refused to ept it. He grabbed her and put the cutlery in her hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. Can you let me go?¡± Rossie wanted to get out of here. Her n was to fly somewhere else, but the ne had gotten hijacked and she¡¯d somehow ended up here. All she wanted was to leave this dangerous ce.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. I have to wait for Jacky¡¯s instructions before doing anything. You can rest assured that I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you, though.¡±

    Logan reached out to hold her hand. She shrunk away from him and lowered her head. ¡°I want to be alone.¡±

    He felt that it was a good idea as well. After all, things had happened so suddenly.

    He got up and left, closing the door behind him. He stood there for a while before walking away.

    A few people were standing outside when Zorion came. The moment Zorion¡¯s car appeared, someone informed Logan.

    Logan had already walked out of another room when Zorion got out of the car.

    Logan stopped Zorion from entering.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen.¡± Logan smiled perfunctorily. Though Jacky was stuck in Capital City because of Zorion¡¯s sister, Logan wasn¡¯t fond of Zorion. After all, there was bad blood between them, and Rossie would be his if not for Zorion.

    He knew the exact reason for Zorion¡¯s appearance the moment Rossie was brought into the picture.

    ¡°Get out of the way.¡±

    Zorion¡¯s face darkened at the sight of Logan. Anyone else showing up would have put him in a better mood.

    ¡°This is Waverly Vige. It¡¯s not somewhere that any Tom, Dick, and Harry can juste and go as they like. You got off lucky the first time, but you won¡¯t be as lucky each time.¡±

    Since Jacky wasn¡¯t around, Logan was in charge of Waverly Vige. There was no way he would back down.

    Zorion didn¡¯t want to waste time with Logan. He called Jacky on the phone, and the moment the call was connected, Jacky asked, ¡°What time will you be back?¡±

    ¡°Tell your men to step aside.¡±

    Jacky wasn¡¯t a fool. He knew that Zorion was already being as polite as he could be.

    ¡°Pass the phone to Logan.¡±

    Logan took the phone from Zorion and walked a distance away. ¡°Jacky, Rossie¡­¡±

    ¡°Let them see each other. If she doesn¡¯t leave with him, I won¡¯t interfere in anything else that happens between the three of you anymore, but you have to at least let them meet. Rtionships aren¡¯t about who came first.¡±

    After that, Logan turned to look at Zorion. He handed the phone back to him and said, ¡°I¡¯ll back down this time, but don¡¯t think you can pull it off next time. I won¡¯t give in anymore.¡±

    ¡­

    Zorion put his phone away and strode into the room, ignoring Logan. He closed the door behind him, looking at Rossie. She sat on the bed, her arms wrapped around herself. She looked a little plumper than before. It looked like she¡¯d been getting on pretty well without him.

    Before he could take another step, she sad, ¡°I want to be alone.¡±

    He looked down at his feet and took his shoes off before heading towards her. She frowned. ¡°I really want to be alone.¡±

    He didn¡¯t stop until he was right next to her, gazing at her.

    Compared to when they¡¯d first met, she¡¯d gone from being spirited to indifferent, but he still liked her as she was.

    Rossie felt that something was amiss and turned around, taken aback when she saw him standing there.

    Zorion put his hands into his pockets. ¡°Are you surprised?¡±

    She slowly put her arms down and nced at the door before looking back at Zorion. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I be here?¡±

    She did not know what to say.

    For a few minutes, they remained in silence. One was curled up on the bed while the other stood there with his feet bared.

    Zorion had been in such a rush toe here that he hadn¡¯t put any socks on before leaving the house.

    They looked at each other. Rossie¡¯s gaze fell on Zorion¡¯s undershirt beneath his coat. It wasn¡¯t a proper shirt, which meant that he¡¯de over in a rush¡­

    She pursed her lips and turned away. Where else could he be at a time like this?

    Watching her turn away, Zorion gritted his teeth. ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything you want to say to me?¡±

    She turned to look at him indifferently. ¡°What do you want me to say?¡±

    He fell silent.

    Zorion continued to grit his teeth. Because of this standstill, no one said a thing.

    Rossie turned away again and looked out the window. A few secondster, she said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Zorion took a deep breath before kneeling on the bed and picking her up.

    It was so sudden that Rossie was caught off guard. When she returned to her senses, he¡¯d already started walking towards the door with her in his arms.

    At the door, he put his shoes on and walked out, his face void of emotion.

    When he opened the door, he paused, his gaze sweeping over their surroundings. At this juncture, no one would be able to stop him.

    Rossie looked up at him, dazed. Wasn¡¯t he thest person she wanted to see?

    Why wasn¡¯t she resisting at all?

    Logan stood in their way the moment they were out of the room. Zorion¡¯s eyes shot daggers at him, and he spat out frostily, ¡°Get out of my way!¡±

 Chapter 1422 Bad Impression

    ¡°You can¡¯t take Rossie away.¡± Logan looked upset. His men quickly circled them.

    Zorion didn¡¯t even flinch. He said indifferently, ¡°If you don¡¯t want Jacky to die out there, you¡¯d better step aside.¡±

    Logan was taken aback. He twitched a little before looking at his feet. He didn¡¯t want to let Zorion take Rossie away, but he had to give in for Jacky¡¯s sake.

    He looked up and nced at Rossie. ¡°I¡¯ll send you off ande back when I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re safe.¡±

    Stepping aside,Loganlooked at his men. ¡°Get in the car.¡±

    Dozens of men got into their cars and revved the engines.

    Rossie looked at Logan. ¡°Why bother?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you this before. I want to marry you!¡±

    After that, he turned and got into a car. He watched Zorion and Rossie, a smile forming on his lips as he took a trip down memoryne.

    Rossie recalled how he¡¯d apanied her as she stumbled through Waverly Vige. He knew that she had an ulterior motive, but he¡¯d still stayed by her side.

    ¡°Let me go. I want to stay.¡± Rossie wanted to break free of Zorion¡¯s embrace, but he just looked at her.

    Without saying a word, he strode towards his car and got in. The driver started the car and got ready to leave.

    He¡¯d kept Rossie in his arms the whole time, and he didn¡¯t n on letting her go, no matter what happened.

    The driver nced at the cars trailing them and sucked in a breath.

    Who exactly was Jacky? Why were there so many people in a small ce like this, and why were they on their guard even during the holidays?

    How could ackey be able to mobilise so many people? Wasn¡¯t Jacky afraid of a mutiny?

    The driver drove leisurely from Waverly Vige to Capital City. The number of cars caught the attention of the security bureau. The head of the bureau had initially nned on stopping them for questioning, but turned back when he heard that it was the Whalen family¡¯s escort.

    Zorion¡¯s car headed right into the Whalen family manor. Logan got out of the car and stood at the entrance. Jacky called him on the phone, saying, ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll bring her back in a few days¡¯ time so you guys can meet.¡±

    Logan was in a bad mood. However, he¡¯d known right from the beginning that falling in love with such a woman wouldn¡¯t be smooth sailing for him.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    After hanging up, Logan left. Jacky nced at Zorion, who still had Rossie in his arms, and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t give me that 100 million, I have plenty of ways to take her away. If that happens, one hundred million won¡¯t be enough to solve the problem.¡±

    Zorion stopped and turned to look at Jacky. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m afraid of you?¡±

    Jacky smirked. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be, but you should know that there¡¯s nothing that I can¡¯t do. I¡¯ve already given you a discount because we got the wrong person. If not for that, it¡¯d be 200 million. I won¡¯t say no to some extra money, though.¡±

    ¡°We should keep things professional. If you pay up, you can have her. If not, I have my ways of taking her away.¡±

    ¡°You might have been able to leave Waverly Vige the first time, but there¡¯s no guaranteeing it the next time.¡±

    Jacky didn¡¯t say all this behind Rossie¡¯s back, so she asked, ¡°You abducted me for money?¡±

    With his apron on, he smiled and answered, ¡°Of course. Why else would I do it?¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t have any money.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning on abducting you, so it doesn¡¯t matter. All of this is just a coincidence, but I have to tell you that not many people know about this. Why were you the one that was abducted?¡±

    ¡°My men have informed me that our actual target¡¯s already gotten home safe and sound. Something must have happened for you to have been swapped with our target.¡±

    Zorion looked down at Rossie, who was deep in thought, then looked back at Jacky. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°200 million.¡±

    Zorion frowned at Jacky¡¯s sudden price hike. ¡°I can get rid of you right now, you know.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your nephew¡¯s father. You can kill me if you¡¯re not worried about hurting your sister, and also¡­¡±

    Seeing the ugly look on Zorion¡¯s face, Jacky hesitated. ¡°Since they have their eye on her, it means that she¡¯s in danger. Without my intel, do you think you¡¯ll be able to find out immediately who¡¯s behind this?¡±

    Zorion gave it some thought. ¡°I don¡¯t have 200 million. The Whalen family¡¯s fortune isn¡¯t up to me to squander yet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll put it on your tab for now, as long as you agree to it.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Zorion didn¡¯t n on paying up, so the amount didn¡¯t matter to him.

    Jacky wasn¡¯t a fool. Since he dared to allow Zorion to make this empty promise, he had ways to get him to pay up as well.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to send the information to youter.¡±

    Jacky dusted his hands off and put thest pastry down before heading towards the kitchen.

    Zorion turned around and took Rossie upstairs.

    He put her down on the bed and turned to get her some clothes that he¡¯d had prepared in advance. They had been specially designed for her.

    ¡°It¡¯s cold outside. Do you want to take a bath?¡± he asked, looking at her. She shook her head.

    She took the clothes and changed into them in the bathroom. When she came out, she looked at Zorion. ¡°I want to leave. Please book me a flight.¡±

    ¡°Not now. It¡¯s too dangerous out there, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let you leave. Once you¡¯re out of danger, I¡¯ll send you away.¡±

    Zorion headed into the bathroom for a hot bath.

    Rossie looked in the direction of the bathroom, her heart inplete chaos. However, she was sure that she didn¡¯t want to stay in this room, where every single thing would bring up countless memories.

    She headed downstairs. It was just about time for their meal. Santiago had just washed his hands, and he strode over to Rossie.

    ¡°What an honour it is, spending New Year¡¯s Eve with you, Miss Lautner.¡± Santiago reached out a hand, not to shake hers, but to kiss it.

    Rossie looked at him, bowing like a proper gentleman, and said, ¡°I¡¯m not used to that, sorry.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, you just need some practice. Here¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to throw you out?¡± Zorion asked as he walked down the stairs, rubbing his hair with a towel.

    He stopped next to Rossie.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m terrified!¡± Santiago turned and walked towards the dining table. Jacky walked out of the kitchen with a tray of food.

    He put it down on the table before heading back into the kitchen. Zorion nced at Rossie. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Zorion walked ahead of her. Rossie realised that men weren¡¯t as serious and proper as they looked, and it was especially so in Santiago¡¯s case. She had a really bad impression of him.

 Chapter 1423 Never Forgotten

    Rossie trailed Zorion to avoiding into contact with Santiago. Despite her outright repulsion of him, Santiago continued to tease her throughout their meal.

    ¡°You¡¯ve grown a lot prettier, you know. Sexier, too.¡± Santiago ran his eyes over Rossie¡¯s body as he spoke. She frowned, her face turning red as she discreetly looked down at her chest to see whether she¡¯d identally exposed herself.

    ¡°Do you have a death wish?¡± Zorion suddenly asked. Santiago merelyughed rather lecherously and took a bite of his food.

    ¡°Look, women are all capricious. She¡¯s probably already found someone else without you by her side.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s better to let me have a go with her instead of allowing someone else to have her, right? I don¡¯t even mind.¡±

    ¡°F*ck off!¡±

    Zorion¡¯splexion looked better than ever, his face flushing in anger.

    He red daggers at Santiago.

    Santiago took a bite of one of the pastries they¡¯d made, then frowned. He took a look at it.

    ¡°Is this still raw?¡± He looked at Jacky, whoughed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°How fortunate.¡± Santiago went into the kitchen to rinse his mouth before returning to the table and continuing to tease Rossie. Zorion¡¯s face darkened.

    ¡°If you feel lonely at night, I¡¯m always up for a chat.¡± He put one of the pastries on her te. ¡°You should have some more, you¡¯ve barely eaten.¡±

    Rossie¡¯s face was beet red. She didn¡¯t know why he was picking on her.

    Zorion picked up her te and threw the food into the dustbin before getting her some more. ¡°Ignore him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me, but I can¡¯t guarantee that I won¡¯t walk into the wrong room after having too much to drink.¡±

    Santiago continued to provoke Zorion, who was looking absolutely murderous. ¡°Give it a try if you have the guts to.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a pleasant meal, especially for Rossie. She excused herself after having a few bites.

    However, one would get hungry easily if one was in a bad mood. She got up to get herself some food.

    She¡¯d asked for a room of her own, and Zorion hadn¡¯t turned her down.

    In the kitchen, she had some leftover food that was still warm. As she was walking out, she saw Santiagoing downstairs. He said, ¡°I warmed some food up. Do you want to join me, pretty littledy?¡±

    Rossie immediately felt utterly embarrassed. She¡¯d thought that Zorion had kept the food for her.

    ¡°No, thanks.¡±

    She walked up the stairs, nning on dodging Santiago on her way up. However, he suddenly grabbed her.

    She was so stunned that she stopped in her tracks.

    He pulled her into his arms and leaned down to kiss her. Rossie was so scared that she widened her eyes and let out an earsplitting scream.

    At that, Zorion shot out of his room. When he saw Santiago about to kiss Rossie, he flew downstairs and roared, ¡°Santiago Richards!¡±

    Only then did Santiago stop. His lips were mere centimetres away from Rossie¡¯s lips. If only she hadn¡¯t screamed¡­

    He smiled sinisterly before letting her go. Rossie immediately ran towards Zorion.

    She hid behind Zorion, biting her lip. She was so terrified that she couldn¡¯t think straight.

    Santiago turned to look at Zorion. ¡°I was just joking. I didn¡¯t know she¡¯d take it so seriously.¡±

    Heughed as if nothing had happened. Jacky hade out of his room as well, watching things y out.

    ¡°F*ck off! If I catch you trying something funny again, I¡¯ll kill you!¡± After that, Zorion pulled Rossie into his room and shut the door with a m.

    Jacky leaned on the stairs. ¡°Are you acting up again?¡±

    Santiago smiled. ¡°Come on, have some leftovers.¡±

    Jacky came down and they walked into the kitchen. As Santiago ate, Jacky asked, ¡°Should I thank you for leaving Deanna alone?¡±

    At that moment, Santiago had just scooped up a mouthful of food.

    He looked up and swallowed his food before saying, ¡°I just like a little bit of fun. I¡¯m not out of my mind!¡±

    Jacky scooped up some food as well. Santiago got them both some wine.

    Once they were done, Santiago turned to head back upstairs, Jacky following him. He suddenly asked Santiago, ¡°Do you miss her?¡±

    Santiago paused. ¡°I¡¯ve never forgotten about her. How am I supposed to answer that?¡±

    He headed into his room to wash up and sleep.

    Jacky stood on the stairs for a little while before walking over to Santiago¡¯s room and knocking on the door. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go have some fun.¡±

    The bathroom door was wide open, but Santiago didn¡¯t hear Jacky.

    After knocking for a while, Jacky turned around and left.

    Santiago came out of the bathroom and flopped onto the bed. He lit up a cigarette and yed some music¡­

    ¡­

    ¡°You can sleep here for the night. Santiago just wanted you toe close to me. He didn¡¯t really mean anything by that.¡± As Zorion spoke, he made up the bed for Rossie.

    Rossie¡¯s heart was still racing as she sat down. She was still dazed when Zorion spoke, but returned to her senses when he sat down. ¡°I don¡¯t think he was joking.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand Santiago, but I do.¡±

    Zorion knew for a fact that Santiago would never steal his woman.

    ¡°You really trust him that much?¡± Rossie felt like Santiago hadn¡¯t been joking. It was hard to tell with someone like him.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Zorion spread a quilt out on the floor. ¡°I¡¯m not the type to sleep on the floor, but I¡¯m doing it anyway.¡±

    He sat down and looked up at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯te in here with me around. Get some rest.¡±

    After that, hey down and covered himself with a nket before closing his eyes.

    Rossie still felt uneasy. Regardless, shey down on the bed.

    She slipped under the covers and said, ¡°I got the schrship.¡±

    She didn¡¯t know why, but she couldn¡¯t stop herself from blurting it out the moment she¡¯d closed her eyes.

    After that, she opened her eyes and quickly shut them again.

    Zorion opened his eyes and looked at the bed for a while, but didn¡¯t respond.

 Chapter 1424 Triumphant Smile

    Five days passed in the blink of an eye. Raeleigh felt a little uneasy.

    Jepherson would be leaving on this day. He¡¯d already booked his ne ticket.

    Someone knocked on the door. Raeleigh looked up and opened the door to see Jepherson standing there, dressed in his grey coat and ck thermal wear. He held an overnight bag.

    She gazed at him, a little dazed. ¡°You came looking like this, and you¡¯re leaving like this. It¡¯s so strange.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s strange about it? I¡¯m still the same person.¡± Before she could answer, he leaned in for a kiss. She held his face and kissed him back.

    They kissed for a few seconds before parting, Raeleigh looking a little drunk. ¡°I think this is the first time.¡±

    ¡°And what does that mean?¡± he asked her. She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°It means that a certain someone has already allowed me into her heart and won¡¯t abandon me from now on.¡± Jepherson wrapped his free arm around her waist and leaned in to give her a passionate kiss.

    Both of them were breathless. They weren¡¯t kissing anymore, but they continued to gaze at each other, reluctant to part.

    Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, Jepherson slowly let go of Raeleigh and turned around to see who it was.

    ¡°Did I disturb you?¡± Xanthus stood behind them, looking like his usual gentle self.

    Raeleigh blushed and said, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. The car¡¯s ready, I¡¯ll send you off.¡± Xanthus turned to head downstairs. Jepherson didn¡¯t want to leave, but he didn¡¯t have a choice.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call you.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Take care of yourself.¡±

    He kissed Raeleigh once more before turning to leave. She followed him downstairs and watched him get into the car, then watched as the car left the manor.

    She didn¡¯t go back into the house even after the car was out of sight. Lamar came over and stood next to her.

    ¡°Dad.¡±

    Raeleigh felt a little embarrassed to see her father. ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°I know that no one can change the way they feel about someone. I¡¯m not asking you to do anything, but you need to know that the Richards family is a lion¡¯s den.¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t allow a mistake they made years ago to tarnish their spotless reputation, even if it¡¯s barely visible.¡±

    Raeleigh knew what he meant, so she said, ¡°I need time to work around all of this. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to find a way around it.¡±

    ¡°I know I¡¯m putting you in a hard spot, but this is the only thing we can do to ensure your safety.¡±

    As a father, Lamar had to consider his daughter¡¯s safety. She was already twenty years old, and he hadn¡¯t had the chance to y his role as a father before this. There was no way he would allow those people to harm her again.

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°I know.¡±

    From that day on, she could only speak to Jepherson on the phone. She couldn¡¯t step out of the manor, both for her own safety and for her family.

    Jepherson headed straight to the Richards family home when he arrived in A City and went to see his grandfather.

    Only the two of them were in the study.

    Standing across from Trevor, Jepherson cut to the chase and asked, ¡°I want to know who¡¯s behind this and whether or not the Richards family has been set up.¡±

    Trevor had never expected things to be so coincidental. Raeleigh was the child from that incident.

    He looked at Jepherson, finally speaking after a long silence. ¡°I was the one who told your grandmother to do it. Now that it¡¯s out in the open, I hope that you¡¯ll hide the truth from her. I can leave Raeleigh alone, but I can¡¯t guarantee that your grandmother will do the same. As for your rtionship, it¡¯s best to give it up.¡±

    Trevor stood and headed towards the door of the study. Jepherson turned to look at him. ¡°I love Raeleigh, and I won¡¯t give up on her.¡±

    Trevor paused, but he did not turn around. He opened the door and walked out.

    When the door was closed, Jepherson turned to look around. He loosened his tie and walked further into the study, choosing a random book and sitting down with it.

    From that day on, he stayed in Trevor¡¯s study for five days, refusing to leave. He didn¡¯t even eat or drink.

    ¡°Dad, what¡¯s going on?¡± Jenna was worried for her son, so she had to ask.

    Trevor was ying chess with Hansen while Jenna watched them.

    He nced at her and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I can¡¯t do anything if he refuses toe out.¡±

    What else could Jenna say? She couldn¡¯t exactly force it out of him.

    She nced at Hansen, who was focused on the chessboard. She wanted to ask Jepherson, but she knew he wouldn¡¯t tell her.

    Out of ideas, she called Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh was reading when Jenna called her. She was stunned to hear Jenna say that Jepherson had locked himself up.

    She found it hard to believe that he¡¯d even gone on a hunger strike.

    ¡°Aunt Jenna¡­¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°Mom.¡±

    ¡°There you go.¡±

    Raeleigh felt helpless. She had a feeling that Jenna was merely putting on a show.

    Strangely, she did not hate Jenna.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t even aware of this. We spoke this morning but he didn¡¯t even bring this up. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll call him and ask him what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°I just knew that you were a good girl. I¡¯ll leave this up to you, then. Jerry hasn¡¯t eaten or drank anything in five days, and I¡¯m really pulling my hair out at this point.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll get him to eat.¡±

    It was only then that Jenna hung up. Raeleigh called Jepherson after some thought.

    When he saw her calling, he put the book down, a smile forming on his lips. ¡°What did I do to deserve this? Is it because you miss me?¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Aunt Jenna called me and said that you¡¯ve been on a hunger strike for the past five days. Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    Jepherson hesitated for a moment. ¡°Because you didn¡¯t ask?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. ¡°Do you expect me to know that you are on a hunger strike without telling me?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Jepherson knocked on the table. Raeleigh heard it clearly.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Raeleigh asked him anxiously. He hesitated before saying, ¡°My grandfather admitted it.¡±

    She did not know what to say for a moment.

    Then, she asked, ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t acting like that was all!

    ¡°Whatever it is, you still have to eat. You can¡¯t go on like this, you know. You can¡¯t change what happened even if you starve to death.¡±

    ¡°Whoever told you that I wanted to starve to death?¡± Jepherson asked innocently.

    Hearing his words, Raeleigh was rendered speechless.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to starve to death, why aren¡¯t you having your meals?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just thinking. I¡¯m trying to scare my grandfather.¡±

    Raeleigh was really lost for words. If not for this incident, she probably wouldn¡¯t have ever learned that Jepherson¡¯s mind worked this way.

    ¡°Go eat. Aunt Jenna called to say that she¡¯s worried sick about you.¡±

    ¡°What about you? Aren¡¯t you worried?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer.

    At her silence, his smile widened. ¡°If it¡¯s just my mother that¡¯s worried, then I won¡¯t eat.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯m worried too. I¡¯m worried to death!¡±

    She hung up abruptly, feeling exasperated.

    Jepherson looked at his phone before putting it down. He propped his feet up on the table, smiling triumphantly.

 Chapter 1425 What Do You Say?

    Jenna prepared some food and waited for Jepherson toe down. She¡¯d just turned around to see him watching her from the door.

    ¡°Jerry¡­.¡±

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m hungry. Is there anything to eat?¡± Jepherson entered the kitchen and hugged Jenna, moving her to bits.

    ¡°Yes, of course. Wait a minute, I¡¯ll bring it to you. Go wash your hands and we¡¯ll eat in the hall.¡±

    Jenna hurried off to get some food for him and he obediently sat down next to Hansen.

    He took a look at the chess game.

    When he sat down, Hansen asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe down to eat?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve gained some weight, and Raeleigh has beenining about it.¡± Jepherson implied that he was trying to lose weight.

    Hansen turned to look at Jepherson with a chess piece in hand. He had, in fact, lost some weight after going hungry for five days.

    ¡°Are girls so bothered by guys¡¯ appearances nowadays? Your mother and I never experienced this during our time.¡± Hansen wasn¡¯t bothered by his father¡¯s presence and spoke without worrying about being heard.

    Jepherson said, ¡°Times are different.¡±

    Jenna ced some oats in front of him. ¡°You should have something easy to digest for now.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Mom.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Go ahead.¡±

    Jenna was satisfied. With Raeleigh around, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Jepherson throwing a tantrum or being disobedient anymore.

    As expected, men changed once they had partners.

    Jenna sat down next to Jepherson as Hansen said, ¡°Since there¡¯s nothing for you to do anymore, you should go back to Capital City.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t n on going back there just yet.¡± Hansen nced at him. ¡°Your mother and I are going to be staying here for some time. Your grandfather¡¯s health isn¡¯t what it used to be and we can¡¯t leave him here alone.¡±

    ¡°I can stay,¡± Jepherson said.

    ¡°Your mission is to have kids. Taking care of your grandfather isn¡¯t something that you need to worry about for now.¡±

    Hansen was urging Jepherson to drop everything and start having children.

    Trevor looked up. ¡°How can he have children if he¡¯s not married yet?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Hansen turned around and looked at Jepherson. ¡°You already have a girlfriend, don¡¯t you? Why didn¡¯t you bring her home?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is spending the holidays at home. I¡¯ll pick her up in a few days.¡±

    ¡°The sooner, the better.¡±

    Hansen¡¯s tone was amanding one. As Jepherson ate, he said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush. I¡¯m looking into Raeleigh¡¯s background and I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll get answers.¡±

    Hansen scoffed. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting when you¡¯ve already had your way with her and almost got her pregnant?¡±

    He shot Jepherson a look. Jepherson put the bowl down indifferently once he was done eating.

    ¡°Get it settled as soon as possible. I want to have grandchildren.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed. What was going on?

    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Jepherson rose to his feet and went back to his room.

    After he left, Jenna returned to her room as well, leaving Hansen and Trevor alone. Hansen dismissed the maids and the two of them continued with their chess match.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be looking into that matter personally. After all, Jepherson¡¯s marriage is at stake, and I don¡¯t want what happened between me and Jenna to happen to him.¡±

    ¡°If Mom is the one at fault and the mistake is within reason, Jenna and I will personally apologise and try to make amends.¡±

    ¡°After all, it is a parent¡¯s responsibility to be responsible for mistakes made in the past.¡±

    ¡°However, if there¡¯s something else at y, I won¡¯t sit by idly. It¡¯s best that you watch Mom closely during this period of time, or else it won¡¯t be that easy to let her off the hook.¡±

    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Trevor was old, but he wasn¡¯t going to fall for Hansen¡¯s tricks.

    After all, he was his father.

    A trace of impatience shed in Hansen¡¯s eyes. ¡°If you insist on covering up for Mom, I won¡¯t say anything, but you need to seriously consider whether you want to take the fall on her behalf.¡±

    After that, he got up and went upstairs. Once the door was closed, Trevor threw the chess piece he was holding onto the chessboard and leaned back against the sofa.

    Marissa came downstairs and saw him sitting there. She asked, ¡°What are you doing here all by yourself?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve all gone upstairs. I thought you weren¡¯t feeling well? Why¡¯d youe down?¡± They¡¯d been married for many years and were closest to each other.

    Marissa was wrapped up in a blue shawl. When she saw the utensils on the table, she picked them up and took them to the kitchen. At the same time, she asked Trevor whether he¡¯d eaten and decided to personally cook him something.

    Trevor got up to watch her. He dismissed everyone in the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her from behind once they were alone. It made Marissa jump.

    She turned back to look at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you today?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just wanted to hold you.¡± He lowered his head to give her a kiss on the cheek. It scared her a little, and she put her hand to his head. ¡°Do you have a cold?¡±

    He then pecked her on the lips. They¡¯d been married for so long, and it had been many years since Marissast experienced this. She couldn¡¯t help blushing, quickly averting her gaze in case the maids caught them.

    ¡°Stop it, you. Let me go. It¡¯ll be embarrassing if someone were to see us like this.¡± In her youth, Marissa had been a charming woman, but many things had changed with the passage of time. She was still beautiful, but there was no way to hide the wrinkles on her face.

    Trevor left the kitchen after having his hands forcibly removed from Marissa¡¯s body.

    While Marissa cooked, she kept ncing outside. Even when she was done and brought the food to the table, she saw that Trevor was standing by the window with his hands behind his back.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    She put the oats down on the table and walked over to him. ¡°Trevor, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Trevor didn¡¯t move. ¡°Marissa¡­¡±

    ¡°Has something happened?¡± Marissa really wasn¡¯t used to him acting like this. Something was definitely wrong.

    ¡°It¡¯s been many years since Ist asked you for something, and I just don¡¯t know where to start.¡± Trevor¡¯s voice was grim. Marissa asked, ¡°Is it about Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°Not entirely.¡± He sat down by the window and looked up at Marissa before pulling her to sit next to him. She said, ¡°I just can¡¯t stand her attitude. It drives me nuts.¡±

    ¡°I know. In your eyes, someone like her who has no social status isn¡¯t worthy of joining the Richards family and isn¡¯t worthy of Jerry.¡±

    ¡°However, love isn¡¯t the same as a product or good. It can¡¯t be measured in terms of price or worthiness. It¡¯s all about willingness.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly like how we used to be. Would you have been willing to go through everything you went through for some other person?¡±

    Marissa thought about it carefully and shook her head.

    A lot had happened over the years, but she¡¯d never regretted a single second.

    ¡°Marrying the wrong person is the worst thing that can happen in a person¡¯s life. Jerry has to take responsibility for all the decisions that he makes, whether right or wrong, and we don¡¯t need to interfere. We don¡¯t have much time left, so let¡¯s just spend the rest of our lives together. What do you say?¡±

    Marissa thought things over for a long time, finally nodding. ¡°Okay!¡±

 Chapter 1426 Who Could Bully Jepherson?

    Raeleigh was a little taken aback when she saw who was calling her. She hadn¡¯t expected that Scarlette had already gone back.

    ¡°You went back?¡± Raeleigh was sitting on the sofa. She¡¯d barely left the house recently, mostly cooping herself up in her room. She wasn¡¯t sure whether it was because of the matter with the Richards family or the weather.

    She was quite surprised to receive a call from Scarlette through a local number. She¡¯d never called Scarlette herself, despite wanting to know what was going on with her. It was partly because she herself was in a dilemma, and partly because she didn¡¯t want to interrupt Scarlette and Hadrian¡¯s time together.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Scarlette was sitting on the bed. The house was the one that previously belonged to Raeleigh. It currently belonged to her and Hadrian, though, thanks to Santiago.

    Initially, Scarlette had felt bad about epting it. After all, the house belonged to Raeleigh, not Santiago.

    However, Santiago said that if she didn¡¯t ept it, he¡¯d just give it to Hadrian. He was only offering it to her first.

    Only a fool would give up such a great offer.

    With that in mind, Scarlette immediately epted the house.

    Aside from that, Santiago had also given her a brand new SUV. She wasn¡¯t sure what its exact price was, but she did know that it cost around 4 million dors.

    In addition to the house and the car, he¡¯d also sent some other things. All in all, Santiago had basically prepared everything that they needed.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    At first, Scarlette felt like she was dreaming, but she gradually epted it was real.

    The amount of money that she had in her bank ount alone was shocking enough.

    She didn¡¯t even dare to ask why Santiago was being so generous. It was as if he was going to sell her off at any time.

    She wasn¡¯t worth anything, though. After all, she was paralysed.

    However, Santiago had told her to just ept whatever he was giving them because it was a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing. He wouldn¡¯t allow someone from the Richards family to live a substandard life.

    At that moment, Scarlette wished that she could kick Hadrian out of the picture so that she could have everything to herself. Either way, she hade to be rich.

    It wasn¡¯t every day one woulde across a 20-year-old with as much money as her!

    As for Hadrian, Scarlette told Raeleighpletely guiltlessly that he was treating her like she was a queen.

    ¡°So you guys made up already?¡± Raeleigh was happy for her. The fact that Scarlette was able to go back there with Hadrian meant that things were fine with them.

    Scarlette hesitated. ¡°He insisted on marrying me.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing as she knew that Hadrian had to be listening.

    In her current state, Scarlette couldn¡¯t possibly be left alone. Hadrian wouldn¡¯t bear to leave her on her own either.

    Though they¡¯d lost their child, it was fortunate that they were able to reconcile. Raeleigh was truly happy for them.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting married,¡± said Scarlette.

    Raeleigh froze.

    ¡°Can you go out for a while instead of listening to me talk on the phone? I¡¯m not going anywhere. Not like I could, anyway.¡± Scarlette was annoyed at Hadrian, but he didn¡¯t get angry. It was good that she was throwing a tantrum instead of bottling it all up.

    Hadrian left. Once the door was closed, Scarlette said, ¡°Hadrian bought me a huge diamond ring, so I said yes.¡±

    Raeleigh was silent for a moment. ¡°Are you calling to show off?¡±

    Scarlette scoffed. ¡°What¡¯s there to show off? We¡¯re just getting married.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you call me?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, I don¡¯t have any friends. I only know you and Deanna. Can youe to my wedding?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus, who was reading a magazine. He knew that she was watching him.

    She didn¡¯t answer immediately and instead asked, ¡°Have you already set a date?¡±

    It was such a sudden decision that Raeleigh couldn¡¯t help thinking about other things. Then again, if Jepherson was the one behind this, he would¡¯ve let her know in advance.

    Since he hadn¡¯t mentioned anything, it probably wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d decided on.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get married, but Mr. Santiago gave me so many things in preparation for the wedding. I couldn¡¯t bear giving all of this up if I decided not to get married. You know that Ie from a poor background. I¡¯m worried that if I don¡¯t have the money in my pocket, it¡¯ll be taken away.¡±

    ¡°You know how sly Mr. Santiago is. I¡¯d probably die of exasperation if he were to just change his mind and take everything back.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Let me think about it. When is the wedding?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided on the specific date yet. I was thinking of waiting for you toe and help me renovate the house. I also have something to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    After hesitating for a while,Scarlettedecided to say it.

    ¡°You gave your previous house to Mr. Santiago, right? He gave it to me as our marital home. I wanted to reject him, but he said he¡¯d give it to Hadrian instead. I know he would¡¯ve taken it even if I didn¡¯t, so¡­¡±

    ¡°I know about that. That house doesn¡¯t really mean anything to me anymore, and I can just stay anywhere else. Santiago did that for your benefit, so you should really thank him.¡±

    Raeleigh knew Santiago well enough to know that he had his reasons for doing things that way.

    With Scarlette¡¯s current situation, she had to have a stable and safe home, or else she¡¯d feel insecure and be more prone to doing something wrong.

    There were many memories there that could calm her down too.

    ¡°Raeleigh, have you forgiven me?¡± This was what Scarlette was the most worried about. She felt a lot better listening to Raeleigh¡¯s words.

    ¡°As I said, the house is not important to me anymore. It¡¯s a little strange giving it to others, but there¡¯s no issue now.¡±

    Scarlette pursed her lips. ¡°Raeleigh, can you be my bridesmaid?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a long time. ¡°I don¡¯t know when you will get married. How am I going to go?¡±

    ¡°You still have a job here, don¡¯t you? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re nevering back. That¡¯s why I came back in the first ce! If you¡¯re noting back here, maybe I¡¯ll have the wedding where you are so that you can be my bridesmaid. I don¡¯t know any other people, and I can¡¯t possibly have a man as my bridesmaid.¡±

    Scarlette was making herself out to be as pitiful as possible, and Raeleigh knew that she wouldn¡¯t be helping someone else to trick her to go back.

    ¡°Scarlette, I took a month off of work for the holidays. I will be going back, but how do I know when I need to go over there if you don¡¯t set a date?¡± Scarlette was right. She didn¡¯t have many friends, and she couldn¡¯t have a man as her bridesmaid.

    Knowing that Raeleigh had agreed,Scarlettefelt happy.

    ¡°I really haven¡¯t decided on a date, but I do still need to clean up the house and take my wedding photos. It¡¯s going to take some time, but you can juste back if you don¡¯t have anything to do.¡±

    Scarlette missed Raeleigh and felt uneasy, not being able to see her. She¡¯d been disappointed at Raeleigh¡¯s absence upon her return.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get toe home that often, you know. If I were to go back so soon¡­¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to say that her parents would miss her, but she changed her mind. ¡°I need to let my family know first.¡±

    Scarlette frowned. ¡°Raeleigh, I don¡¯t mean to nag, but you can¡¯t be so hard-hearted. Even if Mr. Jepherson did something mean to you, you can¡¯t bully him like this.¡±

    Bully him?

    Raeleigh wanted tough. Who could bully Jepherson?

 Chapter 1427 Silly Sister

    After a long conversation, Scarlette talked bad about Xanthus in a roundabout way. Raeleigh ended the phone call when she¡¯d heard enough. If she allowed Scarlette to continue, she¡¯d probably make Xanthus out to be some wicked viin.

    She put down the phone and looked at him. ¡°Scarlettebears no ill intention.¡±

    There were only the two of them in the living room, so it was quiet. He must have heard their conversation.

    He put down the magazine and looked at her. ¡°I know that, but when are you going to stop hiding things from her?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer. Perhaps I¡¯ll tell them in the future, but it would be better that they don¡¯t know about it for now.¡±

    Raeleigh was a little blue.This wasn¡¯t the toughest part. The hardest part was how she was supposed to ask for permission to go to the wedding.

    ¡°Xanthus¡­¡±

    She hesitated for a long time before she spoke. How could Xanthus not know what she was thinking?

    ¡°She¡¯s your friend, so it¡¯s natural for you to agree. But what if you encounter danger there?¡±

    ¡°I will be careful.¡± She couldn¡¯t possibly askScarletteto hold her wedding here because she was in danger.

    Xanthus stood up and got them both some fruits before sitting down again. He sniffed at the fruits. ¡°You can go, but as my fianc¨¦e.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him. ¡°What are you going to do if someone misunderstands?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re not afraid, what am I afraid of?¡±

    Heughed and turned to tell their parents about this. Shey on the sofa and watched him go back upstairs, feeling like an excited child who was waiting for permission. Her heart was in turmoil, and she did not know if her parents would agree.

    She didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d told their parents, but after more than an hour, he came back downstairs and nodded at her, letting her know that they¡¯d agreed.

    Raeleigh flipped onto her back and leaned against the sofa while Xanthus walked over to look at her. ¡°Any questions?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a lot. How¡¯d you get them to agree?¡± She felt confused.

    He patted her on the head. ¡°They would¡¯ve agreed even if you were the one asking. They¡¯re not as rigid as you think. They just want someone to guarantee that you¡¯ll be safe and sound and back in one piece.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee my own safety, though. Since you were the one making the guarantee, you¡¯re going back with me?¡± Raeleigh understood what was happening. She wouldn¡¯t be going back there on her own.

    He put his hands on his hips. ¡°Looks like my little sister isn¡¯t that stupid after all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid at all. It just seems that way inparison with you.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°So am I smart, or are you just pretending to be stupid?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t respond. She suddenly thought of something and went upstairs to see Novalie.

    Seeing that it was Raeleigh, Novalie knew that she had something to ask, so she turned off the TV. She couldn¡¯t really understand the programs anyway, as they were all in a foreignnguage. This was the worst part about being in another country. If it weren¡¯t for the inte, Novalie would probably be bored out of her mind.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you leaving?¡± Novalie asked. Raeleigh felt a little embarrassed and asked, ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡±

    ¡°Well, I know everything. Now that your heart isn¡¯t here, how can you leave your body here for long?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good for you to go, anyway. No matter what happened in the past, it doesn¡¯t have anything to do with him. It hasn¡¯t been easy for you two to get to where you are, so you should really appreciate what you have.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, how are you able to take everything so lightly? Aren¡¯t you worried about me?¡±

    ¡°I am, of course, but there¡¯s no use in worrying, is there? I could tie you down, but you¡¯re bound to fly away someday. It¡¯s better for me to set you free and learn how to fly properly. Perhaps you¡¯ll reach heights that are greater than expected.¡±

    ¡°Grandma¡­¡±

    Novalie smiled gently as Raeleigh held her hand. They had endless topics to talk about.

    Raeleigh spent the night in Novalie¡¯s room. The next day, after breakfast, she and Xanthus left the Osteen family manor.

    ¡°Is she really leaving?¡± Jazelle stood by the window and watched as Raeleigh¡¯s figure slowly disappeared from sight. She couldn¡¯t bear to watch her leave, but she knew that Novalie was right. Raeleigh¡¯s heart wasn¡¯t here, and she would eventually leave.

    Lamar wrapped an arm around her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯ll be back.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that something¡¯s going to happen to her. That Marissa Sotomayor is terrifying, sending someone to kidnap Raeleigh. Are you sure it¡¯s her?¡± Jazelle had already asked Lamar this several times, but the evidence clearly pointed to Marissa being behind this.

    She refused to ept it, though. She hoped that it wasn¡¯t true so that Raeleigh could marry Jepherson and have her happy-ever-after. After all, it was clear that he truly loved her.

    Lamar looked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t ask anymore.¡±

    Jazelle leaned into Lamar¡¯s embrace and fell silent.

    Raeleigh got out of the car. When the driver left, Xanthus reached out an arm to her and she linked it with hers. They even had matching outfits on.

    Before boarding, Xanthus ran into some acquaintances. They came up to greet him, their eyes falling on Raeleigh.

    ¡°This is Raeleigh, my fiancee.¡± Xanthus introduced her to them. They greeted her politely and were pleasantly surprised by her fluency in theirnguage.

    After that, they started to board the ne. As they walked, Xanthus said, ¡°Everyone¡¯s watching my beautiful sister.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t respond, only turning back to take a look. Indeed, there were people whispering about them.

    She turned back around and said, ¡°I¡¯m worried that this is going to be an issue for your future girlfriend.¡±

    A small smile formed on Xanthus¡¯s lips. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    She nced at him. ¡°Are you really going to look for Cynthia?¡±

    He wrapped an arm around her and remained silent until they sat down.

    Raeleigh kept looking at her bracelet. When she touched it, she could feel the diamonds, but they didn¡¯t hurt her.

    Xanthus asked a few times, ¡°Did he force you to wear it?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. She wanted tough at the memory of Jepherson putting it on for her.

    She didn¡¯t know whether it was a coincidence, but after they¡¯d gotten to know each other, he¡¯d told her that he¡¯d just had it made. This meant that he hadn¡¯t made it for someone else, eventually giving it to her.

    Wasn¡¯t it strange?

    Raeleigh smiled. Xanthus didn¡¯t miss this.

    Women were silly when they were in love. He¡¯d seen it in his mother, and he was currently seeing it in his sister.

    When the nended, Raeleigh was so exhausted that she felt like she had gone through a long journey.

    They had nned on going to Xanthus¡¯s residence, but they saw Santiago the moment they got off the ne.

    Raeleigh stood at the entrance to the airport. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was a coincidence, what mattered was that they¡¯d met.

 Chapter 1428 Success Rate

    Santiago ushered Xanthus and Raeleigh into his car and put their luggage into the trunk.

    Then, he brought them for some food.

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t intended on going because she was feeling lethargic, but Santiago didn¡¯t even ask what their ns were. He drove them straight to a restaurant.

    She was almost asleep when they reached their destination. She opened her eyes and looked around blearily. Once they were in the restaurant, she sat down and started nodding off again.

    Santiago touched her hand, but she did not react at all.

    ¡°Why are you so sleepy? Have you not slept for days?¡±

    Raeleigh opened her eyes groggily and watched as Santiago put his hand back on his thigh. She looked around and saw that they weren¡¯t in a private room like usual, but were instead in the main dining hall.

    ¡°I ordered steak. What would you like to eat?¡± Santiago asked Raeleigh. She took the menu and ordered something simr to what Santiago had ordered.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t speak much through the meal. After eating, she rested while Santiago watched her as he ate. He flirted with her asionally, but Raeleigh seemed not to have heard it. She had already gotten used to Santiago¡¯s bad habits.

    After eating, Raeleigh wanted to go home, so he drove them back.

    Raeleigh got out of the car and asked Santiago, ¡°How did you know I wasing back today?¡±

    After thinking about all the possibilities, she concluded that this did not seem to be a coincidence.

    ¡°I can find out anything if I put my mind to it. I have something else to do, take this.¡± Santiago took a bag out from the car and put it on top of her luggage before leaving.

    Once he was gone, Xanthus walked over to the bag and opened it up.

    The bag fell to the ground, revealing a red fur coat. Raeleigh frowned as Xanthus draped it over her. ¡°It looks good.¡±

    Raeleigh touched it. Indeed, it was warm and beautiful, but it was too red!

    ¡°It¡¯s too red.¡± Raeleigh wanted to take it off, but Xanthus asked, ¡°How old do you think you are? It¡¯s a beautiful colour, and everyone¡¯s dressed like this for the holidays.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing and took off the coat. ¡°Why¡¯d he get me this all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°A New Year¡¯s present, perhaps.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t respond. She¡¯d just leave it at that.

    She turned and walked into the house with the fur coat in her arms while Xanthus dragged their luggage along.

    She went back to her room and scrutinised the fur coat. Should she wear it?

    Speaking of New Year¡¯s presents, it seemed that she had not sent any yet.

    Raeleigh called Jepherson, and he answered it within two rings.

    ¡°Miss me?¡± Jepherson didn¡¯t know about Raeleigh and Xanthus¡¯s return, so he flirted with her.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment. ¡°I do miss you a little.¡±

    Jepherson raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s a surprise.¡±

    He put his work aside and walked over to the French window.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh hummed. ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°But what?¡± Jepherson¡¯s curiosity was piqued. It seemed that this was a special day.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to send me a gift for New Year?¡± Raeleigh said directly. Jepherson thought for a moment. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I want to see you,¡± Raeleigh answered. Jepherson held the phone away from his ear and looked at it suspiciously. The called ID showed that the number wasn¡¯t a local one.

    He held the phone to his ear again and said, ¡°I¡¯ll fly over there right now.¡±

    ¡°No, forget it. You might not even be able to see me if you were toe here. Anyway, maybe I¡¯ll lose the desire to see you once you¡¯re here.¡±

    In truth, Raeleigh was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to get some much deserved sleep.

    ¡°It won¡¯t take long.¡± Jepherson¡¯s mind raced over gift ideas.

    He narrowed his eyes and ced his free hand under the other one as he pondered.

    Raeleigh yawned. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep.¡±

    After that, she hung up. Jepherson pushed all his work aside and arranged for several top jewellery designers to help him design a pair of rings.

    ¡°How long will they take?¡± Jepherson hoped it wouldn¡¯t be long.

    After discussion, he was told that it would take three days.

    Jepherson immediately booked a ticket, ready to leave at a moment¡¯s notice.

    These jewellery designers were all under Jepherson as he had some involvement in the industry. After all, the Richards family had several jewellery stores in Capital City, and it was easy for him to design something special.

    It was just that others would take a few months to get it done, while his people would have to finish it in a matter of days.

    Even so, Jepherson was still worried. He wanted to supervise the workers himself.

    When Raeleigh finally got enough sleep, she called Jepherson, but his phone was off. In fact, he was closely overseeing the creation of their rings.

    After eating, Raeleigh continued to call Jepherson, but his phone remained off.

    ¡°Do you miss him that much?¡± Xanthus asked jokingly. She merely nced at him. ¡°I want to see him.¡±

    Xanthus nced outside. ¡°Now?¡±

    Seeing that it was already dark outside, Raeleigh changed her mind.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go see him tomorrow, then.¡± She headed back upstairs. The next day, she was just about to call Jepherson when Scarlette called and asked whether she was back. Raeleigh answered, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe and see me, then? I¡¯ve already got food ready, and bring Dr. Osteen along with you. Mr. Santiago said that he might have a way of curing me.¡±

    Scarlette was a little embarrassed, but she definitely wanted to be able to walk again.

    After that, Scarlette hung up. Thinking about how Scarlette was, Raeleigh looked at Xanthus and asked, ¡°Xanthus, can you help Scarlette?¡±

    In truth, Xanthus didn¡¯t know about Scarlette¡¯s condition. He was absent when Raeleigh met her thest time.

    ¡°I won¡¯t know until I see her.¡± Raeleigh had brought it up to him before, but it hadn¡¯t left much of an impression. Anyway, he wasn¡¯t the type to proactively help those in need.

    Since Raeleigh was asking him, there was no doubt that he¡¯d agree to help, of course.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go have a look, then.¡± Since she was going to see Scarlette, she¡¯d have to forget about Jepherson for the time being. The two of them headed over to Scarlette¡¯s.

    The two girls had plenty to catch up on, so Hadrian sat with Xanthus. However, he wasn¡¯t much of a talker, so they spent most of their time in silence.

    After the meal, Raeleigh asked Xanthus, ¡°Can you take a look at Scarlette and see whether you can do anything about her legs?¡±

    ¡°Carry her over to the sofa and I¡¯ll take a look.¡± Xanthus hade prepared, bringing his gloves and medical equipment along. After putting on his gloves, he pushed Scarlette¡¯s top up and pressed each vertebrate of her backbone.

    She didn¡¯t show much response at all. After checking, Xanthus started to clean up. Hadrian asked, ¡°How is it?¡±

    Xanthus said, ¡°It¡¯s notpletely hopeless, but I need to think about it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hadrian asked in confusion.

    Xanthus answered without hesitation, ¡°It¡¯s a difficult surgery and I need to think about whether it¡¯s feasible. The sess rate is less than 1 per cent, and if it fails, she¡¯ll lose all hope of ever standing again.¡±

 Chapter 1429 Calls That Were Not Going Through

    Raeleigh waspletely dazed. Hadrian¡¯s mind went nk for a short while before he asked, ¡°Will it hurt?¡±

    Xanthus replied, ¡°All surgeries will hurt, but this one is especially so.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t do it.¡± Hadrian hesitated for a while before turning Xanthus down.

    Raeleigh stood to one side. ¡°You should let Scarlette think about it.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to think about it. I¡¯m the one making the decisions,¡± Hadrian said. Scarlette rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Are you sure about that? What right do you have to decide for me? Go away.¡±

    Scarlette pulled Hadrian aside and his face darkened. ¡°I have the final say in this.¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± Scarlette refused, but Hadrian did not sumb to her either.

    Raeleigh did not know what to say, but Xanthus said, ¡°No matter what you think, it¡¯s not the right time to quarrel. Even if you guys decide to do the operation, she is not in the right state. She will need to be treated for at least six months before she can undergo surgery, so you have plenty of time to think. Also, I charge a high fee.¡±

    ¡°We need to pay?¡± When Scarlette heard that, her face fell. They had to pay for the surgery even after he¡¯d eaten their food?

    ¡°Xanthus?¡± Scarlette was truly upset. She looked at Xanthus like he was a monster.

    Before Xanthus could speak, Scarlette said, ¡°Raeleigh is your girlfriend now, right?¡±

    Xanthus nced at Hadrian. It looked like he hadn¡¯t mentioned anything.

    ¡°So what?¡± Xanthus asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know that we¡¯re good friends. Of course, we¡¯ll still pay you for doing the surgery, but you can¡¯t just straight out tell us that it¡¯s going to be expensive. Am I going to need some kind of super expensive medication or machine? Why do you sound like you¡¯re trying to extort us?¡±

    Scarlette was getting so agitated that Raeleigh couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    ¡°Scarlette, Xanthus isn¡¯t like that.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t be fooled. Money is all he sees,¡± Scarlette retorted. She refused to allow him to get away with something like this. Perhaps it would even make Raeleigh go back to Jepherson!

    Scarlette suddenly felt a little confused and looked at Raeleigh like something had urred to her. ¡°Raeleigh, I remember you and Mr. Jepherson came to see me together. Didn¡¯t you guys make up already? Why are you with Dr. Osteen now?¡±

    Even Raeleigh was getting confused by Scarlette¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to start, so don¡¯t ask. Look, we¡¯ve had our meal, and you and I got to catch up. I¡¯ll discuss the surgery over with Xanthus, so you guys talk about your wedding. I¡¯ll help you out wherever I can.¡±

    Raeleigh looked outside. The day had passed by so quickly.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    If they were to continue on this topic, Scarlette would probably start a fight. Raeleigh decided that it was time to leave in order to avoid conflict.

    Scarlette pursed her lips and wanted to say something, but Hadrian had already said goodbye.

    When they left, Scarlette threw a tantrum at Hadrian, saying that it was thetter¡¯s fault.

    Hadrian had a good temperament and didn¡¯t get mad at her. He picked her up and headed upstairs.

    Scarlette suddenly quieted down, and she stared at the stairs, depressed.

    She wanted to live downstairs, but Hadrian wanted her to live upstairs. He said that the masters of the house had to live upstairs.

    However, with Scarlette¡¯s current state, Hadrian would have to carry her up and down.

    Serra didn¡¯t have the strength to carry her, and the wheelchair couldn¡¯t make it up the stairs. There was no way she could crawl up either.

    Scarlette never said a word whenever Hadrian carried her up and down the stairs, and neither did Hadrian. It wasn¡¯t a big deal, after all. He was more than strong enough to carry her.

    She¡¯d never thought that way, though. He could carry her around because he was still young, but what would they do when they were old? His own mobility would be a problem, so how was he going to carry her around?

    When they returned to their room, he put her on the bed and tidied up the quilt.

    ¡°You should get some rest.¡±

    Hadrian was about to take a break as well.

    Scarlette looked up at Hadrian. ¡°I won¡¯t give up until I¡¯ve tried.¡±

    He stood in front of her. ¡°There are plenty of things that you¡¯ve refused to give up on. Does giving up on this one matter?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it does.¡±

    ¡°I care about you more than your legs. You¡¯re in poor health, and there¡¯s no need for you to take risks. Even the doctor said that there¡¯s no way a miracle will happen.¡±

    Hadrian firmly believed that the doctor was right. They had done countless examinations, and the results were always negative.

    ¡°I trust Xanthus. Stuart¡¯s fine now!¡± Even if there was only a sliver of a chance, Scarlette still refused to give up. Judging from the way Xanthus had acted, there was definitely still hope.

    Hadrian sat down. ¡°There¡¯s a few more months for us to think this over. If your health permits and we¡¯vee to a decision by then, I¡¯ll go with whatever you want. Before we get married, you have to listen to me. Once we¡¯re married, I¡¯ll listen to everything you say.¡±

    He wouldn¡¯t give her a single chance to go back on their engagement. After all, he had zero trust in her when it came to such matters.

    Scarlettey down and covered herself with the nket, feeling helpless. Was it fortunate for her to have found someone like him?

    Hadrian ced his hands on either side of her and looked down at her. ¡°Are you starting to feel depressed again?¡±

    Scarlette rolled her eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t I be depressed?¡±

    ¡°The doctor said that this negativity isn¡¯t good for your health,¡± Hadrian reminded. Scarlette sighed and put an arm over her eyes. ¡°I want to be alone for a while, and I don¡¯t want to see you.¡±

    Hadrian left and began to unbutton his shirt. There was something odd about him. It was too abnormal for him to leave just like that.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    A few secondster, Scarlette removed her arm and looked at Hadrian. He¡¯d already taken off his shirt and pants and was mbering into bed. She asked, ¡°It¡¯s not time for bed yet. What are you up to?¡±

    ¡°Exercise. It¡¯s good for your blood cirction. Otherwise, you might suffer from necrosis.¡±

    She was speechless that he was able toe up with such a rotten excuse.

    He pressed his lips to hers and started running his hands over her body, undressing her along the way. The night had just begun¡­

    Raeleigh got into the car. She asked Xanthus, ¡°Can Scarlette really undergo surgery?¡±

    Xanthus started the car. ¡°If I¡¯d been there when this happened to her, she would already be walking by now. The doctor made the wrong call and imed that it wasn¡¯t due to medical negligence, but that¡¯s exactly what it was.¡±

    Xanthus was the authority on orthopaedics. If he couldn¡¯t even tell what had happened then something really was amiss.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Scarlette¡¯s like this because she didn¡¯t receive prompt treatment?¡± Raeleigh started to feel a little mad that she¡¯d forgotten about doing a checkup while they¡¯d been overseas.

    ¡°Not entirely. Only a few people would be able to know what is wrong.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus for a long time and said, ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re here.¡±

    Xanthus did not answer. The car sped along the streets, bringing them home.

    Raeleigh tried to call Jepherson again, but his phone was still turned off.

    She didn¡¯t know how long more she¡¯d have to call him. Perhaps it¡¯d be better for her to personally head over there and see what he was up to?

 Chapter 1430 The WhatScienceCanâ€™tExplain Phenomenon

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t manage to get the call through after going back either. She didn¡¯t rest well that evening. Early in the morning, she received a call from Jepherson, who had just taken a bath at home and was ready to go to bed.

    Raeleigh was worried out of her mind. Over the phone, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer the phone? Where have you been?¡±

    Jepherson searched his mind for an answer. Sitting on the bed in the room and looking at the velvet box in front of him, his answer would be a defining moment for him.

    ¡°I was always around, I just didn¡¯t have time to answer the phone. I had something to do, so I¡¯ve booked a flight and I¡¯ll have to catch itter. I¡¯m just about to take a bath and change my clothes¡­¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°To give you a gift, Raeleigh.¡± Jepherson was in a good mood. It was undoubtedly the best thing in the world to be cared for by her.

    Since he would have time in the next few days, he had better seize the opportunity to do something meaningful.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. I have a friend who¡¯s looking for you, shewants your help. Don¡¯te over for now. She might go to the manor this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°A friend?¡± As far as Jepherson knew, Raeleigh did not really have any friends.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then when should I go catch my flight?¡±

    ¡°Just wait.¡± Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°I mean, what on earth are you going there for?¡±

    Jepherson still didn¡¯t answer. Raeleigh continued speaking for a while before hanging up the phone. After setting down the phone, she changed her clothes. She got downstairs and went out with her shoes. Xanthus asked her what she was going to do, to which Raeleigh simply waved her hand. She had already gone to the garage before she could even say anything.

    Xanthus went out to check on her. She was in a rush and at total unease.

    As she drove, all Xanthus could do was escort her over to the Richards family from behind. When they arrived, Raeleigh got out of the car. He was relieved to see her walk into the mansion.

    Jepherson was a little surprised when they saw each other, a real surprise.

    No one had told him about Raeleigh¡¯s return.

    She was wearing a red coat. Fine snowkes drifted down from the sky and surrounded her, making her look like an ethereal being emerging from the snow.

    ¡°Are you that surprised?¡± Raeleigh had thought about what to say over and over, but the straightforward words she chose in the end amused Jepherson. What she said almost ruined the beautiful atmosphere.

    However, when she was there, it didn¡¯t matter if the atmosphere was ruined or not. After all, her presence was a breath of fresh air to him.

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth twitched and he couldn¡¯t helpughing. He was still holding a red, velvet box in his hand.

    Seeing that he did not say anything, Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the box in his hand. Then, she took off her shoes and walked in, taking the box from him. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know once you see it.¡± Jepherson walked in front of her in thick pajamas, shaping his already sturdy physique into the next level buff.

    Raeleigh did not refuse his hug. She simply lowered her head and opened the box to have a look.

    The two gleaming rings were truly gorgeous. Raeleigh took out one of them and scrutinized the diamond attached to it. Jefferson suggested, ¡°Put it on and let me see.¡±

    Raeleigh replied, ¡°For the record, no one puts the ring on their own.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    She didn¡¯t have to be direct for him to know what she meant. Even on television, couples always exchanged their wedding rings.

    With his eyes curving into crescents, Jepherson pulled Raeleigh¡¯s left hand over and slid the ring onto her finger. She stared at the ring on for a long time before saying, ¡°Jepherson Richards, do you take Raeleigh Anson as your wife, for richer, for poorer, and in sickness and health?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    Jepherson knelt down on one knee, staring at her. ¡°Raeleigh Anson, do you take Jepherson Richards as your husband, for richer, for poorer, and in sickness and health?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    Raeleigh took the other ring and put it on Jepherson¡¯s left hand. Then, he stood up before bending down to pick her up in his arms.

    Back on the bed, Jepherson put Raeleigh down, undid her clothes, then lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead. His hand gently caressed hers all the way until they became one with each other.

    Xanthus checked the time and found that Raeleigh had note back yet even though it was ten o¡¯clock. He closed the door and windows before going back to rest.

    Raeleigh stayed by Jepherson¡¯s side all night without falling asleep, until the next morning.

    When Xanthus called, Jepherson immediately turned off her phone. Then he sent Xanthus a short message with his own phone, letting him know that she was resting at his ce.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh felt as if she had slept for centuries. When she opened her eyes, she was so tired that she closed them again and continued to sleep. She slept just like that, without knowing how many days had passed. Finally, Raeleigh opened her eyes and couldn¡¯t fall back asleep, not because she didn¡¯t want to, but because Jepherson wouldn¡¯t let her. If she continued to sleep, she might actually turn into Sleeping Beauty.

    On top of that, Jepherson had received a phone call saying that his parents and Marissa would being back that day.

    They hadn¡¯t told him the reason why. All he knew was that they would be back that day for sure.

    Raeleigh sat up from inside the nket, which slipped off her body. She then pulled it back up and wrapped herself up in it. Jepherson had seen her like that more than once, but every time she saw him face to face, she still blushed.

    Jepherson knew her sensitive nature and pretended not to see anything.

    ¡°Get up, hmm?Grandma will be backter, as will my parents.¡± He got up, took his clothes, and went to the bathroom with Raeleigh in his arms. Before he put on his clothes, he enjoyed a make out session with her once again.

    Raeleigh went out to change her clothes, then dried her hair. She was still pretty even without makeup. As Jepherson said, a natural look was the best.

    She went with him to get breakfast, feeling much more refreshed. Then, she followed Jepherson to wait for Marisson and the others to return.

    For Raeleigh, it was somewhat stressful for her to meet Marissa after the New Year, but she could do nothing about it.

    She figured that as long as Marissa did not make things difficult for her, she could bear it.

    Hearing the servants report that they were back, Jepherson stood up and held Raeleigh¡¯s hand, walking outside. The moment they stepped out the door, she saw Hansen and Jenna. Then, the car door opened and Marissa got out.

    When Marissa got out of the car, she saw Raeleigh at first nce. However, she kept a straight face and did not do anything else.

    Raeleigh found it strange. Normally, Marissa would not be too happy to see her.

    However, it was different right then.

    Marissa didn¡¯t like Raeleigh, but when she thought of the promise she¡¯d made to Trevor, she turned a blind eye.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll help you.¡± Jenna helped Marissa out of the car, who responded, ¡°I got quite tired from the trip, so no lunch for me. Come get me when it¡¯s dinner.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Jenna hurried to answer her. Seeing Raeleigh, she put on a smile. ¡°You¡¯re here, Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Aunt, Grandma¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± It was rare for Marissa to give her a response. Although she was strongly displeased, she did not give Raeleigh any dirty looks before she went inside. Raeleigh watched them go, after experiencing firsthand the what-science-can¡¯t-exin phenomenon.

    Jepherson found it odd as well. He whispered to Raeleigh, ¡°Careful now, it might be a trap.¡±

    Raeleigh was totally speechless. What did he mean by that?

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you one of them?¡± Raeleigh whispered. The people working for the Richards Group Manor saw Jepherson and Raeleigh murmuring sweet nothings to each other, with their hands tightly interlocked as well.

 Chapter 1431 Put On a Show

    Raeleigh went in and stood quietly at the side. As usual, Marissa-the person with the most severe superiorityplex in the room-did not spare Raeleigh a nce.

    However, nobody told Raeleigh to sit down. Even Jepherson himself was left standing, without anyone having invited him to take a seat.

    Although it was his own home, his parents were handling Marissa with care. It seemed a bit inappropriate for him, as a son and a grandson, to take a seat on his own ord.

    Thus, he decided to stand with Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh looked at him with curiosity in her dark eyes. She lowered her gaze slightly and stayed quiet.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson¡¯s hand had been holding Raeleigh¡¯s since the start. In fact, he had been using both hands to hold hers, and put their hands behind his back.

    The way others saw it, Jepherson was trying to show Marissa respect. At least he wasn¡¯t being tant about it. On the contrary, the way Marissa saw it, her terrible grandson Jepherson was giving her pointed looks on purpose.

    However, Marissa did not spare Jepherson and Raeleigh any pride either. After all,Marissa¡¯s Book of Life dictated that an attitude be given to those who did the same to her.

    Despite that, Marissa also did not want to sour her rtionship with Trevor. Although she had lost and finally promised not to meddle in the family affairs, she self-proimed herself the winner.

    Trevor had once mentioned that without their consent, no one would be able to enter the door to the Richards Group Manor, much less Raeleigh. To put it bluntly, even though there was no problem with her getting together with Jepherson, that did not necessarily mean she had the right to set foot in the Richards Group Manor.

    His words were music to her ears. After all, it essentially meant that it would not be that easy for Raeleigh to traverse into the Richards Group Manor as long as they were alive.

    She thought that Raeleigh was definitely in it for the money. Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to stay so long.

    She had given Raeleigh her fair share of hints, yet she still refused to leave. Why? To put it bluntly, she was doing it for money, a gold digger who wanted to rely on a cash cow like Jepherson for a materialistic life. Marissa had seen countless women like that in her lifetime.

    Those B-grade celebrities, who relied on their good looks, were all seductive foxes that were good-for-nothing. They couldn¡¯t help their husbands with anything besides eating, drinking and ying around.

    At first, they would put on a show in order to marry into a wealthy family, but as time went by, they would reveal their true colors.

    As she thought about it, she figured she didn¡¯t have to worry about Raeleigh too much. If she could live to ny-nine years old, she still had a long path ahead of her.

    As the saying went, you can¡¯t judge a book by its cover. As time went by, she would simply wait for Raeleigh to let slip her cunning nature.

    ¡°Enough is enough, people. I¡¯m not that petty. Look at you two. Didn¡¯t you promise him that you¡¯d take good care of me? Look at me, I¡¯m finer than ever. Never mind, just call Santiago. I¡¯d really rather not see him, but his grandfather cares about him and wanted me to give him some money. I can¡¯te for nothing, can I?¡±

    Marissa had already thought it through. It was useless to make things difficult for Raeleigh. Just as Trevor had said, it would upset Jepherson and Jenna, making them think that Marissa was a tough, fussy mother-inw. Why don¡¯t she, she thought, take it slow, one foot in front of the other?

    It was not the end of the story. The winner had yet to be decided.

    Jenna knew that Trevor had already talked to Marissa, so she was also very clear that whatever went on that day was just a formality, which meant that she no longer cared about those things.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you can go and make the call,¡± suggested Jenna. Raeleigh raised her head and froze for a moment. She did not expect that Jenna would make that decision, and Marissa did not speak up to put her in a tough position either.

    ¡°I¡¯m on it,¡± Raeleigh agreed. She turned around and took a few steps outside. Then, she took out her cell phone and called Santiago.

    The moment her hands left Jepherson¡¯s, his mood went straight down the dumps. With his hands behind his back, he turned around and gazed at Raeleigh with what looked like a smile.

    When Marissa saw that, she felt a wave of nausea surging in her. He had been bewitched, body and soul. She was just a woman. What was so good about her? Thinking of how close they used to be, Marissa still felt petnt.

    However, she could no longer keep her ¡°Resting B*tch Face¡±. Since she had made a promise, she would go with what Trevor had said and treat this like a tough nut to crack in business. Only in that way could she win the battle.

    Only then did she truly realize that no matter how unhappy she was, it was useless to employ all means possible to break Jepherson and Raeleigh apart. After all, his soul had already been spellbound. If she really wanted to get it back, she would have to use a select few methods.

    With that in mind, Marissa looked at Jepherson, who had turned around, and said, ¡°Jerry.¡±

    He was stunned for a moment before turning to look at her. ¡°Yes, Grandma?¡±

    Marissa rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You are not going to tell me that your girlfriend is the only one in your eyes, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. There are still many other things.¡± Jepherson¡¯s lips curled up, albeit not into a smile. The light in his eyes was ambiguous. Marissa was confused, wondering what had been going on with him as ofte. Why did she feel that he was acting a little off the wall? The more she looked into his eyes, the more on edge she felt. He was clearly smiling, but she couldn¡¯t see through him. It felt like he was scheming something.

    He was much tooplicated and wasmade up of pure strategy.

    She took a deep breath and stated, ¡°I don¡¯t care what¡¯s going on with you right now, but put aside your thoughts for now. I know that you are very displeased with me because I can¡¯t bring myself to like your girlfriend.

    I¡¯m cutting you some ck, but you have to understand that it isn¡¯t because I can¡¯t control you. I¡¯m just putting you aside for now. Your grandfather¡¯s health has not been as good as before. I have to stay at home to take care of him. I don¡¯t have much power in Capital City, and all of you are working together to deceive me.

    Even so, I¡¯m not dead yet. You also have to remember not to go too far.

    Be together all you want, but if something goes wrong, don¡¯t me me for being cruel. When the timees, you won¡¯t be the one to decide whether you break up or not.¡±

    Marissa¡¯s words were essentially giving Jepherson a chance, but he did not get carried away. On the contrary, he replied respectfully, ¡°You¡¯re right, Grandma. I will guide Raeleigh not to do anything to make you unhappy, lest you feel ufortable.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that I¡¯m unhappy, it¡¯s just that our family can¡¯t ept an improper woman. I won¡¯t care about the past, but as for the future, not so easy, I¡¯m afraid. You¡¯d better think it through.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already thought it through, Grandma.¡± Jepherson grinned, to which she reluctantly grunted in response.

    Right then, Raeleigh hade back as well. Marissa saw her and added, ¡°Goodness gracious, would you stop walking like a duck? It gives people the impression of being unreliable.¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a moment. Had she been clumsy?

    It was obvious that Marissa was trying to nitpick.

    Raeleigh nced over to Jepherson. Without refuting, she looked at Jenna and Hansen.

    If this were any other time, she wouldn¡¯t have dealt with it and would have left immediately. However, she thought, not today.

    For herself, for Jepherson, and also for Jenna.

    She still had to put on a show.

    Raeleigh did not show much of a change. She still looked the same as before, as she had heard a lot about how the rich and powerful behaved themselves. Although it was not the first time, she did not express the fact that she was upset whatsoever. She stopped and said to Marissa, ¡°Thank you for your advice, Grandma. I will keep it in mind.¡±

    Marissa had not expected Raeleigh to agree so obediently either. It might have been a tad bit surprising, but since Raeleigh had already spared her pride, there was no need for her to go on with the show.

    She could only say that Raeleigh was not your ordinary girl. At least she knew when to advance and when to back off.

 Chapter 1432 Flirtatiousâ€¦Or Not?

    She considered their first encounter to have been a draw. As always, Raeleigh didn¡¯t have a proper seat in the room. Standing beside her,Jepherson didn¡¯t sit either; they were a tableau of modern-day star-crossed lovers.

    Marissa simply averted her eyes to prevent a headache froming on.

    ¡°Jenna, your father wants you to have this, and this is from me.¡± Marissa took a gift and handed it to Jenna, who quickly received it and thanked her.

    ¡°Thank you, Mom.¡±

    Hansen stood to one side, his hands sped behind his back, as if it had nothing to do with him.

    Raeleigh lowered her gaze slightly. It was better not to look around if she didn¡¯t have to, so as to avoid meeting a gaze that she shouldn¡¯t and end up making things awkward.

    However, the way Hansen was standing with his handsced behind his back still made her feel like he was a carbon copy of Jepherson.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Their posture and disposition were the same, not to mention their appearance.

    And especially when they were standing. If it were anyone else, it would have been strange for them to hold such posture. After all, he was already middle-aged, with his young son present in the same room. The fact that he had been forced to stand as well was truly embarrassing.

    However, neither Jepherson nor Hansen showed any kind of embarrassment. Not only that, but what was even stranger was that they looked like royalty standing in the hall, making the room shine.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know if it was because the way she thought was strange, or maybe that was really the way they came off. Either way, that was how she saw it.

    After Jenna put away the gift, Marissa looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°Jerry, this is from your grandfather and I.¡±

    She took out a cheque and ced it on the table. Jepherson nced at it and walked over to take it, then handed it to Raeleigh. He then thanked her, saying, ¡°Thank you, Grandma.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her dark eyes and took a look at Jepherson before shifting her gaze to Marissa and repeating, ¡°Thank you, Grandma.¡±

    Naturally, Marissa was having none of it. She had not prepared a gift for Raeleigh to let her know that she had no position in this house. However, Jepherson had given his gift to her, which meant that Raeleigh was more important in his heart.

    Marissa was offended, but she held back in order to maintain the harmonious atmosphere of the dinner that day.

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t Santiago here yet?¡± Marissa settled on asking. Jenna then looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Raeleigh, what did Santiago say just now?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°He said he wasn¡¯t sure when he woulde back, but that he would. He also said that he had something to do, and that we didn¡¯t have to wait for him.¡±

    Jenna grumbled, ¡°Wait for him, my foot. He had the nerve to think that Grandma would wait for him at her age. st him with calls and ask him to get back home.¡±

    Raeleigh called again. The moment it went through, she stated, ¡°Disimer-I can¡¯t do anything if you don¡¯te back. Aunt Jenna¡¯s angry.¡±

    ¡°I heard Grandma¡¯s back. Did she make things difficult for you?¡± Santiago asked. Raeleigh was really in awe towards him. Why was he so unreliable? He had already said that he woulde back, but right then, he refused to bring it up at all.

    ¡°I¡¯m not getting bullied or anything. When are youing back?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already here. I¡¯lle and find you wherever you are.¡± As soon as Santiago got out of the car that Jacky had driven him over in, he waved his hand and made his way into the Richards Group Manor. Raeleigh looked around with a curious expression. Had he just said he was already back?

    ¡°Where are you?¡± Raeleigh took a look outside. As if he was bragging, Santiago responded, ¡°What, you miss me or something?¡±

    Angered, she snapped,¡°Are you here or not? I¡¯m going to tell your brother¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t keep using my brother to put pressure on me. If you¡¯re actually that good, then you shoulde look for me and kick a*s the Raeleigh way.¡± Santiago came in through the doorway and saw her standing in the ice and snow, on the phone with him. The first thing he saw was her slightly flushed face and red hands.

    After putting away the phone, Santiago walked towards her, who was somewhat furious upon hearing the beeping sound on the phone. Had he just hung up on her?

    She was about to call him again when she heard voices from behind her.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago.¡±

    ¡°All right, you can get back to work.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and saw Santiago, who had alreadye in front of her. She really did not expect to see him.

    He was wearing gray pants, a ck hat, and a white shirt underneath a green sweater. His clothes were loose, and his boots made crunching sound as he walked. For a moment, Raeleigh¡¯s face turned pale. Did he have to go all minimalistic style in such a cold weather?

    Raeleigh lowered her eyes to look at her thick red coat, which made her quite surprised.

    He was wearing green all over, but he had given her a red coat. It was really strange.

    Raeleigh could not put her finger on what exactly was strange about it. All she knew was that something was off.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you wear some thicker clothing?¡±

    Raeleigh asking him showed her subconscious care towards Santiago. He stepped in front of her and held her face in his hands, to which Raeleigh subconsciously tried to dodge.

    Santiago suddenly spoke up,¡°Don¡¯t move. My hands are freezing.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped. ¡°You¡­¡±

    He cupped her face for a while before lowering his hands. ¡°Are you cold?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make calls in a ce like this next time, unless it¡¯s summer,¡± Santiago said, expressionless. She simply stared at him in a daze.

    Raeleigh tried to pull her hand back, but her numb fingers could not break free.

    Santiago¡¯s hand was burning to the touch. Suddenly, she asked, ¡°Why is your hand so hot?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is when you have a cold or a fever.¡± Santiago made it sound like he was telling the truth, and Raeleigh took it seriously without even thinking about it.

    ¡°Let me check on you.¡± She suddenly pulled her hand away, but Santiago did not. She put her hand on his forehead to lift his bangs.

    Standing in front of her, he gave an evil smile.

    Raeleigh touched Santiago¡¯s forehead, and then her own. Having realized that he was not actually sick and that she had been deceived, she pushed him away in rage.

    Despite being pushed away, he was not angry and wasughing instead.

    Raeleigh gave him a furious stare. ¡°You are insane.¡±

    She turned around and walked inside, coincidentally knocking into someone.

    Raeleigh raised her head and fixed her eyes on Jepherson, and her whole body went stiff. Jepherson then raised his hand and caressed her face, warming it up. She began to pout,her eyes darting around.

    He passed by her and walked behind her.

    ¡°You have an itch or something?¡± Jepherson asked Santiago, who raised his hand and scratched his ear. ¡°If I do, will you scratch it for me?¡±

    As he spoke, he bypassed both Raeleigh and Jepherson. When he walked past them, he even bumped into her with his shoulder, making her throw herself into Jepherson¡¯s arms.

    Raeleigh could not maintain her bnce and put her hands around his waist. Jepherson looked back and held her hands in his, covering her hands with his clothes. Raeleigh raised her head slowly and looked at him, her cheeks flushed red.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do things like this. People may see.¡±

    ¡°What are you so afraid of? We¡¯re husband and wife.¡± He lowered his head to kiss Raeleigh. Then, he held her hand and walked into the house with her. Her hand was clenched.Nothing screamed ¡°flirtatious¡­ or not?¡± like the two.

 Chapter 1433 Never Won a Single Time

    After going in, Santiago was standing on one side, waiting for Marissa¡¯s gift. She was not willing to give it to him, but he, ever the thick-skinned, instead reached out to take it for himself.

    As Marissa was telling him off, Jenna was naturally in a bad mood as she stood at the side. No matter what, he was still her son. Why was it that Santiago received such treatment just because he was not the eldest? Even when it came to gifts, he had to ask for them on his own ord.

    She really wished that Marissa would take the initiative to give things to Santiago, but that was never the case.

    She had given birth to two children, but Marissa just didn¡¯t like her youngest son, Santiago. Jenna really felt helpless.

    After taking the gift away from Marissa, Santiago walked away from her and over to Raeleigh. He threw the gift, which was a stack of money, to her and said, ¡°Take it. Go on a spree and buy some clothes for yourself.¡±

    Raeleigh caught the gift with both hands on instinct.

    As for Jepherson¡­

    He was standing aside, looking elsewhere. However, he told Raeleigh, ¡°Since he¡¯s given it to you, then just hold onto it. Keep it for him.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Raeleigh put the two gifts together. It was then that she realized that they were different. The gift that Santiago had received paled inparison to Jepherson¡¯s.

    Raeleigh really wanted to count the money to clearly see the disparity between them.

    They were both Jenna¡¯s children, so why the difference in treatment?

    It seemed like something that would only happen back in the Victorian era.

    Raeleigh held the gifts in her hand and swapped them, which everyone witnessed.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Santiago took a seat and sipped some water, asking Raeleigh, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you guys sitting down?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer, but she didn¡¯t feel very good about it. All of a sudden, she understood why Santiago had a personality like that. If he¡¯d been any different, how could he have survived in his family?

    ¡°Outrageous,¡± Hansen suddenly spoke up from the side. His voice carried a trace of displeasure, but he was not angry. Raeleigh found his gaze rather strange, as if he was doting on Santiago, yet it also seemed incredibly distant.

    Perhaps Hansen was not very direct in expressing his feelings. Even when he did, he would deliberately cover it up.

    ¡°So many seats, but everyone¡¯s standing. What¡¯s the point of having seats, then?¡± Santiago stood up, patted his butt and walked towards Raeleigh. He stopped and asked her, ¡°Have you eaten?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Is the food done?¡± he continued asking. Raeleigh looked at Jenna, who didn¡¯t know whether it was done yet either. At that hour, it likely wasn¡¯t mealtime yet.

    ¡°Go have a look, Raeleigh. After we have lunch, then Grandma will be going back with the two of us. Grandpa can¡¯t stay at home alone.¡± Jenna walked to Raeleigh and gave her a look. She found her rather pitiful, having to stand around like that,so obedient.

    However, Marissa just didn¡¯t like her.

    ¡°I understand.¡± Raeleigh then turned around and went to the kitchen. Santiago followed her, but Jepherson did not.

    The moment Marissa saw that, she got angry. What on earth was going on?

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. Let¡¯s go back.¡± On one hand, Marissa was furious. However, she was also worried for Trevor.

    If Trevor was healthy, she wouldn¡¯t have to bother with him, but since he was ill, she couldn¡¯t help but worry.

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re not hungry, we can only leave after we eat. Otherwise, we¡¯ll get hungry on the way there.

    Besides, since we¡¯re going to be driving a long way back, there won¡¯t be anywhere to stop and eat,¡± Jenna stated, trying to persuade her. Marissa was actually rather obedient. After thinking for a while, she looked at Jenna. ¡°If she was half as thoughtful as you were, I wouldn¡¯t make things hard for her.¡±

    It was obvious that she was saying that for Jepherson to hear. However, he remained unmoved. He stared at her with his hands sped behind his back as if he could not hear anything.

    Jenna was in admiration as well. She had raised two sons and both of them grew up to be like that. They would only listen to the things they wanted to hear. If you were to question them about it afterward, they would say ¡°no idea¡±. However, they were the only ones who were aware of just how much they knew.

    Marissa went on and on, but essentially nobody paid attention to her, so she might as well not say a thing.

    Instead, she turned to talk to Jenna.

    When they were speaking, Hansen strode outside, after which Jepherson followed.

    After stepping out, Hansen walked for a while before asking, ¡°What do you think about this?¡±

    ¡°Grandpa must be aware of what happened that year. He admitted that he was the one who told Grandma to do it, and even said that he would not allow Raeleigh to join our family.¡±

    Jepherson stood behind Hansen. If it weren¡¯t for their age, it would be almost impossible to tell the difference between them.

    Hansen paused and turned to nce at him. ¡°It would be troublesome if he was the one behind this.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Jepherson had never been certain about it, mostly because it had been so many years since, not to mention the Richards family¡¯s reputation. If it were to be exposed, it might drag the entire family through the dirt.

    Even if Raeleigh¡¯s family had not investigated it, they could not shirk the responsibility. Public opinion could destroy the Richards family too.

    ¡°Then what do you n to do?¡± Hansen asked, to which Jepherson shook his head. They looked at each other for a few seconds before turning around and parting ways.

    Their shadows grew longer and longer until they were far away.

    Raeleigh went into the kitchen to prepare food, but the truth was that she had nothing to do. Santiago was beside her, so nobody would dare to order her around or disrespect her.

    What¡¯s more, Raeleigh was already the favorite of both the sons of the Richards family. Any servant would know that Jepherson and Santiago had both joined forces to shoo Marissa away.

    Raeleigh gave orders in the kitchen, then walked out of the room and stood outside the door.

    It was not cold there, since it was a designated area for meals, but they had to go in circles a few times before being able to get away from Marissa.

    Raeleigh felt morefortable. Without Marissa pressuring her, she could breathe easily.

    She returned the gift to Santiago, who was standing beside her. ¡°I don¡¯t need to buy clothes.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d help me keep it safe?¡±

    ¡°Take it. You need it too.¡± Raeleigh gave it to him, who opened it and took a look inside before putting all the money into his pocket.

    ¡°Next time, let¡¯s go to Waverly Vige and splurge on things.¡±

    She looked at him. ¡°Do you ever n for the future?¡±

    ¡°As long as my brother is here, I won¡¯t starve to death.¡± Raeleigh was convinced by Santiago¡¯s confidence. She took back his money and kept it with her.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re thinking of hemorrhaging money, why don¡¯t you give it to me? At least you¡¯ll be able to use it when you want to.¡±

    Santiago stood aside and looked at the outdoors as if nothing had happened. It was better for her to take the money away from him.

    After standing for a while, she turned to look at him, who was dressed up like a spring onion, and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have any other clothes to wear? It¡¯s winter now, and the New Year has just passed.Is dressing like a Christmas tree the trend nowadays?¡±

    ¡°Says the Miss Not-My-Wife. Why do you care so much about me?¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing. She simply clenched her fists and fought back her bubbling rage.

    She considered herself to be a person with a good temper, butever since she¡¯d got to know Santiago,she had somehow met a nemesis who could disarm her. She was defeated again and again, and had never won a single time.

 Chapter 1434 Enough For Her

    After the meal was ready, Marissa came out of the room while Raeleigh stood aside. After she sat down, Raeleigh pulled Jepherson over to take a seat.

    Over the entire course of the meal, Marissa didn¡¯t spare either of them a single nce. Once she had eaten, she packed her luggage and took some necessities before getting in the car and leaving the Richards Group Manor.

    Jenna then got in the car with her. Before doing so, she had been talking to Raeleigh. Of course, Marissa would not bother about things like this, at least not in front of Raeleigh.

    However, it was another matter after getting in the car.

    Marissa took a look at the person beside her and began toin, ¡°She¡¯s not as good as she seems. You¡¯re too innocent.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all just children. Honestly, children are all the same. Although she isn¡¯t the best in some aspects, she will learn as she grows up.¡±

    Jenna couldn¡¯t just decide whether children were inherently good or bad. However, she was having a hard time trying to search for any of Raeleigh¡¯s ws.

    Even so, she couldn¡¯t say anything that would upset Marissa.

    Marissa looked outside impatiently. ¡°You just dote on Jerry too much. He¡¯s always been like this, ever since he was young. This isn¡¯t the first time. If you had told him the truth, he wouldn¡¯t have be like this.¡±

    After all, she was not fond of Raeleigh. If she were reced by Ste, then Marissa would have had noints.

    ¡°Well, I think Jerry has a great personality. He¡¯s just like me.¡±

    Sitting on one side, Hansen, who had been resting with his eyes shut, slowly cracked his eyes open and said that.

    Although Marissa was reluctant, she could not say anything because she had no real power right then. Her words would not have much of an impact.

    Jenna nced at Hansen. Luckily he was powerful, otherwise¡­

    As the car sped away, Santiago watched as it got further and further away from the entrance. He stated, ¡°I thought I¡¯d struck gold, but it turns out I was too naive.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Jepherson suddenly interrupted him. Raeleigh stood aside and looked at Santiago as she scolded, ¡°You really have no verbal filter. There¡¯s nothing you won¡¯t say. You know your do¡¯s and don¡¯ts, yet you would happily go for the don¡¯ts.¡±

    Santiago turned and got into the car. He started it up and nced at the two people standing at the door. ¡°I got something to do. Ciao, folks.¡±

    Raeleigh and Jepherson did not say anything, waiting for him to leave. She turned to Jepherson and said, ¡°Your grandmother has had a sudden change in personality.¡±

    ¡°What can I say? People change. Considering how amazing you are, of course she would change.¡± Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and wanted to go inside with her, but she raised her hand to stop him. ¡°I¡¯m going back. I¡¯ve been out for so long.¡±

    ¡°Oh, does ¡®long¡¯ even exist when you¡¯re with me?¡± Jepherson stopped and put his hands around Raeleigh¡¯s waist, to which sheughed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not gonna start this with you. But it¡¯s true that I want to go back.¡±

    He loosened his grip and let her go.

    Raeleigh looked at the car. ¡°Are you sending me back?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Jepherson walked to the front of the car and opened the door to signal Raeleigh to get in.

    The driver, who wasing back from the other side, was a little surprised to see the car driving away. He scuttled to the ce where the car had stopped earlier, visibly anxious.

    Someone came over and told the driver that Jepherson had driven away, who then quickly got into another car and followed him.

    It was not the first time Raeleigh had sat in such a fast car, but she was not afraid at all.

    Santiago was even rampant than Jepherson when he was driving, but he was not as steady. When Jepherson drove, the car would not shake even if it was drifting.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Raeleigh looked outside and found that the telephone poles seemed to be flying past. It was not long before she felt dizzy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at either side. Look ahead of you. Time is flying.¡±

    He held her hand and controlled the car with the other. She withdrew her gaze and looked at the smiling Jepherson, who was staring forward.

    Their surroundings on both sides were like stars, zooming past them, as if they were soaring in the vast starry sky. The feeling of flying was amazing.

    When the car stopped, Raeleigh seemed to slow down in tandem with the reducing velocity.

    She nkly looked at her surroundings, then at Jepherson. He had already opened the door and gotten out.

    After a few steps, he stood on the bridge. The wind was blowing. He opened his arms out wide and stood there. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t get out of the carbecause her legs had turned to jelly.

    He stood for a while before turning around to look at Raeleigh, who was sitting in the car and staring at him.

    Waving his hand, he signaled her to get off. She shook her head and took a look down at her feet. Then, Jepherson walked towards her and opened the door to see her. Raeleigh patted her legs, to which he bent down to unfasten her seat belt and carry her out of the car.

    As the wind blew, the sensation in Raeleigh¡¯s legs came back.

    Jepherson set her down on the bridge and let her face the surging river under the bridge. She felt the cold breeze on her face, that seemed to engulf the entire world.

    However, Raeleigh did not shrink back. She turned to look at Jepherson, who looked back at her. ¡°Close your eyes. I¡¯ll make you fly.¡±

    Raeleigh closed her eyes while he flipped her around. His hands held onto her waist, then slowly crept up to her armpits and spread her arms out. Then, he held her hands and opened them up.

    She opened her eyes slowly, looking at the iciness and the whistling wind in front of her.

    Jepherson said, ¡°Close your eyes.¡±

    She then closed her eyes again. He put his face next to hers. The wind cut past them like a knife, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t open her eyes.

    After waiting for a while, he slowly took his hands away and put one hand on Raeleigh¡¯s back. She frowned.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m going to push you down.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s voice was low and hoarse. Raeleigh responded, ¡°There¡¯s a bottomless abyss below.¡±

    ¡°There sure is.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±

    He remained silent.

    He was still standing behind her, but he didn¡¯t push her. He held Raeleigh in his arms. After a while, she opened her eyes.

    She looked at Jepherson¡¯s profile and asked him, ¡°Why do you have to keep testing me?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m ever in danger and someone tells you that I¡¯ve done something that I shouldn¡¯t have, you have to be smart. Don¡¯t trust anyone. You shouldn¡¯t trust a single person.¡±

    ¡°I only trust myself.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around, her back facing him. Jepherson pulled her away, one hand holding hers as he shoved their interlocked fingers into his pocket, the other hand on the railing of the bridge. She walked while looking at the whistling, frosty wind. Raeleigh was actually freezing, but she didn¡¯t want to leave.

    Perhaps it was because Jepherson had never been so free and easy that she found it hard to part.

    Jepherson, who had already walked half of the way, asked her, ¡°Are you cold?¡±

    She shook her head. He said, ¡°It¡¯s not the end yet, so no one knows what will happen. But if you don¡¯t go on with me, we¡¯ll end up with nothing.¡±

    ¡°I will be by your side, no matter what the result is, even if it is the worst.¡± After experiencing so much, Raeleigh was no longer in doubt.

    Even if someone told them that they were the biological siblings of the same parents, Raeleigh didn¡¯t care. Just being with him was enough for her.

 Chapter 1435 Raeleigh Was Livid

    Raeleigh felt that she was a fool who rushed in where angels fear to tread.Be that as it may, even fools had a world of their own. Even if she were to be trapped in an abyss, she would not find it dark.

    After all, someone had already lit up the road ahead of her. Insofar as she followed where the lights guided her, she would surely be able to reach the ce she wanted to go.

    Jepherson looked at her and cupped her face. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you stupid!¡±

    ¡°At least better than a certain someone.¡±

    Raeleigh scoffed at him, the only difference being that there was a smile on her lips. When she turned around, she took in the scene in front of her.

    The truth was, she was very clear that the Jepherson she wanted was like the raging waves in front of her. Not everyone could conquer him, but she wanted to give it a try anyway.

    He held her from behind, waiting for her to say something. However, she kept silent the whole time, as if she had already detached her soul from her body and was far away from the noise of the world.

    The two of them were hugging each other as they walked forward. Someone was waiting for them at the end of the road. It was the driver, who had already got out of the car and opened the door. Jepherson nced at the person in his arms and sent her into the car first before getting in himself.

    Pushing the door open, he put his hand in Raeleigh¡¯sp, and she covered her hand over his. Jepherson flipped their hands around, interlocking their fingers gently.

    The driver got in the car. He was simply too ancient to understand how the young lovebirds worked their minds. Why had theye out in such cold weather?Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Not to mention how satisfied they seemed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jepherson ordered, holding Raeleigh¡¯s hands tightly. He looked outside inadvertently and put her hands on his body with his mouth curling into a smile.

    The driver drove the car and safely sent her home.

    She got out of the car, then turned around and looked at Jepherson, who was still inside. ¡°Are you getting off?¡±

    He replied, ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t think so.Tasks are waiting for me. You should go back and have a good rest.¡±

    ¡°Be careful on your way there.¡±

    Jepherson grinned. The driver opened the door and got in through the other side of the car.

    After it sped away, Raeleigh stood where she was and watched for a while. When she turned around, Xanthus was standing at the door. She subconsciously froze, then asked, ¡°Were you waiting for me?¡±

    ¡°What else could I be doing?¡± Xanthus turned around and went inside. Waiting for Raeleigh was a habit to him. After all, he was her brother. After so many years of expecting, how could he not wait for her?

    Being a parent was very tiring, and he was not much better as a brother.

    In the past, Xanthus had never waited for any woman. However, right then, waiting for a woman had be a habit of his.

    After they went in, Xanthus asked if Raeleigh had eaten yet. She followed him to the kitchen, where he had already made preparations.

    ¡°Dinner not yet, but lunch, yes.¡±

    Raeleigh saw the ingredients in the kitchen and found that he had already prepared everything.

    ¡°You¡¯re making pizza?¡± Raeleigh immediately took off her clothes and was ready to go help. Xanthus took the ingredients inside while she washed her hands, and the both of them began making the pizza.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say muchbutfocused on kneading the dough. Xanthus would say something asionally, but he never asked her about what happened with Jepherson.

    The pizza was pretty much done when the doorbell rang. Xanthus went to open the door and soon brought Santiago in.

    Seeing him there, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t help but find it weird and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m craving for some pizza.¡±

    Santiago took off his jacket and washed his hands, then went to watch TV as if he was totally making himself at home. Raeleigh stood aside, and found it rather funny, despite herself. ¡°You are really making yourself at home, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°If this isn¡¯t my home, then where is?¡±

    Santiago made it sound like she was the one in the wrong. She stood in the room, staring at him, who was watching TV without so much as looking back. She was about to say something, but suddenly hesitated.

    She frowned. ¡°Where did you go, Santiago? Where did youe from?¡±

    He was watching a documentary on animals. He turned back to look at her. ¡°Is anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, not at all. Follow me to my room for a sec.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and went back to her room. Xanthus stood outside and watched, finding it all rather mysterious for some reason.

    Santiago paused for a moment. He got up and nced at Xanthus, then made his way towards the room upstairs where Raeleigh was.

    When they got upstairs, he raised his hand and knocked on the door. Her voice came from inside, inviting him in.

    Santiago pushed the door open and went in. She was making a call, but there was a first-aid kit on the bed.

    He closed the door aftering in. Raeleigh turned to look at him and put her cell phone on the bedside table.

    ¡°Take off your clothes.¡±

    Santiagoughed. ¡°Why? Deary me, is my brother that useless?¡±

    ¡°For Christ¡¯s sake, just cut the crap.¡±

    Raeleigh made a straight face, and Santiago had no choice but to strip obediently.

    He only had a coat on, without anything else on the inside. Raeleigh remembered that his coat hadn¡¯t been that color back then. She didn¡¯t know when it had turned ck.

    Her heart thumped when she saw the wound on Santiago¡¯s slender back. However, she did not betray any emotions on her face. Instead, she said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice anything?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel any pain. If you hadn¡¯t told me, I really wouldn¡¯t have known.¡±

    Raeleigh maintained her poker face. She walked over, asking him to sit down. Santiago took two steps forward, sat on her chair, and leaned back.

    She took a deep breath of cold air. ¡°Can¡¯t you feel any pain, like, at all?¡±

    She estimated that the wound was about a palm long. His flesh was already exposed.

    ¡°I guess so.¡± Santiago closed his eyes as he gave a faint reply. It was not painful, nor was it itchy.

    Raeleigh sat on the bed, took the first-aid kit and rummaged through it. Then, she grabbed a disinfectant and began to clean Santiago¡¯s wound.

    While doing so, she told him, ¡°Look, you don¡¯t have to put up with it. If it hurts, just say the word and I¡¯ll be more gentle.¡±

    Santiago didn¡¯t reply. She calmly used tweezers to help disinfect his wound. At first, he took a deep breath, but then went totally silent.

    Raeleigh¡¯s movements stopped. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    He closed his eyes and didn¡¯t make any response. She doubted that he had fallen asleep. If he didn¡¯t answer, that meant it hurt, but he just didn¡¯t want to say anything.

    Raeleigh went a little lighter on him. The cotton pads, which had been soaked in disinfectant, had traces of dark red blood on them and tiny patches of foams.

    She put down the tweezers, carefully applied some powder on a gauze, then wrapped it around Santiago¡¯s back.

    He lowered his head to look at the bandages on his chest. ¡°Just stick it on the back.¡±

    ¡°Is it really that hard for you to stay at home?¡± Raeleigh shot him a fierce look, tied up a few loose ends, then got up and went outside.

    Xanthus was standing at the door. He had sensed that something was amiss and decided toe up to have a look, but the door was not soundproof. When he heard what Raeleigh had said, he chose not to go in.

    She didn¡¯t look too good, but rxed when she saw Xanthus. Then, she said, ¡°He¡¯s injured and his clothes are dirty. I suppose he could use some of yours.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go get mine.¡± He took a look before turning to get his clothes. Raeleigh went back to clean up without saying a word. She really brought new meaning to the term ¡°terrifying¡± when she was livid.

 Chapter 1436 Overly Concerned

    Santiago¡¯s bandages made him look like a poor imitation of a mummy. He pulled Raeleigh to him, though she jerked back her hand and gritted, ¡°Do not touch me.¡±

    He stood behind her,hands on his hips. ¡°Et tu, Raeleigh? You just had a fill of your touchy-feely time with my bodyand you say no when it¡¯s my turn?¡±

    She packed up her things, putting them under the bed and kicking it deep into the empty space. She raised her head and red at him. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with you, huh?¡±

    The moment she looked up, a rare expression of rage surfaced on her petite face.

    Santiago went all scarecrow mode.

    Looking at Raeleigh¡¯s flickering eyes, he dared not meet her gaze.

    She was so furious that her face had lost all blood color. She looked around and continued to clean up, squatting down and wiping the floor.

    Santiago looked down at her. ¡°It¡¯smon for boys to fight. This is just a minor injury. No lives were lost in that essential teenagerite of passage.¡±

    p!

    Raeleigh threw the rag in her hand to the ground and got up suddenly. She turned around and scowled at his handsome face.

    ¡°If someone wants to die, no one can do anything about it or stop them, but would you be able to carry the weight of it?¡± Her menacing eyes were on Santiago, who frowned. He was speechless.

    Xanthus pushed the door open and came in. The two of them looked at him. He put down the clothes and murmured, ¡°Whoops, sorry, didn¡¯t mean to disturb.¡±

    Raeleigh stepped forward and threw the clothes towards Santiago. She jostled Xanthus away and went downstairs, took her keys and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

    Afraid that something would happen to her, Xanthus turned around and followed her out.

    ¡°This temper of hers¡­¡±

    Standing inside the room, Santiago looked down at the clothes thrown at him and put them on one by one. He leaned over the railing outside and looked at the door, but Raeleigh had already left.

    Xanthus was trying his best to stop Raeleigh, but having failed, he had no choice but to follow her outside.

    She did not have her driver¡¯s license on her, but she didn¡¯t hold back on the speed. When she arrived at her destination, Xanthus breathed a sigh of relief and followed her into the market.

    Raeleigh had brought nothing but money.

    ¡°How much is this?¡± Raeleigh asked a butcher for the price of meat. After he told her the price, she was bewildered for a moment. ¡°Sounds rather expensive to me.¡±

    There was no other way. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t ask her parents for money, although both her parents and Xanthus had given her some in advance. She didn¡¯t need to earn money at all.

    Even so, Raeleigh still hoped that she could make enough money to support herself.

    The man smiled and said, ¡°Nah, this is already considered cheap. I got this one at two in the morning. If you were to look for one that I got at four in the morning, it¡¯d be even more expensive. Around twice the amount.¡±

    ¡°Is there any difference?¡± Raeleigh asked, and the seller kindly exined, ¡°There¡¯s bone marrow inside. If too much time passes, it goes bad. The fresher it is, the better it is for the body, especially for growing children.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Aside from these, is there anything fresher?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯d be even more expensive than this one. Are you sure?¡± he asked. She nodded after contemting for a while.

    Xanthus, who was standing at the side, lowered his head andughed. She had thought the one she had gone for at first was too expensive, but her principle didn¡¯t apply when it was something high quality.

    The seller quickly brought over something fresher. Looking at it, she did think it looked that way.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take one, two, three¡­ I¡¯ll take six.¡±

    Raeleigh felt that six was enough, while the seller was quite amused. He then got six bones for Raeleigh, who then took them and walked in another direction. Xanthus reached out and grabbed the bones from her. ¡°So, these isn¡¯t expensive, huh?¡±

    She nced at him. ¡°I¡¯m so freaking annoyed.¡±

    ¡°He sure is annoying, but I¡¯m sure he feels lucky that someone is so angry on his behalf.¡± Xanthusughed.

    She turned around. ¡°I don¡¯t even know when he¡¯ll grow up.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just his personality. In what way do you want him to grow up? Maybe he¡¯s already grown up and is just yful anyway.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips, fixed her gaze somewhere and exhaled. ¡°I think he¡¯s lived enough already.¡±

    ¡°No one has. You¡¯re the one who thinks too much. He¡¯s young,yes, but he¡¯s not simple-minded. You¡¯re the one who takes everything seriously and cares too much.¡±

    ¡°Just like that old butcher over there. You see how his hands have gauzes, and how he¡¯s wearing gloves, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s already so old, yet he¡¯s out here making a living. Do you seriously think he doesn¡¯t want to go home and enjoy himself?¡±

    ¡°But then, a lone man he is, andall he can do is live like that.¡±

    ¡°Tell me, do you think his hands would be infected from butchering meat?¡±

    Raeleigh frowned slightly. ¡°No matter how fresh the environment is, it¡¯s normal for him to get infected.¡±

    ¡°Since getting infected is a normal thing, then why don¡¯t I see you getting anxious at all? Santiago¡¯s wound might have been huge, but he¡¯s already fine after your treatment. So why are you still blowing up? Why are you so worried?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless, staring at the injured butcher who still had to work.

    Xanthus continued, ¡°Caring too much about someone messes with your sanity. Santiago¡¯s injury is not your fault, nor could you have done anything about it. Even if you worry yourself sick, nothing will change.¡±

    ¡°This is Capital City. You don¡¯t fit in with the people here, and Santiago is no exception.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a prey-predator world. The reason why you hope for Santiago to be the one to live is because his encounters have always been unfair. Don¡¯t get me wrong.¡±

    ¡°Having met you, Santiago¡¯s been going around fighting his heart out. However, even if he hadn¡¯t met you, he¡¯d be the same.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same as the migration of animals. Nobody can change the direction they¡¯re heading, all you can do is experience it.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus. ¡°Every time I hear your word vomit, I feel like my brain short circuits.¡±

    He wanted tough. ¡°Your brain has no problem, it¡¯s the world.¡±

    She said nothing in reply. She went somewhere else and bought some nutritious ingredients. Before leaving, she bought a piece of liver for Santiago.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    On the way back, she ended up saying, ¡°Even so, I can¡¯t watch him fight every single day.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t do that. Why didn¡¯t you ask him where his wound came from? You have to make sure what the cause of it was.¡±

    Starting up the car, Xanthus was genuinely scared of Raeleigh. He would be worried if she was the one driving.

    She sat in the front passenger seat, kneading her forehead. ¡°It¡¯s not like he does any physical work. If not a fight, then what else could it have been?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re jumping to conclusions. Santiago¡¯s being treated so unfairly. You know, Raeleigh, looking at you now, you¡¯re acting as if you¡¯re Santiago¡¯s mother. You don¡¯t know what happened to him at school, and just assumed that he must have been disobedient and gotten into a fight with someone.¡±

    ¡°You lost your temper at him just like that. There¡¯s nothing wrong with caring about him, but you have to believe him, give him a chance to exin. If you don¡¯t even do that, don¡¯t you think there won¡¯t be anymunication and trust between the two of you?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    She looked elsewhere and continued, ¡°Maybe someone wanted to hurt him and he got injured trying to escape.¡±

    Xanthus felt helpless listening to her. ¡°Raeleigh, why are you always such a ss half empty person?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand. He¡¯s gotten on the bad side of too many people. I¡¯m worried for Jepherson too, but not many people would dare to do anything to him. His strength is enough to stop the people watching from making any rash movements.¡±

    ¡°But Santiago is different. In order to teach Jepherson a lesson, they¡¯d strike at Santiago first. Over the years, Santiago doesn¡¯t know when to surrender either. He¡¯s always so arrogant when he does things. It¡¯s not surprising that someone would want to get revenge on him.¡±

    Raeleigh massaged her temples. That was why she was so worried. Her mind always wandered off to the negative side of things.

 Chapter 1437 So Angry His Head Hurt

    By the time Raeleigh got home, Santiago was in the kitchen, on a hunt for food. He did not find any beer, but did find a tomato and nned to first pacify his protesting stomach.

    When she stepped through the door, she found him with his mouth wide open, about to chomp down on it. Immediately, she stated, ¡°Put it down.¡±

    Taken by surprise, Santiago set the tomato down. She quietly shook off her shoes and went to the kitchen to make some sandwiches as a temporary snack for him.

    ¡°It¡¯s dinner time soon. I¡¯ll be watching over you for a while. You have to cut back on certain food. I decide what goes into your mouth and what doesn¡¯t.¡±

    Raeleigh counted the ingredients in the refrigerator carefully and found the things she needed,putting them aside in preparation.

    Then, they had dinner, which consisted of quite a few dishes.

    Santiago stood in the kitchen nibbling sandwiches, while Xanthus helped to cook. Raeleigh asked Santiago, ¡°How did you get the wound on your back?¡±

    ¡°In a fight.¡± Santiago finished eating thest of his sandwich. She hesitated for a while and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Xanthus asked, ¡°Did someone stab you in the back?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°Then what on earth happened?¡±

    ¡°I was on the way to Waverly Vige. There was a pickup truck that was flipped over on the road. The hook of the truck scratched me.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Is it possible to be that sharp?¡± She was withholding from giving him the benefit of the doubt.

    ¡°That was what I thought too. It scratched me, and vo, there you have it.¡±

    She gazed at Santiago. She couldn¡¯t tell whether he was telling the truth, but she didn¡¯t pry further.

    After the food was done, Raeleigh told Santiago to wash his hands. The three of them had dinner together.

    Sitting down, she served Santiago a bowl of soup. ¡°Drink up, and eat more of the ribs.¡±

    He didn¡¯t like ribs, so he gave it back to Raeleigh, who in turn kept giving it back to him. In the end, he forced some down his throat.

    After the meal, Xanthus went to watch some television. Raeleigh asked Santiago if he needed the wound dressing to be changed, to which he said no before going upstairs to take a bath and rest. Hearing that, Raeleigh followed him upstairs. The door was not locked, so she pushed it open and went in. Santiago was just about to rip off his gauze.

    Raeleigh stood at the door without any expression andsimply asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, if you must know.¡± He put down his hand and looked at her, who walked towards him and stopped a step away from him before teasing, ¡°You¡¯ve always wanted to sleep with me, right? So, who¡¯s ready to get between the sheets tonight?¡±

    With that, Raeleigh turned around and left. Standing on the other side of the door, Santiago rubbed his smooth forehead, as if that three-pound mass of jelly inside his skull was throbbing in pain.

    Thinking for a while, he walked to the door and locked it before continuing to take the gauze off. As a result, the lock clicked and the door creaked open.

    When it was pushed open, he had already removed the gauze and stared at Raeleigh as she sashayed in.

    She had changed into pajamas. She didn¡¯t have thepulsion of taking a bath every day. She was holding a mobile phone and a book about design.

    After stepping in, she put the key on the table, closed the door, then held the book as she walked towards Santiago¡¯s bed. She tugged the quilt on one side open, then sat down and leaned against the head of the bed as she read her book.

    Her phone was on the bedside.

    Raeleigh was flipping through the bookwhenSantiago turned around, grinning. ¡°I still need to change my clothes, though.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah? Why don¡¯t you just change into your birthday suit and hit the sack already?¡± she replied without even raising her head.

    Santiago was dumbstruck. With a helpless expression, he returned to the bed and said, ¡°I can¡¯t sleep unless I take a bath.¡±

    ¡°What else can¡¯t you do?¡± She raised her head to look at him. After thinking for a moment, he continued leaning against the bed. She said, ¡°Sleep at 9 p. m. If you can¡¯t fall asleep,you might as well tell me what you were up to in the afternoon.¡±

    Santiago gazed at her as he whined, ¡°Why are you being such a pain in the neck!¡±

    He took his phone and called his brother:¡°Jepherson!¡±

    Santiago shouted impatiently the moment the call went through. Jepherson was watching the television at that moment. ¡°What seems to be the problem?¡±

    ¡°She wants to sleep with me. Do you mind?¡± Raeleigh almostughed. She threw the book in her hand towards Santiago¡¯s head without hesitation, hitting him. He eximed, ¡°Ouch! The hell is that for?¡±

    ¡°You need to quit whining.¡±

    ¡°And what about you? Are you not sleeping beside me?Oh, I¡¯m sorry, but this is my bed.¡± Santiago was impatient.

    On the other hand, she found it amusing. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, but this is my home.¡±

    ¡°Okay, fine, I¡¯ll take that as the cue for me to leave.¡±

    Santiago rose to his feet and was about to leave. Raeleigh leafed through her book as she said, ¡°Go ahead and try.¡±

    Santiago stood where he was without moving, but he said into the phone, ¡°You shoulde over too. The three of us can sleep together.¡±

    Jepherson raised his eyebrows. ¡°Are you positive ¡¯bout that?¡±

    Santiago¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°On second thought, no. Don¡¯te.¡±

    He hung up the phone and said, ¡°I could really use a shower.¡±

    ¡°Well, I could really use a trip to the moon and back.¡± Raeleigh replied without even looking up. Santiago had no choice but to go back and sit downpliantly.

    At first, he was quiet, but a few minutester, hepletely changed.

    He stretched his arms around Raeleigh¡¯s shoulders and leaned against her. ¡°My brother isn¡¯ting, so should we go to bed early?¡±

    ¡°Come on, are you seriously trying to y that trick on me?¡± She didn¡¯t raise her head, as if she didn¡¯t care at all. Santiago lowered his head and blew in her ear, to which she raised her hand to push away his face and continued reading.

    With a sheer dogged determination, he raised his hand and reached for her pajamas. ¡°Why don¡¯t we try?¡±

    ¡°Feel free to, my dear sir.¡±

    Raeleigh was totally unbothered, as if she had total control over Santiago. He was annoyed to the point of helplessness, and could only roll onto his stomach.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Does it still hurt?¡±

    Although it was just a simple question, the room suddenly became quiet.

    She waited for a while, unsure whether Santiago had fallen asleep or if he was just pretending. When she went to drink water, he had fallen asleep.

    Raeleigh took another nket,id it on the ground, put a pillowon it, and fell asleep there.

    When Santiago woke up in the middle of the night, he felt around the bed and found that there was no one else there. He got up and sat up from the bed. The light was turned off in the room, but when he turned on the bedsidemp and looked around, he didn¡¯t see Raeleigh. He looked in the direction where he had heard breathing and saw that she was sleeping on the floor.

    Seeing that, his eyebrows furrowed in displeasure, but he turned off the light and continued sleeping.

    Raeleigh woke up early the next day, while Santiago was still asleep on the bed. She parted the curtains inside the room, lighting it up instantly.

    Santiago frowned and covered his head with his pillow. Raeleigh tidied up the pillows and put the folded nket in the closet. Then, she turned and went to the door.

    He opened his eyes and nced at the closed door, then got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower. However, he soon came out and went straight to Raeleigh, intending to challenge her with a ¡°Fight me outside, howbow that?¡±

    She was making breakfast with Xanthus downstairs. In order to let Santiago eat better and recover faster, she had already prepped some fish the night before and was about to cook it.

    Hearing iing footsteps, she began saying, ¡°Oh, I almost forgot to tell you: you can turn off the water valves in my house.¡±

    Santiago stood at the door of the kitchen, fumingbut unable to vent his anger. ¡°Hold your horses. What if I want to wash my face or brush my teeth?¡±

    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, you clean yourself and all that, and you still leave a bad taste in my mouth half the time. Better that we save the water.¡± Raeleigh put the fish in a steam cooker, then turned around and looked at Santiago, which made all the blood rush to his head in a roaring pain.

 Chapter 1438 A Stalker

    After eating breakfast, Santiago called Jacky, and the two of them made ns to meet up. While Santiago then stood up to leave, Raeleigh also put down her utensils and went to take the clothes that she had prepared beforehand. Only then did he realize that the clothes she had were rather casual ones. They were a ck sweater and ck pants, clothes that she could wear anywhere. As for the coat, it belonged to Xanthus. She had even prepared a hat and some woolen gloves.

    Santiago saw her putting on those clothes and asked curiously, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°These are my brother¡¯s. You wear them first. Yours are already in the washing machine.¡±

    After she was done putting on her clothes, she gave some to Santiago. Santiago looked back at Xanthus, who was eating, but he did not respond at all.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna deal with something, why are you following me?¡±

    ¡°When did I say I was following you? I just happen to be going the same way,¡± Raeleigh retorted, to which Santiago asked, ¡°Okay, where to? I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m good. I don¡¯t have a destination in mind for the time being. I¡¯ll sit for a while to think, then get a cab on my own.¡±

    Raeleigh went out through the door to wait for Santiago, who followed her out. She stood outside the car.

    Walking to the other side, he unlocked the car and she sat inside. She was in the driver¡¯s seat,obviously intending to be the one driving.

    Santiago¡¯s car at that moment was an SUV, the huge kind. It was the Richards Group¡¯s. He didn¡¯t quite like driving the original model in that season.

    Raeleigh got in and studied the car: everything was automatic.

    ¡°You sure you want to be the one behind the wheels?¡± Santiago asked as he stood outside. She adjusted and tested the steering wheel. ¡°Hop in.¡±

    He skirted the car and got into the passenger seat. Raeleigh started the car and slowly drove it out.

    On the way, she called Jepherson while at a red light. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m working on something today. Mm-hmm, I¡¯m with Santiago. We¡¯ll being home tonight.¡±

    After hanging up the phone and seeing that the light had turned green, Raeleigh continued driving.

    ¡°Where to? Waverly Vige?¡±

    Naturally, Santiago leaned back on his seat, a sleeping eye mask covering his eyes.

    ¡°If it¡¯s convenient for you, suit yourself.¡± He was not in a hurry.

    She nced at him. ¡°Then Waverly Vige it is.¡±

    After leaving Capital City, she said, ¡°Get up. See if the car behind us is one of your men¡¯s.¡±

    Santiago got up and took off the eye mask, turning his head to take a look at the car behind them.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡±

    Raeleigh exined, ¡°It¡¯s been following us for some time now, before we even left Capital City. At first I thought it was just a taxi, so I didn¡¯t pay much attention, but it keeps showing up. Although the license te has been changed, the driver has a weird habit. Every time we stopped at a red light, he would stretch out his arm out with the window open.¡±

    Having found the car questionablethe first time she saw that,Raeleigh had been keeping a careful watch. However, another time when she was at a red light, she saw him stretching his arm out of the car once again.

    Santiago surveyed his surroundings. ¡°We¡¯re almost at Waverly Vige. Let¡¯s talk when we¡¯re there.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Raeleigh drove the car leisurely, unconcerned about what might happen.

    Lounging in the seat, Santiago looked at the car behind him, which quickly turned around and left after they drove onto the main road towards Waverly Vige.

    ¡°Did he find out that we were watching him?¡± Raeleigh asked in confusion. Meanwhile, Santiago didn¡¯t say anything.

    Upon arriving, Raeleigh pushed the door open and stepped out. Then, she looked at Santiago, who was still sitting in the car.

    Jacky¡¯s ride had pulled over; there were four or five cars. Then, someone got out of one of the cars and looked at Raeleigh and Santiago. They walked up and asked Santiago, ¡°There was someone following you. I don¡¯t suppose it¡¯s one of your people?¡±

    Only then did Santiago get out of the car. He nced at Jacky, who had alreadye out. ¡°Did you see what our John Doe looked like?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t expect Jacky to be in one of the cars as well. She had thought that he was already waiting in the vige.

    ¡°Not very clearly.Our guy was wearing a hat.¡± Jacky and the rest had followed him in a covert fashion in order to protect Raeleigh. When he arrived, he happened to be meeting up with someone else who was guarding Raeleigh as well.

    Raeleigh stood aside. She had thought that they were protecting Santiago.

    Santiago pushed the door open and told her, ¡°Off you go. Get in his car.¡±

    He jutted his chin in the direction of the car. She stared at Santiago and replied, ¡°No, we must stay together, at all times.¡±

    ¡°Chop-chop.¡±

    Sometimes, when Santiago became more aggressive, Raeleigh would genuinely think that he was a ruthless person who knew nocamaraderie.

    Jacky said, ¡°It¡¯s just a test of some sort. Nothing will happen. Get in the car.¡±

    Raeleigh followed him to the car, whereasSantiago then circled around his own car and got in it. He ignited it and left Waverly Vige, a whistling sound in its wake.

    Raeleigh gasped in shock. ¡°What in God¡¯s name is he going to do?¡±

    ¡°Rx, everything¡¯s cool.¡±

    Jacky then started the car and drove into Capital City using another pathway. The whole way there, edginess was gnawing atRaeleigh.

    She didn¡¯t know who or what cars were around them, but she was constantly trying to spot the car that had been following her earlier. The problem was that it did not appear.

    Raeleigh clenched her hands. ¡°Is that person following Santiago?¡±

    Jacky parked the car and got out of it, observing the traffic passing by. She wanted to get off as well, but Jacky pushed the door and ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t leave the car.¡±

    Jacky was making a call outside. Soon, he received a call in turn. It wasn¡¯t Santiago. It wasJacky¡¯s underling.

    ¡°Jacky¡­¡±

    ¡°So, what are the results?¡±

    While Jacky was asking, a ck car sped by him. Raeleigh¡¯s eyes jerked wide open. ¡°It¡¯s him.¡±

    He nced at her and caught the license te. There was a very ordinary number disyed on it. Jacky immediately called someone to check the license te and then got in the car to tail it.

    Other cars surrounded it one after another as well. When Santiago received the call, he, too, rushed over. However, when he arrived, Raeleigh was sitting in the car waiting for him.

    Jacky stood outside, waiting for Santiago. Raeleigh saw Santiago knocking on the door. Jacky got out of the car, as did Raeleigh. The moment Santiago saw her, he scanned her up and down with a baleful gaze.

    Having made sure that she was fine, he turned his eyes to Jacky. ¡°How is it?¡±

    Jacky raised his chin. ¡°He fell in.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Santiago looked towards the depths of the sea. The water was at its coldest right then. He walked onto the bridge and peered down. A car had already sunken inpletely. Someone was investigating the surroundings. A bunch of boats had also arrived to drag it out.

    ¡°What about the driver?¡± Santiago questioned. Jacky shook his head and replied, ¡°Vanished. I had someone take a look the moment the car went down. There was no one inside the car. This ce is so rural, I must say. There¡¯s only this bridge and the water below. I was chasing him all this while and I would definitely be able to see if he was above, but the car door below is closed. How in the actual f*ck did he escape?¡±

    Jacky¡¯s expression was grave. He didn¡¯t know how long it had been since such a powerful person had followed them. If Raeleigh hadn¡¯t realized, what would that person have done?

 Chapter 1439 Already Paid

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to look for him,¡± Santiago stated before turning to Raeleigh and telling her, ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere for the next few days and stay close to me.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. That was indeed the best course of action.

    Santiago took out his phone and turned away to call Jepherson. ¡°Let me ask you, is there anyone around Raeleigh aside from me?¡±

    Jepherson had just got in a car. Looking drowsy, he responded, ¡°No.¡±

    Santiago hung up the phone, nced at Raeleigh, turned back to the car and asked her to get in.

    She got into the car andstarted it up, heading to Waverly Vige.

    ¡­

    ¡°Why were you so careless?¡± Jepherson was rather annoyed, but he was not angry.

    The driver, who was exceptionally young,said, ¡°I did change the license te over and over again, and I didn¡¯t bump into anything. Even so, I was still found.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because of your habit. In the future, don¡¯t open the window and stretch your arm out when you drive. Raeleigh is not your average individual. She notices even the smallest details.¡±

    The driver lowered his hat slightly and asked, ¡°How about Mr. Santiago?¡±

    ¡°Continue to protect him.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡­

    Having reached Waverly Vige, Raeleigh got out of the carfollowed by Santiago. He looked around, then he went inside the vige with her.

    When they had entered, Santiago called Jacky over.

    ¡°Okay, so he drove the car straight into the water and no one got out of it?¡± Santiago refused to believe that someone could disappear out of thin air. However, there was nothing to salvage, and since he had driven the car straight into the water, that meant he had had enough time to get out of it.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see anyone get out, and we¡¯ve already searched under the bridge.¡±

    Jacky was certain of that. Raeleigh simply stood on one side without saying anything.

    Santiago sat down, pondering about it, but he couldn¡¯t figure out who the driver was and how he had managed to escape.

    ¡°Last time, Flynt didn¡¯t seed, so he wouldn¡¯t do it a second time. If he could follow me for so long without being discovered, what can he do?¡± Santiago pointed out. Jacky asked, ¡°Wasn¡¯t he following Raeleigh?¡±

    Amused,Santiago raisedhis head to look at Jacky. ¡°If he hadn¡¯t run away, then it would have been because of Raeleigh. However, since he did, it¡¯s not clear anymore.¡±

    ¡°Maybe my father sent someone to protect me?¡± Raeleigh asked. Santiago immediately called Xanthus.

    ¡°Did your family send anyone to protect Raeleigh?¡±

    Santiago went straight to the point. Xanthus, in the middle of grocery shopping, looked around. ¡°There are indeed a few people following Raeleigh. Why?¡±

    ¡°How many?¡±

    ¡°Four.¡±

    Santiago borated, ¡°Someone was following us, but Raeleigh noticed him. The guy drove his car into the water and disappeared. Can you make sure whether it¡¯s one of your people?¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let you know once I¡¯ve made it sure, but¡­ it probably isn¡¯t. The men working for us wouldn¡¯t do that.¡±

    He hung up the phone and called Lamar to exin.

    Putting down the phone, Santiago looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Fix me something to eat. I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    She stood up and turned to prepare food for him, calling Jepherson while she was at it.

    He was sitting in his office looking at something when he received her call. He stopped and asked, ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re asking me that, you must have something on your mind. Santiago¡¯s already called you, so you must have known about it.¡±

    Jepherson thought for a moment and questioned, ¡°So, what about it?¡±

    ¡°I only have one question.¡±

    ¡°Shoot.¡±

    ¡°Yes or no?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jepherson¡¯s lips twitched. He really could not hide it from her.

    ¡°I see. Go ahead with your work. He¡¯s hungry, so I¡¯ll make some food for him.¡±

    ¡°Is there nothing else?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Are you angry?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a little irked, but I can understand.¡±

    ¡°Stuart isn¡¯t here, so I only have one person avable. He used to protect me secretly as well. I could only choose one between you and Santiago.¡±

    Jepherson rose to his feet and stopped in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing outside.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°If it were me, I would have done the same, but there is no one around you¡­¡±

    There was no one in the kitchen, so she was whispering. He responded, ¡°Even if I were to stand right out in the open and give them a chance, there aren¡¯t many daredevils who wouldy a finger on me.

    I haven¡¯t used my trump card yet.¡±

    ¡°Neither have I,¡± Raeleigh replied.

    She wore a smile. ¡°Be careful.¡±

    ¡°I got you.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh hung up the phone and started throwingtogethera meal for Santiago.

    ¡­

    ¡°What do you n on doing?¡± Jacky sat down. Santiago raised his head and narrowed his eyes as he contemted it. ¡°Other than my brother, no one else will send anyone to protect me. But Stuart isn¡¯t around, so if it was my brother, he would definitely have sent someone he knows.¡±

    ¡°What I gather is that, your brother has no one around him?¡±

    Jacky had already sent everyone else out, so no one else would know what they were talking about.

    Santiago sat down and looked at him. ¡°But that can¡¯t be.¡±

    ¡°How are you so sure that person is following you, not Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the thing, I¡¯m not sure. Flynt hasn¡¯t been discharged from the hospital yet. Even if he was, he can¡¯t do anything right now. The Moore family has a lot of rules. They wouldn¡¯t make trouble around the New Year.¡±

    ¡°If Ste wanted to take action, she would have done it long ago.¡±

    ¡°The only person who would follow me is my enemy, but they wouldn¡¯t wait for so long, nor would they drag it out with Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s not an enemy, then it has to be a friend, which is why my brother won¡¯t admit that there¡¯s someone at Raeleigh¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the most obvious loophole, but I¡¯m not sure if that someone really is following me, or otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Okay, so what¡¯s your n B?¡± Jacky felt that the two brothers were really tiring.

    Santiago turned an idea over and over in his mind. ¡°Well, there are two choices: Kill either me or my brother.¡±

    ¡°Come again?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to kill me or my brother?¡±

    Jacky was left in aplete state of helplessness. After a long time, he asked, ¡°Can you use my people?¡±

    Santiago shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m going to hire someone.¡±

    ¡°Hire someone?¡±

    ¡°You heard me.¡±

    He stood up and poured himself a ss of water. ¡°I can¡¯t leave my brother to fend for himself.¡±

    ¡°How do you n to carry out the test? Together?¡± Jacky looked at him. Santiago asked, ¡°Together, then. It¡¯ll be one-sided. We¡¯ll find a loophole for my brother.¡±

    Jacky stood up and poured himself some water as well, sighing, ¡°Seriously, it¡¯s the New Years.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll start tomorrow afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Aye aye, captain.¡±

    ¡­

    When Raeleigh came in from the outside, Santiago and Jacky were sipping water facing each other. She put down the porridge. She was wondering how he was going to stomach it when he had just eaten not long ago.

    ¡°Food¡¯s ready.¡±

    Raeleigh stood aside. Though she didn¡¯t expose Santiago, her gaze was enough to remind him that he had bullied her.

    He put down the cup and walked to her, sitting down to eat the porridge she had made for him. He wiped his mouth and said, ¡°Can I have more?¡±

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t cooked much. She didn¡¯t answer him because she was worried that Santiago would be too full.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go out for a walk. It¡¯s very lively here during the New Year,¡± Santiago suggested as he got up and went to the door. Raeleigh got dressed and followed him outside.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Right then, the streets were decorated all over. Raeleigh seldom went shopping outside during the New Year.

    On one hand, she didn¡¯t have extra money; on the other hand, she wasn¡¯t a fan of bustling ces, so she chose to stay in.

    However, it seemed that the air outside was always better than that of inside a room.

    Raeleigh walked over to a souvenir store and held one in her hands, to which the owner asked if she wanted one. She shook her head immediately. ¡°No, thanks.¡±

    Meanwhile, Santiago had already paid for it.

 Chapter 1440 Iâ€™d Be Willing to Be Born Here

    Raeleigh held onto thentern while she walked and looked around.Though she didn¡¯t make it obvious, Santiago could tell that she liked it very much.

    Every family in Waverly Vige had antern like that. However, the ones they had weren¡¯t the ones being sold right then, but rather the leftovers after sales, which Raeleigh had managed to get for herself. Not to mention, there was a festivaling up soon.

    She didn¡¯t have any intention of celebrating.She had felt envious when she saw other children having fun as a child.

    She hadn¡¯t felt much since she had grown up,but she was very happy that someone had bought one for her.

    Seeing Raeleigh gripping onto thentern like a child, Santiago raised his hand and patted her cap. She looked up and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Look at you. You¡¯ve been struck dumb.¡± He took his hand back andpulled Raeleigh¡¯s sleeve, taking her back.

    She didn¡¯t want to arrive so soon, so he slowed his pace. They wandered for a while more.

    Noon came quickly. After lunch, Santiago told Raeleigh to take a nap. Raeleigh left early, knowing that he and Jacky had something to discuss.

    When she woke up, she saw Santiago sitting beside her with his legs crossed. He was staring at her. Santiago asked her if she had slept well. She got out of bed afterying down for a while.

    ¡°I forgot to change the bandages on your back. Let me do it for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost healed, there¡¯s no need to.¡±

    ¡°Let me do it.¡±

    Raeleigh left to look for what she needed. She came back, ready to help change his bandages. Santiago took his clothes off.

    She checked on his wound and found that there was a scab.

    ¡°In the olden days, people said there was this power that could cure anything. I don¡¯t believe it, but this is indeed pretty effective.¡±

    Santiago was amused. ¡°I guess it works if you believe in it. If you dream about me getting better soon, then of course I will.¡±

    After she was done,Santiago put on his clothes while Raeleigh tidied up. ¡°You don¡¯t take anything seriously. You¡¯re young now, but in a few years, you¡¯ll get old and lose all your teeth. You¡¯ll know what it¡¯s like to be in pain when you can¡¯t even chew on tofu.¡±

    Santiago was lying on the bed. ¡°Don¡¯t even mention it. I can¡¯t even eat it now.¡±

    He raised his eyelids.She looked down and saw herself reflected in his eyes. Sheturned around and sat down.

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe anything I say. You always do things your own way. I don¡¯t care.You can do whatever you want. When you get old, you¡¯ll know how good I am.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and went outside to prepare dinner for him.

    After the door closed, Santiago stared at the wall across from him. He smiled and murmured to himself, ¡°I already know how good you are, but what¡¯s the use?¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh thought it was odd when she stepped out and didn¡¯t see Jacky. She asked the people downstairs, ¡°Where¡¯s Jacky?¡±

    ¡°He isn¡¯t here. He¡¯s out for business. Is something the matter, Miss Anson?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was just asking.¡±

    She went to prepare dinner, but had a constant feeling that something was off. Why had Jacky left even though Santiago was still there?

    When she was done, Raeleigh asked another person, ¡°Is Jacky noting back for dinner today?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± It was even stranger that they wouldn¡¯t tell her.

    She sat down and sent a message to Jepherson which read, ¡°Jacky isn¡¯t here. Santiago might be wondering why too.¡±

    Jepherson nced at the text. ¡°Got it. Stop all contact and delete your chat records.¡±

    Raeleigh deleted the messages and downloaded an online game on her phone. She remembered that when she first yed the game, she had really wanted to ask whether it was Jepherson.

    When dinner was ready, she went to wake Santiago up to eat together. He woke up in a daze. Hewalked into the kitchen and asked the people who worked for Jacky, ¡°When will Jacky be back?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know either.¡±

    Santiago sat down and looked at the food that had been prepared and asked Raeleigh to sit down and eat. She sat down and called Xanthus.¡°I¡¯m eating outside. In a moment, I¡¯ll¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going back tomorrow,¡± Santiago interrupted her suddenly. She gave him a nk stare.Shesaid to Xanthus on the phone, ¡°We¡¯ll being back tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Xanthus said, ¡°Give him the phone.¡±

    She handed the phone to Santiago and started eating.Xanthus told him, ¡°It¡¯s not someone from my family.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Santiago hung up the phone. Raeleigh gave him a stare. ¡°How do you know that it¡¯s not someone from my family?¡±

    ¡°Your brother just said everything, didn¡¯t you hear?¡±

    She kept silent. Since he didn¡¯t want to tell her,she didn¡¯t continue probing. Why bother asking if he was unwilling to tell her?Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    After she finished her meal and went back to rest, Santiago entered the room as well. He didn¡¯t insist on taking a bath that day. He got up andid down stomach-first on the bed to rest. She sat by the side and waited for him to fall asleep, then stood up and grabbed a nket. However, as soon as she reached the door, he stopped her.

    ¡°You can¡¯t sleep on the ground tonight.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to Santiagowho had gone back to sleep. She thought for a moment and walked back. Sheid down and pulled the nket aside. She nced at Santiago, who was lying next to her. ¡°Does your back hurt?¡±

    He didn¡¯t say anything, but she had a feeling that was the case. If it was not, why did he have to lie down stomach-first?

    Without a word, she reached out to cover him with the nket. Santiago raised his hand to grasp hers and pressed it to the side.

    Raeleigh turned around to look at her hand. He closed his eyes. ¡°Sleep properly.¡±

    She tried to pull her hand away. ¡°Let go.¡±

    Santiago let go of her hand. She sat up and covered herself with the nket, thenid down and turned off the light.

    ¡°Take care of yourself.Don¡¯t be a burden to others when you get old,¡± Raeleigh scolded with her eyes closed.

    He chuckled. ¡°If I die tomorrow, then I¡¯ll never grow old, will I?¡±

    She froze for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense again.¡±

    ¡°Sure, of course I am.¡± He did not say anything more. Raeleigh looked at Santiago.¡°I¡¯m being serious.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know. I have to take good care of myself and live till I¡¯m 99 years old.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless for a while, considering that was clearly not what she had meant,but she had nothing to say.

    She pursed her lips and turned onto her other side.She was a little restless that night.

    The next morning, she got up and made breakfast early. Santiago got up as well and had his meal. He didn¡¯t say anything about going back. Raeleigh asked him when they were going to go back. He told her it would be a bitter. He wanted to enjoy the festival.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like the festival is today. If you want to do that before you go back, doesn¡¯t that mean we¡¯ll only be going back tomorrow?¡±

    Santiago nced at her. ¡°Do you have to ask so much? I just want to go back a littleter.Okay?¡±

    ¡°Fine!¡±

    Raeleigh stood at the door, looking at the whole street with colorful decorations and streamers. She wore a childlike grin on her face.

    ¡°What are you smiling at?¡±

    Raeleigh replied, ¡°If I had the choice, I¡¯d be willing to be born here. It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯d be poor. Even if I were a beggar, I¡¯d still be willing.¡±

 Chapter 1441 Determined to Get His Revenge

    Santiago¡¯s gaze was fixed on Raeleigh. He raised his hand to hold her face and pulled herinto his arms. He bit his lip as he murmured, ¡°Let¡¯s all be reborn here in our next life.¡±

    She raised her head to look at him and tried to push him away,but he trapped her in his embrace. She struggled for a while before she was able to escape.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you out to have fun.¡± He had taken her to a crowded ce, and they had yed for a whole day before going back. At night, she was so hungry she could barely walk. Santiago found a ce nearby and they ate a bit there. After the meal, he took Raeleigh somewhere else. She couldn¡¯t even tell how far they had gone, considering how sleepy she was after eating.

    It waspletely dark after dinner. Raeleigh asked Santiago if he wanted to go home although it was sote.He smiled and said, ¡°I have ns with Jacky. If we don¡¯t go back, then he¡¯ll have toe back.¡±

    She didn¡¯t reply to that.

    She followed Santiago without a word. She followed him wherever he went.

    When they got into the car, she asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Santiago started up the car and left Waverly Vige when Raeleigh suddenly noticed a problem. She hadn¡¯t done anything in the past two days. All she did was eat, drink and have fun.

    They didn¡¯t drive fast on the way back,but there were barely any cars on the road. Raeleigh kept looking into the rearview mirror, and every time she saw that there were no cars behind them, she was a little worried. It was too strange.

    Even though it was dark, there wasn¡¯t a single car. Wasn¡¯t it weird?

    After observing for a while, she finally became impatient. She asked Santiago, ¡°Why isn¡¯t there a single car?¡±

    ¡°Are we not in a car?¡± He was amused.Raeleigh impatiently retorted, ¡°You know I¡¯m not kidding, so why are you like that?¡±

    ¡°Everything will be fine.¡± Just as he said that, several cars suddenly appeared in front of them. Raeleigh immediately thought it was strange.¡°Why are there so many cars?¡±

    Santiago¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Weren¡¯t you hoping to see some?¡±

    ¡°When did I say that?¡±

    She looked around. ¡°Didn¡¯t Jacky send people to protect us?Why isn¡¯t anyone here?¡±

    ¡°He had to go kidnap someone. Do you think he would leave anyone behind?¡± Santiago was deliberately scaring Raeleigh. Herheart sank.¡°Jacky went to kidnap someone?¡±

    ¡°He had already wanted to do it before the New Year, but in the end, his target was switched out with someone else and Rossie ended up being kidnapped instead. Now, he wants to go get revenge.¡±

    ¡°Then what are you doing in Waverly Vige?¡±

    Raeleigh was a little confused. Santiago smiled.¡°I won¡¯t tell you.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me? You¡¯re seriously doing that at a time like this?¡±

    ¡°Get down.¡± Santiago pushedher head down. He took a coat from the back and covered her with it, then he quickly sped through the cars that were trying to block them. The cars immediately turned around and came towards him. Raeleigh felt ufortable lying on her stomach and wanted to get up but Santiago told her not to move, so she could only lie on the ground motionless.

    She didn¡¯t know how long they had been driving before they suddenly stopped.Raeleigh assumed everything was over with, so she struggled to get up, only to see that there were a dozen guns pointing at them from the outside.

    She was shocked. She looked at Santiago beside her only to realize that one of his arms was covered with blood. He was applying pressure on the upper part of his shoulder.

    ¡°Santiago¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. She was busy trying to take a look at his wound. Santiago said, ¡°No matter what happens, don¡¯t cry.¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned for a moment. ¡°Aren¡¯t you in cahoots with Jacky? Your injury must be fake.¡±

    Santiago rolled his eyes at her. ¡°Are you trying to piss me off?¡±

    ¡°Are you hurt or not?¡±

    She stared at his bleeding arm as she questioned him loudly. Santiago pursed his somewhat pale lips anddid not reply.

    Santiago turned around and looked at the people outside the car who were not going to leave any time soon. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Get out of the car.¡±

    The gunman aimed the gun at his forehead, forcing him to get out.

    Raeleigh got out of the car without waiting for Santiago.

    Looking at the people in front of her, she asked, ¡°Who sent you here?¡±

    They couldn¡¯t have been sent by Santiago. The only person she could think of was Jepherson.

    However, some of them pointed their guns at Raeleigh. She was shocked and regretted getting out of the car. But if these people had bad intentions, they would have forced her out anyway.

    Santiago tried his best to open the door with his uninjured hand and got out of the car.

    He nced at Raeleigh.¡°Come here.¡±

    She walked towards him.The gunman who was threatening Santiago saw her doing so and immediately fired a shot in front of her. She trembled with fear. Santiago growled, ¡°I¡¯ll rip you toshreds.¡±

    Raeleigh gritted her teeth and walked towards him. When the man saw the sinister look in Santiago¡¯s eyes, he didn¡¯t dare fire again.

    She walked over to his side. He took a look at her and asked, ¡°Are you scared?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t think these people were ying around. Santiago was injured. If they were Jepherson¡¯s men, why would they attack him for real? They would be doomed once they returned.

    On top of that, Jepherson was not involved in the underworld. How could there be so many people there? If it were Zorion or Jacky, it might be usible, but how could they ever hurt Santiago?

    ¡°It might be a trap. There¡¯s a traitor in Jacky¡¯s nest who colluded with outsiders to get rid of me.¡±

    Santiago only needed a nce to know if the people in front of him were his own or not. He would have known the moment he saw them. Plus, he was injured now.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°How could this happen? What about our people?¡±

    ¡°If they wanted to set us up, of course they would have made preparations. You¡¯re usually smart,so why are you so dumb at such a key moment?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. Who exactly was dumb now?

    He was already injured, yet he was still holding on.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk too much.¡± She was rather upset. She nced at Santiago then looked at the people in front of her. ¡°What do you want? Do you want to kill us, or do you want our money?¡±

    She only had those two possibilities in mind as she stared at them. Santiago was injured, and she wanted to protect him.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    He didn¡¯t expect Raeleigh to say something like that. It showed how calm she was.

    ¡°We¡¯re not looking for you, we¡¯re looking for him.¡±

    The gunman pointed at Santiago. He was about to pull the trigger andend Santiago¡¯s life. Raeleigh moved in front of Santiago and shielded him. She grabbed the muzzle and raised it above her head. ¡°Since you want to kill him, why don¡¯t you kill me first? Let¡¯s see if you can kill both of us with just one bullet.¡±

    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Santiago yelled.

    Raeleigh held the pistol tightly as if she didn¡¯t hear him.She continued, ¡°My fiance is Xanthus Osteen. The Osteen family has an incredibly strong foundation abroad, with thousands of contacts. He can crush you to pieces in under a minute.¡±

    ¡°Santiago is the second son of the Richards family, and his brother is Jepherson Richards. Jepherson isn¡¯t a member of the underworld, but anyone evil is an enemy to him. He¡¯s like a ghost who is determined to get his revenge.¡±

    The others looked at the person whom Raeleigh was holding. It was obvious that he was the leader. Raeleigh felt that she had found the right person.

 Chapter 1442 Five Million Per Account

    Without hesitation, Raeleigh nced at the people around her with a sharp gaze.

    ¡°Everyone knowsJepherson¡¯s biggest weakness is his younger brother, Santiago; he means the world to him. If you kill Santiago, Jepherson will chase you to the end of the world. Not even your family, wives, and children will be spared.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at the person in front of her. He was amused. ¡°If Jepherson really loves this brother, there¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t have sent anyone.¡±

    ¡°Even if you want to plot against him, you¡¯ll fail miserably. Santiago is known for his arrogance; he will not tolerate being protected.¡±

    Raeleigh continued, ¡°Jepherson loves me, but he let Santiago have me because he knows he likes me too. His actions have already shown how important their brotherhood is.¡±

    ¡°Even if it is not¡­ Jepherson will not allow you to harm his family; he will investigate and take down the murderer.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying if we kill Santiago, we¡¯ll die too?¡±

    ¡°And do you think it¡¯s worth it for all of you to die with him? You¡¯re in it just for the money, I¡¯m sure. We have money; isn¡¯t it better to exchange it with us?¡± Raeleigh still held the attacker¡¯s gun. He looked somewhat tempted but quickly smiled and said, ¡°Since Jepherson isn¡¯t easy to deal with, he will seek revenge for the smallest grievance. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d let us take his money and disappear.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your business. I¡¯ll give you two choices.One, take our money and leave; retire and live the life you want and want for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Everyone has a dream; I don¡¯t believe your dream is to kill for other people.¡±

    ¡°Since it isn¡¯t,wouldn¡¯t you want to take the money and go back to your family?¡±

    Everyone fell silent. Raeleigh continued, ¡°The second choice is to kill Santiago and me.But Jepherson will kill you before you get the chance to leave this ce.¡±

    ¡°Although he doesn¡¯t have a gun, Zorion does. The Richards and Whalen families have always been close friends. Don¡¯t you think your lives are hanging by a thread?¡±

    ¡°You sure have your way with words, woman. Too bad we don¡¯t buy this. We have our rules; we take the money and do as we¡¯re told. No questions asked.¡± Humored, she replied, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll give you money; kill the people who hired you. I¡¯ll give you as much as you want.¡±

    ¡°As much as I want?¡± The man smirked. ¡°How much money do you have?¡±

    ¡°How much are you being paid to kill Santiago and me?¡± Raeleigh asked. The man raised his hand, and she looked over. ¡°Five million?¡±

    The attacker did not answer. Raeleighughed mockingly.Though it was just a smile, everyone around her was growing agitated.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s all they gave you.¡±

    With that, everyone fell silent. Raeleigh said, ¡°With one phone call, I¡¯ll be able to transfer five million dors into everyone¡¯s ount.¡±

    ¡°Three ¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk.¡±

    Someone spoke up, but the man across himgritted his teeth and squinted. He gave in in the end.

    He nced at Santiago, who had remained silent the entire time. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking? Stalling?¡±

    Santiago said amusedly. ¡°I don¡¯t have money; if anything, it¡¯ll have toe from her.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll kill you.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Santiago was unruffled.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°If you want the money, I want him alive.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised; for such a young age, you know so much about love. Who¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m young, not an idiot. Having Santiago is like getting half of the Richards family. Compared to the little money I give you, Santiago is a treasure cave.¡±

    Raeleigh said with confidence as if it was true. Staring at her cold gaze, the surrounding people grew fearful.

    They believed it.

    The attacker thought for a moment and asked, ¡°How long until our ne arrives?¡±

    ¡°Another three more hours.¡±

    ¡°Do you have enough time?¡± He asked Raeleigh. Raeleigh looked at all of them, ¡°Although the number is a little big, the bank procedure is very simple. It¡¯s just that the amount is quite a lot. I need to make an appointment an hour in advance.¡±

    ¡°You dare fool us?¡± He pressed the gun against Raeleigh¡¯s head, leading her to stare at him. ¡°If I do, you can kill me. You won¡¯t be able to leave so easily, even after getting the money. I¡¯m giving you a choice here; I just want some medicine to save Santiago. I¡¯m sure you can see he has severe bleeding; I¡¯m afraid he will die.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just a woman; why do you do so much for him?¡±

    ¡°How would you understand? You¡¯re not me.¡± Raeleigh said indifferently, and one of the men smiled sinisterly, ¡°Boss, I want to have a try.¡±

    Santiago had remained unruffled until he heard what the man said, andhis face darkened in an instant, ring daggers at him.

    The man froze for a moment, but he still wanted to get close to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh was not like Santiago. Even though he was injured, he could still kill.Seeing that he wanted to make a move, she grabbed his hand and nced at him, signaling him not to move.

    ¡°Try if you want, but do you want money or woman?¡± Raeleigh asked. However, the attacker didn¡¯t reply but pointed his gun at Raeleigh and said, ¡°We want money.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You can have all the women you want with the money. Besides, we have something important to do; we don¡¯t have the time to waste with you.¡± With that, the attacker looked over coldly at the man who was looking lustfully at Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°So? I make a call; you take the money, and off you fly.¡±

    ¡°Okay, make the call.¡±

    The man took the gunawayand fired it at an empty spot.

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago and took out her phone to call Jepherson. It didn¡¯t take him long to answer.

    She said as soon as the call connected, ¡°I¡¯m Raeleigh, Raeleigh Osteen, I want¡­¡±

    Raeleigh pointed as she counted the number of people and made a definite number. ¡°I want sixty million dors in twelve shares, each transferred to an ount. Complete it in the shortest time, and¡­¡±

    Raeleigh looked around. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this, including my parents. You must transfer the money to each bank ount within an hour. Otherwise, I will reconsider where I save my money.¡±

    Jepherson took a deep breath and got into the car.

    ¡°The bank will need the ount number.¡±

    ¡°I will text you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll prepare it right away.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Raeleigh hung up and looked at the man in front of her. ¡°He is getting it ready now;I need your ount numbers.¡±

    With that, the attacker gave her an ount number, and Raeleigh typed the numbers into her phone.

    But that was all he gave, not another, and said, ¡°Give me five million dors first. I want to know if you really have the money.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him.¡°I¡¯ll give you five million more.¡±

    With that, she called Jepherson again and told him to transfer the attacker ten million dors.

 Chapter 1443 If Your Brother Didnâ€™t Exist, Can I Marry You?

    ¡°Ten million.Put it into this ount. I want to see the money immediately.¡±

    Raeleigh hung up right after she instructed. However, the attacker still didn¡¯t trust her; he took Raeleigh¡¯s phone to check.It was a hidden number, and the caller ID was empty.

    Santiago had also only noticed the number on Raeleigh¡¯s phone was left nk.

    Doubtful, the attacker called again with his phone.

    Jepherson answered but remained silent.The attacker asked, ¡°Is this the bank?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the manager; how can I help?¡±

    The driver was a little surprised when he heard Jepherson¡¯s words. He looked at Jepherson from the rearview mirror and dared not even huff when he saw his ice-cold eyes.

    ¡°I have a sum of money that I want to deposit into your bank, but I forgot your banking code.¡±

    ¡°Capital City ¨C Darcy Bank.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s toote today;I¡¯ll go there tomorrow. By the way, is this the bank¡¯s number? This is my friend¡¯s phone.¡±

    The attacker said courteously.

    ¡°This is a private number, not the bank¡¯s. If you need it, I can tell you; we have an official service line. This number is only for internal and VIPs. May I know who¡¯s on the line?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll go there tomorrow.¡±

    He hung up the phone and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Call them again; I want to see how they transfer the money into my ount.¡±

    With that, she called Jepherson again. He stared at the phone and waited for thirty seconds before answering, leading the people around her to wonder if something had gone wrong. However, she wasposed the entire time.

    Raeleigh questioned immediately when the phone connected, ¡°What the heck are you doing? Why did it take you so long to answer the phone? My friend needs the money to save his life. Do you want me to withdraw all my money?¡±

    Jepherson wore no expression. ¡°I¡¯m doing some inter-transactions. This is a lot of money; the bank has to mobilize it first.¡±

    ¡°If so, how many have you mobilized?¡±

    ¡°Half.¡± While Jepherson was talking, the attacker grabbed Raeleigh and put the phone on speaker so that everyone could hear what Jepherson said.

    ¡°First transfer ten million to the ount I¡¯ve told you. The ount is three¡­ the owner is¡­¡±

    Raeleigh finished, and Jepherson asked, ¡°Do you not need the rest anymore?¡±

    ¡°Why are you asking so much? Just do as I say.I¡¯ll send you the other ount numberster. Transfer the money in ordance with the order I sent. Five million dors to every ount.¡±

    ¡°First, you said sixty, and now another five. I¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m raising funds.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll arrange it as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Raeleigh hung up the phone and looked at them.¡°Check your phone.I believe you¡¯ll receive a notification soon.¡±

    ¡°It seems that you do have some money.¡±

    ¡°We definitely have money; it¡¯s only a matter of figure.Santiago and I are only worth five million. How ridiculous.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a scornful look. As the attacker looked at her, his phone beeped, and he turned to his phone.The others also went to him. The attacker then turned back to her and said, ¡°I will let you go. Give five million to each of my men and make sure we leave unscathed. What happens here stays here.¡±

    ¡°No problem, but you have to give me some medicine.¡± Raeleigh turned to look at Santiago, who had been looking at her.

    After a while, the man told his subordinates, ¡°Bring them the dressing and medicine.¡±

    ¡°And get your ounts ready.¡±

    With that, someone hurried to get Raeleigh the first aid kit. She then helped Santiago into the carand asked, ¡°Are you holding on okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    She turned to those men. ¡°Give me the ount numbers; I will send them in first.¡±

    Raeleigh was quick. Without any hesitation, she sent all the details to Jepherson, then got into the car, started the engine, and turned the heater on.After that, she took off Santiago¡¯s clothes and treated his wound.

    Some of the men looked at Raeleigh andmented, ¡°She¡¯s a rare one, that girl.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have that kind of luck; we aren¡¯t stinking rich.Haven¡¯t you heard that it is all for money?¡±

    ¡°But still.¡±

    ¡­..

    Santiago leaned against a chair and stared at Raeleigh. ¡°You¡¯ve got guts.¡±

    ¡°Does it hurt? Don¡¯t sleep.¡±

    He had lost a lot of blood;the bullet was deep in his shoulder.Raeleigh panted lightly as she looked at Santiago¡¯s pale face and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to take the bullet out; bear with it.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Raeleigh looked outside, ¡°Give me a knife and a lighter.¡±

    Another batch of money was transferred; they were more convinced that Raeleigh was serious. After all, no one would joke with that much money.

    After she got the knife and lighter, she immediately handed Santiago the car ornament. ¡°Bite on it.¡±

    With that, he looked at her unpleasantly. ¡°No.¡±

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes at him and took off her shirt to let him bite on it, but he refused again.

    Raeleigh had no choice but to pat Santiago down, remembering hehad a dagger with him.

    Sure enough, she found it.

    Raeleigh took it out, and someone immediately pointed a gun at Raeleigh.However, she wasn¡¯t bothered.

    ¡°Bite on the hilt.¡± He finally opened his mouth. Raeleigh said as she used a lighter to sterilize the knife, ¡°Unbelievable. You¡¯re still choosy at a time like this.¡±

    But no matter what she said, he just stared at her silently.

    Raeleigh raised her head. ¡°You¡¯re finally quiet.¡±All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    If it weren¡¯t for his gagged mouth and his injury, he wouldn¡¯t be so quiet.

    After she sterilized the knife and put down the lighter, she nced at Santiago, looking grim,¡°Bear with it.¡±

    Santiago was still unresponsive as if he wasn¡¯t the one being treated.

    Raeleigh took a deep breath and pressed her hand on his shoulder while the tip of the knife cut deep into his shoulder. Santiago closed his eyes slightly as sweat dripped down from his forehead. She said, ¡°Do you remember the first time we met?¡±

    Santiago¡¯s mind was clouded; he felt as if he was in another world, but when he heard Raeleigh¡¯s question, he slowly opened his eyes again.

    He looked at her and recalled the first time they met. It was so clear, as though they had just met yesterday.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Would you have fought for my hand if it weren¡¯t for the existing brotherly love in thispetition?¡±

    Santiago slowly looked in Raeleigh¡¯s direction.She nudged the bullet with the tip of the knife, and the sweat on his forehead dripped furiously. However, she continued, ¡°If your brother didn¡¯t exist, can I marry you?¡±

    He stared at her as the bullet popped out of his wound. With that, she threw the knife away and immediately put pressure on his wound with her clean shirt. He let go of the knife he was biting onto, moving slowly to hug Raeleigh as he rested his head on her shoulder. Though he was breathing heavily, the corners of his lips curled into a smile.

 Chapter 1444 He Was Not Greedy for Money but Merits

    Raeleigh held back her tears and slowly pushed him away. Santiago leaned against the car as she applied medicine on him, then bandaged the wound and helped him put on his clothes.

    Wiping the sweat off his forehead with a shirt, she looked outside and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Her gratitude got everyone outside stumped.

    ¡°You sure are a strange one; we kidnapped and even hurt you. Why would you thank us?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. You guys did it to survive.¡±

    Then she stepped out of the car and moved Santiago further inside, then cushioned a pillow under him. Closing the door shut, she was about to leave when Santiago stopped her and said, ¡°Leave it open.¡±

    With that, she reopened the door and stared at him as he propped himself up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me yell at you.¡± He stared at her, his eyes unfathomable.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    She then turned to the attacker. ¡°Has all the money been sent to your ount?¡±

    ¡°Two more,¡± he replied. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°You guys should leave ASAP; I¡¯ll send you off.¡±

    ¡°We may have met by chance, but why would you still treat us like this when you didn¡¯t gain anything from us?¡±

    Everyone stared at Raeleigh as she said, ¡°You¡¯re all fugitives and have nothing to offer me, but you¡¯ve done me great help by helping me keep him alive.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be able to regain the money I lost today, but not a life.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you off.¡±

    With that, she entered the car, and they didn¡¯t stop her. Then she stuck her head out of the window and looked at them. ¡°Get in; I¡¯ll drive.¡±

    The man hesitated for a moment but still got in the car. Raeleigh waited for the man to get in before turning around to close the door on Santiago¡¯s side. She looked at him and said, ¡°Hang on; we¡¯ll head to the hospital after they leave.¡±

    Santiago remained silent, staring out the windowimpatiently.

    ¡°Do you have any painkillers?¡± Raeleigh asked the attacker. He took a bottle of painkillers from his pocket and handed it to her. ¡°Take this; we usually take it when we¡¯re injured. The pain will go away in ten minutes.¡±

    Raeleigh epted the bottle and nced at it before shaking out some pills, feeding them to Santiago. However, he spat them all out.

    Exasperated, Raeleigh red at him and tossed the pills into her mouth. She got out of the car and walked toward him. ¡°Are you going to take them or not?¡±

    Only then did he ept the painkillers and took some of them.

    Seeing that, she spat out the pills in her mouth, then went back into the car and drove away.

    It was oddly quiet in the car; the man in the passenger seat was dead before they arrived at the airport.

    Raeleigh stared at the body in surprise. Then, she noticed the bullet hole in the window.

    She looked out and saw that the other cars behind her stopped abruptly; a few of them had even turned over the road.

    With that, she pulled over to take a look; the few cars behind her were in a miserable state.

    She walked over only to be confounded by the sight; all the people in the car were dead.

    Then, she turned around to see many cars surrounding her¡¯s; there was even a helicopter hovering in the sky. How could that be possible?

    A ck car pulled over, and the door swung open. Seeing Jephersone out as his gaze fixed on her, she pursed her lips and rushed to him, the wind whistling past her ears. She stopped before him and asked, ¡°Why did you kill so many people?¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°It¡¯s not me. They¡¯re internationally wanted; as soon as I transferred the money to the ounts you gave, Interpol came to me, and they wanted me to work with them.¡±

    Jepherson said as he looked inside the car, then opened the door and looked at Santiago; their eyes met. He bent over and helped Santiago out.

    After entering his car, Jepherson said to Raeleigh, ¡°Get in.¡±

    Raeleigh obeyed.

    After she got in, she saw there was another young man; he looked younger than Jepherson.

    She reflexively looked over at Jepherson, wanting to ask if he was supposed to protect her.

    The young man was handsome, and he had an extraordinary charisma.

    But before she could say anything, Santiago spoke, ¡°You sure have staged this well. Let me guess; you¡¯re going to hog all the merit again.¡±

    Lenold¡¯s serious look broke into a smile as he looked at Santiago. ¡°Don¡¯t get me started on this. I don¡¯t understand you at all. Why can¡¯t you stop living life on the edge?¡±

    ¡°You know, many people with serious illnesses are begging to live a little longer. Why don¡¯t you cherish your life?¡±

    Lenold Matthews was a wunderkind. He had learned to solve cases from Christopher since he was a teenager. Due to his sharp mind and professionalism when handling cases, he was selected to join Interpol at a young age. Because of this, his family, including Christopher, moved there with him.

    If not, others wouldn¡¯t even get a chance to be the Director of Public Security Bureau in Capital City.

    When they were children, Lenold and Santiago often fought with each other. Lenold was a fighter back then and loved to find trouble with Santiago. Because of this, Santiago held a grudge against him. However, Lenold leftnot long after.

    After that, they seldom fought, but they still despised each other.

    On the contrary, Lenold was highly respectful toward Jepherson, but he rarely interacted with him.

    Santiago chuckled, ¡°I thought you were dead.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at him in surprise. Although he sounded indifferent, there was a hint of hostility in his tone.

    Lenold said to Raeleigh in amusement, ¡°Nice to meet you, Raeleigh. I¡¯m Lenold, a lieutenant of Interpol. I¡¯m amazed by your quick-wittedness, obviously much smarter than some people.¡±

    Raeleigh at Lenold¡¯s hand; she was about to shake his hand but changed her mind after hearing his remark.

    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    Raeleigh replied as she moved to sit beside Santiago. Wiping the sweat off Santiago¡¯s face with a towel, she said to Jepherson, ¡°Santiago needs to go to the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Raeleigh was unaware that they were heading to the hospital.

    Lenold leaned against the car and looked at the three people, his lips curling into a smile. ¡°Interesting,¡± he said.

    Santiago shut his eyes, but Raeleigh held his hand and said to him, ¡°Don¡¯t sleep, Santiago.¡±

    She took out her phone and called Xanthus. Although he wasn¡¯t an expert in this field, he was all she trusted.

    They arrived at the hospital shortly. Raeleigh was the first to get off the car. The doctors and nurses helped Santiago to the bed, and Raeleigh followed them to the emergency room.

    Jepherson stood behind as he watched Raeleigh and the others while Lenold got out of the car. Their families had been close, so they would always hang out until Lenold left. Sometimes they would even be thrown into the woods and be messed with by the adults.

    Hence, they had a strong bond.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with your family? Is she your girlfriend or Santiago¡¯s?¡± Lenold asked in amusement as if he was enjoying a show. Jepherson red at him and said, ¡°Do you want to lose your merit?¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯m just kidding,¡± Lenold hurriedly exined. Jepherson continued, ¡°You¡¯d better not joke about this kind of thing, lest you want to say goodbye to your achievements.¡±

    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    Jepherson walked over and said, ¡°Remember to return the money to me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already sent it to you.¡±

    He was not greedy for money but merits.

 Chapter 1445 Jared Robertson

    When Raeleigh arrived outside the emergency room, the doctor came up to stop her. She let go of Santiago and looked over at Xanthus as he came over. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I did it right.¡±

    Xanthus chuckled, ¡°You¡¯ve always been capable, Raeleigh.¡±

    Jepherson came in as they talked, Lenold following behind him.

    ¡°Lenold, this is Dr. Osteen,¡± Jepherson said. Lenold recalled for a moment, then said, ¡°You¡¯re the world-renowned Dr. Osteen?¡±

    ¡°And you are?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Lenold. No need to pay attention to me.¡±

    Lenold smiled then turned to Jepherson. ¡°I¡¯ll stay and wait for him toe out.¡±

    Jepherson paused and turned to look at him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to; your presence will only infuriate him. Just go, and don¡¯te if there¡¯s nothing important.¡±

    ¡°You really baffle me, you know that? How can you shoo me away?¡± Lenoldined, but it was futile. Jepherson red at him and warned, ¡°You have ten minutes to get lost before I give you a farewell gift.¡±

    ¡°Then in ten minutes I¡­¡±

    ¡°Five minutes.¡±

    ¡°Then in five¡­ ¡±

    ¡°Three minutes.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go.¡±

    Lenold then walked out without looking back and disappeared.

    Raeleigh was worried about Santiago, so she didn¡¯t have time to think about other things. As for Jepherson, he sat on one side of the room.

    She made sure no one else was around before sitting down next to him and asked, ¡°I thought someone¡­¡±

    ¡°I already sent them back. I was careless; they were supposed to guard against Santiago, but I didn¡¯t expect them to set us up.¡±

    He nced at Xanthus, who seemed uninterested in the matter. But for Raeleigh¡¯s sake, Xanthus said, ¡°Who¡¯s behind this? My family¡¯s man followed Raeleigh, but they couldn¡¯t get into Waverly Vige. Jacky has the area strictly guarded; not just anybody could get in. They must¡¯ve long thought about the location.¡±

    The reason Xanthus rushed over was also that his man couldn¡¯t reach Raeleigh. He had been waiting for her call.

    ¡°There¡¯s a mole, and he¡¯s working with the outsiders.¡± Jepherson leaned against the wall, then lifted his head and said, ¡°Raeleigh, stay with me. Don¡¯t go anywhere else. Leave the rest to Jacky.¡±

    ¡°Who was it?¡± Xanthus continued to ask. Jepherson replied, ¡°Flynt contacted him. But he¡¯s dead; we have no evidence against him.¡±

    ¡°You let Flynt escape on purpose? Why?¡± Xanthus asked as he stood on one side. He was aware of this.

    ¡°I do not wish the Moore family to expand their power in Capital City. Capital City is a great taboo of the industry, and many of uspete for it.¡±

    ¡°The Moore family¡¯s dereliction of duty in Capital City had caused them to lose their prestige. Although we intend to take them down, it doesn¡¯t mean we want to end them.¡±

    ¡°A long time ago, Johan came to Capital City with his subordinates. Among them were my family, the Richards family, and my mother¡¯s side, the Murphy family, as well as the Xanthe family and the Delia family¡­¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Anyhow, Johan had single-handedly groomed these families. I¡¯m a younger member of my family, so I must respect him.¡±

    ¡°The Richards family will never forget their roots. Even if the Moore family had done us wrong, we wouldn¡¯t be heartless.¡±

    ¡°We would never drive them to the edge.¡±

    ¡°Besides, the Moore family is no longer what it used to be. It would be good if they could make a concession; Iwon¡¯t force them into desperation, aslong as they don¡¯t make any trouble.¡±

    ¡°I know how you feel about Santiago; you¡¯re going to let them off this easily?¡± Xanthus could notprehend Jepherson¡¯s actions. As an older brother himself, he knew very well that Jepherson would never let the matter go just like that.

    Jepherson looked at him and said, ¡°If we hand this over to Interpol, they will obliterate the Moore family. However, it will only remain as a personal grievance if this stays in Capital City. At least the Moore family will be fine.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Jepherson hissed, ¡°No one can hurt Santiago. No one.¡±

    He said with a murderous gaze, and Xanthus felt his blood run cold.

    ¡°What are you going to do to Flynt?¡± Raeleigh asked.

    Jepherson did not reply.

    But Raeleigh knew he wouldn¡¯t let the matter end just like that.

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, in the hospital Flynt had been admitted to.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Flynt heard noises from outside the ward as hey in bed and thought the men had returned. He shook his head in frustration. Didn¡¯t he tell them not toe back and leave immediately? Why did theye back?

    Just then, the door swung open, and someone came in.

    Flynt froze for a moment. He was a stranger, looked about twenty years old, handsome and tall. He wore a set of ck clothes, and a pair of huge sunsses shaded his face, revealing only the cold sneer on his face.

    Flynt instantly got out of bed. His leg had healedpletely, and his reflexes were much faster than ordinary people.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Jepherson asked me toe. He wanted me to bring you a message.¡±

    The man walked up to Flynt as he spoke. Flynt sneered. ¡°You¡¯re Jepherson¡¯s man?¡±

    ¡°This is not important. I¡¯m here to deliver the message.¡± The man closed in on Flynt as he spoke. Flynt pulled out his pistol and hissed, ¡°Do you think you can do anything to me?¡±

    The man replied disapprovingly, ¡°I think you will die in a very ugly way.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡±

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    Flynt¡¯s pistol fell onto the ground, and blood dripped down his arm while the man was still standing straight in front of him.

    His face grew pale, slowly turning his gaze to him. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°It is not your ce to know.¡±

    ¡°My men have failed?¡± Flynt stared at him intently.

    ¡°That¡¯s none of my business; I¡¯m here to rip off your arm.¡±

    The man went closer as he spoke, and Flynt crouched down to retrieve his pistol. But before he could, the man sent a kick to his abdomen and knocked him off bnce. Then, he swiftly grabbed Flynt¡¯s wrist and yanked it with only his bare hands. Just like that, Flynt¡¯s right arm was separated from him.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Flynt wailed in agony, then fainted and copsed on the floor. Blood flowed from his shoulder, staining his clothes red.

    Jared Robertson stared at the arm in his hand and turned to leave.

    ¡­

    An hourter, Santiago came out of the emergency room. The doctor appeared relieved as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. Fortunately, it was nothing serious. The medical staff only had to manage his wounds with simple procedures, but he had lost a lot of blood.

    When Jepherson saw Santiagoing out of the emergency room, he stood up and walked toward him. Raeleigh followed suit.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago is doing fine now; he was treated in time. He¡¯ll be fine after a while.¡±

    Santiago slowly opened his eyes, then looked at Jepherson and Raeleigh, a smile blossoming on his face. ¡°I won¡¯t die so easily.¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Jepherson shot him a re and turned to Raeleigh. ¡°I¡¯ll order someone to prepare the necessaries. You stay here and take care of him; he¡¯ll need to watch what he eats the next few days.¡±

    ¡°Alright, but what about you? Aren¡¯t you staying?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him, confused. Jepherson hesitated, then replied, ¡°I¡¯ll be here during the day, but I can¡¯t stay the night. I have other matters to tend to.¡±

    ¡°So you¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask.¡± Raeleigh immediately shut her mouth and turned to look at Santiago, who was still looking weak.¡°Are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± He asked in return. She didn¡¯t know what to say.

 Chapter 1446 Rules of Waverly Village

    Although Raeleigh was upset that Santiago got injured and hospitalized again, she kept her thoughts to herself.

    Santiago was still weak, and she couldn¡¯t care less about lecturing him, but she sat aside looking harsh the entire time.

    She had been silent since Jepherson left, and Santiago, on the other hand, onlyid in bed and kept his eyes closed.

    Xanthus did not leave the hospital that night either; he stayed with Raeleigh. After this incident, he grew even more rmed. He thought he might need to hire a few bodyguards if this went on.

    ¡°Raeleigh,¡± Xanthus whispered, worrying about Raeleigh as she refused to take a rest.

    She looked at him and said, ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°You should take a rest.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the time and realized it was alreadyte at night. She stole a nce at Santiago, then went to the bed next to his.

    ¡°These men were too rampant. Why did they do this?¡± She asked as shey on the bed.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Xanthus sat down on the chair and looked at her. ¡°Where there are good people, there are bad ones too. There¡¯s no reason behind their actions, and it¡¯s iparable.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her gaze on him as she said, ¡°I thought they would leave once they receive the money.¡±

    She truly believed so. Although it might sound too far-fetched to exchange such a huge amount of money for her and Santiago¡¯s lives, she thought nothing was more important than staying alive.

    She could regain the money lost, but it would be the end of them if they were dead.

    It was just that she didn¡¯t expect so many people to lose their lives in one go. Human lives matter more than money. Now that those men were dead, what would happen to their families?

    She had trouble falling asleep again.

    At this moment, Jepherson was on his way to Waverly Vige.

    Jepherson¡¯s car came to a stop as a ck car approached them. Jepherson¡¯s driver nced at the rearview mirror and noticed that it was a sports car. Suddenly, the sports car threw a wooden box out, and Jepherson¡¯s driver swiftly stepped on the brake, then steered the car around slowly and steadily as they came to a halt.

    The man in the passenger seat got out as soon as they pulled over. He nced at the sports car as it whizzed past them before turning to the wooden box.

    It was arm lengthed, rectangle, and it looked like a box that stored scrolls.

    He bent down and picked the box up. He wouldn¡¯t hand it to Jepherson without examining it first. Lifting the lid, he nced at the content, and his face fell.

    He turned around and looked at Jepherson before he closed it and brought it to him.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    When he presented the box to Jepherson, Jepherson instructed, ¡°Open it.¡±

    The man hesitated for a moment before he did as he was told. Jepherson stared at the arm in the box, then looked away. ¡°Throw it down the mountain.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    With that, the man walked over to the roadside and chucked the arm away.

    After that, he washed his hands and returned to the car, resuming their journey to Waverly Vige.

    When Jepherson and his men arrived at Waverly Vige¡¯s border, about a dozen cars drove past them on the rightne. It seemed like the two fleets of carspeted against each other as they rushed toward Waverly Vige.

    On one side of thene were the Richards family¡¯s cars, while the other belonged to the Whalen family. It was definitely no small matter for both families to appear on the same night, at the same time.

    The twenty-plus cars sped, fast as lightning, making Rossie dizzy. She sat beside Zorion as she stared outside the window, her cheeks rosy.

    Zorion was also looking better by the day, and his body was recovering speedily.

    The driver thought it strange. How could a woman help Zorion regain his health so quickly? It seemed like Zorion was infatuated with Rossie.

    Zorion closed his eyes, looking to be asleep. He and Rossie kept a distance as she preferred to sit on the side, and he didn¡¯t want to disturb her either. He was already happy to be able to look at her from a distance.

    Soon, the cars entered Waverly Vige¡¯s border. Ten cars surrounded the border, and a few people waited outside of it. Jepherson and Zorion¡¯s vehicles slowly came to a halt, ten cars following behind them each.

    When the cars finally halted, Jacky¡¯s men immediately approached them. Jepherson and Zorion¡¯s men stood in front of their cars.

    ¡°Jacky is waiting inside. Please, Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Jacky has been waiting inside, Mr. Whalen, please.¡±

    Jepherson got down from the car, straightened his suit, and buttoned it up. At the same time, one of the men brought him a coat. Jepherson shot a nce at Zorion and entered Waverly Vige before him.

    Zorion grabbed a red faux fur coat and helped Rossie put it on. ¡°Put this on. It¡¯s cold outside,¡± he said.

    Rossie obeyed his instructions while one of his men gave him a ck coat. With that, they went into Waverly Vige with Rossie behind him.

    When they entered the vige, a staff member led them to Jack Town Hotel.

    A few people stood at the entrance of the brightly lit hotel.

    Although it was a public holiday, everyone was still working. The vigers knew something was happening in Jack Town Hotel.

    They heard someone was going to be punished for breaking the rules, but none of them dared to approach and only watched from a distance.

    When Jepherson arrived at the hotel¡¯s entrance, the guard at the door raised his hand to stop him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Richards, we¡¯ll have to do a pat-down.¡±

    Jepherson handed his coat to his men and raised his arms to permit the guards to frisk him.

    After that, he entered Jack Town Hotel.

    Zorion took off his white gloves, handed his coat to his men when he reached the entrance and raised his arms for the guards to do the same.

    Then, he held Rossie¡¯s hand, about to enter the hotel when the guards immediately blocked his way. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Whalen. We have our rules here; no one enters before they¡¯re patted down.¡±

    Zorion¡¯s face fell. ¡°You dare?¡±

    ¡°We have female guards.¡±

    The guard brought a female guard over as he spoke. The female guard apologized to Zorion, ¡°Sorry, Mr. Whalen.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. No one touches her; ask Jacky toe out.¡± his face fell.

    Someone came out from inside the hotel. He nced at Zorion and said, ¡°Mr. Whalen, please don¡¯t make things difficult for us. Rules are rules; we must obey them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡± Rossie turned around and returned to the car. Since Zorion didn¡¯t want anyone touching her, she would not go in.

    Zorion¡¯s face darkened as he walked into the hotel.

    They were greeted by a vast front hall as soon as they entered Jack Town Hotel. All the furniture was neatly arranged against the wall as an altar sat in the middle.

    Jacky stood in front of them, tending to the altar while someone knelt on the ground. Zorion could tell with a nce that it was Logan.

 Chapter 1447 Thoughts Ran Wild

    A few men about Jacky¡¯s age sat on both sides. There were no elders among them.

    It was apparent they were men Jacky had taken under his wing.

    Chairs had been arranged neatly on both sides, but the four chairs at the front were empty.

    ¡°Mr. Richards and Mr. Whalen.¡± Jacky turned around to look at Jepherson and Zorion as the two of them stood side by side in silence.

    ¡°Please.¡± Jacky gestured for them to sit on the left side, and Jepherson took a seat, Zorion following suit.

    Then, Jacky spoke, ¡°For many years, the residents of Waverly Vige lived in harmony. Although we are part of the country, we¡¯ve always had our set of rules.¡±

    ¡°Men are not allowed tomit adultery, and women are prohibited to steal or engage in prostitution. This is the first rule I had set. Brothers cannot fight each other, and vigers cannot bully each other. There are more than a dozen rules in total, one of which is no rebellions.¡±

    ¡°Before this, I had always regarded Logan as my brother. But when I brought another friend to visit, he conspired with outsiders and intercepted us on the way, nearly killing my friend.¡±

    ¡°I, Jacky Scott, have never done a friend wrong. Jack Town Hotel will not sit back and do nothing.¡±

    Everyone was silent. Jacky walked up to Logan, who was kneeling, then said, ¡°Logan and I grew up together, and I treated him as my brother. He would never do such a thing by chance.¡±

    ¡°With all parties here today, I will not beat around the bush either. Logan betrayed me because of a woman named Rossie Lautner.¡±

    ¡°What do you have to say for yourself, Logan?¡±

    Jacky lowered his gaze and stared at Logan. Loganughed. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to say. My fate is sealed. Do whatever you want.¡±

    Jacky looked around, and someone came up, presenting three knives.

    Looking at Zorion, Jacky said, ¡°It happened in the Whalen family¡¯s territory; they definitely will not sit idly by. One knife¡­¡±

    Zorion remained silent.

    ¡°Someone in the Richards family got hurt; they definitely will not take this lying down. One knife¡­¡±

    Jepherson did not speak.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jacky focused his gaze on Logan and continued, ¡°Waverly Vige would like to apologize for that person. One knife¡­¡±

    None of the attendants spoke.

    ¡°These three knives will put an end to our grudges. It¡¯s up to fate whether he survives this or not. Any objections?¡±

    No one spoke; Logan¡¯s eyes were fixed on the ground.

    Jacky threw a knife on the ground and barked, ¡°Come on.¡±

    Logan lifted his head and looked at Jacky as he reached for the knife. He plunged it directly into his chest but merely let out a muffled groan. Everyone in the room stared at him.

    ¡°Huff¡­¡± Logan¡¯s breathing grewbored after the stab, sweat gathering on his forehead.

    But he was still kneeling.

    Jacky grabbed the second knife and threw it on the ground. Logan barely managed to pick up the knife before thrusting it into his chest for the second time. This time, his body wavered, and he almost lost his bnce.

    Without hesitation, Jacky threw thest knife onto the ground. Logan held the knife firmly and stabbed it into his chest once more before copsing.

    Jacky announced, ¡°The grudge will now end after three stabs. Everyone, please leave.¡±

    Jepherson stood up and strode towards the exit. Zorion did the same, taking a nce at the dying Logan before he left.

    They returned to their cars and left Waverly Vige.

    Jacky ordered his men to close the door after they left. He turned to look at the unconscious Logan and said, ¡°From today onwards, Logan is no longer one of Jack Town Hotel¡¯s members, but he was born and raised here; no one is allowed to bully him. The past is in the past. I¡¯m warning you; if I find out any of you disobey me, don¡¯t me me for turning my head against you.¡±

    No one spoke. Then, Jacky said, ¡°You are dismissed.¡±

    Everyone got up from their seats. They were all sons of the wealthy from various industries in Waverly Vige, all under Jacky¡¯smand. Jacky had assigned them to be in charge of different areas of the vige, and they were required to be present whenever there was an incident.

    The door closed once more after everyone left. With that, Jacky turned to look at Logan and bent down to help him up.

    Logan had cked out; Jacky had already arranged for a doctor in the back room so he could immediately be treated. However, the doctor said, ¡°Jacky, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not going to work. All three knives had caused real damage to his vital organs. Even if he survives, he would be crippled for life.¡±

    Jacky stood beside Logan and replied, ¡°Better than being dead; I¡¯ll support him if he is crippled.¡±

    With that, he left, waiting at the door the entire night while the doctor tried his best, and thank the heavens Logan managed to survive.

    When Jacky checked on Logan in the morning, the doctor told him Logan¡¯s life was no longer in danger.

    Staring at Logan as hey on the bed, Jacky ordered, ¡°Have someone look after him. Tell me when he wakes up.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Jacky left the room and walked out of the house after putting on a ck puffer jacket, smoking a cigarette as he walked down the street.

    He arrived at the vige¡¯s entrance without even realizing it. To his surprise, Jepherson and Zorion hadn¡¯t left, and Jacky paused when he saw their cars outside.

    Jepherson got out of the car. Jacky threw away the cigarette butt in his hand and stood inside the vige, staring at Jepherson as he came over. On the other hand, Zorion remained inside his car.

    ¡°What happened?¡±Rossie asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s a traitor in Waverly Vige. He set Santiago up.¡±

    ¡°You guys are here to settle scores with Jacky?¡± Rossie asked. Zorion replied, ¡°This isn¡¯t about settling scores with him, but taking a clear stance.¡±

    ¡°What stance? What does it have to do with him? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s cruel for you to drive him into a corner? Everyone makes mistakes; aren¡¯t you guys doing this just so that he would make a statement? The only people who could betray him can only be someone close to him. Do you think it¡¯s okay to let him hurt his brother?¡±

    Zorion stared at her and said, ¡°You don¡¯t understand men¡¯s thinking.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to kill me if I betray you?¡± Rossie thought Zorion was cruel; it had nothing to do with gender but personality.

    ¡°Even if we don¡¯te, Jacky would still have done the same. Waverly Vige functions just like Capital City; they have their rules. He needs to establish his power and uphold justice.¡±

    Rossie stared at him and said nothing; he wasn¡¯t wrong.

    Pursing her lips, she turned her head away, looking elsewhere.

    Suddenly Zorion said, ¡°If we hadn¡¯t been together, I would have thought¡­¡±

    ¡°You would have thought what?¡±

    Rossie¡¯s face was full of curiosity. Zorion nced at her and said, ¡°Nothing.¡±

    With that, the car fell silent.

    Rossie looked out the window and ced her hands against the ss like a child eager to see the outside world.

    Zorion crossed his legs andmented, ¡°You may go out if you want to. You won¡¯t be in danger.¡±

    She turned around and looked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to. I¡¯m just curious what they¡¯re talking about.¡±

    Zorion raised his eyebrows. ¡°You may go down and listen.¡±

    Rossie didn¡¯t reply.

    She leaned against the door and fidgeted with her hands. Zorion stared at her hands and suddenly felt ufortable; his thoughts ran wild.

 Chapter 1448 Colston Moore

    ¡°We also share part of the me for what happened,¡± Jepherson said. Jackyughed, ¡°It has nothing to do with you; it¡¯s my own fault. You should go; I¡¯ll visit him in a few days. I have to wait for Logan to wake up.¡±

    ¡°People make mistakes, but no one deserves to die for them. He lost his head for a moment.¡±

    At that, Jacky returned to Waverly Vige, disappearing from Jepherson¡¯s sight in no time.

    Jepherson looked back at Zorion, then entered the car and returned to Capital City.

    Zorion¡¯s car followed behind his.

    When Jepherson was back at Capital City, he did not return to his home but instead to the Moore family.

    The car came to a stop, but Jepherson did note out. Later, he went back home. Zorion returned to his home. When he entered the house, Tetsuo informed him someone from the Moore family hade and sent an invitation to a meal the next day.

    After epting the invitation card, Zorion opened it and scanned through the content before handing it back to Tetsuo. ¡°Did they send it at night?¡±

    ¡°They sent it at one o¡¯clock.¡±

    He stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at Tetsuo. ¡°Did something happen to Flynt?¡±

    Tetsuo seemed confused. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean, Mr. Zorion.¡±

    ¡°Forget it.¡±

    Rossie walked behind Zorion as they entered the vi.

    Zorion headed straight upstairs, and Rossie followed suit.

    After closing the door, he grabbed his pajamas and went to take a shower. Rossie, too, took her pajamas but went to another room to shower.

    Stunned, seeing that Rossie was not in his room after he came out of the bathroom, he went outside to search for her, and Tetsuo told him that she was in another room.

    When Zorion entered her room, she had already showered, changed her clothes, dried her hair, and was already sound asleep.

    He walked over to Rossie, tucked her in, and left after switching off the lights. When the door shut, Rossie opened her eyes and stared at the door before flipping the light switch back on.

    She didn¡¯t know why, but ever since she left Zorion, she never had a good night¡¯s sleep. She could only rest with the lights on at night, and she would feel insecure when she turned off the lights asionally.

    To her surprise, during their stay together this time, she could fall asleep even when they did not share the same bed.

    She stared at the ceiling with her eyes wide open, finding it ridiculous now that she thought about it. Even though he was a monster, he was better than nothing. Sometimes, the pain kept her sane. At least she still had someone by her side; it would be a tragedy if she was all alone.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    The moment Zorion came out of her room, he heard the sound of a flipping switch. He turned around and stared at the light from the door gap but still walked away after a moment¡¯s hesitation.

    ¡­

    Johan was rmed in the middle of the night. Ronard rushed into the room, walked over to Johan, and whispered something in his ear. Johan slowly turned to look at him and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Elina?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s throwing a tantrum.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, pathetic.¡± Johan hated when women cried and made a fuss.

    ¡°What else to do but send him abroad to recuperate now that he had lost his arm. He¡¯ll only be an embarrassment if he stays in Capital City. I didn¡¯t expect him to be this useless.¡±

    ¡°But it seems like our time in Capital City hase to an end; we¡¯ve lost our foothold here.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Sir?¡± Ronard hesitated. Johan asked, ¡°Who sent out the invitations?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Colston.¡±

    ¡°Colston?¡± Johan recalled the Moore family had a few young ones; however, he could only remember a few.

    Flynt had many younger brothers, and they all had different interests. Some liked to y around; some liked to sing, and a few liked to gamble. Most of them did not engage in honest work, and because of that, Johan was not fond of them.

    Then there was Colston. He loved reading and woulde to Johan asionally.

    Johan asked, ¡°How much younger is he than Flynt?¡±

    ¡°One year younger.¡±

    ¡°Why did he take the initiative toe forward this time?¡± Johan asked again, his voice full of curiosity.

    Ronard replied, ¡°I heard there is a girl in his ce. He wanted to see you a few times because of her, but he didn¡¯t get the chance to.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he improvised this time, taking a risk, leading him to cross the line.¡±

    Johan nced at him and said, ¡°He¡¯s bold. How dare he send out invitations using my name for a woman! If it weren¡¯t for her, I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t have bothered. It seems that he has already seen through the lies and deceits in this house. He knows that the more capable he is, the worse his life would be, so he kept his abilities hidden.¡±

    Ronard didn¡¯t say anything. Johan continued, ¡°Go, have Colstone over, and tell him to bring that woman too. I want to have a look myself.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Ronard immediately went to carry out his duties. Shortly, Colston came. He entered the room and walked over when he saw Johan.

    ¡°Greetings, Grandpa.¡±

    Colston lowered his head as he spoke. Johan stared at him for a while, then thought of something and asked, ¡°What were you thinking when you invited Zorion and Jepherson over? Why are you doing this?¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ll answer your second question first. The reason is that I want to see you.¡±

    ¡°Everyone in the family knows those with lowly statuses will never get a chance to see you. I was born outside of the family by a concubine, and the Moore family took me in after my mother died when I was two. Although I received formal education just like the other children in the family, I have undoubtedly no status here.¡±

    ¡°I initially wanted to live a decent life with my own family and a stable job.¡±

    ¡°But I never thought even my girlfriend would be bullied because of my lowly status.¡±

    Johan was taken aback. ¡°Who bullied your girlfriend?¡±

    Colston replied, ¡°Nirvan and Kieffer.¡±

    ¡°They bullied your girlfriend?¡± Johan¡¯s face fell. ¡°Summon those two brutes.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± One of the servants hurried off.

    Johan waited until the servant left, then asked, ¡°How did they bully her?¡±

    ¡°I knew Louisa from college. I brought her here because I wanted her to see my home. With my status in the family, I don¡¯t have to bring her to you; it doesn¡¯t matter if she stays at my ce.¡±

    ¡°But when Nirvan and Kieffer saw her, they harassed her. I was furious, so I quarreled with them.¡±

    ¡°They told me I have no status in the family, don¡¯t have a mother to back me up either, and I have no say in my own marriage. If they told you about this, Louisa would only be their ything.¡±

    Johan let out an angry snort upon hearing Colston¡¯s words. ¡°This family is getting worse day by day. They havepletely destroyed our family¡¯s reputation; how much more shameless can they get?!¡±

    While Johan cursed, two men came in with Louisa behind them.

    Johan never liked flirtatious women, so he was surprised to find Louisa gentle and quiet.

    ¡°Ronard, please invite Miss Louisa to take a seat.¡±

    It was a great honor to be weed by Johan. Thus, Ronard hurriedly grabbed a chair and invited Louisa to sit down.

    But Louisa only thanked Ronard, then moved to stand beside Colston quietly.

    Although Johan didn¡¯t like her attitude, he still endured it because the Moore family needed Colston right then. As for Louisa, it was a matter for another day.

 Chapter 1449 Promote

    Johan coughed twice and let out a cold snort. Then, he looked at Nirvan and Kieffer and asked, ¡°Do you know why I called you two here?¡±

    Both of them didn¡¯t reply. After a long silence, one of them nced at Colston and said, ¡°Is it because of what we joked about with Colston¡¯s girlfriendst time?¡±

    Amused, Johan said, ¡°Good that you¡¯re not dumb. Since you know, I can get down to it. From now on, you are grounded; you¡¯re not allowed to go out nor receive any money until the day Colston bes the head of the family and decides to release you. Otherwise, get the hell out of the family.¡±

    Colston lowered his gaze; Johan was dering him the future head of the Moore family.

    However, he didn¡¯t feel happy about it. He merely wanted to stand up for himself. He thought Nirvan and Kieffer had gone too far, but he did not expect to be dragged into the vortex.

    ¡°We¡¯re sorry, Grandpa.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, you¡­¡±

    ¡°Leave. Just the sight of you two upsets me.¡± Johan dismissed them casually. Colston stared at Johan, his gaze remained lowered, and there was not a trace of emotion on his handsome face.

    Then, Johan looked at him and said, ¡°Colston, what do you think about Flynt¡¯s matter?¡±

    Colston hesitated for a moment and replied, ¡°As the saying goes, forgive and forget. Although we¡¯re a reputable family here, some of us have ruined the family¡¯s reputation and status these years. As a result, the Moore family is no longer respected by others.¡±

    ¡°The Moore family¡¯s era has slowlye to an end, and a new era is about toe.¡±

    Ronard was breathless with anxiety. He couldn¡¯t believe Colston had the guts to say such things, not afraid of angering Johan.

    However, Johan was not angry but smiled and said instead, ¡°You sure don¡¯t disappoint me. You¡¯re courageous and resourceful. Then tell me, what should we do next to maintain our foothold in the Capital City?¡±

    Colston hesitated for a moment and replied, ¡°There is only one way. We must retreat in order to advance and maintain the family¡¯s reputation.¡±

    Johan muttered to himself and chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re right; you¡¯re smarter than them. The greatest mistake is to fight a hopeless battle; the loss will outweigh the gain.¡±

    ¡°When you¡¯re not strong enough, keep silent and defeat the enemy in one strike when you¡¯re capable enough.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m in charge, what can I do?¡± Colston asked.

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡±

    Johan smiled; no one has probably dared think so. Even if they did, they wouldn¡¯t dare to bring it up. However, a concubine¡¯s son, Colston, must¡¯ve suffered a lot in his years of living in the Moore family.

    But he already knew to stay humble and keep a low profile at a young age. Such maturity was rare.

    Because of this, Johan decided to give him a chance.

    ¡°No one dares to go against the leader,¡± Colston blurted. Johan¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he wondered where he was going with it.

    Johan coughed, and Ronard hurriedly brought the spittoon over. After clearing his throat, Johan turned to look at Colston and said, ¡°Tell me, what do you want to do?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do anything. I only want to be with Louisa. But if I have to pay the price for that, I will serve the Moore family willingly. I can wait until you finish training the new head of the Moore family, and during this time, I will do my best to reinstate our family name.¡±

    Colston¡¯s eyes were fathomless as he looked at Johan, his attitude indifferent. Johan spaced out a little, falling silent for a moment. It was as if he could see his third son, vian, in Colston.

    After a long while, Johan asked, ¡°Tell me, is the Moore family not worth staying? Why don¡¯t you want to stay at all?¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, you know very well that the Moore family manor is just like the royal pce. Once one enters, they can never escape; even if they do, they will leave a different man.¡±

    ¡°Such treacherous life does not suit me. I¡¯m not too fond of this kind of environment, and I don¡¯t wish my children to grow up into boastful and secr people.¡±

    ¡°They will notpete for fame and wealth, nor will they fight for power and self-interest, living a life full of deceit.¡±

    ¡°I wish to live an ordinary life, and for my children as well.¡±

    Johanughed, ¡°If you don¡¯t have fame, wealth, status, or power, what else can you do?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you fighting now because of a woman?¡±

    ¡°After enduring humiliation for twenty years, you¡¯re going to give up everything you built?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s different. Since I can take the liberty to send out the invitation, it means I have already thought of a way out. What¡¯s the worst thing that can happen if you don¡¯t give me an opportunity?¡±

    ¡°Louisa doesn¡¯t have a family. She grew up like me, living in an orphanage. If something were to happen to me, I¡¯m sure she would follow.¡±

    It was apparent Colston had already thought of a way out. Still lost in thought, Johan couldn¡¯t help but think of vian.

    Colston was a chip off the old block. He had vian¡¯s personality and temper, always stubborn and unwilling to give in.

    Johan¡¯s heart twinged as he reminisced about the past. He really wanted to do it once more, throwing the pair standing in front of him out. However, he was too old, and he had no one to rely on. He thought his sons must have hated him for being a busybody; none of his remaining sons stayed by his side.

    He no longer had the strength to chase Colston away.

    ¡°I will give you three years. If you can restore the Moore family¡¯s name and gain a foothold in Capital City within three years, I will grant you two wishes,¡± he said.

    Colston replied, ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Grandpa.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing this for the Moore family. From now on, only I can intervene in your decision. Of course, since I have been bedridden for a long time, I may no longer be aware of what is happening outside. Besides, this is your time. I am too old to keep up with you, so I will step back and only talk to you asionally. I will not criticize you for your actions. Feel free to do whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll tell you my first wish.¡±

    Colston¡¯s words humored Johan, ¡°You haven¡¯tpleted your task yet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the deposit first,¡± Colston said. Johan thought for a moment and said, ¡°Alright then, tell me.¡±

    ¡°I wish to marry Louisa. No one can bully her once she joins the Moore family as my wife. She will be the mistress of the Moore family within these three years, helping me manage the matters and conduct the insides of the Moore family manor.¡±

    ¡°Only then can I be at ease dealing with the affairs outside.¡±

    Johan spaced out a little once more. He didn¡¯t expect Colston to be more decisive and challenging than vian; he was no all show and no go.

    Johan stared at Louisa calmly and asked her, ¡°How old are you now?¡±

    Louisa answered, ¡°I¡¯m twenty.¡±

    ¡°Twenty past your birthday?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°So you go to college?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m in college.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll grant Colston¡¯s wish to marry you. Ronard, announce that they will move in here and continue to stay here after I pass.¡±

    Ronard stared at Johan and wondered if it meant he was promoting Colston.

 Chapter 1450 Rendezvous

    Jepherson stared atthe invitation in a daze. After putting it down, he went to take a rest. The following day, after breakfast, he went to visit the Moore family.

    The Moore family had decorated their home with lights and ribbons. When Jepherson just got off the car, he immediately sensed that something was not right; the Moore family seemed to be celebrating something.

    Upon entering, Jepherson saw a couple standing at the door waiting for them. Seeing him, Colston led Louisa to Jepherson.

    Although Colston was not a significant figure in the Moore family, Jepherson knew who he was.

    He had already investigated all the members of the Moore family, so he knew people like Colston.

    He was among the Moore family¡¯s fifth generation, Johan¡¯s great-great-grandson, the same generation as Flynt.

    However, Flynt was of noble background, the first wife¡¯s son, while Colston¡¯s father was of coteral kin; as his grandmother was a concubine, his father was barely acknowledged. Colston¡¯s mother was also a concubine, and Colston wasn¡¯t even born inside the Moore family.

    A memory shed across Jepherson¡¯s mind. The Moore family took Colston in at two when his mother had passed away because of illness.

    His father was already not favored and even got another wife after his mother¡¯s death; it was a miracle the young child could grow up with no one to rely on.

    Jepherson was slightly moved to see Colston before him, knowing he was no simple man. The Moore family had a long history in Capital City, and many talented individuals were in hiding; it would not be easy to force them to retire.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,¡± Colston greeted as he walked over, his tone neither haughty nor humble, and he had an imposing air about him.

    Jepherson smiled. ¡°Colston Moore?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Colston smiled warmly. He had always been an amiable man. Jepherson¡¯s eyes were calm as he tried to conceal the emotions inside him.

    The Moore family would never allow any ordinary man to wee their guests, and Jepherson knew Colston was no ordinary man. He observed Colston smile and wondered if he was honest or only pretending.

    ¡°Colston, you are too polite. I came in a hurry today, so I didn¡¯t bring any gifts for Old Master Moore. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Colston immediately said, ¡°Please, don¡¯t worry. It was abrupt of me to send the invitation at such ate night; forgive me for myck of courtesy. Pleasee in, Mr. Richards. It¡¯s cold outside.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jepherson stepped forward without hesitation, all under his control.

    Colston was aware that if he didn¡¯t win this battle, there would be nothing left between him and Louisa.

    He turned back to look at Louisa and said, ¡°Louisa, please stay here and wait for Mr. Whalen.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Louisa was wearing Colston¡¯s clothes. They didn¡¯t have time to put on nice clothes because everything happened all too suddenly, but they didn¡¯t care about it either.

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes gleamed when he overheard their conversation, but he pretended that he didn¡¯t hear them.

    The girl, Louisa, was Colston¡¯s weak spot.

    Jepherson and Colston entered the main hall. After they settled down onto their seats, Ronard dismissed the other people in the room and tended to them himself.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Zorion to arrive at the Moore family¡¯s manor. He got out of the car and straightened his clothes, then turned around and stretched out a hand to Rossie. She withdrew her hand after getting out. Looking around, she asked, ¡°Where is this?¡±

    ¡°The Moore family¡¯s manor,¡± Zorion said as he looked at the entrance. Louisa walked out, dressed in Colston¡¯s shirt he wore to school. There was nothing showy about her outfit, but Zorion frowned when he noticed her calm demeanor, then nced at the people around her.

    He wondered if something was about to change in the Moore family.

    Louisa walked toward the entrance and greeted Zorion and Rossie, ¡°Wee, Mr. Whalen.¡±

    She nodded at Rossie and smiled politely, then looked at Zorion and said, ¡°Colston is with Mr. Richards. He specifically asked me to wait for you two here. Please,e in.¡±

    Louisa gestured for them to enter and walked forward. Rossie stole a nce at Zorion as he strode forward. The three of them walked into the main hall together.

    When they arrived at the door, a servant came up and helped take their coats while Louisa invited them into the house.

    Colston immediately stood up to wee Zorion when he saw him.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen.¡±

    Zorion sized Colston up; although they were about the same age, he did not know who Colston was.

    He saw Jepherson drinking tea calmly from the corner of his eyes, then asked directly, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I am Colston Moore, seventh son of the fifth generation in the Moore family.¡±

    Zorion thought for a moment, then said, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not worth mentioning in the Moore family, so it¡¯s understandable if you have never heard of me. Please have a seat, Mr. Whalen,¡± Colston said, gesturing at the empty seatbeside Jepherson on one side of the square table. As he hadn¡¯t expected Zorion to bring someone along, he motioned for Louisa to arrange a seat for Rossie. Louisa sat beside Colston on the other side of the table, and there was no seniority between them.

    Colston turned to look at Louisa and said, ¡°Louisa and I go to college together; she¡¯s a sophomore. She has an amazing knowledge of tea. Today¡¯s a big day for us; we¡¯re legally married. So, this gathering is a private wedding invitation.¡±

    Jepherson sat unmoving, and Zorion raised his eyebrows. ¡°Interesting.¡±

    Louisa began to make tea while Rossie watched quietly as if she was learning, but in fact, she was also well-versed.

    After Louisa served them tea, Colston went straight to the point.

    ¡°I¡¯m honored to have you two here today. I believe you know very well why I invited you here.¡±

    Jepherson and Zorion did not speak. Colston continued, ¡°I¡¯m a nobody in the Moore family, so I do not have a say in my own marriage.¡±

    ¡°But Louisa and I are in love, and we do not wish to be separate from each other.¡±

    ¡°Hence, I had to take a risk and assume some responsibility when my family¡¯s in trouble in exchange for our happiness.¡±

    ¡°The Moore family is currently in troubled times, and it is copsing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware that our family has lost its reputation, but the two of you are beginning to rise in Capital City.¡±

    ¡°So, I invited you two here today, hoping to befriend you. What do you say?¡±

    Zorion turned to look at Jepherson. Jepherson cooled his cup of tea and took a sip.

    Zorion, too, did the same. If Jepherson weren¡¯t going to speak, he wouldn¡¯t either.

    Rossie sat aside, unmoving. She was already experiencing insomnia. Drinking tea would only make it worse.

    ¡°How may I address you?¡± Louisa asked. Rossie replied, ¡°Lautner.¡±

    Louisa said, ¡°Miss Lautner, do you have difficulty falling asleep at night?¡±

    Zorion was drinking his tea when the two women spoke. Looking over, although the intention was clear, he was willing to try as long as it would help Rossie.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    Rossie answered, ¡°Yes, a little.¡±

    ¡°Will you let me help you, Miss Lautner?¡± Louisa asked. Rossie turned to Zorion, and he asked, ¡°How?¡±

    Setting down the teacup, he stared at Louisa intently.

 Chapter 1451 Stay For Dinner

    ¡°Louisa and I met in college, but at that time, we had a misunderstanding. We were both bad-tempered, and we couldn¡¯t tolerate each other, so we ended up making a fool of ourselves.¡±

    ¡°One night, I had one too many during our college¡¯s annual dinner. As a result, we somehow ended up in the same bed. It happenedst year.

    ¡°I was furious when I woke up the next day and even yelled at her.¡±

    ¡°But she said nothing and left after putting on her clothes.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t see each other for a month after that. When I returned to college again, she had already dropped out and prepared to transfer to another college.¡±

    ¡°No one in our college knew what had happened, so I went to look for her and asked her in person, but I didn¡¯t know why I wanted to.¡±

    ¡°I really missed her, but I was not willing to admit it until my friend told me she was transferring to a remote area to continue her studies. She had alreadypleted the transfer procedures, only waiting for the college to sign the documents.¡±

    ¡°It suddenly dawned on me that I might never see her again.¡±

    ¡°If Louisa were gone, there would be no one I could butt heads with and no one topete with me in ss. Life would be meaningless.¡±

    ¡°I went to see her on the day she left. A bus lost control and rammed into the taxi she was in. I watched as the taxi flipped twice in front of my eyes and crashed with a bang.¡±

    ¡°At that moment, it felt as if my heart had crashed along with the taxi. It was so shattered that I thought it would never heal again.¡±

    ¡°I stood there, unable to move. All I could hear were the police sirens and the crowd shouting and yelling. When I walked over, my only thought was that I would give anything for her to stay alive.¡±

    Silence filled the room for a moment.

    Colston smiled at the end of his story. Rossie asked, ¡°What happened after that?¡±

    ¡°Later, she was hospitalized. Thank the heavens, she was alive, and I¡¯m d she didn¡¯t lose an arm or a leg.¡±

    ¡°When I took care of her in the hospital, she rarely spoke to me. No matter how lowly I put myself, she remained indifferent to me. When she was discharged, I threw everything she could use to leave me into the fire.¡±

    ¡°She wanted to leave, but I wouldn¡¯t let her.¡±

    ¡°Because she couldn¡¯t transfer, sheshed out at me. When she returned to our college, she ignored me.¡±

    ¡°Later, some guy, who didn¡¯t have the word death in his dictionary, pursued her. When I found out, I broke his leg in front of her.¡±

    ¡°You broke his leg?¡± Rossie drew in a breath of cold air. She wondered why all the men she knew were so terrifying.

    ¡°And then?¡± Rossie asked, deeply engrossed in the story. Colston continued, ¡°After that, everyone in college knew that Louisa is mine. So, no one dared to approach her.¡±

    ¡°Although I¡¯m a nobody in the Moore family, I still bore the family name. So, the school also gave me some privileges.¡±

    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t do anything to me even if I beat up someone.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Louisa didn¡¯t like me to be around her, but I decided to live with her anyway. She resisted and got into a fight with me because of this. Butter¡­¡±

    ¡°When I almost got into an ident, she finally admitted that she loves me.¡±

    Colston poured a cup of tea for himself, Zorion, and Rossie as he spoke.

    ¡°Love is blind.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary, onlookers see most of the game. It was obvious to others that we love each other.¡±

    Rossie stole a nce at Zorion, his gaze downcast. If there was no love, they wouldn¡¯t be so good with each other in bed.

    However, their rtionship was a mistake from the very beginning.

    ¡°Louisa¡¯s neighbor, an old doctor, passed away before the new year. He was a lonely and arrogant man, and there was no one beside him when he was dying. Louisa called me, and when I rushed over, he was already breathing hisst breath. He held my hand and told me to cherish every moment with Louisa and be grateful for what I have.¡±

    Colston was about to continue when Ronard came into the room. He paused at the door and asked, ¡°Mr. Colston, should we prepare lunch?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, would you like to stay for lunch? Louisa¡¯s cooking is excellent,¡± Colston said. Initially, Zorion wanted to refuse, but Rossie wanted to ask Louisa more about acupuncture, so she was not ready to leave.

    ¡°I want to talk to Louisa,¡± Rossie said. Zorion nced at her and said, ¡°If your wife is cooking, we will stay.¡±

    ¡°Ronard, prepare the ingredients.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Rossie kept quiet after Ronard left. On the other hand, Colston asked Zorion about his experience studying at Elkton University.

    Louisa returned an hourter. She handed Rossie several bags of floral tea and exined, ¡°I¡¯ve blended these myself; they¡¯re specifically used to help with sleep. Although they¡¯re not as effective as sleeping pills, they are safer and more reliable. If you adhere to my instructions and use them constantly, you will be able to restore your sleep cycle in a month.¡±

    Rossie stared at the floral tea bags in her hand, inhaling the faint fragrance.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve nted the flowers myself, no pesticides, so they are safe,¡± Louisa quickly added. Rossie smiled, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you; I just feel bad that you¡¯re so nice to me when I¡¯ve done nothing for you, even if this is our first meeting.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also doing this for Colston, so please don¡¯t feel bad at all. If we met somewhere else, we wouldn¡¯t know each other, and I wouldn¡¯t have gifted you the tea bags.¡±

    Rossie nodded. ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Louisa, please get the lunch ready. We¡¯ll eat in our roomter,¡± Colston got up from his seat and said.

    Zorion was the only one sitting, and he looked up at the three people in front of him.

    Colston exined, ¡°I have to help her.¡±

    Zorion recalled Louisa was pregnant, and he immediately stood up.

    The four of them left the main hall and headed toward Colston and Louisa¡¯s room.

    Zorion had wanted to sit down after entering the room, but when they heard they were making spaghetti and meatballs, Rossie volunteered, saying she was good at it. Zorion had his doubts, but she began helping Louisa nevertheless.

    Staring at Rossie¡¯s tender hands, Zorion could not bear to see her do the work. So, he moved to her side and stared at her.

    Meanwhile, Colston and Louisa worked diligently in the kitchen. Colston cooked, and Louisa chopped up the ingredients. Shortly after, the food was ready.

    Rossie was also done with her task by the time food was served.

    As none of them drink, soda was prepared instead. The four of them sat down and ate together.

    Rossie asked Louisa about acupuncture while eating, seeming very interested.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Zorion, on the other hand, was silent.

    After dinner, Colston and Louisa sent Zorion and Rossie off. The two of them stood at the door and waited for the car to leave.

    Louisa said after they left, ¡°They remind me of us when we first met.¡±

    ¡°Very awkward with each other.¡± Colston put his arm around her shoulder and walked inside.

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, in the hospital.

    ¡°Get lost. all of you, get lost!¡± Flynt yelled at the doctor like a madman, his remaining arm iling around wildly. When he realized that his arm was gone after waking up, he became agitated and smashed things in the ward. Elina stood on the side, her eyes red and swollen from crying, barely surviving. One of her daughters was locked up, while the other had gone missing. Now, her son had be a cripple.

    What had she done to deserve this?

    She stumbled, about to faint. Fortunately, someone supported her. But she could barely stand straight.

    Flynt lowered his head, his face pale, his gaze fixed on the nket, and his whole body was stiff. Then, he hissed, ¡°Jepherson, I swear I will destroy you and your family!¡±

 Chapter 1452 Girls with the Same Past

    After leaving the Moore family manor, Rossie kept touching her hand. Zorion fixed his gaze at her but couldn¡¯t tell what she was trying to do.

    When they got home, Rossie immediately went back to her room, switched on theputer, and began looking up information on the inte.

    Zorion held the tea bags in his hand, then handed them to Tetsuo. ¡°Check the ingredients inside and see if they are poisonous.¡±

    Tetsuo epted the tea bags and got down to it.

    Zorion showered, then changed into a new set of clothes andy down on the bed, needing a rest.

    Suddenly, the door swung open. Zorion twitched his eyebrows but did not open his eyes.

    Rossie entered the room and walked to him, ¡°Are you asleep?¡±

    He opened his eyes and stared at her. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Does your stomach feel upset?¡± Rossie asked, and Zorion shook his head. Then, she continued, ¡°I asked Louisa, and she told me to try massaging.¡±

    Zorion did not speak but onlyid in bed, unmoving.

    ¡°I¡¯m going back to college soon. We should give it a try,¡± Rossie suggested.

    She sat down and lifted the nket, then ced her hand on top of his stomach, his pajamas the only barrier between them. Then, she found the spot Louisa taught her and pressed down on it tentatively.

    Zorion closed his eyes. It had been some time since lunch, so he wasn¡¯t in difort.

    After massaging Zorion for a while, Rossie said, ¡°Louisa said it would be better if we use a hotpress.¡±

    Zorion did not reply. Rossie lifted her head to look at him only to find him already asleep.

    She withdrew her hand, then turned around and went downstairs. She came back with a hot-water bottle and ced it on Zorion¡¯s stomach before tucking him in.

    After sitting on the bed for a while, Rossie got up and looked outside the window, then left. Louisa had told her that she was depressed andcked exercise; she believed she would sleep well again if she exercised and drank the floral tea.

    Rossie didn¡¯t want to rely on Zorion to be able to fall asleep forever. She wished to be able to sleep alone.

    If she could recover from this, it would be a huge relief.

    ¡­

    After dealing with his matters, Jepherson visited Santiago and Raeleigh at the hospital. Before entering the ward, he heard Raeleigh lecturing Santiago while Santiago remained silent, keeping his eyes closed.

    He knocked on the door and walked in, leading Raeleigh to look over and get up. When she saw Jepherson, she asked, ¡°Have you eaten?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Jepherson answered, his eyes darkening as he nced at Santiago. When he noticed Santiago looking at him with one eye open, he said, ¡°You got yourself into trouble at the start of the new year. You¡¯re still not repenting?¡±

    ¡°How can I not repent? My eardrums are rupturing already.¡± The moment he woke up that morning, Raeleigh had been lecturing him non-stop. After some time, he gave up listening, not having a clue what she had said, and his mind was muddled.

    Santiago beganining now that Jepherson was lecturing him.

    Jepherson put down his coat, then washed his hands and sat down. Raeleigh had already gone to take the food.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Setting down the food on the table, Raeleigh handed the cutleries to Jepherson, then sat down and said, ¡°The doctor said it would take two months for him to recover.¡±

    Raeleigh was upset because of this matter.

    Jepherson took a bite of the food and looked at her. ¡°He asked for it.¡±

    After she had calmed down, she thought something was amiss. It seemed as if Jepherson was here to settle scores with Santiago.

    Jepherson ate quietly asRaeleigh remained silent.Xanthus went out and hadn¡¯t returned, while Santiago also fell silent.

    Later, when Raeleigh cleared the table, Jepherson looked at Santiago and said, ¡°You dare to test me?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Santiago refused to admit what he had done.

    Jepherson sneered. ¡°Do you want me to force you to admit it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried about you.¡±

    ¡°So worried that you want to kidnap me?¡±

    Jepherson seemed displeased, and Santiago remained silent.

    ¡°If this happens one more time, I will throw you out.¡±

    With that, Jepherson got up and walked to the bed next to Santiago, lying down, feeling tired.

    Raeleigh went to tuck him in when he said, ¡°There¡¯s a girl, Louisa Dous, about your age, and she grew up in your orphanage. She said someone rescued her when the orphanage caught fire.¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a moment. ¡°Louisa?¡±

    She didn¡¯t remember such a person. Sitting down beside Jepherson, she asked, ¡°Where did you hear it from?¡±

    ¡°Something happened to Flynt, so the Moore family appointed a new head of the family, Colston Moore, seventh of his generation and a son of one of the Moore family¡¯s concubines.¡±

    ¡°I observed him when he told me about this. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s lying.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember anyone called Louisa. Could it be a trap?¡±

    Raeleigh really could not recall a girl named Louisa in the orphanage.

    Jepherson thought about it and said, ¡°Could it be that she changed her name after she grew up?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°We don¡¯t know that.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm.¡±

    Jepherson closed his eyes, looking exhausted. Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to disturb him, so she didn¡¯t say anything more.

    However, a few minutester, Jepherson opened his eyes again and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°She has a strange aura around her.¡±

    ¡°A strange aura?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him with oddity, but he had already gone back to sleep. Raeleigh got up and went to check on Santiago.

    Santiago quickly closed his eyes, but she didn¡¯t buy that he had fallen asleep. There was no way he¡¯d fall asleep when she was talking to Jepherson.

    Considering that Jepherson was resting, she sat in a corner without a word.

    She looked up at the grey sky as she recalled the fire in the orphanage. The memory had already been lost on her. All she knew was that there was a massive fire, and people were running around and screaming.

    Everyone was dead.

    Raeleigh buried her face in her hands. The past still haunted her mind, and her head ached every time she thought of it.

    Feeling stuffy inside the ward, she went outside. After she left, Santiago opened his eyes, then fumbled his phone and called Jacky, ¡°Are you nearby?¡±

    When Raeleigh heard Santiago¡¯s voice, she turned around and opened the door, only to see him on the phone. She stood at the door with a forced smile. ¡°I thought you were asleep?¡±

    Santiago chuckled awkwardly. ¡°I was, but you opened the door and woke me up.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying it¡¯s my fault?¡± Raeleigh was in a bad mood. After closing the door, she strode into the ward and fell silent after sitting down. Santiago called her, but she did not answer, only staring out the window.

    Raeleigh closed her eyes as she recalled the past, her face drained of color, even her breathing grew erratic. Santiago nced at Jepherson as he got up from bed. Jepherson put on his shoes and walked toward Raeleigh, wanting to touch her, but her eyes slowly opened. Sweating profusely, she wrapped her arms around Jepherson.

    Jepherson shuddered and hugged her back. He patted her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t try to recall the past; you¡¯ll only be reliving the terrible moment.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to, nor would I like to, but I can¡¯t help it,¡± she replied.

    Jepherson bent down to pick her up and carried her to the bed. Putting her down, he pinched her face, then sat down after tucking her. ¡°Close your eyes; I¡¯ll tell you a story,¡± he said as he patted her.

    Raeleigh closed her eyes as she listened to Jepherson¡¯s soothing voice, then gradually fell asleep.

 Chapter 1453 Xanthusâ€™s Disappearance

    After Raeleigh had fallen asleep, Jepherson nced at Santiago. He was lying on the bed soundlessly, eyes closed but still awake.

    Jepherson returned to the bed andy down beside Raeleigh. He looked at Santiago and muttered, ¡°I¡¯ve already promised Colston that I won¡¯t make things difficult for him. In the meantime, focus on helping Jacky and build up your reputation as fast as possible. We can wait, but Deanna can¡¯t.¡±

    Santiago asked, his eyes still closed, ¡°To what extent?¡±

    Jepherson hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°Start with the entrance. Someone has to watch over the several strongholds in Capital City; we must control the voices of the citizens in the capital.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    Santiago narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Why did Grandma suddenly be so open-minded?¡±

    ¡°Grandpa has assumed responsibility for everything that happened that time. Since he does not wish for us to speak to Grandma about this, I believe he has his way of dealing with her.¡±

    Jepherson was well aware Raeleigh¡¯s abduction was all but simple.

    ¡°So, what are you going to do?¡± Santiago looked up at his brother, and Jepherson immediately replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but I believe the truth wille out one day.¡±

    ¡°Says Captain Obvious. Anyway, I¡¯m tired; she has been nagging at me the whole day. She¡¯s relentless. Heed my words, never offend a woman.¡±

    Santiago kicked the nket and pulled it over his chest with his free hand. Then, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh woke up in Jepherson¡¯s arms. When she tried to move, he opened his eyes and made space for her. Then, she turned around to look at him.

    Raeleigh smoothed her hair and sat up on the bed. Seeing it was already dark outside, she went to prepare dinner.

    Jepherson and Santiago remained asleep until dinner was ready. They got up when Raeleigh was serving dinner.

    Jepherson ate on his own, whereas Santiago waited for Raeleigh to feed him.

    Later, Jacky arrived. Santiago invited him to join them for dinner, but he refused, saying he had already eaten and only sat for a while.

    After dinner, Jepherson stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get going. I have something to attend to.¡±

    ¡°Put a jacket on.¡±

    Raeleigh reminded Jepherson as she sent him off. The two of them walked along the corridorfor a whilebeforeJepherson entered the elevator. ¡°What are you doing every night? Why do you always go out at this hour?¡±Raeleigh asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s men¡¯s business.¡±

    Then the door of the elevator closed, and he left.

    Raeleigh stood in the corridor for a while before returning to the ward. When she saw Santiago and Jacky chatting, she decided to sit outside instead.

    In the end, she dozed off.

    When Raeleigh finally woke up, she saw Santiago sitting outside and asked in surprise, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here?¡± Santiago¡¯s face was full of amusement as he shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re in a hospital, and I¡¯m a patient. Why wouldn¡¯t I be here?¡±

    Raeleigh was rendered speechless for a while, still groggy from her sleep. She patted her head and looked at Santiago. ¡°Hungry?¡±

    ¡°Dude, I just ate two hours ago.¡± Santiago chuckled. Raeleigh leaned against the wall and squinted her eyes at him, feeling refreshed now.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± She stood up, about to go back. Then, something struck her, and she turned to Santiago. ¡°Where¡¯s Xanthus?¡±

    Santiagowas equally surprised, only remembering about Xanthus then.He took out his phone and called Xanthus, but it went straight to voicemail.

    He looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°He turned off his phone.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Ste.¡±

    Raeleigh could only think of Ste. In her opinion, Ste was the only person who would do this.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know that. What happenedst time ended hastily. She will definitely not leave things just like that.¡±

    Santiago got up and made a call to Jepherson, informing him of Xanthus¡¯s disappearance. Then, he called Jacky toe over.

    Raeleigh replied anxiously, ¡°Could it be that he went home?¡±

    Santiago looked at her. ¡°Do you really think so?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Raeleigh thought it didn¡¯t make sense either. If Xanthus had gone home, why wouldn¡¯t he answer the phone?

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and find him,¡± Raeleigh said. But Santiago shouted at her suddenly, ¡°Stop.¡±

    She stopped and turned around, only to see Santiago¡¯s gloomy face.

    ¡°Who said you could leave?¡±

    Raeleigh came back to her senses upon being yelled at by Santiago. She calmed down and frowned.

    Santiago strode to her and said, ¡°Even if something did happen, you still have us.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°If it¡¯s really Ste, I will never let her off the hook.¡±

    ¡°Not bad, you at least have this in you. Consider your life wasted if you don¡¯t even have this mindset. Call Jepherson and ask if he has any news.¡±

    ¡°This is his mess, don¡¯t let him walk around so leisurely.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to follow Santiago¡¯s advice, but she thought he was right to call Jepherson.

    She pulled out her phone and called Jepherson. When the call went through, she immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s about my brother.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already at the hospital¡¯s entrance. Come out.¡±

    Her body froze for a moment before she asked, ¡°You know where Xanthus is?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She turned to look at Santiago with hesitation but still put the phone away in the end and said, ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°Just go.¡± Santiago shed her a reassuring smile and said, ¡°After what happenedst time, nobody in Capital City would dare to touch me.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment, then said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    Santiago watched as Raeleigh headed for the elevator and entered, then looked down at his arm before returning to his ward. He walked a few steps before stopping and raising his head, a frown forming on his face.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Santiago was about to turn around when the man said, ¡°Your killer. You wouldn¡¯t want to turn around.¡±

    ¡°Why would I listen to you?¡±

    Santiago turned around only to find a dead man lying on the ground, his body twitching. He looked around him, and a few men appeared in no time. They immediately said to Santiago, ¡°Mr. Santiago, Mr. Jepherson told us to protect you.¡±

    ¡°You killed him?¡± Santiago was somewhat taken aback, baffled at the fact that there was someone who could kill in a matter of seconds.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t us; he was already on the ground when we came. It isn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Does it look like it?¡± Santiago red at the man who spoke, then walked over and kicked the dead man¡¯s head, trying to see his face.

    He looked ordinary. Santiago turned to look elsewhere. After wiping his shoes, he returned to his ward, ordering one of the men to lock down the entire building as he walked.

    He wanted to see if he could find the person who killed the man.

    Aftering out of the hospital, Raeleigh quickly got into the car only to see Jepherson putting his phone down.

    ¡°Who was that?¡± Raeleigh asked. Jepherson nced at the hospital and said, ¡°A bodyguard.¡±

    ¡°Is it¡­ ¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Jepherson stopped Raeleigh before she could finish her words. Some things were better left unsaid.

    Of course, she knew what was going on.

    As the car drove off, she asked immediately, ¡°What in the world is going on?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you get there.¡±

    Jepherson held her hand, his eyes glued to the road, driving at full speed until they arrived at Ste¡¯s ce.

    Ste¡¯s subordinate came out of the house and stood at the door to wee Raeleigh and Jepherson. They greeted them politely and invited them in.

 Chapter 1454 Couldnâ€™t Help but Burst into Tears

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Miss Raeleigh.¡±

    A young man greeted Jepherson and Raeleigh politely, then led them into Ste¡¯s residence.

    Raeleigh looked around and thought Ste¡¯s home was unique.

    As soon as they entered the house, the young man said, ¡°Please wait for a moment, Mr. Richards, Miss Raeleigh. I¡¯ll go and inform of your arrival.¡±

    The young man entered a room, then came out shortly.

    He said to Jepherson and Raeleigh, ¡°Miss Doyle invites you toe in.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Jepherson strode into the room. Although the curtains had shielded the interior from external light, it was brightly lit.

    Raeleigh¡¯s first thought was that the room was spacious. Then, she noticed the crystal chandelier in the room and thought they looked extravagant.

    She was not only good at designing cars but also had some experience in interior design.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Ste¡¯s house was a multi-story building; it had at least three floors. To ordinary designers, no matter how creative their designs were, they rarely broke the rules of separating each floor.

    However, Ste¡¯s house was different; all three floors of her house were one.

    Usually, such a design would seem jarring. But in Raeleigh¡¯s opinion, this house was an exception.

    Raeleigh stared at the crystal chandelier, which dangled from the top floor¡¯s ceiling to just above the bed in Ste¡¯s room. It was at least two and a half meters away from the ground, and this was the ground floor¡¯s height.

    She believed that no one except Ste,who had an unconventional sense of style, coulde up with this design.

    While Raeleigh was in college, one of her professors mentioned a few taboos of interior design. Theoretically, they should tailor the design ording to the clients¡¯ preferences. However, there were still a few standards to follow, especially bedrooms. For instance, they should avoid installing chandeliers in a bedroom.

    Although Raeleigh knew these were only theories her professor had taught in ss, she believed others would agree they were correct.

    However, Ste, a qualified designer, had broken the taboo and designed her house this way. Raeleigh wondered what she was trying to prove.

    Raeleigh calmed herself down after entering the room, then looked straight at Ste. She was lying in bed, and her face lit up the moment she saw Jepherson but turned serious again in a matter of seconds.

    It wasn¡¯t that Raeleigh didn¡¯t notice it, but she was here for someone.

    So she said nothing.

    ¡°Jepherson, Raeleigh, you¡¯re here!¡±

    Ste sat up when she saw the two of them. Raeleigh stood still, silent.

    Jepherson, on the other hand, didn¡¯t think much of it, only asking indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m here to look for someone. I wonder if he¡¯s here?¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about Dr. Osteen?¡± Ste asked, then nced at Raeleigh. ¡°Raeleigh must be worried. I did have Dr. Osteen over to check on my health, but I sent him home as soon as we were done. Did you not contact him?¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Ste quietlyas she talked. She knew it was an open warning from her.

    She turned around and walked outside, Jepherson following suit.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Jepherson grabbed Raeleigh¡¯s hand from behind. Raeleigh didn¡¯t shake him away, but she wasn¡¯t in a good mood either. She felt terrible.

    He talked to her, but she didn¡¯t want to speak. They were like a young couple in a fight, none of them willing topromise.

    Raeleigh called Xanthus as soon as she was outside but still couldn¡¯t get through to him.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand with a helpless look on his face and pleaded, ¡°Raeleigh¡­ Please calm down.¡±

    ¡°I am calm. If I weren¡¯t, I would¡¯ve fought her already. Can¡¯t you see she did it on purpose?¡± Raeleigh said as she continued calling Xanthus, but no matter how hard she tried, it went straight to voicemail.

    With that, an epiphany struck her. No one in this worldbut Santiagocould help her.

    However, he was still in the hospital, so she could not ask him for help.

    Raeleigh kept calling a few more times, then finally turned to look at Jepherson and asked, ¡°Tell me, do you believe she did it on purpose?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Jepherson held her hand, unable to answer.

    Raeleigh nced at Ste as she came out of the room in her wheelchair. Raeleigh didn¡¯tsh out but only said, ¡°I see it now. You will always believe in her.¡±

    ¡°Ste is¡­¡±

    ¡°Forget it. I understand. I understand everything, but I just can¡¯t ept the truth. I can¡¯t get over it.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at the car. ¡°Send me back.¡±

    After getting in the car, her gaze fixed on one side as she clenched her fists tightly, frustration gnawing at her stomach.

    She knew that Ste was trying to drive a wedge between her and Jepherson, and she was also aware that these were all Ste¡¯s tricks. If she believed it, she would fall into her trap, and Ste would get what she wanted.

    But she was only an ordinary woman. How could she not be angry encountering such a thing?

    Raeleigh clenched her hands tightly. She wouldn¡¯t even mind if Jepherson lied and said he didn¡¯t believe Ste.

    But why did he trust Ste but not her?

    She thought if Jepherson were an ounce like Santiago, she wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this.

    Jepherson followed Raeleigh inside. The driver shut the door and got into the car. Then, Jepherson ordered, ¡°Go to Xanthus¡¯s ce.¡±

    The driver started the engine and slowly drove away.

    While they were on the road, Raeleigh gripped her phone tightly and tried to calm herself down. She waited for Xanthus to call, but he never did.

    Jepherson tried talking to her a few times, but she ignored him.

    She even refused when Jepherson reached out to hold her hand.

    When the car finally arrived at its destination, Raeleigh hurriedly looked outside. She grew anxious when she noticed that the garage was empty, then quickly opened the door and got out before the driver could help.

    She marched toward the house, then opened the door and went in. However, she did not see Xanthus. She rushed to the bedroom, hoping that Xanthus would show up soon. She prayed that the room remained dark because the power was interrupted.

    She pushed open the door and went inside, then switched on the light. There was no one in it.

    Jepherson hugged Raeleigh at the door. ¡°Raeleigh¡­ calm down.¡±

    Raeleigh shoved Jepherson away, her eyes full of pain. ¡°Is calm down all you know to say? There¡¯s nothing in the world that you can¡¯t do, but why do you turn into another person when ites to Ste and me?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ Xanthus is fine. He¡¯s just not back yet. If something happens to him, I¡¯ll know.¡±

    Jepherson said with a straight face. She shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to find him. Don¡¯t try to stop me.¡±

    Raeleigh pushed Jepherson away in a rage, then left the house. Just as she was about to head out, a ck car pulled up at the gate of the vi. The car door opened, and a man got out.

    Xanthus got out of the car, holding a shirt in his hand, looking as usual. Then, he nced at the man opening the door for him and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The man nodded to Xanthus, then returned to the car and drove away shortly.

    Raeleigh stopped in her tracks and stared at Xanthus. He looked up at Raeleigh, his eyes as gentle as always, shing her a smile as he walked to her.

    Raeleigh rushed to Xanthus and sized him up. ¡°Did they hurt you?¡±

    Xanthus shook his head and pulled Raeleigh into an embrace. She threw herself into his arms and could not help but burst into tears.

 Chapter 1455 Drugged

    When Xanthus saw Raeleigh crying, he held her even tighter and looked sharply at Jepherson, who had his gaze at the sibling.

    Jepherson walked to them and said, ¡°This is my fault.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a little tired today. Mr. Richards, please go back.¡±

    Xanthus patted Raeleigh as he continued ring daggers at Jepherson. Jepherson nced at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°Please leave. I need to calm down.¡± Raeleigh turned around and looked at Jepherson. She really needed to calm down; if it went on, she¡¯d break down.

    Jepherson frowned and looked at Xanthus. ¡°Help me take care of her.¡±

    Then, he walked past them and entered his car.

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson¡¯s retreating figure, and her heart sank. He kept telling her how important trust was, and he promised that no matter what happened, he would always protect their rtionship. But¡­

    Why did he always make her worry?

    She watched the car leave, then looked up at Xanthus. ¡°Are you alright? Did Ste hurt you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that serious. I only went to treat Ste; I had to check on her illness.¡± To ease her worries, he did not tell the truth. He held her as the two of them walked into the house.

    Raeleigh doubted his words. How could someone like Ste not do anything to him?

    When the two of them entered the house, Xanthus told Raeleigh he hadn¡¯t had dinner yet, and he requested her to cook some food while he went to take a shower.

    Raeleigh obeyed and went to make dinner. She finished cooking before Xanthus came back, so she went up to his room. When she was about to knock on the door, she heard Xanthus talking to someone over the phone.

    He was talking about performing a full-body examination or something.

    Raeleigh frowned and knocked at the door, ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ming.¡± Xanthus hung up the phone and came out of the room, then turned to Raeleigh and asked, ¡°When did youe?¡±

    ¡°When you were on the phone.¡± Raeleigh stared at him, wondering if he was hiding something from her.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you knock earlier? I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Xanthus ruffled her hair and headed downstairs, Raeleigh following suit. The two went to the kitchen. Raeleigh served the food for Xanthus, and he sat down and ate leisurely. Raeleigh sat opposite him and looked at him. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Xanthus nced at her and said, ¡°What will you do if I tell you something has happened to me?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°I will not let Ste off the hook.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you let her off the hook or not. Besides, you¡¯re not that kind of person, are you?¡± Xanthus knew her well.

    Raeleigh said nothing, but she was visibly upset.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing a full-body examination tomorrow; you¡¯ll know when the resultse out.¡± Xanthus stared at the food in front of him and took a bite, feeling a little nauseous.

    ¡°What on earth is going on?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Xanthus did not want Raeleigh to lose sleep over his matter, but she seemed to be worried sick already.

    After eating, Xanthus stood up and motioned for Raeleigh to join him on the sofa to watch TV. Otherwise, Raeleigh would not be able to rest if they separated.

    The two of them sat down, and Xanthus asked, ¡°What would you like to watch?¡±

    Raeleigh exhaled a murky breath. ¡°Animal World.¡±

    Xanthus turned on the TV and turned to the channel. The two of them watched in silence.

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus from time to time; his eyes were glued to the TV. When she stared at him again, he pulled her into his arms, letting her head rest against his chest.

    As they¡¯d nap on the sofa, there was always a throw. Xanthus pulled the throw over their bodies and hugged Raeleigh while saying, ¡°I¡¯m not saying that this isn¡¯t serious, but I don¡¯t want you to hear the process.¡±

    ¡°Some things might sound cruel, but the real experience may not be so scary!¡±

    Raeleigh became a little absent-minded upon hearing Xanthus¡¯s words. She wiped away the tears off her face, then leaned into Xanthus¡¯s arms, not saying a word.

    He continued, ¡°There are many things we can¡¯t change; you shouldn¡¯t me Jepherson. Although I¡¯m also angry about this, it¡¯s wrong to vent our anger on him.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t vent my anger on him. I just can¡¯t ept it.¡± Raeleigh sniffled.

    Xanthus smiled and said, ¡°A woman like Ste, I believe even if we don¡¯t go to her, someone will.¡±

    ¡°She brought them upon herself, and she deserves it.¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t end well.¡±

    ¡°You keep saying that, but don¡¯t you think you¡¯re lying to yourself?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus suspiciously. His lips were a little pale, and his face seemed sallow; he looked miserable.

    Raeleigh immediately sat up to check on him. She ced her hand on his head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, I just feel a little ufortable. Trust me; I¡¯m a doctor; no one knows my body better than me.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°Do you want me to get you some water?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll get some rest.¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s breaths grew weak, and Raeleigh instinctively held his hand in hers.

    ¡°It¡¯s sure nice to have a sister!¡±Xanthus looked down at their joined hands and smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault. If it weren¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t be like this.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were red, and tears flowed down her cheeks as she spoke.

    Wiping the tears off her face, he coaxed, ¡°Don¡¯t cry; you¡¯re not a child anymore. I¡¯m only feeling a little ufortable; I¡¯ll be fine tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to the hospital now.¡± Raeleigh stood up, but Xanthus pulled her back down. As she looked at him, she felt her heart threatening to fall apart.

    ¡°Listen to me. I¡¯ll make it through tonight. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Raeleigh sat down and stared at Xanthus. ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I only ate something I shouldn¡¯t have. My temperature may fluctuate in a bit. Remember, leave me be, and don¡¯t give me water nor try to cool me down. Ignore everything that happens to me. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Xanthus instructed Raeleigh. Feeling the sweat on his palm, she lowered her head to look at it.

    ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± she asked, but Xanthus only said, ¡°Be a good girl and don¡¯t ask.¡±

    Raeleigh kept her emotions in check and said nothing.

    Xanthus¡¯s breathing grew morebored, and his heart was palpitating; however, he was visibly weak. She could tell he was really not himself.

    The sick man lying on the sofa was no longer the usually handsome, suave Xanthus.

    An idea came to her; Xanthus was dying.

    ¡°Should I call for help?¡±

    ¡°No. I can get through this. You only need to stay with me.¡± Xanthus loosened his grip on her hand and leaned against the sofa, keeping his chin lifted and his eyes closed. His breathing grew heavier by the minute, and sweat trickled from his blotchy neck down to his body. Raeleigh immediately wiped him down with a tissue. Xanthus shut his eyes tightly and gasped for air as he held on to the throw.

    Raeleigh cried as she wiped the sweat off Xanthus¡¯s body, thinking of a way to help him.

 Chapter 1456 Stop Crying

    Xanthus opened his eyes slowly and forced a smile at Raeleigh when he heard her crying. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. You don¡¯t look pretty anymore when you cry.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t. I won¡¯t cry.¡± Raeleigh said but cried even louder.

    Xanthus clenched his teeth, and his breathing became even more rapid as he said with great difficulty, ¡°I might not recover if you keep on crying but will be better if you stop.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at him and wiped the tears from her face hard, forcing her tears back.

    Seeing that she stopped crying, Xanthus closed his eyes and recalled the incident, trying to divert his attention.

    Raeleigh kept wiping Xanthus¡¯s sweat but suddenly stopped and uncovered the throw from his body. She unbuttoned his shirt and realized his torso was covered with rashes.

    Her face nched as she grew frightened. She took off Xanthus¡¯s shirt, only to find his body slick with sweat as if he was in a shower.

    Rashesthat looked like tiny grainsspread all over his skin.

    Her gaze trailed down to his lower torso; the rashes had already spread to his waist just above the trousers. She believed even her lower limbs were covered with it.

    Xanthus opened his eyes weakly. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a reaction.¡±

    Raeleigh stood there, dumbfounded. ¡°I will not let her get away with this.¡±

    Their eyes met. After a long time, Xanthus gasped and said, ¡°If you get angry, you lose.¡±

    Tears gathered in Raeleigh¡¯s eyes; she did not let them fall but wiped away forcefully instead. Then, she took out her phone and called Jacky.

    ¡°Come to my house and bring a reliable doctor with you. One that knows everything.¡±

    Raeleigh gritted her teeth as she put down her phone, then sat down and covered Xanthus with the throw.

    Jacky hung up the phone and looked at Santiago. ¡°Looks like something happened. Her tone doesn¡¯t sound right.¡±

    Santiago was lying in bed, waiting for Raeleigh to return; he couldn¡¯t rest if she didn¡¯te back. When Jacky answered the phone, he was confused and wondered why she called Jacky.

    Upon hearing his words, Santiago immediately stood up.

    Jacky followed behind as Santiago went to grab his shirt. Jacky helped drape it over him.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Did you bring cigarettes?¡± Santiago asked.

    Jacky pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one for him, and brought it to his mouth. He bit down on it, then walked toward the door.

    The two of them headed straight to the elevator. After entering, Santiago leaned against the wall and took a drag on his cigarette before removing it from his mouth as he closed his eyes.

    Shortly, they came out of the elevator,Jacky leading the way. They left the hospital together hurriedly, moving like a gust of wind.

    Outside, the snow was falling. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re fine?¡± Jacky asked Santiago.

    Santiago¡¯s arm was in bandages, and he was wearing a sling. Thus, he couldn¡¯t move his arms. He had been wearing only the sling while he was in the ward; it looked just like a bulletproof jacket but only provided tension and confinement.

    He couldn¡¯t move his arms at all while wearing the sling, and he couldn¡¯t put on his clothes either.

    It didn¡¯t bother Santiago when he wore the sling inside the ward. After all, it was warm in there, but now that they were outside, it was different.

    Jacky was worried that Santiago¡¯s body was still weak after the injury. His wounds had yet to heal, and if he fell ill, it wouldplicate the situation.

    Santiago sneered. ¡°Go look for a doctor.¡±

    He flicked the cigarette butt between his fingertips into the air, and it drew an arc in the night sky beforending on the ground. Then, he pulled open the car door and sat inside.

    Jacky looked at Santiago, curiosity rising in his heart. He thought Santiago looked just like a falcon hunting in the night. Only falcons were so wild and untamed.

    After getting in the car, he drove towards Raeleigh¡¯s ce. At the same time, he called his men to send their doctor out.

    At that moment, Jacky¡¯s car travelled at a speed faster than a rocket.

    ¡­

    Jepherson was stunned after receiving the call. ¡°Santiago is heading to Raeleigh¡¯s ce?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    ¡°Make sure he¡¯s safe.¡±

    ¡°What about Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°I know what to do.¡±

    Jepherson hung up the phone and got out of bed as he recalled the moment when he left Raeleigh. He couldn¡¯t think of anything suspicious.

    Something had happened to Xanthus then.

    Jepherson squinted, his expression as cold as a de.

    He sat back down on his bed but did not make any further moves.

    ¡­

    After they arrived at Raeleigh¡¯s ce, Jacky opened the car door, and Santiago got out with a shirt draped over his shoulders, braving the snow. Santiago knocked on the door and went in.

    Raeleigh was a little surprised to see him. Her body was soaking wet from the sweat, and her hair was a mess.

    Raeleigh swallowed as if she had finally met her savior. However, she did not forget about Santiago¡¯s injury and nced at his shoulder.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing your shirt?¡± Raeleigh asked, still sobbing. Santiago nced at her sharply and wiped her tears. ¡°You good-for-nothing. Why are you crying?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips, swallowed her tears, then walked inside quickly, Santiago and Jacky following closely behind. When they were inside, Raeleigh turned around to face them.

    Santiago stared at Xanthus. Heid motionless on the sofa as if he was dead, but he was still panting.

    His face was a little red; it seemed like he had a rash.

    But he was drenched in sweat. He didn¡¯t look alright at all, and his arms would twitch from time to time.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Santiago asked.

    Raeleigh bent down and pulled the throw away, revealing Xanthus¡¯s naked torso to Santiago and Jacky. The atmosphere in the room grew tense in an instant.

    Santiago¡¯s face turned cold. ¡°Who did it?¡±

    ¡°Ste,¡±Raeleigh gritted her teeth and said.

    Then, she began to cry as her hands worked non-stop to wipe the sweat off Xanthus¡¯s body.

    Santiago nced at Jacky. ¡°Have you seen a person after they ingested meth?¡±

    Jacky walked over to Xanthus and lowered his head to check on him. ¡°An excessive intake of meth must have caused this.¡±

    ¡°Meth?¡± Raeleigh stared at her dying brother in disbelief.

    Santiago also went to Xanthus and crouched down to look at him. ¡°Xanthus.¡±

    Xanthus didn¡¯t respond, and Raeleigh was heartbroken. She clutched the throw tightly in her hands. He had been unresponsive since she called Jacky; she couldn¡¯t wake him up no matter how hard she tried. She didn¡¯t know what had happened, and she wasn¡¯t sure if she should call for help.

    ¡°Xanthus,¡± Santiago called again.

    Xanthus still did not answer but suddenly nced at Raeleigh and shouted, ¡°Stop crying!¡±

    Raeleigh shuddered in fear and dropped the throw onto the ground.

    Santiago¡¯s face fell instantly, ring daggers at Xanthus. Xanthus frowned in effort and finally opened his turbid eyes.

 Chapter 1457 Unable to Feel Happy

    ¡°You¡­ Why did you yell at her?¡± Xanthus growled. Santiago let out a sigh and asked, ¡°How much did you take?¡±

    Santiago was done making Xanthus talk at this point. Since Xanthus was conscious, he could probably make it through.

    However, Xanthus was upset, refusing to speak.

    Raeleigh moved to sit beside Xanthus and squeezed his hand. ¡°Say it.¡±

    ¡°Sixty grams,¡±Xanthus replied weakly.

    Santiago looked at Jacky. Then, Jacky said, ¡°Meth cannot be consumed directly but with water. Did you swallow directly?¡±

    Xanthus nodded, and Jacky continued, ¡°Thirty grams can already cause poisoning, and even enough to cause a fatal overdose, let alone to ingest sixty and to swallow directly at that.¡±

    ¡°What should we do?¡±

    ¡°I can make it through.¡± Xanthus gripped Raeleigh¡¯s hand tightly. She looked at him, holding back her tears.

    Santiago stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡±

    Xanthus shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯m a doctor; ingesting meth is against thew.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean you should risk your life over it,¡± Santiago said.

    Xanthus insisted, ¡°I¡¯m fine; it¡¯s just a reaction. I can make it through. It¡¯s normal to feel ufortable for the first time; I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Santiago turned to Jacky. ¡°What do you suggest?¡±

    ¡°Give him some water.¡±

    With that, he went to the kitchen and poured some cold water into a kettle. Raeleigh hurried over and said, ¡°You can¡¯t give him water. Xanthus said not to.¡±

    Jacky turned around and looked at Raeleigh, ¡°He¡¯ll feel better after drinking water.¡±

    ¡°No, no water.¡±Raeleigh insisted.

    She put down the kettle and returned to Xanthus¡¯s side.

    When Jacky came out of the room, Raeleigh covered Xanthus with the throw and held his hand tightly. ¡°I¡¯m here. You¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    The corners of Xanthus¡¯s mouth curled up into a faint smile. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Jacky opened it to let the doctor from Waverly Vige enter. The doctor greeted Jacky and rushed inside. When he saw Xanthus, he was stunned.

    The doctor pulled the throw away and took a look while Jacky exined Xanthus¡¯s situation to him. The doctor opened his medical kit and took out a syringe, then gave Xanthus an injection.

    ¡°What did you give him?¡± Raeleigh asked nervously. The doctor said, ¡°It¡¯s not an antidote; I¡¯m only giving him epinephro reduce his blood pressure and treat his arrhythmia.¡±

    ¡°But it won¡¯t help much. Fortunately, he has already gone through most of it; he¡¯ll be fine as long as he can hold on for the rest of the night.¡±

    Raeleigh let out a sigh of relief but still dared not let her guard down, holding Xanthus¡¯s hand tightly.

    During the several times Xanthus groaned in pain, Raeleigh turned to the doctor. The doctor exined, ¡°Normally, when patients are in critical danger, the doctors will administer epinephrinewhentheir heartbeat is about to stop, or their pulse grows weak. It helps their heart to beat stronger.¡±

    ¡°His heart is beating strongly now; what he has is arrhythmia, but we can¡¯t keep giving him epinephrine.¡±

    Raeleigh bit her lip and looked at Xanthus. Xanthus opened his eyes slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t feel so ufortable anymore. Rx.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded and wiped his sweat; she had already stopped crying.

    After experiencing such a traumatic event, Raeleigh dared not cry anymore.

    Xanthus looked at the people in front of him as he leaned against Raeleigh motionlesslyif twitching didn¡¯t count.

    Raeleigh sat on the sofa, hugging Xanthus, who was on the verge of death. She closed her eyes and clutched his hand tightly.

    Santiago sat on one side with his head raised and his eyes closed, not wearing a shirt.

    Jacky and the doctor were probably the only ones doing alright then, but it was an agonizing night for every one of them.

    The rashes on Xanthus¡¯s body finally gradually faded as dawn came. Raeleigh had fallen asleep unknowingly, waking up with a start.

    She immediately went to check on Xanthus after she got up. Seeing the rashes were, she was overjoyed, smiling like a child, and did a quick check on his body.

    Xanthus slowly opened his eyes and stared at Raeleigh as she jumped around like a child, then said, ¡°Those who know, know you¡¯re my sister, or they might think you were trying to take advantage of me.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face fell, but when she saw Xanthus¡¯s pale face, her anger dissipated.

    ¡°Do you still feel ufortable anywhere?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I just feel weak. I want to lie down; help me. I may still feel unwell for a couple of days.¡±

    Raeleigh got up and helped Xanthus to lie down, then went to get some water. She nned to help him wash up.

    Santiago saw Raeleigh helping Xanthus and said, ¡°Leave it. Jacky, go and help him wash up.¡±

    If Santiago could move his arms, he would¡¯ve done it himself.

    Jacky bent down and helped Xanthus up, then led him to the bathroom. Raeleigh hurriedly went to stop him. ¡°My brother can¡¯t move around yet; he just recovered. Leave him be.¡±

    The doctor defended, ¡°It would helpremove the toxins from his body if he takes a hot bath and sweats it out.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the doctor, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Based on his condition, it would take at least a week or up to a month for him to recover.¡±

    Raeleigh quickly moved aside upon hearing the doctor¡¯s words and let Jacky help Xanthus take a bath. Meanwhile, Raeleigh went upstairs to find some clean clothes for Xanthus; she searched around and prepared aplete set of clothes for him, sending them to the bathroom.

    Santiago was already at the door as if he knew what Raeleigh was about to do. He stopped Raeleigh outside, then took the clothes from her. He opened the bathroom door and went in to put them down, then came out immediately.

    ¡°What would you like to eat?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Santiago, her mindpletely nk. Eating was thest thing on her mind right then.

    Santiago pulled out his phone and said, ¡°Nine o¡¯clock. Food for five. Well-bnced diet.¡±

    Raeleigh came to her senses and realized that he was ordering takeout, then asked, ¡°Which restaurant?¡±

    ¡°Richards Group Manor.¡±

    Santiago then went back to the room and stared at the doctor. ¡°How are you with cleaning up?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it; I¡¯ll do it. You guys just sit.¡± Raeleigh said.

    While Xanthus was still in the bathroom, Raeleigh cleaned up every corner of the living room. When Xanthus came out from the bath, she asked him if he wanted to go upstairs; he refused and told her he wanted to watch the TV instead.

    Xanthus kept sweating even when he was lying down, and Raeleigh could never seem to wipe them off.

    Raeleigh asked the doctor about it, and he answered, ¡°It willst for a while. I suggest you take him for an examination, or he may suffer permanent injuries.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Raeleigh had already nned to take Xanthus for a checkup once he had gotten better.

    When the food arrived, Jacky went to open the door and was stunned by the visitors. He turned to look at Santiago, who was lying on the sofa, preparing to eat.

    Sensing Jacky¡¯s gaze from the door, Santiago asked, without even looking at him, ¡°Do I have something on my face?¡±

    Jacky stepped aside, and Jepherson came in with a couple of servants while Raeleigh asked, ¡°Where are we eating?¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    When she raised her head, she saw Jephersoning in, and her face instantly glum. It wasn¡¯t that she was upset but unable to feel happy at all.

 Chapter 1458 Churning Her World into Turmoil

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know this would happen,¡± Jepherson exined when he saw Raeleigh. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t believe him,but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to make any response at all under that given moment.

    Looking at Jepherson, she asked, ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to hear any exnations; they were all useless to her now. She couldn¡¯t even manage a smile now, looking at Xanthus¡¯s current condition.

    Jepherson shook his head. Raeleigh took a look at the two servants who came in; they were here to deliver food to them.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°You can put the food there. Or on the coffee table.¡±

    The servants busied themselves, following Raeleigh¡¯s instructions. She went forward and helped,pletely ignoring Jepherson.

    His gaze lingered at Raeleigh before turning to Xanthus¡¯s pale face. He walked over and asked, ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    Xanthus slowly opened his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m alright now.¡±

    ¡°I will get to the bottom of this.¡±

    Before Xanthus could reply, Raeleigh interrupted, staring at Jepherson, ¡°Don¡¯t bother. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    She took a nce at Xanthus before continuing, ¡°Leave us be for a couple of days.¡±

    Xanthus needed rest and recovery, and Raeleigh didn¡¯t want anything else to happen at this time.

    ¡°Alright, I will definitely get to the bottom of this.¡±

    Jepherson wasn¡¯t taking no for an answer. Raeleigh stared at him,unable tospeak for a while; his insistence didn¡¯t make her feel any better. The reality was right in front of them; anyone with the right mind could tell what had happened. He was no fool, yet he still said such things. What more could she say?

    Since there was nothing she could say, shedecided to leave him be and turned to the others and said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Santiago walked over and sat down with them. He picked up his cutleries and pondered for a while. He was in no shape to eat independently, so he waited for Raeleigh to feed him.

    Raeleigh walked over to him and fed him before eating herself.

    Jacky washed his hands and sat down too, the doctor following suit.

    Jepherson stood by the side like the fifth wheel. He didn¡¯t have the appetite.

    But he still washed his hands and sat beside Raeleigh. He dug in, acting all nonchnt.

    With his head slightly lowered, Jepherson finished the mealdeadpan.

    After Santiago was done, Raeleigh went to feed Xanthus some water. Xanthus refused to eat anything, so she didn¡¯t force him either.

    She only ate after everyone dined,swallowing what her little appetite could take.When she got up to clear the table, the two servants Jepherson brought got down to itbefore Raeleigh could make a move,so she went to apany Xanthus.

    The group sat in the living room, but no one spoke.

    Santiago had his head raised, eyes closed, looking asleep while the others sat for an entire morning.

    In the afternoon,the hospital Santiago was admitted to called Jepherson and said theyhad to schedule a jab, so he got them toe over instead.

    When they arrived, he also requested them to do a checkup on Xanthus.

    ¡°He¡¯s fine now, but he will have to recuperate for some time,¡± the doctor said. Lookingat Xanthus, who was asleep, Jepherson nodded, ¡°Got it.No need toe over again; just send the medication over.¡±

    ¡°But Mr. Santiago still needs his dressings changed. We worry that¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine; someone will see to it. I don¡¯t want anyone else to know about this, especially Dr. Osteen¡¯s case. I hope you understand.¡±

    ¡°Alright, we understand.¡±

    After the doctor left, Jepherson sat back down, having no intention to leave. Raeleigh checked the time; seeing it was getting dark, Raeleigh motioned for him to leave first.

    She didn¡¯t want to see him for the time being, not because she wanted to cut ties, but there were some things she still couldn¡¯t get over. If he only gave his word to investigate after what happened to Xanthus, does it mean their trust was jeopardized?

    He was constantly testing her. If this was another test, she¡¯d rather give up on their rtionship.

    Jepherson did not speak, his eyes fixed on Raeleigh, rendering her speechless. Who was actually at fault here?All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    Just as she was about to say something to shoo him away,hestood up and strode upstairs.

    Stumped, she stared speechlessly at his back as he headed upstairs, wondering what he was trying.

    Almost everyone downstairs turned their heads, including Santiago, staringat Jefferson¡¯s back.

    Watching Jepherson retreat to her room upstairs, Raleigh did not know what to do for a moment.

    Seeing that he wouldn¡¯t leave, she turned to Xanthus only to find him lookingat her. ¡°You should also rest.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not tired.¡±

    ¡°I am. If you don¡¯t rest, I won¡¯t be able to either. I survived the night, and everything¡¯s fine now. Get some rest while you can.¡± Xanthus looked at Santiago, who was sitting on the floor next to him. ¡°Santiago.¡±

    Santiago turned to him. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Go upstairs and rest. Doctor and Jackyas well. Raeleigh will stay here with me.¡±

    Xanthus was growing rather frustrated at the crowd. Plus, he hoped for Raeleigh to get some rest.

    Letting her go upstairs was like sending her to a tiger¡¯s den. It wasn¡¯t that he was selfish, but the incident had gotten him shaken.

    Raeleigh was no match for someone like Ste.

    Ste was a mad dog who would bite at everyone she met. She had a vicious heart; there was no way he could rest assured leaving Raeleigh here.

    Xanthus narrowed his eyes a little, not wanting to say more.

    Santiago nced at Jacky and stood up, goingupstairs with Jacky following right behind. When the doctor saw that he was the only one left, he also followed suit.

    When he got upstairs, Santiago acted as if this was his home and pointed to a door on the side and said, ¡°You¡¯ll sleep there; I¡¯ll get you if something happens.¡±

    Then, Santiago turned Jacky. ¡°You¡¯re with me.¡±

    Pushing the dooropen, Jacky followed him in.

    After everyone went up, Raeleigh tidied up andid down on the other sofa.

    But as soon as sheid down, Xanthus said, ¡°Turn on the TV, will you? See if Animal World is on; we didn¡¯t get to finish it yesterday.¡±

    With that, she got up and switched on the TV. She wasn¡¯t sure whether Xanthus really wanted to watch it, but she did it anyway.

    After watching for a while, Xanthus closed his eyes, beginning to sweat again.Hearing that his breathing didn¡¯t sound quite right, she sat up again. Xanthus clenched his teeth, ¡°Don¡¯t get up; I can¡¯t have a rest when you get up again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a reaction; there is nothing to worry about. I got through yesterday; I¡¯ll be able to do today as well.¡±

    Staring at Xanthus¡¯s pale face, Raeleigh¡¯s heart plummeted, feeling cold all over.

    It felt as if a knife stabbedmercilesslyinto her heart, piercing right through it, putting her on the verge of death. Her entire body was paralyzed, as cold as ice.

    Tears pooled in her eyes, and a drop of it trickled down her face.Afraid that Xanthus would see it,she quickly wiped them away hastily, trying topose herself. She said after a long time, ¡°I¡¯m right here.Call me if you feel any difort.¡±

    Raeleigh plopped back on the sofa and stared at Xanthus. Despite her efforts to sleep, she couldn¡¯t, as if she had taken analeptic. Scenes shed before her like tidal waves, one after the other, of those who died in front of her, churning her world into turmoil.

 Chapter 1459 Threaten

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t sleep a wink. Xanthus¡¯s rapid breathing finally soothed, and he had fallen asleepte at night.Seeing so, she sat up from the sofa,her gaze turning to Animal World ying softly on TV.

    Raeleigh had loved watchingthe program ever since she was a child. Although it was the same few episodes, there were noplex rtionships or ugly lies and deceits.

    Everything seemed so pure and simple. Because of that, she was drawn to it without hesitation.

    Before meeting Jepherson, she had never thought about marriage, let alone falling in love.

    She longed for a simple life. The sort that she could go home to watch TV alone when she was tired, apany her grandmother, take her to see the world, or try new food. That was all.

    She had experienced death once, and she was afraid of going through it once more. However, the current situation had escted way beyond her control. So much so that she didn¡¯t know what to do.

    Her eyes traveled through the empty space in front of her and fixed on the window.

    Getting up quietly, she walked to the window with a throw wrapped around herself, staring at the dark silence outside.

    ¡°Is it true that for as long as she is alive, nothing can ever be certain?¡± A thought drifted inside her.

    Outside the window was a thickyer of fluttering snow. Intrigued at the white night, Raeleigh wanted to go out and have a look, but after a mental struggle, she looked back at Xanthus and gave up.

    After returning to the sofa, Raeleigh sat there in a daze.

    So this was what it was like to havea family. She couldn¡¯t bear to part with him, and her heart ached.

    Seeing Xanthus suffering because of her, there came a moment when shethought how it would be great if he had not found her, if they hadn¡¯t reunited at all.

    Whether she would live or die, it was all up to the heavens.

    ¡­

    Xanthus frowned in his sleep, leading her to sit up anxiously immediately. Was he suffering again?

    After a few seconds,his deeply locked browsgradually rxed, and Raeleigh¡¯s pounding heart eased together with his eyebrows, calming down again.

    If he could continue to sleepfortably, she could finally have a rest too.

    Raeleigh¡¯s mind raced, lying on the sofa, thinking about a lot of things. She felt drowsybut unable to rest at all.

    Near dawn, she heard someone open the door upstairs. Raeleigh opened her eyes and followed the direction, her gaze meetingJepherson, who came down in his changed pajamas.

    She stared for a while but made no response, then closed her eyes.

    Jepherson went directly to Raeleigh and Xanthus. When he arrived in front of Raeleigh, he bent over andscooped Raeleigh right into his arms. Startled, her eyes flew open, and she threw him a furious re.

    But before Raeleigh could yell at him, Jepherson whispered to her at once, ¡°Do you want to wake Xanthus?¡±

    With that, she gnashed her teeth in frustration.She hated that he bullied her like this the most.

    Mad, she pinched at his arm, leading him to frown and look down at her, gritting his teeth.

    The two butt heads; the harder she pinched,the less response Jepherson gave.

    Even when she had no energy left, he still wouldn¡¯t let her go.

    She red at him, waiting for him to release her, only for him to ask,¡°Doesn¡¯t your heart ache to pinch me?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s fingers loosened a little at thatbut did not let go.

    Jepherson was about to leavewith her in his arms when Xanthus asked, sitting on the sofa behind them, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Jepherson paused and turned to look at him. ¡°Raeleigh needs rest. I¡¯ll send her upstairs.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Raeleigh, pour some water for me.¡± Xanthus did not bother to meet his gaze but asked forRaeleigh. She struggled for a moment before finally leaving Jepherson¡¯s arms, then went to pour some water for Xanthus.

    She brought him a ss;instead of drinking, Xanthus had Raeleigh put it downandasked her to lie down as well. Raeleigh nced at Jepherson and did as she was told.

    Unsessful in taking Raeleigh away, Jepherson sat opposite her and said, ¡°Go upstairs and have a rest. I¡¯ll stay here.¡±

    She closed her eyes and said nothing. As a result, the atmosphere in the living room tensed.

    However, she remained motionless; she wasn¡¯t bothered no matter how tense the air became.

    The living room had been pin-drop silent a few hours since then. Raeleigh was restless the entire time. When she asionally opened her eyes to look at Xanthus, she would see Jepherson staring at her with a rather fathomless gaze.

    Amused, she thought,¡°What is up with him? Is it not his fault?¡±

    The night finally passed, and Raeleigh went to check on Xanthus first. Seeing he was asleep, she went to wash up. After checking he was fine when she returned, she intended to make breakfast, but the servants had already done it.

    Since she had nothing to do, she went upstairs and asked the others toe down and have breakfast together.

    Raeleigh asked Xanthus, ¡°Do you want me to feed you?¡±

    Xanthus managed to sleep through the night.¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic; I¡¯m fine,¡± he said as he sat up from the sofa. Their coffee table had turned into the dining table; Xanthus wouldn¡¯t have to move around to eat.

    Raleigh got a wet towel to wipe Xanthus down. Holding the spoon, Xanthus¡¯s hand was still shaky,but he did not look up. The initial bite felt bitter, and hefrowned. Raeleigh asked worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Xanthus chewed and looked at her calmly, responding. ¡°Nothing;it¡¯s just a normal reaction.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, I¡¯ll make something else for you.¡± Raeleigh intended to prepare something for Xanthus, but heshook his head, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll drink some soup first; I need to regain all the energy I lost these past two days.¡±

    Raeleigh was upied with attending to Xanthus, so she neglected Santiago. Holding the spoon and looking at his locked arms, Santiago only barely managed to eat.

    It wasn¡¯t until Xanthus finished half of the meal that she finally remembered Santiago and went to help him. As a result, after everyone had eaten, she still hadn¡¯t.

    Raeleigh sat down, intending to eat atst, butJepherson took away all that was in front of her, not giving her a chance to eat. Looking over, he had already stood up and walked to the kitchen as he put on an apron, still in his pajamas, to make her some porridge.

    Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t eat it, so Jepherson suggested, ¡°I¡¯ll feed you.¡±

    She wanted to leave when he pulled her into his arms. ¡°They¡¯re all my people.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and glowered at him. ¡°Is it fun to threaten me?¡±

    Jepherson snorted. ¡°It will be if you don¡¯t eat.¡±

    After releasing Raeleigh, Jepherson brought her to the bowl of porridge and took a spoonful to feed her. She purposefully didn¡¯t want to eat, but it was not the time to quarrel. Plus, he made the food himself, so she still parted her lips in the end.

    After taking a bite, Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Why is it salty?¡±

    ¡°Will you be able to swallow if it¡¯s tasteless?¡± Jepherson continued to feed her, but she tried to take it from him.¡°I¡¯ll eat it myself.¡±

    Although reluctant,he still handed her the bowl, reminding her, ¡°It¡¯s hot.¡±

    She turned to sit away from him, eating the porridge bit by bit. She could still manage to swallow since the porridge was salty; as Jepherson said, it would be inedible tasteless.

 Chapter 1460 Seeing Them as Sisters

    Seeing that Raeleigh was finally eating, Jepherson put the apron aside and walked out.

    Xanthus was still lying on the sofa, but his condition was visibly better now, while Santiago was the opposite.

    ¡°Go back to the hospital.¡± Jepherson was serious about it, looking grim.Santiago was not afraid of him, but he did not refute either.

    ¡°You stay with Santiago. I¡¯ll take care of things here.¡±

    Jepherson said to Jacky, even dismissing the doctor.

    When Raeleigh came out of the kitchen, Santiago, Jacky, and the doctor had already left. Even the servants had gone back to the manor. It was quiet in the living room; the TV was on, and Jepherson was watching it with Xanthus.

    Raeleigh walked to the middle of the hall and nced at the living room before turning to the door.

    At the door, several pairs of shoes have disappeared.

    ¡°Santiago¡¯s gone?¡± Raeleigh came back and asked Jepherson. He looked up at her, answering, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Raeleigh sat down and said nothing more.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    As a result, this situation persisted for the next few daysuntil Xanthus nearly recovered, able to walk around and eat.

    However, Jepherson had ordered someone to do grocery shopping in the past few days, so Raeleigh only had to cook while two men watched TV. Jepherson would asionally help clean up.

    The weather was good that day, so Xanthus nned to go out for a walk. Seeing him putting on a coat, she immediately stopped him.

    ¡°It¡¯s too cold outside; wait untilyou¡¯ve recovered.¡± Raeleigh stood in front of Xanthus like a mother nagging a child, afraid of what he would do.

    Ruffling her hair, he assured her,¡°I¡¯m already fine.Don¡¯t be so dramatic.¡±

    ¡°At least wait for a sunny day. Do you know how cold is it outside?¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon, it¡¯s not at all. Let¡¯s go out and see for ourselves. We¡¯lle back if it¡¯s cold.¡±

    With that, he walked past her to the door. Seeing she couldn¡¯t stop him, she followed right behind.

    Out the door, Xanthus took a look behind; Jepherson remained in the house. Hewrapped an arm around Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll leave in a few days.¡±

    She raised her head and looked at him. ¡°We¡¯re leaving?¡±

    ¡°I will get awyer to draft an severance letter for you. No matter how muchpensation is needed, we will give them the money.

    ¡°I gave it some thought. With the severance, there are only two possibilities for you. One is that you¡¯ll be a sensation and world-renownedpanies will fight to hire you, while the other is that your reputation will be ruined and noone wille to you again.¡±

    ¡°But with our family¡¯s ability, we will announce you are our long-lost family after youe home.¡±

    ¡°As long as we leave this ce, Marissa and the others cannot bother us.¡±

    ¡°There will be nothing to worry about regarding our reunion then.¡±

    ¡°This way, you will have a new identity and new name. The public will pay attention to your new identity, and your old life will not exist.¡±

    ¡°As for your future, it won¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a while and looked inside the vi. Though Jepherson did note out, Raeleigh knew he was at the door, staring at her with his profound eyes.

    ¡°I get it. We¡¯ll do as you say.¡±

    It was all she could do at that point. Even if it was not for herself, she had to do it for Xanthus. She was afraid something would continue to happen to him if she stayed.

    After making ns, the pair walked around outside, only returning closing at noon.Raeleigh didn¡¯t feel cold butworried that Xanthus was.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a hot shower?¡± Raeleigh suggestedas Xanthus hadn¡¯t taken a shower in the past few days.He sweated buckets, and it was useless for him to change;nothing beat a good shower.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Xanthus headed upstairs, but shewas still worried and went to Jepherson. ¡°Help me take a look, will you?¡±

    ¡°You remember me now?¡± Jepherson huffed at her. He wasn¡¯t targeting anyone, but his cranky selfcouldn¡¯t help having a problem with Raeleigh ignoring him most of the time.

    ¡°I¡¯ll look for someone else then,¡± Raeleigh rolled her eyes, ready to make a call only for him to snatch her phone and headupstairs.

    Seeing him leave, Raeleigh felt relieved and began to clean up the room.

    The door opened, and Xanthus paused, turningto look at Jepherson, who was taking his dress shirt off as he entered, his eyes indifferent.Halfway, he closed the door and raised a hand to take off his shirt, then put it aside.

    Staring at the half-naked man, Xanthus felt likeughing for a second.

    There were probably only a handful of people in this world who could make Jepherson stoop down.

    If it weren¡¯t for Raeleigh, who else?

    Unfortunately, he was Jepherson, Marissa¡¯s grandson, someone the Doyle family wanted.

    Xanthus quietly took off his clothes and walked to the shower with his back to Jepherson.

    Jepherson stood aside and apanied Xanthus for a shower; neither of them spoke at first. Both their height and body proportions were nearly the same. Other than age,Xanthus really could not think of any merits that he had over him.

    ¡°The Doyle family did have some dealings with the Richards family back then. I¡¯m still working on it. Give me more time.¡±

    The sound of water sshing boomed in their ears. Xanthus wiped his face and moved to the bath.

    Although his ce was not considered glorious, it was decently up-to-par with a five-star hotel.

    The bath was the kind of ce that people would feel hesitant toe out of even if they soaked for a few hours.

    After entering the bath, Xanthus slowly walked to where he could sit. He leaned against it with his hands in front of him as he closed his eyes and cushioned his head on the edge of the bath. Jepherson joined in, sitting opposite him, his bottomless gaze staring at Xanthus¡¯s rather pallid face.

    ¡°If you leave now, you will still be in danger. If this is really Ste¡¯s doing, she will do it again; her mind is already abnormal. Do you really think leaving is the key to solving the problem?¡±

    Xanthus slowly opened his eyes and looked at Jepherson thoughtfully. ¡°You knew Ste is the one pulling the strings behind the scenes all along?¡±

    Jepherson shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t, but I believe Raeleigh is right.¡±

    Xanthus frowned slightly. ¡°You believe in Raeleigh?¡±

    Jepherson hesitated, but his gaze was firm. ¡°Ste¡¯s a childhood friend of mine. In the time when I lost my sister, there were only three girls in my life.Scarlette, Deanna and Ste¡­¡±

    He nced at the bathroom door for some time beforending his gaze back at Xanthus. ¡°You and I are both looking for people. This is a difficult and painful journey, and both of us know this very well.¡±

    ¡°I spent half of my life searching, and it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand. I just don¡¯t want to ept reality, but the reality is extremely cruel.¡±

    ¡°I put these feelings onto people like Scarlette, Deanna, and Ste. No matter what, it¡¯s not wrong for me to regard them as my sisters.¡±

    ¡°Amongst the three of them, Scarlette¡¯s in awe of me; she fears me.¡±

    ¡°Deanna has a kind of affection toward me. Pleasing me, if you will.¡±

    ¡°Only Ste was different. She had no fear nor ingratiation, just being herself. And because of that, I thought she was more real.¡±

    ¡°Time flies, and people change. I¡¯m changing, and so isSte. However,I can¡¯t change the hope I had for Ste when I first saw her.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention¡­¡±

 Chapter 1461 The Person She Couldnâ€™t Recall

    Xanthus was silent the entire time. Jepherson continued, ¡°Not to mention, Ste almost lost her life saving me. I will never forget that.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ll betray your conscience?¡± Xanthus asked, amused.

    Jepherson did not refute but said, ¡°I am very clear about the feelings in my heart. I pour my heart and soul into all my rtionships, just as my love for Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Although what Ste did was wrong, I did not side with her, nor am I blindly being partial. I need to get to the bottom of this and measure the interests involved as well.¡±

    ¡°The Doyle family is no ordinary family. If I make a move on Ste, I would have to consider the Richards family¡¯s future.¡±

    ¡°The Capital City is full of dangers, and I don¡¯t have the confidence to secure the situation. Flynt is in no condition to lead the Moore family, and Colston has taken over. Colston is no simple man; he would negotiate before resolving in brute force. I don¡¯t want to just jump to conclusions.¡±

    ¡°Your rtionships are tooplicated. We can¡¯t handle it.¡± Xanthus said with his eyes still closed.

    ¡°I believe in Raeleigh just as I believe in myself.¡±

    Xanthus opened his eyes and looked at Jepherson. His outline was clear, and his eyes were deep.

    ¡°Since you believe in Raeleigh, why don¡¯t you take any measures? Didn¡¯t you know Raeleigh was worried?¡±

    ¡°I do, but I have to consider the bigger picture.¡±

    Jepherson took a deep breath and closed his eyes a little. ¡°What I¡¯m bearing on my shoulders is the entire Richards family and our allied Whalen family. If my mistake leads to countless sufferings all because of my personal feelings, how am I to face the people who trust in me?¡±

    ¡°The situation has been set in stone with the Doyle family¡¯s invasion and the Moore family taking a step back. Even if I have Jacky by my side, I still have to consider the big picture. After all, the Whalen family isn¡¯t a part of all of this. If the situation gets out of my hands, the Doyle family will join forces with the Moore family. I have to measure the interests involved in this matter and also keep the Doyle family at bay.¡±

    Xanthus was silent for a moment before he concluded, ¡°Those who want to achieve greatness must set aside their personal feelings. Since you¡¯re high up above, why bother yourself with troubles? You¡¯ll be able to free yourself if you let Raeleigh go.¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­¡±

    Jepherson sneered, ¡°I was not born for power. If I can¡¯t even have the woman I want, no matter how much power I have in my life,I¡¯m as good as a walking corpse.¡±

    Xanthus stared at him as he spoke, then stood up and strode out of the bath. He pulled a towel on the side, quickly wrapped it around his waist, and walked toward the door.

    Jepherson stood up and said, ¡°I can still protect you and Raeleigh if you stay. Ste will have to think twice about doing anything with me around.¡±

    ¡°She will hold back, butif you leave Capital City and return to your parents,you two will not be the only ones she targets.¡±

    Xanthus stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Jepherson. ¡°You think too highly of yourself; do you really think the Osteen family can¡¯t withstand a single blow?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I think so, but some people will do anything to achieve their goals while you don¡¯t have such malice.¡±

    Staring at him, Xanthus said,¡°So you know everything.¡±

    ¡°Stay and use me to deter the Doyle family. Even if she makes a move, she won¡¯t dare do it outright. I will take measures and prevent her from having another chance.¡±Jepherson was resolute.

    Fixing his gaze on Jepherson, he said, ¡°Put on your clothes.¡±

    With that, he left the bathroom, and Raeleigh was standing behind the door.

    She wasn¡¯t too surprised to see Xanthus naked. After all, it wasn¡¯t the first time, plus they were siblings.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    In haste, Raeleigh took a towel and draped it over Xanthus. He dried himself with the towel while taking Raeleigh out as Jepherson would being out in a bit.

    Raeleigh went to get some clothes for Xanthus after exiting the room, and Jepherson came out when he was done changing.

    Seeing the siblings, Jepherson also went to put on his clothes, and the three wentdownstairs. Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I¡¯m heading outter;Santiago wille.¡±

    ¡°No, we don¡¯t need to¡­¡±

    ¡°From now on, don¡¯t act rashly. And you¡­¡± Jepherson looked at Xanthus with displeasure. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t gone to Ste, this may not have happened.¡±

    Xanthus did not say anything else, as there was no point in exining when it had been done.

    With Jepherson¡¯s reminder, Raeleigh turned toXanthus with curiosity.

    However, Xanthus did not exin the matter but said instead, ¡°You¡¯re not weed here.¡±

    Stumped, it was the first time she had seen her brother so furious.

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes darkened, and he gritted his teeth. ¡°It¡¯s not up to you whether Ie or not.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson¡­¡±

    ¡°Santiago will be here soon.¡± Jepherson wasn¡¯t angry when he spoke, but Raeleigh thought his attitude wasn¡¯t the best.

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson dazedly.He turned around, took his coat, and left before his hair even dried.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at the closed door, baffled.

    Xanthus said after Jepherson finally left, ¡°Get packing; we¡¯re leaving.¡±

    Raeleigh turned and looked at Xanthus. Although hesitant, she still did as Xanthus said.

    Raeleigh brought two suitcases full of things down as she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize I had so many to pack.¡±

    Xanthus stood up and walked over to help, intending to leave with Raeleigh. But just as they reached the door, Santiago arrived with Jacky.

    Raeleigh opened the door to find Santiago standing behind it. The two suitcases caught his eyes, and he asked with curiosity, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Xanthus answered him before Raeleigh could. Amused, Santiago pushed them back into the house and separated Raeleigh from her suitcases.

    Jacky closed the door and looked at the two people in front of him. Santiago said, ¡°Your urinalysis won¡¯t be able to pass security. Are you nning on putting on a show with Raeleigh by your side?¡±

    Xanthus frowned at that. Santiago continued, ¡°Do you think there wouldn¡¯t be traces of meth in your blood when you¡¯ve taken so much?¡±

    ¡°How long will it remain?¡± Raeleigh looked at Santiago, but he wasn¡¯t sure, so he turned to Jacky. However, Jacky didn¡¯t answer as he was unsure either. But judging from Xanthus¡¯s condition, there should be traces of meth left in his system.

    ¡°Raeleigh, put your luggage aside.¡± Xanthus sat on the sofa, staring sharply at Santiago. Santiago¡¯s arms could move now, and he was well dressed.

    Seeing Xanthus seated, Santiago followed suit, his legs crossed, head looking up as he drummed on both the armrests.¡°There are two things at hand. First, you won¡¯t be able to pass security with the drug in your system. Second, this person¡­¡±

    Santiago pulled a photo out and showed it to Xanthus. It was a picture of a youngdy.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know her,¡± Xanthus said, certain.

    Raeleigh took the photo from him and thought she looked familiar but couldn¡¯t tell where she had seen the girl no matter how hard she recalled.

 Chapter 1462 Think Calmly

    ¡°This is Colston¡¯s wife, Louisa,¡± Santiago said. Jacky also went to take a look at the picture.

    Raeleigh took the photo and sat on the couch, taking a good look at it, asking, ¡°She¡¯s the one that was in the same fire?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s her.¡±

    Santiago had only just gotten the photo from Jepherson.

    Puzzled, Raeleigh asked,¡°She does look a bit familiar. Are they deliberately using her to test us?¡±

    With one leg over his knee, Santiago said, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. If someone knows your past,they will make an issue about this matter. If this is only the Moore family¡¯s doing, it would be easy to deal with.But what¡¯s troubling is that if the Doyle family is involved as well.¡±

    Unable toprehend, Raeleigh asked, ¡°What does it have to do with the Doyle family?¡±

    ¡°The Doyle family is a jewelry merchant. They dabbled in various businesses years ago, and one of them involved antique porcin. Jepherson suspects your parents had offended the Doyle family back then.¡±

    ¡°I thought it was your family?¡± Raeleigh asked. Amused, Santiago retorted, ¡°I do like to fight, but you can¡¯t me me for everybody that dies.¡±

    ¡°My grandmother had indeed done some wrong in the past, but no one will know the details if we don¡¯t investigate.¡±

    Silent, Raeleigh looked at Xanthus, who had been silent the entire time and only spoke up a whileter,¡°Since we can¡¯t go anywhere, we¡¯ll have to stay.¡±

    Hearing that, Raeleigh wanted to see this woman named Louisa.

    At four in the afternoon, Raeleigh asked Santiago, ¡°Has the Richards family and the Moore family made up now?¡±

    ¡°Sort of.¡±

    Raeleigh put a bowl of fruits down as she asked; Santiago was watching the TV.Across them, Xanthus was reading a book while Jacky was resting; no one in the room was doing the same thing.

    ¡°I want to meet this Louisa.¡± Raeleigh thought she would be more certain whether Louisa was from the same orphanage as her if she visited the Moore family. If so, she would remember. If not, perhaps this person appeared with a purpose; the Moore family must be nning something.

    Santiago put down the remote and nced at Raeleigh,then stood up and walked toward the door.

    Raeleigh looked back, and Xanthus said, ¡°Following him is more reassuring than following his brother.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment before following Santiago to the door.

    Xanthus obviously had a prejudice against Jepherson, but she didn¡¯t want to exin anything now. After all, Jepherson had indeed handled Xanthus¡¯s incident poorly.

    After getting in Santiago¡¯s car, they headed to the Moore Manor, with Santiago driving. She turned to him and asked, ¡°Is it really okay for us to go there just like this?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll show you around.¡±

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t worried about anything else, but it was unjustifiable now that Cynthia was missing, and the Moore family didn¡¯t ask for Santiago to bring her back when they were the ones who approved of the two.

    When the car arrived at Moore Manor, Santiago got off but told Raeleigh to wait in the car, seeing it was cold outside, and then knocked on the door.

    It didn¡¯t take long for a servant toe out. After asking Santiago¡¯s purpose of visiting, theyhurried back to inform Colston.

    A momentter, Colston came out withLouisa. They greeted each other and invited Santiago to enter.

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Santiago went back to open the car door and helped Raeleigh out.

    Surprised by Raeleigh, Colston and Lousia sized her up unknowingly. Santiago held Raeleigh¡¯s wrist as he stood next to her, and she didn¡¯t shake his hand off, thinking it was better if others misunderstood. He wasn¡¯t afraid, so why should she be? Since she had decided to leave, there was nothing to worry about.

    Moreover, her identity was intriguing. She was sometimes Jepherson¡¯s fianc¨¦e, then sometimes Xanthus¡¯s girlfriend, and now she was standing next to Santiago.

    Since it would only make things moreplicated if she exined, it was better not to; she would leave others to assume.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is?¡± Colston asked, curious, and Santiago said, ¡°She¡¯s my ssmate. I brought her here to let her have a look around.¡±

    ¡°ssmate?¡± Colston naturally didn¡¯t believe Raeleigh and Santiago were just ssmates.

    ¡°Come in then.¡± Colston immediately invited Santiago and Raeleigh in.All this while, Raeleigh had been observing Louisa, and the more she looked at her, the more she felt familiar, especially Louisa¡¯s eyes. But no matter how she couldn¡¯t recall where she had seen her.

    As they walked, Raeleigh took a look around the manor. Although she had often heard of it, it was the first time she visited.

    The manor was indeed different from other ces;Raeleigh was aware.

    After entering the main hall, Raeleigh and Santiago sat down, and Louisa immediately ordered their servants to prepare some refreshments. The four of them then sat down and talked. Halfway through the conversation,Raeleigh asked about Louisa.

    ¡°When were you born? You look about the same age as me.¡± Raeleigh asked.Humored, Louisa replied, ¡°I¡¯m twenty this year, just past my birthday.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Then we¡¯re the same age; I just turned twenty too.¡±

    ¡°My birthday is in March. What about you?¡± Louisa said enthusiastically. Raeleigh thought for a while and answered, ¡°Mine¡¯s August.¡±

    ¡°August¡­ I like August. It¡¯s autumn.¡±

    Raeleigh only replied with a nod, then brought her attention back to the others. Louisa, on the other hand, barely asked about Raeleigh.At around five, they nned to leave, but the couple asked them to stay for dinner, and they only left after that.

    Colston and his wife sent them off personally and didn¡¯t leave until the car drove off.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh sat in the car and looked at the fading figures, carefully recalling the birthdays in March in the orphanage.

    Raeleigh had an acute sense of memory, and she was known for it even back in the orphanage. She remembered everyone¡¯s birthday well, as the days the orphanage wasn¡¯t well off, the children could only eat better when it was someone¡¯s birthday. Moreover, she was also a gluttonous child, so the dates stuck to her.

    If her memory served her right, there were only six who celebrated their birthdays in March.

    One of them was the child who went to the orphanage with her; the girl who cried for three days and more because they changed her name from Brisa to Francia.

    Butcould things be so coincidental? Had Francia survived when she did as well?

    No way.

    She took a nap in the car. When they arrived home, she had a chat with Xanthus before going to rest.

    Over the next few days, Raeleigh¡¯s life finally returned to peace, and she was finally able to sit down and think about her rtionship with Jepherson.

    Raeleigh received a call from Jepherson in the morning, asking her to go to work.She took a nce at Xanthus, who had already recovered, and thought for a moment before refusing. ToRaeleigh, even the most important thing was not as crucial as Xanthus¡¯s health.

 Chapter 1463 No Resentment

    With that in mind, Raeleigh refused Jepherson. Xanthus said, ¡°If you¡¯re not going to thepany, what are your ns?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No ns.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re free, let¡¯s go out for lunch,¡± Xanthus said as he nced at the time. Jacky had been here for some time. Seeing they were heading out for a meal, he nced at Santiago. ¡°Are you going back with me or staying?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m staying,¡± Santiago said as hey on the sofa. He was also a patient; it didn¡¯t matter where he went.

    And just like that, Jacky left. After he was gone, Santiago stood up and looked at Xanthus. ¡°I want to take a shower.¡±

    Xanthus looked at him. ¡°And you want me to help?¡±

    ¡°Am I supposed to ask Raeleigh then?¡± Santiago said, amused. He took off his clothes as he went to the bathroom downstairs, not forgetting to tell Raeleigh, ¡°I need a change of clothes.¡±

    And off she went. With that, Xanthus could only follow Santiago to the bathroom and assist him.

    As Raeleigh took Santiago¡¯s clothes to the bathroom,someone rang the doorbellwhen she was about to knock on the door. She thought it was Jepherson, but the visitor had caught her by surprise when she opened the door.

    Flynt Moore?

    Flynt¡¯s face was pallid, looking ill. She hesitated for a moment before she turned to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

    Xanthus opened the door, wearing a bathrobe.Raeleigh was afraid that it was Santiago, so she didn¡¯t dare look until the door opened and someone spoke.

    Xanthus came out and said, ¡°Leave the clothes at the door. I¡¯ll get themter.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Flynt is here; he is at the door. He didn¡¯t bring anyone with him.¡±

    Xanthus nced at the front door, then back at Santiago, who was still showering. ¡°Alright, we¡¯lle out in a sec.¡±

    He then closed the door and told Santiago. ¡°Flynt¡¯s outside;e out when you¡¯re done.¡±

    Santiago still couldn¡¯t take a bath on his own;it was Xanthus who bathed him.When he heard Flynt hade, heturned around with a cold and arrogant face.

    ¡°Is he here to seek death?¡± Santiago strode out with a towel wrapped around his waist.

    He changed his clothes at the bathroom door and dried his hair as he looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Nervous?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, curious. What happened to his arm?¡±

    The corner of Santiago¡¯s mouth twitched. He thought Jepherson sure was ruthless, but howe no one told him.

    ¡°How would I know?¡± With that, he strode to the front door. Raeleigh hadn¡¯t a clue what he said to Flynt, but he was driven right out in a matter of minutes. By the time she got to the door, Flynt had already returned to his car.

    She stared at Flynt, who never drove off or got out of the car before turning to Santiago by her side, asking,¡°What did you say to him?¡±

    ¡°I told him not toe again.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Raeleigh asked in disbelief.

    ¡°What else do you want me to say?¡±

    Amused, he pulled Raeleigh inside.Closing the door, he nced at Xanthus and went to his room upstairs.

    After closing the door, Santiago went to the window to take a look and called Jepherson.

    ¡°Flynt came.¡±

    Jepherson was in a meeting right then.Hearing Santiago¡¯s words, he raised his hand and motioned for the meeting to stop. He left his seat and strode out to the corridor, stopping at a window, asking,¡°What did he say?¡±

    ¡°He wants to work with us.¡± Santiago drew the curtain and looked at Flynt in the car. He had never seen the driver before; he didn¡¯t look like a local.

    ¡°Work with us?¡±

    Jepherson thought it was amusing.¡°He still wants to work with us when I tore off one of his arms?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what he said, but it didn¡¯t seem like he came for me.¡±

    ¡°Protect Raeleigh and Xanthus;I¡¯ll send more men over to you. You¡¯re still injured; don¡¯t be reckless.¡±

    ¡°I know; I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    After that, Jepherson hung up and made a call to Zorion.

    ¡°Send someone to protect Santiago and Raeleigh. If Flynt dares to take action, don¡¯t hold back.¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    Jepherson put his phone away and turned to look at the people standing not far away. He stepped back into the conference room and continued the meeting.

    Johan had been in a good moodtely. While he was drinking water on his bed, he was informed Elina was at the door.

    Ronard directed his gaze at the door and knew she was here because of Flynt. But seeing the old master now would only be adding fuel to the fire; it was better if she didn¡¯te.

    ¡°Call her in,¡± Johan said, and Ronard went to greet her personally at the door.

    The best thing Elina had done over the years was serving Johan well, leading him to like her because of how she knew when to take a step back.

    For her son, Flynt, to be the head of the house, she had sacrificed a lot. Misfortune even fell upon her two daughters, let alone her own family.

    That alone,even if Flynt had fallen out of favor with Johan, she was still unparalleled as the mistress of the family.

    With Johan still around, Elina could still live in dignity for a few more years.

    Furthermore, he still gave her the respect she deserved.

    When Ronard opened the doorand saw Elina, he greeted,¡°Madam.¡±

    ¡°Greetings, Ronard.¡± Elina was still polite to the butler; she couldn¡¯t vent her anger on others just because she had fallen from power. She had never done so in the past, nor will she in the future.

    Ronard admired her politeness deeply; she sure was someone who had gone through thick and thin. With that alone, she wouldn¡¯t have too hard of a time in the Moore household.

    Although Flynt had fallen from power, it didn¡¯t mean that he had lostpletely.

    In other words, where there is life, there is hope. As long as he was still alive, he¡¯d still have the chance to return.

    ¡°You¡¯re too polite, Madam Elina.Pleasee in. Old Master Johan is waiting for you inside.¡± Ronard stepped aside to let Elina enter. A servant behind her handed her a box before she went in, greeting Johan when she saw him. ¡°Greetings, Old Master Johan. How are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Not too bad. I¡¯ve even had some tonic today. What do you have with you?¡± Johan asked, and Elina presented the box to him. ¡°Some pastries; I made them myself.¡±

    Elina took out the pastries as she spoke and put them on disy. Johan took a look at them before turning to Ronard, who ate a couple. It wasn¡¯t until Johan was sure Ronard was okay that he took a bite.

    He thought it was scrumptious, so he asked Elina about the pastries.

    She then exined how she made them,not mentioning Flynt at all.

    Ronard had been standing aside the whole time. When Elina got ready to leave, she stood up and told Johan to rest well. But Johan called her back after she tooka few steps. ¡°Elina.¡±

    With that, she stopped in her tracksand turned to look at Johan. ¡°Yes, Old Master.¡±

    Johan said, ¡°Flynt will always be the best to me. It¡¯s just that we¡¯re in troubled times, so I have to think of the greater good.¡±

    ¡°I understand. We¡¯ll abide by your orders.¡± Elina said.

    Although she was a little downhearted, there was no resentment.

 Chapter 1464 Does She Have a Reason?

    Johan said, ¡°It pains my heart to see Flynt like this. But now that things hade to this, have him look after our businesses in the countryside. He can recuperate there in the meantime. Tell him toe back when he recovers; I have other arrangements for him.¡±

    Elina was stunned for a moment before she thanked him, ¡°Thank you for thinking of Flynt, Old Master. Our businesses in the countryside are never passed to outsiders; I¡¯m sure Flynt will manage them well and not disappoint you further.¡±

    ¡°Good that you know. You may leave.¡±

    Johan waved his hand, andElina left. With a murderous look hidden in her eyes as she walked.

    That old man, was he getting rid of Flynt now that he was useless to him?

    Elina was eager for the old man¡¯s death.

    However, Elina did not hate Colston. The world waspetitive; one would rise when the other had fallen. But she hadn¡¯t expected this to be the oue when she had not only lost her own family, but misfortune even fell upon her two daughters.

    Therefore, the person who she hated most was Johan.

    After Elina left, Johan looked at the door and said softly, ¡°Why must both exist? If the two brothers from the Richards family didn¡¯t exist, this wouldn¡¯t have happened to Flynt. s, the child can be too strong-willed sometimes; he doesn¡¯t know when to back down. It¡¯s good that he¡¯spetitive, but it wouldn¡¯t do him good if he doesn¡¯t know when to give up.¡±

    ¡°Unlike Colston.¡±

    Johan took family status seriously. If he hadn¡¯t been against vian¡¯s marriage, his son wouldn¡¯t hold a grudge against him and even cut ties with him.

    Ronard agreed, ¡°You¡¯re right, Old Master Johan, but is it really good for Mr. Flynt to go to the countryside in his current state?¡±

    ¡°He is the sessor I raised after all. There¡¯s no way I can seal his fate, can I? Colston is not like Flynt; Flynt is more obedient, but Coulston is even more difficult to deal with, and this Louisa is a headache.¡±

    Ultimately,Johan didn¡¯t like Louisa; he would die with a grievance if Louisa stayed. They were no family who would take in just about anyone, let alone an orphan.

    Moreover, Colston was a nobody in the family, a concubine¡¯s child.What a joke it was to let him actually lead the family.

    Johan was quite careful and had long made ns.

    ¡°Ronard, go and see what Thorin has been doingtely,¡± Johan whispered.

    Receiving his orders, Ronard got busy.

    He returned to Johan with the news, ¡°He¡¯s talking business with someone.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still doing the flower business?¡± Johan asked, and Ronard replied with a yes.Johan recalled what happened a few years ago to Thorin. He was a rather obedient child, but he fell in love with a girl in college, and the two lovebirds nned on getting married. However, Johan broke them up andeven used his connections to send the girl abroad.Unfortunately, the ne crashed, and she died.

    After that, Thorin left home and began working for others. He even said he would nevere back.

    Later, he started a flower business and had yet to return.

    Thorin was the child of the first wife of his second son and the fifth son of his generation.

    His mother passed away at an early age, andhis father remarried, but regardless, he was still the first wife¡¯s son. Moreover, his mother was of a noble family outside of the Capital City.

    Although Johan did not interact with his mother¡¯s family, Thorin kept in touch with them.

    Johan thought Thorin would be an excellent candidate to rule over the family, seeing that his business was doing well and he was brilliant. Given that he was willing to return to the family.

    Ronard suggested, ¡°There¡¯s a family gathering this month. Should I ask Mr. Thorin to return?¡±All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    Johan nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Ronard nodded and left.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to the countryside?¡± Never had Flynt expected this to happen to him when he had broken his back for the family. Johan established the family business in the countryside years ago. Although it was doing alright, it was where their ancestral grave was too. Johan had undoubtedly asked him to look after the grave; it was not a job he would take lying down.

    Elina sat opposite him, drinking tea.

    She looked at the servants to her sides and waved her hand, dismissing them. After they left, she said, ¡°You have to break your back to achieve greatness. Remember, what you have today is exchanged with all you ever had, including your dignity, power, and body.¡±

    ¡°Is it worth it to sacrifice so much for a woman?¡±

    ¡°Look at her now. Do you see even the slightest bit of distress from her?¡±

    Elina only hated two people in the world; one was Johan, and the other was Raeleigh.

    If it weren¡¯t for her, this wouldn¡¯t have happened to her son.

    Flynt¡¯s heart sank when he recalled how Raeleigh had probed into his matter to save Santiago.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep your words in mind, Mother.¡± Elina¡¯s words had been deeply engraved in his heart.

    ¡°Head to the countryside tomorrow then. Do your best. Prepare for two things. One is toe back, and the other is to rise from the ashes. If you want toe back, you must be capable and have subordinates.By then, you can have any woman you want.¡±

    Elina believed her son would be able to bounce back this time.

    Flynt said after a long time, ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep an eye on things here for you. Colston won¡¯t be having thestugh. Although he has some ability, he¡¯s a nobody in the Moore family. Knowing Old Master Johan, he will never allow Colston to take charge of the family, so you still have a chance. But judging the situation, it¡¯s likely he¡¯ll ask Thorin to rule over the family next. I have to keep an eye on all this, so I can¡¯t leave.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to be careful.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Elina had already had ns, so she sent her son out in person.

    After Flynt left for the countryside, she immediately sent someone to the Neurology Department to bring Yanora back and re-train her, preparing to pave the way for Flynt.

    It was already a few dayster when Raeleigh heard about it. She heard it when she was in the same space as Santiago as he talked to Jacky about it.

    ¡°Did you say Yanora is out?¡± Raeleigh put down the fruit and asked. Santiago took a bite of the apple. ¡°Scared?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°Not really, just surprised that Yanora woulde out at this time.¡±

    ¡°Now that Flynt has fallen, he absolutely needs someone who can help him. Plus, they¡¯re siblings; why shouldn¡¯t shee out at this time?¡± Santiagomented as he ate. Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°I was present when Yanora was locked up as a madman; Flynt¡¯s attitude toward her wasplete disdain. With such a rtionship, why would Yanora help?¡±

    Raeleigh was only stating the facts.

    Santiago leaned on one side and shook his legs. ¡°Most stories among the wealthy stemmed from interests.¡±

    ¡°It beats being locked up. What¡¯s more, she loathes you, so she¡¯ll be able to get even with you if she cane out. So tell me, does she have a reason?¡±

 Chapter 1465 Screams

    Raeleigh fell silent for a moment staring at Santiago. ¡°When Yanoraes out, her only n may be to kill me. So no matter what, she would agree to help Flynt.¡±

    ¡°Smart girl.¡± Santiago finished the apple in a couple of bites, threw the core in the trash can, and took another one.

    Raeleigh fell silent for a while and continued,¡°s, misfortune neveres singly. I¡¯ve already got Ste to worry about, and now Yanora¡¯s back in the equation. I guess I won¡¯t have to worry about being bored.¡±

    Amused, Santiagomented, ¡°Sounds like you know what¡¯s good for yourself.¡±

    ¡°People should know their limits, not to mention I¡¯m facing two cunning tigers.¡±

    Raeleigh got up and went upstairs. She was sick and tired of all the chaos she was in, no longer wanting to bother anymore.

    However, she had no choice but to face it as she couldn¡¯t leave at the moment.

    Raeleigh nned to go to work that day as she had to exin something and ask for Lamarre¡¯s whereabouts.

    Raeleigh wanted to know where Lamarre was since New Year¡¯s, but she never got the chance to ask.

    Santiago said that he didn¡¯t know,and she also tried to contact him but failed.

    Jepherson was her only chance left, but she didn¡¯t hold any hope, though she still wanted to try. Since she was going to thepany to exin things, she could ask in the meantime. It would be best if she could find out, but so be it if she couldn¡¯t.

    As she was thinking about this, Raeleigh¡¯s phone rang. As soon as she answered, a sharp scream from a woman came from the phone. It shocked her and made her heart pound.

    Raeleigh tightened her grip on her phone; she checked the number and confirmed it was a local line.

    She put the phone next to her ear again, wanting to know who it was. However,all she heard was the engaged tone.

    Holding the phone in her hand, she waited for a while before it rang again. As she was mentally prepared this time, she was no longer afraid. She put the phone on speaker and distanced herself a little.

    A sneer came after the shouts faded. ¡°Well? Scared?¡±

    Calm, Raeleigh looked out the window. ¡°You did scare me, but I¡¯m not afraid, just a little nervous. After all, I¡¯m normal, and you¡¯re not. If I acted the same as you, I¡¯d be a crazydy too.¡±

    Yanora¡¯s face turned cold, and she gritted her teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t be socent, Raeleigh. I¡¯m already fine now. I¡¯m warning you; I¡¯ll ruin your life and let you regret living.¡±

    ¡°Who would believe the words of a lunatic? It¡¯s good that you¡¯re able toe out. Don¡¯t do anything stupid and end up in there again. Oh, how sad that would be.¡±

    You know, there¡¯s an animal who would be used as a pawn, released when they¡¯re needed and locked up when they¡¯re not. Do you know what it is?¡±

    Raeleigh asked nonchntly while Yanora sped her phone. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, Raeleigh Anson. How long do you think you can run free?¡±

    ¡°Forever, I think. Compared to some people, I¡¯m surrounded by elites, and they¡¯re all infatuated with me while I don¡¯t have to make any promises. They will give me what I want, and every one of them is gentle and considerate to me. They really love me.¡±

    ¡°While you have nothing but anger. The one who is always angry will look old the fastest. As a woman, I pity you, but I can¡¯t do anything to help you. Shame.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a faint smile as she said confidently. On the other hand, Yanora huffed, ¡°Don¡¯t be too arrogant, Raeleigh. You will die in my hands sooner orter; I want you to die more miserably than anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Anybody can say so, but I wouldn¡¯t do it if I were you. After all, you have nothing but a bad reputation now, worse than the children born to concubines in the Moore family.¡±

    Raeleigh grew excited as she spoke, while Yanora grew furious.How she wished she could rush to Raeleigh¡¯s door to kill her.

    Not hearing an answer from Yanora, she continued, ¡°Hope you won¡¯t be so mean when you call next time. Not even kids would fall for this.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh hung up the phone, pushed open the door, and went downstairs.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    Downstairs, Santiago and Jacky were sitting.On seeing Raeleigh, Santiago raised his head and asked, ¡°I thought you¡¯ve already gone to bed.¡±

    ¡°Listen to this.¡± Raeleigh opened the recording of Yanora¡¯s second call. At first, there was a sharp scream,then her conversation with Yanora.

    Santiago found it rather amusing. ¡°Not bad.¡±

    Raeleigh knew Santiago was a frivolous one, so she went straight to the point. ¡°Yanora is obviously targeting me, but why is she so high-profile?¡±

    Raeleigh thought it would be better for someone like Yanora to kill her in secret. Why was she warning her?

    ¡°Why else? She¡¯s a lunatic.¡± Santiagomented in amusement, rendering Raeleigh speechless. ¡°Who says she¡¯s a lunatic?¡±

    Yanora was triggered indeed, but it didn¡¯t mean there was something wrong with her brain. Raeleigh was very clear about this. If it weren¡¯t for Flynt¡¯s indifference, Yanora wouldn¡¯t have been locked up at all.

    It was only then Raeleigh realized Flynt was unreliable. If he was even able to hurt his sister, who else wouldn¡¯t he hurt?

    Raeleigh had seen through Flynt¡¯s character. She couldn¡¯t be friends with him anymore.

    ¡°If she is not a lunatic, why did she call you? Her family almost killed her, yet she¡¯s still willing to help them out. How is this not the behavior of a lunatic?¡±

    Raeleigh was once again rendered speechless, so she simply ignored him. She stood up and was about to go upstairs when she saw Xanthusing down.

    She didn¡¯t know when Xanthus came out, but he stood in the middle of the stairs, staring at Raeleigh in silence, waiting for her to tell him.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and exined, ¡°A dog that bites doesn¡¯t bark. I don¡¯t believe Yanora will do anything to me.¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t, but I¡¯m still worried. I don¡¯t know how long this road willst. I¡¯m beginning to wonder if I should take you and leave; let them disappear from this world. I¡¯m growing agitated by the day.¡±

    ¡°Xanthus¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯m fine.¡± Xanthus nced at Santiago and Jacky before heading back up. Raeleigh followed Xanthus back to his room to exin, hoping to ease his worries.

    Xanthus sat on the chair and looked at his sister, who wanted to tell him not to worry. He motioned for her to sit, and she did. With that, he said, ¡°We can¡¯t just be sitting ducks; I can¡¯t let anything happen to you again.¡±

    ¡°Things are not that terrible.Yanora failed to harm me thest time, and it will be the same this time around as well.¡±

    Raeleigh firmly believed that Yanora could do nothing to her.

 Chapter 1466 Whatâ€™s Wrong With You?

    ¡°That still won¡¯t do. We can¡¯t afford to be caught unprepared. From now on, Santiago must stay by our side, andyou need to learn self-defense. I will prepare some medicine and knives for you.¡±

    Xanthus had already made up his mind; they couldn¡¯t fight an unprepared battle.

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus, dumbfounded. ¡°Xanthus¡­¡±

    Before Xanthus could speak, Raeleigh rushed to say, ¡°It¡¯s illegal to have knives on you. I can¡¯t possibly take a knife with me.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s legal for them to hurt you?¡± Xanthus asked, but Raeleigh hesitated. ¡°We¡¯re not the same as them.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not that different. If theyy their hands on us, what we have to do is break them.¡±

    Xanthus had made up his mind;noone could change it. They did not stir up the trouble, but it doesn¡¯t mean others could trample on them.

    It was a world of dark and light. If they insisted on being a pacifist, they would be the ones to die in the end.

    Raeleigh knew Xanthus was serious this time, but she couldn¡¯t agree to his methods.

    ¡°Santiago can¡¯t stay with us all the time; he has things he has to do. What¡¯s more, his arm still hasn¡¯t healed. Even if he stays with us, he can¡¯t do anything.¡± Raeleigh argued.

    With that, Xanthus retorted, ¡°It¡¯ll do as long as Jacky¡¯s around. Also, this is not his first rodeo; it¡¯s already an everyday thing for him to be with us.¡±

    Seeing Xanthus wasn¡¯t giving in, Raeleigh could only give up.

    Xanthus got up and went downstairs. He told Santiago to stay with them for the next half a month.

    ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t mind. It doesn¡¯t matter where I¡¯m at as long as there¡¯s food and drink.¡± Santiago thought it was better that way; it meant that he didn¡¯t have to go anywhere else.

    Standing aside, although Raeleigh was in a dilemma, she thought the four of them together would be safer than just her and her brother. Moreover, there were people protecting Santiago; if something did happen, they wouldn¡¯t sit idly.

    When the matter was settled, she decided to prepare dinner. She had just entered the kitchen when she received a call from Jepherson.

    He wanted her to tell everyone that Scarlette was treating them to a meal.

    Finding it odd, she asked, ¡°Why would she want to treat us to a meal?¡±

    He didn¡¯t answer. He hadn¡¯t had a proper meal for a whole day; couldn¡¯t they at least eat together?

    Then, the phone was hung up. Raeleigh stared at it strangely and intended to call him again but didn¡¯t at the thought that she might make Jepherson misunderstand something.

    Thus, she called Scarlette. She was sitting in Jepherson¡¯s car.On seeing that it was Raeleigh¡¯s number, she nced at him and thought, ¡°What bad luck!¡±

    ¡°Hello!¡± Scarlette immediately answered.

    ¡°Scarlette, it¡¯s Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh said on the other side, and she replied right away, ¡°I know it is you. Are you with Mr. Jepherson?¡±

    C¡¯mon, she was the one with him, alright?!

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°No. Is there anything important?¡±

    ¡°I did talk to him about inviting you guys over for dinner. Bring Santiago and Dr. Osteen with you, and that Jacky. I want to discuss some marriage matters. Isn¡¯t it a matter of liveliness and joy?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°Well¡­¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr. Jepherson call?¡± Scarlette asked, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°It may be that he has been too busy to remember. I¡¯ll call him again.¡± With that, Scarlette wanted to hang up, but Raeleigh immediately said, ¡°No, I¡¯ll call him. The guys happen to be with me.¡±

    ¡°Well, alright then. I¡¯m going to prepare the food. Come earlier and help me, will you?¡±

    On seeing that Jepherson looked lifeless when he couldn¡¯t see Raeleigh, Scarlette felt nervous. She knew something must¡¯ve happened. It had already been half a month since shest saw Raeleigh; she wondered what Raeleigh had been doing and why she hadn¡¯t visited.

    After hanging up the phone, Raeleigh looked at it before walking out. She found it weird that Scarlette thought about treating them to a meal at this hour.

    She walked out of the kitchen and looked at the guys who were all waiting for dinner. ¡°Scarlette called and invited us over for dinner, so we¡¯re not eating here.¡±

    Santiago nced at Xanthus. ¡°Great, save us the trouble.¡±

    Santiago was the first to get up and put on his coat, and the rest followed suit.

    When they arrived at Scarlette¡¯s ce, Jepherson hadn¡¯t arrived. Raeleigh even purposely went in and had a look.

    Seeing someone had arrived, Scarlette came out in her wheelchair and asked Raeleigh immediately, ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Jepherson? Didn¡¯t hee with you?¡±

    ¡°He has something to do. He should be here soon.¡± Raeleigh said.

    Santiago took a look at Raeleigh. ¡°Did you call him?¡±

    However, Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. Xanthus looked at Santiago with displeasure, but Santiago ignored him and urged others to go inside.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for him outside. I happen to have something to talk to him about.¡± Santiago pointed with his chin, indicating for everyone to enter.

    After Raeleigh and the others entered, Santiago stood outside. Jacky came back out and went to his side. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Someone¡¯s following us.¡±

    ¡°My men or Xanthus¡¯s?¡±

    Jacky already knew the people following weren¡¯t just their¡¯s.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    Santiago shook his head. ¡°Neither.¡±

    ¡°Who is it then?¡±

    Just as Jacky was speaking, Jepherson¡¯s car pulled over.

    The driver got out of the car to open the door. When Jepherson came out of the car, he saw Santiago looking around. He turned to the driver and said, ¡°Head back first.¡±

    ¡°Yes,Sir.¡±

    The driver got in the car and drove away.Then, Jepherson waited for Santiago to open the gates.As Santiago turned around and looked at his brother, he thought that there must be something fishy going on.

    ¡°I¡¯ll open the gateter. Follow me. When I open it, take your knife out and stab my brother.¡±

    Then, Santiago strode toward the gates. Jacky nced at Santiago, not wantingto know what he was thinking and if he meant it, only doing as he was told.

    When Santiago reached the gate, he asked Jepherson as he opened it, ¡°I thought you know the password?¡±

    He asked to distract Jepherson.

    ¡°It may have changed.¡±

    Jepherson answered with a devil-may-care attitude, and at that moment, Jacky raised his knife and thrust it at Jepherson.

    Jepherson did not move, but the knife fell to the ground with a ng.

    When he looked over, he saw Jacky holding his hand, looking around.

    In a low and unhappy voice, Jepherson said,¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you asking for a beating again?¡±

 Chapter 1467 Sat Down and Never Got Up

    Jepherson walked in and nced at Jacky¡¯s hand. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me, you would¡¯ve been dead. You¡¯re following his lead to mess around?¡±

    Jacky looked down at the back of his hand. After making sure it was alright, he let go and looked around, askingJepherson, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you have other men like Stuart by your side; I thought he¡¯s the only one.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible there would be no one around me. Only you will think such a thing.¡±

    Jepherson took a sudden nce at Santiago and stepped inside. Santiago turned to look at his brother before turningto Jacky¡¯s swollen hand. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay. It hurts, but my hand is still attached.If it weren¡¯t me, this hand would definitely be gone.¡±

    Jacky had always thought Jepherson was not the type to care about protection. After all, he had never seen anyone following him around apart from Stuart andhis driver.

    Unlike Santiago, even the slightest mishap would result in people appearing.

    But it seemed that it wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know my brother at all, do you? Two things about him are terrifying; one is that he¡¯s sinister, and the other is vicious.¡±

    You just haven¡¯t seen that side of him yet.When you do, you¡¯ll think otherwise.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the story?¡± Jacky followed Santiago in; he picked up the knife and put it away. Santiago chuckled and said, ¡°AsI caused a lot of trouble when I was a teenager, I got bullied. He asked me how, and I told him they ganged up on me.¡±

    ¡°The next day, he brought them to me and told me to bully them, so I did.¡±

    ¡°But their leaderter came to get even with me, and we fought. I didn¡¯t know which b*stard tore my clothes. When I went home, I looked particrly disheveled.¡±

    ¡°He asked me again, and I told him it was their leader.¡±

    Later, he took his pocket money and hired the bestwyer to ruin his family¡¯s reputation. If not for our mother, he would have sued his father until he had been imprisoned.¡±

    ¡°You could say the matter was settled, and I thought everything was over.¡±

    ¡°But the guy couldn¡¯t let it go. He hired a few people to kidnap me and took me to the mountains. He wanted to starve me to death and leave with the money.¡±

    ¡°My mother was scared spitless and cried bitterly; my family was in a glum state.¡±

    ¡°My father brought Jepherson with him into the mountains to pay the ransom. But my father fought against the kidnappers halfway through their journey while Jepherson came to save me. The ringleader gave me a huge dose of sleeping pills. I, on the other hand, was a dead weight. My brother found us and agreed to give the money to the kidnapper. But after the guy took the money, he slipped on the cliff. Jepherson could¡¯ve lifted his arm and grabbed him, and the guy even begged for help.¡±

    ¡°The effects of the pills were starting to wear off.I slowly opened my eyes, only to see Jepherson standing on the top, looking down. He was sixteen at that time, and he watched the man fall off the cliff without even blinking an eye.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what I saw?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jacky was very cooperative.

    ¡°Viciousness.¡±

    Santiago recalled, ¡°Growing up, as long as it had nothing to do with me, Jepherson would barely bat an eye.But if I¡¯m involved, my brother will be a devil.¡±

    ¡°It is a little abnormal for a sixteen-year-old not to flinch seeing someone fall off a cliff, but I wouldn¡¯t call him a devil.¡± Jacky could understand how Jepherson felt to see his brother kidnapped and unconscious.

    Humored, Santiago said. ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. Although he didn¡¯t kill the man, he deliberately drove him to the cliff for him to fall off.¡±

    ¡°When I woke up, I watched him take the bag that held the cash off his back, unzipped it, and threw all the money down the cliff, leaving them everywhere.¡±

    ¡°When the police got to that guy, none of them were in the mood to deal with him. They had their attention on the money. Allbecause my father said the money didn¡¯t matter; our safe return was more important than anything else.¡±

    ¡°Also, my father never told me how much the ransom was.In other words, they decided how much I was worth.¡±

    ¡°I think Jepherson had thought of using this against them from the beginning. He used the money to bribe him to save me. If that guy left sooner and was not greedy, he may still be alive.¡±

    Jacky was amused. ¡°Are you afraid of your brother?¡±

    Santiago nced at Jacky. ¡°You¡¯re not?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Jacky didn¡¯t think there was any reason to be afraid.

    ¡°If you do Deanna wrong, maybe the person you have to deal with isn¡¯t Zorion or Mr. Whalen but him.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Jacky said.

    ¡°Have a try, and you¡¯ll know.¡±

    Santiago entered the house, and Jacky followed suit. They didn¡¯t see Raeleigh and Jepherson right away andthought it was strange. Santiago asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Raeleigh and Jepherson?¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    ¡°They¡¯re in the kitchen.¡±

    Scarlette really couldn¡¯t think of anything else to eat, so Jepherson gave her a lot of money. She bought some ingredients and invited them over for a barbecue; it was a perfect night for it.

    However, there were too many ingredients, and someone had to get them ready. Serra couldn¡¯t manage herself, so Scarlette asked Raeleigh to help out; Jepherson followed her.

    Santiago nced at the table and sat down to watch TV. Xanthus was sitting on the other side, talking to Scarlette. She was asking how much her operation would cost for her to be able to stand.

    Her money didn¡¯t grow on trees; of course, she had to ask.

    Hadrian was sitting on Scarlette¡¯s other side.

    ¡°Serra, you go out first,¡± Jepherson said. With Serra around, he couldn¡¯t get to Raeleigh.

    After Serra left,he went to Raeleigh.

    She was washing vegetables, so he helped.

    ¡°Still mad at me?¡± Jepherson asked, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. She had long gotten over being upset, but she couldn¡¯t pretend nothing had happened, nor could she ask anything of him.

    After all, he didn¡¯t believe what she said.

    ¡°I grew up with Ste after all, and the Doyle family is no ordinary family,¡± Jepherson exined. Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything and continued to wash the vegetables.

    Seeing that she wasn¡¯t responding, he leaned in and gave her a kiss. Raeleigh dodged, but he still managed to kiss her.

    She wanted to roll her eyes at him.

    After that, neither of them spoke. If Raeleigh washed the vegetables, Jepherson would help. All in all, whatever she did, he followed.

    When the food was all ready to cook, Raeleigh left the kitchen, Jepherson following behind.

    Everyone sat around the table.

    After everyone sat, Raeleigh went to sit beside Scarlette. She thought no one would change seats after they were all seated, butJepherson switched seats with Scarletteand never got up after that.

 Chapter 1468 Show Off

    Raeleigh was eating less and less. She had already lost her appetite because of what had happened to Xanthus. It was worse now with the barbecue in front of her.If it weren¡¯t for the few sides, Raeleigh really couldn¡¯t eat.

    However, seeing that she barely anything, Jepherson turned a deaf ear and kept giving her food even though she had told him she didn¡¯t want any.

    She couldn¡¯t throw it away, and it would be a waste if she didn¡¯t eat them. Scarlette also kept asking her if something was wrong.

    Raeleigh wanted to go back after dinner, but Scarlette insisted that she stay with them.

    ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte. Stay for the night.¡± Scarlette said, sitting in her wheelchair, holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand, wishing she would stay.

    In all honesty, it didn¡¯t matter where Raeleigh stayed. Scarlette was used to her life now; it didn¡¯t make a difference if Raeleigh was with her.

    She now belonged to Hadrian. He would carry her whenever he could, so she didn¡¯t feel bored at all. On the contrary, she would feel bound if Raeleigh stayed for the night.

    Moreover, Jepherson followed Raeleigh wherever she went, and she felt pressured whenever he was around. She really didn¡¯t want to be under the same roof as him.

    Scarlette was getting more and more ustomed to her life with Hadrian. She could do whatever she wanted, and Hadrian would always let her.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have so many rooms here.¡±

    ¡°Of course, we do. We have rooms everywhere. Even if Deanna came, there would still be enough rooms.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette¡­¡±

    ¡°One more thing. Raeleigh, you must help me.¡± She was afraid that Raeleigh would leave, so she quickly told Raeleigh. Raeleigh asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Hadrian and I have already talked about getting married, and we¡¯re nning to hold a ceremony when the weather turns warm.But as you can see, the weather isn¡¯t warm, andI¡¯m getting anxious.¡±

    Raeleigh thought Scarlette didn¡¯t look anxious because of the wedding but that she would leave.

    Poor Scarlette. How loyal to Jepherson.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stay, but we¡¯resharing a room.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Raeleigh¡¯s words got Scarlette stunned. She turned to look at where Jepherson was;fortunately, Hadrian was with him.

    She wore an embarrassed smile and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to sleep with you. But if I share a room with you, what about Hadrian?¡±

    Raeleighughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about that.¡±

    ¡°Well, I have to think about who would carry me upstairs, wouldn¡¯t I? You don¡¯t look like you¡¯ll be able to carry me.¡± Scarlette always had an excuse, and Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything but only stared at her. Since she coulde up with so many excuses, it didn¡¯t matter what Raeleigh said; she would have many reasons and excuses.

    Scarlette gave in in the end; she¡¯d have to put Mr. Jepherson¡¯s matter aside now. Waving her hand, she said, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s sleep together. Happy?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Raeleigh finally agreed to stay. As for Mr. Jepherson¡¯s matter, she could only try her best.

    ¡°Let¡¯s sit for a while and talk about my marriage.¡±

    She truly wanted to get married sooner. She had initially thought with all that Jepherson had given her, she could call herself a genuine rich woman. However, when Hadrian talked to her about their marriage two days ago, he took out a ck pouch, which contained all his savings. She was very disdainful of it at that time and thought the amount would be nothing but measly. But the total amount shocked her; he had two hundred million in the bank.

    Two hundred million?

    She didn¡¯t eat all day that day, clutching onto that pouch for an entire day.

    Hadrian only sat opposite her, waiting for her to regain her senses.After she did, she kept asking him for the password,but he never spilled a word, promising he would tell her after they got married.

    With that, she thought they should get married immediately, lest anything unexpected happen.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to say about your marriage? Don¡¯t you have a house and a car? Just decorate the house a little, find an officiant, and get the marriage certificate.¡±

    Raeleigh thought getting married was a simple task; one could call themselves married once the marriage certificate was signed; no reason to be nervous.

    But Scarlette looked to be very nervous.

    Scarlette rolled her eyes and said, ¡°You don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s no question I have to fuss over it. It is my first time; of course, it has to be formal.¡±

    Raeleigh looked over at Hadrian, who was opposite them; he had a terrible look on his face.

    He couldn¡¯t bear to be silent and asked, ¡°Are you hoping for a second marriage?¡±

    Scarlette looked back. ¡°Of course not.¡±

    She continued discussing with Raeleigh whether to eat, where to eat, wedding dresses and taking wedding photos. The most important thing was her bridal shots; it was a must.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to take wedding photos now?¡± Raeleigh asked in surprise. Scarlette nodded.¡°I can sit in a wheelchair, and¡­ Raeleigh,e here.¡±

    She waved, motioning for Raeleigh to lean in. Scarlette whispered in her ear, leading Raeleigh to look at her in surprise. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I think it¡¯ll be wonderful.¡± Scarlette was serious about it. Raeleigh took a look at the people around her.

    It probably would be fine if it were only Jepherson and Santiago, but she even wanted Xanthus and Jacky.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not my call. I have to ask them.¡±

    If anything, she could agree on behalf of Xanthus, but she couldn¡¯t say the same for Jacky.

    After all, it seemed inappropriate for Jacky to be Hadrian¡¯s groomsman, considering the difference in their social status.

    No matter what, Hadrian was a bodyguard, but who was Jacky?

    He was the king of Waverly Vige.

    It would be a little unreasonable for him to be Hadrian¡¯s groomsman.

    Besides, Santiago and Jepherson were the young masters of the Richards family; be groomsmen for a bodyguard?

    Raeleigh thought for a while and said, ¡°Let me ask them for you.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I don¡¯t need you for the rest of the preparations.¡±

    Scarlette thought if she should call Deanna and invite her to the wedding, and Zorion too.

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte; let¡¯s get some rest.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and looked at Xanthus. ¡°There aren¡¯t so many rooms here.I¡¯ll be at ease if you share a room with Santiago.¡±

    Xanthus had been a particr presence to Raeleigh since his incident.Shewould worry about him no matter where he went.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You go ahead; I¡¯ll watch some TV for a while.¡±

    Xanthus still wasn¡¯t feeling sleepy, so he decided to sit downstairs for a while.

    Raeleigh intended to wait for Xanthus to rest, but Hadrian picked Scarlette up and took her upstairs.With that, she followed them upstairs.

    After putting Scarlette on the bed, Hadrian left.As Raeleigh closed the door, Hadrian gave her some instructions.

    ¡°Scarlette would need to drink a bit of honey water at night. Just a little bit of honey and water is enough. Both the honey and the water are on the table; it¡¯s all ready.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°And her medicines are in the drawer. The intakes areall written on the container; check the numbers on it and give them ordingly.¡±

    Hadrian repeatedly instructed before leaving.

    Raeleigh closed the door andturned to Scarlette. She waved at Raeleigh, signaling her to go over, being all secretive.Then she took out a bunch of deposit receipts from the drawer and spread them on the bed to show off to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh went to her, sat down, and picked up the deposit receipts on the bed. The amount was all tens of millions.

    ¡°They are all Hadrian¡¯s,¡± Scarlette said proudly.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re finally rich.¡± Raeleigh was amused. She liked that Scarlette wasn¡¯t pretentious; even if she was greedy, she admitted it!

 Chapter 1469 Smart Woman

    Raeleigh tidied up Scarlette¡¯s list and put it away. As she did, she listened to Scarlette talk about how she could live a worry-free andfortable life with the money even if she could never stand up.

    Raeleighy on the bed. Shereally didn¡¯t know what to say to her.

    Scarlette¡¯s mindset waspletely different from other people.

    ¡°Although money is important, love stilles first. If there¡¯s no love, would Hadrian give you so much money?¡±

    ¡°To put it bluntly,Hadrian has given you all he has to love you.¡±

    As Raeleigh talked, Scarlette picked at her fingers and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, but not entirely.Raeleigh, we¡¯re human beings. How can we not have desires? I love money as much as my life, and you know that.¡±

    Raeleigh argued, ¡°But even if the money¡¯s gone, you¡¯ll still have someone by your side. If you¡¯ve lost everything one day, you¡¯ll still have Hadrian. You¡¯re winning at life.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    The more Scarlette listened, the more ufortable she felt. She couldn¡¯t help asking Raeleigh, ¡°Raeleigh, what¡¯s going on? Did you break up with Jepherson again?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer but onlyy quietly in bed.

    Although it was a windy winter, the night was as bright as day. The moonlight prated through the curtains and fell on them. Raeleigh pulled the covers over her and remained silent.

    Scarlette asked Raeleigh again, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    Raeleigh justid still until Scarlette said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson was the one who asked me to treat you guys to dinner. He gave me the money.¡±

    Scarlette didn¡¯t even tell Hadrian about this.

    Humored, Raeleigh said. ¡°I know.¡±

    Raeleigh already had a hunch on her journey, and she was certain when she arrived.

    ¡°You knew?¡± Scarlette was shocked at first, butter she understood; no use hiding anything from Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh remained silent. Scarlette asked, ¡°Raeleigh, tell me the truth. What on earth are you thinking? Do you love Mr. Jepherson? You always give me the feeling that your love for him wavers, unlike his, unyielding.¡±

    ¡°Although there are a lot of things that are driving a wedge between you two, and Mr. Jepherson always has something that is holding him back, his love for you never changed. His heart always belonged to you. But you, on the other hand, are always wavering, and no one can guess what you¡¯re thinking.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Scarlette and asked, ¡°Am I like this?¡±

    ¡°Of course. When ites to your rtionship with Jepherson, you¡¯ve always stood still while Mr. Jepherson tried to get close to you. When he finally did and could finally hold your hand, you backed away, putting your hands behind your back.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m not trying to offend you, but don¡¯t you think you don¡¯t respect Mr. Jepherson?¡±

    Raeleigh was silent. ¡°I need him to respect me too.¡±

    ¡°I thinkpared to my rtionship with Hadrian, Jepherson is very respectful towards you. You¡¯re just not content with it. Raeleigh¡­ the love Mr. Jepherson has for you is hard to find. If you¡¯re still unsatisfied, I really don¡¯t know who can treat you better.¡±

    ¡°Although Mr. Jepherson sometimes acted arbitrarily, he¡¯s also a man of love and righteousness. Just take a look at how he treats Hadrian and me, and Mr. Santiago, Deanna, and the Whalen family.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve met a traitor or a heartless man, no matter how good he treats you initially,I think he will leave you sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°People with feelings and righteousness are all just. You can rest assured when you are with him.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette, I know you mean well. I also want to be with him, but I can¡¯t watch him be partial to Ste when she had harmed Xanthus. He even said outright to me he would get to the bottom of it. The truth is all alreadyid right in front of our eyes. I only want him to be on my side.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask him to do anything, not even to look for Ste.¡±

    ¡°Ste had hurt him once before. This time it was Xanthus; it could even be you or Santiago next.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even dare to imagine it, but he believes in Ste through and through.¡±

    ¡°What am I to him then?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t know what to say anymore.

    When Scarlette fell silent, Raeleigh pulled the covers and told her to go to sleep before closing her eyes.

    After she fell asleep, she dreamed of Jepherson as well as Ste.

    Ste had her hands wrapped around Jepherson¡¯s arm, and he smiled at her. Distraught, her eyes shot wide open.

    After she woke up, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t fall asleep anymore. Feeling a little thirsty, she got up to pour herself a cup of water. There was still water in the room after she gave Scarlette her honey water and medicine, but it was empty when she went to get some.

    She turned around and looked at Scarlette, who was sound asleep. It couldn¡¯t have been her; she couldn¡¯t get down from the bed on her own.

    Raeleigh took the cup and intended to go out to get some water. However, as soon as she walked out of the door, she saw Jephersoning out of his room.

    Jepherson also held a cup in his hand.When he saw Raeleigh, he asked, ¡°Thirsty?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to say anything more. Jepherson turned and walked downstairs, saying as he walked, ¡°Come down. I¡¯ll pour some for you.¡±

    Raeleigh followed him downstairs, and they went to the kitchen. But there was no water there either.

    Raeleigh figured someone had poured out all of the water.

    Jepherson boiled a pot of water, and both of them had to wait. There wasn¡¯t even a drop of drinking water left in the kitchen, let alone boiled water.

    Raeleigh leaned against the wall while Jepherson stood staring nkly at the kettle with his back to her.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ Can we make up?¡±

    Raeleigh looked up at his back and watched him turn around.

    ¡°Do you want to exin?¡± Raeleigh asked, and he shook his head.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°I assume you have a n you can¡¯t tell me about. Is it because you¡¯re afraid something will happen to me or something else?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s eyebrows twitched. Raeleigh continued, ¡°Like how you knew someone would hurt Santiago and arranged for protection, you want people to think we have fallen out so that Ste would let her guard down. You¡¯re trying to protect me this way.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t answer but only stared at her. She walked past him and switched off the boiled kettle.

    He turned around and looked at the intelligent woman in front of him.

    She thought for a moment. ¡°I know what to do.¡±

    Then she picked up the kettle and poured a ss of water for him before heading upstairs with the kettle.

    After she left, Jepherson directed his gaze back at the cup of water on the counter; it was still steaming.

    When Raeleigh returned, she saw Scarlette sitting up waiting for her the moment she opened the door. Scarlette asked, ¡°Did you boil some water?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no more water.¡±

    Raeleigh closed the door, put the water down, andid back down again. Scarlette asked why she didn¡¯t drink the water, but she only turned her back to Scarlette and ignored all of her questions.

    Raeleigh switched off the lights, told her to go to sleep, and that was all that night.

 Chapter 1470 Mr. Richardsâ€™s Type

    Raeleigh insisted on leaving the next day despite Scarlette¡¯s plead for her to stay. Scarlette then asked if she wasn¡¯t going to care about the wedding or the bridal photos and all anymore.

    It wasn¡¯t that Raeleigh didn¡¯t care but worried that she would drag Scarlette down.

    She had already put Xanthus in danger; she wasn¡¯t going to let anyone else hurt because of her.

    ¡°Jepherson will take care of your wedding, and I don¡¯t know anything. Besides, I¡¯m helping you with something else.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Jepherson. There was still a hint of affection in his eyes, but Raeleigh ignored it.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± With that, Raeleigh left with Xanthus, and Scarlette felt helpless about not being able to make Raeleigh stay.

    Judging from Mr. Jepherson¡¯s grim face,she knew she could¡¯ve done better.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°I have work.¡± Jepherson walked out and went straight to his car. His look was so cold that even Scarlette was also frozen. Shehad a feeling tough days were ahead, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to count on him for the wedding.

    After getting in the car, Jepherson told the driver to start driving. He was in a bad mood.However, when the car was about to reach thepany, the driver thought he saw the corners of Jepherson¡¯s lips tip up slightly. It was a happy one.

    But no matter how carefully he looked, he couldn¡¯t see it anymore.

    With that, he doubted if he actually saw it, thinking if it was his imagination.

    Raeleigh looked out the window after getting in the car, holdingher hands from time to time.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Santiago sat next to her. Xanthus was seated in the front with Jacky driving. He leaned close to her, and she gave him a push.

    ¡°Did you just push me?¡± Upset that she had pushed him away, he leaned against the car, angry.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t care less. Feeling a little sleepy, she leaned against the car and took a nap.

    It wasn¡¯t until the car stopped halfway through their journey that she woke up. She opened her eyes to discover many cars surrounding them, and when she looked ahead, there were even more cars. She assumed there was an ident.

    Raeleigh sat up and intended to wind down the window, butSantiago grabbed her hand, leading her to look at him.He said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see.¡±

    Hearing that, Raeleigh put her hands down. Neither of them got out of the car, and Xanthus was extraordinarily quiet.

    Santiago asked Jacky, ¡°Are your men close by?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re separated.¡± Jacky was also looking around, but he was sure his people weren¡¯t close by.

    It was only then Raeleigh realized something terrible was going to happen.Otherwise, the guys wouldn¡¯t be this tense.

    ¡°My men are also not nearby,¡± Xanthus spoke up, but Santiago didn¡¯t seem bothered. He leaned against the car door and took a glimpse outside. Seeing no one suspicious, he turned his gaze back.

    ¡°No matter what happens, do not get out of the car.¡± Santiago would never do anything he wasn¡¯t confident in.It was dangerous to stay in the car, but getting out was far worse.

    Right then, their best course of action was only to keep an eye on the people approaching their car.

    Santiago unzipped his coat,pulled Raeleigh over, and pressed her in his arms.

    Raeleigh was about to move when Santiago¡¯s voice rang.¡°Stay put.¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh stay still. A few minutester, the car inched forward. She wanted to get up, but Santiago was still pressing on her, not giving her a chance to get up.

    After some time, the car stopped, and Jacky said, ¡°Coast is clear.¡±

    Santiago let go of Raeleigh and scanned outside before turning his gazebehind. ¡°They are getting bolder; how dare they kill in our territory and broad daylight at that.¡±

    Santiago leaned against the side,thinking. Raeleigh looked around; she didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary until she looked behind them. It was chaos.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Raeleigh asked. Jacky nced at the rearview mirror and replied, ¡°Someone was in.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Raeleigh couldn¡¯t believe someone was bold enough to kill in broad daylight.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Jacky exined, ¡°When we came, a few people took advantage of the chaos to approach us, but they were killed before they could even get close.¡±

    ¡°Too many people have died; it may cause panic. We¡¯ll have to leave it to the higher-ups to cover it.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Who is it? Ste or Yanora?¡±

    ¡°Ste wouldn¡¯t be this stupid to make a move at this time. What¡¯s more, she only used a little dirty trick to hurt Xanthus but not kill him.

    ¡°It¡¯s Yanora then?She got impatient?¡±

    None of the guys speak up. It was quiet for a while, and Raeleigh didn¡¯t take the matter to heart.

    As the saying goes, one who survived a great disaster was destined to great fortune. Since she could escape death many times, she believed she would be unscathed, so she wasn¡¯t too worried.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh had intended to go home when Santiago decided to go to Richards Group to look for Jepherson at thest minute.

    Raeleigh followed them out of the car; the three handsome men surrounded her.

    People in thepany stared at her, especially when Santiago pushed her into the elevator.If he weren¡¯t Santiago, the second son of the Richards family, all the people in the Richards Group would think she was being kidnapped.

    When they reached the top floor, they went directly to Jepherson¡¯s office. The secretary and assistant ran to tell Jepherson that Santiago hade, looking like he was asking for a fight.

    Raeleigh sat on the sofa, reading a magazine that Jepherson would never read.

    But the content?

    A woman with a curvaceous figure in a sexy bikini piqued her interest, looking at it attentively.

    On one side, Santiago merely took an indifferent nce at her, but it was that one look that got him raisinghis eyebrows, and his mouth twitched.

    Raeleigh looked at the magazine with great interest, scanning the picture repeatedlyuntil Jepherson came.

    Hearing they were ambushed, Jepherson left the conference room and rushed to them, but he had to appear calm when he arrived at the door of his office.

    He pushed the door open, appearing in front of the group.

    He had thought Raeleigh would at least look up, but she didn¡¯t.

    After greeting the guys, Jepherson looked in Raeleigh¡¯s direction andnoticed she was reading a gossip magazine, and Santiago was looking at her.The strangest thing was that Santiago¡¯s expression was a bit odd.

    Staring at Raeleigh, he walked straight over.

    Raeleigh put down the magazine in her hand only then looked up at Jepherson. Her gaze was indifferent, still giving him the silent treatment.

    After looking at Raeleigh for a while to make sure she was fine, Jepherson looked at the magazine in her hands. He wanted to know what she was reading and why she was so absorbed in it.

    Then he heard, ¡°Never would I have guessed this is your type, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s expression changed instantly. ¡°I don¡¯t know who left it here.¡±

    Jacky snickered, nearlyughing out loud, and with that, Jepherson red daggers at him. Jacky apologized before turning to look at the decoratives.

    Raeleigh picked up the same magazine and read it with great interest.

    Her actions got Jepherson¡¯s face as dark as the void.

 Chapter 1471 Poisoned

    Seeing that she wouldn¡¯t put it down, Jepherson took the magazine from her, chuckedit into the trash can, and shot Raeleigh a stern look.He sat down on the chair and said, ¡°What happened?¡±

    As Santiago retold the story, Jepherson¡¯s face turned even grimmer. He couldn¡¯t believe such a thing could happen right under his nose.

    Jepherson grabbed his phone and called Colston; he thought it had something to do with the Moore Family.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡± Colston had also heard about it and had only just returned after verifying the whole incident.

    ¡°Have you read the news?¡± Jepherson went straight to the point.

    Colston wasn¡¯t dumb; he naturallyunderstood Jepherson¡¯s call was to use him.

    ¡°I just heard; I¡¯m also investigating it. Please give me some time, Mr. Richards. I will give you an exnation.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need an exnation but an answer. I don¡¯t want this to have anything to do with the Moore family. After all, you¡¯ve promised me.¡±

    ¡°If you cause another dispute, we¡¯ll have to take it to court.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured, Mr. Richards. I understand how important this matter is; let¡¯s keep it at a peaceful one.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you two days.If you can¡¯t give me an answer by then, I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±

    ¡°That will be enough.¡±

    Jepherson hung up the phone at that.

    He turned to Jacky, ¡°Tell your men not to take any action for the time being; they will interrogate outsiders. Tell them to watch their backs, don¡¯t get themselves in trouble.¡±

    Jacky thought for a moment, then calledhis people and told them toy low for a while.

    Jepherson called Zorion and told him what had happened.

    Zorion was out of town that day, but he rushed back that day.

    He was already on the highway and was rushing back to Capital City at full speed.

    ¡°Get someone to ask for an exnation from the higher-ups, disassociate ourselves first,¡± Jepherson instructed. Zorion asked, ¡°You want to dig into this?¡±

    ¡°That depends on Colston¡¯s ability and sincerity. If he can find the person behind, things would be easy to settle; if not, we¡¯ll have to make a big fuss.¡±

    Zorion agreed and hung up,then called his subordinateto handle it.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jepherson put down the phone and looked at Jacky. Jacky smiled.¡°It¡¯s my job;no need to thank me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll treat you guys to a mealter.¡± Jepherson had a purpose, but Jacky was embarrassed to say no. Santiago was his younger brother, so he would naturally agree to it.

    Although Xanthus didn¡¯t want to, the four of them were basically tied together; they needed each other, so he didn¡¯t say anything.

    Raeleigh grew more calm and indifferent. Not only did she not refuse, she even grabbed another magazine and read it quietly, all engrossed.

    Just looking at her indifference, Jepherson had a false sense that he had screwed up.

    Sure enough, Raeleigh refused to eat anything they ordered.

    Jepherson sat next to Raeleigh again.Santiago sat next to her at first but changed seats with his brother after a nce from him.

    Raeleigh wore a strange expressionbut didn¡¯t say anything she shouldn¡¯t have.

    Even when the food was served, she still refused to eat anything, holding onto the magazine from Jepherson¡¯s office, reading it over and over again.

    This one was a little different from the magazine with the model in a bikini. It only contained gossip, so she intended to read it to kill time.

    But since she put all her attention on the magazine, she didn¡¯t bother eating.

    Jepherson put a bowl of soup in front of Raeleigh and waited for her to drink.She finally put the magazine down after a long while and ate the soup. Itwas all she had that day.

    Jepherson only ate and chatted with the guys after she finally had the soup. Halfway through his meal,Raeleigh suddenly leaned against his shoulder. Jepherson was stunned for a moment before he started smiling, but he saw a strange expression on Santiago¡¯s face. He immediately looked at her only to find shehad fainted. She looked as if she had fallen asleep, her face pallid and her lips purple.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Jepherson immediately held Raeleigh in his arms, but she remained unresponsive no matter how he tried to wake her up.

    Xanthus immediately got up and checked on Raeleigh. ¡°She¡¯s been poisoned; I can¡¯t tell what it is. I hope it¡¯s not potassium cyanide.¡±

    ¡°Potassium cyanide?¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes shed; he immediately picked her up and rushed out. The others quickly followed, but when they arrived at the door, Santiago stopped Jacky. ¡°Jacky, you stay.¡±

    Jacky stopped and turned to look at Santiago, ¡°Got it.¡±

    With that, Jacky immediately went out of the private room to look for the culprit in the restaurant. Santiago turned around and looked at the bowl of soup on the table, then pulled his phone out and called Zorion, asking him to send someone over to contain the restaurant.

    Jepherson, on the other hand, sent Raeleigh straight to the hospital for resuscitation. After examining her, the doctors confirmed Raeleigh was poisoned, but it was not deadly; she would be fine after a blood transfusion.

    Jepherson looked at Xanthus, who was standing by the door.¡°Raeleigh¡¯s blood type is the same as mine; I¡¯ll do it. Your blood may still beced with the drug.If you give her yours, it might cause some reaction, and it won¡¯t be good for you and Raeleigh.¡±

    Xanthus agreed; therewas no other way right then. If they used his blood instead of Jepherson¡¯s, he might kill her.

    ¡°Please.¡±

    Xanthus expressed his gratitude, but Jepherson said, ¡°She¡¯s my wife; it¡¯s what I should do.¡±

    With that, he went in whileXanthus waited outside.

    As Xanthus sat waiting,Zorion arrived with his men, and he stood up at that.

    Zorion nced at the emergency room before turning to him.¡°She has all the luck in the world; I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be alright.¡±

    ¡°I hope so,¡± Xanthus said, then turned his gaze to the emergency room. Zorion said, ¡°I¡¯ll stay with you.¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡±

    Xanthus sat down again; it was all he could do, sit and wait.

    Raeleigh and Jepherson¡¯s procedure ended an hourter, and they came out of the emergency room.

    Seeing so, Xanthus and Zorion got up and went to the doctor.

    ¡°How did it go?¡± Zorion asked. The doctor took off his mask, relieved. ¡°The operation was sessful; she¡¯s fine now. But I have to remind you, Mr.Jepherson is in no condition to do another blood transfusion. He has already donated his blood to someone else before, so he¡¯s at his limit now. It may affect his hematopoietic and immune system.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us earlier?¡± Zorion asked coldly. If he was in no shape, they could¡¯ve gotten Santiago to do the transfusion.

    The doctor shook his head slightly. ¡°We reminded Mr. Jepherson, but he ordered us to operate immediately; we dared not disobey him.¡±

 Chapter 1472 Extort A Confession

    The doctor was also in a dilemma. Zorion looked at both Raeleigh and Jepherson. Both of them looked pale and had to be taken to the intensive care unit.

    ¡°Go ahead and send them to the ICU,¡± instructed Zorion.The doctor asked, ¡°Mr. Jepherson is still holding Miss Anson¡¯s hand. Should we put them in a separate room or the same room?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Zorion¡¯s face darkened. The doctor immediately said, ¡°I know what to do.¡±

    Raeleigh and Jepherson were then transferred to the ICU.There was nothing Xanthus could say at this time, so he quietly followed them.

    ¡­¡­

    After taking care of Raeleigh and Jepherson¡¯s hospitrrangements, Zorion left some of his men there and decided to head back to the restaurant. Heknew he had to investigate who poisoned Raeleigh¡¯s food.

    The restaurant was owned by the Richards family themselves. Zorion suspected that this incident was most likely an inside job. If he was unable to find the culprit, then this restaurant would have to cease operations.

    When Zorion arrived, Santiago was sitting in one of the restaurant¡¯s private rooms while he dealt with the restaurant¡¯s affairs. He had received acall from one of his men informing him that Jepherson¡¯s operation was sessful, but he still hadn¡¯t regained consciousness.

    There were about a dozen people in the private room. Among them were three of the restaurant¡¯s managers, two front desk managers, and five waiters. One of the chefs had run away while Santiago hadn¡¯t looked for the others yet. They were in imminent danger anyway.

    As soon as Zorion arrived at the door, he heard someone exining, ¡°Mr. Santiago, please spare us. We weren¡¯t aware that their food was poisoned. We do not know who did it.¡±

    ¡°Then all of you deserve to die! I want each of you to take a sip of the soup. If you finish the soup, then this matter is over. If I have to force you to drink it, then I¡¯m not going to go easy on you.¡±

    Santiago faked a smile. The manager who was on his knees turned around to look at the bowl of soup that was on the table, sobbing.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, I swear we don¡¯t know anything about this. We would never dare to poison anyone!¡± The manager said as tears rolled down his cheeks. Santiago was in an extremely bad mood. He was capable of doing anything at this point. The manager was aware that Santiago was capable of killing them and feeding their remains to his dogs.

    However, the manager did not want to die. He did not want to leave his family behind.

    Zorion stood at the door and listened for a while before entering the private room. When Santiago heard the sound of the door opening, he briefly looked at Zorion.He was unhappy and in a bad mood.

    Zorion sat down and took out his gloves as he watched the scene unfold in front of him.

    Rossie really did not like watching people being tortured. It reminded her of the time when Zorion went to her house and forced her to marry him.

    Rossie entered the room and stood by Zorion¡¯s side. Zorion was feeling a little hot, so he loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top few buttons on his shirt.

    Zorion remained seated and did not say a word. However, some of the people recognised him. ¡°Is that Zorion?¡±

    Zorion slowly looked up and red at the person outside the door. Fear suddenlysurged through them.

    Rossie nced at Zorion and realised that he evoked fear in everyone.

    It was as if Santiago didn¡¯t see Zorion. He continued asking the manager who was kneeling on the ground, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to drink the soup, then you ought to tell me everything! I want to know where he lives, who he is and his name. Does he have any family? How much did he pay you to put poison in the soup?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, I really don¡¯t know.¡± The manager tried his best to convince Santiago.

    Santiago chuckled. ¡°It seems like you¡¯renot going to give up until you are consigned to the grave.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, I swear, I have no idea who did it!¡± The manager continued to beg. Santiago picked up the bowl of soup and nced at Jacky¡¯s men. The two of them walked over to the manager and they grabbed each of his arms.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, please have mercy! I really don¡¯t know who did it¡­.¡±

    Santiago pried open the manager¡¯s mouth and poured half a bowl of soup into his mouth. The manager sat on the ground and shoved two fingers down his throat, trying to make himself vomit.

    Santiago threw the bowl on the ground and looked at the manager. ¡°Tell me what you know or I¡¯ll make you drink another bowl!¡±

    The manager spat out the soup and crawled before Santiago¡¯s feet. He knelt on the ground and begged for mercy again. Rossie felt sorry for him.

    Just as Rossie was about to speak, Zorion said, ¡°Don¡¯t interupt!¡±

    Rossie immediately shut her mouth and looked at Zorion. She didn¡¯t dare to say anything.

    Santiago nced at the ss bottle beside him before picking it up and smashing it onto the manager¡¯s head. Blood immediately dripped down his head.

    Everyone in the room were frightened by Santiago¡¯s actions. Santiago tossed the bottle to the side and knelt down to look at the manager whose face was full of blood.¡°If you dare to eat the broken sses on the ground, then I¡¯ll let you off the hook.¡±

    The manager trembled inside as he stared at the ss on the ground. He reached out and was about to pick up the ss but pulled back at thest second.¡°Mr. Santiago, please trust me. I swear, it wasn¡¯t me! I didn¡¯t poison the soup.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Santiago sat back and said, ¡°You¡¯re the manager of this restaurant. No one is allowed to enter the kitchen without your permission and now you¡¯re telling me that you did not poison the soup? Do you think I would believe you?

    You keep saying that you didn¡¯t do it. Who are you convincing? You can only defend yourself. You can¡¯t defend anyone else.

    If you don¡¯t tell me today, fine! I still have plenty of ways to make you tell the truth. Once you¡¯re dead, the truth wille out.¡±

    Santiago raised his head to look at his surroundings. ¡°I, Santiago, will not let anyone leave today.¡±

    ¡°No one is allowed to leave this ce until I say so.¡±

    ¡°If you tell me who did it, then I will let all of you go and find the person instead.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give each of you a piece of paper. I want you to write down who did it. Those who don¡¯t know, well, you have no choice but to stay here.¡±

    After Santiago finished, his men handed the employees each a piece of paper and a pen. Their hands were trembling as they epted the paper. They hurriedly walk over to a corner to write down the person¡¯s name.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    While the rest of the employees were writing, Santiago looked at the manager and said, ¡°I¡¯m giving you another chance. Are you going to tell me or not?¡±

    The manager shook his head and said, ¡°Mr. Santiago, I don¡¯t know who did it. I really don¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t kill you. I¡¯ll find your family first.¡± Santiago looked at the others around him. Jacky helped to collect the papers. When he reached one of them, he stared at the person. The person immediately looked away.

    The manager¡¯s whole body stiffened when he saw the man stepping back.

    Santiago took the paper and read the name on it. He stared at the words for a while before asking the manager, ¡°Onest time. Are you going to tell me who did it?¡±

    The manager was stunned. He suddenly grabbed a piece of ss from the ground and put it in his mouth. Santiago ignored him. As a result, he did not swallow it. Instead, his whole mouth was badly mutted that he nearly cut his own tongue off.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago¡­¡±

    The manager opened his mouth and the ss immediately fell out of his mouth. His whole mouth was filled with blood.

    Santiago chuckled. ¡°Those who betray the Richards family will not die. Those who betray me and my brother will not die either.

    But¡­

    I will make sure that they suffer.¡±

 Chapter 1473 You Can Never Trust A Brute

    When the manager heard Santiago¡¯s words, he immediately stood up and yelled at him like a crazy person. ¡°I will jump down from this ce! I want the whole world to know that the Richards family are bad people! You backed me into a corner and forced me to die¡­¡±

    Santiago calmly looked up. ¡°The Richards family are not bad people. If you don¡¯t provoke me, I won¡¯t provoke you.

    You tried to poison us. Now, who¡¯s the bad guy here?

    Should Iget down on my knees and thank you?¡±

    After Santiago was done, the manager took a couple steps backward before turning around and running to the window. He nned to jump off the roof but was swiftly held down before he could.

    ¡°Bring him to the police station. He¡¯s saying that the Richards family are bad people?Take him to the police station. He¡¯ll soon change his mind.¡±

    Santiago stood up and crushed a piece of ss on the ground with one foot. Then, he turned around and left.

    Zorion got up and walked to the door. When he reached the door, Zorion turned around. His gaze swept across the room. ¡°Please preserve the scene.¡±

    Rossie was speechless.How could he still be in the mood to say these things?

    Santiago got into his car and studied the words written on the papers, but he could not make out anything.

    Santiago didn¡¯t believe that not one of the restaurant staff knew who did it. He was sure that there was at least one person among them who knew.

    Santiago put the papers aside after reading them. Then, he called his subordinates to ask if they had found anything.

    They informed him that there was a CCTV installed in the back alley and they found someone getting into a rental car right around the time of the incident.

    ¡°I want you to run a check on the number te. I want to know the exact location of the person.¡± Santiago hung up the phone and waited for a few minutes. By the time he got an answer, it was already the next morning.

    Santiago drove to the given location and found out that it was a residential area.

    Santiago got out of the car and stared at the residential building in front of him before walking towards it with his men.

    Zorion, who was in the car behind Santiago¡¯s, had fallen asleep. It was Rossie who woke up when she heard a noise, but when she looked in the direction of it,all she could see was the person¡¯s back.

    There was a group of old women when Santiago entered the building.They were surprised to see a bunch of youngsters here this early in the morning. They wondered what were Santiago and his men up to?

    After checking the person¡¯s address, Santiago decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator. He made sure to ce some of his men to guard both the elevator and the stairs. He reminded them to be on the lookout.

    They arrived and knocked on the door.However, no one came to open the door.

    Santiago ordered his men to continue knocking.

    Finally, a young woman came to open the door. The woman was shocked when she saw Santiago. Then, she quickly stepped aside and invited Santiago in. He paused at the door before stepping into the house.

    There was a man dressed in a ck shirt having breakfast at the table. The top two buttons on his shirt was left undone. He looked as if he had just finished fighting a bloody battle. He was taking big mouthfuls and did not stop when he saw Santiago. Santiago reached out for his te and threw it down onto the floor.

    The woman was caught off guard by Santiago¡¯s actions and lowered her head in fear.

    Santiago turned to look at the woman and asked, ¡°What is your rtionship?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m his girlfriend.¡± The woman stammered in fright. Santiago sized the woman up for a while. ¡°Get lost.¡±

    The woman immediately walked to Santiago and said, ¡°He did it because of me. I was kidnapped. That¡¯s why he followed their orders.¡±

    The woman took Santiago¡¯s arm.Santiago kicked the woman away. The man nced at his girlfriend before getting to his feet. ¡°It¡¯s not her fault. I was the one who poisoned the food.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking for her. I told her to get out of the way.¡±

    Santiago said unexpectedly. The woman was crying. She looked like she was in her thirties. The man nced at her and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go first? I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe it.¡± She sobbed. The man said, ¡°If you don¡¯t leave, then I¡¯ll jump off this building.¡±

    It was only then that the woman turned around to leave. Her legs were wobbly with fear as she walked towards the elevator. Santiago told one of his men who was at the door, ¡°Go easy on her.¡±

    The man smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve always heard rumours that Mr. Santiago was very protective of women. It seems like the rumours are true.¡±

    Santiago smiled and said, ¡°You must be responsible for your actions. I don¡¯t care who you did it for. I just want to know who asked you to do it.¡±

    ¡°I made a promise not to tell. He¡¯ll kill my entire family if I tell anyone,¡± the man said. Santiago smiled. ¡°And you would trust a brute?¡±

    The man was stunned for a moment and said thoughtfully, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure they will keep their word.¡±

    ¡°It seems that you have done a lot of deceiving things. You might as well guess whether I¡¯m nning on killing you. If you guessed correctly, then I¡¯ll promise not to look for your family.¡±

    ¡°How is it possible for me to guess what you¡¯ll do? It¡¯s obvious that you want to kill us. I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°My brother once told me that God blessed humans with knowledge. You are still a hero of your generation. You¡¯ve been self-deceived.¡± Santiago was just saying when the person at the door said, ¡°Mr Santiago, the woman who just went down was hit by a car and killed on the spot not long after she arrived downstairs.¡±

    Santiago looked towards the door. There was an indifferent expression on his face.

    ¡°Leana¡­¡±

    The man turned around and looked out the windows. When he saw Leana lying in a pool of blood, he jumped out the windows without thinking. Although they were quite high up, but the man made light work of it.

    Santiago turned around and took a quick look around the house. He walked out the door and down onto the street.

    There was a main road right outside of the building and it was where Leana was killed. She was badly mutted and one of her arms was cut off. A man got out of the big truck, holding his head while talking to the sky. He seemed to have lost his mind.

    Leana¡¯s boyfriend was holding her and crying on the ground.

    Santiago walked up to the man, looked around, and asked, ¡°Do you still trust that the brute will not kill your family now?¡±

    The personughed dryly. ¡°Santiago, even if I were a ghost, I will not let you go. You did this, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    The man ced Leana¡¯s body on the ground and got to his feet. He grabbed Santiago by his cor and shouted at him. Santiago merely stared at the man without saying a word. The man slowly released Santiago and took a few steps back. He looked around the ground. ¡°It¡¯s impossible. They wouldn¡¯t lie to me.¡±

    ¡°It had already happened. I am not afraid of anyone. I¡¯ve never felt guilty. If I wanted to kill someone, I wouldn¡¯t have used such means. Judging by your circumstance, I think it¡¯s best I leave you alone today. Take care of yourself.¡±

    Santiago walked back to his car and left with his men.

    The man looked at Leana¡¯s body before pulling her into his arms and cried his heart out.

 Chapter 1474 Fight To Death

    Zorion woke up but did not see Santiago¡¯s car.He asked the driver, ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Santiago?¡±

    ¡°He went to visit Mr. Jepherson. He left about 30 minutes ago. I heard that he was asked to go over to the police station. The restaurant manager decided to file awsuit against Mr. Santiago formistreating the employees. In addition, someone also reported a suspected murder and it all points toward Mr. Santiago.¡±All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Zorion thought for a moment. ¡°Has Jepherson woken up yet?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s already awake.¡± The driver was told that Jepherson had regained consciousness.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head over to the hospital then.¡± Zorion stretched briefly before leaning back in his seat. He took out his phone and called his father, Rayan.

    At this time, Rayan was still asleep.He briefly exchanged a few words with his son before hanging up.

    Rayanwent to sit on the chair and drank a ss of water. Hannah couldn¡¯t fall asleep and got up. She walked over to Rayan and asked him what had happened. Rayan said it was nothing and that he had trouble falling asleep because he had drink some tea before sleeping.

    Hannah sighed and asked Rayan, ¡°Are you worried about Zorion?¡±

    Rayan poured a ss of water for his wife. ¡°Zorion is not a child anymore. I don¡¯t have to worry about him. Career-wise, I have nothing more to teach him. Everything else, he¡¯ll have to learn on his own. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve been a good father.¡±

    ¡°Why do you make it sound as if we don¡¯t have a good rtionship with our kids? I personally feel that you¡¯ve done well as their father,¡± Hannah said proudly.

    Rayan smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m really lucky to have met you, but I¡¯ve done things in the past which I¡¯m not proud of.¡±

    Rayan held Hannah¡¯s hand, feeling an unspeakable sense of guilt.

    ¡°It¡¯s all the past. Why are you bringing this up now? It¡¯ste.I think the reason why you can¡¯t fall asleep is because you¡¯re overthinking. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Hannah reached out for her husband¡¯s hand and pulled him back to bed.

    ¡­¡­.

    By the time Zorion arrived at the hospital, it was already eight in the evening. He made his way into the hospital with Rossie and went straight up to the ICU to visit Raeleigh and Jepherson.

    Raeleigh had woken up, but her body was still weak. Jepherson, on the other hand, looked perfectly fine except for his pale face.

    Raeleigh felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She owed it to Jepherson this time.

    Jepherson was drinking a bowl of soup.

    Zorion happened to enter the room with his men while Jepherson was drinking his soup.

    When Jepherson saw Zorion, he stopped drinking the soup. He reached out for a piece of tissue and wiped his mouth before inviting them to sit down. Jepherson asked, ¡°Is Santiago at the police station?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I am afraid that this matter is a littleplicated. I have a feeling that the group of people weren¡¯t actually targeting you and Raeleigh. I think they weretargeting Santiago.

    The Richards family is now under public scrutiny now. I don¡¯t think you will be able to shrug this matter off without a reasonable exnation.¡±

    Raeleigh was confused.¡°Why are they targeting Santiago?¡±

    Zorion sat down. He didn¡¯t answer immediately. It was Jepherson who spoke instead.

    ¡°Santiago didn¡¯t have a good reputation. Although he hasn¡¯tmitted any crimes, he did provoke a lot of troubles. The Richards family is like a big tree with deep roots. It¡¯s not easy to take us down. Their n is to make Santiago a scapegoat and get the rest of the Richards family involved as well.

    If the Richards family meddled with this matter, it would mean that Santiago is guilty and I¡¯m sure the public will not let us off the hook. If the Richards family did not interfere, Santiago would definitely have to go to jail.

    Everything has been well-thought-out. The person who¡¯s behind this is definitely not your average Joe.

    This person probably knows Santiago very well and is familiar with our routine. Otherwise, how would he be able to predict Santiago¡¯s next move?

    That day at the restaurant, you didn¡¯t eat much and they had prepared some soup.They roughly knew that I would ask you to have some soup instead.

    They know it¡¯s impossible to kill Santiago with all the people around him, but it¡¯s very easy to make use of him.

    Only a shrewd person would be able toe up with such an idea.

    However, this does not look like Yanora¡¯s doing.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Zorion, who asked, ¡°Are you saying that it¡¯s Colston?¡±

    Jepherson thought about it and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so either.¡±

    ¡°Then who?¡±

    ¡°If it was the Doyle family, then I would have known, but there¡¯s no sign of activity from Ste.¡± In fact, many things were under Jepherson¡¯s control, but there were some things that he did not know. This was why he was confused. He wondered who was behind all these?

    ¡°Could it be Flynt?¡± Zorion asked.

    Jepherson looked at Zorion and hesitated for a moment. ¡°Old habits die hard, but we can¡¯t determine whether it¡¯s true or not.

    However, Flynt had experienced a terrible defeat. Whether or not he¡¯s able to rise back from the deadwoulddepend entirely on his mood.

    Flynt was born aloof and proud. His biggest weakness is that he looks down on everyone else.

    He originally had the strong backing of the Cook family, but in order to impress Johan, he mercilessly regarded the Cook family as a stepping stone and cast them aside after making use of them.

    He is willing to use ruthless means to achieve great things. He thought that he was brilliant, but it was only a pretense.

    There are a lot of people in the Moore family. In fact, they are thergest family here in Capital City. Even if they have lost their footing in the city, but it was still very easy for them to do something.

    But he was isted because of his arrogance.

    After being brought down from his high horse, he had no one to help him.¡±

    Jepherson thought for a moment and said, ¡°But I doubt he is able to do so many without anyone¡¯s help. Now that the police came forward, I have a feeling that there¡¯s someone much more powerful than Flynt working behind the scenes.

    And we don¡¯t know much about this person.¡±

    The Richards family and the Whalen family are two of the most powerful families in Capital City. Those with discerning eyes would keep themselves out of trouble after the incident. They wouldn¡¯t force themselves to stand out.

    But who would be so bold toe out at this time? I believe that this person has strong connections.

    If they were not our friends, they would be enemies.

    ¡°I can be sure that the police is also working for the person. I really hope that it¡¯s Yanara who is behind this. Or else, it will be very troublesome and difficult to deal with.¡±

    Jepherson continued drinking his soup.

    The soup was a little cold. Jepherson looked at the thermos. He poured another bowl and drank it while it was hot.

    When Raeleigh saw his forehead covered in sweat, she asked, ¡°Are you feeling weak?¡±

    Jepherson put down the bowl and asked, ¡°Since when do I ever feel weak?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless.

    Everyone in the room looked at them awkwardly. Jepherson smiled and looked at Zorion. ¡°It¡¯s not appropriate for us to show up at this time. Why don¡¯t you do it instead?¡±

    ¡°In what name?¡±

    ¡°Tell them that something has happened to the Richards family and that they have been framed. We¡¯re trying to investigate this matter. You can use Deanna¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Zorion got up and left with Rossie.

    After Zorion left, Raeleigh turned to look at Jepherson and said, ¡°It¡¯s not Flynt.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh.¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°I just have a feeling it isn¡¯t him. He¡¯s out of town. How could he possibly do it this time? Plus, he doesn¡¯t have the ability.¡±

    ¡°There are only a handful of people who are capable of doing this. Other than Flynt, perhaps his mother, Elina. If she¡¯s capable of exposing Yanora, it means that she has already decided tofight to the death. What else can¡¯t she do?¡±

 Chapter 1475 Zorionâ€™s In A Bad Mood

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that Elina¡¯s behind all of this?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate that woman, especially when she has lost so much in the past,¡± Jepherson said as he poured another bowl of soup and drank it while it was hot.Beadsofperspirationstood out on his forehead.

    When Raeleigh saw him drinking soup, she could not help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you sick?¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t answer her and continued drinking his hot soup.

    Raeleigh felt helpless, plus she was getting more and more worried about everything that had happened.

    When Zorion arrived at the police station, the Richards family¡¯s team ofwyers had already arrived.Other people were there too, including Alvin.

    Alvin didn¡¯t do anything. He sat and waited for his turn to see Santiago. However, the police only allowed Santiago¡¯s immediate family to see him.

    Alvin didn¡¯t beg the police officer to allow him to see Santiago, but he did not leave either.

    ¡°Mr. Alvin,¡± Zorion greeted Alvin as soon as he saw him. Although they didn¡¯t work together, Zorion was once a student of Alvin. He was also as respectful to Alvin as Jepherson.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen.¡± Alvin knew who he was, and was equally respectful.

    Zorion turned to look at Rossie behind him and said, ¡°This is my friend, Rossie. Mr. Alvin is Santiago¡¯s tutor.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    It was only after Zorion¡¯s introduction that Rossie knew who Alvin was.

    ¡°Mr. Alvin,¡± greeted Rossie. Alvin looked at her for a while and then said, ¡°I was nearby, so I decided toe over and see how things were going. I still have something to do. Since you¡¯re here, I¡¯ll get going.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Mr. Alvin. Take care.¡± Zorion saw Alvin off before turning to look into the police station.

    It was almost lunchtime and some of the police officers were about to go on their lunch break when Zorion showed up.

    When Zorion saw no signs of the superintendent, he pulled a chair for Rossie to sit down.

    After Rossie sat down, he pulled out another chair for himself.He informed his men that he would be having lunch at the police station.

    All thewyers knew Zorion. Since Zorion said that he would have lunch in the police station, thewyers immediately called to order takeout.

    When the police officers saw Zorion¡¯s attitude, they could not take it anymore.

    ¡°We¡¯re going for our lunch break. Mr. Whalen, are you here to visit?¡±

    Zorion did not wait for the police officer to finish his sentence. He turned his head and red at the police officer. His eyes were deep and his face was haughty. He knocked his knuckles on the table with a steady rhythm while his eyes scanned every officer in the area and the police officer immediately kept quiet.

    The police officer knew that he could not afford to provoke Zorion because if Zorion was a nobody, he wouldn¡¯t dare to be so arrogant.

    There were only a few police officers left in the station as the rest had already gone for lunch.

    Thewyers had ordered takeout for lunch. The delivery boy initially thought that the takeout was for the police officers, so he made sure to deliver it on time. However, when he entered the door, he found out it wasn¡¯t the police officers who ordered the takeout.

    The police officers stood at one side while Zorion and his menate. They didn¡¯t dare to move.

    If it were someone else, they would probably have arrested him for public disturbance.

    On top of that, they would have set the bail so high that the person would not be able to afford it.

    Zorion was different. He did not need to do anything. One of thewyers suggested, ¡°Mr. Whalen, if you feel ufortable, we can file aint against the police.¡±

    The police officers wiped their sweat.This was the first time they hade across a person whom they dared not provoke.

    After Zorion was done with lunch, he paid the delivery boy whom swiftly collected the tes and trash before leaving. Then, Zorion took out his phone and started ying a game.

    Zorion was recently obsessed with a mobile game and even invited Rossie to y with him.

    Not long after, some of the police officers finally came back from their lunch break. They saw Zorion and Rossie, gaming on their phones.

    The police officers suppressed a shiver and quickly returned to their seats. They were waiting for orders on how to deal with this matter.

    After ying for a while, Zorion briefly checked the time on his watch.It was about time for him to meet up with the superintendent.

    However, he was informed that the superintendent was not in and that he might not turn up for work today.

    Zorion immediately instructed his men to call the mayor and file aint.

    Thewyers immediately started drafting out theint. They looked like they were going to court.

    One of the police officers immediately said that it was a slip of a tongue and that the superintendent was most probably on his way back from an important meeting.

    Zorion waited for half an hour and the superintendent eventually showed up.

    Zorion wasn¡¯t familiar with the man in front of him, so he got straight to the point. ¡°I¡¯m here to post a bail for Santiago Richards. How much is the bail?¡±

    The superintendent didn¡¯t expect Zorion to be so straightforward. He didn¡¯t know how to tell Zorion that Santiago was not allowed to be released on bail.

    ¡°Unfortunately, Mr. Santiago is suspected of murder. He is not allowed to be released on bail. Mr. Whalen, please understand.We are still investigating this matter.¡±

    ¡°He was arrested for no reason. How can you suspect him of murder out of the blue? If that¡¯s the case, what¡¯s the purpose ofw? Yes, we were at the scene, but that doesn¡¯t mean we were the ones who did it. A few days ago, there was a huge uproar on TV. There were several people killed in front of my door, but you¡¯ve yet to give me an exnation. And today, you decide to arrest Santiago for no reason and suspect him of murder?

    Show me the evidence.If you can prove that Santiago was the one who did it, then I¡¯ll leave without another word.¡±

    The superintendent was a little lost for words, but he said, ¡°We have rules. Santiago is the prime suspect of this case.¡±

    ¡°I was also present at the scene and we were there to look for someone, but I¡¯m sure you know better than anyone else who killed thedy. Why don¡¯t you invite him over instead? In addition, Jepherson and Raeleigh are still in the hospital. I also hope that you can give me an exnation about the deceased¡¯s boyfriend poisoning us. I believe that someone will speak on my behalf for your inaction.¡±

    Zorion looked at the people around him and said, ¡°Call the media outlets and invite them over to the police station.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Whalen¡­¡±

    ¡°We have no other choice since you refuse to be fair and strict.¡±

    Zorion returned to his seat and waited for the reporters to show up.

    Not long after, the reporters arrived. After entering the door, they first interviewed Zorion, and thewyer immediately said, ¡°I am thewyer representing the Richards family and I¡¯ll answer any questions on their behalf. Mr. Whalen is here to post bail.¡±

    When the reporters heard that thewyer was willing to talk about this matter, they immediately rushed over to him and began asking questions.

    In this case, whoever asked for help first would be the winner. What¡¯s more, more than half of these reporters were from the Whalen family.

    When thewyer started talking about the case, the reporters immediately began the live broadcast. Some of the reporters even went to interview the superintendent, all whom asked the same questions. ¡°Why was Santiago arrested and was not allowed to be released on bail? Was it because of his bad reputation that¡¯s why they made him a scapegoat?¡±

    No matter what the superintendent said, the reporters always twisted his words. In the end, the superintendent declined to give anyments and quickly returned to his office.

    The police station was in chaos. Zorion and Rossie sat in one corner and watched the scene unfold in front of them.

    ¡°Are you frightened by how powerful I am?¡± Zorion asked Rossie with a smirk.

    Zorion had been in a bad mood for the past couple of days and Rossie was nning on leaving.

 Chapter 1476 Awkward

    Rossie smiled and looked around. It was chaotic everywhere. She couldn¡¯t believe that Zorion still had the mood to ask these questions.

    ¡°You can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± Rossie seemed to be quite unfazed. At the very least, they were angels who had fallen into evil. There was still some purity. Compared to those demons, they were much better.

    She understood that the world was not perfect and that there was ugliness in this world. However, she chose to see the beauty.

    They did not have the intention to hurt people. It was just that people disliked them. They had no choice but to fight back in order to get through this matter.

    It seemed that everyone was dissolute, but they had to fight anyway, so it was better to fight in a more solid and beautiful way.

    The more Rossie saw them, the more helpless she felt.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re not afraid of me, then why can¡¯t you stay?¡± Zorion had been unhappy ever since she told him that she was leaving.

    Rossie thought for a moment.¡°Everyone has their own paths to take and I¡¯m no exception. I want to pursue my studies. I can¡¯t stay here with you.¡±

    ¡°You can also pursue your studies here.¡±

    ¡°But they don¡¯t have the course that I want to study. Besides, there is no peace here. I can¡¯t stay.¡±

    Zorion could see the determination in her eyes. It seemed that she had made up her mind and was very determined to leave. He chuckled and walked out of the police station. Rossie watched Zorion as he left the police station without his coat. She quickly picked up his coat and followed him out.

    Zorion braved the cold winter wind and slowly walked down the steps. The cold wind blew across his face.

    He raised his hand to the sky and said, ¡°Everything means nothing if I can¡¯t keep you here with me.¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    Rossie took a few steps and stood on the steps with his coat in her arms. For a moment, she was touched by his words.

    She wanted to stay, but the next moment, she told herself that Zorion was destined to have countless women around him. She knew she would not be his only woman and she doubted she stood out. That was why she couldn¡¯t stay.

    She wanted to leave to pursue her studies. At that time, if Zorion was still single and she still missed him, then she might considering back.

    Rossie walked behind Zorion and draped the coat over him. ¡°You should put on your coat. It¡¯s so cold outside.¡±

    Zorion turned around and took Rossie¡¯s hand. ¡°It seems like you still care about me.¡±

    Rossie lowered her eyes and looked at Zorion. ¡°I¡¯m only seventeen. I¡¯m still a teenager.I don¡¯t know anything. The only thing I know is that I¡¯ve slept with you.

    Although this is ridiculous and sad, but have you ever thought about it? If you have a daughter next time and she was taken away by someone at fifteenjust like I was, how would you feel?¡±

    Zorion loosened his grip on Rossie¡¯s hand, but soon he grasped it again. Rossie forced a smile and said, ¡°I have to admit, I enjoyed sleeping with you. After all, I also experienced the feeling of being brought up by you.¡±

    Rossie was a little embarrassed, but she still said, ¡°But no one would fall in love with the person who raped them, even if¡­¡±

    ¡°Even if what?¡± Zorion turned around with an expectant look in his eyes.

    ¡°I want to pursue my studies. I want to travel the world and experience new things. If, and I mean if, after five years I¡¯m still thinking about you and you are sure that I¡¯m what you want, plus you and I are both single, then I might considering back.¡±

    As Rossie spoke, Zorion¡¯s grip tightened. ¡°Will youe back to look for me?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea. I may or may not have the time to meet up with you, or perhaps¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look for you.¡± Zorion was afraid that Rossie wouldn¡¯t be able to say it, so he finished her sentence for her.

    Rossie pursed her lips and forced a smile. Although she was very reluctant to leave, but she had no other choice.

    It was clear to her whether she should go or stay. A rtionship without a solid foundation would notst.

    Time would tell whether or not she shoulde back.

    Zorion pulled Rossie into his embrace without waiting for her reply. He hugged her and said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you toe back. You¡¯re not allowed to have a boyfriend or else, you¡¯re dead.¡±

    Rossie raised her hand to hug Zorion. ¡°I probably won¡¯t make friends for the time being. We can stay in contact, but I¡¯m going to need some time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±

    Zorion pushed Rossie away and lowered his head to kiss her. This was the first time this year that Zorion had done so. Rossie held onto Zorion¡¯s hand. Initially, she did not want him to kiss her, but in the end, she could not bear to reject him.

    Zorion kissed her and pulled away.¡°If I had a daughter, I will kill myself.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Rossie was stunned for a moment and stared at Zorion¡¯s resentful gaze. At least, he understood what she was trying to say.

    ¡°Ok.¡±

    Rossie fell into Zorion¡¯s embrace again and sighed softly. If he hadn¡¯t been rapacious back then, perhaps they wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. It was just that things changed as time passes. It was one wrong move after another.

    After standing outside for a while, Zorion asked Rossie, ¡°Are you cold?¡±

    ¡°A little.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back inside.¡±

    Zorion led Rossie back to the police station. By then, the police station was much quieter than before they left. Zorion went to ask thewyer about Santiago¡¯s case. Thewyer showed him a couple of drafts. Zorion briefly looked through them before picking one and dialling the mayor¡¯s number.

    It was the mayor who answered the phone.

    The mayor answered the phone with a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m aware of this case. I will personally discuss this matter with the Richards family, so Mr. Whalen, you have to be patient.

    In return, I hope that you will not make things difficult for the police officers. After all, they were just following orders.¡±

    Zorion hung up the phone and instructed thewyers to stay there before leaving with his men.

    On the way home, Zorion called Jepherson to exin the matter.

    ¡°I know. You can call it a night. I¡¯ll contact himter.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡­¡­.

    Jepherson called the mayor. Zorion held tightly onto Rossie¡¯s hand and went back to the Whalen family house.

    It was a time of trouble. If not, Zorion would have personally sent Rossie off. However, he was tied up with Santiago¡¯s case, so he couldn¡¯t leave for the time being.

    When Zorion arrived back at the Whalen family, he immediately helped Rossie pack her belongings. Rossie sat on the bed and looked at him while he packed.

    Although Zorion was the next leader of the Whalen family, but he was also Deanna¡¯s brother. He was capable of doing certain things on his own.In fact, he did it very well.

    After packing up, Zorion looked at Rossie, who had stood up. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I think it¡¯s better if you leave tomorrow instead.¡±

    Rossie looked at Zorion and nodded. Since she had already waited for so long, she didn¡¯t mind waiting for one more day.

    That being said, when it was time to sleep, the two of them sat on either side of the bed and looked at each other.

    Zorion wanted to say something but dared not. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to say it. Rossie wanted to ask something, but she couldn¡¯t either. After contemting for twenty minutes, Zorion pulled back the quilt, got into bed and waited for Rossie to join him.

 Chapter 1477 Peeping

    Rossie was a little surprised at first, but when she realized that Zorion was waiting for her, she lifted the quilt and got into bed.

    Zorion wrapped his hands around her as soon as shey down.

    Rossie did not struggle or move. She justy on the bed.

    When Rossie did not move,Zorion slowly let go of her.He pecked her on the cheek and held her hand tightly under the quilt.

    ¡°What time is my flight tomorrow?¡± Rossie was thinking about her flight and wondered whether Zorion had bought her flight ticket.

    Zorion hugged her. ¡°I haven¡¯t bought your flight ticket yet.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I guess I can still get it tomorrow.¡± Rossie realized that she enjoyed talking to Zorion when he was calm. At least, he was willing to listen.

    ¡°What if we weren¡¯t able to get it?¡± Zorion hugged Rossie tightly, not willing to let her go.

    Rossie knew that Zorion was reluctant for her to leave, but she did not have a choice. He had to ept the fact that she was leaving.

    Zorion did not wait for Rossie¡¯s reply. Instead, he slipped his hands under her shirt.

    Rossie held Zorion¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning on doing anything.¡± Even so, Rossie didn¡¯t let go of Zorion¡¯s hand and pulled his hand out from under her shirt.

    Sometimes, Zorion was very impulsive and wouldn¡¯t think twice about his actions. He would slip his hand under her shirt and pinch her before turning around and getting out of the bed.

    However, this time was different. His hand lingered on her body but he didn¡¯t do anything.He ced his hands on either side of her body and locked eyes with her.

    The twoy in bed and stared into each other¡¯s eyes under the soft glow of the bedsidemp.

    Zorion stared at her for a while before lowering his head to kiss her. Rossie was a little hesitant, but he gently pinched her chin and nted a kiss firmly on her lips.

    ¡­¡­..

    Although Rossie was a little reluctant, but she eventually gave in.

    The next morning, Rossie wanted to get up before dawn. Just as she was about to get out of bed, she was immediately pulled back into bed by Zorion.

    Zorion leaned her up against the headboard before engaging in another round of sex.

    They took their time with each other. They were fine, but the bed was not.

    Once they were done, Rossiey in bed with the quilt wrapped around her and looked at the sunlight that was seeping through the windows. Zoriony behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist and kissed her body from time to time.

    Rossie raised her hand to block him, but after a few times, she realised it wasn¡¯t working. She decided to let him do whatever he wanted.

    After spending the entire morning in bed, Zorion got out of bed and carried Rossie into the bathroom to take a shower. After that, he called the airlinepany to book a flight for Rossie.

    They had lunch together before Zorion drove Rossie to the airport.

    Zorion walked Rossie to her boarding gate and said, ¡°Call me if you need anything. When you decide toe back, let me know. I¡¯lle and pick you up.¡±

    ¡°Okay and I hope I won¡¯t be kidnapped and sent back. I have already contacted Louisa and asked her to treat your stomach.You must remember to pay her a visit.¡±

    They briefly exchanged a few words before Rossie had to board the ne.

    Zorion stood there for about half an hour, but he eventually decided to leave. Just as he made his way out of the airport, he received a phone call from Jepherson.

    Jepherson called to inform Zorion that Santiago had been released from the police station and that Santiago had gone to investigate the car ident. Once that was done, he would follow up with the food poisoning incident.

    Jepherson had arranged everything.Zorion couldn¡¯t help but smile at the fact that he still had to take orders from Jepherson.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    He didn¡¯t mind. At least, he wouldn¡¯t have to do everything on his own.

    Raeleigh was relieved when she heard that Santiago was safe.

    To put it bluntly, after experiencing so many life-threatening situations, she was no longer afraid of anything.

    Raeleigh could finally get out of bed. The technologies in this hospital were very advanced plus the doctors were very skilled and knowledgeable. That was why her recovery period was so short. Jepherson, on the other hand, was different. She had no idea why Jepherson kept on drinking soup and every time he drank it, he would sweat profusely. Raeleigh had asked him more than once if he still wasn¡¯t feeling well,but he would not say a word.

    The thing was, the more Jepherson refused to say anything,the more she worried.

    When Raeleigh got up this morning, she asked Jepherson why he wasn¡¯t eating a proper meal but Jepherson still didn¡¯t give her an answer.

    Raeleigh asked him again in the afternoonandhe still refused to tell her.

    ¡°Xanthus, can you please help me check what¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Raeleigh was really worried about Jepherson.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. He lost a lot of blood, so he needs to drink a lot of soup to replenish his body fluids. He¡¯ll be fine soon.¡±

    Xanthus knew that Jepherson did it to make Raeleigh worry. Given if it were anything else, Raeleigh would not have let her imagination run wild.

    However, Raeleigh only had Jepherson in her heart.It was natural for her to be concerned about him.

    ¡°Really?¡± Raeleigh was not convinced. She secretly asked Xanthus while Jepherson was in the bathroom.

    ¡°Yes, really.¡± What else could Xanthus say?

    Raeleigh sensed that Xanthus was about to lose his patience. She turned to look at the bathroom and stopped asking.

    Xanthus needed to assist in a surgery today. He looked at the time and said, ¡°Jacky is waiting for me outside. I need to help him. Stay here and take care of Jepherson. Do not wander around.¡±

    Xanthus was afraid that Raeleigh would be in danger, so he did not want his sister to follow him.

    ¡°Alright, be careful.¡± Raeleigh walked Xanthus out.He touched his sister¡¯s head and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to walk me out. Why don¡¯t you head back to your room?¡±

    Xanthus turned around and followed Jacky out of the hospital. Raeleigh turned around and went back to her ward.

    By the time Raeleigh arrived back at the ward, Jepherson had alreadye out from the bathroom. When he saw Raeleigh was alone, he suddenly remembered the promise that Xanthus had made. He asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Xanthus?¡±

    ¡°He left.¡± Raeleigh walked over to Jepherson and studied his face. ¡°Why are you still sweating?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Jepherson said as he reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hand with one hand and pinched her chin with the other before kissing her on the lips. Raeleigh had intended to push him away, but he was a man after all. He was undoubtedly much stronger than she was.

    Rather than pushing Jepherson away, Raeleigh put her hands on his shoulders and hugged him instead.

    While Jepherson was kissing her, she suddenly felt something on her lips and hurriedly pulled away. She raised her hand to touch her lips and realised that he had bitten her.

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Why did you bite me?¡±

    Jepherson pulled her into his arms without saying anything. Instead, he looked at the person who was peeping at the door.

    There was a knock on the door. Jepherson said,¡°Come in.¡±

    The person pushed the door open and entered the room. When Raeleigh saw the person, she immediately got up from Jepherson¡¯sp and dashed into the bathroom.

 Chapter 1478 Domineering

    Raeleigh was a little flustered when she entered the bathroom.

    She sshed some cold water on her face.

    She stood inside the bathroom for a while longer before deciding toe out.

    At this time, Jepherson was sitting on the bed as his men reported the details of the investigation to him, including the food poisoning case.

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re saying that the man who poisoned mewants to meet up with me?¡± Jepherson asked with interest. The person nodded. ¡°Yes, he said if you want to know who asked him to poison your food, then you would have to go and see him.¡±

    Jepherson chuckled. ¡°Well, you can tell him there¡¯s no need. I don¡¯t want to know who gave him the orders.¡±

    The man turned around and left. Raeleigh waited for the man to leave before asking Jepherson curiously, ¡°You know who poisoned you?¡±

    Jepherson smiled at Raeleigh before pulling her into his arms.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Anyways, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s impossible for us to find out who gave him the orders. There¡¯s no need for me to meet up with him. Besides, we don¡¯t know what his motive is.¡±

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t know, why don¡¯t you meet him and try to find out?¡± It was better to know rather than to keep guessing.

    Jepherson wasn¡¯t in a hurry. He leaned against one side and pulled Raeleigh onto the bed. ¡°Nothing is set in stone. It¡¯s normal for people to want to hurt us. There¡¯s bound to be bad people in this world, if there isn¡¯t, then that¡¯s a problem.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson.¡°Did you already know who poisoned you from the beginning?¡±

    Jepherson smiled. ¡°Not really. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve already promised the mayor that if he releases Santiago and finds out the truth, we will not make a big issue out of this. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯vepromised on this matter?¡±

    ¡°You can say that.¡± Jepherson didn¡¯t want to talk much about it, but he didn¡¯t want to hide anything from Raeleigh either.

    ¡°I had to do it for Santiago. Since the mayor has already said so, then I have to give him the benefit of the doubt and not make an enemy of the government officials. It would be best if we could get along well with each other.¡±

    ¡°I heard that the mayor and your father are friends?¡± Raeleigh asked. Jephersonughed, ¡°Remember, in this world, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent interests.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson. She inexplicably felt nervous. Although his expression was the same as before,she still felt that there was something different about it. She just couldn¡¯t put a finger on it.At least she knew that the Jepherson in the future would be the same as he was now.

    Raeleigh sat for a while and thought to herself, ¡°Since I chose this path, no matter how tough it is, I have to keep walking.¡±

    Although they would never fight any battle unprepared, but who knew when this battle would begin?

    Raeleigh got out of bed and briefly tidied up the room. Then, she took out herptop and started browsing.

    Jepherson knew Raeleigh had something to do, so he did not want to disturb her.

    After Raeleigh finished her work, she went back to apany Jepherson. Hehad already fallen asleep.

    In the evening, Xanthus came by with Jacky. By then, Raeleigh had already finish cooking dinner as well as Jepherson¡¯s soup. Santiago arrived not long after Xanthus and Jacky. He was surprised to see Raeleigh.

    When Raeleigh saw Santiago, she immediately walked up to him and made sure that he was fine.When she was sure that he was fine, she invited Santiago to join them for dinner.

    After dinner, Raeleigh sat by the side and fiddled with her phone while Jepherson asked Santiago about the details of his investigation.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably someone from the Moore family, but I¡¯m notpletely sure.¡± Santiago had done some investigating and everything pointed to the Moore family.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    After eating, Jepherson stood up and walked across the room.He wiped his hands and nced at Raeleigh. He found a ce to sit down and looked at Santiago. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sure?¡±

    ¡°Did Colston contact you?¡± Santiago retorted. Jepherson said, ¡°Yes, I talked to him about the car ident. He can guarantee that it was not done by the Moore family and he did hint that Yanora was no longer part of the Moore family.¡±

    ¡°It means that he found out that Yanora did it, but he didn¡¯t want to kill her. Instead, he wants to find someone to do the dirty work.¡±

    After Santiago was done with his dinner, he got up and washed his hands before returning to sit beside Jepherson to discuss the matter. Raeleigh, Jacky and Xanthus remained quiet as they spoke.

    However, Jepherson said, ¡°Even if Colston is such a person, it¡¯s still too early for him to let the cat out of the bag. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t think it¡¯s him.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡±

    ¡°Colston may get into trouble. Since Flynt is unable to do anything at the moment and Colston is a nobody in the Moore family, it would be unreasonable for him to punish Yanora at this time.¡±

    ¡°The Moore family is different from other families. Colston is isted and helpless. If he really did take matters into his own hands, I doubt he will have a good life in the future. He has to think about it. Therefore, the only thing he can do now is investigate Yanora¡¯s matteras a favour for us.¡±

    ¡°Then his ns are crystal clear. What have we done?¡± Santiago was still unhappy.

    ¡°I have already talked to the mayor. He promised to investigate and bring them to justice.¡±

    ¡°So we don¡¯t have to intervene in this matter. Let¡¯s leave it to the authorities.¡±

    Santiago raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re acting a little strange. Did someone bribe you?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m doing this for you.¡± Jepherson stood up. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going to take a nap.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a few days, why are you still so tired?¡± Santiago immediately asked Jepherson. Jephersony down and didn¡¯t answer. He didn¡¯t even open his eyes. However, he did not look like he was sleeping. It seemed like he just wanted to rest his eyes. But if he wasn¡¯t sleeping, why didn¡¯t he answer Santiago¡¯s question?

    Santiago wasn¡¯t worried about Jepherson. He took off his clothes andy down.

    Raeleigh nced at the brothers and felt that they looked like lunatics.

    ¡°You guys can spend the night in the room next door.¡±Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t be at ease if Xanthus were to rest alone.Thankfully, Jacky was around.

    Xanthus also knew that Raeleigh was worried about Jepherson, who had lost a lot of blood.

    ¡°Rest early.¡± Xanthus and Jacky went to the room next door. After they left, Raeleigh looked at the two men lying on the bed. She felt that the brothers was truly one of a kind and she happened to have met them.

    Raeleigh admitted that she was unlucky. She walked towards the other bed andbriefly tidied it before lying down.

    The ward soon became quiet. It wasn¡¯t long before the room was filled with Santiago snoring. Raeleigh wanted to cover him with the quilt, but Jepherson unexpectedly got down from the bed and pulled the quilt over Santiago¡¯s body.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t get up. Jepherson looked at her and ced a finger on his lips, gesturing for her to keep quiet. Then, he turned around and went back.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t imagine what someone like Jepherson would be like if he really had a sister.

    She wondered whether his sister would be as domineering as her brothers?

 Chapter 1479 Saboteur

    It had been two weeks since Jepherson was admitted into the hospital and he was finally able to be discharged. Raeleigh asked him whether he needed to do another thorough examination before he left.

    ¡°Why? Do I look like I¡¯m still sick?¡± Jepherson asked while walking. Raeleigh briefly nced at him and realized that he looked much betterpared to a couple days earlier.

    Since he said he was fine,Raeleigh believed him.

    When they got into the car, Jepherson asked about thepany¡¯s affairs. Santiago had been the one holding down the fort the past few days.

    ¡°Everything isas it should be. I¡¯ve promoted your cars ording to the marketing n. It¡¯s just after the new year, so the response is considered quite good, but Raeleigh¡¯s car is doing slightly better.¡±

    Santiago had been busy promoting thepany¡¯s new cars in the past few days. He knew the market better than Raeleigh and Jepherson.

    Jepherson took a look at Raeleigh. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised that Raeleigh¡¯s cars are selling so well. Thepany should focus on selling this car then. We shall put aside the promotion for the other cars for next month.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no problem. I¡¯ve already informed the project department about this.¡±

    The two brothers started to discuss the advertisement of the car. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t put in a word at all.

    Since Raeleigh could not say anything, she decided to keep quiet until she arrived home.

    When they arrived at Xanthus and Raeleigh¡¯s residence, both Jepherson and Santiago also got out of the car.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you pack your things and move into the Richards Group Manor with me?¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t want anything to happen to Raeleigh or to trouble Xanthus. That was why he asked them to move in with him.

    Raeleigh was surprised by Jepherson¡¯s sudden question.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a while and turned around to look at Xanthus, who was standing beside her. Although this was not her first time moving,she couldn¡¯t make this decision on her own.

    ¡°We were nning on moving in with our parents. I will take care of Raeleigh¡¯s school transfer procedure. As for thepany, if you feel it necessary to sue us, you can sue us. I will also ask awyer to talk to you about this matter.¡±

    In other words, Xanthus was rejecting Jepherson¡¯s offer. Raeleigh was not surprised. Xanthus was desperate to move out of this ce after two major incidents. He felt that this ce was not suitable for them to live andthat was why he made the decision to move out. Raeleigh had been aware of it from the beginning.

    ¡°If you move in with your parents, we won¡¯t know what will happen to you. If you stay here, at least we can still take care of you.¡±

    Jepherson tried his best to persuade Xanthus. Raeleigh looked at Jepherson,and then at Xanthus. She was going to leave it up to them to decide.

    Raeleigh turned around and entered the house. Regardless of what the decision was, their belongings had already been packed. She and Xanthus were supposed to move out.

    It was just their ns got dyed.

    Santiago followed Raeleigh into the house.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

    Raeleigh went straight into the kitchen while Santiago went to the living the room to watch TV. However, as soon as he sat down, he got up again and walked towards the kitchen, calling Raeleigh, ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh stood in the kitchen, in a daze. By the time she reacted, Santiago was already standing beside her.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Santiago. His eyebrow was raised. ¡°This is definitely your work.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? Why would I do this to your kitchen?¡±

    There was paint everywhere. Even the floor was covered in paint, not to mention the wall.

    Raeleigh lowered her head to look at the red paint that she had stepped on. She couldn¡¯t believe that her slippers had been ruined by the paint.

    Raeleigh then looked at the leather boots that Santiago was wearing and saw that his shoes were no better than hers.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take off your shoes? You¡¯re going to get paint all over the living room floor!¡± Raeleigh¡¯s temper red up and Santiago found himself on the receiving end of her anger.

    Santiago chuckled and took a step back. ¡°Well, it¡¯s better than being stuck here.¡±

    ¡°Stay here and don¡¯t move, lest the rest of the floor gets covered in paint.¡± Raeleigh felt a little distressed. She turned around and looked inside the kitchen. ¡°She wasn¡¯t worried about her slippers. Instead, her heart ached because of the kitchen.

    Santiago came back from behind. He bent down and carried Raeleigh outside. She quickly turned around and changed into a new pair of slippers beforeing back. She asked Santiagowho was standing by the kitchen door, ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t create this mess while you were sleepwalking?¡±

    Raeleigh held one side of the slippers behind her and waited for Santiago to admit it. She tapped his head several times with the slippers.

    Santiago raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you really think I would do that? Why would I sleepwalk all the way to your house to do this? Why don¡¯t you ask Jepherson instead?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Jepherson and Xanthus who had juste in.However, she felt that it wasn¡¯t Jepherson¡¯s doing.

    ¡°I doubt it¡¯s him. I have a feeling it¡¯s you.¡±

    She was sure that it was Santiago because she knew that no one else would have the guts to do it.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you check the CCTV?¡± Santiago suggested.Thetruth would be revealed.

    Raeleigh quickly tossed aside the slippers and went to check the CCTV recordings. After awhile, Santiago wondered what was taking her so long and decided to go check on her. When he pushed open the door, he found Raeleigh looking mncholy. She was holding the wire that had been cut off. Santiago reached out and took the wire away to make sure that it was the same. Then he turned around and showed it to Jepherson. Jepherson took a look at the wire and asked Raeleigh, ¡°Are you suspecting Santiago and I?¡±

    ¡°Who else do I know besides you two?¡± Raeleigh couldn¡¯t think of any other person who would do such a thing.

    Jepherson was speechless.

    Santiago looked through the videos and asked, ¡°Do you not trust us?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus. ¡°What should we do?¡±

    ¡°Since the wires had been cut off and the kitchen can¡¯t be used, we have no choice but to leave tonight.¡±

    Xanthus turned and went into the room. Jepherson turned and looked. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t us!¡±

    Raeleigh also felt strange. ¡°How could it be so coincidental?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and check on him.¡± Raeleigh went outside to look for Xanthus. By the time she found Xanthus, he had already taken out the luggage and was nning to leave right away.

    Santiago blocked the door and asked Xanthus, ¡°Perhaps it was you who deliberately spilled paint all over the kitchen floor and cut off the wires.¡±

    Xanthus looked up at Santiago. ¡°Why would I do that?¡±

    ¡°As an excuse to leave this ce.¡± Santiago blocked the doorway and wasn¡¯t intending to let Xanthus leave. Raeleigh also looked at Xanthus, but Xanthus didn¡¯t admit nor deny the usation.

    ¡°Move out of the way!¡± Xanthus carried the luggage in one hand and took Raeleigh¡¯s hand in the other. He intended to take Raeleigh away. Santiago¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to leave until you make things clear. We¡¯re not going take the me for this.¡±

    ¡°Santiago,¡± Jepherson called out to his brother. Santiago moved out of the way and allowed Raeleigh and Xanthus to leave.

    Raeleigh followed Xanthus downstairs. Her luggage was already downstairs.

    Xanthus walked to the door with two suitcases in hand. They had everything they needed and had no ns toe back.

    Jepherson stood downstairs, while Santiago stood upstairs. Both brothers were staring at Raeleigh.

    However, she didn¡¯t mention that she wanted to stay. She followed Xanthus and left.

 Chapter 1480 Whoâ€™s Right and Whoâ€™s Wrong

    Jepherson and Santiago arrived at the airport the same time as Raeleigh and Xanthus. However, Xanthus immediately made a beeline for the ticket counter while Jepherson sat with Raeleigh.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand without saying a word.

    Raeleigh did not know what to do. She had no idea how to handle his temper.

    Raeleigh tried to smooth things over with Jepherson. She told him that just because she was leaving, it didn¡¯t mean that they were going to be separated forever. He was more than wee to visit her. She also promised toe back and visit once she had the time. However, judging by the look on Jepherson¡¯s face, it seemed that he was not willing to ept it.

    Raeleigh gently tugged Jepherson¡¯s hand. ¡°Come with me. I have something to tell you. Santiago, can you keep an eye on Xanthus for me?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Santiago did as he was told. He found a seat next to Xanthus.

    Once Raeleigh was sure that Santiago was with Xanthus, she led Jepherson to a secluded part of the airport.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to be gone forever.¡± Raeleigh found a quieter spot and exined to Jepherson. He lowered his eyes and looked at her. ¡°I didn¡¯t mess up the kitchen.¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re mad because of the kitchen?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Jepherson¡¯s face was gloomy. Raeleighughed when she heard that.Jepherson stared at her with a straight face.

    Raeleigh held back herughter, then looked at him and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you. I never doubted you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not Santiago either.¡± Jepherson still kept a straight face. Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that.¡±

    ¡°It really isn¡¯t him.¡± Jepherson said coldly. It made Raeleigh feel a little ufortable. If it wasn¡¯t Santiago, then it wasn¡¯t Santiago. Why did he have to make a big deal out of it?

    ¡°Ok, fine. It wasn¡¯t you nor Santiago.¡± Raeleigh reached out for Jepherson¡¯s hand, but he still had a straight face.

    ¡°What do you want then?¡± Raeleigh felt helpless.

    Only then did Jepherson respond. He reached out both of his hands towards Raeleigh and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to leave.¡±

    ¡°Apart from this.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to part with Jepherson on bad terms.

    Jepherson released her hand sand turned sideway. He was still in a bad mood.

    This was the first time Raeleigh had to coax Jepherson, but she realised that men were not as easy to coax as women.

    Raeleigh stopped in front of Jepherson and said, ¡°I have to do thisfor Xanthus.¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡± Jepherson looked at her fiercely.

    Raeleigh was rendered speechless. ¡°I care about you too, but as you can see, if Xanthus and I stay, we will get into a lot of trouble. What would happen if something did happen to us?¡±

    ¡°You guys might still get into trouble even if you leave. You know this very well.¡±

    ¡°I know, but I can¡¯t stop Xanthus from leaving.¡±

    Raeleigh was caught in a dilemma. She hadn¡¯t expected things to be soplicated.

    After a while, Raeleigh pulled Jepherson¡¯s hand. ¡°Since we can¡¯t seem to reach an agreement, let¡¯s breakup. At least when I leave this ce, I can have a clean te.¡±

    Jepherson looked up and said, ¡°Nonsense!¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned. Who was talking nonsense now?

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh into his arms and begged,¡°Please don¡¯t go.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go either, but he is my brother. I am afraid that something will happen to him if he stays here. At least if we go back,it will lessen your burden.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a burden.I¡¯m investigating the Doyle family. If you stay, it will be my greatest affirmation.¡±

    Jepherson let go of Raeleigh and looked at her. Raeleigh said after thinking for a while, ¡°There¡¯s about three hours before our flight leaves. I¡¯ll try to convince Xanthus. If he agrees, then we¡¯ll move into the Richards Group Manor, but he doesn¡¯t, I¡¯ll have to follow him home ande back in a few days.

    ¡°No.¡± Jepherson firmly refused.

    ¡°You¡¯re not giving me much choice here. Not everything has to go your way. You¡¯re not God.¡±

    ¡°If you want me to be, I¡¯ll be.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­. ¡±

    Raeleigh had never seen someone as fickle minded as he was. Her expression changed slightly.¡°You¡¯re being too unreasonable.¡±

    She turned around and wanted to leave. Jepherson wanted to stop her, but couldn¡¯t. So, he quickly chased up to her.

    Raeleigh quickened her footsteps.She was mad at him and wanted to scare him a little.

    However, when she arrived at Santiago¡¯s side, she was surprised to see that Xanthus wasn¡¯t there.

    Raeleigh¡¯s footsteps halted. She saw Santiago sleeping in the chair. She walked over to him and said, ¡°Santiago.¡±

    Santiago opened his eyes and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Xanthus?¡±

    Raeleigh was worried. She was afraid that something had happened to him.

    Santiago said, ¡°I made a bet with him. The bet was how long it¡¯s going to take for you two toe back. He lost. So I asked my men to bring him to Waverly Vige.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Sheturned around to look at Jepherson with fury in her eyes,¡°You¡¯ve gone too far! I¡¯ll have to go and look for him now.¡±

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh¡¯s arm.¡°I¡¯ll bring you there.¡±

    Santiago also stood up.Raeleigh¡¯s n of going back home failed because of Santiago.

    They left the airport and made their way to Waverly Vige. When they arrived, Raeleigh hurriedly set out to look for Xanthus. As soon as she entered the door, she heard an old woman saying, ¡°I have been ill for many years. I wasn¡¯t sure whether it could ever be sure. I¡¯ve had it ever since I gave birth.¡±

    Xanthus smiled and said, ¡°If you had sought treatment earlier, you probably would have recovered by now.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    The old woman asked Xanthus. He nodded.¡°Yes.¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    ¡°By the way, Dr. Osteen, my son¡¯s bones are painful. Are you able to help him do a check up?¡±

    Xanthus looked up at Raeleigh, then he looked at the olddy and said, ¡°Is your son at home?¡±

    ¡°He went to work and will be back soon. Dr. Osteen, do you mind waiting?¡±

    The old woman spoke kindly. Xanthus nced at the time. It was impossible for them to make their flight now, so he agreed to wait.

    Raeleigh came out from inside and red at Santiago. She warned him, ¡°If you ever do this again, I will end our friendship.¡±

    ¡°Only if there¡¯s ever a next time. I¡¯m going to look for Jacky. Come by the Jack Town Hotelter for dinner.¡±

    Santiago waved before turning around and walking away. Raeleigh stood, fuming. She couldn¡¯t believe that he just left like that.

    Xanthus came out from inside and stood beside Raeleigh. ¡°It¡¯s very scenic here.¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned for a moment and turned to look at Xanthus. ¡°What are you saying?¡±

    ¡°If we don¡¯t leave, we can stay here instead.¡±

    After saying that, Xanthus nced at Jepherson before he wandered off into the streets of Waverly Vige. Soon, he disappeared into the crowd.

    Raeleigh watched as Xanthus walked past each house. When the families saw Xanthus, they were more than happy to wee him into their house.

    Raeleigh asked Jepherson, ¡°Has Xanthus been here before?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he came by the vige while we were in the hospital. He was the one who brought a doctor in to help perform a surgery on Logan.¡±

    ¡°Logan?¡± Raeleigh was not clear about what had happened. Jepherson briefly exined it to her. Only then, Raeleigh realised that the mole was Logan.

    However, after thinking about it carefully, she realised that he did it out of love. So, who could tell who was right and who was wrong?

 Chapter 1481 He Only Hoped

    Raeleigh listened to Xanthus and stayed in Waverly Vige. That afternoon, Raeleigh followed Jepherson to Jack Town Hotel. Jacky immediately arranged a room for her as soon as she arrived at the hotel.

    However, Xanthus didn¡¯t like the houses in the back of Waverly Vige, so he decided to go house hunting that day.

    Raeleigh also had no idea what Xanthus wanted. Perhaps it was because he didn¡¯t want to stay with Jacky and the rest, so that was why he went to look for houses.

    In the afternoon, Raeleigh went house hunting with Xanthus. After looking around the entire vige, they finally stumbled upon a house with a for sale sign in the front.

    When Xanthus saw the sign, he immediately walked towards it. Raeleigh followed him into the house and asked him why he didn¡¯t want to rent it instead of buying it since they were only here for a few days.

    Xanthus replied, ¡°Why not? It¡¯s a good investment anyway. I¡¯ll put our house in Capital City on the market and move here instead. The air is so much fresher and cleaner here. Not to mention the people, they are so friendly.¡±

    ¡°This vige is two hours away from Capital City. If we sell our house in Capital City, you would have to spend two hours traveling! Are you sure about that?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Xanthus was adamant on buying a house here. After entering the house, he walked around and realised that the house only needed a minor renovation.

    Raeleigh asked the owner about the price. The houses here were more reasonablepared to the houses in Capital City.

    The house only cost about 100, 000 dors and it was about 100 square metres. It was considered quite spacious for the two of them.

    However, Xanthus felt that it was too small, so he went into the next house and talked to the owner. When the owner heard that Xanthus was willing to buy his house at a price that was higher than the market price, he immediately agreed to sell the house.

    ¡°Where would you live if you sold your house to us?¡±

    Raeleigh was a little concerned, but Xanthus quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m in no rush to move in.You can continue to stay here even after we sign the agreement. When the weather gets a little warmer, then you can start looking for a ce to stay. It¡¯s not good to leave the house empty at this time.¡±

    The owner was very grateful.Raeleigh followed Xanthus to sign the agreement and left.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t help but wonder why Xanthus wanted to stay in Waverly Vige?

    They had dinner at Jack Town Hotel. After dinner, Raeleigh went out for a walk with Jepherson. They talked about the days¡¯ events and he mentioned that this vige had everything except for amodern and well-equipped hospital.

    After hearing that, Raeleigh immediately understood Xanthus¡¯ intentions.

    ¡°Can a small vige like this afford to hire my brother?¡±

    Don¡¯t even mention the others. Even Raeleigh herself could not believe it.

    Xanthus was a well known orthopedic physician. Not everyone could afford to hire him, plus he did notck money.

    ¡­¡­.

    Raeleigh lowered her eyes and thought to herself, ¡°Perhaps Xanthus is a happy go lucky kind of person and would be content with anything.¡±

    ¡°The hospital here is a little too small,¡± Raeleigh pointed out. However, Jepherson said, ¡°They can always expand it. Besides, having a small hospital here is good.¡±

    ¡°Waverly Vige is rtively popted, but the equipments in the hospital are a little outdated. Your brother has an aptitude for business. He just wants to gain a foothold here, but he has to rely on Jacky for this. I wonder whether there is a chance for them to cooperate?¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that Jacky will be one of the investors?¡± Raeleigh looked over. The corners of Jepherson¡¯s lips curled. ¡°You can say that.¡±

    Raeleigh did not say nothing. As it was a bit cold outside, Raeleigh decided to call it a night and returned to her room in Jack Town Hotel.

    Her room had already been prepared, so Raeleigh went back to her room immediately aftering back.Jepherson intended to follow her but as soon as she opened the door, she found Xanthus already lying on the bed. It caught her by surprise.

    Raeleigh stood at the door and looked at Xanthus, who was fiddling with his phone. When his sister entered the room, he quickly put down his phoneand sat up. There was only one bed in the room, but two people?

    Jepherson stood behind Raeleigh and did not move. She asked awkwardly, ¡°Am I in the wrong room?¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re in the right room. I¡¯m a little worried about you sleeping alone, so I decided to bunk with you tonight.¡± Xanthus had already changed into his pyjamas. As he spoke, he came down from the bed and went to the door to look at Jepherson. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Richards for bringing my sister back safely.¡±

    Jepherson remained quiet as he stared at Raeleigh.

    ¡°Do you minding out for a second? I want to talk to you.¡± Jepherson turned around and walked outside. Xanthus looked at Raeleigh before going outside and closing the door behind him. They talked in the corridor.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, what do you want to talk about? I¡¯m a little tired, I want to sleep early.¡±

    Xanthus stood at one side and urged Jepherson.

    ¡°Raeleigh is not young anymore. She knows what she¡¯s doing. I¡¯m sure she knows whether she¡¯s happy with what she has.¡±

    Jepherson turned around, a cold glint shing in his eyes.

    Xanthus frowned. ¡°I am Raeleigh¡¯s brother. I think I have the right to protect her.¡±

    ¡°If you want to protect her, you should have done that long ago! Why are you only doing this now? Raeleigh and I are in a rtionship. I want her to make her own decisions, not you!

    Xanthus, I respect you because I regard you as my brother. I don¡¯t want you toe between us, but if you insist, I will take you down.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s expression was cold. Santiago was about to enter his room when he saw Jepherson and Xanthus ring at each other. Santiago quickly walked towards Jepherson, but by then, Jepherson had already stepped to one side.

    Jepherson told Santiago, ¡°Bring him to your room.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Santiago turned around and looked at Xanthus. He took a few steps forward and reached out to grab Xanthus¡¯s wrist. Then, he pulled Xanthus to his room. He opened the door and pushed Xanthus in. Xanthus wanted to leave but Santiago stopped him. He closed the door and tilted his head. ¡°With me around, you can forget about leaving this room.¡±

    Xanthusughed. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my own business. You are going to bunk with me tonight.¡± Santiago leaned against the door and blocked the door. There were only two of them in the room. Santiago didn¡¯t budge and Xanthus had no way out.

    When Xanthus realised that he wasn¡¯t going to be able to leave this room, he turned around, lifted the quilt, andy on the bed. He stared straight at the ceiling until Santiago got into bed with him.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    Xanthusughed. ¡°You love her too. Why aren¡¯t you willing to fight for her?¡±

    ¡°He is my brother.¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s not willing to let you have her.¡± Xanthus looked at Santiago. Santiago pulled the quilt and closed his eyes. ¡°You won¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also an older brother.I will give Raeleigh the best.¡±

    Santiagoughed. ¡°My brother has given me nothing but the best.¡±

    ¡°Since he has already given you nothing but the best, why not give you Raeleigh as well?¡±

    Santiago smirked.

    Santiago opened his eyes and looked at Xanthus. ¡°What I have is the best, but in your eyes, there is no end to it. Don¡¯t use your thoughts to measure our feelings, just like how you¡¯re not giving Raeleigh a chance to find happiness.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never done that.¡± Xanthus couldn¡¯t help but feel sad when he heard what Santiago said. Raeleigh was his sister. Of coursehe only wanted her to have the best.

 Chapter 1482 He Really Did

    ¡°If you want the best for Raeleigh, then you should let her figure out who she loves. Just like Raeleigh and I. If Raeleigh loves me, I¡¯m sure my brother would respect her decision and note between us. You didn¡¯t even give her a chance to decide.

    Raeleigh has great respect for you, but instead of allowing her to make her own decisions, you make use of this and take control of her life.

    Let me warn you. If you dare to cause trouble, I will make sure you regret it for the rest of your life.¡±

    After saying that, Santiago lied down on the bed and went to sleep. Xanthus watched Santiago for a while before he closed his eyes.

    It was already ten o¡¯clock, but Xanthus had not returned to his room.On the other hand, Raeleigh stood up and intended to look for Xanthus. However, as soon as she stepped outside the door, she saw Jepherson walking towards her room with a ss of water in his hand.

    Jepherson handed the ss of water to Raeleigh and followed her into the room.

    ¡°Why are you alone? Where is my brother?¡± Raeleigh wanted to open the door but was pulled back by Jepherson.

    Jepherson then took off his coat and she realized that he was wearing purple pajamas underneath. She found it strange and wondered what he and Xanthus talked about outside. Before she could figure it out, Jepherson was already lying on the bed.

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson with a helpless look on her face. She sometimes felt that Jepherson was like a stubborn child, who refused to listen to anything she said and did things as he wished.

    Thus, Raeleigh asked, ¡°I just want to know where¡¯s my brother. Is he alright?¡±

    Jepherson lifted the quilt and patted the bed. ¡°Come to bed and I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at the bed, then at the door behind her. In the end, she chose to go to bed.

    As soon as Raeleigh lied down, Jepherson immediately pulled her into his arms.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jepherson started taking off her clothes. Raeleigh immediately grabbed his hands and stopped him. ¡°Xanthus is going toe back any minute!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s bunking with Santiago. He will note back tonight.¡± Jepherson turned over and pressed Raeleigh down on the bed. Then, he leaned closer and kissed her.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    Raeleigh tried to avoid his kiss, but it was a vain attempt. In the end, she had no choice but gave in to his affectionate kiss. However, she realised that she excelled in everything she did, except for kissing.

    ¡°Why did you kick my brother out of the room?¡± Immediately, Raeleigh turned her face away and asked. Jepherson lowered his head and kissed her. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of you and your brother sleeping on the same bed. I know you are siblings and all but, it¡¯s still inappropriate.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. ¡°We¡¯ve shared a bed before.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but that was when we weren¡¯t together. Now, we are a couple.¡± Jepherson said possessively as he held her in his arms.In an instant, Raeleigh felt heavy in her chest. She ced her hands on Jepherson and wanted to shove him away, but he wouldn¡¯t budge. Instead, he tightened his embrace around her.

    As Raeleigh couldn¡¯t breathe, she struggled for a while before he eventually let her go. Heid on his side and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°I never knew you would get jealous.¡±

    Raeleigh did not agree with his statement. After all, there was still Santiago.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be jealous? Remember, Raeleigh, you¡¯re not allowed to be with other men.¡± Jepherson said seriously. Raeleigh thought for a while and said, ¡°You should tell yourself that.¡±

    Jepherson slightly raised his eyebrows. ¡°Of course, I know what to do.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Raeleigh gave him a shove, but Jepherson did not get out of bed, instead he turned off the lights¡­

    Raeleigh had trouble sleeping, but she still got up early the next morning. After she washed up and got dressed, she left the room in search of Xanthus. She was aware that it was only seven in the morning, but she still knocked on Santiago¡¯s door.

    With that, Santiago woke up and went to open the door. However, he was not surprised to see Raeleigh, so he let her in.

    Xanthus awoke and immediately got up from the floor when he saw Raeleigh.

    ¡°Why are you sleeping on the floor?¡± Raeleigh felt that it wasn¡¯t nice of Santiago to make Xanthus sleep on the floor.

    ¡°He moves a lot when he sleeps. I think sleeping on the floor is a better option.¡± Xanthus pulled Raeleigh out of Santiago¡¯s room and made their way back to her room.

    Raeleigh had intended to take Xanthus somewhere else and wait for Jepherson to leave before heading back to her room. However, Xanthus was wearing his pajamas, so it was inappropriate to walk around in the hotel. They had no choice but to go back to her room.

    After entering the door, Raeleigh was a little regretful. When they entered the room, Jepherson had just woken up and was sitting on the bed, waiting for her. The venttion in the room was fine, as it was not stuffy as it was winter. Besides, the smell had dispersed after one night. Raeleigh had left the bathroom door opened when she washed up. So, some of the heat also dispersed the smell in the room.

    Xanthus stood at the door and paused for a moment. Then, he entered the room to grab a fresh set of clothes and went to the bathroom to change. Raeleigh wanted to ask Jepherson to leave first, but Jepherson got up and went to the bathroom. He said, ¡°Raeleigh, can you please go to my room and help me get a change of clothes?¡±

    Then, Jepherson entered the bathroom. Raeleigh stood outside the door for a few seconds before rummaging through his clothes for his room key. After she found it, she went to his room to help get his clothes.

    At this time, Jepherson and Xanthus had both emerged from the bathroom.

    Raeleigh felt a little awkward when she saw them both standing in the room in their bathrobes. Raeleigh could not imagine what it was like for two men to shower in a tiny bathroom.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­.¡± Jepherson¡¯s face darkened, but his eyes were soft and tender. Raeleigh handed the clothes to him. ¡°Here you go. I¡¯ll wait for you outside. I¡¯ll have a look at what¡¯s for breakfast.¡±

    Then, Raeleigh turned around and went out. At this time, Santiagocame out of his room. When he saw Raeleigh, he quickly followed her to see what was for breakfast.

    Xanthus, Raeleigh, Jepherson, Santiago and Jacky had breakfast together.

    After breakfast, Xanthus decided to go and check out another house. In fact, he had actually bought several houses.

    Now, it was quite clear to Raeleigh what Xanthus¡¯s intentions were.

    After lunch, Raeleigh asked Xanthus, ¡°Are you really nning to stay here for the long run?¡±

    Xanthus asked, ¡°Of course! Can¡¯t I do that?¡±

    ¡°Of course, you can. I was just wondering, why must you buy so many houses? I mean, I never thought you would want to stay here for the long term.¡±

    In fact, Raeleigh felt that Xanthus was just fooling around.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a fool. You can basically make a living anywhere. Besides, I like it here. It¡¯s a perfect ce to rejuvenate.¡±

    Xanthus said a bunch of words, but Raeleigh was silent. Since he had already made up his mind, she could do nothing to change it.

    They went to check out several more houses in the afternoon. In the evening, Raeleigh calcted and realized that Xanthus had bought a total of 16 houses, all of which were next to each other.

    At dinner, Raeleigh was no longer concerned about Xanthus spending spree here in Waverly Vige. Instead, she asked Santiago about the car and whether he had pre-arranged or called the person.

    Needless to say, he really did!

 Chapter 1483 Uninvited Guest

    When Raeleigh heard that her car was well received in the market, she was naturally in a good mood.Thus, she decided to prepare dinner for everyone the next day.

    Just as they began eating, one of Jacky¡¯s men entered and whispered a few words into Jacky¡¯s ear. Jacky then looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°There¡¯s someone looking for you.¡±

    ¡°Wait, someone¡¯s looking for me?¡± Jepherson, who was currently peeling a prawn for Raeleigh, asked in surprise when he heard Jacky¡¯s words.

    Raeleigh took the prawn from Jepherson and took a bite. Then, Jepherson wiped his hand with a piece of tissue, looking in the direction of the door.

    ¡°They came all the way here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s up to you whether you want to meet the person. My men just came to inform me.¡± Jacky did not like meddling in others¡¯ business. However, since Jepherson was his guest, he had to inform him as a courtesy.

    Jepherson briefly nced over at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go out and have a look.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh had no objection and began peeling some prawns for Xanthus.

    Everyone else at the table remained seated as Jepherson stood up. He pushed the door open and went outside, wantingto know who hade all the way here to find him. He was told that the person was waiting for him at the entrance of the vige. It was quite far, so it took some time for him to walk over.

    Jepherson greeted the vigers as he walked towards the entrance. It took about half an hour for him to get there.

    When Jepherson finally arrived, he saw a ck car waiting for him, and there were a few people sitting in the car. The person in front was obviously the driver.Besides, he also noticed that the number te of the car was from Capital City.

    As Jepherson paused and looked at the car, two people alighted the car. One went to the trunk of the car to get the wheelchair. The otheropened the door and carried Ste out of the car before cing her in the wheelchair.

    Then, one man retrieved a quilt from the car and draped it over herp.

    Ste was wearing a hat to cover her face.

    After that, the two men retreated. Ste looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°Are you surprised to see me here?¡±

    Jepherson did not say anything and just stared at the people around him. Ste did not bring an entourage this time. Instead, she and her bodyguards came in one car.

    At this time, Ste was sitting alone in a wheelchair, while the others were waiting for her in the car.

    Jepherson then looked at Ste and said, ¡°Yes, I was surprised, but then again, not really.¡±

    ¡°Is it because I like doing unexpected things since I was young?¡± Ste asked him jokingly.With that, Jepherson was deep in his thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s so cold out and you¡¯re not in good health. What are you doing all the way here?¡±

    ¡°You never came to see me. I tried calling you but all of my calls went unanswered. I had no choice but toe and find you.¡±

    Ste said and held her hands. Her blood looked like it was frozen in her veins. She sat in the wheelchair, looking deathly pale.

    Hence, Jepherson could not bear it and took off his jacket and draped it over Ste¡¯s shoulders. He said, ¡°You know that there is no possibility between us, but you keep on persisting. Why bother?¡±

    Ste pursed her lips astears began to roll down her cheeks. ¡°I am not asking for much, it¡¯s just that¡­.¡±

    Ste could not help but burst into tears. Perhaps, it was because she was used to crying in front of Jepherson, so he was immune to that. There was no point talking to her.

    Furthermore, Ste had her own ns.

    Even though she knew she could not have Jepherson,she was not nning on going easy on Raeleigh.

    Jepherson stared at Ste as she cried. ¡°Ste, you know that I have always regarded you as my sister. Why do you persist?¡±

    ¡°When have you ever regarded me as your sister?¡± Ste asked loudly, sounding somewhat impatient.

    Only then did Jepherson say, ¡°Have you eaten?¡±

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡±

    With pursed lips, Jepherson to the back of Ste¡¯s wheelchair and pushed her into Waverly Vige.

    Raeleigh stood as she watched Jepherson drape his coat aroundSte¡¯s shoulders. Although from where Raeleigh was standing, she noticed that they only exchanged a few words, but it did not stop her from turning around and leaving.

    Raeleigh was not in a hurry nor did she walk slow. She walked calmly as she usually did, but her mind was in a mess.

    She knew that she was letting her imagination run wild.

    Everything was an illusion as she knew Jepherson had his reasons.

    However, she still could not ept it nor face it.

    Raeleighonly stood out in the cold for a while, yet her faceturned bright red because of the cold wind. Thinking about it, there was nothing she could do.

    As Raeleigh made her way back to the house, she felt her body gradually heat up.

    By the time Raeleigh came back, the rest were nearly done with their food. However, Raeleigh and Jepherson barely ate anything.

    ¡°Are you going to eat?¡± Xanthus immediately asked Raeleigh when he saw her. He noticed that her face was bright red, but he wasn¡¯t sure whether it was because of the cold or whether it was because she had taken a walk.He was a little distressed when he saw his sister¡¯s appearance.

    ¡°Come here.¡± Xanthus raised his hand and touched her face, hoping to warm her up. Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Xanthus and suddenly felt a deep feeling of sadnesswashed overher. She wanted to cry but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to.

    She opened her mouth and felt wronged.However, she still couldn¡¯t help but yell out, ¡°I feel miserable!¡±

    Xanthus was caught off guard by Raeleigh¡¯s screams. Santiago¡¯s face, too, turned pale.

    Everyone in the room was baffled.Besides, Jacky could see very clearly that Santiago was watching Raeleigh¡¯s every move.

    As long as Raeleigh was a little off,Santiago would start to get worried about her.

    At this time, Raeleigh was obviously wrongedandSantiago¡¯s face was extremely pale.

    As the door opened with a creak,everyone in the room looked towards the door. Jepherson had a little trouble pushing Ste into the room. For a moment, the whole room was silent.

    Ste smiled faintly as she looked at the upants in the room withradianteyes.

    Soon, her smile gradually disappeared as she greeted the people in the room.

    ¡°Hello, everyone. Sorry to disturb you.¡±

    Although Ste was sitting in a wheelchair,she still greeted everyone in the room.

    With that, Raeleigh gradually calmed down, knowing that she was in it to win it. She was going to show Ste how strong she was and not let Steugh at her behind her back.

    Raeleighposed herself and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you toe. I doubt you¡¯ve eaten. Come join us.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at Xanthus and asked him to move over one seat. She sat between Santiago and Xanthus, leaving her original seat to Ste.

    Jacky found it interesting. He got someone to set an extrace at the table before he continued eating.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    However, Raeleigh did not finish her food. She initially did not have the appetite, but now she was forced to eat.

    Santiago then gave a bowl of soup to Raeleigh. She thanked him and began drinking it.

    Everyone else at the table was staring at Raeleigh, keeping silent. There was an indescribable awkwardness at the table.

 Chapter 1484 A Good Nightâ€™s Sleep

    Raeleigh was halfway through her bowl of soup when she heard Ste say, ¡°A bowl of soup is perfect for warming up our bodies, especially when it¡¯s freezing outside. ¡±

    Raeleigh did not look up and merely continued drinking her soup. She pretended as if she did not hear anything.

    After finishing her soup, she looked over at Santiago and asked, ¡°Is there any more soup?¡±

    Everyone in the room was wondering whether she was asking it for herself or for Ste.

    In the end¡­

    When Santiago brought her another bowl of soup, she picked up her spoon and started drinking it.

    It made Santiago happy to find that shewas feisty.

    Xanthus¡¯ lips curved upward in the slightest hint of a smile as he was eager to see what Raeleigh would do.

    He doubted that Jepherson would dare to do anything with him around.

    Ste actually wanted some soup, but no one gave her any. Jepherson got up and went to get a bowl for her, only to realize that there was none left.

    By then, Raeleigh had already finished her soup and was about to leave.

    When she saw Jepherson holding a bowl, she asked, ¡°Did you want some soup?¡±

    Jepherson looked at her with a questioning look, unable to figure out what her intentions were.

    Raeleigh reached for his bowl and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go and check whether there¡¯s any more soup in the kitchen. If there isn¡¯t, then I¡¯ll have to make some more.¡±

    Then, she turned around and went into the kitchen.Jepherson thought that she was behaving rather strangely.

    He was surprised that she was willing to make another pot of soup.

    Jepherson sat down and cast a quick nce around the table. No one moved. He then looked at Ste. ¡°Why don¡¯t you eat something else first? There might be some soup left.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡± Ste picked up her fork and began to eat, but she did not eat much. She was looking forward to the bowl of soup.

    Not long after, Raeleigh emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of soup and ced it in front of Jepherson. ¡°There was only one bowl left.¡±

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh distractedly.

    ¡°I already drank some just now. Perhaps Ste would like some,¡± Jepherson exined, but Raeleigh did not say anything.

    ¡°Thank you, Raeleigh.¡± Ste did not stand on ceremony and helped herself. She took one sip beforeplimenting how delicious it was.

    However, Raeleigh stared at Ste indifferently.

    ¡°I¡¯m tired. I think I¡¯ll head back to my room. You guys can continue without me.¡± Raeleigh excused herself and made her way back to her room. However, a few momentster, she came back out.

    ¡°I feel like going out for a walk. Xanthus, Santiago, why don¡¯t youe with me?¡±

    With that, she walked toward the door. Santiago was more than happy to oblige, so he quickly got up and followed her.Xanthus did not want to stay either,so he put on his jacket and followed them.

    After they left, Jacky also decided to leave. He did not want to disturb Jepherson.

    Soon, only Ste and Jepherson were left seated at the dining table. Ste put down her spoon and looked at Jepherson. ¡°Did I cause another misunderstanding?¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re aware of it, why do you still have to do this?¡± Jepherson asked calmly. In fact, he had already seen through her intentions. Ste might not care about all these, but he was different.

    ¡°I want to witness your breakup,¡± Ste replied, pursing her lips. ¡°Before you met her, you woulde to visit me at least twice a year, and you would even call to wish me happy birthday. But ever since you two got together, you¡¯ve changed!¡±

    As if to prove her point, Ste picked up the bowl of soup and drank it all.

    Jepherson, who was sitting beside her, said nothing. Although helooked at her quietly, he was thinking about Raeleigh.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡­

    ¡°Are you mad at Jepherson?¡± Santiago asked as they walked through Waverly Vige. It was always crowded, even early in the mornings.

    Santiago had on a green coat,and heput his hands in his pockets to keep it warm as he walked, observing the surroundings.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh was silent.

    She was surprised when she spotted an olddy selling some freshly caught fish. She approached her and asked curiously, ¡°Excuse me,since it¡¯s such a cold day,I was wondering where these fish are from.¡±

    The olddy smiled and said, ¡°There¡¯s a smallke here in this vige. Although theke is frozen, we managed to fish througha hole cut into the ice on theke. It¡¯s very fresh! Would you like to buy some? These wild-caught fish are very delicious.¡±

    Actually, Raeleigh was just interested to know where they were from, but after hearing the olddy¡¯s words, she decided to buy a couple of them. Then, she handed the bag to Santiago. ¡°Here, help me hold this. I¡¯ll make a fish dish for you when we get back.¡±

    Santiago asked, ¡°Why me?¡±

    Raeleigh was amused by his question. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you want me to hold it then?¡±

    Santiago nced at Xanthus, who was looking around as he walked. ¡°What about him?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my brother. I¡¯m not going to ask him to hold it for me. Besides, you¡¯re much stronger. I¡¯ve got to make use of you while I still can.¡±

    Santiago had no choice but to take the fish. ¡°Okay, fine. I¡¯ll hold it for you.¡±

    Not about to give up, he asked again. ¡°Are you mad at Jepherson?¡±

    Raeleigh looked around and said in a calm voice, ¡°I have to keep calm and weather the storm. Even if we have a tragic ending, I must maintain my dignity and not let her have her satisfaction.¡±

    Santiago was surprised. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s very generous of you to leave the two of them alone at home together.¡±

    Santiago was looking much happier now. Raeleigh thought for a while and asked, ¡°How do you know it isn¡¯t a trap?¡±

    ¡°A trap?¡± Santiago raised his eyebrows. Raeleigh turned around and said with a smile, ¡°Never offend women. Women are actually quite petty. They can be both good and bad!¡±

    Raeleigh raised her hand and patted Santiago¡¯s cheek.

    Santiago fell silent suddenly. He lowered his head and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°What are you up to?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you get back.¡±

    Raeleigh turned onto another street, ¡°But, I don¡¯t want to go home just yet. Isn¡¯t there like a walled house here in Waverly Vige? I want to have a look. Why don¡¯t we cook up these fish there?¡±

    ¡°You want to check out the walled house?¡± Santiago asked curiously. Raeleigh was already walking in the direction of the walled house while humming a song.

    When they arrived, Raeleigh took out the fish. Santiago had to ask the neighbours for some ingredients while Xanthus collected some firewood to build a fire. Then, Raeleigh cooked the fish over the fire along with some rice.

    As they were eating, Jepherson called Raeleigh¡¯s phone. However, her phone was with Xanthus.

    Disregarding it, Xanthus let the phone keep on ringing. One could imagine how he felt about Jepherson.

    In the end, he did not answer Jepherson¡¯s call.

    Raeleigh and the others enjoyed their meal thoroughly. After tidying up, the three of them decided to spend the night there.

    The walled house actually belonged to Jacky. It was warm and cozy. As night closed in, Jacky brought them some barbecued meat and a few bottles of beer. Then, they had a wonderful dinner together.

    By the time they finished eating, it was alreadyte at night. Raeleigh decided to turn in. She could not care less about returning Jepherson¡¯s call.

    That night, she had a good night¡¯s sleep.

 Chapter 1485 Should Not Have Let Them Leave

    Raeleigh woke up the next morning and looked around the walled house for something they could eat for breakfast. Unfortunately, she could not find any as they had devoured all the foodst night. If they did not leave soon, they would starve to death.

    Thus, the four of them left the house in search of food. The journey back took about two hours. By the time they finally arrived on the main street, Raeleigh could barely walk anymore. So, they decided to stop by a restaurant to have breakfast.

    They were not in a rush, so they took their time to eat. By the time they returned, it was already ten o¡¯clock.

    When they arrived, they saw a group of people standing at the door along with several paramedics.

    Raeleigh walked in and saw Jepherson sitting inside with Ste. Ste was gripping Jepherson¡¯s hand as she sat up in bed while vomiting.

    When Jepherson raised his head and saw them, Raeleigh asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Jepherson did not answer, andSte burst into tears.

    Santiago was amused by Raeleigh¡¯s question. He could not believe that she was still concerned about Steafter what she had done to her.

    Although Xanthus was a doctor, he refused to treat Ste. So, he turned around and went back to his room. Not wanting Raeleigh to get infected by whatever Ste had, he asked Raeleigh to follow him back to his room as a safety precaution.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Please call me if you need anything. I¡¯ll be in my brother¡¯s room.¡±

    After that, she turned around and left without looking at Jepherson.

    On the other hand, Santiago was in no hurry to leave. He stood on one side and looked at Ste. ¡°Not used to the environment, huh?¡±

    Ste shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡±

    Ste gritted her teeth when she thought of the embarrassing situation where she dirtied her pants. At the same time, she cried pitifully.

    Santiago nced at Jepherson. ¡°I feel like I don¡¯t know you anymore.¡±

    After saying that, he left the room and went to look for Raeleigh. He knocked on Xanthus¡¯ door, but Raeleigh said she was too tired to entertain him. However, when Santiago said that he was there to look for Xanthus, she opened the door to let him in.

    But it turned out that Santiago had lied to her. He entered the room and smiled at her, then asked her how she could have pretended to be concerned about Ste.

    Exhausted, Raeleigh did not answer him andwent to lie on her bed.

    As for Xanthus, he felt insecure whenever he saw Ste. He would never forget the day when Ste forced him to take drugs, and he nearly died of an overdose.

    Ste was a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing. She was a dangerous woman.

    When he thought of how Raeleigh¡¯s safety was in jeopardy, Xanthus had the urge to leave with Raeleigh immediately.

    However, Xanthus did not want to let Raeleigh know about that. So, he made his ns quietly. Not only that, he needed Santiago¡¯s help as well.

    ¡°Raeleigh, can youe here for a second? Can you please help me wash my clothester?¡±

    Xanthus took off his coat and put on a new one.He knew very well that Raeleigh would not refuse his request. She even asked him to change out of the clothes he was wearing so that she could wash them as well.

    However, Xanthus refused.

    After he left, Raeleigh went to do theundry before returning to bed and scrolled through her phone.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    The day passed in the blink of an eye. Raeleigh realized that ever since she met Jepherson, her world had turned upside down. However, she knew that things would only get worse from here.

    After a while, Raeleigh drifted off to sleep. By the time Xanthus came back, Raeleigh was already sound asleep.

    When Xanthus saw her sleeping soundly, he could not bear to wake her up. However, for the sake of her safety, he did so reluctantly.

    Upon opening her eyes, Raeleigh saw Xanthus standing in front of her. Without giving her the chance to speak, he quickly motioned for her to get dressed. As she got dressed, Xanthus told her that they had to leave Jack Town Hotel as soon as possible. She put on her clothes in a daze and only came back to her senses when she walked out of the room.

    Xanthus brought Raeleigh to Jacky¡¯s walled house, and it waste at night when they finally arrived. Santiago and Jacky had already dropped by earlier in the day to clean up the ce and make it warm and cozy. After Raeleigh arrived, she immediately climbed up to the attic and covered herself with a quilt before falling asleep.

    The wind howledin the middle of the night, waking Raeleigh up.Unable to fall back asleep, she decided to scroll through her phone messages. As she looked at them, she felt as if a knife was stabbing her in the chest.

    Raeleigh did not like deceiving herself, but whenever she was around Jepherson, she felt as if she was deceiving everyone, including herself.

    However, he did not admit it, andRaeleigh was starting to feel torn. What on earth did Jepherson want? Raeleigh thought to herself.

    The Doyle family was no ordinary family, but was there no other way to deal with them?

    She sat moping. Soon, she realized that she felt cold. It felt as if she was running a fever.

    She touched her forehead but found that it was not so. She was only feeling a little chilly because of the cold weather.

    Raeleigh tucked the quilt around her and wondered what Jepherson was doing at that moment. Was he with Ste?

    Even in her sleep, she sighed. Her heart was in sixes and sevens. Even she could not make sense of her thoughts, let alone someone else.

    She wrapped the quilt tightly around herself and let out a long breath. Jepherson did not mean much to her, but at the same time, it would be a pity to lose him.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep?¡± Santiago had also been awake for a while. He did not expect that Raeleigh would be up either. He felt that he would go crazy if he had to continue to remain silent.

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago. ¡°Leave me alone. Go back to sleep.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting better at talking back, aren¡¯t you?¡± Santiago slid one foot under Raeleigh¡¯s quilt, but she was quick to react. She kicked his foot, and he pulled it back immediately. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like talking about it.¡± Raeleigh turned her back to him. Santiago¡¯s voice came from behind her, saying, ¡°Since you¡¯re worried, then why are you still here?¡±

    Raeleigh still said nothing. After a long while, Santiago said, ¡°He has his reasons. I trust him.¡±

    Instantly, the room fell deathly silent. Raeleigh could only hear the sound of the wind outside the window.

    She closed her eyes after a while. ¡°It¡¯ste. You should get some rest.¡±

    After saying that, Raeleigh ignored him. Santiago continued speaking for a while, but Raeleigh pretended to sleep. Finally, he stopped talking.

    At that moment, Jepherson was in his room andlooking out the window. The wind was howling, and it blew the snow against the window. In Waverly Vige, Jack Town Hotel was the best ce to be at such a time since it was equipped with a heater. If he were somewhere else, he would have probably frozen to death.

    Jepherson had tried calling Raeleigh several times, but she did not answer her phone at all. He worried whether she was wearing enoughyers to keep herself warm.

    After staring out the window for a while, Jepherson heard a movement behind him. He turned around and saw Ste. She looked outside and said, ¡°Are you still worried about them?¡±

    ¡°Of course. One of them is the love of my life, and the other is my brother. Furthermore, there¡¯s a snowstorm raging outside.¡±

    He should not have let them leave.

    Ste got up from the bed and looked at him. ¡°Do you really have no feelings for me?¡±

    Jepherson turned his back to her. ¡°I told you, I only regard you as my sister, just like Deanna. It has been that way since the very beginning. Why don¡¯t you understand?

    ¡°I don¡¯t want there to be anyplications between us, but you can¡¯t seem to ept our rtionship.¡±

 Chapter 1486 Without Hesitation

    Jepherson refused to look back, andSte let out a scornfulugh, ¡°Why did I fall in love with someone like you?¡±

    ¡°That was a mistake from the start. Love needs to be mutual,¡± Jepherson replied.

    ¡°You may not love me, but you have no reason to stop me from loving you. Compared to her love for you, mine is greater, stronger, and more persistent. Nothing can cause it to waver.It¡¯s as sturdy as a rock.¡±

    Hearingthat, Jepherson turned to look at Ste with some amusement, ¡°Are you sure you love me?¡±

    ¡°A hundred percent.¡± Ste had ced everything on the line, and there was no way she would back down. However, Jepherson did not respond and only gave her a meaningful look.

    They looked at each other. Finally, Ste asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you believe me?¡±

    He turned around, answering lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t have the right to ask for the truth from someone I had never thought of loving.

    ¡°Raeleigh is hesitant with her love because she had too many concerns, but you¡¯re different. You can act arbitrarily. However, whenpared to your love, hers is more honest. I can see through her feelings.¡±

    ¡°Then can¡¯t you see through my feelings?¡± Ste¡¯s eyes glinted, her expression darkening slightly. If she did not do something about Raeleigh, things would get out of hand.As long as she could get rid of Raeleigh once and for all, she did not care ifJepherson ended up hating her. She would make him hers.

    She would wait for him. She had plenty of time.

    Jepherson did not turn around. ¡°Ste, I see you in the same way as to how I see Scarlette and Deanna. You can also think of me as an elder brother. That will benefit us both.Anyway, you should rest.You¡¯ll be fine since you¡¯ve taken the medicine. Your guards are around too. I¡¯ll go out and take a look.¡±

    ¡°In such heavy snow?¡± Ste asked indisbelief.

    Jepherson took his jacket. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    Once he was outside, he saw that it was snowing rather heavily indeed. However,it was not going tostop him from going to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh woke up from her sleep in a daze. She had heard something downstairs. It sounded like someone was knocking on the door.

    She peeked out the window groggily from under her quilt.Santiago was fast asleep next to her, so sheshoved him lightly. ¡°Get up. Is there someone outside?¡±

    Santiago rolled his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you hearing things in the middle of the night?¡±

    Raeleigh ignored Santiago and listened carefully once again, her eyes darting tothe windowpane, which was covered with snow.Then, she got out of bed and walked toward the stairs.Santiago got up as well.

    ¡°You¡¯re so troublesome!¡± he muttered.

    Xanthus opened his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I need to go to the bathroom, soI¡¯ll go and take a look.¡± With that, Raeleigh went downstairs.Santiago followed her.She pricked up her ears, listening for any sound. After all, in this weather, the sound of gusting wind could be simr to someone knocking on the door.

    Once she was downstairs, Raeleigh hesitated a little at the door. The weather was so terrible that opening the door would dispel what little warmth was inside the house.If what she heard was only the noise from the wind, then she would make the whole ce chilly for nothing, so she could not help being cautious.

    ¡°Is anyone there?¡± Raeleigh called out near the door. After a few seconds, she heard Jepherson¡¯s deep voice.¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    She was startled, then she hurriedly opened the door without thinking a second thought.

    As expected, the howling wind gushed in, sting her in the face andeffectively waking her. Raeleigh shuddered, then widened her eyes at the sight of Jepherson. He was covered in snow and looked like a snowman.He could barely move a muscle.

    He stood at the door. Even his eyshes were frozen. When Santiago saw him, he yanked him inside without a word and began vigorously dustingthe snow off him.

    Raeleigh quickly shut the door and turned to look at Jepherson.

    Jepherson looked like a human-sized snowman after trudging in the snowstorm. His skin was frostbitten and red.

    ¡°What on earth were you thinking?¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly shouted at him, the rims of her eyes reddening.He was hardly in a state to respond. Every part of his body was stiff and a bright, angry red.

    ¡°Santiago, get me some hot water,¡± Jepherson managed to choke out, his voice a little hoarse. Santiago immediately turned around to get the water.

    Fortunately, there was no need to boil water there. She thought that the water heater had been installed long ago, but it was only installed recently. Jacky specially prepared it for Deanna,and now they were the ones to benefit from it.

    ¡°It¡¯s ready,¡± Santiago said.

    Jepherson turned and walked into the bathroom, thentook off his clothes. Raeleigh stood unmoving. Jepherson walked to the door of the bathroom and said to Santiago, ¡°Go on upstairs and sleep. Raeleigh can stay.¡±

    Santiago had intended to stay with him, but after hearing that, he shrugged.After ncing at Raeleigh, he went upstairs.

    Raeleigh paused, then stood at the bathroom door.

    The door was open, and she could see that Jepherson¡¯s whole body was red. She felt like ignoring him to teach him a lesson.Was Jepherson mad to walk in a snowstorm? What if something happened to him? Raeleigh fumed.

    Nheless, she swallowed her words and did not say them.

    Raeleigh walked in with reddened eyes. She closed the door, took off her clothes, then joined Jepherson in the bathtub.

    He was leaning back, resting his head against the edge of the bath. Raeleigh stepped into the bathtub and sat righton top of him. She lifted her hands to cup his red and swollen cheeks. ¡°How are you going to go out tomorrow like this?¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even care about my pride, so what¡¯s stopping me from going out like this?¡± Jepherson snorted in retort, not showing any signs of retreating.

    Raeleigh¡¯s hands trembled a little,suddenly having the impulse to draw them away. However, she shook her head and cupped his icy cheeks even more firmly.

    Jepherson slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. He raised one of his red and swollen hands and held Raeleigh¡¯s hand, saying in a gentle tone,¡°I was worried about you. I was wondering whether you were eating well and whether you were warm enough.¡±

    Raeleigh had not intended to cry, but when she heard what Jepherson said, her eyes stung once again.

    Gently rubbing Raeleigh¡¯s hand, he said, ¡°I can bear you going through hardships and grievances with me.It pains me, but I can take that. What I can¡¯t take are the things I can¡¯t see. Don¡¯t suffer behind my back.Ican¡¯t bear it when you¡¯re not with me.¡±

    Raeleigh swallowed, her lips quivering slightly. She foughtto hold back her tears,but she found that it was useless. Soon, her tears flowed like a broken dam.

    Seeing Raeleigh cry, Jepherson immediately held her in his armswithoutsaying a word. She tensed up as soon as his body touched hers. Even though they were soaking in the warm water, she could still feel the chill from his body.

    She leaned against his chest, murmuring softly. ¡°I don¡¯t like you being with other women, especially Ste. I can¡¯t pretend it doesn¡¯t bother me, you know.¡±

    ¡°Hah¡­¡±

    Jepherson chuckled in her ear. ¡°If you weren¡¯t jealous, I would¡¯ve been worried.¡±

    She pursed her lips and said nothing.Jepherson washed Raeleigh¡¯s body, his huge palm caressing her smooth back. ¡°There¡¯s chaos everywhere in Capital City now. Both my father and Mr. Whalen have gone out to try and settle things. It¡¯s both an opportunity and also a disaster. If I can¡¯t suppress it, the Richards family will not be able to survive.

    ¡°If one is born into a family like mine, there¡¯ll be a price to pay. The fact that I can hold my beloved woman in my arms and take a bath like this makes me content.¡±

    Raeleigh sat up and looked at Jepherson. ¡°If I¡¯m the one you need to sacrifice for the Richards family, will you do it?¡±

    He answered without any hesitation, ¡°If that day reallyes, I¡¯ll choose the Richards family.¡±

    She had already guessed it. She looked at him, her clear eyes full of indescribable emotions. Under normal circumstances, she would have been upset and thrown a fit.Instead, she only felt a little regretful.

    She clung onto Jepherson, hugging his broad shoulders even tighter, no longer saying anything.

    Or maybe some things just could not be said.

 Chapter 1487 Not a Bad Thing

    After the bath,Raeleigh helped find some of Xanthus¡¯ clothes for Jepherson to put on first. Then, they went up to the attic.

    As they walked up the stairs, Raeleigh pondered how she should exin Jepherson¡¯s presence to Xanthus.

    But when she arrived, Xanthus and the others were sleeping peacefully. No one seemed to notice them.

    Raeleigh led Jepherson to where she had been sleeping, thenmotioned for him to lie down next to her. There was only one quilt, so they had to share.

    Santiago had been sleeping next to Raeleigh before Jepherson came. But now, Jephersony down between them,separating the two of them with ease.

    After lying down, Raeleigh whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s sleep.¡±

    Jepherson turned over and hugged her from behind, then fell asleep not long after.

    On the contrary, Raeleigh had a fitful night¡¯s sleep. Raeleigh was worried that Jepherson would fall ill after trudging all that way through the thick snow, and she wokeup to check on him several times.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    The next morning, Raeleigh and Jepherson continued sleeping after everyone else had woken up.

    Xanthus sat and watched them for a while. Then, he got up and went to the window to look at the snow outside. It could well have been the heaviest snowfall they had had that year, with the snow already knee-deep.

    However, it stopped snowing soon after Jepherson arrived. Xanthus went to the door and stared in the direction Jepherson came from the previous night. He could still see the trail Jepherson left, leading from the door to far away in the distance.

    ¡°Look at all that snow!¡± Jacky eximed as he came and joined Xanthus, all bundled up. Standing at the door, he could not help but sigh. ¡°Heavy snow indicates a good harvest for theing year.¡±

    Xanthus looked at him. ¡°You know about farming as well?¡±

    Jacky replied, ¡°I was born in Waverly Vige and grew up here, so why wouldn¡¯t I know?I was a teen when I first started farming with a bunch of people. The produce here is as profitable as it is popr. Although we¡¯re just a poor and rural vige, many people from Capital City sign contracts to buy our produce every year. The Moore family is one of them. However, they go through appointed agents as they usually buy in bulk, so we only know the agents but have never seen the family members.

    ¡°My family also has a manor where they¡¯ve cultivated arge area ofnd just for farming. My parents are also particrly fond of nting.¡±

    Xanthus looked around. ¡°If my parents saw such beautiful snow, I don¡¯t know what they¡¯d think. Would they want to have a piece ofnd here?¡±

    ¡°No way. You can buy real estate here, but you can¡¯t have thend here. There is and will never be any trading ofnd here,¡± Jacky replied.

    ¡°Why? Have you monopolized it?¡± Xanthus joked. Jacky merely said, ¡°The farmers depend on thend to make a living. Although they¡¯d make a lot of money if they sold theirnd, a stable and continuous ie will still be a better option.¡±

    Jacky continued, ¡°If they run out of money, I¡¯ll think of something to help them. They can be easily swayed by money at times, but I can¡¯t be like that.¡±

    After putting on a pair of gloves and a hat, Jacky took out a shovel and began to clear the snow at the door.

    Xanthus also wrapped himself up warmly and went to help. Santiago took much longer to get ready in the mornings. By the time he came out, there were already many people hard at work clearing the snow. They did not clear all the snow in front of the door, only clearing a path for walking. ording to Jacky, when the sun came out and melted the snow, the water would seep into the ground and contribute to the soil¡¯s moisture.

    When Raeleigh woke up, she was alone in the attic. She even touchedthe spot beside her on purpose. If it were not for the lingering warmth under the quilt, she would have thought everything that happened the previous night had been a dream.

    Since Jepherson was not in the attic, Raeleigh climbed down the attic stairs. Halfway down, she saw the boys through a window making their way back to the house.

    When they saw Raeleigh, they took off their coats and went to wash their hands. Someone had brought breakfast for them. Raeleigh nced at Jepherson, then went to set the table.

    After they sat down at the table, Santiago asked Jepherson, ¡°Did you send someone awayst night?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment.She raised her head to look at Jepherson and saw his expression change.Santiago had deliberately asked that question to provokehim.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you shut your mouth?¡± Jepherson snapped in annoyance, shoving a heaped serving of bacon into Santiago¡¯s bowl. Santiago lowered his head and continued eating, but he still persisted.

    ¡°How did you get here without sending her away?¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯ve been getting toofortable recently,¡± Jepherson retorted.

    He nced at Raeleigh, then added, ¡°I don¡¯t know whether she left or not.¡±

    His reply seemed to exin something. Raeleigh paused slightly, then turned her attention back to her breakfast.

    While Raeleigh was clearing the table after breakfast,Jacky announced that he was going into the vige to visit Logan and the others. He wanted to see if they were okay after the snowstorm.

    Thus, Jacky presumably would be very busy for the next few days.

    Xanthus did not want to leave for the time being. He intended to stay in the vige long term.

    The rest of them, including Santiago and Jepherson, had to leave for Capital City.

    As for Raeleigh¡­

    She finally decided to stay on with Xanthus. Although Waverly Vige was far from Capital City, she still had a few days before sses started. She did not need to return to the office immediately either.

    Although Ste was very powerful, Raeleigh felt safe in Waverly Vige. Ste would not be able to do anything to them there.

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to go back, then stay here. I¡¯lle to see you,¡± Jepherson said before he left, holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand. She looked up at him. ¡°Don¡¯te at night, and please don¡¯t expose yourself to the snow or rain,¡± she reminded him.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Jepherson turned to look at Ste, who was sitting in her car. Things were stillplicated between them, but he was determined to resolve it without dy.

    ¡°When I go back, I¡¯ll settle things with Ste. I¡¯ll try my best to send her away, but I still need a bit of time,¡± he said.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. Finally, she replied, ¡°Have a safe journey.¡±

    Then, she turned around and went into the house.Jepherson frowned as he watched her turn away, then strode toward the car.

    Ste sat in the car, blinking as she watched Jepherson and Raeleigh. In the end, they still had to separate. That was a good thing for her.

    Jepherson got into his car. Santiago was leaning back in his seat with narrowed eyes. Neither of them spoke. Jepherson shut the door, and the driver drove off.Then, Santiago broke the silence. His tone was casual as ever as he said, ¡°If she gets up to no good again, don¡¯t me me for being ruthless.¡±

    Jepherson nced at him but did not reply. Instead, he turned to look in the rearview mirror, looking at the house reflected in the mirror.

    It might actually not be a bad thing for Raeleigh to stay. At the very least, Jepherson could feel at ease while he settled things.Jepherson thought to himself.

 Chapter 1488 Time Was Limited

    Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief after Jepherson was gone. She preferred not knowing what he did. That way, she could feel more at ease. It was better than living with the fear of losing him to somebody else at any moment whenever they meet. Besides, Raeleigh much preferred to do what she liked on her own.

    Although Waverly Vige could notpare to the hustle and bustle of Capital City, she preferred its peacefulness and serenity.

    There was no doubt that Capital City was a bustling city. However, to someone like her, it felt more like an empty dream filled with vanity. Although it was vibrant, everything about it felt like a fragile illusion that could be easily destroyed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t n on staying here for the long term, but it¡¯s better than staying in Capital City. Jepherson will have his hands full. The Moore family is getting ready, and the Doyle family is raring to go. Since we can¡¯t leave, it may be a good thing to stay in this small vige.¡±

    Xanthus was sitting in a corner, observing the people going to and fro on the street. Raeleigh smiled and asked, ¡°Admit it. You like him, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Xanthusughed. ¡°Anyone my sister likes must be someone extraordinary indeed, so how can I not like him?¡±

    ¡°But you still want to go against him?¡± she pressed.

    ¡°He¡¯s in the wrong,so I have to when it¡¯s still not toote.If I don¡¯t remind him now, do you think he¡¯ll care what I say in the future?¡±

    Xanthus smiled, then continued, ¡°Since Jepherson insists on going ahead with his n, there must be something that his family has hidden in the past. Dad has also looked into this matter, and we can¡¯t leave either. We can only do what we can and hope for a miracle.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°If I say that I¡¯m not worried about those things now, would you believe me? What would you think of me?¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s gaze deepened. ¡°I¡¯ll still treat you as my sister, nothing more nor less.One thing is clear, andthat is the fact that the past can¡¯t hinder you now.Your only and biggest challenge is Ste.¡±

    Raeleigh grinned in relief. ¡°Although we don¡¯t spend much time together, you¡¯re still the one who knows me the best.

    ¡°Bygones are bygones, and I don¡¯t want to keep living in the past. But for now, I¡¯m worried about Ste¡¯s sudden appearance.¡±

    ¡°If it was really for Jepherson, I think Ste would have taken action a long time ago. After all, Deanna is not as bad as Ste.Ste was not around before but appeared out of the blue.I¡¯m sure her sudden appearance is also what Jepherson is most worried about,¡± Xanthus said.

    Raeleigh also shared the same thought. That was why she was feeling so anxious.

    ¡°You know everything,¡± Raeleigh remarked as she turned and took a few steps forward.His words had made her see him in a new light.She had known long ago that he was no ordinary person. Hedid not be a doctor because of his talents, butfor their family¡¯s sake.

    In truth, Xanthus¡¯s real strengthy in doing business. That was because he had a shrewd mind and a keen eye.

    The siblings continued walking and chatting. They even passed by the houses Xanthus had bought. The sun rose and melted the snow on the ground. The air felt fresh and clean, and even the houses looked cleaner. Everything seemed to have been reborn.

    Xanthus came to a stop, and Raeleigh followed suit. He said to her, ¡°I want to set up a private practice here and hirea few employees. We can organize a physical examination every year to benefit the people here.¡±

    ¡°Are you really going to open up a private practice? Here?¡± Raeleigh asked curiously. Xanthus replied, ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, you look serious, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Although I have built a name for myself and be rather well-known, that¡¯s not what I want. I have always wanted to find somewhere that I belong and do something I want to do.¡±

    If Xanthus opened a private practice in the vige, he would be able to make living while doing what he liked. It was not a bad idea at all.

    He said, ¡°I¡¯ll continue to work as a doctor at Elkton University. I can work there during the daytime ande here at night to treat patients. That¡¯s what I want.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t really want to work or stay here, or if I feel tired, I¡¯ll fly back to visit our parents.¡±

    One more ce to settle down meant one more ce to call home.That would be nice.

    He added, ¡°I¡¯m not getting any younger either. It¡¯s time for me to start a family of my own.¡±

    Noticing the seriousness in his tone, Raeleigh was all ears. Without meaning to, she suddenly thought of Cynthia.

    ¡°Since that¡¯s what you want, I¡¯m all for it. If you need any help, I can help you,¡± she replied.

    Actually, Raeleigh could barely be of any help. After all, she did not have any professional medical qualifications. She really could not figure out how she could help.

    ¡°Well, there is something you could do. Since you still have time, why don¡¯t you stay and help me?¡± Xanthus went into one of the houses. Raeleigh followed him, feeling curious. She really had no idea what she could do to help.

    After entering the empty building, Xanthus took a pen and a blueprint out, then handed them to Raeleigh.

    ¡°Take a look,¡± he said.

    Raeleigh unfolded the paper and stared at the words on it. ¡°Acuity Hospital?¡± she read.

    She raised her head and looked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand.¡±

    ¡°Who else is better at designing than my sister? Why would I ask another designer to do it if I have you?¡± He stared at her pointedly.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus in silence and suddenly grinned. ¡°I design cars. Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll design your hospital into a luxury car?¡±

    ¡°If so, I believe the hospital will attract a lot of attention,or at least add to the view.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Give me some time then. I¡¯ll try. If I can¡¯t do it, you can ask someone else for help. After all, this is a serious matter..¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± he replied.

    ¡­¡ª

    Raeleigh walked around the outside of the empty building,holding the pen and paper. She would need to do some research so that she coulde up with a design that blended with the rest of the vige.

    Xanthus immediately filled in an application form to hand in to Capital City¡¯s medical department. Xanthus knew the procedures better than anyone else. A private practice was different for sure,but they were still very strict about it.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh took advantage of the time she had to do a lot more wandering around, studyingthe building structures around the vige. Although she designed cars,designing a building was a different ballgame entirely. So, she had to figure out all the details.

    For the next few weeks,Raeleigh and Xanthus lived and breathed everything rted to the hospital.They spent every waking hour discussing it. Raeleigh was so engrossed that she almost forgot to eat.

    Jepherson called her a few times, but Raeleigh was either on a work call or meeting the locals. She wanted to familiarize herself with how things were done in the vige so that she would not make a fool of herself and humiliate Xanthus. After searching high and low, she finally managed to get a few architects and engineers to help her.They all arrived at the vige in a few days. Upon their arrival, Raeleigh had a long talk with them about her thoughts and ideas. They were supportive and gave great suggestions, which led to several more meetings and discussions. Soon, they reached a consensus and decided to go ahead and build the first clinic in the vige.

    She was so busy that even if she wanted to call Jepherson, her time was limited.

 Chapter 1489 Exerting Dominance

    While Raeleigh was on the phone, the designer in front of her asked, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s all right to ce the exits here?¡±

    She took a look at the floor n and raised her eyebrows, then mouthed to the guy, ¡°Hold on a second.¡±

    She turned around and said to Jepherson over the phone, ¡°Something just came up. Let¡¯s talk some other time.¡±

    After she hung up, Raeleigh continued with the discussion, and she soon forgot all about herconversation with Jepherson just a few moments ago.

    At the other end, Jepherson put down his cell phone and pursed his lips. After rubbing the space between his eyebrows, he stood up.

    ¡°Cancel the meeting this afternoon. I have something to do,¡± he said to his secretary curtly. After leaving the office,he drove straight to where Raeleigh was.

    When Raeleigh saw him, she was wearing the red coat Santiago had bought for her. She wasstanding in front of the site holding the site¡¯s blueprint andsurrounded by a group of young men of about 25 years old. Jepherson stopped the car and got out. He had driven thepany¡¯s convertible from the batch manufactured the previous year. In order to increase thepany¡¯s sales, he would drive the cars asionally as a form of advertising.

    Raeleigh did notice an expensive sports car driving in, but she did not pay any attention to it.

    Turning around, Raeleigh gave a casual flick of her hair back then continue to study the blueprint.

    As Jepherson stood next to Raeleigh, he did not say anything. The other designers saw him, butthey all thought that he was another designer. After all, they did not alle to the vige at the same time, but separately.They had dived straight into the work, andno one was given any special treatment.

    All of them had gathered from all over the country, and some of them even flew in from overseas. One of the designers who flew in was a yfuld who liked to hang around Raeleigh, and everyone jokingly nicknamed him McDreamy.

    They nicknamed him that because he was fair and had startlingly blue eyes. Hisplexion was smooth and wless. Several times, someone on Raeleigh¡¯s team joked that they really wanted to bite him.

    Somehow, everyone started calling him McDreamy after that.

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you cold?¡± McDreamy was a local who migrated overseas, so he was able to pick up thenguage quickly.He was more flirty than the othersand was closer to herpared to the rest.

    Notused to such friendliness, Raeleigh had told him several times to keep things professional, but it did not seem like her advice actually worked.As long as he did not go too far, she would usually just ignore him.

    While they were talking, McDreamy¡¯s stopped mid-sentence and let out ayelp of surprise. He had been shoved aside by someone, who then wrapped a heavy coat around Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder.

    Raeleigh looked down subconsciously. It was a ck coat that was obviously too big for her.The shoulders of the coat were very wide.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, then raised her head and looked right at Jepherson¡¯s face. She had not seen him in a long time. ¡°What are you doing her-¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Jepherson lowered his head to press his lips against hers, his thick arms wrapping around her waist to bring her closer.She had no choice but to put her hands around his shoulders.The kiss was so sudden that she could not help but respond. However, he refused to stop after one kiss. He pressed her waist even closer against him, throwing her off bnce. She was afraid that she would fall because she could not stand steadily on her feet. Her hands clutched around his neck tightly, and he was reluctant to break the kiss as well.

    ¡°Ahem!¡± Xanthus coughed loudly as he walked over.Flustered, Raeleigh pushed Jepherson away. He resisted and held her tightly in his arms, then turned to look at Xanthus.

    Raeleigh blushed and lowered her head, not daring to look up.

    Xanthus said, ¡°Park the car elsewhere.¡±

    Jepherson followed his gaze, then let Raeleigh go. He walkedtoward the car, got in, and reparked it somewhere else.

    In fact, the original spot was fine, but Xanthus deliberately said so to get him away from his sister.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    SinceXanthus was hisfianc¨¦e¡¯s brother,Jepherson had to listen to him.

    After parking the car, Jepherson came back with something in his hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±Raeleigh asked.Jepherson looked at her andanswered, ¡°Some food.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that you wereing?¡± Raeleigh did not remember what had happened during theirst call, and Jepherson did not exin either. He nced at the people around them and estimated that there were six or seven of them. He said smoothly, ¡°I¡¯m Raeleigh¡¯sfianc¨¦. Nice to meet you.¡±

    Switching the bag to his left hand, he shook hands with them one by one with his right hand.

    Raeleigh stood to one side awkwardly.It was clear that he hade to exert his dominance.

    After shaking hands, McDreamy looked dispirited. It was as if reality had just given him a huge p.

    He considered himself to bequite attractive. But as he looked at Jepherson, he realized that he did not hold a candle to Jepherson. In terms of temperament and appearance, they were iparable. He suddenly felt downcast.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I suddenly remembered that my cousin called me and asked me to go back for a blind date. I can¡¯t stay to help you. I have to go now.¡±

    With that, McDreamy turned around and hurried back to his living quarters without looking back. He did not even wait for Raeleigh¡¯s reply. He packed up his bags, then left the vige that afternoon.

    Perplexed, Raeleigh called after him. However, he did not stop,and he did not answer her callster either. It was as if he was suddenly an entirely different person. After meeting Jepherson, he ditched the project without a second thought.

    Raeleighwas annoyed, wondering what his problem was. There were some situations where one coulde and go as one pleased. Moreover, one should not take things for granted. If everyone acted like him, the world would descend into chaos.

    Nheless, when Raeleigh turned around and saw Jepherson, she thought that McDreamy was still better than him.

    He had shown up so suddenly,which made her wonder what his motive was.

    She seemed to have thought of something. Shetook out her cellphone and scrolled through it, realizingthat they had not had a proper conversation in days.

    ¡°I have something to do today, so we¡¯ll continue this discussionter. I¡¯ll treat you guys to dinner tonight,¡± Raeleigh said to the others.

    Since Jepherson hade all the way to visit her, she did not want to leave him hanging.

    He was a busy person too, so he probably had toleave in a day.

    The others grinned and nodded. They were an easygoing bunch, and after hearing that, they went off to have their leisure time.

    Raeleigh turned to see what Jepherson had brought. When she saw the nourishing soups and herbs in the bag, she could not help feeling touched. She showed him around the house Xanthus had bought, which was where she was staying for now.

    The vigers were delighted that Xanthus was nning to build a hospital.Some of them dly sold theirnd or houses to him to use for his hospital, while others refused, thinking that it would be even more profitable in the future. Even those that had received money from Xanthus still went back on their word.

    However, Xanthus did not get mad, nor did he force them to hand over thend. He merely requested that they return the money.

    When Jacky found out about that, he brought his men and went to ask the vigers about it. The matter was settled the very next day, but Xanthus had to pay double the amount of money to the owner aspensation.

    As locals,it was clear they were bullying an outsider like Xanthus.

    However, Xanthus was loaded, and the money was nothing to him. He paid them what they wanted, thus resolving the matter. Therefore, it was not a bad thing at all!

 Chapter 1490 He Was Not Pleased

    While Raeleigh went to whip up a meal, Jepherson sat in her room and studied her drafts. In addition to her two notebooks and phone,pens, piles of papers, and drafts littered her desk.

    He stared at the design and thought of the other designers he had met earlier. He ced his coat aside, unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, rolled up his sleeves, and picked up a pen to help. When Raeleigh came out of the kitchen, Xanthus was drinking water while Jepherson was editing the drafts. Perhaps due to the small space, Jepherson had some difficulty focusing, but he persisted.

    Raeleigh put the dishes on the table and walked to Jepherson¡¯s side, staring intentlyat his drafts. Even though he only made some changes to the design, she could not help but admit that he had an innate talent for designing.

    She had struggled toe up with a solution for the design for days, butit only took him an hour toe up with a design that exceeded her expectations,

    She fixed her eyes on the drawing, sighing. ¡°I couldn¡¯te up with anything for days, but you produced something gorgeous with just a few casual strokes. I¡¯m so jealous.¡±

    As she spoke, Jepherson looked up from the desk, but he did not say anything.He thenturned back to continue editing the drafts.

    Raeleigh watched attentively.Jepherson said, ¡°Compared to your talent, I¡¯m the one who should be jealous.

    ¡°No matter what happens,your mind is always so clear and calm.

    ¡°Your draw inspiration from everywhere and everything around you.

    ¡°But I can¡¯t do that. I can only concentrate on the specifics to get inspired.

    ¡°When I see the design, I can tell what is coherent and what needs to be changed. However,producing an original design from scratch is impossible for me.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°As a designer, that is one of my failures. Do you still envy me?¡±

    Jepherson put down the pen.Raeleigh looked at him in surprise, appearing not to have heard him. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    The corners of his lips curved upwards. Smiling helplessly, he said, ¡°An innate talent is something thates naturally. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be called that.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson went to wash his hands. Raeleigh looked at the drawing, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She followed Jepherson to the bathroom like a child, impatient for answers.

    While washing his hands, Jepherson looked at Raeleigh in the mirror and exined, ¡°I can¡¯t concentrate when I don¡¯t have a direction. I can¡¯t think of anything innovative.

    ¡°My mom said that I gave all of my patience to that sister of mine. I¡¯m restless, and I need time to learn to ground myself.

    ¡°Although my designs have been very popr in recent years, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re perfect.I know what¡¯s wrong with them, but I don¡¯t want to make changes unless I have to.

    ¡°Instead, I prefer people like you, and I envy you.¡±

    After washing his hands, Jepherson turnedand kissed Raeleigh. She ducked backward, then raised her head and continued to look at him. ¡°You¡¯re lying, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Jepherson lowered his headandsealed her lips with his again. She raised her hands to push him away as he held onto her waist with his arms, trying not to let his wet hands touch her clothes. It was a while before he let her go.

    She stared at him dubiously, feeling like there was more to what he said.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell what you¡¯re thinking. I can¡¯t even tell whether what you told me is true or not.¡±

    Feeling quite helpless,Raeleigh left.

    She liked him, but she could not read him.

    She felt like such a failure!

    Jepherson followed Raeleigh out of the bathroom and theysat down to eat.

    After eating, she calmly asked Jepherson if he was leavingter that day, to which he retorted by asking her whether he should.

    Raeleigh was amused.¡°I¡¯m just asking. What did you have in mind?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Jepherson stood outside the door and looked around fora while. Then, he took Raeleigh¡¯s hand andput it into his coat pocket.

    She looked at him for a while, then led him out of the house. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the restaurant. I¡¯m treating the others to dinner tonight. If you don¡¯t want to leave, you can join us.¡±

    Raeleigh actually liked such a simple life. If they could stay like that forever, she was willing to grow older and raise a bunch of children there.

    Jepherson could visit whenever he had time.

    Jepherson did not say anything, leaving everything up to her.They headed tothe restaurant together. Therestaurant¡¯s owner and Raeleigh already knew each other well, and they were met with a warm wee when they entered.Raeleigh told the owner that she had more than ten peopleing for dinner that night, and she wanted to make a reservation.

    The owner¡¯s wife handed the menu to Raeleigh, chattering good-naturedly. Noticing that Jepherson and Raeleigh held hands the whole time, she asked what their rtionship was with a cheeky grin.

    Raeleigh wanted to exin that he was a friend, but Jepherson beat her to it.¡°I¡¯m herfianc¨¦.¡±

    ¡°Fianc¨¦? No wonder you look so well-matched,¡± thedy eximed. Jepherson grinned, his mood brightening. He did not hesitate to book the most luxurious dinner set the restaurant offered.

    After that, he requested to add on a lobster.

    The boss replied sheepishly, ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re just a small vige. We don¡¯t have that.¡±

    ¡°If you want to eat it, I¡¯ll make it for you,¡± Raeleigh piped up, trying to smooth things over.

    ¡°All right. Make it tonight then,¡± Jepherson said immediately, rendering her speechless.

    Raeleigh was just saying that to be polite. Why did Jepherson take it seriously? Raeleigh thought to herself.

    Would they have to eat another round after having dinner at the restaurant?

    The boss chatted with them enthusiastically, promising to prepare a feast fit for a king. Raeleigh looked at the time. Since it was still early, she took Jepherson for a walk around the vige. Whenever they came across an interesting building, she would tell him all she knew about it. She truly was interested in architecture.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°These buildings should be preserved, but the locals don¡¯t seem to care about them as much. I n to take some photos and document the buildings here when I have the time.

    ¡°I can take the photos out to look at them again next time. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll bring back many good memories.¡±

    ¡°In that case, what is going to happen to me then?¡± he asked.

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Thepany has spent so much money and time on you. Will my efforts be wasted?¡± Jepherson held Raeleigh tightly, hugging her close.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t go back. It¡¯s just that so much has happenedtely. I can¡¯t help it.¡± Raeleigh had her own reasons, and the corner of Jepherson¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°What you mean is that if I don¡¯t get rid of the trouble in front of us, you won¡¯t return?¡± he said.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. I just want to stay and help Xanthus.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t you still have to work?¡± he pressed.

    ¡°All you want are my designs. Well, all my designs are with Richards Group. I don¡¯t really understand about thepany¡¯s matters, so I¡¯d be useless even if I went back.¡±

    ¡°Who said you¡¯re useless?¡± Jepherson frowned.

    ¡°No one. They won¡¯t say it to me directly, but I can¡¯t pretend to be ignorant.¡±

    Jepherson gave her a long look. Finally, she sighed in defeat andadmitted quietly, ¡°Okay,fine. I want to set up my ownpany.¡±

    Jepherson was speechless.

    Humph! Raeleigh finally revealed the truth! Jepherson fumed.

    He raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips. He was not pleased!

 Chapter 1491 Not Leaving

    Raeleigh knew that Jepherson would be annoyed with her, but the displeasure would only be temporary.

    Raeleigh did not probe further to testify that. Although shecould tell that Jepherson was sulky during dinner,he still drank on her behalf. Every time her teammates poured her a ss and urged her to drink, he would take the ss.

    For the first time, Raeleigh found out that Jepherson could hold his liquor very well indeed. He must have downed two bottles already, but he did not seem to have any reaction.

    At Waverly Vige, there was no such thing as low-alcohol liquor. They had their own brewery, and the people in the vige much preferred it over others. The boss also did not import or stock any other alcohol, not even red wine. Even if he did, a person of Jepherson¡¯s status was unlikely to consider it.

    As for beer, it would only be cracked open during the hot summer. No one liked drinking beer in such cold weather.

    Left without much choice, Jepherson could only follow the local customs and join them in drinking the liquor produced in the vige.

    It was exceptionally strong. Raeleigh could manage a few sips, but most people would get knocked out after a few shots.

    Its taste was out of this world, but it was strong enough to knock one out.

    Raeleigh looked at the others who were sprawled on the table in a drunken stupor.Then, she looked at Jepherson beside her. She unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt and asked with concern, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re still sober?¡±

    Jepherson looked down at her without saying anything.

    Because he did not speak, Raeleigh did not know whether he was drunk or not.

    She said in an amused yet resigned tone, ¡°Since you can¡¯t drink that much, why did you force yourself?¡±

    Jepherson was silent. Instead, he nced at Xanthus, who could also hold his liquor. However, as adoctor, he controlled his intake and did not drink as much, declining drinks a few times during dinner.

    They looked at each other without speaking. Finally, Xanthus said, ¡°The two of you should head back first. I¡¯ll take care of the others.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh helped Jepherson up, and they left the restaurant. Meanwhile,Xanthus stayed to make arrangements for those who were drunk. Out of professional obligation, he briefly checked on them and gave them some medicine to ease the hangover.

    Raeleigh ced Jepherson¡¯s arm around her shoulders so that she could support him as they walked.While walking, she could not help but nag him for drinking too much.

    Jepherson did not say a word. Raeleigh knew that he was angry that she had chosen to stay in the vige over going back to the city. However, she avoided mentioning it. If she did not bring it up, he could not say anything about it either.

    When they got back to the house, Raeleigh began to undress him to change his clothes. He was wearing his usual white turtleneck. He wore the same style all the time, be it in winter or summer. While Raeleigh undressed him clumsily, she said, ¡°You even wear the same outfit in the summer. Won¡¯t you feel hot?¡±

    Jepherson stared at her. He did not answer, but his gaze gradually became unfocused.

    Raeleigh guessed that he was feeling tipsy as well.Well, he did drink so much that even Dionysus would be drunk.

    After taking a shower, he changed into his pajamas and went to bed. After blow-drying her hair, she went to check on him. His eyes were closed, so did not know whether he had fallen asleep or not.

    Raeleigh sat down, careful not to make too much noise in case she disturbed his rest. As soon as she reached out a hand, a strong arm pulled her to lie down on the bed, and the lights dimmed.She could feel Jepherson¡¯s grin as he lowered his head to kiss her, first softly andslowly, then more urgently.His hands moved to unbutton her shirt.

    When Raeleigh got up in the morning, her whole body ached whenever she moved.

    She winced a little, then frowned at the person who looked even fresher and more energetic than yesterday.

    Although he drank buckets the night before, he had not seemed drunk at all. On the contrary, he had been full of vigor. Buthe still did not say a word. They had been busy rolling between the sheets, their bodies slick with sweat. When Raeleigh woke up in a daze, she still had no idea if he had been drunk or not the previous night.

    Jepherson had already gotten up and climbed out of bed. He began looking for clothes to wear.

    He did not bring any clothes with him, so he went to look for some of Xanthus¡¯ clothes.

    Raeleigh wondered whatXanthus would have left to wear once Jepherson wore all his new clothes.

    It did not take long for Jepherson toe back into the roomholding Xanthus¡¯ new clothes that still had their tags on.

    Raeleigh got up from the bed and stared at him.

    He smirked. He went to close the curtains, then took off his pajamas and put on Xanthus¡¯ clothes.

    Jepherson changed while Raeleigh looked on leisurely.He took off his pajama bottoms and put on one of Xanthus¡¯ briefs, followed by apair of long johns. Then, he put on a pair of pants. Taking off his pajama top, he put on a thermal top. Raeleigh stared as if bewitched. The corners of her lips curved upward, but she did not say anything.

    Hewent to the bathroom to wash up, then came out and put on a shirt swiftly.

    The final touch was a coat.

    But since they were indoors, he did not put it on just yet.

    Raeleigh wriggled out of the quiltand went to wash up, then began to change. While she was changing, Jepherson immediately hugged her from behind.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wash the clothes for you. Take some clothes with you the next time youe. If you borrow mybrother¡¯s clothes again, he won¡¯t have any new ones for himself,¡± she said.

    Raeleigh pulled his hand away and continued to get ready. Then, she turned to look at him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to go back with me?¡± Jepherson was still holding out hope.

    She shook her head. ¡°No. I¡¯ll only go when Ste leaves. I don¡¯t want to see her. Anyway, I have something to do here, and you have your stuff to deal with.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    ¡°I know that you came because you¡¯re lonely, but I can stand the loneliness and wait for you. As long as you¡¯re still single without a wife or kids, I¡¯ll be here.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze fell. He could not help feeling a little aggrieved. ¡°What if I get married and have children? What will you do then?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think about things that haven¡¯t happened. Maybe I¡¯ll get even with you,¡± Raeleigh replied mischievously. Everyone had their own world, and she could not force anything. The only thing that she could change was herself. She was also ready to give him more time.

    Jepherson thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get things settled as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°I know you will.¡±

    After Raeleigh got changed, she gathered the clothes that they had worn yesterday. She changed the bedding as well. Jepherson raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°You¡¯re washing everything?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Raeleigh dumped them into the washing machine and pressed a few buttons.

    Jepherson turned around and went out, nning to hire a housekeeper for her.

    Raeleigh went out to buy breakfast since theundry would take some time. She asked Jepherson when he nned to leave, but he did not give any answer. In the end, he stayed with her all day and did not even want to leave when night fell. Instead, hehad someone send him some of his things.

 Chapter 1492 Marriage Was Discussed

    Raeleigh knew that as long as Jepherson did not leave, she would have no peace at Waverly Vige.True to her expectations, Jepherson was awakenedte at night by his phone ringing.

    On the other hand, Raeleigh had just fallen asleep. But when she heard the sound of his phone, she opened her eyes and saw Jepherson sitting up to answer the phone.

    She could hear a woman¡¯s voice on the other end of the line. Itsounded like Ste¡¯s voice.

    Raeleigh did not pay close attention to his phone call. Instead, she got out of the bed and poured a ss of water for him. After he ended the call, she gave it to him.

    Jepherson raised his head and hesitated for a moment before taking the water.

    He held the cup with one hand and Raeleigh¡¯s hand with the other, pulling her to sit on hisp.

    At that moment, Raeleigh sensed that something must have happened.

    Jepherson kissed Raeleigh¡¯s ears and said, ¡°Someone from the Doyle family came.¡±

    She turned to look at Jepherson, who had a grim expression on his face. Shedid not quite understand what he meant.

    Jepherson put down the cup and ced his hands around Raeleigh¡¯s waist.¡°Before I came, Ste told me that she wanted me to marry her and that she¡¯d propose to me. I thought she was only saying it casually. I had no idea she meant it.¡±

    ¡°You agreed?¡± Raeleigh knew that Jepherson would not do that, but she still could not help asking. She wanted to know his real answer.

    Shaking his head, he kissed Raeleigh. ¡°Come back with me. I need you by my side.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°What do you n to do if I go back with you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell the Doyle family thatyou¡¯re my wife.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll get the marriage certificate today,¡± he said, shocking her. She felt like it was all a big joke. It was too hasty!

    For a moment, Raeleigh was silent as she gave it some thought.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°I need to discuss this with Xanthus and get the approval of my parents. I can¡¯t decide on my own. I¡­¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Her voice trailed off.Hugging her, he said, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m not worthy to be your husband?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­¡±

    Raeleigh did not know what to say. Marriage was not a game. Even so, she knew that she did not want to marry anyone other than Jepherson.

    The problem was the rtionship between their two families. There were still many things that were unresolved. There was no way that she could pretend that she knew nothing about it. If she could, she would have gotten married as soon as possible. In fact, Raeleigh would have gotten married a long time ago and would not have waited until now.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you afraid that I¡¯ll let you down?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I epted you. I¡¯m an adult, so I have to be responsible for my own choices.

    But I can¡¯t forget about my parents.¡±

    Raeleigh was really in a dilemma.

    After a long while, Jepherson pulled Raeleigh close and said, ¡°Then we¡¯ll put the marriage certificate on hold first, but you have toe with me to put on a good show. I have to go to A city.

    ¡°The Doyle family should be on their way to my home. On the phone, Ste seemed confident that my parents would agree to our marriage, so I must go back at once.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh, who was indecisive. After a long time, she said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll discuss it with Xanthus.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±

    He released her hand she went to put on her clothes. Then, she went to Xanthus.

    At the same time, Jepherson was also making arrangements for someone to pick him up. He called Santiago and informedhim of the situation.

    Raeleigh knocked on Xanthus¡¯ door. After a brief moment, he turned on the light and opened the door.

    Standing at the door, she said,¡°I want to go back with him. He said something happened back at home.¡±

    Xanthus was silent for a while. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    However, Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°He¡¯ll protect me. I don¡¯t want you to go this time. I don¡¯t want Ste to stab you again. Ste is only nice to him. Even if she wants to take me down, she won¡¯t do anything to me for now. At least not brazenly.¡±

    Xanthus thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to follow you secretly. Be careful and text every day duringdinner time, between six to seven o¡¯clock. If I don¡¯t get your text, I¡¯ll go over immediately.¡±

    ¡°All right,¡± Raeleigh replied and hugged Xanthus. He returned the hug.After a long time, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll be here waiting for you. If something happens, you have to remaincalm. You¡¯re very smart, but your emotional intelligence is low.You¡¯ve be more naive after meeting Jepherson.¡±

    Raeleigh stepped away slowly. ¡°So, in my brother¡¯s eyes, I¡¯m such a person.¡±

    ¡°The higher the IQ, the lower the EQ. How much energy can a person have? Since they use it all on their IQ, other aspects will definitely suffer,¡± he exined.

    However, Raeleigh could notugh at that. ¡°But I think highly of my emotional intelligence.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you think. You¡¯re far inferior to Jepherson. Even ten of you would still be iparable to Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°What about after adding you?¡± Raeleigh asked. Xanthusughed, ¡°If you did, you¡¯d be invincible.¡±

    Raeleigh was at a loss for words. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize I was so passive.¡±

    Xanthus patted Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder gently and said, ¡°I¡¯ll put on my clothes and see you out.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh turned back and told Jepherson that she would be going with him. She thenstarted to pack her clothes and clean up. After a while, Xanthus joined her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the entrance of the vige.¡± Although Xanthus felt uneasy, he also felt that Ste was not mad.

    Xanthus drove them to the entrance of the vige and watched them leave before driving away.

    However, Xanthus did not stay in the vige. He was uneasy about Raeleigh following Jepherson to A city. Thus, he packed up his things and nned to follow them. However, when the car reached the vige¡¯s entrance, it was stopped by Jacky¡¯s men.

    Xanthus looked out from the inside of the car. Jacky got out of his car and stood looking at him. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. Someone asked me to do this. Please get down from the car.¡±

    Therefore,Xanthus could not leave.

    Xanthus thought that Jepherson was the one behind it and called Jepherson. After Jepherson hung up the phone, he looked at Raeleigh.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so vicious,¡± he said. He was determined to take the me.

    ¡°I can¡¯t let anything happen to him,¡± she replied after a moment¡¯s pause.

    If Raeleigh had to fight Ste to the death, she would be prepared.

    Jepherson was silent, but the corners of his lips curled upward.

    The driver felt that it was really strange.

    It seemed that a tiger had met a fox. Whether the cunning fox would win or the fierce tiger, that remained to be seen.

    When the car arrived at the airport, it was alreadyte at night. As Jepherson was in a hurry, Raeleigh rushed down from the car as fast as she could. Theypassed through the security checks quickly and boarded the ne together.

    Even so, they were toote. By the time they arrived, the Doyle family¡¯s representatives had already met with the Richards family, and the marriage had been discussed.

 Chapter 1493 Marriage Certificate

    When Raeleigh and Jepherson arrived at the Richards Family, there were two luxury cars parked at the door. They did not have local car te numbers, but the cars belonged to the Richards family.

    Jepherson exined to Raeleigh, ¡°This car was designed by our family, soit¡¯s a limited edition model. After production, the first few cars were gifted to some families.¡±

    ¡°They had to be someone who had a good rtionship with your family. Otherwise,you wouldn¡¯t be so generous, right?¡±

    Raeleigh had already guessed that the car was given to the Doyle family.

    Jepherson did not answer, indicating a silent admission.

    Raeleigh followed Jepherson in. The butler was shocked when he saw Jepherson. Then, he walked to Jepherson and greeted, ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze was cold as he asked, ¡°Who¡¯s here?¡±

    The butler nced at Raeleigh, who was standing next to Jepherson. With his hands tightly grasped together, he said hesitantly, ¡°Some members of the Doyle family came to discuss your marriage.¡±

    Raeleigh could tell that the butler was uneasy.

    However, she deliberately did not look at him and turned her gaze away.

    It was early in the morning. The mornings in City A were warmer than those in Capital City, so Raeleigh did not feel cold. Maybe because of the nts around them, there was a soft, white mist and the air was fresh.

    ¡°Is that so? Why did theye to discuss my marriage when I¡¯m not here?¡± A cold glint shed in Jepherson¡¯s eyes. The butler lowered his head slightly and replied,¡°Thank goodness you came back in time. I was just about to call you.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and nced at the butler. He was still a smooth liar despite his old age. Raeleigh could tell that he had not intended to call Jepherson, but he could still lie about it as if it was real.

    Jepherson snorted and said,¡°I¡¯ll go and see the worthless piece of sh*t that came all the way just to propose.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. Jepherson really did like to show his arrogant side to exert dominance.

    Why did Jepherson have to make the butler ufortable? He had not done anything to displease Jepherson. Raeleigh thought to herself.

    Jepherson pulled her after him, cing her luggage on the ground. The butler quickly called someone to take the luggage into the house.

    Walking forward, Jepherson asked, ¡°Where are they?¡±

    The butler followed behind them. ¡°They¡¯re with Madam Marissa in the Ink Garden.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Jepherson took Raeleigh¡¯s hand and strode forward. When they arrived at the Ink Garden, the servants came out one after another. When they caught sight of Jepherson and his fierce expression, they were too scared to approach him.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson,¡± they greeted politely.

    ¡­

    Jepherson ignored them.His temper was even worse than Santiago¡¯s. Raeleigh realized why Santiago was afraid of him. If he behaved like that, who would not be afraid of him?

    After entering, Jepherson changed to a pair of indoor shoes and took Raeleigh inside. The servants were so scared that their faces turned pale.They hurried after him.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Doyle familye to discuss the marriage? Who¡¯s this? He¡¯s not even from the Doyle family.¡±

    Jepherson walked in while holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand. As soon as they entered, the living room fell silent.

    Raeleigh looked around and saw about eight people sitting in the living room. They included Old Master Richards, Mrs. Richards, Jenna, and Hansen.

    One of the visitors was Ste¡¯s grandmother, who was dressed expensively from head to toe. The other visitors seemed to be either rich or distinguished people. A woman sat next to the olddy. The rest, who were all men, were seated to one side.

    When Raeleigh and Jepherson walked in,Geraldine looked a little unhappy, but she did not say anything.

    The others also looked at Raeleigh.At that instant, Jenna felt a little embarrassed. Usually, she would get up to approach Raeleigh, but now, she did not.

    Raeleigh stood beside Jepherson, observing the situation in the living room. It seemed that the Doyle family had something on the Richards family. They were not here to propose a marriage but to force it.

    With Jenna¡¯s personality, there must be some reason why even she who doted on Raeleigh did not stand up to greet her.

    Although Raeleigh was not sure, she felt that they were not there to discuss the marriage. In actual fact, they were there to force the Richards family into agreeing to the marriage.

    ¡°Jepherson, didn¡¯t you break up with her? Why did you bring her here?¡± Everyone was silent except Marissa, who looked face.

    Raeleigh did not refute. Anything she said would be wrong. Thus, it was better to say nothing and let Jepherson resolve the matter.

    Jepherson asked, ¡°I came back to tell my family something, but I didn¡¯t expect so many people to be here.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and asked Raeleigh, ¡°Where is it?¡±

    Despondent, Raeleigh asked, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I gave it to you yesterday. Where is it?¡± Jepherson asked. Raeleigh thought for a moment. Except for tens of thousands of something else, he had not given her anything else. The things he gave her were all inside her body. How could they be taken out?

    ¡°I¡¯ve kept it,¡± Raeleigh answered.

    Jepherson said, ¡°Take it out.¡±

    Raeleigh was rendered speechless.

    She could not take it out.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson then asked, ¡°Where¡¯s our luggage?¡±

    ¡°Here they are,¡± the housekeeper answered hurriedly. Jepherson turned around and walked over to the luggage. He opened it and rummaged around, finally taking out two small, red books. He walked over to where Marissa and the others were seated, then bent down and ced the books on the table.

    Marissa stared at them, her hands trembling slightly.

    ¡°You two?¡±

    Jenna¡¯s expression showed that she was relieved. She had been worried about Jepherson because everything had happened so quickly. Jenna wanted to tell him, but she did not even have the time. Unexpectedly, he was quick to act. She had not seen him for about ten days only, yet he managed to get the marriage certificates.

    ¡°We actually got the marriage certificate a long time ago, but we didn¡¯t tell you.¡±

    ¡°No, but before New Year-¡± Marissa began. Jepherson interrupted her, saying, ¡°We went to get our marriage certificate one week after New Year¡¯s Day.¡±

    Marissa was speechless.

    Trevor said, ¡°Raeleigh is not a suitable choice. Furthermore, you¡¯re the heir of the family. Your marriage should be decided by your family. We won¡¯t recognize this, soit¡¯s better that you get a divorce.¡±

    Jepherson narrowed his eyes. ¡°I have already signed an agreement with Raeleigh. If we divorce, I¡¯ll have to divide half of the Richards family¡¯s assets and give it to Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Marissa was so angry with Jepherson that she almost fainted. She could not believe it.

    Rage surged within Marissa as she pointed at Jepherson and asked, ¡°Do you think of the Richards family as a joke?¡±

    Instead of answering, Jepherson asked, ¡°Why can¡¯t I be in charge of my own marriage?¡±

    Marissa was so angry that her face turned pale.

    Trevor looked at Raeleigh, ¡°Come here for a moment.¡±

    Trevor got up and went upstairs. Raeleigh looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±

    Raeleigh was not a coward. She decided that it was time tofigure out what was going on.

    Thus, Raeleigh followed Trevor upstairs to his study.

    Jepherson looked up the stairs as the study¡¯s door closed, then nced at Hansen. He who was sitting silently.

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze swept across the room and fell on Geraldine. With a cold expression, he sat down and did not greet her at all.

 Chapter 1494 Heartache

    Raeleigh stoodbythe door, wonderingwhere Jepherson got the marriage certificate from and when he obtained it.Why did she not know anything about it?

    ¡°Is this how you treat your elders?¡± Trevor asked. He had been waiting for Raeleigh to say something. She had stood at the door thinking about other things since she entered the door.It did not seem as ifshe cared about what he wanted to say. He did not know whether he should feel thankful or helpless.

    Seeing that Raeleigh did not say anything for such a long time, Trevor took the initiative to talk to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Trevor. She was not frightened. Instead, she asked calmly, ¡°Did you bring me here just to question me?¡±

    Trevor was slightly stunned. He did not expect that Raeleigh would have the guts to ask such a question in front of him. Even his daughter-inw, Jenna, did not dare to do so.

    Trevor recovered from his shock and looked at Raeleigh closely.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    When he saw that she still looked as calm as ever, he was slightly disconcerted. It seemed to him that she resembled someone.

    Trevor recovered from his daze and stared at Raeleigh. ¡°I¡¯m not interrogating you. I just feel that a youngster like you should not be rude to others. Do you think it¡¯s appropriate for you to keep an elder like me waiting for you?¡±

    ¡°I was a little distracted just now as there was something I couldn¡¯t figure out. I¡¯m honored to be here. I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s my fault. I¡¯ve disappointed you,¡± said Raeleigh.

    She nodded her head respectfully at Trevor.He had not expected her to behave that way. She had a way of doing everything with ease, much like Marissa.

    As he thought of how Marissa was when she was young, Trevor¡¯s gaze softened.

    Unlike Ste, Trevor did not like Geraldine, especially after what happened that day.

    So naturally, Trevor was impressed with Raeleigh.

    He smiled, ¡°It seems that your grandmother raised you well and taught you many things.¡±

    ¡°Yes, she did,¡± Raeleigh replied politely. Trevor found himself liking Raeleigh even more.

    Anyone else would have been a little more humble on this aspect without giving it much thought.

    After all, instead ofplimenting Raeleigh directly, he had praised her grandmother. If Raeleigh had been modest, it would have been disappointing.

    Trevor smiled. He looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°From what you said, does that mean you¡¯re clear about what I called you up here for?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°I can¡¯t be sure, but I have a hunch. It concerns me and Jepherson, right?¡±

    ¡°People who are smart will often make people jealous. So, people like you should be careful,¡± Trevor said, reminding Raeleigh not to call get ahead of herself.

    Raeleigh replied, ¡°I can be quite foolish at times,but after being with Jepherson for some time, I actually picked up a thing or two from him. Maybe his influence has made me so straightforward with certain things that I don¡¯t know how to cover it up.

    ¡°Jepherson says that he doesn¡¯t like to wear a mask, so I thought you would prefer someone to be honest.¡±

    Raeleigh spoke slowly.

    Trevor¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. ¡°Since you¡¯re a smart child, I won¡¯t hide it anymore. Your words are honest and forceful. If I¡¯m not honest, you¡¯ll tell Jerry about what I did wrongter.¡±

    Raeleigh smiled. ¡°I won¡¯t do that. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t judge a book by its cover, just like what I did in the past,¡± Trevor said as he walked to the side and looked at the chair. ¡°Have a seat. I haven¡¯t spoken to anyone for a long time. I have a son and a grandson who don¡¯t care about me. I wonder if I¡¯ll be blessed to have a great-granddaughter.¡±

    ¡°One of your two grandsons will surely give you a great-granddaughter,¡± Raeleigh said as she walked to the chair. She only sat down after Trevor was seated.

    Then,Trevor said, ¡°It all began when I was young, back when you were just born. In fact, I¡¯m not that young.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Trevor. She knew that he must have been hiding something.

    She said nothingbut listened in silence.

    Trevor was silent for a while, then started talking about the past.

    ¡°Back then, I took a fancy to some things at a charity event abroad and wanted to bring them back to the country. But since those things already had an owner, I had to drop the matter.

    ¡°However, before I left, I received an invitation to go to his house.

    ¡°I was very surprised that he would actually invite me. After all, we did not know each other well.

    ¡°However, as I was still hoping to get my hands on those things, I went anyway.

    ¡°There, they entertained me and invited me to admire those things.

    ¡°I was young and was not vulgar.

    ¡°However, once one has fame and wealth, one is bound to be a bit vulgar. One will like things that normal people could never attain.

    ¡°At that time, I was very fond of those things.

    ¡°But I know that a gentleman does not take advantage of others. After admiring them, I returned to the country directly.

    ¡°After I returned, I told my wife about it. My wife told me that they seemed nice, and they had a good reputation all over the world.

    ¡°After that, I would bring gifts for them when I went abroad, and asionally took my wife there. In less than a year, our rtionship changed drastically.

    ¡°A few monthster,I received a gift and opened it to see that it contained the things that I liked.

    ¡°I was a little surprised. I was going to return it, but it was rejected.

    ¡°After that, we contacted more frequently.

    ¡°If I saw something they would like, I would get it for them. They would also pick things I liked for me.

    ¡°However¡­

    ¡°If one is with a bandit for a long time, sooner orter, one will lose some things.

    ¡°One time when I was abroad, they told me that one of their children had been kidnapped.

    ¡°I was very anxious at that time and asked them how much ransom they needed. At that time, it was not a problem for me to use my money to help them. They told me that it was not a matter of money. The kidnappers wanted an item in exchange for the child¡¯s life.

    ¡°SinceI had known them for some time, I believed them and wanted to help them save their child. At that time, I suggested that they go to the police. However, they said that it was not the first time something like that had happened. If they angered the kidnappers, their child would be killed.

    ¡°At that time,Hansen and Jenna were also going through some trouble of their own.Hansen was having a hard time handling it, and itwould¡¯ve been pointless to ask him for help. As a result, I could only ask them what the kidnappers were looking for. They told me that it was an ancient bronze goblet. I believed them and decided to help them.

    ¡°They also put in a lot of effort and searched for it for two days. Finally, I found it.

    ¡°I informed them, and they rushed over. We went to see the owner of the relic. We wanted to know if the owner would be willing to sell it to us. We even offered to pay a higher price.

    ¡°After all, a life is more important than anything else.¡±

    Trevor paused. It was as if the events of the past were like a knife in his heart. For a moment, he felt a deep pain in his heart.

 Chapter 1495 The Past

    Raeleigh asked Trevor, ¡°Did something happen to you when you went there?¡±

    Trevor snapped back to reality and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Things went very well when we went to get the goblet. Nothing happened. Moreover, the other party was a very open-minded person. After what I said, he was willing to let us have it.

    ¡°In the end, we got the bronze goblet at a rtively reasonable price.

    ¡°Then, I gave it to my friend, who promised to go and save the child tomorrow.

    ¡°Unfortunately, he suddenly fell ill that night and was hospitalized for appendicitis.

    ¡°My friend had arranged to meet the kidnappers the next day, so I had to go in his stead.

    ¡°At that time, I didn¡¯t think much about it. All I thought about was saving his child. Thatwas the most important thing.

    ¡°However, I didn¡¯t expect that the kidnappers wouldgrab me when I got there. They even smashed the bronze goblet I brought, telling me that it was a fake.

    ¡°Back then, I was still in that field so I knew a little about the bronze wares from that time.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t believe them when they told me it was a fake. I argued with them, but they insisted that I lied to them and wanted to kill me.

    ¡°I was worried that something would happen to my friend¡¯s child. I wanted the kidnappers to stay calm. They told me that I could leave as long as I handed over the real bronze goblet.

    ¡°ButI didn¡¯t have anything else with me.I only had the goblet I brought.

    ¡°They weren¡¯t willing to let the child go, nor did they want money. They only wanted the bronze ware.

    ¡°Suddenly, my wife called me. They took my phone away and spoke to her.

    ¡°As a result, my wife immediately took action and asked them what they wanted. They said that they wanted the real bronze goblet. My wife first went to look for my friend to find out everything that had happened. Then, she called me again, but this time it wasn¡¯t me that answered the phone.

    ¡°My wife has always been shrewd. When she spoke to them on the phone, she asked them what would happen if she found the real goblet but they insisted that it was a fake.¡±

    ¡°They said they needed to get it appraised by someone. She asked who would appraise it.

    ¡°They said they wanted the best, which were Lamar Osteen and his wife.¡±

    Trevor closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. Raeleigh suddenly asked, ¡°Was it¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me finish.¡± Trevor did not want to be interrupted. He continued, ¡°My wife agreed, but she wanted to take back the goblet I had brought. They didn¡¯t agree at first. After a long negotiation, she finally managed to get it back.

    ¡°By then, my friend was very upset because he didn¡¯t know whether it was fake or not.

    ¡°My friend racked his brains and finally decided to take a risk. He got a batch of fake bronze wares and put them together. Then, he asked the Osteen couple to identify which of those were the fake ones.

    ¡°My friend also vowed not to trouble my family anymore about that matter.They would hunt for it personally.

    ¡°However, they didn¡¯t seed. My wife was anxious to save me, so she finally targeted Lamar¡¯s wife, Jazelle¡¯s, baby.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    ¡°After Jazelle gave birth, the kidnappers wanted Marissa to give them the baby in exchange for me. When the Osteen couple signed the appraiser¡¯s report, the baby would be returned.

    ¡°My wife is someone eager for quick sess and benefits, and she does not care about others¡¯ feelings. But being married for more than ten years, I knew very well that my wife was not a heartless person. The baby was still so little, so she would not harm her.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that she had to take risks for my sake.

    ¡°However, not long after she took the baby, my wife met a group of people who snatched the baby from my wife¡¯s arms.

    ¡°My wife was also stunned, and she was also injured.

    ¡°As my wife was afraid of being found out, she didn¡¯t dare to call the police.

    ¡°And at that time, the Osteen couple still were not cooperative. My friend searched all over the world and finallyspent arge amount of money on a rare treasure. He sent it to the kidnappers, and only then did they let me and his son go.

    ¡°Although it seemed as if there were not many casualties, we all knew that my wife had made a mistake, and this would be our Achilles¡¯ heel.

    ¡°We were also overwhelmed with guilt. It was the darkest moment, and it made us fully aware of the pain of losing someone we love.

    ¡°Although the Doyle family did not mention it, my wife and I knew that sooner orter, this matter would spread to other ears.

    ¡°In recent years, because of my son¡¯s sensibility and filial piety, as well as my indulgence, my wife has be more and more arrogant. Although she looks approachable, she has changed.

    ¡°Now that I¡¯m older, I couldn¡¯t care less about these things. No matter how much I think about it, I don¡¯t have many years left. I¡¯d be contented just to live a safe and peaceful life with her.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­

    ¡°The Doyle family¡¯s appearance and the debt we owe to the Osteen couple are both things that I can neverforget.¡±

    Trevor looked at Raeleigh, ¡°Do you know who my friend is?¡±

    She thought for a moment. ¡°Is it Ste¡¯s grandfather?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him.¡± Trevor looked at Raeleigh calmly. ¡°The more we experience in life, the more that we understand. We have many friends, and we have encountered many unexpected events together.¡±

    To the Richards family, it was impossible that the Doyle family would ignore what had happened.

    ¡°This matter of kidnapping a child, even though it isn¡¯t a matter of taking one¡¯s life, it¡¯s a matter of reputation. If our reputation is gone, the Richards family won¡¯t have a foothold in this world.¡±

    ¡°So the Doyle family came this time to force a marriage?¡± Raeleigh asked. Trevor nodded and said, ¡°You can say that.¡±

    The Doyle family did not mention what happened in the past. However, they mentioned that Ste was injured and that Ste had liked Jerry for a long time, so they wanted the two families to join together.

    ¡°If Ste had been fine, I might have been able to refuse. But now that she¡¯s in such a state, the Richards family cannot refuse,¡± said Trevor.

    That was the key point. Raeleigh finally understood what was going on.

    After thinking for a while, Raeleigh asked, ¡°But I have got my marriage certificate. How can I divorce? Besides, I can¡¯t make the decision on this matter. It¡¯s all based on Jepherson¡¯s decision.¡±

    ¡°Even so, there is something that can be done. I don¡¯t want you to divorce. I want you to pacify the Doyle family first. Let¡¯s talk about this after I think of a solution,¡± he replied.

    Trevor¡¯s words were sincere and Raeleigh understood them clearly.

    Now that the truth of what happened twenty years ago hade to light, Raeleigh was relieved. She also believed that there was more to it.

    The Doyle family must have had set up a trap.

    After giving it some thought, Raeleigh said,¡°Can you please tell me the truth? Do you roughly know what is going on?¡±

    Trevor looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°When the first step is wrong, every subsequent step will be wrong.I was involved that time, so I have no choice.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Trevor. ¡°You already knew?¡±

    Trevorughed. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I remember the losses I suffered? I¡¯ll remember them for the rest of my life.

    ¡°However, there are some things that are pointless to be said out loud.¡±

    Raeleigh sat for a while and said, ¡°Do you mean¡­¡±

 Chapter 1496 Can be Negotiated

    ¡°It¡¯s great that you two are married. I never wanted Ste to be my granddaughter-inw anyway. Even if she isn¡¯t crippled, she¡¯s a descendant of a family of bandits. Others may be happy to have her, but Iwouldn¡¯t.¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    ¡°However, there will always be someone better than you. They¡¯re in the dark, and we¡¯re in the open. Plus, they have something on me.From what I see, unless your grandmother and I die, this matter cannot be made public.¡±

    ¡°After we¡¯ve passed, we will write a letter of self-judgment for you to announce it to the public.¡±

    ¡°The Doyle family¡¯s threat is only temporary; they can¡¯t threaten us forever.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°So you want me to pretend to put up with everything and leave the rest to you?¡±

    With that, Trevor broke into a smile and said, ¡°You are very smart. However, there is something that¡¯s best done soon.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°The priority is to get the marriage certificate done. Otherwise, it will be toote to regret if we give it away.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s words got Raeleigh stumped for a moment. She asked, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    Trevor walked to the table,took out the key, opened the drawer, and took out a booklet. ¡°I won¡¯t say I¡¯m giving you this, but take it as a meeting gift from me.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the household register booklet, kept it away, and bowed to Trevor. ¡°Thank you, Grandpa.¡±

    Trevor nodded.

    With that, Raeleigh left the study, feelinginexplicablyrxed.

    Initially, Raeleigh was worried about the feud between the two families, but now, she was most worried about the Doyle family. As for the previous matters, she could exin after she went back.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave then,¡± Raeleigh said and was about to leave when Trevor reminded her, ¡°Don¡¯t forgetwhat I said;it¡¯s only temporary.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at Trevor, smiling. ¡°I know.¡±

    With that, she headed downstairs. As she walked, she kept her eyes on the scene,nning on how to act it well in a moment.

    When she arrived downstairs, Raeleigh looked at Marissa, but she did not say anything. Now Marissa and Trevor were on one side while she was on Jepherson¡¯s.

    No one talked to her when she arrived downstairs. Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, and he said to her, ¡°Come here.¡±

    She walked to himbut didn¡¯t sit, standing next to Jepherson the whole time.

    Jenna wanted to urge Raeleigh to take a seat, but knowing she couldn¡¯t make the call, she didn¡¯t dare speak up. After all, she had to respect Marissa.

    And looking at Geraldine, she didn¡¯t seem to want to make others feel at ease either.

    A thought came after another for Jenna, but barely any of them were good.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, sit down. Why are you standing?¡± Jepherson said, but Raeleigh remained standing andsaid, ¡°I¡¯d better go. I¡¯lle over after you made it clear to your family. I still have some money on me; it¡¯s enough for me to stay in a hotel for now.¡±

    Raeleigh had to think of a way to turn the situation around. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t keep standing.

    Jepherson took a casual look and thought something was strange but judging from Raeleigh¡¯s face, it didn¡¯t seem so.

    At this time, Trevor came down, and Raeleigh directed her gaze at him. The rest of the family also looked up.

    On seeing that Trevor looked unhappy, everybody knew what was going on. It was obvious that he had not reached an agreement with Raeleigh.

    Trevor descended from the stairs and immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ve already said my piece, but since you¡¯re still not willing to be a concubine, thenthis is no longer a ce for you to stay. You may go.¡±

    At that moment, Raeleigh¡¯s eyelids twitched. As she had expected, Ste must be married to Jepherson. Though there was a reason, it was sure she would be a part of the family, even if it were an honorary one.

    But the pressing matter was that Raeleigh wasn¡¯t willing to be a concubine. Even if it was just an act, she had to be the legal wife; after all, she was the one with a marriage certificate.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even share, let alone be a concubine. Look at the times we¡¯re at. Why are men still entitled to have more than a wife? I won¡¯t belittle myself just to satisfy you. I might as well get a divorce.¡± Raeleigh said with a long face. ¡°But let me tell you, don¡¯t think I¡¯m an easy target just because I¡¯m all alone. Jepherson and I had a child, although I lost it because of him. And now, we¡¯re legally married. If you insist that we get a divorce, I want half of the Richards family fortune.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe no one can take charge of this matter. If no one here can, I¡¯ll bring it to the Capital City. If Capital City doesn¡¯t want to help, I¡¯ll go to the TV station. Let¡¯s see who gets thestugh.¡±

    With that, Marissa retorted, ¡°How outrageous. Consider yourself already lucky to be able to marry into our family. You even want to push your luck and threaten us? Who do you think you are?¡±

    Marissa¡¯s face grew gimmer by the second, ring at Raeleigh only for her to ask, ¡°I didn¡¯t marry into the Richards family but to Jepherson. Since he chose me, I don¡¯t see a reason for me to leave.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s gaze was as calm as still water. Trevor nced at her and said, ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. There¡¯s an engagement between Jepherson and the Doyle family. Though Jepherson didn¡¯t know about this, the two families had already discussed it when they were still children. Besides, I¡¯ve also given you a chance. We can meet halfway and reserve your status in the family; you just can¡¯t be the first wife. Our family has always had a rule that men in the family can have more than one wife.¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s your turn to argue when the Doyle family hasn¡¯t said anything yet?¡±

    ¡°I disagree with what you said. Men having several wives was the shoring of feudal society. Barely anywhere in this world still keeps this tradition, but you still do. It is against thew.¡±

    ¡°We know very well whether it¡¯s illegal or not; we don¡¯t need you to tell us.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s gaze was cold, but Raeleigh wasn¡¯t going to back down. ¡°Even if I agree, I was here first. I have a marriage certificate; I¡¯m subjected to thew. Why should I be someone¡¯s concubine? No way.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to Jepherson. ¡°Tell me, who do you want? Me or someone else?¡±

    Jepherson stood up and said firmly.¡°You, of course.¡±

    With that, she turned her gaze to everyone else. Marissa¡¯s anger was off the roof; mming the table, she roared, ¡°How dare you?!¡±

    ¡°Marissa¡­¡± Trevor looked at Marissa, who in turn pursed her lips angrily and said, ¡°This is outrageous.¡±

    Trevor said, ¡°If you leave, nevere back. Don¡¯t forget you¡¯re not the only member of the Richards family.¡±

    Jepherson looked at his grandfather. ¡°Fine, you¡¯re the one who wants me to leave.¡±

    With that, he held Raeleigh¡¯s hand, wanting to leave the ce, but she paused for a moment, went back to grabthe marriage certificate, and was about to leave with Jepherson with her luggage in the other hand.

    At that moment, Geraldine said, ¡°Hold on.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped, and so did Jepherson; they looked back in unison. Geraldine smiled. ¡°We can still negotiate this further, don¡¯t you think?¡±

 Chapter 1497 Turn the House Upside Down

    Jepherson and Raeleigh exchanged nces, but neither of them spoke. Geraldine looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°You look like a smart girl, my child, and this is not something we should drag on. On the one hand,you have the marriage certificate, so you¡¯re his legitimate wife; on the other, he likes you. This is not something anyone can change.¡±

    ¡°The question is whether you like him or not and if you¡¯re willing to sacrifice a little for him.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and said with a smile, ¡°No, not at all.¡±

    Jepherson raised his eyebrows and looked at the woman beside him. She sure had it in her!

    ¡°Look at you,look what kind of a wife you got yourself. She¡¯s not willing to do anything for you. To put it bluntly, she married you for your money. And you, you¡¯re still following her wholeheartedly. How stupid are you?¡± Marissa was furious; she couldn¡¯t care less if the matter wasn¡¯t urgent.

    Jepherson sped his hands behind his back and followed behind like a married man. Afraid that Marissa would flip, Jenna hurriedly sat next to her and eased her. ¡°Mom, take a breath. We¡¯ll see what they have to sayter.¡±

    Marissa held Jenna¡¯s hand. ¡°Jenna, I know you¡¯re obedient and sensible, but you must have a stand.¡±

    Jenna looked down at her held hand and said, ¡°I know.¡±

    Relieved, Marissa turned to look at Jepherson and Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh looked at Geraldine, who then smiled and said, ¡°Let me ask you, why would you marry him when you don¡¯t love him?¡±

    ¡°I know very well if I love him or not; I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for me to answer you. We will always be there for each other. It¡¯s that simple.¡±

    ¡°To put it simply, I have the talent, intelligence, and appearance. Even if I don¡¯t look for Jepherson or people like the Richards family, I think I won¡¯t fall too far behind.¡±

    ¡°Do you still want¡­¡±

    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t talk about Raeleigh like that.¡± Jepherson immediately cut her off before Marissa could finish her words. Marissa¡¯s face turned pale from anger, and Jenna was busy consoling her.

    Then, Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯ve already put my heart into this rtionship. If any of you told me he was engaged earlier or announced it to the public before even I appeared, or that your granddaughter was already in a rtionship with him, I wouldn¡¯t be so shameless as to be his mistress.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re obviously here after we had started a rtionship and even have the audacity to wreck our rtionship outright. Not only that, you brought your family to bully me. Let me ask you this then, do you really think that with some money and status you can be above thew and be unreasonable?¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°If your answer is yes, would it mean that even if he and I have started a family, you would still poke your noses into our life? Does it mean that even after ten, twenty years, as long as somebody in your family fancies him, I would have to give him to you on a silver tter?¡±

    ¡°What do you think I am? What do you think Jepherson is?¡±

    ¡°What do you think the Richards family is?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve gone too far?¡±

    Raeleigh said all the words Trevor did not say.Indirectly, she scolded the Doyle family for being shameless.

    Actually, there was more, but Raeleigh just hadn¡¯t said it out.

    Deep down, Geraldine was boiling with rage, but she did not let it show and smiled, all peaceful instead. ¡°We, the Doyle family, are never like that. Marissa and I thought alike; we¡¯ve long wanted for our children to be together. However, because they are young, and we¡¯re not in a rush, but who would have thought you¡¯de into the picture?¡±

    ¡°I know very well that every young one will experience puppy love, but at this age, it¡¯s better to be practical.¡±

    ¡°I also understand the anger you have of being robbed of the rtionship you¡¯ve poured your heart and soul into. But¡­¡±

    ¡°Look at how Ste is now. s¡­¡±

    Geraldine sighed. ¡°Ste saw Jerry as her older brother growing up. Of course, she didn¡¯t dare express her feelings for him despite her love for him.¡±

    ¡°However, ever since she lost her legs, she had felt extremely inferior. She would often weep, and now, all she wants is to marry Jerry.¡±

    ¡°It pains us, adults, to see her like this, but there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s anything that can bring Ste back to life, I believe it will be Jerry.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any other intentionsing here today but only to negotiate for Ste to marry into the family, even if she is given a measly status.¡±

    ¡°All I¡¯m asking is for Ste to be able to see Jerry so that she has the will to get better.¡±

    ¡°Could you pity me, an old woman, who already has one foot in her grave, my child?¡±

    ¡°Ste is now handicapped. Can she give the Richards family even a child? No, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Even if she wants to, I would disagree. Don¡¯t you understand?¡±

    ¡°What do you say?¡±Geraldine asked Raeleigh.

    She questioned back, ¡°Then why do you still ask Jepherson to marry her?¡±

    ¡°How rude of you!How can you treat our guests like this?!¡± As soon as Raeleigh finished her words,Marissa immediately flew into a rage and picked a bone with her. However, Raeleigh didn¡¯t talk back, nor would she start a fight with Marissa. Trevor was very pleased with this at the very least.

    Raeleigh turned back to Geraldine, waiting for her answer. After a while, Geraldine said, ¡°See it as finding Ste a good home. Actually, I don¡¯t think Ste is suitable for Jerry, but I trust Jerry¡¯s character; he wouldn¡¯t treat her ill. All I ask for is that Ste will still live afortable life after I die.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Geraldine. Easier said than done. Why should she believe her words?

    ¡°So?¡±

    Raeleigh pressed on. Although she could ignore Marissa, she looked at others with disdain, the kind that was even more enraging.

    Geraldine was unhappy about Raeleigh from the bottom of her heart, but she could do nothing but endure it.

    The more so, the more she wanted Ste to marry Jepherson. Only then will there be a day she could see Raeleigh miserable.

    ¡°Pity us, will you?Let Ste be a mistress. If she does any wrong in the future, I hope you can forgive her and take good care of her.¡±

    Seeing that Geraldine had put things that way,Marissa added,¡°No way,we can¡¯t mistreat Ste like this.¡±

    ¡°Oh, everybody knows Ste¡¯s hell-bent on this; we¡¯re just ying along with her. We¡¯re not here to discuss marriage, don¡¯t you understand? We only want to stop Ste from having suicidal thoughts.¡±

    Geraldine held Marissa¡¯s hand tightly, and Marissa did the same. ¡°I¡¯ve failed you and Ste.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? It is our family¡¯s fault in this matter; we wouldn¡¯t havee to you if there was any other way.¡±Marissa was utterly moved and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Are you still going to refuse?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°Let¡¯s make it clear. If she does something she shouldn¡¯t have, I won¡¯t let the matter slide easily. Also, since she¡¯s onlying to the Richards family for refuge, the two of us can¡¯t live under the same roof.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being outrageous.¡± Marissa came at her in anger, thinking this girl was already rebelling before she was married into the family; wouldn¡¯t it only be worse if she did?

    Seeing Marissa was furious, Jepherson immediately said, ¡°Raeleigh¡¯s timid. Don¡¯t scare her.¡±

    Marissa was so angry that she couldn¡¯t breathe.

    Trevor snorted coldly and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone more courageous than her.Any more timid, she¡¯s going to turn the house upside down.¡±

 Chapter 1498 So What If He Could Find It?

    Raeleigh nced at the people in the room subtly. With Trevor¡¯s support, she wasn¡¯t afraid of anything; she could do whatever she wanted.

    Seeing Trevor walking toward the sofa, Jenna moved over for him to sit next to Marissa. Holding her hand, hesaid, ¡°Give it a rest; you¡¯re in no good shape. No one will pity us even if we¡¯re angered to death.¡±

    With that, he looked over at Jepherson and Raeleigh. ¡°It¡¯s decided. Your parents and us will stay here in A City; we won¡¯t be going back to Capital City for the time being. We have the Ink Garden and Green Jade Garden in the Richards Group Manor. Since you¡¯re not willing to live under the same roof as Ste, then you¡¯ll stay in Green Jade Garden while she lives in Ink Garden. Even if we go back, we won¡¯t be in your way and stay in Ink Garden.¡±

    Trevor only said so because he didn¡¯t intend to go to Capital City at all anyway.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Alright. But I am Jepherson¡¯s wife, after all. I want to take charge of the matters in the Richards Group Manor in Capital City; no one is allowed to interfere.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Geraldine frowned; knowing Raeleigh wasn¡¯t easy to deal with, she would just listen for now.

    Marissa wanted to say something, but Trevor interrupted, ¡°I can allow that, but we have our conditions. If you don¡¯t get pregnant within a year, you will have to return the manor to us voluntarily. Also¡­¡±

    Trevor hesitated, but he still said, ¡°If you don¡¯t get pregnant within a year, then give up your role as the matriarch of the family and let Ste take charge.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and turned to look at Jepherson, who looked nonchnt, then pondered for a moment longer. ¡°All I have to do is get pregnant?¡±

    ¡°Of course, you have to give birth,¡± Marissa added.

    Jenna added, ¡°But she needs nine months of pregnancy to give birth; it won¡¯t be fair to only give her a year.¡±

    Marissa looked at Jenna and almost started using her for switching sides, but she still swallowed it back.

    Trevor said, ¡°It counts even if you¡¯re pregnant.¡±

    ¡°One year it is then. If I don¡¯t have a child, you can take everything back.¡±

    Raeleigh thought one year was enough. If he still couldn¡¯t get the issue with Ste solved within a year, she would really look down on Jepherson.

    Therefore, she had never considered getting pregnant.

    Moreover, it was also a way to reassure Geraldine.

    As for Geraldine, she had already thought of a n to deal with Raeleigh.

    ¡°Oh, alright, I¡¯m tired. Since you¡¯ve already agreed to our request, I¡¯m leaving. Today¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, please stay. We have rooms to spare, and you haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡± Marissa took Geraldine¡¯s hand and stopped her from leaving, leading the two to stand on ceremony.

    Jenna judged the situation and said to Raeleigh, ¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t you stay in Green Jade Garden for now. Have the servants bring your luggage over and get your room ready.¡±

    With that, she turned her gaze to Marissa and Geraldine. Immediately, Geraldine understood. No matter what, her granddaughter was crippled, and Jenna also had her thoughts.

    However,it didn¡¯t matter. They were ying the long game; as long as Ste could marry into the family, she could be the first wife one day.

    ¡°Have your dinner over there then. Jepherson,e here, lest she upsets me.¡± Marissa was hell-bent on not giving the respect Raeleigh deserved, leaving Jenna in a difficult position. She had been trying to make up for it, but no matter how, Marissa was rude.

    Jenna was reminded of the past and grew somewhat ufortable.

    ¡°Go on, Raeleigh.¡± Jenna nced at Raeleigh andforted her with her gaze.

    Raeleigh nodded and followed the butler to Green Jade Garden, with Jepherson behind her, not caring what the others in the room thought. Before Marissa knew it, they were long gone.

    Even if she wanted to call him back, she couldn¡¯t.

    After leaving the Ink Garden, Raeleigh looked around as she walked. As the manor in the Capital City was an exact duplicate of this ce, it wasn¡¯t foreign to her, and she found where Jepherson lived with ease.

    Raeleigh asked Jepherson, ¡°Since you live here, why do you and Santiago have rooms in both the Ink Garden and Green Jade Garden?¡±

    ¡°I liked to stay at my grandma¡¯s ce when I was young, but at the same time, I had to look after Santiago. However, he wasn¡¯t willing to stay there. Over time, he would suddenly want to switch ces to stay at, so my dadter arranged rooms for us at both ces.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s exnation humoredRaeleigh, and sheasked, ¡°Why do you like to live with your grandma?¡±

    ¡°Things happened when I was five, and after my mom survived, my dad protected her like she¡¯s a priceless treasure; he¡¯d even be jealous of me. Whenever I spend too long with my mom, he¡¯d think I¡¯m stealing all her affection from him.¡±

    ¡°Later, when Santiago was born, she adored him and would want to cling to him nearly every minute, leading her to neglect my dad and me at times. So my dad would always think Santiago and I affected their rtionship.¡±

    ¡°He would always tell me from time to time not to rely on my mother and have my own world.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m well aware my mom is his whole world.¡±

    ¡°Because of this, I would spend my time with my grandmother, but Santiago was a rebellious one. Sometimes, after promising my dad he would stay over at Ink Garden, he would run back to Green Jade Garden in the middle of the night, leading everyone to search forhimte at night.¡±

    ¡°With that, he arranged rooms for both ces so that we wouldn¡¯t disturb everyone¡¯s rest. If Santiago decided to go back to Green Jade Garden in the middle of the night, he could go straight back into his room, saving everyone the trouble.¡±

    ¡°Do you really look after him every night?¡± Raeleighmented in amusement, thinking it seemed to be the case.

    ¡°I¡¯m his older brother; am I supposed to leave him be?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    After entering the house and taking off her coat, she took off her shoes and went straight to bed, exhausted.

    Jepherson sat next to her in bed, holding her hand with a gaze full of adoration as he asked, ¡°You¡¯ve performed exceptionally welltoday. Did something happen?¡±

    Raeleigh squinted her eyes slightly, ¡°That reminds me, what do you think, having two wives at one go?¡±

    Jepherson raised an eyebrow. ¡°Deeply troubled.¡±

    Raeleigh nearly burst intoughter; fortunately, she was able to hold it back. Jepherson grazed her nose and ridiculed, ¡°How can you stillugh at a time like this?¡±

    ¡°Am I supposed to cry then?¡± Raeleigh took off her jacket and put it aside. ¡°Be nicer to me. At any rate, I¡¯m also considered part of the family now.¡±

    Jepherson lowered his head and kissed her. ¡°Do you really care about this?¡±

    Raeleigh twitched her lips. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about it even if I don¡¯t care, can I?¡±

    Now that things hade to this, she could only take one step at a time. Looking at Jepherson, she asked, ¡°When did you have the marriage certificate made?¡±

    ¡°I just had it done simply.¡± He may have said so, but it was convincing. Raeleigh thought for a moment and took the household register booklet out and presented it to him. Stumped, he took a look at it. ¡°How?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°No wonder.¡±

    With a smile, Raeleigh said,¡°Don¡¯t be toocent. I didn¡¯t bring mine.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I¡¯ll have to go and check then.¡±

    With that, he got out of bed to search for her booklet in her luggage. Raeleigh tried to stop him, but he still found it.

    Sitting down, she thought, ¡°So what if he could find it?¡±

 Chapter 1499 Legally Married

    Staring nkly at the marriage certificate in her hand, Raeleigh was at a loss. How was she married just like that?

    While Raeleigh spaced out on a chair, Jepherson was handing out wedding favors to everyone. Not just couples, but everyone on the scene.

    Raeleigh and Jepherson went to the registry at four in the morning. There was already a line when they got there, but they were lucky that day. Soon after, a few of the couples in front of them suddenly had other matters to attend to, so by the time the office opened, there were barely any couples lining up before them. Hence, they were the first to go in.

    After entering, Jepherson answered all the questions, took a picture, and then went to the side.

    While Raeleigh was spacing out after getting the actual certificate, Jepherson had someone bring over the wedding favors and hand them out to spread the joy.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh wondered how she should exin it to her parents.

    When Jepherson returned and sat down next to her, she looked at him with a baffled gaze.¡°We¡¯re really married?¡±

    ¡°Not really, not until we hold a wedding.¡± Jepherson was overjoyed that day. It was the first time she had ever seen him grinning from ear to ear the moment he woke up. That kind of joy came from deep within.

    He looked like a worry-free buffoon.

    ¡°We came way too early, and I¡¯m really sleepy. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Raeleigh put the marriage certificate away as she stood up, nning to go home.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get some food,¡± Jepherson suggested, not intending to go back so soon. He wanted to show her the streets of A City as this was his hometown after all.

    Although Raeleigh was a little tired, she still followed Jepherson around. When they went to have a meal, she simply slept in his arms. Jepherson put her head on hisp while he leaned against the window and looked at the beautiful scenery outside.

    Spring had finallye.

    When Raeleigh woke up, she was already in Jepherson¡¯s car, and the twowere on their way back to the Richards Group Manor.

    She looked out blearily.

    She had be Jepherson¡¯s wife just like that?

    There was a hint of reluctance within her. She had already be a married woman when she hadn¡¯t had enough of being a young woman.

    ¡°I thought we were going to eat?¡± Raeleigh sat up as she asked Jepherson.Amused, he replied,¡°You¡¯re already asleep, and you still want to eat?¡±

    With that, she fell silent, fixing her eyes on the outside world. She couldn¡¯t believe she had slept for nearly an entire day; she sure was a sloth.

    Momentster, she turned to Jepherson, who was driving. ¡°It¡¯s probably way past dinner now; we won¡¯t have anything to eat going back now.¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡± The corner of Jepherson¡¯s mouth curled into a smile. She thought her brain was ying tricks with her. Not only was Jepherson happy, but he was also not his usual self that day.

    It seemed that his role as her husband had done wonders.

    Raeleigh shook her head, looking somewhat helpless. Miracles happen every second in this world. She had never thought of actually getting married; after all, they were trouble-filled, but she couldn¡¯t change anything. However, she had be his legal wife just like that on this trip.

    Out of all the impermanence, this was the most shocking one. How should she tell her parents or exin it to her brother?N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    After they arrived at the manor, Jepherson unfastened his seat belt, got out of the car, and moved to Raeleigh¡¯s side to open the door and carry her out. She had wanted to refuse, thinking it was ridiculous of him, but a few servants came out from Ink Garden, so she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him do as he pleased.

    Taken aback, Jepherson looked at the girl in his arms and wondered why she had suddenly be so obedient.

    It wasn¡¯t until he carried her out of the car and looked up that he understood why.

    Looking down at her, he put on a viinous grin, and he looked more unperturbed, carrying her in his arms.

    With that, he walked toward Green Jade Garden leisurely, but the servants hurriedly went to them, seeing that they had finally returned after spending an entire day outside.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, Miss Raeleigh, Madam Marissa has been waiting for a long time. Please go to Ink Garden.¡±

    The servant didn¡¯t dare to look up as it was evident Marissa wanted to reproach them. Although Jepherson had a good temper and was easy-going, everyone knew he hated evil-doers. If he knew they brought him over to his grandmother to settle some scores, who knew what he would doter.

    Jepherson took a nce at the servant and strode to Ink Garden while Raeleigh remained in his arms, not requesting to walk on her own.

    Since the battle had begun, and she had someone to back her up, she didn¡¯t need to be afraid.

    As they soon approached Marissa¡¯s room, Raeleigh was still in Jepherson¡¯s arms. Seeing so, Jenna went to them and retorted, ¡°Come down this instant.Where do you think you¡¯re at?¡±

    Jepherson stopped, and Raeleigh looked over, slightly blushed.

    Only then did Jepherson put her down.She nced at her disobedient son before turning to Raeleigh, ¡°Don¡¯t go too far; It won¡¯t do you any good to burn your boats. Although the situation is somewhat suspicious, we still have to live our lives after they leave. We¡¯re family, after all; no matter how some people treat you, they¡¯re still one of us. Let the past stay in the past; we still have to sit down and have dinner together, no?¡±

    As Jenna was getting on in age, she could see the bigger picture better. How could she not know her son¡¯s thoughts? But it was precisely that that she couldn¡¯t leave things be.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,Mom.¡± Raeleigh had always respected Jenna.On seeing that Raeleigh was so sensible, Jenna was relieved.

    Holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand, Jenna said, ¡°Don¡¯t rush love. As long as you two love each other, no one can change your future.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be impulsiveas it¡¯s the only wayyour rtionship can grow into something beautiful.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only natural for Grandma to be upset when you two have been out the whole day. When you go inter, talk less, and it won¡¯t turn into a fight.¡±

    ¡°Even if someone does start a fight, Jerry wouldn¡¯t allow it.¡±Jenna patted Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh said after thinking for a while, ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Good. I regret most losing a daughter; you¡¯re more sensible and considerate than she was.Now that you¡¯re one of us,I have no more regrets.¡±

    Jenna said with a soft gaze, and Raeleigh regarded her as her mother at once.

    With that, Jenna looked over at Marissa¡¯s room. ¡°I won¡¯t be going in, lest I¡¯ll be stuck in a difficult position when you¡¯re lectured, feeling sorry for you but unable to do anything.¡±

    ¡°Good night,Mom,¡±Raeleigh said hurriedly.

    Jenna wore a smile, ¡°I can finally be at ease having you around. There¡¯s finally someone to boss him around.¡±

    With that, Jenna went to one side. Jepherson¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

 Chapter 1500 Beautiful And Talented

    Humored, Raeleigh said, ¡°What else do you think?She constantly has to worry, having a son like you. Now that you have a wife, she can finally rx and let me worry.¡±

    Jepherson found it hard to ept the fact that Raeleigh would get into the role so quickly.Or perhaps, he hadn¡¯t expected it, sohe was both surprised and delighted.

    Seeing Jepherson was silent, Raeleigh headed for Marissa¡¯s room, and he followed suit, asking from behind, ¡°Scared?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°As my grandmother would say, no one¡¯s life would be without failures; there will always be hardships along the way.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve only met a hurdle. Besides, which woman wouldn¡¯t have to move on from their old life after marrying?This is why people always say women start their second life after marriage.¡±

    ¡°So why shouldn¡¯t I fight for my second life?¡±

    Raeleigh said and entered the door. Jepherson paused for a moment at the doorway and then followed her in. After entering, all he had eyes for was Raeleigh. He was lost in thought at one point, looking at his beautiful, intelligent wife.

    Meanwhile, Marissa just so happened to see the two of them showing affection in front of her.

    And just like that, she hit the roof,shing out at Raeleigh, ¡°Why are you only home now? Do you know what time it is?¡±

    To that, Raeleigh exined, ¡°I didn¡¯t sleepst night, and I got up too early this morning, so I fell asleep outside. Jepherson didn¡¯t wake me up, so I overslept.¡±

    Humored, he thought her retaliation was brilliant. Well-structured and fluent. Absolutely brilliant!

    He couldn¡¯t wait to see how his grandmother would react.

    With amusement, Jepherson looked at Marissa, who was already long pale with anger. If it went on, she would die of anger because of the couple.

    Marissa rubbed her head then pointed at Raeleigh. ¡°How did I get a granddaughter-inw like you? Seeing you already gives me a headache. How can you say something like that?!¡±

    ¡°Please enlighten me,Grandma. What have I said wrong? I¡¯m just speaking the truth.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    In other words, would Marissa prefer if she lied?

    Raeleigh¡¯s words got her even more enraged. Looking up, she questioned, ¡°This is how you¡¯re raised?¡±

    Raeleigh kept quiet this time. When someone criticized your upbringing, don¡¯t argue nor refute but only listen.

    Everyone knew the user was the actual uneducated scum.

    Marissa was taking advantage of her seniority, but Raeleigh couldn¡¯t argue with her.

    Raeleigh¡¯s silence got Marissa at a loss for words. Even she herself thought she had crossed the line by criticizing her upbringing.

    Only then did she calm herself down, then turned to Jepherson and said, ¡°And you. You¡¯re well aware we still have guests at home, yet you still listened to her and stayed out sote. Are you deliberately going against me?¡±

    Jepherson thought for a moment. ¡°Grandma, you know I never go against anyone.¡±

    Livid, Marissa retorted,¡°So you¡¯re saying I¡¯m deliberately finding fault in you two?¡±

    Jepherson did not answer, but his eyes had said it all, leaving Marissa suffocating in anger.

    On seeing Marissa was feeling awful, Raeleigh said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, Grandma, do rest early. The old need to rest early. Jepherson and I did wrong today; we shouldn¡¯t havee back sote.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re also worried about us. Rules are rules; if even I don¡¯t follow them, then it¡¯ll be difficult to punish the servants if they make mistakes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to receive my punishment.¡±

    Marissa didn¡¯t know what to say anymore now that Raeleigh had put it like that. That was the initial n, but seeing Raeleigh¡¯s attitude right then¡­

    Marissa frowned slightly. Raeleigh was no ordinary person; she was much more challenging than her daughter-inw.

    She had set traps, but Raeleigh could retaliate, and with ease at that.

    Seeing so, she said, ¡°Good that you know what your mistake is. But you are in the wrong after all. If I don¡¯t punish you today, people willin. So kneel and reflect on your mistakes. Leave when you know what to do.¡±

    Marissa stood up and was ready to leave. Jepherson immediately said, ¡°But Raeleigh¡¯s body¡­¡±

    With that, Marissa turned around and red daggers at him. Just as she was about to speak, Trevor walked out and said, ¡°Go and get some sleep. Raeleigh¡¯s grounded for a day.¡±

    Looking over, Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief.

    Marissa looked at her husband. ¡°Trevor.¡±

    ¡°How can you be angry when you¡¯re still in poor health? I¡¯ll only enrage you more to see her kneeling here.¡± Trevor looked at Raeleigh unhappily. ¡°Why are you still here?¡±

    Raeleigh hurriedly said, ¡°Good night, Grandpa, Grandma.¡±

    With that, she left, leaving Jepherson alone in the room. On seeing that his grandfather was consoling his grandmother, Jepherson walked out.

    Out the door,it took Jepherson a while to find Raeleigh. After seeing she was heading toward Green Jade Garden, he caught up toher but did not say anything.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be difficult for me to adapt to this ce. If we really have to live here someday, I hope we can stay in the manor in Capital City.¡±

    ¡°Although there¡¯s also lies and deceits there, I can live with it but not this family war.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and turned to Jepherson, touching his handsome face as she said,¡°This is the price of being born into an imperial family. You don¡¯t get to choose, not even love.¡±

    ¡°I finally understand why Santiago would be so unrestrained. I know he doesn¡¯t want to, but if he is asked to live like any normal man in this environment, it would be difficult.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already regretting so soon?¡±

    Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hands, pulled her into his arms as he held her chin, forcing her to look at him. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°No.Since I¡¯ve already chosen you, I naturally wouldn¡¯t regret. I just think there¡¯s no warmth to this ce. Ifmy child is born and raised here¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯d still be fine if it¡¯s a boy, but wouldn¡¯tour daughter be as wild as a monkey?¡±

    ¡°It would be a relief if she doesn¡¯t scare her partner away, let alone expect someone to marry her.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, mydaughterwill be the most eligible woman in the world. Hmph! Who would dare to scorn her?¡±

    Speechless, she retorted. ¡°So you¡¯re saying even if your daughter is a wild monkey, there will still be people scrambling for her?¡±

    As Jepherson knew Raeleigh was mocking, he didn¡¯t answer.

    Amused, Raeleigh said, ¡°With a father like you, what kind of daughter will we have? Honestly¡­ If they¡¯re even willing to settle with a wild monkey, then they wouldn¡¯t be pursuing her because of who she is.¡±

    ¡°They dare?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Hmph, my daughter will be a natural beauty, both talented and beautiful!¡±

    He let go of her and strode ahead. Looking over, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t believe he was angry over the matter.

 Chapter 1501 Newlyweds

    Because the topic of their daughter ended on a sour note, Jepherson went back to his room upset. Meanwhile, Raeleigh was unwilling to go back in so soon, so she strolled around Green Jade Garden.

    After lying in bed for half an hour, Jepherson came out of the room. If he didn¡¯te out, she wouldn¡¯t go back.

    Out the door, he still wore a cold expression, still upset.

    However, he could not ignore his wife just because of his daughter.

    He had wanted to leave Raeleigh be when he saw her looking at the night sky from afar. But the moment heid eyes on her, his mood brightened.

    Jepherson became an inted ball, releasing breaths of warm air.

    After some thought, Jepherson put his hands behind his back and fixed his gaze on Raeleigh. He liked looking at her like that; it was as ifhe was looking at a beautifulndscape, but it was still unparallel to her looking up at the moon.

    After standing for a while, Jepherson suddenly felt a little cold, so he went back to grab a jacket, but she was no longer there when he came out; he didn¡¯t know where she had gone.

    With that, Jepherson looked everywhere for Raeleigh in the Green Jade Garden and even went beyond the area. When he tried to call Raeleigh, her phone was switched off.

    Just as he was about to get people to search for her, the servants reminded him that perhaps Raeleigh had gone back to rest. With that, he returned to his room. When he opened the door, Raeleigh was getting ready for bed, already showered and changed.

    Standing at the doorway with a pair of sinister eyes, Jepherson entered and closed it. Raeleighy in bed, looking at Jepherson. ¡°You¡¯re back? It¡¯s so cold outside. What are you doing out there?¡±

    Jepherson was tongue-tied.

    Raeleigh blinked. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy. Goodnight.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh tucked herself in and paid no attention to him.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡± Jepherson called to her, but Raeleigh ignored him. Jepherson took off his clothes, got into bed, switched off the lights, and snaked his hands under herpajamas. Raeleigh grabbed his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±

    ¡°Mm¡­¡±

    ¡°Jeph-¡±

    Raeleigh let out a breath and held Jepherson¡¯s shoulders tightly with both hands. ¡°Are you crazy?¡±

    ¡°What do you think, Raeleigh?¡± Jepherson¡¯s breath brushed against her ear. Although it was warm, Raeleigh felt strange.

    ¡°Did I hurt you?¡± Jepherson asked, mid tenderness. He circled her arms andid his body on hers as he looked at her in the dark. Raeleigh was nearly out of breath, but she shook her head. With that, Jepherson¡¯s lips parted into a smile, looking more devilish in the dark. He bowed his head to kiss her, taking her in further.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t even get out of bed the next morning; she hit the covers in annoyance as she tried to get up several times. Next to her, Jephersonyzily in bed, his arm over Raeleigh¡¯s waist, sleeping freewheelingly. Although it was cold outside, the room was warm. The covers were sprawled across them, with Raeleigh pulling it over her chest while Jepherson merely had it covering the middle of his body.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. She finally understood why people would have an affair and why they were fascinated with having a mistress.

    In truth, it did feel good!

    With that thought in mind, Raeleigh covered her eyes with her hands. She had been led astray.

    Just then, Jepherson rubbed Raeleigh¡¯s lower abdomen with his hand. Raeleigh looked at Jepherson and pushed his hand away, only for him to ce that hand lower. Petrified,sheducked into a ball as sheshoved his hand away and kicked him.

    ¡°If you do that again, I¡¯m leaving!¡± Raeleigh wasn¡¯t joking. Who would¡¯ve thought the young master of the Richards family was a ruffian who would do such vulgar things?

    Jepherson shuffled a bit and looked over at Raeleigh witha malicious smile, leading her toroll her eyes at him immediately, ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my wife now. Where else can you go?¡±

    Jepherson said fearlessly, but her gaze at him was filled with caution. ¡°Even if we¡¯re married, I can still leave you. Don¡¯t be so cocky.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to act like a coward then?Have you forgotten we¡¯re merely fulfilling our duties as husband and wife?¡±Jepherson said as heid on top of her. Raeleigh was still holding onto the covers, but he didn¡¯t need to pull it away from her but only lift it and take it from below.

    Raeleigh gasped as she lookedat her two pale legs and Jepherson¡¯s muscr body and wanted to kick him and ignore his predominance. However, before she was ready, he had already invaded. As she bit her lips in anger, he grabbed her chin and kissed her, not giving her any room to be distracted, lest he was unsatisfied.

    Time passed, and Jepherson used almost all of the positions in the Kama Sutra that morning.On the other hand, Raeleigh¡¯s face was beet red. Outside, the servants had called them out several times for breakfast; Marissa hadtold them not to oversleep and head over immediately.

    Raeleigh wanted to go, but Jepherson couldn¡¯t stop.

    Just like that, after a few tosses and turns, Jepherson turned Raeleigh over and held her in his arms.He got up, sping her hands with one hand while mping her waist with the other. As a result, Raeleigh was forced to look up, gasping for air. As Jepherson pressed her hands above her head, she couldn¡¯t cover her mouth even if she wanted to. Biting on her lips, she tried not to make a sound, but with just a change in position, she already couldn¡¯t keep it in, breathing heavily.

    She didn¡¯t dare make a sound, and her face was turning blue from holding in. Meanwhile,Jepherson looked at the door while moving.

    ¡°We know. Get lost,¡± Jepherson said with a deep voice, bursting with anger. He just wanted to get some exercise, but he didn¡¯t expect the people outside to be so annoying, disturbing again and again. He felt as if he was having an affair.

    It seemed that it really wasn¡¯t suitable for them to live here in the long run.

    Horrified, the servant turned around to run awaybut bumped into Hansen by ident. In a trice, his face darkened, and he looked at the person in front of him silently with displeasure.His look alone was enough to scare her out of her wits.

    She was in her twenties,a neer. When she looked up and saw Hansen, she nearly knelt in fear and hurriedly greeted him,¡°Mr¡­Mr. Hansen.¡±

    ¡°So you know who I am. Don¡¯t you watch where you¡¯re going?¡± Hansen hated klutz, and unfortunately, she was one.

    Sure enough, someone had to be here to keep the ce in check. He had merely gone on a vacation for a few days!

    ¡°Madam Marissa told me to bring Mr. Jepherson and Miss Raeleigh over for breakfast and tell them not to sleep in anymore. But the three times I came over to inform, Mr. Jepherson wouldn¡¯t answer. Just now, heshouted at me to get lost; it¡¯s so scary!¡±

    The servant was so terrified that she told the truth. However, she regretted it right after,trembling in fear.

    Hansen looked over; impatience shed across his eyes. ¡°Leave them be; they¡¯re a couple of newlyweds. Don¡¯t cause unnecessary trouble.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    With that, he turned around and left.

 Chapter 1502 Unchanged Love

    It was already ten when Raeleigh got up. She felt that her body was going to fall apart just from sitting up.

    If it weren¡¯t that Jepherson had a human face, Raeleigh would think he was a monster.

    ¡°I hate you!¡± Raeleigh said while washing her hands in the bathroom. It was the first time she had said something like this. She took a sniff after washing, but the smell was still there.

    Looking into the mirror, Jepherson was just done with his shower, wrapped in a bath towel when he walked to her. She had to look up as they had a height difference between them, after all. He had a body even finer than a supermodel¡¯s, and his hair was pushed back, showing his face. As she gawked at him, he had already stood behind her.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Jepherson¡¯s voice was deep and hoarse, as alluring as a cello.

    Raeleigh admitted that she would fall in love with this man even if she only listened to his voice.

    Nevertheless, he still crossed the line. It was only bright and early, and he had just gotten a little better when he turned into a different man again.

    She was worried but angry at the same time.

    He, on the contrary,was on cloud nine while she had to worry what the people in the manor would think of her and how she should face people.

    Moreover, he even used her hand¡­

    Raeleigh bit her lip as she flew off the handle at the thought of what had happened just now.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a fiend!¡±

    Raeleigh bit her lip. Jepherson hugged her waist from behind and lowered his head to kiss Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder, leading her to draw a quick breath. ¡°Why did you take a cold shower? When?¡±

    Jephersonughed in a deep voice. ¡°Are you distressed? Or worried?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable. You¡¯ve just recovered, and now¡­¡±

    As she spoke, he pulled the bath towel she wrapped around her chest, and she quickly held onto it, feeling a chill on her back. However, she may have protected her front but not her back from Jepherson, and he took her just like that, leading her to fly in rage. In the end¡­

    As Raeleigh came out of the room, Jepherson draped a red coat around her.It was the one Santiago had gifted her. She took a look at it and said, ¡°I¡¯d better not wear it lest I make grandma angry. Grab a different one.¡±

    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t like you, she won¡¯t be happy about anything. It doesn¡¯t matter what you wear.¡± Jepherson said as he helped her wear the coat, and Raeleigh thought he was right, so she let him do so.

    Sure enough, when they arrived at Marissa¡¯s, she was displeased to see Raeleigh in red.

    ¡°I ask you toe for a meal, but why did you guys take such a long time toe?¡± Marissa was unhappy and tried to find a fault in Raeleigh. However, she did not speak but only stared at Marissa. Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and stood in front of her.

    ¡°I was the one who said we wouldn¡¯t be joining. I was having a gastric problem in the morning, and Raeleigh had been taking care of me.¡±

    Raeleigh had to hand it to Jepherson toe up with such an excuse.

    However, his words only displeased Marissa even more.¡°Why didn¡¯t you see a doctor instead? Is she a doctor?¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent and deadpan. There were guests in the living room;Geraldine, who said she would be leaving, was still sitting in the living room, and so were her family, apanying Marissa and Trevor.

    Trevor¡¯s gaze was fixed on Raeleigh, but he did not show any emotion.

    Hansen and Jenna were out that day.

    Marissa said, ¡°Although you¡¯ve just married into the family, there¡¯s no need for you to wear such a shy color, is there? Are you trying to be ostentatious?¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and fixed her eyes on Jepherson. As she had expected, Marissa had used her clothes as an excuse to pick on her.

    Jepherson spoke up, ¡°Santiago got this as a bridal gift for Raeleigh. Why do you keep picking a bone with her, Grandma?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, since you don¡¯t want to eat, then don¡¯t,¡± Marissa said out of nowhere.

    Jepherson nced at his grandfather before he grabbed Raeleigh and wanted to leave. On seeing that, Marissa said, ¡°We still have guests at home. Shouldn¡¯t you be entertaining them? Where are you going?¡±

    Jepherson paused for a moment and said, ¡°Raeleigh has a stomachache; I¡¯m going to take her to the hospital. I had intended to give her a rub at home, but as you said, nothing beats a doctor.¡±

    Jepherson strode out, holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Behind him, Marissa scolded and told him toe back, but he didn¡¯t stop.

    A few minutester, he brought Raeleigh to his car.

    Raeleigh sat in the car and looked at Jepherson. ¡°Why bother? I feel nothing.¡±

    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t mean we shouldn¡¯t fill our stomachs,¡± Jepherson said, sitting in the car. They hadn¡¯t eaten all day, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to continue at night with an empty stomach.

    As Raeleigh was indeed hungry, she didn¡¯t refute, going out for a meal with him.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Someone stepped forward to greet them as soon as they got out of the car. Jepherson took a look at the person at the door, held Raeleigh¡¯s hand, and took her into the restaurant.

    The person at the door looked surprised. Mr. Jepherson had brought a woman?

    All of a sudden, the news went viral; the whole of A City was talking about it.Nobody knew who had leaked it, but someone took advantage and reported extensively, saying Jepherson was married and it was registered in A City.

    ¡°Look at this.¡± Marissa threw the newspaper aside,looking livid. Trevor picked it and nced at it before handing it to Hansen. After reading it for a while, Hansen frowned and put down the newspaper.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t any of you saying anything? The problem with the Doyle family still isn¡¯t solved yet. What am I supposed to exin to Ste?¡±

    Marissa was absolutely livid. She already didn¡¯t like Raeleigh; she couldn¡¯t believe Raeleigh married into the family just like that, and now this.

    ¡°Since she has married into our family, there¡¯s no reason for us to be secretive,¡± Hansen said as he leaned against one side. Jenna did not speak; her stance was unyielding. She wanted to protect Raeleigh, but she couldn¡¯t make a move before the right time.

    She was thest line of defense; she could onlye out when no one could protect Raeleigh.

    But if that time came, it meant her rtionship with Marissa would fall out.

    Marissa was angry. ¡°All of you leave. Let Ste enter our family as soon as possible and save us all the worries.¡±

    Hansen said, ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days since they got married. If we bring Ste in now, others might think our family is trying to curry favor with her. Let¡¯s put this aside for now.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Marissa looked at Trevor, who held Marissa¡¯s hand. ¡°Hansen¡¯s right; we can¡¯t act too hastily now. Now that things havee to this, let¡¯s wait a little longer.¡±

    Marissa finally understood they were all against her. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°I will listen to you once but don¡¯t forget, Ste must enter our family.¡±

    With that, Marissa stood up and walked into her room. Trevor nced at his son and daughter-inw and gestured for them to leave first while he went to his wife.

    The wife he knew was gone, but his love for her remained unchanged.

    No one would ever understand what the person involved was thinking when it came to love.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    His wife gave her life to him, apanied him when he was at his lowest, and even gave him a son. Those were all he would never be able to repay in his life.

    Trevor thought as long as he was still around, she could continue to make trouble.

    As long as things never got too serious.

    As for the Doyle family,if this was how they would y, he would y along. There would be ways to get rid of them.

    In the room, Marissa was still in a rage when Trevor entered. She stood by the window and shed some tearsas she felt wronged. Her husband was hers, her child was hers, and she had brought up Jerry too. But now, they were all going against her, and she became the target of everyone¡¯s criticism.

    Trevor closed the door and walked to Marissa, hugging her from behind. ¡°The children have grown up, and they have their own lives. This is the same as a rebellious child; your restriction will only make this worse. If you leave them be, they might even agree with you.¡±

    Marissa looked back at her husband. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡­

 Chapter 1503 No Intention of Returning

    Marissa looked at her husband for a whilebefore looking elsewhere. ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to see when this will end.¡±

    Trevor grunted and smiled. He ced his chin on his wife¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°It sure has been exhaustingtely. I¡¯m always reminded of what happened back then whenever I see a member of the Doyle family; the knot is still in my heart.¡±

    Stumped, Marissa thought for a moment and held Trevor¡¯s hand. ¡°Ste means the world to the Doyle family. If she can marry Jerry, we don¡¯t need to worry anymore.¡±

    With a faint smile, Trevor said,¡°It¡¯s no use getting blood out of a stone. This is why I have not interacted with the Doyle family over the years. If it weren¡¯t for them, that wouldn¡¯t have happened to us.¡±

    Marissa thought for a moment. ¡°You really don¡¯t like Ste, do you?¡±

    ¡°Not at all!¡± Trevor did not hesitate, and even though Marissa was a little upset, she did not refute her husband. She held his hand and said, ¡°Okay then.¡±

    Trevor said, ¡°Let¡¯s rest, Marissa.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help youy down.¡±

    With that, Marissa helped Trevor toy down on the bed. He held her hand and said, ¡°I sure prefer peace and quiet now that I¡¯m old. We don¡¯t even have time alone now that they¡¯re here.¡±

    Marissa thought for a moment and said, ¡°But I can¡¯t drive the Doyle family away, can I?¡±

    ¡°Ask Ste toe here and apany you,let Raeleigh follow Jerry back to the Capital City, and the Doyle family will leave.¡±

    ¡°Will the Doyle family agree to let Ste apany me?¡±

    Marissa could see that her husband didn¡¯t like Ste and wanted to separate her from Jerry.

    ¡°What can they do if they disagree? We barely have time together with so many people in the house. In the past twenty years, you¡¯ve put all of your energy into Jerry. Now that he¡¯s grown up and has his own life, if you still don¡¯t apany me, the day I die¡­¡±

    ¡°Quit that nonsense. You are in such good health; how can you be¡­¡± Marissa pursed her lips and was reluctant to hear her husband say such words.

    She didn¡¯t get it in the past. She had poured her heart and soul into her son and grandsons when they were little. Now that they were all grown up and had a sessful career, her husband had be old.

    It was only now that she realized it was not her son or grandsons who would apany her to the end of her life but her husband, Trevor.

    Marissa thought for a moment. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll ask Jerry to bring Raeleigh and Ste back; they can do whatever they want. You don¡¯t like Ste either, so they can decide what they want to do themselves.¡±

    Trevor did not speak until after a long while. ¡°Regardless, Raeleigh is part of the family now. Doing so will only have people see us asughing stock.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Marissa asked; Trevor thought about it and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do what you suggested. Let Ste stay in the Ink Garden while Raeleigh stays in the Green Jade Garden. Have Hansen and Jenna stay lest something bad happens.¡±

    Marissa thought about it and realized it was indeed troublesome if his son went as well. ¡°Alright, let them go back then.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was asked to see Marissa as soon as she got up in the morning. Although Marissa wasn¡¯t happy, she did not give Raeleigh a hard time after her husband¡¯s enlightenment the day before; she only waved her hand and told them to leave.

    With that, Jepherson took a look out the doorand left with Raeleigh, not even turning back once untilJenna called him from behind. Jepherson finally stopped and went to Jenna.

    ¡°Mom.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you remember I¡¯m your mother? Where are you hurrying off to?¡± Then Jenna turned to Raeleigh and held her hand. ¡°I know we owe you for what happened, and it¡¯s not fair for you to settle Ste¡¯s issue like this, but we have no choice given the circumstances now. You must look out for yourself and keep an eye on everything. If you need anything, call. I will remind Santiago to help you.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Raeleigh did not expect Jenna to be so worried. She looked at Hansen and said, ¡°We¡¯ll be going, Dad.¡±

    Hansen said, ¡°Remember who you are. No one can hurt the Richards family.¡±

    Stumped, Raeleigh looked at Hansen for a long time before she finally said, ¡°Thank you, Dad.¡±

    ¡°Go on then.¡±

    Hansen held his wife¡¯s waistas Jepherson took Raeleigh to the car, and the driver drove them to the airport.

    Raeleigh was in a blur the entire journey back. She had intended to go to Waverly Vige, but Jepherson took her to the Richards Group Manor in Capital City.

    Raeleigh got out of the car and stood at the gate of the manor. ¡°I want to live in Waverly Vige.¡±

    ¡°You are now my wife. If you live in Waverly Vige, wouldn¡¯t you be making me live like a widow?¡± Jepherson said, hugging Raeleigh and pinching her nose.

    Raeleigh stared at him. ¡°I¡¯m going regardless. I don¡¯t intend to live here.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving now that the show has begun?¡± Jepherson still had her in his arms, and she struggled for a while before giving up.

    ¡°This kind of environment is not for me, and you know that. Why are you making me stay?¡±

    ¡°If you leave, I¡¯ll be here alone. Aren¡¯t you afraid something will happen to me?¡±

    ¡°What could possibly happen to you?¡± Raeleigh raised her eyebrows. Jepherson lowered his head and said, ¡°What if a beautifuldy tries to seduce me?¡±

    Raeleigh was amused. Seduce?

    ¡°Then go ahead. But I¡¯m telling you,if you sumb to her seduction, I¡¯ll seduce other men. We¡¯ll be even that way.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s words got him lost for words for a moment.

    Jepherson chuckled and pinched Raeleigh¡¯s chin. ¡°Say it again.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say the same still. Haven¡¯t you heard people warning about men having an affair?¡±

    Jepherson did not understand. Raising his eyebrows, he asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It means that if you sleep with another woman, I will sleep with her boyfriend. If she doesn¡¯t have one, I will sleep with her father. If her father is dead, then I will sleep with your father.¡±

    Immediately, Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Who did you learn it from?¡±

    ¡°The inte. This is a realistic problem, so you better not do anything to hurt me. What goes aroundes around. So if you decide to cheat on me, I¡¯ll return the favor; it is that simple.¡±

    Raeleigh said matter-of-factly, andJepherson could only hand it to her.

    He gritted his teeth and held Raeleigh in his arms, ¡°I think it¡¯s time for your protein intake. Let¡¯s see if you still talk big after that.¡±

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes. ¡°If you didn¡¯t do anything wrong, why are you afraid of being used?¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    With a bang, the door opened, and Jepherson ced Raeleigh on the bed. He then closed the door hurriedly while she retreated a little, sitting cross-legged on the bed. ¡°Jepherson, let¡¯s make a deal.¡±

    Standing aside, he took off his clothes while looking at Raeleigh. After taking off almost all of his clothes, he bent down to hold Raeleigh¡¯s feet, pulled her over, and kissed her as he unfastened her belt, then said, ¡°Do whatever you want!¡±

    Raeleigh blinked, ¡°I don¡¯t want to just take your word for it.¡±

    Jepherson took off Raeleigh¡¯s clothes and bowed his head to kiss her. ¡°Then we¡¯ll sign an agreement.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    And with that, he took her.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh could finally head back in the afternoon; she came back alone as Jepherson was upied. After the driver took her to Waverly Vige, she told him to leave right after getting out of the car.

    At that instant, the driver was in a dilemma. Mr. Jepherson wanted him to bring the missus home, but she had no intention of returning from the looks of it!

 Chapter 1504 A Punch Headon

    After Raeleigh got out of the car, she walked ahead to the spot where she designed. Barely anything was done yet, but the construction materials were all ready.

    Raeleigh stood there for a while before walking in to look for Xanthus. Right as she entered the door, she heard Xanthus calling her name. She turned around and saw him walking to her with several buns. In a trice, Raeleigh ran to him and threw herself into his arms. It was so sudden that Xanthus almost threw the buns away.

    Xanthus breathed a sigh of relief, hugging his little sister.

    The reunited siblings hugged for a while, and Xanthus took a good look at her. He was d to see her face rosy.

    ¡°How have you been?¡± Xanthus asked as they walked toward the house. Raeleigh nodded, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Xanthus. What about you?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Do I look like I¡¯m not doing well?¡± Xanthus was worried she was worry-filled that he could barely eat. Hence he had only gone out to buy some buns.

    Raeleigh took a look at the buns in Xanthus¡¯s hand. ¡°If you¡¯re really fine, you wouldn¡¯t be eating this.¡±

    Xanthus looked down and took out a bun for Raeleigh. ¡°Have a bite. It¡¯s good.¡±

    Upon taking a bite, Raeleigh agreed that it tasted really good.

    However, thinking of the fact that Xanthus only ate this, Raeleigh felt a little ufortable. ¡°I want to eat fish.¡±

    Her words got him stumpedfor a moment, but right after that,he put Raeleigh¡¯s things down and asked her to wait for him at home while he went and buy some fish. However, Raeleigh insisted on going to the market with him.

    In the end, they left with a fish,some meat, and a chicken after shopping for an hour plus.

    Someone saw Raeleigh as they walked and said immediately, ¡°You¡¯re back. Your boyfriend is so worried about you that he hasn¡¯t cooked for a long time but only stands at the vige entrance all day and watch. Don¡¯t leave him again.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I won¡¯t.¡±

    Raeleigh waited for the person to leave before asking, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were fine?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t it be just that I¡¯m tired of cooking?Can¡¯t I go to the entrance to see if my sister is back?¡± Xanthus refuted.She looked at Xanthus and said, ¡°Fine, say all you want; I won¡¯t leave anymore.¡±

    ¡°Good to hear.¡±

    Xanthus had the same idea.

    Then, the siblings went back to cook. Just as they were about to sit down and eat, two people came in. Who else, if not Santiago, stood in front between the two?

    Behind him would naturally be Jacky.

    As they entered, Raeleigh stood up andwent to get another two sets of tes and cutleries.

    After washing his hands, Santiago sat next to Raeleigh while she waited for him to sit down before she did.

    Upon seeing the mouth-watering food, Santiago picked up the cutleries and wolfed down. Raeleigh looked at him; he looked like he hadn¡¯t eaten for a few days.

    ¡°When was thest time you ate?¡± Raeleigh asked, and Santiago nced at her. ¡°Since you left.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re going on a hunger strike?¡±

    Santiago put down his cutleries. ¡°He won¡¯t cook.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh looked over at where Santiago pointed with his chin andmented to Xanthus. ¡°You¡¯ve be the target of public criticism.¡±

    Xanthus was eating leisurely and was about to speak when someone knocked on the door. Raeleigh looked over and thought, ¡°It couldn¡¯t be Jepherson, could it?¡±

    With that, she went to open the door, and the person standing in front of her got her stumped.

    Speak of the devil.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Raeleigh checked the time. Hadn¡¯t he said he had an engagement?

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± In other words, he came for dinner. Raeleigh watched as Jepherson changed his shoes, put down his coat, and went to wash his hands.Raeleigh followed him over, and he said to her as he washed his hands, ¡°It¡¯s too far here.¡±

    She didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°We¡¯ll head back after we eat.¡± Jepherson continued.

    As if he was rushing, he headed straight for the dining table after washing his hands and ate Raeleigh¡¯s food, not even thinking of getting his own.

    When Raeleigh came out, Jepherson had already finished half of her meal.

    Seeing so, she went to get herself a set of tes and cutleries. When she returned, Jepherson had gotten himself another portion. Santiago, on the other hand, was baffled. ¡°When was thest time you ate?¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh was at a loss for words. Wasn¡¯t that her line?

    Jepherson looked up at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Every day.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you eating like this?¡±

    ¡°I have something tonight.¡± When Jepherson spoke, Raeleigh¡¯s heart throbbed. She bit her lip in anger and thought he was shameless.

    ¡°An engagement?¡±

    Santiago raised an eyebrow. Jepherson ate a little and said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    As he was only given a vague reply, Santiago wanted to get to the bottom of it. However, Jepherson did not borate but only went to the bathroom to wash his hands after he was done. After he came out,he sat and waited aside.

    Raeleigh was taking her sweet time, eating in small bites,absent-minded as she took a glimpseat Jepherson from time to time.

    Meanwhile, Jepherson looked at the time every now and then, looking as if he was waiting for Raeleigh to leave together.

    After his meal, Santiago took a bowl of soup, walked to Jepherson, and asked as he ate, sitting next to him, ¡°Are you here to pick someone up?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Jepherson was reading a book about design.Santiago looked at Raeleigh, who was taking her time clearing the table; it was apparent she didn¡¯t want to leave.

    Santiago drummed his fingers on the sofa, wanting to see how the scene would unfold.

    On the other hand, Jacky had some matters to attend to. After eating, he stood up and said he was leaving.

    ¡°Santiago, are you leaving or not?¡± Jacky called after him before he left, and Santiago waved his hand; it was a no.Thus, Jacky left.

    After Jacky left, Raeleigh felt a little depressed and restless.

    After cleaning up the kitchen, Jepherson stood up. ¡°I¡¯m staying here tonight.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°There aren¡¯t many rooms.¡±

    ¡°Santiago,go stay at Jacky¡¯s. I¡¯ll stay in Raeleigh¡¯s room.¡±

    Raeleigh took a deep breath. ¡°Don¡¯t you have an engagement?¡±

    ¡°I rescheduled it. I¡¯m getting up early tomorrow morning; I have a meeting in thepany. Come with me.¡± With that, Jepherson headed straight to Raeleigh¡¯s room.

    Raeleigh stood at the door of the kitchen in a daze.Xanthus looked at her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Raeleigh nced at her room and wondered if she should tell him she was married.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to say, but I didn¡¯t get the chance to.¡±

    Xanthus frowned deeply. ¡°What on earth is it?¡±

    Taking a deep breath, she said,¡°Jepherson and I are married.¡±

    In a trice, the veins on Xanthus¡¯s head bulged, and he felt a dull pain. He stared at Raeleigh, not knowing how to react. Xanthus sat down and held the armrest of the sofawithout saying a word.

    He knew Jepherson must have a backup n, but he didn¡¯t expect him to be so cunning.

    ¡°I wanted to tell you about this, but I didn¡¯t know how, and¡­¡±

    Xanthus looked up at Raeleigh, who hade up to him. She had been holding her hands nervously.

    Xanthus asked, ¡°Did you do it willingly?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then why is he here?¡± Xanthus asked knowingly, wanting to confirm.

    ¡°He wants me to live in Richards Group Manor.¡± Raeleigh nced at the doorway.Xanthus strode to her room and knocked on the door.

    Inside, Jepherson had juste out of the bathroom when he heard the knock. He wrapped a bath towel around his waist and walked toward the door. There were only a few people here; they were all men apart from Raeleigh, so he didn¡¯t care.

    However,a punch came right at him when he opened the door.

 Chapter 1505 Who Has The Marriage Certificate?

    ¡°Jepherson¡­¡± What happened was too sudden.AsRaeleigh hadn¡¯t expected Xanthus to punch Jepherson, his action gave the fright of her life. Meanwhile, Jepherson did not dodge at all, andXanthus¡¯s fistnded firmly on his face.As Xanthus used all his strength, his punch made Jepherson take two steps back.

    Immediately, Raeleigh ran in to check on Jepherson.

    There was blood on the corner of his mouth.

    Raeleigh held Jepherson¡¯s face. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you dodge?¡±

    Jepherson threw a nce at Raeleigh. ¡°He¡¯s your brother. Am I supposed to fight him?¡±

    Stumped, Raeleigh pursed her lips. Though Jepherson was hit, her heart ached.

    Xanthus entered the room, gnashing his teeth as he waved his fist, ready to hit again. Raeleigh immediately held Jepherson in her arms; she did not say anything, and that was all she could do.

    Xanthus put his hand down and said coldly, ¡°Remember, Raeleigh¡¯s the reason you didn¡¯t die today.¡±

    After that, Xanthus left, and Raeleigh chased after him.Meanwhile, Jepherson wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, took a look at it before changing his clothes, and went out.

    At this time, Raeleigh stood looking at her brother, who was sitting on the sofa. Henced at her and said, ¡°Sit down.¡±

    As Raeleigh sat down on one side,Xanthus looked at her with a calm expression.Seeing she hesitated to speak, Xanthus spoke up,¡°At least he knows he¡¯s lucky when he got you for nothing. If he doesn¡¯t treat you well, I will give him a piece of my mind. Also, give me your marriage certificate only then I¡¯ll consider you two married. Otherwise, don¡¯t even think about it.¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s train of thought got Raeleigh stumped for a second; she couldn¡¯t keep up with it.¡°He¡¯s hidden the certificate away.¡±

    ¡°Then take it out.¡± Xanthus wasn¡¯t going to take no for an answer.

    At that moment, Jepherson came out in his pajamas. ¡°The marriage certificate is Raeleigh and mine; you can¡¯t have it.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t give it to me, don¡¯t think about leaving with Raeleigh.¡± Xanthus looked up at Jepherson with a fathomless gaze; it was the only right he could fight for his sister as a brother.

    Jepherson¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d give you my marriage certificate.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you can tie Raeleigh down just like this? I can have her go anywhere I want her to because I¡¯m her brother, rted by blood, while you are just her husband.¡±

    ¡°You are too selfish.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am. What about you?¡±

    ¡­

    The two were neck and neck, and Raeleigh didn¡¯t know who to help. However,she looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°What are you afraid of?¡±

    ¡°Even if I¡¯m not, I can¡¯t give my marriage certificate to others.¡±

    With that, she didn¡¯t know what else to say.

    She believed a marriage certificate could solve nothing.

    Instead, Xanthus said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, then forget it. You¡¯re sleeping with Raeleigh today, and don¡¯t even think about taking her away.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do this.¡±

    ¡°And you can take Raeleigh to A City and get a marriage certificate secretly?¡±

    Jepherson fell silent at that.

    Seeing that the argument wouldn¡¯t escte into a brawl, Raeleigh went to get some ice from the kitchen to put it on Jepherson¡¯s bruise. Then she looked at her brother and husband before saying, ¡°Well, the certificate is not with me regardless. Whichever one of you wants it, take it. I¡¯m going to bed.¡±

    With that, she went to her room, leaving Jepherson to stand aside with anger on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you tomorrow.¡±

    After saying so, he followed Raeleigh, but Xanthus stopped him, saying, ¡°You¡¯re sleeping in my room. You can only sleep with her after I see the certificate tomorrow.¡±

    Raeleigh heard Xanthus¡¯s order at the doorway of her room.

    Hearing that, she headed back into her room.

    Jepherson could forget about going to her room that night.

    Sure enough, Jepherson did not enter her room that night, but he didn¡¯t go to Xanthus¡¯s room to rest either butsat beside Xanthus the whole night.

    In the morning, Raeleigh came out of her room to see Jepherson still lying in the living room, and so was Xanthus.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Do you two want breakfast? What would you like?¡±

    Both of them opened their eyes at the same time, but Jepherson did not speak. He got up and went to Raeleigh¡¯s room. Xanthus breathed a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Anything.¡±

    Then, Raeleigh walked to Xanthus and sat beside him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Xanthus looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be; we just have different opinions. It¡¯s not wrong for you to love him and marry him, but I have to protect your rights.¡±

    ¡°The marriage certificate may just be a piece of paper, but it will shackle your life. He is tying a rope to you. No matter where you fly, you will be his kite. He can pull you back when you fly high and let go when you¡¯re low.¡±

    ¡°I want to be the one in control and not him; only then can you have all the freedom.¡±

    Looking at Xanthus, Raeleigh felt a pinch in her heart. Not knowing what to say, she wrapped her arms around Xanthus¡¯s shoulders as tears pooled in her eyes.

    ¡°I never got the chance to be by your side all those years, leading to all this today. I can¡¯t let some people take advantage.¡±

    ¡°You can have a happy life, but there can¡¯t be strings attached.¡±

    ¡°The Richards family is a wealthy family with manyworks. I have to make sure there¡¯s a backup n for your sake.¡±

    Xanthus said, hugging Raeleigh. ¡°Forgive me, but this is non-negotiable.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I will tell him to give you the marriage certificate.¡±

    With that,Xanthus did not say anything else. He pushed Raeleigh away and said, ¡°Go buy some food; don¡¯t cook.¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh head out to search for some breakfast.

    When she came back,Jepherson had changed his clothes and was waiting for her outside. Stumped to see him standing at the doorway, she walked up to him and said, ¡°Give him our marriage certificate, will you? The real one.¡±

    Jepherson frowned. ¡°What if I don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a threat. Raeleigh knew he would not refuse her, but the question was how to take it from him.

    He would definitely refuse to give it to Xanthus directly, but he would listen to her.

    Sure enough, Jepherson said, ¡°The marriage certificate is originally my guarantee from you. Now it seems that it has be his.¡±

    Raeleigh was rendered speechless.

    She stared at Jepherson, not knowing what to say.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    Jepherson looked at the busy street and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t leave thepany, I might give it to you, reluctantly.¡±

    ¡°How are these two rted?¡±

    ¡°Then how are marriage and family rted?¡±

    ¡°This is forced logic.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better than being forced.¡±

    Jepherson got her at a loss for words.

    It was only then she realized he was not a person to be trifled with. He was like a porcupine, thorns all over his body.

    ¡°Alright, I promise to go back to thepany, but you need to give me the marriage certificate.¡±

    Jepherson agreedreluctantly in the end, absolutely unwilling.

    ¡°Kiss me,¡± Jepherson said with a straight face out of the blue.

    Raeleigh stared at him nkly, ¡°Are you crazy?¡±

    Jepherson looked at her. ¡°Do I look like I am?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you are. There are so many people here, and they all think Xanthus is my boyfriend; how do you want Xanthus to react?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time before someone knows about us. You¡¯re my wife.¡± Jepherson was being stubborn, andRaeleigh could do nothing about it. But she had to do it for the marriage certificate. Raeleigh looked around furtively; after confirming no one was looking at them,Raeleigh tiptoed and nted a kiss on Jepherson¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Happy now?¡±

    Jepherson rolled his eyes and went back inside.Breathing a sigh of relief, Raeleigh followed him in.

    The next day, Jepherson brought the marriage certificate to Xanthus.

 Chapter 1506 He Didnâ€™t Know He Had Gotten Married

    Raeleigh sat aside, staring at Xanthus, who was using all kinds of instruments to verify the marriage certificate. Was he examining a marriage certificate or money?

    The Richards brothers sat next to Raeleigh.

    Santiago supported his cheek with his hand looking puzzled as he thought the scene was very strange.

    After Xanthus was done checking the certificate, he put it away.

    He got up and said, ¡°Since the paper is legal,I will bring it up with my parents andlet you know the details after I receive news from them.¡±

    During this time, if Raeleigh is okay with it, she can stay with you or in the Richards Group Mansion. Everything else will have to wait.¡±

    ¡°But let me warn you, don¡¯t do anything that upsets me.¡±

    Jepherson was silent.Xanthus went to his room while Raeleigh turned to Jepherson. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Jepherson¡¯s expression darkened; he was visibly feeling awful.

    ¡°Then why are you still here?¡± Raeleigh had already told him to leave and leave the matter alone after he brought the certificate.

    But Jepherson had to be his stubborn self and stay, and sure enough, this was the result. She really wanted to ask him who was to me for this situation but him?

    He didn¡¯t say a word as he was in low spirits.

    After a while, Raeleigh stood up. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you want to eat something? I¡¯ll make it for you.¡±

    With that, she went to the kitchen. Santiago looked toward the kitchen, and after he couldn¡¯t see her anymore, he turned to his brother. ¡°You two are married?¡±

    As he was still bitter about the marriage certificate, he did not respond.

    On seeing that Jepherson wasn¡¯t going to speak, Santiago got up and went outside. He walked along the broadest street in the vige. He came out without wearing a jacket,only a green shirt on him, but he didn¡¯t feel cold despite the weather. Even though it was made of cotton, the bone-chilling wind could still prate through.

    Santiago walked mindlessly just like that. When Jacky saw him, he was standing at the vige entrance, looking in the direction of Capital City.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    His face was cold, and his skin was ruddy. It seemed that he had been standing there a long time, frozen.

    Jacky got out of his car and walked over to Santiago, calling out to him when he got to him, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    With that, he turned around and continued walking. Jacky really couldn¡¯t tell what Santiago was doing, only that he was in a bad mood.

    For the first time, he had a feeling Santiago was about to die.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a meal. We can find somece warm.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to your loft. Don¡¯t tell anyone. If my brother asks, just tell him that I¡¯ve gone back. Don¡¯t follow me either.¡±

    When Santiago was heading to the loft, he lost his footing entering the door and fell to the ground; he turned over andid motionless there, facing the roof. The cold wind poured in from outside as the door was still open, but he had never moved since lying still.

    When Jacky went over, Santiago¡¯s face looked pallid, and he quickly helped Santiago to his feet. He carried him to the loft and immediately took off Santiago¡¯s clothes. He ordered someone to turn the heater up, but the pipe was frozen and cracked to their dismay; they couldn¡¯t get some heat even if they wanted to.

    Jacky then carried Santiago down to another loft.

    When he reached the other side, Jacky threw Santiago into a hot tub. Inside, the hot water was constantly exchanged. Santiago leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, not making a single sound. Jacky had no choice but to call Xanthus.However, he did not tell him Santiago was ill but Logan.

    On his journey, Xanthus thought the direction was off and immediately knew it wasn¡¯t Logan who needed help, and sure enough, he was right.

    Santiagoid motionlessly in bed. When Jacky saw Xanthus, he immediately said, ¡°He¡¯s been like this the whole time. He wouldn¡¯t open his eyes or speak or even respond to my questions.He told me not to tell Jepherson he¡¯s here, so I had to call you.¡±

    Xanthus put his medical kit down and immediately walked toward Santiago. He took out the shlight and examined Santiago¡¯s eyes first. After confirming that he was still fine, he checked his temperature. Xanthus didn¡¯t have any medicine with him, so he asked Jacky to get them.

    ¡°Because of Raeleigh?¡± When Jacky went to retrieve the medicine, Xanthus sat down and asked Santiago. Santiago wouldn¡¯t say a thing nor even open his eyes.

    Seeing he wouldn¡¯t get an answer out of Santiago after a long time, he got up and took a sip of water.

    Then turned to him and said, ¡°Now that things havee to this, you should let go.¡±

    After that, Xanthus went outside. Santiago winced and pursed his lips. He did not open his eyes, but a drop of tear flowed out from the corner of his eyes.

    When Xanthus returned, Santiago was still lying motionlessly and unresponsive in bed. Jacky handed the medicine to Xanthus; he first gave Santiago a shot of antipyretics before starting an IV drip.

    However, Santiago didn¡¯t wake up either, looking asleep, but he was sweating profuselyter.

    When Raeleigh called Xanthus to ask when he would be back for dinner, he was worried about Santiago¡¯s condition. If the fever didn¡¯t subside, it could cause some serious damage to his brain.

    ¡°I am outside. There are signs of infection from Logan¡¯s surgery; I¡¯m worried about him, so I won¡¯t be going back tonight. You guys eat without me.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Raeleigh hung up the phone. Seeing that Jepherson was still sitting on the sofa, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± He nced to a side and was stunned for a moment. ¡°Where¡¯s Santiago?¡±

    Raeleigh did not know what to say. ¡°He left this morning. Have you only noticed he¡¯s gone now that it¡¯s dark?¡±

    With a slight frown, Jepherson pulled out his phone and called Santiago.However, Santiago was asleep. Xanthus took a look and handed Santiago¡¯s phone to Jacky when he saw it was Jepherson. However, Jacky fell into a dilemma whether to answer the call as Jepherson was shrewd; things would go south easily if he answered it.

    ¡°Santiago, it¡¯s your brother.¡±

    The man who kept his eyes closed the entire day finally opened them and even reached his hand out. To others, it seemed like a miracle.

    Santiago took the phone and answered, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Where are you?¡± Jepherson asked as he looked at Raeleigh and waved his hand, motioning for her toe to him. She did so, and he pointed to the food.She rolled her eyes at him; why couldn¡¯t he just say so if he wanted to eat?

    With that, Raeleigh went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. There were only the two of them, but she had cooked a lot. It seemed that they would have leftovers for breakfast.

    ¡°Come over. Raeleigh¡¯s made dinner.¡±

    ¡°You want me to go to Waverly Vige from Capital City just for a meal?¡± Santiago sounded rebellious. Jepherson frowned. ¡°When did you leave?¡±

    ¡°This morning.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°You already have a family. Why should I stay? I didn¡¯t even know you got married.¡±

    At that instant, Jepherson¡¯s voice turned cold. ¡°How can I tell you when I don¡¯t know you left?¡±

    Santiago fell silent at that. Jepherson wasn¡¯t angry, but he wasn¡¯t feeling any better either.

    ¡°Santiago,e back for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Definitely?¡±

    ¡°Definitely.¡±

    ¡°Okay then. I¡¯m hanging up.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The brothers hung up at the same time. After Santiago put the phone down, he closed his eyes. He was asleep again!

 Chapter 1507 Half a Plate of Shrimps

    The next morning, Raeleigh asked Jepherson, ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving? Didn¡¯t you say you have a lot to do in thepany these couple of days?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving today; I¡¯m going to buy some groceriester.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡±

    Raeleigh watched him button his shirt in the room and put on her brother¡¯s wool sweater, looking like a family man beforeing out to hug her from behind. She turned her head around to look at him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡±

    ¡°Santiago will be back in a bit. I¡¯ll cook.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re cooking?¡± It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t believe in Jepherson¡¯s cooking, but that she didn¡¯t understand the sudden change of ns.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Raeleigh got out of his embrace,turned around, and put on Xanthus¡¯s loose cotton-padded jacket. She took her wallet and put on her shoes.Standing by the door, she said,¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Taken aback for a moment, Jepherson then walked toward her and put on his coat. He took a look out the door; seeing that Santiago wasn¡¯t in sight, heapanied Raeleigh to the market to buy some ingredients. This time, they got Santiago¡¯s favorites.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡±

    Raeleigh pointed at the vegetable and said. However, Jepherson took out his wallet and paid the vendor. Without raising his head, he said, ¡°These are not for you, but Santiago.¡±

    Raeleigh put the vegetable in the basket and helped carry their purchase.

    Jepherson gave his wallet to her before turningaround to get more ingredients.

    Raeleigh followed behind Jepherson. ¡°Do you regret marrying me?¡±

    ¡°I will never regret marrying you.¡± Jepherson turned to look at Raeleigh, bowed his head,kissed her, thenturned back around and continued shopping.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and nearly dropped the wallet in her hand. Only then did she look around to find everyone was busy; no one cared what she had done.

    Jepherson walked ahead and bought some shrimps.Raeleigh didn¡¯t need to ask to know that they were Santiago¡¯s favorite too.

    After they were done grocery shopping, Raeleigh asked as they walked, ¡°Other than women, is there anything you two won¡¯t share?¡±

    ¡°Underwear.¡±

    Raeleigh was rendered speechless.

    And she didn¡¯t say anything after that.

    When the food was ready, Raeleigh stood at the door and looked around. ¡°Are you sure he wille back even if you didn¡¯t give him a call?¡±

    However, Jepherson didn¡¯t reply but only continued to cook the shrimps.

    Raeleigh thought he did not hear her and went back to ask again, but he still ignored her question.

    She looked at the time, and it showed two.¡°He¡¯s not here yet.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s busy. He¡¯lle when it¡¯s time. There¡¯s some dough.; I¡¯ll make pizza.¡±

    ¡°You know how to make pizza?¡±

    ¡°He loved pizza since he was a child, but hedoesn¡¯t like the ones the servants make at home.¡±

    ¡°I bet he just wants to see you busy in the kitchen.¡± Raeleigh stood at the door of the kitchen, looking amused. Looking at Jepherson, she understood Xanthus¡¯s behavior toward her. They weren¡¯t any different; they would do anything for their younger siblings.

    Raeleigh was watching him when someone came in.Surprised,she thought Santiago had indeede but only to find it was Xanthus when she turned around.

    ¡°Xanthus, you¡¯re back.¡±

    Xanthus changed his shoes and put down his medicine kit. ¡°Unhappy to see me?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    Raeleigh went to him and took his coat to hang.Meanwhile,Xanthus nced at the food on the table. ¡°What are you guys celebrating?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to say, and Xanthus didn¡¯t press on, nor was he surprised to see Jepherson cooking when he went to the kitchen. Though he thought it was rather strange to see Jepherson in his clothes.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower,¡± Xanthus said and went to the bathroom. Raeleigh was walking into the kitchen when she heard movement at the front door; she took a look to find it was Santiago in a puffer jacket, changing his shoes at the door.

    Raeleigh stood at the door of the kitchen, a little spaced out as she stared at Santiago.

    ¡°Jepherson, Santiago¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°Why do you need to tell him I¡¯m back?¡± Santiago walked to them, looking alright. Leaningagainst the kitchen wall, he asked Jepherson, ¡°Did you make pizza?¡±

    ¡°I did; wash your hands.¡± Jepherson nced at Santiago. He paused for a moment before asking, ¡°You¡¯re sick?¡±

    ¡°I caught a cold.¡± Santiago came out of the kitchen and went to sit at the dining table. Not long after, Jepherson came out and put a bowl of hot soup in front of him. ¡°Have some soup first.¡±

    Not caring about his manners, Santiago brought the bowl to his mouth and took a mouthful. Jepherson touched his forehead and asked, ¡°Have you gotten an injection?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s your medicine?¡± Jepherson pressed on. Standing aside, Raeleigh felt rather ufortable, thinking both of them were in pain.

    And she was the source of it.

    With that, she went to the kitchen to get the tes and cutleries ready while Jepherson and Santiago talked in the room. A few momentster, Jacky entered the house.

    Seeing that everyone was present, Raeleigh took out thest two dishes for Santiago, and everyone then sat down to eat.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t have the appetite, but Jepherson kept shelling shrimps for her.

    ¡°Why is this thing so ugly?¡± As she didn¡¯t feel like eating, she had to find an excuse.

    Across them, Santiago was eating with gusto, leading Raeleigh to stare at him. Upon hearing her words,he looked up at her and said, ¡°It¡¯s better than nothing.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk while you eat,¡± Raeleigh said. With that, Santiago munched on the shrimp¡¯s head.

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes, still not eating.

    Seeing so, Jepherson left her be and ate his meal. Taking a look at him, Raeleigh thought he looked like an ancient king. He would never lose his manner, grace, superiority, and aloofness.

    And then there was Santiago, eating the shrimp one after the other,as rough as a tramp.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Santiago and wondered if the shrimps were as good as he made them look.

    Giving in, she took one, used a lot of effort to shell it, and was finally able to eat the meat.

    In her opinion, it wasn¡¯t that the shrimp was exceptional, but because it took so much effort to eat it, the hard work was worth reliving.

    With that, Raeleigh ate one after another and sunk her teeth into the shrimps before she knew it. No one fought them with her except Santiago.

    As a result, everyone left the te of shrimps to Raeleigh and Santiago.

    With her belly filled, she went to wash her hands and sat on the sofa.

    Jepherson said after Raeleigh left the table, ¡°C¡¯mon, that¡¯s enough. You¡¯re actually not supposed to eat shellfish when you¡¯re sick; it won¡¯t do you any harm to eat less.¡±

    Nobody knew whether Jepherson deliberately left them for Raeleigh or that he was worried about Santiago. But all in all,he put the rest of the shrimp in the fridge.

    It was still fine during dinner, but both Raeleigh and Santiago were having trouble sleeping that night. One came out of the room, and the other got up from the sofa to head to the kitchen.

    When Raeleigh went into the kitchen, Santiago was taking out the te of shrimps from the fridge.

    Closing the fridge door, Santiago rolled his eyes, looking all annoyed as he turned to look at her.

    On the other hand, Raeleigh wore a sly smile like a fox. ¡°Your brother won¡¯t let you eat it.¡±

    Once again, Santiago rolled his eyes. ¡°Do you think he kept it for you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sick.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve recovered!¡±

    The two were at a stalemate, neither giving way to the other.At that time, Jepherson came out of the room to look for Raeleigh. Standing behind her, he saw the two of them fighting for half a te of shrimps in the kitchen.

    Santiago gave the shrimp to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Take it.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    Raeleigh pushed it back. ¡°You took it out. Of course, you should eat it. I only came down for water.¡±

    ¡°You just said you wanted to eat.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember saying that.¡±

    Then, Jepherson walked to them.

 Chapter 1508 A Waste to Live

    ¡°I was nning to warm it up for you guys, but since neither of you wants it, just throw it away.¡± Jepherson came from behind and took the te of shrimps from Santiago¡¯s hand, intendingto throw them away, whenRaeleigh grabbed his hand hastily and said, ¡°Don¡¯t, it¡¯ll be a waste.¡±

    Jepherson turned to look at her hand, and she let go. Then he directed his gaze at her face before ncing at Santiago and asked, ¡°Are you two going to eat or not?¡±

    Raeleigh hummed a yes, while Santiago said, ¡°I¡¯m fine now, so I should have no problem eating it.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago and said, ¡°We¡¯ll share.¡±

    Santiago did not reply, but it was a yes.

    Jepherson looked at the two of them upsettingly, put onthe apron, heated up the food, and evenserved the te of shrimp to them.Santiago and Raeleigh both held their sets of tes and cutleries in their hands, waiting for Jepherson, looking like children. After sitting down, Jepherson gave each of them a shrimp. Santiago shoved the entire shrimp in his mouth, sucking on the juice as he ate the meat with gusto. Meanwhile, Raeleigh shelled the shrimp, but she was too slow.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t do it like Santiago, not because she was afraid of beingughed at, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to do so looking at the hideous creature.

    Unlike Raeleigh, Santiago had already eaten two when she barely even finished one.

    Raeleigh was really anxious as she never had anything this good.

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Raeleigh moaned softly. Jepherson was sitting on one side, scrolling through his phone while he waitedfor them to finish.

    Hearing Raeleigh¡¯s moan, he looked over at her, who was self-conscious of showing that she had identally bit the inside of her cheek.

    Stumped, he put down his phone and walked to the bathroom. He came out soon after, sat down next to Raeleigh, and shelleda shrimp for her to eat while shehung her head low, feeling warm on her face.

    With Jepherson peeling the shrimp for her, even though Santiago was fast, Raeleigh caught up to his speed with Jepherson¡¯s help.

    Although a little embarrassed, she couldn¡¯t care less, seeing the food in front of her.

    After they destroyed the te of shrimp, she got up to help clear the table, but Jepherson told her to wash her hands; she obliged, and Jepherson cleaned up in the meantime.

    Santiago also went to wash his hands. When Jepherson came out, only Raeleigh was left.

    Raeleigh intended to exin something, but Jepherson said, ¡°I¡¯ll make more tomorrow.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Although a little embarrassed, she did not say anything.

    After turning off the lights, Jepherson heldRaeleigh¡¯s hand as theywalked to the bedroom. Jepherson asked while walking, ¡°Have you brushed your teeth?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    With that, he pounced on her, sealingher lips with his as soon as they entered the room.

    Raeleigh widened her eyes in shock at first but slowly closed them, then wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tight,and spent the rest of eternity with him.

    ¡­

    The next morning, Xanthus nned to warm up the leftovers, but he opened the fridge only to find the shrimps gone and the te cleaned.

    With that, he looked around; seeing nothing, he went out to get breakfast instead of cooking. When Raeleigh got up, Xanthus had already set up the table.

    She washed up before eating thenfollowed Jepherson to thepany.

    ¡°I may note back in the evening. Call me if anything.¡± Raeleigh told Xanthus before she left.

    ¡°What can possibly happen to me? I¡¯ll be busy in the hospital these days, and the construction won¡¯t start soon. Also, I need to make some ns, so you have toe back to help me this weekend.¡±

    With that, they¡¯vee to a rendezvous. Jepherson asked, ¡°Have you found a construction team?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯ve sent someone to look, but there¡¯s still no news.¡±

    ¡°Leave this matter to Jacky. His people are reliable, and he knows what to do. If you bring in outsiders, the locals will think you have something against them. Since what you¡¯re doing is to contribute to the locals, get a local construction team, and negotiate with Jacky. Easy done.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Jepherson turned around and opened the car door. Raeleigh took a nce, sat in the car, and waved at Xanthus. Jepherson then got in the car and drove away.

    Jepherson drove these recent trips to Waverly Vige. Looking at the car, Xanthus could only hand it to him.Jepherson was the vice president of the Richards Group, after all, but to sell the cars made by hispany, he drove all around.

    However, Jepherson¡¯s move proved to be practical. Soon, the car Jepherson had been driving sold like hotcakes; the millions of them that had been sitting in the warehouse before New Year¡¯s sold out within a month. In Raeleigh¡¯s opinion,Jepherson¡¯s influence could overthrow a normal human being¡¯s judgment.

    There was even news of girls borrowing money from loan sharks just to have the same car as Jepherson. Some even took nudes in exchange for money, leading to their doom.

    And when they couldn¡¯t pay up in the end, they fell into disgrace¡­

    Sat in the office, Raeleigh skimmed through the reports in the newspapers and magazines. The ridiculous event rendered her speechless. Were those girls crazy?

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s your fault?¡± Raeleigh asked Jepherson all of a sudden; he was looking at the online sales of thepany. She thought Capital City was oddly quiettely,so quiet that it sometimes didn¡¯t feel like the Capital City but the Waverly Vige.

    She had never gotten follow-ups of the assassination attempt, and what was even stranger was Santiago¡¯s detention had be a thing of the past. No one in Capital City had ever mentioned it again.

    Also, the Moore family had not made any moves at all.

    Raeleigh had been staying by Jepherson¡¯s side during this time. During the day, she would follow him to various departments of thepany.

    In the evening, they would go back to the Richards Group Manor, and on the weekends, they would head to Waverly Vige to help out. Jepherson would even change into the workmen¡¯s clothes and work alongside them.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    EvenJackymented on his abnormality.

    However, Raeleigh was more worried about what was written on the news than that; they called him an indirect murderer.

    Murderer?

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t like the word. Even if those girls bought a car because of him, used their ID and naked photos as coteral, it was not his fault. They let their desires get the best of them.

    They still jumped when they obviously knew it was a bottomless pit. Was the car more important than their lives?

    Jepherson moved his gaze away from theputer to Raeleigh. ¡°They brought it upon themselves.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Although she knew he didn¡¯t have anything nice to say, she did not expect him to be so harsh.

    ¡°That¡¯s harsh. Do you not have a heart?¡±

    ¡°Even if I sympathize with them, who will feel bad for their parents? Their families? Anyone above eighteen is considered an adult. Even if it¡¯s a fraud, no one will ckmail a minor, nor will thew acknowledge illegal loans. All of them are legal adults; some of them are even in their thirties with a husband and children but still can¡¯t think straight. It¡¯s a waste for such people to live.¡±

 Chapter 1509 Premarital Checkup

    ¡°Still, your words are harsh.¡± Raeleigh had never seen anyone who would say something like that.

    ¡°Even if I¡¯m not mean, would they be fine? They would even go as far as to sell their body in exchange for money. Why would I need to pity them when they live only for luxury and want everything for nothing?¡±

    ¡°Still, it doesn¡¯t mean you should say things like that. How sad would their parents feel to lose their children.¡±

    ¡°I can only say they¡¯re unlucky.¡± Jepherson turned back to theputer. Raeleigh then understood; it was useless to talk any sense into people like him.

    Raeleigh put down the magazine in her hand and walked to the window, where she could see the whole city.

    Hence it was her favorite spot.

    Leaning on the sofa, Jepherson stared at Raeleigh¡¯s slender back. ¡°I¡¯m going to the hospital for an examinationter.¡±

    Immediately, Raeleigh turned to look at Jepherson. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Just a premarital checkup.¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes were fathomless. Raeleigh suddenly recalled how moody he had beentely and how upset he was when he first found out her period hade. Although he didn¡¯t direct them at her, she could tell he was in a bad mood.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Do you want me to have a check too?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Raeleigh was silent for a while before turning her gaze back out to the city. Frankly, she did not want to do the checkup as she was a little scared.

    The office soon fell silent. Neither of them continued the topic, nor did anyone speak. But the n to get a checkup didn¡¯t change.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    Raeleigh took a shower in the evening before going to bed but was restless. Jepherson hugged her from behind. ¡°Nervous?¡±

    She didn¡¯t answer but turned around and leaned into his arms the whole night.

    It wasn¡¯t until in the morning that she dozed off.

    But Jepherson still woke her up at seven.

    Bleary, she took a look at him and got out of bed to get ready to head to the hospital with him.

    After the examination, the doctor told Jepherson, ¡°There is nothing unusual, but there is a little bit of contraceptive in your wife¡¯s blood.¡±

    The doctor said it to Jepherson in front of Raeleigh. Jepherson tightened his grip onthe test resultand looked at Raeleigh; she stood up and said to the doctor, ¡°He knows.¡±

    With that, she walked out of the hospital.Jepherson said a few words to the doctor before he followed Raeleigh out.

    March was the best time of the year as the weather was nice and warm.

    As the saying goes, a day¡¯s n lies in the early morning, and a year¡¯s n lies in the spring.

    Out of the hospital, Raeleigh stood at the entrance and ncedaround. When Jepherson came out, she merely stood rooted to the spot.

    Jepherson walked to her and asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    As Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything,Jepherson tugged on her and said, ¡°Answer me.¡±

    However, Raeleigh did not turn around, only staring at the people walking in and out of the hospital and the moving vehicles. ¡°I¡¯ve already crossed my line by marrying you behind my parents¡¯ back. I can¡¯t get pregnant again. I had a child, but I failed to keep it.¡±

    ¡°Although we love each other, there are still too many uncertainties between us. The Richards family wouldn¡¯t ept meeasily. I don¡¯t have to worry with your grandfather around,but the Doyle family is still the biggest threat between us. Plus, the Moore family is also breathing down our necks. There are worries all over the Capital City.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t carry your child at a time like this. How can I protect him when I can¡¯t even protect myself?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, and he said, ¡°I can protect you both.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t; you can¡¯t even protect Xanthus. How can you protect me? Ste¡¯s a ticking bomb that can explode anytime, anywhere; I won¡¯t give her a chance to hurt me.¡±

    ¡°Nor will I have a baby when I don¡¯t know if my parents agree to our marriage.¡±

    Raeleigh had learned her lesson, and she would not be so stupid this time.

    Jepherson¡¯s face was cold. ¡°You still remember the child we had?¡±

    She said nothing, but her eyes turned red. How could she forget the pain?

    Raeleigh turned around andswallowed hard.

    Jepherson hugged Raeleigh from behind. His impetuous heart gradually calmed down as he kissed her. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll have a child after everything is settled.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded but did not speak.

    A thought came to him, and he asked, ¡°What medicine are you taking?¡±

    Raeleigh turned to him. ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed I look bettertely?¡±

    Jepherson lowered his head and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve gotten thinner?¡±

    ¡°I wish.¡± humored, Raeleigh said as she looked at her breast. Jepherson frowned. ¡°Is it not because of me?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Because I kept massaging them.¡±

    ¡°Can you be serious?¡± With a huff, Raeleigh turned away.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and measured her breasts with his hand.In a trice, Raeleigh grabbed them and warned. ¡°If you keep this up, I¡¯m going to snap at you.¡±

    Thus, Jepherson withdrew his hands and brought Raeleigh back into the hospital.

    When he found the doctor, Jepherson asked if the medicine Raeleigh took had any side effects.

    ¡°Mrs. Richards¡¯s contraceptive is the mostmon one in the market. But I don¡¯t suggest you take them before you¡¯ve given birth. It¡¯s best to use condoms rather than taking pills; it¡¯ll be better for your fertility in the future.¡±

    Standing aside, Jepherson arched his eyebrows and turned to look at Raeleigh, ¡°I asked the pharmacist, and they said it was the safest.¡± She said in defense.

    ¡°All medicine has side effects. Mrs. Richards¡¯s goodplexion has something to do with the medication, and the biggest gain from this kind of medicine is that at the early stages, the skin will be smooth, and the face will be ruddy. You¡¯ll be more needy than usual in your sexual life¡­¡±

    Raeleigh blushed and said nothing.

    But the doctor didn¡¯t care and continued to talk to Jepherson, ¡°However, long-term usage will cause mutation in the pituitarynd in the brain. There will be more saliva in your mouth, and your face will be flushed; there will even be symptoms of night sweats and infertility. Hence, I don¡¯t rmend consuming this pill.¡±

    Jepherson gritted her teeth. ¡°So using a condom is the best solution?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What about now? Does she need to be hospitalized?¡± Jepherson was taking the matter seriously. The doctor shook his head and said, ¡°No need. Mrs. Richards has only been taking it for a short time, so there wouldn¡¯t be any side effects. If she stops taking it this month, she¡¯ll be fine in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Noted, thank you, Doctor.¡±

    ¡°Not at all, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Jepherson nodded.

    After the doctor left, Jepherson turned to Raeleigh, staring at her with a threatening gaze.¡°Scared now?¡±

    Raeleigh refuted, ¡°The people in the pharmacy really did tell me that it¡¯s safe.¡±

    ¡°They would say that to anyone to sell medicine, and you took their word for it?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer but lookedaround her. There were too many people, so she didn¡¯t want to argue with him.

    With that, she headed out and got into the car directly.

    Naturally, Jepherson looked awful as he came out of the hospital. However, the tension instantly disappeared after he got into the car.

 Chapter 1510 Roadblock

    ¡°I want to go to Waverly Vige.¡± Raeleigh thought they should take a break from each other for a couple of days. Jepherson nced at her and said, ¡°I have an engagement this evening. We¡¯ll go tomorrow, and I¡¯ll need to stop at the drugstore along the way.¡±

    Puzzled, she looked at him, ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we¡¯re not having sex anymore.¡±

    His words rendered her speechless.

    It was too straightforward. Raeleigh covered her face with her hands and leaned against the car while Jepherson started the car and drove to the drugstore. After he pulled over, he headed straight to where they disyed the condoms. He turned his head back to see Raeleigh hade in with him, but she was self-conscious, so she stayed put.

    Then, the person in charge asked if they needed help, andJepherson asked, ¡°Which one is the best?¡±

    ¡°These. They¡¯re well known, and they have all different types, and they have a better feel than the others.¡±

    The person who was talking to Jepherson was a young woman. Just hearing it got Raeleigh blushing, but that woman promoted it like it was nothing. She even took a box and showed it to Jepherson.

    ¡°I want every type of condom from this brand.¡±

    As Jepherson spoke, Raeleigh shot her gaze up at him, but he had made up his mind. Moreover, the woman had gotten all thirty-plus boxes of condoms for him.

    In a trice, Raeleigh dashed outside.Coming out of the drugstore after making the payment, Jepherson looked over at his car; Raeleigh was sitting inside with a gloomy and ruddy face. He openedthe door andput the bag of condoms on Raeleigh¡¯sp.At the spur of the moment, Raeleigh wanted to throw it out the windowbut worried about wasting his money.

    ¡°Who buys condoms like this?¡± Raeleigh was clearly unhappy.Jepherson started the engine and asked, ¡°Are you going toe here every time we need one?¡±

    His words rendered her speechless.

    At a loss for words, she remained silent.

    Looking at the bag on herp, she took out a box. ¡°What does spiral mean?¡±

    ¡°Never used it before.¡± Jepherson was uncertain as well.

    Of course, she knew he had never used it before.She took one out to see it was a thin transparentyer, and it was very smooth.With curiosity, Raeleigh pinched it.While driving, Jepherson grabbed it from her and chucked the entire bag behind.

    The initial n was to head back to thepany, but he changed his mind halfway. When they arrived at the Richards Group Manor, Jepherson covered the condoms with his clothes and headed straight to their room with Raeleigh.He even ordered the servants not to disturb them, shooing them away.

    They went into the bathroom and had used more than a dozen condoms on the first day. They used one from each box and changed to a different one after a while.

    Raeleigh finally managed to leave the bathroom in the afternoon; she thought she might have to spend the whole day in there.

    Lying in bed, she stared at the ceiling whileJepherson came out of the bathroom and wiped himself dry. He took a condom out from a new box, chucked it aside, then got on the bed and pulled Raeleigh to him, kissing her¡­

    That day, Raeleigh did nothing but tryout condoms with Jepherson for the whole day.

    At six in the evening, Raeleigh fell asleep before she had dinner. Jepherson got up from the bed and made a call.

    ¡°Hurry up and find out the Doyle family¡¯s n. The sooner, the better.¡±

    After hanging up, he turned to look at Raeleigh, who was sound asleep and stood by the window for a while.

    The reason she wasn¡¯t willing to bear a child wasn¡¯t only because of all the chaos, but mostly because of the miscarriage.

    She was worried, wasn¡¯t she?

    At ten, Raeleigh fished around the bed and opened her eyes to find Jepherson wasn¡¯t in the room. She got out of bed.Upon seeing the condom packages on the floor, she threw them away thencleaned up the bathroom as they were all over the floor.

    Aftering out of the bathroom, Raeleigh went out to find Jepherson. He wasn¡¯t at the door, so she went to the room beside theirs.Opening the door, she saw him with hisputer and some documents.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Raeleigh walked in. Jepherson rubbed his eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t get to work during the day, so I asked my assistant to send them over.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you do it tomorrow?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to say about it as she believed they would be the joke of the town if people heard they burned the midnight oil and didn¡¯t eat or sleep, all to try condoms.

    ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s a weekend.¡± Jepherson only got up because the thought came to him. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve been in bed.

    Raeleigh suddenly remembered she said she wanted to go back to Waverly Vige during the day. With that, she left the room and came back witha bowl of soup soon after and gave it to Jepherson.

    He took a sipand continued with his work.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    On seeing that he was working, Raeleigh stayed and apanied him. She leaned against the bed behind Jepherson; there was a duvet, and the room was warm, plus she could even put her feet on hisp.

    Jepherson drank the soup and held Raeleigh¡¯s feet. ¡°Put them inside.¡±

    Raeleigh obliged, putting her feet under hispajamas, all snug.

    Lying there, perhaps they had tested out one too many condoms during the day; mountains of them appeared in her head as soon as she closed her eyes.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I want to start apany.¡±

    Jepherson paused for a moment and turned to Raeleigh. ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree not to?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve agreed not to start an architectural firm, but I didn¡¯t say I won¡¯t do anything else.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do then?¡±

    Raeleigh hesitated because she still had some concerns.

    Jepherson squinted his eyes, his gaze emitting danger. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to sell condoms.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer, but her expression told him he was right.

    With a headache, he scoffed, ¡°The esteemed vice president¡¯s wife of the Richards family, doing birth-control businesses?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment, ¡°It is indeed not a very good idea.¡±

    ¡°Of course¡­¡±

    ¡°But what if I don¡¯t show my face?¡±

    ¡°Believe me;the word would get out faster than anything.¡±

    What if people find out? How embarrassing would things get?

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being financially independent?¡±

    Raeleigh tried to negotiate, but it was a hard no from Jepherson.

    Raeleigh covered her head with the duvet innocently. ¡°What else can I do with my life other than design cars for you?¡±

    ¡°Be the mother to my children.¡±

    With that, Jepherson left the room. Raeleigh brought the duvet down her face. Seeing that he had left, she intended to get up only for him to return with the bag of condoms. He opened another new box, chucked it aside, and jumped into bed.

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Raeleigh tried to shove him away, but he whispered in her ear, ¡°I can¡¯t sleep without doing it.¡±

    Speechless, she rolled her eyes. Can¡¯t or won¡¯t?

    With that, they basically tried all the condoms they had bought after this round. Raeleigh rested at the inner side of the bed, with Jepherson hugging her on the outer side. Unlike the beds in the bedroom, the one in the study was a single, so it was quite cramped for two.

    As Raeleigh was worn out, she was sound asleep. However, poor Jepherson could barely rest the rest of the night.

    Raeleigh got up at eight the next morning.As she tidied up the condoms thrown everywhere in the study, she ragged on Jepherson, who was dead asleep; he barely even flinched.

    Seeing that he looked worn out, she didn¡¯t wake him up and drove to Waverly Vige alone after breakfast.

    She encountered a roadblock on her journey, so she was stuck in traffic. Just as she stopped the car, someone in uniform came up from behind her car and knocked on her door, telling her to open it.

    With that, Raeleigh nced at the person through the rearview mirror, but hekept his head down the entire time, so she stayed in the car.

 Chapter 1511 Doing Things Behind His Back

    Seeing that Raeleigh wouldn¡¯te out of the car, the man went to knock on the front car door.She tried to catch a glimpse of the man¡¯s face, but he never even took a nce at her, only knocking on the window, trying to get her out of the car.

    Looking at the man, she called Jepherson immediately, but instead of speaking to him, she asked the man outside, ¡°Who are you? What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Show me your license,¡± the man said with a straight face. Raeleigh looked around and said, ¡°There are so many cars here. Why did you only stop me? I don¡¯t believe you are traffic police.¡±

    On the other side, Jepherson got out of bed and asked while putting on his clothes, ¡°Which road are you on?¡±

    ¡°Antarctic Road, to Waverly Vige,¡± Raeleigh said. Jepherson had picked up the phone and called the people nearby. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    It was an authoritative tone. In other words, ¡°Are you nipoops not aware of what was happening?¡±

    The person on the other end of the line immediately reported, ¡°We¡¯re closing in. Please rest assured, Mr. Jepherson, Miss Raeleigh is safe.¡±

    ¡°If she is, she wouldn¡¯t be stopped. Go to her immediately.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    Jepherson hung up the phone and left the manor, heading to where Raeleigh was.

    The Richards family car Jepherson was on was specially his. As the driver knew he was anxious about Raeleigh¡¯s safety, he rushed the one-hour drive with only thirty minutes to where Raeleigh was. The driver would be on edge every time he ran a red light, as on the one hand, he needed to rush to Raeleigh, and on the other, he couldn¡¯t let anything happen to Mr. Jepherson.

    Tired from reading, Zorion looked out the car and happened to catch Jepherson¡¯s car dashing past him, running a red light.

    ¡°Whose car is that?¡± Zorion asked knowingly. The driver replied, ¡°I think someone from the Richards family got into trouble at the roadblock ahead.¡±

    Zorion was reading a medical book; he had no interest in the field, but Rossie did.

    The driver¡¯s words got Zorion displeased. He slowly turned his head to the driver. ¡°When? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, Mr. Zorion, but you¡¯ve been paying attention to the book,¡± The driver said helplessly. Since Miss Lautner left, Mr. Zorion had been absent-minded most of the time.

    He had reported there was an incident at the roadblock ahead; someone had hijacked a Richards family¡¯s car.

    To the driver, it was a significant matter. After all, the Richards and Whalen families were allies in the Capital City, and neither would sit and watch while the other was in trouble. But¡­

    Zorion only nodded and continued to read. So he could only continue driving. Who would¡¯ve thought Mr. Zorion would suddenly remember this.

    ¡°Go and have a look.¡±

    He lowered his head and continued to read, but his mind wasn¡¯t on the book this time.

    It has been more than a month. Why was something happening again?

    Zorion raised his head as he put the book on hisp, shifting his crossed leg, and said, ¡°Arrange some men around the scene. I want him alive.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Zorion.¡±

    ¡­

    Jepherson¡¯s car reached Raeleigh like a gust of wind, buthe didn¡¯t get out.Seeing that the traffic had cleared and Raeleigh drove ahead, Jepherson ordered the driver to follow her. When she arrived at Waverly Vige, he did, and so did Zorion.

    Out of the car, Raeleigh looked at the person behind and smiled unknowingly. ¡°Why are you two here?¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Still tired, Jepherson raised his eyebrows, walked to her, took her hand, and walked toward Xanthus¡¯s residence. After greeting Xanthus at the door, they went straight in.

    Raeleigh followed Jepherson into her room. After getting on the bed, Jepherson went to sleep without even taking his clothes off.

    Raeleigh took his clothes off piece by piece while hey still like a child, waiting for her to undress him and tuck him in while he slept.

    Xanthus had been standing outside. Seeing she hade out and closed the door, heasked, ¡°You two fought?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know how to exin it but thought for a moment. ¡°No. I just had a little trouble on the road, and he hadn¡¯t rested all day yesterday, plus he slept verytest night. So he¡¯s worn outand worked up.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯te over then if you guys don¡¯t have enough rest.¡± Xanthus had gone back to work now, and his ce at the Waverly Vige was only a rental. Although Raeleigh came to help every weekend, there was nothing much to do in actuality. What needed to be done was already done.

    ¡°Everything had been fine. We just came across minor trouble this time.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t know how to exin it even if she tried.Xanthus looked at her for a while and said,¡°Come with me.¡±

    With that, they went outside.Xanthus said, ¡°Remember I told you I¡¯d tell Mom and Dad about your marriage?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, is it a no?¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t say anything but thatthey woulde next week.¡± Xanthus also thought they should talk about it face to face.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment, ¡°I see.¡±

    Although she said with eptance, she had an unexinable lingering worry.

    Xanthus said, ¡°You¡¯re their baby girl. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Looking up at Xanthus, she asked, ¡°Is what I¡¯m doing considered act now, reportter?¡±

    Xanthus did not answer; yes or no, what was done was done. All they could do was wait.

    After a stroll, a thought struck her;she didn¡¯t see Zorion.

    ¡°Is Zorion here?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s probably at Jacky¡¯s.¡± Xanthus saw that Zorion headed to Jacky¡¯s loft after getting out of the car.

    Xanthus didn¡¯t know if he was there for Jacky, but he definitely wasn¡¯t here to sightsee.

    ¡°You still can¡¯t?¡± Jacky fixed his gaze on Logan. Logan shook his head, speaking out of breath, ¡°I don¡¯t have the strength.¡±

    Jacky nced at the people on both sides. ¡°Leave us for now.¡±

    After they left, hehelped Logan up from the wheelchair. Working up a sweat, Logan could barely stand.

    At that moment, Zorion pushed the door open and walked in.

    Looking over, Logan was stunned to see it was Zorion. With that, he used all his effort to stand.

    Finding it strange, Jacky turned over, and Zorion had already got to the side, sat down, and crossed his legs.

    ¡°Why have youe?¡± Jacky sized Zorion up. To that, Zorion retorted, ¡°Can¡¯t Ie? Or are you afraid that I¡¯ll see what you¡¯ve done behind my back?¡±

    When Logan heard Zorion¡¯s words, he immediately moved his hand away. Jacky grabbed Logan¡¯s arm and turned to him. ¡°Take a rest first.¡±

    After putting Logan back in the wheelchair, Jacky called Harvey Swinburne in.

    ¡°Harvey,e here. Take your Logan inside and let him rest.Take care of him.¡±

    Harvey was Logan¡¯s subordinate and had always been in charge of taking care of Logan.Jacky did not trust anyone but Logan¡¯s men at the given time.

 Chapter 1512 Donâ€™t Like Old Men

    Jacky had a lot of subordinates, and many of them were loyal to him. Although all of them served him, some hated wrongdoers.

    As Logan betrayed him, even if others promised they would leave him be, it was just a superficial promise. If they really held a grudge, they would not let him off easily.

    So Jacky had to protect Logan and not let anyone harm him.

    He could only rely on Logan¡¯s most trusted men.

    Harvey wanted to take Logan away when he grabbed Harvey¡¯s hand, not letting him take another step.

    With that, Harvey looked at Jacky. Jacky¡¯s face darkened. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±

    Hearing Jacky¡¯s words, he knew it was for Logan¡¯s sake, so he immediately took him away.

    After they left, Jacky turned to Zorion, ¡°What are you here for?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Zorion turned his gaze away coldly, looking at the room, then stood up and threw a letter on the table, ¡°Deanna¡¯s.¡±

    Stumped, Jacky walked over to pick up Deanna¡¯s letter. After confirming it was indeed from her, Jacky followed him outside.

    It was getting warmer. Zorion wore a cashmere overcoat, his hands in its pockets as he stood at the door, looking into the distance.

    Out the door, Jacky asked, ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±

    Humored, Zorion replied, ¡°She¡¯s my sister. She begged me to give you the letter, and I promised. That¡¯s all.¡±

    Zorion took his hands out of his coat and nced at Jacky. ¡°I don¡¯t care that you¡¯re hiding Logan, but if he leaves, I¡¯ll make sure hees back in pieces.¡±

    With that, he walked away without hesitation. Jacky looked at his retreating figure from afar and nced at the letter in his hand, then turned around to read the content. It was a pregnancy report with an obstetric ultrasound scan attached. He could see the baby¡¯s face now.

    There was a written line on the report, a question.

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a boy or a girl?¡±

    Jacky immediately called Deanna. When the line connected, he told her, ¡°I¡¯ll love our baby no matter if it¡¯s a girl or a boy.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Rayan¡¯s face darkened. Deanna was showering. When he came in, the phone was ringing so he simply answered it. However, when he heard the voice at the other end of the line, hisface turned gloomy that instant.

    Hannah came in and saw her husband¡¯s displeasure. ¡°Who¡¯s calling?¡±

    In actuality, everyone was well aware, just that no one wanted to talk about it.

    Rayan waited for Jacky to speak. Jacky said, ¡°Sorry, wrong number.¡±

    And the phone was hung up.

    Hannah directed her gaze at the bathroom and tugged on Rayan¡¯s arm. ¡°Rayan, who is it?¡±

    ¡°Who else?¡± Rayanposed himself, put the phonedown, and pretended nothing happened as helooked at his beloved wife.

    Hannah wasn¡¯t dumb; she knew her husband¡¯s n better than anyone else.

    ¡°You ended the call?¡±

    ¡°He did.¡±

    Rayan said after a while, ¡°Jacky has set up an agency in Capital City; he¡¯s preparing to do arge-scale shipping business.¡±

    ¡°Can he manage?¡± Hannah heard Jacky had aplex background. In other words, he was a gangster. How could he do business?

    ¡°If he is a dumb kid, he wouldn¡¯t leave Deanna alone. Do you think he has no motives for leaving her here?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°When the child is born, he will rightfully be a member of the Whalen family.¡± There had only ever been two things in Rayan¡¯s life that he was helpless about. One was fighting for Jen¡¯s affection withHansen, and the other was Jacky. The former took away his love, and thetter was going to take away his daughter.

    The former was excusable, but thetter was his pain.

    Jacky grew up a gangster with no backing nor background. It was no feat for him to work his way from a nameless punk to the head of the Waverly Vige today.

    However, it was precisely that that Rayan worried about.

    A dog would do as told, but a wolf would bring danger.

    No one knew how massive Jacky¡¯s ambition was.He could give Jacky a chance if he was solely in love with his daughter, but it would be a different matter if he was onto his possessions.

    On seeing Rayan remain silent, Hannah asked, ¡°Rayan, is Jacky unreliable?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll only know when we find out.¡±

    ¡°How? Zorion said he has expanded his influence to the Capital City. His men are everywhere. Will it be troublesome if we continue?¡±

    ¡°If he¡¯s able to conquer Capital City without my help or influence, I¡¯ll give him my respect.¡±

    Deanna came out of the bathroom wrapped in a bath towel, her belly big and round. ¡°I don¡¯t like you being like this.¡±

    She pouted.Deanna was chubby as shehad been growing since she was pregnant, and she could really eat. Even the doctor had told her to watch her weight; the consequences would be unimaginable if she didn¡¯t.

    On seeing his daughter sitting down upsettingly, Rayan tried to please her despite his displeasure. ¡°What did I say?¡±

    The doctor had said it wouldn¡¯t do the baby and her health good if she got upset. Rayan didn¡¯t think much of the pregnancy when he was bing a father, but now that it was happening to his beloved daughter, he was genuinely on edge.He even hated Jackyfor getting Deanna pregnant at such a young age. He didn¡¯t know if there would beplications when she gave birth. How ridiculous.

    How would Rayan dare to provoke his daughter?

    Deannaid down. ¡°I think you¡¯re all targeting Jacky. He¡¯s very good to me.¡±

    She held her belly gloomily as she didn¡¯t understand her parents¡¯ worries. She had merely gotten a boyfriend, and they had a baby. Why didn¡¯t they like him? Do they prefer an old man then? Would they be happier if she married an old man?

    Patting her stomach, she said, ¡°Baby, you have to remember only we like Dad. Everyone else, including your grandparents, prefers if we fall in love with an old man because he¡¯s wealthy.¡±

    Nearly dying of anger, he nced at his inconsiderate daughter before walking out. Hannah followed after him but stopped midway and closed the door.

    Rolling her eyes at her daughter, she said, ¡°Someone gave you a call and said he would love the baby no matter if it¡¯s a boy or a girl. When your father asked who he was, he said he had made a wrong call.¡±

    ¡°Strange, don¡¯t you think? A number from Tambend made a wrong call to another country.¡±

    Hannah was so angry she had such a daughter. Turning around, she left to find her husband.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    As soon as Hannah left, Deanna jumped out of bed to call Jacky.

 Chapter 1513 Working Together

    Jacky answered the phone but did not say anythinguntil Deanna spoke, ¡°Jacky.¡±

    ¡°Phew¡­¡± Jacky heaved a sigh of relief. Sitting down, he asked, ¡°You were taking a shower?¡±

    Deanna had an obsession with taking a shower. In fact, she would be showering whenever she didn¡¯t answer his call. This was the only time Rayan picked up the phone.

    Deanna thought for a moment. ¡°Yeah, the baby feels a little cold, so I took a hot shower.¡± In actuality, she was the one feeling cold.

    Jacky frowned deeply, ¡°Is it very cold?¡±

    ¡°This is what happens in spring; I feel exceptionally cold during this time.¡± Deanna blow-dried her hair as she chatted with Jacky.

    ¡°Have you gone to a doctor?¡±

    ¡°I did. Nothing out of the ordinary; I¡¯ll be fine in a few days. Jacky¡­¡±

    Jacky hummed lightly. Deanna pursed her lips, ¡°I want to go back to school. The semester¡¯s starting soon, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Stumped, he answered, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    And the two fell silent.

    The conversation came to a stop. Jacky remained silent until Deanna said, ¡°I want to go back.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll visit you.¡±

    With that, Jacky hung up and bought a flight ticket that day.

    Jacky was walking out of his loft when Raeleigh caught sight ofhim, ¡°Jacky.¡±

    Jacky was carrying a travel bag in his hand,wearing a smart loose ck cashmere overcoat and a ck hat. In fact, most people wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize him dressed like this. However, Raeleigh was unexinably able to recognize him at a nce.

    Jacky turned around and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡±

    ¡°Are you going out?¡± Raeleigh looked at the travel bag in Jacky¡¯s hand, and he nodded.

    ¡°To see Deanna?¡± Raeleigh knew only Deanna was able to get him to leave everything and go.

    His hasty pace only meant that he was going to see his beloved. Other than Deanna, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t think of anyone else.

    Jacky didn¡¯t answer, but she knew it was a yes.

    ¡°Have you ever thought that something terrible might happen if you go now?¡±

    ¡°Deanna wants toe back; I have to see her.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being impulsive. You¡¯re still able to call her; she still hasn¡¯t given birth yet. Rayan is giving you time; he wants to test you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m well aware, but I can¡¯t leave her alone. She keeps feeling cold nowadays.¡±

    ¡°Is she sick?¡±

    ¡°She was born with it; She would always feel cold in spring.¡±

    ¡°Have here back then.You¡¯ll be able to protect her here,¡± Raeleigh said, but Jacky was not catching what she was throwing. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±

    There was a saying, monkey see, monkey do, and Raeleigh thought it was true. Jepherson was having a bad influence on her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk while we walk.¡± With that, Raeleigh headed inside. Zorion had just left, which led Raeleigh to think something was going to happen. As expected, she saw Jacky walking out just as she walked toward the loft.

    ¡°I think you kidnapping Deanna is the best memory between you two. Although it¡¯s a cautionary tale, it¡¯s destiny. When you guys are old, it might be a great story to tell your grandchildren, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Behind her, Jacky carried his bag, fixing his gaze at her, ¡°So you¡¯re saying¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you love Deanna. Although she¡¯s like a child,her love for you is unmistakable. At least she¡¯s faithful.¡±

    ¡°I think for people like Deanna, unless she doesn¡¯t love that person, once she falls in love, and you don¡¯t push her away, she will love youfor the rest of her life.¡±

    ¡°And you two don¡¯t want to leave any regrets, do you?¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Looking at Jacky, his eyes flickered with uncertainty; this was his most difficult decision to make.

    ¡°Do you know what will happen if I fail? And the consequences of you being involved?¡±

    ¡°What kind of consequences can there be? Would it be more worthy than the both of you experiencing the birth of your child together?¡± Raeleigh knew she was being a busybody, and she shouldn¡¯t butt in, but she couldn¡¯t help it. When she saw Jacky leaving, she called to him and just like that she blurted everything out.

    Jacky fell silent for a moment, ¡°I owe you a favor. If Deanna can return, no matter what happens, I will help you once.¡±

    ¡°If you can help me twice, I can offer you a full service, but¡­¡±

    ¡°But what?¡±

    ¡°But I have one condition.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Never had Jacky thought Raeleigh woulde prepared.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I heard you¡¯re doing a shipping business now. Is it true?¡±

    Jacky raised an eyebrow, ¡°You want to be a part of it?¡±

    ¡°No, I have something else in mind.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Have you seen this before?¡± Raeleigh took out a box of condoms and showed it to Jacky. Gobsmacked, he looked at Raeleigh, ¡°Condoms?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I want to get into the business.¡±

    Jacky burst out inughter, revealing his snow-white teeth. If he wasn¡¯t close with Raeleigh, he would have taken her as a hustler.

    ¡°Does Jepherson and Santiago know?¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t agree, but I want to do it.¡± Raeleigh was serious about getting into the business.

    She couldn¡¯t exin why, probably that it would be a good business. Also,she was very fascinated by their designs.

    Laughing, Jacky said, ¡°I think it¡¯s better to discuss this with them.¡±

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to work with me, forget it. I¡¯ll find someone else.¡±

    Raeleigh thought she would be able to find a suitable partner anyhow.

    Jacky bit his lip, ¡°Hold up.¡±

    In a trice, Raeleigh stopped and said, ¡°Fifty-fifty. We¡¯ll divide the money equally. I¡¯ll manage the factory and nning while you oversee the sales and tform; I¡¯ll hire a designer. We¡¯ll do field study when we¡¯re both free.¡±

    Jacky couldn¡¯t keep up with Raeleigh at all, ¡°You sure you want to do this?¡±

    ¡°I have the tech, and you have the market. It¡¯ll definitely be a sess.¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°You can turn me down.¡±

    Jacky heaved a long sigh and thought for a moment, ¡°Alright, I do it.¡±

    Raeleigh smiled, walked up to Jacky, waved her hand, signaling him toe closer, and whispered in his ear. ¡°You¡¯re not joking, are you?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°If you do this, you will start a war

    between Zorion and Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°This has nothing to do with them. You just need to do it, but you can¡¯t say it¡¯s my idea, or I will put the me on you and say you forced me.¡±

    Jacky was rendered speechless.

    ¡­

    He didn¡¯t know how to react. It was as if he had dug his own grave.

    ¡°Have I just dug my own grave?¡± Jacky asked. Raeleigh handed the box of condoms to Jacky. ¡°My wedding gift to you. With your baby¡¯s best interest at heart.¡±

    Jacky looked at Raeleigh¡¯s gift, looking all awkward,but Raeleigh had already walked away.

 Chapter 1514 Abduction

    It was already night when Jepherson woke up. Raeleigh was waiting for him to have dinner. As soon as he stirred, Santiago came in, shot a nce at him, and asked, ¡°Did you see Jacky?¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t find him.¡±

    Santiago went inside to wash his hands. He came back and sat opposite Raeleigh. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see him?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that I didn¡¯t see him?¡± Raeleigh replied while munching on the food. Jepherson was looking up at them when Santiago said, ¡°A street vendor told me that he had seen you talking to Jacky and gave him a box before Jacky left.¡±

    Jepherson swept his eyes over Raeleigh, who then took a bite on a fish. ¡°Was the street vendor sure it was me?¡±

    ¡°Would he tell me if he wasn¡¯t sure?¡±

    Santiago chomped on the food before he asked so. Gazing at him, Raeleigh replied, ¡°You¡¯re here to find fault with me, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m not a babysitter either. Why do you have to question me when Jacky has gone missing?

    I will only bear the responsibility for the missing of one person in this world, your brother.¡±

    Jepherson was cing a mouthful of food into his mouth when he heard this and he almost choked.

    Getting up, Jepherson coughed twice and poured himself a ss of water. Santiago burst intoughter. ¡°Did you do it on purpose?¡±

    Jepherson looked back at these two people, who would always argue whenever they met. Then, he sat back down and continued eating.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Don¡¯t me me for everything. I just said no, and I meant it. I¡¯m your sister-inw. Aren¡¯t my words more credible than those of a street vendor?

    It¡¯s possible for some people to resemble each other. Maybe the street vendor mistook somebody else for me.

    Besides, do you think it¡¯s appropriate for you to ask me when Jacky has gone missing?¡±

    Santiago raised his hand to pat his chest. ¡°This is so exasperating.¡±

    Jepherson passed some food to Raeleigh. ¡°Calm down.¡±

    Raeleigh ate her cake. ¡°Only if he stops talking.¡±

    Santiago lifted his head. ¡°You want to continue, huh? Didn¡¯t I stop?¡±

    Raeleigh bowed her head and continued crunching the food. Santiago nced at Jepherson. ¡°Don¡¯t you care?¡±

    ¡°Enough. It¡¯s indeed inappropriate for you to ask your sister-inw about Jacky. Get someone to install surveince cameras along the main streets in Waverly Vige tomorrow. Tell them that it¡¯s sponsored as an anti-theft measure.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. ¡°Will it cost a lot of money?¡±

    ¡°Not much.¡±

    Only then did Santiago then stop talking.

    After the meal, Santiago left Raeleigh¡¯s ce and made another call to Jacky. This time, Jacky answered the call, but he was abroad.

    ¡°Are you overseas now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s something I need to do. Help me take care of Logan.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re looking for Deanna?¡± Thinking of Raeleigh¡¯s obstinence was when she denied it, Santiago felt that things were not so simple.

    ¡°Even if I go, I won¡¯t be able to see her. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not looking for Deanna, but I do have something to do. Don¡¯t you know my job?¡±

    Hearing Jacky¡¯s words, Santiago instantly remembered Jacky¡¯s profession.

    ¡°Is it a big deal this time?¡± Santiago leaned to one side. He would not be bothered if Jacky was not looking for Deanna.

    ¡°More or less. Enough for a lifetime.¡±

    After all, he would be satisfied his whole life if he had Deanna, so technically speaking, what he said was true.

    Santiago found it amusing. ¡°Let¡¯s wet our whistles when youe back.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    ¡­

    After hanging up, Jacky nced at his phone and put it into his pocket. After that, he focused on the entrance of the Hubton Academy, ordering his men to get ready.

    ¡°When theye outter, you guys go and abduct her while the rest of you lure the others away. Zorion is not an ordinary person, therefore don¡¯t be careless.

    Leave immediately after luring them away. We can¡¯t afford to bete for the flight an hourter.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°I can escape myself.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Since Rossie had been kidnapped, Zorion had arranged many bodyguards around her, but Jacky still managed to seed.

    When Rossie was on the ne, she was reeling in shock as she did not expect Jacky to be here. Although she disliked him, she was aware that Jacky would not hurt her. Hence, she did not struggle at all.

    While on the ne, Rossie intended to go to the washroom. Thus Jacky took her to it. He would take her wherever she wanted, and he would also ask for her preference when it came to meals.

    Rossie let out a long sigh when she disembarked. Little did she expect toe back after leaving for a few days.

    ¡°How much are you going to extort from Zorion this time?¡±

    ¡°This time, it¡¯s not for money, but for my brother.¡± As he finished his words, Jacky brought over a hat and ced it on Rossie¡¯s head. He then pulled her wrist and took her to Waverly Vige.

    It wasn¡¯t until Rossie had gotten into the car that she knew what had happened to Logan. Moreover, they were all therest time except her. This time, Jacky wanted to fulfill Logan¡¯s final wish before his death.

    He wanted Logan and her to get married.

    ¡°Are you kidding me? I¡¯m also very sympathetic to Logan, but how can we do this?¡± Rossie asked Jacky in the car. Jacky gazed outside with a stern expression, saying, ¡°Then what should we do? My brother almost died for you, yet you continued your studies outside without him. Now, hisst wish is to marry you and let you give birth to a child for him. Do you think this is too much?¡±

    There was no change in Jacky¡¯s tone, but Rossie felt edgy hearing his words as he didn¡¯t seem to be lying.

    ¡°I need to call Zorion.¡±

    ¡°I will call him. You can rest assured about this.¡±

    When the car arrived at the destination, Jacky pushed open the car door and emerged from it. Rossie darted a nce at the outside and refused to get out of the car. ¡°We weren¡¯t herest time. It¡¯s not the right ce.¡± Rossie was a little perturbed now, and she even intended to run away.

    ¡°This is the house I¡¯ve prepared to celebrate Logan¡¯s wedding. He is living here, so this is not the ce you went tost time.¡±

    After speaking, Jacky motioned for his men to bring Rossie over. Resisting, Rosse turned around to pick up a stone, lifted it up and said to Jacky, ¡°You don¡¯t have the rights to do this.¡±

    ¡°I know very well about human rights. My brother almost died because of you. After marrying you, there¡¯s nothing left to beined about even if he¡¯s dying.¡±

    ¡°You are all robbers.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re that brave, hit me. If you can flee from me, I promise that I won¡¯t capture you back. Though I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s beyond your capabilities.¡±

    Turning around, Jacky walked toward the opposite side while instructing, ¡°Take her to Logan¡¯s ce.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    They pushed her to Logan¡¯s ce. As she had entered, they locked the door from the outside.

    Nobody woulde to her rescue even if she screamed for help.

    ¡­

    ¡°When is it?¡±

    Zorion¡¯s face fell the moment he received the call about Rossie¡¯s abduction.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been looking for her for two days.¡±

    Zorion gritted his teeth. ¡°Jacky, you must be tired of living!¡±

    Hanging up, Zorion walked out. Just as he reached the door, he stopped and paused as he recalled the letter from Deanna. Afterward, he walked back, picked up his phone, and called Jacky.

    However, Jacky did not answer his call.

 Chapter 1515 Youâ€™re Amazing

    From his house, Zorion headed straight for Waverly Vige. Jacky¡¯s men blocked his way as soon as he was at the vige¡¯s entrance. The vigers were busy decorating the vige, and it looked like a celebration was about to happen.

    However, there was something wrong with the atmosphere.

    Everyone wore a woebegone expression, sighing while hanging the banners.

    ¡°Tell Jacky toe out.¡± Zorion stood at the entrance of the vige with a cold countenance.

    There were more than a dozen vehicles behind him. Even though he was resourceful, Waverly Vige was not in the coverage of his influences. For a ce like here, even an army could not simply enter, let alone Zorion.

    Nevertheless, Zorion couldn¡¯t care less as he was enraged.

    The men who stopped Zorion knew him as Jacky had informed them beforehand. They knew he was no pushover.

    ¡°Mr. Jacky is setting up the bridal chamber. He isn¡¯t free toe out for the reception. Mr. Whalen, please go back. We¡¯ve no time to entertain any guests as we¡¯re holding a wedding in the vige.¡±

    ¡°Tell him toe out, or you will know the consequences.¡±

    As Zorion spoke, the people behind him had already taken out their guns and aimed at Jacky¡¯s men who were blocking them. Dozens of guns were pointed at the leader¡¯s head. Even if they were toy guns, it was very intimidating.

    ¡°Inform Mr. Jacky that an honored guest has arrived.¡±

    Sensing amotion, the other vigers all went home and hid. Meanwhile, Zorion went back into his car.

    Santiago came out from the vige and walked over to Zorion. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Jacky has abducted Rossie.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Thinking that he had misheard it, Santiago turned to look inside the vige and wondered why he didn¡¯t know it.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡±

    Zorion raised his head with a ferocious look in his eyes. Santiago ruminate momentarily and leaned against a car, asking, ¡°For money?¡±

    Zorion did not reply.

    ¡°If it¡¯s not for money, then what is it for?¡±

    While Santiago was talking, Xanthus also came out from the vige. Raeleigh and Jepherson had left the previous day. At this time, they should still be unaware of what was happening here.

    Xanthus was baffled by the behavior of the vigers, wondering why they had decorated the vige.

    Logan¡¯s body had not recuperated yet. Due to the cross infection, he couldn¡¯t even get down from the wheelchair.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    A wedding? He pondered on this.

    Xanthus walked from the vige to Zorion. ¡°Why did you bring so many men here? If someone calls the police, won¡¯t you be in trouble?¡±

    Xanthus said so out of kind intention, but when Santiago and Zorion heard it, they stared at Xanthus as though it was a joke.

    Xanthus mused on this matter for a moment before he said, ¡°Tell your men to put the guns away. We can talk about it calmly.¡±

    ¡°Jacky has kidnapped Rossie and wants her to marry Logan. Don¡¯t you know about this?¡±

    Santiago asked. Xanthus was stunned. He asked back, ¡°Logan can¡¯t even get out of his wheelchair, yet he¡¯s getting married?¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Zorion¡¯s expression turned cold as ice in an instant. He got out of his car, approaching Waverly Vige. Santiago pulled him from behind. ¡°Can you get in? He¡¯s doing this deliberately. I don¡¯t think he will let you in that easily.¡±

    Zorion turned around and threw a punch at Santiago. Santiago dodged it and gave Zorion a kick in return. ¡°Don¡¯t be ungrateful. I¡¯m doing this for your own good.¡±

    ¡°Go and get Jacky! Tell him that if he doesn¡¯te out, I¡¯ll set this vige on fire.¡±

    ¡°Do it yourself. He must have had this all nned. He wouldn¡¯t be afraid of any of your threats.¡±

    Gnashing his teeth, Zorion turned around to look at Waverly Vige. Jacky led his men over and stopped in front of them. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±

    Zorion walked over from the side and took away a gun from one of his men. He stood right before Jacky and pressed the gun on Jacky¡¯s head, cocking its hammer. ¡°You¡¯re so eager to die, aren¡¯t you? All right, I will fulfill your wish.¡±

    Jacky¡¯s men instantaneously stepped forward, whereas Zorion¡¯s men all aimed their guns at Jacky¡¯s men. However, Jacky¡¯s men remained unfazed and were also prepared to take out their guns. Jacky said, ¡°No one move.¡±

    The people behind Jacky suddenly took a few steps back. Concurrently, Jacky looked Zorion into the eyes. ¡°I want Deanna.¡±

    Zorion gritted his teeth. ¡°Jacky, that¡¯s so shameless of you!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m shameless. Deanna will be cold in the spring and you let her stay abroad alone. My mind will be in turmoil when I can¡¯t see her.¡±

    ¡­

    Standing behind, Santiago licked his teeth with the tip of his tongue and wrapped his arm around Xanthus¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Xanthus, let¡¯s go back inside.¡±

    Xanthus lifted his hand to push Santiago¡¯s arm away, but to no avail. That said, Xanthus did not stay either as he did not want to meddle in other people¡¯s business. There were so many guns here, and his life would be in peril if he stayed because they might identally discharge.

    Xanthus followed Santiago and left first. After they left, Zorion threw his gun onto the ground. It identally discharged, and a few shots were fired.

    Jacky didn¡¯t move at all. ¡°I want Deanna toe back for a few days. She can go backter if there¡¯s nothing else.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you have no intention of letting her give birth here!¡±

    Zorion kicked Jacky, who didn¡¯t dodge. Consequently, he fell to the ground.

    ¡°Mr. Jacky¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    Jacky stood up from the ground. His men dared not to move as ordered by him. Zorion got near him and kicked him once more. Jacky lost his bnce and fell down again.

    ¡°Jacky, mark my words. One day, you¡¯ll regret it.¡± Zorion gnashed his teeth and turned around to leave.

    Jacky got up from the ground and took a deep breath. ¡°Don¡¯t allow anyone to enter these two days, including the rtives.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    As he watched Zorion leave, Jacky turned around and went back.

    Santiago gazed at Jacky from afar. When Jacky hade back, Santiago asked, ¡°Who suggested that you do so?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I know you can¡¯te up with such a crafty idea. Is it Raeleigh?¡± Santiago knew what was going on at the thought of Raeleigh¡¯s reaction that day.

    Jacky replied, ¡°It¡¯s my idea. I want Deanna toe back. That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°Then you are asking for trouble. If Zorion wants your life, I will help him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the son-inw of the Whalen family. They can¡¯t kill me. The child needs a father.¡±

    Jacky strode away. Santiago turned to stare after him, smirking. Following that, he took out his phone to call Raeleigh.

    ¡°Deanna ising back,¡± said Santiago when Raeleigh answered the call. In response to this, Raeleigh frowned for a second. She was having breakfast with Jepherson, who sat opposite to her. Jepherson lowered his eyes. ¡°Is it Santiago?¡±

    ¡°He said that Deanna ising back. Do you know about this?¡± Raeleigh intentionally did not take her phone away while asking Jepherson. Jepherson paused for a while with his mouth full of food. He then looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Deanna ising back?¡±

    ¡°Santiago told me so.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jepherson didn¡¯t know what Raeleigh and Santiago were doing. He continued eating elegantly with his head down. Raeleigh asked, ¡°How did you know it?¡±

    On the phone, Santiago let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Raeleigh, you¡¯re amazing!¡±

 Chapter 1516 The Last Day

    Subsequently, Raeleigh hung up, took a look at the beeping phone, put it down and continued her meal.

    Jepherson slightly lowered his head. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you want to help Jacky, but if I find out that you¡¯re working with him in the condom business, you¡¯d better be prepared to stay in bed with me for three days without getting out of it.¡±

    The surrounding servants all lowered their heads as they were mortified to hear such lecherous words. To them, Jepherson was too straightforward.

    Raeleigh took a sip of her juice without answering him.

    After the meal, Jepherson took her to thepany as usual.

    Zorion called Deanna to ask her when she was going toe back. Hearing this, she bounced up from the bed like a ball.

    ¡°Zorion, do you want me to go back?¡± Deanna was eager to go back. In fact, she had been contemting going back before receiving this call. Her brother calling her was like her dream was about toe true.

    Deanna¡¯s beautiful eyes kept rolling. Zorion had a headache. He raised his hand to rub his smooth forehead, and there was blue veins bulging on it.

    Deanna would take everything seriously. This phone call would bring him a trouble.

    Nheless, he had to make this call.

    ¡°Deanna, the next semester in the university is about to start. Are youing back?¡± Zorion asked, stroking his forehead. Deanna replied, ¡°Zorion, I have long been intending to go back, but you see, Mom and Dad won¡¯t let me. With such a big belly, they won¡¯t allow me to go back. What should I do?¡±

    Zorion hesitated for a bit before saying, ¡°Tell them that you miss me, so you have toe back. You always excel at it, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°What do I excel at?¡± Deanna looked at the sky. She could not recollect what she was adept at.

    ¡°Try a hunger strike. If they don¡¯t allow you toe back, don¡¯t take any meals. You¡¯re pregnant now. They will worry about the baby even if they don¡¯t worry about you. They willpromise in a few days.¡±

    Deanna cogitated momentarily. ¡°But if I don¡¯t eat anything, it¡¯s not good for the baby. It¡¯ll suffer from malnutrition.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you see how much weight you put on? Malnutrition is impossible at this point.¡±

    Zorion would have a video call with his younger sister every day, so he knew how plump she was now. He even suspected that Jacky would give up loving her if she couldn¡¯t return to her original figure after giving birth.

    A few secondster, Deanna asked, ¡°Zorion, do you dislike me?¡±

    Zorion did not deny instantly, and this had made Deanne aggrieved. She said, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, don¡¯tugh at me. I¡¯ve asked the doctor, and I was told that it¡¯s normal for pregnant women to gain weight. If you dislike me, your future wife will be fatter than me. You will know when the timees!¡±

    Zorion was not in the mood to joke with her. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t let them know that I¡¯ve told you to do so, or you won¡¯t be able toe back.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hanging up. As for the other details, figure it out yourself.¡±

    Zorion sat back onto the sofa. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. ¡°Jacky, just you wait.¡±

    That night, Deannay on the bed morosely. She had begun a hunger strike. She had been silent the whole while, staring nkly at the roof. Hannah was especially anxious, and she even wondered if Deanna had lost her mind.

    Rayan flew off the handle, but he couldn¡¯t vent his spleen on his daughter. Therefore, he broke the sses downstairs to vent his anger.

    ¡°Rayan, what should we do?¡± Descending the stairs, Hannah was on pins and needles. The fact that Deanna had skipped a meal was enough to leave her overwrought, let alone skipping all meals in a day. To Hannah¡¯s consternation, Deanna didn¡¯t tell them anything.

    Rayan sat down. ¡°Prepare some of her favorite food. She will eat it when she¡¯s hungry.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t she starve?¡± Deanna was the apple of Hannah¡¯s eyes, and she could not bear to see her starving at all.

    Rayan was at his wit¡¯s end. How could he not know his beloved wife¡¯s thoughts?

    Furthermore, Deanna was his daughter too. His heart also ached for her.

    Rayan wore a darkened expression, and there was an aura of sternness about him. Looking at Hannah, he held her into his arms. ¡°We had been cosseting her too much in the past. That¡¯s why this is happening.¡±

    Hannah leaned in her husband¡¯s embrace as she asked, ¡°What should we do?¡±

    ¡­

    Rayan made up his mind to let his daughter starve for two days.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Two dayster, Zorion received a call from Deanna, saying that she was going home soon.

    Zorion did not ask anything as he was well aware of the reason. He was sure that the hunger strike must have been effective.

    After receiving the call, he leaned on the sofa and rested briefly. Then, he called Jacky as he wanted to see Rossie first.

    Jacky didn¡¯t answer the call. It wasn¡¯t until Zorion visited him that they spoke to each other. Zorion expressed his thoughts, saying that he didn¡¯t want anything upsetting to transpire at the moment.

    ¡°Jacky, remember, I will get even with you sooner orter. May the strongest one win.¡±

    With that, Zorion got into the car and left. Jacky cast a nce at Raeleigh, who had juste over, and said, ¡°It seems that I¡¯m going to have some troubles.¡±

    ¡°What do you think he will do to you?¡±

    ¡°It must concern the child. His eyes told me that he will take my child away.¡±

    ¡°If Waverly Vige can¡¯t protect your child,nowhere would be safe.¡± As she spoke, she heard footstepsing from behind. She turned around to find that it was indeed the person she had expected.

    Jepherson approached them from behind.

    ¡°Raeleigh, didn¡¯t you tell me that you¡¯re going to visit the lonely old folk? Is Jacky a lonely old man?¡± Jepherson cracked a joke as he came over with Santiago behind him. He then walked to Raeleigh and held her hand.

    The weather was getting warmer. The Richards brothers didn¡¯t wear too much clothes, but Raeleigh was surprised that neither of them wore a coat.

    ¡°It¡¯s so cold out here. Why didn¡¯t the two of you put on a coat?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring mineand I don¡¯t like my old ones anymore,¡± Jepherson replied, pulling Raeleigh aside. ¡°Xanthus told me that everything is about buildings today. We don¡¯t have anything to do here. Let¡¯s go shopping.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a surprise!¡±

    ¡°There will be a press conference tomorrow.¡± Jepherson meant that they needed to prepare some formal attire for it. Raeleigh knew that she needed to attend it. Lately, the sales of the car she and Jepherson had designed were in a dead heat. It would be a good opportunity for her to persuade the audience into supporting her.

    On second thought, she gave up this idea. If she failed to do it, Jepherson would have a chance. He had too many female fans, whereas she had no fans at all. She might lose more than she gains.

    Thinking of this, Raeleigh said, ¡°I will go with you guys to choose some clothes for you. I¡¯ll get some for Xanthus too. You two have worn most of his clothes.¡±

    Raeleigh gave a meaningful look at Jepherson.

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh into the car, and then the chauffeur drove the three of them to the mall.

    Emerging from the car, Santiago put his hands in his pockets and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t like it here.¡±

    Jepherson, who had yet descended, asked, ¡°Where do you want to go then?¡±

    ¡°Overseas.¡± Santiago ced his elbow on the car and looked down at Jepherson.

    Raeleigh was sitting inside too. If Jepherson did not get out, she could only wait.

    Jepherson lifted his hand to check the time. ¡°We can¡¯t make it in time.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow is the weekend. We can defer it for a day.¡±

 Chapter 1517 Why Is She With Someone Else?

    ¡°Do you think I will break my promise?¡± Jepherson stared at Santiago as Santiago said, ¡°Your physique is about the same as mine. I can go with Raeleigh. We will attend it if we can catch up, but if we can¡¯t, we won¡¯t attend it.¡±

    ¡°Are you using this as an excuse to go on a vacation?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve agreed that it¡¯ll be just a shopping trip.¡± Santiago knocked on the top of the car. Jepherson replied, ¡°I¡¯ll postpone the press conference for three days. You muste back in three days.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Santiago waved at Raeleigh, whose face fell. ¡°I¡¯m not going,¡± she refused.

    Jepherson gazed at her. ¡°Are you afraid of him?¡±

    ¡°Who said I was afraid of him? It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want to go out with him.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯tck clothes. Hence she didn¡¯t intend to go. From the looks of Santiago, he seemed to be nning something.

    Raeleigh did not want to be deceived by him.

    ¡°You can use the money in these cards and remember to take care of Raeleigh.¡±

    Jepherson opened his coat and took out a few cards, handing them over to Santiago, who then took the card and sat into the car with a grin. ¡°Chauffeur, send me back. I need to get my passport.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go,¡± Raeleigh insisted. Leaning against the seat, Jepherson held her hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you want to buy a suit for your brother?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°I can buy it here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s our first time giving him a gift. We have to get one better than his previous one. It has to cost more than a hundred thousand dors. Can such a suit be found here?¡± Jepherson leaned against the seat with his eyes narrowed.

    ¡°More than a hundred thousand dors?¡± Raeleigh did not see iting, and her face was filled with astonishment. Wide-eyed, Jepherson looked at the woman beside him. ¡°Do you think that the Osteen family is poor?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Her family was indeed wealthy. Every time her parents went out, they would purchase valuable gifts for her. Some of which came with a price beyond her imagination. Even so, she did not expect Xanthus¡¯s clothes to be so expensive.

    After a while, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s that expensive?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± said Santiago.

    Laying on the opposite side of the car, he bent and crossed his legs due to his height. Raeleigh stared at him gloomily. ¡°What an excuse to justify your intention of going on a trip. You didn¡¯t even wear his suit.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an eminent international fashion designer, Welmen. He has a well-known brand for men under his branding. They only produce ten pieces of clothing each period. They arepletely hand-made, and the quality is excellent.¡±

    Raeleigh was fascinated by Jepherson¡¯s words. He added, ¡°Santiago¡¯s and my clothes are designed by him too. Although the Richards Family has our own in-house designers, we still seek his help. My parents are also his friends. If you go there, I believe he will also devote his time to design clothes for you.¡±

    ¡°This time, I will call Welmen personally and ask him to design a set of wedding attire for us. If it¡¯s a set¡­¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t decided on a wedding yet. Isn¡¯t it inappropriate to book a wedding dress so early?¡±

    In Raeleigh¡¯s mind, there was no need to be hasty.

    ¡°Since¡­¡± As Jepherson spoke, Raeleigh¡¯s phone rang, and she picked it up. It was Xanthus. Raeleigh froze for a moment upon hearing it. ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to the airport. My parents areing.¡±

    Jepherson swept his eyes toward Raeleigh, whereas Santiago got up from his seat.

    The Richards brothers had not expected that her parents woulde at this time.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°Go to the airport,¡± Jepherson ordered immediately. After that, he called his father, Hansen, to exin what had happened here.

    Jenna woke up from her sleep. She had no clue what was going on as she was still sleepy.

    Hearing her son¡¯s voice on the phone, she was bemused, wondering why her son was calling them at this time.

    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll leave with your mother right away.¡±

    After Hansen had hung up, she asked curiously, ¡°Who called?¡±

    Hansen looked at his beloved wife. ¡°Something happened to Jerry. Let¡¯s go and take a look first.¡±

    Hansen got out of the bed and put on his clothes. Jenna asked hurriedly, ¡°What happened? Did they quarrel?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about thepany.¡±

    ¡°Thepany?¡± Hearing that it was not about her son but thepany, Jenna changed her tune then and there. She didn¡¯t care about it anymore.

    While changing his clothes, Hansen observed his wife. Her reaction didn¡¯t seem bizarre to him as he had gotten ustomed to it.

    In her eyes, she only cared about her family as money was not as important to her.

    After changing his clothes, Hansen bent down to kiss his wife. ¡°Get up.¡±

    Jenna got out of bed slowly, got dressed, and went out with Hansen while yawning.

    Jenna was in her forties, but she acted like a young girl when with Hansen. He would always make sure to walk in front of her and take care of her. From time to time, he would turn around to look at her or pull her towards him.

    After packing up, they headed straight for the airport.

    Marissa heard that they had left. She asked the servants, ¡°Did you guys see Madam Jenna¡¯s expression when she was leaving?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she was not in a hurry at all, but Mr. Hansen was. He even urged Madam to be faster, but she still took her time.¡±

    Marissa lowered her head and considered for a moment. ¡°It seems that it isn¡¯t about Ste. Ste should be staying abroad to receive treatment currently.

    Maybe it¡¯s rted to thepany.¡±

    Marissa was well aware that Jenna only cared about her husband and two sons. She never bothered about thepany¡¯s affairs, as if those things had nothing to do with her.

    Her sons, on the other hand, meant differently to her. Any minor problems to them were enough to put her in agitation.

    Raeleigh saw Xanthus waiting and checking the time asionally when she arrived at the airport. She ran over speedily. When he saw her, he asked, ¡°Getting nervous?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No. Didn¡¯t you say they were going to arrive the day after tomorrow? Why has the time been moved up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I just got a call from Grandma, telling us to pick them up as they are on the flight.¡±

    ¡°Grandma called you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Xanthus nced at the Richards brothers and said, ¡°You brothers do follow her everywhere.¡±

    ¡°We were heading to the mall,¡± Jepherson exined.

    Lamar and Jazelle came to the arrival hall. Lamar was pushing the suitcases, whereas Jazelle held her husband¡¯s arm. They were walking towards them with quite the amount of luggage.

    ¡°Here they are.¡± Seeing them, Jepherson hugged Raeleigh and took her there. Xanthus raised his hand and lowered his head to look around before he walked over.

    ¡°Dad, Mom!¡±

    Raeleigh walked to them at once. Lamar gave way to his wife and Raeleigh. Jazelle sized Raeleigh up, but she neither spoke nor behaved close to her.

    Finding it strange, Raeleigh stood still. Then, Lamar and Jazelle walked to Xanthus. Jazelle gave him an inquiring look and asked, ¡°Why is she with someone else?¡±

 Chapter 1518 A Visit From the Parents

    Xanthus was mystified for a bit, whereas Jepherson understood what Jazelle meant in an instant. Raeleigh was also aware that her parents were protecting her.

    Raeleigh pretended to bow her head. ¡°I should exin it to you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to exin. We merely want to know if you and my son have broken up.¡± Jazelle had practiced at home many times. Therefore, the way she feigned disapproval was quite realistic. Raeleigh almostughed, but she still shamed indignation and shot a nce at Jazelle.

    Jazelle felt good as she was very proud of her pretense.

    Lamar said, ¡°Xanthus, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Xanthus nced at Raeleigh as he took over the luggage from his father and exined, ¡°Raeleigh and I have broken up. It was my fault. I¡¯ve fallen for someone else.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Being shocked, Jazelle gaped at her son. ¡°Is it true?¡±

    Xanthus reluctantly nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What? So, you were two-timing?¡± Jazelle didn¡¯t take Xanthus¡¯s side at all. She prioritized her daughter.

    In embarrassment, Xanthus hesitantly said, ¡°Raeleigh and I broke up with each other due to our ipatible personalities. It wasn¡¯t until then that we fell in love with someone else. Even so, our rtionship remains, so I¡¯ve adopted Raeleigh as my younger sister.¡±

    ¡°Seriously? Aren¡¯t you mad, Raeleigh?¡± ording to Jazelle, Xanthus was the one who cheated on Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh lowered her head slightly. Her mother did put them in awkwardness.

    Nothing was better than her.

    Xanthus nodded to end the conversation.

    Jazelle then said, ¡°Well then, Raeleigh, since you¡¯ve be Xanthus¡¯s sister, you are my daughter. I will treat you as my own.¡±

    Jazelle pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hand and patted it. The mother and daughter went out together, leaving the four men behind. Two of them followed Raeleigh, whereas one of them stayed behind to keep Lamarpany.

    Jepherson was the one left behind.

    Neither of them spoke as though they were wary of the people around them. Reaching the car, Jepherson opened the car door in person. ¡°Uncle Lamar, Aunt Jazelle, you can take my car. Santiago will be apanying Xanthus.¡±

    Jazelle took a look at her husband. Lamar then replied, ¡°No need, we can fit into Xanthus¡¯s car. Raeleigh, I will ask about the matter between you and Xanthuster. Now that you¡¯ve be Xanthus¡¯s sister, you are a member of the Osteen family. You can get into the car first.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Raeleigh followed Xanthus into his car, so did Jazelle. At this time, Jepherson said, ¡°I¡¯ll book a restaurant to wee you.¡±

    ¡°No, we will have our meal at home. You guys can head back first.¡±

    Lamar turned and entered Xanthus¡¯s car. Xanthus entered his car, started the engine, and left.

    Behind Jepherson, Santiago asked, ¡°What should we do?¡±

    ¡°y it by ear.¡±

    Jepherson got into his car. Santiago darted a nce before following him into the car. They went straight to Waverly Vige.

    As expected, Xanthus also took his parents to the vige. Once entering it, Jazelle instantly cuddled Raeleigh. They wept for a while. As a result, Raeleigh¡¯s eyes had reddened.

    She thought her mother would me her, but her mother felt sorry for her.

    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I didn¡¯t take good care of you. You must have been through many difficulties. My poor baby!¡± Jazelle burst into tears in the car. Lamar took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry. We¡¯ll get out of the car soon.¡±

    Jazelle¡¯s tears came out of the blue, but they dissipated so fast. After wiping away her tears, her clean, fairplexion made her seem youthful, especially with her curly hair. Raeleigh stared at her mother in amazement. She knew that her mother was impulsive, simr to that of Deanna. However, she didn¡¯t expect her mother to still be so self-centered at this moment.

    Raeleigh beamed at her. ¡°Mom, Xanthus is going to build a hospital in the vige. You can have a look.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard from your brother. There¡¯s nothing special about the hospital. I prefer you to live in good conditions. Let¡¯s visit your room.¡±

    Emerging from the car, Jazelle looked around before following Xanthus to where Raeleigh and the others stayed.

    At the door, Jazelle gasped. ¡°Sweetheart, this is where you¡¯ve been living at?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s nice here, and the vigers here are also obliging.¡± Raeleigh brought Jazelle inside. After entering, Jazelle was not dissatisfied, but still, she felt that this ce was substandard.

    In fact, Jazelle could endure any hardships herself, and she could stay anywhere. As an archaeologist, she had been to dirtier and messier ces.

    However, at the thought of her daughter living in such a ce, Jazelle secretly shed two drops of tears.

    A spoiled brat wouldin as soon as they entered such a ce. Only her daughter would notin and think of it as a nice ce.

    It was because Raeleigh had suffered too many hardships since she was a child. Even though this was an ordinary ce, she was still content with it.

    Jazelle held her daughter¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Sweetheart, I will stay here tonight. Is there any empty room?¡±

    ¡°Mom, are you and Dad going to stay here?¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Of course, the people here are so hospitable and helpful. In addition, both you and Xanthus are here too, and we have to build a hospital. Besides, I¡¯ve seen the decorations in the vige. Is there going to be a wedding? We can join it. Your dad and I had gone to the countryside when we were young. Whenever there was a wedding there, we would join it.¡±

    Remembering her youth, Jazelle was a little exhrated.

    Raeleigh looked back at Xanthus. ¡°No problem. There is an extra room.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great. Xanthus, help me carry my luggage.¡± Jazelle pulled Raeleigh into the house. Raeleigh pushed open the door of her room and introduced it to Jazelle. The mother and daughter had much to say to each other. Hence they didn¡¯te out any time soon.

    While Xanthus was carrying the suitcases, the Richards brothers came over. They knocked on the door and came inside, making the house seem crowded.

    The living room was not spacious, and it looked smaller with Lamer and Jazelle¡¯s suitcases.

    Lamar sat on the sofa, and he did not speak when Jepherson and Santiago came into his sight. He cast a nce at them and picked up a ss to have some water.

    ¡°Uncle Lamar.¡±

    Jepherson entered the door and paused momentarily. Subsequently, he changed into indoor slippers and walked to the side. ¡°Santiago, go get some ingredients. I need some fish, chicken, and shrimp. As for the rest, you make the call.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    Santiago turned and went out. Through the rear-view mirror, the chauffeur looked at Santiago, who was dozing off. To the chauffeur, something seemed to have happened, and Santiago seemed strange.

    ¡­

    Jepherson did not help Xanthus. Instead, he stripped off his zer, put on an apron, rolled up his sleeves, and asked Xanthus, ¡°How much should I prepare?¡±

    Xanthus nced at his father, who was sitting on the sofa, and then looked at Jepherson. ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and went back to the kitchen, beginning his preparations for a hearty meal.

 Chapter 1519 Whose Bed Was This?

    By the time Santiago returned, Xanthus had put away the luggage. Xanthus took over the groceries and went into the kitchen to help Jepherson with the cooking.

    Santiago knew nothing about cooking. He sat beside Lamar. He did not try to be well-mannered as he turned on the TV andcrossed his legs while watching it.

    He also drank water, just like Lamar.

    On the way to the washroom, Jazelle saw Santiago crossing his leg. She couldn¡¯t help being a busybody. ¡°Everyone is busy cooking. It¡¯s okay if you can¡¯t cook, but you should at least help them. And why are you sitting there cross-legged?¡±

    Only then did Santiago ce his leg down. ¡°The kitchen is too small for the three of us.¡±

    Jazelle cast a look at the kitchen. ¡°I agree.¡±

    Turning around, Jazelle went back to Raeleigh¡¯s room. She and Raeleigh continued to lie down and have their conversation.

    Raeleigh was not troubled. The fact that her mother hade back suggested that the situation was not too bad.

    With that said, Raeleigh wasn¡¯t relieved either. After all, things were not very good.

    Jazelle asked, ¡°Sweetheart, do you truly like Jepherson? Did he force you to marry him?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t force me. It was the situation that forced me to do so, but I made the decision based on careful consideration.¡± Raeleigh had gotten married, and she didn¡¯t regret it now.

    She was responsible for her own life, after all.

    Jazelle caressed Raeleigh¡¯s head. ¡°Sweetheart, as long as you are happy, your dad and I will agree to everything you do. Still, your dad wants to test them outand you have to cooperate with us. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± How could Raeleigh not agree?

    The food was ready soon. Santiago knocked on the door to call them for dinner.

    ¡°Got it.¡± Jazelle and Raeleigh went out of the room. Right then, there were lots of dishes on the table and even wine.

    Seeing Jazelle, Jepherson said politely, ¡°I¡¯ll hope you¡¯ll enjoy the meal, Mom.¡±

    ¡°Who are you calling Mom?¡± Jazelle and Raeleigh washed their hands and sat down to observe the dishes on the table. The dishes gave an appealing look and aroma, to say nothing of the taste, which demonstrated that Xathus and Jepherson had put a lot of effort into it.

    Raeleigh threw a nce at Jepherson before she sat down.

    ¡°Let¡¯s dig in.¡± Lamar held his cutlery and took a mouthful of food. Meanwhile, he passed his wife¡¯s and Raeleigh¡¯s favorite dish to them, but he didn¡¯t do so for his son. Following that, he continued chewing the food quietly.

    During the meal, Jazelle didn¡¯t talk much, nor did she ask anything. She finished her portion and got up, saying she wanted to take a stroll around the vige. Behind her in second to finish was Jepherson. He stood up and went to apany Jazelle.

    ¡°Why is it you?¡± Jazelle thought that her son hade out, but she looked back, only to find that it wasn¡¯t Xanthus. She was not disappointed, but her tone sounded like she was.

    ¡°I¡¯ve finished eating. Xanthus and the others haven¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Is it because you ate a bit only?¡± Jazelle recalled that he used to eat like a horse.

    ¡°My parents will being over, so I¡¯m a little nervous.¡± For the first time, Jepherson was anxious. It was not because he was meeting Raeleigh¡¯s parents, but because his parents were about to meet Raeleigh¡¯s parents too.

    Jazelle¡¯s eyes widened slightly, ¡°Are your parents so strict?¡±

    Jepherson was at a loss for words. He felt like he was having a conversation with Deanna.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m apprehensive about the meeting.¡±

    ¡°Who and who?¡± Jazelle asked knowingly.

    Jepherson ruminate shortly. ¡°You and Dad.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t address me in this way. We¡¯re not that close. And we won¡¯t acknowledge this marriage. What¡¯s more, we¡¯ve been against it from the very beginning. You went forward with it before getting our consent.

    Moreover, are Lamar and I unreasonable people in your eyes?¡±

    Jepherson had finally witnessed Jazelle¡¯s strength that day. Although she looked harmless, she was harsh with her words.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. Mom, you¡¯ve misunderstood.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not your mom.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is married to me, so it makes you my mother-inw.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easier said than done. I don¡¯t want to talk to you about this anymore. Since you¡¯re done eating, and I want to look around, I¡¯ll allow you to keep mepany.¡±

    Jazelle stepped outside. It was still cold out, but Jepherson did not have time to go back to get another coat. Seeing that Jazelle had stridden away, he gave her his coat. He only wore a thin T-shirt himself.

    Jazelle looked back at him, asking, ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡±

    ¡°A bit, but I cant still stand it.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re cold, we can go back.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let me show you around. I¡¯m not very familiar with this vige, but I¡¯vee to this street quite a few times.¡±

    As Jepherson spoke, he began to lead Jazelle along the street. It took them two hours to go around it.

    When they went back, Jazelle was a little weary. She entered the house, put down the coat, washed her hands and went to rest in Raeleigh¡¯s room.

    At this time, Raeleigh had finished tidying up her belongings. Seeing Jepherson¡¯s outfit, she passed him a coat in two shakes. ¡°Why did you wear so little?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel cold. I¡¯ll take a showerter.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    It was not that Raeleigh did not feel sorry for him, but just that she was in an awkward position. She didn¡¯t know how to help him.

    While Jepherson was taking a shower, Raeleigh asked Santiago, ¡°Are you are not going to leave?¡±

    ¡°I will sleep on the sofa.¡±

    Lamar looked up at Santiago, drank some water, and headed in the direction of the bedrooms. There were only three rooms here. He and his wife shared one, and one each for his son and daughter. Since Santiago would be sleeping in the living room, where would Jepherson be sleeping? The balcony or the kitchen? Lamar pondered on this.

    Returning to his room, Lamary for a while. When he was about to fall asleep, Jazelle returned from Raeleigh¡¯s room. Raeleigh sent her back. After saying good night and telling Raeleigh not to wake her in the morning, Jazelle entered the room.

    Leaving her parents¡¯ room, Raeleigh bumped into Jepherson, who had juste out from the shower. They met face-to-face, and Jepherson went into Raeleigh¡¯s room.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Raeleigh followed him inside in fright.

    ¡°I have a cold. Get me some medicine.¡±

    At first, Raeleigh intended to drive Jepherson out. With her parents¡¯ presence, he could not stay in her room that day. However, when she heard that he had a cold, she turned around and went to Xanthus¡¯s room to get the medicine.

    After that, she came back and checked on Jepherson. Since then, they didn¡¯te out. It wasn¡¯t long before the light in her room went out.

    In the living room, Santiago hadid for a short time before he got up and walked toward Xanthus¡¯s room. When he reached the door, he knocked on it.

    Xanthus had taken a shower and just changed into his pajamas. As he opened the door, he was puzzled to see Santiago. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you slept?¡±

    ¡°I have a cold. Do you have any medicine for it?¡±

    Xanthus turned around to get him the medicine. To his dismay, once he had turned around, the door behind him closed, and Santiago had entered.

    Not only had hee in, but he had also taken off his clothes, unzipped his trousersand put away his belt. With a pair of boxer shorts, hey on Xanthus¡¯s bed. Xanthus was speechless by his actions.

    After getting into bed, Santiago pulled the quilt over himself. He stretched and yawned, making himselffortable as if this was his bed. Then, he closed his eyes, ready to sleep.

    Xanthus found it hrious. Whose bed was this again?

 Chapter 1520 A Meeting Between Parents

    When Raeleigh woke up, she heard that there were people who had arrived. However, they were not going to stay here. Furthermore, when she woke up in the middle of the night, Jepherson went out to answer a call, so she knew he went to see his parents. Due to the current situation, it was not suitable for her to meet his parents. Thus, she didn¡¯t follow him.

    In the morning, she came out from her room, intending to prepare breakfast. Just as she entered the kitchen, she saw Jazelle, who was busying herself in her kitchen.

    Raeleigh stood by the kitchen door, not knowing what to say. Before this, she had envisioned her mother preparing breakfast for her in a small house.

    She didn¡¯t expect that such a scene woulde true one day.

    Jazelle turned around to take a look at her daughter. ¡°Sweetheart, did you sleep wellst night?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mom. Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to sleep in and told me not to wake you?¡± Raeleigh remembered it clearly.

    Jazelle let out augh. ¡°I did sleep until I woke up. You haven¡¯t said good morning to me yet.¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Mom.¡± Raeleigh gave in to her mother and went into the kitchen to wash her hands. Jazelle immediately said, ¡°I don¡¯t need your help. I¡¯ll handle everything here. Go and get dressed. You¡¯re not a mom yet, so you have to keep up with your appearance. Remember to take care of your skin. I¡¯ve made your favorite pudding. I learned it from a baker.

    Sweetheart, henceforth, let your brother prepare breakfast. He¡¯s a man, and it doesn¡¯t matter for him to have poor skin. You are a woman, so you should pay attention to skincare. Additionally, it¡¯s not good for your health to sleep after 10 o¡¯clock each day. Do you understand?¡±

    Raeleigh could not utter a word, feeling touched while standing at the door of the kitchen.

    ¡°Shall I go out then?¡±

    ¡°Go wash up. I brought a lot of clothes for you, a suitcase full of it. Your dad will tell you which one is yours, and there¡¯s another one for your brother.¡±

    Jazelle was busy fixing breakfast, so she chased Raeleigh out.

    Leaving the kitchen, Raeleigh washed up before she knocked on the door of her parent¡¯s room. Lamar opened the door. Seeing that it was his daughter, he let her in. She closed the door and found that there were several suitcases on the ground. Two of them had been sorted out while the other two of them were left untouched. The silver suitcase was smaller than the pink one.

    Raeleigh walked over. ¡°Mom said that there are some clothes for me.¡±

    ¡°The pink one is yours. The password is four zeros. Go ahead and take a look.¡± Lamar was putting on his clothes. Raeleigh walked to the pink suitcase and opened it. Inside it was spring-appropriate clothing, including gloves, socks, and undergarments. Raeleigh shut the suitcase and looked at Lamar.

    Noticing his daughter¡¯s silence, Lamar said, ¡°Take it to your room. There¡¯s a yellow coat that is more of your style. Your mother designed it for you herself.¡±

    Raeleigh was bewildered for a moment. Perhaps it was underneath the other clothes that she didn¡¯t see it.

    ¡°I¡¯m heading out.¡±

    Raeleigh walked out of her parents¡¯ room and went straight to her own. Afterward, she decked out in a slightly loose red woolen sweater and a pair of ck wide-leg pants. Not only were such garments fashionable, but they highlighted her nice figure as well. She hung the coat on the door of her room and intended to put it on when she was going outter.

    Raeleigh had a great curve. Beforeing here, Jazelle had already inquired about her daughter¡¯s figure from her son, so the clothes fit Raeleigh perfectly.

    Aftering out, Raeleigh prepared to have breakfast. Jazelle fixed her hair for her before breakfast.

    Xanthus also stirred early. He even went outside to exercise. Santiago woke upst. When others were having breakfast, he was washing up. When he had done and was ready for breakfast, the others had finished theirs. It wasn¡¯t even eight o¡¯clock yet. Santiago received a call from Jepherson, saying that they had arrived at the door.

    Santiago put down his phone and went to open the door. They had left some food for Jepherson. After breakfast, Raeleigh and her whole family sat in the living room and chatted. As the door opened, Jepherson brought his parents inside.

    It wasn¡¯t until the previous night that Jenna got to know their purpose ofing over. It wasn¡¯t for thepany¡¯s affairs but to meet Raeleigh¡¯s parents.

    Jenna was a little excited the previous day, but soon, her drowsiness overcame her excitement. Lying in the embrace of Hansen, she almost overslept.

    Seeing them enter, Lamar stood up, and so did Jazelle, Raeleigh, and Xanthus.

    ¡°We¡¯ve made it in time.¡± Without giving his son the time to introduce them, Hansen stretched out his hand toward Lamar, who didn¡¯t do the same instantly. Instead, Lamar looked down first before extending his hand. ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯m surprised to see you here.¡±

    ¡°The surprise is inevitable. After all, it¡¯s rted to the two children. We should havee to apologize in person earlier, but ourst visit was unprepared. We didn¡¯t get clear on many things back then. That¡¯s why we came here today to exin it.

    The children have grown up, and we shouldn¡¯t let our mistakes stand in the way of their happiness.

    We came here with sincerity. I hope that Mr. Osteen can give us this opportunity to exin it.¡±

    Lamar smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s sit and talk.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    Hansen didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. He had already switched into indoor slippers. Even though the living room was small, there was still room for him to sit.

    Both Raeleigh and Xanthus stood aside. Jenna sat down with her husband and took the initiative to speak to Jazelle, ¡°I have always wanted to meet you, but I didn¡¯t expect Raeleigh to resemble you so much.¡±

    Jazelle shot a nce at Raeleigh and replied with a smile, ¡°It was also unexpected to me.¡±

    As the conversation between the women had been struck up, Jenna became more confident and less fretful.

    Jenna felt that she was more nervous than meeting her own mother-inw back in the days.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°Children, you guys should leave. It¡¯s not spacious here. Enjoy yourselves outside. Xanthus, book a restaurant. We¡¯ll have lunch over there at noon.¡±

    As Lamar said so, Xanthus went back to his room to take his wallet and coat. Raeleigh also went into her room to put on her yellow coat. She felt that it was unseemly for them to stay too.

    The Richards brothers went outside too. Raeleigh appeared in her coat, which made Jeherson gaze at her. ¡°You¡¯re looking good.¡±

    Raeleigh did not respond as she went outside.

    As the four of them went out, Raeleigh¡¯s expression froze suddenly. She had no idea what her parents would be talking about in the living room, and she had a hunch that things were not that simple.

    Jepherson approached her from the side and hugged her. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°You won¡¯t divorce even if it isn¡¯t fine, will you?¡±

    Jepherson withdrew his hand. ¡°Divorce is out of the question. I have already bought insurance. If we are divorcing, you need topensate me, so does the insurancepany. Bear in mind that you may not afford thispensation.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped in her tracks. ¡°How much is thepensation?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll only know when you propose a divorce, and you need awyer for it.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing. Turning around, she was still troubled. Anyhow, the parents of the two families were sitting together. No one could predict what would happen next. How could she not be worried?

 Chapter 1521 A Mystery

    After Raeleigh and the others left, Hansen said right away, ¡°We are here to apologize for what had happened in the past.¡±

    Lamar¡¯s expression darkened slightly, but he did not lose his temper. He simply stared at Hansen, who gave Jenna a look. Following that, Jenna stood up in an instant and went to the kitchen to pour some tea for Lamar and Jazelle.

    ¡°I have never capitted in my lifetime, except for the sake of my wife. Now, I want to apologize to you on behalf of my parents.¡±

    Hansen held the cup of tea and handed it to Lamar, who just stared back at him. There was a starlike sparkle in Lamar¡¯s eyes. He did not ept it, nor did he reject it. Consequently, Hansen held the cup of tea in air for a long time while waiting for Lamar to receive it. However, Lamar did not do so.

    ¡°It was your mother who stole Raeleigh away back then. I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t ept it. Other matters are negotiable, but for this one, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    You are parents too. You understand how precious children are to us. My daughter had been taken away when she was born, and I had been looking for her since then. Thank goodness that my effort was not in vain. But I could have spent much more time with her in the past as a parent. It was just that I had been deprived of the right to do so. Who¡¯s going to make up for all the lost time to me? You, your mother, or your son?

    Try to put yourself in my shoes. Originally, we could have put a lid on this matter. I could forgive you and your mother if you let Raeleigh go back with us and promised not to disturb us again. But you turned a blind eye to your son¡¯s behavior, which in turn led to their marriage.

    Marriage is one of the most important events in life. Although we¡¯re in a modern era, we value the traditions one has to go through before the wedding, like the meeting of both families and the nning of the wedding.

    I only have a daughter and a son. I won¡¯t let my son marry a person who I have no clear understanding of, let alone my daughter.

    Since this marriage took ce without my consent. No matter what¡¯s going on with it, there¡¯s only one ending for it, which is divorce.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Osteen¡­¡± Jenna wanted to speak something, but Hansen held her hand. ¡°We¡¯re not here to discuss this. It¡¯s about my mother, who took Raeleigh away.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re the same, to me at least. I am against Raeleigh marrying your son, and I don¡¯t acknowledge this marriage. I won¡¯t tell anyone about what had happened back in the day. Regarding the evidence, I will destroy them as well. However, I won¡¯t allow this marriage.

    No matter whether you came for your parents, or your son, my answer is the same, no.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Osteen, why do you have to be so determined? They are in love with each other, but you insist on breaking this marriage apart. Doing this won¡¯t do good for anyone.

    When ites to a rtionship, we can¡¯t judge it for them. Only the ones involved can understand their own rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards is right. Outsiders can¡¯t tell the story of their rtionship clearly. Nevertheless, I believe that it¡¯s just a temporary suffering to be separated. A few yearster, each of them will find their own happiness.

    I think it is worthwhile to use years of suffering in exchange for a lifetime of peace.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Osteen, I can tell that you and your wife are in love with each other.That¡¯s why you should be aware that the feelings for someone you love are irreceable. I, too, made some mistakes when I was young. No matter how much time has passed, I couldn¡¯t forget about her nor let her go. As long as she is still alive, she will stay in my heart forever. A lifetime isn¡¯t that long. I believe that if they truly love each other, their feelings willst a lifetime.

    Mr. Osteen, for something as unforeseeable as this, are you willing to bet on it? Using Raeleigh¡¯s lifetime as an ante?¡±

    ¡°You can rest assured that I¡¯m confident. Although Raeleigh loves him, as long as they are separated, I have a way to help her get over it and move on.¡±

    ¡°There is no need to make the children pay for the adults¡¯ mistakes. They are innocent.¡±

    As Hansen spoke, he put down the cup of tea from his hand.

    Lamar said, ¡°It might seem to be the case on the surface, but in reality, it will be a disaster for Raelight in the future if I let her stay by your mother¡¯s side. There¡¯s definitely no way that I will do so. You should know your mother¡¯s character. If she knows that Raeleigh is the child she stole in the past, God knows how she will treat Raeleigh.

    I haven¡¯t gotten to the bottom of what had happened that year, but I¡¯m sure that it wasn¡¯t coincident. So many lives were lost for the sole purpose of murdering Raeleigh. Isn¡¯t this a well-grounded reason for me to separate Raeleigh from your son?¡±

    ¡°But the two of them have already be husband and wife. Why do you have to tear their marriage apart? What¡¯s the point of doing that?¡±

    Hansen was irritated, but he still stifled his fury.

    Lamar replied, ¡°If it poses a threat to Raeleigh, I will break this marriage apart no matter what.

    I won¡¯t let my daughter be with a man whose grandmother wanted to kill her in the past.¡±

    ¡°You are too stubborn, just like how you were back then.¡± Hansen stood up as he could not continue this conversation.

    Seeing her husband getting up, Jenna held him down at once and looked at Lamar while asking, ¡°Mr. Osteen, if you feel disinclined to ept our proposal, we can discuss it further. In fact, there should be a reason for what happened in the past. We are investigating too. It¡¯s just that my father-inw hasn¡¯t told the truth so far, and we can¡¯t ask my mother-inw about it. If she knows, Raeleigh may be in danger.

    Thus, we¡¯re making slow progress, but anyway, there should be a cause for this matter. Can you tell us the cause?¡±

    ¡°The cause was our identity as renowned archaeologists back then. We were the arbiters when it came to the appraisal of artifacts.

    Some people came to us and gave us arge batch of antiques. If one of them were to be genuine, it might be worth more than ten million dors. If they went on sale in the market, it would be a devastating blow to us.

    After appraising them, we confirmed that they were all counterfeits, so we refused to certify them as authentic antiques.

    As a result, those people harbored a grudge against us and threatened us. If we refused to help them, they would take measures to coerce us into obeying them.

    We didn¡¯t yield in the end, but we were trapped in the country. Besides, my wife was close tobor at that time, and I was perturbed that something would happen on the way. Therefore, we decided to stay until the child was born.

    We had made an appointment with a top-notch hospital after careful consideration.

    However, little did we expect that the baby would be taken away right after she was born. Before that, the doctor told us that she was gone.

    I didn¡¯t believe it. I went to find the baby, but she was gone.

    We had been looking for the child for a long time, but to no avail.

    It turned out that Mr. Richards¡¯s mother was the one who took the child away. Why did she do so? It remains a mystery even until today.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The people who came to us back in the day were neither a member from the Richards family nor people with fame. They were a bunch of monstrous robbers whomitted all sorts of crimes. Why Mr. Richards¡¯s mother had dealings with such people was beyond us.¡±

 Chapter 1522 Confused

    ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood. My mother-inw isn¡¯t a bad person. She¡¯s not the sort of person who will harm others. There must be a reason for her to take Raeleigh away. It should be rted to this batch of antiques you mentioned. We¡¯ll find a way to look into it. Just give us some time. As for the two children, I think it¡¯s better to wait a little longer. Raeleigh is kind. Despite Jerry¡¯s uncaring exterior, he is true-hearted toward Raeleigh.

    You lost your daughter and had been looking for her for many years. However, you managed to find her atst.

    On the contrary, something had happened to me in the past. I could have had a daughter, but when I was going to give birth, I fell from height and lost my child.

    Back then, Jerry was only five years old. He thought that the baby was born and had survived. He had been seeking this child ever since he grew up. You might not believe me, but you can investigate it. In the past few years, he had gone to many ces to search for this non-existent little sister. He didn¡¯te across with many girls. He has only seen a few girls since he was young, and he always treats them as his sister.

    Raeleigh is the exception. He does like her.

    Separation is too cruel to him. I hope you can give us some time and an opportunity to uncover the truth in the past and resolve the misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about the misunderstanding anymore. Regarding the matter in the past, I hope that others will regard Raeleigh as a dead child. The past is the past for a reason. Why should we bring it up again?¡±

    Notwithstanding a lot of persuasions, Lamar still didn¡¯t approve of Raeleigh¡¯s marriage.He even made it clear by saying, ¡°We¡¯re going to take the relevant measures regarding their divorce as soon as possible. If you don¡¯t agree, I can uphold my rights as a father through legal means. I believe that Raeleigh willply and stand by my side.¡±

    The negotiation had reached an impasse, as neither side would budge. Hansen pulled a long face. ¡°Try it then. Raeleigh is the daughter-inw of my family. Without my consent, the divorce can¡¯t proceed.¡±

    Jenna had lost for words. Her husband¡¯s way of handling problems had always been like this. Now that the soft approach was ineffective, he could only go rough.

    It was just that Jenna didn¡¯t think there was any effective method for this matter.

    On the other side, Jazelle was very calm. She had not spoken much throughout the conversation, but this was what disconcerted Jenna since she couldn¡¯t grasp what Jazelle was thinking.

    Without seeing eye to eye, Jenna said, ¡°Let¡¯s put this matter aside first. You see, we haven¡¯t had breakfast yet. Would you like to have breakfast with us?¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t had breakfast yet?¡± It wasn¡¯t until now that Jazelle began to speak. Jenna looked at Jazelle as if she had seen Deanna of the Whalen family.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Give me a few minutes. I¡¯ll prepare some food for you.¡± Jazelle got up and walked to the kitchen. It was the first time Jenna visited them. How could she stay and let the host serve them? What was more, she just wanted to smooth things through by changing the subject. Since they couldn¡¯t reach an agreement, she had to leave.

    ¡°No need to go to the trouble of cooking. Let¡¯s have lunch together at noon. We can have some toast first. Jacky is a thoughtful child. We stayed at his sidest night and promised him to have breakfast with him this morning. We¡¯ll go back now.

    If there is anything else, we wille again.¡±

    Jenna went to bid Jazelle a farewell at the kitchen beforeing back to pull Hansen up from the sofa. Only then did the two of them leave the house.

    After they had left, Jazelle came from the kitchen and sat down beside her husband. ¡°Lamar, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°We still need to get to the bottom of it. From what we can tell now is that there are still many suspicions.

    That said, we can¡¯t trust all their words blindly, especially Hansen. Just by looking at his two sons, I can tell what kind of astute businessman he is. He acted so civilly as soon as he came here. That show of apology-and-contrition of his was impressive, I must say. I was almost moved by it. If it hadn¡¯t been for the pull you gave me at the critical moment to remind me, I would have forgotten our aim.

    It seems that my willpower isn¡¯t as strong as yours.¡±

    Jazelle grinned. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything just now. Hadn¡¯t we agreed that I would only be watching from the sidelines and remind you if anything went wrong?¡±

    ¡°There was no other options left for us. They are not ordinary people. Not everyone can develop such a big business up to international level. Their two sons aren¡¯t simple either. If we weren¡¯t careful, we might be screwed. What have I done wrong in my life? Why do I have to deal with such a hard nut to crack?¡±

    ¡°Quite the reverse. You must have been practicing good deeds that two children and I are vouchsafed to you. Even if we had lost our daughter, didn¡¯t we find her back? Isn¡¯t heaven good for us? There is no such thing as an unimpeded journey in life. Now that we are all healthy and that our children have grown up into considerate individuals, what more could we ask for?¡±

    ¡°What an silver tongue you¡¯ve gotten.¡± Lama cuddled his wife and patted her on the back, narrowing his eyes and mulling over this issue.

    ¡­

    Outside the door, Hansen, who was leaving, wore a darkened expression. It was a tricky affair for him to solve.

    Jenna pulled him and said, ¡°Hansen, why were you so hasty? You scared the daylights out of me.¡±

    Hansenughed. ¡°As the saying goes, the apple never falls far from a tree. Lamar isn¡¯t the most difficult to deal with.After all, he is a man who cares about image and courtesy. He will still concede on the surface.¡±

    ¡°Jazelle, who was sitting behind him, shouldn¡¯t be underestimated.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Jenna didn¡¯t quiteprehend. ¡°I think Jazelle is simr to Deanna. She seems naive and amiable.¡±

    ¡°She might seem amiable, but I¡¯m afraid she¡¯s more calctive than us.When I was speaking, Jazelle gave Lamer a pull when he hesitated for a moment. It seems that they don¡¯t want to let it go just like this.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that Jazelle is unwilling to let Raeleigh marry into our family?¡±

    ¡°She is already a member of our family. To divorce is easier said than done. Even if she wants to remarry Jerry after divorce, I won¡¯t allow it. Moreover, Jerry won¡¯t divorce.

    He is heedful of Raeleigh¡¯s matter. I think he has long since known that his grandmother was the one who took Raeleigh away in the past.

    Dad must be worried that Lamar would not allow Raeleigh to marry Jerry easily due to what happened back then that he still helped Jerry.

    Clever as he is, Jerry is indeed my son.¡±

    Not only did Hansen not appear glum, but he was alsoughing more cheerfully than anyone else. Discerning his smugness and joyfulness, Jenna couldn¡¯t help but say to him, ¡°You weren¡¯t like this just now. Why are you so happy now?¡±

    Hansen beamed at her. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I be happy? The marriage has been established, and the parents of the two families have met. And they want to propose a divorce just because of a little conflict? Seriously? The children haven¡¯t even expressed any intention to divorce, so we have no rights to do so either.¡±

    Jenna considered for a while after hearing Hansen¡¯s words. ¡°Why were they so serious back then?¡±

    ¡°How were they going to test us if they weren¡¯t serious?¡± Hansen took his wife into his arms. The weather was still cold. To prevent freezing, they walked faster. Jenna asked, ¡°So, you mean that they were trying to test us because they approve the marriage between Raeleigh and Jerry?¡±

    Jenna was still confused.

    ¡°Since they approved, could it be that¡­¡± she thought about this.

    Soon, Hansen gave her the answer.

 Chapter 1523 Coming for Deanna

    ¡°Regarding Raeleigh¡¯s matter, they are pretty passive. They can¡¯t just force them apart since Raeleigh and Jerry are already together. They have spent so many years searching for her. They wouldn¡¯t turn their daughter down at this moment. Jerry did things in such a swift manner that they didn¡¯t see iting. Therefore, they wouldn¡¯t approve Raeleigh¡¯s marriage when we visited them this time.

    They have yet to hold their wedding and are not in a hurry to, so let¡¯s put this aside.¡±

    No one had ever been able to change Hansen¡¯s decision, including Jenna. Furthermore, Jenna had always been supportive to him.

    The couple walked for a bit and arrived at Jacky¡¯s house, who had already bought breakfast. There were some pastries and toast. Jenna praised him before the three of them sat down to have breakfast together.

    After that, Jenna felt drowsy and went to catch some sleep at nine o¡¯clock, intending to have lunch with Lamar and Jazelle at noon.

    ¡­

    Concurrently, Deanna had disembarked from the ne. She was so worn out that she had gotten sore bones all over.

    Arriving at the airport, she nced at her parents before leaving separately with them, afraid someone would recognize her. However, with her fleshy appearance, nobody recognized her. There was also a person who impersonated her and left with her parents.

    In the car, Deanna called Zorion. She didn¡¯t take the same car as her parents as her destination was another house purchased by the Whalen family. Hence, they went on different routes. It could be seen that the protective measures were well established.

    While Deanna was making the call, a car stopped at the fork on the road ahead. Being blocked, the chauffeur had to stop. Deanna said, ¡°Someone¡¯s car stopped at the intersection. We can¡¯t get through it. Zorion, I¡¯m going to take a look. I¡¯ll get back to youter.¡±

    ¡°Deanna¡­¡±

    Zorion wanted to tell her not to get out of the car, but Deanna¡¯s speed was beyond his expectation. She had already hung up before he could say anything.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Miss Deanna, Mr. Rayan instructed me not to let you off before we reach the destination.¡±

    The chauffeur couldn¡¯t bear the consequences if something happened.

    The car stopped in front of them looked so familiar to her, as though she had seen it somewhere else before. She couldn¡¯t sit still, especially after the person inside that car hade into her sight. It seemed to be Jacky.

    When the bodyguards of the Whalen family saw that someone was in their way, they instantly went forward, preparing to chase that car away. They were in the Whalen family¡¯s territory, and no one was allowed to be presumptuous.

    However, nobody emerged from the car in front of them, which made the chauffeur keyed up. He immediately called Rayan.

    Receiving the call, Rayan gave an order to stop the car. He didn¡¯t approach that car directly since he had made the arrangements for his men to take action.

    ¡°Get down.¡± The bodyguards of the Whalen family tapped the window twice. Jacky rolled down the window and stared at the person knocking on the window. When the person knocking on the window saw that it was Jacky, he stepped back right away. Rayan stretched his neck and looked outside to find that it was none other than Jacky.

    ¡°Jacky?¡±

    Deanna blinked twice, pushed open the door and got out of the car.

    The chauffeur also got out to stop her, and it irked Deanna. ¡°Get out of my way!¡±

    Deanna tilted her headangrily. She looked just like astarved tiger, ready to pounce on its prey at any time and ce. Sitting inside the car and holding the steering wheel tightly, Jacky did not see her. As he detected the displeasing note in her voice, he started the engine and mmed the elerator twice.

    It attracted Deanna¡¯s attention. Looking over in nervousness, she lifted her hand and pushed the chauffeur, who dared not resist, speak, nor stop her.

    It might be risky for her and her baby if he did anything.

    The chauffeur said, ¡°If anything happens to you, Miss, Mr. Rayan won¡¯t spare me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m going to look for Jacky. Get out of my way, or something will be happening to me right now.¡± Deanna wore a livid expression. The chauffeur looked backward and told the people behind, ¡°Inform Mr. Zorion fast.¡±

    Someone notified Zorion of what happened. Deanna pushed the chauffeur away and casually sashayed over toward Jacky¡¯s car. She was round in shape and wore quite a fewyers of clothes. With the coat, she looked even more chubby. At first nce, Jacky almost couldn¡¯t recognize her, but her voice indicated her identity. In addition, he couldn¡¯t forget her beautiful eyes.

    ¡°Get in.¡± Jacky opened the back door while Deanna pushed away the bunch of people in front of her and got onto the car. There was some stuff in the car, including a teddy bear and the woolen mat on the seat. It seemed like Jacky had prepared these for Deanna a day ago.

    Jacky shot a nce at Deanna, who was pouting but did not cry. As the door had been closed, he drove off.

    The people left behind were dumbfounded, wondering what they should do.

    Sitting at the back seat, Deanna gazed at Jacky, frowned, and pouted. She sized up Jacky and then looked at herself. ¡°Why are you so thin?¡±

    Jacky didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry, ¡°I¡¯m a man. Why should I be fat?¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ve gained weight. You don¡¯t match me when you¡¯re beside me.¡±

    Jacky was speechless.

    He almost burst intoughter, but he repressed it and said, ¡°You¡¯re pregnant. You¡¯ll start losing weight when you start breastfeeding.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Deanna pondered for a moment before leaning through the front seat to nt a kiss on Jacky¡¯s cheek. Soon after, she returned.

    Jacky was stunned and frightened momentarily, but he was filled with contentment right after that.

    Through the rear-view mirror, he saw that she was holding the teddy bear and that she had decked out in loose fancy clothes. It was just that her big belly was a burden for her.

    ¡°Is it twins?¡± With that enormous belly of hers, Jacky couldn¡¯t help but suspect so.

    He didn¡¯t mind having twins, but he was worried that it would be riskier.

    Deanna shook her head. ¡°The doctor said it isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Is it a boy or a girl?¡±

    ¡°A boy, but the doctor wasn¡¯t very certain.¡± Deanna carefully darted a nce at Jacky, who wasn¡¯t disappointed. He said, ¡°I thought it would be a girl, but it¡¯s good that it¡¯s a boy. We wouldn¡¯t have to worry much.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like girls?¡±

    Deanna was loquacious along the way, but she was exhausted after the flight. It didn¡¯t take long for her to fall asleep in the back seat. She only woke up when they reached Waverly Vige.

    She opened her eyes and rubbed them. ¡°Is this Waverly Vige?¡±

    At this moment, they were near the attic. Jacky emerged from the car, opened the car rear door, bent over and began kissing her.

    Deanna wrapped her hands around his neck. The sound of having her lips bitten was so loud, and she almost went out of breath.

    Even Jacky himself was having shortness of breath due to the deep kiss. Then, he let go of her, stared at her face, and nted a kiss on her forehead. Subsequently, he bent down, stepped back, and signaled her to get off.

    After she got out of the car, he bent and carried her into his arms.

    ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m too heavy.¡± Deanna felt a little embarrassed.

    ¡°I might need to carry you when you¡¯re going intobor. I need to practice now.¡± With her in his arms, Jacky went straight to the top of the attic. Deanna leaned against his chest without caring whether her family was brooding over her or not. Looking at Jacky¡¯s face, she hugged him tightly on impulse, ¡°Jacky, let¡¯s live here without separating. Is that okay?¡±

    Jacky¡¯s body slightly trembled as he was touched. ¡°Of course. Why not?¡±

    ¡­

    When Raeleigh and the others were having lunch, they heard that someone had arrived at Waverly Vige. Only then did Raeleigh know that Rayan hade for Deanna.

 Chapter 1524 The Man Who Betrayed His Sister

    ¡°Is Rayan here?¡± Jenna was having lunch when she heard the news from her youngest son, Santiago. She stood up, feeling interested in the turns in events. However, Hansen¡¯s face fell in an instant. He cast a nce at his beloved wife and said, ¡°Is Hannah here as well?¡±

    ¡°Aunt Hannah is here too. They¡¯re all at the entrance of the vige and want toe in.¡± Santiago got up and left while Jazelle asked, ¡°Is Rayan the man who appeared on the Billionaires List some time ago?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hansen was sitting opposite Jazelle and Lamar. As Jazelle inquired, he gave her the answer.

    Jazelle asked again, ¡°Is their daughter here too?¡±

    Jenna was also unclear about this matter. She looked inquiringly at her son, who sat beside her. Jepherson then replied, ¡°I¡¯ve no clue. Santiago went to take a look.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s continue our lunch then,¡± Jenna said, still a little concerned. Didn¡¯t they say that Deanna was abroad? Why the sudden appearance?

    Worried, she stood up after eating some food. Although it was somewhat rude to leave halfway through lunch, she still said, ¡°Rayan¡¯s wife, Hannah, is my good friend. Now that she¡¯s here, I can¡¯t just sit here. She had been staying abroad, and I don¡¯t know why she is here. I¡¯m going to have a look. Hansen will keep youpany.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Jepherson, who then got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll also go and have a look.¡±

    The mother and son turned around and went outside, whereas Hansen remained motionless. Raeleigh cogitated for a moment before she spoke a few words in Jazelle¡¯s ear. After that, Jazelle gazed at her and said, ¡°Really? Go ahead then. Xanthus, you go too.¡±

    As Jazelle spoke, Raeleigh stood up, but she didn¡¯t let Xanthus apany her.

    ¡°Xanthus, you¡¯d better stay here to keep thempany.¡±

    As Raeleigh finished her words, she turned and went outside. Coming out of the door, she headed for the entrance of the vige right away. At this time, many vigers had assembled here and were looking in that direction. Following the crowd, Raeleigh also did the same. Some people were standing at the entrance of the vige, which was swamped with numerous cars. Jepherson and the others were there too. Afterward, Raeleigh approached them and saw Rayan, Hannah, and Zorion, who had just gotten out of their car.

    After a brief pause, she walked toward Jepherson.

    ¡°Hannah.¡± Seeing Hannah, Jenna walked over without dy. Hannah was like a cat on a hot tin roof. When she saw Jenna, she took Jenna¡¯s hand right away and held it tightly while saying, ¡°Deanna has been kidnapped. She¡¯s in the vige.¡±

    Surprised, Jenna turned around and looked at Raeleigh, who was beside her. She couldn¡¯t react in time to the news. Seeing that Hannah was about to cry out in trepidation, she believed that this was not a scam.

    ¡°Rayan?¡±

    Rayan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good either. ¡°Jacky has kidnapped Deanna. I won¡¯t let him off. Tell Jacky that if I don¡¯t see Deanna in an hour, I¡¯ll destroy this freaking vige.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Whalen, perhaps you¡¯ve mistaken?¡± Santiago asked from the side. Rayan then snorted, ¡°I know very well what this is all about. If Jacky doesn¡¯t hand over Deanna, he will have to bear the consequences.¡±

    Turning around, Rayan returned to the car. Hannah followed suit and sat inside it dazedly.

    ¡°Has this Jacky gone mad?¡± Hannah was confused by Jacky¡¯s action. To her, he had gone too far. They had already given him many chances. They had alwaysplied when he requested to see their daughter. How was he still not satisfied?

    If they didn¡¯t want to let him live, he would have died long ago.

    In the end, he still abducted their daughter.

    Leaning in Rayan¡¯s arms, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if Deanna is fine. She¡¯s so heavily pregnant. Did she sleep and eat well?¡±

    He threw a nce at his wife. ¡°I think she must be in a better state than you. You¡¯ve been fretting about her, but I doubt if she¡¯s doing the same for you.¡±

    Even though he pulled a long face and had brought his men to the entrance of Waverly Vige, Jacky¡¯s courage did gain his recognition. If it were someone else, they would have begged for mercy a long time ago. Jacky dared to kidnap his daughter without giving a damn who he was. There were very few young people nowadays who didn¡¯t prioritize worldly possessions.

    Rayan was aware of what was going on. He was only here to put on an act and let the people in Capital City know that someone had dared toy a finger on his daughter.

    He was a big shot in Capital City, whereas Jacky was a nobody from Waverly Vige. How dare he kidnap his daughter!

    All this was Rayan¡¯s countermove.

    Hannah was sad, but he couldn¡¯t tell her the truth. He could only hold andfort her softly.

    Seeing that both of them had gone into the car, Jenna looked strangely at Zorion, who was standing opposite to her, and asked, ¡°Zorion, wasn¡¯t Deanna abroad? Why did shee back?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. I will exin it to youter.¡± Zorion had no choice but to answer so at the moment. He could not go back to see his parents because it was he who betrayed his sister.

    Rubbing his forehead, he felt a little ufortable and coughed twice.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°Mr. Zorion, Mr. Rayan wants you in his car now. He seems to have something to say to you,¡± said the chauffeur after getting off the car. Only then did Zorion turn and go back.

    The Whalen family¡¯s vehicle was a luxurious van. Rayan and his wife sat inside and gazed at their son. Even if Rayan did not say it, Hannah knew that this matter had something to do with her son.

    For a moment, Hannah was disappointed. The two children of hers had a strong sibling bond since childhood. She had never thought that it was her son who betrayed her daughter in the end.

    Rayan summoned Zorion into the car. He then looked at his son, who was sick and had a pallidplexion. How could he not worry about his son?

    Rayan ordered the chauffeur to get off. Thus, there were only the three of them in the car. He then asked his son, ¡°Does this have anything to do with you?¡±

    Zorion coughed. Hannah was heartbroken that she no longer wanted to know the truth. Both Zorion and Deanna were her children, and she would be content as long as they were fine. She had a rough idea about what was going on. If it hadn¡¯t been for Jacky, Zorion wouldn¡¯t have done this. Since this was the case, there was no need to pressure him into admitting it.

    However, Rayan held his wife tightly and did not allow her to be soft-hearted at this moment. If she could not bear it, his n would be messed up. He wouldn¡¯t allow that to happen.

    Sure enough, Zorion admitted it.

    Zorion said, ¡°Rossie has been kidnapped by Jacky. He threatened to let his man marry her unless I deceived Deanna intoing back.¡±

    ¡°How dare you betray your sister!¡±

    Rayan snorted. Zorion had indeed let him down, but he was his son after all. Rayan didn¡¯t beat him, nor did he let him off. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything else hereafter. I have a piece ofnd in the countryside. Go and farm it.¡±

    Hannah looked at her husband. ¡°Thend is full of ice and snow. What do you want him to farm?¡±

    Rayan remained silent with a darkened expression.

    ¡°Zorion is always coughing. The doctor said that he is not as healthy as before due to the broken rtionship. With his weak body, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to let him farm in the countryside..¡±

    ¡°If he had seen thising, he wouldn¡¯t have betrayed his sister for a woman,¡± Rayan said. Hannah¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she did not dare to speak up for Zorion anymore.

 Chapter 1525 Emergency Treatment for Zorion

    There was silence in the car. Hannah stared at Zorion for a long time before she said, ¡°Your father is angry. You¡¯d better go to the countryside. I will visit¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t visit him. Let him fend for himself,¡± said Rayan before Hannah could finish her words. Hannah¡¯s heart missed a beat, and she looked up at her husband. ¡°How can you do this?¡±

    ¡°How did he treat Deanna? I¡¯ve already been lenient with him. If I were to be crueler, I would have thrown him into the sea to feed the fishes.¡±

    Zorion didn¡¯t say a word as he sat opposite Rayan. He had a zed look in his eyes as his mind was in a state of chaos.

    He knew that he was wrong, but he did not expect the consequences to be this serious. But what was done could not be undone as he had made a horrible mistake.

    Just then, he copsed while he was looking at the ground.

    In response to this, Hannah let out an exmation. Jenna, who was standing outside, heard it and walked over at once. The car door swung open, and she saw Hannah trembling while holding Zorion¡¯s head.

    Rayan asked the chauffeur to get in and send them to the hospital. Jenna got on without hesitation and followed them.

    Raeleigh and the Richards brothers also got on. Only then did the people around the entrance of the vige leave. For a moment, the vige regained its tranquility.

    ¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to see your current condition. I thought the one who had the incident that day was someone else. In fact, I was there at that time.¡± Standing beside Logan, Rossie gave him some medicine and water and waited for him to take it.

    In these few days, Rossie¡¯s task was to take care of Logan. Due to this, Logan had been recuperating much faster than before. He was able to stand up and walk a few steps that day.

    In a wheelchair, Logan took it from her and drank some water.

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t Zorione to look for you yet?¡± Logan did have a crush on Rossie. He had been looking forward to meeting her this time, but he didn¡¯t behave the same as before. He would never forget how he had betrayed Jacky to retaliate against Zorion. Simrly, he would never make the same mistake again.

    Anyhow, he was pleased to see Rossie. When ites to love, the unattainable one would be the most desirable. It was good enough for him to see her and talk to her.

    ¡°He wille to find me sooner orter. But this time, you guys have used me to coerce him into handing over his sister and deceiving his parents. He must have been upset. He regards his sister as someone more important than his own life. There¡¯s no way he could ept it willingly.¡±

    Sitting aside, Rossie fixed her eyes on Logan. She was aware of the current situation, and she knew that Zorion must be having a tough time.

    ¡°In the past, I used to think that I hated Zorion, but now, I don¡¯t want him to die.¡±

    As Logan spoke, he looked at the door. Rossie cracked a smile. ¡°The two of you have gotten even.¡±

    None of them spoke.

    Little did Rossie expect that the next time she saw Zorion, his appearance had already changed, and she almost couldn¡¯t recognize him.

    It wasn¡¯t until Rossie had had her dinner that she met Jacky. Entering the room, he nced at the two of them. ¡°Say your farewell. Rossie, I¡¯ll bring you outter. I¡¯ve promised Zorion to send you back once Deanne has arrived.¡±

    Rossie turned around and looked at Logan. ¡°Keep this number in mind. I¡¯ve been using this phone number. I¡¯ll call you whenever I¡¯m free.¡±

    ¡°No need for that, and you don¡¯t have to call me. A person like me-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle and visit you.¡±

    When Rossie left, she didn¡¯t take another look at Logan, neither did she show reluctance. She just said that she woulde and visit him.

    Jacky stood inside the vige without stepping out of the entrace of the vige as he said, ¡°I can¡¯t go out right now because a dozen of guns are waiting for me out there. You¡¯re Zorion¡¯s woman. They won¡¯t shoot you.¡±

    Rossie looked at Jacky. ¡°Goodbye.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what I¡¯ve done.¡±

    As he finished his words, Jacky turned around and returned to the vige. Rossie, on the other hand, turned and walked out. The car of the Whalen family was parked not too far away. She got into it and went to the hospital. By the time she arrived at the hospital, Zorion was undergoing first aid.

    Rossie had been asking about who had been hospitalized along the way. The person who brought her here was Zorion¡¯s exclusive chauffeur. If it were someone else, Rossie would not have gotten onto the car she saw outside Waverly Vige.

    The chauffeur didn¡¯t dare to tell her the truth. He wasn¡¯t certain as to what had happened to Zorion. All he knew was that Zorion suddenly passed out inside the car. After being sent to the hospital for a check-up, the doctor told them that his body disyed symptoms of pneumonia. What was more, he might developplications. At this time, the medical personnel was still giving emergency treatment to him.

    However, the surgery hadsted for a few hours already. Therefore, the chauffeur dared not to draw a conclusion.

    Getting near to the emergency room and seeing that the lights in it were on, Rossie felt jittery all of a sudden. Rayan and Hannah had seen her before, but this was the first time for the three of them to have an official face-to-face meeting.

    There were Rossie¡¯s photos in Deanna¡¯s phone, and of course, Rayan would investigate the background of the woman his son had taken a fancy to.

    Compared to the photos on Deanna¡¯s phone and his investigation, Rayan admitted that Rossie was more eye-catching in real life.

    It was no wonder that his son could not resist the charm of an angel like her.

    Raeleigh and the Richards brothers were also with them. Santiago leaned against a chair. He did not think that Zorion¡¯s life would be in jeopardy. To put it bluntly, he thought Zorion was only having a cold.

    Since his mother was here, he had to stay.

    Raeleigh sat down beside Jenna, whereas Jepherson sat opposite to them. As soon as Rossie arrived, she had gone directly to the door of the emergency room, taking no notice of these people.

    Raeleigh was not surprised to see Rossie. She even knew where Rossie had been staying in the Waverly Vige.

    Now that so many troubles had transpired, Raeleigh did feel a little guilty. Although she nned to kill two birds with one stone, the oue wasn¡¯t gratifying.

    Hence, she reminded herself that she¡¯d better not do bad things, even if she had a good intention.

    Raeleigh and the others didn¡¯t say anything. At present, Jenna was reeling in amazement. She didn¡¯t expect Rossie to be so pretty and have strikingly fair skin.

    Still, Raeleigh was better than Rossie in Jenna¡¯s eyes.

    Rayan shot a nce at Rossie, who wore a red knee-length coat and a casual ponytail. She looked reserved and elegant. She didn¡¯t wear make-up, nor did she put on nail polish. In this era, not many girls were like her. Either they had extraordinary confidence, or they didn¡¯t care what people thought about them. In short, they were non-materialistic.

    Rayan was no ordinary man. He could tell a person¡¯s character at first nce.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Rossie had met with his approval.

    Closing his eyes, Rayan held his wife¡¯s hand. Hannah had cried her eyes out. She couldn¡¯t think of anything else. Even though Rossie was here, Hannah was in no mood to talk to her. She just sat there absentmindedly, as though she had gone dumb.

 Chapter 1526 What a Pity

    They had devoted most of their time to taking care of their daughter, thereby leading to the neglect of their son. Otherwise, how would he have suffered from such disease?

    The heartbrokenHannah was in profound regret-so much so that her heart wasn¡¯t in anything else.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, Miss Lautner is here,¡± the chauffeur reminded her. After that, Hannah slowly raised her head, but she did not say a word at the sight of Rossie. On the other hand, Rossie looked in the direction of Hannah and Rayan and took the initiative to approach them, bending down to speak.

    ¡°Uncle, Aunt.¡±

    Originally, Hannah intended to reply to something. However, before she could do so, she heard her husband say, ¡°So, you¡¯re the Rossie Lautner who¡¯s harmed Zorion and Deanna?¡±

    Rossie was flummoxed for a second, on reflex.

    Raeleigh and the others also fixed their eyes on Rossie and Rayan. This matter didn¡¯t seem to be simple.

    Raeleigh darted a nce at Jepherson from across her. His eyes were lowering slightly, an indication that he would not meddle in this matter.

    Then, she nced at Santiago, who was yawning tantly.

    Her curiosity sparked, Jenna stared at both the father-inw and daughter-inw.

    She wondered which episode from Keeping Up With The Whalens this was.

    Hannah gradually stopped crying andlooked at the Rayan next to her. ¡°Rayan?¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I won¡¯t forgive a woman who hurt my son and daughter, let alone allow her to marry into our family. Such a woman is-shall I say-out of our league.¡±

    Rossie could hear the condescension directed at her background in Rayan¡¯s words.

    ¡°Uncle, this is a misunderstanding. Zorion and I are just friends. I have no intention of marrying him.¡±

    Rossie wasn¡¯t a fool, nor was she weak-willed. It was just that she hade across a headstrong and willful man like Zorion. That was why she hadn¡¯t been able to do anything to fend him off.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see if it¡¯s a misunderstanding. Zorion ends up in this hellholecourtesy of you. Oh well, I¡¯ll alter my will. In the event that he marries you, I won¡¯t give him a single cent.¡±

    ¡°By all means, bequeath all your property to him, because you won¡¯t see him marry me in your lifetime.¡±

    Rossie pivoted on her heels and walked to the door of the emergency room. She looked at the sign to the emergency room, waiting for Zorion toe out.

    Only then did Hannah sense that something was amissandlook at her husband. ¡°Rayan, you¡­¡±

    ¡°For a woman, he harmed his own sister. Won¡¯t he harm me in the future?¡±

    Rayan deliberately spoke within Rossie¡¯s earshot. The chauffeur stood by the side with his head lowered slightly whereas Rossie gazed at Rayan and said, ¡°You can rest assured that Deanna is fine. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about her.¡±

    Rossie walked up to Rayan and Hannah, exuding a doughty demeanor. Hannah cast a nce at her husband, who didn¡¯t think that he had gone too far at all.

    ¡°Deanna is my daughter. How I¡¯ll act is my own business, and I don¡¯t need you to tell me. What do you think?¡± Rayan opened his eyes and stared at Rossie. The sharpness and coldness in his eyes could be seen.

    Rossie did not back down. She had experienced far more than this. After what she had been through in her family and with Zorion, over her dead body would she yield to anyone.

    ¡°Deanna is your daughter, yes, but she is an entity of her own. If you gave birth to her just to let her be your daughter, then I have nothing to say. I also have a father just like you. He wanted me to marry the man he had chosen for me, hoping that I could bring him a considerable amount of wealth, even if that man was an infirm old geezer. Regardless of the man I were to marry, whether it was the one I liked, or the one he chose for me, it made no difference to him. In his eyes, they were all men, and all of them could eat, sleep, and spread their seeds.

    He took it for granted that I should repay him in return for his kindness of bringing me up.

    Of course, as his child, I ought to perform my filial duty, just like you think that Deanna¡¯s future husband should be determined by you so that she would be leading a worthwhile lie.¡±

    Rayan¡¯s eyes grew sharper as he said, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for me worrying that Zorion will me me after he wakes up, I would have wiped you off the face of earth by now.¡±

    ¡°You know, you don¡¯t have to tell him that you¡¯ve killed me.Just let him live in the hope that I¡¯m still alive, provided that you don¡¯t feel guilty.

    As for Deanna, I think in this world, nobody other than Jacky will make a perfect couple with her. He¡¯s the only one who can give her what she needs.¡±

    With that, Rossie turned away and continued to observe the light above the door of the emergency room.

    Raeleigh looked at Rossie in amazement. In fact, what she said was the truth known by everyone. It was just that no one dared say it aloud. She did not expect Rossie to be so bold.

    It seemed to Raeleigh that Rossie was burning her bridges.

    Jenna liked Rossie very much that she even smiled. If Zorion hadn¡¯t met this girl, she would have fixed Rossie and her son up.

    She thought, ¡°What a pity¡­¡±

    Santiago leaned against the seat and waited for the result whereas Jepherson remained wordless.

    When someone came out of the emergency room, Rossie asked, ¡°How is the patient?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an acute pneumonia. He¡¯s fine now,¡± the doctor said as he came out of the room. Not long after that, Zorion had been brought out too.

    Seeing him, Rossie walked over and looked down at his pasty face. ¡°Zorion, Zorion¡­¡±

    Hannah also got up and walked over. When she heard that her son was all right, she fixed her eyes on Rossie.

    Concurrently, Rayan gave a snort. ¡°Hmph.¡±

    Rayan turned around and left while Hannah turned to look at him before chasing after him.

    The chauffeur failed to grasp what was happening. He was in two minds whether to leave. Atst, he stayed for the sake of Zorion.

    Hannah caught up with her husband. ¡°Rayan, what are you doing?¡±

    Rayan got into the car and gazed at his wife as the anger on his face was fading away. ¡°Let them be alone. Even if we stay, there¡¯s nothing we can do to help. We still need to deal with Deanna¡¯s matter.¡±

    ¡°Then what about Zorion? He is still in there.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not a child, and the chauffeur is there, not to mention that girl. Didn¡¯t you see that? She isn¡¯t an easy touch. Who dares to do anything to her? Is there anything she can¡¯t do?¡±

    Rayan grinned. ¡°It¡¯s good to have her. If something really happens in the future, I¡¯m afraid that we can¡¯t count on Deanna.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t we have Jacky?¡± Hannah actually liked Jacky quite a bit. However, there were times when things did not develop in ordance with her wishes. Therefore, she could only stand on the other side and disagree with her daughter.

    ¡°Although Jacky can be a helper, it doesn¡¯t mean that he can do anything himself. At the end of the day, brothers aren¡¯t as close as spouses.¡±

    Hannah felt the same. Just like Jenna and her,they might have been each other¡¯s ride and die, but they still had to separate. They couldn¡¯t really ask each other all kinds of favors. On the contrary, a married couple was different. They would be together every day, and he or she would know even if the partner had lost a hair.

    With this idea, Hannah was relieved.

    ¡°Then what are we going to do now?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Waverly Vige.¡±

 Chapter 1527 An Ambush

    As a result, Hannah went to Waverly Vige again. Meanwhile, Jenna, who was in the hospital, stood up after deliberating for a while. ¡°Raeleigh, Santiago and I will go back first. There must be someone to stay and take care of them. Why don¡¯t you stay and keep Miss Lautnerpany?¡±

    ¡°I got it.¡± Raeleigh concurred with Jenna. Jepherson got up. ¡°Mom, let Santiago stay, I¡¯ll go back with you. As for here, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯lle back to change shifts with Santiago and Raeleigh at night.¡±

    Raeleigh threw a nce at Jepherson. Since he had made such an arrangement, then so be it.

    After Jenna and Jepherson left, Raeleigh made a phone call.

    ¡°Mom, something happened to Zorion. Rossie is also here. I have to stay and help taking care of them,I probably won¡¯t go back today.¡±

    ¡°Sweetheart, why are you taking care of them?¡± Jazelle didn¡¯t quite understand. Was this Zorion on good terms with her daughter? She pondered on this.

    Raeleigh considered momentarily.¡°There is no one here. I can¡¯t really exin it. It has something to do with Deanna and Jacky. Ask Xanthus if you want to know more.¡±

    ¡°I see. Be careful.¡±

    Hanging up, Jazelle instantly went to ask her son what had happened. There were no other people in the house. Hansen had gone to other ces, thus it was convenient for them to talk.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    It wasn¡¯t until Xanthus had exined the general situation to Jazelle that she finally apprehended what was going on.

    However,other people¡¯s family issues was not her bailiwick. She still focused on her own affairs.

    After Jenna and Jepherson left, Raeleigh went to Zorion¡¯s ward, but didn¡¯t enter. Instead, she stood outside and looked into the ward to find that there was nothing for her to help. In fact, the reason why she was left here was that she had nothing to do at home, and that it was not easy for her to get out after she went back.

    However, Raeleigh felt a little guilty when she sat aside. It was rare for her parents to pay her a visit, and it seemed too unfilial of her to take care of others.

    ¡°A penny for your thoughts?¡± Seeing that Raeleigh was staring into space, Santiago sat beside her and crossed his long legs. Raeleigh gazed at the wall. ¡°The university break will be over in a few days. I think this winter break is the longest break of my life, like, years just whizzed by.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, aren¡¯t you quite the drama queen.¡± Santiago was amused. Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°You¡¯re all smiley faces, twenty-four-seven. Won¡¯t you get tired?¡±

    ¡°Why will I feel tired when I smile?¡±

    ¡°Your face is full of wrinkles when you smile.¡±

    Raeleigh squinted and leaned against the wall, intending to have a rest. She was worn out.

    Santiago nced at her and lifted his arm to pull her over. He used one hand to hold Raeleigh¡¯s head while she was struggling to break free. Santiago told her, ¡°Take a nap. When things are stabilized, I¡¯ll take you to rest outside. This hospital is a total spook house.¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± Raeleigh wanted tough. ¡°Is there a time when you are not a nonsense-monger?¡±

    ¡°I love you!¡± Santiago said suddenly, which made Raeleigh dumbfounded. She wanted to raise her head and look at him, but Santiago held her head down with his big hand. ¡°Gosh, you¡¯re too ugly for me to even believe my own words.¡±

    Raeleigh tried to sit up straight while Santiago was looking at her. ¡°Not only your face is ugly, but your temper as well.¡±

    ¡°Ugly temper?¡±

    It was the first time for Raeleigh to hear someone supnting ¡°nasty¡± with ¡°ugly¡±.

    ¡°Sleep.¡± Santiago held Raeleigh in his arms. After struggling briefly, she pinched him right under his ribs. He then let go of her due to the pain.

    Raeleigh stood up and sat on the other side, closing her eyes to have a rest.

    Santiago looked up at Raeleigh, his gaze fixed on her, and the smile on his face gradually turned into a serene expression. As Raeleigh closed her eyes, he lifted his hand and stared at it. It took him a long time before he put it down, raised his head and closed his eyes to rest.

    Hearing the even sound of his breathing, Raeleigh was pretty sure that he had fallen asleep, yet she still opened her eyes to check on him.

    Raeleigh was uncertain of her own intention. She believed that Santiago had fallen asleep, but she failed to put her mind at ease and sleep well.

    She got up and gazed into the ward. Both the people in the ward were asleep. Zorion was not awake. The injection had put him in deep slumber whereas Rossie rested motionlessly beside him.

    Raeleigh took a look around. Under the current weather, the corridor of the hospital wasn¡¯t warm either.She took off her coat and covered it on Santiago, trying not to disturb him.

    Seeing that Santiago did not wake up, she went to the washroom. Then, she did a number one, came out and washed her hands. Leaving the washroom, she shot a nce at Santiago, who was still resting in the corridor.

    Devoid of any sign of sleepiness, she wanted to walk around in the hospital, and maybe to buy some food at the cafeteria downstairs. She took out her purse and checked it. There was enough money inside for a meal.

    She walked to the staircase and descended. Afterward, she reached downstairs and found that there was an empty floor in between the floor where they were in and the floor where the cafeteria was located. There was a variety of food offered.

    Raeleigh headed for one of the counters, intending to buy something to eat together with Santiagoter.

    As she was walking down, two men stalked her from behind and wanted to surround her from the left and right side. Raeleigh sensed that something was wrong, hence she immediately turned around to have a look. As soon as the men saw that Raeleigh had noticed them, they quickly approached her, intending to catch her. Raeleigh ran toward the crowd while reaching for her phone to call Santiago. However, one of the men had caught up with her and threw a kick at her hand. Consequently, the phone fell from her hand onto the ground. Raeleigh stepped back a pace while the other man quickly kicked her. Taking this opportunity, the first man had already jumped and blocked Raeleigh¡¯s route of escaping. Being driven into a corner, a trace of fury appeared in Raeleigh¡¯s eyes. ¡°Help!¡±

    As Raeleigh shouted loudly, the people around all looked over. Some of them wereing near to her, but one of the men had taken out a knife while the other one, a gun.

    Raeleigh retreated. ¡°It¡¯s not a real gun.¡±

    Hearing Raeleigh¡¯s words, the people around hurriedly walked forward. The man with the gun turned to those people. ¡°Y¡¯all better don¡¯te over. It¡¯s none of your concern. This woman stole another woman¡¯s husband. We are here to look for her, not to kill her. Don¡¯t stick your nose into this.¡±

    Once he spoke so, the people around stopped in their tracks. As ¡°homewrecker¡± and ¡°detestable¡± go hand in hand, no one would care about this, never mind call the police.

    Raeleigh retorted,¡°Funny you should say that, ¡¯cause I don¡¯t even have a boyfriend. Don¡¯t think that they will buy your words.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, how can the words of bad guys be taken seriously?¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s call the police.¡±

    As someone had spoken of calling the police-bang!-andthe man with the gun fired a shot.

    The people around cowered in fear right away. Nobody dared to approach such a madman.

    Raeleigh realized that the gunshot had given these people the fright of their lives. She turned around and was about to leap down the stairs, but before she could do it, someone stopped her by shouting, ¡°Don¡¯t jump.¡±

    Raeleigh stumped for a moment and turned around to find that Flynt hade down from above and was sporting a knee-length grey coat. His most conspicuous trait was that he had lost an arm. All of a sudden, she recollected the matter of Santiago¡¯s arm. Staring nkly at Flynt, she did not speak. She even suspected that he was the brain behind all this.

 Chapter 1528 Special Section In Hell

    Standingby the stairs,Raeleigh watched as Flynt hurried down with a worried look on his face. He came alone and unarmed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you jump.¡±

    Flynt looked at the two attackers. ¡°Who are you people? What are you doing here? This is a hospital. You can¡¯t escape now. I¡¯ve already called the police and they are on their way.¡±

    Flynt said as he walked down, his gait hesitant. The two men traded nces. Then, gun-holdingman pointed his gun at Flynt. ¡°You screwed up our n! Our boss isn¡¯t gonna like us botching up anyway, we might as well kill you. R. I. P., you sucker.¡±

    As the man spoke, he pulled the trigger and fired his gun at Flynt. However, Flynt managed to dodge the bullet and it struck the wall. Flynt shouted, ¡°Why are you still standing there!¡±

    Raeleigh disregarded everything else,turned around and ran into the crowd.

    When the attackers saw Raeleigh leave, they immediately turned to look at Flynt;however, Flynt was nowhere to be seen.

    Afraid of being caught, the two attackers fled the hospital in a hurry. At this time, the police had also arrived at the door.

    Raeleigh hid in a dark corner and watched as the two attackers ran past her. She came out once they were out of sight.

    Before the police came to them, Flynt walked over to Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, then slowly turned around to look at Flynt. However, his breathing was still ragged. Raeleigh was lost in thought when she saw him. ¡°How is it you?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t it be me? Why can¡¯t I be the hero for once?¡± After saying that, Flynt stepped towards the stairs. Raeleigh felt puzzled. Had she hit a nerve in him?

    When Raeleigh saw Flynt leaving, and since he was the one who saved her, she quickly followed him and called out, ¡°Flynt.¡±

    Flynt quickened his footsteps. If it wasn¡¯t because of the police officer who stopped him at the door, he would definitely not stop.

    ¡°You are not allowed to leave. There was an incident that happened earlier, so I need you to stay here and cooperate with us.¡± The policeman was dressed in in clothes but armed. It was only when Flynt stopped that Raeleigh managed to catch up to him.

    When Raeleigh saw the police officer, she informed him, ¡°There were two people who wanted to kill me just now. I don¡¯t know them. One was armed with a gun while the other had a knife¡­¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    Raeleigh exined to the police officer. The police officer asked Raeleigh, ¡°Who are you? What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°My name is Raeleigh Anson. I came to the hospital to visit a friend. I did not expect such a thing to happen. I¡¯m sorry to have caused you trouble. It¡¯s obvious that those people wereing for me.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, the police officer looked around and waved his hand, indicating to his men that it was safe to enter the building.

    Then, the police officer looked at Flynt, who remained quiet. ¡°You look familiar. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I was just passing by and saw that she was being chased. So, I came out to help her.¡± Flynt¡¯s face was tensed up. He did not want to show his face.

    Raeleigh thought of Moore family¡¯s strict rules and exined to the police,¡°Is it alright if we don¡¯t want this incident to be made public? We don¡¯t want our family to find out about this.¡±

    ¡°We are also worried that it will cause panic, so you can rest assured.¡± The police officer took out his walkie-talkie and asked, ¡°Did you guys manage to find anything?¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at Flynt and said, ¡°They¡¯ll probably need us to give a statement. Let¡¯s wait at the side.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and walked over to a nearby bench. She was still a little shaken up by the incident.

    After a while, Flynt walked up to the bench and took the seat beside her, not saying a word. Raeleigh quietly looked over at his coat sleeve and realised that he had lost an arm.

    Raeleigh asked him, ¡°Was it Jepherson who did this?¡±

    Flynt scoffed.¡°Need you ask?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. In fact, she knew it, but she couldn¡¯t change anything. After all, Flynt had done something he shouldn¡¯t have done. This was to teach him a lesson.

    However, no one had expected Flynt to be exiled to the countryside after he had lost his position in the Moore family.

    Raeleigh was silent for a while before changing topics. ¡°How have you been these days?¡±

    ¡°I just came over yesterday for a check up,¡± Flynt said without looking at Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh felt wronged as well. Flynt seemed to be taking out his dissatisfaction on her, but this was not her fault. If he had not acted on his own and wanted to harm Santiago, Jepherson would not have sought a tit-for-tat in the form of his arm.

    Jepherson and Santiago had already showed clemency.

    Raeleigh lowered her eyes. ¡°Thank you for earlier.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. If it happens again, I will not turn around and help you,¡± Flynt said without hesitation, his face cold.

    Raeleigh looked at Flynt.¡°There won¡¯t be a next time.¡±

    Raeleigh was toozy to talk, so she sat there and did not speak. After a long time, Flynt said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to Flynt.¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t seem to control my temper.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Flynt¡¯s no-arm arm and said, ¡°The technology is very advanced these days. You should consider recing it with prosthetics. And then you¡¯ll havethe ability to manage daily activities and stay independent. In fact, disabled people could still lead a normal life. Don¡¯t be discouraged because of this.¡±

    Raeleigh did not know what else to say. Flynt pretended to be pitiful in front of her, time and again. Even if she knew that it was Flynt who deliberately lied to her, she still could not bring herself to be indifferent.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Flynt. He shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine this way. We don¡¯t have to fight against each other in the future.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing and sat still. After sitting for a while Flynt asked, ¡°Who are you visiting?¡±

    ¡°Zorion was diagnosed with pneumonia and has been hospitalised. I came to visit him.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯re willing to visit him but not me. Am I such a pathetic excuse for a human in your eyes?¡± Flynt lowered his voice, morose.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Speak for yourself-I, for one, have never thought that way.¡±

    ¡°But every time something happened to me, you never seemed to spare me so much as a nce. I always hoped that you would at leaste and visit, but that was just wishful thinking on my part.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Raeleigh did not think about it, nor did she intend to visit him, so she kept quiet.

    While she did not answer Flynt, someone filled in for her.

    ¡°So what if she didn¡¯t visit you? Excusez-moi, but why does she have to?¡± Raeleigh heard Santiago¡¯s voice from a distance. She looked up and saw Santiago swaggering towards them, his face frosting over.

    Raeleigh sat there. She felt that something was going to happen, so she did not move. She sat there quietly and watched the devil¡¯s spawn Santiago walk towards her.

    Santiago did not even look at Raeleigh. He asked Flynt with a cold face, ¡°Have you not learned your lesson? What do you want? Courting death? There¡¯s a special section in hell reserved for a pretentious diva like you and Ican arrange that.¡±

 Chapter 1529 On The Verge Of Death

    Flynt rose to his feet. ¡°Santiago, although your brother made me lose an arm, I don¡¯t hate you guys as much as you hate me.¡±

    Raeleigh could smell the hostility in the air, so she immediately stood up from her seat. She reached out to stop Santiago, who then pushed her. She lost her bnce andnded heavily onto the chair.

    She felt as if she was thrown harshly into the chair as her face suddenly turned pale.

    Flynt immediately reached out to help Raeleigh up. ¡°You okay?¡±

    Santiago yanked Flynt away and yelled, ¡°Stay the hell away from her!¡±

    Flynt only had one arm. He stumbled backwards when Santiago manhandled him, almost falling to the ground.

    Flynt steadied himself and looked towards Raeleigh. He took a deep breath and looked at Santiago. ¡°Santiago, you¡¯ve gone too far. I did not provoke you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you did not, but I know you¡¯re fixated with her,¡± Santiago taunted. Raeleigh¡¯s ability to respond had been hijacked by anger, her face ashen.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Flynt was amused.¡°What about you then? Don¡¯t forget that she¡¯s your brother¡¯s woman.¡±

    When Flynt said this, his voice was a borderline scream. Santiago gritted his teeth and said, ¡°That¡¯s none of your business. Flynt Moore, you asked for it!¡±

    Santiago rushed up to Flynt, then kicked and punched him, knocking him to the ground. Flynt was at a disadvantage since he only had one arm. He fell to the ground, his body trembling.

    When the police officers arrived and saw that it was Santiago, they did not dare to intervene and shooed the surrounding people away.

    After they left, Santiago walked up to Flynt and gave him a hard kick. ¡°Do not ever do it again, or you¡¯ll be sorry.¡±

    Raeleigh was sitting on the chair and did not get up. She was in so much pain that her forehead started to bead with sweat.

    Santiago walked over to Raeleigh, bent down to pick her up, and strode out of the hospital.

    However, momentster, he turned around and carried her to Zorion¡¯s ward instead. When he arrived outside of his ward, he threw Raeleigh onto one of the chairs. Raeleigh was in great pain and could no longer endure the pain. She let out a scream when she was tossed into the chair. She felt as if her entire body was about to break into pieces.

    Tears welled up in her eyes but she could not mutter a single word.

    Raeleigh sat in the chair as the pain shot through her entire body. Santiago took a seat opposite of her. He clenched his teeth and stared at her sweaty face.

    Raeleigh¡¯s hair was a little damp because of her sweat. However, Santiago ignored it and just stared at her.

    Zorion had already regained consciousness after receiving treatment. When he woke up and saw Rossie still asleep, he did not want to interrupt her. However, a loud bang at the door startled Rossie awake.

    As soon as she woke up, Zorion immediately raised his hand to hold her down. Only then did Rossie slowly look up at him. She looked at him for a few minutes. During these few minutes, Raeleigh felt as if she was going to die because of the pain in her body.

    By the time Rossie wanted toe out and see what had happened, Raeleigh had already fainted.

    Rossie stood at the door for a moment. Santiago reached out and shook Raeleigh¡¯s hand, but she did not respond. His initial thought was that Raeleigh was pranking him.

    Rossie rushed over to Raeleigh and gathered her into her arms.¡°Raeleigh, Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh did not respond at all. Shey limply in Rossie¡¯s arms. Rossie looked at Santiago. ¡°What did you do? Get up!¡±

    Only then did Santiago slowly stand up and walk towards Raeleigh.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know you¡¯re just trying to scare me.¡±

    Rossie raised her head to look at Santiago, her eyes full of disbelief. ¡°She has fainted. What the hell are you talking about?¡±

    Santiago then bent down to look at Raeleigh and realised that she wasn¡¯t faking it.

    ¡°Someone please get the doctor¡­¡±

    Santiago shouted with Raeleigh in his arms. Rossie was also a little frightened. She turned around and went in search of a doctor. The driver thought that something had happened to Zorion. He was so scared that his legs went soft. It was onlyter that he found out that it was Raeleigh.

    By the time the doctor came to examine Raeleigh, she had slowly regained consciousness.

    Raeleigh had no strength when she opened her eyes. She opened her mouth and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was just in a lot of pain.¡±

    The doctor wasn¡¯t sure whether she was telling the truth or not without examining her.

    Rossie did not want to leave Zorion¡¯s side, so she could only allow Santiago to apany Raeleigh to go for an examination. However, Raeleigh insisted that she was fine, so she justy on the bed.

    ¡°I won¡¯t go anywhere. I¡¯ll just stay here.¡± Raeleigh did not want to leave. She shook her head andy on the bed. She did not feelfortable looking at Santiago.

    Sometimes, people were a little stubborn and would not listen to whatever others said. This was Raeleigh now.

    Santiago stood aside, holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand. ¡°What are you fussing about?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago in disbelief.

    Raeleigh narrowed her eyes. ¡°Rossie, can you please call Xanthus? And¡­ I lost my cellphone downstairs. I think the police might have found it. Can you please help me get it back? I¡¯m just going to rest here andwait for Xanthus toe over.¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to wrench free from Santiago¡¯s hold, but he tightened his grip around her hand.

    Zorion said, ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt her hand. She¡¯s a designer, she needs her hand.¡±

    Only then did Santiago release her hand. He nced at Zorion. ¡°Why don¡¯t you keep your nosiness out of this, huh.¡±

    Rossie could not stand it anymore. She walked up to Santiago and forcefully pulled his hand away. She scolded him, ¡°What were you doing when she fell down?¡±

    Rossie pulled Santiago away from Raeleigh and looked down at her. ¡°Raeleigh, tell me, where are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°I just can¡¯t stand seeing him. Ask him to go out.¡± Raeleigh found it hard to speak. She feltheavy in the chest.

    Santiago stood on one side with a long face. Resentment blossomed within him.

    Zorion said, ¡°Rossie, why don¡¯t you apany Raeleigh for an examination? Santiago can stay with me here.¡± Then, he said to his driver, ¡°And I want you to apany Rossie and arrange more people to monitor the whole floor. No ident should ur at this time.¡±

    Zorion made arrangements immediately. Even if he had no real power, he was the young master of the Whalen family after all, so his driver had to execute his orders.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Zorion. Miss Lautner, shall we?¡± The driver walked over to the gurney where Raeleigh was lying on. Only then, Raeleigh agreed to go for an examination.

    After leaving the ward, Raeleigh closed her eyes and had no strength in her hands. She was catching her breath andwas in a lot of difort.

    Rossie loosened her grip and lowered her head to look at Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Her arms were hanging limply. She looked as if she wasn¡¯t going to make it.

    ¡°Zorion, Zorion¡­¡± Rossie was so frightened that she turned around and ran back to Zorion¡¯s ward, with tears running down her face.

    Zorion lifted the nket and got off the bed. He pulled the cann off the back of his hand and walked towards the door. When the door opened, Zorion was stunned by Rossie¡¯s melodramatic crying.

    At this time, Santiago had also arrived outside. He was stupefied to see Raeleigh lying unresponsive on the gurney.

 Chapter 1530 Donâ€™t Want To See Him

    ¡°Why are you guys moving at a cial pace? Are you waiting for her to die?¡± Zorion red at the doctor and nurses. They were all scared out of their wits when they heard Zorion scream and hurriedly wheeled Raeleigh into the emergency room.

    Santiago waited until everyone left before following them,dragging his leg behind himself. It was as if he couldn¡¯t move.

    Soon after the doctor gave Raeleigh emergency treatment, she regained consciousness. When she opened her eyes, she realised that she was in Zorion¡¯s ward. It was easier for Rossie to take care of her that way. It was not that Rossie wanted to give Santiago a hard time, but Raeleigh did not want to see him at all. What if she passed out again after seeing him?

    Rossie had not had a good impression of Santiago from the start, and now it had gone on a downward slope.

    The first person Raeleigh saw when she opened her eyes was Santiago. At that time, she remained expressionless. When she turned her head to the side and saw Rossie and Zorion, she was in a much better mood.

    She was not angry. She couldn¡¯t afford to, because she doubted anyone would care about her if she died.

    When Rossie saw that Raeleigh had woken up, she immediately walked over. At this time, Santiago was holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand. When he saw her open her eyes, he gradually pulled his hand away. He was afraid she would pass out again. The doctor had warned him that fainting would strain her heart, and she was only a few times away from being a patient with heart failure.

    Raeleigh had cked out twice today. Although this happened rarely,it did a number to the body.

    Santiago was afraid that she would pass out again, so he hurriedly let go of her hand.

    Rossie had urged him to let her go a few times before, but he¡¯d refused and kept holding her hand. Even when his cellphone rang, he refused to answer.

    Raeleigh took her hand back and looked at Rossie. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s energy was draining along with the words.

    Rossie smiled.¡°No worries. You should be fine. The doctor did an examination on you and found nothing wrong. I¡¯ll grab you some foodter. And, oh, I found your phone, the police gave it to me. Your phone¡¯s still not dead. It¡¯s a tough one, I must say.¡±

    Rossie joked, to whichRaeleigh pantomimed a smile.

    ¡°Yikes, ain¡¯t that ugly!¡± Santiago added.

    Raeleigh did not look at him but stared at Rossie. ¡°I want to call my brother. Can you please look for Xanthus¡¯s number in my phone?¡±

    Rossie did as Raeleigh said. Then, she pressed the phone onto her ear.

    ¡°Xanthus!¡± Raeleigh called out to her brother when he answered the phone. She talked to him in her usual tone, not wanting him to know that she was in the hospital.

    When Xanthus received Raeleigh¡¯s call, he was in the middle of cooking. He asked, with his cell phone between his ear and shoulder, ¡°Youing back for dinner?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Deanna¡¯s alone at home, so I¡¯m going to stay and help. As you know, Santiago doesn¡¯t know anything.¡±

    ¡°Have you eaten?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m so hungry that I don¡¯t have the strength to speak.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ then go and get something to eat. Don¡¯t starve yourself.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Can you please tell Mom and Dad that I¡¯ll try to make it home in the next two days?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,Mom and Dad said they are nning to extend their stay. They like it here.¡± Xanthus was about to serve the food.

    ¡°Hey, sorry, but my dish¡¯s all done now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hanging up then.¡±

    Raeleigh hung up the phone.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    After Raeleigh said this to Rossie, she took a deep breath. She had no strength at all.

    Rossie pursed her lips. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get you something to eat.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh was not hungry, but she knew she had to eat.

    After Rossie left, Raeleigh closed her eyes. She pretended to fall asleep and did not respond at all.

    Santiago sat by the side and waited until Rossie returned. He did not move from his seat.

    When Rossie came back into the room, she handed Zorion a bowl of porridge. ¡°Are you able to feed yourself?¡±

    Zorion wanted to say he couldn¡¯t, but when he saw Raeleigh, he wouldn¡¯t put it past her to starve to death than to let Santiago feed her.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Zorion epted the bowl of porridge. He had been in and out of the hospital many times enough that he knew how to insert the cann back into his hand.

    Zorion picked up the porridge and ate slowly. Rossie walked over to Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Do you think you can sit up?¡±

    Raeleigh felt fine, but Santiago was her mood breaker.

    The fall had nearly killed her. Pretending that she was all cheered up would onlye out so wrong.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I can manage myself. Can you please help me up?¡±

    Raeleigh said and was about to sit up in bed. Santiago hurriedly stood up to help Raeleigh, but shepushed him without looking at him. She did not lose her temper. She just did not want to talk to Santiago nor did she want to see him.

    Santiago was not angry even though he was pushed away. He stared at Raeleigh, fearing that she would pass out again.

    ¡°Can you please leave? I don¡¯t want to see you.¡±

    Raeleigh did not want to see Santiago. She did not know what was going on. It was as if someone had stabbed her in the chest and she was in so much pain.

    Her body hurt, but her heart hurt even more.

    Santiago did not say a word or leaveandjust sat down.

    He watched Raeleigh eat.

    Raeleigh did not feel like eating when she saw Santiago staring at her. It took her a long time before she started eating. She tried to stuff her mouth with food, but her appetite said no.

    Rossie could not bear to see Raeleigh forcing herself to eat.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not hungry, I¡¯ll ask someone to prepare some quick minestrone for you.¡±

    That said, the ¡°someone¡± in question was but a word filler. She was going to ask the driver to get some ingredients for her and then she herself would make it.

    Though that was quite a hassle.

    However, for Raeleigh¡¯s sake, Rossie was willing to give it a try.

    It wasn¡¯t as though they were besties for life,but Rossie always felt that they had met each other toote.

    Raeleigh really couldn¡¯t eat anymore, but it was a waste to throw it away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t throw it away. I might get hungryter. The weather is so cold, the food will not get bad.¡±

    Raeleigh handed over the porridge in her hand to Rossie and thetterwas stunned for a moment. She reached out for the bowl of porridge and said, ¡°You sure know how to live your life to the fullest.¡±

    Raeleigh was a little tired. After handing the porridge over to Rossie, she wanted to lie down. However, she was still hurting. Her face turned pale immediately, and beads of sweat rolled down from her head.

    Raeleigh gritted her teeth, cursing herself inwardly. She wondered what was wrong with her. She passed out twice already and was now sweating profusely.

    But the pain was so intense that Raeleigh dared not move.

    Santiago immediately stood up. ¡°Can someone please get the doctor?¡±

    The driver went to call the doctor. Raeleigh leaned against the head of the bed, not daring to move. Santiago walked over to her. ¡°Where are you hurting?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him, not wanting to talk to him.

    Santiago was fuming with anger and hatred. ¡°Where the hell are you hurting?¡±

    ¡°Her ribs! Can¡¯t you see?¡± Rossie was angry. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why do you still want to get on her nerves?

    Santiago immediately sat down. ¡°So, what now?¡±

    Rossie had no idea what to do. She stood to the side and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Santiago looked at Raeleigh with pain in his eyes. ¡°Any idea?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. She would not be in so much pain if she knew what to do.

    Just then, the doctor rushed into the door. When he saw Raeleigh in great pain, he stepped towards her and was about to hold her when Santiago stood up and pushed him away.

 Chapter 1531 Quarantined

    Frightened by Santiago¡¯s action, the doctor immediately stood up, holding his tongue. Santiago¡¯s eyes shed with anger. The doctor exined, ¡°I¡¯m just trying to treat her. This kind of illness can only be treated when it acts up. When she¡¯s in pain, for example.¡±

    ¡°So you say, but did you have to hug her?¡± Santiago¡¯s face was cold. The doctor said, ¡°Yes, I need to hug her from behind.¡±

    ¡°She needs to hold her breath. I will clench my fist and massage her from top to bottom, as well as the left and right sides of her chest. Then, she will have to slowly exhale. She can do it by herself, but judging by her current state¡­¡±

    The doctor looked at Raeleigh, who was grappling with pain. She couldn¡¯t even clench her fist, let alone massage herself.

    ¡°Is there no other way?¡± Santiago¡¯s face softened. The doctor said, ¡°Well, she can try to lie down and roll around in bed to alleviate the pain. But paradoxically, she¡¯s going to endure a great amount of pain. She can also try to stretch away the pain.¡±

    After the doctor exined, Santiago climbed onto the bed and sat behind Raeleigh to help her up. Before Raeleigh could struggle, he had already started.

    ¡°Breath in¡­¡±

    Raeleigh took a deep breath and held it. The doctor froze for a moment and then raised his hand to press Raeleigh¡¯s ribs. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer, but sweat slid down from her forehead. Santiago turned sideways to look at Raeleigh. He clenched his fist and slowly massage her ribs, per the doctor¡¯s instruction.

    Raeleigh did her best to endure the pain. A few momentster, the pain started to subside. It was not until she regained her strength that she pushed Santiago away. Only then did helet go of her and climb down from the bed.

    Santiago nced at the doctor and growled, ¡°Remember to make things clear before taking action next time, otherwise it will cause unnecessary trouble.¡±

    In other words, Santiago meant that he would take action against the doctor, should he act rashly again.

    The doctor did not even dare to wipe away the sweat on his forehead. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was anxious when I saw the patient in pain. I will be careful next time.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your next course of action to treat her illness?¡± Santiago immediately asked,sounding very intimidating. The doctor did not even dare to meet his eyes and could only say, ¡°I¡¯ll give her an injectionter. Then, she will have to stay in bed for the next two days and rx herself. She should be fine after.¡±

    ¡°Can you please ask a couple female doctors toe and examine her bruises from yesterday¡¯s incident? Ask them to bring along whatever medicine necessary.¡±

    ¡°Alright. We will arrange it right away.¡±

    Santiago used his chin to motion for them to leave. Then, the doctor brought his team out. It was only after he stepped out of the room that he dared to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

    After the door was closed, Raeleigh sat in the bed, motionless. Santiago turned around and said to her, ¡°Lie down.¡±

    Raeleigh did not move. She sat in bed and looked towards the door. Santiago intended to help her lie down, but she quicklyy down herself. During this period, Rossie was standing beside Zorion, watching their interaction. Rossie felt strange. She wondered whose girlfriend was Raeleigh? Why did she feel that Santiago loved her more than Jepherson?

    Raeleighy down and pulled the quilt over her body. She looked at Santiago. ¡°Leave me alone, thanks. You can head home first. I will go home once I¡¯m discharged.¡±

    ¡°Do you feel better?¡± Santiago asked as he sat to one side and stared deep into her eyes.

    Raeleigh kept quiet. It was useless for her to say anything to a person like him.

    Not long after, Raeleigh sumbed to sleep. When she woke up, Rossie persuaded her to have some food, but her mouth was full of ulcers and shedared not open her mouth. Nevertheless, her appearance looked fine.

    ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± Raeleigh did not feel like eating anymore after taking a couple mouthful of porridge. She had never been like this before. She did not want Rossie to find out about her ulcerous mouth.

    Rossie asked her, ¡°You only ate two spoonfuls. Is your stomach not feeling well? Do you want me to go and get the doctor?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just too hot. Why don¡¯t you let it cool down for a bit?¡± Raeleigh asked. Rossie nodded and put the porridge aside. ¡°I¡¯ll make some soup for youter. I¡¯ve got everything prepared.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother. Initially, I was supposed toe and take care of you guys.Instead, now you have to take care of me and Zorion. I¡¯m such a nuisance, aren¡¯t I.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I was nning to make some soup for Zorion anyways even if you weren¡¯t here. His body is very weak and his stomach is not good, but he has to eat.¡±

    Zorion had lost a huge amount of weight while Rossie wasn¡¯t around.

    Rossie had no idea that a person could shed so much weight in a short period of time.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    Zorion was quite tall and weighed around 60 kilogramsst time. She doubt that he weighed that much now.

    Rossie thought that he had stomach issues and even asked him whether he¡¯d gone to see Louisa to diagnose the problem. He said he did and it had been cured.

    So the problem stemmed from him being a picky eater. Rossie nned to take advantage of this period of time to fatten him up.

    Although she had to take care of Raeleigh as well,Zorion was the most important one.

    Raeleigh did not know what else to say. So, she just thanked her.

    ¡°Thank you so much.¡±

    Raeleigh did not finish her porridge, but insteay back down on the bed. After a while, she started to have a fever.

    Santiago had been keeping an eye on Raeleigh. It was unclear whether she was asleep or not, but her face gradually turned red. She would asionally toss around in bed. The doctor did ask her toy in bed, but somehow she kept tossing and turning.

    Santiago saw Raeleigh frowningandreached out and ced a hand on her forehead. It was burning hot.

    Santiago hurriedly got to his feet and called a doctor. Raeleigh felt that her ears were buzzing, as if someone was shouting at her. She raised her hand to cover her ears, blocking the noise.

    Santiago held Raeleigh in ce, but she kept rolling around on the bed and eventually curled up in bed. Santiago snapped, ¡°Zorion bloody Whalen, are you dead?¡±

    Zorion slowly got out of bed and walked to the door. When he pushed the door open, Rossie had returned with the doctor in tow.

    Once bitten, twice shy-the doctor entered the room and stood by the door, waiting for Santiago¡¯s say-so.

    Santiago saw him. ¡°What are you still standing there for?¡±

    The doctor then hurried over to Raeleigh¡¯s bedside. Santiago sat on the bed and held her in his arms. She was in a daze at this time and could not tell what was going on. Her high fever had already made her delirious.

    Santiago was hugging her, but she wasn¡¯t even conscious enough to realize that.

    She curled up in Santiago¡¯s arm, who held her down so tightly that she wouldn¡¯t move.

    The doctors checked Raeleigh¡¯s eyes first, then opened her mouth. The doctor froze for a moment when he saw her mouth was covered with ulcers. Then, he released Raeleigh and looked at Santiago. ¡°She has a severe flu, the hallmark of a highly dangerous viral infection.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°She needs to be quarantined and kept under observation.¡± The doctor wasn¡¯t sure whether the virus was infectious, but in this situation, he could only suggest that Raeleigh had to be transferred to an istion ward for observation.

    Santiago¡¯s expression darkened when he heard the doctor¡¯s words.¡°Is it fatal?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡°Get ready, send her to the istion ward now!¡±

    Santiago looked down at Raeleigh in his arms and suddenly held her tightly. He rested his head against hers and kissed her.

 Chapter 1532 Flu

    Rossie and Zorion eyeballed each other when they saw Santiago kiss Raeleigh. Then, Santiago got out of bed, picked Raeleigh up and walked out. Rossie turned around and followed him. She asked Zorion, ¡°Isn¡¯t their rtionship a bit, uh, I don¡¯t know-questionable?¡±

    Zorion¡¯s eyes were deep. ¡°Tell me one that isn¡¯t.¡±

    Rossie was stunned for a moment before she turned to look at Zorion. ¡°Why are you speaking in riddles?¡±

    ¡°No reason.¡± After that, Zorion followed them outside, with Rossie at his heels.

    No sooner had Raeleigh arrived at the emergency room than the doctor performed a brief examination onher.The doctor did not ask Santiago to leave because he had alreadye into close contact with Raeleigh. Santiago remained by Raeleigh¡¯s side after she was transferred to the istion ward.

    Raeleigh¡¯s fever gradually subsided after the doctor gave her an injection. However, she still felt slightly ufortable. She would murmur and toss around from time to time.

    Raeleigh felt sore in her arm after receiving the injection. However, she was still in a delirium. It was inevitable that she would feel uneasy.

    Santiago stayed by her side, holding her other hand.

    Raeleigh would then stop moving.

    Rossie sat outside the istion ward. ¡°Do you think that Santiago¡¯s feelings for her are real?¡±

    Zorion was sitting beside her. When Rossie asked him, he nced at her and said, ¡°So long as he himself is clear with his feelings, there¡¯s no need to put up an act for anyone¡¯s eyes.¡±

    ¡°Why do you sound like you are talking about us?¡±

    ¡°Am I?¡± Zorion did not want to say anything. However, judging by Santiago¡¯s actions, he concurred with her-Santiago had crossed the line!

    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s so quintessential Santiago to act within the boundary. He knows what to do and what not to do. However, this time, it seems like Jepherson might have tosend the helve after the hatchet.¡±

    Zorion muttered to himself. It sounded as if he wanted Rossie to hear it as well. Rossie looked puzzled. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Jepherson believed in his intuition. His intuition told him that Santiago would know where to draw the line when it came to Raeleigh.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    However, love knows no bounds. Just like us, I was willing to abandon Deanna just for you.¡±

    Zorion bowed his head slightly. He did not expect to be forgiven for what he had done to Deanna.

    It was because of this that he felt heavy in his chest. It was so heavy that he could not breathe.

    Rossie sped her hand with his and said, ¡°You¡¯re doing this for Deanna. I¡¯d wanted to tell you a long time ago that Jacky is a good person.¡±

    Zorion turned to look at Rossie. ¡°How so? Is it because he¡¯s so aesthetically pleasing that you are trying to defend him?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not making any sense.¡± Rossie pulled back her hand and rolled her eyes at Zorion. She turned her head away and ignored him.

    Zorion chuckled. Although his face was still a little pale,he had a bright smile on his face.

    Rossie turned around and stole a nce at him before turning away again. She wondered why she had not noticed that Zorion had a childlike, innocent smile.

    ¡°Am I ugly?¡± Zorion¡¯s voice sounded petnt when he saw her turn away. Rossie turned around and stared at Zorion with spark in her eyes. ¡°Not at all. You¡¯re better looking than Jacky.¡±

    ¡°How do I know whether you¡¯re telling the truth?¡± Zorion drew his face closer to Rossie, after which she gave him a kiss. ¡°Do you believe it now?¡±

    Zorion was stunned. He could not stop staring at Rossie. Then, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard.

    The driver quickly turned around.

    Rossie was suddenly pushed away andwaspletely dumbfounded. She did not understand what was going on.

    At this time, Zorion asked, ¡°Is Raeleigh having the same symptoms as me?¡±

    Rossie thought for a moment and said, ¡°Yeah¡­ Her symptoms are simr to yours.¡±

    ¡°Hey, would you mind asking around whether Raeleigh and I have the same symptoms?¡±

    The driver immediately went to inquire. Not long after, the driver came back and looked at Zorion. ¡°The doctor said that her test results are out. He confirmed that you and Raeleigh have the same symptoms.¡±

    ¡°Does it mean that I was the one who infected Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine.¡±

    The driver felt that Zorion was right, but he did not dare to say it. After all, everything happened too fast.

    Zorion had a serious look on his face. ¡°Go and get the doctor. Ask him to give the same injection and medicines to Rossie, now!¡±

    Zorion did not want Rossie to end up in bed like Raeleigh.

    The driver understood and went in search of the doctor. Not long after, he came back with a bottle of water in his hand and handed some medicine to Rossie. Zorion only breathed a sigh of relief after she took the medicine.

    However, Rossie¡¯s lips wouldtemporarilybe a No-Touching Zone for him.

    Raeleigh gradually woke up and was transferred from the istion ward to an ordinary one. When Zorion saw the frown on Raeleigh¡¯s face, he said, ¡°I think it¡¯s best you guys move into another ward. I don¡¯t want Rossie to get infected with what you have.¡±

    Santiago looked at Zorion and then at Rossie. He ignored her and continued doing what he¡¯d been doing.

    He was not nning on moving into another ward.

    This was Santiago¡¯s nature-he had an authority issue andwould not take orders from anyone.

    Since Santiago was not budging, Zorion called for his driver to get another ward ready for them so that he and Rossie could move in.

    ¡°What are you doing? Aren¡¯t I fine and dandy now?¡±

    Rossie felt like Zorion had given her an eye-opening experience. How could there be such a person? Apparently, a friend in health was a friend indeed, while a friend in sickness was a friend no more.

    How could there be such a person? He forsook them in times of sickness.

    ¡°If they are not gonna move,we will.¡± Zorion got out of bed and put on his shoes, intending to leave.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t say anything, though shehoped Rossie would stay. After all, if Rossie left, it meant that she would be alone with Santiago.

    However, she was now having a severe flu and would feel bad if Rossie was infected.

    Rossie pulled a long face and said, ¡°You were the one who infected Raeleigh, and now you want to up and leave? Don¡¯t you feel bad?¡±

    Zorion put on his clothes, reached out for Rossie¡¯s hand, and strode outside. Closing the door, he went into another ward.

    After they left, Raeleigh pulled the quilt over her body. She closed her eyes and did not speak.

    She wanted to call Jepherson, but for some reason,he had not visitedst night, nor had he called her. She guessed that he was probably on a full workaholic mode.

    Raeleigh turned over andy down. Her ribs did not hurt anymore, but she still felt a little weak. She always felt a little cold and her head was heavy.

    Santiago poured a ss of water and handed it to Raeleigh. She did not take it, so Santiago put it down and continued keeping his eyes on Raeleigh.

    As a result, neither of them spoke for the entire day. Santiago could sit for an entire day, while Raeleigh could sleep for an entire day.

    When the nurse came in for the first time, she saw two people-onesitting, one lying, both with their eyes closed.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes while she received her injection, so did Santiago.

    Santiago advised the nurse to be gentle. However, Raeleigh soon closed her eyes.

    When the nurse came in for the second time, Raeleigh was still sleeping. Santiago was seated in the same spot. They both opened their eyes together when Raeleigh received the injection. Santiago again reminded the nurse to be gentle.

    In the evening, the nurse came in again and was stunned to see them still frozen in time, with their positions remained unchanging.

 Chapter 1533 Nowhere To Be Seen

    Raeleigh did not have dinner. Santiago hadn¡¯t prepared any food anyway. The doctor gave Raeleigh anutrient injection, which was enough to stop Raeleigh from feeling hungry.

    Raeleigh felt like using the washroom after drinking some water.

    Thus, she got out of bed and walked in the direction of the washroom. After she had barely taken a few steps, Santiago went up to her and carried her into the bathroom. Caught off-guard, Raeleigh stood inside, stunned. She looked at Santiago across the threshold. His stubble had grown over the past two days. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing. There was nothing to say.

    Raeleigh closed the door and stayed inside for a while. That was the only ce she did not have to see Santiago.

    A few momentster, Santiago knocked on the door. ¡°Can Ie in?¡±

    Santiago pushed the door open and entered the bathroom even before Raeleigh answered him.

    When Santiago saw that Raeleigh had washed her hands and was ready to go outside, he approached her and was about to pick her up when she eximed ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡±

    Sure enough, Santiago stopped in his tracks. Raeleigh exited the bathroom and went back to her bed to lie down. She did not say a single word to Santiago for the rest of the night.

    She didn¡¯t even look at him.

    Santiago stayed up the entire night and watched as Raeleigh slept.

    The next morning, Raeleigh woke up feelingpletely recovered. As she felt healthy again, she wanted to be discharged.

    ¡°Miss Raeleigh, if you leave the hospital now, the chances of you having the same reaction asst night are high. If you rpse, it¡¯s going to be very difficult to treat it.¡±

    The doctor¡¯s suggestion was from a professional point of view. However,Raeleigh wanted to leave the hospital due to personal reasons.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now, I¡¯m sure. Rest assured, you don¡¯t need to take any responsibility in the event anything happens.¡± Raeleigh wanted to go back home. Since Zorion had Rossie to take care of him, she felt that it was the appropriate thing to do.

    ¡°Miss Raeleigh, you have to be considerate of the people around you. If you leave the hospital ande into contact with your family, they might get infected with the virus. When that happens, it¡¯ll be toote.¡±

    That managed to convince Raeleigh. Sheimmediately decided to stay in the hospital as thest thing she wanted was for her parents and Xanthus to be infected.

    Raeleigh spent the entire day in bed. When night fell, she had regained her appetite somewhat.

    Her dinner was prepared by Rossie, who rejoiced at seeing thatRaeleigh was finally eating again.

    ¡°Raeleigh,eat up. I made a lot of food.¡±

    Rossie kept Raeleighpany for dinner while Santiago apanied Zorion at thetter¡¯s request.

    Although Raeleigh was eating again, she still wasn¡¯t able to eat much.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°I¡¯m not very hungry. I¡¯m sorry to have troubled you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act so gracious with me.It¡¯s only right for us to help each other.¡± Rossie was a chatterbox. The sole reason she had been so quiet before was because Zorion had worn her down.

    Raeleigh smiled. She was particrly silentfor the past two days.

    While they were eating, Raeleigh received a call from Jepherson. She answered the call, informing Rossie that she would head out for a while.

    ¡°Do you miss me?¡± Jepherson immediately asked with a smile after Raeleigh picked up. He spoke in a husky, affectionate tone.

    Raeleigh looked around the corridor and asked, ¡°Have you gone to work yet?¡±

    ¡°No,for the past few days, I¡¯ve been busy helping with Hadrian¡¯s wedding preparations.¡± That was also why Jepherson had note to visit her.

    Waverly Vige was already decorated festively for the wedding. Hansen and his wife were already there, too. Scarlette wanted the wedding to be held as soon as possible, so anywhere was fine for her. She didn¡¯t fuss over it.

    Hadrian informed Jepherson about the whole affair. So, all the while, Jepherson had been at Waverly Vige helping out with the wedding preparations.

    In fact, there was nothing that urgently required his help. However, since Raeleigh¡¯s parents were there, Jepherson did his best to spend time with them.

    Raeleigh was surprised. However, the atmosphere in Waverly Vige was nice. She could see howScarlette decided to take advantage of the free time they had to hold the wedding.

    ¡°When is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s on the 16th of this month.¡±

    Raeleigh briefly looked at the calendar and remarked, ¡°That¡¯s in ten days¡¯ time!¡±

    ¡°Yes, ten days.¡±

    ¡°What gift should I get for her?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it. Ifyou have any suggestions, let me know.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Will you being over to see me anytime soon?¡±

    ¡°I might not have the time. Santiago hasn¡¯t called me for the past two days. Did you guys have a fall out again?¡±

    Raeleigh was silent. She did not want to lie to Jepherson; Jepherson knew far more than he let on. Besides, she knew that he was waiting for her to tell him the truth.

    ¡°A couple days ago, I was attacked at the hospital on my way to visit Zorion,¡± Raeleigh confessed suddenly. Jepherson was silent for a while. He had no idea.

    ¡°Hello, are you still there?¡± Raeleigh repeated. Jepherson answered, ¡°Yes, I am. What happened after that? Did you get hurt?¡±

    ¡°No.I met Flynt. He helped me. Later, when the police came, we sat down and talked for a while. When Santiago saw us talking, he was furious. I think he misunderstood. Hepunched Flynt.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to stop him, but he pushed me down onto the chair. My ribs were injuredand subsequently I caught the flu. I had to be hospitalized after that. I¡¯ve been ignoring Santiago ever since.¡±

    Raeleigh told Jepherson the whole story. On the other end, Jepherson frowned, although he kept his tone gentle. ¡°Santiago did not tell me any of this. How are you feeling now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now. I wanted to be discharged, but the doctor suggested I stay out of concern that my family will get infected too.¡±

    Raeleigh felt downhearted. She lowered her head as she spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there,¡± said Jepherson.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t¡­ ¡±

    Before Raeleigh was even done talking,Jepherson had already hung up. He quickly rushed out of the house. Just then, Hansen and Jenna were in the kitchen making dinner. When Jenna saw her son dashing out of the house in a hurry, she asked, ¡°Jerry, where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Something came up. I will not being back tonight.¡±

    Jepherson got into the car and went straight to the hospital where Raeleigh was. Jenna stood at the door, holding a spat as she watched the car disappearing into the distance.

    ¡°Why was he in such a hurry to leave?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s something to do with Raeleigh. He wouldn¡¯t get so flustered for anyone else.¡±

    Hansen pulled his beloved wife into the house and they began eating their dinner.

    He much preferred spending time alone with his wife.

    Raeleigh put down her phone and went back into her room. Not long after she got into bed, Jepherson arrived at the door of the ward. Raeleigh looked at the time. An hour had passed since theyst talked. Although an hour was a long time for her,Jepherson looked like he had hurried over as soon as possible.

    Jepherson pushed the door open and went in. He felt a little disconcerted when he saw Raeleigh.

    ¡°I¡¯ve recovered.¡± Raeleigh took a look at herself, insinuating toJepherson that she waspletely fine.

    However, Jepherson¡¯s face remained pale. After sitting down, he pulled Raeleigh into his arms and held her.

    He caressed her back and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s there to be sorry about? It wasn¡¯t not your fault that I got sick.¡±

    Jepherson did not answer. His hand kept tenderly stroking Raeleigh¡¯s back. Raeleigh pushed him away and looked at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m scared!¡± Jepherson pulled Raeleigh into his arms again and held her tight. He rested his chin on Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I did not expect Flynt to show up.¡±

    Raeleigh hugged Jepherson and asked, ¡°Do you not believe that Flynt could change for the better?¡±

    Jepherson did not answer; hissilence was enough to tell her that he didn¡¯t believe that at all.

    Raeleigh was about to say something in response, butwhen she looked up,she saw Santiago standing at the door. When Santiago saw Raeleigh staring at her, he turned around and walked away. Raeleigh told Jepherson, ¡°Santiago¡¯s outside.¡±

    Only then did Jepherson let go of Raeleigh.Following that, hestood up and opened the door. However, Santiago was nowhere to be seen.

 Chapter 1534 Good Friends

    Jepherson stood in the corridor, casting a nce down it to look for Santiago. He then closed the door behind him and went in search of his brother. He searched the entire corridor but still saw no sign of Santiago. Soon after, he went back into Raeleigh¡¯s room and told her that he was nowhere to be found. Raeleigh said, ¡°I swear I saw him.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps you mistook someone else for him.¡±

    Raeleigh did not speak. She looked over Jepherson¡¯s shoulder in the direction of the door. She wondered whether that really was the case.

    Jepherson walked to Raeleigh and said, ¡°I¡¯ll call Santiago in a bit. You¡¯re a patient, so you should rest up.Just rest.¡±

    Raeleighy down and did as she was told. Jepherson telling her that she had probably seen someone else instead of Santiago meant that he wanted to drop the topic. Raeleigh epted that.

    After Raeleigh fell asleep, Jepherson got up again and went out the door. He checked the corridor once again. There was indeed no one hiding or waiting along the corridor.

    Jepherson then made his way towards Zorion¡¯s ward. When the chauffeur saw Jepherson, he immediately greeted him. Jepherson looked at the man for a while and asked, ¡°Have you seen Santiago around?¡±

    ¡°Yes, hewent downstairs.¡±

    Jepherson nced towards the elevator. He opted against taking the elevator and went down the stairs instead.

    Though he had traversed several floors downwards,Jepherson still hadn¡¯t seen Santiago.Hecontinued walking down the stairs. Atst, he found Santiago eating a bowl of noodles in the cafeteria.

    Santiago was slurping on his noodles when suddenly, he saw a pair of legs stop in front of him. He paused momentarily before continuing to eat.

    Jepherson raised his hand and set it down on the table. Then, he sat down and ordered noodles too.

    By then, Santiago had almost finished his food. He slurped up the noodle broth, then looked up at Jepherson, evidently displeased.

    Jepherson grabbed Santiago¡¯s chin and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Santiago did not reply. Jepherson released him. ¡°Useless.¡±

    Soon, the waiter ced a bowl of noodles in front of Jepherson. He picked up his fork and stirred the noodles around before pulling over Santiago¡¯s bowl. He gave his brother some of his noodles as well as a couple slices of beef and some soup.

    After that, Jepherson began eating. However,Santiago said, ¡°I don¡¯t feel like eating anymore.¡±

    ¡°Are you full?¡±

    Santiago thought for a moment before taking his bowl back and continuing to eat.

    By the time Santiago finished his portion, Jepherson was still eating. Jepherson always took his time to eat, unlike Santiago.

    Jepherson had always been very well-behaved since childhood. Santiago loved to scarf down his food so that he could head out and y, whereas Jepherson would take his time to finish his food.

    That habit persisted until right then.

    Once Santiago was done, he went to the counter and paid for the food before getting some wet wipes to wipe his mouth with.

    By the time Santiago returned to the table, Jepherson had already finished his noodles and was cleaning his mouth too.He stood up and asked, ¡°You¡¯re angry, right? Come, I¡¯ll take you somewhere to vent your anger.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and walked out of the hospital. Santiago raised his eyebrows before quickly following along.

    When Zorion heard that Jepherson was there in the hospital, he could not help but keep staring out the window of his ward.

    Less than an hour had passed beforeJepherson led Santiago out of the hospital. The brothers swiftly got into one of the Richards family¡¯s cars and left the hospital.

    Rossie asked Zorion, ¡°What do you think they are up to?¡±

    ¡°Santiago was bullied. As his elder brother, Jepherson wouldn¡¯t sit by idly and do nothing.¡± Zorion said,amused.

    Rossie was puzzled. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Santiago was wronged. Jepherson wants to help him vent that rage out.¡± Zorion put his hands into his pockets. He still remembered when they were little and Satiago was wrongly med for picking a fight with another kid. At that time, he was about seven years old. Zorion had forgotten whether the kid was from kindergarten or primary school.

    Santiago did not eat or drink after returning home.

    Jepherson got up from his chair and went outside. At that time, Jepherson was only about eleven. Zorion heard that Jepherson had went to confront the kid and even warned the kids¡¯ parents that they better give him an exnation or he would not let it go.

    Back in the day, the Richards family was not as powerful in Capital City as they were now. No one was afraid of them, let alone a child. Who would take his words seriously?

    The kids¡¯ parents gave Jepherson a few perfunctory words. Jepherson didn¡¯t get angry, however. After returning home, he told Santiago that he would apany him to school tomorrow and even requested a week off from his school for that purpose.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    At that time, Hansen was out of the country and the servants were not aware of this matter.

    The next day Jepherson brought Santiago to school. They ended up beating the kid up outside the school.

    Jepherson did not do anything. It was Santiago who did all the bashing. When the kid saw Jepherson, he did not dare to move a single step. After all, Jepherson was slightly bigger than him. Thekid was beaten to a pulp before going to ss.

    The next day, the kid informed his parents about what happened. The parents ended up going to the Richards Group Manor. At that time, Hansen and Jenna were not around. Jepherson sat at the table, ring at the kid and his parents.

    Jepherson told them, ¡°If you just aren¡¯t as skilled as others, then no one can be med. You should not butt into your kids¡¯ problems. There¡¯s no point going to school if you have to defend your kid whenever he gets into a fight.

    He clearly doesn¡¯t know how to fight. That¡¯swhy he got beaten up.¡±

    Zorion was over at the Richards Family Manor that day and heard those words with his own ears. If it wasn¡¯t because of that, he probably would not have remembered it so clearly.

    The family was furious. They brought their son home and readied their son to fight Santiago back at school. However, before that could happen,Santiago beat the kid up first.

    Jepherson used his week off from school to do nothing but bash the kid up.

    Later, their teacher went directly to the Richards Family Manor. At that time, Hansen happened to be home. The teacher exined the matter. Hansen gave the teacher two suggestions. One, he would transfer Jepherson and Santiago to another school. Otherwise, transfer the other kid to another school. It was either or. What else could he do if Santiago and the kid did not get along?

    The teacher was at a total loss. In the end, the kids¡¯ parents decided that it was best if they transferred their child to another school.

    A lot of things happened when they were kids, but this incident wasindelibly etched onZorion¡¯smemory.

    ¡°Send someone to follow them and report back to me.¡±

    Zorion left the window and returned to his bed to sit down. The person outside the door agreed and left immediately.

    Rossie was actually curious as to what Jepherson and Santiago were up to.

    ¡­

    As soon as they arrived at the countryside, Jepherson quickly got out of the car. Santiago followed closely behind. Jepherson paused for a moment before striding forward.

    The Moore family hadrge fields and ancestral graves there. Jepherson was headed for Flynt¡¯s residence. His courtyard wasrger than any other family¡¯s there.

    When the two brothers arrived in front of the courtyard, Jepherson knocked on the door. Flynt came out to open the door. When he saw that it was Jepherson and his brother, he hesitated before opening the door.

    When the door opened, Jepherson quickly stepped inside.

    There were a few people in the courtyard. When they saw the brothers, they wanted to approach them, but Flynt stopped them. He said,¡°Carry on with what you¡¯re doing. Don¡¯t worry, they are my friends.¡±

    Jepherson smiled. ¡°We¡¯re good friends!¡±

 Chapter 1535 Ask Me Again When She Likes You

    Santiago stood behind Jepherson.The very sight of Flynt ticked him off.

    Jepherson walked up to Flynt and stood in the courtyard, observing the ce. He said with his hands sped behind his back, ¡°This ce is nice. There are a lot of people who would love to have a ce like this to recuperate.¡±

    At that time, Flynt¡¯s subordinates emerged from the house. Flynt nced at the closed courtyard door and looked towards Jepherson. ¡°You guys have gone too far. I didn¡¯t offend you guys in any way. That day, I just so happened to pass by the hospital. I stayed back with Raeleigh to give a deposition. We sat and talked for a bit. Then,your brother just came up to me and punched me. He even pushed Raeleigh. Why don¡¯t you ask your brother what happened? Why did you have toe here to look for me?¡±

    Jephersonughed, amused.¡°Your showing up is what really strikes me as odd.Flynt, do you want to know where I threw your arm after I got my subordinates to hack it off?¡±

    Flynt¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What?¡±

    Jepherson smiled.¡°I brought it to the dog pound and fed it to the dogs.¡±

    ¡°You!¡± Flynt¡¯s face turned pale as his single hand balled into a fist.

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes were full of contempt and arrogance.

    ¡°What?¡± Jepherson lowered his head slightly and walked up to Flynt. He stopped and said, ¡°You have two choices today. You can either kneel down and apologise to Santiago, or I¡¯m going to cut off your other arm.¡±

    Flynt¡¯s face turned pale as he subconsciously stumbled backwards. ¡°Jepherson, you and I might not see eye to eye, but you¡¯ve gone too far this time.God will punish you for oppressing others.Aren¡¯t you afraid of retribution?¡±

    ¡°Why do you care? You hired someone to assassinate Raeleigh. You frightened her and you even caused her to misunderstand Santiago. My brother¡¯s not happy about it. If you want to keep your arm, then you ought to kneel down and apologise. Then, I¡¯ll let the matter go. Well, if you want to show off your guts, give me your limb and I won¡¯t go to the Moore Family.¡±

    You¡¯ll be able to live a better life in that case.

    Everything that you have is given by your parents. I¡¯m sorry that I did not ask your mother for permission to take your arm. If I take your other arm this time, I¡¯m not sure how you¡¯re going to exin it to her.

    But youbroughtthis all onyourself. If you did not provoke me, I wouldn¡¯t havee for you.

    If there really has to be a winner in this situation, I¡¯ll be the one toe out on top.¡±

    Flynt gritted his teeth. ¡°You want my other hand? You want me to kneel down and apologise? Over my dead body!¡±

    ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±

    Jepherson stretched his right hand out towards Flynt¡¯s only arm. Flynt managed to dodge, but his coat fell to the ground, exposing his only arm.

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth curled up. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m surprised you managed to avoid that. You seem like you¡¯re in good shape. What were you doing at the hospital? How could you just so happen to be there when Raeleigh arrived? It seems a little too coincidental, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    While speaking, Jepherson slowly approached Flynt. Flynt turned around and picked up amachetefrom the ground. Themachetewas very sharp as it was used for harvesting.

    Santiago raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is he going to kill you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s been waiting for a long time to do this. Just watch,¡± Jepherson said as he slowly approached Flynt. Although Flynt only had one arm,he could still sh the machete wildly. Most people would not dare to approach him. However, Jepherson was fearless. He walked up to him calmly while dodging themachete¡¯s strikes. Soon, Jepherson managed to grab Flynt¡¯s wrist and tapped him with one hand. The machete immediately dropped onto the ground.

    Jepherson turned around and elbowed Flynt¡¯s stomach. Flynt retreated and bumped into the wall.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    Jepherson nced at Flynt before using his foot to tap the hilt of the machete. The machete flew straight up from the ground and into Jepherson¡¯s hand. Flynt,behind him, intended to pounce on him and snatch the machete away. Unfortunately, he was not as nimble as Jepherson. Jepherson held the machete in one hand, turned around, and grabbed Flynt¡¯s wrist with the other.

    Just as Jepherson was about to bring the machete down, Flynt shouted, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll kneel!¡±

    The machetended on Flynt¡¯s shirt instead. The shirt was shed apart, proving just how sharp the machete was.

    Jepherson let go of Flynt¡¯s hand and tossed the machete straight into a wall. The force caused the machete to be embedded in the wall, shaking as it did so.It took a long time for its movement to stoppletely.

    Jepherson looked at Flynt. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Flynt looked at Santiago before getting down onto his knees.

    Jepherson looked at Santiago, who had turned around and gone outside.

    Only then did Jepherson say, ¡°Let bygones be bygones. If you still refuse to give up, then you¡¯ll meet death.¡±

    Jepherson walked to the door. Flynt slowly raised his head and stared at Jepherson, who was exiting the area. He gritted his teeth and seethed, ¡°Jepherson, you¡¯d better watch your back!¡±

    Santiago walked ahead while Jepherson slowly followed him after leaving Flynt¡¯s house.

    Santiago said, ¡°I doubt he¡¯s going to let this one slide.¡±

    ¡°Then you ought to take precautions.You knew that he was setting a trap. He wanted to frame you, yet you lost your temper and pushed Raeleigh.¡±

    Santiago stopped and looked at Jepherson. ¡°Does it hurt you?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my wife. What do you think?¡± Jepherson¡¯s expression was solemn. However, Santiago doubted that his brother was angry.

    Santiago turned around and continued walking forward. He asked, ¡°Then, why aren¡¯t you in the hospital, apanying her? What the hell are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°You would still be mad if we hadn¡¯te here, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Santiago did not speak at first. Afterwards, he said, ¡°I still don¡¯t feel too good.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d feel much better if you gave Raeleigh to me.¡±

    As Santiago spoke, he looked at Jepherson. Jepherson rolled his eyes at Santiago. ¡°Are you itching for a beating?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The two brothers walked on. The empty ce stretched out endlessly.In the cold crispness of fresh spring, the brothers could not hear anythingexcept the crunching sounds of their footsteps.

    However, Santiago suddenly asked, ¡°What if Raeleigh likes me?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask me again when she likes you?¡± Jepherson did not stop. Santiago followed him cidly.

    They made their way back to the car. Santiago entered the car and leaned against the window. Jepherson did not request to immediately head back to the hospital. Instead, hetook Santiago to the hot springs. By the time they returned, the sky had darkened.

    When Raeleigh finally heard footsteps along the corridor, it was already eight o¡¯clock at night. She could tell that there were two people. The one walking in front was calm, while the one walking behind was anxious.

    Thetter hadrge,zy strides. Who else could it be other than Jepherson and Santiago?

    The door opened. Raeleigh opened her eyes and looked at the person at the door. She froze, as she usually did.

    The brothers put down fruits and food, and one closed the door. They worked in sync. Raeleigh sat up and looked at Jepherson and Santiago. They had been out for an entire day. She immediately knew that they most probably went to do something really important.

 Chapter 1536 A Furious Stylist

    ¡°Santiago bought the fruits,¡± Jepherson said as he took off his coat and put it aside. Santiago entered the room and nced at Raeleigh before taking a seat. He did not seem like he was going to apologize to her at all.

    Raeleigh nced at Santiago. ¡°What? Is this his way of apologizing?¡±

    ¡°I guess. How would you like him to apologize?¡± Jepherson asked. Raeleigh replied, ¡°I want him to promise that he will never hit me again. He is not allowed toy his hands on me nor scream at me for no reason.¡±

    Jepherson turned to look at Santiago, who then said, ¡°Flynt is up to no good. He¡¯s just trying toe up with ways to approach you, don¡¯t you know that? Why are you ming me for what happened?¡±

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that you¡¯re not in the wrong?¡± Jepherson questioned. Santiago hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re a hypocrite now?¡± Jepherson picked up an apple and took it to the washroom sink to wash it. Raeleigh watched as Jepherson entered the bathroom before turning to look at Santiago. She did not say anything to him; she had nothing to say to him. The only reason she talked to him before was because Jepherson was there.

    There was no need for her to fake it anymore since Jepherson was not in their vicinity.

    After Jepherson came out of the bathroom, he cut the apple into half. One half of the apple was handed to Raeleigh. ¡°Here, have some. Youaren¡¯t allowed to eat too much, though, since you¡¯ve just recovered.¡±

    Raeleigh took the half of the apple that was offered to her but did not eat. ¡°I¡¯m going to pass. I¡¯ve already brushed my teeth.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give it to Santiago then.¡± Jepherson plucked it out of Raeleigh¡¯s hand and gave it to his brother. Santiago did not eat it. Instead, he grabbed another whole apple before leaning back in his chair and taking a bite.

    ¡°Are you still mad?¡± Jepherson sat down and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°How¡¯re you feeling?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing well. The doctor said that if I don¡¯te down with a fever tonight, I can be discharged tomorrow.¡±

    Jepherson raised his hand and touched Raeleigh¡¯s forehead. After confirming that she was fine, he got up and brushed his teeth. After he returned, it was Santiago¡¯s turn. Then, the three went to sleep after turning off the lights.

    Jepherson shared a bed with Raeleigh while Santiago had an entire bed to himself.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t fall asleep at first, but shegradually sank into sleep as time passed.

    When Raeleigh got up in the morning, Santiago was in the bathroom washing up, while Jepherson was changing his clothes. When Jepherson realised that Raeleigh was awake, he briefly checked the time before walking over to her. He ced his hand on her forehead to make sure that she was not running a fever. Then, he turned to the door and asked one of his subordinates to handle the formalities of her being discharged from the hospital.

    Raeleigh got out of bed and got dressed in clean clothes,ready to leave the hospital.

    However, as soon as Raeleigh got into the car, she realized that they weren¡¯t heading to Waverly Vige but somece else.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    Raeleigh could not think of any matter she had left unattended to.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to meet a stylist,¡±

    Jepherson told Raeleigh. He held her hand and gently stroked it.Miffed, Raeleigh asked, ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°We have a press conference to attend. I¡¯ve been so busy for the past week with Scarlette¡¯s wedding preparations and apanying your parents that I had to postpone the conference to this week.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said that I could skip it?¡± When Raeleigh brought that up,she recalled that she initially was supposed to have a dress custom-made abroad for the event. However, things had taken an unexpected turn.

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s lips quirked upwards. ¡°You can skip the press conference, but there¡¯s a banquet you need to attend after that. The banquet is scheduled to start at eight o¡¯clock tonight. We¡¯ll have to be there by seven. That¡¯s why we¡¯re heading over to meet the stylist now.¡±

    ¡°I mean, I can dress myself. I don¡¯t need a stylist.I¡¯ll just go like this.¡±

    Raeleigh took one look at her current appearance. Jepherson just smiled and looked out the window while holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand.

    Raeleigh had no choice but follow through with the appointment. When the stylist met Raeleigh, she was extremely happy. She knew Raeleigh was the type of client who would look gorgeous regardless of what she wore.

    Raeleigh immediately became the center of attention, as she was apanied by the two sons of the Richards family.

    On the way inside, there were two rows of people nking each side. One row of handsome men, and one row of beautiful girls. The oldest among them was barely 25 whereas the youngest was around 20. They were all dressed in the uniforms of butlers and maids respectively.Raeleigh had only seen such a scene in games. She never thought that she would one day see it in real life.

    The men all had short hair,neat and stylish. They nodded to Raeleigh and the brothers with their hands behind their backs, weing them.

    The girls all had braids which were ced over their shoulders, with a maid¡¯s bo on their heads.

    Raeleigh walked behind Santiago, lowering her head inadvertently.

    Jepherson reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Even from her slightest reaction, he could tell that something was wrong.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    Jepherson turned around and asked. Raeleigh said, ¡°This ce is beautiful.¡±

    Jepherson smiled. ¡°Even though this ce belongs to the Richards family,it¡¯s also open to the public. It¡¯s one way to make money out of it.¡±

    ¡°I can tell.¡±

    Raeleigh did not make it clear what she meant.

    Jepherson embraced Raeleigh in his arms. ¡°Will you borate?¡±

    ¡°The residents of Capital City would flock to wherever you and Santiago go.¡±

    Jepherson raised an eyebrow. ¡°As long as you know that.¡±

    Raeleigh followed them inside. Not long after, they arrived at a dressing room. Raeleigh took a seat there, along with Jepherson and Santiago.

    They sat on either side of Raeleigh.

    The three stylists took their positions at once. The one in the middle studied Raeleigh carefully and quietly. Raeleigh¡¯sprominent vicles caught the stylist¡¯s eyes and he made a mental note to himself.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Santiago asked stonily. The stylist was taken aback momentarily before hastily apologizing to Santiago. ¡°Mr. Santiago, I was just trying to gauge what type of dress would best fit Miss Raeleigh.¡±

    Santiago squinted at the mirror. ¡°Don¡¯t let your eyes wander.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Santiago.¡±

    The stylist wiped the sweat off his forehead. He looked at Jepherson, who was also sitting beside Raeleigh. Jepherson¡¯s gaze was calm. It was strange that he wasn¡¯t affected in the slightest.

    Had the stylist not known that Raeleigh was Jepherson¡¯s girlfriend, he would have thought that she was Santiago¡¯s.

    When Jepherson and Santiago heard Raeleigh stand up, they did not open their eyes to look. Raeleigh went ahead of them to do her hair first. Then, Jepherson went to attend the press conference while Santiago stayed to apany Raeleigh as her hair was being styled.

    By the time Raeleigh¡¯s hair was done,it was already noon. Santiago had not eaten anything that morning; he simplyforgot to eat.Thus, he ordered takeout to eat in the dressing room.

    Raeleigh¡¯s face was still bare, although she had done a facial earlier.At the moment, Raeleigh¡¯s skin was clear and lustrously fair.

    While Santiago had his lunch, his gaze was drawn to Raeleigh¡¯s plump lips. He smiled and abruptly chuckled to himself lightly.

    Raeleigh got up to have some food too while pacing back and forth in the room.

    Everyone in the room could not help but be attracted to the sight of the two.Raeleigh wiped her mouth aftershe was done eating.

    The stylist immediately cried out. Raeleigh and Santiago turned around. The stylist eximed, ¡°My dear, the two-hour-long facial has gone to waste with you smearing your skin like that!¡±

    Raeleigh wiped her mouth again. The stylist nearly choked with anger. She quickly patted her chest to calm herself down.

 Chapter 1537 Dumbfounded

    Santiago put his empty te aside and took a tissue to clean his mouth with. The other stylist did not dare to speak to him. Everyone knew what his temper was like. He was like a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. No one dared to offend him.

    The stylist in charge of Raeleigh hurried over to Santiago.Shetched onto Santiago¡¯s arm with one hand and patted his chest with the other.¡°Mr. Santiago, I misspoke. Youshouldn¡¯t bother yourself with people like me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough from you.¡± Santiago gave the stylist a scornful nce.

    The stylist hurriedly went on, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I forgot myself. It must be because I¡¯m too used to dealing with the other customers.¡±

    Santiago did not reply. He strode towards the dressing room. After entering the room, he sat down on his seat. His stylist helped him put a face mask on.

    When Raeleigh came back and saw Santiago with the face mask on, she found the sight quite amusing. A tall, strong man like him with such a delicate face mask¡­

    Raeleigh sat down too. Santiago¡¯s eyes were closed, as if he had fallen asleep. As Raeleigh watched Santiago sleep, she gradually felt her eyelids getting heavier. Eventually, she fell asleep too.

    The stylist ended up unable to do her makeup because she had fallen asleep. ncing at Santiago beside her, she thought that it¡¯d be best if she left them alone.

    Santiago stirred from his sleep. For some reason, Raeleigh woke up too.She opened her eyes and looked at the people standing opposite of them. She found it funny that there were so many people afraid of Santiago.

    When Raeleigh noticed that Santiago was staring at her, she looked away and stared at her reflection in the mirror. It was the first time she thought of herself as beautiful and wless. There was no other way to describe it. However, Raeleigh also keenly felt that the face she saw staring back at her had been through a lot.

    Somehow, she felt as if she had just woken up from a very long dream. She had been through so much and met so many people over the years. She considered herself very lucky to be able to reunite with her biological parents after being taken away as a baby.

    Raeleigh lowered her eyes slightly, a smile gracing her face.Santiago looked over at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°What are you smiling at?¡±

    Raeleigh then turned to look at Santiago. ¡°Is there a problem? If you don¡¯t want to see me smile, then don¡¯t look at me!¡±

    Santiago pulled a long face. ¡°Hmph!¡±

    Raeleigh was momentarily startled, then looked back at herself in the mirror, quite amused.

    The past few years hadn¡¯t been easy on her, but there were a lot of matters that she had no choice in. She had no regrets.

    If she was given a choice right then, if she knew what would happen in the future and what she had to go through, she would still say without hesitation that she regretted nothing.

    Raeleigh got up from her seat after the stylist finished with her makeup. By the time Santiago looked up, Raeleigh had already entered the fitting room. The stylist opened the door and was about to enter as well when Santiago asked, ¡°Do you want me to break your damned legs?¡±

    The stylist immediately stopped in his tracks, trembling with fear. He turned to look at Santiago. ¡°Mr. Santiago, I have to go inside to help Miss Raeleigh with her dress.¡±

    The stylist was extremely anxious. He thought to himself that an instant death right there and then would be preferable.

    It was way better than being tortured.

    Santiago nced at the stylist who was doing his hair and asked, ¡°Are you done?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Santiago pulled off the hairdressing gown, got up, and strode towards the fitting room where Raeleigh was. The stylist quickly stepped aside to make way for Santiago to enter.

    When Raeleigh heard someone enter the dressing room, she initially thought it was a female staff member who came to help her.

    After all, there were many women in the studio. The moment sheentered the room, she saw a box ced on the table. She had no idea when the box was delivered, but it had been put there nheless.

    She walked over to the table and opened the box to take a look at what was inside. There was a long, fitted fishtail dress inside the box.

    Raeleigh picked the dress up and ced it on her body.It looked quite good to her.Having assessed it, sheentered the changing area and turned around to draw the curtains when she saw Santiago standing in the corner.It took herpletely by surprise.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Raeleigh sounded very annoyed. On the surface, the two of them had made peace, but the truth of the matter was different.

    Santiago raised an eyebrow. ¡°What, there¡¯s nothing to see anyway.¡±

    ¡°Oh, soyou want me to strip in front of you?¡±

    Santiago turned around and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind that if you¡¯re willing.¡±

    Raeleigh gritted her teeth and swiveled around. She pulled the curtains shut and changed into the dress.

    Santiago could only see her feet behind the curtains. Not long after, Raeleigh emerged from inside the changing area.

    When Santiago saw Raeleigh, who had her hand pressed to her chest, he was taken aback. He closed his eyes and turned his back to Raeleigh. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that you¡¯re not suppose to wear a bra under formal dresses?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Raeleigh looked up at Santiago. ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    Santiago opened the door and demanded, ¡°Does anyone have any pasties?¡±

    The people outside were silent when they heard Santiago¡¯s question. They wondered whether Raeleigh was actually his girlfriend or Jepherson¡¯s.How could Santiago ask such a personal question?

    Raeleigh faced away and blushed. Her body was burning up with embarrassment. She was about to explode.

    Raeleigh walked inside and drew the curtain again. After a staff member gave him some pasties, Santiago opened the curtains and handed it to Raeleigh. ¡°Do you know how to use it?¡±

    ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Raeleigh took the pasties from Santiago¡¯s hand. She read the instructions on the box and chose a suitable size for herself.It took her quite a while for her to unzip her dress and put on the pasties. She stayed in there, noting up.

    ¡°Do you need my help?¡± Santiago asked from outside.

    Raeleigh asked curiously, ¡°How are you so knowledgeable on these kinds of things?¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Even a fool knows stuff like this.¡± In fact, Santiago was clueless. He was just blurting things out.

    Raeleigh huffed, ¡°I don¡¯t need your help.¡±

    Santiago looked away and waited outside for a few more minutes. Raeleigh took out her phone and searched the web on how to use pasties. She was relieved after confirming that she was right.

    However,when Raeleigh looked down at her chest, her breath hitched in her throat.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to wear this. I want another dress.¡±

    Santiago, from outside, immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s toote. This dress was specially made for you. If you had told them in the morning, they would probably still have the time to find another one.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I thought this was just one of the dresses the stylist picked?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote. If you don¡¯t want to wear it, then you would have to go in your birthday suit.¡± Santiago pulled open the curtains, catching Raeleigh off guard. Santiago stepped forward to catch Raeleigh before she fell backwards. He pulled her into his arms. Raeleigh raised her head, her heart beating fast. Santiago slowly let go and looked down at Raeleigh¡¯s dress before turning around and heading outside. When the stylist saw Santiago emerging from the changing room, he asked. ¡°How¡¯s the dress?¡±

    Dumbfounded at the reaction, the stylist hurried into the fitting room.

 Chapter 1538 Youâ€™re Gorgeous

    Everyone¡¯s jaw dropped when Raeleigh came out from the changing room looking like a queen.

    ¡°Wow!¡±

    The other stylists came in to see her. Raeleigh hurriedly ced a hand over her chest to cover her cleavage.

    The stylists stared nkly at Raeleigh. Suddenly, someone said, ¡°Wow, how beautiful.¡±

    Santiago, who was standing outside, said, ¡°Get her another dress, one without a fishtail.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, this is the most beautiful dress we have. I can guarantee you that Miss Raeleigh will be the center of attention tonight.¡±

    Santiago turned around and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s the one calling the shots?¡±

    The stylist was caught off guard and took two steps backwards. ¡°You are, but we¡¯re pressed for time. We don¡¯t have much time to make changes to the dress.¡±

    Santiago stared at them. ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re not willing to get it ready?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, this dress took days of work from six designers to put it together. No matter how good we are, we will not be able to put another dress together with so little time. Perhaps we can find a ready-made dress, but someone might be in the same dress.¡±

    The stylist was worried that there would be an outfit sh. He didn¡¯t want to cause Santiago any unnecessary trouble.

    Santiago snorted andquickly shot a nce at Raeleigh. Shewas standing by the door, blushing red. Her hands were pressed against her chest. Santiago looked at the stylist and said, ¡°Get something to cover her cleavage.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    The stylists immediately hurried over to Raeleigh. She retreated a couple of steps when she saw so many people rushing towards her at once. ¡°Wait, stop!¡±

    Santiago¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What the hell are you thinking?¡±

    She didn¡¯t know who was the one with the problem. Raeleigh wondered just what they were thinking.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips while Santiago entered the dressing room and asked the stylist, ¡°What do you suggest we do then?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, the dress is meant to be like that.When the designer was designing this, they forgot that women are shorter than men, so it is easy for the man to see her cleavage when they are dancing. But I have two solutions for this.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    ¡°Miss Raeleigh could wear a cardigan over the dress. The weather isn¡¯t very warm, and it will be indoors. That way, she will not attract any wandering eyes.¡±

    ¡°Miss Raeleigh could also pair the dress with a diamond ne. I think it should work.¡±

    ¡°This dress was specially designed for Miss Raeleigh since she has prominent corbones. Besides, Miss Raeleigh has a great figure. Although it¡¯s not really noticeable at times, this dress really entuates it.¡±

    ¡°In my opinion, this dress is perfect for Miss Raeleigh. It¡¯s one of a kind. When we first saw her in this dress, we were astounded. It¡¯s perfect for her and it¡¯s not too revealing either. Mr. Santiago, you maypare Miss Raeleigh to the models who had tried on the dress.¡±

    ¡°Although they looked elegant, none of them coulde close to beingpared to Miss Raeleigh. She looks absolutely stunning in the dress. She looks just like a queen.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s more, this shade of blue is very rare.¡±

    Santiago snorted. ¡°What¡¯s your other solution?¡±

    ¡°We can get rid of the fishtail and use it to cover the front instead.¡±

    Santiago stepped towards Raeleigh, andRaeleigh had to admit ¨C she trusted him more than she did the stylists. Santiago circled around her and studied the dress for a while until he discovered two straps.

    Santiago pulled on them and Raeleigh immediately felt something tighten around her chest.

    Raeleigh felt a little ufortable, but she didn¡¯t show it. However, one of the stylists immediately said, ¡°Mr. Santiago,e over here and have a look. Don¡¯t you think the first one was way better?¡±

    Santiago paused for a moment and walked over to the stylist. He studied herbrieflyand took a deep breath before walking back to Raeleigh. He walked behind her and untied the strap.

    Raeleigh immediately covered her chest.

    Santiago walked in front of Raeleigh.He raised his hand and pulled her hand away. ¡°Let me have a look.¡±

    Raeleigh did as she was told. After all, there wasn¡¯t any time for them to make another dress.

    Santiago took a few steps backwards until he was standing beside the stylist. He said, ¡°Let¡¯s keep it like this. Go and get the jewelry.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, Mr. Jepherson had brought over four sets ofjewelry. Which one should we use?¡±

    Santiago turned around and went outside. The stylist opened all four sets. The first was a ck pearl set. The stylist said, ¡°This one matches the dress. As the blue dress represents the sea, it¡¯ll be a perfect match.¡±

    Santiago nced at the stylist and thenlooked at the second set of blue sapphirejewelry. The stylist also stated that these matched the dress.

    Santiago looked at the third set ¨C diamonds. Santiago looked over at Raeleigh. She had already walked out and a group of people were trying to find the right pair of heels for her. Six pairs of heels were brought over for Raeleigh. However, she didn¡¯t seem to like any of them.

    Santiago looked at the veryst set ¨C rubies, andbrought it over to Raeleigh, who had a head down as she tried on the heels. He opened the box and ced the ruby ne around her neck. It was an oval shaped pendant, a simple yet gorgeous essory.

    Santiago took the bracelet and the earrings out from the box and handed it to Raeleigh.

    This surprised everyone. Out of all the jewelries, they disliked the rubies the most. Although the red colored gemstone was a symbol of passionate love, it didn¡¯t match the blue dress at all.

    However, Raeleigh had fair skin and her had prominent corbones. The ruby pendant fell on her chest, like the rising sun on the sea.

    They could imagine how the light emitted from it could illuminate the entire world.

    Raeleigh nced at the ne but didn¡¯t think much of it. Instead, she was a little frustrated that she couldn¡¯t find the right pair of high heels.

    Santiago looked at the floor and bent down to pick up a pair of red high heels. Raeleigh stared at it and asked, ¡°The red pair?¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to say that she didn¡¯t want to wear them, but Santiago interjected, ¡°We¡¯ll take this. We don¡¯t want the others.¡±

    The stylist immediately tidied up the restof the heels.Raeleigh had a few extra inches on her. No one could take advantage of her.

    It was only then that Santiago said, ¡°I¡¯m going to get changed.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago, your suit has arrived. Come with me.¡±

    The stylist led Santiago away. Santiago went to get changed while Raeleigh returned to her seat to get her hair done.

    Raeleigh looked at herself in the mirror and raised her hand to touch the earrings and bracelets. She almost couldn¡¯t recognize herself.

    ¡°Miss Raeleigh, you¡¯re gorgeous!¡±

 Chapter 1539 I will Kiss You if You Donâ€™t Stop Talking

    Raeleigh looked at the stylist. ¡°Are all of you very afraid of Mr. Santiago?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago isn¡¯t as reasonable as Mr. Jepherson. He talks with his fists. If he isn¡¯t happy, he will hit us. I fractured my hand once because of him.¡±

    The stylist smiled as he spoke. Raeleigh asked curiously, ¡°You fractured your hand yet you¡¯re still smiling about it? Aren¡¯t you angry at all?¡±

    ¡°Though Mr. Santiago is not unreasonable,he doesn¡¯t talk through problems like Mr. Jepherson. Mr. Jepherson will never get physical whileMr. Santiago is the exact opposite. If he can solve his problems with his fists, he won¡¯t talk it out.¡±

    ¡°In fact, Mr. Santiago is a good person. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s got quite the temper at times, and it¡¯s not something he can control.¡±

    ¡°As long as we don¡¯t anger Mr. Santiago, then nothing will happen.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying this because you work for him?¡± Raeleigh looked at the stylist strangely. She was surprised that the stylist was still defending Santaigo even though he had fractured his hand because of him.

    The stylist smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of him. I respect him a lot. Mr. Santiago may sometimes act rashly, but he¡¯s not a bad person. He knows what he¡¯s doing.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Santiago hired most of us here. Some of us were bullied out on the streets, and he was the one who saved us and arranged for us to work here. In fact, I¡¯m proud to be working here and the pay is good; at least I will be able to find a girlfriend and not get bullied.¡±

    ¡°But he hit you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure there was a reason.One time, I identally messed up Mr. Santiago¡¯s hair. He got up and gave me a hard push and I fell. When we went to the hospital, they told me I fractured my hand.¡±

    ¡°Later, Mr. Jepherson came by the hospital to visit me and gave me a hugepensation. He even let me take medical leave without any sry deduction.¡±

    ¡°You seem to hold Mr. Santiago and Mr. Jepherson in high regard.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have massive respect for both of them.¡±

    ¡°In fact, when some people lose their temper, it¡¯s for our own good. It wasn¡¯t on purpose.¡±

    ¡°My mother told me that it¡¯s like a parent-child rtionship. He wants the best for us, that¡¯s why he scolds and hits us. Or else, why would he even bother?¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the person in the mirror. She wondered whether Jepherson was the one who arranged for the stylist toe and tell her these things.

    Santiago then came out of the changing room. Someone hurried over to straighten Santiago¡¯s suit and Raeleigh turned to look at him. He was wearing a ck suit with a white shirt. There was a red rose boutonniereon thepel of his suit jacket.

    Raeleigh believed that Santiago was a work of art. She knew that he would get ahead of Jepherson eventually. It was only a matter of time.

    One day, he would be extremely far ahead.

    Santiago nced at Raeleigh before straightening his sleeves. The stylist brought over a box of jewelry, opened it and let Santiago take a look at it. He decided to go with a wristwatch and a ruby ring.

    Santiago nced at his watch. It was time for them to leave.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Santiago took off his coat as he walked towards Raeleigh. He draped the coat over Raeleigh¡¯s shoulders and took her hand in his as they walked out. Raeleigh tried to pull away, wanting him to let go. However, there were too many people around, with too many eyes fixed on them. Santiago had one hand in his pocket while the other held hers firmly as they strode outside.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t do anything but to follow Santiago as they left the styling studio together.

    Outside, Santiago opened the car door and helped Raeleigh into the car before getting in himself. The driver then started the car and drove them to the venue of the banquet.

    While in the car, Santiago took out his tablet and briefly scrolled through the news. The Richards Group press conference had already begun.

    Raeleigh leaned over and looked at his tablet. She could see Jepherson in a grey suit, answering the reporter¡¯s questions.

    Jepherson left atthe end of the press conference.Santiago put the tablet down and leaned against the window, gazing outside.

    They soon arrived at the banquet venue. Santiago got out of the car and offered his hand to Raeleigh, but ignored his help and emerged from the car on her own.

    Santiago reached for Raeleigh¡¯s hand, pulling her over.

    ¡°Watch what you¡¯re doing, or else I¡¯m going to tell your brother¡­¡±

    ¡°If you keep talking, I¡¯m going to kiss you.¡± The driver was shocked by Santiago¡¯s words and pretended not to hear anything.

    Raeleigh immediately stopped talking.Santiago held her hand, turned around, and made his way into the banquet hall. As they approached the building, a doorman held the door open for Santiago and Raeleigh.

    After entering the elevator, Raeleigh pulled her hand out of his grasp and put her hands behind her back. Her expression was sullen.

    The elevator door opened, andSantiago stretched his arm out, indicating for Raeleigh to link her arm with it.She had no choice but to do so as she followed him inside. The guests were immediately stunned when they appeared.

    Raeleigh lowered her headslightly,feeling her anxiety creeping in.

    ¡°Lift your head up,¡± Santiago reminded her. Raeleigh did as told. Her gaze swept through the entire hall. The room was crowded with people and she tried to look for Lamarre among the crowd, but she couldn¡¯t see him.

    ¡°Mr. Santiago,¡± someone immediately greeted Santiago. Raeleigh wanted to leave, but Santiago had his hand on hers, forcing her to stay.Raeleighhad no choice but to stay.

    Santiago exchanged greetings with others as he continued walking with Raeleigh towards the front of the hall. At the same time, Jepherson walked out from the other side of the hall.

    When Raeleigh caught sight of Jepherson, she immediately left Santiago and went to him. Jepherson turned around and looked at Raeleigh tenderly. He lowered his head and kissed her lips.

    The crowd immediately began to murmur.

    ¡°Is she the guest of honor?¡±

    ¡°I hear both Jepherson and Santiago like her.¡±

    ¡°She must be something. How rare for a woman to capture both their hearts.¡±

    Raleigh let the murmurs continue.

    Raeleigh then stood at the side as she looked at the array of food. She thought of the look on her stylist¡¯s face after two hours of their hard work. She couldn¡¯t eat or drink.

    When Jepherson saw Raeleigh in a daze, he whispered in her ear, ¡°My beautiful wife, what are you thinking about?¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned for a moment before turning to look at Jepherson. ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡±

    Jephersonughed. ¡°Eat whatever you want. You¡¯re already the prettiestdy here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I care about. I just feel bad that I¡¯d be putting the stylist¡¯s effort to waste.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not here. They wouldn¡¯t know. Anyway, they¡¯ve done their part.¡±

    Jepherson picked up a piece of cake. ¡°Cakes like this are sweet.¡±

    Raeleigh opened her mouth for Jepherson to feed her with it. Then, she picked up a te and put another slice on it.

    Santiago walked over.¡°I want some cake too.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and saw that it was Santiago. She remained silent as Jepherson picked up a slice and gave it to his brother. While munching away at his cake, Santiago looked at the people around him.

    ¡°What time will it end?¡± Santiago hated crowded ces.

    Raeleigh also looked forward to leaving.

    Jepherson smiled.¡°We just got here. We must at least dance before leaving.¡±

    Santiago said, ¡°This is a waste of time.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh towards him.¡°Come here.¡±

 Chapter 1540 Sheâ€™s My Wife

    Raeleigh was still holding the cake but she had no way of refusing. In the end, she was pulled forward.

    Jepherson was dressed in ck from head to toe and had a blue roseboutonni¨¨re pinned to thepel of his suit jacket.He walked up to the stage, picked up the microphone and greeted his guests. When he did, Everyone in the room turned to look at him.

    Just as Raeleigh was about to take a bite of her cake, Jepherson turned to face her and nted his lips on hers, kissing away the cream on her lips. Raeleigh immediately knew that he was up to something.

    ¡°What are you up to?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to make an announcement.¡±

    Jepherson gave her a smile before turning around and looking at the guests below the stage.

    ¡°Good evening, I¡¯m delighted to announce that the Richards Group has already achieved its first quarter target. I would like to thank you for your time and effort, and foring and celebrating with us. We look forward to your continued support for the Richards Group in theing years.¡±

    Additionally¡­¡±

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh over. ¡°I have someone I would like to introduce to everyone. Thisdy right here is Raeleigh Anson. She¡¯s one of ourpany¡¯s automotive designers. She is also my wife.¡±

    Raeleigh nearly dropped her cake. Everyone below the stage was wide-eyed in shock.They hadn¡¯t expected Jepherson to make such an announcement at the banquet.

    Santiago, who was standing in the distance, started pping.The crowd turned their heads over to Santiago before following his lead.

    As the apuse rang out, Raeleigh felt like she was stuck in a dream. If she wasn¡¯t holding a cake in her hand, she would definitely have had to pinch herself to make sure that she was not dreaming.

    She desperately wanted to wake up from this dream.

    ¡°Next up, I would like everyone to join me on the dance floor. Let¡¯s enjoy ourselves tonight,¡± Jepherson continued. Just as he was about to lead Raeleigh off the stage, a woman was pushed into the banquet hall, which caught everyone by surprise.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    The crowd started to make way for the neer.

    Santiago immediately noticed that something was amiss and looked in the direction of the crowd.

    When Santiago saw that it was Ste, he was stunned for a moment. Then, he quickly walked up to her.

    Ste was sat in a wheelchair, her eyes fixed on Jepherson and Raeleigh. Neither Jepherson nor Raeleigh smiled as their gazes reflected the shock in their bones.

    No one could smile at such an abrupt appearance.

    When Raeleigh saw Ste, she immediately turned towards Jepherson who was calmly staring at Ste.

    Stelaughed below the stage.¡°If you two are a married couple, what does that make me?¡±

    Everyone around them was shocked to hear her say that. What was going on?

    Raeleigh remained silent as itwasn¡¯t the time for her to say anything.Although she had her own opinions regarding this, she chose to stay quiet.

    While Santiago was standing amongst the crowd, Jepherson retorted, ¡°There¡¯s nothing between us.¡±

    Ste took out a stack of photos and tossed it towards the crowd. ¡°Oh, really?¡±

    One of the photos fell at Santiago¡¯s feet. He frowned when he saw them ¨C they were the same pictures that Ste had taken a few months ago. However, he was sure that he had deleted all the photos. How could she have them?

    Could she had made a copy?

    Jepherson nced at the photos that were all over the floor. He smiled and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m not going to waste my time defending myself. You know better than anyone what happened that night. My conscience is clear.¡±

    ¡°However, my grandmother has already agreed to let you marry into our family and be a concubine. You will not have a formal title, and Raeleigh will be my actual wife.¡±

    ¡°Ste, I am genuinely disappointed in you. I wasn¡¯t expecting you toe and cause trouble like this.¡±

    ¡°My grandmother has allowed you to live in Ink Garden and we¡¯ve already talked things out, yet you still showed up here tonight, shameless! You should know that only the matriarch of the Richards family is allowed to live in the Ink Garden.¡±

    ¡°My grandmother not only proposed the marriage but even allowed you to reside there while she made Raeleigh stay in the Green Jade Garden instead.¡±

    ¡°After all that, you still refused topromise and insisted on making things ugly.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I will meet with her to talk about this.Since I¡¯m heading over there, I will bring Raeleigh along to visit her.¡±

    ¡°Do pick up the photos before you be aughing stock.¡±

    ¡°My distinguished guests, I would like to formally apologize to everyone in the room. I should have dealt with my family¡¯s matters in private, and not here, at a public event.¡±

    ¡°I ask for your understanding, and please continue to enjoy yourselves tonight.¡±

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth lifted as he spoke, smiling warmly and very charmingly at the crowd.

    Raeleigh stood aside as she looked down at Ste, who had been ignored. She couldn¡¯t understand why Ste still wanted to make a fuss. It did not seem that she liked him, and judging by Ste family¡¯s status, Raeleigh was sure that she could find someone else, but that seemed rather impossible with everything that had happened.

    She had single handedly destroyed herself.

    Even though Jepherson was not an advocate of having concubines,it was normal for men to have them. Much like the men in the Moore family, especially Flynt¡¯s father,who had a total of seven wives and allof whom he had kids with.

    Jepherson had already made it clear earlier. Not only did he respect his grandmother¡¯s decision, but Ste was shown courtesy and was allowed to live in the Ink Garden because of her family background. However,Ste still ungratefully came around and caused a fuss.

    No matter how one put it, Raeleigh was his legitimate woman.Hence, Jepherson would bring her wherever he went. He would even proudly introduce her to everyone. But with regards to Ste¡­

    To put it bluntly, everyone knew what dirty tricks she had used to be his concubine. Ste was only shooting herself in the foot by doing this.

    Jepherson led Raeleigh off the stage and handed her cake to the waiter. Then, they walked towards the dance floor.

    The music started ying, and the lights changed to match the ambience. No one gave Ste the time of day at all. Everyone had their eyes on Jepherson and Raeleigh,pletely amazed by the two. Even if Ste caused trouble, their rtionship remained unaffected and it was in to see just how solid a pair the two were.

    While Ste¡¯s servant collected the photos on the ground, Ste let out a scoff andturned around to look at Jepherson and Raeleigh, who were dancing together on the dance floor.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I didn¡¯t really want anything at first, but I can¡¯t stop myself now.You have to take responsibility for your actions.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s leave.¡± Ste took another nce before beingpushed out of the banquet hall.

    Raeleigh watched Ste leave as she held Jepherson. ¡°Actually, this isn¡¯t beneficial to you.People may think that you¡¯re not content with what you have.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about what others think. Your thoughts are what matters most to me.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you surprised at all?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be surprised about?I¡¯m only surprised at how breath-takingly beautiful you look tonight.¡±

    Jepherson took a quick nce at Raeleigh before pulling her into his arms. He smiled gently as he twirled her around the dance floor.

 Chapter 1541 Go Home in A Couple of Days

    Raeleigh only nned to have one dance with Jepherson. However, after the first song ended, Jepherson handed her off to Santiago to continue dancing. As soon as Santiago stepped onto the dance floor, he became the topic of everyone¡¯s conversation.

    ¡°Why is she wearing Mr. Santiago¡¯s jacket?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right! It seems Mr. Santiago is captivated by her beauty.¡±

    Although Jepherson overheard the guests talking, he remained indifferent.

    He even talked andughed with the guests.

    After the second dance ended, Raeleigh briefly nced at her watch to check the time asSantiago led her off the dance floor whereJepherson was already waiting for her.They walked out of the banquet hall and straight to the car. Raeleigh was exhausted and had no idea what was happening inside.

    Jepherson poked his head out of the car and instructed one of his men, ¡°Go and take care of it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Santiago got into the car as his men turned around and left. Raeleigh was sitting on one side of the car, so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open. She fell asleep even before they took off.

    Jepherson pulled her into his arms so that she could lean on him instead. The driver started the car and drove straight to the Richards Group Manor. On the way, Jepherson said, ¡°I want you to tell Grandma about what happened tonight. I need to go to A city. You can¡¯t stay here alone. I¡¯ll call Zorion and ask him to help you.¡±

    ¡°When will youe back?¡± In fact, Santiago didn¡¯t have anything to do in the Capital City. He felt that what happened with Ste needed to be dealt with as soon as possible, but it was not something that was up to him to decide.

    ¡°I should be back pretty soon. I will be back before Hadrian¡¯s wedding.¡±

    ¡°Do I still need to head over to Hadrian¡¯s then?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The car pulled up to the Richards Group Manor. Jepherson asked someone to get his passport, then made his way to the airport.

    It was not until they arrived at the airport that Raeleigh woke up. She hastily changed out of her evening gown into something morefortable.

    Not long after they boarded the ne, Raeleigh fell asleep again. Santiago didn¡¯t leave until Jepherson and Raeleigh boarded the ne. By then, it was already dawn.

    Santiago left the airport and returned to the Richards Group Manor. The moment he stepped in, he saw the servants with luggage in hand.

    ¡°Whose are these?¡± Santiago asked the servant, to which he replied, ¡°Miss Ste is back. She¡¯s packing her things.¡±

    Santiago took a nce in the direction of the Ink Garden before heading over to his ce.

    After entering his room, he took a short nap before making his way to Waverly Vige.

    ¡­¡­.

    Raeleigh had been asleep ever since they boarded the ne.

    Jepherson managed to take forty winks. Once the nended, they hopped into a car and went straight to the Richards Group Manor in A City. As soon as they arrived, he led Raeleigh straight to their room.

    One of the servants hurriedly informed Trevor of Jepherson and Raeleigh¡¯s arrival.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson is back?¡±

    Marissa was quite surprised since hehad just left a few days ago.What was he doing back here so soon?

    Marissa turned to Trevor. ¡°What is he doing back here so soon?¡±

    Trevor was studying a chessboard. ¡°How would I know?¡±

    ¡°Can you at least guess why?¡± Marissa found it strange because Jepherson rarely came home. Something must be going on.

    ¡°Where is he?¡± Marissa asked. The servant quickly replied, ¡°He brought Miss Raeleigh back to their room. She seems very tired.¡±

    Marissa frowned. ¡°Tired? Does she think she doesn¡¯t have toe greet me because she¡¯s tired?¡±

    Marissa¡¯s face sank. She was disappointed with Jepherson. All her effort she had put in to raise him was done in vain. If she knew that Jepherson would turn out like this, she would have treated Santiago better.

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    The servant didn¡¯t know what to say. Trevor said, ¡°If they are here this early in the morning, it means they probably took a midnight flight. You should let them rest.¡±

    ¡°Your grandson has never yed by the rules since he was a child. I have no idea why he¡¯s back. Maybe he came to interrogate us.¡±

    ¡°Interrogate us?¡± Marissa looked amused. ¡°About what? Does he still think that I should¡¯ve been dead by now?¡± Marissa felt a sh of irritation and threw the bamboo fan onto the ground. Trevor looked at the fallen fan and said, ¡°Marissa, you¡¯ve broken too many fans already. Why do you always have to do this whenever you get mad? Plus, the weather is fairly cool today, why are you still using a fan?¡±

    ¡°I thought it looked good, so I grabbed it. Why?¡± Marissa looked at the fan she threw. Without waiting for Trevor to speak, she asked one of the servants to pick the fan up for fear of breaking it.

    Marissa racked her brain and asked aloud, ¡°What could it be, I wonder?¡±

    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll find out tomorrow.¡±

    Trevor continued to y chess while Marissa spent the rest of the day pondering about what brought Jepherson back so soon. She kept wondering untilher grandson and Raeleigh finally showed up at their house.

    When Marissa saw Raeleigh, her expression immediately changed. If Trevor wasn¡¯t holding Marissa¡¯s hand, she would most likely have let her anger get the best of her.

    ¡°Jerry, you¡¯re back!¡± Trevor nced at Raeleigh and Jepherson. Jepherson then said, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be back?¡±

    Marissa looked over. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask Ste? I have something I want to show you.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t feel the least bit ashamed as he took out all the photos and handed them to Marissa. She was seething inwardly and almost scolded her grandson. However, when she saw the people in the photos, she immediately picked them up and took a closer look. She was at a loss for how to respond to this.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    Trevor briefly nced at the photos then at his grandson, ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°Last night, I attended a banquet held by our Richards Group and I brought Raeleigh as my date. I didn¡¯t expect Ste to show up, demanding to know what our rtionship was before tossing this stack of photos into the crowd. All I can say is that everyone at the banquet had feasted their eyes on these.¡±

    Anger rushed through Jepherson¡¯s veins. Marissa quickly picked up the photos on the ground and said, ¡°That¡¯s too much!¡±

    ¡°Is this why you¡¯re here?¡± Trevor asked.

    ¡°Why else would I be here?¡± Jepherson snapped. Trevor said, ¡°Yes, although Ste was part of our arrangement for you, it was all pretense. And although she crossed the line, you have yourself to me. You should have dealt with it properly. This has nothing to do with us, so don¡¯t put this me on us when you¡¯re the one who failed to clean up your own mess!¡±

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Jepherson turned around and pulled Raeleigh outside. Marissa wanted to say something but could not. Ste had gone too far. What else could she say?

    After Jepherson and Raeleigh left, Marissa stood up in anger. She started pacing back and forth in the room. Trevor watched in anger as his grandson walked away. He wasn¡¯t mad becauseof Ste, but he was upset that Jepherson hade to find fault with them.

    Marissa was getting older and she wasn¡¯t as healthy as before. It was best to aggravateher.

    With this thought in mind, Trevor immediately strode out of the room in search of Jepherson. He wanted to give him a piece of his mind.

    Although no one else heard it, Raeleigh did.

    Raeleigh only dared toe out of the room after Trevor left.She couldn¡¯t help butugh when she saw Jepherson,though she remained silent.

    Jepherson also startedughing with her.When Raeleigh walked over, he took her handand said, ¡°We¡¯ll go home in a couple of days.¡±

 Chapter 1542 She Had Nothing

    Raeleigh stayed in A city for two days. After the dust settled, she went back with Jepherson.

    When they arrived at Richards Group, Jepherson got out of the car and brought Raeleigh inside. It wasn¡¯t until she had gone inside that she found out Ste had moved in.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. Despite all that had happened,Ste had still moved in.

    It seemed that Raeleigh had some difficult times ahead.

    Thinking of Ste, Raeleigh recalled what had happened to Xanthus.Drug poisoning was no small matter. She turned around and went inside, leaving Jepherson behind.

    She didn¡¯t rest after entering the room even though she did sayshe was tired and sleepy. After all, she had been busy over the past couple of days.

    But her drowsiness faded at the thought of living under the same roof as Ste.

    She packed her belongings,took her suitcase and got ready to leave.

    When she reached the door, Jepherson happened to arrive at the door too. One of them was standing inside, and the other outside.

    Jepherson was amused. ¡°What are you doing?Rebelling?¡±

    Raeleigh was unfazed. She looked up and stared at him. ¡°Although I married you, it doesn¡¯t mean that I have to always listen to you.¡±

    ¡°Letting Ste stay in Richards Group is your grandmother¡¯s idea, not mine. I won¡¯t fight with people living under the same roof. I¡¯m not that type of person.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take this opportunity to be with my family. I¡¯m going back to Waverly Vige. You handle your own affairs. Also, yourpany project ising to an end. You¡¯ve earned a lot of money through the two cars at the end ofst year.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll design a car for you every season,butI have my university studies. I hope you won¡¯t stop me.¡±

    ¡°Although we¡¯re married, I should have some freedom of my own.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t live with the person who hurt my brother.¡±

    Raeleigh was about to leave with her luggage when Jepherson held her arm. ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯ll be all alone after you leave. Won¡¯t you worry about me?¡±

    ¡°Will you?¡± Raeleigh looked at him with a hurt expression. To her, Ste was someone who she wished had never existed. However, he was always lenient with her and let her off the hook.

    Raeleigh could restrain herself from killing, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself not to bear a grudge.

    She had already told Jepherson what kind of woman Ste was a long time ago. She was disappointed with the way he handled the issue.

    She thought that Ste would leave this time round.Even though they hadn¡¯t said anything about it, Raeleigh had thought that that was what would happen.

    To her dismay, she hade back just to find that Ste was here.She was at a loss for words.

    Jepherson was too selfish. He was so selfishthat she no longer wanted to argue with him.

    When he dealt with Flynt, he had been so ruthless that thetter¡¯s entire arm was gone. But when it came to Ste, what had he done instead?

    Was it just because Flynt was pursuing her?

    ¡­

    Raeleigh pushed his arm away. ¡°I¡¯ll go back first. Don¡¯t you have things to handle at thepany? Don¡¯t go back with me. I want to be alone. Besides, Scarlette needs someone to help her, so I¡¯ll go.¡±

    Then, Raeleigh walked away. She pulled her suitcase with her as she walked towards the entrance of the Richards Group.

    Jepherson turned to look in Raeleigh¡¯s direction. He stared at her until her silhouette disappeared.

    Just as Raeleigh had walked to the entrance of Richards Group, Ste showed up. Ste smiled when she bumped into Raeleigh. ¡°You¡¯re leaving as soon as I get here?¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Ste silently. What could she say to someone like her?

    Ste¡¯s smile stretched even longer upon Raeleigh¡¯s silence.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like you. Obviously, you¡¯re an inborn b*tch, yet you pretend to be pitiful and helpless. Who do you intend to deceive? Those men? You¡¯ve got so many around you. I bet you must have been busy satisfying their fleshly desires?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, our rivalry has just begun. I will make you beg me to let you go.¡±

    Raeleigh then dragged her suitcase and walked past Ste without saying another word.

    When Raeleigh was about to get into the car, Ste turned around and gave a warning. ¡°You best take care out there.Don¡¯t get into an ident and have your face disfigured.¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    Raeleigh got into the car and red at Ste silently while the chauffeur closed the door and got into the car. Along the way, they were tailed and chased by an unknown car all the way to the intersection. They nearly got into an ident.

    Fortunately, the chauffeur was adept at driving, and Raeleigh was kept safe and sound.

    The chauffeur got down and quickly took a look at Raeleigh. ¡°My apologies,Miss Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.Bring my suitcase down and don¡¯ttell Jepherson about this.¡±

    The chauffeur hesitated.¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no use telling him.¡±

    Raeleigh took her luggage and walked into Waverly Vige.

    She thought this might be a safer ce.

    The chauffeur stood behind her for a moment before he turned and left.

    Not long after Raeleigh had gone in, she received a call from Jepherson. She hesitated before picking up.

    ¡°I¡¯ve arrived.¡±

    ¡°Do you not want to answer my call?¡± Jepherson could tell that she sounded distant.

    He didn¡¯t know what happened.She was just fine a while ago, but was suddenly upset as soon as he called her.

    How unreasonable.

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Jepherson was silent.¡°I will deal with what happened with Ste as soon as possible. Give me some time.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    Raeleigh had nothing else to say. He wouldn¡¯t believe it even if she told him.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t want to hang up, but Raeleigh was obviously in a bitter mood. She said, ¡°The signal is unstable, I¡¯m hanging up.¡±

    Once the call ended, Jepherson put his phone away and went outside.Ste came just as he was taking his leave.

    ¡°s, she still left,¡± Ste mused.

    Jepherson put his phone away. ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°So, it proves that she doesn¡¯t love you that much.¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to love me. Loving her is enough for me.¡± Jepherson wasn¡¯t in the most joyous of moods at the moment. His patience for Ste was growing rather thin.

    ¡°Send Miss Doyle back. Remember, no one is allowed to enter this yard except for Raeleigh.¡±

    Jepherson turned and went back to the room, leaving Ste with a smile on her face as she sat in herwheelchair.

    ¡°Miss Ste.¡± The servant was in a difficult spot butSte didn¡¯t bother.She simply kept her unwavering smile as she turned to leave.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh hung up and pulled her suitcase along as she looked at thenterns in the vige. She didn¡¯t expect to see so many of them; they practically lit up the entire street.

    Raeleigh identally bumped into someone. When she looked up, she realized it was Santiago.

    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    There was a coldness in his voice, as though he had a feud with her. Raeleigh stared nkly at Santiago without answering.

    It might be because he was in a bad mood, or due to the conflict that they had earlier, or even the fact that Jepherson had asked Santiago to keep an eye on her each time anything happened.

    Raeleigh pulled her suitcase and sidestepped Santiago, continuing to walk forward.

    Santiago grabbed her suitcase, but she didn¡¯t let it go, ¡°I can do it myself.¡±

    ¡°Let me.¡± Santiago took a step forward. Raeleigh stared at him without saying a word. Under her prating gaze, he slowly released his grip.She turned around, pulled her luggage with her andwalked through the vige as she watched the changes in Waverly Vige and the well-decorated weddingnterns.

    At least others had a wedding when they got married. She hadn¡¯t gotten anything when she got married, not even a single stalk of flower.

 Chapter 1543 Distracted

    Raeleigh walked down the street. It wasn¡¯t that she had been traumatized, shejust felt a little discouraged. She didn¡¯t know what other women would do when they encountered such a situation, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself topete with someone else for a man.

    She only wanted to live an ordinary life, even if it would be as tough as before.

    She dragged her suitcase as she walked.Santiago had been following her, and shedidn¡¯t even notice that she had reached her home. Santiago stopped and looked at Raeleigh, who was walking forward in a daze. After a while, she stopped and turned around to find that she had already walked past her house.

    Raeleigh dragged her suitcase all the way back while Santiago fixed his gaze on her. When she stopped in front of him, he said, ¡°I thought you were going to fly?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t even look at him. She had no energy to argue with him.

    Raeleigh walked into the house and gathered her energy. She shouted, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back.¡±

    No one answered her. She continued to ask, ¡°Xanthus?¡±

    There was still no response.

    Raeleigh then called Xanthus, who told her that they were out shopping in the market.

    Raeleigh put away her phone and pulled her luggage into the room. She put down her phone and began to tidy up her belongings. She was storing her clothes in the cab when Santiago pushed the door open and walked in.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Santiago. Although the door was unlocked, she hadn¡¯t expected him toe in.

    Then, the door closed. Raeleigh shot a nce at Santiago before she continued tidying up her clothes.

    ¡°You brought all your clothes. Does this mean you don¡¯t intend to go back?¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer him andcontinued going about her own taks. He walked to her side. ¡°Who are you angry at?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry at anyone, and I don¡¯t want to be angry with you. I¡¯m tired. Please leave.¡± After she finished tidying up her clothes, she turned around to look at Santiago.

    She was exhausted and needed to rest.

    ¡°Let me ask you, why did youe back?¡±

    ¡°No reason.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why are you behaving this way?¡±

    Raeleigh stared at him. ¡°Can¡¯t you leave me alone?¡±

    She took Santiago¡¯s wrist, turned and walked to the door, pushing him out. Afterwards, she closed the door and locked it.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment before going to her bed to lie down. She felt better some timeter, though she wasn¡¯t exactly in a better mood; she felt like she was just more clear-headed.

    She covered herself with the quilt andfinally had a good sleep.

    By the time Raeleigh stirred, Xanthus had alreadye back with their parents. As soon as she came out of her room, she saw her parents entering the house holding bags and bags of things. Raeleigh went over to see what their parents had brought back. ¡°How can we eat such a small fish?¡±

    ¡°This kind of fish is specially used for making dried fish, but the fishmonger told me that it¡¯s also suitable to make fish sauce too, and that it¡¯ll be delicious. So, I¡¯m nning to make fish sauce,¡± Jazelle exined happily. She was delighted to see her daughter. However, her expression darkened the next moment as she looked at Raeleigh. She handed the fish to her son and asked, ¡°Sweetheart, what happened to you?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Raeleigh realized that her despondency might have been discovered, hence she started to feel a little nervous. Lamar took a look inside the room, and his gaze fell on Santiago before he asked, ¡°Where is Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s got something going on at thepany. I came back to help Scarlette. Has shee?¡±

    Raeleigh purposely changed the topic to prevent her parents from inquiring about the matter between her and Jepherson.

    She had married Jepherson without discussing it with her parents. With Jepherson letting Ste reside at their home, she could no longer stay by his side. However, she could not bring herself to tell her parents about this.

    In her mind, as empty-headed as she was, she didn¡¯t think she deserved her parents¡¯ concern.

    Lamar and Jazelle exchanged a look. Both of them knew what kind of person Raeleigh was.She must have her own reasons for not wanting to tell them. It wouldn¡¯t do anyone any good if they forced her to talk. Plus, she would be under a lot of stress.

    Jazelle held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you referring to the garrulous kid?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at her mother speechlessly, amazed by her mother¡¯s intelligence.

    ¡°We¡¯re the same age, you know,¡± Raeleigh exined. As she pulled Raeleigh into the room, Jazelle replied, ¡°I know.¡±

    Xanthus took the fish into the kitchen and started preparing for their meal. Lamar sat on the sofa and turned on the TV,pletely ignoring Santiago.

    Santiago leaned against the sofa as he watched TV. After Xanthus finished his prepping, Santiago got up to wash his hands. Things had been stressful for Raeleigh.

    At times, Jepherson really crossed the line. When he was not around her, he would get someone to keep an eye on her. To her, even though she was not grounded, it meant no difference from being locked in a big cage.

    Raeleigh sat and ate a mouthful of food.Jazelle passed her the small fish almost immediately. ¡°Sweetheart, eat more. Have you been too tired? Apart from taking care of Zo-that Zo-something guy, you have to help this Scarley little girl too.¡±

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s Scarlette. She¡¯s my age so she¡¯s not a little girl anymore.¡± Sometimes, Raeleigh had no idea how to deal with her mother.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°I know, but you will always be my little sweetheart in my eyes, so if she¡¯s the same age as you, she will be a little girl too.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to say, so she continued to eat in silence.

    Someone knocked on the door as they were eating.Raeleigh paused for a moment before looking up, worry gripping her heart.. What if it was Jepherson? With so many people in the house, how was she going to tell them?

    She was nning to get up and open the door, but Xanthus beat her to it.

    Raeleigh heaved a sigh of relief the moment the door opened. Though the visitor came as a surprise, any visitor was better than Jepherson.

    Scarlette was sitting on a wheelchair with a warm bag in her hands. She was overjoyed when she saw Raeleigh, calling out to her excitedly. Raeleigh knew that Scarlette missed her, but Scarlette seemed slightly over-enthusiastic about seeing her.

    Xanthus stepped aside while Hadrian pushed Scarlette in. Raeleigh asked if they had had their meals and when she was told that they hadn¡¯t,she got up and brought them two sets of bowl and cutlery. After washing their hands, they sat beside Raeleigh and had their meal together.

    Since Scarlette arrived, there hadn¡¯t been a moment of silence around the dining table. She was talkative, which made Raeleigh feel dizzy. Even after the meal, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t remember a word Scarlette had said. However, nothing stopped Scarlette from continuing chatting away. Raeleigh had to force herself to remember what Scarlette was saying.

    ¡°Raeleigh, why are you so distracted? Is something wrong?¡± Scarlette looked at her curiously. Raeleigh shook her head, but she clearly knew what was wrong with her.

 Chapter 1544 Regret

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to answer, so Scarlette stopped asking in front of everyone. When she stayed at Raeleigh¡¯s that night, she asked Raeleigh what had happened that day.

    At first, Raeleigh justid there without saying anything. No matter how much Scarlette asked her about it, she refused to say anything. Later, she turned around, put her arms around Scarlette and said from behind her, ¡°If it were you, could you tolerate Hadrian bringing another woman and letting her live under the same roof as you, even if he doesn¡¯t really love her?¡±

    Scarlette was baffled for a second. She knew that there must be something going on. Sure enough, Mr. Jepherson was at it again!

    Scarlette held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. ¡°Raeleigh, did you tell Mr. Jepherson that you can¡¯t live with that b*tch?¡±

    ¡°I did but it didn¡¯t change anything.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson is so selfish.¡± Scarlette couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. If it were Hadrian, she would have gone over and pped him, chopped him into pieces, wrapped them inside a bun, and fed it to dogs.

    Raeleigh gave Scarlette a hug. ¡°It¡¯s precisely because he¡¯s so selfish that I don¡¯t want to see him.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t good. I heard from Hadrian that you and Mr. Jepherson have gotten married?¡± Scarlette found it hard to ept the truth. She had only learned that Xanthus and Raeleigh were not a couple, but biological siblings just two days ago.

    The world was so small that Xanthus was able to locate his long-lost sister. Scarlette wondered why no one came to find her.

    She was envious of Raeleigh, but it turned out that¡­

    No one was looking for her either.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I was too impulsive. To think of it now, it was like a dream.¡± Though Raeleigh didn¡¯t regret it,she realized she didn¡¯t think it through before getting married.

    It was true ¨C women should not be too reckless. The consequences of being reckless was a nightmare to deal with.

    ¡°What are you going to do? Are you going to divorce Mr. Jepherson?¡± Scarlette sighed internally. Marriage was not a game. Although it was just a piece of paper, it was still sacred, especially for women. A divorced woman was considered rather worthless.

    Raeleigh smiled, ¡°Not yet. It¡¯ll be more foolish of me to divorce him.But things aren¡¯t that much better now.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette, enough with the questions.The more you know, the more bothered you¡¯ll be. If you remain unaware, your mind can be more at ease.¡±

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t rted to you, I wouldn¡¯t haveasked so much.Do you think I¡¯m dying to know these things?¡± Scarlette¡¯s heart went out to Raeleigh. Everything was fine at first,but she was suddenly treated so unfairly. Scarlette didn¡¯t know what to make of this situation.

    Raeleigh was silent for a while. ¡°Actually, it isn¡¯t a big deal.¡±

    Silence fell between them.

    Scarlette said, ¡°You say that you¡¯re fine, but who knows what¡¯s really on your mind.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to say anything more. After all, there was nothing more she could say.

    Scarlette mumbled, ¡°What are you going to do next?¡±

    ¡°Your wedding is just around the corner. Aren¡¯t we going to be busy, yet you still asked what I will be doing next? If you don¡¯t need me to do anything for you, I can definitely be more rxed. Moreover, we still have lectures to attend. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that.¡±

    ¡°Wow, Raeleigh, I just realized how mentally strong you are.I¡¯ve long known that you are not an ordinary person. Sure enough, I was right.¡±

    No one knew when Scarlette fell asleep, though she had indeed talked a lot before that. Raeleigh could finally have some peace and quiet, but slumber was out of reach.

    Raeleigh got out of bed and wentoutside to get some water. When she was getting ready to return to her room, Santiago happened toe out from Xanthus¡¯s room. Raeleigh paused shortly when she reached the door. Then, she turned around and looked at Santiago, who was looking at her by the door. They exchanged a wordless nce.

    Raeleigh then turned around and went back into her room.She sat on the bed and couldn¡¯t help but feel depressed.

    She held the ss of water in her hand. She just couldn¡¯t fall asleep whenever she thought of the way Jepherson treated her.

    She spent the whole night sitting in her dark room.

    It was not until the sun rose that she got up from the chair and washed up.

    She spent the next few days doing the same thing. She didn¡¯t care about anything and was unwilling to see anyone. Jepherson dropped by a few times, but she just looked at him without saying a thing.This made Jenna so anxious that she found herself speechless at the situation.

    ¡°Jerry, what¡¯s going on?¡± When they left, Jenna caught him with Jepherson and asked him.

    ¡°Ste¡¯s presence made Raeleigh ufortable.I will deal with it as soon as possible. Scarlette¡¯s wedding is tomorrow. Let¡¯s talk about it after that.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Jenna had no choice but to watch her son leave.

    ¡°When will you behave maturely?¡± Santiago asked as he stood in the corner. Raeleigh didn¡¯t see Jepherson off, so he came to ask her.

    Raeleigh turned to gaze at Santiago. ¡°Are you speaking up for him?¡±

    ¡°Do the two of you need me to do so?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and left without saying anything.

    Santiago followed her, but neither of them spoke until Raeleigh went back to see her parents. Santiago left after that.

    After he did, Jazelle wanted to ask Raeleigh what was going on.But at the same time, she was worried about stressing Raeleigh with such questions. Later, she tactfully told Raeleigh that if she really liked Jepherson, she had to take the initiative in pursuing him.

    In fact, Jazelle felt the urge to reveal to her daughter that they only meant to test him temporarily, but Jazelle couldn¡¯t bring herself to tell the truth.

    Realizing how troubled her mother was, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t help but feel disheartened at everything.

    Raeleigh felt that she couldn¡¯t go on like this, so she decided to snap out of it.

    ¡°Mom,what¡¯s going on between Jepherson and I isn¡¯t entirely because of you both, so don¡¯t worry. With Scarlette inviting you and Dad to host the wedding, you should be happy. I¡¯ve already got it figured out. I shall go with the flow when ites to rtionships, and I won¡¯t be dispirited again, no matter what.¡±

    Raeleighforted her mother. She needed some more time, but she could not remain in low spirits anymore.

    Jazelle hugged Raeleigh, her heart achingfor her daughter. She also med herself for this. If it weren¡¯t for what had happened, if she had been able to be by her daughter¡¯s side,Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t turn out to be like this.

    ¡°I understand. I will be sure to attend their wedding joyfully tomorrow. You too, sweetheart.¡±

    They hugged for a little while longer before letting go of each other. Then, they began to prepare for Scarlette¡¯s wedding tomorrow.

    Jenna was also busily heading back to get her preparations done as well. Otherwise, she would regret it.

    While everyone was preupied with wedding preparations, Deanna was sitting anxiously in the attic pondering if she should go to Scarlette¡¯s wedding.

    If she did, people mightugh at her because of her belly. On the other hand, Scarlette had sent her an invitation while Jacky had also agreed to be Hadrian¡¯s groomsman.

    She couldn¡¯t make up her mind!

    ¡°What should I do?¡± Deanna fixed her eyes on the gorgeously-designed invitation card. She heard that the artwork was done by Jepherson himself. Since this wedding was so important to Jepherson, it must be a rather grand one.

    She would definitely regret it if she didn¡¯t make it!

 Chapter 1545 For Him

    The next day, Scarlette¡¯s wedding started splendidly. She and Hadrian came out from their residence and headed for Waverly Vige.

    They had bought a house there, and before going there, they had to go to the local church for their ceremony to exchange their marriage vows.

    The whole wedding process seemed to be quite simple, but was also solemn. They had invited all the vigers. Lamar and Jazelle were the groom¡¯s witnesses whereas the bride¡¯s wedding witnesses were Hansen and Jenna. It was a great surprise to see that even Stuart attended the wedding.

    Scarlette was so thrilled that she drank a lot at the end of the wedding ceremony. Hadrian tried to stop her several times, but to no avail

    He had no choice but to carry away forcefully.

    After they left, two others came to the door.

    Jepherson, Zorion and the others were eating, and sowere Hansen and Rayan. They put their enmity aside for the time being. Even though Rayan¡¯s daughter was with Jacky, it was Scarlette¡¯s wedding.Since Scarlette had invited them,he didn¡¯t lose his temper.

    ¡°Sorry we¡¯rete.¡±Deanna walked in and looked around. When she saw Raeleigh and the others on the other side, she took the initiative to greet them. She walked next to Jacky, her belly so huge shelooked as if she would be giving birth soon. As they turned up, they became the center of attraction. Everyone around started gaping at them.

    Deanna had been in a dilemma as to whether she shoulde.It was only until the wedding hade to an end that she made up her mind to attend it. It was a good thing that Jacky hadn¡¯t gone anywhere. Although he had promised Scarlette he¡¯d be the groomsman, he had told Hadrian earlier that he may note.

    Indeed, he did not make an appearance.

    Hannah wanted to stand right up in excitement at the sight of her daughter. She was so exhrated that she couldn¡¯t say a single word.However, Rayan, who was sitting next to her, immediately held her hand and forced her to sit down which was why she remained seated.

    This did not go unnoticed by Jacky. When he saw Rayan and Hannah, he took Deanna¡¯s hand and walked over. He couldn¡¯t care less about how he managed to get Deanna over to the vige, nor could he be any less concerned about the animosity between him and Rayan. Undeniably, Deanna was Rayan¡¯s daughter. He couldn¡¯t forgo the rtionship between them.

    Deanna held her belly with one hand while Jacky took the other ¨C a heartbreaking sight forHannah. After all, Deanna was her daughter. Dressed in in clothing, Deanna was wearing a pair of ordinary ck maternity shorts, a white sweater and Jacky¡¯s wide cotton-padded jacket.

    Seeing that she had shown up at a wedding ceremony like this, Hannah felt like her heart was bleeding profusely on the inside of her chest.

    Although this was an outfit she had prepared for her daughter, Deanna had worn them for a long time. How could Hannah feel good about this?

    Zorion also looked at his parents. It wasn¡¯t until Jacky brought Deanna over that Zorion stood up and walked over to Rayan. Rossie was there as well that day, but she didn¡¯t go over to Rayan. Since he didn¡¯t like her, there was no need to make an appearance. Why should she go over and make others, including herself, ufortable?

    ¡°Mom, Dad.¡± Deanna hadn¡¯t expected to see her parents here,so she was a little surprised when she saw them.

    Hannah didn¡¯t get up nor did she reply. It was not that she did not want to do it, but her husband was gripping her hand so tightly that she wasn¡¯t able to do anything. One was her daughter while the other was her husband. She couldn¡¯t take sides.

    Whatever it was, she believed that her husband was right. He would not hurt his own child.

    Hannah was quiet, and so was Rayan. Deanna wondered if they were truly upset.

    ¡°Dad.¡± Deanna walked over to Rayan, who pulled a long face. ¡°I don¡¯t have a daughter like you. Since you¡¯re already with someone else, I¡¯ll consider myself a daughterless man.¡±

    As soon as Rayansaid that, tears began to stream down Deanna¡¯s cheeks uncontrobly.

    She looked down at her belly and then at Jacky.¡°What should we do?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± Jacky raised his hand to wipe away her tears before he looked at Rayan and Hannah. ¡°I tricked Deanna intoing to Waverly Vige. She didn¡¯t want toe, butwhat¡¯s done is done. It¡¯s my fault, and it has nothing to do with her. I hope you can forgive her.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I can take my daughter back, and that you won¡¯t contact her ever again?¡± Rayan wore a somber expression, which Deanna had never seen before. For a moment, she was a little scared. She held onto Jacky¡¯s hand tightly. She was afraid that he would say something along the lines of breaking up.

    She didn¡¯t want to be estranged from her parents to such an extent, but she didn¡¯t want to be separated from Jacky either. Her tears welled up anxiously in her eyes.

    Jacky hugged Deanna and wiped her tears one after the other,but she wouldn¡¯t stop crying.

    She didn¡¯t understand why it was so difficult to love someone.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    Hannah couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. She asked, ¡°Deanna, will you go back with me?¡±

    Deanna sobbed while Jacky looked at Hannah. ¡°Mom¡­¡±

    ¡°She is not your mother, and I won¡¯t acknowledge you either.¡±

    Rayan stood up and took Hannah¡¯s hand. ¡°Enough. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Rayan strode away with Hannah as thetterkept looking back at her daughter,only to find that Deanna didn¡¯t follow them out.

    Hannah got into the car and threw herself into Rayan¡¯s arms, crying her heart out. Rayan did not want to stay a moment longer. He ordered the chauffeur to drive and they immediately left Waverly Vige.

    Hannah wept the entire journey while Rayan sat in silence.

    Since Rayan and Hannah had already left, Zorion,as their son,couldn¡¯t stay either.He pulled Rossie aside and headed out. He didn¡¯t stay despite Deanna calling after him.

    When they were outside, Rossie looked at Zorion and letout a sigh. He clearly wanted to stay, but he couldn¡¯t do so because of his parents. First, it was because of her, then it was because of his parents. How was he going to get through this?

    Would he forever be tormented by feelings of guilt each day?

    She had originally nned to study abroad, but how could she leave, knowing that things would be left like this?

    When they reached the car, she tugged at Zorion. He stopped and turned to look at her, a look of bewilderment and bad mood painted across his face. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t leave. I have to stay and take care of Logan.¡± Rossie didn¡¯t have any other choice. Zorion would see through her lies if she used other excuses. He was a little clueless only when it came to Logan.

    People would always panic when something happened to their loved ones.

    Zorion¡¯s face fell when he heard Logan¡¯s name. He asked Rossie sternly, ¡°You¡¯re still worried about him?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re the reason why he¡¯s like this. Since I know about it, I can¡¯t just sit idly by and ignore it. When you were sick some time ago, I couldn¡¯t bear to leave you alone either. I¡¯m relieved that you¡¯re fine now, but Logan still can¡¯t stand up. You¡¯ve seen it too. He still has to rely on the wheelchair to move about and he can¡¯t even leave the house. I want to stay and take care of him.¡±

    ¡°You want to take care of him, but what about me?¡±

    Zorion¡¯s expression darkened, and there was a fierce look in his eyes. His parents med him, and Deanna had left the family.Was she going to leave him too?

    Rossie thought about it. ¡°You cane and visit me anytime. Anytime you want.¡±

    Hearing that caught Zorion slightly off guard. But he was a smart man. It didn¡¯t take long for him to realize that she actually wanted to stay for him!

 Chapter 1546 Like Brother, Like Sister

    Zorion¡¯s fury suddenly melted away as he gazed at Rossie. ¡°Where are you going to live then?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a big vige. I can live anywhere. You gave me so much money that I can afford to own half a street here. I¡¯ve made up my mind.I wanted to study abroad,but I think I can do it in the country too. If possible, I will study domestically so that I won¡¯t get kidnapped and cause you trouble. Anyhow, everything is only temporary. My current concern is Logan. I¡¯ll be relieved if he is able to stand again.¡±

    Rossie had no choice but to mention Logan.Zorion¡¯s expression instantly changed.

    ¡°He brought this upon himself. It has nothing to do with us, so don¡¯t take care of him. I won¡¯t let you go.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about you letting me or not.When you go back,help me ask about Elkton University.I want to study there, but there might be someplications as I¡¯ve just returned from abroad. I think I¡¯d have to go through the transfer procedure at least. Try to inquire about it for me. Your status and identity should make it easy for you to get things done.¡±

    Rossie wanted to change the topic,but Zorion pulled a long face. ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with wherever you¡¯re going to study.Logan¡¯s the only thing I have a problem with. I told you I won¡¯t let you take care of him, and I meant it. If you dare go, then you¡¯d better have a solution ready before I take my revenge on him.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re unreasonable. Are you wooing me?¡± Rossie asked him all of a sudden.Zorion thought for a bit before answering, ¡°What else could it be? Does it look like I¡¯m turning you down?¡±

    Zorion asked angrily, but he just came off like a child who was trying to get his parents¡¯ attention.

    It was so amusing that Rossie was barely able to hold back herughter.

    ¡°You¡¯re not turning me down, but you¡¯re not very far from doing it. You¡¯re not exactly young anymore. You¡¯re a twenty year-old man, yet you still don¡¯t know how to pursue girls. That¡¯s impressive in a way, I must say.¡±

    Rossie pouted like a duckling. Her disdainful gaze made Zorion feel abashed. The chauffeur was still behind them, waiting for them to get into the car. Zorion bit his lower lip. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I said you¡¯re not a man because you don¡¯t know how to pursue girls.¡±

    ¡°Say that again.¡± Zorion was infuriated and the chauffeur wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it. He shouldn¡¯t be eavesdropping on this conversation.

    However, Rossie felt that there were more buttons she could push on. She added, ¡°Have you seen countries kill their envoys when they¡¯re at war?¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    Zorion frowned and didn¡¯t reply.

    ¡°If you attack Logan, it suggests that you¡¯re not gentlemanly at all. Though you¡¯re pursuing me, you can¡¯t hurt Logan even if he tries to do the same. Romance rivals should be courteous with each other bypeting equitably.¡±

    ¡°If I lose you, why should I be chivalrous? I¡¯ll kill him the moment he harbors any romantic thoughts about you.¡±

    ¡°Stop saying you want to kill people. Human lives are valuable. They¡¯re not like poultries¡¯ which you can take as you wish.¡±

    ¡°Go back and think about it. I will be here. If you don¡¯t change the way you approach things, I may leave since your parents don¡¯t ept me either.¡±

    Zorion calmed down after hearing about his parents and took Rossie¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to my parents. You can rx.¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t. You have so many things to deal with. Don¡¯t worry about me, and don¡¯t tell your parents first. Let¡¯s take it step by step and let nature take its course.¡±

    Rossie was unsure whether she would stay.She simply wanted to help Zorion before she left, and that was why she said what she did.She just did not want to upset him since he had just recovered.

    Jacky and Deanna then emerged from inside. Seeing that Zorion and Rossie were reluctant to part ways, Deanna held back her tears, sniffling as she said, ¡°I¡¯m not the only one being like this. Zorion¡¯s the same.¡±

    Jacky tugged at her a little and wiped away her tears. ¡°Deanna, quiet.¡±

    Deanna sniffled. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Zorion lifted his head to look at Jacky. ¡°Take care of Deanna.¡±

    Zorion then turned around and got into the car.He nced at Rossie. ¡°Take care of yourself.¡±

    Once the door was closed, he ordered the chauffeur to start driving. As the car pulled away, he fixed his eyes on Rossie through the rear-view mirror before slowly turning his head away.

    ¡°Rossie, why don¡¯t you go back with my brother?¡± After Zorion left, Deanna¡¯s sorrow dissipated.

    She thought that as long as nobody died, everything would be okay.

    Rossie nced at Jacky, who was standing aside.She was astounded by his attitude toward Deanna.

    ¡°Your brother is going home, and your parents don¡¯t like me. I don¡¯t want to go back with him, and it¡¯s really nice here. I¡¯m nning to find somewhere to live here.¡±

    Deanna¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Rossie, are you staying to protect me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got such a vivid imagination. Isn¡¯t having him already enough? Do you still need me to stay and protect you?¡± Rossie always spoke in such a tone. At times, she could be even more straightforward and tactless.

    Deanna wasn¡¯t offended.She was used to Rossie¡¯s way of speaking as Rossie had never spoken politely to her.

    She would just have to suck it up.

    She had long since heard that once she had a sister-inw, she would have some tough times ahead of her; that seemed to be true.

    Sister-inws were definitely something else.

    However, Deanna was quick-witted. She went over and held Rossie¡¯s arm. ¡°If you aren¡¯t staying to protect me, then why are you staying here? Are you trying to say that you¡¯d like to have some fun with me?¡±

    Rossieughed, admiring Deanna¡¯s optimism.

    Rossie thought thatDeanna was a much better person than the typical proud, youngdies of wealthy families who were easily led astray.On the contrary, Deanna was nothing like them and would not be easily influenced. Although they were all born with a silver spoon in their mouths, Deanna was excellent at adapting.

    She could dress morously, but she could also sport simple and in clothes. Delicacies were fine by her, as well as ordinary meals.

    Notwithstanding her family influence, her natural personality might have yed a role in this too.

    Rossie shot a nce at Deanna. ¡°I¡¯m staying for Logan.¡±

    ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t youtogether with my brother? Why are you doing this for Logan? Rossie, this doesn¡¯t sound like a good idea. Fidelity is the most important thing to women. How can you be two-timing?¡±

    As soon as Deanna heard that Rossie was staying for Logan, she immediately spoke up on behalf of her brother.

    Indeed, Zorion and Deanna were twins. Rossie could see that they shared simr mindsets and that whenever their interests were involved, they would always get the wrong idea about things.

    Like brother, like sister. Their characters couldn¡¯t be changed.

 Chapter 1547 Helpless

    Rossie removed Deanna¡¯s arm from hers. ¡°Didn¡¯t youe to visit the bride? If there¡¯s anything I need, I¡¯ll reach out. You two go ahead.¡±

    After that, Rossie turned and left, ignoring Deanna. With Jacky taking care of Deanna, Rossie felt no need to stay with Deanna.

    At the mention of the bride, Deanna turned to look for Scarlette at once. By the time she realized she had been duped, Rossie had disappeared from sight.

    She had an urge to look for Rossie, but at the thought of having many chances to meet her againter, she gave up trying to look for her.

    ¡°Jacky, get someone to protect Rossie. She¡¯s my sister-inw. We can¡¯t afford to have anything happening to her,¡± Deanna said as she dragged Jacky to search for Scarlette. Jacky answered cheerfully, ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Deanna and Jacky then came in from the outside. Sitting where she was, Raeleigh looked at them silently. She was Scarlette¡¯s bridesmaid that day. Although the wedding was unique, she and Rossie both agreed to be Scarlette¡¯s bridesmaids.The groomsmen for the wedding were no regr people.They were Jepherson, Santiago, and Zorion.

    Scarlette must have felt a great sense of pride from this wedding.

    Seeing Raeleigh, Deanna approached her and asked, ¡°Where is the bride?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s drunk, so Hadrian brought her back.¡± Raeleigh got up and pulled a chair for Deanna. ¡°Are you hungry? Do you want to have something to eat before you leave?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Deanna forgot about Scarlette as soon as Raeleigh mentioned food.

    Jepherson and Santiago sat with Raeleigh. They had kept two seats vacant for Jacky and Deanna since the start of the ceremony.

    Along with Zorion, Rossie, and Xanthus, they made up a table of eight.Though each table could not amodate too many people,it was spacious enough to fit ten guests without making the space feel too crammed. Since their table had not reached its maximum capacity,it appeared roomier.

    Deanna gazed at Raeleigh with a smile, ¡°I heard that your parents came. Could you take me to see them?¡±

    Raeleigh paused briefly. Only then did she turn around to look at the table behind her. There were several people sitting there. Originally, Rayan and his wife were there, but they had left.

    Only Hansen, Jenna, Lamar, Jazelle, Alvin, and Stuart remained at that table. There were initially eight people there.

    Stuart had wanted to sit somewhere else, but Hansen asked him to sit with them instead.

    Soon after, Raeleigh took Deanna to her parents. ¡°Deanna, these are my parents.¡±

    ¡°Mom, Dad, this is Deanna.¡±

    Raeleigh introduced them to each other. Deanna instantly cracked a smile and put on her charm. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Raeleigh had such a graceful mother and a dashing father. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, I¡¯m Deanna Whalen.¡±

    Jazelle was amazed at how lovely Deanna was. She had previously been under the impression that Deanna was a rebellious child because she had witnessed how she defied her parents before.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°You¡¯re called Deanna?¡± Jazelle asked. Deanna grinned brightly. ¡°Yes, feel free to call me Deanna.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful name.¡±

    ¡°My mother said the same thing.¡±

    ¡°Have some food. You must be hungry, yes?¡± Jazelle was very fond of Deanna. The more she looked at Deanna, the more lovable Deanna seemed in her eyes.

    Deanna then beamed at Jenna and Hansen. ¡°Hello, Aunt Jenna, Uncle Hansen.¡±

    ¡°Dig in. You must be starving.¡± Jenna was also fond of Deanna. After all, she had watched her grow up.

    ¡°Mr. Alvin.¡±

    Deanna greeted Alvin, who wore a smile. ¡°Miss Whalen, it¡¯s nice to see you here.¡±

    As Deanna smiled, her eyes narrowed into a slit. She only followed Raeleigh back to their table for dinner after greeting all the elders around.

    Deanna had not stopped talking since the moment they sat at their table while Jacky just continued sitting beside her, silently caring for her. No matter how talkative she was, he never lost his patience.

    Compared to Deanna, Raeleigh¡¯s peaceful nature made everyone feel bored.

    Once Santiago finished his food, he stood up and sat beside Stuart for a chat. Stuart told Santiago that he had recuperated, and that he wouldn¡¯t leave aftering back this time.

    After dinner, Raeleigh got up to help clean up the ce. When she went outside and was about to leave, Jepherson stopped her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go on a stroll. We haven¡¯t done it together in a long while.¡± Without giving Raeleigh any chance to refuse, Jepherson immediately turned and walked away.

    Raeleigh gazed after him. Although she intended to reject him, he had already gone far. Hence, she had no option but to catch up with him.

    The weather was not as chilly as before, as the two of them walked in single file down the street. They saw pedestrians on the street every now and then. Some of them were still talking about Scarlette¡¯s wedding.

    Raeleigh would listen to parts of their conversation from time to time, but she took nothing to heart.

    As she was walking, she bumped into someone, bringing her back to her senses. She raised her head to look at the person before her, and it was Jepherson.She was still thinking about the conversation of the passers-by. Thus, she had subconsciously pictured Jepherson in a suit on the day of their wedding.

    The man before her was her husband-to-be, and they would have to share everything in life together. He would be with her her whole life.

    For a moment, Ste came into her mind, diminishing the hope in her eyes. She turned away to shift her gaze somewhere else.

    ¡°Are you waiting for me?¡± Raeleigh remembered that he had been far ahead of her a short while ago, yet he had suddenly appeared right in front of her. He must have been waiting for her.

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m waiting for anyone else?¡± Jepherson was vexed and amused simultaneously. ¡°Pay attention when you¡¯re with me. Stop thinking about other things.¡±

    Raeleigh pondered for a while. ¡°How do you know that I¡¯m not thinking of you?¡±

    ¡°If you are, why would you wear such a doleful look?¡± Jepherson extended his hand, wanting to hold Raeleigh¡¯s. Raeleigh moved her hand aside, sidestepped him, and strode forward.Jepherson paused before he turned around, stared after her then ran up toher. While walking, he tried to hold her hand again, but each time he tried, she would readily avert his advances.

    However, she didn¡¯t look upset at all. Instead, she appeared rather calm.

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°You can¡¯t wait to hold my hand, but what about me? Do you think I can wait?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to say something too sentimental, but she valued respect for her partner. To her, there was no point in saying how much they loved each other if respect didn¡¯t exist in their rtionship.

    Jepherson put his hand behind his back without stopping in his tracks. Raeleigh walked beside him until they stopped at the end of the street. Then, she turned around and headed in the direction where she hade from.

    Jepherson finally realized that she was just keeping himpany.

    They walked back and forth along the street twice, but Raeleigh had nothing to say during both trips. Finally, she decided to walk him to the entrance of the vige.

    Standing at the vige entrance, Jepherson looked around like a fool. Atst, his gazended on Raeleigh. ¡°What are you doing? Are you sending me off?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I still have some errands to do here. I¡¯ve got to go and help out, so I don¡¯t have time to keep youpany any longer.¡±

    With that, she turned on her heel and left.Jepherson stared helplessly at her back as she walked further and further away.

 Chapter 1548 Stay the Night

    At the Whalen family house.

    ¡°Do you not care about Deanna anymore?¡± Hannah had been sobbing for more than two hours, and she was still crying.

    Rayan¡¯s heart ached for her.

    ¡°Everyone, leave.¡± Tried as he might, he failed tofort Hannah and stop her from weeping while Zorion stood beside them.

    Hearing Rayan¡¯s order, all the servants left. After that, Rayan sat down next to Hannah. ¡°She is my daughter. How could I not want her? But Jacky has stolen her away. I will not let this matter slide.¡±

    Hannah looked up at him, her eyes red from the hours of crying. She couldn¡¯t believe this was the answer she had gotten. Upset, she threw a punch at Rayan¡¯s chest. ¡°Are you trying to upset me to death?¡±

    Zorion furrowed his brows. ¡°It isn¡¯t Deanna¡¯s fault. She has always been naive. I¡¯m to me.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t any better either. Move out now. I never want to see you at my house ever again. I¡¯m disowning you.¡±

    Rayan¡¯s words stunned Hannah. She had never expected him to do this.

    However, Zorion did not leave as he knew they would not kick him out at this moment.

    Rayan looked at Zorion. ¡°I won¡¯t let a woman who hurt my daughter marry into our family. There are only two options left for you. Either you leave her or fend for yourself.¡±

    Zorion stood there for a moment without saying a word. After that, he headed towards the stairs. Before he could go up the stairs, Rayan said, ¡°All that you have belongs to me, except for your body. Don¡¯t even think of taking anything else with you.¡±

    ¡°Rayan, why are you doing this?¡±

    Just as Hannah got up to approach Zorion, Rayan said, ¡°Don¡¯t. No one is to stop him if he wants to leave. Now that he has hurt his sister, what¡¯s the point of him staying?¡±

    Hannah slowly turned around, her eyes fixed on her husband. ¡°Rayan, are you being serious right now?

    ¡°Depends. I¡¯ve never made such a mistake in my life. He betrayed his sister for the sake of a woman with an unknown background. And now, he wants to sever ties with me for this woman. Why should I keep such a son by my side? Do I look like I¡¯m willing to present him with another chance to irritate me?¡±

    ¡°Zorion is still young, he-¡±

    ¡°He is young, but he isn¡¯t a kid anymore. He has to be responsible for what he¡¯s done.¡±

    ¡°Rayan.¡±

    ¡°Mom.¡± Zorion went up to Hannah, hugging her. Hannah looked up at her son¡¯s face, which was so much like her husband¡¯s.They were both stubborn people, especially when it came down to the woman they fancied.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can use this opportunity to learn to be independent and put my skills to the test.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you can do this alone?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t starve to death. Don¡¯t you believe in my capabilities?¡± Zorion¡¯s eyes were filled steadyposure. Rayan swept his eyes over his son unemotionally, but deep down, he was relieved.

    He would be bothered if Zorion didn¡¯t have the guts to live on his own.

    ¡°Let me apany you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Stay with Dad. He needs you more than I do.¡±

    Zorion bowed his head and kissed Hannah¡¯s forehead before letting go of her. Then, he looked at Rayan. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving home, but rather, I¡¯m going out to test my capacity. Please take care of yourself and Mom.¡±

    Zorion turned and headed for the door. Rayan wore a smile, thinking, ¡°This child has grown up. He¡¯s ready to take over the family duties.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I should wait until he gets married.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be better if hees home with a grandchild next time.¡±

    At the thought of Rossie¡¯s age, Rayan was a little worried that giving birth to a child at such a young age would be detrimental to her health.

    Hannah was still perturbed about her son. She hurriedly followed him and called out to him.

    ¡°Zorion! Zorion!¡±

    Zorion looked back at his mother, who had followed him out and came up to him. He was not downcast. Instead, his lips were curled upwards. ¡°Mom, why did youe out?¡±

    ¡°Your father is not kicking you out,¡± Hannah said. Zorion then replied, ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. Now that I¡¯ve decided to leave, I can¡¯t go back. I¡¯m a man. How can a man go back on his word? Rest assured that I will be fine.¡±

    ¡°My new semester will start next week, and I can stay at the dormitory. Everything will be alright. There are some clothes in my apartment too.¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    ¡°Do you really think so?¡± Hannah was surprised; she did not expect that her son was going to continue his studies.

    ¡°Of course, I haven¡¯t graduated yet. Society needspetent people. I can¡¯t lose to others at the starting line.¡±

    Hannah stared at her son. ¡°It¡¯s great that you understand this, I¡¯m afraid that you-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I am you and Dad¡¯s son. I¡¯ll never leave this family.¡±

    Zorion¡¯s words made Hannah shed tears again.

    When she was young, she had never thought of herself to be this vulnerable and would shed tears at the slightest matter.

    Her son had really grown up.

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯m leaving. Mom, remember to call me if anything happens.¡±

    ¡°Okay, take good care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°I will. I have been taking care of Deanna for years ¨C isn¡¯t she doing just fine?¡±

    Gazing at his son, Hannah finally nodded.

    Zorion looked up at the vi before he turned and walked to the door.

    He was no longer the young master of the Whalen family, and he did not have a car. Thus, he got to the bus stop by foot. Then, he took a bus to the entrance of Elkton University.

    Hannah turned around, only to see Rayan standing with his arms behind him at the door. Afterward, she returned to his side and let him hold her in his arms.

    ¡°They¡¯re adults now. They have to learn to stand on their own two feet,Deanna included. If we always keep them under our protection, they won¡¯t be able to survive in this world when we leave.¡±

    ¡°The uing difficulties are nothing. Only when they fall will they know their mistakes and learn their lesson.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t teach them through our own experiences. They need to learn these things by themselves.¡±

    Hannah gazed at her husband. ¡°ButDeanna is pregnant. She¡¯s going to have a baby soon. She needs someone to look after her.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about that when she¡¯s inbor.¡±

    Rayan had to be cruel. He was her father, but he had pampered her for too many years.It was time for his daughter to grow up.

    Despite the countless incidents, Deanna still continued to turn a blind eye to them, refusing to grow up. He hoped that she would be able to learn something from Jacky this time.

    ¡­

    After seeing Jepherson off, Raeleigh went back to her parents. Entering the tiny living room, she saw Rosie sitting inside.At the sight of Raeleigh, she stood up from the sofa.Raeleigh was shocked to see Rossie.She had an inkling that something was going to happen as she walked over. ¡°Why are you here? Why didn¡¯t you leave with Zorion?¡±

    Rossie shot a nce inside the house. ¡°Could you let me stay the night?¡±

    Raeleigh stood rooted to the spot, and her mind went nk.

    Stay the night?

 Chapter 1549 Going Back to University

    ¡°Zorion¡¯s parents don¡¯t like me, so I can¡¯t go back with him. I¡¯m nning to stay here to take care of Logan, but I¡¯ve got nowhere else to stay the night. I could have gone to Jacky¡¯s ce, but it¡¯ll put Zorion in an awkward position. It¡¯s gettingte. Can¡¯t I just stay the night here with you?¡±

    Raeleigh casted a nce at Xanthus, who had juste out of the kitchen. After some thinking, she said, ¡°You can sleep with me in my room tonight. But you have to find somewhere else to rent tomorrow. Although Waverly Vige is a vige, its development is on par with Capital City, minus the hustle and bustle. Still, the amodations here are pretty satisfactory.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    After that, Rossie followed Raeleigh into her room and stayed the night.

    After taking a shower at night, Raeleigh lent Rossie a set of pajamas she had not worn yet.

    Rossie got changed and went toy on the bed.

    Just then, she brought something up. ¡°I noticed that you¡¯re constantly looking for Jacky today. Are you two in some agreement with each other?¡± Rossie liked to get straight to the point as she had always been a direct person.

    The lights in the room were off, but Raeleigh lifted her hand to turn them on because she wanted to see Rossie¡¯s expression.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    When the lights were back on, Rossie knitted her brow and raised her hands to cover her eyes. Raeleigh sat up and focused her gaze on Rossie¡¯s face, observing every part of her in features.

    Rossie then also sat up, letting Raeleigh watch her.

    ¡°Coborating with Jacky should be yourst resort. I¡¯m the better choice. I have money, and I will sincerely cooperate with you.¡±

    ¡°Jacky doesn¡¯t like doing business. A man who started his career as a kidnapper wouldn¡¯t even pay your business any attention at all.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Rossie for a long time. ¡°It would be impossible for me to build a factory in the vige without Jacky. Some things must go through him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Rossie Lautner. As long as I¡¯m here, Jacky will have to do me this favor.¡±

    Raeleigh chewed over this momentarily. ¡°What about the provision division?¡±

    ¡°Fifty-fifty, we will each invest half and thepany will have two chairmen. You can be in charge of the factory and designs while I will be responsible for sales.¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her gaze in thought. ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡±

    ¡°I will be doing a condom business. How are you going to promote it?¡±

    Hearing her words, Rossie fell silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Condom business?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why I sought Jacky¡¯s help. How am I going to sell them without him?¡±

    Rossie felt inclined to back out of such a business.

    Condoms?

    Rossieid down and tugged at the quilt. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep.¡±

    Raeleigh found this quite hrious. Sure enough, no one would want to participate in this kind of business.

    Raeleighid down as well, but she did not switch the lights off this time. She said, ¡°I have another business in mind, but I¡¯m not sure if it will work.¡±

    ¡°What kind of business?¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t any factory ready for use in Waverly Vige. Jacky has been strict in its management. He doesn¡¯t allow any potential contaminants and pollutants to be present in the vige. I¡¯ve promised him to use eco-friendly materials for the production of the condoms or to use decontaminating equipment. He didn¡¯t agree to it until Iid out these terms. I¡¯ve been looking for him over the past two days because of this matter, but we still haven¡¯t reached a final agreement. It¡¯s because Jacky¡¯s having a hard time believing that I can make it pollution-free, apart from decontaminating it.¡±

    ¡°So, he disagreed on going forward with it.¡±

    ¡°But a few days ago, I saw that vigers were preparing some local snacks that they stored in transparent jars. They¡¯re pretty good. I¡¯ve tasted them and I¡¯m sure many would like them too.¡±

    ¡°If we can find a way tounch them in the market and set up our brand, I¡¯m sure it will receive great demand for some time.¡±

    ¡°Besides, it won¡¯t pollute the environment, and we¡¯re alright to produce it on arge scale in the vige.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Rossie didn¡¯t have much money at the moment, so she had to mull over it more thoroughly.

    Realizing that it was already past two in the morning, Raeleigh switched the lights off and got ready to sleep. Before she dozed off, she asked Rossie, ¡°How did you know that I would agree to cooperate with you?¡±

    ¡°Well, Deanna hade here for no reason, and the fact that Zorion had agreed to lure her here had been on my mind. I doubt that Jacky¡¯s the mastermind behind the n to kidnap me, so someone must have proposed it to him, and I think it¡¯s you.¡±

    Raeleigh cracked a smile. ¡°Wow, you saw through that, huh? Impressive.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re with Zorion long enough, you will be on tenterhooks too. Picking up on all these is just a matter of time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just a natural schemer.¡±

    ¡­

    The two women chatted for a while longer until their eyelids refused to stay open.

    The next morning, Raeleigh got up and went to see Jacky. She wanted to continue discussing the ns for the factory establishment. However, Jacky still turned her down.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said that I won¡¯t agree until I am sure of it. Allowing your brother to build a hospital in the vige is already going to lead to pollution. I¡¯ve already made an exception, and I can¡¯t do it again.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Jacky. ¡°But you promised me before. Are you going back on your words?¡±

    ¡°I had no other options back then.¡±

    Raeleigh finally understood ¨C even an upright man would not give in to certain things and would renege on his promise to others.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯tin as she exited Jacky¡¯s ce. She could only ept the fact that she had been deceived.

    She found thisughable. It seemed like there were only two men who would not lie to her ¨C her father and brother.

    They wouldn¡¯t ask her to do something she didn¡¯t like, nor would they expect her to repay their kindness when they helped her.

    Knowing that her n had fallen through, Raeleigh gave up the idea of doing business. She decided to focus on her studies and to go back to her life of simplicity.

    In the twinkling of an eye, a new semester was about to begin. Jenna went to visit Raeleigh early that day, telling her stories of her school days. Later, she wanted to personally send her to Elkton University.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to cause her any inconvenience, so she told her she would be leaving with Rossie.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do.I will bring the two of you there.¡± Jenna wanted to take Raeleigh there in person, but she wimped out when she caught sight of her husband¡¯s eyes.

    Raeleigh packed her things up. ¡°We are leaving.¡±

    After putting the luggage into the car, Raeleigh, Xanthus, and Rossie departed to the university together.

    Santiago did note with them, nor did they ask if he would like to join.

    When they arrived, Raeleigh got out of the car after Xanthus parked it.Rossie saw Zorion waiting for her on campus. She learned that his parents had kicked him out of the family over the call andshe knew that he wascurrentlyliving in the dormitory.

    It meant that he couldn¡¯t go back to his home.

    After staring at him for some time, Rossie decided to walk over.

    When she stopped in front of him, she asked, ¡°Did you do it on purpose?¡±

    Zorion lowered his head and held Rossie¡¯s hand before he turned around and led her in without saying a word.

 Chapter 1550 Motorcycle

    With them being back at the university, everything evoked different memories for Raeleigh.

    Xanthus asked, ¡°Are you ufortable?¡±

    Raeleigh looked up at Xanthus and shook her head. ¡°No, it just feels a little strange. Everything that happened in the past two months makes me feel like several years have passed. I could always remember the fire at the orphanage, and it struck terror in my heart every time I did. But those memories seem distant and forgettable now. On the contrary, what has happened in the past two months has left some indelible memories in me.¡±

    ¡°I always thought that my world was a grayish color, but after these two months, I realized that it was ck instead.¡±

    He felt sorry for her. He raised his hand to caress her head. ¡°If you don¡¯t like this ce, shall we leave?¡±

    Gazing at him, she nodded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. You have to go to ss, and I¡¯ll be busy with my work too.¡± Xanthus brought Raeleigh into the campus. She then went to report her attendance before putting her luggage in the dorm.

    When Raeleigh arrived, Rossie had not returned yet. Her dormitory was the same, but Rossie would be joining her, instead of Scarlette.

    After cleaning up, Raeleigh turned on herptop and read some lecture notes. Then, she went to the first assembly of the new semester.

    There was nothing to do on the first day. The lecturers came over and said a few words to the students and the rest of the students¡¯ time was meant for them to get themselves settled and ready for the semester.

    At around four in the afternoon, Raeleigh finally saw Rossie return. Following that, Zoron helped Rossie arrange her belongings. He stayed in the room for quite a while before leaving in the evening.

    The day finally came to an end.

    As soon as Raeleighid down in bed,she received a call from Jepherson, asking about her day.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°I will pay you a visit tomorrow with Santiago. I¡¯ve been so busy at thepany these past couple of days that I didn¡¯t even have free time to visit you.¡±

    When Raeleigh entered the campus, Jepherson was outside, but he didn¡¯t show himself. He knew that she didn¡¯t want to see him, so he never got out of his car.

    Raeleigh nced at Rossie, who was about to sleep. ¡°My roommate is about to sleep. I shouldn¡¯t disturb her.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    When Raeleigh ended the call, Jepherson stood up. He couldn¡¯t fall asleep on such a night.

    Jepherson put his phone away and left the room. The weather was neither too hot nor too cold, so there wasn¡¯t a need for an additional coat.

    Aftering out of the room, Jepherson stood in the yard. Then, he followed the sound of the piano and headed for Ink Garden. When he reached there, he saw Ste in her wheelchair outside the house.

    She had a tablet in herp as she tapped away on the ck and white keys, producing the sound of a ying piano.

    Jepherson stopped in his tracks, watching her for a moment. He turned to leave when the song ended,but Ste stopped him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re leaving right after I finish ying?¡±

    Jepherson paused and turned to look at Ste. ¡°It was too loud.¡±

    With that, he left and a grin appeared on Ste¡¯s face. She knew that men were all stubborn, but it wouldn¡¯tst for long.

    s, he still came to her.

    Jepherson returned from Ink Garden and sat alone on the bed. He did not go to bed untilte into the night.

    He went to work the next day. Before he got into the car, he saw Ste in her wheelchair, getting pushed out of the house by someone.

    ¡°Jepherson.¡± Seeing Jepherson, Ste called out to him while the man just stood there for a while before entering his car shortly after. Ste motioned to the person pushing her to bring her towards the car. The chauffeur was slightly hesitant when he saw her by the car. He knew that Jepherson did not want Ste to get in, but how could he leave her there like this?

    ¡°Open the door,¡± Ste said as she waited beside the car. The chauffeur was put in a difficult spot, since he had to obey Jepherson¡¯s orders.

    Seeing that Ste had no intention of leaving, Jepherson atst decided to let her get in the car. Nheless, he did not even look at her once after that.

    After a tense and awkward drive, the chauffeur finally pulled into the office entrance. Once Jepherson got out of the car, he headed straight to the office building without waiting for Ste who only came down slightlyter.

    He and Santiago had wanted to visit Raeleigh at university. But when Jepherson was nowhere to be seen, Santiago gave him a call.

    As he answered it, Jepherson entered the elevator lobby and asked, ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at home. Didn¡¯t you say you want to visit Raeleigh?¡± Santiago had his backpack on and was ready to leave, but he noticed Jepherson¡¯s car gone when he came out of the house. He went to Ink Garden in search of him. As he expected, Ste was gone as well.

    Santiago knew that something fishy was going on. Hence, he called Jepherson to ask about the situation.

    Jepherson chuckled. ¡°Are you looking for a beating?¡±

    He pressed the elevator button and stepped inside. Santiago must know that Ste was with him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting. Raeleigh has been in a bad mood recently. If things go on like this, you will lose more than you gain.¡±

    After he finished speaking, Santiago hung up. He took his bag and yelled at the servant in the yard, ¡°Open the garage.¡±

    The weather was getting warmer, so Santiago decided to take something other than his car.

    The servant casted a nce in his direction and replied, ¡°Mr. Jepherson said you can¡¯t ride the motorcycle.¡±

    ¡°Come again?¡±

    Santiago¡¯s face fell. Displeasure was written all over it.

    The servant shrank his neck in fear.

    Santiago had been waiting in the yard, but the servant did not open the garage for him. He then raised his hand and pointed at the servant. ¡°You sure have the guts, I must say.¡±

    The servant was too scared to look up. Santiago then walked to the garage. There was a remote control there, but it did nothing to open the garage door. He went around the yard and came back with an axe in his hand to break the garage open.

    The servant watched Santiago go to the town with the garage door. As Santiago was breaking the door, the rm sounded, filling the Richards Group with noise.

    Soon, the police arrived. When they learned that it wasn¡¯t a thief who was trying to break into the garage but rather, someone from the family itself, they turned to leave the residence.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    As they did, they saw a ck motorcycle exiting the Richards Residence.

    ¡°Was that Mr. Santiago?¡± Someone asked.

    ¡°I think so.¡±

    ¡­

    Everyone turned a blind eye to this from fear of the Richards family power.

    Raeleigh had a headache when she got up in the morning for her lecture. Perhaps it was because she didn¡¯t sleep well the previous night. She wanted to see Xanthus after her lecture. As she was on her way, a ck motorcycle rushed towards her like a lightning bolt.

 Chapter 1551 Hot Topic

    As the motorcycle was speeding towards Raeleigh, she didn¡¯t move a muscle until it screeched to a halt.

    She watched as the motorcyclist took off his helmet, and she was not surprised to see that it was Santiago. Emotionless, she sidestepped him and continued walking.

    Santiago spun the motorcycle around and rode along beside her. Everyone who saw them shot their curious stares at them.

    The girls were gaping at Santiago with admiration while the boys were catching stealthy glimpses of Raeleigh, who exuded a cold presence. Almost everyone was thinking about how Raeleigh could tempt such a handsome man.

    It didn¡¯t take Raeleigh and Santiago long to arrive at Xanthus¡¯s ce. Xanthus had just finished examining one of the students. When the student left, Xanthus saw Raeleigh at the door. He came out of his room and asked, ¡°Did you not go to ss?¡±

    Xanthus was not surprised when Santiago came into sight. After all, Santiago was an unpredictable person who never yed by the rules.

    Xanthus very much believed that Santiago would evene to campus naked, never minding here by bike.

    ¡°I have had a headache since morning, but I don¡¯t know why.¡± Raeleigh had thought that her head might be spinning as she was unustomed to living in the dormitory. So, she hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it before. She only sensed that something might be wrong with her in the morning.

    Xanthus stretched out his hand and ced it on Raeleigh¡¯s forehead. ¡°You have a slight fever. Come with me.¡±

    Xanthus went in and asked Raeleigh to lie down. He took her temperature and confirmed that she was running a fever.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you an injection. You can¡¯t go to your next sses. Rest here. If the fever persists through the afternoon, let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡±

    Raeleighid there and stared at Xanthus. ¡°I feel fine, but you look more worried than I do.¡±

    ¡°With you being sick, how can I be at ease?¡± Xanthus gave Raeleigh an injection, and they chatted in the room, ignoring Santiago, who was standing by their side. Santiago was dressed in a ck outer, but his shirt was green.

    He donned a ck leather jacket, which looked normal, but the shirt underneath it was a striking shade of green.

    Even so, he was still ignored by Raeleigh and Xanthus. Neither of them cared that he was around.

    After resting for half an hour, Raeleigh¡¯s temperature finally began to drop. Feeling a little warm, she wanted to get out of her jacket. However, Xanthus did not allow her to do so. He even covered her with anotheryer of fabric. Afterwards, he sat down beside her and kept herpany.

    ¡°Apart from this headache, did you feel unwell before noticing the fever?¡±

    Judging by the symptoms, it was apparent that she had the flu.

    Someone weak would need two months to recover from the severe flu. Within such a short period, she had caught the flu again. It must be harder on her this time round.

    ¡°When I was sleepingst night, I felt a little cold. I thought it was because there were too few people in the room. I didn¡¯t expect to have a headache this morning. Maybe I¡¯ve caught a cold.¡±

    ¡°Dummy.¡±

    With that, Santiago turned around and went outside. When Raeleigh turned to look at him, he was already out of the room.

    Raeleigh withdrew her eyes and gazed at Xanthus. ¡°Things are bing even more unpredictable now. I¡¯m not sure what is going on. If this continues, I will not know how to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already in that situation. When ites to rtionships, you have to be resolved from the very start. Even if you want to let things go, you can¡¯t give it away so easily to the covetous opponent.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus. ¡°It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t want to. It is precisely because I want it so much that I feel helpless about it.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°Why feel that way? He¡¯s yours. If you want him, just hold on tight.¡±

    As an elder brother, he had to give her motivation when she needed it.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not like what you said. I know very well what¡¯s going on. He is just too muddle-headed.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same?¡± Xanthus asked. Raeleigh looked at Xanthus in confusion. ¡°What do you mean?

    ¡°It means you let him behave like this even when you¡¯re aware of how muddle-headed he is. You should¡¯ve told him a long time ago that doing such a thing is uneptable.¡±

    From Raeleigh¡¯s perspective, Xanthus was not approving of Jepherson either.

    To him, rtionships were akin to a master-ve rtionship. A ve could only have one master, and he would die when his master did.

    The ve was not allowed other options.

    What did it mean for a ve to be in search of a new master before the death of his current master?

    This showed that he was not as faithful as he seemed to be from the beginning.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°But we are a couple. I trust him.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t separate from him if you trust him,¡± Xanthus retorted.

    ¡°I can¡¯t stand living in the same space with that woman. I just can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Though you¡¯re saying this now, you still hesitate when ites to taking concrete action. This isn¡¯t like you, my dear sister.¡±

    ¡°Well, you can always disown me.¡± Raeleigh rolled her eyes, annoyed at Xanthus, who only found this amusing. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit. You¡¯re only twenty. You¡¯re not supposed to be this troubled.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re not, you wouldn¡¯t get sick or overthink.¡±

    Raeleigh had no response to offer.

    She pursed her lips, not wanting to continue their banter.

    Xanthus kept silent. Raeleigh intended to get up, but he did not allow it. He brought a nket toyer on top of her and asked her not to go back to her dorm that night. This way, she wouldn¡¯t feel cold at night, and they could look after each other.

    ¡°Won¡¯t people start gossiping about us?¡±

    Raeleigh thought that it was inappropriate to do so.

    ¡°Santiago used to sleep over at your ce, but I never hear you call that inappropriate. So, why now when you¡¯re with me?¡±

    Xanthus had made up his mind, and he was firm with his decision.

    Raeleigh replied, ¡°I¡¯ve got Rossie to think about. I can¡¯t leave her alone in the room.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯d be happier if you don¡¯t return. Zorion will take care of her.¡±

    ¡°But I hear that Zorion is also living in the dormitory now. His father took back his apartment, so he is not allowed to live there anymore.¡±

    It was only the previous day that Raeleigh was apprised of this news by Rossie.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t think that Rayan would actually take Zorion¡¯s apartment back. She had assumed that Rayan was just putting on airs.

    However, it seemed that Zorion was indeed staying in the dorms. Even if he wanted to take care of Rossie, he could not stay through the night, and Rossie would still be alone in the room. She was only seventeen, and Raeleigh didn¡¯t think it was right to leave her all alone.

    However, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t change the fact that Xanthus had asked her to stay at his ce. When they went out for dinner, he informed Rossie that Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t be going back. He had also gone to Raeleigh¡¯s room to bring her some of her belongings.

    With that, Raeleigh became the hot topic of the university students¡¯ discussion once again.

 Chapter 1552 Official or Personal Affair?

    At night, Xanthus and Raeleigh did not rest right away. Instead, they went to find a suitable ce to rent, which was somewhere near to campus. They hoped to find a ce that would not be further than a twenty-minute drive from campus.

    After all, it wasn¡¯t for a man and a woman to be seen living together on school grounds.

    However, none of the ces they visit met their requirements.. Raeleigh was alright with every ce they went, but Xanthus was not satisfied with any of them.

    They only returned home at midnight.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe that there are still people who are willing to show us their houses thiste.¡±

    ¡°We made appointments, so they had toply.¡±

    Raeleigh replied, ¡°But we can¡¯t enter the campus either thiste.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going in now?¡± Xanthus drove his car right through the campus¡¯ opened gates.

    Raeleigh looked around curiously and saw Santiago nearby. He was leaning against the wall with a cigarette in hand. Seeing their car, he threw the cigarette butt to the ground, stepped on it to put it out, turned, and walked forward.

    Raeleigh stared as Santiago¡¯s lonely figure left the scene.

    After Xanthus parked the car, the two got out of it. Raeleigh thought Santiago had already left since they entered the campus. Unexpectedly, right after she had just taken a few steps, he appeared. Upon meeting, he said, ¡°Your luggage has been sent over to my ce. My apartment is right in front. Follow me.¡±

    Santiago started walking after he finished speaking. Raeleigh casted a nce at Xanthus.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go since everything¡¯s there already.¡± Xanthus pulled Raeleigh, and they followed Santiago to his apartment.

    Santiago had the whole unit with plenty of rooms to himself. Raeleigh went in to take a look. It was slightly better than Zorion¡¯s, and the interior design was done supremely well.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    ¡°You guys can take the rooms inside.¡± Santiago pushed the door open and led them there. They were going to live upstairs. Raeleigh went in and saw that their luggage was already properly ced inside.

    Xanthus didn¡¯t refuse Santiago¡¯s offer. He took the room right across of Raeleigh¡¯s.

    ¡°Call me if anything happens.¡±

    Hearing this, Raeleighughed. ¡°What could happen at this time of the day? I¡¯m going in.¡±

    The apartment was much better than the dormitory, and Raeleigh thought the ce to be very luxurious.

    After Raeleigh checked her room out, she went to wash up and was getting ready for bed when Xanthus sent her another message. He told her to take the medicine that was in her room.

    Raeleigh searched around and found the medicine Xanthus mentioned. She took the medicine as told after sending him a reply.

    She got a message from Jepherson too, but she didn¡¯t reply to the text even after reading it.

    Although she sleptte, she had the best sleep she had in days. The flu medication she had taken most likely helped.

    Raeleigh attended her lecture the next day. When she arrived at the lecture hall, she learned that there would be a special guest lecturer that day.

    Jepherson had arrived earlier than Raeleighdid.She was shocked to see him standing in front of the students this early.He was dressed in a tailored ck suit and a white shirt, looking like a supermodel ready to go on stage.Evidently, the girls in ss had no mood to study since most of them were boring their gazes into him while his gaze was focused on Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh could hardly concentrate on the lecture either. There were a few girls who were quite upset with her.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡±

    After a while, Raeleigh took the initiative to raise her hand. Rossie, Zorion, Santiago were in the hall as well, wherebyZorion sat behind Rossie while Santiago was behind Raeleigh. Their seating n was preassigned to them at the start of the semester.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jepherson turned to look at Raeleigh, who then said, ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little unwell. Can I use the washroom?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After getting Jepherson¡¯s greenlight, Raeleigh stood up, grabbed a book, and left in a hurry.

    Jepherson watched as the door closed. He first assigned the students some homework before exiting the hall to look for Raeleigh.

    After leaving the lecture hall, Raeleigh found a quiet spot to sit but she soon changed her mind, knowing that Jepherson woulde looking for her. She needed a ce to hide. Therefore, she went to Xanthus¡¯ ce.

    But before she could reach there, he had already found her.

    When he stopped herin her tracks, shelifted her head to look at him, wallowing in defeat. s, she was caught.

    She red at him dead in the eye, saying nothing.

    ¡°Why did you run when you saw me? Were you frightened?¡± Jepherson gritted his teeth. After searching for her for a long time, he had started sweating.

    Though he wasn¡¯t inyers of clothing, he still broke a sweat looking around for her on campus.

    Raeleigh puckered her lips. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that you wereing?¡±

    ¡°It sounds to me like you have a secret boyfriend, and you¡¯re afraid that I¡¯ll see him.¡± Even though Jepherson wore a poker face, he looked as if he was going to grit his teeth into pieces.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you inform me? How hard would that be?¡±

    ¡°Why should I? So you can leave in advance to avoid seeing me?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Raeleigh was furious.

    Jepherson snorted, ¡°You didn¡¯t reply to my texts nor did you answer my calls. I would be a fool if I were to inform you.¡±

    ¡°Did youe here just to vent your anger on me?¡± Raeleigh rarely saw this side of him as he rarely lost his temper in front of her.

    But this time¡­

    Raeleigh intended to turn around and leave, but running away wouldn¡¯t be a solution to the problem, so she stopped herself from doing so.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I be grumpy about this?¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes widened. Raeleigh found his words ludicrous. ¡°Says the guy who brought another woman home.¡±

    ¡°And isn¡¯t that because you didn¡¯t want to go home with me?¡± Jepherson said through gritted teeth. Nevertheless, he extended his hand, wanting to pull her into his arms.

    Raeleigh struggled for a bit, but she failed to break free.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Jepherson embraced her forcefully while resting his chin on her shoulder. There was also a note of softness in his voice.

    Raeleigh was feeling slightly out of breath. ¡°You aren¡¯t a child anymore. How can you have mood swings like this?¡±

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± A smile hung on the corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth, but Raeleigh couldn¡¯t smile at all.

    Ste was living in Richards Residence. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to ept this.

    She pushed Jepherson away and headed for somewhere sequestered. However, the weather was cold, and there was nowhere to rest.

    She walked and walked. When she was nearing the ssrooms, she looked at him, asking, ¡°Are you here for an official or personal affair?¡±

    ¡°Both. There¡¯s a policy adjustment from the administration that I need to review, and I wanted to see you too.¡±

    ¡°Settle your work matters first. We¡¯ll talk after that.¡±

    ¡°I had no idea that dating had toe after work. Do you know whates after work, my dear Raeleigh? Only sexes after work.¡±

    Raeleigh was nonplussed and didn¡¯t say a word.

    Jepherson walked forward. ¡°My stamp is required for the policy approval. My signature alone won¡¯t do. The rules call for both to be there.¡±

    It took her a while to remember the bracelet on her wrist. In the end, she still went with him.

 Chapter 1553 You Dare?

    After finishing the work in the office, Jepherson handed the document to Horacio and stood up.

    Raeleigh looked at the bracelet that had returned to her wrist and followed Jepherson. Leaving the president¡¯s office, she stopped him, ¡°Hold up.¡±

    Jepherson hadn¡¯t strode away either; he was waiting for her.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent for a moment; he made it sound like she was desperate to follow him.

    ¡°Take this off, so you don¡¯t have to take me with you whenever you need it.¡± She stretched out her hand to him, and he took a look at it. ¡°Raeleigh, have you heard of albatross?¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°What does this have to do with albatross?¡±

    ¡°Albatross is a monogamous bird. If one dies, the partner will follow; it will stick to its deceased partner and starve itself to death.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m like that too.I will only ever love one person in my life; this bracelet is the keepsake of our love. Unless I die, I will never take it off you.¡±

    ¡°Are you nuts? Do you think I will trust-¡±

    ¡°You already have. Or your eyes won¡¯t redden. Even if you conceal your feelings well, you are my woman; don¡¯t forget that. I know what you¡¯re thinking.¡± His gaze, fathomless as he stared at Raeleigh, making her slightly ufortable.

    ¡°Why do you always have so many high-sounding reasons to make me relent? When did you ever give me the freedom to decide on my own?¡±

    ¡°Meeting you must be a punishment for my sins; I¡¯ll never be able to pay it off.¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­¡± Jepherson couldn¡¯t help but guffaw, his facestunning and spirited.

    He could make any girl fall for him, but Raeleigh couldn¡¯t cheer up seeing him now for some reason.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back to continue the lecture?¡± Raeleigh checked the time, and Jepherson turned around. ¡°It¡¯s meaningless even if I stay the entire day if you¡¯re not there.¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a while. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the lecture hall. Don¡¯te again next time.¡±

    ¡°It depends on whether there¡¯s any matter in the university. If there isn¡¯t, I won¡¯t.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know if he meant it, but she would just listen.

    Returning to the lecture hall, Raeleigh returned to her seat while Jepherson continued to give the lecture. Raeleigh didn¡¯t gain much valuable knowledge as she had learned it before. Therefore, she didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, unlike the other students.

    As the lecture ended, Raeleigh submitted the assignment and intended to leave whenJepherson stopped her.

    ¡°Raeleigh,e to my office.¡± Jepherson headed out with Raeleigh¡¯s assignment in his hands. She hadn¡¯t wanted to go, but the other students were all looking at her. It would be more troublesome if she didn¡¯t go.

    Arriving at his office, Raeleigh knocked on the door. After getting the okay, she pushed the door open and entered.

    Jepherson had just washed his hands beforeing out with a tray of fruits. Raeleigh took a look without going in any further after closing the door.

    Jepherson paused shortly and gestured for her toe closer.

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°Why did you want to see me for?¡±

    ¡°Is this what a wife should ask? Shouldn¡¯t you be kinder to your husband after a few days of separation?¡± As Jepherson spoke, he undid the top two buttons on his shirt, revealing his appealing physique and perfect vicle.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    Raeleigh sighed. ¡°We need to talk.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s sit.¡±

    Jepherson sat down and patted the seat beside him, wanting her to sit next to him.

    Raeleigh walked over and sat down. Leaning on the sofa with his eyes closed, Jepherson said, ¡°I have two options for you; the decision to live or die is in your hands. Shoot me.¡±

    ¡°How can you be like this?¡± Raeleigh wasn¡¯t going to put up with Mr. Threatening.

    ¡°What else can I do? Ste is a living, breathing human; I can¡¯t just kill her. With the Doyle family¡¯s current status, I can¡¯t defeat them in one go either.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s mood wasn¡¯t great either; he seemed to have lost his patience.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be with someone else until you¡¯ve gotten rid of Ste.¡±

    ¡°You dare?¡±

    Jepherson shot his eyes open, his gaze fathomless, staring at her coldly as if she had done him wrong.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°What? You can bully me, but I can¡¯t retaliate?¡±

    Loss for words, Jepherson gritted his teeth. ¡°Give me some time.¡±

    Raeleigh turned her face away, having the urge to p him, but she couldn¡¯t overlook the hidden sadness in his eyes.

    She hated that she knew everything, knowing his sincerity.

    However, nothing could be changed right then.

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes had reddened, but she did not shed tears. Sometimes, crying wouldn¡¯t solve the problem.

    Jepherson pulled her over, cuddled her, lowered his head, and breathed next to her ear. ¡°Give me a little more time. I¡¯ve found out the leader of those bandits had something to do with the Doyle family.¡±

    ¡°The Doyle family has evidence of Grandma taking you away. If this evidencees to light, how is she going to live?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything. She knew he was right, but she couldn¡¯t ept Ste had moved into their ce.

    Jepherson was well aware it bothered her. He did nothing but hold Raeleigh in his arms until he took her for lunch.

    They ate outside of the university.

    Raeleigh was reluctant, but Jepherson asked, gnashing his teeth,¡°Are you trying to avoid me forever?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer, silent the entire journey.

    She barely ate her food either. For the first time, Jepherson realized how powerless he was when she threw a tantrum.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind feeding you mouth-to-mouth,¡± Jepherson said, lowering his head while slicing the steak elegantly. Hearing his words, Raeleigh looked up at him. He put a piece of steak into his mouth andlookedat her as he chewed.

    Raeleigh lowered her head, cut her steak, and fed herself as her mind wandered elsewhere.

    Jepherson took a sip of red wine, leading Raeleigh to look at him. ¡°You rarely drink.¡±

    ¡°I also rarely make mistakes.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing.

    What did he mean?

    Jepherson continued to eatbut suddenly paused,ced his cutleries on the te, and dabbed his lips with the napkin; his gaze on the two people who were here for lunch too.

    Only then did Raeleigh turn around and sweep her eyes over the two people who came up to greet them.

 Chapter 1554 It Really Was Her

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Richards andMiss Raeleigh.¡± Colston came to have lunch when he saw the Richards family¡¯s car outside. He paid attention after entering, and sure enough, Raeleigh and Jepherson were inside, so he came over to greet them.

    Raeleigh had met them before, so she stood up.

    Louisa cracked a smile. ¡°Long time no see.¡±

    Raeleigh saw that Jepherson had also stood up.

    ¡°What a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.But we¡¯re bound to meet sooner orter. I¡¯ve been looking for a chance to talk to you, but who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d bump into you here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not following,¡± Jepherson replied bluntly.

    Colston didn¡¯t intend to beat about the bush either. ¡°I wanted to talk to you about yourconflict with Flynt.¡±

    Recalling he had gone to the countryside to look for Flynt some time ago, Jepherson said indifferently, ¡°If it¡¯s about this, you¡¯d better save your breath. No one can touch my woman. He had hired people to harm her so that he could y the damsel in distress game. Wouldn¡¯t I be a coward if I don¡¯t step in when he¡¯s relentless?¡±

    Colston smiled awkwardly. ¡°Mr. Richards, I¡¯ll be handling this affair. I hope you can give me a chance to sit down and address it with you. Maybe there¡¯s a turning point.¡±

    ¡°No need for that. I believe I¡¯ve told you I won¡¯t cross the line as long as your family doesn¡¯t mess with me.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Johan is a venerable man and the big shot of Capital City; as a junior, I¡¯ll certainly respect him.¡±

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll turn the other cheek.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is my woman, and I won¡¯t let just any men get close to her. Even if I am a beggar, I still have dignity.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, Mr. Richards, but Flynt had already lost an arm for it. He¡¯s now a cripple who¡¯s watching over our ancestral business in the countryside. Why should you bother yourself finding fault with him?¡±

    ¡°If he stays on the rails, I won¡¯t find fault with him. However, he¡¯s notoriously vicious. He instructed his men to kidnap Raeleigh in the hospital, and I still have the proof. He did appear at the scene to rescue her, but I¡¯m sure if I continue investigating, his doings won¡¯t be as simple as just giving some instructions to the kidnappers.¡±

    ¡°He had both guns and knives. What if Raeleigh was hurt?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t allow it to happen again.¡±

    ¡°Your meal is on me. We¡¯ve had ours. Mr. Colston, enjoy your lunch.¡±

    Jepherson strode away. Raeleigh wiped her mouth with the napkin and followed him out.

    Louisa turned to look at Raeleigh, calling out, ¡°Bowie.¡±

    Stumped for a split second, Raeleigh did not turn around but continued ahead instead.

    Raeleigh reacted very quickly as she believed Louisa was not Brisa. Brisa had already passed.

    Leaving the restaurant, she headed straight into Jepherson¡¯s car. Jepherson gazed at her. ¡°Why do you look so pale?¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head slowly as her eyes fell on him. ¡°Louisa called me Bowie just now.¡±

    Her words got him stumped for a second. He knew Raeleigh changed her name once when she was in the orphanage; it was Bowie.

    ¡°How did she know you were Bowie?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know either, but she called me intentionally when I followed you out. It seems she¡¯s probing me.¡±

    ¡°Probing you?¡± Jepherson looked outside. No one came out of the restaurant, but Raeleigh¡¯s face was ghastly.

    ¡°This is no small matter. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll send someone to investigate what happened in the orphanage.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done some digging myself and also checked the casualty list in the orphanage. Brisa was really dead. I suspected she might be your sister before, but I didn¡¯t say anything after I saw she was pronounced dead.¡±

    ¡°She isn¡¯t. My sister¡¯s dead; I¡¯ve verified it. I found Mr. Yintern not long ago; he admitted it and told me the whole story. I had misunderstood from the very beginning. The reason they had been so vague about it was that they were worried I might fall into despair, but they didn¡¯t expect I would be relentless.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t helpughing at the thought that he never gave up despite years of fruitless attempts.

    Raeleigh lifted her head and looked at him. ¡°You¡¯re still able tough?¡±

    ¡°To be honest, I had visualized many scenes of meeting her, but I was nervous and afraid of the moment, also worried to see that she wasn¡¯t doing well. But now, I won¡¯t. Since she is gone, I can slowly move on.¡±

    Gazing at the man in front of her, she saw the different emotions filling his beautiful eyes. It was like there were thousands of years of memories stored within them,pain, suffering, and many more that he wouldn¡¯t show to the world.

    She leaned in his arms, silent the entire time.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson ordered the driver to drive them away and the car headed to the university.

    Raeleigh got down at the campus gates. Jepherson looked at her from inside the car. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. I¡¯ll look into it again.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After that, Jepherson told the driver to leave, and Raeleigh only walked into the campus after he left. Some students stood by the gate while some were leaving the campus. Sensing something odd, she paused, feeling someone was watching her.

    Raeleigh turned around, but there was no suspicious stranger behind her. With that, she turned back and took a few steps, but the feeling of someone stalking her lingered.

    An inexpressible emotion surrounded her. She entered the campus and called Rossie to ask where she was. They had promised to have dinner together. Raeleigh checked the time; she hadn¡¯t had much for lunch, so she had to have dinner with Rossie.

    Rossie answered Raeleigh, and she immediatelywent to find Rossie. After their afternoon lecture, they ate at the university.

    Santiago, Zorion, and Xanthus joined them for dinner too.

    They intended to part ways after the meal. However, Santiago invited Zorion to move into his apartment just as Zorion intended to. With that, he moved into Santiago¡¯s ce just like that.

    Zorion didn¡¯t have many belongings, but he still needed help.

    Santiago went to help him while Raeleigh went to help Rossie. Xanthus, on the other hand, stayed in the apartment.

    During thest round, Raeleigh paused behind Rossie and darted a look at a tree. She could sense a presence there, but she wasn¡¯t sure.

    ¡°Rossie, run.¡±

    As Raeleigh spoke, that queer feeling intensified. Rossie wanted to turn around and have a look, but Raeleigh shouted at her, ¡°Run! Find Santiago!¡±

    Rossie didn¡¯t dare go to Raeleigh, dashingto the apartment. Raeleigh also ran in her direction, but a few men jumped out of nowhere and captured her.

    Rossie turned her head back several times, sprinting even faster, not daring to stop.

    Relieved Rossie could escape, Raeleighthennded her eyes on the personing out from behind the tree.

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t surprised; it really was her!

 Chapter 1555 Mishap

    Raeleigh only caught a glimpse of Yanora. She dawned a ck outfit, walking toward the campus gates while tmen pushed Raeleigh to another route.

    Raeleigh wanted to call out for help, but there was nobody around.

    Raeleigh and Rossie had purposely chosen this time to avoid being seen by the other students and bing the subject of gossip, but who would¡¯ve thought Yanora would use it to abduct her.

    Raeleigh kept looking back as the men pushed her out of campus. As they were nimble, she was in a car in two shakes.

    Yanora cast a nce at her as Raeleigh sat,casting a sinister smile. Shefaced away to remove the ck veil from her face, then looked back at Raeleigh, rendering herastounded.

    There was a deep gash on half of Yanora¡¯s face as if someone hadcerated it with a sharp knife.

    It was not a sight to behold. It was the first time Raeleigh had seen such a disfigured face that she stared at it nkly. Subsequently, she lowered her eyes, believing Jepherson and the others wouldn¡¯t have done it. They didn¡¯t back then, and they wouldn¡¯t now either. But who, if not them?

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Yanora asked Raeleigh. She did not answer as she was aware that Yanora must be prepared to burn bridges toe looking for her with such a scar on her face.

    Lost, Raeleigh had a lingering feeling that something was off.

    ¡°When did you get the scar?¡± she asked unknowingly.

    Yanoraughed maliciously. ¡°Do you need to know?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You were fine when you were sent to prison. After you came out, there were rumors that your mother was doing a little bit of matchmaking and introducing some bachelors to you. Your mother will probably not do so anymore, and your face¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, my face didn¡¯t end up like this untilter. Although it wasn¡¯t sunshine and butterflies in there, I was at least whole.But after I came out, I wound up like this. And it¡¯s all because of you, Raeleigh! It¡¯s all your fault!¡±

    Emotional, Yanora snarled at Raeleigh. Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Yanora, taking quite a while to react. Raeleigh was not afraid of how enraged Yanora was as she pondered on how to escape.

    It wouldn¡¯t do her any good to make Yanora¡¯s blood boil.

    Seeing Raeleigh silent, Yanora spat on her face. Raeleigh flinched and stared at Yanora nonchntly before Yanora grinned wickedly. ¡°You will know how I¡¯m going to torture youter; I¡¯d like to see whether Santiago can still cherish you after this.¡±

    Raeleigh had already guessed what Yanora wanted to do, so she didn¡¯t say a word.

    Raeleigh gazed out of the car. She had no idea where they were going, but she knew it would not be good.

    The car whizzed to their destination.

    After Yanora got out of the car, someone dragged Raeleigh out. Raeleigh stumbled for a few steps before regaining her bnce.

    She looked up at the high walls and buildings in front of her. The barbed wires at the top rendered Raeleigh dumbfounded

    Prison?

    Yanora strode the ck iron door. One of her men knocked on the door, and the spotlight came gathering on her.

    She grinned then put the veil back on her face. The iron door opened from inside, and a man in a prison officer uniform came out.

    Seeing Raeleigh, he sized her up. ¡°She¡¯s the catch of the day?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°Take a look. What do you think?¡±

    Yanora grabbed Raeleigh¡¯s hair, forcing her to show her face. Raeleigh grabbed Yanora¡¯s hands, trying to yank them away, but Yanora shoved her forward instead.

    The officer dodged, and Raeleigh fell hard, unable to get up.

    The officer replied, ¡°She seems to have a nice curve. You can leave.¡±

    Yanora looked back at Raeleigh, who glowered at her, and turned to leave.

    As the heavy iron door closed, the man in uniform approached Raeleigh and kicked her with his ck leather shoes. Even though it was not very painful,it was rather unbearable for someone like Raeleigh.

    ¡°Get up. Be good if you don¡¯t want to be shredded into pieces here. You can leave when we¡¯re done with you. Otherwise,you wouldn¡¯t know how you died.¡±

    With that, the correctional officer walked forward. Raeleigh slowly mbered up and looked around, asking, ¡°Do you know the Richards family in Capital City?¡±

    Raeleigh could only say so to save herself.

    The correctional officer stopped and turned to look at Raeleigh. ¡°They always say that when they firste. Yanora tried to use the Moore family to threaten me too, but she got ustomed to life here. She did not blow the whistle on us either, and I assume you know why.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯llnd yourself in trouble by viting thew.¡±

    There was a coldness in Raeleigh¡¯s voice, but the correctional officer treated her words with ridicule. ¡°It¡¯s like a different country here. Everyone has to capitte when they end up here. Even if the daughter-inw of the Richards familyes, she wille to the same end, let alone you. If you¡¯re that capable, you wouldn¡¯t have been captured in the first ce.¡±

    After saying so, the correctional officer continued walking.Raeleigh observed the surroundings. The prison was massive, and there were spotlights all around. The yard was clean, and there were buildings around, making it look well guarded.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Raeleigh tried her best to ask calmly behind him.

    The correctional officer answered, ¡°Officer.¡±

    ¡°Give me one night¡¯s time, and I¡¯ll give you ten million dors.¡±

    The correctional officer paused for a moment then turned around to take a brief look at her. ¡°No matter how much money you give me, I will meet my maker if I let you out.¡±

    ¡°If I keep you here, nothing will happen to us. I don¡¯tck money. I only want to live.¡±

    ¡°If anything happens to me, I will find your family to wreck vengeance on you after I go out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an orphan; I¡¯ve no family. Quit your wishful thinking.¡±

    The correctional officer turned back around and continued walking whileRaeleigh ran back to the iron door and smacked it hard. ¡°Help, save me!¡±

    Outside, Yanora beamed at her enchantingly. ¡°No one can save you; they will give you a taste of death. You owe me this much, Raeleigh Anson. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have wound up like this. Don¡¯t think ofing out unimpaired now that you have gone in.¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­¡±

    Yanora¡¯sughter rendered Raeleigh helpless. She turned around to look at the two correctional officers behind her. One of them stabbed Raeleigh¡¯s abdomen hard with a taser baton, and she fell as the electric impulses coursed through her body.

    Raeleigh was weak, so she passed out on the spot. The two correctional guards held each of Raeleigh¡¯s arms and dragged her to one of the buildings.

 Chapter 1556 The Moore Familyâ€™s Stance

    Santiago came out of campus to look for Raeleigh immediately. Zorion called home for help; Rayan had wanted to stay out of this matter, but when he heard Raeleigh had been kidnapped, he lent his men to Zorion.

    When Jepherson heard the news, he shot out of bed and headed out while putting on his coat.

    Xanthus searched high and low for his sister but to no avail. However, he found Raeleigh¡¯s guards, who had been covertly protecting her, passed out nearby campus.

    ¡°What should we do?¡± Rossie held Zorion¡¯s hand tightly, and Zorion shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we need to find the kidnapper. Otherwise, things can turn bad very quickly.¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Rossie fell silent, and she didn¡¯t look too good either.This wouldn¡¯t have happened if she didn¡¯t run away.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fau< this is obviously long premeditated. It''s our fault that we didn''t protect you two." Zorion held Rossie in his arms. "How am I to live if something does happen to her?" Rossie bit her lip.     "Things would be worse if you didn''t run back. The Capital City is ours; we''ll find them in no time. Don''t worry."     "But it''s been more than an hour, and we still haven''t found her yet."     Rossie was so scared thather hands were shaking; she had a feeling something bad would happen to Raeleigh.     "It''s okay."     Zorion hugged Rossie, and they could only pray.     It took Jepherson no time to close off all the intersections in Capital City.Jacky, too, came with his men to help with the search. After an hour, they arrived and searched everywhere they could.     However, they still couldn''t find any clues. It was as if she had disappeared into thin air.     Jepherson checked the road map and surveince footage but only saw theming out of the campus; the car disappeared after hitting the main roads.     "Santiago, search along the north side of the city. They might be there, but there''s no trace of them on the surveince."     Jepherson called Santiago, who was waiting outside the campus. He wore his helmet and went straight to the north of the city.     They spent the whole night looking for Raeleigh but failed.     It was as if she had disappeared into thin air.     At daybreak, Santiago was still searching.When he still couldn''t find her in the area, he went to the exit, looking at the road that headed out of town.     When Jacky got to him, he was standing at the intersection with his helmet on the ground.     Jacky got out of the car and looked at Santiago, "Your brother wants you to go back."     "I''m going to find her. Tell him I won''te back until I find her."     Santiago then got on the motorcycle and sped straight through the road.     "Follow him." Afraid that something might happen to him, Jacky ordered his men to follow Santiago immediately. After Santiago left, Jacky looked at the sign on the road and turned to leave.     Jepherson came out of the transit authority defeated. He got into the car and said, "Go and see what Flynt is doing. Call the higher-ups and ask what Yanora is doing too."     "Yes, Mr. Jepherson."     Jepherson stared out of the window and pressed the ring on his finger with his thumb, praying, "Please don''t get hurt, please don''t..."     ...     Overnight, the entire Capital City fell into unprecedented tension, including the Moore family.     When Colston received a call from outside, he immediately got up and went to Johan''s room.     Johan woke up and looked at Colston in front of him. "Colston, did something happen?"     "Raeleigh''s kidnapped, and nobody can find her."     Colston thought it was of utmost importance, so he went straight to the point.     Johan didn''t have much of an impression of Raeleigh. So he hesitated for a moment then asked, "Is she Jepherson''s girlfriend?"     "Yes."     Colston''s expression was solemn, indicating the urgency of the matter.     Johan nced at Ronard, who was next to him, and asked curiously, "What does her ident have to do with us?"     "If my guess is right, this is Yanora''s doing." With this current status, Colston didn''t try to hide his thoughts.     Johan snorted. "Don''t nder your cousin when you have no proof."     "I wish I wasn''t, but I know I''m right."     Johan thought for a moment. "You have proof?"     "She has been staying at home since she returned. However, Yanora went out this afternoon, and I also found out that she would go out once every two weeks. This incident is too coincidental. I thought if she had returned tonight, things might look up, but Yanora still hasn''t."     Johan nced at Ronard. "Do you know about this?"     "I don''t know. I would have told you if I did, Mr. Johan."     Johan thought for a while and said, "Go and see what Elina is doing. Ask her to bring Yanora over. Tell her that I want to see them."     Johan deliberately emphasized the word them. Ronard knew full well that meant Yanora had to be present.     Ronard obliged and went to Elina hurriedly. When she saw the butler, Elina got up and went to Yanora''s room. She knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered. Strange, she pushed the door open to take a look only to find there was no one in there.     "What?"     "Madam Elina, this way."     Ronard didn''t want to know what was going on. However, the repercussions were imaginable for such a thing to happen when the Moore family and the Richards family had just repaired their rtionship.     Elina hurried over to Johan''s side with Ronard. When she got to Johan, she cried immediately, feeling awful. Johan took a sip of tea and looked at the sobbing Elina. "Where''s Yanora?"     Elina shook her head and said nothing.     Johan said, "Your three children, one lost an arm, one disfigured, and one missing."     "When are you going to make me stop worrying?"     "Old Master Johan, I really don''t know anything.I haven''t left the housetely, and I kept Yanora with me all this while to protect her. I have already lost so much; I can''t lose Yanora too. How did she get out?"     Elina cried harder. Johan looked at Colston and said, "What do you suggest we do?"     "Given the emergency, we can onlye clean and offer Jepherson our help.In addition, we need to renounce Yanora from our family and voice our stand, showing that her actions have nothing to do with us. If something does happen to Raeleigh, Jepherson isn''t going to let it slide."     "I''ve already promised him nobody from the Moore family will cause them trouble, andI''ve long told him if any one of them makes trouble again, they can do as they please, and we won''t interfere."     "Since you said so, honor your words. We''re not ones to take people''s lives lightly either; they have to bear the consequences of their actions."     "From now on, if anyone from the Moore family does something shady, no need to consult me; you can make the call."     "Noted. Also, I want to help to find Raeleigh too."     Johan looked at Colston and said after a long time, "I''m no longer in charge. You decide."     With that said, Johan waved his hand and gestured for everyone to leave. Colston then left the room.

 Chapter 1557 Fifty Thousand

    ¡°Old MasterJohan.¡±

    After Colston left, Elina called out to Johan, leading him to nce at her and wave his hand. Elina had no choice but to leave.

    When Elina left, Johanid down and said with great effort, ¡°I don¡¯t know why butI¡¯ve been feeling groggy, and I can¡¯t breathe properly.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that, Old Master Johan. Your health has always been in the pink,¡± Ronard said, but Johan shook his head. ¡°I know my body well.¡±

    Ronard wiped his tears. He also felt that Johan¡¯s health was worsening by the day, but he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it.

    The outsiders thought Johan¡¯s health was poor, but he knew the old master had been fine.

    However, in the past month, his condition was getting worse by the day.

    ¡°Ronard, after I die, you¡¯ll have to assist Thorin.This family cannot be left to Colston.He wants to be on good terms with the Richards familywholeheartedly, but this is not what I want. Flynt can¡¯t be the head of the Moore family anymore, and the rest of them are useless. I can only rely on Thorin; you must protect him no matter what,¡±Johan said indifferently.

    Ronard asked, ¡°Then what about Mr. Colston?¡±

    ¡°Before I die, you have to bring Thorin back. You must.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Johan, I¡¯ll see to it tomorrow.¡±

    Ronardquickly obliged. Johan¡¯s eyes were beginning to turn turbid, and his thoughts were no longer as clear as before.

    He thought for a long time. ¡°Keep a close eye on Elina. Yanora isn¡¯t someone who can give the Richards family a hard time finding the girl. Elina must know a thing or two. Since she wouldn¡¯t resign, I can only leave her be.¡±

    ¡°Ronard, no matter what, as long as Thorin is unharmed, let them do as they please.¡±

    ¡°I understand,Old MasterJohan.¡±

    ¡°Thorin didn¡¯te backst time; I wonder if he will this time. I¡¯ve already written down my will. Make sure it¡¯s keptsafelyaway. Do you understand?¡±

    Johan couldn¡¯t believe the only person he could trust would be Ronard, who had been keeping himpany and not his family.

    He closed his eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯m bing muddle-headed; I can¡¯t tell the good from the bad anymore.¡±

    ¡°Old Master Johan, didn¡¯t you always say there are no good people in this world?¡± Ronard asked, andJohan replied, ¡°Indeed, and you¡¯re the only one who remembers this. If you¡¯re not able to find yourself a backing after I leave, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to live for long.

    ¡°You will be in danger if I leave as I¡¯m the only one that can shield you from harm. That¡¯s why I¡¯m also worried about you if I leave.¡±

    ¡°If I leave, your time in this house will end. Nobody will leave you in peace.¡±

    Johan closed his eyes and waved his hand. Ronardshed tears and headed out of the room.

    ¡­

    Out the door, Ronard got busy with finding Thorin.

    Elina looked at Ronard from the corner and sneered. She thought, ¡°What goes aroundes around. You will regret what you did.¡±

    With that in mind, Elina went back to her residency, saying as she walked, ¡°Follow him. If he¡¯s going to find Thorin, kill him.¡±

    In the dark, a figure leftquickly.

    Elina looked at the stars in the sky while walking. It was time for revenge.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh slowly woke up; she was tied up with a cold iron te under her. She shrank back subconsciously, and someone spoke up, ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±

    Raeleigh followed the voice and looked over. There were many people opposite her, wearing the same clothes with numbers on their chests. She froze for a moment and remembered that she had passed out from electrocution and was brought here.

    Raeleigh¡¯s hands and feet were tied up, so she could not move, allowing the group to look at her as they pleased.

    Standing beside Raeleigh was the guy who brought her in. The others were all prisoners. She was surrounded by lights, blinding her sight.

    ¡°She¡¯s awake. Weren¡¯t you worried if she¡¯s a fool? As you can see, she¡¯s not.Let¡¯s get started then.The highest bidder keeps her.¡±

    Raeleigh tensed up at the correctional officer¡¯s words as she had never encountered such a situation. She couldn¡¯t believe such a thing would happen in prison.

    A correctional officer acted as a p*mp to the prisoners.

    Raeleigh was soaking wet, and she didn¡¯t know what had happened. The floor pooled with water, and her hair was wet, making her look a mess. Her clothes were drenched as well, causing her clothes to stick to her body, exposing her curves. Raeleigh realized she was an exhibit under the watchful eyes of lecherous men.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and studied her surroundings. If something were to happen to her, she would rather die than be bid as some prize.

    She lowered her head and fixed her eyes on the ground, thinking about what would happenter.

    ¡°Thirty thousand.¡±

    ¡°Thirty-five thousand.¡±

    ¡°Forty thousand.¡±

    ¡°Fifty thousand.¡±

    The room fell silent.

    It was arge sum, so everyone stopped talking. Raeleigh looked up at the correctional officer, ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten million if you let me go.¡±

    The correctional officer was amused. ¡°What I care about isn¡¯t money.¡±

    ¡°Really? If I die, you won¡¯t live either. If I walk out alive, I promise you a miserable death.¡±

    Raeleigh red at him, and the correctional officerdid not hesitate to p her.

    Raeleigh sprawled on the ground. The correctional officer said, ¡°Just because you¡¯re rich doesn¡¯t mean you can solve everything with it.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh got up and looked at him. Her fair face was swollen.

    The people around her said, ¡°Chill, Lechen. Cut her some ck. How do you expect us to enjoy her when you¡¯ve beaten her up?¡±

    ¡°Do you care?¡±

    ¡­

    Those people were silent for a while. Someone said, ¡°If no one wants to raise the bid higher than fifty thousand, I will take her.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the man. He looked to be in his fifties and a stout.

    Raeleigh felt disgusted just looking at him. It seemed that she had no choice but to die.

    Raeleigh looked at the ropes on her, but how was she going to?

    There was also a dog cor on her neck, and the chain leash was tied to an iron pir.

    If Raeleigh hadn¡¯t fixed her eyes on the ropes, she wouldn¡¯t have known she was cored.

    ¡°Anyone else?¡± Lechen asked. It seemed the prisoner could not push the bid any higher, so no one spoke.

    ¡°Congrattions, Octus.¡±

    While Lechen was talking, Octus stood up and walked to the stage. He squatted down and raised his hand to pinch Raeleigh¡¯s chin, taking a good look at her before shoving it away. Then he stood up, took the chain, and bent down to pick Raeleigh up.

    Octus chuckled and said, ¡°C¡¯mon, Baby, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Raeleigh did not speak. She turned around and nced at Lechen. ¡°I will not forget this!¡±

    Lechen walked away, ignoring her, letting Octus take her away.

 Chapter 1558 Yanoraâ€™s Death

    Meanwhile, Santiago was still searching and roaming around the north side of Capital City. He had been searching all this while, but there was no sign of her.

    Frustrated, he mmed his phone onto the ground, shattering it into pieces.

    When Jacky¡¯s car arrived, Santiago was getting on his motorcycle to continue the search. Jacky¡¯s men tried to stop him, but he rushed past them without a single hesitation.

    At this point, Jepherson had already turned the city upside down, but he still couldn¡¯t find Raeleigh.

    Jazelle had already passed out several times from crying, and Jenna would also shed tears from time to time.

    Hansen and Lamar had been apanying by their side the entire time, waiting for any news. The two remained silent and handed everything over to Jepherson and Xanthus.

    But the night had passed, and the day came!

    ¡­

    ¡°Jerry, have some water.¡± Jenna gave Jerpherson a bottle of water. Hislips were already cracked; it wouldn¡¯t do if he continued like this.

    ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty.¡± Wearing a white shirt, Jepherson paced back and forth, fixing his eyes on the surveince footage as hepondered where Yanora would hide.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, we¡¯ve found Yanora.¡±

    Hearing the news, Jepherson immediately asked, ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s hiding in an ordinary house in the suburbs; she was seen when she came out to shop. Our men are already on their way, but we saw Colston¡¯s car heading in the same direction as well.¡±

    ¡°Leave him. Capture her first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    The room fell silent.

    At the mention of that, everyone else lifted their heads to look at Jepherson whileAlvin asked, ¡°Shall we have Jared back?¡±

    ¡°No need. Santiago is now emotionally unstable; Jared should stay with him.¡±

    Jepherson then checked the time, ordering,¡°Mr. Alvin, go over on my behalf. I can¡¯t leave this ce; I need to find where Raeleigh is. Yanora will not bring Raeleigh with her. ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Xanthus offered, emerging from the side. Alvin nced at him.¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    With that, Alvin headed outside withXanthus trailing behind.

    After they left, Jepherson continued the search for Raeleigh. It didn¡¯t take long for Alvin to get to Yanora.However, Colston got to her before them, andthe two were engaged in a confrontation.

    ¡°Listen, Yanora,e back with me. You have the chance to live if you tell me where Raeleigh is; otherwise, all you¡¯ll face is death.¡±

    Seeing that they were cousins, Colston tried to persuade her.

    Yanoraughed.¡°You¡¯re full of yourself. Who do you think you are? What makes you think you can talk to me?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°You¡¯ve gone overboard. Come with me. You might still live if you tell us where Raeleigh is. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll only meet your doom when the Richards family finds you.¡±

    ¡°What a joke. I won¡¯t listen to you, so don¡¯t talk to me. I don¡¯t need your help.¡±

    Yanora had a few men with her, but Colston was alone.With a stern look on,Colston warned,¡°Since you¡¯ve harmed Raeleigh,you should take the responsibility and bear the consequences. The Moore family won¡¯t help you.¡±

    Colston turned around and noticed Alvin approaching them. ¡°Are you from the Richards family?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Moore,¡± Alvin greeted, his gaze calm but his faceced with murderous intent.

    Raeleigh¡¯s disappearance was not a trivial matter; Alvin would not show them any mercy.

    Colston didn¡¯t need to be a genius to know why. He looked back at Yanora.¡°You¡¯re on your own.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s all yours.¡±

    Colston retreated. He had wanted to plead to Jepherson to save Yanora¡¯s life, but it seemed impossible anymore.

    Alvin said nothing, his gaze fathomless.

    ¡°I want her alive.¡± As soon as Alvin gave the order, everyone took action. Xanthus stood aside; although he was a doctor,it had to do with Raeleigh¡¯s life and safety, so he was not at ease.

    Seeing she was outnumbered, Yanora dashed into the building. Xanthus was about to chase after her whenAlvin stopped him, pulling him by his wrist.

    ¡°Leave it to them. There are only two doors in the building;she won¡¯t be able to escape.¡± Alvin couldn¡¯t let anything happen to Xanthus.

    Alvin then loosened his grip. Xanthus watched as a fight broke out before him while the othersheaded in another direction to corner Yanora.

    Yanora ran to the back door only to find two men entering, alerting her to flee further in.But just after taking a few steps,she jolted, and she felt a chill on her forehead before her body stiffened at once.

    With a lift of her hand, Yanora came to a halt. Her body lost its support, and she fell to the ground with a loud thud. Alvin¡¯s men were also shocked as they immediately looked at their surroundings, only to find no one around. The shot was fired from outside the window, but they were in a corridor. Where did the bullete from?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Yanora was already dead. Alvin¡¯s men made a prompt decision to leave the crime scene.Things would get troublesome if they stayed.

    Seeingthat they didn¡¯te out with Yanora, Xanthus thought she had managed to escape. He took two a couple of steps forward and asked, ¡°Where is she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s dead; someone shot her. We didn¡¯t see the shooter, but it was a clean shot.¡±

    ¡°I want to have a look.¡± Xanthus refused to believe it until he saw the body, so he ran into the corridor. Just as they had described, there was indeed a body lying on the ground.

    After observing their surroundings,Alvin dragged Xanthus out.

    Outside the door, Colston asked, ¡°Is she dead?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡±

    Alvin dragged Xanthus back to the car. There was nothing much to say; she was dead, and that was it.

    After getting into the car, Alvin reported the situation and sent Xanthus back.

    Jepherson put his phone down and looked at the four who had been sitting behind him for a day and a night.

    Jazelle was exhausted from all the crying. When she saw Jepherson turning around with a solemn face, she passed out.

    Jenna immediately stood up and tried to wake Jazelle up.

    Lamar held his wife in his arms, his pitch-ck eyes fathomless, his breathing fluctuating.

    Hansen received a call from Rayan.

    The call was to ask for an update,but there wasn¡¯t any.

    Jacky had sent Deanna home, or he would not be at ease, seeing her alone.

    Deanna was equally anxious. She was the one who urged her father to make the call.

    Deanna swaggered into the house like that ofa newlywed daughter returning to her maiden home. She had long forgotten about the fact that she had fallen apart with her family.

    Hannah was surprised. She hadn¡¯t expected Deanne to be back so soon.

    The initially upsetting incident rendered Hannah speechless with Jacky¡¯s worry about Deanna being alone and outside dangers.

    It was not the time to put on airs right then.

    After Jacky left, Deanna acted as if nothing unpleasant had happened, sittingin between her parents, telling them what happened to Raeleigh until Rayan had to admit defeat as well.He couldn¡¯t say no to her.

    Worry-filled about Raeleigh, Deanna wouldn¡¯t go to sleep,constantly dialing Jacky¡¯s number for updates. As he didn¡¯t have any, Rayan had to make the call to Hansen.

 Chapter 1559 Austin Quirk

    The call to Hansen was like the one to Jacky¡¯s. There was still no news to be told.

    Hansen put his phone down and looked at Jepherson. He had been putting on a tough look, but Hansen could see that his son was on the verge of copsing.

    ¡°Take a rest.¡± Hansen stood up. His gaze, as deep as the sea as if they could prate and see through the surveince footage.

    ¡°She¡¯s no longer in Capital City.Dispatch teams to search for her outside. Send out notices and promise those who find her with rewards. As long as anyone finds her,we¡¯re willing to give up all assets for her return.¡±

    With that, Hansen turned around and headed outside. Jenna immediately stood up and followed him.

    After exiting the door, Jenna caught up with Hansen and tugged at his sleeves. ¡°Hansen?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to give anything for her return. No news may be good news.¡± Hansen pulled his beloved wife into his arms and gave a light yet heavy pat on her shoulder.

    Things were never terrifying to those who had never experienced it; for those who did, it was horrifyingly unimaginable.

    Jepherson went to a chair and settled down on it,shutting his eyes with a heavy heart.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was carried into a cell. Once they entered the door, she was flung onto the bed, nearly unable to get up.When she finally did, Octus had already taken his pants off. Out of desperation, she jumped out of bed and wrappeda chain around Octus¡¯s neck. Octus struggled while she tried to strangle him,using all her strength with her feet pushed against the wall.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    The chain was not thick, but Octus struggled and suffocated.

    At the door, a group of people leaned against it, peeping into the room. When they saw that Raeleigh was strangling Octus, they shouted for help and fled.

    Raeleigh had no choice; she wouldn¡¯t be able to live after she killed Octus anyway.

    The cell door opened with a loud bang.Octus had his greasy tongue stuck out, his chubby face was in the colour of an eggnt.

    Raeleigh gritted her teeth. ¡°If you won¡¯t let me live, I will not let you die a peaceful death either.¡±

    Seeing Octus dying, the man at the door called out to stop her, ¡°Come down. Let him go. I want you.¡±

    ¡°Do you really mean it? Do you want her?¡± The short guy at the door questioned in bewilderment. The person who had spoken was tall and handsome; he didn¡¯t look like he belonged here no matter how.What was more, his eyes were cold without the slightest warmth.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. I want to call the Richards;I¡¯m Jepherson Richards¡¯s wife. You brought me here;I will raze this ce to the ground.¡±

    ¡°How mighty of you.People here are either all ruthless or from rich and noble backgrounds. Do you think the Richards family is all that great?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m a responsible citizen. You brought me here; I wanted to give you money, but you wouldn¡¯t ept it. Now that I¡¯m going to die, I will drag all of you down with me!¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the person who was talking, who then wore a malicious smile as he promised, ¡°Kill him. I¡¯ll protect you, and no one will dare touch you.¡±

    After giving it some thought, Raeleigh gritted her teeth and loosened her grip on Octus, who was kicking and struggling.

    The moment she did so, Octus reacted at once. He grabbed Raeleigh¡¯s hand and threw her over his shoulders from the bed to the ground. Raeleigh rolled on the ground in pain. He then wanted to stomp her to death. Seeing that, she grabbed his feet, but she did not have much strength left. When his foot was inches away from her chest, she grabbed the chain on her neck and wrapped it around his ankle. The moment she gave it a forceful pull, Octus lost his bnce and fell to the ground.

    Raeleigh mbered up unsteadily and walked toward Octus. Octus was about to stand up when Raeleigh pulled the chain and swung it at his head.

    Octus grabbed the chain and pulled her over, leading her to m onto the ground with a loud thud. Then he turned over and pressed his body against her¡¯s. When he was about to take off Raeleigh¡¯s pants, she wrapped the chain around his neck and pulled it with all her might.

    Everyone watched, especially the man who had told Raeleigh to kill Octus.

    He was watching the scene unfolding in front of him, indifferent.

    When Raeleigh¡¯s hands bled,he walked away.

    Others didn¡¯t dare to make a sound. Not long after,Raeleigh freed herself from under Octus while the stouty on the ground, dead.

    Everyone¡¯s gaze on Raeleigh wasced with fear. Raeleigh¡¯s figure was excellent, but she looked weak. Octus¡¯s weight was enough to crush Raeleigh to death, but she still managed to kill him.

    So when Raeleigh walked out of the cell dragging the chain, everyone locked their eyes on her. Her hands and legs were bloody, her face swollen with bruises.

    Staring back at them, Raeleigh looked at the person from before and walked toward him.

    Aftering to a stop in front of him, Raeleigh looked straight in his eyes and demanded, ¡°I killed him. Now I need a phone.¡±

    The man raised his head and said, ¡°I can¡¯t help you.¡±

    Gripping the chain tightly in her grasp, Raeleigh then proceeded to wrap it around his neck. The man nced at Raeleigh¡¯s body before holding her by her waist, lifting her onto hisp. With a toss, Raeleigh stumbled into his arms. It was dark before she knew anything else.

    The prison burst up in an uproar, whereasAustin Quirk sat on the chair with Raeleigh in his arms, remaining unmoved. He looked at the girl,lifted her hair which covered half of her face, andstudied her face.

    His eyebrows twitched.A wife of the Richards family?

    While the prison was in a mess, the correctional officer who had brought Raeleigh in brought his colleagues over. Soon, everyone was facingthe wall with their hands behind their heads, squatting.

    The cold water from the water jet high above sprayed down like pouring rain. All the correctional officers wore raincoats and rain boots while the prisoners squatted obediently.

    Because of the rain, Raeleigh¡¯s face turned paler, with blood dripping down her hands and legs.

    Austin wrapped Raeleigh¡¯s head in his arms and looked up at the correctional officer, who had walked to him.He slowly looked up, fixing his gaze on the officer.

    ¡°Are you going to rebel, Austin?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s mine now.¡±

    Austin got up, picked up Raeleigh, and walked toward his cell. His twockeys immediately followed him.

    ¡°Are you going to marry her, Austin?¡±

    ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯te in.¡±

    Austin entered the cell and closed the door. In the whole of the prison, only Austin¡¯s cell had windows, an independent bathroom, an air vent, and an air conditioner. Everything he needed was avable.

 Chapter 1560 Your Life or Your Hair

    When Raeleigh woke up, she found the space a spotless white, and the lights were dazzling.

    Raeleigh covered her eyes and observed her surroundings as she slowly recalled what had happened before she passed out. It took her no time to remembershe had killed Octus.

    Raeleigh instantly jolted up from the bed and swept her gaze around her room.

    It was apparent she was in a spacious cell with two wooden bunk beds.

    The top beds were upied with stuff, and she was in one of the bottom bunks while the other was empty.

    She was alone in the cell.

    Raeleigh took a look at herself. She had changed into clean prisoner clothes, and her limbs were bandaged.

    Hearing a sounding from the other side of the cell, Raeleigh turned around and saw the man who had provoked her into killing Octus and promised that he would protect her emerging from the side.

    Seeing him, Raeleigh froze. She did not know whether his bronze skin was naturally tanned.

    He didn¡¯t look the muscr type, but his face was rosy.

    Raeleigh thought he was either into sunbathing or that he had juste in.

    After all,they were in prison. How could someone be so tanned?

    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±

    Austin appeared from the bathroom, sat next to Raeleigh, took her hand to nce at it before he said,¡°To survive in this ce, you¡¯ll need to follow what I say.¡±

    ¡°I want to leave.¡± Raeleigh fixed her gaze on Austin. She didn¡¯t know why, but the moment she saw Austin, she thought she had met her savior.

    Raeleigh had high hopes for Jepherson and the others to find herwhen she first stepped into this hell-hole, but notanymore. If they could find her, they would¡¯ve long ago.

    So she could only pin her hopes on herself.

    Austin shifted further in, asking,¡°Do you know where this is?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I thought this is a prison, but it doesn¡¯t seem so.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. This isn¡¯t technically a prison.¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Where are we then?¡±

    ¡°Everyone here is condemned to death. If you¡¯re here, you will either die the next day or stay here for the rest of your life. This is a ce under the control of no one; no one would dare control it either.¡±

    ¡°And this ce has its own set of rules; it¡¯smon for someone to die here. This ce is more of a living hell than a prison.¡±

    ¡°To you, of course.¡±

    Raeleigh continued to lock her gaze on Austin. ¡°But you saved me.¡±

    ¡°It gets lonely when you¡¯re alone for too long.You¡¯re just for fun.¡±

    Austinid on the bed and urged, ¡°Come here, hug me.¡±

    Stunned, Raeleigh blurted out, ¡°I have a husband.¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s not here, and he can¡¯t protect you. Are you going to hug me, or do you want to die here so thathe can never find you?¡±

    After a long thought, Raeleigh suggested, ¡°I can give you money, and you give me a phone.¡±

    ¡°Come here.¡± Austin narrowed his eyes andpatted the spot beside him. Raeleigh pursed her lips. It took her a long time to shift her body andy next to him.

    Austin put his hand on Raeleigh¡¯s waist and pulled her into his arms,whispering in Raeleigh¡¯s ear, ¡°If you want to go out, you need to learn to be patient.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at Austin, but he merelysaid, ¡°Go to sleep.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around, closing her eyes as she asked, ¡°Who on earth are you?¡±

    ¡°Austin Quirk.¡±

    ¡°Austin Quirk?¡±

    The first thing Raeleigh learned was the name Austin Quirk on her first day in prison.

    She knew nothing else.

    Raeleigh fell asleep after several tosses and turns. The moment she slumbered into her dreams, she dreamed of Octusing back alive, pouncing at her, which frightened her and jolted her awake.

    Austin gave Raeleigh aforting pat. ¡°Did you have a nightmare?¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    Raeleigh turned her head back to look at Austin. The lights in the room were on. She had wanted to speak, but Austin cut her words off, saying with a bleary face, ¡°Nighttime is bedtime. If you have anything to say, say it tomorrow.¡±

    Raeleigh turned back and went back to sleep.

    At first, she had trouble sleeping, but she still fell asleep after lying down for a while.

    Raeleigh woke up at six the next morning. Someone mmed on the door with an iron stick from the outside.Raeleigh mbered up as Austin also sat up beside her. She turned her head back to look at him andasked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Breakfast. It¡¯s normal. Wash up,¡± Austin said as he got out of bed and put on a pair of flip-flops, headingto the door. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Raeleigh heaved a sigh once she found that someone had bathed her, andher hair was smooth. Who had changed her clothes? They had even helped her put on all her underwear.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. The bra given was without support, but fortunately, they did the job.

    After freshening herself up, Raeleigh walked to the door and announced, ¡°I need to visit the washroom.¡±

    Austin asked, ¡°Is there no water?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still water. Don¡¯te in.¡±

    Raeleigh did not dare to ask Austin who had bathed and changed her. If it was Austin, she would not be able to face him.

    Amused, Austin said,¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Turning around, Austin did a quick change and sat on the bed.After Raeleigh had exited the washroom, Austin headed in to wash up before they left the cell together.

    By then, all the prisoners had gathered for breakfast. Raeleigh followed Austin and couldn¡¯t help feeling as if they had entered a military site. The crowd was huge, estimated to consist of more than a thousand prisoners.

    Austin walked to his spot and stopped.The other men at the cafeteria table were all Austin¡¯s subordinates, who cast strange gazes at Raeleigh.

    ¡°Sit down.¡±

    The management was strict in prison during the day, aplete one-eighty from the night. Raeleigh thought so.

    The prisoners sat down and began to eat under the instructor¡¯s orders. On her te was a chicken drumstick, an egg, something she couldn¡¯t identify, hash browns, and a bowl of soup.

    Raeleigh nced over at Austin. He had the same food as her.

    The others were the same, but when she looked behind her, it was a different view. They had tasteless soup, and there was no drumstick served.

    Some had kebabs.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look around.¡± Raeleigh had just turned around when someone shouted at her.With that, Raeleigh quickly lowered her head.Meanwhile, Austin ate with his head down. Theelegance was extraordinary, as if he was one of noble status.

    The others gobbled their food, devouring the drumstick in a couple of bites.

    Raeleigh was afraid this would be her only meal, so she lowered her head to start eating as well.However, the portion was too much for her to finish.

    Seeing she was unable to finish all that was on her tray, Austin helped her out.

    They were ready to leave when they were blocked after taking a few steps forward. Raeleigh recognized the one standing in their way; it was theprison guard who had brought her in.

    ¡°Can I help you, officer?¡± Austin asked faintly. The correctional officermanded, ¡°Cut her hair.¡±

    With her head lowered,Austin nced at her before saying,¡°Come with me.¡±

    Raeleigh had wanted to rebel against the correctional officer, but Austin had agreed to the request. She waited for the guard to leave before shetold Austin about her thoughts.In response, he nced at her and asked, ¡°Do you want your life or your hair?¡±

 Chapter 1561 Not There with Kind Intentions

    Raeleigh fixed her gaze on Austin and repeated,¡°I want to make a call.¡±

    But Austin merely sneered. ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to cut my hair.¡± Raeleigh tried her best to fight for her hair instead, and Austinughed.¡°You have no choice; it will only cause trouble if you keep it. You have a beautiful face, so you won¡¯t look ugly even if you cut it short.¡±

    ¡°My parents will be sad if they see me like this.¡± Raeleigh was unbothered by her hairstyle, but she was concerned about how her parents felt if they saw hershorthair.

    ¡°Cut it. Rules are rules. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.¡± Raeleigh could not waver Austin¡¯s stand at all if he made up his mind. No matter what she said, he insisted.Herhair was not much longer than a man¡¯s either.

    Raeleigh¡¯s hair was ck, her chin was sharp, her face fair. With her hair short, she stood on the spot, staring at Austin in a trance. Austin had also had a haircut that day, but his hair was much shorter than that of Raeleigh¡¯s.

    Raeleigh kept her head lowered the whole way back to the cell. She knew she had just barely survived, but she still felt ufortable.

    It was a man¡¯s prison. How awkward things would get for a woman like her to be in a man¡¯s prison.

    Raeleigh wandered around the prison byAustin¡¯s sideafter cutting her hair short. After breakfast, everyone had to work, including Raeleigh. Raeleigh had expected it to bebor and hard work, but it was one that she would have never expected when she entered the room.

    Raeleigh stood in aputerb and watched the group of people from thest shift retreat. Raeleigh and the rest were to take over.

    Austin sat in front of aputer and took over the game by the gamer from before.

    Raeleigh took her seat next to Austin, then heasked, ¡°Do you know how to yputer games?¡±

    ¡°A little.¡±

    Austin smirked, a leisurely one.With her eyebrows raised,Raeleighlooked at him, saying after being in much dilemma, ¡°But I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be good at it.¡±

    ¡°You need to learn, or they¡¯ll deduct your wages if you keep losing.Since you don¡¯t have any money right now,you have no chance but to win to earn some. I paid for your meals,¡± Austin said as he passed her an earpiece, whosaid with her face solemn, ¡°Guide me through the game.¡±

    ¡°Kiss me, and I¡¯ll be your guide.¡±

    Austin¡¯s eyes shone. Raeleigh pursed her lips and looked at those around her. Everyone was immersed in the game.

    She looked at the screen engaged in a game. ¡°I can y from the start with tutorials, but if I start ying halfway through the game, I will perform horribly. If I do as you guys do and learn the game at the same time, I will definitely lose money. If you have money, lend me some. I¡¯ll return it to you once I leave this ce.¡±

    Austin nced away before he looked back at Raeleigh, ¡°You may have yet figured it out. This is a ce where no one can leave, and no one has ever left.¡±

    ¡°You maye in alive,but you¡¯ll definitely leave a dead man.¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    Raeleigh bit her lip and retorted in return, ¡°How did Yanora get out then?¡±

    Austin pondered for a brief moment before he guessed, ¡°I don¡¯t know the person you¡¯re talking about. A woman?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer, but he knew he was right.Austin¡¯s smile widened into an evil grin, and his eyes flickered with an enchanting glint.

    ¡°She could please Lechen. Can you? That man¡¯s a pervert. Can you do what she did?¡±

    When Austin spoke, his gaze was carefree and calm.

    ¡°I won¡¯t please anyone.¡± Raeleigh was stubborn, and Austin pinched her chin. ¡°Kiss me. Anywhere will do.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at him and pped his hand away,still refusing.

    She looked at theputer as an idea popped up in her mind. ¡°Could you do me a favor? Tell them I want to register a new ount.¡±

    Austin smiled.¡°What do I get?¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Austin gave it some thought.¡°Wash my feet.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    Raeleigh agreed without hesitation. Austin continued to stare at Raeleigh, his gaze surging withplex emotions.

    ¡°Come here.¡± Austin raised his hand. A man in a correctional officer uniform approached them.

    At their side, he reminded Austin, ¡°Lechen doesn¡¯t want you to cause trouble.¡±

    ¡°Register a new ount.¡±

    With that, Austin gestured to hisputer. The officer said, ¡°If you want to register a new ount, I have to inform the superiors. The fee¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay for it,¡± Austin said. With that, the officer told Raeleigh to get up. Raeleigh did as toldbut was worried something might happen, so shecalled out to Austin, ¡°Austin.¡±

    Austin paused before turning to look at Raeleigh. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, I won¡¯t say it.¡±

    ¡°Say it.¡±

    Raeleigh mustered the courage to say, ¡°I want to stay with you.¡±

    Austin instructed the officer, ¡°Get two ounts; we¡¯ll y the game together.¡±

    After a moment¡¯s hesitation,the officer took them to a private room. When they entered the room, Raeleigh looked at those inside and found several of them were sleeping. ¡°They are risking their lives,¡±Raeleigh thought.

    But they were all young.

    After entering the room, the officer retrieved two cards and handed them to Austin and Raeleigh before leaving.

    Austin went to one of theputers, inserted his card, and turned it on; Raeleigh did the same. The system was set up in advance, so she could y the game at once.

    Austin registered the ount with his name, and Raeleigh caught a glimpse of his ID number. ¡°You¡¯re 28?¡±

    ¡°Old?¡± Austin yed the game as he asked in return. Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    She said nothing more but registered her name and entered her ID number.

    Those in the room cast curious nces at Raeleigh. They hadn¡¯t left the room since the day before, so they were surprised to see a woman.

    Raeleigh focused on the game. Austin watched her before he leveled up in no time. Raeleigh tried to learn the ropes while ying the game. In actuality, all games were somewhat identical. Raeleigh was d Scarlette had exposed her to it.

    Right then, Raeleigh hoped to meet her in the game so that she could contact her.

    It was a pity that Scarlette was, right then, worried sick, in no mood to y any video games.

    Right then, Raeleigh and the others were ying the hottest game intown. The prisoners yed that game to unlock new levels in exchange for some money.

    Raeleigh did not want to know why there was such an amusing task in prison, but since it was a prison, everything was possible.

    Raeleigh broke through the hundredth level in no time and had soon familiarised the game.

    Before Raeleigh knew it,someone stood behind her and wasnot therewith kind intentions.

 Chapter 1562 Desperate Measures

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t need to turn around to know it was the man who disliked her the most, Lechen.

    Raeleigh kept ying until it was time for lunch. They were given a break then. Most of the prisoners went to the bathroom before having their meals, while Raeleigh did the opposite.

    The bathroom was considered clean, but it was crowded.

    Raeleigh insisted Austin apany her.

    As Austin had always been one to be indifferent and never cared a fig, he became the center of attention whena woman appeared by his side all of a sudden.

    After lunch, Raeleigh and Austin continued the games. It wasn¡¯t until the night came that Raeleigh left with Austin.

    Raeleigh already felt brain fried when she left the room, and she could barely hold her cutleries when it was time for dinner.

    But she cleaned her te regardless.

    She wasn¡¯t going to yield to the environment.

    After dinner, Raeleigh followed Austin back. Entering the cell, Austin told her to take a shower, and she did. Shedidn¡¯t know whether she should feel lucky that there was a shower in Austin¡¯s cell.

    After taking a shower, Austin threw a new set of clothes atRaeleigh.Noticing he had done a quick change and left the worn clothes on the ground after she emerged from the bathroom, Raeleigh picked it up and washed both of their clothes.

    After she was done, Raeleigh came out with a basin of warm water in hand, staring at Austin. She didn¡¯t forget their deal.

    Compared to kissing Austin, washing his feet was nothing.

    Raeleigh put the basin of water in front of Austin¡¯s feet.Looking at Raeleigh, Austin blurted out, ¡°It¡¯s not toote for you to change your mind.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t regret it. If I want to survive this hell-hole and save myself, I have to pay the price. It puts my mind at ease.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever washed others¡¯ feet?¡± Austin asked.¡°My grandmother¡¯s,¡± She replied.

    Austin fell silent. Raeleigh stirred the water, then put his feet in the bath one after the other.

    As Raeleigh washed Austin¡¯s feet, she did not forget to ask, ¡°When can I make the call?¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°It will never happen.¡±

    Raeleigh was not discouraged.Although she received an unsatisfactory reply, she continued to wash Austin¡¯s feet. After that, she wiped them dry, poured the water, and hung the towel. When she returned,Austin was lying on the opposite bed. She asked,¡°Are we sleeping together again?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡± Austin asked, and Raeleigh reminded, ¡°I¡¯m a married woman.¡±

    ¡°Well, your husband¡¯s ipetent then. He didn¡¯t even know his wife was lost and couldn¡¯t even find her after searching for so long. Even if he manages to find you a yearter, you might even already have a child. Ten yearster, you might even have forgotten him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for me to worry about in the future. He¡¯s looking for me, but the world is big. He would never have thought his wife would be taken to prison and be resorted to very.¡±

    Raeleigh slumped onto the opposite bed and tucked herself in as she said. After gaming for the whole day, she was worn out.

    Raeleigh had noticed there was only one nket. If they didn¡¯t cuddle up, there would be a person without a nket.

    Although it wasn¡¯t cold in the cell,it wasn¡¯t warm either. The bed was made of wood and on top of it was a thinyer of the mattress. It was chilly even with a nket, let alone without.

    Raeleigh made space for Austin.For the first night, he looked over at her but did not go to her side. Raeleigh woke up in the middle of the night, moved to his bed with the nket, and slept with him.

    Austin stretched his arms out to hug her from behind, leading her to shoot her eyes open, but then slowly closed them back and continuedto sleep.

    It was the same routine the next day.

    Raeleigh¡¯s life in prison had been so since then. Women asionally visited the prison;they weren¡¯t thrown in like she was but the prisoner¡¯s family instead.

    If they were husband and wife, the prison would arrange a private room for them if they paid up. They would sleep and eat there, and the meals that day would be excellent as well.

    They were provided full course meals, and they could request any dishes they wanted.

    Raeleigh only learned about it when she saw the other inmates.

    She had also overheard some prisoners saying if one could please and tter Lechen,even the dead can revive.

    Raeleigh had, however, never thought of doing so as she knew very well how ridiculous it was to get blood out of a stone.

    Raeleigh and Austin didn¡¯t have to game on the weekends; they could take a stroll outside their cell.Raeleigh would stick by Austin¡¯s side, even when he went to the toilet.

    Some had their eyes on Raeleigh. Who wouldn¡¯t fall for such an elegant and noble woman?

    Raeleigh carried a natural elegance with her. Both her eyes and her mouth could easily lead one to fantasize.

    She had no supporting undergarments, so she would always wear lots ofyers. In a ce like a prison, Raeleigh faced many inconveniences, especially when she was in a male prison.

    Her only thought was to escape the hell-hole.

    As they walked to the center of the square, Raeleigh saw some people approaching them with malicious intent.

    And she immediately hid behind Austin, and the gang soon arrived before Austin.

    ¡°Austin.¡±

    The man walked over and wore a smile. He was good-looking, but shrewdness pervaded his gaze. Raeleigh didn¡¯t have a good impression of him at all.

    ¡°Skip the formalities, spit it all out.¡± Austin stuck his arms in his pockets, his gaze on the manzy.

    With a chuckle, he took a nce at Raeleigh. ¡°It¡¯s been almost half a month.Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time we have our turn, Austin?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the man, then up at Lechen, who was leaning, watching the fun from the upper floor. Raeleigh surmised he must¡¯ve had something to do with him.

    With a smirk, Austin jeered, ¡°Sure.Go ahead if you have the ability. Right here.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and looked up at Austin, who stepped aside. The man was pleasantly delighted.¡°You said so.¡±

    Austin walked away. Seeing so, Raeleigh quickly ran to him, and he never turned his head back once. Seeing Raeleigh about to flee, the man tried to grab her hair but failed to do so. Stumped, Raeleigh realized whyAustin had wanted her to cut her hair short.

    With the failed attempt, Raeleigh quickened her pace at the sight of someone digging in the distance, withAustin heading in that direction as well.

    As the man knew how Octus died,he had his men stop Raeleigh.Hearing that,Austin turned around and looked at him as his men swarmed over to block their way.

    Raeleigh used the opportunity to snatch an iron shovel, then turned around and looked at the man who had caught up, dragging the shovel toward him while gritting her teeth.

    In fact, Raeleigh did not have the guts to harm the man, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

 Chapter 1563 Her Day Has Come

    Just like when she was forced to confess her feelings to Jepherson, she wouldn¡¯t do it if she wasn¡¯t driven into a corner.

    Though Raeleigh held a weapon in hand,he did not take her seriously despite having his guard up; he still walked toward her.On her first hit, the mantried to grab the shovel, but Raeleigh¡¯s swing was faster than he had expected, staggering backwardfrom the blow. Austin nced at hisckeys, and one of thembellowed, ¡°You have the guts to bully her.¡±

    With that,they rushed forward. The crowd outside was controlled, but those in the middle charged forward like a swarm of bees, leaving Raeleighbewildered. Whenthe crowd dispersed, she saw the man lying dead on the ground with a thin gash on his neck.

    He died just like that, with his eyes wide open.

    Raeleigh gasped for breath and turned to look at Austin, whochuckled and gave her a thumbs-up. Raeleigh did not know how she should respond, but she could feel that her smile at that moment would be uglier than her cry.

    Austin lifted his gaze to the upper floor, leading her to follow his line of sight, only to see Lechen turning around to leave.

    Raeleigh flung the shovel in hand aside and walked toward Austin. Austin pinched her cheeks and praised, ¡°You¡¯re smart.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at the shovel on the ground, then back at Austin and mumbled, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±Austin asked.

    After a struggle, Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯ll wash your feet.¡±

    Those around her burst intoughter, leading Raeleigh to look at them, bewildered.

    Austin grabbedRaeleigh¡¯s hand and walked.Looking down at her held hand, she wanted to withdraw itbut dismissed the thought as she knew it would protect her from harm.

    Austin settled down on a chair. Someone had disposed of the body and cleaned up the scene in no time.

    Raeleigh said with her lips pursed, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me, two less would die, right?¡±

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, they would die anyway. Why should we stop him when he wanted to dig his own grave?¡± While speaking, Austin held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and kissed the back of it.

    Several pairs of eyes were fixed on them.Flustered, Raeleigh withdrew her hand and hid it behind her.

    Austin basked in the sun and the cold wind.Finding herself chilly, Raeleighstood up and paced around, but she would never leave Austin far.

    ¡°Austin, your girl sure is getting more beautiful by the day,¡± said Austin¡¯sckey. Austin looked up at the sky and asked faintly, ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s yours then.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, Austin, she¡¯s your girl. I prefer to have my head attached to my body.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s only one woman in this s*hit-hole. No matter how you look at her, she¡¯s beautiful. If you want a girl, talk to Lechen and have him give you one.¡±

    ¡°No thanks, man. They¡¯re a bunch of nasty b*tches.¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­¡±

    Austin chuckled; Raeleigh wasn¡¯t bothered by their joke.Looking at those working away in the yard, she asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t we have to do that kind of work?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Austin¡¯sckey immediately chimed in, ¡°Those who can¡¯t y games are those who need to do all the hard work; they can¡¯tpare with us.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the person who had spoken and inquired, ¡°Are you gonna stay here for the rest of your life?¡±

    ¡°More or less. We¡¯re all death criminals; we¡¯re only alive because we can afford to pay. Even if we¡¯re released, we have no chance for a turnover.¡±

    ¡°But what are you going to do when you¡¯re old? What if you¡¯re no longer capable of ying games.¡±

    The man fell silent.

    Austin opened his eyes and looked at Raeleigh, asking,¡°Why worry about the future?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Austin stood up and returned to his cell,Raeleigh following right behind.

    Over the next few days, Raeleigh lived afortable and peaceful life in the prison, except thatshe had to y games every day to the point that her hands were red and swollen.

    In the past, Raeleigh had always thought it was tiring to have to rack her brain, but right then, she thought using her hands was more tiring.

    Raeleigh was worn out at night, so she soaked her hands with hot water to rx her muscles and ease the sore.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone care that much for their hands,¡± Austin said, looking at Raeleigh¡¯s swollen fingers. Raeleigh dried her hands with a cloth, her delicate hands right then red and swollen. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. I need them to make a living.¡±

    ¡°I can tell.¡± Austin walked out. They sat in the empty room, doing nothing. In the end, Raeleigh decided to crack up a conversation. ¡°When did youe in?¡±

    ¡°Three years ago.¡±

    ¡°What crime did youmit?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Murder?¡± Raeleigh subconsciously thought so. Austinid on the bed and responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know what crime I¡¯m charged with.¡±

    Raeleigh was in disbelief.¡°And you came in resignedly?¡±

    ¡°What else can I do?¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. It seemed to be the case.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t probe further. It was gettingte, so the two rested. Raeleigh slept on the inner side of the bed while Austiny outside on his back.

    As Austin wouldn¡¯t cuddle Raeleigh those days, she was able to sleep soundly.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t think of anything else right then. After all, Austin was the only one who could help her. For her to get out of there alive, she had to sleep beside him. She started to worry about how she would have to face Jepherson once she managed to escape.

    ¡°How old is your husband?¡± Austin asked, and Raeleigh gave it some thought before saying, ¡°Twenty-three.¡±

    ¡°For real?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Is it legally allowed to marry this early?¡± Raeleigh frowned. ¡°It¡¯s legal for him to marry after his twenty-third birthday,and I¡¯ve also passed my neenth birthday.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°How long have you been married?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a while before she replied,¡°I got married around this new year¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Ha¡­¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him.¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±

    ¡°He lost his wife just after getting married?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not his fault.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s yours then?¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing in response, but she found it ridiculous herself.She had a feeling Jepherson would never figure she¡¯d be in this ce.

    If she couldn¡¯t find a way out and Yanora kept her lips sealed,she¡¯d be stuck here forever.

    Raeleigh turned around to face the wall, feeling a chill run down her spine. Austin turned over and hugged Raeleigh. ¡°If you can¡¯t leave, what are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not an option.¡± Raeleigh closed her eyes, took Austin¡¯s hand on her waist, and put it on the pillow to feel at ease.

    Austin found it amusing and withdrew his hand to lie on his back, closing his eyes. Raeleigh secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With him next to her, how could she fall asleep soundly?

    But even if she couldn¡¯t, she was slumberous.

    The next day,Lechen took Austin away.With a terrible gut feeling, she held onto Austin, not letting him go,¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±

    Austin turned to Raeleigh and sighed, saying, ¡°I can¡¯t break the rules.¡±

    ¡°What about me then?¡±

    Austin looked around and said, ¡°Don¡¯t let anything happen to her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Austin. She¡¯s in safe hands.¡±

    Austin pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hands away and followed Lechen. Raeleigh returned to the cell and stayed put.

    But someonecalled for her almost immediately after.

    ¡°4468,e out.¡±

    4468 was Raeleigh¡¯s number; she hesitated for a long time before she walked out. Everyone looked at her.¡°Go on; your day hase.¡±

 Chapter 1564 Forced to Kill

    ¡°Officer, where are you taking her? She¡¯s not feeling well these days.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business; now scram.¡± The man then pushed Raeleigh. Raeleigh fell to the ground on purpose and grabbed her feet, eximing,¡°I sprained my ankle.¡±

    Raeleigh fell with a heavy thud. To make it seem genuine, she mmed herself against the floor and actually hurt herself, her face pale.

    The officer stared at her and said, ¡°Get up. Stop pretending; you¡¯re going to meet your maker today.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t like that tone of yours, officer. Even if you don¡¯t respect her, you have to respect Austin.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, Austin? There¡¯s no Austin here, only Lechen.¡± The man took Raeleigh¡¯s arm and wanted to drag her away.Seeing things were going south, the others charged at the officers. As the fight got brutal, the officers retreated with a series of curses.

    When they left, Austin¡¯s men helped Raeleigh up. ¡°Let¡¯s bring you back to your room.¡±

    She limped back to her cell. Once she entered the door, Raeleigh asked, ¡°When will Austin be back?¡±

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take too long. They can¡¯t keep Austin for too long. Don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t let them take you away.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Although Raeleigh knew they didn¡¯t do it for her but Austin, she couldn¡¯t help thanking them.

    ¡°No worries. How¡¯s your foot?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t leave; stay with me. I¡¯m a little worried. Lechen won¡¯t let it slide when he hasn¡¯t gotten his revenge. If Austin doesn¡¯te back, I¡¯m afraid he will make another move.¡±

    As Raeleigh spoke, someone was mming the cell doors with a baton. In response,everyone exited.Those by Raeleigh¡¯s side spoke up, ¡°We have to go out. If not, this won¡¯t be the end of things.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. Let¡¯s not separate.¡±

    Raeleigh knew she might not be able to escape this time, but she wasn¡¯t going to resign to fate. If she held on for another second, she might be saved.

    Raeleigh stood up, pretended she had sprained her ankle, andfollowed them out, limping all the way.

    After exiting the door,Raeleigh joined in the line.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    When they were in formation, water started to spray from above them. The water jets this time were much stronger than thest one she experienced.

    Everyone squatted on the ground. Half an hourter, the water finally stopped. Raeleigh opened her eyes and swept her wary gaze around.

    Lechen brought his men over, and they held electric batons in their hands, fully armed with protective shields. The prisoners feared the electric batons in their hands. Raeleigh looked at the water on the ground and knew that they would electrocute to death if the batons came into contact withwater.

    ¡°Everyone, go back to your cells. You have five minutes, or we¡¯ll punish you as an escaped convict.¡± A man behind Lechen shouted. Raeleigh pursed her lips and watched thest two who had left.

    Raeleigh could only return to her cell, but she locked the door from the inside as soon as she entered.

    Five minutester,keys rang at the door, and it unlocked. Horrified, she didn¡¯t know what to do.

    Finally, the door opened.Looking at Lechen as he stepped into the room, Raeleigh retreated,sitting on the bed trembling like a sieve.

    Lechen closed the door behind him, threw the keys onto the ground, andunbuttoned his shirt ashe taunted. ¡°I¡¯ve never toyed with women; you¡¯re the first. Consider today your lucky day.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯te over. Austin will not let you off when hees back.¡±

    ¡°Austin is nothing but a criminal; he will do what I tell him to.He¡¯s nothing more than a dog to me. Do you actually think he can protect you? I¡¯d like to witness how skilled you are in bed to be able to control him.¡±

    Lechen approached Raeleigh step by step like a beastwhile she hugged her body out of fright,shouting for him to leave her alone, but Lechen threw his shirt and belt aside and unfastened his pants in no time.

    Raeleigh gave him a deathly re.¡°You will rot in hell.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m well aware if I¡¯ll be,butI will kill youbefore I die. You¡¯re the only one who darese against me.¡±

    Lechen walked to Raeleigh and grabbed her foot, trying to pull her over.Refusing to give in, Raeleigh shrank her foot with all her might. Lechen found it amusing, saying, ¡°Your skin is excellent; looks like Austin has been nourishing you well these days.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Don¡¯te any further.¡±

    How could Lechen listen to Raeleigh? He threw himself on her and started smooching her face, and Raeleigh immediately started kicking. Delighted, Lechenughed.¡°I like this. The more you refuse, the more I want you.¡±

    Lechen held Raeleigh¡¯s waist to remove her pants. Raeleigh gritted her teeth and shouted, ¡°Help¡­¡±

    ¡°No one¡­ Ah! Ah¡­¡±

    Lechen screamed. Raeleigh fumbled off the bed, chasing after him with a sharpened toothbrush clenched in between her fingers. Lechen covered his eyes and screamed in agony, blood pouring out of his left eye.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t dare put her guard down. She ran after Lechen and stabbed him in the throat.Waving his hands to shake her off, he staggered. Raeleigh looked at the toothbrush stained with blood and gritted her teeth, yelling,¡°Lechen, you forced me into doing this. You forced me!¡±

    Raeleigh caught up with him and kicked Lechen in the crotch. Lechen was already in pain and could no longer fight against her; not even a 5¡¯10 feet tall, 140 pounds strong man could stand her attacks. Lechen fell to the ground, holding his crotch and covering his face as his entire body started to spasm.Gritting her teeth,Raeleighwent to Lechen, turned him over, andid him on his stomach as shecouldn¡¯t kill him face to face. She couldn¡¯t even kill a fish, let alone a human being, but if he lived, she woulde to no good end.

    Raeleigh was never a coward, and she had never wanted to stir up trouble, but she was no pushover either.

    While gnashing her teeth, Raeleigh grabbed Lechen¡¯s hair with one hand, justlike how he had once grabbed her by her hair, andheld one end of her toothbrush tightly with the other. Her toothbrush had been sharpened into a shiv. Raeleigh had been doing that long ago,little by little. She kept it close after she had finished grinding it; it finally came in handy.

    Lechen came to a realization of what Raeleigh was about to do and gripped her hand with his bloody hands, pleading,¡°Don¡¯t¡­ kill me, I¡­ ugh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh stabbed the entire sharpened toothbrush into Lechen¡¯s ear, and he immediatelystopped moving.

    Staring at the dead man, Raeleighstood up and took two steps back but quickly pulled the toothbrush out again.

    Biting her teeth, Raeleigh took the toothbrush into the toilet, mashed it up bit by bit, then flushed it down.

 Chapter 1565 Send Her Away

    It was as if Raeleigh had been through a nightmare. She was extremely calm and unruffled after killing Lechen, telling herself repeatedly she had just killed a beast.

    After cleaning the scene up, Raeleigh dressed Lechen and washed the blood off him. All the correctional officers wore a hat; Lechen came over wearing one as well. Raeleigh capped the hat onto Lechen¡¯s head and opened the door to gaze outside. Several correctional officers were patrolling the hallway above; the prison cells below had all their doors shut.Sneaking out of the cell, Raeleigh pulled Lechen out, brought him to a chair, and sat him there beforewiping the floor with a wet towel. The blood on the ground soon disappeared, and the floor began drying up.

    Raeleigh looked at those watching her from above; none of them said anything. Perhaps they were oppressed and had had enough of Lechen.

    Raeleigh finished cleaning and nced at those looking at her from within the cell. Then she returned to her room and closed the door behind her, cleaning the ce and even washing the towel.

    Finally, Raeleigh double-checked to make sure there were no traces of what had happened. She wrapped Lechen¡¯s key with a townd left it on the table next to him.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at those around her watching her as if she were a lunatic.

    Then, she walked back with a steady pace, holding the towel in her hand.

    At some point, Lechen¡¯s body fell to the ground with a thud. The officers patrollingupstairs dashed down only to find Lechen dead while Raeleigh was resting in her cell.

    ¡­

    The whole tragedy had ended, and Raeleigh was asleep when Austin returned.

    The cell was spotless, and everything had been washed.

    Austin sat down, and Raeleigh got up from the bed. When she saw Austin sitting in front of her, she hugged him and cried, ¡°I killed someone!¡±

    Austin held Raeleigh in his arms. ¡°Haven¡¯t you nned to kill him long ago?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. That was right. He had been watching from the side every time she sharpened her toothbrush with tiles. He was the one who told her there was only one item that could kill and be turned into a weapon.

    Although he didn¡¯t say it explicitly, that was what he meant.

    Raeleigh had been on guard against Lechen for a long time.

    ¡°Everyone will keep their mouths shut, but the superiors will definitely investigate this matter. Don¡¯t leave this ce for now. I need to find out who willtake over the management before I can make sure you¡¯re safe.¡±

    It would b best if it¡¯s one of the officers here.¡±

    Raeleigh left his embrace, lifting her head to look at him, and asked, ¡°And if not?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll send you away. Make sure you can leave safely.¡±

    Austin pinched Raeleigh¡¯s cheek and said, ¡°It seems that we¡¯re going to separate soon, kiddo.¡±

    She didn¡¯t know why but she didn¡¯t like the idea,even reluctant to leave.

    ¡°Will you be fine if I leave?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but you have toleave. They can¡¯t do anything to me.¡± Austin stood up and went to the door to eavesdrop on the situation outside. He nced at her before saying, ¡°Don¡¯te out for now; I¡¯ll check on the situation.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    With that,Austin went out, andRaeleigh immediately hid in the bathroom.

    For the next few days, Austin would stay outside until nightfall and bring some food back forRaeleigh; she would only feel at ease at nighttime.

    A few dayster,Austin woke her up in the middle of the night. ¡°It¡¯s time to go, kiddo.¡±

    Bleary, Raeleigh opened her eyes andgot up, looking at him.¡°Austin.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you away now. You won¡¯t be able to leave tomorrow; the person appointed isn¡¯t one to be messed with.¡±

    Raeleigh gave it some thought before promising,¡°Austin, I¡¯lle back and save you and your men.¡±

    Austinughed.¡°You can¡¯t save me on your own. Are yougoing to ask your husband?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°I have family. You can rest assured that I wille back. As long as I can escape, I wille back for you.¡±

    ¡°Silly girl, don¡¯te back if you manage to escape. I¡¯m fine here; I have nothing to do even if I can leave this ce. Take this with you.¡± Austin gave Raeleigh cash, a knife, and a mini electric baton.

    Raeleigh lowered her head to look at them.¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°Escape and find a ce to call your family. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll find you. I can only protect you when you¡¯re here; now that you¡¯re leaving, you¡¯re on your own. The guys that sent you here are finding ways to kill you, meaning they know how you¡¯re doing here.¡±

    ¡°Beware.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded and put the stuff away. Austin could only get her a set of male correctional officer outfits; even the smallest size seemed loose on Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh put it on and exited the room, keeping an eye on the person guarding the door.

    Austin turned around and walked toward the door, bringing Raeleigh to the exit.

    After they were outside, Raeleigh found a phone in her pocket. She wanted to make a call on the spot, but Austin stopped her from doing so, ¡°Don¡¯t call until you¡¯re half a mile away from this ce. The knife and the electric baton are the only things that can save your life within the radius. Watch your back. Don¡¯t leave this ce just to be caught and to be sent to another ce.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped to look at Austin. ¡°Why do you treat me so well?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not;I just feel sorry for you. Go back and get a divorce; your husband doesn¡¯t deserve you.¡±

    Austin cupped Raeleigh¡¯s cheek, held the back of her head with the other, and kissed her on the lips. Raeleigh was rendered dumbfounded, but Austin had already backed away.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Turning around, Austin walked forward, Raeleigh following close behind.

    When they arrived at the door, the heavy iron door opened, and Raeleigh stood behind it but did not get out at once. She looked at Austin and promised once more, ¡°Austin, I wille back; you must wait for me. If I can¡¯t find you here, I will search every prison. It¡¯s a promise.¡±

    Amused, Austin said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re addicted to washing my feet, kiddo?¡±

    The rim of Raeleigh¡¯s eyes turned red. She took a look outside and replied, ¡°I have to go, Austin. Wait for me.¡±

    Austin pushed Raeleigh out the door.¡°This is a sh*t-hole. I¡¯m not as kind as you think. Don¡¯te back after you leave.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Austin. ¡°I wille back. Wait for me. When you¡¯re out, ask for me at the Richards Group. I¡¯m Jepherson Richards¡¯s wife. If I¡¯m not there, find me at Waverly Vige. My brother¡¯s Xanthus. Ask for him. He¡¯s a doctor.

    ¡°If you really can¡¯t find me, put out search notices. You will definitely be able to find me.¡±

    Raeleigh said a lot. Austin stood on the spot before urging, ¡°Go.¡±

    He then closed the iron door.Standing outside, Raeleigh banged on the iron door, yelling,¡°Austin, no matter what, don¡¯t forget.¡±

    Austin waited until the noise died beforehe turned around. Outside,Raeleigh had already run toward a bright light in the dark night.

    She did not look back. Following Austin¡¯s instructions, she only made the call half a mile away from the prison.

    Raeleigh walked for more than half an hour before she pulled the phone out and dialed a number. She had been thinking about who she should call.

    In the end, she made the call.

 Chapter 1566 Crushing Strength

    Raeleigh had been waiting. All she had said was one sentence. She was not sure when they woulde and save her. She did not move for fear that idents would happen to her.

    Zorion was also surprised that Raeleigh had chosen to call him.

    It was not long before Zorion¡¯s car arrived at Raeleigh¡¯s location. Raeleigh confirmed it was the car of the Whalen family before she got up and emerged from her hiding spot.

    The weather in spring was neither cold nor hot. Raeleigh had been waiting for more than an hour until Zorion finally showed up. She was so nervous and anxious that her sweat had drenched through her clothes while walking. Her sweat had already dried up after waiting for more than an hour. She immediately walked up to Zorion, who recognized her at once from his car. Although she was wearing a police uniform, Zorion was certain that the figure in front of him was Raeleigh.

    Meanwhile, Rossie was sitting in the car. At first, she was uncertain if it was actually Raeleigh, but when she noticed Zorion¡¯s expression,realisation immediately dawned upon her.Zorion pushed the door open and got out of the car.Raeleigh looked up at him and said, ¡°I want to get in the car.¡±

    With that, Zorion helped Raeleigh into the car. Closing the door, Zorion was about to ask the driver to leave when Raeleigh grabbed his arm and looked at him, begging, ¡°I have a request to ask of you.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Both Rossie and Zorion were so relieved to see her. After a month¡¯s disappearance without the slightest trace of her whereabouts, the fact that she had returned out of nowhere was a miracle.

    Such a miracle would probably never happen again. Zorion knew that Raeleigh was desperate for his help and was betting everything she had on the line.

    Too much had happened that month. Anything could happen, including¡­Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I have to save one person from the prison in front of me. I don¡¯t want to worry about it in the future, so I have to do it now. Help me, please.I have no other choice.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were shimmering with desperation. She had no choice but to do so as she couldn¡¯t have Austin take the responsibility on her behalf. If nothing was going to happen, Austin would not send her out all of a sudden. Raeleigh was quite clear that things were probably so terrible that they were spiraling out of her control.

    Zorion nced in the direction Raeleigh was pointing at, asking in disbelief, ¡°You said you came out of the Green House?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is. I just know that I have to save someone.¡±

    Zorion was in a dilemma,¡°In Capital City, I can help you with anything, except for affairs regarding this ce. Green House is not under our control and is under the jurisdiction of an international institution. Although it¡¯s a prison, the prisoners are all people in deep waters. I don¡¯t have the ability to do so.¡±

    Zorion had heard his father, Rayan, talking about it.Green House was different from other prisons. The prisoners were all from powerful backgrounds, and he couldn¡¯t afford to offend them.

    The fact that Raeleigh still managed to escapesurprised Zorion.

    However, he failed toe up with a solution and just kept staring at Raeleigh¡¯s clothes.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Can you ask someone to keep an eye on the surroundings in case anybody is being brought out from the inside? Can you ask someone to check on him?¡±

    Zorion shook his head and sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll have to ask my father.¡±

    ¡°But if you leave now¡­¡± Raeleigh was at a loss. She looked in the direction of Green House andcouldn¡¯t stop worrying about Austin. If anything happened to Austin, she would be condemned by her conscience for the rest of her life.

    Zorion racked his brain for a solution and blurted out, ¡°Maybe someone has a way.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    Raeleigh asked and looked at Zorion as if he was her only string of hope. A momentter, Zorion muttered, ¡°As far as I know, the Matthews family has a powerful influence internationally. If it¡¯s the Matthews family, you should probably have no problem helping him.¡±

    ¡°The Matthews family? Who¡¯s that?¡± Raeleigh asked, not knowing anyone from the Matthews family.

    Zorion replied, ¡°Have you met Lenold before?His father and Mr. Richards are sworn buddies who have gone through thick and thin. Moreover, he¡­¡±

    ¡°I know him,¡± Raeleigh was suddenly reminded that she had met such a person before.

    However, she did not really have asting impression on him, so she had forgotten all about him.

    ¡°Then please bring me to Jepherson.Now.¡±

    She had recalled that Jepherson and Lenold were pretty good friends as well. If she could find a way to contact them, they could probably help her resolve her predicament.

    Zorion dialled Jepherson¡¯s number, whereasRaeleigh called Xanthus on the way to Waverly Vige. When Xanthus received the call, he left the house and waited for her arrival at the entrance to the vige.

    Lamar and Jazelle had also suffered a lot in the past month. At that moment, they waited for Raeleigh alongside their son.

    On the other hand, Jepherson dashed out of the hotel and rushed to Waverly Vige. Santiago hadn¡¯t returned home for some time, so he couldn¡¯t get in touch with him.

    The driver knew that Jepherson was anxious, so he sped and drove like a maniac all the way there.

    When Hansen and Jenna received the news, they rushed in the direction of Waverly Vige as well. During that period of time, they had to return to the Richards Manor. As they were on their way to Waverly Vige, Jenna¡¯s heart hung mid-air in nervousness. She didn¡¯t know what Raeleigh had gone through in the past month.

    Jepherson had been clenching his fists tightly along the way. Raeleigh had finally returned, but he wasn¡¯t the first person she contacted. What did that mean?

    Soon, Zorion arrived at the gate of Waverly Vige. Raleiehg got out of the car, only to see her parents standing at the entrance of Waverly Vige. She dashed towards her parents and buried herself in Jazelle¡¯s arms. Jazelle couldn¡¯t help but start crying, making Lamar and his son exchange nces of concern.

    Zorion stepped out of the car with Rossie. Rossie had the urge to cry upon seeing the scene in front of her. They had never thought that Raeleigh would return. She had been missing for a month. They thought she had died but¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home,¡± Lamar suggested. Raeleigh shookher head and replied, ¡°I can¡¯t. I have something to deal with. Dad, bring Mom back. I will return home after I¡¯ve handled everything. I¡¯ll wait here for Jepherson. I have a favour to ask of him.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s gaze was different from before. As her father, Lamar deeply understood that his daughter had changed after the ident. It was reasonable.

    Gratified, Lamarpromised, ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re back and that you¡¯re still able to act rationally. Go ahead. I¡¯ll return home and wait for you.Leave your mother to me. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Dad,¡± Raeleigh was d that she had such an understanding father.

    Although Jazelle was unwilling to part with her daughter, she respected Raeleigh¡¯s decision and decided to talk about it after Raeleigh had returned home.

    Simrly, Xanthus wanted to stay behindbut Raeleigh said, ¡°Xanthus, you should return home as well.¡±

    Xanthus stared at Raeleigh before turning around to leave.

    From then on, Raeleigh had nothing to do but to wait for Jepherson¡¯s arrival.

    Some things took time.

    Finally, Jepherson arrived.

    His car came to a halt in front of her. The door was pushed open as Jepherson stepped out of the car.The moment Raeleigh saw him, she almost burst into tears, but she suppressed the urge to cry. She knew it was not the time to sob.

    She watched as Jepherson approached her swiftly. She had never seen him so anxious before as he charged towards her inrge strides.

    Coming up to her, Jepherson pulled her into her embrace and wrapped his arms around herforcefullyas if hewanted to fuse her into him. It was as if he had used all his crushing strength to pull her into an embrace and didn¡¯t want to let go.

 Chapter 1567 Donâ€™t Cry. The Sky Hasnâ€™t Collapsed Yet

    The gloomy sky outside had darkened the atmosphere and lighting inside the car. Raeleigh had her head lowered as she starednklyat the entrance of Waverly Vige.

    Jepherson had carried her into the car. All the while, her heart was filled withplex emotions. It was as though after such a long time, Jepherson¡¯s embrace had grown distant and strange. She no longer knew his touch.

    Raeleigh could not understand why there were so many trials and tribtions of love between them.

    ¡°Why won¡¯t you speak?¡± Jepherson reached out to grasp Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Raeleigh didn¡¯t struggle, but she slowly withdrew it.

    Jepherson¡¯s attempt had failed. He looked at Raeleigh with a trace of sorrow in his eyes. Instead of reaching out once more, he curled his fingers into a tight fist.

    Raeleigh was somewhat nervous. The unprecedented tension lingered in her heart and could not be gotten rid of.

    Raeleigh spoke after a long time, ¡°You know Lenold, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Jepherson paused for a moment. His thoughts started swirling in his mind.

    ¡°Why are you mentioning him all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°I heard that Lenold¡¯s family has connections to the international police,¡± Raeleigh made no effort to exin.All she wanted was to save Austin as soon as possible.

    She had a gut feeling that something horrible was going to happen.

    Jepherson gave it some thought before he answered,¡°I know him, and yes, he has connections with the international police.¡±

    After a moment¡¯s struggle, Raeleigh mustered the courage to say, ¡°Help me save someone.Please help me ask Lenold if he can save someone from Green House. If he can, I will do whatever it takes to repay his kindness.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze gradually turned coldashis heart sank.

    Green House harboured various criminals withplex political backgrounds. The crimes they hadmitted were so serious that it wasn¡¯t a ce to lock them up but for them to await their death.

    The prisoners, however, consisted of all menandnot a single female. How did Raeleigh manage to get in and get in touch with someone from the inside?

    Unconsciously tightening the clenching of his fists,Jepherson stared at Raeleigh, whopursed her lips and didn¡¯t say a word.

    After some time had passed, Jepherson asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°A prisoner. His name is Austin Quirk.¡±

    ¡°Austin Quirk?¡±

    Jepherson did not know that man, butjudging from the name, Jepherson knew that the man was not an ordinary person. Looking at Raeleigh¡¯s determined expression and attitude, Jepherson¡¯s heart sank further.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give him a call now,¡± Jepherson took out his mobile phone. The other party quickly answered the phone at once.

    The moment Lenold¡¯s voice was heard,Jepherson went straight to the point and asked,¡°Do you know a prisoner in Green House by the name Austin Quirk?¡±

    There was a short silence on the other side of the phone before Lenoldasked in return, ¡°How do you know him?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know how, but I want to save him. Is that possible?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask me why. I don¡¯t know either. Saving him is equivalent to turning the ashes in an urn into a corpse then resurrecting it.¡±

    Lenold stood firm. Jepherson nced at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°I want to meet him.¡±

    ¡°Are you joking? Do you think I own the ce?¡± Lenoldughed. Jepherson fell silent before suggesting,¡°If you won¡¯t help me, I¡¯ll break into prison myself.¡±

    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    ¡°Kind of.¡±

    Lenold was at a loss for words.

    ¡­

    A hush silence fell over the car. Some timeter, Lenold was finally heard sighing, ¡°Oh well, I guess I¡¯ll just go over since I do have some stuff to do there. But I¡¯m not going to help you. I¡¯m just going over to deal with my business. Let¡¯s talk about it when we meet. I¡¯ll be on my way now.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Jepherson looked at Raeleigh. She had overheard the entire conversation.

    Raeleigh watched as he hung up the phone and muttered, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Why are you being so polite?¡± Jepherson¡¯s gaze was scorching. Raeleigh avoided eye contact as she didn¡¯t know how she could face him and exin what had happened in prison.

    While Raeleigh sat straight, Jepherson reached over for her hand. This time, he held her hands gently as if he was afraid of crushing them.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t retrieve her hand at first, so Jephersonslowlyced it on his palm in an attempt to interlock fingers with her. The moment his fingers came into contact with Raeleigh¡¯s palm, he froze. Then, he held up her hand and tried to take a closer look.

    The light in the car flickered. Hoping for a closer look, Jephersonturned on anothermp andrealised that the woman in front of him was no longer the Raeleigh in his dreams.

    Her hair had been cut short. Although it was not ugly, he preferred her long hair.

    Raeleigh struggled but Jepherson pulled her closer to examine her fingers. Her fingers were covered with invisible scars, as though someone had dipped the tips of her fingers into boiling water. As the scars were tiny, they were unnoticeable at first nce. However, if one took a closer and careful look, one could see the circles of dead skin around them.

    Raeleigh¡¯s fingers were somewhat red and swollen. Jepherson kept looking at her scars before looking up at Raeleigh, asking, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I had to work to eat. Just like everyone else,¡± Raeleigh wanted to withdraw her hand, butJepherson held it tightly and looked at her with an unwavering gaze. He asked her in a soft andforting voice,¡°What sort of work was it?¡±

    ¡°ying online games.¡±

    Jepherson paused and then asked, ¡°Will your fingers end up this way from ying an online game?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips, ¡°We would usually y after breakfast all the way to dinner.¡±

    Jepherson trembled and shifted aside. The minute he let go, Raeleigh immediately withdrew her hand. She didn¡¯t me him for not locating her at once. Though, some things had already changed silently between them.

    It was just like the merciless flow of time. Even if one didn¡¯t n to do anything with it, time would still tick away normally.

    Raeleigh looked out of the carand muttered¡°I want to visit my parents.¡±

    When she opened the door and got out of the car, Jepherson was still frozen in the car. He didn¡¯t know where it was that hurt, but he just couldn¡¯t move a muscle.

    He did not know what Raeleigh had experienced. He did not even have the courage to ask.

    Green House, saving someone, ying online games all day, cutting her hair short¡­What could all these possibly mean?

    Jepherson didn¡¯t dare ponder on it.

    Raeleigh got out of the car and turned to look at Jepherson, saying, ¡°Thank you for helping me. I hope your friend can arrive earlier. The sooner the better. I can¡¯t wait anymore.¡±

    Then, she bowed to thank him.All the while, Zorion and Rossie were sitting in the carstaring at Raeleigh. They didn¡¯t know what had happened, but Raeleigh was acting strangely.

    Watching as Raeleigh turned and walked away slowly, disappearing into the endless night, Zorion got out of the car and cast a nce at Jepherson¡¯s car.

    Jenna and Hansen did not leave either. At that moment, they were also staring at Jepherson. Jenna wanted to burst into tears, only to have Hansen pull her into aforting embrace. He patted his beloved wife on the shoulder and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. The sky hasn¡¯t copsed yet!¡±

 Chapter 1568 Stay Together

    Zorion walked to the front of the car. Standing outside the car door, he looked at Jepherson who was sitting in a daze. Then, Zorion asked, ¡°Would you like toe down and take a walk?¡±

    Jepherson lifted his gaze to look at Zorion and muttered,¡°Where did you find Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°One kilometer away from Green House.¡±

    Jepherson was deep in thought,¡°Does that mean Raeleigh was sent to prison?¡±

    Jepherson clenched his fists tightly as he spoke, his knuckles cracking with each word he spoke. Zorion nced at Jepherson¡¯s arm building with veins and reminded Jepherson,¡°Things might not be as you think. We have yet made a thorough investigation.¡±

    ¡°Yanora¡¯s death was too quick. This matter isn¡¯t that simple. We¡¯ve been looking for Raeleigh for a month, so the Moore family must know about it.¡±

    ¡°Since they¡¯ve decided to go all out, don¡¯tme me for being ruthless.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and looked out the windowbefore saying,¡°I want to meet the one in charge of Green House.¡±

    Zorion stood still for a while before saying, ¡°We don¡¯t know anyone in there.¡±

    ¡°Then how did Raeleigh get in?¡± Jepherson scoffed as he turned to look at Zorion with a slight grin on his face. Zorion couldn¡¯t help but feel worried when he saw the grin on Jepherson¡¯s face.This was a tactic often used by Jepherson to conceal his pain.

    They say that a person at wits¡¯ end was the most dangerous. At that very moment, Jepherson looked desperate, which could signify his intent to do anything he wanted, even if it was taking someone else¡¯s life.

    ¡°Find a way to find out who the current warden is. I want to meet him.¡±

    Zorion stood outside and said nothing in response.It was obvious thatJepherson had already shut off all other advice from others.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Zorion closed the door for Jepherson and turned to walk towards his car.

    All the while, Hansen didn¡¯t get out of the car. Instead, he made a phone call to Zorion, whopicked up the phone and exined the situation. Jenna was instantly at a loss.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see. He won¡¯t listen to us right now, so we can onlyreturn home.¡±

    Ste was still at home waiting to be dealt with. Right then, Hansen¡¯s top priority was to get rid of the past grudges from the previous generationso as not to cause trouble for his sons.

    After the couple had left, Zorion left the ce as well.

    Waiting at the entrance of the vige, Jacky got out of the car to look for Jepherson once he had arrived. Jepherson, however,did not wait for him to get to the front of the car andpushed the door open to exit the car instead, informing Jacky,¡°I won¡¯t return today. Thank you for your help.¡±

    Jacky was stunned.He stared at Jepherson, who seemed to have returned to normal. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

    Jepherson checked the timeand ordered,¡°Try contacting Santiago and tell him toe home as soon as possible.¡±

    With that,he turned around and headed towards Raeleigh¡¯s ce.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh froze upon returning home to findthat the house was empty with only piles of bare bricks and tilesying in front of her. She looked around and noticed Xanthus emerging from somewhere hidden.

    Xanthus walked over the moment he saw Raeleigh.He noticed how she was still in men¡¯s clothing and knew that something terrible must have happened, sohe pulled Raeleigh into his arms.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back.¡±

    Raeleigh embraced Xanthus back and murmured,¡°Sorry to have made you worry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal for me to worry, but it¡¯s all because I didn¡¯t take good care of you,¡± Xanthus had been ming himself for what had happened to Raeleigh. If it wasn¡¯t because of his determination to seek out Raeleigh, he would¡¯ve still be bedridden with no life left in him to stand up.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± Raeleigh led Xanthus go and the siblings walked side by side for some time. Raeleigh was of a few words as Austin was all she could think of. Xanthus asked, ¡°Where have you been these days?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus after a long time and sighed, ¡°Give me some time before I¡¯m ready to tell you.¡±

    Xanthus nodded. He shouldn¡¯t have asked.

    Raeleigh entered the house. They had moved to a neighbouring house, which was ordinary but clean.

    When she stepped into the living room through the door, Jazelle jolted up from the sofa and hurried towards Raeleigh.

    She then hugged Raeleigh tightly.

    ¡°My baby¡­¡±

    Lamar turned to look at his daughter. His gaze was smeared withplex emotions.

    It was rare and precious to regain what had been lost, but losing itonce againwas a heart-wrenching pain no one could understand.

    Yet, he had to experience it twice, so it was conceivable that he was in low spirits.

    Raeleigh felt sorrowful, but she did not cry out loud. She heldJazellefor a long time before she let go and wiped Jazelle¡¯s tears away.

    ¡°I¡¯m back. Mom, don¡¯t cry,¡± Raeleigh smiled. Jazelle raised her hand and stroked Raeleigh¡¯s short hair in between sobs,¡°Baby¡­¡±

    ¡°My hair was always a nuisance. Now that I cut it off, I feel much more liberated,¡± Raeleigh grinned. Jazelle was briefly stunned before hugging Raeleigh tighter and bursting into louder sobs.

    It took a long time for Raeleigh to stop Jazelle from crying. After that, Raeleigh sat down on the sofa with her family and requested a meal.Jazelle got up to cook while Lamar went to help her in the kitchen.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the kitchen and felt sorry for her family.

    In an effort to reassure Xanthus who was sitting opposite from her, she decided to say, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I suffered a little and did some hard work.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I still have some unfinished business to deal with. When everything is settled, I will return home and stay with Mom and Dad.¡±

    ¡°You still need to continue your studies,¡± Xanthus didn¡¯t want Raeleigh to give up on pursuing her education. However, Raeleigh shook her head,¡°I can study anywhere. I just don¡¯t want to stay here anymore.¡±

    ¡°In addition, I will tell Jepherson that I will sign a contract with him andregrlysend him designs from abroad. In this way, we can still proceed with the agreement.¡±

    ¡°Since you have already made up your mind, we will respect your choice.¡±

    Xanthus hadrecentlylost a lot of weight. He was relieved as Raeleigh was back. As for what had happened, Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to let others know, so he couldn¡¯t probe into it although he was her elder brother.

    ¡°I want to get some rest. You should rest early too after dinner.¡±

    Feeling exhausted, Xanthus got up and returned to his room. Raeleigh sat on the sofa and waited for dinner. In fact, she was not hungry at all, but she could only ask for a meal to distract her parents.

    Jazelle had cooked a bowl of noodles for Raeleigh.As she had not eaten noodles for a long time, Raeleigh gobbled everything up and even drank up all the soup.

    Jazelle tried to hold her tears back as she watched Raeleigh eat. How pitiful her daughter looked!

    After she was full, Raeleigh suggested, ¡°Dad, Mom, let¡¯s all get some rest. We can talk about it tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Jazelle answered. She stood up and went to the room with Raeleigh. After taking a few steps forward, she heard someone knocking on the door, so she turned around to open it.

    Standing outside the door, Jepherson annouced once he saw Raeleigh, ¡°I won¡¯t leave tonight. I¡¯m staying here.¡±

    Raeleigh paused momentarily before asking her parents for permission, ¡°Do you have any rooms left?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to get me another spare room. Raeleigh and I are husband and wife, so we should stay together.¡±

    With that, Jepherson entered the house.Raeleigh stood still in the doorway and did not close the door until Jepherson appeared from the room after washing up. Only then did she close the door and turn around.

 Chapter 1569 Canâ€™t Leave Him Behind

    It was Raeleigh¡¯s first time sitting on that bed. After all, it was all new, and she didn¡¯t know where the old one had gone.

    Raeleigh sat on one side whereas Jepherson sat on the other.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t take off her clothes. Jepherson, who wastheplete opposite,was snuggled warmly in the quilt withhalf of his body exposed.

    Raeleigh turned her back to Jepherson, not daring to look at him.

    ¡°Go to sleep,¡± Jepherson called out to her from behind. Raeleigh mumbled a reply and turned the lights off. Seeing as Raeleigh did not take her clothes off, Jepherson lifted the quilt andid aside,turning around to hold her in his arms. It was ufortable to hold her since her clothes were of a prison guard¡¯s, and it felt stiff and stuffy.

    ¡°Is this garment rented or borrowed?¡± Jepherson asked Raeleigh softly. Raeleigh answered, ¡°Neither.¡±

    ¡°If not, why don¡¯t you take it off when you sleep? Don¡¯t you feel ufortable?¡±

    Raeleigh felt Jepherson¡¯s hands caressing her. She grabbed his hands to stop him from continuing and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to change my clothes. Wait for me.¡±

    Then, she fumbled around to grab some clothes to change. Instead of changing in the room, she decided to head outside. Jepherson waited for half an hour, but she had yet toe back.After getting up to look for her, he sawher sleeping on the sofa with a pillow in her arms.

    Jepherson walked over and sat by Raeleigh¡¯s feet carefully. Since she didn¡¯t return to the room, he had no ns to do so either.He just sat by the sofa and fell asleep by Raeleigh¡¯s feet.

    When Lamar and Jazelle woke up in the morning, they were all surprised to witness such a scene.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Not wanting to disturb the two of them,Jazelle dragged Lamar away to buy some breakfast.

    When Raeleigh woke up, she heard the sounds of knocking. Although she was asleep, she did not respond much to whoever was talking or walking by.However, the minute someone started knocking on the doors and windows, she was immediately startled awake.

    Jepherson was shocked by the sudden movement and opened his eyes. He watched as Raeleigh sat straight up and was about to bolt for the day, only to suddenly sit down. It was as if she was just reminded that she was safe at home.

    ¡°What are you afraid of?¡±Jepherson asked as Raeleigh sat down. Raeleigh looked at him in a daze. Then, she asked in confusion, ¡°Why are you here too?¡±

    ¡°I came out because you didn¡¯t go back in,¡± Jepherson couldn¡¯t hide his worry,¡°Are you not used to the feeling of being at home?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head and denied, ¡°No.¡±

    Jepherson did not say a word.Just then, the door opened, revealing Lamar and Jazelle who had breakfast in their hands. Jepherson immediately got up to the door and helped them with the food. ncing at the takeaways in hand, he attempted to lighten the mood, ¡°It¡¯s your favourite.¡±

    When he looked up, Raeleigh had already gone back to her room.

    Jepherson set the breakfast on the table and went back to the room to check on Raeleigh. Yet, he found the door was already locked, and no matter how he turned the doorknob, the door just wouldn¡¯t open.

    Jepherson stood outside for a while before turning around to meet Jazelle. He tried to give an excuse, ¡°She might haveidentallylocked it.¡±

    Yet deep down, they knew it wasn¡¯t an ident. It was obvious she had locked it on purpose.

    Despite the obvious move, the two of them said nothing. Jazelle went to set the kitchen table while Lamar went to prepare breakfast.

    When Raeleigh emerged from the room, Jepherson had finished washing up in the toilet.After getting achange of clothes,Raeleigh suggested,¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast.¡±

    Jepherson walked up to Raeleigh andlowered his head to kiss her. However, she dodged his kiss instinctively.

    As Jepherson was dumbstruck,Raeleigh changed the topic rigidly, ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast.¡±

    She walked past him and took her seat at the table. Jepherson¡¯s gaze followed her around as she sat down and greeted everyone. Everyone pretended as if nothing had happened, but no one could ignore the tension.

    Jepherson walked over to sit at the table. He didn¡¯t change his clothes andwas wearing the same outfit he had worn the previous night. Once he sat down, he started to devour his meal.

    No one spoke during the breakfast until they had finished their meal.

    After eating, Jepherson went to wash up whereasRaeleigh stood outside the house. After both of them met up, she asked, ¡°Is your friend here?¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and hesitated beforecalling Lenold,who picked up the call after a few rings. At that time, Lenold was just exiting the airport,¡°I¡¯m already here. Where are you? I¡¯lle to you.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go to Green House and meet him there,¡± Raeleigh turned around and went back to inform her parents. Lamar and Jazelle exchanged nces and reminded Raeleigh to be careful before seeing her out.

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh. Why was she so anxious to meet that person?

    ¡°Let¡¯s take your car,¡± Raeleigh said after she left the house and saw Jepherson frozen on the spot. Shethen walked towards the entrance of the vige, jogging all the way.

    Jepherson followed her from behind. The two then headed to Green House.

    On the way, Raeleigh kept urging the driver to speed up. Jepherson had never seen that side of her.He felt jealous and unpleasant for some reason.

    When they arrived at the gate of the prison, Raeleighimmediatelyopened the door and got out of the car. She looked around and didn¡¯t see any cars, then started looking at her watch anxiously.

    All the while, Jepherson sat in the car. Raeleigh didn¡¯t ask him when he would get out of the car either.

    At a loss, the driver looked into the rearview mirror and was surprised by the Jepherson he was looking at.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Since when did Jepherson have such patience?

    Raeleigh stood for a while and couldn¡¯t see Lenold anywhere. Turning around to look at Jepherson, she asked while standing on the spot,¡°Are you sure your friend can find this ce?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he can.¡±

    A brief momentter, Jepherson bent down and got out of the car. He looked at the surroundings and asked Raeleigh, ¡°How do you know this ce?¡±

    Raeleigh froze before sighing,¡°I was sent here by Yanora.¡±

    Jepherson said through gritted teeth, ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°Then I was brought to a ce and saved,¡± Raeleigh exined briefly without going too deep into the details. Jepherson fixed his sharp gaze on Raeleigh while she spoke and followed up sharply,¡°Where were you brought?¡±

    ¡°Back then, I was knocked out after being stunned. When I woke up, I was tied up and people were bidding for me.¡±

    Raeleigh exined while her gaze wandered. Shewondered what kind of exnation would satisfy him.

    ¡°They tied you up like a dog?¡± Jepherson gritted his teeth.It took him much courage just to say those words.

    ¡°That was how they dealt with things. Prisoners were treated that way.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡±

    Raeleigh cast a nce at him and sighed, ¡°It¡¯s all in the past. You don¡¯t have to¡­¡±

    ¡°I have the right to know what kind of abuse my wife suffered in a ce like this. I want them to pay.¡±

    ¡°Why bother? Everyone is different, so of course they¡¯ll act differently towards an issue. As a hostage, I was sold here as goods. It makes sense since they paid for me being here. Who would you look for to ask them to pay?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let them go.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson¡­¡± Raeleigh pursed her lips, ¡°I killed a prisoner. Tosurvive, I spent a month in a cell with Austin. There was a warden named Lechen, and he was a pervert. He wanted to r*pe me, and in order to survive, I killed him.¡±

    ¡°Austin sent me out just to save me.¡±

    ¡°He might be in danger as we¡¯re speaking right now,so I can¡¯t leave him behind. I have to save him.¡±

 Chapter 1570 Dead Man Tells No Tales

    Raeleigh did not want to talk about it, but Jepherson kept pressing her to give him an answer.

    She knew that only him could help her now.

    Jepherson turned around and looked aside, feeling restrained in his outfit. He tugged at the button on his cor forcefully and took off his ck necktie. He pulled it over his head and wrung it on the floor.

    The silk necktie fell onto the ground and fluttered into the air, blown away by the wind.

    Raeleigh had never seen Jepherson losing hisposure like this before. It was as if he was so angry he wanted to rip the earth into two.

    She didn¡¯t know what to do. Her heart was beating anxiously, and tears threatened to fall down her cheeks. However, she held them in.

    The two of them refused to give in. Just then, a ck SUV emerged from a distance. Raeleigh saw the car and asked, ¡°Are they finally here?¡±

    Jepherson turned around and took a look, both of his hands settling on his thin waist as he weed the strong wind blowing toward them. He had unfastened his coat as though he was feeling quite hot and stuffy.

    When the car stopped in front of them, Jepherson looked inside. Shortly, Lenold swung open the car door and came out of the car with a briefcase in his hand. Dressed in a ck suit and a pair of huge prized sunsses on his face, his presence was extremely eye-catching.

    Another man appeared behind Lenold, and his expression was as cold as Lenold¡¯s.

    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry? I just got off the ne when you told me toe over. You¡¯re not even concerned if I¡¯m worn out by my work.¡±

    Lenold looked at Jepherson and Raeleigh and teased them as he got out of the car.

    Raeleigh walked to Jepherson¡¯s side queitly.

    Jepherson let out an inaudible sigh and looked at Lenold before asking, ¡°I want to see Austin. Help me arrange for it.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re God? That you can meet whoever you want?¡± Lenold looked at them with a sneer, holding his sunsses between his fingers.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson and asked, ¡°What can we do?¡±

    Jepherson turned to look at Lenold and was more straightforward, ¡°Tell me. What conditions do you have?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I haven¡¯t really thought about it yet. But I assume it must be something important for you to take it so seriously. Lucky for you, I brought my friend here with me. He is here to take over the warden¡¯s position. Perhaps I can make an exception for you.¡±

    Raeleigh was taken aback. She stared at the man in front of her. This was the new warden?

    She paused and continued, ¡°Austin is my brother.¡±

    The man looked back at Raeleigh through his sunsses and said, ¡°That has nothing to do with me.¡±

    Raeleigh froze and turned to look at Jepherson as he stretched out a hand and introduced himself to the man, ¡°I¡¯m Jepherson Richards.¡±

    The man just stared at Jepherson¡¯s hand, not even bothering to remove his sunsses. It seemed like he didn¡¯t care about Jepherson at all as he remarked, ¡°I am not good at dealing with businessmen. I have long heard about you, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Jepherson withdrew his hand and looked at him with a smile, ¡°Oh, really?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He and I are sworn brothers, and we would take a bullet for each other. As long as such a person exists, I will definitely bring you to him. As for whether I can set him free or not, we¡¯ll talk about it another day. There are legal procedures we have to follow after all.¡±

    ¡°We can talk about that once we meet him,¡± Jepherson conceded.

    Lenoldughed, ¡°Since when did you learn to make a concession? It¡¯s a rare sight. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Lenold led the man to Green House¡¯s entrance and knocked on the door. After dering he was here to take over the job, the door opened. He went inside, Raeleigh following suit closely behind.

    When Raeleigh entered the room, she was taken aback by the unfamiliar faces. She frowned in confusion as she walked behind Jepherson.

    Jepherson turned to her and asked perceptively, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    She held onto his arm and looked up at him. Jepherson lowered his head as she whispered something in his ear.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Then, he turned around and looked at the guards at the door. He then muttered, ¡°These men have been reced. The old ones are all gone.¡±

    Lenold turned around and stared at Jepherson curiously, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not important. I¡¯m just telling you the truth.¡±

    Raeleigh gazed at the prison guards. She used toe out every now and then, and she knew everyone here. Throughout her one-month stay here, she had already figured out the terrains. There was no way she would mistake these people here.

    ¡°That¡¯s weird. Why did they change the prison guards?¡± Lenold looked at the man behind him, only to have the man reply, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. We would have to approve of it first.¡±

    ¡°Then how do you exin this?¡± Jepherson asked while gesturing. The man pondered over it before looking around and specting, ¡°Unless something has happened here.¡±

    ¡°I was sent here because I was ordered to investigate Lechen Cook¡¯s death.¡±

    ¡°Lechen was the old warden here who worked here for ten years. The cause of his sudden death is suspicious.¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly grew nervous, and her grip on Jepherson¡¯s hand tightened. Her palm was slick with sweat. Jepherson instinctively took her hand and wiped it on his shirt.

    Raeleigh lifted her head and looked at him. Then, he said, ¡°You said Austin didn¡¯t do it, so what are you afraid of?¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned for a moment. Then, she slowly turned to look at Lenold and the man.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in and have a look.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Lenold followed the man inside while Raeleigh and Jepherson walked behind them. Raeleigh realized that Lenold seemed to be familiar with the prison¡¯syout. He did not seem to have difficulty finding his way around as he led the new warden around the prison.

    Raeleigh also found the prison particrly quiet that day. Even the cleaners outside were nowhere to be seen.

    It was her first time being in the office building of the prison. After a while, a few men came out from the office to greet Lenold, but she did not recognize any of them.

    She stood in a daze as she watched the men greeting them. She felt nervous.

    Jepherson gripped Raeleigh¡¯s hand even tighter to give her strength.

    It was already afternoon by the time theypleted the handover, and Raeleigh felt restless. Initially, the group nned to have lunch together, but she decided to meet Austin first as she did not feel like eating. Lenold agreed to her decision.

    When Raeleigh entered the prison, it was lunchtime. She was familiar with most of the people inside, but all of them seemed to not recognize her. It was as if they had been hypnotized.

    Raeleigh went to the cell where she and Austin had been held captive. There were two prisoners inside. As she walked into the cell, the two prisoners were called over to be questioned. They said that they had been living in that cell for several months

    Raeleigh instinctively knew that something was not right, and she quickly asked to see Austin. The acting warden gave Raeleigh a list of dead prisoners and told her that the prisoner named Austin had already died two years ago.

    Austin was dead?

    Raeleigh stared at the list and shook her head in disbelief, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. You must have hidden him away.¡±

    She could not help but confront the acting warden, only to have the person scoff, ¡°Miss, do you think we have the time to joke with you? The warden and the Interpol are here, and we are under their control. How would we dare to do such a thing?¡±

    Raeleigh was furious. She stormed towards the prisoners who were in the middle of eating lunch and grabbed one of them by the cor. She demanded, ¡°Tell me, who am I? Do you recognize me?¡±

    The man looked at her and shook his head nkly.

 Chapter 1571 The Sight of His Back

    Raleigh could not figure out what on earth was going on. Before she could make a fuss, Jepherson picked her up forcefully and carried her out of the cell.

    He strode out of the office and put her inside the car

    Raeleigh turned around, trying to climb out of the car, but Jepherson stopped her.

    ¡°Stop messing around!¡± This was the first time that Jepherson yelled at her like this. Raeleigh looked up and red at him, shouting, ¡°They killed him!¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t flinch after Raeleigh shouted at him. He refused to back down, ¡°You didn¡¯t see his body, so how do you prove that he¡¯s dead?¡±

    ¡°Where else could he go?¡±

    Raeleigh screamed again, her voice growing hoarse.

    Jepherson¡¯s breathing grew rapid, and the veins on his forehead bulged. Raeleigh pursed her lips tightly and gritted her teeth. Suddenly, Jepherson grabbed her chin and pinched it hard, ¡°I will help you find him, dead or alive!¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s voice was even louder than Raeleigh¡¯s. Meanwhile, the driver had already gotten out of the car. Despite standing far away from them, he could still hear their shouts from inside the car.

    The driver was frightened and was sweating profusely. He wondered what happened for them to be so angry at each other.

    Were they trying to shout for everyone to hear?

    In the car, Raeleigh stared at Jepherson nkly, tears flowing down the corner of her eye. Jepherson softened his stance and took her into his arms.

    Hatred slowly seeped into his bones and pierced his heart. He was in so much pain that he could not even breathe.

    Raeleigh held onto Jepherson¡¯s cor and muttered weakly, ¡°He was still fine when I came outst night. I came out at one o¡¯clock and returned at eight o¡¯clock in the morning. It¡¯s only been a few hours, but they¡¯ve already managed to swap the entire Green House with people of their own. How can we find him? Where can we go?¡±

    Tears continued streaming down Raeleigh¡¯s cheeks like a waterfall. She had never felt so helpless before.

    Although she had been through a lot in the past, she had never felt like this before. She felt as though her entire world hade crashing down.

    She did not know if she was only feeling guilty or did her feelings for Jepherson change.

    Jepherson raised his hand and patted Raeleigh¡¯s back in an attempt tofort her, ¡°Trust me. I won¡¯t let you down this time.¡±

    Raeleigh wrapped her arms around Jepherson¡¯s waist and hugged him for a long while before she tore herself away from him. Raising her head, she looked at Jepherson and changed the topic, ¡°I¡¯m going back to take a look. Maybe I can find more clues.¡±

    Jepherson was at a loss of what to do. He wondered what terrible things Raeleigh had experienced for the past month. His biggest mistake as her husband was not being by her side when she needed him the most.

    Jepherson wiped the tears from Raeleigh¡¯s face and assured her, ¡°You may go back there and do whatever you want, but you cannot lose control of your emotions like you did just now. You may not care if othersugh at you, but I do.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my wife. Your image reflects mine.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson¡¯s rigid expression. Was he sad?

    ¡°I won¡¯t do it again.¡±

    Raeleigh took in a few deep breaths to keep herposure while Jepherson got out of the car. Then, he led her back to the prison cell in Green House.

    This time, Raeleigh didn¡¯t lose her temper. She searched every nook and cranny: from each prison cell to the bathroom stalls and even the public bath area. Yet, she couldn¡¯t find Austin at all.

    It was almost ten o¡¯clock in the evening by the time Raeleigh came out of Green House.

    She was exhausted. Jepherson held onto her hand tightly as they walked out of Green House along with Lenold.

    When they arrived at the door, Lenold asked, ¡°Are you sure she¡¯s fine and doesn¡¯t need to see a doctor?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my business, so save your effort. If you really want to help me, please go investigate what actually happened and hand Austin over to me. I don¡¯t believe that he can disappear without a trace for no reason. You¡¯d better hand him over to me. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have no choice but to talk to your father, and things will get pretty nasty.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re going to repay kindness with ingratitude.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. You should know that I can go to lengths to get what I want.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m convinced. I¡¯ll investigate it for youter. Give me a few days,¡± Lenold had no choice but to agree.

    Raeleigh looked at Lenold and sighed, ¡°I just saw himst night, and there were people around him too. If it weren¡¯t for the higher ups in this prison, he would have been fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m unsure about this, but I will investigate this matter ording to your instructions. Please don¡¯t worry. I will tell you once I find out what happened.¡±

    ¡°I will always follow Jepherson wherever he goes. So you may look for him if you can¡¯t find me. But if you can¡¯t find him, please go to Waverly Vige. I will definitely be there.¡±

    Raeleigh was afraid that Lenold couldn¡¯t find her to tell her the results of the investigation, so she reminded him beforehand.

    The corner of Lenold¡¯s mouth twitched before he answered, ¡°Alright.¡±

    Then, he turned to look at Jepherson with a meaningful gaze and noticed that Jepherson was holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand tightly. It was as if he was afraid that she would disappear without a trace.

    ¡°Jepherson, every dog has its day.¡±

    ¡°Same goes for you. I bet you won¡¯t end up better than me in the future.¡±

    Jepherson dragged Raeleigh away, shoved her into the car and left instantly.

    When they arrived at the hotel, it was already dawn. Raeleigh did not ask Jepherson why they did not return to the vige nor go back to his home. She got out of the car obediently and followed him to the top floor of the hotel.

    After entering their room, Jepherson asked Raeleigh if she would like to take a shower. Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°I am a little tired. I¡¯d like to get some rest.¡±

    ¡°Alright. You should go change your clothes.¡± Jepherson pulled her closer, helping her unbutton her clothes as he looked for her pajamas. Raeleigh was surprised when she saw her purple pajamas. She couldn¡¯t remember when was thest time she had been here.

    She grabbed the pajamas and went to the bathroom to put them on. When she came back, Jepherson had already changed his clothes and was waiting for her.

    Raeleigh stood at the door and just stared at Jepherson. He was holding a book in his hand that was about designing.

    If it were in the past, Raeleigh would be fascinated by that book and would long to read it. But now, she was not interested in it at all.

    ¡°This book is amazing!¡± Jepherson eximed as he walked towards Raeleigh. Raeleigh lowered her head and muttered disinterestedly, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you tired?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    She really wanted to rest now.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go to bed,¡± Jepherson stopped in front of her and passed her the book. Then, he bent down and held her in his arms. She instinctively put her arms around his neck when he lifted her off the ground.

    Their eyes met for a moment before she turned to look away from him. Then, she immediately inched away from him after he ced her gently on the bed.

    Jepherson froze for a moment when he saw Raeleigh moving to the other side of the bed. He quickly rposed himself andy on the bed beside her.

    He put his arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer while flipping open the book in her hand, her head resting awkwardly against his chest. Raeleigh wanted to pull away, but she felt terrible about rejecting him.

    She moved aside silently, trying to force a distance between them. Jepherson was too engrossed by the book to notice her movements. Meanwhile, her mind was filled with the image of Austin¡¯s face and the sight of his back when he turned around and asked her to leave.

 Chapter 1572 A Life for A Life

    A life for a life. Raeleigh believed that Austin had sacrificed his life in exchange for hers, and because of that, she could not sleep well nor do anything properly.

    When Jepherson saw that Raeleigh had finally closed her eyes, he opened the shades and turned on all the lights with the remote control. Then, he opened the skylight on the roof to reveal an artificial night sky. Staring at the sky full of stars above them, hey down and turned over to hold Raeleigh, cing a kiss on her cheek.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t move nor resist. However, when Jepherson tightened his embrace, her breathing grew rapid and nervous.

    Jepherson patted her gently. The more nervous she was, the more he was unwilling to let her go. He remained silent as he held her close to his chest.

    Eventually, Raeleigh¡¯s body rxed and she fell asleep. Jepherson tightened his arms around her once more. Whenever she stirred, he immediately loosened his grip.

    He waited until she was sound asleep before hugging her and falling asleep.

    Raeleigh slept through the entire day and woke up at 5 pm the next day. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw Jepherson¡¯s arm draped over her waist. She gently picked up his hand and moved it away, then got out of the bed to wash up. After that, she sat down by the window.

    She gazed at the night view through the window, feeling herself getting lost in the darkness. She recalled the days when she would not stop worrying about Lechen and if he would sabotage her. Now, she was safe and sound, but something bad had happened to Austin.

    Raeleigh closed her eyes. Just then, Jepherson sneaked up behind her and bent down to hug her.

    Raeleigh looked up and stared at Jepherson¡¯s breathtakingly handsome face. His shirt was crumpled after being asleep, and the buttons on his shirt were opened to reveal his sexy chest. She thought he looked even more attractive when he had just woken up.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what had ovee her, but the more she looked at him, the heavier her heart grew.

    She had been too determined to get out of prison, but when she finally managed to leave, her freedom had cost Austin his life. She felt that her heart was bleeding.

    No matter what, she was a murderer. Her hands were already tainted with blood, and she would never be able to wipe her hands clean.

    She never regretted killing Lechen that day. After all, if she hadn¡¯t killed him, she would be the one to die.

    However, when she escaped, she had brought trouble to Austin.

    In prison, the officers looked down upon the prisoners and disregarded their lives.

    They would make up hundreds of excuses to cover up the death of the prisoners. Meanwhile, when it came to the death of the officers, they would never let it go off easily.

    Austin was in trouble just because he had shielded her.

    Raeleigh would never forget what he did for her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jepherson asked softly as hehugged Raeleigh. He had never been so gentle to her before. However, Raeleigh did not answer him. She looked outside and just sighed, ¡°The world outside works just like your room. You have been so used to being superior and powerful that you can control day and night with just the click of a button. After living here for a long time, I realized that I was just lying to myself.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have known that the world was so inexplicably cruel until I experienced it myself.¡±

    ¡°I thought I had seen all sorts of evils when I was in prison. Every day, I was forced to face the worst of the worst, but¡­¡±

    ¡°When I left, I discovered the reason why those in prison act that way. It was not only because of the ce itself but also because the world had created such a ce.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal for someone to act bad once in a while. Even the kindest of souls will find themselves hating upon someone else.¡±

    ¡°However, there are just too many rotten apples in prison, each one of them worse than the other. Innocent souls would only be crushed if wrongly convicted.¡±

    ¡°If I wanted to survive, I could only stray from the right path. Only by showing the worst of myself could I protect myself.¡±

    ¡°But life really is cruel. I thought I could save him, only to have him disappear into thin air. I can¡¯t even find his body. How cruel is that?¡±

    Tears streamed down both of Raeleigh¡¯s eyes, and she refused to say more.

    Jepherson left Raeleigh and headed outside. From that day onwards, Raeleigh never saw Jepherson again. They did not contact nor talk to each other. It was as if Jepherson had disappeared into thin air.

    Raeleigh called Xanthus at eight o¡¯clock that night, so he drove to the hotel and picked her up at the lobby. After that, Raeleigh tried looking for Jepherson. She did not call him and instead, went to his office and the hotel to search for him. However, he wasn¡¯t there.

    She didn¡¯t go to Jepherson¡¯s house to find him because she heard that Ste hadn¡¯t left the house yet. Ste was still staying in Ink Garden.

    On the fourth day, Raeleigh finally lost her patience. She called Jepherson and asked whether he had news from Lenold.

    To her, those four days felt like four years.

    The phone rang for a long time before Jepherson answered it. Upon hearing his hoarse voice, Raeleigh hesitated for a moment before asking him if he had heard anything from Lenold. He told her he hadn¡¯t heard anything from him yet.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll hang up,¡± Raeleigh ended the call and went to Green House. She wanted to know what was going on.

    This time, she came prepared. She bought a set of equipment from the military store, and among them was a pair of high-power binocrs with an eavesdropping function.

    However, she thought the function was of no use because she would only use the binocrs to observe the prison from afar. In order to get a good view, she hid outside the prison.

    Despite hiding herself very carefully, she identally stood too close to the prison. The policemen soon found her and arrested her.

    Xanthus was surprised when he received Raeleigh¡¯s call. It had just been a day since hest saw her, and she was at the police station? To make matters even moreplicated, she was at the Criminal Investigations Department.

    Xanthus arrived at the police station shortly after. However, the policemen refused to release Raeleigh because they suspected she was trying to break into the prison.

    ¡°Are you kidding me? My sis-my girlfriend is just a weak and normal girl. How could she break into prison? You might as well tell me she attempted a bank robbery!¡±

    Xanthus was furious and immediately contacted hiswyer.

    Shortly, thewyer arrived and went through all the procedures. Xanthus requested to see Raeleigh, but they didn¡¯t allow him to. He refused to leave, so he waited at the police station stubbornly. If they refused to allow him to see her, he decided to camp outside the police station until they allowed him to do so.

    The policeman told Xanthus that there was no use waiting because they had to conduct an investigation before releasing Raeleigh.

    ¡°These are the tools your girlfriend used in her attempt to break into the prison. See for yourself if this is good enough evidence to convict her,¡± With that, the policeman showed Xanthus Raeleigh¡¯s high-power binocrs and a shovel. Xanthus was quite surprised.

    However, he still believed in Raeleigh.

    He told the policeman immediately, ¡°I will sue you for framing her.¡±

    Butter, the policeman showed him a video of Raeleigh. In the video, Raeleigh admitted that the tools belonged to her.

    Xanthus was petrified and froze instantly.

    ¡°Mr. Osteen, we are equally worried about your girlfriend. Are you sure her mental state is stable?¡±

    Xanthus nced at the policeman and decided to im, ¡°I guess she hasn¡¯t been acting like herself recently.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    The policemanughed, ¡°So you don¡¯t even know if your girlfriend is alright? Green House is not a ce to mess with. We hope you understand that this is not a joke. If you have nothing to do with it, I advise you not to get yourself involved.¡±

    Xanthus sat down and frowned, ¡°I¡¯m here to wait for my girlfriend. Is there anything wrong with that? You may not let her go, but you can¡¯t stop me from waiting for her here either.¡±

    He was worried that Raeleigh had been framed, so he stayed in the police station and texted Jepherson.

 Chapter 1573 He Wouldnâ€™t Live Up to The Name of Jepherson

    Xanthus was exining Raeleigh¡¯s caseto the policewhen Jepherson arrived at the station. Xanthus¡¯s tone was considered benevolent as he talked, but his expression was rather dark. Anyone close to him could immediately detect that he was seething with anger and that he was faking a smile.

    ¡°Are you implying that my girlfriend¡¯s crazy?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean. You are a foreigner,so I don¡¯t want it to affect our rtionship.¡±

    The police had already arranged for someone else to talk to him, but Xanthus was not nning to leave until Raeleigh was released.

    He knocked on the table at the mention of his nationality in annoyance, ¡°All this just because I was born overseas? I was already nning to denounce my foreign citizenship, but I did not expect to be discriminated against because of this.¡±

    ¡°My girlfriend is innocent. Do you think I¡¯m going to believe you just because of what you said?¡±

    ¡°Do you have any evidence? I am a doctor, and I can see that my girlfriend is mentally unstable. For all I know, maybe you guys caused her to act like that.¡±

    ¡°Sir, look¡­¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    Before the police could finish his sentence, Jepherson entered the room with his legal team. Moreover, he had overheard the conversation between Xanthus and the police.

    ¡°Excuse me, we¡¯re here to release Miss Anson on bail.¡±

    Jepherson entered the door and walked up to Xanthus, nodding his head as a polite greeting. Xanthus basically had no power of that sort, so ifhe had not called Jepherson toe over, Raeleigh most probably would not be released.

    When Xanthus saw Jepherson, he heaved a sigh of relief.

    Thewyers immediately walked over to the police officer to discuss Raeleigh¡¯s situation. The police officers were initially unfazed, but when they saw Jepherson, they immediately scrambled to their feet in total surprise.

    Everyone in the police station was staring at the group. Jepherson pulled out a chairnonchntlyand sat down, crossing his legs and resting his hands on hispfortably.

    He then asked Xanthus, ¡°Have you seen her?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have. They used Raeleigh of trespassing and attempting to break into the prison. They want her to plead guilty, but I suspect that they must have used some means to induce Raeleigh to confess. I will hire the bestwyers to represent her and to protect her rights.¡±

    ¡°It has already been 36 hours since Raeleigh left home. I¡¯m not sure how long she¡¯s been locked up in here, but they are not allowed to detain her unless they have sufficient evidence to press charges.¡±

    Jepherson looked over at hiswyers and gestured, ¡°What do you guys think?¡±

    Thewyers exchanged nces before one of them said, ¡°This case is a little strange, but we have to act in the best interest of Miss Raeleigh and protect her rights. Since Mr. Osteen is a doctor, why don¡¯t we let him examine her injury first to avoid furtherplications?¡±

    ¡°What do you guys think?¡± Jepherson looked at the police officers opposite him. One of them hesitated before asking, ¡°You must be the vice president of the Richards Group, am I right?¡±

    ¡°And what does that have to do with the bail?¡± Jepherson¡¯s response was cold and unruffled.

    The police officer pondered for a moment before shrugging, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that Miss Raeleigh has only been here for six hours on the basis that she has vited thew. We¡¯re the ones who should be pressing charges, not you.¡±

    ¡°ording to thew, she has vited¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin it to me. You can talk to mywyers.As for Raeleigh, I think we should hear both sides of the story rather than relying on yours alone, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, that¡¯s very funny of you. If we do not have the evidence stacked up against her, how would we detain her without any basis?¡±

    Jepherson stared at the police officer for a while before instructing hiswyers, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go ahead with the legal proceedings?¡±

    Thewyers nodded and walked towards the police.After taking out some documents that were required from their briefcases, they started making calls to doctors and various experts. With just a few words, the entire police station was stunned.

    Meanwhile, Jepherson asked one of his men to contact the person in charge of Green House and asked them to send over some video recordings to use as evidence. The other police officers stared at Jepherson indifferently. Then, they heard him snort, ¡°The things you have as so-called evidence are no more than children¡¯s toys. Do you think that Raeleigh could break into a ce with that? Furthermore, the ce we are talking about is Green House, where major prisoners are shut away. If she was nning to break into that ce, who on earth would she attempt to save?¡±

    ¡°How would I know?¡±

    ¡°You guys are police officers working in theCriminal Investigations Department, but it seems like you guys are just good-for-nothings. You¡¯re telling me you have no idea what she was doing there? Don¡¯t you think you sound ridiculous?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s tone was calm and indifferent, but his wordsshed deeper than a knife.

    The police officer paused subconsciously and gave it some thought. A whileter, they stammered, ¡°We haven¡¯t formally started our investigation. So we can¡¯t just jump to conclusions.¡±

    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll wait for the oue of the investigation,¡± There was a hint of impatience on Jepherson¡¯s face. Then he looked at the time on his wrist and demanded, ¡°I am going to start the clock now. If you don¡¯t release Raeleigh within 48 hours, I¡¯m going to press charges.¡±

    The policemen could only chuckle dryly. What Jepherson and his team were doing right now was no different than being unreasonable.

    He knew that rich people were different from the average Joe. The only reason they were able to twist the truth to their benefits was because they were loaded.

    The police officer knew he was unable to win against Jepherson in a quarrel. He originally intended to ignore him, but then, his superior called and instructed him to release Raeleigh. His superior also informed him that after verifying the video recording with Green House, everything was justamisunderstanding.

    The police officer pursed his lips. He was unsatisfied since it was clear that Jepherson had pulled some strings behind the scene.

    He was unhappy with his superior¡¯s decision. Although he agreed on the phone that he would release Raeleigh, he did not follow through with the agreement.

    When Jepherson checked his watch for the second time, it was already eight in the evening. He got up from his chair and went to the bathroom.

    Not long after, the police station received another calldemanding why they had yet to release Raeleigh. The police officer exined that they were still going through the formalities and would be able to release her soon. As a result, the police officer was given an earful.

    ¡°Are you mad? Why are you trying to make things difficult for me?¡±

    The person on the other end of the line was his superior. It was an understatement to say that he had seen worse days.

    However, he had long been ustomed to it. After he hung up, he did not immediately let Raeleigh go. As much as he wanted to keep her here,he could not do so as time was nearly up. He still needed to take care of the formalities and close up the investigation processes before he was able to release Raeleigh.

    Jepherson just stared at them. With just a few words, hiswyers had gone off to helpplete all the necessary legal processes without requiring any further instructions. By the time they were done, it was already ten at night. Suppressing his annoyance and impatience, Jepherson grunted, waited for Raeleigh to be released.

    A rough estimation based on the fact that Xanthus had arrived earlier than him meant that Raeleigh had already been detained for around 20 hours.

    During these 20 hours, she was not given any food or water, which was a form of abuse.

    If he did not deal with these people as soon as he returned, he wouldn¡¯t be able to live up to the name of Jepherson Richards.

 Chapter 1574 Couldnâ€™t Possibly be Any More Idiotic

    At eleven o¡¯clock, the police unlocked the cell and informed Raeleigh that she could leave. However, Raeleigh did not replyandher eyes remained closed. She remained seated in the chair as if she was asleep.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The police officer called her a few more times, but she did not move. He immediately felt something was amiss and slowly walked over. He reached out to nudge her, but as a result, she crumbled off the chair like a puppet.

    Shocked, he quickly hurried over to catch her in time, then shouted for the others. At this time, Jepherson and Xanthus were waiting for Raeleigh outside. When they heard the police officer shouting, their eyes metand theyimmediately rushed into the detainment cell without a second thought. They were met with an unconscious Raeleigh in one of the police officer¡¯s arms. Jepherson hurriedly scooped her up in his arms and darted out of the station. After cing her into his car, he stepped on the pedal and zoomed away.

    They headed straight for the hospital.

    As soon as they arrived, Jepherson carried Raeleigh out of the car and rushed to the emergency room. In fact, Xanthus was also a doctor, but he was too flustered to know what was wrong with Raeleigh.

    Her face was pale and Xanthus held her hand tightly. His first thought was that she washypoglycemic.

    After all, Raeleigh had not been herself in the past month, so he was not surprised that whatever happened had taken a toll on her body. However, Xanthus was not sure what actually happened.

    After Raeleigh was brought into the emergency room, the doctor immediately came and examined her. The first thing he did was check her pulse.

    ¡°Inject her with one dose of adrenaline.¡±

    ¡°The patient is fine. She probably fainted due to fatigue. There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I¡¯m going to conduct a thorough examination now.¡±

    Then, Raeleigh was admitted for various tests. However,no one dared to imagine what the test results could reflect.

    ¡°These are the results,¡± The doctor showed them while frowning,¡°It looks like she¡¯s one month pregnant. That¡¯s most probably why she fainted. I will write a prescription for some prenatal medication.¡±

    At the word ¡°pregnant¡±, Jepherson¡¯s body stiffened, his expression freezing. It was as if someone had just rung a loud gong in his brain, and he could hear nothing else.

    After Xanthus made sure Raeleigh was settled into her hospital bed, he walked over to them,managing to catch thest bit of their conversation.

    Xanthus did not enter the ward but stood outside with Jepherson. After a while, Jepherson broke the silence, ¡°I think it¡¯s best that she stay overnight to be observed further.¡±

    ¡°And the medicine?¡±

    ¡°Please do as you see fit.¡±

    The doctor then wrote down some prescriptions for Raeleigh. Jepherson collected the test results and prescription before turning around to leave.

    Xanthus followed behind him. When they were outside, they looked at each other briefly before Xanthus asked, ¡°Raeleigh has been away for a month, so the baby¡­¡±

    ¡°The baby¡¯s mine,¡± Jepherson¡¯s reply was as firm as steel. Xanthus subconsciously halted,then watched as Jepherson turned around andheaded towards Raeleigh¡¯s ward.

    Meanwhile, Xanthus stood outside for a long time before making his way over. By then, Raeleigh had already woken up.

    Actually, Raeleigh had already regained consciousness by the time Jepherson entered the first time round. She was a little surprised when she saw him enter her room.

    ¡°What happened to me?¡± Raeleigh knew that mobile phones posed a health hazard, especially since she started getting into games. She had been worried about her health and did her best to get some brief exercise in every night. Ever since then, she saw an improvement in her health, but she had no idea why she fainted this time.

    ¡°Youcked nutrition¡­¡± Jepherson made an excuse as he walked over to Raeleigh¡¯s side and sat down. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

    When Jepherson did not say anything, Raeleigh nced overbrieflyat her bedside table and caught thebel on the medicine bottle. She frowned, ¡°Folic acid? Isn¡¯t that for pregnant women?¡±

    Jepherson opened his eyes and looked at her, sighing,¡°Yes, you¡¯re one month pregnant.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. When she heard his tone of voice, she immediately could tell that he was hardly excited.

    She thought for a while before sitting up,reaching out for the medicine bottle as she guessed, ¡°You don¡¯t want the baby?¡±

    Meanwhile, Xanthus was already at the door, but he decided to stand outside and listen in for a while.

    Although both of them were calm, one could sense something else in the room ¨C not warmth, but tension.

    Raeleigh nced at her belly and ced her palms gently on her belly,genuinely surprised to learn that she was pregnant.

    Jepherson stared at her in silence. He could already tell that she already loved the baby even though she had just found out about the baby. He wondered, was she doing it for the baby or for him?

    At the thought of Raeleigh¡¯s fury because she couldn¡¯t find Austin, Jepherson felt as if his heart was being crushed by an enormous rock. An unbearable pain coursed through his entire body.

    It was only one month. Just one month.

    After a while, Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the wall and said, ¡°I think we should get a divorce.¡±

    Jepherson paused for a moment and stared at Raeleigh, his tone mimicking her neutralityas he replied stiffly,¡°Okay,¡±

    Then, he got up and stormed towards the door and opened it. He left without turning back.

    Raeleigh watched as Jepherson left. She did not know why she felt regret and even slightly helpless, but there was no disappointment in this oue.

    Perhaps he felt the same as well.

    Raeleigh smiled and stroked her abdomen. Then, Xanthus entered the door, staring at his sister. He did not know what to say.

    On the contrary, Raeleigh shed a smile at him, ¡°Xanthus, you¡¯re going to be an uncle. I am going to keep the baby this time.¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s eyes were a little moist, and he felt a little sad.

    He had no idea why, but inexplicable sadness washed over him.

    On the other hand, Raeleigh was perky, ¡°Even if I cannot afford to raise this baby, at least I still have you and our parents.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we can raise eight children if you want to,¡± Xanthus shot Raeleigh a weary smile while he closed the door andposed himself. Walking to Raeleigh, he pulled her into a hug andpatted her shoulders, ¡°I¡¯m going to be an uncle!¡±

    Raeleigh leaned into Xanthus¡¯s arms and smiled, ¡°Yes. Yes, you are.¡±

    No one came to pick her up on the day she was discharged. She also told Xanthus not to tell their parents that she was pregnant. Raeleigh thought it would be better to tell them in person.

    In fact, Lamar and Jazelle already knew about it. They decided to prepare a wonderful feast to celebrate.

    When Raeleigh arrived back home in Waverly Vige, she was immediately greeted with a table full of mouth-watering food. As soon as she entered the door, Jazelle immediately pulled her daughter into an embrace.

    ¡°My dear daughter, you¡¯re about to be a mother,¡± Jazelle squealed, thrilled. Xanthus had informed her through the phone that Raeleigh was pregnant and that she wanted to keep the child.

    Since Raeleigh wanted to keep the baby, there was nothing to worry about. As a mother, Jazelle would support herunconditionally.

    Raeleigh emerged from her mother¡¯s embrace and grinned, ¡°Mom, you¡¯re about to be a grandmother!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to be a grandmother!¡±

    Everyone in the family was happy for her,ughing and congratting her in earnest. They began eating dinner onceRaeleigh settled down. Xanthus decided to put off everything else for the time being. He would be nothing but his sister¡¯s personal doctor.

    Moreover, Xanthus had already started nning Raeleigh¡¯s future schedules. The next thing on Raeleigh¡¯s agenda was to start her divorce proceedings with Jepherson.

    ¡°Have you made up your mind?¡± Hansen¡¯s expression was solemn, his aura exudingcoldness. Jenna¡¯s eyes were puffy and red. She did not want things to end like this.

    Jepherson, who was sitting in the corner, nodded curtly, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then, what are you going to do after the divorce?¡± As his father, Hansen knew his son best. Jepherson was hurt by Raeleigh. He did not know what foolish things his son would do after the divorce.

    Who knew what would he pull, or whether or not he would marry Ste.

    As an experienced man, Hansen felt that his son couldn¡¯t possibly be any more idiotic if he did so.

 Chapter 1575 Extremely Frigid

    ¡°I don¡¯t n to do anything. Raeleigh is in need of help. I can¡¯t just stand by, can I?¡± Jepherson muttered as he fiddled with his ring.

    Hansen turned to look at his son, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re the father of the child?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Jepherson insisted the baby was his, but his behavior made Hansen even more worried. With an angry grunt, Hansen turned around and refused to address the matter any further.

    Jennawas almost choking on her rage as well. If her son insisted that he was the dad, then why was he acting like this? Why did he want a divorce? Anyone with discerning eyes could see that he wasn¡¯t the father. If he was, he wouldn¡¯t have agreed to a divorce.

    Hansen was also seething. However, he could not me anyone else but himself for having such troublesome sons.

    Over the past two days, Raeleigh had been put on a health and supplement meal n and was being watched like a hawk. No matter where she went, there would always be someone following her. It was rare that she could go out on a stroll alone and decided to check the progress of the hospital¡¯s construction. However, she did not expect to bump into Scarlette and Hadrian.

    As soon as Scarlette saw Raeleigh, she bombarded Raeleigh with all kinds of questions. Raeleigh decided to drag Scarlette along with her as they wandered around Waverly Vige.

    ¡°Raeleigh, where have you been all this while?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all old news so let¡¯s just drop it.Just pretend that nothing has happened,¡± Raeleigh did not feel like talking about her past. Scarlette stopped and stared at her while Raeleigh walked on before Scarlette quickly caught up again.

    Raeleigh apanied Scarlette as they wandered around the streets.Just then, Xanthussaw his sister walking along the streets andwas stunned. Heimmediately stopped herand red at her before reachingout to grab Raeleigh¡¯s hands.

    ¡°How many times have I told you not to do anything without asking me first?¡± Xanthus asked Raeleigh, who smiled and feigned ignorance.

    ¡°We still have something to do, so we¡¯ll excuse ourselves first,¡± Xanthus wrapped his arms around Raeleigh and led her back to their house. Scarlette watched them from behind, puzzled by what she just saw. Wasn¡¯t it unnecessary for him to hug her like that even if he was her brother?

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Hadrian nudged Scarlette. When they first went outside for a stroll, the weather was slightly warm. Now it was getting cold, so they had to go home.

    ¡­

    As they walked on, Xanthus informed her, ¡°I already made an appointment with Jepherson. We¡¯ll go through with the divorce tomorrow. He called and asked me if you have any other requests. I guess he must have prepared some alimony for you.¡±

    Raeleighughed nonchntly, ¡°If he wants to give me some alimony, I¡¯ll ept it.¡±

    Xanthus looked at Raeleighand asked carefully,¡°The baby¡­¡±

    ¡°This baby is going to be an Osteen,¡± Raeleigh said as she continued walking. Xanthus stood still as he watched his sisterwhom he had lost and regained. Sometimes, he couldn¡¯t quite figure out what was going through her mind.

    The next day, Raeleigh and Xanthus went to the Civil Affairs Bureau and queued up for their turn. However, Jepherson waste.

    Raeleigh went to take a number, took a seat and waited for her sequence to be called.

    By the time her number was called, Jepherson had arrived.

    Jepherson spotted Raeleigh as soon as he got out of the car and quickly made his way towards her. Raeleigh then informed him that their number had been called, ¡°It¡¯s our turn. Let¡¯s go inside.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, she shuffled inside. When Jepherson sawher unhesitating expression,hefollowed her in.

    Jepherson¡¯s driver, who was waiting outside, was a little confused.

    He genuinely did not want them to get a divorce, but he was just a chauffeur. What could he do?

    The couple had only been married for a short while, but they were already about to get a divorce.

    Raeleigh went inside and the officer asked them several questions. Raeleigh informed the officer that they wished to get a divorce. Jepherson chimed in, saying that he was the one who proposed the divorce and that he would give Raeleigh some alimony after the divorce.

    The officer stared at the two of them in a daze. It took him a long time before he came back to his senses. Secretly, he was thinking, ¡°Rich people are really different. They get married on a whim and once they¡¯ve had enough fun¡­¡±

    The officer then briefly looked through the names on the documents and realised that the man in front of him was none other than Jepherson Richards.

    Jepherson Richards from the Richards Group?

    The entire process took almost half a day. Raeleigh exited the building with Jepherson¡¯s cheque as well as various documents. She read through them carefully and suggested, ¡°Since you have time today, why don¡¯t we take care of the other stuff as well?¡±

    ¡°Are you really in that much of a hurry?¡± Jepherson¡¯s tone made it sound likehe was interrogating her,however he was not mad at all. On the contrary,it sounded like he doted on her even more.

    Even the driver could tell that Jepherson could not let go of Raeleigh, yet he was the one who insisted on getting a divorce. What else could be done?

    Raeleigh shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s such a hassle to fix another date. Since we are already divorced, we might as well take care of the other things as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Whatever I¡¯ve given to you, is yours. I can do without it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s very easy for you to say, but I want to make it legally mine,¡± Raeleigh just wanted everything to be transferred under her name.

    Jepherson took a look at the time and decided to go to the notary office with her. They had toe up with an agreement before they could even submit an application to have the house transferred under Raeleigh¡¯s name. The process was very troublesome. A period of inspection through the documents of the property was required before it could be transferred under her name.

    After they were done, Raeleigh decided to grab some food with Jepherson.

    Raeleigh decided to order salmon and a couple of healthy dishes.

    However, Raeleigh began to feel queasy the moment she saw the salmon. She lurched, got up and darted to the toilet to vomit. Jepherson quickly followed behind her, stroking Raeleigh¡¯s back as she puked. Once she was done, she went back to her seat, but started to feel queasy again when she saw the fish.

    Jepherson immediately asked someone to take the salmon away, whereupon some colour finally returned to her pale face.

    After resting for a while, Raeleigh started digging in. Jepherson sat beside Raeleigh and kept looking at her. It was not until Raeleigh looked a lot better that Jepherson heaved a sigh of relief.

    After Raeleigh was done with her meal, she called Xanthus and told him what time she expected to return home.

    Jepherson then handed her an envelope, saying,¡°This is the agreement between you and the Richards Group. We will officially terminate our contract from today onwards. As for yourpensation, I will give you 1% of the share of all the cars you¡¯ve designed in thepany. I¡¯ve already ced the documents of proof inside the envelope.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the envelope in front of her and took it over, muttering, ¡°Thank you.¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±

    Jepherson did not take a single bite of food. He stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    Raeleigh followed Jepherson back to Waverly Vige with a stack of documents in hand.She sat in the car and admired the scenery outside the window, never feeling this rxed. Even if they were separated, she found that she could ept it readily.

    When they arrived at the entrance of Waverly Vige, Raeleigh got out and looked at Jepherson through the window. She then asked, ¡°Did your friend manage to find anything?¡±

    Jepherson thought for a moment and shook his head, ¡°No, I also tried asking, but he said he didn¡¯t find anything.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he is really dead,¡± Raeleigh spected before turning around and walking home. She could not hide her disappointment and helplessness.

    Jepherson stayed in the car as the driver closed the door.

    The driver got in andasked Jepherson, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, shall we leave?¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡±

    With that,the driver started the car and drove off. After taking a few steps, Raeleigh turned around and watched as the car disappeared in the distance. She held the thick envelope in her arms and gazed at it silently. Then, she looked down at her abdomen before turning around and continuing her journey home.

    In the meantime, Jepherson returned to the Richards Group Manor. He got out of the car and headed straight for Ink Garden.After entering, he immediately noticed Ste and walked towards her.

    ¡°Jepherson.¡±

    Ste was surprised when she saw him. There were indeed so many surprises today!

    ¡°I came to see you.¡±

    ¡°Me? You rarelye to visit me,¡± Ste eximed in sheer delight.

    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s different this time. I came to send you off.¡±

    Jepherson stood there, his words final and harsh. His expression was extremely frigid, which made the air around him freeze up.

 Chapter 1576 A Sudden Phone Call

    Never in a million years did Ste ever thought she¡¯d be asked to leave by Jepherson. So, she sat there for a long time and did not respond. Jepherson immediately asked the servants to pack up Ste¡¯s belongings.

    Ste did not protest. After all, she had no rights within the Richards family. Soon, she was escorted out of the manor by the servants.

    Before Ste left, she took one look at the Richards Group Manor with a mocking smile. She could not believe that Jepherson had done that.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Since Jepherson asked her to leave, then she was going to leave, but she was not going to let this one slide.

    Ste nced at the person pushing her. Suddenlyhe bent down and carried her into the car before closing the door.

    Ste soon left with her men.

    In the car, she asked her servant, ¡°Any idea what Santiago has been up to recently?¡±

    ¡°No, I have no idea.¡±

    ¡°Well, forget it.¡±

    Ste narrowed her eyes and said indifferently, ¡°Jepherson, you forced me to do this. Don¡¯t me me for being heartless.¡±

    ¡­

    Although this was the end of her stay at the Richards Group Manor, it was just the beginning of her revenge.

    Raeleigh did not know why she could not fall asleep. She felt ufortable. It was as if she was about to fall sick. She quickly sat up in bed.

    Raeleigh touched her head and realised that she was drenched in sweat. She got up from the bed and hurried over to Xanthus¡¯ room.

    When Xanthus heard the knock on his door, he immediately opened the door and saw his sister. ¡°It¡¯s sote already. What¡¯s the matter?¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    ¡°I have some tightness in my chest and I feel a little out of breath. I can¡¯t seem to fall asleep. Can you please have a look to see what¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Raeleigh turned around and showed her brother her drenched pajamas.

    ¡°What the¨C?¡±

    It was soaked through!

    ¡°I have no idea what¡¯s wrong. I just don¡¯t feel well.¡±

    Raeleigh did not know what was wrong with herself. All she knew was that she felt unwell.

    Xanthus quickly invited Raeleigh into his room. Thenhe took out his medical kit and started asking her a series of questions. Raeleighy on his bed and shook her head to all of his questions. She wasn¡¯t feeling any pain anywhere. She just felt unwell.

    After Xanthus examined her, he went and alerted their parents. Lamar and Jazelle came out of their rooms and were surprised when they saw Raeleigh drenched in sweat, lying on Xanthus¡¯s bed.

    Jazelle hurriedly over and held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing¡­ I don¡¯t know.I just can¡¯t seem to fall asleep.¡± Raeleigh quickly exined what she felt,not wanting to scare her mother.

    How could Jazelle not worry? She held Raeleigh¡¯s hand tightly and looked at her husband and son, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Xanthus said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. I think it¡¯s best if we went to the hospital and have the doctors examine her.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Jazelle was afraid that there was something wrong with Raeleigh, so she agreed to send her to the hospital.

    As soon as they arrived at the hospital, Raeleigh was immediately wheeled into the emergency room. The doctor did a thorough examination and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with her.

    It was only then that everyone heaved a sigh of relief. All the worry had taken a toll on Raeleigh¡¯s body and she eventually sumbed to sleep.

    Xanthus, who was sitting by her bedside, said, ¡°I think it might be because she¡¯s pregnant. There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±

    ¡°I hope so. I feel bad for the baby.¡± Jazelle said with a worried look on her face. She felt ufortable when she realized how much her daughter had been through.

    ¡°Mom, why don¡¯t you and dad head over to the next room to rest? I will watch over Raeleigh tonight. I will call you if there is anything.¡±

    Xanthus did not want his mother to worry so much.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll stay here with Raeleigh tonight.¡± Jazelle disagreed. She did not want to leave. She felt better staying and taking care of her daughter. She would be very restless if she couldn¡¯t see her.

    ¡°Alright. You can stay here if you want.¡±

    Lamar did not want to leave either. Hetoocould not help but worry when he saw his daughter lying in a hospital bed.

    The first time it happened, they could me it on being young and inexperienced, but what about this time? Could they me it on negligence?

    No way.

    Lamar nced at the extra bed and said, ¡°Your mom and I will sleep on the bed. You can sleep on the couch.¡±

    Although Raeleigh¡¯s ward was quite spacious,there were only three beds and one couch. So, they had to make do with what they had.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make the bed for you.¡± Xanthus got up and went to make the bed. Jazelle and Lamar went to the bed and sat down. They could not help but feel depressed when they saw their daughter. All they knew was that they were not going to allow her to stay in this ce any longer. They did not want to put her life on the line.

    Before falling asleep, Jazelle looked at her husband and said, ¡°No matter what you guys decide, I will not allow her to stay in this ce for long. I can¡¯t take it anymore. My heart aches when I see her.¡±

    Jazelle was in so much pain that tears rolled down her cheeks. She turned around and faced the wall, not wanting to look at her daughter.

    Lamar did not say anything, but he knew his wife was right. They had to take their daughter away from this ce.

    Xanthus sat on the couch and watched Raeleigh. This matter was really urgent, but Raeleigh was very determined. She was going to find that person. Although she did not say it,he knew that Jepherson was not the father of the baby.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh felt much better when she woke up the next morning and had a good appetite.

    After eating, the doctor quickly examined her again and confirmed that she was fine before discharging her. Then the entire family made their way back to Waverly Vige.

    After getting out of the car, Raeleigh entered Waverly Vige and immediately gave Jepherson a call.

    Jepherson sounded exhausted over the phone and answered in a hoarse voice, ¡°We haven¡¯t found him yet. We are still looking for him. I will call you when we find him.¡±

    Jepherson knew why Raeleigh had called him.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a while then said, ¡°Alright.¡±

    Raeleigh hung up the phone. She looked to the sky and could not tell whether she was depressed or not, but she knew she was a little disappointed. It seemed like the higher her expectations, the greater the disappointment. Until now, she still could not find that man.

    Raeleigh decided to take a stroll around Waverly Vige, while her parents went home. Raeleigh stayed with Xanthuswho was parking the car. As soon as he parked the car, Raeleigh¡¯s phone rang.

    Raeleigh lowered her head to answer the phone. She noticed that it was an unknown number and the first person that came to her mind was Austin.

    Raeleigh quickly answered the phone and said, ¡°Hello?¡±

    There was silence on the other side of the phone, followed by an evilugh.

    ¡°Ste.¡± Raeleigh immediately knew it was her. However, she did not expect Ste to call her at this time.

    ¡°Whose call were you waiting for? Jepherson¡¯s?¡± Steughed. Raeleigh frowned and said, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±

    ¡°Whatever. I actually have something to tell you. Are you interested?¡±

    ¡°Well,since you already have my number, regardless of my answer,you¡¯re still going to tell me.¡±

    Raeleigh had changed her phone number. She did not expect Ste to manage to get hold of her new number. Since she had already called, then what else was there to hide?

    ¡°Fine, since you put it that way, then I¡¯ll tell you. However, I have good news and bad news.Which one do you want to hear first?¡± Raeleigh could almost hear her sinister smile over the phone. She felt chills all over her body but it was not because she was afraid of Ste. Itwas just instinct.

    It was strange that Ste was smiling.

 Chapter 1577 Devastated

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I don¡¯t care. It¡¯s up to you.¡±

    ¡°You have guts! Fine, then I will tell you the good news first.¡± Ste hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°You seem to get along well with both Jepherson and Santiago. I bet it¡¯d be hard for you to choose between both of them. Since that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll make the choice for you.¡±

    Raeleigh tightened her hands around her phone. ¡°What have you done to Santiago?¡±

    ¡°What can I do?¡± Ste asked Raeleigh calmly. Irritation pricked at Raeleigh and she knew Ste did it on purpose. Soshe tried her best to keep her cool.

    ¡°Fine. What¡¯s the bad news?¡±

    Raeleigh did not want toengage in a pointless argument with her.

    ¡°The bad news is that I identally hit him on the head. Now, he¡¯s lying unconscious on the ground with blood spilling out of his head.Oh,the good thing is that he¡¯s not going to die. Is this still considered bad news?¡±

    Raeleigh pressed her lips together then bit out. ¡°Where is he?¡±

    ¡°How would I know? You¡¯ll have to find him on your own. I told you I have two pieces of news, not three. I¡¯m not going to tell you where he is.¡±

    Ste hung up the phone and looked at the already unconscious Santiago. She smiled and said, ¡°I genuinely did not expect the domineering Santiagowould actually believe my words all for a woman. What a joke!¡±

    Ste sneered, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s so good about that b*tch that made you all lose your souls.¡±

    ¡°Miss, what should we do now?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    One of Ste¡¯s men asked. She sneered, ¡°He¡¯s already on the verge of death. I doubt he will make it even if someone found him. Dump him somewhere near Waverly Vige. I want that b*tch to know this is the oue for going against me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss Ste.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh hurried out of Waverly Vige while she tried to get Jepherson on the phone. However, Jepherson was not answering her calls. Raeleigh pursed her lips. Her hands and feet were trembling.

    What was Jepherson doing at this time? Why wasn¡¯t he answering his phone?

    After calling Jepherson several times without sess, Raeleigh anxiously made a call to Jacky instead.

    ¡°Can you please help me call Jepherson? Tell him that Santiago¡¯s in trouble and ask him to send his men to find him.¡±

    Raeleigh voice was trembling. Jacky immediately hung up without saying anything.

    While Jacky was busy calling Jepherson, Raeleigh decided to call Zorion and tell him what happened.

    Raeleigh emerged from Waverly Vige and managed to g down a taxi. She knew that since Ste called, it meant that she wanted her to find Santiago. She had a feeling that he was somewhere nearby.

    Raeleigh got into the taxi and instructed the driver to head towards Capital City. However, just as they approached Capital City, she saw three ck cars on the opposite side of the road,ing out of Capital City. Raeleigh quickly asked the driver, ¡°Sir, do you have any idea where those cars are from?¡±

    ¡°Those luxury cars are definitely not from here. It probably belongs to some big shot.¡± The driver was very envious. Raeleigh said, ¡°Can you please follow them? I¡¯m a car designer. I want to have a closer look.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Since you¡¯re so interested, then I¡¯ll do my best to catch up. Please sit tight.¡±

    The driver quickly caught up to those cars. However, they did not get too close. She just wanted to know where they were heading to.

    The car eventually stopped somewhere near Waverly Vige. Two people got out of the car. One of them then went to open the trunk. They took out a ck bag from the trunk and threw it by the side of the road.

    Raeleigh¡¯s heart sank when she saw the ck bag. The driver was also a little nervous and immediately knew that it was not a good sign.

    Raeleigh said at once, ¡°Do not make a sound. We¡¯re dead if they notice us.¡±

    Panic surged through the driver, but he eventually calmed down when he realized how calm andposed Raeleigh was.

    They held their breath until the three ck cars left. Raeleigh immediately opened the car door and darted towards the ck bag.

    Raeleigh hurriedly unzipped the bag and foundSantiago. His entire head was covered in blood. Raeleigh froze for a moment before dragging him out of the bag. Then, she shouted to the driver, ¡°Come quick! We need to save him!¡±

    The driver hesitated for a moment before eventually getting out of the car to help Raeleigh carry Santiago into the car. Raeleigh cradled Santiago¡¯s head as she studied his pale and lifeless face.

    Raeleigh would never forget this moment. No matter how hard she hit him, Santiago had no response.

    When they arrived at the hospital, Santiago was immediately transferred onto a gurney and rushed into the hospital. Raeleigh held his hand tightly and followed alongside. At that time, Xanthus arrived too. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t even remember calling her brother.

    When Xanthus saw Raeleigh, he immediately pulled her into his arms and stopped her from entering the operating room.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡± Xanthus held Raeleigh in his arms. By then, Jepherson was standing behind them. He saw how distraught Raeleigh was.

    Zorion soon appeared in front of Raeleigh. However, Raeleigh walked over to the bench and took a seat, not saying a single word.

    Xanthus was worried that the stress would harm the baby, so he did a quick examination on Raeleigh to make sure that his sister and the baby were fine. Only then,did he heave a sigh of relief.

    Everyone was sitting outside the operating room. Raeleigh wasn¡¯t sure when her parents showed up. She also did not know when Zorion¡¯s parents, as well as Jepherson¡¯s parents, came.

    Jenna was sitting to one side, weeping. Hansen stood beside her, his face pale. This was the first time that Raeleigh had seen this.

    Hannah was also crying as she held Jenna¡¯s hand tightly. Deanna was also there. Although she was pregnant,she was crying the hardest. She could not seem to stop her tears from running down her cheeks.

    Raeleigh was devastated, but she did not know why her palms were sweaty and her whole body felt numb.

    Jazelle walked over to Raeleigh and sat down beside her. She held her daughter in her arms and said, ¡°You have to cry it out when you¡¯re sad. Don¡¯t scare your mother like this.¡±

    Jazelle sounded very distressed when she talked. She did not know what to do.

    Why did God have to punish the kid when it was the adult who was in the wrong? Although she was not fond of Santiago, she did not hate him either. Jazelle felt sorry for him.

    Raeleigh did not cry and remained wooden in her mother¡¯s arms. Jacky had been staring at the operating room for the past three hours, but no one came out to give them an update. At this time, no one knew what was happening inside.

    ¡­

    A few hourster, Santiago was finally wheeled out of the operating room. This time, Jepherson donated his blood to Santiago. Hence, when both of them came out, they were both lying in bed.

    When Raeleigh saw theming out, she immediately rushed over to the doctor and asked how Santiago was doing. The doctor said¡­

 Chapter 1578 Not Willing To Forgive

    The doctor swept a quick nce at the people surrounding him. He looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°We did everything we could. Although he¡¯s still alive right now, he¡¯s never going to wake up. He¡¯s already¡­¡±

    The next moment, Raeleigh cked out before she could finish hearing what the doctor had to say.

    Everyone including the doctors was frightened.

    Xanthus immediately pulled her out of the crowd of people. Everyone were speechless with fear.

    Raeleigh woke up and found herself in a hospital ward. She looked at her mother and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Santiago?¡±

    Jazelle wiped her tears and walked over to Raeleigh, ¡°He¡¯s in his own ward.His family is with him. Your health is more important. You need to take care of yourself first.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jazelle, ¡°Mom, I am fine.¡±

    Although Raeleigh said she was fine, she could not hide the fact that she had fainted again. Deep down, she knew that her body was weak.

    ¡°If you say you¡¯re fine, then why did you faint? It scared the hell out of us.¡± Jazelle was terrified because her daughter was pregnant after all.

    Raeleigh looked at Jazelle, ¡°Mom, I am really fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    Jazelle held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. She looked at her daughter and noticed that she seemed a little off. Tears unknowingly rolled down her cheeks. Raeleigh¡¯s heart ached when she saw her mother crying. She reached out and hugged her mother.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s voice was hoarse. Jazelle held Raeleigh and cried, ¡°I¡¯m scared when I see you like this.¡±

    Jazelle heard that Jenna had fainted several times ever since she found out that Santiago was dered a vegetable. Jenna doted on Santiago the most and could not ept that he would never wake up again.

    Jazelle felt numb all over when she heard it. She never thought that things would end up like this. She could not imagine what she would do if she were in Jenna¡¯s position.

    Raeleigh pushed herself out of her mother¡¯s embrace. After a moment of silence, she said, ¡°I am really fine.¡±

    Jazelle just stared at her daughter. Since Raeleigh did not mention that she wanted to visit Santiago,she kept quiet.

    Raeleighy back for a while. After a long time, she asked Xanthus, ¡°How am I doing?¡±

    ¡°You are in good health. The baby is holding strong even after what you¡¯ve been through.¡± Xanthus did not know what to feel. He never thought that the baby would still be holding strong after going through so much emotional stress.

    Xanthus also did not know what to feel about this baby. After all, he did not know who the baby¡¯s father was.

    Raeleigh smiled, ¡°It seems like the baby is doing much better than the father.¡±

    Raeleigh touched her belly. Jazelle felt sad when she saw her daughter¡¯s happy face.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m hungry. Can you please get me something to eat?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at her mother. When Jazelle heard that her daughter was hungry, she hurriedly wiped her tears and stood up. She did not want her daughter to starve to death.

    ¡°Alright, give me a few minutes.¡± Jazelle turned and went out. Lamar followed closely behind her. Xanthus and Raeleigh were now the only ones left in the room. Raeleigh informed her brother that she wanted to visit Santiago. She asked him how Santiago was doing.

    ¡°He¡¯s now a vegetable. He had a severe head injury.¡± Xanthus did not know how to exin it to Raeleigh, but what else could he say? There was no way to turn back time.

    Raeleigh stared nkly at Xanthus. There was no point getting sad now.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I want to visit him. Can you please ask dad to bring mom home to rest? I want to go and visit Santiago.¡±

    Xanthus was in a dilemma, but he ultimately agreed.

    After Raeleigh got out of bed and got dressed. Xanthus apanied Raeleigh over to Santiago¡¯s ward.

    When Raeleigh arrived outside Santiago¡¯s ward. Jacky and the others were there. When Deanna saw Raeleigh, she immediately stood up.

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡± Deanna said as she approached Raeleigh. Raeleigh did not say anything but looked at the people outside the ward. She could not remember how she ended up there. She stood at the door and looked inside. She swore that this was the first time that she had seen Santiago so quiet. His face was so pale as he slept peacefully. He did not even move his feet. If it wasn¡¯t because of the machines that was helping him breathe, Raeleigh would not believe that he was still alive.

    Santiago¡¯s head was also wrapped in white gauze, which gave one hope that he was still alive.

    Raeleigh pushed the door open and entered the room. She kept her eyes fixed on Santiago who was lying in bed. She stopped and took a deep breath before she continued to walk towards his bedside.

    Raeleigh stopped said, ¡°Santiago, don¡¯t worry, I will avenge you. From now on, no one can stop me from going after Ste. I will make sure she dies in front of you. I want her to pay for what she did to you.¡±

    When Raeleigh said this, both Jepherson and Hansen raised their heads. Jenna also shed tears. ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh looked at them and said, ¡°I know you might not believe my words, but I don¡¯t feel like exining either.¡±

    After saying that, Raeleigh held Santiago¡¯s hands. ¡°Santiago, I know you can hear me.¡±

    ¡°I am pregnant. The baby doesn¡¯t have a father. I need you.¡±

    Tears fell out of Raeleigh¡¯s eyes when she spoke. Her tearsnded on Santiago¡¯s pale hands. Raeleigh continued, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I have to wait three years or thirty years. I promise that I will not get married until you wake up!¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Xanthus was standing at the door. He did not expect Raeleigh to drop such a bombshell.

    He was her brother. How could he bear to watch his sister do this to herself?

    Raeleigh turned to look at Xanthus. ¡°I owe him this. He has me in his heart. Otherwise, he would not have fallen into Ste¡¯s trap.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s lips trembled when she spoke, but she raised her hand to wipe her tears. She looked at Xanthus and said, ¡°You may not understand it because you have no idea how much he loves me.¡±

    ¡°He kept it in his heart and did not let anyone know. I too pretended to be blind to his feelings. I wanted to tell him that I was not worth it, but I could not bring myself to do it.¡±

    ¡°Because I know that he will not listen to me.¡±

    As Raeleigh spoke, she looked at Jepherson, ¡°I will not forgive you. I will not forgive myself either, but I cannot afford to lose another loved one again.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson, I am not ming you, but I will never love you again!¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face was still pale. He hadn¡¯t fully recovered after donating blood to his brother.

    He was also in a daze when Raeleigh came in.

    Jepherson did not answer soRaeleigh continued speaking, ¡°In the vast sea of people, I¡¯m very lucky to have met so many people along the way. I¡¯m very grateful to each and every one of them. I¡¯ve always wanted to walk through life quietly, but I never thought that this road is full of thorns and hardships.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson with a mocking smile. Jepherson slowly clenched his fist.

 Chapter 1579 Escort Her Parents

    Raeleigh fell silent and stared indifferently at Jepherson.

    Thenshe took onest look at Santiago before turning around and leaving.

    She told herself that she would never go back into the arms of a man like Jepherson.

    She used to wear her heart on her sleevesbut she now had a heart of stone. All she wanted was to live a peaceful and normal life. She did not expect it would be so difficult.

    She vowed to avenge Santiago. She would never let Ste go.

    Raeleigh emerged from Santiago¡¯s ward and paused for a moment. Thenshe briefly looked up at Rossie, who was already walking towards her.

    ¡°Raeleigh, we¡¯re also devastated, but you¡¯re pregnant. You have to take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Raeleigh then nced over at Jacky before leaving.

    Jacky watched as Raeleigh walked away. Jacky would never forget the look on her face. Her eyes was filled with coldness. It waspletely different from the Raeleigh he knew.

    Raeleigh returned to her ward and realized that her parents had not gone home. When Lamar and Jazelle saw their daughter, they breathed a sigh of relief.

    They were worried that something would happen to her.

    Jazelle wanted nothing more than to take Raeleigh to a ce where nobody would be able to find them.

    However, it seemed impossible now. Raeleigh had her own thoughts and was very independent.

    ¡°Mom, Dad, sorry for making you worry.¡± Raeleigh entered the ward and immediately apologized to her parents. Jazelle shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s my job as a mother to worry.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and held Jazelle¡¯s hand. ¡°Mom, do you trust me?¡±

    Jazelle was surprised, ¡°Of course, you¡¯re my daughter. Why wouldn¡¯t I trust you?¡±

    ¡°If I told you that I wanted to stay here and take care of Santiago, would you let me?¡± There was tenderness in her eyes, but also determination. Jazelle instantly knew that Raeleigh had made up her mind and there was no way she could change it.

    Jazelle did not want Raeleigh to stay. She lightly squeezed her daughter¡¯s hand. ¡°My dear¡­¡±

    ¡°Mom, I want to stay here. Santiago is in a vegetative state because of me. I can¡¯t just leave him. If I go with you and dad, I will put you both in danger as well. I want to stay here. You and dad should head home. I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯lle home as soon as I can. In the meantime, why don¡¯t you decorate your grandchild¡¯s nursery?¡±

    When Jazelle heard Raeleigh¡¯s words, tears started rolling down her cheeks. She looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°But I¡¯m afraid that something terrible will happen to you!¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t, there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. I¡¯ll be fine.Isn¡¯t there a saying,one who survives a great disaster is destined to good fortune forever after? I¡¯ve experienced so many near deaths yet I¡¯m still alive. I¡¯m sure God will continue to protect me.¡±

    ¡°So, rest assured. I will be fine.¡±

    Jazelle was worried when she saw how calm Raeleigh was. However, it was useless for her to try to change her mind because she knew it was futile.

    Jazelle felt like she lost years of her life after a sleepless night. She woke up the next morning and could not bring herself to get up. Raeleigh stood beside her and looked at Jazelle. Jazelle said, ¡°My dear, is there no way I can convince you toe home with me?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I will do my best to take care of things here as quickly as I can. Wait for me, I will be home before you know it.¡±

    ¡°How about I stay with you?¡± Jazelle did not want to leave. If Raeleigh insisted on staying, then she wanted to stay with her. Only then could she take care of her daughter.

    But Raeleigh rejected her suggestion.

    ¡°No, all of you have to leave. Otherwise, you will end up like Santiago. I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you or dad. If you leave, then Ste only has to deal with me. She is a lunatic. She only wants to hurt the people around me because she gets pleasure from seeing me in pain.¡±

    ¡°As long as you leave,I can find a way to defeat her.¡±

    Jazelle did not say anything immediately. She was extremely sad. She felt as if she was about to lose her daughter.

    If Raeleigh hadn¡¯t had so many near-death experiences, then Jazelle wouldn¡¯t have worried so much. But because she did, she couldn¡¯t help but let her imagination run wild. At this time, she was extremely worried. She was worried that something terrible would happen to her daughter.

    Lamar gently stroked his wife¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Jazelle, we should respect Raeleigh¡¯s decision.¡±

    ¡°So many people want to harm her. It¡¯s dangerous for her to stay. How can I not worry?¡±

    Jazelle almost cried. Lamar held her wife and said, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t cry. We have to face this calmly.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± Jazelle could not seem to think rationally at this point.

    Lamar understood his wife¡¯s feelings. Even he could not ept the fact that Raeleigh wanted to stay there alone.

    However, he had no right to tell his daughter that she couldn¡¯t stay. He owed her a lot after having missed out on more than half of her life. Now, his daughter had to bear the responsibility on her own. As a parent, how could he ept it? But he had no choice.

    Jazelle could not get over her sadness, but she knew that Raeleigh would not change her mind.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Jazelle tried to persuade Raeleigh several times over the past few days to change her mind, but she wouldn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°Raeleigh, do you really want to stay here? Why don¡¯t you let me stay here with you? Jazelle asked Raeleigh again as she was about to fall asleep. Raeleigh shook her head. She felt very guilty, but for everyone¡¯s sake, she knew this was the only way.

    No matter where she went, she knew Ste would hunt her down.

    Jazelle sighed and said, ¡°Fine, if you want to stay, then stay. However,your brother has to stay with you. Otherwise, I will not be at ease.¡±

    In fact, Jazelle wanted to stay, but Raeleigh refused to let her stay. She tried to persuade herbut still could not make her daughter change her mind. So, Lamar had to persuade Jazelle to go back first and make further ns.

    What Raeleigh said was reasonable. After all, Ste had not shown up there yet.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and looked at Xanthus. She nodded and said, ¡°Fine, Xanthus can stay.¡±

    Only then didJazelle breathe a sigh of relief. She was really worried that Raeleigh would not even agree to this.

    ¡°In that case, your dad and I will leave tomorrow. We won¡¯t stand in your way. Keep in mind that you¡¯re pregnant. Don¡¯t do anything that will make me worry.¡±

    Jazelle kept reminding Raeleigh to be careful until they boarded the ne.

    Raeleigh was worried that Ste would appear. So, she asked Jacky and Zorion to escort her parents back.

    It wasn¡¯t until Raeleigh saw her parents off and received a call from Jacky and Zorion that she breathed a sigh of relief.

 Chapter 1580 Could Not Do Anything

    After Raeleigh hung up the phone, she stood up and headed straight to Santiago¡¯s ward. Xanthus immediately stood up and followed her. On the way, he said, ¡°You have to stop running around, otherwise the people around us can¡¯t protect us at all.¡±

    Raeleigh walked in front. She was dressed casually as she was pregnant. Not many people knew it yet, but if Ste knew, she could not imagine what would happen. Fortunately, the weather these days allowed her to dress like this.

    Raeleigh wore a loose-fitting ck outfit that wouldn¡¯t hamper the baby¡¯s development. Xanthus felt that it was suitable as well.

    For the past two days, Raeleigh had rolled up her sleeves. That way, others would not be able to tell that something was off about her.

    Raeleigh¡¯s short hair not only highlighted her natural beauty, but also made her look a little unruly.

    Raeleigh shoved her hands in her pockets and spoke as she walked, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that she won¡¯te. If shees, I can guarantee you that I will not let her off the hook.¡±

    Xanthus nced at his sister. He knew that the incident with Santiago had impacted her greatly, so much so that he felt as if she was a total stranger now.

    Xanthus did not say anything. It was pointless for him to say anything because he knew she wouldn¡¯t listen.

    When Raeleigh arrived at Santiago¡¯s ward, she realized that there were a few people sitting outside his ward. Among them were Rayan and his wife, as well as Deanna.

    Deanna¡¯s stomach was quite huge. It seemed like she was going to give birth any time soon.

    As Raeleigh stared at Deanna, she suddenly remembered that when she was sent to prison, Deanna¡¯s stomach wasn¡¯t that big. At that time, she also hadn¡¯t put on much weight, but now¡­

    If Raeleigh wanted to describe Deanna with one sentence, it would be that she looked as ifshe hadswallowed abasketball!

    ¡°Raeleigh, there are you!¡± Deanna had not seen Raeleigh for a few days. She did not expect Raeleigh to show up looking so charming.

    Deanna was different from normal people. She was very superficial. She mainly looked at people to see whether a person was good-looking or not. In her opinion, Raeleigh was a very attractive and smart woman.

    Raeleigh was currently dressed in an all-ck sports attire.

    From Deanna¡¯s perspective, Raeleigh looked extremely beautiful today.

    In the past, she felt that Raeleigh looked better with long hair. Nowshe felt that Raeleigh looked even more beautiful with short hair.

    ¡°I came to see Santiago.¡± Raeleigh smiled. Although her smile was not forced, there was a mysterious look in her eyes. Only a person who had spent years in the underworld would be able to tell.

    Rayan frowned slightly. He knew that Raeleigh had suffered a lot in life. Right now, it seemed like she would rather wear ayer of armor than ept the good intentions of others.

    Raeleigh released Deanna¡¯s hand and walked towards Santiago¡¯s ward. Deanna unexpectedly lowered her head and looked at her hand. ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh did not stop to look at Deanna. She pretended as if she did not hear her. Deanna looked up at Raeleigh and wondered why she was so indifferent today.

    Xanthus came from the side and exined to Deanna, ¡°Raeleigh¡¯s been in a bad mood recently. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Deanna smiled. She understood how Raeleigh was feeling at this moment.

    Raeleigh walked up to the door of Santiago¡¯s ward and knocked a couple of times.

    This was not only Santiago¡¯s, but also Jepherson¡¯s ward. Not only did the two brothers live in the room, but also their parents, Hansen and Jenna. SoRaeleigh knocked on the door as a sign of respect and courtesy before entering.

    When Alvin heard a knock on the door, he opened the door for Raeleigh. Raeleigh greeted him when she entered, ¡°Mr. Alvin, how are you doing?¡±

    Alvin was surprised and stared at Raeleigh in a daze. He was not surprised to see Raeleigh. Instead, he was surprised by her current outfit.

    She had her sleeves rolled up, revealing her fair arms. When Alvin looked at her, she looked extremely indifferent. Most importantly, there was an overwhelming coldnessing from this girl. This coldness was not only directed towards him, but to everyone else. It was like an invincible majestic force field around her, keeping everyone away.

    He had been through a lot in life but he had never seen any woman exude such coldness. Raeleigh was the first.

    ¡°Come on in.¡±

    Alvin made way for her. Raeleigh stepped inside with a faint smile on her face. She entered the room with her hands inside her pockets. When she walked, she looked somewhat uninhibited.

    Hansen was sitting on the sofa with his wife while his sons were lying in bed. Except for Santiago who was asleep, everyone else watched as Raeleigh entered the room. There was a sense of intimidation.

    For a split second, Jepherson was stunned. However,in the next moment, his heart was empty. No matter how one looked at it, her posture was like that of a ruffian, simr to Santiago¡¯s.

    Raeleigh took her hand out, walked to the front of Hansen, and said, ¡°Hello, Mr. Hansen.¡±

    ¡°Hello.¡± Hansen stared at Raeleigh. He did not hate her at all. On the contrary, he was starting to like her.

    Hansen¡¯s heart ached when he saw his youngest son lying unmoving in bed,pletelyunresponsive. He, as his father, could not avenge his son because he had to consider the overall situation. However, Raeleigh had vowed to avenge Santiago for him.

    Hansen said, ¡°Have your parents arrived home?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°Yes, I just received a phone call from them,¡± Raeleigh replied. Xanthus had also entered the room. He was now not only her brother, but also her bodyguard.

    ¡°Xanthus, you¡¯re here.¡±

    Hansen immediately greeted Xanthus when he saw him. Xanthus said, ¡°Hello, Mr. Hansen.¡±

    ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Hansen said to Raeleigh, ¡°You too, have a seat.¡±

    ¡°I came to visit Santiago.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and walked over to Santiago¡¯s bedside. She sat down and stared at him without saying a word.

    Jepherson was on the other side, watching Raeleigh. She was very calm, but she was expressionless and emotionless.

    After a while, Raeleigh stood up and said, ¡°I wille back and visit tomorrow.¡±

    Then she got up and left with Xanthus. Jepherson stared at the door of the ward and slowly closed his eyes.

    Alvin said, ¡°The Whalen family has been very close to Jacky and Raeleigh recently. It¡¯s very strange.¡±

    Jepherson looked up at Alvin and asked, ¡°Do you have any idea what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure.¡±

    Jepherson took out his phone and called Zorion. At this time, Zorion and Jacky were about to go through airport security when Jacky received a phone call from Jepherson. He briefly nced at his phone, debating whether to answer it, before putting it back into his pocket.

    After sessfully going through security, Jacky¡¯s phone rang again, but he still did not answer.

    Jepherson put down his cell phone and was slightly absent-minded. He looked at his father, Hansen. ¡°I have a feeling they are nning to help Raeleigh.¡±

    Hansen looked at his son and did not speak for a long time. No matter what he said, it would not change the fact that Santiago was now a vegetable.

    Hansen felt as if he had aged overnight. He felt as if the outside world was making fun of him. But this was the first time he was feeling depressed not because others wereughing at him.

    But because his son was most important to him, yet he could not do anything about it.

 Chapter 1581 It Hurts

    Hansen gritted his teeth as he stared at Santiago who was lying in a vegetative state. ¡°Alvin¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards?¡±

    ¡°I want you to ry a message to the people. Tell them to protect Raeleigh at all cost. Offer her anyhelp should sheeverneed it.¡±

    Hansen looked up at Alvin, who was stunned for a moment. ThenAlvin turned to look at Jepherson, who was sitting up in the hospital bed. Alvin was shocked when he heard Hansen¡¯s words.

    Jepherson looked over at his father. He had a determined look on his face. He could tell that his father wanted revenge. He knew his father would not let this matter slide.

    Jepherson stared at his father for a while. He knew that everyone in the family was devastated by what happened to Santiago. Therefore, his father would rather entrust the matter of revenge to Raeleigh than him.

    Jepherson did not say much. The damage this time was too great for him to ept, let alone his parents.

    His mother had yet te to terms with it. She had been drifting in and out of consciousness these past few days. The doctor said that if her condition were to persist, there was a possibility that she would slip into aa and potentially cause permanent damage to her body.

    Jepherson remained silent. Hansen broke the silence and instructed Alvin, ¡°You can go now.¡±

    Alvin nodded and turned to leave. After he left, Hansen stood up and walked to Jenna¡¯s side. He ced his hands on either side of his wife¡¯s body and bent down to look at her. ¡°How are you feeling today?¡±

    Jenna did not speak. Her nose was red while her eyes were swollen and puffy from crying. When she saw Hansen, she could not stop her tears from trickling down her eyes.

    Hansen lowered his head and kissed her bitter tears away. He pressed his face against hers and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯ve let you down again.¡±

    Jenna looked at Hansen. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, but¡­¡±

    ¡°It is¡­ It is my fault. I was being selfish. I wanted to spend more time with you, so I left our sons at home to take care of themselves and even neglected them, which led to the current situation. You can rest assured that from now on, I will never let those covetous people seed.¡±

    Hansen kissed Jenna on the forehead. When he pulled away, Jenna took a good look at him and realized that his head had more white hairs than she remembered.

    Jenna raised her hand to touch his hair before pulling him into a hug, sobbing uncontrobly.

    The pain of losing their son was like a knife piercing through the heart and she was not the only one in pain. How could she ever get over this?

    Furthermore, Santiago was her youngest son, the one she doted on most.

    Jenna hugged Hansen and started bawling.

    Jepherson looked at his parents and then at Santiago, who was sleeping peacefully. The only difference was that he was never going to wake up. Then, Jepherson suddenly turned his face away and closed his eyes tightly.

    Outside the door, when Hannah heard Jenna sobbing in the ward, shestarted crying too. Rayan held his beloved wife in his arms and took a deep breath. He¡¯d be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t in pain. After all, he watched Santiago grow up. Now that things had turned out like this, how could he not feel distressed?

    When Deanna saw her mother crying, she could not help but start crying as well. She was under so much emotional stress that she started to feel nauseous.

    Deanna hurriedly ran to one side to vomit. Rayan quickly alerted his wife before rushing towards their daughter. Deanna could not seem to control herself and kept vomiting repeatedly.

    ¡°Mom¡­ my stomach, it hurts!¡±

    Deanna¡¯s screams frightened her parents. Rayan immediately shouted for help. Fortunately, they were in the hospital. So, Rayan quickly lifted his daughter onto a gurney and followed her into the delivery room.

    However, Jacky was not around and men weren¡¯t allowed to enter the delivery room.Therefore, Rayan wasn¡¯t allowed in. Hannah wanted to be in the room with her daughter, but the nurses told her that she wasn¡¯t allowed in the delivery room either.

    Hannah wasn¡¯t aware of such a rule and was extremely anxious for her daughter. Raeleigh soon rushed over after receiving the news and so did Rossie.

    Raeleigh wanted to go in, but Xanthus said that it was taboo for a pregnant womanwho was not about to give birth, to enter the delivery room.

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus, not knowing whether he was telling the truth or not.

    When Rossie saw the group of people standing outside the delivery room, she immediately asked what happened. Although Hannah and Rossie had not made up, shestill trusted Rossie. She quickly exined to Rossie, ¡°The doctors would not allow us into the delivery room. Deanna is in there alone. I really want to¡­.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll go in and apany her.¡±

    Rossie rushed into the scrub room and quickly changed into some scrubs. When she got entered the delivery room, she heard Deanna screaming in pain.

    Rossie rushed over to hold Deanna¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Deanna, you have to be strong. Otherwise, your baby willugh at you. You¡¯re about to be a mother, you have to push.¡±

    Deanna nodded her head. The doctor had never seen a woman, who was about to give birth, screaming and crying so much. It was exhausting.

    However, their main priority now was to help Deanna deliver her baby.

    For some reason, Deanna said that her stomach was hurting very badly, but in fact, she was just exaggerating her pain.

    The doctor gave her a quick examination and confirmed that she was fine. ¡°We¡¯ll give you anepidural. It¡¯ll take a couple of minutes to go into effect, after that you shouldn¡¯t be able to feel any pain.¡±

    After the doctor said that, he gave Deanna the injection. After a few minutes, Deanna stopped crying as the pain disappeared. The doctors looked at each other and realized that Deanna was actually in pain, but they knew she was also exaggerating a little.

    ¡°Miss Lautner, can we talk outside?¡± The doctor immediately asked Rossie. At this time, Rossie was trying to calm Deanna down with soothing words.

    Outside, the doctor took off his mask and said, ¡°I checked her cervix and she was just starting to dte. The pain she was feeling must be due to the contractions, but I doubt it hurt that much. The injection we gave her wasn¡¯t an epidural, it was just normal fluids.¡±

    Rossie frowned. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°If she dtes faster, then she would be able to give birth today, but judging by how much pain she¡¯s in, I think she will most likely give birth tomorrow. You have to be mentally prepared because she seems to be in a lot of pain even at such an early stage ofbor.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Rossie heard that Deanna loved to exaggerate and she did not believe it until just now. She looked as if she was in a lot of pain when in fact, she wasn¡¯t. The doctor was afraid that something bad would happen to her and the baby, so he thought it was best if he gave Rossie a head¡¯s up.

    ¡°I understand. Thank you for putting up with her. I¡¯ll have to inform her parents. Do you have any suggestions?

    ¡°It¡¯s good if she could give birth tonight. If she doesn¡¯t, then it¡¯s best to have a cesarean section. This is the best solution for both the baby and the mother.¡±

    ¡°If we keep the baby in for too long, the baby might be starved of oxygen which would lead to brain damage, while the mother might experience extreme fatigue.¡±

    Rossie nodded, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll inform her parents. Give me a moment.¡±

    After that, Rossie ran out in search of Hannah.

 Chapter 1582 Need His Help

    When Hannah heard that her daughter may potentially need a cesarean section, she was a little worried. She knew it would be painful and the recovery process was significantly longer than natural birth. Although everyone would like to have a painless delivery,Hannah knew that going under the knife meanta different kind of pain.

    Hannah shook her head and said, ¡°I would prefer for her to have a natural birth. Having a cesarean section would be thest resort. I had to endure such longbor when I gave birth to Deanna and Zorion. I¡¯ve also heard of some people who gave birth to perfectly healthy babies after enduring difficultbor. However, I¡¯ve never heard of any babies having brain damage due tooxygen starvation. Those who have were born with it.¡±

    Hannah looked at her husband and asked, ¡°Rayan, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°But the doctor said that there would be risks.¡±

    Rossie answered truthfully.

    Hannah looked at Rossie and said, ¡°Rossie, I hope you understand that Deanna is my daughter. I want the best for her. Giving birth is something every woman would have to go through. I¡¯ve seen some womenchoose their delivery date and the only way to do that is to have a cesarean section. Although it¡¯s safer for both the baby and the mother, the recovery process is significantly longer.¡±

    Rossie did not say anything. She did not know why Hannah was talking to her about this.

    ¡°I want my daughter to have a natural birth. I would also want the same for my future daughter-inw.¡±

    Hannah looked at Rayan. ¡°Rayan, where are the doctors? We still have time to make a decision.¡±

    Rayan immediately sent someone to inform the doctors. In fact, they already had their own team of doctors on standby. It just slipped their minds because they did not expect Deanna to suddenly have contractions.

    Soon, the team of doctors in the delivery room was reced by Deanna¡¯s obstetrician.Deanna breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her doctor.

    The doctor exined to Deanna her current situation. After that, she was wheeled out of the delivery room.

    When Deanna emerged from the delivery room, she told Rossie and Hannah what her doctor had said. ¡°My doctor told me to wait a couple of days. She said my cervix is not dted enough and I¡¯m told to be put on bed rest.¡±

    Deanna¡¯s cervix was not dted enough and the doctor had prescribedbed rest.So, Deanna just had to follow her doctor¡¯s orders.

    As shey down in bed, she suddenly felt a pain coursed through her body. She frowned and put a piece of chocte in her mouth.

    She smacked her lips as she chewed on the piece of chocte.

    ¡°The doctor said that eating chocte will give me the energy I need to give birth,¡± Deanna said seriously to her parents.

    Hannah had never heard of this and felt that the doctor was just trying to pull her leg.

    In any case, she allowed Deanna to continue eating the chocte. After a while, she looked at her daughter and said, ¡°You must tell me if you¡¯re in pain. Don¡¯t try to hide it.¡±

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m not in any pain right now. The doctor said that if I had a cesarean section, it would leave a huge scar. Although I might be able to recover faster, it¡¯ll have a long-term effect on the body. The doctor also said that there¡¯s a one in ten thousand chance the surgery could go wrong.Even if in most cases, the baby and mother woulde out fine, I¡¯d rather not take the risk.¡±

    Raeleigh stood aside, hearing Deanna¡¯s words. She felt that Deanna was a person who was easily convinced. Although, the odds were low, but there was still a chance that the surgery could go wrong. Raeleigh was an experienced woman. One thing she knew was that if a mother was destined to have the baby, then the mother would have a safe delivery.

    Just like her. Although she lost her first baby, but she was now pregnant with another one.

    When she was pregnant the first time, she was very cautious, but in the end, she still lost the baby. However, this baby was different. She had a strong feeling that this baby would be born safely.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know, but regardless, it¡¯s still going to hurt.¡±

    Hannah still had to remind her daughter. Deanna said, ¡°I know it¡¯ll hurt. I have to push a baby out of my body, it¡¯s definitely going to hurt. Besides¡­¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Deanna thought back to the time when she and Jacky first got together. If she managed to endure the immense pain back then and survive, this was nothing.

    Therefore, Deanna was not very worried.

    Hannah stood up. Since she had managed to calm her daughter down, then the next thing to do was to wait for her to give birth.

    She was confident that nothing bad was going to happen in the next two days.

    That night, Deanna began to feel pain and started to pant. When the pain subsided, she looked at her belly and said, ¡°Come on babies, be good.¡±

    After a while, she said, ¡°I bet I was like that when I was in your grandmother¡¯s stomach. It¡¯s alright, I will love you both regardless.¡±

    Deanna continued to talk to her babies. The people who saw her did not know whether tough or cry.

    Raeleigh sat in her room. She would asionally stand up and go out for a walk. Although she knew that giving birth was very painful, especially after seeing Deanna in pain all day,it did not scare her. On the contrary, she felt being able to give birth was a very sacred thing.

    When Jepherson saw Raeleigh sitting along the corridor,he walked up to her and asked, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, why are you still not in bed?¡±

    She was pregnant and it was not advisable for her to stay up sote.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I just want to sit here for a few minutes. I¡¯ll head back soon. What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I came to see how Deanna¡¯s doing,¡± Jepherson said as he stood in front of Raeleigh. After a while, he turned around and walked up to Deanna¡¯s ward.

    Jepherson was very calm when he walked away.

    Jepherson wasn¡¯t lying when he said he came to see how Deanna was doing, but he also wanted to see Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh watched Jepherson as he entered Deanna¡¯s room. She did not show any expression on her face.

    However, Raeleigh did not leave.

    After a while, Jepherson emerged from Deanna¡¯s wardon the maternity floor. The environment there was a little different than the other floors. Most of the people on that floor were family members of expecting mothers.

    When Jepherson came out of Deanna¡¯s room and saw that Raeleigh had not return to her room like she said she would, he asked, ¡°What are you still doing here?¡±

    Raeleigh was about to fall asleep. When she heard that Jepherson¡¯s voice, she raised her head and looked at him thensaid, ¡°I¡¯ll head back soon.¡±

    Jepherson walked up to Raeleigh and sat down beside her.

    He just wanted to see how long it would take for Raeleigh to finally return to her room. However, she did not go back until dawn.

    When Jepherson sawthe first appearance of light in the sky, he knew that he had to head back to his room.He got up and walked towards the elevator.

    Raeleigh just sat there, not looking at him.

    She knew it was hard to get over a person. If the person did not hurt her, she could chalk it up to experience. However, if the person hurt her, then she would not be able to forgive them.

    Raeleigh leaned against Xanthus and closed her eyes, feeling sleepy. Xanthus hugged Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to see him, why don¡¯t you just tell him straight? Why do you have to hurt yourself like this?¡±

    Raeleigh wrapped her arms around Xanthus¡¯s. ¡°I have no choice. He¡¯s the only one who can help me find the person I¡¯m looking for. I need his help.¡±

    Xanthus sighed. ¡°Have you tried looking for the person yourself?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve tried, but I couldn¡¯t find him.¡±

    If Raeleigh had a solution, she would not have asked Jepherson for help. Unfortunately, she did not have a solution.

    Xanthus patted Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Alright, get some rest.¡±

    Raeleigh rested her head on Xanthus¡¯s shoulder and closed her eyes to rest.

    All she could think about was Jepherson and Santiago. However, she was awakened just as she was about to fall into a deep sleep.

    Xanthus held Raeleigh¡¯s head and called her name. Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Xanthus. It took her a long time before she realized that she was dreaming.

 Chapter 1583 Twins

    The moment Raeleigh woke up, she could hear Deanna screaming. It sounded like she was in a lot of pain this time.

    Raeleigh hurried into the room and saw Deanna crying in pain. Hannah¡¯s heart felt hurt when she saw her daughter in so much pain.

    The most annoying thing was that none of Jacky¡¯s family was there in the hospital.

    Since Jacky wasn¡¯t there, they couldn¡¯t do anything either.

    Hannah was close to asking Deanna to have the surgerybut she bit her tongue.

    Everyone could not wait for Deanna to finally go into activebor. In the end, they waited for an entire day but Deanna was still not ready to give birth yet.

    The doctor continuouslymonitored thedtionof hercervix.That night, when the doctor came out of the ward, alookofpanrossedher face. She froze when she saw Rayan.

    When Rayan saw the look on the doctor¡¯s face, he demanded, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    The doctor said in a trembling voice, ¡°It can¡¯t be! I must be dreaming!¡±

    ¡°Rayan.¡± Hannah was frightened by the doctor¡¯s words. She was worried that there was something wrong with her daughter or the baby.

    ¡°Spit it out!¡± Rayan looked at the doctor and said impatiently.

    ¡°She¡¯s having twins.¡±

    The doctor suddenly announced.

    In her years of experience as an obstetrician, this would be her first time birthing twins. Although Deanna came for an ultrasound every fortnight, it failed to show that she was bearing twins.

    If she did not keep her medical records, she wouldn¡¯t believe that this was actually happening.

    Rayan and Hannah looked at each other, both stunned for a moment. Then, Hannah said, ¡°How is it possible?¡±

    Rayan held his wife in his arms and thought for a moment. ¡°What should we do now?¡±

    ¡°I just did an ultrasound and I realized that there were two heartbeats. It¡¯s toote to do anything else now. I have no choice but to do a cesarean section.¡±

    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Rayan bellowed. Her daughter¡¯s and her babies¡¯ life were on the line. He could not believe that for the past eight months, the doctor failed to notice that Deanna had two babies in her stomach and not one.

    ¡°What the hell are these doctors doing?¡±

    Rayan¡¯s patience was wearing thin. They had waited nearly fifty hours, yet the babies were still not yet born.

    Just as the doctor was about to enter the room to prepare Deanna for delivery, Jacky exited the elevator and toss his briefcase aside.He took off his coat and ran towards the delivery room. The sound of his leather shoes squeaking against the floor could be heard. By the time Raeleigh looked up, Jacky was already in front of her.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Rayan¡¯s face fell slightly. He did not remember anyone informing Jacky that Deanna was about to deliver. He wondered whether it was his son who told him?

    Rayan looked over at Zorion, but the look in his son¡¯s eyes told him that it was not him.

    ¡°Deanna!Where¡¯s Deanna?¡± Jacky frantically asked. He could not think of anything else but Deanna.

    The doctor wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, so she did not answer him.

    Raeleigh then spoke up, ¡°She¡¯s inside. The doctor just found out that she¡¯s having twins. She might be in danger. They need someone to sign the consent form and to decide whether she was going to have a natural birth or a C-section.¡±

    Jacky paused for a moment before walking towards the delivery room. As he walked, he asked, ¡°How dted is she?¡±

    Everyone around them was stunned. By the time they came back to their senses, Jacky had already run into the delivery room. The doctor quickly followed.

    After entering the door, Jacky hurried over to Deanna and reached out to hold her hand, giving her a boost of energy.

    The surrounding people were a little dumbstruck as they watched. The obstetrician then asked Jacky, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m her husband.¡±

    The doctor was stunned. She had no idea that Deanna was married.

    However, it did not matter. Without him, Deanna would not be in here today.

    The doctor quickly asked, ¡°She and the babies are in danger now.Would you like her to have the surgery or not?¡±

    The doctor wanted Jacky to make the decision. In case anything happened, she would bedischarged of any liabilities.

    Jacky asked, ¡°Can you check how dted she is?¡±

    Theobstetrician wasa little confused. They wondered whether Jacky had studied medicine before because he seemed very knowledgeable.

    However, theobstetriciansaid, ¡°She¡¯s about 1cm dted.The babies are in a posterior position, but her cervix is not dted enough¡­¡±

    Theobstetrician quickly examined Deanna again. This time, she waspletely stunned. She raised his head and looked at Jacky, ¡°She¡¯s fully dted.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to deliver the babies right away.¡±

    Jacky immediately took control of the situation. Deanna¡¯s eyes widened in shock.

    Theobstetricianquickly gave Deanna an epidural, but Deanna suddenly started crying and screaming. Jacky reached out for her hand and looked at theobstetrician, who immediately went to check her cervix.She could feel one of the baby¡¯s heads.

    ¡°The baby¡¯s head is out. Deanna, I need you to push.¡±

    Jacky immediately lowered his head and looked at Deanna, ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve practiced this before. You need to push.¡±

    Deanna thought for a moment and did as she was told. A few minutester, her first baby was born.

    Deanna did not have any more strength to push upon hearing her baby¡¯s cry. Jacky did not rx and tightly held Deanna¡¯s hand, ¡°Deanna, there¡¯s still another baby. Come on, don¡¯t fall asleep yet.¡±

    Deanna was exhausted and wanted to fall asleep. But before she knew it,her second baby was born. She barely used any strength.

    After hearing the cries of her second baby, Deanna finally fell asleep.

    Jacky did not dare to let go of Deanna as he was afraid that something would happen to her. He did not even dare to look at his babies. Only when a doctor confirmed that Deanna was fine did Jacky finally let out a sigh of relief. He kissed Deanna and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Then, he carried her out of the delivery room.

    After the delivery, the doctor requested for Deanna to rest for half an hour in the delivery room before heading back to her ward. Half an hourter, a gurney was pushed into the delivery room to take Deanna back to her room. However, Jacky did not want Deanna to feel ufortable.

    So he carriedDeanna all the way back to her room, which was on the VIP floor.

    Hannah and Rayan had been waiting outside ever since Jacky entered the delivery room. When they saw Jacky emerge from the room, they breathed a sigh of relief and followed him back to Deanna¡¯s ward. Zorion followed closely behind them.

    After entering Deanna¡¯s ward, Jacky did not leave. He briefly tidied up while Deanna slept. She was so exhausted from giving birth that she fell asleep not long after shey on the bed. She did not even bother checking to see what gender her babies were before falling asleep.

    When the obstetrician saw how nervous Jacky was, she told him, ¡°She¡¯s fine. She¡¯s probably tired after giving birth.¡±

    Only then did Jacky calm down. He looked at the doctor and extended his hand, ¡°Thank you so much.¡±

    The doctor paused for a moment before shaking his hand. ¡°You¡¯re wee. We were just doing our job.¡±

    Jacky shook each and every one of the doctors and nurses¡¯ hands to thank them. Thenhe looked over at Deanna, not wanting to check on his babies yet.

    Rayan stood in the corner and observed Jacky. He could see that Jacky was very attentive to Deanna.

    Soon, the doctors filtered out of the room. When Jacky heard the babies crying, he turned around and looked at them. Inside the bassy two little babies that were crying and waiting to be fed. They were made out of love and were both very adorable.

 Chapter 1584 Shortness of Breath

    Jacky walked over and gaped at his two babies, who were so good-looking. They looked exactly the same. They were fair and clean, their eyes were dark and bright. Even though he was probably biased,he thought that their appearances were out of this world.

    Jacky lowered his head to gaze at the two babies that were being carried.He asked, ¡°A boy and a girl?¡±

    Hannah liked them very much whereas Zorion could only envy Jacky. Rossie also felt that this was a miracle.

    ¡°Two boys.¡±

    Hannah¡¯s words befuddled Jacky for a second. After that, he raised his head to look at Hannah while wearing a disappointed expression.

    Hannah didn¡¯t apprehend why he wore such an expression when her daughter had just given birth to two sons for him. She wondered why he didn¡¯t rejoice at it.

    Jacky lowered his head to stare at his two babies, extending his hand to touch their little faces before turning around to look at Deanna.

    Hannah was not very pleased with him. She shot a nce at her husband. ¡°Rayan?¡±

    ¡°He wants a daughter.¡± Rayan was pretty candid. Only then did Hannah understand.But she couldn¡¯t bear to let Deanna go through all that pain and difficulty to give birth to another child. What was wrong with having sons? Wasn¡¯t it the same?

    Jacky sat down. He came back in a hurry,and almost got into an ident in his haste.

    Holding Deanna¡¯s soft and limplittle hand, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. He and Deanna were immersed in the bliss of bing parents as everyone else fell silent.

    Raeleigh watched as the babies left. Thinking of Jacky¡¯s anxious and reckless look when he was perturbed about Deanna, Raeleigh grinned.

    Both Jacky and Jepherson were men. Seeing how fearless Jacky was when he loved someone, Raeleigh started to question why Jepherson dithered so much in their rtionship.

    Raeleigh left Deanna¡¯s room. It was only after she had rested for a day that she went to visit Santiago. Entering the ward, she sat down and told Santiago about Deanna giving birth to two sons. It was as if it were only the both of them in the ward.

    Raeleigh stood up and bid him a farewell before she left.

    Sitting in the ward, Jepherson fixed his eyes at the door of the ward. It took him a long time toe back to his senses.

    Jenna sat down next to her eldest son and held his hand. ¡°Jerry,it isn¡¯t your fault. Don¡¯t me yourself. This isn¡¯t right.¡±

    He looked at his mother. ¡°I got it.¡±

    Jenna was startled momentarily. Her heart ached for her son. Although he said that he understood, he was not the sort of person who could easily let go.

    Jepherson held Jenna¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Mom,you can rest assured that I¡¯ll definitely find a way to cure Santiago.¡±

    Hearing her son¡¯s words, Jenna couldn¡¯t help shedding tears.

    Jepherson lifted his hand to wipe off Jenna¡¯s tears. It took them a long while to pull themselves together.

    In the afternoon, Jenna went to have a check-up, visit Deanna and her babies, and then went back to lie down.

    The doctor gave her an injection as well.

    When Jenna woke up in the evening, only her husband and youngest son were in the room. She didn¡¯t see her eldest son. Hence, she got up and asked curiously. ¡°Where is Jerry?¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°He went out.¡± Hansen had fallen asleep too. When Jepherson left, he had instructed Alvin not to disturb their sleep. As a result, Jenna rose to find that he had gone.

    ¡°Went out?¡± Jenna was a little worried¡­

    Jepherson went home first. Afterward, he drove out,searching for someone.

    Jared drove another car, following behind Jepherson. He was very apprehensive about Jepherson driving out alone, especially when his body had yet to recuperate.

    Jared had originally been by Santiago¡¯s side to protect him. However, because Raeleigh wanted to look for Austin,Jepherson had him follow her instead.

    If he had not done so, Santiago would not have wound up in the hospital.

    Due to this, Jepherson couldn¡¯t stop ming himself.

    Jared had already told Alvin about Jepherson¡¯s actions. He did not dare to leave Jepherson alone at the moment.

    Jepherson was speeding. Once he reached the highway, he elerated until Jared eventually lost sight of his car.

    Jared tried to catch upto jephersonbut failed.

    Rubbing his forehead, Jared didn¡¯t give up. He continued trying to catch up with Jepherson.

    In the end, Jepherson stopped his car at the foot of a hill and got out of the car. He climbed the hill then stood motionless at the top,looking down.

    Jared approached Jepherson from behind andasked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Jepherson turned around and darted a nce at him. Following that, Jepherson sized him up and asked, ¡°How long has it been since yourst fight?¡±

    He instinctively wanted to retreat. however, there was no escape.

    ¡°Why do you have to do this?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to fight or not?¡±

    Jared was silent for a bit. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Jared unbuttoned his cuffs and put himself into a fighting stance. Jepherson made his way toward Jared, who unconsciously backed away.

    .¡­..

    After awhile¡­

    Jared descended the hill with multiplebruises on his face.

    Jepherson walked ahead, followed by Jared. Along the way, Jepherson did not say a word untilhe reached the foot of the hill. He said, ¡°Collect all the evidence regarding the Doyle family¡¯s crimes and put them on the Inte.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to know what I want to do.¡±

    Jepherson got into the car, started the engine, and left like greased lightning.

    After Jared got into his car, he called Alvin, notifying him of what had happened.

    After hanging up, Alvin told Hansen what he had learned. Hansen was speechless. Alvin then asked, ¡°Will it cause trouble for the Old Lady?¡±

    ¡°Inform the Old Master of Santiago¡¯s condition.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Alvin apprised Trevor of what had happened to Santiago. When Trevor received the call, he suddenly slumped onto the sofa. As his heart sank, he raised his hand to clutch his chest.

    Marissa was watching television at first. When she saw her husband, she nched in fright. She instantly went over to hold Trevor and inquired about what happened.Trevor gritted his teeth and was wordless. His breathing became heavier and heavier as he clutched his chest tightly.

    Marrisa called the servants for help. She wanted to go to the hospital immediately, but Trevor shook his head and refused to go. Instead, he asked them to book a flight for Capital City.

    Marissa had no idea what was going on. She was so engrossed in taking care of Trevor that she lost track of how they went to the airport.

    They arrived just in timeto find out that all flights were grounded. Thus, they had to head for Capital City by car.

    Along the way, Trevor did not even drink a drop of water. He appeared very frail, as though he had aged a few decades.

    Marissa was so scared that she did not know what to do. She guessed that something had happened in Capital Citybut she dared not ask what.

    The car arrived in Capital City six hourster. By that time, the sky was still dark.

    Trevor emerged from the car and walked into the hospital. Behind him, Marissa¡¯s heart was thumping wildly. She was very clear that her husband would not have behaved like this if it was not rted to somebody¡¯s life.

    It was precisely because of this that Marissa did not dare to ask more.

    When they reached the ICU, Marissa had her heart in her mouth. Alvin, who was standing outside, greeted Trevor immediately as soon as he saw him. ¡°Hello, Mr. Trevor.¡±

    Trevor nced at Alvin and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Santiago?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s inside.¡±

    Alvin pushed the door open for Trevor to enter. The first thing that came into his sight was a sickbed. The person lying on it was none other than Santiago.

    Walking inside, Trevor felt as if his legs were filled with lead. That was his iparable grandson.The agony of seeing him motionless on the sickbed was like a piece of flesh was ripped off his body. It was so agonizing that he couldn¡¯t breathe properly.

    Step by step, he walked to Santiago and stood there in a daze. Marissa enteredter. Looking at Santiago, who was lying on the sickbed, and thinking about what had happened that day, Marrisa¡¯s face gradually turned ashen. She was suddenly unable to catch her breath. She copsed at the door.

 Chapter 1585 Driving Her Crazy

    Marissa opened her eyes to find that half of her body was numb, and her mouth was crooked. In short, she lost control of half of her body.

    Gazing at her husband, who sat there in a daze, a fine trickle of drool leaked from the corner of her mouth.

    Jenna swiftly took a tissue paper to wipe it off.

    Marissa had been iron-willed all her life. She didn¡¯t expect herself to end up like this. She blinked her eyes and burst into tears. She wanted to say something, but failed to utter even a single word. She beganweeping like a little child.

    Jenna quickly said, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t cry. The doctor said that it¡¯s a stroke, and acupuncture will cure it.¡±

    Marissa shook her head in disbelief. How could a mere stroke make her lose control of half of her body?

    Jenna was also distressed and couldn¡¯t help but shed tears. Seeing her shedding tears,Marissa sobbed harder.

    Trevor lifted his hand to wipe away Marissa¡¯s tears. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. The bad guys haven¡¯t died yet, it¡¯s not the time for crying!¡±

    Marissa opened her mouth, trying to reply, but to no avail. She could only weep while she stared at Trevor.

    Trevor let out a long sigh and swallowed the tears that were about to pour out. ¡°All of this is because of what the Doyle family did twenty years ago. I won¡¯t let it off.¡±

    Marissa stared into space.Thenshe slowly turned her face and looked around. After a long time, she began to sob again.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Hansen sat by the side, watching his family. He could not help but feel dejected.

    This was what Raeleigh saw, but she wasn¡¯t there to visit Marissa. She was there for Santiago.

    She sat down and wiped his hands. The gauze on Santiago¡¯s head had already been removed. Raeleigh brought a pair of scissors to cut his hair.

    After that, she stood up and left.

    Hansen sat there in a daze while Jenna was sitting morosely beside him.

    The next morning,news about the Doyle family was published on international websites. Ste was lost in thought when she saw the news on the Inte.

    At this time, the Doyle family was also checking the websites.Interpol officers had ced them under investigation.

    A lot of negative news was circting. Each published crime was sufficient to p the Doyle family with awsuit or send them to jail.

    When Geraldine heard the servant say that Interpol officers were investigating them, she raised her head and was visibly displeased.¡°Ste is too willful. It¡¯s just a trivial matter, yet she¡¯s so impatient. What a disappointing child.¡±

    Somebody got up and asked, ¡°What do you think we should do?¡±

    ¡°Humph, what else can we do? You are the head of the Doyle family. Now that your daughter has gotten us into trouble. What do you think we should do?¡±

    Geraldine was an iron-fisteddy, just like a despotic ruler. She was impartial and would not be flustered by anyone. She would deal with every problem ruthlessly.

    In her mind, those who caused trouble should shoulder the me.

    Ste¡¯s father was slightly taken aback. It didn¡¯t ur to him that his mother would be so merciless.

    Nevertheless, he did not dare toin. He was well aware that his mother would not spare him if he made an unwise decision.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Turning around, he went to the door and opened it. There was a man standing outside.

    Lenold raised his hand to show his badge to Ste¡¯s father while saying, ¡°I¡¯m Lenold Matthews from Interpol. I¡¯m here to investigate a case. I hope you can cooperate with the investigation.¡±

    ¡°Pleasee in.¡±

    Ste¡¯s father invited him in.

    After Lenold entered, he was invited to sit down.Geraldine didnot want to involve herself in the case. She stood up and was about to go upstairs.

    However, as soon as she got up, she was stopped by Lenold.

    ¡°Madam Geraldine, please stay. I have another case that requires your assistance.¡±

    Geraldine stopped, turned around slowly, and gazed at him with a strange look. ¡°My assistance?¡±

    ¡°Yes, madam.¡±

    ¡°What can an olddy like me do for you?¡±

    She found it rib-ticklingly hrious. Even though she was old, it could be seen that she was still energetic, especially from that pair of bright eyes of hers.

    Lenold hade with a few subordinates. While sizing her up with amusement, he said, ¡°I¡¯m in charge of a case that happened many years ago. It is rted to the Jowarl Gang some twenty years ago. At present, we have received reports that you and your husband were the ones behind it.¡±

    There was an inquiring look in Geraldine¡¯s gaze,the skin on her face moved as she said, ¡°Despite my age, my memory still serves me well. Why don¡¯t I remember knowing anything about the Jowarl Gang?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see if you know them after the investigation. Please sit down, Madam Geraldine.¡±

    Lenold stretched out his hand and gestured for Geraldine to sit down. She nced at the people standing by on either side of the room before she walked to the sofa and sat down. Following that, she cast a deep nce at Lenold and turned her head away disdainfully.

    Meanwhile, Lenold said, ¡°I¡¯ve some photos here,Madam Geraldine. Please have a look. Do you recognize these items?¡±

    Lenold took out the photos and ced them on the table. Geraldine looked down at these photos and browsed through them one by one. After a long time, a hint of mocking flitted across the bottom of her eyes.She pushed the photos on the table away. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. Although my family used to in these things years ago,I have never seen these items.¡±

    Lenold cracked a smile. ¡°Do you want to take a closer look? I intercepted these antiques some time ago. Otherwise, they would have entered the market. These are national treasures. Stealing them is a capital crime.¡±

    ¡°This must be a joke. Without touching them, how can we know it just based on a few photos?¡±

    It seemed absurd to Geraldine.

    Only then did Lenold say, ¡°Madam Geraldine, since you¡¯ve no idea about them, then forget it. I will go back and continue to investigate. I think the truth wille to light eventually.¡±

    ¡°Then I wish you a happy sess.¡±

    Geraldine said so with a fake smile.

    Lenold stood up and looked at the people from the Doyle family. ¡°I came here for this batch of antiques. If I can¡¯t find anything useful, I will have nothing to report to my boss. In that case, I don¡¯t mind dropping by a few more times.¡±

    After saying that, Lenold left. Geraldine gripped her cane tightlyand her face turned ugly.

    Her son saw Lenold off at the door, then came to her. Hebowed respectfully and replied obsequiously like a servant, ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡±

    Geraldine pped her son without another word.

    Her son didn¡¯t dare to move. He just raised his hand to cover his face.

    ¡°What have you done?At my advanced age,why do I still have to go through all of these sufferings with you dumbheads? Don¡¯t you feel sorry for me? Look at what you¡¯ve allowed to happen!¡±

    Geraldine gnashed her teeth in anger.

    Ste¡¯s father lowered his head and didn¡¯t dare to lift it up. It was not until Geraldine asked him to get lost that he dared to leave.

    .¡­..

    Lenold left the Doyle family house called Jepherson. ¡°I¡¯ve done ording to your request. Indeed, she has something to do with it. When I questioned that old woman, her expression darkened.¡±

    ¡°Visit them again tomorrow. Do it once a day for a week except for the weekend.¡±

    Jepherson hung up after telling him so. Lenold looked at the phone and asked strangely, ¡°Is he nning to drive Geraldine crazy?¡±

 Chapter 1586 They Left

    As Lenold continued staying overseas, Raeleigh could not contact him. Therefore, she went to ask Jepherson about him the next day.

    Jepherson was sitting outside the ward with his eyes closed. When she approached, he opened his eyes. It wasas though he had heard her footsteps.

    Raeleigh stopped short. Jepherson stared at thately yet cold face of hers.

    After a long time, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    There was a note of apathy in his voice. Xanthus, who followed behind Raeleigh, felt helpless.

    He thoughtsnidely,¡°Go on, continue to torture each other. You two idiots!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to ask you for Lenold¡¯s contact information. Give me his phone number. I will contact him myself. If I fail, I¡¯ll find another way on my own.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send it to you.¡±

    Jepherson gave his cooperation without hesitation, which surprised Raeleigh.

    However, the surprise onlysted for a brief time. Raeleigh soon took out her phone and waited for him to send her Lenold¡¯s contact information.

    Jepherson sent it to her instantly.

    Getting the information she desired, Raeleigh called Lenold, but no one answered, Raeleigh didn¡¯t show much expression, and she kept calling while going to visit Santiago.

    Raeleigh was still on the phone when she entered the ward. Other than saying hello to Hansen, everything else was the same as ever.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    She sat down and made more than a dozen phone calls, but no one picked up. Leaving the ward, she went outside to find Jepherson and tell him in person that Lenold didn¡¯t answer her calls.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t pick up my calls.¡±

    Raeleigh stood there, waiting for Jepherson¡¯s reply. He took out his phone and made a call to Lenold.

    It took a long time for Lenold to answer. In reality, he was pretending to be sleeping. He spoke with an indolent tone of voice while watching a TV series.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the time now? Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s time for me to sleep?¡± As Lenold talked, he yawned. Jepherson replied offhandedly, ¡°Save Raeleigh¡¯s phone number in your contact. If she calls you, just do as she says.¡±

    ¡°The signal here is not good. What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you the number.¡±

    Jepherson did not buy his excuse of not having a good signal. He hung up directly and sent a message to Lenold.

    Looking at his phone, Lenold rubbed his forehead. After that, he continued watching TV while putting his phone aside.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Jepherson raised his bottomless eyes and said, ¡°He may not answer your calls at first. Try calling him a few more times andhe will probably answer.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Raeleigh gave a short reply, turned, and left.

    Jepherson looked at her back until she had gone out of his sight. Only then did he close in eyes to take a nap.

    Marissa had been crying her eyes out over the past two days. It had never urred to her that Ste would ruin her family. Even until then, she still found it hard to believe that Ste had pulled strings behind closed doors and harmed Santiago.

    But reality spokefor itself.

    Marissa experienced a sharp pang of remorse. Now she didn¡¯t even have the ability to get up by herself. She was worn out both physically and mentally.

    Seeing her sobbing, Jenna¡¯s heart went out to her. Despite being a disappointment sometimes, Marissa was still her husband¡¯s mother after all. They have been getting along over the years as mother and daughter-inw. Additionally, she was the one who raised Jerry.

    Thinking of the past, although the results of Marissa¡¯s doings were disheartening, she did them for the good of the family. Jenna wiped the tears on Marissa¡¯s face while resisting the impulse to weep.

    Trevor stood up and walked toward the windows. He stood by the windows whereas his son, Hansen, sat by the window. The entire ward had been filled with a mood of discouragement. Even the air they exhaled held a sense of bitterness.

    Trevor had never imagined that a mistake in his youth would be the cause of such devastating trouble.

    The Doyle family had gone too far.

    Neither the glory of the Richards family in Capital City nor the reputation and status of the Richards family was their target. What they wanted to obliterate was the Richards family¡¯s future.

    If the Doyle family was not eradicated, he wouldn¡¯t rest in peace. Trying to murder his grandson was unforgivable.

    Trevor slowly closed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll turn myself in tomorrow. The rest is up to you.¡±

    Trevor told Hansen, who then lifted his head and looked over. There was not a hint of surprise in Hansen¡¯s nonchnt gaze. He had long since envisioned such an oue.

    Afterward,both father and sonpsed into silence. Jenna raised her head to look at Trevor. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re getting oldand Mom is in this state. If you leave, she may not be able to recover.¡±

    Trevor didn¡¯t turn around. He sighed softly. ¡°The Doyle family has crossed the line. I can¡¯t just let it slide. Be it Jepherson or Santiago, they¡¯re the apples of my eye.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not scared to die. If they came after me, that would be fine. But they didn¡¯t!Theyid their hands on my grandson. I won¡¯t let it go even if I died.¡±

    Hansen stood up. ¡°Dad, let Jerry handle it. With Santiago¡¯s current condition, if I don¡¯t give Jerry a chance to vent his rage, something bad will happen to him too.¡±

    Trevor gazed at Hansen for a long while. ¡°No matter how sharp a de is, it¡¯s meaningless if there¡¯s nobody to hold it. The de of the Doyle family isn¡¯t sharp, but the person holding it is ruthless. This is what our family has failed to learn from them.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that we aren¡¯t ruthless. This matter may be a turning point.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that after this turning point, he is no longer human, but a monster.¡±

    When Trevor spoke, Jenna couldn¡¯t help but shed two more drops of tears. Then, she left to avoid them.

    Seeing Jenna go into the washroom, Trevor said, ¡°Go and have a look.¡±

    Only then did Hansen walk to the washroom and knock on the door Heasked Jenna to open the door for him.

    Jenna was busy wiping her tears beforeing out.

    When they came face-to-face, Hansen pinched her chin. ¡°Everything will be fine, evenSantiago. I¡¯ve already contacted foreign experts. Let¡¯s bring Santiago abroad for treatment. We¡¯lle back after he has recuperated. Rayan is going to take care of things here and help us look after Jerry.¡±

    ¡°Mom and Dad will go with us this time. Let¡¯s focus on treating Santiago first.¡±

    Jenna threw herself into the arms of Hansen, crying heartbreakingly.

    Outside the door, Jepherson slowly closed his eyes and sat as still as a rock.

    On that day, both Scarlette and Hadrian were there. They dared not enter because they were afraid to see Santiago¡¯s condition. They could only hide outside the door and pour out their sadness.

    Especially Scarlette. Her face was covered in a flood of uncontroble tears.

    When Raeleigh went to visit Santiago the next day, the members of the Richards family were not there anymore. There was no one outside the ward. Raeleigh walked to Santiago¡¯s wardand opened the door only to find that the ward was empty. There was no trace of him left.

    Raeleigh turned to find out what happened. Xanthus had already gone to look for the doctor and nurse. They weretold that the family had left the night before.

 Chapter 1587 What Was in Her Mind

    Raeleigh went to visit Deanna, who had recovered a lot over the past two days.Members of the Whalen family were there. Raeleigh brought two gifts for the babies. They weretwo lucky charms she had chosen.

    Even though they were quite old-fashioned, Raeleigh thought there was no better gift for the babies.

    ¡°Raeleigh, will you have a daughter?¡±

    Deanna was fine. She had her meal while chatting with Raeleigh. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°If you have a daughter, how about we let our children marry each other?¡± Deanna was rather sincere. Raeleigh just stared at her without saying anything. Letting the children marry each other was a future matter.Even if she did have a daughter, she would let her child decide herself when it came to rtionships.

    Raeleigh was amused. ¡°They¡¯re still so young. You¡¯ve thought too far into the future. Maybe my child is not beautiful. See, your babies are so good-looking. What if your sons don¡¯t like her?¡±

    ¡°No, Raeleigh, you are so gorgeousand Jepherson is so handsome. How could your child not be beautiful?¡± Deanna knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Raeleigh¡¯s child must be ravishing.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, saying nothing.

    Jepherson pushed the door open and came in. He had heard their conversation from outside. That was why he hesitated to enter.

    Everyone looked back at the man who came in. He wore a poker face. In just a few days, he seemed to have been emptied of his soul. There were no emotions on his countenance. Entering the ward, he put down a red box saying, ¡°I¡¯ve designed it personally for the two babies.¡±

    These words sounded like the words of someone who had be a distant uncle, but there was no warmth in them.

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were fixed on Jepherson. He walked to her, stopped in front of her, and asked, ¡°You are here too?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Raeleigh moved aside to give space to Jepherson. At this time, Deanna looked at Raeleighthen at Jepherson, wondering what was going on with them.

    Deanna was aware that something had happened to Santiago, but she didn¡¯t know that Raeleigh and Jepherson hadn¡¯t reconciled after such a long time.

    She was now a postpartum womanand everyone wouldply with her requests.

    For instance, her parents had already agreed to let her be together with Jacky in the future.

    She was overjoyed that Jacky had been looking after her in person.

    ¡°Jepherson, thank you,¡± Deanna said instantaneously. Jepherson gazed at her. ¡°Congrattions on bing a mother of two sons.¡±

    Deanna felt a great sense of pride in having two babies. She couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    After a few words, Jepherson said, ¡°Got to go, I¡¯ve something else to do. Call me if you need anything.¡±

    ¡°Zorion, see Jepherson off,¡± Rayan instructed his son as he looked at the child. Zorion walked over to Jepherson to personally see him off. Outside, Zorion asked, ¡°How¡¯s Santiago?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s already gone abroad. There may be chaos in Capital City during this period. We¡¯ll make ns when the dust has settled.¡±

    With that, Jepherson strode outside. Zorion then said, ¡°Although this is an opportunity for you to fight with the Doyle family,it may cost you a lot due to the upheavals in Capital City.¡±

    Jepherson stopped in his tracks. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Ste should still be in Capital City.¡±

    ¡°I will help you find Ste. You should take care of yourself.¡±

    Jepherson did not reply. He directly left the hospital.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Watching as he left, Zorion turned to go back. Rossie came out of the ward and gazed at Zorion. ¡°You¡¯re worried?¡±

    ¡°Everyone in Capital City isughing at the Richards family. Santiago¡¯s condition poses a threat to their ascendancy. The Richards family has been a powerful force in Capital City for more than 20 years. Many people are secretly hoping that something bad will happen to them so that they can take advantage of it.¡±

    ¡°The Richards family is very resourceful, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Even though this is the case, everyone is aware that once something happens to Santiago, Jepherson has lost an arm. He is in the spotlight now. If they were to scheme against him surreptitiously, the Richards family will lose their position in Capital City.¡±

    Zorion walked to the side and sat down. Raeleigh happened toe out of the ward and heard what he said.Zorion looked at Raeleigh and said seriously,¡°You¡¯re the only one who can help him.¡±

    ¡°The one who can help him is himself, not me.¡±

    After saying so, Raeleigh left. Rossie sat beside Zorion and said, ¡°Raeleigh is hurting.¡±

    Zorion sighed. ¡°He needs her the most right now, how can she remain unmoved?¡±

    ¡°You men really know nothing about women.¡±

    Rossie got up and went back to the ward to see the two babies whereas Zorion sat there for a long time. Indeed, he didn¡¯t know much about women.

    .¡­..

    Exiting from the hospital, Raeleigh called Jacky, who came out of the hospital after receiving the call.

    Seeing him, Raeleigh said, ¡°I want Ste.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve also been searching for her, but to no avail. I suspect that she is not in Capital City.¡±

    Jacky had indeed sent his men to find her, but the problem was that their attempts were futile.

    Raeleigh was confused. ¡°Generally speaking, Capital City is the safest ce. Even though everyone is looking for her, as long as she does not leave, we can¡¯t know which direction she heads for. It¡¯s just that so many of us are looking for her in Capital City, yet we still can¡¯t find her. It¡¯s doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, you¡¯re pregnant. Don¡¯t wander around. Why don¡¯t you let others help us find her?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Just finding her isn¡¯t enough. Perhaps she is watching us from somewhere.¡±

    Raeleigh had her own thoughts. People like Ste would never give up on harming her. Since Ste could hurt Santiago, what else could she not do?

    ¡°I will investigate Ste¡¯s affair by myself. In the meantime,help me find this person.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t have Austin¡¯s photo. Thus, she sketched a portrait of him and made some adjustments to it little by little through technological means. Atst, she made a lifelike animated photo.

    Handing the photo to Jacky, Raeleigh said, ¡°I know that you have connections. This person is an inmate in Green House Jail. If you can help me find him, whether he is dead or alive, or living a life of crime, I will give you a reward. Anything you want.¡±

    Jacky looked at the person in the photo briefly. ¡°Do you want me to keep it a secret?¡±

    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t tell anyone. I don¡¯t want anyone to know about this.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Jacky put the photo away and asked, ¡°What are you going to do next?¡±

    ¡°My brother and I will get the hospital done in Waverly Vige.Then I¡¯m going to continue my unfinished studies.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to continue your studies?¡± Jacky was a little surprised. At this point, going out of the vige was dangerous.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to continue it.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and made her way to the car without giving any further exnation. What was in her mind was totally beyond Jacky.

 Chapter 1588 It Was Too Late

    The Moore family.

    ¡°Mr. Johan!¡± The old butler was beside himself with anxiety. He wondered what was going on.

    Johan had been coughing non-stop since morning. The cause was still unknown even after a thorough examination. Several doctors were on pins and needles whereas the old butler had a face as pale as wax.

    Johan spat out a mouthful of bloodand only managed to catch his breath after a long while. Elina stood on the side in trepidation. ¡°What should we do?¡±

    Johan slowly raised his head and swept his eyes over the people around him. As the backbone of this family, he had been working hard his entire life. Who would¡¯ve thought that someone would plot against him when he got old? Were these people so eager to watch him die?

    Did they not know that if he died, all of them woulde to no good end? He pondered on this.

    The old butler wiped the blood off Johan¡¯s mouth and poured him some water personally for rinsing. After cleaning up, the old butler could not help but walk aside and lowered his head sadly.

    Johan said slowly, ¡°Tell Flynt and Kieffer toe back. I want to see them.¡±

    Colston instantly replied, ¡°I¡¯ll do it right away.¡±

    Johan threw a nce at Colston¡¯s back when he left. To Johan, Colston was quick-witted and knew how to distinguish the priority of matters. With the addition of this person called Louisa, if the Moore family fell into his hands in the future, even if it would not create an era as illustrious as his, it would mark the start of another glorious age.

    Nheless, Johan couldn¡¯t forget his identity.

    No matter how eminent the family would be under his management, it was not sufficient for him to take over the Moore family.

    In the end, Johan still chose Kieffer as the sessor. However, by the time Colston went to notify him of Johan¡¯s instruction, an ident had already happened to him.

    It didn¡¯t take a long time before Colston came back, and there was a moderate change in his expression.

    Johan couldn¡¯t wait any longer. When he saw Colston, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Kieffer had an ident.¡±

    As soon as Colston finished speaking, Johan nched and began panting. The people around him all lowered their heads slightly as they were aware that Johan intended to anoint Kieffer as the rightful heir.

    But nowhe had an ident. Who was behind it?

    Almost everyone felt that it was Colston.

    At this time, who else could it be other than him?Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Even if he was the current head of the family, he would be nothing if Kieffer had returned.

    Johan held the quilt under him. Indeed, he was regretful, but¡­

    ¡°Where is Flynt?¡±

    Johan suddenly spoke, and everybody¡¯s eyesnded on Colston, who then ruminated momentarily. ¡°Something has happened to him too, but he is all right. The call had gotten through.He is already on the way back.¡±

    Johan gazed at Colston nkly. ¡°If it¡¯s you, admit now and I¡¯ll let you go. Tell me if it¡¯s you.¡±

    Colston stared at him. ¡°It isn¡¯t me.¡±

    Johan¡¯s eyes were very deep, but after a long time, he smirked. ¡°Take this woman and get out of here. Henceforth, you are no longer a member of the Moore family. We don¡¯t have an ungrateful traitor like you. Get out of my sight right now.¡±

    Colston was dumbfounded for a bit. ¡°I can¡¯t leave.¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it. I always do everything openly. Without any evidence, how could you say that it¡¯s me? Even if I need to leave, I have to find out who is the one framing me.¡±

    As a matter of fact, Colston knew very well who the mastermind was.

    He just needed to investigate thoroughly and get evidence.

    Notwithstanding his age, Johan was not an idiot. He was well aware of who was right and who was wrong.

    It was just that he was too old to do anything, so¡­

    What was more, he didn¡¯t like Colston either. It was a pity that Kieffer became an innocent victim in this affair.

    As an old man, he couldn¡¯t even protect his descendants, which in turn made them scheme against each other relentlessly.

    Johan said, ¡°Get lost.¡±

    Colston replied, ¡°It turns out that you¡¯re indeed senile. It¡¯s fine by me if you want me to leave, but Louisa is pregnant. How do you want us to survive if we leave? Flynt is such a devious scum to set me up like this. He won¡¯t let us off after we leave. Do you want Louisa and me to die?¡±

    Johan narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

    Colston answered ¡°No wonder you¡¯re living a tough life in your old age. I¡¯ve asked Louisa to examine you. You¡¯ve been poisoned. She has been studying your poison for a long time to detoxify you, but you¡¯re treating us in this way. I¡¯ve done my best for the Moore family. Since you want to let Flynt kill us¡­Fine, we¡¯ll leave.¡±

    Colston had felt disinclined to stay in the Moore family any longer. Now that Johan could do such a thing to Louisa and him, what else couldn¡¯t he do?

    Colston turned around and left with Louisa. He would no longer interfere with the matters of the Moore family.

    Besides, he had already made up his mind on where to go next.

    After they left, Johan inquired, ¡°When will Flynt be back? Call and ask him.¡±

    The old butler quickly made the phone call. Flynt told him that he would be back soon, in an hour at most.

    Johan¡¯s eyes strayed to Elina, who was standing by the side with a pale face.

    ¡°Listen up, all of you. Colston came from a lowly background. He isn¡¯t qualified to be the leader of this family.The Moore family¡¯s leader can only be Flynt.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m no longer here, Flynt will take over the family.¡±

    Most members of the Moore family knew that Flynt was probably behind the murder of Kieffer and that Colston was just a scapegoat.

    However, Flynt had had his own supporters. If Johan and he turned against each other, the Moore family might be destroyed.

    Everyone went out without saying anything.

    All of them had their own thoughts. Flynt had not hurt them in the past, neither would he do so in the future. As long as Flynt became the head of the family, they could be relieved.

    In spite of Colston¡¯s benevolence, as Johan said, he was a lowly person.

    The head of the Moore family couldn¡¯t fall into the hands of a lowly person.

    When everyone had gone out, Johan called out to Elina. ¡°Elina, stay here. Let¡¯s talk.¡±

    Elina shivered slightly, cursing Colston in her heart. It was all because of the words he spoke before he left that Johan suspected her.

    That said, she was not fearful. Now that Flynt had won, no one could do anything to her. The next n was to get rid of Yousif¡¯s other women and children. She had lost her child, therefore she wouldn¡¯t let them lead a good life.

    She thought, ¡°Have you guys not been gloating at my mishap? Well, keep it up.¡±

    Elina turned back and said, ¡°Old Master, you will be fine.¡±

    Elina approached Johan, who then nced at the butler. ¡°Fetch me the rope.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Confused, Elina looked at Johan and asked, ¡°What rope?¡±

    Johan answered, ¡°Nothing. Sit down. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have much time to talk to you in the future.¡±

    Only then did Elina sit down. Although she was rather dubious, she had never mulled over the purpose of Johan asking her to stay.

    It was not until the butler came behind her and took out the rope that she sensed the iing danger, but it was toote!

 Chapter 1589 Choosing the Babiesâ€™ Names

    Elina¡¯s eyes widened and she struggled against the rope wrapped around her neck. She spoke with difficulty, ¡°I-¡±

    Johan said, ¡°I¡¯ve long known again that you intend to harm me, but I didn¡¯t expect you to want me dead this much. Since you hate me so much, you¡¯d better leave this world with me. Elina, I promoted you to this position. Life in a wealthy and powerful family won¡¯t be peaceful. As the mistress of the family, you should bide your time until I die so that you can do whatever you want after that. But, you killed Kieffer and disobeyed me. I¡¯m not going to let you off.¡±

    ¡°You¡­old f*cker¡­how dare you¡­ ugh¡­¡±

    Before Elina could swear aloud, the old butler exerted some strength behind her and garrotted her.

    Elina fell to the ground with a loud thud. The old butler knelt down to Johan, weeping bitterly. ¡°Old Master¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop crying. Take the money and items I¡¯ve given you and leave through the secret passage. Go as far as you can. Remember, don¡¯t evere back in this lifetime. After all, this is not a ce for a normal person to stay.¡±

    Johan lifted the quilt. It turned out that the ce under him was the entrance to the secret passage. The old butler wiped his tears and gazed bitterly at Johan. ¡°Master, please let me stay with you.¡±

    ¡°No, just go. Even if you stay, there¡¯s nothing you can do other than die.¡±

    Johan opened the entrance of the passageway. The old butler looked around and left with the items and money atst.

    After he left, Johan put the quilt back on andy there.

    He closed his eyes and waited.

    Flynt came back and heard that his mother had been apanying Johan. He thought that Johan was assigning something to her, hence he waited outside for two hours. However, he felt that something was amiss.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go in and have a look.¡±

    He strode into the room to find that his mother, Elina, had died next to Johan with her eyes wide open.

    Flynt paused, not allowing the people behind him to enter. It took him a long time before he blinked. Hewalked in and held Elina in his artificial limb. He was so heartbroken.

    Johan, who was beside him, said, ¡°She brought this upon herself. Not only did she poison me, but she murdered Kieffer as well.¡±

    Flynt raised his head slowly. ¡°Why must you do this? And let me see it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s for your own good. This is a ce where only demons can survive. You are now a demon.¡±

    Johan cracked a smile. ¡°You asked for it. You could have kept your mother alive, but you chose to go against me.¡±

    Johan closed his eyes and soon stopped gasping.

    Flynt suddenly let go of his mother, picked up a pillow, and pressed it down on Johan¡¯s head, using all his strength!

    .¡­..

    Raeleigh stayed in Waverly Vige for two days. As they didn¡¯t need her help in the vige, she went to the university.

    On the way there, Raeleigh sent a text message to Jacky. Currently, finding Austin was urgent!

    ¡°My men are still looking for him in Green House. You can rest assured that as long as he is still alive, he will be found.¡±

    Raeleigh grinned. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you too. If you hadn¡¯t told me that Deanna was going to give birth, I might not havee back in time. If anything had happened to her, I would have been devastated.¡±

    From the beginning to the end, the person whom Jacky was most grateful to was Raeleigh.

    ¡°How lucky you are to have two babies. I heard from my brother that they have ovepped in the uterus, sothe fact that there were twins was overlooked. Anyway, I believe it¡¯s fate.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Jacky was in a happier mood than ever before. He hung up and turned to look at Deanna.

    Deanna was about to be discharged from hospital to return home.

    Jacky almost ignored the two babies as he focused on looking after Deanna. The babies were being taken care of by Hannah and Rayan.

    While Hannah was resting, she kept asking Rayan why Jacky didn¡¯t show any intention of taking the babies away.

    It was also beyond Rayan. It seemed to him that Jacky didn¡¯t mind what the children¡¯sst name was.

    Deanna had finished packing up. She checked on the two babies and headed for the hospital exit. Jacky ced a coat on her shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s windy outside, you should be careful not to catch a cold.¡±

    ¡°I got it.¡±

    Deanna walked out whileHannah and her husband each carried a baby. Zorion and Rossie followed with the luggage.

    When they left,Jacky didn¡¯t mention anything about going to Waverly Vige. He followed the members of the Whalen family to their vi.

    Emerging from the car, they went to Deanna¡¯s room.

    Shey down while Jacky drew the curtains in her room to block out the zing sun.

    As for the babies¡­

    Hannah put the baby down and looked at Jacky, asking, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back? If you have something to do in Waverly Vige, you can go back first.¡±

    ¡°No, I will just stay here. Deanna needs someone to take care of her. My mind won¡¯t be at ease if I go back.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t you want to¡­¡±

    Hannah felt the urge to bring up the topic regarding the babies, but she didn¡¯t do so in the end.

    ¡°Let the babies live here first. When they are about five or six years old, if they want to go back to Waverly Vige, they can go back then. My parents aren¡¯t there. Even if they go back now, I can¡¯t take care of them. The environment there isn¡¯t as good as here.I know that Dad and Mom will look after them very well.¡±

    Jacky had been addressing them as ¡°Dad¡± and ¡°Mom¡± the whole time. Hannah couldn¡¯t really tell what her emotions were, but she didn¡¯t manage to pick holes in his behavior.

    ¡°Is thatso?¡± Hannah gazed at the babies, then at her immature daughter. This arrangement was to her satisfaction. She would not give the babies to Jacky. Even if he had parents, they did note when Deanna was giving birth, thus she would not let them take the babies away.

    Now that Jacky had spoken, she didn¡¯t need to say anything else.

    ¡°Jacky, have you named the babies yet?¡±

    Deanna cared very much about this matter.

    She could tell that her parents wanted the children to take ¡®Whalen¡¯ as theirst name, which she was opposed to. In the future, she would go back to live in Waverly Vige with her children. If they had thest name ¡®Whalen¡¯, they would be the subject of gossip.

    Jacky shot a nce at Rayan. ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t you give them their names?¡±

    Rayan did not reply immediately. He had never agreed to be Jacky¡¯s father-inw. If he gave the children their names now, wouldn¡¯t it mean that he agreed?

    So, he did not answer.

    Hannah stared at her husband, wondering what was going on.

    Deanna asked, ¡°How about Bobby Scott and Jerry Scott?¡±

    Everyone in the roomnded their eyes on her. The corners of Zorion¡¯s mouth twitched as he wondered what kind of names those were.

    ¡°Not good.¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Jackymented. Deanna then asked, ¡°What should they be called then?¡±

    Jacky was stumped by her question. After a long time, he said, ¡°Heitor and Cedric.¡±

    Rayan and his son, Zorion, exchanged a look. These names were not bad.

    Deanna said, ¡°Heitor Scott and Cedric Scott?¡±

    Jacky did not speak, nor did Rayan. Zorion, who was behind them, replied, ¡°I think they sound pretty good.¡±

    They all looked at Zorion, who added, ¡°All right, end of discussion.¡±

    With that, Zorion left. Deanna, on the other hand, was delighted by the fact that the babies had thest name ¡°Scott¡±.

 Chapter 1590 The Mother and Son Have Been on Bad Terms

    As the babies got their new names, the rtionship between Jacky and Deanna was confirmed. Even though Rayan was not very satisfied with it, he didn¡¯t have anything else to say for the time being.

    .¡­..

    Reaching the university, Raeleigh got out of the car and heard about Johan¡¯s death. It was also said that Elina died of grief, not to mention Kieffer¡¯s ident when he was rushing back home.

    In brief, three people from the Moore family had died, which shocked all people in the entire Capital City.

    Raeleigh was heading inside when Xanthus asked, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Three people from the Moore family are dead. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that simple. For a person like Mr. Johan-¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t continue, as she thought it was unnecessary.

    ¡°Xanthus, I¡¯m going to attend the lecture. Come to me if there¡¯s anything. We can have lunch together at noon.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Be careful.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and went to the campus, reading a book while walking. It was not quiet in the campus, but Raeleigh had many tranquil days after she came back.

    Over the past ten days, Raeleigh had been living like an ordinary worker. She left Waverly Vige at five o¡¯clock every morning and returned at six or seven o¡¯clock in the evening every day.

    She had her lunch in the university, and her breakfast and dinner in the vige.

    Moreover, over the past half month, her life had been very calm, with no bad guys showing up around her.

    One day, Raeleigh came out of the campus to find that the Moore family¡¯s vehicle was parked outside the gate, which surprised her.

    After she gazed at the vehicle for a short while, its door opened, and Flynt emerged from it. He stood by the car and looked at Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh darted a nce at Xanthus. ¡°He is finally here.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s now the head of the Moore family. During this period of time, he has re-established the Moore family. I heard that he has put everything in order ande into contact with the government. There are already people from the Moore family preparing for the next round of election for mayor.¡±

    Raeleigh turned her head and gaped at Xanthus. ¡°How do you know so much?¡±

    Xanthusughed. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I know?¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing. She turned around and approached Flynt. Stopping, she looked at him and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°To visit you.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Flynt had be thinner. There was a hoarseness in his voice when he spoke thoughhis eyes were as clear as water. In conjunction with his light-colored outfit, he appeared like a college studentwho had not yet graduated.

    Also, he had his hand back.

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes fell on his arm. ¡°Are you using a prosthetic arm?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Flynt stretched out his hand and removed his glove. Raeleigh noticed that the fingers were no different from those of a normal human being¡¯s. Only after a long time had passed did she say, ¡°Talk about advanced technology.¡±

    ¡°I can move it at will.¡±

    Flynt moved his fingers while Raeleigh beamed at him. ¡°Soyou are here to tell me this?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m here to see you.¡±

    ¡°Really? I¡¯m going home. It¡¯s not the right time for you toe.¡±

    Raeleigh turned and was about to leave. Flynt hesitated for a moment before calling out to her. ¡°Let me drive you home?¡±

    Raeleigh looked back and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I will go back with Xanthus.¡±

    Hearing this, Flynt looked at Xanthus. ¡°Are you two together?¡±

    ¡°No, we are brother and sister now.¡±

    Raeleigh called out to Xanthus, ¡°Xanthus, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Xanthus followed Raeleigh into the car and started the engine to take Raeleigh away. Flynt watched them from afar without saying anything.

    .¡­..

    ¡°Flynt came back at this time. He must be thinking that this is an opportunity.¡±

    Xanthus talked to Raeleigh while he drove, who then replied, ¡°I think he knows where Ste is.¡±

    Xanthus goggled at Raeleigh, asking, ¡°Why do you think so?¡±

    Raeleigh answered, ¡°I¡¯vee into contact with Ste. There¡¯s a rare fragrance around her body. I can smell it onFlynt.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±

    .¡­..

    Arriving at Waverly Vige, Raeleigh got out of the car and strode into the vige. She said hello to the people and was ready to have her dinner at home. Just when she walked to the door, she saw Jepherson standing inside, observing the hospital. There was another person standing behind him.

    Raeleigh was briefly astonished. It was Lenold.

    Raeleigh stopped beside Jepherson and stared at him. ¡°You guys are here?¡±

    Jepherson turned to gaze at Raeleigh. ¡°He brought you some information today. Have a look.¡±

    Handing a document to Raeleigh, he couldn¡¯t help fixing his eyes on Raeleigh¡¯s belly. The pregnancy wasn¡¯t obvious yet.

    Raeleigh took over the document and scanned it. It was information on all inmates in Green House over the past five years. Raeleigh flipped through it for a while and found Austin¡¯s information. It showed that Austin was executed two years ago.

    Raeleigh closed the document after reading it for a bit. ¡°If he had really died in that execution two years ago, then what I saw in Green House must be a ghost.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Lenold was speechless momentarily since he didn¡¯t expect Raeleigh to be so straightforward.

    Raeleigh continued, ¡°If he had really been executed two years ago, even if I haven¡¯t seen these guys, it¡¯s impossible for all the people, who were in Green House two years ago, to die or be transferred. When I went to ask them that day, they knew neither me nor Austin. What does it mean?¡±

    ¡°It means that someonepletely covered it up.¡±

    Jepherson nced at Lenold, who pped his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯ve also been investigating this case. It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t gotten anything useful. There¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I will find out more sooner orter. Whether he is alive or not, I need to see his body.¡±

    ¡°Well then, I will stay out of it.¡± Lenold shrugged. Following that,he swept his eyes to Xanthus. ¡°Are you a doctor?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Can you examine this bone over here?¡± Lenold extended his arm for Xanthus to take a look at it. ¡°Is it just me or is it a bit dislocated?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve keen eyes.Help me,¡± Lenold said.

    Lenold turned around and walked away, followed by Xanthus, leavingRaeleigh alone with Jepherson.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk.¡± Jepherson turned and strode in the opposite direction of Lenold while Raeleigh followed him.

    Without saying anything, Raeleigh followed behind Jepherson.After a moment, Raeleigh inquired about Santiago. Jepherson answered, ¡°There is not much improvement yet.¡±

    ¡°He will be fine.¡± Raeleigh seemed to be saying those reassuring words to Jepherson andherself at the same time.

    Reaching the end of the street, Raeleigh turned around and walked back.

    Standing at the entrance of the vige, Jepherson watched as Raeleigh left before he turned and went back to the car.

    Inside the car, he asked, ¡°Has Ste been found?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, but the Doyle family is facing both internal and external problems currently. I heard that Geraldine is implicated in an old case.Interpol officers are investigating this case. It won¡¯t be easy for Geraldine to get away.¡±

    ¡°Geraldine and her son also had a quarrel. It can be said that they are on bad terms now.¡±

    ¡°Keep on creating troubles for the Doyle family. Let¡¯s see how long they can endure.¡±

    ¡°What do you¨C¡±

    ¡°Since the mother and son have been on bad terms, let¡¯s start with making mischief between their family members.¡±

    ¡­¡­

 Chapter 1591 A Chance Encounter

    Raeleigh went back to her room first. By the time Xanthus returned after seeing Lenold off, Raeleigh had already prepared the food. When she saw Xanthusing back, she told him to wash his hands before having dinner.

    Xanthus paused for a moment. ¡°Raeleigh, I saw two people on my way back.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head to gaze at him. ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Colston and Louisa.¡±

    ¡°Why are they here?¡± Raeleigh put down her cutlery, unable to figure it out.

    ¡°They seem to have bought a house and settled down in Waverly Vige. I saw them arranging things outside the house butI didn¡¯t disturb them.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have our dinner first. We can go and check it out after this.¡±

    Raeleigh was preupied during dinner. How did Colston sneak into the vige? She pondered on that disturbing fact.

    After dinner, she went to visit Colston and Louisa. On the way, she asked Xanthus, ¡°Since we didn¡¯t know that Colston is here, will Ste also be able to sneak in here?¡±

    ¡°No, Jacky has already searched the vige. He said she wasn¡¯t here.¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    In fact, they had considered that possibility at the beginning, therefore Xanthus was quite reassured.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything else. Arriving at Colston¡¯s ce, she stopped and fixed her eyes on Colston, who had just brought food ingredients back.

    Colston walked at a fast pace. As he went in, a woman came out of the house. Raeleigh saw clearly that it was Louisa.

    Louisa had a plump bellyand she ced her hand on it as she walked out. The couple was talking about something riveting and they appeared ted.

    Raeleigh observed the house they lived in. It was not a high-ss one, hence Raeleigh thought it must be rented.

    Raeleigh watched for a while before turning to look at Xanthus. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Jacky about this first. They should be looking for Colston too.¡±

    ¡°Something happened to the Moore familyand Colston is here, which means that Colston knows about it. The reason why he came here is to live a peaceful life.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, your words make sense. Since Colston and Louisa managed toe into the vige, Ste must have her own way to do it too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to look for her in the vige.¡±

    Raeleigh had her suspicions from the very beginning. There was no trace of Ste in entire Capital Cityand there was no record of her leaving the city. Unless she had escaped underground, she should have been found by now.

    The fact that she could not be found didn¡¯t mean that she was missing. It was just that her hiding spot was not detected yet.

    ¡°Raeleigh, listen to me. Don¡¯t do this by yourself. Let Jacky help us.¡±

    Xanthus was really perturbed about Raeleigh. In his eyes, he was ineffectual as a brother as he could not deal with a cunning person like Ste. All he could do was remind Raeleigh to be more cautious.

    Furthermore, Xanthus failed to see through Raeleigh¡¯s mind recently. He had no idea what was going on in her mind at all. In fact, she exudeda sense of unfamiliarity at times.

    He was aware that she was hurt because of what had happened to Santiago, especially because the Richards family had decided to send him overseas when she wanted to take care of him. She could not simply leave the country and follow them abroad for Santiago¡¯s treatment. So, the option was taken out of her hands.

    Xanthus actually wanted to propose to Hansen to let Raeleigh take care of Santiago so that she could leave this dangerous ce at least. However, things didn¡¯t go his way. After all, Hansen¡¯s son was injured. As an outsider, he didn¡¯t have the right to make requests

    In any case, there was no longer a need to put forward such a suggestion.

    Raeleigh fell silent for a bit. ¡°Even if Ste is really hiding in Waverly Vige, she won¡¯t dare to do anything to me. If she harms me here, she can¡¯t run. She isn¡¯t a fool. Didn¡¯t you say that Jepherson attacked the Doyle family? If so, she won¡¯t dare to go back home. If she does, the Doyle family would not let her off. So, she could only stay here.¡±

    ¡°In other words, I¡¯m safe for now.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, why do you think so? Ste is a maniac. If she could hurt Santiago in Capital City, there will be no problem for her to hurt you here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the same. There won¡¯t be any bias in favor of her here. Jacky will show no mercy to her, neither will I.¡±

    Raeleigh turned her face away. ¡°This is not Capital City.Here, she can¡¯t get another man like Jepherson to protect her again.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh walked away. Xanthus was baffled by her words for a moment as he stared at her disappearing silhouette. For some reason, he had a hunch that she had been bottling up her feelings. Beneath that tough exterior of hers, there was a vulnerable, weeping soul.

    By the time Xanthus returned, Raeleigh had already gone into her room. Feeling uneasy, Xanthus knocked on her door. What followed was Raeleigh¡¯s calm and indifferent voice. ¡°Xanthus.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to bed?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly came out of her room. Sheopened the door while rubbing her eyes. She was wearing pink pajamas. It was not until Xanthus saw her that he was relieved. ¡°Go to bed if you are sleepy. Why did youe out?¡±

    Raeleigh answered, ¡°I know your mind won¡¯t be at ease if I didn¡¯te out. Then you¡¯re going to spend a restless night.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go to bed now. You should rest too.¡±

    Then he went back to his room to rest. Seeing him return to his room, Raeleigh went back and changed her clothes. After a short while, she came out of her room again, heading out with a shlight.

    The sky had darkenedbut Raeleigh was not afraid of the dark.

    Leaving her home, she made her way along a street. After she reached the end of the street, she took a detour onto another road.

    It was still early for the vigers in Waverly Vige. They would not rest this early.

    This was especially so as it was the season when they were busy farming theirnds.

    Raeleigh wandered through the streets where many people roamed around. She effortlessly noticed some strangerswho didn¡¯t belong to the vige.

    In this way, it was easier for her to locate Ste.

    Just like how Xanthus had seen Colston and his wife. He recognized them at a nce since they were not from the vige.

    Raeleigh did not manage to find Ste after walking around. She checked the time to find that it was about ten o¡¯clock. Only then did she decide to make her way back.

    As Colston and Louisa came to her mind, she took another route and headed for their ce. What came to her sight when she arrived there was Colston and a few peoplewho were dressed like the vigers angrilyshoving each other.

    ¡°Who are you? Why are you being so unreasonable?¡± Colston raised his hand and pushed a man away. However, the other party was quite barbaric. They shoved him back without saying anything. Their attitude was rather arrogant.

    Raeleigh frowned as she had never seen these people before.They did not seem like vigers from Waverly Vige. Shewondered who they were.

    While Raeleigh was watching, one of them went into Colston¡¯s house. Colston turned around and intended to go backbut two people grabbed him. Colston was unwilling to give upand he fought with them. It was just that Louisa¡¯s screaming could be heard right afterward.

    Raeleigh called for help immediately. Worrying that wouldn¡¯t be enough, she took out her phone and searched for the audio of the police siren. Thenshe yed it with the highest volume and put the phone in her pocket. Following that, she lowered her head and approached the fighting scene.

    As she expected, when those ruffians heard it, they all took flight. Colstonmade a dash for his home.

    Raeleigh walked over directly, pretending that nothing had happened. After waiting momentarily, Jacky¡¯s men had arrived. Raeleigh asked them to look for Ste secretly before she went to Colston¡¯s house.

    Colston was hugging Louisa andforting her. When Raeleigh entered, he thought that those people hade back once again. As a result, he suddenly picked up a cleaver from the ground and was ready to fight. However, he was stupefied at the sight of Raeleigh.

 Chapter 1592 Caught RedHanded

    Raeleigh was not surprised. Colston¡¯s expression demonstrated that it never urred to him that she was the one who saved him.

    Colston put down the cleaver and asked, ¡°How can it be you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m from the vige. Why it can¡¯t be me? I should be the one asking, why were you arguing with those people?¡±

    ¡°We weren¡¯t arguing.Louisa and I were already asleep. They came knocking on the door saying that we had affected their daily lives. In reality, we didn¡¯t do anything. We didn¡¯t want to open the door at firstbut they threatened to knock it down.We had no choice but to open it.¡±

    While Colston was talking, Louisa got up from the ground and gazed at Raeleigh for a moment before she turned around and left.

    Colston invited Raeleigh to sit down and spoke to her while tidying up the things in the house.

    Raeleigh observed for a while and said, ¡°Did you purchase this house or rent it?¡±

    ¡°I bought it. It¡¯s in a strategic location. We had nned to run a shop here, and we had a soft opening these two days. Little did we expect such a thing to happen. Have a drink.¡±

    Louisa brought a cup of tea to Raeleigh, who lifted her head and looked at her, ¡°You must have been frightened.Don¡¯t worry and take a seat.¡±

    ¡°Not really. I¡¯m not that timid. It just came as a shock. I didn¡¯t expect that there would be such a bunch of brutish people in the vige. We¡¯ve been receiving help from our neighborstely. They are especially obliging to us when they see that I¡¯m pregnant. Today¡¯s experience is indeed an unusual one.¡±

    Louisa sat down dolefully, wondering why they couldn¡¯t have a peaceful shelter in spite of the vastness of this world.

    Raeleigh cast a nce at Colston, who sat opposite her, without saying a word. Colston was a wise manand it was impossible for him not to grasp her hint.

    Colston said, ¡°Those people aren¡¯t vigers.¡±

    ¡°Then who are they?¡± Louisa was baffled, which amused Colston. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of pregnancy brain. So it¡¯s a real thing?¡±

    Louisa was also a smart person. After a moment of thought, she realized something all of a sudden. ¡°Flynt is behind this?¡±

    ¡°Who else could it be? Flynt is a hypocrite. He looks for us everywhere, iming that he wants us to go back and help the family. In fact, everyone knows that he wants to kill us once and for all.¡±

    ¡°Although those people were dressed just like vigers, they were definitely not from the vige. If they were, they wouldn¡¯t have acted like that. The vigers here are neighborly, hospitable, and simple. They wouldn¡¯t be so rude.¡±

    ¡°How did Flynt¡¯s men get in?¡±

    Louisa was a little disconste. She looked down at her belly. ¡°What should we do? Do we really have no way out?¡±

    Colston clenched his fists. ¡°No, there must be a way. Don¡¯t worry, leave it to me.¡±

    Raeleigh swept her eyes over them and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that simple. There¡¯s no wrong in suspecting Flynt but we end to be sure.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s him. Apart from him, who else would intend to harm us?That day, Old Master Johan asked me to call Flynt and Thorin, telling them toe back.Thorin was killed in an ident on his way back. Even though Flynt was injured, he was all right. There must be something fishy about it.¡±

    ¡°Later, Old Master Johan drove us out. Not long after we left, he and Elina died. Andthe old butler went missing. At present, Louisa and I are the only ones who know the truth. If we don¡¯t die, I¡¯m afraid that Flynt will be feeling on edge.¡±

    ¡°Even so, if Flynt wants to emerge as a big gun in Capital City, he has to be patient.He needs a certain number of followers. At the very least, he has to show it to the public. Additionally, it¡¯s essential for him to get along with the rich and powerful families in Capital City. Thushe won¡¯te to the vige and hunt us in person.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, Flynt is rted to Ste. There must be some secrets between them.¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    ¡°Therefore, those people aren¡¯t Flynt¡¯s men.¡±

    ¡°They should be Ste¡¯s men. I know thatSte is also around heresomewhere.¡±

    Raeleigh was certain that Ste was in the vige. She justdidn¡¯t know where exactly she was hiding.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Just when Raeleigh had finished speaking, Jepherson¡¯s voice could be heard from the door. Raeleigh was dazed for a second before she fell silent.

    She knew that Jepherson and Ste had aplicated rtionship. In this case, Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to say anything.

    ¡°What? Am I really that loathsome in your eyes?¡± The fact that Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to reply to Jepherson made him feel a tide of anger rising in him, especially at this time and ce.

    She was pregnant. There was no reason for her to show up here.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Don¡¯t shout at me. Even if Ste is here, I may not be able to find herand she won¡¯t die!¡±

    ¡°How dare you!¡±

    Once they met, they couldn¡¯t help pouring spiteful remarks at each other. Everyone had not expected them to start quarreling like this

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    While Raeleigh was pulling a long face, Xanthus, who stood behind Jepherson, came in.He was not happy too.

    As soon as Raeleigh heard Xanthus calling her, she shrank her head right away.

    Seeing Raeleigh behave like an acquiescent child in front of Xanthus, Jepherson¡¯s mind went nk momentarily. Subsequently, he turned around and stared at Xanthus with a poker face.

    ¡°You¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jepherson asked in a deep voicebut he gradually calmed down after that.

    He had no right to criticize Xanthus.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± The note of disapproval in Xanthus¡¯s voice was patently obvious. Although Jepherson had tried to talk to him as mildly as he could, Xanthus saw no problem in giving him attitude.He approached Raeleigh and stopped bu her side,gazing at her. ¡°Get up.¡±

    Xanthus had never spoken with an enraged tone before. Raeleigh emanated a domineering air just now, but nowshe didn¡¯t have the stomach to defy Xanthus.

    She stood up. ¡°I came out to-¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯ll book a flightter for you to leave at once. Don¡¯t evere back.¡±

    Xanthus held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and turned around, pulling her out. Raeleigh didn¡¯t think he was rude. On the contrary, she felt a little guilty.

    Going outside, she tried exining to Xanthusbut he refused to hear her exnation. His expression darkened even more.

    Reaching home, Raeleigh sat obediently on the sofa while Xanthus booked two flight tickets. After putting down his phone, he began to pack his clothes without hesitation.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to worry about me.¡±

    Xanthus threw out the clothes that he did not like to wear. He was furious.

    Raeleigh got up, picked them up, and ced them on the sofa.

    ¡°You should pack up too. We¡¯ll be leaving soon.¡±

    Pursing her lips, Raeleigh went to pack up. However, she did it slowly until Jacky arrived.

    Jacky came to look for Xanthus. ¡°It was an oversight on my part. me me if you want.¡±

    Xanthus smirked. ¡°My own business is none of your concern. Just go. Raeleigh and I will leave. This ce isn¡¯t suitable for us.¡±

    ¡°Where can you go? It will be more dangerous if you leave the vige. I believe you know this better than anyone else.¡±

    Xanthus threw a nce at Jacky andpletely ignored him. He tidied up his belongings and locked his suitcase before turning around to look for Raeleigh, who had also finished packing up. Afterward, he pulled her hand. She was pregnant, hence he had to be careful. Nheless, a little strength was enough for him to pull her out.

    Coming out of her room, he brought her outside.

 Chapter 1593 It Was Really Brisa

    Just as they arrived at the door, Jepherson blocked Xanthus and Raeleigh¡¯s way.

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Jepherson who was standing in her way. Jepherson seemed impatient. He nced at Raeleigh and said, ¡°It¡¯s useless even if you take Raeleigh away from here. You¡¯ve seen what Flynt is capable of. Colston was already in hiding here withno intention ofpeting with him.However, did he give up hunting down Colston?¡±

    ¡°If you go back, you will only bring troubles to others. Why do you have to take such a risk?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t appreciate it. She didn¡¯t think that Jepherson¡¯s words would solve any problem. However, Xanthus actually changed his mind after a moment of deliberation.

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s voice was cold, sounding precisely like an elder brother¡¯s.

    Raeleigh raised her head. ¡°Hm.¡±

    ¡°Get in. You¡¯re grounded for three days.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, ¡°Xanthus-¡±

    ¡°Six days.¡±

    Saying nothing, Raeleigh turned around and went back in with her luggage. Jepherson looked over Xanthus¡¯s shoulder at her. After she had gone in, Jepherson said, ¡°You did that on purpose?¡±

    Xanthus shot a nce at him. ¡°She¡¯s my sister.¡±

    Jepherson did not answer him. Xanthus then looked at Jacky. ¡°Raeleigh said that Ste is here. I don¡¯t believe in Jepherson. Raeleigh told me that it was him who protected Ste in Capital City so that she could make a getaway. I don¡¯t know the urate situation, but I trust Raeleigh.¡±

    Jacky nced at Jepherson. He didn¡¯t care what exactly was going on. However, someone was messing around in his territory, thus he had to take action.

    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll find her in three days. Mr. Richards, I hope you don¡¯t appear during these three days. You aren¡¯t weed here.¡±

    As he finished his words, Jacky ordered one of his subordinates, ¡°See Mr. Richards off.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, this way, please.¡±

    Jepherson turned and walked away. After a few steps, he looked back at Xanthus with his zing eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t protect Ste.¡±

    ¡°Whether that was true or not, you know very well.¡±

    Xanthus turned and went back into the house whereas Jepherson paused briefly before he was escorted out.

    Jepherson returned to his car and left the vige. He gazed at the vige.

    ¡°Send some guys here.¡±

    Jepherson did not believe that Ste was in the vigebut if Raeleigh said so, he would take precautions.

    Furrowing his brow, Jepherson took out his phone and called Ste.

    No one answered. Jepherson put down the phone. ¡°Get ready and call Jared toe over instantly.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    The chauffeur felt that something was wrong as Jepherson was in a sullen mood that day.

    .¡­..

    Raeleigh tidied up her clothes and came out of her room while Xanthus was sitting on the sofa with a poker face. Colston and Louisa visited them, intending to see Raeleigh. As a host, he could not simply kick the guests out of the house.

    Besides, Jacky was there too. It was soteyet he didn¡¯t leave.

    Discerning the sulkiness on Xanthus¡¯s face, Raeleigh dared not say anything.

    ¡°What do you want to do? Are you nning to go out still? Can¡¯t you see what time it is?¡± Xanthus said in a displeased tonebut Raeleigh didn¡¯t take it as an affront. It was only now that it dawned on Colston and Louisa that Xanthus and Raeleigh were brother and sister.

    This pair of siblings was interesting. Raeleigh wore an assertive demeanor outside, but she was fearful of her brother. Itwas pretty surprising to watch.

    Raeleigh cracked an ingratiating smile. ¡°I¡¯ming out to see our guests, not to go out. Also, it is so dark out there, where can I go?¡±

    ¡°Humph, it turns out that you¡¯re aware of that. Yet you still went out earlier. Don¡¯t you know what kind of state you¡¯re in?¡±

    Raeleigh considered for a bit. ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you go out?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t do it again.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an ¡®again¡¯?¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Xanthus, who was livid. In this case, anything she said would be wrong in his eyes. It was the first time that she saw him being so exasperated.

    Raeleigh stood aside, as if she was a child who had done something wrong. Shekept her head down without moving.

    Seeing that she did not talk back, he simmered down a little. Meanwhile, Colston said, ¡°Thanks to Raeleigh today. Otherwise,both Louisa and the baby will have an ident.¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s eyes fell on Colston as he regained hisposure. ¡°Since she bumped into you guys, she ought to have lent a hand. You aren¡¯t the reason I¡¯m blowing my top. I hope you can understand that.¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s words were very bluntbut both Colston and Louisaughed.

    ¡°We know that you are worried about Raeleigh. She¡¯s lucky to have a brother like you.¡±

    As she spoke, Louisa stood up. ¡°Time to go. It¡¯s gettingte, so we¡¯ll go back to rest first. Raeleigh, I bet you must be very bored when you¡¯re grounded. I¡¯ll bring some dishes for you guys tomorrow. Goodbye.¡±

    Louisa pulled Colston up and theyleft together.

    After they left, Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Xanthus. ¡°Are you still angry?¡±

    Xanthus looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Go back and sleep. We¡¯ll talk about your actions tomorrow.¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh go back. She stopped at the door, turned around, and looked at Xanthus. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to sleep?¡±

    Xanthus darted a nce at Raeleigh. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep here, in case you sneak out.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t do it. Go to your room, it¡¯s cold here.¡±

    Raeleigh came back and tried to persuade him into sleeping in his room, but he said, ¡°Go to your room. I¡¯ll keep an eye on you.¡±

    Raeleigh was rendered speechless. She could only take out a nket and put a pillow down for him. ¡°You need them so that you won¡¯t catch a cold.¡±

    Yawning, Raeleigh turned and went back to her room.

    She stood against the door for a while, recollecting the direction in which those people had fled. Afterward, she sent a message to Jacky.

    Just when Jacky was about to rest, he received the message.He picked up his phone. ¡°Say it.¡±

    Raeleigh and Jacky used voice messages tomunicate.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Those people ran toward the walled homestay. I think that¡¯s where they¡¯ve been hiding. You should be able to find them there, but you¡¯d better search the other spots in the vige tomorrow morning. Try making a bigger deal out of your operation. When it¡¯s night, announce to the vigers that everything is settled.¡±

    ¡°In this way, you can look for her covertly at night. Otherwise, she may escape or hold the vigers as hostages to threaten us.¡±

    Jacky said, ¡°uh-huh.¡±Following that, Raeleigh hung up and got into bed to rest.

    She sleptte, which caused her to risete the next morning. By the time she stirred, Louisa had alreadye to visit her,

    After washing up, Raeleigh came out and saw Louisa, which left her in a pensive mood. Indeed, Louisa did resemble Brisa.

    Raeleigh stared absentmindedly at Louisa, who sat there waiting for her. Shecalled out to her, ¡°You really came?¡±

    ¡°I told you I¡¯de. Of course, I¡¯d fulfill my promise. This is the dessert I made. It¡¯s best to be eaten at this time. Try it.¡±

    Louisa opened the lunchbox while Raeleigh sat down to look inside of it. Thenshe looked up at Louisa in a daze. ¡°How did you make it?¡±

    Louisa replied, ¡°When I was a child in the orphanage, there wasn¡¯t much food provided. Most of them were snatched by the older children before it was the turn for a younger pint-sized kid like me.Hunger got the better of us, so another girl and I would sneak into the kitchen to steal some food.We went there very early every time. The chef had just started to prepare the meals, thus we learned it by observing how he did it.¡±

    Raeleigh gazedat Louisa nkly as her mind filled with mixed feelings. She could not help recalling what happened back in the day. Was it true?Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Was the woman before her, who was named Louisa, really Brisa? Raeleigh was lost in thought.

 Chapter 1594 Someone in the Crowd

    Raeleigh took a bite of the dessert made by Louisa. It had been many years since shest consumed it. There were even some cherries in it, which gave it a particrly sweet taste.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°There were many other types of food in the orphanage, such as the chocte chip cookies, key lime pie, peanut butter sandwich, banana split, tater tots, blueberry cobbler¡­¡±

    ¡°There were too many of them that I can¡¯t remember them all.¡±

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for that fire, I wouldn¡¯t have almost died.¡±

    ¡°But, I lost my memory after that. On the day when the fire transpired, I was hit by a beam. Back then, a kindhearted man brought me out. I lost my memory, evenmy name.¡±

    ¡°Ever since then, I¡¯ve been using the name ¡®Louisa¡¯. It¡¯s a good name, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Looking at Raeleigh, who said nothing, Louisa continued saying, ¡°Anyway, I still like the name ¡®Brisa¡¯. Sometimes, it maddens me that Madam Caprice changed my name to ¡®Francia¡¯.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound good. The same goes to ¡®Shuna¡¯.¡±

    While eating, Raeleigh paused herand the softness in her eyes froze as pieces of memories floodedher mind.

    ¡°Bowie.¡±

    Louisa called Raeleigh by this name out of the blue, but Raeleigh just gazed at her without answering.

    For some reason, Raeleigh was repulsed by her past.

    Even if she believed that the person in front of her was Brisa, she dared not admit that she was Bowie.

    A great fire had taken the lives of many people. Both of them should have died in itbut in the end, they were still alive.

    How could she exin it?

    Raeleigh continued to munch on her dessert whereas Louisa said, ¡°I still like to be called ¡®Brisa¡¯. Colston willment asionally that my brain must have been addledbut he is very kind to me. He still treats me well despite that.¡±

    ¡°When did you remember the past?¡±

    ¡°At the age of fifteen,when I was in middle school. A few boys bullied me and shoved me. As a consequence, I bumped into the wall and fainted. After being discovered, I was sent to the administration office of the school. That was when I regained my memories of the orphanage. Later, I often went back to the former site of the orphanage. But I never found anything. So, I stopped going there.¡±

    ¡°When I saw you, I suddenly recalled you.I have a faint feeling that you are Bowiebut you still refuse to admit it.¡±

    Raeleigh crunched the food and said, ¡°Is the past so important to you?¡±

    ¡°The events in the past aren¡¯t important to me, but the people are. I still remember that I kept crying on the way to the orphanageand you were the only one who kept mepany. In the orphanage, we slept in the upper and lower bunk respectively. Other children ignored me while you were the only one who reminded me when it was the time for meals and bed. You even covered me with a quilt. You might have forgotten, but I¡­¡±

    Before Louisa mentioned it, Raeleigh had forgotten about it. It was only when she brought it up that Raeleigh recalled what happened back then. It was true.

    However, Raeleigh did not say anything. All she did was look at Louisa.

    Louisa could tell that Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t trust her easily no matter how much she said.

    There would be ample time to convince Raeleigh in the future. Louisa thought so.

    ¡°Are you full?¡± Louisa asked Raeleigh, who then nodded. Louisa got up to clean up whereas Raeleigh also stood up to help her. Afterward, they sat down and chatted.

    Noticing that Xanthus was not at home, Raeleigh inquired, ¡°Did you see my brother?¡±

    ¡°He was about to leave when I came in. He asked me to keep an eye on you, saying that I¡¯d better take you away if you want to sneak out.¡±

    While Louisa was speaking, she chortled as she found it quite interesting.

    Raeleigh leaned against the couch. ¡°My brother has been worrying too much about me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so nice to have an elder brother. I miss my elder brother too.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Louisa, who said, ¡°Actually, I have an elder brother, but I¡¯ve never seen him. My adoptive parents told me that I¡¯m not their biological childand that I was adopted by them. They also said that I should have an elder brother.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask what happened?¡±

    ¡°I did ask. I was only two years old at that time. In my memory, they told me this. Later, something happened at home and my adoptive parents died. That was when I wassent to the orphanage.¡±

    ¡°Once in a while, I¡¯ll doubt if my memory has is urate.I can¡¯t be sure even until now.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem easy to be found.¡±

    It was a miracle that Raeleigh was found by her brother, hence Raeleigh didn¡¯t think it was easy to find someone. On the contrary, it was a most difficult task.

    They conversed until noon.Then did they get up to prepare lunch.

    Raeleigh spent her day with Louisa reminiscing about the past. When she left in the evening, Raeleigh could finally rest.

    Raeleighy down and slept. However, at ten o¡¯clock, she rose and went out to drink water. Xanthus had been lying on the sofa the entire time!

    Raeleigh poured herself some water, went back to her room, and made a vow never to do that again.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t fall asleep, thus she called Jenna to inquire about Santiago¡¯s condition. Jenna told her that he was still the same, which caused Raeleigh to stay awake throughout the night.

    The next morning, Raeleigh stirred, stretched, and went out of her room to find that Xanthus had already bought breakfast.

    Raeleigh opined that notwithstanding its tastiness, they didn¡¯t know whether the food sold outside was hygienic or not. Although Raeleigh believed that the vigers were practicing proper standards of food hygiene, she still preferred not to purchase food frequently.

    ¡°I¡¯ll prepare breakfast tomorrow.¡±

    Raeleigh spoke as she ced a doughnut into her mouth and chomped on it. Xanthus asked, ¡°Are you able to do it?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Raeleigh was full of confidence, which appeared amusing to Xanthus. ¡°Since you¡¯ve been behaving well, you don¡¯t have to be grounded today. You can go out if you want.¡±

    ¡°Then what will you be doing today?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything today. I¡¯m going to the hospital. You¡¯re pregnant, so you¡¯d better not go there. I heard that pregnant women shouldn¡¯t go to any construction sitesor it may affect the baby.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t buy such superstition.¡±

    ¡°It has been proven scientifically that undue loud noise will exert a bad influence on the fetus. If you want the baby to be fine, don¡¯t go to the construction site. Where do you want to go? I¡¯ll keep youpany.¡±

    For Raeleigh¡¯s sake, Xanthus was willing to do anything.

    Now that she couldn¡¯t go to the construction site, Raeleigh remarked that there was no ce she intended to go to. She wanted to save Xanthus the trouble of having to take care of her. He was already so weary due to his work,she couldn¡¯t bear to make him bring her around.

    Raeleigh simply stayed at home. Xanthus had agreed at first. Buthe suddenly changed his mind and asked Raeleigh to go out with a random excuse.

    He said to Raeleigh, ¡°You can¡¯t always stay in the house. The air inside is bad.¡±

    ¡°Oh! ¡±

    He could use whatever excuse he wanted.

    Raeleigh followed Xanthus, who brought her around. The atmosphere between them was filled withcheerfulughter. As they meandered around, a day passed in the twinkling of an eye.

    On the way back, Raeleigh saw some workers getting off work from the construction site at the hospital. Many of them were heading in the same direction.

    Raeleigh asked Xanthus, ¡°Where are they going?¡±

    ¡°To the walled homestay. They are all localborers, who specialize in construction.¡±

    ¡°There are so many of them?¡± Raeleigh estimated that there were several dozens of them.

    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± replied Xanthus. With that, he went back with Raeleigh, who gazed at those workers while walking. Concurrently, there was someone in the crowd staring at Raeleigh. When Raeleigh cast a look back at that person, that person looked away immediately.

 Chapter 1595 A Chance Encounter at the Side of a Street

    Raeleigh felt that there was someone in the crowd looking at her, but when she looked carefully at those workers, she found that all of them had turned their backs to her. This made it hard for her to distinguish who had peeked at her among the crowd.

    In the evening, Raeleigh mentioned this matter to Xanthus, who was more apprehensive than Raeleigh. The next day, he assembled all the workers to make sure that there were no suspicious people among them. After repeated inquiries, he discovered that there were indeed two new workers in the group.

    ¡°Are you guys new here?¡± Xanthus¡¯s eyesnded on the two of them. One of them had a scar on his face. He lowered his head slightly, appearing to be unsociable.

    ¡°Raise your head.¡± Xanthus didn¡¯t want to overlook any possibility that might cause harm to Raeleigh.

    The man opposite to him raised his head slowly and gazed at Xanthus. At a nce,Xanthus was surprised to see that his face had been scalded. The scar on his face made him look menacing.

    His eyes seemed familiar to Xanthus, who intended to inquire about something. Meanwhile, the other new worker said, ¡°My brother is mute because he was caught in a great fire during his childhood. Many parts of his body were scaldedand hisvocal cord was damaged. He had a nice-sounding name originally, but the people in our former vige had been calling him ¡®Callis¡¯. I was too young when the fire happened, hence I couldn¡¯t remember what his original name was. My brother was traumatized by the fire, and he has forgotten his past. My parents died early, thus I took my brother out of the vige. Some time ago, we passed by this vige and heard that there were some job vacancies here, so we came here to work.¡±

    Xanthus asked, ¡°You don¡¯t have a name?¡±

    ¡°My name is Leander Wyld. As for my brother, everyone calls him Callis.¡±

    Leander exinedbut Xanthus still couldn¡¯t put his mind at ease. He asked, ¡°When you applied for the job, did you provide your health certificate? Or something like that?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have a health certificatebut we do have our ID cards.¡±

    Leander had dark skin and a full set of white teeth. So did Callis despite his scarred appearance.Xanthus couldn¡¯t perceive anything special with them. All he could tell was that both of them were tand had the same constitution as the other workers. It was probably because of their strenuous work all year round that they had a tall and rangy figure.

    ¡°Show me your ID cards then.¡± When Xanthus was speaking, Raeleigh hade over. She followed him and looked at the two new workers. Unexpectedly, the two of them also eyeballed her.

    Callis wanted to crack a grin when he saw Raeleighbut Leander told him, ¡°Don¡¯t simply smile at any pretty girl that appears in front of you. It¡¯s displeasing.¡±

    After hearing Leander¡¯s words, Callis lowered his head.

    Leander said, ¡°My brother likes to smile whenever he sees beautiful girls. He also likes to follow them. I hope you don¡¯t mind that.¡±

    Xanthus said coldly, ¡°ID cards, please.¡±

    Leander took out their ID cards and handed them over to Xanthus, who thenpared them one by one.From the photo, Callis actually looked attractive if there weren¡¯t a scar on his face.

    Returning the ID cards to Leander, Xanthus asked, ¡°Does your brother have a bad temper, such as engaging in violent behaviors when he is irritated?¡±

    ¡°No, he is very cooperative. He just likes to beam at the pretty girls and look at them,¡± Leander exined.

    Xanthus took a gander at Raeleigh, who was beside him, and said, ¡°Stop ambling around here. Go back.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile. ¡°Bye then.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and walked back. Xanthus said, ¡°Show me your hand.¡±

    Leander extended his hand to Xanthus, who surveyed it and found that his palm was covered with calluses.

    ¡°Your turn,¡± Xanthus said to Callis. Callis stretched out his hand to Xanthus. After checking it, Xanthus said, ¡°You may leave now.¡±

    Standing in the distance, Raeleigh observed the workers. As they left to work, she strolled down the street.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Xanthus went to look for Raeleigh. When they met, Raeleigh asked him, ¡°Did you suspect that they are bad guys?¡±

    ¡°We must always be vignt so as not to be harmed.¡±

    ¡°Then did you find anything suspicious?¡± Raeleigh quirked her eyebrow and looked at Xanthus. In her mind, he was afraid of his own shadows. In fact, she just said it casuallybut he had taken it seriously.

    Xanthus shook his head. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just bizarre that such a tall and thin man appears to be so ugly.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it because of the fire?¡±

    Raeleigh said casuallyand Xanthus replied, ¡°I¡¯ve seen their rough hands.It seems that they weren¡¯t lying. However, the fact that two strangers suddenly appeared here and stay us does strike me as odd.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t reply. Regardless of whether it was something unusual, it had already happened. Raeleigh had nothing toment on. She just followed Xanthus to stroll on the street.

    After that, Xanthus asked if Raeleigh had received any news from Jacky. In response to the question, Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Not yet. I think he hasn¡¯t found her. If he has, he will notify us.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way Ste can be invisible. She must be in Waverly Vige. If she can¡¯t be found, she must have hidden well. It means that someone in the vige helped her.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t we go to the university?¡± Xanthus stopped in his tracks.

    Raeleigh replied in amusement, ¡°Capital City and Waverly Vige are only so big. Where can we go? We will be found even if we go to the ends of the Earth, never mind Capital City. Technology today is way too advanced. Ste can murder people without leaving her shelter.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and sauntered along the street. ¡°I always feel that Ste is watching me and observing my every movement from somewhere. If I leave, she will follow me. If that¡¯s the case, I might as well stay here and lure her out.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, why are you so¡­¡±

    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. Trust me. This time, I won¡¯t let anyone hurt me again.¡±

    Raeleigh had a painful feeling at the thought of Jepherson¡¯s leniency with Ste. This kind of pain was somewhat numbing. She didn¡¯t hate Jepherson, but she couldn¡¯t forgive him. In her eyes, he had been muddling along in life.

    If it had not been for Ste, then those idents that took ce in the past might not have happened.

    Failing to bring Raeleigh around, Xanthus could only stay in Waverly Vige with her.

    In the morning, they did nothing but just rambled around the streets. In the afternoon, Xanthus went to provide medical consultation for the vigers. With nothing to do,Raeleigh followed him. However, she got a sudden inspiration for her design soshe went back.

    Xanthus was not relieved to let her leave alonebut Raeleigh convinced him that it would be fine.

    At about five o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Raeleigh saw the workers walking in her direction as soon as she stepped out of the door. She stopped and looked at them, not knowing what they were talking about. They seemed to be joking as they swept their eyes over her while guffawing. Raeleigh gazed at Callis, who also stared at her at the beginning. Buthe kept his head lowered when everyone began guffawing.

    Raeleigh did not care much. She turned around and went home. At thought of beingughed at by those workers,her inspiration fledand she didn¡¯t manage to design anything.

    Holding a pen, Raeleigh knocked on her forehead with her fist as her mind was nk.She gave up after a moment.

    She got up and went out to buy some fruits, only to find that Callis had alsoe out to purchase fruits. He followed Leander quietly. When Leander asked him which fruit he preferred, he gave no response.After that,Leander ignored him and proceeded to pick fruits on his own.

    Raeleigh bought several apples and eyeballed Callis curiously.

    ¡°Are you afraid of me?¡± Raeleigh took the initiative to ask Callis, who answered by shaking his head. Leander cast a nce back at them before smiling strangely. It wasas though the conversation was humorous. Hewent on picking fruits, leaving Callis behind with Raeleigh.

 Chapter 1596 A Record High

    Callis kept his head down whereas Raeleigh stood on the staircase, which made them appeared to be about the same height. After seeing Leander leave, Raeleigh asked Callis, ¡°Would you like to have an apple?¡±

    Callis did not answer while still lowering his head. Raeleigh handed him an apple that she bought.

    ¡°Take it.¡±

    Still looking down, Callis did not extend his hand.

    Raeleigh took his hand and ced the apple on his palm.

    ¡°I can¡¯t finish all the apples I bought. Here¡¯s one for you. You can treat me in return next time.¡± Raeleigh was ufortable with leaving Callis alone. Hence, she waited until Leander returned.

    ¡°Where do you live?¡± Raeleigh asked before she left. Leander replied, ¡°Just in front.¡±

    Raeleigh looked in the direction Leander indicated.It turned out that it was in the same direction as her home. Thatsurprised her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you staying with the other workers?¡±

    Leander walked on one side of Raeleigh while Callis walked on the other. Callis did not make a sound and kept his gaze fixed on the ground.

    Raeleigh kept ncing at Callisbut he didn¡¯t look back at her.On one asion, he stoppedthen sidestepped her before he continued moving forward.

    Raeleigh wondered why Leander said that Callus was used to smiling at beautiful girls. Was she not beautiful?

    Raeleigh felt stupid at the thought and could not help chuckling.

    As he strolled down the street, Leander told Raeleigh why they did not live with the other workers.

    ¡°We are outsiders. We¡¯re considered lucky to have the opportunity of living in the vige. The houses over there are free exclusively for the vigers. My brother and I have to rent a house somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°I see. Is the rental fee expensive here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s eptable. We can make a few hundred dors per day. In this way, I can get myself a wife in a few years,¡± Leander said with acent smile. Raeleigh was staggered for a moment before asking, ¡°If you¡¯re going to have your own family, what about Callis?¡±

    ¡°He can look after himself.¡±

    Raeleigh followed them to the ce where they lived. Stopping and having a look, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll prepare breakfast for you and send it over tomorrow morning. When does your shift start?¡±

    Raeleigh just felt that it was not easy for them to cookand it was not troublesome to deliver some food to them.

    Initially, Leander rejected her offer. After she insisted,he epted it.

    After going back, Raeleigh prepared the food ingredients required for the dishes that she would make the next morning. At first, she nned to cook some oatmeal. Later,she changed her mind and preparedto make waffles instead.

    Those two men had a physically demanding job, which made Raeleigh think that two bowls of oatmeal would not be sufficient. Thus, she made preparations for that ordingly.

    By the time Xanthus came back, Raeleigh had already made dinner. After dinner, she went to call Jacky, inquiring about his investigations into the prison and the search for Ste. Xanthus tidied up the dining table and saw that there were some fish and ribs in the kitchen. He turned to ask Raeleigh, only to find that she was still on the phone. Thushe didn¡¯t interrupt her. When Raeleigh came back after the call, Xanthus asked, ¡°Did you want to eat fish?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Raeleigh replied quite straightforwardly.

    ¡°Then why did you prepare fish and ribs?¡±

    Xanthus disapproved of having such a hearty meal in the morning, although they indeed should do it.

    ¡°It¡¯s for Callis, the worker we met. They¡¯re living nearby because they couldn¡¯t live in the free houses meant for the local vigers.They can only stay in a rented house.With their jobs,I bet they don¡¯t have time to bother with their meals. So, I¡¯ll bring a portion of our breakfast to them.¡±

    ¡°Living nearby?¡± Again, Xanthus became alert. Raeleigh told him, ¡°I met them in the supermarket. You can rest assured that they aren¡¯t bad guys. I have tested them.¡±

    In fact, Raeleigh had never tested them. But if she did not say so,Xanthus would not let it go.

    Rxing on the sofa, Raeleigh held a red apple in her hand. She wanted to nibble it, but due to the food she ate at dinner, she couldn¡¯t really do so.

    Xanthus satopposite her andasked, ¡°Why did they go to the supermarket?¡±

    ¡°Xanthus, quit behaving like you¡¯re afraid of your own shadow.¡±

    Raeleigh took a bite of the apple. It was so sweet!

    Xanthus threw a nce at her. ¡°With a sister like you, it will be difficult for me not to be afraid of my own shadow.¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Wearing a grin, Raeleigh chewed on the apple even though she was full.

    As sleepiness set in, she got up and went into her room.

    Seeing her go back, Xanthus decided to go out. He locked the door and told the surrounding people not to let their guard down. After asking where Leander and his brother stayed, he headed straight for them.

    Xanthus knew all the people living nearby. When thendlord, who rented the ce to Leander, saw Xanthus, he thought Xanthus came to make a house call.He even told Xanthus that nobody in his house was sick.

    ¡°I¡¯m not here for consultationbut to inquire about something.¡±

    Xanthus did not hide anything. Instead, he went straight to the point.

    Thendlord beamed at him. ¡°Well then, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Xanthus mentioned Leander and his brother without saying anything else other than the fact that they had conversed with his sister. He intended to get some more information on the brothers because it concerned him.

    Thendlord gazed at Xanthus for a while. Ever since knowing that Raeleigh was his sister, everyone in the vige thought Dr. Osteen was a decent guy, with the only exception being that he had somewhat deprived Raeleigh of her freedom.

    Originally, when they heard that the two of them were an unmarried couple, they had thought their rtionship abnormal since the two of them had never been intimate with each other. At most, they only caressed each other¡¯s heads, which was unconventional.

    Later, they found out that the two of them were siblings.It stillbaffled them as Xanthus kept an eye on his sister all day long, as if he was fearful of losing her.

    ¡°Keep your voice down while checking around. Don¡¯t let them find outor my rental business will go up in smoke.¡± Thendlord was helpless at meeting a worrywart like Xanthus.

    Xanthus thanked him and ascended the stairs. There was an attic up thereand Xanthus was eavesdropping outside the door.

    For a long time, he couldn¡¯t hear Callis speaking. All he had heard was Leander¡¯s words regarding work the next day and a reminder for Callis not to keep smiling at girls.

    Xanthus listened briefly before he turned around and left.

    Thendlord, who remained downstairs, asked, ¡°Are they the bad guys?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    With that, Xanthus took his leave of thendlord, who shook his head, thinking that Xanthus would be driven to madness sooner orter.

    Knowing that Leander and his brother were not bad people, Xanthus went back to have a good sleep. The next day, Raeleigh woke up and prepared breakfast before she personally delivered it to the brothers. There were five waffles, a pot of oatmeal, a te of fish, and barbecued ribs. Raeleigh watched as they shoveled down the food before drinking some water. They ateas though they were not full.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make more tomorrow.¡± Raeleigh stood up and cleaned up while Callis remained voiceless. Raeleigh gave him an apple. ¡°Here, my brother didn¡¯t eat it. It¡¯s left for you. You can eat it. I¡¯ll purchase some more in the evening.¡±

    Raeleigh left after tidying up. She had been treating Callis like a child.

    Following that, Leander took Callis to work.

    Raeleigh then began to zero in on searching for Ste and Austin. Other than that, she spent the rest of her time with Callis.

    However, there was nothing else between them other than having food and drinks together.

    Meanwhile, news from Capital City circted that the Richards Group¡¯s products had reached a low point that seasonand that the enterprise had suffered a major loss. This coupled with the incident with the Richards family¡¯s second young master had greatly affected thepany. In short, the Richards Group¡¯s deficit had risen to a record high.

 Chapter 1597 Protecting Her

    On the weekend, Raeleigh prepared six dishes and a soup. It wasvery sumptuous. She invited Leander and his brother over for a meal.

    During the meal, Xanthus was reading a magazine when he said, ¡°Jepherson suffered a loss of 250 hundred million dors this season.¡±

    Raeleigh quietly ate her fish without raising her head.

    Xanthus looked at her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡±

    Raeleigh passed a piece of fish to Callis, who was concentrating on devouring the food. Leander told him, ¡°Slow down. No one will steal it from you.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just let him eat as much as he wants. He¡¯s going to stop once he is full. If you like it, I will cook for you every day.¡±

    Xanthus and Leander were speechless. Theygoggled at Raeleigh and Callis.

    Callis continued to gobble up the rest of the dishes. Xanthus took a gander at his ravenous look, wondering how many years it had been since hisst meal.

    ¡°Jepherson suffered a loss of 250 hundred million dors.¡±

    ¡°He can earn it back. That loss is just like washing money to him.¡± Raeleigh passed another steak to Callis, who proceeded to munch on it. He soon became full.

    ¡°What do you mean? Washing money?¡± Xanthus was still a little puzzled about her words. Did she mean illegal moneyundering or something?

    ¡°Literally. Throw it into the water, fish it out and dry it under the sun.¡± After that, Raeleigh asked Callis smilingly, ¡°Are you full?¡±

    Callis did not answer. Raeleigh stood up. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go out for a walk.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Xanthus looked displeased. ¡°Every time I bring him up, you will avoid the topic.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you still insist on bringing it up?¡±

    ¡°If I don¡¯t mention¡­¡±

    Raeleigh opened the door and left with Callis. Xanthus threw away the magazine and focused on his meal.

    Stepping out of the door, Raeleigh shot a nce at Callis. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to buy some clothes and walk around the vige.¡±

    Raeleigh walked ahead with Callis following behind.

    Raeleigh bought a set of clothes from a shop in the vige for him, including some socks.

    Afterward, Raeleigh didn¡¯t go home. As the weather had gotten warmer, she found a spot to rest and sat down with Callis.

    Callis spoke not a word. He had an aura of quietness about him, which enraptured Raeleigh.

    ¡°Let¡¯s sit here for a moment. We¡¯ll go back when it¡¯s dark.¡± Raeleigh sat on the bench and put her hands on her belly, unconsciouslyprotecting her baby.

    Callis gazed at her hands then at Raeleigh¡¯s sleeping face.

    Callis just sat there, eyeballing Raeleigh silently.

    Raeleigh was tugged awake by someone not long after she fell asleep. She opened her eyes to find that Callis was waving his hand and pointing at the sky.

    Raeleigh lifted her head to look at the sky. As dark clouds had shrouded the sun, Raeleigh got up from her seat.

    ¡°Oh no, I left my washing outside. I have to go back quickly. Callis, let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and hurried to go back, but Callis held her hand,gesturing her not to walk too fast. When Raeleigh looked back, he was picking up the items they had purchased. ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten about them. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Raeleigh did not manage to go back speedily since Callis was carrying quite a lot of items in his hands.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    By the time they got back, Xanthus had already taken in the washing and came out with an umbre. Seeing Raeleigh, he heaved a sigh of relief and brought her in.

    Entering the house, Raeleigh checked on herundry. Only after she made sure that nothing was missing did she set her mind at ease. Subsequently, she went to sit down.

    The others all gaped at her, feeling quite surprised by her behavior.

    Especially Xanthus. ¡°Which is more important? Clothes or you?¡±

    ¡°Of course we¡¯re both important.¡± Raeleigh looked at Xanthus and picked up an apple to take a biteEven though she ate before hanging out with Callis, she was hungry again after the walk.

    Now that she was pregnant, she felt that she could only have energy by continuously eating. Otherwise, she would feel listless. Everything else was fine. Therefore, she had a hunch that she might give birth to a child with a voracious appetite.

    Raeleigh sat on the sofa, stretched her legs, picked up a magazine to read while nibbling on her apples. Leander and Callis were about to leave when the heavens opened up. The pouring rain prevented them from leaving.

    ¡°Sit down for a while. Leave after the rain stops.¡±

    Raeleigh gave an apple to Callis, feeling embarrassed to eat it alone.

    Leander told Callis to sit down. The two of them sat down and waited. However, after waiting a long time, the rain didn¡¯t show any signs of ceasing.

    Raeleigh sat on the sofa absentmindedly, staring at the incessant raindrops outside the window. After a long time, she stood up, went back to her room, took out a pen, and started designing an appealing mini car for her child.

    After that, she kept the blueprint and went to lie down.

    When the brothers were about to leave, Xanthus knocked on the door and called Raeleigh, who had been sleeping. She got up and opened the door to find that they were all standing outside her room. She asked dazedly whether they were about to leave before she went back to bed. Standing by the door, Xanthus asked her if she was really so sleepy. Raeleigh did not answer. Shesimply pulled the quilt over her head and fell asleep.

    Xanthus went into her room to tuck her in while Callis fixed his eyes on the blueprint on the desk. He wasstaring at it as if he was in a trance.

    When Xanthus came back, he nced at Callis, who seemed to be lost in thought. ¡°She is a designer.¡±

    Leander tugged at Callis¡¯s arm. ¡°All right, it¡¯s time to leave. Itmay start to rain again.¡±

    Leander brought Callis out. As the door was closed, Xanthus went back to check on Raeleigh before going to bed.

    For the next few days, Raeleigh did not see Callis. She asked Xanthus twice, but he too had not seen him. On the weekend, Raeleigh finally saw him. She inquired about where he disappeared tobut he kept silent with his head lowered.

    Leander exined that Callis had fallen ill for a week. Perhaps because he got caught in the rain.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make you something delicious.¡±

    In order to help Callis be healthier, Raeleigh made a lot of delicious food. However, he did not eat much. Instead, most of the food ended up in Leander¡¯s stomach.

    Raeleigh said nothing but went out with Callis after the meal to buy something for him.

    Strolling along the bustling street, Raeleigh felt that it was pleasing to be apanied by Callis.

    At the thought, Raeleigh asked Callis, ¡°Is there a girl you like?¡±

    He lifted his head to gaze at Raeleighand there was a tenderness in his eyes. Raeleigh added, ¡°Surely there is. but no one really understands you.¡±

    Raeleigh bowed her head. ¡°I too have someone I like. Just like you, no one understands me.¡±

    They walked single file down the street, with Raeleigh at the front. There was a distance of aboutfive or six steps between them. Raeleigh enjoyed the scenery whereas Callis kept his eyes on her.

    Unknowingly, they had reached the end of the street. Raeleigh stood there momentarily and turned to walk back.

    All of a sudden, an unfamiliar kid on a bicyclewhizzed toward her.

    Raeleigh did not respond in time. She froze,not daring to move or shout. As the bicycle approached her like a thunderbolt, she closed her eyes, as though to brace herself for a nasty collision.

    She heard a bang, but when she opened her eyes again, what came to her sight was that the kid had been pinned down by the bicycle whileholding his knee in anguish.

    Raeleigh looked nkly at the kid on the ground, who appeared to be in agonizing pain.

    Raeleigh then gazed at Callis, who had blocked the bicycle with his body.

    Raeleigh hurried to his side right away. His shirt was tornand there was a longceration on his back. Blood oozed from the nasty wound.

    ¡°You¡¯re injured!¡±

    Raeleigh hurried to help him get upbut the kid on the ground also came to her mind. She was so busy helping them that she had no idea how she got home in the end.

    Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered the door,Xanthus greeted her with a look of irritation on his face.

 Chapter 1598 Force Her Tears Back

    Callis¡¯s injuries were not too severe, only a long gash on his back.He was fine after Xanthus treated him, but he kept his gaze on the nervous teen as he sat on the sofa.

    Seeing that he was all right, Raeleigh immediately put a ss of water in the nervous teen¡¯s hands. ¡°Drink some water. It¡¯s alright; just tell your parents the whole story when they¡¯re here.¡±

    Raeleigh was afraid of frightening the teen; a kid his age would be in between being sensible and not.

    He would be treated as an adult when things happened, but at the same time he was still unable to handle them.

    Raeleigh waited for the teenager to speak. However, he was so nervous that he dared not look up. He held a cup in his hands, sweating profusely, and kept swallowing his saliva.

    Jacky came overafter hearing about what had happened. The people outside were all Jacky¡¯s men, so he came in without knocking.

    Finding the scene in the living room strange, he asked,¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Raeleigh looked up at Jacky and exined, ¡°This boy here almost hit me with his bike; Callis took the impact for me and got himself injured. He¡¯s fine now, but the boy¡¯s frightened.¡±

    Jacky walked to the teen and mped his chin, forcing him to look up. Horrified, the teen¡¯s hand flinched, and the ss in his hand fell, shattering it, leaving water all over the floor.

    Jacky¡¯s eyes wereced with a cold and merciless light as he stared at the teenager, asking, ¡°Who sent you?¡±

    Trembling, the teen stuttered. ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Standing aside, Raeleigh fixed her gaze at the murderous Jacky. She couldn¡¯t understand what Jacky was trying to do, but from the looks of it, the teenager had done it deliberately.

    Raeleigh then directed her gaze at the pale, frightened teenager and couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°He¡¯s only a teenager. Could he have any bad intentions?¡±

    Jacky gritted his teeth.¡°It¡¯s exactly because he¡¯s young and still can¡¯t make a good judgment that he¡¯s used.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer.Jacky wasn¡¯t wrong.

    With that, she no longer said anything. Everyone had different perspectives on even one thing.

    What Raeleigh knew most was design. But she grew up with a different past from the norm, so she was well aware of what to do and when.

    Still fixing her gaze at the teenager, she recalled the situation at that time. Althoughshe wasn¡¯t paying attention,the situation was uncalled for; she was sure no one was there a second before the incident.

    The teenager came out of nowhere.Even if his bike was faulty, his appearance was too strange. And at the time, there were only two possibilities.

    One was that the teenager had observed her for a long time and was ready to take action at any time. The other was that the teenager had turned a corner at some point and identally hit her. But Raeleigh clearly remembered that there was no turning or alleys nearby. So it was credible to say it was premeditated.

    Jacky still mped the teenager¡¯s chin in his hand, and Raeleigh was speechless. It was the first time she had seen a man grabbing another man¡¯s chin to the point that it looked like something straight out of a romantic movie.

    If Deanna saw this, how would she react?

    Jacky sneered.¡°You¡¯d better cooperate with me now, or you won¡¯t get the chance to confess when your parentse.¡±

    The teenager continued to tremble. ¡°Jacky¡­ I really don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t know.¡±

    Jacky released his grip and turned to Callis, sweeping his gaze across his face, asking, ¡°You good?¡±

    Callis replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    ¡°Thank you for your help. You don¡¯t have to work on the construction site anymore; you¡¯re responsible for protecting Raeleigh.¡± Jacky said decisively.

    Stumped, Raeleigh had wanted to refuse as she thought the teenager probably didn¡¯t mean it, and Jacky was making a big deal out of it. However,whenshe saw Callis¡¯s gradually pale face and thoughthow everyone would make fun of him every day when he went to work at the construction site, she didn¡¯t say anything more.

    ¡°Leander, you too. Stay here and protect Raeleigh. I will double your sry.¡±

    With that, Jack turned to the teenager. ¡°You can say nothing, but I can kill you and make you regret your choice today.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Jacky.¡°He is still a child. Don¡¯t use such a threatening tone; it¡¯s not right.¡±

    Society was already chaotic enough. It was because adults brought bad influences to the children, the world became more chaotic.

    Jacky would still listen to Raeleigh, but he also said, ¡°Kindness can also kill. You should know well that if you¡¯re even the slightest bit careless, you¡¯ll die in the chaos.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it for you butSantiago.¡±

    Stumped, Raeleigh felt as if a knife had sliced her heart open. Tears filled her eyes as she choked with sobs.

    Raeleigh heaved a light breath, turned around, and held onto the armrest of the sofa for support as she sat down.

    Nearly in an instant, Raeleigh felt that the whole world was copsing. She had difficulty breathing, and her face turned horrifyingly pale.

    Xanthus was still mad at Raeleigh in the beginning. He couldn¡¯t believe she, a pregnant woman, had brought two people home. What if something happened to her?

    She had been told countless times at critical moments that she was not God and that she couldn¡¯t change the world, but she just wouldn¡¯t listen.

    She only had to take care of herself, and not interfere with others.

    But she just wouldn¡¯t listen. That kindness of hers wasn¡¯t kindness but foolishness.

    Xanthus hadn¡¯t said a word because of this, but he still rushed to her, seeing her situation. The medical equipment was ced in the living room; he had prepared two sets in case of any emergencies. He was always worried that Raeleigh would be in danger, so he was all prepared.

    Xanthus got down on one knee and felt Raeleigh¡¯s sweaty forehead.

    ¡°Breathe;deep breaths.¡±

    Sure enough, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Xanthus firstforted Raeleigh before checking on her.He gave Raeleigh a box of zinc gluconate, something to ease the emotions during pregnancy.It would definitely work. He was a doctor, after all, and he knew this was a shortcut.

    Raeleigh¡¯s lips were pale, her mouth slightly opened.Seeing that she couldn¡¯t even drink,he got up and poured it into Raeleigh¡¯s mouth.

    She finally calmed down, slowly regaining her responsiveness. But she didn¡¯t cry, forcing her tears back.

 Chapter 1599 Not What It Seems To Be

    ¡°If you want to cry, cry. No one willugh at you.Don¡¯t hold it in!¡±

    Xanthus had never experienced death and separation. Although he had feelings for Cynthia, it was not to the point that he was reluctant to part with her. So he couldn¡¯t understand all that Raeleigh had gone through.

    But he knew Santiago held a very special ce in Raeleigh¡¯s heart.

    Not everyone could bear the pain of losing someone they loved.

    Raeleigh slowly looked at Xanthus. She didn¡¯t say anything even if her heart ached.

    She even smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Just as everyone had their eyes on Raeleigh, Callis stood up, walked out the door, and stood outside.

    Feeling incredibly awkward, Leander stood up and said, ¡°He can¡¯t stand seeing a woman cry. I¡¯ll check on him.¡±

    After Leander and Callis left, Raeleigh looked at Jacky, ¡°I¡¯ll stay alert and stay away from danger from now on. Thank you!¡±

    Jacky didn¡¯t say anything. He understood Raeleigh¡¯s pain well; Santiago was also very important to him.

    But from a man¡¯s standpoint,there were some things that came without any choice. That was it.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±

    Xanthus held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and rubbed her palm. If it weren¡¯t that Raeleigh¡¯s health was a priority, Xanthus would¡¯ve discussed the matter with Jacky in private.

    There was a knock on the door. Jacky¡¯s men stationed outside said, ¡°Jacky, the kid¡¯s parents are here.¡±

    Jacky turned around and looked over. There was a hint of calmness in his eyes as if the incident had never happened. He immediately said, ¡°Call them in.¡±

    With that, Jacky went and sat next to Raeleigh, then crossed his legs and looked at the door. When the teenager saw Jacky sit down, he knelt on the ground with a thud and said to Jacky, ¡°Jacky, please spare me; I will never do it again. I really didn¡¯t know she¡¯s yours.¡±

    Jacky didn¡¯t respond, merely staringat the teenager whiletwo people came in.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    Raeleigh heard the sound of the door opening and turned to look. A man and a woman came in; they were both ordinary locals in their forties or fifties.

    After entering, the woman ran over to shield her son, but she beat him hard the next moment.

    Another man walked to Jacky¡¯s side and cried, ¡°Jacky!¡±

    Jacky raised his head to look at the person in front of him and said, ¡°This kid had taken a bribe and nearly harmed Raeleigh.¡±

    Jacky didn¡¯t bother with the formalities and got straight to the point. Stumped, the man turned to look at the teenager kneeling on the ground. The woman was also stunned and took two steps back to look at her kneeling son, unable to react.

    ¡°Is Jacky right?¡± The man roared at his son, leading the teenager to plead guilty, ¡°I didn¡¯t, Dad, I didn¡¯t.¡±

    But the man didn¡¯t believe his words,disappointed, ¡°You¡¯re still unrepentant? Own up now; Jacky won¡¯t treat you ill.¡±

    As the man spoke, Raeleigh took a nce at Jacky, who was unruffled, as if nothing had ever happened. Then she turned her gaze to the teenager and suddenly came to a realization. No matter where, no integrated system meant no basis, and it would all copse sooner orter.

    Raeleigh suddenly had immense respect for Jacky. Although he was not an orphan, it was astounding that he could have such achievements in Waverly Vige.

    The teenager still wouldn¡¯t confess. Livid, the man ran out and came back with a stick, walloping the teenager. The stick was as thick as Raeleigh¡¯s arm; it didn¡¯t take long for it to break in two and the teenager to curl up on the ground, motionless.

    The teenager¡¯s mother stood aside, crying her eyes out. How could she bear to see her son punished?

    Raeleigh watched all of this. So this was the underworld!

    And Waverly Vige was an organized underworld.

    Standing on the top, Raeleigh was already feeling the oing coldness.

    However, Jacky could still swagger on. She could no longer tell whether he was lonely or arrogant.

    With that, Raeleigh said, ¡°He will die if you keep this up.¡±

    The teenager¡¯s mother suddenly looked at Raeleigh gratefully but said, ¡°He brought it on himself.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Even so, he is still a child. If he doesn¡¯t admit, he won¡¯t even if you beat him to death, and nothing will be solved.¡±

    Holding back the pain, the woman wiped her face but never begged Jacky.

    Raeleigh knew Jacky had his rules here, so she didn¡¯t say anything.

    However, Jacky suddenly said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. He won¡¯t tell you even if we beat him to death. What a waste. Good kid, but used.¡±

    Stumped, the man turned to Jacky. ¡± Jacky¡­¡±

    ¡°Lock him up first. Get someone to attend to his injuries. Don¡¯t worry; he won¡¯t die.¡±

    Hearing Jacky¡¯s words, the man looked as if he had been granted amnesty. He threw the stick in his hand away and looked at Jack., ¡°Jacky, thank you!¡±

    ¡°Go back. Have him stay with me for now, lest he¡¯s led astray.¡± Jacky smiled as he spoke. Although the couple was reluctant, they still thanked Jacky.

    Jacky said, ¡°No need to thank me. I had wanted him to die.I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well aware of our rules. Something like this is equivalent to treason. Even if he isn¡¯t sentenced to death, he¡¯d still have to suffer for his actions. It won¡¯t do any good if he¡¯s broken. He¡¯s your only child, and he still has to look after you two when you¡¯re old.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only letting this matter slide because of Raeleigh.¡±

    The couple looked at Raeleigh and hurried over to thank her. As she hurriedly got up, Jacky said, ¡°Sit down. You guys can call it even now.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jacky. The couple thanked her before leaving. Then Jacky turned to the teen and said, ¡°You work for me from now on, and I will give you a chance to kill me. However¡­ if you fail, you will be mine for the rest of your life.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ever think a gangster¡¯s life is glorious. The underworld is full of death and conniving. Someone like you will only die before you know it.¡±

    The teen slowly opened his eyes and looked at Jacky, ¡°I really didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. If you don¡¯t give me a name, I¡¯ll break your bones and put them back.If you¡¯re able to take it all in without a cry of pain, you¡¯re this.¡±

    Jacky raised his hand and gave him a thumbs up. The teen was stunned for a moment.

    Jacky stood up,put his hands into his pockets,and walked out. Raeleigh watched Jacky¡¯s lonely retreating figure. It suddenly came to her that the vige wasn¡¯t as glorious as it looked on the surface. Whatid under the carpet was helplessness, as well as sordid!

 Chapter 1600 Powerful Presence

    After Jacky left, Raeleigh looked at the teen on the ground. Several people came in and took him away, and his parents also left Raeleigh¡¯s ce.

    Raeleigh was still breaking out in cold sweat. Xanthus put a quilt on Raeleigh and helped her lie downon the sofa.

    It was the first time Xanthus had seen someone break out in a cold sweat because of sadness.

    After giving Raeleigh an injection, Xanthus sat down.Raeleigh said after a long silence, with her eyes closed.¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I don¡¯t have anything to say, yet I¡¯m in shambles when I think of Santiago.¡±

    Xanthus looked at Raeleigh, who was lying beside him andsaid after a long while, ¡°All¡¯s well that ends well. He¡¯ll be fine; the medical is so advanced now.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No. He isn¡¯t decent. Though he isn¡¯t a viin either, he¡¯s deviant. Jepherson had led him astray. Though he isn¡¯t bad, he still hurt people; he would do anything. He¡¯s just nicer to me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get ideas into your head. No matter how bad Santiago is, he can¡¯t be worse than Flynt. And Flynt¡¯s still fine.¡±

    ¡°His time hasn¡¯te. When it does, he won¡¯t be able to escape.¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh turned over,facing the sofa, and curled her body. She was like a neglected street child in the cold world, helpless and alone.

    Xanthus was herbrother, after all. Even if his heart ached for her, he couldn¡¯t do anything but only console her,¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. Everything will be fine.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing but onlyy motionless.

    When Callis and Leander returned, Raeleigh had fallen asleep. Xanthus looked up at the two of them and said, ¡°Since Jacky believes in you, he must have looked into your background. I trust your identities. You two share a room.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll sleep on the sofa outside, and Callis can sleep on the ground,¡± Leander said bluntly. Xanthus said, ¡°We have a spare room. It¡¯s safe for you guys to live here; nothing will happen.¡±

    Xanthus took a nce at his sleeping sister, then at Callis. ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Callis merely looked at Raeleigh and didn¡¯t answer.

    Leander said, ¡°Since you¡¯re okay with it, we¡¯ll stay in the room. Call us if anything.¡±

    With that, Leander went to the spare room, but Callis was still looking at Raeleigh. Xanthus said, ¡°She¡¯s fine now. You can go in.¡±

    Only then did Callis go into the spare room.

    Raeleigh had a restless sleep that night. Santiago filled her dreams. She was even somewhat lost when she woke up.

    Raeleigh only retreated to her room after she got up in the morning and came out to eat a little after resting the entire morning. After lunch, she went to look for Jacky, and he happened to be heading out of the vige. Raeleigh wanted to follow; Jacky only agreed after giving it some thought.

    But he did not let Callis and Leander follow.

    After she got in the car and asked Jacky about the updates from the Green House, Jacky said, ¡°My men have infiltrated, and he has asked around, but all of them had their lips sealed tight. They would say they don¡¯t know anything and even have never seen the person you¡¯re looking for at all.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible. I was there for some time. If there really is no such person, how can I not know?¡±

    Jacky looked at Raeleigh from the rearview mirror. Raeleigh realized her words were faulty, so she said after a moment of silence. ¡°I know this matter is suspicious, but I have no other choice. I know I¡¯m not crazy.¡±

    Jacky continued driving, ¡°I know you¡¯re not.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring you to the Green House for a look. The warden¡¯s away today.¡±

    The reason Jacky left Waverly Vige was, one, to take a look inside the Green House, and two, to visit Deanna and their children.

    Since Raeleigh wanted to tag along, he agreed.

    They had the same purpose one way or the other.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t expect to see Jepherson¡¯s car parked by the Green House.

    He had gotten used to being a lone wolftely. Even the car he drove was different; it was a convertible sports car.

    Raeleigh recognized Jepherson¡¯s car. Though Jepherson had many cars, and she might not have seen all of them before,all of them had his emblem.

    Raeleigh got out of Jacky¡¯s car and stared at Jepherson¡¯s car in a daze. ¡°How could it be so coincidental for Jepherson toe here at this time?¡± She thought.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Jacky got out of the car and looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh answered, ¡°Nothing. That¡¯s Jepherson¡¯s car. How can we go in when he¡¯s here? Didn¡¯t you say the warden¡¯s out?¡±

    Jacky nced at Raeleigh. ¡°He is out, but we don¡¯t have the right to go in either.¡±

    Raeleigh understood what Jacky meant and said, ¡°Should we still go in?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already agreed to meet up.¡±

    Jacky couldn¡¯te just to leave.

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go in then.¡±

    Jacky locked the car and walked toward the prison. After they entered, two men came out and greeted Jacky before they brought Jacky and Raeleigh to an office; someone served them refreshments.

    ¡°Some outsiders are here today, so we have to wait for a while.¡± Jacky¡¯s spy exined.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t have to ask to know who they were. One of them was undoubtedly Jepherson.

    ¡°What are they here for?¡± Jacky asked.

    The spy replied, ¡°They said they¡¯re here to give the prisoners checkups; they might stay until the evening.¡±

    Raeleigh and Jacky exchanged nces, and Raeleigh said, ¡°He¡¯s not a doctor; what¡¯s there for him to check?¡±

    Jacky replied, ¡°Who knows?¡±

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Can I have a look at what they¡¯re doing?¡±

    ¡°This may not work.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh and Jacky left. When they returned at four in thete afternoon, Jepherson was still inside, so they didn¡¯t enter this time.

    Xanthus called Raeleigh then, asking when she would be back. Raeleigh said she¡¯d be backte. She didn¡¯t want to give up, wanting to go in that night.

    But while she was on the phone,Jepherson exited the prison, got into his car, and immediately.

    Jacky¡¯s car was parked in a more secluded location. Jepherson brought someone with him, and they immediately got into the car aftering out. Raeleigh was d he had finally left.

    Jacky waited for a while before calling his men inside. They opened the door and took Raeleigh and Jacky inside.

    Raeleigh basically circled the prison; all she wanted to know was where the hell Austin had gone.

    Raeleigh went to the cafeteria and hid aside, scanning the room.The prisoners all had their eyes on their meal; sheknew well that it was the quietest ce in the entire prison as they were not allowed to look around unless they were about to cause a riot.

    So Raeleigh wasn¡¯t worried about being seen.

    However, after looking for some time, Raeleigh found it strange that she did not see anyone she knew.

    Why were there so many new faces?

    As Raeleigh looked around, someone walked to her side and stopped.

    Raeleigh immediately felt the person¡¯s powerful presence!

 Chapter 1601 No Hope

    Jepherson was looking at her when Raeleigh turned around, and she took a subconscious step back. However, there was a window behind Raeleigh; she would be found out if she bumped into it. The moment she came in contact with the window, she grabbed Jepherson¡¯s arm. Though it wasn¡¯t exactly sessful, her hand slipped down his high-quality shirt; she still managed to grab hold.

    At the same time, Jepherson grabbed hold of Raeleigh¡¯s waist, pulling her into his arms.

    Raeleigh looked up at Jepherson. Jacky also turned around only to be surprised by Jepherson¡¯s appearance.He had been standing next to Raeleigh the whole time. The door was on the right, and he couldn¡¯t believe he didn¡¯t sense Jepherson entering at all.

    They were even hugging right then.

    Although Jacky found it strange, he looked away the next second,as if he hadn¡¯t seen anything.

    Raeleigh, on the other hand, pushed Jepherson away.

    Jepherson said after letting go, ¡°Be careful.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Raeleigh was used to expressing her thanks and continued scanning the room. Although she was still in shock, she did not say anything.

    It took her quite some time to calm down.

    Jepherson merely stood behind Raeleigh, their bodies nearly touching each other. If she moved even a little, her back would definitely touch his torso.

    ¡°You¡¯re burning,¡± Raeleigh muttered.

    Hearing that, Jepherson took a step back and went out. Jacky looked over and followed Jepherson out.

    Raeleigh stayed, but after failing to see anything suspicious, she left the cafeteria as well.

    Out the door,shesaw Jepherson standing with his back facing her and his hands behind his back, looking as if he was waiting for her.

    Raeleigh looked around but didn¡¯t see Jacky.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother looking. Deanna called. He left.¡±

    Jepherson turned to look at Raeleigh. Staring at him, she didn¡¯t know what to say as whatever she said would be redundant at this point, having a hunch why he was here.

    ¡°Are you here because of Austin?¡±

    Jepherson retorted, ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. Jepherson walked away, saying, ¡°I tried looking for him in all the ces I could think of. If I could, I would¡¯ve found him long ago.¡±

    Raeleigh followed him behind. That was the reality; nothing went ording to her expectations. What else could she say?

    After exiting the prison, Raeleigh followed Jepherson to his car. He opened the door for her to get into the front passenger seat before getting in himself and starting the engine.

    As the roof of the car closed,Raeleigh looked behind her but did not see the man Jepherson had brought with him.Curious, she asked,¡°Where is the man who came with you?¡±

    ¡°He left.¡±

    With that, Jepherson drove Raeleigh home, taking his time. Raeleigh leaned against the car, staring ahead.

    Neither of them spoke. It was as if no one could say anything.

    When they arrived at Waverly Vige, Jepherson stopped the car outside. Raeleigh got out, and Jepherson followed.

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte; rest early. I¡¯ll let you know if there¡¯s any news.¡± With that, Jepherson went back into the car, still having his gaze fixed at Raeleigh.Raeleigh only then went into the vige.

    After walking a short distance, Raeleigh turned to look at Jepherson; he was still looking at her.

    After some thought, Raeleigh still walked back home.

    As she was about to reach home,she saw Callising out. Seeing her, he stopped. Raeleighsmiled.¡°Waiting for me?¡±

    Callis did not answer, which amused Raeleigh. ¡°I almost forgot. You can¡¯t speak.¡±

    Callis remained silent. Raeleigh walked to him, and they entered the house.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was disappointed that her investigation that day was fruitless. She barely ate that nightalthough Xanthus had prepared all her favorites.

    After dinner, Raeleigh went outside to watch the stars,Callis following behind.Raeleigh said, ¡°I really don¡¯t know what he is thinking.¡±

    He looked at Raeleigh¡¯s calm and indifferent face, then looked somewhere else.

    Raeleigh turned to Callis, ¡°You also have something on your mind?¡±

    He looked at Raeleigh, took off his coat, and draped it on her.

    Raeleigh took a look at her shoulder and smiled beforeshe looked away and said, ¡°He doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m only doing this for the baby.¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Callis looked at her silently before he looked awayas if he was looking at something.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°All I want is a simple life.¡±

    Callis looked at her for a long time.

    Raeleigh added after a silence, ¡°I never thought we would be so distant to the point we have nothing to say to each other.¡±

    ¡­

    After standing outside for a while, Raeleigh walked toward a ce where there were fewer people. Callis followed her and checked their surroundings from time to time.

    The streets at ten were rtively quiet but brightly lit.

    Raeleigh stood at the ce where the ident happened and fixed her eyes on the vige entrance. She said, ¡°Everyone has their path to take. He is naive, and I¡¯m stubborn, so we can only go our separate ways.¡±

    Callis looked at her.Raeleigh wore a smile.¡°You¡¯ve never experienced any of it, so you won¡¯t understand. When your brother finds himself a wife and one for you too, you have to treat her well.¡±

    Callis didn¡¯t answer; his head still hung low.

    Raeleigh ridiculed him, ¡°It seems that you like to have your head hung low; you have your eyes on the ground all the time.¡±

    He no longer looked at Raeleigh; his head still hung low.

    It was already midnight when Raeleigh went back. Xanthus waited outside the door for her and even criticized her for not learning her lesson.

    ¡°If I can give you a good beating, I will.¡±

    Xanthus said in front of Callis, leading him to stare at Xanthus while Raeleigh merely giggled.

    ¡°I know. I won¡¯t do it next time.¡±

    Raeleigh buttered up to her brother, hugging his arm, and Xanthus nagged at her as he brought her in. He was just too worried about her.

    After she went back to her room, she took a shower and rested.It wasn¡¯t until Xanthus said it wouldn¡¯t do good for pregnant women to sleepte that she hurriedly went to bed.

    Worried, Xanthus slept in the living room so he would be the first to know if anything happened to Raeleigh.If Raeleigh came out at night, he would be able to see as well.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t get up that night, but Callis did once.

    Xanthus was a little dazed as he looked at Callis, who was walking back to his room after taking a drink. He got up and went over, knocking on his door.

    Callis answered the door.

    Xanthus observed his burnt face.Although scarred, he could still tell Callis was blessed with a handsome face.

    Xanthus said, ¡°Nothing; get some rest.¡±

    Callis didn¡¯t say anything but onlyclosed the door and went back to bed.

    Xanthus shook his head. It couldn¡¯t be Santiago; his injury was too severe. The doctor had dered death. Even if he was also an expert in this field, he didn¡¯t hold onto any hope.

    He only told Raeleigh there was still hope because he didn¡¯t want her to plunge into despair.

    In reality, everyone knew it was hopeless. But even so, they couldn¡¯t bear to tell Raeleigh the truth.

 Chapter 1602 Meeting in School

    When Raeleigh got up in the morning, she called Jenna and asked about Santiago.

    Jenna sighed. ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯tworry about us here or Santiago. I will take good care of him. You should take care of yourself over there.

    ¡°You¡¯re a mom now, after all. Although you and Jerry have divorced, I still see you as one of us.¡±

    ¡°Auntie, I¡¯ll visit you in a few days.¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh understood the situation, but she was still worried when she couldn¡¯t see Santiago.

    Since there was no further news after such a long investigation, she might as well visit them and consider it a distraction.

    Raeleigh believed there was no way Ste woulde out and harm people at this time.

    Better she did than didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Raeleigh, we¡¯re all fine. You don¡¯t need to visit us; we might go back in a few days.¡±

    Jenna nced at her husband sitting on the sofa. All the doctors said that it was impossible for him to wake up again, but they couldn¡¯t ept such a reality. Hansen wouldn¡¯t give in to fate and even suddenly said they should go back that morning.

    Jenna didn¡¯t dare to ask him anything. No one could heal the pain in his heart.

    Hansen sat there motionlessly. His hair had turned much whiter. Jenna had trouble sleeping at night, and Hansen would spend the nights looking out the window.

    The couple watched over their sleeping son in silence, not eating.

    If Alvin hadn¡¯t apanied them,reminding them to eat something every day and giving them emotional support, they would have long copsed.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Are you reallying back?¡±

    ¡°Hansen said we should. Nothing beats staying at home; there are a lot of inconveniences anyway.Grandma and Grandpa are sick, Santiago too; Hansen and I have too much on our hands.¡±

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Grandpa is also sick?¡±

    Jenna swallowed.¡°Yes, he¡¯s sick. He¡¯d get exhausted even only taking a few steps. He¡¯d lie down if he could and sit if not; he doesn¡¯t eat much either.¡±

    ¡°He was still fine a few days ago, but he suddenly fell ill.¡±

    ¡°We took him to the doctors, but they said he¡¯s fine. He¡¯s just like that.¡±

    Raeleigh thought, ¡°Come to Waverly Vige then. I can take care of Santiago while you and Uncle Hansen can take care of your parents.¡±

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t expected the turn of events.

    Jenna choked, ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    The call suddenly dropped.Raeleigh moved the phone away and looked at it, feeling as ifher heart had been stabbed. It took her a long time toe back to her senses and wipe her tears away before calling Jenna again.

    But this time, Jenna stopped answering her calls.

    Raeleigh gave up after several failed attempts.

    Over the next few days, Raeleigh would call Jenna almost every day, only to fail repeatedly. Jenna would let the phone ring until Raeleigh ended it.

    Raeleigh left Waverly Vige once on the weekend.She went to attend some activities at the university; she only left when they called her.

    Jepherson was also present that day.

    Raeleigh sat in an obscure corner. When Jepherson came, everyone gossiped about the Richards family¡¯s scandals.

    Not only was their status in Capital city wavering, but Santiago¡¯s life was hanging in the bnce as well. Some even said there was another major scandal the Richards family was trying their best to hide.

    Raeleigh sat in the crowd and listened to those people gossiping outrageously.

    Jepherson appeared wearing a tailored grey suit. He sat there withposure, a sharp contrast to the atmosphere of the room.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡± Horacio got up from his seat when he saw Jepherson, and Jepherson said calmly, ¡°Hello, Mr. Horacio.¡±

    Jepherson still cared about his image on formal asions.

    After greeting Jepherson, Horacio sat back down, and Jepherson followed suit.

    ¡°Next, let¡¯s invite Mr. Richardsto say a few words.¡±

    Someone was emceeing the event.

    There was a microphone in front of Jepherson.

    The room suddenly fell silent. Everyone wanted to know what Jepherson had to say at this time.

    Jepherson shifted the microphone before him and said, ¡°Hello everyone, I¡¯m Jepherson Richards.¡±

    With that, no one spoke anymore. Raeleigh stared at Jepherson¡¯s chiseledface, slightly lost in thought.

    Their first meeting may not have been wonderful, but it was certainly unforgettable.

    Jepherson smiled and continued, ¡°Elkton University is affiliated to the Richards Group, and the issues that have arisen in thepany have caused the university some trouble and inconvenience.¡±

    ¡°But the Richards Group will not make any changes because of it.We will continue to contribute to the talents of the university and support it fully.¡±

    ¡°Also, we will gradually improve the partnership between two parties.¡±

    Hearing Jepherson¡¯s speech, everyone exchanged nces. They did not understand why he would say so at this time.Was it to stop people from leaving?

    Elkton University was a well-established school with a twenty-year history in Capital City.

    It wasn¡¯t wrong for Jepherson to make such a speech to keep talents from leaving.

    After all, the annual wealth that Elkton University had created for the Richards Group was shocking.

    There was even an article about how Elkton University had ounted for one percent of the annual profits of Richards Group.

    Though it wasn¡¯t shocking within the Richards Group, that was the past. Things may be different with the current state of thepany.

    Jepherson paused for a moment. ¡°I know many of you are wondering if I¡¯m pulling out the sympathy card, if I want you to stay here and hold on to a dead tree, waiting for it to bloom.¡±

    The crowd burst into an uproar. Jepherson hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°This isn¡¯t it but a mutually beneficial countermeasure.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Jepherson, motionless.

    Jepherson continued, ¡°The Richards Group is indeed involved in some disputes, but if there is no storm in a multinationalpany, there¡¯s no room for development.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not to mislead you. If you have what it takes to be here, it means you are the elites of the country.¡±

    ¡°A boat that can¡¯t withstand the wind and waves can¡¯t be called a boat. It might as well sink to the bottom of the ocean.¡±

    Jepherson fell silent for a moment before he continued, ¡°From now on,to prevent the elites from transferring, as well as to prevent other schools from stealing our students, the top three hundred students will receive a schrship. The first ce will receive three million dors, the second to tenth ce will receive 2. 8 million dors, and so on, with each tenth position as a divider.¡±

    ¡°You can leave. Elkton University has seven thousand students. When you do, someone will rece you.¡±

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re a genius or straight-A student, you will never be allowed to return after you leave. The gates of Elkton University will never open for you again.

    ¡°What the Richards Group wants are talents, but also loyalists.¡±

    Jepherson knocked on the table. ¡°You may be nothing if you stay, but if you¡¯re someone who can abandon even your school, no one will care whether you stay.¡±

    It was quiet below. Jepherson turned his gaze at the person behind him, and they took a stack of papers out.

    Jepherson looked over at the printed agreements, then at the crowd. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad if a shooting star shes by before you can notice it. With time, you and I will eventually be strangers, but why not bet on your future?¡±

    ¡°Signing it means you agree to stay, but it won¡¯t prove anything even if you don¡¯t.¡±

 Chapter 1603 Callisâ€™s Return

    Later, someone handed Raeleight the agreement. She took a good look at it; it roughly meant that students could not terminate their enrollment before they¡¯vepleted their studies. If they did, the school would not ept the student¡¯s reapplication if they decide to return.

    Seeing the others signed, Raeleigh did too, and the agreement was collected back.

    Raeleigh had to hand it to Jepherson for his finesse.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    However, given his position, it was understandable that he had no choice but to be a step ahead of others.

    Jepherson said a few more words before leaving.

    Raeleigh left with most of the crowd, but she wasn¡¯t expecting Jepherson to be waiting for her at the school gates.

    When Raeleigh got to him, there was another person with him in the car.

    She only got in when she saw it was Lenold.

    Lenold handed a document over to Raeleigh. ¡°Take a look at this.¡±

    Raeleigh took it and looked through the papers. It was a biography on Austin.

    Austin Quirk. Male. 28 years old. Biracial. Born in a small mountain vige. Because of his excellent academic performance since young and his intelligence, he was selectedexceptionallyas a member of the national basketball team during high school.

    But some timeter, Austin beat someone to death because of a girl.

    And he was sentenced to prison for 17 years, but it wasn¡¯t long before he killed a few people in prison because he was trying to escape.After he was arrested, he became a serious offender and was locked up in the Green House.

    He became a hired killer after going into prison. Austin would have to kill when he was paid.

    The matter was only exposed after the prison warden was found dead some time ago. The higher authorities were worried that it would hurt both the Green House and the Ministry of Public Affairs, which would, in turn, cause public opinion. So they secretly had Austin killed.

    Raeleigh¡¯s hand flinched, and the papersin her hand fell to the ground. She fixed her eyes ahead, looking soulless. Austin¡¯s face and his unforgettable jet-ck eyes filled her mind.

    Raeleigh was still absent-minded the entire car ride. When they reached the entrance of Waverly Vige, Jepherson picked up the papers Raeleigh dropped on the ground and looked at them before turning to Lenold. ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡±

    Lenold said, ¡°I got these reports from the people inside. It was not easy. He killed the warden and worked as a hired killer in prison. He had be a stain in the country, so everything about him is top secret.¡±

    Raeleigh slowly opened the door and got out of the car. Step by step, she walked into the vige with a nk look on her face.

    Inside the car, Jepherson stared at Lenold.¡°You¡¯re certain?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lenold took the information. ¡°I have to destroy the papers.¡±

    Jepherson looked outside and stared at Raeleigh¡¯s disappearing figure.

    ¡°Take me back. I have to catch a ne.¡± Lenold needed to leave, so Jepherson told the driver to send Lenold to the airport.

    Jepherson only left after Lenold entered the airport.

    When Raeleigh reached home, shesat down on the chair by the front door, staring into space.

    Xanthus followed behind Raeleigh after she entered the vige. Seeing she sat down, he went up to her. Raeleigh looked up at Xanthus and said, ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡±

    Xanthus hugged Raeleigh, standing at the door. ¡°Some people are destined to be a passerby in your life; no need to be depressed over anyone. The living should live for the dead and not the other way around, or everything would be in vain.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know how long it took for her to react. She stood up and went back to her room. Shey down and stared at the ceiling without saying anything.

    Xanthus gave a cup of water to Raeleigh, and she fell asleep before she knew it, rousingwhen it was dark.

    Hearing Xanthus talking to someone outside, she got up to learn Jepherson¡¯s parents hade.

    Raeleigh came out of the room and fixed her gaze on Hansen and Jenna sitting on the sofa.

    Stumped, she greeted,¡°Uncle, Auntie.¡±

    Jenna walked to Raeleigh and said, ¡°I know it¡¯s wrong for me not to answer your calls, but I don¡¯t know how to tell you.¡±

    ¡°I can help you take care of Santiago.¡± Raeleigh held Jenna¡¯s hand. Jenna turned to nce at her husband, looking in a dilemma.

    ¡°Raeleigh,Santiago is my child. I can¡¯t ask you to take care of him, but you can help out.We¡¯re staying in the Richards Group Manor.¡±

    ¡°No matter what, Capital City is our home. We can¡¯t leave.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t be sure when Santiago will wake up, but Hansen doesn¡¯t like staying abroad and wants toe back.¡±

    ¡°Things aren¡¯t looking good for Hansen¡¯s parents either. But our purpose today is to see how you¡¯re doing.¡±

    ¡°I hope that you can stay with us; at least I have someone to talk to.¡±

    Uncertain, Raeleigh lowered her head and said, ¡°I am afraid I can¡¯t.¡±

    Jenna said, ¡°I know I¡¯m putting you in a difficult position. No worries. This aside, I¡¯ve brought you gifts. Look, they¡¯re all tonics and supplements; I¡¯ve asked people to get them for you. You should take better care of yourself now that you¡¯re pregnant.¡±

    ¡°Auntie¡­¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to say. Jenna had always treated her well.

    Jenna had lost a lot of weight, and she barely had the strength to speak, but she was still thinking about her.

    Hansen looked different since shest saw him too. His hair had turned much whiter.

    ¡°Auntie, please stay for dinner.¡± Raeleigh really didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Thank you, but no. Hansen and I had dinner on the ne; we¡¯ll be heading back after taking a look at you.¡±

    With grief in her heart, Jenna walked out of the house; Raeleigh followed her out while keeping an eye outside.

    The Richards family¡¯s car was parked outside, and Jepherson was standing beside it. When he saw his parents, he opened the door for them to enter sessively before going in himself.Raeleigh walked to the vehicle and looked inside, but Santiago wasn¡¯t in there.

    Raeleigh stood outside and held back her curiosity until the car left.

    Xanthus came out and said after a pause, ¡°C¡¯mon, Come back in.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I want to see Santiago.¡±

    ¡°When the weather¡¯s good. They just got back.¡±

    Xanthus dragged her back. It wasn¡¯t until she was inside that she realized she hadn¡¯t seen Leander or Callis. Asking Xanthus their whereabouts, he replied,¡°They asked for leave, saying they were going back to honor their ancestors.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus. ¡°Honor their ancestors? Aren¡¯t they orphans?¡±

    ¡°They grew up without parents, but that doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t have ancestors.¡±

    Xanthus wasn¡¯t concerned, let alone Raeleigh.

    Callis returned a couple of dayster. When he got to their door, Raeleigh was heading out. To the Richards Group Manor!

 Chapter 1604 Forcing

    Seeing Callis, Raeleigh blurted, ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    As usual, Callis merely stared at her, silent. Raeleigh went to him and said, ¡°I¡¯m heading out. You should get some rest.¡±

    Leander asked Raeleigh, ¡°But aren¡¯t we supposedto follow you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine; I¡¯m going to see a patient.¡±

    Raeleigh headed straight for the Richards Group Manor inXanthus¡¯s car.

    When she arrived at the gates, Raeleigh took some things out of the car.Seeing it was Raeleigh, the guards rushed to inform Jenna, and Raeleigh soonwent to Green Jade Garden.

    When Raeleigh entered the door, Jenna wasing out of the room. Seeing Raeleigh and the things she brought over, she said, ¡°Raeleigh, you shouldn¡¯t have. We have everything here at home.¡±

    Jenna quickly told the servants to take them away and brought her to the sofa.

    With her thoughts on Santiago the entire time, she requested,¡°Auntie, I want to see Santiago.

    ¡°Come with me.¡± Jenna got up and took Raeleigh to Santiago¡¯s room. Inside, Hansen was cutting his nails.Raeleigh stood at the door for a while, shocked, even though she had already prepared herself.

    Hansen had his head lowered, silently cutting Santiago¡¯s nails as he sat in bed, wearing deep blue casual clothing.

    Raeleigh entered and greeted, ¡°Uncle.¡±

    ¡°Do you know how to cut nails for others?¡± Hansen asked as soon as she stopped.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You take over then.¡±

    Hansen handed the nail cutter in his hand to Raeleigh, and she took it, sat down on achair, and cut Santiago¡¯s nails.

    Staring at Santiago¡¯s fair fingers, she thought, ¡°What a waste to have such nice hands just to keep them still.¡±

    After she was done with one hand, she got up and moved to the other side.

    Hansen got out of bed right then and walked to the window, looking out with his back facing them.

    After Raeleigh was done, she inadvertently looked up to see Hansen standing by the window only to be stumped. The father and son looked as if they came out of the same mold.

    Jenna said, ¡°Raeleigh, you must be tired. Sit down, take a rest. You¡¯re pregnant.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.I¡¯m not even two months in.¡±

    Jenna smiled, ¡°Then this child¡­¡±

    Jenna had always believed the child¡¯s father was Jerry. She felt very close to the baby; how could she be if it wasn¡¯t one of her own?

    But not everything was definite.

    Nothing was done ording to people¡¯s wishes, just like in the past.

    Raeleigh denied, ¡°No.¡±

    Her words stumped Jenna, and Hansen turned to look at Raeleigh, who had her head slightly lowered, hiding her eyes.

    Hansen sized Raeleigh up for a while before turning back around, looking out the window for some time before he spoke up. ¡°Jenna and I will have to take care of quite a few people; we have our tes full. If you have time, you can stay and take care of Santiago.¡±

    Hearing that, Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Hansen. ¡°If he can stay at my ce, I can take care of him, but I can¡¯t stay here.¡±

    ¡°Hansen, it¡¯s okay. I can do it.¡± Jenna didn¡¯t want to part with her son.

    Hansen said, ¡°You and I need to take care of Mom and Dad; we won¡¯t be able to care for Santiago at the same time. Plus, you¡¯re not doing too well yourself.¡±

    Tears started pooling in Jenna¡¯s eyes. ¡°We can ask the servants to help; I can take care of Santiago on my own. It¡¯s not as if you don¡¯t know Raeleigh¡¯s condition; how can you ask her to take care of Santiago?¡±

    She¡¯ll have to bathe him and change his clothes, and she¡¯ll also have to apany him at night. If you do this to her, what will Raeleigh do in the future?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Hansen¡¯s expression turned solemn. Jenna sat down and sobbed.

    Suddenly, Raeleigh realized Hansen¡¯s intention. Even if she divorced Jepherson, she couldn¡¯t run away from the Richards family.

    ¡°You can decline. I have no intention of forcing you, but you¡¯re the only one apart from my family that I trust.¡±

    ¡°My son needs someone who can protect him with their life.¡±

    ¡°Jenna and I will never hand him over to someone we don¡¯t trust. You are the only person I trust outside my family.¡±

    ¡°Jerry needs to solve all the problems in Capital City; I can¡¯t disturb him.¡±

    After some thought, Raeleigh said, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll pick him up tomorrow. I need to go back and find a new ce; the house I¡¯m staying in isn¡¯t suitable for recuperation.¡±

    ¡°Hansen¡­¡±

    Jenna was going crazy. She suddenly found she no longer knew Hansen. What on earth was he trying to do?

    Wouldn¡¯t he only be putting Raeleigh in trouble?

    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything.¡± Hansen¡¯s tone was cold and determined.

    Raeleigh turned to stare at Jenna. ¡°Auntie, I know what I¡¯m doing; I can take care of him. You can rest assured that as long as I¡¯m fine, he will be safe.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m sure you know Hansen is deliberately tying you down. Why are you still being so foolish? Don¡¯t make any promises. Leave, go to your parents.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t leave until I see Ste dead with my own eyes. I have to protect my baby,my parents, and Xanthus. Ste won¡¯t let me off the hook so easily; she¡¯s a mad dog!¡±

    Jenna suddenly burst into tears; Raeleigh sighed under her breath. ¡°Auntie, I really want to take care of Santiago, but I never had the opportunity to.¡±

    Jenna did not want to say anything more, only waving her hand. ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m not feeling well today. Go home,e back another day.¡±

    Seeing that Jenna wanted her to leave,Raeleigh stood still for a while and nced over at the vegetable Santiago before leaving the room. Raeleigh said bye to Hansen before she left the manor.

    She never brought up taking care of Santiago after she left his room. After returning to Waverly Vige, she went to look for Callis but failed, so she ended up looking for a new ce to stay with Xanthus.

    None of the houses they looked at was good enough for her. Xanthus asked what she was nning, and she said she wanted to buy a walled house, best that it was somewhere quiet.

    ¡°Why do you suddenly want to buy a walled house?¡±

    Xanthus admitted that it was a good idea, but she didn¡¯t have to rush.

    ¡°I want to take care of Santiago here.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s words shocked him to his core. Xanthus stopped in his tracks and looked at his little sister, absolutely livid!

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, I already promised.¡±

    Xanthus frowned deeply. ¡°Did they demand it of you?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°What are you, a saint?¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent. Amused, Xanthus mocked. ¡°Are they a bunch of rogues?What are they trying to do?¡±

    Xanthus shouted at Raeleigh, leading the passersby to direct their gaze at them. No one knew what was going on, but Raeleigh was unwilling to be seen.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk at home.¡±

    Raeleigh took Xanthus¡¯s hand, and he followed her home. She was still his sister even if he was upset. It was enough of a punishment for her to receive a yelling, yet she wasn¡¯t the slightest bit angry, taking it all in foolishly.

    Being her brother, he actually regretted shouting at her.

    But Raeleigh wasn¡¯t bothered as she knew he had her best interest at heart.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

 Chapter 1605 They Were Both at Fault

    After they were home, Raeleigh sat on the sofa and listened to Xanthus ramble on about Hansen¡¯s decision.She didn¡¯t bother exining as she knewit wouldn¡¯t matter, so she only listened.

    ¡°Call Hansen; I want to give him a piece of my mind. What the hell are they thinking? They¡¯re not going to punish the evildoer but vent their frustrations on a fool like you?¡±

    Livid, Xanthus shoved his phone into Raeleigh¡¯s hand, but sheput her hands behind her back, not taking it.

    Hence, Xanthus made the call, but Raeleigh said, ¡°I volunteered to take care of Santiago. He wouldn¡¯t be like this if it weren¡¯t for me. Ste hurt Santiago because she wanted to get revenge on me. Now I have a thorn in my heart that can¡¯t be pulled out.¡±

    ¡°But still¡­¡±

    ¡°I want to take care of him,¡± Raeleigh said nonchntly.

    Xanthus felt a pang in his heart and stood silent.

    Just then, Callis returned, standing at the door. Seeing him, Raeleigh looked at Xanthus and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow. I¡¯m going out with Callis.¡±

    Worried that Xanthus would continue his rambling, she went to Callis, opened the door, and pulled him out.

    Out the door, Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Callis and asked, ¡°You haven¡¯t been around all day. What have you been doing?¡±

    Callis nced at Leander, leading him to say, ¡°I have a stomachache; he went to get some pills for me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Xanthus has some; you should talk to him. I want to go out with Callis; we¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh pulled Callis. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Callis took a look back at Leander before walking away with Raeleigh, and she took him to the walled houses.

    Raeleigh nned to buy a new house, so she told Callis her ideas while he merely walked with her, silent as always. When she was tired from all the walking, she asked his opinion on which house he thought was good. Callis answered this time, pointing at a walled house not far from them. Raeleigh looked over; the three sides of the house were spacious and clean, and they could see the surroundings well from there.

    Raeleigh nced at Callis and walked over to knock on the door.

    Only a few lived in the walled house, so Raeleigh wanted to know whether it was newly built. If it was, she could buy it.

    However, no one came out even after knocking for a long time.Sometimeter, Raeleigh went around to a small window at the back of the house and looked inside, and someone suddenly appeared and gave Raeleigh the fright of her life.

    Raeleigh let out a shriek,and the person inside opened the window, looking at Raeleigh.

    ¡°You scared the hell out of me.¡±

    Raeleigh patted her chest and looked at Callis, who was inside.He stared at her nkly, silent.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°How did you get in?¡±

    Callis looked at the front door, andRaeleigh walked back to the front and entered from the door. Sure enough, the ce was newly built.

    Raeleigh knew the vige was constructing new houses, just that some of them were upied and some not.

    However, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to buy an upied house while they had to look for an empty house that sold at a low price at the same time.

    After taking a good look downstairs, Raeleigh went up to the loft, then said, ¡°It would be great if we could build an elevator here.¡±

    After a quick thought, Callis went to a side and drew a floor n of the house with his finger on the ground. Then he removed quite a few of the inner walls and ced a retractable stair in the middle.

    ¡°You know interior design?¡± Raeleigh asked, and he shook his head. Then Raeleigh concluded, ¡°It¡¯s because you often watch people build and renovate then.¡±

    Callis did not answer, and Raeleigh took it as a yes. She pointed to the ground and said, ¡°Although it¡¯s good, it¡¯s too troublesome. The currentyout is good; quite a few can stay. It would be spacious if there weren¡¯t a lot of things. Xanthus can live upstairs, and I¡¯ll take the downstairs; you and your brother can live here. This is the kitchen, bathroom, living room¡­¡±

    With that, Raeleigh decided to buy the house.

    Raeleigh took out the money that her parents gave her that night. She looked at the amount on the card andthought she might still need a little more since they¡¯d have to renovate the ce.

    She couldn¡¯t sleep that night, knowing she couldn¡¯t ask her parents for money as things would be more troublesome if they found out her true purpose.

    Raeleigh knocked on Xanthus¡¯s door, nning on borrowing from him.

    Xanthus¡¯s brows were tightly knitted, seeing it was Raeleigh when he answered the door. ¡°Now you remember me?¡±

    Raeleigh went in and closed the door behind her. ¡°I want to borrow some money.¡±

    Xanthus was rendered at a loss for words.

    He merely sat down and fixed his gaze at her.

    Raeleigh stood in the room and said unceremoniously, ¡°You¡¯re my brother; you¡¯re the only one I can ask. I¡¯m sureyou don¡¯t want the Richards family to look down on me.¡±

    Xanthus wanted tough but to cry even more.¡°I¡¯m going to die of anger because of you one day.¡±

    Standing, Raeleigh said bluntly, ¡°Being angry won¡¯t do your health good.¡±

    Mad, Xanthus rubbed his head. ¡°If you make an a*s out of yourself, there will always be someone to ride you. You¡¯re here to bully me specifically, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing, learning from Callis.

    ¡°Hire a nurse.¡± Xanthus was at the end of his patience. If Raeleigh wasn¡¯t going topromise, it would be the end of the discussion.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I don¡¯t trust others. I¡¯m okay with hiring, butit¡¯ll take time to look for a suitable candidate. Santiago isn¡¯t here yet, and I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s reallying.¡±

    ¡°Auntie Jenna didn¡¯t agree to the idea.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Xanthus was on the verge of going mad!

    Raeleigh exined, ¡°Madam Marissa suffered from a stroke, and Master Trevor suddenly fell ill; he doesn¡¯t even have the strength to walk now.¡±

    ¡°Santiago needs someone to look after him, but Uncle Hansen and Auntie Jenna have their hands full. Plus, Jepherson is upied with all that¡¯s going on with the Richards family and their business in Capital City.¡±

    Xanthus frowned. ¡°Trevor¡¯s ill too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Xanthus fell silent at that.

    After a long hesitation, Xanthus said, ¡°I see. I¡¯ll buy you the house while you get the interior design ready.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to sleep then.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh left Xanthus¡¯s room. Xanthus had a notion he had been set up, but at the thought of the Richards family¡¯s current situation, he decided to let it go.

    He could also take care of Santiago. Wasn¡¯t he a doctor?

    He would just treat it as owing a debt to the Richards family. They would be able to leave after paying them back.

    The next day, Raeleigh called Hansen and told him she had already gotten down to making ns for the new ce, just that it would take some time before it was ready, so Santiago still couldn¡¯te over yet.

    After the call, Raeleigh kept her phone away and found that Callis was looking at her.

    ¡°You think there is something wrong with my brain, don¡¯t you? Taking care of my ex-brother-inw when I divorced his brother.¡± Raeleigh asked, and Callis remained silent. She continued, ¡°I also think something¡¯s wrong with my brain, very wrong.¡±

    Raeleigh looked around and said, ¡°He was hurt because of me. He would be fine if it weren¡¯t for me. Someone used his weakness and knew exactly he would fall into their trap if they used me as bait.¡±

    ¡°If I don¡¯t take care of him, I won¡¯t be able to forgive myself for the rest of my life.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°His brother is his brother, andhe¡¯s him. They are different.¡±

    ¡°He trusts me!¡±

    Callis frowned, and Raeleigh said with a smile, ¡°In actuality, I am also at fault. I knew that he liked me long ago, but because of his brother¡¯s love for him, his brother allowed him to continue loving me despite knowing it¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°And because I love his brother, I gave him a false sense of hope together with his brother.¡±

    ¡°Now that I think about it, I¡¯m the cruel one. He¡¯s still a kid, yet I took advantage and lied to him together with his brother before he had the chance to grow up.¡±

    ¡°Thinking back now, I¡¯m sure he knowseverything, just that he never exposed us.¡±

    Seeing Callis staring nkly at her, she said, ¡°I¡¯m sure you can¡¯tprehend all that I¡¯ve said. Forget I said anything.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around, intending to walk away, when Callis grabbed her hand. But he let go the moment she turned around to look at him.

    He hung his head low, breathing a little heavily.

    Raeleighughed. ¡°What are you afraid of? It¡¯s not a big deal. I know you¡¯re worried about me, but I¡¯m fine.¡±

 Chapter 1606 Xanthusâ€™s Vulnerability

    On their walk back home, Callis turned unresponsive again, leaving Raeleigh to talk to herself while he looked around and then back at her from time to time.

    The rest of their journey home was quiet; no one spoke.

    When they turned a corner, Callis pulled her over and shielded her.

    She also sensed the unusualness, as ifsomeone was approaching them, and they were all strangers.

    Raeleigh grabbed Callis¡¯s arm, asking, ¡°Who are they?¡±

    He looked back at her and shook his head, his gaze gradually turning cold.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the gang to reach them.Raeleigh grew nervous, but she still pulled her phone out and called Jacky.

    Jacky immediately told his men to go to them when he received the call. Meanwhile, the gang was then only a few steps away from Callis and Raeleigh. Callis swept his gaze across the ground and picked up a wooden stick, giving it to Raeleigh. She looked at him and asked, ¡°Are you asking me to protect myself?¡±

    He looked at her with an unfathomable expression, then turned to look at the approaching gang.

    One of them had a knife in his hand.

    ¡°Hand her over to us, and you can walk away unscathed,¡± One of them said.

    Callis shook his head, leading the man to smirk, ¡°You asked for it.¡±

    With that, the man pounced on Callis while Raeleigh fixed her gaze on the man as she held the stick tightly, knowing they were outnumbered.

    ¡°Leave, Callis.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to drag Callis down.

    However, Callis only put an arm out to protect Raeleigh as he took a step back, looking somewhere not far away.

    Raeleigh followed his gaze and saw many people approaching them, surrounding the gang. Strange, she looked at Callis.

    ¡°How do you know there are people nearby?¡±

    He didn¡¯t answer, nor did he exin.

    Raeleigh was used to it; he wasn¡¯t one for exnations.

    Soon the gang was subdued and taken to an open space to be tied up.

    Xanthus and Leander got to Raeleigh and Callis soon.

    But when they arrived, Raeleigh was dozing off as she sat down with Callis beside her.

    Jacky was thest to arrive, but only a few seconds short after Xanthus.

    Xanthus rushed to check on Raeleigh and was relieved to see that she was alright.

    ¡°How is it that even Waverly Vige isn¡¯t safe now?¡±

    Jacky was approaching just as Xanthus spoke. Callis raised his head to look at Jacky, who held a stick in his hand, walking toward the gang with a menacing look.

    Raeleigh looked over only to see Jacky swing his stick on one of the gang member¡¯s heads, and the man cked out immediately, a trail of blood flowing out of his head. Shocked, Raeleigh¡¯s eyes flew wide open, and Callis immediately covered her eyes with his hand. With Raeleigh¡¯s face buried in his chest, he took her away. Raeleigh¡¯s breaths were short and heavy, looking as if she had a panic attack.

    Those tied up retreated together. They were all surprised that Jacky beat one of them into a pulp without even questioning.

    As the gang retreated, Jacky spat a spat of saliva to the side and continued beating them up, not caring for anything else. After around ten-plus minutes, the entire gang was on the ground, motionless, bloodied.

    Raeleigh only heard sounds of begging, but it was toote. Jacky beat them up as if they were ants, ruthless, with no intention of sparing their lives.

    After that, he threw the bloody stick in his hand to the ground.

    Xanthus was dumbfounded. He had never seen such a bloody scene; Jacky had taken those lives as if they were nothing.

    Xanthus felt a little dizzy. Although he was no saint, the scene in front of his eyes shocked him.

    He was a doctor. He admitted he wasn¡¯t a dutiful one, but he had never sat by and let anyone die just like that.

    Just as he was in a daze, Raeleigh wanted to move Callis¡¯s hand awayfrom her eyes. But he didn¡¯t let her and looked over at Leander.

    Leander said, ¡°Callis, take Miss Anson home. This is not a ce for her.¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    Callis got up and took Raeleigh forcibly away. She never saw how the gang died. But she could imagine how Jacky would deal with them in his territory.

    When Raeleigh reached home, Leander returned with Xanthus as well.

    Seeing how pale Xanhus looked, Raeleigh went to him and asked, ¡°Were you frightened?¡±

    He grabbed her hand and took her into the house. As they sat on the sofa, Raeleigh looked at Xanthus and suggested,¡°I¡¯ll get you some water.¡±

    Hearing that, Xanthus grabbed her wrist, his palm all sweaty.

    Shaking his head, Xanthus said, ¡°When this is all over, promise me, we¡¯ll go home and nevere back. This is not a ce for someone like us to stay.¡±

    He looked at her with an ashen face. Seeing the tiredness in his eyes, Raeleigh nodded her head, well aware ofhow it felt to see such a bloody scene for the first time.

    ¡°I know. We¡¯ll go to Mom and Dad after I¡¯ve sorted everything out here.¡±

    Xanthus pulled Raeleigh into his arms, and the siblings hugged.

    He said, ¡°This is no heaven but hell. Everyone is like a flesh-eating monster; they would kill people without even batting an eysh.¡±

    Raeleigh patted Xanthus on the back and said, ¡°We can leave as soon as all of this is over.¡±

    Hugging her, he fell silent.

    The siblings only separated when Jacky came. Seeing him, Xanthus stood up, saying, ¡°Go to your room, Raeleigh.¡±

    Seeing that Raeleigh did not move, Xanthus said, ¡°There¡¯s still blood on him. Go.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh retreated and eavesdropped by the door only to hear nothing even after a while.

    Meanwhile, Xanthus looked at Jacky and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you know Raeleigh was there?¡±

    Jacky didn¡¯t say anything, still bloody.

    Fuming, Xanthus spat, ¡°Have you forgotten you¡¯re a father as well? You have two children. What do you regard human lives as? You should do more good as your children don¡¯t suffer from your karma.¡±

    Jacky looked at Xanthus, amused.¡°You¡¯re telling this to a man who runs the underworld?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still a human no matter what!¡±

    With that, Xanthus headed to Raeleigh¡¯s room. Surprised by his appearance, she stood up just as she sat.

    Looking at him, she asked, ¡°Why did youe to my room?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just wantpany.¡±

    Raeleigh could tell Xanthus was still upset with Jacky¡¯s way of dealing with the matter.

    Sitting down, sheforted, ¡°You can¡¯t get worked up for all of those who have died. Sometimes people like Jacky have no choice; they live in the underworld. They had tokill to survive; they¡¯d be dead if they let their guard down even for a minute.¡±

    Xanthus looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Don¡¯t learn from them.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. We¡¯ll leave this ce and look for Mom and Dad after this is all over.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t expect Xanthus to have times when he was as vulnerable as a child.

 Chapter 1607 Moving

    It waste at night when Xanthus fell asleep. Raeleightucked him in and walked out of her room aftermaking sure he wouldn¡¯t wake up.

    Jacky was still sitting in the living room right then.

    Along with him were Callis and Leander.

    Callis was taken aback when he saw Raeleigh, looking as if he was surprised the person toe out was her.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°My brother is in a bad mood. He is a doctor; he can¡¯t bear to witness killings.¡±

    Jacky raised his head and sized her up, his fathomless gazeced with a hint of surprise, ¡°And you¡¯re not afraid?¡±

    ¡°I am, but what was done was done. This is yourterritory; you have your rules here, but I¡¯m afraid we can no longer stay. The hospital is Xanthus¡¯s; I¡¯ll talk to him about having someone else take over. It won¡¯t affect your coboration with him,but I have to leave.¡±

    ¡°But is there anywhere else safer than Waverly Vige?Where can you go if you leave?¡± Jacky asked.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t care but said instead, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter as long as it¡¯s not here. This ce stresses the hell out of Xanthus.¡±

    Jacky said, ¡°You can move to the walled house.¡±

    ¡°No, this is no different from not leaving; I¡¯ll find somewhere. I¡¯m only letting you know. This decision won¡¯t affect our partnership. I hope you understand.¡±

    Raeleigh checked the time. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯m going to rest. Good night, everyone.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t see Jacky out but went back to her room. She couldn¡¯t leave Xanthus alone.

    After retreating to her room, sheid down on the empty side of the bed, keeping vigil over Xanthus, only falling asleep in the morning.

    When Xanthus woke up, he thought it was in his room, so he was shocked to see someone sleeping next to him. Realizing it was Raeleigh, he gradually recalled the horror fromst night and slowly retreated from her room to make breakfast.

    Raeleigh was still asleep when he was done with his breakfast, so he went to look for Jacky to talk about their departure.

    To his surprise, Jacky agreed without putting up a fight.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know why?¡±

    ¡°I still havematters to attend to; you can talk to Logan about the coboration.¡±

    With that, Jacky hopped into the car and left without saying anything else.

    When Raeleigh woke up in the afternoon, Xanthus discussed leaving Waverly Vige with her and even gave her a lot of advice, including staying over at the Richards Group Manor.

    She watched him silently until he suggested that they stay over at the Richards Group Manor, to which she agreed.

    The room fell silent.

    Xanthus couldn¡¯t believe his ears, but Raeleigh said nothing more and began packing up. As she didn¡¯t have too many things, it didn¡¯t take her long.

    Xanthus thought he had been set up again!

    Raeleigh went to find Callis and Leander before leaving.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯ll visit you guys when I can. Thank you for looking after me. I¡¯ll be going to the Richards Group Manor to take care of Santiago. If not, I would¡¯ve taken you two with me.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Callis, took out a bank card, and put it in his hand.

    ¡°This is for you. There¡¯s a few hundred thousand in there.You two can use this to start your own business; don¡¯t work here anymore. It won¡¯t do in the long run. Best if you can find somewhere like Capital City, a ce with a good view and fresh air. The underworld doesn¡¯t suit you. You won¡¯t live long being the leader of a gang nor ackey.¡±

    Raeleigh patted Callis¡¯s hand. He looked at her, then at the card; he hesitated but did not return the card to her.

    She withdrew her hand and looked at the car parked not far away before going to Xanthus¡¯s side.

    After they left, Callis looked at the bank card in his hand and put it away.

    ¡­

    The siblings arrived at the gates of the Whalen residence in the afternoon. Rossie wasn¡¯t surprised to see them when she came out and got into the car.

    ¡°Doctor Xanthus,¡± Rossie greeted Xanthus, and he replied with a smile before getting out of the car.

    Raeleigh said to Rossie, ¡°Put the money I¡¯ve invested aside first. I have to hand the rest of the matters to you.There should be no problem if you coborate with Jacky. I¡¯m going to care for Santiago; I refuse to believe he won¡¯t wake up.¡±

    ¡°Now that you had stopped everything in Waverly Vige, what about the hospital?¡±

    ¡°The hospital is my brother¡¯s share, but he has withdrawn. We won¡¯t do any business anymore.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you nning on cutting ties and nevering back?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll worry about that in the future. All I want to do is take care of Santiago now.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re still so young. Do you really n to spend the rest of your life taking care of Santiago?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But how can I be sure I can¡¯t save him if I don¡¯t try?¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re pregnant. How are you going to take care of him?¡±

    ¡°Xanthus will help. He¡¯s a doctor, so he has the knowledge. I¡¯ve also talked to Louisa;she had promised to take me as a disciple. She also said it¡¯s possible for a vegetable to wake up.¡±

    Seeing that Raeleigh had made up her mind, Rossie couldn¡¯t say more, so she got out of the car.

    She only went back in after watching the car leave. Zorion came out of the house and walked to Rossie, asking, ¡°What did Raeleigh want from you?¡±

    ¡°She moved out of Waverly Vige, into the Richards Group Manor.¡±

    Zorion looked in the direction in which the car had left. Thinking of the fact that Santiago had returned, he looked at Rossie. ¡°Then why did shee to see you?¡±

    Rossie didn¡¯t answer. Zorion hugged her tightly and asked, ¡°What the hell are you actually trying?¡±

    ¡°Pigs can fly if men are reliable. I want to be independent and start my own business. When my business grows as big as your family¡¯s, your father might finally ept me.¡±

    In actuality, Rossie was merely speaking without thinking.

    Zorion raised his eyebrows. ¡°Says who? I¡¯m reliable.¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    ¡°Yeah, right.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re only going to believe if you see a pig fly?¡±

    Amused, Rossie teased, ¡°You¡¯ve actually seen a pig fly?¡±

    He probably has never even seen a pig in his life.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make a pig fly then.¡±

    Zorion narrowed his eyes as if he had made an oath.

    ¡­

    Jenna did not think Raeleigh would actuallye to the Richards Group Manor with her luggage and Xanthus with her.

    ¡°Raeleigh, why are you here?¡± Jenna looked back at Hansen. She had already quarreled with him, but he never spoke; she was the only one yelling the entire time.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯ve given it some thought; it¡¯s inconvenient for Santiago to recuperate in Waverly Vige. It¡¯s better to stay here, and you don¡¯t have to worry either.¡±

    ¡°But you¡­¡±

    ¡°I know. If I can¡¯t take care of Santiago, I will let you know. Plus, Xanthus will help. There will be othersing to help me out in a couple of days.¡±

    ¡°Auntie, I hope to have the Green Jade Garden to myself. You and Uncle Hansen cane over, but you can¡¯t stay.

    Stumped, Jenna didn¡¯t know where Raeleigh was going with it.

    Jenna had wanted to say something whenHansen got up from the rocking chair. ¡°Let¡¯s pack up and go to Ink Garden.¡±

 Chapter 1608 The Results

    After Hansen and Jenna left, Raeleigh put her luggage aside and went outside to have a look. She first gathered the servants; she wasn¡¯t surprised to learn there were dozens of them in Green Jade Garden. She knew full well what kind of family the Richards were; it wouldn¡¯t surprise her even if a few hundred servants were in a residency.

    The individual rooms aside, the garden outside alone already needed a handful of people to manage, so the number of servants present was reasonable.

    Standing in the courtyard, Raeleigh studied the servants and inquired about their jobs in the residency before she picked a few of them by instinct and assigned the others elsewhere.

    Then she instructed them to get some rooms ready; one for Xanthus, another for Louisa and Colston, while she would be staying in the room right next to Santiago¡¯s.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t have the intention of making any exnation to anyone. Since she had moved in, the decisions were in her hands.

    When everything was ready, Raeleigh went to the manor¡¯s gates;Colston and Louisa had arrived just then.

    Raeleigh led them straight to Green Jade Garden; she didn¡¯t need to tell Hansen anything in advance.

    Jenna was still a little worried.Not because of Santiago¡¯s condition, as the doctors had already said nothing would change for the time being.

    But that of Raeleigh¡¯s pregnancy. She couldn¡¯t sit back and do nothing.

    After taking care of Marissa, Jenna said, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m going to visit Santiago.¡±

    Marissa blinked; she did not even have the strength to raise her hand, but her expression suggested that she should go.

    Jenna nced at her husband and father-inw. She was still giving Hansen the silent treatment as this was the most upsetting decision he had made since she knew him; she wasn¡¯t just mad but infuriated.

    He was getting on in years and wouldn¡¯t listen to her anymore. If it were a decade ago, Jenna would¡¯ve run away from home.

    Jenna went to Trevor¡¯s side and said, ¡°Take a rest first. I¡¯m going out for a while.¡±

    No one told Trevor and Marissa Raeleigh had moved into Green Jade Garden.

    All in all, it was because they were worried Marissa would be upset, leading her condition to worsen if she found out.

    After leaving Ink Garden, Jenna went straight to Green Jade Garden. She thought it was odd when she saw two servants standing at the front door as anyone coulde and go as they wish, or at least no one would be at the door.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Jenna couldn¡¯t wrap her head around it.

    ¡°Madam Jenna.¡± Seeing Jenna approaching, the two servants at the doorgreeted her. Jenna asked, ¡°Did Raeleigh ask you to wait for me here?¡±

    ¡°No, Miss Raeleigh asked us to guard the door and not let anyone in.¡±

    ¡°Everyone?¡± Jenna thought Raeleigh must have her reason, so she didn¡¯t ask why.

    ¡°Only you, Master Hansen, and Mr. Jepherson cane as you please. We will have to inform Miss Raeleigh if anyone else visits.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Jenna thought that it was thoughtful, but the unwee guests would¡¯ve already been stopped at the gates of the manor, so what was Raeleigh¡¯s purpose? Who was she trying to ward off?

    Jenna was about to go inside when Xanthus brought a few people in.They were strangers in work overalls.

    ¡°Who are they?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve hired them to set up some surveince cameras,¡± Xanthus said.

    He only saw Jenna when he came in; she was also a little surprised as she looked up around her house. There had been surveince in the house before, but Hansen got rid of them as he didn¡¯t like that they hindered their intimate moments. Therefore, there was only one by the front door.

    ¡°Did Raeleigh arrange for this?¡± Jenna asked. She didn¡¯t find it strange as it wouldn¡¯t harm to have them installed anyway.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Xanthus did not exin, nor did he think it was necessary.

    Jenna thought for a moment before saying, ¡°How many would there be?¡±

    ¡°Everywhere but inside the bedroom.¡±

    ¡°The bathroom too?¡±

    ¡°Not inside but the entrance.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite a big scale. Put it on our tab.¡± It was her home, after all; Jenna couldn¡¯t let Raeleigh pay for it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell Raeleigh about this. Auntie Jenna, you can go in without me. I¡¯m going to look around the premises.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead, do what you need to do.¡± With that, Jenna headed for Santiago¡¯s room.Seeing the massive residence in order, she smiled unknowingly. She had fallen deep into despair because of Santiago¡¯s injury. Looking at the ce now, she only realized it was as beautiful as ever.

    As Jenna approached her son¡¯s room, the servants greeted her, andRaeleigh heard that Jenna had arrived, so she stopped whatever she was doing and came out.

    She greeted Jenna.

    ¡°I¡¯m just here to take a look at Santiago. Do what you need to, but don¡¯t tire yourself.¡±

    ¡°My two other friends have arrived.I¡¯ll introduce them to you.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh brought Jenna over to Santiago¡¯s room. Jenna asked, ¡°Who are they?¡±

    ¡°Members of the Moore Family.¡±

    Raeleigh could only say so; Jenna was still a little surprised.

    Entering, Jenna froze for a moment when she saw Colston and Louisa. Colston was standing; his straight posture reminded her of someone, but she was uncertain. As she moved closer to them, Colston turned around and greeted Jenna. ¡°Hello.¡±

    Jenna sized him up then nced at Raeleigh. ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°He is from the Moore family. Colston is the seventh son of Flynt¡¯s generation,¡± Raeleigh exined, and Colston added,¡°I¡¯m only an average guy. The Moore family took me back when my mother died. My father has many wives and concubines, and my mother gave birth to me outside wedlock.¡±

    Fixing her gaze at him, Jenna asked, ¡°Are you Welven¡¯s son?¡±

    She had met Welven before. He was good-looking, suave, and knowledgeable. However, he was a bit of a casanova. Although not as much as Yousif, he was no decent man either.

    She sized Colston up and said, ¡°In terms of seniority, what do you have to address me as?¡±

    ¡°The Moore family had never mentioned this to me. I¡¯m no longer a member of the Moore family; it¡¯s just a surname now.¡±

    ¡°You have integrity; I¡¯ll give you that. Why are you here?¡±

    Jenna asked and nced at Louisa, who was examining Santiago.

    ¡°Louisa and I are husband and wife. We were caught up in the dispute between the members of the Moore family, so we went into hiding in Waverly Vige. But the Moore family saw us as an eyesore, so we have no choice but to leave.¡±

    ¡°Louisa is pregnant;I just want a safe ce for her to give birth.¡±

    ¡°We owe Raeleigh a debt. She told us about Santiago¡¯s condition and asked us to take a look and stay here in the meantime.¡±

    ¡°By the way, Louisa is knowledgeable in acupuncture.¡±

    Jenna now had a rough idea after listening to Colston¡¯s exnation.Hearing that Louisa knew acupuncture, she immediately walked over to her as if she was thest straw to save his life. She asked, ¡°Can you really cure my son?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still checking, so I can¡¯t answer yet.¡± Louisa continued to check, and Raeleigh said, ¡°Louisa needs time, Auntie Jenna.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t disturb you. Carry on. I¡¯ll wait here.¡±

    Nervous, Jenna quickly sat down, giving Louisa space as she waited for the results.

 Chapter 1609 Saving Lives

    As soon as Jenna sat down, Raeleigh noticed her nervousness. Jenna stared at Louisa as she held her hands tightly as if she was praying for a miracle.

    ¡°Auntie Jenna, don¡¯t worry. Louisa is skilled; she was able to cure Zorion¡¯s gastric problem after several acupuncture sessions when none of the doctors could.¡± Raeleigh went tofort Jenna.

    Jenna raised her head slowly and said to Raeleigh, ¡°Thank you, Raeleigh. I¡¯m really on the verge of breaking down. The doctors all told me he will never be able to wake up.¡±

    ¡°Those people were too cruel. How can they do that to him?¡±

    Raeleigh sat down, holding Jenna¡¯s hand as she said, ¡°Santiago¡¯s blessed, Auntie Jenna. We can¡¯t give up now. You can rest assured that it will be alright.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, I know he means a lot to you, and I¡¯m grateful for that,¡±Jenna said with teary eyes.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°This only happened to Santiago because he went looking for me. Otherwise, with his intelligence, he wouldn¡¯t have fallen into the trap.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m responsible for what happened to him; I can¡¯t walk away. This is what I should do. Trust me, Auntie Jenna, I will wake him up; I refuse to believe he¡¯s okay with parting from us.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Raeleigh!¡±

    Raeleigh just smiled. She knew that the hardest thing for a mother was losing her child, unable to do anything for them.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Louisa moved away, wiped her hands, and tucked Santiago in. Jenna immediately turned her gaze to Louisa as she walked toward Jenna, saying,¡°His considerably alright.Although he isn¡¯t showing any signs of waking up, I can still try.¡±

    ¡°Could you?¡± Jenna didn¡¯t want to plunge herself too deep into Santiago¡¯s condition to the point that she would neglect everything else, but she really couldn¡¯t focus on anything else.

    ¡°A vegetative patient is not dead; they may wake up.We just need to find the right treatment. But it¡¯s not a guarantee;I can only try.¡±

    ¡°Alright, do what you need to. If you need anything, tell Raeleigh.He¡¯s in your hands.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Louisa turned back to look at Santiago for a while and began searching for treatments.

    Jenna held Raeleigh¡¯s hands and asked, ¡°Raeleigh, can he really recover?¡±

    ¡°I believe he wouldn¡¯t leave without saying a word.¡±

    Jenna looked at Raeleigh. ¡°I hope you¡¯re right.¡±

    Jenna stayed over the entire day; she even stayed for dinner. It was only then she learned the details of Johan¡¯s death.

    ¡°Johan had been wise all his life; I didn¡¯t expect this to be his ending. He left with regrets, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Flynt won¡¯t leave me be no matter what. We can only seek refuge in your ce now,¡± Colston said, and Jenna replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. There are plenty of rooms here; you can stay as long as you want. I¡¯d like to see if that fellow has the guts to cross our gates.¡±

    After dinner, Jenna took a look at Santiago before following Raeleigh out of Green Jade Garden. When she arrived at the door, she talked with Raeleigh for a while and then left.

    Raeleigh was about to go back when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around only to be stumped by who she saw.

    Jepherson stood a few feet away from her, carrying a bag of fruits in his hand.

    Seeing Raeleigh, Jepherson said, ¡°I came to see Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Come in then.¡±

    Raeleigh walked toward Green Jade Garden, and Jepherson followed right behind.

    When they reached the courtyard, Jepherson paused for a moment and looked around. ¡°Everything done?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk.

    Jepherson followed her to Santiago¡¯s room, still carrying the fruits. Entering the door, he saw Colston and Louisa standing inside.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Never mind me.¡±

    Jepherson put the fruits down and looked at Santiago before turning to Louisa and asked, ¡°How is it?¡±

    Stumped, Raeleigh was baffled that he knew Louisa was here to treat Santiago when she had never told him.

    She didn¡¯t even tell Xanthus about it until they moved in.

    Xanthus entered the room and walked to Raeleigh, staringat Louisa. Everyone seemed to be waiting for Louisa¡¯s answer.

    ¡°I can try, but I can¡¯t guarantee he¡¯ll wake up.¡±

    After all, Louisa had never met such a patient, and she could not guarantee what would happen.

    If it worked, he would wake up. But what if he didn¡¯t?

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Jepherson thanked everybody and looked at Xanthus. ¡°You¡¯re helping too, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be with Louisa during this period. After all, this is Santiago.¡± In other words, Xanthus was here for Santiago and not him, and he didn¡¯t need his thanks either.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say more but only directed his gaze at his brother. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the treatment to you guys; I¡¯ll take care of my brother personally.¡±

    After some thought, Raeleigh said,¡°You can stay, and you can take care of him, but you can¡¯t bring anyone else with you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The ce is yours now, and I¡¯m your guest; I¡¯ll do as you say.¡±

    With that, Jepherson left the room only to return a few minutester. The servants had brought his luggage over and ced them at the door; he brought it in himself and finished unpacking in no time.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t expect that Jepherson would move in so quickly and quietly.

    Raeleigh stayed by Louisa¡¯s side the entire time.Louisa put a few acupuncture needles on Santiago to test his reaction, only to get no response from him.

    Raeleigh¡¯s nervousness grew, and Louisa reminded,¡°Rx. You¡¯re pregnant; it won¡¯t do the baby well if you¡¯re tense.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just rxing his muscles and testing his nervous system.I¡¯ll gradually increase the intensity. I don¡¯t know how much he can bear yet, so I don¡¯t dare to put too much pressure on him.¡±

    Raeleigh gasped. ¡°Are you saying he can feel pain?¡±

    ¡°Yes and no. Some even believe that the dead could feel pain even after they stopped breathing. What¡¯s more, he is a vegetable. It¡¯s just that his brain is weakened, but he can still feel pain.¡±

    As Louisa exined, Xanthus added, ¡°It¡¯s amon belief in the medical field. It¡¯s just that the cranial nerves die when the person dies,and the person will no longer feel pain.¡±

    ¡°In this case, few people cared about whether the dead still felt pain.¡±

    ¡°When we talk about pain, we¡¯re referring to human nerves.¡±

    ¡°The nerves in our body can survive for another four days even after we die.¡±

    ¡°There are even cases when the hair and nails of the dead would continue to grow after several days into their death. This is why there are stories about zombies.¡±

 Chapter 1610 What Was Wrong With Her Eyes

    It was the first time Raeleigh learned people would feel pain after their death.

    ¡°Do you mean Santiago can feel pain?¡± Raeleigh asked. Xanthus exined, ¡°Yes. More than that, the feeling would be rather intense as well. He has merely fallen into unconsciousness, trying to wake up, but his body isn¡¯t allowing him to, so he can only stay like this.¡±

    ¡°Even in his subconscious mind, his heart would suddenly spasm. We call this a systole spike in the medical field, which can prove that he reacts to pain.¡±

    ¡°But the pain will have to be extreme for the spasm to happen, and it will do damage to his heart. If poorly executed, he might go into shock.¡±

    ¡°And if it happens at this time, he will die, for real.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°He will?¡±

    ¡°Yes, real death, so I can only take things a step at a time,¡± Louisa exined.

    Raeleigh stood looking at Santiago, who was sleeping like a child, deep in thought. After a long time, she said, ¡°I understand. You guys are the experts; do as you see fit.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll stop here today then. We won¡¯t bother Mr. Richards for now; we¡¯ll take our rest.¡± With that, Louisa and Colston retreated, and so did Raeleigh. ¡°Let¡¯s go too,¡± she said to Xanthus.

    Only Jepherson was left.He got up, walked to Santiago, took off his clothes, andid next to him.The bed was big to fit three easily, let alone the brothers.

    Out of Santiago¡¯s room, Raeleigh and Xanthus retreated to their rooms. Raeleigh looked out the window at the weather after she closed the door. They would¡¯ve known each other for a year after sometimeter.

    It had only been a year,yet so much had happened.

    With that thought in mind, she went to bed. She had a sleepless night that night and was lethargic in the morning.

    But Raeleigh got up at six that morning. The monitoring system was in her room. She also had a surveince camera installed in Santiago¡¯s room, of course, to check on him at any time. However, she did not expect Jepherson to stay.

    She only thought of it when she woke up. She had intended to turn off the camera in Santiago¡¯s room but didn¡¯t, believing Jepherson wouldn¡¯t always be in there.

    As she was changing,the footage in Santiago¡¯s room got her stumped for a second; Jepherson was changing as well. Although his back was facing the camera, she could see him clearly.

    Raeleigh blushed then turned her face away.

    She could pretend not to see, but what if the same thing happened the next day?

    With that, she turned off the monitor in Santiago¡¯s room.

    During breakfast, Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°Did you order someone to install the surveince camera in Santiago¡¯s room?¡±

    Stumped by his question, the footage earlier shed across her mind, and she blushed as a result.

    ¡°When did you find out?¡±

    ¡°When I came out.¡±

    Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I turned it offst night.¡±

    Holding his bowl, he fixed his gaze at her, his eyes unfathomable.

    Raeleigh lowered her head and continued eating, not saying a word nor looking at him, like two strangers, not giving him even a second look.

    Jepherson ate, holding his bowl, but he didn¡¯t eat much, looking at Raeleigh, waiting for her to look up. But she never did.

    After eating, she left the dining table and sat aside, waiting for him to go to work.

    But he came looking for her after breakfast.

    ¡°Come with me,¡± Jepherson ordered Raeleigh as if she was a servant. She turned to look at him. Although she was ufortable, she still followed him.

    Jepherson walked toward Raeleigh¡¯s room, and he entered before she even reached the door.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    After entering, she saw him watching the monitor. She had a hunch that he was looking for the camera in Santiago¡¯s room.

    Raeleigh stood aside, unbothered that he came to check.

    It wasn¡¯t out of character for him to do something like this.

    But as he watched, he turned on the camera in Santiago¡¯s room and rewinded it.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t think at all that he would look through the recording.

    ¡°What are you afraid of? If you switched it offst night, why would you feel guilty?¡± Jepherson said with a razor tongue.

    With that, he deleted the recording of him changing, and Raeleigh regretted not deleting it sooner, lest he found it.

    Jepherson then turned off the camera in his room and searched Raeleigh¡¯s room. When he didn¡¯t see any cameras, he nced at Raeleigh before striding out.

    Raeleigh stood in the room, feeling awkward. It felt as if she was trying to peep at Jepherson but failed, worse even got caught.

    Raeleigh wanted to exinbut stopped in her tracks when she turned around. She had nned for Xanthus to stay by Santiago¡¯s side.

    Xanthus would never change in the room like Jepherson.

    Forget it. He could think however he liked.

    Somehow word got out that the brothers of the Richards family were seeing the same woman. It was as if someone was afraid the whole of Capital City didn¡¯t know about it.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know at first. After all, no one from the Richards family dared mention it.

    ording to Xanthus, he went out and bought some magazines. All of them covered the story.

    They also found out Raeleigh had been in prison. She became the talk of the town, and her phone number had been spread around too, leading her to receive countlesscalls from strangers.

    At first, Raeleigh thought they were prank calls, so she ignored them.But after seeing the magazines Xanthus brought back, she answered one of the calls. A series of a man¡¯s deepughter came from the other end at first, then he spoke some obscenities, asking Raeleigh out for a so-called date.

    But she merely hung up without saying a word. She didn¡¯t need to guess to know the other calls were the same.

    Now she knew what kind of woman people thought she was.

    In actuality, Raeleigh didn¡¯t care what people thought of her, nor was she bothered that they had mistaken her identity.

    But how did people know about what happened in the Green House?

    Logically speaking, the mastermind was already dead. How could anyone know what had happened?

    Raeleigh pondered for a while and finally understood one thing.It was highly likely Yanora was not the only one behind it. There must be someone else behind the scene, and this person was the one who wanted her there.

    But who?

    Raeleigh gawked at the ruler in her hand. Her vision seemed to be ovepping on the ruler, again and again, leading to a blurry shadow.

    She raised the ruler up and scrutinized it. For a moment, she was stumped.

    What was wrong with her eyes?

 Chapter 1611 Bad Eyesight

    Raeleigh immediately had her eyes checked that day. Quite a few people followed her; Xanthus, Jepherson, even Jenna.

    Those who could go had gone with her.

    Raeleigh sat in the corner silently. There was never a moment she had been that quiet. Xanthus stood on her left, and Jenna sat on her right whileJepherson sorted everything out.

    As soon as the doctor came out with Raeleigh¡¯s report in his hand, Xanthus got up and walked to the door whileJepherson was already standing next to it.

    At first, the doctor didn¡¯t know how to put it, but he stillsaid, ¡°Mr. Richards, we can¡¯t be sure about the examination. It seems that it might be astigmatism.¡±

    ¡°Astigmatism?¡±

    Jepherson turned his gaze at Raeleigh, then backat the doctor and asked, ¡°Nothing else?¡±

    ¡°I rmend you do a brain and nerve scan to get a better result.¡±

    Jepherson said, ¡°Get it ready at once.¡±

    ¡°No need. Just get me a pair of sses.¡± Raeleigh said in a calm voice. It was as if it had nothing to do with her, nor did she want to know the consequences.

    Jepherson turned around. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    He wasn¡¯t questioning but negotiating.

    Jepherson knew Raeleigh¡¯s temper very well.That look meant she was resolute.

    Therefore, he could only lower himself.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I am pregnant, and both of those examinations would harm the child. I can¡¯t do that; sses would make do for now.¡±

    The doctor said, ¡°You¡¯ll notice if you have astigmatism gradually, like when you feel ufortable looking at TV or phone screen. But in Miss Anson¡¯s case, we suspect the suddenly blurry vision is caused by a brain tumor or some nerve disorder.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what caused it. I¡¯ll bear the consequences.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh stood up and looked at the doctor. The doctor said, ¡°The examination does have certain amount of radiation, but it will not harm the fetus. We will try our best to be careful.¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t check. Let¡¯s get a pair of sses.¡±

    Raeleigh made up her mind. Xanthus said, ¡°It¡¯s not up to her. We¡¯ll do the examination now; I need to know the result.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around. ¡°It¡¯s already settled.¡±

    With that, she walked away, andJepherson tried to catch up with her. As soon as he grabbed her hand, she pped him in the face.

    Everyone fell silent in that instant. Raeleigh swept her gaze across them before heading to the elevator.

    ¡°Jepherson, hurry, chase after her.¡±

    Jenna shouted. Jepherson strode toward the elevator, but he was too slow as she was already in.

    Seeing that she was heading down, Jepherson hurried to the esctor, with Xanthus following behind.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Raeleigh to reach the exit of the hospital aftering out of the elevator. Now that Jepherson had quickened his pace, he managed to catch up with her.

    However, Jepherson didn¡¯t stretch out his hand this time. Raeleigh was pregnant, and he was afraid of hurting her.

    ¡°The car is outside. I¡¯ll drive you home.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Jepherson. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Jepherson was stunned for a moment. He understood Raeleigh¡¯s aggressiveness was out of self-protection, like a hedgehog.

    After getting in the car, they did not leave immediately but waited for Xanthus and Jenna beforethey went home together.

    It was as if her p on Jepherson had never happened.

    After returning to the manor, Raeleigh did the usual, but her eyesight was indeed poor.

    Raeleigh still held the ruler in her hand and swung it from time to time. No one but herself knew she was checking her eyes.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t have dinner that night, saying she wasn¡¯t hungry or wanted to see anyone.

    While others were eating, Raeleigh went to Santiago¡¯s room. Since Jepherson was usually inside, she could only stay there for some time.

    What was more, this ce did not belong to her. Raeleigh sat down and took Santiago¡¯s hand. She came with a nail cutter as her visit then was to give him a simple manicure.

    Raeleigh would feel sorry for his hands if they weren¡¯t taken care of.

    After tidying up, Raeleigh stared nkly at Santiago.

    She did not say a word, merely looking at him as she let her mind wander.

    When Jepherson went to see Raeleigh, he couldn¡¯t find her in her room, so he went to look for her in Santiago¡¯s room. She was sitting calmly, horrifyingly calm instead of despondent.

    Jepherson had mixed feelings, thinking that it was his appearance that had changed her life.

    Without realizing it, he moved. Hearing the sound, she turned to look at the door; no one was there, but she sensed a presence outside. However, she didn¡¯t go out.

    After watching for a while, Raeleigh finally stood up, tucked Santiago in, and walked out.

    Out the door, she looked out the window; it was already dark. She watched the stars for a while before retreating to her room.

    Xanthus was waiting for Raeleigh in her room. He didn¡¯t intend to force her, but the p she gave Jepherson didn¡¯t only hurt him but Xnathus as well.

    When she came in, he immediately said, ¡°We have to talk.¡±

    Xanthus was the only one talking the whole time. Even when his mouth was dry from all the talking, she never spoke a word.

    Tired, he sat down and said to her, ¡°I¡¯m not trying to go against you, and wewill treat your child well. But your health is more important now; let¡¯s get you treated first, okay?¡±

    ¡°Xanthus, I want this baby. I¡¯ve already lost one; I might never get another chance if I lose this one too.¡±

    ¡°Even so, you can¡¯t risk your life over it.¡±Xanthus choked at his words. He was a man, but even he couldn¡¯t stand her doing this. He knew she was upset, but he valued her and wanted her to care for herself.

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus. ¡°I will think about the check-up. Give me a few days.¡±

    Xanthus gave in in the end and left Raeleigh¡¯s room.

    But the following day, no one could find Raeleigh. Everyone was in a state of panic as they searched for her everywhere. Even her phone was off. It was as if she had evaporated into thin air, gone just like that. Xanthus was so anxious that he called her countless times.

    They even made a police report, and Jepherson also arranged for his men to search the city.

    However, after a fruitless search the entire day,Raeleigh came back on her own that night.

    Louisa waited at the gates when she saw a cab stopping a few feet away. Looking over, Raeleigh wasing out of it.

    She was wearing a pair of sses that were quite stylish; it made her look even more delicate now.

    Baffled, Louisa stared at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Raeleigh, did you go and get yourself a pair of sses?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡±

    Raeleigh was finally home. The whole time she was out, she was worried Ste would harm her.

    Louisa was a little surprised that she only came back at this time when she had only gone to get herself sses.Everyone was searching for her and even made a police report. Jepherson and Zorion turned the entire city over, looking for her, yet she looked as if nothing had happened. Just what kind of person was she?

 Chapter 1612 Calling Callis

    Raeleigh was sitting in her quarter¡¯s living room in Green Jade Garden. She requested it so that she could monitor the surveince there. At this moment, everyone was sitting in the living room with her, waiting for her exnation. However, half an hourter, Raeleigh fell asleep on the sofa, her red coat draped on her.

    When Jepherson went to her, he was suddenly speechless. There were quite a few people in the living room, and all of them had her best interest at heart,but he suddenly thought they were all selfish, and they all wanted to hurt her.

    She had indeed gone out an entire day, but as for why she didn¡¯t tell anyone? They all knew the reason.

    ¡°Raeleigh is tired; we should let her rest. I¡¯m going back to my room too.¡± Jepherson was the first to walk away; he left just like that, no exnations, nor did he want to talk.

    Xanthus nudged his sister a couple of times for her to finally wake up on the third. With that, shewalked to her bedand tucked herself in before removing her sses.

    No matter how Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to exin anything.

    Xanthus stood rooted to the spot, in a dilemma. He wanted to speak up a couple of times but swallowed his words in the end.

    After a nap, Raeleigh woke up and couldn¡¯t fall back asleep. By then, Xanthus had already left the room. She took out her medical report, scanned through it before shredding it, and flushing it down the toilet.

    Everyone else also had a sleepless night that night. Jepherson was convinced that there had to be a cause behind Raeleigh¡¯s illness. Overnight, he covered up everything about Raeleigh inside and out of Capital City; no one could find anything about her even online.

    Just like that, the person named Raeleigh Anson vanished as if she had never existed. Since then, no stranger called her, and everything about her was gone in Capital City. When she woke up in the morning, she found that she couldn¡¯t find anything about her online anymore.

    Raeleigh knew who was behind it, but she was still unruffled.

    After getting up, she checked on Santiago; she even brought a pair of scissors with her to trim his hair.

    Louisa said, ¡°I am also a doctor. Why don¡¯t I give you a quick check-up? Just a quick pulse check to make sure everything is alright. If I do find something wrong, I suggest you have it treated as soon as possible. I¡¯m a mother-to-be just like you, so I understand your worries, but are you certain there won¡¯t beplications if you don¡¯t get yourself checked?¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. Even a person as stubborn as Louisa could not do anything to persuade her.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    After breakfast, Jenna came to see Raeleigh. Jenna, too, tried to persuade Raeleigh to go for a check-up, but Raeleigh just adjusted her sses and turned a deaf ear.

    After Jenna went back, sheined to Hansen, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a stubborn person in my life. I thought I¡¯d seen it all, but Raeleigh is on a different level; she won¡¯t listen at all.¡±

    Hansen fixed his gaze at the document in his hand and said, ¡°She¡¯s not stubborn; she¡¯s just using her way to fight for her baby¡¯s chance to be born.¡±

    ¡°But this is still no reason for her to take her life lightly.¡±

    ¡°What do you suggest then? Force her to take out the baby?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s words sounded unforgiving, but it got Jenna quiet.

    The Richards family already had a lot on their te, and now Raeleigh was sick as well.Jenna really wondered whether her family had brought misery to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh was good at taking care of herself. For some reason, in the days, she would go out and take a stroll in the garden after checking on Santiago, looking like someone who had just learned to enjoy life.

    However, for some reason, everyone felt a little ufortable when they saw how calm Raeleigh was.

    Nothing about Raeleigh changed. Nearly everyone knew how the public talked about her; even when her information was gone online, anyone who knew still knew. Even if Jepherson managed to cover everything up, he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop people from talking.

    All the servants in the Richards family felt sorry for Raeleigh. Not only was she ndered by the public, but she was also sick. All she could do now was sit and live. Surgery was not an option either as she was pregnant¡­

    One misery after another, everyone pitied her.

    However, Raeleigh did not feel sorry for herself because she felt that obstacles were part of life.

    It wouldn¡¯t be life if it were smooth sailing. She neverined about how tough her life was because she knew some people had it worse than her.

    Children learned to walk by learning to fall, let alone adults trying to survive in a society.

    Raeleigh¡¯s illness suddenly changed her outlook on life. If it were the old Raeleigh, she would¡¯ve thought that the world was unfair and that everyone was better off than her.

    However,she was a different person now.She came to realize that even money couldn¡¯t cure an incurable sickness; everyone would end up dead in the end.

    Some things could have a do-over, but not when it came to a person¡¯s life.

    A person would lose everything once they were dead.

    What about her?

    Yes, she was sick, but she didn¡¯t think she was piteous.

    She felt that she would be able to get through this. Even if she did die, at least she still had a baby to carry on her legacy.

    No one knew what was going on in Raeleigh¡¯s mind. Some would asionally catch her giggling to herself.

    Some say that getting pregnant would give you the baby brain. Was it valid for Raeleigh too?

    Jepherson spent the entire day resting at home that day. Although he knew Raeleigh was out in the garden, he didn¡¯t go out to her.

    Raeleigh heard footsteps behind her and turned around to see it was Jepherson. She was still indifferent when she saw him, and for some reason, she had a sudden feeling that they had gotten much older because of recent events. However, doing quick math with her fingers, she was only twenty while he was only twenty-five.

    But it was exactly that they had been through so much at that age that they had foregone their youth.

    People at their age were still rather insensible and ignorant about the world. However, they were the opposite.

    Raeleigh thought she was very immature in the past and did not know how to enjoy life at all.

    After standing there for a while, Raeleigh smiled at Jepherson. However, it was that smile that shattered him into pieces.

    Raeleigh then said, ¡°I really want to keep this baby, but everyone wants me to get rid of it. What about you? Are you with everyone else?¡±

    Jepherson was silent for a long time before he finally asked, ¡°Are you doing it for Austin?¡±

    Raeleigh did not want to continue the conversation, so she turned and looked around. Suddenly missing Callis, she walked in the direction of the front gates as she called him. Coincidentally, Jepherson¡¯s phone rang.

    However, Raeleigh did not look back as it wasn¡¯t Callis¡¯s ringtone.

 Chapter 1613 Dispute

    Raeleigh walked a distance away from Green Jade Garden to call Callis. It didn¡¯t take long before he answered. Knowing he was mute, Raeleigh said, ¡°Let¡¯s text.¡±

    With that, she hung up and began texting Callis as she saton a bench outside of Green Jade Garden.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I went to the hospital a couple of days ago for a pregnancy check-up and met a pregnantdy who was about my age. I talked to her for a bit.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s your baby?¡± Callis asked. She smiled at his question and replied, ¡°The baby¡¯s doing very well.¡±

    Raeleigh then continued to chat with Callis.

    ¡°Thedy said she was sick.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing more after that. Callis asked what sickness thedy had, but she said she had forgotten.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about something else. Are you still in Waverly Vige?¡±

    Callis said he had left and was searching for a ce. He¡¯s nning on doing something.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡­

    She only ended their chat when it was time for dinner. She went to check on Santiago again aftering into the house; he was getting another treatment session, and she had to be there, so she went in advance.

    Jepherson was reading something on his phone when Raeleigh entered, and he locked it after she came in.

    ¡°I came to check on Santiago. Louisa wille over after dinner.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m going to take a bath.¡±

    With that, he made his way to the bathroom while Raeleigh went to sit down.When Jepherson reached the bathroom door, he turned back aroundto retrieve his phone. She looked up at him, feeling strange asshe didn¡¯t have the bad habit of looking into other people¡¯s phones.

    Closing the bathroom door, Jepherson ced his phone in the cab by the bathroom door, took off his clothes, and stepped into the bath. Raeleigh subtly kept track of the time, worried because he had been in the bathroom for two, three hours.

    But then again, what could happen to a man like him?

    In the end, she still went to knock on the bathroom door.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be out,¡± Jepherson said as he dried his hair. He then put on his bathrobe before emerging from the bathroom.

    Raeleigh stood at the door and noticed he looked a little pale.

    It was as if he had lost ayer of skin.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh left the room, giving Jepherson the space to change.

    After dinner, Raeleigh and the others made their way to Santiago¡¯s room. Louisa had her acupuncture needles ready. After disinfecting them, she brought them over to Santiago¡¯s side and began sticking the needles between his nails and the nail beds. Raeleigh was a little nervous as it probably hurt a lot.

    However,after two needles, Santiago still didn¡¯t react to the treatment.

    Louisa was beginning to sweat by then. She gently put down Santiago¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether it¡¯ll work; we can only wait and see.¡±

    Raeleigh also knew Louisa had tried her best.

    ¡°Thank you, Louisa.Get some rest after you¡¯re done here.¡±

    Raeleigh walked over to Santiago. She believed he would wake upeventually.

    Louisa waited for a while before she took the needles out of Santiago and left with Colston. Raeleigh sat by the side and apanied Santiago for a few more minutes before leaving; after all, it was not her room. She felt a little awkward being alone in the same room as Jepherson, although Santiago was also technically in the room.

    Raeleigh got up and tucked Santiago in. In actuality, she sometimes felt she was doing the unnecessary as Jepherson would do it even if she weren¡¯t around, but she couldn¡¯t help herself.

    ¡°Good night.¡±

    Raeleigh left the room and headed out. After feeling the breeze, she was more awake.

    Raeleigh took off her sses and made her way back to her room based solely on her memory. She was sure she could do it.

    In fact, Raeleigh didn¡¯t need her sses if she onlystayed in the vicinity. However, she knew all too well that some people wouldn¡¯t let her have her peace and quiet.

    After making herselffortable in her room, Raeleigh put on her sses and picked up a book to read.

    A few momentster, Xanthus knocked on the door, bringing her a bowl of soup.

    Raeleigh caught the waft of the soup and lifted her head. Xanthus gave it to her and said, ¡°Drink it while it¡¯s hot; it¡¯s good for your health.¡±

    Raeleigh did as she was told, but it didn¡¯t take long for her to feel slumberous.

    Raeleigh began suspecting if the soup was spiked as she didn¡¯t feel sleepy when she was reading and even more awake when she was making notes.

    However¡­

    As soon as she fell asleep, Xanthus picked her up and took her out the door.

    Just as he opened the door, Louisa and Colston appeared. Louisa put a throw on Raeleigh. It was apparent they were in on this.

    The servants didn¡¯t look too good when they saw Raeleigh being carried out and wondered what was happening.

    Then, one of the servants immediately went to inform Jepherson.

    Jepherson felt very rxed after soaking in the bath for a couple of hours earlier. When the servants went to inform him, he was already lying down and preparing to sleep. When he heard a knock on the door, he got out of bed, put on his clothes, and opened the door. Jepherson glumed when he answered the door, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Dr. Osteen has taken Miss Raeleigh away. We didn¡¯t dare stop him, but it seems that Miss Raeleigh was fast asleep.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s asleep?¡± Jepherson¡¯s face sunk as anger welled up in his chest. Xanthus couldn¡¯t do that even if he was her brother.

    The servant then added, ¡°She seems to be unconscious.¡±

    ¡°Unconscious?¡±

    Hearing that, Jepherson strode out hurriedly. The servant was afraid that he might have misunderstood, so she caught up to him and said, ¡°We saw Dr. Osteen bringing a bowl of soup into Miss Raeleigh¡¯s room. Not long after, he came out carrying Miss Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Anger rose in Jepherson like a tide. The servant was so frightened that she retreated.

    It had nothing to do with them!

    Jepherson nced at the servant before heading out the door to stop Xanthus.

    ¡°Get out of my way.¡±

    Xanthus wanted to take Raeleigh to the hospital for a check-up. He couldn¡¯t rest until he knew what was going on with Raeleigh.

    Jepherson stood in their way, looking grim,his gaze even more fierce.

    He nced at Colston and Louisa. ¡°You two go back in. I need to talk to Xanthus.¡±

    Since Raeleigh had fallen asleep, Jepherson did not want to disturb her. He also believed Xanthus would not harm his sister. It was only a little bit of drug; he trusted that he knew what he was doing.

    ¡°I¡¯m done talking. Raeleigh needs to seek treatment immediately. She¡¯s beginning to show signs of visual impairment; if it continues, the results will be unimaginable.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever thought about Raeleigh? You¡¯ll hurt her if you do this. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware of how stubborn she is.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care; I need to save her.¡±

    ¡°I do too, but not like this. Raeleigh wants to keep the baby; she needs time.¡±

    ¡°Get out of the way. I¡¯m done listening to you.¡± Xanthus insisted on leaving, but Jepherson wouldn¡¯t let him, and the two locked horns until Jenna and Hansen arrived.

 Chapter 1614 Approach Slowly

    Raeleigh was brought back to her room in the end. Deep down, Jenna also hoped Raeleigh would get herself checked, butJepherson stood his ground.

    Regardless of how strong a person was, they couldn¡¯t carry a full-grown adult without rest. When Jepherson saw that Xanthus could not carry Raeleigh any longer, he reached out to take her away. Xanthus wanted to stop him but failed.

    As Jepherson carried Raeleigh, he instructed one of the servants, ¡°Take Dr. Osteen to Mr. Santiago¡¯s room. Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn¡¯te out.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Just like that, Xanthus was forcibly sent to Santiago¡¯s room, and the door was locked from the outside.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh was taken back to her room.

    Louisa decided to check on Raeleigh only to see she was already tucked into bed. She stood at the door for a while and wanted to exin, but Jepherson said, ¡°She¡¯s tired; let her get some rest.¡±

    Louisa did not know what to say, so she went out.

    Jepherson stayed vigil the entire night, watching Raeleigh sleep as he sat aside.

    When Jepherson first entered the room, he caught a glimpse of the book Raeleigh left on the sofa. So, he spent the whole night reading the book. Once he finished reading it, he put it back where he found it. It was only at dawn that he left her room.

    Jepherson then made his way over to Santiago¡¯s room and excused those people guarding the door.

    Xanthus spent the night on the couch, half awake.

    When he heard someone enter the room, he opened his eyes and sat up.

    Jepherson took off his coat and tossed it aside while Xanthus stood up and walked out of the room.

    Jepherson watched Xanthus as he closed the door behind him, then went to bed and tucked Santiago in before going to sleep.

    Raeleigh woke up at eight that morning. She opened her eyes and thought back to what happenedst night. She had a hunch but only got out of bed. She never brought it up but merely went to Santiago¡¯s room after having breakfast.

    No one answered the door, but Raeleigh entered still, only to seeJepherson and Santiago lying in bed. So, she walked out, closing the door behind her.

    After Raeleigh retreated to her room, Xanthus knocked on her door.

    When Raeleigh saw that it was her brother, she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t see you at breakfast. Where were you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry aboutst night.¡±

    Xanthus came to apologize, but he did not regret his actions. He sat opposite Raeleigh and said nothing more.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I know you did it for my own good.¡±

    Xanthus remained silent.

    ¡°If the doctors did find something wrong with me and required me to do surgery, then the baby would be in danger. As the baby¡¯s uncle, can you bear to lose your niece or nephew?¡±

    Xanthus was silent at first. Then, he said, ¡°If you lose this baby, you can have another one. I only have one sister; I don¡¯t mind not being an uncle, but I can¡¯t bear the thought of losing my sister.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Xanthus. ¡°But you don¡¯t always get the chance to be a mother.¡±

    ¡°Be honest, are you doing this for the baby or the baby¡¯s father?¡±

    Xanthus did not expect things would get to this point. He would have allowed her to keep the baby, but not when they were in such circumstances.

    Xanthus was not going to agree regardless of who the baby¡¯s father was.There was nothing more important than his sister¡¯s life. He had to make the right decision.

    Raeleigh stopped talking. That was how she acted these days. If she could not outspeak anyone, then she would choose to keep quiet, rendering people at a loss of what to do.

    Sometimes, Xanthus thought Raeleigh was a wilful child. No one could get through to her. He could reason with her, but she just refused to listen to anything.

    It was like talking to a brick wall.

    ¡°Raeleigh, if you keep acting like this,I have no choice but to tell Mom and Dad.¡± Xanthus decided to use his trump card.

    Raeleigh remained silent, as calm as she had beentely. Then she said, ¡°If you do that, I will leave; I will hide and await my death!¡±

    She said it so nonchntly, but at the same time, unyielding. She was putting all her eggs in one basket.

    Xanthus¡¯s face changed slightly. Raeleigh picked up the book she was reading the night before. After a long time, she said, ¡°When I was little, I thought I was an abandoned child. So, I vowed never to abandon mine if I ever have a child.¡±

    ¡°I was very cautious when I was pregnant with my first baby, but I still lost them in the end.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t lose this one either.¡±

    Raeleigh read as she talked. It was as if these words hadn¡¯te out of her mouth.

    When Xanthus left Raeleigh¡¯s room, she looked up at him, but Xanthus didn¡¯t see it.

    Xanthus had never been so disappointed in his life before, especially with Raeleigh.

    He knew the baby wasn¡¯t Jepherson¡¯s. He found it ridiculous that his sister was determined to give birth to this baby, all for a dead man.

    Debt shouldn¡¯t be paid like this, not with her life!

    Xanthus went sleepless for three days because of this matter and eventually fell sick. This was the first time he had been so ill that he could not move. He could not even open his eyes.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t believe it if someone told me they weren¡¯t siblings. They are both weak, and one of them is even a doctor,¡± Louisa muttered. After leaving Santiago¡¯s room, Raeleigh then made her way to her brother¡¯s room to take care of him.

    Xanthus recovered three dayster. However, Raeleigh had lost a lot of weight at the same time.

    Xanthus wondered whether it was because she had been busy taking care of him. The first thought that came to his mind when he woke up was his sister¡¯s sickness.

    ¡°Raeleigh, listen to me, please get a check-up. You can keep the baby, but your health is also important too; you have to get it treated.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Alright, I¡¯llget it checked.¡±

    Finally, Raeleigh agreed to go to the hospital.

    As the check-up wasplicated, Xanthus personally contacted some of his doctor friends and flew them in for a consultation.They gave Raeleigh a thorough examination, and sure enough, she had a brain tumor.

    Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t life-threatening.

    It was just that the brain tumor was pressing against her optic nerves, but Raeleigh¡¯s eyes did already have a problem, slight astigmatism.

    How did it happen? From when she was forced to game.

    Raeleigh sat aside and listened as the doctors discussed while exining to Xanthus about her condition. Xanthus was a leading doctor himself, so he knew a thing or two about neurology.

    And the tumor Raeleigh had was indeed not life-threatening.

    Even if the brain tumor did rupture, it would not kill her.

    After the results came out, Xanthus turned around and looked at his sister. This time, Jepherson sat beside Raeleigh, surprisingly quiet.

    ¡°How did you get astigmatism?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer but only stared at Xanthus. She had already gotten used to wearing sses; she didn¡¯t think it was all that bad.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Xanthus could do nothing about her. She had been this stubborn ever since she had gotten ill.

    ¡°Wait for me.¡±

    Xanthus went into the doctors¡¯ office to discuss his sister¡¯s condition.

    They suggested she do minimally invasivesurgery; it was the best option for her, and she could do it now if she agreed.

    Aftering out, Xanthus told Raeleigh about the surgery, but she only got up and walked away, refusing to do it.

    Raeleigh made her way toward the elevator. With how things endedst time, no one dared to stop her.

    After emerging from the elevator, she walked straight ahead, never looking back, and met someone familiar. She stopped, staring at the person as he approached her slowly.

 Chapter 1615 Mills of the Gods Grind Slowly, but They Grind Exceedingly Fine

    By the time Jepherson came to look for Raeleigh, she was gone. He pulled his phone out and called Jared, but he could not reach him.

    Jepherson gnashed his teeth and called Stuart as his eyes shed with anger.

    ¡°Where is she?¡±

    Stuart was sitting in the monitoring room with aptop on hisp; a map was on his screen. Behind him stood Hadrian and Scarlette, who was in a wheelchair.

    Stuart was also in a wheelchair, and although he could no longer stay by Jepherson¡¯s side, that did not mean he was of no use.

    There were several red dots on the map. The first one was Jepherson, and the second one, Santiago, who was bedridden. There were several others too, but one was moving, and it belonged to Raeleigh. She looked to be in a car, heading somewhere.

    And the car seemed to be heading toward¡­

    Stuart said, ¡°The Moore family residence.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Was there a fight?¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°No, she followed willingly.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Jepherson then hung up the phone. Scarlette asked, ¡°Raeleigh¡¯s pregnant. Is she going to be okay?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll be. Mr. Jepherson will be with her.¡± Stuart was confident Jepherson was already on his way as they spoke.

    Scarlette then asked, ¡°Mr. Jepherson asked us to investigate Austin, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange that we can¡¯t find anything about him?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, unless this person doesn¡¯t exist. But Raeleigh would never lie. It may look like she had fabricated the whole thing, but in reality, someone¡¯s trying to hide something.¡±

    Stuart had been following up on this matter, but he had no way to investigate it at all.

    ¡­

    At the Moore family residence.

    Raeleigh got out of the car and looked around. Then she turned to Flynt. ¡°So this is the ce you want to bring me to?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Flynt smiled, intending to bring Raeleigh in, but she stood unmoving.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Flynt asked, seeing Raeleigh standing still. Raeleigh just looked at him and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go in. I always have the feeling that this is a snakepit. Besides, I have a bad reputation right now. The Richards family¡¯s image has been tarnished because of me; it¡¯s best if I don¡¯t go in.¡±

    ¡°How about this? If you don¡¯t mind, we¡¯ll take a stroll nearby. After that, send me home; everyone will worry if I don¡¯t go back.¡±

    With that, she turned around and started circling the perimeters of the residence, not caring if Flynt agreed.She looked at her feet as she walked, seeming to measure how big the mansion was with her feet.

    Flynt nced over at the gates of the residence andmotioned the others to leave them be before catching up with Raeleigh.

    It didn¡¯t take long for him to get to her. Raeleigh merely kept her gaze at her feet, ambling, taking her time.

    Even Raeleigh thought she looked like a lunatic, but Flynt said, ¡°What are you doing acting like a child?¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Flynt. ¡°Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m weird?¡±

    ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Flynt grabbed hold of Raeleigh¡¯s arm before cing a hand on her forehead.However, she pushed his hand away, revolted by his behavior. Not just anybody could touch her.

    There were only three men who could. The first was Jepherson, then Santiago, and finally, Austin.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t show her angeron her face, looking extremely aloof. She turned around and continued to walk with her gaze fixed on her feet.

    Flynt then reached out and grabbed her arm again, but she did not shake him off this time. He was pleased with that.

    ¡°I¡¯ve read the scandals online. I¡¯m sure someone¡¯s pulling a fast one behind the curtains. I¡¯m already investigating it. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll figure it out.¡±

    ¡°Figure what out?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s retort rendered Flynt speechless.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ I know that you¡¯re having a tough time. What happened to Santiago was an ident.¡± Raeleigh paused her steps as Flynt spoke, but she didn¡¯t turn her gaze to him and merely blinked and continued walking.

    ¡°ident or not, no one knows. The police aren¡¯t involved either.¡±

    Raeleigh sounded like she was using Flynt, so he blurted, ¡°Are you suspecting me?¡±

    She immediately stopped walking. She turned to look at him and asked, ¡°Was it you then?¡±

    ¡°I indeed wish for Jepherson and Santiago to die a tragic death, but look¡­¡±

    Flynt showed Raeleigh his prosthetic arm, but she only stared at him, not saying a word. He continued, ¡°Jepherson ordered his subordinate to rip my arm off, rip, not chop.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know the whole story, but thatwas between them; it had nothing to do with her. So, she kept quiet and remained deadpan.

    Flynt gnashed his teeth and said, ¡°I¡¯m a human, not a brick. How can I not loathe them for what they did to me? Do you know how I survived the countryside? I was on top of the world, then down in the dumps the next moment. They did this to me! What am I to do? How can I not hate?¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent; he had it alling.

    Raeleigh did not feel sorry for Flynt at all, so she naturally wouldn¡¯t take his side. She just stood and listened to whatever he had to say, expressionless.

    If Raeleigh wasn¡¯t wearing her sses, Flynt might see something from her eyes and hold back, but he didn¡¯t.

    He continued to roar, ¡°Do you know that they used me of arranging everything that happened in the hospital that day? They asked me to kneel and apologize, orthey would chop my other arm off.¡±

    Flynt red at Raeleigh, but she only looked at him in silence for a while, like a mute, before she continued walking ahead.

    Raeleigh despised men who gave in, regardless of the reason.

    But then she started wondering what the reason would be for Jepherson, Santiago, or even Austin to yield.

    The answer was simple. Other than their parents, they would not kneel down to anyone.

    Raeleigh looked down upon people who would kneel to survive.

    Especially men.

    Especially Flynt.

    Raeleigh continued walking with her head down. Flynt could not see her expression at all. For a brief moment, he felt that she was feeling sad for him.

    Flynt hurried over to her and said, ¡°But you have to trust me. I had nothing to do with what happened to Santiago.¡±

    Raeleigh paused, looking at Flynt. Whosoever fault it was, they would find out eventually. She believed the mills of the Gods grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine when it came to some things.

 Chapter 1616 Injured

    Raeleigh listened to Flynt¡¯s words as she walked. He said a lot of things, and she merely listened.

    Just like that, they circled the entire perimeter of the residence and ended up back at the gates. Just as Flynt stepped forward and intended to say something,Raeleigh blurted, ¡°Do you like me?¡±

    Her question caught Flynt off guard, but he knew there had to be a reason, sohe replied, ¡°Yes, I do.¡±

    Flynt smiled as he spoke, and Raeleigh could tell that his smile was genuine. After all, there would be times when men fall in love, even a treacherous one.

    Who wouldn¡¯t meet true love?

    No matter how astute a man was, there would be times when he let his guard down in front of a woman. To them, nothing was more attractive than a woman who was out of their reach.

    This was a man¡¯s nature.

    Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t say she was an expert in life, but after being with Jepherson, she felt she had seen it all.

    Although it had only been a year, their measly love couldn¡¯t withstand the mundane world.

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t moved; she couldn¡¯t even feel her heart.

    She asked, ¡°What do you like about me?¡±

    ¡°Everything.¡±

    Amused, she thought it was the most hypocritical answer in the world.

    Flynt was about to pull Raeleigh into his arms when Jepherson¡¯s car pulled up in front of them. Someone got out of the car to open the door for Jepherson when a dozen more arrived.

    Jepherson came out and looked over at Flynt and Raeleigh before striding to her. Turning her gaze at Jepherson, she walked to him without the need for him to say anything.

    Flynt gently tugged Raeleigh¡¯s arm. ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped but did not turn to look at him. She had nothing to say to him; she only followed him because she had no choice. But she would not forgive herself if something happened while with him.

    Jepherson¡¯s gazended on Flynt¡¯s hand, which was tugging Raeleigh¡¯s. Many of Jepherson¡¯s men surrounded them, but he didn¡¯t need to do anything for Flynt to take his hand away.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    After Flynt released her, she went straight into the car, never once giving him a nce.

    However, Flynt wasn¡¯t giving up. ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh still did not look at Flynt. Jepherson sized him up before making his way back into the car. Flynt did not even dare to say a word the entire time, not even a question.

    Inside the car, Jepherson said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Raeleigh was looking outside the window. ¡°You already came sooner than I expected.¡±

    She thought he would only arrive a littleter.

    After the door closed, Jepherson instructed the driver to drive off. Raeleigh remained silent the entire journey.

    After arriving in the Richards Group Manor, Raeleigh went straight to check on Santiago. She sat in the room for a long time. Everyone went to check on Raeleigh, and seeing that she was fine, they left.

    A murderer must pay with his life, but Raeleigh did not dare to kill.

    However, those people were always looking for trouble with her.

    ¡°I want to sleep here today.¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly said at ten at night. Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and was silent for a moment. ¡°Where are you going to sleep?¡±

    Raeleigh nced at the floor by the bed and said, ¡°On the floor.¡±

    With that, Jepherson made a temporary bed for her with a quilt and a pillow. Raeleigh nced at it, took off her jacket, and tucked herself in.

    It didn¡¯t take long before Raeleigh fell asleep; she was already still when Jepherson was still reading.

    By the time he got up to check on her, she had already fallen asleep.

    Seeing so, he sat on the sofa across from her and rested his eyes.

    Since Raeleigh didn¡¯t sleep in a bed that night, he wouldn¡¯t sleep either.

    That night, Flynt had a nightmare. He jolted awake, drenched in a cold sweat. He dreamed that Santiago had recovered and came to him for revenge, wanting to chop his arm off.

    Climbing out of bed, he took a mouthful of water before making a call.

    ¡°I want to kill Jepherson. Send an assassin.¡±

    ¡­

    Jepherson was no longer in the room when Raeleigh woke up the next morning. He headed out bright and early to deal with some matters in thepany.

    Raeleigh tidied up the ce before heading back to her room to change. After breakfast, she went back to Santiago¡¯s room and decided to stay there and watch TV. She managed to catch the afternoon news about the Richards family; none of them was good news.

    Jepherson¡¯s picture appeared on TV, but it was quickly reced by Flynt¡¯s. It seemed that Flynt would be named one of the top ten most influential young adults of the year, while Jepherson would most likely not make it into the list.

    After watching for a while, Raeleigh switched off the TV and just sat on the sofa.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Raeleigh had just turned off the TV when Xanthus entered. However, she did not greet her brother.

    She didn¡¯t know what to say.

    No matter what she said, everyone would think she was hell-bent on her way.

    She felt that she would fail as a mother if she did not stand up and defend her baby when everyone wanted her to get rid of it.

    Raeleigh had been too quiet these days, and she did it all for the sake of her baby.

    She even had the idea of giving birth here in the Richards Group Manor and waited until the baby was safe before she was opened to any discussion.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡± Xanthus sat down and said to Raeleigh. She looked over at her brother and said, ¡°I¡¯ll agree to anything as long as I don¡¯t have to do the surgery and as long as my baby is safe.¡±

    Raeleigh ced one hand on her belly; it was the most natural thing for a mother to protect her child.

    Xanthus said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Raeleigh looked up at Xanthus and said after a long silence, ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±

    The room fell into silence.

    After a while, Raeleigh said, ¡°Please don¡¯t tell Mom and Dad.¡±

    What Raeleigh worried about the most was her parents finding out.

    Xanthus nodded; he wouldn¡¯t do her injustice anymore. Since the tumor wasn¡¯t life-threatening, there was bound to be a way to treat it.

    Humans were strange beings. WhenXanthus first suspectedit was a life-threatening illness, he couldn¡¯t eat nor sleep,forcing her to have the surgery and even wanted her to terminate her pregnancy, but not anymore.

    As long as it wasn¡¯t anything life-threatening, he was willing to wait.

    As a doctor, he knew Raeleigh would be fine for now after learning the tumor was benign.

    Since it would not kill her, then there was no rush.

    They sat for a while and talked about what had happened the day before. Only then did Xanthus learn Flynt appeared in the hospital, and she followed him, wanting to protect her baby.

    Silent, Xanthus understood all his sister did was for the sake of her baby.

    Jepherson came back after Raeleigh had just finished her meal; he came in pressing his arm. She watched as he entered the room, looking awful. Thenshe heard him say, ¡°Don¡¯t tell my parents.¡±

    He then passed out just as he sat down.

    It was Jared who brought Jepherson back. Seeing he had fainted, Jared immediately shouted for someone to call the doctor.

 Chapter 1617 Scheming

    Jared found a pair of scissors and quickly cut off Jepherson¡¯s clothes. It was then that Raeleigh realized there were several cuts on Jepherson¡¯s body.

    Even though the cuts weren¡¯t deep, they bled profusely.

    Raeleigh stared at the cuts and unconsciously asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson was attacked as soon as we stepped out of our office building. We managed to drive some of them away and even caught some of the attackers. We thought that was it. We did not think that we would be ambushed again just as we were about to pull up to the house.¡±

    Raeleigh understood Jared¡¯s wordsbut did not understand how Jepherson got injured in the process. Did Ste not learn her lesson? Did she lose all hope in Jepherson?

    Raeleigh had not heard any news about Ste in a long time. She did not understand what was going on.

    Unless it was the Doyle family.

    Raeleigh knelt down and helped Jared to take off Jepherson¡¯s clothes. Raeleigh held Jepherson in her arms and asked Jared whether he needed any help to carry Jepherson into bed.

    Jared nced towards the bed and wondered where they were supposed to put Jepherson since Santiago was already on the bed?

    Raeleigh did not think about it too much. She stood up and asked Jared to help her carry Jepherson to the bed.

    Raeleigh did not know why Jared trusted her so much, but he did as he was told.

    Afterying Jepherson down on the bed, Raeleigh went to the door to anxiously wait for the doctor to arrive.

    A few minutester, Xanthus came back. When he saw Jepherson¡¯s injured body, he hurried over to take Jepherson¡¯s pulse. Louisa entered the room and immediately turned into doctor mode as well.

    By the time the doctor arrived, Xanthus had already given Jepherson an injection as well as cleaned his wounds. Louisa also briefly gave Jepherson a quick examination before helping Xanthus to disinfect the wounds.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go to the hospital?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson told us not to. The Richards family is currently under fire. Furthermore, things have just settled down here in Capital City. If we went to the hospital, these things will be made public and the Richards family will be attacked again. That was why Mr. Jepherson told us not to go to the hospital. He was adamant that we came home.¡±

    In fact, Jared wanted to send Jepherson to the hospital. But no matter what he said, Jepherson refused.

    That was why Jared had no choice but to bring him home.

    Raeleigh stood aside and did not ask any more questions. Not long after, a servant brought the doctor to the room. Heimmediately gave Jepherson another examination before inserting an IV drip into his veins.

    Raeleigh calmly sat on the sofa as she watched the two brothers lying on the bed.

    This was their world. They would always take turns to get into trouble, which was what made people around them tremble in fear.

    Raeleigh ced her hands on her belly. That was probably the reason why she did not want her baby to have anything to do with them.

    Soon, everyone left the room.Xanthuswent to take a shower. Raeleigh was the only one left in the room as she sat and watched the brothers.

    She knew that the lives of the rich and powerful families wereplicated. She did not realize that there was an ugly side to human nature. Even if you did not provoke them, they would stille and find you.

    Raeleigh did not know how long she had sat there before she decided to take off her sses. She looked at her hand but noticed that her vision was a little blurry even though her hand was right in front of her. She had to focus all her strength on her eyes before she could see clearly.

    However, the doctor did advise her not to exert herself too much because it might stimte her brain tumor.

    Raeleigh put her sses on again and got up to pour a ss of water. Just then, Jepherson slowly opened his eyes. When Raeleigh saw him, she quickly walked towards him and helped him to sit up in bed. Although his movements were slow,he did not feel any pain. He sat up and leaned against the headboard.

    Raeleigh sat down. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s most serious injury was on his arm. So, he lifted his arm and proved to her that he was fine.

    Raeleigh cast a nce at Jepherson¡¯s arm. ¡°Would you like some water?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Jepherson fixed his eyes on Raeleigh as she poured him a ss of water.

    Raeleigh gently blew on the hot water before handing it to Jepeherson, ¡°Be careful. It¡¯s a little hot.¡±

    Jepherson opened his mouth. He couldn¡¯t move his hands at the moment, so he had to rely on Raeleigh to help him.

    Raeleigh ced one hand on his shoulder and held the ss with the other. She carefully brought thess towardshismouth.

    After taking a sip of water, Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°Why are you still being so nice to me? I thought you had given up on me?¡±

    The interior of the room was as empty as his words. No one could exin why Jepherson would ask that.

    However, Raeleigh did not hesitate.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t given up on me either. You still treat me well.¡± After Raeleigh finished speaking, she stood up and poured another ss of water. Then, she gently blew on it. It was obvious that Jepherson did not drink enough.

    Raeleigh brought it towards his mouth again andhe drank it all.

    Then, Raeleigh put down the ss and looked at Jepherson calmly. Although their time together had passed, their ending was still unwritten.

    This was only the beginning, not the end.

    For the sake of the child, she could not just die like that.

    Raeleigh sat there for a long time¡­

    ¡°It was Flynt.¡±

    it was not a question. Rather,it was a statement. Raeleigh had just returned and not long after, Jepherson was attacked. This was clearly Flynt¡¯s doing.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Raeleigh was sure that it was him when she thought of what Flynt had said to her the day before.

    Jepherson was calm andposed, but as soon as he heard Flynt¡¯s name, he had a cold and murderous look on his face. He leaned against the head of the bed and said, ¡°Flynt is a waste of space. Such people don¡¯t deserve to live.¡±

    ¡°And your point is?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and nced at Santiago on the bed. If Santiago was awake, she wondered what he would do when he saw his brother injured like that?

    She knew that Santiago would seek revenge.

    He would cut Flynt into pieces.

    Then, he would feed Flynt¡¯s remains to the dogs.

    However, she knew Jepherson wouldn¡¯t.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The Moore family is the founding member of Capital City. What Capital City is today is all thanks to their hard work.¡±

    ¡°Although the Moore family in Capital City was not as powerful as before, they still have countless allies within the city.¡±

    ¡°And these people are the public.¡±

    ¡°The Richards family used to be under the Moore family. Without them, there would be no Richards family. If the Richards family wanted to rece that family in Capital City, then we have to retain our reputation.¡±

    ¡°Wealth was like a fleeting cloud. One cannot steal it by force.¡±

    ¡°In the end, the Richards family cannot be the one to attack the Moore family.¡±

    Raeleigh sat for a while, ¡°What should we do about the Moore family?¡±

    ¡°All in all, the Moore family only has Flynt. With his character, he won¡¯t be able to walk this path for long.¡±

    ¡°The same knife cuts bread and fingers.¡±

    ¡°The Moore family has lost too much trust in Capital City. If things do not change, then I wouldn¡¯t even have to lift a finger to destroy them. Flynt would do it all on his own.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face was pale, but there was an unprecedented certainty in his gaze. Raeleigh was silent for a while. She had learned something about Jepherson.

    Although he was only twenty-five years old,he was as scheming as an old fox.

    She wondered what he would be like in a few years? Perhaps he would forget who he was when they first met.

 Chapter 1618 Weâ€™ve Lost So Much Already

    Raeleigh sat for a while before she got up and helped Jepherson to lie down. Xanthus so happened to enter the room at the same time. Hedid not suspect anything.

    ¡°Although they are just superficial wounds,they can still get infected. So, you have to be careful.¡± Xanthus stood on one side, his eyes deep and sharp. This incident reflected thew of the jungle. Xanthus realized thatthe weak were the prey to the strong. A couple of days ago, Jacky attacked someone else. Not long after,Jepherson was attacked.

    What Raeleigh said was right. In this world, it was every man for himself.

    Jephersony in bed and said, ¡°I want Raeleigh to stay in my room and take care of me these few days. It¡¯s best if she stayed here too. I¡¯m sure you know how stubborn she is. I can¡¯t control her as I¡¯m bedridden for now, so I need your help to keep an eye on her.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Thenshe turned her head to look at Jepherson. What did he mean? Did he just call her stubborn?

    Raeleigh frowned. Why didn¡¯t he call her a scoundrel instead?

    Raeleigh did not say anything. When she saw the serious look on his face, she instantly knew that he was worried that something would happen to her at this time.

    So, she kept quiet.

    Xanthus said, ¡°No problem.¡±

    Jepherson continued, ¡°Tell Colston and Louisa that the furthest ce they can go is the Richards Group Manor.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Jepherson seemed hesitant. ¡°Can you please get Jared for me?¡±

    Jepherson asked Raeleigh.She silently went to open the door and informed Jared, who was standing outside. ¡°Mr. Jepherson is looking for you.¡±

    Jared entered the room and walked to the foot of the bed.

    Jepherson instructed, ¡°I want you to block all exits leading out of Capital City. ThenI want you to release a statement on behalf of the Richards family saying that I am seriously injured.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. Jepherson closed his eyes and continued, ¡°Can you also contact Jacky for me and inform him to block all exits leading out of Waverly Vige? Tell him to make sure not even a single fly can leave the vige.¡±

    ¡°Do you¡­¡± Jared was somewhat absent-minded.

    ¡°After that, I want you to contact the Moore family officials and tell them that in theing election, we will be voting for Jacky.¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her eyes. She wondered whether this was his n to make the Moore family lose control in Capital City?

    Jared nodded his head before he turned and walked out. After he left, Jepherson said, ¡°Raeleigh, can you please go over to the Ink Garden and inform my dad about what happened?¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Jepherson. ¡°You want me to go?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if someone else went, I¡¯m not sure how my mother will take it. You have to convince her that this is just an act. Tell her that I¡¯m not injured. However,during this period, she has to pretend to be sad.Just make sure you convince her to stay put and note over to see me.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Jepherson. She knew that she would be able to convince Jenna that Jepherson was just putting on an act. But shewasn¡¯t sure whether she could stop her froming to see him.

    ¡°Alright, I know what to do.¡±

    Raeleigh briefly nced over at Xanthus before making her way to the Ink Garden. Xanthus wanted to follow but as soon as he reached the door, Raeleigh turned around and said, ¡°Xanthus, stay here. I will be back soon. Jenna and Hansen will be suspicious if you came along.¡±

    Xanthus did not know what to say. Sometimes, he felt that his sister was so intimidating that he was lost for words.

    He was very confused.

    ¡°Be careful.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in the Richards Group Manor. No one is allowed to enter this ce without permission.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and walked towards the Ink Garden.

    Raeleigh spotted Hansen as soon as she arrived at the Ink Garden. She immediately told him what happened, only then did Jenna find out that Jepherson was faking his injury.

    ¡°So, Jerry is not actually injured?¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s not. He¡¯s just faking it.¡±

    Raeleigh had an innocent face and would never lie to anyone. Even if Raeleigh was lying, Jenna would still believe her.

    Jenna cast a nce at her husband. ¡°Hansen¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to pretend to be upset tomorrow. Do not let anyone see through you.¡±

    Hansen sat on one side as he tried to give Raeleigh a signal with his eyes. Raeleigh immediately knew that he wanted an update on Jepherson¡¯s current condition.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Although Jepherson is not seriously injured, he does have some cuts on his body. He didn¡¯t want me to tell you guys because he did not want you two to worry.¡±

    ¡°My brother already examined him. At most, he will have a scar.¡±

    Hansen smiled and said, ¡°Send someone to get him nutrient-dense foods thenask the chefs to prepare it for him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes met with Hansen¡¯s. They both had mixed feelings.

    Raeleigh admiredHansen¡¯s shrewdness while Hansen admired Raeleigh¡¯s intelligence.

    ¡°Jerry is injured?¡± Jenna asked worriedly when she heard that Jepherson had cuts on his body. She would be upset if he even lost a strand of hair!She immediately stood up, wanting to visit Jepherson.

    ¡°Jenna, please do not make any trouble. I trust he knows what he¡¯s doing. What happens if people saw through his act? There had to be a reason why he was ambushed. Have you ever seen a kid fight without getting injured? The world is like this. This is amon thing. Can you please calm down?¡±

    There was a hint of deterrence in Hansen¡¯s tone even thoughwhat he said was reasonable. Jenna thought about it and eventually dismissed the idea of visiting Jepherson.

    Raeleigh said at that time, ¡°I have to go back now.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you sure that Jerry is alright?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s fine. He just has a little cut on his arm. I heard that he identally scratched himself on something when he got off the car.¡±

    ¡°My brother disinfected the wound and bandaged it up.¡±

    Raeleigh used her fingers to show them how big the cut was. Jenna asked, ¡°He scratched himself?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t attacked?¡±

    ¡°He wasbut his injury wasn¡¯t from the attack.¡±

    Hansen was speechless at the reason Raeleigh gave.

    Jenna was a little surprised. She thought that she had misunderstood.

    Raeleigh turned around and left the room. Jenna looked at her husband, ¡°Raeleigh should have exined clearly. She scared me to death!¡±

    Hansen looked up at Jenna and said, ¡°You can¡¯t trust her wordspletely. Maybe she¡¯s lying to us.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Raeleigh will lie to us.¡±

    Jenna trusted Raeleigh. Hansen sat aside and snorted, ¡°Women are the best liars. Don¡¯t look down on the girl. She has experienced so many things. Who knows what she¡¯s hiding behind those sses she¡¯s wearing?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just your suspicion.¡±

    Jenna was a little tired. All her anxiety made her tired.

    Just as Jenna was about to rest, Hansen said, ¡°Raeleigh has a heart of stone, especially after what happened to Santiago. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s capable of doing anything. Don¡¯t regard Raeleigh as a rabbit. She is no longer as innocent as a rabbit.¡±

    Jenna turned around and looked at her husband. ¡°Thenwhat is she? A wolf?¡±

    Jenna was obviously being sarcastic.

    Hansenughed. ¡°Wolves live in packs.She doesn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then what is she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a leopard.¡±

    Hansen stared calmly at the door. ¡°If Jepherson fails to keep her, that will be the Richards family¡¯sgreatest loss.¡±

    ¡°Stop racking your brains. This is love, not a game.¡± Jenna hated people who stink of money. Hansen, who was always cooking up schemes for the sake of the Richards family future, often paid the price with his sons¡¯ happiness.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    She already knew that Capital City was not suitable for them. She wanted to leave but he did not agree.

    Now their sons were injured. Her mother-inw and father-inw had to leave Capital City as well. Jenna was human, how could he not care about her well-being?

    Hansen stood up and looked at Jenna¡¯s back. He hugged Jenna from behind. ¡°No matter how bad this ce is, there are still a lot of memories here. Besides, it is impossible to escape unscathed on this earth.¡±

    Jenna shivered slightly and looked over her shoulder at her husband.

    Hansen smiled. ¡°We¡¯ve lost so many things, I¡¯m not willing to lose anymore!¡±

 Chapter 1619 Injured

    Jenna turned around to face Hansen. ¡°But you must be tired.¡±

    Ever since the incident with Santiago, she noticed that her husband had aged a lot. It seemed like he hadpletely changed into a different person. He slept poorly at night yet he would wake up early the next day.This was all because of what happened to his son.

    Jenna wanted to say something tofort Hansenbut she couldn¡¯t find the words.

    Hansen held Jenna in his arms. ¡°We¡¯re already on this earth. The only way we leave is when we die.¡±

    ¡°Do you still remember when we were young?¡±

    ¡°Do you remember how many storms we went through to see the rainbow?¡±

    ¡°Everyone has their own path. We learn from our experiences.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna raised her hand and held Hansen. ¡°Sometimes, I feel that there is something wrong with you. You obviously don¡¯t like this kind of life. I know that you want a free life, yet¡­¡±

    ¡°You want to stay in this hell hole. I don¡¯t know whether to call you anarcissistor insane for wanting to stay in this ce.¡±

    ¡°You often tell Jerry and Santiago that a man should be ambitiousbut they must be ready tomeet gains or losses with equanimity. In this life, they can give up on anything except for the woman they love.¡±

    Hansen smiled, ¡°Saying and doing are two different things. As a father, I¡¯m supposed to teach them right from wrong.Whether they listen to me is another thing.¡±

    ¡°Look at those adults. They teach their children not to fight, but they themselves fight with others.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh returned to Green Jade Garden and went straight to Santiago¡¯s room. At that time, Xanthus was standing by the door. He immediately walked up to his sisterwhen he saw her. Before Raeleigh left, he told her to call him if she needed help. Since then, he had been waiting outside the room.

    ¡°You must be tired. Why don¡¯t you go and get some rest? Please do not leave this ce unless it¡¯s necessary. I don¡¯t want Jenna to worry. I told her that Jepherson has a cut on his arm and nothing else.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a doctor. I know what to say.¡±

    After that, Xanthus went back to his room.

    After Xanthus left, Raeleigh went back to her room to pack some clothes before heading back to Santiago¡¯s room. When she entered the room, she realized that there was an extra bed there. She immediately knew that Jepherson must have asked someone to set it up for her.

    Raeleigh ced her bags by the side of the bed. She figured that it would take a few days for Jepherson to recover, so she knew she had no choice but to stay.

    Raeleigh took out her pajamas and went into the bathroom to take a shower. Thenshe blew dry her hair beforeing out of the bathroom. After that, she decided to check on Jepherson.

    When she realized that he was already asleep, she arranged the covers around him and check on Santiago before going to bed.

    Raeleigh did not know whether it was because she was exhausted or something else, but she fell asleep very quickly. That night, she dreamed of Santiago. In that dream, they were bickering while eating ice cream.

    He even asked her whether the baby was a boy or a girl.

    Raeleigh sat on the beach in a daze and Santiago appeared out of nowhere. Raeleigh was enjoying the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore when Santiago suddenly appeared in front of her and handed her an ice cream. However, she told him that she could not eat it because she was pregnant.

    Santiago was not surprised.In the end, he ate both the ice creams.

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago as if she knew that this was a dream. She asked Santiago what he was doing there instead of being in the hospital?

    Santiago¡¯s face was full of amusement. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see me?¡±

    Raeleigh smiled without saying anything and continued watching the waves. Santiago then asked her, ¡°Are you having a boy or a girl?¡±

    Raeleigh slowly turned her head towards Santiago. ¡°Do you prefer a boy or a girl?¡±

    ¡°A boy.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°But he prefers to have a girl.¡±

    ¡°Ha! I¡¯m not surprised since he¡¯s such a yboy. They say adaughter is her father¡¯s lover from hispast lifewhile sons are their father¡¯s rivals in love. That is why fathers and sons always bicker while daughters can never get along with their mothers.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago. ¡°Why do you want this baby to be a boy? Are you afraid that his life would be too dull?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid that he would not be able to recognize his own child because if this baby is a boy, it¡¯ll definitely look like him.¡±

    Raeleigh woke up crying. When she opened her eyes, she quickly wiped her tears away before sitting up.

    Jepherson closed his eyes slowly. He had already woken up, but when he saw Raeleigh open her eyes, he quickly closed them.

    He really wanted to know why she was crying, but he knew he would not have the chance to ask.

    Raeleigh got up and immediately went to change out of her pajamas. Then, she went to check on Santiago to make sure that he was fine before heading outside to ask the servants to prepare breakfast. By the time she returned to the room, Jepherson was already awake. So, she went to fetch some water and helped Jepherson to wipe his body.

    Jepherson sat on the bed and watched as Raeleigh wiped him. ¡°If it were someone else, would you still be so kind to me?¡±

    ¡°Nope, no one will get this kind of treatment.¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her head and continued to wipe Jepherson. Then, she took out a clean white shirt before taking off the shirt that he was currently wearing and helped him put on the clean shirt. Raeleigh seemed to notice that the bandages on his body were a little tight, so she asked, ¡°Do you feel ufortable?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head, ¡°You don¡¯t regrly get injured, so how can you get used to it?¡±

    Jepherson smiled without saying anything. There were many things that she did not know.

    Raeleigh took out a fresh pair of underwear and a pair of pants for Jepherson. She then lifted the quilt and helped Jepherson change.

    During that time, both of them were very quiet. Although things were a little awkward, neither of them spoke.

    Once Raeleigh was done, she pulled the quilt over Jepherson¡¯s body.

    Then,she made her way to Santiago and did the same. However, she suddenly stopped.

    Luckily, Xanthus entered the room at that time. Raeleigh looked at him and said, ¡°Can you please help Santiago to change?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Xanthus helped Santiago to change while Raeleigh went to the bathroom. It took her a long time before she finally came out.

    Although Raeleigh helped Jepherson wash his clothesshe was still blushing furiously.

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh as if he had seen a peony that was about to blossom.

    After breakfast, she calmly shaved Jepherson¡¯s beard and even trimmed his nails.

    Once she was done with everything, she decided to pick up a book to read.

    The room was silent until Zorion and Rossie came over.

    As soon as Zorion entered, he went to see Jepherson first. He would havee by the day before if it weren¡¯t sote already.

    Zorion entered thensat down beside Jepherson to examine his wounds.His eyes darkened.

    ¡°How did you get hurt?¡±

    ¡°We were ambushed.¡±

    ¡°By the Moore family?¡±

    Raeleigh sat on the couch with Rossie.

    Jepherson was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Jared to let the word out. There¡¯s going to be another upheaval soon.I¡¯m nning to help Jacky move up the ranks.¡±

    Zorion frowned slightly. ¡°Wait, what? You want to help Jacky?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°No way.¡±

    Zorion immediately rejected.

    Raeleigh watched them closely,so did Rossie. The two women did not speak and their minds held their own thoughts.Jacky was Deanna¡¯s husband, so why did Zorion reject Jepherson¡¯s proposal?

    Did it mean that Zorion was willing to support others instead of Jacky?

    Jepherson asked, ¡°Is this your ideaor Mr. Whalen¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Whalen family¡¯s.¡±

    No one said a word.

    Jepherson did not speak immediately.When he spoke, he was firm and did not allow refute.

    ¡°Jacky wants to move up the ranks. Santiago and I agreed on this before. I¡¯m the only person who can make it happen.¡±

    Zorion¡¯s brows were currently locked in a deep frown.

 Chapter 1620 Desolate

    Zorion stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Thenhe turned around and left with Rossie. Raeleigh saw them off before returning to Green Jade Garden. When Raeleigh entered, she looked at Jepherson without saying a word. In the end, it was Jepherson who broke the silence. ¡°If I am unable to make use of my friendship with Jacky, then I will have to make him my enemy. He¡¯s like a fierce tiger charging down the mountain. He can kill people at any time. If I can work shoulder to shoulder with him,it would be best. I am able to tame him, he will bring me good luck.¡±

    ¡°Waverly Vige is a small world with its own set of rules for survival.¡±

    ¡°And for someone like Jacky, he¡¯s equivalent to a king there. No one is able to challenge him at the moment.¡±

    ¡°At the same time, he has alreadyumted a lot of power and is ready to take action.¡±

    ¡°Waverly Vige is basically like a small dot in the map, while Capital City is like a battleground. Sooner orter, he¡¯s bound to end up in Capital City.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already lost Santiago. I can¡¯t lose Jacky.¡±

    ¡°He has Waverly Vige as his backing. I know he¡¯ll soon end up in Capital City. If he can move up the ranks, then he will have nothing to fear.¡±

    ¡°People change. Those who prefer sitting in the darkenjoy being reckless and unbridled. They are allowed to behave that way because nobody will know what they¡¯ve done.¡±

    ¡°However, those who prefer being out in the open have to behave themselves because even if they killed an ant, it would be known by others, not to mention killing a person. It¡¯s best for Jacky to be out in the open.¡±

    ¡°For the sake of Capital City, for sake of the Richards family and myself, I have to find a suitable way to hold on to Jacky.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Deanna¡¯s character will bepletely destroyed.¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly asked, ¡°Was it part of your n to pair Deanna up with Jacky?¡±

    Jepherson eyes were sparkling. He was surprised at how intelligent Raeleigh was. At the same time,he was worried because she was too smart for her own good. She was a businesswoman and car designer, there was no need to be too smart.

    But he liked it very much!

    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t part of the n. I take Deanna¡¯s happiness very seriously. I do admit,in the back of my mind, I somehow knew that Jacky would be captured by Deanna¡¯s charm.¡±

    ¡°Howe?¡±

    ¡°Some people lead aplicated life and Jacky is one of them. He grew up in a totally different environment. He has encountered a lot of hardships in his life, which made him the person he is today. Something you and I would not understand.¡±

    ¡°And then, there¡¯s another group of people who just do not give a damn about the world. They¡¯re not aware of the suffering and poverty that happens around them. Deanna is one of them.¡±

    ¡°These two people areplete opposites. However, they somehow fit.¡±

    ¡°I feel that your life is much moreplicated than Jacky¡¯s. His life is nothingpared to yours.¡±

    Raeleigh did not know whether she should admire Jepherson for preserving through so many adversities in his life. He was like a monster at times.

    He had unknowingly set up a trap and Jacky was slowly walking into it.

    ¡°Jacky and I will have a fight. However,in order to gain the people¡¯s trust, he¡¯ll pretend to surrender and let me win.¡±

    ¡°How sure are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very sure. Jacky isn¡¯t a fool. He knows what I¡¯m doing. All he wants is to make a name in Capital City. In return, he is willing to submit to me.¡±

    ¡°Howe you¡¯re so sure of everything?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just my gut feeling. Judging by how organized things are in Waverly Vige, I have no doubts that he will be able to manage Capital City well. I will not have to worry about anything.¡±

    ¡°I do not trust anyone other than Jacky.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that Jacky will join forces with Zorion to retaliate against you?¡±

    ¡°Jacky is very loyal. He¡¯s the type of guy who¡¯s willing to risk his life for his friends.¡±

    ¡°He is even willing to give someone who betrayed him a way out. This proves how loyal he is.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not Jacky if he is willing to sacrifice his loyalty over his life.Otherwise,the Whalen family would not have agreed to let him marry Deanna.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very frightening.¡±

    Raeleigh spoke frankly. Jepherson smiled and said, ¡°No one has ever dared to say that to me.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. Jepherson said, ¡°The reason why Jacky wants toe to Capital City is that he knows, one day, he would not be able to protect Waverly Vige anymore.¡±

    ¡°There are three roads in Waverly Vige leading into Capital City. Although it might look like a simple vige,once all the roads are opened, it will merge and be the only road into Capital City. This road is a must-have and everyone would want to reap the benefits.¡±

    ¡°People who enjoyed living in the dark will definitely plot against those out in the open.¡±

    ¡°A human only has a pair of hands and eyes as well as one brain. It is impossible for Jacky to guard against so many people.He had to be Godto protect everyone from getting harmed.¡±

    ¡°This is the reason why he did not bring his children back to Waverly Vige.¡±

    ¡°For people like him, tomorrow is not guaranteed. This is why Deanna might be in danger whenever she was with him.¡±

    ¡°But then again, he would not stay with the Whalen family.¡±

    ¡°Even though it would be the safest ce.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think a person who is circumspect and far-sighted like Jacky would want toe to Capital City?¡±

    Raeleigh answered thoughtfully, ¡°Because he wants to protect Waverly Vige?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. He wants to use Capital City¡¯s forces to protect Waverly Vige. That way, he would be able to link the two ces together and they would be able to help each other.¡±

    ¡°People in Capital City would be delighted to help the people of Waverly Vige and the vige would have Capital City¡¯s protection. It¡¯s a win-win situation.¡±

    ¡°However, if Jacky wants to enter Capital City, he needs a solid reason.¡±

    ¡°Although whatever happened between Deanna and Jacky was a coincidence,it was totally unexpected. Though it is a happy coincidence.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that the Whalen family isn¡¯t willing to be Jacky¡¯s stepping stone. Moreover, the Whalen family is one of the most dominant families in Capital City. Jacky¡¯s arrival will cause the Whalen family¡¯s status to be unstable,¡± Raeleigh said.

    Jepherson smiled. ¡°You¡¯re half right.¡±

    ¡°What about the other half?¡±

    ¡°The good and bad cannot co-exist. Jacky married the daughter of a gangsterbut he wants to be a government official. Isn¡¯t it a joke? That is also quite worrying. That is why Zorion rejected my idea. It¡¯s like shooting his own people.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Jepherson¡¯s bright eyes, looking shocked.

    After listening to Jepherson¡¯s thought process, Raeleigh came to realize that Jepherson was very good at nning. It seemed like he was able to predict what was going to happen. What about her?

    Raeleigh asked as if she just realized something, ¡°Is there anything you can¡¯t predict?¡±

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh with a smirk. ¡°Well, I do know that trees carry wind and asionally a passerby will decide to take a break and sit under the tree. However, I¡¯m not sure whether it would be a man or a woman.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to beat someone at their own game. Whether or not it will really happen¡­well, you¡¯re the only one who knows!¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and stared nkly at him. ¡°You may be good at predicting things, but you can¡¯t predict when you¡¯re going to die. You can¡¯t predict when you¡¯re going to get married. There¡¯s a lot of things you can¡¯t predict!¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­¡±

    Jepherson suddenlyughed. Although his smile was charming,he looked a little lonely and deste!

 Chapter 1621 Do Not Mind Not Seeing The Others

    Jepherson¡¯sughter trailed off. Then, he asked Raeleigh, ¡°Can you please do me a favour?¡±

    ¡°You want me to go over to the Whalen family?¡±

    Raeleigh saw through his thoughts. Jepherson had his own ideas on this matter. Although he did not say it, it didn¡¯t mean that he wasn¡¯t going to take any action.

    There was obviously a reason why he told her all this.

    ¡°Since you already know what I¡¯m thinking, then I¡¯m sure you know what to do.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes zed for a moment. Raeleigh turned her face away and stood up to change her clothes. Raeleigh then came out and asked, ¡°Is Jared suppose toe with me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll head over now.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and went out. Just then, Xanthus entered the door and when he saw Raeleigh going out, he immediately stopped her. Raeleigh told her brother, ¡°I¡¯m heading over to the Whalen family for a while. Jared will apany me. Don¡¯t worry, nothing¡¯s going to happen. Everything had been arranged. Now, everyone wants to know the Richards family¡¯s next move, so no one will hurt me.¡±

    ¡°Why do you trust Jepherson so much?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I trust him, but I trust myself.¡±

    Raeleigh had faith in herself. She smiled and walked out of Green Jade Garden. Xanthus did not stop Raeleigh. He wanted to follow his sister over to the Whalen family, but she told him to stay.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be home soon. If you follow me, there will be no one to look after the brothers. Louisa can¡¯t because she¡¯s pregnant. Besides, I don¡¯t really trust anyone else.¡±

    Raeleigh whispered thetter part of her sentence. Xanthus said, ¡°Be careful on the road.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and continued to walk out of Green Jade Garden. Jared followed closely behind her. Currently, there wasn¡¯t a lot going on Raeleigh¡¯s mind. Jared followed her into the car and sat beside her.

    Then, the driver started the car and drove towards the Whalen family. The rest of the bodyguards sent to protect Raeleigh, too, got into their respective cars and left with her.

    Raeleigh propped her head on one hand and fell asleep in the car.

    The driver was afraid of waking Raeleigh up, so he slowly pulled the car to a stop. However, Raeleigh could still feel it when the car came to aplete halt.

    When Raeleigh opened her eyes and looked outside, she realised that she had arrived at the gate of the Whalen family.

    The driver got out of the car and opened the door for Raeleigh. However, Raeleigh noticed that Jacky¡¯s car was parked inside of the mansion. She thought for a moment before asking the driver to close the door.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we find a shady spot and park under it for awhile? We¡¯ll have to wait until Jacky leaves.¡±

    The driver then drove to a shady spot as per Raeleigh¡¯s orders, while she continued to rest in the car. Jacky eventually drove out of the Whalen family mansion at aroundtwo o¡¯clock in the afternoon. It was only then did Raeleigh finally got down from the car.

    At this time, one of the servants emerged from the mansion. However, he did note out to let her in, instead, he came to inform her that there was no one home.

    Raeleigh did not insist on going in nor did she look like she was nning on leaving. After the servant returned into the mansion, Raeleigh stood outside and patiently waited for someone to let her in.

    Jared stood beside Raeleigh and waited with her. Jared wasn¡¯t like Stuart, who did not like to talk at all.

    After a while, he suddenly asked Raeleigh, ¡°Why are you still helping him even though you guys are divorced?¡±

    ¡°He needs me now and I am the only one that can help him. I¡¯m sure he will return the favor in the future. Although we have divorced, we are not enemies.¡±

    Raeleigh cast a nce at Jared, she felt that he was vaguely familiar, but she could not put her finger on it.

    Jared then asked, ¡°Is this baby Austin¡¯s?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer his question. She turned her face away, but Jared continued, ¡°How can you do that to him?¡±

    Raeleigh stood there. It was hard to tell who was the one who let the other down.

    Even they themselves did not know. What right did others have to meddle in their business?

    ¡°I thought you were the kind of woman who was ready to die to preserve one¡¯s chastity. You¡¯ve let him down.¡± Jared said with anger in his tone and Raeleigh said hastily, not backing down, ¡°You¡¯ve also let me down.¡±

    Jared paused for a moment and then asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because of your negligence that caused Santiago his life. I remember you were suppose to be the one to protect Santiago, but look at what happened!¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s because I was by your side, protecting you!¡±

    Jared¡¯s voice was cold. Raeleigh froze for a moment. Then, she turned to Jared, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°When you went missing, he did everything he could to find you. He did not even sleep a wink. When you came back, he was worried that something would happen to you, so he asked me to protect you. Mr. Santiago did not believe that you were found and that¡¯s how he fell into Ste¡¯s trap. That¡¯s how he got injured.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jared. She did not know what to say.

    Jared turned away and looked at the mansion instead. Raeleigh looked at him for a while before turning around to look at the mansion, recalling what had happened before.

    In order to protect Santiago, Jepherson had secretly sent Jared to Santiago¡¯s side. However, he was worried that Santiago would find out, so he always put on an act whenever he was around him.

    Unfortunately, this time he was met with an ident.

    Jepherson never thought that Ste would attack Santiago.

    Jepherson had now lost Raeleigh. Not only that, his brother was severely injured. It was a huge blow to him, but he neverined.

    Raeleigh stood at the gate of the Whalen family, staring nkly at the ground. She felt that her vision was a little blurry. She looked at her hands and realised that even though she had her sses on, it still looked blurry.

    Raeleigh took off her sses and looked at her hands again, but it was even more blurry.

    Then, she put her sses back on.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jared asked. Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Why did you take off your sses?¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯m just sweaty.¡±

    Jared did not know what to reply, so he kept quiet. Raeleigh had been standing outside the gate for nearly two hours. Meanwhile, Deanna was inside the house, making a fuss. She was worse than her babies and started crying as soon as night fell.

    Hannah spent the whole day trying to calm her down but to no avail.

    ¡°What the h*ll do you want? You¡¯re even worse than your sons!¡± Hannah bellowed. She had never been this mad at her daughter before. Ever since she had two new grandsons, she did not really care about Deanna anymore.

    Sometime, Hannah could not bear her daughter¡¯s tantrum. She wondered what Jacky was up to? He should have taken Deanna with him.

    However, it was because Deanna found out that Raeleigh had been waiting outside their house for a long time. Deanna wanted to let Raeleigh into the house and if she couldn¡¯t, she was going to throw a tantrum.

    ¡°Raeleigh is pregnant. How can you let a pregnant woman stand outside for hours? What if something happens?¡±

    Hannah said, ¡°She knows what she¡¯s doing. Mind your own business.¡±

    ¡°You guys are mean!¡±

    Deanna rolled her eyes at her mother and started to throw her tantrum. She protested by going on a hunger strike. She told mother that she wasn¡¯t going to eat until Raeleigh was let into the house.

    Hannah looked at her daughter, her head starting to ache. How did she raise such a pain in the a*s?

    ¡°If you don¡¯t eat, then your babies would not have any milk to drink.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Let them go hungry.¡±

    Deanna¡¯s stance was firm. This time, Hannah had enough. She walked over to her daughter intending to p her but stopped herself as Rossie was in the room. She could not believe how stubborn her daughter was. If only she was half as obedient as Rossie.

    Raeleigh was finally let into the house at six o¡¯clock in the evening.

    In order to make sure her grandsons had milk to drink tonight, Hannah eventually decided to let Raeleigh in. However, Deanna was the only one who went to greet her. Rayan and the others did note out.

    Deanna took Raeleigh¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Raeleigh, just pretend that I¡¯m the only one home.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile on her face. Actually, this was her n.

    The reason she came over was because of Deanna. She did not mind not seeing the others!

    Being able to see Deanna meant that she hadpleted part of her mission.

 Chapter 1622 Do Not Want Her To Argue

    Deanna could not fall asleep at night. She stayed up all night thinking about the conversation she had with Raeleigh. She just could not put the matter aside.

    Shey on her bed and decided to call Jacky.

    ¡°Jacky.¡±

    ¡°Deanna, why are you calling me thiste at night? What¡¯s wrong? Are you having trouble falling asleep?¡±

    Jacky was currently in Waverly Vige looking for Ste. He had promised Jepherson that he would be able to find her within three days, but in the end, he failed to find her.

    Jacky had always been a man of his word. He would do whatever he said. He truly did not think that he would be unable to find Ste.

    If Ste wasn¡¯t in Waverly Vige, then he would still be able to pretend it never happened. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. Although Jepherson did not say anything, it did not mean that there wasn¡¯t anything wrong.

    Waverly Vige was massive and trying to find a person in the vige was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

    Furthermore, this vige was Jacky¡¯s territory. Now, someone had entered his vige andmitted a serious crime. It was impossible for Jacky to turn a blind eye to it.

    Impossible.

    He vowed to find Ste even if it meant that he had to turn the entire vige upside down. He did not give a damn who the Doyle family was. He was going to find her whether she was dead or alive.

    This was the reason why Jacky had been busy for the past two days.

    ¡°I just can¡¯t seem to fall asleep.¡± Deanna stared at the ceiling, in a dilemma. She did not know whether she should tell him what was bothering her.

    Jacky chuckled, ¡°Is this the reason why you called? Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing happened.¡±

    ¡°Then, are Heitor and Cedric being fussy?¡± Jacky had been pulling a long face earlier, but right now, his face was filled with tenderness.

    Deanna pouted. ¡°I just can¡¯t sleep and it¡¯s not because of Heitor and Cedric. You know that my parents are the one taking care of them. They don¡¯t need me at all. Why would I not be able to fall asleep because of them?¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°If it¡¯s not them, then who was it?¡± Jacky continued to ask. Deanna then said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they are fine, but Raeleigh did drop by earlier today.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh came over today?¡±

    Jacky pretended to be surprised. In fact, he guessed that Raeleigh would drop by the Whalen family mansion today. When he came out, he caught a glimpse of the Richards family cars parked in the distance. It was just that Jacky wasn¡¯t sure that it was Raeleigh sitting inside the car.

    Jacky had been so busy in the past two days that he did not have the time to pay Jepherson a visit. Deep down, he knew that Jepherson was fine, although the rumours said that he was severely injured. However, everyone knew that rumours should be taken lightly.

    Jacky believed that Jepherson was a tough person and that he would not die so easily. It was just like how he believed that Santiago would wake up one day.

    However, after the Richards family cars pulled up in front of the Whalen family mansion, Jacky¡¯s subordinates reported that Raeleigh stood outside and waited for an entire afternoon. The Whalen family initially did not let her in and it was only when it was dark that Deanna came out and brought Raeleigh in. Jacky wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but Deanna¡¯s call meant something.

    Raeleigh must have gone there because of him.

    Jacky raised his head. Logan, who was standing beside him, took out a cigarette and lit it before handing it over to Jacky. Jacky took a puff and asked, ¡°Did shee over to visit the kids?¡±

    ¡°No, she did note to see the kids. Jacky, I just don¡¯t know how to put it.¡± Deanna did not know how to tell him.

    Jacky leaned against the car and took a drag on his cigarette, ¡°Just tell me whatever you feel like telling me.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Jacky, Raeleigh told me that she came here because of you. She said that Jepherson wants you to be the mayor of Capital City. She also said that although it was not the highest city government position, it would be of great help to you in the future.¡±

    Jacky briefly stretched his neck and smiled, ¡°I¡¯m from Waverly Vige. I don¡¯t have any experience. How am I suppose to be the mayor of Capital City?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. Raeleigh told me that your biggest obstacle is not anyone else, but my family. My father and Zorion reject the idea of you being the mayor of Capital City. If they don¡¯t intervene, you will definitely get the position. She also said that it¡¯s easier now that you have people working below you because they will have your back regardless. She believes that you can be the mayor.

    It¡¯s just that my family is in the way.¡±

    Deanna was dejected. Her family initially rejected the idea of her having a boyfriend, thenter, did not allow her to keep the babies because they were afraid that Jacky would take them away. Not only that, they also did not allow Jacky and Deanna to get married although Jacky mentioned that he wanted them to register their marriage first.

    Jacky was a person who valued his pride, that is why he stopped asking when he failed numerous times, trying to convince them.

    Every marriage was more or less the same. Theirs wasn¡¯t any different.

    ¡°Deanna, don¡¯t listen to anyone. I trust your parents.¡± Deanna was naive and Jacky did not want her to be taken advantage of.

    Deanna sighed and said, ¡°This only happened because of me.¡±

    ¡°Deanna, are you a good girl?¡±

    Jacky suddenly asked. He threw his cigarette to the ground to put them out.

    Deanna said, ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    ¡°Then you have to listen to me.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to get involved in this matter. I don¡¯t want you to cause any conflict in your family. If I can do it, I will do it. If I can¡¯t, well, there¡¯s always a next time. There is no rush.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°Deanna, I don¡¯t want your rtionship with your family to be strained because of me. They are your parents. One day, when Heitor and Cedric have girlfriends and they bring them home to meet us, I won¡¯t be happy too if we do not get along. Do you understand?¡±

    Deanna thought, ¡°But they¡¯re all bullying you. If I don¡¯t stand up for you, they will not know how to restrain themselves.¡±

    ¡°Deanna, I just want us to be together. I don¡¯t care what others say about us, I don¡¯t ever want you to leave me. I just want you to be you. Please do not interfere with our matters.¡±

    Deanna actually did not want to agree, but seeing how determined Jacky was, she decided to let it go. She told Jacky, ¡°Alright, I understand. I¡¯ll be good from now on.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, go to sleep now.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Deanna hung up the phone,y down on the bed and began counting the stars. What should she do? Should she listen to him or not?

    Jacky put away his phone and stared into the dark night. He asked Logan ¡°Still no news?¡±

    ¡°Nope, we¡¯ve searched the entire vige except for one ce. If she¡¯s not there, then I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to find her.¡±

    Logan found it strange. If Ste was actually here, then why couldn¡¯t they find her? They had searched the entire vige, but still saw no signs of her.

    The problem was that if these people were not in Waverly Vige, then they would not have been able to cause Raeleigh trouble.

    These people were too arrogant.

 Chapter 1623 Locked Up

    Jacky said, ¡°Go ahead and start searching. I hope we will be able to find her before dawn. If we still can¡¯t find her, then I¡¯ll have to ask our people to help.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    After Logan left, Jacky stood in front of the car with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He lowered his head and was deep in thought.

    At this moment, someone appeared from behind him. Jacky turned around to see who it was. The person immediately stopped when he saw Jacky.

    It turned out to be Bock. Jacky briefly nced at him and asked, ¡°What are you doing sneaking around?¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Bock was bald. Those people around Jacky usually stood out.

    The most prominent feature about Bock was that he was bald. Although he was not that good looking, but he definitely was not useless. He stood out everywhere he went not only because he was bald, but also because of his athletic build.

    Bock and Jacky were like brothers. They grew up together with Logan. All three of them had gone to hell and back.

    Jacky used to be very proud of Logan because he was able to handle everything with ease. He was very talented.

    However, ever since Logan got into trouble, Jacky decided to delegate some of Logan¡¯s responsibilities over to Bock.

    They were originally his right-hand men. However, because of Bock¡¯s lecherous nature, Jacky thought very little of him.

    After the incident with Logan, Jacky slowly began to ept Bock.

    Among them, there was nock of busy people. No one knew the ins and outs of Waverly Vige better than Bock.

    Ever since they were little, Bock did not really care much about the vige, but he would not make trouble. He only loved being around women.

    When Jacky was in his teens, he got into a fight with a group of people and Bock took a knife for him. Ever since then, Bock would walk with a limp.

    From that day on, Jacky vowed to take care of Bock for the rest of his life.

    Bock walked up to Jacky and smiled. It seemed like a nervous smile. Others might not be able to see through it, but Jacky could.

    ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Jacky turned around and put his hand down.

    Bock said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether I should tell you or not.¡±

    ¡°Just tell me. Why can you not tell me?¡±

    Bock stuttered. Jacky asked, ¡°Come on, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Logan.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­. ¡±

    Jacky gritted his teeth, ¡°What about him?¡±

    ¡°I realised that the curtains in his attic are always closed, but the lights would switch on at night,¡± Bock said with his head down.

    Jacky turned around, ¡°Which one? Which house are you referring to?¡±

    ¡°The one that he¡¯s currently living in.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Jacky hesitated for a moment before leaving the car and making his way to Logan¡¯s house. Bock followed closely behind him. This was one of the few ces they had yet to search. The others were Bock¡¯s residence and Jacky¡¯s own residence.

    Logan happened to see Jacky walking in the direction of his house, but he did not say anything and continued searching for Ste with his men.

    When Jacky saw Logan, he immediately called him over. At first, Logan was a little worried, but no one had said anything and no one gave him any strange looks.

    Logan knew that with Jacky around, no one would dare to say anything.

    However, he still felt ufortable as he stood in front of Jacky.

    They grew up together, but he betrayed him.

    After taking a few steps, Logan turned around and looked at the surrounding buildings. Under the dark night, he could see Jacky walking towards his house.

    Logan was a little puzzled and asked the person beside him, ¡°Is this my house?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s yours.¡±

    Logan hesitated for a moment. ¡°Why is he going to my house?¡±

    ¡°Harvey, go and see what¡¯s going on. Remember to protect Jacky. No matter what happens, Jacky¡¯s safety is our utmost priority.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    Harvey was a little worried because Logan¡¯s body was still recovering at this moment. He needed someone to be with him at all times, but now, Logan instructed him to protect Jacky. So, who was going to protect Logan?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Take care of yourself.¡±

    Logan could sense that something was wrong. It had an ominous premonition.

    Soon, Jacky arrived at Logan¡¯s ce. He ordered Bock to open the door. When Jacky saw that it was pitch-ck inside, he ordered Bock to enter the house first and turn on the lights. In the end, they found some half eaten food by the door. Jacky kicked it and stomped on it out of frustration. He briefly checked the hut and found nothing. Then, he made his way up to the attic.

    They found some used bra and panties, as well as some food in the attic. The window was open and there was a rope hanging off it.

    Bock immediately cursed when he saw the rope.

    ¡°Damn it, she escaped! Come on, let¡¯s go and find her. I doubt she went far.¡± Jacky walked over and looked down from the window. He took out his phone and cast a nce at the surroundings. Indeed, he saw a woman in a dress running not far away.

    ¡°I see her! Hurry! We have to catch her!¡±

    Jacky turned around and ran downstairs.

    At this time, Harvey was just about to arrive at Logan¡¯s ce when the woman ran into him.

    By the time Bock and the others arrived, the woman was nowhere to be seen.

    Bock came up and gave Harvey a p so hard that it nearly knocked him over.

    Usually, Harvey would fight back, but this time Harvey did not. He immediately lowered his head, not daring to meet Bock¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°You f*cking let her go! What? Are you Logan¡¯s spy now?¡±

    Bock demanded. The others looked at Harvey. Harvey did not expect things to turn out this way. He stood in front of Bock, unable to speak.

    Jacky came over from behind. He saw what happened earlier. He then said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Bock, move over.¡±

    Only then did Bock step aside. Jacky asked Harvey, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Harvey then said, ¡°Logan saw you walking towards his house so he asked me toe over and take a look. He sent me to protect you.¡±

    ¡°You f*cking talk without minding your own manners. You can¡¯t even handle yourself! How are you going to protect Jacky?¡±

    Bock kicked Harvey. He did not resist and fell onto the ground.

    Jacky nced at Bock, ¡°That¡¯s enough Bock!¡±

    Bock stood to one side. Jacky walked in front of Harvey and said, ¡°Get up.¡±

    Harvey immediately got to his feet and looked at Jacky without saying anything.

    In Waverly Vige, those whomitted crimes would fall in rank no matter what. This was the rule.

    Harvey was Logan¡¯s man. If Logan made a mistake, so did he.

    They were already quite happy to have the opportunity to work for Jacky. Even running errands for him was better than nothing.

    Jacky asked, ¡°How long hasn¡¯t Logan been home?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure. All I know is that he hasn¡¯t been home ever since he was injured,¡± Harvey replied.

    Jacky said, ¡°Just now, a woman escaped from the house. Did you see her? Do you know whether she¡¯s from Waverly Vige?¡±

    Harvey thought about it carefully and shook his head. ¡°No, she¡¯s not from here.¡±

    Jacky turned around and looked at the people behind him. ¡°Go and find her.¡±

    His men immediately left. Bock asked, ¡°Are we not going to find Logan?¡±

    Jacky asked, ¡°What for? Even if there¡¯s a woman inside, do you think Logan would be able to climb up to the attic when his leg is injured?¡±

    Bock was startled for a while. ¡°Are you really going to let it slide?¡±

    Jacky said, ¡°No, I want you to lock them both up.¡±

    ¡°Jacky¡­¡±

    Harvey wanted to say something but Jacky red at him. ¡°What? Are you going to resist too?¡±

    Harvey shook his head and said, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re not, then move!¡±

 Chapter 1624 Bock The Traitor

    Jacky¡¯s ruthlessness was on full disy at this moment. Bock smiled and ordered his men to bring Harvey to a ce to be locked up.

    Meanwhile, Jacky continued on with his search while Logan was also being locked up with Harvey.

    Jacky spent the entire night searching for the woman but to no avail. Even as the first light of day appeared in the horizon, he still could not find her. So, he decided to visit Logan. At this time, Logan had his hands over his eyes.

    Jacky entered the room and sat down. Bock was standing behind him.

    Logan removed his hands from his eyes and looked at Jacky. ¡°Jacky.¡±

    ¡°Was it you?¡± Jacky asked. Logan shook his head. ¡°No.¡±

    Jacky did not ask anything else. He briefly looked at him before standing up to leave.

    After exiting the room and locking the door, Jacky went to take a rest before continuing on with his search at night.

    He went the entire day without eating anything.

    Jacky decided to continue on with his search just as night fell. Bock never left his side and Jacky was always surrounded by Bock¡¯s men.

    After searching for over two hours, Bock led Jacky over to his house.

    ¡°What are we doing here?¡± Jacky took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a puff. He raised his head to look at the Bock¡¯s attic.

    ¡°You checked Logan¡¯s ce. If you don¡¯t check mine, people would think that you¡¯re biased. I think it¡¯s only right that we treat each other equally,¡± Bock said.

    At this time, everyone was looking at Jacky. Jacky did not say anything and entered the house. Upon entering, he caught a whiff of a distinct smell.

    Jacky asked Bock, ¡°Bock, do you really want me to die?¡±

    Bock immediately ordered his men to close the door. He would always finish what he started.

    ¡°Jacky, I¡¯ve treated you so well over the years, but you¡¯ve never returned the favour. I¡¯ve never wanted to hurt you. On the contrary, you¡¯re willing to be nice to a person who betrayed you. You can¡¯t me me for doing this to you.¡±

    Jacky took in a puff of smoke, ¡°Bock, you¡¯re not as capable as Logan. If you want me to look up to you, then you have to prove your worth to me. All these years, the only thing you¡¯re interested in is women. If I delegated some of my responsibilities to you, what would Waverly Vige turn into?

    I promised you that I will take care of you for as long as you were alive. What else do you want?¡±

    Bock smirked and said, ¡°You call that treating me well? You could¡¯ve fooled me! I know that you look down on me. In your eyes, I¡¯ve always been a useless person.¡±

    Jacky¡¯s brows furrowed deeply, ¡°Bock, do you really think you can kill me with so little help?¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t, but I can!¡±

    Ste¡¯s voice came from the side. The sound of a wheelchair rolling from the wooden floor could be heard. Jacky turned around and Ste suddenly appeared in front of him, all dressed up in red with makeup on.

    Ste was apanied by four men. All four of them had cold expressions as they stared at Jacky, full of provocation.

    Ste said, ¡°Jacky, I initially had no intentions to kill you. I just wanted a ce to hide until things died down, then I will leave on my own, but you kept testing my patience. You kept hunting me down. If I go out now, I will die. This is what you forced me to do. You can¡¯t me me.¡±

    Ste smiled. ¡°I specially hired these four gentlemen here to kill you. They just arrived today, so in a moment, you¡¯ll find out what it¡¯s like to die a horrible death. I heard that you and Santiago were close. I¡¯m not afraid to tell you that I was the one who harmed Santiago.¡±

    Jacky smirked, ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m d that I¡¯ve finally found you. I¡¯ll rip your head off and personally bring it to him.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! I doubt you¡¯ll be able to do anything to me since you¡¯re going to die soon.¡±

    Ste waved her hand. ¡°Attack!¡±

    The four men rolled up their sleeves as they walked towards Jacky. Bock wanted to make sure nobody gets out, so he immediately blocked the door of the room.

    Jacky turned around to look at the four men. He taunted, ¡°Come over if you dare.¡±

    The four of them briefly looked at each other before charging towards Jacky.

    The four of them were former soldiers. Ste specifically hired them from abroad at a high price. Although they were westerners, they were not natives.

    Jacky and the four men soon engaged in a fight. Jacky initially was no match for them because he was clearly outnumbered. He slowly retreated and devised a n in his head. Jacky patiently defended and about half an hourter, he finally found an opportunity to grab one of the men¡¯s wrists and forcefully dragged the man over to him before flipping him over. A snap could be heard and the man¡¯s forehead beaded with sweat. He fell on one knee and a bone in his right leg shot out from his thigh. The man was in so much pain that he fell to the ground.

    Ste¡¯s face turned pale. She did not expect Jacky to be so good at fighting and he could even break bones.

    As for the other three, when they saw their friendying on the ground in pain, they immediately rushed up to Jacky. However, Jacky remained calm as he had everything all figured out.

    But after all, there were three of them. It was a little bit of a hassle to deal with them all.

    Half an hourter, there were three menying on the ground, screaming in pain. Their legs were also broken by Jacky. This time Ste was scared. She sped the armrests of the wheelchair, her eyes zing with anger.

    Bock also felt that this situation had taken a turn for the worse.

    He knew Jacky was not an easy person to deal with, but he did not expect it to be this difficult.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Another man shrieked as hended on the ground. Ste¡¯s face was now as pale as a ghost as she stared at Bock.

    Bock was unwilling to give up. He took out a knife from his back pocket and walked towards Jacky, who had his back against him.

    Jacky kicked the person in front of him. He grabbed the other person¡¯s wrist and broke his arm before kicking him aside.

    By this time, Bock was already standing behind Jacky. Jacky was stunned for a moment and slowly turned around¡­

    Bock sneered and immediately stabbed him with the knife.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You forced me! You never knew how to appreciate me. Don¡¯t me me for doing this!¡±

    Bock fiercely roared at Jacky. Jacky slowly raised his head and looked at Bock. Then, he raised his hand to grab Bock¡¯s knife and used the other hand to grab Bock¡¯s neck, ¡°Our rtionship has always been about a knife. Back then, you risked your life and took a knife for me. Ever since then, I vowed to take care of you and now, you stabbed me with a knife. So, from today on, we do not owe each other anything. We are no longer brothers!¡±

    The corners of Jacky¡¯s mouth curled into a smile, ¡°F*ck off!¡±

    Bock stared nkly for a moment. He initially wanted to stab the knife a little deeper, but in the end, he did not seed.

    On the contrary, Jacky grabbed him tightly by the throat.

    There was no anger on Jacky¡¯s face, only a malicious smirk on his face.

    ¡°Do you remember what I told you when you were younger?¡±

    If Jacky did not mention it, Bock would have totally forgotten about it.

    Bock was chubby when he was a kid. Back then, he was very lecherous. However, at that time, Jacky said that as long as he behaved himself, he would make him his assistant and Logan would have to work under him.

    However, Logan told Jacky that he liked beautiful girls and that in the future, he wished to marry someone.

 Chapter 1625 Out of Control

    Bock tried to lift his head up to look at Jacky. His face was turning purple. He then said, ¡°That¡¯s all in the past. I will not trust you anymore. You and Logan abandoned me!

    Logan betrayed you as well, but you¡¯re still nice to him. Something which you¡¯ve never done to me.¡±

    Jacky smirked, ¡°Then, you¡¯ll die under my hands.¡±

    Jacky tried his best to strangle Bock, but Bock immediately yelled, ¡°Guys, kill him!¡±

    All of Bock¡¯s men feared Jacky, but at this moment, it was either Jacky or them.

    At the thought of facing death, everyone hurriedly threw themselves at Jacky and did their best to pull Jacky away from Bock. At this moment, Bock wanted to get things over with. He threw himself at Jacky and wanted to drown him in the water. However, just as he was about to approach him, he was frightened by the look in Jacky¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Bock, have you forgotten what you promised me?¡±

    Ste suddenly shouted. Bock seemed to have been injected with a burst of energy and immediately pounced at Jacky. He pressed down on Jacky¡¯s head and wanted to push him into the water.

    Jacky pulled out the knife from his body and started shing with uracy, killing countless people. He was the only one left injured.

    Jacky took two steps back and leaned against the wall as he held the knife in his hands, ring at Bock. Even though his body was covered in blood, he still stood tall.

    ¡°Bock, I¡¯m going to make sure you will not walk out of the ce alive today.¡±

    Jacky raised his head and looked at Bock. His entire body trembled as he stared at Jacky¡¯s dagger eyes.

    When the others saw Jacky, they were too scared to approach him.

    Ste still did not give up and said, ¡°Bock, if you¡¯re a man, then kill him! In return, I will be yours!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Bock put his back into it. He pounced on Jacky like a madman, but he gave in at the end. He did not dare to go any further, so he encouraged his men to help him. They stared at each other for a moment and felt that it was as if they all pounced on Jacky at the same time.

    No matter how powerful Jacky was, there would be a point where he would surrender. Furthermore, Jacky did not get much sleepst night and skipped breakfast this morning. He probably did not have much strength left in him now that it was already night time.

    Jacky¡¯s knife was aimed at himself. It wasn¡¯t that he wanted to kill himself, instead, he wanted to use the knife to kill Bock before he died.

    However, just as Jacky was about to stab Bock with the knife, a few people rushed in from outside and knocked down the door in the process. Everyone, including Bock, was shocked.

    Logan and Harvey entered the house with iron rods in their hands. Harvey had two while Logan had one.

    They each brought two men with them. Logan immediately shouted as he barged into the house, ¡°Jacky!¡±

    Jacky looked over at him, but did not say anything.

    Logan immediately ran towards Bock and started hitting him with the iron rod.

    Jacky slowly lowered his knife and leaned against the wall. He had no strength left in him. Bock managed to dodge Logan, who shouted as he hit Bock, ¡°Harvey, bring Jacky away.¡±

    Harvey was pretty good in fighting. Logan was the one who trained him up.

    Logan and Jacky were training partners in the past. It was only because of this matter that he was depleted of energy.

    Harvey rushed over to Jacky and carried him on his back before running out of the house. Logan followed behind him as he retreated.

    Bock gave chase and brought a man along with him. Logan did his best to fight them off.

    ¡°Harvey, stop!¡±

    Jacky could barely speak, but Harvey did not want to waste any more time. He ran as fast as he could, but Jacky roared, ¡°We have to go back and help Logan!¡±

    Only then did Harvey stop. Jacky got down from his back and asked Harvey to make a call. Tears started rolling down Harvey¡¯s cheek as he made the call. As he did so, he said, ¡°We escaped. No one would believe us.¡±

    Jacky said, ¡°Just make the call!¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    While Harvey made the call, Jacky made his way back to Bock and Logan. As soon as Harvey hung up, he hurried back to Jacky¡¯s side and found Logan lying on the ground. Jacky sprinted over to Bock and stabbed him in the abdomen. Bock¡¯s eyes were wide open as he fell to his knees. Jacky slowly got down on the ground and gathered Logan in his arms.

    Jacky was depleted of energy. He had to use whatever strength he had left to carry Logan.

    He lowered his head and stared at Logan in his arms. Logan was still holding an iron rod in his hands, looking extremely pale. He looked up at Jacky and said, ¡°Jacky¡­¡±

    Jacky said, ¡°No¡­ I want you to¡­¡±

    ¡°Bock wants to¡­ he wants to harm you. I know, I know ¡­ you want to protect me ¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such a fool!¡±

    Logan looked at Harvey, who was crying behind Jacky. Although he could still move his eyes, he could barely speak. Jacky said, ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t worry.¡±

    The corner of Logan¡¯s mouth moved. Then, he turned his head to look at the starry sky. He said, ¡°I¡­ I really¡­ really¡­ miss her! I really want to see her¡­. onest time!¡±

    Jacky closed his eyes and hugged Logan. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you to see her!¡±

    ¡°Jacky¡­ I¡¯m sorr..¡±

    Logan did not finish his words.

    Just like that, Logan took hisst breath. Jacky wrapped his hands tightly around Logan. Harvey¡¯s entire body was on the verge of copsing. He was crying so hard that he seemed to have gone mad. His cries could be heard from miles away.

    The person on the phone was frightened.

    Jacky had been kneeling on the ground the entire time as he held Logan in his arms. There was arge amount of blood flowing out of his wound, but he did not lose consciousness.

    By the time the rest of the Waverly Vige came, Harvey was close to losing his mind.

    Jacky¡¯s eyes narrowed as he stared forward.

    When he saw the person, Jacky said, ¡°I want you to kill Bock and chop him to tiny pieces! Then, feed his remains to the dogs!¡±

    Everyone was frightened by Jacky¡¯s words.

    However, no one dared to disobey Jacky. They immediately dragged Bock, who was still alive, to the side and they did as they were told. Jacky watched them as they killed Bock before chopping him into pieces. Then, someone asked Jacky what they were going to do with Harvey?

    Jacky did not reply and no one dared to touch Harvey.

    Before Jacky fainted, he instructed the vigers to find Ste. He wanted to see her regardless of whether she was dead or alive.

    As a result, the vigersunched a big manhunt for Ste. Three dayster, they finally found her.

    Ste¡¯s legs were actually fine. Everyone realized this when they found her without her wheelchair. Everyone was quite surprised when they found out.

    Only the people of Waverly Vige knew that Ste had been found. Now, Ste was locked up in a dog cage without food.

    Jacky¡¯s order was that he wanted to see Ste regardless whether she was dead or alive. That meant that the vigers could do whatever they wanted to Ste, at least, that¡¯s what they understood from Jacky¡¯s words.

    Deanna was also on the verge of losing her mind when she heard what happened to Jacky. Zorion immediately left the house, got into the car and went straight to the hospital to see Jacky, who was currently in aa due to excessive blood loss.

    Zorion suddenly felt anger stirred within him after he saw Jacky. After all, he was his family and he was also his nephews¡¯ father.

    Zorion immediately ordered his men to surround Waverly Vige. Threeyers inside and threeyers outside. His first thought was that Jacky was injured because the vigers were having internal strife.

    Butter on, he was sure that Jacky¡¯s injuries were caused by an internal strife.

    It never crossed his mind that Ste was involved in this matter.

    Jacky was seriously injured. Zorion called home to update Rayan on Jacky¡¯s current situation. At that time, Hannah was also there. She nearly dropped her grandson when she heard what happened. Deanna somehow knew it was going to happen and began to make a fuss. She was out of control.

 Chapter 1626 Time to Go

    By the time Raeleigh went to see Jacky, he was able to sit up from his bed. His body was wrapped in bandages, just like Jepherson, and for a moment Raeleigh felt that they were kindred spirits.

    Nevertheless, she hadn¡¯t expected it when Ste was found, how ignorant she was on the reason why Jacky was injured in the first ce.

    Raeleigh sat down and looked at him in concern, ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±

    Jacky¡¯s thoughtful look made him seem as if he had fallen into a doze. Deanna took care of him all this while, to the point where she prioritized him more than her own child. If anyone dared to utter a single protest, she would get confrontational with them until no one dared to bother her any longer. It was only when Raeleigh arrived that Deanna had rxed and returned slowly to her usual self.

    ¡°Jacky, Raeleigh is talking to you.¡±

    Deanna saw that Jacky had not replied and took the initiative to speak to him. Jacky looked at her and grasped her hand, before he looked towards Raeleigh, ¡°I¡¯m much better. Thank you foring to see me.¡±

    Zorion sat to the side, here in his job scope as a specialized caretaker.

    ¡°How did you end up like this?¡± Raeleigh questioned.

    ¡°It¡¯s my personal matters, it¡¯s best that I don¡¯t say.¡±

    In the end, Jacky still chose to keep his silence. It wasn¡¯t appropriate for Raeleigh to probe any further and even though she heard snippets about the matter with Logan, she knew nothing else.

    Raeleigh sat there a while before she stood up. She had got what she came for.

    However, just as Raeleigh was about to leave, Jacky called out to her. When she turned to look at him, he told her, ¡°Tell Jepherson that I¡¯ve found that person but wouldn¡¯t be able to hand them over to him.¡±

    Raeleigh regarded Jacky with an intent look, ¡°If you have a grudge against the Doyle Family over this incident, I¡¯m afraid the road ahead for you will not be easy.¡±

    Jacky returned her gaze with his own. A cold light shed within his deep-set eyes and his mouth curled at the corners into a derisive smile. ¡°Since I¡¯ve already borne a grudge, I¡¯m not going to let the Doyle family off the hook. A rotten apple will spoil the whole barrel. Even if the Doyle family doesn¡¯te to look for me, I¡¯ll go to them myself. This is something that¡¯s inevitable.¡±

    It was useless for Raeleigh to say anything more about the subject. Then a thought came to her and she asked, ¡°Are you sure that the one you are looking for is Ste?¡±

    ¡°I will probe further on this before taking actions, you can rest assured.¡±

    Raeleigh contemted for but a moment. ¡°I will keep it in mind.¡±

    She finally turned around and left the room just as Jacky¡¯s breathing became heavy from the pain his body was going through.

    Zorion kept an eye on Jacky¡¯s condition but had yet to say a word.

    Deanna helped to shift Jacky down onto the bed. Although his gaze was cold, the hand that was still grasped over Deanna¡¯s was warm.

    At this moment, Zorion had a feeling that things were about to change.

    Raeleigh left and went straight back to the Richards family. Ste had been arrested, which made Raeleigh feel a little at ease. Now all that needed to be done was confirm whether Ste was truly Ste.

    Raeleigh took in her surroundings on her way back, her eyes shut in thought from time to time.

    The journey back was very peaceful without any surprise encounters. That meant that Ste was really caught by Jacky after all.

    Once back at the Richards Family, Raeleigh went to see Jepherson. She told him everything; from the fact that Ste had been caught, to Jacky¡¯s heavily injured state, the severe losses and how he refused to hand over Ste to Jepherson.

    Jepherson gazed at Raeleigh without saying a word. For a while he sat there, then moved to lie down.

    Then he closed his eyes to rest.

    Raeleigh walked over and sat beside him. People had feelings, especially people like Jepherson whose life was saved by Ste.

    Childhood memories had the deepest impact in one¡¯s life, where as a child he had yet to be touched by the adult¡¯s deceitful scheming ways. It was normal that he valued these feelings so much.

    Raeleigh said nothing this time and just sat by his side.

    For a length of time, everything outside was in turmoil. The people of Capital City constantly whispered underneath their breaths on whether Jepherson was really dead and how the Richards Family¡¯spany was in the middle of a huge crisis. In contrast, the Jepherson in front of her was indifferent, as if all of this wasn¡¯t worth mentioning. His cid countenance, together with the time they spent with each other, every single moment was engraved in Raeleigh¡¯s heart. It made her realize that the her thenpared to the her now, truly paled inparison with each other.

    Jared came over every day with some matters to report. During Jepherson¡¯s recuperation period, Raeleigh saw no more than four people at most; Xanthus and Louisa among them, Jared included.

    But Jared¡¯s face was stone cold, with a mouth that wielded words like des and he never gave any courtesy towards Raeleigh.

    Even so she didn¡¯t mind this one bit, how he acted was his own business.

    The world will still turn, unaffected by the turmoil of men. What should be done next depended on the strength of one¡¯s willpower.

    On that day, Raeleigh sat there with a book in hand when she had a sh of inspiration. She stood up and proceeded to design a unique car.

    Jared, who just so happened to be in the same room, nced over.

    Raeleigh hesitated a little at thest few strokes when Jared called her out, ¡°You¡¯re already at the end, why don¡¯t you hurry up and finish it?¡±

    Raeleigh was then able to put the pencil to paper and sketched out the finishing touches. She turned around and nced at Jared in silence.

    Raeleigh had changed again into another pair of sses. Her fair face, paired with the thin frame of her sses, brought out the calm and refined air about her.

    Raeleigh put her hand down and turned once more to where Jepherson had been watching them the whole time. ¡°You may leave,¡± he said.

    Jared turned and did just that. Once the door was closed behind him, Raeleigh started to tidy up her design sketches.

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze fell on Raeleigh¡¯s abdomen, who had been pregnant for more than three months. Although it wasn¡¯t prominent, he could tell that it was different from before. A pregnant woman¡¯s way of walking, in particr, was somewhat unique and unlike how anyone else normally walked.

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth curled in self-derision. He couldn¡¯t keep his own child, yet it was a good thing in his heart and he actually could look forward to the child¡¯s birth.

    By the time Raeleigh tidied everything up, it was already two o¡¯clock. Louisa dropped by again that day with her own protruding abdomen.

    ¡°This will be myst visit this month. I¡¯ll be giving birth soon.¡± Louisa¡¯s belly was indeed extremelyrge, with the estimated delivery time predicted to be in the next few days.

    Raeleigh stood by her side and said, ¡°Sorry to have troubled you during this time, you¡¯re pregnant and yet have to help me.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so polite with me. Besides, I¡¯m grateful that the Richards family had taken us in.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing. Louisa took the IV drip needle out from Santiago¡¯s hand and put it in a sterilized bottle that contained disinfection alcohol.

    Raeleigh scrutinized the needle and then looked at Santiago lying on the bed, unable to say a word.

    It had been so long, yet he still refused to wake up. How long will it take?

    Did she really have to wait for a lifetime?

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson who was lying in bed as well and turned to head outside

    A warm gust of wind blew through the open door.

    Raeleigh stood at the entrance and gazed at the blooming flowers in the Green Jade Garden. The weather at present was still warm. It had reached the highest point in their lives, why was he still not awake?This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    There were many people standing in Green Jade Garden. When they noticed Raeleigh by the door, they gave her a smile in greeting.

    She returned their smiles and afterward found a quiet ce to sit.

    She wasn¡¯t aware as to when Jepherson had came out, only when someone had shouted out a greeting did she realize that he was right behind her

    Raeleigh turned to look at him. He stood behind her in his dark purple pajamas as if nothing had happened. It was also an indication that it was time for her to leave.

 Chapter 1627 Feed the Dogs

    Thinking of Santiago, Raeleigh slowly averted her gaze. Jepherson asked her, ¡°Are you worried?¡±

    Raeleigh picked up a piece of garment and draped it over him. Their height difference was so striking, that Raeleigh had to lift herself onto her toes to be able to properly wrapped the garment around him

    ¡°It may be warm outside, but you can¡¯t be careless.¡±

    Raeleigh sat back down, and yet Jepherson stood where he was, behind her with his hands sped behind his back.

    Amidst the garden these two figures were, during a season where flowers bloomed in bursts of colors, akin to a painting brought to life.

    Yet no one knew what had happened between them, nor why it had be the way it was now?

    Louisa came out from the couple¡¯s room and stood at the doorway, her eyes on these two people.

    Louisa didn¡¯t know what was going on with Raeleigh. She only felt that the Raeleigh before her now was really lonely.

    Everyone stayed in the yard until five to six o¡¯clock in the afternoon, when Louisa suddenly had abdominal pains. They hurried to the hospital, tagged along by Raeleigh who took the initiative to invite Serra, who used to work for Santiago, and assigned her the role of caretaker to Louisa.

    The rest, together with Raeleigh, were ill at ease throughout the delivery, which helped to calm Serra a little.

    Louisa sessfully gave birth to a baby girl, whose gender everyone already knew, without any mishap.

    Raeleigh apanied Louisa in the hospital for two days. After that, once Louisa was given a clean bill of health, she returned to the Richards family and settled down.

    ¡°In a little while, I¡¯ll be heading out to see Jacky.¡±

    Jepherson was now fine and back at work. The first thing he did was not to return to thepany, but to go and visit Jacky.

    Raeleigh stood in the room and asked, ¡°Are you going there to retrieve that person?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze was deep and mysterious. ¡°If I am, what would you think?¡±

    Raeleigh was silent for a moment, ¡°Our standpoints are different. If it were my true thoughts, I hope that Jacky will take care of it. However, in terms of justice, if Jacky took care of this matter, it would be equivalent to digging his own grave.

    If you yourself couldn¡¯t deal with the Doyle family, then Jacky would stand a lesser chance going against them.

    Whatsmore, you¡¯re already the Doyle family¡¯s enemy, you don¡¯t have much care for this.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s words made Jepherson¡¯s mouth twitch. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you mention that my intention was to save her?¡±

    Raeleigh asked back, ¡°Are you?¡±

    He didn¡¯t answer. He gazed at Raeleigh with his deep-set eyes that carried a faint trace of tenderness.

    Raeleigh turned away and walked towards the door, ¡°I am going to change my clothes.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s body turned, his gaze trained on her retreating figure. Once she was out of his line of sight, he turned back around to study the personid out on the bed.

    The most poisonous thing in this world was hatred. Jepherson gritted his teeth. How could he simply let go of the person who had harmed Santiago?

    Raeleigh changed her clothes and went out together with Jepherson.

    But when they arrived at the hospital, they found out that Jacky had already been discharged and returned to Waverly Vige. They had missed him by just a few seconds.

    Jepherson sent someone to the vige but when they reached the vige borders, none of them could go in.

    Raeleigh got out of the car in time to hear someone say, ¡°Mr. Richards, please go back. Jacky has said that he can¡¯t do it and will not agree.¡±

    The other party beared down on them with menace. They were unwilling to hand over the person to Jepherson, which already made their position clear.

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Raeleigh, you go.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. She looked over at Jared. ¡°Let Jared apany me inside.¡±

    ¡°Jared, go with her.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Jared followed Raeleigh into the vige. She was in no hurry to get in this time, but she was still quite surprised when she saw Ste.

    Ste was locked up in a dog cage, with her hair disheveled and her clothes unkempt.

    When Ste caught sight of her, she lunged towards Raeleigh with a roar of fury, as if she had done something treacherous for her to end up that way.

    Raeleigh stood in ce for a bit before she headed in her direction. She stopped a foot away from the cage and scrutinized her closely.

    ¡°You can walk?¡±

    Steughed in contempt, ¡°You think I¡¯m unable to?¡±

    A thought came to light in her mind and Raeleigh suddenly asked, ¡°You did it intentionally?¡±

    Steughed again, ¡°You are the only ones who thought that my legs were really broken. I just wanted an opportunity to cut myself away from Stuart while he¡¯s injured, but who knew that everyone of you with your pig brains actually believed it!.¡±

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t happy when she heard this, but neither was she sad over the situation with Stuart.

    Many things had happened since then, she no longer ached over the past.

    Instead, she directed her gaze at Ste and said, ¡°You reaped what you sow. These words are most suitable for you.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at the crowd that was in the middle of preparing a funeral.

    Someone in the group wailed out their grief, an urn of cremated ashes in their embrace. Raeleigh looked down at her stomach and recalled from an elderly of Waverly Vige that pregnant women could not attend a burial as it would bring bad luck to the child.

    But then she thought of Logan, so Raeleigh slipped into the crowd of people that came to attend the funeral.

    It had already been two months and Jacky had almost fully recovered.

    Raeleigh stayed by Jacky¡¯s side, and the people under Jacky intentionally made way for her in light of her well-being.

    Jacky wore an all ck ensemble. From top to toe, inside and out, it was as dark as the darkness found in the deepest gorge. The type of darkness that was unable to be prated by normal sight alone and sent chills down the spine.

    The only ssh of color to break the darkness was a white belt around his waist.

    Raeleigh murmured, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±

    Jacky continued to walk ahead as if he hadn¡¯t seen her but this did not deter her. She continued to follow by his side.

    When they arrived at the burial site, Raeleigh stopped and watched as Jacky took the urn and ced it into the grave with his own hands. He then tossed a handful of dirt into the grave.

    Harvey knelt on the ground with heaving, agonized sobs. The people around them watched as his figure bent down in grief and secretly cried along with him.

    After Logan¡¯s burial had beenpleted, Raeleigh calmly looked towards Jacky.

    Jacky ordered his men to leave while he remained in front of Logan¡¯s tomb, his eyes on Harvey who was about to cry to the point of passing out.

    Raeleigh watched this scene in front and suddenly felt aggrieved.

    However, Jacky did not cry, neither did he shed a tear.

    Raeleigh stood there for a while and seized the opportunity to say, ¡°I was called here by Jepherson. And I think you know why.¡±

    Jackyughed mirthlessly, ¡°I already said that I won¡¯t give that person to him, did he already forget?¡±

    ¡°Being an enemy of the Doyle family will not benefit you. Even if the Doyle family wants to punish Ste, they won¡¯t allow you to interfere.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Jacky spoke slowly. Raeleigh raised her head and looked at Jacky¡¯s cold, sharp face, ¡°Mm.¡±

    ¡°What is our rtionship with each other?¡±

    Raeleigh answered, ¡°We¡¯re friends.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have many friends, Santiago is my friend. I don¡¯t have any brothers, Logan is my brother. I don¡¯t have a confidante, you are my confidante.¡±

    Jacky turned to peer at her as she gave it some thought, ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Ste hurt Santiago and even had Logan killed. She also tried to attack you¡­¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Logan¡¯s tombstone, a little hesitant. ¡°I understand. Do what you have to do. I won¡¯t interfere.¡± she relented.

    ¡°Thank you!¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jacky immediately strode off, a passed out Harvey left behind.

    Once Raeleigh noticed that everyone had left, she asked Jared to carry Harvey to the hospital.

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯te back for close to three months. The hospital had been renovated as well as updated since.

    Raeleigh came back amidst the final stages of the renovations, just to admit Harvey into the hospital.

    Just as Harvey wasid out on the hospital bed, Raeleigh also heard wind of the fact that Jacky was going to deal with Ste.

    Raeleigh came out of the hospital, and watched the hustle and bustle of passersby around the area.

    She did not join the crowd, just stood by the entrance of the hospital lost in thought.

    ¡°Jared, make a call for me.¡±

    Jared called and informed Jepherson. He immediately forced his way inside, but by then all that was left was a puddle of blood on the ground. Jacky sat on a chair, surrounded by a group of people. More than a dozen vicious looking dogs wandered around, and each one of them licked the ground.

 Chapter 1628 I Have Business With Her

    When he saw Jepherson, Jacky stood up without a word. He then turned around and said, ¡°Bury the dog.¡±

    Jepherson moved with the intention to follow him, but his way was barred by the vige people.

    Jacky continued, ¡°I only did something that I should have done from the beginning. I was like this before I met you. Those who oppose me will not have a good ending when I catch them. Other than the blood on the ground, I promise that not even her bones will remain.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze was deep and cold. ¡°Jacky Scott.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    Jacky stopped and nced back at Jepherson, ¡°I¡¯m not you. I¡¯m not going to consider the bigger picture. For the sake of the bigger picture, I left behind a mad dog that hurt people everywhere. This isn¡¯t how I, Jacky, do things. Never put a snake in your arms, it will only lead to your death.¡±

    Jacky pivoted on his feet and left with his men. Raeleigh stood a little distance away as she watched Jepherson as well as the entire proceedings. When he turned and saw her, only then did she walk away.

    Raeleigh left Waverly Vige and headed for the shopping mall to buy some necessary daily items and some tonics for Louisa.

    On that same day, Raeleigh quietly packed up the luggage in Santiago¡¯s room and moved back to her own ce.

    When Jepherson came back, Raeleigh had by then already asked some people to move the bed.

    The room was now empty with the exception of Santiago lying on the bed.

    In the following days, besides visiting Santiago every day when Jepherson was absent, neither of them had the chance to see each other.

    Due to Jacky¡¯s incapacitated state at the time, he had missed out on the Mayor election. The current Mayor was someone from the Moore Family.

    Raeleigh heard that the person from the Moore family was irresponsible.

    However, the fact that Flynt was able to elevate that irresponsible person to an important position, showcased Flynt¡¯s capabilities.

    Moreover, during this period of time, the Richards family suffered the threat of being supnted in Capital City. When Flynt¡¯s people rose and became the mayor, he would join hands with some merchants and rece the Richards Group.

    Therefore, the turmoil outside had yet to calm down.

    Jepherson left early and returnedte at night. Raeleigh stayed in Santiago¡¯s room all day to take care of him. Xanthus, on the other hand, followed doggedly in her footsteps.

    Due to the state of Raeleigh¡¯s eyes, Xanthus studied everyday on how to keep Raeleigh¡¯s eyes from getting worse.

    But no matter how much he researched, there was only one answer and that was to remove the brain tumor through surgery. The problem with that was that no one dared to perform this operation.

    The child had already grown past the rmended age, to perform it now would be a pointless endeavour.

    Besides, Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t agree to the operation.

    Raeleigh had just wiped Santiago¡¯s face and was about to leave. When she reached the door, she saw that Jepherson had juste back, but neither of them spoke.

    Raeleigh walked past him and through the door back to where she stayed. She closed it behind her and hadn¡¯t emerged since, not even for a meal.

    Jepherson did not seek out Raeleigh. He gave her all the time and space she needed.

    Two monthster, the Capital City finally returned to its peaceful days. The momentum of the three powerhouses increased as well. With the stance of the Richards, the Moores, and the Whalens, it was once again confirmed that the strengths of these three old families were extraordinary. In their fight for supremacy, they fought themselves to a standstill.

    The Moore family upied the entire political circle. The Richards family held dominion over themercial lifeline of the city while the Whalen family controlled an unseen trajectory.

    The three families upied their respective parts of the circle. Plus, in the past six months, the Richards family had suffered the most losses.

    Although they had regained what was lost and recovered all their business chains, the loss was still too great.

    Almost everyone knew that something had happened to Santiago.

    Autumn came and Raeleigh had been pregnant for six months.

    Standing beneath the tree, Raeleigh protected her belly with one hand and concentrated on reading a book with the other.

    Hearing a car stopped not far behind her, Raeleigh turned around and saw someone had gotten down from the car. Jepherson stood there and stared at her, his soft eyes fixed on Raeleigh¡¯s belly. However, he didn¡¯t intend to disturb and encroached on her space. Thus, all he did was stand by his car and stared at her from afar.

    Jared stood not far from where Raeleigh was. Ever since Raeleigh moved out from the Richards family, he had followed her every single day.

    They¡¯re currently at Raeleigh¡¯s new residence, which was chosen by Raeleigh herself. Most people weren¡¯t aware of the location and she intended to live here. But recently Raeleigh felt that it was not safe anymore, hence she nned to leave for a period of time abroad.

    Now that Ste was dead, Raeleigh was no longer worried about Ste¡¯s retribution against her. However, she still needed to keep an eye out for the Doyle family as she couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that they would me her for Ste¡¯s death. After all, this matter had to do with her rightfrom the beginning.

    As the saying goes, the apple doesn¡¯t fall far from the tree.

    The family that had raised Ste could be just as unkind.

    The issue of Raeleigh going back was dyed for this reason and as she didn¡¯t want to stay idle in the Richards family, she moved out.

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t seen Jepherson for a few days. She wasn¡¯t expecting his arrival.

    Raeleigh nced at the tree for a moment. She then turned back around and took off in short, quick strides.

    When Raeleigh reached his side, she asked, ¡°Do you have business with me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be away for a few days. I need you toe over and help me keep an eye on Santiago. I¡¯m worried when no one is there by his side.¡±

    Raeleigh shifted her head in Jared¡¯s direction. He could have just asked Jared to pass on the message, why did he need toe all the way here?

    ¡°How long will you be away?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle over this afternoon.¡±

    Raeleigh had not had her lunch yet.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back with you this afternoon.¡±

    Raeleigh had nothing more to say. She hoped that they could treat each other like they used to, which enabled her to interact with Jepherson with ease. Since he wanted to stay for a meal, Raeleigh barely spared it another thought other than there being an extra person to eat with them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and prepare.¡±

    Raeleigh turned on her heels and went into her own house. Xanthus was just about to cook. When he saw who exactly it was that came in, he instinctively froze, followed by a tremulous question, ¡°Mr Richards, you have so much free time toe over?¡±

    ¡°Just a small matter, so Raeleigh invited me here for a meal.¡±

    Jepherson casually changed his shoes, as if he had returned to his own home instead of entering another¡¯s house. Xanthus returned to the kitchen with a strained face.

    After she had changed her clothes, Rayleigh headed for the kitchen. She was prepared to help, which inevitably became a lecture she knew Xanthus would heap on her.

    But this was only a minor part, the major part of the issue had yet toe.

    Xanthus didn¡¯t know that Raeleigh had promised to take care of Santiago for Jepherson. Once he was made aware of it, his expression went terribly bad.

    ¡°You¡¯re not even his mother! Why is it whenever he has something going on you have toe at his beck and call? Was he always so hands-off?¡±

    ¡°Before he met me, he had Santiago. There was no need for me.¡±

    Raeleigh refuted. That sentence sounded like something that was just pulled out to rebut against Xanthus¡¯s resentment but right at that moment, Xanthus saw Raeleigh turned herself away and he had to swallow back all the words he wanted to say to her.

    It had been some time since she moved out. She had never dropped by to visit Santiago since and it made her feel troubled.

    Initially, she had wanted to leave as an experiment, to see whether Santiago would wake up because he wasn¡¯t used to her not being there. In the end, there was no news.

    Louisa hade over twice and mentioned briefly about Santiago¡¯s condition, but the situation wasn¡¯t optimistic.

 Chapter 1629 Too Miserable

    After she had her lunch and packed a few clothes, Raeleigh followed Jepherson to his family residence. She had barely stepped through the door when she froze, for who should be taking a stroll in the yard but none other than Trevor and Marissa, the former pushing thetter around.

    Trevor wasn¡¯t a problem to Raeleigh, but the sight of Marissa made her feel on edge.

    Should she say hello or not?

    Forget it.

    Raeleigh was outfitted in a white maternity dress, and with her abdomen round from pregnancy, she looked as stunning as a celestial fairy.

    Women¡¯s pregnancy would usually bring about change, but those like Raeleigh who grow even more beautiful the further along she was were truly rare in between.

    She didn¡¯t even wear makeup, nor applied any skincare products.

    She stood out like a hibiscus wet with dew and the servants around the area were stunned. No wonder Mr. Jepherson and Mr. Santiago fell over themselves for her, who wouldn¡¯t?

    Raeleigh¡¯s hair had grown quite considerably and had reached the most suitable length at this time. It gently bobbed with each movement as it fell freely down to her chin.

    Raeleigh made eye contact with Trevor and inclined her head in greeting. She then followed Xanthus and Jepherson to the Green Jade Garden.

    Trevor frowned. After Raeleigh had left, he tilted his head down at Marissa whose countenance had twisted into an ugly expression. Her anger had never left and had been vented out at those around them.

    Trevor walked to Marissa¡¯s side. Due to the cold autumn wind, he adjusted the nket draped around her

    ¡°Get out, tell¡­ tell her to get out, that b*tch!¡±

    Trevor¡¯s brows furrowed even more deeply. ¡°You¡¯re already in this state, why don¡¯t you know how to repent? What else do you need to be so hateful about? She and Jerry are already divorced and she is no longer a member of our family. It is only out of concern for her friend that she¡¯s here to see Santiago.¡±

    Trevor reached the unpleasant realisation that Marissa had really changed. Compared to when she was younger, she had be very unreasonable.

    However, this was something everyone knew as a certainty. Men could also change, moreover time and their environment could also change many people as well.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    Trevor caressed Marissa¡¯s hand. ¡°Forget it, she¡¯s just here for a visit.¡±

    Marissa gritted his teeth fiercely and shook her head.

    Trevor sighed, ¡°But given your current state¡­ If you really wanted your revenge, I¡¯m sure that if you recover well, you can still do so.¡±

    Trevor stood up and pushed Marissa back to the Ink Garden.

    When Raeleigh returned to the Green Jade Garden, Jenna had just finished her meal and was overjoyed when she saw her. She held Raeleigh¡¯s hands and asked, ¡°Why are you here? Is it because you aren¡¯t used to living outside and now you¡¯re back?¡±

    Jepherson stood aside and said, ¡°I wanted her to be here. I¡¯ll be away for a few days. Since no one¡¯s here to take care of things, I got worried.¡±

    ¡°I can take care of Santiago. Why do you need Raeleigh here? It¡¯s inconvenient for her body to go about like this and yet you¡¯re going to let her do this?¡±

    Jenna was really speechless with this son of hers. If it was said that he was young and immature, he had proven to be considerate when he handled matters for others. If it was said it was due to gics, her husband was even more severe inparison when he was younger.

    Sometimes, when Jenna thought about it, she still felt a lingering worry in her heart.

    ¡°Xanthus is here too. I just want her to keep an eye out a little. Grandma and Grandpa need you and Dad to take care of them. I¡¯m very worried.¡±

    ¡°We are still young, your father and I can do it.¡±

    Jenna didn¡¯t want Raeleigh to overwork herself.

    ¡°It won¡¯t happen again.¡± Jepherson promised.

    With that reassurance, Jenna said, ¡°Since you are already here, then you can stay. I¡¯m also very worried about you as your parents aren¡¯t here with you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say much and they all went to see Santiago. Raeleigh went straight for him after she entered the room. She ced herself beside Santiago and remained vigil over him.

    In fact, she didn¡¯t leave his side at all because she was concerned about Santiago. She did not know when he would wake up.

    Everyone exchanged looks over her head. In the end, no one spoke as they all looked at Raeleigh in this manner.

    After dinner was eaten, Jepherson left his home to head for work. Jenna went to see her son off. When she arrived at the door, Jenna asked, ¡°Jerry, are you really going out, or¡­¡±

    Jepherson looked at his mother and said, ¡°I have business to attend to.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh is a good girl. You should treat her well. I like her, even if she has someone else¡¯s child.¡±

    Jenna didn¡¯t know what had happened before, but judging by the current situation, the biological father to Raeleigh¡¯s child was already dead and Raeleigh did not show much emotion. In that case, they¡­

    ¡°Mom, please go back.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and after he sat inside the car, he gave the instruction to drive away.

    Inside the vehicle, Jepherson slowly closed his eyes. Austin¡¯s handsome and imposing features shed across his mind¡¯s eye.

    If Austin was really the person in Raeleigh¡¯s heart, what does it mean that she has epted him in such a short time?¡±

    Was Austin too nice or it was him that wascking?

    Now he¡¯d really like to see him whether he¡¯s dead or alive. Jepherson was unwilling to lose Raeleigh, no matter who the person was.

    The car arrived straight at the airport. After he got out of the car, Jepherson headed in where Stuart waited for him.

    Jepherson wasn¡¯t surprised to see him standing there with a messenger bag in hand. When he saw Jepherson, he called out.¡±Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Jared chuckled from behind Jepherson. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Stuart smiled, ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±

    Beside him, Hadrian pushed Scarlette forward. When she saw Jared, she eximed, ¡°So you are Jared. I thought you were just a legend, but who knew you were real.¡±

    Her words amused Jared.

    Jepherson looked at Hadrian and his group. ¡°Jared will stay behind to protect Raeleigh and Santiago. All of you just go about like you usually do. The specialist has already arrived and wouldter arrange for your surgery.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson¡­¡±

    She was so touched, she wanted to cry. Originally she was supposed to receive the operation from the start, but she didn¡¯t believe in its sess rate. No matter what Mr. Jepherson said, threatened or coaxed she still didn¡¯t agree.

    Eventually, Stuart had the surgery first.

    It was the moment when she saw Stuart standing on his two feet that she changed her mind.

    Jepherson calmly said, ¡°Remember to take good care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°Sure¡­¡±

    Scarlette¡¯s tears fell, and Hadrian immediately used his handkerchief to wipe it away.

    Jepherson nced at the time and proceeded for the security check area.

    Jared and the others watched Jepherson leave. Afterwards, they made their way out of the airport, unaware of a shadowy figure that followed them from behind.

    ¡­

    Ink Garden

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Marissa suddenly refused to eat. Trevor persuaded her to no avail and she spat out all the food in her mouth.

    Trevor had no way to deal with her when she¡¯s like this. He sat across from her with a strained look on his face.

    Marissa wasn¡¯t like this when she was younger, but as she grew older, her attitude had changed.

    Ever since she saw Raeleigh, no matter what he said she refused to eat.

    Trevor could only talk to her.

    Marissa¡¯s eyes were full of tears, her lips faintly trembled, before her face scrunched up and she cried unattractively.

    Trevor immediately put down the te and held Marissa in his arms.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry, it¡¯s my fault, it¡¯s my fault.¡±

    Trevor repeatedly said that it was his fault, but Marissa didn¡¯t stop. Instead, she cried even more fiercely.

    There were no servants in the room, only Trevor and Marissa. Her cries pierced his heart and shattered it to pieces.

    No matter how bad Marissa was, she was still his wife.

    This Marissa in front of him was too miserable for him to handle!

 Chapter 1630 Furious

    Marissa didn¡¯t know how much time had passed before she calmed down. Trevor then cajoled her all the way to her bed. After she fell asleep, Trevor sat vigil by her side as he held her hand until she woke up. However, this time around, Marissa threw an even bigger fuss. Even after she woke up, she couldn¡¯t forget about Raeleigh being here. She refused to eat whatever was given to her, determined to be starved to death.

    Trevor had no choice but to take Marissa to the Green Jade Garden to see Raeleigh. Jenna was informed and tried her best to stop them.

    ¡°Mom¡­ ¡±

    Jenna stood in the way to the Green Jade Garden, blocking their entry. When Marissa saw her, she was a little unhappy. It seemed that she had always knew about Raeleigh¡¯s presence.

    Marissa gritted her teeth so hard it could be heard. ¡°Mom, I knew about this for a long time. Listen to my exnation. It¡¯s not Raeleigh¡¯s fault. It¡¯s mine. We can talk about this once we head back lest we disturb her and Santiago.¡± she tried to dissuade her.

    Marissa refused to budge and red viciously at Jenna.

    Jenna was so anxious that her palms started to be sweaty. Her husband also wasn¡¯t here. She had told someone to inform him but he had yet to arrive.

    Trevor then cut in, ¡°Let¡¯s go back and let Jenna exin it to you. If it¡¯s really Raeleigh¡¯s fault, it¡¯s still not toote toe again.¡±

    Marissa refused to say a word in response. Jenna looked at Trevor with an awkward expression. Trevor pushed Marissa away and was about to leave when she finally blurted out, ¡°No¡­ no.¡±

    She would not budge until she could see Raeleigh that day.

    ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go back first. I¡¯ll exin everything but we can¡¯t talk about this here.¡±

    With all the fuss going on about her presence here, Jenna was afraid that Raeleigh would find out sooner orter and leave. Whatsmore, Jerry wasn¡¯t here to persuade her to stay.

    What she didn¡¯t know was that Raeleigh was already aware of what was going on outside. Even though she was currently by Santiago¡¯s side, she found out about it anyway.

    Both her and Xanthus stood in the room and listened to the ruckus going on outside.

    The expression on Xanthus¡¯s face became darker the more he listened to the conversation. It boggled his mind to see Marissa could still be so unreasonable at this point.

    Truly there were all kinds of people in this world.

    The Richards family was such a wealthy family, why was it that their upbringing didn¡¯t reflect that?

    Raeleigh stood for a moment longer before she turned and headed back inside to Santiago¡¯s bedside. To her, the fact that Marissa came to see her was the natural course of things.

    ¡­

    Marissa failed to enter the Green Jade Garden. She felt that it was because she had be useless that they would dare bully her. She didn¡¯t feel that she was in the wrong at all.

    She was so furious that she held onto the wheel of her chair with both hands and red at Jenna with resentment.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    Jenna was at her wits end and didn¡¯t dare to add fuel to the fire.

    ¡°Get lost you¡­ get lost!¡±

    Just as Jenna paused in hesitation on how to make her mother leave, Marissa suddenly roared in her face, the strength behind it so explosive it shook her whole body.

    Everyone on scene was petrified, even Marissa herself was shocked by what just happened.

    Marissa slowly peeked over at Trevor, who stood as still as a statue. It took a very long time before she lifted her hand. She ced it in front of her own eyes and waved it back and forth.

    Marissa broke out into tears as they fell from her bloodshot eyes like a rainstorm, crying loudly for everyone to hear.

    This was the scene that Hansen came upon at first sight, with everyone petrified where they stood.

    Trevor slowly parted his lips and he couldn¡¯t help but tremble, ¡°Marissa¡­¡±

    Marissa raised her head and looked at Trevor. She extended her hand which he grabbed and they both pulled each other into a hug.

    Everyone in the vicinity was stupefied. It took Hansen a long time to recover from his shock. He then walked towards his parents and said, ¡°I¡¯ll call the doctor over.¡±

    Trevor parted from Marissa and nodded in agreement. He then went to push her back.

    Finally, Marissa had quieted down.

    After the doctor¡¯s examination, he told them that Marissa was all right. As for what had triggered her fit, the doctor could not say for certain.

    Marissay in bed in a daze, still in the midst of shock by what happened earlier, until she raised her hand.

    Everyone else was with her inside the room. They observed as it took a while for her to break out from the dream-like state she¡¯s in and react to the present. Does that mean she¡¯s better?

    Then Marissa said that she¡¯s hungry and wanted something to eat. Jenna went and busied herself in the kitchen to cook something up for her. When Marissa said she wanted to watch television, it would be switched on for her.

    Marissa also wanted Trevor to pinch her but how could he bear to do so?

    Therefore, Marissa pinched herself. It was only when she felt the sting of pain did she know that everything was real.

    After that, Marissaid in bed for two days straight.

    ¡­

    When Raeleigh heard that Marissa could move about again, she couldn¡¯t help but breathe out a huge sigh.

    That was good.

    It¡¯s not that she didn¡¯t want her to get well, because it didn¡¯t matter whether she recovered earlier orter, what mattered was what would happen afterwards.

    Raeleigh was mncholic. She didn¡¯t know when Jepherson would return from his business trip.

    She had tried to call him but heaven knows that she lost contact before it could get through, as the number given was a nk contact.

    The moment she realized she couldn¡¯t get through, she told Xanthus not to step foot outside unless necessary, lest they bump into Marissa and cause some trouble.

    Raeleigh stayed in Green Jade Garden in line with her principle to avoid trouble whenever possible. But she had never expected that Marissa herself would actuallye to the garden.

    Once she heard about her arrival, she stood up and met her outside.

    Marissa had brought along a servant. Raeleigh didn¡¯t see anyone else, hence she knew that Marissa was here at her own volition. No one, not even Jenna, was aware that she came here.

    Raeleigh stood outside and closed the door to Santiago¡¯s room. She didn¡¯t want to let Santiago hear the argument that would surely break out between her and his grandmother.

    And an argument was truly what Marissa came here for.

    Raeleigh asked Marissa, ¡°What can I do for you?¡±

    Marissa snorted in cold contempt. ¡°Are you pregnant?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Raeleigh felt that this wasn¡¯t something she should hide. Even if she refused to answer, sooner orter they would know.

    ¡°Whose child is it?¡± Marissa continued to probe. After she recovered, she put on some makeup and looked a little more lively than usual. The Marissa that was in the wheelchair now wasn¡¯t the one that was waiting for death.

    Raeleigh replied, ¡°That¡¯s only for me to know.¡±

    ¡°Is it Jerry¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really a b*tch to be able to do something like this. I always knew that you¡¯re not the naive woman you want people to believe but I didn¡¯t expect you to be so shameless.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±

    Before Raeleigh could respond, Xanthus couldn¡¯t bear to listen any longer. He stepped out from the room and red at Marissa vehemently.

    Marissa snorted coldly the moment she saw Xanthus. ¡°Is it yours?¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s face turned green at her words.

    ¡°Get out. This is our ce now. We don¡¯t wee people like you here.¡±

    Xanthus didn¡¯t want to talk to someone as unreasonable as Marissa. In his opinion, it was a pointless effort to talk any sense into her head.

    ¡°This is the Richards family. You are not qualified to speak here. Now take this woman with you and get out!¡± Marissa yelled furiously and pointed at Raeleigh. Xanthus was about to spew out his own angry words but was stopped by Raeleigh.

    She looked at him pointedly, ¡°Let¡¯s not quarrel here. I want to go in now.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and went back into Santiago¡¯s room, Xanthus at her heels.

    Once the door was shut, she looked at Xanthus and exined, ¡°We are all outsiders here. The moment Jepherson returns, we will leave.¡±

    ¡°What do you think would happen if you wait, especially with Marissa as she is?¡±

    ¡°Then what do you think I should do? I promised Jepherson to take care of him until hees back.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a bitter smile on her face. She didn¡¯t feel there was anything wrong with any part of her, so why did Marissa constantly like to find fault with her?

    Raeleigh did not emerge from the room whereas outside, Marissa hollered at her to get out and when she didn¡¯t she started to curse her out!

    Through it all, Raeleigh sat inside without saying a word.

 Chapter 1631 She Didnâ€™t Want to See Him

    By the time Jenna arrived, Raeleigh was about to fall asleep to the curses still being spewed outside. Jenna fretted anxiously, but she couldn¡¯t just manhandle her mother-inw away from the Green Jade Garden. She tried to persuade Marissa away with sweet words to no avail. In the end, she had to wait for Trevor toe and forced Marissa to return.

    When a voice came through the door that sounded like Jenna, Raeleigh cracked it open, and true enough, Jenna was on the other side.

    ¡°Raeleigh, how are you?¡± Jenna took Raeleigh¡¯s hands in concern. Raeleigh smiled in response, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I was just about to fall asleep.¡±

    Jenna was dumbfounded, disbelief on her face. What did this child say? Almost fell asleep?

    Jenna looked at Xanthus, who stood to the side as they conversed. Xanthus¡¯s expression was extremely terrible as hemented nonchntly, ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that the Matriarch of the Richards family could have such wordsing out of her mouth. It really is iprehensible.¡±

    Even a good-tempered person would seethe when faced with injustice, and Xanthus was no good-tempered person.

    To say he was displeased would be an extreme understatement.

    Jenna could see where he wasing from, thus did not show her displeasure. When a child had been wronged, there would be grievances. That was something she, as someone who had experienced it before, understood.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t make a big scene out of it, which was enough to make her feel lucky. And as an elder brother, if he wasn¡¯t furious on her behalf over what happened, then something must be wrong somewhere.

    Jenna came in and shut the door. She pulled Raeleigh to sit down. This matter needed to be smoothed over. Don¡¯t mention the verbal abuse, she shouldn¡¯t suffer even a little bit of injustice.

    After they sat down, Jenna spoke up in regret, ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯ve wronged you.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Jenna for a moment before she said, ¡°I called Mr. Richards but he didn¡¯t pick up. The number he gave me is evidently a nk contact. I believe that it¡¯s not because something happened to him, but that he doesn¡¯t want to take my calls. He must be at a meeting which is why he didn¡¯t answer the phone.

    I wanted to wait for him toe back, but as Aunt saw earlier, it looks like waiting is impossible.

    I am also pregnant now. It¡¯s not good for me to get stressed and agitated which is why I wished to leave first. As for the promise I made to him, I can only apologize for not being able to keep it.

    Santiago is here, so I¡¯ll leave him in your care. I believe he will be fine, therefore I should head back.¡±

    What else could Jenna say? Raeleigh had already said so much up to this point.

    Raeleigh stood up and looked back at Santiago. She had intended to stay with him for a few more days, but she didn¡¯t expect such misfortune to ur. Now she had to leave even if she didn¡¯t want to. If something really happened, she couldn¡¯t afford to bear the consequences.

    After sparing one more look, Raeleigh turned around and left the Richards Family. Jenna walked her all the way to the car and rified everything with her before she left. When she couldn¡¯t see the taillights anymore, Jenna turned with a huge sigh and disappointment in her heart.

    Back when she was young, Marissa didn¡¯t like her either. That was how she had been. She had initially thought that Marissa had changed due to her advanced years. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect that she was still the same as before with no signs of improvement.

    Jenna didn¡¯t know what to say anymore. With all things said and done, Marissa was her elder and she should give some face. Still these people, why did theymbast them at the get go and so unattractively at that? If it were anyone else, they definitely wouldn¡¯t let it go.

    Everyone lived their own life. What grudge did she exactly have with Raeleigh toe straight to her door with poison on her tongue?

    She had lived up to this age yet never had she felt so angry in her life.

    Jenna took two steps forward and raised her head to see her husband, Hansen, in front of her. She paused for just a moment but proceeded her trek forward. However, she didn¡¯t stop when she came up to him. Instead, she made a detour around his figure.

    Jenna didn¡¯t want to talk at this time. It was difficult to change human nature, and Marissa¡¯s core nature was envy. Everyone in the family knew this, but did anyone stand up to help Raeleigh?Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    As a son, he might not be able to say anything but this had crossed the line.

    To be able to put on an act in front of their faces and the moment everyone left no one was there to bar her way, to say the least. But Marissa didn¡¯t stop there. She even found her way to the Green Jade Garden and shrieked her head off like a shrew. Was she senile?

    No, she was there to p and tear down any shred of dignity she had left.

    She wasn¡¯t a fool. It was impossible for her to not even see through these things.

    But everyone there just watched. All of them are the same, all there to watch a show and bully Raeleigh.

    Jenna walked straight back to Green Jade Garden. Hansen turned to look at his beloved wife before he followed her after a moment¡¯s thought

    The yard in Green Jade Garden was clean and tidy. The servants who came back with Hansen had all retired for the night. Hansen paused momentarily, but soon stepped in front of the door to his youngest son¡¯s room. He raised his hand and knocked against it.

    ¡°Go back. Father-inw and mother-inw need someone to take care of them. As a son, you can¡¯t leave them as you please. With Jerry being away, I can¡¯t help but worry. You should go.¡±

    Jenna had already sat by her son¡¯s side. She would stay and take care of her youngest son that night.

    As a mother, her son was usually looked down upon and disliked by others. She wanted to help, but she couldn¡¯t say anything because her son¡¯s status in the family was lower than her eldest son¡¯s. Whatsmore, this child was also a rascal that liked to cause mischief.

    To be honest, such children in other people¡¯s families all enjoyed good food and drinks, even treated like a gem by their grandparents. Yet in this household, everyone focused on benefits. Anything that was beneficial was feasible, and anything that had none didn¡¯t exist.

    Which part of Santiago wasn¡¯t outstanding?

    Everyone saw this. Although both of them were her sons, she could guarantee that both of them were just as excellent as the other. In the end, what did they do?

    One was raised up to the heavens, the other down in the mud. They held one up with their hands, while they trampled the other with their feet.

    She was their mother and they were her sons. How could she bear with this? So many times, she forced herself to smile, and taught her youngest to be kind. No matter what her youngest son did, she would support him.

    However, these people didn¡¯t think the same way as she did. These people were all nasty people, each and everyone of them.

    Jenna pursed her lips, her hand gently touched her son¡¯s face. She then put her face against his and whispered, ¡°Santiago, you must wake up quickly. When you do, only then Mama can get better. Otherwise, Mama will have no appetite to eat anything. Did you know? Mama doesn¡¯t like this garden when there¡¯s no you in it.¡±

    Women were at their most vulnerable when they lost their children or husband. In this moment, Jenna truly felt a sense of mourning in her heart.

    Her eldest son was so muddle-headed, her husband equally so. And her mother-inw constantly wanted to find ways to condemn Raeleigh.

    If her youngest son could wake up, she would move out and nevere back.

    Hansen stood outside the door, a grim look on his face. What he was worried about the most was Jenna¡¯s mood swings. Her body was weak and it would deteriorate if she got the slightest bit angry. The doctor had said before that the angrier she got, the more she would hurt herself. She must never get angry.

    ¡°Jenna, open the door.¡± Hansen¡¯s voice was deep and powerful even through the door, but Jenna didn¡¯t spare him a nce. This man had changed and be secr. She didn¡¯t want to see him!

 Chapter 1632 She No Longer Want Him

    Jenna refused to open the door from start to finish. Time ticked by for who knows how long and when everyone should be asleep, she heard the door being pushed open from the outside.

    Hansen entered the room and put down the key in his hand. He ordered the servants to return before he shut the door and headed for Jenna and their son.

    At this time, Jenna had woken up as she blinked open her eyes. Noticing someoneing over, she slowly propped her body up on one side while she rubbed the sleep away from her face.

    Hansen stood next to the bed and said, ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more bold, you even dare to lock me out?¡±

    Jenna sat up in silence. Her face was so nk that no one could discern any form of expression from it.

    Hansen started to unbutton his clothes, his coat tossed to one side. Jenna watched him and asked in a strange tone, ¡°You¡¯re not going back tonight?¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me? This ce is mine, where am I supposed to return to?¡±

    Jenna was speechless and kept quiet for a while. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that your mother will be angry if you don¡¯t go back?¡±

    ¡°Angry or not, she still has that old man with her. Besides, what can I do when she¡¯s angry? I don¡¯t even know how to appease yours much less hers.¡±

    With that said, Hansen was done taking off his clothes and found a pair of pajamas that belonged to his son. He then went to the bathroom and came out after a brisk shower.

    Hansen wiped his body down as he exited the bathroom and changed into his son¡¯s pajamas. He dried his hair and walked over to Jenna¡¯s side of the bed. He looked at the time. No matter whether it was day or night, whenever he was tired, he would go straight to bed.

    Jenna sat in the middle, helpless on what she should do now with Hansen in front of her. She was still angry, you know!

    Hansen sidled up against her. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep for a while.¡±

    ¡°Are you really not going back?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine. She can now swear up and down the street, so why should I go back? To suffer her wrath?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s way with words didn¡¯te out very politely. Jenna was bewildered. ¡°Did I offend you?¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to go back and take revenge on my own mother?¡±

    Hansen had on a calm visage, but his tone was belligerent. The way he spoke made her want tough but she couldn¡¯t.

    Jenna observed as her husband gradually rxed before she whispered, ¡°When I saw her cursing Raeleigh outside that day, you didn¡¯t know how I felt at that moment. Although I wasn¡¯t happy with her in the beginning, even after so many years I still questioned my own worthiness in her eyes.

    In addition, your mother would always cause trouble for Raeleigh every time they met.

    Previously it was me and now it¡¯s Raeleigh.

    When will this ever end?¡±

    ¡°Sleep now. Family matters are not something that can be exined clearly. In this, Raeleigh understands better than you do. If you don¡¯t like to hear it, then don¡¯t hear it. When my mother and Raeleigh were at a feud, did they evere to you?

    Out of sight, out of mind. Next time, I won¡¯t go and see her.¡±

    ¡°Easier said than done. I saw the whole thing that day.¡±

    Jenna stared at Hansen who was about to doze off to sleep. Heughed, tickled by her words, ¡°So what if you¡¯ve seen it? Must you leave the house after you witness everything?

    Even your son had be an adult. Now you want to be like her?¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    Jenna didn¡¯t reply. It¡¯s not that what he said didn¡¯t make sense, it did feel like that¡¯s how it was.

    After she pondered for a bit, Jenna looked outside. ¡°You¡¯re going to bed even though it isn¡¯t dark out yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still around, alive and well, but you won¡¯t let me through the door. Howe you didn¡¯t mention that?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    What kind of nonsense was this man spouting?

    Jenna had the sudden urge to kick him out of the bed. She then thought of the pitiable situation he¡¯s in, where he was stuck in between mother and wife. Therefore, she withheld the impulse to do so. The following days, however, the cold war between this couple had reached a white-hot stage that had never been reached since their youngest son was born.

    Jenna refused to utter a single word to Hansen. No matter what he said or did, she ignored him. She couldn¡¯t be bothered to waste her breath.

    Hansen had not heard his beloved wife¡¯s voice for three whole days. It was a torment as excruciating as if he had chugged a whole vat of poison.

    Sitting on the sofa, Hansen asked Jenna, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Jenna remained silent as she gave her son a towel bath, continuing to wipe down his body.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve said anything to offend you?¡± Hansen had no choice but to lower his head and speak with Jenna. Jenna acted as if his words were air and busied herself with her work.

    ¡°Jenna.¡±

    Hansen called out to her, but Jenna didn¡¯t even spare him a look. She took away the water basin and went into the bathroom,pletely forgoing any sense of courtesy towards him.

    Seeing that his wife went to the bathroom, Hansen followed her in and shut the door. Before she could react, he had trapped her in his arms and didn¡¯t n to let her go.

    ¡°Release me.¡±

    Jenna tried to pull apart her husband¡¯s arms with both hands. She had never seen such a shameless person. She ignored him, but he still clung onto her.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally willing to talk now? I thought you wouldn¡¯t talk to me for the rest of your life.¡±

    Hansen stuck himself closer, and gave a kiss to his beloved wife¡¯s ear. Three days of not being close to her felt as long as three years.

    Things were different as he grew older.

    His sense of self-restraint and pride he had since his youth had long since been honed. Particrly when he was in front of her, he was no different than a child unable to be weaned off of his milk. The deeper he sank into the quagmire that was his desires, the more he couldn¡¯t escape from it.

    With his arms around Jenna¡¯s waist, Hansen murmured, ¡°Haven¡¯t I always been here? I didn¡¯t go anywhere, it¡¯s not like you didn¡¯t know that. What else do you want me to do?¡±

    Hansen was truly at his wits end. After all, Marissa was his mother. How could he not care about his mother?

    Jenna gave Hansen a hard shove. ¡°When Santiago wakes up, I¡¯m moving out and nevering back.¡±

    This kind of ce, she couldn¡¯t stand to stay in it any longer.

    This time, she would not be befuddled.

    Jenna had spent the past three days being vexed. She did not rify Raeleigh¡¯s situation with Marissa, did not put up a strong stand in front of her and make her understand that she supported Raeleigh. It didn¡¯t matter whether it would help or not, she still didn¡¯t do it and felt that she had let Raeleigh down.

    ¡°Move out?¡± Hansen¡¯s face instantly went thunderous. ¡°You¡¯re already at this age, why are you acting like a child? You want to move out, but where? I¡¯m right here, where will you go?¡±

    Hansen was enraged. His hold on Jenna tightened, as if he feared that she would truly leave just like that.

    People at this point in their lives had very little time left. He was afraid that many things would be left toote, which is why he didn¡¯t dare let go, especially when he heard that Jenna wanted to leave.

    Jenna looked up into the mirror at Hansen. The expression on her face was unpleasant, with a fierce look in her eyes. ¡°I have never seen a person like you. You know that your mother is in the wrong, but you still turned a blind eye to it.¡±

    His behaviour before may have been impassive, but he could still express himself in a lucid manner. Why couldn¡¯t he do so now?

    Jenna looked upset.

    ¡°She¡¯s my mother. Even if I sever our rtionship as mother and son, there¡¯s no point to it, she¡¯s already sick as it is.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such a hypocrite.¡±

    Jenna pulled Hansen¡¯s hands away forcefully. This was the first time in the past few years that she had been so furious. She turned on her heel and strode out of the bathroom.

    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she had to look after her son, Jenna would be gone by now.

    This house, this man, she didn¡¯t want them anymore!

 Chapter 1633 Still Comatose

    ¡°He left this behind for you before he left.¡±

    The dean took out a small booklet left by Lamarre and handed it over to Jepherson, who stood in front of Lamarre¡¯s tombstone. Jepherson took it and just said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The dean smiled and nced at the person¡¯s image on the tombstone. Perhaps they would meet again in the next life.

    He was the strongest and most indifferent man she had ever seen.

    The dean, a woman in her thirties, turned to leave after she had handed the item over to him. Her figure cut through the rain with an umbre in hand as she headed towards her car by herself.

    At a sudden thought, the aforementioned woman turned to look at Jepherson and asked, ¡°There are still some things in Mr. Lee¡¯s ward. Do you need my help to pack it up?¡±

    ¡°No need. I will pack it myselfter.¡± Jepherson held his own umbre, his eyes fixed on the booklet in his hand as the pitter-patter of raindrops sounded out from around him.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    This was an autumn rain. Rains during this season could be a little cool, which made it even more chilly!

    After the dean left, Jepherson put the small booklet in a pocket under his jacket and stood there for a while. It wasn¡¯t until the rain stopped that he finally turned and walked towards his car.

    Back inside, Jepherson leaned back against the carseat for a while. He was more than a little tired after the past few days.

    The chauffeur was the one who brought them to this ce, hence he was very clear about what to do at this moment. All he had to do was to maintain his silence.

    ¡°Return to the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards.¡±

    The car departed from the inner part of the cemetery grounds and passed through the downtown area before they arrived back at the hospital. Jepherson got out of the car and packed up Lamarre¡¯s curios.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t contact Jepherson these past few days. She wasn¡¯t sure exactly what it was he had left to do. All she wanted to tell him was that she couldn¡¯t keep the promise she made with him and now something hade up, she had to leave for a while.

    As she couldn¡¯t get into contact with him, Raeleigh had no choice but to leave Capital City first. Moreover, she left without anyone being informed, nor did she go to see Santiago.

    In this way, no one would know that Raeleigh had left.

    Jepherson was kept abreast of what had happened in the residence only after his return. By that time, even his grandmother Marissa was all right.

    After he entered through the door, his eyes immediately scanned the room. He knew with just one look that not everyone was here. With the exception of his mother, Jenna, asleep propped up on the table, Raeleigh was nowhere in sight. He immediately took out his phone to call her.

    More than a dozen voicemails popped up on his phone after he switched it on, notifying him that someone had tried to contact him.

    Two calls were from Jared, and the rest were from Raeleigh.

    Jepherson¡¯s brows twitched. He quickly went to call her back.

    It rang once before being diverted to voicemail.

    At that moment, Jenna slowly woke up. When she noticed her eldest son¡¯s presence, she got up and went to his side.

    She could tell from this child¡¯s expression that he was in a terrible mood.

    For that reason, she didn¡¯t bother him when she walked up to him.

    After Jared¡¯s call got connected, Jepherson demanded brusquely, ¡°What is going on? Why can¡¯t I get through to Raeleigh?¡±

    Jared paused on the other line, his hesitation evident, ¡°She disappeared and she took Xanthus with her. We have searched the whole of Capital City and even parsed through all the international exit and entry records, but we couldn¡¯t find them. I also checked at Waverly Vige, but they are nowhere to be found.¡±

    ¡°Did you contact Zorion?¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes were ice cold, his mouth a t, white line.

    ¡°I did, he is also assisting in our search for Raeleigh, but there is still no news from him so far.¡±

    ¡°When did this happen?¡± Jepherson¡¯s face became even more forbidding. Jared reported, ¡°Raeleigh left the previous day, but what instigated her to leave happened on the very day you left itself.¡±

    ¡°Where else could she have gone?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was no way for him to answer this question.

    ¡°Why did she leave?¡±

    Jepherson knew very well that since Raeleigh had called so many times, she had wanted to make it clear to him.

    Raeleigh must not have initially thought of leaving, but all of a sudden she changed her mind. Something had happened in between for her to feel uneasy and left quite abruptly.

    ¡°Madam Marissa had woken up. She found her way to Green Jade Garden and shouted abuse at Raeleigh. After that¡­¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t bother to listen to the rest of Jared¡¯s exnation and hung up the phone.

    Jenna looked at her son and asked, ¡°Did Raeleigh leave?¡±

    Jepherson restrained the chill around his body as he turned to face his mother and replied, ¡°She¡¯s gone. I¡¯ll find her.¡±

    ¡°Then you must hurry.¡± Jenna gave her son a little push. Jepherson heeded his mother¡¯s encouragement and left to find Raeleigh.

    In order to track her, Jepherson went to the vige in person. After his entry, he searched in every nook and cranny for the next three days, but failed to find Raeleigh¡¯s whereabouts.

    Jepherson stood outside the vige and kneaded his temples. His whole body seemed to emit an air of hostility that would soon explode into huge proportions.

    Jared stood behind Jepherson and said tentatively, ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing for us not to find her. If we can¡¯t find them, neither can the people of the Doyle family.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s headache got even worse. He had searched nonstop within the vige for three days without any food or drink.

    He had hope that he could find her at Waverly Vige. Then it would mean that Jacky had protected her all along and he wouldn¡¯t worry so much.

    But she was nowhere to be found, which meant that she had no one to protect her.

    If the Doyle family had found her at this time, they wouldn¡¯t let her go. They would do their best to keep it under wraps, and no one would know even if they captured her, or whether she died!

    Jepherson¡¯s heart tightened at the notion. ¡°Find her immediately. Expand the search area. Start with the Capital City and Waverly Vige. Have Zorion search the outer perimeters.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Jared turned around to act as instructed. Jepherson stood outside the vige still, waiting for news.

    But no matter how much theybed through Waverly Vige, the entirety of Capital City, and even in other areas, they still couldn¡¯t find Raeleigh.

    That year, Jepherson spent thest few months focused on his search for Raeleigh. For that reason, the situation in Capital City had reached a boiling point. Flynt took advantage of the turbulent scene, finally managed to put all his people into the political circle and consolidated the Moore family¡¯s position in the city.

    As a result, Flynt had be Johan¡¯s next sessor as well as Capital¡¯s City most powerful figure of the Moore family.

    At the same time, the new head of the Doyle family, Crevor, had also entered the city and rose rapidly through the ranks. He seized an area for himself and sessfully stepped into the political circle. He became the wild card in the political arena after the Moore family.

    The Whalen family was still a serious contender on the scene. Their position was unshakeable. Everyone respected the Whalen family even in the political circle.

    However, something happened that riled up the people with great enthusiasm.

    The marriage of the Whalen family¡¯s daughter to a young man from Waverly Vige became the city¡¯s hottest topic.

    But someone imed that the Whalen family had no choice but to do so. The unmarried daughter of the Whalen family was pregnant and had given birth to two children. The father of the child was unknown. The Whalen family threw their weight around, only to get a fool in return.

    No one knew the entire story. but didn¡¯t buy into the rumours.

    It¡¯s a pity that Richards family had fallen into misfortune. One of the two brothers lost his wife and the other was stitose¡­

    ¡­

 Chapter 1634 Nonnegotiable Rejection

    Three yearster.

    Jepherson came out of the Osteen¡¯s family manor with a dark look on his face. Jared, who had stood by the door, didn¡¯t even need to ask. This time was a failure as well, and they¡¯ve been trying for three years already.

    Even if the person had died, it had been three whole years. In the end, their search had spanned for that long and still they heard not one peep from her.

    Fortunately, he continued to spare no effort in his search for her.

    It wasn¡¯t like Jared knew Jepherson for only a day or two. The day they met was also due to the fact he had been searching for someone. Previously it was the sister, and now it was the wife.

    The previous lifetime was all for the lover in the previous life, this lifetime was now all for the lover in the afterlife!

    Jared headed for the other side of the car and opened the door. Jepherson nced at him, stepped up and bent down to get inside. They then headed straight for the airport.

    The car sped off, kicking up dust as he rxed against the seat.

    On the way to the airport, Jepherson saw a performance being conducted by someone in the square. He was a businessman through and through. Naturally, he would take a second look at any fresh, new ventures that came up. It could be said it was for reference purposes, but learning was still a necessity.

    The car rolled to a stop and Jepherson headed straight for the crowd after he got down. A group of medical personnel was in the middle of a lecture about what the bones of the human body were made of, followed by various illustrations someone had painstakingly drawn.

    ¡°That¡¯s all for today. Thank you very much everyone for listening in.¡± The woman in front of the crowd was tall and beautiful. She wore a ck suit that was covered by a white hospital coat. She was not a nurse, but a doctor.

    With her hair brushed back into a stylish ponytail, she stood on stage in a beautiful and dignified manner as her assistants ran about below to help with her presentation.

    The crowd gave a round of apuse, with shouts and whistles of praise for the female doctor.

    ¡°Someone you know?¡± Jared asked.

    Jared was more of a chatterboxpared to Stuart. Jepherson slid a nce his way and ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t lose track of her.¡±

    Jared was momentarily dumbfounded. He didn¡¯t expect Jepherson¡¯s expression could be so stern. Even so, he made noment on it. He used his eyes to scan the area before he bypassed the crowd and followed in the direction of where the doctor went.

    Jepherson studied his surroundings and when he didn¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary, he returned back to his car.

    After he picked up Jared¡¯s call, Jepherson said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back first. Find a way to lock her upter.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A question eventually came from the other line, ¡°Kidnapping?¡±

    ¡°If you like, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±

    Jepherson put down the phone. The driver sat in front of her in a bemused daze. He didn¡¯t understand what Jepherson had meant by what he said. What kind of grudge did he have with that person?

    ¡°To the airport.¡±

    ¡­

    Three dayster.

    Jepherson had exited thepany and was about to step into his car when his phone rang.

    He took a nce at his phone when he noticed the caller ID disyed on the screen.

    It was an unknown number, and it came from abroad.

    He connected the call with an indifferent expression and ced the phone by his ear. It took a long time before a voice came through the speakers. ¡°I¡¯m Raeleigh Osteen.¡±

    ¡­

    Autumn winds were often blustery that little bits of sand got blown into people¡¯s faces, which wasn¡¯tfortable

    Jepherson tilted his head up and surveyed the area. His gaze was heavy with an obscure emotion. Not far from where he parked his car was a taxi.

    ¡°Come down,¡± he ordered.

    Raeleigh sat inside the taxi and stared in Jepherson¡¯s direction, her heart deeply entangled withplicated emotions.

    Three years hade and gone but there was no change about him at all. He still remained his same old self.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Young, handsome, unruly, and unrestrained¡­

    If there was a change, it was undoubtedly his aura. His gaze seemed even moreposed with a sharpness hidden within.

    The only movement she made was to make a phone call. He knew immediately that she was near and discerned her exact location.

    Raeleigh simply said, ¡°I will wait for you there!¡±

    Then Raeleigh hung up the phone and gave the signal for the driver to drive ahead.

    Jepherson stowed his phone away and headed for his car. Stuart held open the door as he stared at Jepherson, ¡°Mr. Richards, the person in the taxi?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Raeleigh.¡±

    Jepherson bent his waist to get inside, his expression different from before.

    Stuart quickly got back inside and told the driver to chase after the car ahead of them.

    The taxi wasn¡¯t driving very fast. Raeleigh had expressly came back due to Cynthia¡¯s kidnapping incident and had just got off the ne.

    She didn¡¯t even have the chance to take a good look around Capital City before she came here.

    As the car wasn¡¯t speeding away, Stuart started, ¡°Miss Anson¡­¡±

    Jepherson shot a piercing re towards him and Stuart immediately rephrased his sentence, ¡°Madam Raeleigh doesn¡¯t seem to have any intention of leaving is what I meant.¡±

    Jepherson stared straight ahead, crossed his legs, and said nothing. His lofty gaze appeared to prate through the body of the car and aimed straight for Raeleigh¡¯s figure, reluctant to move his eyes away.

    The atmosphere inside the car became even more intense with an unknown pressure. The driver didn¡¯t dare to breathe loudly and even Stuart felt inexplicably nervous.

    Although he wasn¡¯t there when everything happened, he still got the full details of the situation.

    Madam Marissa was at fault first, that was true. However, Raeleigh left soon after she said she would and it left some people utterly flummoxed by her sudden departure.

    Raeleigh stopped the car and gave some money to the driver. Then she got out and bowed to the driver in thanks.

    After the taxi drove away, Raeleigh turned around and looked at the ck car which had just stopped.

    In the past three years, he hasn¡¯t changed his car at all. It was still the same one that he usually took. Even though there were people within hispany who designed a car for him, car sales for the past few years weren¡¯t exactly ideal. Whatsmore, he didn¡¯t extend a hand to redesign any model of car.

    Stuart was the first one to get out of the car. He pulled open a door and indicated for Jepherson to get down.

    Raeleigh saw a foot covered by a ck, leather shoe stepped out from the interior, up an elongated leg, followed by the handsome visage of Jepherson Richards.

    Jepherson straightened his clothes after he got out of the car and turned in Raeleigh¡¯s direction.

    Raeleigh froze a little for just a moment. She had constantly thought of many opportunities for them to meet, the various scenarios of their reunion and yet this alone was something she didn¡¯t expect at all.

    His gaze was so cold, that it made one shudder down to their knees.

    Clenching the back of his teeth, Jepherson strode swiftly towards Raeleigh. Stuart shut the car door and stood to the side to wait for Jepherson.

    Above the tunnel, Raeleigh¡¯s skirt flew about as the bleak autumn wind blew through the air and over the fallen leaves on the ground.

    She wore a moonlight blue, long-sleeved dress designed as a one piece shirt skirt outfit which set off her elegant temperament. Her long hair was styled into severalrge curls, with blond highlights dyed into her hair. A ck ribbon shaped like a male¡¯s tie, simr to the one around the cor of the dress, tied up her long hair, the very image of an elf amidst the breeze.

    The cor of the shirt wasn¡¯t buttoned up, with a pocket below it and a ck belt tied around the waist. A ring-shaped bag sped the bag close, a simple and chic design overall.

    She wore a pair of ck high heels which paired well with the ck bag in her hand.

    Raeleigh wore a bracelet around her wrist, which was a token from Jepherson.

    Her slender wrist carried with it an indescribable charm, and Jepherson swore that that was the most alluring arm he had ever seen.

    Jepherson stopped within easy reach in front of Raeleigh. He stared at her with a deep frown, his gaze unfathomable and as cold as ice.

    Raeleigh took the initiative to greet him first, ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    Jepherson clenched the back of his teeth once more. His eyes that stared straight on grew increasingly t, a firm refusal evident in their depths.

 Chapter 1635 I Want Her

    The wind whistled through her ears as Raeleigh waited a long while for his response.

    She finally couldn¡¯t help but add, ¡°Mr. Richards, do you have some unfinished business to attend to? If so, we can talk at ater time.¡±

    Jepherson gritted his teeth. ¡°What business does Miss Anson have with me?¡±

    Raeleigh stiffened for a moment before she rxed and said, ¡°I came here for Cynthia Moore.¡±

    Jephersonughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know this person.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s fair countenance was now brushed up with makeup. Every time she had to go out, she would apply a lightyer upon her face, not too much, just enough. After all, things were different from before when she was just a college student. It was normal not to put makeup then, but in this society, makeup was also a form of knowledge that one must pick up eventually.

    A person¡¯s face was the key to their first impression, it was impossible to leave it unadorned.

    However, when Jepherson looked upon Raeleigh¡¯s dainty face that carried a certain amount of ardent charm to it, he was fascinated to no end.

    He had never thought in his wildest dreams that he would fall so deeply for a woman who had been involved with another man and be unable to extricate himself. Plus, this woman wasn¡¯t just anybody else, it was a woman called Raeleigh Anson.

    The aforementioned woman gave a light frown, which made him furrow his brows deeper in response. Then Raeleigh slowly smoothened her brow and Jepherson¡¯s own frown had also eased up.

    ¡°I know this is your work. The reason I came back is to handle this matter. My brother is very anxious, won¡¯t you release Cynthia?¡±

    ¡°I said I don¡¯t know her.¡±

    Jepherson repeatedly denied his involvement. He refused to admit it no matter what!

    Raeleigh¡¯s expression revealed a hint of resignation, ¡°You clearly kidnapped Cynthia and yet you say don¡¯t recognize her. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being unreasonable?¡±

    Jepherson chuckled and lowered his gaze. ¡°You clearly promised me that you¡¯d take care of Santiago but abandoned him like trash. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re the one being unreasonable?¡±

    ¡°I did call you. You didn¡¯t pick up my call so I¡¯m left with no choice. When your grandmother woke up, I was worried that she would hurt me.¡±

    Raeleigh did think so at the time, which was why she left.

    Jepherson shook his head. ¡°Then we¡¯re even.¡±

    ¡°How is it the same?¡± Raeleigh countered. Jepherson stepped forward as they spoke, getting closer to her inch by inch, even as she backed away. He grabbed onto her slender arms and pulled her into his embrace. ¡°How can it not be the same?¡± he questioned back.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Their conversation had sped up to this point. Raeleigh raised her hand to push Jepherson away and it was then his eyes caught sight of the ring on her finger. His expression turned sullen, ¡°Who bought you a ring?¡±

    Raeleigh froze in mid motion. She fixed her eyes on said ring and imed, ¡°I bought it myself.¡±

    Jepherson held onto her wrist firmly in one hand while the other was raised to pluck the ring off from her ring finger. He put it into his pockets and then hugged Raeleigh¡¯s slender waist further into his arms. Jepherson was very aggressive in his approach, no matter whether she was willing or not. He wanted her and he wanted her now.

    Raeleigh felt her body was being pushed into Jepherson¡¯s orbit. Although his hands were just used to push her from behind, this protective posture, the familiar action of his spread out palm against her back pushing her into his embrace, filled her with trepidation and made her restless all over.

    Raeleigh turned red in the face and stared up at Jepherson, ¡°Mr. Richards¡­¡±

    ¡°What did you call me?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes were so deep it was as if he was going to devour her whole. Raeleigh pursed her lips and hesitated. ¡°Je¡­ Jepherson.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s breathing picked up a little. She definitely couldn¡¯t go on like this, but what should she do now?

    Raeleigh pushed against his chest once again. All that did was make it undte in response. He was faintly anxious but they couldn¡¯t continue here.

    Jepherson stooped down and scooped Raeleigh up into a princess-carry hold. Her heart almost popped out from the sudden action, and she unconsciously hooked her arms around his neck for fear of falling. At the next second though, Raeleigh just as quickly pulled her arms back.

    ¡°Jepherson, put me down! If you have anything to say, we can talk this out!¡±

    She prayed inwardly. In such close proximity to Jepherson¡¯s stone cold face like this, she really didn¡¯t have the courage to challenge him.

    Jepherson tilted his head, his dark eyes like that of an icyke. ¡°Whatever that must be said between us can be done in bed.¡±

    For one moment, Raeleigh went nk. Then she rebuked him, ¡°This is the behaviour of a hooligan.¡±

    Jepherson looked away in scorn and set his eyes straight ahead. Stuart immediately pulled open the door for them. Jepherson got inside the car with Raeleigh in his arms, all without letting her go. After getting in, he leaned to one side of the car and set her on hisp.

    Stuart shut the door and quickly circled around to the passengers side and got on.

    The driver didn¡¯t dare to take even one peek behind him. Who was this unfamiliar-looking girl? Could she be Raeleigh?

    When the car drove away, Raeleigh spoke up, ¡°Put me down. I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±

    Stuart panicked a little. Was it wrong to eavesdrop on others like this?

    Jepherson merely leaned there still, Raeleigh¡¯s hands grasped firmly in his with his arms wrapped around her waist, very much like a child being carried.

    Her handbag was in Stuart¡¯s hands, handed over to him by Jepherson when they got into the car.

    Now Raeleigh was trapped with nowhere to go.

    ¡°The car isn¡¯t clean.¡±

    Jepherson stated this sentence with his eyes lowered down to her hands as he stroked them. One moment he would ce her hand on his palm and y with it, then the next he would intertwine their fingers together.

    Raeleigh blushed and felt hot all over.

    She really couldn¡¯t stand Jepherson when he¡¯s like this. After not seeing him for three years, he was actually different than before.

    In the past, Jepherson was as elegant as a white crane. Now, he was like a ferocious tiger that had descended the mountains, irritable to the point of making people all a fluster.

    Whatsmore, his words had her a little bemused. What does the cleanliness of the car had to do with her request to sit down?

    Not to mention this was his car, how could it not be clean?

    Stuart kindly reminded her, ¡°Madam Raeleigh¡¯s clothes are so clean and bright. If you sit, it would inevitably get dirty.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head in his direction only for Jepherson to snap out, ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Stuart instantly gave a sound of affirmation.

    Raeleigh turned her gaze back to Jepherson. Being greeted by the attractive contours of his face, she instantly pulled away but the hand against her back pushed her back.

    He then forced his lips on hers, which shocked Raeleigh into a delirious state and she dared not move a muscle.

    Jepherson broke the kiss, his breath wafting faintly against her lips. His voice was hoarse as he whispered his question to her, ¡°Was there any man who hugged you like I did?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips and swallowed. She didn¡¯t speak for a time, her face boiling red hot like you wouldn¡¯t believe.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t say it, I¡¯m going to assume you have.¡±

    Thetter part of the sentence was spoken very quietly and Raeleigh felt as if would soon be crushed by him.

    ¡°I¡­ um¡­¡±

    She had just parted her lips to stammer out her answer, only for Jepherson to abruptly capture them into a kiss so passionate, he seemed as if he would devour Raeleigh whole.

    She raised her hands to shove him away but Jepherson didn¡¯t give her the opportunity to leave. In one move, he held both of her wrists with one hand, the other was used to grasp the back of her head. With all her escape routes blocked and unable to hide away, he deepened the kiss.

    Not even when she shook her head did he detach himself from her.

    Raeleigh made muffled sounds of defiance, unable to move but no matter what she did, Jepherson didn¡¯t give her any leeway for resistance.

    The driver was a little worried. Did something happen?

    Even Stuart broke out into a cold sweat. He looked as if he was staring death in the face.

    Raeleigh¡¯s temper wasn¡¯t what you would call good. Though many years had passed, Stuart believed in the fact that human nature was difficult to change.

    As for Mr. Richards, wouldn¡¯t the consequences of his current actions bring violence upon them?

    For all these years, Mr. Richards had focused all of his energy to search for Raeleigh. If this person was suddenly found, what would be the oue?

    ¡°Mm!¡±

    At the salty tang in his mouth, Jepherson snorted and finally broke apart from Raeleigh

    She immediately went to get up, but he pressed her back down with one hand.

    ¡°Stop the car.¡±

    The driver quickly pulled the car to the side of the road.

    Stuart opened the door and got out of the car and the driver followed suit.

 Chapter 1636 Entanglement

    The moment the door was shut, Raeleigh suddenly quieted down, aware that something wasn¡¯t right.

    Then the gentle sound of the car being locked was heard and Raeleigh twisted her gaze to the front of the car, her face pale.

    Jepherson¡¯s hand trailed up to the inside of her skirt but was pressed down by Raeleigh¡¯s hand to stop him. She looked at him, her face flushed and her heart racing as she murmured, ¡°You can¡¯t do this.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    At his question, Raeleigh swallowed but pushed forth, ¡°You can¡¯t do this. I already have a husband.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s body jolted in shock and recalled that their divorce papers had already gone through. He grinded his teeth together, unable to calm his turbulent heart. ¡°Say it again.¡±

    Raeleigh tried to appease him, ¡°I have my own life. Don¡¯t be like this.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes darkened. He stared avidly at Raeleigh¡¯s dainty face that was now flushed red from their previous activities, so red it seemed that blood would drip out from her pores..

    Raeleigh turned her head away, ¡°Austin!¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s whole being gave a faint tremble. He removed his hand from under Raeleigh¡¯s skirt and ced it on his thigh.

    Raeleigh made to get up but was barred by Jepherson¡¯s arm around her waist. ¡°Don¡¯t move or you¡¯ll bear the consequences.¡±

    Raeleigh just so happened to be right between his legs. The moment he dered this ultimatum, she immediately went quiet, her face flushed a deeper scarlet red.

    Jepherson leaned back, an arm circled around her waist which he used to push her into his embrace. He rested his head against the headrest and shut his eyes, breathed in deeply and gradually calmed down.

    Raeleigh looked at the way Jepherson struggled to swallow down what she said and slowly turned away, fixing her gaze out the window.

    All that happened was caused by their environment. It wasn¡¯t their fault, and neither was it his.

    Even so, she couldn¡¯t remain in such an environment anymore than she had to.

    There were too many things that she wasn¡¯t willing to think of.

    After he struggled out of his turmoil, Jepherson¡¯s hand touched Raeleigh¡¯s abdomen. He caressed it for a minute or two, before he asked, ¡°He¡¯s also here?¡±

    ¡°He had something to do and can¡¯te over. I also didn¡¯t tell him.¡± she replied after a moment¡¯s thought.

    Jepherson slowly blinked open his eyes and stared at Raeleigh. His handnded on the bracelet around her wrist and traced his finger around it, ¡°He didn¡¯t take your bracelet off?¡±

    ¡°He did think about it, but it wouldn¡¯t open.¡±

    Jepherson chuckled lightly. ¡°Even with advanced technology, it couldn¡¯t be broken apart. Not to mention¡­¡±

    Jepherson trailed off and didn¡¯t continue. He put Raeleigh beside him and held her close by the hip. With one hand at the back of her waist and the other hand free, he rapped his knuckles against the window. The driver unlocked the car and both him and Stuart got in. Soon after, the car drove off.

    Jepherson was still leaning back against the seat, his arm wrapped around Raeleigh. This time, she didn¡¯t do anything else other than adjust her clothes, in order to avoid angering him.

    It was only when the car rolled to a stop at the hotel¡¯s entrance did Jepherson open his eyes. Stuart held the door ajar as Jepherson gave Raeleigh a look, ¡°Get down.¡±

    He then stepped out first. Raeleigh took a brief nce outside and followed Jepherson.

    Raeleigh looked up at the hotel as the car door shut behind her.

    It was this ce again. She was here once more.

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh. He raised his hand and motioned for Stuart to return the handbag to her. Once the bag was handed over, Jepherson started to make his way into the hotel.

    Raeleigh followed a momentter. At this time, Jepherson had already walked up to the entrance. Upon noticing that she wasn¡¯t by his side, he paused. When she came close, he grabbed her hand in his and tugged her into the hotel.

    Stuart lowered his head a little. Jepherson will hurt Raeleigh if he continues to do this.

    Since she¡¯s already married, for him to still act this way was inappropriate.

    Raeleigh looked down at their joined hands. She didn¡¯t know what to say in this situation, and by the look of things now, she also had no other ideas on how to get out of it.

    Jepherson kidnapped Cynthia, all that trouble in order to force her out.

    The manager of the hotel was still the same person, she noticed the moment they entered. When he saw Raeleigh, he did not recognize her at first nce, but recognition came quickly soon after. The manager rushed forward to greet them, ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Mind your own business. Don¡¯te to disturb us.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Raeleigh gave the man a brief look before she was tugged forward into the private section where the exclusive elevator was at. After they entered, Raeleigh and Jepherson were the only two people around.

    Raeleigh felt uneasy from head to toe. In actuality, she couldn¡¯t look back to the days they spent together. He just didn¡¯t understand that she wanted to live a quiet and peaceful life. The fact that his world and hers weren¡¯tpatible, was something she had no way of changing.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson held her hand as they waited for the elevator. He waited until they were inside before he pushed her against the elevator wall, his breath heavy on her face.

    Raeleigh retreated a step, her hand raised to push him away, ¡°Please don¡¯t do this.¡±

    ¡°Divorce him.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s breathing was uneven. His gaze held pain beyond belief. He had looked for her for so long, and this was her exnation?

    Before anything could begin, she just decided to throw in the death sentence?

    Raeleigh shook her head. Jepherson scowled. ¡°I¡¯ll marry you!¡±

    ¡°I have a child.¡±

    Raeleigh solemnly announced this to Jepherson, whoughed mirthlessly, ¡°I will provide you with support.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head once more. ¡°I don¡¯t trust anyone but myself. I also have my own difficulties. Don¡¯t be like this and release Cynthia.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, Raeleigh¡­ We can also have children of our own.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s different. When I gave birth, the doctor said that I got hurt and would not be able to get pregnant anymore.¡±

    Jepherson was stunned for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s just right then. Let him be my son.¡±

    ¡°The child is innocent.¡±

    At Raeleigh¡¯s words, the expression on Jepherson¡¯s face changed. He lowered his head and covered her lips with his own. He gently bit down, his emotions all tangled together. Pieces of memories shed across his mind that sent waves of heartbreak so painful, he kissed her deeper to drown it out. Raeleigh made no sound and yet he moaned as if in agony.

    Raeleigh watched Jepherson throughout and thought, ¡®He¡¯s in so much pain, he could have had this as well¡­¡¯

    He kissed her for quite a while. It was only until the elevator doors slid open did he stop. He checked the area outside the elevator, and tugged Raeleigh through the doors.

    Raeleigh was then pulled into the lounge area where she was immediately pushed against the door by Jepherson after she entered.

    He ced both hands on either side of Raeleigh¡¯s head, his body pressed up against hers as he used his size to spread open her legs.

    ¡°If you want me to release someone, there is a way. You ultimately need to show a little sincerity.¡± Jepherson stared at Raeleigh with his bottomless eyes. ¡°You won¡¯t force me!¡± she eximed.

    ¡°That was the past.¡±

    Raeleigh closed her mouth and said nothing.

    Jepherson leaned forward and pecked her on the lips. Raeleigh turned her face away, ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡±

    Jepherson followed her movement as if he didn¡¯t hear what she said. He kissed Raeleigh¡¯s mouth, pestered her and gently caressed her. No matter what he did, he did it without a conscious thought. He was fully reliant on his present urgency and impulse.

    Raeleigh lifted her hands to resist him, but he had already slid his hand inside her skirt.

 Chapter 1637 Gone Without a Trace

    ¡°Mmph¡­¡±

    Raeleigh made a sound as she was kissed to the point of pain. Only then did Jepherson slowly let her go, his heart thumped at the sight of her teary face. He took his hands from underneath her skirt, twisted his body aside and let out a breath. He then loosened his cor, took off his coat, tossed it carelessly to the ground and strode off in the direction of the bathroom, Raeleigh¡¯s handbag taken with him.

    Raeleigh watched as the lounge door shut behind his back and went to pick up Jepherson¡¯s coat. She shuffled over to the bed, put his clothes down and turned around to study the inside of the room.

    Nothing had changedpared to when she was here three years ago.

    Jepherson stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of purple pajamas as she studied the room.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°How is Santiago?¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t you care about anyone else other than Santiago?¡± he countered.

    ¡°You seem to live here all the time, so who is taking care of him?¡±

    Jepherson walked towards Raeleigh from the bathroom. He stopped and waited for Raeleigh¡¯s response. ¡°I can only give you my heartfelt blessings.¡± she eventually said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want it. I want you!¡±

    Jepherson turned to one side of the room and brought out a pair of pajamas to give to Raeleigh. ¡°Change.¡±

    Raeleigh followed Jepherson¡¯s trek across the room, then stared at the sleepwear in his hands. ¡°I can¡¯t do this.¡±

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t let Cynthia go.¡±

    ¡°In that case, will you let her go if I put this on?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily, but don¡¯t even think about mentioning it if you don¡¯t change.¡±

    Jepherson put the pajamas aside and headed for the bed. He pulled down the quilt and sat on the bed, his eyes fixed on Raeleigh as heid down.

    Raeleigh turned her back on Jepherson, a little embarrassed. She looked at the pajamas but didn¡¯t change into them. Instead, she walked over to the sofa and sat down.

    Jepherson waited and waited, but Raeleigh never came over even until the night fell.

    Unable to sleep, he blinked open his eyes to see Raeleigh. She was curled up on the sofa like a pitiful child; with her face cushioned in her hands and her eyes squeezed tight, her legs crossed and huddled against her thin body, her feet bare to the open air.

    Jepherson crouched down and stared at Raeleigh. He raised his hand to touch her face, but withdrew it at thest moment.

    Then he carried her in his arms as he got up, startling her awake.

    ¡°What, you never got carried before?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s husky baritone voice prated through her bones and reached deep into her heart. She went motionless in bewilderment, which gave him the chance to bring her to the bed.

    Raeleigh quickly scooched to the side as Jephersonid down beside her on his back. He closed his eyes and mumbled, ¡°Go to sleep.¡±

    Raeleigh silently looked at the man at her side before she flipped over to get out of bed. An arm snapped out to pull her back but stopped when Raeleigh flicked a nce back at him, ¡°I need to go to the bathroom.¡±

    Jepherson let her go. Raeleigh got up and went to the bathroom as she said. Jepherson tidied up the sheets andy down again. When Raeleigh came out, she returned to her side of the bed and settled back down.

    However, neither of them could fall asleep. They justy there and stared unblinkingly into space.

    A long whileter, Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°Does he treat you well?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s heart went sour, and her words got stuck in her throat.

    Jepherson turned to look at her. ¡°He¡¯s not treating you well?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°People are emotionally sensitive. After a period of time, everything will be fine.¡±

    Jepherson chuckled and his head turned to face the ceiling. ¡°If he knew you came here to find me, wouldn¡¯t he be angry?¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°I will find a way to let him know.¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes were dark as he stared at Raeleigh. She remained silent for a long time before she affirmed, ¡°You won¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. My woman has been taken away. Why can¡¯t I take her back?¡±

    Jepherson flipped his body over and pressed down against her own. Raeleigh was given such a fright that she couldn¡¯t react at first. A secondter she raised her hands to push him away.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°To think Raeleigh can ask such a meaningless question.¡± Jepherson lowered her head and gave her a quick kiss. After they parted, his eyes remained glued on her. ¡°I really regret it. On the day we first met, the young Jepherson from back then didn¡¯t understand¡­¡±

    Raeleigh jerked in shock as a pang of bitterness shot through her heart. Jepherson lowered his head and kissed her again. He pried open her tightly closed lips, entangled with her, doggedly asking her¡­

    Raeleigh was a little dazed, her body losing strength for unknown reasons

    They were wrapped around each other for who knew how longbefore Raeleigh was released. Jepherson held her in his arms and kissed her hair. ¡°Take a rest.¡±

    Raeleigh lifted her head and gazed up at him, ¡°When will you release Cynthia?¡±

    ¡°Is she married to your brother now?¡± Jepherson asked seriously. Raeleigh shook her head, ¡°No, my brother has always been pursuing her but she never epted him.¡±

    In fact, Raeleigh had mentioned this before but Cynthia always insisted that Xanthus was not the person she¡¯s looking for.

    Raeleigh asked if it was because she was still thinking about Santiago, but Cynthia refuted it, saying that it was no longer possible. However, she also could not ept Xanthus. When asked for her reasons, she remained tight-lipped.

    In the end, Raeleigh was an unrted party, hence she couldn¡¯t interject too much about many things. This is why she was also in the dark about what actually happened.

    Jepherson stroked her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s best if they aren¡¯t. I can¡¯t be wishful, so neither can he.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at him but with his eyes closed, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t figure out what he was thinking.

    ¡°What are you nning?¡±

    Raeleigh grew a little worried when she perceived Jepherson¡¯s expression. If her return this time was just the beginning, she dared not imagine when it would all end.

    ¡°If I can¡¯t have you, nobody will.¡±

    Don¡¯t say he was merciless, the most merciless one of all was them.

    Raeleigh red. ¡°This has nothing to do with my brother. I was the one who wanted to leave.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who was right and who was wrong. Whoever can¡¯t get along with me, I won¡¯t get along with them. Cynthia isn¡¯t with anyone else but together with Jared.¡±

    Raeleigh sat up and lowered her head to stare down at Jepherson. ¡°You¡¯re saying that Cynthia was taken away by Jared?¡±

    He stared back up at her. ¡°I will support Jared¡¯s pursuit for Cynthia. Maybe he would be more suited for her. Didn¡¯t you say that they haven¡¯t even started yet?¡±

    ¡°How can this be?¡± Raeleigh couldn¡¯t understand Jepherson at all. How could he do this? Was he crazy?Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    How could he treat love as child¡¯s y?

    ¡°Why not?¡± Jepherson sat up from the bed and imitated her posture. They sat facing each other until Raeleighid back on one side, unwilling to struggle any longer.

    Raeleigh had never thought abouting back. She had found sce that was hard-won within thest three years she was away. In the beginning, Raeleigh had been on tenterhooks and kept looking behind her back, afraid of the day when he would find her. However, as the days went by and Jepherson didn¡¯t appear, she had gradually realized that he would nevere to find her again.

    She rejoiced, as she could finally spend her days with ease.But who would have thought that Cynthia would suddenly disappear a yearter, after her presentation that afternoon. She was gone without a trace.

 Chapter 1638 See You Again

    They couldn¡¯t find her no matter where they looked. It wasn¡¯t until her parents mentioned that Jepherson came by that it dawned on her as to why Cynthia had disappeared.

    Xanthus didn¡¯t want her to go, but if she did note in person, Jepherson wouldn¡¯t release her. She had topromise.

    She travelled back directly from abroad without rest and even concealed this matter from Xanthus.

    Raeleigh shut her eyes. In truth, all that happened had always foreshadowed this moment. She was just too careless this time.

    Bit by bit, the room grew quiet. Whether it be Raeleigh or Jepherson, only the sound of their breathing could be heard.

    asionally, Raeleigh could hear the wind from outside and knew the sound to be that of the wind hitting against the windowpane.

    Therefore, she was not worried. She was more worried as to when the people around her woulde back and cling to her again.

    With that notion stuck in her mind, Raeleigh didn¡¯t sleep for the rest of the night. When dawn broke on the horizon, Jepherson¡¯s body shifted a little and she woke up immediately.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Her body wound up as tight as a string, afraid that he would do something again.

    But she only felt the bed dipped down behind her, followed by the sound of Jepherson getting up and heading for the bathroom to change.

    Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the door being closed and turned around.

    She still remembered that Jepherson liked to y sports. The first time she came here, she remembered Jepherson carrying a bag of sports equipment.

    Deep in her thoughts, she didn¡¯t move her gaze away from the door until Jepherson stepped out from the bathroom. When he saw she was awake, he paused. He had changed his pants, but the shirt looked like the one he wore the previous day. Raeleigh knew, nheless, that Jepherson wouldn¡¯t change one thing and not the other.

    As he was smoothening the wrinkles from his shirt, Jepherson ambled up to Raeleigh¡¯s side and said, ¡°Help me take thebel tag off.¡±

    Raeleigh initially didn¡¯t want to move, but when she saw thebel dangling down Jepherson¡¯s chest, Raeleigh finally got up. She circled around, straightening her own clothes as she went up to Jepherson¡¯s front and snapped off the tag.

    Just as she was about to retreat, Jepherson grasped her hand. She raised her head in askance and he exined, ¡°I¡¯ll be going to work in a while,e with me.¡±

    ¡°When on earth will you set Cynthia free?¡± Raeleigh¡¯s patience was nearly at its limit. If the person in front of her wasn¡¯t Jepherson himself, she would have lost her temper a long time ago.

    ¡°When I¡¯ll let her go depends on your cooperation. Of course, you can decide not to.¡± Jepherson walked away from her and towards the door with a phone in hand. After he ordered breakfast, he went to finish his morning routine and came out dressed in another shirt.

    Raeleigh had stood to one side by then and eyed Jepherson warily. She took the chance when he was otherwise upied to freshen herself up.

    When Jepherson called out to her, she was a little stunned. Would he make such a trivial mistake?

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment, then walked up to Jepherson. She stopped and helped to take out thebel again like she did for him earlier

    This time around, Jepherson didn¡¯t do anything further. He just sat down on the sofa and patted the seat beside him, a silent invitation for Raeleigh toe over. It was only then she realized that her handbag was gone.

    ¡°Where is my bag?¡± Raeleigh stood where she was and questioned him. This wasn¡¯t an interrogation. She just wanted to know why her handbag was missing.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t answer. He simply said, ¡°I¡¯ll be going to thepanyter, are youing along or not?

    ¡°Jepherson¡­¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t speak, but the emotions on his face gradually froze over.

    Only then did Raeleigh shuffled over to the seat across from him, adjusted her skirt and sat down.

    Breakfast was prepared very quickly. Stuart had already arranged everything downstairs. The moment Jepherson gave the order, all that was needed were some final touches and it was done.

    A momentter, the doorbell rang. Raeleigh raised her head and looked at the door. She nned to stand up and get the door but Jepherson pulled her back down by her wrist. Instead, he was the one who stood up and opened the door.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡± Stuart stood beyond the doorway and greeted him hastily when he saw who was in front of him. Jepherson grunted in acknowledgment, then pulled the dining cart away from Stuart into the room.

    Stuart immediately retreated and closed the door on his way out.

    Raeleigh got up just as Jepherson parked the cart in front of her. He then sat down and assembled the dishes in the dining cart onto the table. Once everything had beenid out, he passed a pair of cutleries to Raeleigh as well as a small te of food.

    ¡°I can¡¯t eat so much in the morning. Is there any bread?¡± Raeleigh wasn¡¯t being picky. She really couldn¡¯t eat so much in the morning. If asked to finish a four course meal in one sitting first thing in the morning, except for the bread, she wouldn¡¯t be able to stomach it.

    Jepherson sat beside her and lifted his eyes to fix his gaze on her. ¡°I can¡¯t eat this much either. But how did he take care of you until you¡¯re so skinny? You¡¯re no different than a bag of bones, how can I ignore it?¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned into motionlessness. The bread in her hand almost fell to the ground. Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest. She wanted to put the cutleries down but couldn¡¯t, and she wanted to eat but couldn¡¯t finish.

    ¡°Then you eat more. I can¡¯t eat so much.¡±

    Raeleigh intended to give some of her food to Jepherson. As a result, he brought out another te andput it down on the table. ¡°There¡¯s still a lot. If it¡¯s not enough, I can give you this portion.¡±

    Raeleigh sat there, nonplussed, ¡°Why are you doing this? With your identity and position, finding another girlfriend will be a piece of cake for you.¡±

    ¡°But I only want you.¡±

    Jepherson took a bite of his meal and gave a little meat to her. ¡°Try this.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson, the very sight of you makes me feel angry and hateful.¡± Also pitiful, but she excluded that part.

    Jephersonughed as if she said something funny and put the meat into his mouth.

    ¡°You¡­ are a pain in the a*s!¡±

    She swivelled her head around to see Jepherson continue taking his meal in silence. She made no move to even start eating.

    Jepherson ate a whole te of steak, a bowl of soup, and even some other misceneous dishes.

    It was the first time in three years that he had eaten so much food, especially during the morning.

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson some more and finally began to eat.

    Raeleigh ate half a piece of bread and drank half a bowl of soup. She didn¡¯t eat anything else.

    Jepherson sat at her side with a sullen expression. When Raeleigh finished her meal, he asked her, ¡°Is this how he indulged you?¡±

    Raeleigh looked back at him. ¡°I still remember the days when Ste was still around, but I¡¯ve never talked to you the way you do to me, like a fool.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to say anything at first, but Jepherson just couldn¡¯t let it go. Just a simple breakfast and yet everything went wrong.

    He hasn¡¯t even gotten old but he was already so muddle-headed.

    Jepherson shot up from his seat with a fierce re directed towards Raeleigh. He advanced on her and in his haste, whether unintentionally or not, knocked against the dining cart. One corner of the cart headed for Raeleigh and though it wasn¡¯t moving at a fast pace, if it bumped into her, the dishes in the cart would spill over and soil her clothes.

    Raeleigh hurried to evade it. However, just as she was about to dodge, Jepherson held onto the handle of the cart and stabilized it with one hand. The dining cart shook but retained its bnce and none of the gravy in the dishes spilled over.

 Chapter 1639 He Did It On Purpose

    Raeleigh looked up at Jepherson in shock. At first, she didn¡¯t understand, but soon she realized that Jepherson did it on purpose.

    True enough¡­

    ¡°So it turns out trust can fade away?¡±

    Jepherson pushed the dining car aside, turned on his heel and headed for the door as he spoke, ¡°I remember it wasn¡¯t like this before.¡±

    Raeleigh straightened up and stared at Jepherson¡¯s retreating back. She didn¡¯t point out that even her trust towards someone had a time limit. To say nothing of the fact that he kept testing them repeatedly, even a strong-willed person would buckle underneath the pressure and their trust for him would erode away.

    Jepherson stepped out of the room and leaned against the wall outside to wait for Raeleigh. It was a first for Stuart to see Jepherson like this. He didn¡¯t kick up a fuss, neither did he vent out his temper. He looked as if his soul had been spirited away, and now all that¡¯s left was a terrifying, lonely shell; a shadow of his former self.

    Stuart tactfully hid in one corner while Jepherson waited for Raeleigh outside by the door all by his lonesome. His head was tilted back against the wall, with his hands behind his back when Raeleigh eventually came out.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t expect not to find anyone outside the moment she pushed open the door. The first person she was going to look for was Stuart. She looked around but found no sign of his presence when her eyesnded on Jepherson who had been standing at the side. A chill momentarily suffused through her whole body.

    But then she took note of his chalk white face, as if he had suffered an incurable disease and was now all pale and wan.

    An entire body filled with vicissitudes of life could only bring innumerable sadness.

    Raeleigh stood there and waited for Jepherson to open his eyes. However, instead of doing so, he reached out a hand and proceeded to pull Raeleigh into his arms. ¡°I¡¯m curious, why is there only my scent on your body to this date?¡±

    Raeleigh froze. Could something like this even be sensed?

    ¡°Sometimes I¡¯m in a good mood.¡± she replied.

    Jepherson broke out into a smile and stroked Raeleigh¡¯s back. ¡°Have you ever thought about visiting Lamarre?¡±

    Raeleigh was a little surprised to hear Lamarre¡¯s name. She pushed away from Jepherson then, who added seriously, ¡°If you want to see Lamarre, you must apany me.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do this.¡±

    ¡°Then what should I do?¡± Jepherson retorted. Raeleigh calmed down and stood there looking at the mulish man in front of her. ¡°Give me back my phone and wallet. I not only need to spend money, but also contact my family.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need these two things when you¡¯re with me. Even if you need them, there¡¯s still me.¡±

    Jepherson gave his own mobile phone to Raeleigh. She took it and dialled Xanthus¡¯s number who picked up at the first ring.

    ¡°Jepherson¡­¡±

    ¡°Brother, it¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡± When he heard her voice, Xanthus turbulent emotions calmed a little.

    ¡°Brother, I¡¯m very safe now. Jepherson and I are talking things over about Cynthia. He already promised to release her, but there are still some things to discuss.¡±

    Raeleigh peeked over at Jepherson, then trekked further away from him when she made her call. She caught sight of thevatory sign and pushed the door open to head inside.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you tell him, whatever matters he has, he can take it up with me.¡±

    ¡°Brother, you shouldn¡¯t stress yourself on this. This matter isn¡¯t that serious. Even though Jepherson is somewhat unscrupulous, he is very clear on what the hidden principle of this matter is. He won¡¯t hurt Cynthia. No matter whether it¡¯s for my sake, or for Santiago¡¯s sake.

    I feel that Cynthia hasn¡¯t been brought out, moreover, she is with Jared and you know Jared. For that reason, take this time to look for her while I hold him back.¡±

    ¡°But you¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind so much about me. I have a few tricks up my sleeves. The only thing I¡¯m worried about now is the Doyle family. They¡¯ll being for me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The brother and sister pair talked over various topics before they finally hung up the phone.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    When Raeleigh came out of thevatory, Jepherson came out from the men¡¯svatory at the same time.

    Raeleigh looked at him strangely. ¡°You were in the toilet too?¡±

    ¡°This is my ce. Don¡¯t tell me that you can go in, but I can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Raeleigh had no words to say to that. She returned the mobile phone to Jepherson and said, ¡°I still hope that you can return my phone back to me.¡±

    ¡°We can talk about the pher. Let¡¯s go to thepany first. I have something to attend to.¡±

    Jepherson put away his phone and brought Raeleigh to thepany with him.

    From the moment they got into the car until they reached their destination, Raeleigh brought up Cynthia again. Jepherson just stared at her with his deep, dark eyes and said nothing, as if he could shut Raeleigh up with his stare alone.

    Raeleigh stopped asking since she couldn¡¯t get any answers from him, thus it was meaningless for her to continue.

    After they entered the building, Raeleigh asked Jepherson, ¡°Is my mentor in thepany?¡±

    Raeleigh had tried to contact Lamarre for the past two years, but the line always went dead. She had also asked many of the design teams, but no one had seen even his shadow.

    If this time she could get to meet Lamarre, it would be an unexpected stroke of luck for her.

    Jepherson marched up to a door and stopped. He looked in her direction and replied, ¡°I will take you there, but what can you give me in exchange? Or how do you want to thank me?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. How could she express her gratitude?

    Sleep with him?

    Raeleigh¡¯s dainty face scrunched up a little into a dirty expression, but she stayed silent. She just looked at Jepherson calmly. Without waiting for her response, he turned back around and pulled Raeleigh along behind him and into thepany.

    When they entered through the door, the staff of Richards Group didn¡¯t expect to see her. They had never seen Raeleigh before and were extremely shocked. Mr. Richards had never had a girlfriend. There were some small stars who had coborated with thepany who wanted to stick themselves to him. But every single time he would give them the cold shoulder and refused.

    They also heard through the grapevine that somedies from distinguished families took the initiative toe into contact with Mr. Richards. But in the end, they were all rejected by him, with the im that he had a wife.

    Therefore, up until now, Mr. Richards had alway been the most sought after diamond in the social scene, so why that day¡­

    Everyone stared at Jepherson who came in through the door in high spirits with a woman in hand. This kind of scene was like that of a pair of lovers who were madly in love with each other.

    There¡¯s even a smile at the corner of Mr. Richards¡¯s mouth. His eyes were full of tenderness¡­

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    Everyone greeted Jepherson when Stuart suddenly said from behind, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, Madam Raeleigh¡¯s bag.¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned. Jepherson turned around and took the bag being handed to him. She looked at him with an indescribable,plex expression. Was that on purpose?

    After Jepherson took her bag, he continued his trek towards the private elevator as he ordered, ¡°Call all departments for a meeting.¡±

    Stuart opened the elevator and Jepherson brought Raeleigh in, her hand still grasped tightly in his.

    The sliver of a moment before the doors closed, Raeleigh heard everyone break out into an excited discussion. Many pairs of eyes with a strange look inside them looked their way until the elevator doors finally slid shut and blocked their sight.

 Chapter 1640 Making Things Worse

    Raeleigh looked over at Jepherson. ¡°Why must you do this?¡±

    ¡°What did I do?¡± Jepherson retorted, and Raeleigh asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell Stuart to address me as madam?¡±

    ¡°I did, but he already addressed you so himself in the car yesterday.¡±

    Stumped, Raeleigh had forgotten about it.

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Do you want me to show you the dashcam?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer but merelystood in the elevator, silent the entire ride.

    After exiting the elevator, Jepherson brought Raeleigh to his office andcalled his secretary after entering.

    ¡°Bring some fruits,snacks, and the magazines you read some time ago over.¡±

    The phone ended with Lucy¡¯s face full of confusion. Hadn¡¯t they forbade her from reading them in thepany anymore? She had already taken them home. Where was she going to find them right then?

    Although she was at a loss, Lucy Wagner was, after all, Jepherson¡¯s secretary. She made a prompt decision to search through the secretary team and found a few rather informative magazines. Then she went downstairs to pick some fruits and snacks then sent them to his office.

    Hearing the doorbell, Raeleigh answered the door. Jepherson had been busy since he came in, looking like he had a lot to deal with.

    Seeing Raeleigh, Lucy smiled. ¡°Here are the things Mr. Richards asked for.¡±

    Lucy left after Raeleigh took the things from her. Raeleigh then closed the door behind her and put them on his desk.

    Just as she was about to walk away, Jepherson asked, ¡°What¡¯s inside?¡±

    Raeleigh opened it and told him one by one.

    ¡°Wash an apple.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    It was amanding tone.Since Raeleigh was idling, she did as told. To avoid Jepherson from giving hermore work, she washed the rest of the fruits.

    There was a beautiful crystal tein the office.Raeleigh came out with a te of fruit and gave one to Jepherson.

    Jepherson looked up at Raeleigh. ¡°Cut it into pieces.¡±

    Raeleigh cut it and brought it back to Jepherson, then took a toothpick.

    Jepherson paused for a moment and asked Raeleigh, ¡°Are you always so obedient?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only because you have your hands full!¡±

    If he wasn¡¯t, she wouldn¡¯t serve him like he was a king.

    Jepherson continued to work and said, ¡°Feed me.¡±

    Raeleigh went around and fed Jepherson a piece of apple.Stumped, he stared at the apple Raeleigh fed him andopened his mouth, slowly eating it.

    ¡°I want another one.¡± Jepherson finished his work and checked his wristwatch for the time. All he had left was the meeting.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Do you have something else to do?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s time for the meeting; I¡¯ll finish it when Ie back.¡± Jepherson put an apple in his mouth and pressed the inte. ¡°Get ready for the meeting.¡±

    He took the te of sliced apples and gave her a piece while he wolfed down the rest as he walked to the door, putting the te down by the door before he left his office.

    Raeleigh followed Jepherson to the conference room downstairs.

    Stuart had already been waiting there. Seeing Jepherson and Raeleigh, Stuart pushed the conference room door open, and Jepherson strode to his seat.

    After entering, Raeleigh swept her gaze across the room. It was filled with people, and there was only a seat avable next to Jepherson.

    Everyone in the room was surprised to see Raeleigh. As there hadn¡¯t been a significant change in the top management team, most people here knew Raeleigh.

    Barely any newbies could find themselves sitting amongst the top managers at such a young age.

    ¡°Madam Raeleigh, your seat is next to Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Stuart was intentionally letting the whole world know something was up. Raeleigh really didn¡¯t like this side of Jepherson, but there was nothing she could do about it.

    Raeleigh nced at Stuart before sitting next to Jepherson.

    Jepherson knocked on the table and reminded the floor, ¡°If anyone wants to catch up, do it after the meeting. This isn¡¯t a gathering, so let¡¯s get down to business.¡±

    The room fell silent immediately. Jepherson took a look at Raeleigh, opened the file in front of him, leaned back in his chair, and began to read it. The others also opened their files. Although Raeleigh¡¯s return filled their minds,they immediately entered the zone.

    After looking through the papers, Jepherson handed the file to Raeleigh. Raeleigh looked at it; it was the sales for the quarter.

    There was a clear red line; its sales were almost the same as thest quarter.

    The sales weren¡¯t very much, but they weren¡¯t very little either.

    How should she put it? If it were any ordinarypany, Raeleigh would think they were losing money, but since this was the Richards Group, she didn¡¯t think so.

    It was highly likely that Jepherson was focusing on refining the cars. They were all of the higher-ends, so thepany didn¡¯t have to produce a lot in a year nor sell many of them.

    Yet, they could still make a good profit.

    Although they had lost some market, cars would depreciate with years. It wasn¡¯t definite that releasing new ones would boost the sales of thepany.

    Raeleigh ced the file on herp after looking at it and then moved her gaze to the managers.

    Jepherson said, ¡°We¡¯ll be releasing new cars this quarter. Whatever project you¡¯re working on, get them done ASAP, and get ready for a new assignment. I don¡¯t want any department to dy this matter. I will raise your sry this month and hope you can cooperate with thepany to reach our target.¡±

    Everyone had the same thing in mind. With Raeleigh¡¯s return,thepany would give her all its resources. After all, she was the wife of the head of Richards Group and was favored by Jepherson.

    If they hadn¡¯t known Raeleigh in the past, they might not understand why Jepherson remained single in the past three years. But since they did, they knew the reason very clearly.

    It was no wonder why the dormant Richards Group began to revive as soon as Raeleigh came back.

    Jepherson could give them a raise because of her. What was so hard to understand?

    It was apparent how dearly Jepherson thought of Raeleigh.

    Everyone reached a consensus on this matter, hoping that this time the sales would exceed the previous one.

    Sitting aside, Raeleigh was silent. If it was Jepherson¡¯s n, it would be pointless even if she refuted it. This was who Jepherson was; her resistance would be useless in the face of his ns.

    The meeting ended slightly before eleven, and Jepherson told Raeleigh, getting up, ¡°We¡¯ll have lunch at twelve, then go to the ce you wanted in the afternoon. There¡¯s still time; have Stuart show you around thepany. I didn¡¯t get enough sleepst night; I¡¯m going to take a nap.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.I¡¯m tired too!¡±

    Raeleigh deliberately ignored the part where he said he didn¡¯t get enough sleep, lest she made things worse.

 Chapter 1641 Sanitary Pads

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Jepherson pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hand and took her away.

    After returning to his office, Raeleigh sat down while Jepherson grabbed a pillow and sat next to her, then lied down on the inner side of the sofa.

    Though Jepherson¡¯s sofa was not as wide as the bed, it could still easily fit the two of them lying down.

    ¡°Come and take a nap,¡± Jepherson called to her after lying down.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯ll sleep lying on the table. Go ahead and sleep.¡±

    ¡°Come here!¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Jepherson shifted further in, waiting for Raeleigh to lie beside him. However, Raeleigh remained motionless. Jepherson turned sideways and spread his arm across the sofa. ¡°If I go over to you, it won¡¯t be as simple as lying down.¡±

    After a debate, she removed her shoes andid down beside him. Then he turned and cuddled her, cing one arm on her waist and the other into her cor, holding on tightly to her¡­

    With a heavy breath, she wanted to take his hand awayfrom her chest, butJepherson breathed hard behind her. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    Raeleigh froze, no longer moving. Jepherson gradually tightened his hand on Raeleigh¡¯s waist, and his breathing calmed down bit by bit.

    Hearing that he had fallen asleep, she wanted to leave. However, as soon as she shifted, he would immediately tighten his hug, rendering her afraid to move.

    Raeleigh tensed up, not daring to even flinch.

    Jepherson fondled her waist as his deep voice sounded from behind her.¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of?Do you think I¡¯ll eat you up?¡±

    Stumped, Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer but only stared at his desk. After some time, he tightened his hug again, unwilling to rx, as if he wanted to press her into his body so that they could be one.

    Enduring the ufortableness, she grabbed his hand and said, ¡°Are you trying to strangle me?¡±

    Only then did Jepherson let go andheld her hand, interlocking their fingers.

    This time, Raeleigh stayed still after he fell asleep. If she moved, she would wake him up. Perhaps he was only pretending, waiting for her.

    It was like a game of cat and mouse. Jepherson was the astute cat, while she was the frail mouse.

    At first, she didn¡¯t know anything. As a neer, she didn¡¯t know what this massive creature was. She just knew he was different, but she had no idea he would be the end of her life.

    Raeleigh gradually rxed, recalling the past.She wanted tough; if it weren¡¯t for this moment, she would reallyugh out loud. But now¡­

    Raeleigh slowly closed her eyes.Some things, even if it was too much to hope for, just sound like a joke. No do-overs.

    Jepherson opened his eyes. He tightened his grip but loosened it the next moment, closing back his eyes, continuing to sleep.

    Raeleigh thought she wouldn¡¯t be able to fall asleep, but to her surprise, she did in a matter of moments andeven slept past lunch.

    She might have even slept longer if Jepherson¡¯s phone didn¡¯t ring.

    Raeleigh shifted, andJepherson immediately patted her highly, waiting for her to go back to sleep. However, she still woke up.

    At first, Raeleigh was a little confused. She thought she was in someone else¡¯s arms. But the hand wasn¡¯t right. Only then did she remember she was sleeping next to him, cuddling, and not someone else.

    With that, she left him. Jepherson had just grabbed his phone when she moved, and his face turned grim, answering the call.

    ¡°If this isn¡¯t a life and death situation, I can make it one.¡±

    A chill ran down Stuart¡¯s spine as hegulped and said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, your lunch reservation, it¡¯s time.¡±

    Stuart knew this wasn¡¯t a life and death situation, but this was all there was. Not to mention Jepherson even told him to remind him.

    Jepherson hung up andy on the sofa for a while. Then he looked over at Raeleigh, who had gone to the bathroom, and sat up.

    Standing up, Jepherson stretched and rubbed his sore arm before walking toward the bathroom and knocking on the door.

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t expected Jepherson toe to the bathroom, so she didn¡¯t lock the door.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Raeleigh grabbed some toilet papers and began cleaning. Then she answered the door, looking at him. ¡°Please do me a favor.¡±

    Jepherson frowned. ¡°On your period?¡±

    Stumped, she stared at him. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°I guessed. What brand?¡±

    Slightly flushed, she said, ¡°Any will do.¡±

    Raeleigh actually had a preference,but this was Capital City. She had been living abroad for three years; how would she know if this brand was avable here?

    Jepherson checked the time. ¡°Go wash up. I¡¯m going out for a moment.¡±

    With that, he left his office. At the door, he told Stuart,¡°Stay guard and don¡¯t go in.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, where are you going?¡±

    ¡°The supermarket.¡±

    ¡°Supermarket?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Jepherson nced at Stuart. ¡°Do you know which brand of sanitary pads are the best?¡±

    Stumped, he answered, ¡°I really have no clue. Shall I ask Hadrian?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m heading down.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson¡­¡±

    Jepherson turned to look at Stuart. Stuart suggested, ¡°Maybe I should go.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to marry her in my stead too?¡±

    Jepherson spoke indifferently, but Stuart was so frightened that he gulped and dared not say another word.

    With that, Jepherson entered his private elevatorand headed to his car.After entering, he told the driver to go to thergest supermarket nearby.

    The driver dared not leave Jepherson, following him inside. After entering, Jepherson made a call before he started looking through the selection. Seeing that there were quite a few options, he got two each, taking up half a cart.

    When the cashier was scanning the pads, he went and got two boxes of beautifuldies¡¯ underwear.

    Seeing Jephersoning out carrying sanitary pads, the driver hurriedly took them and intended to put them in the trunk when Jepherson stopped him as he just got to the back of the car.

    ¡°Put it in front.¡±

    Speechless, the driver was baffled that he wantedtworge bags of sanitary pads ced in the front.What if there was something particr?

    But Jepherson was his boss, and he couldn¡¯t go against his order.

    The driver did as told, puttingthe sanitary pads into the car, then drove Jepherson back to thepany.

 Chapter 1642 Somewhere She Will Never be Able to Find

    When they arrived at thepany, the driver deliberately parked the car near thepany¡¯s entrance to prevent more people from seeing Jepherson getting off with the sanitary pads.

    However, many still saw him, and he even took the tworge bags with him.

    The driver reminded, ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson looked inside the car at the driver. ¡°Yes?¡±

    The driver said, ¡°She won¡¯t need that many.¡±

    Jepherson nced at the bags in his hand andwalked toward thepany, ignoring the driver¡¯s words.

    Seeing so, the driver immediately called Stuart, prompting him to tell Lucy to help Jepherson.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Lucy to reach the lobby, and Jepherson entered the building as soon as she arrived, yet he was still inevitably seen with the bags.

    However, no one dared to look at Jepherson, turning a blind eye.

    ¡°Mr. Richards,allow me.¡±

    Lucy took them over and apanied Jepherson back to his office. But the two entered two different elevators. Jepherson took the bags back as he went to his private elevator, while even though Lucy was put in a difficult position, she still gave Jepherson the bags.

    When Stuart saw Jepherson exiting the elevator with the two bags, he was stumped and wanted to take them from him, but Jepherson refused and entered his office.

    The door opened, and Raeleigh stood up from the sofa. When she saw Jepherson close the door with two bags in his hand, she was paralyzed.

    Jepherson put the bags on the coffee table and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know which length you use, so I got a couple of everything.¡±

    Raeleighlooked inside the bag and took a pack out. As she was about to head to the bathroom,Jepherson grabbed her and gave her a box of underwear. ¡°Make do with this first; I¡¯ll get you better onester.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the box, slightly hesitant, but still took it and thanked him before heading to the bathroom.

    Raeleigh locked the bathroom door, changed her underwear, and cleaned up.

    Raeleigh was usually prepared, but it was stranger that month, and it had only been two weeks since herst period. What else could she do?

    Aftering out of the bathroom, Raeleighpacked away her used underwear. She rarely did so as she even found it rather disgusting herself, and it should be dealt with immediately.

    It wasn¡¯t that she was a neat freak, but it wasn¡¯t something she should throw away so casually.

    ¡°I want to go back to the hotel.¡±

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh, sorted out the bag, and headed toward his office door with it. Seeing so, she said, ¡°Let me. Please tell Stuart to send me back; you don¡¯t need to apany me.¡±

    ¡°Is Stuart better than I am?¡±

    Raeleigh was at a loss for words,rendering her to look at him in silence. It wasn¡¯t a question of better or worse, but he was the president of Richards Group; it wouldn¡¯t do his image good if he was seen carrying this kind of thing himself.

    But he fixed his gaze on Raeleigh. ¡°Has he bought them for you before?¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent, flushing.

    What kind of question was that?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jepherson couldn¡¯t care less, exiting his office. Raeleigh stood in his office, deliberating before she finally went to catch up with him. Did she have a choice?

    Out the door, seeing Jepherson waiting for her, she walked to him, but before she said anything, he had already strode to the elevator.Stuart nced at Raeleigh and offered to help several times, but Jepherson ignored him.

    Inside the elevator, Raeleigh stared at Jepherson and thought he was as stubborn as a mule sometimes.

    Out of the building, Jepherson entered his car with Raeleigh following right behind. Closing the door, she looked at the bags of sanitary pads on the floorboard; it was as absurd as it could get.

    Raeleigh never looked over at Jepherson the entire car ride.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    When they arrived at the hotel, the two of them got out of the car and headed upstairs with Jepherson carrying the two bags. After entering their room, Jepherson got her a set of clothes, and she went straight to the bathroom to wash her clothes after changing, but there was no detergent, so she got Stuart to help get some. Only then did she take her time washing and hanging them up.

    Aftering out of the bathroom, Raeleigh saw Jepherson sitting on the sofa, looking that he ached all over. She felt a dull pain in her chest as that look was thest thing she ever wanted to see on him.

    ¡°Are you exhausted?¡±

    Raeleigh sat aside, fixing her gaze at him while he opened his eyes and looked over at her. ¡°A little. Can you give me a massage?¡±

    Raeleigh hesitated but still went behind Jepherson and massaged his shoulders. He looked up at Raeleigh, the corners of his mouth lifted. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything more painful than losing the love of your life.¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her gaze at him. ¡°You¡¯re like the pouring rain, making my journey as difficult as possible, but I can¡¯t stay in the rain; I have to go home.¡±

    ¡°As beautiful as this rain is, it brought coldness, and I can¡¯t withstand this coldness. I can¡¯t ept life in the Capital City.¡±

    ¡°What if we leave this ce?¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent.

    In the past, she might have believed Jepherson¡¯s attitude would have changed her mind, but not anymore.

    ¡°I¡¯m already someone else¡¯s wife. I will nevere back to you again.¡±

    Jepherson stared silently at her.

    But Raeleigh wasn¡¯t the least bit afraid. She massaged him for a whilebefore going back to her seat.

    Jepherson stared at the ceiling for a long time before he finally said, ¡°Whether you¡¯re married or not, your life is destined to intertwine with mine. Even if you don¡¯t care, I won¡¯t let you go. Remember this, unless I die, no one can take you away.¡±

    ¡°If I can¡¯t be your husband, then I¡¯ll be your lover!¡±

    Raeleigh was floored. A lover?

    Still staring at the ceiling, Jepherson closed his eyes. He was breathing heavily; his heaving chest said it all.

    Raeleigh frowned deep. ¡°This isn¡¯t you. The past Jepherson isn¡¯t like this.¡±

    ¡°The past Jepherson couldn¡¯t make his girl stay.¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent.

    She knew Jepherson wouldn¡¯t listen to anything she said at this time, so she didn¡¯t obsess over the matter, nor did she want to continue the topic.

    But his attitude at the moment was really frustrating.

    ¡°Stop joking around. Let¡¯s talk about Lamarre.¡±

    Raeleigh immediately changed the topic, but Jepherson wasn¡¯t giving up.

    ¡°We¡¯re lovers from now on. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Jepherson unterally decided, but Raeleigh wasn¡¯t going to let him have his way.

    ¡°No way.¡±Raeleigh was resolute.

    Jepherson stood up and looked at Raeleigh with a smirk. ¡°It is what it is; unless you divorce him.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and intended to leave.

    ¡°If you leave, don¡¯t ever think about seeing Cynthia again. I will have Jared take her somewhere you will never be able to find.¡±

 Chapter 1643 When Did He Die?

    Raeleigh pulled a long face. ¡°This is between you and me; why are you dragging her into this?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s only me and you, I can¡¯t stop you from leaving.¡±

    Jepherson stood up as he spoke andchecked the time. ¡°Hungry?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    Humored, Jepherson said, ¡°I like that about you; giving me straight answers. Even if you¡¯re smart, you won¡¯t use it on me.¡±

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh toward the door, taking his coat and his keys, leaving the hotel with her.

    When they reached the lobby, Jepherson asked the valet to bring his sports car over. Raeleigh asked where they were heading that required him to drive his sports car.

    Jepherson got into the car. He had withdrawn enough money and also brought some clothes, including Raeleigh¡¯s, for the journey.

    ¡°If my grandmother asks, tell her I¡¯m in a bad mood, and I won¡¯t be going home for a while.¡±

    Stuart nced toward Raeleigh.Could he interpret it as she was the so-called mood?

    Jepherson started the engine and headedstraight onto the highway.

    Raeleigh checked the time; it was four in the afternoon. Where outside of Capital City were they going at this time?

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°To see Lamarre.¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent. Lamarre wasn¡¯t in Capital City?

    She looked out the window and breathed a sigh of relief. Although it had only been three years, she felt it had been more than that since shest saw Lamarre. In another few years,perhaps Lamarre would be old.

    Because they were heading to see Lamarre, Raeleigh had no qualms, only reminiscing the entire journey.

    Raeleigh asked Jepherson, ¡°How far are we going?¡±

    ¡°A thousand miles.¡±

    Floored, she repeated.¡°A thousand miles?¡±

    Smirking, he nced over at Raeleigh. ¡°Is it far?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. She had a feeling no matter what she said, Jepherson would have a reply for it.

    ¡°If a thousand miles is far, then you¡¯re further away from me.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. It was useless to respond.

    They continued speeding through the night,but Jepherson was getting visibly tired.

    Raeleigh watched as he took off his jacket and chucked it behind. She wanted to offer to drivebut asked otherwise, ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to take a break?¡±

    Jepherson nced at her and said, ¡°The conditions here are not good.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t say another word. Sometimeter, at two, she woke up and told Jepherson to pull over at a rest stop, saying she wanted to use the bathroom.

    After taking a break, Raeleigh sat in the driver¡¯s seat and started the engine as shestared at Jepherson, hinting him to sit on the front passenger seat.

    Only then did he get into the car.

    After asking the directions, Raeleigh drove out of the rest stop.

    After entering the fastne, Raeleigh hit the gas.Jepherson had always known she could speed, but he was surprised her skill had improved since she left.

    As Raeleigh sped through the night, Jepherson fell asleep. By the time he woke up, Raeleigh had pulled over on the emergencyne.

    Jepherson frowned, looking at the surroundings as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Have we arrived?¡±

    ¡°Continue driving; I¡¯ll tell you when we¡¯ve reached.¡±

    Raeleigh drove the car back onto the fastne. It was already dawn.

    There was something funny about a person¡¯s biological clock;there would be a time in the morning where people would be sleepy. Raeleigh was like that; she would feel extra sleepy in the morning, especially if she hadn¡¯t slept well the night before.

    Jepherson told her to pull over, and the two exchanged seats with Raeleigh sleeping whileJepherson drove.

    Jepherson drove for another three hours, hitting noon before they left the highway.

    Raeleigh knew they were reaching soon, but for some reason, she felt heavy-hearted as it drizzled.

    After exiting the highway, Jeperhson brought her for a quick lunch. As it was the afternoon, and Jepherson said he was tired, they settled at a hotel and rested until dinner. WhenRaeleigh asked when they could go to see Lamarre, Jepherson said they would go the next morning lest they disturb Lamarre¡¯s rest.

    Raeleigh thought there was something off that night itself. She even dreamed of Lamarre scolding her.

    It was already the next morning when Raeleigh woke up.She was woken up by the sunlight when Jepherson drew the curtains. As soon asshe opened her eyes, she saw Jepherson standing by the window wearing purple pajamas. He seemed to be smoking. Seeing Raeleigh was awake, Jepherson took a drag on the cigarette in his hand and threw it into the ashtray.

    ¡°Are you smoking?¡±

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t wanted to ask, but she couldn¡¯t help it.

    Jepherson walked over to Raeleigh, held her chin, and puffed smoke into Raeleigh¡¯s mouth,causing her to choke till her tears flowed.

    Meanwhile, Jepherson merely stared at her, expressionless.

    Raeleigh coughed violently with tears streaming down her face until Jepherson loosened his grip and left to take a shower.

    When he came out of the bathroom, Raeleigh got out of bed; she also went to take a shower, saying nothing.

    Jepherson changed his clothes and waited outside for Raeleigh toe out and eat.

    Raeleigh kept silent the whole time. She would look over at Jepherson from time to time, but neither of them said a thing.

    She was choked until she cried,but she had a nagging feeling that it hurt Jeperson even more.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t help sighing as she sat in the restaurant.

    It was a gentle gust of breath, very soothing.

    ¡°Do you feel stressed when you¡¯re with me?¡±

    Hearing Jepherson¡¯s question, she looked up. He smirked.¡°What will happen if he knows we are sleeping together?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention him in front of me.¡±

    After their meal was served, Raeleigh had some soup. Jepherson looked at Raeleigh, his eyelids drooped, no longer saying anything.

    After breakfast, Jepherson took Raeleigh to buy some flowers. Standing inside the flower shop, Raeleigh had trouble processing what was going on.

    Jepherson handed the flowers to Raeleigh. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Raeleigh slowly looked up at Jepherson. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    He put on his sunsses and stepped into the car, waiting for Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh stood in front of the flower shop like a fool, staring at Jepherson with no reaction.

    On the other hand, Jepherson didn¡¯t rush her either, waiting.

    After Raeleigh got into the car, she followed him to see Lamarre with the flowers in her hands.

    By the time they arrived at the cemetery, Raeleigh was already unable to respond.

    Jepherson got out of the car and walked straight into the cemetery. It took a long time for Raeleigh to get down from the car and follow him.

    When they reached Lamarre¡¯s grave, an invisible pain crushed Raeleigh as she saw his picture on the tombstone.

    There were only ever two people who treated her selflessly in her life. Her grandmother was the first, then Lamarre.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    But she was now dead. She didn¡¯t even know when he passed¡­

 Chapter 1644 Miscarriage

    Looking at the time of death carved on the tombstone, Raeleigh then drifted her gaze to Jepherson and said, ¡°That time, you asked me to help take care of Santiago because you wanted to deal with Lamarre¡¯s funeral?¡±

    Jepherson lowered his eyes and produced a small notebook from his pocket to Raeleigh. ¡°He left you this.¡±

    Raeleigh took it and opened the notebook. The first page was nk, but the rest of the book was scribbled with some words that Lamarre had wanted to say.

    ¡­

    ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯m leaving. Please forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye.

    I had nothing to be proud of in my life. I had people that I loved, but I had no choice but to leave them behind with my weak body.

    Still, the process was very painful.

    Time isn¡¯t something terrifying. Compared to loving someone, it would be insignificant.

    I¡¯ve been where you are, so I know well the pain of being unable to be with the one you love, but I don¡¯t like forced love either.

    All I want to say is be someone with your own principles.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh, I didn¡¯t want you to know I was sick, so I told Santiago about what needed to be done posthumously. He was there when I was on my deathbed.

    I wanted him to help deal with my stuff, but I didn¡¯t want him to tell you about my condition, so please don¡¯t me it on him.

    This book is thest thing I¡¯m giving to you; inside is the heart and soul of my research. I hope you find it helpful and make you the most talented car designer.

    You are the best designer I¡¯ve ever met, Raeleigh!¡±

    Holding the book tightly in her hands, Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. ¡°Lamarre said he told Santiago, but he has fallen into aa. It was you who contacted him all along, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d always known about Lamarre¡¯s condition. He had cancer butrefused any treatment as he was optimistic in facing life and had long been indifferent to life and death.

    ¡°When Santiago learned of his illness, he forcefully sent him here for treatment, but in the end, they still failed to keep his life.¡±

    ¡°I took over after Santiago fell into aa. He only knew that the Richards family was paying the huge sum of treatment fee and nothing else, so I came.¡±

    Jepherson recalled the past. ¡°You were pregnant; I can¡¯t let you take the risk.¡±

    Staring at Jepherson¡¯s determined gaze, Raeleigh thought of her first child. It was indeed very worrisome; their first child had died because of her breakdown. If her second child were to be the same, then Raeleigh¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past now.¡±

    Raeleigh squatted down to look at the picture on the tombstone. ¡°Mr. Lamarre, I have my own carpany now. Are you happy for me?¡±

    Slightly surprised, Jepherson frowned. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Raeleigh said, still looking at the picture, ¡°Do you know Lanven?¡±

    Jepherson was confused. ¡°You¡¯re the president of the Bloom Aksea Group?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded, saying, ¡°Lamarre had a girlfriend who he once gave a painting of avender.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d hoped that one day, he woulde to visit me, but I didn¡¯t expect he had passed away three years ago.¡±

    Raeleigh sat in front of the tombstone, leaning against it.

    Standing in front of her, Jepherson gave Raeleigh his coat. Raeleigh held the coat but didn¡¯t wear it. She asked Jepherson, ¡°Did he leave anything else?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s also a half-finished sketch.¡± Jepherson had only discovered it when he was packing up Lamarre¡¯s stuff.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°You still have it with you?¡±

    ¡°Lamarre left you some of his inheritance, but you were gone when I went back. I can¡¯t take it for myself.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile.¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t have a kernel of selfishness at all.¡±

    ¡°Of course I do. I want you. Don¡¯t you know that?¡±

    Raeleigh blushed and diverted the topic. ¡°I want to have a look at the sketch.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you when we go back.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    ¡­

    The wind blew, and leaves fell. It was quiet all around. Raeleigh spent the entire morning sitting on the tombstone before leaving with Jepherson.

    Raeleigh strolled to the car, never looking back.

    Jepherson asked Raeleigh what she was looking at. Raeleigh said she was looking at the person standing above.

    ¡°This is not a goodbye but a preparation for the next meeting. I believe that there will be an afterlife.¡±

    Raeleigh said, then went into the car. Jepherson took ast look at the ce before entering as well. When Jepherson drove off, Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the rearview mirror, and a tear fell. She turned around and wiped her face quickly.

    The sky continued to be overcast until an autumn rain fell that night.

    Standing by the window, Raeleigh looked at the view with a hint of glum on her face while feeling restless at heart.

    She had never thought that Lamarre would have left this world so early.

    Seeing Raeleigh as he came out after taking a shower, Jepherson walked over and heldher waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.¡°Isn¡¯t it good-looking?¡±

    Raeleigh intended to pull his arms away, but he only hugged her tighter.

    Raeleigh gradually loosened her grip until Jepherson asked again, ¡°Is it a boy or a girl?¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her head slightly. After a long time, she said, ¡°Something happened to me before I left. The baby¡­¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s arms flinched slightly, then he let go and turned her around. Raeleigh slowly drifted her gaze to Jepherson. No intention of hiding.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying the doctor said you won¡¯t be able to bear another child?¡±

    ¡°When I was giving birth, my brain tumor acted up. I still lost him after suffering for half a month. He was already six and a half months old, but still¡­¡±

    With a lump on her throat, she turned to face the window.

    Jepherson stood behind Raeleigh, holding her in his arms. The room fell deadly silent.

    They spent the night with mixed feelings, but no one broke the silence and talked.

    After staying up for a whole night, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. She fell asleep leaning against Jepherson¡¯s shoulder before she knew it.

    Seeing that she was asleep with a drop of tear in the corner of her eye, Jepherson wiped it away and carried her to bed.

    The rain continued to pour even on the next day.

    Jepherson stayed awake the entire night, lying as he cuddled Raeleigh and patting her when she struggled in her sleep.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t remember if she cried. It was already six in the evening when she woke up; Jepherson had also fallen asleep cuddling her.

    Raeleigh moved his arm on her waist away, got out of bed to change her sanitary pad in the bathroom, and came out after cleaning.

    Raeleigh came out of the bathroom only to find no one on the bed.

    Raeleigh looked around for Jepherson and found him returning at the door. Closing the door, he asked Raeleigh, ¡°Hungry?¡±

    ¡°No. Are we staying for a few days or going back ASAP?¡±

    Raeleigh preferred things to be straightforward.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing fun to do here. We¡¯ll go back tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°What about tonight?¡±

    Jepherson fell silent.

    ¡­

 Chapter 1645 Suddenly Chuckled

    After packing up,they grabbed something to eat and hit the roadthat evening.

    Jepherson drove while Raeleigh slept. She was dead asleep the first half of the night;ter, they took a break at the rest stop, and Raeleigh took over the wheel after she had some water.

    In the car, Raeleigh reminded Jepherson, ¡°Fasten your seat belt. We will arrive in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Go slow. I¡¯m still here.¡±

    Jepherson wasn¡¯t afraid of death but worried that she didn¡¯t want to live.

    Raeleigh was amused but said nothing, feeling confident.

    Stumped, Jephersonadjusted his seat and put his hand on Raeleigh¡¯s thigh, leading her to look at it. ¡°I feel more at ease like this. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing,¡± Jepherson said.

    Raeleigh started the car and continued their journey. Jepherson slowly closed his eyes and fell asleepfortably.

    Raeleigh¡¯s driving speed was not what one would call slow.There weren¡¯t many cars on the roadte at night. As long as there was no fog, she wouldn¡¯t slow down.

    However, there happened to be a heavy fog, so she slowed down and followed the other cars.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    It was already two when Jepherson roused. It wasn¡¯t until she saw him waking up that she took a sip of water.

    Jepherson looked ahead and at the back, asking, ¡°Traffic jam?¡±

    ¡°Maybe something happened to another car. Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be a traffic jam. This is my first time seeing such a heavy fog.¡±

    Raeleigh had often driven abroad, but she seldom came out at night.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take over.¡±

    Jepherson intended to get off, but Raeleigh shook her head and said, ¡°Better not; there are cars all around us.¡±

    ¡°Why are they so close to us?¡±

    ¡°The fog is too thick. They probably didn¡¯t expect there to be so many cars ahead, so it¡¯ll be toote by the time they stop.¡±

    Raeleigh followed the traffic, her car slowing to a crawl; she had to move. But who knew they would get stuck in traffic.

    Jepherson brought the car window down and took a look at the front and back. ¡°We might be reaching a toll station; there¡¯s a rest stop a mile ahead of the exit. We¡¯ll wait there until dawn and after the mist lets up.¡±

    ¡°What a bother. Why did we leave at night?¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly regretted hitting the road at night.

    Amused, Jepherson said, ¡°No one¡¯s ming you.¡±

    ¡°It has nothing to do with ming. Even if you didn¡¯t say it, I should have known it wouldn¡¯t be easy.¡±

    ¡°Still so humble.¡±

    The two talked. As long as they did not broach any personal subject, their conversation wouldn¡¯t end with a fight.

    The fog didn¡¯t show signs of dissipating, and they did move too far ahead either. They stayed in the car until sunrise and drove off when the cars ahead of them did.

    Because of the traffic jam,they reached Capital City half a dayte, with the expected timing to be morning, and ended up three in the afternoon.

    Moreover,they were both exhausted; Raeleigh was still resting when they arrived in Capital City.

    Jepherson stopped the car at the entrance of the hotel but didn¡¯t get off. Stuart hurried over and was about to open the door whenJepherson raised his hand and ced it in front of his eyes, gesturing for Stuart to stay away. Stuart nced at Raeleigh, who was sleeping soundly inside the carand backed away.

    After that, Stuart had been watching Jepherson lying in the car with his seatbelt fastened. Raeleigh was dead asleep, so Jepherson dared not unbuckle his seatbelt, worried that there would be noise.

    Stuart frowned and looked at Raeleigh from time to time.

    Jepherson had given his entire heart to Raeleigh, but her return was like a sharp knife stabbing into it, and only he knew the pain.

    Although Stuart had kicked off his investigation on Raeleigh, Jepherson warned him not to go digging around.

    Stuart was quite clear that Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t lie for no good reason, nor would she even; he knew her well. However, he worried that Raeleigh wasn¡¯t lying about her marriage.

    So he¡¯d rather pretend to know nothing, nor was he willing to know.

    Stuart stood there for more than an hour. A car passed by and red its horn when it reached Jepherson¡¯s side, waking Raeleigh up. Jepherson¡¯s face fell. He looked at the car passing by, and Stuart quickly recorded the license te.

    The owner was about to face some big trouble.

    Raeleigh rubbed her eyes and sat up. She looked over at Jepherson to be slightly stumped that he had also fallen asleep.

    Jepherson was lying inside the car, pretending to sleep.

    After a hesitation, Raeleigh unfastened her seatbelt as lightly as possible, trying not to wake him up. She got out of the car and put on one of his jackets. The autumn wind was getting colder and colder.

    Raeleigh closed the door lightly. Seeing that Raeleigh had gotten out, Stuart took a look inside.Jepherson¡¯s actions baffled him.Did he want Raeleigh to wait for him to wake up like he waited for her?

    ¡°Madam Raeleigh.¡±Stuart walked over to Raeleigh and greeted her immediately.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Mr. Richards is asleep. Go get a nket, please.¡±

    Stumped, Stuart immediately smiled and obliged, running toward the hotel.

    Raeleigh turned around, chasing after Stuart who¡¯d run away, not quite understanding what was going on.

    After Stuart left, Raeleigh trained her gaze at Jepherson sleeping in the car then at the sky and had a constant feeling that it was too cold.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Stuart to return. Raeleigh took the nket from him, opened the door, andcarefully put it over him.Then she closed the door and opened the notebook Lamarre had left her.

    Stuart stood outside staring at them, feeling inexplicably sad.

    If they had met each other like how Deanna had, perhaps there wouldn¡¯t be so many obstacles now.

    After finishing the book, Raeleigh turned to look at Jepherson. She stiffened for a moment when she saw Jepherson had already woken up and was looking at her.

    Seeing that she¡¯d caught him, Jepherson casually lifted the nket, unfastened his seatbelt, and got out of the car.

    Stuart ran over and fetched the nket.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson nced over at Raeleigh framed by the gloomy sky. He went to the other side of the car and asked her toe out. He gave the nket in his hand to Raeleigh. ¡°Put this on.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m good. It¡¯s not that cold.¡±

    Raeleigh was already wearing his jacket, so it was useless.

    Jepherson swept his gaze over Raeleigh, turned around, and walked into the hotel. Stuart closed the door and reminded her, ¡°Madam Raeleigh, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Stuart, please don¡¯t call me that.I don¡¯t belong here anymore.Just Raeleigh, please.¡±

    Stuart bowed his head slightly and did not answer. Jepherson walked to the entrance and turned to Raeleigh. ¡°Don¡¯t bother with him; he¡¯s wee to file hisint with me.¡±

    Raeleigh looked over and said nothing.

    After going back to the hotel room, Raeleigh took a shower and changed into a set of pajamas Jepherson had prepared for her, then waited for dinner.

    Jepherson had ordered people to prepare some delicacies. They ate while watching TV.

    Raeleigh sat aside, and Jepherson sat at the head of the table. Both of them were wearing pajamas, just showered, looking all rxed.

    Raeleigh suddenly chuckled, seeing two penguins rolling on the ground.

 Chapter 1646 Press Conference

    Jepherson slowly turned to Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Is it that funny?¡±

    Stumped, she turned to him. ¡°A little.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    After putting some meat into Raeleigh¡¯s te, Jepherson continued to eat and watch TV.

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t a big fan of meat, but she ate it still.

    After dinner, Stuart came in and cleared the table. Raeleigh went to brush her teeth theny in bed.

    Raeleigh had already fallen asleep when Stuart came in for the second time, an unprecedented calmness on her face.

    Somewhat lost in thought, Stuart thought if Raeleigh could stay forever,Jepherson would be happier.

    ¡°Anything else?¡±

    Jepherson asked Stuart rather upsettingly as he came out of the bathroom. Panicking, Stuart turned to Jepherson and said, his head bowed, ¡°Something came up in thepany; you¡¯ll have to see to it.¡±

    Jepherson took a look at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°A car from ourpany self-ignited. This is the third time this year that our cars are faulty. The whole of Capital City is talking about this, saying our cars are the least safe.¡± Stuart exined.

    Jepherson frowned. ¡°When did it happen?¡±

    ¡°Six this evening.¡±

    Jepherson looked up at the time. Six o¡¯clock?

    ¡°What happened thest two times?¡±

    ¡°The first was brake failure, and the other was due to uneven fuel control.¡±

    Stuart had been investigating it andeven followed up with the insurancepany, but he still couldn¡¯t find anything unusual. It was indeed the car¡¯s problem.

    Jepherson sat down on the sofa and opened hisptop to look through the reports.

    ¡°Have the quality supervision, assembly, and outbound logistics managerse over.¡±

    ¡°Here?¡±

    Stuart nced at Raeleigh.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Stuart obliged and saw to it.

    Jepherson then waited, and the managers wasted no time, entering Jepherson¡¯s room as soon as they arrived at the hotel.

    They were surprised to see Raeleigh but immediately looked away. There were some things they shouldn¡¯t see.

    They sat facing Jepherson whileRaeleigh sleptsoundly behind.

    Stuart stood aside, apanying them.

    Jepherson nced at them, then lowered his gaze to the news on hisptop, asking,¡°Have you read the news?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Everyone had seen it. Jepherson asked, ¡°What do you guys think?¡±

    No one dared to say anything.

    Later, the quality control manager spoke up. ¡°We always make sure all the products pass QC. Because of thest two events, we¡¯ve tightened the tests; we¡¯re not sure how this has happened again.¡±

    Jepherson asked, his gaze still downcast, ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with the assembly line then?¡±

    The manager then said, ¡°That¡¯s impossible.We will definitely know if it is.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying, whatever the problem is, it¡¯s your department¡¯s fault?¡±Jepherson looked over at the quality control manager, his gaze fathomless.

    The manager then replied, ¡°If it really is our fault, I¡¯m willing to resign.¡±

    ¡°Do you think your resignation will solve it?¡± Jepherson said with a cold gaze.

    He then looked over at Raeleigh, who was awake.

    The managers all had a feeling that they had woken Raeleigh up.

    And they worried if Jepherson would take it out on them.

    Raeleigh sat up and took a look at her pajamas. Nothing that wasn¡¯t for public disy was on disy.

    Sitting there, she fixed her gaze at the others on the sofa in silence.

    Jepherson continued, ¡°Three incidents in such a short time, what do you think?¡±

    Everyone exchanged nces, but no one answered.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°It¡¯s probably not an internal problem; someone wanted to set thepany up. It isn¡¯t something major but big enough tocause a major blow to Richards Group. This guy might be a newbie as he left clues which would be useful.¡±

    Jepherson looked over at her, and the others followed. Raeleigh got out of bed and said, ¡°Stop your production immediately. Cooperate with the national quality control department; ask them to provide you with a report and post it online. Make it quick; you need to prove your integrity in time.¡±

    Everyone stared at Raeleigh in silence. They dared not do anything unless Jepherson said so.

    ¡°You guys heard her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Everyone hurriedly saw to it. Raeleigh only then turned to Jepherson.¡°You need to get the QC report from your material supplier ASAP, just in case.¡±

    Jepherson turned to Stuart and said, ¡°Hold a press conference at eight tomorrow morning. We¡¯ll exin the self-ignition.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Stuart then immediately saw to it. When there were only the two of them left, Raeleigh said, ¡°You have a backup n, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Jepherson smirkedbut said nothing.

    ¡°I¡¯m sleepy. Goodnight.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh went back to bed while Jepherson sat for a while before he followed her to bed. Cuddling from behind, Jepherson ced his hands on her chest, leading Raeleigh to move them away. Jepherson moaned, but that was it; nothing else happened.

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t cross the line.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything lovers can¡¯t do?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to it.¡±

    ¡°Should I do something to obtain your consent then?¡±

    ¡­

    They quiet down. Jepherson shifted his body and opened the sunroof; the sky was speckled with stars. In the end, Raeleigh eventually resigned.

    Theyy under the vast starry sky. They gradually fell asleep to the autumn breeze.

    Jepherson got up at six sharp. As he put on his clothes, Raeleigh got up too. After a quick preparation, they headed down to the hotel¡¯s restaurant for the press conference.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    The reporters have long been waiting. When Jepherson was about to go in, Raeleigh grabbed him and said, ¡°I can¡¯t go in.¡±

    Jepherson turned to her and asked, ¡°Are you afraid he wille looking for you?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. Jepherson nced at Stuart and said, ¡°Sit with Raeleigh. Also, ask the kitchen to prepare refreshments for each table.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine; I can eatter.¡±

    Raeleigh knew he did so because she hadn¡¯t had breakfast.

    Jepherson took a look at Raeleigh. When he was leaving, he suddenly gave her a peck on her lips and headed inside.

    bbergasted, Raeleigh felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

    It wasn¡¯t until someone passed them that Raeleigh came back to her senses, flushed.

    Raeleigh nced over at Stuart and headed into the restaurant, requesting, ¡°Find a way to get me a press card.¡±

    Stuart saw to it immediately, and Raeleigh entered with thenyard around her neck, sitting in an obscure corner. She then asked Stuart for his phone andpretended to be a reporter.

 Chapter 1647 Same Wavelength

    A guest approached Raeleigh, caught by her beauty, but Stuart immediately stepped in.

    ¡°Sorry, this seat is taken.¡±

    After the admirer left, a server came to their table with some refreshments. Raeleigh was indeed hungry, so she began to eat, and so did the other reporters. It was a no-brainer that most of them hadn¡¯t eaten, given the early timing.

    Leave it to Jepherson to be thoughtful.

    Soon, the press conference began. Jepherson first showed a few authoritative QC reports; they¡¯ve always had them, but there had never been a need to put them to use.

    Showing it right then meant nobody could overthrow any of his statementster.

    In addition, Jepherson specifically mentioned the issue of the car when the reporter asked questions.

    But no one asked why there were three idents in the car in such a short time, so Raeleigh raised her hand.

    Seeing it, Jepherson gave the floor to her.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Mr. Richards, if I may ask, why were there three idents in such a short time?¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson smiled and said to the room,¡°I can¡¯t say that someone is targeting Richards Group. It¡¯s illogical, no?¡±

    The reporters were stunned, but Raeleigh chuckled and said, ¡°You sure have a sense of humor, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Hearing Raeleigh¡¯s words, everyone burst intoughter.

    Jepherson also grinned but then knocked on the table, and the room immediately quieted down.

    Then, Jepherson nced inadvertently at Raeleigh before answering her question.

    ¡°We¡¯rein the middle of investigating it.We¡¯ve already assigned a leading private detective to look into the matter since the first incident. It was then we learned that someone had tampered with the car that had already been sold.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯vepensated the first car owner with ten times the price. You all might assume we¡¯re trying to seal our customers¡¯ mouths by shelling out money to cover up this ident.¡±

    ¡°However, life is priceless. If it is because of our car, no matter how much money I have, I can¡¯t bring back someone¡¯s life.¡±

    ¡°Richards Group would not hesitate topensate for any injuries caused by our negligence.¡±

    ¡°Compared to a human life, money is just a pile of waste paper.¡±

    Jepherson swept this gaze across the room; the reporters were all silent. He then continued, ¡°We alsopensated the second car owner with a huge sum of money. Just like the first, this money was used topensate for people¡¯s lives. Although nobody was hurt,Richards Group would not do anything without conscience. I still wasn¡¯t at ease afterpensating, let alone turning a blind eye to it.¡±

    ¡°Before the truthes to light, I will continue topensate if another incidentes up again.¡±

    ¡°But allow me to apologize. We¡¯ve only made progress by the third incident,which is thetest one. This is why we didn¡¯t hold a press conference for the previous two incidents.¡±

    Jepherson raised his hand, motioning for Raeleigh to sit down. She did so, and Jepherson continued, ¡°Allow me to tell you a story; you¡¯ll get where I¡¯m going.¡±

    ¡°Once upon a time, there was a wealthy man. He had a lot of money and a lot of properties. He hired a lot of people to work for him, to which he could earn more and more money.¡±

    ¡°A famous man would naturally attract rumors, and he was no exception.¡±

    ¡°There was a fool who was very bitter when he saw the rich making money. They were both doing the same thing, yet he was getting poorer by the day while the rich was getting richer.¡±

    ¡°Since then, he stopped working and started plotting against the rich instead.¡±

    ¡°One day, when the fool saw the rich doing charity by donating food, he went to get the food too. But after he ate the food, he told everyone he suffered a stomach ache for several days after eating it. He imed that the rich¡¯s food was moldy and only donated them because they couldn¡¯t sell it.¡±

    ¡°Since then, everyone suspected the rich was up to no good.¡±

    ¡°However, the rich continued donating food, remaining undeterred.¡±

    ¡°While the fool continued his nder every day.¡±

    ¡°At first, everyone believed him, but when people kept seeing the fool lining up for food, they no longer believed himafter some time.¡±

    The floor was silent as everyone exchanged nces.

    Raeleigh raised her hand; Jepherson asked her to extend her question seated. ¡°Mr. Richards,can I assumea fool has been deliberately framing Richards Group by causing these three incidents?¡± Raeleigh asked.

    Jepherson answered, ¡°What else? Our cars are sold all over the world, yet only the ones in Capital City are faulty. Why right under our noses?¡±

    ¡°In the past decade,I can¡¯t vow that our cars have never had issues, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s weird that a newly purchased car suddenly became faulty?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s more, in the history of car making, same batch, same issue.¡±

    ¡°However, this time, the first was brake failure; the second, uneven fuel control, and the third, self-ignition.¡±

    ¡°I refuse to believe our cars are gued with problems.¡±

    The reason why I said this jealous man is a fool is that he isn¡¯t a professional.¡±

    ¡°If I were him, I¡¯d only cause problems in the same ce. For example, if there¡¯s an issue with the brake, all the brakes from the same batch would be faulty. However, the three incidents were neither from the same cause; it proves something¡¯s shady with the case.¡±

    ¡°But I have a feeling none of you believe me.¡±

    ¡°These are the reports from the three leading private detectives I hired, and they¡¯ve confirmed all three cars were tampered with.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, the Richards Group will consider our own interestsand will not be responsible for their lives if they did not intend to appreciate it themselves.¡±

    Jepherson handed the documents to his subordinates and had someone switch off the lights in the restaurant. There was a screen prepared in advance on stage; on it showed the three reports and some photos of bribery. More importantly, all three customers had been in contact with the same person.¡±

    After showing evidence, the light switched back on. Jepherson then stood up and said, ¡°That¡¯s all for today¡¯s press conference. Everyone present will receive a gift. If you don¡¯t mind, it will be handed to youter.¡±

    With that, Jepherson left the stage. Raeleigh also stood up and exited through a different door.

    Stuart apanied her back to the top floor of the hotel.

    There was a monitor in Jepherson¡¯s room, and he was watching it.

    The reporters left one after another after receiving their gifts. At this time, the Richards Group had also begun trial and was ready to safeguard their ownership.

    The car issue hade to an end.

    After Raeleigh entered the room, she sat down. After a while, Jepherson looked over at Raeleigh, then walked to her to look at her press card, saying, ¡°Though we lost our trust, we¡¯re still on the same wavelength.¡±

 Chapter 1648 Pushing It

    Raeleigh put thenyard aside. ¡°Humans are blind and cannot stand any scrutiny; we¡¯re no different.¡±

    Jepherson said, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go and eat then.¡±

    ¡°Eat here. I don¡¯t want to go out.¡±

    Jepherson went to the door and told Stuart to bring some food over. After lunch, they headed to thepany.

    When Raeleigh went into Jepherson¡¯s office, she saw Lamarre¡¯s sketch on his table. She sat down and stared at it, spacing out.

    ¡°Why is there only half of it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s his assignment for you; he wants to give you a hand after his passing.¡±

    Jepherson had thought of developing Lamarre¡¯s sketch but decided otherwise after looking at it. Lamarre left it for Raeleigh; it wasn¡¯t his to use, choosing to respect Lamarre¡¯s decision.

    Although Lamarre had resigned, the unteral severance was not feasible.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson for a while and fixed her eyes on his face again. ¡°What would you say if I expressed my interest in coborating with you?¡±

    Hearing that, Jepherson sat aside with a leg across and pondered, ¡°I¡¯m sure you remember Lamarre was our designer. Even if he had already resigned, it wouldn¡¯t enter into force without my signature.¡±

    ¡°Santiago¡¯s agreed to it.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson. She knew he wouldn¡¯t say yes so easily.

    Jepherson chuckled under his breath. ¡°No one knows if he did. Even if you have his signature, it is a thing of the past. What¡¯s more, this can be overturned even with my signature, unless¡­¡±

    Raeleigh did not wait for him to finish speaking.

    ¡°Unless what?¡±

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh¡¯s wrist. ¡°Unless it¡¯s my official seal.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her hand and looked at the bracelet on her wrist, then back at Jepherson, ¡°You love ying mind games, don¡¯t you. In this case, even if you are kidnapped, nobody would get anything substantial because they still need your seal. And so far, I believe that most people, even those you trust, never even had the chance to see your seal.¡±

    Jepherson did not answer. Raeleigh looked at the bracelet. ¡°Sadly, I could never unlock it. If I can, I believe I will have you give away all your assets.¡±

    ¡°But you won¡¯t do that.¡±

    Jepherson said as he stood up, pouring her a ss of water and cing it before her. Raeleigh was indeed a little thirsty.

    After drinking, she went back to the sketch. If they really dide up with a car using it, how should they divide the profit?

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Jepherson asked, and Raeleighthought for a moment.¡°I want it all, but you probably won¡¯t give it to me. You¡¯re insisting Lamarre hasn¡¯t terminated his contract with you.¡±

    ¡°He really hadn¡¯t.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what else to say.

    She gave in to the matter in the end.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move on then.¡±

    Raeleigh went straight to the following topic. Jepherson asked, leaning against his chair, ¡°I reckon you want to know if the car will belong to yourpany or mine.¡±

    ¡°Yes, although we¡¯re not as big as Richards Group, we¡¯re still a rising star. I believe we¡¯ll set the trend in the near future. Even if it¡¯s not as influential as yours, it won¡¯t be too far off.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it will, in the near future. However, I don¡¯t see our coboration this time as a coboration; I prefer to think this is your return to Richards Group toplete the task you failed to finish three years ago. If we see this as the task from three years ago, then you¡¯re only back as an employee to finish the job.So, you¡¯re now not an interest-based partner but an employee of Richards Group.¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson. ¡°You are much more cunning now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer the word sleek.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing; so be it then.

    ¡°I can¡¯t make this design for you without taking anything in return.¡±

    ¡°You can choose not to do it.¡±Jepherson smiled.

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°You know me like the back of your palm, but I barely know anything about you. It¡¯s a waste for you not to be in politics.¡±

    ¡°But the Richards family has no interest in officialdom.¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent, scrutinizing the sketch.

    Jepherson knew very well that she would finish the sketch regardless because this was something Lamarre left behind, so she would strive toplete it.

    It was because he knew that that he would bully her so unscrupulously.

    ¡°I can get it done under the condition that youlet Cynthia go.¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡± Jepherson refusedfirmly. Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him, not knowing what to say. He was so determined.

    She then saidter, ¡°I¡¯d have to call Xanthus sooner orter. You are torturing him by doing this; he hasn¡¯t offended you in any way.¡±

    ¡°Oh, he has offended me in every way possible. Taking you away is the biggest torture for me.¡±

    Jepherson said unconcernedly, rendering Raeleigh at a loss for words.

    After a short silence, Jepherson said, ¡°I won¡¯t hurt Cynthia, but I won¡¯t let her go either. This is not a matter up for debate.¡±

    Raeleigh sat stillin front of the sketch until Jepherson picked up a pen and drew at a corner. ¡°You can leave; I won¡¯t stop you, but¡­ you¡¯re the one who came looking for me this time. You must¡¯ve known I¡¯ve been looking for you for the past three years, but you never appeared.¡±

    ¡°Everyone was watching me running around uneasily, but you never pitied me.¡±

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t show up this time, I wouldn¡¯t hurt Cynthia, but now that you¡¯re here, I won¡¯t let you leave so easily.¡±

    Raeleigh drifted her gaze to Jepherson. ¡°But I¡¯m married. Are you going to break it up? What¡¯s the point of doing so?¡±

    ¡°If we were to get things straight, it was him who broke us up first, not me.¡±

    Jepherson left his seat and walked toward the window. Raeleigh¡¯s gaze followed him, watching as he stood rooted to the spot, looking out.

    Raeleigh went over to him, standing right behind, saying, ¡°Maybe you are right, but I¡¯ve already left you.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t!¡±

    Jepherson suddenly turned around and shouted at Raeleigh,startling her. She stared at him, suddenly at a loss for words. The next moment, Jepherson pulled Raeleigh into his arms.

    ¡°Even if you are married, no one can stop me from wanting you. If he has it in him, have hime. Since he¡¯s dead, he should stay dead.¡±

    Jepherson held Raeleigh tightly. Raeleigh raised her hand slowly to hug him, staring at the gloomy world outside the window.

    ¡°You¡¯re pushing it!¡±

 Chapter 1649 Hiding Under the Table

    ¡°I¡¯ve fallen from heaven to hell. This is nothing to me. I didn¡¯t force you; you came back by yourself.¡±

    ¡°Shall I go back then?¡±

    ¡°No way. You can¡¯t leave unless hees!¡±

    Jepherson shackled Raeleigh in his arms like a child while she shoved him away with all her might but only to fail.

    They stayed so for quite some time until Jepherson snaked his hand into her shirt.

    This time of the year was rather pleasant, so Raeleigh only had on a thinyer of a shirt. As for underneath that¡­

    Raeleigh suddenly pushed him away and stepped back.¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to tease me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    Raeleigh went back to roll up the sketch when Jepherson went to her and hugged her from behind. She put the sketch down and tried to pull his hands away, only for him to kiss her from behind.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ Let me kiss you, please. I won¡¯t do anything, just a kiss.¡±

    ¡°No, Jepherson, you can¡¯t do this. If you do this¡­Mm¡­¡±

    Jepherson turned her over and pulled her into his arms, thenkissed her eagerly and passionately.

    Unwilling, Raeleigh shook her head, butJepherson only swept the papers on the desk away with one swift motion then pressed her on it. Unwilling to yield, she tried to shove him away using her leg, but before she could do anything, Jepherson propped his hands beside her, entrapping her underneath him.

    Gasping, Raeleigh looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡±

    But Jepherson only leaned in to kiss her. Raeleigh continuedto push him, only to fail yet again.

    As the kiss went on, Jepherson wrapped his arms around Raeleigh¡¯s waist, not giving a care if she was okay with it, and carried her to the sofa, removed her hair tie, and ripped her clothes, never leaving her lips.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Raeleigh tried to cry out, but it was useless¡­

    Just when she nearly shed tears from anxiousness, there came a knock on the door.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, Madam Marissa is here.¡±

    Stuart¡¯s knock brought Jepherson back to reality while Raeleigh was catching her breath, her chest full of hickeys.

    Seeing her panting, Jepherson covered her mouth with his hand, leading Raeleigh to re at him while he nted another kiss on her chest.Then he got up, draped his coat over her, and carried her to his desk to hide her underneath. After that, he sat on his chair and fixed his clothes as he called Stuart in.

    After entering, Stuart saw that the room was somewhat messy, but Raeleigh was nowhere to be seen; she must¡¯ve gone to the bathroom.

    Relieved, Stuart turned to Marissa at the door.

    ¡°Madam Marissa, please.¡±

    Stuart said respectfully.

    Marissa wore a green shirt,looking very displeased. ¡°What is Jepherson doing? Why did it take so long? I heard noises inside;what is he doing?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Stuart lowered his head. How would he know?

    Marissa took a look inside Jepherson¡¯s office and walked in. Stuart then closed the door.

    Marissa brought another person with her, Reese Myers.

    Reese,who could be considered a caregiver,was attending to Marissa.

    Marissa came to the area to shop, so she dropped by to visit her grandson when she recalled she came a few days ago only for Stuart to inform her that Jepherson was out of town and he wouldn¡¯t be back so soon. She then asked what he was away for, but Stuart said he didn¡¯t know.

    She was hell-bent on knowing what in the world he was doing.

    By luck, he was in his office right then.

    After entering, Marissa saw the papers on the ground and a couple of pieces of clothing.

    Seated across from her, Jepherson leaned against his chair, his head tilted upwards and his eyes closed.

    Marissa walked over to Jepherson and said, ¡°Jerry.¡±

    Jepherson acknowledged her and slowly opened his eyes to look at Marissa. She asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Then why all this on the floor?¡±

    Jepherson nced around inadvertently and said, ¡°What about it?¡±

    ¡°Look at your office. It¡¯s a mess.¡±

    Jepherson did not reply but closed his eyes back upand leaned against the chair. Marissa scolded, ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. What kind of attitude is this?¡±

    Jepherson remained silent. Marissa asked, ¡°You still hold a grudge against me, don¡¯t you?¡±

    He opened his eyes and looked at her.¡°What grudge do I have against you?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, of course. What else?¡±

    Silent.

    Jepherson closed his eyes and refused to speak.

    Livid, Marissa clenched her fists. ¡°Are you trying to piss me off? What¡¯s so good about that woman?¡±

    Jepherson grabbed a pack of cigarettes and dipped his head to light one whileRaeleigh looked at hispletely abnormal face from below.

    After taking a drag, Jepherson looked motionlessly over at Marissa. A thought then struck him, and he parked the cigarette in the ashtray.

    ¡°I still have things to attend to. If there¡¯s nothing else, Grandma,please leave.¡±

    ¡°Stuart, please see Madam Marissa out.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re chasing me out?¡± Marissa trembled with anger.

    Stuart rushed to Marissa¡¯s side. ¡°Madam, allow me to see you off.¡±

    With that, Marissa red daggers at him. ¡°Scram!¡±

    Stuart hurriedly retreated to one side, and Marissa headed for the door while Stuart nced at Jepherson before following her outside.

    After the door was closed, Stuart nced at Lucy, who immediately nodded at him.

    After he left, Lucy went to knock on the door.

    Jepherson asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Lucy thought for a moment and said, ¡°Mr. Robertson has gone downstairs; you may ask for me if anything, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Lucy had onlye in to tell Jepherson that Stuart left and she was guarding outside.

    Jepherson replied, ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±

    Lucy then left.

    After she left, Jepherson lowered his head to look at Raeleigh, and she came out.

    While she was fixing her clothes, Jepherson asked, ¡°Was itfortable down there?¡±

    Amused, Raeleigh thought it wasn¡¯tfortable at all, but did she have a choice? He was the one who shoved her underneath there.

    In actuality, this was the epitome of them. Raeleigh was bound to be the one unfairly treated regardless of the reason. In front of Marissa, she would always have to be kept behind the curtains.

    Raeleigh tidied up the papers on the floor then rolled them up. Standing up, she told Jepherson, ¡°I need time.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Jepherson picked up his jacket and took Raeleigh to dinner. Out the door, he instructed Lucy, ¡°Lucy, please clean up my office. When Stuartes back, tell him to send you back; it¡¯ste.¡±

    Lucy looked at the time. It was already seven.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson then left the office with Raeleigh.

 Chapter 1650 Chosen by Mr. Jepherson

    Before she left, Raeleigh took a look at Lucy and thought that she looked ratherely.

    Downstairs, Raeleigh asked Jepherson, ¡°How long has Lucy been working for you?¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    ¡°Going on two years.¡±

    ¡°She has a thing for Stuart?¡±

    ¡°Not sure.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you trying to set them up?¡±

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh over. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I? Stuart and I are the same age, but there has never been a girl around him.He¡¯ll be thirty in another two years. If it were in the sixties, he would¡¯ve already been a father to a group of children.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing in response.

    Feeling rather speechless.

    Who said that he¡¯d have to get hitched and start a family before he was thirty?

    Jepherson took this too lightly. Love wasn¡¯t something the onlookers could simply meddle in.

    Raeleighfound it hard to imagine the kind of journey someone like Stuart would have in his love life.

    ¡­

    ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Jepherson?¡± Stuart returned to see the door to Jepherson¡¯s office wide open, so he entered. Jepherson and Raeleigh were nowhere to be seen while Lucy was cleaning up.

    Lucy looked over at Stuart and said, ¡°He¡¯d left. Mr. Jepherson told me to have you send me home as it¡¯ste. Butyou don¡¯t have to;I have a car.¡±Lucy said as she cleaned up.

    Stuart wouldn¡¯t go against Jepherson¡¯s orders, so he did as told.

    Stuart helped out thenasked Lucy, ¡°Are you going home for dinner or eating outside?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going home to eat. My parents are waiting for me, so I have to.¡±

    After cleaning up, Lucy washed her hands and followed Stuart outside. Then she brought him to her car.

    As they walked, Lucy kept telling him he didn¡¯t need to send her off, butStuart kept silent, following her to the underground parking lot. When they arrived, Lucy intended to drive only for Stuart to tell her to sit in the front passenger seat while he drove.

    As she stayed quite some distance away from thepany in addition to the traffic jam, Stuart was still in the car at eight.

    However, he wasn¡¯t anxious at all while Lucy had called her brother and parents. She seemed to have a lot of family members.

    When she reached home, her brother was waiting for her at the door.

    Lucy got out of the car and nned to let Stuart drive her car back. It wasn¡¯t until she looked back thatshe found the Richards family¡¯s car had been following behind.

    ¡°Thank you for sending me back, Mr. Robertson.¡±

    Lucy got out of the car and thanked Stuart. Stuart had intended to leave then, but the driver got out and went to him before he could.

    ¡°It¡¯s from Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    The driver handed the phone to Stuart. He answered the phone and looked at the personing over.

    ¡°Lucy, who is this?¡±

    It was Lucy¡¯s older brother, Chirsen. She introduced Stuart, saying, ¡°He¡¯s Mr. Richards¡¯s assistant. Seeing it¡¯s sote, he sent me back.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Invite him in for dinner then. We¡¯re waiting for you anyways; we can¡¯t let him leave with an empty stomach.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, I don¡¯t think he has the time¡­¡±

    Lucy intended to refuse on his behalf, but Stuart returned the phone to the driver and said, ¡°I happen to be hungry; thank you for the invitation.¡±

    Lucy didn¡¯t know how to respond.

    Holding her bag, Lucy stood beside her car, looking somewhat lost.

    He was just here to send her back. How had things developed into this?

    Hearing Stuart¡¯s answer and Lucy¡¯s reaction, Chirsen had a hunch.

    There had never been a boy around Lucy growing up, as she never thought much of them; Stuart was probably no exception. However, Stuart probably had a thing for his sister; if he didn¡¯t, he wouldn¡¯t have epted his invitation.

    Chirsen hurriedly invited Stuart in.

    It took no time for Lucy¡¯s parents to approve of Stuart when they saw the handsome and well-spoken guest.

    With the arrival of an unexpected guest, Lucy¡¯s mother, Melinda hurriedly cooked up another dish.

    While Lucy¡¯s father, Morgus, and Chirsen entertained Stuart, Lucy went upstairs to get changed. It didn¡¯t take long for her toe back down.

    She wore light-colored loungewear and a pair of slippers. When she came downstairs, Lucy said, ¡°Mr. Robertson is always tied up with work. Don¡¯t ask him too many questions; he¡¯s my boss.¡±

    Stuart sized Lucy up and said after a while, ¡°It¡¯s okay; I also find it fun to talk with Mr. Morgus and Mr. Chirsen.¡±

    Lucy was utterly speechless. First time visiting, and already he was talking to her so candidly?

    He seemed to have really thought of himself as part of the family.

    ¡°C¡¯mon over; dinner¡¯s ready. Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Robertson.¡±

    Melinda put down the dish and said to Stuart. Lucy knew her mother was obviously trying to please him.

    ¡°Mom, Stuart is my superior. It¡¯s not what you think.¡± Lucy knew very well that Stuart and Jepherson had a rtionship that no one else could even start to aspire.

    Melinda ignored her and said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Why would he stay if he didn¡¯t have feelings for her?

    With that, Stuart went to wash his hands and stayed with the Wagners for dinner.

    As the family ate, they asked Stuart all kinds of questions; his age, family members, hobbies, and things like that.

    Lucy was like a stepmother¡¯s child, sitting next to Stuart, eating with a bitter face.

    Stuart stayed for a while after dinner as per Melinda¡¯s request. When he was ready to leave, Lucy went to see him off, feeling d that he was finally leaving.

    Out the door, standing next to the car, Stuart asked Lucy,¡°Do you have a boyfriend?¡±

    Lucy looked at Stuart, confused, but she vaguely felt it wasn¡¯t something Stuart should know.

    ¡°Why would you ask me this?¡±

    Lucy found it strange.

    Stuart said bluntly, ¡°I¡¯m an orphan who grew up in the Richards family; Mr. Richards and his family raised me. When I grew up, I stayed by his side and worked for them. For this, I¡¯ll do whatever they want me to do.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Still confused, Lucy fixed her gaze at Stuart¡¯s handsome and gentle face.

    Stuart nced over at Chirsen, who was standing at the front door, waiting for Lucy.

    ¡°Would you mind taking a stroll with me?¡±

    Lucy looked back and understood he wanted to talk in private, so she agreed.

    ¡°Give me a moment;I¡¯ll just let my brother know.¡±

    After informing Chirsen, Lucy followed Stuart to the streetlights.

    It was a somewhat cold autumn. Stuart removed his coat and draped it over Lucy¡¯s shoulder, and she said thanks.

    A long shadow formed as they walked under the streetlights. Stuart put his hands behind his back while Lucy buried hers inside her clothes. As they walked away and back to Lucy¡¯s house, Stuart told Lucy his stories in the Richards family.

    After stopping, Lucy asked, ¡°Are you going to listen to Mr.Jepherson even when ites to your marriage?¡±

    Stuart blinked and asked, ¡°Do you hate me?¡±

    Stumped, Lucyshook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    Stuart smiled and said, ¡°I should be d Mr. Jepherson chose you and not Miss Delia from HR.¡±

    Lucy thought for a moment. She had an impression of that Miss Delia he was referring to; she was very imperious.

 Chapter 1651 We Could Give It a Try

    Lucy was rather amused. ¡°Even so, it doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡±

    ¡°But we have known each other for two years. Don¡¯t you have any feelings for me?¡±

    Lucydidn¡¯t quite get it andasked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    After some thinking, Stuart said, ¡°I never thought about this before thinking about marriage. Don¡¯t mind if I show you.¡±

    Stuart bent down and lifted his pant leg, revealing a long scar on his leg.

    Caught by surprise, Lucy¡¯s eyes found Stuart¡¯s face. ¡°What happened to your leg?¡±

    ¡°I met with a car ident a few years back and nearly followed the grim reaper,nding myself paralyzed from the waist down. But Mr. Jepherson wasn¡¯t willing to give up on me, andter I was given a chance to stand back up again.¡±

    ¡°But even so,my body still bears the permanent pain and scars. Although I¡¯ve undergone reconstructive surgery, it will never be how it used to look.¡±

    ¡°A person like me is not the most ideal partner for many people.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I hope the person I will marry can ept these.¡±

    Lucy looked at Stuart and said, ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is if you¡¯re doing this for yourself or Mr. Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°I believe in his judgment and my feelings.¡±

    Lucy didn¡¯t know what to say to that.

    She had maxed out on her response.

    After a long time, she said, ¡°You like me?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    Lucy didn¡¯t know what to think of it.

    Blushing, she turned away, and silence filled the atmosphere. Seeing that Stuart didn¡¯t say anything, she spoke up, ¡°I¡¯ll sleep on it first.¡±

    ¡°You do that.¡±

    Stuart agreed.It was when Lucy was far away thathe returned to the car.

    Jepherson had already gone to bed by the time Stuart returned. Hearing a rap on the door, Jepherson answered it, asking in lieu of a greeting, ¡°How did it go?¡±

    ¡°She agreed to consider it.¡±

    ¡°Happy with her?¡±

    Jepherson asked bluntly, but Stuart didn¡¯t answer.

    Although Raeleigh was on the verge of falling asleep, she heard their conversation clearly; Stuart didn¡¯t answer.

    Jepherson invited Stuart in, who then entered.

    Jepherson walked to his desk and gave Stuart a document, saying,¡°She didn¡¯t like to be close to boys growing up, nor has shedated anybody even in high school and college.¡±

    ¡°Someone pursued her when she was doing her master¡¯s degree,but she turned him down.¡±

    In other words, she knows to protect herself and cares for her reputation.¡±

    ¡°A person who has a high regard for herself would definitely spend the rest of her life with someone who loves her.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t have anyone you like as of yet, you can give it a try with her.¡±

    ¡°But of course, I respect your decision.¡±

    Stuart epted the document and nced at it. ¡°She agreed to consider, but she didn¡¯t give me her yes on the spot.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re willing to give this a chance?¡±

    Jepherson stared at Stuart, his gaze fathomless. After a while, Stuart said, ¡°I don¡¯t dislike her. If she¡¯s one of ourpany¡¯s employees, I¡¯m d that it¡¯s her.¡±

    Amused, Jepherson suggested,¡°Would you be able to bed her within a month?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s words got Stuart floored; even Raeleigh shot her eyes open. Howridiculous!

    ¡°We¡¯re not married yet.¡± Stuart didn¡¯t want to take things so quickly.

    Jepherson smirked. ¡°You and me both.¡±

    Stuart looked at Raeleigh on the bed with her back to him and thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±

    ¡°No, not ¡®I¡¯ll try¡¯. If you¡¯re not up for it,scratch the whole idea.¡±

    Stuart then fell silent.

    ¡°I understand,¡± he said after a while.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Stuart was about to leave when Jepherson said, ¡°One more thing.¡±

    Stuart stopped.

    ¡°Make sure she doesn¡¯t find out about the document in your hands, lest they affect any chances you both have at this rtionship.¡±

    Stuart stared at Jepherson for a while before turning to leave.

    After he left, Jepherson went back to bed, a good night¡¯s sleep that night.

    The next day, after a light breakfast, Raeleigh followed Jepherson to thepany. On their journey,she brought up Cynthia, but his lips were still tight.

    ¡°What in the world do you want?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything but you staying by my side.¡±

    Jepherson, sitting next to her, held her hand tight, not letting her speak. He let go in no time, not hurting her but enough toserve as a warning.

    Resigned, Raeleigh fell silent.

    When they arrived at thepany, she followed Jepherson to his office and passed by Lucy. Raeleighpaused for a moment before entering the office.

    After entering, Raeleigh pulled out the surveince on Lucy.

    ¡­

    ¡°Have youe to a decision after sleeping on it?¡±

    Stuart approachedLucy after Raeleigh and Jepherson entered his office. Lucy was a little nervous; she never had trouble sleeping untilst night. She stayed up the entire night thinking about Stuart; his face filled her mind when she closed her eyes.

    Lucy couldn¡¯t stand this side of herself.

    Lucy huffed a murky breath.

    She looked up at Stuart. ¡°I guess we can try.¡±

    Stuart smiled and said, ¡°Are you avable tonight?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go for a ssic dinner-and-a-movie date.¡±

    Lucy couldn¡¯t quite connect with her brain for a moment. Then she nced over at Jepherson¡¯s office and asked, ¡°Do you not have to stay with Mr. Richards?¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask for a leave.¡±

    ¡°What time then?¡±

    ¡°How about six? We get off work at five,dinner at six, then a movie at eight. I¡¯ll buy the tickets.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±Lucy agreed.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, who was handing her a cup of warm milk.

    She took it from him and asked, ¡°How did you know it would work?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s call it intuition.¡±

    Jepherson was drinking tea; he stood behind Raeleigh, both of them watching the footage.

    Raeleigh felt that it was half-baked, thinking such an arrangement would invariably end up with no love between them.

    How could someone who treated love as a child¡¯s ybe happy? Stuart, too; it was bound to fail one way or another.

    Raeleigh left to work on Lamarre¡¯s sketch while Jepherson got down to his work. They never spoke to each other the entire day until Stuart took Lucy out for the date.

    The next day, Jepherson routinely asked Stuart how it went, and Stuart reported with a ¡°We¡¯re a work-in-progress¡±.

    Raeleigh also wanted to find out how it had proceeded. However, after a week, Xanthus called and said he still couldn¡¯t find Cynthia. Raeleigh was growing anxious as well, confirming with Jepherson about her release.

    Leaning against the sofa, Jepherson patted his thigh and said, ¡°Sit here.¡±

    Raeleigh stood opposite him.¡°No way.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that hard.¡±

    Raeleigh was rendered speechless.

    She hadn¡¯t meant it like that, but Jepherson intentionally misinterpreted her.

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m being serious here.¡±

    Raeleigh snapped her mouth shut and stopped talking.

    At this moment, someone knocked on the door. ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    Jepherson looked up. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Lucy¡¯s feeling sick; I¡¯d like to takeher to the hospital?¡± Stuart looked over at Lucy from the door; she was lying on the table with her hands on her stomach.

    No one knew what had happened.

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    When Jepherson agreed, Raeleigh turned to the surveince monitor while Stuart carried Lucy in his arms.

 Chapter 1652 Break Up

    As opposed to Stuart¡¯s height and physique, Lucy was so frail and petite that carrying her was like carrying a child.

    Feeling ill in Stuart¡¯s arms, Lucy¡¯s face leached of any color.

    Raeleigh followed them out,solicitous about her condition.

    She asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. She¡¯s been like this since after lunch; we ate in the cafeteria here, but I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Stuart took her into the elevator, and Raeleigh followed him.

    Jepherson entered soon after, taking his time. Raeleigh nced at him and thought it¡¯d be better off if he didn¡¯t follow, slowing everyone down.

    Exiting the elevator, Stuart rushed to the car with Lucy in his arms and sent her to the hospital. Raeleigh and Jepherson followed them in another car.

    After a quick check, the doctor said Lucy ate something she shouldn¡¯t have. Although it was not deadly, she suffered the entire afternoon.

    In the evening, Stuart called the Wagner family and informed them Lucy would be staying over at his ce that night,but he kept her sickness out of the story.

    Jepherson returned to thepany with Raeleighand checked the surveince footage.

    They found someone had slipped two pills into Lucy¡¯s cup.

    Jepherson called the police that night and caught the wrongdoer.

    ¡­

    Three days passed, andLucy was discharged. Stuart drove her to his ce.

    Lucy looked around as she got out of the car.¡°I thought you weretaking me home?¡±

    Stuart got out of the car and walked to her. ¡°I need to tell you something.¡±

    ¡°What about?¡±

    ¡°Per Mr. Jepherson¡¯s order, we are to have sex within ten days, or else he would separate us.¡±

    Leave it for Stuart to be so straightforward.

    Lucy felt as if he was speaking in Greek, unable to respond, staringat Stuart. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    Stuart shook his head: ¡°No.¡±

    Lucy went back into the car. ¡°Take me home.¡±

    She could not ept it. Thiswasn¡¯t love, but business; this was her life, for God¡¯s sake.

    She would never be caught dead selling her body.

    Stuart stood outside and did not say anything to persuade her to stay. He would not force Lucy to do anything she hadn¡¯t consented to.

    He went back to the driver¡¯s seat and sent her back.

    He didn¡¯t say a word the entire journey. Although he was reluctant, he¡¯d feel even worse if he mistreated her.

    Although it was only a short ten days, there was still a little something between them.

    When they reached her home, Lucy went straight in.After a few steps, she heard Stuart getting out of the car. She turned to look at him and said, ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t ept this arrangement.¡±

    Stuart smiled and said, ¡°Hold up.¡±

    Lucy waited, and he went back to the car, took out a box, and handed it to her.

    ¡°I¡¯ve prepared this ready for today. Whether it¡¯s a yes or a no, I¡¯ve gotten you this.¡±

    Stuart opened the box and took the diamond ring out.Taking her right hand, he slid it on her ring finger.

    Lucy found it painful to watch. She looked up at Stuart and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you speak up for yourselffor once?¡±

    ¡°No, I will never refuse them in my life.¡±

    Tears fell down Lucy¡¯s face; she had put her heart into this rtionship. In so many years of her life, Stuart was her first boyfriend.

    She had given this rtionship her all.

    Seeing Lucy was silent, Stuart bowed his head and kissed her cheek. Standing straight,he said, ¡°I have already thought of a way out for you. There are manypanies under the Richards Group; one of them is to train receptionists. The sry there is pretty good, it¡¯s even considered the highest in all thepanies. I will arrange for you to be a supervisor. If you do well in the future, you can still be promoted.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t stay with Mr. Jepherson anymore.¡±

    ¡°You probably wouldn¡¯t want to see me walking around.¡±

    Stuart said as he wiped Lucy¡¯s tears away, and she sniffled.¡°I really hate you!¡±

    He smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Lucy swallowed and said, ¡°Maybe¡­¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s final.¡±

    Lucy looked at Stuart. ¡°Then,we¡­¡±

    Stuart held her hand and pulled her into his arms, patting her gently as hesaid, ¡°Lucy, you¡¯re the only person I¡¯ve ever liked. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t be the one for you.¡±

    Tears fell like a never-ending waterfall down Lucy¡¯s face,pletely heartbroken. It was the first time she experienced a breakup; she had never known it could be so painful.

    Her heart seemed to have shattered into a million pieces!

    Stuart let go of her. ¡°Go on in.¡±

    She looked up and asked him,¡°Why didn¡¯t you just do it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m no b*stard. I want you to be willing to do it with me.¡±

    Lucy sniffled while Stuart returned to his car, started the engine,and nced at her beforedriving away.

    Lucy watched as Stuart drove off. After staring into the distance for a long time, she looked down at the ring on her finger, squatted down, and cried her eyes out.

    Not far away, Raeleigh looked over at Jepherson. ¡°Do you find this entertaining?¡±

    Jepherson merely smiled.¡°It¡¯d be boring if every day¡¯s the same.Sometimes I¡¯d do things even I can¡¯t fathom.¡±

    Raeleigh looked away, staring out the window.¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone as hell-bent loyal to you as Stuart; he¡¯s willing to give up anything.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that they broke up, at least for Lucy.¡±

    ¡°Lest that one day you and Lucy are both in danger, Stuart will choose you over her. How cruel it¡¯d be for Lucy to die inevitably.¡±

    Jepherson chuckled and said, ¡°There won¡¯t be such a day.I will help Stuart save Lucy and make sure they are both safe. I will protect everyone around me and prevent them from being wronged and hurt like you.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Leave me out of this.¡±

    Raeleigh watched as Lucy cried her eyes out in the pouring rain. Then her parents came out and took her back by force.

    Jepherson instructed the driver to drive away. When they returned to the hotel, Stuart was waiting for them as if nothing had happened, carrying an umbre in one hand and holding another in the other.

    Seeing Raeleigh and Jepherson getting out of the car, Stuart rushed toward them and opened the umbre for them.

    Jepherson acted as if nothing had happened. Holding an umbre, he pulled Raeleigh closer and asked, ¡°Any progress? It¡¯s the tenth day today.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at Stuart, who was following behind. She wanted to see if he was angry.

    However, Stuart answered with his usual tone, ¡°She didn¡¯t want to.¡±

    Jepherson paused and turned to look at him in the heavy rain. ¡°Just because she¡¯s not willing, you¡¯re not? Can¡¯t you make her say yes?¡±

    Stuart bowed his head slightly. Jepherson sneered, ¡°I have to hand it to you.¡±

    Turning around, Jepherson took Raeleigh into the hotel and never brought it up again.

    The next day, Lucy called thepany and asked for leave as she was sick and unable to show up for work. Stuart didn¡¯t doubt her words and told Jepherson, even adding to transfer her to the training department.

 Chapter 1653 Is Everything Going to be Okay

    Jepherson approved the transfer andreminded, ¡°With such a heavy rain yesterday, she probably has a high fever.¡±

    Stuart said, ¡°She should be fine. Her family will take care of her.¡±

    Jepherson was working as they spoke. He looked up at Stuart and said, ¡°I¡¯ve ended up like this because I waved my chance goodbye. Don¡¯t assume you can put a lid on your feelings. You¡¯ll regret it when you see her in another man¡¯s arms, bearing his child.¡±

    Stuart did not speak. Jepherson continued his work and muttered. ¡°What a blockhead.¡±

    Jepherson waved his hand and motioned for Stuart to leave.

    With that, Stuart left the room. As the door closed, Raeleigh turned to Jepherson. ¡°You don¡¯t have a backup?¡±

    Amused, Jepherson said,¡°Do you even think of how cunning I am when we¡¯re sleeping together?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t look like someone who¡¯d leave your business unfinished.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see then.¡±

    ¡­

    Stuart was indeed a little worried. Recalling the heavy rain,he sent someone to check on Lucy.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    But when they came back, they said Lucy was not at home.

    That was all; Stuart never followed up.

    Three dayster, Lucy returned,thinner. She packed up her belongings, ready to leave.

    Stuart stood aside, looking at her, not striking a conversation. Lucy wasn¡¯t in the mood to speak either, wearing a pair of sunsses, taking them off when she went into Jepherson¡¯s office.

    Lucy didn¡¯t think highly of Jepherson as this was all his fault.

    Compared to parting ways, Lucy preferred to work alongside Stuart. They could at least see each other, but now she had no choice but to leave.

    Moreover, it was not one for her to say no.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to go to the training center?¡±

    Jepherson surprisingly put his work aside and went to sit down on the sofa, next to Raeleigh, staring at Lucy.

    Lucy stood in silence for a long time before she finally said, ¡°Stuart wants me to go.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned.Lucy didn¡¯t want to go then?

    Jepherson leaned his back against the sofa and said after a while, ¡°When Stuart told me to transfer you away, I thought you had requested it.¡±

    Lucy thought for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to, but I have no choice.¡±

    Jepherson hesitated for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a reason. No choice?¡±

    Lucy fell silent, feeling bittersweet.

    Hesitating, she didn¡¯t know if she should stay.

    Perhaps she could if she fought for it.

    But hadn¡¯t Stuart asked her to leave?

    Jepherson asked, ¡°The benefits there would be better than your current position; you can only be a secretary here at most. It¡¯s meaningless even if you¡¯re promoted, and your sry won¡¯t change too much.¡±

    ¡°The training center is one of thepany¡¯s subsidiaries. If you get promoted, you are likely to be a manager. Following ourpany¡¯s system, we can transfer your dividends to shares after you¡¯ve be a manager after some time. You should know that, right?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Stuart has already thought of ways out for you. His ns are so good that he even included me in his equation.¡±

    Lucy was a little nervous; she didn¡¯t know if she had inadvertently created trouble for Stuart.

    Raeleigh, who was afraid Lucy didn¡¯t get where Jepherson was going, chimed in, ¡°If you didn¡¯t give Stuart the right, he wouldn¡¯t do that.¡±

    Lucy suddenly heaved a sigh of relief and loosened her grip.

    ¡°Busybody!¡±

    Jepherson raised his brow and nced over at Raeleigh. She wasn¡¯t bothered; he wouldn¡¯t really do anything.

    ¡°Lucy.¡±

    Jepherson called her. Lucy turned to look at him. ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°This is yourst chance. Do you want to stay or leave? You decide, and I¡¯ll approve!¡±

    Lucy thought for a moment. ¡°I want to go to the training center.¡±

    Looking at Lucy, Jepherson said, ¡°Alright, if that¡¯s what you want.¡±

    Stumped, Lucy was surprised at the easy negotiation. This Jepherson was aplete one-eighty from the past strict president.

    After a moment, Lucy left Jepherson¡¯s office. Out the door, she took a look at Stuart before walking to the elevator with her belongings.

    Staring as Lucy left, Stuart slowly averted his gaze.

    As Lucy exited the elevator, she heard people gossiping about her. Seeing that she was walking away, everyone thought Stuart had abandoned her.

    Everyone in thepany thought Stuart¡¯s actual intention to transfer her to the training center was, in reality, shooing her away and that they all thought Lucy was not worthy of him.

    All harsh words.

    Relieved of her decision, Lucy knew Stuart also didn¡¯t want her to be caught in the rumors.

    Lucy got into the car and headed for the training center.

    It has been a week since Lucy left, and she and Stuart hadn¡¯t seen each other since then. Even Raeleigh had nearly forgotten about them.

    It wasn¡¯t until Raeleigh heard Stuart asking for a leave to attend to something and that he rushed off after getting the okay from Jepherson that she realized something was up.

    Raeleigh asked Jepherson if something was up, and he looked at her.¡°You want to know?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to tell?¡±

    With that, Raeleigh understood Jepherson was behind it. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be this nonchnt.

    Jepherson checked the time and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Raeleigh asked him, ¡°Where to?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s watch the show.¡±

    Jepherson put on his coat, then helped Raeleigh into the newly tailored windbreaker he got for her before taking her hand and taking her out of the office.

    When they got into the car, Jepherson told the driver an address, and off they went. When they arrived, Raeleigh looked out to see they were outside a bar.

    Staring at the entrance, Raeleigh asked.¡°It¡¯s already open before nighttime?¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything. Raeleigh observed for a while and saw that a Richards family¡¯s car was parked outside. The driver seemed to be in a hurry as it wasn¡¯t parked properly.

    Not long after, Stuart helped Lucy out of the bar, opened the door, and stuffed her in.

    A few people followed behind, finding trouble with Stuart. He turned to them and exchanged a few words before the group was amused and talked to him.

    Jepherson told the driver, ¡°Call the police.¡±

    The driver immediatelyplied.

    ¡°Go down and help.¡±

    With that, the driver went and stopped the scene from turning into a fight while Stuart got into the car and left.

    Jepherson then moved to the driver¡¯s seat and drove away. Raeleigh looked back at the driver and sighed with relief when she saw the police car pulling up.

    Raeleigh kept her gaze on Stuart¡¯s car in the front. They pulled over when Stuart did, but Raeleigh had no clue what was happening in Stuart¡¯s car.

    Stuart drove off only to pull over again after a while.

    ¡°Is everything going to be okay?¡±

    Raeleigh was a little worried.

    Jepherson did not answer. Stuart parked his car at the entrance of the hotel and carried Lucy out.

    From Raeleigh¡¯s point of view, Lucy¡¯s face was rather flushed, looking drunk.However, she was tearing on her clothes while Stuart rushed into the hotel.

 Chapter 1654 Peeping in the Hotel

    Emerging from the car, Raeleigh followed behind Jepherson into the hotel. She was surprised he even knew which room to go to.

    Following him into the room, Raeleigh looked around and asked Jepherson, confused, ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡±

    Jepherson walked to the side and drew the decorative curtains used to cover the wall. Behind it was surveince footage of the room across them, where they could see several parts of the room.

    Stuart was giving Lucy a cold shower.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    ¡°Lucy, Lucy¡­¡±

    Raeleigh could even hear their conversation. Lucy was drenched, finally regaining a little bit of consciousness in the water.

    Opening her eyes, she looked at Stuart and ced his hand on her face. ¡°I¡¯m burning; how?¡±

    Stuart inquired, ¡°Why had you gone drinking?¡±

    ¡°The manager asked me to.¡±

    Lucy transferred to the training center as an assistant; she had to follow the manager¡¯s orders.

    Stuart¡¯s face fell. ¡°How dare he touch you!¡±

    Holding Stuart¡¯s hand, Lucy caressed it against her face gently to alleviate her suffering. She was burning up¡­

    As Stuart bent down to carry Lucy out, she tugged on him, pulling him into the bathtub with her.

    They were fine, but Lucy scrambled on top of Stuart. His instinctive reaction was to get up, but he ended up embracing her.

    ¡°Lucy ¡­¡±

    Stuart called out to Lucy, who merely sat fixing her eyes on him in silence as she removed her clothes and kissedhim on the face. Stuart gave her a push but to no avail. He then hugged her and flipped over.

    They were in the presidential suite, so they had everything they needed there. Even the bathtub was specially designed to fit the aesthetic; it wasrge enough for a swim, let alone two people.

    Seeing the two share an intimate moment, the mes igniting with just one spark, Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what to say. Perhaps Jepherson was clear that Stuart had been deeply in love with Lucy over the past two years,just that he found it hard to express himself.

    So Jepherson gave them a push. Otherwise, with Stuart¡¯s temper, he wouldn¡¯t tap into that amorous alter ego.

    Technically speaking, Stuart shouldn¡¯t have known what was going on with Lucy after she was transferred to the training center, so how did he know?

    The only possible exnation was that Stuart had arranged people to keep an eye on Lucy.

    So he would know right away ifshe was in danger.

    If he had not fallen in love with her, he would not have been so unwilling to part with her.

    Stuart suddenly got up from the bathtub and stripped off his shirt. Lucy leaned back and looked at his face before she removed what was left on her as well. Seeing that, Raeleigh covered Jepherson¡¯s eyes with her hand and drew the curtains before moving them away.

    Amused, Jepherson chuckled under his breath. ¡°You scared?¡±

    ¡°Lucy is!¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh check out the facilities in the room before sitting back down. They hadn¡¯t eaten yet.

    ¡°What are we having for dinner?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to leave?¡±

    ¡°I think you should remove the surveince cameras here first, lest you leave evidence.¡±

    Raeleigh waited as Jepherson called to have their dinner brought up. They rested after their meal. Staring at the red curtains, Raeleigh thought of the sensual scene in the bathroom and took out Lamarre¡¯s sketch that she brought with her and wrote down the word love.

    Sitting aside, Jepherson looked over, his gaze downcasted, amused, ¡°Is that your name for the car?¡±

    While sketching, Raeleigh answered, ¡°I think I have an idea what Lamarre wanted to leave behind.¡±

    Raeleigh recalled Lamarre¡¯s poignant rtionship and thought the legacy he wanted her to lengthen was love and resolve.

    Perhaps Stuart and Lucy¡¯s rtionship was the epitome of it.

    There would always be reasons stopping two lovers from being together; it didn¡¯t mean they could be together just because they loved each other.

    Raeleigh had already figured out the name of the car, like love, never set nor predictable.

    Beneath ¡®love¡¯ Raeleigh wrote, Flow Cloud!

    Jepherson stared at the words, spacing out as he smiled, silent.

    The rain poured the entire night, and the couple across their room never stopped. Raeleigh busied herself too, working on the sketch the whole night, only falling asleep lying on the table at dawn.

    Jepherson got up, carried Raeleigh over to the bed then looked at the sketch. He frowned, then had someone bring over professional tools and made a new sketch, keeping the original for Raeleigh.

    Then, Jepherson spent two hours sketching another design and named it Flow me.

    At ten, Jepherson tidied up, sealed the paper tube, and left a red mark on it, indicating that it was a confidential documentthat could only be handed to thepany¡¯s executives.

    ¡­

    When Stuart rose in the morning, his bones ached; it took him a few seconds to remember what had happened.

    He nced to the side, and sure enough, Lucy was sleeping next to him.

    Stuart lifted the covers and looked down.Lo and behold, they were stark naked.

    He covered himself again, turned around to pull Lucy in his arms, and kissed her lips.She simply knitted her brow and scrunched her eyes, worn out.

    ¡­

    It was already the afternoon when Raeleigh stirred, and Jepherson had already kept the sketches away when she went to look for hers.

    ¡°I¡¯ve stashed it away; this is for you as a memento.¡± Jepherson handed her her sketch.

    Raeleigh opened it to check; it was indeed hers.

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Raeleigh put the sketch away and thanked him. Amused, Jepherson asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you surprised I¡¯d know?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing you don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just curious that if you¡¯re so good at anticipating, have you ever foreseen when you¡¯ll live the life you¡¯ve longed for?¡±

    Stumped, he left his seat and hugged her from behind. ¡°You don¡¯t understand men¡¯s world, Raeleigh. It¡¯s about responsibilities. Even though self-interest is important, it isn¡¯t indispensable. And, sometimes men have to give up dispensable things for the sake of responsibilities.¡±

    ¡°The Richards family needs me. If Santiago can return, I will hand it to him.¡±

    ¡°Do you really mean it?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at him. Amused, Jepherson asked, ¡°Are you suggesting power and glory are important to you?¡±

    Staring at him, Raeleigh shook her head after a while. ¡°No, but it isn¡¯t useless either.¡±

    Jepherson loosened his hug and turned to draw open the curtains. The people in the opposite room had gotten dressed. Jepherson stood there and said, ¡°Stuart can give up a rtionship for me but do you want to bet that he¡¯ll give it his all after he plunges himself into this one?¡±Turning his gaze aside, Jepherson asked Raeleigh.

    She cogitated momentarily. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    Jepherson cracked a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll see then.¡±

    Raeleigh was perplexed, but she didn¡¯t inquire any further.

    Letting her go, Jepherson called Stuart, who picked it up in no time.

    Lucy was gazing at Stuart, who looked at her in turn while answering the call.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson said, ¡°Come over.¡±

    ¡°The hotel?¡± Stuart asked.

    Jepherson replied, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Stuart obliged and hung up.

 Chapter 1655 Menâ€™s Complex

    Jepherson didn¡¯t leave instantly butstood there while Stuart cleaned up and gazed at the flushing Lucy; their clothes were no longer wearable.

    Stuart made a call to have someone send two sets of clothes over. Subsequently, they put them on and left.

    Getting out of the car, Stuart took Lucy to rendezvous with Jepherson. Raeleigh and Jepherson had also justentered their room when a knock came at their door.

    Raeleigh answered it and saw Stuart holding Lucy¡¯s hand, standing in front of her.

    Lucy kept her head bowed, embarrassed; Stuart insisted on bringing her here.

    ¡°Come on in.¡±

    Raeleigh moved aside and let them in, only for Stuart to let go of Lucy¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Wait for me outside.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Stuart instructed before he entered the room. Raeleigh then closed the door.

    Entering, Stuart made his way to Jepherson.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Stuart stood in front of Jepherson, who twiddled his potted nt.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me over, Mr. Jepherson?¡± Stuart asked.

    Jepherson¡¯s eyesnded thoughtfully on Stuart, ¡°I did, didn¡¯t I? But I¡¯ve forgotten what for.Why don¡¯t you jog my memory?¡±

    Stuart darted a nce at Raeleigh before answering, ¡°I want to marry Lucy.¡±

    Jepherson turned to stare at Stuart.¡°You¡¯re not joking with me, are you?¡±

    ¡°No, sir.¡± Stuart¡¯s tone was resolute.

    Jepherson said, ¡°I¡¯ve already given you a chance, but you¡¯re being erratic. What if you tell meter that you want a divorce?¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    Stuart shook his head: ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ve already made up my mind, and I¡¯ve promised the jewelry businessman I¡¯ll introduce you to his daughter. You should know that he has intended to take you in as his son-inw since forever and that you have long since caught his daughter¡¯s fancy. This is why I called you over.¡±

    Stumped, Stuart recalled his evening and asked,¡°You were there when I was at the bar, weren¡¯t you, Mr. Jepherson?¡±

    Jepherson did not conceal anything. ¡°I saw you.¡±

    Stuart thought for a while and concluded, ¡°You deliberately had the manager ask Lucy to go there?¡±

    Jepherson replied, ¡°Since you didn¡¯t end it cleanly with her, why should you be afraid of me?¡±

    ¡°What if something really happened to her?¡±

    Jepherson quirked his eyebrow and lookedintoStuart¡¯s eyes. ¡°Do you think I would let anything happen to her?¡±

    Jepherson spoke with a deadpan tone, but the coldness in his eyes was rather apparent.

    Growing agitated, Stuart was silent for some time. ¡°What are you trying to say, Mr. Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you to mull it over carefully, but you didn¡¯t. You can¡¯t me me now, can you?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s seemingly callousment astonished Raeleigh fairly.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t think of another reason other than he was trying to provoke Stuart.

    Stuart didn¡¯t answer, only staring at Jepherson.

    Jepherson said, ¡°Leave my side and take Lucy with you, or stay here and ept my arrangement. There are only two options for you. Make your decision.¡±

    Stuart stood there briefly and looked back at Raeleigh before his eyes fell on Jepherson. ¡°Take care, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    With that, Stuart headed for the door when Jepherson called out to him, ¡°Stuart.¡±

    At the door, Stuart turned to look at Jepherson, who then asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    Stuart answered, ¡°Without me, Mr. Jepherson, you¡¯ll still have plenty more Stuarts and Jareds, but there isn¡¯t another Stuart for Lucy.¡±

    After listening to Stuart¡¯s exnation, Jepherson turned and fiddled with the nt while Stuart left.

    Raeleigh followed him to the door, only to find Lucy had disappeared.

    Raeleigh had no idea what had happened. All she knew was that nobody was outside when they came out of the room.

    Stuart called to Lucy, only to hear her phone ringing in the room opposite them.

    The door opened, and Lucy was standing inside. The one apanying Lucy was Jepherson¡¯s chauffeur.

    The chauffeur gave a grin while Lucy swallowed and walked out.

    Stuart went over in bewilderment and held Lucy¡¯s hand. ¡°Why were you in there?¡±

    Lucy replied, ¡°I heard and saw it.¡±

    Stuart nked out for a moment. Lucy spoke, ¡°You said that if you leave, Mr. Jepherson will still have plenty more Stuarts and Jareds, but there isn¡¯t another Stuart for me.¡±

    Stuart beamed at her. ¡°I fell for it again, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Lucy pursed her lips. ¡°Mr. Richards really has a taste for teasing people.¡±

    Jepherson emerged and stood at the door, saying, ¡°If the two of you get married, I¡¯ll allow Stuart to return to me and give you another chance to make your choice. Is it the training center, or stay with me and answer calls for the rest of your life?¡±

    Stuart looked at Jepherson. ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson gazed at him. ¡°I¡¯m never wrong. You two are made for one another.¡±

    With that, Jepherson went back to lie down. By the time Raeleigh returned, he had almost fallen asleep. Entering the room, she sat on the sofa, fixing her gaze on him; she sometimes found it hard to understand him.

    Hard to understand?

    She smiled and thought, who could understand such a person?

    It had started to rain again. Jepherson had fallen asleep before he knew it, and sohad Raeleigh, still on the sofa. When Jepherson woke up, he carried her to the bed, and she rose as her head touched the pillow.

    Jepherson gave her a peck and tucked her in. However, Raeleigh spent the rest of the night wide awake, unable to fall back asleep with Jepherson cuddling her from behind.

    Looking at the rain outside the window, she had a nagging feeling that it would never stop.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Are you asleep?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    His voice was deep and clear; even Raeleigh could tell he was wide awake.

    After a while, Jepherson snaked his hand under her shirt, only for her to tug it. He asked, ¡°Do you want to know why Stuart made the choice?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Stuart say you¡¯re not short of subordinates?¡± Raeleigh retorted.

    Humored, Jepherson asked,¡°Am I really then?¡±

    Raeleigh mused on it for a moment. ¡°You aren¡¯t short of subordinates, but Stuart.¡±

    Jepherson cracked a smile. ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°He truly loves Lucy.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at him. ¡°You mean Stuart ditched you for love?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it that way. He knew that if he left, it would do me no harm apart from the fact that I might not be able to get used to his absence. I¡¯m also at ease that he chose to leave me. Metaphorically, I¡¯m like a child, and so is Lucy, and we both need him to look after us. However, I¡¯m an adult now, capable of taking care of myself while Lucy is still a six-year-old child. It was very reasonable of him to choose Lucy.¡±

    ¡°That said, there¡¯s another important reason he chose Lucy. He¡¯s Lucy¡¯s man, the very first one; there¡¯s no way he¡¯d leave her aside.¡±

    ¡°Love is a reason, but to have someone is a responsibility.¡±

    ¡°No one understands love, constantly exploring, but to each their own.¡±

    ¡°Stuart is the sort of man a girl can entrust her life to.¡±

    ¡°Lucy is a faithful girl. I can only rest assured knowing Stuart has her.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson before she turned around.He loosened his arms and hugged her.They were wearing silk pajamas;Raeleigh turned with barely any effort.

    Jepherson leaned against her. ¡°This is men¡¯splex, our Achilles heel.¡±

    Raeleigh was perplexed momentarily. Recollecting their first time of intercourse, she fell silent.

 Chapter 1656 Tricking Her Again

    Jepherson pointed out, ¡°In fact, men have obsessions as well.¡±

    Raeleigh rested her hand on her face and said after a long timepondering, ¡°It¡¯s all in the past now; don¡¯t bring it up anymore.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll forget if I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about forgettingor not. There are some things meant for us not to remember.¡±

    They fell silent.

    After a long while, Raeleigh mustered the courage to ask, ¡°When are you going to let Cynthia go?¡±

    ¡°Will you hate me if I say I won¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ ¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t think Jepherson was drifting into sleep, but she could feel his arms rxing when she was about to speak.

    Without saying a word, Raeleigh moved his hands away, trying to see if he had indeed fallen asleep.

    Raeleigh got out of bed as Jepherson continued to sleep. Turningaround, she squatted on the groundand stared at Jephersonbefore lifting her hand to caress his face; she was then certain he had fallen asleep.Nevertheless, Raeleigh didn¡¯t take the phonebut continued to fix her eyes on him. She wanted to know when he would wake up.

    To her surprise, Jepherson never rose. Catching a glimpseof her phone on the bedside table, she reached for it and dialedXanthus¡¯s number.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh sat across from Jepherson; she didn¡¯t know why she did so as he had never forbidden her from contacting Xanthusafter all.

    But it was better to keep some things from him.

    ¡°Xanthus, I¡¯m fine.I¡¯m just worried about you all. Also¡­ Jepherson told me Cynthia will be alright, but he did not agree to let her go.¡±

    Xanthus fell silent at her reply.

    Later, he said he was still searching for her, but his attempts were futile.

    Gazing at Jepherson¡¯s sleeping face, Raeleigh had an increasing hunch that he wasn¡¯t asleep; he just wouldn¡¯t rise.

    After ending the call, Raeleigh ced the phone aside and went to the bathroom, emerging from it to find Jepherson sitting upright on the bed.She knew it.

    As she slid into bed,Jepherson¡¯s eyes fell on her. ¡°Tell me whenever you make a call.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing in response. Every so often, she didn¡¯t know what to say, so she might as well stay silent rather than strike up a conversation.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let Cynthia go, unless you promise to stay with me.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t the first time Jepherson had spoken so bluntly, so Raeleigh did even bat an eysh. Shended her eyes on Jepherson as though she had heard nothing. Staring into his eyes, she gradually closed hers.

    Jepherson gazed at her shortly before turning to look straight up ahead, talking to thin air,¡°Compared to your younger self, you¡¯remore difficult to deal with now.¡±

    As Jepherson spoke, Raeleigh turned around and remarked, ¡°Comparing the one who is difficult to deal with and the one who simply can¡¯t be dealt with, I wonder who¡¯s the more annoying one.¡±

    Jephersonughed, hearing her response, leading Raeleigh to hide her head in the covers.

    She spent the night restless.

    It wasn¡¯t until dawn broke that she managed to drift off to sleep.

    It was already three in the afternoon bythe time she stirred. Raeleigh checked the timeand thought Jepherson had long gone to thepany. It was, however, only after she sobered upthat she found out it was a weekend when Jepherson could have a break.

    ¡°Looking for me?¡± Raeleigh was turning the TV onwhen she heard Jepherson¡¯s voice.Looking over, she saw him wearing a basketball jersey. Recalling the experience, she fretted; she was so naive back then. Who would¡¯ve thought Jepherson still kept the shirt.

    Standing still, Raeleigh fixed her eyes on himand questioned, ¡°You went out for basketball as soon as you woke up in the morning?¡±

    Jepherson quirked his eyebrow and nced at his watch, retorting,¡°You call three o¡¯clock¡®morning¡¯?¡±

    Raeleigh immediately checked the time and found that the hour hand was indeed pointing at three.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡±

    ¡°How do you know I didn¡¯t try?¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent. It wouldn¡¯t bring her any benefit if she were to continue the bicker.

    Seeing Raeleigh silent, Jepherson took off his jacket and disappeared into the bathroom fora shower.

    Raeleigh had been waiting outside for Jepherson but saw no signs of him despite him having been in the bathroom for more than an hour.

    After checking the time a few times, she knocked on the bathroom door, but no response came from within, even after a few knocks. She gave the door a push and found that it wasn¡¯t locked. Raeleigh paused for a bit; he had deliberately left it so, didn¡¯t he?

    Pushing it open, Raeleigh entered the bathroom to see Jepherson soaking in the bath with his eyes closed.

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t convinced he was truly asleep. His shoulders that were protruded from the water looked muscrpared to the gentleness hidden under his clothes. She made her way inside and saw the slippers at the door. ncingat the clean floor, she didn¡¯t approach Jepherson right awaybut instead stood at the door and gazed at him. She called out to him, but he didn¡¯t answer.

    Raeleigh wanted to leave, seeing if he was genuinely sleeping or trying to trick herintoing in close to him.

    But for some reason, she couldn¡¯t move as if her feet were glued to the floor.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    Jepherson remained still even after a while. Only then did Raeleigh take her shoesoffand walk toward him.

    Arriving at his front, Raeleigh bent over and called out to him, ¡°Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t respond,alertingRaeleigh to extend her finger to feel his breathing under his nose. All of a sudden, he opened his mouth and bit it, rendering her in shock. The next second, he stood upandturned to face her with a loud ssh. The height of the water was lower than his thin waist, and the water refractingthe light shone ontohis straw-coloredskin. Raeleigh could see all that was above and under the water.

    Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°Did you stumble into this ce, or did you enter the bathroom on purpose?¡±

    Stunned, Raeleigh retorted helplessly,¡°This is another trick, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Not every cry wolf is fake,Raeleigh. There will be a day when I actually leave; all I hope is that you won¡¯t only shed tears when that dayes!¡±

    Jepherson washed his body as he moved closer to Raeleigh. Frightened, shefled out the door. Outside, her heart raced as her face flushed. Jepherson emerged from the bath, wrapped a bath towel around his waist, and made his way toward the door. Before leaving, he grabbed another towel, wiping himself as he exited.

    However, Raeleigh was gone. After he was sure she was no longer in the room, hecalled Stuart, ¡°Has Raeleigh left the building?¡±

    ¡°Madam Raeleigh said she was hungry; she¡¯s ordering food downstairs. I¡¯m with her.¡±Stuart reported.

    Jephersonannounced that he would go over in a bit.

    After getting dressed, Jepherson went to meet Raeleigh, who was, right then,listening to the waiter¡¯s introduction of the dishes. She didn¡¯t stop him because she knew that every upation had professional etiquette the employees were required to practice, including uneptable rules, giving the employees a sense of pressure at all times.

    The reason why Raeleigh listened wasn¡¯t that she intended to try any new dishes butwanted to give them a chance instead. Only when they received an opportunity could they be appreciated, and their task would be aplished.

 Chapter 1657 Going Abroad for a Honeymoon

    While Raeleigh was listening to the server, Jepherson stepped out of his private elevator, holding his phone. The restaurant had walls made of sses, and from where she sat, she could see him exiting the elevator.

    Just then, a beautiful girl dressed fashionably with her hair down walked toward Jepherson. The scene looked straight out of a movie. The moment Jepherson appeared, the girl swiftly approached him and bumped into him, catching him off guard.

    Jepherson was fine, but she fell to the floor.

    His eyebrows knitted into a deep frown. Casting his nce at the girl on the floor, it seemed as if something had ruffled his featherswithdispleasure pervading his gaze.

    Looking up, the girl saw that he had a disgruntled look.

    The manager hurried to Jepherson. Hewas much older than Jepherson, but he did not take their age gap into thought as he went up to Jepherson with his head drooped and apologized.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, we¡¯re so sorry for our negligence. We¡¯ll investigate this matter thoroughly.¡±

    The manager was uneasy as Jepherson pulled a long face.

    ¡°Deal with this.¡± Without taking a second look atthe girl, Jepherson removed his jacket and handed it to the manager. He would not wear anything other women had touched.

    The manager took a quick look at the jacket and quickly took it over. Even if he were to do something with it, he couldn¡¯t just throw it away; he¡¯d had to check with Stuart.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t even bother checking what the girl looked like, heading straight to Raeleigh.

    When Stuart saw Jephersoning over, trailed by the anxious manager, he stepped forward and greeted,¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Go deal with the jacket.¡±

    Stuart witnessed the whole scene, so he obliged andwent to the manager, taking the jacket from him before returning toJepherson¡¯s side.

    ¡°What have you ordered?¡±

    Jepherson was wearing a white dress shirt. Those in the restaurant rarely saw him dressed so, let alone himhaving his meal there.

    As they became the centerof attention, Raeleigh said, ¡°I haven¡¯t made up my mind yet. What are you getting?¡±

    ¡°Anything.¡±

    Raeleigh browsed through the menu and asked the server, ¡°Are the two dishes you introduced on 20% off?¡±

    The server¡¯s mind went nk for a second before he answered.¡°Yes.¡±

    Raeleigh replied, ¡°Your president and I will have one of each then.¡±

    The server was at a loss.

    Stuart then spoke up, ¡°Go ahead. Do as Madam Raeleigh said.¡±

    ¡°Madam?¡±

    The server was reeling in shock. Was the woman before her truly the president¡¯s wife?

    The server couldn¡¯t believe his ears. Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯m not. Go on.¡±

    Her words left the server in confusion.

    Jepherson picked up the menu and nced at itbefore throwing out another order,¡°One order of steak and a side of minestrone.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±

    The waiter was utterly perplexed!

    ¡°Do as President and Madam Raeleigh ordered,¡± Stuart instructed.

    Only then did the waiter leave with their order, nearly stumbling as he walked. Raeleigh snickered at the scene, withJepherson fixinghis piercing gaze on her. When Raeleigh withdrew her gaze, she happened to meetJepherson¡¯s scorching eyes.Only then didthe smile on her face fade away.

    Jepherson asked, ¡°If you can smile at others, why can¡¯t you smile at me?¡±

    ¡°Why do you have to put it that way?¡±

    Raeleigh had no intention of continuing such topics, but Jepherson was always capable of saying things she would give a pass. She found it irritating and intolerable.

    Jepherson ced the menu on the table, snorted, and looked away, ignoring her.

    The conversation came to such an abrupt end even Stuart was clueless on what to say.

    Raeleighthen turned to Stuart, asking, ¡°Stuart, have you decided on the date yet?¡±

    Stumped, Stuart answered, ¡°I¡¯ll have to bringLucy to meet my godfather and Mr. and Mrs. Richards. It may be somewhat troublesome.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson will help talk to Mr. Richards about my marriage. I¡¯ll also have to visitthe Wagner family to obtain their consent.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a grin. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be a problem. What kind of wedding gift do you want?¡±

    Stunned, Stuart replied, ¡°No need. I¡­¡±

    ¡°Take it as a gift from Raeleigh and me. What would you like?¡±

    Jepherson looked over at Stuart with a devil-may-care attitude, leading Stuart to take back his words.

    After giving it some thought, Stuart suggested, ¡°You can just give me a wad of cash.¡±

    Jepherson lookedstraight into his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not even going to beat around the bush, are you?¡±

    Amused, Raeleighmented, ¡°Stuart, you want us to give you money?¡±

    Stuart answered, ¡°The Wagner family will provide Lucy with a dowry. I have a house. After marriage, Lucy and I will live in the hotel and the Richards Group Manor. I don¡¯t want to get too many things as I can¡¯t take them with me. With my job, I don¡¯t know when I will suddenly¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even!¡±

    Jepherson cut him off just as Stuart wanted to say more.

    Stuart then shut his mouth as Jepherson¡¯s expression darkened. At the same time, the server had brought their food over.Jephersonmanded, ¡°You, sit down.¡±

    Stuart pulled a chair and settled down between Raeleigh and Jepherson while the waiter set the steakon the table. Using his chin, Jepherson pointed at it, insisting it was for Stuart, to which he obliged, not daring to oppose.

    Raeleigh waited for the two dishes she ordered before they began their meal.

    Jepherson still pulled a long face after the mes though someone had gotten on his nerves.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Jepherson took Raeleigh and left the restaurant while Stuart went to deal with Jepherson¡¯s jacket. When he returned, Jepherson and Raeleigh had headed to the airport.

    If they hadn¡¯t had to wait for Stuart to bring them their passports, Jepherson would¡¯ve been long gone.

    When he saw Stuart, Jepherson instructed for him to bring Lucy along.

    ¡°Lucy has to prepare for the marriage; she probably doesn¡¯t have the time.¡±

    Stuart didn¡¯t want Lucy to rush around.

    To that, Jepherson said, ¡°Do you think you have the time for a honeymoon if you don¡¯t tag along with us?¡±

    Dumbstruck, Stuart pulled his phone out to callLucy and exin the situation to her, asking if she wanted to go abroad with them.

    Raeleigh stood aside, thinkingStuart must have been through a lot. Although he did not experience it all himself, he must have witnessed a lothappeningin the Richards family with his own eyes.

    It was because he had witnessed them that he would cherish all that he had even more.

    Lucy was also sensible as she agreed at once and got to them in less than an hour.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Lucy came wearing a suit and seven-inch heels, dragging her luggage as she made her way to them. Seeing her, Stuart hurried to her.

    Raeleigh said to Jepherson, ¡°I admit, you have a good eye.¡±

 Chapter 1658 Difference

    Jepherson did not answer, staring at the couple, watching as Stuart stopped and talked to Lucy before the two of them walked to a bench. Lucy opened her luggage and withdrew a pair of sneakers while Stuart kneeled and helped Lucy change into them. Embarrassed, Lucy kept refusing as if she was afraid of others making fun of them. However, Stuart still insisted and stashed her heels away before he brought her to Jepherson.

    As they reached Jepherson, Stuart pointed out, ¡°Lucy¡¯s flight will be half an hourter than ours. Shall I change our tickets or leave first?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh and I will leave first. You two take the next flight.¡±

    Holding the tickets and passportsin hand, Jepherson took Raeleigh tothe security checkpoint.

    Stuart called out, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, you¡­¡±

    ¡°I know what to do. Mind your own business.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    With that, Jepherson had made his way to the security checkpoint whileStuart stayed with Lucy.

    Raeleigh looked down at Jepherson¡¯s hand holding hers and thought his social circle was, in actuality, narrow. He might seemtohave the economy and prosperity ofCapital City at the palm of his hands, taking full charge, ruling an enormous world,but in reality, his world was measly.

    After embarking, Raeleigh read a magazine in her seat while Jepherson leaned aside to take a nap.

    Mid-flight, someone came up to greetRaeleighbefore requesting,¡°May I borrow your magazine? Orwe may exchange ours.¡±

    The person who inquired was a manin his thirties, dressed in casual yet trendy attire. Raeleigh was about to give the magazine to him since it was not hers anyway.

    Before she could reply, Jepherson spoke up, ¡°Excuse me; she¡¯s my wife.¡±

    The man was stunned, and so was Raeleigh. Following that, he cast an apologetic nce at Raeleigh and sheepishly said, ¡°Sorry to bother you.¡±

    With that, he nodded at Raeleigh and returned to his seat. Raeleigh lifted a slight smile in return. Later, Jepherson opened his eyes and rubbed his face. ¡°Come with me.¡±

    Jepherson got up while Raeleigh gaped at him in perplexity. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Come with me.¡±

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh up and brought her to thevatory. At the door, Jephersonsnaked his hands into her shirt, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her.

    ¡°Have you gone mad?¡± Raeleigh tried to shove him, but he cuddled and kissed her for a while before he let go of her and entered thevatory. Standing outside, Raeleigh was left in a daze, and before she could return to her seat, he hade out.

    After washing his hands, Jepherson brought Raeleigh back to their seats.

    Raeleigh hung her head low, fixing her gaze on her hand the entire walk. There were only a few people in the cabin, and everybody saw them goingto thevatory and returning together. Raeleigh noticed the meaningful look in their eyes, which was different from that of before.

    Only then did she realize that was what Jephersonhad hoped for.Hewas dering she was taken.

    No one else came up to her for the rest of the flight after she returned to her seat.

    After Raeleigh fell asleep, Jepherson started flipping through the magazines. He would never rest while she did.

    The nended the next morning. When Raeleigh woke up, Jepherson was covering her ears with his hands.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes to see Jepherson doing so. He didn¡¯t care about himself butcovered her ears and prioritized her instead.

    Raeleigh closed her eyes and lowered her head. She didn¡¯t help Jephersonin return.

    Jepherson then pulled her into his arms and draped a jacket around her head, staring elsewhere.

    Raeleigh could sense that he was bearing tremendous pressure.

    The surroundingspsed into a moment of silence. Raeleigh opened her eyes and stared at Jepherson, who held her face and began kissing her out of the blue, eagerly and aggressively.

    Raeleigh flushed as she grabbed hold of Jepherson¡¯s hands, unable even to shake her head. Jepherson¡¯s kiss rendered the surrounding passengers looking over at them. As Raeleigh could no longer bear the attention, she gave him several punches before he finally let her go.

    After separating, Raeleigh got up and alighted the ne, Jepherson following right behind.

    Subsequently, Raeleigh gave him a push, but he grabbed her wrist in response to her push.

    The two pushed and shoved each other in the airport, but it didn¡¯t turn into a fight. Before they knew it,half an hour had passed.

    It wasn¡¯t until Stuart and Lucyappeared that they simmered down.

    Jepherson looked over at Stuart, who didn¡¯t get close when he saw the two having a moment, and said, looking displeased, ¡°Have you seen enough? Would you like us to go over for you to watch it up close?¡±

    Stumped, Stuart hurried toreply, ¡°We¡¯ve just arrived.¡±

    Jepherson snorted and left his luggage to Stuart. Then, he held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and pulled her into his arms. Raeleigh didn¡¯t want tomake a fool out of herself, so she quieted down.

    Outside the airport, the car Stuart arranged was long waiting for them. The four of them sat in the same car.

    Jepherson and Raeleighsat together while Lucy sat next to Stuart.

    When the car arrived at the hotel, Stuart got out and made the arrangementsfor the staff to wee them. They had a meal before heading up to their rooms. Jepherson had arranged two suites across each other; one for Stuart and Lucy and the other for him and Raeleigh.

    After taking a break, the four of them visitedthe jewelry association at six in the eveningto meet the executive director of the foreign jewelry industry of the Richards Group.

    After exchanging pleasantries,Jepherson personally chose a set of jewelry and gifted it to Lucy in the name of both him and Raeleigh.

    Lucy refused as the set of jewelry was too costly. ¡°I can¡¯t ept it. It¡¯s too expensive.¡±

    Lucy pushed the box of jewelry back. She wanted to marry Stuart as she admired him for his personality, not for his money.

    What did Jepherson mean by giving her so much money?

    Jepherson threw a nce at Raeleigh, who then once again pushed the set of jewelry to Lucy, exining,¡°Since it¡¯s your wedding, we can¡¯t let it be run-of-the-mill. Although Stuart is Jepherson¡¯s subordinate, he¡¯s not just anybody in the family.¡±

    ¡°Stuart probably never told you this. Among all the bodyguards in the Richards family, he is Alvin¡¯s,Mr. Richards¡¯s bodyguard, only adopted son.¡±

    ¡°This says something about his identity.Stuart grew up with Jepherson, living together, and evenstudied and graduated together.¡±

    ¡°Although Stuart isn¡¯t a descendant of the Richards family, he is a brother and a friend to Jepherson. Not only does the identity represent himself, but also the Richards family andJepherson.¡±

    ¡°If his wedding doesn¡¯t disy a certain level of splendor,outsiders might think otherwise of the Richards family and Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Being generous doesn¡¯t mean that Jepherson is associating money with the rtionship between you two but thathe valuesyou.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t live an aggrieved life marrying Stuart. That¡¯s a promise.¡±

    ¡°As for the sincerity, Jepherson brought you two with us for a honeymoon and even prepared yourwedding in person.¡±

    ¡°On the ne, I saw him checking out a vi andawedding photography studio. I¡¯m not sure about the rest, but these two have probably been decided.¡±

    ¡°As your matchmaker, Jepherson has done his best. The rest is up to you two now.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh took a gander at Jepherson. He wouldn¡¯t say those words; even if he did, it wouldn¡¯t convey the same message as Raeleigh did.

 Chapter 1659 Appear Out of Nowhere

    ncing at Jepherson¡¯s expressionless face, Lucyhad no idea what he was thinking, but the set of jewelry was too valuable.

    Stuart urged, ¡°Just ept it. Thank you, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Lucy epted theset ofjewelry and expressed her gratitude to Jepherson.

    With that, Jepherson retrieved a bunch of keys and handed them to Stuart. ¡°The HOA fee is on the Richards familyas long as you¡¯re alive, but if we¡¯re both dead, it may no longer be the case. I¡¯ll get the property procedures done after we return home.¡±

    Stuart nced at the keys and answered, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, this is too much.¡±

    ¡°What you want is money, but it will only depreciate. Properties are different. If as predicted, the value of this set of jewelry will double in thirty years and quadruple in sixty. As for the house, I¡¯m absolute it will never depreciate.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to give you any money.¡±

    Jephersonced the keys on the table as he spoke. Lucy felt as if she had hit ck gold. There was money everywhere but in the form of assets.

    Stuart insisted, ¡°I still want some money.¡±

    Jepherson was astounded. ¡°I gave you an inch, but you want to take a mile, huh?¡±

    ¡°I never imed my sry all these years; I don¡¯t know how much I can withdraw.¡± Stuart wanted some cash, but Jepherson wouldn¡¯t give it to him. Thetwo locked eyes.

    Raeleigh asked out of curiosity, ¡°What are you going to use the money on?¡±

    ¡°I want to buy a new house for the Wagner family. Chirsen is getting married; his ex-fianc¨¦e ended their rtionship due to financial issues. I hope he can have a grand marriage with this one.¡±

    ¡°Stuart, you don¡¯t have to. I havemysavings,¡± Lucy spoke up.

    Stuart replied, ¡°That¡¯s not enough. Your savingsare too little.¡±

    Jepherson quirked his eyebrow. ¡°How much do you want?¡±

    ¡°Thirty million.¡±

    Lucy¡¯s jaw dropped at Stuart¡¯s request.

    The set of jewelry, fifty million; vi, thirty million, and he was now asking for another thirty?

    Leaning to one side, Jepherson crossed his arms andgave it some thought before he asked,¡°When Raeleigh and I barely spent any money when we got married.As my subordinate, do you think it¡¯s appropriate to spend more than a hundred million dors on your wedding?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Stuart said, ¡°But you¡¯ve invested three hundred million dors on my treatment as well.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying the expenses of your wedding pale inparison to your treatment?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    At times, Stuart¡¯s bluntness was astonishing.

    Lucy tugged at Stuart¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Stuart, you don¡¯t have to meddle in my family¡¯s affairs. If you give them so much money, doesn¡¯t it seem as though I¡¯m sold to you?¡±

    Stuart¡¯s eyes fell on Lucy. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you dly.¡±

    Lucy was stupefied before her face reddened with a blush. Sitting across from them, Jepherson watched as though he was watchinga soap opera. Stuart then shifted his gaze back at Jepherson. ¡°Mr. Jepherson,could you give it to me?¡±

    ¡°What if I refuse?¡±

    Stuart ced the set of jewelry and the keys together. ¡°Then I won¡¯t take these either.¡±

    Staring at Stuart, Jepherson warned,¡°Remember this, Stuart,this is thest time.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Stuart then passed the items to Lucy. ¡°Keep them.¡±

    Lucy nodded and kept them in a hurry.

    Jepherson¡¯s inscrutable countenance gave little away, but he still handed Stuart a bank card.

    ¡°There are fifty million dors in it, twenty of which is Lucy¡¯s bridewealth. I don¡¯t want you to even have to think twice when you shop after the two of you get married.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him and thought it turned out he had it all prepared; he really had them down to their bones.

    Lucy spoke up, ¡°I havemysry and savings. Stuart¡­¡±

    Her words trailed off as Lucy darted a nce at Stuart. Did it mean that he had been penniless all thewhile when he said he had never imed his sry?

    ¡°My sry and savings are enough for us. And thirty million dors is too much; Chirsen only needs one-third of it.¡±

    Stuart gazed at Lucy. ¡°Just take it.¡±

    Lucy was rendered speechless.

    Only then did Jepherson say, ¡°Raeleigh and I will apany you two to check out wedding dresses tomorrow. The wedding photos taken during this season would probably look the best.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take our leave then.¡±

    Stuart stashed the stuff away and led Lucy back to their room, who then busied herself with keeping the set of jewelry, keys, and bank card.

    Although she had refused at first, she was reluctant to part with it now. They were given more than a hundred million dors worth of assets after all.

    After theyhadleft, Jepherson ordered some foodand dug in. Raeleigh came to realize despite his imperiousness at handling affairs, he had his reasons for it.

    After the meal, Raeleigh used his good mood to bring up Cynthia.

    However,Jepherson undressed fora bath, alertingRaeleigh to turn around instantly. Standing behind Raeleigh, he stripped himself nakedand entered the bathroom. As he walked, he casually said, ¡°If you¡¯re willing to bathe with me, I may consider it.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around to find the door of the bathroom closed.

    With slight hesitation, Raeleighmade her way to the door andopened it, asking, ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s nothing more than just a bath?¡±

    Jepherson was already sitting inside the bathtub looking ather, so Raeleigh wasn¡¯t worried about him acting recklessly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡±

    Raeleigh entered and closed the door behind her.With the bathroom shrouded in mist, Raeleigh focused her eyes on Jephersonsittingin the bathtub.

    ¡°Will you let Cynthia go?For real?¡±

    Still fixing his gaze at her, Jepherson said,¡°I only said there¡¯s room for negotiation, but as for how, is another question.¡±

    ¡°Then how am I going to take this bath with you?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face fell. She had been with him for almost two months. If this went on,she would lose her mind!

    Jepherson cupped a handful of water and bathed while fixing his eyes on her. ¡°Forget it then.¡±

    ¡°What the hell do you want?¡±

    ¡°I want you.¡±

    Raeleigh was at a loss for words.

    She turned around andexited the bathroom, closing the door behind her.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson soaked quietly in the waterfor more than an hour before he reappeared. Raeleigh sat outside the entire time, contemting what she should do.

    Hearing the door open, Raeleigh looked over at Jepherson, who had a bath towel wrapped around his waist, drying his hair as he walked toward her. Sitting down, he handedthe towel to her. ¡°Help me dry my hair.¡±

    Raeleigh threw the towel back to him, spurning.

    Jepherson ced his hand on Raeleigh¡¯s waist. ¡°If you don¡¯t help me, I suppose I can only take it off?¡±

    Left with no choice, Raeleigh took the towel and turned around to dry his hair.

    Meanwhile, Jepherson pulled Raeleigh close to him, his arms around her waist. With barely any distance between them, she looked at him, unable to dry his hair.

    ¡°Why hasn¡¯t hee to you? Is he afraid of me? Or does he not love you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. He has a mission; there¡¯d be times he¡¯d onlye back once in a half year. He probably doesn¡¯t even know I¡¯m here. Or else¡­¡±

    Raeleigh gulped. ¡°Must things be this way between us?¡±

    Jepherson had his brows furrowed. ¡°You mentioned he has a mission?¡±

    Realizing she had a slip of the tongue, Raeleigh hurriedly added, ¡°It¡¯s for me to know and you to find out. Just please let Cynthia go.¡±

    ¡°Who on earth is he? I searched the whole world for him, only to get nothing back then. Later, Lenold confirmed he was dead.¡±

    ¡°How did he appear out of nowhere?¡±

 Chapter 1660 Divorcing Her Was His Biggest Mistake

    Jepherson was utterly baffled, his gaze frighteningly chilling.He couldn¡¯t help clenching his fists whenever he recalled the incident. Divorcing her was the biggest mistake of his life.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t die. He left because he had something to deal with, and he sent me out before he left. That¡¯s it. Later,something happened to me; he has never given up and kept an eye on me and used the opportunity to take me away.¡±

    ¡°He stole my woman then?¡± Jepherson gnashed his teeth and tightened his hug.

    Feeling ufortable, Raeleigh pushed Jepherson. ¡°It wasn¡¯t his fault. With what happened between us back in the day, I would¡¯ve still left even if he didn¡¯t exist. Capital City wasn¡¯t a ce for me; I want a quiet life.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been leading my ideal life out there in the past three years.¡±

    ¡°We can be too if he wasn¡¯t in the picture,¡± Jepherson roared at Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh stared at him nkly, ¡°What can¡¯t you understand? Capital City is too chaotic. Even if henever came into my life, we would still break up.Whatever¡¯s between us hasnothing to do with anyone else.¡±

    I would¡¯ve long been dead if it wasn¡¯t for him back then!¡±

    ¡°So, you chose to devote your life to him and cast me aside?¡±

    Jepherson shouted at Raeleigh, fuming. Raeleigh yelled in return, ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°Then what is it?¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent.

    Theplete opposite, Jepherson got up and hurled all that he could in the room,even flipping the coffee table. Staring at the maddened man, Raeleigh sat motionlessly on the sofa, quieter than ever.

    It was not until Jepherson was exhausted and everything in the room had been smashed into pieces that Raeleigh stood up, cleaned the room, and took Jepherson¡¯s phone to give Xanthusa call,¡°I¡¯m heading back.¡±

    After hanging up, Jepherson gazed at her. ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°You force me to stay because you want to keep me by your side, but I don¡¯t belong here. I¡¯ve already given you the sketch. As you said, I can choose not to take anything in return. One way or another, I¡¯vepleted the assignment Lamarre left me, and this is what I owed you as an employee of the Richards Group. But no matter what, I will still have to leave.¡±

    As Raeleigh barely had anything to pack up, she grabbed her luggage and headed for the doorat once. As long as she had a passport, she could go anywhere she wanted. Even if she couldn¡¯t leave the country, she had to leave the ce. If she were to continueto stay with Jepherson, she would lose herself.

    Jepherson pulled her arm and flung her suitcase onto the floor, ring as he stoodin front of her.

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes strayed elsewhere. ¡°Let me go.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never loved me, have you?¡± Jepherson questioned, but she didn¡¯t answer, standing rooted to the ground.

    ¡°Answer me.¡±

    Grabbing Raeleigh¡¯s chin,hiseyesreflected the agony and suffering confined within his heart.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°If I stay and give myself to you, will you let Cynthia go?¡±

    Jepherson gnashed his teeth. ¡°Will you?¡±

    ¡°Is it a yes or a no?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡­

    With that, Raeleigh took off her shirt, chucked it aside, then stripped off her bra¡­

    Seeing so, Jepherson turned around, facing the door.

    Just then, Stuart knocked on the door. ¡°Mr. Jepherson, is everything alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jepherson¡¯s tone was absolutely aloof.

    Standing at the door, Stuart said nothing more and retreated to his room.

    Raeleigh provoked, ¡°I thought you wanted this? I¡¯m giving myself to you now.Why won¡¯t you take it?¡±

    ¡°I want you to do itwillingly. I don¡¯t want anything from you if you¡¯re so resistant against the idea.¡±

    With his teeth gnashed, Jepherson took a look at Raeleigh and walked to her suitcase. He took a jacket out and draped it over her before picking up her bra and shirt.

    He thenchanged his clothes and went to smoke by the window.

    ¡°If you won¡¯tlet me go nor release Cynthia, are you going to keep wasting my time until I die?¡±

    ¡°If I can, I¡¯d be more than willing.¡±

    Jepherson answered unhesitatingly, standing by the window.

    Raeleigh was renderedpletely speechless.Asshe really had enough, she grabbed her clothes and passport and headed straightto the door. Hearing movement behind him, Jepherson chased after her; despite her stride, he still managed to stop her at the door. The two shoved each other, and before they knew it, they fell to the floor.

    There was a mat by the door. Jepherson had smashed everything he could in the entire room; that was the only clean spot.

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t the faintest idea how they wound up in a position with Jepherson¡¯s body pressed against hers. Her clothes were rumpled, while Jepherson only wore a bath towel. With their posture,a romantic atmosphere started to set in, although they were both in a mess.

    Gazing at Jepherson, Raeleigh raised her hand with the intention of sending a p across his face, but Jepherson quickly grabbed it and pressed it down.

    Staring at Raeleigh, Jepherson pressed his body down and shackled her hands at the door. Seeing a ribbon hanging at the door, he tugged itand tied her wriststo the doorknob.

    ¡°Jepherson¡­¡±

    ¡°If you feel disinclined to do it, then so be it.¡±

    With that, Jephersonnded his lips on hers. Struggling, shewas almost out of breath,butJepherson did not give her any chance to resist until he identally entered her. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and dripped between his brows as a look of shock rose to his face.

    He stopped and looked at her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Face flushed, burning; tears streamed down Raeleigh¡¯s cheeks as she pleaded.¡°Get off me.¡±

    Jepherson leaned closer to her as she grabbed her arms, staringat her weeping eyes, panting. ¡°I want to, but I can¡¯t stop myself¡­¡±

    The next second, he shackled her waist as if to devour her. In a few hours, he exhausted her.

    Raeleigh cried until her throat was sore andterquieted down.

    What followed was her sleep.

    Before falling asleep, Jepherson tied Raeleigh¡¯s hand to his with the ribbon to prevent her from leaving without him knowing. Just like that, the two slept at the door.

    Raeleigh was worn out, still asleep when Jepherson rose. Feeling cold, she snuggled in his arms.

    Jepherson opened his eyes and shifted. He then untied the ribbon, carried Raeleigh in his arms, and headed to the bathroom.The room was in utter mess.

    He went into the bathtub with Raeleigh in his arms. Raeleigh was rather lost when she stirred, staring at Jepherson, not knowing whether to leave or not.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t touch you, did he?¡± Jepherson asked.

    Raeleighturned her head away, refusing to answer the question. Jepherson mused. ¡°It¡¯s tight.¡±

    Raeleigh blushed, her face glowing with red radiance as if she had a fever.

    Leaning against the tub, Jepherson said,¡°Don¡¯t leave. If hees, I¡¯ll deal with him.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to glower at him. ¡°Quit joking. I won¡¯t stay, and you know it.¡±

    ¡°But now, you¡¯re mine. He can no longer touch you.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t give my consent.¡± Resigned, Raeleigh shifted away.As she was naked, she felt awkward moving away from him.

    She didn¡¯t even have the feeling in the past. Maybe she did, but she had long forgotten.

    When Raeleigh turned around, Jepherson approached her from behind and pressed her against the edge of the bathtub with his hands ced on its edge.

 Chapter 1661 Canâ€™t We Get Along?

    Lowering his head, Jepherson kissed Raeleigh on the shoulder and whispered in her ear. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±Raeleigh was pressed against the edge of the bathtub, not daring to move. She steadied herself, supporting the edge of the bathtub as she asked,¡°Can¡¯t we get along?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we now?¡±

    Jepherson held her waist with one hand and fondled her with the other. He had the urge for another round.

    Even though he was weary!

    That said, so many years of missing her was enough to thrust him into the grip of obsession.

    Though unwilling,Raeleighwas still taken in. Once being tempted, it was difficult for them to get out of it.

    The erotic movements of their bodies reflected onto the water surface. As Raeleigh was forced to oblige, she faced away from Jepherson.

    Her heart, however,zed every now and then.

    ¡­

    After the bath, Jepherson took Raeleigh out and dressed before leaving the room to look for Stuart.

    Stuart came out to find the two of them standing outside his room at three before dawn, wondering what was Jepherson up to.

    Stuart greeted, ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Clean my room and book a new one for me.¡±

    Puzzled, Stuartwent to take a look at their room only to be thunderstruck.

    You call this a room?

    Stuart dealt with it without dy and booked another room. Only then did Raeleigh and Jepherson get to have a properrest.

    Exhausted, Raeleighid on the bed and fell right asleep after moving in to the new room.

    Jepherson sat aside and fixed his eyes on Raeleigh with his arms crossed. She was sleeping like a child; she had a worryingly pallid face that suggested he had indeed exhausted her.

    Jepherson asked, ¡°Why is your health so poor?¡±

    Raeleigh lifted her hand to cover her face. She was genuinely worn out.

    With that, Jepherson unbuttoned his shirt, put on his pajamas, and got into bed. After lying down, he took her into his arms,and they finally had a good rest.

    Raeleigh was still sleeping even the next night while Jepherson got up to take a shower. He walked to Raeleigh¡¯s side and stroked her face, intending to wake her up. Nheless, she was still in deep slumber. Jepherson no longer bothered her and worked while he had his meal.

    The initial n was to apany Stuart in checking out wedding outfits, but Raeleigh stayed in bed all day, soJepherson had the servants of the Richards family follow Stuart and left the matter to Stuart himself.

    Stuart, however,said he didn¡¯t want to leave the hotel asnobody with the right mind would pick wedding dressesat night. Jepherson went through the document while expressing his stand of not intervening,letting Stuart call the shots.

    With a tight one-week schedule, Stuart would have to do it against the clock.

    With that in mind, Stuart brought Lucyoutto choose the wedding dress that evening and nned to take the wedding photos in the morning.

    Knowing that time was limited, the professional photography team framed a n right away. They made the arrangements for the night, outdoor, indoor locations, and other aspects in two days. As for the rest, they could be conducted domestically, ording to the team.

    Lucy rejected it at once because she felt that the cost was too high.

    On the contrary, Stuart approved the n, opining that he would not keep a tight rein on the expenditure.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to throw such a mboyant wedding.¡± Lucy didn¡¯t want to be prodigal with the budget for the wedding.

    ¡°Marriage is an once-in-a-lifetime matter. We can earn the money back after we¡¯ve spent them, but we won¡¯t get another chance to marry each other again after this.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to show it to our children when we¡¯re old?¡±

    ¡°Let them know that you married me splendidly.¡±

    Stuart was a man of a few but gentle words. Lucy deliberated on it and thought he was right.¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go with this then.¡±

    They got busy with the wedding photos the next two days, and Stuart had not seen Raeleigh throughout that period. He thought she wouldn¡¯t show up when they had to confirm the wedding outfits the following day, but to his surprise, Raeleigh came out of her room after changing her clothes.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Seeing Raeleigh, Stuart was somewhat surprised that she lookedmore vivacious.

    Lucy also remarked that Raeleigh had a different look.

    They went to pick the wedding dress. Lucy tried on quite a number of them, but they ended up getting the one Stuart took a liking to.

    After that, the four of them went on an excursion around the city, including all the scenic attractions.

    Sitting on the boat, Raeleigh leaned against the seat, allowing the wind to brush through herhair. Jepherson sat beside her as though he was waiting for something; no one could see what was hidden underneath the sunsses on his face.

    ¡°What is their rtionship exactly?¡± Lucy asked Stuart when they were far away. To her, Jepherson and Raeleigh didn¡¯t seem like husband and wife, nor did they look like lovers. Jephersonwould take Raeleigh with him wherever he went, while Raeleigh was visibly reluctant.

    It looked like he had the goods on her, so she couldn¡¯t leave even if she wanted to.

    ¡°Husband and wife.¡±

    Stuart never thought otherwise, just that the rtionship was somewhat intriguing.

    Coming back from the excursion, Raeleigh returned to her room and sat by the window, spacing out. Jepherson went to check on Raeleigh after he finished his work, asking, ¡°Still feeling disinclined?¡±

    Raeleigh inquired, ¡°When are you going to release Cynthia?¡±

    Jepherson cracked a smile. ¡°If you won¡¯t give in, I shall do the same.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Jepherson for a long time. She really had the urge to p him, but she knew it was useless. He wouldn¡¯t change his mind even if she did so.

    She said, ¡°It¡¯s time for me to go back. Even if you won¡¯t release Cynthia, I still have to go back. I can¡¯t stay outside forever; I need to justify myself.¡±

    ¡°Why? He doesn¡¯t evene to you. Why did you need to justify yourself to him? Stay here. When hees, I will solve this problem.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you understand he¡¯s not the cause of the problems between us. The crux of the matter is that we can¡¯t be together. No matter how great Capital City is, it won¡¯t take me in, nor do I belong there.¡±

    ¡°Survival of the fittest. How can I survive when I can¡¯t fit in?¡±

    ¡°Can you protect me?¡±

    Jepherson gnashed his teeth. ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°We lost our child just like that, and then so many mishaps happenedter. Was Ste really just an ident?¡±

    ¡°I know you through and through.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re loyal yet ruthless. I don¡¯t want to be with you. Even if he never appeared in my life, I¡¯m not going to stay.¡±

    Hush silence filled the room.

    Jepherson shot daggers at Raeleigh as if he would not stop until his gaze had pierced through her.

    That night, the two of them fell silent as they hade to a deadlock.

    Raeleigh went shopping with Lucy the next morning after she had woken up.

    Lucy would have to buy some things since she was getting married. Moreover, she hade abroad, so she nned to get some souvenirs for her family. Plus, Stuart was more than happy to do so, just that he invited Raeleigh to join them.

    And just like that, the four of them went out together.

    After breakfast, Lucy got ready and came looking forRaeleigh, knocking on the door.

    Raeleigh was already ready. She wanted to buy wedding giftsfor Lucy and Stuart; they were getting married after all. Since Raeleigh was there to witness it, she thought she ought to get them something.

 Chapter 1662 Couldnâ€™t Withstand Distresses

    Leaving the hotel, Raeleigh inquired Lucy on what she would like the purchase, to which thtter said she would like to get something practical. She would get it if it was suitable but give up on the idea if she didn¡¯te across one.

    As the car parked itself at the entrance ofthe mall, the four of them emerged from the car.

    Raeleigh and Lucy walkedahead, Jepherson and Stuart following right behind.

    Raeleigh and Lucy took the opportunity to strike up a conversation, but Jepherson and Stuart had nothing to sayto each other as they fixed their scorching gazes on their women.

    Entering the mall, Raeleigh apanied Lucy to the lingerie store to select their undergarments.

    Raeleigh¡¯s undergarments were all tailor-made, as well as her outfits.She would only check on those that had caught her fancy.

    So she barely spent her money. On the other hand,Lucy would give up purchasing when she learned it was too high-priced, although she did take a liking to some of them. Her idea was that the item had to be economical as well as to her taste.

    Raeleigh strolled around the store and set her sight on a red bra. She checked the price andgestured the salesgirl overfor extra inquiry. With that, she went to Lucy.

    ¡°Lucy,e here.¡±

    Hearing Raeleigh¡¯s call, Lucy strode over to her for Raeleigh to ask, ¡°Does it look good?¡±

    Lucy first felt the material, then checked the price.¡°It does look good, but it¡¯s somewhat expensive.They¡¯ll charge a lower price if it¡¯s in Tambend.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but they mentioned we can get a 30% off if wewere tobuy two sets of it.¡±

    Lucy did a mental calction before pointing out,¡°It¡¯s still slightly overpriced even with the discount.¡±

    Raeleigh then proceeded to ask the salesgirl whether there was a higher discount if they were to buy three sets of it. The salesgirl replied by saying that they could get 40% off.

    Raeleigh inquired, ¡°It¡¯s a 40% discount; do you want it?¡±

    Lucy schemed. ¡°What about four sets? Will we get a 50% discount?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s eyebrows furrowed into a frown whileStuart chuckled.

    The salesgirl shook her head and apologetically told them that the highest discount they could obtain was a 40%discount. She provided them with an alternative that they could apply for memberships. With the membership card, which could also be used in other stores in the mall, they would be rewarded extra gifts with every expenditure of theirs. Not only that, but they could also enjoyspecial discounts once they had umted up to certain levels of points in the mall.

    Raeleigh instantly applied for the membership. Thedies eachbought two sets of bras.

    Following that, the two did the same, obtaining discounts and giftsas they made the most out of their money.

    After spending the whole morning strolling around the mall, Raeleigh and Lucy went for lunch before theycarried on shopping.

    For the first time in his life, Jepherson lost his patience. He settled down on a spot and waitedfor Raeleigh. Only when the clock struck eight that Raeleigh and Lucy descended to the ground floor, still feeling the lingering excitement from all the shopping. They agreed to continue their shopping the next day.

    In the evening, Raeleigh began sorting her shopping out when she returned to her room. She didn¡¯t buy a lot, just that as she sorted, shebeled them ordingly, nning to gift them to her loved ones.

    Jepherson saw two silk ties, one of which had Xanthus¡¯s name, while she kept the other away.

    Passing by, Jephersonwithdrew it out of the luggage. It was a striped tie in pink and white.

    ¡°For me?¡±

    Jepherson wrapped it around his neck. Without waiting for Raeleigh¡¯s reply, he went to the mirrorand admired his reflection with Raeleigh staring at him from behind.

    She had to admit that there were those in the world who needed no fancy garments. One example of such a man was Jepherson; a casualshirt was sufficient forhim to appear breathtaking.

    Standing in front of the mirror, Jepherson asked, ¡°How do I look?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded but said nothing. She had nned to gift it to her father, but since Jepherson had his eye on it, she would give it to him.

    Jepherson fiddled it for a while before approaching Raeleigh and pulling her up. ¡°Do me a favor.¡±

    With that, she fixed the tie on him. Oncepleted, she cast a nce at Jepherson and moved back only for him tohug her from behind, questioning,¡°Why isn¡¯t there one for me?¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you already put it on?¡±

    Raeleigh held his hand. She was at a loss of words for how easy Jepherson could get jealous. It was merely a tie.

    ¡°It¡¯s really mine?¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡±

    Since he had already wornit, she might as well let it be.

    He carried her up and made his way to the bed. Raeleigh yelped, ¡°Stop doing anything I don¡¯t like. We¡¯ve¡­¡±

    Before she could finish her words, her voice was muffled under the attack of his lips and tongue.

    Raeleigh had only managed to drift off to sleepte at night and was awakened at eight in the morning. Ignoring Jepherson¡¯s suggestion totake a break for a day,Raeleigh thought of how both she and Lucy had agreed on it and headed out the door.

    Upon arriving atthe mall, Raeleigh yawned from time to time. She took a nap, resting her head on the table to appear more energeticat noon, but she would still fall into a deep slumberafter they had returned to the hotel.

    Raeleigh had initially nned to check out jewelrywith Lucy on the following day, but Jepherson took her to the hospital for a full body check-up.

    ¡°I¡¯mpletely fine. Why do you insist on bringing me to the hospital?¡±

    Raeleigh was taken to the hospital before she had even had her breakfast. She had been grumbling after sitting down,but Jepherson turned a deaf ear. He had made an appointment with the best healthcare team to give Raeleigh aprehensive examination.

    It was time to take her blood sample then.

    ¡°You can eat after they draw your blood.¡±

    Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s arm, pulling her into the room whether she liked it or not.

    Inside, eight tubes charged at her blood vessels like starving mosquitoes, drawing her blood dry. She leaned on the side and watched as her blood was sent to theboratory. Only then did she have her breakfast before continuing another series ofcheckups.

    After a whole day of running about, the results were finally released. ording to the doctor, she was fine, just that shecked exercise and had a frail body.

    The type that couldn¡¯t withstand distresses.

    She sat aside, cupping a mug of hot cocoa. While she enjoyed her drink, Jepherson fetched some supplements beforeleading her out ofthe hospital.

    The sky had already darkened by the time they left. Raeleigh yawned as she felt drowsy once more.

    Jepherson held the bag of supplements with one hand and Raeleigh¡¯s hand with the other, walking forward.

    Across the road, Stuart¡¯s brows furrowed slightly.¡°What does it feel like to hold the hand of a woman married to another man?¡±He wondered.

    To him,Jepherson was only tormenting himself. He knew clearly Raeleigh had married another man, yet he still clung to her.

    Seeing Stuart as they approached the car, he asked, ¡°When have you arrived?¡±

    ¡°Just. We haven¡¯t had our dinner andwould like to invite you and Madam Raeleigh to join us.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, but no.Raeleigh and I will eat in the hotel. You two have fun.¡±

    Bending over, Jepherson got into the car with Raeleigh and subsequently looked out the window at Stuart. ¡°I don¡¯t need you here; you may leave.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    With that, Stuart closed the doorbefore turning around to leave.

    In the car sat the couple and the chauffeur, whosensed that something was amiss. Raeleigh had been sleeping once she had gotteninto the car, looking alldrowsy and weary whileMr. Jepherson held her in his arms¡­T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    The chauffeur sent thembackto the hotel. Getting out of the car, Jepherson bent over, carried Raeleigh in his arms, and strode into the hotel.

    Raeleigh nestled in his arms. She was too tired to keep herself awake.

 Chapter 1663 Running into Flynt

    Returning to their room, Jepherson carried Raeleigh to the bathroom, intending to bathe her, but she stirred and tugged at him as soon as they stepped into the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯m dead on my feet. Let me rest. I¡¯ll fall apart if you don¡¯t.¡±

    Only then did Jepherson ce her on the bed, change her, and watch as she took her rest.

    Raeleighid still, casting an apathetic look at him. ¡°See this? I can¡¯t be at ease whenever I¡¯m with you, just like now.¡±

    ¡°Your health is too poor.¡±

    Jepherson wouldn¡¯t admit it even if he regretted it.

    Raeleigh pressed on, ¡°Are you going to release Cynthia or not?¡±

    Gnashing his teeth, Jepherson grumbled,¡°Don¡¯t you have anything else to say to me other than this?¡±

    Raeleigh remained still. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything else.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t but rather because she was on herst legs, she felt too enervated to talk to him.

    She did not even have the strength to speak.

    She tugged at the covers and closed her eyes.

    Seeing Raeleigh closing her eyes, Jepherson walked away. He removed the necktie and ced it asidebut headed back to stuff it into his pocket as though it would be stolen if he didn¡¯t do so.

    Turning around, he stripped off his shirt andidon the bed. He stayed up throughout the night.

    The next day, Jepherson was still sleeping by the time Raeleigh woke up. She shifted and found something clinging to her foot. Liftingthe covers to check,Jepherson had tied their feet together with the necktie.

    Raeleighnded her eyes on Jepherson, who was awakenedby her tugging. ¡°I need to go to the washroom.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson moaned, still lying.

    Raeleigh undid the tie and went to the bathroom. When she returned, Jepherson was still lying in bed, unwilling to get up.

    Raeleigh inquired if they were heading home that day, and Jephersonaffirmed the flight the next day.The couple stayed in bed all day.

    Jepherson spent the night lying in bed in silence. He would asionallysteal nces at Raeleigh, uneasy despite his drowsiness.

    Raeleigh spent the night tossing and turning, as didJepherson.

    At daybreak, Jephersonwashed up, changed into a new set of clothes, and checked out of the hotelwith Raleigh after packing their luggage. Following that, they headed for the airport.

    On the flight back home, the four of themhad their seats side by side; Raeleigh spent the flight sleeping while Jepherson shut his eyes. Stuart and Lucy nned theirwedding invitation and wedding favors upon arriving back home as well as sharing their thoughts on buying a new house for Lucy¡¯s family.

    They busied themselves with what they had to do. After they disembarked from the ne, Jepherson granted Stuart a ten-day break and instructed him to settle his business within that period. Only then did Stuart leave with items they had bought abroad.

    Raeleigh then followed Jepherson to the hotel, where she sorted her things out and asked for the number of the courier servicebefore making a call for it and sending the items she had purchased home.

    ¡°It¡¯s so far away. Aren¡¯t you worried?¡±

    Raeleigh replied, ¡°It¡¯s merely a few pieces of garments; nothing to worry about.There¡¯s parcel insurance, no?¡±

    ¡°Is there anything for me?¡± Jepherson sat aside and surveyed all her stuff.Everyone apart from him was on the list.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°What can you give me?¡±

    He rendered Raeleigh speechless.

    The courier messenger stood aside and observed them, sensing an inharmonious atmosphere.

    Raeleigh checked the things she had packed and sealed the box withyers of tape without leaving anything for Jepherson. She then gave the courier messenger her ID numberand contact informationbefore wrapping up with a signature on the required document.

    ¡°These things may seem normal, but if they¡¯re lost, I¡¯ll lodge aint against yourpany.¡±

    Raeleigh ced Jepherson¡¯s phoneasidewhile the staff nched and swallowed. It was the first timehesaw Jepherson right before his eyesas he only ever saw him on TV.

    ¡°The box must be loaded with valuable items,¡± He mumbled under his breath.

    In the end, he set off with the box in trepidation. As the door closed, Raeleigh made up her mind.¡°I want to take a rest. We¡¯ll go shopping tomorrow morning; I¡¯ll buy you something.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh went to take a shower, locking the door behind her. Jepherson remained knocking on the door, but Raeleigh paid no attention to it as she only emerged after she was done.

    Exiting the bathroom, she announced, ¡°I¡¯m on my period.¡±

    Dumbfounded, Jepherson¡¯s browknitted into a deep frown. ¡°You¡¯re joking?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Raeleigh was baffled too. She never had such a problem until she returned, having a period every two weeks. At first, she thought it was due to stress, but nothing changed.

    Jepherson stared at her. ¡°Go for anothercheck-up tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Raeleigh changed her clothes and went to lie on the bed uneasily.

    Hadn¡¯t Jepherson just taken her for a check-up? Why wasn¡¯t it shown on her result?

    She spent the night restless. Jepherson appointed an expert in the field to check up on Raeleigh. However, they were still told that she was okay.The main cause of the anomaly had something to do with the hormones and the patient¡¯s anxiety. It wasn¡¯t a big deal, and she could be nursed back to health.

    Even so, she couldn¡¯t get careless and had to visit the hospital for another examination after the menstruation.

    Exitingthe hospital, Raeleigh took some medication and headed forthe mall with Jepherson. Upon arrival, she began to shop for things he desired.

    Raeleigh asked what he wanted, only for him to shamelessly demand a bit of everything, so Raeleigh had no choice but to bring him around the mall, entering every store in sight.

    They first bought a set of skincare products as Jepherson remarked he was almost out of them.

    After inquiring about his preferences, Raeleighselected products she found to be most suitable. They then proceeded to purchase other items Jepherson demanded. Raeleigh was worn out after spending the day shopping and wandering the mall, so the two decided to call it a day by visiting anearby restaurant for a meal.

    Jepherson had booked a table in advance. After parking the car, they made their way to the restaurant.

    It never urred to Raeleigh that she would run into Flynt in that restaurant.

    Raeleigh entered the restaurant withJephersonholding her hand in his. Shehad never wanted to show up in public and had chosen a secluded route with Jepherson, yet they still bumped into Flynt.

    What was more, they ran into each other face-to-face.

    ¡°Are we still going elsewhereter?¡± During the day, Jepherson had mentioned attending a fashion show. Raeleigh wasn¡¯t interested as she had always tried to avoid crowded ces; she was still dwelling on the issueas they entered the restaurant, asking Jepherson hurriedly for a confirmation.

    But as she asked, Jepherson stiffened. It was not until iciness surged in his eyes that Raeleigh was surprised as she turned to follow Jepherson¡¯s line of sight. A duo was standing in front of them, one of whom was absent-mindedly fixing his eyes on Raeleigh.

    Flynt?

    Little did Raeleigh expect to meet Flynt.

    ¡°Raeleigh,¡±Flynt called out as he came up to her.

    Jepherson spoke up, ¡°Mr. Moore, do you know my wife?¡±

    Flynt paused for a second before he lifted his gaze to look at Jepherson, followed by a short moment¡¯shesitation. Jepherson¡¯s reminder did deter him, which led to him stopping in his tracks.

 Chapter 1664 No Whatifs

    ¡°We were ssmates.¡±

    As Flynt spoke, his eyes fell on Raeleigh, ¡°When have you returned?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember a Mr. Moore in my ss. Have you mistaken me for someoneelse?¡±Raeleigh exchanged a nce with Jepherson.

    Catching the hint, Jepherson smirked before he turned to Flynt. ¡°It seems that Mr. Moore has indeed mistaken.¡±

    Stepping forward, Jepherson withdrew his hand from Raeleigh¡¯s, ced it on her waist and led her into the restaurant. When they walked past Flynt, Raeleigh turned to look at Jepherson, who was staring ahead.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡±

    Jepherson replied, ¡°Since you don¡¯t know him, don¡¯t ask.¡±

    Flynt turned to focus his eyes on Raeleigh that had long passed by him and called out to her, ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh came to an abrupt stop, turned around and asked, ¡°How do you know my name?¡±

    Flynt furrowed hisbrows; his gaze, fathomless. ¡°Have you lost your memory?¡±

    Raeleigh locked her curious gaze on Flynt. ¡°Sorry?¡±

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hand over to him andturned around, leading her away while announcing, ¡°He thinks you resemble one of his acquaintances.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson, what did you do to her?¡±

    Jepherson ignored his question while Raeleigh looked over at Jepherson asthe two made their way into a private room. Raeleigh settled on a chair and looked in the direction of the door, asking, ¡°Had he really just mistaken me for someone else?¡±

    Jepherson retorted, ¡°What else?¡±

    Raeleigh said no more while Flyntstood rooted to the spot before he turned around and left.

    Later, the manager of the restaurant entered the room and informed Jepherson that Flynt had left. Upset, Jephersonshoved the tes to the side.

    The manager approached Jepherson in haste and said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson, we were also surprised Flynt would dine here. He booked the room under someone else¡¯s name, which was the woman beside her. That¡¯s why he managed to enter the restaurant.¡±

    Sitting aside, Raeleigh picked up the menu. ¡°How about a four-course dinner?¡±

    Hearing Raeleigh¡¯s voice, the manager approached her and jotted down her orders.

    The manager stood in front of Raeleigh, not daring to move. Raeleigh gave Jepherson a kick on the shin under the table. Only then did he say, ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    With that, the manager swiftly brought their orders to the kitchen. After the manager left, Raeleigh said, ¡°Now that Flynt has seen me, he won¡¯t sit back and do nothing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to see if he has the guts.¡± Jepherson gnashed his teeth,his face coldto the extreme. Raeleigh fixed the tableand pointed out, ¡°He canwork things out under the table.¡±

    With a snort, Jepherson threatened, ¡°If he daresdo it again, I¡¯ll make sure the grim reaper waves him hello.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s curse did nothing to dispel his displeasure, and he had not gotten much of an appetite either.

    Raeleigh, on the other hand, ate leisurely.

    Rendering Jepherson mesmerized.

    ¡°Do you hate me that much?¡± Jepherson questioned with his eyes squinted.

    Raeleigh took a sip of soup and wiped her mouth. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Jepherson pulled a long face. ¡°Admit it. You hate meto the bones.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Stuffed, Raeleigh got up to move about in the room. Jepherson didn¡¯t focus on the meal but stared at Raeleigh instead, who feinted indifferencebecause it would do her no harm.

    Wearing out, Raeleigh suggested heading back. Only then did they leave the restaurant.

    Raeleigh had thought everything would be fine after leaving the restaurant, but to her dismay, she spotted the car parked not far from them as soon as she was out the door. She recognized the Moore family¡¯s emblem; although it was different from Jepherson¡¯s, all government officials used the same cars and were easily recognizable.

    Seeing Raeleigh, Flynt emerged from it, closed the door, and gazed at her.

    As Flynt came into her sight, Raeleigh threw a nce at Jepherson, who then looked at herand urged,¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    As they reached their car, the chauffeur opened the door for them to enter. The moment the door shut, Jepherson¡¯s face sankas hemanded,¡°Call Hadrian and check what he¡¯s doing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    The chauffeur nodded and dialed Hadrian¡¯s number, who answered the callin two shakes. Sitting in the back seat, Jepherson added, ¡°Contact Jacky andtell him toe over.¡±

    The chauffeur passed the message to Hadrian, who obliged. Raeleighcould hear his voice drifting out of the receiver.

    Hanging up, Jepherson leaned against his seat with his eyes closed while holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Raeleigh grasped the opportunity to say, ¡°Let me go home and release Cynthia.¡±

    Jepherson tightened his grip on Raeleigh¡¯s hand. ¡°No.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes fell on him.¡°You should be aware that if I stay, it¡¯ll only bring us more trouble.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    Jepherson opened his eyes and fixed them on Raeleigh. He would never let her go again, ever.

    Raeleigh replied with resignation, ¡°What if Flynt abducts me again?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m personally keeping an eye on you this time. The samething will never happen again.¡±

    ¡°What if?¡±

    ¡°No what-ifs.¡±

    No matter what Raeleigh said, Jepherson would not agree to let her go. As theyarrived at the hotel, Jepherson got out of the car and led Raeleigh into the hotel. Once they entered, he received a report that a car stalked them on their journey back.

    Jepherson strode to the front of the elevator and stopped, turning around to lookathis subordinateand instructed,¡°See what they are after. Don¡¯t let them get close. If they try, call the police and arrest them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    The two stepped into the elevator up to their room. Jepherson rummaged through the drawer and retrieved a pair of binocrs, then adjusted the lenses to look out the window. Raeleigh stood behind him, not knowing whether to cry or tough. It was a jaw-dropping fact that he had even had binocrs in the hotelroom.

    Raeleigh took a shower before she went to bed. Jepherson ced the binocrsaside, undressed, and went to take a shower. By the time he emerged from the bathroom, Raeleigh had fallen asleep.

    Getting into bed, he gave her a light tug and rested, seeing that she showed no response.

    Jepherson turned to Raeleigh when he woke up the next morning, ¡°When is he going toe?¡±

    Raeleigh replied in amusement, ¡°How would I know?¡±

    ¡°Call him.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±

    ¡°Tell him toe over.¡±

    Jepherson got out of bed and changed while Raeleigh followed behind. ¡°Cynthia is innocent; whatever you want to do is between us. You should release her, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Will you stay if I do that?¡±

    Jepherson looked over at Raeleigh, who shook her head.

    ¡°Then what¡¯s the point of talking about this?¡±

    ¡­

    It was another distressing morning.It wasn¡¯t the first time they argued on the matter, and sure enough,the conversation ended in a tiresome impasse.

    What was mystifying was that no matter how irritated Jepherson was, he would hold Raeleigh¡¯s hand tightly whenever they left their room, as though their bickering didn¡¯t concern him at all.

    The chauffeur could tell that Jepherson was even happy to quarrel with her.

    When Jepherson and Raeleigh got into the car, Raeleigh instantly noticed that the chauffeur was casting them witha strange nce, but he averted his eyes from her face in no time.

    Calmly driving along the way, the chauffeur sent Raeleigh and Jepherson to the entrance of thepany, thoughtfully openingthe door for them upon their arrival. It was not until they had gotten out of the car that he heaved a sigh of relief.

 Chapter 1665 Not That She Was Afraid of Him

    Emerging from the car, Raeleigh turned to lookat Jepherson and found a sharp glint shing in his eyes. He shot a nce at the chauffeur. ¡°Who¡¯s behind us?¡±

    ¡°The Moore family¡¯s car.¡±

    ¡°They sure are getting bolder.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and held Raeleigh¡¯s hand,striding towards thepany. At the same time, a man exited the building. It was none other than Flynt.

    Raeleigh was astonished by Flynt¡¯s audacity.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    Seeing Jepherson, Flynt took the initiative to greet him, urging Jepherson to stopin his tracks. His eyes fell on Flynt as he sized him up. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Director Moore?¡±

    ¡°Mister, if you must. I¡¯m just a deputy.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. May I know your business with us, Mr. Moore?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here for Raeleigh; may I have a private conversation with her?¡± Flynt approached Raeleigh as he spoke. Jepherson did not stop him at once butspoke up when he was close.¡°Do you think it¡¯s appropriate, Mr. Moore? Just because you¡¯re the director of Capital City, you think you can put forward such a request to my wife?¡±

    ¡°As far as I know, she isn¡¯t your wife.¡±He came prepared; Flynt had investigated them beforeing.

    ¡°How funny. I established alovingrtionship with my fianc¨¦e,and we¡¯re about to get married. Mr. Moore, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re crossing the line to request being alone with my fianc¨¦e?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Raeleigh and I are friends. Even if I don¡¯t point it out, you should be well aware of it.¡±

    ¡°This is ridiculous. I don¡¯t know anything. If you have nothing more to say, please take your leave, Mr. Moore, lest you frighten my wife.¡±

    Jepherson wrapped his arm around Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder and led her into the building. Flynt reached out to pull Raeleigh, alerting Raeleigh to turn and look at him. They were all surprised Flynt was acting so brazenly.

    Jepherson stepped inand protected Raeleigh before she could even react by throwing a kick at Flynt.

    Jepherson wore a darkened expressionwhen Flynt managed to dodge his attack. A crowd started to gatheraround them and surround Flynt.

    Standing, Jepherson fixed his clothes before slowly looking over at Flynt. ¡°Mr. Moore, you¡¯d better behave yourself. After all, there are quite a loteyeing this position of yours; I doubt it¡¯ll be yours forever. I suggest you watch your back.¡±

    ¡°Duly noted. Mr. Richards, let me remind you that trappingan amnesiac woman by your side isn¡¯t an act of love, but an act of destruction.¡±

    Shooting another nce at Raeleigh, Flynt stepped away.

    Jepherson¡¯s men leftin turn. It was only right then that Raeleigh realized Jepherson had so many bodyguards with him.

    After arriving at his office, Jepherson set his jacket aside and slumped into his seat. Shortly after that, Stuart appeared with Lucy, who was dressed in sportswear. It was in that Stuart had received the news, and he stopped by the office to check on everything since he was perturbed about it.

    As Stuart entered,Jepherson shifted his gaze to him, asking, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Stuart answered truthfully, ¡°I was nearby when the chauffeur reported Flynt was here and intended to make a move.¡±

    ¡°He dide, but nothing happened. Aren¡¯t you on a break? Why are you here?¡±

    Jepherson did not appreciate his kind act and was instead disgruntled with Stuart¡¯s return.

    Stuart ruminated for a bit. ¡°Should we inform the Whalen family?¡±

    ¡°What for? Isn¡¯t Zorion back at his studies?¡±

    Rossie was studyingin a local institution, and she still had a year before she graduated. Zorion, however,had already graduated.

    He had taken over thepany, but Jepherson received newsthat he returnedto continue his studies.

    Some conjectured that he received a bad grade point, but Jepherson knew he was worried about Rossie.

    Stuartgave it a brief thought. ¡°We should, at least,tell Jacky.¡±

    ¡°Why should we bother people with our business?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re businessmen while they¡¯re government officials. It¡¯s tough for us to fight against them.¡± Stuart wassomewhat worried. Flynt was no longer the man he used to be; everyone in Capital City had to, right then,show him respect.

    Humored, Jephersonmented,¡°Are you saying I can¡¯t afford to offend Flynt?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s just that you don¡¯t need to have a direct confrontation with him at this point,¡± Stuart said bluntly.

    Jepherson knocked on the table. ¡°I didn¡¯t provoke him, yet he thinks I¡¯m a wimp to be bullied as he wishes. Stuart, let me tell youthatI¡¯m a snake-hitter. No matter how cunning a snake is, it willobediently behavein front of me, or it doesn¡¯t matter how menacing the snake is,I¡¯ll give it a good beatingwithout hesitationif it were to act recklessly.¡±

    ¡°Flynt is more influential than before. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy for us tounch an assault at him.¡±

    ¡°When have I ever said thatI¡¯m going to do that? There are so many out there eager to attack the Moore family; I will never have to do it myself.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jeperson, what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Mind your own business. Don¡¯t worry about anything else. Isn¡¯t your wedding approaching?¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡±

    ¡°Leave.¡±

    Jepherson waved his hand. Stuart was in no position to say more. He darted a nce at Raeleigh and left.

    After Stuart left, Raeleigh settled down on the sofa. She didn¡¯t know what was going on, but judging from Jepherson¡¯s attitude, she knew he was going to scheme against the Moore family.

    Jepherson withdrew a set of chess pieces from the drawer, ced it on the table, and indicated to Raeleigh for a round.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    Raeleigh approached Jepherson and sat across from him, ¡°If I win, you¡¯llhave to sleep with me tonight. If you win, you can sleep by yourself.¡± Jepherson said.

    ¡°And if I refuse to y?¡±

    ¡°Then you lose.¡±

    Raeleigh had no choice but to give in toJepherson. To her surprise, she won.

    Raeleigh¡¯s face blossomed with a wide grin. ¡°I won!¡±

    ¡°Do you hate me that much? Who¡¯s the one moaning in pleasure when we¡¯re making love?¡±

    Raeleigh face fell at Jepherson¡¯s words. She stood up and returned to the sofa,demanding, ¡°It¡¯s time for me to leave. Let me go.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m the one infatuated; you¡¯re not. Hmm?¡±

    Raeleigh then nced over at him, boiling with rage.

    As their eyes met, Raeleigh exined, ¡°I will leave sooner orter. Even if you don¡¯t let Cynthia go, I will still leave.¡±

    ¡°Then stay longer. You¡¯re now mine. Call Austin. I want to meet him.¡±

    Averting her gaze from him, Raeleigh said,¡°I don¡¯t know where he is, nor do I have his contact.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, what kind of husband and wife is this? You don¡¯t even know what he¡¯s been doing outside, do you?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyesslowly strayed to Jepherson as he spoke. His gaze was fathomless as he squeezed his words through his gnashed teeth,¡°Would you even know if he cheats on you?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not that sort of man.¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her head and focused on her hands.

    ¡°How would you know? You barely know him, yet you¡¯re defending him.¡± Jepherson mmed his hand against the table. With a bang, Raeleigh flinched. It wasn¡¯t that she was afraid of him, but itwas an instinctive reaction. The sudden action made her jump.

 Chapter 1666 A Visit from Marissa

    Jepherson¡¯s expression darkened. He left his chair and sat next to her, asking,¡°Have I frightened you?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head.¡°You¡¯d have to do more than that.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you flinch?¡±

    ¡°An instinctive reaction.¡±

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh over and patted heron her shoulder. ¡°Raeleigh¡­ Sometimes, even I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll lose my mind one day.¡±

    ¡°You already are.Is there a need for you to wait?¡±

    Stumped, Jepherson chuckled under his breath and hugged her tight.¡°I won¡¯t let you go even if I die. I¡¯ll die with you!¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent; she¡¯d only take it as she had met a maniac.

    The day passed peacefully. Raeleigh spent the day in Jepherson¡¯spany and apanied him back to the hotel at night.But for some reason, someone may have divulged the secretor had gossiped behind their back, but when Raeleigh was sleeping at night, Marissa showed up.

    Stuart was on his break. The doormen were mere ordinary subordinates of Jepherson¡¯s. When they saw Marissa, they did not dare to stop her, nor did theynotify Jepherson. It wasn¡¯t until Marissa had reached the door of his room that Jepherson received the call and got out of bed.

    Jepherson fixed his pajamasand opened the door to seeMarissa with Reeseby her side. It was pretty scary for them to show up at his door sote at night.

    It wasmonce for Reese to follow Marissa out, but it was the first time she witnessed an alluring Jepherson in violet pajamas.

    Seeing Jepherson, Marissa gave him a pushand barged into the room with Reese following behind, charging towardsthe bed. Raeleigh was worn out, thanks to Jepherson, so dead asleep that she did not sense Marissa¡¯s presence.

    Marissa¡¯s anger rose as soon as she saw Raeleigh and rushed to her, lifting her walking stick to strike Raeleigh.

    Jepherson was quick to react. He stepped forward and blocked her walking stick. He did not grab it, nor did he push it away. All he did was defend Raeleigh as if to say, ¡°You want tosh out? Go ahead, beat me to death.¡±

    Marissa thwacked Jepherson on his shoulder with the stick. The blow was firm.

    Jephersonfrowned at the impact, stunning Marissa to stagger backward. Her hand trembled as she raised her head to gape at Jepherson. ¡°You¡­¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson unbuttoned his pajamas to reveal the bruise onhis shoulderandgazed at it before fixinghis eyes on Marissa. ¡°I¡¯vealways thought you only disliked Raeleigh. Who would¡¯ve thought¡­ It isn¡¯t that you dislike but hate her.¡±

    ¡°If you can hurt me like this,Raeleigh will be crippledif the strike were tond on her, won¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Grandma, you¡¯re vigorous despite your age. You may seem decrepit at usual times, but your strength boosts when giving beatings. That¡¯s enough tmitmurder, let alone inflict injuries.¡±

    Jepherson covered his shoulder and took his time to button his pyjamascollectedly.

    He was very disappointed in Marissa.

    Marissa gnashed her teeth. ¡°Do I have to remind you that she has a child with another man? You should¡¯ve asked her to leave if you¡¯re a man. What have youbeen doing all this while?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. As a man, I can¡¯t let it be. So, I will marry Raeleigh, and in a way as splendid as I can.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Marissa held her forehead in exasperation, losing her bnce, as though she was about to be fainted.

    Jepherson rebuked, ¡°Save your act for someone else. I¡¯ve gone through your health report; you¡¯re even healthier than me, nor is there any problem with your heart and brain.¡±

    Marissa opened her eyesto re at him. ¡°Jerry, are you trying to infuriate me to death?¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re the one trying to do that to yourself.¡±

    As he spoke, Jepherson shifted his gaze to those behind her. ¡°What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and help my grandmother out of here. Keep in mind that Raeleigh has poor health and can¡¯t withstand my grandmother¡¯s scolding. Whenever Raeleigh¡¯s here, don¡¯t let her in, and don¡¯t let them meet each other. If anything happens, you can¡¯t afford to bear the consequences.¡±

    Marissa was beside herself with a fury that she thumped her chest and stomped her foot.

    ¡°Jerry, have you forgotten how I treated you when you were young?¡± Marissa brought up his childhood, only to receive Jepherson¡¯s deathly stare in return. ¡°I have indeed if you didn¡¯t bring it up.¡±

    ¡°I remember being a child, and our family had just returned to tranquillity then.Mom had returned, and Dad was never better; she was even pregnant with Santiago.¡±

    ¡°We were happy as a family of four.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what was in your mind back then, but you had this self-willed idea to insist on taking care of me rather than lettingMom do it. Mom couldn¡¯t defy you. After I left her side, she could barely sleep, tossing and turning all night.¡±

    ¡°Mom told you that she could take good care of me with Dad¡¯s help, yet you insisted on taking me away from her side.¡±

    ¡°It left Mom down in the dumps.¡±

    ¡°You took me away and told me Mom wouldn¡¯t like me as much after she gave birth to Santiago, indoctrinating me to follow you.¡±

    ¡°Although I was young, I knew what was going on.¡±

    Marissa began nching. In the past, she indeed disapproved of her son¡¯s behavior of pampering his wife¡­

    ¡°When have I ever saidthat? You were just a child; you must¡¯ve misremembered.How can you talk to me like this?Do you know what I went through to raise your father? Do you know how much effort I put into lookingafter you?¡±

    Marissa shouted at Jepherson, heart-wretched. Jepherson remained callous. ¡°I¡¯m well aware of what happened. It¡¯s gettingte; send my grandmother home.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze was devoid of warmth. He had already tried to wear the best attitude he could. At the very least, he didn¡¯t kick her out.

    His men came over in a snap to see Marissa off. Marissa forcefully shoved them and yelled, ¡°Get lost. I won¡¯t leave today. I want to see what this vamp is capable of.¡±

    Jepherson frowned. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I said she¡¯s a vamp,¡± Marissa repeated without hesitation.

    Jepherson nodded. ¡°All right. She¡¯s a vamp. But let me dere, I¡¯m going to love this vamp for the rest of my life, and I won¡¯t marry any woman other than her. Not only that, in the future, I¡¯ll also¡­¡±

    Raeleigh slowly opened her eyes, calling out,¡°Jepherson¡­¡±

    Jepherson paused andturned to look at her. ¡°Did we wake you up?¡±

    ¡°I want to go to the washroom.¡±

    Raeleigh got out of bed. She was wearing pajamas, so she wasn¡¯t afraid of being leered at. Once getting out of bed, she put on her slippers and headed for the bathroom.

    Marissa called out, ¡°Stop right there.¡±

    Raeleigh disregarded her words, continuing to make her way to the bathroom.Marissasquinted at that, taunting, ¡°Right, you have the guts. Let¡¯s see what you¡¯re made of.¡±

    ¡°RaeleighAnson, I¡¯m telling you, we will never let a sl*t marry into our family. Don¡¯t even think about it!¡±

    Just then,a few hotel staff had gathered. Learning the incident in Jepherson¡¯s room, they all came to check itout.

    Jepherson swept his gaze over the crowd and announced, ¡°All of you heard her. My grandmother has gone mad that she starts to act shamelessly.¡±

    Thecrowd kept silent. Marissa slowly lifted her gaze to look at Jepherson with shock filling her face. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Jepherson took a gander at her without answering. He turned around to get his phone and called the mental hospital.

    ¡°Send an ambnce over. There¡¯s a crazy woman here; she¡¯s off her trolley.¡±

 Chapter 1667 Stalkers

    As soon as Jepherson hung upthe phone, Marissa dashed over and grabbed him by his cor, beating him hard. ¡°What did you just say? Repeat your words if you have the guts to do so.¡±

    Jepherson ignored her as his eyes fell onReese. ¡°Tomorrow onwards, you don¡¯t have toeanymore.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, Madam Marissa needs someone to look after her all the time,¡± Reese said. By this time, Raeleigh had already walked into the bathroom. She didn¡¯t want to get involved in matters between Jepherson and Marissa.

    After walking into the bathroom, she filled up the tub and locked the door before getting into the tub.

    Raeleigh leaned back against the tub. She wouldn¡¯t step out of the bathroom even if the sky were to copse on her.

    Yet, it turned out¡­

    Jepherson intended to send Marissa to a mental hospital. Reese quickly called Trevor, who rushed over to the hotel immediately and finally made itte at night.

    By the time Trevor arrived, the staff from the mental hospital had also arrived. After bumping into each other at the hotel entrance, the staff hastily retreated after Trevor went on a tirade.

    When Trevor arrived at the hotel room, he kicked the door down, giving everyone a fright.

    In contrast with his age, Trevor was not doddery at all.

    He entered the room to find Marissa shouting at Jepherson, who was standing by the bed. When Jepherson saw Trevor, he said, ¡°Are you here to catch me redhanded as well?¡±

    Trevor was a little mystified. He knew that something had to be afoot, otherwise, things wouldn¡¯t have gotten so out of control.

    ¡°Stop this ruckus right now. Get out of here, all of you!¡±

    Trevor was the patriarch of the Richards family, after all. The moment he gave the order, everyone left and Marissa walked over to him and started crying like he was her only hope.

    Trevor was well aware that his wife must be the one creating trouble, but he would not take his grandson¡¯s side.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re all grown up and even able to bully your own grandmother.¡±

    Trevor did not say anything else. With that, he grabbed Marissa and turned to leave. However, Marissa refused to, saying, ¡°That vixen¡¯s still in there.¡±

    Only then did Trevor realise that Raeleigh had returned.

    He stopped and turned to look at Jepherson, whose expression was cold. ¡°I¡¯ll get to the bottom of this, but I won¡¯t let you off the hook. I won¡¯t allow you to bully your grandmother as long as I¡¯m still alive.¡±

    With that, Trevor left and forcefully took Marissa with him. Regardless of her unwillingness, she couldn¡¯t resist him and was forced to leave.

    On the other hand, Raeleigh soaked in the tub for more than an hour and became extremely pruned. She only came out when Jepherson went to get her.

    ¡­

    Outside the hotel.

    Trevor was having mixed feelings. Over the past few years, Marissa had be more and more temperamental and was acting increasingly erratically.

    Ever since Hansen and Jenna had left with Santiago, she¡¯d grown increasinglyunreasonable. Trevor knew that she felt disinclined to ept it, but she had no option but topromise when it came to kinship. It was not a matter that could be solved with mere persistence.

    Marissa stopped in her tracks and broke free of Trevor¡¯s grip. She asked, ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m being unreasonable and that I¡¯ve grown senile?¡±

    Her face was white with rage. Trevor took his coat off and draped it around her shoulders, not wanting her to catch a cold.

    He answered, ¡°It¡¯s true that I do feel that you¡¯re being unreasonable sometimes.¡±

    Trevor cast a nce at Reese, who was standing next to them. At her age, she wasn¡¯t able toprehend their rtionship, which was why she was looking at them rather oddly.

    Trevor might be getting on in his years, but he was still charming.

    Reese had never seen Hansen. When she came to the Richards family, Hansen and Jenna weren¡¯t around anymore.

    The same went for Santiago.

    Reese had only met Trevor and Jepherson. It was obvious to her that both of them were loyal to a fault and loved their partners deeply.

    It was excusable for Jepherson as it was normal for him to be besotted at his age, but what about Trevor?

    Every time she thought about this, Reese would give Trevor an odd look or two.

    Trevor said to her, ¡°You can head back for now ande over tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Reese turned around and left.

    Only then did Trevor turn to face Marissa, who was trembling with rage. He took her hand and rubbed his hands against hers to warm it up.

    Reese watched them after getting into the car, which was parked a distance away.

    She frowned, perplexed.

    Why was Trevor still treating Marissa so well even though she was like a raving lunatic? Wasn¡¯t it odd?

    Reese was interested to see what would happen next, so she did not leave.

    Marissa asked Trevor, ¡°Even you think that of me? Why?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never been a considerate person, Marissa,¡± he suddenly answered. Marissa stiffened, immediately wanting to pull away from him. Before she could, however, Trevor had already grabbed her hand.

    She stared at him in anguish.

    He sighed lightly and looked at her. ¡°There was a time when you were considerate for me, though.¡±

    Hearing his words, Marissa staredat himnkly, not knowing what to say.

    Was she the one at fault?

    Trevor wiped away the tears that started to flow from Marissa¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°Your extreme methods caught me by surprise, but I don¡¯t detest you, nor do I me you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve sacrificed a lot for this family, for your husband and child. In fact, in your old age, you should be surrounded by family, but I¡¯m the only one by your side. They¡¯ve all left and gone on to love someone else.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you became extreme.¡±

    ¡°That said, Marissa, we don¡¯t love and raise them so that they¡¯ll surround us. It¡¯s so that they¡¯ll be happy.¡±

    ¡°Everyone has their own journey, just like how I chose you over my mother.¡±

    ¡°You can still lead a happy and fulfilling life without them, Marissa. Don¡¯t resent them. You¡¯ll always have me.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°For as long as I live, I¡¯ll be by your side.¡±

    Marissa stared at Trevor dazedly, her tears still flowing. Trevor pulled her into his arms and pat her on the back.

    He said softly, ¡°It¡¯s only normal for people to be somewhat irrational when they get older. It¡¯s just that they¡¯ve forgotten how we used to treat them when they were younger and up to all sorts of hijinks.¡±

    Those words were all it took for Marissa to snap as she burst into tears.

    Trevor pulled her into the car and headed home.

    At the same time, Reese got ready to leave. However, she saw two ck cars that didn¡¯t belong to the Richards family trail after Trevor and Marissa.

    She found it extremely odd. Why were there still cars around here at this hour?

    Why were they stalking Trevor¡¯scar?

    Reese immediately dialed Jepherson¡¯s number.

    Raeleigh had juste out of the bathroom and dried herself. She¡¯d gotten dressed and was ready to hit the sack.

    Jepherson wasn¡¯t in the best mood and was currently taking a shower. It was Raeleigh who picked up the call.

    When she saw that Reese was the one calling, she immediately thought of the woman who was with Marissa.

    Answering the call, she went straight to the point. ¡°He¡¯s in the bathroom. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°There are two ck cars that don¡¯t belong to the Richards family following Old Master Richards and Madam Marissa¡¯s car. Please tell Mr. Richards about this.¡±

    Reese was worried, so she nned on going after them, but she wasn¡¯t sure whether she¡¯d get caught and was also feeling hesitant.

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Where were they going?¡±

    ¡°Richards Group Manor, probably.¡±

 Chapter 1668 Letâ€™s Visit Madam Marissa

    ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly. Wait for us downstairs.¡±

    Raeleigh immediately knew what Reese was thinking. She put down her mobile phone and went to get Jepherson. She knocked on the door of the bathroom.

    Jepherson was taking a cold shower. The sound of the water running drowned out the sound of Raeleigh knocking.

    Raeleigh pushed the door open and walked in. Jepherson sensed it when he felt a burst of wind.

    He looked up at Raeleigh, who had a grim expression on. ¡°Something¡¯s happened.¡±

    After that, she left the bathroom and quickly changed into something else. Jepherson came out after her, drying his hair as he asked her, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Raeleigh felt like she was some sort of spy. It felt really weird.

    She said, ¡°Reese called and said that there are two cars trailing Old Master Richards and Madam Marissa¡¯s car. I told her to wait for us downstairs.¡±

    Jepherson frowned. ¡°How long has it been?¡±

    ¡°Five minutes.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head to check the time.

    Jepherson strode out of the room. When he opened the door, he was already giving out instructions.

    When they got downstairs, Reese got out of the car, walked over to them and said, ¡°They were heading towards Richards Group Manor.¡±

    ¡°Get in.¡± Jepherson got into the car, Raeleigh following suit. Reese got in as well and the driver got going.

    On the way, Jepherson received a phone call saying that someone had already noticed the cars following Trevor and Marissa and were getting ready to approach them.

    Jepherson said, ¡°Don¡¯t scare them.¡±

    He hung up and put down the phone. Raeleigh turned to look at Reese, who was sitting opposite them. She was quite pretty and was the type that didn¡¯t catch one¡¯s attention at first nce but made one want to keep looking at her.

    When they arrived at the site of the ident, four cars had gotten into a headlong crash, resulting in some injuries and even deaths.

    Marissa and Trevor¡¯s car had already left. Jepherson stopped the car but didn¡¯t get out. He looked out the window and asked the driver, ¡°Who¡¯s injured?¡±

    The driver said, ¡°Monroe¡¯s sons, I heard. They flew over here as quickly as they could and the eldest one¡¯s seriously injured.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t look too affected, but he asked, ¡°Does Monroe have any other sons?¡±

    ¡°No, these are the only two. He had a daughter, but she passed away three years ago when she was overseas. These two are his younger sons, and the eldest one¡¯s not even twenty-three years old.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. He said, ¡°Go on and take a look.¡±

    Raeleigh was a little taken aback. He wanted her to go and check on something like this?

    She looked out. She was a little worried, but she still got out of the door and left Jepherson and Reese in the car.

    There was someone else in the front with the driver. Jepherson didn¡¯t even need to open his mouth before the person got out with Raeleigh.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t even spare them a look and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The driver was a little stunned. ¡°What about Madam Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go see how my grandmother¡¯s doing first.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s tone was cold and indifferent. The driver immediately headed towards Richards Group Manor.

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t taken more than a few steps when she heard the car leaving. She turned to look at it, but she didn¡¯t move.

    After that, she turned and headed towards the cars involved in the collision. The person behind her said, ¡°Madam Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Get us a car to the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we call the police?¡± the person behind Raeleigh asked.

    She didn¡¯t even look at him. ¡°Of course we need to. Someone¡¯s probably already called them.¡±

    As she spoke, she walked towards the cars as the person with her hailed a car. In fact, all the cars that were near them belonged to the Richards family, so there wasn¡¯t any need to actually hail a car.

    At this time, there were no other people around except for their men.

    Raeleigh stopped in front of the car as the other men followed her. She got them to move the people in the car out and to take them to the hospital immediately.

    One of them asked Raeleigh what to do with the other cars.

    She nced at the other cars and saw that the people in there were seriously injured as well.

    ¡°We only have one car. There¡¯s no way we can save that many people, you understand me?¡±

    At her words, the others immediately understood what was going on. They immediately got into their cars and left as Raeleigh nced at the person who had gotten out of the car with her.

    ¡°Catch up with the car in front of us.¡±

    The person immediately got into a car and sped off. There was no traffic because of thete hour. Raeleigh got into the car with the injured and headed to the hospital.

    She was confident that they could catch the perpetrator. After all, one couldn¡¯t drive too quickly when one was injured.

    Raeleigh sat in the backseat and looked at Monroe¡¯s sons. The younger one looked fine as only his leg was injured, either thanks to the car or thanks to the driver.

    The elder son was much worse off, though. He was still unconscious.

    Raeleigh kept her eyes on him from the moment she got into the car and checked his pulse and breathing twice.

    When they arrived at the hospital, Raeleigh followed them into the emergency room. At the same time, she instructed the men with her to deal with the security footage and make sure that nobody would be able to tell that they¡¯d switched cars.

    The other party asked, ¡°The two other cars are still at the site, though. What about the people in there?¡±

    Raeleigh checked the time. ¡°If someone saves them before dawn, then leave it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    Raeleigh sat outside and waited, but Jepherson didn¡¯t show up at all. When Monroe arrived, he immediately headed over to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Thank you, Madam Raeleigh.¡±

    She didn¡¯t think it was appropriate for her to correct him at such a time. As long as it made them feel better, she would y along.

    Jepherson couldn¡¯t show himself in public at the moment. In the past, Santiago would¡¯vee.

    ¡°Rest assured that they¡¯ll be fine. I saw that your younger son¡¯s leg was the only part that was injured and he¡¯ll be fine after some time.¡±

    ¡°Your elder son¡¯s still unconscious, but I¡¯m confident that he¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and led him over to the chairs. ¡°Have a seat while waiting. Don¡¯t panic.¡±

    Monroe wiped away his sweat and tears and sat down next to Raeleigh. They waited there until Monroe¡¯s eldest son was pushed out of the operating theatre.

    The doctors attending to him were the best of the best, and there weren¡¯t any head injuries. He was a little concussed, but he¡¯d been taken to the hospital in time, so he¡¯d be fine.

    As Monroe¡¯s elder son was pushed out, Raeleigh headed over to take a look at him. He was bandaged up neatly.

    The doctor felt like a burden had been lifted off of his shoulders and said to Raeleigh, ¡°Madam Raeleigh, he¡¯s out of danger now. It¡¯s fortunate that he was brought to the hospital in time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Thanks for the hard work!¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at Monroe. ¡°We¡¯ll arrange for a four-bedder ward so that you can take care of them. This is all our fault, so just let us know if you need anything at all.¡±

    Monroe was so touched that all he could do was agree. Raeleigh got everything sorted out before leaving.

    It was already dawn by the time she left the hospital. There was a car parked outside, and Raeleigh saw it the moment she stepped out. However, she couldn¡¯t get into the car.

    The car window slowly winded down, revealing the person inside to be Jepherson.

 Chapter 1669 Is It Worth It?

    Raeleigh was brought to the police station by the police who came to the hospital.

    She went with them cooperatively but didn¡¯t reveal her identity. She just told them that she¡¯d happened to pass by as the ident happened and didn¡¯t have time to mull things over. She¡¯d just rescued the people in two of the cars, but she didn¡¯t know what had happened to the six others in the other cars.

    She told them that there were already two people in their car and they just didn¡¯t have enough space to save anyone else.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call the police, then?¡± the police officer asked Raeleigh. She looked at the person next to her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you call the police?¡±

    The person next to her was supposed to be her security detail. He said, ¡°I thought you called them!¡±

    The police officer sitting across from them was lost for words. It looked like they¡¯d been so caught up in the situation that they¡¯d overlooked it!

    ¡°Since there¡¯s nothing much at the moment, you guys can leave for now. We¡¯ll contact you if there are any new developments.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and signed the report before leaving with her security detail.

    When she walked out of the police station, she saw Jepherson¡¯s car parked outside. She nced at the person next to her, then headed towards a taxi. She went straight back to the hotel as Jepherson¡¯s car trailed her from a distance.

    After getting out of the car, Raeleigh said a few things to the person with her before heading into the hotel.

    She wasn¡¯t curious to find out about what had happened. She just wanted to take a bath. She took her clothes off and put them to one side.

    Jepherson came in after her and looked at the bathroom before pushing the door open to check on her.

    Raeleigh was already soaking in the tub. When she saw him, she said, ¡°I¡¯m not meant for this ce.¡±

    ¡°Same here.¡±

    Jepherson took off his clothes and got into the tub as well. He sat down across from Raeleigh and washed perfunctorily before scooting over to her side and wrapping his arms around her.

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°Santiago¡¯s already turned out like that. I don¡¯t want either of us to end up bing like that too.¡±

    ¡°I saw what Jacky looked like when he was killing, and I¡¯ve seen what Ste looked like when she was losing her mind.¡±

    ¡°I know that I¡¯ll be gued by nightmares if I stay here. I¡¯m terrified that something like that¡¯s going to happen again and I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll live.¡±

    ¡°If a person¡¯s destined to die, they¡¯ll die anywhere. It¡¯s not to say that you¡¯ll be able to live forever if you stay away from all of this. There are so many people dying in hospitals every day. If one is afraid of death, one shouldn¡¯t even have been born.¡± Jepherson had one arm wrapped around Raeleigh and caressed her face with his free hand.

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Some people can live a peaceful life by keeping themselves away from all of these things. It¡¯s just like how cockroaches can survive in the dirtiest environments but will die when they¡¯re in a clean, enclosed space.¡±

    ¡°On the other hand, some nts can survive with just clean water but will die in a dirty environment.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d much rather be a nt than go to all sorts of ces. I just need some water and sunlight to thrive.¡±

    Jepherson suddenly felt amused. ¡°If the world were that simple, there wouldn¡¯t be so many questions, would there? You¡¯re just being all pessimistic now.¡±

    He gently caressed her waist and pulled her closer to him to press his lips to hers. He lifted her on top of him and she wrapped her legs around him.

    They leaned against the tub and the water sloshed around with their actions¡­

    On this day, they spent the whole day sleeping, finally being roused from sleep in the evening.

    It was Zorion who called. He said that something had happened at the hospital. Someone had tried to get at Monroe and his sons, but Zorion¡¯s men had stopped them.

    Jepherson got out of bed and stood in front of the window, watching as twilight approached.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes and watched him. ¡°If I don¡¯t leave, things will never settle down.¡±

    Jepherson merely smiled. ¡°If this is the calm before the storm, then I hope that this storm is stronger than thest.¡±

    He turned and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°We won¡¯t lose this time.¡±

    Raeleigh sat up in bed. ¡°Let Cynthia go and I¡¯ll stay.¡±

    Jepherson paused and stared at Raeleigh. ¡°Why?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer him. He asked, ¡°Why are you lying to me?¡±

    She remained silent.

    Sure enough, nobody could hide anything from him.

    She continued to sit there wordlessly as Jepherson said, ¡°How I wish that all this was real.¡±

    ¡°Is he really that wonderful? Wonderful enough to make you want to go back there so badly?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t respond. She sat there with her head bowed. Jepherson waited for her to say something, but she wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    They continued to sit there in silence until night fell.

    When the sky had turnedpletely dark, Stuart knocked on the door. When he heard that something had happened, he immediately rushed over after wrapping up his things.

    Jepherson went to open the door. When he saw Stuart, he asked, ¡°What are you doing back here?¡±

    Stuart was slightly stunned. ¡°I heard that something happened?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine as long as I¡¯m still alive. Come back when I¡¯m dead.¡±

    With a bang, Jepherson mmed the door shut. Raeleigh watched him from bed, feeling rather amused.

    Her stomach rumbled and she got out of bed to get something to eat. Jepherson held her hand, wanting to head out.

    ¡°Is this really the time to go out for food?¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    ¡°So you¡¯d prefer to starve to death?¡±

    Jepherson dragged her out for dinner regardless of her wishes.

    Since they were outside, they went for a movie after dinner.

    It was only when they came out of the cinema that Raeleigh saw the Moore family¡¯s car parked at the entrance.

    ¡°He still hasn¡¯t given up.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Jepherson and reached out a hand to straighten a button near his chest.

    Jepherson held her hand in his. ¡°Some people just love to covet what belongs to others and can¡¯t ept it when others are living a better life.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°But if even you don¡¯t have the courage to stick with me, Raeleigh, who else will?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°Is it lonely at the top?¡±

    Jepherson gritted his teeth. ¡°If I were to tell you that I¡¯m very lonely, will you stay?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. Jepherson smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m not lonely, then.¡±

    Her hands trembled slightly. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to be like this. You can live a good life without me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve fallen much too deep and I can¡¯t pull away anymore. Do you still remember Flynt¡¯s grandfather and mother?¡±

    ¡°The Cook family used to be a force to be reckoned with in this region, and they even had the Moore family on their side. In the end, however, they still ended up with nothing.¡±

    ¡°The Richards family may not be as numerous, but this isn¡¯t a game that we can afford to lose. We might have a way out if we were to take a step back, but it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that our enemies are willing to let us off the hook.¡±

    Jepherson was filled with endless helplessness. ¡°I want to be able to sleep soundly at night too, but I can only do that with you around, Raeleigh. When I¡¯m alone, my world is filled with nothing but darkness, and I can¡¯t even see where my enemies areing from.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not just doing this on a whim, nor is it that I don¡¯t know myself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ I don¡¯t have the courage to, nor do I have the freedom to just leave whenever I want to, being born into this world and getting caught up in this whirlpool.¡±

    ¡°All I can do is fight against the current and take control of the whole situation so that I can protect the people that I want to.¡±

    ¡°Just like what happened yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Is it worth it?¡± Raeleigh asked him. He didn¡¯t answer, but his gaze was firm.

 Chapter 1670 Late Night Visitor

    At the Moore family.

    ¡°How¡¯s everything going?¡± Flynt was reading a book with his head slightly bowed, looking indifferent.

    Two people holding briefcases stood opposite him.

    ¡°They¡¯ve left and their records are wless. Even without awyer¡¯s help, they¡¯ll be able to get away scot-free. When we got there, they were already gone. We checked the traffic bureau, but there isn¡¯t anything on them. It seems that they¡¯ve already done the necessary cleaning up before we could get there to dig something up.¡±

    As a man wearing gold-rimmed sses spoke, Flynt looked up, crossed his legs, and asked, ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that they had everything arranged beforehand and knew that we were waiting for them at the hotel entrance? That¡¯s why they followed us there?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± the man said. Flynt was amused. ¡°No? What else could it be? They were behind us. How could they have gotten everything sorted out in such a short time?¡±

    ¡°The traffic bureau is under our control. You know that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is, but if that woman was the one making the arrangements, she would¡¯ve made sure to clean up after herself after every single move she made. Otherwise, even if they¡¯d made arrangements beforehand, they wouldn¡¯t be so omniscient as to predict our every move,¡± the man with gold-rimmed sses replied.

    ¡­

    Flynt hesitated for a moment, then said, ¡°Is it really her?¡±

    The men opposite him didn¡¯t speak. Flynt casually put his book down and got up to get himself a ss of wine. After taking a sip, he turned to look at the other man who¡¯d remained silent all this while. ¡°What about your side?¡±

    The man was dressed in ck. He looked at Flynt and said, ¡°Our men got caught before getting close to Monroe and his sons, and who knows whether they¡¯ll be able to get out of there. Everyone knows that Zorion Whalen isn¡¯t someone to be disregarded, and whoever ends up in his hands won¡¯t have a happy ending.¡±

    ¡°Give their family a sum aspensation and send them my apologies.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°This matter ends here. You guys get some rest, I¡¯ll continue looking into it.¡±

    Flynt¡¯s gaze darkened as he looked at his winess coldly. He swirled the wine around gently and smirked, then brought the winess to his lips. He closed his eyes and took a trip down memoryne.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh suddenly woke up. She sat up in bed and took a deep breath.

    Jepherson sat up as well. She looked at him, her gaze a little frantic.

    ¡°Was it a nightmare?¡± he asked. She nodded. ¡°It was scary.¡±

    ¡°What was it?¡± Jepherson pulled her into his arms, but she merely frowned.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Raeleigh broke free of his embrace and got herself a ss of water. After sitting around for a while, she asked Jepherson, ¡°When are you going to let Cynthia go?¡±

    Jepherson was sitting on the bed. ¡°Did you dream of her?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer him, but what she¡¯d dreamed of was even scarier than something happening to Cynthia.

    ¡°I just want to know when you¡¯re going to let her go, or whether you¡¯re going to release her. Tell me so that I can prepare myself.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t keep her locked up forever. Even if you¡¯re willing to, I¡¯m not. I can¡¯t just let Jared be for a woman¡¯s sake.¡±

    Jepherson sat down in front of Raeleigh and asked her what was going on. She rubbed her forehead. Her dream was so terrifying that she couldn¡¯t go into it again.

    ¡­

    ¡°Give me your phone,¡± she said as she reached for Jepherson¡¯s phone. He watched as she called Xanthus.

    At this time, Xanthus was still searching for Cynthia. He¡¯d barely slept or rested, looking for her tirelessly.

    He was surprised to receive Raeleigh¡¯s call. It was already supposed to bete at night where she was.

    Why was Raeleigh calling him at this time?

    When Xanthus answered the phone, he asked, ¡°Raeleigh, is that you?¡±

    ¡°Xanthus, we¡¯ve yet to reach a consensus, but Flynt already knows that I¡¯m here. Some things have also happened over the past couple of days.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t go back for the time being, but he¡¯s probably not back yet. When he¡¯s back, tell him that I¡¯m away for a project. If he wants to contact me, send me an email and I¡¯ll get in touch with him. I¡¯ll find a way to get my phone back so that I can call him.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll be back, so don¡¯t tell him about this. I¡¯ll head back once I¡¯m done with things here¡­¡±

    ¡°Take good care of our family.¡±

    Xanthus hesitated. ¡°You shoulde back. There¡¯s plenty of time for us to look for Cynthia. I don¡¯t think that Jepherson will be bold enough to do anything to her.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t. Flynt already knows that I¡¯m back and he¡¯s starting to make a move.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m scared!¡±

    Jepherson was slightly absent-minded as he listened to her. He held her hand.

    After chatting for a while more, Raeleigh finally managed to persuade Xanthus to promise to give her two months¡¯ time to handle things here while he continued to search at his end. They¡¯d talk things over then.

    Putting down the phone, Raeleigh fiddled with her hair before climbing into bed. Jepherson, on the other hand, remained seated for the rest of the night.

    When Raeleigh got up in the morning, he was still seated with a cup of tea in front of him. They gazed at each other.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep all night?¡±

    Only then did Jepherson get up. He got back into bed andid down before telling Raeleigh, ¡°I¡¯m sick, so don¡¯t go!¡±

    He pulled the covers over himself as Raeleigh sat there, feeling taken aback. He didn¡¯t sound sick at all. Was this something she owed him?

    Jepherson soon fell asleep. When Raeleigh finally got up, he was already sound asleep.

    She wasn¡¯t nning on leaving, but she had to think of a way to handle matters with Flynt.

    Jepherson slept the day away while Raeleigh¡¯s mind raced over ns and plots.

    When Jepherson woke up, Raeleigh went to check on him. He sat up in bed after a long while before leisurely taking a shower. He dressed and got ready to go out like the nocturnal creature that he was.

    Raeleigh hadn¡¯t eaten anything for the whole day. She hadn¡¯t felt hungry as Jepherson slept, so she didn¡¯t call for room service.

    Jepherson brought her out for some food. They even took in the scenery before heading back to the hotel, but they saw a car from the Richards family at the entrance.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment. If her memory served her correctly, this was Marissa¡¯s car.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson stopped as well. He looked at the car and asked, ¡°I told you guys to keep an eye on things, didn¡¯t I? What¡¯s she doing here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not Madam Marissa. She¡¯s at home.¡±

    The people behind them came forward and answered Jepherson. Jepherson and Raeleigh looked at the car until someone got out and hurried over to Jepherson. He said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards told me to invite Madam Raeleigh over for a chat.¡±

    Raeleigh checked the time. ¡°At this time?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The man was very polite. Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. ¡°Should I go?¡±

    Jepherson gazed at the car and remained silent.

 Chapter 1671 Hard to Persuade

    ¡°Would you like to have something to eat?¡± Trevor asked Raeleigh once they were seated in the restaurant. Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯ve already eaten. You can go ahead if you haven¡¯t, though.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve eaten as well. I can¡¯t eat much now that I¡¯m older. After all, it¡¯s bad for health to stuff yourself all the time.¡±

    Trevor sat opposite Raeleigh. As he spoke, he looked around the restaurant.

    At this time, the restaurant was quiet.

    Jepherson sat next to Raeleigh, obviously there to protect her.

    His gaze was indifferent as he looked down at his feet. He seemed to bepletely oblivious of everyone else¡¯s presence.

    Trevor was not bothered by this. He knew his grandson well.

    He was a vengeful person!

    Their family hadn¡¯t handled the matter of Raeleigh leaving well, and Jepherson still refused to move home. He didn¡¯t even visit them during the holidays, preferring to just stay here.

    If Trevor wanted Jepherson to go home, he would have to give him a direct order. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t see him at all.

    Well, he didn¡¯t expect much anymore as long as everyone was healthy and fine.

    ¡°Let me apologise to you for yesterday. I wanted toe during the day, but I had to wait for Marissa to fall asleep before leaving.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bear a grudge against her for my sake, please. You might be an outsider, but you¡¯re Jepherson¡¯s woman.¡±

    ¡°You should know that he wouldn¡¯t exist without his grandmother.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just look at how badly she¡¯s treating you guys now. When you were children, she poured her heart and soul into caring for you.¡±

    ¡°Every time you cried or fussed, she would be the one to coax and soothe you. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s be increasingly fearful of you abandoning her as the years have slipped by.¡±

    ¡°All grandmothers wish for their grandchildren toe to them when they get into arguments with their mothers. They want to feel like they¡¯re the top priority.¡±

    ¡°At the same time, this will also hurt their mothers.¡±

    ¡°When you were children and got into fights or trouble, didn¡¯t your grandmother help you?¡±

    ¡°Why is that you¡¯re unable to think of your grandmother as a child when she acts unreasonably as she ages?¡±

    Raeleigh had yet to say anything when Jepherson said, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the right way to handle this. When I was a child, I was immature and would cry and fuss. She¡¯s not an immature child, though. She¡¯s just selfish.¡±

    Jepherson looked upset. He didn¡¯t bear any ill will towards Trevor, but if it weren¡¯t for Trevor¡¯s indulgence, Marissa wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this.

    Trevor scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯ll grow old one day as well. Put yourself in her shoes and you¡¯ll realise what it feels like to be old and lonely.¡±

    ¡°Is age an excuse to act willfully?¡± Jepherson looked at Trevor pointedly. Trevor picked up the box of serviettes on the table and threw it at Jepherson. ¡°Get up.¡±

    Jepherson blinked but did not move.

    ¡°Get up.¡± Trevor was a little upset as he looked at Jepherson coldly. Jepherson said, ¡°It¡¯s true that I wouldn¡¯t exist without you. You can kill me, but you can¡¯t control me.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh isn¡¯t obligated to just grin and bear Grandma¡¯s humiliation either.¡±

    ¡°Get up, right now!¡±

    Raeleigh felt extremely helpless. She felt like she was being made out to be the cause of all this discord between a grandparent and grandchild.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you head back first? I¡¯ll be up soon. Either that or you can wait for me outside.¡±

    Raeleigh tugged on Jepherson¡¯s hand. He didn¡¯t move, looking grim.

    She said, ¡°Get up, or I will.¡±

    They couldn¡¯t go on like this. Raeleigh was starting to feel sleepy.

    Jepherson stood up furiously and turned to walk out of the restaurant. He took two steps, then turned and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him.¡±

    Raeleigh met his gaze but remained silent.

    Jepherson turned and left, but he stood just outside the restaurant.

    ¡°I won¡¯t forgive a woman who calls me a vixen because it¡¯s much too demeaning. You got angry when your grandson said that you were acting willfully, using your age as an excuse, right?¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you were on my side all those years ago and even secretly helped me, but that¡¯s in the past.¡±

    ¡°I did that because I wanted to be with your grandson.¡±

    ¡°A lot of time has passed and things have changed. I¡¯ve already married someone else and I¡¯m no longer your grandson¡¯s wife. There¡¯s no need for me to give in to someone that doesn¡¯t have anything to do with me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re married?¡± Trevor¡¯s expression changed slightly. This wasn¡¯t something that he¡¯d expected. Also¡­

    He looked at Raeleigh¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Have you already had a child?¡±

    ¡°The child¡¯s dead!¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to borate, looking anguished.

    Trevor frowned. ¡°The man you married is the child¡¯s father?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him.¡±

    ¡­

    Trevor gazed at Raeleigh for a while before saying, ¡°Well, whatever it is, I¡¯m just here to apologise to you. I¡¯ll also find a way to convince Marissa to ept you. I hope that you won¡¯t bear her any grudges for everything that¡¯s happened.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯ll be discovered if it¡¯s toote. I¡¯ll get going.¡±

    ¡°That brat really needs to be taught a lesson. If you can, please do.¡±

    Trevor got up and walked out of the restaurant. Raeleigh stood there, feeling like something was wrong. At the same time, Jepherson walked out with Trevor.

    Trevor was the one who had called Jepherson toe with him. When they were outside the hotel, Trevor turned to look at Jepherson. ¡°Do you believe that Raeleigh¡¯s married?¡±

    Jepherson frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Trevor scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re pretty dumb for a smart guy. Don¡¯t you know what Raeleigh¡¯s like?¡±

    ¡°If she didn¡¯t love you, would she have your child?¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to imply?¡± Jepherson asked, growing more and more impatient.

    Trevor said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe that Raeleigh would give birth to another person¡¯s child. You two have been together for so long. Is it possible that she would be with someone else?¡±

    ¡°If not, then who¡¯s the child¡¯s father?¡±

    Jepherson moved slightly. ¡°But we used protection.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense. idents happen even with protection. Otherwise, why would we need hospitals for? And where would all those orphaned babiese from?¡±

    ¡­

    Jepherson was stunned. Trevor said, ¡°Raeleigh told me that the child is dead. Do you believe it?¡±

    Jepherson frowned. ¡°Raeleigh won¡¯t lie.¡±

    ¡°What if it is to protect the child?¡±

    Jepherson was speechless.

    Protect the child?

    Jepherson was a little hesitant. Trevor nced at the hotel and said, ¡°If the child is yours, it must still be alive.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t show up so openly and guiltlessly by your side if something had happened to the child. Perhaps she wouldn¡¯t even show herself in front of you.¡±

    ¡°The only thing she¡¯d feel bad about was if the child¡¯s dead!¡±

    Jepherson was finding it hard to wrap his mind around things. The child was his? It was alive?

    Trevor checked the time and got into his car. How tiresome it was talking to such a grandson!

    However, he still let out a sigh of relief. At least he hadn¡¯t wasted his time bying, judging from Raeleigh¡¯s attitude.

    If the child was really alive, it was undoubtedly a good thing.

    It would be hard to get Raeleigh to change her mind, though. She was not easily persuaded.

 Chapter 1672 Nowâ€™s Not the Time

    Raeleigh walked out of the hotelwhen she saw Trevor¡¯s car leaving.Jepherson was shocked by what Trevor had said and only came to his senses when he saw her.

    He turned around and looked into Raeleigh¡¯s eyes. Her gaze was so clear and guileless. How could she possibly feel sorry?

    ¡°Let¡¯s get some rest.¡±

    Raeleigh calmly stood in front of Jepherson. It was only then that Jepherson began to truly size Raeleigh up.

    Suddenly, Jepherson asked, ¡°Is the child pretty?¡±

    Raeleigh opened her mouth subconsciously, but said, ¡°What child?¡±

    Jepherson stared into Raeleigh¡¯s eyes and did not answer. He walked past her into the hotel. When Raeleigh turned to look at Jepherson, she thought of something and turned to look at the direction in which Trevor had left.

    When Raeleigh returned to the room, Jepherson was already lying on the bed. He got up at dawn to smoke a cigarette.

    Raeleigh was awake at that time, but she kept quiet because Jepherson was smoking opposite her.

    It wasn¡¯t until Stuart knocked on the door to look for Jepherson that Raeleigh opened her eyes and looked at the door. Jepherson left the room and didn¡¯te back. She continuedzing around till it was seven in the morning before getting out of bed. The moment she did, Jepherson came back. He said to her, ¡°The race for mayor starts in two days.¡±

    ¡°Stuart came looking for you because of that?¡± Since Jepherson had brought this up, Raeleigh would go along with it.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    ¡°Jacky missed his chance to be the mayorst time because of his injuries. This time, I¡¯ll try my best to make sure he gets it.¡±

    Jepherson sat down in front of Raeleigh and pinched her cheek. ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll win?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say.¡±

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±

    ¡°Jacky¡¯s from Waverly Vige, after all. All of his support is based there. The people of Capital City probably still have their doubts.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re half-correct. What else?¡±

    ¡°If the Whalen family doesn¡¯t support him, most people won¡¯t have the guts to, either. They¡¯re all just going to go with the safest choice. If they were to support Jacky, what would they be taking the Whalen family as?¡±

    ¡°Since the Whalen family doesn¡¯t support him, it¡¯s obvious that they¡¯re against him. Who else is going to have the guts to go against the Whalen family?¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly felt hungry. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Jepherson turned towards the door and said, ¡°Prepare breakfast and send it here.¡±

    He then turned back to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Go on.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°The Whalen family isn¡¯t going to give in easily if Jacky were to take charge of Capital City as someone from Waverly Vige. At the same time, the people of Capital City will want to maintain the bnce, so there are some who definitely want Jacky here to go against Zorion so that the Whalen family can be kept in check.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ Jacky¡¯s a sore spot for the Moore family. After all, he got Deanna pregnant¡­¡±

    Raeleigh gave it some thought. ¡°If so, the Moore family won¡¯t allow Jacky to get involved so easily. They want a piece of the political pie, after all.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not going to be easy for you to bring Jacky to power on your own in such a situation.¡±

    Raeleigh had said everything that she could, but Jepherson merely sat there without moving, deep in thought. She waited for a long time, but she didn¡¯t say anything.

    Two days passed in the blink of an eye. When Jacky arrived, Jepherson received a call from him, but they didn¡¯t meet up. In fact, he just stayed at home and watched television.

    Jacky had to personally attend the race for mayorship. He was reported to be the CEO of a fewpanies, and he¡¯d managed to expand his empire overseas.

    He¡¯d been one of the top six richest men in the country for three consecutive years.

    He¡¯d also been included on the list of the top ten most outstanding young men for two consecutive years.

    Jepherson seemed to be thinking about something as he watched television. Raeleigh asked, ¡°Are you one of the outstanding young men?¡±

    He looked at Raeleigh casually. ¡°So¡¯s Zorion.¡±

    ¡°How about Flynt?¡± He was her biggest concern at the moment.

    ¡°He¡¯s ranked second.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s in first ce?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, but he turned back to the television and didn¡¯t answer her.

    She lowered her eyes thoughtfully. It was only to be expected that Jepherson would be first, but what did he mean by remaining silent? Had something happened over the years to make him fall out of the top three? If it wasn¡¯t him, then who was first?

    Was he feeling embarrassed because he¡¯d lost? Or maybe he didn¡¯t care about it at all?

    Raeleigh had been out of the country over the years and she rarely paid attention to things outside of her local environment. If it weren¡¯t for her return, she wouldn¡¯t have asked someone to get her thetest information so she could brush up on her knowledge. In fact, it was only then that she found out about what had happened at the Richards family. Things seemed fine, but it had gone through a huge change.

    Among them, the most obvious was that Jepherson had left home.

    First, Jepherson had moved out of the Richards family home. Then, Hansen and Jenna had left Capital City with the excuse of searching for a cure for their son¡¯s illness. However, their exact location was unknown.

    The Whalen family, on the other hand, had been raising Jacky¡¯s sons all this time. Apparently, they were already in kindergarten, and Rayan and his wife were the ones taking care of them. Deanna had already graduated from university and had embarked on her masters¡¯. It looked like she would continue to study until she got her PhD.

    Rossie was in university as well. Everything in Capital City was going along as it should, and the only changes were Jepherson and Flynt¡¯s power and influence.

    Flynt¡¯s influence was flourishing, and he¡¯d eventually be more influential than Jepherson, who¡¯d been stuck for the past few years. With Flynt¡¯s plotting, it was only natural that Jepherson was starting to lose his edge.

    If things went on like this, Jepherson would only fall from grace.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t remember reading anything about Jepherson continuing to hold the position of first ce on the list of the top ten most outstanding young men, but if he hadn¡¯t even made it onto the list, then it was really a sign of his fall from grace.

    Humans were superficial. A person¡¯s past or future didn¡¯t matter to them, only the here and now. If this went on, Jepherson would eventually fade from everyone¡¯s memories. How would he be able to control anything in Capital City?

    Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you prefer? There wouldn¡¯t be a ce for me here if I was left with nothing. We¡¯d be able to go anywhere we wanted and be alone, just the two of us. We wouldn¡¯t be bothered by anything or anyone here, and nothing will stand between us.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s what you really thought, you wouldn¡¯t be helping Jacky.¡±

    Raeleigh knew Jepherson like the back of her hand. Even if he were to step down, he¡¯d go out with a bang.

    Jepherson let go of her hand and leaned against the other side of the sofa and gazed at the television. ¡°Even if I were to leave, now¡¯s not the right time.¡±

 Chapter 1673 Jackyâ€™s Election for Mayor

    Raeleigh remained silent. She knew a lot of things. Since there was no need for her to stay, she didn¡¯t want to ask so many questions. Even if she knew, she did not want to show him that she knew.

    After watching TV for a while, Raeleigh leaned on the side and began to look forward to Jacky¡¯s speech.

    ¡­

    Deanna was seated offstage, her face exquisitely made up. She gazed at Jacky calmly.

    She was looking forward to this. Even if her family didn¡¯t support him, it was enough that she did.

    Deanna hadn¡¯t spent a single cent of the Whalen family fortune for the past three years. Starting from the year that Raeleigh had left, Deanna had cut ties with the Whalen family because they hadn¡¯t supported Jacky to be the mayor of Capital City. She¡¯d even moved out and had been living in Waverly Vige.

    At first, Deanna specialized in designing cars, but she made a lot of decisions in that year. One of them was that she gave up on car designing and changed her profession to medicine. She was now an orthopedic surgeon. This was amazing and shocking.

    The Whalen family did not understand this at all. Of all upations, why would she get herself into medicine? Being a car designer was a cushy job, and the Whalen family had plenty of resources for her. Thanks to the Richards family¡¯s monopoly in the automobile industry, being a car designer was like a status symbol.

    What more for members of the Whalen family, who were either car designers or jewellery designers.

    How could she be a doctor, and an orthopaedic surgeon to boot?

    The Whalen family did not know what Deanna was thinking, and they firmly disagreed on this matter. However, Deanna was insistent, saying that she was no longer living off of the Whalen family so they had no right to control her. She¡¯d do whatever she wanted to.

    Rayan said that if Deanna insisted on doing this, he wouldpletely cut off her finances. Deanna refused to give in and started working to support herself.

    Deanna didn¡¯t even use Jacky¡¯s money. Her ie was already more than enough for herself.

    She was designing cars for manypanies on a frence basis and was even helping her juniors in university. The money she earned was more than enough to feed herself.

    Over the past three years, Deanna had learned many things and had also learned to think quietly before acting.

    At this moment, Deanna was here for Jacky, so she only needed to silently support him from below.

    However, this time, she would make sure that Jacky would win the election. She didn¡¯t care who stood in her way, whether they were her family or not. The Whalen family was keeping her children from her and stopping her from getting married.

    She¡¯d tried many times to persuade them, but since they refused to give in, she¡¯d just go on like this.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    When she got pregnant in the future, she would walk down the aisle with her swollen belly.

    After Jacky stepped onto the stage, Deanna waved at him. Jacky smiled and looked at everyone present, including his opponent.

    He said, ¡°Thank you, everyone, foring here and allowing me to run for mayor. Thank you.¡±

    His voice was calm. As all eyes fell on him, he remained calm, but the profoundness in his eyes was as clear as day.

    Most of the people seated offstage were influential people. The people involved in politics were seated in front, followed by the reporters. Jacky stood on stage with someone from the Moore family.

    As for the other people, they were all former politicians.

    There was nothing more to be said about Jacky¡¯s short speech.

    Thepetitor from the Moore family took out a bunch of papers and started to borate on his ns.

    However, inparison with Jacky, thispetitor was no match for him in terms of appearance and carriage. People weren¡¯t even paying attention to him, almost as if they already knew that he was merely making empty promises.

    When the member of the Moore family was done, the reporters immediately started throwing questions at Jacky.

    Jacky stood there, dressed in a neat suit. With his tall stature and handsome face, he was the centre of attention.

    ¡°Excuse me, can we find out a bit more about your background, Mr. Scott? It¡¯s rumoured that you¡¯re linked to some powerful people, and these powerful people once stopped you from entering Capital City and caused you to miss out on thest election. We heard that you came with glowing rmendations, but it fell through in the end.¡±

    A pretty reporter stood up and asked this question. Jacky hesitated for a moment, looking gentle and indifferent.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re hinting at, but all I can say is that I was born and raised in Waverly Vige. It¡¯s my home.¡±

    ¡°No matter where I am and what I¡¯m doing, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll leave my home behind.¡±

    ¡°When I was a child, I like to get into fights. As I grew older, I started bing more and more well-known in Waverly Vige and somehow ended up bing the spearhead of the vige.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps all of you think that Ie from a rough background.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true, in a way.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s who I am, and I ept it wholeheartedly.¡±

    ¡°As for someone being in my way, I have to disagree with that. I¡¯m from Waverly Vige, but I¡¯m also part of Capital City. Waverly Vige is one of the most important paths leading to Capital City, and the only difference between me being here and there is that instead of doing things to solely profit Waverly Vige, I¡¯ll be doing things to profit both Capital City and Waverly Vige.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not highly educated, so I¡¯m not good at all those flowery words. Telling the truth is all I know.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Firstly, I came to Capital City to protect Waverly Vige.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a small ce, but it¡¯s like the Silk Road of Capital City. It may not be the most developed ce at the moment, but I¡¯m sure that it will reach greater heights during my time. It will reach a stage where people will be fighting to get control of it.¡±

    ¡°What I need to do, is protect Waverly Vige from harm and exploitation.¡±

    ¡°Waverly Vige is a county under Capital City, so Capital City is obligated to oversee the vige.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about everything else, but I don¡¯t want anyone else to be able to override me and make any changes to Waverly Vige.¡±

    ¡°This is why I want to be a part of Capital City.¡±

    ¡°I have also nned to establish a mutual business rtionship between the vige and the city.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t make you any promises. To me, nothing can get in the way of Waverly Vige¡¯s proper development regardless of the amount of money that¡¯s offered. I want something that goes both ways.¡±

    ¡°I want Waverly Vige to have its own primary school, middle school, high school, and even university. In fact, all of this is part of a choice. The children in Capital City will be able to study in Waverly Vige and receive the same level of education that Capital City is able to offer. However, I won¡¯t allow anyone to just develop the vige in any which way.¡±

 Chapter 1674 Attending the Banquet

    ¡°There would be ces for vacation and leisure in the vige, but they will all be farm-style. If you go there, you would have to learn to farm and nt vegetables there. You would also have to cook by yourself.¡±

    ¡°The houses there are very beautiful. My lover and I fell in love there.¡±

    ¡°I hope you have a chance to go there as well.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that my background hindered my footsteps. On the contrary, I think that my background is my most powerful asset.¡±

    Jacky said as he looked at the reporters, ¡°I¡¯ll exin why I didn¡¯t participate in thest election for mayor.¡±

    ¡°One of my closest friends died at the hands of another friend in order to save me. I was also seriously injured at that time and I wasn¡¯t in a good ce. I was forced to miss the election because of it. It wasn¡¯t because I had given up.¡±

    The crowd burst into an uproar, and then someone asked, ¡°Mr. Scott, if, and I really mean if you were to be Capital City¡¯s mayor, is it correct for us to believe that you¡¯ll have achieved your goal and will do everything you can to develop Waverly Vige?¡±

    ¡°This question is an interesting one. If you¡¯re implying that I would put Waverly Vige above Capital City, I must admit that I would. I would strive to protect the ecosystem, culture and simplicity in the vige.¡±

    ¡°But I will also create better opportunities to develop Capital City. Since I havee to Capital City, I will do my job well. Regardless of what I¡¯m doing, even if I were to end up selling soap, I¡¯ll strive to be the best one possible.¡±

    ¡°Capital City is indeed very prosperous, but its security is not that good. There are plenty of affluent people here, but there are also many old people who are left to fend for themselves. This ce is also full of talented people, but many of them have left, whereas the ones that have returned¡­¡±

    ¡°I believe that that actions speak louder than words.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t have any ns or manifestos. I hope that I¡¯ll get the chance to do something beneficial for Capital City, and I also hope that it will be a strong supporter for Waverly Vige.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Scott, do you mean that if you be the mayor, the rtionship between Capital City and Waverly Vige will be mutually beneficial?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    Jacky was absolutely certain.

    Raeleigh watched Jacky on the television. As long as it was a mutually beneficial situation, the audience would still trust Jacky.

    The most important thing was mutual benefit.

    ¡°Raeleigh, how good do you think Jacky¡¯s chances are?¡± Jepherson asked her. Raeleigh answered, ¡°If you weren¡¯t absolutely confident that he¡¯d win, you wouldn¡¯t be sitting here watching TV so leisurely.¡±

    Jepherson smiled and continued watching TV. He didn¡¯t say more than a few words for the rest of the afternoon.

    Three dayster.

    Jacky won the election.

    Due to his youth, the media called Jacky¡¯s sudden appearance a mystery. This was also what made him stand out the most.

    Jepherson received a phone call a few dayster. Jacky had invited a few important businessmen from both Capital City and Waverly Vige for a meal. The invitations were sent out a little whileter.

    Raeleigh was not surprised when she saw the invitation.

    After all, these things had already urred to her long ago.

    Jepherson RSVPed quickly and wanted to bring Raeleigh along with him, but she didn¡¯t want to go.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go. You can go. I¡¯ll wait for you in the hotel and rest. I¡¯ve been paying attention to Jacky these days and haven¡¯t had a good rest.¡±

    Actually, Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to attend any asions with Jepherson. She didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with him either. However, based on the current situation, she couldn¡¯t leave. She was like a bird trapped in a cage, forbidden to go anywhere. She had to go along with Jepherson¡¯s arrangements. Even though her general lifestyle didn¡¯t change much, she had changed a lot on the inside.

    She¡¯d originally been flying freely in the sky, but she was now trapped in a cage.

    To other people, it looked like she was the recipient of endless love and doting, but it wasn¡¯t what she wanted.

    There was love waiting for her somewhere, but it wasn¡¯t the one that she wanted. It didn¡¯t matter how much of it she received.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to attend any sort of banquet. She insisted on staying in the hotel.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson put his coat on the table. ¡°Then I won¡¯t go either. I¡¯ll stay with you.¡±

    What could Raeleigh say? In the end, she went with him.

    At the banquet, Raeleigh was surprised to see Zorion and Rossie get out of the car. She hesitated for a moment when she saw them and waited for a while at the door. When Zorion and Rossie came over, she went over and greeted them.

    ¡°Long time no see.¡±

    Raeleigh talked to Rossie and let go of Jepherson¡¯s arm. Rossie also left Zorion¡¯s side and replied, ¡°I knew that you came back and wanted to visit you. However, my semester has just started and I¡¯ve been really caught up with my research so I didn¡¯t have the time toe over.¡±

    Raeleigh smiled.¡°It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s catch up.¡±

    They linked arms and walked ahead. Zorion paused and looked at Jepherson. ¡°Looks like they¡¯ve kept in touch.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you know if they were in contact?¡± Jepherson didn¡¯t even need to ask. He knew that they¡¯d definitely kept in touch with each other and corresponded frequently. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be so familiar with each other.

    After that, Jepherson strode inside with Zorion trailing him.

    They walked in through the special passage so they could be left alone and wouldn¡¯t run into any obstructions.

    As they walked, Zorion said, ¡°If I¡¯d known, I would¡¯ve told you long ago. I really didn¡¯t know.¡±

    Jepherson continued walking and said nothing.

    In fact, he hoped that Raeleigh had kept in touch with someone here. At least it showed that she cared.

    He was just afraid that she hadn¡¯t even bothered asking about him.

    Raeleigh walked in front. She was wearing a short, tight-fitting dress with Jepherson¡¯s coat draped around her shoulders. Her heels were made of crystal and she held a silvery clutch. Her hair had been casually styled in an updo.

    Rossie was in a long dress. Due to her height, she liked to wear long skirts. When they stood together, they lookedpletely different, but they each had their own merits.

    As they walked, Raeleigh asked Rossie, ¡°How are your studiesing along? I heard that you wanted to get a schrship. Did you?¡±

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I feel much more rxed without Deannapeting with me.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at her and said, ¡°Congrattions.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Congrattions to you too.¡±

    ¡­

    The further away they got from the men, the more excited their chattering became. They talked about everything under the sky.

    Zorion asked Jepherson, ¡°Are you going to just keep her locked up like this for the rest of her life?¡±

    Jepherson said, ¡°You can¡¯t even deal with your own matters, yet you¡¯re sticking your nose into mine?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be nosy, but you can¡¯t go on like this. I heard that you¡¯ve been bringing her with you everywhere you go and it¡¯s obvious that she doesn¡¯t want to be with you. Do you think I can just let things be?¡±

    ¡­

    Jepherson stopped and turned to look at Zorion. ¡°Do you know why some people can live till a hundred and some people live shorter lives?¡±

    Zorion¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Are you telling me that if I keep asking about your matters then I won¡¯t live a long life?¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say anything. Zorion followed him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that she¡¯s a person. If you keep her locked up like this, she¡¯ll fall sick eventually.¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡±

    Jepherson walked away.Zorion followed him, staring at his back helplessly. It would take time for him to see the light. As Rossie had once said, certain rtionships needed effort from both parties to work out.

    If he kept imprisoning Raeleigh like this, he¡¯d eventually scare her off for good.

    Zorion hoped that by the time Jepherson understood this, he would still have the chance to get Raeleigh to stay.

 Chapter 1675 Feeling Sorry for His Nephews

    After they entered the banquet hall, they saw two young people standing at the entrance, one with sses and the other with no makeup. Both of them were dressed in ck and they were standing at the door to wee the guests who came to the banquet.

    When Raeleigh saw the man at the door, she immediately recognized the man without sses.She had seen him in front of Logan¡¯s grave. He was the man who had cried his heart out. Raeleigh remembered that his name was Harvey.

    Harvey also remembered Raeleigh.When he saw Raeleigh, he walked a few steps and stood in front of Raeleigh, then stretched out his hand to her. ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh was caught off guard for a moment before she looked at Harveywho wore a smile on his face. After a while, Raeleigh extended her hand to him. He was smiling brightly.¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for many years. How are you doing?¡±

    Raeleigh smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine, what about you? How have you been doing?¡±

    Harvey smiled and said, ¡°Better than ever. I have been helping Jacky with the election. Once everything¡¯s settled here, I¡¯m going back to the vige to continue with my responsibilities as the leader there.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Harvey unsurprised. ¡°The vige is catching up to Capital City, you know. As the leader of Waverly Vige, you¡¯re already half a mayor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Harvey had a sense of propriety when he spoke. This is why Jacky liked to bring Harvey wherever he went. Harvey was also the person who was valued the most by Jacky after Logan. That was why he was where he was currently.

    ¡°I¡¯m going in now. Where am I sitting?¡±

    After Raeleigh asked, Harvey took out a corset and gave it to Raeleigh. ¡°Raeleigh, this is for you. You are a special guest tonight, so Jacky asked me to give this to you.¡±

    Raeleigh was a little surprised to see the white rose corset, but since it was given to her by Jacky, Raeleigh took it and put it on her wrist.

    Before Raeleigh could enter the hall, Harvey looked at Rossie and said, ¡°Rossie, wee!¡±

    This wasn¡¯t Rossie¡¯s first time meeting Harvey. He always spoke to her nicely, but he probably thought that she and Logan had really had something going on. She¡¯d tried to make things clear to him before, but he never seemed to really get it.

    Even when Jacky had pretended to do something for the sake of Deanna, it was still just a matter of expediency. Nothing had really happened.

    However, Harvey took it seriously and regarded her as Logan¡¯s wife.

    ¡­

    ¡°Watch it. Is this how Jacky trained you?¡± Zorion¡¯s expression darkened. He walked up from behind and wrapped an arm around Rossie¡¯s waist with a fierce glint in his eyes. Rossie raised her head to look at Zorion. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Zorion was very angry at first, but when he heard Rossie¡¯s voice, his expression immediately softened. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    His ferocity was immediately concealed.

    Harvey saw Rosie¡¯s control over him, so he was unscrupulous.

    Harvey didn¡¯t care about Zorion. For people like Zorion, the most he could do was kill him, but Harvey didn¡¯t believe that Zorion could kill him.

    Harvey disliked Zorion because of his refusal to allow Jacky and Deanna to be together, whereas Zorion had never liked Harvey. However, Zorion didn¡¯t dare act up because of Rossie¡¯s presence.

    Logan was dead. If he were to do something inappropriate to Harvey, the consequences weren¡¯t too good.

    ¡°Rossie, Jacky and Deanna prepared this for you. Here, put it on.¡±

    Harvey passed Rossie a different corset made of bird of paradise flowers. Rossie wasn¡¯t bothered by it, but Zorion looked upset.

    He knew that these were Logan¡¯s favourite flowers. He¡¯d seen them nted in front of his grave.

    Jacky was starting to get on his nerves again.

    Zorion looked stormy as he followed Rossie and Raeleigh into the hall and searched for their table.

    The table was right in front of them. They could see their seats as long as they went over. Raeleigh and Rossie walked to the table. Jepherson and Zorion went ahead and pulled out their chairs for them, then sat down after thedies had been seated.

    At this time, Raeleigh noticed that a lot of people were invited. She also recognized several names on the table, they were either rich or noble.

    There were other people at the same table with them, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t know them.

    There were three tables in total, each of which could amodate 20 people.

    The guests had already started to arrive one by one.

    When people saw Jepherson sitting next to Raeleigh, they came over to greet him, but he didn¡¯t say much. He rarely attended public functions, to begin with, and this year onwards, he¡¯d stopped attending them at all. Many people thought that he was affected by the outstanding young men list.

    Some people were even surprised to see Jepherson here. They had not expectedJepherson to make his appearance at Jacky¡¯s celebratory dinner.

    In particr, the fact that Zorion had brought Rossie here was quite a surprise too.

    Almost everyone knew that the Whalen family did not support Jacky in bing the mayor. Not only did they not support him, but they had also tried to sabotage the election. During the selection process, the Whalen family¡¯s attitude had always been firm. They would never support Jacky bing the mayor of Capital City.

    Someone saw Zorion and began whispering.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Zorion Whalen?¡±

    There were people gossiping about him behind his back, but Zorion sat there quietly and listened to Rossie and Raeleigh chat.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Jacky said that he wanted to be mayor for both Waverly Vige¡¯s and Capital City¡¯s benefit. But who knows? Jacky and Zorion¡¯s younger sister have two children. They are already a few years old,but the Whalen family has still been raising them. Could it be that Jacky is here for the sake of the children?¡±

    ¡°Why would the Whalen family oppose Jacky¡¯s arrival to Capital City? They should be happy that Jacky¡¯s trying to be in politics. Ifthe Whalen family takes over both the government and the underworld, wouldn¡¯t they be controlling the whole city?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? It¡¯s hard to say. It¡¯s said that the Whalen family doesn¡¯t support it, but Jacky is still the mayor. Maybe he doesn¡¯t need the Whalen family¡¯s support at all?¡±

    ¡°Moreover, Zorion¡¯s here now.¡±

    ¡°The Whalen family isn¡¯t stupid. Maybe they were just testing everyone?¡±

    Everyone felt that this sounded logical and word started spreading.

    Zorion could hear what was being said. It pissed him off.

    He¡¯de because Jacky was the father of his nephews. It wouldn¡¯t be right to burn bridges so thoroughly.

    Moreover, Deanna and Jacky were visiting and staying at his house now. His nephews had always asked what a mayor did so Deanna had invited him and Rossie over for dinner. If he didn¡¯t attend, he would feel sorry for both his nephews.

 Chapter 1676 Not Worth Mentioning in Public

    The only people that Zorion couldn¡¯t live without were Rossie and his nephews. If Jacky were to take them back with him, Zorion would never agree to it. They looked like carbon copies of Jacky, but they¡¯d grown up under Zorion¡¯s watch. If they were to just leave all of a sudden, Zorion definitely be extremely bothered.

    For this reason, Zorion would only indulge Jacky. He could enter and leave the Whalen family house as he wished. Deanna could also leave freely if she wished to.Zorion had already stopped controlling her.

    After all, other than Jacky, no one else would be as nice to Deanna. Even Zorion had already acknowledged it.

    Furthermore, Jacky had always been willing to leave his children in the hands of the Whalen family. This action was enough to show them his sincerity.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Zorion wasn¡¯t a fool either. Since Jacky had left his children in the Whalen family for the sake of Deanna, he could ignore Jackying and going freely for the sake of the children.

    Aside from Zorion, Jepherson was also a topic of conversation. People were talking about how Jacky was so important that even Jepherson came to support him by attending the banquet.

    It was not that Raeleigh didn¡¯t hear what those people were saying. She merely nced at them and looked around at the attendees of the banquet.

    In truth, Jepherson had taken the opportunity to reduce his public presence when he¡¯d missed out on the top ten outstanding young menpetition. This was so that Jacky could be the centre of attention.

    Raeleigh knew very well that Jepherson was extremely shrewd. If he didn¡¯t have absolute confidence in Jacky, he wouldn¡¯t have helped him be mayor.

    Raeleigh suddenly felt that it would be terrifying to be in a rtionship with someone like this.

    Everyone went around greeting people and then returned to their seats.

    They awaited Jacky¡¯s arrival.

    Soon, a few people came over to Raeleigh¡¯s table. They sat down and merely nodded in greeting.

    However, the people who cameter surprised Raeleigh.

    Louisa was surprised to see Raeleigh here. She was even more surprised that they were at the same table.

    Raeleigh was also surprised by Colston¡¯s appearance, but she did not say anything to them.

    Since she could pretend to have amnesia in front of Flynt, she could do the same with Colston and Louisa.

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡± Louisa greeted Raeleigh, but Raeleigh did not answer. She just continued staring at Louisa, then turned to Rossie and asked, ¡°Do I know her?¡±

    Rossie got caught in their crossfire but she smiled and said, ¡°You do know each other. We stayed together for some time but we lost contact.Also, she helped us in Zorion¡¯s stomach problems and also Santiago¡¯s illness.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Raeleigh looked at the both of them and smiled.

    Louisa was puzzled by her estranged attitude.

    Colston pulled out a chair for Louisa to sit. After sitting down himself, he took the initiative to talk to Raeleigh and asked her, ¡°When did youe back?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson but said nothing.

    Only then did Jepherson look at Colston and say, ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong person. She¡¯s not the Raeleigh you know.¡±

    Colston looked puzzled. ¡°Then who is she?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t want to exin, nor did he need to. After he said that, he looked to the front. At this time, Jacky came in dressed in a ck suit with a white shirt. Because of his height, he looked better than normal people.

    Jacky had trimmed his hair beforeing, so he looked a little more spirited than he was on television that morning.

    When Jacky appeared, he was walking next to Deanna, looking more like he was her subordinate.

    When they arrived at the banquet, Deanna turned to look at Jacky. The person behind Jacky led them to their table.

    Jacky went over to Raeleigh¡¯s table and pulled out a chair for Deanna before saying a few words of wee, rather than giving a special speech.

    Since Jacky was already the new mayor, the guests were naturally respectful towards him. This was especially true for those who were present. They felt greatly valued and were more than willing to y along with Jacky.

    However, some people wondered why Flynt wasn¡¯t present.

    There was then another round of discussion.

    After Jacky finished speaking, he looked towards Raeleigh and smiled, ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    Raeleigh also smiled at Jacky, but she didn¡¯t reply. Since she had already pretended not to know Colston and Louisa, there was no way she could know Jacky.

    Raeleigh did not respond. Deanna looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Have you forgotten about us so quickly? Have I changed that much?¡±

    Deanna sounded like she was both joking and questioning Raeleigh at the same time. She wasn¡¯t upset, and her joy was obvious.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Of course I remember. We just met yesterday.¡±

    Happiness was written all over Deanna¡¯s face. When she smiled, her eyes narrowed into slits. ¡°I knew it.¡±

    Only then did Jacky sit down. He didn¡¯t question Raeleigh¡¯s answer. Since she said that they¡¯d only met the day before, then that was it.

    ¡°Cheers, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Jacky didn¡¯t speak to anyone at the table, only saying this to Jepherson. Jepherson raised his winess. Everyone knew that Jepherson stayed away from women and alcohol. On this night, not only had he brought a woman with him, he was even raising his winess for Jacky.

    The people around them were a little surprised, but most of them did not dare to talk about it.

    There was a reason for Jacky¡¯s arrival. If Jepherson wasn¡¯t backing him up, it would not be so easy for him to get to the top.

    After some niceties, Deanna and Jepherson changed seats. Deanna sat next to Raeleigh to talk to her and get to know her better. The table was huge and there were many people present. There would never be a shortage of topics to talk about, and that was the purpose of this banquet.

    Although Jacky hadn¡¯t specifically mentioned anything, he definitely had some benefits to reap from gathering all of these people together.

    This way, no one could hear anything. Deanna became even happier as she chatted away.

    Raeleigh merely gazed at her and smiled while listening to her. She didn¡¯t contribute much to the conversation.

    Deanna, however, was a chatterbox. The moment she sat down next to Raeleigh, she started asking question after question that Raeleigh didn¡¯t even know what to do. She just continued to eat.

    Everyone at the table was talking, but only Raeleigh was focused on eating.

    There were some people who were curious about who Raeleigh really was. Since Jepherson had brought her with him, she couldn¡¯t possibly be the type of woman that was not worth mentioning in public, could she?

 Chapter 1677 Do What You Like

    Some of the guests looked at Raeleigh with a smile. She was sitting there eating without talking, looking somewhat naive and kind, not like the vixens that were looking for prey all the time.

    The other half of the crowd had different thoughts. Who woulde to this kind of function just to eat? To them, this was just an act without ss.

    Raeleigh was calm and quiet. She was who she was. Why should she care about what others said?

    ¡°Raeleigh, I have two beautiful sons at home, do you want toe over and have a look?¡±

    ¡°We can be inws!¡±

    Deanna blinked and Raeleigh stopped for a moment. She slowly raised her head to look at Deanna before putting down her cutlery. She stared at Deanna and did not want to continue speaking.

    Jepherson frowned and recalled what Trevor said.He looked at Raeleigh carefully. Tears were about to flow out from her eyes. He said to Deanna, ¡°I need my seat back.¡±

    Jepherson stood up. Raeleigh turned her face away andwiped the bitter tears from her eyes as she swallowed her words.

    Deanna also felt a little strange, so she stood up and sat down in her original seat.

    ¡°Raeleigh, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Deanna was worried about her but Rossie said, ¡°Leave it.¡±

    Deanna stopped talking. For the remainder of the banquet, Deanna kept watching Raeleigh. She noticed that Raeleigh had been eating all this while, but stopped after she¡¯d brought her children up.

    Deanna thought, ¡°Could something have happened?¡±

    In fact, Deanna only thought about it in her heart, but she didn¡¯t think that she would blurt it out.Raeleigh looked at Deanna.For a moment, she was lost in thought, and so were Jepherson and Zorion.

    Raeleigh spoke up.¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Deanna tilted her head and stared at Raeleigh. After a long time, she asked Raeleigh, ¡°How did you recover from your brain tumor?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to talk about it, but Deanna was insistent and she had no other choice. She said, ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little under the weather, so excuse me. I need to head to the washroom.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and walked towards the washroom. Jepherson stood up, ready to follow her.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, let¡¯s have a chat.¡±

    Suddenly,someone blocked Jepherson¡¯s path. Jepherson was a little impatient. He looked at the person, his eyes cold and sinister.

    The other party was not an average joe either. He was a prominent developer in Capital City that specialized in real estate. Jepherson knew him and remembered their first encounter. They had been bidding for a piece ofnd in Capital City, and this person could¡¯ve won the bid if it weren¡¯t for a single word from Jepherson.

    He was also a blunt person and did not understand what was going on. He had tried to find Jepherson from time to time, not for other matters, but for the purpose of asking just what exactly had happened. However, Jepherson had never given him a chance.

    This time, he¡¯d finally found his chance. He had a couple of drinks and stood up to block Jepherson¡¯s path so he could get to the bottom of things.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson said, ¡°Get out of the way.¡±

    Jepherson saw that Raeleigh had gone to the door of the bathroom. This was the banquet hall, but it was notrge. There were only three tables in the middle. It was spacious, but the size was still far from arge banquet hall. Although she wanted to go to the bathroom, she subconsciously left the hall and left the banquet.

    Jepherson¡¯s mood became even worse. He never thought that Raeleigh would leave his side.

    The other party had suddenly appeared, blocking his path. This was the reason why he was even angrier.

    However, the developer didn¡¯t move.He stood there and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t give me an exnation, I won¡¯t leave.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Zorion.¡±

    Zorion stood up, gave his coat to Rossie, and walked towards the door.

    Jepherson turned and sat down without a single word. It made the whole situation even more awkward.

    Deanna stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±

    ¡°Harvey, go with her.¡±

    Harvey hurried over to Deanna and then went outside.

    After everyone left, Jepherson remained silent with a cold expression. Jacky said, ¡°Mr. Cook, today, I¡¯m treating everyone to a feast. If there¡¯s a personal grudge or business on the market, you can talk about it when everybody has left. This isn¡¯t the way that I want things to be done.¡±

    The man, de Cook, said, ¡°I daren¡¯tment on Mr. Richards, but with my status, I probably wouldn¡¯t have a chance to see him if it weren¡¯t for your invitation, Mr. Scott.¡±

    Jepherson said nothing. His expression was cold.The atmosphere was still awkward.

    At this time, Jacky shook his head and the security guards immediately walked up to de and escorted him out.

    de waspletely mad with rage. He was under the influence of alcohol and said to Jacky, ¡°Jacky Scott, don¡¯t think that I¡¯m not as good as you just because I¡¯m from a lowly background. Who the f*ck do you think you are¡­¡±

    Hearing this, Jepherson turned to him and said, ¡°Stop.¡±

    The security guards finally stopped. Jacky motioned for them to stand down. The others didn¡¯t even dare to move as Jepherson turned to look at de.

    de shrugged and walked over to Jepherson. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you afraid that I¡¯lle after you next?¡±

    Jepherson looked at him disdainfully. ¡°I¡¯ve always emphasized morality even in business, but you¡­you don¡¯t have any sense of it. Before the bid, you visited a lot of yourpetitors, bribing them, asking them to stand down.¡±

    ¡°Although you did a good job with the proposal, I don¡¯t like people like you.¡±

    ¡°The most important thing is that you abandoned your wife for someone else. What I don¡¯t like the most is that you don¡¯t have the loyalty to back yourself up.¡±

    ¡°One of your greatest weaknesses is that you appeared in front of me with your female secretary and I saw right through your rtionship. Be careful next time lest you meet a second Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Why you¡­¡±

    de was very surprised that Jepherson knew about this matter. Jepherson immediately said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want people to know that you did something wrong, don¡¯t do it. You¡¯re a man. Man up and admit to your mistakes.¡±

    ¡°If you can abandon your own wife, you will abandon your partner in the future.¡±

    ¡°There are plenty of reasons to end a rtionship, but there¡¯s one that you have to stick with till the end.¡±

    ¡°Since you married her, you have to take responsibility for the rest of her life.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s words were suddenly the centre of attention.

    However, de seemed to be still dissatisfied. He smirked and said, ¡°Are you telling me that men have to stick with the same woman forever?¡±

    Jepherson nced at him. ¡°If you are an animal, you won¡¯t have to think about this matter. We all know that our ancestors roamed around naked and did the deed with the opposite sex wherever they wanted to. If you¡¯re like them, then you may do what you like.¡±

 Chapter 1678 He Wanted to Know

    He paused for a moment. ¡°When you have this sort of thinking again, you can let your wife go and enjoy all the men she wants. She shouldn¡¯t have to save herself for you.¡±

    Jepherson was calm. Raeleigh then pushed the door open and came in, followed by Zorion and his sister, as well as Harvey.

    Raeleigh quietly returned to his side and sat down.

    Jepherson took a look at her. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be responsible for her life, maybe you should have cut your balls off. Balls gone, responsibility gone. Take the hint.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    All the men around him could not help gasping. They all felt that what Jepherson said was like a joke, but they could not refute his logic.

    Jepherson knocked on the table and lowered his head. He looked at the people around him. He was in a foul mood, his tone cold.

    With de¡¯s masculinity challenged, hestared at Jepherson andughed sarcastically. ¡°Now, I don¡¯t believe that none of the men here hasn¡¯t had more than one chick. Go figure.¡±

    Crossing his legs,Jepherson said, ¡°I was about to tell you to scram, but your words made me change that thought. Let¡¯s see how many of us here has been a one-woman man from the start.¡±

    Jepherson first raised his hand and said, ¡°I swear that I have never touched any other woman except for the one beside me.¡±

    deughed mockingly.¡°Your words are one thing, the truth may be another.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say much, but Zorion raised his hand and said, ¡°I swear, I have only loved this woman beside me, and never anyone else.¡±

    Rossie blushed and lowered her head.

    Jacky raised his hand.¡°I swear, I would only have Deanna as my lover and not anyone else.¡±

    ¡°I swear, my wife would be the only one for me. She¡¯s not the prettiest woman out there, but we¡¯ve known each other since our university days and have been together since!¡±

    The person sitting across from Jepherson said and felt funny.

    The people around also raised their hands and talked about some interesting things about their rtionship.

    Everyone raised their hands.

    Jepherson looked at de¡¯s ghoulish face. ¡°If there¡¯s one thing I learned from being a man, it¡¯s that you don¡¯t use loyalty to measure a person¡¯s worth, but you can use it to measure a man¡¯s virtue and performance.¡±

    ¡°Only responsible couples form a happy family. You have vited your dignity as a man while abandoning your wife and your children.¡±

    ¡°I am not a noble man, but I don¡¯t ever want to cooperate with you.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson Richards, you will one day regret this.¡±

    de turned around and stormed towards the door. When he reached the door, he stopped and turned around to look at the people present and said, ¡°You are all hypocrites.¡±

    After saying that, he spun around and left. Jepherson stared in the direction of the door for more than ten seconds. Then, he turned around and looked at Raeleigh, who was sitting quietly. He put his hand on hers, held it, and watched her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He stood up and pulled her, ready to leave.

    Raeleigh stood up and was about to follow him whenDeanna said, ¡°Jepherson, bring Raeleigh to our ce. Jacky and I will wait for you. See you tomorrow afternoon.¡±

    Jepherson paused for a moment but did not agree to visit. Raeleigh then left with him.

    Jacky nced at Harvey and Harvey immediately said, ¡°Everyone, please don¡¯t be affected by matters that have nothing to do with you. Let¡¯s continue the feast.¡±

    After saying that, Harvey nodded politely and turned to chase after Raeleigh and Jepherson.

    Out of the door, Harvey called out to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh was ready to get into the car. Harvey passed her a note and said, ¡°Jacky asked me to give this to you.¡±

    Raeleigh looked down at the note.

    Harvey helped close the door and smiled towards the inside of the car. Then, he turned around and left.

    Raeleigh only read the note when the car had already started moving. There was a time, two in the afternoon, written on it, but there was no address.

    Jepherson took the note from her and looked at it intently for a moment before giving it back to her.

    The tension in the car suddenly became heavy, even the driver felt that something was wrong.

    Finally, Jepherson asked, ¡°When did Jacky get in touch with you?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Never.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was exceptionally quiet in the back of the car. Jepherson did not say anything else until the car was parked in the hotel¡¯s parking lot. When they got out of the car, Jepherson asked, ¡°Raeleigh, when did you first meet Jacky?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson while walking.¡°What else do you want to know?¡±

    Jepherson was immediately lost for words. He turned and headed up to their hotel room. Once the door was open, he pushed Raeleigh up against it and kissed her while stripping.

    When they were done, Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°Why hasn¡¯t hee yet? Does he really have a mistress?¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Why do you keep bringing this up? You know that I am married, but you still do this. Don¡¯t you think that you are deceiving yourself?¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    ¡°If I were to say that I don¡¯t think so, would you get mad?¡± Jephersony on his side, his eyes half-closed.

    Every time they did the deed, Jepherson always felt like sleeping. He wondered whether it was normal.

    ¡°Would you stop saying it if I told you that I am?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Jepherson smiled andy there with satisfaction. Raeleigh pulled her hand but he did not let her go. She said, ¡°I need to go to the bathroom.¡±

    Only then did he let go. When Raeleigh came back, he had already fallen into a deep sleep.

    Raeleigh got on the bed, took a book from the bedside and opened it. She couldn¡¯t sleep well if she didn¡¯t go back.

    She had been out for so long, couldn¡¯t she go back?

    Raeleigh read the book for more than an hour. Jepherson turned over and hugged her cold legs. He opened his eyes to look at Raeleigh. With his face darkening, he sat up from the bed and asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡±

    Raeleigh read the book and raised her head to look at Jepherson. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°What time is it? Why aren¡¯t you asleep?¡±

    Raeleigh then put down the book. Looking at it carefully, she found that Jepherson was pretty good-looking. He could have anything or anybody he wanted but still, he was mingling with a married woman.

    His family didn¡¯t agree and she didn¡¯t agree either, but he was determined. Wasn¡¯t it strange?

    Raeleighy down quietly as if she had never had any trouble with Jepherson. He then moved from one side, hugged her,and rubbed her hands from behind. ¡°Were you sad just now?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer his question. She had almost forgotten about it, but she opened her eyes and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±

    ¡°Tell me what happened at that time.¡±

    Jepherson wanted to know.

 Chapter 1679 Foiled Escape Plan

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about what happened before the incident.¡±

    Jepherson did not give up and neither did Raeleigh answer him. She squinted her eyes.

    ¡°How did he meet you? Was he the one who came to pick you up when you left?¡±

    This had been a thorn in his side and he could not let it go.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    He hadn¡¯t wanted to ask, but his strong desire to know had won over.

    Jepherson was lying on his back, waiting for an answer not forting. ¡°Raeleigh¡­ do you love him?¡±

    ¡°If I love him, will you release Cynthia and let me go?¡± Raeleigh regretteding here. If she¡¯d stayed there and continued searching for Cynthia, he would let her go one day. At this moment, however, she couldn¡¯t even leave. Jepherson didn¡¯t seem to want to let her go at all.

    ¡°No,¡± Jepherson said firmly. Raeleigh opened her eyes and thought for a moment, then closed them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is right or wrong. I never expected you to do this.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯t you think our bodies fit each other so well?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer,Jepherson said, ¡°I¡¯ll let you go if hees to you.¡±

    Raeleigh opened her eyes. ¡°If he doesn¡¯te, are you going to imprison me for the rest of my life?¡±

    ¡°If he doesn¡¯te, it means that you don¡¯t have him anymore. Why do you have to leave?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m tired. Let¡¯s rest.¡±

    Raeleigh closed her eyes and pulled the quilt over herself. They¡¯d been over this many times, but they failed to reach a consensus each time. It looked like there was no other way but to find a way to escape.

    After waiting for her for a while, Jepherson still wanted to know something, but she had fallen asleep. Jepherson stretched out his hand trying to roust her, but she had slipped into a deep slumber.

    Only then did Jepherson doze off.

    Raeleigh woke up early in the morning. She had not have a good night¡¯s sleep at all.

    When she opened her eyes, she saw Jepherson¡¯s sleeping face in front of her, looking like a child. She carefully looked at his face, which was as delicate and smooth as a woman¡¯s.

    Raeleigh smiled despite herself. It was a pity that such a rosyplexion found itself on a man¡¯s face.

    Turning over, she got out of bed. When she was washing up, Jepherson woke up and went to the bathroom. He walked to the door and pulled her back to bed, pressing down on her.

    Raeleigh was unable to resist. Jepherson had the upper hand with his weight and strength.

    He trained his gaze on her, and shewondered why.

    After everything was over, Jephersony down for a while before they took a bath together then had their meal.

    The moment they sat down, they saw the magazine that Stuart had ced there. It was talking all about Jepherson¡¯s words from the banquet. There wasn¡¯t a cover page, but everyone knew that Jepherson was the one who¡¯d said those words.

    ¡°What¡¯s this for? Trying to make me sick?¡±

    Jepherson threw out this question casually, and Stuart said, ¡°Everyone¡¯s talking about you and Madam Raeleigh. What do you think about this?¡±

    ¡°Leave them be,they can say whatever they like. How¡¯s the preparations for your wedding going?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be rude but we should really stay on the subject, Mr. Jepherson.I have something to show you.¡±

    Stuart took out a photo and showed it to Jepherson. At first, Jepherson did not care, butter¡­

    Seeing that the woman in the wedding dress was Raeleigh, and the man beside her was not him, Jepherson¡¯s eyes turned menacing.

    ¡°Who asked you to investigate this?¡± Jepherson¡¯s expression darkened as he asked in a low voice.

    Stuart said, ¡°I found out about it by ident. I didn¡¯t investigate it on purpose.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask you one more time. Who asked you to investigate this?¡± Jepherson mmed his hand on the table. Raeleigh sat next to him and stared at the photo on the table. The photo fell on the floor and she picked it up.

    It could be seen that the photos were definitely not edited.

    Stuart lowered his head and said nothing.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson without saying a word. His face was pale as he stood up and kicked over the chair next to him before turning to walk out of the room. At the door, he identally knocked into the decorative vase, then turned back and pushed it over.

    Nobody knew if the decorative vase was authentic, but it fell down with a crash, smashing into pieces on the ground.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t even look at it before turning around to leave with Stuart chasing after him. As he left, he yelled to his men, ¡°Take care of Madam Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh sat there, looking down at the photos. She first put them away, then stood up.

    She then walked towards the bathroom before the guards arrived.

    Finally, there was an opportunity for her to leave.

    ¡­

    When Stuart chased outside, he saw Jepherson standing quietly in the wind, having no reactions or care to the people around. It was like he was in a trance.

    Outside, Jepherson stood at a spot where the cold wind blew. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

    Afraid that something would happen, Stuart ran out and stood behind him. Jepherson did not say a word and just stood in the wind.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Stuart called out to Jepherson, but only received a ¡°Leave me the f*ck alone!¡±

    Stuart stood still behind Jepherson, who then said, ¡°Go and keep an eye on Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°But, Mr. Jepherson¡­¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t die now, will I!¡±

    Stuart had to turn back.

    However, Raeleigh had disappeared when he got back to the hotel room.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh walked out from the back of the hotel and scanned her surroundings. She headed in a direction where fewer people were headed and got into a taxi. She had no cash to pay the taxi driver, so she gave him her watch as payment.

    ¡°Is this enough? If it is, please send me to Waverly Vige.¡±

    The driver nced at Raeleigh¡¯s watch. He didn¡¯t know what its model and make were, but it was beautiful. The question was where it hade from and whether it was legal.

    After thinking for a moment, the driver asked Raeleigh, ¡°Did you perhaps steal this?¡±

    Raeleigh said with a smile, ¡°Do I look like a thief to you?¡±

    The driver didn¡¯t think Raeleigh looked like one, but no thief would walk around the street wearing a thief badge.

    Seeing the driver hesitate, Raeleigh said, ¡°How about this? Send me to the ce and I will ask my friend to give you money. Lend me your cellphone and I¡¯ll make a call. You can hold on to the watch first.¡±

    The driver thought this was reasonable, so he sent Raeleigh to Waverly Vige. Raeleigh also called Jacky, asking him to pick her up.

    Jacky hung up the phone and looked at the time. He came out from the Whalen family¡¯s mansion and was ready to pick Raeleigh up. However, they were stopped halfway through the journey.

    The driver stopped the car. He was a little confused. Did hee across someone who was filming a movie?

    It was dark in front of them, the intruders were all dressed in ck, and they were driving ck cars too.

    They could not differentiate the leader from the mob as they were all wearing the same attire.

    Someone signalled the driver to stop the car, but he dared not stop. He thought for a while. ¡°Is this kidnapping? No wonder she is penniless. She was trying to escape!¡±

    Raeleigh told the driver, ¡°I will protect you. Please send this watch to Waverly Vige and someone will attend to you. Tell him what happened here and write down the te number of the cars in front.¡±

    She opened the door, got out of the car, and walked forward, not caring about the attackers at all.

    The driver was terrified. He had no idea what was going on.

 Chapter 1680 Taken Away

    Raeleigh got out of the car and fixed her eyes on the attackers in front of her. Someone inside one of the cars knocked on the door and another opened the door before inviting her into the car. Raeleigh walked over and saw that it was Flynt as expected.

    After thinking for a while, she got into the car.

    As the door closed, she looked at the person beside her. She did not say anything but kept thinking.

    Flynt said, ¡°You really don¡¯t remember?¡±

    To Raeleigh¡¯s silence,Flynt said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    She looked at him.¡°What happened to your hand?¡±

    Flynt wore a pair of gloves, but his metal wrist was still exposed. Raeleigh saw it by chance when she lowered her head.

    Flynt immediately said, ¡°Jepherson did this.¡±

    Then he took off the gloves, rolled up his sleeves, and showed half of his arm. Raeleigh thought for a long time before saying, ¡°Is it a metal arm?¡±

    ¡°Does it creep you out?¡±

    Flynt asked Raeleigh, but she did not answer. By the time she looked up at him, he smiled and said, ¡°I thought I would never see you again. I didn¡¯t expect that we would still have a chance to meet.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Flynt.¡°I have no recollection of you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just a matter of time.¡± Flynt used his hands to hold Raeleigh¡¯s. She carefully pulled back her hands and stared at him without saying anything.

    ¡°Jepherson is not a good person. If he were a good person, he would not have hurt me like this, killed my grandfather¡¯s family, harmed my mother and my two sisters.¡±

    Flynt kept talking along the way. Raeleigh looked out of the car from time to time. It seemed that she was really in trouble this time. They were already out of Capital City, yet Jepherson still wasn¡¯t here.

    His droning on had tired her ears, and she said, ¡°Look, can we take five? The more I hear, the more confused I am. Maybe it¡¯s just me, but I don¡¯t get why you two are fighting. What kind of bad blood is there between the two of you?¡±

    ¡°Because I like you, butJepherson did not allow us to be together. One thing led to another, and we became what we are now. I was injured, he took you away from me, and you forgot who I am.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Flynt raised his hand to touch her face, trying to kiss her affectionately, but she turned away to avoid him.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.This is not how Jepherson exined it.¡±

    Flynt said, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t believe me now, you will, one day. By then¡­¡±

    He moved his hand away. Raeleigh sat there feeling frantic. What did Flynt mean? Was he going to imprison her as Jepherson had done?

    Jepherson had already made a mistake once. Would he repeat it this time?

    Raeleigh looked at Flynt.¡°Will you hurt me?¡±

    Staring at Raeleigh¡¯s innocent eyes, Flynt¡¯s heart softened. He raised his hand and pulled her into his arms.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t hurt you. You just don¡¯t remember me. I¡¯ll make you remember, a better me than before.¡±

    A trace of cunning flickered in Flynt¡¯s eyes when he spoke, and then he let Raeleigh go.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him and said, ¡°Can you let me go? I want to go home.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Go home? Where are you going?¡± Flynt asked tentatively. Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°I was in Waverly Vige when I woke up. I¡¯m probably from there.¡±

    Flynt frowned. ¡°Is there anyone called Xanthus with you?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a while and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. When I woke up, I didn¡¯t see anyone else except Jepherson.¡±

    Flyntughed.¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s how he got you to believe him. If you didn¡¯t see him as soon as you opened your eyes, would you have believed everything he said?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer, but asked, ¡°Who is Xanthus?¡±

    Flynt thought and said, ¡°Your brother. He¡¯s a famous orthopaedic surgeon and we had an agreement to work together.¡±

    ¡°However, before we could meet, you suddenly disappeared, so I kept looking for you, and I never found you.

    ¡°Until this time.¡±

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°I have a brother?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, you have an older brother. Before meeting you, Jepherson was already engaged to a woman called Ste Doyle. When he met you, that pervert paralysed Ste so that he could get his hands on you.¡±

    ¡°However, the Doyle family is very powerful and he didn¡¯t manage to get rid of Ste even with that. After that, he killed her and fed her to the dogs.¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned for a moment. ¡°What did you say? He fed her to the dogs? Aren¡¯t we talking about a human here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, a human.¡±

    ¡°Fed to the dogs how?¡±

    ¡°He just did.¡±

    Flynt insisted on this and Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him. After a long time, she asked, ¡°What happened to Xanthus?¡±

    Flynt thought for a moment and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how your brother is, but the both of you did disappear when I looked. I only found you now.¡±

    Raeleigh felt that Flynt was truly cunning. She thought that she knew him well enough, but Flynt¡¯s character was so terrible that it made her sick.

    The car was circling in a direction. If Raeleigh remembered correctly, the car was heading for the Moore family¡¯s countryside mansion.

    Soon, Raeleigh arrived at Flynt¡¯s ce in the countryside. She got out of the car and followed him. He brought her to his small yard in the countryside and asked all the people to leave while he talked to her.

    Because it was the countryside, the air was fresh and the scenery was pleasant. Flynt asionally came to unwind himself, so this ce was very clean and organized.

    Raeleigh stood in the courtyard andstared nkly at an apple tree in the corner.

    ¡­

    Flynt said, ¡°It¡¯s still young now. Give it a few more weeks and you¡¯ll see a fully blossomed apple tree.¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at Flynt, who was standing beside her, and then looked at the tree. She said, ¡°I also think that it will look good if you can take good care of it. But that tree looks like no one has been trimming it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    Flynt wrapped an arm around her. She took a look at him but said nothing. Her eyes settled on him while he wore a smile on his face. ¡°Raeleigh, you¡¯re still the same as before.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Instead, she turned around and looked at the apple tree in the corner, thinking of another person.

    As she said, the tree growing was like the current Flynt. With a little care, a little trimming and pruning, it could have grown into a better tree and less diseased. But it was neglected and left to fend for itself, just like the wayward Flynt.

    At the moment, it didn¡¯t look any different than a normal tree, but once winter came and all its leaves fell, its ugly appearance would be out in the open.

    That presagedFlynt¡¯s most hideous moment.

    Raeleigh stood still, while Flynt kept holding her. Flynt had to admit that Raeleigh¡¯s charm had increased after three years, which made him even more helplessly attracted to her.

    All the longing he¡¯d felt over the years overwhelmed him.

    Flynt felt like his heart had been possessed by ck magic. All he could think of was imprisoning Raeleigh with him for the rest of her life.

 Chapter 1681 Found

    ¡°This belongs to a woman. She asked me toe to Waverly Vigeand pass it to the people here.¡±

    The driver saw Jacky and gave him the watch. Jacky stared at the watch. He didn¡¯t recognize Raeleigh¡¯s watch at first but recalled seeing her wearing it while they were eating.

    Turning around, Jacky looked at Harvey. ¡°Take a picture and send it to Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Harvey immediately snapped a photo and sent it to Jepherson.

    At this time, Jepherson was looking for Raeleigh. He was also going to Flynt¡¯s countryside home. He had already found Raeleigh¡¯s location. He received the photo and called Jacky. ¡°Who sent it?¡±

    ¡°A taxi driver.¡±

    ¡°Ask him what else he has.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    Jacky asked in a friendly tone. The driver looked at Jacky for a while. He seemed to have seen him on TV, but who was it?

    Thinking carefully, the driver remembered. Wasn¡¯t this the new mayor, Mr. Scott?

    ¡°Are you Mr. Scott, the mayor?¡±

    The driver asked boldly, to which Jacky said, ¡°To-be. Just tell me, everything will be fine.¡±

    ¡°I wrote down this license te number. I was afraid I¡¯d forget it.¡±

    The driver passed the note to Jacky. There was only one license te number on it. He really couldn¡¯t react in time and could only remember this.

    He hoped that it would be of some use.

    Jacky epted the note and took a closer look. He told Jepherson on the other side of the phone, ¡°It¡¯s a license te number¡­¡±

    Jepherson hung up the phone after receiving that bit of information. He frowned slightly and said, ¡°Flynt sure is a bold one. He used the Moore family¡¯s car. It seems that he has already thought about it and wants me toe to him.¡±

    ¡°You forced him into a dead end. You ced your men in various departments. Now they are on your side and have something on him. Now no one wants to give him the evidence. Even the Moore family¡¯s men had lost to money. Now you have given his chance of being the mayor to Jacky. Do you think he will let it go?¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Zorion sat across from him. On this day, he hade out alone. There was something he needed to do. Rossie had to take care of the children, so Zorion didn¡¯t want to bring her out either.

    Jepherson nced at Zorion. ¡°It¡¯s better when you don¡¯t speak.¡±

    The corners of Zorion¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°What can you do to me?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about what I can do to you. But now you¡¯re getting on my nerves. So I would advise you to snap your mouth shut. Every time you speak, I feel my eyes rolling back and I can see my brain.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Zorion said with a forced smile, ¡°I have to remind you not to regret it when you are at the end of your life. The most irredeemable thing in life is regret. You should stop before you are able to create any conditions for regret.¡±

    ¡°Even if you force Raeleigh to be by your side, she¡¯ll still leave when you¡¯re not paying attention.¡±

    ¡°You should know that you can¡¯t spend your whole life doing nothing but watching over a woman.¡±

    ¡°Rossie told me that she could help me look after all the people who I can¡¯t take care of. The premise was that I would give her all the space that she needs.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly certain what she meant by space, but I think it¡¯s freedom.¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t give her what she wants, why lock her up?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll just be nothing more than a pet. Life looks great for her, but she doesn¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°Stop the car.¡±

    Jepherson had the final say in his own car. The driver stopped the car and Stuart pulled the door open, inviting Zorion out.

    The car sped off as Zorion dusted off his clothes. As he stared into the distance, another came up to him and he got in.

    Stuart looked into the rearview mirror in the car. He also felt that Zorion¡¯s words were somewhat reasonable, but if Jepherson refused to listen, what could he do?

    Jepherson¡¯s car quickly arrived outside Flynt¡¯s countryside manor. There were a few cars parked at the entrance. One of the cars had the license number the taxi driver had given to Jacky.

    After Jepherson stood for a while, someone came over and handed him a document.

    ¡°Mr. Richards, what an honour. Mr. Moore anticipated this and prepared this for you. As long as you sign this, we¡¯ll let her go.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t look at the document at all. He didn¡¯t even take his hand out of his trouser pocket and said directly, ¡°Get the f*ck out of my face!¡±

    Stuart stood behind and said, ¡°Tell Flynt toe out.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but no one can enter if you don¡¯t sign. Mr. Moore said that no matter who you are, as long as you don¡¯t do as we say, you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.¡±

    ¡°What are the consequences?¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes darkened as he spoke. The other party replied, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me, Mr. Richards?¡±

    Jephersonughed. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    After that, the person took a few steps back and stood there. There were only about a dozen men, but if they refused to move, Jepherson could only force his way in.

    Jepherson turned to look at Stuart. ¡°Give me your gun.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson¡­¡±

    ¡°Give it to me.¡±

    Jepherson red at him, but Stuart frowned. ¡°We can¡¯t do that here.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you are a natural at cracking jokes. Don¡¯t you understand thews of our country? We don¡¯t allow guns here, let alone an unregistered firearm.¡±

    Jepherson turned to look at him. ¡°Do you think I can¡¯t kill you without a gun?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    The man was respectful and polite, but he could not hide the contempt and arrogance in his words.

    ¡°Stuart, break his chin so that he can¡¯t speak any more.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and stared at the person on the opposite side. His words sounded like a joke as he had no power to do that here.

    Stuart received the order and walked towards the other side. The people around wanted to approach him, but the other side had already heard of Stuart,a good-for-nothing who had been handicapped in a car ident. What could he do? So the man raised his hand and asked people to stop.

    Stuart walked in front of him and reached out his hands. Flynt¡¯s man took a step back wanting to dodge his attacks but he was not fast enough. With a loud cracking sound, Stuart had crushed his jaw, leaving him howling in pain, rolling on the floor.

    His chin was smashed. Although Stuart had been affected by the ident, he was still ruthless when it came to protecting the Richards family,

    The other party was in such pain that he almost fainted on the spot. Cold sweat flowed down from his head. Stuart stood there and looked at the people around him.

    ¡°Speak at your own risk. You should have known better.¡±

    Flynt¡¯s men then went up and surrounded Jepherson¡¯s men. They started to fight while Jepherson and Stuart walked towards the house.

 Chapter 1682 Share The Same Room

    Raeleigh cast a quick nce at her surroundings. ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°One side of Capital City actually borders Esterlia. So, we¡¯re heading there now.¡±

    Raeleigh followed behind Flynt and asked.

    Raeleigh was wearing a ck outfit paired with some hiking boots.

    Raeleigh observed the terrain while walking and then asked, ¡°Are we going to get into any troubles for illegal border crossing?¡±

    Flyntughed, ¡°Of course! I mean anyone who crosses the border illegally will get arrested but if no one finds out about it, then there shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    Raeleigh watched her step as she walked. She wondered whether was it really necessary for them to go there?

    After hiking for several hours, Raeleigh felt that she could no longer continue and sat down. Flynt walked up to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll give you a piggyback.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I can still walk.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and continued walking. Flynt watched as Raeleigh got to her feet and continued walking before following her.

    There was one thing Raeleigh did not quite understand, so she asked, ¡°Are you afraid of Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a little afraid of him. He¡¯s a really intimidating person, of course I¡¯m afraid. He took you awayst time and I¡¯m afraid that he will do it again, so I have to bring you to somewhere safe.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Raeleigh walked in front. It look them nearly an entire day to get to the border.

    After a while, Raeleigh decided to take another break. By that time, the sky was already dark. Flynt handed Raeleigh some water and food, before sitting down and having their dinner together.

    After finishing their dinner, they continued on with their journey towards the border, ¡°Are you sure this is fine? We¡¯re going to be in big trouble if we get caught. There¡¯s a possibility of us dying here and there¡¯s also another possibility of us causing conflicts between the two countries.¡±

    ¡°If I can bring you here, that means we will not get into any trouble. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re going to be fine.¡± Flynt said as they crossed the border. Raeleigh was still a little worried. When they sessfully crossed the borders without getting into any trouble, she then eyed Flynt suspiciously.

    ¡°Wow, nothing happened!¡±

    Flynt smiled proudly, ¡°Of course! I¡¯ve already made a deal with them and even paid them. I¡¯m allowed toe and go as I want just as long as I notify them beforehand. In short, I¡¯m able to enter the country whenever I feel like it. Besides, I brought my passport with me and I¡¯m also a citizen of this country, it¡¯s just that none of my people know it.¡±

    ¡°Where are your people? Why is it only just the two of us?¡±

    ¡°They are already here. I have arge piece ofnd here. I¡¯ll bring you over to have a look then you¡¯ll know.¡±

    Raeleigh did not understand what Flynt meant, but she could feel that Flynt came prepared this time. She also felt as if something was going to happen.

    After crossing the border, they continued walking to a nearby town. When they arrived there, Raeleigh saw arge number of people there including those men that were usually by Flynt¡¯s side. Raeleigh wondered how they got here so quickly? She clearly remembered seeing them in the countryside before she and Flynt departed.

    She wondered how they arrived here before she and Flynt did?

    Raeleigh gave Flynt a strange look and he saw through her mind. He said to Raeleigh, ¡°It is quite simple actually. They took a ne while we hiked.¡±

    ¡°The Moore family made ns earlier. They decided to make a hidden entrance as a backup n, but I somehow found it useful for what I¡¯m doing.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°When I first came here and I stumbled upon this ce, I didn¡¯t know anything about it, butter I learned from the locals here that anyone from the Moore family was allowed toe and go as they pleased.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you too much about it, but trust me, it¡¯s definitely safe for us to stay here.¡±

    Raeleigh cast a quick nce at her surroundings and noticed that there were some beautiful flowers around. Most of them were red while some were white. She could smell a strange scent as soon as she approached them.

    Raeleigh could not put a finger to what the smell was. It definitely did not smell like normal flowers and she felt dizzy all of a sudden.

    ¡°What kind of flower are these?¡±

    ¡°They are poppies.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a while then turned around to look at Flynt. After a long time, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Are you a drug dealer?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m working with a government organisation. I¡¯m helping to produce this for a pharmaceuticalpany.¡±

    Raeleigh knew very well whether Flynt was telling the truth or not and did not ask more. She just raised her hand to cover her nose.

    Flynt told her that it was normal for poppies to smell like that and that she did not need to cover her nose.

    Raeleigh took her hand down and told Flynt, ¡°I am feeling a little dizzy. Isn¡¯t this the effect of the drug?¡±

    ¡°This is your first time smelling it, that¡¯s why. After a while, you¡¯ll get use to it.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing and followed Flynt.

    Soon, they arrived in front of a room. There was a man standing at the door. When he saw them, he nodded and left.

    Raeleigh looked over at Flynt and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s that guy?¡±

    ¡°He works here. This ce doesn¡¯t require much manpower unless it¡¯s harvesting season, then I will only hire the locals here.¡±

    Flynt exined as they entered the room. Raeleigh followed him. The room was not very spacious. All it had was a desk, a chair and a bed.

    Flynt entered the room, took off his coat and asked Raeleigh to sit down.

    ¡°This is the room that I normally use to rest whenever Ie here. You can sleep on the bed and I¡¯ll sleep on the floor tonight.¡±

    Then, Raeleigh immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s too cold for you to sleep on the ground. You can use it. I¡¯ll just sleep on the chair.¡±

    ¡°Will Jepherson allow you to sleep on the chair?¡±

    Flynt asked her, which amused Raeleigh. She wondered why do every man have topare themselves with each other?

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, but he did force me to do something that I didn¡¯t want to do.¡±

    ¡°What did he force you¡­?¡±

    Raeleigh immediately cut him off and said, ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Flynt stood for a while and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will never force you to do anything you do not want to do.¡±

    ¡°Oh really? That¡¯s what Jepherson said as well.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Flynt. He could see helplessness in her eyes. She regarded him as the same person as Jepherson.

    Flynt¡¯s heart trembled a little. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I promise to keep my word. We have the future ahead of us. As long as Jepherson doesn¡¯te between us, then I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll grow old and grey together.¡±

    ¡°You sleep on the bed, while I sleep on the chair. Isn¡¯t that alright? If you¡¯re worried, then I¡¯ll ask someone to bring in an extra bed for you.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s better if we get another bed in.¡±

    Raeleigh said, looking at the bed and forcing a smile.

    Flynt also smiled and looked out the window. ¡°I think we should get some rest before the sun rises.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded and went to bed.

    Flynt ordered someone to bring in an extra bed. After making the bed, he soon fell asleep on it.

 Chapter 1683 Understood Everything

    Raeleigh was not sure whether Flynt would keep his words, but she was feeling extremely tired. She hiked a long way today. Even a normal person would feel tired after an entire day of hiking.

    Not long after, Raeleigh fell asleep.

    Flynt sat up in bed for a while. He then looked over at Raeleigh before hey back down on the bed.

    When Raeleigh woke up the next morning, she realised that Flynt was already awake.

    Raeleigh looked out the window and saw Flynt talking to someone. At this time, Flynt happened to turn around and saw her through the window. He quickly ended his conversation and returned to the room.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re up!¡± Flynt said when he entered the room. Raeleigh asked, ¡°Why are you up so early?¡±

    ¡°A year¡¯s n starts with spring. A day¡¯s n starts in the morning. You should know that the early bird catches the worm.¡±

    ¡°Your efforts will be rewarded.¡±

    Raeleigh replied. Flynt smiled and said, ¡°It would be great if we keep doing this.¡±

    Raeleigh did not offer a reply. Instead, she asked, ¡°Are we having breakfast here?¡±

    ¡°No, why? Are you hungry?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, I was just asking.¡±

    ¡°Alright,e on then. Let¡¯s head out. We need to walk a bit to get breakfast.¡± Flynt turned around and went out of the room. Raeleigh stared at the sea of flowers in front of her and asked Flynt, ¡°How many flowers do you have here?¡±

    ¡°About a few thousand acres.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and looked at Flynt strangely when she heard his words. ¡°A few thousand acres?¡±

    ¡°You think that¡¯s a lot?¡± Flynt did not seem to care at all.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t poppies harmful to the soil and the environment?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is. Basically, thend that poppies grow on can no longer be use to grow any crops due to the toxins in the nt. If we really needed thend to grow something else, then we would have to wait ten years.¡±

    ¡°Ten years?!¡±

    Raeleigh did not expect that poppies had such a negative impact on the environment.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    However, what was Flynt nning to do with all these poppies here?

    Right now, he has a secret passage between Esterlia and Capital City.He could transport drugs to the country without being caught. In that case, Capital City would fall into his hands.

    Jacky was in charge of the two main passageways to Capital City and this was technically the third. This was something that Jacky would not have expected.

    At that time, Johan was probably hedging his bet by buying this ce.

    However, Johan had no use for it. In the end, it was his grandson, Flynt, who found usage for this ce.

    ¡°Ten years is such a long time. What are the locals going to do then?¡± Raeleigh asked doubtfully. Flynt said, ¡°This ce is vast and rich in resources. We gave them a lot of money, that¡¯s why they are willing to sell this ce to us. The money that they have now is enough for them to live afortable life for a long time.¡±

    ¡°No wonder.¡±

    Raeleigh sighed inwardly. She wondered whether the locals willingly sold thisnd to Flynt, but then again, they were offered a lot of money. Even if they did not want to sell thend, with government intervention, they probably did not have any other option but to sell it.

    After all, these people weren¡¯t fools. Raeleigh was sure that the locals here knew that opium could be extracted from poppy flowers.

    However, she wondered why did Flynt buy up all thesends just to nt poppy?

    Raeleigh followed Flynt to their breakfast spot. It was clean andfortable there. Everyone was doing their own thing. When they arrived, Flynt led her inside to a table where they served some of the local delicacies. After breakfast, Raeleigh decided to take a stroll around the ce.

    This ce was huge. Raeleigh had no idea how she managed to hike all the way to this ce.

    Even if she decided to leave now, she wasn¡¯t sure whether she¡¯ll be able to find her way out.

    After walking around for a while, Flynt brought her back to the room. Flynt had a discussion with his men about the long term condition of poppy, while Raeleigh sat aside and watched them.

    Raeleigh soon got bored and decided to go out and explore the ce. She wanted to find an escape route.

    Raeleigh stood at a spot and looked at the direction which she hade from. Last time she went to prison and this time, she had crossed a border illegally. She bet that this would not have crossed Jepherson¡¯s mind at all.

    This was all her fault. If she did not leave the house, then nothing would happen.

    All of a sudden, Raeleigh felt a wave of regret washed over her.

    Flynt watched Raeleigh from afar. He raised his eyes and nced at the person in front of him. Then he raised his hand and called someone over. He whispered something in the person¡¯s ear. The person looked at Flynt and asked, ¡°Do we really have to do this?¡±

    Flynt nodded. Then, the man turned around and quickly walked away.

    Raeleigh then turned around, intending to head back to the room. However, when she saw that Flynt had no expression on his face, she immediately rushed towards him. By the time she arrived by Flynt¡¯s side, he yelled with his eyes wide open, ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Flynt swoop Raeleigh into his arms and turned around. With a bang, he fell to the ground.

    Raeleigh did not know how to react. She hurried over to Flynt who was on the ground. She knelt on the ground and looked at him, his hands trembling as gripped her hand tightly.

    Raeleigh frowned deeply. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    The loud noise alerted the people around them. Soon, someone came over and quickly examined Flynt. He announced that Flynt had been shot.

    Raeleigh followed Flynt as he was being carried into the hall surrounded by the crowd.

    Soon a doctor arrived. Raeleigh saw the bullet lodged behind his back with her own eyes.

    At this time, there were a lot of people working around Flynt, trying to save his life. Raeleigh stood opposite him and watched him until he was put under general anesthesia.

    Flynt¡¯s surgery took several hours. Raeleigh was about to fall asleep by the time it was done.

    Someone came to inform Raeleigh that the surgery was done and that he was stable now. He told her that she could go in and visit him. Raeleigh stood up and entered the room, but Flynt had yet to regain consciousness.

    The room finally quieted down. It was only the two of them in the room.

    Raeleigh pondered whether she should make her escape right now.

    After all, it all happened so suddenly. Raeleigh found it strange and that was why she was hesitating at the moment.

    As it waste at night, Raeleigh looked at the guards who were dozing outside. Then, she stood up and walked to the door. She knocked on the door and said, ¡°I need to use the toilet.¡±

    The guard then looked around and brought Raeleigh to the toilet. After that, Raeleigh went back to the room and waited for Flynt to wake up.

    Raeleigh had no idea what she ate wrong and had to keep going to the toilet. She used the opportunity to scout around and find her escape route. In the end, she finally managed to make her escape at dawn.

    Raeleigh made her way back to the border ording to the way that she hade. However, it took her quite awhile as she had to avoid bumping into Flynt¡¯s men. When she finally arrived at the border, she did not know whether she would get into trouble for trying to cross back into Capital City. However, she decided to give it a try anyways.

    At this time, there were blood dripping from Raeleigh¡¯s legs and arms. She was pricked by the thorns of some flowers when she had to hide away from Flynt¡¯s men.

    Just as she walked, someone approached Raeleigh with a shlight. Raeleigh raised her hand to cover her eyes. Then, she slowly lifted her head up to meet the person in front of her. All of a sudden, she understood everything!

 Chapter 1684 Strong Aura

    Raeleigh was brought back to the town in a car. Flynt sat beside her, pretending to be a gentleman, however, even a fool could tell what was going on.

    Flynt did so many things just to test whether Raeleigh had actually lost her memory.

    Raeleigh remained silent. Flynt said, ¡°So, you¡¯ve been lying to me all these while?¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything. Since she was caught, then she did not feel the need to exin herself.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I like you.¡±

    Flynt looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh was amused. ¡°No, you don¡¯t. You¡¯re just not used to seeing Jepherson being so high and mighty. Do you think that by taking me away, he would feel frustrated?¡±

    Flynt sneered, ¡°You¡¯ve never changed. You should be ttered that I took a liking to you. How much do you think you¡¯re worth? You¡¯ve been with so many guys, except for me.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Flynt, ¡°Except for you.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s my turn to try.¡±

    Flynt got up and pushed Raeleigh over. Shey on her back and taunted, ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Raeleigh was not afraid. People would die sooner orter. Even if they died, they would just suffer for only a few seconds.

    So, Raeleigh did not care at all.

    Flynt lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh. Raeleigh pulled her face away and struggled to break free. Flynt held her tightly. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to know what¡¯s so good about you? I¡¯d like to know what kind of spell you used to make Jepherson and the other guys lose their minds.¡±

    ¡°Flynt¡­¡±

    Raeleigh just said his name and did not finish her sentence. Flynt waited for her to continue, but she closed her eyes and did not move.

    Flynt lowered his head to kiss her, but she did not respond.

    Flynt immediately sat up and said coldly, ¡°Fine, since you¡¯re not willing to cooperate, then let¡¯s have some fun!¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and straightened her clothes. Flynt asked the driver to drive towards the mountains. As soon as the car stopped, Flynt said, ¡°Esterlia is a country full of wilderness. The people here hunt their own foods. There are wolves, ck bears, wild boars and other fierce predators in the forest. I will give you two options. You either live in the forest or stay by my side and serve me.¡±

    Raeleigh sat in the car quietly. At the thought of potentiallying face to face with a wild predator, she turned around and looked at Flynt. ¡°This is the difference between you and him. Even if I pissed him off, he would noty his hands on me. On the contrary, no matter how good I treat you, you will not appreciate it. You will still treat me like crap.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, she got out of the car, looked at the people around her before walking into the forest.

    Flynt watched Raeleigh as she entered the forest and sneered, ¡°Raeleigh, you asked for this.¡±

    Everyone in the car looked at Flynt. He said, ¡°Ask someone to guard the entrance. Since she wants to die in there, then let¡¯s make sure she never makes it out of this ce alive.¡±

    Flynt got out of the car and looked in the direction in which Raeleigh left. ¡°Wasn¡¯t this how Jacky treated Ste back then? How is Jacky still a gentleman, while I¡¯m the viin?¡±

    The wind was howling and Jepherson could hear the cries of a wild goose in the distance. It sounded very miserable.

    Jepherson raised his head and felt a faint difort in his heart.

    ¡°Stuart, how long does it take for us to arrive? What about Lenold?¡±

    Jepherson was rushing to the border. He had been travelling all day and night. They tried looking for Raeleigh in the vige but could not find her, that was why they were heading towards the border.

    Jepherson did not know why but his intuition told him that Raeleigh was here.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Stuart hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯ve already contacted him and he is on his way. I already told our people to control the situation at the border, but we cannot cross the border with Lenold.¡±

    Stuart handed a bottle of water to Jepherson. Jepherson shook his head and said, ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯ve drank enough. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and continued walking towards the border. ¡°We can¡¯t just continue searching like this. This terrain is rough. Even if they did walk past here, I doubt they would leave any clues.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Why don¡¯t you follow the rest and wait for me at the border? I want to look around and search for clues.¡±

    Stuart ordered the others to go ahead, while he stayed by Jepherson¡¯s side. Both of them were each carrying a backpack containing food and water supplies. However, Stuart¡¯s backpack was nearly empty, while Jepherson¡¯s was still full.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson, why don¡¯t we swap bags?¡±

    Jepherson took off his bag and threw it on the ground. He told Stuart, ¡°Just leave it. If Raeleigh managed to escape and happen to stumble upon this bag, at least she has some food to it.¡±

    Stuart felt extremely ufortable. At this time, Mr. Jepherson was still thinking about Raeleigh, but unfortunately¡­

    Jepherson walked ahead and Stuart followed closely behind. Just as they were about to reach the border, Jepherson spotted a sparkling object on the ground. He immediately walked over and began rummaging through the bushes.

    Soon, he found the object.

    It was a crystal pendant from an underwear.

    When Raeleigh went abroad with him, she went to the mall with Lucy Wagner. At that time, she bought two sets of underwear. He remembered very clearly that there were crystal pendants on it. He happened to catch a glimpse of it when Raeleigh was undressing.

    Jepherson picked it up and surveyed his surroundings. Then, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s get to the border as quickly as possible. If Lenold doesn¡¯t arrive in an hour, then we¡¯ll cross the border. If anything happens, well, we¡¯ll cross that bridge when ites to it.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s illegal¡­.¡±

    ¡°If Flynt can cross the border without getting into trouble, it means that he had everything arranged. This is the critical point. Moreover, it¡¯s impossible that there was no one to guard this border.¡±

    Jepherson talked as he walked. Stuart immediately informed the others. After more than half an hour, they finally arrived at the border.

    Jepherson surveyed his surroundings to make sure that no one wasing. He nced at the time and wanted to cross the border, but just as he was about to do so, a few helicopters appeared in the sky with the words Interpolemzoned on the sides.

    Stuart pointed to the helicopters and said, ¡°He¡¯s here! Lenold¡¯s here!¡±

    Jepherson looked up and saw the helicopters hovering just above his head. He gestured towards the people to let down thedder and immediately climbed up.

    When he got onto the helicopter, Jepherson briefly nced at the unfamiliar faces. There were a few people dressed in police uniform whom he did not recognise.

    ¡°Give me a run down of the situation.¡±

    Lenold stood up. Jepherson was about to say something when he saw the person sitting inside. He was resting. He wore a pair of ck sunsses, a ck outfit, and a ck headgear. He did not really stand out because the rest were also wearing more or less the same thing.

    Jepherson asked Lenold, ¡°Who is he?¡±

    Although Jepherson could not see his face, he could sense a strong aura from him.

 Chapter 1685 Enter The Forest

    Lenold was stunned for a moment, then turned around and nced at the person. ¡°He¡¯s a veteran, so I invited him on this mission. He doesn¡¯t really like to talk.¡±

    Jepherson took a step forward. Lenold stopped and said, ¡°I admire you a lot, but please do not make things difficult for me.He¡¯s short tempered.If anything happens, I do not know how to exin myself.¡±

    Only then did Jepherson sit back down. He looked over at Lenold and told him, ¡°Let¡¯s start searching for Flynt and Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re the boss.¡±

    Lenold looked at his subordinate, who were all standing and said, ¡°Someone please inform the national security bureau of Esterlia, tell them that we need to enter the country to arrest a criminal and that this mission is highly confidential.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    One of Lenold¡¯s subordinates immediately carried out the task.

    The helicopter was now flying in Esterlia¡¯s airspace. Lenold then informed Jepherson about the potential dangers of entering Esterlia.

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky that I happened to be on a mission nearby when you called. Otherwise, there is a possibility that you might note out of Esterlia alive. ording to their nationalw, their citizens are allowed to carry guns as long as they are above 18 years old. That¡¯s because there are a lot of wild animals in the country. So, even if you died there, there¡¯s no way to tell.¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap. I just want to know whether you¡¯re able to use the satellite to find Raeleigh?¡± Jepherson said as retrieved something from his pocket.

    It was a tracking device.

    Lenold looked at it and asked, ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°I was worried that something would happen to Raeleigh while I was at the banquet, so, I hid a tracker in Raeleigh¡¯s bra, but I did not activate it because I was afraid that she would find out. If I activate it right now, she will definitely know. The problem is that now we¡¯re in Esterlia¡¯s airspace and there seems to be some satellite interference. I can¡¯t find her.¡±

    The veteran who was initially asleep, opened his eyes, when he heard Jepherson¡¯s words. He looked at Jepherson through his sunsses. Jepherson could feel that the veteran was not an ordinary person.

    Just as he was about to approach, Lenold stopped him and whispered in his ear, ¡°He is my superior. This mission is top secret. Can you please try not to humiliate me? If you keep insistingon doing everythingyour way, thenwho¡¯s going to want to help you next time?¡±

    After Lenold heard this, Jepherson turned around and immediately dismissed the idea of approaching the veteran for the second time. At this time, Lenold¡¯s team was ready for action.

    Lenold turned around and handed the tracking device to the veteran. He briefly examined it before handing it off to another person. He did not say anything and gestured for the person to leave.

    The helicopter was still hovering. Jepherson felt ufortable all over. He really wanted to approach the veteran.

    ¡°Have we met before?¡± Jepherson could not help himself any longer. He ignored Lenold¡¯s pleas and approached the veteran. His gaze was deep and unfathomable.

    The veteran was resolute and unswerving.One could tell that he was not in a good mood right now.

    He turned away without saying anything.

    Lenold immediately walked to Jepherson and said, ¡°Jepherson, can you please not make things difficult for me? It was not easy for us toe here. What else do you want?¡±

    Jepherson then turned around. The most important thing was to find Raeleigh.

    A few minutester, someone reported the findings to the veteran and brought over the satellite map for him to have a look.

    When Lenold saw Raeleigh¡¯s current position in the map, he started breaking out in cold sweat, ¡°How did Raeleigh end up in that forest?¡±

    ¡°Which forest?¡±

    Jepherson asked in confusion. Lenold then exined to himthat thelocals liked to hunt in the forest for their own foods andthat there werebears, wolves and other predators in the forest. Lenold also told him that the forest that Raeleigh was currently in, was thergest forest in Esterlia. Every year, someone would die in the forest while hunting.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    Jepherson¡¯s face immediately turned pale. ¡°How did Raeleigh end up in the forest? Where¡¯s the forest located?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s in the exact opposite direction of where we¡¯re heading.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh must have tried to escape and was caught by Flynt. He must have thrown her into the forest as a punishment.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s forehead beaded with sweat. ¡°I need to go there right now!¡±

    ¡°There is no ce for the helicopter tond there. It may be very troublesome.¡± Lenold turned around and nced at the veteran. The veteran finally said, ¡°You guys will have to rappel down from the helicopter.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Lenold immediately agreed. Then, the pilot quickly switched directions and flew straight to the forest.

    Soon, they arrived at the forest and hurriedly tracked down Raeleigh¡¯s exact location. Lenold and the rest of the team immediately suited up and were about to rappel down when Jepherson stood up and said, ¡°Lenold, you stay here. I¡¯ll go down.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? Are you trying to court death? You don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m professionally trained as well, just like you are. Stay here and I¡¯ll go down and find Raeleigh.¡±

    Jepherson immediately got suited up. However, before he could put on his gear, the veteran stood up from another side and said, ¡°Both of you shall stay here. I¡¯ll go down and find her.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    Jepherson looked at the veteran. ¡°Have you even seen my wife before?¡±

    The veteran looked at Jepherson. ¡°The person you¡¯re looking for is your wife?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s my wife.¡±

    Jepherson said firmly. The veteran then said, ¡°Since she is your wife, then you can go down, but we will not be responsible for what happens.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Jepherson quickly put on the gears. Lenold pleaded with the veteran to allow him to follow Jepherson down, to which the veteran replied, ¡°You can go down as well, but you are in charge of the people outside the forest. Flynt might take the opportunity to enter the forest. ording to the satellite map, there is arge flower bed of poppies in the forest.¡±

    ¡°Poppies? ¡±

    Lenold was surprised when he heard the veteran¡¯s words. ¡°Poppies are not suitable to be grown in Esterlia. How can there be poppies?¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to ask the locals here, but this is not the right time to talk about it. You guys can go now. I will send someone to go down with you. Make sure to wear your earpiece and keep in contact with me.¡±

    When the veteran spoke, Jepherson was already prepared to go down. The veteran continued, ¡°You guys have to take care of yourselves and listen to mymand. If anything happens, no one will take responsibility.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and rappelled down from the helicopter. Lenold stood on the top and told Jepherson, ¡°Don¡¯t try to be a hero. You have to keep in contact with us at all time, otherwise, if anything happens, I am not responsible.¡±

    Jepherson looked up at Lenold but did not answer.

    Soon, Jepherson went down. The rest of the team rappelled down one after another. Even Stuart wanted to go down, but Jepherson ordered him to wait on the helicopter.

    After Jepherson left, Stuart looked over at the veteran and said, ¡°I hope everything goes well.¡±

    The veteran did not say anything as he watched his men rappel down the helicopter. After a while, he immediately barked out instructions. Jepherson immediately reported it back to the team when he reached the ground. Meanwhile, Lenold made his way to his designated area.

    As soon as Jepherson arrived on the ground, the person behind him handed him two knives and said, ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Jepherson took the knife and thanked him. After tidying up his gear, he walked into the forest and spoke to the veteran while walking. ¡°I am currently heading west.¡±

    ¡°Just follow the team. I will tell you where your wife is. Look up! The helicopter will guide you. The tail of the helicopter will point you in the direction of your wife.¡±

    Jepherson got the hint and immediately walked over to her direction. He couldn¡¯t wait to find Raeleigh.

 Chapter 1686 The Child Is Alive, I Found Him

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t sure how far she had hiked, but she knew she was safe because she hadn¡¯t seen any wild animals, not even a rabbit.

    Raeleigh looked around, feeling exhausted. So, she decided to walk towards a tree.

    She stood under the tree and looked up. Although it wasn¡¯t that big, at least there was a sturdy branch she could sit on. Even if there were wolves and bears in this forest, those animals could not climb a tree. So, she could sleep without worry.

    However, the thing was, she had no idea how she was going to get up there because she did not know how to climb a tree.

    After examining the tree, Raeleigh began climbing. However, she cut her hands even before she started climbing. In the end, she still managed to climb up onto the tree, realizing that there were a lot of cuts all over her body. It took her a lot of effort to climb the tree, but now, she had no idea how she was going to get down.

    If there were wild animals in the woods, it would be toote because Raeleigh knewthe scent of blood can guide predators to their prey. She was sure that sooner orter, a predator would show up.

    However, Raeleigh was extremely tired. She wrapped her arms around the tree branch and fell asleep. A few momentster, she heard a noise under the tree and opened her eyes to check. She suddenly felt the tree shaking and screamed in shock.

    Suddenly, the tree stopped moving. Raeleigh looked down and saw a wild boar trying to climb the tree. She swallowed her saliva before reaching out to break a branch and throwing it at the wild boar. However, the wild boar momentarily stopped before it continued to try climbing the tree.

    Raeleigh wrapped her arms tightly around the tree and shouted, ¡°Go and find something else to eat. I refuse to be your dinner. You better leave now.¡±

    The wild boar ignored her and continued to exert more strength.

    Raeleigh continued shouting, ¡°You better leave now! Don¡¯t make mee down! If I do, I¡¯m going to kill you!¡±

    When Jepherson found Raeleigh, she was talking to the wild boar. Jepherson looked up at Raeleigh on the tree, not knowing whether tough or cry.

    One of Lenold¡¯s men raised his gun and aimed at the wild boar. A few secondster, the sounds of a gunshot rang across the entire forest.

    The wild boar fell on the ground. Raeleigh was also frightened. She thought that Flynt had found her. She would rather be killed by the wild boar than be caught by Flynt again.

    Raeleigh looked towards the direction of the gunshot. There was still some lightin the skyand she could faintly see a few armed men.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and hugged the tree tightly as she looked at the people below. She was not sure who it was and dared not speak.

    Jepherson emerged from the bushes and looked up at Raeleigh, who was on the tree. ¡°How did you get up there?¡±

    Raeleigh really wanted to cry at that moment, but she held back her tears and said, ¡°I have no idea.¡±

    ¡°You cane down now. Take your time.¡±

    Jepherson told her that they came to rescue her and that it was safe toe down now.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh then slowly made her way down from the tree. Jepherson said, ¡°Take your time. There¡¯s no rush. Be careful.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Actually, it was not a good idea to climb on a tree. Although she could avoid being eaten by the wild animals, she could potentially be trapped up there as well.

    It took Raeleigh a lot of effort to climb down the tree. As soon as she was safely on the ground, Jepherson carried her in his arms and started walking towards their extraction point.

    Raeleigh was exhausted and fell asleep in Jepherson¡¯s arms. The rest of the men escorted them towards the extraction point, now that their mission was aplished.

    It took them about half an hour to get to the point. When they arrived, there was already a ropedder thrown down from the helicopter. Two men went up first. Jepherson was thest one to go up. He had to carry Raeleigh up because he knew that she could not climb it herself.

    Jepherson waited patiently as the men climbed up one after another. However, just as Jepherson was about to climb up, they heard the sounds of gunshots ringing through the entire forest. A few momentster, the helicopter started swaying. In the end, the helicopter had to fly away without waiting for Jepherson.

    Jepherson raised his head and took a look. He instantly knew something had happened. He quickly hid in the bushes with Raeleigh. Raeleigh opened her eyes slightly and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Jepherson ced Raeleigh on the ground, hugged her face and kissed her. ¡°Go to sleep.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh was speechless. How could she sleep at this point?

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    Raeleigh was awoken from her deep sleep. She was feeling a little disorientated right now.

    Raeleigh cast a nce at her surroundings and realised that it was already dark. She then asked Jepherson, ¡°How did you get into the forest? Didn¡¯t you have a group of people with you? Why are you alone? Where¡¯s everyone?¡±

    ¡°Someone shot at the helicopter just now. I have a feeling that the helicopter was shot. We have to wait for a while before we can leave.¡±

    Jepherson was not certain, but he was hoping for the best.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you follow them?¡± Raeleigh was a little upset. If it weren¡¯t for her, Jepherson wouldn¡¯t have risked his life toe and save her. What if what Flynt said was true? What would happen if there were actually a lot of wild animals in this forest?

    ¡°If I went back without you, then wouldn¡¯t I havee in vain?¡±

    Jepherson took out some water, wiped Raeleigh¡¯s face and then washed her hands. He ripped off a part of his shirt and bandaged Raeleigh¡¯s wound. Then, he handed Raeleigh a dagger and a gun. ¡°Here, take this. Use this to protect yourself. There are a lot of wild animals in here.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. ¡°How did you find me? If you know that there are wild animals in this forest, then why did youe?¡±

    ¡°If I didn¡¯te and rescue you, how would you be able to get out of this forest?¡±

    Jepherson was angry but amused.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. ¡°Later, if we see any wild animals, remember to run.¡±

    ¡°What if we can¡¯t escape?¡±

    Raeleigh did not know what to answer. Jepherson reached out to pinch Raeleigh¡¯s chin and kissed her. Her lips were dry and his wasn¡¯t much better. They looked at each other and did not say anything. A few momentster, they turned their faces away.

    Jepherson said, ¡°I saw him.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Austin.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s intuition told him that the veteran on the helicopter was Austin.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°How did you¡­¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at Jepherson, who further confirmed his theory.

    ¡°I should have known that a person who is able to rescue you from Green House without leaking any information for three years will not disappear all of a sudden unless he is in the military.¡±

    Jepherson looked into the distance. ¡°Raeleigh¡­ I¡¯m not going to let him have you.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, ¡°It¡¯s not up to you to decide.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told him that you¡¯re my wife.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, ¡°But we are divorced.¡±

    ¡°What about my child? Are you telling me that the baby is his and not mine after you were released from Green House? I want you to swear!¡±

    Jepherson suddenly looked at Raeleigh, who froze for a moment. ¡°I will not swear. The child is dead. You want me¡­¡±

    ¡°The child is still alive. I found him.¡±

    ¡°How did you¡­¡±

 Chapter 1687 Sky Filled With Fire

    Raeleigh froze. Jepherson¡¯s eyes sparkled in the dark. He knew each and every one of Raeleigh¡¯s expression.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Are you lying to me?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, was there a misunderstanding back then? Is the baby¡­¡±

    ¡°No. I was indeed pregnant with Austin¡¯s baby, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Why are you lying to me?¡± Jepherson asked as he stared at Raeleigh, to which she replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t make a difference now, does it? I am now Austin¡¯s wife. He has our kid and I have no idea where he is.

    Our kid fell ill when he was young and Austin took him away. I don¡¯t even know how he¡¯s doing right now.

    I¡¯m sure that Austin will know whether the kid is yours. If the kid is yours, why would he take him away?¡±

    ¡°Why are you still lying to me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not! I can¡¯t do anything if you choose not to believe me!¡±

    ¡°Ok, fine. Since you¡¯re not lying, then I want you to bring me to see the kid. I want you to prove to me that the kid is Austin¡¯s. If it¡¯s really his, then I don¡¯t want him.¡±

    ¡°Then, what about me?¡±

    ¡°I want you to divorce him.¡±

    ¡°How can you do that? I don¡¯t owe you anything.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    ¡­

    Jepherson sat in silence. The conversation ended in a deadlock.

    After a long time, Jepherson stood up, looked around for a while and saw no signs of the helicopter, but he sensed that something was amiss.

    ¡°Raeleigh, we need to find a ce to hide. I think there is a ck bear nearby.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and hurriedly picked Raeleigh up, in search of a ce to hide.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Put me down. If there is really a ck bear, I¡¯m sure it will be able to find us no matter where we hide.¡±

    Jepherson stopped. He suddenly thought of a n and quickly put Raeleigh down. He gathered some branches before taking out the kerosene and lighter from his backpack.

    He lit the branches and dragged the dead wild boar towards the fire. Then, they sat nearby the fire and waited for the bear to appear.

    After a while, Jepherson pulled out a knife and dragged the wild boar to one side. He made sure he could see Raeleigh from where he was. Then, he started gutting the wild boar. He kept the wild boar leg to eat while the rest of its remains were tossed aside, in hopes that it would lure the bear away.

    Jepherson returned and took out some water. He wrapped the wild boar leg with some leaves and mud before putting it on top of the fire.

    He even cooked some meat for Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh was hungry. She had not eaten anything for the entire day. Once the meat was done cooking, he handed it to Raeleigh, who immediately devoured the entire thing.

    Meanwhile, Jepherson decided to drink some water before eating his food.

    As soon as they were both done eating, the ck bear suddenly emerged from the sides. It wanted to approach them, but it was afraid of the fire. It circled Raeleigh and Jepherson a few times before finally leaving.

    A wolf was much more difficult to handlepared to a ck bear.

    However, not long after the ck bear left, a wolf suddenly appeared.

    Jepherson was busy cooking another batch of meat when the wolf suddenly pounced on him from behind. The wolf was not afraid of the fire at all. As soon as Raeleigh saw the wolf, she immediately took out her gun and pointed it at the animal.

    Jepherson wanted to stop her but it was toote.

    The wolf howled and fell to the ground, Raeleigh hurried over to help Jepherson up. ¡°Jepherson¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Jepherson stood up. He wanted to check on the wolf but the wolf had already gotten up from the ground and was already limping away.

    ¡°Raeleigh, we have to leave now.¡± Jepherson took Raeleigh¡¯s hand. He reached his hand into the fire, pulled out the meat inside and quickly ran away.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°You injured the wolf. I¡¯m sure it wille back for revenge.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°Wolves live in packs. If one of their members is injured, then others wille to us for revenge.¡±

    ¡°Do you think we can outrun them?¡±

    ¡°It really depends on luck. We¡¯ll have to see where the wolf stands inthe pack hierarchy, butthe wolf seems strong and its also a male. I have a feeling that he is the alpha male of the pack.¡±

    ¡°Then, you should leave.¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a moment. Jepherson watched her, as she thought for a second. Then, she reached out and pulled him, ¡°Hurry up.¡±

    Raeleigh ran faster than she did earlier. Jepherson followed her as they ran as far away as they could. However, when they ran to the periphery of the forest, they stumbled upon a pack of wolves.

    Jepherson shielded Raeleigh from the wolves. He picked up a branch and wrapped Raeleigh¡¯s shirt around it before lighting it up. He pulled Raeleigh with him as they slowly walked away from the pack of wolves.

    At first, the pack of wolves did not dare to get close to them, but suddenly, a wolf decided to pounce on them.

    ¡°Here, hold this.¡±

    Jepherson handed the me torch to Raeleigh and took out his gun.

    When the wolves saw the gun, they immediately bared their teeth.

    Jepherson aimed at one of them and opened fire, killing it in an instant. The rest retreated a few steps before continuing to grit their teeth.

    Raeleigh held the torch tightly, ¡°What should we do now?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they are not going to leave. Looks like we have to start a fire.¡±

    Jepherson ripped off the other side of Raeleigh¡¯s clothes, lit it and threw it into the forest.

    They were well into autumn where it hadn¡¯t rained in a while. The forest soon engulfed in mes.

    The fire was spreading very quickly across the forest.

    At first, the wolf was afraid of Jepherson, so it did not dare to approach him. However, as soon as they saw the fire, they quickly ran away. Jepherson reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hand and calmly ran out of the forest to avoid being trapped in the fire.

    Raeleigh watched Jepherson while running. He was still in full gear and she heard from Austin that the entire gear weighed 30 kilograms. However, he was running as if it was nothing.

    When they finally emerged from the burning forest, Jepherson stood for a few moments catching his breath before he turned to Raeleigh. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Raeleigh was exhausted, but if she did not run, they would both be engulfed by the fire.

    At this moment, Raeleigh¡¯s face was red and covered with sweat.

    When Jepherson bent down and was about to carry Raeleigh, but she quickly avoided him, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to carry me. I¡¯m fine. All the wounds on my body are nothingpared to the wounds on your body. Come on, we gotta get moving before we die here.¡±

    Jepherson paused for a moment and then asked, ¡°Raeleigh, if I die, can you please tell me whether the baby was a boy or a girl?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°The baby isn¡¯t yours.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, she started walking, but she turned around and dragged Jepherson along with her. She could not run herself, but now, she had to make sure Jepherson came with her as well.

    Jepherson stood still as Raeleigh pulled him.

    ¡°What are you doing? The fire ising? Are you going toe with me or not?¡±

    ¡°No. Since the child is not mine and Austin hase to find you, then you should go.¡±

    Jepherson was rooted to the spot which made Raeleigh angry. ¡°What the hell are you doing? Come on, we have to go!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. I¡¯m going to die here.¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, can you at least tell me whether it¡¯s a boy or a girl?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him. The fire was raging behind them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You know what? If you want to die here, then go ahead. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, she turned around and left. Jepherson did not move at all. He watched as she ran away. The fire was spreading very quickly. After running a short distance, she decided to stop. She turned around to look at Jepherson, who was now surrounded by the fire.

 Chapter 1688 A FaceOff

    ¡°Jepherson, are you really not going toe out?¡± Raeleigh stood outside and shouted at him. Jepherson started removing some items from his gear and threw a bomb on the ground. When Raeleigh saw the bomb, she asked, ¡°Are you crazy?¡±

    Jepherson kicked the bomb into the fire.

    Raeleigh watched anxiously as the bomb was kicked into the fire. ¡°Jepherson, what the hell are you doing?¡±

    ¡°You can go.¡±

    Jepherson walked towards the bomb. Raeleigh¡¯s heart almost jumped out of her chest.

    ¡°Fine! It¡¯s a boy!¡±

    Raeleigh shouted. Jepherson turned around and faced Raeleigh, ¡°You¡¯re not lying?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not!¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and walked forward. She quietly counted in her head. When she counted to six, a loud explosion suddenly urred behind her.

    Raeleigh felt the force of theexplosion pushed her forward, but she did not fall down. Then, she turned around and saw that there was nothing but ruins behind her.

    Raeleigh ran back and stopped to look around. ¡°Jepherson Richards! Jepherson Richards!¡±

    Raeleigh shouted, but Jepherson did not answer.

    She walked towards the site of the explosion. She cried as she looked around for any signs of Jepherson.

    But there wasn¡¯t any.

    ¡°Jepherson Richards, Jepherson¡­¡±

    ¡°Why do you always have to scream out my full name? If I didn¡¯t know, I would think that you have a grudge against me!¡±

    Jepherson appeared behind Raeleigh. When Raeleigh heard his words, she slowly turned around to look at him. The moment she saw him, she immediately ran towards him and raised her hand to touch his face as she said, ¡°You¡¯re alive!¡±

    Jepherson smiled. ¡°If you dare lie to me, you¡¯re going to face serious consequences when we get home.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and pulled her as they ran out from the forest. When there was a fair amount of distance between them and the forest, they suddenly heard the sound of a falling tree, making Raeleigh lose her bearings.

    After running for a while, Raeleigh could vaguely hear the sounds of the helicopter in the air. She looked up and tugged at Jepherson¡¯s hand, ¡°It¡¯s helicopter! The helicopter is here!¡±

    Jepherson looked up and tugged Raeleigh¡¯s hand as he said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡±

    Raeleigh asked him from behind as she was being pulled by him, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Jepherson looked at her deeply, but did not answer her question.

    In fact, Raeleigh did not walk very far, she only ran for about half an hour. They only quicken their footsteps because of the fire that was raging behind them. It wasn¡¯t long before they reached the border where the helicopter was currently circling.

    ¡°Are you nning to make me hike all the way back?¡± Raeleigh could tell that Jepherson did not intend to take her up to the helicopter.

    Jepherson nced at his surroundings. They were currently surrounded by people on both sides, but no one moved. At this time, Jepherson was carrying a gun with the Interpol logo emzoned on it.

    The people on the helicopter signalled for them to climb up, but no one moved.

    When they finally reached higher ground, Jepherson reached out his hand to Raeleigh. ¡°Come here.¡±

    Raeleigh looked back and looked up at the hovering helicopter with a ropedder on it.

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment and reached out for Jepherson¡¯s hand. Then, she followed him all the way back to the border.

    As soon as they crossed the border, Jepherson immediately took off all his Interpol gear and threw them on the ground. Then, he lifted his head and looked at the helicopter.

    Then, Jepherson led Raeleigh to the ce where he threw his backpack. Thankfully, after crossing the border, they were greeted by Jepherson¡¯s men.

    Although Raeleigh had a hard time on the way, she did notin. She just followed Jepherson all the way.

    They hiked for probably one hour before Jepherson finally found his backpack. He then took Raeleigh to the side to have a rest and gave her some food.

    As the forest in Esterlia was engulfed in mes, the fire began to spread to the interior of the country. The people here also quickly put out the fire. Jepherson took a bite of his food before leading Raeleigh away from the forest and out of dangerous territory.

    After emerging from the forest, they arrived at Flynt¡¯s vige. Jepherson looked up and nced at the helicopter that had not left. He sat in the car and lifted his head to rest for a while.

    Raeleigh sat down beside him. He held Raeleigh¡¯s hand and leaned back in his seat.

    ¡°Where is Stuart?¡±

    Jepherson asked with his eyes closed. His entire face was covered in dirt and one could only see the outline of his face.

    ¡°He¡¯s still on the helicopter.¡±

    One of Jepherson¡¯s men informed him while handing him a bottle of water. Jepherson did not ept the bottle, but he opened his eyes enough to see the helicopter above.

    ¡°I want you to contact Stuart and ask him toe down.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Soon, they managed to contact Stuart, who eventually got off the helicopter.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson was sitting in the car. He looked like he was about to fall asleep.

    ¡°Get me a gun.¡±

    Stuart hesitated for a moment. ¡°What gun?¡±

    ¡°A rifle, sniper rifle.¡±

    Stuart had no idea what Jepherson was nning to do, but this time he did not stop Jepherson. He nced at Raeleigh before turning around, heading for the trunk. He opened it, took out some small parts, and quickly assembled a sniper rifle.

    Once Stuart finished assembling the sniper, he brought it over to Jepherson. Jepherson opened his eyes and held up the sniper rifle. He looked at Stuart and asked, ¡°Is the veteran still on the helicopter?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s in the same one that I was in.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson!¡±

    When Raeleigh heard Jepherson¡¯s question, she immediately knew who he was looking for, so she held Jepherson¡¯s right hand.

    Jepherson pushed her hand away and instructed Stuart, ¡°Watch Raeleigh for me.¡±

    Stuart immediately closed the door and told the driver to lock the car.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Jepherson got out of the car and looked up at the helicopter that was hovering above them. Then, he rested the sniper rifle on his shoulder, and aimed it at the helicopter.

    ¡°This crazy son of a b*tch!¡±

    Lenold did not expect that Jepherson would do this. He started trembling with fear because he knew that Jepherson was not a person who would fool around.

    At this time, all the cabin doors of the five helicopters were opened. There were two people at each door, each armed with a sniper rifle and they were all currently aiming at Jepherson.

    Once he opened fire, they would immediately retaliate. They were not going to wait for orders.

    Lenold called out to Jepherson, ¡°Jepherson, what the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±

    Jepherson aimed his rifle at Lenold, who looked down and saw the red dot on his chest.

    ¡°Why the h*ll are you shooting me?¡±

    Lenold screamed angrily above. Jepherson pulled the trigger and fired the shot.

    The impact of the bullet was so strong that it caused Lenold¡¯s body to tremble.

    Lenold was stunned and almost fell off the helicopter.

    If it weren¡¯t for the harness.

    Lenold would have fell off the helicopter.

    Lenold looked down and saw Jepherson pointing his rifle at the sky. With one hand, he fired a few shots into the sky.

    After that, Jepherson tossed the rifle to the person beside him and looked up at the sky.

    Austin looked down from the helicopter and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Only then did Lenold came back to his senses and left with his men.

    Raeleigh was totally stunned as shey numbly in the car.

    Raeleigh sat inside the car, thinking that Jepherson had been killed.

    The driver was also frightened, but when he saw Jepherson walking towards the car and the helicopter was nowhere to be seen, he immediately shouted, ¡°Miss Raeleigh, Mr. Jepherson is back!¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head slowly and looked at the driver as if she did not know what he was talking about. When the door opened, she slowly turned around and saw Jepherson getting into the car as if nothing had happened.

    When Raeleigh saw Jepherson, she was a little dumbfounded.

 Chapter 1689 Same Ward

    Jepherson bent down and entered the car. He held Raeleigh¡¯s face and kissed her. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    At this time, Stuart was already in the car. The driver then started the car and drove off. The rest of the people followed suit. In the car, Stuart asked, ¡°What about Flynt?¡±

    Jepherson asked, ¡°You haven¡¯t found him?¡±

    ¡°No, not yet.¡±

    Stuart found it strange and wondered why Flynt couldn¡¯t be found?

    Jepherson nced in the rearview mirror and said, ¡°Set the entire vige on fire. Make sure there are no casualties. Since the border is on fire, people will not find it suspicious. Flynt nted arge number of poppies near the border, it seems like he is scheming against us. We can¡¯t just let it go.¡±

    Stuart asked, ¡°Do you think Flynt¡¯s still in the vige?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know him well enough. He must have fled while we were in the forest.¡±

    After saying that, he leaned against Raeleigh. Just as Raeleigh was about to say something, she could not help but worry about Jepherson¡¯s condition.

    Jepherson leaned against Raeleigh, his face as pale as a sheet. Raeleigh raised her hand to touch his face. When she thought back to the scene where Jepherson would rather die in the forest than to follow her out, she suddenly felt a prick in her heart.

    She realized that he did it on purpose!

    He backed her into a corner and she had no choice but to tell him what the gender of the baby was. He was that smart!

    When the car pulled up at the hospital, Raeleigh was still awake. Stuart quickly opened the door and helped Jepherson down. The doctors immediately brought over a gurney. Jephersony down on the gurney and said to Raeleigh. ¡°Please don¡¯t go.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him, ¡°You¡¯re about to die, why are you still being so unreasonable?¡±

    Sweat beaded on Stuart¡¯s forehead. Jepherson¡¯s life was hanging by a thread. Could they cut it out for once?

    It seemed like the answer was no.

    Jepherson told Stuart, ¡°Can you please keep an eye on Raeleigh? If she leaves, then don¡¯te back until you find her.¡±

    Stuart said hurriedly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson briefly looked over at Raeleigh before closing his eyes as he was wheeled into the emergency room.

    Stuart entered the hospital with Raeleigh as he made a phone call to Lucy. While Jepherson was in the emergency room, Raeleigh, too, got her injuries checked out. Although her injuries were not as serious as Jepherson¡¯s, the doctor was still worried that it would get infected if it wasn¡¯t treated properly.

    ¡°Get me the stic surgeon.¡± The doctor immediately ordered. There was a deep cut on Raeleigh¡¯s body. If it was not treated properly, it would definitely leave a scar and the consequences would be unimaginable.

    Stuart immediately contacted the stic surgeon. Lucy also arrived at the hospital at this time. After checking on Jepherson, Lucy went to see Raeleigh, while Stuart went to see Jepherson.

    Raeleigh was basically wrapped like a mummy when she emerged from the treatment room. Lucy breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her. The doctor informed Lucy that Raeleigh was fine and that she just needed to take care of her injuries.

    Lucy then apanied Raeleigh to the ward to take a rest. At this time, Zorion and the rest of the people also arrived at the hospital. They briefly chatted and not long after that, Jepherson was wheeled out of the emergency room and into the same ward as Raeleigh.

    By then, Jacky, Deanna, Zorion and Rossie had all arrived.

    The moment Deanna saw Raeleigh lying on a bed like a mummy, she could not help but cry. If it weren¡¯t for Jacky holding her back, she would have rushed over to Raeleigh¡¯s side.

    Rossie remained calm. When she saw Raeleigh looking at them, she said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go out. They need some rest.¡±

    After Rossie said that, she turned around and went out of the ward. Zorion followed suit and took a seat right beside Rossie. She looked over at him and said, ¡°When I see them, I¡¯m afraid that something like that would happen to us. I don¡¯t have the courage to do anything. Maybe, I will not be as lucky as them. Who knows? I might just die out there.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±

    Zorion¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Don¡¯t say that! This is retribution for those who don¡¯t know how to cherish life.¡±

    Rossie was puzzled. ¡°Do you still like her?¡±

    Zorion looked at Rossie. ¡°Are you crazy? What¡¯s wrong with you today?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Rossie turned her face away and frowned. She was not jealous, in fact, she just asked casually.

    To be frank, she had put this matter aside long ago. Besides, she did not exist at that time. So, she did not really care who he liked or didn¡¯t like before she appeared in his life.

    ¡°Are you mad at me?¡±

    Zorion became a little worried when Rossie did not speak. He took advantage of the fact that there were not many people around and hugged Rossie. Then, he lowered his head and kissed her affectionately.

    Rossie did not know if it was because they had been together for too long, but she felt every day was the same.Everything became so routined. Shefelt that they were a little bit toofortable with each other.It was as if they were like an old married couple.

    After pulling apart, Rossie said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask Deanna toe out? Raeleigh needs to get some rest.¡±

    Zorion stood up and knocked on the door. ¡°Hey Deanna, why don¡¯t youe out and let them get some rest?¡±

    Deanna would never listen to Rossie¡¯s instructions, but she would always listen to her brother¡¯s.

    Deanna looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Take a good rest. I¡¯ll be outside. Call me if you need anything.¡±

    Raeleigh stared nkly at Deanna. She really did not need anything and she had a few people taking care of her already.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    Jacky walked out the room and was followed by Stuart. Lucy stayed in the ward to take care of Raeleigh.

    After everyone left, Raeleigh looked at Lucy and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°No worries. The doctor said that everything has been taken care of. All you need to do is to get some rest.¡±

    Lucy covered Raeleigh with a quilt. Raeleigh was indeed tired, so she closed her eyes and slept.

    Raeleigh did not sleep well the entire night. She would wake up every so often because she felt ufortable.

    Raeleigh then understood why Stuart allowed Lucy to stay in the room while he sat outside. He knew that her wound may itch and she would be tempted to scratch it. However, it was not that she wanted to scratch the wound, but it was really itchy and whenever she was about to reach out and scratch her wound, Lucy would stop her. Then, she bandaged Raeleigh¡¯s hand with a special gauze. In this way, Raeleigh would not be tempted to scratch.

    Lucy said, ¡°Your wound isn¡¯t serious, but you must not scratch it even if it¡¯s itchy or it¡¯ll leave a scar.¡±

    Raeleigh understood. Jepherson did this for her own good, but Raeleigh could not help but scratch it because it was really itchy.

    Raeleigh tried her best to get through the whole night without scratching and finally fell asleep as the sun began to rise.

    Jepherson couldn¡¯t hear the sounds of Raeleigh stirring in bed, so he opened his eyes and sat up on the bed. It seemed like his injuries were not as serious as Raeleigh¡¯s after all.

    He got out of bed and decided to check on Raeleigh. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her sound asleep. So, he took advantage of this moment to go and talk to Jacky and the others who were sitting outside the ward.

 Chapter 1690 First Time Hearing Such Absurd Reason

    Jepherson took a seat outside the ward and said, ¡°I have something to discuss with Jacky and Zorion. Why don¡¯t the two of you head home first?¡±

    Deanna nodded, then stood up and extended her hand out to Rossie, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go home first.¡±

    Rossie also stood up and followed Deanna to the elevator. She waspletely familiar with the way. In Rossie¡¯s eyes, those were men¡¯s issues and there was no need for them to be involved. This point was clear and unanimous.

    Most importantly, they did not want to be involved because they had no opinion.

    Deanna and Rossie entered the elevator, followed by two men.

    Once Deanna and Rossie were out of earshot, Jepherson told Jacky and Zorion that he found out that Flynt was nting poppies in Esterlia.

    Jacky stood opposite. He seemed very calm, but he was surprised when he heard Jepherson¡¯s word. He never thought that Flynt had to guts to do such thing. If Flynt was indeed growing poppies and smuggling them into the country, then the Moore family would soon disappear from Capital City.

    Zorion sat on one side, staring nkly at a spot while smiling, ¡°Why can¡¯t he be good for once? It looks like the Moore family will disappear from now on.¡±

    Jepherson said, ¡°Flynt should be back in Capital City by now, but I doubt he would admit anything if we confronted him. If he doesn¡¯t want to admit it, it¡¯s fine. However, he would need to offer an exnation to his customers because we set his poppy field on fire. I doubt he will be able to deliver the goods now. What do you guys think?¡±

    ¡°Does this mean that we don¡¯t need to catch him now? We¡¯ll just have to keep an eye on him?¡±

    Zorion asked. Jepherson said, ¡°I mean, this is also a good opportunity. It depends on what you want to do.¡±

    Jepherson stood up and returned. Jacky said, ¡°I don¡¯t think the Whalen family should interfere with this matter. We don¡¯t want others to think that you¡¯re stealing the spoils of war.¡±

    Zorion just smiled. ¡°Well, since the government is involved, then I wouldn¡¯t want to get involved.¡±

    Zorion stood up. ¡°I¡¯m happy to have peace as well.¡±

    Zorion turned around and made his way to the elevator.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    After Zorion left, Jacky also left. At this moment, Jepherson briefly nced towards the door before entering the ward. He took a seat by Raeleigh¡¯s bedside.

    ¡°Raeleigh should be fine. Why don¡¯t you go and get some rest?¡± Jepherson said. After that, Lucy stood up and went outside. She closed the door behind her and looked along the corridor.

    Stuart was currently sitting outside. Lucy then took a seat beside him.

    The two did not talk much. They just leaned against each other and fell asleep.

    Inside the ward, Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. She looked like a mummy right now and it seemed like she could not move at all.

    Raeleigh could feel someone was holding her hand, but she did not open her eyes.

    Jepherson sat by her bedside for an entire day while Raeleigh slept. By the time Raeleigh woke up, it was already night time.

    When Raeleigh opened her eyes, she saw Jepherson getting an injection.

    Raeleigh sat up on the bed. However, Jepherson asked her not to move, so she did not move.

    ¡°Are you able to get out of bed?¡±

    Jephersonughed. ¡°Of course!¡±

    It was not like he had injured his legs and arms.

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson for a while. ¡°I thought you were badly injured.¡±

    ¡°Clearly, your injuries are worse than mine.¡± Jepherson nced at Raeleigh. Her entire body was wrapped up like a mummy.

    Raeleigh did not say anything.

    ¡°You said that Austin took your kid away? Was he already sick when he was born?¡±

    Jepherson sat there and asked Raeleigh. Raeleigh then asked, ¡°Can you please release Cynthia?¡±

    ¡°Is this your terms of exchange?¡±

    ¡°Sort of.¡±

    ¡°Stuart, make the call.¡±

    Jepherson ordered. Stuart dialled Jared¡¯s number before walking over to Jepherson and handing him the phone.

    However, Jepherson did not take the phone, instead, Stuart held the phone beside his ear. As soon as Jared answered the phone, Jepherson said, ¡°I want you to send Cynthia over to Xanthus, now!¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Jepherson turned to look at Stuart and said, ¡°Can you please bring Raeleigh¡¯s phone and bag over?¡±

    Stuart briefly nced at Raeleigh before heading outside. Not long after, Stuart returned with Raeleigh¡¯s belongings. Raeleigh made a call to Xanthus, who informed her that Cynthia was already with him.

    Raeleigh stared at her cellphone and then at Jepherson. ¡°The child is already dead. I lied to you because I didn¡¯t want you to die in the forest.¡±

    The atmosphere in the room was tense at this moment.

    Jepherson stared coldly at Raeleigh and then asked, ¡°Do you think I will believe you?¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether to believe me, but I¡¯m telling the truth. I can¡¯t do anything if you refuse to believe me.¡±

    ¡°You asked me to release Cynthia and I did. Now, you went back on your words! Why do you have to y with me like this?¡±

    ¡°The child is dead¡­¡±

    ¡°Why do you keep cursing him?¡±

    Jepherson cut Raeleigh off before she could finish her sentence. Raeleigh closed her mouth and looked at the window, ¡°The baby was born sick. I am not cursing him. It¡¯s the truth.

    My brain tumour ruptured while I was giving birth. I wanted to protect the baby. I told my brother to save the baby, but the baby was barely hanging on by a thread.

    My brother told me that the baby was born sick and it wasn¡¯t because my brain tumor ruptured.

    Deep down, I knew the baby got sick because of me.¡±

    Tears started rolling down Raeleigh¡¯s cheeks. She wiped them away with her bandaged hand.

    Jepherson stared deeply at Raeleigh¡¯s pale and helpless face.

    ¡°Is he mine?¡±

    This sentence was full of vicissitudes. Even Stuart and Lucy were exceptionally quiet. Raeleigh shook her head. She refused to admit it.

    Jepherson sneered, ¡°If you refuse to admit it, it means that the child is still alive. Raeleigh, trust me, I will find the child, even if it means that I have toturn the entire upside down, I will find the child!

    And I know the baby isn¡¯t a boy. It¡¯s a girl.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, then slowly turned to look at Jepherson.

    She nearly wanted to ask how he knew, but she bit her tongue.

    Jepherson waved his hand to signal Stuart and Lucy to leave. After they left, Jepherson said, ¡°I have a feeling that she is still alive. I will find her and make sure we¡¯ll never be apart ever again.¡±

    ¡°Do whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    Suddenly, the ward became quiet. Raeleigh just sat in bed and did not speak. The following days in the ward, Jepherson wasmore quiet than usual.

    He watched TV and read books during the day then he would rest at night.

    Raeleigh asionally looked at Jepherson as if he had grew an extra pair of eyes on his face. Even in the middle of the night, Jepherson knew that Raeleigh was looking at him.

    Especially now.

    Raeleigh woke up and looked over at Jepherson. She did not mean to look, but she was caught.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    Jepherson opened his eyes and looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh asked in confusion, ¡°How is it that every time you know that I¡¯m looking at you even though you¡¯re not looking? Were you not sleeping?¡±

    ¡°Your eyes are burning holes through me! Even if I was asleep, I would have been woken up by you!¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless as this was the first time she heard such absurd reason.

 Chapter 1691 Clarify Before Making A Move

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time I am discharged from the hospital?¡±

    Raeleigh asked when she woke up.

    Jepherson sat up in bed. He recovered quicker than Raeleigh. He got out of bed and walked over to Raeleigh¡¯s. Then, he stretched out his hand to unbutton Raeleigh¡¯s shirt so that he could check on her recovered wounds.

    ¡°I never believed in supplements, but since it worked well on you, the results really surprised me.¡±

    Then, Jepherson let go of Raeleigh¡¯s shirt and lowered his head to kiss Raeleigh. She wanted to avoid his kiss, but he held her still. The kiss was not a light kiss nor was it passionate. Raeleigh took a deep breath. Her eyes were full of incredulity. It seemed that Jepherson had lost his mind. Furthermore, Stuart was standing outside.

    The most annoying thing was that he bit her lips. She whined because of the pain.

    ¡°You¡­.¡±

    After pulling apart, Jepherson turned around and went into the bathroom. Raeleighfelt a flicker of irritation as she staredat the bathroom.

    At this time, Jepherson shouted from the bathroom, ¡°Stuart, can you please go and take care of our discharge formalities?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Stuart turned around and left the ward. Jepherson said, ¡°Since Austin works for the Interpol, then it should be easy to find him. If he doesn¡¯te to me, then I¡¯ll go and find him. I want to ask him what are the penalties for human trafficking?

    I would also like to know what is the penalty if a person knowingly vites thew?¡±

    Jepherson then washed his hands before emerging from the bathroom. He came out and briefly nced at Raeleigh before wiping his hands.

    Then, he changed out of his dirty clothes.

    ¡°This has nothing to do with him. It is¡­¡±

    Jepherson turned around and looked at Raeleigh coldly. ¡°You were most probably one month along if we were to calcte from the date of our divorce, am I right? If so, you are guilty of bigamy.

    As an Interpol officer, he should have known that it was against thew. I will not let him off the hook!

    If it weren¡¯t for him, I would not have lost my wife and my child.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just making false usations! This has nothing to do with him. We are the ones who had problems.¡±

    ¡°No, we don¡¯t. This is all his fault!¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. ¡°He saved me. He did nothing wrong!¡±

    ¡°Hmph! But he did note out to prove your innocence. He just left like that, and also¡­¡±

    Jepherson was angry. ¡°¡­ since you said nothing happened, then why did you tell me that he was the baby¡¯s father?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and wanted to refute, but she gave up. In the end, she said, ¡°He is the baby¡¯s father. If it wasn¡¯t because of him, I probably would have died in prison. I can¡¯t stand so many people humiliating and torturing me.

    If it were you, what would you do?¡±

    ¡°Wow! You¡¯re bing a good liar!¡±

    Jepherson was fed up. He turned around and put on his clothes. Raeleigh sat behind him calmly as she stared at Jepherson¡¯s back. She did not know what else to say.

    Jepherson stood there for a while before turning around to look at Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh was staring at Jepherson when he turned around. Then, she said, ¡°You should know that I did not want to get married to you. You are the one guilty of human trafficking. Instead, you med it on Austin.

    Jepherson, I don¡¯t have a sense of security when I¡¯m with you. That¡¯s the main reason our marriage did not work out.

    It was never because of anything or anyone else.¡±

    Jepherson did not say anything. Then, Raeleigh asked him, ¡°Do you know what a sense of security is?¡±

    Jepherson did not answer. Raeleigh continued, ¡°I get anxiety when I fall asleep at night. The moment the lights are turned off, I feel unsafe and afraid.

    I always worry whenever I am with you.

    I would also be very nervous whenever I was with you.

    I¡¯ve been absolutelyterrified everymoment when I¡¯m with you.

    Just because I didn¡¯t show it on my face, it doesn¡¯t mean that I am not afraid. Scarlette called me brave, but I don¡¯t think so. I feel like I worry more than anything else.

    You always think about yourself. You never once think about me. You always want me to support you and trust you, but have you ever considered returning the favor?

    What would you do if you were in my position? What would you do if you were sold to prison?

    You tricked me into marrying you. Deep down, I know that a person is supposed to be happy in their marriage, but I feel very lonely in mine.

    We¡¯re suppose to have a strong foundation in marriage, but unfortunately, we don¡¯t. We¡¯re not honest to each other, that¡¯s why it didn¡¯t work out.

    Our rtionship came and went like flowing water.

    So we should not me this on Austin.

    Austin¡¯s appearance was just a coincidence.

    Even if I did not meet Austin, our marriage still would not havested.¡±

    ¡°Well, it seems like you¡¯ve recovered. I have never heard you talk so much in the past few days.¡±

    Jepherson gave a look of innocence. Raeleigh¡¯s words stabbed him in the heart like knives, but his expression showed otherwise.

    Raeleigh wanted to say something but Stuart came into the room and informed Jepherson that he had taken care of the discharge formalities. It was then, Raeleigh stopped talking. Jepherson quickly walked over to Raeleigh and carried her in his arms.

    ¡°Put me down! I can walk on my own!¡±

    Raeleigh demanded as soon as they left the room. Jepherson then asked Stuart to cover Raeleigh with a coat in order to keep her warm.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    However, Raeleigh still felt a little cold when she went out. The coldness was unpredictable. Although it onlysted for a few days, it still made Raeleigh tremble all over. She couldn¡¯t help but lean closer to Jepherson.

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh. ¡°You¡¯ll feel warm in a minute.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s sit down and have a talk.¡±

    ¡°If you agree to give me back my daughter, then we¡¯ll talk. Otherwise, no.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    Raeleigh was carried all the way to the car. After Jepherson ced her in the car, he then got in beside her. Lucy ced the rest of their belongings in the car before getting into the car as well, while Stuart got into the front seat. After that, he instructed the driver to drive straight to the hotel.

    When they arrived at the hotel, Raeleigh was carried upstairs by Jepherson. Lucy and Stuart followed them as they carried their belongings.

    After Jepherson ced Raeleigh on the bed, he then called the manager of the hotel to the room.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    When the manager arrived, he stood there with his head slightly lowered.

    Jepherson answered, ¡°This is Lucy Wagner.¡±

    Jepherson introduced the manager to Lucy. The manager looked at Lucy and said, ¡°Hello, Miss Wagner.¡±

    ¡°Lucy is Stuart¡¯s fiancee. They are nning to host their wedding on the 16th of this month, which is six days away. Do you think you can make it happen?¡±

    The manager shook his head. ¡°Of course. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    Raeleigh sat on the couch. She was quite surprised that they were nning to get married so soon.

    ¡°After Lucy¡¯s wedding, she will stay here. I want you to prepare another room on the top floor for Stuart and Lucy. In addition, from today onwards, Lucy will be the deputy general manager of the hotel. You should take her under your wing. She¡¯ll be taking over this hotel once you retire.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    Lucy was also very surprised. She did not expect Jepherson to n this. She could not help but stare at Jepherson.

    Stuart said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°I already have a daughter. Please do not call me Mr. Jepherson anymore, call me Mr. Richards. I want you to tell everyone to call me that instead.¡±

    The manager was stunned. He lifted his head and looked at Jepherson. ¡°Since when did Mr. Jepherson have a daughter?¡±

    ¡°I do have a daughter. I¡¯ll bring her here someday.¡±

    If Jepherson dared to say it, then the manager would believe it. The manager said, ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Raeleigh did not know what to say. She raised her hand to rub her temples. She could feel a headacheing on.

    She somehow felt that talking to Jepherson was like talking to a wall.

    After dismissing the manager, Jepherson was full of spirit. He turned around and sat down on the chair. He nced at Stuart and asked him about his wedding preparations.

    ¡°How¡¯s your wedding preparationsing along?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already obtained our marriage certificate and I¡¯ve already taken care of everything on the Wagner family¡¯s side. Yeah, everything is good to go.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    Jepherson saw Stuart and Lucy off. Then, he picked up his phone and made a call to Lenold. He wanted to rify what was going on before he could make his move.

 Chapter 1692 Deanna Came To Visit

    It took a long time for Lenold to answer the phone. When he finally answered, Jepherson cut to the chase and asked, ¡°What military rank is he?¡±

    Lenold initially wanted to yell at Jepherson because he shot the walkie-talkie on his shoulder the other day. The situation was very urgent at the time, so he did not have the time to think. Had Jepherson¡¯s aim been a little off, the result would be fatal.

    But just as the words were about toe out, he decided to bite his tongue.

    ¡°I will give you an exnation for this, but you have to promise me that you¡¯re not going to do anything illegal.¡±

    Lenold exited the headquarters and found a quiet ce to talk.

    Jepherson leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. ¡°Well, I can promise not to kill you!¡±

    Raeleigh, who sat opposite him, did not move at all. She knew that Jepherson was serious this time.

    ¡°Jepherson, I have my own difficulties. Remember the person you asked me to investigate? Do you have any idea who he is? I nearly got myself into trouble. I did it for your own good. You and I¡­¡±

    ¡°You did it for my own good? It¡¯s because of you I lost my wife and my daughter. I had to give up my business. It took me three years, two months and twenty-one days to find them!

    You sure as hell did it for my own good. If it weren¡¯t because of you, I wouldn¡¯t have trained so hard, right? I had to search the entire for them.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson, don¡¯t you think I know that?¡±

    ¡°I thought you knew, but I¡¯m not so sure now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pissing me off. You very well know that it is confidential information. I can¡¯t disclose anything to you. Do you think I want to hide it from you? What benefits do you think I would get by hiding it from you?¡±

    Jepherson did not answer. Lenold said, ¡°I am in a very difficult position, but you know how tight the security was at Green House. The man who followed me, is meant to keep an eye on me. I only know the name of the man you¡¯re looking for, I don¡¯t know anything else. I don¡¯t even know where the person went.¡±

    Lenold had exined this to Jepherson multiple times. The few first times, Jepherson would respond, butter on, he kept quiet. Lenold was so angry that he did not know what to say. He did not say anything because he was tired of exining.

    However, Lenold did not hang up the phone. He waited for Jepherson¡¯s response. Sure enough, Jepherson was not done.

    ¡°Since you know he¡¯s an Interpol officer, there must be a way for you to investigate who he is. If you can give me the information, then I will let this matter slide, or else, I am going to take action.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson hung up the phone.

    Jepherson put down the phone and looked at Raeleigh. She decided not to say anything because she knew he wouldn¡¯t listen.

    Raeleighy down, unwilling to look at Jepherson.

    The room itself was spacious. There was a sizeable distance between the bed and the desk. As long Jepherson did note over, Raeleigh would be able to sleep soundly.

    After Raeleigh finally fell asleep, Jepherson got up and went out of the room.

    When Raeleigh heard Jepherson open the door, she slowly opened her eyes and watched him leave.

    Jepherson must have gone out to gather information about their daughter.

    Raeleigh closed her eyes for a bit before turning to look at her cellphone. Then, she picked it up and called Xanthus.

    ¡°Hey Xanthus, it¡¯s me.¡±

    At this time, Xanthus was with Cynthia and was currently rushing to the airport. He was surprised when he received Raeleigh¡¯s call because he hadn¡¯t been able to get through to her these days.

    Raeleigh had turned off her phone for the past couple of days. Xanthus wasn¡¯t the only one who couldn¡¯t reach her, everyone else couldn¡¯t too.

    Raeleigh knew what she was doing. She also knew she could handle this matter alone. No matter how many people came, she still would not be able to go back.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°Xanthus, listen to me. Please don¡¯te here. I will find my own way home. Please take care of mom and dad. Jepherson has found Austin and I think they met. It looks like he¡¯s not going to let him go. If youe over, there will be more trouble. So, please wait for me at home.¡±

    Raeleigh hung up the phone and looked towards the door. Jepherson hadn¡¯te back yet. Raeleigh put down the phone and went to the bathroom to relieve herself. Then, she stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself in the mirror. She took off her clothes and examined the scars on her body. Most of them were healed, but she still needed to take care of the wounds, otherwise, it will get infected.

    Raeleigh then put her clothes back on and came out of the bathroom. Jepherson was still not back yet. So, Raeleigh went back to the bed andy down to rest. She wanted to have a good rest beforeing up with a n.

    Now that Cynthia was safe and Flynt was still a freeman, Raeleigh would be worried even if she left. That was absolutely impossible.

    Raeleigh was prepared for the long battle ahead with Jepherson. Otherwise, she could do nothing about it.

    Just as shey down, she suddenly heard someone talking outside the room. Raeleigh opened her eyes again and listened closely. She immediately sat up in bed when she heard Deanna¡¯s voice.

    Raeleigh then got out of bed and went to open the door before Deanna even knocked on the door. Deanna had brought Jacky along with her and Raeleigh saw that he was holding a fruit basket in his hand.

    Deanna¡¯s smile reached her eyes the moment she saw Raeleigh. She immediately said, ¡°Raeleigh, I came to see you! How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing well. I¡¯m almost fully recovered.¡±

    Raeleigh stepped aside and invited them into the room. She stared at the fruit basket that Jacky had brought and said, ¡°Stuart, can you please take the fruit basket? Go ahead and cut up some fruits for us.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Stuart entered the room and did as he was told. Lucy also came over to help him. Deanna and Jacky went to sit down. Then, Deanna asked, ¡°Raeleigh, now that you¡¯re fully recovered, are you able to go out?¡±

    ¡°Give me a few more days. Why? Where do you want to go?¡±

    Jacky found a seat and sat down. He kept his eyes on whoever who speaks.

    Deanna smiled. ¡°I want to treat you to a meal. My cooking skills have improved a lot.¡±

    Raeleigh had never heard anyone self-praise like Deanna.

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll let you know when I¡¯m ready, but do not back out at thest minute.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. I will never make empty promises. I promise to keep my word.¡±

    Deanna was known for being naive. She was very straightforward as well. Raeleigh sat on the opposite side, lowering her head and smiling at her.

    Soon, Stuart brought out the fruits. Deanna took out an apple and handed one piece to Raeleigh. She then handed another one to Jacky. Then, she sat beside Raeleigh and said, ¡°Stuart, you should give one to Lucy as well. I grew these apples in Waverly Vige. It is now harvesting season. Although we have a huge supply, but we still aren¡¯t able to meet all the demands. You¡¯ll rarely get to eat these apples.¡±

    Stuart picked up a piece and handed it to Lucy. Deanna said, ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I brought three crates of apples in the car. Lucy, you can take two crates and bring it home for your family.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Lucy had heard about Deanna¡¯s character, so she will dly ept her generosity.

    Raeleigh then turned to look at Jacky. ¡°Thank you for the other day.¡±

    Jacky did not say anything. He just smiled.

 Chapter 1693 Pay Him A Visit

    Raeleigh turned to look at Deanna, who was in a daze. A few momentster, Deanna asked, ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, not knowing how to exin.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Jacky stood up, ¡°I think it¡¯s time we make a move.¡±

    Jacky walked to the door, opened it and went outside. Deanna followed suit. After stepping out of the room, she turned around and looked at Raeleigh with a weird look on her face.

    Deanna looked at Jacky, ¡°Jacky, do you fancy Raeleigh as well?¡±

    Deanna¡¯s heart suddenly felt ufortable. She felt as if she had been betrayed by Raeleigh!

    What should she do?

    Jacky looked over at Deanna and said, ¡°Deanna, you must keep in mind that in this life, I will only want to have kids with you. I am a man after all, it¡¯s normal for me to look at other girls, but you¡¯re the only one I¡¯ll ever love. As for the rest¡­.¡±

    ¡°What about the rest?¡± Deanna was anxious.

    Jacky smiled, ¡°Santiago is my best friend. So is Logan. Raeleigh is my confidant and you¡¯re the love of my life.¡±

    Deanna was lost in her thoughts. Jacky continued, ¡°The only person Santiago worries about is Raeleigh, but he is in aa and Logan is dead. You and Raeleigh are all that I have right now.¡±

    Deanna asked, ¡°If Raeleigh and I fell into the ocean, who would you save first?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll save Raeleigh first. Then, I¡¯ll go back to save you and if I can¡¯t, I will die with you!¡±

    Deanna was momentarily stunned. She stared at Jacky¡¯s face and curled her lips, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best not to fall into the ocean. At least, I will still be able to help you to save Raeleigh.¡±

    Jacky was amused. He pulled Deanna into his arms and smiled proudly.

    As they made their way downstairs, Deanna kept asking Jacky questions about her and Raeleigh. She even asked him who was more beautiful.

    Jacky opened the car door and got into the car as he answered. The two of them did not take this matter seriously at all, but Deanna acted in a very coquettish way.

    As Jacky¡¯s car drove away, a person dressed in a nurse¡¯s uniform watched them from inside of the hospital.

    Today, Deanna had a ss to attend. So, Jacky dropped her off at the university before leaving.

    Deanna got off the car and walked into the campus while reading a book.

    ¡°Deanna.¡±

    While walking, she heard someone calling her from behind. She turned around and saw a person running towards her.

    Deanna looked at the person strangely. It was La Wyld, one of her ssmates.

    La¡¯s results were good and they were both in the postgraduate program. They briefly interacted once or twice before.

    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re looking for your research partner. I¡¯m also looking for one! Why don¡¯t we pair up?¡±

    Deanna thought for a moment. ¡°Who told you that? I¡¯m not looking for a research partner.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what everyone¡¯s saying. Is it not true?¡±

    La asked Deanna. Deanna shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡±

    ¡°So, are you looking for a research partner or not?¡±

    Deanna shook her head. ¡°No, I think I can handle it on my own, plus we¡¯re not familiar with each other. Who knows? Maybe you turn out to be a liar? Don¡¯t you think so? There¡¯s a saying that goes,one who is unountably solicitous is hiding evil intentions.¡±

    La¡¯s face turned red. ¡°How can you say that about me?¡±

    ¡°I mean, you asked. I¡¯m just speaking the truth. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    Deanna¡¯s words were quite logical. After that, she turned around and left.

    La was furious.

    Deanna casually walked away and continued to read her book,pletely ignoring La.

    ¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that you can¡¯t get close to Deanna?¡± Flynt stood by the window with his back to La. La said, ¡°She might look naive, but it¡¯s just her look. She even scolded me!¡±

    La was furious!

    Deanna had pissed her off.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, do not ruin my ns. You¡¯d better not cause trouble for me. I don¡¯t want you to be biased against Deanna!

    Let me remind you, you¡¯re not allowed toy your hands on Deanna. If something happens to her, I won¡¯t even be able to escape unscathed, much less you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware what kind of person Jacky and Zorion are.¡±

    La gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Then what? I¡¯m supposed to let this matter slide?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I was trying to sow discord between Deanna and Raeleigh? Deanna is innocent, she¡¯s naive. As long as you can control her, then you¡¯ll be able to get what you want.¡±

    ¡­

    Deanna came out of the school after ss. She got in the car and said to Jacky, ¡°I want to see Raeleigh. I have something to discuss with her.¡±

    It would only take Jacky one hour to get to Raeleigh¡¯s ce.

    When they arrived at the hospital, Deanna knocked on the door. Jepherson opened the door for her. As soon as she entered the door, she immediately walked over to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Raeleigh, I have something to tell you. You must be careful these days. Don¡¯t go anywhere. I think Flynt is up to something again.¡±

    Raeleigh was sitting on the bed and Deanna grabbed her hand. Then she looked at Jepherson and Jacky.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Jepherson knew that Deanna was a naive person, but she would not speak carelessly.

    ¡°After I left here this morning, I went over to the university because I had a ss to attend in the afternoon. However, as soon as I entered the school, a girl called La came looking for me. She told me that she heard that I was looking for a research partner, but I wasn¡¯t looking for one at all. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange?

    I said something to her and then I ignored her.

    However, I did not see her at all during ss. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s weird that a person who was looking for a research partner, did not attend ss. Where could she be?

    By the time the ss ended, she was still nowhere to be seen.¡±

    Raeleigh looked towards Jacky. Sometimes Raeleigh really admired the shrewdness of Deanna. Actually, she was just a little naive, but definitely not stupid.

    Jacky looked at Deanna and said, ¡°Deanna, do you think that Flynt sent her?¡±

    ¡°I could tell at first nce. I can¡¯t be wrong.¡±

    Jacky stood up, ¡°He¡¯s got guts! How dare hey his hands on Deanna?¡±

    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t. He¡¯s just trying to get her attention.¡±

    Jepherson nced at Raeleigh, who said, ¡°It seems that Flynt is really fine. He¡¯s just pretending to be ill.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go over and visit him. After all, he is Mr. Moore of Capital City.¡±

    Jacky smiled. He briefly nced at Deanna and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go and see him.¡±

    Then she waved to Raeleigh and followed Jacky.

    After Jacky and Deanna left, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Is there anything we can do now?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re just going to see him. Flynt has decided to take action. If we don¡¯t give him a warning, I don¡¯t know what he will do.¡±

    Jepherson smiled. ¡°It¡¯s good now. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Jepherson. ¡°You¡¯re always looking forward to the chaos of the world, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Raeleighy down. It was so cold outside, so she wrapped the quilt tightly around her. This was the only way she could warm herself up.

    ¡­

 Chapter 1694 Penetrate

    ¡°Jacky has arrived.¡±

    Flynt was watching the financial report when his servant came in from the door and reported to him. Flynt nced at his servant and asked, ¡°Jacky?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he brought Deanna along.¡±

    Flynt tossed the remote control in his hand to the side. ¡°Jepherson is not here. Why did hee then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    Flynt had not gone out in the past few days. Ever since he threw Raeleigh into the forest, he had been waiting for Jepherson toe and find him. Until today, Jepherson still had yet toe. He did not expect that Jacky would find him instead.

    Flynt remained seated. He knew very well why Jacky hade. He came because of Deanna.

    In the end, they were still able to figure out that he was the one who sent La to find Deanna.

    Flynt then said, ¡°Go ahead and invite them in.¡±

    Following that, his servant went down and invited Jacky and Deanna in.

    Deanna was carrying a fruit basket in her hand when she entered the door. Although there were only a few, they carefully selected them.

    ¡°Mr. Scott, Miss Whalen, please.¡±

    The servant invited them. Jacky and Deanna swiftly entered the house. Deanna then said to Flynt, ¡°It¡¯s apple harvesting season in Waverly Vige. I¡¯ve specially brought a few over for you to taste, Mr. Moore.¡±

    Flynt, who was originally sitting, stood up when he heard Deanna¡¯s words. He personally epted the fruit basket and ced it on the table. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to try the apples from Waverly Vige. I heard they don¡¯t use pesticides. I didn¡¯t expect that Mr. Scott and Miss Whalen would personally bring them over to me. Thanks a lot.¡±

    ¡°Please have a seat, Mr. Scott, Miss Whalen.¡±

    Jacky did not stand on ceremony. He walked to the side and sat down. Deanna sat right next to him.

    ¡°Make some tea.¡±

    Flynt instructed and Jacky said, ¡°We don¡¯t use pesticides on our apples. So, you can just eat it without washing.¡±

    Deanna reached out and opened the basket. She took out one apples and took a bite. Then, she showed it to Flynt.

    Flynt was stunned for a moment. Then, he forced a smile.

    Deanna said, ¡°Mr. Moore, why don¡¯t you try one?¡±

    Flynt took one and hesitated for a bit. In the end, he still took a bite. Only then did Deanna say, ¡°This apple is very sweet.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±

    Flynt took one bite and did not dare to continue eating. Instead, he looked at Jacky and asked, ¡°Mr. Scott, what brings you here today?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing really. I just thought of you when I passed by and I happened to have some apples in the car. So, I decided to bring them over for you.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    After hearing Jacky¡¯s words, Flynt could only pick up the apple and take another bite.

    He enjoyed talking while munching on the apples.

    It was not long before Deanna finished her apple. She threw the core away before returning to her seat and watched as Flynt ate his apple. After a while, she stood up and pulled Jacky. She said, ¡°I think it¡¯s time we make a move. Didn¡¯t you say you want to drop by the university?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right.¡±

    Jacky stood up. Flynt then asked, ¡°You¡¯re heading over to the university? Thiste?¡±

    ¡°Yes, only because it¡¯s thiste. A student named La suddenly disappeared. Everyone¡¯s helping to look for her.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Rage churned inside of Flynt.Sure enough, this matter had shaken the world.

    ¡°Tell me if you need anything. I¡¯ll help you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. We¡¯ll call the police if we fail to find her.¡±

    Jacky turned around and led Deanna out of the house. Flynt wanted to vent his hatred.

    As a result, before he could vent, his stomach started churning. Flynt held his stomach and stared at the apple before tossing it aside. Then, he made a beeline for the bathroom.

    Deanna walked out of the door and dusted off her hands. She turned around and saw Flynt rushing to the bathroom.

    The next morning, as soon as Deanna stepped into school, she heard that La got into car ident and died on the spot.

    Deanna immediately called Raeleigh.

    By the time Raeleigh received Deanna¡¯s call, she had already heard about the news, but she was not surprised that Flynt was capable of doing this.

    This incident proved how vicious he was. He even dared to kill his own people.

    As soon as La was gone, no one approached Deanna at all.

    Raeleigh also felt that she was getting better day by day.

    ¡°I want you to help me tomorrow.¡±

    Jepherson had been busy with theunch of the new car recently. He intended to ask Raeleigh to follow him to the office, but she was unwilling.

    ¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve fully recovered. If you want me to help you, I can help you from here. I¡¯m not going to follow you into the office.¡±

    ¡°What about Stuart¡¯s wedding?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll attend the wedding. After all, I did my part.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh refused to follow Jepherson, so he had to go into the office by himself. Jepherson was worried about Raeleigh staying at home alone, so he asked Stuart and Lucy to apany her while he went into the office.

    However, not long after Jepherson left, Marissa¡¯s car arrived at the hotel. She got out of the car and headed into the hotel. Before she could enter, the hotel staff quickly informed Stuart.

    Marissa brought a few people with her. She went up, grabbed his phone and threw it on the ground. When Reese saw that the situation was going south, she immediately called Jepherson. However, the phone was silent and she could only hear the voices on the other side but they could not hear her. Furthermore, Marissa walked quickly, so she did not pay attention to Reese.

    Raeleigh was watching TV in her room. She had nothing to do and did not go out. Lucy had been busy sending out invitations for the past few days. Raeleigh offered her help since she had nothing to do anyways.

    Lucy immediately epted her offer. She and Raeleigh were friends. As long as Raeleigh offered help, she would dly ept it.

    Raeleigh could also help with the rest of the things as well.

    Stuart brought over some candies and little boxes for Raeleigh to pack. He had bought a lot of candies to give out to his guests. Stuart and Lucy decided to send out the invitation cards themselves while Raeleigh packed the candies.

    The three of them watched TV as they worked. They were happy to have some leisure time.

    Hearing the knock on the door, Raeleigh stood up and walked over. She looked through the peephole to see who it was. Stuart walked over and said, ¡°Let me do it.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°It¡¯s the manager.¡±

    Raeleigh opened the door and was greeted with a p on her face.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and took a couple steps backwards. She suddenly realised that the person in front of her wasn¡¯t the manager, it was Marissa.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Marissa said with a poker face, ¡°I came to check whether you¡¯ve left. I didn¡¯t expect you to still be here.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the manager outside the door. The manager¡¯s face was pale. He dared not say a word. Raeleigh knew that Marissa was the one in charge of the Richards family. Even if Jepherson was here, the manager would still bring Marissa up to the room.

    ¡°Do you need me to ask you to leave or are you going to leave on your own?¡± Marissa had no intentions to be polite to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh looked over at Stuart and said, ¡°Can you please help me pack up?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to bring anything with you but yourself. You are just slut. You have no rights to be here!¡± Marissa walked towards Raeleigh and pped her again. Raeleigh raised her head and fixed her eyes on Marissa, who asked, ¡°What are you looking at? Am I wrong?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. She wanted to leave, but Marissa pulled Raeleigh¡¯s arm and pushed her to the ground. ¡°I dare you to walk out of here in your birthday suit. How dare you even think of marrying into the Richards family even without considering your own virtue? You might be able to deceive Jepherson with your beauty, but I think you are delusional. If a person like you can marry into our family, then there must be something seriously wrong with our family.¡±

 Chapter 1695 Take Off Her Clothes

    After Marissa finished, she looked over at Stuart and Lucy and saw the invitation cards and wedding candies on the table. She snorted and said, ¡°You bunch of losers.¡±

    Stuart said, ¡°Madam Marissa, have you forgotten what Mr. Richards said?¡±

    Marissa sneered. ¡°What did he say? What? Are you trying to teach me a lesson?¡±

    ¡°No, I dare not.¡± Stuart quickly replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s good then. Next, I am going to teach Raeleigh a lesson. If you dare to help her, then I cannot guarantee nothing will happen to your fiancee once she steps out of this ce.¡±

    As Marissa talked, she looked at Raeleigh who was trying to get to her feet. Raeleigh was always very optimistic. She had no idea why but whenever she talked to Marissa, she would always maintain a calm andposed attitude.

    No matter what happened, Raeleigh would always be calm in the face of the irascible Marissa.

    Raeleigh felt that she was very unlucky this time around.

    Jepherson left not too long ago and in came Marissa.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

    Raeleigh wanted tough at the thought of this. She felt as if she had been caught cheating.

    Just as Raeleigh was about to get up from the floor, Marissa stepped on her hands. Raeleigh¡¯s hands had just recovered not too long ago and now, her hands were injured again.

    Raeleigh was in so much pain that her forehead beaded with sweat. She knelt on the ground and held Marissa¡¯s leg with her free hand, asking her to take it away.

    Stuart hurriedly said, ¡°Madam Marissa, what made you so angry? If you want to vent your frustrations, you can vent at me. This is my fault. Mr. Richards asked Raeleigh to leave, but I needed help with my wedding preparations, so I asked her to stay.¡±

    Stuart hurried over. Marissa might be old, but as soon as Stuart walked up to her, she gave him a tight p across the face without hesitation.

    Stuart trembled, but he did not give up. He knelt down to remove Marissa¡¯s leg from Raeleigh¡¯s hand.

    Marissa then ordered his men to beat up Stuart. Lucy hurried over to Stuart when she saw him getting beaten up but was immediately shoved away. She lost her bnce and fell to the ground.

    Stuart quickly rushed over to Lucy when he heard Lucy screamed in pain. Marissa then asked someone to hold Raeleigh while the others to ripped her clothes off.

    Raeleigh refused and struggled on the ground. Marissa said, ¡°Since you are shameless, then I shall teach you a lesson!¡±

    ¡°Hey, what the hell are you doing?¡± Rossie¡¯s voice came from the door. She entered the room and demanded.

    Marissa was a little absent-minded and turned to look at Rossie.

    Rossie was wearing a new outfit today. She wore a long, yellow overcoat and her hair was done up nicely today. She even brought a handbag. She paused at the door and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to cut off whose ever hand that touches Raeleigh!¡±

    Everyone was so frightened when they heard Rossie¡¯s words and quickly took away their hands.

    Rossie did not know whether she did it on a whim but when she came here today, she decided to put on some makeup. At this moment, she looked very intimidating as she stood by the door.

    Marissa was also a little surprised. She wondered who was this woman?

    Marissa had never met Rossie, but she had definitely heard of her.

    Rossie was d that she decided toe by today because she had no idea what would happen to Raeleigh she hadn¡¯te.

    Rossie pushed her way through the group of people and rushed over to Raeleigh. She knelt down to help her up. Raeleigh¡¯s clothes were in tatters. Rossie did her best to restore Raeleigh¡¯s dignity.

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you alright?¡± Rossie asked as she looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh nodded and said, ¡°Thank goodness you came.¡±

    ¡°No worries. I saw them downstairs just now, so I decided toe up and take a look. I didn¡¯t expect it to be like this. If I came a secondter, who knows what would happen to you?¡±

    Rossie turned around and looked at Marissa. ¡°Wow, this is impressive. Is this what the Richards family teach their next generation?

    Madam Marissa, you¡¯re such a hero! You¡¯re a fierce tiger, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You¡­ you little b*tch! How dare you scold me?¡± Marissa red at her. Rossie smirked. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare? Let me tell you, there¡¯s nothing in this world that I¡¯m afraid of. I want someone to rip off Madam Marissa¡¯s clothes now!¡±

    When Rossie spoke, she had a sense of ruthlessness. Everyone else was in shocked when they heard her words.

    Just as the people were about to take action, Stuart quickly walked over to Marissa, intending to help her. After all, if they ripped off Madam Marissa¡¯s clothes, there would be serious consequences.

    However, just as Stuart was about to approach Marissa, Rossie looked over. Stuart paused for a moment and said, ¡°Miss Lautner, what you are doing will cause the two families to fight. This is not a good idea. Madam Marissa is old. If anything happens to her, you will¡­¡±

    ¡°Stuart, I think on ount of your loyalty to your master, I won¡¯t argue with you anymore. But I¡¯m telling you, a leopard can never change its spots. If you let her go today, she will continue to doall kinds of evil.

    I may be young and inexperience, but one thing I know is that you¡¯ll die a terrible death if youlook down upon others by unting seniority.¡±

    Rossie walked up to Marissa as she spoke. ¡°You¡¯re a woman with high status. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re well educated but I really did not expect that you were such an ill-bred woman. It¡¯s an abusive of power to beat up people and ripped off their clothes just because you feel like it!¡±

    ¡°What? You think you own Capital City?¡±

    While Rossie was talking, Marissa raised his hand and wanted to hit her, but Rossie grabbed managed to grab her wrist and pushed her back. If it weren¡¯t for Reese, she would have fallen down.

    Marissa was so angry that her face turned pale. She pointed at Rossie and asked, ¡°Tell me, which family you¡¯re from?¡±

    Rossie said, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know even if I told you. Myst name is Lautner.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tear your mouth apart.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead if you want, but you would have to win me in a fight first.

    Besides, I am not done yet. Who told you you could talk?

    You¡¯re Marissa, right? I just told you that you don¡¯t own Capital City. Well, at least the Richards family is not at that stage yet.

    If it was in the past, when Santiago was alive and well, I admit, I would be scared of you all. It¡¯s a pity what happened to Santiago. As for Jepherson, I¡¯ve never once been afraid of him.

    Your days are numbered anyways. What¡¯s there to be smug about? You¡¯re nothing without your sons and grandsons.

    ¡°Crushing you would be as easy as crushing an ant.

    Raeleigh¡¯s hands are insured and you¡¯ve stepped on her hand. If you refuse topensate for her injuries you¡¯ve inflicted on her, then I will make sure you¡¯ll never hear the end of it. No matter how powerful and influential the Richard family is, you guys will still be ruined!

    I know. Your family is powerful and capable, but what¡¯s the point having lots of money when there¡¯s no one left to spend it?

    Everyone here will have their ounts on it, and I¡¯ll definitely get even with all of you. Whoever who touches Raeleigh, don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you. I¡¯ll cut off whoever that touches her. Even if you didn¡¯t touch, I¡¯m sure you saw. I will dig off your eyeballs and throw it away!¡±

    I¡¯ve always loved destroying things since I was young! I loved the sound of it!¡±

    Rossie looked at the people around her and nced at her men. ¡°What are you still standing there for? I want you to rip off this olddy¡¯s clothes now!¡±

 Chapter 1696 Better Late than Never

    ¡°You dare?¡± Marissa red at them, which Rossie returned with a cold, contemptuous look. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of people like you. Go ahead and tear it off, tear it all away and see for yourself whether you¡¯re still pretty after that!¡±

    Marissa seemed to have gone mad as she ordered someone to beat her up. Rossie goaded, ¡°I don¡¯t think you have the guts to.¡±

    Marissa stamped her foot angrily. ¡°Throw her out for me!¡±

    ¡°Come on then!¡±

    Rossie wasn¡¯t a pushover. Even though Raeleigh¡¯s hand was hurt as well, she still use it to pull Rossie away, ¡°Forget it.¡±

    ¡°No, who is she to call you a vixen? I still say she¡¯s an old hag!¡±

    Marissa was so spitting mad that she couldn¡¯t care less about her image.

    ¡°Get her¡­ Ah¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, Rossie marched up to her and gave her a push. Marissa lost her bnce and fell down. Reese immediately stooped down to support her. Seeing that no one else took action, Rossie went up and tore apart Marissa¡¯s clothes, which was a body wrap dress and a headscarf that was done up in such aplicated style that it held up for half a day. Rossie messed everything up, even her hair, and made her look like an insane lunatic.

    Raeleigh pulled her off of her as Rossie finally pant from all her efforts after running about for half a day.

    She stood above Marissa and dered, ¡°You dirty old hag, how dare you bully others? You¡¯re tired of living, aren¡¯t you? Just jump down from this building and smash your head in then. You came here just to court death. Do you think Raeleigh is a mistress and you¡¯re here to strip off her face?¡±

    Raeleigh pulled on Rossie a little more insistently, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Rossie snorted and kicked Marissa¡¯s calf. After she¡¯s done, she pivoted on her toes and was now the one to pull Raeleigh along. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡±

    Just as they decided on this, Rossie turned back and pointed at Marissa. ¡°You just wait and see.¡±

    Marissa¡¯s face had already turned pale. She looked as if she¡¯d been pped in the face with a fish!

    The people in the surrounding area were also a little scared when they saw Rossie. What kind of ce was this to have a mother tigere running?All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.

    As soon as Raeleigh stepped out of the door, she heard Marissa yell out, ¡°Chase, chase after them and bring them back!¡±

    Rossie had been walking at a fast pace, but when she heard the yells, she slowed down instead. It was as if she was waiting for Marissa¡¯s men to chase after them and bring them back.

    Raeleigh endured the pain. At this point, she didn¡¯t care about the time. By the time they reached downstairs, Marissa¡¯s people had caught up to them. Rossie paused then and gave them all a look of warning, ¡°Tell Marissa, the dirty old hag, that I am Zorion Whalen¡¯s wife.¡±

    The moment Zorion¡¯s name was mentioned, the people of the Richards family dared not make a move. With Rossie¡¯s identity revealed, they moved to the sides of the door and let them pass.

    Once out of the vicinity,Rossie became a little anxious. She immediately looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°How is it?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head, ¡°Send me to Waverly Vige. Jacky¡¯s hospital belongs to my brother. They are all my brother¡¯s students and had already arrived from the start. The bones might be broken.¡±

    What she said was already an understatement. She predicted that her bones might have shattered.

    When Marissa¡¯s foot suddenly went up, she heard the sound of it being shattered at that time.

    Rossie immediately took Raeleigh to the vige. The car sped down the road. Although they¡¯re a distance away, some police cars came and helped them give way which saved them some time.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t feel anything when she was in the hotel, but now on the road her hands began to feel painful.

    Raeleigh sweat heavily as she leaned to the side, and even speaking was difficult.

    Rossie called Zorion.

    ¡°I¡¯m in trouble. I¡¯m going to hide in Waverly Vige. Raeleigh got injured. You can do as you see fit.¡±

    Zorion nced at his phone, got up, and rushed out of his home towards the vige.

    ¡­

    By the time Raeleigh arrived at the vige, she was already unconscious. Jacky and Deanna were both there. They had prepared the necessary arrangements in advance. Once they arrived, Jacky carried Raeleigh out of the car and headed straight for the hospital.

    The rest of them followed in their wake. Raeleigh went through the operation. Rossie was so worried, she followed her in whereas Deanna and Jacky waited outside.

    At the same time, Marissa also entered the hospital in a fit of rage.

    It was said that excessive anger was bad for one¡¯s health. Marissa had suffered a huge impact this time, and was so furious that shended herself in the emergency room.

    Jepherson left Stuart to apany his grandmother and took Lucy to Waverly Vige. But when they got there, their entry was barred and they couldn¡¯t get in.

    Raeleigh was pushed out of the emergency room just as Jepherson arrived. But she didn¡¯t request Jacky to let him in.

    She could already talk when Jepherson was stopped at the entrance as her hand no longer hurts.

    Raeleigh looked at the doctor, ¡°Break it to me honestly.¡±

    Raeleigh had seen all the doctors before. The orthopedics department was led by Xanthus. Later, when they came to Waverly Vige, only Jacky knew about this. But Raeleigh knew all of the people inside the department.

    The doctors looked crestfallen. ¡°The bones have been shattered. We tried our best to repair it, but it is impossible topletely heal them. It will take about five years of therapy and recovery, plus the neurons have also been damaged. This part was due to a mistake on our part during surgery. We can¡¯t be as precise as our mentor.

    Moreover¡­

    The hand cannot simply be used before they fully recover. If it was used, that is equivalent to a wasted operation. It could also be seen from the back of the hand that it had once been fractured.

    We had already lowered the possibility of leaving behind a scar, but it will still be different than it originally was.

    But five yearster, you should be able to recover.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her gaze on the doctors. ¡°Five years?¡±

    ¡°Yes, five years is the lowest limit. If this hand is used within five years, it will be deformed.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her left hand to have a look. She absolutely didn¡¯t expect that something like this could happen.

    Five years to her was humanity¡¯s most glorious moment of their life. If she really lost these five years, it meant that she lost half of the world.

    Although she drew pictures with her right hand, it was impossible to draw with her right hand alone. There were still times that her left hand was needed.

    Raeleigh stared at her cast for a while then said, ¡°You can all go home. Let¡¯s call it a day.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell my brother, I¡¯ll tell him. Another thing, no one present can tell anyone about this. If someone asks about me, you tell them that I got abrasions on my hand and I need to have cosmetic surgery. In order not to get the wounds infected, I will be in the intensive care unit ward.¡±

    As Raeleigh spoke, Deanna all of a sudden hunched down to the ground and broke out crying.

    Everyone turned in Deanna¡¯s direction as she cried out through her tears, ¡°Raeleigh, go. This ce will eat you up!¡±

    Raeleigh also wanted to leave, but she couldn¡¯t!

    ¡°You can leave now. Do as she says.¡±

    Jacky ordered someone down and helped carry Deanna to bed. Raeleigh didn¡¯t cry even when she was ill, which made Deanna very self-conscious. She curled up in bed and took deep inhtions to stop her sobs.

    Rossie also couldn¡¯t help but cry, but not to Deanna¡¯s extent. The two of them hadpletely different personalities.

    ¡°Take care of yourself. Five years may be a long time for you, but you can do so much more in that time span. Maybe there are other ways too.¡±

    Jacky patted Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°This time if it weren¡¯t for you both, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t be able to get out.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine more than anything.¡± Jacky looked at Rossie as he spoke. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you this time. I didn¡¯t expect you to be nearby.¡±

    ¡°I was worried about Raeleigh too, still I was toote.¡±

    ¡°Betterte than never.¡±

 Chapter 1697 Meet the Mute Again

    Jacky looked at Raeleigh with concern, ¡°You should rest first. I¡¯ll go and see Jepherson.¡±

    Jacky turned and walked out the door. Zorion chimed up, ¡°I¡¯lle and take a look too.¡±

    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll go. You stay here.¡± Jacky instructed as he headed for the entrance of Waverly Vige. When Jepherson saw Jacky, he made a move to enter but was intercepted by Harvey. ¡°Don¡¯t make things difficult for me, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t force his way in. He just stared intently at Jacky from where he stood. Jacky stopped a few paces away but did not go beyond the vige¡¯s border to the outside.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Raeleigh?¡±

    Jepherson had already made his inquiries about what had urred earlier. Additionally, Stuart had also contributed his own exnation. However, Jepherson was still ill at ease.

    ¡°She¡¯s fine, but she doesn¡¯t want to see you.¡± Jacky replied.

    ¡°Let me in.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh helped me before. When your younger brother was alive, the only thing he was worried about was Raeleigh. Now that he can¡¯t be here to protect her, I will not leave things alone.

    If Rossie hadn¡¯t been one step ahead and made it on time, Raeleigh would havee out of the hotel as bare as the day she was born. She doesn¡¯t want to see you.¡±

    ¡°Even if she doesn¡¯t want to see me, her words don¡¯t count. You¡¯re the one who has the final say.¡±

    ¡°Then me not letting you in should be expected.¡±

    Jacky turned away and walked back inside the vige. Jepherson wanted to follow but was stopped by Harvey once again.

    ¡°Stay where you are, Mr. Richards.¡±

    With Harvey as a barrier, Jepherson had no choice but stare at Jacky¡¯s receding figure.

    Zorion walked towards Jacky head on from the opposite direction. He stopped by his side andmented, ¡°You¡¯re too meddlesome.¡±

    Jacky nced at him, ¡°You¡¯re the same.¡±

    After he said that, Jacky continued on his way. Zorion swivelled his head around to look but he had already left his sight. Zorion then headed for the entrance. He had originally nned to let Jepherson in but when he saw that it was Harvey acting as a guard, he moved no further and called out, ¡°Raeleigh¡¯s hand is injured, no one is to say anything about it.¡±

    That was all he could do. Zorion didn¡¯t want Raeleigh to me him either.

    In actuality, it¡¯s hard to say what was what when feelingse into y. Not everyone has the ability, and the brave must hold their courage to have no adversaries.

    That sort of courage might be applicable in other matters, but if used between men and women, then it would be useless.

    Jepherson¡¯s face grew as cold as a tundra. He spun around towards the car and sat inside. The driver looked into the rearview mirror. Jepherson sat in the backseat with a deep scowl on his face and his gaze as dark as the abyss. He didn¡¯t move an inch away from his seat.

    He waited just like that; for three days and three nights, without any food or drink he waited for news about Raeleigh.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was better now. She left the hospital and headed outside. When she saw Jepherson¡¯s car as she was doing some stretches, Raeleigh walked towards the front with no hesitation, her thumbs tucked into her buckle.

    Jepherson got down from the car the moment he saw here out from the vige. He stopped in front of her, his eyes locked onto her hand, ¡°Does it still hurt?¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her gaze down onto her own hand and shook her head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡±

    ¡°I was on my way back when someone held me off. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t make it.¡±

    Jepherson gazed at her intently. Raeleigh knew that he would hurry back in his anxiousness, but¡­

    ¡°I know you care about me very much and you did your best to rush back. You¡¯re willing to risk your life for me, but the moment someone hinders you¡­ and you have no way to stay forever by my side, or have me stay by yours.

    When you¡¯re around, it¡¯s safe. When you¡¯re gone, it¡¯s dangerous. No matter where and when, there are dangers everywhere and I won¡¯t even know how I will die.

    You saw your grandmother¡¯s actions for yourself. I think she is now afflicted with a new problem. She always sees me as an imaginary enemy now. If this continues, what should I do? What should she do? That day, she wanted to strip me of my clothes and throw me out. What would she do next?

    If they fail once, there is always a next time.

    If something really did happen, what would I do?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go somewhere else.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. There are too many things going on in your family that you can¡¯t put down. Besides, I won¡¯t do that. I said before that I¡¯m married. You have to let me go.¡±

    ¡°No, you have to give my daughter to me.¡±

    Jepherson glowered. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t get through to him, hence she turned her back and went back inside the vige.

    Jepherson stood there for a while. After a period of time, he returned to his car and never got back down.

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t sleep after dinner. She heard that the vigers were very busy. This year¡¯s apples had a bumper harvest. Every family had to work at night to earn more money. Waverly Vige now seemed to be a green production base. As long as the fruits and vegetables are from the vige, they wouldn¡¯t be in short supply.

    Raeleigh intended to look around. She headed for the door when she saw a man had entered and seemed to be looking for something. She noticed that the way he walked was familiar to her, hence she paused to get a closer look.

    ¡°Mute.¡±

    Raeleigh called out the name tentatively. The mute dressed in ck stopped and then turned around to look at Raeleigh.

    When she saw it was really him, she quickly went towards him. ¡°Long time no see. Why are you still here?¡±

    The mute didn¡¯t seem to have changed at all. Raeleigh stretched out her hand and pulled on one of his wrists. He ced the other one behind his back and followed after Raeleigh. ¡°Where is your brother?¡± she asked.

    He shook his head and Raeleigh frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did he abandon you?¡±

    He shook his head again. Raeleigh began to get worried. ¡°What happened?¡±

    He walked to the side and wrote on the ground, ¡°He went to work. I came here to find a house and I want to nt fruit trees.¡±

    Raeleigh heaved a sigh of relief ¡°In that case, why are you here at this time?¡±

    He wrote on the ground, ¡°He just left and I have nowhere to go. He let me stay at home but I wanted toe here. When hees back, I won¡¯t go out again.¡±

    Raeleigh pondered for a moment, ¡°Then you can live at my ce. I have a house here and it¡¯s very clean. Not only that, I own a piece ofnd that was given to me by Jacky to manage. If you want, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.

    The mute knitted his brows into a slight frown, the light in his eyes grew dim. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Raeleigh asked in concern.

    He shook his head as if nothing had happened. Raeleigh then remarked, ¡°You are more talkative than before.¡±

    He didn¡¯t respond to her words, his focus directed towards her hand.

    ¡°I identally fell and hurt myself, I¡¯ll be fine after a while.¡± Raeleigh said lightly as if she was talking about the weather. It was only when she was with him could she talk so freely.

    He reached out and touched Raeleigh¡¯s hand. She reassured him again. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt at all. Don¡¯t worry. Come, I¡¯ll show you my house.¡±

    Raeleigh pulled him up from the ground.

    Raeleigh asked the mute as she turned to head home whether he had eaten, but there was no response. Raeleigh immediately knew that he hadn¡¯t and went to have dinner with him.

    Raeleigh found a steakhouse nearby and took him to have a nice juicy steak. After they finished their meal, she took him to buy some necessities. Then they went to the corner lot where the fenced house was.

    On the way towards the fenced house, Raeleigh gave Jacky a call and told him the reason she went to the fenced house from start to finish. She didn¡¯t know what the location was like, thus she asked Jacky if he had the time to do her this favor.

    Jacky affirmed that he would send someone over. Raeleigh should head straight on and wait by the road for his men toe by.

    After Jacky¡¯s men arrived, Raeleigh and the mute were led to the side of the house. After they exined what they knew about the area, they left them to their devices.

 Chapter 1698 Have to Leave Sooner or Later

    Raeleigh stood outside and surveyed her house. ¡°Three or five people will be enough to live in this house. I nned to wait until I¡¯m forty ande here to live the picture perfect life. Who knew the world could be so unpredictable. What a pity!¡±

    The mute looked at her as she expressed her thoughts. Raeleigh then took out the key that Jacky had given her and opened the door into the room

    As they walked inside, Raeleigh searched the wall with one hand and flipped the light switch on. Raeleigh raised her head and scanned her surroundings. She saw him staring at her with deep affection in his eyes. After a long while, Raeleighughed, ¡°Do I have a pretty and charming face?¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply. He simply turned his face away.

    Seeing as he had be shy, Raeleigh diverted to another topic about checking the inner parts of the house, which seemed to be rtively clean as well.

    ¡°Previously I¡¯d thought that going up and down the stairs was inconvenient, which was why I¡¯d asked Jacky to rebuild the loft for me and make it more practical to use.

    There¡¯s a spacious area up in the loft with a folding screen in the middle. I initially wanted to live here like this with my brother. He also liked living there very much, and so did I. But what a pity, he might nevere here again. Maybe after many yearster¡­ and I¡¯m talking many, many yearster, he mighte back.

    As for me, I¡¯ll also leave this ce after some time. Meeting you now must be fate. If I give this to anyone else it would feel like I¡¯m throwing away my heart but not with you.¡±

    Raeleigh went up into the loft until she found a ce to sit on the ground.

    When the mute came up, Raeleigh was looking outside from a window. She heard the footsteps of the mute and tilted her head towards him.

    ¡°Your footsteps are very simr to someone I know, but you¡¯re not him.¡± Raeleigh noted, then moved to another area, ¡°Come here and sit. I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    The mute walked over after he took off his shoes at the door and sat down in front of Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh looked out the loft window and said, ¡°There are a total of two acres ofnd below. Jacky gave it to me.

    You can earn tens of thousands of dors every year. This year¡¯s earnings are good and the price of the apples are also very high. My original intention for keeping this ce is for my retirement. Since you¡¯re here, you will take care of it. The ie will be half for each of us. You can save it for me. When I get old, I¡¯lle here, enjoy my retirement and nt some apples with you, is that okay?¡±

    He shook his head, but he made no other response. Raeleigh tacked on calmly, ¡°I won¡¯t stay. There is no ce for me here. I can¡¯t stay here just because I like it. I can¡¯t.¡±

    The mute raised his hand and wrote on Raeleigh¡¯s palm, ¡°It¡¯s safe here. No one can hurt you here.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s your opinion. This ce is the most dangerous ce in the world. You don¡¯t think it is dangerous because no one wants to hurt you. Therefore, it¡¯s heaven for you, but someone wants to hurt me, which makes this ce hell on earth for me.

    I¡¯m too scared to stay here because a lot of people here want to harm me.

    But don¡¯t worry, we still have a long while yet for me to hang around. There are some things that need to be solved before I can leave.¡±

    He held onto Raeleigh¡¯s hand, but she pulled away again. Raeleigh added in a teasing tone, ¡°There are many good girls in the vige. You can get married before I leave.¡±

    He shook his head and turned his face to look outside the loft. Both of them remained silent for the rest of the night. Raeleigh didn¡¯t know when she nodded off. Nothing was prepared in the house and the mute was afraid that she would be cold, hence he cuddled her to sleep. Subconsciously, Raeleigh did feel cold at first, then afterwards she didn¡¯t. Soon after, she fell asleep.

    When Raeleigh woke up, he had already got up and was downstairs.

    By the time she got up, he had finished preparing breakfast. After they ate, she brought him to look for Jacky. When they arrived there, she told Jacky about how she would give the house to the mute in the future. She also said that she would stay temporarily at the house.

    Jacky sized up the mute, ¡°Is it convenient for a woman like you to live with him?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing inconvenient about that. I trust him.¡±

    ¡°Since you trust him, you can do as you see fit. I will prepare food for you and put it in the house. As for the rest, you can do it yourself. The apples have been harvested this year. Once I have the money, I¡¯ll transfer it to your ount.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Raeleigh went and had her injection, then followed the mute out of the hospital. Raeleigh nced towards the entrance of the vige. Jepherson¡¯s car was still there, it had not budged from its spot for four days now.

    Raeleigh stopped in her tracks as her eyes stayed glued to the entrance. The mute peeked over at Raeleigh and lowered his head slightly.

    She stared for a moment longer before she turned back around and continued her trek to other ces. Raeleigh mentioned that she wanted to eat some fruits other than apples. Therefore, they roamed around the vige and went back in the afternoon.

    It was difficult for her to move around. Everything was done by the mute. Jacky also had someone send them some beddings and other misceneous items to Raeleigh before everything was in order.

    After dinner, Raeleigh told the mute, ¡°There are rooms downstairs too. You can stay in one of them. I¡¯m not afraid of what others say, but living together on the same floor might be awkward after all. Then from tonight onwards, you can live downstairs. You have the strength, plus you¡¯ll be the first to know if something happens and protect me if it is needed.¡±

    With that said, Raeleigh went straight back to the loft. Raeleigh shut the door and proceeded to take a rest. Shey sprawled on her bed for a while before she could rx.

    She thought of Marissa¡¯s annoying face and really didn¡¯t want to go to the Richards family anymore.

    Now that they¡¯d fought up to this point, meeting each other would just be an embarrassment for both of them.

    It waste into the night before she could truly sleep. Just as she dropped off into dreand, she thought she heard the mute climb up the stairs. She opened her eyes and took a look at the door but found no one there. Raeleigh felt curious, hence she wriggled out of her quilt and went towards the door. She opened the door, peered downstairs and called out.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    The first time around he did not respond, the second time he came out from the door and looked up at her. Upon seeing him, Raeleigh rxed, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I thought I heard something downstairs, so I came to check on you. Go back and sleep, I got too anxious.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and headed back upstairs. It wasn¡¯t long before she returned to bed.

    Before she could fall asleep, a noise came from downstairs. Raeleigh sat up. A minuteter, the mute knocked on the door. Raeleigh said, ¡°It¡¯s not locked. Come in.¡±

    Although they were alone with each other, Raeleigh believed in him. She couldn¡¯t exin the reason why, just that she believed in him.

    He walked in through the door and brought a ss of water for her. As she grabbed hold of it, she noticed that the temperature was just right. She drank it without hesitation and gave the cup back to him, who then turned and left the way he came.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Raeleigh waited for him to leave before shey back down. Barely a few minutes after her head hit the pillow, she was soon fast asleep.

    The door to the loft was pushed open then. The mute came upstairs, took a look around and left afterwards.

    ¡­

    In the hospital.

    ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±

    Trevor had never been so furious in his life. This time, he was really about to die of anger because of Marissa. How could she do this?

    Marissaid in bed, feeling more aggrieved than anyone else. She had originally thought that Trevor would say something to appease her, but she didn¡¯t expect that this was the oue she got.

    They had been husband and wife for decades. How could he simply help others instead of her?

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±

    Marissaid in bed, blue in the face.

 Chapter 1699 Hannahâ€™s Pearls

    Trevor took a few steps forward. ¡°It¡¯s because I was too mindful of you that you turned out like this. You should practice restraint. No matter how bad Raeleigh is as a person, she¡¯s miserable enough as it is. How can you treat her like that? She¡¯s the one who has given Jerry a child, so which part of her now that you can¡¯t stand?¡±

    The human heart was still made of flesh and blood. No matter how good-tempered and tolerant they were, they would be worn down the moment they met Marissa.

    Trevor couldn¡¯t imagine that the obedient and sensible young Marissa from before, would be like this now.

    To even begin to envy a young girl.

    Back when she wasstillyoung , Trevor had assumed that any woman would have a little bit of a temper when they¡¯re faced with something iprehensible, but look at what happened now.

    This was not just her being bad-tempered.

    The older they got, the more prominent the ws they had since young would be.

    This was especially so during this incident and Trevor felt inexplicably disappointed.

    No matter how things were, Marissa was the matriarch of the Richards family. She actually went to her grandson¡¯s residence and tore off her granddaughter-inw¡¯s clothes. What kind of situation was that?

    At first, Trevor surmised that as long as she was willing to apologize, there would be room for maneuver in this matter. However, based on what happened, Marissa would definitely not eat a humble pie and apologize.

    Trevor had lost all confidence in Marissa. No matter what he did or said it was always the same and she wouldn¡¯t care. Therefore, Trevor decided to save his breath.

    He red at Marissa and dered, ¡°From today onwards, I won¡¯t let you leave my side, not even for half a step. You¡¯ll stay here with me and we¡¯ll grow old together.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Marissa straightened up from the bed. ¡°Do you know who it was that wanted to tear my clothes off? She is someone from the Whalen family.¡±

    Trevor couldn¡¯t even smile, much lessugh. With that said, Marissa even went on to say. ¡°If you don¡¯t go for the preemptive strike, then are you just going to wait for them toe to you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my business. I won¡¯t settle ounts with the Whalen family like this. I don¡¯t need you to mind so much,¡±

    Every word she spoke seemed like it came from a different person. It¡¯s not that Trevor didn¡¯t know what type of character she was, it¡¯s just that to this day he hadn¡¯t dared to believe that someone like her could change so drastically and be a stranger that he couldn¡¯t recognize at all.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here and keep watch over you. Until you have recovered, you¡¯re going nowhere. Jerry was right. You¡¯re insane and quite chronically at that.¡±

    Reese stood next to Marissa while Trevor made his promation, her brows furrowed as she observed the woman on the bed.

    Marissa sneered. ¡°All of you, every single one of you nasty people, always want to harrass me.¡±

    In the middle of her tirade, Trevor had received a call from Rayan.

    Noting Rayan¡¯s caller ID, Trevor had a thought. He stood up and looked at Reese across from him, ¡°Take care of her.¡± he instructed.

    Reese nodded and Trevor walked out of the room.

    When she realised that Trevor was leaving, Marissa immediately yelled a few words in his direction but Trevor ignored her.

    The moment he was out, Trevor looked around and finally sat on a chair in a corridor and epted the call.

    ¡°Rayan?¡±

    Trevor¡¯s voice was calm, as if nothing had happened, neither arrogant nor brash.

    After all, he was old. To put it bluntly, he ate more salt than Rayan could walk.

    He knew the reason for Rayan¡¯s call.

    Sure enough, Rayan apologized first. ¡°Mr. Trevor, I would like to give my apologies, this is a misfortune from our family.¡±

    Trevor found itughable. Whose family exactly got struck with misfortune?

    ¡°Rayan, let bygones be bygones. I¡¯m very much aware of how it happened. Don¡¯t let Hansen know about this, otherwise, I won¡¯t have any ce to put my face. I knew about this beforehand, Jerry had told me before that she had mental problems. I thought it was ridiculous, so I didn¡¯t take it seriously. I didn¡¯t expect so much trouble toe from it. This time, I¡¯m really ashamed.

    Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let her find any trouble with that child. The Richards family wouldn¡¯t put this to heart either. All in all, this wasn¡¯t that child¡¯s fault. If it wasn¡¯t for her, who knows how Raeleigh would have turned out. You know as well as I do that I like Raeleigh a lot. However, there¡¯s just too many things going on and now this¡­ for you to see this, you must think it¡¯s a joke.¡±

    Rayan eyed his beloved wife, Hannah Adames, at his side. This time, the family presented a united front against those outside their circle. Even though their rtionship was good, some things are no longer the same.

    ¡°Sorry to worry you like this,¡± he replied.

    ¡°This worry is not because of you. It¡¯s all because I didn¡¯t manage things well. All right, we¡¯ll stop here. I would like to take a rest. At my age, my body isn¡¯t what it used to be.¡±

    Trevor disconnected the call. Rayan also put down the phone and Hannah immediately asked, ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡°How else can it be? Of course, it¡¯s better to avoid trouble, let alone this kind of thing. But you know Rossie¡¯s temper; the more riled up she is, the more explosive she will be.¡± he sighed.

    ¡°Marissa used to bully Jenna a lot back when she was younger. I didn¡¯t expect that now she would start to bully Raeleigh too. She could even do something as absurd as this, isn¡¯t it better to teach her a lesson and take her down a peg or two?¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Hannah¡¯s take on this incident was obvious. She was clearly siding with Rossie. Excluding the fact that she wasn¡¯t in the wrong, even if she was, it still wouldn¡¯t be wrong.

    As she conversed with Rayan who was leaning back on the couch, their two grandchildren stood on each side of them happily munching on their snacks.

    The two toddlers were very quiet as they watched the interaction between the two adults.

    The eldest, Heitor, was more perceptive. After all, what he needed to do most of every day was indulge his younger brother and listen to him.

    Nothing has changed when ites to Hannah¡¯s teaching methods. She had taught Zorion and Deanna when they were children themselves, and now she passed down the same concept to her grandchildren.

    Her family had long since been ustomed to it and did not care.

    The two toddlers watched and listened, knowing that their grandmother was unhappy.

    Rayan nced at the two children. ¡°Even so, she can¡¯t go too far. Contact Rossieter and ask her to make a call to the Richards family and apologize.¡±

    ¡°No, I still don¡¯t think she¡¯s wrong. Why must this be done?¡±

    ¡°What nonsense!¡±

    ¡°Do you want to say that again?¡±

    Rayan shut his mouth and looked at his beloved wife. This wife of his was also quite strict.

    Everything was fine when she didn¡¯t speak. The moment she did, he couldn¡¯t say anything otherwise.

    In the middle of this deadlock, the two children made their escape first.

    Each of them grabbed a piece of fruit, but as their hands were so small, by the time they ate the fruits squashed in their tiny fists, it had turned sour. Their chubby little faces scrunched up at the taste, which would make anyone at a loss on whether to cry orugh at them.

    The two children wandered off, hence Hannah ordered someone to watch over them while the husband and wife had their discussion.

    The two children then returned to the room, took the mobile phone that was on the bed and dialed their uncle Zorion¡¯s number.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Zorion to pick up the call and ask after them.

    ¡°Grandpa wants Aunt Rossie to apologize, but grandma won¡¯t allow it.¡±

    In any case, they actually didn¡¯t know what was going on. The servant stood by the door and didn¡¯t dare to get involved. Although they¡¯re just small children, their standing in the Whalen was more important than anyone else¡¯s.

    They¡¯re equivalent to precious pearls in Hannah¡¯s hands.

 Chapter 1700 Even She Knew Thereâ€™s a Problem

    ¡°Okay, I understand. When Ie back, uncle will buy you both a ne and a tank, okay?¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Heitor hung up the phone and Cedric asked, ¡°Is he buying or not?¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    Heitor nodded. Cedric immediately grinned and ran off to y.

    Heitor tagged along behind him.

    Zorion didn¡¯t know what conclusion his parents woulde to over the matter of apologies, but he knew that this time it wouldn¡¯t be handled that easily.

    It was still a question of who should apologize to who. No matter how you looked at it, this wasn¡¯t something that could be forgotten just like that.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh woke up in the morning and went downstairs. She was ready to put out a little and cook some oats to eat. However, just like the previous day, the dishes had already been prepared.

    There was bacon, avocado toast, and two sunny-side up eggs for breakfast, together with cereal.

    As the table had been set, Raeleigh subconsciously looked around just as the mute returned from being outside. He raised his head and saw Raeleigh standing around. With a little hesitance, he went up to her and moved his eyes to the table, an indication for Raeleigh to go ahead and eat.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to get up early the next day to cook. I can still make breakfast. Aside from that, if there¡¯s something you want to eat, just tell me¡­¡±

    Raeleigh looked down at her hand, ¡°As long as it¡¯s not something I have to cut, I can do it.¡±

    Then she turned and sat down without hesitation. After the mute handed a pair of cutleries for her, she lowered her head and started on her meal.

    He remained silent as he sat opposite Raeleigh and ate his portion.

    After their meal, she went to the garden with the mute. To be able to pluck the remaining fruits from the trees once in a while was a buoyant feeling.

    Raeleigh returned that afternoon when she saw Deanna at her doorstep. Deanna didn¡¯t leave the vige in itself, but this was the first time she met the mute and she was really curious.

    ¡°This muteis actually quite good looking. Why are you dressed like this? How about I help you clean up a little?¡± Deanna ran up towards him and offered, staring at him intently.

    The mute didn¡¯t respond, neither did he react.

    Raeleigh answered in his stead, ¡°He is an introvert, he normally doesn¡¯t like to talk to other people.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then, Raeleigh, how did you both meet? Is he a bad guy?¡± Deanna was immediately on the alert.

    ¡°I was acquainted with him before. At that time, you went overseas to ensure your baby¡¯s safety and you didn¡¯t get a chance to see him even when you came back. He saved my life. He isn¡¯t a bad person.¡±

    For Deanna, this was the best exnation given, by telling her that the mute wasn¡¯t a bad guy.

    Deanna¡¯s round eyes widened as she stared at him. She circled around him and mumbled, ¡°But I still feel that there¡¯s something wrong with this person. Who are you exactly?¡±

    Deanna scrutinized him intensely but Raeleigh interrupted her, ¡°He can¡¯t speak.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Deanna said simply before she turned and went elsewhere. But she suddenly turned back around and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    The mute stayed silent as Raeleigh once again reiterated, ¡°Deanna, he saved my life.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything else. I just asked him who exactly he was. How can you act like this? Forget it, I¡¯ll stop asking.¡±

    Deanna sat to one side and continued to stare at him. He lowered his head and averted his eyes away from her. Raeleigh was worried about what Deanna would do, thus she sent him away to do a little shopping, which gave him an escape from the difficult situation.

    Even after he left, Deanna was still persistent. ¡°Raeleigh, I think you are too gullible.¡±

    Raeleigh stood on the side and maintained what she said, ¡°He will not hurt me.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, my intuition tells me that the mute is not a simple character.¡± Deanna wagered.

    Raeleigh did not want to continue on this line of questioning. She deliberately didn¡¯t respond to her earlier statement and said instead, ¡°Do you want to grab a bite to eat?¡±

    At the obvious topic change, Deanna also conceded and didn¡¯t speak any further. Just then, Jacky appeared at their sides and added, ¡°This meal is on us, let¡¯s go and have lunch around noon.¡±

    As Raeleigh couldn¡¯t move her hands much, it was just as well.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be over in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    The atmosphere had gotten just a little bit better, when Deanna began to talk about the mute again. Raeleigh simply sat down and listened to her. However, even as she said a bunch of words, Raeleigh did not take any of them in

    Raeleigh trusted him and thus, remained unmoved by Deanna¡¯s words.

    Before she left, Deanna tried again, ¡°One should never intend to do harm unto others, but should guard against harm that others might do unto them. This was what my father told me.

    When I was a child and yed outside with my brother, I treated others with kindness but in return they still took me away and I was almost sold. Do you think this is good?¡±

    Deanna stood in the doorway as she tried to get her point across to Raeleigh. Jacky stood behind her and minded his own business.

    Raeleigh replied, ¡°I know all of this, but I believe in him.¡±

    The mute had also returned right at this moment. Deanna tilted her head and relented a little, ¡°I also think that he is not a bad person, but you have to think about it. He returned when you appeared, and he left when you left. Isn¡¯t that very strange? This time, when you came back, he came back too.¡±

    There were coincidences in the world, but they definitely did not ur repeatedly.

    Deanna¡¯s dainty face went taut and she tried to pull on Raeleigh.

    ¡°Perhaps this is fate.¡±

    Raeleigh still believed in him from beginning to end. Deanna¡¯s lips curled and she muttered, ¡°My brother said that I was stupid, but from the way I see it, the stupidest person here is you.¡±

    Even Deanna was at her wits end now.

    She pulled Jacky away and went home to prepare dinner.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Sure enough, we can¡¯t carve on rotten wood.¡±

    She said so many things in many different ways and she still didn¡¯t understand, forget it!

    Deanna stomped away angrily, which left Zorion and Rossie beside Raeleigh. Soon after, she asked, ¡°We are going over to have dinnerter, would you like to have something to snack on before then?¡±

    ¡°Alright, but I¡¯ll do it. You can just watch over things for me.¡± Rossie turned around and entered the house. There were some apples she had plucked earlier in the room and she was suddenly inspired to make apple pie.

    ¡°Raeleigh, let¡¯s make some apple pies.¡± Rossie said as she prepared the ingredients. Zorion had nothing else to do, hence he went outside to get some air and watched the mute at the same time.

    If Deanna had not said anything, he wouldn¡¯t be suspicious, but¡­

    Zorion¡¯s eyes were fixed on him as he took out his mobile phone and dialled Jepherson¡¯s number.

    The phone rang a few times before it connected. Then Jepherson¡¯s voice came from the other end. ¡°Did something happened?¡±

    Zorion was momentarily stupefied. He looked up at the mute and said into the phone, ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at the vige entrance.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s answered indifferently through the phone¡¯s speakers. Zorion probed further, ¡°You didn¡¯t go back?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then it¡¯s nothing. I saw someone who looks like you, only he¡¯s a mute.¡±

    The mute looked at Zorion, his brows drawn together, then turned to look elsewhere.

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s good if it¡¯s not you. I¡¯m hanging up now.¡±

    Zorion disconnected the call and straightened up. He walked towards the mute and regarded him from head to toe. At the same time, he stared at Zorion and their eyes met. Zorion gave a deep frown and murmured under his breath. ¡°No matter how I look, he really does look like him, especially the eyes.¡±

    Before the mute could respond, Zorion turned around and left.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh assisted on the side as Rossie made apple pie from scratch. ¡°Make more and bring it to Deanna. I¡¯m sure she would like it.¡± Raeleigh said.

    Rossie lowered her head. ¡°Deanna means no harm, but what she says is not without reason. Raeleigh¡­ I also think that there is something wrong with that mute.¡±

    It was only after Rossie heard what Deanna said that she realized that something wasn¡¯t right.

    Raeleigh looked up at Rossie, ¡°But I believe in him.¡±

    Rossie onlyughed. ¡°If you think he¡¯s a good person, then he¡¯s a good person!¡±

 Chapter 1701 Draw A Snake Out of Its Cave

    The women baked their apple pies and ate some of it that afternoon. The two men clearly didn¡¯t like to eat it, but they didn¡¯t say a word and reluctantly had some.

    The rest were left for Deanna, lest she would say there wasn¡¯t enough to eat.

    After that, all of them headed over to Deanna¡¯s. On their way there, Raeleigh asked Rosie, ¡°Is it okay for you not to go to school?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m almost done with my semester. There¡¯s nothing else that I need to go there for.¡±

    Rossie¡¯s results were even better than Deanna¡¯s. After Deanna left school, she could secure her victory with one less strong contender.

    Therefore, she wasn¡¯t in a hurry to go back. Even if she was, she could not leave Raeleigh alone.

    Not to mention that she had caused some trouble.

    Both of the women chatted along the way and soon Marissa was brought up.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t know that there is such an old hag in the Richards family. She¡¯s like a shrew in the marketce. How did Jepherson grow up with Marissa by his side?¡±

    Rossie couldn¡¯t make heads or tails out of it.

    Raeleigh exined as she walked, ¡°You don¡¯t understand. Once a person has prejudice against another person, it¡¯s difficult to turn them away from it.¡±

    ¡°But still, she¡¯s gone too far. I¡¯ve never seen such an uneducated person.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s old.¡±

    ¡°You mean senile?¡±

    Raeleigh and Rossie went back and forth in their banter over the issue. Eventually, Raeleigh had to relent and keep quiet.

    They walked at a slow pace, hence they reached Deanna¡¯s ce at almost four in the afternoon.

    Deanna had asked someone in advance to wait outside and to tell her immediately when they saw Raeleigh.

    When Deanna came out to see her, she wasn¡¯t surprised, but she was pleasantly surprised to see the food they carried. She ate one on the spot and at the delicious taste, asked Rossie, ¡°Is it all for me?¡±

    ¡°All of them.¡±

    Deanna rushed to take the apple pie from their hands and passed it over to Jacky, ¡°We¡¯ll give Cedric and Heitor someter.¡±

    Jacky took the food inside and Raeleigh and the others were invited in to eat. Deanna had made eight dishes and brought out two bottles of red wine.

    But no one drank it, as if they don¡¯t like to drink.

    Throughout their meal, Deanna showed off all her handmade dishes as they ate and listened to her at the same time. Soon enough, their meal came to an end.

    After they ate their fill, all of them took their leave. As she watched Raeleigh¡¯s retreating back, with her arm hooked around the mute¡¯s own, Rossie said, ¡°Raeleigh actually just wants to live a peaceful life. After all, too many things had happened to her and she¡¯s so afraid to be together again with whoever she wants to be with.

    Though the mute is not like how you all are, but he won¡¯t force her into anything¡±

    ¡°Even so, I always feel that there is something wrong with him.¡±

    No matter how Deanna looked at it, he was still a questionable character. Rossie didn¡¯t answer and instead walked towards her residence.

    Although Deanna had a good personality, Rossie truly didn¡¯t want to hang around her too much.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh went to buy something on their way back. When she arrived at the store and found that the door wasn¡¯t closed for the night, Raeleigh bought some socks for the mute.

    They then went back down the street around the vige to their house and chatted as they walked. Although it was a one-sided conversation, with Raeleigh doing most of the talking while he listened.

    Raeleigh felt it was quite normal and it suited her just fine.

    Raeleigh called Xanthus through her phone and told him her current situation. She also added that she wanted to wait and would go back when there was a chance.

    Her ID and passport were being prepared by Jacky. After a period of time, even if Jepherson didn¡¯t give her back these two documents, she could still go back.

    After they returned to the fenced house, Raeleigh went to rest whereas the mute watched some television programs downstairs. At around 10 o¡¯clock, he knocked on her door and brought Raeleigh a ss of water. Then they both slept till dawn.

    Soon after daybreak, Deanna came to find Raeleigh again.

    As soon as they met, Deanna turned on the television and showed it to Raeleigh. She asked in confusion, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Look at the news, I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t seen it yet.¡±

    Raeleigh and the mute turned their eyes to the television. A news report was being broadcast that the police had caught some people who had shipped drugs at the border. Therefore, the border line had been requisitioned and a lot of relevant personnel had been apprehended. At present, many people had already been reced to fortify the area.

    Raeleigh slowly sat down and watched the news. ¡°Why is this being shown on TV? Even if it¡¯s news, it can¡¯t have caused such a huge sensation as well. When you judge it on a long term basis, the government has no reason to cause panic for the public.¡±

    The mute stood to one side with a faint frown on his face.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Deanna then turned to ask Jacky, ¡°Jack, is this your doing?¡±

    ¡°Although I¡¯m already the mayor, I haven¡¯t officially taken over yet. Hence, I don¡¯t have the authority to do so.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Deanna continued watching the television and mused, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but this matter has shocked the entire Capital City.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Jepherson.¡± Raeleigh was very sure about it.

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    Deanna was filled with shock. ¡°You contacted Jepherson?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Jepherson wanted to cause panic in the city, and then dere that Flynt was the drug dealer. In a city this big, even if there is no drug trafficking, the erotica market is sure to have arge clientele.

    Capital City is too prosperous. Various teachings and culture can be found here in the city. It¡¯s impossible for there not to be drugs.

    But it¡¯s not obviously disyed. Everyone pretends to turn a blind eye to it. You have money and I have the goods, I can even create a thriving scene. There¡¯s nothing bad about it.

    The problem is that most ordinary civilians have never touched drugs and they don¡¯t know that drugs are located at the border.

    In most people¡¯s minds, drugs are a remote matter and they have nothing to worry about.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.

    Even those who often used it, felt that it isn¡¯t a problem as it happens from time to time.

    But if it is found that someone has been guarding a ce where drugs are being nted, even if you don¡¯t eat or use it, the chemicalpounds in the drugs will spread through the air.

    This would then make them fear that the air quality might be contaminated.

    Research has proven that whether it be men or women, people who often nted drugs and are in frequent contact with them will have deformed offsprings.

    And nothing is more terrifying than affecting the next generation.

    In this way, the people here will create panic. Once that happens, the higher-ups will retaliate aggressively and they will not hesitate to investigate the drug traffickers.

    Now, if someone knows that these drugs were nted by Flynt, then even if he has thousands of mouths, he won¡¯t be able to exin this away and will be cornered into a dead end.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not right. With such a major movement, even if it¡¯s as you said, won¡¯t Flynt have an inkling already as to what is going on?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Deanna¡¯s curious face and nced at Jacky. ¡°In fact, this is what Jepherson is capable of. He now wants to make Flynt panic. The moment he does, he will be at a loss on what¡¯s the next step to take.

    In fact, as long as he doesn¡¯t make a move, he won¡¯t get into trouble. If he keeps himself scarce with his head in the sand, no one will be able to get one over him. The police have no evidence, and he will be safe. It¡¯s just that Flynt may act shrewd and capable, he is actually a timid and overcautious person.

    Once this incident stirs up panic in the Capital City, he will be unable to restrain himself.

    This is Jepherson¡¯s trick to draw the snake out of its cave. However this snake is unaware of it all and what follows is the moment when they will truly strike.

    By the time he realizes it, I¡¯m afraid it will already be toote.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Deanna was filled with admiration. ¡°You¡¯re amazing!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that amazing, I¡¯m just stating things as it is.¡±

    Jacky remarked, ¡°If you and Jepherson were to fight each other as enemies, he will surely die.¡±

    The mute looked at Jacky as well as Deanna who hurriedly inquired, ¡°Why? I think Jepherson is pretty powerful himself!¡±

    ¡°Even heroes fall before beauties. Jepherson won¡¯t be able to get past Raeleigh.¡±

    Deanna blinked inprehension. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    Raeleigh interjected at this point, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not like that. The one who won¡¯t get past is me, not him .¡±

 Chapter 1702 How Did He Know?

    At the Moore Family.

    ¡°Still no news?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Flynt¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What does this mean?¡±

    ¡°They refuse to say. Our people have been suspended one after another for the past two days. They probably received some inside information.¡±

    ¡°Where is Jacky?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s at Waverly Vige, where Raeleigh is.¡±

    Flynt¡¯s hands clenched into fists. ¡°Jepherson, if you want to provoke me, it won¡¯t be that easy.

    Announce immediately that our Moore family will suppress these people and punish them severely. No matter who they are, if they dare to sell drugs, they will not be tolerated.¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯re looking into us as well, what should we do?¡±

    ¡°Even if they found something, there¡¯s no issue. Just find these two people and bring their child here.¡±

    Flynt put a photo onto the table. The other individual looked down, picked up the photo, then put it away and turned to start his search.

    Two dayster.

    Raeleigh had just gotten up when the mute knocked on her door. When she came downstairs, he was looking out the window while two people sat in the living room. The moment they saw Raeleigh, they both stood up simultaneously.

    ¡°You are the only one who can help us this time.¡± Louisa said in desperation when Raeleigh came into view.

    Tears rolled down her face while she spoke.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Raeleigh asked as she rushed towards her. Louisa grasped onto Raeleigh¡¯s hands and went down on her knees. Raeleigh quickly held her up before they could touch the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t be like this. Just say what you want to say.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ I know you didn¡¯t really have amnesia. We didn¡¯t want to disturb you at first, but we can¡¯t think of another way. Can you please save Essie?¡±

    ¡°Essie?¡±

    Raeleigh felt a little baffled.

    ¡°She¡¯s our daughter and Flynt kidnapped her. She¡¯s still so young. What should we do?¡±

    Louisa cried so hard, she¡¯s seconds away from fainting. ¡°It¡¯s been two days. They¡¯ve sent over our child¡¯s pinkie finger and I almost died from seeing it. If I had a solution, I wouldn¡¯t havee to you. I beg you, Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Then what can I do?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Louisa and felt troubled.

    Flynt had done terrible things for sure, but tomit something so utterly offensive to heaven and reason, at this rate, his demise wouldn¡¯t be too far away.

    ¡°Flynt told us that as long as Jepherson could let this matter go, he would let the child go, but¡­¡± Louisa sobbed.

    ¡°But what?¡±

    ¡°But he wants us to take the me.¡±

    ¡°He wants you to be the scapegoat?¡±

    Raeleigh loosened her hold and sat down. Louisa turned to her, ¡°Raeleigh, for the sake of our past rtionship, please help me. I can¡¯t live without Essie.¡±

    Raeleigh sat there in thought. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help you. But if I go to find Jepherson¡­¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her head to look at her hands. What should she do?

    ¡°But ¡­¡±

    Louisa shuffled up to Raeleigh who pondered for a little while more before she decided, ¡°I will go find Flynt.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up but the mute was already in front of her. Raeleigh lifted her head and said reassuringly, ¡°I will be fine.¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°Just trust me on this.¡± she pleaded.

    He shook his head again. Raeleigh had no choice but to sit back down.

    Louisa stood to one side, her face swollen from crying. Colston spoke up then, ¡°If you can help save the child, we¡¯re willing to listen to anything you say.¡±

    Raeleigh looked his way. ¡°I¡¯m not that kind of person, but I can¡¯t see Jepherson. He and I have already broken up.¡±

    Raeleigh furrowed her brows deeply. After a long time, she asked the mute, ¡°Are you afraid that something will happen to me?¡±

    He nodded his head and Raeleigh exined, ¡°Flynt won¡¯t let me die. He will use me to threaten Jepherson, but if I could just get the child out, it will be fine.¡±

    He shook his head frantically. ¡°Then help me get my phone from upstairs. I¡¯ll wait for you. We¡¯ll go and find Jacky together.¡± she tried.

    The mute stood in front of her and refused to budge.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it then.¡± she eventually said in resignation.

    Raeleigh got up and went upstairs to get her phone. Once there, she made a call.

    He had followed her upstairs and sheughed, ¡°Are you afraid that I will run away?¡±

    He stared at Raeleigh emotionlessly. Raeleigh sat on the windowsill as she waited for the call to connect

    It took a long time before the call got through and someone answered the phone. Raeleigh said, ¡°Please help me, in order to find someone to act as a scapegoat, Flynt has kidnapped Colston¡¯s child. Can you think of ways to help me rescue that child?¡±

    The mute entered the room and sat down across from her. Raeleigh tilted her body sideways towards him. He pulled on her once and she moved the phone away from her mouth, ¡°I know.¡±

    After she hung up, Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if I don¡¯t go, the child will be safe. Help me tell Louisa and Colston that their child will be returned to them within two days.¡±

    He gazed at Raeleigh and did not leave immediately.

    Raeleigh waited for quite some time but still the mute did not move from his seat. In the end, she had to get up herself and tell Louisa and Colston the news about their child.

    Louisa had quieted down considerably at this time and regained herposure.

    When she heard what Raeleigh had said, she rubbed her eyes and looked at her in gratefulness. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re the ones who got you involved. If it weren¡¯t for us, they wouldn¡¯t have found you.¡± Raeleigh poured some water for Louisa and put it in front of her. Colston was very grim, as if he didn¡¯t know how to continue to face this matter.

    Louisa replied monotonously, ¡°Flynt has been looking for us for two days. We¡¯ve turned this issue around with our own strengths but our child is still kept away from us. With Flynt¡¯s threat looming over us, if we don¡¯t calm the situation down, he will throw our child into the sea. We have no other choice. Just that morning, we received a pinkie finger from him.

    Essie¡¯s little pinkie¡­¡±

    Louisa covered her face with her hands and burst out into tears.

    Raeleigh pushed the water towards her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The child will be fine. He has never failed.¡±

    Raeleigh believed that Austin would definitely be able to save Essie.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    When the mute came downstairs, Raeleigh raised her head and nced at his poorplexion.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you hungry since you didn¡¯t eat anything?¡±

    Without a single response from him, Raeleigh really thought that he was hungry. She went into the kitchen to cook some noodles for him, together with Colston¡¯s and Louisa¡¯s portion as well.

    Raeleigh then brought out the bowls of noodles one by one. However, only Louisa and Colston were in the living room. Puzzled by this, Raeleigh asked them, ¡°Where is the mute?¡±

    Colston stood up from his seat and told her, ¡°He left when you were in the kitchen. He must have gone to look for Jacky.¡±

    Raeleigh immediately called Jacky but he said that he saw no sign of him.

    ¡°Maybe he hasn¡¯t arrived yet. He just went out.¡±

    Raeleigh went out of the house and looked for him outside. But he was nowhere to be found. Instead, when she went to the entrance of the vige, she saw Jepherson getting out of the car.

    When he saw Raeleigh, he quickly said, ¡°I need to go back for a bit. Something came up.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing. She just waited for Jepherson to leave far out of her sight, before she turned to go back.

    Coincidentally, she bumped into her neighbour who, upon seeing her, said, ¡°Raeleigh, I saw the mute. He told me that his brother came back today and he went out to pick him up.¡±

    ¡°At the station?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    The neighbour left soon after he passed the message. Raeleigh turned towards the vige¡¯s entrance with a contemtive look.

    How did he know that his brother would be back?

 Chapter 1703 Rescue

    Whalen family in the Capital City.

    ¡°Sir, someone from the government is at the door.¡±

    Rayan was watching over his two grandchildren when a servant came to tell him about their guests. Rayan raised his head and inquired, ¡°Someone from the government is here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and they¡¯re from the military.¡±

    The servant was also perplexed. This was the first time that the military woulde to their doorstep.

    ¡°What did they say?¡±

    ¡°They said they wanted to see you.¡±

    Rayan flicked a nce at the two children and then looked at his beloved wife. ¡°Take the children upstairs and don¡¯t let theme down.¡±

    ¡°What about you? What¡¯s going on? Is it because when you were outside, you¡­¡±

    Hannah got a little worried when she heard that it was the military.

    ¡°Go, don¡¯t let the children out.¡± Rayan reiterated. He was not worried about himself, but he was worried about the two children.

    In this world, no one could predict what would happen.

    Money was just a worldly possession, but children were their life¡¯s legacy.

    Rayan could give up everything around him, but his family was definitely not one of them.

    The two children were just as kind as he was, with a good head on their shoulders.

    No one was allowed to hurt a single hair on their heads.

    What were these people doing here at this time?

    The city was in chaos now. What did it have to do with Rayan?

    Hannah turned around and brought the two children upstairs with her. She looked back at her husband and said softly, ¡°Please be careful.¡±

    ¡°Go.¡±

    Rayan waited until his wife and two grandsons were upstairs before he stood up and headed towards the outer area of the vi.

    He saw a man outside the doorway with a military vehicle behind him. Another man stood by that vehicle with both hands behind his back, dressed in ck armed forces gear and sunsses on his face.

    Rayan paused in his steps when he noted their figures, ¡®Special forces?¡¯ he thought in bewilderment.

    When Rayan arrived at the door, he asked straight away, ¡°Who are you? Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°This is our identification card. We have something to discuss with you.¡±

    The person at the door took out a signed document and handed it over to Rayan. Rayan parsed through it and asked, ¡°What business do you have with me?¡±

    ¡°We are going to infiltrate the Moore family. We want a blueprint of their residence, which I believe you could help us with. We also need theyout of their surrounding area as well as the infrastructure¡¯s distribution maps.¡±

    Rayan was very smart and as he listened to the demands made by the person who had stood by the vehicle, he had already thought of something. ¡°What you need is not only these, but other items too. I, Rayan Whalen, promise to help you. You don¡¯t need to test me. Just say it, what do you want me to do?¡±

    The person in front of him took out a photo and showed it to Rayan. He lowered his head for a brief moment, then queried, ¡°This is the Moore family¡¯s child?¡±

    ¡°To be exact, it¡¯s Colston Moore¡¯s child.¡±

    This was answered by the other individual, while the individual in front of Rayan remained silent.

    ¡°Are you looking for this child?¡± Rayan probed.

    ¡°We need two hours to find them, and what we just mentioned must also be found. It¡¯s not a joke.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll ask someone to prepare those items for you. Please,e in.¡±

    Rayan ordered for the doors to be opened and invited the military personnel in. However, the people outside had no intention of entering.

    The man outside the door declined, ¡°We won¡¯t enter. We¡¯ll wait outside.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll prepare them right away. Give me a moment.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Rayan turned and went back inside to make some arrangements. Soon, Rayan had the blueprints and photos delivered plus an address was given to these people.

    ¡­

    It didn¡¯t take long for the Moore Family residence to be surrounded. However, they didn¡¯t stop the family members as they returned. At this time, any and all members of the family didn¡¯t want to go back and those that were able to leave were not allowed to return.

    It was impossible at this point in time, however, to think of returning.

    In another location in the city, a helicopternded on a high-rise building, where several people were waiting.

    Several special forces agents with guns in their hands quickly got off the helicopter and ran downstairs. It didn¡¯t take long for everyone to take their own positions.

    At that time, one person stepped down from the helicopter.

    Lenold followed along in his wake.

    Austin strode over towards the front part of the roof. When he stopped, Lenold handed a pair of high-powered binocrs to Austin.

    Austin looked through it and said, ¡°Prepare to attack by force. After the child is safely rescued, kill them all.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡­

    The sky started to drizzle. Lenold stood upright beside Austin, unmoved by the rain and wind that attacked them. However, they stood as still and sturdy asrge boulders, where neither men had budged from their positions.

    After the snipers were ready, Lenold received the report. He disclosed to Austin, ¡°Preparations are in order. The child is sleeping. It¡¯s confirmed that there are six people.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s begin.¡±

    As soon as Austin gave the word, the troops in the surrounding area began to take action. The snipers shot each person with one shot and they died on the spot.

    The door to the detention room was kicked open, and an agent immediately wrapped Essie up in a special bulletproof vest. With the child in their arms, they turned around and left as quickly as they came.

    The whole operationsted for an hour. After an hour was up, Austin turned back to the helicopter and flew straight to the Moore Family residence. Soon after theynded, he gave the signal to storm the ce.

    The troops swiftly raided the residence. Flynt, who was inside and unaware of what was going one, was scared witless when an army of agents suddenly swarmed in.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Flynt¡¯s face turned pale. There were so many people, and all of them were from the special forces. What was going on?

    Austin wore a pair of sunsses, hence his face couldn¡¯t clearly be seen, and took out an arrest warrant for Flynt.

    With no questions asked, he was apprehended just like that.

    ¡°Why are you arresting me? Why?¡± Flynt shouted out and in his panic, disregarded everything else.

    Austin only spared him a brief look before he turned on his heel and walked out. The rest of the Moore family were also given a terrible scare, but it was a good thing that no one else was apprehended.

    Jepherson had returned to Capital City and was about to find Flynt when he received a call from Zorion. He told him that Flynt had got into hot water and had already been taken away by the Interpol.

    Jepherson put down his phone and stared out of the car window. He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side.

    The driver looked at Jepherson. ¡°Are we still going back, Mr. Richards?¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯re not. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡­

    When Raeleigh saw the mute, he was at the entrance with a letter in hand. Raeleigh asked in confusion, ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to see your brother? He didn¡¯te with you?¡±

    He shook his head and handed the letter to Raeleigh. She gave it a look, ¡°You went to retrieve a letter?¡±

    He did not answer. Then Raeleigh asked again, ¡°Do you know how to read it? Do you want me to have a look?¡±

    He still did not answer her, thus she did not help him in this regard.

    Later that evening, a military vehicle arrived outside of the vige. The person in the car got out with a child in their arms. Raeleigh received a call and came over with Colston and Louisa. At the sight of their child, it was as if a heavy weight had been lifted.

    Louisa immediately took the child into her embrace and crouched to the ground as she cried out her relief.

    Raeleigh looked towards Lenold who turned back to get back into the vehicle.

    The person inside the aforementioned vehicle took a nce outside and gave the order to leave.

 Chapter 1704 Canâ€™t Leave

    Raeleigh waited until the military had left, and then looked at the mute whose gaze was fixed on the vehicle that drove off.

    ¡°Take the child to the hospital first.¡±

    Colston heeded Raeleigh¡¯s advice and carried Essie towards the hospital at a run, Louisa hurried along behind him.

    Raeleigh followed after them at a much slower pace.

    Jacky had stood outside and watched. He was rather surprised when he didn¡¯t see Jepherson¡¯s car.

    After the doctor¡¯s examination, it was confirmed that the childcked a pinkie finger. Raeleigh also saw it with her own eyes. Nevertheless, the child should no longer be in pain. Flynt seemed afraid of the child¡¯s tears, hence had ordered someone in advance to deal with the injury, but that was it.

    The little child didn¡¯t cry throughout the ordeal, yet Colston and Louisa shed tears of sadness in her stead, especially Louisa who could cry at the drop of a hat.

    Raeleigh stood outside the ward. She didn¡¯t go in but just observed the scene in front of her. She didn¡¯t know what¡¯s the right thing to say even if she did go in, thus she refrained.

    Raeleigh¡¯s heart ached for Louisa¡¯s pain, suffused by that unspeakable, suffocating feeling as if she¡¯s submerged underwater. The child was only so young, yet had been treated so cruelly.

    If it weren¡¯t for them, or Flynt, Essie wouldn¡¯t be like this.

    Raeleigh turned and slumped down onto the chair, her whole being fell into a daze.

    The mute had stood to one side all this while. When he saw her sit down, he sat down too.

    Deanna and Rossie were both present as well, but they could tell that Raeleigh was in pretty low spirits right now, so neither of them spoke.

    Sometimes, even words of advice were not appropriate.

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes stared into space, a hand hung limply down her body. It wasn¡¯t until the cries in the ward tapered away did she react..All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.

    Meanwhile, Deanna bought some food for Raeleigh, but she wasn¡¯t in the mood to eat.

    ¡°Jacky, call Jepherson and ask about the current situation in Capital City.¡± Raeleigh felt that there was something strange about all this. Since the child had returned, Flynt should have made some moves.

    Jacky was about to make the call when Zorion spoke up, ¡°The top brass showed up. After the rescue, they took Flynt away. Right now, we have no idea of his whereabouts.

    The Moore family are dealing with this matter, but there is still no news.¡±

    Raeleigh peered at Zorion. She then took out her mobile phone, hesitated for a moment, before she called Austin.

    As she made the call, she stood up and walked away. Only when she was in an area devoid of people did she talk.

    Once she got to the bottom of things, Raeleigh came back.

    There was no exnation, neither did she say anything.

    But Raeleigh was inwardly surprised. She didn¡¯t expect Flynt to be brought to the Green House.

    Would he still be able to return from that kind of ce?

    However, this was just as well. Once he¡¯s in, there would be one less terrible person in Capital City.

    Raeleigh sat for half the night. The next morning, Louisa came out of the ward room, took Raeleigh¡¯s hands and expressed her gratitude.

    However, Raeleigh had nothing special in mind. She just said a few words in reply and left.

    When Raeleigh left, the mute followed after her immediately. Raeleigh said to him, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving as soon as I finish my business here. I will take you around Capital City for the next few days. Usually you just focused on earning money, you definitely didn¡¯t have the heart to go and explore.¡±

    He pulled on her hand. She looked down, eyes on that hand until she said, ¡°I can¡¯t stay here.¡±

    He slowly loosened his hold and stared intently at her.

    Raeleigh continued, ¡°I also don¡¯t know if there is something wrong with my brain recently. Everytime I see you, I keep thinking of another person. I really need to leave as soon as possible.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to leave, but the mute did not follow her to the elevator this time. Raeleigh spun back around and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t youing?¡±

    It was only at her query that he followed Raeleigh into the elevator and left. Deanna looked back and murmured, ¡°No matter how much I look, he looks just like Jepherson!¡±

    Everyone looked in the direction of Deanna¡¯s line of sight, but remained silent.

    Right after Raeleigh left the elevator, she went back to the house and rested for a day.

    The next morning, Raeleigh packed sufficient items, took some money and found a driver. Then, she and the mute strolled around the city for two days.

    These two days were the happiest days for Raeleigh since her return here. Although they did nothing much but gallivant over some ces, she was very content.

    After their round trip around Capital City, Raeleigh took him to take twomemorative photos, one for each of them.

    When the time of separation came, Raeleigh had properly settled all her affairs. She picked up the passport that Jacky had given her and left the vige alone with her injuries.

    Deanna and Jacky personally sent Raeleigh to the airport as they nned to leave the vige as well.

    When they arrived, Deanna looked high and low around the airport in slight confusion. ¡°I already told Jepherson. Why isn¡¯t he here?¡±

    Raeleigh looked around as well. ¡°You promised me.¡±

    ¡°I only implied it.¡±

    Deanna could still act so innocent, as if butter wouldn¡¯t melt in her mouth.

    Raeleigh was speechless in exasperation. ¡°And that doesn¡¯t mean you said it?¡±

    Deanna shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I said anything.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Now not only Raeleigh, but everyone else were at a loss for words.

    Raeleigh then said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving soon. I don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll next meet but I hope we can stay as lifelong friends.¡±

    Raeleigh was about to turn and leave when she heard Stuart¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Madam Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh paused, then turned back to fix her gaze on Stuart as he ran towards her. He rushed to her side and gasped, ¡°Madam Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh peered at Stuart in consternation ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Stuart then took out an invitation card, ¡°Lucy and I¡¯ve already decided the date of our wedding. We¡¯re doing it tomorrow and you promised to attend.¡±

    Raeleigh took the invitation and opened it. There was even a box of wedding favours.

    ¡°Sorry, I really can¡¯t stay this time.¡±

    Raeleigh held on to the card and said, ¡°I will keep the invitation. I will even eat the sweets, but I can¡¯t go back. Stuart¡­ my congrattions to you!¡±

    With that said, she swept a nce at the people who came to see her off before she spun around and headed for the boarding gate. The mute stood at the back all this while and it was only after Raeleigh had left did he turn to leave.

    Stuart twisted around as he looked at his retreating figure. He then nced at Jacky and the others before leaving the airport as well.

    Deanna immediately followed him out. The moment she stepped outside, she came upon Stuart who personally held the door open for the mute as he entered the car.

    Deanna was caught in a quandary.

    By the time Rossie and the rest came out, Jepherson¡¯s car had already driven off. Stuart twisted his body around in his seat while Jepherson took off the clothes on his body and tore off the thinyer of synthetic human skin on his face. He thenbed his hair back and brushed off some of the ck and white powder at the top.

    Stuart passed over another set of clothes to Jepherson and asked, ¡°Mr. Richards, why didn¡¯t you leave with Madam Raeleigh? Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to see her?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something that I need to confirm. I can¡¯t leave yet.¡±

    Although Stuart didn¡¯t understand what he meant, he didn¡¯t say anything further.

 Chapter 1705 Cut Off All Means of Retreat

    Jepherson¡¯s car arrived at the hotel. He got down from the car and went upstairs to take a bath. He then changed into another set of clothes. Soon after, someone had already rushed upstairs to trim his hair and nails.

    After he had cleaned himself up, Jepherson wore a grey outfit and went downstairs. He pulled open the car door and entered with a bent of his waist.

    Once inside, he ordered Stuart, ¡°Inform Jared, get ready to intercept Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°To protect, or to follow?¡±

    ¡°To protect at a close proximity, not even a single step away from her.¡±

    Jepherson gazed outside the window. He leaned against the side of the car interior with an expressionless look on his face.

    When the car passed the roundabout, Jepherson asked, ¡°Have you already made an appointment with the people from the Green House?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t manage to get it. Do we need to contact Lenold? He might have a way.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.

    The car quickly arrived at the Green House prison area. Jepherson got out of the car. Stuart immediately went and opened the trunk. He took out two boxes and handed them over to the people who hade up to them.

    Jepherson swiftly made his way to the lower level prison area and had Stuart knock on the door.

    Not long after, someone from inside inquired the reason for their presence from a small sliding panel. Stuart greeted them first, then told them that they¡¯re there to see the warden and to please notify him.

    The person inside flicked a nce at the people gathered outside, but did not answer and closed the small panel. There was no movement for a long time.

    The sky gradually grew dark. Stuart asked Jepherson, ¡°Are we really going to wait here forever?¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t a dog who has never gotten dirty once in their lifetime.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t move an inch as he stood outside.

    Being that it was thete autumn season, the weather was very chilly. Not only that, it was the Capital City¡¯s first snowfall. While Jepherson spoke, snow had floated gently down from the sky.

    Jepherson raised his head and looked at the snowkes as they danced in the air. The corner of his mouth twitched. ¡°Raeleigh should have arrived by now, right?¡±

    Stuart was momentarily stupefied before he said tentatively, ¡°Not yet?¡±

    Jepherson slid a look his way. ¡°Let¡¯s wait.¡±

    Stuart made a sound of agreement and beseeched, ¡°Mr. Richards, please go inside. I¡¯ll wait here.¡±

    ¡°No, let me see how long do they need to open this door.¡±

    Jepherson lifted his head up against the snow and stayed stock still.

    Around two o¡¯clock at night, as Stuart swept the snow away from Jepherson¡¯s body, the door to the prison opened.

    A handsome young man in his thirties walked out of the door.

    He saw Jepherson who had leaned sideways against the wall and invited him in.

    Jepherson threw a nce Stuart¡¯s way, who then proceeded to personally carry the two boxes inside as he followed Jepherson.

    The metal door closed behind them. With the guidance of the people who had weed them in the dark of the night, they were led inside another door and into the prison¡¯s reception room.

    A figure was already inside. The moment Jepherson came into view, he began to size him up. ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    Jepherson strode over to the other side and stopped. Another nce and Stuart put the two boxes on the table and opened them.

    Although the light was dim, there were clearly two boxes filled with money.

    The other individual in the room nced at it and remained silent.

    After being tested twice by Jepherson, Stuart took out his knife and cut the inner linings of the box. The diamonds inside shone even brighter under the dim lighting.

    The warden, who sat across from them, reached out and took one. He looked at it carefully, then put down the diamond and simply said, ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards wants to meet Flynt Moore to confirm if it¡¯s actually him.¡± Stuart disclosed.

    The warden agreed to the request. ¡°Come with me.¡±

    The warden got up and headed towards the door as the rest followed behind him. They trekked along a long pathway. The snow kept falling, but it didn¡¯t hinder Jepherson¡¯s search for Flynt.

    When they arrived at the prisoner¡¯s lounge area, the warden ordered someone to bring Flynt out. Jepherson stood in a corner where he knew would be his blind spot and observed until he had confirmed that the person that was brought out was truly Flynt.

    ¡°Let him go.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s voice was very cid, which even surprised Stuart.

    However, the warden did not ask for his reason. He just heeded his order and let the person.

    Once Flynt had left, Jepherson then said, ¡°There¡¯s a prisoner called Flynt who escaped from prison. He resisted arrest during the scuffle and was killed on the spot.¡±

    The warden paused slightly. ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything about this earlier.¡±

    Jepherson turned to stare at the warden. ¡°You didn¡¯t ask.¡±

    ¡­

    In the end, the warden finally agreed to Jepherson¡¯s request.

    Jepherson walked to the prison¡¯s observation tower and stopped at the top. He looked down at Flynt who had just left.

    Flynt walked out of the door and looked back. Although he knew there was something odd about this whole thing, he didn¡¯t want to stay in prison either. He could neither eat well or dress warmly inside.

    Flynt immediately trudged forward through the wind and the snow. He didn¡¯t realise that people hade out of the shadows in the surrounding area.

    Suddenly, the prison rm red loudly through the night.

    Flynt picked up the pace when he heard the rm, but after a few steps he noticed that something wasn¡¯t right. He turned around and lifted one of his hands immediately. He knew that surrender was his best choice.

    Only in this way could he survive.

    However, Flynt didn¡¯t expect that when he turned around, all the guns were aimed at him. Before he could react, his body had been shot full of holes like a hos nest.

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze was cid throughout whereas Stuart raised his hand to wipe his eyes. ¡°Mr. Richards, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Jepherson cast a nce at him, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    After they left the prison, Jepherson was headed in the direction of his car when the warden called out, ¡°Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson stopped, but did not turn around.

    ¡°I hope we never see each other again,¡± the warden intoned solemnly.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t say a word and continued to stride forward. Stuart looked back at the warden before he walked off towards the car. He then opened the door and let Jepherson in.

    After Jepherson had left, the warden immediately ordered some people to clean up the scene and proceeded to seek out one other person.

    Austin stood on the watchtower dressed in a prisoner¡¯s uniform. When the warden arrived, Austin twisted his body around to look at him with his hands sped behind his back.

    The warden¡¯s posture changed and he now walked like a soldier. He stood at full attention and stated, ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Austin¡¯s voice still held its usual calm and indifferent tone.

    ¡°Why ept such a thing?¡±

    ¡°In order to avoid some troubles, do you think that Jepherson is aneasyperson to contend with?¡± Austin asked his subordinate.

    ¡°He¡¯s still just a wealthy businessman in the end. He doesn¡¯t have any connections and only has money to his name.¡±

    ¡°Since he could make such a request, he came with nothing to fear. He knows too much about the Green House. If we don¡¯t cooperate, he will cut off all means of retreat.¡±

    ¡°Flynt is from the Moore family, isn¡¯t he worried?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about? If the trees fall, the monkeys will fall too. If the walls fall, everyone will push against them. It¡¯s the best time for him to do so, what¡¯s more he even forced us to follow ording to his wishes.¡±

    ¡°Then should we go in for a penny, in for a pound and deal with Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°Killing him won¡¯t solve any of my problems. He came here this time to test the waters as well as negotiate. If we don¡¯t agree, he has a way to make us agree and Green House cannot be exposed.

    Our agreement is exactly what he wants. If we don¡¯t cooperate in the future, he wille and threaten us.¡±

    ¡°Then why agree at all?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say that before? He knows too many things. If we don¡¯t cooperate with him, he will reveal everything about the Green House.¡±

    ¡°We can¡­¡±

    ¡°Since he dared toe here, he wasn¡¯t worried about not being able to go back. In other words, he already came fully prepared.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 1706 Keep Away From Me

    The sky had already grown dark as Austin turned and went down the watchtower, escorted by the people behind him back into the prison.

    ¡­

    When Jepherson arrived at the hotel¡¯s entrance, he opened his eyes and got out of the car. He then looked at Stuart and said, ¡°Today is your wedding day. I will attend the ceremony and leaveter that afternoon. You have to take care of things here the day after your marriage.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Jepherson turned to head in while Stuart made preparations for his big day.

    Raeleigh disembarked from the ne. No sooner had she walked out the airne¡¯s door, she caught sight of Jared who had stood in wait at the airport. Raeleigh paused then scanned the surrounding area. Jared was dressed in ck outfit over a light-colored shirt. The moment he saw Raeleigh, he took his hands out of his pockets and strode over towards her.

    Then when he was in front of her, he bent down and took the luggage from her hand.

    ¡°Why are you here? Weren¡¯t you on your way back?¡± Raeleigh asked in surprise.

    ¡°I was ordered to stick close to you and protect you. I don¡¯t know anything else so stop asking. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Jared turned around with Raeleigh¡¯s purse in his hand, hence she had no choice but to follow.

    After they left the airport, Raeleigh sat in Jared¡¯s car as he drove her to the manor.

    ¡°I will give Jepherson a call. You can go back now, I¡¯m good here.¡±

    On the way, Raeleigh tried to persuade Jared to leave. Jared only spared her a look and said, ¡°That¡¯s your business. It goes without saying that I will leave once you and Jepherson talked things out. There¡¯s no need to ask me then.¡±

    Raeleigh was dumbstruck. She lowered her head down to her hand. Jared asked when he saw the focus of her gaze, ¡°You were injured?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±

    Since their talk had turned sour, it was better not to say anything further.

    Jaredughed. ¡°Is this how you are as a woman? No wonder you¡¯re injured.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. She had nothing more to say to such a person.

    When they arrived at their destination, Raeleigh got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Xanthus, who was just about to head out, was surprised to see her and stepped out.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°Brother.¡±

    Raeleigh had not notified him of her return as she was afraid that she would be met with mishap on her way back. Therefore, she had nned to return this way but she still couldn¡¯t avoid this twist of fate.

    For example, Jared.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me when you came back?¡± Xanthus berated her as he came out. Raeleigh cast a nce in Jared¡¯s direction, and it was only then Xanthus noticed his presence.

    But something wasn¡¯t right with the gaze he fixed on Jared and he did not say anything for a long while. When Raeleigh went into the manor, Jared¡¯s way was impeded by Xanthus. Raeleigh turned back after a few steps and watched the mini war going on behind her.

    ¡°Give me the luggage.¡± Xanthus said with obvious belligerence towards Jared .

    ¡°I am not here to see Cynthia. I am here to protect Raeleigh. Don¡¯t think I am¡­¡±

    Xanthus did not wait for the rest of his words to snap his hand out and make a grab for her luggage. Raeleigh understood somewhat of what was going on and walked back towards Jared. With a turn of her body, she asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you are saying all this to make things embarrassing for my brother?¡±

    Raeleigh was not a fool. She knew clearly what Jared had tried to imply with his words to indicate what happened between him and Cynthia.

    Raeleigh¡¯s dainty face went taut. No one was allowed to harass her family.

    Jared made to exin, ¡°Cynthia liked me of her own volition, not¡­¡±

    Raeleigh turned away before he could finish. She walked a few steps forward only to turn back again and pulled Xanthus along with her, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Xanthus pulled her to a stop.

    Raeleigh looked back at him who, contrary to what she expected, said, ¡°Even when I had lost in love, it was not because I lost to someone else, but myself.

    If I had truly loved her, I should have given her a chance to choose.

    I just dislike this person in front of me. He still took away the woman that should have belonged to me after all.¡±

    Raeleigh felt a little distressed, but she respected Xanthus¡¯ decision. ¡°My brother is so cool, even so gant.¡±

    Xanthus then looked down and saw Raeleigh¡¯s injured hand. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and we¡¯ll talk.¡±

    Raeleigh flicked a look at Jared. She marched up to him and took back her luggage. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m safe here at home. If you really want to protect me, you can protect me from here. Don¡¯te in, lest I get upset when I see you.¡±

    After Raeleigh had said her piece, she wheeled round with her luggage and passed it over to Xanthus. They entered the manor together, then a group of people swarmed out from inside and with a shut of the metal door, barricading Jared outside.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh was injured. Xanthus immediately put away his displeasure stirred up by Jared¡¯s presence and interrogated Raeleigh for details on what had happened to her hand.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t withhold anything but truthfully told Xanthus everything. After all, Xanthus was an expert in this field. It would be good for her if she told him the truth.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you are too careless. I will do an examination for you now.¡±

    After he had heard the whole story from her, Xanthus put on the coat he had just taken off earlier and brought Raeleigh out of the manor without even the chance to pay respects to Novalie.

    With Raeleigh inside the car, Xanthus had no room to think of anything else. Even if he encountered Jared on his way out, he would ignore him like so much air.

    Xanthus took Raeleigh to the hospital and immediately gathered the staff to do a CT scan for her.

    After he got her X-ray, Xanthus¡¯s face turned grim. More than a dozen people were present as Xanthus¡¯s eyes were fixed on the image interface.

    Although they spoke to each other in a foreignnguage, Raeleigh still knew what they had said. It was just that even though the operation was sessful, it couldn¡¯t return her to her original condition. In terms of the bone recovery process, Raeleigh¡¯s current predicament wasn¡¯t optimistic.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it again.¡± Xanthus¡¯s proposal shocked everyone.

    Raeleigh sat aside and stared at Xanthus. Then she took a look at her hand. No one could understand her anxiety at that moment.

    If she could not use her hand for three years, it meant that she had to give up her design career.

    If she had to go through another operation, she might be faced with agonising pain much more severe than before. At that moment, she couldn¡¯t decide what she wanted more.

    But at Xanthus¡¯s determined look, Raeleigh could say nothing in objection.

    ¡°If we redo the operation, not only does the patient have to bear with a lot of pain, we also need to make sufficient preparations before the operation can be conducted.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll be the main surgeon. I¡¯ll call Jack from the Orthopedic department. I¡¯ll also ask someone else to do the cosmetic surgery. I¡¯m sorry to trouble you all at this time with this. Please do your best. My sister is a designer. She told me that my students had told her that she can¡¯t useleft hand for three years. We all know that this kind of fracture is too serious and has a detrimental impact on patients. But I hope that I can save her hand. After three years, she can use it flexibly instead of struggling through that long span of time with a lifetime of waiting in front of her.¡±

    Xanthus bowed deeply towards them and straightened up to look back at his fellow doctors.

    Raeleigh sat to the side as all this was going on and swallowed the hard lump in her throat.

    If it was possible, it would be much better to keep away from each other for the rest of her life than to be met with one mishap after another, making her brother worried about her.

 Chapter 1707 Invite a Wolf Into The House

    The date for Raeleigh¡¯s second operation was soon set. Xanthus was so busy he didn¡¯t even lift his head, while Raeleigh followed Xanthus around every day as he would perform all kinds of examinations in preparation for the surgery.

    As part of that preparation, Raeleigh would jog with Xanthus every morning. And every time they had their morning jog, Jared would follow after them. Soon, Raeleigh subsequently felt curious about Cynthia.

    ¡°Is Cynthia not around now?¡±

    Raeleigh asked this in a cautious tone. Xanthus replied, ¡°She said that she likes Jared and that the bond between us can only be that of friendship. I¡¯m in pain, but I¡¯ll survive.

    Love is like this. Only when you feel pain, will you understand what love is.¡±

    Xanthus jogged ahead, while Raeleigh kept pace behind him.

    Since Xanthus was unwilling to continue the topic, Raeleigh did not ask any further.

    The next day, Raeleigh went to Xanthus¡¯s hospital and was at the entrance when she received a call from Jepherson. He told her that he had arrived at the airport.

    Raeleigh hung up the phone. Xanthus came out just then from the elevator in a hospital coat. He waved her over when he caught sight of her.

    Raeleigh briefly hesitated before she went up to Xanthus.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Yourplexion doesn¡¯t look right.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s here.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know what else to say. In her opinion, every single time Jepherson showed up, it was akin to an oing disaster that would make the whole world copse in a blink of an eye.

    It was only a hand now. Would it be a foot the next time?

    She had finally managed to spend her days at ease like a normal person, only for the good days toe to an end again.

    Xanthus stroked Raeleigh¡¯s head. ¡°Him being here is his own business. We will live our own lives regardless.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    When she came back from the hospital, Raeleigh saw a vehicle parked outside their front gates. The car evidently belonged to the Richards family, which was a first for Raeleigh to see it in person. She also spared a moment to feel baffled.

    Was it possible that Jepherson had the car flown over?

    Jepherson¡¯s car was lengthy in size. When it was parked right in front of their gates, there¡¯s no hope for any other car to enter.

    As their car rolled to a stop, Raeleigh got down together with Xanthus.

    The two siblings left their car outside and made to enter.

    Jepherson had also got down from his own car and looked in Raeleigh¡¯s direction. He saw when she paused in her step at the sight of him and he proceeded to head to her direction.

    Raeleigh had reached the gates when Jepherson blocked her entry.

    With his eyes fixed on her, his icy countenance changed slightly and the corners of his mouth twitched, ¡°Is your hand much better now?¡±

    Raeleigh lifted her head to look up at him, ¡°Much better.¡±

    She was about to get around him after she said those two words, but Jepherson shifted his foot and blocked her way again. Raeleigh lifted her head once more and demanded. ¡°What on earth are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I want my daughter. All you need to do is give her to me and I¡¯ll leave right away.¡±

    ¡°What is he talking about?¡± Xanthus lowered his head and asked Raeleigh. ¡°He said that my stillborn child is a girl, and she was his.¡± she replied

    ¡°Is he joking around?¡±

    Xanthus looked up at Jepherson¡¯s resolute expression. ¡°Whether I¡¯m joking or not is evidently clear. I want my daughter.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have her. How can I give someone I don¡¯t have?¡±

    Raeleigh was unhappy and tried to leave once more. Jepherson grabbed her wrist, unwilling to let her go. She swung her wrist out of his grip as Xanthus shoved Jepherson away. With the sibling¡¯sbined power, they were able to break Jepherson¡¯s hold on Raeleigh.

    Jared, who had been privy to the drama going on at present, thought that this was the family¡¯s business and it wasn¡¯t good for him to intervene.

    Jepherson wasn¡¯t angry, but said, ¡°If you don¡¯t give her to me, I will investigate and take her away when I find her. At that time, I will never let you see each other again.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°Then search to your heart¡¯s content.¡±

    With that said, Raeleigh went back to the manor, but Xanthus stopped at Jepherson¡¯s side.

    ¡°Jepherson¡­ Raeleigh needs peace and quiet. Although I¡¯m not too clear on what is going on, this has something to do with you, right?¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s words made Jepherson¡¯s face sink. ¡°There is a misunderstanding between Raeleigh and I. I want her toe back.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re toote.¡±

    Xanthus gave him a careless nce before he turned for the manor and shut the door behind him.

    Jepherson stood there for a while. He then returned to the car,id down on the seat and closed his eyes as he gotfortable. He would not leave.

    Raeleigh stood inside the manor, her gaze fixed in his direction. She didn¡¯t know how long she had stood there and stared. It wasn¡¯t until she felt weary did she go to take a rest.

    When Raeleigh woke up the next morning, Jepherson¡¯s car wasn¡¯t there any longer and only Jared was left behind.

    Raeleigh did not step out until that afternoon. When she saw Jared, she asked, ¡°Where is Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°Something happened back home and he had to return.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile as if a heavy burden had been relieved from her shoulders. He had finally left.

    ¡°You are that eager to see him go?¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jared blocked the entrance as he asked her. Xanthus hadn¡¯t arrived with his car yet when she spoke that one sentence. She didn¡¯t expect Jared would be so protective of his superior as toe to his defense.

    ¡°Keep your nose out of my business, and I¡¯ll keep mine out of yours.¡±

    Raeleigh then got into the car that had just arrived in the nick of time and went to the hospital with Xanthus at the wheel. As they drove down the road, Raeleigh suddenly stiffened in shock before she returned to herself and hurriedly patted the dashboard for Xanthus to stop the car.

    Once Xanthus pulled over, Raeleigh got out of the car immediately and ran in someone¡¯s direction.

    She grabbed onto the man¡¯s sleeve and skidded to a halt at his side. When that man turned around, Raeleigh stood stock still then breathed out, ¡°It really is you.¡±

    The mute wore a shabby, but clean getup. He had his hair cut and looked livelier than before even as he stood in front of Raeleigh like a fool.

    Raeleigh asked him, ¡°How did you get here?¡±

    Callis handed a piece of paper to her. Written on it was just a single sentence which simply read, ¡°I¡¯m here for you.¡±

    ¡°You came here by yourself? Jacky and the others didn¡¯te to see you off?¡±

    He didn¡¯t respond which prompted her next question, ¡°They don¡¯t know?¡±

    He remained unresponsive. Raeleigh then asked anxiously, ¡°How did you get your passport?¡±

    Callis then took out a notebook, in which a wonkey sentence was written, ¡°I smuggled my way in.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s expression instantly turned nervous. She looked around and walked towards Xanthus¡¯s car as she pulled the mute along with her without a hitch in her step.

    Xanthus stood by the car and felt bemused. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the mute?¡±

    ¡°He sneaked in.¡± Raeleigh pushed the mute into the car and closed the door after her, all while she spoke to her brother. Xanthus twisted around to look at his passengers as they studied their surroundings. ¡°Don¡¯t be so jumpy, no one will know.¡±

    They did not continue their trip to the hospital. Instead, Xanthus drove the car back around and brought the mute to their manor.

    Before they could enter, they were stopped by Jared who wanted the mute to get down from the car.

    Raeleigh stretched her neck out of the window and called out, ¡°Do you even need to mind my guest?¡±

    ¡°I just want to check. Let hime out.¡±

    ¡°Get out of the way now, or I¡¯ll call the police.¡±

    Raeleigh took Jared¡¯s hand off the window. Jared wanted to interject but was nearly run over by Xanthus who had started the car just then and drove past the gates into the manor.

    The mute was somewhat unustomed to his surroundings and stood unmoving in the house lobby .

    Raeleigh had then specially arranged a room upstairs for him, but he took the broken room downstairs instead.

    ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± Raeleigh stood at the door, still somewhat surprised by his appearance but didn¡¯t find it annoying at all.

    She joked around with him still as he sat on the single bed. His eyes were cid yet they seemed to suppress something hidden within as they gazed at Raeleigh in silence.

 Chapter 1708 Kiss Her

    Even with the sudden addition to the house, Raeleigh had never felt unustomed to it. She was worried that the mute would sneak about the house and be discovered. Aside from that, Raeleigh called Jacky and asked him to prepare a passport for him.

    Then for the next few days, Raeleigh took the mute for a tour around the manor.

    She told him that her parents did not like for there to be too many people, hence when she had the time, she would take him to the garden at the back of the manor.

    As a result, during an evening when he had wandered into the back garden by himself, someone had caught sight of him.

    When Raeleigh heard about it, she had inquired into his reason for being there, but he didn¡¯t answer her.

    ¡°This ce is too big. If you solely rely on your own two feet to get around, you may not be able to reach from one end to the other even within half a month. If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯ll be best for you to do something to upy yourself.¡±

    Raeleigh just gave this as a suggestion, but the mute nodded in agreement.

    The next day, Raeleigh found a management job for Callis in the manor. He could not speak, thus she asked him to manage some of the tools they had. His task everyday was to record and make an inventory for them.

    The mute was willing to do it. Initially, his handwriting was like chicken scratch but Raeleigh took a hands-on approach and taught him how to write.

    The mute¡¯s adaptability was very strong. It didn¡¯t take long for him to fully get used to life in the manor.

    And before they knew it, the day of Raeleigh¡¯s second operation had arrived.

    Before she left, Raeleigh reassured him as to not worry about her and that she would be back soon, yet he insisted on going.

    He pulled on her sleeve with a pleading look in his eyes.

    Raeleigh sighed, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll be back tonight.¡±

    The mute shook his head and tugged on Raeleigh¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Then if you¡¯re going with me, don¡¯t wander off. I¡¯m worried that no one can take care of you during my operation, plus this ce isn¡¯t safe.¡±

    The mute nodded. He was very cooperative this time.

    As he was so determined, Raeleigh had to take him to the hospital with her.

    Once there, she received an examination while Xanthus arranged for someone to watch over the mute.

    He waited for Raeleigh outside the operation room. During this period of time, Jared came, sat beside him and spoke a few words.

    As the people around the area were foreigners, no one could understand what was said.

    They just felt that as they were both from the same country so they had something inmon to talk about.

    The operationsted for six hours. When Raeleigh was finally wheeled out, the mute stood up immediately and rushed towards the operating room door. At the moment, Raeleigh was in aatose state as part of Raeleigh¡¯s surgery involved her nerves. If they didn¡¯t put her under with general anesthesia, it would put a damper to her recovery.

    When he saw the state she¡¯s in, he immediately looked for the doctor. One of the doctors told him, ¡°Dr. Osteen is resting inside. You may go in to see him.¡±

    He turned his head to look at Jared who quickly went in to check on Xanthus.

    When the doctor noticed that he was still there, they then said, ¡°The operation is very sessful. Don¡¯t worry, after three years she will regain full mobility of her hand.¡±

    Although the other party had spoken in a foreignnguage, the mute was proficient in manynguages of many different countries, it was impossible for him not to understand.

    The mute frowned and tilted his head down to watch Raeleigh who had fallen asleep. He then lowered his head and kissed her on the lips.

    The doctor didn¡¯t find this strange. Since he was allowed to be here, he must be someone really intimate.

    It was just that the way he was dressed was somewhat differentpared to Xanthus¡¯s and Raeleigh¡¯s own style, which always gave a sense of disharmony in some aspects.

    The doctor pushed Raeleigh to the ward and the mute immediately followed them inside. When he arrived, Raeleigh had woken up. At her first nce at him, in her befuddled state, she thought she saw Jepherson in some parts of him.

    The effect of anesthetics had yet to fully abate, therefore Raeleigh could only blink her eyes. The mute called for the doctor, who then came in together with a specialized attendant to take care of Raeleigh¡¯s post-operation.

    While the doctor examined her, the mute fixed his eyes on Raeleigh. She could feel for herself that she had no strength in her body. When the doctor moved her, she was like a pile of soft y.

    Even so, she felt she had recovered little by little. After the doctor finished his checkup, she had already recovered quite considerably.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    The doctor stepped back and briefly studied her. He then rmended some people to the mute before he left.

    However, doctors were specially arranged and would not just leave her. They sat outside and waited.

    Once the doctor went out, Raeleigh called the mute over to sit down and rx.

    He did as he was told. Afterwards, he took some tissue paper to wipe away her sweat. Raeleigh raised her good hand and returned the favor.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Go and check up on my brother. He did the operation for six hours straight.¡±

    He had stood up to look for Xanthus when Jared ran over from the opposite direction. He immediately told him that Xanthus had copsed and was now in the emergency room.

    The doctor at Raeleigh¡¯s door did not get up. The mute noted that the inside of the hospital had a sense of order to it and for that reason, he returned to Raeleigh¡¯s side instead.

    Raeleigh waited for news inside her ward room when Callis came back and sat beside her. Yet, he didn¡¯t tell her anything.

    Raeleigh prompted, ¡°Where is my brother?¡±

    Callis shook his head and Raeleigh asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t find him?¡±

    He did not answer. Raeleigh turned and shouted towards the door, ¡°Doctor.¡±

    The doctor came in at her call. She asked them about Xanthus¡¯s condition. The doctor told Raeleigh that he was fine and was resting. He might evene overter.

    Raeleigh thanked the doctor who then went back outside. Raeleigh stared back at the mute who poured her some water, put a straw inside the ss and directed the straw to her mouth.

    Raeleigh took a small sip before she shook her head to indicate that she didn¡¯t want to drink anymore. Then she fixed her gaze on him. ¡°You knew my brother was too tired and didn¡¯t want to tell me what happened, right?¡±

    He did not reply. He ced the cup aside and returned to his seat.

    Raeleigh had no idea on how to deal with him. She couldn¡¯t even exert any strength at the moment. She justid on the bed and slept.

    However, when Raeleigh blinked herself awake, she found that Xanthus was all right and hade back. He sat by her side to keep herpany, his face a little pale.

    The mute was also there, but he still sat where he originally sat and Raeleigh was content.

    ¡°Why are you so stiff? Get up and move around. What, did you rent the chair?¡± Raeleigh joked with him. She felt better after she got a good amount of sleep and all her strength came back, only her hands still gave a light throb now and then. But she had the experience of thest operation to fall back on, and this one waspletely within her expectations.

    Pain would definitely be painful, but it wasn¡¯t that serious. She was already mentally prepared for it.

    What¡¯s more, this time they even cast a ster on her forearm. Under these circumstances, Raeleigh had nothing to be anxious about.

    However, Raeleigh noted that the mute still seemed worried, thus she said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I am really fine. My brother¡¯s operation always has a definite chance of sess.¡±

    ¡°Not all of them. There¡¯s no such thing as aplete 100% surgery, don¡¯t talk about your brother like he¡¯s something legendary.¡± Xanthus couldn¡¯t bear to listen to it anymore, even if it was from someone close to him.

    As an individual, they need to act a little humble and keep a low profile!

    ¡°Ha ha¡­¡±

    At Xanthus¡¯s words, Raeleighughed out loud. Her brilliant, dainty face lit up in glee that was rarely seen, as bright as that of a little child¡¯sughter.

    The mute stared at Raeleigh, somewhat in a trance.

    Raeleigh then turned herughter towards him, ¡°Have you gone silly?¡±

    He pulled up the quilt for Raeleigh, then got up and left for the washroom.

    When he came out, Raeleigh and Xanthus had chatted for quite a while. The brother and sister pair conversed with each other quite happily but stopped when the mute returned. Raeleigh looked towards him as he sat down close beside her, stuck to her hip as if they were conjoined babies that had grown alongside the bed.

 Chapter 1709 Hold Her Tight

    Raeleigh knew Callis was worried about her, so she made noments about his behavior. For Raeleigh, Callis needed someone to take care of him, but he had his way of thinking.

    Plus this mindset of his had already taken shape, and it would be difficult to change it.

    As she gazed at Callis¡¯s clean yet mature countenance, Raeleigh closed her eyes and fell asleep.

    It grew quiet inside the ward. Xanthus stared at Callis¡¯s back and frowned slightly. ¡°Your back reminds me of a certain someone.¡±

    Callis just sat there as if he hadn¡¯t heard a thing.

    He did not turn at his remark, and Xanthus was also tired. The problem wasn¡¯t due to age but mental stress. He would have to take a long break for now. Otherwise, he would really throw himself off a cliff.

    And he could stay and take care of Raeleigh in the meantime as well.

    Xanthus made himselffortable and began to doze off. The ward was nowpletely quiet. Callis¡¯s eyes stayed on Raeleigh, and for the following couple of days, his gaze never strayed from her, not even for food or sleep.

    But he burned out in the end. By the time Raeleigh got out of bed, he had fallen asleep from fatigue, three days straight at that. Even when Raeleigh was ready to be discharged, he still hadn¡¯t woken up.

    She waited for the whole of that morning for him to get up before she woke him up herself.

    Raeleigh returned to the manor, and Callis returned to work, but he took up another daily task of taking care of Raeleigh.

    Particrly during the evening, he would knock on Raeleigh¡¯s door and provide bone broth for her.

    ¡°Callis, I don¡¯t need to drink this every day.¡± Raeleigh had had enough. She stood at the door, not intending to take the broth from him, but he wouldn¡¯t budge, patiently waiting for her to take it.

    Raeleigh felt both frustrated and amused. Not being able to speak had its advantages for sure.

    Resigned, Raeleigh took the bone broth; only then did Callis leave. Watching him as he turned, she asked, ¡°Your brother still doesn¡¯t know you¡¯re here. Do you want to send him a text?¡±

    Callis turned and looked at Raeleigh, his expression somewhat baffled. Raeleigh said, ¡°Hand me your phone; I¡¯ll call him for you.¡±

    Once he handed her his phone, she proceeded to make the call.

    The dial tone rang in her ear, but it took quite a while for someone to pick up.

    Fortunately enough, someone did.

    Raeleigh exined to Leander what was going on. He took it easily enough, saying he was in the midst of work and wouldn¡¯t be able to return either. He also told her to keep in touch and that he felt assured to leave Callis in Raeleigh¡¯s hands.

    After a quick chat, Leander ended the call.

    Raeleigh looked at the phone with a troubled heart. Though it wasn¡¯t implied, she feared Leander had made his own ns, and Callis was left on the wayside.

    They may be close; nothing was forever, however.

    Raeleigh stayed up all night. The next morning, she went to find Callis. She told him to put down his work for the day and took him out for a stroll.

    Raeleigh liked watching the sea. She could feel the sea breeze there and thought it was more pleasant than any other time.

    But since Raeleigh¡¯s hand was still recovering, Xanthus didn¡¯t allow her to go as he nagged and lectured her about it, so she could only sit in the car and eagerly look at the sea like a child going there for the first time.

    Callis sat in the front passenger seat, looking between the sea and Raeleigh from time to time.

    They remained so for two, three hours. Then Raeleigh came back to reality and asked Callis, ¡°Have you and your brother been in contact frequentlytely?¡±

    He stared at her but didn¡¯t answer and got out of the car instead. Then he walked around to Raeleigh¡¯s side, took off his coat, and draped it over her shoulders before he held out his hand to her.

    Bewildered, Raeleigh looked up at Callis. Recently, she had given Callis her brother¡¯s clothes to wear. When she was free, she would ask Xanthus if he had any clothes he would like to give away since some of them had been left in the closet to collect dust for several years. When Raeleigh noticed this, she would bring it over for Callis.

    Xanthus just had too many clothes, and he couldn¡¯t even recall what he had. Whenever Callis wore his clothes, he would question why they looked familiar and remark how Callis wore them like it was tailor-made for him.

    Every time Xanthus said so, a particr someone would always pop up in his mind.

    Raeleigh said that the clothes were a little bigger and a little smaller in size, so they all had the same effect.

    Xanthus did not refute it. Just like that, Callis¡¯s wardrobe grew day by day, and with a little bit of tidying up, he looked much different than before.

    Callis¡¯s hands were even so clean there wasn¡¯t even a speck of dirt in the lines of his palms.

    Sometimes, Jepherson would even pop up in Raeleigh¡¯smind when she looked at Callis, but they were clearly not the same person.

    Jepherson wasn¡¯t viinous overall, but he would never do this.

    Callis refused to take his hand away. Raeleigh sat for a while before shegave in, giving her hand to Callis, letting him lead her out of the car.

    When Raeleigh stepped outside, Callis immediately bent down at the waist and scooped her up into his arms, which made her yelp in fright at the sudden movement.

    ¡°What are you doing? Put me down.¡±

    She was nearly scared to death!

    Raeleigh patted her chest with her good hand, quite beside herself.

    Callis took a look at Raeleigh, bypassed the car, and walked toward the beach with Raeleigh in his arms, and she understood his intention instantly.

    As it waste autumn, the weather was pretty cold.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t struggle. Knowing Callis, she wouldn¡¯t be able to change whatever he had set his mind on.

    He held her in his arms until they came to the windier part of the area. He then stopped to put Raeleigh back on the ground and no longer continued his trek forward.

    Raeleigh felt a little cold, but with Callis by her side, she couldn¡¯t really feel the chill anymore.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°It was also autumn when I first came here. My heart was in chaos then, facing my biggest resolution at that time.¡±

    Raeleigh recounted nonchntly as she stared at the calm surface of the sea.

    Callis looked at her, waiting for her to fall back into silence before he picked her up again. He then turned on his heel and carried her back. Raeleigh giggled in delight, knowing he was worried she would catch a cold, so they returned to the car after such a short jaunt. She felt ted.

    But when Callis saw her giggle, he stopped in the middle of the sandy stretch and spun her around. Raeleigh froze for a moment before she let loose a joyousugh. At the sound, Callis simply spun her around again.

    Raeleighy in his arms andughed uncontrobly whereas Callis had not a single smile on his face.

    They left the beach and were on their way back when Raeleigh received a phone call. Soon after she picked up, her face immediately turned pale.

    Raeleigh put down the phone and told the chauffeur to send Callis back first as she got down from the car midway.

    She then hailed for a taxi to destinations unknown and left just like that.

    Callis was ill at ease, wanting to get down from the car as well, but the chauffeur told him that he couldn¡¯t stop, and Miss Raeleigh would disagree.

    When Callis arrived at the manor, Xanthus wasn¡¯t there either. He called Raeleigh, but she didn¡¯t pick up.

    Until Raeleigh came back, Callis had done nothing but stood behind the window. The servants and Bernardo reassured him that it was all right; it wasn¡¯t the first time a simr thing had happened, and they would be back after settling their business.

    But Callis stood behind the window still. At present, even Jared wasn¡¯t at the manor¡¯s entrance, unaware as to where he had gone.

    Three days had passed when Raeleigh returned during the night, and Callis didn¡¯t have a bite to eat, only taking a few sips of water at most during the time.

    The servants were all convinced Callis¡¯s temperament was too obstinate, absolutely stubborn.

    Raeleigh came through the door with the same clothes she wore that day on the beach, Callis¡¯s coat still draped around her. She looked as if she was about to drop dead from exhaustion as she entered, her haggard face as white as a sheet of paper.

    She looked up and saw Callis just then, who had stood by the door. She forced a smile as she asked. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Raeleigh checked the time and saw that it was already ten.

    It was time for bed.

    Callis walked to Raeleigh, pulled her into his arms, and held her tight.

 Chapter 1710 Busted

    Raeleigh tilted her head, her thoughts clicking into ce, knowing he was worried. Then she patted him with her good hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine; I just had something to deal with that I can¡¯t tell you.¡±

    Callis did not let go and kept hugging her.

    The others in the house kept their gaze at the two. Amused, Raeleigh said, ¡°What are you doing, hmm? I¡¯m fine, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    He bent down, picked Raeleigh up, and took her toher room. As he passed by Novalie¡¯s door, he took a gander at it before continuing to Raeleigh¡¯s room. He pushed the door open and put her on the bed.

    Callis tucked her in and ced his hand over Raeleigh¡¯s eyes, motioning for her to sleep.

    Raeleigh breathed augh, touched by his care. She held up her hand and tried to pull his hand down, only to fail. He was too stubborn!

    Defeated, she let go and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take a nap.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long for Raeleigh to fall asleep. After she did, Callis slowly took his hand away and got up, walking to the bathroom. He turned on the tap and called Jared.

    ¡°I lost her around Noah¡¯s Ark. I couldn¡¯t track her after that.¡±

    Anyone who could shake Jared off his tracks was no average joe.

    After a while,Callis stepped out and sat down beside Raeleigh.

    She was sleeping soundly. She hadn¡¯t rested for days; even someone in the pink would burn out.

    Besides, Raeleigh wasn¡¯t in the best shape.

    That was why she was out cold.

    Exiting her room, Callisused signnguage to ask a servant whether Xanthus had returned. The servant shook his head.

    With that, Callis returns to her room, locking the door from the inside.

    After taking off his clothes, he walked toward Raeleigh.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh only woke up the next day. When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying in bed with Callis, whose corbone was slightly showing. He had also fallen asleep.

    Raeleigh swept her gaze across the room. It was dark, and she had no idea how long she had slept.

    However, as soon as she moved, Callis opened his eyes and looked at her.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment.

    Staring at his eyes, Raeleigh thought she was imagining things.

    She then rubbed her eyes and asked, ¡°What time is it?¡±

    He showed Raeleigh his watch, and she confirmed that it was tenat night. It felt as though time itself had been fast-forwarded.

    She got out of bed and said, ¡°I need to leave to deal with something. You wait for me at home.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh headed downstairs, grabbed her coat, and walked out without even having a meal.

    Callis followed her all the way to the door. Outside, Raeleigh took a nce at Jared before getting into her car, driving away.

    Jared followed right behind whileCallis still stood at the door and waited.

    Until his cell phone rang.

    Raeleigh sessfully shook Jared off again.

    After putting away the phone, Callis went back into the house.

    Raeleigh finally returned after waiting for two more days. This time, she told him she would have to be away for some time but unsure when exactly she would return. If anything, he could text her; she would check her phone from time to time.

    Raeleigh was ready to leave after packing her luggage only to see Callis carrying his, prepared to follow her when she went downstairs.

    She asked in amusement, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    He stood still, not saying a word, waiting for her to say he could follow.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    But Raeleigh said, ¡°Not this time.¡±

    However, Callis remained unmoved, standing still.

    Raeleigh put her luggage down and walked to him. ¡°I really can¡¯t bring you with me this time.¡±

    Callis pursed his lips; his chiseled face showed resolution, rendering Raeleigh at a loss for what to do.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving for something important.Nothing will happen to me, and I will return.¡±

    Raeleigh tried to reason with him, but he remained indifferent.

    Just like that, Raeleigh failed to leave that day, fell into a deadlock.

    She received a call at eight in the evening. There was a murmur over the phone. Raeleigh nced around and went upstairs immediately.

    Not long after, Callis went upstairs to find Raeleigh. As no response came to the knock, he pushed the door open to find no one in the room. The luggage was left downstairs. The cold wind came in from the open window; outside were sheets and curtains tied into a rope.

    Seeing so, he ran downstairs and out of the house.

    But he was still a step toote. A car drove away, disappearing from his line of sight. By the time he got to the door, the car was already gone.

    Unlike the past two times, Raeleigh still hadn¡¯t returned even after a month. However, Xanthus came back on the third day she left.

    When they met, Callis was standing outside the manor; he did not look like a silly mute but the owner of the manor instead.

    Xanthus got out of his car and fixed his gaze on Callis, who was looking at the gates.Seeing that it was not Raeleigh, Callis went back into the house.

    Xanthus hesitated for a moment. He wasn¡¯t close with Callis as he couldn¡¯t talk.

    If he could speak, Xanthus would not hesitate to chase him out of the house.

    After returning, Xanthus retreated to his room and only came out to join Callis for dinner.

    Perhaps since only the two of them were left at home,he paid more attention to Callis now that he had the time.

    Xanthus looked over at Callis during the meal and found that Callis ate with more elegance than he did. It was absolutely fascinating.

    What man born with a wooden spoon and had to scrape together meals would take his time to chew?

    What was even stranger was Callis¡¯s actions reminded him of a particr someone.

    Xanthus paused and focused on Callis. He was sitting upright,straight as a nk, as if a steel te was nailed to his back.

    No ordinary person would have this manner.

    Xanthus put a piece of meat into his mouth and chewed while saying, ¡°Do you like steak?¡±

    Callis took his fork out of his mouth leisurely and looked over at the man seated across from him as if nothing he heard could surprise him, slow to react, not even a furrow on his brows.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have steak tomorrow morning then.¡±

    Xanthus cleaned his mouth and left the table while Callisfinished his meal. Xanthus paused and turned to look at the abnormally calm mute.

    The next morning, Xanthus and Callis sat down one after another. They were indeed served with steak. Xanthus pulled out the chair, and Callis followed, sitting down from across him. The two unfolded their napkins and ced them on theirps. Then Callis ced his loose fists on the table, took a nce, and held the knife in his left hand and a fork in his right before digging in.

    Xanthus scrutinized Callis as the mute cut his steak, ced it inhis mouth, and chewed. That was when Xanthus dropped his knife and fork and roared. ¡°Jepherson Richards!¡±

    Unfazed, Callis continued to eat. He then took a sip of water and raked his eyes over Xanthus.

    Xanthus was furious, his face slightly pale.

 Chapter 1711 Certain of Her Love

    Callis continued savoring the steak on the te. The taste, vor, and doneness of the meat were perfect, just how he liked it.

    Xanthus stood up and fixed his gaze on him. ¡°Leave. Now.¡±

    Callis lowered his head and continued to eat, unconcerned. Frustrated, Xanthus sent someone in to haul Callis away.

    But when the servant saw Callis¡¯s imposing gaze, he didn¡¯t dare toe close.

    Xanthus himself was not a fan of physical aggression. Who born with a silver spoon would ever resort to such unpolished behavior?

    They entered a stalemate until Callis finished his meal, ced the napkin on the table, cleaned his mouth, and headed upstairs.

    Xanthus stood rooted with his arms akimbo. Hopeless of the situation, he asked the servant to leave for now.

    After he left, Xanthus sat motionless on the sofa for a long time.

    It was already afternoon whenXanthus went to check on Novalie before leaving the house. Seeing Xanthus getting into his car, Jared followed behind.Mid journey, Xanthus pulled over, got out of his car, and went over to Jared,knocking on the window, asking him toe out.

    Jared hopped out of the car, unbothered.

    Seeing Xanthus, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°You know what¡¯s up. Stop following me.¡±

    Xanthus didn¡¯t look too happy. Jared was the one who¡¯d taken Cynthia from him;he had nothing more to say to him.

    ¡°It¡¯s not for me to decide. I¡¯m just following Mr. Richards¡¯s instructions. I work for my pay, and I obey my orders, doing whatever he wants me to.Venting your frustration at me won¡¯t change anything.¡±

    As Jared spoke, Xanthus sneered. ¡°Yeah?Did Jepherson order you to seduce Cynthia too?¡±

    Jared wasn¡¯t even slightly affected when he heard the name. He had never cared and would never care for her.

    ¡°Cynthia¡¯s feelings for me have nothing to do with me. Discussing this with me won¡¯t change a thing.¡±

    ¡°If you really want her, go to her. You don¡¯t have to be ageniusto figure that out.¡±

    When people said that words could kill, it must be Jared Robertson they had in mind.

    Cynthia herself was a scar in Xanthus¡¯s heart. Such a ruthless sh from Jared would definitely hurt.

    Xanthus¡¯s face nched. ¡°We¡¯ll not go into that subject. Don¡¯t follow me anymore.¡±

    With that, Xanthus returned to his car. Midway, he received a call from Cynthia, who was crying.

    Xanthus turned the car around and went to her.

    To Xanthus, Cynthia was like a thorn in his heart; he could never forget her. After all, she was the first woman he¡¯d fallen in love with and for a long time.

    He couldn¡¯t vow that she would be the only love of his life. After all, she had already chosen to leave.

    But he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to forget her so quickly; this was beyond doubt.

    When he arrived at Cynthia¡¯s, Xanthus immediately went to the door; someone came out to answer it after he pressed the doorbell. While Xanthus searched for her, Cynthia was weeping heart-wrenchingly.

    The door opened, and Cynthia turned to look at the visitor; she was still crying and did not move.

    Looking at her, Xanthus felt a twinge of pain in his chest. He hesitated but still walked over to her.

    Cynthia said, ¡°My family¡­ My Mom died years ago, Flynt too. Even Yanora¡­¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°I knew long ago. Sorry, I didn¡¯t tell you.¡±

    Cynthia shook her head, crying as she held her face, feeling more devastated by the minute. Xanthus sat down across from her, staring. He was no longer eligible to wipe her tears away; he was not the person she needed most, but Jared.

    In fact, no one could predict what would happen on the road of love.

    Cynthia¡¯s love for Jared was beyond his expectation.

    She always had a thing for Santiago. Xanthus knew that much, but he did not expect her to fall for Jared too.

    Xanthus found it hard to ept this.

    Maybe her falling in love with Jared had been an aberration at the start, but now he couldn¡¯t say for sure.

    Xanthus had always thought they were the best partner for each other, but he lost the courage to love again with Jared¡¯s appearance this time.

    Seeing Cynthia crying her heart out, Xanthus could only ask, ¡°What¡¯s your n? Do you want to go back?¡±All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.

    Cynthia shook her head. She didn¡¯t know what to do either.

    After all, those who had died were her family. Even if they had done things that broke her heart, she still couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye.

    Cynthia passed out after crying for a few hours.Xanthus managed to wake her up with first aid but still sent her to the hospital, still worried. He even checked her heart rate and made sure she was okay before sitting down in the ward for a while.

    Outside the ward, Jared could clearly see Xanthus loved her deeply and could not extricate himself.

    Looking at Xanthus, Jared couldn¡¯t help but feel funny. Men were all like this. When they met a woman they loved, they would have a personality transnt.

    No matter how domineering and unrestrained he usually was, he would still be a child easily bullied by the woman.

    The woman could do whatever she wanted.

    Xanthus was like this, and so was Jepherson. Even Santiago was the same. They were a bunch of simps!

    Jared looked at them for a while and sat down. Xanthus came out to get some food for Cynthia and reminded Jared, ¡°Take care of Cynthia for me.¡±

    Jared looked at Xanthus as if he had heard the joke of the century. ¡°You okay in the head? Or did you get a lobotomy?¡±

    Xanthus ignored him. ¡°Her emotions are unstable now, and she needs someone looking after her. Console her but keep your barbed tongue away. I¡¯ll go buy some food for her.¡±

    With that, Xanthus walked away, his back straight and his steps steady, but no one could see through his frustration.

    Cynthia woke up after Xanthus was long gone. Just as she thought it was strange no one else was in the room, Jared entered. Hearing the noise, Cynthia looked over to find him standing at the door.

    Surprised, she stared at him, lying in bed.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    She spoke up after a while, seeing Jared didn¡¯t intend to take another step forward. He then closed the door behind him and sat down in front of her, staring at her as he crossed his leg and leaned to one side like a rogue.

    Cynthia was also observing him, silent.The truth was, if someone could love you just like that, they could also hate you just as fast.

    Cynthia had once thought she would only love Santiago her entire life. However,his departure wateredher feelings for him down.

    Then, she started to think she liked Xanthus. That kiss proved she indeed had feelings for him.

    But after spending time with him, she found that it wasn¡¯t love but abination of gratitude and impulse.

    It wasn¡¯t until Jared came into her life that she was certain she liked Jared.

 Chapter 1712 Xanthus Had Enough of His Life

    However, Jared never reciprocated her love despite her many confessions. She had given up now and would never bother Jared again.

    Cynthia stared strangely at Jared. What was he doing here?

    Jared¡¯s gaze was like a knife that could prate one¡¯s heart, staring straight at her. She genuinely looked ordinary. If she were half as good-looking as that woman, he would dly ept her.

    Sadly¡­

    She wouldn¡¯t even get the chance.

    Jared looked at her for a while and said, ¡°You got back with Xanthus?¡±

    Stumped, Cynthia was baffled at his words.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    ¡°No, why?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t afraid he would get the wrong idea. She no longer cared when her confessions led her love nowhere.

    She never took her love life too seriously. Having a partner or not, she¡¯d still have to live her life, wouldn¡¯t she?

    But Jared¡¯s sudden question stumped her.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve broken up with him and have no intention of getting back together, why drag him into your businesses? You could¡¯ve asked anyone else for help; no need to torment him. Xanthus is madly in love with you. Since you can¡¯t give him anything in return, why hold him back? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being cruel?¡±

    Cynthia didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment.

    She realized then he hade to scorn her.

    She chuckled under her breath, saying, ¡°Got it.¡±

    With a mocking sneer, Jared walked out as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand why Xanthus would like you even with that face and that problematic personality.¡±

    Cynthia¡¯s heart sank as he exited and closed the door.

    Jared¡¯s harshness was one she had never seen before, even harsher than Santiago. Hence, no matter how she could never have him.

    Perhaps it was because she could never have him that she thought it was even more precious.

    Cynthia stared at the door until she heard Xanthus returning to the ward and closed her eyes.

    She opened her eyes when Xanthus put the things down.

    Xanthus¡¯s heart ached when he saw her red and swollen eyes. However, he still smiled after entering the room. He walked up to her and asked if she wanted to get up and eat something.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry; you go ahead.¡± Cynthia really wasn¡¯t hungry, so she didn¡¯t want to eat.

    Xanthus put his things down and sat beside her. ¡°Do you feel any difort?¡±

    Cynthia shook her head and said, ¡°No, I¡¯m good. It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡±

    ¡°Good. Stay for observation for a while. It¡¯s good if there¡¯s nothing else.¡±

    ¡°Xanthus.¡± Cynthia looked at Xanthus and spoke with great difficulty, but he only hummed in response.

    ¡°You are the nicest person I¡¯ve ever met.¡±

    ¡°A guy in the friend zone will never have a chance with the girl he likes. It¡¯s usually a no when the girl says she¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    Xanthus said jokingly. Cynthia was caught off guard and felt a little ufortable.

    After a long pause, she said, ¡°Someone like you will definitely be blessed.¡±

    ¡°No need to feel guilty. I never even considered what would be my ideal oue before I liked you. Falling in love is falling in love. Simple. If it is a love based on purpose, it is not love, but a purpose.¡±

    Xanthus smiled and said, ¡°Cynthia, I liked you and loved you. Although it means the world to me to have you, losing you wouldn¡¯t change a thing.¡±

    ¡°What I want ultimately is happiness.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be happy if you are.¡±

    Tears fell from the corners of Cynthia¡¯s eyes.¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. It¡¯s impossible for everyone to love only one person till the end of their life.Even if we miss our chance now, we will still have a chance in the future.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re¡­¡±

    ¡°Age is not the problem; I can imagine my future wife may not even be born yet.¡±

    Xanthus wiped away Cynthia¡¯s tears.She hadn¡¯t expected such a result, nor Xanthus to be like this.

    Their eyes met. No one had thought about the future, but neither of them was feeling the brightest at this moment.

    Love¡­ was unjustifiable!

    Saying yes or no would only be a moment¡¯s thought.

    Xanthus came out of the ward and sat next to Jared. Amused, Jared said, ¡°Do all men be stupid after they fall in love?¡±

    ¡°How can you fall when there¡¯s no love, to begin with?¡±

    Jared looked over at Xanthus. ¡°You¡¯re giving up?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m giving up. She made a choice; I just ended it.¡±

    Xanthus had it all figured out; love was not plunder. Xanthus would not do what Jepherson would.

    Jared snorted. ¡°I didn¡¯t drive a wedge between the two of you, but you guys decided yourself there¡¯s no need to continue.¡±

    It was the first time Xanthus had heard such words and even thought it was ridiculous.

    However, he did not refute. He stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go out for a walk.¡±

    Xanthus walked far away from the wards, wandering outside at dawn. Although it wasn¡¯t cold right then, the fog was thick.

    Walking under the trees, Xanthus checked his surroundings but could see nothing.

    Just like that, he walked in the fog until it dissipated more than an hourter.

    The ward was pin-drop silent at this time; Jared had even fallen asleep outside.

    Xanthus sat across from him and quietly watched him.

    Cynthia was discharged from the hospital three dayster, andXanthus sent her back. Before they separated, she told him she wanted to go back to Tambend to check on things.

    Xanthus was in a dilemma. ¡°I¡¯m in no position to interfere in this, but the whole of your family is in shambles. I can¡¯t guarantee what will happen if you go back now; you¡¯ll be on your own, and no one will be there to save you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I look different now. My name and nationality are foreign on my passport; I won¡¯t be found out when I go back.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve made up your mind, go ahead. I¡¯m not forcing my opinion on you. You can do whatever you want.¡±

    Cynthia looked at Xanthus and said, ¡°I understand. Thank you.¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s first love ended just like that. It ended before it even started.

    Reaching home, Xanthus sulked in his car for half an hour after he parked. After entering the house, he did nothing for the rest of the day.

    The manor at this time was extraordinarily quiet; it was an excellent ce to watch the stars. Xanthus sat on a stone andlooked at the starry sky until Jepherson appeared.

    The two had nothing to say, butJepherson sat near Xanthus this time.

    Xanthus nced at Jepherson but said nothing. He was not in the mood.

    It was said that women would live like the walking dead going through a breakup while men were more carefree because they were not affectionate.

    But at this moment, Xanthus really had enough of his life!

 Chapter 1713 Hopeless Trevor

    Perhaps this was the state when the love could not be salvaged. It was even a burden to live, so live like the walking dead.

    Jepherson asked, ¡°Is my daughter pretty?¡±

    Jolted back to his senses, Xanthus said in amusement, ¡°You should ask the woman who will birth your child. You¡¯re asking the wrong person.¡±

    Jepherson was still dressed like Callis, but he had peeled off the synthetic skin and trimmed his hair.

    The Jepherson at present looked no different from Callis. But once he restored his original appearance, everything was different, even the atmosphere.

    Xanthus had no idea of what Jepherson was trying this time. If it was to get close to Raeleigh this time, then he would have been well prepared long ago.

    If that was the case, then what in the world was he nning? To have Raeleigh back in his arms or something else?

    How could someone n so far ahead?

    ¡°How I wish to take a look at my daughter, even in my dreams.¡±

    Jepherson said lightly, interrupting Xanthus¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°If you want to see your daughter, go back and ask a woman to birth you one. I can¡¯t do anything even if you tell me. Do you actually think Raeleigh gave you a daughter?¡±

    Jepherson looked over at Xanthus; his gaze was unfathomable.

    Xanthus did not care. He got up and headed inside while Jepherson said, ¡°If I really find her by myself, maybe you will never see her again.¡±

    Xanthus stopped, standing in the dark, and turned to look at Jepherson. ¡°Use your ns elsewhere. Since we Osteen can establish ourselves here, we won¡¯t be afraid of your threats. Even if the peopleing at us are more powerful than you, I will still say so.

    ¡°You¡¯d better leave; I don¡¯t want you to be here still when Raeleigh returns.¡±

    ¡°If you continue to be stubborn, I will find a way to send Raeleigh away so that you can never see her.¡±

    ¡°You dare?¡±

    ¡°Try me.¡±

    With that, Xanthus went inside. Jepherson got up and called Jared. ¡°Gather our men. Find my child and Raeleigh, take them away!¡±

    Xanthus stopped and turned to Jepherson. ¡°If you managed to find her, you wouldn¡¯t threaten me and hide yourselffor so long.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Jepherson, Raeleigh¡¯s no fool. She only didn¡¯t realize you¡¯re Callis because she¡¯s too nice and her thoughts aren¡¯tplicated like yours. She will find out, one day, that Jepherson and Callis are one and the same.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze downcasted as he fell deep in thought, then looked at Xanthus, eximing, ¡°But I love her!¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Stumped, Xanthus scolded, ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡±

    Hearing that, Xanthus strode back to his room. This was the most absurd love he had ever witnessed.

    Raeleigh had repeatedly refused him, yet he still wouldn¡¯t give up, showing up again and again. How sinister.

    ¡­

    Capital City.

    In the nursing home courtyard.

    Marissa watched as Trevor sat next to her and drank his tea. She was brought here right after being discharged from the hospital.

    Marissa was on the verge of going mad.

    Those whoe to nursing homes are those who are about to die or are mentally unstable.

    Her husband had her stay here all in favor of Raeleigh.

    Marissa looked at Trevor with hatred in her heart.

    ¡°You¡¯re treating me like this despite our years of marriage?¡±

    Trevor had hurt her heart the worst. They supported each other until this day but little did she think he would take her a lunatic and bring her here, all for an outsider. Did he want her to spend the rest of her life here?

    Staring at Trevor, an indescribable bitterness rose in her eyes. She followed him through fire and water her entire life, andthis was what she got in return?

    She just didn¡¯t like Raeleigh. Did she have no right to choose her granddaughter-inw?

    Trevor took a sip of tea before putting it down and looked at Marissa. ¡°Marissa, this is thest time I¡¯m ever going to call you this affectionately. I¡¯ve always treated you as a tantrum-throwing child, and things will turn for the better when you grow up, but you still don¡¯t know how to let it go until now.¡±

    ¡°You think too highly of yourself and don¡¯t care about others at all. You¡¯re still so selfish, doing whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve really disappointed me.¡±

    If Marissa hadn¡¯t broken Trevor¡¯s heart, he wouldn¡¯t be so harsh.

    Stumped, Marissa mocked, ¡°You¡¯ve changed, Trevor. You promised me you¡¯ll love me with all your life.¡±

    There were a few others with them. Marissa¡¯s words got Trevor slightly stumped and cringed a little as he was getting on his age after all.

    Waving his hand, Trevor gestured for the others to leave, and soon,only the old couple were left. Trevor sat staring at a tree in the courtyard.

    The leaves were falling one after the other as if it was theirst goodbye.

    Trevor said, ¡°You and I are like the leaves on this tree. We don¡¯t have much time left. Our children are like the new leaves, swaying in the wind while you and I fall to the ground, waiting to rot into the soil.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understandwhy you don¡¯t choose to enjoy life but still obsess over our children even now. What on earth do you want?¡±

    ¡°I love you, and I loved you despite everything when we were young, just like how Hansen could even give up his life to love Jenna.¡±

    ¡°And Jerry too. He¡¯s not wrong to do whatever it takes to be with his beloved girl.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not love when you can¡¯t give up your all, give up your life, to love.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re our children. Don¡¯t always ask so much from them.What¡¯s important is that they¡¯re healthy and have their own lives.¡±

    ¡°You and I already have one foot in the grave; is it really necessary to torture yourself with all this?¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t a blood feud between you and Raeleigh, yet you see her as your mortal enemy and want to kill her. How can I turn a blind eye to that?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just a kid who did nothing. Yet you look as if you¡¯ve lost your mind and want her dead just because Jerry loves her and wants to marry her. Do you think that sounds reasonable?¡±

    Slightly lost in thought, Marissa retorted, ¡°Are you ming me?¡±

    s, Trevor thought he was talking to a brick wall; Marissa didn¡¯t hear a word he said.

    Her enmity against Raeleigh would only be resolved if one of them died; she was too hell-bent at this point.

    ¡°Everyone would grow a little living through life, but how did you end up like this?¡± With a broken heart, Trevor closed his eyes helplessly. ¡°Forget it, since you won¡¯t wake up, then spend the rest of your life with me here. Our children are gone, and you¡¯ve fallen out with Jerry. No one will care about us even if we go home.¡±

    ¡°How I missed the days when Santiago was still on his legs. That fellow was really a sweet-talker. He still treats me well despite how you treated him. He¡¯d get me books and clothes whenever he could.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t had new clothes for a long time; Santiago had always been the one to get them for me.It¡¯s been years since youst wentshopping with me. You don¡¯t even know when I¡¯m out of underwear. It¡¯s him too; he¡¯d get me some whenever he bought for himself.¡±

    ¡°But can no longer do so. I can only put on my old clothes.¡±

 Chapter 1714 Deannaâ€™s Thoughts

    Trevor opened his eyes and looked at his wife, who was looking pale, staring into space. He then got up and headed inside, saying, ¡°From now on, we¡¯ll live separately. The rooms are all ready. Since you prefer space, you can have the bigger room while I take the smaller one on the side.¡±

    ¡°Reese will take care of you.Since I no longer have a ce in your heart and the warmth is gone, let¡¯s go our separate ways.¡±

    Trevor returned to his room and sorted his belongings out, not waiting for Marissa to follow him.

    Standing outside, Marissa chuckled foolishly as she continued to space out. ¡°You think you can scare me like this? You underestimate me, Trevor. I won¡¯t let Raeleigh off that easily.¡±

    Looking at Marissa, who was too deep in her head, from his room, his heart still softened as he reminisced about their younger years.

    But they would never leave this ce if leaving would only bring others harm.

    ¡­

    With Trevor¡¯s departure, the whole of Richards Group Manor had be a ghost town. Stuart had no choice but to move into the manor at Capital City with Lucy.

    ¡­

    The Moore family became the target of public attention overnight, and Capital Citynded itself in chaos for a while. All the media in Capital City were talking about the Moore family. The higher-ups wanted to suppress the matter, but it only grew more chaotic despite their efforts.

    Some even paraded the streets and used the government of being ipetent. They knew the Moore family was cultivating opium poppy on the border, yet they did nothing to stop them. The Moore family did the despicable despite their long-lived influence.

    Flynt was even more daring and escaped from prison.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    The series of catastrophes pushed the already crumbling Moore family into the teeth of the storm. Everyone in the family was in a state of crisis, and no one dared to spout nonsense. Whoever was taken into questioning would answer truthfully; no one covered up for the Moore family.

    Flynt ran roughshod over the family in thest three years, especially his half-siblings.

    Everyone was for themselves at this point, so they put all the me on Flynt.

    And to y safe, no one from the Moore family went to prison to collect Flynt¡¯s body.

    The civil strife in the city went on for a month until Jacky took over and finally returned to peace.

    On Jacky¡¯s first day in the office, he published a piece of news that had to do with a policy he issued.

    And there were only two words on it, harmony!

    After the release of the policy,it was as if Capital City was frozen in ice; everything was swept under the carpet, including the Moore family¡¯s catastrophe.

    The media gave a high evaluation of Jacky¡¯s decision.

    Jacky had no intention of wiping the Moore family out even after their series of catastrophes had died down. The Moore family was still who they were, just that their internal strife had begun. As there were too many descendants, everyone wanted more than their share of the inheritance. Under these circumstances, the family fell into utter chaos.

    Meanwhile, the Doyle family actively bought over the Moore family¡¯s businesses.

    Crevor was the current head of the Doyle family, and he made a huge ssh in the limelight just as Jacky took over the office. He had climbed the ranks of the major media and appeared boastfully in every corner of the city.

    ¡­

    Whalen family.

    ¡°Jacky wille over for dinnerter. Ask the servants to prepare more dishes.¡±

    Hannah was going to make some of Jacky¡¯s favorites, but she couldn¡¯t get anything out of him, nor could she tell.

    Hannah only pretended she didn¡¯t like Jacky. She didn¡¯t mistreat Jacky, but she couldn¡¯t treat him too well either.

    Therefore, she would not take the initiative to ask what Jacky liked to eat but observed. The problem was that he seemed to appreciate whatever food he was given; there was nothing he was unwilling to eat, and whatever they made, he would finish it with a satisfied smile.

    There was no one else at home at this time, and Hannah would only say so when there was only her and her husband.

    As for Rayan, he knew very well whether Jacky was good or not.

    Although he never said it, he had to admit his daughter was blessed.

    ¡°Buy some fish and steak. Didn¡¯t he finish it allst time?¡±

    Rayan said while watching TV. The twins sat next to him, apanying him to watch the news.

    They were very obedient, more than when their mother was their age. This meant that they did not get her personality but their father¡¯s.

    Hearing that they were preparing steak, Heitor said, ¡°I want abalone too.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll buy some abalone too.¡± Rayan had all money they could spend, giving the children whatever they felt like eating. What could he say? He could afford to do so.

    Hannah said, ¡°I¡¯ll have them do the shopping then.¡±

    Just as Hannah was about to walk away, Deanna returned home, carrying several magazines in her hands, cing them on the table for her father to see.

    ¡°Dad, you see this guy? He¡¯s Crevor of the Doyle family.¡±

    Deanna had intended to stay in Waverly Vige that night, but she came across a magazine saying he would be the Capital City¡¯s next mayor.

    Rayan took a gander but didn¡¯t pick them up.

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°Jacky just became the mayor. How can they write this so carelessly?¡± Deanna removed her coat and put them aside before she squatted down to hold her two sons, kissed them, and sat aside.

    Rayan said, ¡°That¡¯s someone else¡¯s business. What does it have to do with you? How would I know?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not behind this?¡± Deanna asked Rayan, who found it ridiculous, and said, ¡°Have you been watching too many dramas? Why do you alwayse back to question me for whatever happens? Do you really think I wish you ill?¡±

    Hearing that, Deanna said, ¡°That¡¯s strange. Jacky had only just sat in the office; who would do all this and drag him down so soon?¡±

    In an awkward position, Rayan said, ¡°You¡¯re sticking your finger in too many pies; it has nothing to do with you. Why do you care about other people¡¯s business?¡±

    ¡°How is this not important? Jepherson¡¯s not in town, and Stuart doesn¡¯t dare to call the big shots while you and Zorion will only get in the way. Jacky¡¯s all by himself, managing Capital City while taking care of Waverly Vige. There would definitely be times he¡¯s distracted, and if someone takes this opportunity to swoop in, Jacky will be in trouble. How can I not put my finger into this pie?¡±

    Rayan had nothing to say; her words made sense. However, he had never seen his precious daughter spend all these thoughts on him or her sons.

    How realistic of his daughter. Now that she had a boyfriend, she had already thrown family aside.

    ¡°Grandpa, is Dad going to be hurt?¡± Cedric asked Rayan, who then said, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to your Mom. She¡¯s just suspecting.¡±

    Heitor said, ¡°Why?¡±

    Good question.Why? Wasn¡¯t it that the n was beginning to surface.

    With that, Rayan said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell your brotherter. Tell Jacky to watch his six.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Deanna stood up,took her clothes and her bag, and went upstairs.

 Chapter 1715 Raeleigh Returns

    Rayan turned to look at his retreating daughter, filled with mixed emotions. She was slowly acting more like a grown-up, but he truly wished she could stay a child forever.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    She had be wiser. How surprising!

    Dinner was ready when Jacky returned. He came in carrying a briefcase containing confidential documents, which he ced on the console table out in the open. Despite how the Whalen family treated him, he had never guarded against them.

    ¡°Dad.¡±

    He greeted Rayan as soon as he entered, but Rayan never acknowledged the address; he would never acknowledge it as long as they weren¡¯t married, which Rayan would never agree to. He continued watching the television and only spared Jacky a nce.

    The twins looked over at Rayan; theydidn¡¯t know what was going on, but Jacky didn¡¯t care. He went to hug his sons and kiss them, ¡°Did you two behave today?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡±

    ¡°Good, let¡¯s take a shower, hmm?¡±

    Jacky put his sons down and headed upstairs, the twins following right behind. Whenever Jacky was around, they would cling to him unless he told themto apany their grandfather or someone else. This was a bond people would be jealous of.

    Rayan turned to look at the three; it was a scene beyond the outsider¡¯s imagination.

    Now that Rayan was alone, he reached for one of the magazines. Crevor was on the cover; thirty, young and promising, and the current head of the Doyle family.

    After a quick scan, Rayan chucked it back on the table.

    Coincidentally, Hannah returned to the living room to gather everyone for dinner. Odd that she couldn¡¯t find Jacky, she went to Rayan and asked.

    As Rayan said he went to take a shower, Hannah caught a glimpse of the magazine. She picked it up, and an upsetting look showed on her face seeing Crevor on the cover.

    Chucking the magazine back on the table, she harrumphed, ¡°How horrible of the Doyle family. How can they take advantage of the fact that Jacky had just entered the office and know he can¡¯ty his hands on them to attack him?

    As annoyance rose within Rayan, Zorion and Rossie entered the house.

    Hannah treated Rossie even better than Deanna now, even if Rossie wouldn¡¯t bring up her marriage with Zorion.

    Rayan had originally wanted Rossie to apologize to Marissa for the hotel incident. However, Rossie stood her ground and refused to apologize when Marrisa was in the wrong.

    And Rayan couldn¡¯t lose his temper with her as she was only his future daughter-inw after all.

    Hannah sided with Rossie and went to apologize on her behalf, but Marissa refused to see her.

    So Hannah gave up just like that. ¡°Since you don¡¯t want me to apologize, so be it. Save me the trouble.¡±

    ¡°Have you two had dinner?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Then wash your hands and sit down with us.¡±

    Hannah then took Rossie away, leaving only Zorion.Judging by his father¡¯s expression, he knew something was up.

    They headed to Rayan¡¯s study and sat across from each other. Rayan threw the magazine to Zorion and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Zorion took a look and said, ¡°The Doyle family have already acquired most of the Moore family¡¯s businesses. Crevor isn¡¯t an easy person to deal with either. I don¡¯t know if this is his doing, but he doesn¡¯t deny it. From the looks of it, his purpose ofing to Capital City is probably to challenge the Moore family and rece them.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s going to take down the Moore family?¡±

    It didn¡¯t ur to Rayan that the Doyle family would do that.

    Zorion nodded and said, ¡°Jacky used the most brutal way to kill Ste. As far as I know,only a handful of the Doyle family adored Ste. Madam Geraldine spoils Ste while Crevor is closest to her.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying the reason Crevor is stirring up trouble so high-profile at this time is to target Jacky?¡±

    Zorion nodded.

    Rayan smirked and said, ¡°He has guts; I¡¯ll give him that. But how dare hey his fingers on just about anybody?¡±

    Zorion knew very well that even though Jacky did not have their family¡¯s support,it didn¡¯t mean that others could bully him as they pleased.

    ¡°What has Jepherson been doingtely?¡± Rayan didn¡¯t wish to dirty his hands; he had no objections if a tripartite system was needed to maintain the peace in Capital City, and he could also try to stay clear from its tradings.

    He has a wide range of businesses, primarily based abroad, while the Capital City was the Richards family¡¯s empire. He wouldn¡¯t expand his business here.

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t returned, and Stuart is getting overwhelmed.¡± Zorion was also concerned, but he did not intervene.

    They would easily cause unnecessary trouble if they involved themselves in the matter, given their family¡¯s status.

    ¡°Go and help Stuart. Shore it up first. Don¡¯t let Crevor have the upper hand in the trading. Jacky will have to take care of the political circle himself.¡±

    Rayan got up to head down for dinner.

    Zorion asked, ¡°He just joined the political circle and is not fully involved in it yet. Would he be okay?¡±

    Rayan looked over his shoulder at his son. ¡°Jepherson isn¡¯t a fool, and neither is Jacky. It¡¯s been three years; he can¡¯t be unprepared.¡±

    Zorion then followed him to dinner.

    Everyone was seated at the table and ready for dinner when Jacky brought the twins down.

    While eating, Deanna said, ¡°I want to get married.¡±

    Everyone stopped eating and looked at her; evenJacky was somewhat surprised.

    As usual, it was a no from Rayan. He took a gander at his daughter and said, ¡°Eat your dinner.¡±

    With that, he continued to eat.

    Deanna said, ¡°Give me back my household register booklet.¡±

    ¡°Eat if you want; leave if you don¡¯t.¡± Rayan kept his eyes on his te and put a few pieces of meat on the twin¡¯s te. They ate instantly and waited for more.

    Rayan gave them more meat and continued eating.Still unwilling to give up, Deanna insisted, but Rayan had finished his meal and left the table, leaving Deanna with nothing to say.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh finally returned after a month, and the weather had gotten much colder. The stitches on her hand had been removed, but she still kept her gloves on lest the weather did some serious damage.

    Dressed as Callis, Jepherson stood waiting at the gates as if he knew Raeleigh would return that day. Exiting the car, Raeleigh walked to Callis, looking at him, and asked, ¡°Are you waiting for me?¡±

    Callis did not answer her as usual and only caressed her face. She wore quite a fewyers, looking snug. He pursed his lips, looking like he wanted to say something.Raeleigh smiled at him. ¡°Are you worried about me?¡±

    Callis took a nce over his shoulder at Xanthus, who hade out, then bent down to take her luggage with one hand and her wrist with the other. As they headed into the house, Xanthus stopped them.

    Blocking their way, Xanthus said, ¡°I like you when you don¡¯t talk.¡±

 Chapter 1716 Not the First Time

    Not responding to Xanthus, Callis took Raeleigh¡¯s hand andled her inside.Looking over her shoulder, Raeleigh thought Xanthus was behaving weirdly, so she asked what was up with him. Xanthus told Callis to exin himself. ¡°Exin what?¡± Raeleigh asked.

    Carrying Raeleigh¡¯s luggage in one hand and her hand in the other, he led her into the house, never saying a word. As soon as they were inside, Callis took her injured hand and scrutinized it.

    Raeleigh raised it andforted him,¡°I still can¡¯t move it as I wish. But don¡¯t worry; it¡¯s okay now. I can go back to designing in three years.¡±

    Callis¡¯s face paled, and he let go of her hand, hearing her words. Seeing his reaction, Raeleigh asked what was up and ifsomething had happened at home while she was away. But Callis continued to y the mute he was, never speaking.

    Before she could press him for an exnation, Xanthus came back in, and she stopped asking.

    As the three sat in the living room, Raeleigh announced she would be able to take at least a month¡¯s break with this return.It was, in fact, an open secret that Callis wasn¡¯t who he appeared to be, but no one said anything.

    It was for no other reason thanCallis¡¯s extraordinary handsome face and one-of-a-kind aura. Besides, Mr. Xanthus did not say anything, so there was no need for the servants to involve themselves in the matter either.

    He must be here to woo Miss Raeleigh.

    Xanthus inadvertently nced at Callis, who wasn¡¯t looking at anyone but the coffee table in front of him as if there were jewels on disy, rendering him lost in thought.

    Just like that, he sat there immersed in his world.

    Xanthus cleared his throat, leading Callis to look at him and rise to take Raeleigh¡¯s luggage into her room; he even helped her unpack.

    Raeleigh also got up, ready to retreat to her room.

    However, as she left, Xanthus called her from behind, stopping her.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Raeleigh turned around.

    Xanthus asked, ¡°Raeleigh, do you like Callis?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re both single after all, and he waited for your return at the door all day. Now that you¡¯re back, he¡¯s all touchy-feely with you, hanging out in the garden for half an hour. Do you think people can¡¯t tell?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°What exactly are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just want to know if you like him.¡±

    Perplexed, Raeleigh stared at her brother, not answering. She really didn¡¯t get where Xanthus was going with it.

    ¡°Do you still love Jepherson?¡±

    Xanthus adopted another approach, to which Raeleigh hedged, ¡°I can¡¯t forget him immediately, but when I¡¯m with Callis, my mind is free from thoughts, including Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°What if Callis never came into your life?¡±All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh was rendered speechless by Xanthus¡¯s question. Hewalked over to her and asked,¡°What will you do if Callis is Jepherson? Will you give him another chance?¡±

    ¡°Come again?¡± Xanthus¡¯s words got Raeleigh stumped.

    He continued, ¡°If you¡¯re to choose between Callis and Jepherson, who will it be?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a while.¡°Callis, I think.¡±

    As Raeleigh turned around to head upstairs, she saw Callis staring at them from the top of the stairs. Stumped, she asked,¡°When did youe out?We didn¡¯t even hear you.¡±

    He shot a nce at Xanthus before he returned to Raeleigh¡¯s room to continue sorting her luggage out. There was a photo of abeautifulbaby in it; her feet were crossed, and she looked chubby.

    As Callis stood there, Raeleigh took a look at him and said, ¡°It was a candid shot. What do you think?¡±

    He stared at the photo for a while before he sat on the bed and continued studying it.He was so quiet as if he was in his own world.

    Raeleigh continued where Callis left with her luggage. In the end, he was still looking at it when she was done.

    ¡°If you like it, I can take a picture and send it to you.¡±

    Hearing that, Callistook the photo away, and she followed after him.¡°This is the only one I have. It¡¯s so big; where are you going to put it? I want to hang it on the wall.¡±

    Xanthus looked at themotion upstairs, his head throbbing with pain.

    After much persuasion, Raeleigh finally got the photo back. Worried that Callis woulde back for it, she didn¡¯t hang it up butstashed it away.

    As soon as she went down for dinner that evening,Callis snuck into Raeleigh¡¯s room to look for the photo. Raeleigh subsequently entered to see him about to leave with it.

    Watching the scene downstairs, everyone thought the two would make a fascinating couple.

    ¡°Hadn¡¯tI sent you a picture of it?¡± Raeleigh asked at the door. He took a gander at the photo but had no intention of returning it to Raeleigh.

    Raeleighresigned; it was exactly that he couldn¡¯tmunicate that things got soplicated.

    She persuaded herself to calm down and see if they could meet halfway. WithCallis¡¯s handicap, things would still go nowhere even if she continued to argue with him.

    Raeleigh negotiated with him, saying she would hang the photo up, and he coulde and take a look at it whenever he wanted.

    Only then did Callis agree begrudgingly in the end and hung the photo up himself before he finally went down for dinner with Raeleigh.

    Xanthus had an urge toughmid-eating, but Callis¡¯s flinty stare had smothered it.

    After dinner, Raeleigh retreated to her room to catch some shut-eye,but Callis came knocking soon after. She looked at the photo on the wall, knowing what he was here for.

    ¡°You really adore kids, don¡¯t you?¡± Raeleigh asked curiously.

    He nced at Raeleigh before turning his gaze over to the photo on the wall.He then sat on her bed right after he entered; the photo was hung right across from the bed, after all.

    Raeleigh went to take a shower and came out wearing her pajamas, and had a ss of water before going to bed. She began dozing off as soon as her head touched the pillow.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Go back to your room when you¡¯re done, okay? And close the door behind you.¡±

    Callis looked at Raeleigh over his shoulder, and she smiled at him before she tucked herself in, sleeping like a baby.

    Raeleigh woke up after a few hours. She was sure Callis wasn¡¯t in the room, but the lights were still on. She had wanted to get up to switch them off, but she had a loving rtionship with her bed right then and went back to sleep.

    Came morning, Raeleigh opened her eyes and stirred slightly only to be startled by the person beside her. She sat up and looked over to see Callisdead asleep beside her, wearing Xanthus¡¯s pajamas.

    Reeled in shock, Raeleigh fixedher hair and looked down ather pajamas. Why were they sleeping together?

    Furious with herself, this wasn¡¯t the first time this had happened.

 Chapter 1717 Callisâ€™s Kiss

    ¡°Callis.¡±

    Raeleigh nudged him, rousting him out of bed, but he did not wake up. He opened his eyes a slit and sumbed to sleep again.

    She hadn¡¯t a clue when he slept next to her, but she looked over at the photo on the wall. All for a picture?

    She got out of bed and gave the photo to him. ¡°Here, take it. I¡¯ll go to your room when I want to have a look. What do you say?¡±

    Callis opened his eyes andtched his gaze on Raeleigh. He seemed d about the arrangement and took it from her.

    Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief and pulled him out of bed. ¡°Go back to your room. Remember not to tell anyone that you slept here.¡±

    Callis checked the time; it was five in the morning.

    Carrying the photo, he returned to his room downstairs.

    After entering his room, Callis did note out the entire day, not even for work. The servants brought it up with Raeleigh and asked if they should call for him.

    Raeleigh dismissed them and went to relieve his chores, letting him sleep.

    Soon, the whole manor learned that Callis had spent the night in Miss Raeleigh¡¯s room and slept for an entire day the next day.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know about the gossip, but those gossiping behind her back spun the story, changing the facts.

    When Callis came out for dinner, they watched as Raeleigh added more food to his te, saying he should eat more.

    With that, the servants in the manor felt more vindicated.

    Xanthus had also overheard the gossip.

    Xanthus waited downstairs that evening; he wanted to see if the rumor was true.

    In the end, when night fell,Callis clutched the photo in his hand and entered Raeleigh¡¯s roomwithout so much as a knock.

    Boiling with rage, he continued waiting only for Callis to finallyemerge from Raeleigh¡¯s room at five in the morning.

    Closing the door,Raeleigh sat back down on her bed, mulling over what to do.

    Callis wouldn¡¯t stop visiting her room.

    It seemed that she would have to lock it.

    That evening, Raeleigh locked the door of her room, thinking that she would finally have a good night¡¯s sleep.

    However¡­

    She was greeted with Callis¡¯s face next to hers when she woke up the next morning. They were even under the same nket.

    Raeleigh was no longer shocked at this point. She got out of bed and settled on a chair before she went back to check on him. She grazed her fingers across his face, only for him to open his eyes to look at her.

    ¡°Do you like me?¡± Raeleigh asked Callis, who still didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°I was once married and had given him a child.¡±

    Callis sat up and looked at Raeleigh. She then continued, ¡°I feel very muchfortable being with you; I don¡¯t feel any stress. If we never step out of this manor, we will never be in danger. But it is impossible for us to detach ourselves from the outside world. Once we go out, there will be many dangers waiting for us, especially for you.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson will make sure I never get to see you again, and the Doyle family will also harm me, and¡­¡±

    Raeleigh let her sentence hang while Callis fixed his gaze at her. She asked, ¡°If you want to, we can be a couple. If you want to stay in my room, then make yourself at home, but we can¡¯t be like married couples¡­¡±

    Raeleigh chewed on her lips. ¡°Forget it.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh stood up, finding her thoughts ridiculous; she should forget it.

    Callis was gone when Raeleigh emerged from the bathroom after a shower. She thought he had figured things out. When she went down for breakfast, he had already changed into his day clothes.

    Breakfast was simple. Xanthus had to go to work and also to see Cynthia off at the airport. As he had to return to his busy schedule,he had no spare time to diss Callis.

    Xanthus reminded him to leave.

    But Callis showed no signs of doing so, leading Xanthus to think he had spent his time lecturing him for nothing.

    Callis was an albatross, living rent-free in his head.

    After Xanthus left, Raeleigh brought Callis outside to a remote ce, intending to have a good talk with him.

    To avoid prying eyes,Raeleigh led him to a shed in the back of the manor, where she stored belongings she was reluctant to throw away.

    There were some abandoned designs and also stacks of books.

    They finally reached the shed after a twenty-minute walk. As it was cold, she lit the stove inside.

    All things done, Raeleigh told Callis what she wanted to say.

    As they sat across from each other, Raeleigh said, ¡°Have you ever thought of going back?¡±

    He stared at Raeleigh, a reply unforting.

    ¡°Your passport has arrived. You can go back.¡±

    Callis shook his head; it was a firm no. Helpless, Raeleigh put on a weak smile and said, ¡°I know you want to stay, but I have someone living in my heart.Thoughhe¡¯s still alive,he¡¯s dead to me. He¡¯s someone I will never forget even if I spend my entire life trying.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying for thest three years, but for some reason, the more I try, the more he¡¯s stuck in my head. And just like that¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sinking deeper and deeper.¡±

    ¡°I told you this morning, didn¡¯t I? That we can live like this in secret.But when I chew it over, I haven¡¯t fallen in love with you, and there is another person in my heart. I don¡¯t want to do you wrong, so¡­¡±

    Before Callis could raise any objections, Raeleigh said, ¡°You¡¯re a decent man, Callis,make no mistake about it. I¡¯ll give you my house in Waverly Vige, with all the apple trees in it. If you start managing it next spring, I believe you will seed, and there will be many girls who will dig you. At that time, whatever you want-¡±

    As Raeleigh spoke, Callis left his seat and got down on one knee before her, stretchinghis hand toward her face.Surprised, Raeleigh reflexively wantedto stand up only for Callis to already ce his hand on her face, caressing her. His eyes were filled with warmth.

    Shocked by his actions,Raeleigh had a nagging feeling that she had seen that pair of eyes on someone else before. However, Callis¡¯s face was already imprinted in her mind, precluding her from deciphering who she had seen them on.

    After caressing her face, he took her hand and wrote in her palm.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him. ¡°You want to stay here with me?¡±

    Callis nodded. Raeleigh tilted her head slightly and said, ¡°ButI have someone I like. I was once married to him.¡±

    He wore a smile and sat aside. Raeleigh thought of what to say, but none came to mind. After a long time, she responded, ¡°I will send you back tomorrow.¡±

    He shook his head; he wasn¡¯t going to leave no matter what.

    ¡°Callis¡­¡± Raeleigh pleaded.

    Before she could say more, Callis covered her eyes, and she felt his lips pressing on hers. Raeleigh felt her senses numbing as Callis deepened the kiss, closing his eyes as his breathing grew heavy.

    Raeleigh shifted and parted her lips. She slowly raised her good hand, trying to peel Callis¡¯s hand away from her eyes but only to fail.

    Callis held Raeleigh with all his strength and hoisted her up, walking further inside.

    Raeleigh reached out to feel Callis¡¯s face while his eyes searched her face.Then she felt something, and slowly¡­

 Chapter 1718 What Do You Say

    Sitting on the bed, Raeleigh stared in disbelief as Callis peeled the synthetic skin away little by little.

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t oblivious to how advanced technology had gotten, but she didn¡¯t think itwas advanced enough to turn one person into another.

    Her face paled as she witnessedCallis turning into Jepherson and being presented a translucent sheet.

    Jepherson then slowly raised his head and pressed one handdown on his hair whilebing through it with the other, dusting out some white and ck powder-like stuff.

    Just like that,Callis turned into Jepherson Richards.

    Gobsmacked, Raeleigh said, ¡°You¡¯re not Jepherson.¡±

    Jepherson chewed his teeth,sat down next to her, and stared at her face as he asked,¡°Where¡¯s my daughter?¡±

    Raeleigh pressed her lips. ¡°She¡¯s not your daughter, but Austin¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Please let me see her.¡±

    Jepherson held her good hand, pleading as he had never before.

    Raeleigh tried to yank her hand back but failed.

    Rxing, Jepherson let go and caressedher face and lips. Raeleigh frowned deeply, her head all a mess. Baffled at what had just happened, she only wanted to leave, holding his hand on her face, mumbling, ¡°You¡¯re giving me a headache.¡±

    Jepherson lowered his head and kissed her. With his low, husky voice, he whispered in Raeleigh¡¯s ear, ¡°I want to get inside you.¡±

    Stumped, Raeleigh tried to leave, but she didn¡¯t dare to move with one injured hand, staring at Jepherson¡¯s face in shock.

    ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far, Jepherson. You- mm¡­¡±

    Before she could finish her words, her voice was muffled under the attack of his lips. Before she could react, her brain had turned into mush.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh woke up with only a piece of clothing covering her body. As she had lit the stove earlier, she didn¡¯t feel cold.

    Raeleigh sat up from the bed and stared at Jepherson, who was wearing only a white dress shirt. He was looking at his phone, and sensing she was awake, he said nothing but continued to scroll through his phone, reading something.

    Wrapping herself with the piece of clothing, she sat staring at Jepherson for a long time before she said, ¡°That isn¡¯t her in the photo.¡±

    ¡°You would never lie, and you would never have deigned to lie. But you¡¯re spinning lies out of your lips like it¡¯s nothing now.¡±

    Jepherson kept his phone away and stood up, heading outside while Raeleigh continued to stay in bed. He then returned with a thick coat and swaddled her before he put the fire out and left carrying her in his arms.

    On their way back, Raeleigh stared at Jepherson and asked,¡°So you lied to me from the beginning?¡±

    ¡°So did you,¡±Jepherson said as he walked.

    His voice was so light that Raeleigh couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking, or whether he was angry.

    Entering the main part of the manor, he took her straight into her room and ced her on the bed before he went back to close the door. He thenwent to the bathroom to fetch a basin of water tosoak her hands in it. Raeleigh looked at him and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a child.¡±

    Jepherson looked down at her hands in the water and caressed them, saying,¡°You don¡¯t need to deny it. But I¡¯ll believe you if you can tell me where you have gone thesest few times you ditched me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you there tomorrow.¡±

    Raeleigh withdrew her hands and went to the bathroom, mming the door shut.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    After entering, she sat on the chaise lounge, staring into space. It wasn¡¯t until more than half an hourter whenJepherson knocked on the door that she moved.

    The door opened, and Jepherson unbuttoned his shirt before he closed the door, standing there barefooted. The hem of his pants touched the wet floor, dampening it.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t taken my shower yet,¡± Raeleigh said as she stood from the chaise lounge. She wasn¡¯t in the mood to entertain Jepherson right then.

    But he pestered her like a demon.

    Jepherson walked to the bathtub and filled it up with water. He then took off all his clothing before he stepped into the water while Raeleigh stood rooted to the spot, facepletely flushed.

    She had to admit Jepherson had a perfect face and a perfectly sculpted body.

    ¡°Come and bathe me,¡± Jepherson called to her. Raeleigh wanted nothing more than to p him, but she stood still and hated herself for being spineless.

    ¡°If you don¡¯te to me, then I¡¯ll go to you.¡± With a ssh, Jepherson stood up from the bathtub. His slender waist was to die for, and his figure was chiseled like a Greek God.

    Drops of water rolled down his body.

    Snapping back to reality, Raeleigh stalked to the door. Hearing Jepherson following her out, she stopped at the door, only for him to be right behind her when she turned around.

    Jepherson pressed his hand against the door and circled Raeleigh¡¯s waist with the other, pulling her to him, then kissed her on the lips, canoodling¡­

    Raeleigh resisted only to fail, being carried into the water in the end.

    She left the bathroom in Jepherson¡¯s arms, though unwilling¡­

    The next day, she took him to where she had been as promised. It was herpany.

    When they arrived outside thepany, Raeleigh took a nce at the buildingbefore escorting him inside.Though the scale wasn¡¯t asrge as his, it had reached the peak of a meteoric risefor a rising star.

    Inside, Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°Are you telling me you¡¯ve been living in yourpany for a month?¡±

    ¡°Not here. I was ona business trip for a month.¡± Raeleigh came dressed in a professional suit, grabbing everyone¡¯s attention as soon as she stepped in.

    ¡°President Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°President¡­¡±

    Everyone greeted Raeleigh andwas surprised to see Jepherson. They assumed he was the new director or a legal advisor.

    He had a look straight out of the ¡°Sexiest Man Alive¡± cover.

    Raeleigh took Jepherson to her office upstairs. After entering, she sat down and made a call to arrange for a meeting before she told him to make himselffortable.

    Someone knocked on the door, andRaeleigh asked them toe in only to be greeted with piles of documents.

    She had to look through all of them.

    Jepherson stood up, took off his jacket, and chucked it aside. He then pulled a chair and sat down next to her to read through the documents before signing them.

    He didn¡¯t sign with his name but Raeleigh¡¯s.

    Raeleigh said to him, ¡°I have this much work waiting for me since I haven¡¯t been able to return to my office in thest half a year.This is only ten days¡¯ worth. How long do you think it will take me to look through it all? Is a month enough?¡±

    Keeping his eyes on the papers, Jepherson said, looking calm. ¡°I still don¡¯t believe you, but since you¡¯re so stressed over it, leave it to me. What do you say?¡±

 Chapter 1719 Jumping Ships

    Raeleigh thought he was on crack. The most unfortunate thing in her life was to have met Jepherson. Were it not for him, would she have been such a pushover?

    ¡°I appreciate your kindness, Mr. Richards. Even if I want help, I¡¯d ask my husband, Austin, andnot you.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face sank, and he kissed Raeleigh on her lips before continuing to work, surprisingly not upset. Stumped by the kiss, she stood up and sat back down.

    The workload was now less heavy with Jepherson¡¯s help.

    It was indeed a burden, given that she could barely do anything with only one good hand.

    Thanks to Jepherson, she could at least take a break, so she didn¡¯t stop him. There was way too much for her to go through.

    When it was time for lunch, Jepherson snatched the pen in Raeleigh¡¯s hand and shoved it in his breast pocket.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright,take a break.Why waste your time when you can only do this much?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s heart ached for Raeleigh. She had to use twice the effort with only one good hand, and he could only worry by the side.

    After checking the time, Jepherson stood up, nced through a file, and went to her office phone to call the reception.

    ¡°Order takeaway to the president¡¯s office.¡±

    After hanging up, Jepherson lugged a pile of documents and sat down on the sofa, focusing on them.

    Sitting in her chair, Raeleigh watched in silence as Jepherson worked away.

    By the time the food was sent to Raeleigh¡¯s office, he had already read through more than a dozen of them. He couldn¡¯t be distracted if he had to look through them meticulously yet quickly.

    Raeleigh kept silent the entire time, sitting in her seat. She admitted Jepherson was charming, and his heart had always belonged to her. Her heart wasn¡¯t made of stone either; she was well aware of all he had done for her, but she genuinely couldn¡¯t go back with him.

    Capital City was like a cursed ce for her; she dared not even take a step closer.

    As for the child he kept talking about, she could only apologize to him.

    ¡°Like what you¡¯re seeing?¡± Jepherson asked, his eyes never leaving the files.

    His question got her stumped for a second, and next came a knock on the door; she went to answer it. The delivery guy nodded a greeting and smiled at Raeleigh before proceeding to give her their lunch. Raeleigh signed the receipt, and he left.

    After the man left, Raeleigh put their lunch on the coffee table.

    Jepherson put the pen away and moved the documents aside to make room for Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh took the food out of the bag one by one. With only one good hand, she couldn¡¯t do most things like she used to. Jepherson¡¯s heart wrenched, seeing her like this!

    Raeleigh pushed a te of spaghetti to Jepherson. She couldn¡¯t bear to be so cruel to him.

    Her heart had softened facing his repeated extortion. Even she thought she was a lost cause.

    Perhaps she could still be saved if she ended the rtionship with a clean cut.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    But if he refused to leave, what could she do?

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t exert any force on her left hand, so she had to rely solely on her right. Because of that, she took great pains to open her food container.

    After watching her struggle for a good several seconds, Jepherson helped her out in the end, opening the container and putting a fork in it. Raeleigh thanked him and began eating.

    Taking a gander at her, he fed her some sides.

    Stumped, she looked over at Jepherson and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine- mmph¡­¡±

    Not waiting for her to refuse, Jepherson shoved the food into her mouth. Reeled, she fixed her gaze at Jepherson and could only swallow.

    ¡°I want to know about you and Austin.¡±

    Jepherson held his spaghetti as he stared at her, his gaze fathomless. Raeleigh shook her head, still unwilling to say anything about it.

    He then took a bite before he looked over at her and stated, ¡°I had the wrong idea back then, didn¡¯t I? Nothing ever happened between you and Austin, am I right?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him and said, ¡°You can¡¯t turn back time even if you regret what you did; you can only live with the consequences. That¡¯s what happened to us. Why bother with so many questions?¡±

    ¡°I want to know.¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent, eating her food.

    Despite the upsetting conversation, Jepherson would still put some sides into her food container from time to time.

    ¡°No more.¡± Raeleigh was really stuffed.

    But Jepherson took a nce at Raeleigh and continued to feed her.

    Raeleigh paced around her office after the meal. She was so stuffed that she could barely move.

    ¡°You¡¯re not fat. You don¡¯t have to burn off all those calories walking around like that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault!¡±

    Raeleigh refuted, but Jepherson was amused.

    Raeleigh still wasn¡¯t giving up. ¡°We¡¯ve already divorced. Why can¡¯t you leave me alone? I may even die in Capital City if you drag me back.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let anything happen to you.¡±

    Jepherson went back to going through the documents straight after lunch. There were too many of them; just looking through them would take an entire day.

    Standing across from him, Raeleigh said, ¡°That¡¯s no longer relevant anymore.¡±

    ¡°As long as we¡¯re both alive, it will always be.¡±

    Jepherson said as he worked away. She had to take her hat off to him; he was extraordinarily adept. He could sit there and read through the papers while bargaining with her at the same time.

    On this day, Raeleigh felt more rxed than she¡¯d ever been when she was in thepany. But thest document caught her attention.

    Raeleigh was a little distracted as she read through the file. Two of her designers were resigning. She only had a small team of them, and two of her best designers were nning to jump ships. Raeleigh was disappointed as she had been helping them and teaching them a lot.

    She¡¯d thought that they would stay to help her, but she didn¡¯t expect they would leave after receiving a taste of fame.

    Seeing Raeleigh lost in thought, Jepherson took thest document from her and read through it. With his brows slightly furrowed, he asked, ¡°They¡¯re nning to jump ships?¡±

    Looking at him, she pointed out, ¡°Everyone wants to climb thedder of sess; sometimes you just have to let go. What can I do when they want to leave? They¡¯re given a better offer.¡±

    Raeleigh grabbed her pen, intending to sign it, when Jepherson snatched her pen away.

    ¡°You¡¯re really not one for business.¡±

    Jepherson took the file from her and noted ¡®reject¡¯ on the paper.

    She looked at him, baffled.¡°Butt out of this.¡±

    ¡°Theborw doesn¡¯t only protect the rights of employees but also the rights of employers.Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know this, given that you¡¯ve been an employer for three years.¡±

    Raeleigh really didn¡¯t know about it, or more urately, she had never thought about it.

    It was not easy to solve this kind of trouble, so it was better to avoid it. Just because two jumped ships from her already small team doesn¡¯t mean it would be the end of her business, so Raeleigh wasn¡¯t too bothered.

    However, given her current condition, she couldn¡¯t make the designs herself. What would she do after they leave?

    Three years wasn¡¯t exactly a short time. It was then really impossible to design herself, and with two of her best designers leaving,was thepany going to go bankrupt?

 Chapter 1720 Rectifying Bloom Aksea Group

    Jepherson chucked the document aside and suggested Raeleigh hire an attorney. She asked, ¡°Why would I need one?¡±

    ¡°To be your legal advisor, of course.Why do you think these backstabbers cane and go as they please? Isn¡¯t it all because yourpany¡¯s system is filled with loopholes for them to exploit. But not to worry. Since they¡¯re requesting to jump ships, let¡¯s y ball.¡±

    ¡°The less trouble, the better. They only did this for their career¡¯s sake. A word for you, don¡¯t get so invested in their business and mind your own.¡±

    Raeleigh said as she reached for the document, only to fail.

    ¡°I¡¯ll read through it again. Forget about taking it from me.¡±

    Jepherson took the document in time and called in the secretary.

    She came in and took the report away. It was already six, but Jepherson intended to meet the two resigning designers.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    They could¡¯ve left work, but Jepherson said he had other things to attend to the next day, so the two designers were still asked to be at Raeleigh¡¯s office that evening.

    Raeleigh was well aware of the means Jepherson would use, but never had she thought he would write two sets ofrgepensation bills to the two designers.

    ¡°Who are you, and why are you doing this to us? We have the right to leave.¡± One of the designers said resolutely, on their high horse.

    Jepherson, on the other hand, sat next to Raeleigh, fiddling with a pen, having a ball. He looked like a 20-year-old who¡¯d just left college and didn¡¯t even take the person talking to him seriously.

    His arrogance was unparalleled.

    Raeleigh suddenly worried for them. Though Jepherson had his limits, and he couldn¡¯t have the entire world in his hands, it wasn¡¯t something difficult for him to destroy their careers in the car designing industry.

    Raeleigh could only do as much as sit next to Jepherson because of her hand, so she didn¡¯t say a thing.In front of her was a te of apples Jepherson had prepared for her, waiting for her to eat.

    They¡¯d go for dinner after she ate them. To put it bluntly, they would help in her digestion so that she could eat moreter.

    Raeleigh wondered what Jepherson was scheming, seeing that he wanted her to eat more given the time.

    Hearing the designer¡¯s words, Jepherson smirked, his gaze filled with contempt.

    ¡°I¡¯m your president¡¯s husband; I¡¯ll be taking over Bloom Aksea in a few days.So,tell me, do you thinkI¡¯m qualified to deal with your issue?¡±

    The two designers were rendered speechless while Raeleigh grew worried at the same time. Jepherson didn¡¯t look like he was joking. But how could he be so confident when herpany was based abroad?

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    The designer was curious but not afraid.

    Tapping the pen, Jepherson said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who I am. What we¡¯re here to talk about today is the two of you betraying thepany.¡±

    ¡°Betray?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s words humored the designer, and he showed a look of contempt as if he heard the joke of the century.

    It was Jepherson¡¯s turn to be humored, his handsome face hiding a hazy sharpness. Despite his silence, the two designers felt uneasy.

    Seeing the two fell silent, Jepherson said, ¡°This is the sum that you have topensate for thepany. It¡¯spletely set ording to theborw. Don¡¯t assume thew only protects the employees and that it will be on your side just because you¡¯re abroad. You can jump ships, but the problem is how to make it a perfect one.¡±

    ¡°I believe ourpany is the only ce where you can showcase your full potential.¡±

    ¡°I will issue a notice to warn ourpetitors and severely denounce your behavior.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to end my career?¡± The designer roared.

    They weren¡¯t wrong to jump ships; they had to live their lives as well. It had been half a year since Bloom Aksea Group released a new design. At this rate, they would have no bonus, and without attention from the market, thepany would be forgotten.

    So what if they wanted to jump ships?

    Jepherson quirked his brow, as sharp as a sword¡­

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it that way. I¡¯m just telling you from thepany¡¯s point of view.You signed the contract, no?If either one party unterally breaches the agreement and affects the other party¡¯s interest, there will be consequences. It is stated in the contract the both of you signed.¡±

    ¡°If I have topensate you fifty million for unjustified termination, you should know that the same will happen if the odds were the other way around.¡±

    Jepherson opened a file and pushed it to the two standing in front of him.

    ¡°This is no thanks to me, but it¡¯s written there thatpensation would be made if he or she is terminated for no reason. I¡¯m sure you know the sum.¡±

    Sitting aside, she was stuck with an epiphany.

    The use was to stop her from dismissing employees for no apparent reason; who would¡¯ve thought it would be used to turn on them. Wonder how they felt about it.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have fifty million. What do you want?¡± The other designer spoke up this time.

    She was about Raeleigh¡¯s age, and she had always had a good impression of her.

    But Raeleigh had a feeling their resignation was her doing.

    Jephersonid back in his chair and looked at the girl,saying, ¡°Oh, let me remind you, this is in local currency.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Raeleigh was also surprised. If she converted the amount, wouldn¡¯t that be¡­

    Four hundred million?

    ¡°You¡¯re mad!¡± the girl roared at Jepherson, who was amused, ¡°I¡¯m not the crazy one; society is. It is indeed arge sum, but I believe this money will bring thepany fame and fortune.¡±

    ¡°Although Bloom Aksea Group isn¡¯t a household name now, I believe it will soon, courtesy of you two.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll sue you.¡±

    ¡°Be my guest.¡±

    Jepherson made a call using the office phone, and it took no time for the other end of the line to answer.

    ¡°I¡¯m Jepherson Richards.¡±

    With that, the two designers shuddered as if they were facing a ferocious tiger, intimidating despite not showing any anger and appalling when angered.

    The two designers, who were on high horses earlier, were now quite undone, even scared to speak up.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    Jepherson continued after the person on the other end greeted, ¡°Bloom Aksea Group is apany under Madam Raeleigh¡¯s name. From today on, it will be a foreign subsidiary of the Richards Group. Prepare tounch a new car; dispatch four of our designers over. The benefits are three times their current sry, apany car, a house, and their family cane with them.¡±

    ¡°Also, send two legal advisors from ourpany over.¡±

    ¡°Is it to sort out the contracts or¡­¡±

    ¡°No, to rectify Bloom Aksea Group¡¯s internal affairs.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡­

 Chapter 1721 Afraid of Being Scalded

    Jepherson had the call on speaker, so the whole room heard their conversation loud and clear. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t believe it; even her office phone was on Jepherson¡¯s side. What more could she say?

    Ending the call, Jepherson looked over at the two designers and said, ¡°You think you can push Raeleigh around just because she is soft and nice to you. Well, good news, now you get to deal with me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, thepany needs some funds tounch a new car. Eight hundred million from you two will suffice, I believe.¡±

    Standing up, Jepherson turned to Raeleigh, heldher hand to pull her up, and walked toward the door.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Meanwhile, the two designers were galled at the decision.

    Although it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to get a job as a car designer after leaving Bloom Aksea Group,Jepherson had destroyed their career in less than ten minutes, let alone thepensation they¡¯d have to give thepany. Where could they scrape together the money now?

    ¡°We don¡¯t have money or a job. How the hell can we pay you?¡±

    Jepherson stopped and said to the screaming woman, ¡°You can pay with jail time.¡±

    ¡­

    Jepherson¡¯s suggestion rendered her floored. He continued, ¡°Don¡¯t forget you¡¯re already adults and don¡¯t think you can walk away unscathed after bullying others; that¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°You have to pay for the decisions you make, and I need to build a reputation for ourpany.¡±

    ¡­

    With that, Jepherson draped a coat around Raeleigh and led her out of the office without a second thought.

    Outside, Jepherson told the person at the door, ¡°Get them out of here immediately; they¡¯re a disgrace to thepany.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s assistant, Ariana, was floored by Jepherson¡¯s order for a moment.

    She then immediately went in to deal with it. This incident gave her a taste of what Jepherson was capable of.

    Ms. Raeleigh was also not one to be messed with, but good thing she had a sense of sympathy. However, her husband was so much scarier. His heart was as cold as stone!

    When they came out of the building, the two designers came chasing after them. The girl pleaded to Jepherson, ¡°We don¡¯t have the money topensate you. We can ept anything but go to jail. Just say it.¡±

    ¡°Cindy¡­¡±

    The guy wanted to stop the girl, who nced at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Keith. This is the only way; I can¡¯t drag you down.¡±

    ¡°Do you really not want to drag me down or¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut it.¡±

    Watching the scene unfold, Raeleighcould tell Cindy had fallen for Jepherson.

    Too bad, though¡­

    Raeleigh took a gander at Jepherson, who told her to wait for himin the car.

    With that, she strode to the car and entered. After closing the door, she nced outside and happened to see Cindy moving closer to Jepherson. ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    Raeleigh couldn¡¯t hear what Cindy said next. Jepherson¡¯s broad shoulders coincidentally blocked the petite girl from her view, so she couldn¡¯t tell exactly what was going on either.

    With that, Raeleigh looked ahead.

    Studying Cindy, Jepherson said, ¡°Hope you have a good time in jail.¡±

    Unwilling to give up, Cindy chased after Jepherson, who was unbothered with her pleas. He got into the car and drove away.

    The girl immediately hopped into the taxi right behind and followed them. Raeleigh looked at the taxi from the rearview mirror and turned to nce at Jepherson, who was driving. He looked calm, but she couldn¡¯t ignore the disdain in his eyes.

    After parking the car at the front of the restaurant, Jepherson got out and went to Raeleigh¡¯s side to open thedoor for her.

    Raeleigh looked up at Jepherson, who extended his hand to help her out of the car.

    Jepherson grabbed her hand and helped her out like a gentlemen.

    Just as Raeleigh got out of the car, the taxi came to a stop, and Cindy hurried to them, blocking their way.

    ¡°Please, Mr. Richards. I beg you. I can¡¯t lose this job. My family depends on me for a living; they are all in need of extra care. My father is ill, and I¡¯m the only one who can provide a living. I wouldn¡¯t have done this if I had the choice.¡±

    Cindy got down on her knees as she begged Jepherson. Raeleigh, on the other hand, headed into the restaurant. Although she was forced to make the decision, Raeleigh looked down on someone like her, who dropped to her knees for a man just because of money.

    There was a saying, a man should have dignity and not grovel, but Raeleigh thought it was even more so for a woman.

    She could go into another field, if not car designing.If she genuinely had integrity, she should own up to her mistakes and bear the responsibility.

    If she couldn¡¯t even bear this responsibility, then she really couldn¡¯t be more pitiful.

    As Raeleigh entered the restaurant, Jepherson locked the car and followed his love, never even sparing the kneeling girl a second nce.

    With that, Cindy got up and chased after them. Raeleigh was already seated at their table while Jepherson pulled his chair out to sit.

    He skimmed the menu and made their order before turning to the girl, who was standing before them.

    Well, how should Raeleigh put it?

    She thought there was no warmth in Jepherson¡¯s studying gaze, but he did look like he was nning to harm anyone.That being said, she had a gut feeling Cindy would face a rather harsh ending.

    She was in her twenties, around Raeleigh¡¯s age.

    If she were to end up in jail, what would be of her after she was released? And in such a ce, would a vulnerable girl reallye out unscathed?

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Just leave. I won¡¯t sue you, and I won¡¯t do anything to you. You don¡¯t need to go to jail or pay anypensation; just change for the better.¡±

    With that, she looked over at Jepherson, who was unfolding a napkin and cing it on herp before returning to his seat.

    Keeping her gaze at him, Raeleigh thought he wasn¡¯t all that bad. Even when he was mean to the whole world, he was never mean to her.

    Just as he said, he was a foolish young man. By the time he finally learned his lesson, he had to walk through a path paved with thorns and spikes to get to her.

    Raeleigh looked down at her napkin as Jepherson had returned to his seat.

    Although he intended to punish without leniency, he wouldn¡¯t go against her decision, letting her call the shots.

    Raeleigh wanted tough. This was probably the vanity of being loved.

    However, Cindy stood rooted to the spot, waiting for Jepherson to speak. Raeleigh found the scene even more morbidlyical.

    ¡°What? Do my words mean nothing? Are you really one to pick on the soft?¡±

    Raeleigh asked Cindy, who let slip a slight disdain in her eyes, having nothing but contempt for her boss.

    With that, Raeleigh turned to look at Jepherson without saying as much as a word.

    Jephersonput a straw in a hot beverage andpushed it to Raeleigh.

    ¡°Careful, it¡¯s hot.¡±Jepherson reminded Raeleigh.

    She bowed her head and held a straw with one hand, taking a careful sip, afraid of being scalded.

 Chapter 1722 Only Death Awaits My Rival in Love

    Jepherson looked at Cindy and said, ¡°You can go now. She wants to let the case slide, so I guess it¡¯s a crisis averted for you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Richards.¡± Cindy hurriedly thanked Jepherson.

    Raeleigh slowly looked over at her; she had nothing to say. Why bother herself with someone like her?

    After Cindy left, Jepherson fixed his gazeat Raeleigh, who was twisting her spaghetti with a fork.

    She couldn¡¯t quite understand why Jepherson wanted to have spaghetti again.

    Hadn¡¯t she had enough trouble with it during their lunch earlier?

    Jepherson scooted over to her and took the fork over to feed her, only for her to look at him and say, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can do it myself.¡±

    Jepherson said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to hear my voice, I can keep my mouth shut. You can pretend I¡¯m still Callisfrom Waverly Vige.¡±

    Jepherson twisted a mouth full of spaghetti and delivered it to Raeleigh¡¯s mouth again. She hesitated for a moment before taking the bite.

    Jepherson was hell-bent on feeding Raeleigh, who said, ¡°I actually don¡¯t like spaghetti.¡±

    ¡°I thought you would ask me about that girl.¡±

    Stumped, Raeleighmented, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, they would be fine. But now, even if they don¡¯t need to go to jail or pay thepensation, their future will be bleak.¡±

    ¡°Nothing can be aplished without norms or standards; this is the reality. Rules are rules;they broke it first.¡±

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°I broke the rules, too.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re different.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°You have a man to back you up and protect you, and she doesn¡¯t.The person who fights destiny with his whole life is the dumbest.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not talking about yourself?¡±

    Jepherson fell silent, continued feeding Raeleigh.

    She stretched out her hand, wanting to take the fork back from him. She was long past the age of puppy love. She didn¡¯t find the gesture touching but rather sensationalizing, feeling weird about it as the others in the restaurant looked over at them.

    Thus¡­

    She wanted to eat it herself.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t stop her either. Why fight a losing battle?

    Handing the fork back to Raeleigh,Jepherson called the waiter over and asked him to bring a serving of garlic bread and mushroom soup.

    He dunked the bread into the soup and stirred it beforegiving the spoon and the dish to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh put the fork down and epted the spoon.

    While Raeleigh ate the garlic bread and mushroom soup, Jepherson took the te of spaghetti, which she barely had any of, to his front and ate it using her fork.

    He had also ordered a set of steak and foie gras. After cutting them into bite-size pieces, Jepherson fed her some. With her head bowed, she stared at the steak and foie gras, hesitant, but still ate it. After taking the bite, she went back to staring at the table.

    Raeleigh was, for some reason, restless. If it was an inevitable ident that she¡¯d fallen in love with Jepherson, then why would she start to have feelings for Callis?

    Was it fate?

    Perhaps their connection today was not determined by their hearts but by their bodies that had be onest night.

    As Jepherson¡¯s body shed across her mind, Raeleigh heaved a murky breath and took a sip of mushroom soup.

    ¡°Take care of your hand. I¡¯ll be your second for the next few years. Youe up with the design; I¡¯ll sketch it out. I believe I can do my best tomunicate with you. With Bloom Aksea Group under the Richards Group, I¡¯ll sign a contract with you. Whatever you designed would be produced by yourpany. Bloom Aksea Group can leave the Richards Group after three years. And as a token of my sincerity, I will transfer the copyright of Lamarre¡¯sfinal design to you.¡±

    ¡°Flow Cloud is your design, and yourpany willunch it while the Richards Group will release Flow Fire simultaneously.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this.¡±

    ¡°Your hand is injured because of my grandma; this is the least I should do.¡±

    Guilt rose whenever he thought of her hand. However, he curbed it in a sh and fed her a piece of steak.

    Raeleigh took it without a second thought this time. Putting down the fork, Jephersontook a sip of water before he continued eating the spaghetti.

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson from time to time. ¡°Why do you insist that I go back?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to anymore.¡±

    Stumped, Raeleigh looked at Jepherson with confusion.While eating, he said, ¡°From now on, I¡¯m the chairman of Bloom Aksea Group, and you¡¯re my CEO. So yourpany is my subsidiary here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll visit whenever I miss you. I want to know if my daughter looks more like you or me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not catching.¡± Raeleigh couldn¡¯t see the connection between the former and thetter of his words.

    Jepherson looked over at her and swallowed before he said, ¡°If I know you¡¯ll be far away from danger here, then you should stay. I don¡¯t care about this distance; I can take the ne whenever I want to see you.¡±

    ¡°If I can¡¯t keep youpletely away from harm back home, why go back?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze was fathomless, a glimmer of light in his eyes. Raeleigh was slightly lost in thought, and, was that tears?

    Jepherson dragged his gaze out the window, lost in thought as he stared at the falling snow outside.

    ¡°The greatest regret of my life is that I misunderstood you and harmed Santiago.¡±

    Jepherson did not look at Raeleigh when he spoke, but she could make out hatred and anger in his eyes.

    After taking a bite, Jepherson turned to Raeleigh and said, ¡°I won¡¯t make the same mistake again.¡±

    ¡°I heard that there was a kind of person in the world, born with a golden spoon, destined to be rich all their lives, but it would be a lonely one.¡±

    ¡°The more he cares about something, the easier he¡¯ll lose it. In the end, he¡¯ll leave this world alone.¡±

    Raeleigh was surprised that his gaze at her was broody as he spoke.

    After a long moment of silence between the two, Raeleigh went back to her food.

    ¡°What exactly is your rtionship with Austin?¡±

    Stumped, Raeleigh looked over at Jepherson. ¡°He¡¯s my husband.¡±

    Amused, Jephersonmented, ¡°If he¡¯s my rival in love, I¡¯ll kill him the next time we meet.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried more about Austin or me?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer but put her spoon downand stared at Jepherson as he wiped his mouth and said, ¡°I have to go back tomorrow. I¡¯ll bring you something the next time Ie.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sidestep the subject here. We¡¯re talking about Austin.¡±

    Raeleigh knew Jepherson wasn¡¯t joking; Flynt was the perfect example.His heart had only be colder by the day.

    He had never let Santiago¡¯s misfortune slip his mind.

    He would show no mercy this time.

    ¡°What about him?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt him.¡±All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.

    ¡°If he¡¯s my rival in love, then only death awaits him.¡±

    ¡°What does killing mean to you? Is human life really not important at all?¡±

    ¡°Compared to you, no.¡±

    Stumped, Raeleigh sat lost in thought.

    Jepherson chuckled, looking all rxed.

    ¡°Who you like is Callis. The next time Ie, I won¡¯t say a word anymore.¡±

    Jepherson sat there, smiling with great seduction.

    Raeleigh was unable to moveas if she had been straitjacketed with a curse.

    They sat just like that and only left after Raeleigh finished her meal.

    Out the door, Jepherson scooped Raeleigh into his arms.

 Chapter 1723 Compromise

    When Jepherson was leaving, Raeleigh was there at the airport to see him off. After watching him board the ne, she turned to leave, only to see Jared standing behind her.

    Seeing Raeleigh look at him, Jared shrugged and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me.; I didn¡¯t ask for this. I¡¯d rather stay by his side and protect him than you.¡±

    With that, Jared walked away while Raeleigh was rendered stumped for a moment before following him out. It was cold that day, so Raeleigh had on quite a fewyers. Plus, her left hand was handicapped, so she was extra careful when walking.

    Jared waited for Raeleigh outside, but his actions resembled none of a bodyguard.

    Raeleigh stood at the exit, searching, and headed to where Xanthus parked his car, telling Jared in the meantime,¡°You don¡¯t need to follow me. Feel free to leave if you want to.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my responsibility now. When have I said I¡¯m leaving you?¡±

    He talked back to her, and she cut him a nce, saying, ¡°If Jepherson disguised himself as Callis, then you¡¯re Leander, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Amused, Jared retorted,¡°So? What do you want? Settle old scores?¡±

    Hearing that, Raeleigh only headed for Xantus¡¯s car. When she was about to get in, she saw a girl approaching her.

    It was Cindy.

    Standing in front of Raeleigh, she barked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you won¡¯t sue me? Why did I receive this?¡±

    Cindy chucked thewyer¡¯s letter at Raeleigh¡¯s face, which reeled her a little, surprised that Jepherson would go back on his words.

    Despite Cindy¡¯s action, Raeleigh wasn¡¯t upset with her but took a quick look at Jared, who didn¡¯t even lift a finger.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Because he knew she wasn¡¯t the kind who would bellyache in front of Jepherson that he acted so outrageous.

    Their eyes met; Raeleigh knew he despised her from the bottom of his heart, so she turned her gaze back to Cindy.

    Raeleigh picked up the paper on the ground to take a good look at it. It still mentionedpensation, and the amount remained the same.

    Raeleigh looked at her and asked, ¡°Did you stalk me?¡±

    Stumped, Cindy shot at her, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how I found you. I want to know this instant whether you are a woman of your word.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Xanthus was leafing through a document in the car. The weather was cold, and sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, his vision was obstructed. It wasn¡¯t his problem that Jepherson was leaving, but he couldn¡¯t just sit back when Raeleigh was involved.

    He read while waiting for Raeleigh¡¯s return, but who would¡¯ve thought trouble woulde knocking at their door even at this time.

    Xanthus hopped out of the car and immediately held Raeleigh in his arms.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just business.¡±

    ¡°Business?¡± Xanthus looked at the girl in front of him; she looked slightly above average, but she left quite a bad impression on him.

    ¡°If you need to talk to Raeleigh, wait at her office. What are you doing here?¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s words were sharp and unpleasant.

    Xanthus had Cindy lost in thought for a second, but when her gaze drifted back toRaeleigh, it grew more baleful.

    How Raeleigh wished she could plead innocent right then. She couldn¡¯t believe she had be someone¡¯s imaginary enemy when she had done nothing at all.

    ¡°I did, but the whole of thepany ignored me and stopped me at the entrance of the building itself. This is unfair to me. I admit I was wrong in the beginning, but the issue has been resolved, and she hadpromised not to press charges, yet she did a full one-eighty only after a day.¡± Cindy criticized Raeleigh.

    But before Raeleigh could speak, Xanthus gave her a piece of his mind.¡°Do you have written proof? Or do you have a witness to prove what she said?¡±

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t, but she promised me,¡± she said to Xanthus, whimpering. Raeleigh could only throw her arms up in frustration. This girl was obviously problematic; fickle-minded andhigh-maintenance.

    Xanthus opened the car door for Raeleigh and told her to get in, which she obliged.

    Growing upset,Xanthus¡¯s scolded, ¡°I have seen too many people like you. I wasn¡¯t going to say anything, but it is way out of line for you to have followed us all the way here.¡±

    ¡°Whatever the reason was, since they pressed charges on you, it means that you¡¯re in the wrong. Else, why would they if you didn¡¯t do anything?¡±

    ¡°Even if they used you, there would be a trial, but you¡¯re only undermining your negotiation bying here, shouting at the top of your lungs.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the problematic kind of employee that would affect thepany. You¡¯d better give up.¡±

    With that, Xanthus went back into the driver¡¯s seat, started the engine, and drove away, not caring what Cindy thought.

    Xanthus boiled with rage as he drove.

    ¡°Jepherson really can¡¯t do anything right. He asked Jared to protect you, but that man stood aside and watched the fun.¡±

    Looking at her livid brother from the back seat, she tried to calm him down. ¡°He is who he is; why let him get on your nerves?¡±

    He snorted.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh went to work that afternoon only to see a group of people waiting for her at the entrance. She was surprised to see Stuart and Lucy; behind them weresome of the employees from Richards Group, including some of his best car designers.

    Raeleigh walked toward Stuart, who was approaching her, greeting with a smile, ¡°Madam Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Miss Anson, please,¡± Raeleigh said nonchntly.

    Stuart immediately changed his words, ¡°Miss Anson.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded.

    Behind Stuart, Lucy greeted Raeleigh as well,¡°Miss Anson.¡±

    The others followed; it wasn¡¯t a scene Raeleigh was ustomed to.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside.¡±

    Stuart and the others stepped aside, and Raeleigh led them in.

    Xanthus was more at ease now that Stuart was by his sister¡¯s side. Raeleigh¡¯s present situation was very worrisome; someone had to be there for her.

    But Xanthus wasn¡¯t avable 24/7 at the moment either. He needed someone by his side.

    After sending Raeleigh to thepany, Xanthus went to the hospital. Raeleigh shepherded Stuart and others into thepany and introduced them to her employees. After showing them around,she assigned tasks to Stuart and the others.

    Raeleigh invited everyone to dinner, but they all turned down.Later, Stuart and Lucy moved into Raeleigh¡¯s home; it was already ten when they settled, and only did Raeleigh finally have her second meal for the day.

    In the meantime, Stuart went to the manor¡¯s gates to see Jared and ryed Jepherson¡¯s message to him.

    While Raeleigh was eating, Stuart brought Jared in. Shewas taken by surprise, unable to fathom what Stuart and Jepherson were trying.

    This was her home. She onlypromised her business because her ability was inadequate.Had she not promised Jepherson, she¡¯d have to wave herpany goodbye. Though she wasn¡¯t earning loads, she had more than a thousand employeesrelying on her. She wasn¡¯t going to sit and watch thepany dere bankruptcy just like that.

    But for all of them to stay in the manor¡­

 Chapter 1724 Unrestrained and Charming

    Jared washed his hands and sat down to eat without hesitation. On the other hand, Xanthus had already lost his appetite when he saw Jared. Their grudge because of Cynthia aside, how he acted at the airport upset him as well.

    Jared sat down only for Xanthus to leave the table and went to the sofa to watch TV.

    Seeing so, Raeleigh followed suit.

    She sat down beside him and handed him an orange. ¡°Have some of this. I¡¯ll ask the servants to make you somethingter.¡±

    Xanthus took the orange and said to her, ¡°Ask them to leave.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at the three at the dining table. She knew she wouldn¡¯t have a problem speaking up if it were someone else, but not Stuart and Lucy.

    At the same time, Stuart nced at Jared, seated across from him. Jared only ate as if nothing had happened.

    With that, Stuart headed to Xanthus. ¡°Dr. Osteen.¡±

    Xanthus looked up at him and scooted aside. ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Stuart obliged and exined, ¡°Lucy and I are married. We¡¯re only staying to help manage Miss Anson¡¯spany, and at the same time, make sure nothing more happens to her hand.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards had been contemting sending Hadrian and Scarlette over. But as you know, Scarlette has a booming personality, not mature enough, so he had Lucy and Ie over instead.¡±

    ¡°We could live by the gates if that¡¯s what you prefer. I think I saw two cottages outside; we don¡¯t mind staying there either.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t think that anything dangerous will happen to Miss Anson inside the manor. Since we are only responsible for Miss Anson¡¯s safety when she¡¯s outside, do you think we should stay there instead?¡±

    ¡°Stuart, that¡¯s the guardhouse,¡± Raeleigh reminded. She couldn¡¯t bear to let Stuart live there.

    ¡°I¡¯m cool with it. The air here¡¯s quite pleasant.¡± Stuart insisted.

    Raeleigh looked at Xanthus, who took an annoyed gander at Stuart and said, ¡°You¡¯re trying to achieve your aim in the disguise of offering topromise, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t exactly have a choice, Dr. Osteen. Lucy and I just got married. If possible, we¡¯d rather be with Mr. Richards, but we can¡¯t disobey his instructions either.¡±

    With that, Xanthus said, ¡°Stay outside then. We have other residences in the manor.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Only then did Stuart leave. Raeleigh sat for a while before heading outside, Lucy following behind her.

    Out the door, Raeleigh turned to look at Lucy, asking, ¡°You¡¯re done eating?¡±

    Lucy smiled and replied, ¡°You don¡¯t like Jared very much, do you?¡±

    When Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer, Lucy continued, ¡°You and me both. Actually, this is my first time meeting him; he doesn¡¯t seem easy to get along with. Besides, it appears that he looks down on women.¡±

    Raeleigh smiled and replied, ¡°Men like him will suffer in the hands of a woman someday.¡±

    ¡°And a great deal at that.¡±

    Lucy echoed, ¡°I much prefer Stuart¡¯s personality. He¡¯s calm like a wisp of cool breeze, unlike Jared¡¯s fire-like uninhibited personality. The gentle breeze may carry on endlessly, but not the fire. The more intense the fire burns, the quicker it¡¯ll burn out.¡±

    Raeleigh shot a nce at Lucy and said, ¡°You¡¯re like a wind too. A gentle breeze.¡±

    Beaming, Lucy said, ¡°I received this before I came. She wanted me to give it to you.¡±

    Seeing what was on Lucy¡¯s hand, Raeleigh took the red purse and examined it before asking, ¡°Was it from Louisa?¡±

    ¡°She told me not to tell you if you couldn¡¯t guess it. I didn¡¯t expect you to know it at once.¡±

    Lucy grinned.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have many friends, and Deanna and Scarlette are theplete opposite of meticulous, so they would never do this kind of thing. Scarlette may want to try, but she wouldn¡¯t know how to even begin.¡±

    ¡°While Deanna has the fingers of a princess, she never had to do anything herself, not to mention sewing and embroidering.¡±

    ¡°Rossie¡¯d prefer to spend her time on something else. Only Louisa has the patience to do this.¡±

    Looking at the purse, Raeleigh suddenly thought of Louisa and asked, ¡°What is Louisa doing now?¡±

    ¡°Now that Stuart and I are here, Mr. Richards is short of people he can use. And Colston and Louisa happened to reach out to him for a job.¡±

    Surprised, Raeleigh looked over at Lucy. ¡°I thought they have their ownpany?¡±

    ¡°Crevor began taking action and seized all of the Moore family¡¯s businesses, including Colston and Louisa¡¯s, after Jacky became the mayor. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s trying to do, though.¡±

    ¡°Initially, they didn¡¯t agree to sell it. But they fear Crevor and worry their child will get hurt. So, they handed thepany to him in the end. Now, they n to work for otherpanies, but no one is willing to hire them.¡±

    ¡°So they went to Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Raeleigh stared into the vacant space in confusion. ¡°Why didn¡¯t they leave Capital City?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Louisa is now doing what I did, but not as a secretary. Someone else had taken the position. While Colston is doing Stuart¡¯s job.¡±

    ¡°But Colston is an outsider after all. How can Jepherson make such arrangements? Lucy, please call Stuart over.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    With that, Lucy went in and came out with Stuart in no time.

    ¡°Stuart, I don¡¯t need your help here. I have Jared. You and Lucy will leave tonight; go back and help Jepherson. You¡¯ve worked alongside him for so many years; he definitely isn¡¯t used to not having you around. I¡¯ll find an assistant as soon as possible. You two should leave now.¡±

    ¡°Miss Anson¡­¡±

    ¡°Tell him I said so. He won¡¯t me you.¡±

    Seeing Raeleigh¡¯s resolution, Stuart called Jepherson, only for her to stop him. ¡°Forget calling him; just go.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Stuart was put in a tight spot.

    As Raeleigh looked him in the eye, Jared came out and said, ¡°She is right. Colston is an outsider, after all. You and Lucy should go back; nothing will happen to her while I¡¯m around.¡±

    In fact, Stuart was also very worried about Jepherson. He was not familiar with Colston and Louisa.

    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll go back.¡±

    Raeleigh paid her second visit to the airport that night, sending Stuart and Lucy off this time, with Jared driving.

    Returning to the manor, Jared said to Raeleigh at the front door, ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re not as dumb as you look.¡±

    Raeleigh darted a nce at him but said nothing and retreated to her room.

    Two dayster, Raeleigh received a video call from Jepherson; she was looking through some paperwork while answering his call.

    White dress shirt; grey suit. Typical immutable Jepherson.

    But he could even make a in white dress shirt look amazing.

    Darting her gaze at the screen, she saw the cor of his shirt loose and his eyes on her. ¡°Are you worried?¡± he asked.

    Raeleigh shook her head.

    Smiling, Jepherson asked, ¡°Then why did you send Stuart back?¡±

    ¡°Just in case.¡±

    ¡°So you are worried?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, if something bad happens to you, Bloom Aksea Group will be dragged into the mess as well.¡±

    Jepherson did not stop smiling. In fact, his smile got even more unrestrained and charming!

 Chapter 1725 Stir Up Trouble at the Company

    Raeleigh merely watched as Jephersonughed until he stopped before she finally talked business with him.

    Just as Raeleigh wanted to end the call after the discussion, Jepeherson asked, ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡±

    Stumped, Raeleigh asked back, ¡°What¡¯s who¡¯s name?¡±

    Jepherson looked slightly distracted as he fixed his gaze at Raeleigh as if he would be able to read her mind. However, Raeleigh said nothing. Eventually, he said, ¡°I¡¯lle over in the next few days once I¡¯m done with my work here. I¡¯ll be bringing Hadrian-¡±

    Knowing what Jepherson was going to say, Raeleigh cut him mid-sentence. ¡°Don¡¯t bring them here. I can¡¯t stand the two of them.¡±

    ¡°Then who can you stand?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer his question and ended the call instead.

    The next second, a knock came at the door. Raeleigh told them to enter, and her secretary came in, saying, ¡°Cindy Lee¡¯s here.¡±

    That female designer.

    Raeleigh was truly surprised to learn what kind of person Cindy was, repeatedly causing trouble at herpany.

    ¡°Don¡¯t we havewyers? Ask them to handle it.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re seeing to it, but Cindy is causing a scene downstairs and refuses to leave, saying you forced her to leave.¡±

    Raeleigh asked in surprise, ¡°She said that?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The secretary gave a solid nod. Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°See that she doesn¡¯te up here; I¡¯ll go down.¡±

    ¡°Miss Anson, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s here to stir up trouble deliberately. Why bother yourself with her? We should just call the police.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s secretary despised this kind of person the most; give them an inch, and they¡¯ll take a mile.It was Cindy¡¯s fault, yet she med others for it. Not only that, she kepting to cause trouble.

    ¡°Please go and tell her I¡¯ll be down in a sec.¡±

    Raeleigh put on a jacket as she spoke. Ever since her hand was injured, she would go out wearing a knee-length puffer jacket as it was difficult for her to put on other types.

    After putting on the jacket, she reconsidered, thinking since she wasn¡¯t going ¡®out¡¯ out, she removed it and headed downstairs.

    Seeing Raeleigh leaving her office, Jared got to his feet and followed her to the elevator. Inside, hemented, ¡°Why are you always so indecisive?¡±

    Raeleigh stood facing the elevator door, never sparing him a nce or even giving him an answer, paying no attention to him as usual.

    Finding it dull, he added, ¡°Are all women like this?¡±

    Unruffled, she continued to ignore him. Reaching the lobby, she headed straight to the entrance after exiting the elevator. She could already hear someone shouting at the top of their lungs from afar, and the person shouting was none other than I-don¡¯t-have-a-filter-over-my-mouth Cindy.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh Osteen is a two-faced liar. She pretended to let me off the hook when she saw her fianc¨¦checking me out. But after he leaves, she makes sure my life is miserable. Can you believe such a shameless woman exists?!¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Cindy said a lot more after that, but the crowd doubted whether what she said was true. One thing was for sure; they thought she was in the wrong. The entirepany knew she was jumping ships and wondered what the point of her returning to talk about it right then was.

    So be it if you no longer wanted to stay, but everypany had its rules. Who did she think she was?

    So what if thepany filed apensation bill against you?

    As the crowd listened to Cindy¡¯s bber, Raeleigh emerged from it, looking at the fashionably dressed ex-employee.

    Raeleigh got it right then. Cindy must have thought she was a softie and would not do anything to her even if she fought to the end.

    Amused, Raeleigh chuckled and said, ¡°Do you think this will change anything, Cindy?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh Osteen.¡±

    Cindy stood up and confronted Raeleigh, ¡°You are finally here.¡±

    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t Ie out when you¡¯re looking for me? Say it, what do you want?¡±

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t bothered at all. Although this was an unexpected disaster, there was nothing Cindy could do to turn the situation in her favor, was there?

    Seeing a chair, she walked over to it and sat cross-legged. Because she had to be extra careful with her injured hand, she sat leaning to one side, protecting it, added a hint of contempt and arrogance to her.

    However, it was precisely that stance that got Cindy¡¯s eyes stinging.

    ¡°Raeleigh Osteen, don¡¯t be too arrogant. You want to sue me? Fine, but let¡¯s talk about how you failed your duties during this period. You had let us wait without producing a single work¡­¡±

    Her gaze downcasted, Raeleigh let Cindy rant at first. Meanwhile, standing behind Raeleigh, Jared fixed his gaze at her calm face with a hint of coldness and arrogance on his handsome face.

    In fact, Cindy had already noticed Jared the moment he showed up. She never imagined such a cool and attractive man existed on earth.

    What infuriated her the most was that these people always seem to only appear in Raeleigh¡¯s circle. She reeled at what was so good about her.

    Cindy was the kind of person who wouldugh at others¡¯ misfortune and envy others¡¯ sess.

    She saw nothing good in Raeleigh and was envious of all she was blessed with.

    But she never stopped to think what Raeleigh had and didn¡¯t, didn¡¯t have an ounce to do with her.

    Not waiting for Cindy to finish her rant, Raeleigh slowly raised her head and asked, ¡°Just now, you said I promised to let you off the hook?¡±

    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± Cindy said proudly.

    Raeleigh chuckled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember promising you anything, but since you said so, I will not sue you as long as you can prove what I said. I will even make an official apology or adhere to any of your requests.¡±

    Cindy scoffed, sensing it was strange Raeleigh was acting differently.

    Hearing Raeleigh¡¯s offer, she said immediately, not caring about anything else, ¡°You and your fianc¨¦ called me to your office the other day, no?¡±

    ¡°We did.¡±

    ¡°You deliberately had us over and demandedpensation from us for jumping ships in ordance with theborw, no?¡± Cindy pressed.

    Raeleigh nodded, admitting it as well.

    However, she corrected Cindy as well, ¡°I think there¡¯s one thing you¡¯ve mistaken. I never issued apensation bill to you. However, as an employee of Bloom Aksea Group, the president of Richards Group, and the chairman of Bloom Aksea Group, Jepeherson Richards has the right to ask for some liquidated damages. I never intended to press the matter before he was involved.¡±

    ¡°Before establishing Bloom Aksea Group, I was a contract designer of Richards Group, and I was assigned under Mr. Richards¡¯ supervision. However, just like you all, I did not want to continue to work for my boss anymore. So I understand your feelings very well.¡±

    ¡°It was just that I had to experience all sorts of twists and turns in exchange for my freedom.¡±

    ¡°I have designed more than five cars for Richards Group on my own, including Lanox, Phantasy Dream, Duke¡­¡±

 Chapter 1726 Call the Police if She Returns

    With that, Raeleigh scanned the crowd and added, ¡°I know it is not easy for you to achieve even a little sess; I have been there too.¡±

    ¡°But if you want to seed in this industry, you have to make a statement.¡±

    ¡°Although I had brought a huge fortune to Richards Group, I did not take a single cent with me when I left. Even my achievements were left with thepany.¡±

    ¡°This is the rule of this field. I had vited the rule first. There¡¯s no reason for thepany to make an exception for an employee who disobeyed the rules.¡±

    ¡°If I had stayed in Richards Group, I would have received much better benefits than most people.¡±

    ¡°And if I stayed until the end of my contract, my achievements would¡¯ve belonged solely to me.¡±

    ¡°By that time, I could even start mypany using my name.¡±

    ¡°However, I didn¡¯t do that. I insisted on leaving, and for that, I had to pay the price.¡±

    The crowd was floored at Raeleigh¡¯s statement. ¡°Our president is the Raeleigh Anson?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°But aren¡¯t you Osteen?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer but looked over at Cindy¡¯s disdainful face instead and said, ¡°You are not allowed to take anything with you if you leave. You haven¡¯t contributed anything to thepany, so you mustpensate us before leaving.¡±

    ¡°I took pains to negotiate with Mr. Richards back then, begging him to let me off the hook. It was only then that things didn¡¯t turn ugly and that he wouldn¡¯t sue me in court. However, I had to let go of a lot too.¡±

    ¡°Since you have nothing to lose, you can onlypensate us.¡±

    ¡°But you already promised that you would not sue me at the restaurant,¡± Cindy defended, unconvinced.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember promising you anything, but based on my understanding of Mr. Richards, he would never allow others to jump ship when he has just taken over Bloom Aksea Group. His way of doing things would be to punish the person as a warning to others. Otherwise, if he let you off the hook just like that, thepany would be in chaos as everyone would have quit their positions without consequences.¡±

    ¡°But you promised me.¡±

    ¡°Really? Tell me then, how did I promise you?¡±

    Raeleigh asked indifferently.

    Cindy thought for a moment and said, ¡°You and Mr. Richards were about to have dinner when I begged you two. Mr. Richards refused to let this slide and insisted that I mustpensate thepany. However, you suddenly stood up for me, saying that I can walk away without spending jail time orpensating thepany.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°And then, Mr. Richards said to do as you said, and I thanked you two.¡±

    Fixing her gaze at Cindy, Raeleigh twisted the truth, ¡°I don¡¯t remember any of that. I only remember you ogling at Mr. Richards the whole time, thanking him non-stop before you leave. Your disdain for me that day is still fresh in my mind, but no matter how hard I try to recall, I just don¡¯t remember promising you anything.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ How can you lie like that?¡±

    ¡°Since you choose to twist the truth, I can forget everything too. Do you actually expect me to treat you with respect when youe to make a scene in front of mypany?¡±

    Raeleigh took her time speaking, and the crowd had a good idea that Miss Anson only went back on her words when Cindy was being sinister.

    Everyone agreed Cindy had crossed the line. If she dared to seduce Miss Anson¡¯s fianc¨¦ in front of her, she would probably do worse when she was not around.

    They were on Miss Anson¡¯s side, thinking the ruckus-causing, shameless woman should be put in jail.

    ¡°How dare you do this, Raeleigh Osteen. It must be because you¡¯re jealous that I¡¯m younger and prettier than you, and you¡¯re afraid Mr. Richards would fall for me, so you want to destroy me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve given you a chance, Cindy, but you waved it goodbye. I already told you I don¡¯t have the final say in this matter. If you don¡¯t believe me, I can show you the proof. I believe it might help you.¡±

    Raeleigh looked over at a tech guy and ordered, ¡°Please connect the surveince monitor to my phone.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss Anson.¡±

    With that, he saw to it that instant while she made a video call to Jepherson.

    Jepherson answered the call in two shakes. He was in his pajamas, looking at Raeleigh, but frowned and leaned against the sofa when he caught a glimpse of Jared. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Staring at the man in violet pajamas, Raeleigh was lost in thought for a moment before she quickly drifted her gaze to the surveince monitor. The crowd was shocked by Jepherson¡¯s appearance; he was obviously at home, about to go to bed. After all, it wasn¡¯t every day they got to see such a big shot.

    Everyone gasped and gawked at Jepherson as he appeared on the monitor, looking as handsome as a king.

    Cindy¡¯s eyes widened. She stumbled two steps forward, then paused. Raeleigh almost burst intoughter when she saw her reaction. How good-looking could someone get for people to be this captivated? He was no ordinary scourge.

    Raeleigh spoke up, ¡°Mr. Richards, when we were out for dinner the other day, a designer chased after us and asked us to let her off the hook, begging us not to sue her. She said I gave her my word, but I don¡¯t remember doing that. Do you, Mr. Richards?¡±

    Then, she switched to her back camera to let Jepherson take a look at the scene. Cindy immediately said to the phone, ¡°It¡¯s me, Mr. Richards.¡±

    Cindy¡¯s voice and attitude changed instantly. However, Raeleigh wasn¡¯t bothered.

    Annoyance shed across Jepherson¡¯s face as he said, ¡°What is this? Turn around.¡±

    Cindy was utterly stunned while Jepherson¡¯s mood brightened a little after Raeleigh switched back to the front camera.

    Only then did he answer Raeleigh, ¡°I don¡¯t remember either.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡±Cindy eximed.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Raeleigh, have you eaten yet?¡±

    Jepherson changed the subject, not caring about the crowd; his adoring tone had everyone convinced all the president of Richards Group had eyes for was Miss Anson.

    ¡°Not yet. I won¡¯t keep you from resting anymore.¡±

    Raeleigh hung up before Jepherson could say anything more.

    She looked up at Cindy. ¡°You heard it. I didn¡¯t promise you anything.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying I¡¯ve gone insane? You promised me. You. Mr. Richards¡­¡± Cindy pursed her lips, hesitant for a second, ¡°Even Mr. Richards said he doesn¡¯t remember.¡±

    ¡°It must be you. You told him to do this.¡±

    Cindy jabbed her finger at Raeleigh like a madwoman.

    Raeleigh pointed out, ¡°I already said, there has to be at least a witness. But there isn¡¯t one that¡¯s on your side.¡±

    With that, she swept a nce at the crowd and said, ¡°Alright, break it up. Go back to your stations.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the end, Raeleigh Osteen. You jealous b*tch.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what this jealous b*tich you¡¯re talking about is, but I do know unqualified, and that¡¯s you. I don¡¯t know how you managed to tter me when you first joined thepany. But since you did nothing for thepany to this day, you are unqualified. So stop wasting your time.¡±

    Security, please throw her out. Call the police if she returns.¡±

 Chapter 1727 Stand By and Watch

    The security guards came in and dragged Cindy away. Just then, Raeleigh¡¯s phone rang, and everyone turned to look at her. She nced at the screen and confirmed that it was Jepherson before answering the phone.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I call you for no reason?¡±

    Jephersonughed, but Raeleigh did not. She did not attempt to hide her feelings. After all, Cindy had already left.

    ¡°Since you already promised to let her go, why did you still punish her ording to thepany¡¯s rules?¡±

    She could not understand why he went back on his word.

    Jepherson chuckled and replied, ¡°She asked for it. Since she refuses to give up, we will send her into jail and let her reflect on her mistakes.¡±

    ¡°You ruined her whole life just for a little money. It would be years until she came out of jail. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate to do this.¡±

    ¡°This matter is non-negotiable.¡±

    Jepherson refused decisively. Raeleigh thought that there was no need to talk further since there was no room for negotiation, so she hung up the phone.

    Right after she ended the call, Jared swiftly added, ¡°Petty kindness will only bring harm to yourself and others.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Raeleigh turned around and hissed, ¡°The world would be a better ce if you keep your mouth shut.¡±

    Jared was stunned by the reply. Meanwhile, Raeleigh¡¯s assistant could not help but burst into a fit of giggles, then immediately covered her mouth and kept quiet when she noticed Jared¡¯s cold stare.

    Then, Raeleigh stepped into the elevator, and Jared followed suit. As the elevator rose, Jared said, ¡°So I¡¯m a pollutant.¡±

    Raeleigh stood unmoving, her facial expression indifferent. However, she was secretly amused by his smooth reply.

    Stepping out of the elevator, she went straight to the office and took a nap on the sofa. At noon, Jared came knocking on the door and called her name but she did not reply. So, he pushed the door open and went in to take a look, only to find her sound asleep on the sofa. Initially, he intended to go and check on her, but at the thought of her mocking him, he turned around and left.

    As a result of sleeping in her office without a nket, Raeleigh caught a cold the next day.

    She had been sneezing non-stop since she left her house and Xanthus was worried that she woulde down with a high fever. After all, she had undergone surgery before, so her body was still weak. Besides, her immune system was not as good as before, which meant that she might not easily recover from the cold.

    Xanthus stopped the car at the roadside and felt Raeleigh¡¯s forehead, but she shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±

    Withdrawing his hand, Xanthus reminded, ¡°You should have been more careful. Do you have anything important going on today?¡±

    ¡°What are you nning to do?¡±

    ¡°If there is nothing important, I will give you an injection before you leave.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face grew pale when she heard Xanthus mentioning an injection and she immediately waved her hand in refusal.

    Although she was not afraid of needles, it was not afortable experience for her either. So she would not agree to it.

    ¡°I would be worried if you don¡¯t go now. Please be a good girl and follow me to get the injection. You will feel better after the injection,¡± Xanthus persuaded.

    ¡°I will take some medicine. I really don¡¯t want to go for the injection. Besides, I have a lot of things to do in the afternoon. It¡¯s already ten o¡¯clock now.¡±

    Xanthus couldn¡¯t force Raeleigh either as he also had an appointment with a patient in the afternoon. So, he sent her to her office and watched her enter the building before driving away.

    As Raeleigh walked into the office building, Cindy appeared out of nowhere and poured a barrel of gasoline on her body. Raeleigh stood there in shock, her entire body covered with gasoline.

    ¡°I¡¯ll burn you to death,¡± Cindy shouted, then took out a lighter, trying to light a fire to burn Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh stared at Cindy. She thought that Jared would stop her in time, but the lighter fell to the ground and lit up a fire.

    ¡°Oh my God!¡±

    The people around rushed toward Raeleigh in an instant, and she quickly moved away from the fire. Everyone came to help Raeleigh. Some of them helped subdue Cindy, whereas a few of them helped Raeleigh take off her clothes.

    Raeleigh could not move her hands, but fortunately, she removed her coat on time. Otherwise, she would have suffered serious burns.

    Later, the people managed to subdue Cindy. They called the police and the police came to take her away.

    ording to the preliminary evaluation by the police, Cindy was in an unstable mental state due to extreme pressure.

    Raeleigh did not bother to find out if that was true. Instead, she went to clean herself up first. When she returned, she stared at Jared, who was sitting outside the office. She was not angry at him because she thought that her safety had nothing to do with him. After all, he was not Jepherson. Even if Jepherson were there, she didn¡¯t think she would be safe either. To put it bluntly, her safety was not up to anyone to decide.

    She believed that Jared had done the right thing by not helping her. It was probably futile anyway.

    After changing into the staff¡¯s uniform, she returned to the office. Later, she broke into a high fever.

    She was alone in the office and she felt cold all over.

    Other than that, she still suffered from a headache. It was already two o¡¯clock in the afternoon when she realized that she had a fever. So, she immediately called Xanthus.

    Unfortunately, Xanthus did not answer his phone. Her head felt as if it had been split into two and she could not think clearly. She kept calling Xanthus¡¯s number, and finally, someone answered the phone. It was a girl.

    When Raeleigh heard someone answering the call, she said at once, ¡°Xanthus, I have a headache. Pleasee and pick me up.¡±

    The girl paused for a moment, then asked, ¡°Give me your address. I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s thoughts were in a blur and she could not hear the person clearly. She only heard the word ¡®address¡¯.

    ¡°Bloom Aksea Group. I¡¯m in the office.¡±

    The girl set out to find Raeleigh while answering the phone. By the time she arrived, Raeleigh was still in the office. An ambnce just outside Raeleigh¡¯spany building. Then, a few people came out of the vehicle.

    The security guards were confused and they blocked the iing visitors when they saw the ambnce. However, the girl told the guard that she was Raeleigh¡¯s sister-inw.

    Upon hearing her rtionship with Raeleigh, none of the security guards dared to stop her. The girl took the people upstairs and arrived at Raeleigh¡¯s office door. Raaeleigh¡¯s assistant was surprised to see them but opened the door in a hurry upon hearing that Raeleigh was suffering a serious headache.

    At this time, Raeleigh had already fainted because of her headache.

    ¡°Hurry up.¡±

    The paramedics followed Maverly¡¯s instructions and carried Raeleigh downstairs into the ambnce. They then sent her to the hospital.

    When Raeleigh woke up, Xanthus had already arrived. He swung his fist at Jared and punched him when he saw him, causing Jared to stumble backward.

    ¡°You should leave.¡±

    Xanthus entered the ward after hitting Jared. Jared stood outside, staring into the room. He seemed to be in a bad mood.

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡± Xanthus came to Raeleigh¡¯s side as soon as he entered the ward. Raeleigh said immediately upon seeing his arrival, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you here?¡± Xanthus seemed upset, but he breathed a sigh of relief as he sat down.

    ¡°Thank God Maverly heard your call. Otherwise, I would me myself if something really happened to you.¡± Xanthus¡¯srgest goal in his life was to find Raeleigh and protect her well, but he had failed to protect her.

    ¡°Who is Maverly?¡± Raeleigh asked.

 Chapter 1728 Didnâ€™t Say A Word

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    Maverly came over and stared at Raeleigh with a smile.

    Raeleigh thought Maverly did not seem as old as she expected ¨C she did not even look older than twenty years old. Raeleigh was surprised, as she did not expect Maverly to be a young girl.

    ¡°Dr. Osteen was performing an operation when you called, so I had to go there first. Do you remember?¡±Maverly exined.

    Raeleigh stared at Maverly, who appeared to be a beautiful and intelligent girl, and thought she looked pleasing to the eye. ¡°Are you an intern?¡± she asked.

    ¡°My father is a good friend of Dr. Osteen. I¡¯m still in college, but I oftene over to help when I¡¯m free. I¡¯m not a doctor, I study management, so I¡¯lle work in the hospital after I graduate. However, I¡¯m already taking medical sses.¡±

    Raeleigh shed her a smile. ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Xanthus said to Maverly. Then, she replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Maverly excused herself and left the ward but turned around and came back. She called Xanthus and said, ¡°Dr. Osteen, pleasee see me when you have time. I have something to talk to you about.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    After Maverly left, Xanthus said, ¡°I will call Jepherson and ask Jared to leave. He can no longer stay here. I¡¯m afraid that he will make things worse if something bad really happens to you.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at the door and said, ¡°It¡¯s not his fault that I came down with a fever. Don¡¯t worry, I will call Jepherson myself if I want him to leave.¡±

    Xanthus did not object. Instead, he got up and left to see Maverly.

    Outside the ward, Jared stared at Xanthus¡¯s back and muttered, ¡°That girl likes you.¡±

    Xanthus stopped and turned to re at him. ¡°A cracked bell can never sound well.¡±

    The corner of Jared¡¯s mouth quivered as he replied, ¡°Whether or not you believe me, that¡¯s your choice.¡±

    Xanthus turned around and left. Later, Jared entered the ward. Raeleigh was about to go to sleep when she heard someoneing in. She opened her eyes and stared at the visitor.

    Jared closed the door and walked towards the bed. Then, he sat down, his gaze fixed on her. ¡°I thought you would burn.¡±

    ¡°You and I don¡¯t hold a grudge against each other. Why did you do this to me?¡±

    ¡°At that time, I just wanted to see what you looked like when you¡¯re on fire. I didn¡¯t think of anything else.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was rendered speechless by his reply.

    When she remained silent for a while, Jared turned around and exited the ward.

    He sat down outside and fell asleep on the sofa.

    Raeleigh was in the hospital for two days. The day she was discharged from the hospital, Jepherson came.

    She waited for him outside, sitting in her car. When Jepherson came out of the airport, he looked around his surroundings and spotted Jared at first nce.

    He walked up to Jared, then stopped and red at him. ¡°It seems that I don¡¯t know you that well anymore.¡±

    Jared subconsciously nced at Raeleigh inside the car as Jepherson told him, ¡°Do you think I heard that only from her? You really think that I didn¡¯t know you bullied her, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Jared turned to face Jepherson and asked, ¡°Then what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. I just didn¡¯t expect you to do this.¡±

    Jepherson opened the door and got into the car. Meanwhile, Raeleigh flicked her gaze at him, then moved further inside from him.

    Surprisingly, she was not in a terrible mood, nor in a good mood, like what she expected.

    She fixed her eyes on Jepherson and stared at him indifferently for a while. Then, Jepherson took the red scarf off his neck and wrapped it around Raeleigh¡¯s neck as if he had specially prepared it for her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    They had hired a driver to fetch them as Xanthus would never pick up Jepherson from the airport.

    As the driver drove off, Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that Jared has been disobedient to you?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t fighting and bargaining with others what keeps us going?¡±

    Raeleigh looked outside the window and continued, ¡°To Jared, I¡¯m to be held responsible for Santiago¡¯s incident. If you had not assigned Jared to my side, nothing bad would have happened to Santiago.¡±

    Not only was she ming herself, but she felt uneasy too.

    ¡­

    The scenes from back then had been deeply etched in her heart. She would never forget the moment when Santiago appeared, as well as the sight of his ident. It was like a thorn buried deep in her heart, which she would never be able to pull out.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.

    As time went by, the thorn would continue to stab into her heart.

    Santiago had lived a short life, but she would never forget him. Neither would she forget the deathly stillness of Santiago as hey there all alone.

    No matter what others thought of her, her heart would never heal from this.

    It was not like she could pretend that nothing had happened by not talking about it.

    Sometimes, she had to swallow her tears.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± Jepherson¡¯s gaze was cold. Raeleigh calmly looked back at him and said, ¡°Whatever happened, happened. Indeed, Jared has a problem with me, but I have my own opinions too. He likes to target me, let him do so. He won¡¯t disturb me or cause any harm to me anyway.¡±

    Jepherson raised his hand and held Raeleigh¡¯s chin between his fingers, then lowered his head and kissed her. Initially, she struggled to escape, but he refused to let him go.

    Raeleigh¡¯s breathing grew heavy as she lifted her head a little, which made the driver ufortable. ¡®Young people have no self-control!¡¯ he thought to himself.

    Slowly, Jepherson released Raeleigh and held her in his arms. He patted her on the body and said nothing as Raeleigh gasped for air. After all, she was still in the car. So, she did not move because she felt embarrassed.

    The car stopped in front of a hotel and Jepherson looked outside in confusion. Then, Raeleigh exined, ¡°It¡¯s not convenient for you to live with me. You¡¯d better stay here.¡±

    Jepherson did not get off the car, nor did he look angry. Raeleigh got off the car, but Jepherson remained inside. Sticking her head into the car window, she said to him, ¡°Get off!¡±

    Jepherson turned around and stared into the vacant space, his face indifferent.

    Raeleigh stood there frozen for a moment, then asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Jepherson sat inside the car unmoving. A few minutester, although Raeleigh didn¡¯t feel cold, Jepherson patted the ce next to him and signalled her to get back in the car.

    ¡°I have already booked a hotel for you.¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t look at Raeleigh as he continued to pat her.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips tight and said, ¡°You have gone overboard.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh once more. She nced at the hotel, and after thinking for a while, she finally got in the car and took him to the manor.

    It was only when they arrived at the manor that Raeleigh realized something was amiss. This time, aside from the two sentences that Jepherson had spoken to her in the car, he had not uttered a single word.

 Chapter 1729 She Had Taken Charge

    Jepherson headed straight to Raeleigh¡¯s room. Sitting down on her bed, he looked at the pictures of a baby on the wall for a while before taking a shower, then went back downstairs to rest. On the other hand, Raeleigh remained downstairs, refusing to return to her room as Jepherson was inside. ¡®There¡¯s plenty of room in my house. I could sleep in any of them anyway,¡¯ she thought. However, Jepherson seemed to know what she was thinking. So, he left her room shortly.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t go upstairs until she saw him returning to his room.

    She took one look at the bed when she entered the room, then stood frozen at the door.

    A few children¡¯s toysy scattered on the bed. One of them was a toy bear about the size of a palm.

    Beside the toy bear was a baby rattle.

    Closing the door shut, she went inside and sat down, her eyes turning red as she stared at the toys.

    She blinked frantically, trying to hold her tears while she gathered the toys. Later, she dumped all of the items into an empty box, then shoved it under the cab.

    That night, she did not sleep well. Instead of going to bed, she looked out of the window.

    ¡®He was the only person left in the world that I could trust,¡¯ she thought to herself.

    Just then, she heard a noise outside the door. She turned around and looked behind her. The door swung open, and Jepherson walked in, dressed in purple.

    ¡°Why are you here again? Do you think this is fun?¡± Raeleigh asked curiously. Jepherson did not speak. He closed the door and walked toward her before stopping and reaching out to hold her. Raeleigh struggled but could not move her left hand. Thus, she let him carry her to the window.

    He held her in her arms, cing a kiss on her neck. Then, he hugged her quietly as if it was the only thing he wanted from her.

    She turned around to look at him, only to find him gazing outside the window with a gentle look in his eyes.

    At that moment, as her eyes lingered on his face, she felt an inexplicable sense of heartache recalling what their rtionship had be.

    She shifted her gaze outside. Now, even a word of concern between themseemed forced.

    Although they had never left each other¡¯s side, they were slowly growing apart.

    The only reason they were still entangled with each other was because of their unquenchable desire.

    In the past, Raeleigh looked down upon those people who had friends with benefits.

    However, ever since she became entangled with Jepherson, she thought she was no different from them. She let herself slowly drown in it, unable to extricate herself from their toxic rtionship.

    Sometimes, she would feel worried without reason as never in a million years would she have imagined herself entangled with a man only because she couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of his body against hers. ¡®How could such things happen to me? This is incredible.¡¯

    But now¡­

    Jepherson¡¯s fingers gently caressed her body. She grabbed his hand, trying to move it away, but instead, Jepherson covered her hand with his and continued touching her. At that moment, she felt an indescribable feeling building inside her.

    She tried to resist him, but she couldn¡¯t. She secretly admitted that she was physically attracted to him.

    Humans were controlled by their desire. Once one settled downfortably, one would forget the worries of the past and give in to temptation.

    Raeleigh felt her heart skip a beat. Perhaps it was because she finally left Capital City and that Flynt was dead. She was safe now and so she had lost the will to resist.

    Jepherson¡¯s gently lifted Raeleigh¡¯s clothes. She held his hands, her breathing became heavy. Then, he lowered his head and kissed her.

    Her eyes searched his face and she tried to speak, but¡­N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    She bit her lips and pulled away from him, intending to leave. However, he turned her over and pressed her against the wall. When their eyes met, she said, ¡°Let me go.¡±

    He lowered his head and kissed her cheeks.

    She stretched out her arm to push him away, panting. However, the moment her left hand touched his shoulder, he swiftly pressed it against the wall.

    He raised his head to look at her, his dark, fathomless eyes filled with unspeakable words. The next second, he was sucking on her lips, their bodies entangling as they tore off each others¡¯ clothes.

    Raeleigh finally gave up resisting. Jepherson picked her up and headed straight to the bathroom, their breaths mingling. They crashed onto the leather bed before they could even reach the shower, clinging onto each others¡¯ bodiesas if this was the final time that they would see each other.

    Jepherson panted as he moved to cover Raeleigh¡¯s body with his and pinned her left arm against the wall, rendering her unable to move.

    Aftering out of the shower, Raeleigh walked away, holding her arms against her chest. Jepherson held her from behind and kissed her shoulder. She raised her hand to push him away, but it was toote.

    Starting from midnight, Jepherson had not stopped to rest until five o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Upon noticing Raeleigh was still asleep, Xanthus did not wake her up. Instead, he went downstairs and knocked on Jepherson¡¯s door. However, no one answered. When he pushed the door open, he realized that there was no one inside.

    Later, he went to the hospital after breakfast without asking Raeleigh what had happened.

    He had a special case to operate on today ¨C it was a pediatric surgery. Maverly had brought the child, a ten-year-old orphan boy, to him. She had taken the boy for an examination after finding him by chance. The child had suffered a fracture, but it had been untreated for too long for them to guarantee that he would recover.

    Maverly had felt pity for the boy. She thought he was too cute to end up disabled.

    After a thorough examination, the doctors thought that it was impossible to treat the boy¡¯s injury. The fracture had been left untreated for two years, so the doctors could no longer put them back together anymore.

    Therefore, if Xanthus didn¡¯t help this boy, he would end up disabled for life.

    Maverly came to beg Xanthus and he promised to help. After taking a look at the boy¡¯s injury, he decided to operate on him.

    The operation would begin at eight o¡¯clock in the morning, so he left home early.

    When he arrived at the hospital, he washed his hands and changed his clothes after disinfecting himself. When he was about to enter the operation room while his assistant helped dress him, Maverly ran over from across the hall. She wore a dark green surgical gown and a white coat, looking like an angel in white. However, she was neither a doctor nor a nurse.

    She ran to him and said between gasps, ¡°Finally, you are here. I thought we would be toote.¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s face was full of amusement. ¡°Of course I woulde. I promised you. Or else, all my preparation would be for nothing.¡±

    Maverly did not say anything. She immediately moved to stand behind Xanthus and pushed the assistant away. ¡°You go and finish other things. I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s assistant was already used to this. It seemed that Maverly had taken charge of Xanthus¡¯s business since she came.

 Chapter 1730 Returning Home Drunk

    It was a short distance from the preparatory room to the operating room. Maverly said a lot of things before heading straight into the operating room.

    She was the first non-healthcare provider to enter the operating room.

    Xanthus paused and stared at her. At this time, he had already put on his mask. ¡°You may leave now.¡±

    After that, he entered the operating room. Maverly looked at him from behind, then ran over to him. She stopped him and said, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll treat you to dinner after the operation.¡±

    Her eyes were filled with gratitude as she looked into Xanthus¡¯s eyes. Xanthus nced at her and turned toward the operating room.

    The operation was finally over after four hours. Maverly had begun to grow anxious as she paced back and forth outside for a long time, waiting for Xanthus toe out.

    She was worried that the operation would fail.

    When Xanthus came out of the operating room, she immediately ran over and asked him, ¡°Well, how is it?¡±

    Xanthus nced at her anxious face and replied, ¡°The surgery is a sess.¡±

    After that, he turned around to change his clothes. Meanwhile, the other doctors pushed the boy out of the operating room. Maverly breathed a sigh of relief and followed Xanthus to the ward.

    Maverly waited for Xanthus at the door when he got off work in the evening. ¡°Dr. Osteen, I¡¯d like to invite you to dinner.¡±

    Xanthus nced at her and looked at her car. ¡°Are you driving?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ Sure.¡±

    She was only twenty years old and her thoughts were innocent. She invited him to dinner because he helped her.

    Xanthus was exhausted and he fell asleep in the passenger seat as soon as he got in the car.

    Maverly drove them to a gourmet restaurant and parked her car in front of the entrance.

    Xanthus woke up in a daze, then got out of the car after a while. He took a look at the restaurant and followed Maverly into the restaurant.

    Maverly was in charge of ordering the food because Xanthus had been tired after the operation. He also had an emergency operation in the afternoon and it was a difficult case. The other doctors didn¡¯t dare to ept the case, so he couldn¡¯t leave the patient to die.

    Xanthus ran the hospital together with Jeremy, Maverly¡¯s father, and he considered Jeremy as his college senior even though there was a huge age gap between the two of them.

    They met on a panel discussion and became friends instantly. Just like that, they set up a hospital together.

    Maverly grew up with her mother because her parents divorced when she was still a child. However, Jeremy was a loyal man. He never remarried and Maverly was his only child. Naturally, all the businesses Jeremy owned would eventually belong to Maverly.

    Although Jeremy was not the wealthiest man in town, he still owned a huge amount of fortune. So, Maverly was considered well-off.

    However, she did not boast about her wealth at all.

    Her parents fell in love with each other at a young age and they had her when they were about neen years old. She did not know how they managed to pull it through for all those years. But eventually, their rtionship became more and more awkward, then finally, they separated.

    Her parents didn¡¯t remarry after their divorce. They imed that it was for her sake. Sometimes, they would still have meals together with her, talking about her and sharing their experiences.

    She was unclear whether they truly did that because of her or not.

    In the beginning, she called Xanthus her ¡®Uncle¡¯. Later, when she came to work in the hospital, she began addressing him as Dr. Osteen.

    ¡°Thank you for today.¡± Maverly poured Xanthus a ss of red wine, then downed a ss herself.

    Xanthus did not stop her. He already knew that she had been drinking, as he saw her drinking at a banquet before. Jeremy also mentioned that she enjoyed drinking and had a good alcohol tolerance, so she seldom got drunk.

    He believed Jeremy because Jeremy had a good alcohol tolerance too. It was just that he rarely drank after he became a doctor, just like Xanthus. However, they would still drink a few sses of alcohol asionally.

    ¡°Cheers.¡±

    Maverly handed the ss to Xanthus and he clinked sses with her.

    He believed that drinking could relieve his fatigue and eliminate his sorrows, so he drank a little wine almost every night as he had not been sleeping well recently.

    Otherwise, he would have been the one driving instead of Maverly.

    After taking a sip of wine, he looked outside and suddenly thought of something. ¡°You are drinking too. How should we go back?¡±

    He frowned displeasedly. He med himself for remembering this only after downing the wine. The reason he had to call a cab earlier that day was that he had a few drinks. But now, both of them had drunk.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I can still drive us back even though I had a few drinks. Besides, I know how to avoid the policemen.¡± Maverly patted her chest as if she was an expert.

    Xanthus¡¯s face fell. ¡°Does your father know about this?¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t. What¡¯s wrong?¡±Maverly replied.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°If your father knew, he would confiscate your car.¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t. My mom bought the car for me so he has no right to do so.¡±

    Xanthus knew Maverly¡¯s family very well. Her parents rarely intervened in her personal business after she turned eighteen, unlike Jepherson¡¯s family.

    But he thought such an upbringing had its own pros and cons.

    Flicking his gaze at Maverly, he quietly nned to go back early after dinner. He stopped drinking and set the ss of wine aside, then dug into his food.

    When Maverly noticed that Xanthus stopped drinking, she said, ¡°I asked my mother for this bottle of wine. It¡¯s expensive.¡±

    Xanthus raised an eyebrow at her and thought to himself, ¡®Why didn¡¯t I taste that earlier?¡¯ Then, he picked up his ss and took another sip.

    Jeremy once mentioned that his ex-wife ran a red wine business and she owned a vineyard specifically for making red wine.

    Her business was even better than their hospital¡¯s.

    After tasting the wine carefully, Xanthus realized that it was truly a good wine.

    He nced at the bottle and when he noticed the year, he narrowed his eyes at Maverly. ¡°Why did you waste such good wine?¡±

    ¡°I heard from Dad that you like red wine. So I prepared it specially for you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do this next time. You helped mest time by saving Raeleigh. I can¡¯t imagine the consequences without your help.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right. It was only a piece of cake, but today¡¯s different. Thank you.¡±

    Maverly took a sip from her ss and sucked in a deep breath.

    At that moment, Xanthus finally understood what ¡®a chip off the old block¡¯ truly meant. Maverly looked just like Jeremy when she drank the wine.

    He lowered his head, then proceeded to at while drinking the wine. Before long, he began feeling a little dizzy.

    ¡°Stop drinking. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    He took out his wallet and was about to pay, but Maverly pushed it back.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need this. I have money.¡±

    She stood up and paid for their food. At the same time, Xanthus lost his bnce and dropped his wallet.

    Maverly picked the wallet up and put it back into his pocket, then helped him to get up.

    When they got out of the door, she helped him into the car. After that, she asked, ¡°Where do you live, Dr. Osteen?¡±

    However, he had already fallen asleep. She tried searching for his address on his phone but found nothing.

    In the end, she had no choice but to take him to her private vi, drunk driving and speeding.

    She was driving at a speed of over 125 miles per hour!

 Chapter 1731 It Wasnâ€™t Her First Time

    When Maverly arrived at her home, she helped Xanthus out of the car with huge effort.

    She lost her bnce the moment she stepped into the house, bringing Xanthus down with her and his body copsed onto hers.

    She tried to crawl out from beneath his body but failed and identally tore his shirt open during the process, revealing his healthy tan skin that gleamed under the lights. She swallowed at the sight of his bare skin.

    In fact, Maverly had had a crush on Xanthus for a long time. Otherwise, she would not skip her sses just to go to the hospital.

    She hesitated for a while, then kissed him on his lips. Initially, he didn¡¯t respond to her no matter how she shook him, but he immediately woke up after the kiss.

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    He turned over andy on his back with a soft snort.

    Maverly was stunned. Then, she got up and stared at him. The more she looked at him, the more she fell for him. She thought that he would not know it if she kissed him.

    Thus, she leaned forward and kissed him on his lips once more. Just then, a low moan escaped from his throat, ¡°Water¡­¡±

    Being dehydrated was indeed one of the symptoms of drinking too much. Maverly rushed to get up and poured a ss of water for Xanthus. However, he was too drunk to drink, even with a straw. She tried helping him up and feeding him water, but he refused to drink it. Instead, he sshed the water everywhere.

    Maverly took a sip of water and transferred the water into Xanthus¡¯s mouth via hers. He gulped down the water greedily, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing during the process. When Maverly was about to get up and leave, he pressed against her body and gently sucked on her lips. Maverly was stunned. It was her first kiss, yet she wasfortable doing it with the person she liked.

    Before long, the sses fell onto the ground and rolled to one side as their bodies intertwined.

    ¡­

    The next morning, Xanthus woke up from his sleep. There was ring light in front of his eyes and his body felt cold. Opening his eyes, he looked around, shocked. Then, he nced at his own body and realized that he was not wearing any clothes.

    He was holding Maverly in his arms and she was naked as well.

    He jumped and identally pushed her to the ground.

    Maverly slowly opened her eyes as she propped herself up from the ground, her wless body curled up in front of him and her lovely eyes watched him in awe.

    Xanthus was too stunned to respond. Multiple hickeys marked Maverly¡¯s body, which looked like rose petals scattered all over the ground.

    Even a fool would understand what had happenedst night.

    For a moment, Xanthus was shocked by himself.

    He picked up his clothes and stared at the door as he put them on, his hands trembling and his heart beating frantically.

    ¡®Maverly is still a child. What is wrong with me?¡¯ he thought.

    He turned to look at Maverly and said, ¡°Did you do it on purpose?¡±

    She blinked twice, not embarrassed by his words at all. Having received proper sexual education, she was not ashamed when it came to such matters.

    ¡°Are you not happy with that?¡± she asked. She could tell that just by looking at his face. Although she was heartbroken, she knew that love was not a trifling matter, and she could not force it to happen.

    She learned a lot about it from her parents.

    ¡°You are still a child.¡±

    Xanthus put on his clothes and got up from the ground. He could not bear to see Maverly.

    Maverly also put on her clothes and went to stand aside. In fact, her legs were a little unsteady. After all, it was her first time.

    But by the looks of Xanthus¡¯s response, he most likely didn¡¯t wish it to be her first time as it would only make him feel more ufortable.

    ¡°My car is unlocked. Your keys are in the car,¡± she said.

    Xanthus opened the door but stopped again. He turned to look at her and said, ¡°I need some time. Let me think about it.¡±

    He got in the car, then started the engine and left Maverly¡¯s home. Maverly shuffled into the bathroom and took a two-hour long bath. Aftering out of the bath, she felt much better. Then, she went back to lie down and slept for two days straight.

    When Maverly rushed to the hospital to visit the boy, she bumped into Xanthus.

    Xanthus looked down at her. She stared at him and said, ¡°Dr. Osteen.¡±

    When he did not answer, she looked behind him and asked, ¡°Jacian, are you all right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. It hurt a lot the day before yesterday.¡±

    Jacian smiled, and Maverly breathed a sigh of relief. She then turned and bowed to Xanthus. ¡°Thank you, Dr. Osteen. Thank you.¡±

    Xanthus stood in front of her, unable to catch his breath and he began to panic.

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    He turned around and ordered Maverly to follow him outside, and she obeyed.

    She walked behind him as he strode toward his office.

    When they arrived at his office, Xanthus turned to look at Maverly. He threw his notebook on the table, then ced his hands in his pockets and swallowed hard.

    ¡°I drank too much that day!¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    She did not drink much.

    ¡°You¡¯re too young!¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡®He said that before,¡¯ she thought.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.

    Xanthus¡¯s mouth twitched and he didn¡¯t know what else to say.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t my first time, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it. I had two boyfriends in high school and two in college. You are the fifth,¡± she muttered.

    She raised her hand and drew a stroke in the air. Meanwhile, Xanthus was at a loss of words, his face as pale as a sheet of white paper.

    ¡°You¡¯re so young¡­¡±

    ¡°My friends are already sleeping with their boyfriends at the age of eighteen. My mom said that it¡¯s okay to do it as long as I use protection.¡±

    ¡­

    Xanthus clenched his teeth.

    ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already taken the pills!¡±

    Xanthus had nothing left to say, and suddenly, he felt his head pulsing.

    ¡°Your father and I are friends. I am almost ten years older than you.¡±

    ¡°I know, but it doesn¡¯t matter. I am already a grown woman. I won¡¯t tell anyone about this, nor will you have to be responsible for this. I can take care of myself.

    Besides, you were drunk at that time and I gave you the wine myself. Later, when you were drunk, I took the initiative to kiss you, right there!¡±

    Maverly pointed at his cor. Xanthus was stunned at first. Then, he looked down at his cor and nced at her. ¡°Your corbone,¡± she exined.

    Xanthus¡¯s felt his cheeks burn. ¡®Young people these days really know how to tease!¡¯ He thought.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t have to take responsibility for anything.

    ¡°You should pretend that this has never happened before. Don¡¯t tell my father. I¡¯m afraid that if he knows it, he will beat me and say that he¡¯s disappointed.¡±

    Xanthus did not know how he should feel about Maverly¡¯s request.

    Maverly bowed to him and said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Call me if you need anything.¡±

    Then, she turned around and disappeared from his side as if nothing had happened between them.

    Xanthus stared at the door for a long while before raising his hand to touch his cor, then looked down at his corbone curiously. Later, while he was washing his hands after going to the toilet, he unfastened his cor and looked at his corbone in the mirror in confusion. ¡®Apparently, girls nowadays are obsessed with corbones?¡¯

    The day finally passed and Xanthus saw Maverly driving away while he was still inside the hospital.

    He noticed that she was dressed up nicely. Then, he recalled the many boyfriends she had mentioned to him before. Unconsciously, he followed her car.

    It turned out that Maverly went to her campus and met up with a good-looking boy.

 Chapter 1732 Stubborn Man

    The boy looked about twenty years old, about the same age as Maverly. Xanthus could see his face clearly. He was good-looking, well-dressed and looked like a gentleman. He handed a notebook to Maverly when he came out to see her.

    Maverly smiled brightly at him as they exchanged conversations. Then, they walked together to a less crowded ce to talk.

    Xanthus watched the two of them for a while and was about to drive away but noticed the two became increasingly intimate with each other. When the boy lowered his head and whispered in Maverly¡¯s ear, Xanthus frowned and took out his mobile phone to call Maverly.

    Maverly was confused. She had felt dejected when she saw Xanthus earlier, and she wondered why he called her at this time.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    The boy waited beside Maverly, not intending to leave. Xanthus asked, ¡°Is anyone taking care of Jacian in the ward?¡±

    Maverly replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m out. Are you in the hospital now? Could you help me check on him?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also out.¡±

    Maverly pondered for a while before answering, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back now.¡±

    When she was about to leave after hanging up the phone, the boy tugged at her arm as if unwilling to let her go.

    Maverly did not refuse. She stopped and looked at him. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯ll go with you. It¡¯ste. I¡¯m worried about you being alone.¡±

    The boy had meant well. Maverly thought it over and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll treat you to a meal after.¡±

    Then, she walked with him toward her car. The boy did not hesitate to sit in the driver¡¯s seat and he drove to the hospital directly.

    Xanthus wanted to go home, but he followed them instinctively.

    Rolling down the car window, he let the cold wind blow past him as he wondered why he couldn¡¯t remember what happened between him and Maverly. He had forgotten how he ended up at Maverly¡¯s ce that night. The only thing he could remember was Maverly¡¯s body.

    If she had cried to him at that time, he might have disliked her, but now¡­ he was in a dilemma.

    Maverly arrived at the hospital at the same time Xanthus did. Both of their cars entered the hospital one after another. The hospital staff grew nervous upon seeing both partners return at the same time, thinking that something serious had happened.

    One of the staff members asked Xanthus, ¡°Dr. Osteen, did anything happen?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m here to see Jacian.¡±

    Maverly headed toward Jacian¡¯s ward and realized that no one was in the ward with him. She was worried because Jacian was only a child and there was no nurse taking care of him. She had informed the hospital staff to keep an eye on Jacian, but only the doctors on duty came to see him. After all, they couldn¡¯t stay in the ward and take care of him all the time.

    Therefore, Maverly decided to stay in the ward to take care of Jacian. When she was talking, Xanthus came over and opened the door, ncing at them.

    He frowned slightly when he entered the ward, his facial expression indifferent.

    Maverly noticed him and smiled. ¡°Dr. Osteen.¡±

    Xanthus did not answer her. Instead, he looked at the boy standing beside her. ¡°Who is he?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my ssmate. He helps me to send my thesis. Heston, Dr. Osteen is the youngest and most promising orthopedic doctor in our hospital and he has the most authority here. He is the one who operated on Jacian¡¯s leg.¡±

    Xanthus did not feel good about Maverly¡¯s grand introduction of him. On the contrary, his expression remained cold.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Dr. Osteen,¡± the boy, Heston, said hurriedly.

    Then, Maverly added, ¡°Dr. Osteen is my father¡¯s friend and he takes good care of me.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    ¡°Thank you, Dr. Osteen.¡±

    Heston was a talkative man and he kept talking to Xanthus. However, Xanthus was a man of few words. He went to Jacian and talked to him instead.

    ¡°How do you feel? Do you feel ufortable? Are you in pain today?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that being alone is a little boring.¡±

    Jacian was a child, after all, so he would say things without thinking twice.

    Xanthus nced at the time. ¡°I¡¯ll stay with you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jacian¡¯s face was full of joy. Xanthus turned to look at Maverly and Heston, feeling ashamed, but he did not say anything else. Instead, he called Raeleigh and told her that he would not be going home that night.

    Raeleigh put down her phone and stared at the door in confusion.

    Jepherson was still the same as before, but he hadpletely turned mute and refused to speak.

    Raeleigh sat down and looked at him intently, then exined, ¡°Xanthus is noting back.¡±

    As usual, Jepherson said nothing.

    Raeleigh knew he wouldn¡¯t talk. He was pretending to be mute, so he wouldn¡¯t speak.

    ¡°Xanthus was in low spirits two days ago. Usually, he would go home after work. He¡¯s acting strange today,¡± she said.

    There was still no answer from Jepherson. Raeleigh put down her phone and went to the kitchen, trying not to think about anything else.

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, Maverly said to Xanthus, ¡°I can stay and take care of Jacian. You don¡¯t have to¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Since you have a thesis to write, you¡¯d better note to the hospital anymore.¡±

    Xanthus changed his clothes and strode outside, confused about his own feelings.

    ¡®Why am I throwing a tantrum at a kid? This is ridiculous!¡±

    Back in the office, he quickly put on his white robe. He nced at the time and called the doctor on duty.

    ¡°Call me if you need anything. I am on duty at the hospital today.¡±

    Then, he hung up the phone before the doctor on duty could answer him.

    He turned around and walked out of the office. Just then, Maverly stood at the door and stopped him. ¡°Dr. Osteen, you seem to be in a bad mood. You should go back home. I can stay and take care of Jacian.¡±

    Xanthus avoided Maverly and headed to Jacian¡¯s ward, but she followed behind him and kept asking him what had happened.

    He did not answer her and the air between them grew tense.

    When Xanthus arrived at Jacian¡¯s ce, he took out his phone to charge it. Then, he turned on the TV and switched to an educational channel.

    Jaciany on the bed, staring at Xanthus and talking to him.

    On the other side of the room, Maverly stared at him helplessly. ¡®I didn¡¯t offend him. What was he trying to aplish? I have a feeling that he is doing this to irk me,¡¯ she thought to herself.

    ¡°I¡¯m going then.¡±

    Maverly bid goodbye to Jacian unwillingly then nced at Xanthus and left the hospital with Heston.

    When the door closed shut, Xanthus calmed down for a while, leaning his head against the bed. He remained silent for the entire night. Initially, he had nned to apany Jacian, but he was not in a good mood that night. In the end, Jacian was the one apanying him instead.

 Chapter 1733 Moving In

    When Xanthus got up in the morning, Maverly had already arrived. She came alone and had brought breakfast for them.

    Xanthus¡¯s mood inexplicably became much better when he noticed Heston didn¡¯te.

    Shooting a nce at Maverly, he went to wash up. By the time he was finished, Maverly and Jacian were already eating.

    He had an operation in the morning, so he left hastily after taking a few bites.

    In the afternoon, Xanthus came down from his office and went to check on Jacian, only to find Heston in the ward. Heston had brought toys for Jacian. Xanthus stopped outside the ward and stared inside for a while before returning to his office.

    Later, when he got off work in the evening, Xanthus went straight back to his home. When he arrived at the door, he received a call from Jeremy. Jeremy asked him out for a drink.

    Xanthus had been in a bad mood before because of Cynthia¡¯s matter, so he invited Jeremy to go out for a drink. However, he was no longer in the mood for that. Besides, he avoided him because of Maverly.

    ¡°I have to go back and take care of Raeleigh.¡±

    Upon noticing Xanthus¡¯s tone, Jeremy took the hint and did not force him to go with him.

    However, Xanthus was forced to attend his hospital¡¯s gathering that weekend, where Maverly showed up together with Jeremy.

    ¡°Come say hi to Mr. Xanthus!¡±

    Jeremy beckoned at Maverly, summoning her over. Then, draping one arm across Xanthus¡¯s shoulder, he hugged her with his other arm.

    Maverly acted as if nothing had happened between her and Xanthus as she smiled at him and greeted, ¡°Hello, Mr. Xanthus.¡±

    Xanthus did not answer. He would have answered her in the past, but now¡­

    ¡°Xanthus, isn¡¯t my daughter beautiful? Doesn¡¯t she look just like me?¡±

    Jeremy tightened his grip on Xanthus¡¯s shoulder and asked, then led him away.

    When Maverly left to chat with the others, Xanthus went to sit down in a corner.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving tonight, Xanthus. I¡¯m going to Africa. You know, my family has always been interested in the mines in Africa. But now that I¡¯m leaving, I¡¯m worried about leaving my precious daughter alone here. Would you mind taking Maverly to your home and asking Raeleigh to help take care of her for me?¡±

    Xanthus stifled augh and nced at Jeremy. ¡°Stop joking. It¡¯s not appropriate for me to take care of your daughter! How could you trust me so much?¡±

    Although Xanthus was only joking, he instinctively nced toward Maverly as he spoke. At that moment, a few young adults in their early twenties surrounded Maverly. Everyone loved being near Maverly. She was unrestrained and easy-going.

    Maverly was born with a natural charm and people around her always couldn¡¯t help but approach her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t trust anyone else but you. I know you well. You don¡¯t drink nor flirt with women, so I can rest assured that Maverly will be safe under your care. Maverly is an obedient child, so please take care of her for me.¡±

    Xanthus refused Jeremy¡¯s request multiple times, but Jeremy insisted. Finally, Xanthus gave in and agreed to help him. Feeling satisfied, Jeremy took Maverly home early shortly after their conversation.

    Xanthus drove back home that night and when he arrived home, Jeremy and Waverly were waiting for him at the door.

    Sticking his head out of the window, he took a look outside and confirmed that it was Maverly¡¯s car behind the two figures.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    He got out of the car after a while, pushing the door open and staring at the two of them. Then, he noticed the piece of luggage behind Maverly.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that this¡­¡±

    ¡°My flight is ten o¡¯clock, so there¡¯s only an hour left. You don¡¯t have to send me off. Take Maverly inside. For the past few days, those boys in her school have been looking for excuses to visit her in her vi and I can¡¯t stop worrying about her. My daughter is the most precious thing to me. What do I do if something really happens to her?

    She is still an innocent child.¡±

    Jeremy was not even forty years old. He had gotten married early and had Maverly when he was still young. Therefore, his love for Maverly exceeded his regard for his own life. He was watching over her.

    ¡°Dad¡­¡± Maverly was a little embarrassed.

    Jeremy nced at her. ¡°Don¡¯t argue with me. I think that you are too young to know how things work. I¡¯m not satisfied with any of those boys. Once I find the perfect guy, I will introduce him to you. You hear me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the one dating the boys, not you.¡±

    Maverly was not convinced. Jeremy nced at her and said, ¡°Stop arguing.¡±

    She pursed her lips. ¡°But you and Mom¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s different. We live in different times. Your mother and I fell in love at the same age as others did. It¡¯s different now.¡±

    Jeremy struggled to exin. Xanthus didn¡¯t want to hear the two of them bickering anymore, so he quickly said, ¡°You two should leave. I¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    When Jeremy heard that Xanthus was about to chase the two of them away, he immediately returned to his car and drove away quickly.

    ¡°It¡¯s all Dad¡¯s wishful thinking. Sorry for causing you trouble, Dr. Osteen. I¡¯ll leave now. I promise I won¡¯t let Dad know.¡±

    Maverly said and turned to leave. Xanthus stopped her, ¡°It¡¯ste. It will take an hour for you to get to the downtown area. How are you going to walk there?¡±

    She looked back at him. ¡°I¡¯ll call someone to pick me up.¡±

    When Raeleigh came out of the house, she spotted the two of them at the door.

    ¡°Xanthus, is that your friend?¡± she walked toward them and asked. Maverly stood on the opposite side and exined, ¡°Dr. Osteen and my father are friends. They ran a hospital together. My father is travelling abroad and he is worried about me. So he entrusted me to Dr. Osteen.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Xanthus. ¡°Since he already said so, why are you leaving?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to disturb the both of you. My father entrusted me to Dr. Osteen, but as you can see, I am a grown woman and I can take care of myself.¡±

    Maverly stood unmoving in the distance. Raeleigh looked at Xanthus and said, ¡°Xanthus, Miss White saved me before. Now we should help her.¡±

    Xanthus nced at Maverly and said, ¡°Come in. I¡¯ll call your father.¡±

    Turning around, he went back to his car, started the engine, then drove the car into the house. Raeleigh waited for Maverly as she carried her luggage, then led her into the house.

    Although the White family was well-off, it was Maverly¡¯s first time seeing such a beautiful manor. The house looked even more incredible at nighttime.

    She followed Raeleigh into the manor as she introduced the ce to her. More than half an hour had passed by the time they reached inside the house.

    Standing in front of the ssical building, Maverly eximed in admiration, ¡°What a beautiful house. It¡¯s gourgeous.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in and have a look.¡±

    Raeleigh took her into a room upstairs.

    Just like that, Maverly moved in to the Osteen family¡¯s mansion.

 Chapter 1734 Abandoned

    On the first night of Maverly¡¯s stay in the manor, the three of them had a hard time falling asleep.

    Xanthus and Maverly couldn¡¯t sleep, while Raeleigh stayed up wondering all night.

    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with Xanthus?¡¯

    Raeleigh got up early in the morning and ordered the servants to prepare a scrumptious breakfast. On the other hand, Maverly woke up at eight o¡¯clock.

    ncing at the time, Maverly felt a little embarrassed. She came down from upstairs and exined, ¡°I find it hard to fall asleep in unfamiliar ces.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I just got up too,¡±Raeleigh said as she served breakfast.

    Just then, Jepherson came downstairs and saw Maverly but said nothing.

    ¡°This is Mr. Richards. He usually doesn¡¯t talk. So please don¡¯t mind him,¡± Raeleigh told Maverly the truth. Maverly was still too young to understand it after all. She stared at them with a strange expression on her face.

    ¡°Do you all usually wake up thiste?¡±

    Raeleigh smiled, ¡°Can¡¯t we?¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Well¡­ There¡¯s nothing wrong with that.¡± Maverly was a little embarrassed and she sat down when Raeleigh told her to.

    At this time, Jepherson had already sat down on the side. He was used to sitting there. He refused to look at the others as if they had nothing to do with him. He was only concerned about the people he loved.

    Raeleigh said to Maverly, ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. He has always been like this.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Jephersonraised his head to look at Raeleigh with a haughty look in his dark eyes.

    Stunned, Maverly hurriedly lowered her head, thinking that Jepherson was an unfriendly man.

    Raeleigh noticed Maverly lowering her head and turned to look in the direction of Jepherson, then finally saw what was going on.

    Jepherson avoided her gaze and continued to eat without paying attention to them.

    Raeleigh handed Maverly an egg, putting it in front of her. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you like to eat, so I told them to make a simple breakfast instead. Tell me what you like. I will ask the kitchen staff to make it for youter.¡±

    ¡®Maverly seems like a good girl. Didn¡¯t Jared say that she has a crush on Xanthus?¡¯ Raeleigh thought.

    Raeleigh felt proud knowing that someone had a crush on Xanthus.

    Besides, she thought Maverly looked pleasing to the eye.

    Although Cynthia had been good to Xanthus, she was already in the past. Raeleigh had never expected that they would separate after being together with each other for so long.

    Raeleigh did not care how things would develop between Maverly and Xanthus in the future, but she hoped that Xanthus could move on from his past rtionship.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything,¡± Maverly answered. She was not picky about food. Just then, Xanthus came down from upstairs.

    Everyone looked up at Xanthus as he pulled out a chair and sat down beside Raeleigh.

    Xanthus lowered his head and remained silent as he dug into his breakfast.

    He had never been so quiet since Jepherson¡¯s arrival.

    Without lifting his gaze, he finished his breakfast, then got up and prepared to go to the hospital.

    Before Maverly could finish her food, Xanthus asked her, ¡°Are you going to school or to the hospital today?¡±

    She looked at him and replied, ¡°I have toplete my thesis. So I won¡¯t go out for the next few days. Dad has already helped me apply for leave. He doesn¡¯t want me to go to school. I¡¯ll go to the hospital in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°In the afternoon? What for?¡±

    ¡°Yesterday, I asked Heston to help me take care of Jacian. I can¡¯t keep asking him to help. I¡¯ll go over tonight and take care of Jacian myself. I¡¯ll write my thesis while taking care of him.¡±

    ¡°You want to take care of Jacian while you write your thesis?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Xanthus said nothing as he turned to leave and drove away.

    Raeleigh asked Maverly, ¡°Who is Jacian?¡±

    ¡°He is a child I met in the orphanage. Dr. Osteen did his surgery.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded inprehension upon hearing Maverly¡¯s exnation.

    ¡°Then, do you think you can multitask?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m used to this.¡±

    After breakfast, Maverly went to write her thesis. At around eleven o¡¯clock in the afternoon, she brought some food from Raeleigh¡¯s home and hurried to the hospital.

    When she arrived at the hospital, she found Heston and took out the food. The three of them ate lunch together. After eating, Maverly asked Heston to go home and told him she would stay in the hospital to take care of Jacian while writing her thesis.

    In the evening, when Xanthus got off work, he stopped at the door, then went to Jacian¡¯s ward to check on him. When he arrived, he heard a voiceing out from the ward.

    ¡°Maverly, do you like Heston?¡±

    Jacian asked as hey on the bed. Maverly replied, ¡°He¡¯s my ssmate. He¡¯s just helping me. I helped him a lot too.¡±

    ¡°Then who do you have a crush on?¡±

    ¡°No one at the moment.¡±

    Maverly initially nned to write her thesis, but Jacian couldn¡¯t stop talking to her, disrupting her chain of thought. Worried that she could not finish her thesis, she became a little dejected.

    ¡°Jacian, are you not feeling well now?¡±

    ¡°No, I feelfortable now. Maverly, you may leave if you have something else to do. I¡¯m fine being alone at night.¡±

    ¡°You are too young. What if something happens? I have nothing to do if I go back anyway.¡±

    Maverly felt wronged. She couldn¡¯t abandon Jacian, so she had no choice but to stay upte at night.

    It was alreadyte at night, but Maverly still had not gone back.

    Neither did Xanthus.

    Raeleigh received a call from Xanthus telling her that he would not go back because he had an operation that night.

    She put down her phone and said to Jepherson, ¡°Are you flying tonight?¡±

    When Jepherson didn¡¯t answer, Raeleigh stopped asking. Apparently, he was mute now.

    That evening, Raeleigh saw Jepherson off. While Jared drove Raeleigh back, he looked at her through the rearview mirror and asked, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°Whether or not I would get home safely.¡±

    In fact, Raeleigh was a little worried. She did not think that Jared would treat her nicely anymore.

    In other words, Jepherson was able to subdue Jared when he was still around. Now that he was no longer around, then that was not necessarily the case.

    ¡°Heh¡­ You¡¯re indeed very smart.¡±

    Just like that, Jared abandoned Raeleigh on the cold street. She felt her body shivering as the chilly wind blew past her.

    Initially, she nned to take a taxi but couldn¡¯t find one. ¡®Jared is cunning. He has abandoned me in a ce where I can¡¯t even get a taxi!¡¯

    Sbe stood there for a long time until she no longer had the energy to move. She wanted to call Xanthus, but stopped when she realized that he would definitely not answer the phone if he was in the middle of a surgery.

    Instead, she called her driver at home and asked him to pick her up. Fortunately, she was not far from home.

    But when she hung up the phone, a ck car pulled up in front of her. The passenger inside the vehicle opened the door and asked her to get into the car. She fixed her eyes on the man inside the car, thinking that it would not be safe to encounter anyone at such ate hour. However, she didn¡¯t see Jared nearby.

    Her heart thumped against her chest as she hesitated.

    The driver got out of the car, then said to Raeleigh, ¡°The President invites you to get in the car. It¡¯s too remote here and it¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the car. The man did not seem to be a bad person, but¡­

    ¡°Thank you then!¡±

    She bowed and entered the car. The next instant, she saw the face of the man sitting inside the car clearly. He crossed her legs and sat there elegantly, shooting a nce at Raeleigh as she got into the car.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment as soon as she saw him.

    When the two of their eyes met, he smiled at her.

 Chapter 1735 Mr. Fifth

    ¡°Do I know you?¡± Raeleigh asked. However, the man withdrew his smile and said, ¡°No. But when I see you walking alone in the dark, especially in such weather, I thought it would be bad if you encountered the bad guys. You seem like a beautiful and spiritual woman.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The man shed her a faint smile, then looked in front of him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    When Raeleigh told the driver her address, the man frowned slightly and asked her, ¡°Are you from the Osteen family?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The man was baffled. ¡°That¡¯s weird. The Osteen family doesn¡¯t have any daughters, right? Moreover, Xanthus is the only son in the family. Are you their biological family?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m his fiancee, but it¡¯s a long story. We have no feelings for each other, but his parents like me, so they adopted me as their daughter, and I live there now.¡±

    ¡°I see. But as far as I know, Xanthus is a good person. However, his job is not suitable for the Osteen family¡¯s business.¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything more. The man seemed to have noticed something, so he stopped talking.

    The atmosphere in the car gradually quietened down.

    Raeleigh observed the man¡¯s shirt under the dim light and noticed that he had dressed casually in a gray suit and a white shirt. Perhaps because of the cold weather, he wore a white scarf around his neck, giving him an elegant aura.

    In fact, most men dressed like this, so it was hard to tell whether the man had a good sense of fasion or not. However, he gave off a unique charisma.

    Jepherson was the most charismatic man Raeleigh had ever seen and ordinary men could neverpare to him.

    Even Zorion was not his match.

    But the man in the car had apletely different charisma. He was quiet and gentle, just like a noble person.

    Raeleigh admitted that his good looks had been one of the most outstanding aspects, but other than that, his calm and elegant charisma attracted her attention.

    It was the first time that she had felt this way towards a man.

    The lights outside the car shone on their faces. Raeleigh called her driver, Zoman, and told him that she was almost home.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    The driver hung up the phone and turned back home, then waited for her at the gate of the manor.

    When Raeleigh arrived at her ce, she got out of the car and said politely to the man, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The man in the car smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s my honor to meet a girl like you. I hope we still have a chance to meet.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile, ¡°I¡¯m ttered.¡±

    ¡°May I know your name?¡±

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment, then said, ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh?¡±

    The man paused and asked, ¡°Your surname is Anson?¡±

    ¡°I am an orphan. After the Osteens adopted me, I changed my nationality. Now that I am registered in their household register, I changed my surname too.

    I had no family name.¡±

    With that, he smiled at Raeleigh. ¡°I see. Sorry to bother you. I have to go now.¡±

    ¡°Take care.¡±

    Raeleigh stepped back at the gate of the manor. The driver pushed the door open and bowed to Raeleigh. Then, he got into the car and left.

    Before the car drove away, the man rolled down the window, then man stuck his head out and said to Raeleigh, ¡°I¡¯m the fifth child in my family. You may call me Mr. Fifth if you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at him and smiled. ¡°See you, Mr. Fifth.¡±

    The man paused for a moment and smiled.

    He rolled up the window and left. Raeleigh watched the car leave and frowned slightly.

    Just then, Zoman walked up to her and asked worriedly, ¡°Miss, where is Mr. Jared? Didn¡¯t he go out with you?¡±

    She nced at him. ¡°He has something to do. He went out.¡±

    ¡°Should I tell Mr. Richards?¡±

    Zoman became increasingly worried. He had doubted that Jared would not treat Raeleigh well and now he felt that he was right.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. He went to the toilet.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and walked into the manor as Zoman said hurriedly, ¡°Miss, get in the car and let me drive you in.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I want to go back. It is not veryte yet. Let¡¯s go inside.

    ¡°Zoman, please don¡¯t tell Xanthus what happened today. I don¡¯t want him to worry about me.

    You know that he has worried a lot for me in recent years.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Miss.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, she entered the house as Zoman drove the car into the vi.

    As soon as she walked into the house, she heard the sound of a car behind her. She stopped and turned around to look at the person who had shown up at the door.

    Jared got out of the car and stared at Raeleigh¡¯s calm and indifferent face. Then, he stepped out and said to her, ¡°Are you trying to seduce every man you meet?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°If every man means all the men in the world excluding you, then you¡¯re right.¡±

    She turned around and continued walking as the moonlight illuminated her path. She wrapped her coat tightly around her as she walked.

    Anything could happen to a woman like her, so who would believe her loyalty by then?

    She could see from Jared¡¯s eyes that to him, she was a skittish woman.

    Ironically, Jepherson had hired such a man to work by his side.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t have a good sleep that night and she remained awake until dawn.

    She felt much more rxed without Jepherson¡¯s presence. In the morning, she still had time for her morning exercise.

    She only took a walk around the manor for an hour, from the house to the garden.

    It was six in the morning by the time she finished circling the house. At that time, she was fully warmed up.

    But then she saw Jared in the garden. Apparently, he also got up early to exercise, or perhaps, to keep an eye on her.

    Raeleigh wiped her sweat and walked back. However, Jared said in amusement, ¡°I can¡¯t believe that you sweat so much only after a short walk.¡±

    Jared¡¯s insults came from behind. Raeleigh turned around and looked at him but said nothing. Then, she turned around and walked toward the house.

    Jared stood behind her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t seem like you want to talk to me. Do you have a grudge against me?¡±

    She turned around and replied, ¡°I prefer the mute back in the vige.¡±

    Jared shuddered upon hearing that. Raeleigh turned around and walked away before he could react.

 Chapter 1736 Takeaway

    After Jepherson left, Raeleigh went back to work in the office as there was already a mountain of documents piled up on her table, waiting for her toplete.

    For a moment, she regretted starting Bloom Aksea Group.

    If she had known that Jepherson would eventually buy herpany, she wouldn¡¯t set up one in the first ce.

    In the end, she had fallen into her own trap.

    Afterst night, Raeleigh learned the lesson and no longer dared to ask Jared to drive her. Instead, she took her own car to the office.

    Mr. Zoman was equally worried, so he drove to Raeleigh¡¯s house early in the morning and waited for her.

    On the other hand, Jared was nonchnt. He did not care whether Raeleigh wanted to sit in his car or not.

    On the way to the office, Zoman said to Raeleigh, ¡°I always had the feeling that this Jared is not a trustworthy person. Why don¡¯t we arrange someone else to protect you, Miss?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not necessary. If someone really wanted to hurt me, they would always find a way. It would be useless. Mr. Zoman, thank you for your hard work. I¡¯m worried that I¡¯ll drag you into trouble. If this doesn¡¯t work out, we may hire another driver. One with experience in the special forces.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Mr. Zoman said hurriedly, ¡°Miss, please don¡¯t think that I¡¯m a coward. It¡¯s just that Jared doesn¡¯t look like a reliable person. How should I exin it to Mr. and Mrs. Osteen if something happens to you?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to exin. They¡¯ll understand and I¡¯ll be fine. You see, I am fine now, right?

    Jared¡¯s not even our family. We have no reason to ask him to work for us.

    Besides, Jared¡¯s different from Stuart. He is extremely faithful to Jepherson.

    He would take a bullet for Jepherson without hesitating. But for others, it might not be the case.

    The reason why Jepherson trusts him so much and believes that he would risk his life to protect me is that he¡¯s absolutely loyal to him. I also believe that Jared is the smartest and bravest one among all.

    There are only a few people on earth that Jepherson trusts. Jared is definitely one of them.

    In fact, he had been willing to protect me for Jepherson in the past. However, I let him down.¡±

    Zoman could not understand what Raeleigh was saying at all. He only sensed that she was acting differently that day. Thus, he said nothing more.

    After they arrived at thepany building, Raeleigh got out of the car and began to work. Fortunately, she had a thoughtful assistant. Every time she needed to review a document, Ariana would open it for her, and she would only need to check the document and sign on it.

    After a busy morning signing most of the important documents, she finished the rest of them in the afternoon. Finally, she stood up and called Ariana, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you out for a meal. I know you¡¯ve always wanted to eat nice food, so I¡¯ll take you to a nice restaurant.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh stepped out of the door, Ariana following behind her in excitement.

    When the two of them left the office, Jared requested to tag along. He was going to grab some food too.

    Raeleigh had taken the two of them to a gourmet restaurant. Ariana felt a little embarrassed when Raeleigh said she wanted to treat her to a meal.

    She thought that serving Raeleigh was her duty, so she did not expect Raeleigh to repay her with such an expensive meal.

    Raeleigh told Ariana to choose whatever she liked. Initially, Ariana refused, butter, she took over the menu and began choosing her favourite dishes.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh fixed her gaze outside the window, staring at the snow as the people passed by the restaurant.

    She liked sitting and watching othersduring her free time. As a result, she had be too focused on those people that she paid no attention to what was happening around her.

    Staring at the outside world in a daze, Raeleigh failed to notice the person standing beside her. Ariana panicked, and she kicked her gently with her feet. Then, she came to her senses and looked at Ariana.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked weakly.

    Ariana chuckled awkwardly and nced at the seat beside Raeleigh. Raeleigh turned to look beside her, then noticed someone standing by her side.

    She jumped when she saw the man standing beside her, then asked, ¡°What a coincidence!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a coincidence. I¡¯m here for lunch. Do I have the honor to sit down and have lunch with you, Raeleigh?¡±

    Raeleigh shifted in her seat and took a look at him and said, ¡°Where¡¯s your table?¡±

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    The man walked to a table near Raeleigh¡¯s, then pulled out a chair like a gentleman and invited Raeleigh to sit down.

    Noticing that Raeleigh hadn¡¯t ordered her food yet, he gave the menu to her when she sat down. However, Raeleigh refused and only ordered a bowl of mushroom soup instead.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to try their steak? Their steaks are heavenly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±

    Raeleigh shed him a smile.

    The man ordered a steak and two sses of orange juice, but Raleigh refused him again.

    After a while, he asked her, ¡°Are you working nearby?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m working for a carpany.¡±

    ¡°I never would have guessed that!¡±

    ¡°I started up a smallpany some time ago, but it has been acquired now. I¡¯m working there.¡±

    ¡°I see. But you did a good job. Otherwise, why would they continue to hire you?¡±

    Raeleigh smiled but said nothing.

    When Raeleigh¡¯s food arrived, she lowered her head and dug into her food quietly.

    ¡°What happened to your hand?¡± the man asked as he cut his steak.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°An injury. The doctor asked me not to move them often. I¡¯m still recovering.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    The man stopped asking and looked up at the waiter, ordering, ¡°I would like to order one more steak, same as mine.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    After the waiter left, the man pushed Raeleigh¡¯s soup aside and moved to sit down beside her. Then, he cut the steak into pieces and ced the fork and knife in front of Raeleigh.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t used these yet. They¡¯re clean. Please enjoy yourself.¡±

    He handed the fork to her as he spoke. However, she fixed her eyes on him and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±

    ¡°Eat, I can wait for the next one.¡±

    Unable to reject his kindness, Raeleigh epted the fork. The man had already cut the steak into small pieces, making it easy for her to pick them up with her fork. So, she took a piece of the steak and put it in her mouth.

    At that moment, the man¡¯s steak arrived.He politely returned to his original seat and sat down before digging in.

    The two remained silent throughout the meal. In the end, the man said, ¡°I have something else to tend to in the afternoon, but I hope to invite you to dinner next time. Will you treat me to lunch today?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment then nodded her head. ¡°I should be the one thanking you for sending me back. I¡¯ll pay for your meal this time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s different. It was a trivial matter. I¡¯ll treat you to dinner next time.¡±

    With that, he stood up and walked out of the restaurant.

    Raeleigh stared at his back as he left, then nced at his unfinished steak. Later, she asked the waiter to pack her own share of steak to be taken home.

 Chapter 1737 Escort

    Raeleigh had a lot of matters to tend to that afternoon. When she returned to her office, she handed the steak to Ariana, then told her to put it in the fridge and wanted Ariana to remind her to take it back when she returned home in the evening.

    Ariana asked incredulously, ¡°Miss Anson, do you really like the steak there so much?¡±

    ¡°Not really, but I don¡¯t like wasting food either. It¡¯s better to take away the food instead of throwing it out. Although I can¡¯t force others to do that, at least I could do my part.¡±

    Raeleigh exined as she removed her coat and hung it on the hanger. Then, she walked past her desk and sat down in front of theputer, staring at it for a while. After that, she called Xanthus.

    Xanthus picked up the phone almost instantly. Raeleigh was not surprised. He was probably taking a rest at this time.

    Thus, she could contact him during this period.

    ¡°Have you eaten already?¡±

    Xanthus was sitting in his office and Releigh chuckled. ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep all night?¡±

    There was an awkward silence on the other end of the phone.

    When Xanthus did not answer, Raeleigh said, ¡°Your voice sounds hoarse. Are you feeling sick?¡±

    Xanthus stood up. ¡°What do you mean feeling sick?¡±

    ¡°Maverly¡¯s a good girl. If I were you, I would give us a try.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Matters about rtionships are hard to say and it is normal for people to get confused. But how could you start new if you never let go of the past?

    Although spring is beautiful, it¡¯s only temporary. In fact, summer is when the flowers bloom. The reason why you think spring is more beautiful is that you met Cynthia during a cold winter. She had opened the door to your heart. So you find it hard to forget her.

    What do you think is the most beautiful season of the year? I can say that my answer is certaintyte autumn.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Find someone who can apany you untilte autumnes and stay through the winter with you.

    That is the most beautiful thing.¡±

    Xanthusughed. ¡°Are you preparing to start a consulting ss?¡±

    Raeleigh smiled and said, ¡°I am, indeed. Will you give me a chance to do it?¡±

    Another awkward silence filled the air.

    Shortly after, Xanthus hung up the phone.

    Raeleigh ended the call at the same time after exchanging a few more words with him.

    Looking outside the window, Xanthus put away his phone. He had an operation to performter. He checked the time and immediately went outside.

    After four hours of the operation, Xanthus felt a little ufortable near the end of the surgery. But fortunately, he managed to finish the operation.

    When he finally came out of the operating room, he could no longer hold on. He leaned against the wall as he swayed toward one side and fainted.

    Just then, Maverly arrived. Upon seeing his condition, she rushed over and immediately gave him first aid.

    She fumbled for the emergency medicine and fed him a few of the pills. Then, he slowly woke up.

    Xanthus was surprised to see Maverly when he opened his eyes.

    When she saw him wake up, she held him tightly in her arms.

    Xanthus calmed down and raised his hand to hold Maverly¡¯s, then pulled her away to stare at her flustered face.

    She let go of him and got up and instructed, ¡°Take Dr. Osteen to the emergency room for a full-body examination.¡±

    Xanthus lifted his gaze and looked at Maverly. She had refused to look him in the eye.

    When Maverly followed Xanthus to the emergency ward, he kept looking at her, but she refused to look into his eyes.

    Later, hey in bed, waiting for her to visit him, but she didn¡¯te.

    The doctor wrote a prescription for Xanthus. First, he ordered a brain scan, as well as an electrocardiograph. Then, he asked if Xanthus had ever encountered such a situation before. Xanthus knew very well that his condition was not a big problem. It was because he had been too tired recently. He had worked for the entire morning and did not get enough rest at night. Anyone would have ended up like him if they did the same. In addition, they would also suffer from indigestion too.

    Therefore, in this case, it was normal that he fainted.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be okay after an examination,¡±Xanthus said calmly.

    Meanwhile, Maverly said as she stood beside him, ¡°You have to see a specialist. If your family doesn¡¯t have time, I¡¯ll go with you. Can you walk now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry. I¡¯ll do the examination after eating.¡±

    Maverly nced at the time and realized that it was gettingte.

    So, she brought him to dinner.

    After lunch, Maverly took Xanthus for an examination and she waited outside all the time. When Xanthus was about to enter the maic resonance imaging room, she helped him take off his clothes. He was wearingyers of thick jackets at that time, and they were not easy to remove. Therefore, Maverly had to peel them off one by one.

    ¡°Why did you take off all my clothes?¡±

    Maverly was stunned as she did not expect Xanthus to ask that question.

    Her cheeks turned red instantly. She felt that it was unreal looking at Xanthus¡¯s perfect body.

    She did not know how to exin it to him.

    Xanthus had an elegant appearance, and he looked like a refined schr, which made him suitable to be a doctor.

    However, Maverly did not expect him to have a supermodel figure.

    ¡°Is this correct?¡± Xanthus asked Maverly. Feeling embarrassed, Maverly replied, ¡°You are a doctor. Don¡¯t you know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a radiologist.¡±

    Xanthus turned around and went over to the machine to lie down as he spoke. At the same time, Maverly tidied up his clothes and watched over him. When he was done, she went over to help him put on his clothes.

    Later, the two went to do other examinations, and by the time they were finished, it was over 10 o¡¯clock.

    Maverly took Xanthus to the lounge to rest and gave him an infusion. She nned to leave but stayed as she did not want to leave him alone.

    Xanthus was not asleep, but he seemed sleepy, blinking his eyes a lot.

    ¡°Are you feeling sleepy?¡±Maverly asked him.

    Xanthus closed his eyes and did not answer. After a while, he fell asleep, but Maverly still did not leave. When Xanthus¡¯s infusion was done after midnight, Maverly pulled out the needle and helped stop the bleeding before she left.

    The next morning, Xanthus nced around the lounge after waking up and got off the bed when he saw no one else in the room.

    He pushed open the door and went out to look for Maverly, then found her sitting on a chair outside, sound asleep.

    Maverly opened her eyes when she heard the door creaking and was stunned to see Xanthus. She did not expect him to wake up so early.

    ¡°Dr. Osteen.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯ll go back now. I have to check on Jacian.¡±

    Maverly turned around and left. Meanwhile, Xanthus stared at her, lost in thought.

 Chapter 1738 In Dire Straits

    Xanthus didn¡¯t go back.Raeleigh called Xanthus when she woke up in the morning.Xanthus told her that he would be working night shiftand Raeleighughed as soon as he finished speaking.

    ¡°Xanthus, it seems that this is the first time you¡¯re working night shift.¡± Raeleigh teased him, but he said nothing in response to this.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯m going to hang up if there¡¯s nothing else.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh,¡± Xanthus called out to her.

    ¡°I thought my feelings toward Cynthia will never change for the rest of my life.¡±

    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be the only false impression you were under. Most people always regard the unobtainable one as the best and it¡¯s of little value once they¡¯ve acquired it.

    Have you ever wondered why you care so much about that rtionship?

    Did the fact that you couldn¡¯t get over it from the beginning and didn¡¯t receive any recognition give rise to your resolution to win her heart?

    Loving someone is very easy. A sight may be enough to herald a blissful marriage, or mark the beginning of a doomed life. Xanthus, I hope you won¡¯t cling to such an ill-fated future.

    Let¡¯s do a simple test now. Xanthus, close your eyes and the first person toe to your mind is who you long for. Try it.¡±

    The moment I say ¡®start¡¯, you have to close your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t start yet¡­¡±

    ¡°Start.¡±

    Before Xanthus could agree, Raeleigh had started the test. The next second, Xanthus closed his eyes.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    What appeared in his mind was Maverly, who he had seen after he woke up in that morning. She was naked and covered with rose petals-like kiss marks.

    Xanthus wanted to shake his head and alter the person in his mind, but he failed. Even if he seeded, it would be another Maverly. Tried as he might, he couldn¡¯t change it to Cynthia¡¯s face.

    In a stupor, Xanthus was absorbed in his own world.

    Raeleigh hung up as she didn¡¯t want to say anything else to him at this time. She believed that he had made up his mind.

    He would make the right decision.

    The loss of a rtionship might be a shattering experience, but after snapping out of it, wouldn¡¯t there be a bright future awaiting him?

    Raeleigh went out after having breakfast at home. Jepherson called her, telling her that he had arrived.

    ¡°Did you just get off the ne?¡±

    Raeleigh asked him. Jepherson was exiting the airport. Stuart had personallye to pick him up.

    ¡°Has Jared been obedient over the past two days?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s okay, there isn¡¯t much he can do.¡±

    Raeleigh was not in the mood to say anything more. She got into the car and shot a nce at Jared, who was in the car behind.

    In fact, Jepherson had his worries. However, at this moment, no one could perform the task better than Jared. Therefore, Jepherson had no choice but to do so.

    ¡°Although Jared is unyielding, he knows how to get his priorities in order.¡±

    Jepherson still had faith in Jared.

    ¡°I¡¯m aware of it.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s the case going?¡±

    Before Jepherson left, the two peoplewho had jumped shiphad already conducted the case to the final stage. Even though it was almost carved in stone, Jepherson was still very concerned.

    ¡°They have been locked up. There was an interrogation today. I didn¡¯t go. Your twowyers went.¡±

    Raeleigh was not very interested in this kind of matters.

    To put it bluntly, no matter if it was profitable or not, it had nothing to do with her.

    Hence, Raeleigh would of course not take it seriously.

    ¡°What do you mean my twowyers?¡±

    Jepherson stopped andhanded the bag in his hand to Stuartwho wasing over, and followed Stuart to the door.

    Raeleigh did not answer.

    ¡°Is your hand all right?¡± Jepherson was most worried about Raeleigh¡¯s hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. Everything is fine.¡±

    As Raeleigh was talking, the car had been driving for a long distance. Raeleigh detected that a car met hers. The chauffeur looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Jepherson got into the car and asked Raeleigh, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡­

    No one spoke after that. It was as if their hearts were separated by a barrier. When they conversed, they were unwilling to face each other.

    Jepherson said, ¡°Raeleigh, I¡¯ve been missing you. I¡¯ve missed you since I got onto the ne.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh remained silent for a while before she replied. ¡°I¡¯ll hang up if there is nothing else.¡±

    After that, Raeleigh hung up.

    Jepherson nced at his phone. He felt the urge to call her again, but didn¡¯t do so in the end.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Jepherson, who was sitting in the car, put his phone away and asked Stuart, who then got into the car instantly and told Jepherson, ¡°For some reason, severalpanies under us are in dire straits. Currently, public opinion has turned against us. It¡¯spletely different from thest time. It seems that they aren¡¯t targeting our automobilepanies, but thepanies in other industries. The film productionpany under us has been preparing amercial film, but the female lead of it has be a victim of a sexual assault. Things are very troublesome now. It¡¯s been circting that we purport to produce films while we¡¯re actually procurers under the table.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face fell. ¡°Who did this?¡±

    ¡°The director of the film did it. Simr cases have happened before. When the obscure actresses crave better roles, they will go through some backdoor deals, including the casting couch. We¡¯ve also heard about it. However, it¡¯s been an unspoken rule in the entertainment industry. Ourpany isn¡¯t the only one practicing it. But this time, we¡¯re in deep water as many actresses have joined forces to expose the director.

    The producers and two stage managers are implicated too. At this point, spection about this issue is rife and the TV station also demanded an exnation from us. I¡¯ve asked the manager to rify it, but it doesn¡¯t ay the public¡¯s concern. Instead, ourpany is taking a nosedive.

    The authorities are not taking this matter lightly and have already sent an investigation team to look into it.¡±

    Stuart turned around and looked at Jepherson¡¯s cold expression.Jepherson asked, ¡°Has something happened in the Whalen familytely?¡±

    Stuart shook his head. ¡°That is the strangest part.There¡¯s nothing happening to the Whalen family.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Jepherson looked at the person opposite him, not caring at all.

    ¡°Jacky didn¡¯t give us any information.¡±

    Jepherson asked Stuart, ¡°What information could he give us?¡±

    ¡°With regard to this affair, he should have noticed it earlier but he ignored us.¡±

    ¡°There are so many things that he has to manage.Now that we have a problem, even if he wants to intervene, I will not let him do it.

    If the truth is really like what has been said in the rumors outside, we can only bear the responsibility for it and give the public an exnation. Investigate it immediately to see if it¡¯s an internal problem.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, I have already thoroughly investigated this matter.It¡¯s indeed our own problem.¡±

    Stuart felt helpless. That was how the entertainment industry worked. It was full of unspoken rules and money-grubber. In every film, from the leading actor and actress to smaller roles, they might have gotten into the film crew by connections and not because of their own talent and ability.

 Chapter 1739 Pregnant

    Without connections, a film may not be able to be produced.

    Stuart was a little reluctant. ¡°The fault indeed originated from our side, but the entertainment industry isn¡¯t clean after all. It¡¯s a business involving numerous backdoor agreements. Ourpany is definitely not the worst. There are many otherpanies with more abhorrent misconduct.

    It¡¯s an irreversible trend. The people behind this must be well aware of it.Beyond a shadow of a doubt, there¡¯s something fishy in it.¡±

    ¡°Where there¡¯s smoke, there¡¯s fire. Now that we¡¯re being targeted, we can only relinquish thispany. No matter if it¡¯s a lucrative business or not, there¡¯s only one option left for us: admit our mistakes right away and make a public apology. Arrange for a press conference as soon as possible to exin it to the public.¡±

    ¡°I got it.¡±

    Stuart turned around. When the car arrived at Richards Group Manor, Jepherson did not get out of it instantly. He asked Stuart, ¡°Grandpa and Grandma haven¡¯t returned yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve paid them a visit.Mr. Trevor stayed inside the nursing home all the time to look after Madam Marissa. He said that if he can¡¯t change her mind, he won¡¯t leave either.¡±

    ¡°It seems that he is determined.¡±

    Jepherson came out from the carand Stuart followed him.

    ¡­

    ¡°Jepherson is back?¡± Zorion told his family about this while they were eating. Jacky and the rest were all present. Rayan understood who his son was talking about. However, it had never urred to him that Jacky would just sit by without offering his help.

    Deanna couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. She said, ¡°I really don¡¯t know what you guys are thinking. Are we just going to watch from the sidelines like this?¡±

    Hannah was taking care of the two children. The two little guys were very well-behaved. They would never romp around and prattle too much during a meal, nor would they do anything impolite. Focusing on their food was the only thing they would do.

    Nevertheless, they managed to understand what was going on.While eating,they would also peep at the adults and listen to their conversation.

    Hearing that Deanna was indignant about the matter concerning Jepherson, Hannah darted a nce at her and told the two children to eat quickly so that they could do other things.

    The two children grabbed a steamed bun and a peeled shrimp respectively before they ran to eat them while watching from the side. Hannah still worried about them. She called the servants to keep an eye on them and took a te of spaghetti to feed them.

    Jacky never cared about these things, neither would he interfere with them.

    Deanna couldn¡¯t resist being a busybody. Seeing that the two children were overindulged by her mother, she took a dim view of it. People in Waverly Vige had to stand on their own two feet. Thus, she said, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t spoil them. If so, they wouldn¡¯t be independent in the future.¡±

    Hannah was a little reluctant. She immediately asked her daughter, ¡°This was how I brought you up. Aren¡¯t you independent now? Or are you so independent that you don¡¯t recognize me anymore?¡±

    Jacky continued eating, as if he hadn¡¯t heard what was going on.

    Deanna pouted. ¡°I knew you would say that. It¡¯s like this every time.¡±

    While the others were eating, Rossie felt a little ufortable. She stood up, put her cutlery down and ran to the bathroom.

    As soon as she reached the bathroom, she bent over the toilet and threw up without stopping. She threw up the small portion she had eaten.

    Zorion got up, followed her and went inside to see what was happening.

    Rayan looked back at Hannah, who appeared to be preupied and gave no reaction. By the time she responded, Rossie had alreadye out of the bathroom.

    Rossie¡¯s face was pale. She had already puked her guts out.

    Deanna also hurried to check on Rossie. ¡°Rossie, what happened?¡±

    Rossie shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s probably because I ate an orangest night and it¡¯s been upsetting my stomach since then. The simr thing used to happen whenever I ate an orange.¡±

    ¡°Then you have to go to the doctor. How about I apany you to see a doctorter?¡±

    Deanna was a warmhearted person as she felt duty-bound to deal with her family affairs. She never considered too much before lending a helping hand.

    ¡°Zorion, take Rossie upstairs to rest first. I¡¯ll ask someone to prepare a light meal for her.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    Zorion saw that it was taking a lot of Rossie¡¯s energy to walk,so he bent down to pick her up.Feeling under the weather, Rossie nestled her face in his arms.

    Zorion carried her upstairs and continually held onto her hands.Her hands were cold and mmyand Zorion¡¯s brows were deeply knitted. ¡°Do you feel sick elsewhere other than your stomach?¡±

    Rossie shook her head. Zorion said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital once you get betterter.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll only be relieved if you go and see a doctor. If you don¡¯t, I can¡¯t be at ease.¡±

    ¡­

    Deanna personally brought a bowl of soup to Zorion¡¯s room and sat down inside without leaving.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Rossie drank some of the soup and felt better.

    Only then did Deanna leave.

    ¡°Rayan, do you think it¡¯s true?¡± Hannah sat beside Rayan and asked him. Rayan nced at his wife. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they know it better than us? They didn¡¯t seem to have much of a reaction either.¡±

    ¡°They haven¡¯t experienced it before. How would they know?¡±

    Jacky had already finished his meal and gone back. The two children also went upstairs. Only when Hannah was alone with her husband would she say something like that.

    Deanna was also upstairs at the moment. There was nothing she could not say to her husband.

    Rayan thought for a while.¡°We¡¯ll know it after the examination.¡±

    Due to Rossie¡¯s condition, the Whalen family did not rest much. Hannah instructed the chauffeur to wait with the car at the door. She then asked her son to bring Rossie down and bring her to the hospital.

    It was the first time Hannah had seen her son feeling so on edge.It was also the first time she saw him hold Rossie in his arms on the way to the hospital.

    Rossie was slightly dazed as the doctor examined her and Zorion was slightly surprised.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Zorion couldn¡¯t believe his ears. The doctor replied, ¡°Mr. Whalen, you can rx. We¡¯ve confirmed it. She¡¯s indeed pregnant.¡±

    ¡°If Mr. Whalen doesn¡¯t want this baby, I¡­¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, what are you talking about?¡±

    Before Zorion flew off the handle, Hannah had already pulled a long face. She had been yearning for another grandchild. What did the doctor say?

    Seeing Hannah¡¯s appearance, the doctor was so scared that she shivered all over and wondered if she had misunderstood anything.

    Zorion turned to look at Rossie, who was sitting in a daze. ¡°You¡¯re pregnant?¡±

    Rossie nodded. Since it had been confirmed, she had nothing else to say.

    Zorion cuddled her. He was so ecstatic that he couldn¡¯t utter a word. Holding her face, he kissed her passionately.

    On the other hand, Hannah really didn¡¯t think there was any problem. They were all her children, and she had long thought of Rossie as her daughter-inw. There was nothing to be unhappy about.

    ¡°Well, give my daughter-inw something to soothe her upset stomach. Something other than medicine, maybe some supplements.

    She vomited while we were eating.We thought she had the stomach flu.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll prescribe it now.¡±

    The doctor wrote down a prescription and gave her some advice,as though she had been pardoned.

    It was only then that Hannah brought Zorion and Rossie back.

    On the way, Rossie asked strangely, ¡°Didn¡¯t we already take contraceptive measures? How could we still get pregnant?¡±

 Chapter 1740 An Opportunity to Express His Opinion

    It did not make sense. Zorion was also mystified by her pregnancy.

    Returning upstairs, Zorion called his two nephews over. Hetook out a few boxes of condoms from the nightstand and asked them, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    The two children exchanged looks, as though they were considering whether to tell the truth.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Zorion became serious. ¡°If you guys don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll check the surveince footageter.¡±

    ¡°We poured them out and punctured them with needles,¡± Cedric answered. Zorion paused for a moment and asked with a strange look on his face, ¡°Who told you to do that?¡±

    Zorion had to get to the bottom of this.Otherwise, Rossie would misunderstand and think that he taught the two children to do it on purpose. That would be troublesome.

    Rossie was lying on the bed. She was just fine, but they had made a big deal out of it and the entire Whalen family took her as an important personwho needed protection.

    Zorion also called the two children over and she was aware of why he was doing this. He wanted her to know that it had nothing to do with him apart from contributing the sperm.

    ¡°When we saw them that day, we took them out to y with them.There was a needle over there. We put one of them on the finger and pricked it. Later, we found the pricking sound funny, so we continued to prick them more.¡±

    Heitor exined. The two children appeared to be amusing in Rossie¡¯s eyes and she chuckled while listening to their words.

    Rossie stretched out her hand to take over the box of condoms. She ncedat Zorion and opened it. True enough,there were holes on all the condoms.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just forget it. However, don¡¯t tell anyone about it. If you do,Uncle Zorion may be even more upset.¡±

    He had hid it from everyone else and had promised her not to impregnate her within five years. The purpose of him questioning these two naive children was to give her an exnation.

    That said, they hoped the outsiders would not know that he did not persist in this rtionship. She had always been the dominant one in this rtionship.

    Even if he was not given any chance to decide anything, Zorion was still willing to do it.

    Although Zorion and Deanna had different views and behavior in their rtionships, they were both passive. They could give up everything for the one they loved, including their dignity.

    Rossie was not a cold-hearted person. She was aware of that he had done for her. With all the love and concern he hadvished on her, it would be enough to touch a stone, let alone a person.

    The two children nodded vigorously. Rossie said, ¡°This is a secret between the four of us. Go now, I will cate your uncleter so that he won¡¯t go to your dad.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the two children turned and left at once.At usual times, their uncle wore a condescending demeanor and was pretty fierce to their father.

    The two children ran away. Zorion looked at the doorway briefly before looking at Rossie.

    ¡°The baby¡­¡±

    ¡°I will give birth to it and the baby can take yourst name, but¡­¡±

    ¡°But what?¡±

    ¡°You have to marry me.¡±

    ¡­

    When Zorion went downstairs to announce that he was going to get married, Deanna looked up at him and said glumly, ¡°Why are you allowed to get married for the sake of the baby when I¡¯ve been forbidden? If you can get married, then I want to get married too. Otherwise, I won¡¯t let you do it. Don¡¯t argue that I haven¡¯t discussed it with you, I did have a discussion with you. Give me my household registration bookor you can¡¯t get married either.¡±

    No one paid attention to Deanna. Thepletely ignored what she said. Everyone sat down together. Hannah was on cloud nine and she told Zorion, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the marriage. I will handle it with your father. However, you have to decide on a wedding date. I think you should get your marriage certificate first.¡±

    ¡°Okay mom.¡±

    Deanna was baffled.Was she adopted? Why were they like this?

    She went upstairs furiously. She wasn¡¯t going toe down anymore. They were bullying her.

    At night, Jacky took his clothes off and went to bed. He wrapped his arms around Deanna¡¯s slim waist and was ready to do business with her.

    Deanna was depressed. ¡°I want to move out. I don¡¯t want to stay in this house anymore.¡±

    Jackyy naked on one side. Hewas covered with a quilt as he hugged Deanna. When he heard what she said, he turned and kissed her. ¡°Where are you nning to move to?¡±

    ¡°Waverly Vige.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m working in Capital City so I won¡¯t be back until the weekend. If you stay in Waverly Vige, what should I do at night?¡±

    ¡°You can drive back or I can pick you up. I¡¯m nning to take the children with me.¡±

    Deanna was going to pull out all the stops.

    Jackyy still for a while, ¡°Give me some time to look around. Let¡¯s buy a house and move out.¡±

    ¡°Great idea.¡±

    Deanna was looking forward to it. As for Jacky, he did not stay idle. Indeed, he had been searching for a new house.

    Hannah found out by chance.She hadn¡¯t expected them to actually move out from the house.

    She purposely looked for Jacky to ask him about this.Jacky just said that they were moving out without exining further. He remained silent when she asked him why.

    As a result, Hannah started to have sleepless nights.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we let them get marriedat the same time as Zorion?¡±

    Or else, it would remain a source of anxiety to her.

    Rayan did not answer as hey there.Hannah repeated her question, but he still did not answer.

    It was not until she fell silent that Rayan said, ¡°He has a different identity from the past. As a mere gangster, he can get in and out of my ce without being noticed. Now that he¡¯s a mayor, such a thing won¡¯t be possible again. The important thing now is both of our status.

    He isn¡¯t afraid of people gossiping about him, but he¡¯s worried that I will be the subject of local gossip.

    It won¡¯t be easy for him to take away my daughter. All eyes in Capital City are on him.

    Regardless of his contributions to the city, some people aren¡¯t going to let him off.

    Jepherson is the first target, and he will be the second.

    He suggested moving out because he wants to keep me out of trouble.¡±

    Hannah was astounded. ¡°Rayan, do you mean those people have already targeted Jacky and are trying to take action against him?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Didn¡¯t you hear the news regarding Richards Group¡¯s sexual assault scandal? What do you think it was?

    It¡¯s just a warning to them before the showdown begins.¡±

    Hannah did not speak and Rayan added, ¡°But I am not a coward. They thought they could hurt me. What a joke.¡±

    ¡°Rayan¡­¡±

    ¡°Deanna and Jacky can¡¯t move out. Once they do so, there¡¯s no guarantee for their safety. They can¡¯t get married either. If something does happen,we have to protect Jacky like our own.

    As for Zorion, let¡¯s hold the wedding immediately.¡±

    Hannah remained silent. She had always trusted Rayan¡¯s gut.

    The preparation for Zorion¡¯s wedding was going on in full swing.

    The next day, Jepherson held a press conference to publicly admit the mistakes. All the implicated employees were handed over to the Department of Justice and no one fled.

    Their actions had been met with the media¡¯s approval. Some peoplemented online that the whole entertainment industry was not clean and that the Richards Group was not the only one involved. For a time, there was an imposition of mediaw in Capital City.

    In spite of all this, Jacky took no notice of it. On the day of Zorion¡¯s wedding, a reporter who was only supposed to inquire about the wedding had asked Jacky about this matter when interviewing him.

 Chapter 1741 When We First Met

    ¡°I¡¯ve no jurisdiction over this issue. I don¡¯t care whether there¡¯s a need forw enforcement toward the entertainment industry. It¡¯s a cycle, and both parties are willing to do it.

    If anyone is unaware of my way of handling things, feel free to visit Waverly Vige and ask around. Right or wrong has never been my concern. Morality is.

    Although certain people have indeed done something that they shouldn¡¯t have, but there was a chance for the victim to refuse. If you quit starring in this film, I believe that you wouldn¡¯t have to sleep with an ugly and sinful man.

    As we all know, when a woman feels inclined to sleep with a man, it¡¯s actually a pleasurable activity.

    However, for money and fame, some people are willing to sleep with strange and hideous men. I don¡¯t think that there should be someone to uphold justice for such people.

    Since ancient times, there has not been a shortage of chaste women. Everyone can go and check it out.

    As I always say, it takes two to tango.

    It¡¯s just like I have a cake and if you covet it, I can give it to you under the condition that you offer me something in return. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

    I¡¯m not trying to justify the odious practices. It¡¯s just that such practices are brought upon some people by themselves.

    Fair and above board don¡¯t necessarily mean to be leading to failure. If you choose to take a shortcut, it suggests that you¡¯ve stooped to dissipation. That is to say, you shouldn¡¯t put the me on others.

    Now, you want to point fingers at other people. Is it because the film failed to make you famous? Or is it because you think that it¡¯s disgusting to have paid with your own bodies?

    If it¡¯s thetter, I can only say that while sickening others, you¡¯ve also made yourself disgusting.

    In this world, living isn¡¯t only about money. If you don¡¯t understand the meaning of life, don¡¯t whine about how unfair this world is.

    The world is impartial, but you don¡¯t know how to cherish it!¡±

    ¡­

    His speech was met with a round of thunderous apuse at the wedding. Just when Jacky was about to leave the stage, someone continued to ask, ¡°Mr. Scott, is it true that you have two illegitimate children?¡±

    Jacky stopped and walked back. He nced at his two sons and Deanna, who were sitting at one side.

    Jacky replied, ¡°I have sons, but they aren¡¯t illegitimate children. Please treat this term seriously. The so-called ¡®illegitimate children¡¯ can¡¯t be exposed to the public and can only be secretly raised outside. As for my children, they have always been living an unconcealed life.

    Please allow me to present the truth to you, so as not to let others misunderstand my two children and my fianc¨¦e.¡±

    Jacky looked at his sons and waved his hand, motioning for them toe over.They walked up to the stage while the people below couldn¡¯t stop taking photos of them.

    Jacky raised his hands and patted his sons, who were beside him. ¡°Say hello to everybody.¡±

    The two children immediately said, ¡°Hello everyone. My name is Cedric Scott.¡±

    ¡°Hi, everyone. I¡¯m Heitor Scott.¡±

    ¡­

    It was very quiet belowall of a sudden.Jacky said, ¡°Let me introduce my fianc¨¦e.

    A fianc¨¦e is the wife-to-be of a man. Even though she hasn¡¯t been recognized legally as my wife, she¡¯s my only one. To me, there¡¯s no difference whether she is my fianc¨¦e or my wife.

    She is Rayan Whalen¡¯s daughter, a man of great renown in this city. People have been regarding him differently. I don¡¯t know much. The only thing I know is that he¡¯s a kind father and a man who loves his family.

    As a man, if he doesn¡¯t love his family, he wouldn¡¯t have been reliable. In that case, even if he may look trustworthy, it will be just an illusion.

    I met my wife, Deanna Whalen, by chance. She had been abducted by kidnappers because she was too beautiful. As it happened, I coincidentally passed by the scene. That was how we met.

    Before Waverly Vige and Capital City united, I kept her in the vige. We grew feelings for each other after staying together for a long time.

    Following that, she had my children.

    However, in the face of the materialistic society, I was not favored and my wife¡¯s family felt disinclined to ept me.

    Like all the other fianc¨¦s who are being looked down on, I did not give up.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.

    As for my children, their birth made me a father. I have never resisted their existence or concealed it. They have been living under this sunny world. There¡¯s no need to cover up anything. They shouldn¡¯t be associated with the term ¡®illegitimate children¡¯.

    In your eyes, if the marriage is based on a piece of paper, I admit that my marriagecks that. But if you think that a marriage is based on love, then I can tell you that my marriage is perfect.¡±

    Jacky patted his two children, who then raced down to look for Deanna. Jacky came down from the stage and walked over to sit beside Jepherson, who turned around and slightly lowered his head. If it had not been for Jacky¡¯s words, he wouldn¡¯t have understood that loving a person had nothing to do with marriage, which was just a formality.

    Jepherson felt the urge tough at himself. His pedantry had to be ounted for losing Raeleigh.He had to travel such a long distance if he wanted to see her. He had to take a flight to see her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jacky asked after sitting down. Jepherson answered softly, ¡°I¡¯m envious of you.¡±

    Jacky nced at him. ¡°You¡¯ve been so busy recently.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve had to take care of more than one thing simultaneously.¡±

    Jepherson drank some water. He turnedand his gaze fell on Zorion and his wife who were sitting down.

    He could only envy them.

    ¡­

    At night, Raeleigh received a call from Jepherson,asking why she didn¡¯te back to attend the wedding.

    Raeleigh replied, ¡°It¡¯s a long distance. By the time I reach there, the wedding would have been over. I would have nothing to do even if I attended it.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, you really don¡¯t miss me at all?¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. Jepherson took off his clothes and went to lie down. He said, ¡°But I miss you.¡±

    ¡­

    Jepherson fell asleep while he was on the phone with Raeleigh. Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything more. However, she didn¡¯t hang up immediately even after Jepherson had fallen asleep on the other end of the phone.

    When Raeleigh went to thepany the next day, Jepherson made another call to her.

    ¡°I will be very busy these days. I may not be able to go there.¡±

    Raeleigh just replied that she got it before hanging up.

    It had been said that distance made the hearts grow fonder, but sometimes, distance was a source of estrangement.

    Raeleigh got out of the car and walked toward thepany. Meanwhile,a car was parked behind her. When Raeleigh turned around to have a look, the person had already gotten out of the car.

    Mr. Fifth came from the car and stopped in front of her.

    ¡°Are you surprised to see me?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer, but her assistant hade over. Seeing Raeleigh, she said at once, ¡°Miss Anson¡­¡±

    ¡°I got it.¡±

    The assistant¡¯s words stuck in her throat whereas Mr. Fifth said, ¡°Please pardon my concealment. I didn¡¯t inform you beforehand because I was afraid that you might misunderstand me.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him momentarily. ¡°Yourst name is Doyle?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Crevor Doyle. Nice to meet you.¡±

    Crevor politely stretched out his hand to shake hands with Raeleigh, but she did not stretch out her hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that today¡¯s negotiation has to end here. I think my opponent in this negotiation is a representative of Helgen Group, not your Doyle family.¡±

    ¡°Helgen Group is a salespany under me.¡±

    ¡°Even so, I won¡¯t cooperate with you, bye.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and headed for thepany. Crevor called out to her, ¡°If you renege the contract unterally¡­¡±

    ¡°Fifty million dors, I¡¯m aware of it. I will transfer this exact amount to Helgen Group¡¯s ountter.¡±

    Raeleigh pausedand then continued walking forward without hesitation.

 Chapter 1742 Jared Walked Over

    Jared got out of the car and walked toward Raeleigh¡¯s direction.Upon seeing Jared, Crevor nodded his head at him.Jared found it sarcastic and said, ¡°Do me a favor and stay the f*ck out of this matter, will you?¡±

    Crevor¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡°Where are your manners?¡±

    Jared was about to leave. Hearing Crevor¡¯s words, he turned around and stared at Crevor. With an extremely provocative smile, he approached Crevor arrogantly.

    ¡°Well, my attitude depends on who I¡¯m talking to and you¡¯re just a lowlyckey in my eyes. How can I be polite to you?¡±

    As Jared spoke, he had already walked up to Crevor, who thenughed. ¡°Only mad dogs keep barking at people everywhere.¡±

    With that, Crevor turned and left. Jared¡¯s eyes narrowed while he watched Crevor¡¯s back as he returned to the car. Subsequently, Jared ced his fists behind his back and clenched them.

    Raeleigh stood by the window downstairs of thepany, looking at Jared. She was apanied by her assistant, who asked, ¡°Miss Anson, is there any enmity Mr. Robertson and Mr. Doyle?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    Turning around, Raeleigh walked toward the exclusive elevator. Her heart ached at the thought of Santiago.

    If Ste had hurt him, then Crevor¡¯s appearance would not be simple.

    It was impossible for the Doyle family to be unaware of what Ste had been doing, yet they allowed her to conduct her ns. What did it indicate?

    In fact, the Doyle family had always treated the Richards family as their rival. Although it was Trevor who helped the Doyle family in those days, it was actually a trap. This trap was plotted with the purpose of murdering Trevor¡¯s whole family. In such way, how could the Doyle family have mercy on the Richards family?

    Nobody could make wless ns. What the Doyle family had been worrying about was that Trevor would turn the tide and drag the Doyle family¡¯s name through the mire by revealing what had happened in the past.

    Thus, the Doyle family continued to exhaust them, not allowing the Richards family to have an easy time of it. They did it again and again.

    While Raeleigh was entering the elevator, Jared came in from outside thepany. He shot a nce at Raeleigh and followed her.

    When Raeleigh arrived upstairs, she received a call from Jepherson.

    ¡°Crevor came to you?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s didn¡¯t sound very pleased. It turned out that in his absence,Crevor had left Capital City stealthily and gone to Raeleigh¡¯s side. Jepherson didn¡¯t see iting.

    Crevor had been stalling for time on his sideand had go look for Raeleigh at the same time.

    No one could tell what Crevor¡¯s goals were.

    ¡°Yes,we met once by chance.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, you don¡¯t know who he is?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer.Jepherson said, ¡°Jared was too careless.¡±

    ¡°I knew he woulde to me sooner orter, but I didn¡¯t expect him to act so swiftly.¡±

    ¡°I have things that need to be dealt with here.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need youtoe here.I¡¯ll handle it myself.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, don¡¯te into contact with Crevor anymore. He¡¯s¡­¡±

    Raeleigh hung up without waiting for him to finish.

    Holding his phone tightly, Jepherson sat on the bed and called Xanthus.

    Xanthus was on his way to Maverly when he answered the call. Maverly happened to turn around and see Xanthus.She left Jacian¡¯s side and walked over.

    Xanthus¡¯s expression changed when he heard what Jepherson said.He couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°The chauffeur called me this morning. I have something to ask you. What did Jared do on the day you left? Why didn¡¯t he send Raeleigh home? Why did shee back in Crevor¡¯s car?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s hand twitched. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°You should ask Jared about what I said.¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s heart was still beating furiously after hanging up. A few minutester, he looked at Maverly. ¡°Cancel all my agendas and schedules for now.I¡¯m taking a leave.¡±

    ¡°For how long?¡±

    Maverly had to know how long he needed her to ask for a leave on his behalf.

    ¡°Indefinitely.¡±

    Xanthus turned around and left. As he walked, he took off his coat and tossed it aside.Maverly took his coat and chased after him with it,but she was not able to catch up with him.

    By the time Maverly went out, Xanthus had already driven away.

    Someone knocked on the door while Raeleigh was reading the files.Her assistant ran over and opened the door to find that it was Xanthus.

    ¡°Dr. Osteen?¡±

    The assistant recognized who he was.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s inside.¡±

    The assistant stepped aside whereas Xanthus walked in. Raeleigh was also surprised when he entered. She looked up at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Did someone from the Doyle familye?¡± Xanthus asked her. Raeleigh had also guessed what was going on. She replied, ¡°Whether the people from the Doyle familye or not has nothing to do with me. After all, they needed to earn a living. Their business has nothing to do with ours.¡±

    ¡°Do you think their appearance has nothing to do with you?¡± Xanthus was apprehensive rather than angry and most of his anger was due to Jared.

    If it weren¡¯t for Jared, Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t have met Crevor.

    Raeleigh looked at her assistant. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else for you.You can leave now.¡±

    The assistant turn around and left.When the door closed,Raeleigh stood up and walked toward Xanthus. ¡°Did you put your work aside ande to me just because of this little thing?¡±

    ¡°You are too careless in everything.¡±

    Raeleigh felt the urge tough. She replied, ¡°Actually, our life spans are destined. If I¡¯m fated to live for a short time, it can¡¯t be altered no matter how cautious I am.

    Maybe the appearance of the Doyle family is really a coincidence?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s a coincidence, I will give up being a doctor.¡±

    Xanthus firmly did not believe that Crevor¡¯s appearance was a coincidence. He had done his homework.Crevor was in Capital City before this. Why did he suddenlye here?

    Raeleigh smiled disapprovingly. She took a fruit that had been washed by the assistant and ced it in Xanthus¡¯s hand. ¡°Here¡¯s an apple to settle your nerves. There¡¯s nothing big deal. I can even handle that intractable Jepherson, never mind the Doyle family. Am I right?¡±

    Xanthus was amused and vexed simultaneously by Raeleigh that he didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He nced at her sitting there.Though he didn¡¯t eat the apple in his hand, he sat beside Raeleigh.

    ¡°Are you not leaving?¡± Raeleigh became curious when she saw that he had no intention of leaving. It was only then did Xanthus put down the apple. ¡°I can¡¯t be at ease when there¡¯s nobody to stay by your side and protect you.¡±

    ¡°Even if you are by my side, you are no match for them if they really want to take action against me. Xanthus¡­I¡¯ve already grown up. Just let me face these things by myself. I don¡¯t think those people can do anything to me. Believe it or not, I can protect myself and not let anyone hurt me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡± Xanthus was so resolute that Raeleigh almost burst intoughter.In the end, she failed to persuade him, so she didn¡¯t say anything else.

    After getting off work, Raeleigh and Xanthus had dinner outside before they went back. After getting into the car, Raeleigh told Xanthus that she was a little tired and dizzy. Then, she fell asleep in the car.

    They drove to the innermost part of the manor. Xanthus got out from the car and woke Raeleigh up. She opened her eyes and leaned against the seat, not getting out of the car. Instead, she rested briefly. When she got out of the car, Jared happened to walk over.

 Chapter 1743 Kill Two Birds With One Stone

    Jared walked to the car and looked inside. Raeleigh happened to open her eyes and saw him looking inside.

    Raeleigh opened the door and got out from the car while Jared took a step back.Seeing her get out of the car, he turned around and went back to his ce.

    Xanthus went to fetch a nket and covered Raeleigh with it when he saw her getting out of the car. After that, he brought her inside.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Xanthus asked her as she turned her head to look at Jared, who had already gone back.Raeleigh cracked a smile in amusement. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Returning to the house, Raeleigh did not stay downstairs any longer. She immediately went upstairs to visit Novalie, who had not been out for a long time. There were servants employed to take care of her upstairs. Novalie had told Raeleigh not to visit her unless she had something important. She also said that every time Raeleigh visited her, it would make her miss Raeleigh even more. Therefore Raeleigh might as well avoid visiting her.

    In fact, it didn¡¯t matter whether Raeleigh visited her.

    Raeleigh was in a good mood that day. She entered Novalie¡¯s room and chatted with her for a little bit. It was only after that that she left and went back to her room.

    When Raeleigh looked out of her room at night, there was a fleeting sh in the car downstairs. It disappeared immediately.

    Raeleigh knew that Jared was inside the car. After Jepherson left, Jared stayed in the car almost every day. It wasnot for a little while, but for the whole night.

    He seemed to be indifferent and didn¡¯t care about her, but over the past few nights, since Crevor had showed up, he had been guarding her. This was because he was afraid that something bad would happen to her.

    Even Jared had an undisclosed side in his character. Raeleigh was aware that if it had not been for her, nothing would have happened to Santiago back then. This was the reason Jared had always refused to forgive her.

    Actually, Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to forgive herself either.

    After standing there for a little while,Raeleigh turned around and rested for the night. In the next morning, Raeleigh came out of the house and Xanthus intended to follow her. Raeleigh said, ¡°Don¡¯t follow me. You keep taking me as a child, like I¡¯m about to be lost at any time. I¡¯ve said that I¡¯ll be fine. The hospital would be very busy. Why don¡¯t you go back? If anything happens to me, you won¡¯t be able to save me even if you¡¯re hereand I would worry that something may happen to you.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t disturb you. I can be your driver.¡±

    Xanthus couldn¡¯t leave Raeleigh alone. He did not trust Jared, who seemed to be undependable in his eyes.

    ¡°Go to the hospital, or I won¡¯t go out.¡±

    ¡­

    The brother and sister argued outside for a bit. In the end, Xanthus gave in and agreed to go to the hospital.

    After Raeleigh left, he intended to follow her. Raeleigh asked the chauffeur to stop the car, gged down Jared¡¯s car and got into it.

    ¡°Get rid of my brother.¡±

    Raeleigh got into the back seat without hesitation. Jared took a quick look behind and drove fast. As a result, Xanthus could not catch up with them.

    Raeleigh sat stably in the back. It didn¡¯t take long before they lost sight of Xanthus¡¯s car, hence Jared slowed down the car.

    Sitting behind, Raeleigh told Jared, ¡°There aren¡¯t many affairs in thepany today. Let¡¯s take a ride around here.¡±

    Jared shot a nce at Raeleigh through the rear-view mirror, as if he did not believe that such words woulde out of Raeleigh¡¯s mouth. He had a moment of bewilderment, but he still drove Raeleigh around the city.

    At noon, Raeleigh got out of the car and went to the restaurant to have lunch. Afterward, she continued to take a ride in Jared¡¯s car.

    Raeleigh¡¯s assistant called her, asking where she was. Raeleigh darted a nce at Jared and told her, ¡°I¡¯m shopping in a mall, which is located near Fifth Avenue.¡±

    Hanging up, Raeleigh¡¯s eyesnded on Jared, who then parked the car at the entrance of the mall Fifth Avenue. The two of them waited outside the mall.

    Within 20 minutes, it could be seen that several cars were parked nearby the mall. People in various colors of outfits emerged from those cars, including some women.

    Seeing them enter the mall, Raeleigh opened the car door and got out.

    Jared did the same. Raeleigh made her way into the mall, followed by Jared.

    Not long after that, Raeleigh arrived at the mall. Raeleigh knew that those people were stalking her because she had seen them when they came out from their cars.

    ¡°Get a cart.¡±

    Raeleigh told Jared to do so and Jared went to get it. They got to the first floor and started shopping and buying some insignificant items. It was almost night by the time they came out.

    Raeleigh paid the bill whereas Jared carried the purchased items behind her. Exiting the mall, Raeleigh waited for Jared to ce the things in the trunk before they opened the door and got into the car together.

    Sitting into the car, Jared drove back to the manor.

    Raeleigh asked Jared to go into the house and the two of them then went into Raeleigh¡¯s room.They couldn¡¯t look outside from upstairs. After all, they were so far away. It turned out that Raeleigh had prepared for it.

    She walked to the bathroom, took a ck remote control, opened the storage cab on the wall of the bathroom and removed the towels from inside. The inner space of the cab looked very ordinary, but when Raeleigh pulled out the wooden board inside, there was a monitor behind it.

    Raeleigh pressed a button on the remote control, and a few surveince videos soon appeared.

    Raeleigh stood aside and watched the people shown on the monitor. After waiting for a short time, they left one by one.

    ¡°You¡¯ve long since known that your assistant is an imposter?¡± Jared didn¡¯t realize it, and little did he expect that Raeleigh would notice it.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    ¡°I only realized that something was wrong yesterday. When my brother came to look for me, her expression was a little offand she seemed to be bothered by the fact that there was someone by my side.¡±

    Jared did not say anything. As the monitor was turned off, he asked Raeleigh, ¡°What are you going to do next?¡±

    ¡°Since we know that there is something wrong with her, we have to rece her immediately. Call Jepherson and ask him if she is sent by him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m certain that she isn¡¯t arranged by him.¡±

    ¡°Since she isn¡¯t Jepherson¡¯s subordinate and she doesn¡¯t look like Jacky¡¯s either, I¡¯ll find a reliable person to rece her.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around, walked out of the bathroom and said, ¡°It is getting more and more uncertain. You can live next door from now on.¡±

    Jared leaned against the wall. ¡°So, you¡¯re afraid of death?¡±

    Raeleigh wore a grin. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you aren¡¯t?¡±

    Jared did not answer. He turned and went outside.

    After he left, Raeleigh called her assistant. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±

    The assistant heaved a sigh of relief. Although she had no idea what was going on, she was a little fretful. What if she could note back in the future? It was a well-paying job.

    Not able to sleep, she called Raeleigh back and Raeleigh picked up the call. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t fall asleep. Miss Anson, are you lying to me?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like a liar?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Since I don¡¯t look like it, then do it. When you seed, I will give you a reward.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Only the did the assistant feel relieved. It was not that she was suspicious, but it was all too sudden.

    She didn¡¯t even know why she was transferred to the hospital. How could she not worry?

    Finding a satisfactory job in a foreign country was not a walk in the park. Naturally, she felt disinclined to give up so easily.

    Fortunately, she was offered another job that was double the sry. How wonderful!

 Chapter 1744 Sending Her Home

    When Ariana arrived at thepany the next morning, Raeleigh summoned her into her office. Jared stood outside, unable to hear the conversation inside. Raeleigh didn¡¯t want him to hear it either.

    Raeleigh passed a photo to Ariana, who took a look at it and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t she the girl who took you away the other day?¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°It¡¯s her.¡±

    Raeleigh was quite pleased Ariana still remembered Maverly. She had a good memory.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be working there from now on. I¡¯ve asked around. The hospital is in constant look for volunteers. Of course, they won¡¯t be paid. Note that there¡¯s a child named Jacian. He has been admitted to the hospital, and he¡¯s an orphan introduced by Maverly to stay in the hospital. He needs a caretaker, and I need you to look after him. I¡¯ll notify Xanthus; as for Maverly, just get along with her. If my brother asks about you, tell him I¡¯ve sent you. You can return after Jacian is discharged. Remember to report to me whatever¡¯s going on between Maverly and my brother. Don¡¯t call but text me before you go to bed every night.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Then should I pretend I was fired and leave now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Ariana was quite delighted, knowing tons of cash would be in her bank ount this next few months.

    Turning around, Ariana feigned illness and exited Raeleigh¡¯s office with a woebegone expression, renderingRaeleigh the urge tough.

    Leaving Raeleigh¡¯s office, Ariana deliberately approached Jared and said, ¡°Miss Anson has expelled me; I¡¯m leaving. Will we meet again, Mr. Robertson? I¡¯ve always idolized you.¡±

    Jared¡¯s mood turned sour at her words and scolded, ¡°Get lost.¡±

    Jared would never pity anyone. He was already rather friendly toward her, considering her identity as a traitorous spy.

    Ariana snapped out of her disappointment and left. She lifted her head arrogantly as though she had found a better working ce. Subsequently, she held her packed box and strode out.

    Inside, Raeleigh tried to find a candidate to rece Ariana, but she couldn¡¯t find the right one no matter how.

    Raeleigh deliberately took a trip to HR in the afternoon. However, there was a shortage of staff there, so she had to wait until the next day.

    It was a tough day at work for Raeleigh as Ariana had left, and she only had one good hand.

    Leaving work, Raeleigh went home in Jared¡¯s car. It seemed that one day was enough for them to get ustomed to sitting in the same car.

    After returning to the manor, she got out of the car and asked the servants if Xanthus had returned; she shook her head.

    Raeleigh entered the house and called Xanthus, asking if he would being backter that night.

    ¡°I need to perform a surgery.I might not go back tonight. Don¡¯t wait for me.¡±

    ¡°My, my dear brother sure hasbeen working night shifts a lottely.¡±

    Helpless, Xanthus exined, ¡°I really have one.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡­..

    Raeleigh smiled and hung up before walking further in. Sheordered the servants to prepare lesser servings for dinner, wanting to have dinner with Jared.

    After dinner, Raeleigh rested downstairs for a while and received a message from Ariana meanwhile. She reported what she saw during the day and that she was looking after Jacian right then whilea guy named Heston came. He was pursuing Maverly.

    ¡°How does he look?¡±

    ¡°Not bad. Hees from a wealthy family.¡±

    ¡°Do you like him?¡±

    Ariana sent an ¡¯embarrassed emoji¡¯, and Raeleighughed.¡°Try seducing him first. If he takes the bait, I¡¯ll give you a hundred thousand as a bonus no matter whether the two of you end up as a couple or not.¡±

    Ariana was rendered speechless, unable to process the situation.

    But she set her heart on the bonus quickly.

    After a while, she sent an ¡®OK hand sign emoji¡¯.

    Whether he¡¯d end up as her boyfriend wassomething for her to think about another day. But it wasn¡¯t too difficult of a task for her to grab his attention.

    Hence, Ariana used every trick in the book to pursue Heston.

    Hestonined to Maverly, ¡°I don¡¯t think this girl is right for this ce.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? My friend introduced her.¡±

    Maverly believed in Raeleigh.

    Heston was in no position to grumble more. He always felt that Ariana was a little disingenuous, wondering why she kept inquiring about his daily life.

    There was also something amiss with the way she looked at him.

    Heston and Maverly were sitting outside and talking about it when Xanthus came. He didn¡¯t look too pleased to see them sitting side by side.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you guys be taking care of Jacian?¡±

    Xanthus was the most determined and diligent out of anyone when it came to Jacian.

    Maverly stood up. ¡°Ariana¡¯s inside.¡±

    Xanthus nodded and entered Jacian¡¯s ward.

    Ariana went to greet him as soon as she saw him at the door.

    ¡°Dr. Osteen.¡±

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    Xanthus went to check on Jacian before turning to Ariana. ¡°How are you getting on here?¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯tin. I mainly run errands and answer the calls in thepany; here, my job is to look after Jacian. He doesn¡¯t ask for a lot and tends to be shy. So I can manage.¡±

    Ariana kept a smile when she spoke. Xanthus also smiled at her amiably.

    Maverly, who was at the door, had her eyes fixed on Xanthus. She thought he would never smile at anyone but Raeleigh; it seemed she was wrong.

    Despite her disappointment, Maverly adjusted swiftly, not letting her emotions show.

    By the time Xanthus turned around, Maverly had already gone outside. She left herptop near the door, so she took it and was ready to go back.

    Since there was someone to take care of Jacian, she could go home and finish her thesis.

    Outside, Maverly told Heston she was leaving. Just when Heston was about to follow her, Ariana came out, calling out to Heston.¡°Heston, can you stay? I have something to ask you.¡±

    Heston wanted to turn her down, but Maverly had left, and Ariana was in his way, so he stayed.

    Maverly exited the hospital and got into the car. She was pretty unlucky that the car stalled not long after leaving the hospital.

    Maverly got out of the car and circled it in distress. Now that Lady Luck was against her, anything bad could happen.

    Just as she was about to make a call, Xanthus pulled over behind and got out of his car.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It won¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°Is it out of gas?¡±

    Xanthus went to take a look. After confirming it wasn¡¯t, he called an auto mechanic and stayed with Maverly.

    After a quick check, the mechanic said, ¡°I mean, I can still drive it to the garage, but just barely. It still has to be fixed.¡±

    Xanthus knew them. He signed, and the car was driven away. Maverly stood at the entrance of the hospital with herptop in her arms, looking extremely depressed.

    Xanthus got into his car. ¡°Get in.¡±

    ¡°You go ahead. I want to go home; I n onfinishing my thesis tonight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll drive you back.¡±

    Xanthus opened the door of the front passenger seat and asked her to get in. Maverly hesitated for a moment, feeling disinclined. However, there was no cab around, and Xanthus didn¡¯t look like he would take no for an answer, so she hopped in in the end.

    Xanthus asked Maverly a few questions as he drove, but she never opened her mouth, either humming in response or staring nkly into space.

    As the car reached her vi, Xanthus got out and went around to open the door for Maverly, who was a little nervous and almost fell when she got off. Consequently, she did not fallbut fell into Xanthus¡¯s arms!

 Chapter 1745 Make Himself at Home

    Maverly wasn¡¯t injured, but her heart raced.

    Slowly looking up at Xanthus,Maverly wanted to leave his embrace, but Xanthus leaned in, pressing her against the car, making her ufortable all over. She couldn¡¯t move at all.

    ¡°Such a klutz.¡± Xanthus fixed his gaze at Maverly, who then nodded and extended her hand to separate them. Only then did Xanthus release her.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Breaking free, Maverly left his side hastily and said, ¡°I¡¯m home. You should go home too, Dr. Osteen. Drive safe.¡±

    With that, Maverly dashed to her vi. At the front door, just as she wanted to enter, she froze, looking down.

    She checked herptop to find that its screen cracked.

    Dumbstruck, she had only barely knocked it.

    Xanthus hadn¡¯t left yet. Noticing the change of her expression at the doorway, he strode to her side. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Myptop¡¯s broken.¡± Maverly pulled a long face. Her thesis was in it.

    ¡°Do you have a backup?¡±

    Xanthus took theptop and brought Maverly inside, whose head was now wholly upied with her thesis.

    Entering the vi, Xanthus took off his shoes and walked barefoot to the living room, sitting on the sofa.

    He did a quick check on herptop and asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t sync it with your phone?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°Give me your phone.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Maverly was a little reluctant. Xanthus turned to gaze at her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Maybe I should get a professional. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not an expert. In case¡­¡±

    ¡°Give it to me,¡± Xanthus asked Maverly forcibly for her phone. Feeling somewhat awkward, Maverly mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s out of battery; I¡¯ll get the charger. One minute.¡±

    ¡°You have something shady in there?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Give it to me.¡±

    Xanthus stretched out his hand, not giving up, but Maverly was still reluctant. With that, Xanthus stood up, pulled her over to him, and took the phone from behind her.

    Turning the screen on, what came to sight was a screensaver with Maverly and her father in it, but the wallpaper was a photo showing Xanthus¡¯s backin hisb coat.

    Xanthus was momentarily caught off guard and looked at Maverly. ¡°When did you take it?¡±

    ¡°Huh? I¡¯ve forgotten.¡±

    Xanthus found the software that linked the phone to theptop and sat down to start operating it. It didn¡¯t take long before Maverly¡¯sptop was sessfully switched on. He sent her thesis folder out; everything else in there was insignificant right then. Maverly asked him, ¡°Where did you send the thesis to?¡±

    ¡°My email.¡±

    ¡°What? Then please send it to me. I have anotherptop.¡±

    Maverly intended to get her secondptop, but Xanthus said it was unnecessary and that she could use his; it was a gamingptop.

    With that, Xanthus went to his car and returned in no time with hisptop.

    ¡°Here. The battery shouldst for ten hours. If not, I have the charger.¡±

    Since he had put it that way, what else could Maverly say?

    She washed her hands and changed into something morefortable. She had intended to take theptop upstairs at first, but she couldn¡¯t leave Xanthus downstairs alone just like that.

    Besides, they hadn¡¯t had dinner yet.

    As she came down the stairs, Maverly said, ¡°I¡¯ve ordered pizza. I¡¯m not sure if you like it or not.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything in the kitchen to eat?¡± Xanthus didn¡¯t like pizza at all, especially when it had gotten cold.

    After a pause, Maverly said, ¡°I forgot we have a generation gap. I love to eat pizza, but there are some eggs and instant noodles in the kitchen. If you¡¯re really not a fan of pizza, you can¡­¡±

    ¡°Right, maybe you should eat outside. I¡¯ll give you yourptop back tomorrow morning. If you¡¯re still worried,feel free to lock your important documents; I¡¯ll only touch mine.¡±

    ¡°I have something to do too. Give me yourptop.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±

    Reeling in perplexity, Maverly did not know what to say. She always felt Xanthus¡¯s brain was super oundishpared to that of a normal person¡¯s. Who else would do this?

    His behavior was totally beyond her.

    Nheless, she still went to retrieve herptop, thinking that maybe Xanthus really had something important.

    Returning, she handed it to Xanthus, who took it over and ced it on the table. Instead of turning it on at once, he went to the kitchen intending to make a meal. He took a look at the fridge to find there was still some edible food, but they were close to expiring.

    Xanthus came out of the kitchen with a fully-filled trash bag, heading outside.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Maverly was floored. First time¡­

    No, it was his second time at her house. But it was still pretty presumptuous of him to act willfully, wasn¡¯t it?

    However, Dr. Osteen didn¡¯t seem to think so; he had already left the trash outside.

    But he didn¡¯t return, driving away. Maverly heard the sound of the engine andknew he had left. She stared at herptop, wondering if it was too abysmal for him.

    However, she wasn¡¯t bothered. Better that he left, it would save her the awkwardness.

    With that, Maverly concentrated on her work. It wasn¡¯t after a while that she realized Xanthus had left his phone next to herptop.

    Stumped, she wondered if he was that careless.

    ¡°Perhaps he isn¡¯t in a hurry. I¡¯ll give it back to him tomorrow,¡± Maverly thought.

    Just as the thought popped up in her mind, the doorbell rang. Thinking it was Xanthus, she answered it; it was her pizza.

    She didn¡¯t open the door fully but asked for the payment before passing the money out through the door¡¯s gap and taking the pizza.

    After the delivery guy left, Maverly opened the pizza box to take a slice outwhen Xanthus returned in his car. He happened to bump into the delivery guy on his way to the front door; helooked to be a young seventeen or eighteen-year-old local doing part-time.

    Upset, Xanthus only went to knock on the door after the delivery guy left.Maverly came out to make sure it was Xanthus before she opened the door.

    ¡°Dr. Osteen.¡±

    ¡°Did the guy just nowe in?¡±Xanthus asked, visibly displeased.

    Maverly exined, ¡°I didn¡¯t let him in. I just passed him the money from here; he left after giving me the pizza.¡±

    Xanthus looked over his shoulder and closed the door, carrying a bag of groceries.

    Maverly asked, ¡°You went grocery shopping?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Taking off his shoes, Xanthus headed for the kitchen and put on the pair of shoes he had just bought at the doorway before making dinner.

    Maverly stood at the kitchen doorway awkwardly. ¡°You even bought shoes?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re for fishing. I¡¯ll wear them in the kitchen first.¡±

    After all, the kitchen was a humid,bacteria-growing area. It was inappropriate to move about here wearing only socks.

    Maverly¡¯s jaw dropped as she didn¡¯t expect Xanthus would make himself at home. She had never seen this side of him before.

    Turning around, she went back to her pizza. A thought struck Xanthus, and he came out of the kitchen to look at Maverly, who was about to take a bite of pizza. ¡°How many pieces have you eaten?¡±

    Maverly closed her mouth hurriedly. ¡°One. Would you like some, Dr. Osteen?¡±

    ¡°No. Don¡¯t eat anymore. I¡¯ll make you something.¡±

    Xanthus took her pizza away as he said, leading Maverly to say, ¡°It won¡¯t be good once it turns cold.¡±

    Xanthus went back and gave her another slice, saying, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t eat so much of it still.¡±

    With that, Xanthus took the rest of the pizza away. Maverly took a couple of bites and felt fortunate she had ordered a small one, or else it would really be a waste.

    Maverly couldn¡¯t calm down, restless the entire time Xanthus was cooking.In the end,she went to check on him.

 Chapter 1746 Helping Her with the Thesis

    Xanthus had made some noodle soup. While he was ting, Maverly drooled, saying, ¡°Looks good.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Xanthus ced them on the table, grabbed a couple of spoons, and sat down to have the meal. Maverly gobbled down her food, udylike.

    At the very least, she and Cynthia were two opposite ends, but she was, for some reason, the type that got Xanthus feeling strangetely.

    ¡°Slow down. It¡¯s hot.¡±

    Feeling quite abashed, Maverly flushed. Xanthus handed her a napkin, andshe took it over to wipe her lips before eating at a slower pace.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t your mother cook for you when you¡¯re at her ce?¡±

    ¡°She does, but I haven¡¯t gone there for a long while.I do n on going this year.¡± Maverly was stuffed after emptying her bowl.

    Xanthus asked her, ¡°When are you going back?¡±

    ¡°During the break.¡±

    Falling into silence, Xanthus ate his soup, taking his time.

    Meanwhile, Maverly got up and did the dishes. She bumped into Xanthus, who reacted swiftly and lifted his hand to evade when she came out to wipe her hands. Even so, she still bumped into his chest.

    Maverly backed off quickly and rubbed her head. Xanthus held up his bowl and spoon while looking down. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Maverly scuttled away in embarrassment. Xanthus stood for a while and did the dishes before he went to Maverly.

    Sitting down, he took herptop and looked through her folders. At first, Maverly did not pay much attention to him. After all, she was using hisptop, so it wasn¡¯t anything unusual to lend him hers.

    However, Maverly caught Xanthus looking through her college yearbook and took a second nce to find she hadn¡¯t mistaken.

    Failing to retain herposure, she asked, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    Xanthus threw a nce at her. ¡°Your photos.¡±

    Maverly reeled at his bluntness.

    Feeling somewhat speechless, she wondered if she should allow him to look at them. If she refused, she would seem petty, but if she did, it was rather unjustifiable. No matter what, it was photos of her and her ssmates, and she was in a bathing suit in some of them.

    Just as she was about to speak up, Xanthus asked, ¡°Which one is your boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Maverly nced at the photo and randomly pointed at one.

    Xanthus frowned. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±

    Maverly looked at it and answered, ¡°Jack.¡±

    ¡°This is his full name down here?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    After that, Xanthus continued looking through the rest of the photos. Following that, he didn¡¯t do anything significant but fiddled with herptop and even yed some games.

    Maverly was in a brown study that she could do nothing. With time, she dozed off, sleeping on the sofa.

    Seeing so, Xanthus called a private detective and had him check on this Jack.

    It wasn¡¯t something important; the purpose wasn¡¯t to stalk him or do something ndestine but to check his background. Xanthus didn¡¯t know how, but the private detective sent his information to his phone in no time. He had a quick look through and found said Jack had married his high school sweetheart; they even studied the same course in college and already had a baby before they graduated.

    So, to say that he was Maverly¡¯s boyfriend was merely a tant lie.

    Putting his phone away, Xanthus sent aprehensive file to the private detective, including all Maverly¡¯s ssmates from high school to college. Subsequently, the private detective sold the information to Xanthus. He spent the rest of the night looking through them only to learn that none of them had ever had a romantic rtionship with Maverly.

    Leaning against the sofa, his head hurt and eyes sore from all the reading.

    However, his curiosity only grew as he read.

    Rubbing his eyes, Xanthus stretched his neck and intended to rest. Just when he shifted, Maverly kicked him. Stumped, he looked over only for her to have ced herfeet on hisp.

    Just like that, Maverly rested her feet atop Xanthus¡¯s legs. Tossing, Maverly continued to sleep.

    Xanthus had wanted to move them away, butMaverly had shifted them near his crotch as though she was finding a warm ce for her cold feet.

    His awkwardness grew as he stared at her feet, and he moved them away from hisp. He then ced a throw over her and let her sleep.

    Xanthus napped, leaning at the other end of the sofa.

    Rising in the morning, Maverly remembered she still hadn¡¯t finished her thesis as soon as she opened her eyes, panicking.

    ¡°Shoot.¡±

    Maverly got up and browsed the inte to see if she could buy a thesis. It would be best if she could have it by the end of that night; she didn¡¯t mind paying extra.

    Otherwise¡­

    Xanthus had long woken up. It was impossible for him not to, sleeping next to Maverly. It was a kind of torment beyond one¡¯s imagination.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Xanthus sat up and leaned over, looking at what Maverly was doing.

    It wasn¡¯t the first time Maverly had done so; she had asked someone else to do her homework when she was younger.

    Therefore, she did not mind as long as her lecturer did not know.

    It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t know how to, but she didn¡¯t have enough time to finish it.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I want to buy a thesis to pass this exam.¡±

    ¡°I thought it was an interview?¡±Xanthus leaned aside and asked.

    Maverly replied, ¡°I¡¯ve passed the interview. What¡¯s left is the thesis.¡±

    ¡°The services posted out there are most likely frauds.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve no other options. If I can¡¯t submit it, my lecturer¡­ Ugh, these theses nowadays are getting more boring one after another.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll write it for you. When do you need to submit it?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow.¡±

    ¡­

    When it urred to her what Xanthus had said, she looked back at him. ¡°You¡¯ll write it for me?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the subject?¡±

    At first, Maverly didn¡¯t believe him, butfor reasons she couldn¡¯t name,she still did in the end.

    Maverly told him the topic, and Xanthus began hammering away after leaning at his seat for a while.

    A fifty thousand word thesis would typically take two days to finish, but for Xanthus, it didn¡¯t seem like he needed to think. He typed away, never stopping since he began, and within a morning, he produced about twenty thousandwords.

    Aside, Maverly looked at Xanthus as if he was God. She even blurted out, ¡°Dr. Osteen, if you ever decide to quit your job, you can make a lot of money writing theses.¡±

    ¡°Is it that profitable?¡±Amused, Xanthus smirked.

    Maverly opined, ¡°Of course, a five thousand word thesis is already worth tens of thousands. How much can you earn as a doctor?¡±

    ¡°Then just write theses after you graduate; forget about finding other jobs.¡±

    Maverly said, ¡°I have thought about it before.¡±

    Xanthus nced at her, feeling a little tired. Not his brain but hands.

    ¡°What would you like for lunch?¡±

    ¡°Come again?¡±

    Maverly¡¯s mind went nk for a second, and she stood up, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, I¡¯ll treat you to a feast. I¡¯ll make a four-course meal, and I¡¯ll stay up all night with you. Rest assured, I¡¯ll go grocery shopping now.¡±

    With that, Maverly rushed out of home and came back with groceries in less than an hour.

    She came in and went straight to prepare lunch,ing out an hourter with dishes on the dining table, calling Xanthus over. She really did make a four-course meal, and they all looked good,which amazed him.

    It surprised him that a girl born with a silver spoon was also great at cooking!

 Chapter 1747 Restrained

    After lunch, Maverly went to check how the thesis went. Xanthus hadposed over thirty hundredwords,about ten hundredwords per two hours. Maverly sat down and did a mental calction; it¡¯d be done by nightfall.

    ¡°You¡¯re really a natural at writing theses.¡±

    Maverly praised him from the bottom of her heart.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not that hard. You¡¯re a business major, it¡¯s mainly about eloquence and the number of words, and eloquence is of secondary importance. As long as you stay away from giarizing, it won¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s even easier for a science major. Twenty thousand words, and there you go.¡±

    Maverly was at a loss for words.

    Her eyes widened. ¡°How did you know all this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve ghostwritten back in my college years.¡±

    ¡°No wonder¡­ you¡¯re a veteran.¡±

    Maverly nodded, looking like an adorable toddler.Xanthus beamed at her, drank a ss of water, and got back to work.

    By night, the thesis was done and dusted.

    Scrutinizing the thesis, Maverly said in awe,¡°You¡¯re just like the holy grail of typing machines. I¡¯m getting the creeps.¡±

    ¡°I had a ssmate who was much better at this than I was. To support his family budget, he could type seven thousand words in an hour. I saw him as a legend as I could onlye up with three thousand back then. Later, I learned a couple of tricks, and I started getting faster, moving my hands at the same pace as my brain.

    Xanthus was rather talkative that day, but since Maverly didn¡¯t have much contact with Xanthus, she wasn¡¯t sure if he was loquacious.

    Anyhow, with her eyes on thepleted thesis, Maverly was in a euphoric mood.

    ¡°I¡¯ve bought some ingredients perfect for a roast.Let¡¯s have it for dinner.¡±

    Sitting aside, Xanthus felt a little exhausted. Time and tide wait for no man. Once passed his youth, his bones would ache all over when he moved.

    Maverly prepared a hearty dinner all by herself, but when she went to call Xanthus over, he had drifted off to sleep.

    Xanthus had done her such aborious favor, and he didn¡¯t even go to work because of this.Feeling bad,Maverlywould rather starve than disturb his sleep.

    About half an hourter, Xanthus woke up to find Maverly watching TV on the sofa in boredom.

    As soon as he stirred, Maverly grinned at him instantly.

    Xanthus did not move. He stared at Maverly¡¯stranquil face. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, c¡¯mon.¡±

    Maverly washed her hands and reheated the food while Xanthus sat down at the dining table.

    He inquired, ¡°Do you have wine?¡±

    Maverly bit the tip of her spoon. ¡°You want to bend your elbow?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a question if she had wine in the vi but whether she would take it out. Ever since the drunken mistake, she hadn¡¯t had a drop of alcohol in her system.

    Maverly was amazed by the power of love. She had imbibed more than once despite being advised by her mother to quit it. From there on, she gave up trying.

    However, this time, it was a clean-cut;even she was surprised.

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t?¡± Xanthus asked again, leading Maverly to hesitate. ¡°We might be running short. Let me check.¡±

    Just as Maverly stood up, Xanthus followed, asking, ¡°They¡¯re in the cer?¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    Maverly had avoided bringing up the cer, but Xanthus seemed to her house better than she did, makinga beeline for it.

    As he walked, he said, ¡°Your father once told me there¡¯s quite a lot of liquor kept under here. Is it true?¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡±

    Maverly was freaking out as she did not intend to wet her whistle at the moment.

    Maverly¡¯s palm grew sweaty as they made their way to the cer. Reaching the entrance, Xanthus took a look at it and found there was a lock that required a password or a key, like a safe.

    Xanthus turned around and inquired, ¡°Do you have a key?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Maverly fished her pockets and intended to say that she could not find it, but Xanthus pointed at her neck. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Maverly let out a cry of surprise and looked down at therge key on her chest, worn as a ne. She gave it begrudgingly to Xanthus, who then unlocked the door and went straight down into the cer.

    After ruminating shortly, Maverly didn¡¯t go down. ¡°Go see what you like. I¡¯ll go check the oven.¡±

    Making her way back, Maverly had been pondering if Xanthus would be a drunkard in the future since he liked drinking.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Xanthus toe back with two bottles of red wine of the same vintage in his hands. While passing by the liquor cab, he took two wine sses.

    ¡°You can count me out. I¡¯ve heard that beer is a better match for a roast dinner.¡±

    Maverly was making up an excuse to refuse. Unexpectedly, Xanthus came up to her and put down the wine and sses before saying, ¡°Then should I go buy some?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Maverly waved her hand gloomily like a child. ¡°Never mind, this will do.¡±

    Xanthus uncorked the red wine and poured Maverly a ss.

    Maverly didn¡¯t want to drink at first, but Xanthus raised his ss in a toast to her, and she was bashful to turn him down. She took a sip first and then a swig. Soon, she started taking to the bottle.

    Maverly liked tippling, and she loved it to a great extent.

    Mid meal, Xanthus started looking tipsy.

    Maverly gaped at him. ¡°You¡¯re still drinking?¡±

    She had seen many people who forced themselves to chug despite not holding their liquor well.

    Learning her lesson, Maverly kept a distance from Xanthus. But, Xanthus sat down next to her after visiting the washroom, making her antsy all over.

    ¡°Is there any left?¡± Sozzled, Xanthus asked Maverly, who gave a second thought before she said no.

    As she was speaking, Maverly hid the half-empty bottle of red wine behind her. Xanthus extended his hand to stop her and wrapped her in his arms in the process. Moving back in response, the two fell from their seats to the ground.

    Maverly wailed in her heart, ¡°Seriously? Not again!¡±

    ¡°Xanthus- Mmph¡­¡±

    Before Maverly could finish her words, Xanthus lowered his head and kissed her. Panicked, Maverly tried to shove him away. ¡°You¡¯re drunk. Get up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ ¡±

    Despite his denial, Xanthus kept kissing Maverly, whose self-control was waning. She resisted at first butter started responding to him. Kissing him back slowly, inexperienced, but it was precisely it that got Xanthus turned on; his blood, boiling.

    Furrowing his brow, Xanthus let out low grunts as if he was about to roar.

    Xanthus had stripped off most of Maverly¡¯s clothes, which shocked her. She stared at him. ¡°Dr. Osteen¡­¡±

    What happened after that was all a blur to Maverly as she let Xanthus inside of her. However, unlike theirst session, Xanthus did not fall into a slumber that quickly.

    This time, he didn¡¯t sleep at all. Maverly couldn¡¯t take any more of it and started whimpering, but Xanthus quickly muffled her sobs with kisses.

    She cked out soonter, and the two were still under the table the next morning. Maverly was still asleep when Xanthus rose. He didn¡¯t dare move this time, lying down, butter, he couldn¡¯t help himself and embrace Maverly from behind.

    Maverly only then stirred when she felt a slight chill on her body.

    Opening her eyes, Maverly immediately moved, wanting to get up, butXanthus held her firmly in his armsas though they were reinforced concrete.

    Sighing under her breath, Maverly tried to move his arms away, but to no avail. Taking a deep breath, she continued breaking free only to fail still and even woke him up.

 Chapter 1748 Who Should Be Held Accountable?

    Even after Xanthus opened his eyes, he still didn¡¯t let Maverly go but instead gazed at her with a strange expression.

    Maverly exined in a panic, ¡°Last night,st night¡­ You were the one who insisted on drinkingst night. It had nothing to do with me, but don¡¯t worry; I won¡¯te after you.¡±

    Maverly pushed Xanthus away and got up, scrambling in fear to put on her clothes.

    Xanthus, on the other hand, didn¡¯t say anything but onlystared at her.

    After she was fully dressed, Maverly sat on the ground and swept her gaze across the floor. Seeingsome white fluid all over the ce, aflush of embarrassment stung her face.

    ¡°What happened yesterday was my fault. Please don¡¯te to my house ever again. I have to go to campus; why don¡¯t you follow. Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    Maverly got up and went upstairs to take a shower, changing into a new outfit afterward.Seeing that she still had some time when she came down, she cleaned the floor.

    Maverly stood in the living room in disappointment, thinking Xanthus had left like thest time. Then, she called the housekeeping service over and intended to stay until they left as she¡¯d only have to set offter at nine.

    She didn¡¯t have much time,nor did she have the strength to clean the entire ce herself. Otherwise,she would have done it herself.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the housekeeper to arrive. When Maverly opened the door, she heard a sounding from upstairs. She looked back and saw that Xanthus was descending the stairs.

    Maverly jumped out of her skin; she didn¡¯t expect Xanthus still to be here.

    ¡°You¡­ What?¡±

    While Maverly was dumbstruck, Xanthus had reached the bottom of the stairs. ¡°You go ahead. I¡¯ll go after changing.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re staying here for now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tidy up. You go ahead.¡±

    Xanthus had called the servants at home to send him his clothing.

    Maverly stood still momentarily. She had to leave soon, and she didn¡¯t want to stay in the same space as Xanthus either, so she headed out after a quick deliberation.

    As she went out, the housekeeper coincidentally arrived. Maverly informed them that there was someone inside, but Xanthus sent them away just as they entered and cleaned the ce himself.

    When he was done,a servant arrived with his clothes. Xanthus got dressed and told him not to apprise Raeleigh of it.

    Locking the door, Xanthus ordered the servant to send him to the college. When he reached the premises, he asked around about the dissertation presentation and headed straight for it.

    Maverly had already begun her presentation when Xanthus reached, but he stayed outside instead,worried that he would affect her performance.

    It wasn¡¯t until Maverly left the stage that he went in through the back door and sat a couple of seats away from her, rendering her gobsmacked.

    ¡°I came to have a look.¡±

    Maverly, in a bachelor¡¯s gown, blinked. Heston sat next to her with his head slightly lowered, looking distracted. He had been so since morning. As she detected that he was not in the mood to chat, Maverly didn¡¯t ask much.

    Xanthus¡¯s possessiveness came on strongly at that moment. He lowered his head and whispered in Maverly¡¯s ear, ¡°Sit on my left side.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Maverly didn¡¯t get what he was trying.

    ¡°No reason, juste here.¡±

    Getting impatient, Xanthuspulled Maverly over, sending her to his left, and sat down, looking at him.

    Xanthus, dressed in a ck dress shirt and a matching ck overcoat, sat cross-legged and pped as the student on stage thanked the audience.

    Coming back to her senses, Maverly looked ahead and pulled her focus back. On the other hand, Heston kept his head down, still silent, looking downhearted for some reason.

    Maverly still had not gotten her head around even when the presentation session ended.

    ¡°I have work in the hospital. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Xanthus only showed up because he wanted to take Maverly away. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be here.

    ¡°Butthe award ceremony hasn¡¯t started yet.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re short of time; I have an operation. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    With that, Xanthus took Maverly¡¯s wrist and brought her away, taking no notice of whether anybody was watching.

    Heston didn¡¯t give them even a second nce butkept on sitting morosely.

    Whisked outside, Maverly wanted to withdraw her hand as she felt extremely self-conscious when all eyes around were riveted on her.

    ¡°Dr. Osteen, you¡­¡±

    ¡°Just call me Xanthus.¡±

    Xanthus turned around to gaze at Maverly, who was stupefied. Before she could react, Xanthus knitted his brow in a grievance. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to take responsibility for it?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Maverly couldn¡¯t follow him. It was the first time she heard of a woman having to be ountable for a one-night stand, though anything bizarre could happen in this society.

    Maverly was speechless. Women were the ones getting the short end of the stick when it came to such things.How was it the other way around now?

    ¡°I gave my first¡­ and also my second time to you. Is it still not enough for you?¡± Xanthus followed up with another question, his eyes fixed firmly on her.

    Floored, Maverlycouldn¡¯t help replying, ¡°But, I didn¡¯t do anything to you. You were the one¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a drinker, so I don¡¯t know what happened. Didn¡¯t you say that you can drink like a fish and that you had many boyfriends? That¡¯s why such a thing happened, right?¡±

    Xanthus made it seem like he got the short end of the sick instead.

    Turning away from him, Maverly said after a long pause, ¡°I really didn¡¯t mean to do it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s done is done.I can¡¯t just pretend it didn¡¯t happen.I wish to be loyal to one woman for my entire life.¡±

    ¡°Still¡­¡±

    Wistful, Maverly ended up in a passive position before she realized it. What was more,she had to be held ountable for their one-night stand.

    ¡°We have a ten-year age gap.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m confident I can spend my whole life with you.¡±

    Maverly was at a loss for words.

    It wasn¡¯t a matter of confidence; she hadn¡¯t even thought that much about it.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to the hospital? Let¡¯s go there first.¡±

    Maverly didn¡¯t know what to do; no thanks to the thesis. If it weren¡¯t for that thing, she wouldn¡¯t be so passive and even take responsibility for what happened between them. C¡¯mon, it was also her first and second, okay?

    She had made up her mind during the car ride. To shirk responsibility, she intended to tell the truth. Shebit her lip, mustering all her courage.

    ¡°Umm, Dr. Osteen¡­¡±

    ¡°Come again?¡± Xanthus quirked his brow and looked at Maverly right away. She cogitated briefly, feeling super awkward. ¡°Xanthus, actually, that was my first time too,and second. So I don¡¯t think I should feel obligated to take responsibility for anything.¡±

    ¡°Also, you ran away the first time, but you started it. I only gave a minor response then while you yed the dominant role for the most part.¡±

    ¡°You led the entire timest night.¡±

    Xanthus had the urge tough, but he stifled it.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying I should be the one held ountable, is that it?¡±

    His words rendered Maverly speechless.

    She didn¡¯t think it was a matter of responsibility. She hesitated for a while before saying, ¡°It has nothing to do with responsibility. What I¡¯m trying to say is that there¡¯s nothing between us apart from a one-night stand. So, it isn¡¯t about who should be responsible towards the other.¡±

    Hearing that, Xanthus pulled the car over.

    Looking at Maverly, he asked, ¡°Do you really think so?¡±

    Maverly mulled over if she really did think so.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell this to your father and let him decide.¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s eyes conveyed multitudes, and he was resolute.

    Maverly waved her hand immediately. ¡°No, no¡­ you can¡¯t do that. He will be pissed.¡±All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.

    ¡°With my rtionship with your father, he won¡¯t.¡±

    Disconsted, Maverly gave in, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take on all responsibility!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±

    Only then did Xanthus start the engine and drive away leisurely.

 Chapter 1749 Going Steady

    By the time Maverly arrived at the hospital, Raeleigh had received a text message from Ariana reporting about the day before. The textinformed her she had sessfully captivated Hestonand that he invited her to a movie night. Ariana was contemting epting his invitation and wanted to seek Raeleigh¡¯s advice.

    Raeleigh told her that she could go as long as there was someone to look after Jacian.

    Just as Ariana was thinking who could stand in for her, Maverly entered Jacian¡¯s ward.

    Jacian rejoiced at seeing Maverly. On the other hand, Ariana pondered on it and thought Maverly was perfect; she could leave if Maverly stayed.

    Maverly agreed to it, but Xanthusexpressed his disapproval when she told him in a call that afternoon.

    ¡°I need to write an academic draft tonight, and I¡¯ll need peace and quiet. I can¡¯t do it in the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Then go back. I¡¯ve to stay here, as it happens.¡±

    At first, Maverly did not grasp Xanthus¡¯s subtle indication.She thought ifhe wanted to write a thesis, he could just do it after he got home.

    To her dismay, Xanthus said,¡°I want to go to your ce.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°But, I¡¯ve already promised.¡±

    ¡°Then tell her it¡¯s inappropriate for her to take a day off despite having worked for only one day. Who is she going to the movies with?¡±

    ¡°Heston, I think.¡±

    Maverly blinked, wondering how they ended up being a couple.

    Maverly was rendered at sixes and sevens. Xanthus hung up after a few words, leaving her in stupefaction; she hadn¡¯t agreed to anything he said yet.

    Befuddled, Maverly went back to look for Ariana, making herself clear that it was not that she was unwilling to stay and look after Jacian, but she had othermitments that ounted for her incapability of fulfilling her promise.

    Even though it sounded absurd, the fact that Xanthus was going to her home was immutable.

    Ariana was a little disappointed. She called Heston and notified him she couldn¡¯t go anymore but didn¡¯t say why when he pressed on.

    After Xanthus got off work, he went to Jacian¡¯s ward to look for Maverly, who then said goodbye to Jacian and followed Xanthus out.

    At the main entrance, Maverlysaw Heston¡¯s car parked at the hospital, and he was making his way inside after emerging from it.

    It struck Maverly as odd, and her curiosity got the better of her.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Xanthus stood behind her with his gaze fixed on her. He was exhausted and wanted to rest as soon as possible.

    Maverly,on the other hand, felt no such inclination.

    Perhaps it was due to the age gap they had.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡±

    After saying that, Maverly left to sate her curiosity.

    On the other hand, Xanthus stood rooted to the spot for a couple of seconds before he pulled out his car key. While sitting in his car, warming up the engine, he fell asleep.

    Maverly followed Heston into the hospital and hid instantaneously as she reached Jacian¡¯s ward. She saw Heston gazing at Ariana, who was sitting outside.

    Arianaexined something to him, which led him to ask,¡°Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Sort of.¡±

    Ariana had no clue how much she had to like him to be considered in love with him. Nheless, in her eyes, Heston was indeed good-looking and lean.Although he seemed to be a yboy, Ariana¡¯s impression of him was pretty favorable.

    Since she was still young, it would do her no harm to date a few more men, wouldn¡¯t it?

    She was not two-timing. Furthermore, she could earn some extra money.

    Heston asked, ¡°Then why are you blowing hot and cold? If you don¡¯t like me, why do you keep hitting me? It¡¯s uncharacteristic of you to string me along.¡±

    ¡°When have I ever string you along? Haven¡¯t I always been like this?¡± Ariana was displeased at the way he put it. How could he do that? Did he intend tounch an investigation on her background like a private investigator?

    Ariana grew upset. If that was the case, she would not date him anymore.

    ¡°Heston, I admit I liked you at first, but you can¡¯t question me like this. I don¡¯t know how you students date these days, but I know what¡¯s going on despite myck of experience. Why are you ming me? I never did you wrong. I¡¯m here at work. Even if I¡¯m a mere caretaker, it¡¯s still a proper job. Am I supposed to oblige just because you invited me to watch a movie? Which do you think is more important, work or you?¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

    Heston was rendered speechless by her tirade. He was rtively young; in fact, Ariana was two years older than him. However, it was indiscernible when the two were together. Some might even assume Heston to be older than Ariana.

    Maybe it was because of her seniority thatAriana seemed imposing when she spoke. However,Heston did not want to concede defeat and roared, ¡°Of course it¡¯s me.¡±

    Dumbstruck, Ariana announced,¡°Forget it, let¡¯s break up.¡±

    Ariana got up and was about to enter the ward. It galled Heston to not know what he had done wrong. He held her down and lowered his head to kiss her.

    Maverly was bowled over to see that, wondering if she should step in.

    Seeing Ariana stop struggling after a while, Maverly was confident she could leave now. Her fellow sister had fallen!

    With that, Maverly went to the parking lot.Outside the car, she noticed Xanthus had fallen asleep. Thus, she got into the driver¡¯s seat as quietly as possible.

    Since Xanthus was sitting shotgun, Maverly believed he had no objection to her driving back.

    Maverly drove toward her vi.When she arrived at the gates, she nced at Xanthus, whowas slowly waking up.

    ¡°You¡¯re up.¡± Maverly had gone inside, intending to fetch Xanthus a throw, but by the time she came out, Xanthus had already gotten out of the car. Thetwo remained at the door after entering.

    Xanthus took the throw from Maverly andbent over to carry her in his arms. In fright, she clutched onto his shoulders right away and let out a cry but shut her mouththe next second.

    After entering her bedroom, Xanthus set Maverly down at the doorway and kissed her lips with a burning passion.Maverly had wanted to ask what was up with him.

    However, Xanthus had already taken off his coat, unbuttoned his cor, and even untucked his shirt. Before she could even say a word, Maverly was on the bed with Xanthus.

    After a round of sex, Xanthus showered and changed into his pajamas before focusing on his academic thesis.

    Exhausted, Maverly fell into a deep slumber, but she stirred sometimeter, shooting a nce at Xanthus, who was typing away beforeshe turned over and continued sleeping.

    It was the next day when Raeleigh received a call from Xanthus, who told her he wouldn¡¯t be home for the next few days. Sitting in Jared¡¯s car, she asked Xanthus jokingly, ¡°Then you¡¯re on duty in the hospital?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Raeleigh dragged her reply and giggled smugly, guessing something.

    Xanthus said, ¡°Call me if anything. Don¡¯t assume you can handle everything by yourself. If so, God wouldn¡¯t have created so many people.¡±

    ¡°Touch¨¦.¡±

    Raeleigh chortled as if she could see Xanthus, which made him feel ufortable.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±

    ¡°Why, because there¡¯s something gratifying that does my heart good, of course.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hanging up. Take care.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡­

 Chapter 1750 The Inevitable

    Raeleigh put down her phone and gazed out of the car window. It had begun snowing again; it wasn¡¯t a wonder it snowed heavily at the given season. However, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t help feeling the snow hade earlier that year, giving a sense of coldness before people had prepared themselves for it. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant feeling.

    ¡°Pull over at the bakery in front; I want to buy some cake,¡± Raeleigh said to Jared, who was driving.

    After pulling over at the bakery, Raeleigh emerged from the car, went into the bakery, and chose a lovely cake before following Jared to thepany.

    Reaching thepany, Raeleigh instructed someone to send her all their staff¡¯s profiles.

    A young man, Kenny Wilson, 23, from the secretary department, caught Raeleigh¡¯s attention.

    And she had him over to talk in person.

    After a conversation, Raeleigh confirmed she would take him as her assistant.

    ¡°Take over these things as soon as possible. I will arrange for a secretary; you¡¯re my assistant, who I¡¯ll bring out with me. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you may leave.¡±

    With that, he left.Raeleigh felt like she needed to bum around that day, wanting to be alone, not doing anything.

    ¡°Make sure that no one disturbs me. If there¡¯s anything, put it off first. Tell everybody that I¡¯m busy today.¡±

    The inte system was connected to every head of the department. Raeleigh didn¡¯t install it for any purpose back then. The technician who was installing itsaid there was such a function and asked if she would like to try it out. Without deliberation, she said yes.

    It was the first time Raeleigh made use of it.Thus,the whole of thepany knew she was not avable for work that day.

    In private, everyone was gossiping that Miss Anson was in a terrible mood, or she would not have used that feature.

    Jared had overheard some whispers when he went to get coffee. Following that,he returned and knocked on her office door. Raeleigh happened to be asleep thenand did not respond to his consecutive knocks. With that,Jared pushed the door open and went in brutishly.

    Kenny intended to stop him, but Jared didn¡¯t give him any time to do so, storming right in.

    Raeleigh rested her head on her desk with the slice of cake in front of her.Holding a cup of coffee in his hand, Jared stood by the door and stared at her pallid countenance. Behind her was an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. Her spacious office was rather stark, only Raeleigh resting inside.

    Jared was somewhat lost in thought, looking at what was before him. Behind him, Kenny hurriedly entered and wanted to say something when Raeleigh rose slowly. Her eyes thennded on Kenny. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Kenny. No need to stop Mr. Robertson from entering my office.¡±

    You wouldn¡¯t be able to even if you tried.

    Jared stood by the door and inquired, ¡°Are you not feeling well?¡±

    Still bleary, Raeleigh looked out the window behind her to find it was already getting dark. Stretching,she darted a nce at the cake. ¡°I was just taking a nap. You¡¯re looking for me?¡±

    ¡°No. Enjoy your sleep.¡±

    Jared did not take his leave but went to sit down on her sofa, watching the TV as he drank his coffee.

    Raeleigh was floored how he just made himself at home, with nointention of leaving after he came in.

    Checking the time, Raeleigh said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home. Time to clock out anyway.¡±

    With that, she left her desk and headed for the door, Jared following right behind. Right outside her office, Raeleigh nced at her new assistant.

    ¡°Kenny, have you had your dinner?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I treat you then.¡±

    ¡°Miss Anson, I can¡­¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon.¡±

    Raeleigh left no opportunity for him to refuse. Her attitude indicated that she had the final say as his boss.

    With that, Raeleigh headed for the elevator. When they were out of the building, she asked Kenny if he had a car, to which he said he did. Raeleigh told him to follow them in his car before going into Jared¡¯s, leaning on her seat,seemingly in a sullen mood.

    After entering the restaurant, Raeleigh put the cake on the table and stared at it, not eating.

    Kenny and Jared sat opposite her. After making their orders, Raeleigh took a few bites of dinner before finishing the cake.

    After dinner, Raeleigh told Kenny to head home before going back with Jared.

    However,as they reached the manor, Raeleigh saw a car parked right outside the gates, obscuringtheir path partially.

    Jared stopped the car, wounddown the window, poked his head out, and fixed his gaze on the car outside.

    The chauffeur exited the car and went to open the back door.

    Thanks to the headlights, Raeleigh could make out that someone in grey trousers was emerging from the car.

    To her surprise, itwas Crevor.

    Crevor stood with his phone in his hand, staring in Raeleigh¡¯s direction.After a quick deliberation, Raeleigh stepped out of the car.

    Beaming, Crevor approached her. But before he could reach her, Jared had already stood between them.

    Jared¡¯s action got Crevor stumped momentarily while Jared looked at Raeleigh. ¡°You go in.¡±

    Raeleigh shot a nce at Jared. That wasn¡¯t her n, but she didn¡¯t object and headed into the manor since he said so.

    The servants had already been waiting at the door, opening it when they saw Raeleigh.

    At the doorway,she turned to nce at Jared, who seemed like he was distracted with his head lowered. Crevor turned to look at Raeleigh, only to find she was gone.

    ¡°Who on earth are you? Why are you blocking my way?¡± Crevor asked after Raeleigh left. Humored, Jared retorted, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s ridiculous you don¡¯t even know who I am, given the influence of your family?¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Crevor¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. His handsome face was like a ravishing piece of jade, butit was no different from a crumbling rock on the ground to Jared.

    ¡°I¡¯m a businessman. Although my family has some connections, I don¡¯t know people like you, nor do I have time to waste on you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I guess you¡¯ll have to investigate it yourself if you want to know.I¡¯m not going to tell you anything.¡±

    ¡°But heed my warning, nevere again.¡±

    With that, Jared returned to his car, started the engine, and backed it up instead of driving in.

    Stumped, Crevor shouted,¡°Drive the car away.¡±

    The chauffeur got into the car hurriedly todrive off, but it was toote. The inevitable still happened!

 Chapter 1751 Whatever It Takes

    Before Raeleigh could walk far,a loud bang ensued at the gates, causing her to pause for a moment. By the time she went back to the front door, an ident had already transpired at the gates.

    Seeing the servants making a mad dash there,Raeleigh knew something horrible must¡¯ve happened.

    She couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye now. The car crash was nasty, and people were injured.

    Since Jared crashed his car into Crevor¡¯s, he was fine, but the car was a scrap now.

    Raeleigh stood inside the manor impotently, but she did not blow her fuse.

    What happened had happened; it would be useless even if she killed Jared, let alone me or yell at him.

    But¡­Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jared had let his head get the best of him.

    Coming out of the manor, Raeleigh peered at Crevor, who stood rooted to the spot. She nodded at him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. How do you want to settle this?¡±

    Jared emerged from his car with a bleeding leg. Raeleigh locked her brows into a deep furrow as she looked over at him before turning to Bernardo. ¡°Call Xanthus and ask him toe home. Help Mr. Robertson inside. Make it fast.¡±

    Jared said, ¡°I¡¯m okay. Don¡¯t bother about me.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s countenance was a picture of frostiness. ¡°Who calls the shots around here, me or you?¡±

    Jared did not reply, neither did he move.

    Bernardo dared note forward.Raeleigh did not intend to force Jared into anything either.Consequently, she nced atCrevor.

    Crevor was hot under the cor, but he did not explode at Raeleigh.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect your subordinate to be so reckless. My chauffeur is injured.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around,her eyes straying to the chauffeur. Indeed, he had gone unconscious.

    ¡°Let¡¯s send your chauffeur to the hospital first. All thepensation will be on me; I¡¯ll try my best to ensure he gets the proper treatment.¡±

    As she spoke, Raeleigh had already called the ambnce, and it took them no time to rush to the scene.

    Keeping her phone away, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Mr. Doyle, would you like toe in for a drink?¡±

    ¡°No,I¡¯m concerned about my chauffeur. I¡¯ll wait.¡±

    Crevor furrowed his brow deeply, ringdaggers at Jared ashis expression darkened.

    ¡°Then I¡¯lle overter.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh went to Jared. ¡°Go in with Bernardo; I¡¯ll treat your leg in a bit.¡±

    Jared gave Crevor a contemptuous look while still refusing to do as Raeleigh said. Raeleigh had no option but to threaten him, ¡°Do you want me to call Jepherson and get him to give the order?¡±

    Only then did Jared walk away, going into his residency.

    Raeleigh did not go and check on Jared as she had said butapproached Crevor instead. ¡°Mr. Doyle, since you aren¡¯t willing to head inside, I will stay here and apany you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too cold out here. You have a frail body, to begin with. Just go in. You can rest assured I will drop this matter. My chauffeur has been working for me for many years. I will tell his family about it; Iwon¡¯t put you in a tough position. Since he¡¯s your subordinate, I won¡¯t make things difficult for you no matter what his purpose was.¡±

    Crevor¡¯s words took Raeleigh aback. She didn¡¯t expect him to be so reasonable.

    Raeleigh hesitated momentarily. ¡°I¡¯d prefer that as well; that¡¯swhy I¡¯ve never thought of letting Jared take ountability for this incident. Anyway, I really appreciate your decision.¡±

    Raeleigh was only speaking her mind, but it rendered Crevor shocked. Staring at Raeleigh, he asked, ¡°Do you hate me?¡±

    Raeleigh prevaricated his question by looking at the unconscious chauffeur. ¡°It isn¡¯t important to me; what I¡¯m worried about now is Jared.¡±

    ¡°No matter your reason for showing up,you were at fault for standing in Jared¡¯s way. You¡¯vee to my house to challenge me, and Jared crashed his car into yours impulsively. But I don¡¯t see this as a major problem.¡±

    ¡°This is who I am. I let my subordinates do as they please.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll assume the trouble they¡¯ve caused. Despite my frailty, I¡¯m still conscientious, and I believe I¡¯m not brainless.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t make a big deal out of it. If not, I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to make sure Jared walks away unscathed.¡±

    ¡°I admire girls like you, Raeleigh. This is my first time seeing someoneposed to this extent.¡± Crevor said, and Raeleigh cracked a smile and answered, ¡°But, I don¡¯t like you appearing in my world. Regardless of your goals, I don¡¯t like anyone from the Doyle family.¡±

    ¡°I am a Doyle, but that doesn¡¯t mean I act the same as my family.¡±

    Raeleigh scrutinized Crevor and replied, ¡°It¡¯s true that I shouldn¡¯t judge a book by its cover, but I can¡¯t tell the soul that¡¯s hidden beneath this exterior.¡±

    ¡°Whether you believe it or not, I¡¯m sincere. With regard to the chauffeur, I¡¯ll exin it to him. I¡¯ve never been one to hold a grudge against you, Raeleigh. I like you; that¡¯s all.¡±

    Raeleigh fell silent at that.

    Just then, the ambnce had arrived, but along with it came the police as well.At that, Raeleigh looked over at Crevor, who said right away, ¡°I didn¡¯t call the police.¡±

    Raeleigh then turned her gaze over to her servants. ¡°It wasn¡¯t us either.¡±

    ¡°You can check my phone.¡± Crevor handed his phone to her,but Raeleigh didn¡¯t spare it a single nce. It didn¡¯t matter whether she checked it or not; it had nothing to do with her.

    Turning to her servants, Raeleigh instructed, ¡°If the police ask,just say Jared has fled the scene, and I¡¯m the owner of the house and the car, do you understand?¡±

    The servants all nodded. Crevor reminded her, ¡°The police will take you away.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t concerned at all.¡±

    ¡°Bernardo.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Is there any news from my brother?¡±

    ¡°I called him, but he didn¡¯t pick up¡­¡±

    Bernardo was growing worried as well. He wondered what Mr. Xanthus was doing at such a crucial moment that he hadn¡¯t returned?

    He wouldn¡¯t answer the phone either. Oh, how on edge Bernardo was.

    Raeleigh ruminated momentarily. ¡°Use any means to contact Xanthus. Tell him not to worry, and I¡¯ll be fine. Just bail me out.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh called herwyer. ¡°I¡¯m in big trouble; I¡¯ve hit a car.Pleasee right away.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Surprised that Raeleigh would make such an approach, Crevor tried to stop her immediately, but she only looked at him motionlessly as she was hurt too deeply. Even if he was sincere, she would not trust him. In addition, his sincerity itself was open to question.

    Raeleigh turned to Bernardo and ordered,¡°Lock Jared inside and get someone to treat his wound. Once the police are here, tell them I was the one driving the car. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Miss Raeleigh.¡±

    Bernardo was seething with hatred; Jared was the epitome of a troublemaker.

    With that, Raeleigh turned back to Crevor. ¡°Please excuse me.¡±

    Raeleigh went to his car before the police arrived and reached for the dashcam. Chucking it toward the manor, she instructed, ¡°Deal with it.¡±

    Turning around, she made her way to Jared¡¯s car and did the same.

    Bernardo immediately rushed to pick up the two dashcams, sprinting away.

    A trustworthy servant hade into his sight. ¡°Go, smash them. Make sure they¡¯re unsalvageable.¡±

    With that, Bernardo rushed back to the scene, wiping the sweat off him, as he watched Raeleigh sitting in Jared¡¯s car, staring into space before she wiped the steering wheel with her shirt while holding it in ce with the other hand.

 Chapter 1752 Physical Abuse

    The old housekeeper ran over and wiped away his tears. ¡°Miss¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, you just need to know one thing.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s voice was low enough that nobody around her could hear what she said.

    The old housekeeper said, ¡°Tell me, Miss Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°If I go in, I wille out alive, but Jared will undoubtedly die if he goes in.¡±

    Raeleigh looked pointedly at the old housekeeper. When the police cars and ambnce arrived, she added, ¡°Look after Jared and don¡¯t let hime out. Send someone to protect him, lest he gets hurt when I¡¯m not around.

    If Xanthus¡¯ phone can¡¯t be put through, keep calling, call until it¡¯s connected.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I understand. Don¡¯t worry, Miss Raeleigh, you¡¯ll be alright.¡±

    ¡°I hope so.¡±

    Raeleigh fidgeted on where she sat, she then leaned sideways and took out her phone to call Jepherson.

    Jepherson immediately answered the phone. On the other end of the call, Jepherson had just awoke.

    ¡°Did you miss me?¡±

    Jepherson chuckled. It was rare for her to take the initiative and call him.

    ¡°I¡¯m in trouble. I crashed into Crevor¡¯s car. The driver is now unconscious and may die.¡±

    Jepherson was about to drink some water when Raeleigh¡¯s words prated through his mind and caused the ss to slip out his hand and smashed against the floor.

    ¡°And Jared?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s injured. I¡¯m hanging up!¡±

    Raeleigh hung up the phone. Jepherson swiftly headed towards the door as he bellowed, ¡°Stuart, Stuart¡­¡±

    Stuart rushed in and stood stock still at the sight of Jepherson. ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Book a ne ticket. Raeleigh is in trouble.¡±

    Jepherson threw his phone aside and began to change his clothes.

    ¡­

    When the police arrived, Raeleigh had just restored the phone to its factory setting. Everything inside was wiped away instantly. Raeleigh then just sat there with her eyes closed, as if she had fallen asleep.

    After the police took note of the situation, they requested for Raeleigh to get out of the car.

    The officer took out a pair of handcuffs to cuff her when the old housekeeper immediately came over and stopped them. ¡°Her hand is injured. Don¡¯t handcuff her. Please, she¡¯s still recovering.¡±

    The police officers were all foreigners, hence they had a hard time understanding him which worried the old housekeeper.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯m just following the rules,¡± the officer said in their nativenguage. Raeleigh had no choice but to raise her hand.

    Just as the handcuff was about to close around her wrist, Crevor rushed over speaking the foreignnguage fluently. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. She and I were the ones who crashed into each other. Handcuff us both, is that okay? I know your Superintendent. You can call him and check.¡±

    When they heard his exnation, they finally agreed to handcuff Raeleigh on one hand. Nevertheless, the still have rules and orders to follow, therefore they can¡¯tpromise too much.

    They still took Raeleigh into the police car and cuffed the other end of the handcuff to a bar that was inside.

    Then the police car drove off to the local station as Crevor followed in their wake, the crash scene being taken care of.

    Raeleigh had her statement taken when Crevor arrived at the police station together with another person.

    Raeleigh sat to one side with her hands on the armrest as two foreign police officers interrogated her.

    Raeleigh talked to the officers in theirnguage fluently. She stated that she couldn¡¯t stand the fact that someone¡¯s car had blocked her way into her own home, which was why in a moment of impulsiveness she rammed the car forward. But it was unintentional, just a moment of anger.

    The police didn¡¯t say much after that, it depended on what Crevor would say.

    The driver had been sent to the hospital. If he were to live, Raeleigh could get out of this situation without a problem if she applied for bail but no one was clear as to the driver¡¯s condition.

    Raeleigh was locked up after she had been interrogated.

    ¡°She¡¯s not in good health. You can¡¯t lock her up.¡± Crevor immediately stood up when he saw Raeleigh being taken away. He couldn¡¯t let her be stuck inside a cell.

    The officer only spared a pitiful nce at him as he could do nothing but to follow the standard procedure, even Crevor had little authority over this matter.

    Raeleigh was put behind bars. There were two women inside the single cell. Both of them were plump with blond hair and tattoos all over their bodies.

    When they saw fresh blood in their cell, they immediately stood up with the intention to put Raeleigh in her ce.

    Raeleigh just sat there with the handcuffs around one of her wrists, not entirely immobile.

    Once one of them came over, Raeleighimmediatelylooked at her .

    However, the blonde wasn¡¯t afraid of her. They went as far as to insult her in her ownnguage. They called Raeleigh a wildcat and forced her to take off her pants to show them her butt. They wanted her to suffer like they did.

    The vulgar words could not be clearly understood, but Raeleigh got the clear gist of it.

    Raeleigh looked towards the blonde fearlessly. She had been to Green House and survived. Why should she worry about them?

    One of them wanted to grab Raeleigh¡¯s hair when they came over. This was a trick. Raeleigh shot up from her seat and swung the handcuff out into the woman¡¯s eye. They didn¡¯t expect Raeleigh to be so bold as she was much shorter than them. For her to suddenly attack them had caught them off their guard.

    ¡°Ah!¡± The plump woman cried out as she covered her eyes with her hands. Raeleigh brought the handcuff back to her side, drops of blood dripped down from it.

    Raeleigh peered at the two women opposite but did not go over. She just returned to her seat with the handcuffs on and stared nonchntly at a spot in front of her.

    The injured woman screamed and cursed, while the other one was a little scared. Raeleigh¡¯s momentum at that time was truly frightening.

    At the same time, Raeleigh¡¯swyer had arrived. Jepherson also had people go over and bail her out of police custody.

    Xanthus still couldn¡¯t be reached. Jepherson walked towards the security check while he gritted his teeth.

    Stuart followed behind him and with a nervous thumping in his chest.

    This was a first for him.

    Stuart understood that some trouble had urred on foreign soil. On the contrary to what was expected, they had no influence in the foreign countries. No one would know what would happen even if some would say otherwise.

    Plus they had no one in their corner.

    Raeleigh¡¯s people had just arrived and were about to go through the legal proceedings when someone hastily came up and reported that there was amotion inside the cell.

    When everyone came upon the scene, they were scared out of their wits. No one had expected Raeleigh would have done something like this. However, the system here was differentpared to the system there. When the policemen saw that Raeleigh was the culprit, they would put her in the cell with no questions asked, and swung their batons down at her. Raeleigh immediately crouched down and protected her head. Even so, she was beaten to within an inch of her life.

    Crevor was outside when he felt something was wrong. He immediately demanded to see Raeleigh and that was the sole reason she was saved.

    However, by the time Raeleigh was brought out, she was ck and blue all over

    At the sight of Raeleigh¡¯s condition, Crevor rushed over just as Raeleigh started to feel dizzy. He hadn¡¯t reached her side when she was unable to hold on anymore. Her vision turned dark as her body copsed onto the ground.

    Crevor took Raeleigh¡¯s hand in his and held her in his arms.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ Raeleigh¡­¡±

    No matter how Crevor called her, Raeleigh did not respond. Crevor¡¯s face darkened and he red at the policemen. ¡°This is illegal!¡±

    Crevor spoke in the localnguage, and the anger on his face was undisguised, and even ferocious. Raeleigh¡¯swyers had also gathered around. When they saw her injured state, they proceeded to squat down and unbutton the top half of her clothes, gently flip her over only for the color to drain from their faces at the sight of dark contusions on her back.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    After they got up, they immediately issued a statement that they were going to bring this to court.

    Crevor bent over to pick Raeleigh up, ordered someone to take over the issue and carried Raeleigh out of the station.

 Chapter 1753 Felon

    When Raeleigh woke up, she was already in the hospital. She looked towards the window where Crevor stood. She moved a little and made a sound of pain as her body throbbed all over. At the sound, Crevor turned around to look at her together with the others in the room.

    Xanthus, Maverly, and the rest of the gang hurried to her side.

    At the sight of so many people, Raeleigh paused for a moment and then looked towards Xanthus, ¡°What happened to me?¡±

    ¡°What are you thinking sbout?¡± Xanthus was so frustrated with Raeleigh that all his worries a moment ago were swept clean away.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°How can you be fine when you¡¯ve been beaten to this state?¡± Xanthus huffed and puffed with restrained anger, especially towards himself. If his cell phone hadn¡¯t been in the living room, if he hadn¡¯t just concentrated on everything in the bedroom, a near disaster like this wouldn¡¯t have happened.

    Raeleigh wore a smile, ¡°I am still sick. What are you angry with me for?¡±

    Xanthus was stunned and sat down. ¡°You really make me want to tear my hair out. You actually want to frustrate me to death, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You would be worried to death, not frustrated. Have you ever seen a guy this frustrated before?¡± Raeleighughed with a sweet smile on her lips.

    ¡°Come here, I have something to tell you.¡± Raeleigh motioned Xanthus over. He leaned closer as she whispered something into his ear. He slowly pulled away, ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°If you do this, then next time you¡­¡±

    ¡°No problem. I can handle what will happen next.¡±

    Raeleigh had belief in her capabilities.

    Xanthus revealed then, ¡°The driver is dead. He died before he could make it to the hospital due to his severe injuries. I didn¡¯t want to tell you this at first as you just woke up. But based on how things are now, this couldn¡¯t be covered up even if I wanted to. You had to be told.

    ¡°Now, the case is under investigation.¡±

    ¡°I also think that his injury was too severe. You go home, don¡¯t scare Maverly with this. In addition, help me go back to thepany and calm things down. Have Ariana go back too. My newly recruited assistant is still in the adapting phase.

    Thepany can¡¯t fall into chaos, you know that.¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Then you must have people protecting you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, as long as I can still walk I¡¯ll get things done. Let Jennye, she can take care of me.¡±

    Raeleigh reasoned things out. Although Xanthus was still distressed, he had more important things to carry out. Hence, he stood up and went towards Crevor.

    Although he had reservations about him, Crevor was the one who helped Raeleigh out this time. He couldn¡¯t imagine what would have happened to her if Crevor hadn¡¯t risked being sentenced with charges to save her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading back to Raeleigh¡¯spany, thank you for all you¡¯ve done.¡±

    ¡°All right, go ahead. I¡¯m free at this moment, I can help you take care of her.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Xanthus did not speak any further. He turned and left with Maverly. He first called assistant Ariana and had Jacian transferred over to someone else for the time being. He then sent Maverly over and had her stay there as she had learned some management skills from the considerable experience she gained from the hospital doing something simr. With Ariana¡¯s help, Maverly should be able to keep thepany afloat.

    Afterwards, Xanthus issued a certified document for Raeleigh.

    When everything had been settled, he returned to the manor to check on Jared.

    Jared was still confined inside the house. When he saw Xanthus, he immediately stood up. He only got external injuries on his leg, he wanted to go out.

    ¡°Where is she?¡± Jared roared out the moment Xanthus came into view.

    ¡°In the hospital. Let me take a look at your leg. Were there any problems?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to see her.¡±

    Just as Jared made to leave, Xanthus mmed a vicious punch into his face. As it happened so suddenly, the force of the punch almost knocked Jared down. Xanthus then picked up a wooden chair that had toppled to the ground and hit Jared¡¯s body with it before he could react. It was only because he was driven by instinct that Jared managed to raise his hand to defend himself.

    With a loud crack, the chair broke into smithereens.

    Xanthus grabbed another chair and hurled it towards Jared.

    All his pent up anger was now directed towards the main culprit of this whole issue. If it weren¡¯t for Jared, things wouldn¡¯t havee to this. This was all his fault.

    Jared didn¡¯t bother to evade. He just stood there and took everything. Xanthus¡¯s anger indicated that some trouble had urred.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Jared asked the moment Xanthus stopped to take a breather. Xanthus swallowed down his saliva and said, ¡°Raeleigh was taken away and got locked up in the police station. She then got harassed inside, and when she retaliated, the police beat her ck and blue.¡±

    Jared stiffened. ¡°And now?¡±

    ¡°She is recovering in the hospital, but she might be sentenced to go to prison.¡±

    ¡°Prison?¡±

    Jared eximed in shock. ¡°I was the one who did it. I¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­¡± Xanthus was so furious heughed, but there was a ferocious light in his eyes.

    ¡°What are youughing at?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯mughing at how Raeleigh¡¯s efforts are in vain! Everyone is anxious about her except for you!¡±

    Jared didn¡¯t reply immediately. Xanthus scoffed, ¡°Jepherson is a fool and you¡¯re no better.

    Raeleigh took the me all for your sake. If you go to take her ce, then both of you will go down together. Is that your intention?¡±

    Jared was silent, a grim expression on his face. ¡°Did she ask you to find me?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I really don¡¯t understand. What right does a person like you have for Raeleigh to treat you this way? One Jepherson was enough to turn her around like a fool. She will do anything for him, even die and go to jail.¡±

    ¡°Why would she do that? I¡¯ll be fine even if I go to prison.¡±

    ¡°Are you really stupid? Those people will definitely kill you once you¡¯re inside, you think you¡¯ll be able toe out again?¡±

    ¡­

    Jared carefully went through his memories before he asked. ¡°What should we do now? Let her go to jail?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let Raeleigh go to jail. Now, let me have a look at your injury.¡± Xanthus actually couldn¡¯t be bothered to look at it, but he had to since Raeleigh asked it of him.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡±

    ¡°Just let me take a look to reassure her.¡±

    Once Xanthus said as such, Jared cooperated then and showed Xanthus his leg after he sat down. There were only some grazes, nothing too serious, but it still needed to be attended to in order to avoid any infection.

    After he came out of his confinement, Jared went to wash up the parts he was allowed to wash and changed his clothes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t trust anyone but Raeleigh needs someone to keep an eye on her. You can go, but don¡¯t let Crevor¡¯s people discover your presence. She told me that you are the only one who can do it, however, you can¡¯t be careless this time. Don¡¯t mess things up.

    She also wanted me to tell you that she also hates the people from the Doyle family because they had harmed Santiago. However, if only Ste dies, there is still Crevor. If only Crevor dies, there is still Ste. You have to think carefully, whether by hook or by crook, on how to get them in one swoop.¡±

    Jared turned to leave without a word. Xanthus breathed a sigh of relief then, and headed for the ce he wanted to go.

    It was very quiet inside the ward. In the middle of her rest, the police knocked on her door and entered.

    Raeleigh was roused from her doze and stared at the police by the door. Crevor was present at the time and rose from his seat with a sense of capable ease together with herwyers. However, they didn¡¯t say anything as, with the exception of Crevor, this matter had been solved.

    The police officers studied Raeleigh¡¯s condition and had to helplessly leave her be for now. All the same, Raeleigh was now sentenced as a felon, hence they did not leave the premises but stood guard outside her door.

    As if they were afraid that she was going to make a run for it.

 Chapter 1754 Start to Compete

    Raeleigh stared at him as sheid in bed, ¡°You should go too. I can take care of myself now.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried about being misunderstood?¡±

    Raeleigh gave him a brief look, ¡°Even if you weren¡¯t seen here, what can be construed will still be misunderstood.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson is that distrustful of you?¡± When Crevor spoke, he had already walked up to Raeleigh¡¯s front. She nced up at him with no immediate reply, though her lips curled up into a smile.

    ¡°Raeleigh, what are you smiling at?¡± Crevor stood there as his gaze darkened with a profound look in his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just felt like smiling, so I smiled.¡±

    ¡°You are the most interesting girl I have ever met.¡± Crevor stated.

    ¡°Just because something is rarely seen, they¡¯re alwaysbelled as special. It¡¯s just like a species that¡¯s born from out of nowhere. There¡¯s ordinary grass that grows on a cliff. The seed of that grass couldn¡¯t have flown onto the cliff which made it an umon possibility. However, a gust of wind blew that seed to the top and through wind and rain it managed to painstakingly grow in such an environment.

    After that, someone discovered this grass and it became a so-called rarity.

    Thus, it has obtained that special appeal.¡±

    ¡°When you say it like that, it makes it difficult for people to respond, but I like it.¡±

    ¡°There are many people who like me. You¡¯re just being one out of who knows how many.¡±

    Raeleigh gazed out the window and then looked at Crevor. ¡°Thank you for bringing me out from that station, but I am not grateful towards you. Your driver didn¡¯t survive and I think you¡¯re responsible for it. You did this on purpose.¡±

    ¡°You may be the only one who can speak so frankly, but what if I told you that it wasn¡¯t me, would you believe it?¡±

    Raeleigh just stared silently at Crevor for a while before she said, ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Since you won¡¯t believe me, then I won¡¯t bother exining.¡±

    Crevor sat by Raeleigh¡¯s bedside, their gaze fixed on each other until Raeleigh turned her face away first.

    ¡­

    Crevor stayed by Raeleigh¡¯s side, and the people outside no longer came in, as if someone had given the heads up to the top brass.

    The next day, Raeleigh had just woken up in the morning when she heard Stuart¡¯s voice from outside. ¡°We are thewyers of this patient that¡¯s now inside this room. This is our documentation. We have contacted your higher-ups and they have agreed to cooperate.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t know that Stuart could speak theirnguage too.

    After the officer confirmed their credentials, Stuart opened the door to her ward followed by Jepherson¡¯s appearance at the doorway.

    The twowyers and one bodyguard that were inside stood up from their seats when they saw him, a simultaneous call for Mr. Richards echoed through the room.

    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. You may leave.¡± Jepherson ordered.

    Thewyers and bodyguard heeded his instruction and left through the door.

    Crevor sat with his back towards Jepherson. It was impossible for him to be unaware of his arrival but he still didn¡¯t get up even after thewyers and bodyguard headed outside.

    Raeleigh studied the people that had just entered. Their presence here was the real purpose.

    She got attacked while staying abroad, all to lure Jepherson out and make him capitte. Even if they couldn¡¯t do much of anything towards him, it would be a beautiful beginning for the Doyle family.

    Stuart retreated and shut the door behind him once Jepherson had entered the ward.

    Jepherson strode forward and paused to caress Raeleigh¡¯s pale face. No words were spoken between them. Jepherson then looked at Crevor and called out, ¡°Mr. Doyle.¡±

    Raeleigh was not surprised. Crevor smiled. ¡°You are here?¡±

    Jepherson smiled back and said, ¡°Thank you for your help this time, Mr. Doyle.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. I did it for Raeleigh though, not for you.¡±

    Crevor made no movement as he said this, his tone utterly indifferent.

    Jepherson continued regardless, ¡°But there is one more thing. I hope that you can be the bigger man, and let Raeleigh off.¡±

    Crevor looked contemtive. ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°The Doyle family and the Richards family have a cooperative project in the south. Business has been in deliberation for ten years. Since you have helped me this time, I will transfer all the shares in the south to you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the diamond mines?¡± Crevor looked as if he had thought of something and peered at Jepherson. Jepherson reaffirmed, ¡°The diamond mines.¡±

    Crevor pondered for a bit. ¡°I remember that you were the one who discovered the mine and you were also the one who personally went to investigate it. Our Doyle family only has a small portion of the shares. To give this much to me in exchange for that driver¡¯s life, is it appropriate?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s appropriate. As long as the two parties have reached an agreement, it will be appropriate.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Crevor didn¡¯t agree immediately. Raeleigh took a peek at Jepherson who had sat down beside her. His gaze was cid, with no hint of anger or any other emotions.

    Raeleigh was suddenly struck with an iprehensible idea. She had never thought that Jepherson was such a person in front of Crevor.

    Was Crevor¡¯s capabilities on par with his?

    Within the first round, he lost. A gold mine was worth a lot of money, let alone a diamond mine. The amount would have to be calcted in billions as a rough estimation, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

    But what was the implication of his calm expression? How wealthy were the Richards family?

    Or had he already been hollowed out at this time from doing something beyond his means just to achieve his goals?

    ¡°Mr. Doyle, what do you think?¡±

    Jepherson asked before Crevor could give his answer.

    Crevor crossed his legs and scrutinized Jepherson. ¡°What if I say¡­¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°There would not be any further negotiations. The diamond mine is the most profitable business in my hands. If this can¡¯t satiate your appetite, so to speak, then it can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t have the ways to counter back, but I just don¡¯t want to make a mountain out of a molehill and wanted to use the fastest method to solve this issue within the shortest time.

    So negotiations are not allowed.¡±

    Crevor lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. ¡°Do you want to reconsider? I can always refuse.¡±

    ¡°I can also not yield.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze was still very cid.

    Raeleigh turned towards Jepherson. ¡°I¡¯m sure to win in thewsuit. You don¡¯t need to talk terms with him.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh, ¡°You are currently in poor health. You won¡¯t be able to handle the strain.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. What did he mean by that?

    Was it because of her body that he had to capitte to their demands?

    ¡°Then what if I said to give me the diamond mine, let me fight thewsuit and that my body will be fine?¡±

    Jepherson fell silent. Without the diamond mines, the Richards family would lose half of its territory in the city. This was already the only method he could think of that was both fast and impactful.

    What idea had shee up with?

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes was washed with determination. At that look, Jepherson sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to you.¡±

    Raeleigh turned her attention to Crevor. ¡°The diamond mine is mine now, your ns are now up in mes. Let us discuss the next item on the agenda.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡± Crevor grinned as if he was looking forward to it.

    Jepherson lowered his eyes but said nothing.

    His hands yed with her hair as he stroked the soft strands on her head.

    It was as if Jepherson had removed himself from this matter.

    Raeleigh started, ¡°I was the one who knocked someone down, but¡­¡±

    ¡°But what?¡±

    ¡°But you must drop thewsuit. I canpensate the driver¡¯s family for all their losses. If you don¡¯t agree, I will implement the next step.¡±

    ¡°And that would be?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say for now.¡±

    Crevor did not speak. He sat there for some time before he stood up. ¡°Let¡¯spete then.¡±

    He got up and was gone like the wind. Once he left, Jepherson¡¯s expression turnedpletely cold.

    Stuart immediately walked in together with thewyers and the rest of their people.

    At this time, Raeleigh also sat up from the bed.

 Chapter 1755 What Did You Say, What Daughter?

    While being apanied by Stuart, Raeleigh listened to thewyer¡¯s analysis of the whole case. The lynchpin in this whole matter was that Raeleigh had driven deliberately to hit someone and killed them.

    Raeleigh sat quietly at the side and contributed nothing to the discussion that was going on asStuart and the others picked apart the case. After they were done, Raeleigh finally spoke, ¡°Follow ording to the legal process to fight against mywsuit. When the timees, I will make some arrangements. I will not let him harm me. But at present I can¡¯t leave the hospital or they¡¯ll put me in the detention centre if I do so. If I enter that ce, it¡¯ll be easy for there to be an ident.¡±

    ¡°Do as she says.¡± Jepherson ordered, and as if a signal was given, they left the ward soon after they¡¯d given their affirmation to carry out their duties.

    Now only Raeleigh and Jepherson were left in the ward. ¡°You and Crevor already knew each other?¡± she asked.

    Jepherson sat aside and gazed at her. ¡°In the Doyle family, Crevor is the only person who has a good rtionship with Ste. His parents died when he was young and initially a person like him wouldn¡¯t be able to survive in that household. It was Ste who protected him and enabled him to be where he is now.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    When we were young, it was Ste who brought us together. Since then, we will meet each other several times every year.

    We don¡¯t speak much to each other, and he was also a quiet person. In addition, his identity in the Doyle family was a little unique. Even if he didn¡¯t like to talk, we were already used to it.

    However, during that year when he had to go out abroad and attend university, no one knew where exactly he went. We only heard that he went into the mountains to meditate.

    For that reason, it was out of my expectations that the head of the Doyle family this time would be him. He doesn¡¯t like violence, especially for someone who had no support like him, which made it even more odd that he could reach the position of head.

    However, the Doyles¡¯ all thought he was weak, underestimated him when he was actually a ruthless man.

    Ste had told me before, how some branch members of the family disliked him and did absolutely disgusting things all upon his person.¡±

    Raeleigh felt that something was peculiar, ¡°Could it be that the reason for Crevor¡¯s return was due to Ste¡¯s own return? Since they¡¯re so close, especially from being in a household like the Doyle family, then there must be a lot of things he is innocent of. With Ste¡¯s desires being so strong, she must¡­¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly cut herself off. She had just remembered that Jepherson had always treated Ste like a sister.

    Raeleigh¡¯s gaze turned dim as she scrutinized Jepherson and chose not to mention this.

    ¡°Your words make sense, but not necessarily. I suspect that someone wants Crevor to take charge of this family, and this person is not just someone else, but the Matriarch of the Doyle family.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Raeleigh originally assumed that Jepherson would falter on this matter, but it seemed that he had forgotten what happened three years ago.

    But would he?

    Jepherson ignored the strange look in Raeleigh¡¯s eyes and borated, ¡°This matter is very simple. Any branch family thates out to be in charge at this time will cause internal strife in the Doyle Family. The position was originally left for Ste but since Ste is dead, someone must take her ce. At this point, everyone and anyone will stir up disputes amongst themselves for sure, plus Geraldine is definitely clear on the severity of this situation.

    In which case, it would be better to find someone to be the head. Not only do they have to have a clean record, they also have to be a member of the Doyle family which will make it easier for the Matriarch to manage.

    Without a doubt, Crevor is one of those candidates.

    However, three years have passed and no one knows how much he has changed within the household. Judging from his performance in Capital City during this period, clearly he is no worse than Geraldine.¡±

    ¡°What you mean is that, no one can control him now because he has such powerful backing?¡±

    ¡°I assume so.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Aren¡¯t you sleepy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sleepy. If you have anything to do, you can go ahead and do it. I have someone here to watch out for me.¡± she urged.

    Jepherson hummed in answer. He sat on the chair with heavy eyes. It seemed that he was very tired from the long journey.

    Raeleigh stared at him for a while, before she took a coat that wasid out on the bed and covered Jepherson with it. He didn¡¯t open his eyes, though the corners of his lips did lift up into a smile.

    Jepherson raised his hand and grasped Raeleigh¡¯s right hand. He pulled it close and gave a kiss.

    Raeleigh was unable to use her left hand, hence she pulled her right hand back and adjusted the coat now wrapped around him. Afterwards, she returned to her bed andid down with her eyes on Jepherson.

    As time slowly ticked by, Raeleigh¡¯s eyes started to droop slightly, as if about to fall asleep.

    Then slowly, unconsciously, she actually did go into slumber.

    Jepherson waited for Raeleigh to be deep in her sleep before he got up from the chair, hung the coat over the back, and headed outside.

    With his head turned to look at Raeleigh, he soon shut the door and told Stuart, ¡°You go in now and stay close to Raeleigh, just in case.¡±

    ¡°What about you, Mr. Richards?¡±

    Stuart was a little worried. Jepherson walked towards the elevator and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I wille overter at night.¡±

    Jepherson entered the elevator and clenched his teeth.

    ¡­

    In the manor.

    Jepherson entered a room together with another who walked in from behind him. ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and looked at Jared who had followed him back. Within the dark room, Jared stood across from Jepherson like a shadow.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jepherson demanded.

    ¡°I was the one who hit him.¡±

    ¡°You are getting more and more gutsy. You have brought misfortune onto Raeleigh time and time again. What are you trying to do?¡±

    Jared kept silent, his eyes focused on Jepherson¡¯s side. Jepherson¡¯s tone was very cold. ¡°I want you to stay by Raeleigh¡¯s side to protect her, and yet you want to kill her?¡±

    ¡°Give me another chance. I¡¯ll keep her safe.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s expression went grim. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the next time I see Raeleigh will be her corpse.¡±

    ¡°I will protect her.¡±

    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll arrange for someone else to stay with Raeleigh the next day. Your presence is not needed anymore, you can go back.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Jared took two steps but immediately stopped.

    Jepherson¡¯s breathing became unsteady. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to Raeleigh. So you¡¯ll be following me.¡±

    ¡°Not everyone has my capabilities. Once I leave, she¡¯ll be in trouble.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my business. You didn¡¯t leave and it still turned out this way.¡±

    Jepherson made to leave when Jared immediately voiced out, ¡°This happened because of me, I will not leave until I see it to its end.¡±

    Jepherson stopped and turned to look at him. ¡°What are you nning to do?¡±

    ¡°I have no such ns.¡±

    Jared took a step back as cold, dark intent rose from within the depths of Jepherson¡¯s gaze. ¡°I see your thoughts are pretty heavy.¡±

    He then gave a cold snort. ¡°From now on, you¡¯re not to leave this ce.¡±

    Jepherson continued his trek as Jared looked up and stared at his back. Jepherson then shut the door and the room was plunged into total darkness.

    When he was down at the courtyard, Jepherson looked up in time to see Jared pull back his hand and the curtain fluttered back down.

    Afterwards, he headed back to the hospital where Raeleigh had been admitted to.

    When Raeleigh woke up, Jepherson was still asleep. It seemed that nothing had changed.

    ¡°You went to see Jared, didn¡¯t you?¡± she suddenly questioned.

    Jepherson slowly opened his eyes. ¡°It seems that I can¡¯t hide anything from you.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°You want to send him back?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that, I just feel that it¡¯s better to let him stay rather than send him back. When the case is over, I¡¯ll go back together with all of you.¡±

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh speechlessly as if he had heard something impossible.

    Raeleigh added, ¡°Since they have already searched for me all the way to this location, it would be better for me to go back to Capital City. As the city is already in utter havoc, why not fight with them over there? We will have greater chances of winning.¡±

    Jepherson then frowned. ¡°What about my daughter?¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on him, ¡°What did you say? What daughter?¡±

 Chapter 1756 She Also Didnâ€™t Want to Say

    Jepherson did not answer her question immediately. He looked at Raeleigh and instead said. ¡°It¡¯s okay if you act dumb, she¡¯s still my daughter after all.¡±

    Jepherson then stood up and poured himself a cup of water. Even after he drank a mouthful and turned towards her, he did not continue his line of questioning.

    Raeleigh¡¯s body gradually recovered while the case went through a few rounds of negotiations. These negotiations were handled by Stuart together with another but they had yet toe to a conclusion.

    Crevor also came to visit Raeleigh two to three times.

    However, Raeleigh kept quiet and didn¡¯t bother to talk to him during those times. She justid on the bed, her eyes fixed onto the ceiling of the ward indifferently as shepsed into a seldom seen tranquility.

    asionally, when Crevor came he would chat with Jepherson, who wouldn¡¯t refuse. This made Raeleigh feel perplexed. Jepherson did not like Crevor, but he could calmly sit down and talk to him. He even called him Mr. Doyle politely.

    Though Crevor was indeed a few years older than Jepherson, Raeleigh rarely saw Jepherson respect someone so much which made it all so strange for her.

    That day, Raeleigh¡¯s case was up for trial. Jepherson got up in the morning and apanied her to the court. Raeleigh, however, sat in a wheelchair with the excuse that she was still weak, plus the court registrar didn¡¯tment much over it.

    Once she was in the courtroom, Raeleighid out her case and made her confession. But towards the end of the trial, the judge had received a document. After they read through it, they called for the trial proceedings to be temporarily on hold as some new information hade up.

    After the recess, the judge returned after a while and announced their conclusion. The verdict stated that the cause of the ident was due to Raeleigh¡¯s mental wellbeing. Based on the signs shown on the day of the incident, it was evident that Raeleigh had a mental disorder. Moreover, the documents had already been sent to the table and Raeleigh had to confirm this.

    Crevor was present in the courtroom as well, his seat ced beside Raeleigh¡¯s.

    Crevor lightly asked her, ¡°This is yourst bargaining chip?¡±

    ¡°I do have a mental disorder. I¡¯m one cranial nerve short, so I am prone to seizures.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s expression changed slightly as he looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Why did I not know about this?¡±

    ¡°Did you forget that I have a brain tumor?¡± she asked him, whose face had twisted into an ugly expression. ¡°You cut off one of your nerves?¡± he hissed.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. Jepherson abruptly turned his face away and said nothing with gritted teeth and an awful countenance. Crevor stood up and looked at Raeleigh with an indifferent smile. ¡°You win!¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile. ¡°This is not myst bargaining chip. I actually still have a lot of them. You are just destined to lose this time.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°No reason.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up. Some policemen and medical staff went to the examination room with her. Jepherson tagged along under the identity of Raeleigh¡¯s family member, but he could only watch from outside, separated by a ss window.

    Raeleigh was taken to another area after she entered. She wore special equipment that¡¯s used to check Raeleigh¡¯s mental condition first. Then Raeleigh went to another equipment where she was injected with a kind of medicine that rxed her whole body, in which they conducted another examination when she was under. It was simr to hypnosis, but not exactly hypnosis.

    After Raeleigh woke up, she entered the radiography room to check. Jepherson¡¯s face was drained of all color, as still as a statue outside.

    Raeleigh came out from the room and noticed Jepherson¡¯s stiff figure. Meanwhile, the security officer put Raeleigh¡¯s result in a confidential box and took it away. Raeleigh and Jephersoon stared at each other from where they stood. Then, Jepherson broke the stare-off as he strode up to Raeleigh and carried her in his arms. She intended to refuse, but he said, ¡°There¡¯s no wheelchair, I¡¯ll carry you.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing then and went with Jepherson to see the judge.

    When the judge was ready to pass his sentence, Crevor¡¯s attorney raised their hand.

    A judge motioned for the prosecutor to speak first who then expressed that they would ept a court settlement as well as file a im forpensation.

    With that being said, the judge continued to announce once the penalty fine had been paid, she could leave.

    After they left the court, Raeleigh observed the people around her while Jepherson pushed her to the car. He opened the door and picked her up with the intention to carry her in.

    Raeleigh pushed him away, stood up from the wheelchair and shimmied her way into the car.

    There were more people that came to pick Raeleigh up in the car that day. Stuart sat in the passenger seat whereas Jared was the designated driver. Xanthus was inside together with Maverly. When Raeleigh got into the car, she smiled at all of them as Jepherson followed her in.

    His face was noticeably taut with tension as he looked towards Jared and ordered him to drive away.

    Jepherson took Raeleigh back to the manor. When they returned, Jepherson sat down and asked Raeleigh, ¡°Are you sure you want to go back with me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Since Raeleigh had made such a decision, there was no need for protest. Only this time, Xanthus disagreed and immediately questioned her, ¡°Raeleigh, are you leaving?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m leaving. Otherwise, everyone will be in trouble. You have seen it. Now the Doyle family hade to our door and all of you clearly know what type of people they are. They won¡¯t give up until they see blood on the knife they put at our throats. This incident has already rified that.¡±

    ¡°How can this rify everything? You obviously know that this is an ident.¡± Xanthus did not think that the Doyle family would do anything. He felt that these were all directed at Jepherson and had nothing to do with her. As for this incident, if it wasn¡¯t for Jared, the ident wouldn¡¯t have happened. If someone was really to be responsible for this, it would still be Jared, not Raeleigh.

    Jared stood to the side with Stuart. He lowered his eyes slightly and said nothing.

    Raeleigh refuted, ¡°Nothing would have happened to anyone if the Doyle family had not meddled. Since they want to open up apetition here, they won¡¯t stop. This time it was Jared, next time it could be you.

    Brother, have you forgotten the means Ste had used on you back then? I¡¯m very sure that Crevor¡¯s means are no worse than Ste¡¯s. Only when I leave can this ce be peaceful once more.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Xanthus still objected to Raeleigh¡¯s decision to leave, while Maverly stood at the side with no clue as to what was going on and could only listen in silence.

    Maverly had always been an optimist, which made her very naive. Although she knew that the world was not as beautiful as she imagined, she still felt that some things could only happen on TV. But now, it was totally different.

    It was as if everyone was about to be hunted, which was a terrifying notion.

    On the other hand, Xanthus was worried about Raeleigh¡¯s safety as she wanted to leave without him.

    Maverly wanted to intervene but she didn¡¯t know what to say. Thus, she just stood there.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Listen to me, things must quiet down here. I need to ensure the safety andfort of my family. In this way, I can properly think of ways to go against them. The Doyle family had always been a stone in my heart. If the Doyle family is not removed, I can¡¯t sleep and eat in peace.¡±

    Xanthus did not know what else to say and was unable to persuade her.

    Beside them, Jepherson asked, ¡°Are you worried that they¡¯ll take the child away?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson with a funny look. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you? The child is no longer in this world. What¡¯s more, even if the child is still around, she has nothing to do with you.

    My identity is another person¡¯s wife, why don¡¯t you believe me?¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s put this matter to an end. I don¡¯t wish to talk about it anymore.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face soured and he did not continue.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to speak about it either and followed suit.

    However, Jared¡¯s face went a little dark and he asked her, ¡°You are already married to Austin?¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh looked over. Just as she was about to say something, Jepherson¡¯s face turned ferocious. ¡°Get out!¡±

 Chapter 1757 Late Night

    Everyone looked towards Jared as he was chased out by Jepherson, whose face had turned harsh.

    Stuart saw the whole scene and quickly went after Jared.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Although Stuart and Jared were both brought in by Alvin, the two of them seldom mingle together. They didn¡¯t see much of each other even when they were young. Other than the fact that they weren¡¯t in the same cliques, Jared loved to y with Santiago more back then.

    Despite that, they still retained a pretty good rtionship.

    Alvin said once before, to treat Jared as a brother.

    Therefore, Stuart would not leave Jared alone.

    Jared did not respond to his query, he just stood there with his gaze focused on the scenery outside.

    Stuart also felt impressed at this point. Why was it that people who interacted with Raeleigh all got turned around by her?

    ¡°Don¡¯t go down the same path as Mr. Santiago. You should know, in Mr. Jepherson¡¯s eyes, that there are no two Mr. Santiagos. Our identities, when all is said and done, are different. Besides, if even Mr. Jepherson couldn¡¯t be a twinkle in Raeleigh¡¯s eyes, what about you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. I just don¡¯t like Austin. When I see him, I¡¯ll kill him.¡± Jared muttered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t simply say kill as you please. Otherwise, there wille a day when it will be your turn.¡±

    Stuart turned back after he had said his piece. It was pointless to continue when their words couldn¡¯t get through.

    Jared stood there for a little longer before he stalked away somece else and disappeared into the shadows within a blink of an eye.

    Raeleigh had sat in the room for quite a while. She didn¡¯t want to mention the elephant in the room, yet neither could she talk about it.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to pack up. Brother,e with me please.¡±

    Raeleigh stood and headed upstairs. Xanthus followed in her wake with the intention to talk over her departure. When they were inside Raeleigh¡¯s room, Xanthus immediately voiced his disagreement on her leaving. However, Raeleigh just stared at him without any other reaction. A few minutester, Xanthus eventually relented, ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a beaming smile, ¡°My brother is still the most sensible.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, do you want to mess with me for the rest of my life?¡±

    ¡°If I can use this to mess with my brother for a lifetime, doesn¡¯t that mean that we will all live to a hundred years old?¡±

    Raeleigh walked towards Xanthus, who felt begrudged and said, ¡°I can¡¯t apany you this time. Maverly is already¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s yours now?¡± Xanthus couldn¡¯t say it, hence Raeleigh helped him finish it.

    ¡°Maverly and I have a ten years age gap. I can¡¯t just ignore her. Her father may not approve of us, therefore I have to stay and apany her until her fatheres back. I need to exin this to him.¡±

    ¡°I know, or I wouldn¡¯t have nned to let you go. Let me handle all these matters. Once I get there, I will think of ways to protect myself. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡­

    After the brother and sister pair had their talk, Raeleigh began to pack up. Xanthus didn¡¯t rest much as he stayed up the whole night to apany her. When it becamete, Jepherson went to Raeleigh¡¯s room and knocked on her door. Xanthus only then returned to his room and took Maverly with him.

    The next morning, Raeleigh and Xanthus had a reunion dinner at home, and then went to thepany to make some arrangements. Jepherson¡¯s people had already rushed themselves to Bloom Aksea Group. As they had yet to arrive, Raeleigh was a little uneasy and waited a little longer.

    It¡¯s been the third day since Jepherson¡¯s people had arrived. Raeleigh made arrangements in thepany and handover matters. By the third day, she went back together with Jepherson.

    Even as she was about to board the ne, she didn¡¯t turn her head back. Jepherson asked her, ¡°You¡¯re just leaving like this?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡±

    Jepherson put his hand on her waist with the intent to embrace her, but Raeleigh pushed it away with nary a nce. ¡°Best be a little more respectful.¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. Not bothered by his expression, Raeleigh went ahead and boarded the ne.

    On the day of their return to Capital City, Raeleigh intended to go to Waverly Vige first. She decided to do so after she got off the ne.

    In the end, Jepherson didn¡¯t allow it and brought her straight to the Richards family.

    The car had pulled to a stop, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t get off. Jepherson told her to get down but she refused and said, ¡°I¡¯m already a married woman and have no right to be here. You better not make things difficult for me.¡±

    ¡°You want me to carry you then?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s body blocked the door with no ns to leave. Raeleigh remained silent all the way to the end as she refused to get down from the car. Jepherson then simply bent over, went in and carried Raeleigh out.

    Forced as she was to leave the car, Raeleigh¡¯s wore a surly expression but didn¡¯t say anything. And that¡¯s how Jepherson carried her from the car and through the mansion¡¯s door.

    Once they arrived at the Richards Group¡¯s Manor, Jepherson said, ¡°It¡¯s another new year¡¯s eve, but there isn¡¯t the usual hustle and bustle here. There¡¯s only loneliness.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him, ¡°Isn¡¯t there anyone else at home?¡±

    ¡°My grandparents went to a nursing home. What my grandmother did to you thest time, even my grandfather felt that it was inappropriate and took her away. Santiago¡¯s illness had never gotten better, now even my father had left with my mother. This yard was the quietest time we hadpared to thest few years. Fortunately, you¡¯re back. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t live here and just leave it empty.¡±

    Jepherson took a few steps before he looked back at Raeleigh. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you moving?¡±

    Raeleigh pondered for a moment and then stepped forward. Once they stopped, she looked towards Jepherson. He had brought them back to the Green Jade Garden and to the room where Santiago had lived before. He requested for someone to clean it up and said to Raeleigh, ¡°You can live here.¡±

    Raeleigh turned on her heel and went to another room. Once inside, she asked for someone to tidy it up.

    The servants were a little surprised to see Raeleigh, but they kept silent. Mr. Jepherson finally came back at longst. Otherwise, there would only be the servants in the Richards Group Manor.

    On the first day of their return Raeleigh slept through the night, until she heard the sound of her door being opened. She opened her eyes and looked outside. The light in the room had been switched off. Who else could it be other than Jepherson?

    Raeleigh slowly got up from the bed as Jepherson turned around after he closed the door. He held something in his hand with which he used it to lock the door from the inside.

    Raeleigh sat up and said nervously, ¡°Jepherson, you can¡¯t go too far. I am already here. Why do you need to lock the door?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± Jepherson stalked towards her in his pajamas. The weather was cold and the room was dark, thus the moonlight outside was not visible through the gloom. She was only able to see a little when he came in. At this time, the room was in total darkness and Raeleigh became more and more nervous.

    But Jepherson said, ¡°I suddenly remembered that the weather is extremely cold, and this room is equally just as cold. Your quilt must be chilly by now, so I came to warm you up.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense. It¡¯s warm here. Get out quickly, or I¡¯ll get angry.¡±

    Raeleigh turned on the light just as Jepherson reached her side. He sat down and touched her face. ¡°You wanted to know why I¡¯m here. Why don¡¯t I show you with my actions? Is that fine with you?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face suddenly turned stormy. She wanted to do something but was already pushed down by Jepherson.

 Chapter 1758 Accompany Him For a Walk

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t fall asleep until the morning. Jepherson tossed and turned the whole night, unable to sleep which kept her up as well.

    As a result, the two of them didn¡¯t get up from bed untilte that afternoon.

    Stuart had waited outside since early that very morning. When the servants came over, Stuart waved his hand and motioned for them to leave lest they disturbed Mr. Jepherson from his repose inside.

    In fact, Stuart was out at about five to six o¡¯clock in the morning. As soon as he came over, he heard the sound of panting inside. Mr. Jepherson was really full of energy. He didn¡¯t dare to approach, hence he stood guard outside.

    All the way until the present time, Stuart didn¡¯t dare to leave his post.

    Only when it was two o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Raeleigh woke up. Probably due to the jetg, she was still a little groggy. She was just able to blink her eyes open, took a look around before she fell back to sleep.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Jepherson waited for Raeleigh to fall into a deep sleep before he got out of bed. He washed his face and rinsed his mouth before he walked out the door.

    ¡°Mr. Richards.¡±

    Stuart immediately walked towards Jepherson when he saw him.

    ¡°When did you get here?¡±

    ¡°This morning.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to get up to apany me in the morning in the future. You just got married. You should get upter when you¡¯re newly-weds.¡±

    Jepherson put on his clothes and went to the side room. He took something and came out to exin something to Stuart. Then he went back to Raeleigh¡¯s side.

    Raeleigh did not wake up at all in the evening and continued to sleep for one more night. Since Jepherson wasn¡¯t there as he was out, by the time Raeleigh woke up, it was eight o¡¯clock in the morning. After she freshened herself up and changed her clothes, her breakfast was ready, which was all prepared ording to Jepherson¡¯s instructions.

    Raeleigh had her breakfast with Lucy Wagner.

    While they ate, Raeleigh noticed Lucy Wagner¡¯s washed-out face and asked her, ¡°Are you pregnant?¡±

    Lucy Wagner looked up at her. ¡°I am indeed pregnant. Stuart wouldn¡¯t let me work. I can only manage the Richards family here or asionally go back to my parents¡¯ ce.

    In the past, my family didn¡¯t have much money and the house was small. Now it has be bigger, and with all my rtivesing to visit, I don¡¯t want to go back.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions.¡±

    Raeleigh gave a smile. Then Lucy whined out, ¡°I don¡¯t know how it could be so severe. No matter what I eat, I¡¯ll puke it back out. I only felt a bit better when I ate light, clear foods.¡±

    The two of them chatted and soon the whole of that morning had passed, but Jepherson had yet to return.

    Raeleigh asked Lucy whether she knew his whereabouts and she shook her head. She then asked Stuart who did know and informed her that he went grocery shopping.

    ¡°He hasn¡¯te back after so long. The food he bought must be very delicious.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t take it seriously when she made that joke. However, when she was out on the grounds with Lucy, she heard that a guest had arrived at the Richards family gates.

    Both Jepherson and Stuart weren¡¯t around. The servant had to hurry to find Raeleigh instead.

    Raeleigh then asked the servant in curiosity as to the identity of their guest. The servant replied, ¡°No, he didn¡¯t say who he is. He just said he is from the Doyle family. He is looking for Mr. Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Tell him that Mr. Jepherson is not at home. Tell him that if there are matters to discuss, toe back after Mr. Jepherson has returned.¡±

    The maid considered for a moment and revealed, ¡°But he said he had a doctor who could help Mr. Santiago.¡±

    Raeleigh looked up at the maid and hesitated.

    Raeleigh actually didn¡¯t believe that Crevor could help Santiago, but she was at the end of the rope. If she didn¡¯t at least try, there¡¯s no saying as to what would happen and once she tried, she would have no regrets.

    Raeleigh brooded over it for a long time and called Jepherson. She didn¡¯t know whether some matters had happened to detain him as she couldn¡¯t get through to his phone. Raeleigh then called Stuart, who said that he couldn¡¯t find Jepherson anywhere and even now he couldn¡¯t get in touch with him.

    Raeleigh hung up the phone, stood up, and followed the maid to the gates. When she got outside, Raeleigh¡¯s gazended on the figure and was deep in thought. Not because of Crevor, but Santiago.

    Raeleigh felt that her behavior was somewhatughable. She was fully aware of the dangers ahead but here she was anyway. She said before that she won¡¯t send herself straight into the tiger¡¯s maw, hence her situation now is quite ridiculous.

    If Santiago was by her side at this time, he would definitely scold her as to how foolish she was.

    Raeleigh stopped at the gates and looked at the person on the other side ¡°What business do you have here, Mr. Doyle?¡±

    ¡°I came to see you.¡±

    Raeleigh asked dubiously, ¡°The servant said that you brought a doctor here, and that the doctor you brought with you could help Santiago. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°If I say that I just want to see you, would you believe me?¡±

    ¡°I believe in whatever you say. Since you are here and want to see me, I will believe you no matter what you say.¡±

    Crevor¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Can youe out and walk with me?¡±

    ¡°What will you give me in return?¡±

    ¡°I will find a doctor for you and help save Santiago.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I think you think too highly of me. I don¡¯t even know where Santiago is now. How can I help him? If you have anything you can help me with, you can just tell me. If not, just forget it.¡±

    Crevor¡¯s gaze went dim. ¡°I met with some trouble. Can I kindly request for you to walk with me?¡±

    ¡°Please leave.¡±

    Raeleigh then turned around and walked towards the direction of Green Jade Garden. Crevor called out, ¡°I know an old doctor who was famous for bringing backatose patients. Meeting him depends on your luck, and even then he does not always treat everyone that sees him.¡±

    Raeleigh paused, then turned back to Crevor and asked, ¡°Do you know him?¡±

    ¡°We are friends, despite our generation gap, but he is a person who is unwilling to break the rules. Even if I take you there, he may not help you. If you want help, you can only rely on yourself.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡±

    ¡°Does he live here?¡±

    ¡°No, but it¡¯s not far from here.¡±

    Raeleigh was silent for a while. ¡°I have to wait for Jepherson toe back.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Crevor for a long time, ¡°What business is it that I can help you with?¡±

    Crevor heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Walk with me.¡±

    Raeleigh walked to the gates, opened it and went out.

    The maid reminded her, ¡°Madam Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°I know. If Mr. Jephersones back and I haven¡¯t, tell him who exactly I followed out.¡±

    Raeleigh walked out of the gates and looked at Crevor. Since he was willing to help, she also wanted to know more. It did not matter if she went for a walk with him.

    Raeleigh followed Crevor out and to his car. After they got in, the car drove off at his signal. She didn¡¯t inquire as to their destination, but the car hadn¡¯t stopped at all after a while. He said walk, when it was nothing more than to apany him.

    Although Raeleigh was reluctant, she had no way to change anything now. No matter how things had turned out, it¡¯s undeniable that his help was needed.

    Whether it was real or fake, she¡¯s already in the car.

    It was pointless to ask any further.

    The car stopped in front of a courtyard and Crevor got out.

    He then turned around and offered to help her get down. Raeleigh took a brief look outside before she got down the car. Once outside, the first thing she saw was the que that hung on the mansion¡¯s walls with only two words written that said, ¡°Doyle Manor¡±.

    Raeleigh looked at Crevor. ¡°This is the newly built Doyle family in Capital City?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡± Crevor didn¡¯t bother to hide and invited her in. Raeleigh stood outside and faltered for one moment, before she finally followed him in. Since she was already here, why should she be afraid to set foot inside?

 Chapter 1759 Revon Clancy

    The mansion of the Doyle family was built in a style simr to the old one. Raeleigh may be a designer, but it was the first time that she had seen such a scene. There was arge courtyard with trees lined on both sides, with two walkways wrapped around the uniquely designed front hall. One could tell from one walkway alone that it was of a particrly exquisite scale and with the high walls enclosed around the area, it couldn¡¯t hide the fact how extraordinary it looked.

    Raeleigh took in the dark blue bricksid out into the ground as she walked. Every piece of it was truly ced with care.

    Raeleigh could just imagine, being inside the huge mansion as she looked out onto the magnificent grounds, how majestic it could be.

    Crevor walked leisurely beside her when she asked him, ¡°Is there anyone else here in your mansion? I don¡¯t see any signs of people around.¡±

    ¡°There are more than a hundred servants in the house, who are responsible for their own tasks. As it is my private residence, I wanted to build it away from the center of Capital City and settled down here.

    It¡¯s more pleasing for me to be near the mountains and water, because I did my practice within the monastery gates and am especially fond of antiquities. I did all this myself, and naturally in ordance with my own preferences. Any and all vehicles will stop at the entrance with no other way of entry despite the seasons.

    Moreover, the servants here can¡¯t get out of their own jurisdiction. Despite the strict regtions, there are exceptions to the rule. As long as they talked it out beforehand, they can leave the premises. For that reason, this gives the impression that there are less people on the property.¡±

    ¡°You said this is your private property. Does this mean that the Doyle family members will not live here?¡± Raeleigh queried.

    ¡°This is solely for me to reside in. The others from the Doyle family will stay in another vi located in Capital City once they arrive.¡±

    ¡°How long did it take to build your house?¡±

    ¡°Three years. Three years ago, when I came here, I fell in love with this area. My thinking back then was simple, as this is a part of the Capital City, I want to build my own mansion that matches with the ancient structures of the city of the bygone past.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent for a while as she followed Crevor to the front of a small courtyard behind the mansion. When they stopped, she saw three words written on the signage. If she didn¡¯t know for sure that she wasn¡¯t daydreaming, she would have thought someone had tried to fool her.

    The source of her befuddlement were the three words, ¡°Magic Doctor House¡±.

    ¡°What kind of ce is this?¡±

    ¡°This is the residence of a particr individual. It¡¯s not convenient for me to say anything else. I brought you here today just toe with me for a walk and relieve your boredom, nothing else.¡±

    Crevor pushed the door open and stepped in. Behind him, Raeleigh stood frozen for a bit before realization dawned on her face. She then followed him inside.

    The courtyard was clean and tidy, but there were a lot of white cloths being hung out to dry outside. The pungent scent of medicine being blown about through the cold wind was enough to make someone leave this ce in a hurry.

    Raeleigh studied Crevor beside her, deep in thought.

    As they walked up, a young man appeared. He wore a pair of sses and was dressed in a smart, which was a white button-up with a ck cardigan.

    ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± The young man had bright eyes paired with graceful eyebrows. There was a slight smile on his face as he spoke, a visage that was pleasing to the eye and worth seventy points in a beauty contest. However, the handsome elegance of this figure wasn¡¯t striking and ended up being too in.

    ¡°Is Revon resting?¡±

    Crevor didn¡¯t stand on ceremony, but he still wore a touch of amiability, which was no different from his usual self.

    ¡°No, not yet. He¡¯s doing some research for a new type of medicine inside, go on in.¡±

    The young man focused on Crevor as if he hadn¡¯t seen Raeleigh, while Crevor said a few words and led them inside.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    She followed Crevor to the door. He didn¡¯t knock on the door once he was there but greeted from outside. ¡°Dr. Revon.¡±

    Raeleigh peeked at Crevor from the corner of her eyes. No sounds came from inside the house, but Crevor did not continue to say anything until an old, hoarse voice finally called out from inside.

    ¡°Come in.¡± An aged voice sounded. Crevor took a look at Raeleigh, pushed the door open and stepped in. Raeleigh set foot inside after him. She instantly smelled a strong medicinal scent upon entry, and couldn¡¯t help but cough. She had seen a lot of doctors as her brother was a doctor himself. However, it was the first time for her to meet them. The smell of medicine in this room was potent enough to choke a person.

    Raeleigh raised her hand to cover her nose, whereas Crevor stood where he was without going inside any further. It was then they heard a voice directed at Raeleigh.

    ¡°Why did you bring someone with you when you shoulde alone?¡±

    She looked in the direction of the voice. An old man in his seventies with white hair and beard stood there. Even though he appeared wizened, his tone of voice did not reflect his age. To hear such a spirited voice, it was hard for people to imagine that the person behind it would be more than seventy years old.

    If Raeleigh herself wasn¡¯t there in person, she would have presumed him to be a fifty year old man, not this person right in front of her.

    The old man surveyed her figure with an indescribable disdain in his eyes. It wasn¡¯t because he hated her, but Raeleigh could feel that this man was unwilling to see her and was displeased with her arrival.

    Crevor answered, ¡°She¡¯s a new friend that I¡¯ve just met. I brought her here as I was passing by. The more the merrier, as I say, is always interesting.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so interesting? Howe I didn¡¯t perceive this?¡± Revon didn¡¯t like her presence, hence he didn¡¯t even spare her a single nce..

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t mind this as she stood to the side. Even when Revon continued to ignore her while he spoke to Crevor, she just turned around and perused the items in the house.

    It was in the midst of his talk with Crevor that Revon noticed her exploration of his things. ¡°Disrespectful.¡± he rebuked.

    Raeleigh turned to Revon and retorted, ¡°I¡¯m this type of person, you can drive me away whenever.¡±

    With that said, Raeleigh continued to check out the knick knacks in front of her. When she caught sight of an unusual specimen, she tried to touch it just as Crevor called out to her, ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at Crevor. She had already touched the specimen with her bare hands and it was slimy.

    ¡°Why did you bring such a person here?¡±

    ¡°Although Raeleigh and I haven¡¯t known each other for long, it feels like we are friends since forever,¡± Crevor justified.

    Raeleigh interrupted as she asked, ¡°What is this?¡±

    She raised her hand and showed Revon a colorful pill she had found on the floor. He replied, ¡°This is especially used for hypnosis. If taken in excess, you will faint into unconsciousness. It is a type of hypnotic drug, not to be mistaken for a sleeping pill.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡±

    ¡°Sleeping pills enables a person to sleep without thought and will enter into a deep sleep state. With hypnotism, that person will enter a semi-conscious state and through verbal cues, will be guided to perform actions they¡¯re unaware of.¡±

    ¡°Then basically, there really arewless people who would tempt people and have them seekwless wealth?¡±

    ¡­

    All was quiet in the room. Raeleigh wasn¡¯t bothered by it and waited for Revon¡¯s answer.

 Chapter 1760 Hospitalized for Frostbite

    ¡°Ha ha¡­¡±

    Revon suddenly burst outughing. He looked Raeleigh up and down and asked, ¡°Which family are you from?¡±

    ¡°My paternal family are all dead, and I don¡¯t know my maternal family well. When I was a child, I was thrown into an orphanage.¡±

    Revon raised his eyebrows when he heard her sinct background description and asked, ¡°You are an orphan?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Not even one rtive?¡±

    ¡°No, I used to have a granny who raised me, but she passed away a few years ago.¡±

    ¡°I see. It¡¯s really pitiful.¡±

    Revon walked to the side and sat down. He asked Raeleigh and Crevor toe over as well. After they sat down, he asked for Raeleigh¡¯s right hand. Once she did so, he examined it for a brief moment before he said, ¡°Give me your left hand as well.¡±

    Raeleigh heeded his instructions. After a while, Revon said, ¡°Are there any problems with your left hand?¡±

    ¡°My nerves haven¡¯t recovered yet. I was injured some time ago. The doctor performed two operations, both of which were to connect the nerves and repair the broken bones. Now I feel much better.¡±

    After he heard her exnation, Revon gave Raeleigh another look and said, ¡°It seems that your hand is fine, but you can¡¯t do anything for three to five years. What¡¯s your job?¡±

    Raeleigh replied honestly, ¡°I¡¯m a designer.¡±

    ¡°Then how are you going to continue to design?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say what will happen in the future. I haven¡¯t thought that far yet.¡±

    Raeleigh truly thought as such, hence she expressed it as such.

    Revon nced at Crevor with a look ofprehension. ¡°Did you deliberately bring her to me in order for me to connect the necrotic nerve on her hand?¡±

    ¡°Nothing can be hidden from you. In that case, as long as you are willing to help, I can promise you one favour.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t approve of it. In fact, she did not trust them at all.

    However, she was already here, and it was all for Santiago¡¯s sake. Raeleigh would like to at least try. Otherwise, she would not be pacified.

    For that reason, Raeleigh sat there and said nothing. Revon thought for a moment and said, ¡°I have nothing that you can help me with. But since you are willing, you can stay here. It¡¯s the same even if I asked you toe over after I used it.¡±

    Then Revon stood up, walked towards the back, took out a box, and handed it to Raeleigh. She opened it and found a pill inside. ¡°Take it back and eat it. You will need to fast, I will write you a note in a bit and list down what foods you should avoid. Aside from that, I will put you through a physiotherapy session¡­¡±

    ¡°Revon, you misunderstood. I didn¡¯te here to have you apply your treatment on me.¡±

    Raeleigh pushed the box back. Revon¡¯s face changed slightly and he looked at Crevor, ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    ¡°This¡­ ¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    She didn¡¯t wait for Crevor to finish his sentence. She just stood up and walked out the door without any hesitation.

    By the time Crevor came out, Raeleigh was already quite a distance away.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    When Raeleigh turned her head back, she noticed that Crevor had walked out of the courtyard. She stopped then and twisted around to face him. ¡°I won¡¯t undergo any treatment that I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    He strode up to her front and insisted. ¡°I was just like you. I used to have such thoughts at the beginning, but they changed after that.¡±

    Raeleigh actually didn¡¯t want to hear Crevor say these words, but since he talked about it, she didn¡¯t leave and stayed to listen to a word or two.

    Crevor looked around and took off his coat, ready to put it on her. Raeleigh shook her head, ¡°No need. I am not ustomed to wearing strangers¡¯ clothes.¡±

    Crevor found this quite funny. ¡°Your refusal is so straightforward, but I like this straightforwardness of yours.¡±

    As he spoke, Crevor took a few steps forward and beckoned, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Raeleigh did not move. ¡°If you have something to say, just say it here. I want to go home.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll send you off.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. There¡¯s a taxi area within walking distance from here. I can take a taxi back.¡±

    After Raeleigh reiterated her refusal, Crevor walked in front of Raeleigh, looked down at her face which had turned pink from the cold wind.

    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen a girl as stubborn as you.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing but turned on her heel and walked towards the direction of the taxi area. She hadn¡¯t walked far before she saw the Richards family vehicle with Jared behind the wheel.

    When she saw him, Raeleigh asked in confusion, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re here. Why can¡¯t I be here?¡±

    Jared got down from the car and opened the door for her, an indication for her to get in. Raeleigh bent her head and slid onto the car seat. She nced back at the sight of Crevor who had driven over in a car. Jared turned the car around after he got in and left the Doyle family mansion behind him.

    Raeleigh sat in the back and gazed out the car window. Jared peeked at her several times before he finally spoke up, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°To have a look.¡±

    ¡°Where is Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s in a meeting. I¡¯ll take you back and look for him.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jared strangely. ¡°Did youe without informing Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°His phone is here with me. I saw the signal location of your phone there.¡±

    Raeleigh was silent. ¡°Are you aware of the consequences?¡±

    He did not respond to her question. He just continued to drive at a very fast speed, and soon they were near the front gates of the Richards family residence. Jared stopped the car and looked at Raeleigh, ¡°Get off the car.¡±

    She did just that. Jared pressed down on the gas pedal and reversed the car to a considerable distance. At a second nce, both Jared and the car were no longer anywhere in sight.

    On such a cold day, the roads were quite slippery. Raeleigh had no idea how Jared could drive at such speeds with no ns for safety.

    Raeleigh was just about to head for the entrance when Jared contacted her.

    She epted the call and asked, ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just worried about you. Call me once you¡¯re there. I¡¯ll know after I receive your call.¡±

    After Jared hung up the phone, Raeleigh¡¯s heart sank. At first, she¡¯d just done it out of good intentions, however, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case for him.

    It looked like Jared held a misconception.

    It took Raeleigh half an hour to get to the entrance of Richards family¡¯s residence. When she caught sight of the Richards Group Manor que, Raeleigh was relieved. It was so cold outside that it was fortunate that she was back, otherwise if she was frozen to death here no one would know.

    She knocked on the door until somebody came out. When they saw who it was, they hurriedly bustled her in.

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t feel the cold at this point. She had gradually started to warm up when she was inside but felt a little ufortable. When she walked, her shoes weren¡¯t enough to keep them warm. To walk wasn¡¯t a problem for her, even if she was more used to being in a car for travel purposes. However, doing so in a cold weather like this was like a death sentence, and Raeleigh waspletely unable to adapt.

    It was only after she entered that Raeleigh found out the condition of her hands. Although she had tried to protect her hands, they still went red and swollen as well as itchy.

    She quickly thawed her hands out. There wasn¡¯t any problem with her right hand. However, her left hand was still abnormally ufortable. Raeleigh immediately instructed someone to send her to the hospital. An examination was carried out soon after she arrived and the situation didn¡¯t bode well for her.

    Raeleigh then asked someone to give her an injection and applied an ointment for the frostbite. She stayed overnight at the hospital and didn¡¯t return to the manor.

    When Stuart came back. he broke out into a cold sweat when he heard what happened. Raeleigh was in the hospital?

 Chapter 1761 Jared In Trouble

    Stuart repeatedly tried to call Jepherson until finally, one of those calls connected. At the same time, Jepherson had juste out from the conference room.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m also on my way to the hospital.¡±

    Stuart¡¯s heart was in his throat all the way, he was so anxious that he was about to faint.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was just about to rest when she received a phone call from Jared.

    She switched off her phone when she saw it was him who called. The phone never rang again. This was followed by Jepherson¡¯s arrival from outside.

    The door to the ward burst open as he skidded to a halt at the doorway. He rushed to Raeleigh¡¯s side and sat down, his eyes darted from one ce to another on her figure. ¡°Which part of you has been frostbitten?¡±

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Raeleigh was more than a little surprised. Jepherson¡¯s arrival was quite spot on. The moment the phone was hung up, he was here.

    Did Jared make the call when he saw that Jepherson was here?

    ¡°You were fine earlier, how in the world did you get frostbite?¡± He asked instead at the sight of her red and swollen hands. Then Raeleigh recounted the events of the day from Crevor¡¯s arrival onwards. After he got the whole story, he frowned. ¡°You called me?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. She also knew, from the look of things, that Jepherson¡¯s phone was with Jared and he hadn¡¯t returned it. Moreover, Jepherson wouldn¡¯t have known about her call if she hadn¡¯t brought it up of her own volition.

    ¡°This is getting more and more outrageous.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s expression was dark with rage. Raeleigh said in appeasement, ¡°Jared has his own way of thinking. I saved his life, and with his character, it isn¡¯t unusual for him to want to repay that debt.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, it looks to me like he ns to give all of himself to you. I warned him back at the manor, but he still didn¡¯t give up.¡±

    Jepherson shot up from his seat as he spoke while Raeleigh said, ¡°You should know better than anyone that when Jared is determined on what he wants to do, he would never throw in the towel so easily.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jepherson¡¯s eyes burned brightly like torches. Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to exin anything. From the look in his eyes, she could tell that he had misunderstood.

    Just like that year, he was also prone to misunderstand things and probed them.

    People always said that a woman¡¯s thoughts were impossible to fathom, but what about the men? Weren¡¯t their thoughts just as impossible to perceive?

    Raeleigh said instead, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary for you to use heavy-handed means to deal with this issue. You and I have nothing to do with each other in the first ce. If we have to define what we have between us, it is undoubtedly lovers.

    The word ¡®lover¡¯ is the most unreliable term. If you¡¯repatible, you¡¯re one with each other; if you¡¯re not, you separate from each other. When you mention a lover, you also don¡¯t have to take it for real.

    By now, Austin must already know about the rtionship between us. But I still held a thread of hope, and waited for him toe find me.

    Now that he¡¯s back, I don¡¯t have to worry anymore. I believe that with Austin¡¯s ability, he can definitely protect me.

    As for you, you are the one who wants to entangle with me. If something really happens, it is your business and has nothing to do with me.¡±

    Raeleigh finished what she wanted to say at that point whereas Jepherson¡¯s face had be despondent, ¡°I will handle Jared¡¯s matter. As for the matter with Austin, I wille up with a proper conclusion.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that when hees to find you, the one who will be in trouble is you.¡± she remarked.

    ¡°Then let hime. If he has the guts toe, I¡¯ll leave him with no road of retreat.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze was vicious as he dered this. Raeleigh, who wasid out in bed, questioned, ¡°I really don¡¯t understand. You have never understood how to appreciate those around you, why is it only I can?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand how to appreciate, it¡¯s your eyes that are blinded by dust. If that isn¡¯t it, then you just haven¡¯t woken up. Don¡¯t you know who is right or wrong anymore?¡±

    ¡°All right, enough, I¡¯m tired. I want to rest. Say whatever you like.¡±

    Raeleigh pulled the quilt over herself only for her hands to recoil in difort.

    Jepherson¡¯s countenance changed slightly. He bent down to check on Raeleigh¡¯s hand. ¡°All right, I was wrong. Whatever you say, goes. Is that still not okay?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, those soft eyes of hers full of helplessness.

    ¡°Jepherson, can¡¯t we just break-up from each other?¡±

    Jepherson stared fixedly at Raeleigh¡¯s hands, then he carefully ced them underneath the quilt and sat down. His eyes had darkened when he stared at her, a sense of endless destion revealed within.

    ¡°Raeleigh, I have already lost you once. No matter whether you are still my princess, this time regardless of the price I have to pay, I will never let you go again. You should know that I will never fall in love with another person in this lifetime. This will never change, not even in death.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson silently. To say she wasn¡¯t touched would be a lie, but if it was about like, she didn¡¯t want to be stuck in that mire again.

    Without a word more, Raeleigh closed her eyes, as if she wanted to rest and not think of anything anymore.

    Jepherson lowered his head to kiss her before he sat by her side.

    For a while, he sat there as she slept, until he stood up and headed outside,

    At the door, Jepherson looked at Stuart, ¡°Did you hear?¡±

    Stuart was expressionless, his head lowered. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Jepherson took off in one direction, and Stuart immediately went to catch up. ¡°Mr. Jepherson, for the sake of Jared¡¯s sworn loyalty, spare him this time. I promise he won¡¯t do it again.¡±

    Jepherson sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t you know Jared¡¯s temperament?¡±

    ¡°I do, but Mr. Jepherson, Jared has never made any mistakes. Everyone has done something wrong at least once. At this moment, you are short of people on your side. Forgive him, please. I will go and tell him not to do this kind of thing again.¡±

    Stuart stood behind Jepherson, his pleads like that of a prayer.

    Jepherson still turned away and stalked ahead.

    Stuart immediately gave chase but Jepherson¡¯s deep voice rang out lowly, ¡°Get out of here!¡±

    Stuart immediately stopped just as Jepherson entered the elevator and left

    As things weren¡¯t going well, Stuart instantly ran to Raeleigh¡¯s ward to find her.

    Raeleigh¡¯s sleep was interrupted by Stuart but when she heard that Jepherson had gone to seek out Jared, she got out of the bed immediately. Stuart had no choice due to the situation, and he was also worried that something might happen to Raeleigh, hence he hurriedly took off his coat and passed it over to her. He also found two towels to wrap it around Raeleigh¡¯s hand.

    The two discussed this matter as they left the ward. Raeleigh inquired into Jepherson¡¯s and Jared¡¯s whereabouts but Stuart wasn¡¯t sure. Usually, Jared would follow Jepherson everywhere he goes, and he wasn¡¯t clear as to the exact location. After all, Jepherson and Jared had always been in sync with each other.

    ¡°But the strange thing is that Mr. Jepherson is able to find Jared every time. He seems to know his exact location, whereas no matter how hard we try, we ourselves can¡¯t find him unless hees out on his own.¡±

    Raeleigh paused at that. Then she took out her cellphone and made a phone call to Jared.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    No one answered. She then told Stuart, ¡°Call him. Use my phone. He must have seen it.¡±

    Stuart quickly picked up the phone and called Jared as they walked.

    Once outside, Raeleigh got into the car. When Stuart said that the Richards family car had not left the lot, she immediately got down again and scanned her surroundings.

    Even Stuart had not been able to get through, which caused him to start being anxious.

    ¡°Something must have happened.¡±

    Raeleigh headed in the direction of the underground parking lot. ¡°Let¡¯s go there.¡±

    On the way, sheidentally lost her footing, but fortunately, Stuart¡¯s fast reflexes caught her in time.

    Once he made sure that Raeleigh was all right, they continued towards the car park area. As a result, what awaited them was the sight of Jared sprawled out on the ground just as Jepherson threw away a metal bar.

 Chapter 1762 Motionless

    Raeleigh stopped at the corner of the parking lot and stared at Jared whoid motionless on the ground. When Jepherson turned his head around and saw her, he was momentarily surprised until his line of sightnded on Stuart. His face immediately darkened, ¡°Take Raeleigh away.¡±

    Stuart wavered, then went towards Raeleigh. He intended to bring her back to the ward but she shoved him away from her.

    Raeleigh marched towards Jepherson. When she was in front of him, she only gave him a brief look before she quickly made her way to Jared¡¯s side. At first nce, his body seemed to be fine, but his pale face stirred up a sense of panic.

    ¡°Jared, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Jared slowly blinked his eyes and gazed at Raeleigh without a word.

    Raeleigh crouched down immediately as she gave him a basic examination.

    She checked from head to toe until she reached his leg. When Raeleigh touched his right leg, her hand paused. She then rolled up Jared¡¯s pants from the bottom up. On one hand, his leg didn¡¯t bleed, but at the sight of the reddened bruise, she now knew what was going on.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital.¡± Raeleigh looked at Stuart and asked, ¡°Stuart, can you help me?¡±

    Jepherson stood opposite them and snapped, ¡°Stuart, take Raeleigh away.¡±

    Stuart hurried to Raeleigh¡¯s side, a pained look in his eyes as he studied Jared¡¯s condition. Unable to look on anymore, he pulled on Raeleigh, ¡°Madam Raeleigh, get up first, with Mr. Jepherson¡­¡±

    ¡°Stuart, I beg you, please help me.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face had gotten even paler. He shook his head immediately, ¡°Madam Raeleigh, please don¡¯t make this difficult for me.¡±

    Raeleigh pulled away from his grip. ¡°You can go then.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson as well. ¡°Don¡¯t you touch me, either. I will take Jared away today, no matter what. If you don¡¯t leave him with me, then see whether I dare not die on this spot.¡±

    Stuart didn¡¯t dare to look in Raeleigh¡¯s direction again, but he did look towards Jepherson.

    What was going on?

    Jared raised his hands and pulled on her. ¡°Go, quickly go now!¡±

    Raeleigh held his hands instead and said soothingly, ¡°I was the one who troubled you. I believe in him too much. I thought he values his bonds of brotherhood, never have I thought he could be so cruel.¡±

    Jared shook his head and swallowed a mouthful of saliva. It hurt so much that he couldn¡¯t speak.

    Raeleigh wore a smile then searched for his cellphone. Hers was still with Stuart.

    She dialled Jacky¡¯s number.

    ¡°I¡¯m in trouble, I¡¯m in the underground parking lot of Charity Hospital. Hurry, my leg is broken!¡±

    Raeleigh then put the phone in her pocket and looked at Stuart, ¡°Give me back my phone.¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Stuart flicked a nce at Jepherson before he proceeded to pass the phone to her.

    She put her phoneawayand held Jared¡¯s hands tightly. Jared was unable to hold on anymore. He blinked slowly again, his eyes on Raeleigh as he asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I am not a devil nor am I made of stone. There are many things that are clear in my heart. You¡¯re not a ruthless person, and neither am I.¡±

    Jared shook his head. ¡°Go¡­ Go away!¡±

    Raeleigh looked to the side, ¡°I won¡¯t abandon you.¡±

    Jared could no longer open his eyes, his whole body covered in sweat due to the pain. She used her sleeve to repeatedly wipe them away from his face.

    Jepherson asked, ¡°Are you going back with me or not?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Raeleigh said without hesitation. She didn¡¯t even spare him a look.

    Jepherson gritted his teeth and repeated. ¡°Are you going or not?¡±

    Raeleigh ignored him, while Jepherson just stood there, unmoving, with his eyes fixed on her. Raeleigh constantly wiped the sweat from Jared¡¯s face as his eyes gradually closed. She cried out to him, ¡°Don¡¯t sleep. Don¡¯t you dare sleep. Your bones are broken and I can¡¯t move you. I can only wait for someone.¡±

    However, he didn¡¯t respond. Raeleigh¡¯s hand kept a tight hold on his until Jared passed out from the pain.

    She half-kneeled on the ground as she waited and waited for Jacky¡¯s men to arrive.

    The person who came was Harvey. Raeleigh heaved a sigh of relief. If it was someone else, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t guarantee that Jepherson would let them go, or if they couldn¡¯t stop Jepherson they wouldn¡¯t dare to touch him.

    But since it was Harvey who¡¯s here, then things were different.

    Jacky must know that if she was injured, there were only two possibilities for her not to look for Jepherson. Either Jepherson broke up with her, or Jepherson was helpless and had no way to help her.

    Jacky had to think of these two aspects and could only let Harveye over.

    Harvey first took a look at Jepherson and then he ran towards Raeleigh. He came to a stop in front of her, then looked at the person on the ground. He didn¡¯t seem startled, as if he knew what had happened. He immediately checked Jared¡¯s injury and located the specific location. Harvey then ordered someone to quickly put Jared on the stretcher. When Raeleigh called earlier and mentioned her leg was broken, Harvey brought along with him two orthopedic doctors, both of whom she was familiar with.

    Once Jared was secured on the bedding, they fixed up his wound swiftly. They then carried him out while Harvey waited for her to go together.

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Harvey. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Jepherson began to get impatient. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to leave.¡±

    Without a hint of graciousness, Raeleigh bypassed Jepherson and followed after Harvey. But the moment Raeleigh passed him by, Jepherson stretched out his hand towards her to pull her back. She dodged out of instinct, and Jepherson didn¡¯t expect that Harvey would be bold enough to raise his hand to attack him.

    The knife that was in Harvey¡¯s hand swooshed down towards his arm, which forced Jepherson to quickly take back his hand. When he looked back up, Stuart¡¯s arm was already wrapped around Harvey¡¯s neck. With just one move, he could take his life.

    However, there was not a single shred of fear in his eyes. When Raeleigh looked back at him, she inadvertently remembered Harvey who cried in front of Logan¡¯s tomb.

    No matter how weak a person was, through the baptism of time, they would be reborn into someone fearless.

    Jepherson clenched his teeth. ¡°Let him go.¡±

    Stuart released his hand and Harvey also took his knife back. Only at this moment, he spoke, ¡°Mr. Richards, we¡¯ll take our leave now.¡±

    Harvey turned to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Raeleigh, let¡¯s go.¡±

    She nced back at Jepherson, then quickly left together with Harvey.

    She followed Harvey into an ambnce which then sped all the way to Waverly Vige. The duration of the journey was usually one hour, but it had been cut down to forty minutes as arrangements had been made and there were no obstacles on the road to hinder them.

    When they arrived, two sides of the vige had already been cleared up. This enabled the ambnce to enter directly through the vige¡¯s opening and head straight for the hospital¡¯s entrance.

    The ambnce stopped and a group of people who were given the heads up instantly came out and pushed Jared into the hospital. When they arrived at the doors to the operating room, Raeleigh intended to go in but was stopped by Harvey. ¡°Raeleigh, you can rest assured that he will be fine.¡±

    She looked back at him, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, you are wee. Please, take a seat first.¡±

    Raeleigh sat down, while Harvey went to look for a doctor, ¡°Give Raeleigh an examination, especially her hand.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    Some doctors quickly came up and gave Raeleigh a simple checkup.

    At the sight of Raeleigh¡¯s hands wrapped up so tightly, they opened it back up and treated it. Once they determined that it was all right, they moved to the side.

    Raeleigh waited outside for nearly four hours. Finally, the light in the operating room went out. Raeleigh shot up from her seat and inquired after the doctor.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. The surgery was sessful.¡±

    As if a burden had been lifted, Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief, then slumped into a seat, so tired that she couldn¡¯t move.

 Chapter 1763 Loyal

    Later, Raeleigh was led to Jared¡¯s ward. As Harvey helped to take care of the patient, she leaned against the wall and soon fell asleep where she sat.

    When Jared woke up, the anesthetic had just left his system. The pain was still there but his expression didn¡¯t reveal it. He just opened his eyes and scanned the four corners of the room.

    His eyesnded on Raeleigh who was sleeping very soundly. He stared for a brief moment before he averted his gaze and looked elsewhere.

    Harvey was beside Jared when he saw him woke up. He immediately stood up and went out the door to call for a doctor. Jared was then given multiple checkups until the doctor was satisfied that nothing was amiss and left.

    By that time, Raeleigh had been jolted awake. She opened her eyes and looked over in Jared¡¯s direction.

    She got off the bed then, and walked over to him, ¡± How are you feeling?¡±

    Jared didn¡¯t reply. He just stared at her instead. Raeleigh also didn¡¯t question any further but looked to the side, ¡°Thank you for all your hard work.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Raeleigh. Jacky said before to treat you as if you were our own sister.¡±

    Raeleigh paused at that and couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°In this ce, I can only count on Jacky. As for the others, I¡­¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, what you just said is wrong. Don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m that unreliable to count on?¡± Deanna stepped into the room. She headed towards Raeleigh as her hands waved about when she talked.

    Harvey immediately walked over. ¡°Sister-inw.¡±

    ¡°You attend to your business. Raeleigh and I are just going to have a little chat.¡±

    Deanna unceremoniously dragged Raeleigh to sit in a corner, then she started to chatter with her.

    Raeleigh sat and listened throughout. After a while, Deanna came to the main point of the conversation, ¡°Is that man the reason for your fight with Jepherson?¡± she asked.

    Raeleigh was stunned silent!

    ¡°Who told you that?¡± Raeleigh asked back in surprise.

    ¡°Who else needed to tell me? You¡¯re already here in Waverly Vige, why else but because you have a fight with Jepherson? I just don¡¯t believe it, Raeleigh¡­ what¡¯s the reason for the fight this time? Who is that man?¡±

    Raeleigh stared at her, ¡°You don¡¯t know about Jared?¡±

    Deanne stood up, her mouth parted into an ¡®O¡¯ asprehension dawned on her face. ¡°He is Jared?¡±

    Deanna had heard of him before, but had never met him.

    When she was a child, she had heard from her brother Zorion, that Jepherson had a shadow assassin beside him, who had pledged his loyalty to him. Moreover, he was also very powerful, even more powerful than Jepherson, with incredible martial arts in his arsenal.

    Deanna got off the bed, her eyes fixated on Jared with a peculiar expression on her face. ¡°You are Jared?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that he had not met Deanna before. It was because he had, that he did not favor a good impression of her.

    His dislike towards a character like Deanna, was odd in and of itself.

    A twenty-year-old adult with the mentality of a ten-year-old. It was this sort of person that Jared disliked the most.

    As such, he didn¡¯t even bother to pretend.

    Deanna pressed her hands onto the bed. She lowered her head to stare at Jared with her big, luminous eyes. Her eyes never left him for quite some time. Subsequently, she sat back down at Raeleigh¡¯s side and asked, ¡°Raeleigh? Are you aware of the saying do not judge a book by its cover?¡±

    Raeleigh nced at her. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    Deanna pouted. ¡°Raeleigh, when I was a child, my brother told me that there was a man named Jared around Jepherson who was very powerful. There is no contender who can beat him in terms of strength and he kills people within a blink of an eye. Do you know what I mean by that?¡±

    Raeleigh frowned and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°To kill people means to kill them dead, to have a live person be a corpse. All within a blink of an eye. A snap of finger equals one point six seconds, and in that one point six seconds, there will be a hundred twenty instances. Take one point six seconds divided by one hundred twenty is zero point zero one three three three three¡­ seconds. Do you get what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    Raeleigh faintly knitted her brows. She peered over at Jared whoid there with a nk expression on his face.

    Harvey stood to the side, dumbstruck, before he let loose a helpless giggle.

    Raeleigh slowly looked back at Deanna ¡°I never knew you were so good at arithmetic.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m good at arithmetic, what I just did was an allusion to Buddhist philosophy. I heard it from a monk. Since I was curious about it, he exined it to me and I memorized it.

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Raeleigh was very much at a loss for words.

    Deanna added, ¡°But that¡¯s not the point. Raeleigh, do you understand what I¡¯m trying to say?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at her in uncertainty. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    Deanna¡¯s lips curled up at the corners. ¡°He kills people with a blink of an eye. He¡¯s much more powerful than Jepherson, so how could he be beaten so badly by him?¡±

    Raeleigh was silent. She looked at Jared and said, ¡°He is loyal to Jepherson. He would nevery a hand against him. Which is why he will naturally get hurt if he just stood there and let Jepherson hit him.¡±

    Deanna had an ¡®oh, I see¡¯ expression when she exined this, then with eyes still on her, prompted, ¡°Since he¡¯s so loyal, how is it possible for himto havebetrayed him?¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Deanna, who told you about this?¡±

    ¡°Stuart called me. He said that you quarreled with Jepherson as well as told me about Jared¡¯s situation. Stuart naturally has good intentions, but I think¡­ Raeleigh, haven¡¯t I said before that in regards to this matter, what you see with your own two eyes may not necessarily be the truth. Could it be that Jepherson did this intentionally in a bid to sound out your feelings towards him?¡±Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Raeleigh was silent for a moment. ¡°He won¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°Then what you mean is, that they¡¯re both fighting over you as rivals in love? Raeleigh, the Richards family¡¯s regtions are numerous, do you think that¡¯s a possibility?¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing, her eyes now on Jared who only swept a nce over her figure before he closed his eyes without a word.

    Deanne swung her legs for a bit until she piped up, ¡°Raeleigh, I told you before that you¡¯re smart, and yet you don¡¯t know how not to be too concerned about every little thing. Just like me, I always felt it¡¯s better not to be overly invested, because the more you are, the more you tire yourself out from the anxiety.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not, but I can¡¯t just turn a blind eye either. Deanna, did youe here today because Stuart asked you to?¡±

    Deanna thought for a moment. ¡°It was because of Stuart. This is the first time that he asked me for a favor. Even if I didn¡¯t n toe in the first ce, I¡¯ll be all kinds of embarrassed if I did that. What with the rtionship between the Whalen and Richards familyid out there, which has its inconvenient moments. Therefore, I helped Stuart now, he¡¯ll definitely help me next time. I know his type well, one who values friendships above all else and keeps his promises.¡±

    ¡°Then the reason Stuart told you toe is to check on me?¡± Raeleigh questioned. Deanna thought for a moment again, ¡°No, Stuart wasn¡¯t too concerned about you. He just wanted me to look in on Jared, why?¡±

    ¡°I knew that Stuart wanted to know about Jared, not me.¡±

    Yet Raeleigh didn¡¯t really mind. ¡°It¡¯s natural, but Raeleigh, you can go home now. Jepherson must also be feeling really regretful. As for Jared, since he¡¯s fine now, you can go back with a peace of mind.¡±

    ¡°Deanna, can you not concern yourself too much over the affairs between me and Jepherson?¡±

    Deanna instantly went silent. Raeleigh had warned her not to be such a busybody. If she said one more word, Raeleigh would absolutely get thest word in and refused to go back.

    After she looked at it from all angles, Deanna eventually decided not to say anything further.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go back, then don¡¯t go back. But I won¡¯t go back today either. I¡¯ll stay here and apany you. Are your hands okay? Let me take a look. I haven¡¯t seen you for so long. You have no idea how much I think about you until I see you in my dreams.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Raeleigh shared a nce with both Jared and Harvey. She then lowered her head to hide her chuckles, with Harvey doing the same.

    ¡°Only those who know you know that you¡¯re my good friend. Those who don¡¯t will wonder what kind of rtionship we have.¡± she teased.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that rtionship? Don¡¯t tell me that others can but we can¡¯t?¡±

    Raeleigh said one thing, while Deanna said another. In the end, it¡¯s best that Raeleigh said nothing.

 Chapter 1764 The Best Person

    That night, Deanna stayed by Raeleigh¡¯s side and they even slept together. In order not to trouble her, she asked Harvey to push the bed over so that they have enough space to amodate two people.

    However, during the night, Deanna was unable to fall asleep. She called Jacky instead, and inquired as to whether he was already asleep.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh pretended that she didn¡¯t know about Deanna¡¯s wakeful state. Even so, Deanna talked over the phone until at one point she pushed Raeleigh. Raeleigh opened her eyes and asked, ¡°Something wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just want to tell you that Jacky will being to pick me up in a bit, hence I¡¯m getting up first. Come morning I¡¯ll make some delicious dishes for you to eat.¡±

    Deanna put on her coat and shoes. She could not sleep with Raeleigh, it was really depressing for her.

    She then walked out of the door with a wave of her hands towards Raeleigh before she twisted back around and left.

    When the door closed behind her, Raeleigh got up as well. Due to Deanna¡¯s restless movements, she couldn¡¯t even sleep. Plus other than her, Jared was in the ward as well.

    She went to check on Jared and called out, ¡°Are you still in pain? If it hurts, I can give you some painkillers.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡±

    Jared was a man of few words. Raeleigh herself had nothing more to say, thus she turned to go outside. Once she shut the door behind her, she instantly slumped against the wall for support.

    The lights in the ward were on and shone down on her curled up form.

    There was no one in the corridor in the middle of the night. All Raeleigh wore was a coat and her hands were a little ufortable, but she dared not move. She would feel more ufortable if she moved. She could only just endure it for one night.

    Raeleigh spent the whole night like that asleep in the corridor. When morning came, she got up, peeked into the ward and saw that Jared was asleep still. She felt that it was because he actually felt pain during the night, but stubbornly refused to admit it.

    The nurse soon came to give him an injection in the morning. Harvey came early as well. Raeleigh was also a patient but had her injection outside of the ward.

    Raeleigh was unwilling to take care of Jared. This is because his injury was on his leg and to taking care of that would be inappropriate for her as he wasn¡¯t wearing anything on the lower half of his body.

    For that reason, all of the aftercare was done by Harvey. If it wasn¡¯t for him, Raeleigh would need to seek out someone else¡¯s help.

    Deanna really did as she said she would do. She came to the hospital together with Jacky, and the moment she caught sight of Raeleigh, she put down the chicken soup and meal box in front of her.

    ¡°I asked people to prepare some pork rib soup, you should drink it as well. You need to take care of your hand. Sometimes, people are really strange. Just because they said it¡¯s not good, then it¡¯s not good. Raeleigh, your hand better hurry up and recover, otherwise I¡¯ll always worry about you.¡±

    Deanna kept going on and on for a while now all the way to the hospital. It was only after she went to see Raeleigh, that she quieted down. Raeleigh sat to one side until there was a pause in Deanna¡¯s chatter, she then carried a bowl of soup towards Jared¡¯s side of the room, ¡°Can you get up?¡±

    Jared nced at the ster-covered leg. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡±Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Raeleigh put down the soup in her hand and intended to hold Jared up. Harvey immediately rushed over to assist, ¡°Raeleigh, let me do it.¡±

    Raeleigh turned to Harvey, ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡±

    When Harvey came to Jared¡¯s side, he didn¡¯t support him. Instead, he took the bowl of soup and said, ¡°I¡¯ll feed you.¡±

    Jared was tongue-tied. As Harvey had sat down and began to spoon feed Jared, Raeleigh also went back to her meal.

    Deanna sat down beside her and observed, ¡°You can¡¯t even eat on your own in your present condition, yet you still went to hold Jared up, are you that able?¡±

    Raeleigh did not look at her. She had no intention to support him in the first ce.

    Jacky entered the room just then and found a ce to sit. He wore a white shirt with a ck suit, and a pair of ck leather shoes. These were not cheap items. Raeleigh could tell that the clothes were picked out by Deanna.

    Clothes make the man, just as saddles make the horse. Perhaps this was the case. After he wore the suit, he instantly became a different person.

    However, in the depths of his soul, he was still as bloodthirsty as a wolf. That had never changed, just like how Jacky¡¯s personality would never change.

    Raeleigh sat to one side after she had finished her food. Deanna went to sit beside Jacky, whose gaze was now fixed on Raeleigh, ¡°Where will you be staying tonight?¡±

    ¡°Currently, I¡¯m still not at ease as Jared has yet to recover and my hand is a problem as well. I need to stay here in the hospital during this period of time, hence I rented a room next to Jared¡¯s. Like this, I can be a little bit morefortable.¡±

    Raeleigh had nothing else to say. As things were, Jared needed to have someone by his side but she couldn¡¯t stay inside the same ward as him. On one hand, it was really inappropriate. On the other hand, there¡¯s Jacky to help her with this, thus she actually wasn¡¯t that worried.

    Jacky thought for a moment, ¡°Since you¡¯re back, it¡¯s best that you live in the fenced house instead. I¡¯ll arrange it for you from here, ensuring that no issue will crop up.¡±

    ¡°I trust you, it¡¯s the others I don¡¯t trust. I don¡¯t want to add more to your te.¡±

    ¡­

    For a short period of time, neither of them spoke. Finally, Jacky broke the silence, ¡°That¡¯s fine. Since you feel that there¡¯s no need for this, then there¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll get someone to clean up the next room.¡±

    ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so polite with me.¡±

    Jacky stood up, and so did Deanna. They went out together, hence Raeleigh didn¡¯t get up to see them off. After they left, she went to see Jared.

    ¡°The doctor said that it will take at least half a month to get out of bed. The weather is cold now, which isn¡¯t good for you. I¡¯ll have someone to be your private cook, at least this way you will be able to eat a little better.¡±

    Although this hospital belonged to her, Raeleigh didn¡¯t think the food in the hospital was good at all. On the contrary, she didn¡¯t think there was anything delicious in the hospital.

    Jared practically didn¡¯t speak, all he did was stare at her.

    Both of them had barely any topics to talk about. Whatever Raeleigh said, Jared would always agree.

    The next day, Raeleigh hired two people for Jared, one was tasked to take care of Jared¡¯s daily necessities, and the other tasked to take care of his meals and rest.

    Both of them were women, as well as being easy people to talk to. Not only that, they were both unable to speak.

    Raeleigh had found these two on a website. They were a beautiful pair of sisters in their twenties and at the beginning, no photo was shown. They just wrote that they wanted to find a job with a slightly lucrative pay. They had worked in the hospital before in the role of caretaker. It doesn¡¯t matter whether it¡¯s tiring or will make them filthy, the key point was to pay a little upfront.

    In fact, this intrigued Raeleigh. Later, she learned that their brother was hospitalized and they needed money to pay for his medical fees.

    Raeleigh felt that they were right for the job. Although it may not be appropriate to have these two young women take care of Jared, in the end the decision-maker was her, the other party had no say.

    Raeleigh agreed to take them both into the hospital. While one of them was responsible for the ward inside, the other was responsible on the outside of the ward. This also helped to lessen Harvey¡¯s load enough that all he needed to do was take guard outside.

    Neither of them were able to talk. It was said that they were born like this. Raeleigh didn¡¯t probe any further into their details and gave them twenty thousand dors first. She also added if there wasn¡¯t enough, she could pay them in advance.

    The two of them earned ten thousand dors a month. Their charge was neither an old man nor an olddy, nor were they children. Raeleigh thought even one month as a confinement nurse would be paid less than that.

    Both of them were very grateful and assured her that they would take good care of Jared.

    Only then Raeleigh could feel relieved.

    Jared himself raised no protest against this, and for now, things were like this.

    Raeleigh rested for four to five days. Her hand had slowly recovered, and she was able to sleep soundly at night.

    There was an activity in the Waverly Vige during the weekend as New Year was fast approaching. Jacky would also be in attendance. Deanna called Raeleigh and gushed to her about it only for her to refuse. No matter how many calls she made to her, Raeleigh still wouldn¡¯t agree.

    However, that evening, Raeleigh walked out of the hospital and headed in the direction of the venue where the activity was held.

    As she arrived at the front entrance of Jack Town Hotel, she stared in a daze at all the red lights that hung across the door curtain.

    She wondered how Santiago was doing, she missed him somewhat.

    Except for her family, Santiago was the best person in the whole world who treated her extremely well. How could she not think about him?

 Chapter 1765 Visitors

    Raeleigh stood there for a while. It was only after she felt chilly that she decided to leave. But when she turned around, Crevor was there across from her. She stared at him in an absent-minded manner as a thought popped up that this man had impable timing at every moment.

    Crevor stepped towards Raeleigh just as she asked, ¡°Why are you here, Mr. Doyle?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to see you.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Doyle is really all-pervasive. No matter where I am, Mr. Doyle can always find me. It¡¯s really strange.¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Crevor smiled at her and stated, ¡°With my current ability, finding a person is a piece of cake.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯d better not look for me next time.¡± Raeleigh walked away, only for Crevor to follow right behind her. She felt that heaven was really short-sighted at times, especially at this present moment. It started to snow minutes after Crevor had arrived. Snowkes drifted freely down from the sky, but to watch it with Crevor beside her, the feeling it wrought was, to her, quite unpleasant.

    Raeleigh remained silent throughout. She walked at an unhurried pace and yet Crevor took this chance to speak out to her, ¡°Revon and I recently talked about you. We wanted to check on you and ask whenyouwill return.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Crevor continued, ¡°This is a box of ointment made by Revon. He asked me to bring it to you.¡±

    Crevor took out the aforementioned ointment and Raeleigh took a look at the small red box.

    She also did not know what to say at this point.

    ¡°Take it first.¡±

    With that said, Crevor gave the ointment to Raeleigh. She pushed it back. ¡°No need. It¡¯s better to nurse oneself slowly to health.¡±

    ¡°Still, keep it first. Since it¡¯s Revon who gave it to you, I must insist that you take it.¡± He then slipped the ointment in his hand into Raeleigh¡¯s pocket. She did a quick look and found it was in the pocket on her left hand side. It would be troublesome for Raeleigh to fish it out now.

    Unable to take it out, she just turned back around and continued her trek. Before she knew it, she had arrived at the entrance of the vige. The sight of the entranceway, however, made her stop and stare. In all actuality, she didn¡¯t have any deep feelings about it. It was just that at this moment, when she could not see Jepherson¡¯s car, her heart was troubled.

    Raeleigh felt that this was quite ridiculous. Since she couldn¡¯t give him anything, and now with what happened before, not to mention the rest, wasn¡¯t breaking up with him the best option?

    But she always felt that Jepherson went overboard each and every time. If he did it again, someone would surely die.

    Raeleigh stood there for a while. Just as she was about to go back in, a child bumped against Raeleigh, which almost knocked her down to the ground. However, Crevor took the brunt of the fall for her. He fell to the ground in her stead while Raeleigh was unscathed because of him.

    Crevorid sprawled on the ground, a shift in his expression as sweat broke out on his forehead.

    Raeleigh froze. Could there be such a coincidence?

    Raeleigh took a look. A rock had wedged itself through his pants, and when she pulled it up, she saw that it had broken the skin.

    Raeleigh raised her head and fixed Crevor with a look. ¡°Are you wearing only one pair of pants on such a cold day?¡±

    Crevor got up from the ground, removed the stone that was stuck in the flesh, and pressed his trousers down with his hand. ¡°These are thermal pants.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Raeleigh frowned, ¡°I will take you to the hospital.¡±

    Raeleigh gave him a hand and forcefully pulled him up. Then she took Crevor to the hospital.

    After she dealt with Crevor, Raeleigh was ready to send him back, but Crevor sat inside with no intention to leave.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to go?¡± Raeleigh asked as she stood in his ward. It was a bit strange that he needed to be hospitalized for such a small injury.

    ¡°I want to stay. When I go back to the big house, I¡¯m alone. I heard that the environment here is good. So spending the New Years here isn¡¯t a bad idea.¡±

    ¡°There are a lot of people in your house. You can¡¯t just forget about the servants.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, I hope you can be my friend. You should know that if things go on like this.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a sardonic smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t know about this before. Now that you want to live here, I can help you with the hospitalization procedure. After all, you got hurt for my sake.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and left. Not long after, she went through Crevor¡¯s hospitalization procedures and sent someone to inform him. She did not stay any longer and returned to her own ward.

    Harvey was outside, together with the two beautiful sisters. Jared was in a terrible mood that day and didn¡¯t let anyone in.

    Raeleigh only knew about this when she came back. She walked up to Jared¡¯s door and peeked inside. Jared had already gone to rest. Raeleigh did not go in but turned back to her room.

    Just like that, ten days passed in a blink of an eye. Raeleigh did nothing except to gaze at the scenery outside.

    Jared¡¯s recovery went much faster than she expected. It wouldn¡¯t be long before he could get out of bed. Raeleigh told Jared immediately that she had something to do and would not be able to apany him any more.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Jared stared at Raeleigh with his deep-set eyes.

    ¡°The world is so big and I want to sightsee. Didn¡¯t you know about my dream?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s funny. You¡¯re good at making dad jokes.¡±

    Jared looked around the ward to check that presently no one was around.

    ¡°I have already left the Richards family. I¡¯ll take you with me.¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her head and took a look at his leg. ¡°Do you want to break another leg?¡±

    He held onto his walking stick and said, ¡°I¡¯ve repaid the kindness that the Richards family has shown me with that one leg.¡±

    ¡°People like you won¡¯t.¡±

    Raeleigh left the ward as she said what she wanted to say. As for the rest, she didn¡¯t want to talk about it.

    After she left the hospital, she returned to her fenced house only to tilt her head up. She just came back that day, but there was smoke above the house.

    When she entered, indeed there was Deanna inside being a busy bee as she packed and redecorated the space.

    But Raeleigh didn¡¯t like any of it and yet couldn¡¯t say anything otherwise. The room was really stuffy as well. She didn¡¯t know how long Deanna had been here.

    As soon as Raeleigh appeared, Deanna walked towards her immediately. She pulled Raeleigh over and immediately questioned her, ¡°Raeleigh, look at me. Aren¡¯t I great? I was the one who cleaned up everything, even I was the one who ced those stickers on the wall.¡±

    ¡°Not bad.¡±

    Raeleigh reluctantly agreed and couldn¡¯t help but nce at Jacky, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Thank you for all your help.¡±

    How could Jacky not understand? He made a prompt decision and left with Deanna.

    ¡°What are you doing? I haven¡¯t finished talking yet.¡±

    Deanna was still unwilling to leave, but when she saw that Raeleigh kept her silence, she blinked her eyes and cajoled her. ¡°Let me say myst few words, and I will leave.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Deanna only then said, ¡°We don¡¯t live that far away. Call us if you need anything. I also cooked some dishes for you. See for yourself, there¡¯s everything in the fridge.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Great, I¡¯m leaving then.¡±

    Deanna waved her hand and left. Raeleigh waited for them to leave and went back to the house to lie down. She didn¡¯t go to her room, buty on the sofa downstairs instead. She stared fixedly at the door until she gradually fell asleep.

    Raeleigh was jolted awake by the chaotic noise by the door. She never expected that someone was so bold as toe all the way to Waverly Vige to the fenced house and capture her.

    Originally, Raeleigh didn¡¯t intend to open the door. She thought that if it wasn¡¯t Jacky, then it must be someone from the Waverly Vige, hence she didn¡¯t get up.

    But the knocks kepting which stirred her curiosity. Raeleigh stood up and peeped out through a crack between the door and the frame. What she saw really startled her. Although she couldn¡¯t confirm, she didn¡¯t think that that was someone from Waverly Vige.

    And there were five to six of them!

 Chapter 1766 Nonsense

    Raeleigh stood at the door for a while and called Jacky, but he said, ¡°You should go and get some rest.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment before hanging up the phone. Then, she turned around and walked up to the attic. However, the attic was extremely cold due to the wind blowing outside.

    Raeleigh woke up the next morning and went downstairs. The ground outside waspletely covered with a thinyer of snow and it was still snowing.It was also awfully quiet but she felt that there was nothing wrong.Looking ahead, she could see nothing butendless snow covered ground.

    She stood by the door and stared outside for a while. She spotted Deanna and Jacky not far away. They were currently shoveling snow from the pavements.

    ¡°You should head back inside. It¡¯s cold out here.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t anyone around Jacky. Perhaps he did not need to work because it was the holidays. He was dressed in ck from head to toe. He wore an overcoat that was usually worn by the government officials.

    But his pants were different. He had on a pair of warm winter pants.

    His entire outfit was paired with a pair of warm winter boots, which looked very heavy.

    He had a shovel in his hand as he talked to Deanna.

    Deanna was also holding a shovel as she slowly followed behind.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to go home. I want to help you.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and make some food?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do itter.¡±

    Deanna spoke unhurriedly, but she kept shovelling the snow. Raeleigh stood in the distance and watched the couple. Regardless of how they ended up together, no one would expect that Deanna would be the happiest person on earth.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    In fact, all a woman wanted was to find the right man. Outsiders wouldn¡¯t know how good a wife Deanna was, but that did not matter. What mattered most was whether Jacky knew how to cherish her or not!

    There were some things that could not be used to describe the desteness of life.

    There were lovers in the world. As long as they were able to get along with each other, then nothing else mattered.

    Raeleigh watched as the snow gently fall from the sky. In fact, she had found the perfect man, but it was toote!

    If it weren¡¯t for Jepherson and Ste, Santiago would still be alive. Who knew? Maybe he would also help her shovel snow just like Deanna and Jacky.

    Raeleigh stood for a while and felt cold. She turned around and was about to go back. Deanna then called out to Jacky, ¡°Raeleigh is up! Who¡¯s going to shovel her snow?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. Why don¡¯t you head back inside and make some food?¡±

    Earlier, when Jacky asked Deanna to go back inside the first time, she refused to listen, but now, she turned around and headed back inside.

    Raeleigh stood for a while. She wanted to head back, but couldn¡¯t. So, she walked over to Jacky.

    Jacky bent over and did his best to shovel as much snow off the pavements. Raeleigh stood on one side and watched him work. He said while shovelling the snow, ¡°Jepherson came byst night.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jacky without saying anything. Jacky continued, ¡°He went to see Jared.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. After Jacky finished, he walked to Raeleigh¡¯s side. At this moment, then he said, ¡°It¡¯s been a year. You haven¡¯t seen him for a year. I need to head out to run some errands and you so happened to have some free time now. Would you like toe along?¡±

    Raeleigh did not hesitate. ¡°Yes.¡±

    After saying that, Raeleigh turned around and head back into her house.

    Jacky bent over and continued to shovel snow in the direction of Raeleigh¡¯s house. Raeleigh returned to the attic and sat down. She stayed up there and did note down after a long time.

    After having lunch, Raeleigh followed Jacky out. As soon as Harvey dropped them off at the airport, he immediately made his way back to Waverly Vige.

    There was someone to take care of Jared, but there also had to be someone to keep an eye on Deanna while Jacky was away.

    When Harvey arrived back at Waverly Vige, Deanna happened to be walking out of the vige, carrying a backpack. As soon as he saw her, he immediately walked over and asked, ¡°Deanna, where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I want to go home. I can¡¯t stay here without Jacky. Can you please look after the house for me while I¡¯m away?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll drive you home.¡±

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯ll be boring being alone anyways. You can talk to me on the way. Harvey, did Jacky leave with Raeleigh?¡±

    Deanna was too tiredst night. This morning, when Jacky got up, she had already gotten up too. Then, she followed him out to the streets to shovel the snow. After that, she did theundry and cleaned the room. She even made lunch for everyone and had to clean up after them. Deanna was spent. She barely had the energy to walk.

    Deanna nned to return home and have a good rest.

    However, there was something that Deanna wanted to rify first. She wanted to know who Jacky had left with.

    Jacky left while she was busy washing the dishes. When she came out of the kitchen, all she saw was a note on the table. He wrote that he had an urgent matter to take care of and that he would be gone for a few days.

    She did not care where he went or what he needed to do. What was more important was who he had left with.

    Harvey got into the car and drove towards the house. He told Deanna, ¡°Yes, he left with Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Is there a secret between them that no one knows?¡±

    Deanna leaned to one side and remained indifferent. Harvey carefully observed Deanna and made sure that she was fine before saying, ¡°I have no idea. Deanna, did you notice something?¡±

    Deanna said, ¡°They left together and Jacky did not tell me what he had to do. This means it¡¯s a secret.¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡±

    Harvey also smiled. Deanna yawned and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a nap. Wake me up when we get there.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t long before Deanna fell asleep. Harvey then drove her back to her family home.

    ¡­

    At the nursing home.

    Jepherson sat in the room and looked around. There was a pot of tea on the table. Trevor was currently enjoying his cup of tea. Jepherson looked at it and asked, ¡°Is it appropriate for you to do this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not appropriate for you to do it, but you did it anyway.¡±

    Trevor was hinting at something. Jepherson said, ¡°Grandma has done something terrible Raeleigh. As her husband, I should stand up for her. I cannot just stand by and watch Raeleigh get hurt time and time again, can I? I cannot ignore it.¡±

    Trevor raised his brows and nced at Jepherson. ¡°You came here to tell me this?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly.¡±

    ¡°Then say it. After that, you can leave before your grandma wakes up. If she sees you, she¡¯s going to start nagging you.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave.¡±

    Jepherson stood up and turned to walk toward the door. Trevor shouted at him, ¡°You¡¯re such a jerk!¡±

    Jepherson stopped and turned around to look at Trevor. ¡°Yes, I am!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, did the Doyle family send someone to make trouble for Raeleigh?¡±

    Although he did not go out, it was not as if Trevor did not know about it.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Crevor.¡±

    Trevor was surprised. ¡°Crevor may be capable and smart, but the Doyle family brought up a person with no backing, I have a feeling they have other motives.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense! Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡±

    Jepherson said. Trevor¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Get lost.¡±

    Jepherson did not hesitate. He turned around and walked out, but when he reached the door, he was stopped by Trevor. ¡°Wait! Stay right there!¡±

 Chapter 1767 Head Home

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Trevor, who was sitting on one side, was usually very patient. Jepherson took a sip of tea and said, ¡°It¡¯s New Year. Why don¡¯t you go home?¡±

    Trevor paused for a moment and said, ¡°No, I¡¯m not going back. It¡¯s very peaceful here. I don¡¯t have anyone to argue with.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no one at home. It¡¯s so lonely.¡±

    Jepherson sat there calmly.

    Trevor frowned. ¡°What about Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh and I had a fall out. She¡¯s been living in Waverly Vige.¡±

    Trevor asked, ¡°You made her angry again?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡±

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean it has nothing to do with you.¡±

    After their conversation, Jepherson brought Marissa and Trevor back home.

    Marissa got out of the car and stared at the gate of the Richards Group Manor with indescribable eyes. Since she had beendeserted by everyone, what else did she have to worry about?

    Jepherson stood on one side and waited for them to enter. Marissa suddenly turned around and looked at Jepherson. ¡°At least you still remember that I¡¯m your grandmother and brought me home with you.¡±

    Marissa walked towards the Richards Group Manor. She entered the door and went straight back to the Ink Garden. No one knew that Trevor and her were living separate rooms, but the moment she stepped into the Ink Garden, she went straight to a guest room. She even got someone to clean up the room. Then, she went back to her own room, took out everything that belonged to Trevor and moved them into the guest room.

    When Trevor entered the Ink Garden, Marissa told him, ¡°We¡¯ve been married for a long time and neither one of us expected this to happen, but I¡¯m nning to stay here. Don¡¯t count on me leaving. I think it¡¯s best we get a divorce. Also, I would also like to take back my portion of the assets.

    I just want to live my life and forget about the past between us.¡±

    Marissa¡¯s words were very clear. Trevor, on the contrary, said, ¡°Knock it off. I¡¯m not going to divorce you. If I did, then no one¡¯s going to take care of you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not up to you to decide. I will contact thewyers. Don¡¯t worry, I will not make you lose face.¡±

    Marissa was very stubborn. Once she made up her mind, no one could change it. Trevor was also the same.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. Even if you filed, I will not sign the papers.¡±

    Trevor¡¯s face fell and he went back to his room. Marissa only stood there for a while and eventually made her way back to her room.

    After Jepherson brought his grandparents home, he then turned around and went to the Green Jade Garden to pack up his and Raeleigh¡¯s belongings. Then, he left the Richards Group Manor and went straight to the hotel.

    ¡­

    When Raeleigh and Jackynded, Jacky helped her put on her coat. They walked out of the airport and immediately got into an awaiting car. Then, they went straight to a nearby hotel.

    After getting some rest, Jacky brought Raeleigh to the vi on the mountain.

    Jacky got out of the car and went to press the doorbell, but no one came out to greet him.

    Jacky stayed outside for a while before Raeleigh got out of the car and walked up to Jacky.

    ¡°What did they say?¡±

    Jacky looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°They said there isn¡¯t such a person.¡±

    ¡°Are you certain this is their house?¡±

    Jacky nodded, ¡°I¡¯m certain, but I have a feeling they¡¯re not willing to meet us.¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°We¡¯re not in Capital City, so I¡¯m not surprised that they refuse to invite us in. They are doing this to protect Santiago. Moreover, someone might have followed us here, so¡­¡±

    Raeleigh turned around to have a look. What they did made sense and it was not because they were bearing grudges.

    Jacky turned around and returned to the car with Raeleigh, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    After getting on the car, Raeleigh stared at the vi without saying a word. After Jacky drove away, Raeleigh stopped looking and finally said, ¡°I will never ever forget the moment when I saw him lying on the ground. I was¡­¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, God protects the good people. At least he¡¯s still alive. We have to be optimistic.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. Then, she took out the box that Crevor had given her and handed it to Jacky. ¡°Crevor gave me this box. There¡¯s all sorts of medicine inside. There¡¯s an old doctor in his home and his name is Revon. He gave the medicine to me. He said I need to smear it on my hands.¡±

    Jacky took the box and put it aside. Then, he drove Raeleigh down the mountain and straight back to the hotel.

    After grabbing some food, Jacky then bought their flight tickets home. Just as they were about to leave the hotel, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Are we really just going to leave without doing anything?¡±

    Jacky looked at Raeleigh, ¡°I mean, even if we stayed, we still would not be able to see him. So, I think it¡¯s best we head home.¡±

    Raeleigh did not refute. A few momentster, Raeleigh left the hotel with Jacky and went straight to the airport.

    When they arrived at the airport, Raeleigh looked around and felt that there was something strange. She somehow felt that Santiago was nearby.

    However, she had no idea how urate her feeling was.

    ¡°Come on, I think we¡¯re boarding soon!¡±

    Jacky pulled Raeleigh¡¯s hand and walked towards the security checkpoint. Raeleigh was walking towards that direction when she suddenly stopped. She turned around and saw an old couple pushing a man in a wheelchair towards her. The man was wearing a hat. Raeleigh subconsciously froze when she saw them.

    Suddenly, the old couple changed directions and pushed the wheelchairs towards the restroom. Raeleigh looked at Jacky and yelled, ¡°Jacky!¡±

    ¡°I know. Let¡¯s go to the restroom.¡±

    Jacky led Raeleigh towards the bathroom. When they reached the bathroom, Raeleigh walked in.

    After entering the door, she looked at the old couple before relieving herself. There was a wheelchair outside, on which sat a man, who was wearing a hat and had his head down.

    Raeleigh walked over and knelt down before looking up at the man. Suddenly, there were tears in her eyes.

    Raeleigh held Santiago¡¯s hands at once. ¡°Santiago.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s face was pale as he lowered his head slightly. His ck hat covered his entire face.

    Hansen and Jenna walked out from the side.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time. Hurry up.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at them. ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Santiago, I came to see you. I can¡¯t stay with you. I have to go back.¡± Raeleigh held Santiago¡¯s pale and weak hand tightly. Although she wept bitterly, she still whispered in his ear, ¡°She is very beautiful!¡±

    After saying that, Raeleigh released her hands, looked at Hansen and his wife, turned around, and left.

    Raeleigh left the washroom and immediately wiped her tears. There was no trace of tears on her face.

    Jacky came in from outside and paused for a moment. He walked over and patted Santiago¡¯s shoulder, saying nothing. He nced at Hansen and his wife across from him and said, ¡°We have to go.¡±

    Jacky turned around and walked outside. He pulled Raeleigh¡¯s arm and left.

    As soon as Jacky and Raeleigh left, Jenna felt ufortable in her heart. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them toe here.¡±

    Hansen said nothing and pushed the wheelchair out of the washroom.

    Raeleigh and Jacky boarded the flight. Hansen and Jenna stopped and turned around.

    After a while, Jenna and Hansen pushed Santiago out of the airport.

    Raeleigh was lost in her own thoughts on the ne. Jacky looked at her and said, ¡°At least, we can celebrate the new years without any worries.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded her head, feeling a littlemncholy.

 Chapter 1768 Just A Dream

    As soon as the nended, Raeleigh followed Jacky back to Waverly Vige and straight to the hospital to visit Jared.

    Jared was recovering nicely. Raeleigh stood outside and watched him.

    Harvey briefly updated Raeleigh on Jared¡¯s current condition. When she heard that Jared was doing well, she left feeling a burden lifted.

    Aftering out of the hospital, Jacky obtained the test results of the ointment that Crevor had given to Raeleigh.

    ¡°The ointment is made of a natural substance, which can effectively improve the blood cirction and promote the recovery of bones. There¡¯s no trace of any harmful substance. It¡¯s all natural and it will not cause any chemical reaction in your stomach even if you mixed it with foods.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned and took the box over. Then, she took a look at her left hand and said, ¡°Is he really helping me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. After all, we all know that Crevor does not have any good intentions.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard you say this about a person. Are you only saying this because he is your rival?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just stating the truth.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡±

    Raeleigh put away the ointment before following Jacky back to the house. Jacky sent someone to protect Raeleigh. That way, Raeleigh did not have to worry about anything.

    Before he left, Jacky said to Raeleigh, ¡°Harvey will stay to protect you. You should use this time to get some rest. I will be very busy during this period. It¡¯s almost the new year.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    After that, Jacky left. Raeleigh stood and watched as he walked out of Waverly Vige.

    After Jacky left, Raeleigh turned around and returned home. It was very quiet in the first few days. Harvey was the only one that frequented the area. He would bring Raeleigh some supplies from time to time, while the food that Raeleigh ate most of the time was from the hotel. Once she receives her food, she would put it in the microwave to heat it up. After eating, Harvey would wash the dishes and bring them back to the kitchen.

    Harvey was basically like Raeleigh¡¯s caretaker. He was always on call and was in charge of Raeleigh¡¯s daily life.

    A week passed by quickly and Raeleigh¡¯s hands had recovered. When Harvey came, Raeleigh was just about to move her hands, but was stopped by Harvey, ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Harvey, who released her hands, ¡°Raeleigh, youshould always guard against the harm others might do to you.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned slightly. ¡°What?¡±

    Harvey took Raeleigh¡¯s hand and sat down. ¡°Raeleigh, are you able to move your hands now?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Harvey said, ¡°These ointments does the job and the effect is visible, but there is a drug in it which has anacrid, bitter taste and cooling properties. It¡¯s calledBorneol.¡±

    ¡°Borneol?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ittones the heart and improves cirction. It seems that people who have a heart attack will feelfortable after using it.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, have you ever thought that if this drug only helps to improve cirction and you¡¯re suddenly able to move your hand, what are the effects?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Harvey for a long time and said, ¡°Thank you. I was careless. I never thought of it that way.¡±

    Harvey breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°It¡¯s good that you realised it. I¡¯m going to make some food for you.¡±

    Harvey got up to cook, while Raeleigh sat on the sofa and thought about Crevor¡­

    ¡°Raeleigh, Jepherson has been waiting outside for a few days. Aren¡¯t you going to see him?¡±

    Harvey asked while they were eating. Raeleigh looked at the calendar and said, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Jared was discharged from the hospital today and now, he is nowhere to be seen,¡± Harvey said. Raeleigh raised her head to look at Harvey. ¡°He disappeared? He¡¯s fully recovered?¡±

    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s able to walk on his own, but he still needs to recuperate at home. Jacky asked wants me to take care of him, but he refused.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped eating. ¡°I see.¡±

    After lunch, Harvey left. Raeleigh stood outside and looked around. She could not see Jared, so she decided to go out and look for him. It was cold outside and it took her more than two hours before she finally found him.

    In fact, Jared did not wander off too far. Raeleigh found him nearby her house. When Raeleigh saw him, she walked over and stopped in front of him. She ced her arms around him and helped him into the house.

    Jared briefly nced over at Raeleigh, not saying a word. Raeleighy him down on the bed in the room downstairs because his legs were injured. It was inconvenient for him to climb up and down the stairs.

    After Jaredy down, Raeleigh quickly gave Harvey a call. It was not long before Harvey arrived.

    When Harvey saw Jared, he was surprised. ¡°How did you end up here? This ce is surrounded by their people.¡±

    Jared did not respond and his face turned red. Raeleigh said to Harvey, ¡°Can you call the hospital and ask if Jared is allowed to take a bath?¡±

    Harvey did as he was told and immediately called the hospital. After making sure that it was fine for Jared to take a bath, he then ryed the message to Raeleigh.

    ¡°He can take a bath.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Harvey. ¡°Can you please help him to take a bath and also ask someone to get him some clothes?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Harvey took Jared to take a bath. Soon, Harvey¡¯s people brought some clothes over for Jared. Raeleigh put the clothes away and was about to head home when a Richards family called pulled up outside. Raeleigh opened the door and watched as Stuart came out from the car.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Raeleigh waited for a while as Stuart came out of the car.

    ¡°Miss Raeleigh.¡±

    ¡°Would you like toe in?¡±

    Raeleigh asked Stuart, who shook his head, ¡°No, thank you. How¡¯s Jared?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. He¡¯s still alive.¡±

    Raeleigh said casually. She did not sound angry at all.

    Stuart was stunned for a moment and then said, ¡°Mr. Jepherson asked me to drop by. Madam Marissa and Trevor have returned to the Richards Group Manor. The new year is just around the corner and Mr. Jepherson doesn¡¯t want them to spend new years alone.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson moved out of the manor and is staying in the hotel. He asked me toe and check on your hand.¡±

    ¡°You should head home.¡±

    Raeleigh closed the door and went back into the house. Then, she brought the clothes over to the bathroom and knocked on the door. She opened the door and ced the clothes by the door. Then, she closed the door and went into the kitchen to make some ginger soup.

    Ginger soup were good for keeping warm. Raeleigh did not eat much. She ate one or two slices of ginger, but she ced arge slice into Jared¡¯s bowl.

    When Jared emerged from the bathroom, Raeleigh immediately asked Harvey to bring the bowl of soup over to Jared and told them to drink it while it¡¯s hot.

    After that, Jaredy down on the bed. Raeleigh asked Harvey to light a fire in the firece and closed the door. Soon, the room felt nice and toasty.

    Raeleigh felt relieved when she saw that Jared started sweating.

    ¡°Harvey, why don¡¯t you stay here tonight and take care of Jared? Do you have any ns for tomorrow morning?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, thanks for the trouble.¡±

    Raeleigh went out of the room and sat down. Jared fell asleep. Harvey went back to Jared¡¯s room and sat down. The door was closed. Raeleigh sat on the sofa and turned on the television.

    However, Raeleigh was lost in her own thoughts and did not pay attention to what was on the TV.

    Everything went on as if it was just a dream.

 Chapter 1769 Cross Paths

    The next day, when Raeleigh was having breakfast, Jacky came over with Deanna.

    When they entered the house, Deanna mentioned that they hadn¡¯t had anything to eat, so Raeleigh invited them to join her.

    After sitting down, Deanna started talking about Jared as if he was not there. Jared lowered his head and ate quietly with a cold expression on his face.

    ¡°I just feel that some people are ungrateful. One should repay a debt of gratitude with kindness, but some people just wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head to look at Deanna. ¡°What are you talking about? Are you talking about me?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Raeleigh, I just want to remind you that it¡¯s not good to be kind to people all the time, because if you give them an inch, they will ask for a mile.¡±

    Then, Raeleigh said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m going to stop eating if you continue talking.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stop talking.¡±

    It was only then that Deanna stopped talking. At this moment, Jared was still eating. After eating, he stood up and went back to his room.

    Raeleigh said to Deanna, ¡°Can you not talk about it? Jared is still recuperating.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, I just want to ask you one question. Do you have feelings for Jared?¡±

    Deanna was being serious. Her eyes were fixed on Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh did not bother answering Deanna¡¯s question. She looked at Jacky and said, ¡°Can you please take Deanna home?¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jacky did not reply as he was still eating.

    Deanna felt very proud and told Raeleigh, ¡°That¡¯s my husband!¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless.

    After eating, Jacky looked at the time, ¡°I think it¡¯s time we make a move. We have some things to do in the evening.¡±

    Deanna originally intended to wash the dishes before leaving, but Jacky suddenly said he had some things he needed to take care of, so she quickly left with Jacky.

    After Jacky and Deanna left, Raeleigh went back to her room to take a rest. As soon as shey down on the bed, she received a phone call from Deanna.

    Raeleigh answered the phone and heard Deanna say, ¡°Raeleigh, Jepherson is sick.¡±

    After that, she immediately hung up the phone. Jacky, who was driving, turned to look at his wife.

    ¡°Jepherson is sick?¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s not.¡±

    Deanna told him frankly.

    Jacky shook his head, ¡°Do you think you can fool her?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know Raeleigh well enough. Trust me, she will believe me.¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh sat for a while, then asked Harvey, ¡°Did Jepherson drop by today?¡±

    ¡°No, he leftst night.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment, ¡°Harvey, I need to go out for a while. I¡¯ll be home soon.¡±

    Raeleigh grabbed the car keys and went straight to her car. Harvey came out to check on Raeleigh to see if she knew how to drive. Raeleigh smiled and drove away.

    Harvey was worried and called Jacky first.

    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±

    After hanging up the call, Jacky looked over at Deanna, who had already fallen asleep.

    Deanna was sneaky in a way which was not easily seen by others.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh stopped the car at the entrance of the vige. She got out of the car and looked around. She did not see any of the Richards family¡¯s cars. If Jepherson was fine, he would have been here by now.

    Raeleigh waited for a while. She believed that Jepherson was really sick, but she did not go out. She stood at the entrance for a while and was about to head home when she heard a car pull up behind her. She quickly turned around.

    Raeleigh saw a ck car stopped on the opposite side of the road. A man got out of the car. When she saw who it was, she immediately fell silent.

    Crevor crossed the road and stopped at the entrance of the vige.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going in. I just came to have a look. Raeleigh¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the ointment.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Raeleigh, I have an event to attend this evening. Can you be my date?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate.¡±

    ¡°What if I told you that I knew you went to the mountains?¡±

    Raeleigh red at him. ¡°You followed me?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, I have eyes everywhere. It¡¯s not that I want to follow you, I just want to protect you.¡±

    Raeleigh hesitated for a moment. After a while, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you get there.¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Is this a threat?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you refuse my invitation, but I really hope that you can be my date.¡±

    After thinking for a while, Raeleigh walked out of the vige and said, ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Crevor turned around and got into the car with Raeleigh. Raeleigh got into the car without saying a word. It did not take long before they arrived at the entrance of a business club.

    After getting out of the car, Crevor said, ¡°I came here to talk business, but it happened to be something very important in my life.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and looked at Crevor. ¡°Are you here for a blind date?¡±

    Crevor nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything. She felt as if she had been tricked.

    ¡°Why did you bring me here for a blind date?¡±

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Crevor led Raeleigh in by her arm. Raeleigh did not dare to shrug his hands off, so she followed Crevor into the club.

    Inside the elevator, Crevor let go of Raeleigh¡¯s hand and slightly lowered his head. It was as if he was lost in thought. Then, he looked up and stared at the elevator door until it opened.

    When they arrived at the designated floor, Crevor led Raeleigh into a private room.

    Two people were guarding the door and nodded politely when they saw Crevor.

    Then, they opened the door for Crevor and he swiftly entered the room.

    Raeleigh followed him in.

    This was the most expensive room in the entire club. There were leather sofas for people to chat on both sides, desks and chairs in the middle, and other entertainment facilities around them. In general, everything looked exquisite.

    After entering the room, only then Raeleigh noticed the people in the room. She was surprised when she saw Geraldine. Raeleigh just kept her eyes on her and said nothing.

    Geraldine was also surprised when she saw Raeleigh. ¡°Miss Anson?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Geraldine. ¡°Hi, Madam Geraldine.¡±

    Geraldine froze for a while. She did not expect that Raeleigh would address her like this.

    After a moment of silence, Geraldine looked over at Crevor and said, ¡°Crevor, are you going to exin to me what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Crevor said, ¡°Raeleigh is my new girlfriend. I brought her here because I want her to meet you and Sussie.¡±

    Geraldine¡¯s face turned pale. Raeleigh then saw a beautiful youngdying out of the bathroom.

    The youngdy had bright and attractive eyes. She wore a red dress and a white shawl over her shoulders.

    The way the youngdy dressed might be a little old-fashioned, but she gave Raeleigh a very youthful impression.

    The youngdy, whose name was Sussie, stared at Raeleigh with tears in her eyes.

    At this time, Crevor walked to the front of Sussie, lowered his head and said, ¡°Sussie, I know that you have always loved me, but I told you that I only treat you like a sister. I have already found the person I want. I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    ¡°But Crevor¡­¡±

    Sussie could not stop her tears from falling. Raeleigh did not want to stay any longer, so she turned around to go out. However, just as Raeleigh just turned around, Geraldine who was standing behind, said ¡°Miss Anson, do you think it¡¯s appropriate for you to leave now?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Geraldine. ¡°Yes, why not?¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Miss Anson, you sure know how to talk back! What you mean is that my family can be bullied easily. What? You think that you cane and go as you wish?¡±

    Geraldine looked furious. She hadn¡¯t forgotten what had happened that year. She was not nning to let Raeleigh go so easily.

 Chapter 1770 An Eye For An Eye

    Raeleigh had no idea where she was. She was locked up under Geraldine¡¯s order. She did not have the strength to fight back, therefore it was impossible for her to resist.

    However, Raeleigh did not expect that Crevor would be locked up as well.

    When Crevor was locked up, he did not resist at all. He just protected Raeleigh.

    They were immediately taken to the car. After travelling for two hours, they were then escorted out of the car.

    The ce where they were locked up looked like a dungeon.

    Raeleigh stood by the small window and looked outside. The night sky was lit up with bright stars.

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Crevor who was sitting on the ground. The floor was not damp but dry.

    Raeleigh asked Crevor, ¡°Where are we?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in the dungeon located in the backyard of the vi.¡±

    Crevor said casually. Raeleigh asked, ¡°You have a dungeon in your house?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not surprising. This dungeon has been here for a long time. When I was very young, I was locked up here in the dungeon, but it was not as clean and tidy as it is now. There used to be rats running around. When I had to stay overnight here, I could hear the sound of rats grinding their teeth.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re used to living in the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°Aside from the rats, the meals are delivered on time. I don¡¯t have to worry about going hungry. On the other hand, if I¡¯m in the outside world, I would have to constantly worry about being framed and hurt. Hence, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad thing living in the dungeon.¡±

    Crevor took out a lighter from his pocket. Raeleigh looked at him strangely, ¡°You smoke?¡±

    Crevor smiled and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit down? Won¡¯t your legs get tired?¡±

    Raeleigh did not feel that the ground was dirty, so she walked over and sat beside him.

    It was only then that Crevor replied, ¡°I don¡¯t smoke, but ever since young, I¡¯ve been afraid of darkness. Then, one day, while I was locked up in here, a thought came across my mind. A lighter canst for four days, but not a shlight.¡±

    ¡°Ever since then, I started carrying a lighter wherever I go.¡±

    Raeleigh did not say anything. She looked towards the window. Everyone had their own path to take and not everyone¡¯s path would be smooth.

    A few hourster, Raeleigh felt tired, so she leaned against the wall to rest.

    When Raeleigh heard footsteps approaching, she opened her eyes slowly.

    It was Sussie.

    Sussie had obviously been crying because her eyes were swollen and red.

    As soon as Sussie appeared, she first nced at Raeleigh, and then at Crevor, who was sitting on the ground.

    ¡°Crevor¡­¡±

    Crevor raised his head to look at Sussie. ¡°Sussie, I have no feelings for you. Do you really want to have this kind of marriage?

    If we get married, I won¡¯t be home every day and would spend my time at other ces. Do you think you will be happy?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all because of her. If it weren¡¯t for her, you wouldn¡¯t have treated me like this. You¡¯ve always treated me very well.¡±

    Sussiesaid in a low voice. Shewas heartbroken.

    Crevor shook his head. ¡°Sussie, you should understand. I¡¯ve always treated you like my little sister. The reason why I¡¯m so nice to you is because you¡¯re the youngest in my family. I¡¯ve never forgotten the time when I was young and I didn¡¯t have food to eat, it was you who brought me food.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe you. I know you have feelings for me.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t! You¡­¡±

    Raeleigh sat on one side as she listened to their conversation. She felt that it was really ridiculous.

    Raeleigh gradually lost interest in their conversation, so she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes to take a nap.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    After talking for a while, Sussie thought about making Raeleigh leave, but Crevor did not allow it. Sussie was so angry that she started crying.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes not too longter because she couldn¡¯t sleep.

    ¡°Sussie, please listen to me. Why don¡¯t you go back first?¡±

    Sussie stood and cried for a long time before she finally left. It was only then Raeleigh could finally get some rest.

    Crevor even joked, ¡°After experiencing so many things, only you can still remain calm.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile, ¡°You are not the first one to rack your brains to try and fool me.¡±

    Crevor paused for a moment. ¡°How do you know that I racked my brains? Why can¡¯t it be that I¡¯m revealing my true feelings?¡±

    ¡°If you had openly defeated Jepherson, then I might consider you as a man, but I look down on people like you. You are no different from Flynt.¡±

    She found it ridiculous that he had done all these just to hurt Jepherson¡¯s feelings.

    Crevor shook his head helplessly. ¡°You still don¡¯t understand me.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. She did not care whether she understood him or not. That was his problem.

    Raeleigh stayed in the dungeon for two days without eating or drinking anything. Crevor stood up and shouted, ¡°Is anybody there?¡±

    A person quickly came over. Crevor then asked, ¡°Can you bring us some food?¡±

    The person did not go against his order. It wasn¡¯t long before he came back with some food. Crevor then woke Raeleigh up and handed the food to her. However, Raeleigh said, ¡°Even if I have to starve to death, I will not eat any food from the Doyle family. Ste was the one who injured Santiago. I will remember it for the rest of my life.¡±

    Crevor was stunned. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re saying that Ste caused Santiago¡¯s ident?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she did.¡±

    ¡°Then, who killed Ste?¡±

    Raeleigh frowned confusedly. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not Jepherson?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. At the thought of Jacky, it did not matter if he misunderstood Jepherson.

    ¡°You came back to deal with Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°You can say that. Ste is the only person I can talk to in the Doyle family. Now that she¡¯s dead, I¡¯m not going to stand by and do nothing!¡±

    ¡°But I was the one who killed Ste.¡±

    Raeleigh said to Crevor as if she was talking to herself.

    ¡°How is that possible? I doubt you have the ability to do it.¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t underestimate any woman. When a woman is filled with vengeance, they can do anything! I always feel that I have the ability to kill anyone, including you!¡±

    Raeleigh said calmly. She looked at Crevor coldly. Crevor looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I doubt it was you.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious to know why of all people in your family, Ste had to be the one to die?

    Has your family done any good deeds all these years?

    You want to seek revenge just because one of your family members is dead. What about those people you¡¯ve killed? If they were to seek revenge, won¡¯t they have to annihte your entire family?

    ¡°Raeleigh, how can you be so murderous?¡±

    Crevor slowly knelt down and carefully observed Raeleigh.

    ¡°I will not do anything unless I¡¯ve been provoked. When I¡¯ve been provoked, I¡¯ll definitely seek revenge.¡±

    Raeleigh could tolerate a lot of things, but the one thing she could not tolerate was letting others hurt her.

    Just like what Jacky had said, Santiago was his friend and she was his confidante. Logan was his brother. In any case, Ste did not deserve to live.

    The only way to solve this was an eye for an eye.

    Furthermore, this was not their fault. Some people had brought this upon themselves.

    Raeleigh would not do anything to these people, nor would she let them hurt her friends in return.

 Chapter 1771 Return Home

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you found her yet?¡±

    Jepherson got out of the car, without a trace of anger on his face. He could not me Jacky for Raeleigh¡¯s disappearance because his own men did not protect her as well. What right did he have to me others?

    Jacky walked out of Waverly Vige and stopped when he saw Jepherson. ¡°We managed to obtain the footage from the CCTV. She left with Crevor and they were heading towards the Helgen Group.¡±

    ¡°The business center?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We weren¡¯t able to track down where he went after entering the business centre, but it turns out that Crevor did not show up at the Helgen Group. So, it means that this isn¡¯t Crevor¡¯s doing. Something must have happened along the way.¡±

    ¡°Get in the car first.¡±

    Jepherson and Stuart immediately got into the car. Jacky could not interfere with this matter, lest it caused unnecessary trouble. It meant that Jepherson would have to look for Raeleigh himself.

    Zorion sent out a search partyst night as soon as he received the news, but Raeleigh still could not be found.

    Jepherson rubbed his eyebrows as he sat in the car. It had been three days since hest slept.

    If it wasn¡¯t Crevor, then who was it?

    ¡°Stuart, I need you to go back home to Madam Marissa. I want you to test her and see if she knows where Raeleigh is.¡±

    Stuart paused for a moment. ¡°Mr. Richards, are you suspecting that its Madam Marissa?¡±

    Jepherson could only suspect now.

    Stuart immediately returned to the Richards Group Manor and hurried inside. He almost knocked down the servants when he bumped into them. Lucy emerged from the house and asked Stuart, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Stuart immediately said, ¡°Raeleigh is missing.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Lucy had never left the Richards Group Manor ever since the day she became the housekeeper. However, when Raeleigh came, Lucy went back to her family home and they failed to cross paths until now.

    When Lucy heard that Raeleigh had disappeared, her heart was in her mouth. Stuart said hastily, ¡°I came back to grab something, then I¡¯ll leave. Don¡¯t tell anyone you saw me.¡±

    Stuart gripped Lucy¡¯s hand tightly. She immediately understood what was going on.

    However, she did not forget to ask, ¡°Is it true?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The rtionship between Lucy and Stuart was different. They couldmunicate by eye contact. When she heard his firm answer, she immediately understood what was going on.

    Lucy then immediately led Stuart back to the house. After they left, one of the servant immediately went to find Marissa.

    ¡°Is this really the case?¡±

    Marissa asked the person who came to report. The person who immediately told her that she heard it with her own ears and judging by Stuart¡¯s reaction, it was definitely true.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether it¡¯s fake or not. It¡¯s good that she¡¯s missing. It would be best if she died and never came back.¡±

    Marissa smirked. The rest of the servants lowered their heads.

    Of course, they were not from the same family. After sending Stuart off, Lucy immediately received the news.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    As soon as Stuart got into the car, he received Lucy¡¯s call. He looked over at Jepherson and told him the situation. Jepherson ordered the driver to start the car. They spent the entire day driving around Capital City.

    On the way, they met Zorion¡¯s car. The two cars stopped at one side. Zorion opened Jepherson¡¯s car door and said, ¡°One of my men found out that she¡¯s in the Doyle family¡¯s vi. It¡¯s up to you to figure out how you¡¯re going to break her out from there.¡±

    Zorion left after saying that. Jepherson sat in the car and did not get out. After a long time, Jepherson said to Stuart, ¡°I want you to release a statement saying that Raeleigh was kidnapped and that we¡¯re now looking for the culprit. I want you to put up a bounty on the person¡¯s head.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson¡­¡±

    ¡°Do as I say.¡±

    ¡°What if something happens? What if they kill her?¡±

    ¡°Since the Doyle family kidnapped her, then I doubt they would kill her. Even if they want to, it¡¯s toote.¡±

    ¡°I want them to bring her back the same way they took her away.¡±

    ¡°Meanwhile, we¡¯ll wait for them at the entrance of Waverly Vige.¡±

    Jepherson was confident that the Doyle family would not dare to do anything to Raeleigh at this time.

    ¡­

    ¡°Does Jepherson really think that I am afraid of him? He used us of kidnapping? How funny! I want you to kill that girl for me.¡±

    Geraldine was holding a tablet in her hand, while the local news was being aired on the TV.

    The contents of the news were about Raeleigh¡¯s kidnapping. A reward has been put out for the capture of Raeleigh¡¯s kidnapper.

    The person beside Geraldine said, ¡°Grandma, I don¡¯t think we should act rashly and alert the enemy. Since we started it, then I think we should send her back. Even if she went back, I doubt she would tell anyone that we kidnapped her. If she did, then we shall not admit it. That way, people would think that she¡¯s imagining things.

    If something really happened and they found out that we did it, wouldn¡¯t we be in more trouble?¡±

    Geraldine nced at her grandson beside her. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll let her go now, alright?¡±

    Geraldine waved a dismissive hand and said, ¡°Go ahead. We have no choice but to let her go. After all, we were caught by Jepherson.¡±

    ¡°Alright then¡­ ¡±

    While Raeleigh was resting, two people came and unlocked the iron door to set Raeleigh and Crevor free.

    Crevor emerged from the cell and looked at the two men. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Raeleigh was also stunned when she heard Crevor¡¯s question. She thought to herself, ¡°Why was he asking such a question? Was he nuts? Did he really enjoy being locked up?¡±

    ¡°Madam Geraldine asked you to drop her back at Waverly Vige.¡±

    Then they left. Raeleigh followed Crevor out of the dungeon.

    Raeleigh did not eat or drink for several days. She had no strength to walk and she had also lost a lot of weight.

    Raeleigh had to used every ounce of energy to walk out of the dungeon. As it was too dark below, Raeleigh covered her eyes with her hands as soon as she saw the light.

    Crevor took off his coat and wrapped it around Raeleigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s cold outside.¡±

    Raeleigh took off the coat and returned it to Crevor. ¡°I¡¯m not cold.¡±

    ¡°Please behave¡­¡±

    ¡°Can you walk me out?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and left, leaving Crevor to follow her outside. When they arrived at the gate of the vi, Raeleigh saw an approaching car, so she quickly stopped the car and got into it without looking at Crevor.

    This was thest time. Raeleigh would kill herself if this ever happened again.

    The driver looked at Raeleigh¡¯s face carefully and immediately recognised her. He did not care whether she wanted to go to Waverly Vige or not, he was just going to drop her off there.

    Raeleigh did not say anything, thinking that the driver was Jacky¡¯s men.

    However, when the car pulled up outside Waverly Vige, Raeleigh realised that the driver was not Jacky¡¯s subordinate. Instead, he was here to collect his reward.

    Before Raeleigh got out of the car, she saw the driver went to the register and pointed towards the car. Jacky looked at the car for a brief moment then ordered someone to take the money before walking towards the car.

    When Jacky arrived at the car, he bent down and pulled open the car door.

    Raeleigh came out of the car and paused for a moment. Then, she looked over at the Richards family car, which was parked at one side. Jepherson immediately opened the door, got out of the car and walked towards Raeleigh.

 Chapter 1772 Nowhere To Be Seen

    Jacky walked aside, while Jepherson walked towards Raeleigh. When he arrived in front of Raeleigh, he raised his hand and touched her face. ¡°Did they hit you?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    Jepherson raised his hand and pulled her into his arms. At first, he held her gently in his arms, butter he tightened arms around her.

    Jacky stood by the side and watched for a while before turning around to leave. Harvey followed suit.

    Then, Jepherson released Raeleigh. He looked at her and said, ¡°I forgive you for what you did with Jared!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have something else to do.¡±

    Raeleigh walked passed Jepherson, intending to head into the vige, but Jepherson said, ¡°I asked Jared toe back.¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a moment and turned to look at Jepherson. ¡°That¡¯s your business. It has nothing to do with me.¡±

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, he would not have betrayed me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether he betrayed you, but you shouldn¡¯t have broken his legs.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Jepherson said. Raeleigh then asked, ¡°Which of us is the one that doesn¡¯t understand?¡±

    ¡°I was wrong!¡± Jepherson said as he hurried over to Raeleigh.¡±Please forgive me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and entered Waverly Vige. Jepherson¡¯s car was parked outside. He did not follow Raeleigh into the vige. Raeleigh walked for a while, then stopped and turned around to look at Jepherson. She intended to say something, but passed out before she could.

    Jepherson quickly rushed over to her and managed to catch her before she fell to the ground.

    ¡­

    When Raeleigh woke up, she heard the doctor talking to Jepherson. She could vaguely hear the doctor¡¯s words, ¡°It seems that we can¡¯t guarantee your wife¡¯s current condition. This is not the first time that she fainted. Her condition is getting worse. There are many different conditions that can cause fainting, but your wife¡¯s is due to her heart problem. Not only that, she has also undergone brain surgery before. In this case, if it happens a few more times, even the best doctor would not be able to save her.

    Also, I have to remind you that her condition is most affected by her mood. If she¡¯s in a bad mood, there¡¯s a higher chance of her passing out again.¡±

    After that, the doctor turned around and left. When Raeleigh heard the door of the ward closing, only then she opened her eyes. At this time, Jepherson was also looking at the door, frowning deeply.

    Jepherson then turned around and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°When did you wake up? You did not even make a sound, you¡¯re so sneaky.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer and justy there.

    ¡°Why are you not talking? Are you afraid?¡±

    Raeleigh frowned.

    ¡°Come on, speak up.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s voice was hoarse and he looked worried.

    ¡°Why do you look so worried? It¡¯s not you who is ill.¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh¡¯s voice was a little loud. Her heart ached inexplicably when she heard his trembling voice.

    Jepherson¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°I still expect you to apany me until I¡¯m a hundred years old.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Suddenly, the ward fell into a silence. Raeleigh watched as Jepherson walked to her side and sat down. He fiddled with the bracelet on Raeleigh¡¯s left wrist. ¡°The bracelet won¡¯t break. My heart won¡¯t be destroyed. You can only be my person in this life. I don¡¯t have time now. I need to watch over Capital City and I need to seek revenge against the Doyle family. Once this matter is over, I will find him.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer but just stared at Jepherson. He touched her bracelet and said, ¡°There must be a reason why they kidnapped you. What actually happened?¡±

    Only then did Raeleigh tell Jepherson the whole story. Jepherson thought for a moment and said, ¡°Crevor has gone too far. He clearly knows that you and I are close, but he still did it.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I really can¡¯t see through you. What exactly are you trying to do?¡±

    ¡°What do you think I¡¯m doing?¡±

    ¡°I feel like you want someone to do the dirty work for you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Jepherson did not answer. Raeleigh was also tired, so she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

    After covering Raeleigh with a quilt, Jepherson sat on one side and held her hand. After confirming that she was asleep, he ced her hand down and got up to go outside.

    Stuart immediately stood up. Jepherson sat on a chair on the side and extended his left hand. The nurse walked over and pricked the needles on him. Stuart found a nket and covered him with it. Then, he stepped back and waited for Jepherson.

    ¡°I want you to get a gift and send it over to Madam Geraldine. Make sure to wrap it nicely, but it has to be full with maggots.¡±

    Jepherson did not raise his head. Even Stuart was surprised. ¡°What do you mean, Mr. Richards?¡±

    ¡°Make sure it¡¯s disgusting.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Stuart turned around and did as he was told.

    ¡­

    Inside the Doyle family¡¯s vi.

    One of the servants entered the house and reported. ¡°Madam Marissa, there¡¯s a man outside the house. He said that he is Jepherson¡¯s assistant. He¡¯s here to deliver a gift.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson?¡±

    Geraldine frowned. ¡°How does he know that I¡¯m here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not surprising. It¡¯s not like you sneaked into the country. I¡¯m not surprised that he knows.¡±

    Madam Geraldine¡¯s grandson said. Madam Geraldine smiled and said, ¡°Is he here to threaten me?¡±

    No one spoke. Geraldine said, ¡°Let him in. I want to know what gift he bought.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam Geraldine.¡±

    The servant quickly walked outside and invited Stuart in. It wasn¡¯t long after Stuart entered the house.

    When Geraldine saw Stuart, she smiled and said, ¡°You are Stuart, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes. How are you doing, Madam Geraldine?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Since we are acquainted, you don¡¯t need to be so polite. Tell me, what brings you here?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards knows that you¡¯re in town and it¡¯s the also the end of this year, so he asked me to bring you a gift. He specifically told me to personally bring it to you.¡±

    After saying that, Stuart took out the gift.

    Geraldine smiled and said with a graceful look. ¡°Give it to me. I want to see what¡¯s inside.¡±

    Geraldine pointed. Stuart walked forward and handed the box in his hand to Geraldine. Geraldine said, ¡°Wow! It¡¯s heavy.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to open it myself?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if you¡¯d like.¡±

    Geraldine smiled and started to unwrap the gift.

    Geraldine slowly unwrapped the box and smelled something weird. She asked, ¡°What¡¯s that smell?¡±

    Stuart did not say a word.

    Geraldine tore opened thestyer. She did not look happy, but she still opened it.

    She thought to herself, ¡°Did Jepherson really give me a piece of stinky tofu?¡±

    Did he want her to eat it in front of him too?

    When she finally opened the box..

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Geraldine screamed and threw the box out.

    Geraldine did not expect that Jepherson asked someone to send her a box full of maggots. When Geraldine saw it, she immediately vomited.

    Stuart did not say anything and quietly slipped out of the Doyle family¡¯s vi, while everyone rushed over to check on Geraldine. The people inside were in a mess and the people outside had no idea what happened. No one stopped Stuart when he came out.

    When Stuart sessfully came out of the house, he immediately got into the car and left.

    When Geraldine realised that something was wrong, she quickly asked someone to clean up the maggots. She wanted to feed it to Stuart, but by then, Stuart was nowhere to be seen.

 Chapter 1773 Yes, and I Also Smell!

    ¡°Wow! That was quick!¡±

    Jepherson raised his eyes and asked Stuart. Stuart nodded. Jepherson asked, ¡°What was her reaction?¡±

    ¡°She was so mad that she vomited.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s disgusting.¡±

    Jepherson said. Stuart said, ¡°Yes, it was disgusting.¡±

    ¡°Stuart, I suggest you don¡¯t go anywhere during this period of time. I¡¯ll send someone to protect you and Lucy. I¡¯m sure you know that the Doyle family will seek revenge. You must be careful.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Stuart stepped aside. Raeleigh then asked Jepherson, ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Jepherson answered casually, but Raeleigh did not believe him.

    However, since he did not want to exin, Raeleigh did not continue to ask.

    Soon, it was night time. Raeleigh had just fallen asleep when she heard a sounding from outside. Jepherson turned around to look but did not get up.

    Raeleigh wondered who hade to the hospital.

    After a while, it was quiet outside the ward. Raeleigh looked at the door for a while, but there was no sound at the door.

    At this time, Jepherson got up and went to rest.

    Raeleigh asked him, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Go to sleep.¡±

    Jepherson urged. So, Raeleigh went back to sleep.

    The next morning, Raeleigh was watching the local news when it reported that a dead body was found in front of Crevor¡¯s vi.

    Raeleigh recognized the vi on the TV. It was where she and Crevor were locked up.

    ¡°Did you do it?¡±

    Jepherson ced the food on the table and was about to feed Raeleigh when he heard her question. He asked, ¡°Do what?¡±

    It was obvious that he did not want to answer her question, so Raeleigh did not ask anymore.

    However, the Doyle family suddenly became the most well-known family in Capital City.

    Almost everyone in Capital City was talking about them and some even asked the government officials about it.

    The government officials would always respond with silent.

    Later on, when the matter escted, someone questioned Jacky¡¯s ability to handle matters. The press conference was just held. The purpose of the press conference was to rify what was going on.

    Jacky did not make an appearance. Someone attended on his behalf. However, Jacky¡¯s secretary did attend the press conference.

    ¡°I¡¯ll re-check. The government does not have any details on the case as it has been handed over to the organized crime team. I will hand it over to them to exin.¡±

    As a result, the head of the organised crime team exined that the body of the man found in front of the Doyle family¡¯s vi was a killer. He was a fugitive on the Interpol list. This made people more panicked.

    What did it mean if a killer died in front of the Doyle family¡¯s vi?

    Was someone hatching a sinister plot against the Doyle family?

    How many businessmen were good people? Maybe the man was one of the Doyle¡¯s family people.

    The Doyle family¡¯s stock started to fall drastically as investors scurried to sell their stocks. The Doyle family was also boycotted by the people of Capital City. Even some of the stores were suddenly out of stock.

    Crevor frowned as he listened to the report. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Don¡¯t we have an agreement?¡±

    ¡°There is an agreement, but even if we have an agreement, it can¡¯t change anything. If they don¡¯t answer the phone now, we can¡¯t find anyone.¡±

    Crevor¡¯s assistant exined. Crevor sat in his office chair as he gripped a pen tightly in his hand.

    ¡°This is absurd!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Crevor, what should we do now?¡±

    ¡°I need you to tell Madam Geraldine. I¡¯m not in the mood right now, I¡¯m going out to clear my head.¡±

    Crevor stood up and left. He cast this matter aside.

    ¡­

    ¡°What did you say? He just left?¡±

    Madam Geraldine was so angry that her angernearly consumed her.She had not recovered from the scare where she opened Jepherson¡¯s box of maggots. Now, this.

    ¡°Tell him toe here. I want to hear his exnation. Is he trying to piss me off?¡±

    Geraldine was so angry that she was screaming on the bed. Her grandson said, ¡°Grandma, calm down. It will be fine after a few days. We¡¯ll just have topensate them. No one can do anything to us. Don¡¯t you think so?Health is one of the crucial things in life that money can¡¯t buy. Therefore, your health is more important right now.¡±

    Geraldine looked at her grandson, tears threateningto spill from her eyes. She asked the rest of the people to go out first. Then, she said to her grandson, ¡°You are very sensible. In three years time, this family will belong to you. I¡¯m not sure whether I¡¯ll be around to see that day.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re in good health. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll still be around.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait.¡±

    ¡­

    The Doyle family¡¯s incident took about a month to settle. By then, Raeleigh had almost recovered.

    The doctor said that for Raeleigh¡¯s condition, rest was a better cure than medicine. If it weren¡¯t for the doctor, she would have been discharged from the hospital long ago. However, she had to stay in the hospital for an extra two weeks.

    Aftering out of the hospital, Raeleigh got into Jepherson¡¯s car and followed him over to her house in Waverly Vige. She got out of the car and opened the door. She was surprised to see that her house was spotless. However, there were no signs of Jared.

    Raeleigh turned around and asked Jepherson, ¡°Where¡¯s Jared?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡±

    Raeleigh asked curiously, ¡°I thought you took him back?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did, but the two of you will no longer see each other.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face darkened. Of course, he was unhappy, but he did not say anything. He walked past Raeleigh, entered the door and went inside with his suitcase.

    Raeleigh stood at the door, looking slightly confused. ¡°You¡¯re nning to stay here with me?¡±

    Jepherson asked, ¡°What? Other people can live here, but I can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°By other people, are you referring to Jared?¡±

    ¡°Who else?¡±

    ¡°Jared broke his leg, did you?¡±

    Raeleigh sounded slightly annoyed. Jepherson went upstairs to put his luggage in the room beforeing downstairs to look at Raeleigh. He looked dead in the eyes. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll break my legs. Then, I can live here for the rest of my life.¡±

    ¡°If you really do, then I will let you live for the rest of your life.¡±

    ¡°Fine. Do not go back on your words.¡±

    Raeleigh stood at the door with a pale face. A person like Jepherson was capable of doing anything.

    When Raeleigh did not say anything, Jepherson turned around and went to the kitchen. The shelves and pantry were fully stocked and there was about a month left before the new year.

    Jepherson put on the apron and soon, thequick, sharpsoundof theknife against the chopping board could be heard.Raeleigh was curious to what he was doing, so she went into the kitchen and realised that he was dicing some meat.

    ¡°What are you making?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to make some ravioli.¡±

    Jepherson replied lightly. Raeleigh stood at the door of the kitchen, ¡°But I can¡¯t wrap them.¡±Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I need your help. Just sit and wait outside.¡±

    Since Jepherson did not need her help, so she did not stay in the kitchen. She turned around and went upstairs to take a shower. It took her a lot of effort to put on her clothes. By the time she went back downstairs, Jepherson had already wrapped up the raviolis and was about to put it in the pot.

    Raeleigh couldsmellthe delicious mushroom soupas she walked down the stairs.

    After arriving downstairs, she went straight to the kitchen to have a look. Jepherson also made two more dishes.

    Raeleigh stood aside and quietly observed Jepherson. Jepherson was also very quiet. He ced the ravioli in the frying pan and said, ¡°Have you taken a bath?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Jepherson continued to ask, ¡°Are you afraid that I¡¯ll offer to help you take a shower that¡¯s why you decided to shower first?¡±

    Raeleigh still did not say anything. Jepherson asked, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s enough to stop me?¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent. Jepherson turned around and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s exhausting being with a man like you.¡± Raeleigh was toozy to say anything.

    ¡°Or maybe, I¡¯m just good in bed.¡±

    Jepherson turned his head to check on the raviolis. Raeleigh stopped and walked in. She picked up a dish and walked out. Jepherson turned around and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Are you dumb?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and I also smell!¡±

 Chapter 1774 Lucyâ€™s In Trouble

    Jepherson was stunned for a moment. He gave her a mystified smile and said, ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you¡¯re smelly.¡±

    Raeleigh remained unmoved and lowered her head to eat. Jepherson then poured a ss of white wine.

    Raeleigh watched as Jepherson filled his ss with wine. She asked worriedly, ¡°Why are you drinking?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t men supposed to drink?¡±

    ¡°Says who?¡±

    ¡°Me.¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless.

    Jepherson took a sip of wine and ate some peanuts. Jepherson roasted the peanuts himself. He once saw Jacky eat it like this, so he decided to try it himself.

    The other dish was thinly sliced smoked meat. Raeleigh decided to try a piece.

    However, just as Raeleigh ced the second piece in her mouth, she saw Jepherson take a sip of the white wine.

    ¡°It¡¯s not water, why are you drinking so much?¡± Raeleigh was worried when she saw Jepherson drinking.

    Raeleigh¡¯s heart started pounding in her chest when she realised that there wasn¡¯t anybel on the bottle of wine.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    This was the only white wine avable in Waverly Vige. In fact, these kind of wine tastedauthentic. It was alsovery intoxicating.

    Raeleigh was worried when Jepherson finished an entire bottle. She wondered since when did he start drinking so much?

    Jepherson remained silent as he emptied his ss of wine. He clutched the wine bottle in his hand and refilled his wine ss.

    Raeleigh took a bite of the raviolis. ¡°You¡¯ll sleep down here tonight. At least, it¡¯ll be easier if anything happens to you.¡±

    ¡°What could possibly happen?¡±

    Jepherson drank the wine as if he was drinking water. Raeleigh felt suspicious. She wondered whether the liquid in the wine ss was really wine or was it just water?

    Jepherson seemed to have read Raeleigh¡¯s mind. He dipped the end of the fork into the wine ss and put it to Raeleigh¡¯s mouth. She could smell the alcohol, but she was still a little suspicious of Jepherson, so she opened her mouth and tasted it.

    Raeleigh¡¯s face fell immediately. She stood up and walked to the kitchen. She drank a mouthful of cold water and rinsed her mouth before returning to the table.

    She sat down and looked over at Jepherson. By then, he had already finished his ss of wine.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°If you keep on drinking like this, I¡¯m not going to let you stay here. I¡¯m not worried about the thieves. I¡¯m more worried about your antics.¡±

    Jepherson refilled his ss again and ced it on the table. Then, he took a small sip this time before he started digging into the raviolis.

    Raeleigh was relieved when she saw Jepherson eating.

    Raeleigh felt that she could not keep on staring at Jepherson all the time. However, if she didn¡¯t, he would start drinking again.

    By the time they finished their meal, Jepherson had already finished an entire bottle of white wine.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head upstairs first.¡±

    Raeleigh did not stay to help him clean up because she felt that the whole situation seemed strange. So, after she finished her meal, she immediately made her way upstairs. Jepherson stayed to clean up the table. After that, he went into the room downstairs to sleep.

    Raeleigh waited until nine o¡¯clock. Jepherson still did not move, so she decided to head downstairs to check on him. Only then she realized that he had fallen asleep.

    Raeleigh took a coat and covered him with it. Just as she stood up, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked up and saw that he was still asleep. It was his natural instinct to pull her into his arms. He made a slight sound and then continued to sleep.

    ¡°Let me go.¡± Raeleigh called. Jepherson slipped his hand under her clothes and gently stroked her back, asionally pinching her back.

    Raeleigh bit her lip and did not make a sound.

    However, the less she spoke, the more relentless he was.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Raeleigh gasped for air. Jepherson slowly opened his eyes, turned over and pressed her under him. He did his best not to touch her left hand as much as possible.

    Jepherson covered her with his body from head to toe. Then, he said, ¡°You brought this on to yourself. You can¡¯t me me.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh woke up in the middle of the night and felt a slight headache. It was as if her entire body was being squeezed.

    She was in a lot of pain.

    Jepherson was sleeping on one side. Raeleigh sat up in bed and looked over at him. She could tell that he was exhausted as he slept peacefully on the bed. Raeleigh had no idea how much sleep she got, but it was already dawn. She felt as if she hadn¡¯t slept at all.

    Raeleigh thought of getting out of bed, but she did not have the strength. Shey down and turned over. Then, Jepherson hugged her from behind and kissed her.

    ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little hot. Can you please let go of me?¡±

    ¡°How about now?¡±

    Jepherson threw off the quilt and exposed their upper bodies. Raeleigh¡¯s face fell. ¡°Haven¡¯t you had enough?¡±

    ¡°What would you do if I said no?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless.

    Raeleigh pulled the quilt over her body and closed her eyes without saying anything.

    ¡­

    ¡°Have you found them?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I found a woman called Lucy.¡±

    Geraldine sat on one side, with a hint of malice in her eyes. ¡°Since Jepherson did this to me, then don¡¯t me me for being rude.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, what are you going to do?¡±

    Hanschsked. Geraldine replied, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Grandma, I want to have a look.¡±

    ¡°Then go ahead. Remember, don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡±

    Geraldine still cared about this grandson. She was very close toHanschel,plus he looked exactly like her husband.

    Hanschelwalked up to them. Geraldine smiled lightly as she sat in her chair. No one could stop the Doyle family from getting what they want, including the Richards family.

    Since the Richards family provoked them first, they only had themselves to me.

    Jepherson got up in the morning and received a phone call from Stuart saying that Lucy was missing.

    ¡°How is it possible? Didn¡¯t I tell you to keep an eye on her?¡±

    ¡°I did, but¡­¡±

    Stuart was holding back. Lucy was pregnant.

    Jepherson quickly stood up and Raeleigh asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Lucy is in trouble.¡±

    As soon as she got up, Jepherson had already walked downstairs. Raeleigh immediately followed him and asked, ¡°What should we do? Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to try and look for her.¡±

    Jepherson got into the car and left. Raeleigh stood at the door before she turned around and made a call to Jacky.

    ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t go anywhere. The safest ce right now is Waverly Vige.¡±

    Jacky had just woken up. He was still in bed with Deanna. They did not spend the night in Waverly Vige.

    Jacky immediately got out of bed. He put on his clothes and walked downstairs. Deanna wanted to follow him, but he asked her to wait for him at home.

    At this moment, everyone in the Whalen family had gotten up. When they saw Jackying downstairs, Zorion asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so flustered?¡±

    ¡°Stuart¡¯s wife is missing and she¡¯s pregnant. It happenedst night, but he told us this morning.¡±

    ¡°Last night?¡±

    Zorion immediately picked up his phone and made a call as he walked out of the house with Jacky. They each got into their cars and went their separate ways.

    Rossie walked to the door and took a look. She was a little worried. She turned around and looked at Rayan, who was sitting on the sofa. ¡°Dad¡­¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Rayan stood up and walked aside. After a pause, he picked up his phone and called someone outside. ¡°I¡¯m Rayan. I need you to help me look for someone. I want this person alive. I don¡¯t care who the person is, they have to give me face this time. She is my goddaughter.¡±

    After hanging up, Rayan looked at Rossie. ¡°You should know that the Doyle family will not take actions without any reason.¡±

 Chapter 1775 Losing His Beloved Wife

    Lucy Wagner was lying in a pool of blood when they found her. She was already dead and so was the baby in her stomach. Stuart closed his eyes tightly and couldn¡¯t say a word.

    No one would be able to bear the sight of such brutal death. Stuart cried so hard that he could not speak.

    Jepherson got out of the car and watched Stuart, not saying a word. There were a lot of people getting off the car. At this moment, Lucy was lying half naked in a pool of blood. The colour had drained from her face.

    It was a cold night. Stuart took off her coat and wrapped it around Lucy. He did not leave her, instead, he pulled her into his arms. There was arge puddle of blood on the ground. Lucy died just like that.

    Stuart held Lucy and wept loudly on the ground. The wind was whistling and the snow was falling from the sky. This was the scene Raeleigh saw when she arrived.

    Raeleigh felt as if her heart was pricked by needles. She looked over at Jepherson, who was standing aside and said, ¡°Look! This is Capital City. This is the most cruel ce in the world. People deceive and kill each other. People here are inhumane!¡±

    Jepherson raised his hand and gave Raeleigh a tight p across her face. Raeleigh almost lost her bnce andy prone on the car.

    Tears started streaming down from Raeleigh¡¯s face. Everything around them froze, only Stuart¡¯s cries could be heard.

    Deanna wanted to walk over to Raeleigh, but she was held back by Jacky. Deanna turned around and looked at Jacky through her tear-filled eyes. She trembled as she wept. She opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but the words could note out.

    Raeleigh slowly got to her feet and stared at Jepherson. She raised her right hand and pped him across the face. He gritted her teeth and turned around.

    Raeleigh took off her coat as she walked towards Stuart. Then, wrapped her coat around Lucy¡¯s body.

    ¡°Stuart, you can¡¯t be here. You need to go back.¡±

    Stuart raised his head slowly and stared at Raeleigh. ¡°Lucy¡­¡±

    ¡°I know. Why don¡¯t youe home with me? I will help you get revenge. I promise that I will find the murderer, alright?¡±

    Stuart slowly got up and carried Lucy in his arms. Raeleigh ran over to the front of Jepherson¡¯s car. She opened the door and immediately got inside. Jepherson stood, staring at the blood on the ground that had been covered by the snow.

    Jacky then pushed Deanna into the car and turned back to look at Harvey, ¡°I need you to bring Deanna home. Keep an eye on her. Make sure nothing happens to her.¡±

    Harvey immediately got into the car and left.

    Jacky turned around and looked at Zorion. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go home as well? I am still worried about Deanna.¡±

    Zorion briefly nced at Jepherson before turning to look at Jacky. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if I stayed. With your current identity¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate for you to stay. I¡¯ll stay. You should head home.¡±

    Jacky was adamant on staying, so Zorion immediately returned to the car. Rossie was crying in the car. As soon as Zorion entered the car, she threw herself into Zorion¡¯s embrace and cried even harder.

    ¡°Drive.¡± Zorion ordered coldly. The driver started the car and caught up to Deanna¡¯s car.

    After the Whalen family left, Jepherson remained standing at the same spot, staring at the pool of blood on the ground.

    Jacky walked over to Jepherson and stopped. ¡°This is actually our fate and this is only the beginning. Without any protection, who knows who¡¯s next? It could be Deanna or Raeleigh. If you aren¡¯t ruthless, they will end up in a pool of blood, just like Lucy.¡±

    Jepherson gritted his teeth and did not say anything.

    Jacky turned around and looked at the people around him. Everyone was standing by the car with the headlights on.

    ¡°What are you going to do next? Are you still nning to use formal channels to stop the Doyle family?¡±

    Jepherson nced at Jacky and started walking along the street. He did not even say a word.

    Dozens of cars followed behind Jepherson. He walked in the cold for an entire night.

    Jepherson finally arrived home at the Richards Group Manor the next morning.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Stuart who had spent the entire night crying. She wasn¡¯t sure what Stuart was going to do. He brought Lucy into the room and washed her body for a long time beforeing out. Aftering out, he put on some nice clothes for her andy her down on the bed.

    Raeleigh was afraid that something would happen, so she stayed awake to keep an eye on Stuart.

    When Jepherson arrived home, Stuart was still crying as he looked at Lucy¡¯s body.

    Jepherson entered the room and saw Raeleigh¡¯s swollen face. He was aware how hard he had hit her, he knew how much it must have hurt.

    Raeleigh also pped him hard, but it was not as hard as his. A woman¡¯s strength was notparable to a man¡¯s and a man had the strength of a bull when they were angry. This was the essential difference.

    Raeleigh turned her face away when she saw Jephersoning in.

    Jepherson then walked over to Stuart. He stopped and nced at Lucy, who was lying on the bed after being washed.

    ¡°I have already informed Mr. Alvin. He should be back soon.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson turned around and went outside. At this point, the only thing Stuart knew how to do was cry.

    Raeleigh stood up, walked to Stuart and sat down. Stuart cried as he looked at Raeleigh. Raeleigh asked, ¡°Stuart, do you want to find out who killed Lucy and avenge her?¡±

    Stuart nodded and Raeleigh said, ¡°Then, you must stop crying. I will give you a chance to find the murderer. Do you trust me?¡±

    Stuart gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll inform the Wagner family that we¡¯re going to hold a funeral for Lucy. I¡¯m going to make sure I find the murderer.¡±

    Stuart suddenly hugged Lucy. ¡°No, I promised her that we¡¯ll grow old together.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°Stuart, but Lucy¡¯s dead now. Someone killed her. Don¡¯t you want to avenge her? Don¡¯t you want to seek justice?¡±

    Stuart shook his head and was still crying.

    Raeleigh had no choice but to stand up. At this time, Rayan and Hannah had already arrived. There were more people in the Richards Group Manor. Jepherson intended to bring Marissa home for the new years, but no one expected that something like this would happen at this time. Even Marissa was surprised.

    Although Marissa did not like Stuart or Lucy, she still felt that the Doyle Family had gone too far.

    Trevor threw his beloved teacup on the ground, smashing it into pieces.

    Then, he got up and went to the Green Jade Garden to see Stuart and Lucy.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    When he arrived at the Green Jade Garden, everyone was there. Trevor did not look happy. He stood downstairs without saying a word.

    At this time, Zorion was also present with Rossie.

    ¡°I have already checked, but I couldn¡¯t find anything. I watched the entire video. The only thing I saw was dozens of ck cars. I couldn¡¯t see anything else. I couldn¡¯t even see the person getting off the car. I only saw those animals raping Lucy to death.¡±

    Jepherson stood downstairs with a pale face. He nced at Zorion and said, ¡°Do not mention this to Stuart. He must not know what happened, lest he loses control.¡±

    Jepherson walked to the sofa and sat down. Everyone was staring at Jepherson. He seemed to have grown older overnight. Even his voice had changed.

 Chapter 1776 Jailbirds

    Zorion said, ¡°The problem is we can¡¯t find the murderer. What should we do?¡±

    Raeleigh came downstairs. ¡°I am confident I can find him.¡±

    Almost everyone looked up at Raeleigh who was walking down the stairs. Raeleigh wore a white shirt. She stood at the bottom of the stairs and said, ¡°I¡¯m very confident that this is done by the Doyle family. I don¡¯t believe that a person canreach the acme of perfection. The reason why we couldn¡¯t find the murderer is because that ce was empty. It¡¯s not easy to find him. Only the people present at that time saw him because he was the one controlling everything.

    However, they did not give us any heads up that they were going to take action against our people. That is to imply that they do not need permission to kill anyone.

    I am sure that the murderer is a member of the Doyle family. Since he killed one of our people, that means we can do the same. Why do we need to trouble ourselves to find who the murderer is? Why don¡¯t we confront them now? Who¡¯sing with me?¡±

    ¡°Go back to your room.¡± Jepherson suddenly said. Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, ¡°Do you think you can control me?¡±

    Jepherson stood up and turned to Raeleigh. ¡°What makes you think I can¡¯t?¡±

    At this moment, they were at loggerheads. Everyone else in the room kept quiet.

    Raeleigh continued walking down the stairs and stood in front of Jepherson. ¡°You¡¯ve never been able to control my fate.¡±

    Jepherson gritted her teeth. ¡°If you dare to step out of this house, then I¡¯ll break your leg.¡±

    ¡°Try me.¡±

    Raeleigh walked around Jepherson towards the door. Then, she turned around and looked at Jacky, ¡°Are youing with me?¡±

    Deanna rushed over and grabbed Jacky¡¯s arm, ¡°Jacky.¡±

    Jacky held Deanna¡¯s hand and looked at her, ¡°I was the same person when you met me. I¡¯ve never changed.Lifeanddeatharefated,richesandhonourdependon theappointmentofheaven.¡±

    Deanna curled her lips. ¡°I know, I¡¯ll wait for you toe back.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no one will dare to hurt us. I¡¯ll bring him back the same way I took him away.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Zorion, ¡°You shoulde with us too.¡±

    Zorion lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. He looked up at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I have no idea what¡¯s going on in your head, but since you want me toe with you, then I¡¯ll go.¡±

    Zorion turned around and nced at Rossie. He straightened her clothes and said, ¡°Remember, if you¡¯re cold, you have toput moreyerson to keep warm. When you¡¯re hungry, you must eat. If you¡¯re tired, you have to get some rest.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will take good care of myself. Raeleigh can¡¯t go alone. I¡¯ll be very worried if she did not have any support. Since she has you and Jacky, then I¡¯m sure everything will be fine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my baby girl. I knew you would understand. Alright then, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±

    Zorion lowered his head and kissed Rossie on the lips. After pulling apart, he looked at his parents and said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Please take care of Rossie for me.¡±

    ¡°Be careful.¡± Rayan was very unhappy about this matter. He called for help, but they failed to save Lucy. This matter wouldn¡¯t be settled like this. Since they wanted to rebel and wanted to do such a dirty thing, they would not tolerate them anymore!

    Zorion strode out and someone pulled open the door when he reached the entrance. Then, he sat in the car and closed the door. The headlights of a dozen cars were all turned on, lighting up the outside of the Richards Groups Manor.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson stood rooted to the spot. Trevor then asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Jared?¡±

    Jepherson did not say anything, but Jared walked out from the side. Trevor knew that Jared would not leave Jepherson¡¯s side.

    Raeleigh was stunned. ¡°Jared.¡±

    Jared did not answer her. Trevor said, ¡°Let Raeleigh use the Richards family¡¯s car since it¡¯s our family¡¯s official business. Jared, I want you to apany Raeleigh.¡±

    Jared nced at the expressionless Jepherson before stepping out. Only then did Jacky stop Raeleigh from walking out.

    By the time Raeleigh emerged from the house, Jared had already got the car ready. Raeleigh pulled the door open, but did not get on the car immediately. She suddenly heard the footsteps behind her.

    She turned around and saw Jepherson walking out of the courtyard with a coat in his hand.

    Raeleigh stood and waited for Jepherson toe over.

    Jepherson shoved the coat into Raeleigh¡¯s arms but did not say anything.

    Raeleigh cast a nce at Jepherson¡¯s face before turning back to the car.

    After closing the door, Jared briefly nced at Jepherson and then ordered the driver to start the car.

    As the car started to move, Jacky told Jepherson, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, nothing will happen.¡±

    Jacky got into another car. There were more than 20 cars escorting Zorion¡¯s car. The Whalen family¡¯s car was at the front, while the Richards family¡¯s car was in the middle, followed by the cars from Waverly Vige. About 30 cars left the Richards family¡¯s gate at the same time and headed straight for Crevor¡¯s vi.

    The scenery along the way was very beautiful.

    All the cars passing by immediately moved out of the way when they saw the convoy of cars.

    It wasn¡¯t often that the Whalen and Richards families appeared at the same time, not to mention that they were surrounded by the cars from Waverly Vige.

    All the taxi drivers immediately knew that something had happened.

    Raeleigh called Crevor in the car. Crevor had no idea what had happened. At this moment, he was standing outside, looking at the snow. He was surprised to receive a call from Raeleigh.

    ¡°Stuart¡¯s wife is dead. She was raped to death. She was pregnant and now the baby is also gone. I want to know, how would you feel if your grandmother was raped to death?¡±

    Raeleigh hung up the phone and leaned against the car. Then, Jared straightened Raeleigh¡¯s dress carefully. Raeleigh opened her eyes, wearing no expression on her face.

    Her feelings for Jared was not the love between men and women, but once something happened, it could no longer be changed. It was not clear what made things develop to this point, but now she could only ept it.

    Jared took away his hand and said, ¡°As long as I give up the idea, Jepherson will let me stay by his side and things will go back tothe wayit was.

    He¡¯s a smart guy. He broke my legs. He wants me to know that even though we¡¯re close, he still will not show any mercy. He kept you by his side in hopes that I will get over you.¡±

    Of course I know this, but¡­ if I had to leave you, I would rather watch you from a distance.¡±

    ¡°Why bother? I have no feelings for you. I¡¯m sure you know.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m happy as long as I get to see you.¡±

    What else could Raeleigh say? She turned her head and looked out the window. It was just like a road to the mortal world. She sat in the car and knew that she had no control over them, so she let them do what they wanted.

    Soon, they pulled up at the gate of the Doyle Family. The cars stopped one after another. Zorion and Jacky¡¯s car stopped on either side of Raeleigh¡¯s car, blocking the gate of the Doyle Family.

    When Raeleigh got out of the car, she looked up and realised that there was nothing special about Crevor¡¯s vi. It looked like any other vi.

    Someone went to press the doorbell, while Raeleigh stood at the gate, waiting. It did not take long for a member of the Doyle family toe out. Raeleigh looked over at Jared and said, ¡°I want him out of my sight.¡±

    Jared took out his gun and pointed it at the person¡¯s head. Within seconds, the soundof agunshot rang through the air andthe man fell to the ground. Raeleigh stood there, unfazed.

    They would never know that jailbirds did not care about these kind of things.

 Chapter 1777 Slow Painful Torture

    When the rest of the Doyle family members saw one of their men shot to death, they immediately became alert. Raeleigh looked at the people around her before walking inside.

    Raeleigh was nked by Jacky and Zorion. Jared followed closely behind.

    The gate of the Doyle family¡¯s mansion had long been blocked by a long row of cars.

    Even Crevor found it difficult to enter.

    Soon, Raeleigh arrived at the door of the mansion. Then, she entered the door. However, one of the servants asked Raeleigh to stop. Raeleigh briefly nced at the servant and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, then I¡¯d suggest you get out of my way!¡±

    The servant lowered her head, not daring to say anything. Raeleigh extended her hand out to Jared. He pulled out the gun from his pocket and handed it to Raeleigh. ¡°I¡¯ll count to three. If you don¡¯t get out of my way, I¡¯ll take it as you are willing to die in my hands.¡±

    After finishing her words, Raeleigh started counting. ¡°One¡­¡±

    The servant immediately moved out of the way. Raeleigh stepped into the house and saw Geraldine and Hanschel sitting in the living room. She immediately walked up to them and asked, ¡°I just want to know one thing. Who did it?¡±

    ¡°We have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. This is a private residence. Are you here to threaten me? This ce is equipped with surveince cameras. I can put you in jail at any time.¡± Geraldine said. Raeleigh replied with a smile, ¡°Unfortunately, nobody dares to arrest me.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her pistol and pointed it at Geraldine. ¡°Do you believe me when I say that I will kill you?¡±

    ¡°Do you dare?¡± Geraldine challenged Raeleigh. She didn¡¯t believe that Raeleigh dared to pull the trigger. Raeleigh walked up to her. The people around her immediately took out their guns and pointed it at Raeleigh. Raeleigh paused for a while. ¡°Tell them to put their guns down. Even if I am dead, with your current status, do you really think that you can escape from this?¡±

    Geraldine¡¯s face turned darker. She asked Raeleigh, ¡°What on earth do you want?¡±

    ¡°I want you to tell your men to put down their guns. I¡¯m not going to repeat myself.¡±

    Raeleigh put her gun on Geraldine¡¯s head and put her finger on the trigger. Geraldine knew that she was being serious this time. She immediately ordered her men, ¡°Put down your guns.¡±

    Her men immediately put down their guns. Raeleigh bent down, picked up the bowl of soup on the table and poured it directly on Geraldine¡¯s head. The soup was so scorching hot that it made Geraldine tremble in pain.

    ¡°Grandma.¡± Hanschel wanted to get up, but Jared immediately pulled out the other gun from his back pocket and aimed it at Hanschel. ¡°Trust me, I¡¯ll shoot you down before anyone else can.¡±

    Hanschel quietly sat down, but he did not panic.

    ¡°What the hell do you guys want?¡±

    Geraldine was so angry that she was about to lose her mind.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°If people respect me, I¡¯ll respect them. If they bully me, I¡¯llgetback atthem.

    If someone wants to kill me, I¡¯ll seek revenge. If I wasn¡¯t this ruthless, I doubt I¡¯ll be standing here today.

    You guys have gone too far! You guys made afuss about nothing!If you guys had killed any other person, I wouldn¡¯t havee.

    Adog can jump fences when cornered. Even a worm will turn.

    Consider yourselves unlucky today. I¡¯m in a bad mood, so I won¡¯t let you go. Just tell me who is the mastermind behind this, and I¡¯ll leave.¡±

    Geraldine gritted her teeth. ¡°We don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about! Don¡¯t try to fool us! Don¡¯t think that you can do anything to us just because you¡¯ve gathered a few families. We, the Doyle family, have our own army of people as well!¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile, ¡°Geraldine, you¡¯re such a joker. Well, shall we test that theory then?¡±

    Raeleigh said to Jared, ¡°Go to the kitchen and get me a knife and some salt.¡±

    Jared immediately did as he was told. Geraldine looked over atHanschel with fear in her eyes. Hanschel quickly said, ¡°If you want to do anything, do it to me!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will,¡± Raeleigh said. Jared returned to Raeleigh¡¯s side and handed her the two things that she asked for.

    Raeleigh took the knife and ran it along her face. Geraldine raised her trembling hands and begged for mercy. Hanschel also shouted at Raeleigh angrily, ¡°If you want to do anything, do it to me! Please don¡¯t hurt my grandmother!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, who do you think you are?¡± Raeleigh smirked and shed the knife across Geraldine¡¯s face. Geraldine screamed. Raeleigh pretended that nothing happened. Even Zorion was a little shocked when he saw what Raeleigh did. It was as if she hadpletely changed into another person.

    ¡°Ah! My face! It hurts!¡± Geraldine¡¯s hands trembled. She had rings of various gems and colours on her fingers.

    Raeleigh held Geraldine¡¯s hand and broke her finger with ease.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Geraldine screamed like a madman. Jacky and Zorion looked at each other in disbelief. They wondered whether this was the Raeleigh they knew?

    Hanschel suddenly wanted to stand up, but Jared shot him on the shoulder. Hanschel stumbled backwards onto the sofa. The people around him did not dare to move. At this time, they were like people staring at the face of death. No one dared to move a muscle.

    Hanschel panted heavily. ¡°You bunch of b*stards.¡±

    Raeleigh said to Hanschel, ¡°We¡¯re not! We are here to get even with you. If your family did not provoke us, we would not havee today.¡±

    ¡°There will be consequences for your actions today!¡± Geraldine leaned on the sofa and trembled all over. She was barely hanging on.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    Raeleigh shoved the muzzle of the gun into Geraldine¡¯s mouth to shut her up. ¡°I hate it when people lie! Especially people like you!¡±

    Raeleigh sprinkled some salt on Geraldine¡¯s wound. Geraldine immediately howled when the salt came into contact with her wound.

    ¡°Let me tell you what happened. My friend was raped to death. She died a brutal death. For the first time in my life, I felt helpless. What else was I supposed to do other than toe here and seek revenge?

    You¡¯re free to kill anyone for all I care, but you messed with the wrong people this time. If you can kill anyone without any reason, so can I!¡±

    Raeleigh said and took the gun away. She then poured the entire packet of salt into Geraldine¡¯s mouth. After that, she put the gun down, grabbed Geraldine¡¯s cor and dragged her off the sofa.

    Even though Raeleigh did not have any strength, she was more powerful than Geraldine. Geraldine was struggled to fight back. Raeleigh threw her on the ground and kicked her several times. Jacky stared at Raeleigh in disbelief. She was losing it!

    Zorion was also shocked. This was the first time that he had seen Raeleigh holding a knife, much less a gun. Furthermore, she did everything with ease. What did this mean?

    It seemed like she had undergone special training and they knew nothing about it.

    Geraldine was pushed to the ground. Hanschel wanted to get up immediately, but Jared grabbed the bottle on the coffee table and smashed it on Hanschel¡¯s head. Hanschel¡¯s head immediately bled. He suddenly felt dizzy and wasn¡¯t able to get to his feet.

    Zorion looked over at Jared. This was not his first time doing it, but he was particrly fierce this time.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh then started stripping Geraldine. As an olddy, what could she do? Furthermore, she was injured. Raeleigh ripped off Geraldine¡¯s clothes with only her right hand.

    Geraldine¡¯s mouth was full of salt, and her saliva dripped from her mouth. By the time Raeleigh ripped off all Geraldine¡¯s clothes, Geraldine was barely hanging on. Raeleigh quickly took out her mobile phone and started taking close-up pictures of Geraldine.

    Geraldine cried hysterically on the ground, but Hanschel wasn¡¯t able to do anything. At this time, Raeleigh turned around and looked at Hanschel with a cold and vicious look in her eyes.

 Chapter 1778 Heaven is Blind, But Where Did The Tears Come From?

    Raeleigh walked towards Hanschel with a smile on her face. ¡°Actually, I knew it was you.¡±

    Hanschel felt Raeleigh was up to something, so he retreated as Raeleigh walked towards him. She then picked up the knife on the table and said, ¡°I just want to tell you this. Yes, you can hurt others, but others can do the same to you. Don¡¯t think that God will let you go. Even if he does, I will not let you go!¡±

    ¡°You b*tch!¡± Hanschel yelled, intending to spit on Raeleigh¡¯s face, but Raeleigh managed to dodge it just in time.

    Raeleigh looked at Hanschel dead in the eyes and stabbed his crotch mercilessly. Hanschel screamed in pain. The colour slowly drained from his face and he started sweating profusely.

    ¡°Ahhhh¡­¡±

    At the same time, Geraldine was screaming in pain on the ground. She was going berserk and wanted to stand up. Raeleigh ignored her and kept her eyes on Hanschel. She pulled the knife away and said coldly, ¡°You asked for it! A normal person will not have any intentions to kill, just like I have no intentions to kill you two, but you left me with no choice!¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Hanschel roared. It was this exact moment that Crevor came running into the house.

    Crevor froze for a moment when he saw Raeleigh, then he looked at Geraldine, who was lying on the ground. He quickly took off his coat and covered her. Raeleigh remained indifferent as she watched Crevor.

    ¡°Raeleigh, what the hell are you doing?¡± Crevor did not think that Raeleigh was capable of doing such things. This was basically a joke!

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Can¡¯t you see? I am torturing them.¡±

    ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have. You¡¯re not me, so you will not understand. I watched my friend get raped to death! She was pregnant and now the baby¡¯s dead! Do you know about it?¡±

    Raeleigh smiled and lowered her head as she talked, shielding her face from everyone.

    Crevor asked, ¡°They did it?¡±

    ¡°Who else could it be?¡±

    ¡°Do you have any evidence?¡±

    ¡°I am the evidence.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and walked towards Hanschel. She sat on top of him and said, ¡°The hardest part is not dying because only those alive would know what it¡¯s like to suffer.¡±

    Raeleigh let out a scream and stabbed Hanschel¡¯s leg.

    Hanschel suddenly passed out due to the pain.

    At this time, Raeleigh still would not let him off the hook. She used the knife and carved out the word ¡°beast¡± on his face before standing up.

    Then, Raeleigh wiped the knife and tossed it over to Crevor.

    ¡°You¡¯ve cultivated before. You should know that God is benevolent.¡±

    After finishing her words, Raeleigh picked up the gun, turned around and walked outside. Jacky and the others followed suit. Crevor hurriedly called an ambnce to send Geraldine and Hanschel to the hospital.

    Before Raeleigh left, she gave an instruction to some of the cars to stay behind.

    ¡°No matter what happens, you guys can¡¯t leave. You guys are only allowed to leave after two hours, understand?¡±

    Raeleigh instructed her men. They immediately agreed.

    Raeleigh then left. The atmosphere in the car was a little strange. Jared knew that Raeleigh intended to torture Geraldine, but not to this extent.

    Hanschel was the same. He was certain that Hanscel would be crippled after this incident.

    Raeleigh handed Jared back his gun in the car. The rest of the cars followed Raeleigh back to the Richards Group Manor.

    By the time they arrived back at the Richards Group Manor, Hansen and Alvin had already arrived. When Alvin saw Raeleigh, he did not say anything, but his eyes were cold.

    Raeleigh did not go over and greet him either. At this time, even if she knelt down and kowtowed, Alvin would not acknowledge her presence.

    Raeleigh entered the door, Jared, who was behind her, suddenly stopped. He looked over at Alvin and said, ¡°Mr. Robertson.¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    When Jared saw Alvin¡¯s expression, he did not go in. Instead, he stayed outside.

    At this time, there were many people sitting in the living room of the Richards Group Manor. Hansen and Jepherson were sitting on the sofa, while Santiago was sitting in a wheelchair. When Raeleigh entered the house and saw Santiago, she quickly walked towards him. She knelt down in front of him and looked up. Then, she reached one hand out and held his hand, not saying a word.

    Zorion and Jacky entered the house without saying a word. They did not expect this matter to be resolved in such a manner. Raeleigh was ruthless. No one would dare to provoke her at this point.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Zorion couldn¡¯t help ncing at Jepherson. He had a feeling that he had no idea what happened.

    ¡°Santiago, Santiago¡­¡±

    Raeleigh called his name. Santiago¡¯s eyes were opened, but there wasn¡¯t anyspark in his eyes.His eyes were fixed on one ce, not reacting at all. Raeleigh started shedding tears, but she quickly used her hands to wipe it away.

    Raeleigh then stood up and remained beside Santiago. She took a quick nce at the people around her. At this time, all members of the Richards family were present, except for Marissa. She acted as if this matter had nothing to do with her at all.

    Trevor was already extremely disappointed when he realised Marissa was absent. This incident started all because of her. He really did not expect Marissa to be so cold-blooded and not show up. No matter how good Trevor¡¯s temper was, he would never forget Marissa. Anger welled up in his chest.

    At this time, the Wagner family had just arrived. Lucy¡¯s parents,Chirsen and his wifeall came. They were dumbfounded when they saw the amount of people gathered in the living room.

    Hansen and Jenna immediately stood up when they saw them and hurried over to greet them. Hansen took Morgus¡¯s hand and said, ¡°This is my family¡¯s fault. We, the Richards family, have let you down.¡±

    Morgus did not say anything. Lucy¡¯s mother, Melinda wept as she asked where Lucy was. At this time, Jenna was also crying. She then led her upstairs to where Lucy¡¯s body was. When the door opened, Melinda suddenly burst into tears.

    The people downstairs looked up. If Lucy had died of natural causes, they would not be this sad, but the fact was, Lucy died a tragic death.

    Melinda held her daughter¡¯s body and cried. She was crying while shouting and pping Stuart in the face. This was the scene Raeleigh saw when she went upstairs. Scarlette and Hadrian were both in the room. They wanted to keep an eye on Stuart, not wanting anything to happen to him. At this time, no one could stop them. The rest of the Wagner family were also crying. Stuart was also stunned.

    No one stopped Raeleigh from entering the door. She was on the verge of breaking down. She stood at the door trembling. She had no idea how she managed to get through the day.

    Raeleigh then walked over to the sofa and sat down. She watched as Lucy¡¯s family hugged each other and cried, not shedding a single tear.

    Scarlette walked over and sat by Raeleigh¡¯s side. When she saw how pale Raeleigh¡¯s face was, she said, ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh nced over at Scarlette. ¡°I am fine.¡±

    ¡°If you want to cry, cry.¡±

    ¡°Heaven is blind. I wonder where the tearse from?¡±

    Raeleigh looked indifferently at Scarlette and asked. Scarlette did not know what to say.

    While the people of the Wagner family continued to cry, Stuart slowly turned to look at Raeleigh. Raeleigh looked at Stuart and said, ¡°Here, have a look. I took these pictures. I told you I¡¯ll sort this out, I kept my word. I will give you the chance to avenge Lucy, but you will have to kill them yourself.¡±

    Raeleigh then tossed the phone over to Stuart. He slowly opened it and saw some nude photos of Geraldine. She looked like she had been abused and was on the verge of death. Stuart even couldn¡¯t believe it. He slowly lifted his head up to look at Raeleigh.

 Chapter 1779 Fatal Disaster

    When Stuart went downstairs, Raeleigh also followed. Stuart finally said, ¡°Let¡¯s cremate her.¡±

    By the time Jepherson lifted his head up, Stuart had already gone back upstairs.

    Raeleigh came down and informed Jepherson, ¡°Let¡¯s get things ready.¡±

    Jepherson ordered his men to make preparations. They did not intend to have a funeral service. When the hearse arrived, Stuart was the one who carried Lucy¡¯s body down. Melinda could not bear losing her daughter and fainted shortly after Lucy¡¯s body was taken away. She was in so much emotional stress that it took a toll on her body. Morgus was also devastated.Chirsen and his wife apanied Stuart to the crematorium.

    Stuart did not put Lucy¡¯s body into the coffin. He held Lucy in his arms all the way to the crematorium. When he got there, he briefly applied makeup for her before putting her into the furnace.

    However, the people around could not bear the sight, not evenChirsen. So, they turned around and went out.

    There was no else inside. With the permission of the crematorium, the muzzle of the furnace started to open itself. Stuart was the only one left in the crematorium. As soon as Stuart pushed the button, a blue me surrounded Lucy¡¯s body. Her body turned into ashes in the blink of an eye.

    When Stuart walked towards Lucy¡¯s body and touched it with his fingers, the body was immediately reduced to ashes.

    Stuart was distraught when he realised that his wife was gone. He stood there for a long time and shed a tear.

    Then, he collected the ashes and transferred it into the urn that he had prepared. The urn was wrapped with a piece of red cloth. He carefully held the urn and walked out of the crematorium. Raeleigh turned around to look at Stuart. When she saw his appearance, it broke her heart. She felt as if someone had stabbed her in the chest.

    Stuart walked over to Raeleigh, but she stopped him. ¡°You can¡¯t bring the urn with you. You have to keep it in a safe ce. After that, you cane with me.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and frowned.

    The wind was howling outside. Stuart looked over atChirsen and handed the urn to him.

    ¡°Chirsen, can you please look after this for me? I¡¯lle and get it once I¡¯m back.¡±

    Chirsen reached out and took over the urn. Raeleigh walked towardsChirsen andsaid, ¡°Lucy died because of the Richards Family. They will take all the responsibility. Stuart is also a victim. If you want to me Stuart, you can only me your sister for falling in love with Stuart. I can assure you that he yed no part in Lucy¡¯s death.

    I¡¯m giving you a warning. If Stuart does not remarry, then he shall be buried with Lucy when he dies.

    Lucy was Stuart¡¯s wife when she was alive and she¡¯ll still be his wife in the afterlife.

    Lucy may be your daughter and sister, but Stuart is heartbroken as well. The pain of losing the love of his life is unimaginable. Please do not use any excuse to leave. Even if you guys want to leave, please make sure to return the urn back to Stuart before leaving.

    I hope you will remember my words.As you know, I am ruthless. I am capable of doing anything to get what I want.¡±

    Chirsen asked, ¡°Then, my sister died for nothing?¡±

    The shouting attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Raeleigh said, ¡°It was Hanschel who killed your sister. I will kill him. Mark my words.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    Chirsenwas somewhat unconvinced.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I will sort this out. You¡¯ll have to wait and see.¡±

    Chirsen immediately kept quiet. Lucy was already dead. What was the point of saying all these? Stuart treated them very well. What could he say?

    Raeleigh left the crematorium and returned to the Richards Group Manor. She stayed in the same room with Santiago and talked with him for a while.

    The day passed by quickly. Raeleigh fell asleep on Santiago¡¯s legs.

    ¡­

    In the hospital.

    Crevor did not expect such a big thing to happen. He stood in the hospital and looked at Geraldine, who was in misery. When Geraldine told him the things that Raeleigh had done, he still chose not to believe it. Even though he did not believe it, the reality was in front of him.

    ¡°Gather all the Doyle family members. I want them toe over to Capital City as soon as possible. I want to seek revenge against the Richards family.¡±

    Geraldine was filled with hatred towards Raeleigh. She wanted to kill Raeleigh and chop her into pieces.

    After all, Crevor knew his identity very well. He was just a puppet in the Doyle family. He had no right nor any say.

    Crevor turned around and walked out. He ryed Geraldine¡¯s message to the rest of the Doyle family members. However, he also made a call to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh¡¯s phone rang several times, but she did not answer it.

    Crevor had to resort to texting Raeleigh, but he did not expect that it was this text message that brought him fatal disaster.

    When he turned around, the second son of the Doyle family had alreadye. He was just standing opposite him.

    He looked at the second son of the Doyle Family and said nothing, but he understood that his time was up, so he sent Raeleigh another text message. He wrote, ¡°Farewell.¡±

    Raeleigh slept for an entire day. When she woke up, she realized that she was surrounded by a lot of people. Scarlette hurriedly brought Raeleigh her phone. Raeleigh was a little confused when she saw the text messages that Crevor had sent. However, the next moment, she got out of bed, put on her shoes, and walked outside.

    Jepherson was actually sitting in the room. He did not get up until he saw Raeleigh rushing out the room. He walked over to Raeleigh and asked her, ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±

    ¡°I need to go out.¡±

    Raeleigh hurried out of the room. However, her legs gave way and she fell to the floor. Jepherson quickly pulled her to her feet and carried her downstairs.

    Raeleigh raised her head and stared at Jepherson without saying anything.

    Jared immediately followed them. Stuart was also not far behind.

    Scarlette and Hadrian wanted to protect Santiago and the others, so they did not dare to move.

    When Deanna saw Jephersoning down the stairs, she immediately walked over to him. She wanted to ask Jepherson where he was going, but Jepherson had no time to answer. He held Raeleigh in his arms and walked outside.

    As soon as they got into the car, Raeleigh said to the driver, ¡°Drive towards Crevor¡¯s house, not the vi.¡±

    The driver immediately reacted and drove towards Crevor¡¯s house. They were escorted by more than a dozen cars. Soon, they arrived at Crevor¡¯s house. By the time they pulled up at Crevor¡¯s house, Raeleigh¡¯s leg were feeling much better. There was no one guarding the entrance. Jepherson instructed his men to open the door and they went in.

    Raeleigh immediately rushed into the house and saw two men lying on the ground. They were both stabbed to death.

    Raeleigh continued into the house and found another dead body. Jepherson was right behind her and immediately instructed his men to check the rest of the house. In the end, they discovered more dead bodies. Raeleigh ran all the way to Revon¡¯s courtyard and found that the door was closed. Raeleigh called, ¡°Revon! Revon!¡±

    However, she was met with silence. Raeleigh had no choice but to barged into the house. She found Revon lying on the ground with a book in his hand.

    Raeleigh ran in and held Revon¡¯s hand. Revon could barely open his eyes as he said, ¡°Help me¡­¡±

    Revon washanging on by a thread. Raeleigh stood up and ransacked the entire house.

    She remembered that Crevor did not live in the same courtyard as Revon. She turned around and ran over to Crevor¡¯s courtyard. She shocked to find more dead bodies on the ground.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Raeleigh paused and continued to run towards the house. When she arrived, she saw that the door was open. She knew she could easily enter, but¡­

 Chapter 1780 The Angry One

    Crevor was strangled to death, his body hung from the chandelier, and his head drooped.Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were dull when she came in; she was the reason Crevor was dead.

    Crevor¡¯s face was bloated and had turned blue. Raeleigh grabbed a chair and took Crevor¡¯s body down from the swinging rope. Her heart was broken then; she loathed the world.

    Raeleigh had already begun to move the body when Jepherson came in.She wasn¡¯t supposed to use her left hand, but she usedit for Crevor.

    Standing there quietly, Jepherson watched as Raeleigh carefully put the body down and sat on the ground, crying her eyes out as she held Crevor.

    Jepherson looked exceptionally awful; never in the world had he thought the love of his life had emotional ties for Crevor. His men came in shortly after, including Jared, saw Raeleigh sitting on the ground, crying.

    Raeleigh shed tears for both herself and Crevor, never thinking she would be the end of him.

    Raeleigh had cried for some time when Crevor¡¯s hand loosened, and a button fell from his grip. She took a gander and picked it up; it was a crystal button from a dress shirt.

    Holding the button in the palm of her hand, Raeleighput Crevor down carefully and looked around the house. Her tears stopped just like that. She fetched a lighter from the table and tore a piece of fabric to light it up, standing next to Crevor.

    ¡°In your next life, if you¡¯re lucky enough not to reincarnate into a family like the Doyle¡¯s, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be friends.¡±

    Raeleigh watched as the fire swallowed up Crevor¡¯s body before walking out of his house. She would burn every fabric in sight as she walked out of thepound. There were too many dead bodies here; she could only leave the house to Crevor.

    Since he liked it so much.

    The main area copsed as they walked out. Raeleigh turned to look inside, recalling her first meeting with Crevor. She knew he appeared in her life with a purpose, so she pretended not to know him, but she hadn¡¯t expected him to fall for her.

    Raeleigh got in the car and waited until the whole mansion was burnt to the ground before sheordered the chauffeur to drive away while she stared at the button in her hand.

    Returning to the Richards Group Manor, Raeleigh saw Marissaing out with a few servants by her side as she got out of the car and entered the house.

    Marissa paused when she saw Raeleigh but didn¡¯tsay anything to her, nor did she want to.

    Jepherson took a gander at Raeleigh and stepped inside without acknowledging Marissa¡¯s presence. Jepherson had lost the patience he once had toward his grandmother; she never even thought to visit Stuart after his misfortune.

    Jepherson¡¯s departure gave Raeleigh the more reason to leave, so she walked away resolutely.

    After a pause, Marissa slowly turned to look at the person leaving.The corner of her mouth twitched, showing a subtle smirk.

    That country bumpkin wants to be an elegant swan? What a joke! Not on my watch!

    Raeleigh followed Jepherson back to Green Jade Garden. Everyone was still in the house; Jepherson first went to his parents before greeting his grandfather. The others stayed asno one had ns to leave at this time. Jepherson sat down with them while Raeleigh went to Santiago¡¯s room, not in the mood to speak.

    The TV had been turned on, and the news reported the fire at Crevor¡¯s residence. Seeing that, Jacky stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m making a move; I have something to attend to. Call me if anythinges up.¡±

    With that, Jacky walked out, Deanna chasing after him, afraid something might happen to him at this time.

    Out the door, she grabbed Jacky and called to him.

    Jacky turned to look at her and pinched her face, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, nothing will happen.¡±

    ¡°You promise.¡± Deanna had never been so afraid. Ever since Lucy¡¯s misfortune, Deanna could barely eat or sleep, woken up by nightmares. She was now living in fear, constantly worried that something terrible might happen to Jacky.

    Jacky had not been by her side for the past few days. Not even for a single night. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to, buthe had his hands full.

    Therefore, Jacky wasn¡¯t aware of Deanna¡¯s condition.

    ¡°When have I ever lied to you?¡± Jacky assured her with a peck on her lips. Tears instantly flowed down Deanna¡¯s face. She felt as if the entire world was about to copse, and she didn¡¯t know what to do.

    She thought she was a dead weight, unable to do anything for her beloved. If she wasn¡¯t, why was she so ipetent? Look at Raeleigh and Rossie; the two of them were so brave. Only she was wimpy and kept in the dark.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Deanna started bawling, hugging Jacky, who wrapped her in his arms, patting her back,forting her, ¡°It¡¯s okay, this is a mere formality; I have to handle it. Shouldn¡¯t the mayore forward with such a major case happening in the city?¡±

    ¡°You must be careful. You know I don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to you.¡±

    Deanna cried bitterly, staring at Jacky as if this was theirst goodbye. Jacky kissed her tears away and said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry; it¡¯s bad luck to cry when a person is leaving.¡±

    Blinking, Deanna didn¡¯t want to cry, but she couldn¡¯t help it. She suddenly burst into tears and hugged Jacky, refusing to let him go.

    ¡°After all this is over, I¡¯ll step down ande home to you and our children, okay?¡±

    Jacky coaxed his girl, never once thinking it was a tedious job.

    Deanna wept for a while and nodded. ¡°Promise.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a promise.¡±

    Only then did Jacky leave. Deanna stood in the courtyard, watching for a while before following him to the gates, still unable to feel at ease.

    After Jacky got into the car, Deanna sniffled and returned.

    Walking back, Deanna saw Rossie standing at the front porch, wearing a thick coat, watching as Deanna walked toward her.

    Deanna hurriedly wiped her tears away, afraid Rossie would tease her for being a cry baby. Rossie pretended not to see anything and said she wanted Deanna to apany her for a walk.

    Deanna quirked her brow, wondering what Rossie was up to. Discuss their share of the inheritance?

    Deanna deliberated but still agreed to Rossie¡¯s request.

    Leaving Green Jade Garden, The girls strolled to Ink Garden before they knew it.

    Deanna was more than familiar with the area. Entering the house, she told Rossie that this was the Ink Garden, and Marissa would normally be here.

    In actuality, Rossie knew it all; she just wanted toe and have a look. She had beef with Marissa because of what the old hag did to Raeleigh, so she took the time to visit her.

    ¡°I know,¡± Rossie said inadvertently.

    Deanna followed Rossie closely. Rossie was now pregnant, and she had be the focus of the family. However, Deanna kept an eye closed and amodated her.

    Although the girls were inws,Deanna had nothing to talk about with Rossie.

    ¡°Then why do you stille in?¡± Deanna was puzzled. ¡°It¡¯s not good for a pregnant woman to get angry.¡±

    Marissa¡¯s actions had angered Deanna to the point where she could no longer express her hatred towards that old hag in words.

    Rossieughed, ¡°We¡¯ll see who¡¯s the angry one in the end, won¡¯t we?¡±

 Chapter 1781 The Truth

    All of a sudden,Deanna thought things were getting exciting and followed Rossie further in with a grin on her face.

    Marissa was sitting in the living room right then. Her expression turned sour seeing the girls, and she got up to retreat to her room. Marissa still held a grudge for how Rossie saved Raeleigh from her grasps.She hated Raeleigh to her core, and the feeling now extended to Rossie.

    However, just as Marissa stood up, Rossie spoke.

    ¡°My, if it isn¡¯tMadam Marissa. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d bump into you here; what a small world. I wonder what fate is up to, always bringing me to where you are. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s funny?¡±

    Deanna gazed at Rossie as she mocked Marissa, amazed by her ability. She¡¯d had to tell the story to her mother; her sister-inw was like a smart and evil mistress straight out of the TV.

    Seeing how smug Rossie was, Deanna was no longer worried, cingher hands behind her back, and was no longer cold.

    As for Rossie, she looked down at her nails, looking all contemptuous as she walked toward Marissa.

    ¡°I only didn¡¯t make a big deal out of it for Rayan¡¯s sake. But how dare youe to my house and step all over me? Because you think I¡¯m old and can¡¯t fend for myself?¡±

    Marissa¡¯s gaze was fierce, but she didn¡¯t dare act recklessly right then, knowing it wouldn¡¯t do her any good. It was apparent to her that Rossie¡¯s arrival at this time was for her to do precisely so so that Trevor could keep her on house arrest.

    Marissa saw right through Rossie¡¯s mal-intention.

    Rossie took a few steps toward Marissa, saying, ¡°We have beef, and I haven¡¯t managed to vent my frustrations yet. My sister-inw advised that it won¡¯t do my baby in my belly good if I don¡¯t get it out of me. I had thought of letting the matter slide, of course, taking my parents-inw into ount.

    ¡°Buting here, your attitude is still as horrible as ever, and it pissed me off again.¡±

    Deanna said unhappily, ¡°What does this have to do with me? When did I say that? Don¡¯t go pointing fingers!¡±

    Rossie took a gander at her but didn¡¯t exin.

    ¡°Madam Marissa, thanks to you, Raeleigh¡¯s hand is now ruined. I just came over from her ce.¡±

    Rossie hadn¡¯t stood at the porch for Deanna¡¯s return but felt terrible for Raeleigh¡¯s hand.

    Raeleigh returned with a bruised hand, and Jepherson went to Raeleigh after exchanging a few words in the living room. That was all she saw. Raeleigh didn¡¯t let anyone touch her and said they didn¡¯t need to bother with it.

    She didn¡¯t know the details, only that her injured hand meant the end of her career.

    Everyone knew Raeleigh¡¯s gift in designing, but it was now all just a dream, all thanks to Marissa. How could Rossie not want to get even?Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Rossie didn¡¯t know precisely where Marissa lived in the Ink Garden, so she dragged Deanna over. Deanna being the dum-dum she was, followed Rossie foolishly.

    She had nned to back Rossie up, fanning the mes as she watched the scene unfold. But she had a feeling things were getting out of hand.

    Even if Deanna wanted to leave, she wouldn¡¯t dare.

    What if something happened to Rossie after she left? If Marissa dared hurt Rossie, all hell would break loose, wouldn¡¯t it?

    Deanna felt helpless, but she couldn¡¯t say a word facing Rossie¡¯s arbitrary. She was pregnant with her brother¡¯s child, and her brother said the only thing he worried about was her getting angry asit would affect the baby.

    Deanna repined her life, feeling helpless having such a sister-inw.

    All mawkish just because she was pregnant. Deanna waspletely fine when she was pregnant with her twins, even when people angered her. But Rossie was too pampered, leading Deanna to keep her mouth shut most of the time, worrying she might identally anger Rossie with her words.

    The most irritating thing was that not long ago, Rossie said all of the Whalen family¡¯s assets would be hers after the baby was born, not leaving anything forDeanna and her children.

    Deanna wasn¡¯t short of money, but the decision upset her.

    She was also human; why didn¡¯t she have this kind of attention when she was pregnant?Oh, so Rossie¡¯s baby was a baby, but Deanna¡¯s weren¡¯t?¡±

    Deanna almost fought with Rossie, but her mother reminded her not to bully Rossie, which angered her. In a fit of anger, Deanna gave out her request. If half of it went to Deanna, only would Rossie get the other half. Otherwise, she would agree to nothing.

    However, misfortune befell Stuart just as the dispute started. Deanna did not even have the time to make a fuss.

    So when Rossie invited her to go for a walk,their dispute immediately came to Deanna. However, to her surprise, it wasn¡¯t.

    Deanna only had one thought in mind; what did any of this have to do with her? Why was she always dragged into the mud when Rossie was up to no good?

    Rossie was really a cunning woman. She was worried that she would get into trouble if she did something wrong, so she brought Deanna along to be her shield.

    Deanna finally realized she shouldn¡¯t have followed Rossie.

    But now that she did,what should she do?

    ¡°Don¡¯t throw whatever me on me; I wasn¡¯t the one who crippled her hand.She was also disrespectful toward me, but did anyone stand behind me for that?¡±

    Marissa continued, roaring, ¡°Don¡¯t think just because you married into the Whalen family and you can do anything in Capital City, I¡¯d be afraid of you. I¡¯m not someone you can bully. Even if Rayan and Hannahe, I¡¯ll still stand my ground. I have never been afraid of anyone, and I will not be scared by two little girls like you.¡±

    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s talk about it like adults. How are you going to settle your case with Raeleigh?¡± Rossie said coldly.

    ¡°Hmph, why do I have topensate her? She¡¯s just a piece of trash, a vamp even. What difference would it be without that hand of hers?¡±

    Marissa despised Raeleigh from the bottom of her heart, so she never saw Raeleigh even as a human being. However, Rossie was not from the Richards family, so she would never sumb to Marissa¡¯s unreasonable behavior.

    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t say that. The importance of Raeleigh¡¯s hands to her as a designer aside, even if she isn¡¯t one, she¡¯d still need them for many things. Besides, Raeleigh is the best designer in her industry and also irreceable to her family. So who¡¯s the useless vamp you¡¯re talking about?¡±

    Marissa furrowed her brows. What was this brat trying to do? What was she trying to imply?

    ¡°What the hell are you trying to say?¡±

    Rossie said, ¡°What I want to say is that many years ago,a couple came from a farawaynd.They were threatened and forced to examine a batch of fake antiques, but they refused. Later, the couple gave birth to a daughter, who was kidnapped for revenge.¡±

    ¡°That child was a lucky one; she didn¡¯t die and grew up a beautiful young woman. Ironically, she became the lover of the kidnapper¡¯s grandson.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing this kidnapper must have had some grudge with the child that they bought from their past lives. She wouldn¡¯t stop finding fault with the young woman.¡±

    ¡°However, fate was on the child¡¯s side. The young woman grew up fine, and she¡¯ll now watch her kidnapper die a sad, lonely death.¡±

 Chapter 1782 What He Would Do Then

    Panicked, Marissa stumbled backward, pointing at Rossie as she trembled. ¡°B-bull-bullsh*t. What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°People make mistakes; that¡¯s normal, but those who right their wrongs can be forgiven. Unlike some people who would only keep doing the wrong even when they know it¡¯s wrong. Everyone knows that she is a heinous, evil witch, but her family kept quiet because they didn¡¯t want her to be sad. But she is an evil witch, after all, doing nothing but the wicked, yet living like a self-righteous a*s. If I were her, I¡¯d just lock myself in a room and be a mummy.¡±

    ¡°What a shame. She¡¯s living all high and mighty even after hurting her own family.¡±

    ¡°Ridiculous, don¡¯t you think? I wonder if God has fallen asleep. How is she still alive and kicking when so many had died?¡±

    Deanna blinked in awe of her sister-inw. What a razor tongue!

    However, Marissa was still their senior, so Deanna thought Rossie should still be a little more respectful. Even though Marissa was in the wrong, she shouldn¡¯t say something like that.

    With that, Deanna tugged at Rossie and said, ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go back. Have some mercy.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I will spare her, but will God?¡± Rossie stared at Marissa¡¯s pale face with her fathomless gaze, having no intention to leave. Grabbing onto something, supporting herself, Marissa looked at Rossie. ¡°How did you learn of this? Who did you hear this from?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s an open secret, but why are you so afraid of people knowing? How interesting. If you¡¯re so afraid, you should ki-¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Trevor¡¯s roar came from behind the girls just as Rossie was speaking. However, Rossie didn¡¯t look the slightest bothered when she turned to see who it was.

    On the other hand, Deanna was petrified, her heart racing as she hurriedly waved her hand, hesitant to speak.

    Rossie then made her way to the exit, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t think you can do whatever you want just because you¡¯re old. Those who were condemned to die will die.¡±

    ¡°The saddest thing that would happen to you is that nobody will mourn for you when you die, not even your family.¡±

    Marissa staggered and almost lost her footing. She felt her whole body go limp as the world was crushing her.

    Rossie took a gander at Trevor and strode forward but turned around mid-way, saying to him, ¡°I know you¡¯ve always been doing things out of goodwill, and I also know your love for your wife is unparalleled given how you can condone her to this extent.¡±

    ¡°But she¡¯s like water. You thought you were doing her good by leaving her outside, letting her experience the world, letting her do all she pleases. But that¡¯s not it, isn¡¯t it? And it¡¯s exactly because she¡¯s water she will change.¡±

    ¡°And the person that changed her isn¡¯t someone else but you!¡±

    ¡°A word of advice as well, Miss Lautner. How I treat my wife is my business. Don¡¯t think I will sit and do nothing just because you¡¯re Rayan¡¯s daughter-inw. Even if it¡¯s Rayan and Hannah, I will not let them do as they please in my home.¡±

    Deanna trembled in fear at Trevor¡¯s grim look, but Rossie wouldn¡¯t. She was the type that wouldn¡¯t show fear no matter how taunting the person she faced was.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Really? So you¡¯re saying your wife can do the despicableand not be responsible for it?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to twist my words. I¡¯m in charge of my family; I can do whatever I want to them.¡±

    ¡°Then I have nothing more to say to that. However, a word of advice, the heavens watch our every move. No matter how wealthy your family is, you can resurrect the dead. There are some things that I don¡¯t want to say too much, but you should know karma¡¯s a b*tch.¡±

    With that, Rossie left. Trevor¡¯s face paled in anger, baffled that Zorion had gotten himself such a wife.

    Deanna chased after Rossie, asking when she was outside,¡°How could you say all that? My mom will definitely flip when she finds out.¡±

    Rossie nced at Deanna and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you think Marissa¡¯s right, and Trevor¡¯s blind protection of her is right as well.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. But you saw it yourself. They¡¯re already so old, don¡¯t you think we should just call it quits?¡±

    ¡°Do you think Raeleigh will end up like this if we do that?Her hands are so important to her, but Marissa ruined her hand without regret and even took advantage of her age, trying to escape responsibility¡­¡±

    I thought a family like the Richards would be well educated, but what a bunch of disappointment.¡±

    Deanna saw her brothering to them from the corner of her eye and blinked, finally free. She walked toward Zorion and gave him a nce before making her way back to the Green Jade Garden.

    Rossie only walked over to him after a moment¡¯s pause.

    Zorion pulled her close and warmed her hands. ¡°You were gone for so longI was getting worried. Aren¡¯t you cold?¡±

    Zorion had be fiercely protective of her ever since she agreed to stay and even more pampering after she was pregnant.

    Her head slightly lowered, Rossie stated, ¡°Marissa¡¯s a lucky woman. Trevor spent his whole life loving her, but she only brought disgrace upon herself, spending thest bit of her luck, driving herself to a dead end.¡±

    ¡°Rossie, I understand your concern, but it¡¯s not our ce to say anything. What happened to Raeleigh was indeed tragic, and I feel sorry for her too, but some things are just beyond our control.I know you wanted to seek justice for her, but confronting them may make things worse for Raeleigh.¡± Zorion didn¡¯t want Rossie to get too hell-bent on the matter. Marissa was their elder, after all. They wouldn¡¯t be able to do much even if they tried.

    Rossie nced at Zorion and said, ¡°You two really are siblings. You say the same things; even your brains are linked. I never said I¡¯d do anything to her, have I? But the truth is out in the open; it¡¯s her fault, yet Trevor keeps making excuses for her. Do you think that¡¯s justifiable?¡±

    ¡°Look at how Raeleigh is now. Do you think she will have her happily ever after marrying into this family even after all of this is history?¡±

    ¡°Marissa has and never will treat Raeleigh as a human being. She¡¯s a dog to her, don¡¯t you get it?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t wish to be born into an unsightly family, but that doesn¡¯t mean I should have an unsightly life.¡±

    ¡°What if this all happened to Deanna?Would you still do the same if she followed Jacky back to Waverly Vige and was bullied by her inws because she had a miscarriage?¡±

    ¡°A woman¡¯s chastity isn¡¯t something you men can chuck around as you please like a rag.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh may be generous enough to walk away after being abandoned by the man who was once inside of her, but I won¡¯t.¡±

    Shook, Zorion hurriedlyforted Rossie, ¡°Rossie, my love; please keep it down. If you keep this up, our baby will be in trouble. Aren¡¯t I behaving?¡±

    Rossie wrapped her arms around Zorion, calming down. ¡°I¡¯m just angry at how unfair this world is. Look at how miserable Raeleigh is with her broken hand. Hasn¡¯t she lost enough already?

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see Raeleigh living in a ce like this. If she decides to leave someday, I will not hesitate to give her a hand and make sure she never has to return.¡±

    Zorion was rendered speechless. He moved her away from his embrace and looked at her for some time before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this some other day, okay?¡±

    Rossie had already known Zorion like the back of her hand.He would let the matter simmer whenever he disagreed with her. She¡¯d like to see what he would say to her when that timees.

 Chapter 1783 Her Threats

    Raeleigh sat next to Santiago on the bed, watching the man who still showed no signs of waking up. Seeing Jepherson enter, she hidher left hand behind her back, asking as she looked at him,¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be?¡± Jepherson walked to her with a deadpan face and sat next to her, his gaze filled with determination. Silent, Raeleigh shifted her hand out, to which Jepherson went to hold, only for her to evade, saying, ¡°I can still move it. It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll only know after I take a look at it. Why are you hiding it from me?¡±

    Eventually, Jepherson pulled her into his arms, trapping her, holding her hands behind her back.

    Raeleigh did not shed a tear but only rested her chin on Jepherson¡¯s shoulder.

    Giving a light squeeze on her hand, he coaxed, ¡°Cry if you want to. Let it all out.¡±

    Chuckling under her breath, Raeleigh said, ¡°Does it look like I can shed a tear? I¡¯ve murdered people and done the wicked; I believe I have a ticket to hell after I die.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of going to hell; I¡¯m willing to go where fate wants me to. I mean, I¡¯ve sinned, haven¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to drag the people around me down with me, my parents, my loved ones¡­¡±

    ¡°Nobody said you did the wicked, nor is anyone condemning you to hell. You won¡¯t have to worry about going anywhere with me by your side. Even if you were to go to hell, I¡¯d be there before you, preparing for your arrival.¡±

    ¡°With me by your side, no one will dare touch you, not even in hell. Trust me.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I never trusted you. I¡¯ve lost all faith in you.¡±

    Hearing that, Jepherson snorted bitterly. ¡°I don¡¯t care for anybody else¡¯s trust but yours. You are my wife. How can you not believe me?¡±This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jepherson pushed her away and cupped her face with his hands, calling to her, ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Staring deep into her eyes with his fathomless gaze, he continued,¡°I¡¯ve disappointed you with a lot of decisions I¡¯ve made in the past, but not anymore, not this time. I¡¯m indecisive, yet I¡¯m born into a powerful family. This is the biggest sorrow in my life.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t regret being born into such a family; I want the power, but I want you even more.¡±

    ¡°Trust me onest time. I won¡¯t make the same mistakes again.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°You and I are not fit to meet in this world; I don¡¯t want to live with you ever again. We¡¯re like two massive solid boulders. The ship can¡¯t carry both of us; one has to go.¡±

    ¡°Why throw one when you can throw both?¡± Jepherson asked.

    Then suggested, ¡°Even better, let the boat sink.¡±

    With that, he lowered his head to kiss Raeleigh¡¯s lips, but she evaded.

    ¡°I am already someone else¡¯s wife; it¡¯s impossible for us ever to be together again. You know this.¡±

    ¡°Why are you still lying? Do you think I don¡¯t dare to blow up the Green House¡¯s gates?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s words got Raeleigh stumped momentarily. He moved his hands away but kept his gaze at her, who was now pale. Staring into each other¡¯s eyes, Jepherson smirked and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be his enemy, so I need a chance to make peace with him. Raeleigh, you are our chance. You are the beginning and the end of him and me.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±

    ¡°I would let you go if he came before me. But since it¡¯s the other way around, I stand my ground.¡±

    ¡°You want to fight him to the death?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind if he doesn¡¯t want a divorce. You¡¯re my wife, the matriarch of the Richards family. You two can¡¯t see each other. He can live his life in Green House, and I¡¯ll go on with mine here in Capital City. I won¡¯t stop him if he wants to see you, but if he wants to take you away, over my dead body.¡±

    Resigned, Raeleigh turned her face away and looked elsewhere. She didn¡¯t say anything, nor did she have anything to say. There was nothing she could do since he was so hell-bent; she could let fate decide her future.

    But she wasn¡¯t sure if she could even survive today, let alone the future.

    As Raeleigh sat, deep in thought, Jepherson held her from behind and reached over to undo her buttons before reaching his hand inside, nestling on her shoulder to smell her naturalfragrance.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go out. I want to kill!¡± Jepherson said. Looking over her shoulder at him, Raeleigh wanted to face away when she saw his chiseled yet unyielding face, but he gave her a good pinch, leading her to gasp. Jepherson held her chin, kissed her forcefully, andter went inside her. Raeleigh lost all her strength, unable to even move thanks to his restraint.

    There were still people outside Santiago¡¯s room. Raeleigh closed her eyes andy there, resigning to her fate. She wouldn¡¯t make a sound no matter who was passing outside. When she was on the verge of moaning, she would just put the covers over her.

    Jepherson coaxed, whispering into her ear, ¡°It¡¯ll be over in a while.¡±

    Raeleigh shot her eyes open and sank her teeth into his shoulder. However, that didn¡¯t stop him but only encouraged him further.

    Raeleigh rose in the middle of the night and only found Santiago next to her. Sitting up, she looked around to see Jepherson with hisptop, holding a cigarette in his hand and a ss of wine next to him.

    At that, Raeleigh got out of bed and went to him.

    The ashtray was filled with cigarette butts. When Raeleigh went over to Jepherson, he happened to be snuffing the one in his hand in the ashtray. He then took a swig of wine and continued to read what was in front of him. As he was so engrossed, he didn¡¯t realize Raeleigh had woken up. It wasn¡¯t until he sensed a pair of eyes watching him that he saw her sitting next to him.

    ¡°Goodness, why didn¡¯t you make a sound?¡±

    Jepherson looked over at her and closed theptop.

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t an idiot; she knew clearly what he was reading. If she wasn¡¯t mistaken, he was reading about nerve transnts.

    ¡°I saw it; don¡¯t bother hiding. I won¡¯t do it.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh made her way to the bathroom, Jepherson following right behind, saying, ¡°I will see to it whether you¡¯re willing or not. You don¡¯t have the final say in this.¡±

    Looking at Jepherson with a hint of sadness in her eyes, she stated, ¡°If you do that, I will kill myself right in front of you.¡±

    Jepherson gnashed his teeth. ¡°No one can threaten me.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ve always managed to. From the day you were unable to step into Waverly Vige, from the day you had to pretend to be Callis, I¡¯ve already sessfully threatened you.You just don¡¯t want to admit it. This means nothing to me, of course, but I will still do it. Do you know why?¡±

    ring at her, Jepherson asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve thrown your heart away. Your unwillingness to ept reality has made you throw your heart away.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh entered the bathroom, and Jepherson wanted to follow, only for her to stop him. ¡°What? Can¡¯t I even have a moment to myself?¡±

    Jepherson fell silent.

    Raeleigh mmed the door shut for him to sayat the door, ¡°I want to take a shower.¡±

    ¡°What for in the middle of the night?¡± Raeleigh raised her voice.

    Jepherson¡¯s face sank, and he didn¡¯t dare say another word until Raeleigh reemerged.

    Opening the door, Raeleigh stared at Jepherson with a deadpan face and a firm attitude. ¡°Forget about finding Austin. You¡¯ll only find the ce empty when you get there. We¡¯re all busy now. I¡¯ll deal with Stuart¡¯s matters; I also hope you won¡¯t cross the line and do anything I don¡¯t like.¡±

    ¡°Are you done? I¡¯m sleepy!¡± Jepherson said out of the blue. Raeleigh went back to bed and looked at him.¡°This is my room. Sleep somewhere else.¡±

    Hearing that, Jepherson immediately shut up and went back to the bed, switching off the lights, snuggling next to her.

 Chapter 1784 The Twins in Trouble

    Jepherson emerged from Santiago¡¯s room the next morning, but she didn¡¯te out with him.

    Deanna stared at Santiago¡¯s room from downstairs and recalled Raeleigh spent the night there, but how was it that Jepherson came out from that room too? Had Raeleigh retreated to her room?

    ¡°Jepherson, where¡¯s Raeleigh?¡±

    OnlyDeanna Whalen would be idiotic enough to ask boldly what no one would.Jepherson inadvertently nced at her and said, ¡°Raeleigh¡¯s still sleeping; she¡¯s tired. I¡¯ve contacted some neurology experts; they¡¯lle over in a few days. Please help me entertain them. I need to leave for a meeting.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving for a meeting? How do you still have the mood to do that? Aren¡¯t you supposed to go to the Doyle family?Zorion said Capital City has been in a state of chaostely. A lot of peoplefrom far and wide are gathering here. They¡¯re probably here toe at you,so¡­¡±

    ¡°Come at me?¡±

    No sooner had Jepherson quirked his eyebrows than Deanna rified, ¡°Okay, okay, not you but us. They probably came because of what Raeleigh did; she¡¯s knee-deep in trouble now.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s in trouble? I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. We wouldn¡¯t have done anything if they didn¡¯t start the fire. The fault¡¯s not on us; if they hadn¡¯t crossed the line, Raeleigh wouldn¡¯t have taken action. I haven¡¯t even given them a piece of my mind.¡± Jepherson had already changed when he came down. As he was leaving, he asked Hadrian to bring his coat over. Hadrian and Scarlett didn¡¯t follow Jepherson this trip out. Curious, Deanna asked them where Jepherson was heading only to learn it was the government office, which baffled Deanna, asking Scarlette, ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s said that the government is holding a representative meeting. Crevor was one of them. Now that he¡¯s dead, it¡¯s natural for them to be gathered to discuss the matter. Among them are Mr. Jepherson, Jacky, Zorion, and Colston.¡±

    With that, Scarlette walked away. Deanna turned to her parents and asked, ¡°Mom, Dad, why am I not on the list?¡±

    Speechless at his daughter¡¯s question, Rayan retorted, ¡°Did you apply for it?¡±

    ¡°I need to apply for it?¡± Deanna sat down and asked. Rayan said, ¡°Not entirely. Some were selected because of their outstanding performances in their respective businesses.You won¡¯t get it if I go deeper. Cedric and Heitor areing; watch after your kidsand don¡¯t let them run around as they please. This is the Richards Group Manor; it won¡¯t do good if they get themselves into trouble.¡±This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°But I won¡¯t be able to look after them and Raeleigh at the same time.Or¡­ we can ask Scarlette to lend me a hand.¡±

    With that said, Deanna turned to look at Scarlette, who had headed upstairs.Hurriedly, Scarlette rejected,¡°Oh, no, don¡¯t look at me;I¡¯m not good with kids.¡±

    And she walked away. Deanna then sullenly went to the gates to wait for her children. Rossie stood up, wanting to follow her out, butDeanna said, ¡°Don¡¯t even bother.I don¡¯t like you following me.I can¡¯t believe my dad lectured me yesterday, but you¡¯repletely fine.¡±

    Rossie, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t upset at Deanna¡¯s rant, staring at her. She missed the twins as well after a few days of separation.

    Deanna waited for two hours, but the twins still hadn¡¯t shown up. Growing anxious, she called the chauffeur.

    Seeing that the call wasn¡¯t answered, Rossie¡¯s face turned grim and headed outside, Deanna following right behind. Seeing the streets empty, Rossie immediately called Rayan.

    Rayan found it odd as well, but he didn¡¯t put too much thought into it. It had been so long, after all, he was certain no one would try to offend the Whalen family.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°The twins are missing; they¡¯re nowhere near in sight. We also can¡¯t get through to the chauffeur.¡±

    Taking a breather, Rayan felt a dull pain in his head and rubbed his temple. ¡°Come back first.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    With that, Rossie dragged Deanna back, who wouldn¡¯t stop asking what was wrong. Worried that Deanna would run out herself, Rossie had a death grip on her hand as they returned to Green Jade Garden. As soon as they entered, someone immediately went to Deanna and locked her up in a room.

    Knowing something horrible was up, her hands began shaking. Unexpectedly she didn¡¯t kick up a fuss but called Jacky.

    Hearing Deanna¡¯s words, Jackyforted, ¡°Don¡¯t cry; it¡¯ll only make things worse. Show them you¡¯re unaffected, got it?¡±

    Typical Deanna; no matter how unpleasant the situation was, she¡¯d do as she was told, especially if it was from Jacky.

    She immediately wiped her tears away and promised Jacky she¡¯d stop.

    Jacky said, ¡°They¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll guarantee that our babies will be fine. Just wait for the call.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t go anywhere, can I?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily. Go to Raeleigh and listen to her. Do exactly as she says. I can¡¯t leave now; the cameras are on me. Jepherson and your brother are here too, and so are Colston, someonefrom the Doyle family, and some other respectable people.¡±

    ¡°Deanna, I trust that you are smart. No matter what happens, you should know that only by protecting yourself can you protect our children.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh must have a way; remember to listen to her.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m locked up; I can¡¯t get out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call Raeleigh and ask her to let you out. Also, tell Rossie not to call Zorion. He adores Cedric and Heitor the most; he¡¯ll definitely lose his cool.¡±

    Deanna hurriedly agreed and hung up the phone. She immediately wiped her tears away, not letting everyone worry.

    But at this time, Hannah had already fainted from crying.

    Rayan seemed to have aged in a heartbeat.

    Sitting on the side, Hansen was thinking of a solution. He didn¡¯t dare make a move at this time, worried that worse befell the twins.

    On the other hand, Jenna sat aside and sobbed.

    Trevor had also received the news.Marissa was lying in bed, looking like she was about to meet the grim reaper, yet no one spared her even a visit. However, Trevor didn¡¯t bring it up with anyone; he alone was enough to apany her.

    Although Rossie had crossed the line saying what she did, Trevor understood where her tirade came from. They had done the despicable when they were younger, and Rossie¡¯s approach was justifiable.

    ¡°I need to head out for a moment. Get some rest.¡±

    Trevor got up and headed for the door, nning to check on the situation in Green Jade Garden. Marissa looked at his retreating back and didn¡¯t say anything, nor did she want to. She had had enough of the people around her and only wanted some peace and quiet; she no longer wanted to care, even if the sky was falling.

    Aftering out, Trevor ordered a couple of servants to keep an eye on Marissa.

    With decades of marriage, Trevor knew Marissa like the back of his hand. Everything would still be fine if she made a fuss, but her silence would only raise red gs.

    Walking out of Ink Garden, Trevor still wished Marissa would return to the woman she once was, but he no longer held even a slither of hope.

 Chapter 1785 Search Party

    Having changed her clothes, wearing a pair of ck gloves,Raeleigh descended the stairs leisurelyand went to Santiago¡¯s room. Entering, she sat down next to Santiago and held his hand.

    ¡°I want to tell you something. Deanna has given birth to twins with Jacky. They are named Cedric and Heitor. Because of the dispute with the Doyle family, Jacky has now been dragged into it. They waited until Jacky, Jepherson, and Zorion were attending a meeting together to kidnap the twins. I have to go now, and I¡¯m not certain if I¡¯ll be able to bring the children back. So if you can hear me, wake up. I need your help.¡±

    With that said, Raeleigh got up, and Scarlette immediately went to her, trying to persuade her to stay. ¡°Raeleigh, you can¡¯t go. You¡¯re in no shape. Have you forgotten how Lucy died?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, don¡¯t worry.¡± Raeleigh nced at Santiago, who still showed no signs of waking up. She thought that could wake him up, but it seemed that he would sleep his years away.

    Who could guess if he couldn¡¯twake upor that he didn¡¯t want to?

    Raeleigh went to the door forScarlette to chase after her in a hurry. Raeleigh said, ¡°Look after Santiago. Don¡¯t mind me.¡±

    But Scarlette continued to chase after her as Raeleigh went downstairs,¡°Raeleigh, it is too dangerous for you to do this alone.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I¡¯m going out; I only did it to wake Santiago up. You can¡¯t have taken my words for it, can you?¡±

    Scarlette was speechless thatRaeleigh could still joke at this time.

    Only then did Scarlette stay in Santiago¡¯s room, thinking she wasn¡¯t lying to her while Raeleigh went to Deanna to release her.

    The moment Deanna came out, she embraced Raeleigh and burst into tears.

    Raeleigh patted Deanna in the back. ¡°There, there.¡±

    Deanna left Raeleigh¡¯s arms slowly. How could she not cry? Her precious babies were kidnapped.

    Raeleigh coaxed Deanna for a while before they separated. She looked at the people sitting in the living room and noticed Rayan looked like he had aged a few decadesolder.

    Hannah had been crying her lungs out. She was now unconscious, lying on the sofa with an IV drip.

    They hadn¡¯t even reacted so when Deanna was kidnapped, but this was what was happening. Raeleigh turned to Hansen and requested, ¡°May I have a few of your men?¡±

    ¡°I barely have any left; they¡¯re all with Jerry. Only Alvin and Hadrian are here with us. We¡¯re businessmen, so it¡¯s impossible for us to take so many people under our wings.¡± Hansen looked at Rayan beside him, who said, ¡°I have a few. How many do you need?¡±

    ¡°Just a handful will do. The rest should go back to your home.¡±

    Rayan couldn¡¯t tell where Raeleigh was going with it, but he could see she was no longer the Raeleigh they first knew.

    Mulling over it, he said, ¡°Okay.¡±This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mr. Alvin can¡¯t leave. Someone needs to stay to protect all of you. I¡¯m bringing Deanna with me. If the children are released, I won¡¯t be able to persuade them to follow me since we¡¯re not familiar,so Deanna must be there.¡±

    Rossie said, ¡°I can go.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it,¡± Raeleigh refused decisively.

    ¡°You¡¯re pregnant; you won¡¯t even be able to save yourself in that situation. They¡¯re getting desperate, and anything can happen at this point. We can¡¯t let anyone get hurt.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Stuart as he descended the stairs.

    ¡°Stuart, follow me.¡±

    Stuart nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Raeleigh then turned to Deanna and said, ¡°Call Harvey. He should be in Waverly Vige now. Ask him to bring some men over immediately. We need them too.¡±

    Deanna immediately did as told. Harvey rushed over as fast as he could, pulling over at the manor¡¯s gates. A servant immediately came to inform of Harvey¡¯s arrival.

    ¡°Have him in,¡± Hansen ordered, but Raeleigh said in the next second that it wasn¡¯t necessary as they¡¯d be leaving right then.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raeleigh headed out, with Deanna catching up right behind. Stopping, Raeleigh turned to look at Deanna¡¯s outfit and said, ¡°Change into sportswear; something easier for you to make a run.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Deanna ran back and quickly changed while Raeleigh ordered the servants to prepare some food for the children. She grabbed some buns from the kitchen, eating one as she headed out.

    Hansen then followed them out the door.

    Jenna did too, wrapping her hands around Hansen¡¯s arms, weak in her knees. Holding Jenna¡¯s hand, Hansen reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Raeleigh will be fine.¡±

    Kept in the dark, Jenna looked up at Hansen. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Hansen did not reply but only held his beloved wife¡¯s hand.

    Seeing Harvey at the gates, Raeleigh handed the remaining buns to him. ¡°Grab a bite first.¡±

    Harvey took a nce and ate them in a couple of bites.

    ¡°You¡¯re now responsible for Deanna¡¯s safety. Do you think you¡¯re up for the job?¡±

    Harvey nced at Deanna and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect her with my life.¡±

    ¡°Take Deanna to the Whalen family¡¯s house to wait. Things will be fine there, seeing how the twins are fine staying with their nanny all this while. That can only mean the Whalen family is a formidable force. They can only make their move on the road, so you have to be on high alert. If cars are getting in your way, run straight through.

    The Richards family had these cars especially reinforced. I¡¯ve seen the blueprints. The windows are all bulletproof; you don¡¯t have to worry, and the car can¡¯t be easily destroyed.¡±

    Harvey nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Raeleigh, no one can hurt Deanna as long as I¡¯m alive.¡±

    ¡°I trust you, Harvey. That¡¯s why I asked specifically of you. To Jacky, there¡¯s only a handful of people he can trust, and you¡¯re one of them.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to hold another funeral so soon. So, return how you left. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Take another car.¡±

    Harvey then quickly went into one of the Whalen family¡¯s cars. Raeleigh gave Deanna a pistol and asked, ¡°Do you know how to use it?¡±

    Deanna looked at her and said, ¡°Jacky taught me.¡±

    ¡°Take it with you, just in case. Apart from Harvey, trust no one unless they are talking to you face to face, not even if they call.¡±

    Deanna nodded. ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Wait at home. I will find the twins and bring them to you within a day. They will bring you to the next step of the n.¡±

    With Deanna¡¯s affirmation, Raeleigh stepped back and gestured for the car to leave.

    Harvey started the car with Deanna in it and personally took them to the Whalen family¡¯s house.

    Raeleigh got in the car, and so did Stuart from the other side, both sitting inthe back. The driver was one of the Whalen family¡¯s. Raeleigh took a gander and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Fehmen Lee.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll escort Deanna back. Let¡¯s get moving.¡±

    Fehmen nced at Raeleigh in the rearview mirror before starting the car and following right behind.

 Chapter 1786 Target Acquired

    It took no time for Harvey to notice Raeleigh¡¯s car was following them.He nced over at the highly tensed Deanna and continued to speed through the streets to her home. No one dared to cause chaos on the roads in broad daylight; they had been driving along the city center, and everybody gave way for them to pass.

    They eventually arrived at the Whalen family¡¯s home about more than an hourter. Luckily, nothing bad happened.

    Deanna had someone open the gates, and the car entered the yard while the car Raeleigh was in was parked outside. Deanna turned to look at Raeleigh, who waved at them, signaling Harvey to bring her in. He wasted no time doing so.

    Raeleigh then left for the RTA in the city center.

    When they arrived at the gates, Raeleigh got out of the car and went to ask for the director. The director knew her; she didn¡¯t exin why but just did.

    Raeleigh expressed her intention to have a look at the cameras on all the roads in the city. Without giving second thoughts, the director ordered his men to pull out all the footage from that day and the day before.

    The timestamp showed two-forty morning when the Whalen family¡¯s car stopped and was hijacked on the road leading to the Richards Group Manor, taking the passengers hostage. They drove into an alley, and there were only a few cars left when they came out. Raeleigh immediately asked the officers to take a look, and as they expected, the car was still there.

    Raeleigh asked someone to block the road covertly, then had a few words with the director, telling him to keep this low.

    A young guy from the RTA approached Raeleigh. He said to her on the spot, ¡°Raeleigh, you might not remember me, but I¡¯m one of Jacky¡¯s.¡±

    Looking at him, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t ce him indeed. As she trusted no one at present, she couldn¡¯t even remember him to forget him.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Thank you. I will let Jacky know about this.¡±

    ¡°No need to; it¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    Then Raeleigh left the RTA and headed for the crime scene.

    At this point, she had guessed the twins were still somewhere along this road. The kidnapper did not have the courage to relocate them elsewhere because it wasn¡¯t as safe and secluded as this alley, no matter where they went.

    To put it bluntly, the most dangerous ce was the safest, so they chose to hide the twins here.

    Raeleigh rushed to where the car was hijacked and looked around. As she walked there alone and stood at a stall pretending to buy something, she had to be careful not to bring attention to herself. However, she was a designer, so she could easily find out the height differences in the surrounding area and the ambush point. Moreover, she also had such an experience.

    After a while, Raeleigh returned to the car and told Fehmen, ¡°The children are nearby, but we can¡¯t go as a group. The kidnapper may be using GPS to track us, so we can¡¯t use phones to keep in touch. But I¡¯m certain where the twins are at, so I¡¯ll go. I don¡¯t think they would have a lot of people guarding the twins. Now herees the problem, how are we going to bring the children here? What are we going to do if we¡¯re trapped? We¡¯ll tip them off if we bring in too many of our men.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Anson. As long as we can bring the twins out, we can definitely leave. Just tell us what to do.¡±

    Raeleigh took a gander at Stuart and ordered, ¡°Stuart will have to go in as well. Once we bring the kids out, we¡¯ll have to separate. Fehmen, you follow Stuart. I trust Stuart to handle the child; I¡¯ll take the other one. Please arrange for someone on par with you to cover me. The four of us will go together. After bringing the twins out, each of us take a different car and head to the Whalen family home. The cars are bulletproof, so don¡¯t worry. Things will still be easy if we can leave with the kids before nightfall. Otherwise, things might get chaotic in the dark.¡±

    ¡°Okay, my brother, Jaird, is with us.I have him follow you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Exiting the car,Raeleigh nced over at the car behind as someone emerged from it and headed toward her.Standing in front of her, hegreeted, ¡°Miss Anson.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh will do.¡±

    The group followed Raeleigh into an apartment and entered an elevator. As soon as they were inside the elevator, Raeleighy in Jaird¡¯s arms, who immediately put his arms around her, pretending to be an affectionate couple. Stuart turned to face the wall, with his back at the camera. That way, it looked like Raeleigh was having a make-out session with someone while Stuart looked away out of self-consciousness and Fehmen all s¨¦.

    The Lees had never appeared to the public. Being a guard of the Whalen family meant they could only live their lives in the shadows.

    Reaching their floor, Fehmen was the first to exit. Letting out a cough right outside, Jarid led Raeleigh out, with Stuart following right behind, so his face was never shown in the camera.

    After avoiding the camera facing the elevator, Raeleigh looked toward the units. She was sure this was where the kidnappers were at because there was only one unit out of all the others that had their curtains closed, but there was a faint beam of light. That meant someone was in the room, but they didn¡¯t want to be seen.¡±

    This was the tenth floor, and it wasn¡¯t necessaryto shelter from the sun, so she was sure it was this one.

    Raeleigh knocked on the door. The person inside nced at her and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯m here to collect the water bill. Could you please tell me the number on your meter?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re only renters. Come back another day.¡±

    ¡°Tell me please. I¡¯ve collected all the fees in this building but yours. I can get going once I¡¯m done with yours.¡±

    The person opened the door and said to Raeleigh, ¡°Come in and get the number yourself.¡±

    An unfriendly man let Raeleigh in. She intended to change her shoes after entering, but the man waved his hand.¡°Keep your shoes on; juste in.¡±

    Raeleigh first walked to the kitchen. There were four people in the unit; two in the living room, one by the window, and one in one of the rooms. Thinking it was strange she didn¡¯t see the twins, she snapped a photo of the water meter and asked to see the one in the bathroom.

    Impatient, the man asked, ¡°Goddamm*t, what for?¡±

    ¡°There are two water meters here; one in the kitchen and the other in your bathroom. It¡¯s different¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, make it quick.¡±

    The man pointed her in the direction, looking all impatient. Raeleigh did the same in the bathroom and said to the man, emerging, ¡°Can you please pay up first? You can im it from the homeowner when he returns.¡±

    ¡°You want me to give you money?¡±

    ¡°Well, what do you think I¡¯m here for then?¡±

    Clearly losing his patience, he sized Raeleigh up and went to one of the rooms to ask his fellowrade for money. In the meantime, Raeleigh stealthily opened the door before making her way to the living room, but she still couldn¡¯t find the twins.

 Chapter 1787 Shaney

    Stuart stood guard at the door while Fehmenwent to the upied bedroom, and Jairdwent to Raeleigh.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh pestered the man to give her the exact amount as she didn¡¯t bring any change with her. Seeing Jaird, the man stumped and asked her what was going on.

    Jaird was fast to respond and immediately roared, ¡°You shameless woman! How dare you have an affair behind my back?! I demand an exnation!¡±

    The man was stunned. Raeleigh hid behind one of them and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t. Don¡¯t nder.¡±

    A man ying pokerughed, ¡°You two fight somewhere¡­¡±

    Before anyone saw it, Raeleigh flung a knife at the man, stabbing his neck. Just as he was getting up, Jaird twisted his neck while Fehmen kicked another guy in the stomach and delivered a knee to his face, knocking him out cold. As Raeleigh went to the other end of the room, Jaird had already broken a second neck.

    All the guys in the unit were either dead or knocked unconscious, but they still couldn¡¯t find the twins.

    ¡°Where are the kids?¡± Raeleigh asked. Fehmen shook his head and said, ¡°I only saw a man lying on the bed when I came in. Could we have made a mistake?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, they must be here.¡±

    Raeleigh looked around the room and went to the closet. She opened it and saw Cedric and Heitor unconscious and tied up at their hands and feet so they couldn¡¯t make any noise.

    Raeleigh untied them and headed out the door with the kids, handing one to Stuart. One of them woke up and was about to struggle when Stuart said, ¡°I¡¯m your mother¡¯s friend, and I know your father too. Please don¡¯t shout, or people wille after us.¡±

    Carrying the other child in her arms, Raeleigh ran toward the elevator with the Lee brothers following right behind. It was faster to leave in the elevator, but just as the door opened at the lobby, the kidnappers¡¯ backup stood in their way.

    Jaird immediately took out his guns, shooting at anyone who was in his way. He was quick as speed was essential in surviving in the underworld. So no matter who it was, as long as they were in their way, they were as good as dead.

    Raeleigh and Stuart followed behind the brothers, with each of them guarding their side. Raeleigh felt gunshots all around her, but she could do nothing but continue heading out.

    They got in the cars once they left the building. Jaird followed Raeleigh, and Fehmen followed Stuart. The two cars drove outpromptlyas Raeleigh called for the extraction team.

    The twins were quiet on their journey to safety, especially the boy in Raeleigh¡¯s arms, holding onto her for dear life.Raeleigh didn¡¯t know why a kid as young as him would ept her so soon.

    Generally speaking, Cedric and Heitor were raised in the Whalen family from birth and rarely interacted with the outside world, but the two children seem to know Raeleigh.

    Fehmen pulled the car at the gates of the Whalen family¡¯s home. Everyone at home was long waiting for their arrival outside. Seeing their cars, they immediately opened the gates. Raeleigh quickly entered the vi carrying the child, Fehmen following right behind. Entering the house, Raeleigh ced the child down, and Deanna cried, holding her baby in her arms.

    Raeleigh then went back outside to seeStuart heading toward them with the other child in his arms and Jairdbehind him.

    Seeing familiar faces filled the Whalen family¡¯s home, and Raeleigh knew they were now safe.

    Deanna cried, holding her sons in her arms, but Raeleigh had to break the news to her. ¡°We¡¯re running out of time; they won¡¯t let us off the hook so easily. You should prepare immediately; take what the children need. I¡¯ll send you guys away.¡±

    Dumbfounded, Deanna asked, looking at Raeleigh, ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°Somewhere safe. We¡¯ll leave once it¡¯s dark.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh, this is my home. Where do you want me to go?¡±

    AlthoughDeannawas worried, she couldn¡¯t just leave just like this.

    ¡°Deanna, listen to me. I¡¯ll bring you and your children back after this is all over. Or if you trust me enough to take only the twins away.¡±

    Staring dazedly at her boys, Deanna got down on her knees to talk to them, ¡°Cedric, Heitor¡­ I can¡¯t leave Daddy alone; he hasn¡¯te back yet. Can you two leave first?¡±

    Seeing Deanna crying her lungs out, Raeleigh thought for a moment and turned to Stuart. ¡°Stuart, you go with the children. I¡¯ll bring Deanna with me. The rest of you stay here.¡±

    Everyone exchanged nces while Raeleigh video called Rayan and showed them his grandsons.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Grandpa, Grandma.¡±

    Although the twins looked disheveled, they were not miserable, unlike Deanna, who was bawling.

    Rayan asked, ¡°Are you two hurt?¡±

    ¡°No, Grandpa, I¡¯m fine, but I¡¯m hungry.¡± Heitor wasn¡¯t afraid, speaking methodically. Although Rayan was one to be valorous, his heart couldn¡¯t help aching. Thest time he felt so was when he was in his twenties.

    ¡°Good that you two are fine.¡±

    Raeleigh squatted down and announced, ¡°I have something to tell you. I¡¯m sending them to a safe ce, but I won¡¯t tell you where. I will have someone send them back after this is all over. Jacky will agree with my decision, and Deanna has already given me her yes. I¡¯m not asking for your opinion, or is this a negotiation but a let-you-know.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, we¡¯re leaving. Take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ll be back in a few days.¡±

    Seeing the boys so well-behaved, Hannah cried even harder. Raeleigh then hung up the video call. It was getting dark outside, so Raeleigh prepared some food and took the twins to the vi¡¯s rooftop.

    A military helicopternded at the rooftop at eight that evening, andStuart boarded it with the twins whileRaeleigh stood at a distance, watching as it took off again.

    Raeleigh walked to Deanna and took her away in her arms.

    On the helicopter, a little girl in sportswear, shorter than the twins, jumped down from her seat and went over to them, initiating a conversation,¡°Are you two, my new friends?¡±

    The little girl was as cute as a bunny. Stuart stared at the child, somewhat lost in thought. He had long heard Mr. Jepherson had a daughter.Could it be¡­

    Stuart left his seat and went to the girl, kneeling as his hands trembled, asking, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    The little girl had big, sparkling eyes likeRaeleigh¡¯s, thinking the two more and more alike as he stared.

    But the child¡¯s gaze looked simr to Santiago¡¯s.

    The little girl answered with a joyful hum, ¡°I¡¯m Shaney.¡±

    ¡°Shaney? How old are you?¡±

    ¡°Three.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s your mother?¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh Anson.¡±

    Stuart took a look at the man sitting opposite him, who he had seen in a photo before. He was the infamous Austin Quirk.

    Stuart inched his hands toward Shaney¡¯s arms and asked, ¡°Shaney, tell me, what¡¯s yourst name?¡±

    Shaney looked at Austin before turning back to Stuart. ¡°Richards.¡±

    Dumbfounded, Stuart nearly burst into tears. Since Lucy passed, Stuart got emotional easily. Hearing Shaney¡¯s words, he pulled her into his arms, hugging her with a death grip, reluctant to let go!

 Chapter 1788 Raeleighâ€™s Injury

    Everyone from the Whalen family waited at the door as Raeleigh and Deanna returned to Green Jade Garden. Deanna had absolute faith in Raeleigh, just as she did with Jacky, so she didn¡¯t hesitate to go along with Raeleigh¡¯s n.

    Raeleigh walked to the door, but Deanna went in ahead of her. It was the first time she had talked to her parents so rationally.

    It was only three words. ¡°I trust Raeleigh.¡±

    What else could Rayan say?The twins were his daughter¡¯s babies; she was most unwilling to part with them out of anyone. But the Doyle family had now thrown everything out the window and wouldn¡¯t stop until one side waspletely wiped out.

    This was the best option to keep the children safe.

    Rayan looked at Raeleigh. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t lie to us; you should know you¡¯ll be the first to go if anything happens to the kids.¡±

    Although Rayan knew Raeleigh had their best interest at heart, he had to put out his worst intentions. It was a thankless job, but since she wanted to help, she should bear the responsibility.

    Raeleigh knew well Rayan wasn¡¯t threateningher but asking for her reassurance.

    ¡°The twins will be fine;I can guarantee with my life. I believe if even you can¡¯t find the children, the Doyle family wouldn¡¯t be able to either.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    It was all Rayan could say, but to Raeleigh, he had put himself as lowly as he possibly could.

    ¡°I only did it for Jacky, so you don¡¯t have to take this to heart. In other words, no matter how you n on returning the debt, I won¡¯t bother. Even if you opposed my idea of sending the twins away, I would still do what I did. I¡¯ve only put myself in Jacky¡¯s shoes. Deanna is my friend, and he¡¯s my confidante. I won¡¯t turn a blind eye to what happens to their children. As for you, I have nothing but respect, so I hope you can understand my actions.¡±

    Raeleigh neither wanted them to repay the debt nor hoped Rayan would hold on to it.

    Even if the debt had to be repaid, it would be from Jacky.

    ¡°Got it. But we still owe you a debt. Whether you admit it or not, it remains a fact. We will definitely repay you in the future.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile, saying, ¡°No one is ever certain about the future. We¡¯ll talk about it when the timees. Maybe I¡¯ll need your help someday when I¡¯m out of options.¡±Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Anybody could speak the formalities. Raeleigh was no exception, and she was no worse than Rayan.

    As Raeleigh went in and headed upstairs, Deanna saw a massive bloodstain on Raeleigh¡¯s left shoulder and chased after her.

    ¡°Raeleigh, are you hurt?¡±

    Raeleigh looked over her shoulder at Deanna and only knew she was injured when she felt the blood on her back.

    ¡°Raeleigh, you¡¯re hurt?!¡±

    Jenna was horrified and rushed to her. They brought Raeleigh to a room and immediately sent a doctor over to treat her.

    The doctor took out the bullet. She had never encountered someone who walked around with a bullet lodged inside her without knowing.

    ¡°She was fortunate to havethe bullet missed her vital organs only by an inch.¡±

    The doctor wiped the sweat on her head and took a long time to react. Raeleigh sat unresponsive as if she didn¡¯t hear anything. As it was a female doctor, her actions were delicate.

    Raeleigh wore nothing but a bandage from her chest to the rest of her body, leaving only her right shoulder bare. She looked like a mummy.

    Hannah and Jenna stayed in the room with Raeleigh, all panicking. Deanna and Scarlette were there as well.

    Rossie was pregnant, so they told her to wait outside, not letting her see blood.

    The others also waited downstairs for how Raeleigh was doing.

    Rayan only heaved a sigh of relief when the doctor announced Raeleigh was alright.

    Rossie also let out a sigh of relief. Seeing his daughter-inw wouldn¡¯t sit, he advised, ¡°C¡¯mon, sit down. A pregnant woman shouldn¡¯t be standing for too long.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Rossie did as told.

    Hansen stood up and looked at Harvey, who was standing at the door. ¡°Any update?¡±

    Harvey replied, ¡°No one hase out yet. We¡¯re not sure what¡¯s going on inside, but they¡¯re on full alert. They¡¯ve probably had him down.¡±

    Hansen looked over at Rayan. ¡°What do you n to do now?¡±

    With an amusing thought in mind, Rayan suggested, ¡°Since they¡¯re all not here, why don¡¯t we leave it to the girls?¡±

    His brows knitted together, Hansen retorted,¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±

    ¡°Look around; who else do we have?¡± Rayan took a gander at his daughter-inw and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already handed my power over. Since Zorion isn¡¯t here,the decision falls on Rossie; I won¡¯t interfere. It¡¯s on you now. I have wanted for the longest time to see who between us is the better one. But we¡¯re old now and no longer fit for the fight. Why not leave it to our children? Deanna will take charge of Waverly Vige with Jacky¡¯s absence; I¡¯m sure Jacky won¡¯t oppose it either.¡±

    ¡°Harvey, do you have any problem with that?¡±

    ¡°No, sir.¡±

    Of course, Harvey didn¡¯t.

    Finding it amusing, Hansen retorted, ¡°Are you out of your mind? Your daughter-inw is pregnant; mine is wounded, and Deanna is still as naive as a child. Are you kidding me?¡±

    ¡°You think too little of them. Although they¡¯re young, they have apanied the guys through some of the most periloussituations. If they don¡¯t have what it takes, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to marry into our families, would they?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, there will always be someone better, and everything has its vanquisher.¡±

    Hansen fell intoplete silence as he stared at Rayan.

    Rossie then stepped in, ¡°Uncle Hansen, now that Dad has left this to me, I wonder if you have the guts to let Raeleigh deal with it wholly.¡±

    Hansen looked over at Rayan. ¡°Birds of a feather flock together, huh?¡±

    Raeleigh was feeling rather weak, hugging a pillow so her back wouldn¡¯t feel too painful as she rested.

    The doctor was done treating Raeleigh when Rossie knocked on the door, so Hannah let her in.

    ¡°Mom, please go out with Auntie Jenna. I want to talk to Deanna and Raeleigh about something. Scarlette, you can stay.¡±

    Baffled, Hannah wondered what Rossie was up to being all secretive.

    ¡°Rossie, do you have something to ask Raeleigh? You can ask me too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking but discussing with Raeleigh. Please go down with Auntie Jenna; Dad and Uncle Hansen are waiting for you two.¡±

    And out the door, the besties went. Hannah didn¡¯t give too much thought to it while Jenna told Raeleigh she was leaving before heading out.

    Jenna and Hannah exchanged nces after the door closed.They both found the situation strangebut still went downstairs.

 Chapter 1789 Moles

    Raeleigh was being given a jab, closing her eyes in excruciating pain.

    Rossie sat down opposite her and asked if she was still hurting, to which she nodded.

    Rossie said, ¡°The guys still haven¡¯t returned yet. I think you have an idea what¡¯s going on.¡±

    Raeleigh shot her eyes open but shut them again a couple of secondster.

    Rossie continued, ¡°My father-inw and Uncle Hansen havee to an agreement.Since they aren¡¯t back yet, we¡¯ll have to take over their duties.¡±

    Hearing that, Raeleigh looked over at Rossie. ¡°What are you nning?¡±

    ¡°We would have to punish the kidnappers severely, but the problem is how do we ensure everyone¡¯s safety. The Doyle family have made their move on us; if we don¡¯t teach them a lesson, we, the Whalen and Richards family, will lose our ce here in the Capital City.¡±

    Raeleigh sat up painstakingly leaning on the bed frame, only d scantily in a few bandages.

    But her gaze was dull. Was it because she was in excruciating pain, or was she worn out? No one could be certain why. At that moment, Raeleigh looked like she was either half asleep or plotting something.

    ¡°They¡¯re in the dark while we¡¯re out in the open; catching them wouldn¡¯t be easy.¡±

    Rossie mocked, ¡°Don¡¯t think for a second I don¡¯t know you¡¯re plotting something. I just wonder if we¡¯re thinking the same.¡±

    ¡°Scarlette, please fetch us a pen,¡± Raeleigh said, looking atScarlette, who obliged. Raeleigh and Rossie each wrote a word in their palm, showing each other what they wrote.

    Deanna hurriedly looked over at what Raeleigh wrote; it was ¡®King¡¯.

    Rossie too. Baffled, Deanna asked, ¡°What are you guys trying to say?¡±

    ¡°Nevermind that. Just tell Dad, Raeleigh said yes.¡±

    Deanna did as told despite being befuddled. When she returned, Raeleigh asked her and Scarlette to leave the room, leaving only Raeleigh and Rossie inside. The girls discussed for more than an hour before Raeleigh came out dressed in sportswear.

    Before heading out, Rossie gave Raeleigh a bottle of painkillers.

    ¡°This is the strongest tablet I¡¯m giving you. Only one at a time, two only if the pain is excruciating. I have to consider my baby in my belly, so I have to stay. I¡¯m putting this operation in your hands.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her shirt as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Raeleigh came downstairs wearing all ck, even her shoes, looking as if she hadpletely healed. Jenna stood up and said, ¡°No way I¡¯m letting you do this.¡±

    ¡°Jenna, go get some rest.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. Do you guys think this is some child¡¯s y? Raeleigh¡¯s injured. Are all of you out of your minds? Those fiends kill without batting an eye. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know how dangerous it is now, so what are you trying to do?¡± Jenna roared.

    Hannah also stood up and said to Rayan, ¡°They are still children. How can you guys take this so lightly?¡±

    ¡°Hannah, we¡¯re not. We¡¯re in a crisis now. Since they have married people like Zorion, they know what¡¯s in store for them. It¡¯s been decided, and Rossie has agreed. Do you remember the first time she saw us? Have you forgotten how soft her eyes were?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just a child.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s grown up.¡±

    Rayan¡¯s eyes turned cold as he said solemnly, ¡°From now on, Rossie will be in charge of everything in the family until Zorion returns.¡±

    Hansen didn¡¯t say much; In actuality, he was also uneasy as well, so his tone was t, ¡°The Richards family will also be in Raeleigh¡¯s hands now.¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Jenna struck Hansen a few times in anger; it was the only time since forever she had hit him in front of outsiders.

    Jenna started sobbing, boiling with rage.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh had reached the living room and in front of Jenna, murmuring, ¡°Mom.¡±

    Stumped, Jenna turned slowly, like a puppet, looking at Raeleigh, who said with a smile, ¡°Will youe with me? I have something to tell you in private, but as a condition for me taking over the Richards family¡¯s affairs, you must promise not to tell anyone, orI won¡¯t tell you either.¡±

    Jenna swallowed and said after a long time, ¡°What do you want to say?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll only tell you after I have your promise. It¡¯s up to you now.¡± Raeleigh deliberately kept her in suspense. Jenna deliberated. Everyone was now on the same side; she wouldn¡¯t be able to turn the tides herself but only go with the flow. But it wouldn¡¯t be half bad if she could get a secret in return.

    Jenna nodded and followed Raeleigh to a corner. Raeleigh pulled her phone out to show Jeanna some photos she kept hidden. Somewhat lost in thought, Jenna asked, ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s Shaney, Shaney Richards. She¡¯s three now.¡±

    Jenna covered her mouth in disbelief as tears streamed down her face, looking at Raeleigh, ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re¡­ This isn¡¯t a lie, is it?¡±

    Smiling, Raeleigh said, ¡°Does it look like it?¡±

    Jenna shook her head stiffly. The others looked at the two far away; none could tell what was up, but it was definitely something upsetting.

    ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want anyone else to learn about her, not even Dad.Of course, I will introduce her when the time is right. Stuart has probably met her already. I want her out of harm¡¯s reach, so the world cannot learn ofher existence.¡±

    ¡°Her existence will not only stir the Doyle family but also others, including this one.¡±

    Marissa immediately popped up in Jenna¡¯s mind. That woman had long been hell-bent on her ways now; she would definitely hurt Shaney without hesitation.

    Jenna heaved a long sigh as shepatted her chest, trying to calm down.She would never allow anyone to hurt her beloved granddaughter,not even Marissa.

    ¡°Raeleigh, put your phone away.¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jenna pushed Raeleigh¡¯s hand but took the phone from her the next second,scrutinizing the cute little face before returning it to Raeleigh. Jennapursed her lips, distraught. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. My ipetence has brought so many misfortune. I¡¯m so spineless, always listening to her. But don¡¯t worry, Raeleigh, not anymore. I will protect you two; trust that I¡¯ll keep this between us. I know what to do.¡±

    Jenna was all jacked up now, returning to Hansen¡¯s side. She had forgotten what Raeleigh was about to set out to do.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why did you cry but smile the next minute?¡±Befuddled, Hansen pressed Jenna.

    But he was an eyesore to Jenna at the moment, so she shoved him away, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Hansen glumed. What hadRaeleigh said to Jenna? The hardest mole to catch was the one closest to you, and Hansen thought everyone around him was one.

 Chapter 1790 Losing Patience

    Raeleigh returned to the group and announced, ¡°Rossie and I have agreed that I¡¯ll handle things from the outside while she stays here; Deanna, you too, for now.Harvey, go back to Waverly Vige. I¡¯ll call you if anythinges up.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡± Still unable to rx, Jenna walked over to Raeleigh after hearing the n, holding her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to do this.Leave this to Hansen.¡±

    Raeleigh took a gander at Hansen and said, ¡°Mom,it¡¯s not time for Dad to make his move yet. Why kill a fly with an elephant gun? I¡¯m more than enough to deal with them.¡±

    Jenna chewed her lips and said, ¡°But I keep getting the feeling your father is just keeping up an appearance. You¡¯re still so young; what if something horrible happens to you?¡±

    ¡°Mom, have some faith in me.Since nothing could kill me three years ago, I¡¯ll walk away alive this time too.¡±

    Hearing that, tears fell down Jenna¡¯s face again, and she quickly wiped them away,¡°No more crying.¡±

    ¡°Mom, you should look after Santiago.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Jenna promised, and Raeleigh headed out.Rossie immediately ordered, ¡°Fehmen, Jaird, stay close to Raeleigh. If anything happens to her, forget abouting back.¡±

    The brothers exchanged nces. They had just arrived from the Whalen¡¯s residence; Rayan personally made the call to have them over.

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The two followed her out, and so did Rossie. She was worried about Raeleigh¡¯s safety too.

    Raeleigh took a gander before going into the car and made her way to Waverly Vige.

    Doyle family residence.

    With a smack, Geraldine sent a p over to the faces of the two youngsters of the Doyle family.

    ¡°You bunch of useless swine! Can¡¯t you even kidnap two children? Is it that difficult? What did you promise me before you left?¡±Geraldine roared.

    Raeleigh had disfigured her face, so she had to put on a mask, impossible to show herself to anyone.She had a glove on her injured hand; her fingers were beyond usable now. The doctors told her the veins from her injured hand affected her heart and advised her to keep her temper under control. But how could she at this given time?

    Hanschel, who was suffering from a torn ACL,y on the bed next to hers with a bandaged face.

    Sitting down, Geraldine heaved in anger, and a servant rushed to bring Geraldine her medication.

    She felt much better after taking a swig of water and red daggers at the two of them. ¡°What do you have to say for yourselves?¡±

    ¡°Grandma, please give us another chance.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve given you many chances, but when have you ever cherished them? If it weren¡¯t for your loyalty to me, do you think you¡¯d still be standing?¡±

    ¡°Grandma, please calm down.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. I will tear Raeleigh Anson to shreds.¡±

    Geraldine¡¯s hatred was sky-high. She even dreamt about killing Raeleigh.

    She wished the worst possible death for that woman.

    Hearing a set of footsteps echoing through the spacious room, everyone looked over to the stairs. A man descended, ying with a Rubik¡¯s Cube.

    ¡°No need to be so anxious, Grandma. She will meet her maker.¡±

    ¡°Loward.¡±

    Geraldine¡¯s voice softened suddenly, and her mood had lightened as she fixed her gaze at Loward.

    Standing in front of Geraldine, he suggested, ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll go and kill Jepherson and the guys lest they continue to be an eyesore to you. I doubt they can continue to sit still when their sessors are dead.¡±

    ¡°They are all with the government; we can only make our move when theye out. Elizen is also there; I trust he¡¯ll give them a hard time.¡±

    Geraldine had faith in her eldest grandson; with him around, Jepherson and the others wouldn¡¯t be able to walk away unscathed.

    Loward said, ¡°But don¡¯t you think you have too much faith in him, Grandma?¡±

    ¡°You keep letting your arrogance get the better of you, Loward. You need to learn from Elizen.¡± Geraldine did wish Jepherson a horrific death right then, but Elizen advised otherwise. They¡¯d had to take a step at a time, lest it fell short.

    With that in mind, Geraldine smiled at Loward. ¡°Loward, your target is their wives; have the guys beg for death.¡±

    Just then, someone rushed in and reported, ¡°Madam Geraldine, our men have caught sight of Raeleigh Anson. She¡¯s heading for Waverly Vige.¡±

    ¡°Waverly Vige?¡±

    Geraldine looked over at Loward, who smiled and headed to the door. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma. Wait for my good news.¡±

    Meanwhile, at the government office, Jepherson sat with one leg across his knee, gazing at Elizen, who was talking about the plots that led to Crevor¡¯s death. This wasn¡¯t their first encounter, as Jepherson had seen him when they were children.

    The Richards family and the Doyle family were close. However, the Doyle family had a long history in Capital City and quite arge number of descendants. Santiago followed Jepherson to their residence twice when they were a lot younger and returned home saying there were so many people there that he had trouble connecting their faces to their names.

    Oh, how time flies. It had been fifteen years since theirst meeting.

    At that time, the Doyle family weren¡¯t considered influential, but they were undoubtedly among the wealthy.

    Every time Jepherson returned home, he would hear his father say that his familycked nothing but children.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Santiago was still a child who spoke without fear then, and he would ramble about marrying dozens of women and having bountiful children until he was the man with the most in the world.

    Jephersonughed at it, and Hansen was overjoyed as well.

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes turned colder by the second as he recalled the past. Zorion, on the other hand, leaned against his armrest, listening to the man in front of him ramble on.

    Jacky was among the audience as well. He still hadn¡¯t received news about his sons, but he didn¡¯t let his worries show at all.

    There were others at the table as well, all having their attention on Elizen.

    Elizen had some political background. His appearance was uncalled for but not surprising; everyone was used to it.

    ¡°Can we have some food here, please? I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Jacky turned to the person behind him and said, interrupting Elizen¡¯s speech, his patience wearing thin.

    The man saw to it, leaving the room. Jacky turned back to Elizen, then checked the time before drifting his gaze back to Elizen once more.¡°I really don¡¯t get where you¡¯re going with this. Are we summoned over fora tea party?¡±

    Elizen, of course, was a force to be reckoned with, looking at Jacky. ¡°Mr. Scott, my family only wantsan exnation for this.We came to Capital City to invest, but we were nearly obliterated overnight. How do you expect me to keep quiet when you guys haven¡¯te up with a solution?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for your loss, but this is a matter left for the homicide unit. We¡¯ll follow up and give the public an answer. But what I don¡¯t get is your purpose for summoning the representatives of the city. Are we here only to listen to your ramble?¡±

    Jacky sat upright still, but it was visible he had lost his patience.

 Chapter 1791 Annihilation

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that if I were you, Mr. Scott. My family is also taxpayers.¡± Elizen immediately retorted. Amused, Jacky stated, ¡°I didn¡¯t say you aren¡¯t. But I will have someone see to it.¡±

    ¡°My deepest condolences to you and your family. But I can¡¯t do anything about it even if you summon all of us here. What are you trying to tell us?¡±

    ¡°Do you want us to sit around and do nothing?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s rather harsh, don¡¯t you think, Mr. Scott?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go around pointing fingers now. There are more than a hundred people here as witnesses. Is this just a game to you?¡±

    Jacky stood up; Elizen did too, in response, and scoffed,¡°Mr. Scott, I¡¯m not done speaking. Please show some respect.¡±

    Jacky looked over at Elizen. ¡°Do I not? You¡¯re the one who needs some self-respect.¡±

    Facing away, Jacky announced, ¡°Everyone,let¡¯s take a break, grab something to eat before wee back to listen to more guff.¡±

    With that, Jacky headed out. Seeing the chairperson walk away, everyone else followed.

    Only Jepherson and Zorion were left in the room, as well as Elizen and his bodyguard.

    Shaking his head, Zorion pulled out his phone to call Rossie, who answered in two shakes.

    ¡°Are youing back soon?¡± Rossie was in the living room with everyone else, who all looked over, hearing her question. Zorion closed his eyes for a couple of seconds, weary, ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m exhausted, though. I¡¯ve been sitting here all day, and my body is aching all over.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t youe back?¡±

    ¡°Tell that to the hosting party.¡± Zorion said, pulling a long face.

    ¡°Is that so?Grab a bite, okay? You¡¯ll feel better having something in your system.¡±

    And the couple engaged in a conversation, talking about nothing in particr.

    Elizen frowned and looked over his shoulder at his bodyguard, who walked out to the stairwell to make a phone call.

    He¡¯d take a toilet break in the meantime, and there was arestroom right outside.

    However, it was crowded there, so he walked further down to avoid suspicion.

    Entering the stairwell, he made the call after closing the door. But before the call connected, he saw someoneing up the stairs.

    The bodyguard didn¡¯t recognize the person approaching, so he instinctively looked over. There was no one beside him, but he could sense someone behind the door.

    Ascending the stairs, Jared stared at the bodyguard with a sinister gaze.

    The bodyguard put his phone down andretreated to the door. He turned the knob, but the door wouldn¡¯t budge; someone had locked it from the other side.

    ¡°Come down.¡±

    Jared smirked as he gestured for the bodyguard to go to him.

    The bodyguard asked, ¡°Who are you? This is the government office; how did you get in?¡±

    ¡°I said,e down.¡±

    Jared gestured again. Seeing that he had nowhere to run, the bodyguard approached Jared, ready for a fight.

    He gave Jared a roundhouse kick as soon as he got close. Jared evaded, his back pressed against the wall. The bodyguard noticed his right leg was a little slow and sneered, ¡°Looks like you guys are really short handed. Can¡¯t believe they sent a cripple over.¡±

    Jared smirked, unbothered by hisment.

    The bodyguard gave him another kick, and Jared evaded again, grabbing his ankle. The bodyguard paid the price for belittling Jared. Before he knew it, Jared held a death grip on his leg and ripped it off him.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    The man let out an agonizing scream. Jacky sneered and lit a cigarette, smoking right outside the stairway. Someone caught a glimpse of him but said nothing. He was the mayor, and it was no one¡¯s business he was smoking, as long as he didn¡¯t do it in front of the cameras.

    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± The bodyguard leaned against the wall.

    Jared opened his mouth, spit a small razor out, and slit it across the bodyguard¡¯s neck, who then widened his eyes in shock and slumped into a pile.

    Jared immediately moved aside, heading upstairs as he wiped the razor clean and threw it into the trash chute.

    Hearing footsteps, Jacky unlocked the door and walked away.

    Jared pushed the door open and headed into the hallway.

    Everyone had to be frisked when they entered the building. Although the representatives could bring their bodyguards along, no weapons were allowed inside. Even a nail clipper had to be handed in.

    Otherwise, Jared wouldn¡¯t have to go through so much trouble.

    Jared went to wash his hands, and Jacky invited him to join them for a meal after he came out.

    Elizen was beginning to feel restless as his bodyguard still hadn¡¯t returned. Meanwhile, Jepherson sat supporting his head with his hand, looking asleep while Zorion still hadn¡¯t ended his call.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Soon, Elizen stood up and headed outside. Seeing so, Zorion hung up and followed him.

    Seeing the restroom door open and close, Zorion went in.

    Jepherson also left his seat and went to them.

    At the door to the restroom, Jepherson hung a ¡®closed for maintenance¡¯ sign.

    Then leaned next to the door and began watching an action movie.

    Someone went to him and took a gander, evenmenting Jepherson was in a mood to watch a movie.

    Jepherson, however, didn¡¯t respond to the guy.He then sat down when his legs started getting sore. As he sted the movie, everyone¡¯s attention was on it.

    Inside the restroom, Elizen hid in one of the stalls when Zorian came in. He had wanted to make a call but didn¡¯t expect someone toe in right after him. Seeing who it was, he was immediately on high alert and made the call, only for the signals to be interrupted.

    Zorion pushed the doors one by one. When he reached the fourth stall, Elizen kicked the door open. Zorion took a step back and looked down at his suit. Giving it a quick dusting, he smiled and said, ¡°We¡¯re all here for the bathroom; why did you kick me?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, we all know what you¡¯re trying. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll go down without a fight.¡± Elizen said as he shoved his phone back into his pocket.

    Zorion said, ¡°Can¡¯t make the call?¡±

    ¡°Was it you?¡±

    ¡°I heard you¡¯re a smart guy. But I guess you¡¯re getting on in years; you are ten years older than me, after all. It¡¯ll be easy for me to mess with you, won¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Big talk for someone who bites more than he can chew.¡±

    With that, Elizen made the first move. Zorion only dodged, never attacking.

    Elizen taunted, ¡°Is that all you got? C¡¯mon,nd a punch at me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know the best defense is a good offense? You¡¯re as strong as a bull; why shouldn¡¯t I dodge?¡± Zorion said as he tore some toilet paper and walked toward Elizen, whoughed. ¡°You¡¯re going to kill me with that?¡±

    ¡°What? Can¡¯t I?¡± Zorion walked over without haste, and Elizen wasn¡¯t ruffled either. He should really be d*mned if even a roll of toilet paper could end him.

    Zorion pounced on Elizen and wrapped his neck with the toilet paper, leading Elizen to attack. Zorion pulled hard, and the toilet paper tore but not the golden wire hidden underneath, sinking into Elizen¡¯s flesh.

    It was already toote when he realized Zorion¡¯s n. Elizen¡¯s eyes bulged, kicking as he struggled to break free, but Zorion was strangling him from behind, carrying him up with ease. Plus, he was worn out from all the offense, and an entire day¡¯s hunger weakened him.

    It was only then Elizen understood why Zorion had only ever dodged; he barely had the strength to struggle now.

 Chapter 1792 Her Plan to See the Grim Reaper

    Zorion restricted Elizen, pulled out a piece of gold from his pocket, and pried Elizen¡¯s mouth open, shoving the gold in.

    Elizen was forced to swallow it.

    Meanwhile, Zorion kept the gold wire away, and Elizen fell to the ground.

    Standing aside, Zorion didn¡¯t even bother to give him a second look and walked away. Reaching the door, he gave his suit another quick dusting before he twisted the knob.

    Hearing the door open, Jepherson got up on his feet and sized Zorion up before sitting back down. Zorion followed him, watching a movie on his phoneuntil Jacky came back to resume the meeting.

    Everyone returned apart from Elizen and his bodyguard. They waited for quite some time before Jacky dismissed the meeting, never suggesting looking for them.

    The trio went into their respective cars and sped straight to the Richards Group Manor. Upon Jacky¡¯s return to Green Jade Garden, Deanna ran out to hug him, on the verge of crying.

    Wrapping his arms around her, Jacky asked, ¡°Where¡¯re the boys?¡±

    ¡°The boys, they¡­¡± Deanna started bawling. Thinking something horrible happened to their children, Jacky separated them and cupped Deanna¡¯s cheek,forting her, ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡±

    Deanna sniffled. ¡°Raeleigh sent them away, saying they¡¯re somewhere safe. We don¡¯t need to worry about them.¡±

    Jacky beamed at the news, relieved of his worries.

    Zorion came out of his car right then and sensed something was off when he saw Jacky and Deanna¡¯s expression.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zorion asked coldly as he walked toward the couple.

    ¡°Cedric and Heitor¡­ They were kidnapped. I¡­¡±

    Zorion turned grim before Deanna could finish her words.

    ¡°B*stards! I¡¯ll go find them.¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Rossie came out just then. ¡°First Deanna and now her sons. Have you ever acted this recklessly for me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know to consider my feelings when you let your emotions act for you?¡±

    Zorion stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Rossie.

    ¡°Of course I would.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh has sent the twins somewhere secure. What you need to do now is to find a way to help Raeleigh. She has used herself as bait and set off to Waverly Vige.¡±

    ¡°But knowing that woman, she probably isn¡¯t there. I have no clue where though.¡±

    Jepherson got out of his car as Rossie spoke. Hearing that, he went back into his car and ordered the chauffeur, ¡°Waverly Vige, now.¡±

    The chauffeur obliged, and off Jepherson went.

    ¡°Go inside. I¡¯ll go and find Raeleigh.¡±

    Jacky urged Deanna to go in before chasing after Jepherson. Zorion looked over at Rossie, who said, ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Zorion then joined the search.

    ¡­

    Rossie went to Deanna.¡°Next time, cry after you¡¯ve made your point, lest people misunderstand.¡±

    Deanna looked at Rossie and pouted. ¡°What did I say? Zorion was the one at fau< why me me for his recklessness? Do you think it''s right to me it all on me?"     "Is there right and wrong between us?" Rossie said and headed inside, unbothered, while Deanna followed right behind.     Since Rossie came into their lives, Deanna had lost her status as the favorite of the family. As if she could do anything about it.     Jenna was in Santiago''s room when Rossie knocked on the door.     "Who is it?"     She wouldn''t open the door for Hanse no matter what.     "Auntie Jenna, it''s me, Rossie."     Jenna only then invited Rossie in. Entering, Rossie went to Jenna and said, "The guys have returned but went to fetchRaeleigh. ording to our n, she''d be in Waverly Vige now, but I''m worried. Knowing her, she wouldn''t be there as nned; if that''s the case, she''ll easily be in trouble."     "What?!" Jenna was shocked spitless, unable to find her voice for a long time. "Why didn''t you say it earlier?"     "You would''ve been worried, but I''m sure she''ll be fine now that they have gone to her."     Jenna fell limp that instant. How could they talk about this matter so easily? Do they not feel for Raeleigh at all?     "Alright, I got it. Please leave me be."     Jenna didn''t want to see Rossie right then. If it weren''t for her, Raeleigh would be recuperating at home right then, and she wouldn''t have to worry, unlike now.     After Rossie left, Jenna turned to her son. "Santiago, Raeleigh went out. She''s still injured, but she went out right after she was treated."     "They''re using her as bait to lure those from the Doyle family."     "I''m really scared something horrible will happen to Raeleigh. But I''m ipetent, and your father is senile and no longer cares about our family''s affairs. I''m really disappointed in him."     Jenna couldn''t help shedding a few tears but quickly wiped them away.     Lying on her son, she confided, "What should we do? What will be of Shaney if anything happens to Raeleigh? I don''t even know where that girl is; she looks like an angel, so much like your brother."     ...     Raeleigh looked around. She descended the car and walked toward the wild,Fehmen and Jaird following right behind. To lighten up the mood, Raeleigh struck up a conversation with them.     Jaird said, "I''m already twenty-six, but I still don''t have a girlfriend."     Raeleigh said, "I didn''t ask if you have one. Why bring it up?"     "I like you."     Jaird blurted, leading Raeleigh to stop in her tracks and look at him. Jaird smiled and said, "I know you''re Mr. Jepherson''s woman, but it doesn''t matter. We''re not one to indulge in the secr world; it''s already good enough to know you."     Raeleigh wore an embarrassed smile as Jared came to her mind, asking, "Are people like you all like this?"     "Like how?"     "Nohow. Let''s go."     With that, she continued walking forward. In actuality, she couldn''t walk any further anymore, but she couldn''t stop. The Doyle family had found them, and it wasn''t a small party.     "There''s a field up ahead, and it might be our burial ground. Go hide behind the boulders there and don''te for me. Forget about going back to her Whalen family too. They won''t do anything but only think you two are dead."     "What about you?" Jaird asked.     Raeleigh said, "The explosives on me are enough to kill a hundred people, but I''m not afraid."     "You n on turning yourself into a human explosive?"     "Yup."     The Lee brothers fell silent.     No one was not afraid of death, and they were no exception. They only became who they were because they did not want to be the subject of bullies or die in a fight, but they couldn''t abandon her either.     They soon arrived at the field. Raeleigh looked at the brothers, saying, "Go on, leave."     But neither of them moved, standing by her side, fixing their gaze at her.     Raeleigh sighed,"There is no difference between the death of one or three. Why stay? Don''t be foolish."     "It is an honor to serve with you."     The two brothers stayed in the end, standing next to Raeleigh, who turned around and watched as the Doyle family surrounded them.

 Chapter 1793 Butterfly Knife

    The person who came was Loward, the most self-righteous person in the Doyle family.

    Although he was cunning, the Doyles never appreciated him for his arrogant nature.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Raeleigh had seen Loward¡¯s photo and records, so she knew this man like the back of her hand.

    So she knew her fate would be bleak this time.

    Loward brought many men with him, and he was an excellent fighter himself while she only had the Lee brothers with her. If Rossie¡¯s n failed, this would be the end of the trio.

    ¡°So you¡¯re Raeleigh Anson?¡± Loward had always been arrogant and conceited. But Raeleigh knew he would never learn from his mistakes. The what-doesn¡¯t-kill-you-makes-you-stronger type.

    Naturally, a man like Loward wouldn¡¯t earn the respect of others.However, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t charge at him right then; he had something she needed.

    Raeleigh took out the button Crevor was holding when he was dying and showed it to Loward. ¡°Do you recognize this?¡±

    Loward didn¡¯t even furrow as he approached Raeleigh, sizing her as he walked.¡°No wonder Crevor was so into you. I would be, too, if I were him. You sure are alluring.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson¡¯s soul will forever remain in the government office. Elizen is quite unforgiving toward his enemies; you¡¯ll be seeing his corpse soon. If you want, I don¡¯t mind keeping you by my side. I¡¯ll protect you from harm¡¯s way.¡±

    ¡°Answer my question.¡± Raeleigh showed the crystal button in her hand to Loward again. Loward said, ¡°It¡¯s mine. What about it?¡±

    ¡°Good to know.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Loward stopped a few feet away from Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I still owe Crevor an exnation. And now that I know you¡¯re the murderer, I¡¯ll send you to him. It¡¯s up to him what your fate is.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Amused, Loward asked, ¡°And how do you n to do that? Do you think you can beat me?¡±

    ¡°You doubt my ability?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I do.¡± And there went Loward¡¯s arrogance; he wouldn¡¯t even take Geraldine seriously, let alone anyone else.

    ¡°One-on-one. If I win, you let us go, and you work for me. If you win, I¡¯m yours.¡± Fehmen and Jaird were surprised by Raeleigh¡¯s challenge, especially Jaird. But neither of them spoke their minds at that time as they were in no position to do so but only to follow orders right then.

    However, it didn¡¯t stop them from turning their gaze over to her.

    Raeleigh looked at Jaird and said, ¡°If I lose, run immediately. We can¡¯t all die here.¡±

    Jaird didn¡¯t give her an answer immediately.Although he was the younger one among the two, Raeleigh could tell Jaird was the one to call the shots.

    Smirking, Jarid said, ¡°You will win.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing but wore an amiable smile on her face.

    But turning back to Loward, her expression showed nothing but coldness and the intent to kill.

    ¡°Choose your weapon,¡± Raeleigh said. Loward,however, found it amusing andughed before asking his men without care.¡°Anybody brought a weapon?¡±

    Someone brought a dagger. Loward signaled him toe, and the man presented it to him.

    Loward removed the dagger from its sheath and took a good look at it before asking Raeleigh,¡°What about you?¡±

    Raeleigh put her right hand behind her and took out a butterfly knife. ¡°This. It¡¯s a gift from my brother.¡±

    ¡°Your brother?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Brother? Do you mean lover?¡± Loward mocked Raeleigh, but she didn¡¯t care at all, saying, ¡°How do I know you¡¯re not lying?¡±

    ¡°You women sure are troublesome. Always dawdling.¡±

    ¡°Ask your men to put their guns and weapons in a pile. If I lose, you cane for me; if I win, you will meet your maker before me and let us walk away.¡±

    Loward snorted, not caring about their deal for even a second. Raeleigh was gravely outnumbered; she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape even if his men didn¡¯t have their weapons.

    ¡°Throw all your weapons aside,¡± Loward ordered, and his men did as told. Meanwhile, Raeleigh nced at Jaird, who took the hint.

    Their fates were in her hands now.

    ¡°You two step back,¡± Raeleigh ordered.

    The brothers obliged. With a flick of her wrist, the de showed. As Raeleigh¡¯s hands were small, the knife fitted nice and snug in it, looking like an extension of her arm.

    ¡°Why do you want to make your life so hard? You might as welle and suck my d*ck, and I¡¯ll promise to show you a good time.¡±

    Smirking, Raeleigh said,¡°Say that when you¡¯ve defeated me.¡±

    Loward guffawed. ¡°Well said.¡±

    After a pause, Loward said, ¡°Since you¡¯re so anxious, I¡¯ll grant your wish. When you be my woman, you will know the true meaning of pleasure.¡±

    Loward charged at her with a swift, assertive motion. Raeleigh could already feel his desire to win before he was even close and gasped involuntarily. Fortunately, she was ready.

    Loward went straight for her stomach. Raeleigh frowned, knowing he was aiming for a fatal jab. It seemed that he wasn¡¯t all that dumb. All that bbering was to have her let her guard down.

    Raeleigh shifted her body and dodged his attack, her body as light as air and her movements agile.

    Jaird and Fehmen were prepared to pounce on Loward at any moment¡¯s notice, but Raeleigh¡¯s agility caught them by surprise, reminding them of a peregrine falcon catching its prey.

    Raeleigh was still dodging, but her movements were not as fast as she had imagined.

    Even Loward had realized Raeleigh had some training.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to know a thing or two.¡± Loward shed away, but Raeleigh managed to dodge him again.

    Raeleigh said nothing, preserving her strength. She had trained to dodge bullets for two whole years, learning from Austin. If she could do that, how difficult would it be to dodge a living person like Loward?

    Raeleigh distanced herself after a few dodges and started flipping her butterfly knife. Sensing the change, Loward stopped attacking. Jaird furrowed his brow slightly. He had seen people using this kind of butterfly knife to deal withrger and stronger opponents; it was suited for fast fighters like Raeleigh.

    He didn¡¯t take notice at first as he thought Raeleigh was deliberately confusing her opponent.

    But not anymore, believing she was no ordinary woman.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Loward looked away, tricking her into following his line of sight, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t fall for it. Just as she bent, she flung her butterfly knife right at him. The unexpected move stumped Loward; he never once thought she would do that.

    By the time he realized it, it was already toote.As it was already dark, Loward¡¯s men couldn¡¯t see the fight clearly, only that something was flying out of Raeleigh¡¯s hand toward Loward.

 Chapter 1794 On The Defense

    Loward knew that things weren¡¯t in his favor. His head lowered as Raeleigh spun around on one leg and kicked him with the other. He stepped back to evade it, but then Raeleigh outnked him and struck at the back of his head with a butterfly knife. Strands of hair and even a piece of his scalp were cut off. The most shocking thing was how the butterfly knife had swiftly returned to Raeleigh¡¯s hand.

    She spun the knife in a continuous whirlwind of movement. This time, however, she brought the still spinning butterfly knife to her front and then ced it at the side of her body when it slowed down.

    Loward didn¡¯t expect to suffer such a loss. He touched the back of his head tentatively with one hand. At the sticky feeling, he brought it back forward and studied his hand withan ugly expression on his face.

    ¡°B*tch, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll be dead by today.¡± With that said, Loward desperately charged towards Raeleigh.

    She immediately retreated two steps back. She had not confronted Loward directly all this while. Every time he attacked her, if she was able to dodge, then she would dodge. If she couldn¡¯t, even then she won¡¯t go head-to-head with him but find other ways to go about it. In this way, she would not unduly get hurt.

    Loward was a man with an explosive temper. If he didn¡¯t manage tond a hit or even hurt her and at every failed attack, he would attack even more aggressively. Raeleigh was unable to bnce herself this time around though and fell onto her rump in her retreat. Loward took advantage of the opening this gave him and smashed a bulletproof hammer down on her head. Jaird barely managed to scream out a sentence as he anxiously reached for her but was pulled back by Fehmen.

    Raeleigh paid no attention to what was going on in the sidelines. In order to stop Loward¡¯s blow, her butterfly knife flew out to meet his attack. Loward had already expected this and flung out his own de with a raise of his hand. Both knives shed against each other, a piercing, harsh metallic sound rang out as metal slid against metal. Despite this, Raeleigh¡¯s knife wasn¡¯t immediately overwhelmed by it.

    Loward found it amusing. ¡°A woman is still a woman after all, you don¡¯t have my strength.¡±

    Raeleigh grinned, ¡°Really? How about now?¡±

    With a grunt, she pushed herself up from the ground and with her momentum, kneed him in the stomach. Another butterfly knife appeared in her left hand, which was plunged deeply into his abdomen.

    When Raeleigh got up earlier, her knee was specifically aimed at his ribs and it took a lot of strength plus gritted teeth to pull this move off.

    Loward¡¯s wound wasn¡¯t fatal, but both his eyes red fiercely in her direction, his expression twisted with rage,

    Raeleigh curved her mouth into a faux smile. ¡°I forgot to tell you, these butterfly knives are called ¡®Double Wings¡¯. Theye in pairs, but to someone as careless as you, it¡¯s unsurprising that you didn¡¯t discover them.¡±

    Loward scowled at her. He lifted his hand with the intention to tug her down but Raeleigh exerted a little more pressure on the knife and he immediately went still.

    The feeling of flesh being cut off was painful, but what made it more excruciating was that the flesh was being cut with the blunt side of the knife. The present Raeleigh didn¡¯t have much strength, thus when she retaliated, it brought forth a type of unbearable agony.

    Loward¡¯s face twisted up even further and a bright red stream of blood flowed down from his mouth, his eyes about to pop out from his face.

    Jaird and Fehmen were both stunned by what happened. Was that really Raeleigh?

    When the people right at the back saw that Loward had been subdued, they dare not make any sudden moves.

    Just then, dozens of vehicles arrived one after another and surrounded the whole area. The person in the lead was Harvey, who got out of the car and ran towards Raeleigh. When he registered the scene in front of him, in which Raeleigh was pressing Loward down with one knee, her eyes burnt bright like ming torches as she red down at him, he was utterly stupefied.

    Harvey had originally gone out together with Raeleigh, but halfway through she sent a text message to him and instructed him to stand guard at the entrance of the Capital City. He must wait until Loward had been subdued before he coulde out again in order to minimize casualties as much as possible.

    Harvey was on tenterhooks all this while, but he couldn¡¯t disobey her either.

    Raeleigh was right. Once the sounds of gunshots being fired broke out, it would stir up a panic. He couldn¡¯t let anything happen between Capital City and Waverly Vige.

    Harvey chose to trust Raeleigh. When he saw that the other side had put their guns down, he wanted toe out but still hesitated.

    Harvey was worried that something bad would happen and held himself back in the end.

    Jacky had utmost trust in Raeleigh, therefore Harvey had trust in her too.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Harvey spoke out muchter in the day, after the rest of the goons had been rounded up and arrested. Raeleigh made sure that Loward was dead before she finally straightened up from her crouched form.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Nevertheless, she still swayed on her feet as she stood. In that instant, Loward¡¯s eyes all of a sudden shot open. Raeleigh threw her knife out of reflex into his neck without hesitation. His body instantly stilled, his head lolled to one side. His whole figure deted like a balloon as everything about himy cked.

    Raeleigh bent over Loward¡¯s front to pull out the butterfly knife from his neck. When the knife slid free, blood sprayed out of the wound and onto her face. She dodged it but was unable to fully get away and still got some of the blood on her face.

    Raeleigh froze, as if her whole being had been petrified. But then at the next moment, Raeleigh slowly turned around towards Harvey and Jaird, her face expressionless and overall being apathetic.

    Jaird immediately took off his coat and helped to wipe her face

    Raeleigh stood there motionlessly. Jaird wiped and spoke at the same time, ¡°Talk to me.¡±

    Raeleigh slowly looked towards him, ¡°About what?¡±

    Jaird burst out intoughter. ¡°Anything is fine.¡±

    Raeleigh rolled her eyes at him and said nothing. Harvey ran back to get some water and wiped her face with a towel. Jaird wiped Raeleigh¡¯s neck while Harvey rubbed her face. There were injuries on her body, hence Jaird took out the outermostyer of her clothes. He had a feeling that she wasn¡¯t feeling much of anything at this point.

    It was only after he took some of her clothes off that he discovered that there wasn¡¯t any inner wear on Raeleigh¡¯s body except for some bandages. Although only her right shoulder was exposed, Jaird¡¯s eyes were still wide in mortification.

    Harvey wasn¡¯t aware as he focused on taking off his coat together with a sweater he had worn inside. He didn¡¯t mind as he had on a thermal vest.

    ¡°Raeleigh, please put it on first.¡± Harvey put the coat on for Raeleigh. Jaird immediately took off his own coat and added, ¡°It¡¯s too cold, wear oneyer more.¡±

    Raeleigh did not stand on ceremony and let Jaird put it on for her.

    She had just donned her clothes when Jepherson and the rest came in their cars. They stopped in session on the periphery of the warehouse right after everything had already ended.

    Jepherson got out of the car and stared nkly at everything around him. He saw Raeleigh from afar and stalked up to her.

    Raeleigh left Harvey and the others behind, but not before she picked up the knife that had previouslybeendeflected and silently hid it behind her back.

    Jaird and the others all noticed Raeleigh¡¯s inconspicuous action, but they were all aware of one fact. She only took such precautions for one person only and that was Jepherson.

    Jepherson walked to Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Where are you here?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s voice was very loud with a belly full of anger. Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything in reply. She only intended to leave. Jepherson gripped Raeleigh¡¯s right arm before she could do so. ¡°Why won¡¯t you answer me?¡±

    His voice was loud in volume, but it¡¯s a pity that she remained unaffected and didn¡¯t reply. She tilted her eyes up a little. Jacky and Zorion were also present and had just got down from the car. It¡¯s only when her eyesnded on Jacky did she speak, ¡°Clean up, before dawn breaks have everything cleared.¡±

    Jacky lowered his head and said nothing in response. Raeleigh raised her left hand to shove away Jepherson¡¯s hand. When that didn¡¯t work, she raised her head towards him and uttered, ¡°I want to take a bath.¡±

    Jepherson gritted his teeth. ¡°What are you hiding behind your back?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. Jepherson turned her around and lifted her clothes to reveal the two butterfly knives strapped to her back.

    He took his hand away and put it back by his side. ¡°Go and wait in the car.¡±

    His voice was filled with fury. The wind whistled past the area as if in apaniment to his turbulent emotions. No one spoke a word. Zorion walked up to Raeleigh and prompted, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 1795 A VenomousHearted Woman

    Raeleigh got into the car whereas Zorion smoked outside. Jepherson then walked over and crouched down in front of Loward¡¯s dead body. Jared gave him a pair of gloves only for them to be pushed away as he personally examined the corpse.

    Jaird and Fehmen stood opposite him. Jepherson stood up soon after and questioned them, ¡°Did Raeleigh really kill him?¡±

    Jaird and Fehmen didn¡¯t answer, but Harvey was also present.

    He was the one who answered in their stead, ¡°I saw it. It was Raeleigh who killed him.¡±

    Both of Jacky¡¯s hands were full of medicine when he heard this. He wasn¡¯t as surprised to hear that this was her doing. Raeleigh had been gone for three years and there was no news of her since. No one could tell what exactly had happened during that period of time. Raeleigh had hidden it very well. If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that she had been angered by this incident, they would have been kept in the dark for all their lives.

    Jared peered at Raeleigh, then to the corpse on the ground. ¡°Not many people use such a military tool like the butterfly knife. We always thought that even eight to ten years isn¡¯t enough to master its usability.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Jepherson didn¡¯t want to hear Jared¡¯s remarks. He turned around and walked towards Raeleigh. Everyone else was either left behind to clean up the scene or left in their vehicles.

    The door was pulled open, only to show that Raeleigh had fallen asleep. Jepherson faltered for a minute before he stepped into the car. He sat beside and held onto her ice cold hand. ¡°Go to the hospital.¡±

    Raeleigh slept deeply as the car drove straight to the hospital. When they arrived, an examination was immediately ordered to be performed on her. When the doctor found out that Raeleigh did not feel any pain throughout, he questioned her on what medication she had taken prior to this time. She replied that it was painkillers, and when asked how many she had taken, she couldn¡¯t remember. Jepherson searched around but couldn¡¯t find the aforementioned painkillers on her. They then did a blood test, but the results were shocking. Her bloodstream contained traces of a type of morphine, its concentration was of a simr level as being dirt drunk. Under such circumstances, it was enough to already damage her candidate stem cells.

    Jepherson paced back and forth in the ward and red at Raeleigh fiercely in between each round.

    The doctors all broke out into a cold sweat. Was he about to scold her?

    Raeleigh took a shower, changed her clothes and redressed her bandages. At present, sheid on the bed like a child. She only spoke to ask about her butterfly knives.

    She didn¡¯t mention anything else other than that.

    Jepherson himself kept his mouth shut about the butterfly knives and had not said anything to her until now.

    The doctors went out one after another soon after. Jepherson changed his clothes, then sat to one side.

    Zorion, who had returned home, saw no signs of Rossie anywhere and called Jepherson¡¯s phone like crazy. Jepherson was about to stand up but his body had yet to straighten out before the movement woke Raeleigh up from her sleep. She looked towards Jepherson and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s still twenty minutes left.¡±

    He slowly sat back down and stared deeply into Raeleigh¡¯s eyes as if he wanted to stare a hole through her head. If there wasn¡¯t a need for men and the women can do whatever needs to be done, then why did they still need the men for?

    She could pave her own way now and there wouldn¡¯t be a need for him to be around to pull her out of trouble.

    Jepherson made a long face and said sullenly, ¡°This is thest time. I don¡¯t want my woman to be better than me and be able to fight alone.¡±

    ¡°Maybe your woman is still in her mother¡¯s womb and will appear decadester.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, I can¡¯t wait for a few decades. At that time, I¡¯ll already be old.¡± Jepherson¡¯s face considerably grew warmer. On the other hand, Raeleigh looked at him with an illusion of a smile. ¡°Did you know? All this was given to me by you. Without you, I wouldn¡¯t have known people from the Doyle family. I wouldn¡¯t have lost my left hand. I wouldn¡¯t have been hurt. It was all because of you.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Because of you, I almost died under Ste¡¯s hands. Because of you, I know both the dark and bright sides of this world. For you, I can¡¯t return home or tread on paths that were opened to me before.

    In my life, I can¡¯t say that I love my work and talent very much, but at least I can depend on it. Even so, you ruined it in the end.

    You never asked if I was willing, nor took me into consideration, not even a little.

    At that time, when I was young and ignorant, you ced Santiago by my side, spied on me in ways that no one couldprehend, tested me¡­ I thought you trusted me, but then down the road it came to me that maybe you just have no confidence in me.

    When trouble came at us from every corner, you and I didn¡¯t know anything, much less understand what love was. As time went by, maybe you and I understood. But all of a sudden, when I looked back, I found that I was too self-righteous at that time.

    Jepherson, people will get fed up after loving someone for too long.

    Although all this while I was steadfast in my belief, no longer can things be held as tight as when we were first in love. You have your own world that you refused to disclose and I have my own that I¡¯m not willing to mention.

    Two people, sitting together like a couple in front of an audience, people looking at us will think that we are a well-matched pair. Yet both of us are aware of the distance between us, which makes us no more than strangers.¡±

    ¡°From head to toe, I never ever tried to find something that could benefit me. And yet with one look from you, I know that you will throw me away and leave someday. For that reason, every night I would hug you tight to sleep. You said that we were strangers but at which point? When we weren¡¯t kissing, or was it when we weren¡¯t holding hands, or when we weren¡¯t asleep and had no interest in bedroom activities?

    I heard that when men get tired of their other half is when they sleep in separate rooms and yet their hearts will start to think of their women on the other side of the wall. Our house, however, has studies on both sides of the wall, no way I can imagine the woman on the other side.

    I can make a vow to the heavens, that I have no ulterior motive.

    As for you, if you really have someone else in your heart, you wouldn¡¯t have spared me another nce, nor would you cover me with a nket at night, worry about me or talk to me about anything no-stop.

    My mother said before, that the biggest sign a woman doesn¡¯t love a man is silence. Are you being silent now?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. Jepherson asked probingly, ¡°There is no more love, then how long did we not hold hands? How long have we not made love?¡±

    Raeleigh blushed and still remained silent.

    ¡°You hold my hand, my left hand with your right hand, is there really no feeling behind it? You¡¯re already being so hateful towards me, then if I die, are you sure you won¡¯t be affected?¡±

    Raeleigh gnawed on her lip, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that.¡±

    ¡°How should I say it then?¡±

    ¡°The resentment between you and me made us hide our feelings. Any further entanglement would just be meaningless. If I were you, I¡¯d let go.¡±

    ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t let go. Why would grudges get tangled together in the first ce if there were no feelings to fuel it?¡±

    They went back and forth just like that, both reached a stalemate with no conclusion in sight. Raeleigh looked at the time from her bed, then reminded Jepherson, ¡°It¡¯s time, tell Zorion to go to the Doyle family¡¯s gates to pick up Rossie. She should be there.¡±

    ¡°Should?¡± Jepherson looked at Raeleigh. ¡°I know her too well. It¡¯s impossible for her to just stay put in the house.¡± she exined.

    Jepherson called Zorion, who then rushed at great speeds to the Doyle family manor¡¯s entrance.

    At this moment, the inside of the Doyle family residence had gotten lively.

    In the living room, a person sat on the couch, who was undoubtedly Rossie.

    Rossie wore a red overcoat, her face the epitome of tranquility. Her eyes, despite their faint indifference, were very beautiful as they studied Geraldine who was sitting on arger couch, as well as Hanschel who had beenid out there.

    Geraldine red viciously at Rossie opposite her. Her gaze may seem incisive, but they hid the fact that she was actually a venomous-hearted woman.

 Chapter 1796 The Price of A Life

    ¡°You¡¯re from the Whalen family?¡± Geraldine would never in her wildest dreams imagined that the Doyle family she held in her grasp would all be destroyed by two little girls. How could she not be hateful?

    Rossie held a handbag which warmed her hands. The red of her outfit enhanced the beauty of her cherubic face as she sat there and said, ¡°Now, don¡¯t say that I¡¯m bullying you. I came here today to settle ounts with you.¡±

    ¡°On what ount? I don¡¯t recall having anything to settle between us. I don¡¯t even know you.¡±

    Geraldine exuded a cold demeanour, but Rossie smiled instead. ¡°You probably don¡¯t know me. I¡¯m the daughter-inw of the Whalen family, the matriarch of the current generation. I¡¯m here today not for other matters, but to collect the protection money from you as your Doyle family stepped foot into our domain in Capital City.¡±

    ¡°Protection money?¡± Geraldine queried in amusement. ¡°It¡¯s true that kind people are vulnerable to be bullied, while docile horses tend to be ridden. My family is currently in a state of poverty, on the verge of death and ruination. If all your Whalen family wanted was protection money, why didn¡¯t youe earlier to collect them? Being here now at this time to collect, what are you all up to?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you meant by my intention, but in regards to the issue you have over ourte arrival, this is something that I can tell you. Why didn¡¯t wee earlier to collect your family¡¯s protection money? There is also a reason for it.

    Isn¡¯t that right? My family has always been led by my father-inw, Rayan. I¡¯ve also just entered the family, and as the saying goes; there are three ways to be unfilial, and the greatest is to have no offspring. Of course, our Whalen family hopes that our children will flourish and be prosperous. To get married before starting a career, to have children before starting a family.

    Besides, I¡¯ve always been so anxious to take over being the matriarch of the family. My mother-inw doesn¡¯t like to fight and kill. She had long wanted to pass on the management of our family affairs but I kept failing to live up to her expectations. Now I recently got pregnant, and it won¡¯t be long before I have a child who will be the future head of the family.

    It wasn¡¯t until today that I found out that the Doyle family had entered Capital City, and through the Whalen family domain at that. In the end, they didn¡¯t inform us by first, not dropping by for a visit, and second, not extending an invitation to treat us to a meal. It¡¯s obvious that they looked down on the Whalen family with their conduct.

    In that case, as the new matriarch of the family, I naturally can¡¯t just sit back and watch them run amok, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Rossie¡¯s infuriating persona was not something that ordinary people could imagine, as every frown and smile contained a hint of sarcasm.

    Geraldine¡¯s hands trembled with restrained fury.

    ¡°If what you want is money, you can have it. But why did you need to capture my family members? Where did you send them to?¡±

    Rossieughed, ¡°When did I capture your family members? Madam Geraldine, don¡¯t just throw sticks and stones whenever you please. I wasn¡¯t the one who caught them. BeforeI arrived here, I met the anti-drug and crime unit teams. I heard that someone from your family was stealing antiques outside and colluded with Flynt, who had nted drugs on arge area outside the country under your family¡¯s orders.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re ndering me. What evidence do you have? Whatsmore, Flynt is dead.¡±

    Geraldine was so angry that she pped her own leg. Rossie continued, ¡°I also heard that the anti-drug team had found some evidence of your family interacting with him in the Moore family residence. As to who exactly was the aplice, I didn¡¯t hear that part. Maybe it was because no one knows about their identity, which is why they arrested your family members and took them away.

    Fortunately, you are still here. Otherwise, I¡¯ll definitely won¡¯t be able to find the head of the family.¡±

    ¡°You are treating human life as if they¡¯re expendable.¡±

    Rossieughed once more, ¡°I say, do you know what it means to treat human life as if they¡¯re expendable, as if they¡¯re not worth a straw?¡±

    Geraldine didn¡¯t say anything. This little girl was too difficult to deal with.

    ¡°Let me tell you, there was a woman named Lucy Wagner. She was kidnapped first, and then gang-raped. She died on the spot. She was pregnant with her baby. There was so much blood flowing everywhere. Her husband cried so miserably, he didn¡¯t know where else to cry as he carried her lifeless body in his arms. I myself didn¡¯t know how many times I cried seeing this.

    She was somebody¡¯s child too. Who wasn¡¯t born and raised by their parents before?

    As a beast, even there should be a limit in how much harm you wrought on someone, isn¡¯t there? Even now as I speak, I¡¯m trembling so much that I dare not think about it.

    You tell me, how could these people not be struck by the heavens for the evil they hadmitted?

    Life is really unfair. She would not even step on an ant, who exactly did she offend?¡±

    Rossie wiped away her tears and pushed on, ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way. Killing people is no more than knocking your head off to the ground. If these beasts had their necks cut off with a stroke of a de, I, Rossie, would not say anything and consider it as water under the bridge.

    But I couldn¡¯t bear it, she had died too tragically.

    During this time, I¡¯ve always dreamed about her. Looking at her appearance¡­ it was really too wretched.

    Tell me, Madam Geraldine. We are both friends, can you say that this can be swept under the rug? Tell me!¡±

    Rossie waited patiently for their eyes to meet, her gaze clear on what is right or wrong, like a predator about to pounce on their prey and devour them.

    Geraldine felt discouraged. This will bring about their end!

    Rossie breathed a sigh. ¡°I really hope that I¡¯ll give birth to a daughter. When I have her, I will take good care of her and protect her. In the next life, I will never let anyone hurt her.

    But then I thought, these beasts are still alive. I can¡¯t just do nothing, now can I?¡±

    Geraldine did not say a word. Since she had already said that she was here to kill them, it was useless for her to say otherwise.

    She is now just waiting for her death.

    Now that there was no one left in the Doyle family, no one would help them.

    Out of the whole family, there was only her and Hanschel left. They already had no roads left to retreat.

    As she thought of Ste, Geraldine regretted that she had listened to her words and entered Capital City to split the Richards family.

    This was the road of no return for the Doyle family.

    Rossie sat there for a while. As Geraldine remained silent, she continued, ¡°You are still required to give the protection money. The widows and orphans are also quite pitiful, you know. People just can¡¯t simply kill and exterminate everything in sight, like those groups of animals.

    As it turns out, I heard that there are a lot of women and children in the Doyle family.

    And I thought, the women can work as escorts. Some old men like those who had been married and had children before. They will y around to their heart¡¯s content, and with a little performance, it can be very profitable.

    The children will be sent to a medical facility, probably take part in an experiment and whatnot.

    But after a check, I found out that these animals hadn¡¯t even gotten married yet. Then how could they be dealt with physiologically?

    As a matter of fact, they¡¯ve already been yed around enough to the point of being buried alive.

    Therefore, on second thought, I said forget it.

    Since we¡¯ve worked up quite a sweat from everything, isn¡¯t the line of your future generation about to be cut off?¡±

    Geraldine¡¯s whole body was trembling. She couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    Rossie waved her hand. Someone walked over from behind, a notebook in their hands. Rossie pointed with her finger, and the person held out the notebook to Geraldine.

    She slowly looked down at it. ¡°What is this?¡±This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°This is a statement about how you framed Trevor and his wife, as well as how you threatened Mr. and Mrs. Osteen. This statement is your protection money. You will be fine after you sign it. I¡¯ll keep my word and leave both of your lives at mercy.¡±

    Geraldine looked back at the stiff and cold body of Hanschel. In order for them to survive, she could only sign on the dotted line.

    With the signed document in hand, Rossie stood up and flicked a nce at Geraldine and Hanschel across from her.

    ¡°As a decent human being, you can¡¯t go too far. If you do, you will reach the end of the line. Don¡¯t think about how vicious you are, I¡¯m actually more vicious than all of youbined. The only difference is that I understand the price of a life.¡±

    Rossie took all her things and strode out of the manor without even a single scratch.

 Chapter 1797 Why Is It For Life?

    Zorion¡¯s car skidded to a halt at its destination and the person himself jumped out of the car just as he saw Rossie walk out in an unhurried manner with a group of people behind her.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Zorion stared at her fervently, the palm of his hands sweaty from his anxiety.

    Rossie paused when she noticed Zorion¡¯s figure. With the notebook firmly in her hold, she made her way towards him. ¡°Why are you here? Is Raeleigh all right?¡± she asked when she reached his side.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Zorion countered in a low, deep voice, but there was no fight in it. If he could actually oppose her, he would take action immediately.

    Rossie studied him for a while. ¡°Are you going to yell at me?¡±

    Zorion was bemused for a moment before his pitch ck eyes darted left and right. He then opened the door to let Rossie in first. He slid in beside her and held her hand in his. ¡°There will be no next time.¡±

    Rossie leaned into Zorion¡¯s embrace. ¡°I promise.¡±

    Zorion held her tightly, his heart now at ease.

    The car returned to the Richards family residence. Meanwhile, Hannah was burning with anxiety. To actually go to the Doyle family while pregnant, was that child insane?

    Deanna stood to the side in punishment, as innocent as can be. As it was, out of all the people in the whole world, she was the most innocent of all. If Rossie caused the trouble, she would be made the scapegoat. She wouldn¡¯t do anything about it but cry her heart out.

    Rossie¡¯s lips curled, then headed upstairs. She didn¡¯t want to y around with this group of people now.

    Hannah rushed over the moment Rossie came through the door. She was angry to the point that she wanted to hit Rossie. ¡°You! How could you be so disobedient? Didn¡¯t we say not to go out?¡±

    Rossie smiled without a word.

    When he saw that, Rayan knew that there was no way that his daughter-inw would be kept behind lock and key in the future.

    He then looked towards his son and realised with much exasperation that his son would just follow along with whatever his wife said.

    Zorion stood at the side with a notebook in his hand. He walked towards Rayan and handed it to him. Rayan¡¯s head lowered as he flipped through it. It was all rted to the Richards family, hence he handed it over to Hansen.

    After Hansen looked through it, he passed it over to his wife. Jenna proceeded to nce through it and looked up at Rossie in amazement. ¡°How did you do it?¡± she asked in a measured tone.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do much. In fact, this is a very simple matter. I just had a talk with her and the whole thing was settled. All of you just felt that this matter was moreplex than it should be.¡±

    Jenna was tongue-tied. This child seemed to be telling the truth.

    It was a very simple matter in all actuality. They just made itplicated.

    Hansen looked at Rayan. ¡°It¡¯s their era now. We¡¯re indeed getting old. The old can¡¯t keep up with the current era.¡±

    Rayan said nothing in reply. He swept a pointed look at the Whalen family members. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Since the issue has been resolved, we¡¯ll return home.¡±

    Zorion was prepared. Afterwards, the Whalen family left and the Richards family residence became quiet.

    The statement that was in Hansen¡¯s possession, was now being handed over to Trevor.

    Trevor stared long and hard at the items on the table, as if in a trance. After a long time, he looked up at Hansen and asked, ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°It was Rossie who brought them back.¡±

    Trevor stared at them for a while longer before he finally uttered, ¡°Thank them for me.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Hansen flicked a nce towards Marissa¡¯s room but did not enter it in the end. Instead, he turned and headed towards the door.

    Trevor called out, ¡°Since you¡¯re already here, won¡¯t you go and see your mother?¡±

    Hansen stopped and turned back towards his father. ¡°Raeleigh¡¯s hand is now crippled, she can no longer draw her designs. Her innate talent was off the charts, so much so that it even surpasses Jenna, ording to her. Now, I think it¡¯s really regrettable. If we had realized earlier what type of person mother was, things like this probably wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, your mother can be a little selfish in her bid to achieve quick sess, but she harbored no ill-will towards us.¡±

    ¡°I know, she is still my mother.¡±

    Trevor was speechless. but his son was not blind.

    Hansen continued, ¡°Alvin has been with me for all my life and has gone through fire and water for me for many years. Although our rtionship is that of a master and his servant, we are more like brothers in all but blood.

    He left his son to me, but I failed to properly protect him.

    Mother didn¡¯t even spare him a look.¡±

    Hansen turned on his heel and left without a backwards nce.

    Trevor had nothing else to say either. He just retrieved the items on the table. When he turned, Marissa was in the doorway to the room, her face apathetic as her gaze was fixed on him.

    Trevor trudged past her and into the room in silence.

    Marissa looked back at her husband, then at her son¡¯s retreating back. Was she wrong after all?

    Raeleigh stayed in the hospital for a few days and everyone returned to their own ces. The peace of the Richards family as well as Capital City had been restored.

    The only thing that was still under investigation was Elizen Doyle¡¯s cause of death.

    After all, he had died at the State Department, which was why the top brass wiped away all traces of secret investigations being carried out while they announced to the public first that he had died somece else outside.

    After the Doyle¡¯s were caught, they instantly put all the me on Hanschel. Even so, none of them escaped punishment as drug trafficking was a very serious offence. Most of the Doyle family members were sentenced to death. After Geraldine heard the news, she got so agitated she couldn¡¯t breath and had a stroke.

    After being sent to the hospital, she couldn¡¯t speak a single word. The doctor took one look at her and got so scared, they dared not draw near.

    The hospital was such a ce where money talked. If you didn¡¯t have it, who would want you?

    In two to three days, she was finally coaxed out of her shell. She kept calling the Doyle family on the phone and questioned those around her whether anyone had taken any of the family members out. However, there was no longer anyone in the Doyle family, and all calls remained unanswered.

    The nurses were also convinced at this point. A half-dead olddy like her, how much money could she get in a day? Not to mention the fees for medication and injection, she didn¡¯t even have the money for the bed expenses.

    The nurse had no choice but to hand this matter over to their superior. The director of the hospital said, ¡°What good is there to let her remain in the hospital unless you chase this person out?¡±

    And just like that, Geraldine was thrown out during a cold winter¡¯s day and froze to death right outside the hospital.

    Her frozen dead body was broadcasted all over the televisionworks. As a result, the hospital was widely exposed to the public¡¯s scrutiny and was not having it easy.

    Some people also questioned the staff¡¯s morality. Those in the hospital donned their coats and became angels in white. The moment the coats came off, they turned into devils in disguise who killed without a blink.

    Raeleigh frowned when she saw the report. Geraldine¡¯s corpse wasn¡¯t even collected. Later, it was the government who cremated her remains and threw her ashes straight into the sea.

    Now there was only Hanschel left in the Doyle family and their manor had also been confiscated. As the Doyle¡¯s were involved in numerous cases, hence no matter if the family was overseas or in Capital City, as long as there was anything avable in their name, it was confiscated.

    As for Crevor, his end wouldn¡¯t be good either.

    Although he¡¯s in recovery, he was still sentenced to death.

    The only problem was that he needed a two months worth of recovery period.

    And this time would be spent in the hospital.

    When Raeleigh went to visit Hanschel, he remained unresponsive from start to end, his person no more like a wooden man.

    During his trial, Hanschel had also sunk into a deep silence. He was sentenced with imprisonment for life, which wasn¡¯t what anyone had expected.

    Jepherson brows knitted together as he read through the newspaper with Raeleigh beside him. They were now inside Waverly Vige. Raeleigh had no desire to return to the Richards family and Jepherson didn¡¯t let her go back either. Raeleigh had not recoveredpletely. For a month and a half, give or take, they had stayed inside the fenced house. Now it¡¯s New Years Day, and still they didn¡¯t want to go back.

    Jepherson put down the newspaper, his hand held her foot as he looked at her and asked, ¡°Why was he sentenced for life?¡±

    Raeleigh was watching television when she heard Jepherson posed this question to her.

 Chapter 1798 Wait for New Year

    Raeleigh looked contemtive. ¡°How would I know?¡±

    Jepherson turned it over in his mind. He then unbuttoned his clothes. Once the outerwear had been taken off, he started on what he wore inside, though the pullover was a little troublesome to take off.

    Raeleigh scooted away from him. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Jepherson quickly took off all his clothes. As the room was very warm, it was fine even if he bared himself. Raeleigh continued to back away and hid herself underneath the nket. Jepherson tore it away, removed her pants and proceeded to squeeze her in between the couch and himself. He then lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers.

    With her arm wrapped around him and Jepherson tangled with her with no questions asked, Raeleigh was unquestionably conflicted.

    By the time Deanna came over and knocked on their door, Jepherson had just separated from her as Raeleigh was left panting.

    He put his clothes back on, then helped Raeleigh out with hers. Only after they were properly dressed, did he go to open the door.

    Deanna looked around for Raeleigh the moment she entered through the door.

    ¡°Where is Raeleigh? Why did it take you so long to open the door?¡±

    Jepherson stood aside while he nced at Jacky from the corner of his eye. ¡°Did something happen so early in the morning?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s 10 o¡¯clock.¡± Jacky deadpanned as he came in, thete hour being implied in his tone.

    Jepherson closed the door and looked towards the living room. When he discovered that Raeleigh wasn¡¯t there, the door to the bathroom downstairs had just closed. His face turned sullen. With a few quick strides ¨C faster than Deanna¡¯s ¨C he knocked on the door, a signal for Raeleigh to open it. However, silence greeted him from inside.

    ¡°Did you both quarrel again?¡± Deanna asked from beside him with Jacky behind her.

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, you can go back first. I¡¯m going to take a bath.¡±

    Jepherson walked towards the entrance and opened the door with the obvious hint to send them away. Deanna didn¡¯t get it though, and reassured him, ¡°You can take your bath. I¡¯ll wait outside here.¡±

    ¡°Leave.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯splexion turned dark. Was it appropriate for him to take a shower while she waited outside?

    ¡°I have something to discuss with Raeleigh.¡± Deanna insisted.

    Jepherson finally threw away all sense of courtesy and ordered them to leave.

    It was only then that Jacky moved to drag Deanna out of the house. After they had left, Jepherson knocked on the door again and called for Raeleigh to open the door.

    After an unknown amount of time, Jepherson unlocked the door and entered. He saw that Raeleigh was soaking in the bathtub and proceeded to scoop her out of it.

    ¡°You can¡¯t soak yourself with your wound like this.¡± he chided as he carried her out, water being dripped all over the floor. Afterwards, he put her down and used a towel to carefully rub her dry.

    After that, Raeleigh went to the couch and sat on it in her birthday suit, not even one stitch of clothing on her. Jepherson quickly took a woolen nket and wrapped her up good before he turned and fed her ginger soup.

    She drank the unpleasant ginger soup and sweated out at the same time. Once her sweat oozed out considerably from her pores, she brought her wrapped up self up the stairs to rest. From start to finish, she acted as if nothing had happened.

    Jepherson tidied up the house. When it was already two in the afternoon, he had someone send some ingredients over as he needed to prepare a meal.

    When Raeleigh woke up, the dishes were already ready. As it was only the two of them, not many dishes were prepared. With just two dishes plus some soup, it was enough.

    Throughout the meal, Raeleigh ate with a poker face without even a single nce his way. On the other hand, Jepherson ate while he helped her pick out the fish bones.

    Raeleigh wasn¡¯t a picky eater. She ate whatever was set on the table, with no interest in what¡¯s on the te.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    After their meal, Jepherson cleaned up while Raeleigh watched television and yed some games from the couch. That was how that day was usually spent for thest two months as Jepherson waited on her hand and foot.

    Raeleigh put down her phone and rubbed her eyes. She looked towards Jepherson who had just finished his cleanup.

    ¡°Why did you make the room shine so? You don¡¯t have to tidy up everyday, once a week is enough.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you weren¡¯t going to nt bean sprouts?¡± Jepherson muttered with a sulky look towards her. She was so troublesome. It wouldn¡¯t surprise him if she had actually remarked it was dirty enough to nt a garden.

    Raeleigh pondered in the meanwhile and asked, ¡°It¡¯s going to be New Years soon. Aren¡¯t you going home?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this home?¡±

    Raeleigh smiled after a thought but said nothing.

    Jepherson leaned against her shoulder. ¡°Is it to go back for the reunion dinner on New Year¡¯s Eve?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a moment. ¡°Tomorrow is thest day of the year. You should go home.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    She leaned back against him and said, ¡°That is the sort of ce that will swallow me whole and spit me out if I go.¡±

    ¡°What about Santiago? You won¡¯t take a look at him either?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s heart softened. Therefore, the next morning, Raeleigh went to the Richards family with Jepherson. When she entered the door, she went straight to the Green Jade Garden without a single nce at the other areas.

    There were some things that went ignored, not because they weren¡¯t rare, but because theypletely didn¡¯t care.

    No matter the ce, there would be all sorts of life forms. When one eats, they eat ording to their preferences. Why the need to care about others who are utterly unrted?

    Raeleigh went into Santiago¡¯s room and sat down. She stared at Santiago¡¯s clean face, then helped him cut his hair and nails. She also changed his clothes.

    When Jenna heard that Raeleigh was there, she rushed over at once. The minute she entered the room, she directly pounced on Raeleigh and caught her in a tight embrace.

    Raeleigh was nearly strangled by her bear hug whereas Jenna was so happy, all she could do was speak incoherently.

    Beside them, Jephersonughed in apaniment to their joy.

    ¡°Raeleigh, please stay for dinner today.¡±

    ¡°Mm, I came back to see Santiago, might as well have a meal too.¡±

    ¡°I said before that you would definitelye back to see Santiago. Lately, he¡¯s gotten thinner.¡±

    Raeleigh could also see that.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because he didn¡¯t have enough nutrition. Just need to increase his nutrition intake.¡± Raeleigh didn¡¯t know how she would face the possibility that Santiago might not wake up. Could it be that he really didn¡¯t n to wake up at all?

    Raeleigh stiffened at the thought. When Jenna ordered everyone to leave the room, even Jepherson, Raeleigh immediately knew what she had in mind. She tookout her phone and showed Jenna a picture of Shaney. Jenna was filled with so much fondness that tears fell from her eyes, reluctant to loosen her grip on the phone.

    Raeleigh sat beside her when Jenna looked towards her and asked, ¡°Raeleigh, is it still dangerous now?¡±

    Raeleigh looked back at her. ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±

    Jenna lowered her head. She also knew that Marissa was Raeleigh¡¯s sore spot. The fact that Marissa was kept in the dark was a good thing.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see for a little while longer¡± Jenna gazed at Raeleigh as she said this, who then replied, ¡°Go ahead and look at her. I¡¯m not going away anytime soon.¡±

    Just like that, Jenna sat in Santiago¡¯s room as she looked through the pictures with Raeleigh by her side.

    After an unknown amount of time had passed, someone came to call them to dinner. It was only then Raeleigh stood and headed out to apany everyone for a meal.

    The moment she saw Marissa after she stepped outside, Raeleigh didn¡¯t bother to say anything to her. There¡¯s nothing more that could be said.

    Hands were washed, everyone sat down and began to tuck into their foods. This time, Marissa was especially quiet. Not a word had been said by her throughout.

    After the family were done with their meal, Raeleigh went back to Santiago¡¯s room and personally made some broth for him.

    Usually, Raeleigh disapproved of feeding him liquid meals, but this kind of meal was fine once in a while.

    After she had fed Santiago, Raeleigh sat around for a while and left after the reunion dinner. Jenna wanted her to stay for a night. Raeleigh said nothing about it and neither did Jepherson. In the end, they both went back that very night.

    When they reached the door, they saw Jacky and Deanna waiting by the entrance of their home. One look at their guests and Raeleigh had an inkling as to what was going on.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    When the door was opened, four people walked in. Deanna immediately went to Raeleigh to inquire about her two sons. The other two people who were present were also curious to know but neither of them asked.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°This issue couldn¡¯t be concluded the year before, but the children are all right. You can rest assured. When the timees, I will let you know and the children can return.¡±

    ¡°But Raeleigh, I think the coast is clear now. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    Deanna had only the children in her mind now.

    Raeleigh remained silent as she stared at Deanna. After a long while, she finally said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for New Year¡¯s.¡±

 Chapter 1799 Anxious

    Deanna stared at Raeleigh nkly, all because of the sentence that she just uttered. It was soon going to be another year as the old year passed and Deanna was extremely, absolutely unwilling to leave Raeleigh¡¯s home. However, it¡¯s already past midnight and she couldn¡¯t not outstayed her wee here.

    Deanna mulled over it for a long time. In the end, she still followed Jacky back, but not without a lot of nagging.

    As for Jacky, he didn¡¯t take it to heart. As long as the children were safe, it didn¡¯t matter wherever he went.

    As parents, they hoped for nothing more than this.

    However, Deanna had already taken this matter as something to be remembered, and inevitably put it on the agenda. She didn¡¯t handle it the previous year, hence this time on the second day after the New Year, Deanna went to seek out Raeleigh. Before Raeleigh could even fully wake up from her sleep, it reached their ears that Deanna was waiting downstairs. Jepherson kneaded his brows and got down from Raeleigh¡¯s body.

    The front door was locked. How did Deanna get in? They had locked the door outside. Between the upper floor area and the living room were stairs, and when one climbed up, they would reach thending area. There was no bed, but there was bedding prepared on the floor. Deanna went straight up without so much as a by your leave and proceeded to watch a reality show.

    Jepherson indeed had a habit in the mornings that he would only get up if there¡¯s business that needs to be handled. He didn¡¯t expect Deanna to take advantage of that fact.

    His face was grumpy as he got up just as Raeleigh put down her phone. It was Deanna who called earlier. If she didn¡¯t and the both of them would be in the middle of doing it when she came up¡­

    Jepherson¡¯s face darkened even further. He put on his clothes and walked down the stairs. He saw Deanna and Jacky first as they stood downstairs. Jacky had been on holiday for thest few days during the New Year and was basically holed up inside Waverly Vige. Deanna had long gotten used to vige life. During the New Year, Zorion called to request her toe home. She did so, had her meal there, and then came back. She was offered to stay but she declined as she can¡¯t stand to be seen by someone so intoxicated with their sess.

    Everyone knew that person she was talking about was Rossie. Rayan didn¡¯t bother over this matter and Deanna made no furtherment over it. Her home had now be someone else¡¯s home. This was what they called a dove taking over a magpie¡¯s nest. She just did not want to stay.

    Since she didn¡¯t n to stay or return anytime soon, thoughts about the children took precedence in her mind all the time. She was extremely curious as to how Raeleigh had been able to keep the children so well hidden. Even when the Whalen family conducted a secret search for them, they couldn¡¯t find hide nor hair of them.

    ¡°What are you doing here so early in the morning? How did you both get in? Didn¡¯t I lock the doorst night?¡± Jepherson¡¯s face was taut with displeasure.

    Jacky nced at the door and ced down a key that was in his hand. ¡°I picked it up on the floor near the door yesterday and just happened to bring it back. Based on the keychain, it belongs to your house.¡±

    Jepherson lowered his eyes and looked at the key on the coffee table. Indeed, it was his. Raeleigh had bought it at the Waverly Vige¡¯s market. It came in pairs and was originally kept by Raeleigh herself. He removed one for each of them, then tied a key to it as a backup n should Raeleigh decide to turn him away.

    He didn¡¯t expect for it to be swiped by Deanna. This little girl was able to steal things when she was young, who knew even now as an adult she still loved to do this sort of thing.

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I don¡¯t know which itchy fingers took it away. Should I catch them, I will chop them all off.¡±

    Deanna disagreed, she would love not to be chopped.

    ¡°Where is Raeleigh? It¡¯s already afternoon and she still hasn¡¯t got up?¡± Deanna looked upwards, as if she wanted to go up. Jepherson immediately blocked the way to the stairs and red at Deanna. He had no ns to move from this spot. ¡°The weather is cold. Raeleigh is not used to it. She will get up after a while. You cane back in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°At noon? Raeleigh and I already made arrangements to talk about Cedric and Heitor after New Year¡¯s Day. Why do I need toe back in the afternoon? I don¡¯t care. Let me see Raeleigh, or I won¡¯t leave.¡± Deanna didn¡¯t care to eat and plopped herself onto the couch.

    So long as Raeleigh doesn¡¯t show up, she would not budge.

    Jepherson didn¡¯t really mind. He nced at Jacky before he turned and walked up the stairs. He was unconcerned about Deanna¡¯s refusal to leave.

    When he returned, Raeleigh had gone back to sleep. It was really cold outside, hence she didn¡¯t intend to get up from her warm bed. Jepherson sat cross-legged by Raeleigh¡¯s side.

    He then shook Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder and asked, ¡°Where did you send the children to? Since Deanna wants to find them, then it¡¯s best to return them. Otherwise, she wille to make trouble and make it difficult to get some sleep.¡±

    Raeleigh closed her eyes as if unconcerned about the matter. She continued to sleep as if she had heard nothing.

    Jepherson sat behind her for a while. Since she continued to ignore him, he took a look at her cell phone. He knew there was definitely something in that phone, or his mother wouldn¡¯t have cared so much about it. Every time she saw Raeleigh, she always asked her whether she had brought her phone, especially during that New Year¡¯s Day. She called to ask Raeleigh over, and seconds after they met, she took away Raeleigh¡¯s cell phone. Only after she saw it, was she happy. Otherwise, nothing would get done in the house.

    Because he didn¡¯t dare to be sure whether Raeleigh was truly asleep, he only stared long and hard at the phone. After a while, as she continued to sleep, Jepherson tentatively tested her, ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t react. Only then did he reach out to bring her phone over. He first put her phone on silent mode and then activated it. It was password-protected. Jepherson carefully tried to recall what the password might be. However, he fiddled with it for quite some time until the phone sent a warning that if the inputted code was once more incorrect, the phone would automatically lock itself.

    Jepherson paused at thest attempt, before he then put the phone back to the side.

    He got up and took off his overcoat. He theny directly by Raeleigh¡¯s side while she snored a little in her sleep, for all intents and purposes looked like she was really in slumber.

    Jepherson asked, ¡°Are you really asleep?¡±

    Raeleigh replied, ¡°Hmm.¡±

    His eyes went half-lidded as he unbuttoned his pajamas. When he went downstairs, he was wearing those pajamas as well, just that he only added on an overcoat. Once that was taken away, he was left back with his sleepwear.

    Jepherson loosened the cor and proceeded to pull Raeleigh¡¯s hand over directly onto his chest. He squinted his eyes slightly and said in aggrievement, ¡°My heart is about to shatter into pieces, can¡¯t you take pity on me and let me see her?¡±

    Raeleigh peered at him. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°You know better than anyone else.¡± Jepherson said coldly. Raeleigh took her hands out andmented, ¡°If you want to have a baby, there are many women outside who are lining up to have that chance. Why do you need to find me?¡±

    ¡°I want you to be the mother. No one else can.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t get pregnant again.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Jepherson had a headache. His body hurt all over to the point that he grinded his teeth from the pain.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes and took a nce at Jepherson. Yet after that nce, she pulled her hand away and continued to sleep soon after.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    Raeleigh felt that her body wasn¡¯t as good as before. Even though she could move and walk, it wasn¡¯t at the usual smooth gait. It fell short of what she could usually achieve. When it was past ten at night, her body would ache all over. By the time morning came, she didn¡¯t want to get up as even half her head would throb with pain.

    Unfortunately, Jepherson wasn¡¯t the type of man who would be considerate of her. He tossed and turned most of the night until two in the morning. He slept at that time but could still wake up at four o¡¯clock. Once he had awakened, he couldn¡¯t return to sleep and would then be bothersome.

    Actually, Raeleigh was already aware he woke up early. They were living together after all, it would be strange if she didn¡¯t know what he had been up to.

    Nevertheless, Raeleigh really didn¡¯t want to get up. Her whole body felt like her bones had been scattered apart from her skeletal frame, wouldn¡¯t she be seeking death if she got up?

    To encounter such an individual, Raeleigh could only resign herself to being unfortunate.

    Perhaps others may think that this was a good thing, but she thought otherwise and was tired instead.

    What could she do if she was tired other than be drowsy?

    As a result, when Jepherson turned his body around after three minutes to look at her, she was happily fast asleep.

    She suggested they meet at ten o¡¯clock and yet she slept until evening with no signs of her going to wake up anytime soon.

    This really made Deanna feel awfully anxious!

 Chapter 1800 Evenly Matched

    Deanna was starving to the point that she was drowsy from hunger. Jacky went to make some food to wake her up, then called her when it was done. She woke up all bleary-eyed but smiled when she took note of who was in front of her. While they ate, she couldn¡¯t help but let her eyes wander in the direction of the upper floors and spoke aloud in confusion, ¡°Why didn¡¯t Raeleigh return Cedric and Heitor to us? Could it be that she¡¯s afraid that we¡¯d find out about some secret?¡±

    Jacky, who was in the middle of his meal, looked up at her. He frowned as he seemed to have thought of something, ¡°Maybe there¡¯s no time to send them back. It¡¯s not necessarily a secret.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve always talked in her defence. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s possible? Raeleigh¡¯s child has always been fine. At that time when she left, probably she had some fortuitous encounter since her departure was very sudden, yet silent. I think that there¡¯s someone in the shadows helping her. If that person wasn¡¯t you, then it could only be my brother, because only the both of you have the abilities. Not only can you both help Raeleigh, you can also be her eyes and ears.

    My brother keeps a low profile, but he can¡¯t hide anything from me. For that reason, I believe that this matter has nothing to do with him. You, on the other hand, have always regarded Raeleigh as your best friend. You told me before that you won¡¯t fall in love with any woman except me in this lifetime. That is to say, do you think Raeleigh is the person you appreciate the most?¡±

    Deanna stared at him with her big eyes that viewed the world in ck and white. ¡°Yes.¡± was Jacky¡¯s calm and poised reply

    Deanna was unsurprised and continued, ¡°Then the moment Raeleigh asks for help, you are duty-bound to follow, correct?¡±

    Jacky didn¡¯t answer yet Deanna persisted, ¡°Was what I said correct?¡±

    Jacky did not answer her question, but said, ¡°You never asked about this.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not asking, what I said was just my guess. Now, let¡¯s guess the following development.¡±

    Deanna thought for a bit, then started again. ¡°Raeleigh told you that she was afraid to stay here as there are cruel and wicked people everywhere and she just wanted to safely give birth to her baby. Actually, Raeleigh could have given birth here because she wanted to thrive in Waverly Vige for the long term, this was what you told me. However, at that time Marissa got better all of a sudden. In which case, Raeleigh got scared as she regarded Marissa as¡­ oh, you know, those types who go around simply biting everything. Raeleigh wanted the baby to be safe, she looked for you and you sent her away.

    After being sent away, Raeleigh had her fortuitous encounter with Austin whom she had been searching for all this while. He must have loved and treated her well, just like you. After all, Raeleigh was an extraordinary woman. As Raeleigh got Austin¡¯s help, she not only gave birth to her baby, she also got her brain disease treated.

    In order to keep the baby safe, Raeleigh decided not toe back. However, Jepherson missed Raeleigh so much that he tried to find her time and again. When he failed to find her, he got upset. He then caught sight of Cynthia, took an unconventional gamble and had her taken away. This was how Raeleigh was forced toe back. Even so, before her return, she had made sufficient preparations and had the child be left in someone else¡¯s care.

    The person who she entrusted her child to must be very powerful. They do not fear you, my brother, Jepherson, not even the Doyle and Moore families. Then it goes without saying that this person is also able to protect our children and they are the ones who picked up our babies.

    Because Raeleigh¡¯s baby is also there, she dares not to give our children back to us. It is because as long as we see our little children, then we¡¯ll know that there will be another little child. In which case, I¡¯ll tell Jepherson and he will find the little child.¡±

    While she voiced out her conjectures, Jepherson¡¯s footsteps stopped in their tracks as he stood halfway up the stairs. Deanna¡¯s back was towards him, but she noticed through Jacky¡¯s expression when he raised his head and looked behind her that someone was there. She immediately turned her head around and saw Jepherson¡¯s face taut with tension, eyes filled with suspicion and btedly covered her mouth.

    Jepherson took thest few steps down the stairs and marched over to Deanna. ¡°Help me think about where Austin is hiding.¡±

    She hurriedly hid behind Jacky, her hands on his arm as she tittered nervously, ¡°I¡¯m currently helping someone write novels. Don¡¯t take my words to heart. I don¡¯t know anything at all. I¡¯m a muddle-headed person right now.¡±

    Jacky covered her hands with his in, his head turned to face her, ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, that careless talk can cause trouble but you didn¡¯t believe me. Now see what you¡¯ve done.¡±

    Deanna shook her head. ¡°I was just simply saying.¡±

    ¡°Deanna.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes were dark as he looked in her direction. Deanna swallowed down her saliva and refused toe out of hiding no matter what.

    Jacky looked at Jepherson, ¡°She was just assuming things, I¡¯m sure you can tell.¡±

    ¡°I can. I also believe that you have already known about this matter, just that you have never told me.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s gaze was iparably deep. As he spoke andined at the same time, his gaze went straight past Jacky and to where Deanna was. ¡°I¡¯m just making assumptions about this. Why do you want to force me? I don¡¯t know anything.¡± she muttered.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s just an assumption, then help me assume something, like Austin¡¯s whereabouts.¡± Jepherson took a step towards Deanna, as if he wanted to grab her. She held on tighter to Jacky, whoseplexion had turned faintly grim. ¡°Don¡¯t joke around like this, I don¡¯t want her to be scared.¡±

    ¡°I can guarantee that she¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Jepherson stretched out his hand only for Jacky to grab his wrist, ¡°I¡¯ve said, don¡¯t joke around like this. As long as I¡¯m here, no one can touch her. If she says she¡¯s unwilling, that means she¡¯s unwilling. Don¡¯t mention if it¡¯s mere assumption, even if it truly had happened that way, as long as Deanna refuses, you cannot touch her one bit.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jepherson¡¯s gaze grew grave, unwilling to give in. Jacky flung Jepherson¡¯s hand away. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight you. But if you¡¯re going to be aggressive, then that will change.¡±

    ¡°Oh, just as well. I¡¯ve always heard from Santiago about how you¡¯re a good fighter and you¡¯ve always kept a low profile. Today, I¡¯ll take this opportunity to see it for myself.¡±

    Jepherson took off his coat. The dark purple pajamas that were disyed over his figure was like a hallmark of an emperor. Deanna had a bad feeling when she saw how things had progressed, as if a tiger was about to demonstrate their prowess. The oue of which would be terrible. That¡¯s why she hurriedly cut in and urged, ¡°Jacky, let¡¯s go. We¡¯lle again another day.¡±

    Jepherson chuckled. ¡°Did you think that since youe and go as you pleased, that you will now be able to leave so easily?¡±

    Deanna¡¯s brows knitted into a tight frown. ¡°Then what do you want? Didn¡¯t I tell you? Everything I¡¯ve said earlier was just nonsense. If you want to know something, why don¡¯t you ask Raeleigh?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, it is better to ask you then to ask her.¡±

    ¡°Why are you bullying me so?¡± Deanna cried out from behind, yet she was worried that she would be caught and didn¡¯t dare to go over. She just hid behind Jacky, no matter what was said she refused toe out..

    On the other hand, Jacky said, ¡°If you want to fight me, I¡¯ll be happy to. I also happened to want to take my measure with you. If I¡¯m lucky enough to beat you, I hope that you don¡¯t trouble Deanna over this matter.¡±

    Jepherson nced at Deanna who quivered like a frightened rabbit, and lightly said a single word of affirmative.

 Chapter 1801 Hanschelâ€™s Provocation

    Although Deanna protested, Jacky still ced her in a corner while they stood in the middle of the living room in preparation for their test of strengths.

    Deanna pleaded. ¡°Jacky, let¡¯s go home, okay

    ?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be over in a little while.¡± Jacky flicked a look her way. He had always hoped to have this opportunity. Although this wasn¡¯t what he had foreseen, since it had turned out like this, he would take it.

    Deanna pursed her lips. ¡°Next time, I won¡¯te to your house again. I don¡¯t like the way you treat your guests.¡±

    Jephersonughed at that, ¡°No one invited you. You asked for it yourself.¡±

    ¡°My children had been forcibly seized by your wife. I came since she didn¡¯t return them to me, or else would I willinglye to your house?¡± When Deanna truly wanted to quarrel, she wouldn¡¯t give way to anyone. She wasn¡¯t afraid of Jepherson.

    Jepherson rolled his eyes at Jacky. ¡°Looks like your household¡¯s upbringing isn¡¯t that great.¡±

    ¡°The feeling is mutual. Why the need to tear at each other this way? Come on.¡±

    Jacky unbuttoned his jacket and casually ced it to one side. He didn¡¯t wear much inside, a ck shirt was more than enough.

    Jacky liked to wear clothes of this color. He only didn¡¯t wear them when he went to work in Capital City.

    Jepherson raised his hand; one hand behind his back and the other with its palm opened. Jacky observed for a moment and clenched his fist. ¡°Since you¡¯re using your palm, then I¡¯ll use my fist.¡±

    ¡°Come on then.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a big house, hence the two were immediately in each other¡¯s faces. If Deanna was to watch someone else fight, she¡¯d easily turn and run away. If it was Jacky, even if you beat her to death, she would not run.

    She broke out in a cold sweat for Jacky. She couldn¡¯t see all their movements, but was worried about him all the same.

    Jacky also felt that Jepherson¡¯s skills were far better than Santiago¡¯s. However, he was not worried. He was no longer inferior to Santiago. He only wanted to win against Jepherson and utilize some of his fighting prowess.

    The two of them exchanged punches and kicks for more than half an hour. Then Jacky made one careless move and Jepherson spun on one leg and gave him a kick. It was toote for Jacky to dodge. He took two steps back from the attack and let out a muffled grunt. Deanna instantly broke out into tears.

    Jepherson¡¯s eyes briefly darted towards her. He suddenly sprang forward, grabbed the fruit knife that was on the end table, then directed the knife to stab straight at Jacky¡¯s face. Deanna was so terrified that her eyes went really wide. She instantly lunged across the room, and held her husband in a death grip as she quickly screamed out, ¡°I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll talk!¡±

    Jacky was momentarily frozen, before his hands wrapped themselves around her. He looked unhappily at Jepherson with a faint scrunch of his brows, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you hurt me, but if you hurt her, I¡¯ll take your life.¡±

    This sentence was spoken lightly, not because of Jepherson¡¯s shrewd scheme; he didn¡¯t me him for his n against Deanna as it was for his own benefit. However, to use this method¡­ if the knife had actually touched her, what should be done?

    Jepherson spun the knife in his hand before he threw it to one side. His eyes were calm and indifferent. ¡°If you were me, you would have done the same.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we may be alike, and we do have women of our own. However, Deanna¡¯s strengths were something you were unable to see and Raeleigh¡¯s own unyielding character was something that went beyond your expectations. It¡¯s you who was not able to hold onto Raeleigh¡¯s heart. In turn, you captured us and refused to let us go.

    You don¡¯t have the courage to swear an oath of loyalty, and you don¡¯t have the courage to die. And you dare say we are alike? You can¡¯tpare with me. You don¡¯t even give your heart and soul to one woman. To be so empty regardless of everything, what¡¯s the use of that?¡±

    Deanna sobbed as shey in Jacky¡¯s embrace. Jacky patted her as if he was coaxing a child, ¡°Alright, stop crying, aren¡¯t I fine?¡±This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Deanna took a deep breath through her nose and turned towards Jepherson. At that time, she seemed to establish a debt of blood against him. When she looked at him, it was as if she had seen her enemy. She didn¡¯t have a good expression on her face, her gaze fierce as she gnashed her teeth.

    She took this seriously. Jepherson wanted to kill her husband, Jacky.

    ¡°Jacky lost, so I¡¯ll tell you. But remember, I¡¯ll never forget what you did today.¡±

    Deanna didn¡¯t mention anything else, but she now had a profound hatred for him. He could see it from her eyes.

    ¡°I had no other choice.¡± Jepherson must carry it out, no matter the consequences.

    Deanna coldly snorted, and hid Jacky behind her petite figure.

    ¡°Raeleigh had gone to the Green House before, that was the ce where she and Austin first met. Plus, it¡¯s a prison. If it were me, I would hide there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve searched the ce. He wasn¡¯t there.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve searched and he wasn¡¯t there? Let¡¯s say I don¡¯t want to see you; when you go to my house to search, you also won¡¯t be able to find me. I can avoid you on my home turf by slipping into any nooks and crannies in my ce. You are not omniscient, you couldn¡¯t possibly search out every corner.¡±

    Once she finished her exnation, Deanna pulled Jacky along behind her, together with his clothes in her hand, and headed outside.

    When they¡¯re out the door, Deanna dered, ¡°Next time, let¡¯s note here anymore. I don¡¯t like this ce.¡±

    Jacky embraced her from the side. ¡°Don¡¯t be so silly in the future. If something really did happen, I¡¯ll feel guilty for the rest of my life.¡±

    ¡°What do you feel guilty for? We are husband and wife. I am willing to do this for you. Although I¡¯m stupid and don¡¯t like doing housework, I will not let anyone hurt you. Jepherson may be powerful, but that¡¯s utterly useless. We have two sons. As long as we educate them well, they will be very powerful in the future. At that time, they will be able to easily beat him up. Even if Raeleigh gave birth to a child, one isn¡¯t able to defeat two of our own, plus our little children are older in age, are they not?¡±

    Jacky nodded with Deanna in tow as they returned home.

    Jepherson turned his head back to take a nce upstairs, then grabbed his coat and stalked out of the fenced house. He got into a car and left Waverly Vige.

    Raeleigh, who was watching from the loft, went downstairs then.

    Jepherson arrived outside the Green House prison but didn¡¯t get down from the car. Jared was the one who went up and knocked on their doors. No matter how long he knocked on them though and it was quite a while, the huge prison doors remained closed.

    Jepherson contacted the higher-ups. Everyone was on leave at this time, not to mention the fact that Jacky would not help this time.

    Jepherson waited for a whole day without any luck before he eventually turned to head back.

    The fragrant smell of cooked meat permeated through the room as he changed his shoes and took off his coat. Raeleigh was cooking when Jepherson entered the kitchen and held her from behind. She looked back at him and he lowered his head to kiss her. ¡°Where is my daughter?¡± he questioned.

    Raeleigh smiled, ¡°If you can find her, you would have a daughter then.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jepherson frowned. ¡°In my opinion, rather than go through so much trouble just to find someone who doesn¡¯t exist, it¡¯s better to give birth to one.¡± Raeleigh retorted.

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll give birth to one for me?¡±

    ¡°The doctor said that I¡¯m barren. If you¡¯re okay with wasting your time, you can have a try with me. However, I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t have that time. After all, Austin maye back at any moment.¡±

    ¡°If he wanted toe back, he would have already done so. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s noting back.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s what you like to think, then that¡¯s all right. I don¡¯t care anymore. The day Hanschel will be sent to prison is tomorrow. I want to go and have a look, do you want toe with me?¡±

    Jepherson thought for a moment and said, ¡°Sure, why not?¡±

    The next day, they went to the entrance of the courthouse. This was the final trial. Hanschel was already able to stand at this point. Raeleigh observed as he stood up from his wheelchair with a pleased grin. He even went up to where she was and stood across from her at a close proximity.

    ¡°Are you disappointed that I didn¡¯t get the death sentence? If not, then were you when you saw that I could stand?¡±

 Chapter 1802 Back to Prison

    Raeleigh stared at Hanschel with what seemed to be a brief moment of doubt but still she approached him. Her quiet and beautiful eyes shrouded in ice and snow gazed at him as she said, ¡°Did you think that you got the court to give you a life sentence due to your own capabilities?¡±

    Something shifted a little in Hanschel¡¯s eyes, a faint look of incredulity in them.

    Raeleigh surveyed the people around them. Jepherson was somewhat astonished, but Raeleigh had never said what she didn¡¯t mean.

    ¡°I might as well tell you. The one who did your operation, I was the one who hired them. I wanted them to operate and treat your injuries. When you filed forwsuit, I was the one who paid for it to get through the channels as you followed from behind.

    This court trial, the initiator of it all isn¡¯t you, but me. You underestimated me a little too much.

    ¡°I can cripple all four of your limbs, and I can leave them intact to live like a decent person. If I were you, I would act like a fool and stay in a psychiatric hospital for two years until things blow over. Once things had calmed, I woulde out again to settle my debts.

    To stay low and wise up is the best course of action. Unfortunately for you, I know your character very well and you¡¯ll definitely never let this go unanswered.

    But you have miscalcted. Remember this well, never have a woman as your enemy, otherwise you¡¯ll be yed till you are dead!¡±

    Beneath the pair of sunsses he wore, Jepherson inadvertently nced at Raeleigh.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    His hand tightened around her waist, a kind of worry being brewed in his heart.

    This Raeleigh in front of him, did she really have no intentions to retaliate against him? If she did, then how would he end up?

    Raeleigh raised her head up to study Jepherson, before she turned back to Hanschel who seemed to be in shock, ¡°The reason why I want you to get better is because I want to send you to a certain ce. Once you¡¯re there, you¡¯ll have no chance of getting out. You¡¯ll never see the light of day again.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Hanschel had seen first hand how cruel Raeleigh could be, and he believed that what she said wasn¡¯t all bluff. Raeleigh divulged, ¡°You should know very well what I¡¯m going to do. A life for a life. As you¡¯ve done so many terrible deeds, I¡¯m just sending you to a ce where you can pay with your life.

    Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯lle visit you.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Two people stood behind Hanschel¡¯s back, one of them gave a nudge to prompt him to leave.

    It was only then Jepherson realised that those two didn¡¯t seem to be ordinary prison wardens. They looked a little too upright to be one.

    ¡°Wait a minute, which department do you belong to?¡± Jepherson tried to stop them, but the other party did not pay attention to him. They proceeded to press the person directly into the car and drove away.

    Jepherson dragged Raeleigh into the car. After that, they tailed the car from behind only to lose them on the road. Jepherson called the traffic bureau to get the surveince footage out but to no avail.

    Later, Jepherson went to the bathroom. When he came out, Raeleigh had disappeared. No matter where he searched, he could not find her.

    No one even answered the phone.

    Jepherson may hold the entire city in the palm of his hands, but he still couldn¡¯t fish out Raeleigh¡¯s whereabouts.

    Jepherson called Jacky to ask whether he knew her location. Jacky replied that he didn¡¯t know. Jephersonughed mirthlessly, ¡°You don¡¯t know where she is? Then do you know where Deanna is?¡±

    ¡°Jepherson, if you do this again, I promise you¡­¡±

    Jepherson hung up the phone and looked back at Jared. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Bring Deanna to me.¡±

    Jared nced at Jepherson. ¡°There will be problems if we do this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m past the point of caring about it anymore. Those who challenge me, I¡¯ll challenge them back.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Jared immediately went in search of Deanna. Halfway down the road, he met with Jacky who was also in search for his wife. Jacky demanded that Jared get down from the car but was ignored. The only orders he listened to was Jepherson¡¯s.

    Once they arrived at the Whalen¡¯s family entrance, Jacky jumped out of his car, headed for Jared and stood in his way, ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re one of Jepherson¡¯s men that I won¡¯t do anything to you. If you take one more step, I will have you arrested.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just following orders. If you think that this can intimidate me, then continue with your empty threats.¡±

    Jared took a step forward and Jacky reacted without further ado.

    Jared evaded. Soon after, both of them came to blows. By the time Zorion stepped out of the house, they had fought for quite a while. He observed the situation for a moment. Although Jacky wasn¡¯t at a disadvantage, the problem was that since Jared was already here at their doorstep, it was a matter of time on whether he could get through or not.

    ¡°Fehmen, have a go with your fellowpatriot. Jacky, is this worth your identity?¡±

    It was only then Jacky stepped back. With a gloomy expression, he turned around and headed for Rayan¡¯s house. Rayan himself stood in the doorway as he watched everything unfold outside with much confusion. He asked Jacky, ¡°What happened? Why is Jared here?¡±

    Jacky gave a rough ount of what had happened. Rayan¡¯s face darkened, ¡°Nonsense. He was the one who lost Raeleigh, why did he need to kidnap my daughter?¡±

    Jacky didn¡¯t answer. Rayan immediately called Hansen who was watching television at the time and was being depressed. When Jenna said that she would ignore him, she truly did. She had slept in the room together with their youngest son, unwilling to let him in, nor speak or see him. He didn¡¯t know what caused her bout of temper during the New Year¡¯s, he could only watch television all by his lonesome now. When he received Rayan¡¯s call, he thought that they were going to have some fun together, but the more he listened, the stranger he felt about the whole thing.

    ¡°Your daughter is about to be kidnapped?¡± Hansen found it amusing. ¡®If you knew that your daughter was about to be lost, then you should properly protect her. Why are you telling me?¡¯ he thought.

    But then Rayan rebuked him, ¡°Talk to me again after you have a talk with that son of yours on what is going on. If my daughter really got kidnapped, I¡¯ll see you in court.¡±

    Rayan hung up the phone and nced at Deanna. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going back to rest?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Deanna went back upstairs. She didn¡¯t know who she had offended. Why did they always want to kidnap her? She had gotten tired of being caught all the time in this game of tag, it¡¯s about time they changed to another target.

    Once she went upstairs, Jacky also went back.

    Hannah, who was downstairs all this while, missed her grandchildren and had no appetite to eat.

    Not that Rayan didn¡¯t think about them, but as they had yet to return, his hands were tied.

    Raeleigh got out of the car and nced at the Green House prison. It was already evening. During this period after the New Year, the atmosphere inside the prison walls was warm. Even meal times weren¡¯t strictly adhered to, which was much better than the usual treatment.

    Raeleigh simply strolled in from the side door, which garnered some stares from the prisoners who saw her. There were some who greeted Raeleigh with smiles on their faces.

    Raeleigh had made sporadic visits to this ce before, but had note by in recent days. Nevertheless, it was known that with Raeleigh¡¯s arrival, that meant extra meal portions for the next few days. Additionally, they also knew that the reason for her presence here was to meet Austin.

    Everyone was aware of the rtionship between Raeleigh and Austin. Whenever she came by, she would always stay inside his room. If a woman came in the dark of the night to the prison, spent all night in a man¡¯s room only to leave before dawn; if she wasn¡¯t here to apany a man, what else could it be?

    All the people in Green House prison, from the wardens to themon prisoners, knew about Raeleigh¡¯s presence here. However, they dared not speak a word about it. All of them knew that within the four walls of Green House prison, a death of a man was asmon as them eating their meal and all of them would like to live for another day or two.

 Chapter 1803 Truly His Daughter

    Raeleigh smiled when she saw Austin. ¡°How have you been?¡±

    Austin was reading a notebook. When he heard Raeleigh¡¯s words, he put the notebook down and raised his head to look at her, ¡°You came at this hour?¡±

    ¡°Hanschel Doyle can¡¯t live.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been arranged.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°Mm¡­¡±

    Austin pointedly diverted his gaze to a spot by his side. Once Raeleigh situated herself beside him, he switched on theputer. It was a security feed, and recorded within was arge group of people. She noticed that out of all the people who were raining blows, one of them with his back towards the camera was Stuart, and the one who was bleeding out on the ground was Hanschel.

    Raeleigh looked at Austin. ¡°Thank you so much for doing this. Otherwise, I have to restrain Stuart from taking action out in public.¡±

    ¡°The Doyle family was exterminated because of one woman. It¡¯s not worth it.¡±

    ¡°Then how does one get over Lucy¡¯s undeserved tragic demise?¡±

    Austin leaned to one side, his eyes on her, ¡°Have you thought over what I said?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then forget it.¡±

    Raeleigh looked back at Austin, ¡°You mean¡­¡±

    ¡°Since you still can¡¯t let go of the burdens in your heart, then forget it. I won¡¯t force you.¡±

    Raeleigh breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Then my child?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep the child.¡±

    Raeleigh stiffened for a moment, then came to her senses after a while. ¡°That¡¯s not what you said.¡±

    ¡°That was the past, we¡¯re talking about the present. You don¡¯t need to take my words as truth.¡±

    Raeleigh sat rigidly in her seat. Austin stood up. ¡°Don¡¯t leave tonight,¡± he advised.

    After that, Austin went to take a bath. Raeleigh sat stock still in the same spot. After Austin finished his bath, she stood up and went to another area with him.

    Through a door, Raeleigh paused as she took in the scene in front of her. Three little children talked amongst each other within the quiet courtyard. Numerous stars twinkled from above and within a house, someone was keeping an eye out on them.

    At the sound of the door being opened, three little heads swivelled around and saw Raeleighing in with Austin. A little girl broke away from the group and dashed barefoot towards her, her hands raised in a wordless request for a hug.

    Raeleigh bent down and scooped her daughter up into her arms. She kissed her chubby little cheeks, her eyes red-rimmed from tears as a few trailed helplessly down her face.

    The Osteen couple came out from inside the house just then. When Jazelle saw Raeleigh, she couldn¡¯t help but cry too.

    With her daughter in her arms, she carried her to a bed that was inside. The little girl didn¡¯t want to separate from Raeleigh, her small arms tight around her neck, ¡°Mum, please don¡¯t go.¡± she pleaded.

    ¡°Mum also wants to stay, but if mum doesn¡¯t go back, then there will be a huge mess.¡±

    ¡°Okay then¡­¡±

    She was so anxious that the little girl cried together with Jazelle.

    Cedric and Heitor, who had been preparing to go to bed, stared at Raeleigh and Shaney.

    They also got down from their bed and stood in front of Raeleigh, their eyes fixed on her. It was only when Raeleigh saw them that she loosened her hold on her daughter.

    The little girl stayed in her embrace all this while, whereas the two boys continued to stare at Raeleigh.

    Austin sat down to one side, as well as Lamar and Jazelle.

    Raeleigh held her daughter and gave her a smooch. ¡°I can stay tonight.¡±

    ¡°Then will mum leave the next morning?¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    ¡°Mum, if you stay for a few more days, then I¡¯ll let you go.¡±

    As a result¡­

    Raeleigh stayed for five days and did not return. Meanwhile Jepherson managed to narrow down his search after much effort and tracked her down to the Green House prison.

    ¡°He¡¯sing.¡± Austin stood outside, his gaze on Raeleigh and the rest. Raeleigh was momentarily stunned from the announcement, then she looked at Austin and reminded, ¡°Remember that you promised me, you wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±

    Austin turned away from her. ¡°As I said before, don¡¯t take my words for truth. I have never promised anyone anything.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you want?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡±

    ¡°Mum, who ising?¡± The little girl raised her head to look at her mother, who then replied, ¡°A man called Dad.¡±

    The little girl made an ¡®oh¡¯ expression in realisation. She climbed down from Raeleigh¡¯s hold and pulled on Austin¡¯s hand. ¡°Uncle, I want to see my dad.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Raeleigh was a little at a loss for words. The way she said it, it was like they were going to look at animals.

    Austin paid no heed to Raeleigh¡¯s protests. He bent down at the waist, took the little girl into his arms, straightened back up and headed for the entrance. Raeleigh, who was a little worried, followed in their wake.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    By the time she decided to follow them, both Austin and her daughter were already on the observation tform.

    Both weren¡¯t wearing much as they looked down from up above. Austin whispered a few words into Shaney¡¯s ears, who let out a little ¡®oh¡¯ in reply. Afterwards, she followed him to where everyone down below could see them. The two hands that were carrying her then held her high above the observation tform.

    Shaney burst out into tears. Jared looked up at the sound and saw someone at the top who had held a child above their heads, who was crying loudly.

    ¡°Jepherson.¡±

    Jared turned and knocked on the car window. At this moment, Jepherson also sensed that something was wrong. He immediately opened the door and got out, his head raised upwards to where the tform was. As it wasn¡¯t that far above the ground, plus the child had grown quite big, he was able to get a clear look. Jepherson stilled, his figure turned to stone for an instant, before his gaze met Austin¡¯s.

    ¡°Austin, you f**kinge down now.¡±

    It was the first time that Jared heard Jepherson swear at someone. Austin took it in a stride, for there wasn¡¯t a man who wouldn¡¯t know how to swear at people.

    Shaney wailed loudly, her little legs iling about everywhere the harder she cried. Raeleigh caught up just then and shouted, ¡°Austin, what are you doing?¡±

    Jepherson could faintly hear the sound of Raeleigh¡¯s voice break from her shouts, which made him even more anxious.

    ¡°Come down, Austin.¡±

    Soon after, Austin tossed the child straight out, only for someone at the side to reach out and catch her. This was their little brat, it would really be a big deal if she actually did fall.

    The person hurriedly readjusted his hold on the child, which was made pointless as Raeleigh instantly snatched Shaney away into her embrace. Shaney was all smiles, curled up in her mother¡¯s hold. The child may be young still, but she was bright for her age and was actually quite mischievous.

    Raeleigh was scared to death. She wanted to beat Austin up but was reluctant to do so.

    All she could do instead was hold her tight in her protective embrace.

    Austin stood atop and looked down at Jepherson. ¡°Kneel. If you do, I won¡¯t kill your daughter today.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face was a mask of impotent fury as he stood below. He didn¡¯t move or speak.

    Austin turned to the side, ¡°Give me the child.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head and turned around to leave.

    Someone barred her way. Then people came forward and forcefully took Shaney away from her. Raeleigh wanted to reach out but was once again stopped by someone.

    With Shaney in his hands, Austin lifted her up high as if he was going to throw her down. Shaney started to wail loudly once more. Jepherson gnashed his teeth and yelled out, ¡°Austin, I¡¯ll kneel!¡±

    Austin chuckled, ¡°Since you agreed, it isn¡¯t such a novelty anymore. But don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t throw the child down.¡±

    With that said, he took the child away. He flicked a nce Raeleigh¡¯s way, then proceeded to go past her towards the back. Raeleigh spun on her heel, her furious re drilled into his back. Shaney reached out her hands, her little fingers clenched and released towards Raeleigh. She wanted her mother

    After they walked down from the tform, Austin passed Shaney over to Raeleigh. She held her daughter tight in her embrace for a while, only then did she follow him back.

    Outside, Jephersoon stood frozen with his head drenched in cold sweat.

    ¡°Jared, immediately surround the Green House prison, don¡¯t even let one fly out.¡±

    Jared paused, ¡°This is the government¡¯s jurisdiction¡­¡±

    ¡°No matter who it is, they have no right to take my daughter hostage inside.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Jared asked.

    ¡°More than anything in my life.¡±

    Although there was quite a distance between them, Jepherson was absolutely sure that the child was his daughter. His and Raeleigh¡¯s daughter.

 Chapter 1804 Probe

    The Whalen family were the first to be made aware of Jepherson¡¯s minute movement. Rayan called Deanna downstairs to ask who had leaked the Green House location to him.

    ¡°I was just simply saying, who knew that he took it for real?¡± Deanna said with a guileless look on her face.

    ¡°Troublesome.¡±

    At the rebuke from her father, she lowered her head. ¡°He¡¯s the one who wanted to kick up such a fuss, what does this have to do with me?¡±

    ¡°Even if that were true, with all the noise he made, will Austin even return Cedric and Heitor to us?¡±

    Rayan was, in fact, most worried about his two grandsons. As for Austin, he could care less.

    Deanna became anxious when she heard this. ¡°Then what should we do?¡±

    Rayan unexpectedly gave a cold look towards his daughter, ¡°What else can you do other than create a disaster?¡±

    Deanna was still unsatisfied. She walked up to her husband and said, ¡°Jacky, let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll go find Austin and ask him why he won¡¯t return our babies to us.¡±

    She left with Jacky in tow, despite Rayan¡¯s repeated calls for her toe back. She didn¡¯t listen, her mind solely focused on going to find Austin.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Rayan was worried that trouble would ur, hence he asked Zorion to go over as well.

    By the time they arrived, Jepherson¡¯s men had already surrounded the Green House Prison. Moreover, this matter had attracted the attention of the higher-ups. A call was made to the prison, only for someone to crack down on them and resulted in the higher-ups pleading ignorance on this matter.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Zorion got out of the car and went straight towards Jepherson. Jepherson stood outside with a pair of binocrs in his hand, his gaze directed towards the front of the prison.

    When he heard the question, Jepherson looked at Zorion and exined, ¡°Raeleigh is inside, together with my daughter. Austin wanted to throw my daughter down.¡±

    Zorion was stunned for a second. ¡°Your daughter?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face was pale and his whole body was almost frozen stiff. He turned his face back around and continued to look up at where the observation tform was. He did not believe that Austin wouldn¡¯te out. Now that he had cut off their water supply, he wanted to see how long they wouldst inside.

    Zorion still couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of the situation. It was Jared who cleared it up for him, ¡°Austin is inside, he really did want to toss a little girl down.¡±

    ¡°Then that girl is truly yours and Raeleigh¡¯s child?¡± Even now, Zorion was in a state of perpetual disbelief, unable to wrap his head around the fact that Jepherson really had a daughter.

    The question he posed seemed to be questioning Jepherson as well as himself.

    Although he still wasn¡¯t fully clear on what was going on, a surge of joy all of a sudden spread through him. There¡¯s now at least a ray of hope.

    ¡°Fehmen, Jaird.¡±

    This time around, Zorion brought the two brothers of the Lee family over.

    ¡°Mr. Whalen.¡±

    ¡°Deliver my orders to the higher-ups and pressure them. Our Whalen family has the final say in Capital City. We want to bring down the Green House prison.¡±

    ¡°This might cause the higher-ups to retaliate against us.¡± Fehmen wasn¡¯t just a thug, he also acted as Zorion¡¯s shoulder angel during key moments on what should or should not be done. Truth be told, in a ce like this, both ck and white had to coexist together. It wasn¡¯t due to how much power one had that the higher-ups won¡¯t touch them, but on how obedient one was and won¡¯t cause trouble. If one were to be too shameless towards them, they won¡¯t tolerate it for long.

    It was also the reason why the Richards family was still unwilling to set foot into the official career.

    It was a normal urrence for the light to overwhelm the dark. The reason no move was made was because the perpetrator was still a small fry. The moment they made it big, they would strike them down in one fell swoop.

    ¡°If something happens, I¡¯ll be here.¡±

    Jaird turned and went to work.

    Zorion walked to one side and made a call directly to Rossie.

    Rossie answered the call, then headed downstairs. When she saw Rayan, she lowered her head and murmured a few words to him. Rayan lifted his head to look at her, ¡°Is this true?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what Zorion told me. He has never lied to me.¡±

    ¡°It seems that Hansen has all the luck. Since you think this matter is imperative, then go ahead. Your mother and I will be out for some time. I will leave Capital City to you. Also, I will leave Deanna under your care. As for Cedric and Heitor, contact us when you return. We¡¯lle and pick them up.¡±

    Rayan stood up and turned to Hannah who had just made her way downstairs.

    ¡°Rayan, are you leaving?¡± Hannah didn¡¯t understand how her husband could leave at this moment. She only heard a gist of what he said.

    Rayan¡¯s eyes were calm. ¡°I can¡¯t intervene in this matter. The only one who can extend a helping hand is Zorion. It¡¯s good to help them and in turn give us a road to retreat.¡±

    Hannah seemed to understand what her husband meant.

    But¡­

    ¡°But Cedric and Heitor had yet to return. With Rossie being pregnant now, how can we leave the house unattended?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s ours, then we need not fight for it. If it isn¡¯t, then it¡¯s pointless to snatch it away.¡±

    Hannah contemted this for a moment before she acquiesced, ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go with you. Rossie, you must be careful. You¡¯re pregnant now.

    Although Capital City is peaceful once more and no such happenings would ur again, I¡¯m still a little worried. Some people may run around andmit terrible things, hence you must pay more attention, understand?¡±

    ¡°I know, Mum. You and Dad may leave with a peace of mind. I¡¯ll send you off.¡±

    ¡°No need for that. You go on ahead to Green House prison, make a request to meet with Raeleigh and see whether they¡¯ll let you both meet. If they don¡¯t, you should understand what that means.¡±

    At Rayan¡¯s reminder, Rossie readily took the hint. If they were able to meet, then all of this was just to probe around and Raeleigh was the one who was pulling the strings behind the scenes. If they couldn¡¯t, then Austin was the mastermind of this incident. In that case the Whalen family would go all out to bring back the children. After all, two of the children belong to them.

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    Rayan looked to the upper floors and ordered people to pack their things, and Hannah rified that she would be leaving with Rayan.

    Once they left, Rossie went to the Green House prison. She wore a thick, white fur coat around her body, which made it seem like a white fox had stepped down from the car. The moment Zorion saw that it was his car that had pulled to a stop, he had his suspicions. They were proven true when he saw Rossie and he strode across the grounds towards her.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re here, why can¡¯t I?¡±

    Rossie smoothed down the fur on her coat, then lifted her hand to adjust Zorion¡¯s cotton-padded jacket. It was only then did she direct her gaze at the prison. This was Rossie¡¯s first time here. She did not expect it to be even more majestic than the government buildings. As she stood there below the prison¡¯s looming presence, she spoke in a strange tone, ¡°I really did not expect there to be such a ce outside Capital City. It¡¯s really unthinkable.¡±

    Zorion was also resigned to her presence. He pinched Rossie¡¯s chin. ¡°Are you still in the mood to say these things at this time?¡±

    ¡°Why are you not in the mood? Even if it¡¯s a matter of life and death, you can¡¯t lose your style.¡±

    Rossie replied as she walked over. Most of the people in the crowd were dressed in ck, only Rossie was a figure in white. She walked with confident steps across the grounds, which garnered everyone¡¯s attention. Zorion held Rossie¡¯s hand and pulled her insistently to his side. She flickered a nce his way then before she looked back to the front and together they made their way forward.

    Rossie stopped and looked towards Jepherson, ¡°Pass my words on.¡±

    Deanna had fallen asleep whereas Jacky didn¡¯t even get down from the car. They may be here, but he didn¡¯t intend to do anything when a way had yet to be devised.

 Chapter 1805 Is He Still Hansen?

    When Deanna flipped over groggily and saw that Rossie had arrived, she quickly pushed open the door and got down from the car. Jacky immediately followed suit, a coat in hand as he helped Deanna into it. She wrapped it around herself snugly, a white fur coat that was simr to Rossie¡¯s.

    However, her outfit was of a cropped design, which gave her a smart look inparison to Rossie. Although Deanna may be a few years older in age than her, Rossie¡¯s appearance within the group was like Raeleigh, who gave them the impression of a mature and restrained temperament about her.

    Jepherson looked at Rossie and said, ¡°I¡¯d like to hear the details.¡±

    Jepherson had long since seen through what kind of person Rossie was. For her to be able to anger Geraldine to death, this alone was enough to make others be wary of her.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to have a try. If Raeleigh wants to see me, you can go back to Capital City immediately. Raeleigh wille back sooner orter, just be patient a little while longer.¡±

    ¡°What if she did not want to meet?¡±

    Jepherson understood what Rossie meant, that was why he posed the question.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to think of another way.¡±

    Jepherson stepped aside and Rossie ambled up towards the Green House prison. Zorion, ill at ease throughout, followed closely behind her.

    Once at the entrance, Rossie raised her hand and rapped her knuckles against the door. It took quite a while before someone from inside opened the small window panel.

    Rossie spoke from the outside, ¡°I¡¯m Rossie Lautner, the matriarch of the Whalen family and Raeleigh¡¯s fellow sister. I need to meet her as there¡¯s a matter that I would like to discuss with her. Please help me pass on the message.¡±

    ¡°Wait here then.¡±

    The people inside couldn¡¯t care less. They left and returned soon after. ¡°She won¡¯t see you. Leave.¡± they told Rossie.

    With that said, they mmed the panel shut.

    Rossie slowly turned around and looked towards Jepherson, who stood in the distance with a pair of binocrs in his hand. She walked back to his side.

    ¡°I won¡¯t stop you anymore. Before I came, my father-inw told me that the Whalen and Richards family are bound on the same branch and will live and die together.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Zorion who smiled. ¡°You may keep an army for a thousand days and use them in all but a moment. We are brothers, our brotherhood cannot be broken.¡±

    ¡°I remember,¡± Jepherson said gratefully as his gaze was pulled towards the prison again. Deanna blinked twice before she pulled on Jacky and they returned to their car. She was scornful towards Jepherson, the person who wanted to kill Jacky. She wasn¡¯t that much of a fool either, how could she not hold a grudge?

    ¡°Rossie, you go back first.¡±

    Zorion helped Rossie back into the car. The interior of the car had been heated, but still wasn¡¯t as warm as home. Besides, this ce had no convenient areas to getfortable in, it was best not to add to the crowded space.

    Zorion sent Rossie back. When they returned to the Whalen family residence, he left Jaird and Fehmen behind for her. Only in this way could he feel at ease.

    However, Rossie first sent Zorion to the Richards family to notify them. Otherwise, if anything happened, it would only be troublesome.

    Zorion went to the Richards family¡¯s house overnight. When he saw Hansen, he proceeded to exin what had happened.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Hansen sat on the sofa, lost in his thoughts. As expected, there was something going on. Jenna became a little anxious. She clenched her fists tightly and looked at Zorion, who stood across from them, ¡°You weren¡¯t pulling our legs earlier? A child was really about to be thrown down?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about this. When I arrived, the child had already been taken away. Rossie had sounded them out by wanting to see Raeleigh, but they refused her request.¡±

    Jenna¡¯s palms were sweaty. She knew Raeleigh¡¯s temper very well. If it was really her doing who knows what behind the scenes, she definitely wouldn¡¯t want to see Rossie.

    ¡°Zorion, what did Jerry say?¡± Jenna asked in distress.

    ¡°Jepherson didn¡¯t say much. The child must be returned. Based on the current situation, Austin has no intentions to give the child back to us, hence it¡¯s certain we wouldn¡¯te to an agreement.¡±

    ¡°If the three families are united, do we have a certainty of sess?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. The Green House Prison is made of iron and steel. I heard from Deanna that Cedric and Heitor were taken away in a military aircraft. This means that the prison itself isn¡¯t that simple. Not only are there criminals, there are other unknowns as well.¡±

    ¡°I understand. You may leave first,¡± Jenna mumbled as she sat to one side in a fretful state. She could no longer calm down.

    Zorion nced at Hansen before he turned to head back outside the Richards family manor.

    After some time, Hansen slowly looked at Jenna beside him. ¡°You already knew?¡±

    Jenna just as slowly returned the look to Hansen. ¡°Do you know why this is happening?¡±

    Hansen didn¡¯t answer. Jenna continued, ¡°It¡¯s because the Richards family is not a ce that can hold Raeleigh down, nor her child. However, Jerry would definitely want children. She was so fearful, that she was willing to send the child over to that kind of ce and unwilling to have us bring the child back.

    The Doyle family was despicable, but we are even more despicable.

    It was us who didn¡¯t give Raeleigh any sense of security, and it was us who made Raeleigh feel scared. If it weren¡¯t so, how could she have made such a reckless move and chose this sort of path to tread on?¡±

    ¡°Are you ming me for not handling this whole situation?¡±

    ¡°Do I not have the right?¡±

    Hansen averted his face, ¡°She¡¯s my mother. Do you want me to be the type of son who would anger their own mother?

    She rarelyes around anymore within this period of time. She really has changed now.

    Just give her a little more time.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that she has changed. This time I will not amodate you. I will not harm people, but I don¡¯t want others to hurt me in turn. If she really has changed, I will pretend that none of this happened. But if she stages aeback, I can only fight back.¡±

    Jenna stood up then and stood in front of her husband. ¡°Hansen, I know you¡¯re in a difficult position. One side is your son and the other side is your mother. However, I don¡¯t wish for Raeleigh and Shaney to be harmed because of this situation.¡±

    ¡°Shaney?¡±

    Hansen sat up straight and looked at Jenna. Jenna¡¯s face softened when she mentioned Shaney, ¡°She¡¯s a girl and is very cute. She looks more like Raeleigh than Jerry, but there are some parts that do look like Jerry¡¯s. She¡¯s already three years old.¡±

    Hansen stared at her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me, woman?¡±

    ¡°How can you talk to me like that? What do you mean by ¡®didn¡¯t tell me¡¯? Do you think I¡¯m willing to do that? Isn¡¯t it because there¡¯s no home for Shaney to go back to? What can you do even if I told you? Should you happily announce this matter, Marisss will abhor it. If something did happen, what are you going to do?¡±

    Jenna was angered to the point of tears, while Hansen was cowed into silence.

    ¡°All right, don¡¯t cry. Everything¡¯s all right now, I¡¯ll go over and see the situation there in a little while.¡±

    ¡°You think you are God and that you will be of use if you go there? That is a prison under the government¡¯s jurisdiction. It¡¯s not a ce you can go just because you said so. Better to pray at home if you truly had the intention.¡±

    Jenna broke out into a strangled sob once she finished, and rushed back into her room. By the time Hansen fully turned around, she was already inside.

    He stood up and knocked against the door.

    ¡°What are you crying for? Is it useful to cry now?¡± Hansen couldn¡¯t bear to see her cry so, hence he stood at the door and kept knocking.

    Jenna sat inside, her gaze fixed on her youngest son. She cried non-stop as she was so sad. All these years, and she had never been as sad as she was now.

    Her youngest son turned out this way, neither her daughter-inw or grandchild coulde back even though there¡¯s a house¡­ was this man still the same Hansen Richards as before?

 Chapter 1806 Him Being Thwarted Soothes My Soul

    Jenna held her son¡¯s hand. ¡°Santiago, Mommy¡¯s tired. Don¡¯t you want to open your eyes and cheer me up? Aren¡¯t you tired after staying quiet for so long?¡±

    Hansen clearly heard everything she said in between tears through the door.

    He turned to look for the key to the door. Before he could, however, Jenna was already up by the room¡¯s entrance. She had stopped crying as she stood by the closed door and told Hansen from inside. ¡°If youe in, I¡¯ll go out.¡±

    Hansen had barely held the keys for more than a few seconds before he put them back. A few minutester, Jenna returned to her youngest son¡¯s side. After he heard her retreating footsteps, Hansen sat back down on the couch.

    He recalled those days when they were young, the memories strung back together again. Perhaps as they got older, they began to do nothing.

    Hansen did not shut his eyes for the whole night. It was only when morning arrived that he unconsciously fell into slumber. He dreamt of the moment when his little son was born and he was ovee with joy.

    When he roused from his sleep, Jenna was in front of him with a te of food that she had prepared.

    ¡°All this while, I¡¯ve been the one to take care of our son. Our son was born from the both of us, me and you. Now, it¡¯s your turn to take care of him. I¡¯ll be going to the Green House in a little bit, I want to see Shaney.¡±

    With that said, Jenna stood and put on her coat to head outside.

    ¡°Come back,¡± Hansen intoned coldly. Jenna paused and turned her head to look into Hansen¡¯s ice-cold face.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Jenna couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°Nothing, just you can¡¯t go. It¡¯s too cold outside and you¡¯re in poor health. Besides, numerous people have gone there due to this matter. Who cares about you alone?¡±

    Hansen stood up and refused to let her go.

    ¡°Why are you always like this?¡±

    ¡°What my characteristics are has no rtion to whether you can go out or not. I¡¯ve already called ahead to see if this problem can be settled peacefully. If not, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    Hansen had also tried to clear up this issue, but the higher-ups dare not interfere with Austin¡¯s matter. This meant that they themselves were afraid of him, therefore it goes without being said that everything that happened had been implemented in ordance to Austin¡¯s ns.

    Jenna only stood for a moment before she tried to leave again. Hansen pleaded, ¡°Jenna, please trust me once more. This matter is not aimed at the child, neither is it aimed at us but at Jerry.

    I¡¯m not sure about the rtionship between Austin and Raeleigh, but they are definitely not people who would hurt him. Don¡¯t worry, Jerry and the others wille back safely.¡±

    Jenna looked back at Hansen. ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°I know because I do. I won¡¯t lie to you.¡±

    Jenna studied Hansen¡¯s appearance and finally quieted down. They had been married for so many years and she knew him well. But what about the child?

    Jenna asked in mncholy, ¡°You swear?¡±

    ¡°I swear.¡±

    Jenna returned to the couch then and sat there in a daze. Hansen also sat down and picked up his te of food. As he ate, he asked, ¡°How did you get to see Shaney? Howe I didn¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°There is a photo of her in Raeleigh¡¯s phone. I saw it.¡± Jenna had nothing to hide at this point, she might as well disclose the truth.

    Hansen gazed at his beloved wife. ¡°Do you have the picture now?¡±

    In fact, he also wanted to see it.

    Jenna looked at him in annoyance. ¡°It¡¯s all because of you people. You let Raeleigh distrust you to the point where she wouldn¡¯t let you see. I wanted to forward the photo, but Raeleigh set it in such a way that a password is needed to send things out. I don¡¯t have the password, hence I can¡¯t send it out. I have tried many ways but they were all in vain.¡±

    Jenna thought of all the tricks that she used up, all the ideas that she had exhausted and still she couldn¡¯t find a way to forward that one single photo. This really troubled her heart.

    Hansen said in exasperation, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you be so stupid. Can¡¯t you use your own phone and discreetly snap a picture?¡±

    Jenna abruptly looked at him in realisation. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of that?¡±

    ¡°What can you think of?¡±

    Hansen was depressed. He couldn¡¯t take in thest mouthful of his meal and put down his te. He then got up and paced back and forth across the floor. Jenna asked after she watched him for a bit, ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m dizzy just looking at you.¡±

    ¡°Tell me what she looks like. If not, you can also draw it out.¡± Like an excited child, Hansen grabbed a few sketch papers plus a pencil and handed them over to Jenna. He then sat down and waited.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to draw well.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a designer. Why won¡¯t you be able to draw well? Hurry up and draw.¡±

    Hansen couldn¡¯t wait to know what his granddaughter looked like. Jenna frowned. She actually was quite reluctant to draw, afraid that she couldn¡¯t capture the essence of the subject well. For in her eyes, her granddaughter was the most beautiful of all.

    However, now she¡¯s being forced and with such anticipation. She took up the pencil and started to sketch.

    ¡­

    Raeleigh stood in the courtyard and stared at Austin as he yed with her daughter, as well as Cedric and Heitor. The two boys seemed to like her daughter very much.

    It¡¯s not that she didn¡¯t like those two, but they didn¡¯t seem pleased because of what happened to her daughter and just the previous day, they mentioned how when they grow up, they¡¯d stay together with Shaney. Her daughter was still very young and told her everything about this. Raeleigh felt that this wasn¡¯t a good sign of things toe.

    ¡°Uncle, why hasn¡¯t Dade in yet?¡±

    ¡°Shaney, did you hope to leave me behind and go with your Dad?¡± Austin bent down and picked up the little girl. He pecked her on the cheek, then gave her a piggyback ride. He carried her around on his back while he patted her at the same time.

    Shaney bent over his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t see Dad¡¯s face.¡±

    Raeleigh stood to the side, ¡°Didn¡¯t you already see his photos?¡±

    ¡°How can it be the same? I still like an actual person.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you brat¡­ why did you cry so loudly? It¡¯s not like I was going to throw you down for real.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s face went taut, extremely unhappy. She thought back to what happened earlier, to how terrified Jepherson was when the child cried up a storm. Even she had thought it was real, let alone Jepherson.

    Raeleigh found it hard to think the situation through with a clear mind back then. However, the child was fine after she came down, her tears packed away faster than they fell.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Raeleigh got extremely crossed, but the little girl embraced her and apologised for her wrongs, which softened her heart almost immediately.

    ¡°Uncle was the one who wanted me to cry.¡± Shaney stated this with some innocence to her tone. Raeleigh rolled her eyes and remarked, ¡°You talked as if you are the only one in the world who is most innocent.¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡± Shaneyid there and popped her agreement. Raeleigh also didn¡¯t know what to say. Whose personality did this child share simrities with?

    She wasn¡¯t like this when she was little. This act to y dumb to take advantage of someone was impressively convincing for her age.

    ¡°Big brother.¡±

    Raeleigh noticed then that Austin was about to leave. She did not have time to talk too much with her daughter. She called out to him, which made him stop and turned around, ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just lock us up like this forever. Jepherson isn¡¯t an ordinary person. Do you think he¡¯ll leave the matter as it is? If you had wanted Shaney to stay by your side, then you shouldn¡¯t have let him know about her existence. Now that you did, he won¡¯t give up. Shaney is his, he¡¯ll do everything he can to get her back.

    There¡¯s nothing to benefit from your actions.¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t stop me. I¡¯m just letting him know of the child¡¯s existence. As he struggles to steal the child back from me, to look at him being thwarted at every turn really soothes my soul.¡±

 Chapter 1807 Major Loss on Both Sides

    ¡°Uncle, you want to hurt my Dad?¡± Shaney straightened up from Austin¡¯s back and blinked her big eyes up at him. He tilted his head back to look at her, ¡°If I do, what would you do?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be angry. I only have one Dad.¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose Uncle either.¡± Shaney murmured into Austin¡¯s shoulder. Raeleigh shook her head. This child of hers had so many tricks up her sleeves, that sometimes she felt that even she was being cheated by her.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Moreover, she thought with each passing day that her child had be more like Santiago.

    Shaney was a girl. If she really had Santiago¡¯s temperament, she wouldn¡¯t know what to do. How did her child turn out this way?

    With that being said, Raeleigh needed to get right down to business.

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him and tell him to yield to you, okay?¡± Raeleigh persuaded. Austin smiled drily, an unperturbed look on his handsome face, ¡°What I want is his frustration. If I let you talk to him, it would undoubtedly give him a chance to extricate himself from the situation and that¡¯s not what I want to happen. We¡¯re having raviolister,e back after you¡¯ve washed your hands.¡±

    Austin turned and left with Shaney on his back still. Raeleigh stood in the courtyard for a while. On such a cold day, she heard that Jepherson stood there for all this time and never left. He just stood there like that¡­

    Raeleigh went to the watchtower. She looked down from that vantage point. There were a lot of people around, including Jacky and Zorion. While she was busy looking down at the crowd, Jared immediately notified Jepherson that Raeleigh was up above.

    Jepherson took out his binocrs and pointed it in Raeleigh¡¯s direction. She was still in her clothes that she had originally worn, her gaze soft and calm as she looked back at him.

    When she saw that Jepherson was looking at her, she lightly breathed a sigh of relief.

    On the other hand, Jepherson frowned and called Raeleigh on his phone. He pointed towards Raeleigh, a non-verbal signal for her to pick up the call. It was only then she took out her phone and epted it.

    ¡°Come down. Bring my daughter out together.¡±

    Jepherson couldn¡¯t hide the anger in his voice. Raeleigh sighed, ¡°Why are you doing this? You obviously know that this is a futile endeavour. If Austin truly wanted to release the children, why would he need to imprison us here?¡±

    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t release you both, I won¡¯t leave, I absolutely won¡¯t give up.¡± Jepherson then turned on his heel and marched towards his car. He pointed at the person inside with an order for them to get out. The driver immediately scrambled out. Raeleigh felt that something wasn¡¯t right. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked.

    ¡°He thought I was afraid of him. Then I¡¯ll let him see whether I, Jepherson Richards, am really afraid of him.¡± While he spoke, he reached the front of his car. With a walkie-talkie in his other hand, hemunicated through it to the people around the area. Soon, the cars were driven away and a passage was opened up.

    Jepherson sat inside the car, one hand used to make a call, while the other one was used to control the car. He was veryposed.

    Raeleigh shouted into the phone at once, ¡°Jepherson, are you crazy? What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°He thought that just because he wouldn¡¯t let me in that I won¡¯t go in. He can¡¯t make that decision for me. I¡¯m going in now, if he has the ability, then just gun me down.¡±

    Jepherson revved up the engine a few times with the elerator. He then reversed the car to get some distance. Jacky¡¯s sleep was disturbed by all the noise. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Jepherson¡¯s car, worth millions of dors, crashing against the prison¡¯s doors with a loud bang!

    ¡°Jepherson, Jepherson¡­¡± Raeleigh got such a fright that she turned to head down the stairs and to the doors, only to be instantly held back by a few people.

    Zorion ordered people to check on Jepherson. By the time they ran up, he was already unconscious, with a gash across his head and blood all over his face.

    ¡°Jepherson¡­ Jepherson¡­¡± Zorion shouted a few times, but Jepherson did not respond. He hurriedly tried to open the car door. At this moment, Jacky came over from his own car just as Zorion had dragged the person out, carried him down to the ground and gave a brief scan over his injuries.

    ¡°First-aid!¡± Jacky yelled immediately after a nce. Zorion got up and called for someone at once to help carry Jepherson into another car, which then sent him straight to the hospital.

    The outside of the Green House prison was initially full of people. However, due to Jepherson¡¯s unexpected move, everyone had left the premises. The only thing left behind was the demolished car at the prison¡¯s entrance.

    Austin received the report and went to the door to check it out. The car had crashed to the point of being just a pile of metal heap. If the person was still alive under such circumstances, it¡¯s hard to imagine how long Jepherson¡¯s life span was.

    Raeleigh had been stunned on the spot. She stood beside Austin and cried helplessly.

    When Shaney saw her mother cry, she also couldn¡¯t help but cry too, especially when she heard that her father got injured. She cried even louder at that. Raeleigh carried her child into her arms as she nned to leave, but Austin had someone hold them back.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Raeleigh shouted at Austin anxiously. He walked towards her and took hold of Shaney. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, but still followed Austin to the hospital.

    The entire Capital City was in turmoil over the fact that something had happened to Jepherson. Some said that he got into a mishap due to drunk driving. Some said that he had been set up. Many theories that could be thought up were spread everywhere.

    Zorion and Jacky were both outside the emergency room. Deanna sat to the side without a single reaction. She wasn¡¯t as anxious as Rossie was.

    Rossie immediately asked when she arrived, ¡°What¡¯s going on? He was fine just earlier, how did he end up like this?¡±

    Deanna pretended not to hear. She leaned to the side. She felt that even if everyone in the world died, Jepherson would not die. After all, Jepherson was annoyingly arrogant. For so many years, there was only one person that Deanna had always thought would stay alive, and that was Jepherson.

    Since Deanna wouldn¡¯t speak, Rossie had to go to Zorion instead. He gave her a blow by blow ount of what happened and in turn Rossie grew less anxious.

    After they sat around a while, the surgery was over. The doctor pushed the patient out and told Jacky and the others that the patient was still in a critical stage and would be sent to the ICU.

    Raeleigh and the rest came just as the doctors had sent him in. When Raeleigh saw Jepherson, it was through a ss window. Heid in bed inside with his head all wrapped up and an oxygen mask attached to his face. Raeleigh felt distressed when she saw the state he¡¯s in.

    Raeleigh picked her daughter up, pointed to where Jepherson wasid out, ¡°That¡¯s Dad.¡±

    Shaney sniffled, ¡°Dad is so pitiful. He got so mad at me and Mum until he fell ill.¡±

    Although Raeleigh felt aggrieved towards Jepherson, she also didn¡¯t want to see him end up this way.

    She looked at Austin who stood with his hands sped behind his back. ¡°Is this the oue that you wanted?¡±

    Austin stood there for a moment before he looked at Raeleigh, ¡°What would you do if it were you?¡±

    Raeleigh suddenly went quiet. She stared into Austin¡¯s eyes and then shook her head. ¡°You won¡¯t think that way.¡±

    ¡°You know that¡¯s not how I think, then why did you ask me?¡± He turned back around to observe Jepherson inside. ¡°His only purpose in doing what he did is to have me send you and your daughter back.

    Jepherson¡¯s courage went beyond my expectations, but I really don¡¯t like this person. He can¡¯t understand till¡¯ now that there isn¡¯t a need to be so calctive when you love someone. Raeleigh¡­ to hand you over to him won¡¯t make me feel at ease. Jepherson is a deep person, you won¡¯t be able to control him.¡±

    Raeleigh quietly stared through the ss, ¡°But sometimes I don¡¯t want to control him. I¡¯m happy just because he¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Then that requires him to bepletely devoted to you. He has yet to fullyprehend that love isn¡¯t something to be possessed but to have and to love someone is to be ready to suffer major losses for both sides.¡±

 Chapter 1808 Going HeadtoHead Against Each Other

    ¡°I know you¡¯re doing this for me, but I hope that he¡¯s creating a fruitful oue rather than a worst case scenario.¡±

    Looking at the people inside, Raeleigh was seized by a feeling of emptiness. Everyone else knew about it, but he just could not grasp it. He didn¡¯t understand the importance of giving.

    Even Austin could understand it, but he could not wrap his head around it at all. Raeleigh wanted to say something, but she was speechless in the end.

    He did not intend to beseech her to stay. In his eyes, it was undeniable that she was his woman. Therefore, when he heard that she had already be Austin¡¯s wife, he never considered letting her go or giving her a choice despite his fury and sorrow.

    Disregarding such views, he wanted to force her to stay by his side, making it impossible for her to go anywhere else.

    Raeleigh was aware that it was a sign of love. However, what she didn¡¯t know was that his love was like a shackle that locked her up, restricting her from her freedom.

    ¡°If he can get the picture, then I will let you and your daughter go.¡±

    After speaking, Austin walked to the side and sat down. Shaney slid down from Raeleigh and ran to him. He raised his hands to wipe Shaney¡¯s tears. ¡°It¡¯s okay for girls to shed tears, but you can¡¯t cry for no reason. Do you remember what I said?¡±

    ¡°Yes, girls need to be strong. We can¡¯t be looked down on by others.¡± Shaney sniffed.

    ¡°Your dad is alright, he will be fine.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°Have I ever lied to you?¡± Austin asked.

    Shaney shook her head in response. Austin then held her in his arms and patted her. ¡°Then your dad will be fine.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Hearing that her father would be fine, Shaney cheered up. She leaned into Austin¡¯s arms and he caressed her head. This was a tender side of him that only very few have seen.

    Raeleigh stood aside and observed all this. She understood what Austin meant. He wanted to say that Jepherson was fineand that the reason why he had not gotten up was because he was injured. There was also the possibility of him pretending to be severely injured.

    ¡°Shaney¡­ I would like to know, if your dad wakes up and wants you to stay,would you be willing to stick with me for a while longer?¡±

    Shaney blinked her eyes twice. ¡°Of course I am.¡±

    Austin cracked a smile. ¡°Then, you can visit your dadter and make sure he¡¯s okay, then we can head back after that. I¡¯ve also been a little busy these days so you¡¯ll have to help me take care of Hector and Cedric.¡±

    Shaney blinked in response. At the thought of Cedric and Heitor, she nodded instantly and agreed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± Austin wiped away Shaney¡¯s tears. Shaney was released from his arms. She got up to take a look and walked to the doors of the wardswhen someone opened it for Shaney to enter. Raeleigh stood outside, feeling on edge. She had no idea what would happen next.

    If what Austin said was true, Jepherson would definitely wake up soon, which indicated that he had been deliberately deceiving them.

    There was aplicated look in Raeleigh¡¯s eyes. Shaney entered the ward and looked around. The nurses panicked when they saw Shaney, who spoke up immediately, ¡°Miss, I¡¯m his daughterand I¡¯vee to see him.Don¡¯t worryI won¡¯t disturb you. My mom is watching me from outside. I¡¯ll leave after I say a few words.¡±

    All the nurses focused their eyes on Raeleigh. They knew her.

    Raeleigh nodded while the nurses filed out one after another. Shaney approached Jepherson and rested her chin on the hospital bed. Noticing that there were many medical apparatuses nearby, she did not dare move around. She stood by the bed and whispered into Jepherson¡¯s ear, ¡°It¡¯s Shaney,Dad. I¡¯m here to see you.¡±

    Jepherson moved his hand slowly before he opened his eyes to gaze at the little girl beside him. Then, he lifted his hands, took away the oxygen maskand got up from the bed.

    After taking off all the things on his body one by one, Jepherson sat up and stared at the little girl, whose big eyes were fixed onto him. He bent down, held her in his arms, kissed her forehead and embraced her tightly.

    Shaney gaped at the man in front of herand huggedhim back. ¡°Dad, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯m okay¡­¡±

    Jepherson looked out of the window with his dark eyesand Raeleigh¡¯s face was white as snow. She couldn¡¯t help butnd her eyes on Austin, who was sitting on the chair. Austin said, ¡°Do you still trust him now? He¡¯s a man who will do anything in order to achieve his goals.¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do since I have no way out at the moment. Falling in love with someone like him is equal to losing myself.¡±

    ¡°Losing isn¡¯t a big deal. The question is how the winner treats you as his opponent. Does he do it nobly or with contempt?¡±

    ¡°It takes two to tango. Is there really right or wrong in a rtionship?¡±

    ¡°Are you admitting to it?¡±

    ¡°What else can I do?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around. She knew that Jepherson was a calcting person and a schemer due to his upbringing. However, he didn¡¯t hurt people. He just fought for what he desired in his own way.

    Jepherson hugged his daughter and yed with her for a moment in the ICU. The father and daughter duo got along well without any hitches. That was the most magical thing about Jepherson.It left Raeleigh amazed as to why Shaney liked Jepherson so much.

    When the Jepherson and Shaney exited the ward, Jepherson was clueless that Austin was also here. Jepherson went straight to Raeleigh with their daughter in his arms, trying to kiss Raeleigh, who evaded it immediately.

    ¡°Behave yourself.¡±

    Raeleigh pulled a long face and took a step back.

    Jepherson¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°How can I still behave myself?¡±

    ¡°Do you need me to teach you?¡± Austin stood up with a look of irritation in his eyes. Jepherson paused to look at him. Holding his daughter, he turned to stare at Austin,his eyes were filled with sheer frost. ¡°Austin.¡±

    ¡°Shaney, get down. Your dad has just recovered a little. It¡¯s not good to exhaust him.¡± Shaney was quite obedient to Austin. She twisted her little body to get down without hesitation. Jepherson said to her, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯ve recovered. If you go off, I¡¯ll feel bad.¡±

    ¡°Dad, I need to go to the restroom.¡±

    Shaney came up with an immediate excuse. Jepherson was startled for a quick moment before lettingShaney go to Raeleigh. Be it an outspoken strife or a secret plot against each other, it was not that Raeleigh wasn¡¯t aware of it, but she didn¡¯t like to involve her daughter in such matters.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Raeleigh took Shaney to the washroom. The girl faked her excuse to use the toilet, but she ended up using it either way. Raeleigh had initially wanted to tell her something, but the words stuck in her throat after she bent down in front of Shaney. She promptly stood back up. No matter who it was, it was improper to talk about people behind their backs.

    ¡­

    Jepherson was just fine. When the car ident happened, he had injured his head. He didn¡¯tpse into unconsciousnessand there was no need for him to be admitted to ICU. It was an order given by him to several doctors.

    After Raeleigh left, Jepherson¡¯s eyes fell on Austin.

    ¡°Thank you for returning my daughter to me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, please, make no mistake. I¡¯ll never return Shaney to anybody. I¡¯m going to keep her by my side. I only brought her here to see you. As for allowing her to go back to the Richards family, don¡¯t even think about it.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t up to you.¡± Jepherson¡¯s gaze was ice cold. Meanwhile, Jared and Fehmen walked out. Austin seemed to pay it no mind. ¡°Do you think you can stop me by doing this?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with trying.¡±

    ¡°Uncle¡­ what are they doing?¡±

    When Shaney came back and saw them, she made a dash for Austin and held his leg instantaneously. Austin bent down to carry her up while beaming at her. ¡°It¡¯s okay, your dad wanted to treat me to dinner.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Shaney then turned to look at Jepherson, whose expression became gentle in a tick against the concealed conflict and anger resonating within him.

 Chapter 1809 Kissing Her

    In light of Jepherson¡¯s arrival, a vacant private room had been reserved for him in the hospital¡¯s underground cafeteria. He sat in the host¡¯s seat with Raeleigh sitting beside him.Austin, who was holding her daughter, sat in front of them.

    Deanna and the others were also present, all watching Jepherson, Austin, and the strange atmosphere between them.

    Deanna was particrly joyful that day. She had her eyes fixed on Raeleigh¡¯s child.

    ¡°Shaney, how about I y with you?¡± Deanna sat next to Shaneyand Shaney was having fun with a toy ne and tank. She even said that she wanted to serve the country after she had grown up because her uncle was an army for the country.

    The girl was sharp-witted.

    Deanna was all smiles. ¡°That¡¯s ambitious of you.¡±

    ¡°Auntie, you¡¯re really pretty.¡± Shaney grinned at her, entertaining herself with her toy tank.

    ¡°Shaney, can I y with you?¡± Deanna tried her best to butter up Shaney since she liked her very much. How could this child be so beautiful?

    ¡°No, I want to y by myself. Auntie, you don¡¯t know how to y with this.¡±

    ¡°But I do.¡±

    Across them, Jepherson was engulfed in wrath. He only had one daughter, but now, this daughter of his was going to serve the country?

    There were too many people in the country. In his mind, there was no need for his daughter to be that ambitious.

    However, this child of his had been indoctrinated by Austinand it was beyond his capability to lead her back to the right track in the moment.

    The look in his eyes was icy. Austin took a sip of tea.

    The little girl opened her mouth and moved her head over as Austin grabbed a ss of juice for her to have a sip. She then turned and got off the chairwith a toy tank in one hand and a toy ne in the other. Deanna intended to have fun with her, but Austin said, ¡°She¡¯s fine, just leave her be.¡±

    Bemused for a second, Austin turned and gazed at Shaney while sitting on his chair.

    Shaney ran here and there, but she didn¡¯t trip. After a while, she shouted, ¡°Uncle Austin¡­ look.¡±

    Austin stood up and approached her. There was an ant on the ground. Austin sat on the other chair. ¡°Shaney, do you know what that is?¡±

    ¡°An ant.¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid of it?¡±

    Shaney shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not afraid.¡±

    Bending down, Shaney picked up the ant and surveyed it carefully. ¡°An ant has six legs and an antenna¡­¡±

    She was interested in ants. Austin listened to her words without saying anything. When she had finished speaking, he did not move and remained seated on his chair.

    Jepherson cast an inquiring look at Raeleigh. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°When Shaney was born, I was in aa for half a year. It was Austin who took care of her back then. She formed an attachment to him since childhood. Believe it or not, she listens to him.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my daughter.¡±

    ¡°I never said she wasn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡­

    The dining table was filled with an air of awkwardnessand Deanna was puzzled. ¡°Why haven¡¯t my sons returned yet?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Deanna. ¡°I have something to tell you. Austin wants to keep them by his side.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Deanna eximed. She turned to stare at Austin, thinking how it wouldn¡¯t be bad for her sons to grow up beside a handsome and stylish man.

    ¡°Jacky, what do you think?¡±

    Jacky¡¯s eyes fell on Deanna. ¡°Let me think about it.¡±

    Silence had set in at the dining tableand all the dishes had been served. Only then did Shaney return. She washed her hands first before following Austin back.

    She sat down and started digging in. Holding her cutlery, she took what she liked to eat. Unlike children in other families, she always liked to do everything on her own.

    After stuffing herself full, she wiped her mouth and continued frolicking around. Austin had the same pace of consuming food as Shaney. He concentrated on eating without speaking. After Shaney had left, Austin took his leave and went somewhere else.

    Meanwhile, Jepherson didn¡¯t touch his food. Shaney was his daughter, but she had been sitting beside Austin and getting along with him. It wasas if Austin was her father instead of Jepherson.

    Raeleigh took her time finishing her meal. Then, she got up, walked toward Shaney, and sat down in front of her as though nothing had happened. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on her. You can go.¡±

    ¡°No, let me do it. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    Upon hearing that Austin was going back, Shaney stood up and walked to him. ¡°Uncle Austin, do I have to go back too?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face fell, and he gritted his teeth.

    Austin beamed at her. ¡°You¡¯ve just reunited with your dad. You can stay with him today.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Austin, why don¡¯t you stay too?¡± Shaney gave Austin a tug. Austin then replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry kiddo but I need to go back. I have things to do.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Austin¡­¡±

    ¡°Shaney, since Uncle Austin wants to go back,

    why don¡¯t you stay?¡±

    ¡°If Uncle Austin wants to go back, I want to go back too.¡±

    Shaney turned to look at Raeleigh, who fell silent.

    It was hard for children to change their mind. If she was coerced to change it, she would definitely act rebellious.

    ¡°Just stay here, I can alsobring you back to visit your grandparents.¡±

    With that, Jepherson stood up and walked up to Shaney. ¡°Shaney, I have something to ask you. Can we talk alone?¡±

    Shaney nced at Austin, who then nodded. Jepherson was peevedand he bent down to pick up his daughter, turned and walked to his ward.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Entering the ward, Jepherson chatted to Shaney about her usual routines. While resting her head on the bed, she answered all of his questions. The father and daughter chatted away, but time flew by before they knew it. Jepherson hadn¡¯t spent enough time with Shaney yet, but she had to go.

    ¡°Shaney, can you stay with me? I¡¯m in poor health now and I need someone to look after me.¡±

    ¡°I want to see Uncle Austin. He wants to go back, so I¡¯ll be back after seeing him.¡±

    Shaney insisted no matter how hard Jepherson coaxed her. He could only get up and send her out personally.

    Jepherson was not in a good mood when he handed Shaney over to Austin. The worst part for him was the scene where Austin turned around and left with his daughter in his arms.

    Jepherson gazed at Raeleigh. ¡°Why do these things happen to me? I almost thought she was Austin¡¯s daughter instead of mine.¡±

    The corner of Raeleigh¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Shaney is attached to him. I hope you won¡¯t cause a riff between them. Even though they aren¡¯t rted, the rtionship between them is closer than that of father and daughter.¡±

    ¡°Is it my fault?¡± Jepherson was not convinced. He stretched out his hand to tug at Raeleigh. There was no one else in the corridor. She had been pressed against the wall by him. Raeleigh didn¡¯t move, nor did she resistandJepherson kissed her without hesitation.

    Raeleigh¡¯s hands were dangling beside her, but Jepherson began making amorous advances on her, stripping off her clothes in the corridor. It was only then when she raised her hands to push him.

    ¡°Hey stop it, can you at least act like a decent human being?¡±

    Jepherson carried her up and pushed the door on one side open. Raeleigh was taken inside. Jepherson drew the curtains shut and locked the door before he turned around and undressed. Raeleigh saw him strip naked. ¡°This isn¡¯t funny. Here¡­ ah¡­¡±

    Raeleigh was pulled straight onto the bed and pressed down by Jepherson. She was about to say something when Jepherson lowered his head and inhaled her breath.

 Chapter 1810 Refusing to Let Her Leave

    By the time Raeleigh stirred, it was alreadyte into the night. Just when she was about to move, Jepherson, who was behind her, held her tightly. ¡°What did you have for dinner?¡±

    Baffled, Raeleigh turned to look at Jepherson dazedly. In the dark, Jepherson seemed to be asleep. However, he was secretly waiting for Raeleigh to be awake.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t quite understand. She wanted to move, but his hands wrapped around her waist in an instant.

    Raeleigh tried to move about. Since she couldn¡¯t get up, she could only stay down. When Jepherson leaned his face in, Raeleigh gasped. ¡°Jepherson, I¡¯m very tired.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can sense it. I asked you, what did you had for dinner?¡±

    Raeleigh inquired, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t take anything, you¡¯re fertileand I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, so why aren¡¯t you pregnant yet?¡±

    Jepherson opened his eyes, got up, and rested his chin on his palm to stare at Raeleigh. Although it was night, there were two windows facing the outside of this ward not covered with the curtains.

    Jepherson gazed intensely at Raeleigh, waiting for her answer. Raeleigh hesitated for a bit, ¡°I did take contraceptive pills.¡±

    Raeleigh had nothing to hide, thus she admitted it calmly.

    Jepherson¡¯s expression darkened, and he lowered his head to bite Raeleigh on the shoulder. Raeleigh let out a yelp when she was bitten. Jepherson did not let go of her shoulderand Raeleigh hit him hard. It took a long time for him to let go, which resulted in them spending the whole night calling for a doctor.

    Raeleigh sat inside the doctor¡¯s room. Based on the look in her eyes, she seemed to be contemting something. She wasn¡¯t in pain, but now that she had been bitten, she¡¯d rather hit herself to death from the embarrassment.

    The doctor handled her wound meticulously while Jepherson sat across her, fixing his eyes on her shoulder.

    There was no trace of regret from his actions, but the doctor was very perturbed. There was a bullet wound on Raeleigh¡¯s left shoulder that had yet to be healed. To make things worse, it seemed to have been aggravated.

    There was a saying that the doctor did not know whether he should say it or not, but he still couldn¡¯t help reminding, ¡°Mr. Richards, with the case ofcerations and bullet wounds, it isn¡¯t rmended for couples to have sex within three months since the patient will be prone to¡­¡±

    Jepherson shot daggers into the doctor¡¯s sleepy eyes, sending a chill down his spine. Consequently, he did not dare speak again.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    There was also an injury on Jepherson¡¯s head. The doctor then realizedthat he had talked too much and felt like heshould mind his own life instead of others¡¯ lives.

    It was already three o¡¯clock when Raeleigh¡¯s wound had been bandaged. She was terribly sleepy, but her wound was also extremely painful.

    ¡°Give me some painkillers.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not giving it to you.¡±

    Jepherson stood up, took some anti-inmmatory drugs and asked the doctor for a tetanus shot.

    It was 4 a. m. when Raeleigh went back. Shaney stood at the door waiting for her. When Shaney came into her sight, Raeleigh paused for a short while before she walked toward Shaney and bent down in front of her. ¡°Shaney, what brings you here?¡±

    ¡°Shaney heard you shouting and was startled awake.¡±

    Austin, who was standing behind Raeleigh, spoke.Raeleigh then raised her head to look at him. Austin shot a nce at Jepherson. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Mr. Richards is such a deviant. It turns out that you like to have fun in this way.¡±

    Jepherson pulled a long face. ¡°Are our bedroom activities any concern of yours?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t care about that. I only care about Shaney. We¡¯re staying in the opposite room, so you¡¯d better be careful.¡±

    Afterwards, Austin looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Sorry for making you worry.¡±

    ¡°Shaney, you can sleep with your mom in my room tonight.¡± Austin turned around and headed back.

    Raeleigh held Shaney and watched as the door closed. She darted a nce at Jepherson, whose face haddispleasure written all over it. ¡°I¡¯m going to apany Shaney tonight.¡±

    ¡°No,e to my room.¡±

    Shaney leaned into her mother¡¯s arms and said, ¡°Dad, you are so unreasonable. You¡¯re no good to mom and you¡¯re even forcing her to stay.¡±

    Then, Shaney turned around and hugged Raeleigh, not sparing a nce at Jepherson.

    Jepherson was briefly stunned while Raeleigh¡¯snded her eyes on her daughter, who was in her arms. Only then did Raeleigh say, ¡°You should sleep by yourself. I don¡¯t like torturing myself. This isn¡¯t love, it¡¯s abuse.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and carried Shaney to Austin¡¯s room. Facing Jepherson, Shaney buried her head in Raeleigh¡¯s arms to avoid looking at him.

    As the door closed, Jepherson¡¯s eyes were filled with irritation and frustration.

    Returning to Austin¡¯s room, Raeleigh carried Shaney to bed. Austin stood by the window with his hands behind his back. When Raeleigh sat down, he turned around to look at her. ¡°Even though I had a tough time in prison, it was better than staying here. If you want to have a quiet life, you¡¯d better pack your bags.¡±

    Austin approached Raeleigh and took Shaney away. ¡°Shaney, your mom wants to sleep alone tonight. I¡¯ll keep youpany.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Shaney looked around. She had been worn out by roaming around and fell asleep the instant her head hit the pillows.

    Austin waited until Shaney had fallen asleep before he walked toward Raeleigh and pulled her clothes aside, revealing her shoulder. It had been wrapped with a gauze, but it was quickly undone by Austin.

    He took out some special medicine from his pocket and applied some white powder on her wound. After that, he swathed it again.

    Raeleigh leaned on one side. ¡°Am I a coward?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just ignorant. Apart from a romantic rtionship, there are still many things for you to keep your eyes on. Devoting your life and getting yourself hurt for the sake of a man who doesn¡¯t know how to cherish you isn¡¯t something that should be done by anyone sane.

    I can¡¯t hand Shaney over to a man like him.

    A child growing up healthily is the most important thing. If she¡¯s going to live with such a person, there¡¯s no doubt that we¡¯d be leading her into a miserable world.¡±

    Raeleighughed. ¡°You don¡¯t know Jepherson. He¡¯s just mad and has nowhere to vent his anger. The real Jepherson is also a gentleman.¡±

    ¡°What I don¡¯t know is you. You¡¯re covered in scars, yet you still choose to stay.¡±

    Austin helped Raeleigh put on her clothes. Hestood up and checked on Shaneyand went back to lie down, sleeping until 8 o¡¯clock in the morning untilDeanna called them for breakfast.

    Raeleigh did not get up, neither did she move in the morning. Deanna stood at the door and looked at Raeleigh, whispering, ¡°Did Raeleigh not go into Jepherson¡¯s room?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t have her breakfast. Shaney said to Jepherson, ¡°I won¡¯t go visit my grandparents today. I want to go back.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree on it?¡± Jepherson passed some food to Shaney. His gaze was gentle, but the emotions inside of him were stillplicated.

    Shaney knew her own mind, which was why he didn¡¯t want to enforce a decision quickly. Everything had to be discussed. Although she was only three years old, Jepherson could tell that she would not be swayed by him.

    ¡°I¡¯m going back. Mom is not feeling well today. I have to bring her back. I¡¯ll be leaving soon.¡±

    The little girl didn¡¯t exin much. After being full, she simply informed Jepherson of her ns rather than discussing it with him.

    Then, she came down from her seat to look for Raeleigh.

    Jepherson also got up to find Raeleigh.

    Meanwhile, Raeleigh had worn her outfit and packed up her things into her suitcase.

    Seeing Jepherson, Raeleigh didn¡¯t say anything. When he took notice of her suitcase, he held onto it and refused to let her leave.

 Chapter 1811 Mr. Quirk Had Left

    Whether Jepherson gave her permission or not, Raeleigh had already made up her mind to leave.

    Jepherson blocked the doorway. ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±

    ¡°Regarding our daughter¡¯s matter, it¡¯s out of my hands. I still have some other affairs to attend to. I¡¯m going to meet my parents and send them back. As for those two boys, I¡¯ll try my best to bring them back here.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any of that. I just want you to stay.¡±

    Holding her hand, Jepherson forbade her from leaving. Raeleigh could only shake her head. ¡°Not this time. I won¡¯t tolerate you anymore. The wound will heal slowly, but I can¡¯t stand your temper.¡±

    Raeleigh cast a nce at Shaney. ¡°Bid dad a farewell.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye,dad.¡±

    The little girl waved her hand and opened the door behind Jepherson, pulling Raeleigh away. Jepherson tried to grab her from behind, but he failed.Just like that, Raeleigh left.

    When he turned around, Austin picked up Shaney and exited with Raeleigh.

    Jepherson stared after Raeleigh without saying a word.

    He still had a chance when it came to love. He would never give up.

    On the way out from the hospital, Raeleigh happened to meet Rossie who began pinchingShaney¡¯s cheeks. ¡°What a beautiful little girl.¡±

    Shaney leaned against Austin, focusing her eyes on Deanna. ¡°Is Cedric your son?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my Cedric is a good boy, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    Shaney pondered for a while without answering.

    ¡°Raeleigh, may I see my sons?¡±

    Raeleigh looked back at Austin. ¡°We¡¯ve asked for your help in the past, but now that the dust has settled, you should return the children to Deanna.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send them back tonight.¡±

    Austin took a look at Jacky. ¡°I know your uncle. We used to berades. He was my former squad leader.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the soldier my uncle mentioned?¡±

    Jacky¡¯s mother came from a family with a military background. It was just that she suffered misfortune and wound up in Waverly Vige, where she married his father. Jacky had met this uncle of his, but just once.

    Jacky resembled his uncle, so Austin recognized him at a nce.

    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±

    With Shaney in his arms, Austin strode to the military vehicle with Raeleigh following behind.

    Seeing Jephersone out, Raeleigh rolled down the window while Shaney waved her hands at him. After that, she turned around and they left.

    As she watched the car leave, Deanna asked in bafflement, ¡°Is Shaney Jepherson¡¯s daughter or not? Why is she closer to Austin than Jepherson?¡±

    Jacky looked back at Jepherson before turning around to get into his car with Deanna.

    After everyone had left, Jepherson said, ¡°Follow and observe them.¡±

    Jared came out, got into a car and followed Raeleigh and Austin¡¯s ride. Austin received news that there was someone following them. He threw a nce and told his man not to pay attention to their stalker.

    They drove straight into Green House after arriving. Raeleigh emerged from the vehicle and took a look at the car parked outside the prison.

    Jared got out of the car. Hestood outside and fixed his eyes on Raeleigh, who cracked a smile as she turned around to leave with Austin.

    Austin asked, ¡°Does he have a thing for you?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. After a while, she looked back before she turned to Austin and asked, ¡°Can you make Jarede here? Let him work under you.¡±

    Austin stared at Raeleigh. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I find it weird for him to work under Jepherson. If hees to your ce, he can leave Jepherson alone. If we don¡¯t y hardball, he won¡¯t leave Jepherson¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Austin did not agree to her request straightaway, but he read all the existing files pertaining to Jared when he got back. In the evening, Jared was smoking outside Green House. A man appeared on the watchtower with a sniper rifle, aiming at Jared.

    Jared moved his hands as he raised his head to look up. He threw away the cigarette in his hands after some time. Without warning, a bullet was fired straight into his chest, causing him to pace backwards and fall to the ground as he fainted on the spot.

    All the spotlights surrounding the prison were activated andnded on Jared¡¯s body. He spat out a mouthful of blood and died soon after.

    Jepherson received a call that night. He was awoken from his dream and was petrified the instant he received the call.

    ¡°Pleasee over.¡± Alvin wore a mournful expression. He didn¡¯t expect that Jared would be killed.

    Jepherson got up instantaneously and returned to Richards family manor. Someone had already been waiting for him inside when he entered.

    Alvin had been expecting his arrival. Jepherson greeted him and went inside.

    Alvin stood in front of the table and turned on the television.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    Inside were some pictures of a satellite transmission showingthat Jared had indeed died.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the corpse?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve kept the body, iming that they¡¯re going to dissect it.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and walked out while Alvin sat down slowly with a pasty face, giving no response.

    Compared to the issue concerning Stuart, this matter was more distressing to him.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Jepherson to arrive at the entrance of Green House. Reaching the door, he knocked on it and intended to enter.

    However, the only person who came out was Raeleigh. She stood at the door, facing Jepherson, ¡°The affair regarding Jared still has a chance to turn for the better. He had just been taken away, but Austin wants everyone to think that he¡¯s dead. You got it?¡±

    ¡°He fired the bullet?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡­

    Jepherson returned to the car and sat in it. Raeleigh stood outside for a bit. It was not until Jepherson told her to get into the car that she walked back to it.

    Back in the car, Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s okay?¡±

    Raeleigh answered, ¡°I¡¯ve seen him. They¡¯re giving him an emergency treatment. The bullet wasn¡¯t too powerful at that time, consisting mainly of anesthetics. I¡¯m not certain how the blood appeared, but it should be something that faked it.¡±

    ¡°It seems that you know a lot when you stay by his side?¡± Jepherson held the steering wheel, staring at Raeleigh through the rear-view mirror. ¡°Bring Shaney out and let me have a look.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s sleeping. It¡¯s sote.¡± Raeleigh sat in the back while Jepherson was in the front, so he had to look ahead when she spoke.

    Jepherson turned his gaze to face Raeleigh. ¡°When can we take Shaney back and live together as a family?¡±

    ¡°I thought you would ask me about my shoulder.¡±

    As Raeleigh spoke, she opened the door and got out of the car with Jepherson in tow. Raeleigh was about to leave when he pressed her against the car and restrained her hands, not giving her a chance to move.

    Raeleigh looked up at him. ¡°Sometimes I feel like your desire for my body is the reason why you won¡¯t let me leave.¡±

    ¡°You know I love you.¡±

    ¡°But you love yourself more.¡±

    ¡°I love you.¡±

    Jepherson lowered his head to kiss her. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t like this, I can¡¯t guarantee we can be together.¡±

    Raeleigh pushed him away. ¡°Sometimes, your behavior is totally beyond my understanding.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t get it. I don¡¯t want you seeing through me. Come back with me tonight,we¡¯re going to visit Shaney tomorrow.¡±

    Jepherson opened the door and helped Raeleigh into the car. Raeleigh intended to get off at first, but Jepherson got into the car and drove away instantly.

    Standing on the watchtower, Austin watched as Jepherson left. He then turned around and descended the structure.

    ¡°Do you really want us to go back first? Can you look after Shaney alone?¡± Lamar didn¡¯t feel reassuredand so did his wife.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything is fine.¡±

    ¡­

    The couple exchanged a look before their eyesnded on the three children, who were sleeping soundly. When everything was settled, they got into the car and boarded a ne to leave Capital City.

    After all of them left, Austin turned around and got ready to head off to another destination.

    By the time Raeleigh came back the next morning, she could no longer enter Green House. Instead, Lenold was waiting for her.

    Jepherson was irked when Lenold came into sight.. With a stony and frosty tone, he said, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Thanks to you, I¡¯m now the warden of Green House. If you need anything here in the future, feel free toe to me.¡±

    Lenold¡¯s eyes fell on Raeleigh. ¡°Mr. Quirk had left. His whereabouts might remain unknown for about half a year. He¡¯s on a mission now. Here¡¯s the letter he prepared for you before his departure.¡±

    It had never urred to Lenold that this matter would be the reason he was transferred here. It was an embarrassing thing to bring up in front of others.

 Chapter 1812 Down in the Dumps

    Raeleigh took the letter over, unfolded it, and read it.

    ¡°First of all, let me make it clear. I¡¯ve taken the three children away with me, and I don¡¯t know how long it will take for me to return. I¡¯ve sent your parents back. With regard to Stuart, he¡¯s going toe outter. If anything happens, I¡¯ll contact you.

    If I don¡¯te back within two years, take it as an opportunity for you and him. If he turns over a new leaf and treats you better, I¡¯ll return the child to him. If he doesn¡¯t, I can only take you away.

    My heart is with you, and you know it.¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to keep the letter in the pocket, but Jepherson snatched it over, opened it, and read it. After that, he simply tore it up.

    Lenold furrowed his eyebrow and said, ¡°With a short temper like this, it¡¯s no wonder that Mr. Quirk looks down on you. It makes sense to me that you can¡¯t get yourself a wife.¡±

    Raeleigh shot a nce at Lenold, who rubbed it in. It seemed that he would have a tough time in the Green House.

    He didn¡¯t know how to be tactful. Raeleigh signaled him not to talk nonsense with her eyes. However, he took no notice of it and walked two steps,ing to the front of Jepherson. He opined, ¡°You¡¯re too arrogant. Herees a man who is more arrogant than you. Let¡¯s see what you can do now. If I were you, I would capitte instantly for the sake of the wife and child. Besides, this is an era when pursuing girls can be quite hard. On top of that, my sister-inw is as pretty as a picture, not to mention smart. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face fell and he turned around to look at Raeleigh. ¡°Call him and tell him to bring Shaney back to me. Otherwise, I¡¯ll demolish Green House.¡±

    ¡°Now that he has left, I won¡¯t be able to get in touch with him. It isn¡¯t the first time he does so.¡± Raeleigh felt helpless as this was not the n they had agreed on the previous day.

    ¡°Save your energy. If you can find him, it won¡¯t be called a confidential mission. I¡¯ve got a kind reminder for you. The country he was assigned to has not been stable recently. I guess he might have gone there, but I don¡¯t know how he¡¯s going to carry out his mission.

    That¡¯s all I can do for you as a buddy. Think about it. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Lenold turned and went back into the prison. Raeleigh stood outside the gate and waited for a short time. Then, the gate opened againand a person came out. It was none other than Stuart.

    Since Stuart had been in prison for a long time, his skin was sallowand he had be thinner.

    After a brief moment of amazement when seeing Raeleigh, he walked toward her speedily. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to visit Lucy.¡±

    Stuart raised his head to look at Jepherson. After a long time, he approached him. ¡°Mr. Jepherson, I¡¯ve something to tell you.¡±

    ¡°Say it.¡±

    ¡°I want to leave the Richards family and find a tranquil ce to live a simple life.¡±

    Jepherson seemed to be riled, but he still retained hisposure. ¡°One can¡¯te back to life after death. You should think about Mr. Alvin too. He is old. If you leave him, what should he do?¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°When he gets old, I will take him to my side. Mr. Jepherson, I hadn¡¯t entreated you beforeand this is the only time.¡±

    Although Jepherson felt disinclined, he still gave his permission.

    At this time, Stuart focused his eyes on Raeleigh and said, ¡°Take me there.¡±

    Raeleigh got into the car, followed by Stuart, leaving Jepherson behind.

    Standing momentarily, Jepherson started to feel cold. He walked from Green House toward the direction of Capital City. It was not long before he heard the sound of a car behind him. Therefore, he stopped.

    He didn¡¯t wear many garments, only a thin piece of cloth. As the car came to a halt, a head poked out of its window. Lenold said inside, ¡°What kind of attire is that? I¡¯m freezing even in a coat. Aren¡¯t you cold in that attire of yours?¡±

    Jepherson darted a nce at him and ignored him, continuing to move forward. Lenold sounded his horn. ¡°Get in. I¡¯m buying something. I can send you home on my way.¡±

    Jepherson did not get into his car. Lenold drove slowly beside him while talking.

    However, Jepherson did not change his mind. When they were halfway there, Jepherson turned around and stared at Lenold before he walked to the car window and pulled out the key to Lenold¡¯s car. As a result, the car stalled on the spot. Jepherson did not say anything but hurled the key away.

    Lenold emerged from the car and cursed Jepherson, stomping in anger. Jepherson turned around and threw a punch at Lenold, making him afraid to speak anything more.

    Raeleigh drove to the Wagner family¡¯s residence, got out of the carand knocked on the door. Stuart also got out of the car.

    During this period, both the Wagner family and Stuart were ovee with grief. The Wagner family had taken their time to snap out of it, so Melinda was not surprised to see Raeleigh. She invited Raeleigh in.

    Stuart approached Melinda and said nothing. Perceiving how skinny he was, she couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for him.

    If her daughter had not died, Stuart would have been a great son-inw.

    Entering the house, Raeleigh sat down while Melinda poured her some tea. The whole family was there.

    Lucy¡¯s sister-inw was pregnantand her belly wasrge as if she was at full term. But actually, she was still in the early stage of pregnancy.

    After sitting down, Stuart fixed his eyes on the belly of Lucy¡¯s sister-inw¡¯s, who kept her head lowered.

    ¡°I¡¯ve tidied up her belongings. We¡¯ve been keeping Lucy¡¯s room for you. If you want to stay here, it¡¯s fine with us. We¡¯ve discussed it.¡±

    About these affairs, the Wagner family had already thought it through. After all, the house was purchased by Stuart. Since Lucy was gone, it didn¡¯t feel right for their family to live in it.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already decided to bring Lucy to the countryside and farm there. Lucy told me that she preferred to lead an idyllic farming life. I promised her that I¡¯ll fulfill her wish when we¡¯re free.¡±

    ¡°Now that I¡¯ve time, I came here today to tell you that I¡¯m going to bring her along.¡±

    Lucy¡¯s parents exchanged a look. Melinda then said, ¡°Stuart, listen to us. We think that the connections between you and Lucy in this life hade to an end. Even though Lucy ended up in this way because of you, we all know how well you¡¯ve treated her. We¡¯re well aware that the me shouldn¡¯t be ced on you. We also hope that you can get over it.¡±

    Melinda found it hard to continue speaking about the death of her daughter. She couldn¡¯t help choking up.

    Stuart took a tissue paper and passed it to Melinda. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t cry. I won¡¯t go too far. I¡¯ll stay nearby with Lucy. You and Dad are getting old. After some years, when Chirsen¡¯s child has grown up, you and Dad can retire and go to my ce.¡±

    ¡°Chirsen, feel free to let the child study with me. My grades were not bad when I was a child. You don¡¯t have to employ a tuition teacher. There¡¯s no guarantee that the tuition teachers avable out there are reliable.¡±

    Hearing Stuart¡¯s words, Melinda cried her heart out, whereas Chirsen replied, ¡°We¡¯re very grateful that you think so. Lucy did choose the right man, but we don¡¯t want to do that. We¡¯ve thought about the houseand we think it¡¯s better to give it back to you¡­¡±

    ¡°I bought it for your marriage. Lucy and I didn¡¯t give you anything else when you got married. Just take it as a wedding gift.

    Moreover, I¡¯ve left some money for Dad and Mom. Here¡¯s my savings, though I don¡¯t remember the exact amount. Initially, I nned to use it to bring Lucy out for journeys, but now, it¡¯s useless to me. I might as well leave it to you.¡±

    Stuart put down the card. The Wagner family refused to ept it, but Stuart insisted.

    He got up and ascended the stairs. Arriving at his and Lucy¡¯s room, he pushed the door open and went in withouting out for a day. By the time he came out, he had already packed up the things and held Lucy¡¯s cinerary urn in his hand.

    As the members of the Wagner family came into his sight, he put down the urn and the luggage and took Lucy¡¯s parents to sit down on the couch while he knelt in front of them.

    Lucy¡¯s parents froze then and there. They had never expected him to do so.

    Stuart said nothing but just knelt in front of them before he took Lucy¡¯s ashes and luggage away.

 Chapter 1813 He Had Come Around

    When Stuart was leaving, Raeleigh was the only one who saw him off. The members of the Wagner family stood outside the house and burst into tears. Seeing Stuart depart into the distance, they were afraid that he would not return. Melinda asked Chirsen to chase after Stuart. Raeleigh stopped the car and Stuart got out of it to say a few words to Chirsen. Only then did he leave.

    It took Raeleigh several days before she came back alone.

    ¡°Where is Stuart?¡±

    Meeting her, Jepherson asked. Raeleigh answered, ¡°Stuart told me not to reveal it. He wants to live his own life.¡±

    Jepherson was not in a good mood. He turned around and went back to sit down. There were other people in the living room, including Alvin, Hansenand Jenna.

    Jenna wanted to ask Raeleigh about Shaney as Jepherson didn¡¯t tell her after she inquired, but the matter concerning Stuart had left her heartbroken. For a time, she couldn¡¯t speak out the words stuck in her throat.

    Without saying anything, she turned around and went elsewhere. Raeleigh stood there for a moment before casting a look in Jepherson¡¯s direction. He was remorseful for Stuart because he ordered Stuart to provoke Geraldine, which caused her to instruct Hanschel to treat Lucy in that way.

    He didn¡¯t stop Stuart from leaving as he couldn¡¯t bring himself to face Stuart.

    His decision had led to the ruin of another person¡¯s entire life. A defeat was not a big deal to him. What mattered was that he had caused a tremendous problem.

    The fact that he was reticent about it didn¡¯t mean he was unaware of it. It was because he knew it clearly that he had been engulfed by an incessant feeling of dejection.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I¡¯m here to inform you that he¡¯s safe. If there is nothing else, I¡¯ll leave first. I¡¯ve brought the car back.¡±

    As Raeleigh spoke, she walked outside. Jenna got anxious and pulled her. ¡°Raeleigh, why don¡¯t you go and check on Santiago?¡±

    Raeleigh paused shortly. ¡°I almost forgot that I wanted to pay him a visit.¡±

    Raeleigh turned and headed for Santiago¡¯s room. Jenna shot daggers at Jepherson, motioning him to follow.

    Only then did Jepherson get up and follow them.

    Inside Santiago¡¯s room, just when Raeleigh had sat down, Jepherson also went in. Jenna said hurriedly, ¡°Raeleigh, let me fix something delicious for you. Help me keep an eye on Santiago.¡±

    Jenna was like the elders in the past. She was willing to risk everything for her son, and she was determined to make Raeleigh stay no matter what.

    Raeleigh did not say anything but just stared at Santiago¡¯s clean face.

    It had been four years since he fell into aa.

    Time flew by so fast that six years would pass in no time. The doctor said that he only had ten years, but Raeleigh hoped he had an indefinite duration.

    It was just that¡­

    Jepherson walked behind Raeleigh and sat on another chair. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Raeleigh felt the urge tough, but she did not as an air of destion surrounded her.

    ¡°Where is Shaney?¡±

    Raeleigh looked back at the person who was speaking. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if I know it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve lied to me on a lot of things, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡­

    Both of them fell silent. Jepherson then said, ¡°I¡¯m too tired to continue. I¡¯ll go to live with you in the future and only after Shaney hase back will we talk about our matters.¡±

    Raeleigh gazed at him. ¡°What else can you do other than robbing and threatening?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how I can control you without these tactics!¡±

    As their eyes met, Raeleigh decided to avert hers first. In her mind, it was meaningless to argue with him.

    She simply stopped talking.

    However, Jepherson would never give ground on this issue.

    ¡°Give me his contact information. I¡¯ll find him myself.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, intending to say something, but she didn¡¯t in the end. She took out her phone and handed it to Jepherson. ¡°The password is 123321. Have it your way. Utilize it if you can discover any useful information. If you can¡¯t, then forget it. After you¡¯ve done with it, give it back to me. I¡¯m going to Waverly Vige. Ask someone to deliver it over to me. I don¡¯t need it for the next two days.¡±

    Raeleigh had made herself clear to the point of giving a sense of oppression.

    Jepherson did not reject it. He kept her phone. As for her as a person? He would think of a way to keep her too.

    ¡°Stay here tonight to take care of Santiago. Mom isn¡¯t in good health and she needs to rest for two days. My parents are quarreling now. I¡¯ll go check it out.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyesnded on Jepherson, listening to his words in confusion. Even so, she didn¡¯t move. Jepherson walked away with her phone. Leaving the room, he didn¡¯te back, neither did Jenna.

    Raeleigh did not care about it since Jepherson would not be able to find anything from her phone.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    It was quiet in the room. Raeleigh fell asleep while fixing her eyes on Santiago for a night.

    Raeleigh woke up the next morning to find that she was on the bed, sleeping beside Santiago. There was no one in Santiago¡¯s room except for the two of them. She looked around the room, wondering who carried her onto the bed.

    There was no one else in the room. Santiago was a patient who was lying on the bed in aa.

    She pondered if Jepherson hade in.

    She got out of the bed and was ready to go out. Unexpectedly, as soon as she got up, she heard someone say, ¡°So early?¡±

    Raeleigh was reeling in amazement as tears streamed down from her eyes.

    She didn¡¯t even dare to turn around to check it for fear that it was just a mirage.

    When she turned around, there was indeed someone opening his eyes behind her, beaming at her. Raeleigh lifted her hand to cover her mouth, but she failed to cover her sobs.

    Santiago sat up on the bed and took Raeleigh into his arms.

    Raeleigh wept so hard that she almost fainted. Her reaction gave Santiago bloodshot eyes. He spoke in a hoarse voice, ¡°It¡¯s rare for someone to wait for me for so many years and cry while cuddling me. It seems that I¡¯m favored by beauties.¡±

    Raeleigh kept shedding tears. Outside, Jenna felt something wrong, wondering why Raeleigh had been weeping. Even if she was sad, there was no way she would weep for such a long time and so loudly.

    Jenna went in to have a look. It was only after she had entered the room that she found out the two people inside were crying together while hugging each other.

    Jenna was holding a tray in her hands. She got up two hours early in the morning just to make breakfast for Raeleigh.

    However¡­

    With a ck, the bowl fell to the ground and shattered. Jenna stood rooted to the spot at the doorway. What happened?

    Was she having a dream? She wondered why.

    Jenna was petrified.

    Raeleigh continued to embrace Santiago and cried her eyes out. It seemed that she was venting all her pain in one go. Jenna also did not move, and a flood of uncontroble tears flowed down from the corners of her eyes.

    Seeing that Santiago had woken up and was hugging the sobbing Raeleigh, the servants ran out of the room as if they were mad and announced that Mr. Santiago hade around.

    Soon, many people came to Santiago¡¯s side. He wore a white shirt and Raleighy in his arms and cried non-stop. The members of the Richards Family were thrilled and worried at the same time. It seemed to them that something was amiss. Why was Raeleigh crying so hard? Even though she had been close to Santiago, she had wept to an inordinate point.

    Jepherson was also there, but he didn¡¯t say anything else. After he woke up, Santiago had been smiling. It was just that it was weird for this kind of smile to appear on the face of someone who just awoke and was skinny like Santiago.

 Chapter 1814 The Only Woman Who Caught His Fancy

    ¡°Quit crying.¡±

    Santiago was all smiles when he spoke. Standing by the door, everyone goggled at Raeleigh and Santiago as if they were some rare animals in the zoo.

    Raeleigh held back her tears gradually, whereas Santiago pushed her away. After that, she sat on one side, fixing her eyes on him. Santiago moved and gave her a pinch on the face. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    ¡°It hurts.¡± Raeleigh¡¯s voice was gruff in the wake of constant sobbing.

    Santiago loosened his grip. ¡°And now?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer but just stared at Santiago, who cracked a smile and looked at the opposite side, ¡°Please clear out. I want to be alone with Raeleigh for a while.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s your sister-inw,¡± Jepherson reminded. Santiago let out augh. ¡°Haven¡¯t you two divorced?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s still your sister-inw even after divorce.¡± There was a fierce look in Jepherson¡¯s eyes.

    Santiago couldn¡¯t care less. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t care. I want Raeleigh with me now, so get out. I¡¯m going to have a few words with her.¡±

    Jepherson stepped forward to Santiago. Raeleigh said, ¡°You should leave first. Let me speak to Santiago.¡±

    Jepherson paused for a second. ¡°Come again?¡±

    ¡°What do you don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°It makes no difference. Get out, or I¡¯ll leave.¡±

    Santiago lifted the nket and was about to get out of bed. Seeing this, Jenna grabbed Jepherson immediately.

    ¡°Santiago isn¡¯t serious. Let¡¯s go out.¡±

    Jenna dragged Jepherson out emphatically. Exiting the room and standing aside, he was seized with anger. Jenna persuaded him by saying, ¡°Your brother has juste around. Maybe his brain is in a befuddled state. Since he has woken up, don¡¯t argue with him.¡±

    Jepherson gazed at Jenna. ¡°Mom, I got it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always my good boy.¡±

    Jenna wiped off her tears, rejoicing that Santiago had finally regained his consciousness. She thought that he would never wake up again.

    Hansen, on the other hand, was a little dazed as he stood at one side inartictely.

    They were holding out hope, but then the hope was dashed. Now that Santiago came to life out of the blue, he was at a loss of what to do.

    Inside the room, Raeleigh¡¯s eyes were riveted on Santiago. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t wake up. I tested you so many times, but you didn¡¯t even respond. This time, I didn¡¯t test you, but you came around.¡±

    ¡°Did you think your testing can determine my consciousness?¡± Santiago found it funny. He leaned against the headboard and stared at Raeleigh, having a paleplexion and a thin physique. Meanwhile, Raeleigh was at a loss. She leaned over all of a sudden and held him over the shoulders tightly.

    ¡°I almost left. I thought you wouldn¡¯t wake up.¡±

    Santiago lifted his hands to embrace her. ¡°Only when a person has been close to the brink of death can they apprehend how important loving a person is.Unfortunately, I grasp it tooteand now there¡¯s so much distance between you and me.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s face was just beside Raeleigh¡¯s. He said softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    With that, he pecked her on the cheek. He tightened his arm around her body to embrace her tightly.

    ¡°Pardon meing toote and being so powerless.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head, weeping.

    Santiago leaned against the headboard of the bed, raised his headand cuddled Raeleigh. ¡°Nheless, I¡¯m blessed with the chance to meet you again. Even if I have to suffer a lot for it, I¡¯ll ept it.

    We are not destined to be together in this life. If there¡¯s another life for us, let¡¯s be a couple.I¡¯ll never let go.¡±

    Raeleigh withdrew her body slowly and focused her eyes on Santiago. ¡°You know that I-¡±

    Before Raeleigh could finish her words, Santiago ced a finger before her lips to hush her. ¡°Remember, it isn¡¯t because you have no feelings for me, but because we¡¯re trapped in this stereotypical world. If the person standing in my way today isn¡¯t my brother, you would have be my woman.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s mind went nk for a short time before she nodded her head. Finally, she conceded it.

    If it weren¡¯t for their rtionship as brothers, Santiago wouldn¡¯t have made a concession.

    Pinching Raeleigh¡¯s chin, Santiago said, ¡°I have one more thing to do.¡±

    Raeleigh gazed at him. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you for the time being. I need to be nursed back to health for quite some time. Grandma should be at home, right?¡±

    ¡°Grandma?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s at home.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see her. Call Jacky right away and tell him to pick me up. I¡¯m going to Waverly Vige.¡±

    ¡°How about your body?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Make the call now.¡±

    It was as though Santiago was giving an order. Raeleigh did as he asked in a snap.

    Hanging up, Raeleigh looked at Santiago, who was on the bed. As far as she remembered, he had always behaved this way, but something was amiss.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    He had a few strands of gray hair behind his head even though he was only in his early twenties.

    Time was unstoppable and unknowingly, it had left a trace on him.

    Raeleigh could not help shedding tears. She then lifted her hand to wipe them off. Santiago quirked his eyebrow while gazing at her. ¡°Why are you crying when I¡¯m awake?¡±

    Raeleigh exhaled, walked to the front of Santiago, and sat down. ¡°When I recall your past, I feel that you¡¯re the same as ever. But when you opened your eyes, it suddenly struck me that it might not be the truth. It¡¯s just like I¡¯ve seen a future version of you, the one after ten years.¡±

    Raeleigh put her hand on Santiago¡¯s skinny face, pursing her lips with distress.

    Santiago gripped her hand and pulled it to his lips, nting a kiss on it. ¡°If this is the future version of me, it¡¯s also a kind of luck that you¡¯re able to see two versions of me at the same time.¡±

    Raeleigh did not reply as the corner of her mouth twitched. Santiago pulled her into a hug.

    ¡°With the way I treat you, I must have made his blood boil. He¡¯s indeed gone too fartely. However, if you don¡¯t experience the trials and tribtions of married life, it can¡¯t be considered a marriage. As a matter of fact, not many marriages are filled with exciting and adventurous events. What you need is a life of peace and tranquility.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°You must have heard a lot of his words in recent years.¡±

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t talkative either. In order to help me wake up, he had even said that he could give you up so that I could have you. He must be brooding over this at the moment.¡±

    Raeleigh left slowly. ¡°No wonder he seemed so triggered just now.¡±

    Santiago burst into a guffaw. ¡°He¡¯s overconfident. He thought I wouldn¡¯t cross the line, but I would.¡±

    ¡°You are joking, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Santiago did not answer at once. He stared at Raeleigh briefly and extended his hand to pinch her face. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the child, I wouldn¡¯t have budged.¡±

    This sentence was the truth. Santiago meant it.

    Raeleigh sat there, giving no response.

    Santiago said, ¡°Among all the women I¡¯ve met, only this one catches my fancy. I love her decency, purity, rectitude, aloofness-¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°Why bother?¡±

    ¡°My fate is doomed. When I was very young, my father took my brother and me to a fortune teller. When the forteller saw me, he said that I would lead a wealthy life and that I would achieve something great in the future.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°What happened after that?¡±

 Chapter 1815 FortuneTelling

    Santiago¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°After that, my brother ran out from behind. The fortune teller froze when my brother came into his sight. He then looked at me and inquired about our rtionship. My father told him that I was his younger brother.

    The fortune teller expressed his astonishment, saying that it was supposed to be impossible for us to be born in the same family.

    My father asked what he meant with that. He replied that we were fated to be born in the purple, and that if it was in the past, we could be kings. Although it¡¯s been a different era now, it still signifies a good fate.

    ording to the fortune-teller, we could be rulers.

    It was just that there was something strange about our fates since an empire couldn¡¯t have two kings.¡±

    ¡°So¡­¡± Raeleigh seemed to want to say something, but before she did, Santiago spoke, ¡°Everypetition would culminate in the brutal injury of one party. It would take ce sooner orter.

    The fortune teller said that it was the ultimate destiny for the two of us.

    My father inquired about how to resolve it, but the fortune-teller said that it is unresolvable.

    While my father was talking obsequiously to the fortune teller, I kicked his table because I couldn¡¯t put up with him. I was too young at that time.

    The fortune-teller stared at me with his brow furrowed. Heter said that I was hot-tempered, but I was still blessed by luck.

    He also said that it could save my life.

    As long as I could survive the tragedy, I would be able to live until I¡¯m 99 years old.

    However, it was best for us to avoid meeting each other. My father thought that he shouldn¡¯t send me away. Later, he drew two cards.

    The fortune teller remarked that one of them represented a general while the other one represented a king.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    It didn¡¯t matter who became the head of the family, but the fortune-teller said that if I did, I would kill my brother and that if my brother did, he would let me go.

    Even though my father didn¡¯t believe it, he made my brother and me grow up separately after we came back. We learned different things.

    We were like an eagle and a lion, with one soaring in the sky while the other patrolling thend.

    The difference was vast.

    To assure peace in the Richards family, my father let me be the general and my brother be the king.¡±

    Raeleigh was a little downcast instead of shocked, in spite of knowing that it was the best arrangement for the brothers by their father.

    She was also aware that there was nothing wrong with it. However, when faced with Santiago, a feeling of mncholy descended on her.

    Everything went on a different route just because of the sentence of a fortune-teller.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been influenced by my father since I was a child. I¡¯m not interested to learn anything at home. What I¡¯m only adept at is ying. asionally, when I saw my brother lying across the table as he was exhausted due to studying, I would pick up his books to read or try writing.

    My brother has good handwriting, yet he¡¯s no match for me.

    I was born with the purple, meant to be a ruler.

    I bet all sane rulers can write and speak persuasively.

    It¡¯s just that the Richards family is a family where everything has toe in an orderly manner. All this has to be conducted in ordance with rules of etiquette.

    I know it isn¡¯t my family¡¯s fault, but every so often, I still feel that I¡¯ve had a tough life.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t care about it until I met you.

    Only then did I know how important luck was. If I were born earlier, you would have been mine.

    Unfortunately, my fate is out of my hands.¡±

    Raeleigh took a breath. ¡°Sometimes, fate is unfair.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay here. It¡¯s all over. Before leaving, I¡¯ll do what I need to do soon. I¡¯m going to study.¡±

    ¡°You want to study?¡±

    ¡°Should I stay in Capital City? Most people think I¡¯m dead or unconscious, so I don¡¯t want to frighten them. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    Raeleigh nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Jacky arrived at the Richards family in two shakes. Outside, Jepherson asked Jacky why he was here with an irritated tone and both Raeleigh and Santiago heard it. It was only then that Raeleigh stood up to open the door.

    Jacky saw Raeleigh walking over, stepping aside to make way for him. He paused for a bit at the door before he smiled and approached Santiago. ¡°Need my help toe down?¡±

    ¡°As a member of the Richards family, he doesn¡¯t need your help.¡±

    Jepherson entered the room with a darkened expression. He almost threw Jacky out.

    Santiago took his time to get out of the bed. Raeleigh intended to help him, but Santiago waved his hand. After getting out of the bed, he put on shoes, stood there and asked Raeleigh to fetch him some clothing.

    Raeleigh deliberately took a long one because she was afraid that he would feel cold.

    After putting on his clothes, Santiago strode to the door. Just when he reached the door, Jenna came up to him. ¡°Santiago, are you leaving me behind?¡±

    ¡°No, why would I do that?¡±

    Santiago lowered his head and kissed Jenna before raising it to look at the people in front of him, especially Hansen and Jepherson. ¡°I want to stay outside for some time and have a good rest. It¡¯s too chaotic here. I¡¯ve juste around and I don¡¯t want to be harmed again.¡±

    ¡°When will you return?¡± Hansen came to his senses and asked Santiago, who then mused on it. ¡°There are still some things for me to deal with. I¡¯lle back when they¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°Be careful,¡± Hansen reminded. Santiago sidestepped him. Jepherson turned and shot a look at Santiago. ¡°If you want to leave, I won¡¯t stop you. Don¡¯t do anything that will give me a reason to beat you up.¡±

    Santiago stopped in his tracks and turned to gaze at Jepherson. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re the one who promised me all this. It¡¯s toote to regret now.¡±

    Holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand and wearing a ck outfit, Santiago walked toward the outside of Richards Group Manor. Raeleigh looked back at Jepherson, who moved but did note out.

    Exiting the manor and getting into the car, Jacky drove Santiago to Raeleigh¡¯s ce in Waverly Vige. After they entered the house, Raeleigh helped Santiago to lie down on the bed without dy. At this time, Santiago had been enervated. Jacky had made preparations in advance, including the doctors. Additionally, there were various instruments in the room and the entire downstairs.

    As Santiagoy down, the doctors came up to examine him. He spent a full day receiving all kinds of examinations and injections.

    It was not until midnight that Raeleigh sat down to have a rest. As she sat down, she fell asleep, followed by Santiago soon. Raeleigh¡¯s hand was still in his. The two of them were sleeping soundly in the room.

    Jacky did not leave. He had been guarding them.

    Deanna was worried. She came from home to Raeleigh¡¯s ce at night, knocking on the door. Jacky asked her why she was here and she replied that she wanted toe and have a look. In the end, she went upstairs to find that Santiago was in deep slumber. When she intended to call Raeleigh, Jacky stopped her by calling her down.

    Coming downstairs, Deanna inquired, ¡°It¡¯s not good for Raeleigh to sleep there. Why did you stop me when I wanted to ask her toe downstairs?¡±

    Jacky said, ¡°What¡¯s done is done. Don¡¯t meddle in this matter anymore. Even I won¡¯t be a busybody. It¡¯s good enough that Santiago regained consciousness.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s weird. Why did all of you say so? I was about to remind Raeleigh not to do this. She and Jepherson have had a child. She has to be loyal to him.¡±

    ¡°Deanna, that¡¯s someone else¡¯s business. We have no right to interfere.¡±

    ¡°What distorted values you¡¯ve got.¡± Deanna turned around and sat down while Jacky said, ¡°If such distorted values can save Santiago¡¯s life, I¡¯m willing to do it.¡±

    Deanna swept her eyes to Jacky slowly. ¡°I think you¡¯ve lost your mind.¡±

 Chapter 1816 More Difficult Than Getting up There

    Whether he was in his right mind or had lost his mind, no one could make Jacky alter his decision, not even Deanna. After a night, Deanna resigned and decided not to meddle. The doctors continued to nurse Santiago back to health by giving him the most effective medicineand he made promising progress.

    Besides, Raeleigh made some health tonics for Santiago personally.

    She bestirred herself at four or five o¡¯clock in the morning and began to make soup using the ingredients she had purchased. When the soup was ready, she woke Santiago up to have it.

    Santiago seemed to be deprived of strength. Not long after he rose, he continued to sleep. Raeleigh could only sit beside to apany him. The same routine went on for more than ten days. Only then did Santiagoe down from the attic. Then, he brought Raeleigh to the hospital in Waverly Vige right away.

    ¡°What are weing here?¡± Raeleigh stood outside the hospital with a baffled expression. She first sized up Santiago, thinking that he had been recovering very quickly. Now that he was all right, there was no need for them toe to the hospital. Although it had only been a dozen days, Santiago had gained weight. He didn¡¯t appear to be frail anymore. He was back to his original physical state.

    Raeleigh suddenly had a feeling that there was good about vegetative patients: they recuperated faster than patients with other illnesses aftering to life once again, and all they needed was just nutrition.

    Santiago darted a nce at Raeleigh and walked into the hospital to look for the neurologists.

    Raeleigh was brought into the consulting room. Santiago sat down and pushed Raeleigh¡¯s hand out, asking, ¡°Tell me the result. Is there any way to cure it?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s left hand had been disabled. Santiago had known this since forever.

    The doctors shook their heads. ¡°There¡¯s no miracle.¡±

    The miracle had taken ce once before, but Raeleigh didn¡¯t cherish it. Since she didn¡¯t nourish herself well enough, her arm was disabled.

    Raeleigh withdrew her hand and moved it. She could do anything with it, but she couldn¡¯t sustain it for a long time, such as holding a ruler. Hence, she couldn¡¯t draw lines, nor could she design the blueprints.

    Santiago leaned against the seat. ¡°I can throw all of you out of here.¡±

    The people around fell silent as there was nothing they could do, even if Santiago killed them all.

    After a dozen minutes of silence, Raeleigh stood up and exited the room first.

    By the time Santiago went out, Raeleigh was looking down from the rooftop of the hospital.

    Standing there, she could have a bird¡¯s-eye view around Waverly Vige.

    This vige indeed offered a great aesthetic appeal, especially when there was a nip in the air in early spring.

    Raeleigh observed a spot absentmindedly. Santiago stopped behind her, and she said, ¡°Actually, my current condition is fine by me. At least, your brother won¡¯t force me to do anything I dislike.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t living for my brother. You are living for yourself. Why should you give up your talent?¡±

    ¡°What about you? Aren¡¯t you living for someone else?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around, whereas Santiago sat still motionlessly. He did not speak but focused his eyes on the people around the hospital. Since it was Xanthus¡¯s hospital, Raeleigh did not want to create troubles here.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We can talk after we¡¯re back.¡± Raeleigh hauled Santiago forcefully. Exiting the hospital, Raeleigh intended to go back, but Santiago asked Jacky to give him a car. Afterward, he drove her out.

    Santiago took Raeleigh for examination in each hospital in the whole Capital City. Every time, the doctors would shake their heads. Later, an older doctor told Santiago that if he wanted Raeleigh cured, thest hope was to look for a shaman. She could receive a healing ritual from the shaman.

    Santiago left the hospital and returned to the vige with Raeleigh.

    When they went back, Jepherson was outside the vige. However, he couldn¡¯t enter, so he could only stand outside.

    Seeing him, Raeleigh was also very surprised. She had not seen Jepherson for more than half a month, but he came suddenly.

    He got out of the car and stared at Raeleigh. His car was parked at the entrance of the vige. If Raeleigh did not walk through it, she would not be able to enter Waverly Vige.

    ¡°Have you recovered?¡± When they met, Jepherson asked Santiago first. He sized up Santiago with his dark eyes. Santiago did not answer, but his posture and demeanor had spoken for themselves.

    ¡°Go back with me today. I¡¯ve something for you.¡± Jepehrson stretched out his hand to tug at Raeleigh. Raeleigh didn¡¯t dodge it, but Santiago had extended his hand to block them.

    Jepherson¡¯s hand paused momentarily, and he raised his head slowly to re at Santiago, who replied, ¡°Don¡¯t do it in front of me. I don¡¯t want to fight with you.¡±

    ¡°Can you beat me?¡± Jepherson¡¯s face was full of gloom. Raeleigh didn¡¯t like to see him in such state. So, she pulled Santiago and said, ¡°Enough, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Turning around, Raeleigh went into the vige. Their car was left at the vige entrance because Jepherson¡¯s car had stood in the way. Anyway, someone would send it back to them eventually.

    Jepherson watched all this from afar until the two of them went inside.

    Jacky came forward and Santiago went to the front yard with him. The two of them chatted for a while. By the time Raeleigh went over, Santiago had already gone back to prepare his luggage.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going out.¡±

    ¡°For a long journey?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve just recuperated. Why are you setting off for a long journey at this time? Can¡¯t you wait a few more days?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±

    Taking his suitcase, Santiago went out instantly. There was a car outside the door, where Jacky was sitting inside. Seeing Santiagoe out, he emerged from it and opened the door for him. Following that, he walked to the trunk and Santiago threw his suitcase to him. He ced it in the trunk and was ready to get into the car.

    Raeleigh, on the other hand, was pushed into the car by Santiago. Subsequently, Jacky directly sent them to the airport.

    Raeleigh asked with confusion, ¡°Where on earth are we heading for?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know it when you get there.¡±

    Embarking the ne, Santiago started to rest. Traumatized by his previousa, she constantly checked on him and held his hand tightly.

    Finally, the nended. Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Santiago, who had not risen. She called him several times before he woke up.

    He still looked haggard when he opened his eyes, but his smile was as bright as ever.

    Raeleigh intended to withdraw her hand as it irked her to think of how he took a perverse pleasure in teasing her.

    However, Santiago held her hand, grinning.

    Raeleigh knew that each of them was like a flower, but all of them could not grin like this. There was a dreamlike quality to this smile of his.

    ¡°Pardon me for interrupting, but why didn¡¯t you dene?¡±

    The flight attendant came to inquire. Perceiving the affectionate look in their eyes, she thought Santiago was proposing to Raeleighand Raeleigh was so touched that she was about to break into tears.

    The attendant was willing to give this couple some time for the sacred moment, so she smiled at them. Of course, it was customary for her to maintain her smile in front of all passengers, but she was actually happy for them.

    Santiago chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m ufortableand I¡¯ve frightened her. Thank you for your concern.¡±

    After standing up, Santiago helped Raeleigh get up elegantly. He took the luggage and went down while holding Raeleigh¡¯s hand.

    Raeleigh was brought out of the ne in such a way.

 Chapter 1817 If This Wasnâ€™t a Miracle, What Else Was It?

    After disembarking, Raeleigh and Santiago did not head for the hotel but rented an ordinary ck car and drove to another destination.

    Raeleigh was unsure of the altitude. She only knew that the surroundings were shrouded by mist and there were tea ntations and bamboo groves all over the mountain.

    Santiago said that there was a sea deep behind the bamboo groves and he was going there.

    Raeleigh was bewildered by his words. Her eyes were marked by a look of strangeness when she gazed at him.

    It was just that the road was bumpy. Santiago, who used to be a high-spirited boy, vomited all along the way. Getting out of the car, he bent down on the ground, unable to get up. The car followed behind them slowly as they trudged along the rugged mountain path.

    The reason he had to go up there was beyond her. He said that they had to walk up to the peak. However, she thought it was more difficult than climbing up there.

    Finally, they reached the mountain peak. Santiago sat down and could no longer move. Raeleigh had to admit that there was indeed a magnificent view here, but she doubted its worthiness for him to plod all the way up to here.

    ¡°Santiago, have some water.¡±

    Raeleigh took out the water for Santiago to drink. After drinking, Santiago leaned against a rock for a moment. Only then did he feel that he had regained some energy. He looked around for a bit, realizing that there was an advantage with this ce being secluded. The scenery was pleasingand the air was fresh, making it a perfect haven of tranquility.

    Raeleigh stared at Santiago nkly. ¡°Why do you want toe here?¡±

    ¡°To look for someone.¡±

    Subconsciously, Cynthia came to Raeleigh¡¯s mind. She heard that Cynthia hade to Capital City, but Cynthia returned to her hometown in the countryside when something happened to the Moore family. Soon after, the government seized the countryside.

    It was like Cynthia vanished into thin air.

    ¡°Are you looking for Cynthia?¡±

    Santiago raised his eyelids to look at Raeleigh. ¡°Which eye of yours saw it?¡±

    ¡°Then what are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯m here to look for somebody?¡±

    Raeleigh was rendered speechless. She gave up on the inconsistency of his words.

    ¡°Can you walk now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, give me a hand.¡±

    Raeleigh bent down to help him stand up. Getting up, he rested one of his hands over her shoulder and put half of his body weight on her. She held him with one hand and the luggage with the other. She did not even know how they managed to slog through those fewst steps.

    There was not a single vige around here, though there was bamboo everywhere.

    Raeleigh was perplexed, wondering if Santiago intended to leave aftering to such a ce.

    Santiago guided Raeleigh to go forwardand finally, they saw someone. There was a small bamboo house and a girl in her twenties. She was busying herself with her chores and was stunned at the sight of strangers. Raeleigh could tell from her that this was the residence of an ethnic minority.

    But, why was it deserted here? She pondered on this.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    The girl came over and asked the two of them with an ent from Capital City. Her pronunciation was very urate.

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes fell on Santiago. She had no idea why they came here and he was the only one who could answer it.

    ¡°We¡¯re looking for Flencer Cook.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa?¡± The girl was a little bit surprised. She looked around and asked them to wait a minute while she went into the house. Soon, she came out with an old man. He took a gander at the two by the door of the house. After that, he said something to the girl, then he turned aroundand went back. The girl then rushed and talked to them.

    ¡°My grandfather told me to let you guys in.¡±

    Santiago took Raeleigh in. He sat down on the bamboo chair, whereas Raeleigh stood aside.

    Notwithstanding his age, Flencer was a brawny man. He appeared to be 70 years old, but Raeleigh felt that he must be older than that.

    At the moment of meeting Flencer, Raeleigh had already known what was going on.

    ¡°Which one of you needs treatment?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s her.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡±

    Raeleigh and Santiago replied in unison. Flencer swept his sharp and bright eyes across the two of them.

    After deliberating over it shortly, he said, ¡°I can only help one of you.¡±

    ¡°Help him.¡±

    Raeleigh answered so while Santiago did not speak. He just fixed his eyes on Flencer, who then said, ¡°Thendies first.¡±

    Santiago cast a smug look at Raeleigh, which vexed her.

    ¡°Your body-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going to recover gradually. I¡¯ll be fine. Taking care of yourself will be the best way to repay my kindness. I told you that if you want to love someone, you should love yourself. Don¡¯t live for someone else. You can choose not to be a designer, but you have to live your ownplete life.¡±

    Raeleigh was at a loss for words. She was not like a stone with no feelings, so she couldn¡¯t help but be moved.

    Flencer examined Raeleigh¡¯s hand first. Following that, he felt that it would be a daunting task. ¡°You need to stay here for half a year for the treatment.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s eyes strayed to Santiago, who replied, ¡°As long as you can heal her hand, we¡¯ll wait until kingdome, let alone half a year.¡±

    It was only then that Flencer began treating Raeleigh. He had to go around the mountain to collect herbs and prepare meals for her treatment. He needed the help of Santiago for these jobs.

    Flencer¡¯s granddaughter was called Caira. She went around the mountain every day to collect herbs. Santiago followed her while Raeleigh stayed for the treatment.

    At night, Raeleigh stayed in Santiago¡¯s room. Only at night could they have a chance for conversation.

    ¡°Did you capture a snake again today?¡±

    Caira made a dish out of a snake for dinner. Raeleigh knew that it must have been Santiago who caught it. Over the past half month, Santiago¡¯s body had recuperated a lot. It had been said that having snakes as food contributed to that.

    Santiago responded with an uh-huhand the two of them slept on the same bed. They told Flencer that they were husband and wife. Flencer had asked Raeleigh many times about it. She insisted on saying that they were a couple. Otherwise, Caira would marry Santiago.

    They had been lying for a while before Raeleigh said, ¡°Don¡¯t catch snakes anymore. It¡¯s dangerous. Also, they¡¯re living beings after all.¡±

    Santiago turned over and hugged Raeleigh. ¡°I got it.¡±

    The spring wasing in a blink of an eye. After a month and a half had passed, Raeleigh¡¯s hand still showed no sign of recovery. It left her on pins and needles, but Santiago was not.

    He continued to collect herbs and added them to the bathwater for Raeleigh. In the room, there was arge wooden barrel, which contained herbs inside. Raeleigh soaked herself in it every time. While she was taking a bath, Santiago sat in the room. It was the only time for them to chat during the day.

    ¡°There¡¯s no improvement at all.¡±

    Raeleigh leaned against the inner wall of the barrel, with her body in the water. Santiago sat on the chair. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been half a year. What¡¯s the hurry?¡±

    Santiago had always beenposed like this. It was not that Raeleigh was anxious, but every time she heard his words, she would be reassured inexplicably.

    Half a year had passed. In the morning, when Raeleigh was stirring, she lifted her hand to wipe her eyes.

    She hissed.

    Raeleigh opened her eyes to survey her hand, so did Santiago.

    They looked at each other at the same time, and she asked, ¡°Am I dreaming?¡±

    It was only after half a day that Santiago got out of the bed, put on his clothes and went to look for Flencer, only to find that Flencer had left with his granddaughter.

    He left them a note which said that they would never meet again.

    Raeleigh¡¯s hand was a miracle, as opined by every doctor.

    Her neurons reattached without undergoing any surgery. If this wasn¡¯t a miracle, what else was it?Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    After her hand had recovered, she and Santiago did not leave. They stayed in the bamboo groves for another month. It was not until Raeleigh¡¯s hand had fully recovered that they decided to leave.

    However, at this time, Raeleigh was somewhat reluctant.

 Chapter 1818 Letâ€™s Get Married

    Leaving this ce meant that Raeleigh would have to part with Santiago. She indeed had feelings for him throughout this half a year of living as a married couple. Now and then, even she could not tell whether she did not love him anymore.

    Raeleigh was not a cold-blooded person. Watching as Santiago went around the mountain to collect medicinal herbs and cut firewood day after day just for her sake, she was touched.

    When they were about to leave, Raeleigh threw a nce at Santiago, finding that he was all right and as muscr as a bull. He even gained some weight.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you tired?¡± Santiago looked back at Raeleigh after taking a few steps. She did not reply while pulling a suitcase in her hand. Both of them were not wearing clothes of their own, but Flencer¡¯s and Caira¡¯s.

    There was only one suitcase.

    Since Raeleigh did not reply, Santiago went back directly and bent down, asking Raeleigh to get up onto his back.

    ¡°I¡¯ve just taken a few steps. There¡¯s no need for that.¡±

    ¡°Come on.¡±

    Santiago insisted, hence Raeleigh climbed onto his back.

    Shey on his bodyand he pulled her up. Then, he attached the suitcase around his waist with a hook.

    He carried her on his back, but it did not affect his movements. He gracefullymovedwhile looking around.

    Raeleighy on the body of Santiago without saying anything.

    The mountain path was full of twists and turns. Santiago hadn¡¯t reached the end of the path even after plodding for half a day. At night, Raeleigh and Santiago had to sleep in the bamboo groves.

    Although it was not too cold at night, they still embraced each other tightly. No one knew what had happened that night. The next morning, Raeleigh¡¯s body was half-covered and Santiago was not around. She couldn¡¯t see any traces of him.

    Raeleigh checked her chest and tidied up her clothes before standing up from the ground. At that time, there was a red thread tied to Raeleigh¡¯s ankle, on which hung a tiny bell. Since then, she never removed it until the moment she died.

    The bracelet, which Jepherson put on her wrist and could not be opened, had disappeared.

    Raeleigh gazed at the red thread and remained silent for a long time.

    In fact, it was not a big deal for her to remarry.

    Such a thought came to her mind out of the blue. She spoke it herself when she saw Santiago.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get married.¡±

    Santiago stood opposite to her and there was a clear look in his eyes. Subsequently, he agreed.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Raeleigh stood still as the corners of her mouth curled up into a smile. After that, Santiago held her hand and went to take a bath before putting on their clothes and came out.

    By the time they descended the mountain and returned to Capital City, it was already a long timeter.

    On the first day of their return, Jepherson had been waiting for the two of them outside Waverly Vige. When Raeleigh and Jepherson met, she gave the bracelet back to Jepherson. Santiago was also present.

    Holding Jepherson¡¯s hand, she passed the bracelet to him and said, ¡°It¡¯s intact. Now that I¡¯ve returned it to you, we¡¯re even from now on.¡±

    Jepherson pulled her hand over and wanted to put it onto her wrist again. Santiago went forward and gave Jepherson a push. ¡°Stay away from her.¡±

    Jepherson scowled at him. Santiago said, ¡°Raeleigh is pregnant.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s sentence hit Jepherson like a thunderbolt. He took two steps back and stared at the two of them incredulously. Santiago said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t stay forever. I¡¯m going to leave after some time.¡±

    ¡°Go back and tell Dad that you can have all the properties in the family. I only want Raeleigh.¡±

    Turning around, Santiago went into Waverly Vige with Raeleigh wrapped in his arm. Raeleigh raised her head to feast her eyes on Santiago¡¯s striking features. She did not look back because she had made up her mind.

    On the day of their return, someone told Raeleigh that Jepherson had copsed outside the vige and was taken away by others.

    Raeleigh sat by the window, looking outside. She neither spoke nor thought that Jepherson would die.

    Anyway, she didn¡¯t expect that the dispute between the brothers would escte into this state.

    That day, Jepherson fell critically ill. The severity of his illness seemed to be true this time, but Raeleigh did not visit him. Deanna came to see her in the morning and asked her to change her mind about marrying Santiago. Deanna even gave her a lecture.

    ¡°Raeleigh, everyone agrees if you want to remarry another man. For instance, you can marry Austin. Look, your daughter is still in Austin¡¯s hands and my son hasn¡¯te back yet, right?¡±

    ¡°What sort of woman will remarry the brother of her ex-husband?¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Deanna with an innocent look. ¡°Why not? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big deal.¡±

    Raeleigh talked back, ¡°Which is more important? Love or social stigma? Now that I¡¯ve divorced, is it wrong to choose another man? If not, what¡¯s the problem with being together with the man I love? Even if they are brothers, I will marry him.¡±

    Coming out, Deanna shook her head, raised her head to look at Jacky, and said, ¡°She¡¯s so far gone. That¡¯s too foolish her. Santiago must have tricked her. I¡¯ve long seen through this big liar.¡±

    Jacky wrapped an arm around his wife¡¯s shoulders, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t interfere in other people¡¯s business.¡±

    ¡°Jacky, you don¡¯t understand it. That¡¯s not how the plot of my novel goes. It¡¯spletely out of line with logic.¡±

    Jacky had lost for words.

    Could a person¡¯s life be measured based on logic?

    ¡°Let¡¯s do the prenatal care check upter.¡±

    It had never urred to Jacky that Deanna would get pregnant again.

    Since she was pregnant, there was no reason not to keep the baby.

    ¡­

    After Deanna left, Scarlette and Hadrian came as well, followed by Rossie. Rossie had given birth. She carried the child over and when she met Raeleigh, she let the child romp on the ground.

    It was a girl. Zorion cared about her very much, even more than his own life.

    When Raeleigh spoke, Santiago was also looking at the child. He found her little palms very adorable.

    Santiago remarked, ¡°I want a daughter too.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and her eyesnded on Santiago. ¡°We can have one.¡±

    Rossie looked up at Raeleigh slowly. After a long time, she said, ¡°Jepherson is sick, and he¡¯s been starving himselftely. You should at least pay him a visit.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I can¡¯t pity him for a lifetime. At the moment, he is an irrelevant person to me. Who will pity an irrelevant person?¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Raeleigh, he is your daughter¡¯s father,¡± Rossie reminded. Raeleigh then replied, ¡°It¡¯s not absolute.¡±

    All of a sudden, everyone stopped talking.

    Rossie had no option but to leave with Zorion and their child.

    After everyone had left, Raeleigh gazed at Santiago. ¡°Let¡¯s go and visit my parents.¡±

    ¡°Bring Shaney with us before we leave.¡±

    Mentioning Shaney, Raeleigh was preupied for a while. Santiago checked the time. ¡°It¡¯ste already. Let¡¯s go there tomorrow.¡±

    As the topic of going to meet Shaney had been brought up, Raeleigh did not rest throughout the whole night.

    In the morning, Santiago had his breakfast and changed his clothes before driving Raeleigh to Green House. It was Lenold who came out to wee them.

    As soon as they met, Lenold cast a disapproving look at Raeleigh and Santiago. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect the two of you to be the same kind of people.¡±

    ¡°Where is Austin?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t care much about hisment, but it was Santiago who spoke. He stood there with a calm look. Nevertheless, he exuded an aura of frostiness, as if it could lower the temperature around them.

    Lenold intended to stop Santiago from entering, but he couldn¡¯t care less. If Santiago was unhappy, there was nothing he would not do.

 Chapter 1819 A Meeting Between Uncle and Niece

    Lenold told Jepherson to wait before going back inside himself.

    In fact, Austin had never left and he had never been on a mission. If he had to go on a mission, it would mean that the city waspsing into chaos.

    ¡°She¡¯s outsideand she wants to see you.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell her I¡¯m not here?¡±

    ¡°I did, but she wouldn¡¯t leave.¡±

    Lenold stood behind Austin and said so. The ground was full of grasses, so Austin bent down to trim them.

    ¡°Call them in.¡±

    Lenold replied nothing.

    He took the order and brought Santiago and Raeleigh into the prison.

    Raeleigh was familiar with Green House. As they entered it, she even introduced it to Santiago.

    Soon, they came to Austin¡¯s back. Austin stood up, washed his hands and focused his eyes on Raeleigh.

    ¡°You look good.¡±

    ¡°The same goes to you.¡±

    Raeleigh was aware that Austin was not easy to deal with. Why didn¡¯t Jephersone to retrieve the child when he knew Austin was at Green House?

    ¡°Is this Santiago?¡± Austin asked while Raeleigh shot a nce at him. Without waiting for her introduction, Santiago answered, ¡°I¡¯m Santiago and I¡¯m here to bring Shaney back.¡±

    ¡°Why did your brother ask you toe instead of himself?¡±

    ¡°This has nothing to do with him. Raeleigh and I have decided to get married. Give Shaney to us. We¡¯re going to leave here.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to elope?¡±

    Austin found a ce to sit down and spoke unkindly.

    Santiago noticed that there was a chair nearby. What followed was him sitting on it and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

    It was not very hot. Santiago took a sip and asked Austin, ¡°Tell me, what does it take for you to hand Shaney to me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never said that Shaney belongs to me and I¡¯ve no right to decide where she goes. Shaney chooses to stay by my side of her own volition. If you¡¯re able to persuade her into leaving with you, I won¡¯t stop her.¡±

    Raeleigh stood aside, knitting her brow slightly. Judging by Shaney¡¯s temperament, would she agree to leave with them? She pondered on this.

    ¡°Austin, I heard from Deanna that you brought back her two sons?¡±

    As a matter of fact, the boys had been sent back to their parents before Raeleigh leftst time.

    Austin looked at Raeleigh,exining, ¡°Jacky brought them back to me. Cedric and Heitor would go home on the weekends ande back here, but I did not ask them toe. In my eyes, taking care of two boys is also a troublesome task, but they wanted toe.¡±

    Raeleigh was stupefied for a short time. ¡°Does Jacky want his children to join the army?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve no clue what he¡¯s been nning, but I do know clearly what the boys want. As long as Shaney is here, they won¡¯t leave.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a bit, ¡°Austin, are you saying that¡­ but they¡¯re so young. What do they know at such an age?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true that they don¡¯t know anything, but they¡¯re pretty shameless when ites to pursuing a girl.¡±

    Raeleigh burst intoughter whereas Santiago frowned. ¡°Jacky¡¯s children?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I want to see them. Call them out for me.¡±

    Santiago made himself at home, as if he was the boss here and could do whatever he wanted.

    Strangely, Austin did not disapprove of his behavior as though he would indulge Santiago¡¯s every whim.

    He fulfilled all requirements of Santiago¡¯s.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    Soon, Cedric and Heitor came over. They looked no different than kids their age. When they came, one of them held a toy gun while the other held a toy ne.

    Raeleigh had not seen them for six months. She found that they had grown taller. They looked like seven-year-old boys, despite being only five.

    Raeleigh had to admire the benefits of having excellent genes.

    Approaching Austin, they addressed Austin as godfather.

    Raeleigh was impressed by their rtionship.

    ¡°Do you know them?¡± Austin darted a nce at Raeleigh and Santiago. The two boys had met Raeleigh beforeand they had never forgotten about her.

    ¡°Auntie Raeleigh.¡±

    Cedric called out to her. Raeleigh beamed at him. ¡°Wow, look how tall you¡¯ve grown!¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know him,¡± said Heitor. It made Raeleigh guffaw.

    Santiago called Heitor over and sized him up. ¡°Who is the elder brother?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    Heitor answered. Santiago observed him momentarily. ¡°I dislike you. How about the younger one?¡±

    Cedric fixed his eyes on Santiago. ¡°I dislike you either.¡±

    Santiago wore a smile. ¡°Shaney is my daughter. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t like me. Even if you do, I won¡¯t be nice to you.¡±

    With that, Santiago withdrew his hand and talked to Austin, ¡°Where is Shaney?¡±

    Austin asked Cedric, ¡°Where is Shaney?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±

    Shaney wore simr attire as the boys-a white vest and a pair of ck shorts made of cotton entirely. It wasfortable to wear such garments. She came out with her hair woven into two braids and pounced onto Raeleigh, who bent down to hug her daughter.

    The mother and daughter had an evesting and unbreakable rtionship.

    Shaney had been watching them, but she didn¡¯t show herself.

    At this time, she held Raeleigh, unwilling to let go. After all, she was only four years old.

    She still had an attachment to Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh shed tears while holding Shaney in her arms all the time.

    After a long time, Santiago knocked on the table. Only then did the mother and daughter separated.

    Raeleigh wiped her tears off and took Shaney to Santiago. ¡°Shaney, this is your uncle.¡±

    Shaney got down from Raeleigh¡¯s arms, stood in front of Santiago and surveyed him for a moment. She inquired, ¡°Are you going to marry Mom?¡±

    Even though Shaney was young, she managed to grasp the main point of the adults¡¯ conversation.

    Raeleigh cracked a smile. ¡°Why don¡¯t you y with him first?¡±

    Shaney took a gander at Raeleigh and then gazed at Santiago. ¡°Uncle, what games do you know?¡±

    Santiago bent down and picked her up to ce her on hisp, saying, ¡°Shaney, you have to be careful with the boys in the future. Don¡¯t trust them easily. It¡¯s best not to y with them. A girl has to act like a girl. It¡¯s okay if they admire you, but you can¡¯t get too close to them.¡±

    Santiago spoke as he rose to his feet. Shaney furrowed her brow. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a boy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your family. So, of course, I¡¯m different. I¡¯ll exin to you why girls can¡¯t be with boys. Tell me, where is your room?Let me see if it¡¯s suitable.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s over there.¡± Shaney was not fearful of Santiago. She even found him amusing as he warned her not to y with the boys when they first met.

    Carrying Shaney, Santiago walked toward her room. When someone stopped them along the way, she would tell them that this was her uncle.

    Cedric and Heitor became alert instantly, feeling that this uncle was acting against them.

    ¡°Godfather.¡±

    ¡°Well, it depends on you if you can make Shaney stay. He¡¯s going to take her away.¡±

    Just when Austin finished speaking, Cedric and Heitor dashed towards Shaney straightaway.

    Raeleigh watched as the two boys left and became speechless.

    There were such young children.

    After they left, Raeleigh stared at Austin. ¡°Why can you ept Santiago?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯ve epted him. It¡¯s by chance. And it was Shaney who could give him a chance, not me. Jepherson did not grasp itand it was not that I didn¡¯t give him one.¡±

    A crease appeared between Raeleigh¡¯s eyebrows. ¡°But Shaney-¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve made up your mind, just do as what you¡¯ve decided. In this world, there is nothing that you should or shouldn¡¯t do, only things that you¡¯re able or unable to achieve.

    Although Santiago is young and aggressive, he has a sense of responsibility, which matches you better than Jepherson.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing but looked in the direction of Santiago.

 Chapter 1820 Wonâ€™t Marry Him in Her Lifetime

    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s have a stroll.¡± Austin stood up and took Raeleigh outside. They walked around the prison, appearing to be small in contrast to the tall walls. Raeleigh looked at everything around her and harked back to the old days when she was brought here, falling into a brown study.

    The vivid memory of the past was upsettingand it caused a dull pain in her heart whenever she recalled it.

    Numerous events had transpired in the past, so Raeleigh was lost in thoughts shortly. She didn¡¯t expect that she would be snatched from the jaws of death so many times. For so many years, starting from the time she could remember things in childhood, the fire was like a curse, haunting her until the day when everything had settled.

    It was not until she was on herst legs that she snapped out of it gradually.

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°How is the investigation going?¡±

    Austin turned around and threw a nce at Raeleigh. ¡°Have you ever thought about who was behind that fire?¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned for a long time before she replied, ¡°Back in the day, the Doyle family must have been aware of my existence from the beginning. Why did they wait for ten years before they took action to burn a lot of other kids and me to death? If the Doyle family wanted to kill me, no one would notice if they went in and murdered me secretly. There are plenty of ways to make a child die and the Doyle family must be able to perform it perfectly.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still as smart as ever.¡±

    As Austin spoke, he looked out the door of the prison with his hands sped behind. ¡°This is also the reason I¡¯ve objected to you and Jepherson¡¯s marriage.

    Raeleigh, I know that you¡¯re still thinking about Jepherson. Whether you and Santiago are just having a fling or you are going for the real deal, I have to remind you that you can¡¯t marry into the Richards family as long as Marissa is still alive.

    Based on Santiago¡¯s personality, he is going to protect you. If you be his woman, he won¡¯t mistreat you. However, Jepherson is different. He will prioritize the big picture. You¡¯re a mere pawn in his game.

    For the sake of the bigger picture, he will sacrifice you if it¡¯s needed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware of it.¡±

    ¡°Since you know it, why are you still letting the attachment to him creep over you?¡±

    ¡°For some things, I always thought that I could control them. By the time I realized that I couldn¡¯t, I was already stuck in them.¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°In my lifetime, I won¡¯t marry Jepherson. I¡¯ve no interest in being the mistress of the Richards family. I only want to lead a peaceful life.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d that you can think in this way.¡±

    ¡°Austin.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Was it really Marissa?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Austin smirked. ¡°In fact, Marissa has long known that the Doyle family is unscrupulous but she has been shaming ignorance. Furthermore, she tries to fix Ste and Jepherson up. She¡¯s well aware that if the Richards doesn¡¯t form a bond with the Doyles, the scandalous incident she did wille to light. She acts to protect herself and Trevor.

    As for the fire in the orphanage, you should know the difference between killing a kid and a bunch of kids.¡±

    ¡°They did it to cover up the truth so that people can¡¯t know their true motive and target, am I right?¡±

    Austin did not reply to Raeleigh¡¯s question, but she knew that he had already given an answer since he made no effort to correct her because he did not need to.

    ¡°Santiago is here. I want to go out for a while.¡±

    ¡°Let Lenold go with you. I believe that Marissa does not have the guts to touch you now. I think it¡¯s a good idea for you to give her a warning, or she will be too cocky.

    By the way, do me a favor by passing a message to her. Tell her that I won¡¯t let you marry into the Richards family in her remaining years.¡±

    ¡°Austin.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t say it, I¡¯ll ask Lenold to do it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell her then.¡±

    Raeleigh agreed with him, turned aroundand went outside. It would be troublesome if Lenold were the one to pass the message to Marissa.

    After leaving Green House, Raeleigh got into the car. Lenold shot a nce at her and drove her to Richards Group Manor.

    As the car came to a stop, Raeleigh emerged from it and nced at the gate of Richards Group Manor. After that, she went forward to ring the bell.

    The servants thought she was here to visit Jepherson, so they opened the gate right away.

    However, Raeleigh made her way to Ink Garden, where Madam Marissa resided. They wondered why Raeleigh was going there.

    The servants dashed to Green Jade Garden to inform their masters, Jenna and Hansen.

    The couple had been looking after their son, Jepherson, who was ill. Jepherson had been in bed and relying on nutrient fluids to sustain his life. It was a heart-rending event for them since their son fell ill immediately after the other recovered.

    The servant apprised them of Raeleigh¡¯s arrival and that she went to Ink Garden. Jenna gaped at Hansen at once. ¡°Why did Raeleigh head for Ink Garden?¡±

    Hansen chewed over it for a bit. ¡°I¡¯ve no idea. Let¡¯s go and check it out.¡±

    The two of them got up, so did Jepherson. He removed all the needles from his arms. Jenna took a coat quickly and helped him go to Ink Garden.

    Concurrently, Raeleigh had just entered the door to find that Trevor was sitting in the living room. He was reeling at the sight of her.

    ¡°Why are you here? Haven¡¯t you created enough fuss?¡±

    She broke up with Jepherson to be with Santiago. What a joke! What was worse, she even got pregnant?

    Raeleigh stood by the door. ¡°I¡¯m here to say my farewell and inquire about something. Is Madam Marissa here?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to see her. Just leave.¡±

    Trevor hadplicated emotions. In his eyes, Raeleigh should draw the line even if she wanted to bully them. Her behavior had hurt them to the core.

    ¡°I won¡¯t leave until I¡¯ve met her.¡±

    Raeleigh stood by the door and refused to leave, causing Trevor to pull a long face. Meanwhile, Marissa came out of her room.

    Marissa had been keeping a low profiletely. She did not step out of the house.

    She was aware of Raeleigh¡¯s arrival, so she came out.

    Seeing Marissa, Raeleigh said, ¡°Greetings to you, Madam.¡±

    Marissa gave a sardonic smile. ¡°When did you be so polite? Aren¡¯t you here to exasperate me to death? You¡¯ve killed countless people, haven¡¯t you? Do you still care about an old woman like me?¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Marissa. ¡°Indeed, I¡¯ve killed countless people and my hands are full of blood, but I¡¯ve never killed innocent people. Those who die in my hands are all sinful.¡±

    ¡°Wow, this is the first time I see someone who can still be so self-righteous after killing people.¡±

    Marissa walked from the door to Raeleigh and sized Raeleigh up with her usual undisguised contempt. Marissa had absolutely no regard for Raeleigh.

    Marissa sat down on the sofa herself, but did not invite Raeleigh to do the same. She asked Raeleigh, ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to inquire about an one event in the past.¡±

    Marissa looked up slightly. ¡°Is it about you being taken away by me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve known about it since a long time ago and there¡¯s no need to bring it up again as I¡¯m not interested to know the details. Madam, I believe that you¡¯re the only one who can shed some light on something else for me.¡±

    ¡°Really? Go ahead, let me decide if I know it.¡±

    With a calm expression, Raeleigh said unceremoniously, ¡°A dreadful fire took ce in the orphanage I lived in when I was ten years old. Madam, I would like to know if you had instructed someone to set that fire.¡±

    Marissa¡¯s face fell suddenly. She clenched her hands and stared at Raeleigh without saying anything.

    Raeleigh considered briefly. ¡°I¡¯ve contemted the possibilities. No one else would want to kill me at that time except you, Madam.¡±

    Marissa nched instantaneously. Sitting there, she glowered at Raeleigh. ¡°Get lost!¡±

 Chapter 1821 Marissa Had Gone Insane

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll leave without getting to the bottom of it. Madam, you only need to tell me whether this matter has anything to do with you.¡±

    Marissa shot daggers at Raeleigh. ¡°Who died and left you in charge?¡±

    Raeleigh answered, ¡°I was the victim in that fire and many people in the orphanage had been murdered for nothing.¡±

    Marissa could not retain herposure. She stood up and pointed her finger at Raeleigh. ¡°Get out of here right now. Get lost.¡±

    Trevor focused his eyes on Marrisa. ¡°Did you really do it?¡±

    Marissa looked back at him slowly as he asked, ¡°Why did you do it?¡±

    Trembling, she looked at Trevor. ¡°Did I have a choice? At that time, the Osteen family had been looking for her everywhere. If they found her, they would get to us, then everything our family had achieved would go up in smoke. I didn¡¯t mean to take the child away. I was also a victim. What should I do?¡±

    Marissa sobbed it out while Trevor¡¯s face turned pale. He asked her, ¡°Did you decide to set that fire on your own, or did the Doyle family deliberately incite you to do it?¡±

    ¡°The Doyle family didn¡¯t ask me to set the fire, but they told me that the child was still alive, asking me why I sent the child to the orphanage. Back then, I was beguiled by them into believing that they had goodwill, so I ordered someone to set the fire. I didn¡¯t mean it. Do you understand?¡±Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

    ¡°Marissa.¡± It had been many years since Trevorst called her in such a way, which made her weepy.

    Trevor said, ¡°You¡¯ve known it since forever that Raeleigh was the child who escaped from that deadly fire?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve long known it.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, you find fault with everything she does because you don¡¯t want her to marry into our family?¡±

    ¡°How am I supposed to let her marry into our family? It was me who had taken her away and lost her. She wound up in an orphanage. After I plotted the fire, she didn¡¯t die, but so many other people were killed. Do you think it was easy for me to handle the guilt? Everything should havee to an end, but she was alive and intended to marry into our family. If so, she would show herself in front of me all day long. How could I tolerate that?¡±

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t tolerate it, huh? What about those people who had died? What about the Osteen family? Could they put up with it?¡± Trevor got up and questioned Marissa loudly. Marissa shook her head and sat down on the sofa.

    At this moment, Hansen and Jenna entered the living room. They waved their hands and gestured to the servants to leave. The situation had already gone out of control. No one had foreseen that things would go on in such a way.

    ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Jepherson stood behind his parents. Raeleigh looked back at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to verify if your grandmother was the one behind that horrendous fire. I don¡¯t intend to do anything else. It¡¯s time to put the lid on this matter.

    I¡¯m leaving. Please excuse me.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around to leave. Lenold, who stood outside, cleared his throat to remind her. He felt disinclined to pass Austin¡¯s message by himself as he didn¡¯t want to offend anyone.

    Raeleigh recalled the message. She turned around and gazed at Marissa, ¡°I¡¯ve a message for you. I¡¯ve already acknowledged and regarded Austin as my elder brother for several years. Before I came here, he asked me to tell you that he won¡¯t let me marry into the Richards family in your lifetime, so don¡¯t you worry in the future. Also, I wish you a long life.¡±

    With that, Raeleigh turned and went outside. When she passed by the door, Jepherson called her, ¡°Raeleigh.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped in her tracks. ¡°You only have to focus on treating your illness and nursing yourself back to health. Henceforth, we¡¯re even. I¡¯m going to Green House now. I¡¯ll bring Shaney over here for you to have a look.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, she left, leaving Jepherson standing by the door and staring nkly at her back.

    Lenold also stopped and said, ¡°Take good care of yourself. Bye.¡±

    After Raeleigh left, Jepherson swept his eyes to Marissa. Now that the truth hade to light, there was nothing left to say.

    Jepherson walked back on his own and Jenna followed behind him. The entire Richards family had been surrounded by a sense of gloominess. Jenna felt so impotent at the moment. It never urred to her that Marissa would do such a thing. She doubted if Marissa was senile since she was still young more than a decade ago.

    Returning home, Jepherson said that he wanted to have some food. In response to this, Jenna went to prepare a meal for him in a trice. After having his meal and getting the injection, Jepherson stopped talking andid down on the bed.

    As the shocking incident had been revealed, a pouring rain came just in time, covering the whole Richards family. This day, lifelessness and glumness reigned over the Richards family.

    At night, the rain got heavier. However, Trevor ordered the chauffeur to wait with the car in the yard. Then, he came out of the house with his luggage.

    Behind him was Marissa, who was holding an umbre. Someone was looking after her, but she appeared to be downcast.

    Hansen knitted his brow slightly. After all, she was his mother. No matter what unpardonable wrongdoings she had done, Hansen would not give up on her.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t going back now-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry about us.¡±

    In the end, Trevor still took Marisa away. It waste at night and raining cats and dogs. Getting into the car, Trevor instructed the chauffeur to drive away.

    The roads in Capital City were rather t and everything was fine. But on the way, the rain was so heavy that it was terrifying. Coupled with the stuffy atmosphere in the car, Marissa began to feel ufortable. She turned and tossed about in the car, breaking out in a sweat.

    At first, Trevor did not pay attention to it. Later, he could not bear seeing her suffer. Hence he inquired about what was wrong with her. Marissa told him that she was feeling hotandshe screamed. She said there was someone behind Trevor. She screamed and screamed while holding her head.

    She had been talking nonsense all along the way. Arriving at A City, Trevor took her to the hospital, where the diagnosis showed that she had gone insane.

    The instruments were reliable and could tell if someone had lost their mind effectively.

    Trevor hoped that Marissa was pretending, but his hope dashed when he got her medical report.

    Sitting down, he started to daydream and close his eyes slowly.

    Marissa ran around in the room, asking those things not toe near her.

    By the time Hansen and his wife came, it was already three dayster. Jepherson, who had been recuperating quite well over the past few days, was also with them. Seeing Marissa, all of them were astounded.

    Jenna looked lugubrious. ¡°How could it be so sudden?¡±

    ¡°The results suggest that she¡¯s gone mad, but I¡¯ve this hunch that this may be a retribution. So many people died in that fire, which one of them will be willing to let your mother off?¡±

    Trevor stood up and entered the room while Marissa had been slumping in the corner. She did not get up. It took him a long time to lift her up and bring her out.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take your mom to see other doctors. Just leave it to me and stay out of this.¡±

    ¡°What kind of other doctors?¡± After Trevor left, Jenna went to ask Hansen, who then replied, ¡°Like witch doctors or shamans.¡±

    Jenna frowned. ¡°Such superstitious beliefs.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to Dad. He must have a n.¡±

    It was another night with torrential rain. Raeleigh stood in the room and gazed at the heavy rain outside. At the same time, she was looking at the two people having fun on the bed too.

    Santiago held Shaney in his arms, telling stories. Shaney disliked the stories told by others, but she liked the ones Santiago told her. What could Raeleigh do?

    Raeleigh watched for a short time and turned back to lie down on the bed. But she could not fall asleep anymore after she woke up with a jolt in the light of a nightmare.

 Chapter 1822 Before Leaving

    It was not until the morning that Raeleigh realised that Marissa had gone mad. What¡¯s more, it was Scarlette who came over to inform Raeleigh.

    After Scarlette told Raeleigh, she continued, ¡°Mr. Jepherson has recovered a little over the past couple of days. If you have time, why don¡¯t you head over to Waverly Vige? Wouldn¡¯t it be much easier for us to visit you that way? Raeleigh¡­ We came to see you, not a prisoner, but look at¡­¡±

    Scarlette cast a quick nce at her surroundings. They were surrounded by four very high walls along with convicts. It was unsafe here.

    Raeleigh did not think much about it. She looked over at Scarlette and said, ¡°No one had any opinion when they came to visit me. You¡¯re the only one who thinks that way. Shaney,e over and tell Madam Scarlette when we¡¯re leaving this ce.¡±

    Shaney quickly rushed over and told Scarlette, ¡°We will be leaving in a few days. Uncle Santiago, Mom and I are nning to visit Grandma and Grandpa once we leave this ce.¡±

    Scarlette was stunned for a moment. Then, she asked Raeleigh, ¡°You guys are leaving?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re leaving.¡±

    ¡°What about Mr. Jepherson? Raeleigh, are you really nning on getting together with Mr. Santiago? Have you ever thought about what you¡¯re going to tell Shaney when she grows up?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve never really thought about it. Santiago told me that life is short and we must live in the moment.¡±

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing. Scarlette did not know what else to say.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay for dinner?¡±

    Raeleigh finally broke the silence and stood up. She gently nudged Shaney and said, ¡°Can you please go and get Uncle Austin and Uncle Santiago? I remember you said you wanted to eat raviolis, so we¡¯ll have that for dinner. Shaney, would you like Madam Scarlette to stay for dinner?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Shaney set off in search of Austin and Santiago. At this moment, Austin and Santiago were weeding in a quiet and isted ce. There were people watching over them from a distance. They buried themselves in work, not talking.

    When they were almost done, Santiago asked, ¡°Are you really going to let us go?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m sure Shaney wille back when I ask her to. It¡¯s not suitable for me to bring her out to see the world, but you guys are different.¡±

    ¡°Then, what do we need to do in order for you to let us go?¡±

    Santiago stood up. Austin dusted off his hands and went to wash. He looked at Santiago and asked, ¡°Kneel down. Back then, when your brother came to ask me for Shaney, I told him to beg me, but he refused. If you kneel down and beg me, I would hand Shaney over to you.¡±

    Santiagoughed and immediately went down on one knee. Austin was slightly stunned. Santiago wanted to get down on both knees, but Austin grabbed his arm and stopped him from getting onto his knees.

    ¡°Get up.¡±

    Santiago asked, ¡°In the future, if Shaney¡¯s not in any danger, you¡¯re not allowed to find her. She¡¯s not allowed to join the army. She¡¯s just a normal kid.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re smart.You understand mythoughts.¡±

    ¡°Austin, you¡¯re a very daring guy, but you¡¯ll never be able to walk out of Green House. This ce is not used to house criminals, it¡¯s used to imprison you. I don¡¯t want my niece to be like you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want her to be like me either. Come on, stand up.¡± Austin helped Santiago up and looked at him. Then, he turned around and said, ¡°When I saw Raeleigh, it was love at first sight. It¡¯s a pity that I have a special identity. I was raised in this ce and received training when I was five. I know I¡¯ll never be able to live the life I want.

    Yes, I might have power, but I¡¯m no more than a puppet. I can¡¯t give Raeleigh anything. I treat Shaney like my own daughter. I hope that one day, I¡¯ll be able to have a daughter like Shaney, but I know I¡¯ll never get the chance.

    You know your brother¡¯s character better than I do. He¡¯s intelligent, yet scheming. I¡¯m not saying that you¡¯re a good person. At least, you know how to love someone better than your brother.¡±

    ¡°From my understanding, you sound like you¡¯ve never wanted to help my brother.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    Austin turned to look at Santiago. ¡°If you were me, what would you do to your brother?¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Santiago did not say anything else. Soon, Shaney finally found them. Santiago bent down, picked her up and put her on his shoulders.

    ¡°Mummy sent me to get you and Uncle Austin toe home and have raviolis with us.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The two of them brought Shaney back home to have raviolis. At this time, Raeleigh was preparing some food with Scarlette. Cedric and Heitor were by her side.

    When they heard that Shaney was leaving, they also wanted to follow. Right now, they are currently talking about it with Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh said awkwardly, ¡°I have no say in this. You have to ask Uncle Santiago.¡±

    ¡°But Uncle Santiago asked us to ask you.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Raeleigh was speechless. ¡°Even if I said yes, you will still need to rify with him. What happens if he¡¯s fooling us and you guys really believe that he will let youe with us?¡±

    ¡°But Uncle Santiago said that we cane along.¡±

    After all, they were both kids. They kept pestering Raeleigh about it. At this time, Raeleigh was folding the edges of the dumplings around the mushroom fillings.The two kids did not care that she was busy and kept staring at her.

    Just as they were asking, Shaney, Santiago and Austin entered the room. Santiago said, ¡°You cane with us but you will not be able toe back in the future. Are you two willing to leave your parents behind?¡±

    Cedric and Heitor immediately became quiet. Raeleigh thought they would just dismiss the idea, but she did not expect that they woulde and find her at night to tell her that they¡¯ve made up their minds to follow them.

    It seemed like they weren¡¯t willing to part with Shaney.

    Raeleigh and Shaney slept in Santiago¡¯s room. Shaney was sandwiched between her mother and her uncle.

    Raeleigh¡¯s heart ached when she saw her daughter and Santiago. Shaneyy in Santiago¡¯s arms and stared at Cedric and Heitor. She hesitated for a while and said, ¡°I want them toe along with us.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡±

    Finally, Santiago agreed. Raeleigh looked at him strangely and asked, ¡°Another two kids? Are you crazy?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    Santiago pointed to the door and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t the two of you go and get some rest? Tomorrow, you have to tell your parents that you¡¯reing along with us and that you¡¯re nevering back.¡±

    After Cedric and Heitor left, Raeleigh asked, ¡°What are you doing? Do you think we can take care of three kids?¡±

    ¡°Maybe four.¡±

    Santiago sat on the bed with Shaney in his arms. He pinched her face and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get some sleep. We¡¯ll head over to Waverly Vige tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yay! We¡¯re going to Waverly Vige!¡±

    Shaney was excited that she could not sleep when she heard that they were heading over to Waverly VIge. She spent the entire night talking to Santiago. Raeleigh did not have a good night¡¯s sleep because of their chattering. She woke up the next morning and red at them.

    But after breakfast, Santiago and Raeleigh brought the kids over to Waverly Vige.

    Jacky had been waiting for them at the entrance for a long time. When Deanna saw Cedric and Heitor, she immediately pulled them over and hugged them. Her pregnant belly was protruding.

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Deanna and asked after a long time, ¡°You¡¯re pregnant?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re having a girl.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard that before. You told us that you were having a girlst time and see how it turned out.¡±

    Everyone chatted andughed as they walked inside. When they reached the inside, Jacky asked Santiago when he was leaving. However, Santiago told him about Cedric and Heitor¡¯s ns.

    Raeleigh walked behind, watching the kids, but she could still hear what Jacky and Santiago were talking about.

    After a long time, Raeleigh heard Santiago say, ¡°Instead of letting them stay with Austin, why don¡¯t you let theme with me? I will send them back to you in a few years.¡±

    ¡°Austin also has a strong bond with them. The only reason why he is willing to let them go now is because of their bond. Otherwise, in a few years¡¯ time, when the children grow up, he might not let them go.¡±

    Jacky looked at Santiago. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you!¡±

    Although it was just one sentence, Raeleigh knew that the brotherhood between Jacky and Santiago was strong.

 Chapter 1823 Friends Reunited

    Raeleigh still remembered that at that time when Jacky asked her to go to see Santiago. It meant that in times of crisis, Jacky was still thinking about Santiago.

    Normally, a person wouldstop thinking about someone if he or she does not see the person for a period of time, but Jacky was different.

    Jacky conducted himself in a way that not many people could understand.

    Raeleigh and Santiago stayed for dinner and decided to spend the night in Waverly Vige. They even bought their flight tickets to Capital City for the next day.

    Before leaving, Santiago decided to climb onto the roof of the hospital in Waverly Vige to get a bird¡¯s eye view of the vige. When Raeleigh found him and saw him standing on the edge of the roof, she asked him, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Santiago turned around and looked at Raeleigh. The corner of his mouth moved a little. Raeleigh was stunned when she saw a refreshing look on his face. Santiago had changed a lotpared to previous years. Though he spent the majority of those years lying in bed, he had changed a lot.

    Raeleigh kept her eyes on him as she walked towards him. She reached out and touched his slim face. ¡°Sometimes, I really hope that this is all just a dream.¡±

    Santiago reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hand and kissed it. Then, he pulled her into his arms, turned her around and hugged her from behind.

    Raeleigh wanted to push Santiago away, but she knew he would not let her go so easily.

    Santiago said, ¡°I¡¯m curious to knowhow much you love me. Is it less than a thousandth of your love for him?¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned for a moment, but she quicklyposed herself. ¡°Santiago, we¡­.¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t say it. I don¡¯t want to hear it. If we are destined to be lonely, then I would rather spend the rest of my life with you, travelling the world to see thehustleandbustleof everyday life.¡±

    Raeleigh stood there holding Santiago¡¯s hands. They were all dressed up today.The night wind blew gently. It blew awaythe past filled with love and hate.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Raeleigh stood there without answering. She held Santiago¡¯s hand and looked down at the vige below,where there are all thesepeopleing and going as she recalled the past. He was the only one who was always by her side. Everything he did, he did it for her. He had never stopped loving her, but he was a littlete. If he had appeared earlier in her life, maybe things would have been different.

    This rtionship was so absurd and Raeleigh knew it. Still, she could not apany him all the time.

    She could not even hold his hands.

    ¡°Santiago! I¡­¡±

    ¡°Hush!¡±

    Santiago whispered in Raeleigh¡¯s ear. Raeleigh knew he did not want to hear her words.

    They had been sleeping on the same bed for so long, but they¡¯d never crossed the line. They knew it would take a long time, but neither one could forget that their rtionship started off as inws.

    The wind continued to blow. Santiago then asked Raeleigh, ¡°Can you sing?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you.¡±

    Raeleigh turned her head slightly to look at Santiago. ¡°Alright.¡±

    Santiago smiled and started singing. His deep voice was like an evesting song that lingered that night. He kept his arms around Raeleigh¡¯s body the entire time.

    ¡°We seem to have met somewhere before. Do you remember?

    I think it was right around spring.

    I walked by.

    But I did not look back.

    I remembered.

    And I nearly forgot!

    We seem to have met somewhere before. Do you remember?

    I remembered it was right around summer, where the flowers were in full bloom.

    I was singing.

    Not to myself.

    But I remember¡­

    Still I nearly forgot.

    We seem to have met somewhere before. Do you remember?

    I think it was during one sunset in autumn.

    You were so beautiful that I dare not talk to you.

    When you walked passed, the wind blew and my hair flew.

    We seem to have met somewhere before. Do you remember?

    I remembered that it was during one winter snow.

    I walked by.

    But I did not look back.

    I remembered.

    But I nearly forgot!

    We seem to have met somewhere before. Do you remember?

    Back then you were still a child and I could barely look out the windowttice!

    I was guessing your name while engraving it on the wall.

    I drew a picture of you facing the moon.

    We seem to have met somewhere before. Do you remember?

    We set out and travelled to our own ends of the world.

    Looking at each other in this life, who would have thought.

    That we¡¯ll be able to meet? Everything is like a dream.

    We seem to have met somewhere before.¡±

    ¡­

    When Raeleigh turned around, Santiago was smiling. She did not know what was wrong with her. She let thetears roll down her face asshe leaned in Santiago¡¯s chest. Santiago held her in his arms, lowered his head and kissed her hair. Then, he slowly tightened his hold around her¡­

    That night, Raeleigh apanied Santiago on the roof of the hospital. By the time they came down, it was already two o¡¯clock the next morning. This was the first time they had seen the streets empty. It was only just the two of them. They stood aloneunder the moonlight.Shaney was spending the night with Deanna, so they did not have to rush. They took their time and strolled along the empty streets.

    Raeleigh knew that she would remember this moment for the rest of her life, but she did not want Santiago to apany her to walk the long roadahead of her.

    Standing in front of the door of the Jack Town Hotel, Santiago put his hands in his pockets and looked up at the que of the Jack Town Hotel. Raeleigh had never seen anyone who could wear such a colourful coat. Santiago was the only one who could pull it off.

    However, Santiago did not turn around. He smiled brightly. His face was clean and clear.

    All of this seemed to have been decided long ago, but Raeleigh could not imagine this was the same arrogant boy she met years ago.

    Santiago said, ¡°I love you!¡±

    Raeleigh froze. Santiago turned around, walked to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Do you love me?¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile, ¡°Yes, I do.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±

    Santiago lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh on the cheek. Then, he smiled and said, ¡°I will not give in to my brother in my next life!¡±

    Raeleigh said as tears welled up in her eyes, ¡°What if there is no next life?¡±

    ¡°There will be!¡±

    He was so determined. He turned and walked forward. Raeleigh turned around and looked at him, the wind blowing his clothes. He never made promises, but this time he did.

    Raeleigh quickly followed him. After a while, she asked, ¡°Are you going to see Cynthia?¡±

    Santiago nced at Raeleigh. ¡°Mind your own business.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I heard from Jacky that she¡¯s in Waverly Vige.¡±

    ¡°Really? Where?¡± Santiago nced around but he was not angry. Raeleigh smiled. ¡°This is what makes you better than your brother. He will test me and wants me to give him everything. You¡¯re the exact opposite. You¡¯re good to me and very considerate.¡±

    ¡°Since you put it that way, then why don¡¯t you marry me instead? It¡¯s no good to suffer together with him. He is so narrow-minded, but he met this fool.¡±

    Santiago raised his hand and gently hit Raeleigh¡¯s head. Raeleigh rubbed her head and red at Santiago. Santiago pulled her hand away and said, ¡°I know I said I will not hit you, but as soon as I see you, I just feel like hitting you.¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her head and turned away. Santiago followed her.

    They were not far from each other, but it seemed that they were worlds apart.

    Raeleigh kept on walking until she stopped in front of Cynthia¡¯s house. She wiped her tears and turned to look at Santiago. Then, Raeleigh knocked on the door.

    Santiago stood behind Raeleigh. It was already past three in the morning. After Raeleigh knocked on the door, it took a long time before someone finally answered the door.

    The door opened. Cynthia stood inside and looked at Santiago and Raeleigh nkly. She was stunned for a moment.

 Chapter 1824 The Whole World Hates Him

    Raeleigh and Santiago were sitting next to each other on the couch, leaning against each other. Cynthia ced two sses of water on the table and sat opposite them.

    Cynthia observed the two people in front of her and asked, ¡°Are the two of you together now?¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯re not.¡± Raeleigh said. Santiago briefly looked over at Raeleigh. Then, he leaned back in his seat and studied Cynthia¡¯s house.

    Cynthia said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what happened to your brother.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s all in the past. These kinds of things, we will not understand unless we experience them. I understand your difficulties. You did it for my brother and yourself.¡±

    ¡°I hope your brother thinks so too.¡±

    ¡°Of course. He¡¯s about to have his first child.¡± Cynthia was stunned when she heard Raeleigh¡¯s words. Then, she asked about Xanthus. At this time, Santiago had already stood up and was looking out the door.

    Cynthia kept her eyes on Santiago when she realised that he was about to leave. Raeleigh remained seated on the couch and sighed. Cynthia liked Jared because he resembled Santiago. That was why she fell in love with Jared very quickly and easily.

    Santiago stood there for a moment and looked at the time. ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb you. I think we¡¯re going to make a move.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to stay a little longer? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to fall back asleep.¡±

    Cynthia immediately stood up, unwilling to part with Raeleigh and Santiago. She wanted to save their rtionship, but Santiago was no longer what he used to be.

    He no longer treated her as his confidante.

    Raeleigh looked at Santiago, who was waiting at the door, and asked, ¡°Santiago, do you want to take a rest here? By the time we head home, it¡¯ll be dawn.¡±

    Santiago ignored Raeleigh, opened the door and walked out. Raeleigh had no choice but to apologise to Cynthia. Then, she turned around and followed Santiago out.

    Cynthia chased after them in a hurry. By then, Raeleigh and Santiago walked some distance. Cynthia caught up to Santiago and wrapped her arms around his waist.

    Santiago¡¯s body trembled a little. It was not because his heart was trembling, but because Cynthia was hugging him from behind.

    ¡°Santiago¡­¡±

    Santiago raised his hands to push Cynthia¡¯s hands away. Then, he continued walking without looking back. Raeleigh stood there and looked at Cynthia. She was not sure whether Cynthia was still in love with Santiago or was just feeling lonely.

    ¡°Hurry up.¡±

    Santiago beckoned Raeleigh. It was only then Raeleigh turned around and continued walking.

    Just as she started walking, she heard Cynthia¡¯s cries behind her. She briefly stopped and turned around. She was met with Cynthia kneeling on the ground, crying.

    Raeleigh turned back around and caught up to Santiago. Then, she said, ¡°How can you be so heartless? Aren¡¯t you¡­¡±

    ¡°I have never loved her before. How can you call me heartless?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°But I thought¡­¡±

    ¡°I tricked her because I couldn¡¯t ignore her, but sheput her faith in luck.She felt that as long as she stayed by your side, I would be able to return. She used you and she also used your brother.¡±

    Santiago turned around and walked towards the house. Raeleigh thought for a while and then followed him back.

    Even so, Cynthia already had nothing left.

    Soon, Raeleigh arrived back at the house. She froze for a moment just as she was about to enter her house. She did not expect that Jepherson would show up at this time.

    Santiago nced at Jepherson impatiently before entering the house. Raeleigh stopped and looked at him, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re leaving?¡±

    Raeleigh froze again. She knew that he must have been waiting here for a long time. Not only that, he probably also knew where they went.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m leaving. Shaney¡¯s currently with Jacky. Why don¡¯t youe overter? Then, you can meet her for onest time.¡±

    Raeleigh said as she entered the house. Jepherson then said, ¡°I just want to remind you toe home once you¡¯re done travelling the world. I¡¯ll be waiting for you right here!¡±

    Raeleigh stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Jepherson. She looked at him in confusion. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m going to wait for you here. I will not leave until youe back.¡±

    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    They looked at each other. This was not the Jepherson that Raeleigh knew. She looked at him for a while before entering the house.

    When Raeleigh entered the house, she realised that Santiago had gone upstairs to rest. So, she made her way upstairs. As soon as she arrived upstairs, she heard Santiago say, ¡°He probably has no other way.¡±

    Raeleigh stood at the stairs, staring at Santiago. He was lying on the floor. He had changed into his pyjamas and was ready to sleep.

    Raeleigh walked over and sat beside him. ¡°Do you hate him?¡±

    Santiago smiled. ¡°A little.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°He gave me a chance to love you, but he took you as his own. He¡¯s not a good brother. It¡¯s like he¡¯s willing to share his toys with me, but not allowing me to y with them.¡±

    Santiago smiled brightly, but Raeleigh could not bear it. It was as if all her emotions were frozen.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    No matter how happy they were in this moment, it would still fade away!

    In the morning, the sun was shining brightly in the skies. Raeleighy in the quilt, while Santiago had his arms underneath the pillow as he slept. The two of them were breathing in the same air.

    Jepherson stood below and looked up. He waited until Deanna came out for breakfast.

    When Jepherson saw Deanna, he quickly walked over to see Shaney.

    Deanna looked displeased. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Shaney, I wouldn¡¯t have let youe into my house.¡±

    Deanna said unhappily to Jepherson as soon as he arrived at the door. Jepherson then entered the house and realized that his daughter was already awake.

    Shaney raised her head and looked at Jepherson. After a while, she raised her hands, gesturing for her father to carry her. Jepherson was somewhat surprised. However, he still carried Shaney over to the sofa and sat down.

    Deanna walked over and sat down. She leaned against the sofa and said, ¡°If you still love Raeleigh, then you should tell her. Your impulsive behaviour is what ruined your past rtionship.¡±

    Jepherson looked up at Deanna. It was as if he did not understand her words. There was a look of confusion in his eyes.

    Deanna said, ¡°You should know that it¡¯s ridiculous for Santiago and Raeleigh to get together, yet you indulge him. You treat Raeleigh like a pet. You hold her in your arms when you feel like it and when you don¡¯t, you shove her aside. You let Santiago have her. Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s something wrong?

    If you love someone, you would want her by your side all the time. You would not let anyone touch her.

    Sometimes I wonder, do you have any brains?¡±

    Deanna pped her hands together.

    Jepherson said, ¡°I never regarded Raeleigh as a nobody. I just don¡¯t want her to be in danger. I just don¡¯t want Santiago to think that I¡¯m getting in between him and Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh belongs solely to me.

    I trust them and know that nothing will happen between them.

    However, I was wrong and I can¡¯t change it.

    Raeleigh loves me. She is very tired and needs to rest. I will wait for her. I will wait for her toe back.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! By then, you¡¯ll be old and grey. Are you going to wait for her for the rest of your life?¡± Deanna rolled her eyes at Jepherson.

    If Jacky did not bring his son down from upstairs, Deanna probably would have made things worse.

    In the entire world, the one person that Deanna hated the most was Jepherson.

 Chapter 1825 Unable To Move

    Raeleigh did not wake up until afternoon. When she woke up, Santiago was not in the room. There was no one in the house.

    Raeleigh walked downstairs and went outside. She found Deanna in the garden, about to barbecue some meat. Jepherson was ying with Shaney in his arms. When Raeleigh came out, she was met with this scene.

    Jepherson saw Raeleighing out of the house from afar. He brought Shaney to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re up?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, not knowing how to feel.

    ¡°Shaney, why don¡¯t you go and y with Cedric and Heitor for a while? I want to take a walk with your father.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Then, Jepherson put her on the ground and she went in search of Cedric and Heitor. Raeleigh looked at Jepherson and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°Up ahead.¡±

    Raeleigh then walked in that direction. Jepherson followed closely behind. Both of them were silent.

    Shaney returned to Santiago¡¯s side. Casting a nce over Raeleigh¡¯s direction, Santiago then withdrew his gaze and continued to cook the meat.

    Jacky sat down and asked, ¡°Are you really nning on bringing Raeleigh along with you?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡±

    ¡°I mean why don¡¯t you each go your own way? I think it¡¯s better that way.¡±

    Santiago looked at Jacky. ¡°If it was Deanna, would you still say the same thing?¡±

    ¡°There is no if. You can only me this on fate. This is the biggest issue between you two.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe in fate¡±

    ¡°What about destiny?¡±

    ¡°Destiny?¡± Santiago thought for a long time. ¡°I don¡¯t believe in it either.¡±

    ¡°Santiago, you are a smart person. Raeleigh can¡¯t ignore you and your brother doesn¡¯t want to hurt you.¡±

    Santiago nced at Jacky. ¡°There are some things that you don¡¯t have to tell me.¡±

    Jacky snorted.

    Jacky smiled as he looked at his two sons who were standing beside him, scarfing down the barbecued meat. Then, he nced over at Deanna¡¯s abdomen.

    ¡°I¡¯m relieved that you are willing to bring Cedric and Heitor along with you. We¡¯re having a girl this time.¡±

    Santiago nced at them. ¡°Your sons are very yful.¡±

    Jackyughed, ¡°I mean, with them around, you won¡¯t have to worry about Shaney getting bullied.¡±

    ¡°What I¡¯m more afraid of is that a thief is living in my house.¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid of? With me and Deanna around, Shaney won¡¯t lose out.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easy for you to say. What if your sons¡­¡±

    ¡°There is no if. Even if there is, it¡¯s just a misunderstanding, it wille to an end one day.¡±

    Jacky picked up Cedric and looked at Heitor, ¡°Heitor,e here. I want to ask you something.¡±

    With Cedric in his arms and Heitor in front of him, Jacky asked, ¡°If I bought something for you two, what must you do?¡±

    ¡°I must let Cedric have it first,¡± Heitor said. Jacky asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because he¡¯s my younger brother. He has to listen to me.¡±

    The corners of Santiago¡¯s lips curled upward as Heitor spoke.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Jacky looked at Cedric and said, ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°I will leave it for my brother because I want the best for him.¡±

    Jacky released Cedric and looked at Santiago. ¡°If a child can understand this principle, I¡¯m sure you can too.¡±

    Santiagoughed. ¡°One can only choose between the queen and the princess. Since you gave the queen to your older son, then your youngest son can only have the princess.¡±

    ¡°But there are people who would choose both.¡±

    Jacky looked over to Jepherson. Santiago smiled. ¡°Isthere nothing better for you to do?¡±

    ¡°No. If I do, why would I give my sons to you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want your sons. I¡¯ll bring them back sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go, stay here.¡±

    Santiago did not reply. He looked over at Raeleigh.

    There was no turning back now.

    After walking for a while, Raeleigh asked, ¡°Do you trust me?¡±

    Jepherson said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson. He paused for a moment and stared at Raeleigh. ¡°Who¡¯s the father?¡±

    ¡°Santiago.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Jepherson before turning around. She said while walking, ¡°It was unnned.¡±

    Jepherson stood in his spot for a long time before walking over. ¡°You should keep the baby.¡±

    Raeleigh paused and asked, ¡°You want me to keep it because it¡¯s mine or because it¡¯s Santiago¡¯s?¡±

    Jepherson thought for a moment. ¡°I want you to keep it because you and Santiago made the baby.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her eyebrows slightly. ¡°I am not sure whether I will be happy if others give birth to a baby for him. Even if you had a baby with another man, I will not want you to keep it.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson¡¯s indifferent expression. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    Jephersonughed. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Is this called betrayal? Your brother, whom you trust most, betrayed you. He and the woman, who you loved, did something that you did not expect.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s face was pale as a sheet. ¡°Why are you doing this? Why are you telling me now?¡±

    ¡°Because I am leaving and I will nevere back.

    For you, for me, and for Santiago, staying here is likebeing stuck in an abyss, but if we leave, it¡¯llindicate a new start.

    We want to go to a ce where no one knows us. Then, we¡¯ll be able to live our own lives.¡±

    ¡°What is your heart made of? You know I can¡¯t bear it, yet you still want to tell me. Do you want me to die?¡±

    Raeleigh stared at Jepherson¡¯s pale face. He looked as calm as before. ¡°Everyone has to pay for their mistakes.

    You are no longer a child. There is a price to pay for fooling around.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t fooling around with you.¡±

    ¡°You were.¡± Anger suddenly welled up in Raeleigh¡¯s chest.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡±

    Jepherson shouted at Raeleigh exasperatedly.

    When he raised his voice, everyone heard him. Santiago stood up and walked towards Raeleigh. Jacky felt that something was wrong, so quickly handed his son to Deanna and followed Santiago. He wanted to stop Santiago from going over to Raeleigh and Jepherson.

    However, Santiago pushed Jacky away and pointed at him. ¡°Do not follow me.¡±

    Jacky stopped. ¡°Santiago, this isn¡¯t a joke. He¡¯s your brother.¡±

    ¡°I said, do not follow me.¡±

    Santiago turned around and walked towards Raeleigh. Raeleigh said to Jepherson, ¡°You are the one who sent me away and now you regret your decision. What the hell are you thinking?¡±

    Jepherson gritted his teeth. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I want to¡­¡±

    Raeleigh saw Santiagoing over and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to argue with you anymore. Stay away from me.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and walked over to Santiago. Before Santiago could reach her, she jumped on him, stood on tiptoe, held his neck and kissed his lips. Santiago¡¯s body trembled. His hands paused in midair as he frowned. Then, he slowly put his hand down and wrapped his arms around Raeleigh.

    He pulled apart and stared at Raeleigh, frowning.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Raeleigh held Santiago¡¯s hand and walked back to Deanna. Santiago picked up Shaney and Raeleigh went to get her luggage. She did not stay for lunch. She just disappeared in the blink of an eye.

    After the car left, Deanna looked over at Jepherson and pouted. She instantly knew that their rtionship was over for good this time.

    Jacky waited for Santiago and Raeleigh to leave before walking over to Jepherson. ¡°Do you need a ride?¡±

    Jepherson shook his head and said, ¡°I want to lie down for a while. I won¡¯t be heading home today.¡±

    Jepherson suddenly felt heavy in his legs. He dragged his legs towards Raeleigh¡¯s house. When he finally arrived, he entered the door and walked to the staircase. Then, he sat down and leaned against the railing before narrowing his eyes slightly. It took him a long time to recover.

    ¡­

 Chapter 1826 So What?

    Five yearster.

    In a coastal city.

    There were countless reporters waiting for Raeleigh outside of the airport. As soon as she walked out of the airport, the people around her began to take pictures, while some people were screaming at her.

    Raeleigh wore a pair of ck sunsses to cover her face. Her lips were red. She smiled at the people around her and greeted them politely. Her long curly hair was tied up in a loose ponytail. She was immediately surrounded by people as soon as she walked out of the airport.

    Soon, a man emerged and quickly shielded Raeleigh from the people. Raeleigh politely apologised and hurried away.

    Raeleigh used a special passage way to exit the airport. As she walked, she briefly took a look at her watch and realised that she was runningte!

    The more she rushed, the higher the chances that things would go wrong. Just as she turned the corner to the special passageway, she walked into a person. Raeleigh had no time to avoid and quickly fell down.

    ¡°Ouch!¡±

    Raeleigh took a breath. ¡°My foot!¡±

    The assistant hurried over to see Raeleigh. The person who had just knocked into Raeleigh stopped and looked down at her. If she did not speak, Jepherson would definitely not have recognised her.

    The assistant said, ¡°Mr. Richards¡­¡±

    Jepherson did not say anything but just knelt on the ground, looking at Raeleigh¡¯s face. Raeleigh slowly raised her head, but Jepherson was quicker.

    Jepherson reached out to take off the sunsses on Raeleigh¡¯s face and looked at her carefully. He was lost in thought.

    Raeleigh was about to get up but Jepherson picked her up in his arms.

    ¡°Cancel all my meetings for the recent month.¡±

    Jepherson walked out with Raeleigh in his arms. Raeleigh¡¯s assistant immediately followed, but Jepherson¡¯s assistant quickly stopped her and handed over the luggage to her.

    Raeleigh intended to pretend that she did not know Jepherson. However, when Raeleigh saw the cold look on Jepherson¡¯s face, her heart trembled a little.

    What was Jepherson doing here? This ce was hundreds of thousands of miles away from Capital City and she had just returned.

    Raeleigh had a new project here. She dared not venture into the car business because Jepherson was a car mogul. So, she decided to venture into fashion design instead. She would ept orders online and then manufacture them. She had been running her business for several years and now, she had severalpanies all around the world. This country was herst stop.

    Originally, Raeleigh did not want toe. However, severalpanies invited her, so she had to find a developing city like this one. Raeleigh had no idea who leaked the news that she wasing.

    Raeleigh also had no idea how those reporters ended up in this coastal city.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    As soon as they emerged, a group of reporters began to take photos and Jepherson¡¯s assistant immediately stopped them. However, Jepherson asked him to move away. He stood there and allowed the people to take photos of him and Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh tried to avoid being photographed and did her best not to show her face to the people.

    Then, Jepherson¡¯s assistant opened the car door. Jepherson got in the car with Raeleigh in his arms.

    The driver briefly looked at them before starting the car and driving towards the hospital as per Jepherson¡¯s orders.

    Once they arrived, Jepherson got out of the car and walked into the hospital with Raeleigh in his arms. Raeleigh was in a huge amount of pain. Small beads ofsweatformed on herforehead.

    Jepherson was quite displeased with her.

    ¡°How old are you now? Why are you still so careless?¡±

    Raeleigh was in no mood to argue as she was in a lot of pain.

    Jepherson carried Raeleigh to the treatment room. When they entered, Jepherson did not let go of her and held her while the doctor gave her an examination. ¡°Looks like she sprained her ankle. She will need to stay off her feet for one week.¡±

    Jepherson raised his eyebrows. At that moment, he looked extremely handsome. Raeleigh stared at him and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Jepherson was expressionless, his eyes deep and bottomless.

    Raeleigh thought for a while and said, ¡°Can you please get me my phone?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s yourst name, Miss?¡±

    Raeleigh froze. Did Jepherson lose his memory?

    ¡°Osteen.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your first name?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer and just stared at Jepherson. She knew he must have done it on purpose.

    Raeleigh remained silent for a long time. Jepherson waited as the doctorwrap her sprained ankle.Then, he walked out of the room with Raeleigh in his arms. Raeleigh said to Jepherson, ¡°Can you please take me to my hotel. I¡¯ll be¡­¡±

    ¡°You look like someone I know.¡±

    Raeleigh took a deep breath.

    Jepherson lifted her body and looked at Raeleigh carefully. ¡°But I haven¡¯t seen her in a long time. I almost forgot what she looks like.¡±

    ¡°Can you please put me down?¡±

    ¡°The doctor said that you have to stay off your feet.¡±

    Raeleigh was carried into the car. Soon, the car pulled up at Raeleigh¡¯s hotel. Jepherson then carried Raeleigh into the hotel and up to the room. Jepherson¡¯s assistant brought his luggage to the room and closed the door. Raeleigh wanted to leave, but she couldn¡¯t, so she just stared at Jepherson.

    ¡°Give me my phone.¡±

    ¡°I have no idea where your phone is. Miss Osteen, are you afraid of me?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Jepherson locked the door and took off his clothes. Then, he took his pyjamas and went into the bathroom to take shower. Raeleigh wanted to leave, but she couldn¡¯t walk.

    As the time passed, Raeleigh became more and more nervous. She clenched her fists tightly.

    Crack!

    Jepherson opened the door and emerged from the bathroom. Raeleigh was frightened as she looked towards the bathroom door.

    Jepherson came out of the bathroom wearing purple pajamas. Closing the door, he sat on the bed. Raeleigh quickly moved to one side.

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around like that.¡±

    ¡°The person who lied to me most in my life is you. I wonder who you are with now? Austin or Santiago?¡±

    Raeleigh pursed her lips. ¡°Jepherson, you¡¯re ruthless. Don¡¯t go too far.¡±

    ¡°Like you don¡¯t? You¡¯ve deceived me over and over again and even took my daughter away.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ erm¡­¡±

    Just as Raeleigh opened her mouth, Jepherson suddenly kissed her. Raeleigh hurriedly avoided his kiss, but Jepherson wrapped his hands around Raeleigh¡¯s body tightly¡­

    ¡°Ummm¡­¡±

    When Raeleigh was struggling, she identally kicked her own foot. She was in great pain and shed tears. Jepherson suddenly pulled away and cursed in a low voice, ¡°D*mn it!¡±

    Raeleigh froze and wondered since when did Jepherson learn to curse?

    Jepherson immediately got up and checked Raeleigh¡¯s feet. He would not be relieved until he made sure that there was nothing wrong.

    Raeleigh frowned as she looked at him. Then, Jepherson asked, ¡°What are you looking at? Do I look old?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Jepherson was 32 years old this year.

    He was not old. He was just mature.

    Before Raeleigh could speak, Jepherson lowered his head and kissed Raeleigh¡¯s lips. ¡°What perfume are you using? It¡¯s strong.¡±

    Raeleigh turned her face away. Jepherson took Raeleigh¡¯s hand and kissed her. ¡°Where do you think you can go this time?¡±

    Raeleigh wanted to pull away, but Jepherson kissed her lips and sucked hard. Raeleigh suddenly felt a pain. It was as if she had been bitten.

    Raeleigh could not seem to push him away, so she had to surrender to him.

    Raeleigh slowly woke up the next morning. Jepherson slept beside her with his arms around her waist. Raeleigh recalled the painful feeling when Jepherson kissed herst night.

    They both knew that things hadn¡¯t changed at all these years, but¡­

    Raeleigh¡¯s hand moved. Jepherson tightened his arm. ¡°You¡¯re up early. Does your feet still hurt?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Jepherson. ¡°How did you find me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that hard to find you.¡±

    ¡°Not many people know that I¡¯ll being.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡±

    Raeleigh turned away. ¡°Yes, so what?¡± She thought.

    ¡­

 Chapter 1827 Not Santiago, Then Who?

    Raeleigh¡¯s breakfast was eaten by Jepherson. Raeleigh still felt tired when she woke up. Perhaps it was because age was catching up to her. As shey in bed, she felt as if shecked energy.

    Jepherson, who was sitting on the other side of the bed, was buttoning up his white shirt with his back to Raeleigh. Raeleigh looked like she was asleep, but in fact, she was too tired to open her eyes.

    Raeleigh closed her eyes and flipped over on the bed after a long time. By then, she had already fallen asleep.

    Jepherson stood up and briefly nced at Raeleigh. Then, he turned around and walked out the door. He gently closed the door behind him and instructed the person guarding the door, ¡°Please keep an eye on her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Richards.¡±

    After that, Jepherson made his way to the hotel elevator, where he was greeted by an anxious looking person.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Richards. I had no idea that you were the president of the Richards Group. I am not sure what Miss Anson did to offend you, but I hope that you can forgive her. Please let Miss Anson go and we can discuss how to resolve this matter.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s assistant, Kenny said. He sounded a little panicky. He had been working for Raeleigh for more than a year, but this was the first time he hade across such a problem.

    Jepherson nced over at Kenny. ¡°Does Miss Anson have a daughter?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±Kenny was a little confused. He wondered whether Jepherson was nning on kidnapping Raeleigh¡¯s daughter?

    ¡°Is her name Shaney?¡±

    Kenny immediately nodded. ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°She is my only heir. Do you know what that means?¡± Jepherson looked Kenny straight in the eyes. At that moment, Kenny was in great astonishment and immediately realised something.

    ¡°Miss Anson is¡­¡±

    ¡°Miss Anson is my wife. We had a misunderstanding a couple years ago, so she took Shaney away. This is the reason why I came here to see her.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Kenny was even more confused. Jepherson said, ¡°I used Imperium Building as a cover to lure her over here, but I did specifically set up thepany just for her. Everything here isthe real deal.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson turned around and looked at his bodyguard.

    Jepherson said, ¡°Inform Mr. and Madam Richards that Madam Raeleigh is back?¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson turned around and he nced at Kenny. Then, he said, ¡°You can leave if you have nothing else.¡±

    It took a while for Kenny toe back to his senses. He asked, ¡°What about Miss Anson?¡±

    ¡°She will be fine. The doctor said that she should stay off her feet for one week. I think you know what it means.¡±

    After saying that, Jepherson went back to the room. Kenny stood there and wondered whether it was really the doctor¡¯s orders or Jepherson just made it up?

    Kenny then immediately called Xanthus. When Xanthus received the call, he was on his way to the hospital with Maverly, who was about to give birth. This was their third child in five years.

    Xanthus was surprised when he received Kenny¡¯s call. He frowned and asked, ¡°Did you see Jepherson?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did. He told me¡­¡±

    ¡°What did he say?¡±

    Xanthus¡¯s face sank slightly. He had already warned Raeleigh not to go back, but she still could not resist the offer.

    ¡°He said that Miss Shaney is his only heir.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! He¡¯s shameless! Why did he not find her back then? Why now? When Shaney is all grown up. I wondered what he was up to? Nothing falls from the sky. It¡¯s alright, I know what to do. I am a little busy now. You do what you have to do. I¡¯lle over in a few days.¡±

    It was not that Xanthus was worried about Raeleigh¡¯s safety because he knew that Jepherson would not hurt her.

    ¡­

    Kenny had no idea.

    When Jepherson entered the room, Raeleigh was still sleeping. He walked over to her side of the bed to check on her feet. After making sure that her feet were fine, he then took a seat on the couch. After a while, he stood up and went to lie on the bed. He put his hand on Raeleigh¡¯s. Although they had been separate for several years, all of a sudden it seemed like someone had turned back the clock.

    In the past five years, a lot has changed. Both he and Raeleigh had changed. The only thing that remained unchanged was his heart.

    Soon, Jepherson fell asleep. The two of them spent the entire day sleeping in the room. They were both exhausted and did not wake up until the next morning.

    When Raeleigh woke up the next morning, she felt the pain all over her body. Just when she moved, Jepherson immediately got up from the side and pressed down on Raeleigh¡¯s body. Then, he lifted Raeleigh¡¯s injured foot. Raeleigh gasped, ¡°Jepherson, you are crazy, this¡­ is..¡±

    Before Raeleigh could finish her words, Jepherson had already covered her mouth. She tried her best to shrug off his hand, but he was not in a hurry to do anything. Raeleigh wanted to reject his advances, but then¡­

    Raeleigh was nestled in the quilt. She held the quilt and could barely keep her eyes opened. She was still exhausted andcked energy. Even if Jepherson wanted to do something, she had no strength to refuse.

    After a long time, Jepherson lit a cigarette and sat on the bed to smoke. Raeleigh smelt the smoke and turned to look at Jepherson. ¡°Since when do you smoke?¡±

    ¡°Since a long time ago. Did you not know?¡±

    Raeleigh knew that Jepherson smoked, but she did not know that he was addicted to it.

    After taking two puffs, Jepherson put the cigarette into the ashtray and turned to Raeleigh. ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards¡­¡±

    ¡°Jepherson.¡±

    Raeleigh was silent for a moment. ¡°I think we should have a good talk. After all, you are Shaney¡¯s father.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to talk about?¡± Jepherson rose to his feet. He wasswollen with inordinate arrogance. It was as if this was all Raeleigh¡¯s fault.

    Raeleigh got up from the bed and wrapped herself in a quilt. Jepherson had intended to go to the bathroom, but when he saw Raeleigh sit up, he sat down again. ¡°What¡¯s there to be ashamed of? I¡¯ve seen everything. Are you still afraid of me?¡±

    Raeleigh said in amusement, ¡°Normal people will have this kind of reaction. Besides, we are no longer as close as we¡¯re used to be. The reason why I¡¯m still here is not because I want to stay, it¡¯s because you refrain me from leaving.¡±

    ¡°Are you telling me that you were dreaming when you were screaming underneath me yesterday?¡± Jepherson gave her a coy look. Raeleigh¡¯s face instantly turned red, ¡°Obviously, it was you who forced me. In that case, I¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me guess, you couldn¡¯t do anything?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. She did not expect that they would meet again five yearster. The once gentle Jepherson seemed to have gone rogue.

    Raeleigh lowered her head. ¡°Shaney is growing up very quickly. I hope you will note in between us. I¡­¡±

    ¡°What about the baby you had with Santiago?¡± Jepherson suddenly asked. Raeleigh was a little confused. She remembered back then she just said it casually because she wanted to cut ties with him. At this moment, she did not know how to justify herself.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Santiago?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s busy.¡±

    ¡°Remember yesterday you asked me, how did I know that you were here?¡± Jepherson asked. Raeleigh then said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡±

    At first, Raeleigh thought it was Santiago, but now she did not think so. She knew he would not do that.

    But if it wasn¡¯t Santiago, then who was it?

 Chapter 1828 Shy

    ¡°You don¡¯t admit it? Fine. You¡¯ve changed a lot in thest five years. I¡¯ll take care of you these next few days until your feet recover. After that, you¡¯ll have to apany me to several events. Then, depending on my mood, I will only decide whether to let you go.¡±

    Jepherson sounded sincere, but Raeleigh knew that he was lying. He would not be so kind to let her go.

    But at this moment, Raeleigh could not leave even if she wanted to. She could only sit there and stare nkly.

    The corners of Jepherson¡¯s mouth twitched. He went over to Raeleigh and kissed her. Raeleigh did not refuse. He pulled the quilt from Raeleigh¡¯s hand, then groped Raeleigh¡¯s chest. Raeleigh felt that she was being disrespected, so she raised her hand to stop him, but he did not stop, instead, his hands started to wander along her body.

    This was how Raeleigh spent the next few days. During this period, she barely ate. If she wasn¡¯t sleeping, then she would be having sex with Jepherson. Sometimes she wondered whether he was possessed as he did evil things to her body. However, during this time, he did not even mention anything about their rtionship.

    It took exactly one week for Raeleigh¡¯s feet to fully recover. Just as she was about to get out of bed, Jepherson pulled her into his arms and carried her straight into the bathroom, where he demanded for more of her body. During the past week, Raeleigh¡¯s mind was in a mess. She had nned to talk to Jepherson about the things that happened between them. However, Jepherson did not say anything. He only wanted her body.

    Raeleigh could feel that Jepherson was getting tired as the days went by.

    This kind of thing could even exhaust a person to death.

    He did not eat nor drink and would only want to make love with her. It would be weird if he wasn¡¯t tired.

    However, even though Jepherson had lost weight, he was still very good looking. This was what Raeleigh felt.

    When he finished, he leaned against the bathtub, closing his eyes and looking up. He held Raeleigh in his arms and kept stroking her body.

    Raeleigh blushed. What could she say at this time?Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°Does your foot still hurt?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Jepherson smirked and said, ¡°If it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore, then I need you toe with me to an event.¡±

    ¡°Can we talk?¡± Raeleigh turned around and faced Jepherson. They had spent seven days in bed together. They were basically inseparable for the past week.

    Jepherson raised his hand to hold Raeleigh. ¡°One month.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°If you agree to stay with me for one month, then I¡¯ll let you go, but Santiago must not find out.¡±

    Raeleigh frowned slightly. ¡°Do you know what you are doing?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s you who don¡¯t.¡±

    They looked at each other. Raeleigh knew exactly what Jepherson wanted, so she did not say a word and kept looking at Jepherson.

    Even so, Raeleigh did no attempt to change Jepherson¡¯s mind.

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh closer and began to kiss her passionately that she was nearly out of breath by the time they pulled apart. Then, he rested for a while before he stood up and went out.

    When Raeleigh opened her eyes, she felt a little dizzy. She stood in front of the mirror looking at her body and did not know what to say. It was covered in red marks.

    Sleeping with Jepherson was like sleeping with a perverted beast. He constantly demanded for more. She had no idea what he actually wanted.

    How could he still be like this after so many years? He did not change at all. Was it really impossible for him to change?

    After standing in front of the mirror for a few minutes, Raeleigh reached out for the blue towel in front of her. She looked at the towel before she opened it to wrap it around her body. At this moment, Jepherson re-entered the bathroom. When he saw Raeleigh appreciating her own body in the mirror, he immediately became aroused.

    Jepherson looked down for a moment and ced the two bottles of milk in his hand by the sink. Then he walked towards Raeleigh and stood behind her. Jepherson immediately groped Raeleigh¡¯s chest. Then, he lowered his head and stroked her shoulder while breathing her in.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I can¡¯t do it anymore. I¡¯m really exhausted.¡±

    Jepherson smirked.

    Jepherson then reached out for Raeleigh¡¯s hand, wanting her to feel his arousal. However, Raeleigh quickly withdrew her hand.

    Raeleigh started blushing furiously and wanted to leave, but Jepherson immediately grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her up against the wall. Then, he took off his bathrobe and held her in his arms.

    Since Raeleigh was unwilling to cooperate, Jepherson could only force her. It was then, Raeleigh suddenly passed out.

    ¡°Raeleigh¡­ Raeleigh¡­¡± Jepherson was frightened. No matter how hard he pped Raeleigh¡¯s face, she did not respond. Jepherson bent down and picked her up. Then, he hurriedly put on his clothes and brought her to the hospital.

    The doctor said that she passed out due to fatigue.

    Jepherson sat by Raeleigh¡¯s bedside, his heart pounding in his chest. Raeleigh¡¯s hand was about to be crushed by Jepherson¡¯s squeezing.

    When Raeleigh woke up, she saw that Jepherson was still in his pyjamas.

    When she saw Jepherson, she felt as if she was in a dream. It took her a long time toe back to her senses. When Jepherson felt her moving, he immediately stood up and went to call the doctor over.

    The doctors then gave Raeleigh a quick examination. Raeleigh seemed to have no strength left in her body. Jepherson¡¯s handsome face darkened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her? Why is she still so weak?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, we¡¯ve tried our best, but¡­¡± The doctor was in a dilemma. He could tell that Raeleigh was experiencing fatigue because she must have tried to amodate Jepherson¡¯s sexual desires. How could he tell Jepherson that?

    ¡°But what?¡± Jepherson demanded.

    ¡°It seems that the patient is in poor health. It¡¯s rare to see heart failure at this age, but it seems like that is what caused her to pass out.¡±

    ¡°Heart failure?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are several types, but it¡¯s mainly cause by overexertion.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already used the best medication for her. In order for her to fully recover, she needs to take a good rest.¡±

    Jepherson looked gloomy and said, ¡°Alright. You may leave now.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Richards, you¡¯d better take her to a better hospital as our resources are limited. It¡¯s best for her to receive treatment as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    The doctors soon left the room. Jepherson looked at Raeleigh lying on the bed and held her hands without saying anything.

    ¡°I need to use the bathroom.¡±

    Jepherson did not let go of Raeleigh¡¯s hand. He bent down and carried Raeleigh off the bed. Then, he turned around and went to the bathroom. He set Raeleigh down on her feet as soon as they entered the door. Raeleigh was wearing her own pyjamas without shoes.

    Raeleigh could not stand still. Jepherson had to support her by her waist. They stared at each other. Jepherson said, ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡±

    Raeleigh could tell that Jepherson was remorseful.

    Jepherson held Raeleigh¡¯s hand, bent down to open the toilet bowl and wiped the toilet before allowing Raeleigh to sit down. Jepherson stood in front of her as she relieved herself. She felt slightly embarrassed and started blushing.

    In fact, they both knew that they had been single all these years. If there really was someone else, they would know.

    Jepherson asked, ¡°What? Are you shy?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer but lowered her head.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen everything. What is there to be shy about?¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°You¡¯d better wait outside. I will call you when I¡¯m done.¡±

 Chapter 1829 Chance Encounter

    Jepherson turned around, walked to the door and waited for Raeleigh outside. It was only after she relieved herself that Jepherson turned around. By then, Raeleigh had already stood up. Jepherson walked over to her and carried her to the bed. After that, he fetched a basin of water to clean Raeleigh¡¯s feet.

    Raeleigh watched as Jepherson returned to the bathroom to pour away the water. She did not say a word and also had no idea what Jepherson was up to.

    When Jepherson came back, Raeleigh was still staring at him. He looked haggard. It was as if he hadn¡¯t slept for a few days.

    ¡°I¡¯m tired. Let¡¯s both get some rest.¡±

    Jepherson then crawled into the bed next to her. Raeleigh then asked him, ¡°Did Shaney call you?¡±

    Raeleigh thought for a long time. Besides Shaney, no one else knew where she was.

    Over the past few years, Shaney had been asking about Jepherson. She enjoyed hanging out with Santiago, but ever since Raeleigh told her that Santiago was his uncle, Shaney stopped pestering Raeleigh about wanting a brother.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Although Shaney was young, she was a bright child. She was aputer genius. There were some things Raeleigh wanted to control, but she couldn¡¯t.

    Jepherson did not answer Raeleigh¡¯s question, but Raeleigh knew that she had guessed it right. After lying down, she said, ¡°What do you want to do?¡±

    ¡°I want to know what¡¯s going on between you and Santiago?¡±

    ¡°What else could it be?¡±

    ¡°Are you together or not?¡±

    ¡°Does it matter?¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t see him. You can only be his sister-inw.¡±

    ¡°Is this fair to him?¡±

    ¡°Is this fair to me?¡±

    Raeleigh closed her eyes and felt a sharp pain shot through her entire body.

    It was extremely painful.

    Raeleigh took a breath and soon sumbed to sleep.

    Raeleigh¡¯s condition was pretty serious. She barely had any strength. The next day, Jepherson decided to seek ahospital transfer for Raeleigh. Before they knew it, they were on a ne back to Capital City.

    Raeleigh looked out of the ne window and subconsciously got lost in her memories. She was heading back to a ce where she grew up, but too many things happened in theter years. Raeleigh thought that she was just having a terrible nightmare, but soon realised that it was her reality.

    By the time the nended, Jepherson¡¯s car was already waiting for them. After they disembarked, Jepherson immediately took Raeleigh straight to the hospital in Waverly Vige.

    Even the best hospitals in Capital City could not bepared to the one in Waverly Vige.

    As soon as they arrived, the doctor gave Raeleigh a thorough examination. However, Jepherson did not want her to exert any strength, so he carried her around.

    The doctor suggested to Jepherson that it was best if he used a wheelchair to avoid causing unnecessary difort to the patient.

    But Jepherson immediately refused.

    He was so eloquent that he said the doctor did not need to worry.

    Raeleigh wanted tough at that time, but others were shocked by Jepherson¡¯s upromising demeanour. No one said anything at this time.

    By the time Raeleigh was sent to the room, it was already six in the evening and the doctor was still not done examining Raeleigh. So, Jepherson suggested that he continue the examination tomorrow.

    Raeleigh immediately fell into deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

    Jepherson still had other things to do, but he decided to call it a night at nine.

    The next day, the doctor continued to examine Raeleigh. Soon, the doctor came up with a treatment n and Raeleigh immediately started with the treatment.

    But at the beginning of the treatment, Jepherson had a private conversation with the doctors.

    The content of the conversation was confidential. It was only after the conversation that Raeleigh began treatment. It only took 20 days before she fully recovered.

    The doctors also said it was rare that a patient could recover so quickly.

    Raeleigh¡¯s discharge procedure was rtivelyplicated, but it turned out that it was Jepherson who helped take care of it.

    Raeleigh did not know what to say, but she knew she had to say something.

    Deanna was stunned when she saw Raeleigh emerged from the hospital. She had her kids with her. It took her a long time before she came back to her senses.

    ¡°Raeleigh, is that really you?¡±

    Raeleigh also did not expect to bump into Deanna as soon as she stepped out of the hospital.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Hi Deanna, it¡¯s been a long time.¡±

    The Deanna that she remembered was no different than the Deanna that was standing in front of her. Raeleigh suddenly realised that Deanna did not seem to age one bit since thest time she saw her.

    Raeleigh smiled at Daenna, who immediately pulled her into the arms and gave her a big hug.

    The little girl, who was standing beside Deanna, pouted and said, ¡°Hey! That¡¯s my mother!¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment and looked down at the child. She was beautiful. Raeleigh smiled and let go of Deanna. Then, she knelt down and came face to face with the girl. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Jacqueline.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment when she heard her name.

    ¡°God¡¯s favored daughter?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°Only your father can think of such a domineering name. Where¡¯s your father? What¡¯s he doing right now?¡±

    It had been many years since shest saw Jacky. Raeleigh was suddenly very curious to know how he looked now.

    Jacqueline raised her hand and pointed to the other side. Raeleigh turned around and looked over. She saw a man was walking towards them. He was dressed very casually, like a street vendor. The moment Jacky saw Raeleigh, he stopped and asked, ¡°Hey! You¡¯re back!¡±

    They were like family members who had not seen each other for many years. Jacky knew that she would return sooner orter. Hence, he did not look nor sound surprised. Raeleigh remained silent. Jacky then looked over Raeleigh¡¯s shoulder. However, he did not see the person he was looking for. He walked over to Raeleigh¡¯s side and asked, ¡°Are you alone? Where¡¯s everyone else?¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Santiago took them on a trip. I have been travelling for about a month now. I set up my ownpany in Ocean City, but as soon as I got off the ne, I bumped into Jepherson and injured myself. I just got out of the hospital today.¡±

    Jacky immediately understood what was going on, so he looked at Jepherson. Jepherson did not say anything, but just stood aside and waited for Raeleigh.

    Jacky asked Raeleigh, ¡°Have you eaten anything?¡±

    ¡°No, not yet.¡±

    ¡°Perfect! Why don¡¯t youe over to my ce?¡±

    Jacky bent down and picked up his daughter. He kissed Jacqueline¡¯s cheek then said to her, ¡°This is the aunt that I told you about.¡±

    Jacqueline looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    Raeleigh smiled. ording to her rtionship with Deanna and Jacky, she was indeed her aunt.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Your daughter is so beautiful. Did you name your daughter after you? Isn¡¯t that a little arrogant?¡±

    Raeleigh wondered. Only a true friend would say something like that. Jacqueline was Rayan¡¯s granddaughter and Jacky¡¯s daughter. Rayan was the most powerful person in Capital City while Jacky was the most powerful person in Waverly Vige. It was probably inappropriate to give his daughter such a domineering name.

    Jacky smiled very casually, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s just a name. It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s just that there are some things that can¡¯t be changed. Even if I wanted to keep a low profile, those people might not give me a chance. So, why not go all out?¡±

    Raeleigh gently patted Jacqueline¡¯s head, ¡°But she¡¯s a girl.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it? Girls can also aplish great things. My daughter will be outstanding when she grows up.¡±

    Raeleigh knew what Jacky meant. Since he had made up his mind, she decided to drop the subject.

 Chapter 1830 His Father, Santiago

    Today, Jacky was having a barbecue, simr to the day Raleiegh left.

    Raeleigh helped out with the cooking while Jepherson watched over the children. Jacqueline could basically get along with almost anyone and immediately engaged in a conversation with Jepherson. Deanna was making some food while Raeleigh focused on roasting the skewers.

    Jacky sat next to Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Do you know that Santiago¡¯sing home today?¡±

    Raeleigh paused for a while and looked at Jacky for a long time before she said, ¡°I had no idea.¡±

    ¡°He called me and told me that he will be arriving at six in the evening. He sounded a little off.¡±

    Raeleigh took a quick nce at the time. It was already four o¡¯clock.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t he tell me?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea.¡±

    Jacky looked at Jepherson, who was ying with Jacqueline in the distance. ¡°I just have a feeling that something is about to happen. Could it be that Santiago is up to something?¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at the red string on her wrist. She never took it off. It represented their rtionship.

    ¡°I mean, if hees, it¡¯s fine. If he doesn¡¯te, it seems that I can¡¯t leave either.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still nning on leaving?¡± Jacky looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Time really flies. Ten years have passed in a sh. Do you still remember the time when we first met?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jacky. He said, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have met if it weren¡¯t for Santiago.¡±

    Raeleigh ced the cooked skewers aside. ¡°I¡¯ll go and pick them up.¡±

    ¡°I think you should stay. They are probably already¡­¡±

    Just as Jacky was speaking, a car pulled up in front of the house. Raeleigh recognised the car because it was hers.

    Raeleigh designed it herself. She was worried that something would happen to them in the wild as Santiago frequently took the kids out for camping. So, she specially designed this car, which was fully protected.

    This time, Santiago brought four of the kids out for camping. They left earlier than she did.

    Raeleigh immediately stood up when she saw the car. When the car pulled to a stop, Santiago opened the door and got out of the car.

    The children, too, got out of the car.

    Jacky¡¯s sons, Cedric and Heitor, immediately got down from the car and ran towards Jacky. He was also stunned for a moment when he realized how big and tall his sons were. They were already ten years old and were about 1. 5m tall. Raeleigh realized that Jacky did have good genes.

    Then, Shaney got off the car. For her age, she was much taller than her peers.

    Thest toe down was Forden, who was five years old this year. He was wearing a pair of sunsses to shield his eyes. He was five-year-old, but he acted like a seven year old child and he dressed very much like Santiago.

    Forden took a quick look at the surroundings. When he spotted Raeleigh, he walked towards her. He raised his head and crooked his fingers at Raeleigh. Raeleigh lowered her head and he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

    ¡°Babe, are you okay? We heard that you were sick, so we decided to change our ns and hurried over from Paneroic Ocean.¡±

    Raeleigh was a little embarrassed and remained silent. ¡°This boy¡­¡±

    Shaney appeared behind Forden and kicked him. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Forden turned around and red at Shaney. ¡°What did you kick me for?¡±

    ¡°Forden!¡±

    Forden was about to lose his temper when Santiago yelled. He immediately turned around and said, ¡°I know.¡±

    Suddenly, it was quiet. Jacqueline walked over to Forden and looked up. ¡°Why are you wearing sunsses? There¡¯s no sun.¡±

    Jacqueline raised her hand to take off Forden¡¯s sunsses, but he stopped her, ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m helping you to take off your sunsses.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. Go away.¡±

    ¡°Dad¡­¡±

    Jacqueline was upset and quickly walked towards Jacky. He picked up his daughter and looked at Forden. Then, he asked in a deep voice, ¡°Kid, do you know the consequences if you upset my daughter?¡±

    Forden raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re Jacky?¡±

    ¡°What? Did your father talked about me?¡±

    Forden looked over at Santiago, who was approaching them. ¡°My father? You mean him?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Jacky coaxed his daughter, causing the corners of Forden¡¯s mouth to twitch, ¡°What bad luck. I¡¯m sorry, please forgive me!¡±

    Forden lowered his head and apologised. Raeleigh exined, ¡°He¡¯s been cheeky ever since he was a kid. His father spoiled him!¡±

    ¡°I can tell! He really did spoil him.¡±

    Jacky¡¯s kicknded on Forden¡¯s back leg. The force he exerted wasn¡¯t heavy, but Forden was still quite young. Forden merely stumbled a little and did not fall to his knees.

    When Cedric and Heitor saw that Forden was at a disadvantage, they immediately rushed over to Forden¡¯s side and tried to protect him.

    But then again, they did not dare to go against their father.

    Shaney could not take it. She looked up at Jacky and said, ¡°Why did you kick my brother?¡±

    Jacky said, ¡°He bullied my daughter.¡±

    ¡°Your daughter deserves it. She approached my brother first, now you¡¯re ming him?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you kick him, too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did, because he¡¯s my brother. I have the right to do it, not you. Apologise now and swear¡­ oh!¡±

    Just as Shaney talked, Santiago walked behind her and pped the back of her head. ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Shaney turned around and wanted to say something, but Santiago frowned. Shaney immediately stopped talking and turned around to look at Raeleigh. Shaney reached out for her mother¡¯s hand. Raeleigh lowered her head and Shaney gave her a kiss. ¡°Mom, I missed you so much!¡±

    ¡°I missed you too, sweetheart.¡±

    Raeleigh hugged Shaney and gave her a kiss. Then, she released her daughter and looked over at Cedric and Heitor. They each gave Raeleigh a big hug. Then, they kissed Raeleigh¡¯s cheek and Raeleigh returned the kiss.

    ¡°We miss you.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    It was quiet all around. Jepherson stood on one side, not knowing what to make of the situation. He walked over to Forden and knelt down to look at him. Then, he said, ¡°Can you please take off your sunsses?¡±

    Forden looked at him and said, ¡°You must be my uncle.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s body trembled slightly. He could not believe that Santiago and Raeleigh had a child together.

    Forden took off his sunsses and Jepherson¡¯s face instantly turned pale.

    Forden turned to look at Santiago, who was standing behind him. ¡°This is your uncle, Uncle Jepherson,¡± Santiago said.

    ¡°I know, I greeted him.¡±

    Forden said. Santiago ced his hand on his son¡¯s head. He ruffled his son¡¯s hair and looked over at Jacky and Deanna. ¡°Hey guys, long time no see.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Deanna was dumbfounded. Jacky handed his daughter over to Santiago. ¡°This is Uncle Santiago.¡±

    Santiago did not seem to have changed much. He reached out to take Jacqueline from Jacky¡¯s hands. He smiled and said, ¡°You must be Jacqueline.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Jacqueline was a little shy. Santiago asked, ¡°Jacqueline, what do you think of this boy?¡±

    Santiago kicked his son, Forden, softly in the bum. He was a little reluctant, but he did not dare to make a sound.

    There was only one person that Forden was afraid of in this entire world and that person was his father, Santiago.

 Chapter 1831 She Needs To Go To The Hospital

    Throughout the dinner, Jepherson sat at one side and stared at Forden. Raeleigh kept an eye on the children while Santiago was drinking beer with Jacky.

    After a while, Shaney walked over to Jepherson¡¯s side and sat down.

    Jepherson looked at Shaney. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Shaney looked at Jepherson. ¡°I¡¯m all grown up now. Why do you look sad?¡±

    ¡°Do I?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you barely said a word the entire night. Don¡¯t you dream about seeing me? Why do you still look sad now that I¡¯m here?¡±

    There was a moment of silence before Jepherson said, ¡°Forden¡­¡±

    ¡°Mom was pregnant when she left and we found out soon after. Then, she gave birth to Forden.¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s hands trembled, not daring to look at Forden.

    ¡°She did not lie to me.¡±

    Shaney said, ¡°But they are not together. You¡¯ll forever be my father. Don¡¯t you want to get back together with mom?¡±

    Jepherson looked at her daughter and asked, ¡°Are you nning on staying this time?¡±

    Shaney thought for a moment. ¡°I love hanging out with Uncle Santiago. He said that he wants to go somewhere even further next time. I¡¯m nning on following him.¡±

    ¡°Is the outside world much better than being at home?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s heart was in a mess.

    This night was like a nightmare. Jepherson did not want to enter the house. He spent the entire night outside and Shaney apanied him. She pulled the quilt over her body and leaned against her father. Jepherson hugged Shaney and did not close his eyes for the whole night.

    Raeleigh woke up the next morning and went downstairs. Santiago was already awake at this time. Forden slept with his mother.

    Forden would always prefer to sleep with his mother when he was at home and if he was not home, he would sleep with Santiago.

    When Santiago saw Raeleigh, he briefly stretched his neck and stood up. He walked to the door and looked out. From where he stood, he saw Jepherson and Shaney wrapped in an embrace, under the big tree.

    Santiago said, ¡°She¡¯s her father¡¯s daughter after all.¡±

    ¡°She loves you too.¡±

    Raeleigh knew her daughter best. She was kind-hearted like her. That was why she did what she did.

    ¡°But I am not her father. She still betrayed me.¡± In fact, Santiago was aware of what Shaney did. This time, it was Shaney who arranged everything. First, she disclosed to the reporters that Raeleigh was nning on setting up apany in Ocean City. Later, somepanies got reliable news and invited Raeleigh over.

    Santiago ignored her, hoping that Shaney would realize her wish as well.

    ¡°Since you know that Shaney did all this behind my back, why didn¡¯t you stop me from going?¡±

    Santiago thought for a moment and said, ¡°He¡¯s almost forty years old. He hasn¡¯t been doing well for the past five years. He¡¯s been looking for you.

    He could not bear to get together with anyone. You already repaid the debt you owed me and I don¡¯t need anything from you anymore.

    As you can see, I enjoy travelling the world. It is also possible for me toe home and take care of you, but in your heart¡­¡±

    Santiago did not continue, but they both knew that Raeleigh was still in love with Jepherson.

    Raeleigh stood there, ¡°You are all scheming against me.¡±

    Santiagoughed. ¡°Like God did not scheme against me? I¡¯m hungry. Why don¡¯t you make some breakfast?¡±

    Raeleigh then went to cook. Forden came downstairs with a hypocritical look on his face, ¡°Why does my sister like to poke her nose into other people¡¯s business?¡±

    Santiago turned to look at his son. ¡°Mind your own business. Did you just get up? What time is it now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m tired. I don¡¯t feel like working out.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to do one thousand frog jumps.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I will workout then.¡± Forden slowly walked down the stairs and went out. At this time, Cedric and Heitor were already waiting outside. Today, there was an extra person, Jacqueline.

    When Jacqueline saw Santiago, she smiled.

    Santiago smiled back. Then, he pointed at Jacqueline and said, ¡°Forden, you¡¯ll start following Jacqueline today. You¡¯ll protect her for as long as we stay here.¡±

    ¡°You want me to protect her?¡± Forden sounded very reluctant. However, when he saw Santiago¡¯s expression, he immediately agreed.

    ¡°Uncle Santiago, I¡¯m going to have to skip the workout. My dad seems to be running a fever.¡±

    Shaney immediately noticed that Jepherson was acting strangely. No one reacted at this time.

    ¡°Alright then. If you want to spend time with your father these days, then you don¡¯t have to wake up early.¡±

    Santiago left with the others. Shaney immediately went to look for her mother. When Raeleigh came out, she saw that Jepherson seemed to be in a daze.

    She immediately called Jacky for help and carried Jepherson upstairs. Then, she called the doctor over and gave him some medicine to ease the fever. When the doctor arrived, he gave Jepherson an injection and the fever finally subsided.

    Shaney sat at the bedside, staring at Jepherson. Raeleigh brought a bowl of soup for Shaney and said, ¡°Here, have some soup, lest you catch a cold.¡±

    Shaney did as she was told and drank the soup. While Shaney drank the soup, Raeleigh got up to get some pyjamas for Jepherson. In the past, it was Jepherson who lived in this house. All of his clothes were still in the closet. She remembered that Jepherson liked to wear pajamas when he sleeps. She still remembered his old habits. After that, she went to fetch a basin of water and ced it on the bedside table. Then, she said, ¡°Shaney, why don¡¯t you go downstairs and get some rest? I need to help your dad change his clothes. When I¡¯m done, you cane back up.¡±

    After Shaney went downstairs, Raeleigh looked at her and said, ¡°You can head over to Uncle Jacky¡¯s ce and take a shower. Ask Aunt Deanna to find you some pajamas.

    You better get some sleep.¡±

    Shaney turned around and looked at her mother before agreeing to go to Jacky¡¯s ce.

    Raeleigh began to take off Jepherson¡¯s clothes. She had to resort to cutting his clothes with a pair of scissors when she couldn¡¯t take it off.

    Jepherson was connected to an IV drip, so it was difficult for her to take off his clothes. Therefore, she could only use scissors.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    She briefly wiped him with a wet cloth before helping him into his pajamas. After that, she covered Jepherson with the quilt and went downstairs to pour the water away.

    Then, Raeleigh began making breakfast. She fried some eggs and cooked a pot of porridge.

    Raeleigh went back upstairs and pulled out the needles from Jepherson¡¯s hands. By then, Santiago had already returned home with the children. Raeleigh could hear him instructing the children as he gave them breakfast. While they were eating, Raeleigh went upstairs with some porridge to wake Jepherson. Actually, Jepherson wasn¡¯t sleeping, but he kept his eyes closed. Raeleigh knew that he was not sleeping. If he was, she would not wake him.

    Raeleigh woke Jepherson up and helped him sit up in bed. Then, she fed him some porridge as well as an egg.

    Jepherson asked Raeleigh while eating, ¡°You and Santiago..¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the past. Yes, Forden is Santiago¡¯s.¡±

    Jepherson frowned deeply. He suddenly lost his appetite.

    Raeleigh brought the porridge to his mouth. Jepherson asked, ¡°Were you pregnant with Forden when you left?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about the past and I don¡¯t feel like exining anything. Originally, we were fine. You brought all these troubles to yourself.¡±

    Raeleigh was feeding Jepherson when she suddenly felt a little nauseous¡­

    She immediately got up, went downstairs and retched in the bathroom.

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh with a frown.

    Santiago went to check on Raeleigh. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head firmly. Then, she turned to look at Santiago. ¡°Can you please drive me to the hospitalter? I need to get checked out.¡±

    Santiago froze for a moment, but he still nodded.

 Chapter 1832 Grandparents Came To Visit

    Raeleigh went to the hospital for an examination. When the results were out, she looked at Santiago and asked, ¡°So? What is it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pregnant. You¡¯re one month along.¡±

    When Raeleigh heard the results, she lowered her head and sat stiffly on the chair. She said after a long time, ¡°I knew your brother was up to something.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the perfect timing?¡± Santiago sat down and smirked. Raeleigh nced at Santiago and said, ¡°Who would marry a rapist?¡±

    ¡°You, of course.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±

    Raeleigh turned her face away. She was worried. She wondered what she should do?

    ¡°It¡¯s been five years. You should have stayed five years ago. You¡¯re now five years toote.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t understand. He is narrow-minded. Forden is like a thorn in his heart,¡± Raeleigh said while massaging her head. Santiago raised his hand to help her. She closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, saying, ¡°I am very unlucky.¡±

    ¡­

    It wasn¡¯t untilte at night that Raeleigh returned home. Shaney opened her eyes and looked at the door. Raeleigh came upstairs and said, ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡±

    Shaney said she had eaten and that she was also feeling a little sleepy. At this time, Shaney looked very cozy with Jepherson¡¯s arms wrapped around her.

    Raeleigh stood by the stairs. She felt that this was her fault that they had been separated for so many years.

    Raeleigh walked to one side and sat down. After a while, she asked Jepherson, ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    Originally, Raeleigh wanted to tell him that she was pregnant, but immediately dismissed the idea. Jepherson looked at Raeleigh for a while. ¡°Are you alright? Why did you rush downstairs? Shaney told me that you went to the hospital?¡±

    ¡°You know, my recurring sickness. I just feel like throwing up whenever I eat anything cold.¡±

    ¡°You threw up?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Jepherson then asked, ¡°In the past five years¡­ did you and Santiago have sex after giving birth to Forden?¡±

    Shaney did not understand, but Raeleigh blushed and said, ¡°Can we not talk about this in front of our daughter? I never thought that you would bring this up in front of our daughter.¡±

    ¡°Please answer me. I just want to know.¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    Jepherson asked, ¡°So, it was just a one time thing?¡±

    ¡°Is it meaningful to ask these questions?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing. Jepherson gently soothed his daughter to sleep before lying down. Raeleigh did not sleep the entire night and just watched them sleep.

    After that day, Jepherson¡¯s health deteriorated. He could not even bring himself to go into the office.

    He had no choice. Jepherson¡¯s assistant had alle.

    When he saw Santiago, his assistant went back and told Hansen and Jenna about the situation here. The next day, Hansen and Jenna showed up at Waverly Vige. They knocked at the door at four o¡¯clock in the morning.

    Santiago was also surprised when he saw his parents at the door.

    Jenna immediately pulled her son into a hug and began to weep. Hansen¡¯s face was stiff. He wanted to p Santiago, but he could not bring himself to do it.

    ¡°Why are you crying? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be happy to see me?¡± Santiago hugged Jenna and breathed in his mother¡¯s scent. After a while, he let go of his mother and looked at his father.

    When Jenna entered the door, she saw Forden standing by the stairs. He looked exactly the same as Santiago when he was a child.

    Forden was a little confused. He could not believe that he had so many rtives. He could not even remember who was who at this point.

    ¡°This boy¡­¡± Jenna walked over and knelt down to look at the child, her hands trembling a little.

    ¡°Forden, these are your grandparents,¡± Santiago said. Forden then immediately greeted them. Jenna was stunned, but she quickly asked, ¡°Whose child is this?¡±

    ¡°He is Raeleigh¡¯s and mine.¡± Santiago turned around and sat down. Hansen also sat down. He looked coldly at his youngest son. ¡°What the hell were you thinking?¡±

    ¡°It was an ident.¡±

    Santiago had said this. Jenna hugged her grandson and was bawling incessantly. No one knew what she was crying for.

    After crying for a while, she finally calmed down. Jenna pulled Forden to her side and protected him. It was as if she knew what Hansen was thinking and did not dare to let him go.

    Indeed, Hansen said, ¡°Let your brother adopt him. I don¡¯t care what you want to do in the future, but you are not allowed to see Raeleigh from now on.

    She is destined to be your sister-inw. It¡¯s useless for you to force her.¡±

    Santiago stared at the door. He did not mind missing out on his youth, but¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but Forden is mine and Santiago¡¯s. I will not let Jepherson adopt him. Even if I did something wrong, I can¡¯t let the child be responsible for my mistake.¡±

    Raeleigh brought Shaney downstairs. Shaney stared at Jenna and Hansen. She was unfamiliar with these two people, but she didn¡¯t hate them.

    However, Shaney did not like what she heard just now.

    Shaney continued down the stairs without her mother. She nced at Santiago and asked, ¡°Why are you being silent? Why do you have to listen to them? Are you a fool?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so rude. You ought to know who you¡¯re talking to. Go away.¡±

    Santiago¡¯s eyes darkened. With a cold snort, Shaney walked to one side and called Forden, ¡°Forden,e here. Let¡¯s go upstairs.¡±

    Forden was obedient. Usually, he seldom listens to orders, but this time, he did as he was told.

    He walked up to Shaney and held her hand. Shaney brought Forden upstairs. She couldn¡¯t care less about her grandparents.Everything was as transient as clouds.

    Raeleigh stood aside and said nothing else. She knew her child very well. She could not control it!

    ¡°You too. Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡±

    Shaney was teaching Forden a lesson as she walked. No one knew whether her words were meant for Forden or for her grandparents. For Jenna, Shaney¡¯s voice was so harsh that she could hardly bear it.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Jenna turned to Raeleigh and asked, ¡°The children are all grown up. Thanks for your hard work.¡±

    ¡°Not at all. I was willing to do it.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Santiago. ¡°Santiago, why don¡¯t you go upstairs first? I have something to discuss with Mr. Richards and Mrs. Richards.¡±

    ¡°Santiago¡­¡±

    Hansen called Santiago. Santiago himself did not get up either. However, after hearing thetter¡¯s voice, he stood up and nced at Raeleigh. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go upstairs.¡±

    Raeleigh did not respond. After Santiago left, Hansen looked at Raeleigh. ¡°How do you want to solve this?¡±

    ¡°I never thought about it. I don¡¯t owe your family anything. Forden is mine and Santiago¡¯s. This has nothing to do with Forden.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with your attitude?¡± Hansen was beginning to lose his patience.

    Jenna red at Hansen, ¡°What are you doing? How old are you? Are you trying to piss me off?¡±

    Hansen¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What about Jerry?¡±

    ¡°Santiago and I will be leaving in a few days. During this time, you can have your time with the children. I will not disturb you.¡±

    Raeleigh briefly nced outside and said, ¡°It¡¯s still very early. We are not ready to have breakfast yet, so I¡¯m going to have to ask you two to please leave.¡±

    Raeleigh said and went upstairs, but Hansen and Jenna did not leave.

    Jenna started to cry. Hansen sat by the side for a long time before he stood up. He stayed downstairs and did not leave, but he kept looking outside. Jenna cried for a while before eventually making her way to the kitchen to make breakfast. They couldn¡¯t leave like this, so they decided to stay.

    Raeleigh went upstairs. The two kids slept on one side. Jepherson and Santiago did not say anything when they saw Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh took a quilt and pulled it over herself. Then, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

 Chapter 1833 Visit A Person

    By the time Raeleigh woke up again and went downstairs, Jenna was done making breakfast. When she saw Raeleigh, she immediately invited Raeleigh over to have breakfast. Shaney and Forden looked at each other before looking at Santiago who was already making his way downstairs. He then asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? Grandma is asking you two to go downstairs for breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, grandma.¡±

    Forden hurried downstairs. He was starving.

    Shaney also went downstairs and thanked Jenna. Jenna was so excited and showed her grandkids what she had prepared.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what you two liked to eat. So, I made a little of everything.¡±

    Hansen felt as if someone was tugging his heartstrings when he saw Jenna and the grandkids. In this situation, he could say nothing but just watch the interaction of the two children.

    Forden looked exactly the same as Santiago when he was younger. Hansen stared fixedly at him.

    Shaney, on the other hand, looked exactly like her mother.

    Raeleigh and Santiago sat one side. Raeleigh immediately started eating as soon as she sat down. Then, she brought a bowl of porridge and an egg to Jepherson.

    Hansen watched Raeleigh as she made her way upstairs. He had no idea what was going on.

    After Raeleigh left, Hansen asked Santiago, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what exactly is going on?¡±

    Santiago took a bite and looked at the two children. ¡°Shaney is Jepherson¡¯s and Forden¡¯s mine. Raeleigh is their mother. It¡¯s as simple as that.¡±

    Hansen alternated between fear and anger. Santiago peeled an egg and ced it on Shaney¡¯s te. Then, he peeled another one for Forden. After that, he lowered his head and began digging into his breakfast. Jenna did not know what was going on. Her heart could not help but ache when she saw Santiago¡¯s expression.

    All these years, the family had neglected Santiago as the family had always prioritised Jepherson¡¯s wellbeing before Santiago¡¯s. In Jenna¡¯s opinion, Santiago was rtively smart and obedient. Jenna could not understand why Hansen had to treat Santiago so harshly?

    How could a person not make mistakes in his life? Since the child was brought to the world, then was it relevant to ask these questions now?

    Jenna ced some food on Santiago¡¯s te and Santiago returned the favour.

    Jenna suddenly lost her appetite, so she said, ¡°Santiago, let the past be the past. Listen to me. Come home. The house is really empty now. I miss you every day since you left.¡±

    Santiago nced at the two children. ¡°I still want to travel around with Shaney and Forden. I¡¯lle home when I¡¯m ready. Shaney said that she wants to go toCape Haijiao, whileForden wants to go to the Sahara Desert.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s very far.¡± Jenna was worried that Santiago would note back. She pursed her lips, not knowing what to say and tightened her grip on her fork. Santiago stood up and said, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m a grown man now. I¡¯m no longer a child. I just want to be unrestrained once more before I turn 30.¡±

    Jenna nodded. ¡°Okay, fine.¡±

    ¡°I still¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Jenna said angrily. She red viciously at Hansen. He felt extremely wronged. He immediately closed his mouth and stared coldly at the rest of the people at the table. Jenna said, ¡°In the future, do whatever you want to do. Don¡¯t be afraid. Don¡¯t worry. As long as I am still alive, no one will dare to control you.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    Forden raised his eyebrows and nced at Hansen, whose face darkened.

    Santiago smiled and said, ¡°No one has ever been able to control me. Mom, I¡¯m full. Excuse me while I head out for a walk.¡±

    In fact, Santiago did not eat much. He just had an egg and a bowl of porridge. Jenna wanted to tell him to eat more, but she did not dare to say it.

    Santiago put on his jacket and walked towards the door. He walked out the door and stood outside for a while. Jenna did not dare to go out. She stood at the door with tears streaming down her face as she watched Santiago walk under the fallen leaves. She could not help but keep wiping her tears away.

    God was unfair. Why did both of her sons have to fall in love with the same woman?

    The hope was given by the heavens, but it was ruthlessly eliminated. Why did the heavens do this?

    ¡­

    Raeleigh was going to leave after Jepherson had breakfast, but her hand was immediately grabbed. ¡°Please don¡¯t leave.¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I need to go downstairs and eat. I haven¡¯t eaten anything yet.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and went downstairs quietly. When she arrived downstairs, she saw no signs of Santiago. She nced around before asking Shaney, ¡°Where¡¯s Uncle Santiago?¡±

    ¡°He went out for a walk.¡±

    Raeleigh then went to have breakfast. Hansen was sitting opposite her, but Raeleigh still enjoyed her breakfast. After breakfast, she stood up and wanted to help clean up, but Jenna told her she would do it. Raeleigh looked at Shaney and asked, ¡°Are you going to find Uncle Santiago or go upstairs to apany your father?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to find Uncle Santiago,¡± Shaney said.

    ¡°Then go ahead.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and went upstairs. She stood by the window in the attic and looked outside. Though she could not see anything, she still stood there. Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at Jepherson. ¡°Santiago went out. Your parents are downstairs.¡±

    Jepherson paused momentarily. ¡°Did they make things difficult for Santiago?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    Raeleigh did not know what to say. After sitting for a while, she stood up and said, ¡°I need to go out. I¡¯ll probably be homete. Your parents are here and they will help take care of you.¡±

    Raeleigh then went downstairs. Jenna saw that Raeleigh was about to head out the door and stopped to ask her. Raeleigh said, ¡°I almost forgot that I have something I need to do. I will be away for two days and might note back tonight. Since you are here, do you mind taking care of Jepherson for me? Thanks for the trouble. I will be taking the kids along. Santiago will being with me as well.¡±

    After Raeleigh finished her words, she walked out of the house. When Jenna turned around, she realised that Raeleigh had left.

    Raeleigh walked out of the door and strolled along the streets of Waverly Vige. She noticed that Jacqueline had followed Heitor and Cedric came out. Raeleigh looked at Jacqueline, saying, ¡°Please don¡¯t go.¡±

    ¡°Cedric¡­.¡±

    Although Jacqueline was young, she was very spoiled. Cedric and Heitor had not been home for many years and missed their sister a lot. They wished they could give the best things in the world to Jacqueline.

    Cedric walked up to Raeleigh and said, ¡°Can Jacquelinee along with us?¡±

    ¡°Jacqueline is still young. She can¡¯t go to the ces we want to go. We¡¯ll have to wait until she¡¯s older.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Raeleigh, I promise I will not talk nonsense. I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut.¡±

    Jacqueline persuaded Raeleigh. Raeleigh looked at Jacqueline for a while. Then, Jacky came out of the house and stood in front of Raeleigh. He asked, ¡°Are you guys heading to Green House?¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen my brother for several years. I want to pay him a visit and bring the kids along.¡±

    ¡°Jacqueline is very well-behaved. Why don¡¯t you bring her along with you?¡±

    Since Jacky had already said so, Raeleigh did not want to reject him. So, she agreed and extended her hand out to Jacqueline, ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 1834 Reserved Sperms

    Raeleigh walked along the road with the three kids. Soon, they managed to find Santiago. He had his hands in his pockets. He was dressed in ck from head to toe. Behind him stood Forden and Shaney, who were looking up at the sky.

    Raeleigh stopped and did not walk towards Santiago. Her mind was all over the ce. She was suffering a little inside.

    In fact, she loved Jepherson. She knew that he was the love of her life, but she was not worried about it. However, Raeleigh felt that she could be herself when she was around Santiago. It was also the reason she was unwilling to let go of him.

    For Raeleigh, looking at Santiago had be a habit. Looking at him was like looking at a child. Raeleigh was not willing to part with Santiago.

    Raeleigh could not bear the thought of not seeing Santiago or not knowing how he was doing.

    By the time Raeleigh walked over, Santiago had turned around and was looking back at her. His outfit made him look much older.

    He matured a lot after travelling the world for the past five years.

    Everyone knew that he was fond of wearing green, but it had been five years since he had worn a green shirt. Therefore, Raeleigh could not deny that Santiago had changed. He was no longer the same person he was when they met.

    Raeleigh stared at Santiago. After a long time, she said, ¡°I suddenly remembered something.¡±

    ¡°You want to go to Green House?¡± Santiago asked. Raeleigh nodded. Santiago bent over to pick up Jacqueline. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring you somewhere. How about that?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Jacquelie was very fond of Santiago. No one knew why. She just clicked with Santiago and was willing to do anything he said.

    Forden raised his head, his face full of displeasure.

    Raeleigh and others soon arrived at the outside of Green House. Santiago asked Forden to knock on the door. A few people came out and brought them in.

    Raeleigh almost forgot what the prison looked like, but she could still remember what had happened in the past.

    Austin still looked the same after all these years. When he saw Raeleigh and Shaney, he was slightly stunned. Shaney immediately ran over and hugged Austin. Although Shaney grew up, he still picked her up. Shaney wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.

    Raeleigh stopped and said, ¡°People who don¡¯t know would think that you¡¯re her father.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Austin, did you receive the things I sent you? Is it useful?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re too smart for your own good. Didn¡¯t I tell you to spend less time on theputer?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡±

    Shaney refused to admit it, but two hours a day was not enough for her.

    Austin decided to drop the subject. He looked at Jacky¡¯s two sons and ruffled their hairs, ¡°Boy! You two are all grown up!¡±

    ¡°Uncle Austin.¡±

    ¡°Godfather.¡±

    ¡°Hi, Uncle Austin. I¡¯m Jacqueline.¡±

    Jacqueline was afraid of losing out and initiated conversation with Austin. Raeleigh did not know what to say. Jacqueline¡¯s personality was the total opposite of Jacky¡¯s.

    Austin said, ¡°You can call me Godfather or Uncle Austin. It¡¯s up to you. Your brothers look alike. I told them to call me different names so that I know who¡¯s who.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll call you Godfather then.¡± Jacqueline was very easy going.

    Austin said, ¡°You¡¯re bold, just like your father.¡±

    Jacqueline was certainly happy to be praised.

    Raeleigh then said, ¡°Shaney,e down. How old are you now, why are you still acting like a child?¡±

    Shaney came down from Austin. Then, she took out a ne and put it around Austin¡¯s neck. It was a missile-headed ne.

    ¡°This is made of alloy. I got it from Uncle Santiago. It has been blessed to offer you protection.¡±This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Shaney said to Austin. Austin said, ¡°I don¡¯t need this.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my gift to you.¡±

    Shaney was determined. Austin looked down at the ne and said, ¡°Alright then.¡±

    ¡°Okay. You guys can go ahead and make yourself at home.¡±

    Austin turned around and walked inside, followed by Raeleigh and Santiago.

    Raeleigh sat on the table with Santiago and started to talk about what had happened outside all these years.

    Austin said, ¡°This child?¡±

    Santiago did not reply. ¡°It was an ident,¡± Raeleigh said.

    Austin immediately understood. He nced over at Forden. This child was an ident, which meant that it was something that did not need further discussion. Raeleigh did not want to exin it either. It meant that this matter was nothing important.

    ¡°Have you ever thought about joining the army when you grow up?¡± Austin asked Forden. Forden replied, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°My mission is to protect my family. It has nothing to do with protecting the country.¡±

    Although Forden was young, he sounded very mature. Austin waved his hand and called Forden over.

    Forden looked back at Santiago before walking over to Austin. Austin touched his head and asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you join me? I¡¯ll train you. Soon, you will be able to protect the entire Capital City.¡±

    ¡°I can still protect Capital City in the future without following you.¡±

    The casual words of Forden were like a promise. Austin looked at Raeleigh and asked, ¡°Who is he?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask.¡±

    Austin nced at Santiago. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that this is an ident.¡±

    Santiago smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe it either, but idents do happen. No one can predict it.¡±

    Raeleigh remained calm. She was observing Forden¡¯s expression.

    After dinner, everyone went to rest. Austin invited Raeleigh over for some tea. Austin made a pot of tea. Raeleigh washed the teacups for him after sitting down. Austin asked Raeleigh, ¡°Is he Jepherson¡¯s child?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. Then, she raised her head and asked Austin, ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Santiago will not do anything to hurt Jepherson. Although you and he have feelings for each other, he will not cross the line. In his eyes, you will always be his sister-inw. The only reason he stayed by your side all these years is because he¡¯s worried. If one day Jepherson takes you away, he will leave you.¡±

    Raeleigh lowered her head and continued to wash the teacups while Austin was talking, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it, but¡­¡±

    After a long pause, Raeleigh continued, ¡°I¡¯m just going to tell you that he¡¯s Santiago¡¯s. I owe it to him.¡±

    Austin knew that he guessed right. He then asked Raeleigh, ¡°Does Jepherson know?¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°What do you mean? The child is Santiago¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°These days, technology is very advanced. I¡¯m pretty sure I can find out soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Austin. ¡°The results will show that Santiago is 99. 99% Forden¡¯s father.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°He is Santiago¡¯s.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and turned to the door. Austin asked, ¡°The Richards familymust have reserved their sperms.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, then turned around to look at Austin, who was sitting on the sofa and picking up a teacup to drink.

 Chapter 1835 The Person Who Would Be With You At The End

    Raeleigh briefly nced at Austin before turning around and making her way back to her room.

    Raeleigh entered the door and recalled what had happened that year. Raeleigh slowly closed her eyes, feeling the exhaustion creeping up on her.

    Santiago was still awake at this time. When he heard that Raeleigh was back, he said, ¡°Come here.¡±

    Raeleigh walked over, took off her shoes and sat on the bed where Santiago slept. She leaned against the bed. Santiago raised his hand and touched Raeleigh¡¯s head.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Austin told me that your family would usually reserve sperms.¡±

    Santiago took back his hand and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°He found out?¡±

    Raeleigh shook her head. ¡°I did not tell him the truth.¡±

    Santiago put his hand down. ¡°Austin is too smart.¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s hands were cold. She leaned against Santiago. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid that Austin will tell Jepherson. It¡¯s just that if Austin can think of this, I¡¯m sure he can too.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Raeleigh did not sleep much the whole night. When they got up the next morning, all the children saw Raeleigh and Santiago sleeping on the same bed.

    Shaney, in particr, did not look happy, but she did not say anything. When Raeleigh woke up and saw the look on Shaney¡¯s face, she said to her daughter, ¡°I came back yesterday night¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin yourself. Mom, if you like Uncle Santiago, then we¡¯re leaving.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a while and said, ¡°Do you really want to stay with your dad?¡±

    Shaney shook her head. ¡°No, I want to stay with Uncle Santiago. He promised to bring me to CapeHaijiao.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°Then, you should go.¡±

    On the same night, Raeleigh and the rest returned to Waverly Vige after having dinner. Jacky¡¯s car was waiting for them outside.

    After Raeleigh got into the car, she leaned against the window. They had to split into two cars as there were too many of them. Deanna sat beside Raeleigh. She asked Raeleigh who she loved most. She even asked Raeleigh whether she intended to spend the rest of her life being single.

    At first, Raeleigh just fixed her eyes on Deanna, but eventually replied.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it, but I definitely do not want to die alone.¡±

    Deanna just smiled, ¡°I thought you would know how to cherish yourself, but now I think you¡¯re quite silly.¡±

    If it was in the past, Raeleigh would not believe that those words came out of Deann¡¯s mouth, but now she believed. People would change as they grew older. However, some people¡¯s growth was so amazing, such as Deanna¡¯s.

    Raeleigh read one of Deanna¡¯s books before. Her inner world was beyond anyone¡¯s imagination. It was not like what others saw. She knows a lot. Pure romance was just a kind of vent of one¡¯s personality. The real Deanna was very shocking.

    Her personality of being aloof from worldly affairs has made who she was.Deanna can take care of everything easily. If a person who wouldn¡¯t even be shocked by death cannot be counted as a legend, then what can?

    But not many people understood this.

    ¡°Jepherson has done a lot wrong. I don¡¯t like him either. He will do anything to achieve his goal. But his love for you is evesting. The most important thing is that you also love Jepherson.¡±

    Deanna held Raeleigh¡¯s hand. Raeleigh said, ¡°Those things are in the past. Let¡¯s not talk about it. Jepherson and I are destined to be a mistake.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s really a mistake, then why did you stay and take care of him? It¡¯s not like he was going to die. If you want to leave, you would have, right?¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Deanna and said, ¡°You won¡¯t understand. Jepherson is very determined like you said. He is a man who will do anything to reach his goals. Do you think he will let me go so easily? He¡¯s very scheming. He brought me into his world and I did my best to find my footing. When I finally found it, I did not leave him, but I also realised that I¡¯m just his puppet. He used me to kill countless enemies, to take over the entire city. But I didn¡¯t know that I was watching the world of mortals passing by me¡­¡±

    Deanna slowly turned to Raeleigh and understood. ¡°Even so, have you ever thought that of all the people in the world, why did he choose you?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Raeleigh looked ahead and said after a long time, ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Since you know, then why aren¡¯t you willing to stay? Do you really feel good watching him die on his own?¡±

    ¡°No, but I can¡¯t help it. If I had the choice, I wouldn¡¯t havee back.¡±

    ¡°So you think he¡¯s happy now that you¡¯re back?¡±

    Raeleigh looked outside and said, ¡°He¡¯s not, so am I. What about Santiago?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been through this before. You and Santiago will not work out. I¡¯m sure the both of you are aware. Why do you want to keep trying? You¡¯ve wasted so much time already. The only person who has to walk away from this love triangle is Santiago.¡±

    Raeleigh held her hands. ¡°It is unfair to him.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not up to you to decide. If I were Santiago, I would have walked away. Raeleigh, don¡¯t think that you can control other people¡¯s live. Santiago is a grown man, so he knows what to do. On the contrary, you are in the way of his decision. You are what¡¯s stopping him from leaving. Please don¡¯t hurt them in this way. They have reached a consensus on this matter, why don¡¯t you ept it?¡±

    ¡°But did anyone ask for my opinion? I¡¯m not their toy.¡±

    ¡°If you have to be this petty, then love won¡¯t exist in the world.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Deanna. ¡°What about you? Are you not petty?¡±

    Deanna nced at Jacky, who was driving. He had not spoken a single word. Deanna said, ¡°I know that Jacky thinks about you all the time. I¡¯ve never been mad at him for that.¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. The colour slowly draining from her face.

    Jacky took a look at Deanna through the rearview mirror. Deanna looked at Jacky and said, ¡°Raeleigh, there can¡¯t be only one true love in one¡¯s life. I¡¯ve been in your position. I used to like Jepherson and once thought of myself as his wife. But now that I think about it, it¡¯s like a cool breeze in the summer. It¡¯s self-evident howfortable it is. I¡¯ve also liked Santiago before. Even to this day, I feel that it was a very beautiful dream that I¡¯ve really loved someone called Santiago. After all, he¡¯s so handsome and unrestrained.

    However, whether it is the cool wind in summer or the warm wind in winter, they can¡¯tpare with a person who can shelter me from the wind and the cold.

    A person would meet a lot of people in their lifetime, but not everyone will be there at the end.

    Perhaps you met someone who really loved you at the very beginning, but he left you halfway. You began to look for another person, bear the pain of growth and go through grievances.

    When you turn back and look at your life, you would justugh at yourself. Then you might meet another person that captured your heart, but you can¡¯t keep the person.

    At the end, your first love appeared again, but he¡¯s a littlete and you aren¡¯t willing to take him back. Although you refuse to ept him, he is still willing to apany you for the rest of your life. Do you understand?¡±

 Chapter 1836 Parting

    Time was ruthless and it eventually broke Raeleigh¡¯s dream.

    The weather had been awful for the entire day. Raeleigh sat on the bed as she reminded Santiago and the children about the time. Santiago had brought the kids to visit the Richards family, but they still had not returned when it was alreadyte night.

    Raeleigh and Jepherson didn¡¯t rest but only sat in silence as they waited for the time to pass.

    Finally, Raeleigh called Santiago when she was tired of waiting and asked when they would return. When Santiago informed her that they would not being home, she hung up the phone and prepared to go to bed.

    Jepherson¡¯s health had almost fully recovered, but he still refused to get out of bed. Instead, he onlyy on the bed upstairs. Raeleigh didn¡¯t force him to get up, but she knew that his health was getting worse and worse these days.

    His body had grown weak as he had been bed bound for a long time, and he had be so fragile that he no longer had the strength to get up.

    Raeleigh thought that it wouldn¡¯t be long before he finally fell ill.

    Upon noticing Raeleigh lying down, Jepherson said, ¡°You left without saying anything. How could you expect me to understand? How am I supposed to know if you never tell me? Why can¡¯t you calm down and solve the problem between us?¡±

    Raeleigh opened her eyes and looked at him. Deanna had been here for the entire day and though she did not hear what they had said, she must have convinced Jepherson of something.

    ¡°You never listen to me. You are a jerk. You lured me with your good looks, and now, you want to use it to imprison me for the rest of my life. There¡¯s nothing wrong with me leaving you upon realizing that you are a ruthless and cold-hearted person. Why couldn¡¯t you let me go? Why do you want to trap me again and again? This isn¡¯t right!

    You are my nightmare. You broke many of my dreams only to satisfy yourself. Now that we are in our middle age, do you still intend to make me lose everything?

    I can¡¯t just abandon what Santiago and I have between us. You and I are already divorced and no longer together, so why can¡¯t I choose to marry again?

    You¡¯re not God, so why should I stay chaste for you?

    Since when did you be so ruthless? Have you ever thought about my feelings?¡±

    Jepherson paused subconsciously and replied, ¡°Although we never swore to be with each other forever, my heart has always belonged to you. If you must think that I failed you, then I won¡¯t deny it. But you have been with Santiago for five years already. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s enough?

    As long as you¡¯re here, Santiago will never be able to move on from your rtionship. I will not be able to let go either and will eventually die of depression.

    But what can you gain from all this?

    Is it because of your persistence, or your stubbornness?¡±

    Raeleigh swallowed hard and turned around to lie beside Jepherson as he spoke. I had hoped that you would promise to stay with me forever, but I never thought that you would do that for others. I didn¡¯t interfere with your feelings for each other because I believed that there wouldn¡¯t be a third person in our rtionship.

    Santiago¡¯s like a child¡­¡±

    ¡°He is not a child.¡±

    Raeleigh interrupted him abruptly. He looked at her and continued, ¡°I know he¡¯s not a child, so I never med you. But now, Raeleigh¡­ You have given him five years already. Please give me the remaining five years. After that, you may spend the next five years with him.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at him in shock. ¡°Are you crazy?¡±

    Sucking in a deep breath, Jepherson closed his eyes and spoke again.

    ¡°I¡¯ve witnessed my parents in love with each other since I was a child, but I always had a voice in my heart telling me that gentleness will always be suppressed by dominance. Because to me, my mother had been suppressed by my father. However¡­¡±

    Jepherson hesitated for a moment, then continued, ¡°Later, I realized that it was not true. Instead, dominance goes hand in hand with gentleness. The two of them lived in harmony together, and there was no separation between them.¡±

    But by the time I understood this, you had already left me. And even when I went all the way to find you, I still couldn¡¯t get you back.

    Raeleigh, pleasee back. I¡¯m sorry. I promise I won¡¯t do that again.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at him. ¡°We have reached our end¡­¡±

    ¡°If that were the case, you wouldn¡¯t havee back.¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t answer. Arguing with him would be meaningless. She couldn¡¯t pretend to turn a blind eye to what Santiago had done for her in all those years.

    The next morning, Raeleigh got up early to cook breakfast. When Jepherson asked her why she got up so early, she didn¡¯t answer. Later, when she called Santiago toe down for breakfast, the call didn¡¯t get through.

    After Raeleigh had breakfast with Jepherson, she went downstairs to call Jacky, asking him toe over and take care of Jepherson. She was worried about leaving Jepherson alone at home.

    She drove out of Waverly Vige at high speed. However, when she arrived at the Richards family manor, it was still empty. This time, not only Santiago left but also Hansen and Jenna too.

    Upon questioning, the servant told Raeleigh that Hansen and Jenna had gone to the airport as they were travelling abroad. However, he did not know where they went.

    Raeleigh called Jacky, but he did not answer the phone.

    Meanwhile, Santiago nced at the five children beside him and said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Jacky nced at Jacqueline and reminded her, ¡°Be obedient when staying with your uncle. Don¡¯t quarrel with Forden. I hope that you can see the world while spending some time with your brothers.¡±

    Jacqueline adjusted her backpack and replied, ¡°Dad, I wille back when I¡¯m older. In the meantime, you must give me a younger sister.¡±

    Jacky grinned proudly. ¡°You¡¯re my pride. I won¡¯t share my love with anyone else. I¡¯ll be waiting for you here, so you must return properly.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    Two drops of tears glided down Deanna¡¯s cheek as she walked up to Santiago and gave him a hug. ¡°Take care.¡±

    Santiago gave her a hard hug. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up.¡±

    Deanna acknowledged with a hum. After leaving, she looked at the three children and said, ¡°Be obedient.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    ¡°Get in the car.¡±

    Santiago looked around and ordered the children to get into the car. The children went in and put away their own things.

    Jacky looked at the children and said, ¡°Take care.¡±

    Santiago then returned to his car and left Waverly Vige.

    When Raeleigh realized that something was amiss and returned to Waverly Vige, Santiago¡¯s car had already left. Upon noticing Raeleigh¡¯s car going after him, he told the children that Raeleigh was there to send them off but did not stop until he got off the highway. Raeleigh had chased them for more than a hundred kilometers until her car finally ran out of gas. Abandoning the car beside the road, she chased after them for a distance.

    Santiago nced at Raeleigh in the rearview mirror. He slowed down for a while but disappeared from her sight in the end.

    Raeleigh sat on the side of the road for a long while before Jacky came over. Harvey carried a barrel of gasoline and filled Raeleigh¡¯s tank up. Then, he drove her car away.

    After Harvey left, Jacky carried Raeleigh into his car.

    Then, he took her back home.

 Chapter 1837 Disappeared

    Raeleigh had been depressed for a while after Santiago¡¯s departure. After a few days, she finally calmed down a little.

    Jepherson¡¯s health had not improved during this period of time. Whenever he was free, he would stare at Shaney¡¯s photo in a daze.

    Deanna and Jacky had helped take care of Jepherson when Raeleigh fell ill. After Raeleigh recovered, she returned to taking care of him herself. However, Jepherson had been in such poor health that he couldn¡¯t even go downstairs. It took Raeleigh a lot of effort to help him get down, especially when he was unwilling to go downstairs.

    ¡°Autumn ising. I don¡¯t want to go down.¡±

    He was saying that it was cold downstairs. Raeleigh replied, ¡°I can¡¯t take care of you all the time. Are you going to exhaust me to death? Your parents left you alone and ignored you. Santiago abandoned you too. What do you want me to do? I have to work. I also have to take care of you¡­¡±

    ¡°Then stop working. Take care of me.¡±

    Raeleigh raised her head and fixed her gaze on him, frustrated at his words. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m your nanny?¡±

    ¡°Then what are you?¡±

    Raeleigh didn¡¯t want to talk to him anymore, so she decided not to say anything.

    When they got downstairs, Raeleigh pushed a wheelchair to Jepherson¡¯s side and helped him sit on the wheelchair. At that time, she was so tired that her whole body was covered with sweat.

    Jepherson raised his hand to wipe the sweat off her face and asked, ¡°Are you tired?¡±

    She nced at him. ¡°I can¡¯t take care of you for too long. I intend to hire someone for you. I can help you choose someone you like. Other than that, I can¡¯t help you.¡±

    ¡°I only want you to take care of me. I¡¯ll start on a hunger strike if you let someone else take care of me.¡±

    Raeleigh fixed her eyes on Jepherson. ¡°I really don¡¯t know where your confidencees from.¡±

    She took a nket and threw it at him, then pushed him to the door. When they were outside, she took a deep breath. As she walked under the tree, she asked him, ¡°Are you cold?¡±

    He looked up at her, his face pale and weak. At that moment, she was a little worried about him.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you don¡¯t understand. Raeleigh, I don¡¯t want you to walk away this time. I have already set ups and snares. If you dare to take a step, I will make you regret it.¡±

    Raeleigh knew that Jepherson was threatening her, but she could not say anything. Instead, she pushed him forward.

    Along the way, neither of them spoke. They encountered an old couple as they walked, and they heard the older man nagging as the olddy ignored him.

    Jepherson said, ¡°Look at them. Do they look like us in the future?¡±

    Raeleigh took a look at Jepherson andughed. Pushing him toward the couple, she asked the olddy, ¡°Madam, why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    ¡°He had been very overbearing and controlling to me when he was young, and he bullied me all day long. I wonder if this is his karma now that he¡¯s old. His body is no longer fit and his brain is not working well either. Also, he has dementia.

    Since everything he says is false, I have no reason to argue with him. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at Jepherson, ¡°Do you know now?¡±

    Jepherson snorted. ¡°Yeah, sure. You know everything.¡±

    The olddy nced at Jepherson and said, ¡°That¡¯s it! You are just like him. Miss, if you want to leave him, you should do it as soon as possible. Don¡¯t waste your time with such a person.¡±

    Raeleigh wore a smile. ¡°All right.¡±

    Then, she pushed the gloomy-faced Jepherson forward. Although the two of them seemed to remain quiet as they strolled under the fallen leaves, Jepherson was boiling in anger. He gripped the handle of the wheelchair and hissed, ¡°I have never hated an elderly person so much.¡±

    Raeleighughed. ¡°She¡¯s just a little outspoken. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    ¡°You did it on purpose.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did it on purpose. What can you do about it?¡±

    Jepherson said nothing as Raeleigh pushed him to the end of the path. She said, ¡°See? The olddy doesn¡¯t want to stay at all.¡±

    Jepherson looked up at her. ¡°See? That old man can¡¯t live without the olddy. He was overbearing, but that¡¯s his way of saying he can¡¯t live without her. He was controlling because he wanted to swear dominance and make all the men around them stay away from his woman.¡±

    ¡°In the past ten years, your temper has gotten worse. Nothing has changed, but your temper is even more savage. I really don¡¯t like you like this.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the first time that you tell me you don¡¯t like me. You don¡¯t have to tell me that. Nothing matters as long as I like you.¡±

    They stared at each other for a while before Raeleigh pushed him forward and said, ¡°It¡¯s meaningless for you to drag me into this when you fall ill.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you hate me deep inside? Everyone in the Richards family betrayed you. Even your two children turned their backs against you.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°They¡¯re all your family members. You should be grateful that everyone stood up for you. However, there¡¯s no need for me to be angry about this matter.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, they¡¯re also your family members. They betrayed you and abandoned you for me.¡±

    Raeleigh felt as if she had been struck by lightning. ¡°Jepherson, why do you have to say that to me?¡±

    ¡°Then what should I say to you? They had been so cruel to you. Why don¡¯t you hate them?¡±

    Raeleigh was speechless. She wanted to hit Jepherson, but she could not. Instead, she only pushed him around. Later, no matter what he said, she remained quiet.

    ¡°You have struggled for half of your life. Why couldn¡¯t you see it clearly now? I¡¯m your final destination.¡±

    Raeleigh remained silent.

    ¡°Raeleigh, let¡¯s restart.¡±

    She still remained silent.

    ¡°What treacherous things have I done to make you hate me so much?¡±

    When they returned home, Raeleigh told him, ¡°Give up.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t unless I¡¯m dead.¡±

    Raeleigh did not know what to reply.

    Time flew by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. When Jepherson was having breakfast one morning, he suddenly remembered something and asked, ¡°Howe you eat so much recently?¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at him and retorted, ¡°That¡¯s none of your business. Can¡¯t I eat more?¡±

    ¡°Of course you can. But why did you not have your period yet?¡±

    Raeleigh¡¯s facial expression turned odd. ¡°Why do I have to tell you that?¡±

    ¡°We live together. Do you think I don¡¯t know that you haven¡¯t had your period yet?¡±

    Raeleigh took a bite of the food. ¡°Then what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Are you pregnant?¡±This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    Raeleigh replied decisively, but she couldn¡¯t escape from Jepherson¡¯s prying eyes.

    Jepherson wiped his mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s go do an examinationter.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll show you what it feels like to be disappointed,¡± Raeleigh replied with her mouth full of food.

    But in the end, she disappeared after she finished her meal and went to clean up.

 Chapter 1838 Letting Go

    Raeleigh was stopped by Jepherson¡¯s men at the entrance of the vige. ¡®I knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy for me to run away.¡¯

    ¡°Madam Raeleigh, Mr. Richards is waiting for you.¡±

    Raeleigh had no choice but to go back with them. At the same time, Jepherson sat on his wheelchair outside the vige with a nket on hisp and upon seeing Raeleigh, he breathed a sigh of relief.

    Raeleigh walked up to him, ¡°Don¡¯t becent. I¡¯ll leave one day.¡±

    Shifting his gaze to Raeleigh¡¯s belly, Jepherson stretched out his hand and pulled her to him. Despite being too weak to walk, he had a firm grip. Raeleigh lost her bnce and fell onto hisp. She tried to escape, but he said immediately, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Although his voice sounded terrifying to others, he was trying to negotiate.

    Everyone turned around to look at them, and Raeleigh blushed.

    Jepherson covered her body with the nket, then ced his hand onto her belly. Raeleigh tensed up immediately. She raised her hand and grabbed his wrist as he pressed his hand on her lower abdomen and felt the baby¡¯s movement carefully. As expected, there was a pulse.

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh with his dark eyes, then asked, ¡°Is it more than two months old already?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer and pulled away his hand.

    She stood up and turned around, walking back into the house.

    After sitting outside for a while, Jepherson called Scarlette and Hadrian. At that time, neither of them knew that Raeleigh had already returned home safely, and they were still busy searching for her. Since Jepherson did not call off the search, they did note back.

    This time, when Scarlette finally reunited with Raeleigh, she was so excited that she cried.

    Raeleigh sat there with a neutral expression on her face, holding back her emotions. She could not believe that after so many years, Scarlette still cared for her so deeply.

    However, the doctor told her not to be too excited, so she would not cry. She only stared at Scarlette until Scarlette hugged her and cried. Then, she said slowly, ¡°The doctor told me not to cry. You don¡¯t have to cry either. It¡¯s bad for the baby.¡±

    Finally, Raeleigh told the truth. Earlier, Jepherson did not force her to do the maternity check because she refused to.

    Scarlette was surprised to hear that Raeleigh was pregnant.

    ¡°Raeleigh, will it be dangerous? At your age¡­¡±

    ¡°Scarlette, have you been living toofortable recently?¡± Jepherson questioned in a cold voice before Scarlette could finish her words and she immediately shrank with fear. She carefully looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°It should be all right. You are only thirty, right?¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer. Instead, she nced at Jepherson. Scarlette asked Raeleigh again, ¡°Do you feel ufortable¡­¡±

    ¡°Scarlette, leave,¡± Jepherson cut her off.

    Then, Hadrian added, ¡°Scarlette,e out for a moment.¡±

    It was only then that Scarlette got up and left. After Scarlette and Hadrian left, Jepherson said to Raeleigh, ¡°Let¡¯s go do a check-upter and see if the baby is well. Nothing will happen to you at your age.¡±

    Raeleigh retorted, ¡°I never said that anything would happen to me. You¡¯re the one who said that.¡±

    She lowered her gaze and looked around. ¡°Since you called Hadrian and Scarlette over, it means that you are recovering well. I can finally take a rest. I will not cook today.¡±

    Raeleigh got up, feeling exhausted.

    She went back upstairs andy down to have a rest.

    Jepherson sat downstairs for a while. Then, he got up from the wheelchair.

    Raeleigh heard someoneing up, but she could not hear it clearly. She thought that the footsteps sounded heavy.

    She opened her eyes and sat up. She knew that Jepherson was not just pretending to be sick. He was risking his health.

    After a while, Jepherson came up from downstairs. As he only had little strength, it was challenging for him to walk up the stairs. When he arrived, he stood at the staircase, watching Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh pursed her lips as if in deep thought.

    Then, she asked, ¡°How did you get here?¡±

    ¡°I walked here.¡±

    Jepherson walked toward Raeleigh. When he stopped, he wobbled a little. Raeleigh raised her head to look at him. His forehead was covered with sweat. Fixing his gaze on her, he slowly bent down and sat beside her, his face turning red from exhaustion.

    Raeleigh took a towel to wipe the sweat of Jepherson¡¯s forehead as hey down, holding her hand.

    She immediately took off his clothes, then grabbed a basin of hot water and began wiping the sweat off his body. Later, she poured him a cup of hot water and covered him with the nket. The two of them did not speak and only stared at each other. He held her hand tightly and closed his eyes.

    Raeleigh sat down and looked at Jepherson, wondering what he was going to do.

    Meanwhile, downstairs, Scarlette asked Hadrian, ¡°Why is Mr. Jepherson sitting in a wheelchair?¡±

    Neither Scarlette nor Hadrien knew what had happened during this period. Hence, they were equally confused as to why Jepherson was sitting in a wheelchair.

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson wants to use this method to let Raeleigh stay. Raeleigh can leave whenever she wants, so he can¡¯t force her to stay in any other way. He can only use this method to secure her heart,¡± Hadrian replied.

    Scarlette shook her head and said, ¡°But I always believe that Raeleigh will leave sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jepherson needs someone to take care of him. Remember to keep an eye on Raeleigh during this period. Don¡¯t let her leave.¡±

    ¡°You men are so selfish. How could you force the girl you like to stay with you? The world is endless, why couldn¡¯t he let Raeleigh do what she wants?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±

    ¡­

    When Jepherson woke up, he noticed Raeleigh looking down at him. After he propped himself up, Raeleigh asked him why he got up so soon.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay by your side and apany you until the child is born.¡±

    Raeleigh said nothing, and Jepherson added, ¡°I missed Shaney and Forden¡¯s births, so I can¡¯t miss it this time.¡±

    Raeleigh felt that something was amiss, but she said nothing.

    From that day onwards, Jepherson began to walk on his own. He ate a lot and took many supplements every day. There had always been no problem with his health. It was just that he had been intentionally dying his recovery for so long that he almost copsed.

    Now that Jepherson wanted to get better, the people around him became busy too. It wasn¡¯t long before he finally recovered and returned to his usual state. When Raeleigh was downstairs, she heard Jepherson walking down the stairs.

    Winter came in the blink of an eye. Raeleigh was unwilling to step out of the house. At noon, Jepherson persuaded her to go out for a walk, insisting on taking her out even if they would only stand in the courtyard for a while.

    Raeleigh weed the first snow of early winter outside. At that moment, Jepherson was making a phone call at the door. She stood in the yard and raised her hand to catch the snowkes when it began to snow.

    It was a cold beginning for Raeleigh, but her heart was calm for the first time in ten years. It was as if she was waking up in a dream that did not belong to her. Although she was confused, she was slowly letting it go.

    She was letting go of her persistence, the past and the future.

 Chapter 1839 Carstenâ€™s Autism

    The snow was falling heavily. Jepherson put away the phone and took Raeleigh back into the house. The two stood inside and watched the snow. Meanwhile, Hadrian and Scarlette were busy in the kitchen, not daring to make a sound.

    The Richards family manor remained quiet when winter was approaching. None of the family members returned even on New Year¡¯s Day. Raeleigh went to the yard and waited for them in advance, but no one came back.

    After New Year¡¯s Day, Raeleigh returned to her home with Jepherson. Her family members were all surprised to see her pregnant when she got home. They did not expect Raeleigh to be pregnant after being missing for several months. Moreover, she was almost due.

    Everyone in the Osteen family knew that Raeleigh stayed because of the baby inside her belly.

    Undoubtedly, the baby was Jepherson¡¯s. However, they wondered where Santiago went.

    Since Raeleigh said nothing, no one dared to ask about it. They all ignored the incident and silently forgot about it.

    After staying at Raeleigh¡¯s home for a month, Jepherson decided to take Raeleigh back with the excuse of solving thepany¡¯s matters. At this time, the Osteen family was not willing to let Raeleigh leave.

    However, Novalie wanted Raeleigh to return to Waverly Vige to deliver her child because she hoped that the child would be born there.

    When Raeleigh left, Jazelle offered to follow her back. She was worried that no one would take care of her.

    But Raeleigh refused as she had her own n.

    Despite that, Raeleigh realized that she couldn¡¯t go anywhere even after giving birth.

    Jepherson was watching over her even more strictly than before.

    When the child was one month old, Raeleigh thought that Santiago woulde back. But he did not.

    Jepherson believed that he and Raeleigh should get married as they already had two children together. Therefore, although Raeleigh was still young at that time,he went to the Osteen family to retrieve the necessary documents and applied for their marriage certificate in Capital City.

    This time, they were remarried.

    After collecting their marriage certificate, Jepherson tore it into pieces and threw it into the fire in front of Raeleigh as she stood there holding the baby with a look of disbelief in her eyes.

    ¡°You can¡¯t divorce me without a marriage certificate, and no one in thew dares to judge me,¡± he said.

    Raeleigh adjusted the baby in her arms. ¡°You are despicable!¡±

    ¡°I truly am. This is not the first time already.¡±

    After that day, Jepherson began to prepare for the wedding. Of course, Raeleigh was unwilling to marry him nor cooperate with him, but she was still forced to take the wedding photos.

    When Raeleigh saw the wedding photos, she smiled. She thought Jepherson looked silly when holding their child.

    Now, Raeleigh no longer needed to do any house chores. Jepherson took care of their child himself. Since Raeleigh could not produce any breast milk, the baby only drank form.

    Jepherson hired someone to take care of their child, so Raeleigh did not need to clean up or cook. He also hired professional chefs to cook for her. She only needed to order what she wanted to eat.

    The only thing Raeleigh did was exercise every day. Sometimes, her children came to see her, but they were not close to her at all.

    Raeleigh felt that she failed as a mother as her children were not close to her.

    One day, when Carsten came to visit Raeleigh, he hugged her thigh tightly, as if he did not want to leave her side. Raeleigh stared at him and realized that he had already grown up and could walk. However, they had note back yet.

    Raeleigh pinched Carsten¡¯s chubby cheek and he chuckled and stayed in her arms, unwilling to leave.

    After finishing his work, Jepherson put down his sses, then walked to Carsten and picked him up.

    ¡°You are as fat as a meatball. Why do you keep throwing yourself into your mother¡¯s arms?¡±

    He patted Carsten¡¯s buttocks as if he was teaching him a lesson, then put him on his shoulder and looked at Raeleigh. ¡°Take a rest.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°I want to rest with Carsten.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t forbid you from doing that. You¡¯ve been isting yourself.¡±

    He turned around and returned to the room with Carsten in his arms. Raeleigh had already lost track of when she began sleeping alone. ¡®Perhaps after we got married.¡¯

    Raeleigh and Jepherson¡¯s extravagant wedding had be the talk of Capital City.

    But from that night on, they slept in separate rooms. Jepherson had taken their child and slept upstairs, while she slept downstairs alone.

    Jepherson did not ask her to join him upstairs, so she had been living downstairs until now.

    At this moment, Raeleigh realized that she was the one who did not want to be with them all the time.

    She followed them upstairs and found Carsten lying on the bed like a prince. Jepherson doted on Carsten immensely. Although Carsten was already over one year old, he was still dependent on Jepherson. He moved to lie on the floor with his legs up as he waited for Jepherson to serve him.

    Jepherson took off his clothes one by one and asked Carsten if he wanted to take a shower. Carsten shook his head, and Jepherson helped him change into his pyjamas. Raeleigh sat down aside and shook her head in disappointment when she saw Carsten¡¯s attitude.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a baby anymore. Do what you can do yourself.¡± With that, Carsten stared at her with his clear eyes but did not answer.

    After changing his clothes, Carsten sat down and yed with a pile of toys, unwilling to go to bed. Raeleigh felt frustrated at his response.

    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he respond to my words at all?¡±

    Jepherson replied, ¡°He can¡¯t talk yet. What do you want him to do?¡±

    Raeleigh froze for a moment. ¡°He can already walk. Why can¡¯t he talk?¡±

    ¡°Have you ever heard him talk?¡± Jepherson frowned.

    Raeleigh asked worriedly, ¡°He can¡¯t hear too?¡±

    ¡°He can hear.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Afraid that Raeleigh would worry, Jepherson raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Carsten turned around and looked at them, then continued to y.

    Raeleigh frowned. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still a child, after all, and hecks maternal love. He doesn¡¯t like to talk because he is autistic. Only sometimes, when he¡¯s happy, he might approach others like a normal child.¡±

    Raeleigh was stunned and did not respond. She stared at Jepherson. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me this?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t want to talk to me and only stared nkly at the photos all day. What do you want me to say? The doctor said that you had postpartum depression.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at him. ¡°How is this possible?¡±

    ¡°How is it not possible?¡±

    ¡­

    The two of them fell into silence for a long time and none of them spoke.

    After a long while, Jepherson walked over to Carsten and lifted him like a baby chick. Then, he put him in Raeleigh¡¯s arms.

    ¡°He always felt overjoyed when you hugged him, but every time, you ignored him. Perhaps he has gradually gotten used to your attitude and began mimicking you, or perhaps he was born this way. That¡¯s why he became like this.¡±

    Raeleigh held Carsten in her arms and cried all night.

    The next morning, Raeleigh followed Jepherson to the hospital to treat Carsten. There was a specialist in Waverly Vige. However, it was not Carsten¡¯s first time seeing him. This time, the doctor said, ¡°Please go back. We have no other way to treat him now. Let¡¯s see if he¡¯s willing to talk in the future. If he¡¯s willing to speak, then it¡¯ll be easy for him to recover.¡±

    From that day on, Raeleigh began to talk to Carsten and spent most of her time with him. However, despite being four years old, Carsten still could not talk.

    Raeleigh and Jepherson were at a loss of what to do.

    However, Raeleigh refused to teach Carsten signnguage. She kept talking to him and hid her frustrations when he did not talk.

 Chapter 1840 Unexpected

    When the time came, Raeleigh enrolled Carsten into a kindergarten. On the first day of school, Carsten was bullied.

    Raeleigh felt sorry for him as she gently touched his swollen face. He had been beaten because he could not speak.

    She wanted to confront the bully, but Jepherson stopped her.

    He told her that Carsten should resolve this matter by himself.

    That year, Raeleigh could not sleep well at night. Hair loss became an issue, and she was exhausted all the time.

    But after half a month, the children stopped bullying Carsten. Instead, their parents came to Raeleigh¡¯s home.

    ¡°Just take a look at your child¡­¡±

    The parents pointed to their child, and Raeleigh was confused when she saw a boy about the same height as Carsten.

    The boy seemed to have taken a serious beating, but when Carsten had gotten beaten up like this, Raeleigh hadn¡¯t gone to look for trouble with the bully¡¯s parents, did she?

    Raeleigh retorted, ¡°And? It¡¯s normal for children to fight. My son can¡¯t speak; he¡¯s autistic, but your son can talk. What do you want me to say? My son has never fought with other children before. In fact, he has always been bullied.¡±

    ¡°No, Carsten is harsh when he¡¯s violent. He even told me that he beat me as revenge. He does talk.¡±

    After that, the boy burst into tears.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t lie, boy. My son has never spoken a word since he was a baby.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    The boy cried even louder, and Raeleigh said, ¡°You can do whatever you want. It¡¯s not good for children to fight, but my son has neverid a hand on another child! Besides, it takes two to tango, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    The boy¡¯s parents were furious. ¡°Though my son likes to get into fights, he never lies. Your son is obviously a lively child, yet you insist that he can¡¯t talk. I wasn¡¯t going to ask for anything from you, but if you keep denying, I¡¯m going to sue you.¡±

    ¡°You may do as you wish.¡±

    Raeleigh seethed.

    With a bang, she closed the door and turned around to look at Carsten as he stood in the room. Raeleigh had neverid a hand on him. She stepped forward and held him into his arms. Although he was only four years old, he was already a heavy child.

    Raeleigh sat on the sofa and said to Carsten, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll protect you. If theye back, I¡¯ll chase them away.¡±

    Carsten looked up at her and fell asleep in her arms.

    The next day, another child came to their house withints of their own, and this continued for a week. Raeleigh was truly exhausted by the time the weekend rolled around. She thought about how everyone was saying that Carsten could talk, and how it didn¡¯t make sense for all the children to lie.

    Raeleigh drove Carsten to the kindergarten. After Carsten got out of the car and waved goodbye to Raeleigh, she pulled away but turned back shortly after. She had already made an appointment with the teacher, so she went right into the kindergarten.

    She hid in a corner and watched as everyone listened to their sses. However, Carsten was nowhere in sight.

    Raeleigh felt this odd, and thought that someone must have secretly instructed Carsten to do so.

    Since the teachers seemed to be in on this, it could only mean that this was Jepherson¡¯s doing.

    Raeleigh began to look for Carsten. Eventually, she stopped when she heard pping noises and the sound of someone blowing a whistle on the ser field.

    She walked into the ser field and noticed several children ying ser there; Carsten was amongst them.

    Their game was somewhat different from the usual ser game. It seemed like they were training to y ser. Usually, the goalkeeper would lead the training by blowing the whistle if he were dissatisfied.

    But apart from the goalkeeper, everyone else seemed to be trying their best to kick the ser ball.

    It was as if they werepeting against each other to score the most goals.

    Raeleigh froze for a moment, staring at the man in ck giving the children instructions.

    At this moment, the children noticed Raeleigh. Shaney had grown up. As anathletictwelve-year-old, her body was slender and fit.

    Meanwhile, Forden was already taller than Shaney while two other children were equally tall. Jacqueline was pretty too, and all of them wore colorful jerseys and were training hard.

    Carsten stood among them, sporting a ck jersey. His face was nk when he saw Raeleigh.

    He thought he was going to receive a beating.

    He felt guilty ying ser while the other children were studying. Besides, he had a bad habit of beating up a kid each day.

    He nced at Santiago who dropped his whistle and pped his hands together. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s call it a day. Go rest.¡±

    As Santiago walked towards Raeleigh, pieces of memories surfaced in her mind, overwhelming her.

    Santiago still looked the same. He had not changed one bit. He walked to Raeleigh and held her in his arms.

    Raeleigh hugged him back and asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°When did you return?¡±

    ¡°Half a month ago.¡±

    She pushed him away and touched his face. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all.¡±

    ¡°Neither have you.¡±

    Santiago raised his hand to pat Raeleigh¡¯s head. Raeleigh rubbed her head and noticed the children around them had already surrounded her.

    ¡°Mom¡­¡±

    ¡°Mom¡­¡±

    Everyone called out for Raeleigh at the same time. Meanwhile, Carsten rushed to Raeleigh¡¯s side and hugged her leg. ¡°None of you can take her from me.¡±

    Upon hearing Carsten¡¯s crisp voice, Raeleigh looked down at him, then squatted down and asked, ¡°Carsten, when did you learn to talk?¡±

    Carsten nced at Santiago. ¡°Uncle Santiago taught me how to.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°He said that I should keep it a secret and surprise you. So, I didn¡¯t tell you.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    Carsten had grown more mature, and his voice sounded melodious. Raeleigh was so overwhelmed with joy that she could hardly think of anything else.

    ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you this time, but I won¡¯t be so nice the next time this happens, understood?¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    s, Carsten managed to escape scot free. However, when Raeleigh stood up, he held her hand tightly, as if he was afraid that someone would take her away.

    Santiago bent down and carried Carsten in his arms, asking him to ride on his shoulders. Then, he looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°You should know that this child has a knack for getting into fights. He¡¯s been beating up kids every day.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying he inherited this from Jepherson?¡± Raeleigh chuckled awkwardly.

    ¡°Jepherson never beat people up. I think he got it from me.¡±

    Santiago walked away with Carsten in his arms and Raeleigh watched the children follow them. She stared at Santiago as she walked behind the group. All of a sudden, she felt as if her thoughts were no longer messy and confusing as before.

    Much seemed to have changed in four years, and none of these changes were expected in any way by Raeleigh.

 Chapter 1841 Trouble

    After leaving the kindergarten, Raeleigh followed Santiago to the Richards family manor. It had been four years since she returned, so she was no longer familiar with the ce.

    Santiago went in, put Carsten down and asked the children to keep themselves entertained. He then looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I came back this time because Mrs. Richards is dying. She has been unconscious for a while now. I came back to see her for thest time.¡±

    Raeleigh asked, ¡°Mrs. Richards?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Jepherson hasn¡¯t been home these couple of days because he has gone to visit her. He didn¡¯t tell you about it because Mrs. Richards doesn¡¯t want to see you. While she was still herself, she did say that she would never let you into the family, and that she didn¡¯t want to see you ever again.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Jepherson went to take care of her but was worried about you. So, he asked me toe home to take a look and it was only then did I find out that Carsten is autistic. This is on your te now.¡±

    Raeleigh stared at him and asked, ¡°Why did you bring me here then?¡±

    ¡°I live here.¡±

    Santiago turned around and walked back into the house. Raeleigh followed him in and saw that all the children had their own rooms, and they all lived in Green Jade Garden. The servants were carrying out their own tasks in an orderly manner as well. It seemed that nothing had changed. Raeleigh stood in the living room for a while before Santiago said, ¡°I don¡¯t intend to leave this time. It¡¯s time for Shaney and the others to attend school.¡±

    Raeleigh looked at him. ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡±

    She stared at him for a while and asked again, ¡°Are you going to stay like this forever?¡±

    Santiago smiled and replied, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being alone. Everything is predestined by fate, and our fate was destined to end with Forden. You don¡¯t owe me anything. As for your rtionship with Jepherson, that¡¯s between you and him. I don¡¯t want to get involved.

    Raeleigh, don¡¯t get stuck in the past. We need to learn to let go.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±Raeleigh nodded.

    Santiago took her into his arms. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, ¡°No matter how beautiful the spring breeze is, it will neverpare to your smile. But what I want is a simple life. It took me five years to find my peace; don¡¯t make me waver again.¡±

    Then, he let her go. ¡°I understand,¡± she muttered.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    Santiago went to turn on the TV and sat down to watch while Raeleigh stood motionless in the living room for a short while, still pondering about their earlier conversation. At some point, Carsten emerged and stood at Raeleigh¡¯s feet, staring up at her. Raeleigh squatted down and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have my own room.¡± Carsten had just started to recover, so he was clingy and needy.

    Raeleigh smiled. ¡°How about you go to my room?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Raeleigh picked him up and walked towards the room she and Jepherson used to live in, then set him down after entering the room. Carsten was in high spirits as he quickly ran inside. Raeleigh was rendered speechless for a moment, having never seen him so happy. Mixed feelings surged within her chest as she watched Carsten running circles around the room. She suddenly realized how much she had forgotten in the past few years. Perhaps this child was the only thing she remembered.

    She had stopped doing business for a long time, and she had not gone back home for several years because of her children. She almost forgot how Novalie looked.

    Her eyes followed Carsten as he bounced around. She never thought of herself as a heartless or unfeeling person, yet in the end, she still let many things and people slip through her memory.

    Raeleigh continued quietly watching Carsten as he ran excitedly inside the room. Soon after, she held him in her arms and sat them down. She stared at Carsten¡¯s delicate face and saw that he was sweating rather profusely. Raeleigh wiped away at his sweat and asked, ¡°When did you find out that you have an uncle?¡±

    Carsten threw himself into her arms and said nothing. No matter how much Raeleigh kept asking him, he refused to speak. Raeleigh knew that she couldn¡¯t bombard him withplex questions because of his autism.

    Raeleigh stopped talking and eventually fell asleep with Carsten in her arms.

    When she woke up, Santiago was knocking on the door, asking her to go home as he was about to leave. Raeleigh knew that Marissa was probably dying.

    She handed Carsten over to Santiago and returned home alone. After packing up her clothes, she went back to the Richards family manor. Meanwhile, Santiago hopped into his car and rushed to A city.

    Rayan had also gotten a call informing him of the matter, and he flew back straight from abroad.

    Everyone else also made headway to A City.

    Rossie, a mother of four children, frowned as she sat in the car. ¡°How could this happen so suddenly?¡±

    In truth, she initially had not want to send Marissa off for the final time. She felt nothing for her, had no rtionship so to speak with her, and did not even like her all that much.

    However, Rayan had personally called for Rossie. She was his daughter-inw, so she had to respect his wishes.

    She could not avoid them solely due to the rtionship between the Richards family and the Whalen family.

    Zorion sat behind the extended car. This time, he insisted on bringing the children with him even though Rossie did not want to.

    She couldn¡¯t understand why he would want to bring their children to a funeral.

    Though it appeared that Zorion headed the Whalen family, everyone in Capital City knew that he loved his wife very much and would listen to whatever Rossie said. He would do as told even when she was in the wrong. Thus, Rossie was the true head of the Whalen family.

    However, the public sentiment was that Rossie was evil.

    Rumors had it that instead of helping her family when they looked to her for help, she had gone on to help those who hurt her family instead.

    Although Rossie had a nasty reputation, everyone in Capital City was afraid of her.

    She was as terrifying as a lioness. Over the past few years, she had grown to be the perfect example of a person one should avoid bing.

    ¡°Her health might have been on the decline for more than a month now, but she kept everyone in the dark about it. We only heard of the news when she fell critically ill yesterday.¡±

    While Zorion was talking, the Richards family¡¯s car drove by, and the driver immediately stated, ¡°It¡¯s the Richards family¡¯s car.¡±

    ¡°Jepherson has already left a while ago. Who is this?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Stop him.¡± Zorion looked outside. The driver ordered someone to stop the car but failed.

    The driver turned to look at Zorion who bore a frown on his face. ¡°Is Santiago back?¡±

    Rossie looked over. ¡°And we¡¯re on the same path?¡±

    ¡°He must have been back a long while ago. Why was there no news from the Richards family?¡±

    Silence ensued.

    Though Santiago¡¯s car was speeding, Zorion eventually caught up with it. When he did, Zorion rolled his window down and threw a phone at Santiago.

    The phone crashed against the car with a bang. Santiago nced to his side, his eyes narrowed. ¡°Drive faster.¡±

    The driver stepped on the pedal, but that did nothing to stop Zorion from hurling more objects Santiago¡¯s way.

    Carsten, who was nestled in Raeleigh¡¯s arms, moved into Santiago¡¯s instead as he stared wide-eyed outside. He had never met Zorion before, only Jacky.

    Though it was rtively fun watching Zorion throwing things at the car, he was slightly startled by the noises.

    Santiago quickly carried him over like a kitten and held him in his arms.

    ¡°Park the car in front of them and stop Zorion.¡±

    The driver did as told. He overtook Zorion¡¯s car and put the car in park, blocking Zorion¡¯s path. Santiago then got out of the car with an iron pole in his hand, as if he was about to murder someone.

    Raeleigh took a quick nce at them. The children were leaving with her in the car, and only Carsten had been brought away by Santiago. Raeleigh was worried, but the driver then pulled away so quickly that she could only helplessly look back.

 Chapter 1842 Bite

    After Raeleigh and the others left, Santiago walked to Zorion¡¯s car and stopped him. Zorion casted a nce outside. ¡°Rossie, you should go first. He won¡¯t show any mercy once I get off.¡±

    ¡°You knew he wouldn¡¯t show you mercy, so why didn¡¯t you think of that before you caused trouble?¡±

    ¡°I was just kidding! Who knew he¡¯d have such a bad temper? I didn¡¯t expect him to take it seriously.¡±

    Rossie sighed and gave in. ncing at Zorion, she finally understood that he was only using her as an excuse to escape whenever he got into trouble.

    She got out of the car and looked at Santiago who stood opposite her. ¡°Long time no see.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Zorion?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s so afraid of you that he doesn¡¯t even dare toe out,¡± said Rossie.

    ¡°It¡¯s toote to be scared.¡±

    He walked up to Zorion¡¯s car with the rod in his hand, then raised the stick and smashed it against the car until it waspletely wrecked. When he was done, he tossed the stick aside, turned to pick Carsten up, then walked towards the Richards family¡¯s other car and left with his men.

    Carsten took a quick nce behind him as he wrapped his arms around Santiago¡¯s neck. When they got in the car, Santiago nced at him. ¡°Are you scared?¡±

    Carsten shook his head. ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°Good boy.¡±

    Santiago held Carsten in his arms and said, ¡°The Whalen family is our friend. Their daughters will grow into beautiful women in the future. If you like any of them, I¡¯ll bring one back for you. So, we can¡¯t punish them too hard. Otherwise, they will cause trouble for us, understand?¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    As Carsten leaned into Santiago¡¯s arms, the driver looked back at them and thought about how bad of an influence Santiago was on Carsten.

    Buthe had always been like this, and no one expected him to be the best caretaker of children.

    When Raeleigh arrived at the Richards family manor, the funeral had already begun. Raeleigh did not get out of the car. Instead, she uttered a few words of reminder to the children before instructing them to get out of the car.

    As Raeleigh sat inside the car, she saw Jepherson kneeling beside the coffin with Hansen and Jenna beside him. The other members of the Richards family were there too. Even though many people came, Raeleigh still refused to get out of the car. The children walked towards the funeral ceremony one after another before getting on their knees to pray.

    The master of ceremonies immediately walked over to the children and asked where they hade from.

    Jepherson wrote a note himself and handed it to the master of ceremonies, who was shocked when he read the note and learned that these children were from families of stature.

    ¡°Jacky¡¯s sons and daughter, Cedric, Heitor and Jacqueline,e say your goodbyes.¡±

    The three children first knelt and murmured a prayer, then got up and went to stand aside, making way for Shaney and Forden.

    ¡°Jepherson¡¯s eldest daughter, Shaney, and Santiago¡¯s eldest son, Forden,e bid Mrs. Richards goodbye.¡±

    A few servants then came over and handed Shaney and Forden funeral corsages. The two continued kneeling as they swiftly put on the corsages.

    Once they were done praying, they got up and went to stand aside, their heads lowered in sorrow.

    Trevor stared at the two children in a trance, thinking about how they had grown up in the blink of an eye. He raised his head and looked around, but found that Raeleigh was nowhere in sight.

    ncing at the coffin, he muttered, ¡°What difference did it make, not allowing Raeleigh to join the family? Didn¡¯t she marry into the family in the end?¡±

    Then, he went inside and sat down for a long time, reminiscing about the past.

    Beside him, Reese poured him a ss of water. Trevor asked, ¡°Did you see how the children have all grown up?¡±

    Reese was quiet as she continued keeping Trevorpany.

    After a long while, Santiago¡¯s car arrived at the gate and he got out of the car with Carsten in his arms.

    Jenna cried with excitement the moment she saw Carsten. She had never formally met him in the past few years, and only saw him in the photos. Carsten¡¯s inability to speak was like a stone pressing down on Jenna¡¯s chest. With him finallying home, she was absolutely overjoyed.

    Santiago walked to the coffin and muttered his prayer quietly. After putting on the corsage, he said, ¡°You¡¯re free.¡±

    Then, he led Carsten to the side of the room and sat down. Meanwhile, Carsten¡¯s eyes darted around the ce in search of Raeleigh . His eyes gleamed with joy when he spotted Jepherson before he quickly went to him.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Raeleigh?¡± Jepherson asked.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°She¡¯s outside; she probably didn¡¯te down.¡±

    The two fell silent and said nothing. On the other hand, Raeleigh remained outside and refused toe down for the next few days.

    In actuality, Raeleigh should have left, but she wanted her children back.

    On the third night, Carsten began to cry and throw tantrums in his room; he would throw and smash whatever that was in sight. When Jepherson rushed to his side, almost everything in the room had been broken into fragmented pieces.

    Jepherson pushed the door open only to see Carsten crying loudly. When Carsten looked up and saw himing in, he cried even harder. Even with the help trying their best to console andfort him, his sobbing never stopped.

    Jepherson immediately barged in and picked Carsten up, then rocked him in his arms to stop him from crying.

    ¡°Get out of my way.¡±

    With Carsten still in his arms, Jepherson dashed out of the room. When he got out of the door and saw Raeleigh¡¯s car, he walked over, opened the door, and ced Carsten on the passenger seat.

    ¡°Take him away and stop him from crying.¡±

    When Carsten saw Raeleigh, he immediately stopped crying. Heid in Raeleigh¡¯s arms, sniffing his runny nose. As Raeleigh held him close to her, she felt her heart ache.

    Just then, Santiago emerged from the room, but he didn¡¯te over.

    Jepherson shut the car door and took a few steps back. Raleigh¡¯s driver started the car and drove them home. Then, Jepherson looked at Santiago and said, ¡°Bring some of the children back first. I¡¯m worried about Raeleigh being alone.¡±

    ¡°Just go home. The burial has already taken ce; a few days won¡¯t make much of a difference,¡± Santiago replied.

    Jepherson looked at Santiago, who had a smile on his face as he said, ¡°Do not think for a second that I¡¯m doing this for you. I¡¯ll never listen to you anymore for the rest of my life. I¡¯ve followed your orders for the first half of my life, and I had Raeleigh by my side during that period. From now on, you¡¯ll listen to me and hand your assets over to me while Raeleigh will belong to you.¡±

    Jepherson turned around and asked, ¡°Are you crazy?¡±

    ¡°You should go.¡±

    Santiago beckoned a driver over and opened the car door, gesturing at Jepherson to get in the vehicle. Jepherson nced at Raeleigh¡¯s car and got inside. ¡°Call me,¡± he said, sticking his head out of the window.

    ¡°I will. Goodbye.¡±

    The door closed shut, and Jepherson left the Richards family home by car.

    Raeleigh had not gone far. She found a hotel in Capital City and entered it with Carsten in her arms.

    When Jepherson arrived outside the hotel, he took off his suit and left it inside his car before going into the hotel.

    Jaw dropped and mouth agape, the hotel staff could hardly believe what they had just seen as they continued staring at Jepherson in a star-struck daze.

    Jepherson inquired Raeleigh¡¯s room number at the front desk before going straight upstairs.

    Upon hearing a knock on the door, Raeleigh went towards it with Carsten in her arms. She looked through the peephole before opening the door. When he entered the room, Jepherson immediately took Carsten into his arms. Carsten was frightened, so he bit Jepherson in the neck as he struggled to break free from his arms. Raeleigh heard Jepherson let out a snort and looked up at him just as he was taking in a deep breath while holding Carsten tightly with one arm, and waving to Raeleigh with the other.

 Chapter 1843 Repent

    Raeleigh said nothing as Carsten continued sinking his teeth into Jepherson¡¯s neck. She stared in shock as blood seeped out of his wound. Jepherson raised his hand and patted Carsten gently, then walked to the bed and sat down. After a while, Carsten finally fell asleep. He closed his eyes as he dozed off in Jepherson¡¯s arms. Meanwhile, Raeleigh had rushed out of the room to ask the hotel staff to prepare disinfectants before going back into the room to help Jepherson clean his wound.

    Jepherson leaned against the wall, still holding Carsten in his arms and unwilling to let go. Raeleigh frowned. ¡°What should we do?¡±

    Jepherson¡¯s voice was a little hoarse. He had been busy for the past two days entertaining guests.

    ¡°He got scared because of the crowd. He thought that you didn¡¯t want him anymore since he couldn¡¯t find you, and probably thinks that I¡¯m the one who forced him to stay there.¡±

    After bandaging Jepherson¡¯s wound, Raeleigh helped wipe Carsten¡¯s mouth. Suddenly, Carsten¡¯s body trembled, frightening her. Jepherson immediately sat up and gave Carsten gentle pats. Carsten buried his face in Jepherson¡¯s chest and finally quieted down.

    Raeleigh sat down and looked at Jepherson¡¯s haggard face. ¡°Let me take over.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You didn¡¯t get enough rest.¡±

    Jepherson took off his shoes and shifted towards the middle of the bed. Heid down while holding Carsten and ced a kiss on his head.

    Raeleigh eyed him. ¡°How did youe to know his condition so well?¡±

    ¡°I was like this too when I was younger. After losing my mother, I dreamed of seeing her every day.¡±

    Jepherson exined as heid there weakly. Raeleigh felt tired for him just by looking at him.

    She thought she must have done something wrong, and all this was her fault.

    When Jepherson and Carsten fell asleep, Raeleigh got up and went to take a shower. She thought Jepherson had already fallen asleep, so she didn¡¯t expect to see him standing at the door when she came out of the shower.

    Raeleigh was stunned for a moment. Then, she pulled the bath towel to her chest out of fear of being seen.

    Since she and Jepherson slept in separate rooms in the past few years, they had not been close to each other for a long time.

    Jepherson stared at Raeleigh and said, ¡°I need to pee.¡±

    Raeleigh quickly moved out of the way and let Jepherson in. However, he didn¡¯t move and just stood there.

    ¡°Come in. I¡¯m going out.¡±

    Only then did Jepherson enter the bathroom.

    The bathroom in the hotel was not as spacious as the one in Raeleigh¡¯s home. Raeleigh even thought that the bathroom was a little small, and the bath towel was hardly big enough. After Jepherson came in, she had even less space to move around. When she was about to get out of the bathroom, Jepherson grabbed her by the wrist.

    He pressed her against the wall, and she panicked. ¡°You¡¯re in mourning.¡±

    ¡°What about after the mourning period?¡±

    Raeleigh nced outside and said, ¡°Carsten is outside.¡±

    ¡°What other excuses do you have besides these? Do you really want to drive Carsten and I crazy before you finallye back to us?¡±

    Jepherson tightened his grip on Raeleigh, but she pushed him away. ¡°I¡¯m not! This is too sudden. I¡¯m not ready yet, and¡­¡±

    Before she could finish her words, Jepherson covered her mouth with his hand. Raeleigh was stunned, and her whole body went stiff.

    Jepherson paused for a moment, then pushed Raeleigh over and kissed her hard. Shock set into Raeleigh¡¯s skin before she grew familiar with the feeling. She then wrapped her arms around him and began to kiss him back.N?velDrama.Org ? content.

    ¡­

    When Raeleigh woke up, she found herself sleeping beside Carsten, who was holding her tightly. She looked around and realized Jepherson was not in the room, and had left her a note.

    Apparently, he had gone back to the Richards family home, and he wanted Raeleigh to call him if anything came up.

    Raeleigh looked down at her chest and noticed that it was covered in hickeys.

    After sleeping in for a while longer, Raeleigh rubbed Carsten¡¯s tiny face affectionately. Carsten opened his eyes and looked at Raeleigh. He got up and sat up, looking around the room. He seemed unhappy when he couldn¡¯t find Jepherson. Then, he got off the bed and ran to knock on the door barefooted.

    Raeleigh immediately called Jepherson, and it didn¡¯t take long for him toe to the hotel.

    When Jepherson entered the room, Carsten was lying in Raeleigh¡¯s arms, sulking.

    When he saw Jephersone in, he immediately leaped out of Raeleigh¡¯s arms. Jepherson bent down and scooped him up.

    ¡°I had just gone to check on the car downstairs. Were you scared?¡± Jepherson shook Carsten yfully. Carsten replied, ¡°You and Mom must stay together.¡±

    Jepherson chuckled and nced at Raeleigh. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s stay together.¡±

    Then, he whispered, his eyes fixed on Raeleigh, ¡°We¡¯ve always been together.¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t live together.¡±

    Raeleigh stifled a giggle. ¡°Shall we live together after we get home?¡±

    ¡°Dad, I want to go home.¡±

    A tense silence fell in between the three for a moment.

    Raeleigh was utterly speechless.

    ¡°Your great-grandmother had just passed away a few days ago, so your great-grandfather is very sad. Grandpa also feels down, so I can¡¯t leave him alone because I¡¯m his son. Will you leave me alone if I were to fall sick one day?¡±

    Carsten seemed to have understood what Jepherson meant. He looked at Raeleigh and said, ¡°Mom will go back with youter, Dad. Will you please ask Mom if she wants to stay? No one can leave from now on.¡±

    Carsten stared at Raeleigh as if waiting for her to answer.

    Raeleigh finally realized why Carsten refused to talk. It was all because of her.

    ¡°Carsten, I promise you that I won¡¯t break up with Dad again, okay?¡±

    Carsten looked at Raeleigh doubtfully. Raeleigh wanted to prove that she was telling the truth but didn¡¯t know how to. Growing anxious, she stood on her toes and ced a kiss on Jepherson¡¯s lips.

    Carsten was stunned for a moment, and Raeleigh immediately blushed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself. I¡¯m doing this for Carsten.¡±

    Raeleigh shot a look at Carsten. He did not seem to understand what Raeleigh was doing as he leaned on Jepherson¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Carsten, do you know what a kiss is?¡± Jepherson asked. Raeleigh stared at him and chided, ¡°Why are you teaching a child everything?¡±

    Jepherson pulled Raeleigh close and lowered his head to kiss her. Carsten chuckled when he saw their interaction. Raeleigh shot Jepherson a look, and Jepherson said, ¡°Since we¡¯re going to be together, we have to kiss first.¡±

    Carsten raised his head to look at Jepherson as if he knew exactly what he meant.

    Carsten then turned around and waited for Raeleigh to kiss Jepherson, leaving Raeleigh no choice but to do so. This time, Jepherson did not let her leave immediately. As he held Carsten with one hand and her with the other, he deepened the kiss, and he let his lips stay on hers for a long while.

    Raeleigh¡¯s face turned a darker shade of red when she saw Jepherson close his eyes.

    How embarrassing it is for them to behave like this at such an age!

    After that, Raeleigh bashfully stood aside as if she hadmitted a shameful crime.

    Carsten then reached out to Raeleigh, indicating that he wanted a hug. She quickly took him in her arms, and he became much quieter as she held him.

    When Raeleigh and Jepherson¡¯s eyes met, she asked, ¡°What do you want to do next?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back and visit Mom and Dad.¡±

    Raeleigh nodded in agreement.

    However, she didn¡¯t expect that she would give in to him after keeping strong for so long.

    Perhaps she had begun to repent.

 Chapter 1844 Sperm Bank

    When Raeleigh got out of the car, she began staring at the Richards family¡¯s courtyard. Although the Richards family had already buried Marissa¡¯s body, Raeleigh was still unwilling to go back.

    However, as she gazed at Carsten¡¯s precious little face that was looking at her expectantly, she had no choice but to follow Jepherson inside.

    At that moment, Santigo and the other children were in the yard. When Santiago saw Raeleigh and Jepherson, he smiled and gestured at Jepherson. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Raeleigh asked when she saw Santiago.

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Though Raeleigh did not believe Jepherson, she decided not to ask further.

    When Carsten saw Forden and Shaney, he immediately tried to break away from Jepherson¡¯s arms, wanting to get to them. The children were all gathered in the Richards family manor that day.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Coupled with the four other children of the Whalen family, there were ten children altogether, and they almost upied the entire courtyard.

    Raeleigh was a little frightened to see so many children.

    ¡°Carsten, don¡¯t y with the others. Stay here with me.¡±

    Raeleigh was worried that Carsten would be in a bad mood. However, after one look at Carsten, Jepherson decided to put him down. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let him y.¡±

    Raeleigh nced at Jepherson¡¯s neck. ¡°What if¡­¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. Let him go.¡±

    Carsten looked around for a while before running towards Forden, who then pulled Carsten along with him before disappearing from sight.

    Raeleigh took a deep breath, feeling the urge to check on Carsten. However, Jepherson grabbed her by the wrist and said, ¡°Don¡¯t go. He¡¯s fine; he¡¯s with the others. We¡¯re the only ones giving him pressure.¡±

    Raeleigh stopped and looked at Carsten.

    Then, Jepherson entered the house with the adults, and Raeleigh followed suit.

    Hansen and the others were already seated inside by the time they came in. After Raeleigh entered, Jenna stood up to indicate that Raeleigh shoulde sit with her. But thetter made no show of going to her, so Jepherson led Raeleigh over and sat her down.

    ¡°Since the olden days, the Richards family has always prioritized our respect for the elders. Therefore, the head of the family¡¯s position should be passed down to the eldest grandson of the family,¡± Hansen said, prompting Jenna to look at her husband. She remarked, ¡°What are you doing? We¡¯ve only just¡­¡±

    Hansen held Jenna¡¯s hand and continued, ¡°Let me finish.¡±

    Jenna obeyed and kept quiet.

    Hansen continued, ¡°Since everyone is here, let me settle our family¡¯s affairs first. Although our family¡¯s currently based in Capital City, we should not forget about A city either.

    Thus, I¡¯m going to keep these two ces, and you two brothers may decide which of the two ces you¡¯d like to keep.

    Let¡¯s begin.¡±

    Santiago stated without hesitation, ¡°I choose to stay in A city.¡±

    Jepherson looked over and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you like Capital City?¡±

    ¡°People change. I much prefer here over Capital City, but Shaney and Forden will stay with me.¡±

    Jepherson looked at Raeleigh and told her, ¡°You decide.¡±

    ¡°I have no objection.¡±

    ¡°Since no one has any objections, it¡¯s settled. From today onwards, Santiago will take over our family business in A city, and I¡¯ll leave Capital City to Jerry.¡±

    Jenna let out a sigh of relief. She finally understood everything.

    ¡°Raeleigh, what about you?¡±

    Before Raeleigh could answer, Jepherson replied, ¡°Raeleigh and I have decided to take care of Carsten together.¡±

    ¡°Do you want another child?¡±

    ¡°No. We¡¯re happy with just Carsten and Shaney.¡±

    Jepherson reached out to hold Raeleigh¡¯s hand, but she immediately pulled away.

    Jenna carefully watched her surroundings, feeling relieved. She looked at Santiago again and noticed that he looked calm and unbothered.

    However, she knew that it must have been hard for him. Otherwise, he would not have left for so many years.

    He was still single and alone even as a grown-up; how could his parents not worry about him?

    ¡°Raeleigh, Dad and I can¡¯t go back and take care of Carsten for you anymore. Your grandfather needs someone to care for him, and we¡¯re worried about him. Besides, I¡¯m worried that Santiago won¡¯t be able to handle Shaney and Forden alone, so we n to stay here with them.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Jenna took a sidelong nce at Raeleigh. ¡°Raeleigh, you may arrange our mealster.¡±

    ¡°I need to take care of Carsten. We¡¯d better leave this to the servants.¡±

    Jenna was stunned, not expecting to hear such a response from Raeleigh. Raeleigh then turned around and walked away.

    Jepherson exined, ¡°Raeleigh can¡¯t focus on anything else since Carsten is critically ill. We n to leave as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°You should leave today then. I¡¯m also worried about Carsten. I feel like he¡¯s always so scared of people.¡±

    Jenna had tried talking to Carsten, but found that he had a strange and entric character. If she were not careful, he would lose his temper. Therefore, Jenna could only watch him helplessly, her heart aching for him. In fact, she had grown rather afraid of seeing him.

    ¡­

    After dinner, Raeleigh brought Carsten with her to have a brief chat with Shaney and Forden. Later, she went to see Santiago before leaving.

    She worded a reminder to Santiago. ¡°Remember to bring them back when you¡¯re free.¡±

    Santiago only smiled, giving her a vague and ambiguous response.

    When Raeleigh returned to the car, she stared at Santiago reluctantly as if she would never get to see him again.

    Although they could still meet again, if Raeleigh did not go to A city in the future, Santiago would never visit Capital City either.

    Santiago¡¯s name was never mentioned again in Capital City. Only Jepherson and his children mattered to them.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that Raeleigh had brought Marissa back that year, Santiago would not have brought the children to visit Marissa¡¯s grave.

    At the time, Jepherson was already in his forties, and Raeleigh had aged too.

    Raeleigh was kneeling by the grave when Santiago came over and sat down next to her, shing a grin at Raeleigh.

    Raeleigh was surprised to see him. As she stared at the man who had just emerged, her eyes started to redden. ¡°How can you still smile?¡±

    Santiago then got up and walked away without a word, leaving Raeleigh at a loss for how to react.

    After that, Jepherson stayed with Raeleigh for a while before leaving.

    Raeleigh had reached middle age that year. Due to Marissa¡¯s passing, she fell critically ill and did not get better untilte autumn.

    But after she recovered, her body was never quite the same. She grew weak and frail.

    Carsten had left with Santiago, leaving only Jepherson by her side.

    When there was no one else around, Jepherson asked Raeleigh, ¡°Who do you think resembles me more? Carsten or Forden?¡±

    Raeleigh turned to look at him slowly and stared at him as if she was in a dream. After a long while, she asked, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    The fallen leavesnded on Jepherson as he sat on the bench. He gazed up at the falling leaves and replied, ¡°I said Forden is my son.¡±

    Raeleigh did not answer, and there was no expression on her pale face.

    Her gaze froze as she recalled what happened that year.

    She remembered leaving Waverly Vige with Santiago that year. Not long after she did, Shaney came down with a fever. She got terribly ill, and her fever persisted for three days. The doctors had said that there was something wrong with Shaney¡¯s immune system and that she needed to undergo a bone marrow transnt surgery.

    Raeleigh had no idea what to do. The doctor suggested she start with her family members, and Santiago¡¯s bone marrow was the first to have been tested on and found to be a match for Shaney. However, the doctor told themter on that Shaney would not be able to go through with the surgery due to how weak her body was.

    This greatly limited Raeleigh¡¯s options. When the doctor suggested once more for Raeleigh to give birth to another child for the sake of having a matching donor, Raeleigh was at a loss for what to do. She had her hesitations about reaching out to Jepherson.

    In the midst of her dilemma, Santiago came forth with a solution.

    Only then did Raeleigh learn that Jepherson had kept his sperm in a sperm bank.

 Chapter 1845 The Confusion Ends

    Santiago went home once more to retrieve Jepherson¡¯s sperm from the sperm bank. After that, Raeleigh got pregnant through medical procedures.

    However, when Raeleigh was only three days pregnant, the doctor made a major discovery. He informed her that he made progress with Shaney¡¯s illness , and that he might have misdiagnosed her condition.

    At that time, Raeleigh had been so overjoyed that Shaney was fine, and she only remembered that she was pregnant after half a month since learning about Shaney. By the time she remembered that she was with child, she wanted to stop her pregnancy. However, Santiago persuaded her to give the baby to him.

    Raeleigh pondered about it for a long time before finally agreeing.

    ¡­

    Time passed in a blink of an eye, and Raeleigh had never expected for things to turn out the way it did. She gave birth to her second child, and Shaney had made a full recovery.

    Santiago had told her that the baby was the will of God, and he wanted her to keep the baby.

    Raeleigh always thought that the baby belonged to Santiago. If it weren¡¯t for him, she wouldn¡¯t have gone through with her pregnancy.

    She had never seriously thought about keeping the baby.

    Raeleigh stared into the distance and slowly looked down at Jepherson. ¡°Why are you asking me all this?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just having a chat about it.¡±

    Raeleigh did not reply and turned her face away.

    Jepherson always had something up his sleeves, and Raeleigh suspected what was going on between them was just another part of his many schemes. Did he ever get tired of his calcting mind?

    After that day, Raeleigh¡¯s body slowly recovered. Soon after, she received a call from Jacky who said he wanted to get Cedric and Shaney engaged.

    Raeleigh was shocked to hear that. Shaney was but a child!

    But soon, she realized that Shaney was already twenty years old.

    ¡°The children are still too young. Let¡¯s wait for a few more years. We can talk about this again in the future. Besides, I do not have a say in this matter; maybe you should ask Jepherson.¡±

    Jacky hung up the phone, and Deanna came straight to him.

    As soon as Raeleigh finished discussing with Jepherson, Jacky came to see them with Deanna.

    Raeleigh felt a little irritated at Jacky¡¯s sudden proposal. ¡°Cedric is still a child. He can¡¯t even take care of himself, let alone take care of our family. I don¡¯t approve of this marriage. Let¡¯s talk about it in a few years.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright if you don¡¯t agree, but you should understand the situation first. Call Santiago and ask him what happened.¡±

    Raeleigh did as told, but it turned out that Santiago did not agree with the marriage either. When Raeleigh continued to question him, he insisted that there was no need to probe any further and that he would never agree to it.

    When Raeleigh ryed the news to Jepherson, his face fell instantly and he started getting into a row with Jacky. Raeleigh was confused, not knowing what exactly was going on. She only found outter on that Shaney had gotten pregnant.

    ¡­

    That night, Raeleigh couldn¡¯t fall asleep at all. She was baffled by Cendric¡¯s behavior!

    But Raeleigh couldn¡¯t pin the me on Jacky either, as it took two to tango.

    It was the first time Raeleigh returned to A city after Marissa¡¯s death. Before she walked through the door, she heard Santiago yelling at Shaney, ordering her to get out of his way.

    Shaney shouted back at Santiago, but he continued instructing her to move.

    Raeleigh and Jepherson went in to see Santiagonding a kick on Cedric¡¯s belly, sending him rolling on the floor.

    But Cedric didn¡¯t dare move.

    The children were all terrified; everyone was too afraid to make any sudden movements.

    Upon seeing Raeleigh, Shaney quickly ran over and hid behind her, pleading with her to help Cedric.

    Raeleigh immediately shot Shaney a re. ¡°How dare you ask me to help him after what you¡¯ve done?¡±

    Shaney lowered her head and said nothing. Jepherson walked over and looked at her. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡±

    Cedric voiced out his intention to marry Shaney, but Jepherson gave no response as he continued staring at Shaney.

    Raeleigh was unsure what was going on between the men, but Jepherson and Santiago were dead set on objecting to the marriage.

    In the end, the two of them drove all the Scott family¡¯s children away. Jepherson took Shaney back home, and Santiago followed.

    Though Jacky brought Cedric to Jepherson¡¯s home every day, thetter only ignored them.

    When Jepherson took Shaney out for a vacation, he watched over her like a hawk, as if she was his prisoner. Raeleigh felt like she had returned to the time when the two brothers would work hand-in-hand to deal with an enemy.

    Raeleigh found herself surprisingly worrying for Cedric. She thought about how unfortunate it was for him since Jepherson was likely to be mum about an answer for the next two years or so; although she did agree that getting married at twenty was too impulsive of an action.

    Even after Shaney gave birth to her child, Jepherson and Santiago still refused to approve of her marriage to Cedric. Raeleigh couldn¡¯t find a better word to describe the two, other than the word ¡®lunatic¡¯.

    When Shaney and Cedric¡¯s child was one month old, Santiago took the baby away. Raeleigh¡¯s heart ached and she could not bear to take another look at the baby.

    At the same time, Shaney followed Santiago and left too.

    Raeleigh stood at the door and watched as the three of them took their leave. For a moment, she was brought back to the memory of seeing Santiago leave her for the first time, his back facing her as he walked away.

    Raeleigh had wasted years of Santiago¡¯s life, and this was a debt that she would never be able to repay him.

    After returning to the house, Raeleigh called Cedric and said, ¡°I know someone who can help you. Go look for them. Hopefully, you still stand a chance.¡±

    In fact, his chances were solid; it was only a matter of time before things went his way. After all, the Richards family could not afford to taint their reputation with news of their daughter getting impregnated at such a young age.

    Thus¡­

    Raeleigh nced at Jepherson, but neither him nor Santiago agreed.

    ¡°My godfather?¡± Cedric asked, to which Raeleigh replied, ¡°Will your godfather care about matters like this? Has your godfather ever cared about what¡¯s going on with you in all these years?¡±

    That rendered Cedric speechless.

    Raeleigh said, ¡°Go look for a man named Stuart Robertson. If he¡¯s willing to help you, then you can rest assured because your problem will see its end. However, you may not be able to persuade him to help you; it¡¯s best if your parents can go instead.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    ¡­

    After Raeleigh hung up the phone, Jepherson said as he read the newspaper, ¡°Even if Stuart¡¯s willing to back him up, I won¡¯t agree to it. And even if I did, Santiago may not. He brought Shaney up himself, so he definitely won¡¯t be giving her away like this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Santiago will agree to it, and so will you.¡±

    Raeleigh stood up and pulled out a test sheet, then threw it casually at Jepherson¡¯s face. Jepherson grabbed the test sheet and looked at it. A frown crept up to his face. ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°I went for a check up, and here are the results.¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and made her way into the room. Meanwhile, Jepherson carefully looked at the ultrasound report, then shifted his gaze to Raeleigh.

    ¡°Are you going to keep the baby?¡±

    Raeleigh turned around and looked at him. ¡°What else can I do?¡±

    ¡°What would others think? You¡¯re not exactly young anymore.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried about me, or are you worried about being embarrassed?¡±

    ¡°Both.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to keep it then.¡±

    ¡­

    Although Raeleigh said that she did not want the baby, she still kept it in the end. However, she suffered a hemorrhage during childbirth and had almost lost her life. After the doctor saved her, he informed her that she could not give birth to another child in the future.

    Raeleigh, in her frail frame and weakened state, muttered, ¡°All I needed was one.¡±

    The doctor thought that Raeleigh meant she only wanted one child. But only she knew that all her children were not born out of her and Jepherson¡¯s love; only this child was.

    Raeleigh wanted a healthy child; a child that belonged only to her and Jepherson. A child that was born for love.

    Jepherson was overjoyed to have a son at his age, so he had loved the child even more.

    The baby finally drew a happy ending for Raeleigh and Jepherson¡¯s rtionship.

    Raeleigh was still weak when she was discharged from the hospital. After Jepherson ced the baby in the car, he immediately went to check on her. She stood on the side of the road and looked at Jepherson, a content smile on her face. ¡°Do you still remember how we met?¡±

    Jepherson, surprised by the question, was unable to respond to it right away. Raeleigh then got into the car without saying another word.

    Jepherson kept gazing at Raeleigh along the ride, holding their child in one hand and her hand with the other.

    ¡°Of course, I remember. It¡¯s something I won¡¯t ever forget for the rest of my life!¡±

    ¡­

    Raeleigh smiled, thinking of the fond memory that she would also keep for the rest of her life. Even though there were times when she found the lines of her memory blurred, and some details of the past escaped her¡­

    She still remembered how far they came, and the ces she wanted to go.

    She held Jepherson¡¯s hand firmly and looked up at him, her eyes bright and clear. Then, she turned away with a smile as she looked at the bustling streets outside.

    To have met one¡¯s soulmate in the short years of human life was nothing short of a miracle. As many moments spent together, and as many separations as it took, soulmates would eventually find their way to each other. s, Raeleigh¡¯s heart was full of content for having found her other half, and for being able to hold him in her arms again.

    Her only regret was that he was still alone and had not recovered from the wounds of his past just yet¡­

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